Clean Food, Nutrients & pH Balance

Went to Dogwood in Hampden and we loved the restaurant! It had lots of twinkly lights, cool atmosphere and really good food! We went with a bunch of friends and they ordered a couple cheese plates for an appetizer, I of course did not partake - and to be honest I didn't even miss it! I had an amazing mixed green salad and ordered the butternut squash risotto on black rice with lots of veggies. I was going to order the fish, but my husband did, so I got to have a few bites! He got a European Sea Bass called Bronzini. It was a whole fish stuffed with an olive, capers and red pepper stuffing - it was really tastey! We did get Oysters for an appetizer and I had a few! Ok Oysters have their health benefits - they are full of Zinc (100mg per gram). Zinc helps men keep a healthy prostate gland and helps aid in women's reproduction and mental functions. Oysters also have iron, selenium and other trace minerals, as well as fat-soluble A and D vitamins and the long-chain omega 3 fatty acids DHA and EPA.

Have been using my recipe book "Clean Food" by Terry Walters a lot and absolutely love this book. It not only has great recipes, but really goes through basic cooking methods from the more cooling to the more warming. She really talks about using all of them and combing these cooking methods for a perfect meal. The cool end to the warm end goes in this order:

pickling, sprouting, juicing, raw, blanching, sauteing, simmering,baking, pressure-cooking, broiling, roasting.

She also goes into descriptions of grains, what they are and how to cook them. I was in Severna Park (outside of Annapolis) yesterday and went to my favorite "health food" store called "Good Life Organic Market". I went to the bulk grain section and stocked up on Grains. I bought a few that I have never cooked before such as Amaranth, Millet and Wheat Berries. Terry suggests soaking certain grains such as brown rice, whole oats, hulled barley and wheat berries because they contain Phytic Acid which interferes with the absorption of zinc, calcium, iron and other essential minerals. If you soak for one hour, this phytic acid washes away and you are left with a better complex carb. Even though the Phytic acid is removed she explains that these complex carbs still can create acidity in the body. To neutralize this and make the grains more alkaline-forming, she suggested cooking all your grains with a piece of Kombu (sea vegetable) or sea salt. She explains buy cooking your grains (amaranth, whole hulled barley, brown rice, buckwheat, bulgur wheat, couscous, jasmine rice, millet, whole oats, quinoa, sushi rice, teff, wheat berries, wild rice) with a piece of Kombu, it infuses them with minerals and improves digestibility and reduces gas.

The book then goes into the types of vegetables divided into categories:

• Dark Leafy Greens - rich in calcium, chlorophyll, iron and vitamins C and E. These greens help lift our moods, heal organs and help combat stress! These are the "heavy hitter" as the book says: kale, collards, mustard greens, dandelion greens, watercress and romaine. I have been using collard greens as my wraps for my "raw" burritos or hummus, sprouts and veggie wraps and they are really good and have HUGE leaves.
• Cruciferous Vegetables - cancer preventing nutrients and antioxidants. These vegetables break down and break down fats and eliminate toxins. Here are a few: cauliflower, broccoli, Napa cabbage, Savoy cabbage, bok choy, pac choy, tatsoi, brussels sprouts, green and purple cabbages, daison radish, red radishes and watermelon radishes.
• Roots and Tubers - Vitamin A, beta-carotene, minerals, fiber, antioxidants. These roots are: parsnips, rutabagas, turnips, ginger, beets, burdock, lotus root, sweet potatoes, yams - and relatives to this category are carrots, celery, celeriac, parsley and fennel.
• Bulbs - Known to dissolve fats and excess mucus, healthy for the heart: garlic (known for its anti-inflammatory, antibacterial and antiviral properties) leeks, onions, scallions and shallots
• Squash - has blood alkalinizing properties as well as B1, C, folic acid, pantothenic acid, fiber and potassium. Winter squash is also high in vitamin B6 and niacin: Squashes include: acorn, butternut, kabocha, dumpling, pumpkin, buttercup, delicata, red kuri and hubbard (a few I have never heard of)
• Herbs -(parsley, basil, thyme, chives, oregano, rosemary, mint, dill...) herbs can heal sicknesses, cleanse your blood, and lift your mood. Use fresh herbs a lot - they are filled with nutrients including Vitamins E, B6, A, C, K, fiber, iron, magnesium, manganese, calcium, zinc, copper, potassium and Parsley has protein!

TAKE AWAY:

Foods are either acid-forming or alkalizing based on the effect they have on the body. Each food is based on a PH scale of 0-14. Zero is the most acidic and fourteen is the most alkaline. The human blood pH should be slightly alkaline - between 7.35 and 7.45.

As a society, we eat more acid-forming foods and drinks than alkalizing foods. Too much coffee, caffeine, soda, alcohol, processed and fried foods, high fructose corn syrup, artificial sweeteners and animal proteins are acid forming. High levels of stress also cause acid in the body. Our bodies don't allow our pH to become unbalanced, but if we eat highly acidic food and drinks, our bodies have to work extremely hard to maintain that balance and that's when the trouble begins! Health problems caused by an acid-forming diet and stress include acid reflux, irritable bowel syndrome, stomach aches, insomnia, headaches, fatigue, constipation, osteoporosis, inflammation, dry skin, cardiovascular damage, diabetes, thyroid problems and weight gain.

By adding MORE alkaline-forming foods in our diet we can help heal our own bodies. All sodas, diet or regular, is one of the biggest culprits of forming acid in the body. It can take the rust off an old car - just think what it's doing to your body! Non-organic animal protein with added antibiotics as well as cow's milk also causes high acidity in the body.

Eat more alkalizing foods such as fruits and vegetables, sea vegetables such as sushi and nori, oatmeal, a little EVOO, green tea and mineral water with a slice of lemon as well as non-dairy milk such as almond milk and squash (like discussed earlier) helps balance pH!

Eating Healthy & Exercising to Live a Long Life Free of Disease!

I wrote my first blog feb 7th and it is now march 12th. Within a few weeks of writing as I have said before I have not eaten any dairy, chicken, meat or even fish! I have been eating a ton of fruits (avocados, apples, berries, bananas, pears), vegetables (kale, spinach, swish chard, collard greens, cilantro and lots of herbs, bok choy, cabbage, tomatoes....), beans, broccoli sprouts, mushrooms, white and sweet potatoes, high protein lentils, seeds, raw nuts (almonds, walnuts, cashews) some soy products like TSP (texturized soy protein), and tofu (as a treat i'll have Soy Boy Italian or Caribbean Tofu - 10 grams of protein, a bit of sodium - but really yummy). I make a lot of green smoothies with kale, spinach, apple, avocado, vanilla hemp protein powder, and I'll add maca powder (a root vegetable rich in vitamins, minerals and amino acids).

Peruvians use maca to help their general health and it's known to increase energy and stamina and help treat menopause and low libido by regulating the body's glandular function and helping with hormonal balance). I will also make shakes with fresh or frozen fruit or bananas and almond butter, hemp protein powder with Coconut Milk Kefir (which is rich in medium chain fatty acids (MCFAs) which support the body's immune system and has live and active cultures just like in cow's milk yogurt).

As I said before, I have been making really amazing salads with all these fresh raw ingredients and putting them over quinoa, brown rice, hulled barley or other grains - getting the cooked with the raw. I have been using just a little oil on these salads and really using citrus, sea salt and pepper to give it flavor. Will talk more about whole grains!

I have not given up fish - just haven't eaten it for a while. I am going to Dogwood Restaurant tonight in Hampden and may have fish! Excited to try this restaurant. They promote sustainability and try to use seasonal, local and naturally grown ingredients whenever possible and they hire people who may be transitioning from addiction, incarceration or homelessness - giving them an opportunity to turn their lives around - which I thought was a pretty cool way to help transform lives!

After taking that raw foods workshop with Kendall Reichhart (who I wrote about in my previous blog) I have really loved the raw foods way of eating, and I'm simply adding these raw dishes along with cooked ones. I did by "The Complete Idiot's Guide to Eating Raw" and just bought all the ingredients to make cashew cheese and almond cheese (kinda missing eating cheese - I love all kinds of cheeses, so right now this is my biggest challenge - we'll see what the future brings). If I do eat cheese it will most likely be cheese made from goat's milk. Goat's milk has a higher proportion of the medium chain fatty acids and has more protein and is similar to human breast milk (which we talked about before) and goat's milk is a good source of calcium, tryptophan, protein, phosphorus, B2 and potassium and it's more easily digested.

My ingredients for the almond cheese is a little over my head but I'm forging forward. It's almonds soaked in water at least 2 hours, 1 cup rejuvelac (basically grains soaked in water, rinsed and drained and soaked again until they sprout (takes days) - the final liquid is added to the sprouted grain for 2 days and that water is your rejuvelac - CRAZY - I may just use regular water), light miso ( I bought organic barley miso (soybean paste) it's fermented and super healthy, chock full of tryptophan, manganese, vitamin k, protien, fiber, omega 3 fatty acids, zinc, copper....) and great taste - think Miso Soup. Next ingredient is Umeboshi plum paste (I bought at the Natural along with the Barley Miso) really tangy and salty - kind of good and super healthy as well - can be used in place of salt or butter on stuff. My final ingredients for this almond cheese is FRESH Basil, thyme, oregano and chives. I'm going to blend it all together and let it sit in a warm place for 3 to 4 hours and then eat it on crackers with lots of wine!!!! I think it's going to be good...will let you know!

TAKE AWAY:

Know that everything you put in your body counts. All Oils are fattening, even olive oil, there are health benefits in oil but use these oils in very small doses - you can save a TON of calories that way. Eat more nutrient rich foods! Exercise every day, and lift weights, do push-ups or other weight bearing exercises at least 3 times per week. Strength training helps retain the calcium in your bones, builds bone density and improve muscle strength as well as helps improve your balance and in turn will help you live longer!

My goal is to use foods and exercise to keep my body healthy, free of disease and free of medications that doctors love to prescribe so freely. I am relying on healthy foods and exercise to help me live a long, healthy, vibrant life as well as enjoy the fresh ingredients I'm eating and feeding to my family.

starting to get it

Ok, I'm really starting to get it because I'm really starting to research, learn and understand a lot more about the foods I was putting in my body and the foods I'm eating now. As I said before I went to a "raw foods" workshop which really opened my eyes to a completely new way of eating - a simple diet that helps you get the most fiber, calcium, protein and nutrients for your buck - and actually tastes pretty darn good!

My friend Rachael and I went to a "sneak preview tasting" last wednesday at Cafe Green (near Dupont Circle in DC ) which is an Organic, Vegan restaurant that was very swanky with amazing, very upscale vegan food. It was a set menu which we got to choose from and we each got something different so we could taste test each others. Rachael has been a vegan for like forever although she's only 25, so she knows her stuff. We both had the palate cleanser to start with which was a blend of , as the menu read "longevity fruits: Meyer Lemon, Pineapple & Aloe containing naturally occurring trace minerals of magnesium, vitamin C and tons more"...YUM and good for you, we were off to a great start!

We had dried Papaya, Mango and Cashew Cheese, Vegan egg rolls with smoked pablanos, onions, mole and what tasted like "sweet chicken", a Kim Chi soup with wakame broth, and a tasty salad of Nappa Cabbage, wontons, and what tasted like "5 spice" chicken, as the menu expressed, with a mandarin dressing. And finally we had a faux "filet mignon" on creamy shallot mashed potatoes, with sauteed spinach and perfect red wine reduction.

We ended our meal with the absolute best "ice cream" I have ever had which was a super healthy Matcha Green Tea Gelato! Of course we ranted and raved about it so much we got to meet the man behind the ice cream machine who was so friendly and full of amazing info, I'm going to have him do a "raw foods/vegan desserts class" for me and ALL my friends. What really gets me excited is eating yummy food, especially desserts, that are actually good for your body and your waist line!

All was so super good, the only question I had as we were leaving was what was all that amazing non-meat that tasted just like meat but better??

So walking away from Kendall's raw food's class and tasting all the wonderful organic vegan food at Cafe Green and meeting all the wonderful guys behind the scenes as well as reading Joel Fuhrman's "Eat to Live" and watching a video Rachael gave me called "Eating - third edition" about FOOD being the biggest cause of disease, disabilities and death in the U.S. today, I'm starting to get it!

I realize that animal protein (both chicken and red meat equally) causes high cholesterol which in turn causes heart disease. Both red meat and chicken is linked to certain types of cancers while plant proteins reduce cholesterol and help your body build it's immune system to help protect against ALL types of cancer and raw vegetable have the most powerful anti-cancer properties of all foods.

I am learning that the nutrients in beans help ward off reproductive cancers like breast and prostate.

Eating lots of fresh fruits help protect against oral and esophageal, lung, prostate and pancreatic cancer. Fruit (especially blueberries) help prevent aging and deterioration of the brain and more than any other food, eating fruits and vegetables is linked to lowered death rates from ALL types of cancers.

I am learning that the high protein in dairy actually depletes the body of calcium and can cause osteoporosis, and dairy has been linked to lots of other problems ranging from headaches, joint pain, poor immune function to more serious problems such as breast and prostate cancers.

I am also learning that what we think is healthy for us is really just great marketing and advertising from big business and the government who receives huge sums of money from the meat and dairy industry to push their products - with little concern of the harmful effects that meat and diary have on our bodies.

I'm also learning that Confined Animal Feeding Operations (CAFO)s or factory farms use crazy amounts of energy, cause pollution and environmental damage and the large amount of corn, soy and grains needed to feed the 10 billion animals a year that the US is slaughtering for consumption is leading to wide spread destruction of rain forests.

TAKE AWAY

What I have been eating has been completely different now - I've taken ideas from books, cafes, workshops. I bought already shredded cabbage and mixes in raw slivered almonds, sliced (julienne style) onions, carrots, and ginger, cut up fresh orange slices, and squeezed some lime and extra orange juice from the fresh orange as well as mixed in Bragg's Organic Raw Unfiltered Apple Cidar Vinegar (known to heal and energize the body). It was so good! At Trader Joe's I found Organic Broccoli slaw that had carrots in it - (raw broccoli is LOADED with vitamins including A,C, E, folate, fiber and about 7 grams of protein)

I then took a bunch of organic kale and red swiss chard, spinach (these greens are the most nutrient loaded greens out there full of cancer fighting phyto-nutrients, you name it these greens have it, vitamins A, C, K, E, B6 manganese, iron, calcium, protein, fiber, folate...

I chopped up all the greens together, added shredded carrots, tomatoes, onion, squeezed a ton of lemon and lime on it, with salt and pepper, topped with avocado. My sister turned me onto a ready to eat Fully Cooked Sprouted Brown Rice (from Trader Joes) with a seaweed and sesame seed seasoning packet in it - I topped my "raw" salad on the sprouted rice and it was AMAZING and SO healthy!

Raw Foods, Photography, Vegan cafes, Webcasts!

Let me start by saying I really have no health issues (that I know of), I have no allergies (that I'm aware of) and I am not overweight. I say this because so many people that I talked to that are on a "raw foods" diet or are vegan or vegetarian, are doing so because of health issues such as Celiac Disease which is a digestive disease that damages the small intestine and interferes with the absorption of nutrients from food. People that have this disease cannot tolerate gluten (a protein in wheat, rye and barley). A lot of people have dairy allergies, an extreme case would be wheezing, diarrhea or vomiting. Lactose intolerance is different, these people lack the enzyme to help break down the sugar found in milk for proper digestion. The symptoms of lactose intolerance are bloating, abdominal cramping and diarrhea. Now since I have taken dairy out of my diet (for a while - I'm not saying forever) I have had no bloating which is one issue I have always had - and was never sure why. I have to say since I have taken dairy - as well as chicken and meat out of my diet (for a while) and have eaten WAY more fruit, veggies and whole grains - my trips to the bathroom have been effortless! Constipation was another thing I always had. Needless to say I feel a lot cleaner and slimmer just from no bloating and really regular, easy breezy you know whats.

I went to a "Raw Foods" demo at my friend kimberly's house last night. Kimberly took a few pics, which I'll post (haven't done that yet on my blog). She's a great photographer as well as a raw foods nut and does beautiful portraits - check out her website at www.kimberlyportraits.com. The event was lead by Kendell Reichhart, a holistic health counselor located in Towson, Md. Check out her website at www.naturalvibranthealth.net.

The ironic thing is, about a year ago I was visiting my cousin in the Hamptons (yes it is fabulous there) and was reading their local paper "Hamptons Magazine" and there was an ad for the "Institute for Innovative Nutrition" which is a holistic nutrition education. I called about possibly enrolling, but I would have had to travel to NY on weekends and didn't feel I could pull it off at that time. Kendell got her degree there and just told me I can now do the entire certification all online - who know, I may look back into it.

I am somewhat new to "raw food" recipes. I have used a dehydrator with my neighbor and have made delicious flaxseed bread in the dehydrator (I posted that recipe on one of my previous blogs), I have juiced, but some of the recipes Kendell made I have NEVER done before. Not to mention the "Elements of Life" and "Natural Zing" products she sells/recommends such as Marine Phytoplankton that has Omegas 3, 6, 7, and 9 and 92 trace minerals, or Revitaphi, an alkalizing green powder, plus raw cacoa (chocolate) which I use a lot in my cookie recipes, goji berrie and inca berries. Another ironic thing I just started doing yoga at "LifeLine Power Yoga" with Sid McNairy (a great, challenging flow yoga (www.lifelinepoweryoga.com) and Kendell happens to be in the same building on Allegheny in Towson. Ironic and convenient!

Ok some of the recipes! Green Smoothie - so healthy, I had this morning and had a ton of energy for my 3 fitness classes today! In a blender put in Kale, cucumber, celery, avocado, apple, coconut water, green powder, vanilla protein powder (I think she used brown rice protein powder) and you can add in Spirulina, blue-green algae, hemp seeds, maca....) we'll talk more about those items!

I made this morning with avocado, kale, apple, pomegranate coconut water and hemp protein powder and it was great - I felt so healthy eating all that raw kale and really felt satisfied until lunch!

The raw burritos was something I have never made, brought one home to my husband last night and he loved! The "meat" was 1 cup walnuts (soaked overnight) blended with sun dried tomatoes (soaked for 1 hour), fresh tomatoes, chili powder, 1/4 onion, celtic sea salt, and olive oil. The "sour cream" was 1 cup cashews (soaked for 2+hours), celtic sea salt, 3 tbsp lemon juice - blended until creamy - and she added fresh guacamole and homemade salsa wrapped in a big collard green leaf (as the wrap) - go amazing!!!

Not to mention the raw fudge balls with coconut oil (which I just bought), raw cacao, maca, agave, gogi berries and cocoa nibs....

TAKE AWAY:

On my way out to a preview dinner at (soon to be open) "CAFE GREEN" an organic, vegan restaurant in DC with my new friend that I met at the "Yabba Pot", another vegan cafe in Baltimore. My friend Jimmy is the manager at Cafe Green and he was the producer for "The VideoMakers" a webcast I was in last year. You can check all the episodes of the Video Makers (I play the part of Amanda) on www.thevideomakers.tv or on YouTube key word "The Videomakers".

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

Be Your Own Advocate

Good Morning! Now that I am educating myself and listening to my body's needs and being very snobby about everything I put in my mouth, I feel a huge sense of control over my health and well being and am loving how I am feel! I have, for now, taken dairy, beef and chicken out of my diet and to be honest have never felt better. I am eating WAY more fruits and cooked as well as raw vegetables lots of whole grains. I will talk about the proteins in a bit. I was always bloated and was never very successful on the "porcelain thrown", if you know what I mean, but not anymore.

I feel leaner, although I am in shape and work out ALOT, I just feel cleaner and leaner! One huge change in my diet is I stopped drinking coffee. I liked coffee that didn't taste like coffee, I had to add vanilla or hazelnut creamer, Splenda, and whipped cream - the only super healthy thing about the coffee I would drink every morning was the cinnamon I would sprinkle on top. In traditional Chinese medicine Cassia cinnamon is used prevent colds, nausea, diarrhea, painful menstrual periods, and is also known to improve energy, vitality and circulation. Oh, I'll get my cinnamon fix, but sprinkled on my "steel cut" oatmeal in the morning - not on top of a mound of whipped cream.

Caffeine can cause headaches, digestive problems, diarrhea, constipation, fatigue, anxiety and depression. It can raise stress hormone levels and can prevent the enzyme systems cleanse our body from doing their job. Decaf coffee has high acid levels, which makes your body create fat cells in order to keep the acid away from your organs. I drank mostly decaf coffee, maybe that's why I feel leaner!

I have been drinking mostly decaf green and herbal teas, sweetened with raw honey. I always was a tea drinker, but now that I know how healthy decaf herbal teas are for me, my tea drawer is overflowing with Organic Spring Jasmine tea, Decaf Lotus Green Tea, Organic Rooibos( like green tea Rooibos is high in antioxidants and flavonoids and has been shown to prevent heart disease, help lower cholesterol and blood pressure, prevent strokes, reduce the risk of cancer and slow the aging process!) I have been drinking this tea for a long time because I skimmed over an article about it being healthy, but never really knew all the health benefits. It is so enlightening when you really understand the health benefits of the foods you are eating and the negative effects of others. Most of the food companies out there don't really care about our health - we should care! So many of us don't care as much as we should!

There are more and more companies out there that do care. As I said before, you are best cooking your own healthy meals with lots of fruits , vegetables, whole grains and protein - whether you are eating organic grass fed cattle, or organic free range chicken, or tofu, Tempeh, or Texturized Vegetable Protein (TVP) also know as Texturized Soy Protein (TSP) - You are always better making it yourself. Knowing you are eating organic fruits and veggies and knowing the oils and amount of salt you are using and staying as simple as as close to nature with your recipes is always the best bet. Making your own baked french fries with Avocado, Olive, Grapeseed oil or Sunflower and Safflower oils which may be considered two of the healthiest oils because they are higher in polyunsaturated fats, have omega-6 fatty acids, and high content of vitamin E. Coconut Oil is known to to be amazing for hair and skin, stress relief, weight loss, increased immunity, and proper digestion and metabolism. It has lauric acid which helps fight viruses and harmful bacteria in the body. You can also add flaxseed oil to salad dressings or shakes. Flaxseed Oil has omega 3 and omega 6 fatty acids as well as alpha-linolenic acid (ALA) which the body converts into omega-3s (fish oil has more omega 3s).

Omega 3s help prevent heart disease, anxiety, depression, support our immune function and brain health, prevents arthritis, helps reduce fatty deposits on arteries, improves eye health and reduces the chances of ALL forms of cancer. Fish Oil is chock full of Omega 3 fatty acids! If you are not taking Fish Oil as a daily supplement, you should be! Just google fish oil's benefits and you'll be running to your local health market to buy in bulk. I have taken the fish oil pills, but I now "drink" a teaspoon in the morning and a teaspoon at night of "Carlson's -The Very Finest Fish Oil Omega 3s DHA & EPA" lemon flavor - it's a little hard to swallow because of the oil consistency, but does taste like lemon - not fish (maybe a slight aftertaste). I buy my kids "lil Critters" Omega-3 Gummy Fish - they love them and think they are just a regular vitamin!

Since I have been experimenting not eating chicken and beef, I was concerned about not getting enough protein. You get protein in everything you eat, but a way to add more or get a meaty flavor and consistency to foods is using what I mentioned above - Texturized Vegetable Protein (TVP) also know as Texturized Soy Protein (TSP). I will talk about Tempeh next time, but I want to quickly mention TVP. I was at the Natural (a natural/health market) in Timonium, Maryland with my husband. Of course I did have to drag him in there for lunch. We went to the cute, small Vegan Cafe they have there and ordered the Vegan Chile. The chile had a ton of beans and nice heat, but it also had something in it that looked and tasted like BEEF! It was TVP - a soy protein. Of course I had to buy it - and make chile that night to recreate it, it was that good. I bought Dixie Diners Club "Ground Turkey Not" and "Ground Beef Not". It comes in 1lb bags that looks like bread crumbs. You just add hot water, it hydrates and looks and tastes (somewhat) like meat. I added to my chile and my kids and husband loved it!

TAKE AWAY:

Bought 2 more books - have no time to read but bought anyway - "Eat to Live" by Joel Fuhrman, M.D. and an amazing vegan cookbook called "Clean Food" by Terri Walters. Noticed at Starbucks yesterday ( I was getting tea!!) that they are carrying organic dried fruit by "Peeled Snacks", and gluten, dairy, wheat free 100% raw granola bars by "Two Moms in the Raw" as well as adorable 100% pure fruit squeeze pouches by "Peter Rabbit Organics" (which my 4 year old loved) Things are a changin - because we are demandin!!

BOOKS, SWEETENERS, COOKIES!

My carnivorous husband as I like to call him - or the "wild boar" as our close friends like to refer to him is about to kill me! Not only have I purchased a gazillion books on subjects ranging from "vegan cookbooks" to "health myths and misinformation" to "the truth about genetically modified foods" to "unbearable stories about what really happens in slaughterhouses" to "the raw food revolution" to "juicing cucumbers, parsnips, carrots, lemons and green bell peppers for beautiful skin, hair and nails". I said on my last entry I was laughing out loud reading "Skinny Bitch" by Rory Freedman and Kim Barnouin, well last night I was bawling my eyes out reading their chapter about the horrid conditions and inhuman treatment that goes on in slaughter houses. How cows, pigs, chickens, are literally abused my desensitized workers. One thing I took away from that chapter is not only are these poor animals living and eating in filthy conditions and pumped with steroids, hormones and antibiotics but they are so scared and freaked out at the time of their death due to sometimes crazy, unnecessary torture that their adrenaline levels and blood pressure are so high - that's what we are putting in our body! I know I'd rather put a beautiful organic carrot fresh from the garden in my body than that! This really made me think! More information and hard to read reports about what really goes on inside slaughterhouses, as well as exposing the greed and profit of the meat industry and how the "USDA Inspected" safety stamps on meat is just a stamp, it has never been inspected, can be read in Gail Eisnitz's book "Slaughterhouse: The Shocking Story of Greed, Neglect, and Inhumane Treatment Inside the U.S. Meat Industry". Food for thought!

I said in one of my previous blogs we'll hit upon natural sweeteners. As healthy as I thought I was, I just threw out all my Splenda Packets. I'm not going to even go into how bad Splenda, Equal, Nurta-Sweet, and Sweet'N Low is for you. Aspartame which is in Equal and Nutra-Sweet can actually be digested by the body - recent studies show that it can result in an accumulation of formaldehyde in the brain and can cause damage to your central nervous system and immune system - lovely huh? A few great natural sweeteners out there are Agave Nectar, Maple Syrup, Sucanat (sugar cane natural) which retains it's vitamins and minerals , Turbinado (100% cane sugar), brown rice syrup, made from fermented rice grain - good for the body's mineral balance, Stevia from the stevia or sugarleaf plant - (300 times the sweetness of sugar) good for people on low carbohydrate, low sugar diet, and Truvia which is made of Erythritol (natural sugar alcohol that occurs naturally in fruits and fermented foods) and Rebiana (from the leaf which is considered the best tasting part of the stevia plant), Xylitol (from US grown brich trees), Raw Honey( I buy Really Raw Honey - easily absorbed and known as a natural laxative), and Coconut Palm sugar (like brown sugar or molasses). I'm sure the list goes on, please feel free to recommend more!!

TAKE AWAY:

A great cookie recipe that I got from Candle Cafe Cookbook's is their Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies, I changed it a bit and added a lot of yummy, healthy extras...I have shared these cookies with my friends, clients, class members - they have been asking me for the recipe - here it is!!

1 cup rolled oats

1 cup spelt flour

1/4 cup brown rice flour (I used quinoa flour)

1/4 tsp baking powder

1/4 sea salt, fine grained

1/2 safflower oil (I used grape seed oil)

1 cup pure maple syrup (I used 1/2 cup)

1/4 tsp. vanilla extract

1/4 tsp. almond extract

1 tablespoon egg replacer - 1 part flaxseeds, 2 part warm water - blended in blender

the recipe then calls for 1 cup dairy-free chocolate chips (I used 85% cocoa chocolate bar chunks and/or dark chocolate chips)

I added shredded unsweetened coconut, dried cranberries, and walnuts (can use raw almonds)...

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

1. In a large mixing bowl, combine oats, flours, baking soda and salt. Add the oil, 1/4 cup of water, maple syrup, vanilla and almond extracts, and egg replacer and stir well to combine. Fold in handful of dark chocolate chips/choc. bar chunks, dried cranberries, shredded coconut, walnuts...
2. Spoon tablespoons of batter on baking sheet 3 inches apart. Can flatter batter with back of wet spoon.
3. Bake until lightly browned - 10-15 minutes

ENJOY!!!