What’s on the table this week? Kale

Kale is a nutritional powerhouse that deserves a place in your diet. Even eating it a couple times a month can go a long way toward your health. It is a rich source of protein, fiber, vitamins A, C, and K; as well as folate and many minerals including calcium and potassium. Kale packs all this in a tasty leaf all while being low in calories. It is hard to find a more nutritionally dense food. As shown in this dish below, pairing it with other superfoods like blueberries, cranberries and nuts adds additional antioxidants and phytonutrients that have demonstrated benefits in reducing risks of cancer and chronic diseases.  This one is a personal favorite and it shows up on my family’s dinner table often (and my kids ask for it, too!) Enjoy. 

---

Nuts for Kale Salad

Kale Salad

Serves: 8-10
Author: Erica Leazenby, MD
Time: 20 minutes

Ingredients:

1 bunch kale (any variety will do), washed, destemmed and chopped into bite size pieces (about 5-6 cups)
2-3 ribs celery, sliced thin
12 brussel sprouts, shredded (approximately 2 cups)
1 large shallot, thinly sliced
1/3 cup dried cranberries
1/3 cup slivered almonds
1/4 cup shelled pistachios
1 small container organic blueberries
Juice and zest of half a large lemon
1-2 tablespoons raw apple cider vinegar
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tsp honey (optional)
Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

Combine all ingredients in a large bowl and toss well to mix and soften the kale.

Note:

While it is perfectly appropriate to serve immediately, it tastes even better if made the day before serving. Time allows the kale leaves to soften and the cranberries to plump. Even if you are a family of four like mine, make this larger version and have delicious leftovers for a couple of days in lunches or future dinners.

7 Steps to Fight Reflux and Bloating

Reflux and bloating are common complaints that I hear frequently in the office. If you struggle with these symptoms as well, know you are not alone. It is estimated that 44% of Americans have heartburn once a month and as many as 10 million people have daily symptoms. 

Food is medicine and can be part of the trigger or the healing of these common complaints. Food plays many roles in our lives. It is delicious, comforting and linked to our identity and social connectedness, but is also the fuel and building blocks for health. It is information for your cells and gene expression. You eat approximately one ton of food each year and can change your body chemistry every time you eat.

Listed below are seven steps that may help you identify and address potential triggers for reflux and bloating. At a recent workshop event, we discussed these in more detail and sampled foods that can aid digestion. Look for future sessions like this on the Event page. 

1: Eat mindfully at the table (and your desk and steering wheel are not tables). Mindfulness can promote the parasympathetic nervous system responsible for the “rest and digest” function of the body. Eating slowly and paying attention to your food and how your body is responding can improve your overall digestion.

2: Get your digestive juices going. Bitter flavors can promote digestive juices. Consider adding bitter greens (eg. arugula, endive, radicchio, mustard greens, chard, parsley, cilantro, broccoli rabe or vinegars, etc.) to your plate.

3: Tend your inner garden. Our gut is home to a host of bacteria. Add fermented foods or probiotics to your diet to encouraged friendly flora. Make sauerkraut, kimchi, sour pickles and/or kefir regular condiments on your plate. Consume adequate fiber to keep the good bacteria happy and thriving and avoid processed, refined foods. 

4: Some foods can actually aid digestion. Consider adding ginger, fennel seeds and bitter flavors to your diet. Be aware of foods that may trigger reflux symptoms. They may include: fried and fatty foods, spicy foods, citrus, tomato-based foods, processed foods, alcohol, caffeine and tobacco. 

5: Consider eliminating and re-introducing foods that commonly trigger sensitivities. Start with eliminating gluten and dairy for 2-4 weeks then reintroducing and monitoring for symptoms. If bloating is still an issue, there are other diets to consider that are known to improve symptoms, including the FODMAP diet. 

6: Stay active and get your beauty rest. Movement promotes gastrointestinal motility and helps maintain ideal weight while sleep is important for overall health. Avoid going to bed with a full stomach by eating at least 2-3 hours prior to going to bed. Elevate the head of the bed to minimized night time reflux.

7: Seek help. While these interventions are generally safe for everyone, frequent or daily gastroentestinal symptoms, weight loss, blood in your stool, black tarry stools or a family history of gastrointestinal problems may siginfy more significant problems and need to be further evaluated. If you need more help identifying your particular triggers, come see me at Relish Health and we'll work on an individual treatment program designed for you.