Tuesday, March 25, 2008

Fun In The Sun

There was an article at AchooAllergy.com recently that gave an overview of the 2008 meeting of the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma, and Immunolgy. In a nutshell it said:

-Vitamin D is very important for health
-Vitamin D supplementation has several problems
-Vitamin D from the sun is the best for the body

Of course there is much to learn and it is important to note that vitamin D3 is the natural form of vitamin D that is produced by exposure to the sun. The synthetic ones are vitamin D2. Everything I read shows vitamin D to be such a powerhouse vitamin in overall health and the vast majority of people are deficient. Taking a vitamin D3 supplement is an ok idea but it can be easy to overdose. With the sun you never have to worry about overdosing as your body can regulate your vitamin D production. The only thing you have to worry about with the sun is burning your skin.

Most people need to ease into sun exposure. If you are fair skinned it would be best to start with 15-20 minutes a day and gradually work your way up. The need for caution is especially true for those who have less than favorable diets. Your skin cooks from the sun and it cooks much better in stable oils. Extra Virgin Coconut Oil has been used for ages in protecting the skin.

From what standpoint do I say these things? Well, sure I say them from personal experience (I mean, this is my blog). I think I say them more from common sense though. God made the sun and it is good. Burning your skin is bad. Things you put on your skin are absorbed into your bloodstream. That’s why pain patches or nicotine patches work… cause they are absorbed through the skin… usually in a time released manner. So think about the ramifications of that. Do you want to eat your sunscreen? There are some pretty nasty ingredients in there. There is only one suncreen that I know of that I can recommend and it is only decent, it’s Aubrey Organics… I personally just use coconut oil. 

The sun is not bad for you. Like everything, you should be careful depending on your body type and use moderation with regard to sun exposure. Whatever you do, don’t buy into the whole “avoid sun exposure - slather on sunscreen everytime you go out the door” mentality.

I am going to be doing a review in the next week of another product for your skin, body lotion. Sssso sssstay tuned.

Monday, March 24, 2008

Movie night

How about that huh? Looks delicious doesn’t it. Well let me tell you it was. Over the Easter weekend my family got together to watch a movie and we had a hankerin for some fresh fruit and veggies. We almost went with popcorn (using extra virgin coconut oil of course), but my sister and I suddenly thought of how good fresh fruit sounded and it was settled. So just for my memory’s sake I am going to list what is pictured above. Veggies: snap pea pods, fennel, red bell peppers, carrots, celery, grape tomatoes, and jicama. Fruits: blueberries, raspberries, strawberries, bananas, oranges, apples, and grapes. Fruit dip: Ricotta cheese with vanilla, melted butter, and raw honey. Veggie Dip: Raw yogurt and organic sour cream with parmesan, basil, and sea salt.

Mmmmmmmm....

So this was a nice way to snack during our movie night. There are so many different ways to enjoy fruits and vegetables. Many times people get hung up on the dips and talk about low or high fat. The best thing is to use high quality unprocessed foods. So… normally I would like to use raw cream (preferably soured) for the veggie dip. Also, usually you can dress up your dips with lots of great herbs like oregano, sage, thyme, parsley, etc… and garlic is great as well. We just decided to keep it simple (and I wasn’t in the mood for garlic).

Fruit and veggie trays are nice cause they are easy snacking. Healthy, easy to prepare, easy to store and eat later… except the tomatoes… I do not like the taste of refrigerated tomatoes. I mean come on… anyone who knows anything knows you do not put tomatoes in the fridge. There I go again on a tangent.

Well, that was the night, that was the food, and it was a grand time.

Saturday, March 22, 2008

Easter, Pasta, and Digestion…

I am in the car as I write this blog and no joke.... I just saw a dude chasing a rooster on the side of the highway. Yeah he was out of his car and the rooster was running along a fence on the side of the highway and the dude was chasing it as fast as he could but he couldn’t catch it. Now I wonder if he ever did… but onward we go to Ohio to see the famiglia for Easter.

So I guess I am just excited cause my sister is making some amazing lasagna. I always look forward Easter food cause usually we have really good pasta. Maybe I can get a picture of it for you.

Now ideally all of your grains would be sprouted or soaked as this makes them easier to digest. Many times I do this but when it comes to pasta I must say I cheat a lot. I am half Italian remember? I simply have not been able to find a sprouted pasta that comes close to the excellent taste. So instead I having been getting organic whole wheat. This is much better than the refined wheat as it contains the whole grain and is free of pesticides. Organic whole grain spelt is decent… better for your digestion than traditional wheat but I don’t think the taste compares.

I will most definitely be talking more about pasta and everytime I will probably remind you that sprouted grains are better… but I will still cheat. If you cheat it is recommened that you do some things to help you digest the grains better. There are several things that you can do:

-CHEW your food… especially as pasta is easy to swallow in chunks it is important to chew it well and help your digestion
-eat herbs that aid in digestion with your pasta (basil, anise, fennel, ginger, turmeric)
-drink something that aids in digestion (like ginger beer or kombucha… ‘member this article?)
-take probiotics with your meal
-take digestive enzymes with your meal

These are things that are beneficial for your digestion with any food. I just notice that personally I have more trouble with grains and due to the insulin response they cause, they can be damaging to your health… which is why I only eat unrefined, and whenever possible, organic and sprouted grains.

That’s all for now. Have a great Easter!

Friday, March 21, 2008

Hmm… what a good salad I made

So I just made an amazing salad. Well, I just made it last night, but I was thinking about it this morning so I am writing about it right now. It all started with just plain ole organic romaine lettuce:

I really like the look of romaine. It just looks nice. And it tastes good. I like to eat it straight with nothing on it. I feel like rabbit.

In the meantime, whilst I was washing the lettuce, I coated two split bone-in chicken breasts with butter and olive oil (excellent fats), added several dried herbs like sage, basil, oregano, herbs de provence, and then salt, pepper, some garlic and red chili pepper for some kick. Of course you could and should use fresh herbs and spices but alas, all I had on hand was cilantro which I used in the salad. I do everything to taste so there are no amounts. I cooked the chicken 375° till it was um… perfectly done and not dried out. I think it was 40-50 min. Then I chopped all of the chicken up, added tomatoes, onions, olive oil, balsamic vinegar, cilantro , and BAM (that was Tim’s bam, not Emerils):

Hmm… what a good salad. 

Thursday, March 20, 2008

Trans Fatless Baltimore

There was an article on Baltimore Sun.com recently stating how the city had banned trans fats. I have mixed feelings about it.

Of course trans fats are horrible and everyone should be avoiding them like the plague.... it’s just the whole… “let’s get the government to step in and ban something else” mentality that bothers me. If people were educated as to what they are putting in their mouth then they wouldn’t be buying ‘foods’ that contain trans fat. If people are not buying foods that contain trans fat then there is no money to be made producing foods that contain trans fat and therefore the market takes care of getting rid of trans fat. But alas, people are ignorant. We are all like sheep sometimes ay. I just don’t trust government as the shepherd.

Wednesday, March 19, 2008

High Fructose Corn Syrup - YIKES

Wow… (I start a lot of posts and messages with wow). I just read a bit from Natural News. It is right here if you want to check it out. It talks about a recent study where mice were fed a diet high in high fructose corn syrup. The attempted to simulate the diet that many Americans live on.

To their surprise (not mine) it only took four weeks for signs of major health problems to surface. I imagine I will be discussing this topic frequently as HFCS is in so many things that are manufactured as ‘food’ in the US.

There is nothing positive about high fructose corn syrup. If you have a sweet tooth use something else that is whole and unrefined. Corn syrup is a very processed product. It is manufactured. I have been to Cargill and tasted the product firsthand. Oh it is so nasty that I get upset just thinking about it.

The thing that bothers me the most is all of the deception and if not deception then ignorance that surrounds the product. You really do not need to see all the clinical trials or be a health guru. All you need to do is look at what God has made and say that is good. Many times instead of being good stewards of the things He has given us we squander them or corrupt them into something terrible for us. So regardless of all the studies and ‘science’ all you need to do is use the common sense that God gave you and to what has been healthy and has sustained people for thousands of years.

So have raw honey. Have organic maple syrup. Have stevia. Have whole unrefined cane juice. Of course when you eat sugar it should be in moderate amounts as all things should be done in balance. If you are not healthy then you should limit your sugars and focus on foods that, in some way or another, extraordinarily promote life and health in your body.

Tuesday, March 18, 2008

Blueberry Chocolate Milk

I am a huge fan of chocolate milk and while blueberry chocolate milk may sound funny, but don’t be hatin… you would be surprised by how well blueberries and cocoa go together. A very unique taste indeed. I will have to get a picture some other time for you… darn me for forgetting the picture.

So this morning I really wanted some chocolate milk. I start with only the freshest raw milk around… from organic grass-fed cows. Then I add some non-dutched cocoa (It was Chatfields brand which I find very acceptable although normally I would buy organic alas I was all out). I also add a bit of kefir which adds a nice tartness and some excellent probiotics. Then comes the blueberry’s and I always add either a little organic maple syrup or rapadura to sweeten… although it really isn’t needed. Of course you can make all sorts of excellent smoothies and add any number of things. This morning I decided to keep it simple with blueberry’s and cocoa. Quite nice to be able to see how simple ingredients work together to produce flavors before moving on to more complex arrangements. Of course this is the way I prefer things anyway… simple whole foods.

Mmmmm good.