WELLNESS WEDNESDAYS: Children and Childhood Obesity

“Children who have obesity are at greater risk for diseases such as type 2 diabetes and heart disease, which have a significant impact on health and healthcare costs.  Obesity can also increase the risk for severe symptoms of COVID-19, even among children.  Additionally, decades of data show that children of color and those growing up furthest from economic opportunity are at greatest risk for obesity.”

                                                       --Robert Wood Johnson Foundation

Please consider these realities:

• Adult obesity rates continue to increase.  Four in 10 adults in the US are obese.
• Youth age 2-19 obesity rates continue to increase.  One in 5 children and adolescents in the US have obesity.

According to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, parents can do 5 things at home to prevent childhood obesity:

1.   Eat rainbows

2.   Move more

3.   Slow down on sugar

4.   Limit screen time

5.   Sleep well

We can ALL benefit from using these suggestions to live healthier lives every day.  Growing Healthy Kids is focused on creating solutions to reverse and prevent childhood obesity and building partnerships with others committed to ensure that all children have access to healthy foods. 

There is an urgency to end this childhood obesity crisis and protect children’s health and lives.  For example, children diagnosed with type 2 diabetes can expect to have a shorter life by 15-17 years.    

Together, we can do great things to improve the health – and lives – of America’s children.

With love and kindness,

Nancy Heinrich, MPH

Founder and Wellness Architect

Photo above: Kids at a Growing Healthy Kids workshop getting ready to visit the Vero Beach Farmers Market

WELLNESS WEDNESDAYS: What You Eat Matters

“If slaughterhouses had glass walls, everyone would be vegetarians.”

                                                                        --Paul McCartney

What you eat either feeds disease or heals. Your choice. 

By eating a variety of plants (mainly vegetables, fruits, legumes, and whole grains), you are healing yourself, especially when you choose organically grown foods. 

Plant-based eating is a delightful way to support local farmers, learn to create new dishes for family and friends to enjoy, and eat food because it makes you feel great and doesn’t leave knots in your stomach, as often happens from consuming meat, due to delayed digestive times. 

Take a week and think about small changes you can make to what you eat every day to shift to plant-based eating.  At the end of a week, stop eating all animal products for a month.  Avoid processed foods, especially those with ingredients you can't pronounce.  Record the changes in how you feel, sleep, think.  Give it a shot and be amazed.  Heal to be healthy.  

What you eat matters. For your health and the health of your children. For our minds, bodies, and spirit.  For the health of our planet. 

With love and kindness,

Nancy Heinrich, MPH

Founder and Wellness Architect

Photo above:  Kevin O'Dare sharing fresh herbs with a youth at a Growing Healthy Kids' workshop.  

WELLNESS WEDNESDAYS: Love Your Farmers

 "When you follow a vegan diet, there is much less need for surgeons to clean out your arteries or intestinal tract."

                   --Neal Barnard, MD, Founder of Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine

Planning meals begins with the local farmers.  What are they growing and harvesting each month?  Recently, to my Indiana winter delight, I have been able to buy green onions, garlic, cabbage, and salad greens from several farmers at the New Albany Farmers Market. 

Fresh green onions, also known as spring onions, add delightful crunch and flavor to my lunchtime salads and are always a favorite ingredient for my Mexican meals featuring slow cooked black beans and brown jasmine rice. Garlic (pictured above) is a must-have ingredient in every kitchen, especially the Growing Healthy Kids Test Kitchen.  You can always tell the difference between fresh and old garlic when you slice garlic cloves.  Cabbage, a superstar cruciferous vegetable with strong anti-cancer properties, is an unsung hero in the kitchen-it is so delicious when gently steamed and served with brown rice, black beans, and egg rolls (my new winter comfort food meal). Salad greens are a staple for me, as having a salad at least 5 days a week is one of my goals that makes meal planning so easy. 

Support your local farmers.  If you see a fruit or vegetable you haven’t tried yet, ask farmers how the farmers use them.  Teach your children to be curious.  Eat from the main food groups - fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and legumes (beans and lentils) – every day. Eat nuts and seeds in moderation.  Limit/eliminate foods from animals.  This way of eating is so good and good for you, your kids, and our planet!

With love and kindness,

Nancy Heinrich, MPH

Founder and Wellness Architect

WELLNESS WEDNESDAYS: Cruciferous Delights

"Nobody cares if you can't dance well.  Just get up and dance."

                   --Martha Graham

Eating with the seasons has always been my way.  Since growing up in Sacramento, California where I got spoiled being able to enjoy fresh fruits and vegetables year round, I now appreciate eating with the seasons. I don’t need access to every fruit and vegetable every month of the year, unlike many Americans who don’t think about the energy it takes to transport foods from one side of the country to the other or from South America to the U.S. 

At the New Albany (Indiana) Farmers Market, it has been great to find small farmers “growing under cover” in the winter, raising cruciferous vegetables such as green and purple cabbage, Napa and savoy cabbage, bok choy.  This Brassica genus family of veggies, including broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower, and kale, is known for strong anti-cancer properties. 

The Growing Healthy Kids Test Kitchen has been filled with the wonderful flavors of curries and soups featuring cruciferous veggies grown by some of my favorite Indiana and Kentucky farmers.  Simply steaming half a small head of sliced green cabbage to enjoy with parsley potatoes and vegan sausages is one of my favorite winter comfort meals.  Shredded purple cabbage will be on top of tonight's tempeh tacos!  Enjoy your own cruciferous delights! 

With love and kindness,

Nancy Heinrich, MPH

Founder and Wellness Architect

WELLNESS WEDNESDAYS: Food Insecurity

Food Security definition:  the state of having reliable access to a sufficient quantity of affordable, nutritious food.

 

A recent solicitation arrived in the mail from Dare to Care, a food bank in Louisville, Kentucky. This organization has a huge warehouse on the south side of Louisville where fresh and perishable foods along with canned goods with long shelf lives are loaded into trucks for distribution to church pantries, school backpack blessings programs, and emergency centers helping local residents meet their basic needs for food.

Children shouldn’t go hungry.  But many do. 

Food insecurity is real for millions of Americans. If you work full-time earning the federal minimum wage ($7.25/hour), you live below the federal poverty level.  In 2021, the federal poverty level for a family of four (excluding Hawaii and Alaska) is $26,500.  One wage earner in a family of four making minimum wage working 40 hours a week earns $15,080/year.

Children shouldn’t go hungry.  But many do. 

Relying on food banks will not lead Americans to long-term food security, but it is at least a short-term bandaid on our nation’s economic crisis of expecting people to meet their basic needs on less than a living wage.  Until the nation’s leaders raise the federal minimum wage for workers to a living wage, children will go hungry and families will be desperate to receive what they can get at food banks like Dare to Care. 

Children shouldn’t go hungry.  But many do. Be part of the solution.  Support your local food banks or church food pantry with a gift of money and/or your volunteer time.   

With love and kindness,

Nancy Heinrich, MPH

Founder and Wellness Architect

WELLNESS WEDNESDAYS: What I am Thankful For

 

"I don't have to chase extraordinary moments to find happiness - it's right in front of me if I'm paying attention and practicing gratitude."

                                                                          --Brene Brown

In November the days grow shorter. I am packing more activities into the daylight hours. As I spend more time indoors, I use the silence to reflect. 

Since March 2020, when the U.S. went into COVID-19 lockdown, our lives have changed dramatically.  The concept of staying healthy took on a new meaning, as those with diabetes and obesity being found to be at high risk for infection with COVID, being hospitalized, and dying. Every week, people talk in hushed tones about someone they know at work or at church who got infected or who has died. 

At the beginning of 2021, vaccines to protect against COVID became available, offering hope and light. When the state asked for employees to step forward and help work in county health department vaccine clinics, I stepped forward.  I worked with an incredible team of registered nurses in Corydon, Indiana to help them get vaccines into arms. I saw bravery in our health professionals, often working double shifts, to get every dose of vaccine administered and documented, not wanting to waste even one single dose.  I remembering calling people at the end of long work days those first few weeks in January, telling them we had an extra dose and that we would wait for them and could they come right over to the health department.  The people I called on the health department's fill-in list dropped what they were doing to drive over for a chance to be one of the first in the state to be vaccinated, giving themselves protection from the fear of infection, disease, and death. We worked in unity to help our neighbors stay safe and healthy.

As families gather safely to give thanks, I give thanks for my family and all they do to support our mother’s desire to age in place.  I give thanks for the world’s health care heroes. I give thanks for farmers, especially the pumpkin farmers in Indiana (see picture above). I am thankful for parents who have navigated deep waters to protect their children through the pandemic. I am thankful for every breath I take.  I am thankful for the gift of life every day. What are you thankful for?

With love and kindness,

Nancy Heinrich, MPH

Founder and Wellness Architect

WELLNESS WEDNESDAYS: Kick Ass Chili

"Any man that eats chili and cornbread can't be all bad."  

                                                                        --Carroll Shelby

A couple of years ago, a good friend talked me into entering a local chili contest so there would be a meat-free version for people to sample.  I created this excellent recipe for that contest but dreaded having to work in a park using only a propane tank for cooking and heating.   When the chili contest was cancelled due to inclement weather, I did not have to deal with the propane tank.  Oh, happy day!

I love making this chili in the fall when friends come for dinner.  If you put together the ingredients in the morning, you can put it in a crock pot on low and let it simmer the rest of the day while you play.  If you have a local farmer who grows bell peppers, you can use green peppers or use a combination of green and purple, yellow, and red. Make a pan of cornbread, chop up green onions and avocado, slice up a lime to squeeze on top of the chili, and enjoy!

Growing Healthy Kids: Kick Ass Chili 

(for People who don’t eat meat and other kind souls)

This is an amazing chili recipe.  Freezing the tofu adds great texture.  Letting the tofu soak up the marinade overnight adds great flavor.  Trust me on the peanut butter. 

STEP ONE:

Place a container of extra firm organic tofu in the freezer.  The day before you want to make chili, take package out of freezer and defrost in fridge overnight.

The next day, open tofu package, drain liquid, and squeeze all excess liquid from the block of tofu. 

Mix together in large mixing bowl:

·        3 Tablespoons tomato paste

·        3 Tablespoons soy sauce

·        3 Tablespoons smooth peanut butter

·        ½ cup vegetable broth

Crumble tofu into 1/2” pieces and mix thoroughly with tomato paste mixture. Cover with plastic wrap and place in fridge to marinate tofu till ready to make chili (at least 4 hours, overnight is even better). 

MEANWHILE…STEP TWO:

Heat large soup pot to medium heat. 

Add:

·        3 Tablespoons olive oil

·        1 medium red onion, diced

·        1 large or 2 medium green peppers, diced

·        2 cloves garlic, minced

Cook for 4-5 minutes, stirring frequently.

Add:

·        1 28-ounce can diced tomatoes

·        1 can kidney beans, drained and rinsed

·        1 can pinto beans, drained and rinsed

·        ½ small can chipotle peppers in adobo sauce, finely diced plus 2 Tablespoons adobo sauce (TIP:  remove seeds for less heat)

·        2-4 cups vegetable broth

·        Tofu mixture

·        1 Tablespoon chili powder

·        1 teaspoon cumin

·        1 teaspoon oregano

Bring chili to a boil, then reduce heat to simmer, cover, and cook for at least 1 hour before serving. 

Serve with fresh lime wedges, diced avocado, sliced green onions, and your favorite cornbread. 

With love and kindness,

Nancy Heinrich, MPH

Founder and Wellness Architect

WELLNESS WEDNESDAYS: Fall Colors

Trees 

by Joyce Kilmer

   I think I shall never see

a poem lovely as a tree.

A tree whose hungry mouth is prest

Against the earth's sweet flowing breast;

A tree that looks at God all day,

And lifts her leafy arms to pray;

A tree that may in Summer wear

A nest of robins in her hair;

Upon whose bosom snow has lain,

Who intimately lives with rain.

Poems are made by fools like me,

But only God can make a tree.

Fall is a spectacular season.  I am grateful for the opportunity to experience it as I care for my mother in her Indiana home.  As trees make the transition between summer and winter, I am in awe of God’s beauty.  The colors change from pale to brilliant. Greens change to yellow, orange, red, and brown. Every day is a new color palette.  

These fall colors remind me of the mantra in our Growing Healthy Kids workshops for children and parents:  Eat rainbows. Eat foods of many colors, for they contain different vitamins and minerals that complement each other.

Some of the colorful and locally grown foods I have used in the past week’s meals include: napa cabbage, bok choy, spaghetti squash, butternut squash, zucchini, red and yellow Italian peppers, spinach, garlic, heirloom tomatoes, onions, yellow beets, and beet greens. 

What colors are on your plate?

With love and kindness,

Nancy Heinrich, MPH

Founder and Wellness Architect

Photo locations:  Culbertson Mansion on Main Street and Baptist Floyd Hospital on State Street, New Albany, Indiana

WELLNESS WEDNESDAYS: November is American Diabetes Month

"Three things cannot be long hidden: the sun, the moon, and the truth."

                                                                                             --Buddha

Eric Adams did it.  He reversed his diabetes (his A1c was 17% when he was diagnosed) by eating plants and getting rid of all foods from animals. Eric Adams, newly elected mayor of New York City, is becoming a leader for health literacy.  He has learned from medical doctors providing leadership on whole food plant based eating to reverse heart disease and type 2 diabetes such as Caldwell B. Esselstyn, Jr., Michael Greger, Dean Ornish and Neal Barnard, founder of Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine. 

November is American Diabetes Month, sponsored by the American Diabetes Association.  What a great time to begin the conversation about how plant-powered eating can reverse diabetes.  It turns out that saturated fat, found in foods from animals, does terrible things to the body.  This fat that is solid at room temperature gunks up the body, preventing insulin from working properly. When you remove the saturated fat and highly processed foods and make whole foods from plants your primary foods, your body can thrive.

This month, learn how eating plant-based whole foods can reverse your diabetes.  That’s what Eric Adams did.  Now he is on a mission to share what he has learned with others struggling under the weight of a diabetes diagnosis and its complications.  Improve your health literacy and be inspired from Eric's personal journey in his book, Healthy at Last.   

With love and kindness,

Nancy Heinrich, MPH

Founder and Wellness Architect

WELLNESS WEDNESDAYS: Striving for Variety

“It’s been said that no one can really motivate anyone else; all you can do is instill a positive attitude and hope it catches on.”

                                                               --Eddie Robinson

My Saturday mornings are defined by visits to the local farmers market.  When I am in Indiana, most Saturdays it is the New Albany Farmers Market where I trade 5 or 10 or sometimes 20 dollars for fresh picked vegetables and herbs at my favorite farmers. These Saturday morning choices will guide my dinner menus for the next week.  Last Saturday I got a head of Napa cabbage (from Axel of Lost Acres Farm, the same farmer who grew the bok choy I just featured in curry dishes), fresh garlic, poblano peppers (for adding to mushroom and black bean quesadillas), new potatoes (for using with poblano peppers in breakfast tacos), and Heirloom tomatoes (sadly, getting to the end of the tomato season) and spring onions (will use in the breakfast tacos). 

To get a good range of vitamins and minerals, it is very important to eat a variety of vegetables and fruits.  Not just potatoes and apples.  Not just green beans and blueberries.  We need to strive for a weekly variety of 15, 20 or more different fresh foods (from local farmers whenever possible).  Eat a cornucopia of different foods and your body will thank you.  The synergistic effect of eating a variety will help heal you and keep you healthy.

This week's goal is to make or create a new recipe with Axel’s beautiful head of Napa cabbage.  I also plan to track what vegetables and fruits I eat (I like to do this occasionally to self-monitor my weekly variety) to see what this week’s number is.  

With love and kindness,

Nancy Heinrich, MPH

Founder and Wellness Architect

Photo above:  kohlrabi

WELLNESS WEDNESDAYS: My Farmacy Favorites

 “Let food be thy medicine.”

                                                                         --Hippocrates

Photo: Freshly dug sweet potatoes from Shining Light Garden

Some people rely on a pharmacy for their medicine to make them well.  I prefer going to the farmacy, at my local farmers market or out my back door.  Eating foods that were grown within 50 miles and were just picked have very high nutritional value.

People who know me know that early Saturday mornings are sacred time when I am at the local farmers market, shopping for the superstars of my week's meals.  It is important to eat and drink a wide variety of fruits and vegetables and not consume the same 3 or 4 items.  Here is a list of some locally grown foods I have been using in the Growing Healthy Kids Test Kitchen this week:

• Bok choy
• Baby butternut squash
• Poblano peppers
• Garlic
• Zucchini
• Heirloom tomatoes

We have been eating very well with these wonderful vegetables. Adding organic brown rice, farro, and lentils (for a lentil-vegetable soup), this week’s selection of meals have been tasty, inexpensive, healthy, and full of vitamins, minerals, and dietary fiber. 

Every child deserves access to healthy foods, including fresh vegetables and fruits.  Wouldn't it be great if every child had their own food farmacy? Start small, with a pot of herbs, such as basil or thyme, on the kitchen window sill.  Start sprouting seeds in mason jars.  In the spring plant 3 tomato plants and some radishes.  Get a Tower Garden.  Take your kids with you to the farmers market near you.

Plant seeds.  Start your own farmacy.  After all, we are Growing Healthy Kids. 

With love and kindness,

Nancy Heinrich, MPH

Founder and Wellness Architect

WELLNESS WEDNESDAYS: Seeds and Burgers

"The diet, to be healthy, has to be mostly fruits, vegetables, beans, nuts and seeds."

                                                                          --Dr. Joel Fuhrman

There has always been a bit of a “living on the wild side” feeling when I create recipes using my favorite seeds:  pumpkin, sunflower, sesame, hemp, and flax.  Weird, I know.  Adding seeds to your favorite recipes can really kick things up a notch.  They add a fun crunch and nuttiness to foods.  When you realize the power of real food to keep us healthy, you respect every bite you eat.  The journey from the farmers who grew the food to my plate deserves to be respected, revered, and protected.

Joyful is how I always feel biting into zucchini bread made with ground flax and pumpkin seeds.  Weird, I know. Butternut squash soup topped with toasted pumpkin seeks always makes me smile.  The nutritional value of seeds is valuable to our well-being: 

• seeds contain omega-3 fatty acids, lignans, phytosterols, potassium, magnesium, dietary fiber

At least once a month, I make veggie burgers in the Growing Healthy Kids Test Kitchen. Below is one of my favorite recipes: 3 Seed Burgers.  You can make the burger mixture, then cover and place mixing bowl in the fridge for a few hours or overnight before cooking.

GROWING HEALTHY KIDS:  Our Recipe Collection

 3 SEED BURGERS

Ingredients:

·        ½ cup raw pumpkin seeds

·        ¼ cup raw sunflower seeds

·        ¼ cup unhulled sesame seeds (or substitute hemp seeds)

·        1 cup cooked lentils

·        2 tablespoons rolled oats

·        3 tablespoons tomato paste

·        ¼ cup diced onions

·        2 tablespoons tahini

·        1 tablespoon chopped Italian parsley

·        Pinch of cayenne pepper or smoked paprika

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350.  In food processor, combine all 3 seeds and process until coarsely chopped.  Add remaining ingredients.  Process until mixture is blended.  Shape mixture into 4 patties. Lightly oil a baking sheet with a little olive oil.  Place patties on sheet and bake for 10 minutes. Turn and bake another 8 minutes. 

Serve burgers on whole grain buns.  Garnish with avocado, lettuce, and tomatoes. 

Eat.  Enjoy.  Repeat.

With love and kindness,

Nancy Heinrich, MPH

Founder and Wellness Architect

WELLNESS WEDNESDAYS: Why I Love Ground Flax Seeds

 "I could talk food all day. I love good food."

                                                                   --Tom Brady

The best chefs in the world will tell you the same thing:  Use the best ingredients you can afford to buy.  One of the best ingredients for good health also happens to be very inexpensive:  ground flax seeds. Even when you buy organic seeds, these gems are a true value for all the good health benefits they contain.  

I have long known about the health benefits of flax seeds.  A bag can always be found in my fridge. The issue was I was only eating them once in a while.  When I read How Not to Die by Dr. Michael Greger a few years ago, I re-embraced these beauties for their many health benefits and focused on including them daily in what I eat.  

Not only are flax seeds high in dietary fiber and omega-3 fatty acids, they help lower blood pressure and LDL cholesterol.  They help ensure regular bowel movements.  ONLY use ground or milled flax seeds, preferably organic, as whole seeds exit the body in the same state as they entered-whole and undigested.  One to two tablespoons a day, added to shakes, salads, cereal, and muffins, can be a game changer to help improve your health status. Their nutty taste adds flavor, too. Try them for 2 weeks and feel the difference! 

With love and kindness,

Nancy Heinrich, MPH

Founder and Wellness Architect

WELLNESS WEDNESDAYS: Kale & White Bean Soup

"I feel that good food should be a right, not a privilege, and it needs to be without pesticides and herbicides.  And everybody deserves this food.  And that's not elitist."

                                                                                             --Alice Waters

 

I recently checked out The Great Vegan Bean Book by Kathy Hester from the library. The author said Rancho Gordo (ranchogordo.com) her favorite online bean source. A couple of years ago, a good friend of mine gifted me a bag of beans from Rancho Gordo and I have been smitten, just like Kathy, ever since.  This summer, when stopping for artisanal bread from Blue Dog Bakery and Café in Louisville, Kentucky, I noticed they now stock bags of Rancho Gordo beans for all their customers lined up outside the bakery.  The health benefits of beans are HUGE. Eating beans daily is one of the key healthy habits noted by Dan Buettner in The Blue Zones, about regions of the world where people live the longest.

When doing research for another "Wellness Wednesdays" article, I reviewed my favorite recipe files and made a list of my favorite soup recipes.  One recipe stood out as a comfort food for this time of the year – kale and white bean soup.  Savory and hearty, my wish is that you and your family will enjoy this favorite fall recipe as much as me and mine. 

GROWING HEALTHY KIDS:  Our Recipe Collection

KALE AND WHITE BEAN SOUP

Ingredients:

• 6 cups vegetable broth
• 1 large Vidalia onion, chopped
• 3-4 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 medium sweet potato, diced into 1/2 –inch cubes
• 4 cups chopped fresh kale
• ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes
• 2 bay leaves
• 1-1/2 cups cooked cannellini beans, drained and rinsed (or 1 15.5 ounce
• BPA-free can)
• 1 teaspoon white miso paste
• 2 Tablespoons nutritional yeast
• 2 Tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
• 1 teaspoon fresh marjoram or oregano (or ½ teaspoon dried)

Directions:

Heat 1 cup of the broth in a large pot over medium heat. Add the onion and garlic and simmer for 5 minutes. Stir in sweet potato, kale, red pepper flakes, bay leaves and the remaining 5 cups of broth and bring to a boil over high heat.  Lower heat to medium, add bean and cook until vegetables are tender, 20-30 minutes.  Ladle about 1/3 cup of the broth into a small bowl.  Add miso and stir to blend.  Pour the miso mixture into the soup and stir in nutritional yeast, parsley, and marjoram.  Serve hot. 

With love and kindness,

Nancy Heinrich, MPH

Founder and Wellness Architect

WELLNESS WEDNESDAYS: Favorite Fall Soups

"Good manners: The noise you don't make when you're eating soup."

                                                                                                          --Bennett Cerf

With fall here, favorite soup recipes start living in my head.  Some feature one super star ingredient like lentils, others fall in the comfort food category like tomato soup, a few are just great combinations of rainbow vegetables like minestrone soup.  The fun thing about making soups is that you can always change up the recipe a little bit or a lot, depending on the ingredients on hand.  Last night, for example, I decided to make red lentil soup but I had just run out of tomato paste.  I did have some local heirloom tomatoes on the counter, so I switched up ingredients in the recipe and the soup was great!

My recommendation to parents?  Make different soups on the quest to find your family’s favorites. Then keep those soups in regular menu rotation and the ingredients on hand in your pantry and fridge.  Your kids will stay busy helping you prep veggies and getting all the ingredients on the counter (“mise en place”).   

Trips to the local farmers market often make the decision about what soup to make an easy one.  When local tomatoes are in season, you can bet we will be making classic tomato soup.  When summer kale is being harvested, kale and white bean soup is on the stove.  When butternut squash are at the markets, I make sure I have fresh curry powder and cans of full-fat coconut milk on hand.

Have fun making your favorite soups with your family!  When you make lentil soup, I’ll be over for dinner!

With love and kindness,

Nancy Heinrich, MPH

Founder and Wellness Architect

WELLNESS WEDNESDAYS: Fall Squash

 "Food is our common ground, a universal experience."

                                ---James Beard

Visiting farmers markets this time of year is pure fun. Fall squash in beautiful shades of orange, yellow, and green - such as butternut, acorn, pumpkin kabocha, and delicata - mimic the color of fall leaves as trees say good goodbye to summer and prepare for winter.

Butternut squash is one of my favorites.  With its deep orange color and high fiber content, the versatility of butternut squash is overshadowed by its powerhouse of nutritional value.  Roast it with root vegetables.  Cube it for sauteeing. Cook it with onions, curry, and coconut milk for comfort soup to serve for friends. According to the US Department of Agriculture, 1 cup cubed has 493 mg of potassium, 2.8 grams of dietary fiber and only 63 calories.  High in beta-carotene, it is good for your skin and your digestive tract.

When you visit your local farmers markets this fall, look for a new “baby” variety of butternut squash.  I tried it for the first time this month and it is delicious!  You can have your own personal butternut squash! I served it with wild rice, sautéed beet greens, and crabless cakes – simply divine!  

With love and kindness,

Nancy Heinrich, MPH

Founder and Wellness Architect