Now Available for pre-order
Learn how to live a healthy life and leave a legacy of wellness by looking both to the past and to the future.
You Are What Your Grandparents Ate takes conventional wisdom about the origins of chronic disease and turns it upside down. Rooted in the work of the late epidemiologist Dr. David Barker, it highlights the exciting research showing that heredity involves much more than the genes your parents passed on to you. Thanks to the relatively new science of epigenetics, we now know that the experiences of previous generations may show up in your health and well-being.
Many of the risks for chronic diseases — including obesity, type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, heart disease and dementia — can be traced back to your first 1,000 days of existence, from the moment you were conceived. The roots of these vulnerabilities may extend back even further, to experiences your parents and grandparents had — and perhaps even beyond.
Similarly, what happens to you will affect your children and grandchildren. That’s why it’s so important to make good dietary choices, get a suitable amount of exercise and be cautious about exposure to toxins. Positive lifestyle changes have been shown to spark epigenetic adjustments that can lead to better health, not only for yourself, your offspring and their children, but also for generations to come.
This book makes hard science accessible. It is a call to action for social as well as personal change, delivering the message that by changing our own health, we can also influence the future of the world.
Judith Finlayson is a bestselling author who has written books on a variety of subjects, from personal well-being and women’s history to food and nutrition. A former national newspaper columnist for The Globe and Mail, magazine journalist and board member of various organizations focusing on legal, medical and women’s issues, she is
also the author of over a dozen cookbooks. Judith lives in Toronto, Canada.
Foreword by Dr. Kent Thornburg, Professor of Medicine and Director of the Center for Developmental Health at the Knight Cardiovascular Institute, and Director of the Bob and Charlee Moore Institute for Nutrition & Wellness at Oregon Health & Science University in Portland, Oregon.
YOU ARE WHAT YOUR GRANDPARENTS ATE
Now Available
Chile peppers bring both sweet and fiery zest to dishes — discover a fascinating and seemingly endless variety within the pages of this delightful book.Contrary to popular belief, a pepper does not need to make your eyes water or start a fire in your mouth to qualify as a chile. “Chile” is simply the common name for the fruit of the capsicum plant and chiles come in a wide variety of colors, shapes and flavors.
There are five major species of chile peppers and thousands of varieties, in a wide range of sizes, shapes and colors. Even experts disagree about how many there actually are. So it is probably not surprising that the spelling for the word itself is somewhat problematic. Is it chili, chilli or chile? You are likely to come across all of those spellings if you are reading up on the topic.
This comprehensive book (which serves as both a reference and a cookbook) from bestselling author and expert researcher Judith Finlayson takes you through dozens of chiles and provides absorbing information on everything from the historical and geographic origins of chiles to information on the Scoville scale (which measures the hotness of a chile and was invented by Wilbur Scoville) to the health benefits of chiles and finally, 250 delicious and inventive recipes.
Full color throughout, this book takes inspiration from chiles and embraces them with an enthusiasm that maximizes their true flavor potential. From fiery Tex-Mex inspired meals to savory and sweet Thai dishes, this incredible collection of recipes is sure to make you a lover of all things chile.
Beef and Chickpea Curry with Spinach
This combination of beef and chickpeas in an Indian-inspired sauce is particularly delicious. I like to serve this with brown basmati rice, not only because I like its pleasant nutty flavor but also for its nutritional value. This is a generous serving (almost 2 cups/500 mL) so there will be more than enough to fill you up.
Butternut Chili
I love this chili. The combination of beef, butternut squash, ancho chiles and cilantro is a real winner in terms of taste, as well as nutrients. Don’t be afraid to make extra — it’s great reheated.
- 2 cups cooked kidney beans (see Tips) 500 mL
- 1 tbsp olive oil 15 mL
- 1 lb lean ground beef 500 g
- 2 onions, finely chopped
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 piece (2 inches/5 cm) cinnamon stick
- 1 tbsp ground cumin 15 mL
- 2 tsp dried oregano 10 mL
- 1 tsp sea salt 5 mL
- 1⁄2 tsp cracked black peppercorns 2 mL
- 1 can (28 oz/796 mL) no-salt added diced tomatoes including juice
- 3 cups cubed (1 inch/2.5 cm) butternut squash 750 mL
- 2 dried New Mexico, ancho or 2 guajillo chiles
- 2 cups boiling water 500 mL
- 1⁄2 cup coarsely chopped fresh cilantro leaves 125 mL
- 1. In a skillet, heat oil over medium-high heat. Add beef and onions and cook, stirring and breaking meat up with a spoon, until beef is no longer pink, about 10 minutes. Add garlic, cinnamon stick, cumin, oregano, salt and peppercorns and cook, stirring, for 1 minute. Add tomatoes with juice and bring to a boil.
- 2. Transfer to slow cooker stoneware. Add squash and beans and stir well. Cover and cook on Low for 6 hours or on High for 3 hours, until squash is tender.
- 3. About an hour before recipe has finished cooking, in a heatproof bowl, soak dried chiles in boiling water for 30 minutes, weighing down chiles with a cup to ensure they remain submerged. Drain, reserving 1⁄2 cup (125 mL) of the soaking liquid. Discard stems and coarsely chop chiles. Transfer to a blender and add cilantro and reserved soaking liquid. Purée.
- 4. Add chile mixture to stoneware and stir well. Cover and cook on High for 30 minutes, until mixture is hot and bubbly and flavors meld. Discard cinnamon stick.
- Tips
- Use 1 cup (250 mL) dried kidney beans, soaked, cooked and drained or 1 can no-salt added (14 to 19 oz/ 398 to 540 mL) canned beans, drained and rinsed.
- If you prefer, soak and purée the chiles while the chili cooks; refrigerate until you’re ready to use.
Shrimp’ n Grits
I first tasted this delectable combination many years ago in Charleston, South Carolina, and I haven’t been able to get enough of it since. Serve this to guests for a special lunch with a crisp green salad or fresh asparagus in season. Or just it enjoy it with your family, as I often do.
Two-Bean Soup with Pistou
I love the flavors in this classic French country soup: the hint of licorice in the fennel and the nip of paprika is nicely balanced by the pleasing blandness of the potatoes and beans.
Santorini-Style Fava Spread
This spread, which is Greek in origin, is unusual and particularly delicious. Although fava beans do figure in Greek cuisine, for most Greek people fava is synonymous with yellow split peas, one of the major indigenous foods of the island of Santorini. In Santorini, they make many dishes using yellow split peas, including this spread. Serve this with warm gluten free flatbread, plain brown rice crackers or celery sticks and wait for the compliments.
Caper-Studded Caponata
I find this version of caponata, which contains a sweet red pepper and capers, particularly delicious. Spread it on your favorite gluten-free crackers or flatbread, or over thinly sliced cucumber or spears of Belgian endive, or that old stand-by, celery sticks.
