Preheat oven to 375°F. Whisk together olive oil, tamari, and sesame seeds and toss with tofu. Place tofu on a parchment lined baking sheet and bake for 15-18 minutes or until tofu is golden brown. Set aside to cool.
Meanwhile, bring 8 cups of lightly salted water to a boil and add noodles. Gently simmer for 4-6 minutes, then drain and rinse.
In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together dressing ingredients until emulsified. Add noodles, tofu, scallions, and cilantro. Toss to combine and adjust seasoning to taste.
Notes
Buckwheat is gluten free; some soba noodles are made with wheat flour and buckwheat flour. To make sure this recipe is gluten free, go for 100% buckwheat. If customers don’t need to avoid gluten, then regular soba noodles will work just the same.
The delicate flavor of shrimp pairs nicely with fresh herbs and sweet mango. Rolling your own spring rolls may be tricky at first, but you’ll impress your friends and have complete control of the ingredients. Don’t like cilantro? Leave it out! Want to go big on veggies? Try adding shredded carrot or thinly sliced bell pepper. The trickiest bit is dialing in just how long-or should we say short-to leave the rice paper round in water. They should still feel firm and tacky when you first pull them from the water. As you construct your spring roll masterpiece, the water is absorbed to give you the perfect, pliable, rollable wrapper.
1poundcooked extra-large (16-20) peeled and deveined shrimpthawed if frozen
129 ½ inch rice paper rounds
1large head romaine lettuceleaves quartered
1large cucumberpeeled, seeded, and julienned
1large mangopeeled, pitted, and sliced
½bunch cilantro
1ouncefresh mintstemmed
1 ½ – 2cupshoisin or sweet chili sauce
Method
Cook vermicelli noodles according to package instructions. Drain and rinse with cold water.
Cut shrimp in half.
In a large shallow bowl, place a couple of inches of water.
To assemble spring rolls, submerge one rice paper round in the water for a few seconds and place on a flat surface. The rice paper will still be firm but will soften quickly.
Place the ingredients in the center of the rice paper starting with some romaine followed by cucumber and mango. Place three shrimp halves above the romaine and a small bundle of noodles below the romaine. Top with a sprinkle of herbs.
Close the spring roll by folding in the sides covering the filling then rolling upwards until sealed. Repeat with remaining ingredients and serve with your dipping sauce of choice.
Notes
Shrimp sizing: Shrimp is measured by the number of shrimps in one pound. For example, 16/20 would indicate that there are 16 to 20 shrimp per pound. The higher the number, the smaller the shrimp are and vice versa.
Somewhere in our fourth decade of life, our bodies start acting up—hot flashes, night sweats, sleep problems, and irregular periods. Ditto for depression and mood swings, joint pain, bloating, memory issues, low libido, hair changes, and weight gain, particularly in the midsection.
It’s a rollercoaster, and it starts with perimenopause around the age of 40 (or earlier) and it can last between six to eight years.
Menopause is the one-day milestone women reach once they have gone without a period for a year (tracking makes sense!). After that, it’s all post-menopause. Many symptoms subside, but the risk of some chronic diseases can go up.
Behind the scenes
Estrogen and progesterone work together to orchestrate the menstrual cycle, and they start fluctuating during perimenopause. So does testosterone, which can cause depression and lower libido, and may increase the risk of cardiovascular diseases and insulin resistance during post-menopause.
Estrogen keeps almost everything running smoothly in a woman’s body: menstrual cycles, glucose balance, brain and heart health, temperature control, immunity, bone and muscle health, pelvic floor health, and skin and hair, too. Low estrogen means hot flashes, insomnia, vaginal dryness, and incontinence, among others. Too much of it leads to breast tenderness, bloating, and heavy periods.
How our bodies change
After 30, we lose approximately 3 to 5 percent of our muscle mass each decade, which is due to aging (so is fat tissue accumulation), but menopause can add to it due to dwindling estrogen levels.
We also lose bone tissue (20 percent of bone loss happens during menopause), more so after 50.
Both menopause and the aging process have impacts on metabolism. Postmenopausal women often have higher blood glucose and insulin levels, which can increase the risk of metabolic syndrome and heart disease.
Not exactly hot news, but it’s not all gloom and doom either. Science has answers!
Eat better for a better journey
Consider following the Mediterranean diet
Get enough protein
Eat fermented foods such as sauerkraut and kimchi
Consume calcium-rich foods
Don’t forget vitamin D
Lifestyle matters, too
The menopausal journey overlaps high stress times for many women: parenting, work demands, caring for aging parents, and/or dramatic life changes.
Slash stress levels with yoga and meditation and prioritize sleep with good habits: early dinners, choosing books over screens, reducing alcohol, swapping out beverages for soothing herbal teas, and staying social.
Two to three sessions of resistance exercise weekly may help prevent muscle loss and bone loss, improve body composition, and boost cognition.
Supplements to consider
Remember, always check with your health care practitioner to ensure a supplement is right for you.
flaxseeds
source of fiber, omega-3s, and lignans (help eliminate excess estrogen)
probiotics and prebiotics
may help with gut imbalances, including bloating and gas
These recipes are beautiful, delicious, and flexible, which means plant-based or vegetable-forward moms can be treated to a special occasion meal that will leave them feeling their best. Glam, doable, and oh-so-good recipes that will bring a smile to Mom’s face—this truly special lineup will be one to remember, share, and gush over, year after year.
One-Bowl Cashew Milk Pancakes with the Fixins
“Special” doesn’t mean challenging or a sink full of dishes—even kids can mix up this simple pancake batter and prep a toppings bar for mom to glow up her plate as she pleases.
2cupslight spelt flour or 1:1 gluten-free all-purpose flour blend
¼cupcoconut sugar
1tspbaking soda
½tspsalt
1 ½cupsunsweetened cashew milkplus more to thin
¼cupcoconut oil or buttermelted, plus more for pan
2large eggs or 2 flax eggs(see method)
1tspvanilla extract
Glam toppings (optional, but recommended)
Maple syrup
Plain yogurt (nondairy or dairy)
Fresh fruitsuch as berries or sliced bananas
Natural nut butter
Coconut oil or butter
Grated dark chocolate bar
Method
Preheat oven to 200°F. Line large baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside. Acquire and assemble toppings so they’re ready to go when pancakes are cooked.
For pancakes, in large bowl, stir to combine flour, sugar, baking soda, and salt. Mix in milk, melted coconut oil or butter, eggs (or for plant-based, 2 Tbsp flaxseed mixed with 1/2 cup water), and vanilla, stirring until fully combined. If batter is too thick to stir, thin with additional milk, as needed. The batter should be similar in texture to a bowl of oatmeal (on the thick side but still spoonable).
To cook, preheat nonstick griddle or large pan over medium heat. Brush with additional melted coconut oil. Add dollops of pancake batter into pan, nudging corners with your ladle to spread out a bit. Cook for 2 to 3 minutes and flip once bubbles appear all over the surface. Lower heat, as necessary, to avoid burning. Flip and cook on the other side for another 2 minutes, until puffed and cooked through. Transfer to prepared baking sheet and keep warm in oven. Repeat with remaining batter.
Serve pancakes warm with toppings of choice.
Heirloom Veggie Grain Bowls with Chicken and Seared Halloumi
A fresh lunch inspired by the warmer weather, all components of this dish can be made ahead, even packed for Mom and her family to take on a Mother’s Day picnic. The bowl gets glam with the addition of microgreens (or sprouts), heirloom veggies, and meaty halloumi cheese.
9ozpackaged herb and garlic or plain halloumi (halloom)
1head red leaf lettucewashed, dried well and torn
3cupscooked sprouted quinoa, brown rice, or millet
2colorful heirloom tomatoessliced
½English cucumberpeeled and diced
1large purple or orange carrotpeeled and sliced
½cupraw or cooked corn kernels or green peas
2cupscooked chickencold and shredded
1cupmicrogreens or colorful sprouts
Method
For dressing, to sealable jar or bowl, add all ingredients and shake or whisk to combine. Mix again before using.
For bowls, slice halloumi into 1/4 in slabs and brush with a bit of olive oil. Heat large nonstick or cast iron skillet over medium heat and sear halloumi in batches until golden brown on both sides, 1 to 2 minutes a side. Set aside.
In large bowl, toss lettuce with enough dressing to coat, and then add to 6 shallow bowls (such as pasta bowls) or plates followed by a scoop of cooked quinoa. Arrange tomatoes, cucumbers, carrot, and corn or peas on top in any pattern, then top with chicken, seared halloumi, and dressing, to taste. Garnish with microgreens or sprouts and serve.
Rainbow Fruit and Veggie Platters with Two Plant-Based Dips
More fun than a side salad, it’s a spread of the good stuff in a burst of glam color, with two dipping sauces: one sweet for the fruit and one savory for the veggies. Don’t forget to use Mom’s favorite fruits and veggies! Below are some suggestions to get you started.
6soft Medjool datespitted, soaked for 2 hours, drained
2tsplemon juice
1tspvanilla bean paste or extract
½tspinstant coffee (optional)
¼tspground cardamom
⅛tspsalt
Savory Vegan Artichoke Dip
2tbspolive oil
2garlic clovespeeled and minced
14ozcan artichoke heartsdrained well
¾cupraw cashewssoaked for 2 hours, drained
½cupunsweetened nondairy milk (cashew, oat, or coconut milk)
2tbsplemon juice
1tbspmiso paste
½cupchopped fresh parsley
Pinch of Aleppo-style pepper or red pepper flakesto serve
Fruit Platter
1bunch of red or green seedless grapeshalved if desired
2cupsfresh blueberries
2cupsfresh raspberries
1cupfresh blackberries
1melon such as cantaloupepeeled, seeded and cubed
1pineapplepeeled, cored, and cubed
Vegetable Platter
5stalkssliced
2large watermelon radishessliced
2lbsrainbow carrotspeeled and sliced
1English cucumbersliced
1head of broccoli or cauliflowercut into florets
Method
For sweet dip, to high-speed blender, add all Sweet Vanilla, Cardamom, and Coffee Dip ingredients and blend until smooth and creamy. Add additional water to thin until desired fruit dip consistency. Transfer to serving bowl, cover, and chill completely, about 4 hours or up to 4 days.
For the savory dip, in saucepan, heat olive oil over medium, add garlic, and saute until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Immediately add drained artichoke hearts and saute for 3 minutes, until warmed through.
To high-speed blender, add soaked and drained cashews, milk, lemon juice, and miso paste and blend until smooth. Add cooked artichoke mixture and parsley, and briefly pulse to chop but not blend completely. Transfer to serving bowl and chill for at least 2 hours or up to 4 days.
For platters, arrange fruit and vegetables on separate platters or one extra-large platter in a pattern of your choice. Keep each fruit or vegetable in its own section (as opposed to mixing them all together) to create the rainbow appearance. Serve fruit with sweet dip and veggies with savory dip.
Since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, collective awareness of our immune system has increased. Once an invisible ally, our immunity is now the topic of Tiktok videos, news articles, and endless product recommendations. Sifting through the hype represents a monumental task.
To boost or not to boost?
Pandemic-driven Google searches focused on strengthening the immune response, but that may not be the best course for everyone. Indiscriminate immune boosting could be harmful in people with autoimmune disease, creating more damage than support to the body, overall.
Research literacy 101
If you’re going to use online resources, avoiding the pitfalls of misinformation can be overwhelming. Dr. Ellen Conte, ND, has a passion for teaching her patients to make informed decisions. “Be wary of statements that sound too good to be true,” she cautions. She guides people toward evidence-based resources like PubMed.gov as well as university and hospital websites.
Supplements
Understanding the specific immune influences of individual supplements can help you put reliable research into action. Always ask your health care practitioner if a supplement is right for you—especially if you are immune suppressed or have an autoimmune condition.
Probiotics
Beneficial strains of bacteria coat our bodies inside and out, creating a living shield to protect us from infection. Probiotic bacteria, both supplemental and naturally occurring, interact directly with our immune system, influencing its function.
Elderberry
Elderberry is an important traditional medicine, long used by the indigenous peoples of North America. Elderberry may boost the immune response by interacting with our dendritic cells—helper cells that spur other cells into action against invaders.
Garlic
In addition to banishing certain pointy-toothed figures of folklore, garlic is equally offensive to fungal and bacterial pathogens. Taking aged garlic extract may reduce the intensity and duration of colds while gently enhancing immune function.
Turmeric
Similar to probiotics, turmeric can dampen the inflammation that accompanies an immune response.
Foods
Include the following nutrients in your diet for ongoing immune benefits.
Fats
Avoid low-fat diets unless you have been otherwise instructed. Fat-containing foods help us to absorb key immune nutrients like vitamin A and vitamin D.
Omega-3 fatty acids
Polyunsaturated fats found in fish, chia seeds, flax, and omega-3 eggs can reduce inflammation and allow for balanced immune function.
Mushrooms and seaweed
These foods contain beta-glucans, soluble fibers that feed our gut flora and gently promote immune activity.
Protein
Amino acids such as arginine, glutamine, and tryptophan form the building blocks of cytokines and other immune factors.
Vitamin C
This well-known immune support cannot be made in the human body. Eat your fruits and veggies to stock up on this nutrient.
Other nutrients
Zinc, from pumpkin seeds; selenium from Brazil nuts; and B vitamins from grains, root veggies, and chickpeas support a wide range of immune functions.
Botanicals are any part of a plant that can be used medicinally and are attractive due to their tendency to be safe, have minimal side effects, function holistically, and even act preventively.
Nearly 26,000 plants have been documented globally to have therapeutic uses—a vast store of potential medicine! Our growing desire to treat health more holistically, combined with our ability to assess the evidence critically, bodes well for a future where botanicals are integral to our well-being.
What’s new?
Science continues to investigate medicinal plant uses, sometimes confirming anecdotal evidence, sometimes setting the record straight.
Adaptogens—botanicals that help the body adjust to stress and maintain balance—are of particular interest since our burden of stress has been mounting. Holistic nutritionist and health coach Sheena Huculak has seen the public increasingly seeking this class of remedy: “One that stands out the most for me is ashwagandha and other adaptogens like rhodiola, holy basil, and mushrooms.”
Proof meets promotion
But the popularity of plant remedies sometimes has the science scrambling to keep pace with marketing. For example, if consumers perceive acai as having health benefits, a chocolate-coated version of it becomes an easy sell even though the research is lacking and the product may be more sugar than anything else.
In good measure
Once you’ve gone beyond the marketing and landed on a botanical that has the weight of science behind it, its efficacy is still going to depend a great deal on the dose and consistency with which you take it.
Sprinklings of widely tolerated botanicals may be a fine thing, but for medicinal effect you will need a medicinal dose. So go ahead and enjoy the health properties of a turmeric latte, but don’t expect it to cure your arthritis.
Playing it safe
How much of a botanical you take and for how long also become questions of safety; just as too little can be ineffectual, too much can be risky.
Huculak cautions, “It is important to know there can be negative interactions between some natural health products and medications.” Botanicals can pose a risk in scenarios such as pregnancy or surgery, too, so it’s well worth running it past a health care professional and heeding the product label.
Quality control
Plant material is extremely complex and chemically diverse, making the task of identifying and standardizing particular botanical constituents very challenging. In the case of a blended supplement, interactions between the ingredients also need to be considered.
Upping the standard
Seeing this gap in the potential quality and safety of their offerings, many botanical supplement companies choose to have their products tested and certified by an independent lab and display that certification on their labels. But the natural health industry recognizes this is still an imperfect system, and there are initiatives underway to integrate better quality and safety controls into the market as a whole.
Who doesn’t love a sauce? Whether it’s a salad or a grilled piece of chicken or fish, many of our meals can benefit from a tasty sauce to deliver a delicious burst of flavor. Having these versatile and easy-to-make-ahead sauces on hand will help you add interest to simple meals in a convenient way.
Tarragon Yogurt Dressing
Green and gorgeous on chicken, fish, salad, or vegetables. Yogurt gives this sauce a robust texture while tarragon imparts a licorice taste that suits salmon and poultry to a T.
In food processor or blender, combine all ingredients and blend until smooth. Store in covered jar in refrigerator. Sauce will thicken up in the refrigerator, so allow it to come to room temperature before using on salads.
Ginger Miso Cashew Sauce
This sauce has enough heft to dress up cabbage or broccoli salads, or to be used as a dipping sauce for vegetables or meats. Ginger and miso lend bright zing and luscious umami flavor.
For a quick alternative to soaking cashews overnight, bring a medium pot of water to the boil. Remove from heat, place cashews in water, cover, and soak for 30 to 40 minutes.
Drain cashews and place with fresh water in bowl of food processor or high-speed blender; blend until smooth. Add remaining ingredients and blend until combined.
Blueberry Balsamic Sauce
A sweet sauce with punchy balsamic vinegar. Perfect over ice cream, yogurt, or cakes, it’s also magnificent drizzled over meats such as duck or pork, or as a condiment for cheese. Convert it to a dressing with a few tablespoons of olive oil and pair it with peppery arugula.
In saucepan, combine blueberries, vinegar, water, and maple syrup and bring to boil over high heat. Reduce heat and simmer for 5 minutes on medium-high heat. Remove pan from heat, season with pepper and salt, and set pan aside to cool for 10 minutes.
In blender or food processor, blend mixture and then pass through a sieve. (Collect solids from the sieve and spread them on toast). Place sauce in jar and keep in the refrigerator for up to 1 week. It’s equally delicious served cold or gently warmed.
1 ½teaspoonsEmerald Energy or other spirulina greens powder
Method
To extract the coconut water, poke a hole with an awl into one of the three eyes, invert and allow water to drain. When all coconut water is extracted, wrap coconut in a cloth and using a hammer, carefully crack open the coconut. Alternately, use 1 cup bottled coconut water.
In a blender pitcher, combine the coconut water, banana, pineapple, spinach, and greens powder.
Blend contents until smooth and serve promptly.
Notes
If serving this as a smoothie bowl, pour smoothie into the split coconut (or bowl) and garnish with dragon fruit, blueberries, kiwi, flaked coconut, and chia seeds.
Seasonal allergies plague sufferers with aggravating symptoms, which can reduce productivity, incur expenses, and have a negative impact on health-related quality of life. Having seasonal allergies also increases the risk of developing related conditions, such as asthma, chronic sinusitis, and nasal polyps. Those with seasonal allergies may wonder, why me?
Staying immune
The immune system is overworked and underpaid. It’s constantly responsible for scanning the body for precancerous cells, sensing and fighting infection, and regulating inflammation. The immune system must also maintain tolerance to the body’s own cells and tissues, as well as to antigens from food and the environment.
Immune tolerance is the prevention of an immune response against a certain antigen. This is important for maintaining overall balance in the body and preventing autoimmune and allergic reactions. But when it comes to seasonal allergies, tolerance to a normally harmless environmental antigen, such as grass or birch pollen, is lost.
What’s in a name?
Also known as hay fever, allergic rhinitis symptoms include nasal congestion, runny nose, frequent sneezing, and itchy nose and eyes. Allergic rhinitis may result from both seasonal and perennial allergies.
Seasonal allergens are airborne particles from the environment that, in those who are hypersensitive, trigger allergic rhinitis upon inhalation. Symptoms wax and wane with the season. Common seasonal allergens include pollen from grass, trees (including birch), ragweed, and mold.
Perennial allergens are unrelated to the season and may cause allergic rhinitis in hypersensitive individuals all year long. Common perennial allergen sources include pet dander, house dust mites, and cockroaches.
Treatment options
If over-the-counter allergy medications just aren’t cutting it, consider asking for help. Allergists may offer skin prick testing and other forms of assessment. Treatment may include an intranasal, oral, or ocular antihistamine or corticosteroid, or a combination of both.
Allergen immunotherapy (“allergy shots”) may be indicated for patients with persistent symptoms. This involves administering a small amount of allergen into the skin or under the tongue to stimulate an allergic response, with the goal of building tolerance over time.
Acupuncturists and naturopaths can also provide individualized treatments for seasonal allergy sufferers.
Lifestyle strategies
Wear a hat, glasses, and nasal filters when outdoors.
Shower upon return from work or a walk.
Irrigate nasal passageways via neti pot with distilled water and salt.
Keep windows closed.
Wash curtains, carpets, and bedding regularly.
Mop floors regularly.
Use HEPA air filters.
Eradicate mold.
Supplements for seasonal allergies
The following supplements may reduce symptom severity:
quercetin
green tea
propolis
bee pollen
probiotics
vitamin c
Remember, always check with your health care practitioner before taking a new supplement.
Have you ever tried to do a detox or cleanse that left you feeling weak and irritable? You might not have had your nutritional basics in place!
Without sufficient key nutrients from foods, the body can’t fully recruit its own pathways of metabolic detoxification. When this happens, our detoxification organs—mainly the liver, kidneys, colon, and skin—can’t do their jobs to the best of their ability.
Compared with doing a three-week crash diet, regularly eating foods rich in nutrients that naturally activate detoxification pathways is far more effective for keeping the body’s toxic burden low and overall well-being high.
Biotransformation
More commonly known as metabolic detoxification (or “detox”), biotransformation is the process of converting toxicants from the environment and from the body itself into compounds that can be safely mobilized and excreted from the body.
A properly functioning detoxification system maintains a proper balance of hormones, metabolizes medications, and processes harmful substances from the environment to ensure overall health and well-being. An accumulation of toxins is associated with obesity, type 2 diabetes, and cardiovascular disease.
Nutrients for detoxification
Since our regular food choices affect the activity of detoxification pathways to help with toxin biotransformation, they also affect the body’s sensitivity to toxic substances.
New research suggests that diets rich in phytonutrients (nutrients from plant-based foods) may offset toxicity from pollutants and reduce disease risks associated with environmental toxicity. Polyphenols are one type of phytonutrient and are particularly high in berries, cloves, cacao, nuts, and vegetables such as artichokes.
Cruciferous vegetables, including broccoli, cauliflower, and Brussels sprouts, have been shown to increase the activity of enzymes used in the detoxification process.
Glutathione is the master antioxidant of the liver. Vitamin B6, the minerals selenium and magnesium, and the amino acid cysteine are key building blocks for producing glutathione. For the richest sources of vitamin B6, opt for chickpeas, skipjack tuna, wild salmon, and chicken breast. Pumpkin seeds, almonds, legumes, and leafy greens provide ample magnesium. Cysteine is found in protein-rich animal meats such as pork chops, beef, and chicken breast.
Sleep for detox support
The glymphatic system provides the brain and central nervous system with a deep cleaning of metabolic waste. Impaired glymphatic function has been associated with Alzheimer’s disease and Parkinson’s disease.
Since the glymphatic system is most effective during sleep, consider prioritizing sleep as a key pillar for supporting full-body detoxification. Resist binging on your favorite show and instead cultivate a calming bedtime routine to make sure you clock enough hours.
Supplements for detox support
Always ask your health care practitioner before trying a new supplement, to make sure it’s right for you. Likewise, always check with your health care practitioner before embarking on any cleanse or detox program.
Here are a few supplements that may help support our bodies’ natural detoxification systems.
