It is very stressful to be into the world today, but it is how we adopt that it makes the difference.

When we are healthy we react to all that happens to us in a relax calm way and we are able to solve problems in an easily manner but when we are not at our best, when our health is not optimal, stress sets in and we are unable to function calmly.

Stress means PRESSURE, but it is not much the event that is stressful, it is our perception in how we see the event affecting our life.

There are two things to do:

We need to identify the cause of stress, remove if possible, and introduce a diet of whole grains beans and vegetables.

There is good stress and bad stress.

The good stress motivates us and improves our life.

Bad stress paralyze us, stagger our functions,

The muscle tense up, breathing becomes shallow; the eyes narrow, the jaw get tight and tense,

The stomach gets into a knot,

We are getting tired and rigid, our nervous system cannot take any type of change and this will produce some kind of reaction to the original event.

Bad stress if physical and mental and pressure is a part of the stress.

We become more rigid and our immune system is affected.

Not adaptability and little vitality will make unpleasant reactions.

We become more acid and that makes us tight inside.

When we are stressed is because the internal organs are more tight and stagnated, they have a rigidity that will prevent us to adapt.

The skin is clogged so it is impossible to release pressure trough the pores.

Pressure builds up in side of the body, our adaptability’s impaired, we produce more heat and things are accelerated.

THE ORGANS AND SYSTEMS INVOLVED ARE:

° Pituitary gland

° Heart —- beats fester

° The blood circulate faster

° Spleen

° The ability to neutralize the acidity are blocked

° The digestive system constricts so begins a reaction –The blood sugar constricts, this affects our appetite:

WE CRAVE SWEETS ——- eating many sweets, especially those made from refined sugars, corn syrup, and refined flour products, with time, will make us more acidic, will change our perceptions of life.

The MORE SWEETS WE EAT, THE MORE OUR BLOOD BECOMES ACID, THE MORE STRESS WE PERCEIVE AND MORE ACIDITY BUILDS UP.

Acid blood needs more minerals because the heart has to work more to do is work, there is an increase of urination and more vitamins and minerals leave the body.

More nutrition is needed so, more sweets are craved, we loose more minerals plus more water soluble vitamins. The blood becomes weaker, the lymph quality becomes weaker.

We need to identify the cause of stress and introduce a diet of WHOLE grains, minimizing flour products.

Low blood sugar + HYPOGLYCEMIA is basically a yang hilliness, our blood is to alkaline.

This is caused by eating dry salty food, baked food, roasted food, burned food, to much pressure cooked food, overcooked food and  not drinking enough liquids,

And eating sea vegetables in great abundance.

The pancreas is involved in this hilliness, because it controls blood sugar. When we have Hypoglycemia and are under stress our blood sugar is too low.

BLOOD SUGAR also

Relates to season + time of day + altitude

2 am — blood sugar rises

2 pm — blood sugar falls down

Blood sugar is higher in summer time

Blood sugar is lower in the winter

Good quality yin foods like sweet vegetables are the best.

Grains to use:

For low blood sugar use Barley to race it up

For high blood sugar use Millets to lower it down

Eat at regular times.

Slow down, You are running to much.

Deep breathing exercises are best, 20 minutes per day.

Use good quality food:

Creamy sweet yin grains

Sweet vegetables

Fresh foods

Oagis

Sweet vegetable tea

Warm carrot juice

Hot apple juice

Mild sweets (relive stress) like sweet vegetables.

Hot towel on the abdomen

Other activities are:

Walking around where there are trees

Posture—stretch the spine

Breathing exercise

Light exercise in company with others:

Walking

Bathing

Shiatsu

Sex

Wear loose cotton clothing

Use green plants around the house

Talking with someone to see possibilities for the future

Sauna

Listen to music—repetitive beat

Have and enjoy hobbies

For Centuries people all over the world have used leaves from the sea plants for miraculous healing. The Greeks collected sea weeds and used them has food for human and animals and also has fertilizers and medicine. They used red algae as medicine to treat parasitic worms since pre-Christian times.

The oldest book in Iceland dated 961 BC includes detailed regulations about coastal property rights to be respected in the collection of sea weeds.

The Eskimos have hearten sea vegetables throughout their history. The Hawaiians grow kelp gardens, they use more then 60 species of sea vegetables for food and medicine. The Europeans and the Asian used sea weeds also.

The sea vegetables contain an immense amount of plant compounds known as  Phyto nutrients that are necessary for proper cell functions. This type of nutrition is missing from our diet of processed foods.

Our land is impoverished by pollution and over farming and the plants growing on it are lacking the nutrients our body needs to be healthy.

The water of the Oceans contain a rich source of mineral elements that are absorbed by the sea vegetables, plus vitamins, chlorophyll, iodine, enzymes, co-enzymes, growth hormones and other organic compounds that are necessary for cellular metabolism and human survival.

These plants resemble the organic make-up of our own tissues. By digesting sea plants we bring the power of the Sea and the power of the Sun in our body cells, it helps detoxifies and are a source of balanced nutrition.

The Ocean is full of Iodine, why use a chemical in place of the real thing?

Sea salt in America is made with “Sodium Chloride” a type of salt that does not contain Iodine, so Potassium iodide is added to the Sodium Chloride. These Compounds are pharmaceutical manufactured by drug companies in order to create “Stability”.

We now know that a side effect of this “Salt” is Hypo or Hyper Thyroid-ism, which has grown now to epidemic proportions.

Iodine deficiency has a damaging effect of the development of the brain. Thyroid hormones need iodine especially for fetal development and prevent mental retardation.

Incredible improvements occurs after using in your diet organic iodine found in SEA SALT and SEA VEGETABLES.

SEA VEGETABLES (SEAWEED)

You mean you eat that stuff? Why is it good for you and why do you eat it? Where do you get it and how do you fix it?

These are all fair questions and we hear them all the time. Many who are beginning on the Health mode  find sea vegetables unappetizing and don’t see why they are considered necessary in the regimen. My answers:

Yes, it is very difficult to accept this taste for many people, especially those who have a heavy dairy component in their diet. For some reason, the two are simply not compatible and it doesn’t pay to try and force it in the beginning.

For beginners there are ways to get the nourishment from these key ingredients, without alarming sensitive taste buds. Examples of this are cooking beans with Kombu, Wakame in the Miso soup and cooking grain with with a postage stamp size of Kombu.

KOMBU also called KELP

Harvested in Japan or along the Maine coast of the U.S., this vegetable is thick, wide and deep green in color. In the Oceans there are forests of kelp.

We use it with cooking all beans. My study reveals that the minerals in the seaweed balance the fat and protein in the beans and these minerals are important in the digestion process, making the beans more easily absorbed. The fact is that beans also improve in taste with this balance and one can get the minerals that are so important to health in this manner, without encountering the rather fishy taste of some sea vegetables.

It is tough as rawhide when dry, and can be used more than once to flavor soups and stocks and I never throws it away if I don’ eat it, but gradually dilute it as I  use it in other various dishes.

SHIO KOMBU

This is a heavy thick Kombu, is used as a very strong condiment.

1 ounce of dry kombu soaked and cut in 1 inch squares

3 Tbsp tamari soy sauce

½ cup spring water

Put the Kombu in a pressure cooker and add the Tamari and water. Cover and b ring to pressure and cook for 10 minutes. Bring the pressure down naturally, uncover and simmer until the liquid is evaporate.

WAKAME also called ALARIA

Wakame is a vegetable leaf, long and thin. It has a hard stem along the center of the leaf which must be removed after soaking, so it can be cooked longer to make it tender (or cut it into very small pieces). Like other sea vegetables, Wakame is loaded with vitamins and trace minerals that are important in good nutrition. With the right combinations of ingredients, no vitamin supplements are required on the macrobiotic path. I often put it in the Miso Soup, not every day, but quite often. It also finds its way into salads, for example Cucumber and Wakame salad, see recipe below..

WAKAME CUCUMBER SALAD

Ingredients 2 or 3 Medium Cucumbers, sliced very thin 1 Carrot, sliced thin with a potato peeler ¼ to ½ Cup Soaked (5 minutes) Wakame Seaweed, sliced in small pieces 3 Tbsp. Black Toasted Sesame Seeds 2 or 3 Tbsp. Rice Vinegar Salt Preparation Mix Cucumber and carrots with a a few pinch Salt, mix well and  press for one hour.  Steam Wakame for 2 minutes.  (You could toast the Sesame Seeds here, if not already done).  After one hour, wash the Cucumbers and Carrots and drain them well.  Add the Wakame and Rice Vinegar, toss and garnish with Sesame seeds.  Serve

NORI also called LAVER

Everybody likes Nori. This is best known as the wrapper for Japanese Sushi.  It is a rectangular sheet, usually just smaller than an office sheet of paper. Of course it is rich in minerals too, especially phosphorous.I use it to wrap Rice Balls, make Sushi of course, but our favorite way is to eat it is with our soup for breakfast. Just take a sheet and tear it into pieces and chew it up. It goes great with the soup.

HIJIKI

This is a very strong tasting sea vegetables, some people need some time to acquire a taste for it, it is very alkalizing and I love it.

HIJIKI COMBO

Ingredients

1/2 pack dried Hijiki, soaked in enough spring water to cover.

1 grated Carrot

1 tbsp. Kelp granules

1/3 block of Tofu

1 Tbsp. Tahini (Sesame butter)

1 cup Bean Sprouts

3 tsp. Dark Barley Miso

Preparation

In a sauce pan put Hijiki with remainder of soaking water.  Bring to a boil, reduce heat immediately and simmer with a lid on the pot until water is mostly evaporated (about 30 minutes).  While cooking Hijiki, prepare the sauce.

Put Tahini, Kelp and Miso in 3/4 cup hot spring water and mix well.  Let stand for at least 10 minutes.

Crumble the Tofu with your hands into small pieces.  Add to the cooking Hijiki when it is nearly dry.  Mix well and with the lid on the pot, cook for three or four minutes over low flame.  Add grated Carrot and Bean Sprouts.  Stir and simmer for 2 minutes, then add the sauce, mix well and cook one minute. Serve

ARAME also called ALARIA

Arame could just be boiled for ½ hour and then tossed into a salad or it could be made has a side dish:

ARAME WITH SAUCE

Ingredients:

¼ cup dry arame, soaked

¼ pound tofu

1 tbsp kelp granules

2 tsp. Tahini

1 tbsp. soy sauce (Shoyu)

toasted sesame oil

Preparation

Lightly oil sauce pan with toasted sesame oil.  Heat, then add arame and enough water so it doesn’t burn.  Simmer for 20 minutes adding water so it doesn’t get dry.  While this is cooking, in a cup, mix ½ cup hot water with the tahini, then add kelp and a few drops of soy sauce and let it stand 10 minutes.  Crumble the tofu into the simmering seaweed, mix and continue to simmer another 5 minutes.  Add sauce, stir, cook another 2 minutes and serve

Vegetables stimulate the digestive glands and promote better digestion and absorption.

Vegetables are low in calories,  promote weight loss which can reverse or prevent a number of obesity related illness.

The acids in certain vegetables may be able to keep sugar from turning into fat.

Vegetables contain large amounts of fiber and cellulose which  can improve intestinal functions.

For those suffering from clogged arteries, the pectin in vegetables can help remove excess cholesterol from the blood.

Plant oils, vegetable seeds and beans contain unsaturated fatty acids, which have been proven to lower cholesterol levels.

Most vegetables contains a large amount of potassium, which is needed by the heart to function properly.

Eating more vegetables can prevent cancer.

Enzymes in radishes, potatoes, sweet potatoes, pumpkin, bean sprouts and asparagus, eliminate carcinogens from the body.

Cutting vegetables

The different cutting methods and cooking styles have to correlate with the seasons.

When we use thicker and larger cuts of and longer cooking time, we create more warming dishes, suitable for colder seasons.

When we cut our vegetables thinner, in smaller peaces, and use quicker cooking methods, we create more cooling, refreshing dishes, desirable for warmer weather.

			CARROT  KIMPIRA
					INGREDIENTS: One carrot cut julienne style One small Lotus root cut very thin One peace Burdock cut julienne  style One teaspoon sesame oil little spring water Organic Soy sauce PREPARATION: Heat the oil in a skillet, pour the carrots and saute  for 2 minutes stirring well, add lotus roots and continue stirring, add some water if the vegetables are sticking to the skillet, add the burdock, continue to saute for another minute while stirring, add few drops of soy sauce, cook for one more minute and serve.
			BLANCHED SALAD
					INGREDIENTS: Broccoli, cauliflower, carrot, daikon, onion Sring water one inch peace Kelp sesame seeds butter (tahini) Umeboshi paste PREPARATION: Bring to a boil ½ gallon water in a pan with the peace of kelp Wash and cut in big chunks the vegetables, cook each vegetable separately by dropping them into the boiling water and take them out with a slotted spoon when the water comes back to a boil. On the side mix two tablespoon of tahini with one tablespoon of umeboshi paste and some of the hot water., pour over the blanched vegetables, mix well and serve

GRAIN

Grain has two components that make it unique among the worlds food. It is complete in itself and it is endlessly adaptable to the varied geographical and climatic conditions of our planet.

Barley has the wildest growing area of any grain. It can grow north beyond the Arctic Circle and as far south as Ethiopia.

Not all seeds are grains. Only members of the grass family are cereal grains and have been used as a principal food source for Thousand years, from the Arctic circle to the sub-tropics.

These unique plants tend to trap the light, absorbing energy and nutrients

In grain the fruit and the seed have merged to become one.

This oneness is the basis of the complete balance. When we eat whole Grains we see life more complete.

The grains of all grass plants are rich in starch and B-vitamins containing a small amount of oil. When coked they have a similar Ph of the human blood, about 7.0

Modern research have found that this type of food aid in the release of Serotonin in the brain, which helps to give calm and feelings of joy. The outer layer of grains called bran, helps reduce blood serum cholesterol in humans.

Grain cultivation is not polluting.

Grain is very easy to store

Grain keeps for a long time.

Only the cultivate grasses are called Cereal grain, the most used throughout the world are:

WHEAT, OATS, RICE, CORN,RAY, BARLEY, JOB’S TEARS SORGHUM, INDIAN RICE

Millet has been used in Europe since 2700 B.C., this grain is easy to digest and it is good for people who are allergic to rice and wheat.

The seeds of quinoa and amaranth are very nutritious, however are not grains, they contain lysine, an amino acid found in most legumes.

Quinoa grows only above 7000 feet and when eaten helps the body to absorb more oxygen

Buckwheat and psyllium are erroneously referred to as grain as well.

Buckwheat is good to eat in cold climate because tend to warm the body.

No plant has been found that independently satisfy the total nutritional requirements of a human body. Variety is the name of the game: the grater the variety consumed, the greater the resistance to disease, and the better the adaptive functions of the body.

We have to create balance with the food that we eat; when we are out of balance we crave fat.

Fat is the balancing factor between carbohydrates and protein, when we eat whole grains the equilibrium between fat, protein and carbohydrates becomes easier.

BROWN RICE

With Brown rice as the center of our diet, we can significantly improve and maintain the health of our bodies, mind and spirit. Most of the diabetes-fighting nutrients in brown rice live in the bran and germ layers — two layers that are stripped from white rice during processing.

There are mental and spiritual, as well as physical benefits that come from eating a food that has this wealth of unique qualities.This oneness is the basis of a complete and balance nutrition.

BROWN RICE OPENS THE MIND. It gives us the ability to connect or synthesize different ideas as it does with different foods. Brown Rice can be cooked with all other food to the mutual enhancement of each. es: all type of meat and sea food. Rice can be cooked with other grains as well with beans, seeds, nuts and vegetables. Rice can be combined with dairy food and create sweet dishes, with fruit or other food to create satisfying desserts.

MOCHI: is made with sweet rice, when is home made is very strengthening, good for after child birth and after operations, also good for people that are always hungry.

WHEAT : bread, pasta, is not adaptable like rice,Wheat gluten is the most allergic causing substance. A mineral and fat imbalance in the body will create this allergy.

BARLEY: is a light, uplifting grain that has a cooling effect on the body. Barley is a great grain for providing light, calming  energy, it is very strengthening, makes you more creative, support health and long life. Support blood sugar.

OATS: very adaptable. Good for cold weather and vitality. Makes you humorous when you eat a lot of it.

CORN: It is adaptable, when you eat it it makes you closer to nature.

RAY: When you eat the wild quality it is good for teeth and bones.

BUCKWHEAT: It is a wild grass, It has great vitality, makes you more wild. Cures chronic diarrhea.

MILLET: Gives great physical vitality, but it is hard to grow.

Rice with chestnuts

A pinch sea salt

Preparation:

Wash and drain rice through a colander, put rice in a pressure cooker, add soak and cleaned chestnuts, add the spring water, close the cooker and bring to pressure. Reduce heat and simmer 45 minutes.

Remove cooker from fire and let the pressure go down naturally. Open the lid and pour the rice in a serving dish. ]]> http://rosanna.com/wp/?feed=rss2&p=409 0 http://rosanna.com/wp/?p=148 http://rosanna.com/wp/?p=148#comments Fri, 29 Jan 2010 23:21:13 +0000 Rosanna http://rosanna.com/wp/?p=148 MISO

Thinking of food to open our discussion, I decided to begin with Miso soup. I view this mixture of fermented grain, soybeans, salt, vegetables and seaweed as primordial and desirable for almost daily consumption.  In this days that we hear about soy products in a controversial way, it is good to read of some positive research about this wonderful bean. In Michio’s Kushi book ” the Macrobiotic Guide to complete Health” there is a documented research on the fact that Miso soup reduces the risk of cancer. The active ingredient in soybeans called Genisten, helps to prevent and relieve tumors including in the breast, brain and prostate. Another research suggests that fermented soy foods could reduce breast cancer.

Postwar studies in Japan have revealed that cancer as a result of radiation was significantly reduced in those who regularly ate Miso as a component of their diet. Miso is comprised of minerals and agents that assist with the digestion of your food.

We begin most mornings with a healthy-sized bowl of  soup made with Miso.

Barley Miso is the most medicinal of the many varieties and the one that is best for maintaining health and is suitable for consumption each day.

Seaweed is an important component of Miso soup because it supplies hard-to-find trace minerals as well as very high quality Potassium, Zinc, Calcium and Iron.

Everyone on the healing path should have Miso soup as the backbone of their daily diet, preferably in the morning and/or before a meal. Miso soup is comprised of minerals, fats and protein and offers an ideal environment in the body for the culture of the flora that is required in our intestines for successful digestion and conversion of the foods we eat, into the energy we need.

There are several types of Miso, made with various grains and varying lengths of fermentation.  I am  mentioning Barley Miso today, which should be aged for at least two years.  Over time I will invite your attention to different varieties, for example, Barley Miso that has been aged for a shorter period which is lighter in color, Soybean Miso, Rice Miso, Chick Pea Miso and others.  For today, and for this soup, let’s emphasize  life-giving Barley Miso.

Barley Miso has a rich, dark brown color and delicious,  salty taste. It gets you going in the morning and increases the beneficial flora that is so important for the health of the intestines. Here’s how you make enough for four or five servings in a few minutes:

MISO SOUP

ingredients

1 carrot, sliced matchstick style

1 Medium Onion, diced

1 Cup, or a little less, Daikon, sliced thinly

½ Cup Parsnip shavings

1 Cup Brussels sprouts, thinly sliced

¼ cup soaked, diced Wakame Seaweed

10 Cups spring water

3 Tablespoons Barley Miso, or to taste if you prefer a little more

Preparation

Put water and first four ingredients above in pot and bring to a boil. Lower heat and simmer for 15 – Add Brussels sprouts and Wakame and bring back to a boil for 5 minutes. Reduce heat as low as possible and add diluted (with a little of the broth) Miso. Cook for 3 minutes and serve.

PS:Daikon is a big white radish that resemble a big carrot

Wakame is a sea vegetable

MEAL OF THE DAY

Hato Mughi stew, Black Turtle beans, Lotus root and onions, Blanched vegetables, Steamed Baby Bock Choy and Kabocha squash, Pressed Salad