Brownies

16 oz. black beans, rinsed
1/3 cup butter, melted
2 large eggs
1/4 cup cocoa powder
1/2 (equivalent) sugar substitute (like Baking Stevia)
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons vanilla
1/2 cup chocolate chips
1/2 cup walnuts or pecans, chopped (optional)

Blend the first 7 ingredients in a blender or food processor until completely smooth.  Poor into an 8x8'' baking dish and sprinkle chocolate chips and nuts throughout the mixture. Cook at 350 for 25-30 minutes. Makes 8 servings.  (Recipe by Whole Foods)

This is delicious!!  I gave Charlie a bite without telling him what it was made from, and he said "Yuuuuuuum!"  They're fudgy, chocolately, and really not all that bad for you!

I did a nutrient analysis and here's what you've got per (decent sized) slice:

Calories:  142
Carbs:     20g
Sugar:     8.4g
Fiber:      5g
Protein:   6.25g
Fat:         13g

I'd say that's not bad compared to 486 calories, 20g fat, 78g carbs, and 5g protein in a regular brownie of equal size.  I'll take another serving of beans, please!  :)

Food Allergies v. Food Intolerances

http://www.chicagotribune.com/health/ct-met-food-intolerance-tests-20120411,0,3665500.story

Food allergies and intolerances are huge news these days. But what is the difference between the two?

Food allergies cause a systemic immune response to a food (think antibodies); while intolerances cause a more mild response to a food. Testing these days is unfortunately not very accurate.  According to this article, if a food allergy is suspected, a person can eliminate different foods until the symptoms disappear... and then add them back one at a time and gauge how the body reacts to it.

They also report that the most usual food intolerances are to sugars--such as lactose or fructose due to a lack of the enzymes needed in the gut to digest it. I'd hate to have a fructose intolerance since fructose is in EVERYTHING (including all but one type of applesauce I found at the store)!

The full article gives a lot more details, but I thought this would be an interesting item to share!

Childhood Obesity

These are adds for Georgia's campaign to stop childhood obesity. I have a teacher who is really against these adds. She says there's no way parents don't understand the health consequences of their children being overweight (or what overweight looks like for a child.) I actually really disagree with THAT, but after watching these adds, I'm not so sure they send the right message. What do you think?

Autism

Very interesting! I hope I will gain more exposure and knowledge in this area if I am accepted into the Fellowship next year. What could be more nutritionally relevant than eliminating gluten and casein from the diet?

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/02/120229105128.htm

Splenda

On Pinterest, I just ran across an article about the dangers of calorie-free sweeteners used in several different products like Splenda.

This particular woman, who is not a health professional of any sort, made the claim that artificial sweeteners cause retinopathy and neurophathy. Retinopathy is a disease of your eye that can cause blindness and neuropathy is a disease of your nerves that can cause either pain or loss of feeling. She said that these diseases are common among diabetics, so it's no coincidence that diabetics have these problems since they often use artificial sweeteners!

The problem with her statement is that she doesn't understand what causes these diseases in diabetics. Retinopathy, Neuropathy, and Nephropathy (kidney disease) are caused by the osmotic load uncontrolled diabetes places on your organs. God designed our bodies amazingly... they can be so flexible and undergo a LOT of wear and tear... and yet there's a point when the stresses on organs is just too much. When diabetics have uncontrolled sugar in their blood for long, extended periods of time (like >15 years), it wreaks havoc. It changes the makeup of body fluids and pulls water and proteins in and out of places it usually wouldn't. Although that's a really simplistic explanation, it is essentially what causes eye, nerve, and kidney disease in diabetics. There is TONS of supporting research that shows diabetics who keep a very tight range of blood glucose DON'T DEVELOP THESE PROBLEMS.

I'm certainly not saying all sugar-free products are the answer or that we have all the research we need on them to confirm they are safe in all amounts of consumption. But I will encourage you to be careful what you believe. Listen to your body, follow your convictions, but be wise and discerning who you accept food information from. (And if you're still worried, go ahead and switch to Agave or Stevia!)

self-assessment

In the spirit of creating healthy relationships with food, here is a short quiz I ran across for class that speaks to one type of eating behavior. Check it out!

http://www.casapalmera.com/assessments/eating-disorder-self-assessment.php

What's for supper tonight...

• INGREDIENTS 
• 1 tablespoon olive oil, divided $
• 1 (10-ounce) bag baby spinach, chopped
• 3 garlic cloves, minced $
• 3 vertically sliced shallots (or half a purple onion)
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh sage
• 3/4 teaspoon chopped thyme, divided
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper, divided
• 1/4 teaspoon salt $
• 1 (8-ounce) package cremini mushrooms, quartered
• 3/4 cup toasted walnuts, chopped and divided
• 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar $
• 2 ounces shredded Gruyere cheese (or swiss)
• 8 cups water
• 2 tablespoons white vinegar
• 4 large eggs $

Preparation

1. 1. Heat a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add 1 teaspoon oil. Add spinach; sauté 2 minutes. Remove spinach from pan; drain, cool slightly, and squeeze out excess moisture. Add remaining oil to pan. Add garlic and shallots; sauté 3 minutes. Add sage, 1/2 teaspoon thyme, 1/4 teaspoon pepper, salt, and mushrooms; sauté 7 minutes. Stir in spinach, 1/2 cup walnuts, red wine vinegar, and cheese; cook 30 seconds.
2. 2. Combine 8 cups water and white vinegar in a large saucepan, and bring to a simmer. Break each egg gently into pan. Cook 3 minutes. Remove eggs using a slotted spoon. Spoon 2/3 cup mushroom mixture onto each of 4 plates. Top each serving with 1 egg. Sprinkle evenly with remaining thyme, pepper, and walnuts.

Adam Hickman, Cooking Light 
MARCH 2012

Nutritional Information

Amount per serving

• Calories: 350
• Fat: 24.3g
• Saturated fat: 5.5g
• Monounsaturated fat: 7.5g
• Polyunsaturated fat: 10.2g
• Protein: 17.4g
• Carbohydrate: 18.4g
• Fiber: 5.1g
• Cholesterol: 196mg
• Iron: 4.4mg
• Sodium: 383mg
• Calcium: 257mg