Stefanie's Wisdom | Upcoming Events | Jack & Hunter's Favorites | Seasonal Recipe | About Stefanie

Don’t mean to be so dramatic here but in the past month a friend’s friend was diagnosed with an aggressive form of cancer (and he’s 40), another friend’s cousin was diagnosed with an aggressive lymphoma (and she’s 30) and to top it all off my friend was just diagnosed with breast cancer (in her mid-40’s).

Now, I am not one to live in fear however I am feeling overwhelmed by the big “C” on a more personal front than ever (might I add that I have also had three people in my life die of cancer since January).  I find myself getting all hell bent out of shape with every little ache I feel, every little blemish I see. If there is one thing I have realized it’s that no one is immune to cancer, not even the healthiest of people.

If you don’t already know, Center for Science in the Public Interest is a not-for-profit representing the organized voice of the American public on nutrition, food safety, health and other issues. CSPI has long sought to educate the public, advocate government policies that are consistent with scientific evidence on health and environmental issues, and counter industry’s powerful influence on public opinion and public policies. Their newsletter, Nutrition Action, is one of my many food and nutrition bibles. In their last issue, they published an article, “Color us Worried.” Let me quote:

"Synthetic food colorings are manufactured from petroleum. Food companies like them because they are cheaper, more stable and brighter than natural colorings like paprika, beet or blueberry juice concentrate and beta carotene. Per capita use of synthetic dyes has increased five-fold over the past 50 years. But it may surprise consumers to learn that there are lingering questions about the safety of most of the nine synthetic dyes that can be used in food (Blue 1, Blue 2, Citrus Red 1, Green 3, Orange B, Red 3, Red 40, Yellow 5 and Yellow 6)."

Generally recognized as safe (GRAS) is an American Food and Drug Administration (FDA) designation that a chemical or substance added to food is considered safe by experts, and so is exempted from the usual Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (FFDCA) food additive tolerance requirements (from Wikepedia). All of these food dyes are GRAS, meaning that they’ve caused mutations or tumors in some animal studies and may contain cancer causing impurities but not enough to truly concern the FDA. Oh, and some of these substances haven’t even been adequately tested (from Nutrition Action, September 2010). ARE YOU KIDDING ME?!!!!!!!!

That being said, if our government isn’t looking out for us, and the food industry is all about the bottom line ($$$) then we have to be proactive. What we can do:

• Purchase a Dictionary of Food Additives by Ruth Winter M.S. to learn about unhealthy ingredients (and healthy ones)
• Read labels
• Make a stand and stop buying foods with these dyes and poisons (chemical preservatives, artificial sweeteners, artificial flavors and more).

Never forget that the consumer has the power. If Europe can ban all of this garbage, so can we.

A few days ago my mother asked me why I think that so many young people are being diagnosed with cancer. I didn’t have to think too long about the answer. I grew up in the 70’s and 80’s. These were the years of Tang, Cool-Aid, Gatorade, Hawaiian Punch, lots of colored food-like substances and off the wall-candy. We all indulged. Even I did. On top of that was the rage of the artificial sweetener. The food industry was flying high and little did we know that we were slowly crashing.

I believe that our food supply is greatly responsible for the demise of our health. Don’t get me wrong, there are other things as well, however day after day, we as a human population poison ourselves with food because we don’t choose to care, are simply confused and LAZY. Something I am trying to change each and every day of my life — we need to be re-educated.

Well, there is no better time to do the few things I suggested above to start making a change in how you nourish yourself (and your children). It will not only make a difference in your life but perhaps someday in how our food is produced.

~ Stefanie

Check out my Events page for a complete listing of upcoming workshops and events.

I have had the honor and pleasure of co-writing two articles with Dr. James
Dillard for the East Hampton Star. Dr. Dillard is one of the leading pain specialists in America. Uniquely trained as an acupuncturist, chiropractor, and medical doctor he is also the health and wellness writer for this widely distributed newspaper. You can see his column, To Your Health, weekly. There will be more to come on nutrition but check out what we have written so far...

'Fad is Bad'

We are constantly amazed by what people will believe and what crazy schemes people will follow. It was P.T. Barnum who said, “You can fool some of the people all of the time, and all of the people some of the time, but you cannot fool all of the people all of the time.” When it comes to diet and nutrition, it seems that magazine covers at the grocery store checkout line rule when it comes to current thinking. The newest craze is detoxification diets and “cleanse” programs for health and weight loss. If you wait a few months, it will be something else...
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'Shop, Okay, But not to Drop'

How much thought do you put into going to the market? Do you make a list? Do you check it twice? Do you put naughty things on the list? Nice? When you go to the grocery store, you can have three basic outcomes — you can come out with bags of food that will end up as delicious meals that make you and your family healthier, bags that will make you more sick, or somewhere in between. How sick you are 10 or 20 years from now depends a great deal on what you carry out of the store.
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I cook for work and I cook for play. But since Jack and Hunter’s arrival, cooking for play has taken on a different meaning. Once cathartic, it is now chaotic. But, I asked for it! I had Jack in the kitchen with me since day one as the same holds true for Hunter. So now, I can’t enter the kitchen without either one of them wanting a part in what I am doing, whether cooking or cleaning. That being said this section is devoted to the foods and food products that my boys love and the things we do with them for breakfast, lunch, dinner and snack.

Someday I will reclaim my catharsis in cooking. But for now, I will do my best to enjoy the chaos!

Breakfast
Pancake Donuts
We use Pamela’s pancake mix. The most amazing gluten-free pancake mix I have ever had (seriously). And not only do we use these for pancakes, but we also make donut holes coated in brown sugar and cinnamon. It’s pretty simple: make the batter (but be sure to add less water so it remains somewhat thick). Pan fry, pat dry on paper towel then coat with brown sugar and cinnamon (we pre-mix in small bowl). This is a special treat for the boys and they usually have this with a side of Greek yogurt.

Lunch
English Tea Sandwiches
Use cream cheese and cucumbers, peanut butter and jelly, egg salad or filling of your choice. Key here is to make sandwich, cut off crust, cut into triangles and tell the kids that they are eating special sandwiches that people in England eat with tea.

Dinner
Chicken and Edamame Stir-Fry with Sticky Rice
Cut boneless chicken breasts into small cubes and sauté in pan with sesame oil (the light colored one), tamari and mirin. Toss in some shelled edamame. Make sticky rice (white sushi rice or you can use short grain brown rice). All mixed together or served in separate piles, it rocks our house!

Snack
Celery with Peanut Butter
A crunchy nutritious snack! Use creamy or chunky peanut butter (ingredients should ONLY be peanuts and possibly oil and salt).

Servings: 6

Ingredients:

• 2 medium butternut squash, peeled, de-seeded, large dice (about 4-6 cups)
• 4 slices ginger, about 1/8" thick
• 14 ounces ounces FULL FAT coconut milk, 1 can
• 14  ounces LITE coconut milk, 1 can
• 1 cup water
• salt, to taste

Method:

1. Combine all ingredients in medium pot. Cover and simmer for 30 minutes (until fork can easily move through squash).

2. Discard ginger, pour ingredients into blender (including liquid) and purée until smooth and creamy. Add salt to taste.

Stefanie Sacks, M.S., a Culinary Nutritionist, works hands-on with individuals and groups in transition to a healthier way of eating as a food counselor, nutrition educator and chef instructor. She has been studying food and healing for twenty-five years, has her Masters of Science in nutrition from Columbia University and is a graduate of The Natural Gourmet Institute for Health and Culinary Arts. In 1999, she created Nutricook®, a program to help prevent illness and restore health through personalized nutrition therapy and culinary guidance.

In addition to her private practice, Stefanie conducts workshops for adults and children at community centers, schools and universities, corporations, medical organizations and health and wellness expos. She also works with many organizations on food and nutrition related projects. Currently, she is collaborating with Field to Plate, a company dedicated to creating and delivering innovative food education for health professionals and consumers; and Urban Zen, Donna Karan’s foundation devoted to patient advocacy and well-being. She also she speaks at nutrition focused health and wellness events; and is developing a food and nutrition related television show. Continue reading....

Email: sbs@stefaniesacks.com
Telephone: 917.686.3778
Website: stefaniesacks.com
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