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 INTRODUCING DOLE SPA!
We're celebrating the
groundbreaking of the Dole spa, hotel & wellness center (see
Director's Corner for full scoop) with the launching of the
newsletter's newest feature: the Dole Spa.
Every other week,
in addition to our regular recipe, we'll bring you a natural beauty
recipe with ingredients made by Mother Earth. The principles of Dole
Spa are simple:
1) Beauty Foods: What You Eat Affects How You
Look
2) Beauty Recipes: Antioxidants for the Skin
3) Dole
Diet: Weight Loss with Fruits & Vegetables
Here's what
these principles mean and how you put them into
practice:
Beauty Foods
Readers of the DNN know
the importance of proper nutrition in maintaining optimum health.
You've learned, for example, how the antioxidants found in fruits
and vegetables can help prevent the environmental damage done to
your cells by unstable oxygen molecules known as free
radicals.
Well guess what? The same phytochemicals, vitamins,
nutrients and minerals that keep your insides in the pink are
equally essential for clear skin, bright smiles, strong nails and
clear eyes. If you want to look your absolute gorgeous best, keep
these diet guidelines in mind:
* Antioxidants: Found in
abundance in colorful fruits and vegetables, these nutrients help
combat signs of aging caused by the oxidation -- the rust, if you
will -- of our cells. Beauty Foods that are potent sources of
antioxidants include: pomegranates, prunes, concord grape juice,
blueberries, blackberries, purple cabbage, kale, brussels sprouts,
dried plums, kiwis, raspberries, strawberries, raw spinach, oranges,
apples and watercress.
*Essential Fatty Acids: Certain
polyunsaturated oils called "essential" because they must be derived
from our diet, EFAs such as omega-3 and omega-6 may reduce
inflammation that can clog skin and lead to wrinkles. Sources
include seafood such as salmon, sardines, trout and flounder as well
as almonds, walnuts, flaxseed.
*Avoid simple carbs: Some research suggests the insulin
spike caused by simple carbohydrates such as bread, pasta and sweets
may trigger a series of metabolic reactions that can lead to
breakouts.
*Maximize water, moderate alcohol: But you knew
that. Water, and lots of it, will help keep your skin hydrated,
while alcohol in excess of one 4 oz. drink a day can dry it out.
Also some dermatologists say alcohol's dilation of fragile facial
capillaries can cause and exacerbate rosacea.
These
categories obviously oversimplify the many different kinds of
nutrients necessary for all the physiological functions that support
good looks, so for more in-depth info on get-fabulous foods, try
these links:
10 Foods that Beautify
Stop the Clock
More Beauty Foods
Beauty
Recipes
Ever wonder why expensive skin creams tout
ingredients such as vitamin E, vitamin C, grapeseed oil, green tea,
pomegranate, etc.? Because of these vitamins' and compounds'
antioxidant properties, the premise being the same antioxidants that
protect and repair cell damage when ingested should also be able to
help fight oxidative stress when applied to your body's most
extensive organ of all: your skin.
Alpha hydroxy fruit acids
also are often key ingredients in facial and body treatments
designed to exfoliate dead skin cells and promote epithelial
regeneration. There are obviously tons of high-tech, test-tube
generated methods, machines and emulsions engineered to accomplish
the same goal -- made with who-knows-what kind of additives and sold
to you in expensive packaging. But why spend a fortune on skin care
products and spa treatments when natural recipes -- with potent
antioxidants and naturally occurring fruit acids -- can be whipped
up right in your kitchen?
The Dole spa is expected to open up
in December of next year. But you don't have to wait to start
enjoying the benefits of natural beauty. Every other week we'll
bring you new natural beauty fixes like banana masks for sensitive
skin, jojoba oil hand treatments or a pumpkin-papaya peel. We'll
start off simple with something that's in peak season: a luscious,
avocado moisturizing mask.
Dole Diet
Finally,
looking your best means maintaining a healthy weight. Pound for
pound, fruits and vegetables have fewer calories than other food
groups -- plus they have plenty of fiber, so they'll help you feel
full. Eating a broad variety of fruits and vegetables also helps
ensure that your body is receiving the full spectrum of nutrients,
minerals, vitamins and phytochemicals it needs to function, thereby
minimizing the chance of diet-sabotaging cravings.
Fad diets
may work in the short term, but when it comes to losing weight and
keeping it off over time, a low saturated fat, complex-carb diet
rich in fruits and vegetables is the uncontested winner for
long-term losers. Data from the National Weight Control Registry,
which maintains records on more than 3,000 individuals who have had
success keeping off a minimum of 30 pounds, weigh in on the side of
such low-fat, low-cal, complex carb regimines.
More recent
findings by Linda van Horn of Northwestern University
reinforce the weight-maintenance benefits of a diet rich in fruits
and vegetables.
SLEEP LATE, LOSE WEIGHT, LOOK GREAT
Want an
easy, relaxing, inexpensive and extremely effective spa treatment --
guaranteed by multiple studies to improve your skin, rev your
metabolism and boost your immune system? Try the eight-hour full
body sheet wrap.
National Sleep Awareness Week (March 28 to
April 4) should serve as a national snooze-button for those 47
million American adults who get by with less than eight hours of
sleep. Cheating Morpheus may save time -- but at what cost to your
health, your weight, your looks?
Beauty sleep is essential
for banishing more than those dark circles under your eyes. It's
also a key ingredient for healthy skin.
Night time is
the right time for skin repair and production of new skin cells,
collagen and elastin (connective proteins that give skin its
elasticity).
The secret to successful dieting may also lie between the
sheets. No-doze dieters sabotage themselves, both by altering the
body's metabolism and by affecting our behavior. Sleep deprivation
may trick you into feeling hungry even when you're full by raising
levels of cortisol, a hormone that affects appetite. Sleep-loss may
also increase fat storage by impeding the body's
ability to efficiently metabolize carbohydrates.
Research
from the University of Chicago also suggests that too little sleep
may lower levels of leptin, a weight-regulating hormone produced by
fat cells to tell the brain you've had enough to
eat.
Needless to say, not getting enough rest makes it harder
to muster the energy to exercise -- and saps your strength and
endurance when you do.
Missed ZZZs take a toll on health in
other ways by hampering adequate production of antibodies needed to
fight infection. Stiffing the Sandman raises the
risk of heart disease and may hasten the onset and increase the
severity of diabetes.
Don't worry, get sleepy?
A 2002 National Sleep Foundation poll found that 21% of
the sleep-deprived said they were dissatisfied with their lives and
12% said they were angry -- nearly three times the levels found
among the adequately rested.
Of course, nothing's worse than
turning in only to toss and turn without getting to sleep. Women are more likely than men to experience symptoms
of insomnia, as well as experience feelings of sleepiness during
the day.
Could it be something you ate? Possible culprits: alcohol, too few carbohydrates
in diet or too much protein before going to bed.
Click here to learn more abut the food-sleep
connection. Or check out the National Sleep Foundation's Top Ten Sleep Tips.
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 MARCH IS PEAK ASPARAGUS MONTH
Sometimes
referred to as the aristocrat of vegetables, the asparagus reigns as
Americans' favorite vegetable according to a Bon Appetit survey of 10,000 readers. This very
popular veggie garnered 51% of the vote, compared to broccoli's 32%
and corn's 24%.
The elegant looking asparagus is actually a
member of the lily family and is related to onions, leeks and
garlic. Contrary to conventional belief, when it comes to flavor and
tenderness of this springtime spear, size does not matter: Young
plants simply yield fatter stalks than those that are more
mature.
A four-spear serving of asparagus contains only 14
calories, is an excellent source of folate and a good source of
vitamin A. Healthful diets with adequate folate may reduce a woman's
risk of having a child with a brain or spinal cord defect. It's best
to consume asparagus spears the day you buy them, since flavor and
vitamins tend to diminish the longer you keep them. But if you need
to store your asparagus overnight, cut off the ends and place the
stalks upright in a bowl of water in the refrigerator.
EATING OURSELVES TO DEATH
The top nutrition
news recently was a new government study that warned that obesity will soon surpass smoking as the leading
cause of preventable death. 400,000 Americans die each year because
they eat too much and move too little -- just 35,000 less than the
number knocked off by that nasty nicotine habit. The results
appeared two weeks ago in the Journal of American Medical
Association.
For a contrarian reaction to this report we turn
to the ideologically unpredictable blogger Andrew Sullivan. "What's to be done?" asks the
former New Republic editor, his answer: "Nothing." Sullivan smugly
calls this indifference "libertarian," but such cynicism gives
self-ownership a bad name.
You don't have to be a statist to
recognize there's plenty to be done to combat obesity, mostly by
private individuals, industry and organizations. How about
education, or outreach to elderly and minority groups, or parents'
boycotting companies who market unhealthy products to kids, or
simply making better choices in our personal lives?
CONGRESS BANS OBESITY LAWSUITS
Should fast
food chains be liable for making their customers fat? The U.S. House of Representatives said "no" March 10
in a 276-139 vote weighted along party lines. Republicans sponsored
the bill to ban such lawsuits, emphasizing "personal responsibility"
and decrying an overly litigious society. Democrats sided with the
trial lawyers who stand to rake in big bucks should they succeed in
making the food industry the next "big tobacco."
So far such
suits have not won many court victories, though they certainly have
lit a fire under food companies to double-time efforts to take out
trans-fats and make portion sizes more reasonable. The legislation
is not expected to pass the closely divided Senate.
ATKINS? ACHTUNG!
While the Dr. Fatkins
controversy continues to brew over whether the recently deceased
low-carb diet doctor was in fact obese at the time of his death and
whether his history of heart disease may have been aggravated by his
weight problem, a meeting of the American Heart Association on
nutrition and heart disease brought more warnings of the dangers of
overloading your system with saturated fat and meat while skimping
on fruits and vegetables.
A survey done by Dr. Randal Thomas
of the Mayo Clinic found a marked increase in saturated fat and cholesterol
intake over the past five years, a trend he associates with the
popularity of the Atkins diet and other low-carb imitators. As a
consequence, Dr. Thomas sees more cardiovascular disease in our
future: "Any diet that recommends increases in saturated fat could
be increasing the risk in the population."
His colleague,
Linda van Horn of Northwestern University, conducted an
international study that observed the more animal protein a person
consumed, the higher his or her weight tended to be. The
study assessed the diets of more than 4,000 people in the U.S.,
U.K., Japan and China. "Lo and behold, what we did find is that
without exception, a high complex-carbohydrate, high-fiber, high
vegetable-protein diet was associated with low body-mass index," Van
Horn said.
Too much meat might make you so fat that you won't
be able to see the terrible things such excessive protein
consumption can do to your tootsies. Yes, gout. As Dickensian as it
sounds, a new 12-year study of more than 47,000 men in the New England
Journal of Medicine suggests meat-rich diets such as Atkins could
increase the risk of developing gout, an ailment caused by the
deposits of uric acid in blood and tissues formed by the breakdown
of chemicals called purines found in high-protein foods. The study
found the more meat the men consumed -- particularly beef, pork and
lamb -- the higher their risk of developing the inflammatory joint
ailment. The upshot: you will rue the ruminants you chew
(Ew!).
More concern over carnivoracious diets:
A Yale
study published in the March issue of the American Journal of
Epidemiology links high consumption of protein and animal fats with
an increased risk of developing non-Hodgkin's lymphoma. The study
also found a reduced risk of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma associated with
diets high in fruits and vegetables.
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 THE NEW DOLE SPA
On March 12, Gov. Arnold
Schwarzenegger joined Dole Chairman David Murdock to kick off
construction of a health and wellness complex unlike anything ever
built before. "This is going to be an extraordinary
center,"Schwarzenegger said at the groundbreaking ceremony. "This is
going to be one of those places the whole world will
know."
If health is the new religion, then the combination
spa/clinic/hotel and wellness center being built on 20 acres across
from Dole Headquarters in Westlake Village, Calif., promises to be
its Mecca.
Thousands of spa-goers and health-seekers are
expected to flock to the more than 700,000-square-foot complex that
will also house a 1,600-square-foot fitness facility, a wellbeing
gallery and education center, plus a television production studio to
focus on health and nutrition-related programming. For those who
manage stress through retail therapy, a variety of vendors will
cater to health-oriented shoppers.
Encouraged by the success
of the Dole Nutrition Institute, which Murdock launched to promote
nutrition education, the wellness complex will provide people with
not just the knowledge but the tools and treatment necessary to
prevent disease and slow the aging process. "It has long been my
belief that Dole has a vital role to play in helping consumers eat
healthier and thus live living longer, more vibrant lives," Murdock
said. "This new complex is the consummation of that vision and
goal."
One of the more unique features of the project will be
a proprietary test offered by the center's medical and diagnostic
facility that can actually measure the rate at which a patient's DNA
damage is occurring. This test will then serve as an objective
benchmark to determine the efficacy of the nutrition, diet and
health programs individually designed for each patient.
Acres
of elegantly landscaped walking and running paths, ponds, fountains,
waterfalls and gardens will provide an idyllic sanctuary for guests
to enjoy the area's average of 330 sunny days a year, whether
outside or in the structure's airy, light-filled interior. A
sky-lighted pool opens up to luxurious gardens and terraces via
sliding walls.
Located 35 miles northwest of Los Angeles, the
site combines convenience with the rugged beauty of the nearby Santa
Monica Mountains, making it an ideal destination both for
stressed-out Angelenos seeking day treatment as well as for those
who want to immerse themselves in the total wellness experience for
an extended stay.
The health and beauty spa will feature more
than two dozen treatment rooms, each with private outdoor gardens,
plus a lap pool, watsu pool, hydrotherapy pools, Vichy showers and
steam rooms. Spa treatments such as lomi lomi massage and lava rock
massage reflect Dole's Hawaiian roots, while ayurvedic treatments
such as Abhyanga (two-person, synchronized hot oil) massage and
Shirodara reflect a holistic bent.
In addition to the
wellness center in Westlake Village, it is anticipated that a
wellness center will be developed at the Manele Bay Hotel on the
Island of Lana'i, Hawaii. The Manele Bay Hotel is owned by an
affiliate of Dole.
"Any time that David Murdock does
anything, it's always extremely successful," said Gov.
Schwarzenegger. "I've seen the plans. It's absolutely remarkable.
I've never seen anything in the world like this. It [will be] the
most advanced spa in the world," he said, adding, "I know my wife
will be here every day." Me too!
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"Cream" of Asparagus and Pea Soup
Reprinted
with permission from More Soy Cooking, John Wiley
& Sons, Inc., 2000 ©Marie Oser
Rich in the goodness of
soy, this elegant soup gets its velvety texture from a clever blend
of potatoes, silken tofu and miso finish. Be sure to trim the tough
ends from the asparagus.
10 Servings
1 1/2 teaspoon
olive oil
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper
8 cloves garlic,
minced
1 medium, sweet onion, chopped (Vidalia, Maui, etc.)
1
large shallot, minced
2 stalks celery, with tops chopped
4
cups peeled, diced potatoes
4 cups vegetable broth, boiling
("chicken" flavored, if available)
12 oz. fresh asparagus,
trimmed & cut in to 3-inch pieces
1 1/2 cups frozen peas,
thawed
1 (12.3 oz. pkg.) lite silken tofu
1/2 cup nutritional
yeast
1/3 cup mellow white miso
1/4 cup white wine
1
teaspoon lemon pepper
1 teaspoon granulated garlic
2
tablespoons chopped fresh tarragon
1 teaspoon ground sage
1/2
teaspoon dried thyme
Fresh tarragon for garnish
In a 5
quart saucepan, warm oil and crushed pepper over medium high flame,
1 minute. Add the garlic, onion, shallots and celery and saute 3
minutes before adding the potatoes. Cook mixture 10 minutes,
stirring frequently. Add the hot broth, asparagus and peas. Bring to
a boil; then reduce heat to low, simmering about 15 minutes or until
the vegetables are tender. Remove the soup in batches to the food
processor and puree each batch. Return the pureed soup to the pot
and continue to simmer. Place the tofu in the food processor; blend
until smooth, add nutritional yeast and blend. Remove 2 cups of
puree and add to the tofu mixture. Process with the tofu mixture and
return to the pan, stirring to blend. In a small bowl, blend the
miso with the wine and add to the soup along with the spices. Simmer
soup 5 minutes, or until ready to serve. Do not
boil.
Enlightened Cream of Asparagus & Pea
Soup
Nutrition Analysis per 12 oz. serving
Protein: 13
g
Carbohydrate: 27g
Fiber: 5 g
Fat: 1 g
Cholesterol: 0
mg
Calcium: 69 mg
Sodium: 223 mg
Calories: 166 (Calories
from Protein: 29%, Calories from Carbohydrates: 61%, Calories from
Fat: 10%)
Traditional Cream of Asparagus & Pea
Soup
Nutrition Analysis per 12 oz. serving
Protein: 13
g
Carbohydrate: 23 g
Fiber: 4 g
Fat: 24 g
Cholesterol:
79 mg
Calcium: 192 mg
Sodium: 772 mg
Calories: 363
(Calories from Protein: 15%, Calories from Carbohydrates: 25%,
Calories from Fat: 60%)
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AVOCADO MOISTURIZING MASK
Avocados have been
cultivated in Central America for over 7,000 years. Ancient Aztecs
believed this fruit fed the skin from within and without. Later,
generations of Mexican women used it to nourish dry, dehydrated,
sun-damaged and mature skin. Avocados are available in abundance in
March and can help you heal your winter-weary complexion so that
you'll face spring with a rosy glow.
The monounsaturated
fatty acids that give avocado its rich, velvety texture can help to
replenish the skin's lost moisture, while potent antioxidants fight
free radical damage. Avocados are also a good source of vitamin C,
which helps maintain collagen -- the most important component of
connective tissue contributing to the underlying foundation of your
skin.
Our recipe couldn't be simpler: Mash the flesh of a
ripe avocado with a fork. For extra dry skin add some olive oil --
for less oily skin, add a squeeze of an acidic citrus fruit like
lemon or grapefruit. Spread on your face and let it sit for 15
minutes, rinse with tepid water, pat dry.
For bonus benefits:
Steep a green tea bag in hot water before you prepare the avocado
treatment. Wait until the tea is completely cooled off (the 15
minutes of your mask time should do it) then after you've rinsed off
the mask use the tea as a tonic to freshen your face and apply a
final layer of protective antioxidants.
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