These are my latest homegrown sproutsThey are Clover Sprouts
So good on sandwiches,veggie wraps and salads. Sprouts are nutritious and so easy to grow at home all year around.
Tuesday, October 6, 2009
Chia seeds & almond milk
I just finished a breakfast that excites me...Homemade almond milk with chia seeds. The same little seeds used to sprout green hair on chia pets. Chia seeds offer great nutritional value. They are high in omega 3 fatty acids, have protein, iron, magnesium, phospherous, calcium,and more. They also turn into a gel in the body which slows the process of carbohydrates being turned into sugars. Chia seeds were a staple of the Aztecs & Mayans diet. It is said that just 1 to 2 tablespoons would sustain a warrior for up to 24 hours. I first had them this past July in Santa Monica at our favorite raw foods resturant. I have been hunting for them here at home ever since. I finally found them yesterday at our local herb store.
Almond milk is pretty easy. Soak 1 cup almonds 4 to 8 hours in fresh water. add 1 cup soaked almonds to 4 cups water and blend. Strain through cheesecloth or a fine mesh strainer squeezing the excess milk from the cheesecloth. Store in the fridge. Pretty tastey and healthy!
Almond milk is pretty easy. Soak 1 cup almonds 4 to 8 hours in fresh water. add 1 cup soaked almonds to 4 cups water and blend. Strain through cheesecloth or a fine mesh strainer squeezing the excess milk from the cheesecloth. Store in the fridge. Pretty tastey and healthy!
Monday, October 5, 2009
For the ladies
Hi ladies,
I wanted to share some great things with you. I have had an amazing breakthrough. I get horrible painful cramps that radiate down my legs when my periods start. I also get nauseous and vomit several times during the first 2 days of my period as well as sweat. It is awful. So I asked our Naturopath for some advice and she told me that many times women experience symptoms like these during their periods b/c the liver is not functioning properly and getting rid of the toxins. These toxins build up and wreck havoc with hormones causing all kinds of similar symptoms. So she suggested I try taking something to support my liver and see what happens. My gyno wanted to give me pain meds which I did not want for several reasons one being those aren't getting to the root of the problem. So I have been taking milk thistle supplements for one month now to support the liver. I was also told about raspberry leaf tea. So I got that too. I started drinking it about 3 days ago. This is the second day of my period and I have not thrown up once or felt like I needed to nor have I had a problem sweating. I have had very minor cramps,tolerable,that did not radiate down my legs. So basically my period is tolerable this month unlike the last several months. YEAH! This is happy dance stuff. Just thought I would share b/c I know that a lot of women suffer like I do during that time of the month.
I wanted to share some great things with you. I have had an amazing breakthrough. I get horrible painful cramps that radiate down my legs when my periods start. I also get nauseous and vomit several times during the first 2 days of my period as well as sweat. It is awful. So I asked our Naturopath for some advice and she told me that many times women experience symptoms like these during their periods b/c the liver is not functioning properly and getting rid of the toxins. These toxins build up and wreck havoc with hormones causing all kinds of similar symptoms. So she suggested I try taking something to support my liver and see what happens. My gyno wanted to give me pain meds which I did not want for several reasons one being those aren't getting to the root of the problem. So I have been taking milk thistle supplements for one month now to support the liver. I was also told about raspberry leaf tea. So I got that too. I started drinking it about 3 days ago. This is the second day of my period and I have not thrown up once or felt like I needed to nor have I had a problem sweating. I have had very minor cramps,tolerable,that did not radiate down my legs. So basically my period is tolerable this month unlike the last several months. YEAH! This is happy dance stuff. Just thought I would share b/c I know that a lot of women suffer like I do during that time of the month.
Saturday, October 3, 2009
70's Earth Mother sweater story :}
Saturday nights are my preferred grocery shopping nights because the store is usually not crowded on Saturday nights. So, I went to the store tonight by myself this trip because Paul wanted to work on music and said he didn't have the patience. I really really like Whole Foods so grocery shopping is not a choir and I do tend to linger and look at everything with exception of the meat isle :{. I am happily strolling down the isles and I get to the bulk section which is on one side of the isle and sweeteners, flours, &spices are on the other side. I am looking at all of the salts which are right next to the sweeteners when a woman pushes her cart up next to mine and just looks at me. I look back at her and she asks me if I know anything about any of these making a sweeping motion over the sugars and agave. I ask her if she has a sugar restriction and tell her I know a little. So we start talking about agave nectar and then stevia. Then she asks me if I can tell her how to make her recipe with agave nectar. Hmmmm. Then another woman comes up next to us and starts asking me questions about agave and if she can use it in her recipe. I am thinking hmmm what made these ladies just ask me this stuff? why did they think I would know? My conclusion...I am wearing my new favorite sweater that is not new but reminds me of sweaters that 2 of my sisters and my mom had when I was a little kid. I call it my 70's Earth Mother sweater and oh yeah I did also just happen to sample the patchouli lotion in the body care isle and my cart is full. So I must look like 70's Earth Mother who shops here alot and therefore knows her stuff. I am usually pretty happy in there too amongst the confused looking faces. What is funnier to me is that the cashier and the guy bagging my groceries looked all concerned and said "shopping alone tonight huh?" Referring to the fact that Paul wasn't with me. I said yes and then one of them said "oh so he just wanted to stay home?" I am thinking why are you asking all concerned why my husband isn't with me but thinking to myself it is funny and kinda nice that they recognize us like that. We might as well move in seriously. We are there a lot. It was a funny shopping experience that made me smile a few times. I think it is the sweater! we have been doing a lot of work on ourselves over the past year and so maybe 70's Earth Mother is the real me!
I really like Paul Nisson. He is a raw foods chef,author & lecturer. His lectures are fun,informational,inspiring & motivational. This is a link to a lecture he gave about 3 years ago.
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=221362955412797330&hl=en#
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=221362955412797330&hl=en#
Thursday, October 1, 2009
supplements
Last night we took a short class on supplements with a registered clinical dietician. we have taken several classes from this person and we trust her. She knows her stuff. She started off the class by telling us that she was not speaking to any specific individual's needs as far as the info went and that without knowing an individual's specific health issues and seeing medical data on that individual she was unable to speak specifically. So this was a general knowledge kind of class that covered her 7 favorite supplements.
The first one we talked about was the general multivitamin. Capsule forms are superior to tablets form. Capsule form are bioavailable or recognizable to our cells. Tablets are not. She had several stories about the tablet form being excreted with the brand name stamp still visible on the pill or a patient of hers who works in a GI lab who says she sees piles of the tablets built up in the intestines just sitting there. She advises to avoid "oxide" forms of minerals. Oxide means rust. It is generally not possible to get a good one a day (single dose) capsule. A gasp sounded throughout the room at this news and those of use who had our vitamins in tow or the books about the vitamins we take (that was me) were asked to look at the label and say what the serving was. Ours was 4 capsules per day to get the full mg listed on the label. I know that with all of the vitamin stuff I have been doing lately I never have paid attention to that but yeah that ours are capsules. Magnesium is important because it allows cells to accept insulin. Avoid oxide or carbonate forms. Look for gluconate,citrate or malate forms. They are better. The oxide and carbonate forms are not used by cells and can cause bad diahria. Magnesium is usually low in people with kidney issues,indigestion issues, problems with foggy brain. It is helpful for high blood pressure,migraines,fibermyalgia and insulin resistance. It is an essential mineral in the body and needed for bone,protein & fatty acid formation. As well as the making of new cells, activating B vitamins,blood clotting, relaxing muscles and forming ATP (the energy our bodies run on). The secretion and action of insulin also requires it. It is found naturally in beans, dark green veggies, fish and meat. It can compete for absorption with other minerals especially calcium. Calcium suprised me.It should be taken alone at least 90 minutes from the taking of anything else which cause another gasp in class. So check those multivitamins. They might contain calcium which causes an interference when taken with other minerals or medicines. It can block absorption. Those women's multivitamins usually have high doses of calcium. Less is best when it is in a multi. we can gemerally only absorb 600 mg at a single dose. Avoid calcium carbonate. Calcium citrate or malate are better Should be a 2 to 1 ratio of calcium to magnisium. It is the most abundant essintial mineral in the body. It is needed to form teeth & bones, required for blood clotting and transmission of sigmals to nerve cells as well as muscle. It is found in tofu,green leafy veggies,sardines & canned salmon. It should not be taken by people with hyperathyroidism or chronic kidney disease without consulting thier doctor. Fish oil is an omega 3 fatty acid. It contains EPA (elcosapentaenoic acid) & DHA(docosahexaeonic acid). It is a regulator of prostaglandins. If prostaglandins rise so does inflamation and pain. EPA competes with arachadoic acids which are bad in the body.Total EPA/DHA should be 2400 mg to 3600 mg. daily. Make sure your fish oil lists the EPA/DHA amounts otherwise what's in it? There are those things on the market. Heavy metals are a normal filler in this supplement and that is not good. Pay attention to the total mg per serving and the total mg of EPA/DHA. EPA in particular causes prostagladins to go down. This is a blood thinner so if you take a blood thinner you must be cautious and consult with your doctor. Cheap fish oil is no good and can cause problems. it should not be taken 10 days before a surgical procedure. Fish oil helps with inflamation pain ,depression, heart disease, high triglycerides and a host of other health issues. CoQ10 is a high strength antioxident. It is also called ubiquinone a name that means widespread b/c it is ubiquitous in the body. It is used by the body to transform food into ATP, the energy our bodies run on. Aging changes our ability to make it naturally as do statins. CoQ10 has the ability to cross into cell walls. It aids the mitocondria in the cells. It is taken generally using body weight as a guide for dosing. So a person weighing i at 150 would take a 150mg dose. Certain health conditions get higher doses. More than 200 mg per day needs to be split up in the day. It is best taken in the morning because it helps us produce energy. It is good for diabetes,congestive heart failure,migraine headaches,high blood pressure. If a person with congestive heart failure takes it they must consult their doctor before discontinuing use.Vitamin D3 is highly bioavailable. D3 in smaller doses is more effective than high doses of D2(this is usually the prescription grade formula) D3 is useful for reducing cancer risks,depression,fibermyalgia pain& bone mass production. Normal ranges have changed and are now between 45 to 100 ug/dl. Getting tested for your level is the only way to know it. The test is called 25-hydroxy-D. If you spend a lot of time outdoors but use sunscreen or immediately shower when you ome in you are not absorbing it from the sun. Vit. D from the sun is absorbed through the skin so it sits there for awhile sometimes. It is ok to take D3 with calcium. It aids in calcium absorbtion. Probiotics are significant in the promotion of the immune system. They aid the villia i the intestines and help keep the microflora in balance. The immune system begins in the gut. Probiotics inhibit the growth of harmful bacteria.promote good digestion, increase the resistance to infections. They produce substances called bacteriocins which act like natural antibiotics and kill undesirable microorganisms. Examples of probiotic strains are Acidophilus,bifidobacterium bifidum,lactobacillus acidophilus,lactobacillus casei. . It is prefered that a variety of strains be take like 10-14 at 20-25 billion strain units per dose. 25 billion VFU's is a good dose. Yogurt only has maybe 5 million units of 1 or 2 strains so it is not significant. Best to take at night and must be protected from the heat. L-Glutamine is an amino acid used to improve gut villi in the small intestine. It helps to restore WBC after chemo and protects against the flu and colds after being exposed. It is an abundant amino acid in the body involved in more metobolic processes than any other amino acid. It is converted to gluclose when the body requires more gluclose as an energy source. It is used by white blood cells and is to important immune function.
So there you go. It was interesting. Hope this is helpful.
The first one we talked about was the general multivitamin. Capsule forms are superior to tablets form. Capsule form are bioavailable or recognizable to our cells. Tablets are not. She had several stories about the tablet form being excreted with the brand name stamp still visible on the pill or a patient of hers who works in a GI lab who says she sees piles of the tablets built up in the intestines just sitting there. She advises to avoid "oxide" forms of minerals. Oxide means rust. It is generally not possible to get a good one a day (single dose) capsule. A gasp sounded throughout the room at this news and those of use who had our vitamins in tow or the books about the vitamins we take (that was me) were asked to look at the label and say what the serving was. Ours was 4 capsules per day to get the full mg listed on the label. I know that with all of the vitamin stuff I have been doing lately I never have paid attention to that but yeah that ours are capsules. Magnesium is important because it allows cells to accept insulin. Avoid oxide or carbonate forms. Look for gluconate,citrate or malate forms. They are better. The oxide and carbonate forms are not used by cells and can cause bad diahria. Magnesium is usually low in people with kidney issues,indigestion issues, problems with foggy brain. It is helpful for high blood pressure,migraines,fibermyalgia and insulin resistance. It is an essential mineral in the body and needed for bone,protein & fatty acid formation. As well as the making of new cells, activating B vitamins,blood clotting, relaxing muscles and forming ATP (the energy our bodies run on). The secretion and action of insulin also requires it. It is found naturally in beans, dark green veggies, fish and meat. It can compete for absorption with other minerals especially calcium. Calcium suprised me.It should be taken alone at least 90 minutes from the taking of anything else which cause another gasp in class. So check those multivitamins. They might contain calcium which causes an interference when taken with other minerals or medicines. It can block absorption. Those women's multivitamins usually have high doses of calcium. Less is best when it is in a multi. we can gemerally only absorb 600 mg at a single dose. Avoid calcium carbonate. Calcium citrate or malate are better Should be a 2 to 1 ratio of calcium to magnisium. It is the most abundant essintial mineral in the body. It is needed to form teeth & bones, required for blood clotting and transmission of sigmals to nerve cells as well as muscle. It is found in tofu,green leafy veggies,sardines & canned salmon. It should not be taken by people with hyperathyroidism or chronic kidney disease without consulting thier doctor. Fish oil is an omega 3 fatty acid. It contains EPA (elcosapentaenoic acid) & DHA(docosahexaeonic acid). It is a regulator of prostaglandins. If prostaglandins rise so does inflamation and pain. EPA competes with arachadoic acids which are bad in the body.Total EPA/DHA should be 2400 mg to 3600 mg. daily. Make sure your fish oil lists the EPA/DHA amounts otherwise what's in it? There are those things on the market. Heavy metals are a normal filler in this supplement and that is not good. Pay attention to the total mg per serving and the total mg of EPA/DHA. EPA in particular causes prostagladins to go down. This is a blood thinner so if you take a blood thinner you must be cautious and consult with your doctor. Cheap fish oil is no good and can cause problems. it should not be taken 10 days before a surgical procedure. Fish oil helps with inflamation pain ,depression, heart disease, high triglycerides and a host of other health issues. CoQ10 is a high strength antioxident. It is also called ubiquinone a name that means widespread b/c it is ubiquitous in the body. It is used by the body to transform food into ATP, the energy our bodies run on. Aging changes our ability to make it naturally as do statins. CoQ10 has the ability to cross into cell walls. It aids the mitocondria in the cells. It is taken generally using body weight as a guide for dosing. So a person weighing i at 150 would take a 150mg dose. Certain health conditions get higher doses. More than 200 mg per day needs to be split up in the day. It is best taken in the morning because it helps us produce energy. It is good for diabetes,congestive heart failure,migraine headaches,high blood pressure. If a person with congestive heart failure takes it they must consult their doctor before discontinuing use.Vitamin D3 is highly bioavailable. D3 in smaller doses is more effective than high doses of D2(this is usually the prescription grade formula) D3 is useful for reducing cancer risks,depression,fibermyalgia pain& bone mass production. Normal ranges have changed and are now between 45 to 100 ug/dl. Getting tested for your level is the only way to know it. The test is called 25-hydroxy-D. If you spend a lot of time outdoors but use sunscreen or immediately shower when you ome in you are not absorbing it from the sun. Vit. D from the sun is absorbed through the skin so it sits there for awhile sometimes. It is ok to take D3 with calcium. It aids in calcium absorbtion. Probiotics are significant in the promotion of the immune system. They aid the villia i the intestines and help keep the microflora in balance. The immune system begins in the gut. Probiotics inhibit the growth of harmful bacteria.promote good digestion, increase the resistance to infections. They produce substances called bacteriocins which act like natural antibiotics and kill undesirable microorganisms. Examples of probiotic strains are Acidophilus,bifidobacterium bifidum,lactobacillus acidophilus,lactobacillus casei. . It is prefered that a variety of strains be take like 10-14 at 20-25 billion strain units per dose. 25 billion VFU's is a good dose. Yogurt only has maybe 5 million units of 1 or 2 strains so it is not significant. Best to take at night and must be protected from the heat. L-Glutamine is an amino acid used to improve gut villi in the small intestine. It helps to restore WBC after chemo and protects against the flu and colds after being exposed. It is an abundant amino acid in the body involved in more metobolic processes than any other amino acid. It is converted to gluclose when the body requires more gluclose as an energy source. It is used by white blood cells and is to important immune function.
So there you go. It was interesting. Hope this is helpful.
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