Change Starts in the Kitchen

NTI’s Chef Lynda Lacher may have years of experience in the kitchen and formal training at Le Cordon Bleu®, but her first recipe came to her in a dream. She was only ten years old when her unconscious mind invented “Magic Dream Balls.” A dessert any kid would gladly eat, the recipe was a mixture of peanut butter, Rice Krispies®, chocolate and nuts. It was this innocent dream and watching her mother in the kitchen that sparked Chef Lynda’s passion for cooking. It didn’t matter whether she was making marshmallows or soup, Chef Lynda’s mom always supported her- buying whatever ingredients her daughter’s latest culinary endeavor called for.

It is this same support- and a whole lot of guidance- that Chef Lynda offers students in the Natural Foods Chef (NFC) program at NTI. Her encouragement, and the intimate setting in a historic house near Denver’s City Park, fosters a real sense of community among participants in the program. Whereas most culinary schools have classes so large it can be hard to even find the instructor, class size in the NFC program is limited to 15. This means students get constant, personalized feedback. They also bond with one another in a way that is unique. It is not unusual for students to form life-long friendships or business partnerships during the 16 week term.

A typical day in the NFC program includes a lecture and instruction in the culinary skills and techniques needed to prepare everything from basic soups and stocks to raw foods. Students then work together to prepare lunch and dinner based on the day’s topic. There is no doubt that sitting down together and enjoying the meals they’ve prepared makes all the hard work worth it. While eating, the class often discusses and practices ways to make meals a time to unwind, share and re-connect. These are the lessons students incorporate into their own lives, facilitating change in those around them long before they graduate. It is that passion for change and impacting people’s lives in a positive way that Chef Lynda shares with her students. She says, “I kind of think of it as my quiet revolution in the kitchen. I’m here to affect people strongly, but we do it in the kitchen. It has a ripple effect from there.”

There is no question that graduates of the NFC program are making waves. Their training is unique in that it combines a rigorous, science-based nutrition education with traditional culinary skills emphasizing natural foods. As a result, their skills are in high demand. Many start their own personal chef business where they prepare therapeutic meals for people with food allergies or health conditions. Some cook for families that recognize the importance of eating healthy, homemade food but lack the time or energy to do it themselves. Others teach cooking classes or get their feet wet cooking for a natural food restaurant. A few have developed their own rejuvenating wellness retreats. Another was hired as the executive chef at an elderly care facility. One graduate even did the NFC program before going to medical school so he would know how to educate his patients on the importance of diet and nutrition. Regardless of what NFC graduates decide to do, it’s clear that the demand has never been greater for their unique talent and their commitment to a revolution that is best started in the kitchen…and continued around the dinner table.

Winter came on suddenly here in Denver- it’s only November and we’ve already had two impressive snowstorms! Despite the sudden onset of freezing temps and early season snow days, we’re still prepared with all the info you need on vitamin D- a nutrient it’s nearly impossible to get enough of in the winter.

It is estimated that 40% of the US population is vitamin D deficient due to limited exposure to sunlight, overuse of sunscreen and low dietary intake of vitamin D rich foods. It’s almost impossible to get enough vitamin D in the winter if you live north of latitude 37° or south of latitude 37° in the southern hemisphere. In places like Denver, which sits at latitude 39° north, the sun is simply not strong enough between September and May to trigger the conversion of vitamin D into its active form in the liver.

This is particularly problematic considering the long list of conditions associated with its deficiency. According to the vitamin D council, vitamin D deficiency contributes to at least 17 varieties of cancer, stroke, hypertension, autoimmune diseases, diabetes, depression, chronic pain, osteoarthritis, osteoporosis, muscle weakness, muscle wasting, birth defects, periodontal disease, and more. That’s quite a list!

Some of vitamin D’s functions are well understood- like its role in regulating calcium levels in the blood and preventing osteoporosis. But no one knows exactly how and why vitamin D plays such an important role in so many body systems, and why its deficiency is a factor in the development of so many diseases. While we may not know every biochemical mechanism by which vitamin D exacts its amazing effects, we do know enough to protect against the devastating effects of deficiency.

Of course, the general rule at NTI is simple: prevent nutrient deficiencies by eating a healthy whole foods diet. You can prevent severe deficiency and malnutrition by eating plenty of vitamin D rich foods like fatty cold water fish, whole raw milk, egg yolks, liver from grass fed cows and butter. However, even a diet rich in these foods may not be enough to keep levels optimal since only about 50% of dietary vitamin D is absorbed. And if you’re relying on pasteurized, homogenized milk or fortified orange juice for your vitamin D, forget it. Most companies use vitamin D2, ergocalciferol, to boost their product’s nutrition label. Not only is the amount too small to boost your vitamin D to an optimal level, it also requires conversion to the active form, D3, cholecalciferol. This conversion relies on a healthy liver and efficient kidneys, two organs that are already overworked due to a high exposure of environmental toxins like pollution, pesticides, hormone and antibiotic laden meats, to name a few.

So even if you eat a diet rich in salmon and egg yolks, depending on where you live, it may be necessary to supplement in the winter. The Recommended Daily Allowance (RDA) for vitamin D was recently raised to 800 IU per day. This amount is an improvement from the 400 IU previously recommended for adults, but is likely still too low. Keep in mind, the research guiding RDAs is based on perfectly healthy populations. In reality, an optimal level would actually be higher since it would take into account the typical American lifestyle- chronic stress, toxic burden on the liver and a more sedentary lifestyle with less exposure to the sun. Some studies have shown that adults actually need closer to 3000 to 5000 IU per day and others show that adults can metabolize up to 10,000 IU daily without harmful side effects. The best way to know how much vitamin D to take is to have your doctor order you a blood test. Make sure they order the 25-Hydroxy-vitamin D blood test- it is the correct measure of vitamin D status. The “normal” range for vitamin D is 30 to 74 ng/mL, but it is generally agreed that a range of 50 to 74 is optimal. Should you decide to supplement on your own, it is safest to stick with 2000 IU per day or less- a dose that can be therapeutic, but is still considered safe according to the US Food and Nutrition Board. Signs of toxicity include frequent urination, headache, nausea, vomiting, weakness, anorexia and kidney stones.

If you discover you are deficient in vitamin D, don’t rely on the person working at your local health food store to recommend a supplement. Instead, work with a qualified healthcare practitioner that can not only recommend a safe dosage of high quality vitamin D, but can also determine the cause of your deficiency. Visit our graduates pageto find a Nutrition Therapist that can teach you how to boost your vitamin D levels and support you on your way to health!

Check out our facebook pagefor a “D”elicious salmon recipe from our Natural Foods Chef program!

Your kids wont be crying over candy with these tips from NTI instructor, Dr. Caitlin.

Halloween is one of my favorite holidays! Most families feel the same way, but fear the inevitable bags of corn-syrup laden confections and subsequent post-candy meltdowns. However, it is possible to enjoy the holiday while minimizing the damage to teeth, tummies and mom’s last nerve.

1. Trade in the bag of candy for a special treat.

After allowing kids to pick out 10-20 pieces of their favorite candy, trade the rest out for a more tangible treat. Sort of like the tooth fairy, the Halloween Candy Fairy (or the Great Pumpkin, or whatever you want to name your new candy-craving creature) comes in the night and trades in the bags of candy for a cool basket of goodies. New books, art supplies, holiday-themed pajamas or gift certificates to movies or a favorite restaurant are all good options.

2. Host a Halloween feast.

There is nothing worse than a bunch of sugar on an empty stomach. Prior to trick or treating, have family and friends come over for a warming, Autumn meal. Serve hearty, protein-rich dishes with fun and spooky themes. Check out this link for recipes. A pre-treat meal will cut down on sugar induced highs and lows.

3. Choose the lesser evil.

Look to minimize artificial colors and flavors. Choose real sugar over corn syrup (or heaven forbid, artificial sweeteners). Dark chocolate is always a good bet. Homemade snacks made with real ingredients are an even better way to celebrate the holiday season. Check out this fabulous recipe for raw caramel and apples or maple caramel corn!

Don’t forget to relax and have fun! Most kiddos can handle a few days of junk. Do some damage control, offer healthy options and have a happy, healthy, Halloween!

For parents and other folks that get carried away with holiday treats check out my nutritional cleanse program offered in partnership with Root Yoga.

Dr. Caitlin O’Connor graduated from the University of Colorado in 2000 with a BA in Anthropology and a minor in Business. She went on to earn her Doctorate in Naturopathy and her Certificate of Naturopathic Midwifery from Bastyr University in 2008. She currently practices naturopathic medicine in Denver, focusing on whole family health including preconception, fertility, pregnancy, pediatrics and beyond. Dr. Caitlin brings her passion for family health to the Reproductive and Life Span classes at NTI. Visit www.allfamiliesnaturalhealth.comto learn more about Dr. Caitlin.

The study of herbs enhances nutritional therapy.

Herbalism is a system of health care that uses plants as the source of remedies. This is no different from the practice of holistic nutrition.

At NTI we study the use of plants and the nutrients they contain as healing agents of the body. We study the vitamins, minerals, carbohydrates, fats, and proteins, and discover the specific nutrient mix that might be therapeutic for arthritis, gastric disorders, skin abnormalities or any other conditions. We find out what foods contain certain nutrients that are specifically helpful for these conditions and we suggest menu plans that contain these foods. This is the study of food as therapy, or food as remedies.

Specific herbs are also therapeutic for certain conditions. We do not study the vitamins, minerals and macronutrient mix within the herbs. Instead we have a body of knowledge of the specific actions of the herbs on body functions. This is called Materia Medica. It has been handed down by observation and tradition over millennia. Materia Medica includes the energetics of the herbs, the synergy in the use of herb formulations and the close observation of results in real individuals. It is only recently that the scientific study and break-down of the herbs has come to light. Still the applications of food as medicine and herbs as medicine are parallel and complimentary ways to approach health.

Herbs can be taught in conjunction with nutrition. Usually when this is done, it is simply memorizing recipes for certain herbs to use with certain conditions. It does not include understanding the herbs in their complexities. Herbs are not studied in the nutrition programs at NTI. Instead we offer a distinct certification program, the Certified Herbal Therapy Program, which takes a different approach. We do not pretend to teach herbs in the fullness of their numbers or their applications or their synergies. This would take several lifetimes. We do offer an integrated approach to the study of over 50 herbs where the health applications are observed along with herbal preparations of tinctures, poultices, topicals, infusions, etc. We integrate case studies, commercial applications and herb gardening. The purpose of our program is to build a foundational base of knowledge and personal interaction with the herbs studied, to create framework and an approach to herbs that can be built on for the rest of a student’s life.

So can holistic nutrition be practiced without the study of herbs? Yes. But when you are considering how many programs to take at NTI, remember the richness, power and enhancement that you can provide to your clients and students by adding the Certified Herbal Therapy Program.

NTI has been involved in the urban farming movement since 1998. Adjacent to our main office building on York Street are three city lots owned by NTI and donated for the use of organic gardening to students, graduates, teachers, and community members. It is located in the midst of hustle, bustle and busy streets. It is a haven for our gardeners to come and spend some time in the earth, forgetting their stressors and reconnecting with the basics—dirty hands and fresh food. The garden is supported by Denver Urban Gardens, an organization that helps more than 100 gardens throughout the metro area. All of the gardens are initiated by the community and maintained by the gardeners.

April 30 was our seasonal opening. We had more than 40 people attending, spreading compost, setting up their plots, digging, planting and getting to know each other. Everyone agreed that it is so much more fun to work with other people, sharing the excitement and anticipation of a harvest and teaching each other good gardening ethics and techniques.

The urban farming movement is well timed, given the prevailing farming techniques used today in the US. If you want good organic food, it makes good sense to grow your own, especially from an economic point of view. In past years we have had great crops of beans, tomatoes, all sorts of squashes, potatoes, all kinds of leafy greens, peppers, and beautiful arrays of flowers. We have had years of overflow and sharing among gardeners, and when we have had even more than what we could use, we have offered a basket of vegetables free for the passers-by. You probably have guessed that the vegetable most often found in our overflow basket is, yes, zucchini!

And so our garden feeds over 40 people. It nourishes the body and feeds the soul. It creates a sense of belonging to something bigger than your own plot, health direct from your local earth, grounding to balance out the stress of the day, and beauty to feed the eyes. And don’t forget, it’s work too! A lot of us are now in day jobs where our work is tied to our computers and mental efforts. We understand how exhausting it can be to be sedentary and mentally stressed. Working with the body at the end of a hard day can literally feel rejuvenating. Come to think of it, I think I will go outside now and pull some weeds.