Spa Cuisine | Spa Week Daily

Lose Weight By Accident: Liver-Detoxifying Foods

August 14, 2012 | By Spa Week Daily

By Tanya McCausland of Home Cooked Healing

Your liver is like the Energizer bunny…. it just keeps going and going and going, flushing the toxins and poisonous chemicals from your body. It’s the largest organ in your body, making it the biggest fat-burning organ, too. Needless to say, it’s important to give your liver some serious love!

Excess sugar, dairy, fat, salt, alcohol, preservatives, hormones, fertilizers and pesticides can cause the liver to produce extra fat, which is then stored – yikes! This extra fat then slows down your metabolism – double yikes! Signs of a sluggish and burdened liver are weight gain, fatigue, poor memory, mood swings, digestive problems, acne and blood sugar imbalances to name a few.

It’s not hard to understand why cleanses are so popular. And doing a safe three to 10 day detox can certainly help give your liver a little break and jump start. However, for most people, the best way to a healthier liver is to eat things on a daily basis that help naturally detoxify it. Here are my favorite liver-cleansing foods to add to your diet ASAP:

- Arugula
- Radishes
- Cabbage
- Lemon
- Beets
- Onions and Garlic

One of the easiest ways to get many of these foods at once is with a big hearty salad. Try this Zesty Arugula and Purple Cabbage Salad with Lemon Vinaigrette – I promise you and your liver will love it!

Zesty Arugula and Purple Cabbage Salad with Lemon Vinaigrette

Ingredients:
½ small red onion, sliced
2 handfuls baby arugula
Half head of purple cabbage, shredded
Small red pepper
3-4 Tbsp pumpkin seeds

For the dressing:
Juice of one lemon
3 Tbsp organic extra virgin olive oil
1 tsp honey or real maple syrup
1 tsp Dijon mustard & a pinch of salt

Instructions:
1. Soak the onion in a small bowl with cold water for at least 5 minutes (this will remove some of the strong onion flavor)
2. In the meantime whisk together the ingredients for the dressing. Set aside.
3. Then, combine all the salad ingredients in a large bowl.
4. Coat with half of the dressing and toss until well combined. Taste and add more dressing if necessary. Enjoy!

About this Contributor: Tanya McCausland is a Health and Culinary Coach in Alameda, CA She inspires, encourages and motivates her clients to create a life of health and balance through delicious food and simple lifestyle changes. She believes that our kitchens have the ability to heal – we just have to stock our pantries with real food and not be afraid to wield a wooden spoon every so often!

Filed Under: Food + Drink, Health & Wellness, Spa Cuisine Tagged With: detox, detoxifying foods list, liver cleanse, lose weight by accident, Master Cleanse, tanya McCausland

Spa Recipe: Mung Bean Burger from Joulebody

August 10, 2012 | By Spa Week Daily

By Marissa Gold

We all overindulge every once in a while and need to get our diets back on track. Going on a cleanse sounds like a great fix — at first. But tipping the food pendulum straight from French fries to veggie juices is a bit of a rude awakening.

We know the feeling. And after numerous failed juice cleanse attempts, we’ve come to realize we just require food. Period. So we consulted chef Corinne Tompkins of Joulebody cleanse for a healthy recipe idea we can make at home.

This veggie burger follows the Joulebody concept that eating naturally detoxifying foods — not starving yourself by juicing — is the best way to reach optimal health (and your ideal weight). So try this out for lunch or dinner for a healthy spa-style meal.

Thai Style Mung Bean Burger Patty:
Yields 4 patties

1 cup mung beans, cooked (substitute any bean)
1-2 garlic cloves
2 tbsp. flax seed
1.5 tbsp. cumin
1 lime, for zest and juice
(1/2 tsp. crushed red pepper, optional)
1/2 cup quinoa, cooked, drained well
1/4 cup coconut flakes
3 tbsp. cilantro, chopped
2 tbsp. coconut oil
Salt and pepper to taste

Directions: Preheat oven to 325F. Place cooked mung beans, garlic, flax seed, cumin, and the zest of one lime into a food processor. Mix until well blended, about 1 minute. Once processed, move bean mixture into a medium or large bowl. Add quinoa, coconut flake, cilantro, coconut oil, and 1 tsp of salt and 1/2 tsp of black pepper. Combine with either your hands or large spoon until well blended. On a nonstick baking sheet or a baking sheet lined with parchment paper, divide mix into 4 portions and bake until there is some browning and a few small cracks appear on the tops of the burgers, about 25 minutes. Before serving, squeeze some fresh lime juice on top of the burger for a clean burst of flavor. As a suggestion, these patties are great topped with some thin slices of red onion and avocado in between iceberg lettuce/kale/collard greens.

Filed Under: Food + Drink, Healthy Cooking, Nutrition, Spa Cuisine Tagged With: cleanse, joulebody, mung bean, Recipe, vegan, veggie burger

Lose Weight By Accident: The Healthy Cooking Oils You Should Be Using

August 7, 2012 | By Spa Week Daily

By Tanya McCausland of Home Cooked Healing

For years and years we’ve been told that eating too much fat is making us fat. But not all fats are created equal!

Industrial factory-made oils go through a very high heat process that damages the oil. This causes them to be inflammatory ingredients and studies have linked them with significant weight gain. Plus, they are loaded with deodorizers and other chemicals to make them odorless and shelf-stable.

To keep your metabolic engine humming it’s crucial to supply your body with high quality, unprocessed, un-refined fats that won’t bog down your system. These fats from whole foods will give you more energy, keep you satisfied longer and give your metabolism a boost. Healthy skin, hair and nails are an added bonus! 3 healthier fats to keep you lean:

Instead of… Vegetable Shortening (like Crisco). This is the ultimate trans fat, which we all know by now is a big no-no!
Use this: Organic unrefined coconut oil. This oil boosts your metabolism so you are a fat-burning machine. It’s great for cooking, too. Try it when pan-frying turkey burgers or melt it and toss with root vegetables before roasting in the oven.

Instead of… Margarine and imitation butter spreads. These products have been processed at a very high heat creating damage. Plus, they’re loaded with a slew of unnatural ingredients.
Use this: Organic unsalted butter (my favorite brand is Strauss Organics). Organic butter is loaded with omega 6, which has anti-inflammatory properties. Plus, it’s free of hormones, pesticides and antibiotics that can put the breaks on your weight loss goals. Put a small pat of butter on your broccoli, green beans and other veggies to make them more satisfying.

Instead of… Vegetable oils such as canola, safflower, corn, cottonseed oils. These are found in nearly every packaged product. Not only are they highly processed but often come from genetically modified foods.
Use this: Organic extra virgin olive oil. A staple of the Mediterranean diet, EVOO is a monounsaturated fat which has been shown to aid in weight loss and keep you full longer. This oil is great for sautéing veggies or making homemade salad dressing.

Filed Under: Food + Drink, Spa Cuisine Tagged With: coconut oil, cooking oil, lose weight by accident, weight loss

Spa Week Smoothie for Glowing Skin

August 6, 2012 | By Spa Week Daily

By Jacqueline Gomes, RD, MBA, Food Emporium Wellness Advisor

Now that you have my shopping list for skin superfoods (see it here), I wanted to share a delicious smoothie recipe that you can make with many of the ingredients featured. Chock full of antioxidants and nutrients, this refreshing drink is the perfect way to nourish your skin on a hot summer day — and it clocks in at under 120 calories and zero fat!

Spa Week Smoothie
Makes: 2 Servings

Ingredients:
½ cup unsweetened green tea
1 cup frozen pineapple chunks
1 cup diced mango, frozen
1 cup kale, leaves torn, stems removed
Juice of one lime

Directions:
Combine all ingredients in a blender or food processor and blend until smooth.

Nutrition Information:
113 Calories; 0g Fat; 0g Saturated fat; 0mg Cholesterol; 19mg Sodium; 389mg Potassium; 29g Carbohydrate; 3g fiber; 2g protein

Jacqueline Gomes is a Registered Dietitian and Wellness Advisor for The Food Emporium, which is part of the A&P family of stores. You can reach Jacqueline by visiting www.thefoodemporium.com/live-better-wellness.asp

Filed Under: Food + Drink, Spa Cuisine Tagged With: low-calorie recipe, Smoothie, smoothie recipe, weight loss

Superfoods for Glowing Skin

August 3, 2012 | By Spa Week Daily

By Jacqueline Gomes, RD, MBA, Food Emporium Wellness Advisor

Regular facials are a great way to ensure your skin is healthy and glowing, but what you put into your body is equally important. For example, my esthetician can always tell when I’m dehydrated. She says, “You haven’t been drinking enough water, have you?” Admittedly she’s usually right.

But water isn’t the only thing your skin needs to be fed regularly. Great skin also comes from consuming plenty of omega-3s, monounsaturated fats, vitamin E-rich foods, and antioxidants.

Luckily, these nutrients are all easy to find in your local supermarket. So consider this your shopping list for better skin, and pick up these items on your next grocery run:

1. Multivitamins and Antioxidants
These natural foods are rich in antioxidants, which are needed to protect the skin from damaging elements, such as ultra-violet light, pollution and other toxins. Vitamin C in particular is needed for the production of collagen – a protein that “holds skin together” and is responsible for our skin’s elasticity and youth. Look for:

Vitamin A: Found in dairy milk and dark green leafy vegetables (kale, spinach, swiss chard).
Vitamin C: Found in citrus fruits (oranges, limes, grapefruit), berries, broccoli, red, green and yellow peppers, cantaloupe, and mangoes.
Vitamin E: Found in unsalted nuts, seeds, whole grains and natural peanut butter (be sure to get no sugar added!).
Beta-carotene, Lycopene, and Lutein: Found in red, orange, and yellow vegetables like tomatoes, carrots, and sweet potatoes.

2. Omega-3 Fatty Acids
Omega-3 fatty acids play an important role in many aspects of our health from reducing inflammation to keeping our blood from excessive clotting. Omega-3s are also an important nutrient for maintaining healthy skin. Found in: Wild salmon, mackerel (not king), herring, sardines, walnuts, flaxseeds and soybeans.

3. Selenium
This micromineral is also an antioxidant that helps prevent oxidative stress and can help protect cells from free-radical damage. Found in: Brazil nuts (they’re the most concentrated source). Other sources include crab, eggs, whole wheat bread, lean poultry and beef, mushrooms and shrimp.

4. Zinc and Iron
Nails are a good indicator of your overall health, and an iron deficiency will often result in spoon-shaped nails. Be sure you’re getting plenty of zinc and iron to keep your skin and nails healthy. Found in: Colorful fruits and vegetables (see #1), whole grains and lean red meats.

Money-saving tip: Join the Live Better Wellness Club at your local A&P, Food Emporium, and several more participating supermarkets and you’ll receive 20 percent off a future produce purchase for every $50 you spend on fruits and veggies!