Cauliflower "Oatmeal"....Delicious!!!

I discovered this recipe from a fellow blogger a healthylivinghowto.com, and have been a bit obsessed with it ever since! I made a few tweaks and wanted to share!

My favorite meal of the day is, and always has been, breakfast. No matter how early I have to wake up in the morning, I always leave extra time to sit down and enjoy a meal in the morning. Growing up on a Standard American Diet (SAD), I would wake up feigning immediately for sugar cereal, if I recall correctly my favorite was Cinnamon Toast Crunch. Really healthy and blood sugar regulating way to start the day, right???

Once I became more educated about nutrition and simply more in touch with how foods effected how my body feels, I shifted to a "healthy" breakfast, which consisted of a giant bowl of oatmeal. Granted, this was a big step from the refined, chemically derived bowl of white flour and sugar, but it still felt like a sugar bomb in my stomach and left me on the rollercoaster of blood-sugar dips and spikes where I would crave starch and sugar throughout the day. This, in turn, effected my energy levels.

Now that I eat in a way focused on whole, nutrient dense foods, and lots of vegetables, my standard breakfast is generally pastured eggs, veggies, sauerkraut, and sometimes I'll throw some leftover ground meat or nitrite/nitrate free bacon in. But I admit, sometimes I miss a sweeter, more grain-based start to the day, which is why I was so excited to find this recipe!

Cauliflower is one of those amazing foods that has a fairly neutral taste, and you can make it into so many different things, both sweet and savory. It is in the cruciferous family of vegetable, and is extremely high in Vitamins C and K. Cauliflower has been linked in numerous studies to provide outstanding cancer prevention benefits, particularly within the bodies' detox, antioxidant, and anti-inflammatory systems. It has also been linked with cardiovascular and digestive support.

So, in conclusion, its a fantastic vegetable to include in your diet on a regular basis! See recipe below, and enjoy!

Cauliflower Oatmeal

Ingredients:

1 cup "riced" cauliflower (see instructions below)
1/3 cup organic, whole coconut milk (if you don't have this you can use raw or organic whole milk, or almond milk)
2/3 cup filtered water (or less, depending on desired consistency)
2 large organic egs
1 tbsp ground flax seeds
Cinnamon to taste
Sea salt to taste
Other optional spices: cardamom, ginger, orange zest, vanilla...be creative!
Choice of optional sweeteners: powdered stevia, grade b maple syrup, raw honey
Choice of toppings: berries, nuts, fresh fruit, shredded unsweetened coconut

Preparation:

First of all, this is how you make cauliflower into a rice-like consistency: I use my Vitamix, but you can use also a hand grater or food processor. Cut off the stems (unless using a vitamix, and then use the whole thing), and break into pieces. Mix with just a bit of water and process or grate until chunky/rice-like.

In a saucepan, add riced cauliflower, coconut milk, and a bit of water (if desired). Over medium heat, cook until cauliflower is tender, anywhere from 5-10 minutes. Add whisked eggs, flax, cinnamon and other spices. Also, at this point you can add sweetener to taste, then simply serve in a bowl with desired toppings!

Enjoy :)

Lets Talk About Supplements

As you have likely gathered from my history of articles, I’m definitely not a big pusher of supplements. I strongly believe that it is essential to take in the bulk of our nutrients via food, and this is for several reasons. The first being that when we obtain a particular nutrient from food, it comes encased with a multitude of other vitamins, minerals, phytonutrients, and trace minerals that allow our body to effectively absorb and assimilate that nutrient, therefore reaping the benefit far more than if we were to take an isolated supplement.

It is also of utmost important that we remember two key facts:

1. All Supplements are NOT created equal!
2. More is NOT necessarily better!

           One amazing thing about the body is that it self-regulates, meaning if we are taking in vitamins and minerals via food, we have the ability to use what we need, and discard what we don’t. Studies have actually suggested that taking too many (particularly synthetic…think drug-store brands, centrum, etc) supplements have been linked to higher rates of cancer! See this link for more info.

http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2007/08/13/could-too-many-antioxidants-be-as-bad-as-too-few.aspx

Synthetic brand supplements are often chalked full of preservatives, colorings, and other chemicals. Holistic Nutritionist Mary Vance offers a fun experiment to place your multi-vitamin in a glass of water or lemon water. If it doesn’t dissolve, its probably not dissolving in your body, either.

With that said, lets be realistic! In an ideal world, we would all eat 5-9 servings of organic, fresh, antioxidant rich fruits and vegetables daily, and would therefore be getting all of our nutrient needs met. However, due to our busy lives, nutrient depletion in soil from commercial farming, pesticides and herbicides used on crops, and other factors as well, many of us are not taking in the amount of nutrients that our body requires for optimal function and disease prevention. Below are a list of particular supplements many people can benefit from, and rules as to what to look for when choosing a brand:

1.     Magnesium: an important nutrient essential for relaxation of nerves and muscles, building strong bones, and keeping blood circulating smoothly. We use up our magnesium stores at a much faster rate when under stress. The best source of supplementation is via Epsom Salt baths, as our skin is our largest organ and will best absorb the nutrient. Or, try a powder or capsule form supplement. Easy clue as to whether you’ve overdone the dosage: if you experience runny stool, simply back off! Start with recommended dosage.

2.     Fish Oil: Omega 3 fatty acids are crucial for reducing inflammation, maintaining cell membrane integrity, lowering lipids circulating in the bloodstream, helping prevent cancer cell growth, and SO much more. If we cook with vegetable oils like canola (see past articles for why NEVER to do this!), we are likely out of balance in terms of our omega 6 to omega 3 ratio. Unless we eat cold water, wild caught fish 3-4 times/week, a good quality fish oil is a great idea. I recommend Green Pastures brand, which can be purchased online at greenpastures.org, particularly their non-gelatin fermented cod liver oil capsules.

3.     Multi-Vitamin: While a good multi-vitamin shouldn’t be used as a crutch (aka, don’t assume your multi will make up for poor quality foods), a high quality multi won’t hurt to attempt at filling some gaps. Opt for a food based supplement, as this will be more effectively assimilated by the body.

4.     Probiotics: Most of us have some sort of impaired digestion, and probiotics won’t hurt. If we have any history of antibiotic use, NSAID (advil, ibprofin, Tylenol, etc) use, candida, food sensitivities, a history of a SAD (standard american diet) high in processed and refined foods, digestive symptoms such as bloating, gas, or even fatigue, insomnia, headaches (the list could go on and on), this could be a sign of insufficient good gut bacteria. Taking a probiotic and/or eating naturally fermented foods like raw sauerkraut on a regular basis can have numerous benefits. I like the brand Dr. Ohirras probiotics. Working with a health care professional can get you access to a professional grade probiotic.

5.    READ THE LABELS! As we’ve discussed before being a detective when deciphering food labels, the same goes for supplements. Opt for the list with the least amount of added ingredients, and if you don’t know what something is, look it up! Working with a professional can help you determine which supplements may be right for you, and in what dosage. Self-diagnosis can be a slippery slope!

As always, contact me with further questions, and here’s to a happy and healthy fall season!

Resources: maryvancenc.com, whfoods.com

Nutrition Consulting at Syntropy Wellness Center!

Hello everyone!

I know that I've been a bit MIA on the blogging front over these last couple of months, but some exciting changes have been happening career-wise that have been requiring much attention. The good news is, I'm back!

I wanted to share with you an exciting new venture I'm embarking on at a beautiful wellness center called Syntropy. Here, I will be working with clients one on one for nutrition and will have the pleasure of working alongside a handful of very talented wellness professionals ranging from chiropractic care, massage, rolfing, physical therapy, and more. This type of center is, in my mind, really the ideal vision of wellness. It is the chance for you to work not only with one practitioner, but multiple individuals with a unique specialty and insight into what your body, mind, and soul need to support current conditions or prevent future ones.

I will be running various upcoming workshops so stay tuned, along with various deals on nutrition consulting packages. Please visit the Syntropy Nutrition Consultations page for more information on current special offers. Also, see below for my bio!

Thank you everyone for your support, and please spread the word!!

RACHEL FISKE | NUTRITION | PERSONAL TRAINING

Rachel is a Certified Holistic Nutrition Consultant educated at Bauman College of Holistic Nutrition. She has a passion for holistic health and illness prevention, which she accomplishes through a whole foods diet and active lifestyle training.

She works with clients one-on-one to find underlying causes for conditions like:

• digestive issues + weight loss
• food allergies + sensitivities
• blood sugar regulation + stress
• detox
• fatigue + insomnia
• hormonal imbalances
• depression
• auto-immune disorders

Rachel is also a Certified Personal Trainer and has deep knowledge and experience in combining exercise and fitness with her nutritional consults.  Find out what others have said about Rachel’s services.

Rachel works closely with clients and their care team to create programs that fit an individual’s unique needs.