theconnectionsnj.com PAGE 42 DINING OUT HEALTH & WELLNESS nch o A Pi f... Delicious Blueberry Muffins • ½ cup coconut oil • ½ cup sugar • 1 cup almond flour • 1 cup high fiber flour (whole wheat, oat, amaranth, quinoa, etc.) • 2 teaspoons baking powder • ½ teaspoon salt • 2 eggs • 1 teaspoon vanilla • ½ cup plain unsweetened low-fat kefir • 1 -2 cups fresh blueberries 1. Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees & line a 12-count muffin tin with cupcake liners 2. Blend coconut oil and sugar in a mixer until fluffy 3. Add the eggs one at a time and then the vanilla 4. In a separate bowl, combine both flours, baking powder and salt; add to the coconut oil/sugar mixture alternately with the kefir 5. Fold in the blueberries 6. Bake for 23 minutes 7. Remove from oven and cool for 30 minutes before eating 8. Freeze leftovers after 2 days Submitted by: Lori Kolodin, RD, MPH LSKnutrition.com ENJOY! healthy lifestyle has always been important to me. Growing up in the 70’s, diet and exercise might not have been the focus it is today, but they were always present throughout my childhood. As the mother of five, my mother made certain that we ate balanced meals and kept the pantry from being overstocked with cookies, chips, and other junk food. The kitchen was always stocked with fresh fruit, yogurt, nuts, and homemade baked goods, and we routinely played outdoors for hours on most days with our friends and neighbors. Beginning in the early 80’s, American culture began to shift from outdoor play to structured activities. Fear crept into our psyche about missing children appearing on milk cartons and in television ads. In 1984, Time magazine ran a cover story devoted entirely to the dangers of dietary cholesterol. Ironically, food companies simultaneously began increasing snack food packaging sizes and varieties to boost sales. This ushered in the new era of expanding waistlines, increasing obesity rates, and New York Times best-selling diet books. During the 90’s, all eyes were focused on the fat-free movement. SnackWells by Nabisco dominated the cookie aisle along with Hostess and Entenmann’s assortments of sugar-laden, fat-free baked goods. Cookbooks exploded with recipes replacing butter and oil with applesauce, ripened black bananas, or pumpkin. While these changes marked a nutritional win, commercially mass-produced confectioneries began containing costs by inserting highly processed, inexpensive sweeteners such as high fructose corn syrup into their products. In 1993, a pivotal study by Harvard scientist Walter Willett revealed a strong link between trans-fat and heart disease. Food companies were then forced to remove this 90+ year old ingredient and relabel every packaged product as “trans free.” Margarine was one of the first to undergo a major reformulation and brand makeover, but the public’s trust began to erode with the changing health trends, and sales dropped. Olive oil emerged as a rising star. The new millennium ushered in many changes. Functional foods (food as medicine) began appearing on grocery shelves, including calcium-enriched orange juice, soluble fiber biscuits, and vitamin/electrolyte beverages. The public was once again deceived by slick advertisements and celebrity endorsements. Brands began to offer more varieties with clever marketing, such as heart-healthy, cholesterol-free, no trans-fats, and more omega-3s to the impressionable public. Gluten-free, prebiotic, probiotic, and clean eating seemed to scream “good for all” and appear as the seal of approval for a public thirsty for qualitative packaged food. By 2010, gut health was now a new cause for concern. We yearned for clean bowels as liquid cleanses became popular. In reality, this national obsession should only be performed prior to a traditional colonoscopy. As if that were not enough, low-quality protein became the lynchpin in many ultra-processed foods, including popular plant-based varieties. As I continue to consume print and digital information, AI and social media have complicated the world by creating content that can be damaging without the guardrails of regulations and editorial review. To conclude on a sweet note, try this recipe for blueberry muffins. They are great in the morning with plain Greek yogurt or peanut butter for extra protein. Lori Kolodin, MPH, RD is the owner of LSKNutrition, a clinical practice providing nutritional counseling to individuals and families. Her office is in Martinsville and virtual sessions are an option. More information can be found on her website, LSKNutrition.com. Time Travel By Lori Kolodin, MPH, RD FOOD THOUGHT for A
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