Category Archives: Whole Food Plant-Based Diet and Chronic Disease

Whole Food Plant-Based Diet can prevent and cure these diseases

Aloe Vera: Another Way of Using Plant-Based Nutrition

What do you do when you get a sunburn?

If you are like me you go out to the “First Aid” plant (aka aloe vera) and cut a leaf. As the gel weeps out you slather it all over and breath a deep sigh of relief. It may be cool and sticky but it almost instantly soothes the soreness.

It is no wonder your skin heals. The plant gel contains vitamins (A, B-1, B-2 , C, D and E) and minerals (zinc, selenium, magnesium, copper and potassium). There are even  sterols, phytonutrients and amino acids for good measure. (more…)

by Genene Cote Posted on December 4, 2012
Posted in GERD, IBS, Medicinal plants, Whole Food Plant-Based nutrition | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

Green Tea – a Whole Food Plant-Based Beverage!

I am not a fan of bitter. I don’t really like quinine, arugula, bitter chocolate or Starbucks coffee. Until recently I would have included green tea on that list. In my mind it is associated with that bitter stuff you get in Chinese restaurants.

Green tea, however, has always been one of those things that I have thought that I “should” like because it is so good for you. Or so I have read. (more…)

by Genene Cote Posted on November 29, 2012
Posted in additive-free food, diabetes, plant based diet, sugar-free food, weigh loss | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Mashed Cauliflower Not Mashed Potatoes

A low-calorie, tasty alternative to mashed potatoes is mashed cauliflower. I actually think they taste better although you may not be able to tell the difference by just looking at them.

Since going to a primarily whole food plant-based diet there are only a few things I really miss. One of them is the butter on and sour cream in mashed potatoes. After watching everyone at Thanksgiving scarf them down I decided I had to pacify myself with a big batch of mashed cauliflower. They tasted great and had the added benefit of making me feel a tiny bit superior for having resisted the potatoes. (more…)

by Genene Cote Posted on November 28, 2012
Posted in diary-free food, gluten-free food, plant based diet, vegan, vegetarian, weigh loss | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment

More Reasons To Eat A Whole Food Plant-Based Diet

In case you’re wondering if eating a plant-based diet is worth it, take a look at a long-term study by the Harvard School of Public Health. The study links eating red meat and the risk of death from cancer and heart disease. Not surprisingly, the more red meat you eat the higher the risk of death from cancer heart disease. (more…)

by Genene Cote Posted on November 27, 2012
Posted in diabetes, diary-free food, plant based diet, vegan, vegetarian, Whole Food Plant-Based Diet and Chronic Disease | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

Dean Ornish: Eating for Health Not Weight

Last Saturday, I was incredibly please to read Dr. Dean Ornish’s opinion piece in the New Your Times entitled Eating for Health, Not Weight

In this piece, Ornish talks about one of the biggest dieting myths today:  it doesn’t matter what you eat as along as you lose pounds. Many of us equate thin and healthy; but it ain’t necessarily so! The food you eat matters. (more…)

by Genene Cote Posted on September 25, 2012
Posted in Dean Ornish, plant based diet, vegan, vegetarian, weigh loss | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Gluten-Free, Sugarless, Vegan Oatmeal-Zucchini (and more) Muffins

Muffins are my latest science project. While some of them have been good, they still were not “perfect”. The main problem was that they were consistently too dry.  Adding oil just made them greasy and heavy and adding water, fruit juice or nut milk made them gooey. Most of them would taste ok on first bite, but would soon turn to sawdust in the back of the mouth.  It seemed that part of the problem was that the batter was too smooth. Which lead me to experiment with Gluten-Free oats.

All the experiments were getting me confused, so I finally sat down and made a spread sheet (Yes, I know how funny that is)! (more…)

by Genene Cote Posted on August 29, 2012
Posted in Breakfast, gluten-free food, sugar-free food, vegan, vegetarian, weigh loss | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

Cinnamon: great aroma and much more!

All the muffin experiments reminded me of how much I love cinnamon! There are few aromas that make me happier. Probably for a good reason, since a Western Jesuit University study found that smelling cinnamon boosts cognitive function and decreases feelings of frustration.

Closely related to the smell is the taste. What would apple pie be without cinnamon!? We use it in pancakes, waffles and baked goods. Adding a dash of cinnamon to coffee makes even the worst swill palatable. And a dash of cinnamon is the secret ingredient in tomato soup. (more…)

by Genene Cote Posted on August 22, 2012
Posted in Breakfast, diabetes, Food Additives, weigh loss, Whole Food Plant-Based Food Kitchen | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

Sautéing in Oil, Veggie Broth or Water: You Choose!

sauteThank goodness for friends!  One of mine, pointed out that a great number of my recipes start out with sautéing onions, garlic and other veggies.  And she wanted to know how I square sautéing with a low-fat diet.

Made me realize that she, along with a lot of other people, think that sautéing is synonymous with frying. Actually, the way I think about it is somewhat different.

First of all, let’s explore the term sauté.  The word is French and means jumped or bounced.  In traditional French cooking it means browning food to seal in the juices by bouncing it around in a small amount of very hot oil. (more…)

by Genene Cote Posted on August 5, 2012
Posted in additive-free food, Cote Home Grown Fare, fresh veggies, kitchen basics, weigh loss, Whole Food Plant-Based Food Kitchen | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

Global BMI

senior scaleHere is a fun factoid: The global adult human population has a combined weight of 287,000,000 tons!

I have spent an inordinate amount of time in my life trying to decide how my body measures up.  Finally, I have a tool that gives me a straight answer.  It is called the global fat scale. (more…)

by Genene Cote Posted on August 2, 2012
Posted in global warming, weigh loss, Whole Food Plant-Based nutrition | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

The Big Scam: Non-Fat, Low-Fat and Fat Free

nonfat

This was posted to my Facebook news feed awhile back. I shook my head and then burst out laughing.  The sign totally embodies my experience with fat-free and low-fat food. (more…)

by Genene Cote Posted on July 25, 2012
Posted in additive-free food, excitotoxins, sugar-free food, weigh loss, Whole Food Plant-Based Food Kitchen, Whole Food Plant-Based nutrition | Tagged , , , , , , , | Leave a comment