In Gigi’s Kitchen: Bring on the FAT!!

In Gigi’s Kitchen: Bring on the FAT!!

My pal Gigi probably has about 1,000 grams of fat every day. Okay; I’m exaggerating. It’s not that much, but it’s a lot.

Author : Christelyn Karazin

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My pal Gigi probably has about 1,000 grams of fat every day. Okay; I’m exaggerating. It’s not that much, but it’s a lot. And despite loading on the oils and cream, she’s STILL slim and fit, has fan-tab-u-lous hair, with skin so glow-y and smooth you can’t help but wish you could squeeze both her cheeks like your obnoxious Aunt Nelly did when you were six.

The glowingly beautiful Gigi

So when I asked her to spill it about how she stays so gorgeous, she told me, “You know I’m all about the healthy fats, right?” [healthy fats: olive oil, coconut oil, nut oils, fish oil, cream, even in Gigi's case, butter]. She combines these healthy fats with lots of green veggies, and with her chef’s background, I sometimes wish she would move across the street I can be like those annoying friends in the sit-coms who just come into a character’s house, opens the refrigerator and grabs a beer and sits down for dinner every day at 6. I’ve dropped hints SEVERAL TIMES *cough GIGI!! cough* but no word yet if her family will move to Temecula. So I guess I have to settle for the next best thing until she comes to her senses and becomes my neighbor. So I’ve asked her to share a few of her oil-rich, veggie dense, and carb low dishes.

BTW, more and more research proves that it’s not fat that’s making you fat. It’s sugar and simple carbs like…well just about everything you eat that’s white.

So here’s the first, and I’m hoping that soon they’ll be many. More and more research indicates the outward beauty and overall wellness can be achieved almost completely on what you put in your mouth.

Gigi’s Special Green Stuff: (homemade tabbouli)

1 bunch cilantro
1 bunch scallion
1 bunch parsley
Juice of one lemon
2 tomatoes
2 tbl extra virgin olive oil
1 very small Hass Avocado
1/3 cup raw, unsalted almonds
sea salt to taste

Rinse all the herbs and use a salad spinner to get them as dry as possible. Pulse the herbs in a food processor making sure not to crowd the container. Put all the pulsed herbs in a big salad bowl. Pulse the tomatoes and add those to the bowl. Pulse the almonds and sprinkle on the herbs and tomatoes. Add the lemon juice, salt and olive oil and gently mix. Taste for salt and lemon adding more if needed.

Serve with seafood, meat or chicken and large lettuce leaves. I love to stuff my lettuce leaves with the tabbouli, some protein and corn or black beans. My daughter loves to have her tabouli in lettuce leaves and cheddar cheese and my hubby loves to spoon this over a larger salad contained red peppers and other veggies, meat and salad dressing. The herbs are extremely mineralizing and energizing. Make a big batch and keep in the fridge to eat with everything. It also goes great with hummus and grilled chicken or serve with pita bread wedges as a light party appetizer.

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Nikki J 338 pts

Thx for posting this! Fruits& vegetables make up the majority of my meals. I've been a pescatarian for a little over two years and that was easy to jump into for me. But now that I'm trying to become a vegetarian I'm having the hardest time cutting out fish and cheese completely :/ healthy fats are exactly what I've been consuming. I love and appreciate the healthy food recipe posts!

GigiHunermund 42 pts

 Nikki J Take your time and listen to your body.  Try adding 2-4 tbl of chia seed to your diet everyday, the high omega3 content will pacify your cravings for fish. When I was transitioning to a Vegan diet, I found supplementing my diet with nutritional yeast (NOT Brewer's Yeast) helped me with dairy cravings.  Please be careful and make sure to supplement B12 if you're going to remove the fish.  B12 is only found in meat, especially red meat.  Some vegans/vegetarians will try to tell you that you can get plant forms of B12 from algae, but this simply is not true.  It does take years for a deficiency to show, but if you decide to become pregnant and breastfeed, there may not be enough for your baby.  The B12 in the nutritional yeast  is grown specific for supplementation and is highly absorbable, compared to pills and tinctures.  Stay on top of your vitamin D by making sure to get plenty of sun, especially when you remove the dairy.  If you are not opposed to the idea of taking cod liver oil, 2 tsp a day of Carlson brand cod liver oil is the single most important thing you could do for your health while following a vegan diet.  That small dose contains all th e Vit. D and omega 3 your body needs and it has a pleasant, lemony flavor similar to almonds, not fishy at all.  Good luck to you Nikki.

Nikki J 338 pts

@GigiHunermund Gigi thank you so much for taking the time to give me advice. Really those are all amazing points you made. I went grocery shopping today. And I incorporated many of your thoughtful suggestions :) for a number of reasons vegetarianism is important to me. When I first started I ate lots of junk food and no meat. Lol now I know better. I'm working on getting chia seeds, cod liver oil. I have vitamin b 12, but you suggested getting it from a yeast? What brand or what foods did u get it from? Also do you have a health blog?

GigiHunermund 42 pts

I'm running out the door for a few hours but here is a link for the fish oil to buy online.  It costs a lot less than getting from Whole Foods.

 

http://www.vitacost.com/carlson-norwegian-cod-liver-oil-lemon

 

Here is a link for the nutritional yeast I was telling you about.  I love to sprinkle it on popcorn, stir a tbl into any sauce you are making or on salad, in salad dressing, etc.  You CAN take a sublingual supplement for B12, that might be convenient when you are traveling, but when at home, use the yeast.  It has a nutty flavor, similar to cheese.  If you check vegan food blogs, you will see it is used very often, especially to make mock cheese sauce and on popcorn.

 

http://www.vitacost.com/bobs-red-mill-large-flake-nutritional-food-yeast

 

I'll chime in some more when I get back home.  I don't have a health blog at the moment, but am thinking of starting one once we have moved into our house and have settled in.  Thanks!

 

Nikki J 338 pts

 GigiHunermund Hi Gigi,

 

Thank you very much for the links. Congrats on your new home. I'm in the process of moving myself. I'm glad you posted the links because I tried going to health stores and could not find that brand of cod liver oil and I was not willing to try other cod liver oils lol. I have the b12 and, chia seeds, (my mother loves them too) I no longer eat fish at all. The best advice you gave me was telling me to listen to my body. When you advised that,  I was already in a transitional stage. I was sick of being sick all the time and I started eliminating different foods that I thought were the cause. I thought I had sinus infections chronically, I even had surgery for it in 2009. While I definitely had them several times over the years I now notice the food triggers and how my body responds. And what seemed like a sinus infection is actually an allergic reaction to  dairy, and nuts. It happens almost immediately after that's how I know for sure. I get the same symptoms as a sinus infection. I wasted so much money going to my ENT w/copays and on antibiotics that never worked for me. Smh it's all a learning process though. I'm not proclaiming to be a health expert by any means, but listening to my body (rather than a doctor) has saved me money as well as being sick. I really am grateful of all the advice you've shared, and I know if you had a blog it'd be informative and helpful as well. When you get your blog please let us know. Thanks again!

Ms. Kay 405 pts

Avocado! is my staple food like Sweet Potatoes. I am gonna try this recipe. Yum!!!!

VintageNarcissa 3151 pts

I'm definitely wanting to stock my diet with avos! Avo with salt and pepper as a sandwich spread is my absolute favorite! There's this recipe for a pina colada protein smoothie I tried out the other day that called for coconut oil, but I didn't have any so I made it without. Next time I definitely want to add the coconut oil. 

GigiHunermund 42 pts

One of our favorite snacks is Ezekiel Bread with avocado, salt and pepper, so simple, so perfect.

Ms. Kay 405 pts

 GigiHunermund Love Love Ezekiel Bread.

777BelieveInMe 7 pts

Yep! She's right! Diet's that are high in simple carbs & sugar increase insulin levels. When glucose(sugar) is not used for energy, it goes to the bodies fat cells for storage. Keeping complex carbs moderate & pairing them with a lean protein & healthy fat slows digestion rate, keeping you fuller longer & keeping blood sugar stable. When you work out you will burn body fat & not access carbs you have taken in during the day! I'm all for the healthy fats! :)) If you are not working out, there is no need for a super high carb intake. When you do eat carbs, make sure they are complex and in moderation. Green Veggies! you can have all day long! keep fruits moderate, they also cause insulin spike. *Blessings*

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GigiHunermund 42 pts

Yes, people need to find whatever works for them and their individual metabolism, however, adding healthy fats and removing processed food, oils, sugars and adding dark green leafy veggies and fresh fruit is a must no matter what plan you're following.

 

I was a Vegan for 6 years, I changed my way of eating after blood tests revealed my trigylcerides were elevated even though I did not consume any animal meat or fats.  I was shocked but now I know how glucose metabolism in the liver works, it makes perfect sense.  The ideal diet starts with large amounts of dark green leafy vegetables daily (I get 4 servings just at breakfast by consuming a green smoothie made with kale, spinach, celery and cucumber), healthy fats like avocado, coconut, olive oil, walnut oil, lean protein whether it's animal or plant is up to you.  I happen to love tempeh, tofu, seitan, beans, lentils AND grass-fed beef, chicken, pastured eggs and organic yogurt and keifer.  Rounding the menus out with fresh fruit is perfect, not juices, but real fruit. 

Ms. Kay 405 pts

 GigiHunermund "Kale, Spinach, Celery and Cucumber"? that is all for the smoothie? I'll try it!

GigiHunermund 42 pts

 Ms. Kay I need to give you a proper recipe if you want to have this breakfast/snack/lunch smoothie.  Here it goes:

1 cup low-sodium V8 or other veggie juice of your choice

1 handful spinach

1 hanful kale

1/4 cucumber (scrubbed with skin)

1 large stalk of celery

1 date

1/4-1/2 avocado

drizzle Evoo

1 very small piece of garlic

fresh ginger if you have it on hand

fresh herbs of your choice- I like cilantro or basil.  If I do cilantro, I add cumin too, if basil- I add a bit of thyme.  Fresh or dried herbs have lots of antioxidants too.  Enjoy!

GigiHunermund 42 pts

Bellydancer- You've got me seriously craving spinach sauteed in garlic and EVOO, yum!  So true about keeping the innards lubricated, LOL.  I did notice a change in my internal lubrication ;-) when I switched from a low-fat diet to a higher-fat/low-carb diet.  I've been reading everywhere that eating more healthy fat can help balance hormones which is important to consider if you are pregnant, stressed, or feeling a decline in libidio, menopause, etc..

Bellydancer 789 pts

Currently eating the hell out of some avocado's and olive oil this year and spinach also. I ask for spinach now instead of lettuce if I can get it on sandwiches, salads etc... I keep telling people you have to "grease your innards"(lol) got that off an old english movie.

ASwirlGirl 3035 pts

 Bellydancer I use avocado in my salads as the "meat." I love the added flavor! 

GigiHunermund 42 pts

Thanks for featuring my recipe on your blog today.  I hope those who make it enjoy it as much as we do.  The massaged kale salad with mango and avocado is also delicious.  I made it last night and posted a nice picture of it on my facebook page.

Brenda55 19473 pts moderator

OOOOOO I am copying this.  I have the herbs growing in my garden right now and they are ready.  It is still too early for my tomatoes so those will be store bought but this does sound good. Thanks

Karla 18238 pts

Making this for a a party at my house tomorrow and serving as a dip for shrimp.  Can't wait to hear the squeals of delight!

ASwirlGirl 3035 pts

 Karla Yum . . . serving this with shrimp sounds sooooo delish!

The Working Home Keeper 6625 pts

Oh, love this!  Definitely going to try  this recipe! 

Law Wanxi 5797 pts

Make sure your avocados come from California and not some place else.

oekmama 1047 pts

Good morning! This sounds great for a light lunch or supper.

I have to concur with you ynd Gigi: it really is the healthy fats! Skin, hair  and nails thrive on it. Plus, they make you feel fuller from one serving longer than those evil refined carbs.

On my way to the store, so I'll see if I can pick up the ingredients. I soooo cannot wait til my herbs start to come through...

Have a great day, I'll stop in later... :-D

oekmama 1047 pts

P.S. - Please put that most important paragraph that starts 'BTW...' in bold, so that no one skims over it!!!!

BlackWomenDeserveBetter 1850 pts

This definitely inspires me to eat more greens...Thanks @Christely & @GiGi!

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