Super Healthy Snacks and Treats E-Book

Jenna Zoe

• Herausgeber: Ryland Peters & Small
• Kategorie: Lebensstil
• Sprache: Englisch
• Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2015

Beschreibung

When Jenna Zoe decided to clean up her eating, she started to devise recipes that would allow her to enjoy treats made with ingredients that her body could harness for well-being, vitality and sustenance. Super Healthy Snacks and Treats will inspire you to change the way you snack, and see and feel the benefits in no time. Jenna replaces refined sugar with natural sweeteners such as agave syrup and maple syrup; wheat flour with wheat-free alternatives; and dairy with nut milks and health-giving oils. And she packs the snacks with fruit, vegetables, nuts, seeds and other superfoods to furnish your body with long-term health-enhancing vitamins and minerals. The chapters are Breakfasts, Power Snacks, Party Snacks, Dips & Dippers, Sweet Bites, Cookies and Bakes. There are kale chips, dips like edamame and miso or light babaganoush, gluten-free crackers, almond butter cups, chocolate chip coconut cookies, no-bake crispie cakes, banana bread and cinnamon buns. Lots of ideas would suit children's lunchboxes.

Leseprobe

Super Healthy Snacks and Treats

Super Healthy Snacks and Treats

JENNA ZOE

Photography by Clare Winfield

Dedication

To Mama Jaan, who always cooked with loving intentions

Senior designer Lucy Gowans

Commissioning editor Céline Hughes

Production manager Gordana Simakovic

Art director Leslie Harrington

Editorial director Julia Charles

Food stylist Jenna Zoe

Food styling assistants Kathy Kordalis Emily Kydd Rosie Reynolds

Prop stylist Polly Webb-Wilson

Indexer Sandra Shotter

First published in 2013 by Ryland Peters & Small 20–21 Jockey’s Fields London WC1R 4BW and 519 Broadway, 5th Floor New York, NY 10012www.rylandpeters.com

10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

Text © Jenna Zoe 2013 Design and photographs © Ryland Peters & Small 2013

Printed in China

The author’s moral rights have been asserted. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying or otherwise, without the prior permission of the publisher.

eISBN: 978-1-84975-684-6

ISBN: 978-1-84975-428-6

A CIP record for this book is available from the British Library.

US Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication data has been applied for.

Neither the author nor the publisher can be held responsible for any claim arising out of the information in this book. Always consult your health advisor or doctor if you have any concerns about your health or nutrition.

Notes

• If you are allergic to gluten, wheat, sugar, dairy, eggs or soy, please check all labelling carefully before buying ingredients for use in these recipes.

• Oats are inherently gluten free, but because they are mostly processed in facilities that also process glutenous grains, most brands are cross-contaminated with gluten and therefore not suitable for coeliacs. If you need to avoid gluten entirely, look for oats that are labelled “gluten-free”.

• All spoon measurements are level unless otherwise specified.

• Ovens should be preheated to the specified temperature. Recipes in this book were tested using a regular oven. If using a fan-assisted oven, follow the manufacturer’s instructions for adjusting temperatures.

• When a recipe calls for the grated zest of citrus fruit, buy unwaxed fruit and wash well before use. If you can only find treated fruit, scrub well in warm soapy water and rinse before using.

• Find all the healthy ingredients and baking staples mentioned in this book on its accompanying website, www.foodstolove.co.uk

• Here are some of my favourite healthy living blogs:www.foodbabe.comwww.hungryhungryhippie.comwww.fitnessista.comwww.katheats.comthinkoutsidethecerealbox.tumblr.comwww.calgaryavansino.comwww.kimberlysnyder.net/blogwww.detoxinista.com

YouTube Channels: FullyRaw Kristina DaraDubinet

Contents

Introduction

Breakfasts

Power Snacks

Party Snacks

Dips & Dippers

Sweet Bites

Cookies & Bakes

Index

Adjusting our attitude to food

In terms of food and nutrition, we are living in a funny time – on the one hand, we have never had more great products available to us, never had more information about nutrients and the ways in which they work. While more knowledge is always a good thing, this can also be a recipe for information overload and “decision fatigue”. We have never been so confused as to what to eat and how to eat it. It’s ironic that so many of us feel so much anxiety and inadequacy around an act so seemingly simple, something mandatory for our survival.

The truth is, there are infinite ways to be healthy, and infinite combinations of meals that we can eat in order to get there – it’s overwhelming. We want to believe there’s one ready-made solution out there that will fit us perfectly. I certainly did. To that end, I’ve been through almost every eating style around. I’ve cut out carbs, eaten like a caveman, done macrobiotics, five small meals a day, no sugar, food combining – you name it. I may have felt healthy enough in any given phase, but I always knew with every bone in my body that I could feel better. I envisaged feeling happy and vibrant and full of energy while eating in a way that felt effortless, joyous and intuitive, as opposed to carefully controlled and filled with anxiety about failing.

When this cycle of feeling dissatisfied with other people’s rules continued, I decided to change my tactic; I said to myself, there is a perfect diet out there for me, but it’s my job to design it. Immediately, things felt different. I felt empowered. Things started to look up as I promised myself that going forward, I would do things my way. I didn’t know what that meant yet, but the foods I was going to eat had to fulfil three criteria:

• They had to be natural, whole foods that were minimally processed (most of the time).

• I had to LOVE how they tasted. I didn’t force myself to eat anything I didn’t like, even if it was meant to be good for me. I was game to taste anything once, but after that there was no obligation to continue.

• They had to suit my system. I paid close attention to what made me bloated or sluggish, what I didn’t digest well, and in what combinations certain things disagreed with me.

Of course, I didn’t have it all figured out right out of the gate. It took trial and error, but I didn’t consider it failure – it was one big (and exciting) experiment.

As I became more in tune with how certain foods acted in my body, I realized that I felt better when I didn’t eat things like gluten, wheat, dairy, eggs, soy, and refined sugars. These are common allergens that cause discomfort among many people, and while I wasn’t intolerant to any of them, they made me feel just “OK” rather than amazing.

I asked myself, why should anyone settle for anything less than amazing? Nowadays, this is the approach that I recommend to my clients. Reclaim the power over your health and body. Chase “amazing” because we all deserve it. In fact, the human body is designed for amazing, and it’s more than capable of getting there on its own. The only thing we have to do is give it the tools (proper fuel) to do its job.

With the dishes in this book, you will be giving your body all good things. They will take you from everyday snacks to special-occasion treats while always remaining on the healthful side of the spectrum. This isn’t your typical earthy, rustic healthy food – it’s food full of fun and colour because I refuse to believe those are things we should have to sacrifice when we choose to treat our bodies well. I like to infuse my daily eats with brightness and positivity, because mental health is a big part of our overall wellbeing too.

I hope that the recipes in this book can inspire you to make your own healthy eating rules, and help you feel empowered to take the best care of your most precious asset – YOU!

The principles of healthy snacking

Every time we eat, we can either choose to eat foods that help our bodies thrive, or hinder it on its course. Sticking to clean, simple foods that nature made not only helps us look better, but is also the key to that happy, energetic, thriving state that seems so elusive to so many of us.

Around 30% of our bodies’ energy is used in the digestion process. When we consume overly processed foods that our bodies don’t recognize, a lot more energy is allocated to digesting these and flushing out their toxins. Think of it as a drain on our bodies’ resources, because this energy could be better used for thousands of other functions the body needs to perform. Poor digestion is a significant contributor to low energy levels, sluggishness, poor mood control, slow healing or recovery, and premature ageing, because digestion is using up the energy that should be going towards these things.

There are more “healthy” convenience foods available to us than ever, but it’s become more difficult to figure out how healthful they truly are. Widely acknowledged nasties such as white sugar, MSG and trans fats lurk everywhere as their healthier-sounding alter egos. To add to that, allergies and intolerances to components like wheat, gluten, dairy, sugar and eggs are reaching epidemic proportions.

The benefits of avoiding wheat, gluten, dairy, sugar and eggs

How allergies and intolerances work

An allergy is a reaction by the immune system to a foreign substance it considers an enemy. Often, allergies are embedded in our DNA and so cannot be reversed. If you have an allergy, it means that a food doesn’t suit your entire system, which is why our skin and blood will react to this food too. Allergies are often immediate and measurable.

An intolerance, on the other hand, is localized to our digestive system, ie the stomach has difficulty breaking down a certain substance. This often occurs when we overconsume a food, because we exhaust the tools our bodies use to break down said food. Symptoms of an intolerance can be subtle and difficult to trace back to the original culprit.

Whereas we have been familiar with the concept of allergies for years, the epidemic levels of food intolerances has only been a recent phenomenon. This is because the modern diet is not varied enough and heavily features the mass-produced, subsidized commodities that we are now having trouble eating. Whether or not you have an intolerance, it’s a good idea to try to rely less on these common foods, and focus on a variety of fruit and vegetables as the base of your diet.

Cutting them out

The key to making substitutions for allergens in your diet is that it doesn’t need to be all-or-nothing. For most people, being rigid about what you can and can’t have doesn’t work. Even if you have the strongest willpower and the best intentions, life happens – we travel, get stuck, run late, get busy, don’t hear the alarm clock, and sometimes we just plain old can’t-be-bothered. I tell everybody that if you plan to eat well for the times in your week where you can eat well, it doesn’t matter about the few times when you give yourself a little more leeway. Whether that’s because you simply don’t have access to the healthier options, or because you decide that you want to indulge in your favourite meal tonight, it doesn’t matter. The overall picture of your diet is what will predict your wellbeing.

As soon as you start to eat a little more “cleanly” than before, you will feel and look better, no matter where your starting point lies. This new way of eating will soon become your norm; stay in that zone until it feels easy and natural to you, and at some point you will feel inspired to take it to the next level. Don’t rush yourself or force yourself to clean up too fast – your body has an innate wisdom regarding what it’s ready for.

Wheat and gluten

“Gluten-free” is a huge selling point for food producers nowadays, but ask anyone to tell you what gluten is and why it’s best avoided, and you’re unlikely to get an answer. I’ve even come across people who work in this industry and can’t explain it – this is primarily because it’s a complex issue without one clear root “problem”. Gluten is a protein found in most grains, and it is the type of gluten found in wheat, barley and rye that mostly cause intolerance (these are wheat gluten, hordein and secalin respectively).

The heightened gluten levels in our diet are down to two primary factors. Firstly, we overconsume it without even trying. Gluten is added to an unbelievable variety of common pantry products because it performs plenty of helpful functions. It is what gives bread its soft, doughy texture, so food producers used it to increase the mouthfeel of their goods, such as bottled sauces and ready-made baked products. It also acts as a preservative and can be used to increase shelf life. Extracting gluten and adding it to a food is relatively cheap and easy to do, so it’s a common solution.

Secondly, modern wheat has been genetically transformed in order to increase its yield per acre.

Gliadin, the component in wheat gluten that causes intolerance, has been re-engineered to make this possible, and has morphed into a much more aggravating hybrid than that found in wheat in the 1950s.

Dairy products

If you asked me which single change could make the most significant improvement to your health, removing dairy products would be it. A mammal’s milk is designed to help its infant increase in weight by up to eight times. It contains all the necessary goodness to help that calf, kid or foal grow. Once it has completed its growth, it stops drinking this milk.

Where it is the ideal fuel for a baby mammal, dairy milk is not designed for human consumption. Think about it, we are the only species on earth that consume the milk of another animal – and continue to do so past our main period of growth! Dairy products are very mucus-forming in the human body, causing all sorts of problems like excess phlegm, weight gain and inflammation.

Additionally, ask anyone you know why they think milk is good for them and they’re highly likely to tell you something about how you need the calcium in it for your bone health. Dairy products do contain calcium, and it makes sense to assume that consuming milk, yogurt, cheese and the like would increase your body’s calcium levels. However, this is only part of the picture. The body likes to maintain an internal environment with a slightly alkaline pH (the opposite being an acidic pH). This is the condition that allows it to function at its optimum level. An internal alkaline environment allows the necessary chemical processes to take place, whereas acidity is conducive to illness, fatigue, and free-radical formation. When faced with factors such as stress, pollution, inadequate rest and poor diet (all of which are acid-forming), the body will draw from its stores of alkaline minerals to counteract the effects of these factors on bodily pH.

The alkaline minerals in the body are calcium, magnesium, sodium and potassium, the most abundant of which is calcium, stored in the bones. Essentially, alkaline foods are those that contribute to your levels of these minerals, and acidic foods are the ones that deplete them.

Dairy is not a preferred source of energy for the body as it is difficult to digest and encourages the production of mucus. It is thus a source of digestive stress which in turn is acid-forming. In order to neutralize the acidic nature of this process, the body pulls calcium into the bloodstream from its bones. So, even though dairy brings some calcium into your system, there is a net loss of calcium when consuming it.

What’s interesting is that in countries where the indigenous people consume little or no dairy, the instances of osteoporosis are extremely low. In Japan for example, where the traditional diet consists mainly of fish, vegetables, sea vegetables, soy and grains, the disease is practically unheard of. In almost every non-Caucasian country, the number of osteoporosis cases has risen in direct correlation with the adoption of Western dietary habits over the last few decades.

We have been told that we need milk for its calcium content, to the point where we have forgotten about all the plant-based sources of this nutrient – broccoli, collard greens, soy beans, sesame seeds, almonds, hemp seeds, figs, dates and apricots are all great options.

Eggs

You may be surprised to see eggs in this list because they are supposedly full of health benefits – high in protein, a rare source of choline, Vitamin D and lutein. However, just because something is good for us in some ways, it doesn’t mean that it isn’t also bad for us in other ways. Farming practices that surround raising chickens for eggs are so questionable, that even if you’re an omnivore it’s best to keep organic, cage-free eggs as an occasional food in your diet.

Eggs were not designed for humans to eat, and because our society is consuming them more than ever before, egg allergies are increasing to the point where they are now the second most common food allergen, behind milk. Adverse reactions are particularly high among children whose “purer” digestive systems find them hard to tolerate.

If you never want to go without eggs because you love the taste, which is totally understandable, I think it’s best to reserve them for dishes where you can really taste them, and keep them out of your treats, where we can put plenty of other fun things in their place.

Eggs are the most difficult thing to replace in baking because they perform three separate functions, so sometimes we need to substitute them with more than two or three different ingredients which perform these various roles – providing texture, helping the mixture to rise, and acting as a binding agent.