Maca has been used as a food and medicine staple in the Peruvian Andres for thousands of years but more recently has made a name for itself as an energizing superfood! This root from the potato family is commonly available in the U.S. in dried powder form at all health food stores and some regular grocery stores. Maca is nearly 10% protein and contains 20 amino acids; it's also packed with fiber, iron, and 21% of your daily allowance for vitamin E. Here are some other reasons to think about incorporating maca into your diet: 1. Boosts energy and endurance Do you feel tired often, even after you get a decent night's sleep? Most of us do these days because life is just super busy and seems to never slow down. Maca offers a non-caffeinated energy boost that gently stimulates the thyroid adrenal glands to give you a natural feeling of energy without a caffeine crash later in the day. 2. Helps relieve symptoms of PMS and menopause Maca works with the endocrine system to stimulate and nourish the hypothalamus and the pituitary glands which are the "master glands" that regulate thyroid, adrenal, pancreatic, ovarian, and testicular function. It is thought to work as an adaptogen assisting the body to either regulate hormone production upward or downward depending on the body's individual needs. Because of this, Maca has been known to relieve symptoms of PMS and menopause including pelvic pain, cramps, and hot flashes. There are several types of maca, but yellow maca has shown to have the best results in this category for women. 3. Increases libido Because maca helps to balance hormones naturally, many people also experience a nice boost in libido. It can help to promote sexual function in both men and women and has been described as an aphrodisiac by many. Black maca has shown to be particularly effective for men's fertility as it can help to increase sperm production and motility. 4. Helps to stabilize mood and combat depression Yet another benefit of a happily nourished and well functioning endocrine system is a stable mood. As maca helps to balance your hormones, you may also notice that it can help to stabilize your mood and decrease feelings of depression and anxiety. 5. Improves skin health Maca is packed with vitamin E which is a key nutrient for strong immunity and healthy skin and eyes. Getting the right amount of vitamin E can help to protect skin from damage and help to clear acne and blemishes. Maca powder has a slightly "malty" taste and I prefer it stirred into puddings or added to my morning smoothie. Try our Chocolate-Maca Chia Pudding or add it into your morning green smoothie. Maca can very stimulating for some, so start small with a small dose...try 1/2 teaspoon once daily with breakfast. A Few Things To Keep In Mind**: 1. Always consult with your physician before adding any new supplement.This includes maca. 2. Do not add maca to your diet if you have high blood pressure, liver issues, or a hormone dependent cancer like breast or prostate cancer or if you are pregnant or nursing. 3. Do not add maca to hot food, as it will lose it's benefits. 4. Start with a small amount of maca until you know how it will affect you. I recommend 1/2 teaspoon every other day, always in the first half of the day. You can work up to 2 teaspoons per day but most people find that 1/2 to 1 teaspoon a day or even every few days is plenty. 5. If you find maca to beneficial to you and begin to use it on a regular basis, I recommend taking 2 days off each week so that you don't get overstimulated or have any adverse affects. So take it Monday through Friday and then take Saturday and Sunday off. I've been using maca powder consistently now for about 4 weeks as part of my adrenal recovery treatment and I've personally experienced several of these benefits. ~Billie **As with adding any new supplement to your diet, you should always consult your physician and/or work directly with a licensed health care provider. Maca root is not recommended for kids, pregnant women, anyone with a hormone dependent cancer, or women in hormone replacement therapy unless otherwise directed by a treating physician.
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Did you know mint has one of the highest antioxidant capacities of any food? Its true...in fact all those potent antioxidants add up to some great health benefits that we'd like to share with you in this week's edition of What's That?! Wednesday. Mint or "mentha" in a genus group of about 15-20 plants - some of the most common ones are those we see in our grocery stores like peppermint and spearmint. If you've never really used it, here are a host of reasons why you should consider incorporating it into your diet. Health Benefits of Mint:
You can incorporate fresh mint into your diet in many ways. It is used more heavily in ethnic dishes like Thai and Greek meals, but I love to use it during the summer with fresh fruits and vegetables. You can add freshly chopped mint to fruit salads, green salads, roasted vegetables, curries, stir fries, herbal teas, or adult beverages. Check out a few of our favorite recipes: Summer Herbal Mint Iced Tea Roasted Vegetable Tabbouleh Seasonal Fruit Salad with Citrus-Mint Dressing Mint Chocolate Chip Green Smoothie So what are you waiting for? Go grab handfuls of mint from your garden and get cooking! ~Billie Summer is here, and if you or anyone that has lived at or near your house in the last 50 or so years has ever planted mint, you probably are starting to have buckets of it. My favorite use for mint (other than mojitos, obviously) is for tea. It's refreshing in a way that plain water isn't, and mint is super good for you (see our Health Benefits of Mint post).
So, here's the skinny on how to make Summer Herbal Mint Iced Tea. I make up an enormous batch and then keep it in a pitcher in the fridge and drink it for a few days. Summer Herbal Mint Iced Tea (PRINT RECIPE) Serves as many people as you want to share it with. Ingredients: Fresh mint leaves, any variety (peppermint, spearmint, chocolate mint, etc.) Water Green or black tea bags (optional) In general, one handful of mint will flavor 2 cups of water, and I would use 1 teabag for every 3-4 cups of water, if you’re using tea at all. This is not a precise science—I usually just fill up the biggest pot I have with water and then use as much mint as will easily fit. Directions:
Basil-Mint: You could add basil to the tea as well for a more complex flavor. I’d do only a couple of leaves per cup of water, in addition to the mint. Ginger-Mint: Drop an inch of peeled ginger root in the boiling water with the mint. This is a great combination to calm and soothe and upset tummy. Cucumber-Mint: Just add sliced cucumbers to the pitcher or jar right before you put it in the fridge. Stay cool! ~Jen This simple food preservation trick will save you time and money and make you feel like the organized kitchen diva you are! We've all been there...you make a dish whose ingredients call for 1 tablespoon tomato paste or include 1 chipotle chili and 1 tablespoon adobo sauce...but what do you do with the leftover can of chipotle chilis and sauce? Place it in an airtight container in the fridge and try to figure out how to make eight other dishes that include 1 chipotle chili in the next 7-10 days before it goes bad? I don't think so...we've got a better solution for you! It's pretty simple. Just pull out a clean, empty ice cube tray and place 1 chipotle chili and 1 tablespoons adobo sauce in each ice cube slot, filling it almost all the way full. You add a splash of water or olive oil as well to give yourself more sauce to freeze if needed. Cover lightly with plastic wrap and freeze overnight. Then remove the frozen cubes from the tray and place in a freezer safe container or zip lock bag for future use. The next time you need 1 chipotle chili and 1 tablespoon adobo sauce for a recipe, grab a cube or two and place them in a bowl to defrost in the fridge the morning of your meal or a couple hours prior. This trick works great for any small amount of sauce like tomato paste, tomato sauce, or pesto. You can also do this trick with fresh garden herbs - either the abundant amount coming out of your garden right now or the leftovers from store bought herbs. Each little package of store bought herbs can run you from $1.99 to $5.99 and you may only use 1/4 to 1/2 of what is contained in that packet, so this little trick will save you LOTS of money! Just fill each ice cube slot 2/3 full of chopped or whole herb sprigs, then pour olive oil, grapeseed oil, melted coconut oil, or melted, organic grass-fed butter or organic ghee over the herbs, filling the cubes almost to the top. Cover with plastic wrap and freeze overnight. Then pop them out the next morning and store in a freezer safe container or plastic bag. This works great for any herb that may use in a stir fry, sauce, soup, stew, or casserole in the future. You can just drop the frozen cube into the pot or pan when you are ready to cook your meal. Lastly, don't forget to label your cubes ingredients - they all kinda look similar once frozen:) Check out our blog, Preserving Your Herbs, for a couple more tips and tricks for drying herbs. Happy preserving!
~Billie & Jen Arrowroot powder is a natural thickening agent derived from a tropical root found in South America. It was given its name because it was originally used as a remedy to pull poison out of natives wounded by poisoned arrows. Today, you can find it in most grocery stores in the baking isle next to flours, baking powder, and cornstarch. We use Bob's Red Mill brand because it is usually the one stocked at most stores. It will thicken sauces, soups, stews, and pie fillings just the same as cornstarch but is a much healthier choice. In this week's edition of What's That?! Wednesdays, we discuss why we like to use this powdery, white substance as a more nutritious substitute for cornstarch. Why Is Arrowroot a Better Choice over Cornstarch?
When cooking with arrowroot, keep in mind that it doesn't do as well at high temperatures. It's best at medium to low simmers and oven temperatures under 375 degrees. It works great for pie fillings, puddings, muffins, biscuits, sauces (like for Asian food dishes), stews, and soups! Happy Cooking & Baking! ~Billie & Jen Legumes offer an excellent source of plant-based protein and host of of amazing list of health benefits, but for some of us they can be difficult to digest. So if you are someone who gets a bit gassy or bloated when consuming beans and/or lentils, you should consider soaking dry legumes instead of buying canned. Why Consider Soaking Beans:
Most all legumes needs to be soaked prior to cooking them, including: black beans, chickpeas/garbanzo beans, kidney beans, cannellini beans, great white northern beans, navy beans, pinto beans, red beans, soy beans, split peas, and black-eyed peas. Legumes that typically do not need to be soaked prior to cooking are: lentils, mung beans, and adzuki beans. Simple Soaking and Cooking Instructions: Makes: About 2 1/4 cups cooked beans**
**We highly recommend double or tripling the batches since doing this process EVERY time you use beans in a recipe could be time consuming. Freeze them in 2 cup measurements - this will allow you to have enough beans for a few meals on hand. You can freeze soaked, cooked beans in a freezer safe container for up to 3 months. Just defrost in the fridge the morning of your meal. Let us know if you have any questions or comments. Happy soaking! ~Jennifer and Billie One of the goals of our What's That?! Wednesday posts is to introduce you to new foods, their health benefits, and how to incorporate them into your diet. This week's post focuses on the amazing adzuki bean!! These tiny reddish-brown beans have a thin white stripe making them easy to identify. They are sold in most regular grocery stores in cans alongside all the other beans. Eden Organic is one brand, or you can buy them dry, which is what we recommend. These beans are one of the staples of the macrobiotic diet because of their detoxifying characteristics and are praised in traditional Chinese medicine as supportive to kidney, bladder, and reproductive health. Did you know that Adzuki beans are also said to be the easiest bean to digest? It's true, if your tummy is sensitive to beans, you should really give these a try...you may find these are a great option for you. Adding beans to your diet in general can help to regulate metabolism and keep you feeling fuller longer because beans are chock full of protein and fiber. Adzuki beans are more traditionally used in Chinese and Japanese dessert dishes by boiling them with sugar and making them into a paste or cream, so they do have a sweeter tone than most beans. But we'd venture to say you will find them balanced with a nutty flavor, making them a great choice for savory dishes as well. Adzuki beans can be used just like any bean - in chili's, soups, salads, mashed into burgers/patties, etc. Try our Adzuki Bean & Quinoa Tossed Salad recipe to get your Adzuki bean palate going! There are folks out there that say Adzuki beans do not need to be soaked prior to cooking, but in our own experience, we find that soaking these beans makes them even more digestible and easier to cook with, so we recommend you do so. The good news is that you can get away with soaking them for only 1-2 hours instead of overnight like most beans. Again, if you are sensitive to beans, then soak them overnight to support easier digestion. Soaking & Cooking Adzuki Beans: (Makes about 2 1/4 cup cooked beans) 1. Place 1 cup dry beans in a bowl with 3 cups cold, filtered water. Cover and let sit on your counter-top for 1-2 hours or overnight. 2. Rinse soaked beans and place them in a stockpot with another 3 cups fresh, filtered water over high heat. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer, cover and cook for 40-50 minutes. These beans don't foam much, but if they do, skim the foam off the top. 3. Rinse beans and store them in an airtight container in your fridge for up to 5 days or in the freezer for up to 6 months. Whenever we soak and cook beans, we always double or triple what is needed for the recipe and then store the extra in freezer safe containers for the next time we need some. This simple time saving strategy will make you feel super proud of yourself for thinking ahead when you pull those out the next time you need them! Happy Cooking! ~Billie & Jennifer We get asked ALL THE TIME why organic foods are important, and we totally understand why. Buying everything you can organic will typically inflate your grocery bill by at least 20%, and sometimes that can be hard on the budget. We both understand budget constraints first hand, but we still emphatically recommend that you purchase as much of your shopping list as you can find as organic, and here's why: 1. Pesticides: Organic foods do not contain chemical pesticides. There are over 400 varieties of chemicals typically used to kill bugs on plants on conventional farms. Let's be clear--these chemicals are designed to kill things and there is simply no way that having them in your body is going to do anything good for you. They don't all wash off when you get them home, and kids are especially sensitive to them. Pesticides have been linked to asthma, cancer, precocious puberty and breast cancer. Yuck. On your produce, you have direct pesticide exposure and any non-organic meat or farmed seafood comes from animals that eat massive amounts of produce that have been doused in the stuff. Those toxins don't get easily flushed out of an animals system, so they build up and are even more potent in meat, seafood and dairy than they are on your apples or spinach. YUCK. 2. Antibiotics: Animals that are raised organically are not given any antibiotics or genetically modified vaccines. Conventionally raised animals are given some or all of these things to keep them healthy in some pretty awful living conditions where they would naturally get sick. Remember when we talked above about pesticides storing up in animal tissues? Same thing goes for antibiotics here. If you've heard about antibiotic resistance in humans, this is where it's coming from--you get low level doses of antibiotics in virtually all of your non-organic meat and dairy and farmed seafood, so your body adapts to them and then can't respond to regular antibiotics when you really need them. 3. Hormones: You also have to be very careful of the hormones that are given to animals raised conventionally. Why do you ask? Well, first, they tend to overload them with growth factor and other hormones to make them grown bigger and stronger (makes sense, right?!..more meat, more money). The animal's body cannot properly process all these extra and unnecessary hormones and so they get stored in the tissues, which we end up consuming. The big problem is that these hormones look and act similar to the natural hormones our body produces; this can create an improper balance of hormones and throw off communication to help the body get back into balance naturally. Studies have linked hormone riddled meat and dairy consumption with several types of cancer as well as increased occurrence of infertility and hormonal imbalance conditions in women of all ages. NOT GOOD. 4. GMO's: I'm sure you've heard at least a little lately about GMO's (Genetically Modified Organisms) in the news. In fact, the state of Vermont just passed the nation's first GMO labeling law. GMO's are plants that have been altered at the genetic level by the insertion of a modified gene or a gene from another organism. These genes are intended to do something different than plants have done in the past. Like kill bugs. And the properties that kill the bugs are in EVERY SINGLE CELL of GMO foods. You can't wash it off or make it safer as you prepare the food. Also, as scientists insert the modified genes, there is not a way to tell what else those genes are doing to the plant. Did you know that one of the most used methods of creating a modified plant is to dip a bullet into some DNA soup and then shoot it through the leaves of a plant and see what happens? I'm SO not kidding here. The speed of the bullet splices new genes into the plant's DNA, and then they let it grow and see what happens. This is not precise science so really, you have no idea what you're getting into with GMO foods. An additional consideration is that your body doesn't recognize GMO's as real food, so they get treated like pathogens or "bad bugs like viruses and bacteria" which stimulates an immune system/inflammatory response. There are many studies that show increased levels of inflammation in the body can lead to chronic inflammatory conditions like diabetes, heart disease, arthritis, and other auto-immune conditions. So...it's best to read your labels and ALWAYS AVOID GMO's! Don't purchase anything with ingredients you cannot pronounce and that are not whole food ingredients. 5. Nutrition: Organic foods contain higher levels of antioxidants, vitamins, and minerals than most conventionally raised food. On average, about 25% more. So that 20% premium you pay at the cash register is going directly to the nutritional value you're eating. There was a study that came out recently about how organic food isn't necessarily more nutritious than conventional foods, but the holistic nutrition community agrees that the study was flawed. You can read more about that here. And, even if organic food weren't packed with more nutritional punch, the first three items here should be reason enough to make the investment. There are about a million other reasons to do this, but these are the most important for us here. We understand that it's not always possible, either financially or because of what's available, to eat 100% organic. If that's the case, we recommend that you do your best to buy organic whatever foods you eat most. If you juice with greens every day, make sure they're organic. If you eat chicken for lunch every day, ditto. A couple of additional tools to help you make informed decisions at the grocery store are the Dirty Dozen and Clean Fifteen Lists that The Environmental Working Group Publishes and just updated this year. The 'Dirty Dozen' is the list of the most contaminated produce that you should try to get organic whenever possible. The 'Clean Fifteen' are those that have been deemed the least contaminated. Go to EWG's website and download the list so you can make more informed choices at the grocery store! If you have any questions or if we can help you in any other way to incorporate whole foods into your life, please let us know. We'd be happy to hear from you! ~Jennifer & Billie Updated 4/20/2016 This week's What's That?! Wednesday post is all about an anti-inflammatory food that has a plentiful amount of fiber, protein, and healthy fats all in one seed...HEMP SEEDS!
A stereotype that often what comes to mind when one thinks of hemp is marijuana. But despite this stereotype, the hemp plant is not a marijuana plant, although it does come from the same family. Hemp seeds are actually an amazing super food that everyone should have in their diet and today's post will explain why. Check it out... Health Benefits of Hemp Seeds: 1. Packed with Easily Digestible Protein! These little seeds pack a nutritional punch and are super versatile! Hemp seeds are 33% protein and have 20 different amino acids, including all 9 essential amino acids. Essential amino acids are those that our body cannot produce on its own, so its important to get them from your food. In fact, I use a hemp protein in my daily smoothie since it gives me 11 grams of protein, 12 grams of fiber, and 5 grams of healthy fats without any of the additives that typical protein powders come with. 2. Reduces Inflammation & Your Risk for Heart Disease Hemp seeds also have a perfect 3:1 ratio of Omega 6 and 3 fatty acids which are healthy fats that help you to maintain good cardiovascular health and reduce inflammation. In fact hemp seeds are the only seed or nut that have a perfect ratio all in one seed/nut. Managing the ratio of omega 6 to omega 3 fatty acids is one of the most essential things you can do to prevent heart disease, increase circulation, and reduce your body's inflammatory response! 3. Improve your Immune System Having the right mix of Omega 6 to Omega 3 fatty acids is also essential for immune health. Not only does having the correct 3:1 ratio reduce inflammation, which is a huge part of improving immune health, but essential fatty acids (EFA's) play a role in cellular regeneration. In fact EFA's are energy for your body's immune system. This means your body needs the proper balance of these nutrients to heal from injury, fight off infection, and generate new cells the body needs in order to recover from an illness or injury. How to Buy Hemp Seeds: You can buy hemp seeds in most grocery stores - just remember to get organic, raw, and shelled. These are best stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 2 months. I like Nutiva Brand hemp seeds and hemp protein powder. How to Use Hemp Seeds in Cooking & Baking: These lovely seeds can be cooked or baked right into a recipe - like our Hemp & Herb Stuffed Potatoes. They can also make a delicious condiment atop salads, soups, roasted vegetables, or casseroles. Try our Kale Refresh Salad with Tahini Dressing or our Strawberry Mixed Green Salad with Walnut-Hemp Clusters. You can also check out our blog, 5 Tips to Making the Perfect Green Smoothie to learn more about how to incorporate hemp into a smoothie. What else do you use hemp seeds for? We'd love to hear your feedback. Happy Cooking & Healthy Eating! ~Billie & Jennifer Vegan. Gluten Free. Anti-Inflammatory. I know what you're thinking...millet?! Huh?! Millet is a lesser know grain that has a slightly sweet and fairly nutty flavor. It is similar to quinoa in appearance but slightly 'chewier' in texture. This gluten free grain is one of only a few grains that is considered to be alkalizing for the gut. I like to dry roast my millet in a pan before I cook it to bring out the nutty flavor. You can also season it as you dry roast it with cumin, salt, and pepper - YUM!
Now, let's discuss the rest of this colorful, alkalizing meal including roasted Kabocha squash, kale, pumpkin seeds and caramelized shallots...These three delicious ingredients all work to alkalize your body, decrease inflammation, regulate insulin levels, and improve digestion. This dish is loaded with enzyme promoting vitamins A & C to promote healthy digestion and filled with omega 3 fatty acids for heart health! At Meal Plans for Health, we consider Kabocha, butternut, acorn, and spaghetti squashes 'friendly carbohydrates' as their unique antioxidant properties actually work to help stabilize blood sugar. The kale and squash are both nutrient dense foods. In fact, this dish gives you: 785% of your daily recommended Vitamin A 196% of your daily recommended Vitamin C 20% of your daily recommended calcium (A little know fact that kale packs a ton of calcium.) 65.2% of your daily recommended Manganese (Key in assisting to stabilize blood sugars.) If you've never picked a Kabocha before, they look similar to an acorn squash in size but are mostly green with some white running through their skin. So, what are you waiting for? Get cooking! Here is the recipe: Balsamic Roasted Kabocha Squash & Kale with Pan Roasted Millet (PRINT RECIPE) Serves 4 Ingredients: 1 small kabocha squash* 4 shallots, quartered** 3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar 3 tablespoons coconut oil, melted 1 teaspoon salt 2 cloves garlic, minced 2 bunches kale, chopped ¼ cup pumpkin seeds/pepitas Water as needed For the millet: 1 cup millet 1 cup water 1 cup vegetable stock Pinch of salt 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil ½ teaspoon balsamic vinegar Directions:
Enjoy! ~Billie & Jen A green smoothie or green juice is typically the way I start my day - everyday! And I recommend that you consider doing the same and here's why...
1. Supports Good Digestive Health Greens literally escort toxins through your digestive tract and aid in regular elimination. If you are someone who deals with IBS symptoms at all - this will help immensely. We've had clients who have had their IBS symptoms completely disappear by adding one green smoothie a day! 2. Helps Reduce Cravings for Carbs & Sugar When you start your day with carbs and sugar (ex: toast/bread of any kind, cereal, or even a yogurt with granola and fruit), your body is more likely to crave carbs and sugar throughout the day which can lead to snacking, overeating, and weight gain. Break the cycle and have sunshine for breakfast- start your day with a green protein shake, keep fruit content to a minimum, and kick those cravings to the curb. 3. Helps to Fight Inflammation & Prevent Chronic Disease The alkalizing affects of greens in your body can help reduce your risk of heart attack or stroke, help prevent osteoporosis, improve brain health, and help reduce painful and swollen joints. Additionally, starting your day with something that isn't going to spike your blood sugar will help to keep inflammatory responses lower. 4. Assists in Weight Loss A green smoothie can help to stabilize your blood sugar, which keeps you feeling fuller longer. The greens also help your body shed excess water weight. Adding more vegetables and fruits also curbs cravings for sugar and processed foods and increases cravings for healthier foods! 5. Nutrient & Vitamin Packed When made correctly, these smoothies can contain more than your daily allowance for Vitamins A & C, and 25% of the recommended intake for Vitamin D. The daily recommended intake for green vegetables is 2 - 3 1/2 cups depending on your age and gender...and our Perfect Green Smoothie gets you 1 1/2 cups at the start of the day. Read our blog, 5 Steps To The Perfect Green Smoothie, to get some free recipes and learn how simple and delicious it is to make a green smoothie part of your regular routine. In order to receive the most health benefits, it's really important when making a green smoothie that you let the greens take the lead and keep the fruit to a minimum. We recommend 3:1 rule - you want to have 3 times as much greens (in volume) as you do fruit. For those of you who need to watch sugars even closer, like me, use a 4:1 ratio. Enjoy your greens in the morning! ~Billie When it comes choosing to oils, there are two things to consider; the type of fat (healthy vs. unhealthy) and it's heating capacity. One important thing to understand is that anytime you cook with an oil, you risk heating it too much, which can cause oxidation and lead to the formation of carcinogens and other unhealthy compounds that you definitely do not want to be consuming. Below we've outlined a few of our recommendations for the healthiest oil choices and when to use them - we hope you find this helpful. Best for High Heat Cooking = Coconut Oil Why Use It: This is the most stable oil at high heat, it's smoke point is 450 degrees which means its the BEST choice for cooking at high heat. Coconut oil also has some amazing health benefits - it can help improve cholesterol, it is naturally antibacterial and can help ward away colds, flus, and candida growth, and several studies have shown its therapeutic effect for brain injuries and disorders. How To Use It: We recommend the unrefined, virgin, unprocessed varietal. If you have never used it before, don't be surprised that it is semi-solid at room temperate. We love coconut oil in baked goods, soups, curries, stir-fry's, and even some grilled or sauteed fish and meat dishes. Try our Chicken Stir Fry Wraps or our Colorful Corn Chowder. Other Oils For High Heat Cooking: Avocado Oil - are a great source of healthy fats like Omega 3's to reduce your risk of cardiovascular disease. Great for sautes, frying, and baking! Ghee - which also has a 500 degree smoke point since its the pure fat of the butter and no milk solids. Best Choices for Medium-Low Heat Cooking: Extra Virgin Olive Oil - While this oil is packed full of the heart healthy Omega 3's most of need, it is not stable at temperatures above 250 degrees. For this reason, it is best used for low heat sauteing, dips, sauces, marinades, soups and salad dressings. Check out one of our past blog posts on Making Your Own Salad Dressing for some recipes. Other oils that are great for salad dressings are hemp, walnut and flax oils. Flax oil actually has the very best ratio of Omega-3 to Omega-6 fatty acids, and has been called one of the most powerful plant foods on the planet. It's been shown to fight heart disease, stroke, cancer and diabetes, so it's worth keeping some around! Be aware that you can NEVER heat it, though, and it has to be stored in the refrigerator. In addition to being amazing in salad dressings, it's great drizzled over steamed veggies or added to smoothies. Healthy fats are essintial for healthy people. Every cell in your body depends on healthy fats to stay functional. They can even out your energy, protect against disease, and are great for your hair and skin so don't eliminate fats from your diet--just make sure you're making the best choices. If you want to learn more, read our blog post, 3 Big "Fat" Suggestions: Why You Should Focus on the Types of Fats you Eat, Not the Amount Questions about healthy fats? Please let us know in the comments! ~Billie and Jen When it comes to dairy, I used to always be a DO person and there were never any DON’TS on my list…yes, dairy was a dear friend of mine for many, many years – actually we carried on a pretty serious relationship! These days, I eat dairy free for several reasons, but mostly because I found that dairy is a trigger that will increase my joint pain, sinus congestion, and digestive distress, so after a fierce battle in my brain and listening to my body, dairy is now a DON’T for me. If you experience adverse symptoms like chronic sinus or ear infections, chronic yeast infections, brain fog, bloating, constipation, gas or diarrhea, or joint or muscle pain, you may want to consider doing a 30 day dairy free challenge as part of an elimination diet. If your symptoms go away or get better, this may be a sign you have a dairy sensitivity and would benefit from excluding it from your diet. If you'd like to learn more about how to do an elimination diet, check out our Detox Diet plan here. That said, trust me, I DO understand why most people want to include dairy in their diet…it is just sooooo good! In fact, one of the most interesting things I learned about dairy along the way is that casein (milk protein) is broken down during digestion to produce casomorphins which actually have an ‘opiate like’ effect that tell your brain, “GOOD! YES! MORE! NOW!” This is natures little way of getting newborn baby cows and goats to nurse more, but for us starts a vicious craving cycle in our bodies. Kind of crazy, right??! It took me over 2 months of going dairy free before my dairy cravings diminished but now they are thing of the past. If you are a dairy eater, I've outlined some things to consider when choosing HEALTHIER DAIRY OPTIONS. Just to make sure we are all on the same page, when I talk about dairy here it applies to all milk, cheese and yogurt products. DO Choose Whole Dairy – DON’T Choose Fat-Free or Low-Fat The most important thing to understand here is that when fat is removed, it is ALWAYS replaced with something – usually that something is sugar or artificial sugars (like aspartame, etc). And remember, when we give our bodies foods that have been modified or are not in their natural state, our bodies know something is missing and respond by sending craving signals for sugars, carbohydrates, fats, salts, etc. So, while the saturated fat from whole dairy products has been linked to higher cholesterol, low-fat milk may lead drinkers to consume more high-glycemic-index foods, which can increase the level of triglycerides that can amplify the effect of heart-disease risk factors such as high cholesterol and hypertension. DO Choose Organic Simply stated dairy consumption affects hormone levels and responses in the human body. Did you know that conventional dairy farmers milk their cows through 75% of their pregnancy when hormone levels are at their highest? Many also use a growth hormone to stimulate extra milk production in their cows. Not only do all these excess hormones make it into the milk you drink, but it means that udders get infected more with increased production, and antibiotics must be used more. And guess where those antibiotics end up? Yes—in the milk you drink. Surprisingly, producers are not required to label milk from cows that have been treated with hormones or antibiotics, so you can’t know if your milk has them or not unless the package specifically says so or you buy organic. These hormones look and act like the hormones your body already makes and can increase the risk of prostate and breast cancer by stimulating growth factor proteins. A study out of Harvard that followed 47,781 health professionals who consumed 2 servings of dairy per day found their risk for prostate cancer increased by 60%. (Click here to learn more about Harvard Health Professional Study) Do Question What You’ve Been Told About Dairy & Bone Health The USDA endorses milk as the main vehicle for getting dietary calcium, recommending 2-3 cups a day to prevent osteoporosis. However, over the last 50 years the occurrence of hip fractures has risen significantly worldwide. Incidentally, there are more fractures in regions that have higher consumption of milk products, namely the U.S., U.K., Canada, and mainland Europe, than in those that don’t such as Africa and China. There are several large-scale studies showing that high calcium intake doubles the risk of hip fractures. (Click here to see a Harvard study that followed 78,000 nurses for 12 years). We will address bone health in a future publication, but for now, just know that for most folks, a clean, whole foods based diet full of leafy greens, legumes, lean proteins, clean carbohydrates and healthy fats is the best way to get in all the nutrients and vitamins you need for good bone health! Do Experiment With Non-Dairy Milks Remember, I was a dairy-o-holic (2-6 servings a day)…so if I can learn to like and use these non-dairy substitutes, I know you can too! Just remember to buy these products organic! Almond Milk Creamy and slightly nutty – great for use in coffee, tea, cereal, and for baking. Hemp Milk Offers a rich, earthy taste that is good for drinking straight or use in cooking and baking. Coconut Milk Light, fresh, and smooth – great in smoothies, soups, and baked goods. These three are my favorites, but rice, soy, oat, and other nut milks should also be considered. Lastly, keep in mind that no one person is the same and that you have to find the right amount and types of dairy or non-dairy sources that make sense for your body. If you are interested in learning more on this topic or want help incorporating healthy dairy choices into your life, please do not hesitate to contact me. ~Billie The most basic concept behind a whole foods based diet is to focus on the QUALITY of the calories you are consuming, not on the AMOUNT of calories you are consuming. If I can sum it up in one statement, it would be one we've all heard many times - YOU ARE WHAT YOU EAT! The food you eat becomes your blood, affecting the quality of your cells, tissues, organs, and mind. That is why being conscious of what you eat and regulating your choices is the most basic and practical way to change how you feel on a daily basis and for the long term. To understand the basic theory behind a clean, whole foods diet, we have to first understand what happens when food goes into our bodies. We all know the food you eat goes into your digestive system (your gut), but the most important thing to understand about this process is that up to 80% of your immune system response originates in the gut. The way in which your immune system 'responds' is based on WHAT enters the gut - or - your food and drink choices! Most people understand that one of the immune system's roles is to protect from disease and illness but what does the immune system have to do with maintaining a healthy body weight? A lot, actually...one of the most important roles that it plays is COMMUNICATION & MANAGEMENT! It tells your body's other systems when and how to digest or process what it coming into your gut - your food or drink. The most basic way to think about this is when it sees something it recognizes (ex: whole foods from nature), the immune system has the ability to tell your body exactly what to do with it, and your body responds accordingly and in the way it should -breaking down the food into its macro and micro nutrient components for use. Your body is an amazingly intelligent machine that makes literally millions of decisions each second and it innately knows how to process whole, real food into everything your body needs to lead a healthy, disease free life. The problems arise when your immune system doesn't recognize what is coming in and instead of telling the other systems what to do, it just 'marks' that food as a potential threat. Often your body can process this threat with ease, but what happens over time (weeks, months, years) is that these 'marked threats' build up because while the immune system has identified them as a threat, it doesn't know exactly what to do with them and there are too many. These 'somethings' are environmental toxins, GMO's, food additives, excess hormones, etc. from the food we eat that is not whole, real food! The more of these products we eat, the more 'energy' our immune system will spend on trying to rid our bodies of these toxins and/or store them and, for lack of a better term, they 'clog up' our system and throw our body off balance. This eventually leads to weight gain and chronic disease. So, if choosing whole foods is the best way to stay healthy, including maintaining a healthy weight, what are the right foods to eat? The best way to think about it is to eat foods that are in their most natural state, close from the source (where it grew or was raised), and minimally processed. In the coming weeks, I will post more blogs that will help you further explore a whole foods based diet including: 1. Defining 'Healthy' Whole Food Choices - What to specifically look for, avoid, and include for each of the main macro-nutrient groups - carbohydrates, proteins, and fats! We will define what quality and healthy means specifically when it comes to animal proteins, dairy, whole grains, and fruits and vegetables. To get a head start on this, check out our blog on Eating Organic to get the basics down first! 2. Long Term Success & The Benefits of a Whole Foods Diet - We will discuss what types of changes you can expect to see in your weight, health and general state of well being as well as what long and short term benefits to look forward to and how to be successful! Keep your eye out for these posts coming out over the next several weeks, but feel free to reach out to us in the meantime with any questions! ~ Billie Fish and seafood are undoubtedly a good source of protein, vitamins and minerals, and those omega-3 fatty acids you keep hearing so much about. Omega-3's support heart health and general development and are important to include in any healthy diet. They reduce recovery time from exertion, speed healing, increase stamina, reduce inflammation and blood pressure, and can inhibit the growth of tumors. If you enjoy eating fish and seafood, here are a few considerations to be aware of when you choose which fish and seafood to eat. First and foremost is methyl-mercury content. Mercury is a toxic heavy metal that is not easily absorbed by your body and is dumped into the atmosphere in large amounts by energy producers through air pollution. Since mercury is heavy, it falls out of the air and into waterways where microorganisms “methylate” it, making it much more absorbable by your system. Methyl-mercury causes irreversible damage to fetuses, infants and children, including severe damage to the brain and nervous system. Children, pregnant women, and women that have even the possibility of becoming pregnant need to take great care to avoid methyl-mercury. Safe levels of methyl-mercury consumption by other adults has not been determined, so it's best to consume as little as possible. Because the methyl-mercury is in the water, it’s in the bodies of all the fish in the water. This gets complicated because bigger fish eat smaller fish, and the toxin in the smaller fish gets stuck in the bigger fish. So, the bigger and more predatory a fish, the higher levels of methyl-mercury it will have. The predatory fish that we normally consume and that the FDA has stated are unsafe to eat in any amounts are shark, swordfish, tilefish and King mackerel. There is more of a debate about albacore tuna (not the same as the “light” tuna you can get in a can). Because the fishing industry lobby is very powerful, and the FDA does not want to issue any recommendations that might hurt the sales of albacore tuna, it has not been included on the list of ‘never consume’ even though albacore tuna are just as large and predatory as any of the other fish listed. While the FDA says that albacore tuna is safe if eaten only in small amounts (once a week by the higher risk pregnant women and children group, twice a week by everyone else), no comprehensive study has been conclusive with determining what amount IS safe, and since you don’t know exactly how much methyl-mercury is in any particular fish it’s a reason to at least give you pause and encourage you to eat it only every great once in a while. Pregnant and nursing mothers, women that could become pregnant, and children should completely avoid these fish. PCB’s (polychlorinated biphenyls) are another industrial pollutant that cause problems with fish and seafood. All aquatic life is contaminated with PCB’s, and as with methyl-mercury they accumulate at higher levels in larger, more predatory fish. In high levels, they cause problems with the skin, reproduction, development and behavior. Safe levels are not truly known, so it’s a good idea to limit your consumption of large, predatory fish to a minimum and to incorporate wild caught seafood from the list below only one to two times per week. Best Choices for Wild Caught Fish/Seafood:
As a general rule, we recommend you avoid farmed fish and seafood altogether!!! While wild fish and seafood typically eat a diet of smaller fish, farmed fish and seafood are fed pellets of food that are made, in part, of the meal and oil from larger fish. So, instead of consuming contaminants like PCB’s in small doses from less contaminated fish, they are consuming contaminants in larger doses from fish that are much bigger. Studies have confirmed that farm raised fish are much more contaminated than wild fish. Fish farmers also use antibiotics to combat infections in less than ideal tank conditions, and that antibiotic use contributes to the growth of antibiotic resistant bacteria. Additionally, fish producers must artificially color farmed salmon in order to make it look like wild salmon. Farmed salmon is typically an unappealing grey, so dyes are added to the feed in order to approximate the vivid pink color of wild salmon. In fact, farm raised salmon is at the TOP of the list of most contaminated foods available. There are laws in place requiring retailers to disclose when color is added to salmon, but compliance isn't perfect. So just do everything you can to avoid it at all costs. ~Jen & Billie |
Billie Shellist, FDN-P
I practice functional nutrition, an approach that allows me to look at your entire health history and help you find the "root causes" of your chronic health complaints. This cuts out the trial and error process and helps you get real symptom relief and resolution! Food is medicine and knowledge is power -I hope you enjoy my anti-inflammatory recipes which are gluten, dairy, and soy free as well as very low grain and sugar. If you'd like to heal from the root cause(s) of your chronic symptoms, try starting with a complimentary 15-minute consultation. Click here to request your free session. |