~for my few faithful readers...taking a break until after the first of the year...Merry Christmas!!!

a yummy recipe

Here's my new favorite breakfast - a delicious protein smoothie. The recipe is very versatile, built around the following basics:

1 cup milk of choice (cow, rice, almond, etc.)
1 tbsp nut butter of choice (peanut, almond, cashew, etc.)
1/2 of a banana, frozen works best
2-3 ice cubes
1 scoop of whey protein (chocolate or vanilla flavored)

Put all ingredients into a blender and give it a whirl!

This is very yummy and can contain anywhere from 10 to 25 grams of protein (maybe even more), depending on your choices. It's a good idea to have a bit of protein at each meal and snack to keep your blood sugar balanced all day long. A good rule of thumb for calculating how much protein you need is to divide your body weight in half and use that number for your daily protein needs in grams. So, if you weigh 150 lbs, you should strive for 75 grams of protein throughout the day, spread out between meals & snacks.

Something fishy is going on...

"Eat more fish. They are high in omega3's."

"Eat less fish. It's high in mercury."

The more I delve into nutritional information, the more it contradicts itself. One area where this is especially true is with seafood. Do we or don't we eat it???

Recently, I read yet another great book - The Dinner Diaries: Raising Whole Wheat Kids in a White Bread World, by Betsy Block. Besides being a fantastically funny writer, she's a mom on a similar quest to mine who wrote a clever book about her journey through the gray areas of nutrition.

Here's the research she found on fish...

Green Light, or go ahead and eat away:
wild-caught salmon from Alaska
US farmed barramundi (NOT Nile perch, which is often mislabeled as barramundi)
sardines
anchovies, hold the pepperoni
atlantic herring
atlantic mackerel (NOT king or Spanish)
farmed oysters
arctic char
farmed bay scallops
US farmed tilapia
farmed mussels
tiny salad shrimp
US farmed crayfish
US farmed catfish
farmed clams
crab (NOT king crab from Russia)
Pacific cod (NOT Atlantic cod)
calamari/squid
wild-caught pollock from Alaska


Red light, or don't even think about eating this:
Tilapia from China and Taiwan (I've seen the water in China. I have to agree.)
Chilean seabass/toothfish
Atlantic cod
Atlantic flounder, sole, haddock, hake, halibut
Monkfish
Orange roughy
Farmed salmon (aka Atlantic salmon)
Shark
Skate
Red snapper
Grouper
Imported caviar
Swordfish
American tuna
Tilefish

Listed as the top 7 clean, omega-3-rich fish are wild-caught salmon from Alaska, barramundi, sardines, anchovies, Atlantic herring, Atlantic mackerel, and farmed oysters.

After reading this book, I stopped into a vitamin store and on my way out, the clerk handed me none other than a little credit card listing mercury levels in fish! It pretty much agreed with Ms. Block's conclusions, highlighting the ever popular canned tuna. High in mercury: tuna (ahi, yellowfin, bigeye, canned albacore). Medium level of mercury: canned chunk light tuna and skipjack tuna. No tuna of any sort is listed as low in mercury levels on either listing, sadly enough. Also, one of my favorites that didn't make Betsy's list made the "medium level" list from the vitamin shop - mahi mahi.

So what does this all mean? Well, for me, it means less canned tuna around here and more Alaskan salmon. It does not yet mean pizza with anchovies. Yuck. Also, if you take fish oil supplements, make sure they are from a reputable company and are labeled as mercury free. Again, I like Nordic Naturals.

Clean Food, by Terry Walters

Picked up a new book today at Barnes & Noble, and found a new hero in its author, Terry Walters. Subtitled "A Seasonal Guide to Eating Close to the Source," this book contains more than 200 recipes made from clean, whole foods based on what's in season. Terry Walters, a holistic health practitioner, so eloquently puts into words in her book's introduction what I constantly rant and rave about to friends and family. So, here's what she says. Wish I had said it first.

"In this country, the topic of food is charged with emotion and controversy. The whole meals of my past are now an illusion. Nothing is as it appears on the surface. Our produce departments and grocery store shelves are lined with unknowns - pesticides, herbicides, growth hormones, chemical additives, and process upon process, stripping our food of its inherent nutritional value. Behind each glass of milk or piece of meat is an agenda, a lobbyist, a Fortune 500 company, a distribution chain, a processing plant...you need to squint to see the farmer and you need binoculars to find the cow!" (Did I mention this woman is my new hero?!)

She goes on: "The further we remove ourselves from the source of our food, the less we are able to maintain physical and emotional balance. Our processed food diets are so lacking in nutrition that we require coffee to wake up, sugar to get through the day, television to calm down, alcohol to let go of our inhibitions, chocolate and ice cream to feel satisfied, pills to sleep through the night and drugs to provide us with the illusion of health. The vitamins and nutrients that were so rich in my mother's whole meals are hard to come by, and the nourishment from that mealtime is even more rare. Have we become a society that is artificially sustained?"

I cannot rave about this book enough! And I plan to spend the next year attempting all of its seasonal recipes, finding new favorites and enjoying the healthy cooking journey.

Michael Pollan's food rules

Recently, Michael Pollan (author of The Omnivore's Dilemma and In Defense of Food) held a contest, asking for his reader's to send in their food rules. This link highlights his favorite 20 rules. Very interesting!

http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2009/10/11/magazine/20091011-foodrules.html

Asthma and it's Nutritional Connection

Asthma, a reactive inflammatory airway disorder, is becoming even more prevalent amongst our children. My own daughter suffers, and I do mean suffers, from this annoying disease, as did I when I was a kid. So when I recently picked up Bonnie Minsky's book, Our Children's Health, the chapter on asthma was my first stop.

Here's what Dr. Minsky says are three things you can do to help control asthma.

First, remove the triggers. These are different for everyone and it can be quite challenging to find yours. Some of the most common include mold, house dust, pet dander and saliva, cockroaches, dust mites, secondhand smoke, food additives, coloring agents (like red #40, etc.), sulfiting agents (often found in lunch meat amongst other foods), and food allergens/sensitivities.

Second, support the body with proper nutrition. The more nutrient-dense the food, the more health benefits your child will receive. Add foods rich in the omega-3 fatty acids to your child's diet, such as walnuts (if no nut allergies), pumpkin seeds, flax seed oil, salmon, tuna, mackerel, and cold water fish. Increase foods rich in bioflavonoids, especially high quercetin foods, because they help stop inflammation. These foods include onions, apples, kale, green beans, sweet cherries, and grape skins. Increase foods high in magnesium such as fatty fish, dark green vegetables, avocado, pumpkin seeds, and blackstrap molasses. LIMIT the consumption of red meat, dairy products, excess calcium, and bananas as all of these can increase inflammation. ELIMINATE completely foods containing MSG, sulfites, food colorings, white sugar, and artificial sweeteners.

Third, support with useful supplementation. Dr. Minsky always recommends the following to her asthmatic patients to help keep inflammation down and because asthmatics have been found to be deficient in these nutrients:
vitamin B6 (pyridoxine)
vitamin B12
vitamin C ~ the main antioxidant found in the fluid lining of the lungs
vitamin E
magnesium ~ many emergency rooms are now using magnesium IVs for acute asthma attacks
quercetin ~ has anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, and antiviral properties. It should be noted that quercetin has a greater potency in pill form than from foods.

I have noticed in my own daughter's case that if she has too much sugar, her asthma will flare up. We also keep her off as much dairy as possible and offer raw fruits and veggies daily, though she usually only eats the fruit. She also takes the recommended vitamins, except for quercetin which I cannot find in kid friendly form. All this has helped her so far, and I'm keeping my fingers crossed that I can continue to be diligent for her.

Vitamin in the Spotlight: Vitamin D

There's been alot of talk about vitamin D in the press lately. Many doctors are calling it this year's wonder vitamin and recommending their patients up their intake of it. Best way to get it, 20 minutes of morning or evening sunlight with no sunscreen on your skin.

What it does: Vitamin D supports bone and tooth formation, muscle function, and thyroid function and is needed for the proper absorption of calcium, phosphorus, magnesium, and zinc.

Deficiency signs could include: joint pain or stiffness (I thought that was just old age), bachache, tooth decay, muscle cramps, and hair loss. Though extremely rare in this country, severe vitamin D deficiency results in rickets.

Optimal Daily Amount: 400 IU. My doctor recommended 1000 IUs recently to me, which happens to be the amount combined into my Nordic Naturals Cod Liver Oil.

Robbers: lack of sunlight. Hello, winter. Oh, and fried foods.

Though the sun is your best source, five good food sources are: salmon, shrimp, cow's milk, baked or broiled cod, and boiled eggs.

Minerals: Zinc

Minerals are important, and one of the most important ones during this cold and flu time of year is zinc.

What it does: Zinc promotes wound and burn healing, supports the immune system, is involved in carbohydrate and protein digestion, and has a role in the reproductive organ growth & development of our kids.

Deficiency signs could include: white spots on the fingernails, stretch marks on the skin, hair loss, loss of the sense of taste or smell, joint pain, menstrual irregularities, slow wound healing, and recurrent colds or infections.

Optimal Daily Amount: 20 mg

What robs our bodies of zinc: phytates (wheat), oxalates (rhubarb & spinach - poor Popeye!), high calcium intake, copper, low protein intake, excess sugar intake, stress, and alcohol

Good food sources include: beef tenderloin, lamb loin, venison, sesame seeds, raw pumpkin, yogurt, green peas, shrimp, crimini mushrooms, cooked summer squash, boiled asparagus, miso, maple syrup (and I doubt Mrs. Butterworth's qualifies), steamed broccoli, and mustard seeds.

Optimum Daily Allowances to look for in a multivitamin

Notice I didn't say "Recommended" Daily Allowances. That's because the RDAs are not enough for optimum health, for feeling better than just "alright," according to the New Optimum Nutrition Bible (Patrick Holford). So when you are shopping for a multivitamin supplement, here's a guideline you could follow if you so choose:

Vitamin A ~ 8250 IU (RDA=5000)
Vitamin D ~ 440 IU (400)
Vitamin E ~ 400 IU (30)
Vitamin C ~ 2000 mg (60)
Vitamin B1 thiamine ~ 35 mg (1.5)
Vitamin B2 riboflavin ~ 35 mg (1.7)
Vitamin B3 niacin ~ 85 mg (20)
Vitamin B5 pantothenic acid ~ 100 mg (10)
Vitamin B6 pyridoxine ~ 75 mg (2)
Folic Acid ~ 800 mcg (400)
Vitamin B12 ~ 25 mcg (6)
Biotin ~ 225 mcg (300)
*GLA (Omega 6) ~ 150 mg (no RDA)
*EPA/DHA (Omega 3) ~ 700 mg (no RDA)
Calcium ~ 1000 g (1, a good diet can net you 800 already)
Iron ~ 20 mg (18)
Magnesium ~ 500 mg (400)
Zinc ~ 20 mg (15)
Iodine ~ 300 mcg (150)
Selenium ~ 100 mcg (70)
Chromium ~ 125 mcg (120)
Manganese ~ 10 mg (2)

So how does your multi stack up? Mine is close to the ODAs for some things, but closer to the RDAs for others.

A yummy way to boost your vitamin C and all the B vitamins, which are great for energy, is to do an Emergen-C shot. It's a packet of powder that when added to a few ounces of water, becomes a fizzy drink. I've seen them at most grocery stores, Target, Meijer, Walmart, and all drug stores. They are inexpensive and a nice pick-me-up about 3:00 pm!

*Multivitamins rarely contain the omegas. To get these, you need to look for fish oil or flax seed oil. They come in pill form or liquid, and even gummies for kids. Nordic Naturals is a great, respected brand for fish oil.

Vitamin in the Spotlight: Vitamin C

Vitamin C, also known as ascorbic acid, has many functions: helps maintain normal enzyme function; is important for the healthy growth of teeth, bones, gums, ligaments, and blood vessels; plays an important role in the immune systems response to infection and healing; helps in the absorption of iron from the digestive tract; acts as a powerful antioxidant, helping to protect the body against a variety of disorders including cancer.

Signs of deficiency include slow wound healing, bleeding gums, recurrent infections, a tendency to bruise easily and allergies. Severe deficiency can result in scurvy, though this is extremely rare in today's world.

Optimal daily amount: 2000 mg

Smoking, alcohol, pollution, stress, and fried foods will rob your body of its vitamin C.

Good food sources include papaya, red bell peppers (sliced, raw), broccoli, boiled brussel sprouts, strawberries, oranges, canteloupe, kiwi, cauliflower, boiled kale, fresh parsley, fresh lemon juice, romaine lettuce, grapefruit, ripe tomatoes, raspberries, asparagus, raw celery, spinach, cucumbers, pineapple, watermelon, green beans, cranberries, dried cloves, dried basil, cooked squash, blueberries, raw carrots, garlic, apricots, baked sweet potato, plums, boiled green peas, raw onion, dried oregano, baked potato with skin, banana, apples, raw shitake mushrooms, pears, grapes, cooked yellow corn, avocado

With a list like that, there's gotta be something you like to eat!

Other Names for Sugar

Manufacturers are very clever at disguising sugar under many different names. Here are just a few:

barley malt, beet sugar, brown sugar, buttered syrup, cane juice crystals, cane sugar, caramel, carob syrup, corn syrup, corn syrup solids, date sugar, diastatic malt, ethyl maltol, fructose, fruit juice, fruit juice concentrate, glucose, glucose solids, golden sugar, golden syrup, grape sugar, dextran, dextrose, diastase, high fructose corn syrup, honey, invert sugar, lactose, malt syrup, maltodextrin, maltose, mannitol, molasses, raw sugar, refiner's syrup, sorbitol, sorghum syrup, sucrose, sugar, turbinado sugar, xylitol, yellow sugar

Be sure to check not only your food labels, but also the labels on your vitamins and toothpaste if you are wanting to reduce your sugar intake.

Just a spoonful of sugar...

...makes our bellies get round!

On August 24, 2009, the American Heart Association made an announcement that was none too surprising to most dieticians and nutritionists: Americans consume too much sugar and it's affecting our health. The AHA stated that a high intake of added sugars (those not occuring naturally such as in fruit) is linked to obesity, high blood pressure, inflammation, heart disease, and stroke, to name a few. Currently, the average American consumes 22.2 teaspoons of added sugar per day, or the equivalent of 355 of their daily calories.

So what's the AHA recommending we limit sugar intake to? Well, of course it depends on your size and level of activity, but here's the breakdown:

Men ~ 150 calories = 37.5 grams = 9 teaspoons per day

Women ~ 100 calories = 25 grams = 6 teaspoons per day

Quite a bit less than most of us are consuming!! Remember: sugar has no nutritional value. It only adds calories to your diet.

And the number one source in America for all this sugar? You guessed it ~ soda pop. One 12 oz. can contains approximately 130 calories and 8 teaspoons of sugar. So with your one coke, ladies, you're already over your daily limit. Many of you are now saying, "But I drink diet." Well, then you're well over your daily limit for added poison, but that's for another post.

12 Additives to Avoid and Why

1. Hydrogenated Fats -- cardiovascular disease, obesity

2. Artificial Food Colors -- allergies, asthma, hyperactivity; possible carcinogen

3. Nitrates and Nitrites -- these substances can develop into nitrosa mines in body, which can be carcinogenic

4. Sulfites (sulfur dioxide, metabisulfites, and others) -- allergic and asthmatic reactions

5. Sugar and Sweeteners -- obesity, dental cavities, diabetes and hypoglycemia, increased blood fats (triglycerides) or candida (yeast)

6. Artificial Sweeteners, including aspartame, acesulfame K, and saccharin -- behavioral problems, hyperactivity, allergies, and possibly carcinogenic. The government cautions against the use of any artificial sweetener by children and pregnant women. Shouldn't that tell us something??

7. MSG (monosodium glutamate) -- common allergic and behavioral reactions, including headache, dizziness, chest pains, depression and mood swings; also a possible neurotoxin. Gee, thanks, Japan, for introducing us to this stuff!

8. Preservatives (BHA, BHT, etc.) -- allergic reactions, hyperactivity, possibly cancer causing; BHT may be toxic to the nervous system and liver. Did I mention most fast food chicken nuggets, including McDonald's, are doused in BHT?

9. Artificial Flavors -- allergic or behavioral reactions. Kid always hyper? Check his/her favorite treats and toothpaste for Red #40.

10. Refined Flour -- low-nutrient calories, carbohydrate imbalances, altered insulin production

11. Salt (excessive) -- fluid retention and blood pressure increases

12. Olestra (an artificial fat) -- diarrhea and digestive disturbances

**Food Waxes are another concern. This is a protective coating found on non-organic produce, like apples, cucumbers, peppers, pears, etc. -- may trigger allergies, can contain pesticides, fungicide sprays, or animal byproducts.

Are herbs safe?

Yes, safer than most prescription drugs according to a ten year study on the safety of herbs. Here's the statistics found:

deaths from herbs ~ none
deaths from over the counter drugs ~ 320
deaths from prescription drugs ~ between 90,000 & 100,000

Herbs have been around a long time, while modern medicine is relatively new and pretty much isolated to our part of the world. Most people (an estimated 65-80%) still rely mainly on natural or alternative medicine. It's only here in the US where we seem reluctant to embrace more holistic cures. A meeting of the minds would be great, considering that modern medicine (allopathic or Western med) is incomparable in its role for trauma, major surgery, broken bones, and advanced stages of diseases such as cancer. Whereas, alternative medicines are incomparable in getting to the source of many maladies, such as headaches, allergies, sinus infections, nutritional deficiencies, muscle/joint aches...the list goes on & on...and helping the body HEAL naturally rather than just masking the pain for a short bit like drugs do. Drugs that, I might add, often come with side effects more taxing on the body than the original pain.

So, yes, you can use herbs quite confidently for many things. You just need patience and persistence. Herbs don't just mask the pain, but get to the root of the body's problem, which takes a longer amount of time than popping a pain pill. So having an open mind and wanting to be healed, instead of wanting a quick fix, is key.

Here are some of the more popular remedies:

Gingko biloba improves memory
Licorice root helps heal stomach ulcers
Feverfew is effective in preventing migraine headaches
Ginger prevents motion sickness and nausea
Garlic effectively lowers cholesterol and has antiviral properties
Echinacea shortens the duration of colds/flu
Milk thistle is a great liver detoxifier
Chamomile is a wonderful stomach soother
Peppermint relaxes the upper digestive tract
Ginseng increases one's resistance to stress and gives energy
Turmeric is a great anti inflammatory
Tea tree oil is an antiseptic and disinfectant, like for cuts and bug bites

~statistics from the American Assoc. of Poison Control Centers

Age Accelerators

Listened to a very interesting podcast while walking the other day, all about Age Accelerators: foods that are empty calories, zero health benefits, and actually can speed up the body's aging process. There were three main culprits named.

1. Full fat dairy ~ the saturated fat in full fat milk, ice cream, cheese, etc. clogs up your arteries and increases your blood pressure. Opt for fat free or 1% versions instead.

2. Deep fried foods ~ especially when eaten away from home. The trans fat (also known as partially hydrogenated) is what gets us. And fast food joints, fairs, etc. where you typically find these foods reuse the oil over & over again. Reheating oil like that causes carcinogens like crazy.

3. Refined carbs ~ these include colas, most processed foods, white flour & products made from it, and foods with no fiber. Or in other words, 99% of the foods up & down the aisles at the local grocery store. We are seeing adult diseases in our kids, people, because of these foods. Diabetes, obesity, high blood pressure, high cholesterol...the list goes on. Look around at our youth walking around with belly fat.

Now, for some better news. Anti-aging foods. The top five this podcast outlined were
1. spinach, for its calcium and vitamin K for osteoperosis prevention
2. curry powder, helps your mental muscle. Regions where they eat curry daily have 1/4 of the Alzheimer's we have here in the US
3. tomatoes, the lycopene helps protect against sun exposure and therefore wrinkles
4. almonds, for their vitamin E which keeps you agile, helps your balance. Especially important as we age and are more prone to falls.
5. chocolate, the darker the better, for its antioxidant power. 70% cocoa or more is the best

Think I'll go munch on some almonds and dark chocolate now!!

Top Tip #3: Taste the Rainbow

Kids love to play games, and here's a fun one we play around here called Taste the Rainbow. The object of the game is to eat 5 different colored fruits and vegetables during the course of one day. For example, you and your child could eat bananas at breakfast, green grapes for a morning snack, bright orange carrots at lunch, a purple plum in the afternoon, and some red tomatoes with dinner. The possibilities are endless!

A variation on the game is to make at least one of the fruits or veggies a new one, never before tried by your child. My girls have acquired new "favorites" by doing this.

By eating a variety of healthy foods throughout the day, and not just the same old thing, your kids will get plenty of the vitamins and minerals they need for growth and energy.

genetically engineered foods

If you are wanting to know what genetically engineered foods are and how they can affect our health, a great website is www.truefoodnow.org. There's a tab labeled GE Food and they even have a shopper's guide.

Personally, I don't know how one could NOT consume at least some GE foods in their diet. This practice was introduced in 1997 and the US does not require labeling of these foods. After reading The Unhealthy Truth, I realize that many of our food allergies could be coming from this practice, but I also realize genetics may play a part. At this point, my daughter already has a dangerous food allergy, so all I can do now is learn to deal with it and help her learn as well.

Does the fact that if some scientist crosses a tomato plant with peanut protein to "make it healthier and/or more resistant to pesticides," and then my daughter unknowingly eats one of those tomatoes scare me? Yes it does. Can't we at least have labels, FDA??

Milk ~ it does a body...good?

If you are a milk drinker, and you are not drinking organic milk, then here's what you are consuming: measurable quantities of herbicides, pesticides, dioxins, antibiotics (at least 50 different kinds), blood, pus, feces, bacteria, and viruses. Seriously. Inspectors are just told to keep these things under certain limits. Yuck.



We have stopped drinking cow's milk altogether, and here's where people think I've lost my mind. "But what about those ads where Martha Stewart or Brooke Shields or whomever sport milk mustaches and tell us all we must drink milk for good health?" I've been asked. Know who it is that pays for those ads? The dairy industry, that's who, a multi-billion dollar government subsidized industry. I'm not buying into those ads.



The truth is, by the time we are 3 years old, we lose the required enzymes to digest dairy products, especially milk. Surprisingly, the majority of the human population does not drink or use cow's milk. Mostly just us Americans.



Milk is no longer a pure, natural food either. Fifty years ago, dairy cows produced 2,000 pounds of milk per year. Today, thanks to bovine growth hormone (BGH) top producing cows supply 50,000 pounds per year. So, yeah, when you drink non-organic milk, you're drinking some nice bovine growth hormone, too. And also the antibiotics the cows are given when they get mastitis (inflammation of the udders) from the BGH they are forced to take - you're drinking that, too.



I've also been asked, "Aren't you worried you won't get enough calcium?" Well, actually, the processing that milk and other dairy products go through drastically degrades its calcium content. Yet, even if it didn't, calcium in cow's milk is much coarser than in human milk, as well as being tied up with casein (a milk protein) which prevents it from being absorbable by humans. Eating lots of leafy greens, soy, raw nuts, and fruits will give you all the calcium you need. But if you're worried, eat sesame seeds. They contain more calcium than any other food on earth.



Really, the only reason to drink milk is because you enjoy the taste, and even then I would urge you to buy the organic, rbst and bgh free variety. But if you are suffering from allergies or asthma or weight you can't rid yourself of no matter what you try, if you are full of mucus often or get every cold germ that floats your way, consider taking dairy out of your diet for one month. See how you feel and go from there. It worked for my youngest daughter. She is now dairy free, as well as snot free and mucus free, and we are not going back.

analyze your diet

Score 1 point for each Yes answer:

1. Do you add sugar to food or drink almost every day?
2. Do you eat foods with added sugars almost every day?
3. Do you use salt in your food?
4. Do you drink more than one cup of coffee most days?
5. Do you drink more than three cups of tea most days?
6. Do you smoke more than five cigarettes a day?
7. Do you take recreational drugs such as cannabis? (Huh?)
8. Do you drink more than 10 oz. of alcohol a day?
9. Do you eat fried foods more than twice a week?
10. Do you eat processed fast food more than twice a week?
11. Do you eat red meat more than twice a week?
12. Do you often eat foods containing additives and preservatives?
13. Do you eat chocolate or sweets more than twice a week?
14. Does less than 1/3 of your diet consist of raw fruits & vegetables?
15. Do you drink less than 1/2 pint of plain water each day?
16. Do you normally eat white rice, flour, or bread rather than whole grain?
17. Do you drink more than three pints of milk a week?
18. Do you eat more than 3 slices of bread a day, on average?
19. Are there some foods you feel "addicted" to?
20. Do you eat oily fish less than twice a week and/or seeds less than daily?

Scoring:
0-4 pts ~ You are obviously a health conscious person and your little indiscretions are unlikely to affect your health. Supplement with the right vitamins and minerals, and you can look forward to a long and healthy life.

5-9 pts ~ You are on the right track, but must be a little stricter with yourself. Set up an easy experiment by going without two or three of the foods you know are not good for you for one month. See how you feel. Some you may decide to have on occasion, while others you may find you go off completely. Aim to have your score under 5 within 3 months.

10-14 pts ~ Your diet is not good and you will need to make some changes if your goal is optimum health. But take it a step at a time. Aim to have your score under 5 within 6 months. Remember sugar, coffee, salt, and chocolate are all addictive foods. Your cravings for them will dramatically decrease or even disappear altogether after a month's time.

15-20 pts ~ There is no way you can continue to eat like this and remain in good health. You are consuming far too great a quantity of fat, refined foods, and artificial stimulants. But gradually, you can turn your diet around. Be patient with yourself, and seek help if necessary.

Nutrition Diva website

One of my favorite websites/podcasts is The Nutrition Diva. You can find her at www.nutritiondiva.quickanddirtytips.com. Here's what she has to say about keeping yourself healthy during the upcoming flu season:


1. Lay off the sugar. A single dose of sugar can suppress your immune system for up to 12 hours. That’s more than enough time for a virus to take up residence in your respiratory tract and send out change of address cards to everyone in his address book. A single 20-ounce bottle of Coke can cut your immune response in half! Is it really worth it?

2. Eat well. I know it sounds simplistic, but eating well really does make your body more resistant to infection. Foods that feed your immune system include:
citrus fruits and berries, which are rich in vitamin C and flavonoids
nuts, seeds, and whole grains, which supply vitamin E
carrots, winter squash, spinach and other leafy greens, which are a great source of carotenoids
fish and shellfish, which are high in selenium, zinc, and omega-3 fats
garlic and onions, which bolster immune response

3. Serenity NOW! Stress suppresses your immune system and leaves the door open for viruses to waltz in. Realistically, most of us can’t avoid the things that make our lives stressful. But you can keep that stress from piling up inside your body and making you sick. Go for a walk, stretch, take some deep breaths, tell somebody a joke, take a 5-minute mental vacation.

4. Don’t skimp on sleep. Your body experiences sleep deprivation as stress. (See #3.) Try to arrange your schedule so that you can get at least seven hours of sleep a night. Take naps before late nights and do what you can to avoid getting run down.

5. Get some exercise. Regular exercise boosts your immune system. It also helps relieve stress (see #3) and helps you sleep better (see #4).

6. Don’t take echinacea or goldenseal every day. I see a lot of people taking these “immune-boosting” herbs prophylactically through the winter. But these herbs become less effective with long-term use. The best time to use these herbs is when you feel the first faint hint of symptoms, or you’ve been in close contact with someone who is sick. Take them for no longer than two weeks at a time.


In addition to her advice, many integrative health doctors are recommending probiotics and vitamin D (1000-2000 I.U.'s) this flu season as preventative measures. And of course, wash your hands well with soap and water several times throughout your day.

Top Tip #2: Eat blueberries

Always topping the list of the most nutritional foods around, blueberries are an antioxidant powerhouse! High in polyphenol antioxidants that reduce inflammation, blueberries are also important for brain health. In addition, they contain many phytonutrients that boost your immune system and like all berries, help protect your body from many diseases, including cancer. A few ideas to help get a healthy portion of blueberries each day:

1. Make a smoothie of blueberries, yogurt, and whey protein powder. You can also freeze small portions of a smoothie to put in kids' lunch totes. They'll help keep lunches cool and soften in time to provide a healthy sweet treat.

2. Top your morning cereal with a handful of blueberries and a handful of chopped almonds.

3. Make whole grain waffles with fresh or frozen blueberries thrown in the batter just prior to cooking.

4. Google healthier versions of blueberry muffin recipes, using some whole grain flour or substituting applesauce for the oil in the recipe.

back to school

It's back to school time around here, which means new shoes, new backpacks, and more than likely, a new type of flu bug. Though I know I will have critics galore, we're skipping the flu shot this year. Lia, my oldest, has never had one....and has never had the flu. In fact, she missed only one day last year due to sickness, which ended up being a case of food poisoning. And then there's Brynn...my asthmatic, food allergic child. In the years past, she has received her flu shot, doctor's orders. And she got sick anyway. Alot.

This year, we're trying probiotics instead. The girls are already chewing one a day, grape flavored, tastes like a sweet-tart. They typically ask if they can have two. Probiotics put healthy bacteria into your system. Having the right bacteria helps keep your immune system strong and therefore, enables your body to fight infections easier. Other proven benefits include: improving your digestion, producing vitamins, lowering cholesterol levels, and regulating hormones, so yeah, I take them, too!

Again, it is vital to have a healthy diet and to get as many nutrients from your food sources as possible. Food sources of probiotics include yogurt, cottage cheese, kefir, sauerkraut, pickles, tofu, wine, and sourdough bread. However, alot of these foods don't contain certain strains of probiotics that are beneficial, which is why people take a supplement. Just make sure it's a reputable one, not a cheapy one.

So I'm using my children as lab rats this year, testing out the probiotic theory. I have high hopes we'll fair better than past, flu shot years. I'll let you know the results!

our latest juice

Found this great juice at Trader Joe's to put our liquid vitamins in! When I first poured a glass for Brynn, she jumped back in disgust! Fortunately, my girls are willing to try any of my "weird stuff" at least once and I knew once Brynn tried this juice, she'd be hooked. I was right. She took a sip, and asked for more, "alot more, please."

(Green Plant: green food beverage, contains apple & pineapple juice concentrates, peach, banana, and mango puree, spirulina, chlorella, barley grass powder, broccoli powder, and spinach powder.)

What is eating clean?

Here's a nice description I found on eatingcleanworks.com.

"There is no fitness goal which you can achieve without first cleaning up your diet. Changing your diet is one of the biggest challenges when faced with improving ones health. A majority of people are used to eating highly processed foods on a regular basis and breaking away from that can be difficult. The good news is, it isn’t impossible and once you make it a habit to eat clean, it becomes a part of your life.

In a nutshell, eating clean is the practice of eating whole, natural foods such as fruits, vegetables, lean proteins, and complex carbohydrates. It also means staying away from the junk that typically makes up the Standard American Diet (S.A.D) These types of food include man-made sugar, bad fats (hydrogenated, trans-fat), preservatives, white bread, and any other ingredients that are unnecessary. An easy way to remember if a food is clean is: “if man made it, don’t eat it.”

A person that eats clean generally practices the following:
Eliminates refined sugar
Cooks healthy meals
Packs healthy meals
Makes healthy choices when dining out
Drinks a lot of water
Eats 5-6 small meals per day
Eliminates alcoholic beverages (or significantly limits it)
Always eats breakfast

Eating clean can be a major transition for a majority of people due to addictions to sugar, white bread, and fast food. It takes discipline in order to make eating clean a habit but it is possible and has so many long-term health benefits."

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Ubiquinone....

....or Coenzyme Q10, as it is more commonly known by, is a vital antioxidant our bodies make, helping protect our cells from free-radical damage and the wear & tear of everyday living. However, after the age of 40, our bodies production of CoQ10 falls. And certain medications - basically statins for lowering cholesterol and beta blockers for controlling blood pressure - interfere with our bodies ability to produce CoQ10. So most doctors who prescribe these meds to their patients also suggest supplemental CoQ10.

CoQ10's magic lies in its ability to improve the cells use of oxygen, which in turn makes us feel more energetic. It appears to help in many areas of health, including: hypertension, exercise performance, high blood sugar levels, high blood pressure, migraines, weakened immune systems, and parkinson's disease.

Food sources of CoQ10 include meat, fish, nuts, seeds, whole grains, broccoli, and spinach. But most doctors recommend supplementing with 50-200 mg. per day. It is also known to be one of the safest supplements on the planet. But always get approval from your doctor before adding any supplements to your regime, especially if you are on medication.

Because CoQ10 is fat soluble, take it with food, preferably with healthy fats like avocade, nuts, or olive oil. Also, take it in the morning to avoid insomnia. And get a reputable brand with no synthetic fillers, as you should do with all your vitamins.

I recently picked up some CoQ10 for Brad & me to try out, especially Brad who has been feeling a decrease in his energy level lately while working out and just in general. Hoping it works!!!

Top Tip #1: Eat Seeds

For optimum health, we should eat 1 tablespoon of seeds per day. Seeds are incredibly rich in essential fats, minerals, vitamin E, and protein. Here's a magic formula:

1. Fill a glass jar with an airtight lid half with flaxseeds (rich in omega 3's) and half with a combination of sesame, sunflower, and pumpkin seeds (rich in omega 6's).

2. Keep the jar sealed, and place in the refrigerator to minimize damage from light, heat, and oxygen.

3. Put a handful in a coffee or seed grinder, grind up, and put on cereals, in soup, or sprinkle on a salad.

*The omega's are my favorite supplement! I plan on blogging more about them soon. Our diets should be balanced with 3's and 6's. Unfortunately, the typical American diet contains way too much 6 and hardly any 3's since our animals no longer are allowed to grass feed, the way nature intended. Unless the package says "100 % grass fed" or the like, then the animal probably ate only genetically modified corn. Yum. More about this to come...

Optimum Diet

So, my first assignment is to listen to Dr. Weil's Guide to Optimum Health, a series of 8 CDs. I've listened to the first two CDs now, mainly about the optimum diet. According to Dr. Weil, our daily intake of food should consist of 50-60% carbohydrates, 30% fat, and 10-20% protein. Quite often, though, we Americans are choosing the wrong foods in each category, causing us to develop obesity, diabetes, heart disease, high cholesterol and on and on.

Carbohydrates = quick energy. But we eat too many high glycemic foods, foods made with white/wheat flour in the form of cookies, cake, waffles, muffins, "fluffy" breads...really all refined, highly processed foods. Instead, choose carbohydrates from the lower end of the glycemic index: dense bread made with whole grains, beans, veggies, berries of all sorts, apples, cherries, pears. (Really all fruit except citrus, which tends to be on the higher end of the index.) Or balance a food on the higher end with a food on the lower end, such as piling blueberries on your waffle in the morning. Or add some fiber to your meal. Fiber slows the digestive conversion to sugar.

Fat is an essential nutrient and I, for one, was so happy to learn this! We all know by now to avoid saturated fats, the fats that turn to solid at room temperature: animal fat (gross), palm oil, coconut oil. Then there are polyunsaturated fats, which stay liquid at room temp. They include your vegetable oil, safflower, sunflower, corn, sesame, margarine, and the like. These fats are chemically unstable, which means when they are heated to high temps (like for cooking), they cause free radicals and you become a breeding zone for nastiness like inflammation and cancer cells. This is the number one reason to avoid fast food. They reuse their oil, which is extremely dangerous and unhealthy, for obvious reasons! Finally, we have the monounsaturated fats: olive oil, expeller pressed canola oil, grape seed oil, and omega 3 oils. Grape seed oil is especially great because it can be heated to high temps without the free radical problem. And everyone should get omega 3's! Food sources include fatty fish (salmon, herring, anchovies, mackerel, some tuna for example), walnuts, fortified eggs, pumpkin, flax seeds, and hemp seeds. Omega 3's protect your heart, protect you from cancer and inflammation, are great for your complexion and your brain development, just to name a few benefits!

Protein - we don't need as much as we think. In fact, if you get too much protein, it will be burned as fuel and our bodies have to work harder to burn protein as fuel verses burning carbs for energy. So too much protein is taxing on our digestive systems, our livers, and our kidneys. If you constantly feel a lack of energy, check to make sure you aren't eating too much protein. The best source of protein comes through beans, nuts, and soy. These proteins are diluted and easier to digest than animal sources of protein. However, if you must eat your meat, be sure it is free range, antibiotic and hormone free (buy organic!). Meats to avoid due to their high nitrate content: lunch meats like bologna, salami, bacon, hot dogs. Too much BHT and who knows what else in these forms of meat!

All pretty common sense stuff, but a good reminder none-the-less. :)

The Pesticide List

For those of you not into buying everything organic, please consider at least buying the organic version of the produce known to have the highest pesticide levels.

Highest in pesticides:
apples
bell peppers
cantaloupe
celery
cherries
cucumbers
grapes
green beans
nectarines
peaches
pears
potatoes
red raspberries
spinach
strawberries

Lowest in pesticides:
asparagus
avocados
bananas
broccoli
brussel sprouts
cauliflower
sweet corn
kiwi
mangoes
onions
papayas
pineapple
sweet peas

And remember always to wash your produce off before eating! Better still, grow your own stuff!

~organic consumers association

Dr. Weil recommends...

Here's what Dr. Andrew Weil, one of my favorite health gurus, recommends as far as daily vitamins & supplements for overall health:

~A good antioxidant should contain:
200 mg. of vitamin C
400 IUs of Vitamin E
200 mcg of selenium

~A good multi should contain:
400 mcg of Folic acid
1000 IUs of Vitamin D
no iron or preformed Vitamin A

~It's also a good idea to take daily:
700 mg of calcium as citrate
1-2 g of omega 3 fish oil
60-100 mg of CoQ10

Coke vs. water: you decide

WATER #1. 75% of Americans are chronically dehydrated. (Likely applies to half the world population)
#2. In 37% of Americans, the thirst mechanism is so weak that it is mistaken for hunger.
#3. Even MILD dehydration will slow down one's metabolism as 3%.
#4.. One glass of water will shut down midnight hunger pangs for almost 100% of the dieters studied in a University of Washington study.
#5. Lack of water, the #1 trigger of daytime fatigue.
#6. Preliminary research indicates that 8-10 glasses of water a day could significantly ease back and joint pain for up to 80% of sufferers.
#7. A mere 2% drop in body water can trigger fuzzy short-term memory, trouble with basic math, and difficulty focusing on the computer screen or on a printed page.
#8. Drinking 5 glasses of water daily decreases the risk of colon cancer by 45%, plus it can slash the risk of breast cancer by 79%., and one is 50% less likely to develop bladder cancer. Are you drinking the amount of water you should drink every day?

COKE #1. In many states the highway patrol carries two gallons of Coke in the trunk to remove blood from the highway after a car accident.
#2. You can put a T-bone steak in a bowl of Coke and it will be gone in two days.
#3. To clean a toilet: Pour a can of Coca-Cola into the Toilet bowl and let the 'real thing' sit for one hour, then flush clean. The citric acid in Coke removes stains from vitreous China .
#4. To remove rust spots from chrome car bumpers: Rub the bumper with a rumpled-up piece of ReynoldsWrap aluminum foil dipped in Coca-Cola.
#5. To clean corrosion from car battery terminals: Pour A can of Coca-Cola over the terminals to bubble away the corrosion.
#6. To loosen a rusted bolt: Apply a cloth soaked in Coca-Cola to the rusted bolt for several minutes.
#7. To bake a moist ham: Empty a can of Coca-Cola into the baking pan, wrap the ham in aluminum foil, and bake.Thirty minutes before ham is finished, remove the foil, allowing the drippings to mix with the Coke for a sumptuous brown gravy.
#8... To remove grease from clothes: Empty a can of Coke into the load of greasy clothes, add detergent, and run through a regular cycle. The Coca-Cola will help loosen Grease stains. It will also clean road haze from your Windshield.
FOR YOUR INFORMATION:#1. The active ingredient in Coke is phosphoric acid. It will dissolve a nail in about four days. Phosphoric Acid also leaches calcium from bones and is a major contributor to the rising increase of osteoporosis.
#2. To carry Coca-Cola syrup! (the concentrate) the Commercial trucks must use a hazardous material place cards reserved for highly corrosive materials.
#3. The distributors of Coke have been using it to clean engines of the trucks for about 20 years!Now the question is, would you like a glass of water? Or Coke?