Guest Post: Ruth Kerr

For a quick intro, my name is Ruth Kerr. I am the Healthy Eating Liaison at Whole Foods in Chattanooga and I have found myself very passionate in educating people about the importance of fueling our bodies with healthy food that serves as preventative medicine. It is urgent that we realize all of the heart disease, diabetes, autoimmune diseases and western degenerative diseases can be prevented with the food we eat.

{You can read more about Ruth here.}

Consider the start of a new year with the start of a new way of thinking. This is not about cutting out, but reconfiguring your plates with healing foods. You decide what you want your lifestyle to look like, while striving to eat to live, not vice versa. Here are some points to ponder as you do that:

1. Eat as many plants as possible. Plants are the proverbial fighting warriors for our bodies. Each one has thousands of vitamins, phytochemicals, minerals, enzymes, and complex carbohydrates, and even a proud amount of protein! This may be a simple and obvious point, but I am amazed how many people don’t realize the necessity of vegetables. They are essential to thrive. Whatever diets you follow, focus on plants being the main part of your plate.

2. Choose whole foods. While there are good reasons for juicing, eating an apple with all its fiber and bulk is more beneficial than apple juice in general. Also, most of the products in the grocery store in the middle sections are NOT even real food, but “food products”. If you can’t pronounce something in the product, I wouldn’t touch it. Processed cheeses and deli meats are “food products” in my book. With these processed foods come nitrates, hydrogenated oils, chemicals, and preservatives that are better to be left alone. Instead of worrying about the fat content and carb count of a 100-calorie snack pack, throw all the concern away and just choose foods that are whole and as unadulterated as possible.

3. Foods that have a lot of nutrients are the way to go. This may seem obvious, but the trick is to get as much “nutrient bang” for your “calorie buck” as you can. Dark leafy greens such as kale, collards, chard, arugula, spinach, etc have nutrients out the roof compared to their calories, while walnuts, even though they have plenty of nutrients, also have a lot of calories. I mention this not to worry you about calorie counting, but remember how important nutrients are for your body! Choose those foods that have the most of them.

4. Don’t be afraid of healthy fats. These are very important for all of our organs, which are protected and function using these healthy fats. Avocados, nuts and seeds provide your healthy fats as well as some fiber and minerals. Also, try to limit oils that have been stripped from their whole food source.

This is an extremely brief summary of health and nutrition, so if you have any questions I welcome you to contact me at ruth.s.kerr[at]gmail[dot]com. I feel deeply fulfilled when I can help in this regard, so don’t hesitate!

Happy New Year! Don’t forget to drink water!

In Health,
Ruth

Here’s one of my favorite side dishes. It's fast, easy and nutrient dense.

Creamed Spinach Baked in Artichoke Bottoms
-serves six-ten
This sauce is very versatile. Ruth uses it in dips, spreads, pasta and enchiladas. In the photos above I used it to make creamed spinach baked in artichoke bottoms.  

3/4 cup raw, unsalted cashews
3/4 cup plain, unsweetened soy milk
1T lemon juice
sea salt (to taste)
2-4 garlic cloves *
6T nutritional yeast *
6oz fresh spinach
2 cans artichoke bottoms

* These two ingredients are optional. If using garlic, I recommend using one clove at a time and add more after you have given your sauce a taste. You can also add roasted garlic or onions, lemon rind, herbs or other spices, depending on what dish you are making.

Preheat oven to 375.
Pulse cashews in food processor until they are ground very finely (they will look a bit like couscous).  Add the rest of the ingredients and grind until smooth. Add more cashews for a thicker consistency and more soy milk for a thinner one. Drain and rinse artichoke bottoms and pat dry. Place artichokes into a casserole dish. Microwave spinach in a bowl covered with plastic wrap for one minute. Mix sauce around spinach and stuff artichokes. Bake for 30 minutes or until heated through and slightly brown on top.