It’s friday, and I have pretty much run out of all my produce that I acquired last weekend at the Farmer’s Market. Whew! good think tomorrow is Saturday…

When I got hungry today, I just took a grim look in the fridge and cabinet and took out some of the ingredients that I had left. What happened was, I turned out a really yummy Hummus… Check out the video to see what I came up with and get the recipe…

As silly as it may seem, the newest and most exciting trend that I’ve seen in the health food world is the inclusion of chia seeds into your daily diet. Yes, that’s right: chia seeds, the very same seeds that are used to decorate cheesy household ceramic pets. At first I looked at this with a skeptic eye, but then I noticed that everyone from Dr. Oz to Dr. Weil is getting on the chia seed train.

As it turns out, chia seeds are incredible sources of so many vitamins, minerals, and other vital parts of our diet. According to recent studies, chia seeds have the same of the highest omega-3 levels of any food out there—even more than Atlantic salmon.

In addition to those wonderful omega-3 fatty acids, chia seeds have more protein, fiber, and calcium that flax seeds, and are also a great source of phosphorus, magnesium, niacin, and zinc.

As a result of their high nutrient content, chia seeds can help with so many of the common ailments that occur more and more commonly as we age: high blood pressure, low energy, arthritis, general inflammation, heart disease, and even diabetes.

Because chia seeds slow down the rate at which the body converts carbs into simple sugars in our bodies, new research has shown that they can significantly aid in controlling blood sugar, thereby battling diabetes. Additionally, chia seeds can block calorie absorption, helping craving reduction for those of us battling weight issues.

According to ancient documents, Aztec warriors used chia seeds to boost their energy, maintain stamina and endurance, and even build muscle tissue.

Maybe the best thing about chia seeds is their versatility: with health experts suggesting two daily servings of 20g (about 1.5oz), a variety of meals with which you can incorporate them are a must. Some of the best ideas out there include cereal, yogurt, cottage cheese, oatmeal (see recipe below), or smoothies. Another great idea is to incorporate them into baked goods, such as breads, cookies, muffins, or pancakes.

They can also be eaten raw, added to salads, or soaked in fruit juice. One advantage that they have over flax seeds is that the body digests them much more easily —in fact, they’ve been shown to aid digestion—so there is no need to grind them up before eating them.

So, try out something new and add some chia seeds to your diet. And don’t worry—you won’t grow bright green sprouts out of your head.

Probably.

Chia Oatmeal Recipe:

1 Tablespoon of Chia seed
5 tablespoons of Organic Oats
½ of one Banana sliced or other fruit such as apple or peach
½ teaspoon of Cinnamon Pinch of sea salt
1 tablespoon of agave nectar or raw honey
small handful of chopped walnuts or almonds
1 ounce of coconut milk or almond milk optional
Bring one cup of water to a boil; add all ingredients to water; continue stirring for about 5 minutes or until you get nice texture. Serve with coconut milk.

Check out this recipe on Foodista too! Chocolate Peanut Butter Chia Pudding

As promised, here are the recipes that my daughter Nicole and I made one evening while in Paris. I have got to say, both recipes turned out amazingly delicious! Enjoy…  Oh and enjoy some photos too

Me & Nik in Paris near the Eiffel Tower

Me and Nik in the South of France... Are we cute or what?

Okay, first recipe and first course for the evening:

Soupe Printaniere

Spring Harvest Soup with Fava Beans

This fresh, creamy green soup celebrates the arrival of spring’s first fava beans, they are so tender.

Serves 6

2 tablespoons olive oil

3 onions, finely chopped

4 slices bacon, chopped

2 garlic cloves, chopped

5 cups chicken or vegetable stock

3 pounds fresh fava beans, shelled

Sea salt, to taste

Freshly ground black pepper, to taste

A bunch of fresh flat-leaf parsley, leaves chopped

1. Heat the oil in a large pot over medium-high heat.

2. Add the onions and bacon and cook until the onions are browned, about 5 minutes.

3. Add the garlic and cook for 2 minutes more.

4. Stir in the stock and about three-quarters of the beans. Bring to a boil.

5. Reduce the heat to low, and simmer until the beans are tender, about 30 minutes.

6. Blend in a blender until smooth and return to pot. (we used a blending wand right in the pot)

7. Add the remaining beans and simmer for 5 minutes.

8. Season with the salt and pepper. Sprinkle with the parsley, mix well, and serve hot.

Nicole & host parents enjoying the soup

Next course:

CHEVRE CHAUD A LA GASCONNE

WARM GOAT CHEESE GASCON STYLE

This recipe is a regional version of the classic warm goat cheese salad.

Serves 6

Endive & Warm Goat Cheese Crostini Salad... It was delish!

A bunch of fresh basil

2 garlic cloves

3/4 cup olive oil

Sea salt, to taste

Freshly ground black pepper, to taste

6 individual small goat cheese rounds (crottins)

1 baguette

1 head red endive, leaves separated (our endive was not the red version, it was green)

1/2 cup pitted black or mixed olives (we used mixed)

To make the marinade, finely chop the basil and garlic, then add the oil, salt, and pepper. Pour the marinade into a shallow dish and add the cheeses, making sure they are coated evenly. Cover and refrigerate for 24 hours. (Huh? we may have not read that little section when we made the dish, so our cheese only marinaded for about 2 hrs and it was still fantastic

1. Cut the baguette into 12 thick slices and toast.

2. Cut the cheeses in half crosswise, arrange on a baking sheet, and grill under hot broiler until golden.

3. Place 1 cheese on each toast.

4. Divide the endive leaves and olives among 6 plates.

5. Place 2 toasts on each plate, then top with the marinade.

You might be asking, “what about dessert Dianne, you said there was typically 3 courses?” Well, you’re right. However, we cheated and bought dessert. It’s Paris for goodness sakes! They have amazing desserts already made for us

Hope you enjoy the recipes and have a chance to try them. Let me know what you think.

I want to talk a little about Rituals today.

We have so many cultural and holiday rituals that we experience every year. Christmas, Hanukkah, New Year’s Eve, Thanksgiving, Fourth of July and so on.

Rituals give us meaning to different aspects of our lives; other important rituals include birth, marriage and death. Mireille Guiliano states in Chapter 5 of French Women Don’t Get Fat, “through it all, until the end, there is the ritual of eating.”

In our fast paced world, daily rituals can be a source of comfort.  I know that while I was in Paris with my daughter, I was fortunate enough to stay with her host family and experience the ritual of eating every evening… Nicole and I even cooked for them one evening. I will share photos and recipes of the meal in the next post. but I have to say it turned out amazing and we bought all of the ingredients at the local markets.

It is the French tradition to have 3 course meals every evening, with a possible 4^th course of cheese before dessert. And that, was my experience.

Our Cheese Course Before Dessert. So Fresh, So Good

It was lovely and relaxed and of course, there was wine. So why do the French stay slim and still manage 4 courses and why was I able to not gain weight during my 3 week vacation…  It’s because of several factors.

Each course was a small to moderate portion. We ate slowly and enjoyed the company and conversation, most of which revolved around food. It’s weird, the French absolutely love their food, but they don’t obsess about it.

The majority, if not all of the ingredients were fresh, no preservatives and no chemicals. Even the simplest dish was so tasty because of its freshness.

Each dish has a new plate that is served separately, one at a time. As Mireille states, it is unheard of to have the whole meal on one plate. Eating one dish on a separate plate, one at a time allows you to slow the eating process down and also allows for improved digestion. The French do not leave the table feeling full; they leave the table feeling satisfied.

Another very key component to eating as the French do is to eat seasonally. In chapter 6, Mireille explains this idea and its importance. Most of us in the U.S. have moved away from this idea because of the convenience of global distribution.

We should be eating with the rhythm of the seasons to keep our bodies in a state of balance and equilibrium. For instance, right now during the warm/hot summer months, we should be eating more cooling type foods. Salads & berries are ideal. However, in the colder winter months, this style of eating is not conducive to good digestion, we need more warming and hearty foods.

Eating the fresh Strawberries on the beach in the South of France... It was a rough time

Fresh Strawberries from the open air market! So Sweet!

This is an area that I will be sharing quite a bit about with you soon. For now, feel free to get the book French Women Don’t Get Fat and enjoy all the recipes and wisdom Mireille Guiliano has to offer.

Stay tuned to the next blog post with the recipes that my daughter & I made one night in Paris.

As exhausted as I was landing in Paris at 7:30 a.m., I was also exhilarated! I was seeing my daughter for the first time in over 5 months and in France for the first time.

Our first day was full! We went to the flat where my daughter has been living with her host parents Ghislan and Samir and their baby Nathaniel. After appropriate greetings, Nicole and I were off for a long walk in her neighborhood on the outside of the center of Paris.

We walked for about an hour and a half. Our first mission was to find fresh bread and cheese for our walk… We did and we found a beautiful open air market with amazing and beautiful fresh fruit, veggies, cheese, poultry, fish and flowers. After finding our fresh out of the oven, still warm bread, we continued our walk through a beautiful green pathway. (see video below). After our walk we went back home to a freshly prepared lunch of Moroccan cous cous and vegetables and a little wine of course !

After lunch, we took the metro into the center where we saw the Place de Bastille, Louvre, Jardins d Tuileries (Tuilerie Garden) & Place de la Concorde. In Tuilerie Gardens, there were two large duck ponds where we proceded to take a long nap in the sun before heading back to the flat for a Pique Nique  (picnic) by the lake, lovingly prepared by Nicoles’s host family…

After a long day and an episode of Friends online, I passed out for 10 hours of sleep. Now it’s past midnight on day two and I am still awake… Enjoy the short video that gives a quick run-down of day one’s events… A vientot…

Chapter 3 finds Mireille in a three-month “re-casting” mode… She is resetting her individual equilibrium, with the help and guidance of Dr. Miracle. Yes, the beginning is three months of resetting new/old (French style) habits. Dr. Miracle fully understands that quick fixes will not yield long-term results.

Before beginning this process, it’s important to consider a couple of really important questions…

1. Ask yourself, “Why am I doing this?” So often, our reasons are fear and self-loathing based, or what others or media says we should look like… What is your why?

Mireille states in chapter three, “To embrace recasting, you have to be ready to embrace pleasure and individual happiness as your goals… It may be easy for a wife, mother and full-time worker to neglect pleasure; perhaps a part of you even thinks it’s selfish. But you must understand there is nothing noble in failing to discover and cultivate your pleasures. (It will make you not only fat, but grouchy.)”

1. Qu est-ce qui se passé? (What’s going on here?) This question reminds us “You can’t start eating and living well in a physical or emotional vacuum.” Consider for a moment why you gained weight to begin with… like in Chinese Medicine, you can’t just treat the symptoms, you have to treat the root cause.

It could be because of age, family or work pressure, loneliness. It could be because you just had a baby or just you just quit smoking. It could be due to a more traumatic emotional experience that’s being buried.

Hopefully you’ve tracked your diet for a few weeks, now it’s time to evaluate and identify your worst offenders. Now remember, this is the French way, so this does NOT mean immediately deprive yourself of all of them, but start to decrease them gradually. You also want to consider which of these “offenders” give you the most pleasure, and which don’t really give you that much pleasure.

You may be able to eliminate the ones that are not REALLY giving you pleasure, so that you can decrease but more enjoy the fully pleasurable’s…

Here are some great guidelines to incorporate during recasting and always:

Slow and Steady – There is no lasting glory in rapid weight loss.

Variety – crash diets run the risk of nutritional deficiencies, not to mention boredom. Remember, quality over quantity!

Ritual Preparation – French women love to shop and prepare food. Dr. Miracle advises, buy only what you need for the next day or two. Cook simply and cook at home, really see and know what you’re putting into your body. In my recent tele-class, this was a big point that I made, when you cook at home, your put your love and energy into your prep and you’re in control of the ingredients.

Water – we almost all need more. Increase incrementally; don’t try to do it all at once.

Ritual Eating – this is so important, Mireille dedicates an entire section on this later in the book. But for now, remember, sit at the table, do not eat in front of the T.V., use cloth napkins (I always do), eat on plates, not out of cartons, set the mood, light a candle, you get the idea…

Portion Control – As this is often a losing battle with most Americans, the best advice mentioned, that I fully support is, cut back gently.

Don’t stock the offenders – self-explanatory.

Substitutes – As Mireille’s biggest offender was sweets; Dr. Miracle provided a great recipe to help her satisfy that need.

Apple Tart Without Dough

Ingredients:

4 medium-size Golden Delicious apples

2 tablespoons lemon juice

4 Cabbage leaves

1-tablespoon sugar

¼ teaspoon cinnamon

Dots of butter

1. Peel and core the apples, cut into quarters, slice each quarter into thirds, and sprinkle with the lemon juice. Place the apples on the cabbage leaves.
2. Preheat the oven to 275 degrees. Mix the sugar with the cinnamon and sprinkle almost all of it on the apple slices (leaving enough ot cover the dots of butter). Add small dots of butter and cover with the remaining sugar-cinnamon mixture.
3. Bake the tart in the preheated oven for 15 minutes. Serve warm or at room temperature.

A couple of other mentions:

Move – more on this later, but there are so many ways to incorporate movement into your day.

Never Be Hungry – According to Mireille, one of Dr. Miracle’s wisest prescriptions.

En-Cas – Carry “just in case” healthy snacks.

To wrap this chapter up, I think some of the most important things to remember are adjusting anything in small amounts will be the key to moving toward your equilibrium. And! Learn to cultivate QUALITY over quantity!

Chapter 4 shares some great success stories…

Please let me know your thoughts about this three-month re-casting period and the recipe !

Chapters one and two take us back a little way to Mirielle’s first trip to the United States. She was 18 years old and on a one year exchange…

Here is where her love for brownies and bagels and poor eating habits began, only to return back home to France with an extra 15 pounds and a welcome greeting from her father “Tu ressemles a un sac de patates” (You look like a sack of potatoes”). Ouch, a sting she would not soon forget…

She definitely had feelings of embarrassment. None of her other friends in France had put on what we in the states refer to as the “Freshman 15”.

Enter Dr. Meyer, aka Dr. Miracle, the doctor Mireille’s mom retained to help with her mounting concern.

First things first, what are you doing asks Dr. Miracle?  He asked Mireille to log what, how much and where she is eating.  Measurements not to be exact, but approximate.

Fast-forward 3 weeks later, as it turns out, Mireille’s dangerous adoptive habits of American eating had gotten out of control.

The first thing Dr. Miracle noticed is that she was doing the majority of her eating on the go… walking from her apartment to school… The second most obvious thing he noticed was what she was mostly eating during those times were pastries… Yikes! And as she said, Paris is a “pastry minefield”. (ooo can’t wait)

She had turned into a pastry junkie and like any addict, her body “came to expect too much of what had once been blissfully intoxicating in small doses.”

“Tout est question d’equilibre (Everything is a matter of balance): this was Dr. Miracle’s quintessentially French mantra” and he was to remind Mireille of this too. But first, a little re-programming…

Equilibrium, which is the French way and what Mireille believed in, had to be cultivated gradually. And for the long-term shift to be successful, Dr. Miracle understood that quick positive reinforcement would be important… and to that he introduced, The Magical Leek soup. The soup would be eaten for a little more than a day and a half and this will be the only time anything “radical” in the diet will happen.

Why the Leek soup you ask… “Leeks are a mild diuretic and low in calories but highly nutritional”.

Here is the recipe and the suggested instructions from Dr. Miracle:

Ingredients:

2 pounds of Leeks

Water

1. Clean the leeks and rinse well to get rid of sand and soil. Cut off the ends of the dark green parts, leaving all the white parts plus a section of pale green.
2. Put the leeks in a large pot and cover with water. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat, and simmer uncovered for 20 to 30 minutes. Pour off the liquid and reserve. Place the leeks in a bowl.

Dr. Miracle recommends this to be done over the weekend.

The juice is to be drunk (reheated or at room temperature to taste) every 2-3 hours, 1 cup at a time.

For meals, or whenever hungry, have some of the leeks themselves, ½ cup at a time. Drizzle with a few drops of extra-virgin olive oil and lemon juice. Season sparingly with salt and pepper.

This will be your nourishment for both days, until Sunday dinner, when you can have a small piece of meat or fish (4-6 ounces) with 2 vegetables, steamed with a bit of butter or olive oil, and a piece of fruit.

This all seems reasonable to me, sounds like a little reset your system detox to me… I think I will try it very soon. Perhaps even before my trip to France…

What do you think?

Mireille Guiliano, the author of French Women Don’t Get Fat seems to have the life many could only dream about… I know it sounds like a dream come true to me.

She was born and raised in France and now shares the United States as her home as well. Her job??? She is the CEO and director of Champagne Veuve Clicquot. Essentially, her job requires her to eat in restaurants approximately 300 times a year, and never without a glass of wine or champagne to accompany her… I’m just wondering, where do I apply???

What’s important to note here is… she is NOT overweight! She has learned to maintain her weight from what she came to learn from her French culture and will share with us how we can do this too…

The book begins with Overture, the introduction, where Mireille reminds us that 60% of Americans are overweight, and the fastest selling books are diet books. She then asks the obvious question, or what should be the obvious question, “why don’t the million-copy wonders put an end to our overweight woes?” Simply put, “unsustainable extremism.” She also let’s us know, that “extremism, has never been the French way”.

However, from what I’ve seen and she also believes, Americans want quick fixes, and are willing to take radical steps to lose weight. Unfortunately, we all know happens once we stop these unsustainable extreme measures… The weight shows right back up.

Mireille says, “Banish the diet books and adopt what French Women have, a balanced and time-tested relationship to food & life!”

“French Women don’t skip meals or substitute slimming shakes for them…They eat with their heads and they don’t leave the table feeling stuffed or guilty.”  Mireille also states here, “Learning that less can be more and discovering how one can eat everything in moderation can be keys.”

Depriving ourselves sets us up for failure. All we think about is the very thing we “can’t” have. I understand there are exceptions to most rules, like gluten for celiacs. What none of the diet books express is any consideration for bio-chemical individuality. They do not take into consideration, gender, race, age, activity level etc.

It seems to me that French women eat much more intuitively… This book is already so in line with my training, and how I coach my patients and clients… To stay motivated, variety is important, in our food as well as our activity. I don’t know about you, but I get bored easily!

Mireille also refers to “French Zen” which of course I love with my background in Chinese Medicine. She covers not only the food on our plates, but other elements of healthy living, including physical, emotional, intellectual and spiritual health. In my training, I refer to this as Primary food. Our relationships, activity, careers, and spirituality.

I’m already loving what I’m reading…

Stay tuned til tomorrow, Chapter 1 Vive L’Amerique – The Beginning… I am overweight

Let me know what you think so far.

In honor of Earth Day, I thought a good way to pay tribute to the globe would be to think about the way in which we interact with it most—food! Because eating is something that we do every day, it’s easy to not really think about where that food is coming from. But the truth is, choosing a healthy diet means paying attention to our food from start to finish: from the planting of seeds to the moment it hits our dinner tables.

Of course, we can’t ACTUALLY monitor our food as it grows, so we put our trust in those who do, and in this decision lies one of the keys to good, organic eating: choosing the right growers and suppliers.

My favorite way of doing this is going down to my local farmer’s markers for my weekly groceries. Buying from local growers and vendors has limitless benefits: not only is your food guaranteed to be fresher, you’re also doing your part ecologically, since buying local cuts down on transportation of food, lowering the use of fuel and decreasing your neighborhood carbon footprint. Another great advantage? You get to actually talk to the people who grew your food—who better to get information from? Is it organic? Were pesticides used? There’s no better way to find out than to have that discussion. Find your local farmer’s market here.

You may also want to look into Community Supported Agriculture, or CSA. CSAs buy fruits, veggies, meats, and dairy from organic farmers and organize local drop-offs. Find your CSA here.

If you don’t have the opportunity to stop and have a conversation with your local farmers about their growing techniques, there are other ways to keep track of how healthy your meals are. Worried about pesticides? The Environmental Working Group is a great resource for finding out which fruits and vegetables use the most and the least pesticides. According to their lists, fruits like avocados, bananas, pineapples, and mangoes use the least amount of pesticides, but peaches, apples, strawberries, imported grapes, and pears use the most. On the vegetable side of things, onions, sweet peas, asparagus, broccoli, sweet corn, and cabbage are the best when it comes to pesticides, with sweet bell peppers, celery, lettuce, potatoes, carrots, and spinach being the worst. Visit the EWG website for more complete lists and helpful information.

Remember to stay aware of what you’re choosing to put in your grocery basket in the first place: while fresh veggies, whole grains, and organic meats should go in, stay away from ultra-pasteurized dairy products, anything with high-fructose corn syrup, or highly processed meats.

If there’s one group of people who know how important this earth is, it’s farmers. Supporting your local farmers is a win-win situation: you’re helping the earth, supporting local business, and your meal is guaranteed to be delicious!