http://www.ettlt.com/food/index/ Eat Today To Live Tomorrow en timmallon@gmail.com Copyright 2008 2008-06-26T03:54:00-06:00 http://www.ettlt.com/food/comments/have_you_cooked_with_juniper_berries/ http://www.ettlt.com/food/comments/have_you_cooked_with_juniper_berries/#When:03:54:00Z Juniper berries are an excellent spice to use in many dishes. They have a piney, fresh flavor. Most of the time I like them in meat dishes, but they can be used in a wide variety of dishes… whatever you like. One of the things that I want to highlight is their health benefits. Juniper berries contain anti-viral compounds that inhibit a number of viruses including flu and herpes virus. They also contain an essential oil that is known for its digestive properties and can help relieve bloating, flatulence, indigestion, and heartburn. If I am ever not feeling well I go out of my way to include them in my diet whether in soups or with chicken, beef, or fish.  2008-06-26T03:54:00-06:00 http://www.ettlt.com/food/comments/parmigiano_reggiano/ http://www.ettlt.com/food/comments/parmigiano_reggiano/#When:18:14:00Z I work at Whole Foods Market and as I have been working in the Specialty department I have obviously come across many cheeses. Yes, I am a cheese lover. Despite trying and liking numerous cheeses, Parmigiano-Reggiano remains my favorite. It is classic. It is made from raw milk, although as with almost all raw milk cheeses, it is cooked but still retains some of the original good bacteria and makes the flavor more complex. It is aged a minimum of 12 months but the good stuff is at least 18-24 months. If it is ‘stravecchio’ then it has been aged for 3 years. Also, traditionally the cows from which the milk is obtained are fed only grass or hay and therefore the grass-fed milk is high in nutrients. Also, parmigiano is lactose free so if you are lactose intolerant you may be just fine with it. It can be pricey… anywhere from $12.99/lb (Trader Joes) to $17.99/lb (Whole Foods), but it is far worth it. Remember not to throw away the rind either… you can throw it in soups and sauces and when soft you can dice it up and eat it or leave it in there for some excellent flavor. Cheese 2008-06-13T18:14:00-06:00 http://www.ettlt.com/food/comments/tap_water_and_expectant_mothers/ http://www.ettlt.com/food/comments/tap_water_and_expectant_mothers/#When:18:00:01Z Wow… check out this study. An analysis of nearly 400,000 infants in Taiwan was the first of its kind to show a link between by-products of water chlorination and three specific birth defects. The article does not presume to state anything concretely. However, I would tell you that while chlorine may work well to disinfect water and allow for safe transport, it is not healthy to consume. I know, I know… I have already mentioned this… maybe numerous times, but it is important to take note especially of something so important to our bodies as water. When I moved to Nashville, I noticed the water even more… I could taste the chlorine right away… that’s no good. Also as I mentioned before I have a wellness filter (pitcher) and new wave enviro shower filter. I definitely would recommend both and especially like the wellness filter because it not only filters the water but also enhances it… there is a marked difference, especially when the filter is fresh. Water 2008-06-09T18:00:01-06:00 http://www.ettlt.com/food/comments/mediterranean_diet_ay/ http://www.ettlt.com/food/comments/mediterranean_diet_ay/#When:22:04:01Z Reuters had an interesting article talking about another recent study detailing how a Mediterranean diet can help to protect, not only against heart disease, but also against diabetes. The study showed that people who followed the diet were 83% less likely to develop type 2 diabetes. 83%… wow. Numerous studies and books have come out talking about the benefits of a Mediterranean diet that is rich in fruits, vegetables, and healthy fats. The reason that a Mediterranean diet is healthy is because it is comprised of whole foods. It does not contain the typical refined ingredients found in western diets. The study lists that the diet was low in red meat, dairy, and alcohol. The problem does not really lie in red meat and dairy but in the quality of the red meat and dairy (just like anything else). As I mentioned before grass-fed beef and lamb are excellent sources of cla. Also, real milk is an excellent food when a high quality source is obtained, that is unadulterated. Bullhorn 2008-06-08T22:04:01-06:00 http://www.ettlt.com/food/comments/hay_fever_grass_pollen_allergies_and_probiotics/ http://www.ettlt.com/food/comments/hay_fever_grass_pollen_allergies_and_probiotics/#When:17:41:00Z Wow… what a mouthful. That mouthful was derived from an article by Reuters that detailed how a small study showed that taking (drinking in this case) probiotics “can change the immune system’s response to grass pollen, a common cause of allergies, and balance antibodies in a way that may provide relief to people with the condition.” There are millions of bacteria in the gut, some of which are good and some of which are bad. It is obviously in our best interest to increase the ratio of good to bad bacteria as the good help to keep at bay and “crowd out” the bad. Probiotic supplements are an excellent way to help keep your immune system and gut in optimal health. The intestines and colon are key in maintaining overall health. The stronger the presence of good bacteria the better your body will be able to ward off the negative effects (in numerous ways) from the bad bacteria. Just try traveling to a foreign country and eating the street food. Most of the native residents will have no problem with the food while most likely you would not be able to handle it and would end up with frequent and horrible trips to the bathroom. The overuse of antibiotics and the western diet in general has done away with much of the beneficial bacteria in our system that is vital for health. It takes time to replenish the body with beneficial bacteria and there are several different ways you can do it. The more the better. The best way is to get probiotics through the food you eat. Fermented and cultured foods are excellent sources. The key again is finding high quality sources. Many of the modern cultured foods (think yogurt) have inferior, artificial, and unhealthy ingredients added. Look for whole food products that have been minimally processed and are naturally cultured. One excellent brand I can recommend is Bubbies. Bubbies sells all natural fermented pickles, sauerkraut, horseradishes, and mustard. It is hard to beat a real old fashioned pickle. Check out www.realpickles.com… they are great. You can also get probiotics through cultured milk (preferably raw) products like yogurt, kefir, and cheese. Pasteurized milk products have been heated to kill all bacteria first and therefore even though they may be cultured with new bacteria they still contain the old dead bacteria which can cause adverse reactions in the body and is not healthy to consume. Whenever possible get cultured products from high quality raw milk. Other beverages such as kvass, kombucha, new wine, and naturally fermented ginger ale can also provide a great source of probiotics. In addition to food taking a probiotic supplement is an excellent consideration, especially if you are and have been surrounded by the typical American diet for your whole life. Two brands which I believe I have recommend before are Garden of Life’s Primal Defense and Mercola’s Complete Probiotics. Mercola’s sales page kinda bothers me (I find it annoying)… but hey… it is a good product and they do need to sell it. Well, I hope you have a little bit better understanding of the pounds of bacteria in your gut and how important it is for your overall health. Allergies and hay fever are not isolated symptoms… there are numerous allergies and health problems that stem from a poor internal environment. Every person is different though and will respond different as our bodies are dynamic and some things may improve while others may not until other areas are addresses. Think holistically… improve everything as you can. That was a long post. I am out. Miscellaneous Stuff 2008-06-05T17:41:00-06:00 http://www.ettlt.com/food/comments/yeah_i_like_conjugated_linoleic_acid/ http://www.ettlt.com/food/comments/yeah_i_like_conjugated_linoleic_acid/#When:16:57:01Z Check out this article on a study done on the quality of milk from grass-fed cows. The study found “grazing cows on organic farms in the UK produce milk which contains significantly higher beneficial fatty acids, antioxidants and vitamins than their conventional ‘high input’ counterparts.” It also went on to note that during certain periods CLA was 60% higher! Numerous studies have found conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) to fight cancer, preserve muscle, and reduce fat. Basically CLA makes you a lean mean fighting machine. Ok, I just wanted to say that. The best way to get your CLA is through high quality grass-fed beef and raw dairy. I do believe all plant eaters like sheep and cows produce CLA. I have heard lamb is an excellent source of CLA as well and I have had the taste for lamb lately and when I have it I will blog about it and let you know . Well… I am gonna go have a glass of real milk. Real Milk 2008-05-29T16:57:01-06:00 http://www.ettlt.com/food/comments/i_want_some_licorice/ http://www.ettlt.com/food/comments/i_want_some_licorice/#When:15:57:00Z No, that is not weed… that is wild licorice. Huh… I feel like I forgot all about it. I want some licorice. I like licorice… and not the fake stuff… the real thing. It seems that it is hard to find these days even though I would suspect that Whole Foods would have it. I have ordered it online before. I was perusing blogs as I tend to do and came across this blog about licorice root helping canker sores. I used to get those when I was younger… now not so much… unless I am stressed out or something. Anyway, back to licorice. Licorice root makes an excellent tea. It’s excellent for a cough or sore throat. Ah… Zagarese I just remembered. That is the brand I was thinking of.  Since anise oil has a similar taste many use that as well and pass it off as licorice or flavor licorice with it… not bad. Hmmm… anise seed in biscotti is excellent. My grandma used to make that and it was some of the best biscotti… so good that it makes you not want to eat store bought biscotti because it just doesn’t measure up. How did I go from licorice to anise to biscotti… shoot. So back to licorice… if you are a tea drinker I would recommend trying a licorice root tea. A brand I like is Yogi Tea. Another one of my favorite brands is Long Life Tea. They produce a high quality product… no staples in the bags and unbleached paper. Welp. I am out. Have a nice Memorial Day. Snacks 2008-05-26T15:57:00-06:00 http://www.ettlt.com/food/comments/tasting_the_tastes_that_you_taste/ http://www.ettlt.com/food/comments/tasting_the_tastes_that_you_taste/#When:14:55:00Z I find it pretty incredible how we take things for granted… food included. The other day I was eating a piece of bread and thinking how different it tasted all by itself. It was Ezekiel 4:9 bread at that. It made me appreciate it though. We can get so used to the myriad of wonderful food choices and combinations that we forget how blessed we are to have access to such foods. Lately I have not been able to buy all of the foods that I would like, as I one time did… but I thought of how amazing it was that I got to enjoy a piece of bread that good when much of the world cannot. It makes you thankful. I also like trying foods by themselves because I like being able to pick them out in other foods. I like developing my palate.  It’s awful difficult to pick out a taste or an ingredient if you don’t know what it tastes like by itself. So amusingly enough to myself I will just eat basil by itself… or sage… or bread… or butter… or olive oil… or things that I want to taste in their own context before I add them as an ingredient to other foods… most of the time it’s spices and herbs. Ha.... hmmm… it makes me want to do that right now. You should try it sometime and laugh at yourself… then you can tell me and I will laugh at you too. Whole foods have such richer taste than processed foods… you know? Miscellaneous Stuff 2008-05-20T14:55:00-06:00 http://www.ettlt.com/food/comments/fast_today_to_live_tomorrow/ http://www.ettlt.com/food/comments/fast_today_to_live_tomorrow/#When:18:59:00Z Yeah, yeah, I know, I know. The name of this blog is EAT today to live tomorrow. AND I know we all love food… however it is important to discuss not only what we eat but also how much… this where fasting comes in. I feel like this post could go on forever before I even start. Much can be said about fasting but I will keep this as short as I can. Fasting is beneficial to your body, soul, and spirit. I mainly want to talk about the physical right now although I personally mainly fast for the spiritual reasons. Eating, in and of itself, promotes the aging process. There are numerous studies (it’s so well known that I don’t think there is the need to cite… but look them up) that show eating less promotes longer life and slows down aging. Of course there are numerous things that play into the aging process but fasting is a definite cornerstone. Also, fasting helps to rid your body of toxins. Digesting food is one of the most (if not the most) energy consuming activities of the body. That is why so many times I talk about improving the digestive ability of your body with regard to certain foods (like sprouting your grains, etc). Fasting frees up energy for the body to heal and rest from the constant influx of foods that need digestion. So you ask, isn’t that what happens during sleep? Yes it is, and our bodies benefit greatly from the extended period of fasting beyond our sleep time. When fasting your body uses up stored fat for energy. This is beneficial not only if you are trying to lose weight, but the body also stores toxins and previously undigested foods. Fasting helps to rid the body of both. Think of all the fake, artificial, toxic ‘food’ that most Americans put in their mouth and that go through the intestines. This toxic food does not always make it through. Fasting regularly over time helps to bring you back to a state of cleanness and gives you a foundation upon which you can build with much better food choices. Whenever I have fasted for an extended period of time I definitely see a difference. I have had times where I felt bad for a while and could tell that my body was getting rid of the ‘old stuff’. I have also had fasts where I feel amazing. One time I was surprised because I thought I would be miserable and although I did have a couple moments of extreme hunger I felt great the whole day. So how often? Well, I think it’s different for everyone. I have heard of several people fasting one day a week every week. Others do a partial day fast. I personally fast at random times throughout the year as it is not mainly for physical benefit as I mentioned earlier. So how to fast? Well, there are a couple things to remember. I would like to note that I just said “Well,” for both of those last two questions and for some reason I find that amusing. Onward now. It is good to start fasting slowly and come out of it slowly till you know how your body will react. If you have never fasted before it might be good to try an all liquid fast first, then maybe an all water fast before going to a completely dry fast. Also, when coming out of a fast go slowly. Broths are an excellent way to come out of a fast. Vegetables juices are also good but you are rare if you do that. On that same note, be careful the liquids that you have when fasting. As you know I like high quality food and would tell you that all of your juices should be raw… especially if they are sugary (which you should limit anyway). Typically when I fast I will do an all water fast and come out of it with some soup or broth. Then after that has sat for a while I have some vegetables then bread then meat. In a slow progression. An extra tip is to chew more than you normally would and that really helps as well. I have only come out of a fast too quickly one time that I can recall. All I remember is eating a bunch and my stomach really hurting and I haven’t made the same mistake again. Again, I feel like I could keep going but I will end it here. There is a lot of common sense involved in fasting. Of course there are people who distort and pervert something like fasting and they become anorexic. People distort and pervert just about anything good these days. So use some common sense. Now I feel like writing more on food and common sense… but I won’t… not now anyway. Have great day. Bullhorn 2008-05-16T18:59:00-06:00 http://www.ettlt.com/food/comments/on_buying_organic/ http://www.ettlt.com/food/comments/on_buying_organic/#When:16:30:00Z I am all for buying organic as most of the time these foods are of higher quality. Usually harmful chemicals like pesticides, herbicides, and fungicides have not been used. Also, the processes behind organic foods are typically much better. The farms take greater care in doing things naturally. They take greater care in ensuring that their animals have access to pasture and a natural environment as opposed to being stuck in a barn, pen, or coop. Also organic farms typically take greater care in the manage of their fields and crops utilizing natural fertilizers and promoting sustainability. There is a problem with the growing demand for organic foods though. Many large businesses have sacrificed quality just to achieve the label ‘organic’. All they see is dollar signs. Beware of large factory farms just getting by with the label organic while not really promoting life in the whole process of production. Also, there are many excellent small farms that are better than the current organic standards but they are not certified organic due to the regulatory process and government inspections. These farms are can be great finds and you can develop a rewarding relationship (your stomach will thank you). So as you can see, it is very important to know where your food is coming from. I must admit that I do not know where all of my food comes from but I am doing better in this area and like to look up the farms where my food is produced to ensure they are running a life promoting, truly sustainable process. Also, I think it is good to buy locally because you can know your provider better… however if there is a higher quality product or food at a competitive price I don’t mind buying from far away (higher quality is the key). Many people are opposed to this kind of trade due to the notion of global warming. I think the trade is a good thing… and that’s where I am stopping. Have a good day Bullhorn 2008-05-14T16:30:00-06:00