Many people don't think twice about what they eat every day. We always concern ourselves about the short term effects food has on our body, but it's the long term effects we really need to think about.
However as Nationally recognized menopause specialist, Dr. Diana Bitner, has proven, eating healthy doesn't mean losing flavor or time spent in the kitchen.
Dr. Bitner went out to the Downtown Market Grand Rapids kitchen with Dr. Kristi Artz, talk about the importance of culinary medicine, and how we can apply it to our diets.
Culinary Medicine is about teaching patients how to bring healthy ingredients into everyday cooking. Healthy carbs and plant-based diets are a great way to get the body the nutrients it needs, while also the body feeling great afterwards.
An example of a recipe is Quinoa Lettuce wraps with spicy peanut sauce:
Ingredients:
- 1/3 c. quinoa uncooked
- 2/3 c. water
- 1/2 red bell pepper, small dice
- 1/2 small red onion small dice
- 2 t. cilantro
- 3 cloves garlic
- 2 t. lime juice
- 16 leaves Bibb lettuce
Sauce:
- 2 T honey
- 1 1/2 T soy sauce
- 1 1/2 T Peanut butter
- 2 t. lime juice
- dash black pepper
- 1/3 t. sriracha
Directions:
- Cook quinoa in 2/3 c. boiling water, simmer 10 minutes until water absorbed.
- Put cooked quinoa in small bowl and add remain gin ingredients.
- Whisk together ingredients for peanut sauce.
- Create wraps: put leaf flat and add 2 T quinoa mix and then top with 1 t. peanut sauce.
Enjoy as appetizer or lunch, or both if any leftovers!
Dr. Bitner's office is located at 3800 Lake Michigan Drive Northwest, Suite A. To schedule an appointment with her, call (616)-267-8225.
