"I've got a gut feeling about this..."

Yeah, you do, and with good reason.  There is such an extensive nervous system lining the digestive tract (the enteric nervous system) that some researchers have taken to calling it a second brain.  The longest nerve in the body, the vagus nerve, runs from the base of the skull all the way down to the abdomen and encompasses several organs along the way, including the heart and lungs. Interestingly, 90% of messages carried between the brain and digestive system along the vagus nerve only travel one way.  You would be inclined to think top to bottom?  Other way round.  The folks who discovered this were fairly shocked too!

Why do I bring this up?  I just read a really interesting article in an alternative medicine journal that
questions whether our intestinal flora (aka gut bacteria or microbiome) actually manipulate us into eating what THEY want.  Your internal ecosystem is an incredibly diverse population.  Generally you hear of the microbiome divided into "good" bacteria (eg - the lactobacillus organisms) and "bad" bacteria (eg - e.coli).  Now, they all have their place and are all necessary for the continued optimum function of the ecosystem and thus the organism.  Problems arise when a particular type of bacteria find themselves outnumbering the other types.  When the "bad" bacteria are in charge, it appears that they can be capable of sending messages up the vagus nerve to make us crave the foods they feed on, mostly fat and sugar.

When I was in school and during clinical practice, it was often mentioned by my teachers that we would find that the foods people were craving were the very ones that were causing their problems.  I always thought this was so counterproductive to the function of the human body and could never quite understand how this could be so.  Could this be the answer?  Are those naughty bacteria making us eat twinkies?



The human body never ceases to amaze me in its simultaneous simplicity and complexity.

What do you think?

Picky, picky

It's taken me a bit of time to jump in with this first post.  Big surprise?  Not really.  I tend to be a *bit* of a perfectionist and obsess a *bit* about how to make things ideal.  No more.  Here ya go, warts and all (including colloquial spellings!)

I named this post "Picky, picky" because I thought I would write about something I deal with on a daily (ok, hourly) basis - picky eaters.  I know that picky-ness is not relegated to the realm of children, but hey - this is where most of my experience in that department comes from.

Frustrating doesn't even BEGIN to describe some meal times.  You know, when my kids were younger they would eat anything.  When did that change?  When did their taste buds become so refined that broccoli was immediately identified as a poison?

I've read a few articles lately that say pickiness is a natural defense mechanism - kids should be wary of foods as a way of protecting themselves from accidentally ingesting something harmful.  If that's the case, then why are french fries and chicken nuggets universally acceptable?  Stick that in your scientific method!

So here's where I find myself:  as a nutritionist, I know basically what my kids need.  As a mom, I gotta figure out how to get that into them.  What I wanted to share with this post is some of the little tricks I've learned or been handed along the way:

• Milled chia seeds are my BEST FRIENDS!  The whole ones are great as well, but when you're trying to be sneaky the milled ones don't stick in your teeth.  They are an incredibly high source of omega-3 (severely lacking in most diets), calcium, iron, magnesium, selenium and zinc.  I sprinkle them on homemade pizzas, put them in smoothies (only a tablespoon here, they do absorb liquid), add them to pancake, waffle and french toast batter, throw them into potato cakes, the list really is endless.  Oh, and if you're making meat balls, they're a better binder than egg!
• Thanks to my sister Angie for letting me know that a kale leaves no taste in smoothies.  Small amounts don't even change the color if you are using dark fruit like blueberry.  
• Carrot juice mixes well with other juices. 
• Ground almonds (almond flour) make the best cookies and muffins, coconut flour makes the best muffins and cakes.
• Finely grated zucchini (courgette), carrot, broccoli, cauliflower, any veg really can make its way into sauces (especially tomato based) undetected.
• Boil cauliflower with potatoes and mash them all together.  

These are just a few little tips I wanted to share, as it's late here in Ireland but I really didn't want to wait another day to put up this first post.  

Now I want you to share with me - what are your tips for picky eaters?

And as a little bit of lagniappe (I am a southern girl after all) here's my favorite recipe for spelt tortillas.  Incredibly easy to make, versatile (they are the base for my pizza) and they freeze well too - bonus!  I often make a double batch and freeze for another time....

Spelt Tortillas

2 1/2 cups spelt flour

1/2 tsp. pink Himalayan, sea salt or salt substitute

2 tbsp. melted butter

*10 tbsp. water

Mix flour and salt together.  Mix butter and water, then stir into dry ingredients until just mixed. Scoop it up in hands and shape into a ball.  Knead it for 2 or 3 minutes.  Cover with a damp cloth and let rest for 30 minutes - very important as letting it rest will make it easier to roll out.  Divide dough into 8 pieces.  Shape into a circle with your fingers, then roll each piece as evenly as you can on a lightly floured surface, flipping over every few strokes.  Cook on a medium-high heat setting in a lightly oiled or sprayed pan (VERY lightly, I even rub off most of the oil/spray with paper towel). When the tortilla starts to bubble, it is ready to turn.  Cook evenly on each side.

*the original recipe calls for 10 tbsp water, but I've always used more than that.  I start with that amount and then slowly add bits of water in until I've got a dough that is solid but not sticky.