Strawberry Crisp With Nutty Hemp Seed Topping

Fresh strawberries in a delicious vegan and gluten-free crisp.

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Strawberries are in Season
My little strawberry patch is producing in full force and although my favorite way of enjoying them is to just pop them in my mouth, I love making this healthy strawberry crisp. 

Strawberries from my garden.

To add additional fiber and structure, I combine the strawberries with a few delicious pears and to get a good dose of omega-3, I add raw, shelled hemp seeds. 

I like the taste of organic coconut sugar in this recipe but you can also use regular organic cane sugar. 

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Strawberry Crisp
Vegan, Gluten Free (see Note)
[makes 6 servings]

Requirements
8-inch Square Baking Pan

Ingredients
For the topping: 
3 tablespoons Earth Balance or other vegan "butter", plus more for greasing pan 
1/2 cup rolled oats
1/4 cup oat flour
1/4 cup raw hemp seeds
2 tablespoons organic coconut or cane sugar
2 (1-gram) packets stevia powder (optional)
1 teaspoon cinnamon 

For the filling: 
2 pints fresh strawberries, cut in half and sliced (~4 cups)
2 pears, peeled, cored, and thinly sliced
1 tablespoon organic coconut or cane sugar
1 teaspoon cornstarch 

Directions
Preheat the oven to 375°F. Grease an 8-inch square baking pan. 

Make the topping: In a small bowl, combine the oats, flour, hemp seeds, sugar, stevia, and cinnamon and mix well. Add 3 tablespoons of "butter" and mix together with your fingers or with a fork until crumbly. 

Make the filling: In a large bowl, toss the strawberries and pears with the sugar and cornstarch. Pour the fruit mixture in the prepared baking pan.

Cover the fruit evenly with the topping. 

Place in the oven and bake until the fruit is bubbly and the topping is golden brown, about 30 minutes. Remove from the oven, let cool for 10 minutes, and serve. 

Per serving: 231 calories, 10 g total fat, 2 g saturated fat, 753 mg omega-3 and 2,091 mg omega-6 fatty acids*, 0 mg cholesterol, 5 g protein, 33 g carbohydrates, 5 g dietary fiber, and 53 mg sodium. 

* Nutritional information for omega-3 or omega-6 fatty acids excludes any contribution from the Earth Balance, since that information was not available from the 

manufacturer. 

Note

Although gluten is not naturally present in oats, oats occasionally get cross-contaminated during storage and processing. If you are on a gluten-free diet, use certified gluten-free oat flour. 

Green Chia Seed BlastRaw Vegan Smoothie Packed With Healthy Fats

This rich and delicious smoothie blends
green veggies and fruits with healthy fats.

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Green Smoothie
This is one of the tastiest green smoothies I've ever made. It was inspired by the Green Machine that I had at VegeNation in Las Vegas last month. I started with their main ingredients of kale, parsley, cucumber, avocado and grapes, and added some healthy fats to provide omega-3 and omega-6, monosaturated fats, as well as medium chain triglycerides.

Do Not Fear Fat!
Fats are critical to your diet. For one, they help you absorb fat-soluble vitamins. A recent study showed that "the presence of fat in a meal with which a vitamin D-3 supplement is taken significantly enhances absorption of the supplement." That study showed an average increase of 32% absorption. Other fat-soluble vitamins, such as A, K and E, also benefit from the presence of fat in the diet.

Fat also improves carotenoid absorption and improves the conversion of beta-carotene into vitamin A. 

I added chia seeds, avocado, and coconut butter to this recipe. Chia seeds are a wonderful source of omega-3 essential fatty acids. Avocado contains healthy monosaturated fats, such as oleic acid. Coconut butter contains medium-chain triglycerides that are readily used as energy. Besides their health benefits, these foods provide a nice, thick texture for the smoothie and the coconut butter adds another level of deliciousness.

One serving of Green Chia Seed Blast smoothie provides approximately 1 entire gram of both omega-3 and omega-6 essential fatty acids in a 1:1 ratio.

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Green Chia Seed Blast
Raw Vegan, Dairy Free, Gluten Free
[makes 4 servings]

Requires a high-speed blender, such as a Vitamix or Blendtec.

Freeze the grapes the night before.
Allow 30 minutes to hydrate the chia seeds.

Ingredients
2 tablespoons chia seeds
1 cup room temperature water
1 cup loosely packed parsley
1 cup tightly packed kale, ribs removed
1 tablespoon raw coconut butter
1 cup cold water
1 large avocado, peeled, pit removed
1 large English cucumber, peeled and sliced
3 cups frozen grapes

Directions
Place the chia seeds in 1 cup of room temperature water. Stir vigorously and set aside until the chia seeds are completely hydrated, stirring occasionally - about 30 minutes.

Wait until the chia seeds are completely hydrated.

Place the parsley, kale, coconut butter, hydrated chia seeds, and cold water into the blender. Process until the greens are well chopped.

Add the avocado, cucumber, and frozen grapes to the blender and process until smooth. Serve immediately.

Nutrition
Per serving: 205 calories, 10 g total fat, 3 g saturated fat, 960 mg omega-3 and 996 mg omega-6 fatty acids, 0 mg cholesterol, 4 g protein, 31 g carbohydrates, 7 g dietary fiber, and 24 mg sodium.

Can Adding Fish To A Vegetarian Diet Significantly Lower Risk Of Number Two Cancer Killer?

Study shows adding salmon to a vegetarian diet
significantly lowers risk of colorectal cancer.

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Colorectal Cancer Risk and Diet
Last week there was a lot of attention given to a recent study that showed a dramatic decrease in colorectal cancer risk for people following plant-based diets, especially those that included fish. This is significant because colon cancer is the second leading cause of death in men and women combined in the United States (lung and bronchial cancer is the top killer.) 

The Study
Researchers at Loma Linda University did an analysis on 77,659 people. After 7 years, 490 of the participants in this study had colorectal cancer. Review of the participants' food frequency questionnaires revealed that those who ate a vegetarian diet had a 22% lower risk of colorectal cancer than those who were non-vegetarians and consumed meat at least once a week. 

But the results are far more dramatic when you look at the type of vegetarian diets the participants followed.

* Semi-vegetarians (ate meat less than once a week) were 8% less likely to develop colorectal cancer.
* Vegans (ate no meat, seafood, eggs or dairy) had a 16% reduced risk.
* Lacto-ovo vegetarians (ate eggs and milk products but no meat and seafood) had an 18% reduced risk.
* Pescavegetarians (vegetarians who also ate fish) were 43% less likely to develop the disease!

These are pretty startling numbers. Several things stand out.
* Eating even small amounts of meat (semi-vegetarians) appears to reduce the benefit of a vegetarian diet with respect to lowering the risk of colorectal cancer by 8 to 10 percent.
* Adding fish to a vegetarian diet seams to significantly increase protection against this dreaded disease.

Why is a Vegetarian Diet Protective?
There are countless studies that suggest that eating a diet rich in vegetables, fruits, whole grains, nuts and seeds protects against cancer, heart disease, and other diseases. With these healthful foods comes a natural source of dietary fiber, vitamins, minerals and phytonutrients linked to better health and longevity. I personally think dietary fiber is key. Although some studies have had mixed results trying to link high fiber diets to a lower risk of colon cancer, to me it is common sense that anything that helps potential toxins move through the GI tract more swiftly is going to do this.

The Benefits of Fish 
Certain forms of omega-3 fatty acid and vitamin D, that are plentiful in fish, are often linked to the prevention of cancer and a host of other diseases. Unfortunately, except for a small amount of vitamin D contained in some mushrooms, these nutrients are not found in plants.
Omega-3
Vegans and vegetarians get plenty of omega-3 from chia, hemp and flax seeds as well as other plant sources. But these are short-chain alpha-linolenic, ALA, fatty acids. The long-chain omega-3 fatty acids, EPA (eicosapentaenoic acid) and DHA (docosahexaenoic acid) are found in fish and shellfish. EPA and DHA have more potent benefits than ALA and although the body can derive these beneficial omega-3 fatty acids from ALA, it doesn't do this efficiently or sufficiently. 

Why is omega-3 important? Numerous studies have shown that omega-3, especially from fish, reduces the inflammatory process that leads to many chronic diseases such as cancer, heart disease, autoimmune diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis, asthma and more. It has also been shown to protect against depression, cognitive decline, and attention deficit and hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Adding fish to a vegetarian diet, with its contribution of EPA and DHA omega-3 fatty acid, most certainly contributed to the decreased risk of colorectal cancer in this study. 

Vitamin D
Other studies have shown that vitamin D is effective in colorectal cancer prevention so perhaps the contribution of this nutrient from the fish consumed in this study lead to similar prevention. 

In one such study, PhD researcher Edward Gorham revealed, after examining the data from five observational studies, that by increasing the serum level of vitamin D to 34 ng/ml, the incidence of colorectal cancer could be reduced by half. He reported, "We project a two-thirds reduction in incidence with serum levels of 46 ng/ml, which corresponds to a daily intake of 2,000 IU of vitamin D. This would be best achieved with a combination of diet, supplements and 10 to 15 minutes per day in the sun." 

Spend a little time each day enjoying the sunshine but
 diet sources and supplements are also suggested.

Vitamin D Supplements
The vitamin D council recommends supplementing with vitamin D3 since that is the form produced by the skin in response to sunlight and certain studies claim higher efficacy than other forms. However, D3 is derived from lanolin and is not vegan. Vitamin D2 is the vegan form.

Some Fish Provide Both Omega-3 and Vitamin D
Salmon, trout, herring, anchovies and sardines are good low-mercury sources of EPA and DHA omega-3 fatty acids as well as vitamin D. 

What To Do?
To minimize your risk of colorectal cancer, consider the following:

* Avoid eating meat, especially red or processed meat.

* Eat a plant-centric diet packed with vegetables, fruit, whole grains, nuts, and seeds. It's always best to eat organic and non-GMO when possible.

* Eat low-mercury, high omega-3 fish, such as wild salmon, to get beneficial EPA and DHA omega-3 fatty acids into your diet. Bake or broil but NEVER deep-fry fish. 

If you are a vegan or vegetarian for ethical reasons and will not consider eating fish, then you can get what you need from vegan micro-algae oil. Deva makes a 300mg DHA and EPA supplement. These tend to be pricey and don't contain nearly as much as a piece of fish. It takes 5 of these capsules to get as much omega-3 fatty acid as one 3 ounce piece of salmon. But it's a good and necessary solution if you are opposed to eating fish.

Since omega-3 reduces inflammatory responses that lead to disease, you can take a simple C-Reactive Protein (CRP) test to evaluate the level of inflammation in your body. It's a great indicator for heart disease (much better, in my opinion, than cholesterol), cancer, and many other degenerative disorders. You can also test your level of DHA and EPA by taking a blood test to see if your body is adequately converting ALA to these more potent forms of omega-3.

* Besides eating fish, get vitamin D from sunlight and supplements. I personally take 2,000 IU per day. When I spend more time indoors in the winter, I increase it to 4,000 IU. Vegans can easily get what they need from the sun and supplements as well as fortified foods. Most non-dairy milks are fortified with vitamin D. 

But don't always count on the sun to give you what you need. People with darker skin, or those who wear sun block, who are older, and who live further from the equator are more likely to be deficient. In fact, MOST people are deficient in this critical nutrient! To understand if you are, take a 25-hydroxy vitamin D test. According to the vitamin D council, a sufficient result is between 40 to 80 ng/ml. According to the National Institutes of Health, the normal range is 30 to 74 ng/ml.

Summary
I write this blog because I believe that diet has a powerful effect on our health. This gives us a lot of control over the quality of our life, even if we have less than stellar family genes. Studies such as this should encourage us to refine our diets even further to optimize our health. 

Many of my readers are vegans for reasons of compassion and can take this information and adjust their diets with supplements and sunshine to optimize their health. 

For those of you not opposed to eating fish and who are trying to develop the healthiest diet possible, you may want to consider a well-designed pescavegan or pescavegetarian diet that can provide the fish, fiber and critical nutrients needed for excellent health.


Salmon Recipes
Salmon, one of my Top 20 Foods for Health and Longevity, is very low in mercury and packed with EPA and DHA omega-3 fatty acids. Here are three easy and delicious salmon recipes you might enjoy:
Baked Atlantic Salmon with Roasted Onions and Cherry Tomatoes on Wilted Spinach, or Mango and Black Bean Salsa with Honey Lime Baked Salmon, and Baked Honey Mustard Coho Salmon.

Baked Honey Mustard Coho