phytochemicals « Sweet & Loveable

Anti Fast-Food Recipe: Eggplant Parmesan

October 15th, 2010Community, Health & Wellness, RecipeComment

PCRM Ad: "Consequences"

Anti Fast-Food Ad:

Fast food gets the rap for ruining our health as demonstrated by the following PCRM’s (Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine) new “Consequences” ad, which “takes aim at McDonald’s high-fat menu of “unhappy meals”; racked up more than 1 million views on YouTube in just days last month.” Please click here to: Watch Ad >

Healthy Alternatives:

What would be healthy alternatives to fast food?

According to the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine, a low-fat vegan diet significantly reduces heart disease risk in people with type 2 diabetes in comparison to a diet based on the American Diabetes Association (ADA) guidelines.

So,“these findings should encourage anyone with diabetes to talk to their physician about adopting a vegan diet to manage their disease and reduce the risk of a heart attack,” said lead author Gabrielle M. Turner-McGrievy, M.S., R.D., a doctoral candidate in nutrition at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and a nutrition scientist with the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine.

Another healthy alternative to fast food as recommended by PCRM is a vegetarian diet which is naturally low in saturated fat, high in fiber, and full of cancer-protective phytochemicals. The remarkable health benefits of vegetarian diets include preventing cancer, preventing heart disease, lowering blood pressure, preventing and reversing diabetes, and reducing one’s chances of forming kidney stones and gallstones.

Anti Fast-Food Recipe: Here is a great PCRM recipe for those who are on a vegetarian diet or vegan diet.

Tags: "consequences" ad, blood pressure, cancer, heart disease, kidney and gall stones, low-fat vegan diet, mcdonald's high-fat menu of unhappy meals, physicians committee for responsible medicine, phytochemicals, type 2 diabetes, vegetarian diet

Alphabet Letter “C” Recipe: Curry Braised Tofu with Basmati Rice, Lentils, Dried Cherries, and Pickle Masala

August 10th, 2010Health & Wellness, RecipeComment

photo credit: toastforbrekkie

Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine (PCRM) advises us to eat a plant-based diet with the right mix of vitamins, minerals and phytochemicals. All these three immune-boosting nutrients are important for proper functioning of our immune system.

As a good guideline, choose colourful vegetables, fruits, grains, and legumes in order for your meals to be visually appealing as well as provide a balance of immunity-boosting nutrients.

The following alphabet letter C recipe is a colourful “Curry Braised Tofu with Basmati Rice, Lentils, Dried Cherries, and Pickle Masala” recipe from Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine (PCRM).

Curry Braised Tofu with Basmati Rice, Lentils, Dried Cherries, and Pickle Masala

Makes 4 servings

1 cup dry French green lentils or other green lentils
4 cups water
1 bay leaf
³/₄ teaspoon salt
1 black pepper, to taste
1 cup dry basmati rice
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 medium onions, thinly sliced
2 garlic cloves, chopped
1 teaspoon minced fresh ginger
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1 teaspoon curry powder
¹/₄ teaspoon pickle masala
1 cup vegetable stock or water
1 juice of 1 orange
1 teaspoon orange zest, finely minced
¹/₄ cup dried cherries
1 large tomato, roughly chopped
¹/₄ cup thinly sliced fresh basil
1 pound firm tofu, cut into bite-size pieces
1 fresh basil sprigs for garnish

Rinse and drain lentils. Bring water to a boil, add lentils, bay leaf, salt, and black pepper. Turn heat down and simmer for 20 to 30 minutes or until lentils are soft. Cover and keep warm over lowest heat or in 150°F oven.

Prepare rice according to package directions. Cover and keep warm in rice cooker or in 150°F oven.

Heat a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add oil, then onions, garlic, ginger, tomato paste, curry powder, and pickle masala. Cook, while stirring, for 5 minutes, then add stock or water, orange juice and zest, and cherries. Bring to a boil, then lower the heat and simmer for 5 minutes more. Add tomato and sliced basil and cook until heated through.

Add tofu to the vegetable mixture and heat for 3 to 5 minutes until tofu is heated through.

Serve rice, lentils, and vegetable-tofu mixture in individual bowls and garnish with basil sprigs.

Per serving (1/4 of recipe)