Fightin' Foods

noreply@blogger.com (Candis) — Sun, 04 Sep 2022 20:50:00 +0000

Fight With Salsa! flavor without calories! (ok a couple)

noreply@blogger.com (Candis) — Fri, 21 Jul 2017 21:20:00 +0000

I love salsa, like eat it with a spoon love it!

I love that there's a variety of types too so you don't get bored.

I love to make homemade salsa but keep jar salsa in the pantry because people in this house get upset when there are lonely chips in the pantry and no salsa for them.

Today I got free salsa! It can't get better. Now I know what you're thinking... This is a lot of work for free salsa but "It's summertime and the livin's easy." Plus I wanted to tell you about salsa plans anyway.

Tostidos Hint of Lime Salsa

Our favorite lime chips in a salsa! & Free too! Let me test more Kroger!

(They apparently don't suggest eating this lime salsa with their awesome lime tortilla chips because they sent these plain ORGANIC! chips. Maybe the universe will implode with too much lime.)

Chips arrived like they were ready for Mardi Gras!

Riddle me this... Free lime salsa from Kroger only available at our Walmart.

I'm done rambling about free salsa and I'll get to why I love salsa so much.

Chips

First of all the chips are not so good for you. They are high calorie and high fat. You must buy organic, otherwise you're eating Monsanto corn still riddled with pesticides.

Having said that tortilla chips do tend to be one of my caves. Just eat intentionally, like not a bag.

How we add excitement

In our foods we tend to add flavor with fat. It's a mistake.

One- because it doesn't really taste that great and

Two- when you heat fats they lose many of their valuable nutrients. (So save that grass fed butter for slathering on soaked grain toast instead. Or drizzle cold Extra Virgin Olive Oil on pasta.)

Instead we should be adding flavor with spices and vegetables.

India is the king at this. Just hit up your local Indian Restaurant and you'll see the spices!

Spices preserve meat and are such valuable compounds for humans too!

Spices

My new favorite spice shop is www.savoryspiceshop.com

Find one near you and go taste hundreds of spices to top your grill, oven, yogurt dips, dressings...

This is my current favorite spice mix. Despite what it's called, we put it in hamburgers. We're rebels like that.

Chimichurri Steak Dressing & Marinade

https://www.savoryspiceshop.com/chimichurri-marinade-steak-seasoning

Salsa

Vegetables get their great color from all their valuable nutrients. You probably knew that already.

The reason I like salsa is because it mixes great spices with powerful vegetables.

You can make salsa out of so many things but let's look at basic powerhouse items.

(This by the way is a recipe from a very good friend for one of my favorite homemade salsas!)

1 Can Tomatoes

Half Lemon- juiced

2-3 Dried Arbol Peppers

1 Garlic Clove

1/4 Small Onion

-blend-

Add a half a bunch of Cilantro

-blend again-

Tomatoes...

Tomatoes are full of vitamins A and C and folic acid.They are high in antioxidants- which protect and heal your cells.

They are high in carotene- a "flavonoid compound, beta carotene has powerful antioxidant functions, helps the body scavenge free radicals, thereby limiting the damage to cell membranes, DNA and protein structures in the cell."1.

They pack a cancer fightin' Lycopene punch. Especially protective against prostate cancer.

They contain alpha-lipoic acid can aid in blood glucose control, improve vasodilation and protect against retinopathy in diabetic patients and may even help preserve brain and nerve tissue.2

Tomatoes are high in fiber which helps both heart disease and diabetes.

Lemons...

Are loaded with Phytonutrients- "benefits of phytonutrients are antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activities. Phytonutrients may also enhance immunity and intercellular communication, repair DNA damage from exposure to toxins, detoxify carcinogens and alter estrogen metabolism."2 Bring on the lemons!

They are high in vitamin C- It neutralizes free radicals and boost your immune system. (It's done wonders for my asthma by the way ;) They fought scurvy, they can help you.

Lemons contain hesperidin, a molecule which preserves capilary blood vessel integrity.3 Anti-cancer!

Lemons are also anti-inflammatory. Which we always need. We are constantly bombarded by things which make us susceptible to many (or maybe most) of our modern day diseases.

Peppers...

Peppers contain vitamins A and C, potassium, folic acid, and fiber, all in one little spicy package.

They also contain capsaicin, which boosts your metabolism and suppresses your appetite too!

Bell peppers also contain B6 which boosts your mood by helping your body produce serotonin and norepinephrine.5.

Garlic & Onions...

This one is my favorites.

Compounds in garlic may help attack and kill tumor cells! Seriously.

Garlic fights something called Nitrosamines which are formed in our intestines and caused by food additives and cured meats. This reduces the mutations in the DNA of your cells and protects them from damage, preventing cancer.

Several compounds in garlic stop carcinogens from becoming active and flush them from your system. (The cabbage family is good at this too.)

Allicin (another antioxidant) can protect and heal your heart, lowering blood pressure levels and lowering your LDL. Plus, less inflammation is always great for your heart.

Phytochemicals in garlic (and onions) may prevent the onset or progression of some cancers. (especially stomach and esophageal.) Perhaps because it protects and heals your digestive system.

Cilantro...
High in vitamin K. (Not one you hear of much, eh?) This important vitamin stores in your fatty tissue until it's needed and then helps your body coagulate blood.6 (Plus it makes your rice taste yummy)

In case you needed reasons to chow down on loads of salsa: on your chicken, in your rice bowl, on your burritos, to make you feel better about those fatty chips... You now have tacit permission. Go nuts.

Sources

1. http://www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?tname=foodspice&dbid=27

2. https://www.livescience.com/52541-phytonutrients.html

3.Foods to Fight Cancer by: Richard Beliveau

4. http://www.webmd.com/diet/peppers-health-benefits#1

5. http://www.healthfitnessrevolution.com/top-10-health-benefits-of-bell-peppers/

6.http://www.livestrong.com/article/500746-what-does-cilantro-do-for-the-body/

Amazing Flax Meal

noreply@blogger.com (Candis) — Tue, 02 Feb 2016 17:49:00 +0000

Flaxseed

Flaxseed was cultivated in Babylon as early as 3000 BC. In the 8th century

Omega-3 essential fatty acids, "good" fats that have been shown to have heart-healthy effects.
new research also suggests significant blood pressure-lowering effects of flaxseed.
maintaining the heart’s natural rhythm, they may be useful in treating arrhythmia (irregular heartbeat) and heart failure- normalizing the heartbeat.
Each tablespoon of ground flaxseed contains about 1.8 grams of plant omega-3s. up to 800 times more lignans than other plant foods. inhibited tumor incidence, growth and spread
Lignans, diets rich in flaxseed omega-3s help prevent hardening of the arteries and keep plaque from being deposited in the arteries partly by keeping white blood cells from sticking to the blood vessels’ inner linings- reduced by 75%
Lignans may also have anticarcinogenic activities-protect against cancer
Antioxidants- chemicals that can prevent or slow cell damage
Anti-inflammatory action and illnesses such as Parkinson's disease, asthma, heart attack and stroke by helping block the release of certain pro-inflammatory agents.
Lower LDL- Fiber. Flaxseed contains both the soluble and insoluble types.
May improve blood sugar and protect against diabetes.
2 tablespoons of ground flaxseed mixed into cereal, or yogurt twice a day cut hot flashes in half & intensity of their hot flashes dropped by 57%

Use & Storage

Ground only- whole passed through your system undigested.

I keep mine in freezer to protect nutrients longer.

Sprinkle on oatmeal, smoothies, soup, yogurt, toast, pasta, or add ¼ c to muffins or bread.

1 Tablespoon=30 calories

Nutty mild taste

I don’t buy flaxseed oil, it goes rancid quickly.

Flax seeds are high in omega 3 fatty acids, which happen to be very good for us in their raw, unprocessed form. Unfortunately, the chemical nature of omega 3s render them extremely sensitive to heat, light and air. http://www.webmd.com/diet/benefits-of-flaxseed?page=1

Super Bowl Foods You Can't Live Without...

noreply@blogger.com (Candis) — Mon, 26 Jan 2015 02:37:00 +0000

Meets Whole Foods, Healthy Foods

I know what you need to watch the Super Bowl...

Something smothered in Franks Hot Sauce.

Worry not, we've got you covered.

Now put the chicken wing down and run away.

Photo: Jess

Our New Addiction...Buffalo Cauliflower with homemade Blue Cheese DressingThere are a lot of versions going around out there. Please be careful what ingredients you use. This is just as good with good for you ingredients.Photo: Nick SaltmarshIngredients 2 heads cauliflower (florets chopped off & rest composted)1/2 to 1 Cup Franks Hot Sauce1/4 Cup Olive Oil
Preheat oven to 425 degrees place a jelly roll sheet in oven to heat
Pour Cauliflower florets into large bowldrizzle olive oil over & tossdrizzle franks over and toss.Pour on jelly tray in single layer and cook for ~45 minutes.(Stir every 10 minutes and cook until your desired doneness. We like them with crunchy little edges, but less cooking at a high temp is better to reduce carcinogens, so stop when it's acceptable to you.)

Blue Cheese Dressing

Photo: cookbookman

Ingredients

2 1/2 oz blue cheese crumbled (we know you wanna add more, just go for it!)

3T Buttermilk (cheater alert... add 1t lemon juice to your milk and let it curdle for a minute)

5T Full fat organic plain yogurt

2t white wine vinegar

1/4 t honey

1/8 t garlic powder

salt & pepper to taste

Mix all. Adjust to taste.

Now try not to eat them all before your guests arrive.

Enjoy the game!

Inflammation- Food and Lifestyle Ways to Fight.

noreply@blogger.com (Candis) — Sun, 30 Nov 2014 21:00:00 +0000

Inflammation has been on the forefront lately as the culprit of many health problems and diseases.

We need inflammation in our bodies to heal but too much causes loads of problems.

What can you do to help your body function properly?

Food-

Go organic! It will remove loads of pesticides from your diet. (plus it provides micro-nutrients not found in conventionally grown produce.)
Stay away from GMO's, they wreck havoc on your system because they are unknown proteins that your body is not sure how to handle and is thus constantly battling.
Eat only whole grains and mostly nut, coconut and gluten free flours and grains- like buckwheat, oat, quinoa, and brown rice
Limit red meat and eat only grass fed to lessen artery inflammation
Limit alcohol. 1 per day women and 2 per day men. and better to have red wine. 1 helps, more swells.
Step away from the fast food! The fat and additives are terrible for you. Make it at home instead if you're craving it.
Eat whole unprocessed foods. Those lucky charms are definitely not lucky. The chemicals and partitioned foods (like corn starch, corn meal, corn syrup and such) are taxing on your system. Not to mention loaded with pesticides and GMO's usually.

Lifestyle-

Clean with all natural products and remove the dangerous chemicals from your home.
Give your office or school cleaning crew a gift of natural cleaning supplies and recipes. They'll save money and protect their health and yours.
Garden and Lawn care organically. Pesticides and dangerous fertilizers should be far away from your home. You're there the most!
Stay away from smoke. Quit and stay far away from second hand smoke. This is a huge stress on your organs.
Sleep!
Relax, do yoga, meditate, go for a walk, sit quietly. Stress causes inflammation. Control what you can and drop the rest.
Exercise. Pick something you like and do it at least 3 times per week.
Control your weight. Those excess pounds stress out your system even more than they stress out your jeans.
Watch your textiles. Don't go tearing into that old couch to reupholster it. Don't get that super cheap carpet. You'll breathe that stuff in everyday. Pick carefully.
Keep it dry! Mold causes your system minor to major problems, depending on your sensitivity.
Heat electrically not with gas if you can.
Try to minimize your exposure to car exhaust, industrial exhaust and the like. This one is hard but whenever possible limit and distance.

hungry for more?
The Inflammation Syndrome, by Jack Challem

You are what you eat and you'll eat what you have.

noreply@blogger.com (Candis) — Thu, 06 Nov 2014 16:53:00 +0000

You're starving... to the kitchen you mindlessly wander... your instinct is taking over...

The question is will you find Cheetos or cashews? Cheez-its or extra sharp white cheddar from grass fed cows? Chocolate Frosted Sugar Bombs or Shredded Wheat, with a little sugar even?

We've heard it a million times, "Healthy food tastes terrible!"

May we ask, "What on earth are you eating?!"

Roasted chicken?.

Thick cut bacon on occasion?

Sliced avocados on everything?

Olive oil in everything?

Roasted garlic everywhere?

Vegetables in season roasted until sweet with Parmesan. Any of them and all of them?

Pecans for an afternoon snack?

Apple chips crisped with butter and cinnamon?

Red wine to finish off each day?

Gold potatoes baked and then smashed with olive oil and sea salt until crispy?

Scrambled eggs with grass fed butter?

Salads with red leaf lettuce, rainbow chard, purple cabbage, sliced almonds, fat chunks of tuna & local honey and grainy mustard dressing?

Hummus on whole grain pitas?

Almond Turbino sugar cookies?

Dark chocolate laced with chili spice?

Pray tell are these the gross things of which you speak.

Perhaps you'd like your McDonalds Fries and your Fiery Dorito kindling now.

Fill your pantry and refrigerator with whole foods you'll be happy to gorge on. Control your portions, go for a walk, a run, an hour of yoga. And eat yourselves happy on really good food.

Get serious. Switch for the good stuff and stop eating processed inferior food.

Eat whole food. Eat yummy food that makes you so happy to eat. Reject the chemical 'food' and get real, Control your portions. Stop eating fake scientifically made food and eat really good food.

Enjoy your food. Demand good food.

Go read Real Food by Nina Planck. Learn to LOVE food.

Healthy Choices, Marketing Mayhem... The Vitamin Water You Really Need...

noreply@blogger.com (Candis) — Mon, 03 Nov 2014 13:00:00 +0000

Photo: Kenny Louie
His pictures are gorgeous btw, you must go look.

You're trying to be healthy. It's great.

But... (here it comes)

You may be susceptible to marketing claims that know they just need to sound healthy and look pretty to suck you in.

Vitamin Water.

Capitalizing on your great concern for your lack of nutrition.

Problem #1

"Most Americans aren’t vitamin-deficient" Marion Nestle

Problem #2

Vitamin water contains 2 Tablespoons fructose. That's a lot- especially for a health claiming drink.
(This one's made from corn starch by crystallizing corn syrup. Not only added empty calories but addictive and dangerous.)

Problem #3

Vitamins A, D, E and K are fat-soluble... which means you need to add olive oil or other healthy fat to a food containing these vitamins- and that drinking them does absolutely nothing.

Problem #4

Over-fortification of foods can increase the risk of excessive intake of vitamins and minerals and pose health problems for children 8 and younger. (source EWG)

What Vitamin Water is...

-Something to drink with less sugar than soda.
-A drink with safer colors (They are from vegetables not FD&C dyes.)

But when we say "Eat the rainbow...This is NOT what we mean."

May we suggest hydrating from that source at your kitchen sink?
It's always the best source.

Hungry for more?
We suggest...
http://www.ewg.org/research/how-much-is-too-much/harmful-effects-excess-vitamins-and-minerals

Sources:

http://scienceline.org/2007/12/ask-intagliata-vitaminwater/

Foodie Friday- Halloween!

noreply@blogger.com (Candis) — Fri, 31 Oct 2014 03:33:00 +0000

Foodie Friday Research all week, then put it into practice this weekend.

Ready, Set, Mmm...

Your Halloween Breakfast...

Bourbon Pecan Pumpkin Butter- this is absolutely what your toast has been missing.Head over to The Hungry Belgian for the yummy recipe

Photo: Alpha

Pumpkin Spice Latte.

Made all by yourself.

Beforehand...

Pumpkin Spice Syrup (oh the places you could use this.)

Simmer

-1C Sugar

-1C Water

when the sugar has dissolved add

-2T Pumpkin Puree

-1 T Pumpkin Pie Spice

Make you own by mixing ...

-3 Tablespoons ground cinnamon

-2 teaspoons ground ginger

-2 teaspoons ground nutmeg

-1½ teaspoons ground allspice

-1½ teaspoons ground cloves

-½ teaspoon ground cardamom

Simmer 10 minutes. Cool.

If you want to be really cool you could keep your pumpkin spice syrup in a cleaned Roundhouse Pumpkin bottle (since they're only 375ml) Just don't confuse the two!

Draw your espresso as usual.

Add Foamed milk to your liking.

Add 2 ounce syrup.

Enjoy the quiet. This evening probably won't be.

Plan a dinner of protein and healthy vegetables.

Easy Guacamole with a twist.

Thanks to Amee's Savory Dish. You're a genius!

Three Bean Chili (Don't worry, it has ground beef too!)

Head over to Whole & Heavenly Oven for the recipe.

Need some ideas for great vegetables to roast up?

Photo: ilovebutter

Roasted Vegetables

Vivid vegetables, like Red Peppers, Tomatoes & Carrots- rich in Carotenoids which reduce risk of heart disease. (Add a small amount of ‘good fats’ to increase absorption of Carotenoids- hey your olive oil!)

Green & Red Vegetables...Protect blood vessels, Help your Vitamin C work better, Prevent inflammation in your body, Help prevent osteoporosis, diabetes and other diseases.

Cruciferous vegetables; broccoli, cauliflower, kale, watercress, cabbage and bok choy are the cancer warriors of the food world.

My favorite side- or sometimes as a meal itself.

Use any vegetables you want

Cut to approximately the same size

Drop them onto a jelly roll sheet and cover in olive oil & sprinkle with salt.
(and other spices if you like.)

Roast at 450 degrees until they are brown and sweet and crispy
- or until your liking.

Happy Halloween!

Carotenoids, more than meets the eye.

noreply@blogger.com (Candis) — Thu, 30 Oct 2014 14:44:00 +0000

Photo: Peddhapati

Did your mother bribe you to eat your carrots to protect your eyes?

"Here honey, these mushy canned vegetables are magic!" Ya right mom.

Here's the lowdown on carotenoids...

They need fat to be absorbed. Olive oil anyone ;)

Carotenoids simplified = orange vegetables. (Eat the rainbow!)

They have Vitamin A activity and convert to retinol. 1 Cup of pumpkin has 245% of your daily value of Vitamin A. Wo!

Vitamin A boosts your immune system

They also act as antioxidants

In your eyes carotenoids stop blue and near-ultraviolet light from being absorbed to protect your retina. These lights can also cause cataracts. Dang it my mom was right! The degeneration of the retina is the leading cause of blindness in adults. Protect those eyes! Don your giant sunglasses and eat those orange vegetables.

Carotenoids help your cells to communicate with each other. This is especially important because cancerous cells lose this ability.

Carotenoids may protect against Cardiovascular Disease as they are very fat soluble and travel with lipoproteins in your bloodstream. They have shown some reduction in IMT halting or reversing atherosclerosis. (sorry, big science words...are you still here? whew!) This seems to indicate an anti-inflammatory effect, which is one of our highest goals to fight our modern diseases.

Eat up!

Eat raw vegetables and gently cooked too. To absorb all the nutrients you can.

Alpha-Carotene Content of Selected Foods
Food	Serving	Alpha-Carotene (mg)
Pumpkin, canned	1 cup	11.7
Carrot juice, canned	1 cup (8 fl oz)	10.2
Carrots, cooked	1 cup	5.9
Carrots, raw	1 medium	2.1
Mixed vegetables, frozen, cooked	1 cup	1.8
Winter squash, baked	1 cup	1.4
Plantains, raw	1 medium	0.8
Collards, frozen, cooked	1 cup	0.2
Tomatoes, raw	1 medium	0.1
Tangerines, raw	1 medium	0.09
Peas, edible-podded, frozen, cooked	1 cup	0.09

Beta-Carotene Content of Selected Foods
Food	Serving	Beta-Carotene (mg)
Carrot juice, canned	1 cup (8 fl oz)	22.0
Pumpkin, canned	1 cup	17.0
Spinach, frozen, cooked	1 cup	13.8
Sweet potato, baked	1 medium	13.1
Carrots, cooked	1 cup	13.0
Collards, frozen, cooked	1 cup	11.6
Kale, frozen, cooked	1 cup	11.5
Turnip greens, frozen, cooked	1 cup	10.6
Pumpkin pie	1 piece	7.4
Winter squash, cooked	1 cup	5.7
Carrots, raw	1 medium	5.1
Dandelion greens, cooked	1 cup	4.1
Cantaloupe, raw	1 cup	3.2

2.

Now where will we find some orange vegetables around here?

Photo: Liz West

Warnings:

"additional β-carotene from supplements is unlikely to be beneficial and may actually be harmful" 1.

Sources:

http://nutritiondata.self.com/facts/vegetables-and-vegetable-products/2601/2

1. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carotenoid

2. http://lpi.oregonstate.edu/infocenter/phytochemicals/carotenoids/

Tomatoes- How to preserve them and how they preserve you!

noreply@blogger.com (Candis) — Tue, 28 Oct 2014 14:32:00 +0000

Photo: Francesco Bartaloni

There's a chance that you are knee deep in tomatoes right now- in a panic about what to do with all these tomatoes! It's a love hate relationship. You hate grocery store tomatoes and so you labor all summer to babysit those crimson globes until you have to drop a half a day to harvest and preserve all those beauties.

Today, we have great ideas to quickly save them all and nutrition notes so that you're motivated to do it all again next year!

How to save tomatoes...

The easy way...

-Bring a very large pot to a rolling boil.
-Place a large bowl of iced water next to it.
-Drop in whole tomatoes (as many fit in a single layer.)
-Boil for 1 minute then drop into ice water while you refill your boiling water.
-Pull tomatoes from ice.
-Squeeze tomatoes gently to remove skin and remove most of the water.
-Pull tops off and drop into gallon ziplock bags.
-Freeze flat.

Photo: Klearchos Kapoutsis
The yummy way...

-Cut tomatoes in half and line a jelly roll pan.
-Drizzle with olive oil and salt.
-Roast at 425 degrees until sweet. ~ 20-40 minutes (depending on size)
-Eat lots and freeze the rest flat in bags.

The aren't I sustainable way...

Canning Tomatoes

This opens up a lot of options once you've learned it because it doesn't require a freezer and thus no thawing. Which is great because I forever forget to thaw things I need for dinner.

Head over to Pretty Prudent for great directions with pretty pictures to help.

Tomato nutritional benefits...

Now the motivation to do it all over. Or to go buy a bunch of in season tomatoes and heal yourself while you pretend you grew them. 'The yummy way' of cooking tomatoes (above) works all winter long, with all states of crappy tomatoes. fyi.

Tomatoes are full of vitamins A and C and folic acid.

They are high in antioxidants- which protect and heal your cells. Learn all about them here.

They pack a cancer fightin' Lycopene punch. Especially protective against prostate cancer.

They contain alpha-lipoic acid can aid in blood glucose control, improve vasodilation and protect against retinopathy in diabetic patients and may even help preserve brain and nerve tissue.2

Tomatoes are high in fiber which helps both heart disease and diabetes.

Alright, enough reading. Those tomatoes are waiting. You're burning daylight!

sources:

http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/273031.php
1. http://www.nutrition-and-you.com/beta-carotene.html
2. http://umm.edu/health/medical/altmed/supplement/alphalipoic-acid

Red Red Wine

noreply@blogger.com (Candis) — Mon, 27 Oct 2014 12:00:00 +0000

Photo: Isante

What's better way to soothe your conscience on a Monday morning than a post about how great red wine is for you?!

We've got you covered.

Red wine

Is red wine good for you? In moderation (1-2 glasses per day)

Red Wine Health Benefits...

· Increases cardiovascular function- Reduces heart attack risks

· Reduces heart disease risk by 25-40% (1 glass per day women, 2 for men)

· Raises HDL (good cholesterol)

· High in antioxidants

· Contains Resveratrol- which appears to stop arteries from getting blocked by fat deposits

Foodie Friday- Tapas!

noreply@blogger.com (Candis) — Fri, 24 Oct 2014 12:00:00 +0000

Foodie Friday Research all week, then put it into practice this weekend.

Ready, Set, Mmm...

Our new favorite thing- Tapas!

Platters of fightin' foods you can grab and wander with.

Smoked Paprika Almonds

head over to Devour to get the recipe

· High in poly & mono-unsaturated fats which sweep LDL into liver when they replace saturated fats.

Artichoke hearts are the ultimate tapas item.

Head over to Kitchen to Nirvana for the recipe

high in fiber and anti-oxidants

cynarin and sesquiterpene-lactones...inhibit cholesterol synthesis & lower overall cholesterol.

folic acid, Vitamin C, Vitamin K, rich source of minerals

Roasted Garlic & Olive Oil Bruschetta
Head Over to My Baking Addiction for a recipe

Garlic-
Several compounds in garlic stop carcinogens from becoming active and flush them from your system- maybe you should add a lot of garlic to your bruschetta.
Allicin (an antioxidant) can protect and heal your heart,
Quercitin: A flavonoid or antioxidant fights inflammation

Olive Oil-
Contains oleocanthal which relieves pain.
Darker oils have more blood clot fighting polyphenol. Go find that pretty green!
Olive oil helps regulate blood pressure.
It reduces chance of breast cancer.

Tomatoes-

High intakes of total carotenoids = a significantly lower risk of developing lung cancer 1.
Lycopene reduces Prostate Cancer risk.
Vitamins A and C and Folic Acid
Alpha-lipoic acid helps the body to convert glucose into energy

Dolmades
Head over to My Greek Dish for the recipe

Grape Leaves
High in fat-soluble vitamins A and K. Vitamin A helps your cells develop
high in calcium and iron
high in fiber

Grilled Shrimp

Head over to Closet Cooking for the recipe

unusually concentrated source of the antioxidant and anti-inflammatory nutrient called astaxanthin 2.
High in selenium. (selenium deficiency has been shown to be a risk factor for heart failure and cardiovascular disease. 2.)

Hummus & Warm Pita triangles.

Head over to Inspired Taste to learn to make your own hummus.

Olive Oil-
Contains oleocanthal which relieves pain.
Darker oils have more blood clot fighting polyphenol. Go find that pretty green!
Olive oil helps regulate blood pressure.
It reduces chance of breast cancer.

Garbanzo Beans or Chickpeas
High in protein, fiber, folate, iron, zinc and B1.

Garlic-
Several compounds in garlic stop carcinogens from becoming active and flush them from your system.
Allicin (an antioxidant) can protect and heal your heart,
Quercitin: A flavonoid or antioxidant fights inflammation

Tahini
Very high in fiber
rich in minerals such as phosphorus, lecithin, magnesium, potassium and iron. 3.
High in calcium
vitamin E and vitamins B1, B2, B3, B5 and B15.
easy for your body to digest because of its high alkaline mineral content 3.

Other great tapas ideas-

Really good marinated olives. (Not those ones on your grocers shelf)
Salted Edamame
Those yummy garbanzo beans from last Friday's post make great tapas too!

Now go have a fightin food cocktail hour!

sources:

1.http://lpi.oregonstate.edu/infocenter/phytochemicals/carotenoids/
2.http://www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?tname=foodspice&dbid=107
3.http://www.mindbodygreen.com/0-6997/10-Reasons-to-Eat-Tahini.html

Garlic, Protects You From More Than Vampires

noreply@blogger.com (Candis) — Thu, 23 Oct 2014 15:12:00 +0000

Photo: JE Norton

Does wearing garlic around your neck really keep the vampires away?

I don't know, if you eat tons, it will keep your spouse away. It's why we always eat garlic together.

Garlic is powerful stuff. It may prevent cancer, protect your digestive system and help fight inflammation and protect your heart.

Cancer

Phytochemicals in garlic (and onions) may prevent the onset or progression of some cancers. (especially stomach and esophageal.) Perhaps because it protects and heals your digestive system.

Garlic may also protect against Lung, Breast and Colon Cancer.

Garlic fights something called Nitrosamines which are formed in our intestines and caused by food additives and cured meats. This reduces the mutations in the DNA of your cells and protects them from damage, preventing cancer.

Did you need another reason to switch to whole real foods? Put the potato chips and deli meat down!

Compounds in garlic may also attack tumor cells and destroy them.

Several compounds in garlic stop carcinogens from becoming active and flush them from your system. (The cabbage family is good at this too.)

Inflammation Diseases

warning: another big scientific word coming...
Quercitin: A flavonoid or antioxidant fights inflammation in your body. It repairs and protects your cells and prevents them from producing histamines (inflammation).

Heart Health

Allicin (another antioxidant) can protect and heal your heart, lowering blood pressure levels and lowering your LDL. Plus, less inflammation is always great for your heart.

How to get the most out of garlic

-Crush your garlic- don't chop/cut it. It will release the cancer killing compounds better. Like chewing does. (Your spouse and coworkers plead with you not to just chew raw garlic no matter the protection.) Cooked garlic is sweeter and calmer.

-Let it sit for a bit, up to 15 minutes if you think ahead. (It allows the enzyme reaction time to finish.)

-Eat a lot of it! Let this fighter loose! It will fight all this beastly damage to your cells. As we age our cells damage from lots of things. Start adding lots of things to heal your cells now.

Forget the vampires these cell damaging beasts will be powerless.

Just stock up on the toothpaste.

Sources:

Foods to Fight Cancer

http://www.joybauer.com/food-articles/allium-vegetables.aspx

http://umm.edu/health/medical/altmed/supplement/quercetin

http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2007/10/15/unlocking-the-benefits-of-garlic/?_php=true&_type=blogs&_r=0

We love this garlic keeper from Chefs Catalog.

Plus it has the best reviews. Yay fresh garlic!

Creating a Fightin Food Culture...

noreply@blogger.com (Candis) — Wed, 22 Oct 2014 15:15:00 +0000

O.K. You've been researching a better way to eat: necessary vitamins and minerals, disease fighting foods and lifestyle changes to make. And now... You're overwhelmed. You can't remember which food to add to what to absorb more of a specific nutrient. Or, how much you need in a day to protect you from that family history of that disease. Your brain is starting to smoke. That can't be helpful.

It's O.K. Relax. Start somewhere.

We do not recommend a fast change. We are big believers removing negative emotional attachments to your food. Diets create guilt and a feeling of forbidden things. Never good.

You should LOVE your food!

We are very fortunate to have the abundance that we have.

Now...

Slow down.

Plan meals.

Enjoy cooking- (always with a glass of wine)

Enjoy your meals.

Eat things that satisfy.

Think, "How can this taste so good?!"

But how.

Your taste buds are affected but things you eat and are accustomed to.

Corn syrup kills your taste buds, sugar makes them very insensitive to natural sweetness- lactose in milk, a ripe strawberry.

The more refined, processed and fried food you eat, the less real good whole food actually tastes like anything to you.

So if you go cold turkey then an oily crunchy fresh pecan tastes like nothing.

You must take baby steps.

Change out items one by one.

Switch from canola to Olive Oil. Toss your margarine and get crazy good grass fed butter.

Roast your own potatoes with lots of olive oil, salt and garlic and stop buying those french fries.

Soon those old terrible foods will taste... well... terrible.

Go read Sugar, Salt, Fat for a wake up call. These poor foods create a craving for more. Downward spiral anyone?

And, go easy on yourself.

You are not going to fix this poor eating culture overnight.

It would create too much stress and you'd feel like you were missing out on too much.

Find new foods you LOVE. Then incorporate them into your week.

Have them available. Stop buying those potato chips and start buying those nuts you love.

If you don't do it for life, then it won't work.

No crazy diets here.

Just good whole Fightin Foods!

Surround yourself with them.

Learn to cook really good things with them.

Have them ready to snack on. Starving desperate people eat anything. Plan ahead.

Keep Fightin!

Now Switch! Fruit Roll Ups

noreply@blogger.com (Candis) — Tue, 21 Oct 2014 12:00:00 +0000

Photo: Robert S. Donovan

"Yeah, I heard he got that hot new thing It's called "Switch" (switch) Let's get it going"

The times I hear a song when I post is excessive. Today, I just couldn't stop myself. I hardly think Will Smith was talking about removing dangerous ingredients from your food but we'll pretend.

Our new series, Switch, will help you to make those baby steps and remove dangerous and unnecessary ingredients from your daily lives to move towards a whole fightin' food life.

The best way to make a great impact on your health is to pick something you or your family consumes a lot of and either learn to make a whole healthy alternative at home by heart or find an awesome and inexpensive source to buy it.

Today: Fruit Roll Ups

Switch from: store bought fruit roll ups.

Why:

The Danger:

The amount of sugars- not to mention it's corn syrup x2!

FD&C food dyes are connected to many childhood diseases.

Chemicals

Vitamin C- in processed foods this is often from a GMO source.

Hydrogenated Oil- It is especially important to stop lining your arteries while you're young. Store bought fruit roll ups might look fun and festive but it's damaging their hearts.

Make your own and protect them!

Whole food, fruit servings, minimal or no sugars needed...What's not to love?!

It may sound very hard to make your own fruit roll ups, fruit by the foot and fruit leather. but it's not.

You'll Need...

If you don't have a Silpat, then now's the time to buy one. I LOVE mine and use it several times a week. Nothing gets stuck and it serves so many purposes.

You will also need a food processor.

You DO NOT need a dehydrator. This was the greatest discovery for me! My oven can be set to 175 degrees! Quick! Go check yours and see!

Time- these take 6plus hours but make your house smell great and make lots at once.

The Recipes...

1-The most whole food treat ever! Just mangos!

http://www.justataste.com/2013/07/healthy-homemade-mango-fruit-roll-ups-recipe/

2-Strawberry (Plus a yummy spicy adult fruit roll option)

This recipe brings two of my new favorite people together. Lisa Leake of 100 Days of Real Food and Alana Chernila of Homemade Pantry .

http://www.100daysofrealfood.com/2013/06/27/homemade-fruit-roll-ups-recipe-alana-chernila/

Now you just have to not eat them all!

We love our Silpats and use them for everything!

Eating Her Curds and Whey

noreply@blogger.com (Candis) — Mon, 20 Oct 2014 12:00:00 +0000

Photo: Grongar

Will the real Miss Muffet please stand up?

Was she a portly cheese-maker who had access to lots of whey and just saw the opportunity for a protein?

Or was she clangin' and bangin' weights, trying to bulk up?

Whey

Whey is the liquid left after the milk curdles and 'balls' form in the cheese-making process. It's a natural and protein rich food 'leftover'. Whey proteins consist proteins- α-lactalbumin and β-lactoglobulin 1. and glycomacropeptide 2.

In Processed Foods

It's added to many processed foods. Unless you are sensitive to milk, it's not dangerous. But it's in everything and the real kicker is that it's not left as is but processed more. It shows up as "whey protein, whey protein isolates, whey protein concentrate and whey protein hydrolysate and hydrolized protein." 3. So do not delude yourself into thinking that it's a whole food, it's not. Just a way for your cereal company to buy a cheap 'ingredient' to boost the protein of it's processed product.

Whey Powder

Whey is also a high selling supplement for body builders.

Some studies have shown...

-increase lean body mass, strength and muscle size when used in conjunction with weight training.

-helping to reduce the amount of weight lost by patients with AIDS

I'm not big on supplements- for several reasons. One, What's really in them is questionable. Two, the sources they are made from are likely the cheapest possible and therefore unhealthy or unsafe.Three, they often include genetically modified ingredients. Fourth and Finally, if I can get the item from a food source in a good quantity, I would much rather do so.

"Whey protein might improve the nutrient content of the diet. Whey protein might also have effects on the immune system." 4.

There are some times when supplements are necessary and helpful. Go to a reliable source and check your ingredients from a secondary trusted nutrition source. (I wish I could give you a great source but mine has recently come under scrutiny- the real reason to get it from your food!)

Minimal evidence, but trials are underway for...

-lactose intolerance

-allergies & asthma

-late stage cancer treatment (might reduce tumor size)

-high cholesterol

-obesity

Safety of Whey

"Whey protein is possibly safe when taken by mouth as a single dose of up to 50 grams, or when 30 grams is taken by mouth daily for six months." 5.

As with all supplements, care is needed as there are some possible side effects. Some of these can be very serious. Please go to this Mayo Clinic article to find what to watch for. http://www.mayoclinic.org/drugs-supplements/whey-protein/safety/hrb-20060532

Marion Nestle weighs in on the dangers of supplements. It's worth a read.

Conclusions

Whey is not something you need to add to your diet. Our intent is to inform you so that you know what whey is and where it appears. There are much better places to get your protein- which by the way is how you build lean muscle!

As for the real Miss Muffet...

anyone with enough muscle would have smashed that spider.

sources:

1. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Whey
2.http://www.sharecare.com/health/dietary-supplements/what-glycomacropeptide
3. http://dairyfreecooking.about.com/od/dairyfreeglossary/g/whey.htm

4. http://www.webmd.com/vitamins-supplements/ingredientmono-833-whey%20protein.aspx?activeingredientid=833&activeingredientname=whey%20protein

5. http://www.mayoclinic.org/drugs-supplements/whey-protein/safety/hrb-20060532

Foodie Friday Pumpkin

noreply@blogger.com (Candis) — Fri, 17 Oct 2014 12:00:00 +0000

Foodie Friday

Research all week, then put it into practice this weekend.

Ready, Set, Mmm...

It's Pumpkin Season! We'll come close to ODing on pumpkin this month.

But for now, bring on the pumpkin!

Drinks...

In the vein of everything in moderation, we bring you a special treat for the weekend...

Pumpkin Cordial & Pumpkin Martini

Definitely the king of the pumpkin bases...
I LOVE Roundhouse Pumpkin King Cordial.

My favorite way to drink it is just as you would drink a cordial.
A little poured into the bottom of a small glass, room temperature.

It also makes an awesome martini served up.

Appetizers

Pumpkin Seeds

Protect your cells & keep cell membranes flexible.

Protect your heart. High in omega 3

High in antioxidants

Head over to She Wears Many Hats for the recipe

http://shewearsmanyhats.com/toasted-pumpkin-seeds/

Roasted Garbanzo Beans

High in protein, fiber, folate, iron, zinc and B1.

Head over to When Pigs Fly for the recipe

http://www.whenthepigsfly.com/2012/01/crunchy-roasted-garbanzo-beans.html

The Meal

Roast Chicken

High in protein- duh- also Vitamin B3 and Selenium (helps your body detox and protects against oxidative stress.)

This is the ultimate fall meal. It is also a very good skill to master.

(just make sure it reads 165 degrees before you pull it from the oven. No food poisoning here please.)

If you mess it up then send your fiance over to the local grocer for a rotisserie chicken. Or if you're short on time or desire then just do that in the first place.

Head over to Number 2 Pencil for the recipe

http://www.number-2-pencil.com/2013/12/02/one-hour-roasted-chicken/

Photo: ilovebutter

Roasted Vegetables

Green & Red Vegetables...Protect blood vessels, Help your Vitamin C work better, Prevent inflammation in your body, Help prevent osteoporosis, diabetes and other diseases.

Cruciferous vegetables; broccoli, cauliflower, kale, watercress, cabbage and bok choy are the cancer warriors of the food world.

My favorite side- or sometimes as a meal itself.

Use any vegetables you want

Cut to approximately the same size

Drop them onto a jelly roll sheet and cover in olive oil & sprinkle with salt.
(and other spices if you like.)

Roast at 450 degrees until they are brown and sweet and crispy
- or until your liking.

Photo: Alpha

Pumpkin Spice Latte.

Made all by yourself.

The benefits of cinnamon...
Can lower your bad cholesterol (or LDL).may help treat Type 2 Diabetes, has anti-fungal properties, can reduce the proliferation of leukemia and lymphoma cancer cells, has an anti-clotting effect on the blood, Honey and Cinnamon combined have been found to relieve arthritis pain, inhibits bacterial growth and food spoilage, making it a natural food preservative, smelling cinnamon boosts cognitive function and memory, fights the E. coli bacteria in unpasteurized juices, has been found to be an effective natural remedy for eliminating headaches and migraine relief, stabilizes blood sugar- which is great for weight loss. 1.

Beforehand...

Pumpkin Spice Syrup (oh the places you could use this.)

Simmer

-1C Sugar

-1C Water

when the sugar has dissolved add

-2T Pumpkin Puree

-1 T Pumpkin Pie Spice

Make you own by mixing ...

-3 Tablespoons ground cinnamon

-2 teaspoons ground ginger

-2 teaspoons ground nutmeg

-1½ teaspoons ground allspice

-1½ teaspoons ground cloves

-½ teaspoon ground cardamom

Simmer 10 minutes. Cool.

If you want to be really cool you could keep your pumpkin spice syrup
in a cleaned Roundhouse Pumpkin bottle (since they're only 375ml) Just don't confuse the two!

Draw your espresso as usual.

Add foamed organic whole milk to your liking.

Add 2 ounce syrup.

Mmm, now that's a good night.

Happy Cooking!

sources:
Puritan's Pride Cinnamon- Free Shipping

Puritan's Pride Pumpkin Pie Spice- Free Shipping

http://www.rodalenews.com/pumpkin-spice

1. http://www.organicauthority.com/health/11-health-benefits-of-cinnamon.html

What to buy...

noreply@blogger.com (Candis) — Thu, 16 Oct 2014 12:00:00 +0000

Yesterday you learned what food to buy and ideas of what type of stores to hit.

Today...

The Plan

It's what I buy most of the time, It's not perfect, but progressing and some things you just need.

My list to get you started...

Fruits & Vegetables	Dairy	Meat & Protein	Nuts & Seeds	Grains	Pantry
All of them	Hormone Free	Wild Pacific Salmon	Almonds, raw, smoked & sliced	White Whole Wheat Flour	Marinara
All Colors	Milk	Anchovies & Sardines (for sauces)	Pecans	Gluten Free	Whole Jarred Tomatoes
Organic (except for the clean 14)	Plain Yogurt	light tuna	Cashews	buckwheat flour	Tomato Paste
In Season- where available	Full Fat Block Mozzarella	Pastured Chicken	Walnuts mostly for salads	oats, flour & rolled
Local- Where available	Full Fat Block White Cheddar	Grass Fed & Finished Beef	Macademia Nuts (when on sale)	quinoa	Can Organic Corn
	Blue Cheese & other fancy	Bison (as $ available)	sometimes Hazelnuts	brown rice	Organic Taco Shells
As much as you can get your family to eat.	Pastured Butter	Humanely raised Bacon (+ no sodium nitrite)	sometimes Pistachios	amaranth	Organic Corn Chips- use minimally
Fresh	Pastured Eggs	sometimes turkey sausage		Almond Flour	organic corn- for popping
Dried	sometimes		Pine Nuts -not nuts :)	Coconut Flour
Canned	Cream Cheese	Black Beans			Apple Cider Vinegar
	Ricotta	Pinto Beans	Whole Flax Seeds	Gluten	White Vinegar- large amounts to clean
Fresh/Frozen Basil		Garbanzo / Chickpeas	Chia Seeds	barley	White basalmic vinegar
Fresh Cilantro		Butter Beans	Pumpkin Seeds	Bulgar Wheat	Rice vinegar
			Sunflower Seeds Shelled	rye	Lemon Juice
Frozen Spinach 4 Smoothies			Sesame Seeds	spelt	Organic Soy Sauce (Tamari)
Frozen Berries 4 Smoothies				Whole grain pastas	Mustard- Reg & Spicy
Frozen Mangos 4 Smoothies			Maple Almond Butter	whole grain min. ingredient crackers	Tahini
Frozen Bananas 4 Smoothies			Nutella- Someday I'll make my own	Good Whole Grain Bread	Nori- for sushi
V8 100% juice 4 Smoothies				Whole Grain Tortillas
					Good Sea Salt
	Whole Food Caves	Fats	Drinks		Pepper
	Coconut Flakes	Olive Oil	Nespresso Coffee		Paprika
	Ghirardelli Chocolate	Coconut Oil	Red Wine		Garlic- in all forms
			Dark Beer		Onion- in all forms
	Real Maple Syrup	Avocado	lemons for lemonade		Ground Mustard
	Raw Unrefined Honey	Olives			Oregano
	Turbino Sugar- used minimally				Cumin

	Cocoa (not dutch)				Cinnamon- A lot
					Ginger- A little

OK, now it's your turn. Make it yours. Make it whole. Make it realistic. Make Progress.

Enjoy your food.

GMO Kimmel Style

noreply@blogger.com (Candis) — Thu, 16 Oct 2014 02:29:00 +0000

Because laughter is the best medicine.

Time to hit the grocery store.

noreply@blogger.com (Candis) — Wed, 15 Oct 2014 12:00:00 +0000

I used to love grocery shopping. Then for a time I hated it, I imagined the GMA drones were following my every shopping move. But with new knowledge & resources, I enjoy it when I find wholesome food that won't break the bank for my family.

Here's some help for you.

Photo Paul Irish

Remember, baby steps.

Don't fret just because it takes you a half a day and 3 stores to find good bread.

Next time you'll go right to it. (Or it will come to you!)

Btw, you're food isn't perfect either. Just make progress and enjoy your food! We've so forgotten to. (but that's another post)

I'm not loyal. Blame it on society, say I live in a fast paced world, say whatever you want but you must know I'll visit 3 grocery stores in one day and come home to organic veggies, dairy and bread on my porch to boot.

So if that's not for you, fear not. I hear there are many a sane person who just go to 1 store once a week. No way!

You might pay a little more or accept a close second or...

you could find my dream store with all I want and great prices too!

Photo: Ines Hegedus-Garcia

First Things First

What to buy?!

Organic-

Whole Grains-

Nuts & Seeds

Full Fat Grass Fed Organic Dairy-

Or as many of those as possible.

Grass Finished Beef-

Some not lots.

Pastured Poultry & Eggs

Wild caught pacific fatty fish.

The smaller the better.

Honey & Maple Syrup- wherever possible.

As little minimally refined sugar as possible.

Wine & Beer (I'm not an animal!)

Ooo and this gin!

Fruits & Vegetables

As many as I can fit in and get people to eat.

Produce. Buy Organic. Buy Local. Buy In Season. Vary it. Eat the rainbow!

I try to buy only organic. Vote with your dollar right? I figure it helps 1- show the grocery store I want more of it. 2- It helps the farmer who paid for and went to the effort of being certified and 3- I know it's not GMO and that it's pesticide free. Although there are many environmental reasons too.

But...

There are 14 fruit and vegetables I'll buy occasionally (if I can't afford the organic- we can eat A LOT of avocados)

I do have to say that my conventional grapefruit tasted of nothing. Guess that's what you get for growing it in poor soil then flying it across the world to me. I digress.

You may think that I can't count since there are 15 items in the Clean 15. Remember 90% of the US corn is genetically modified, so I never buy conventional corn.

Second- Where to buy them.

O.K. I'd do all my shopping this way if I could but for now I'm feeding 2 growing boys. We need a wholesale and other masses of food.

O.K. This will only be helpful for those Colorado folks but you'll get an idea of what to look for.

Door to Door Organics

Co-op like but delivers

Organic fruit and veggies (customizable!) + organic dairy, bread, and more!

Cost Co

Big Box wholesale.

Wholesale stores get a bad rap. It depends on the store, the demand and your will power. Walk past the cheese puffs and pick up the whole foods!

Vitamin Cottage

Like Whole Foods but smaller & cheaper for bulk flours, spices and dry goods.

King Soopers, Walmart & Target

Big Box GMA stores- who have some great deals, if you know where to look!

Plus Walmart will now shop for me and bring it to my car or deliver it! Wahoo! Couch shopping!

Trader Joes

Apparently awesome, amazing and inexpensive (for quality) but too far for me to go.

Puritan's Pride
Free Shipping
Spices, Seeds, Vitamins & More

Amazon has some hard to find items but wait and watch the price carefully.
Try

Third- Make a plan!

Write it down.

Price it out.

Then make a route to all the good stuff- or just hit one store like a boring normal person.

It's up to you... C'mon, come over to the dark side! You will eventually you know.

Inspirations:

100 Days of Real Food

Real Food

In Defense of Food

Avoiding GMOs

noreply@blogger.com (Candis) — Tue, 14 Oct 2014 12:00:00 +0000

Photo: Planetc1

What you can do to eat safe.

How to shop and eat to avoid GMO's in your food.

(Alternately- you may eat them in most any other Country than the US- GMO's are illegal in 27 countries.)

#1- Buy Organic

especially high risk crops

Corn
Soy
Papaya
Sugar Beets
Zucchini & Yellow Summer Squash
Alfalfa

#2- Avoid canola altogether.

90% of our US crop is GMO and canola grows like a weed meaning it is highly likely the non-gmo will cross contaminate. Buy a healthier oil.

#3- Check your labels

and avoid these in processed foods.

They are most likely GMO

Amino Acids
Aspartame- for a lot of reasons
Ascorbic Acid
Sodium Ascorbate
Vitamin C
Citric Acid
Sodium Citrate
Ethanol
Natural & Artificial Flavorings (did you know what these are is not regulated?)
High Fructose Corn Syrup- for a lot of reasons
Hydrolyzed Vegetable Protein
Lactic Acid
Maltodestrins
Molasses
Monosodium Glutamate- MSG- for a lot of reasons
Sucrose
Textured Vegetable Protein TVP
Xanthan Gum
Vitamins
Yeast Products

Photo: Will Curran

Source: 100 Days Real Food

Making your own flour

noreply@blogger.com (Candis) — Mon, 13 Oct 2014 12:00:00 +0000

Photo: Iris

We've talked about the benefit of whole grains.

Now is the time to make your own.

It's the only way to know what nutrients your flour has.

Use

Any grain, nut, or bean that can be ground- wheat, barley, oat, rye, quinoa, corn, rice, almond, garbanzo.
Look for...
wheat berries, rye berries, whole oats

Consider what you're baking...

General whole grains- Spelt, Emmer and Einkorn (all versions of wheat)

For yeast breads, hard red (winter or spring) wheat are best.

Quick breads (like muffins, pancakes, and waffles) use soft white-Spelt, kamut, and triticale

Grind

The only catch is that you will need a new toy- a grain mill.

here's a great article to help you choose one. We suggest you check amazon as they have the most customer reviews and are great with returns.

Now pour your grain, nut or dry bean into your mill and grind to your desired fine setting.

Amounts

you will make 1.2 to 1.5 times the original amount

Storing

Fresh flour can go bad very quickly.

Keep your flour in a cool, dark place. Whole wheat flour will go bad in a month.

If it changes color or smells off, toss it.

Place a bay leaf in with the flour to prevent bugs.

Keep it in the fridge or freezer to last longer. We only keep our flour in the freezer as it will keep for years and we can keep various kinds to use.

don't use it right away, let it sit for a time before using it. It will behave more like store bought flour. (like old stale flour) until you get used to using fresh stuff.

It's more for the yeast to feed on as well, so experiment and enjoy the fresh real food taste.

sources:

http://www.wikihow.com/Make-Flour

100 Days of Real Food

Vitamin E- Your Fountain of Youth?

noreply@blogger.com (Candis) — Thu, 09 Oct 2014 12:00:00 +0000

Photo by: John Liu

Got some cracks in your armor? Maybe you need more Vitamin E. These powerful antioxidants are great healing warriors.

From Your skin, to your blood vessels and every cell in between, they will repair those 'cracks' and boost your bodies health.

What are they?

Vitamin E are antioxidants that protect against damage to cells. There are really 8 kinds of Vitamin E (tocopherols and tocotrienols)

What do they do?

Damaged LDL cells accumulate in blood vessels.

Vitamin E prevents blood from clotting unnecessarily, lowering the risk of stroke or heart attack

It helps skin retain moisture and is often added to sunscreens because it protects the skin against UVB damage.

Builds immune function. (Many women are often deficient in vitamin e. Female problems cause a deficiency of vitamin e and may affect your immune system.)

Anti-Aging

Because Vitamin E repairs and protects your cells, it is awesome at helping your skin, although it goes much deeper than that. Some of us age better than others and don't kid yourself your diet and exercise habits are directly related to it. (Genetics play a role too.)

Go get it:

- Leafy Vegetables
-Nuts
-Seeds- especially Sunflower Seeds
-Fatty Fish- especially Shrimp & Sardines
-Oils
-Oily Plants- Avocados, Olives,
-Chili Peppers
-Eggs

Toxicity:

None, "Eat all you want, we'll make more."
You can have 1,000mg a day, that's a lot. (Your daily min req is 14mg)

sources:

Vitamin E from Puritan's Pride

http://www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?tname=nutrient&dbid=111 Plus a great chart of the nutrition content of high Vit E foods!

A great dosing post for many diseases- http://www.mayoclinic.org/drugs-supplements/vitamin-e/dosing/hrb-20060476

http://www.mayoclinic.org/drugs-supplements/vitamin-e/dosing/hrb-20060476

Your Heart

noreply@blogger.com (Candis) — Wed, 08 Oct 2014 12:00:00 +0000

Photo: Ano Lobb

Today, A quick and easy reference to fight heart disease!

Add Good Fats

Almonds

Avocado

Bison

Chia Seed

Fish

Flax Seed Meal

Olive Oil

Remove Bad Fats

- Fried Foods

-Transfats & Fractioned Fats

-CAFO Red Meat

- (easy to remember: Solid & highly processed)

Exercise

Get moving!

One of my favorite racing groups 3W Races- says "Do what you can, when you can, where you are."

I love it! Pick something you love and do it 3-5 times a week for at least 30 minutes.

(if you only have 10 minutes, then do 10!)

-Strengthens your heart (it's just like any muscle- use it to strengthen it!)

-Lowers your blood pressure

-Helps reduce stress (A big heart disease factor!)

-"Regular exercise also helps to keep arteries and other blood vessels flexible" 1.

-Keeps the blood vessels open.

Protect Your Cells

keeps cell membranes flexible...

Green Leafy vegetables

Pumpkin Seeds

Salmon

Walnuts

Increase cardiovascular function

Red Wine

Dark Chocolate- dilates your arteries.

Fiber!

Clean those arteries out!

Oats- protect against damage to LDL. (Damaged LDL sticks to artery walls)

Parsnips

Quinoa

Whole Grains

Eat the rainbow...

here's where you fight!

Carotenoids-Like Red Peppers, Tomatoes & Carrots

Foods high in Vitamin C- lowers body inflammation

Antioxidants- Beta-carotene, lutein, lycopene, selenium, vitamin A, vitamin C and vitamin E

Smelly foods! -garlic, contains allicin which fights hardening arteries

A good start for today.

Make baby steps to incorporate these things into your daily life and check back tomorrow to learn about more Fightin Foods!

sources:

1.http://www.healthline.com/health/heart-disease/exercise

Flavonoids

noreply@blogger.com (Candis) — Tue, 07 Oct 2014 12:00:00 +0000

We try not to get overly scientific on this blog.

We figure you're brain needs a break sometimes

and a quick easy way to eat better for better health.

But, stick with us. These babies could save your life!

Flavonoids

What they are...

Antioxidants, compounds found in plants which "include flavonols, dihydroflavonols, flavones, isoflavones, flavanones, anthocyanins, and anthocyanidins"1. "quercetin, rutin, and hesperidin, flavones, apigenin and luteolin"1.

What they do...

Protect you in many ways

Protect blood vessels

Help your Vitamin C work better.

Prevents inflammation in your body

Help prevent osteoporosis, diabetes,

Where do you get them?

Berries

Tree Fruits

Black & Kidney Beans

Fava Beans, Pinto Snap Beans

Walnuts, Pecans

Pistachios, Cashews

Soybeans

Spinach

Green & Red Vegetables

Dill, Parsley, Thyme

Dark Chocolate

Unfiltered Raw Fruit & Vegetable Juice

Red Wine

Tea

Signs you need more:

You bruise easily

Nose bleeds

swelling

allergies & asthma

Frequent colds & infections

Sources:

-http://www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?tname=nutrient&dbid=119

-http://www.livestrong.com/article/73159-list-foods-flavonoids/

-http://www.mnn.com/food/healthy-eating/stories/what-is-a-flavonoid

-http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flavonoid

Fightin' Foods

Fight With Salsa! flavor without calories! (ok a couple)

Spices

Chimichurri Steak Dressing & Marinade

Salsa

Amazing Flax Meal

Super Bowl Foods You Can't Live Without...

Inflammation- Food and Lifestyle Ways to Fight.

Food-

Lifestyle-

You are what you eat and you'll eat what you have.

Healthy Choices, Marketing Mayhem... The Vitamin Water You Really Need...

Vitamin Water.

Problem #1

Problem #2

Problem #3

Problem #4

What Vitamin Water is...

May we suggest hydrating from that source at your kitchen sink?It's always the best source.

Foodie Friday- Halloween!

Foodie Friday Research all week, then put it into practice this weekend.

Ready, Set, Mmm...

Your Halloween Breakfast...

Pumpkin Spice Latte.

Plan a dinner of protein and healthy vegetables.

Roasted Vegetables

Carotenoids, more than meets the eye.

Here's the lowdown on carotenoids...

Eat up!

Warnings:

Sources:

Tomatoes- How to preserve them and how they preserve you!

How to save tomatoes...

The easy way...

The aren't I sustainable way...

Tomato nutritional benefits...

Red Red Wine

Red wine

Foodie Friday- Tapas!

Foodie Friday Research all week, then put it into practice this weekend.

Ready, Set, Mmm...

Other great tapas ideas-

Garlic, Protects You From More Than Vampires

Cancer

Inflammation Diseases

Heart Health

How to get the most out of garlic

Creating a Fightin Food Culture...

Now Switch! Fruit Roll Ups

"Yeah, I heard he got that hot new thing It's called "Switch" (switch) Let's get it going"

Our new series, Switch, will help you to make those baby steps and remove dangerous and unnecessary ingredients from your daily lives to move towards a whole fightin' food life.

Today: Fruit Roll Ups

Switch from: store bought fruit roll ups.

You'll Need...

The Recipes...

1-The most whole food treat ever! Just mangos!

2-Strawberry (Plus a yummy spicy adult fruit roll option)

Eating Her Curds and Whey

Whey

In Processed Foods

Whey Powder

Some studies have shown...

Minimal evidence, but trials are underway for...

Safety of Whey

Conclusions

Foodie Friday Pumpkin

Foodie Friday

Drinks...

Pumpkin Cordial & Pumpkin Martini

Appetizers

Pumpkin Seeds

Protect your cells & keep cell membranes flexible.

Roasted Garbanzo Beans

The Meal

Roast Chicken

Roasted Vegetables

Photo: Alpha

Pumpkin Spice Latte.

What to buy...

The Plan

May we suggest hydrating from that source at your kitchen sink?
It's always the best source.