Alan Greene's List: Health Cooking

5. Snap up bargain frozen foods. Save some change -- and avoid dreaded fruit-and-veggie rot in the fridge -- by buying frozen green beans, corn, peas, asparagus, raspberries, collard greens, squash, and more when they're on sale. Flash-frozen produce is more nutritious than wilted fresh, and it's usually more healthful than canned, which can be loaded with sodium (veggies and beans) or sugary syrup (fruit).

6. Buy canned wild salmon. Can't swing $30 a pound for the first-run of wild Pacific salmon? Wheel your cart to the canned-fish aisle -- salmon packed in tins and pouches is usually the wild type for a fraction of the cost of the fresh stuff!

MISO-TAHINI PATE

Made thicker this is an addictive spread for bread or crackers, thinned it becomes an equally delicious and versatile sauce for grains or vegetables.

1 1/2 cups tahini (lightly roasted, ground sesame seed paste)

2-3 tablespoons barley miso, or to taste (you can use most any miso, but if you use a light, sweet variety, you may need to add a little soy sauce to deepen the flavor.  Read about miso here.)

2 teaspoons dried, mixed Italian herbs or French herbs de Provence

1 or 2 cloves garlic, finely minced

1 tablespoon fresh parsley or green onions, minced (optional)

Stirring constantly, roast tahini, garlic and herbs in a cast iron or other thick-bottomed pan over medium heat until the tahini smells fragrant and slightly browns on the bottom, about five minutes (watch carefully, this can burn!). Combine roasted tahini and remaining ingredients in a food processor  and puree, adding 1/2 cup water or more as needed to create a smooth, creamy consistency.  If you intend to use this as a sauce, thin with additional water and check seasoning as you may need to add a little more miso or soy sauce.  To use as a spread, serve at room temperature or slightly chilled.  For sauce, reheat gently at low heat.  Too high a heat may cause the sauce to separate.  Refrigerated, this will keep about a week. Yields 2 cups.

"Anything above 10 grams or more of sorbitol at a time has been shown to cause gastrointestinal upset -- and some of these low-carb diet foods have as much as 30 grams a serving," says Heller. While it won't make you violently ill, she says, it can make you -- and those in the same room -- pretty uncomfortable.

Sondike agrees and also cautions us to "read the labels."

"If a product is advertised as having 3 net carbs but the label says 35 grams of carbs, then it's likely that 32 grams are sugar alcohol -- and it's probably going to upset your stomach," says Sondike.

The lower your intake of carbohydrates, the greater your need for a vitamin supplement. That's the mantra that most doctors now recommend that everyone on a low-carb diet should never forget.

The reason? Any time you restrict your diet, particularly in terms of certain food groups, your nutrient levels can drop. But when your diet is low carb, experts say you may be in even greater need for certain key vitamins and minerals, particularly folic acid.

"If you're cutting out cereals, fruits, vegetables, fortified grains, then you are cutting out your major source of folic acid, a B vitamin that is not only important when you are pregnant, but important to everyone's overall health," says NYU nutritionist Samantha Heller.
 What's more, says Heller, folic acid is key to controlling levels of homocysteine, an inflammatory factor linked to heart disease. If you're already at risk for cardiovascular problems, she says, dropping folic acid levels too low could put your health at serious risk.

One way to protect yourself, she says, is to take a B vitamin supplement -- with at least 400 micrograms of folic acid daily.

"All of the B vitamins work together in a very complicated metabolic pathway and they need each other -- so if you are not going to get your source in foods, then a vitamin supplement is a must," says Heller.

Sondike agrees and says that, "Any time you are on a weight-loss diet you need a good multivitamin, regardless of whether you are limiting your carbohydrate intake or not," he says.

Another mineral you may want to supplement is potassium. While there is no concrete evidence that a dramatic potassium loss occurs on a low-carb regimen, Sondike says to ensure against problems he recommends patients use Morton's Light Salt -- a potassium chloride product that he says can add back any of this important mineral that's lost. Eating a few almonds is also a good way to supplement this mineral without adding carbs to your diet.

Finally, if you stick to your low-carb diet via the use of prepackaged foods, experts say read the label carefully to avoid ingredients that are notoriously responsible for gastrointestinal upsets, and especially excess gas. Among the worst offenders: sugar alcohol, found in sweeteners such as sorbitol.

• Step 1

   
  Eat a variety of foods. Include lots of high-fiber, low carb vegetables. Avoid iceberg lettuce (full of water), in favor of dark green varities such as romaine, endive and raw spinach (full of fiber).
   
 
•  

  Step 2

   
  Drink plenty of water to help keep bowel contents moist.
   
 
•  

  Step 3

   
  Exercise regularly. Moving your whole body will aid in moving your bowels.
   
 
•  

  Step 4

   
  Take a fiber supplement such as sugar-free metamucil or plain psyllium husks. Make sure to drink plenty of water with these supplements.
   
 
•  

  Step 5

   
  Cut salt out of your diet for a few days and avoid the fluid retention and bloat that can lead to intestinal back up.
   
 
•  

  Step 6

   
  Drink a cup of hot water with the juice of half of a lemon first thing in the morning to stimulate your bowels.
   
 
•  

  Step 7

   
  Perform yoga "cleansing" breaths (simulating a bowel movement). Stand straight and breath in deeply. Breath out 2-3 times. After the last breath out, hold your breath and suck in your gut. Push it out quickly several times, creating a rhythmic motion in your stomach.

savory
  tofu spread 

-excerpted from Lenore's  Natural Cuisine cookbook 

This quick, high-calcium spread is a memorable alternative to margarine or butter. High in protein and low in fat, it can be plopped on salad instead of cheese. Try it as a substitute for cream cheese on a bagel. 
 
    ingredients 

1/2 pound soft tofu
  1/2 TBS. tahini, or more to taste
  1 TBS. barley miso, or more to taste
 
    directions 

1. Steam tofu for 4 minutes.
  2. Crumble into a suribachi or mixing bowl.
  3. Add tahini and miso. Mix well.
  4. Store refrigerated in a glass jar. Keeps one week.
 
  variation   

  Add a pinch of dried oregano, basil, thyme or dill to step #3.