I like extraordinary foods. Dandelions are pretty extraordinary. Yet, they are common. Try that on for size.

Thankfully, I grew up eating dandelions every now and then. My grandpa would pick them (from areas that had not been sprayed with pesticides or who knows what), and we would have them in salads or soups or sauteed. They definitely take some getting to know. You may not be the biggest fan right from the start. You may have to acquire a taste for them. You may have to work at including them in dishes and disguising their pungent bitterness. BUT, all your hard work will be rewarded. First, your work at liking dandelions will be rewarded with you becoming a fan of dandelions. Second, your body will be rewarded with numerous health benefits.

Dandelions contain:
-Vitamins – A, C, E, K, B1, B2, B3, B6, Choline. Of those it has, most notably, loads of Vitamin K and tons of Vitamin A. Is a load more than a ton? Well, for this article it is.
-Minerals – calcium, magnesium, iron, potassium, phosphorus, sodium, zinc, copper, managanese. Of those, most notably, calcium and iron.

Aside from the nutritional goodness, what I find fascinating about dandelions is their long history of use in the body to promote healing and healthy functioning. It has commonly been used to heal and effectively treat liver disorders (jaundice, hepatitis) and promote liver health and detoxification. It is a diuretic and disinfectant, that is, it cleans you out and helps prevent harmful microbial growth in the urinary system.

Also, interestingly enough, the scientific name for dandelion is: Taraxacum officinale, which basically means The Official Remedy for Disorders or Pharmacy Remedy for Disorders. Because it can cause changes in the liver and flow of bile, it is good to start introducing dandelions slowly into your diet, especially if A) you are not used to eating them, and B) you have liver, stomach, bowel problems. So try some in a mixed salad or added to a soup. I wonder what they would be like in a smoothie? Hmmm. Bitter smoothie? Hmmm. I may have to try that.

I would highly recommend checking them out and doing some reading about them if you are interested in restoring vitality to your body. Yes, I said vitality. Good word, good word.

Mushrooms are fascinating fungus. Typically, when we hear the word fungus, we have a negative reaction, and rightfully so, as fungus can be extremely harmful. However, just as fungus can be extremely harmful, so it can be extremely beneficial, and such is the case with mushrooms.

I have always been somewhat indifferent towards mushrooms. Everything about them just seemed vague, and some of their characteristics still do. I have never had a particular liking or disliking of mushrooms, and so, perhaps for that very reason, it has been easier for me to cultivate a liking of them.

Oddly enough, one of the experiences that got me on the path to liking mushrooms, was pizza. When I think of bad tasting mushrooms, I think of mushrooms on pizza. They always have a weird taste and texture. I don’t know, it is just a bad picture in my mind. However, I just happen to eat a wild mushroom pizza at Dewey’s Pizza, and I was like “yeah, these are good mushrooms”.

So, I recently bought some organic shiitake mushrooms at Whole Foods, and thus the reason for this post:

Since that time I have read, and heard, some pretty amazing things about mushrooms. Things like: 6 ways mushrooms can save the world, or all of the nutritional information and health benefits. I have also had, and made, some excellent grilled portobella mushrooms (they make an excellent sandwich with roasted red peppers, lettuce, cheese, and, well, whatever you want to add to the sandwich: ).

While there are numerous benefits to eating mushrooms, I want to highlight a couple. Crimini mushrooms (portabella’s are large crimini’s) not only contain B vitamins but are excellent natural sources of selenium. Selenium is a necessary cofactor for the body to produce its own antioxidant glutathione. In the Baltimore Study on Aging, it showed men with lowest blood levels of selenium to have a 4-5 fold increased risk of prostate cancer. In addition, properties of mushrooms like beta-glucans and the antioxidant L-ergothioneine provide excellent immune support and have shown anti-cancer effects. Shiitakes contain lentinan, a substance that can heal chromosome damage caused by anti-cancer treatments. In general, mushrooms are low in carbohydrates and calories and high in B vitamins, fiber, iron, niacin, potassium, protein, riboflavin, selenium and zinc.

Even though they are not vegetables, I think the best way to prepare mushrooms is like vegetables: grilled, saut√©ed, or broiled with a good fat (coconut oil, butter, olive oil, avocado oil) and sea salt. And, it is nice to know that the antioxidant L-ergothioneine is not destroyed when mushrooms are cooked. Having said that, hopefully, that stirs your desire to experiment a bit more with mushrooms, and then, you can post your experimentations, accompanied by mouth watering photos and let me know. Then I can come to your blog and drool. Except I don’t drool.

Just like life as a whole is a journey, so the individual parts of life are a journey… like food and eating. Sometimes I elevate food and eating while admiring its ability to bring people together and to enjoy the enjoyment it brings. Other times I lower it in my estimation and want to have little esteem as I view it as ‘just food’, mere fuel that is elevated to a place in people’s mind that is detrimental to a healthy mind, will, and emotions. Some days I just want to “stick it” to food and say “none of you” and others I want to enjoy it and use it. And I do. Both. And I enjoy both, strangely enough. I have had some strange journeys with food (vague I know) and I am sure you have as well. I think balance in life (and thereby food) is important. It is as if you do not want to undervalue, under-appreciate, or even be in less awe at food… and at the same time you do not want to overvalue, over-estimate, or be in too much awe over food.

Another random thought I have been thinking is how we get used to buying or eating certain things and do not even question them anymore. Do you do that? For example, do you always go into the grocery or market and have your ‘go to’ things that you just pick up and go without even thinking. I do that. Naturally, things we are less familiar with, we take more time to get acquainted with. Every now and then the thought runs through my head “But what if they changed the ingredients since you last looked and now they process it with or add something you don’t want to eat”… so I better read. For some reason this attention has caused me to enjoy my food more. Strange, I know. I think it is partly because when I have a better idea of what things truly are, I appreciate them more.

Sometimes I just want to keep eating a certain food or spice over and over in order to gain all of the sense of what it is and what it tastes like, so that I can really know it. Sometimes I want to do that with people too. There are certain people that I never get tired of hanging out with and they make you just want to keep experiencing them over and over again. But how would you know that about the food or the person unless you have a really good sense of what it is (or they are).?.? Hmmm?

What was this post about? I don’t know, I was just thinking out loud to you… and to me.. obviously… you see.

Haven’t you wondered about oxidation? Like when your guacamole is starting to look like bean dip or your freshly sliced apples are turning brown? Or maybe you wondered why some dried fruits are brightly colored and others are not. Well, I wonder about those things.

Oxidation in fruit is just like rust on metal. Basically, there is an enzyme (polyphenol oxidase) present in the fruit that reacts with oxygen and browns the surface of the fruit. While oxidation can be unpleasant to eat (who wants to eat brown guacamole), and there may be some loss in nutrients, most nutritional value is not lost.

Several years ago I started to wonder about the dried fruits I was eating, I could taste something I didn’t like in them. I noticed that there were packages, both of bright orange apricots, and brown ones too. The difference: sulfur dioxide.

Many dried fruits have sulfur dioxide, potassium sorbate, or sodium benzoate added to prevent oxidation and help preserve the color and nutritional value. While there are many opinions, and “science”, some saying the preservatives are good and fine and others saying they cause long term side effects, for me, it just came down to taste. It was really that simple. I would rather deal with the oxidation than with the sulfur dioxide.

If you have ever had a dehydrator you learn ways to help preserve color and nutrients without the use of preservatives. For example, soaking fruits in a lemon or lime juice solution, blanching (which destroys the enzymes though), or limiting the exposure to oxygen. Certain fruits are excellent for drying as the nature of the fruit allows it to be protected by the skin and allow the nutritional value to stay intact… like grapes, plums or berries.

For guacamole, I like to wait till the end of preparing it and then seal the top with a thin layer of lime juice (instead of mixing in right away). Not only is the lime key in the taste, it also helps to prevent oxidation by reducing the ph on the surface of the fruit and inactivating the enzyme, and by sealing the top so it prevents air from touching the guacamole… it’s a double whammy. Usually I will then mix the guac right before it gets served.

Just like anything, I try to do my best to look at what I am buying. Especially since so many crops are sprayed with pesticides or herbicides. Also, like in this post, many dried products had additives like artificial sweeteners added. Why? Why do that? It is fruit. Of course, that was in Taiwan, but nonetheless, it is good to be aware of where your food is coming from and the practices used in growing it and preserving it. (I definitely do not always know).

So, while oxidation is inevitable and fine in many respects, such as in dried fruit, there are also times when you should be wary. I am soon going to wonder aloud, or maybe in print, about oxidation in fats and oils.

On a side note, saying dried plums sounds so much better than saying prunes, don’t you think? When you say prunes, it makes one think of nursing homes and bowel movements, but when you say dried plums it makes you think of Christmastime… or something like that. I like dried plums.

Looks like a vegetable roundup this week… of course, mama always said to eat your vegetables.

1. Don’t forget to eat your greens
Fascinating article discussing how chlorophyll in greens could reverse the effects of aflatoxin poisoning (like from peanut butter).
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2. Eat fat with your veggies
Good fats help the body absorb the fat-soluble nutrients. So put some olive oil on your salad! Good article.
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3. Fighting cancer with broccoli

The study can be found here. Broccoli sprouts are an even better and more powerful way to get your sulforaphane.
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A lot of times I end up talking to people about all sorts of ‘amazing and exciting new health drinks’. Drinks like MonaVie, Zrii, Frutaiga, Goji juice, Noni Juice, Genesis, Xango, Mandura, Vemma, and the list goes on and on.

First, let me say that I think a lot of these products are good, and there are some good manufacturers of them, and some are done well and can be beneficial for people. Buuuuuut, I’m gonna go with my gut on this one…

I do not care for the spirit of all of these companies and drinks. Let me explain. Far too many people are looking for a quick fix or a miracle drug or one thing that they can do so they do not have to change their life. The mindset, whether spoken or not, is ‘let me do whatever I want and just take this drink to keep me healthy’ or ‘taking this product is going to cure my ills’ or ‘I am going to use this combined with whatever to help me stay young forever’ or… whatever else is here it bothers me. It’s like the mindset that says, ‘I can eat this terrible thing, I will just exercise a little more to work it off’.

When you are eating well, there is no need to even be concerned with all of the peripheral latest and greatest things that are coming out. There are numerous beneficial products being produced, but the majority of people, who these products are marketed to, need to look in the mirror and change themselves and their every day habits of diet or way of life. Sure, keep an eye on the ‘modern food’ coming out, but keep perspective with food that has nourished people for thousands of years, like olive oil, perhaps.

The $20-$40 per bottle that this stuff costs is ridiculous. They should go drink some raw goat milk or colostrum, buy some coconut oil, and eat fresh vegetables and it would do the exact same thing for less money.

Besides, MLM always comes across as distasteful. It’s kind of like the taste of sodium benzoate, potassium sorbate, and sulfur dioxide… pun intended.

Yeah, that sounds about right.

1. Russia Bans U.S. Poultry over Chlorine
Chicken frequently gets a chlorine bath… and ammonia baths too! Yay!
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2. California Firm Recalls Beef Products Due to Possible E. coli O157:H7 Contamination
No surprise here.
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3. Monsanto’s GMO Corn Linked To Organ Failure, Study Reveals

I have mentioned a little bit about Monsanto previously here.
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