Sunday, September 27, 2009

Lime tandoori chicken with a medley of spicy vegetables


Lime tandoori chicken:
2 as fresh and natural/organic chicken breasts as you can get
lime juice, coconut oil, tandoori seasoning, madras curry, salt, pepper, honey

Marinate for at least 30min, then sear on a pan. Don't burn black to avoid producing carcinogens, it's best to cook it just barely done so that the meat is still tender and moist.

Raw Indian vegetable medley:
1/2 large sweet potato, cubed
1/2 large head of cauliflower, minced
1/2 -1 C fenugreek sprouts
1 red onion, minced
bunch fresh basil, chopped finely
finely grated garlic
fresh red chili pepper, minced, to taste
coconut oil, tandoori seasoning, madras curry, salt, pepper, honey, lime juice

Chop, mix and season. Remember to taste and adjust the spices to your liking. Warm in 110F until vegetables soften and marinate thoroughly. I sauteed my red onion and garlic quickly in coconut oil because it is better for my baby's tummy if I steer away from too much raw onions and garlic :)

I've said this a few times in my earlier posts, but I think it is important enough to be repeated. We ALL, not only but especially pregnant and lactating women, need vitamin B12. So far, there is no unanimous scientific consensus of a reliable vegetable source for this crucial vitamin. Deficit of this vital nutrient causes detrimental and irreversible side affects, it destroys your brain cells and it could cause havoc in your body before you even know it. A key to a healthy diet is variety, you need more than just vegetables, some nuts and raw chocolate. Dairy is by no means necessary, but it is a good idea to calculate that you are indeed getting enough calcium. There are excellent vegan sources - unhulled sesame seeds, dried figs and broccoli for example. But these need to be consumed regularly. If you are not on B12 supplements, a few servings of your choice of meat and/or fish are necessary. Eggs are not a reliable source of this vitamin. You also need to make sure you are getting enough of iron and iodide. Folic acid is absolutely essential for all women, fresh ruby grapefruit is an excellent source of this. Be cautious about your daily sodium intake - many raw recipes use quite a bit of salt or nama shoyu. Even though we use "good" salt, it does not mean it doesn't contain sodium which will be harmful if consumed in excess. Especially soy sauce is packed with sodium, so it is not a good idea to marinate in it (at least not too often).

Moral of this story is, if you suspect that you might not be getting adequate levels of certain nutrients, see your physician and get tested. Do not take chances with this. Eating as much raw and unprocessed food is natural and good for you, but even so you must be careful that you consume a variety of different foods and are getting all necessary nutrients.

8 comments:

Jael said...

Yes, variety is the key. I was for a while on completely raw diet, but because of your above mentioned facts decided that my body also needs fish ,soy and an occasional serving of cheese.

Aletheia said...

I couldn't agree more. There are some really dangerous blogs and websites out there, encouraging people to stop eating almost everything. We can't just keep cutting things out of our diet and only eat veggies, nuts and seeds. While they are very healthy and nutrient-rich, they do not supply everything we need. Some people also advocate all those expensive superfood powders to supposedly supply the things nuts and veggies don't. The fact is some of them are fairly new (at least the dosage) and we don't know enough.

I'm just so worried about people who are easily lead by these bloggers, many of which aren't really educated enough to be giving out nutritional advice. You can really harm yourself by eliminating essential items from your diet, giving yourself enemas and fasting. It is easy to go to extremes and I truly believe many raw foodists actually suffer from eating disorders. There is a lot to be said about "All things in moderation". Health is not only how many different superfoods you can cram into your day, but enjoying your life and eating a diet that is versatile and balanced.

I got a bit carried away with all this. What I was meaning to say was that I really admire your blog because it really embodies this philosophy of healthy eating. You have a wonderful relaxed but passionate attitude towards eating and eating well that I think is very inspirational.

rhoda said...

The chicken looks delicious, thanks for the recipe. I was wondering if there are any good calcium calculators available? The ones I find tend to push the dairy agenda.

I'm so excited to have found an English-language blog about eating healthily in Finland. This way I don't have to do ALL the work informing my expat American husband of the local & organic food available here. :)

Aletheia said...

Unfortunately I haven't really used a calculator for determining my calcium intake, but it sounds like it could come in handy. Please let me know if you find one for us who avoid dairy!

I'm glad you find this blog helpful and liked the chicken recipe. I am also an American living in Finland. When I first was starting this blog I went back and forth with whether I should write this in English or Finnish. On one hand, I am living here and some local specialties don't even have words in English. It still came down to the fact that I felt more comfortable writing in English. I still encourage people to comment in Finnish if they like, and of course I can translate my recipes upon request as well =) I haven't had time to post too thoroughly about where to buy what over here, but so if you or your husband have questions I'd love to try to help.

Jael said...

Thank you for your nice words:-) There are really some blogs that tout that raw foodism is the only real way, but one should really try to find all relevant information before embarking on a 100% raw journey. I first learned about raw foodism or actually live food from my grandmother in my teens (she had a fling with live foods) and 2½ years ago I was totally raw for 6 months. I did actually feel very good and have very high energy levels during that time, but to go on and live completely on raw food was impossible for me, and seriously,I can't understand how anyone can sustain on raw foods alone for years. I love raw foods, especially the desserts which are so yummy, and a big part of my diet consists of raw food, but I listen to my body,and clearly it needs other things too. I try to avoid processed things, buy organic whenever I can (and here we have lots of organic markets, in the style of Whole Foods Market). I think nutrition should be a compulsory subject that is taught in the schools.

Aletheia said...

You are right and very welcome. In an ideal world everyone would be taught nutrition in general, not just the rather narrow "science" behind a certain diet (raw, vegan, atkins etc). With that knowledge then it would be easier for people to make more informed choices about their own diet. People also need to realize that there are groups of nutrients we all need, regardless of our diet. There are also some products that are extremely harmful to us all.

What you said is the key to a healthy lifestyle - unprocessed and organic. I don't think anyone can argue with that.

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