Tuesday, February 28, 2017

Books: "The Cheese Trap" by Dr. Neal Bernard MD


Dr. Neal Bernard MD has had a major influence on my nutrition studies. His latest book "The Cheese Trap" really depicts how seriously damaging Cheese is to the evolution of the human health crisis.  He poses this question below.... 


"Cheese—a high-fat, high-cholesterol, and high-sodium topping—is nearly everywhere, from K-12 school lunch rooms to elegant dinner parties. It even has its own aisle at the grocery store. Could steering clear from this product, one that’s a linchpin in the standard American diet, be the catalyst to weight loss, optimal health, and disease prevention?" 


What do you think? 


Personally, I cut cheese out of my daily nutrition 3 years ago and anytime I've tried to "splurge" I've not only gotten sick but develop weird cravings for foods I would never eat.  I think the combination of hormones, fat, lactose and mold in cheese is a deadly addictive combination. 



Here's the blog I wrote about cheese in 2016 

THURSDAY, APRIL 21, 2016

Food for thought: Is eating cheese feeding your body positive nutrition?



Raw Earth Medicine: Food for thought! 

Is eating cheese feeding your body positive nutrition or is cheese a very occasional pleasure food? 

Here's some info about how cheese is made:

Cheese is basically moldy milk.  Although not all Cheeses are exposed to mold; the others are exposed to chemicals. Those cheeses not made with mold are made by exposing Milk to rennens, which are made from an enzyme that comes from calves’ stomach linings, and acids which change the texture and curdle the milk. The liquid is drained off (whey) and the solids are preserved (cheese). 

Soft-ripened cheeses such as Brie and Camembert are made by allowing white Penicillium candida or P. camemberti mold to grow on the outside of a soft cheese for a few days or weeks. The mold forms a white crust and contributes to the smooth, runny, or gooey textures and more intense flavors of these aged cheeses. 

Goats' milk cheeses are often treated in a similar manner, sometimes with white molds (Chèvre-Boîte) and sometimes with blue. 

Blue-mold cheeses like Roquefort, Gorgonzola, and Stilton are produced by inoculating loosely pressed curds with Penicillium roqueforti or Penicillium glaucum molds. The mold grows within the cheese as it ages. These cheeses have distinct blue veins and, often, assertive flavors. Their texture can be soft or firm.   

Now, we know that most cheese is derived from milk and is either treated with chemicals or mold in order to be made. One of the biggest problems with cheese besides how it's made is what's in the milk that it's being made with. About one-quarter of cheese that's sold in America comes from cows treated with Bovine Growth Hormone (BGH). The FDA approved its use in 1995 despite findings from organizations like the National Institutes of Health and Physicians Commitee that revealed known health risks from consumption of cheese and dairy products.

Let's evaluate the positive attributes and the health risks of eating dairy: 

BENEFITS:

1. Vitamins:   

Dairy products, including cheese, provide vitamins A and D. Vitamin A maintains healthy vision, the immune system and red blood cell production. 

2. Minerals: 

Cheese also provides two important minerals, calcium and phosphorus, which support the growth and maintenance of healthy bones and teeth, and can lower your risk of developing osteoporosis. Calcium also plays a role in the health of your nervous system.

3. Protein: 

You need protein daily because protein is a part of every cell in your body. Cheese provides significant amounts of complete proteins, or all of the nine essential amino acids that you need for good health. Firm cheeses such as cheddar contain more protein than softer cheeses such as blue cheese. The human body only requires 46g for women and 56g for men of protein daily. 

4. Pleasure:

Cheese provides a delicious taste to most recipes. It makes most people very happy and it goes well with wine. 

HEALTH RISKS:

1. Cancer:

According to a study published in the "Journal of the National Cancer Institute," cheese and other dairy products may actually raise the risk of breast cancer. A study published in "Nutrition and Cancer" also came to the same conclusion. Other studies link cheese to lymphoid cancers and lung cancer. 

2. Digestive Diseases:

The Physicians Committee on Responsible Medicine warned in "The New York Times" that cheese can contribute to the development of colic, allergies and digestive problems. Past the age of 2 years old human beings don't produce enough of the enzyme lactase. 
If you do not have enough of the enzyme lactase in your gastrointestinal tract, you might have problems when you consume dairy products. Most people are told they  are lactose intolerant but the truth is that those who can consume dairy without a problem are lactose tolerant and the rest of the people are normal human beings. Aside from a little lactose, dairy can also cause some gut damage due to the way it inflames the gut lining. It’s one of the worst to cause and irritate leaky gut syndrome, which can lead to autoimmune disease and other health issues over time. Dairy consumption is known to cause issues such as bloating, constipation, diarrhea, or even long-term IBS. Many people who suffer from more serious disorders such as Crohn’s disease find that once they ditch dairy, healing naturally begins. 

3. Heart Attacks:

The Center for Science in the Public Interest warns that the consumption of cheese is giving heart attacks to many Americans because of its high-fat content.  


4. Cholesterol: 

Dairy and cheese can also contribute large amounts of fat, sodium and cholesterol to your diet. Between 15-30 percent of your daily calories should come from fat. The over consumption of dairy and cheese leads to too much fat or cholesterol which can cause you to gain weight, develop heart disease and develop certain cancers. The amount of fat in a cheese depends on the fat content of the milk that was used to make the cheese.  

5. Chronic Inflammation

Dairy is highly acidic, despite it containing high amounts of calcium that acts as an alkaline agent by nature. Milk is rich in natural acids that can cause calcium deposits to build up and potentially cause arthritis and long-term inflammation. It also doesn’t necessarily keep our bones strong as we once believed. Most plant-based foods do a much better job (such as chard, kale, almonds, figs) and don’t contribute to chronic inflammation.

Although cheese and dairy do have some beneficial attributes like vitamin A, calcium and phosphorus, it's quiet apparent that if we eat too much of it we are headed down the road to inflammation, cancer, heart diseases and many other digestive problems. 

There is no argument that cheese and dairy products are delicious but now that we know that the health risks far out way the benefits of eating dairy and cheese, how do we find the balance between feeding our body for optimum health while still enjoying the pleasures in food like dairy and cheese. 

Tips for balancing your nutrition:

1. Be honest with how much you're really eating dairy and cheese. Make it a special meal and something you will savor. Make it worth it and not just a habit. 

2. Buy from locally sourced farms who don't use hormones or chemicals in their dairy production 

3. Eat the real deal with full fat made from whole milks. The reduced fat, non fat or processed  versions of cheese are far worse for you than eating the full fat version because the processing to make it low fat or non fat adds more chemicals and health risks 

4. Use cheese alternatives like nutritional yeast or almond cheese which is healthy to give foods a cheese flavor for times you're eating for nutritional health and not pleasure 

5. Find ways to make your favorite cheese dishes without cheese so you can have them regularly and only occasionally with cheese. 

Being healthy means being aware and finding your balance in life and with food.  Knowing what our risks and benefits are with foods makes knowing what's pleasure food and nutritious foods easier. The more we know about nutrition the more our decision making about what we eat becomes an intellectual decision for our health and long term wellness. That's how to create a lifestyle you can live with! 

Monday, February 27, 2017

Orange Turmeric Tea



Orange Turmeric Tea


6 - 8 inches Turmeric Root Sliced

1 tbsp Orange Zest

1 tsp Raw Coconut Sugar or Honey

32 oz Filtered Water


Bring water to a boil and add Turmeric Root. Boil for about 5 minutes and the water should turn orange. Add the Orange Zest and Coconut Sugar then let boil for another 5 minutes. Strain and drink hot or cold!


Tip: I don't mind straining the tea but if it's a bother to you, you can use tea pouches, cheese cloth or an immersion ball and stuff them with the ingredients for a quick no hassle tea! 


Health Benefits:  This tea is a super concentrated anti inflammatory and your first line of defense against inflammatory diseases, like cancer. Adding this tea to your daily routine will do wonders for your joints, any pain issues you have and your immune system. Give yourself a natural boost of energy while your body benefits from this tea and it's delicious too! 



Sunday, February 26, 2017

Chipotle Falafel Bowl


Chipotle Falafel Bowl 


Cabbage Salad:


2 cups Shredded Cabbage

1 cup  Shredded Carrots

1 diced Orange Pepper

1 tsp Grated Ginger Root 

1 tsp Liquid Aminos


Mix all ingredients in your serving bowl. This will be the base salad for this dish. 


Ginger Pickled Cucumbers:


3 cups Distilled Vinegar 

1 cup @delish_spices Pickling Spice

3 cups Sliced Cucumbers

2 inches Sliced Ginger Root 

1 tsp Liquid Smoke

1 tsp Liquid Aminos


Place all ingredients in a bowl with a cover then place in the fridge to chill for a minimum of 15 minutes. 


Chipotle Falafel Patty


1 can Organic Preservative Free Garbanzo Beans

1 tsp Minced Habanero Pepper

1 tbsp Smoked Chipotle Pepper

1 tbsp Garlic Powder

1 tbsp Yellow Curry

1 tsp Cumin

1 tsp thyme 

1 tsp black pepper

1/2 tsp Vanilla

1 pinky nail drop - Coconut Oil


Quinoa Flour 


Pulse all ingredients, except for the quinoa flour, in a food processor. Once all the ingredients are finely pulsed start adding 1 tbsp of Quinoa Flour at a time until the mixture forms a crumbly looking dough that will form into Patties. If the dough is too crumbly you keep adding flour until it isn't. You can always add more coconut oil as a binder but, I prefer to use as little as possible. 


Form into Patties and place in the fridge for a min of 20 minutes. 


Cooking options:


You can absolutely eat this raw! 


Bake at 350 for 15-20 minutes


- this is the healthiest way to make this recipe


Pan Bake: Using an expeller cooking oil spray, I used Avocado Oil Spray, spray your pan and heat it until its sizzling. Cook patty for one minute on each side or until brown 


- the minimal amount of oil in the cooking spray adds fat to the dish and the heated oil becomes a carcinogen which mildly raises your risk for cancer. It's still a healthier way to prepare this dish


Pan Fry: Add a thin layer of oil to your pan and heat until sizzling. Submerge patty in the oil and fry until crisp on each side. 


- the high fat from the oil and frying has turned a healthy Falafel Patty into a fatty splurge of a patty. 


Layer your bowl with the cabbage salad then add the Pickled Cucumber, Falafel Patties and Garnish with Avocado. 


This dish can be prepared in the healthiest way to feed your body delicious nutrition or can be made in a decadent fatty way. 


By making small changes in how you prepare a meal, you can really make a huge impact on your weight, your immune system and your overall health. 


Learn when to splurge, learn how to be healthy 

And create a lifestyle you can live with!

Friday, February 24, 2017

Pineapple sprinkled with Cayenne Pepper for breakfast!?


Mmmm Pineapple sprinkled with Cayenne Pepper for breakfast!  Combining two powerful anti inflammatory foods together to create the equivalent of taking two Advil and a Celebrex! That's how you use food as your medicine so your body heals instead of masking the issues that cause the inflammation and creating work for the body by having to figure out what to do with the byproducts from the pills. 

Many studies have shown that bromelain, an enzyme found in pineapples, can reduce swelling, bruising, healing time, and pain associated with injury and surgical intervention. Bromelain is currently being used holistically to treat and reduce inflammation from tendinitis, sprains, strains, and other minor muscle injuries as well as swelling related to ear, nose, and throat surgeries or trauma. 

Cayenne Pepper is known as Capsicum in Holistic medicine. Capsicum increases metabolism by immediately influencing the venous structure.
Its benefits on our bodies are nothing short of amazing, especially its effects on the circulatory system as it feeds the vital elements into the cell structure of capillaries, veins, arteries and helps adjust blood pressure to normal levels.

Combining the powers of Bromelain and Capsicum daily, will do wonders for your body and can help you heal much faster with any type of injury or ailment. The best way to see results is to be consistent. Give it a try for at least 2 weeks and you'll be pleasantly surprised with the results!  You will feel so much less pain and you will have so much more energy! 



Wednesday, February 22, 2017

Garlic Mushroom Peppers


Garlic Mushroom Peppers

3 cups Sliced Bella Mushrooms
1 Sliced Red Pepper
1 Sliced Yellow Pepper 
1 Sliced Orange Pepper
1/2 White Onion
10 minced Garlic Cloves
1/4 cup chopped Fresh Dill
1/4 cup chopped Fresh Parsley
1 tsp Fennel Seeds

Heat your frying pan with either a cooking spray or 1/4 cup of water and then add minced Garlic and Onions. Once the Garlic starts to brown add the mushrooms and peppers. Stir until Mushrooms are soft then add Dill, Parsley and Fennel Seeds. Sauté for 2 more minutes and serve! 

This is an amazing side dish or can be used in many recipes like fajitas, pasta and rice dishes. Dress it up with curry spices for an Indian Style dish or add Basil with some Nutritional Yeast to make it an Italian dish or maybe a dash of coconut sugar and soy sauce for a Teriyaki taste. The possibilities are endless. 

Nutrition tip: By adding Fennel seeds to this dish it reduces the acid from the onions making it impossible to get heartburn or gas from this dish! 

Tuesday, February 21, 2017

Antioxidant Acái


Antioxidant Acái


1 cup Frozen Blueberries

1 cup Frozen Blackberries 

8 Medjool Dates

1/2 cup Pineapple Juice

1 Scoop Acái Powder 

Blend all ingredients and top with strawberries, banana, dates, papaya, Blackberries and Blueberries. 


This recipe is a super defender against free radicals and other airborne illnesses. It contains an extremely high ORAC value. ORAC values are a measure of the antioxidant activity.  It measures the degree and length of time it takes to inhibit the action of an oxidizing agent. Antioxidants inhibit oxidation which is known to have a damaging effect on tissues. Studies now suggest that consuming fruits and vegetables with a high ORAC value may slow down the aging process in both the body and brain. 


So nutritious, delicious and easy to make!



Monday, February 20, 2017

Organic Apple Cinnamon Oatmeal



Organic Apple Cinnamon Oatmeal


1 cup dry organic oats

1 Granny Smith Apple

5 diced dates 

1 tablespoon Honey 

1 tablespoon Cinnamon

1 teaspoon Vanilla Bean or Extract

1 teaspoon nutmeg 


Cooking Methods:


Raw : add 2 cups of water and let soak overnight 

Heated: Bring 3 cups of water to a boil then add ingredients and let simmer until apples soften  

Saturday, February 18, 2017

Smokey Dill Cucumber Salad



Smokey Dill Cucumber Salad


2 cups Sliced Cucumber

1 cups Garbanzo Beans 

2 tbsp Chopped Fresh Dill

1/4 cup Apple Cider Vinegar 

1 tbsp Liquid Smoke

1 tsp Coconut Sugar 

1 tsp Pink Himalayan Salt (optional) 

Servings: 2 

Mix all ingredients in a bowl and chill in the fridge until serving. 

This simple twist on a Cucumber Salad is full of complex flavors and is very healthy! There is no fat in this salad and the dressing adds to the health benefits instead of destroying them like most salad dressings do. 

Simple ingredients, big flavor and so easy to make!  Healthy can be delicious! 


Friday, February 17, 2017

Ginger Rice Vegan Sushi Recipe







Ginger Rice Vegan Sushi

Rice:

1 cup Brown Rice
2 cups Water
1 tsp Raw Coconut Sugar
1 tbsp Fresh Grated Ginger
1 tsp @braggsacvhealth Liquid Aminos

Bring water to a boil then add Brown Rice and Coconut Sugar. Boil for 15 minutes then start stirring every few minutes. When the water starts to thicken (about 25 minutes into boiling) add the Ginger and Liquid Aminos. Keep stirring until the water is gone and the rice will have a creamy Brown coating on it.

Sushi:

1 Carrot Sliced into long thin Strips
1 Cucumber Sliced into long thin Strips
1 Avocado Sliced into long thin Strips
1 cup Bean Sprouts
Nori Seaweed Papers (will say for sushi)







Lay the Nori Paper on a plate. Make a thin layer of Ginger Rice leaving about a 1/2 an inch boarder on two sides. On one end layer Carrots, Cucumber, Avocado and Sprouts. Using the 1/2 inch boarder start to roll the Nori Paper tightly over the veggies. Keep rolling until it forms a log. You can use parchment paper or your hands to press on the roll to make sure it's all tightly rolled. You can use a sushi roller but you really don't need to because the warmth from the rice will moisten the Nori Paper making it easy to roll. Using a very sharp serrated knife cut the roll into pieces. Yum!
You don't even need a dip with this roll because the ginger and Liquid Aminos give this roll an authentic Sushi Soy Sauce taste.

I like to pair this roll with a Smokey Cucumber Salad which I will post the recipe for shortly!

This recipe is low fat, all natural, gluten free, gmo free, vegan and so delicious!

Thursday, February 16, 2017

Love your body! Eat fruit for Breakfast!


The best way to start your day and love your body, is to eat fruit for breakfast!  Your body has been sleeping and recovering from the day before. You awake renewed with an empty stomach and typically haven't eaten for a few hours. The first thing you put into your body should be something that revitalizes your systems. 

When we eat fruit on an empty stomach, the digestive system breaks down the sugars in the fruit quickly and allows us to get the full nutritional benefits. Fruit is a great source of fiber, nutrients like vitamin C, and offers antioxidants that can reduce inflammation in the body. Eating fruit on an empty stomach can allow us to take in as many as these benefits as possible. 

Fruit should be eaten alone without any fat or protein with it because it slows down the digestive process and how the sugars in fruit are broken down. When you eat fruit alone it digests super quickly and the body uses the sugars immediately! 

Show your body some love and feed it fruit first thing in the morning! 

Wednesday, February 15, 2017

Are you tired after you eat? Here's why!



Keeping the love going this morning with a sweet and nutritious breakfast! (Recipes Below)

This breakfast is fast nutrition.  Since the fat in Chia Seeds and Hemp Hearts isn't Saturated and essential for the body, it is metabolized quickly. The nutrition in dates is energizing and also used immediately by the body. When you eat whole foods that have no chemicals or by products your body is energized because it uses the food as fuel instead of using fuel and energy to break down the food and figure out what to do with the byproducts. You should never feel tired after you eat. You should be eating to feed the body to maintain health. When you feel tired after you eat, it means the body is working too hard to digest your food causing stress on the body instead of feeding it. Take note after you eat and ask yourself.... Am I feeding my body nutrition or feeding my mind what it's been taught to think is food?

Raw Chocolate Rolled in Hemp Hearts:

8 Medjool Dates
3 tbsp @navitasnaturals Cacao Powder
2 tbsp Raw Honey
1 tsp Cinnamon
1 tsp Nutmeg
1 drop of Pure Lemon Extract

Blend ingredients in a food processor until it forms a log. Form into balls and roll in Hemp Hearts.

Peanut Butter Bites Rolled in China Seeds

8 Medjool Dates
3 tbsp Powdered Peanuts (FitPB)
2 tbsp Pure Maple Syrup

Blend all ingredients in a food processor. Take a chunk and drop it into the chia seeds then roll into a ball.

Yum!

Monday, February 13, 2017

Get Juicy!



Let the power of cold pressed juice change your life. If you add one cold pressed juice a day to your nutrition, you can get 100% of your daily required vitamins and toss that synthetic ultra processed multi vitamin away!

Cold-pressed juice is made with a hydraulic press that uses thousands of pounds of pressure to extract the maximum amount of liquid from fresh fruits and vegetables. No additional heat or oxygen is used in the process, meaning that no nutrients are lost in the heat of traditional pasteurization. You get all the nutrients and vitamins you need with immediate absorption without anything else being added, keeping the fruits and veggies Raw and full of nutritious goodness.

There's also a juice recipe for almost every kind of ailment. All it takes is giving the juice 2 weeks of consistent consumption to show you results. Before reaching for that pill, reach for a glass of cold pressed juice and give your body the chance to heal itself!