Improper eating attitudes are present in almost one out of three Canadian girls aged 12-18 years, and in a growing number of boys, says Merryl Bear, director of the National Eating Disorder Information Centre in Toronto.
These behaviours can affect an individual’s ability to achieve her academic potential, social adjustment, and have long-term health consequences for her brain and bones.
For my University of Saskatchewan counselling practicum, I had the privilege of learning from the team at the BridgePoint Center for Eating Disorders in Milden, Sask. BridgePoint offers programs for adolescents, families, adult women and men. This is a non-profit provincial resource that provides rehabilitation, recovery and healing for people experiencing eating disorders. BridgePoint services are linked to and integrated with other health services, working in partnership with Heartland Health Region and Saskatchewan Health.
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BridgePoint sees eating disorders as coping mechanisms that replace healthy ways of dealing with stressful and traumatic experiences or conflicts. People with eating disorders often dissociate from their feelings and consequently do not have a clear sense of self. In the recovery process, the person develops an understanding of the issues underlying the eating disorder and how it is related to unexpressed feelings and personal pain.
A former participant, Yona McGinnis, wrote in the Jan. 8 Edmonton Journal, “BridgePoint saved my life. … The intense therapeutic environment provides participants with an opportunity to examine their behaviours, become in touch with the origins of those behaviours, and experiment with healthy alternatives, all in a safe, supported environment.”
A medical referral is necessary to enter the program but weekend retreats are self-referral.
As Pluto said: “The beginning is the most important part of the work.”
For more information, go to www.bridgepointcenter.ca or call the centre at 306-935-2240, or fax 306-935-2241.
A participant with BridgePoint shared these crackers with us.
Lavish cracker bread
1 cup warm water 250 mL
1 teaspoon granulated 5 mL
sugar
1 package dry active yeast
2 1/2 tablespoons 38 mL
olive oil
3 1/4 cups unbleached 800 mL
flour
1 3/4 teaspoons salt 8 mL
sesame seeds
poppy seeds
caraway seeds
Add sugar to water in medium bowl. Mix. Add yeast. Allow to stand 10 minutes. Add oil.
Combine flour and salt and blend in food processor.
With machine running, add yeast mixture. Scrape down sides until dough is a soft ball. Take out and knead for a few minutes. Transfer to an oiled bowl. Turn the dough to coat with oil. Cover and let rise for 1 to 1 1/2 hours.
Preheat oven to 350 F (180 C). Turn out dough on an unfloured table. Flatten. Divide into 16 pieces. Roll out very thin.
Place on ungreased cookie sheet. Brush with water and sprinkle with seeds. Cut into small squares and bake at 350 F (180 C.) for 15-20 minutes. Watch carefully, as they brown quickly.
Crafty bracelet
Another participant showed me this bracelet craft. You need 45-48 safety pins, multi-coloured beads, elastic thread and a glue gun.
Put beads on each safety pin. Then arrange the pins next to each other with heads pointed in opposite directions.
Thread the elastic thread through the safety pins, placing one bead between each pin. Each pin will be head to bottom with the next pin. Pull tight, and form a knot.
Do this at both ends. When you are finished, you should have a bracelet. Reinforce the knots with a spot of glue.
Herbed lentil loaf
This was made by a member of the BridgePoint staff. It makes 6 to 8 servings.
4 1/2 cups water 1.125 L
2 cups lentils, picked 500 mL
over and rinsed
1/2 pound firm tofu, 225g
crumbled
1/4 cup rolled oats 50 mL
1/4 cup soy sauce 50 mL
1/4 teaspoon freshly 1 mL
ground black pepper
1 cup minced fresh 250 mL
parsley
1/2 cup finely chopped 25 mL
fresh basil or 2
teaspoons (10 mL) dried basil
2 tablespoons finely 30 mL
chopped fresh thyme
or 1 teaspoon (5 mL) dried thyme
1 teaspoon sage 5 mL
1 tablespoon olive oil 15 mL
3 ribs celery, with leaves,
finely chopped
1 medium onion, finely chopped
3 garlic cloves, minced
Topping:
1 cup raw almonds 250 mL
2 tablespoons 30 mL
yeast flakes
1 tablespoon soy sauce 15 mL
Preheat the oven to 350 F (180 C). Lightly oil an eight-by-eight inch (20 x 20 cm) baking pan.
Put 3 1/2 cups (875 mL) of the water and the lentils in a large saucepan. Cover and bring to a boil over medium-high heat, then immediately reduce the heat and simmer until the water is absorbed, 50-60 minutes.
Meanwhile, put the tofu, the remaining one cup (250 mL) water, the oats, soy sauce and pepper in a blender and blend until smooth.
Add the parsley, basil, thyme and sage, and pulse just to mix. Transfer to a large bowl.
Heat the olive oil in a large frying pan over medium-high heat.
Add the celery, onion, and garlic and cook until softened, about six minutes. Add to the tofu mixture.
Add the cooked lentils to the tofu-vegetable mixture, and stir to mix. Press the mixture firmly into the prepared pan and bake for 15 minutes.
Meanwhile, put the almonds, yeast flakes and soy sauce in a food processor, and pulse to coarsely chop. Sprinkle the topping over the top of the lentil loaf and bake for 15 minutes more. Let the loaf cool for 10 minutes before cutting into squares.
Source: Diet for a New World by John Robbins, Avon Health Cookbook, New York.
Serve with a mushroom sauce on the side.
Mushroom miso sauce
You can use this sauce on mashed potatoes, steamed vegetables, and nut loaves because it looks like old-fashioned gravy and has a rich taste.
1/4 cup whole wheat 50 mL
pastry flour
1/3 cup nutritional yeast 75 mL
flakes
1/4 cup brown rice miso 50 mL
1/2 cup hot water 125 mL
1 tablespoon olive oil 15 mL
1 small onion, finely chopped
1 cup thinly sliced 250 mL
mushrooms
2 cups water 500 mL
Put the flour in a small dry frying pan over medium heat and toast, stirring often, until it has darkened evenly to a light brown. Transfer the flour to a medium bowl.
In a small bowl, stir the nutritional yeast, miso and hot water together.
In a medium saucepan, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the onion and cook, stirring until softened, about five minutes. Add the mushrooms and cook, stirring, until lightly browned, about five minutes.
Meanwhile, add the two cups (500 mL) water to the browned flour and whisk until combined.
Whisk the flour mixture into the mushrooms, and simmer, whisking often, until the mixture is thickened, one to two minutes. Stir in the nutritional yeast and miso mixture. Bring just to a simmer, and remove from the heat. Serve hot.
Granola bar treat
Dear TEAM: Would you have a granola bar recipe similar to the one Starbuck’s coffee shop has? – J.D. Dapp, Alta.
Dear J.D.: We don’t have a Starbuck’s nearby, so haven’t had a chance to try out its granola bars. You mentioned you would like some nutritional bars.
You might also add dried fruit, such as apricots, to this recipe that Alma found on the internet. It comes from the Territorial Farmers Association newsletter in Hay River, N.W.T.
Granola snack bars
1/4 cup butter or 50 mL
margarine
4 cups miniature 1 L
marshmallows
1 cup rolled oats 250 mL
1 cup crushed 250 mL
graham crackers
1/2 cup flaxseed 125 mL
1/2 cup raisins, 125 mL
chopped
1/4 cup raw sunflower 50 mL
seeds, shelled
1/4 cup unsweetened, 50 mL
fine coconut
In a large saucepan, over low heat, melt butter. Add marshmallows, cook, stirring constantly until marshmallows are melted and mixture is smooth. Remove from heat. Stir in all other ingredients until thoroughly coated. Press into a greased 9 x 13 inch (22 x 34 cm) pan with greased fingers. For a thicker bar, press into a nine-by-nine inch (22 x 22 cm) pan. Let cool. Cut into six rows lengthwise and four crosswise. Yield: 24 bars.
Barbara Sanderson is a home economist from Rosetown, Sask., and one of four columnists comprising Team Resources. Send correspondence in care of this newspaper, Box 2500, Saskatoon, Sask., S7K 2C4, or send e-mails to team@producer.com.
