Food by the Book: Time to evaluate lifestyle – Enid News & Eagle
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Updated: January 7, 2022 @ 10:32 am
Serving Enid and Northwest Oklahoma | enidnews.com
White bean soup can go vegan or with leftover ham. Regardless, the beans, carrots and kale with added coconut milk make this is rich and hearty soup for a winter’s eve.
White bean soup can go vegan or with leftover ham. Regardless, the beans, carrots and kale with added coconut milk make this is rich and hearty soup for a winter’s eve.
The New Year presents us with opportunities to reflect on our goals and bring about change, personally or within our family and community. We know that many of us lead an unhealthy lifestyle that can result in premature aging and overall health problems. Sometimes circumstances are beyond our control. We have to work hard to make a living and put in 12- to 16-hour days. Junk food is more readily available to grab and go than truly nutritious foods. Sugar comforts us in the moment, but can be a killer in the long run. Any of these combined with high levels of stress are detrimental.
Some things, however, are within our control as outlined by Dan Buettner in his work with National Geographic about the Blue Zones, places in the world where longevity is the highest. His most recent book out this month, “The Blue Zones Challenge” (National Geographic, 2021) is a four-week plan to incorporate the nine practices he has studied extensively that lead to a longer, healthier life that is also happier.
While diet plays a part in our health, Buettner also found that social factors contribute to our wellbeing. The Blue Zones studied were found in Sardinia, Greece, Japan, Costa Rica, and even here in the U.S. in Loma Linda, California. In these areas, not only did people eat a more plant-based diet, they also gardened, had a purpose for living, belonged to some type of faith-based community, and put their families first.
Reframing how we eat is also undoubtedly a huge part of the Power Nine practices. One factor he found was that most centenarians followed the 80 percent rule, which is eat until you are only 80 percent full. Also noted was what is now called intermittent fasting, or not eating anything after the final meal of the day taken in the early evening. Buettner also found that a Mediterranean-type diet was most effective for a longer life.
This isn’t really a diet, but a chance to evaluate our lifestyle. It doesn’t have to be difficult, we just have to try to overcome the bad habits so many of us were raised with that come from a diet of survival, staving off starvation both physical and emotional. Buettner has given us multiple resources at our fingertips both in print and online. Check out the myriad of recipes available on his website or in the recent cookbook, “The Blue Zones Kitchen” (National Geographic, 2019). Below is a good way to extend the leftover beans with Christmas ham or go vegan with no meat.
White Bean Soup
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 small white, yellow, or sweet onion, diced
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 medium carrots, peeled and diced
2 stalks celery, diced
1 teaspoon sea salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1 teaspoon dried thyme
2 medium potatoes, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
2 (15-oz.) cans Great Northern beans, drained and rinsed or 3 cups leftover homemade beans
Approximately 3 cups water to cover ingredients, add more as needed
2-3 cups finely chopped kale or spinach
1 regular can coconut milk to taste
1-2 tablespoons lemon juice, if desired
In a large pot or Dutch oven, heat the oil over medium-low heat. Add the onion and cook until translucent, about 2 minutes. Add the garlic, carrots, celery, salt, and pepper and cook until softened and fragrant, stirring occasionally — about 4-5 minutes. Add the thyme and stir for one minute. Then add the potatoes, beans, and water and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to low, cover, and simmer for 20 minutes or until the potatoes are fork-tender and the flavors have mingled. Stir in the kale, if using, then cover and simmer for 5 minutes more. Finally, add the coconut milk slowly to taste and heat through, about 2 minutes more. Taste and adjust for flavor. Top with lemon juice as desired. You can also parboil the potatoes and kale to shorten cooking time. Adapted from https://minimalistbaker.com/1-pot-vegan-white-bean-soup.
Funeral Service for Elam is 2:00 p.m. Sunday, January 9, 2022, at Nash Christian Church, with interment to follow in New Home Cemetery, Nash, OK. Memorials to Nash Christian Church. Arrangements by Wilson Funeral Home, Pond Creek, OK.
The celebration of life for Charles Wayne Craig is today at 2:00 p.m. in the Henninger-Hinson Chapel. Deacon Tony Crispo will be officiating.
Funeral service for Delmar Wedel, 80, will be Tuesday, January 11, 2022, at 10:00 a.m. in Anderson-Burris Chapel. Burial follows in Black Bear Cemetery. Visitation with family is 6:00 to 7:00 p.m Monday at funeral home. www.andersonburris.com.
Service for Randall L “Randy” Campbell, 97, Lamont will be Monday, January 10, 2022, at 10:00 a.m. at the Lamont United Methodist Church. Burial will follow in the Lamont Cemetery under the direction of Ladusau-Evans Funeral Home.
Larry Kyle Sanborn, 78, was born on October 13, 1943, in Coffeyville, Kansas, and passed away on December 30, 2021, in Enid. Services will be held at a later date in Cedar Vale, Kansas. Remembrances shared @www.stittsworthfuneralservices.com
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