You'll notice, in response to my own advice, I'm changing the name of my blog from "fit and healthy temple" to "fit and nourished temple." There's just too many people and too many products claiming "health" when in reality, they don't have a clue. Therefore, I've decided to focus on being fit and "nourished" as opposed to "healthy."
Coming soon: more SUPERFOODS and more focus on the "fit" part of this blog. Regrettably, I seem to have moved away from that side of it, and am doing you a dis-service by not talking more about it. Early on, we talked about getting off the couch and just moving. Hopefully by now you're doing just that! Next level: get ready "average" people, this "average Mom" has just one word: kettle bell (okay, I guess maybe two), and you're gonna hear me use it more often.
Friday, May 21, 2010
Tuesday, May 18, 2010
"SUPERFOODS"
We've taken a look at some great healing foods...now let's look at some "SUPER" foods. No, I'm not talking about vitamins and supplements - although good ones have there place. I'm referring to foods that naturally concentrate important nutrients.
Ideally our diet would be so excellent that we shouldn't need to supplement, but I don't know many of us who could claim that our diet is, or has been perfect. Even with our best intentions (and all the brilliant information I've passed along to you...ha!ha!) our soils, the rancid vegetable oils, etc. - sadly, noone living in an industrial society today can say that his/her diet has been perfect.
Even isolated "primitive" societies look for special foods for optimum health - foods high in fat-soluble vitamins (which we'll look at further in the next post) to ensure reproduction and strong healthy children, soaked grains for strength and stamina, and herbs to prevent diseases.
I've included a list of a few examples of superfoods that most everyone can take. I might suggest checking with your holistic health practitioner if you're thinking of using herbal products for specific ailments.
Acerola Powder: Berry rich in ascorbic acid the acerola provides Vitamin C with lots of cofactors which basically optimize the body's ability to use the ascorbic acid.
Amalaki Powder: another excellent source of natural vitamin C. This fruit grows in India; the powder is very sour. About 1/4 tsp. mixed in water is a good daily dose - GREAT FOR ALLERGIES!
Azomite Mineral Powder: a heaping tsp. mixed with water daily as an insurance of adequate macro-and trace-mineral ingestion is a good thing - our depleted soil certainly isn't providing it. You can get more detailed information from the Weston A. Price website.
Bee Pollen: Successfully used to treat anything from allergies to asthma, menstural irregularities, constipation, diarrhea, anemia, low energy, cancer, rheumatism, arthrities, and toxic consitions. Bee pollen contains 22 amino acids, including the 8 essential ones, 27 minerals and the whole list of vitamins, hormones and fatty acids. Also present in bee pollen, are more than 5000 enzymes and coenzymes - detoxifying, but often provokes allergic reactions in those taking it for the first time. Start with small amounts and slowly build up to about 1 tblsp. per day. Avoid pollen that has been dried at temps higher than 130 degrees.
Ideally our diet would be so excellent that we shouldn't need to supplement, but I don't know many of us who could claim that our diet is, or has been perfect. Even with our best intentions (and all the brilliant information I've passed along to you...ha!ha!) our soils, the rancid vegetable oils, etc. - sadly, noone living in an industrial society today can say that his/her diet has been perfect.
Even isolated "primitive" societies look for special foods for optimum health - foods high in fat-soluble vitamins (which we'll look at further in the next post) to ensure reproduction and strong healthy children, soaked grains for strength and stamina, and herbs to prevent diseases.
I've included a list of a few examples of superfoods that most everyone can take. I might suggest checking with your holistic health practitioner if you're thinking of using herbal products for specific ailments.
Acerola Powder: Berry rich in ascorbic acid the acerola provides Vitamin C with lots of cofactors which basically optimize the body's ability to use the ascorbic acid.
Amalaki Powder: another excellent source of natural vitamin C. This fruit grows in India; the powder is very sour. About 1/4 tsp. mixed in water is a good daily dose - GREAT FOR ALLERGIES!
Azomite Mineral Powder: a heaping tsp. mixed with water daily as an insurance of adequate macro-and trace-mineral ingestion is a good thing - our depleted soil certainly isn't providing it. You can get more detailed information from the Weston A. Price website.
Bee Pollen: Successfully used to treat anything from allergies to asthma, menstural irregularities, constipation, diarrhea, anemia, low energy, cancer, rheumatism, arthrities, and toxic consitions. Bee pollen contains 22 amino acids, including the 8 essential ones, 27 minerals and the whole list of vitamins, hormones and fatty acids. Also present in bee pollen, are more than 5000 enzymes and coenzymes - detoxifying, but often provokes allergic reactions in those taking it for the first time. Start with small amounts and slowly build up to about 1 tblsp. per day. Avoid pollen that has been dried at temps higher than 130 degrees.
Thursday, May 6, 2010
"Healthy" recipes revisited...
So many people are trusting other "nutrition professionals" to tell them what to eat; a decision that has only recently become so complicated and yet so important. Before you prepare another "healthy" meal for your family, please consider the meaning of the word "health." Is your food nourishing? Or is it mainly low fat, low cholesterol, low sodium, etc., etc., etc.? Want a picture of health? Sadly, America and our modern diet would be the last place I would look.
I recently received several recipes titled "healthy" and I looked carefully through each one, trying to determine "health" in any of them. Below I have listed the rather unhealthy (at least for my standards) portions of the recipes and how/why I would modify each one before serving it to my family.
Fettucini Alfredo
* Nonfat Dry Milk powder - can you say "processed?" Also added to reduced-fat milk, it contains carcinogens, oxidized cholesterol, and MSG. (www.truthinlabeling.org)
* Reduced calorie margarine - WHAT! Haven't we discussed the dangers of hydrogenation, not to mention the high temperature processing and chemically produced preservatives.
The use of whole cream, a little butter, some garlic, and homemade chicken stock not only makes a more delicious fetttucini alfredo sauce, but a much more nourishing one as well.
Breakfast Barsand Homemade Granola
* toasted wheat germ - why not the whole wheat?
* quick cooking oats - too processed for me, and if not properly prepared are undigestible. Grains like oats, rye, barley, and especially wheat should not be consumed unless they have been soaked or fermented.
* baking powder - most store bought brands contain alluminum; try making your own by mixing one part potassium bicarbonate, 2 parts cream of tarter, and 2 parts arrowroot. Store in airtight glass jar. Or at least look for alluminum-free at the grocery.
* brown sugar - unfortunately, just another refined sugar; use maple syrup or raw honey (watch out for formaldehyde in most commercial maple syrup)or maybe even sorghum
* canola oil - please see my recent blog titled "Rethinking fats" for a detailed discussion of why we should avoid oil that was developed from the rape seed, which is considered unsuited to humans because of erucic acid. Besides, what is a canola anyway? Use coconut oil or butter - see "Rethinking fats" for detail explanation
*fruit juice - while okay when consumed as part of the whole food, the juice is full of sugar and is often overly consumed; you probably won't need this at all if you use maple syrup, honey, or sorghum.
*fat-free egg substitute - you've got to be kidding me! I'm most sure God did not create chickens to lay wonderfully healthy eggs for us so that we might come up with some "fat free egg substitution" we think is better. I'll definitely be using my own REAL organic eggs (yolk and all) as often as I possibly can.
*lecithin, also included in these recipes and defined as "a nutritious by-product of soybean oil refining." First let me attack the words "nutritious by-product." There is no such thing as a nutritious by-product of any processed edible substance. Lecithin is usually used as an emulsifying agent; and the richest natural sources of lecithin are from foods that are also high in fat. Lecithin can be nutritious, when eaten in the foods in which it is naturally ocurring. A natural component of things like eggs, butter, and beef liver, it assists in the proper assimilation and metabolization of cholesterol (which we need) and other fat constituents. Lecithin also protects cells from oxidation and provides protection for the brain. But again, when eaten the way God intended for our bodies to utilize it...not in the form of a "by-product."
*canned fruit - canned foods (as in from the shelf of your grocery store, not your Mother's canned green beans stored in a glass quart jar in your pantry) should be used very sparingly; these foods lack important vitamins and enzymes not to mention the fact that they've been laced with pesticides and chemical fertilizers prior to picking - unless you choose organic.
*ham - I'm assuming the "menu" means deli ham. While pork in general is something I try to avoid, deli ham with nitrates and nitrites is definitely out of the question.
*mayonnaise - if GMO soybean oil wasn't bad enough, the modified food starch is sufficient to keep me from ever using store-bought mayo again. Instead, try making your own. It's not hard and it's so much better for your family.
*cream cheese - highly processed; again, I prefer to make my own.
*low fat yogurt and skim milk - if you've read any of my blog, you know the reasons to avoid "low fat" and "skim" anything. If you aren't sure, I'd encourage you to read fitandhealthytemple from the beginning.
*store-bought salad dressing - have you really read the label and you're still okay with this stuff? A little walnut oil and balsamic vinegar is delicious on most every salad.
*seedless fruit - God gave us every "seed-bearing" fruit for a reason.
While there are a few other things I found to be contraversial about this "healthy" presentation of ideas/recipes, I think I've focused on the most important. Again, watch out for the word "health" - if something claims to be "healthy" it probably isn't.
I recently received several recipes titled "healthy" and I looked carefully through each one, trying to determine "health" in any of them. Below I have listed the rather unhealthy (at least for my standards) portions of the recipes and how/why I would modify each one before serving it to my family.
Fettucini Alfredo
* Nonfat Dry Milk powder - can you say "processed?" Also added to reduced-fat milk, it contains carcinogens, oxidized cholesterol, and MSG. (www.truthinlabeling.org)
* Reduced calorie margarine - WHAT! Haven't we discussed the dangers of hydrogenation, not to mention the high temperature processing and chemically produced preservatives.
The use of whole cream, a little butter, some garlic, and homemade chicken stock not only makes a more delicious fetttucini alfredo sauce, but a much more nourishing one as well.
Breakfast Barsand Homemade Granola
* toasted wheat germ - why not the whole wheat?
* quick cooking oats - too processed for me, and if not properly prepared are undigestible. Grains like oats, rye, barley, and especially wheat should not be consumed unless they have been soaked or fermented.
* baking powder - most store bought brands contain alluminum; try making your own by mixing one part potassium bicarbonate, 2 parts cream of tarter, and 2 parts arrowroot. Store in airtight glass jar. Or at least look for alluminum-free at the grocery.
* brown sugar - unfortunately, just another refined sugar; use maple syrup or raw honey (watch out for formaldehyde in most commercial maple syrup)or maybe even sorghum
* canola oil - please see my recent blog titled "Rethinking fats" for a detailed discussion of why we should avoid oil that was developed from the rape seed, which is considered unsuited to humans because of erucic acid. Besides, what is a canola anyway? Use coconut oil or butter - see "Rethinking fats" for detail explanation
*fruit juice - while okay when consumed as part of the whole food, the juice is full of sugar and is often overly consumed; you probably won't need this at all if you use maple syrup, honey, or sorghum.
*fat-free egg substitute - you've got to be kidding me! I'm most sure God did not create chickens to lay wonderfully healthy eggs for us so that we might come up with some "fat free egg substitution" we think is better. I'll definitely be using my own REAL organic eggs (yolk and all) as often as I possibly can.
*lecithin, also included in these recipes and defined as "a nutritious by-product of soybean oil refining." First let me attack the words "nutritious by-product." There is no such thing as a nutritious by-product of any processed edible substance. Lecithin is usually used as an emulsifying agent; and the richest natural sources of lecithin are from foods that are also high in fat. Lecithin can be nutritious, when eaten in the foods in which it is naturally ocurring. A natural component of things like eggs, butter, and beef liver, it assists in the proper assimilation and metabolization of cholesterol (which we need) and other fat constituents. Lecithin also protects cells from oxidation and provides protection for the brain. But again, when eaten the way God intended for our bodies to utilize it...not in the form of a "by-product."
*canned fruit - canned foods (as in from the shelf of your grocery store, not your Mother's canned green beans stored in a glass quart jar in your pantry) should be used very sparingly; these foods lack important vitamins and enzymes not to mention the fact that they've been laced with pesticides and chemical fertilizers prior to picking - unless you choose organic.
*ham - I'm assuming the "menu" means deli ham. While pork in general is something I try to avoid, deli ham with nitrates and nitrites is definitely out of the question.
*mayonnaise - if GMO soybean oil wasn't bad enough, the modified food starch is sufficient to keep me from ever using store-bought mayo again. Instead, try making your own. It's not hard and it's so much better for your family.
*cream cheese - highly processed; again, I prefer to make my own.
*low fat yogurt and skim milk - if you've read any of my blog, you know the reasons to avoid "low fat" and "skim" anything. If you aren't sure, I'd encourage you to read fitandhealthytemple from the beginning.
*store-bought salad dressing - have you really read the label and you're still okay with this stuff? A little walnut oil and balsamic vinegar is delicious on most every salad.
*seedless fruit - God gave us every "seed-bearing" fruit for a reason.
While there are a few other things I found to be contraversial about this "healthy" presentation of ideas/recipes, I think I've focused on the most important. Again, watch out for the word "health" - if something claims to be "healthy" it probably isn't.
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