Striving4Zen

Demographically speaking, Jewish families are not well designed for heavy holiday spending. UJC found that Jews are more likely to be elderly and childless than the general population. In 2000-2001, 19 percent of Jews in the United States were over 65, compared with 12 percent of the whole population. Nine percent of Jews were 75 or over, compared with 6 percent of the total U.S. population. Not big holiday shoppers.

What's more, Jews, who are less likely to be married, haven't been very good at being fruitful and multiplying. "In all childbearing age groups, Jewish women have given birth to fewer children than U.S. women," the population survey notes. Among Jews, children were only 20 percent of the population, compared with 26 percent of the United States at large.

Jews are doing plenty well as a group, but not well enough to flip GDP. According to the UJC survey, in 2000, 34% of Jewish households had income over $75,000, compared to 17% of all U.S. households. Jewish households had a median income of $54,000, nearly 30% higher than the U.S. median. Some 22% of Jewish households had income of less than $25,000, compared with 28% of all U.S. households.

Bag-a-Plant http://www.pottingshedcreations.com/Index.html

Despite the scientific uncertainty, it still makes sense to drink green tea, says Jeffrey Blumberg, who directs antioxidant research at Tufts University's Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging.

Tea has been shown to do a number of heart-healthy things. In human studies it has relaxed artery walls, potentially lowering the risk of high blood pressure, heart attacks and stroke. It reduces a process that clogs arteries - the oxidation of LDL, or "bad" cholesterol - and lowers rates of atherosclerosis in animals. It increases levels of HDL, or "good" cholesterol.

Maximizing your brew:
Don't use boiling water: It can make green tea taste bitter. Cool boiled water for one to three minutes before adding leaves.

Allow green tea to brew for several minutes - longer than for black tea. Loose tea needs more time than tea bags.

Antioxidants degrade, so if you make iced green tea, drink it within 24 hours.

Steer clear of green tea supplements. They may not provide the same benefits: A 2005 study found that mega-doses of green tea extract actually helped tumors grow.

Check the label if you buy bottled green tea drinks. They may contain mainly sugar and not much green tea.

Michael Jackson may love the children of the world — but he doesn't like Jews, according to a blockbuster new audiotape that apparently captures the Gloved One waxing anti-Semitic to a former business manager.

"They suck," the King of Pop is allegedly heard saying on a voicemail message left the ex-adviser.

"They're like leeches . . . I'm so tired of it . . . they start out the most popular person in the world, make a lot of money, big house, cars and everything. End up penniless. It is conspiracy. The Jews do it on purpose."

The tapes were played for the first time in public yesterday on ABC's "Good Morning America" — a day after another one of Jackson's former business managers, Dieter Wiesner, filed a separate, $64 million lawsuit against him claiming fraud and breach of contract.

Howard King, the lawyer for both Schaffel and Wiesner, told the show that the Hebrew-hating bit of audio was from a message Jackson left with Wiesner.

This isn't the first time Jackson has been caught in an anti-Semitic controversy — his 1996 song "They Don't Care About Us" included the lyrics "Jew me, sue me," and "kike me, kike me."

NY Post http://www.nypost.com/news/worldnews/58167.htm

JAPANESE

Appetizers:
edamame beans (steamed soybeans)
miso soup
grilled veggies and tofu
seaweed salad

Entrées:
teriyaki (chicken or salmon, stir-fried or at the table)
sukiyaki (chicken or beef, marinated, grilled or broiled)
sushi or sashimi
udon (broth with noodles, veggies, tofu, chicken and/or seafood)
yakitori (grilled chicken)
*****
CHINESE

Appetizers:
hot and sour soup
wonton soup
steamed veggie dumplings

Entrées:
Steamed Mixed Vegetables with chicken, shrimp, or tofu
Szechuan prawns or chicken
steamed whole fish
braised prawns or steamed chicken
shrimp or chicken in garlic sauce (sauce on the side)
stir-fried chicken, shrimp or scallops with veggies (sauce on the side, no oil)
*****
ITALIAN

Appetizers:
minestrone soup
pasta fagioli (broth-based soup made with pasta and beans)
grilled calamari
grilled eggplant

Entrées:
linguini with red or white clam sauce
pasta with marinara sauce
pasta primavera (with tomato sauce, not cream sauce)
grilled fish with lemon and capers
chicken or veal piccata
cioppino (fish stew)

Wheatgrass is a relative of wheat. Fresh leaf buds of this plant can be crushed to create a juice or dried to make a powder; the unprocessed plant contains high levels of cellulose which makes it non-digestible. It possesses high amounts of chlorophyll, amino acids, minerals, vitamins, and enzymes. The chlorophyll molecule is similar in structure to hemoglobin, leading some to believe that wheatgrass helps blood flow, digestion and general detoxification of the body.

Wheatgrass is widely acknowledged as one of nature’s existing super foods. When grown in organic soil wheatgrass retains 82 out of the 92 minerals that are present in soil and 1oz of wheatgrass juice is said to contain the same amount of nutrients as 2.5 lbs of green vegetables.

Check out www.dwlz.com for a list of nutritional info. on a large majority of restaurants. But, beware! You may be shocked to see what you've been consuming!

Lite Rice! or How about Brown Rice?

Quite often sushi is served by the piece. That makes it easy to over-order. If you want to save calories, carbs and/or points, order "light rice." To make your meal more filling, bulk it up with an order of oshitashi (boiled spinach with soy sauce).

Sample Rolls:

Cucumber Roll - This crunchy, healthy delight packs in just 130 calories & no fat!
Spicy Tuna Roll - If made with a small amount of mayo, one of these will likely contain between 250 - 290 calories, and 5 - 10g of fat.
California Roll - Order without mayo, and this one will set you back about 275 - 300 calories, and have 5 - 10g of fat.

The FATTY Facts:

"Tempura" - Tempura is basically Japanese for "batter fried." Tempura = a fatfest!
"Spider" - Spider rolls are usually greasy fried crab rolls. They sound good, but they really pack in calories and fat.
"Dynamite" - In sushi-land, the word "dynamite" basically means, "baked in a sea of gooey mayo." Skip it!"Crunch" - Yet another cute & clever way of saying "fried & fatty."

Soaked Oats
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Yields: 1 serving

Ingredients:
1 cup rolled oats
1/4 cup dried fruit (such as blueberries, raisins, cranberries, currents)
1/4 cup flax or sunflower seeds
Water

Directions:

The night before, place all ingredients in a bowl, then fill about 1/2 inch above oats with water. Cover.
Save in a cool, dry place over night.
In the morning, warm with a bit of water over the stove or eat at room temperature.


Variations:

In the morning you can heat up a cup of soy or rice milk to serve with oats and/or cut up fresh fruit to mix in.
Also try pumpkin seeds or chopped nuts to add variety.

Dylan's Candy Bar, the kaleidoscopic Upper East Side emporium for sugarheads, has set up a main-floor outpost at Henri Bendel.

Aside from offering harried holiday shoppers quick fixes for any slumping blood sugar levels, the pop-up shop provides real eye candy, as evidenced by the lollipop trees, giant candy cane columns and stools shaped like peppermints. Henri Bendel has set up an eye-catching window display to reel in pedestrians to its makeshift Candyland, which will be up through the end of the year.

All those sheets of candy dots, jelly beans and other temptations gel with Henri Bendel's holiday theme. On top of that, Dylan's Candy Bar founder Dylan Lauren is "young, modern and hip, with a positive view on life. It was just kismet at that point," said Henri Bendel president Ed Bucciarelli.

But the undisputed man of the evening was hot, hot, hot Patrick Dempsey, the "Grey's Anatomy" sex symbol. Patrick, who has slowly matured from cute and gawky to handsome and assured, was mobbed without mercy. Asked about his new surge of popularity, Dempsey said, "I'm just glad to be working. I'm happy to be at this party. I am so thankful!"

Not just thankful, but generous. As Patrick left the fete, a staffer ran after him, "Oh, Mr. Dempsey, you forgot your gift bag!" The star smiled and said, "Kid, I think I have enough Gucci. You keep it."

Despite the benefits topical vitamin C provides, it is important not to get hung up on any one antioxidant, regardless of its history. Aging is more complicated than just the loss or need for vitamin C--or any other vitamin, enzyme, protein, peptide, fatty acid, amino acid, or lipid in the skin. Although vitamin C is clearly an effective ingredient for skin, there are many antioxidants that are as good, including beta-glucan, vitamin E, vitamin A, green tea, grape extract, selenium, curcumin, lycopene, superoxide dismutase, and on and on. Furthermore, many researchers studying antioxidants and their effects on the human body feel the best plan of attack is to use multiple antioxidants rather than narrowing your choices to a few well-publicized options or the mistaken belief that there is a single "best" antioxidant to apply and consume.

Labels: anti-aging, Anti-oxidant, skincare, Vitamin C

Natto is fermented soybeans that is a traditional Japanese staple for more than 1,000 years. Recently its medical benefits are widely recognized in Japan resulting in its increased popularity. Some of its beneficial effects are prevention of heart attacks, strokes, cancer, osteoporosis, obesity and intestinal disease caused by pathogens. Some of the effects are attributed to its soybean origin.

However, bacillus natto produces various enzymes, vitamins, amino acids and other nutrients unique to natto during its natto fermentation. It is these unique elements that give natto its distinctive health and medical benefits. Notably nattokinase and pyrazine prevent or resolve blood clot. They prevent heart attacks and strokes that are the leading cause of death after cancer in North America.

Fermented Soy Products:

Natto
Miso
Tempeh
Soy sauces
Fermented tofu and soymilk

Many studies have shown traditionally fermented soy--which is the form that is very popular in many Asian cultures--aids in preventing and reducing a variety of diseases including certain forms of heart disease and cancers.

Tahitian Noni: Move over coconut. Tahitian noni is getting a lot of buzz recently for its health and beauty benefits. Traditionally, the noni fruit was used in French Polynesia as a balancing agent for the body, both ensuring a healthy immune system and giving the body energy. Beauty insiders are using noni-infused skincare products that are reputed to fight aging skin, and health food junkies are hitting up health food stores for pure noni juice as a digestive aid. In Dallas there is now even a Tahitian Noni Cafe that sells noni-infused meals and snacks like banana noni crepes. Hey, we’d rather eat this stuff over wheat grass any day.

There are two primary topical ways to exfoliate skin, either with alpha hydroxy acids (AHAs), or with beta hydroxy acid (BHA). There is only one BHA (beta hydroxy acid) and that is salicylic acid, but there are a variety of AHAs. The five major types of AHAs that show up in skin-care products are glycolic, lactic, malic, citric, and tartaric acids. Of these, the most commonly used and most effective AHAs are glycolic and lactic acids. Both of these have the ability to penetrate the skin, plus they have the most accumulated research on their functionality and benefit for skin.

What glycolic, lactic, and salicylic acids both do is "unglue" the outer layer of dead skin cells, allowing healthier cells to come to the surface. Removing this dead layer can improve skin texture and color, unclog pores, and allow moisturizers to be better absorbed by the skin. Both AHAs and BHA affect the top layers of skin, and they help to improve the appearance of sun-damaged, dry, and/or thickened skin. Sun damage in particular causes the top layer of skin to become thicker, creating a dull, rough appearance on the surface of skin.
The primary difference between AHAs and BHA is that AHAs are water-soluble, while BHA is lipid-(oil) soluble. This unique property of BHA allows it to penetrate the oil in the pores and exfoliate accumulated skin cells inside the oil gland that can clog pores. BHA is best used where blackheads and blemishes are the issue, and AHAs are best for sun-damaged, thickened, dry skin where breakouts are not a problem.

AHAs work best at concentrations of 5% to 10% with a pH of 3 to 4, and their effectiveness diminishes as you go above a pH of 4.5. BHA works best at concentrations of between 1% and 2%, and at an optimal pH of 3, diminishing in effectiveness as you go past a pH of 4. Both AHAs and BHA lose their effectiveness as a product's pH goes up or the concentration of the ingredient goes down.
It is interesting to not that at any pH, AHAs provide the added benefit of helping to keep water in the skin at the same time that exfoliation is taking place. This is due to the way they affect skin cells adding increased protection. AHAs can also increase the production of ceramides in the skin, which help keep it moist and healthy.

AHA and BHA products can definitely smooth the skin, fade signs of sun damage, correct uneven skin tone, improve texture, unclog pores, and give the appearance of plumper, firmer skin (because more healthy skin cells are now on the surface). Unfortunately, they have no residual effect—when you stop using them the skin will go back to the condition it was in before you started.

Retinoids (Retin-A, Differin, and Tazorac)
Let me make it perfectly clear that retinoids are not exfoliants, though many people think that’s what they do. Retinoids are a general term referring to a vast range of ingredients derived from vitamin A. Prescription-only, topically applied retinoids are significant for skin because they can positively affect the way cells are formed deep in the dermis.

If you have sun-damaged, dry, wrinkled, or acne-prone skin, you should become familiar with the names Retin-A, Renova, Differin, Avita, and Tazorac, which all contain different forms of retinoids. The active ingredient in Retin-A, Avita, and Renova is tretinoin, Differin uses adapalene, and Tazorac uses tazorotene. In fact, both Renova and Tazorac have been approved by the FDA for the treatment of wrinkles.

Exfoliants such as AHAs and BHA primarily affect the surface of the skin (epidermis) or the lining of the pore by actually ungluing or dissolving layers of skin cells. In contrast, retinoids affects the lower layers of skin (dermis), where new skin cells are produced. Retinoids actually communicate with a skin cell as it is being formed, telling it to develop normally instead of developing as a sun-damaged or genetically malformed skin cell.

Why the confusion about the effect retinoids can have on the skin? Primarily it’s due to the fact that products containing retinoids can cause irritation and inflammation, resulting in the skin becoming flaky and dry. This flaking and dryness is not exfoliation, nor is it a desirable or advantageous result. If retinoids cause your skin to be consistently dry and flaky, it is a problem and you should probably avoid products that contain it or reduce how often you use them.

Despite the valuable effect retinoids can have for skin, don’t expect retinoids to erase wrinkles because they are not a wrinkle cure. However, if skin cells can be produced with a healthier form and shape, the surface of skin will have a smoother appearance, skin cells will do their job of turning over in a more normal fashion, the protective outer layer of skin will remain intact, enhancing the skin’s healing response, and on and on. In essence, the skin will behave and look the way it did (to some extent) before it was damaged by the sun.

Regardless of these positive effects, retinoids will be useless, and the skin will be prone to more damage, if you do not wear a sunscreen as well. Not a wrinkle cream in the world, even one approved by the FDA, can have positive results if you don’t use an effective sunscreen; without that, you are just adding to damage you already have accumulated.

What retinoids, AHA, and BHA products have in common is that once you stop using them, your skin will revert to the way it was before. These products will not produce permanent change. The smooth exterior lasts only as long as you use them. But used together long-term, they are a formidable weapon in the battle against wrinkles and blemishes.

A plant-based diet can help lower cholesterol. This means that 90% of your calories come from fruits, vegetables, whole grains, legumes, nuts, and seeds, and the remaining 10% (or less) come from animal-based foods. With this diet, no more than 20% of your calories should come from fat. Consume most of this fat from plant sources, such as nuts, seeds, olives, and avocados. In addition, you want to avoid eating all trans fats.

Finally, you should consume 45-plus grams of fiber a day and eat most of your food in its natural state. When choosing carbohydrates, stick with complex carbohydrates such as vegetables, legumes, and whole grains rather than white breads and pastas and other refined carbohydrates. These latter foods can cause your insulin levels to spike, which can potentially lead to insulin resistance—a condition that can dramatically worsen an already abnormal lipid profile.

Eating Healthy in the City: Eating Healthy in the City
The Today Show features segments daily on weight related issues. Recently they compared the obesity rate in the United States with other countries. Just look at these numbers and be very afraid.

Country Men Women

U.S. 28% 34%
England 22 23
France 11 11
Japan 3 3

The guest on this segment related her experience that when she moved to the United States she gained 25 lbs. within 3 months. American fast food is a powerful addition. Once tasted it is irresistible and cost effective. Once she returned to Japan and ate as is typical in Japan (fish, soy and very little red meat) the weight fell off. Cancer rates are also much lower in Japan and life expectancy in much older.
Wow, the food we choose to eat can either kill us or keep us healthy. Wake up America it’s time to choose to “Live-it” not Diet!

November 17, 2005 -- Making your hair curly may soon be as simple as popping a pill, scientists say.
For the first time, they've discovered structural differences between straight, wavy and curly hair that may lead to drugs — or even shampoos — that can control hair shape.

A team from L'Oréal in Paris grew hair in the lab to find out what made it curly or straight, and found the hair bulb just under the scalp is hook-shaped in people with curly hair and straight in those with straight hair.

When it emerges from the scalp, the hair shaft retains the shape of the bulb.

"This is a breakthrough," said Dr. Bruno Bernard, head of hair biology at L'Oréal.

Researchers said they now hope to locate the "master switch" that controls follicle shape to make it possible to change hair shape with hormones or drugs.
--Bill Hoffmann

Everything is freakishly well thought out in Helsinki. In what other major city are most of the sidewalks heated to make snow-shoveling obsolete?

"Heavy beading is over. For spring, knitwear is much more feminine, with crochet being a very big trend," said Nicole Fischelis, fashion director for Macy's East. "There are full crochet cardigans or elements of it with crochet trim or fine and feminine pointelle knits. Spring is very delicate and feminine."

Fischelis said Macy's will also carry cotton cable-knit sweaters in a range of colors, but emphasized the importance of white for the season. She said the nautical trend will be present, and important vendors are DKNY, Anna Sui, City Unltd., Tommy Hilfiger, Calvin Klein, Joseph A and, of course, I.N.C., Federated's private label line. She said there will be plenty of T-shirts: romantic with ribbon detail or other feminine details, and urban with tattoo prints and gold foil accents.

ROASTED KALE
Have you ever had roasted kale. It is so easy to eat the whole bunch in a sitting. Here's the recipe:

start with one bunch of kale (I usually make 2 to 3)

Ingredients
one bunch kale
olive oil
sea salt

-Preheat oven to 450.
-Hold base of kale stem in one hand and push leaves off the stem.
-Break or cut leaves into small pieces and place in baking dish (important, make sure leaves are dry)
-Toss lightly with olive oil
-Bake in oven to 5 -- 10 minutes until leaves start to turn crispy. Make sure to stir so that underside gets crispy too.
-Remove from oven and sprinkle with salt and serve.

Option: Try using other vegetables, asparagus, shiitake mushrooms.

Great news for show-tune-loving Jews: The new semi-regular cantor at the New York Synagogue on East 58th Street (an offshoot of the society-packed— and -backed—Hampton Synagogue in Westhampton) has played Jean Valjean in Les Miserables on Broadway and the West End and in his native Tel Aviv. In Dudu Fisher’s debut service earlier this month, he performed traditional Jewish choral pieces accented with outtakes from Les Miz and Phantom of the Opera to a packed house of prayer. Of his new star tenor, Rabbi Marc Schneier says, “We’ve raised the bar in terms of what’s available to the Jewish consumer on the Upper East Side.” The yarmulke-clad Fisher, who was the voice of Moses in the Hebrew-language version of The Prince of Egypt, says, “I was offered many Broadway roles after Les Miz and had to decline because I won’t perform on the Sabbath.” So this represents something of a dream gig for Fisher: “There’s obviously never a problem with singing on Fridays nights.”

Starting next week, New York gets a new hospitality destination for special guests: the Visitor’s Center at Bloomingdale’s.
Benefits available in the Visitor’s Center include coupons, gifts with purchase, multilingual maps and directories, and a staff that speaks eight different languages. Private store tours, fashion shows, and cocktail parties for large groups are also on the Center’s menu of special services. And since everything in fashion needs a velvet rope, the Visitor’s Center comes complete with a VIP desk, where restaurant information, car service, and even theater tickets are available for boldfaced guests.

To celebrate their latest retail adventure, a ribbon-cutting ceremony is scheduled for next Wednesday morning, and little brown bags are mandatory.

More than 2,000 years of the Indian medical system known as Ayurveda have brought the use of many ancient herbs to light. Ashwagandha, a small evergreen shrub, is widely cultivated in India and the Middle East for its medicinal properties.
Traditionally, ashwagandha has been used in many ways--as a sedative, a diuretic, a rejuvenating tonic, an anti-inflammatory agent, and as an "adaptogen" (endurance enhancer). Many Western herbalists refer to this herb as "Ayurvedic ginseng" because of its reputation for increasing energy, strength, and stamina, and for its ability to relieve stress.

Hey, I just like the way it sounds!!

But he insists on making time for exercise - every day. So at least three times a week, instead of sitting through endless business lunch or dinner meetings, Mr. Ferrazzi invites clients and employees to join him for workouts. It's a winning situation, he said: It deepens his relationship with clients and uncovers "found" work time. And like other time-strapped but health-conscious people, he is often glad to avoid going out for another cocktail.

An Upper West Side boite with a downtown sensibility seems unlikely, but Loft is the exception. Located in the space that was once Mod (but you'd never know it, thankfully), Loft offers equal shares of warmth and coolness. The cocktail menu features inventive potions - including such ingredients as basil and cilantro - tapas and even desserts (try a gooey molten curried chocolate cake). Fresh flowers fill the open dining room and cozy lounge area downstairs for a neighborhood experience that's, well, refreshing.
Loft, 505 Columbus Ave., at W. 84th St. (212) 362-6440.

Eliminating time from your morning routine - even if it's only a few minutes - is an impossible dream. So when Paul Mitchell released its Express Style Quick Slip, which promises to accelerate blow-drying by up to 25%, we had to put it to the test. Sure enough, our eight-minute dry time was reduced by a full two minutes. Finally, it's okay to hit the snooze button. $12.95 at Shape NYC, 56 E. 34th St. (212) 779-2465.

JERUSALEM — Wealthy Israelis are paying up to $100,000 just for a chance to sit near the Clintons during their upcoming visit.

Former President Bill Clinton and Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton are the headliner guests at a posh dinner in Tel Aviv Monday to commemorate the opening of the Yitzhak Rabin Center.

A fund-raising letter asking for donations to the center — and offering tickets to the dinner — said seating will be determined "according to the size of the contribution."

"Priority, of course, will be given to the highest contributions," it adds.

The Clintons, possibly with daughter Chelsea, will be visiting Israel this weekend for 10th-anniversary commemorations of the assassination of Rabin, the Nobel Peace Prize-winning Israeli prime minister.

They are scheduled to be seated at a 10-person table along with Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, Prime Minister Ariel Sharon and Jordan's King Abdullah.

The only nondignitary who might make it to their table is Zachi Rachiv, who made millions in the U.S. high-tech field and is bankrolling the $200,000-plus cost of the dinner.

By the way, Aniston was appealingly straightforward and no-nonsense with Larry King the other night. She wouldn't go into Vince Vaughn territory and was not moved by Larry's repeated attempts to lure her there. (She laughed, but adversity has toughened her. There's sand in the sugar now.) She also addressed the subject of the paparazzi: "I'm fair game on the red carpet. I'm fair game walking in here. But I'm on the clock, I'm working. I mean, we don't go to their houses, intrude on their family events, vacations, weddings, funerals." The look on her face suggested she'd love to give the photogs a taste of their own bitter, meddlesome medicine.

Today, Abercrombie is officially opening a 36,000-square-foot, four-level flagship store at 720 Fifth Ave. (watch out Henri Bendel!) with the "full assortment" of Abercrombie merch. Hallelujah.

"THEY'VE done nothing short of calling me gay and her a whore. None of those things are true. I'm pretty firm in my sexuality and my love for women." — Kenny Chesney discussing reports of his split from Renée Zellweger in People

Agar-Agar
A seaweed which is a jelling agent. Rich in calcium and soothing to the digestive tract.

Agave Nectar
Natural sweetener derived from a succulent plan, with the color and consistency of honey.

Arame
Sea vegetable harvested in Japan which is nutrient rich and low in calories.

Babaganoush
Middle Eastern dip of roasted eggplant and spices.

Chapati
Indian flat bread.

Casein
A phosphoprotein derived from milk which is often added to soy cheese products to
improve texture and promote melting.

Dulse
Sea vegetable native to the Atlantic coast which is nutrient rich and low in calories.

Hijiki
A sea vegetable, very high in calcium, phosphorous, iron, protein and vitamins A, B1 and B2.

Millet
Gluten free, easily digested grain. Nutrient rich and high in protein.

Miso
Fermented soybean paste. Rich in amino acids and live enzymes. A fantastic source of protein and a remarkable digestive aid.

Quinoa
An ancient grian like seed with a delicate yet crunchy texture. Good source of protein.

Seitan
Whole wheat flour, water-rinsed to extract the gluten, leaving a high protein and low fat vegetarian wheat meat.

Succanat
Organic dehydrated cane juice.

Tabouli
Light and refreshing Middle Eastern dish, traditionally made with abundant parsley.

Tahini
Sesame seeds ground into a paste, rich in calcium, phosphorous and protein.

Tempeh
Traditional Indonesian fermented soy product. Rich in B-12 and protein, with a nutty flavor.

Tofu
Soybean curd. A source of high quality protein, rich in calcium and cholesterol-free.

Labels: health food

From Liz Smith in today's NY Post:
ISRAELI-BORN hip-hop violinist, Miss Miri Ben-Ari will be the fresh face of Reebok's "I Am What I Am" campaign. Miri is "the epitome of individuality and authenticity" says a Reebok spokesman. I'll say — a hip-hop violinist?! With a wild mane of hair and plenty of "lady lumps" — as Fergie of the Black Eyed Peas sings — Miri is being courted to score, and probably even appear, in movies. (Her new CD single is "We Gonna Win.") Miri will also help design boots, clothing and sneakers that reflect "the real me." And for others who feel real, as well.