If you don’t want to see this happen, please write your own letter supporting an increase of fresh fruits and vegetables, and ethically farmed animal products.  Otherwise, prepare to send sack lunches, and discourage your kids from paying real money for fake food.

Basically, if it wasn’t food 100 years ago, don’t eat it.  I think it’s a pretty good name for what we do, so go there, and show them some love.

Scientists and doctors have already proven that there isn’t any danger to one’s health from simply being technically overweight.  Having a high BMI (body mass index) increases your risk of heart attack and other heaviness related conditions whether it’s because you’re fat, muscular, or tall.  Your greater mass means that it takes more cells to maintain your mass, and each time a cell has to replicate itself, the quality of the copy is less than the previous.  Overweightness however, increases your liklihood of surviving a heart attack, and getting enough nutrition means your bones are less likely to crack under pressure as you get older.  Overweight people live longer, healthier lives, especially if they’re active.

Inactivity is a much greater health risk than overweightness, as is malnutrition or being “off feed”.  So why isn’t the CDC fighting against an inactivity epidemic?  Why aren’t they fighting the food industry to stop selling people toxic pseudo foods?  That would be something real.

This is why here, at CookingSlim.org we focus on teaching people what a healthy diet is, and getting down to a livable weight, rather than trying to look model thin.  There is a balance that we hope to help people to achieve in order to have healthier lives, not to lose weight at all costs.

Very few people are so fat that the fat itself is the health problem.  Most of us just need to eat naturally and get more activity.  There is no need to join in the moral panic du jour.

For a long and dry but very interesting paper on this topic, go to:

http://www.allacademic.com//meta/p_mla_apa_research_citation/0/2/2/9/2/pages22928/p22928-1.php

There are a few who, like me, are heavy but their weight isn’t problematic.  They’re thickly built, but more like tanks than beanbags.

Well, I wanted to know what was the secret of the Russian (diaspora) diet that kept them largely either svelte or thick, but seldom debilitatingly large.  So I started asking questions, and this added to my natural dieting knowledge.  For this, I am VERY grateful.  It stopped my gaining weight, boosted my energy, and restored my true personality.  Bonus, some of my ex boyfriends are now singing, “don’t know what you’ve got until it’s gone…”  That’s always fun to hear, despite its futility due to my “former fatty syndrome” issues.

I got the feeling though, that there was something my friends were hiding from me.  You see, culturally, eastern Europeans are extremely pro fitness, but also just as extremely anti anorexia.  One reason why is that there is a real malnutrition problem in Russia that has reached epic proportions.  A person who wastes food or denies themselves food to meet with some far out Hollywood ideal is repellant to many.  A good way to lose a Russian guy’s interest on a date is to tell him you can’t eat because you’re on a diet.  If he served in the Russian army, he’s experienced real deprivation.  If he hasn’t, he’s at least heard enough about it.  If you’re actively dieting and loud about it, you must be an athlete in competitive season, have some other pressing medical issue, or be so stunningly beautiful that it doesn’t matter…and Russian standards of beauty go way beyond skinny.  They’re not American.

I knew Russian women in the diaspora do diet.  It’s just not taken to the same emotional extremes. Because of this, bringing up the conversation is met with raised eyebrows and, “Just eat naturally.”  So to find out what someone does specifically when they want to lose weight outside of a sports context, I had to watch what people do, rather than listen to what they say.  I snooped around the kitchens of Eastern European women who are slim.

What I found out wasn’t so shocking.  The big secret is… :: drum roll ::

Soup powder.

It’s very simple, and yet it isn’t.  On the surface, it looks like a very unhealthy way to go, and it is, but it isn’t.  I’ll explain.

The type of soup powders that are used do have refined salt and sugar, two big no-no’s for natural dieters.  However, they have no MSG.  According to one friend I quizzed on the matter of her vast collection and variety of Podravka and Mivina branded packets, it is very important that a soup powder not have any MSG, soy, or hydrogenated oils.  The soups should also not have noodles since those are often fried in soy or some other unnatural oil.  If she wants something in the soup, she uses crackers or toast.

The diet isn’t all soup though.  The idea is that one has all the fruits and vegetables they like, and the soup satisfies the desire for something tasty and hot on most days.  Then the weekends (pick a day), you pretty much do as you like.

In other words, it’s a very livable plan aside of the refined salt and sugar.  The actual soups they use are extremely tasty and satisfying despite the super low calorie count.  A 100 grams packet of Mivina chicken and vegetables with spices powder has about 91 calories in the entire packet.  You use a teaspoon and a half of it at a time for a regular sized bowl of soup.

Have a couple of eggs in the morning, the soup twice a day plus fruits and vegetables and maybe a few crackers, or a couple of pieces of bread, and you’re not only balanced, but not missing anything.

I decided to try it for a few days, and it worked very well.  Mind you, I’m not promoting this diet, just reporting the facts.  I did not feel deprived and didn’t have any cravings.  I am taking a multivitamin though, so I’m not sure if that was the decisive thing.  Still, it works.  I can’t stay on it because I don’t like the idea of refined salt and sugar every day, but as things go, I consider this among the lesser evils.

If someone is truly obese and needs to reduce their weight because the weight itself is a health problem for them, this might be a better way to go than shakes and is definitely better than obsessing.

If you’re going to take this road, the specific products being used are made by Podravka and Mivina (looks like MIBIHA on the label).  These are the standard, though there are likely other brands that are similar.  Look for those made or produced by Eastern European countries because they have the nice flavors that are important.

So that’s the Russian secret: special vegetable enriched soup powders.  Hopefully someday they’ll make some using Celtic or gray salt and unrefined sugar.

Stevia Chocolate Cake

There’s a great recipe for a sugar free chocolate cake at SteviaRecipes.net that you can either bake or microwave.

As you can see from the photo, it came out nice, fluffy, and spongey.  Try it yourself.

What do goji berries taste like?

They have a taste that is somewhat tart, but with an aroma reminiscent of hot paprika and saffron, with a hint of cumin.  Some people enjoy them whole and dried, but according to traditional users, this is not the best way to eat them.  It is possible to overdose on some of the active chemicals, so it’s usually used as a spice or an addition to a tea.

One reason they’ve become trendy as a superfood is because they pack a powerful nutritional punch, and are reputed to help one to live longer and recover more quickly from illnesses.  They seem to be nature’s equivalent of a multivitamin.  They have a lot of vitamin C, iron, and are durable enough that drying and juicing doesn’t completely destroy them.  They also grow fairly easily, and you can grow your own at home.

How should goji berries be used?

The problem is that like many foods that become fashionable, people misuse them, and end up either harming themselves or overusing them to the point that when they’re out of fashion, they’re abandonned.  What westerners who are adding this to their diet need to know is that Asians and Russians who have been eating goji berries as a normal part of their diet, use it as more of a seasoning than a food.  Some westerners are popping them like raisins and swallowing lots of the juice, and this is probably not the best idea.

Not enough scientific research has been done to say whether or not large amounts of goji berries are good for you.  What has been done so far has shown that they can be a very powerful medicine.  A little bit can go a long way.  Another thing to consider is that goji berries are in the nightshade family.  For those of you out there who are on ethnic diets that exclude or limit chile type peppers, potatoes, and other nightshades, goji berries are probably not less bad for you.  They even taste like a kind of sweet pepper.

I learned to use goji berries in cooking from some Russian friends.  They say that people are not supposed to eat more than the equivalent of  three per day, and that quantity as a medicine.  You put one berry in your tea and have it three times a day for high blood pressure, or when you have a cold or flu, and that’s it.  In a recipe, three to five berries is enough to season a whole casserole dish.

Click here for a tasty recipe for chicken gizzards with goji berry sauce.

Goji berries might help you quit or reduce your smoking.

One interesting thing that an older lady told me is that it’s helpful when you’re quitting or reducing smoking.  This could be because they are an aromatic nightshade, and contain some nicotine.  So they can help reduce the craving for tobacco, and provide a natural source of nicotine for those who use it to suppress appetite or boost energy.  It’s also a very good reason to be careful of it.  Some of the feel-good effect overusers of goji berries might be experiencing could be due to their mood altering properties rather than just the nutrition and other medicinal benefits.

Personal Experience

From personal experience, I know it doesn’t take much for the stuff to get to your blood.  The first time I tasted them, I ate one berry at the shop in the market, and the smell was in my sweat later that day.  I also didn’t feel the usual fatigue I get after a trip to the market.  I’m one of the few women on earth who does not enjoy shopping, so between the shopping itself, plus the walking and heavy lifting involved with a trip to the market, I’m usually spent by the time I get home.  This time though, I didn’t seem as drained as usual, and this is from just one dried berry.

Yes, it’s anecdotal, but interesting enough to get me to try it again the next time I know I’m going to do something that usually wears me out.  If and only if you don’t have a problem with peppers or other nightshade family plants, try goji berries out, but again, be careful.  Don’t overdo it.

Nutrients and Other Chemicals

Goji berries, also known as wolfberries or by their Latin name, lycium barbarum contain a good balance of polysaccharides such as amylose and amylopectin.  They also have a natural oil that is reputedly good for the skin in small amounts.  Like many essential oils, it’s too strong to be used straight.

They’ve been said to have 500 times the vitamin C of oranges, but this is likely untrue.  According to most of the source companies, their vitamin C content is about the same or maybe a bit more than the average citrus fruit or chile type pepper.  It varies sometimes from berry to berry, or depending on when and where they were grown or picked.

According to Qingdao BNP Co. Ltd:

Wolfberry(Goji) rich of wolfberry polysaccharides(amylose),Betaine,zeaxanthine,physalein,Ascorbic acid,Carotene,Riboflavin,Nicotine,Thiamine,taurine,Vitamine E,Vitamin C,Vitamin B1,Vitamin B2,content of Vitamin C same as orange,and wolfberry contain 19 kinds of amino acid,and K,Na,Ca,Mg,Fe,Cu,Mn,Zn,Se,21 kinds of minerals,and the concentration of Beta-carotene in wolfberry even higher than carrot,effect protein concentration more than bee pollen. Every 100g fresh wolfberry contain crude protein 5.8g,wolfberry fat 1g,Calcium 155mg,phosphor 67mg,Fe 3.4mg,carotene 3.96mg,Vitamine B 10.23mg,Vitamine C 3mg; Betaine about 1%.

Goji berries could be a nice addition to your diet, but use them with caution.  For some people, they can be a lifesaver, but if you have to avoid nightshade type plants, you should definitely avoid goji berries.  I’d say buy a small amount, or take a few from someone else who bought some.  Take a half a berry, and if you’re okay or it does you some good, try a whole one.

People who might want to be careful are those whose ancestry is mostly people who did not eat nightshade plants, anyone with CFS (chronic fatique syndrome) or fibromyalgia.

One of her recently featured healthy recipes uses canned tomatoes and “salt” (no mention of gray or celtic or even sea, just salt), but hey, it’s low in fat.

Though it’s sad to see her go, we always knew that the truth often requires walking the road less travelled.

Aid workers are struggling to get food and water to Haitians who have been struck by the latest massive earthquake.  In one of the poorest countries in the hemisphere, relief efforts are hindered by lack of infrastructure, looting, and low building standards.  The country was already in crisis, and this has made things even worse.

If you’d like to donate online, go to Network for Good’s page on Haiti Earthquake Relief for links to many organizations that are active there now, and need help.

You can also donate through your cellular phone, and have it come out as part of your bill.  As far as I know, this can only be done from the U.S.  I’ll post international links and numbers if I can find any.

American Red Cross Haiti Relief  Text ‘Haiti’ to “90999″ to donate $10. You can also make a donation by calling 1-800-REDCROSS. (this will be charged to your cell phone bill)

Yele Haiti (Wyclef Jean’s organization) Text Yele to “501501″ to donate $5 (this will be charged to your cell phone bill)

Clinton Foundation’s Haiti Relief Fund Text “HAITI” to “20222″ to donate $10  (this will be charged to your cell phone bill)

Thanks, Khamit Kinks, for the cell phone donation information.

If you can’t donate money, you can help out by lending a hand to volunteer organizations sending teams to help find survivors and rebuild.  You can also support your local Haitian diaspora by cooking, being present, and helping them out in practical ways because many are out of communication with their families in Haiti.  It can be very emotionally crushing to not have any word from home when a disaster strikes.  It would be nice for them to not have to worry about certain day to day issues while they are worrying and waiting for calls.

The series, Blood Sweat and Takeaways should be on everyone’s must-watch list.  Here’s a sample of what basically happens to rice workers.  According to the activist working to help women get out of the sex industry, 80% of Thai prostitutes in the hottest red light district are from Isan, a rice town.

Learn more about ethical eating, and unfair practices in food production at FairFood.org.

Why does chicken soup work?

It’s no mystery.  Chicken soup works for the same reason the doctor tells you to gargle warm salt water when you have a sore throat, or use tears-in-a-bottle to lubricate your contact lenses, or take a walk by the sea when you’re recovering from pneumonia.  It’s basically a mild saline solution that is warm.  The salty, wet steam clears up your congestion, and the vitamins help you to stay strong when you don’t feel like eating heavy food.

You will need:

• the meat, bones, and skin of a whole chicken, chopped into parts
• 6 to 8 regular sized potatoes, peeled and chopped into quarters
• 4-6 carrots
• 2 sticks of chopped celery including the leaves
• 2 cups of corn
• 1 large  onion
• 3 cloves of garlic
• 1 teaspoon dried sage or 5 leaves of fresh sage
• a good pinch of dried rosemary, crushed between the fingers, or 6 leaves
  of fresh rosemary
• 1 tablespoons, chopped fresh parsley or cilantro
• 1/4 tsp crushed black pepper
• a good pinch of dried lemongrass or louisa
• 1 teaspoon ginger powder
• 2 teaspons gray salt
• 1/8 – 1/4 cup cider vinegar
• 3 tbsp. olive oil or lard
• 5 litres of water

1.  Place a large pot on high heat, and pour in the olive oil.

2.  Brown the chicken lightly.

3.  Add the onions and celery.  Saute until thoroughly wilted, and then add the garlic and all fresh herbs.

4.  Add the potatoes, carrots, dry herbs, and water.

5.  Bring to a boil, and then add the salt and vinegar.

6.  Reduce the heat to low, but still barely boiling.

7.  Keep on low heat for approximately 3 hours, more if you prefer.

At the end, you may want to fish out the chicken pieces, and pick off the bones, and return the meat to the pot.  It’s up to you.

This soup is great with just about any flatbread.