garlic

CTV- Getting the Most out of your Food!

You don’t need to break the bank buying every new miracle food or supplement that Dr. Oz recommends! Here’s how to get the most out of the food you’re already eating!

1. Garlic:

a. Fights cancer, lowers cholesterol, fights infections
b. If you microwave freshly chopped garlic for 30 seconds, it losed 90% of it’s cancer fighting properties (100% by 60 seconds)
c. It is best if you chop it and allow it to sit for a ten minutes before cooking.
d. During this time the maximum amount of allicin is created and can be sauted or fried and still get the benefits!

2. Tomatoes:

a. Better for you cooked than raw- the longer you cook them, the more health benefits you get!
b. Heating breaks down the fruit’s cell walls making the nutrients more bioavailable
c. Heating twists the lycopene molecule (from trans to cis) to make it easier to absorb. Just 30 mins of cooking can more than double their lycopene content.
d. Tomato paste has 10X more lycopene than raw tomatoes
e. Lycopene is a natural UV protectant and is good for prostate health
f. Cans usually have BPA so purchased tomatoes in a glass jar or BPA free can, and organic of course.
(Tomato Sauce Recipe below NO PEELING REQUIRED)

3. Mushrooms:

a. Mushrooms are the only vegetable that contains vitamin D!
b. Canadians do not get enough sunlight, and therefore vitamin D which helps with bone health and cancer prevention.
c. Cultivated mushrooms contain a plant sterol called ergosterol, which is the precursor of Vitamin D². In fresh mushrooms, ergosterol is stimulated to convert to Vitamin D² by ultraviolet light, either from sunlight or artificial lights
d. It has been demonstrated in recent studies that the level of Vitamin D² in White/Brown mushrooms can be increased significantly (up to 100% of the Daily Value), by exposure to ultraviolet light for a few minutes, either pre-harvest or post-harvest

4. Nuts:

a. Nuts contain phytic acid- a defense mechanism that repels predators
b. When phytic acid is eaten- the acid binds to minerals such as zinc, iron, magnesium, calcium, chromium, and manganese
c. Soaking nuts in water deactivates the phytic acid
d. Soak nuts overnight for 8-12 hours and rinse thoroughly in the morning (Info Below on Nut Soaking)
e. Consume within 24 hours, or you can dry them in a dehydrator

5. Citrus:

a. Contain more than 170 phytonutrients
b. Hesperidin- studies have shown that it has the potential to relieve depression, calm inflammation, protect DNA from damage and slow the growth of cancer
c. The greatest concentration of phytonutrients is in the PITH (the spongy white tissue that lies just beneath the skin
d. The citrus industry uses a chemical treatment to degrade and remove the pith- so no OJ or canned oranges!
e. When eating oranges try to leave as much as the pith as you can (while still enjoying the fruit)
f. The juice membranes are just as good for you! Try slicing the orange instead of separating the individual segments.
g. Use citrus zest from organic peels

For the nuts!

SOAKING STEPS
1. Add nuts to a glass jar, no further than the half way mark
2. Fill the jar with filtered water, being sure to cover the nuts.
3. Soak the nuts overnight for 8-12 hours
4. In the morning, discard the soak water and rinse the nuts thoroughly
5. Refrigerate and consume within 24 hours
6. If you prefer your nuts crunchy- dry in a dehydrator for 12 hours and store in the fridge for 2 weeks or freeze for up to 2 months

Recipe: Easy, No-Peel, No-Seed Tomato Sauce

Ingredients:

-20 tomatoes ( Can use plum tomatoes or 15 larger tomatoes)
-1/2 cup olive oil
-1 tsp salt
-1/2 chopped onion
-2 to 3 minced garlic cloves ( let sit out for 10 minute before tossing in)
– Mix of 1/2 tsp of rosemary and thyme

Directions:

In a large pot or crock pot you can prepare this.

Wash tomatoes well and then slice in half. You don’t have to deseed,it takes long but feel free to do so. Dump in a pot with some water and salt, olive oil, onion, garlic and spices and cook on low to medium until your desired level of thickness is reached – once they are cooked, remove the lid or leave on halfway to let the sauce reduce up to 24 to 36 hours. (Make sure to put on low for overnight cooking!) Blend with a blender or immersion blender, and you are set!

* You can also do this in a crockpot – turn the lid sideways (on an oval crockpot) when the time comes to reduce.

Enjoy!

Watch it here! http://ottawa.ctvnews.ca/video?clipId=602232&binId=1.1164511&playlistPageNum=1