What's in My Pantry Now?

I definitely cleaned out my pantry and have changed a lot of what I am putting in my body. I was using real butter for a long time because I thought the purer the better. I read it is rich in lauric acid (helps treat fungal infections), has absorbable Vitamin A, contains anti-oxidants, Vitamin E , D, K, and selenium and the saturated fats have strong anti-tumor and anti cancer properties. I also read that it protects against tooth decay and has conjugated linoleic acid which is an anti-cancer agent. So we NEVER used margarine because it is processed and hydrogenated. Now I am still flirting with staying away from animal products and seeing how my body reacts so I have stayed away from butter for now. But if you are going to eat butter - get butter made from "grass fed cows"( a much healthier option) - not corn fed cows shot up with hormones and anti-biotics! A few brands I came upon are Anchorr, President, Kerrygold and Lescure.

Now that being said, I bought (to try for a bit) "Earth Balance" soy free natural buttery spread made from natural vegetable oils, it has no trans fats or hydrogenated oils. They have organic, vegan, soy and dairy blends as well - it is blended to help improve a person's ratio of "good" HDL levels to "Bad" LDL levels with lower grams of saturated fat. I compared labels of "earth's balance" to my "Organic Valley Organic salted Butter". Calories are the same (100 per 1 tablespoon) Fat grams are the same (11g per 1 tablespoon) both have no trans fats, but saturated fat in the earth's balance is 2.5 grams vs. butter's 7 grams and earth balance has 0mg cholesterol vs. 30mg in butter. So if you are watching cholesterol and saturated fat, the "earth's balance" may be a better choice.

I also have "Vita Spelt" whole grain spelt pasta in my pantry, "Ancient Harvest" Quinoa - which according to it's package contains more high quality protein than any other grain and is a complete protein providing all the essential amino acids and is wheat free and gluten free. My newest find which I love is called "GO RAW" apple cinnamon granola which has sprouted all organic buckwheat groats, flax seeds, sesame seeds, apples, agave nectar and cinnamon as well as "Go Raw" Organic simple seed mix - I bought the pumpkin and sunflower seed mix - 9 grams of protein and 2 grams of fiber in 1 ounce. I'm not eating 3 bowls of the granola in one sitting because it is high in fat and calories but is so healthy and has 7 grams of fiber and 13 grams of protein.

Another thing my kids are doing for me (for a small fee) is juicing! They just juiced apples, beets, ginger and carrots for me - with a little lemon - so good and healthy! Beets are known to cleanse and support the liver, they are rich in beta carotene, zinc, vitamin C and chromium. Ginger has anti-inflammatory properties, and apples are rich in pectin which is a soluble type of fiber, the pectin works with the Vitamin C in the apples as well to help carry cholesterol out of the blood.

My kids now juice oranges, apples and carrots for themselves - a small victory!

Take Away:

Going to a raw foods workshop tomorrow - will write about that for sure!

Found a Nutrient Fruit chart online - check out this site

http://www.healthalternatives2000.com/fruit-nutrition-chart.html