A Hearty Raw Meal of Portabello Mushrooms and Yams

Eating raw is all the rage and it is absolutely one of the best things you can do to reduce inflammation in your body, boost your immune system and give your entire system a real life.  However eating raw in the colder months just seems all that more difficult because when it is cooler out we what something a bit chewier with some bulk to it. 

Here are two recipes that paired together create quite a hearty meal.


Portobello Steaks With Mashed Cauliflower

Serves 4

Steak marinade:

Portobello Mushrooms

8 big organic Portobello mushrooms, stems removed

balsamic vinegar

1 small yellow organic onion

olive oil

cayenne

salt

Mash:

1 organic cauliflower head, just the florets

2 tablespoons nutritional yeast

1 cup cashews, soaked

2 cloves garlic, minced

salt

pepper

fresh rosemary

Slice mushrooms and onion.  Mix ingredients for the steak marinade a bowl and marinate for two hours. Remove mushrooms and place on a big baking sheet. Dehydrated mushrooms n oven at 100 F for 2 hours.

Process food processor with all other ingredients until they are the consistency of mashed potatoes.   Serve side by side like steak and mashed potatoes.

Calories: 926   Fat: 63g Cholesterol: 0g Sodium: 37 mg Carb: 56g Dietary Fiber: 7g Sugars: 16g Protein: 100g.

Yam Noodles With Mushrooms

Serves 4

Toppings:

6 mushrooms

2 teaspoons sesame oil

3 teaspoons apple cider vinegar

Sauce:

3 tablespoons of nutritional yeast

2 tablespoon of pure maple syrup

1 tablespoon miso

1 tablespoon organic chickpea hummus

2 peeled garlic cloves

3 tablespoons mustard

water

sesame seeds

I yam, peeled

Julienne the yam using a spirooli or slice on a mandolin into long thin noodles. Put on a plate.

Slice the mushrooms thin and marinate in oil and apple cider. Blend together all of the ingredients for the sauce until smooth.

Toss sauce and noodles together and serve.

Calories: 130 Fat: 2g Cholesterol: 0g Sodium: 6mg Carb: 17g Dietary Fiber: 13g Sugars: 14g Protein: 2g.

For more information or to book a consultation about anti-aging, diet and weight loss programs or any health issue you may be experiencing, visit the Pinewood Natural Health Clinic website that has a list of full services and products at www.pinewood.ca or call our Toronto Office at  (416)-656- 8100.  We also have an office in Pickering, Ontario at (905)-427-0057. You can also email us at info@pinewoodhealth.ca and we would be happy to answer any question that you have about our holistic health services.

Dealing With Negative Emotions and Depression

There is a link between negative emotions and depression. Oddly there is not really such a thing as a negative emotion as every emotion that we have serves a purpose.  What we call negative often serves as a deep catalyst for change. Usually the deep hidden reason behind the feeling negative is due to a need for one of the following basic needs to be expressed.

1.         A need to love and be loved

2.         To understand an be understood

3.         To be able to make decisions that allow us to feel like we belong

Often the fear that leads us to believe that we will be denied any of the above basic human emotional needs is what can to depression.  Depression is also experienced by individuals who cannot feel that they do not deserve any of the above three human conditions or that they are not allowed to experience it.

Negative emotions are not that negative because they can teach us great lessons about ourselves. They reflect our personal history, our cultural orientations and our limitations as personalities. If any of the three personal needs listed above are unmet it can lead to the inappropriate expression of thoughts and feelings.  Over the long term this can result in the kind of deterioration of the psyche, personality and physical body that is characteristic of depression.

Emotions sometimes feel like separate entities that are eating a way at us, sucking our energies and throwing us off balance. Many of us are hypnotized by our negative emotions and even addicted to them. In this case emotions that were initially felt as pleasurable quickly end up as their painful opposite. And when we are in the midst of an emotional situation, we can be blinded by the dynamics of our emotions so that our perceptions and perspectives are no longer clear.  Handling your emotions is absolutely crucial to having mental clarity and also avoiding a big case of depression as the result of a traumatic event.

 

 The reason that negative feelings must be dealt with is because emotions are experienced throughout the entire human body. A negative thought or feeling can translate to an emotion that seems to affect everything: our muscles, voices, skins, sweat glands, hart rates and breathing.  This is why depressed individuals always feel physically ill as well as sad, vacant or existential.  The physical symptoms of depression are very real!

Sometimes the cure for depression is the expression of a so-called negative emotion can be healthy. Emotion that is bottled up for too long can cause sickness. For example it is natural to grieve the loss of a loved one. Refusing to face the grief over a long period of time could result in numbness or a severe case of depression.  If you are in such a situation and are not feeling so great it might be time to see a doctor to see if you need temporary medical treatment or counseling to help you get through this difficult time in your life.

If you are concerned about the impact of negative emotions you can contact us for solutions for depression and negative emotions.

For more information or to book a consultation about NLP, biofeedback, anti-aging, diet and weight loss programs or any health issue you may be experiencing, visit the Pinewood Natural Health Clinic website that has a list of full services and products at www.pinewood.ca or call our Toronto Office at  (416)-656- 8100.  We also have an office in Pickering, Ontario at (905)-427-0057. You can also email us at info@pinewoodhealth.ca and we would be happy to answer any question that you have about our holistic health services.