What's New in Natural Foods

In This Issue

Spring Cleansing
Brain Power: Stay Sharp Up There
Awesome April Meals

Hi Everyone,

When central daylight time began last month in Minnesota, we knew it was a teasing precursor to Spring, which here in our world, really doesn’t amount to much until some time in April. That’s when increased sunlight really starts to have an effect. We’ll see our first bit of green, more warmth and get the overall sense that the cycle can start over again. There are days when the windows can be open, the yard raked up, the woolens stored, the mattresses turned. In this issue, I’ll suggest how to turn spring cleaning inward (you may be surprised about one of your best tools for that), and I’ll share ways to sharpen your brain, so keep reading.

Spring Cleansing

This time of year regularly prompts a lot of questions about cleansing. It’s not hard to understand why: the holidays are past, we’ve been enjoying heavier winter food, people are feeling sluggish, and thoughts turn toward how those summer clothes are going to look on us. So the idea of a “fix” becomes attractive.

You should know that because I’m not a proponent of “cleansing” for the general population, it puts me in the minority of alternative health care practitioners. I do believe that cleansing can be therapeutic in some cases, when done properly – it’s just not necessary for most of us.

Inherent in “cleansing” is, of course, the fundamental assumption that the body is unclean. Our culture’s puritanical roots have burdened us with fear and distrust of our bodies, and I see the “body-as-dirty” idea as a continuation of an unhealthy pattern, one in which we are punished for our dietary wrong-doing. I don’t think this approach is kind, or even healing.

If you really want to be kind to your liver, why not eat the most liver-nourishing food there is? You may be surprised to learn that it’s liver: calves liver, lamb liver, chicken livers. Liver contains all the nutrients your liver needs. It’s packed with a variety of B vitamins, vitamins A and D, minerals including copper, zinc and iron, omega-3 fatty acids, plus all the amino acids your liver uses to keep itself in good repair.

For a delicious, nutritious family-friendly (yes, even kid-pleasing) recipe for chicken livers, contact me. Put “Yummy Liver Dinner” in the subject line. 

You can get back on track after eating foods you wish you didn’t eat, and there is no need for dramatic purging of your sins. Really. You can just start eating better quality food. No guilt needed.

Stay Sharp Up There!

Notice all the new books about your brain? That’s because there is great news! Published research about brain function debunks the notion that aging causes brain and nerve cells die, and that nothing is going to change that. Now we know that it’s possible to slow down the brain’s aging process, and we can prevent some of the mental decline that was once thought inevitable.

One route to continued brain health, the research supports, is better dietary choices. This is exciting and important news to share, and to that end, I’ve designed a class, “Foods for Building Brain Power,” which I’ll teach at the Wedge April 9th. I’ll be talking in more detail and taking questions about how eating well can help boost your smarts and prevent memory loss.

Nutrients necessary to sharpen the brain
It’s now understood that the neurotransmitter acetylcholine is essential for the storage and retrieval of learned information (memories); shortages result in memory loss and difficulty processing new information. So providing our brains with enough of the raw materials required to produce acetylcholine can strengthen our recall. The two primary building blocks for this important neurotransmitter are carnitine, an amino acid found abundantly in all meats (also found in smaller concentrations in fish and some dairy products) and choline, a B vitamin found in liver and egg yolk -- with smaller concentrations in pork, especially bacon (love that!) and whole wheat.

Our brains require a wide variety of nutrients in order to function properly and stay sharp. A few of the most essential: the omega-3 fats (found in fatty fish and fish oils, eggs from free-range hens, grass fed red meats, walnuts and liver); vitamin D (found in fatty fish, dairy fat, pork fat, egg yolk, liver, and made by our bodies from sunshine and cholesterol); B vitamins (found in whole grains, legumes, dark leafy green vegetables, nuts and seeds, dairy products, meats, eggs and liver). Notice how liver shows up again and again (see article above).

Avoiding brain damage
Another way to protect ourselves from cognitive decline is to prevent oxidative damage to brain cells. We can do this by getting enough antioxidants, especially the anthocyanins, which are found in blue, red and purple colored foods such as berries, purple cabbage, eggplant, beets, red onions, cherries and grapes.  Have some frozen blueberries on yogurt or hot cereal -- it’s easy, tasty and your brain will thank you.

For more on the subject, make a point of coming to my Wedge class April 9th.

Awesome April Meals

To help people get back on track eating nourishing foods, I created Dinner with Jennette-Meal Plans for Naturally Healthy Eating. This month’s selection of dinners is designed to support brain health, and you won’t need to think twice about whether to “cleanse.” Some of the great tasting, easy to make dishes we’re having in April include: “Zesty Lime Chicken with Coconut Sticky Rice” “Skillet Pork Chops with Avocado Corn Salsa” “Chicken Vindaloo” and “Slow-Cooked Beef Brisket with Walnuts and Orange Sauce.”

Subscribers to Dinner with Jennette get 12 complete meal plans each month. Each meal plan contains nutrition tips, helpful hints and a shopping list. It couldn’t be easier to eat (and be) well.  

Best,
Jennette