Embracing My Health

Today, as I was cutting a lemon into my smoothie, and I smelled that fresh, bright scent – I found myself wondering, how do I know if a lemon is ripe? It made me laugh a little when I answered myself with… “If it’s sweet, it’s not ripe.” Right? Stands to reason, don’t you think?

I decided to Google it. Even though I grew up in San Diego, and lemon trees are in many backyards… I had no idea what I should look for in a ripe lemon.

Turns out that color is an important  indicator. Lemons on the tree are green. As they get ripe, the richer yellow their color. So, if like me, you live in the PNW and have to buy lemons from your local grocery… Here’s what you want to look for:

• bright, glossy yellow color
• firm, but not over-hard or too soft or with squishy spots (it’s too far gone at that point)
• sounds simple, but it should smell lemony
• choose lemons that are heavy for their size
• peels that have a finely grained texture

The only potential flaw with using how the fruit looks is that lemons are often waxed to lengthen shelf life, reduce bruising, and increase the aesthetic, visual appeal. Oranges are sometimes dyed in addition to waxed, but I couldn’t find reports of dyed lemons.  The most helpful information on oranges and dye that I found was at Earthbound Farms website:

Color is not necessarily an indicator of ripeness or quality. Oranges are always picked when they are ripe, but Florida oranges (with the exception of organic fruit) are often dyed with food color. This is not true of oranges produced in California or Arizona, where state laws prohibit adding color to citrus fruits. Also, fully ripe oranges can sometimes turn green, especially Valencias. “Regreening” is a natural process that can occur if there is ripe fruit on a tree at the same time the tree is producing blossoms. The tree produces chlorophyll to feed its blossoms, and the mature fruit also receives some of this chlorophyll, which contributes a green tint to the skin. Oranges that have “regreened” tend to be extra sweet because they were not picked early and are tree-ripened.

Okay, back to lemons and waxes. From WHFoods.com:

Plant, insect, animal or petroleum-based waxes may be used. Carnauba palm is the most common plant-source wax. Other compounds, such as ethyl alcohol or ethanol, are added to the waxes for consistency, milk casein (a protein linked to milk allergy) for “film formers” and soaps for flowing agents. Since you may not be able to determine the source of these waxes, this is another good reason to choose organically grown lemons and limes.

The rule is that if dyes and/or waxes are used, the grower is supposed to include it on the list of ingredients. Problem is, when was the last time you saw a list of ingredients for the lemon or orange you bought at the grocery?

The good news, lemons don’t rank on EWG.com’s Shoppers Guide to Pesticides. So if you aren’t going to use the peel, you are probably okay buying the non-organic lemons. The oranges are right in the middle of the list… so if you are zesting, opt for the organic. If you are eating just the fruit, and your budget won’t allow – buying non-organic is an understandable choice.

On the Embracing My Health Facebook fanpage, I shared that I had chia cereal for breakfast. In reply, I got this comment: “Tell us more about chia cereal, and why you think it’s good.” So here you go, in a information dense, “cliff-notes” fasion — here’s what’s so good about chia:

Chia seeds are 21 percent easily digested protein which is greater than other grains such as oats (15.3%), amaranth (14.8%), wheat and corn (both at 14%), barley (9.2%) and rice (8.5%). Chia seeds are the only grain with 18 of the 20 amino acids, including the 8 essentials for humans. *Other plant sources that include the 8 essential amino acids, and therefore considered complete proteins, are quinoa (16.2%), buckwheat (12%), hempseed (23%), and amaranth (15%).

Chia seeds are a rich source of B vitamins, calcium, phosphorous, potassium, iron, magnesium, zinc and copper. One serving of chia seeds (2 tablespoons) gives a large amount of the recommended daily allowance of fiber, molybdenum, chromium, selenium and biotin. Chia is gluten free, high in fiber, supports low blood pressure while improving blood sugar control.

Chia is high in omega-3 essential fatty acids.

A few of the things I use chia for:

• a cereal, as well as adding it into other raw cereals
• adding to smoothies (as chia gel)
• as a fat and egg replacer

There are many, many other healthy ways to add it into your diet. I’ll share some of these for another post.

Follow-up post coming shortly – chia versus flax, is one better for you than the other?

I posted to Kevin & Annmarie Gianni’s Renegade Health blog yesterday. Kevin asked the question which raw foods couldn’t be eaten raw. I mentioned that cruciferous veggies like cabbage, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, and kale are problematic because of their thyroid suppressing enzymes. (Surprisingly, peaches and pears have these enzymes too.) Also mentioned in my comment were greens like beet greens, spinach and chard, that have oxalic acid. Oxalic acid block calcium and iron absorption and can irritate the mouth and intestinal tract.

It stirred up quite the conversation and confusion with the commenters. It’s understandable. The rub is all of these vegetables and greens are nutritional powerhouses and are valued and renown for their anti-cancer fighting abilities. And who doesn’t want food that has great nutrition and inhibits cancers?

So what do we do?

It’s the age old truism. All things in moderation. And for those who don’t have existing thyroid issues, chance are you will be unaffected by the thyroid suppressing enzymes in cruciferous veggies and greens provided you don’t overdo. For those who currently suffer from hypothyroidism, if you eat a lot of these vegetables and you will likely find yourself experiencing hypothyroid symptoms.

Donna Gates of BodyEcology recommends that, in lieu of cooking them, raw foodists eat raw, fermented cruciferous vegetables. However, Weston A Price’s article on crucifers asserts even fermentation does not get rid of the thyroid suppressing effects. Weston Price’s recommendation:

“An increased dietary intake of iodine compensates for the consumption of moderate amounts of crucifers but cannot reverse the effects of large amounts of crucifers.”

Add natural iodine into your diet with foods like asparagus, dulse, garlic, kelp, sea salt, sesame seeds, and interestingly… check it out… cruciferous veggies spinach, swiss chard and turnip greens. Hmmm… maybe nature was helping us out on those last three.

I found it interesting that the Weston Price article points out that there may be some additional cancer-fighting properties to even goitrogens – although that is still unknown as of right now.

Again, I believe the key is all things in moderation. If you have hypothyroid, you’ll want to be especially careful. The wonderful thing is nature has given us such an amazing diversity of nutritious, cancer-fighting foods… that we don’t have to rely solely on cruciferous veggies. So bottom line, mix these amazing vegetables into your diet, just not too much.

Embrace Love and Life. Embrace Your Health!

Today was, for us Pacific Northwestern folks, uncomfortably hot.   By mid-afternoon, I was wilting.  Because of my recent oral surgery, I still can’t chew vegetables.  To get my desired quota, I’ve been making an extra green smoothie each day.  Today’s smoothie creation was MOST welcome! I’ve dubbed this smoothie “Super Fresh Raspberry Refresher!”   Made with all locally grown (and most of it picked just this morning!) produce…

Ingredients:

• heaping cup of fresh raspberries,
• a medium cucumber
• 6 large leaves of red buttercrunch lettuce
• cinnamon and a little stevia to taste
• 2 cups of water

Pile in blender and presto!  Green smoothies are not only easy and delicious – and so very, very good for you!!  This one for example…  has

• 11 grams of fiber
• 4 grams of protein
• 42% RDA of Vitamin A
• 104% RDA of Vitamin C
• 10% RDA of Calcium
• 14% RDA of Iron
• as well as a great source of magnesium, potassium and additional trace vitamins and minerals!

You can’t go wrong.

Try it!  I hope you enjoy it as much as I did!

For more about green smoothies and more tasty smoothie recipes, click here!

Embrace Love and Life. Embrace Your Health!

Goji berries, also known as Lycium barbarum, wolfberry, gou qi zi, and ructus lycii, are a unique dried fruit.  If you haven’t tried one, it’s unlike anything you’ve had before.  Packed with healthy nutrition, this is a fruit worth adding into your menu. Here’s why:

• Goji berries contain 18 Amino acids (six times higher than bee pollen), more Beta Carotene than carrots, more Iron than spinach, and 21 Trace Minerals
• Goji berries contain Vitamin B1, B2, B6, and Vitamin E (rarely found in fruits)
• Goji berries contain more protein than whole wheat. They are 13% protein and are a complete protein.
• They contain many complex compounds, phytonutrients, and antioxidants.

Some ideas on how to add these nutritional powerhouses into your menu…

• sprinkle on your cold or hot cereal like you would raisins.
• add into bread or muffin batters
• chop and add to your homemade vinaigrette
• top your salads with a handful
• add into a trail mix or granola recipe
• add 8-10 berries into your hot tea, they will lightly flavor your tea and you can eat the flavorful berries once they’ve plumped up from the soaking in the hot tea
• soak a handful of berries in water first and then add into a smoothie recipe

My question for you: Do you eat Goji berries? If so, what’s your favorite way?

Embrace Love, Embrace Life, Embrace Your Health!

I got a great question from Catherine about whether you can add cilantro to green smoothies. Brilliant question and, more than that… GREAT IDEA! Absolutely yes on the cilantro! Cilantro isn’t just yummy, but very good for us too! Cilantro is great for us. The list of health benefits is impressive!

• rich in phytonutrients, flavonoids and active phenolic acid compounds
• facilitates heavy metal detoxification
• stimulates and improves digestion
• eliminates bad bacteria, like salmonella
• improves mood
• fights inflammation and free radicals
• high in vitamin A and lutein

That’s a lot of health punch for such a tasty herb! As for recipes… Victoria includes this recipe in her book:

2 1/2 cups of spinach
1/2 bunch of cilantro
1 clove garlic
1/2 red bell pepper
1/2 lime (juiced)
1 tsp stevia (1 green leaf)
3 roma tomatoes
2 cups water

Makes 1 quart.

I found these doing an online search:

1 tbsp agave syrup
1 grapefruit
1/2 bunch cilantro
1 banana

Another one that’s similar (that I think I’m going to try tomorrow):

Pink grapefruit or if unavailable, an orange (peeled)
Cucumber (peeled)
Cilantro (1/2 a bunch)
Half a lime (juiced)
2 slices of pineapple
1 tbsp agave syrup
Vanilla extract (to taste)
Big pinch of cinnamon
Pinch of salt (to taste)

Let me know if you try any and what you think.

Thanks Catherine for stopping in and the question! You’ve inspired me to make a cilantro smoothie tomorrow morning!

Embrace Love, Embrace Life, Embrace Your Health!

Posted for Evan.  Evan mentioned he’s been interested in trying raw food and has been debating about either adding in raw foods or going “gung-ho.”  Like I told Evan, for many people, going gung-ho can actually be too hard on the body. I’d suggest starting by adding in green smoothies each day. I’ve discovered this myself and have read again and again… Raw food is a journey. Definitely start by adding in raw foods. As you transition more and more to raw food will definitely change your health and how you feel. That’s been my experience (in a big way!). Thanks Evan for your comment! Keep me posted on what you do and how it works for you.

For a more in depth conversation on green smoothies and their health benefits, I highly recommend reading Victoria’s book Green for Life.

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As the Russian proverb says: New- is something old, that has been long forgotten. This summer I re-discovered green smoothies. What do I mean by green smoothie? Here is one of my favorite recipes: 4 ripe pears, 1 bunch of parsley and 1 big cup of water. Blended well. This smoothie looks very green, but it tastes like fruit. I like green smoothies so much that I bought an extra blender and placed it in my office, so that I could make green smoothies throughout the day. More than half of all the food I’ve had in last several months have been green smoothies. I have so much more energy and clarity that I have removed green juices from my diet. (Juicing has been something that I’ve been doing regularly for years.) Green smoothies have numerous benefits for human health.

1. Green smoothies are very nutritious. I believe that the ratio in them is optimal for human consumption: about 60% – ripe organic fruit mixed with about 40% – organic green vegetables.

2. Green smoothies are easy to digest. When blended well, all the valuable nutrients in these fruits and veggies become homogenized, or divided into such small particles that it becomes easy for the body to assimilate these nutrients, the green smoothies literally start to get absorbed in your mouth.

3. Green smoothies, as a posed to juices, are a complete food because they still have fiber.

4. Green smoothies belong to the most palatable dishes for all humans of all ages. With a ratio of fruits to veggies as 60:40 the fruit taste dominates the flavor, yet at the same time the green vegetables balance out the sweetness of the fruit, adding nice zest to it. Green smoothies are simply the best tasting dishes for the majority of adults and children. I always make extra smoothie and offer it to my friends and customers. Some of them eat a standard American diet. They all finished their big cup of green smoothies with complements. They were quite surprised that something so green could taste so nice and sweet.

5. By consuming two or three cups of green smoothies daily you will consume enough of greens for the day to nourish your body, and they will be well assimilated. Many people do not consume enough of greens, even those who stay on a raw food diet. The molecule of chlorophyll has only one atom that makes it different from a molecule of human blood. According to teachings of Dr. Ann Wigmore, to consume chlorophyll is like receiving a healthy blood transfusion.

6. Green smoothies are easy to make, and quick to clean up after. Many people told me that they do not consume green juices on a regular basis because it is time consuming to prepare green juices and clean the equipment after juicing, or to drive to the juice bar.

7. Green smoothies are perfect food for children of all ages, including babies of six or more months old when introducing new food to them after mother’s milk. Of course you have to be careful and slowly increase the amount of smoothies to avoid food allergies.

8. When you consume your greens in the form of green smoothies, you can greatly reduce the consumption of oils and salt in your diet.

9. Regular consumption of Green smoothies forms a good habit of eating greens. Several people told me that after a couple of weeks of drinking green smoothies, they started to crave and enjoy eating more greens. Eating enough of green vegetable is often a problem with many people, especially in children.

10. Green smoothies can easily be freshly made at any juice bar, restaurant or health food store for the great convenience of health-oriented customers. Please bring a copy of this article to your local juice bar.

I encourage the readers of this article to start playing with green smoothies, and to discover the many joys and benefits of this wonderful delicious and nutritious addition to the menu. Here are more ideas for your green creations. Some of my favorite greens to add to green smoothies: parsley, spinach, celery, kale and romaine. My favorite fruits for green smoothies are: pears, peaches, nectarines, bananas, mangoes and apples. Strawberries and raspberries taste superb in green smoothies, when combined with ripe bananas.

Delicious Combinations To Get You Started

Mango-parsley
2 large mangos
1 bunch parsley
Water

Peach-spinach
6 peaches
2 handfuls of spinach leaves
Water

Mango-weeds
2 mangos
1 handful of lambs quarters, stinging nettles, purslane, etc
Water

Strawberry-banana-romaine
1-cup strawberries
2 bananas
1/2 bunch romaine
Water

Apple-kale-lemon
4 apples
1/2 lemon juice
4-5 leaves of kale
Water

Kiwi-banana-celery
4 very ripe kiwis
1 ripe banana
3 stalks of celery
Water

Pear-kale-mint
4 ripe pears
4-5 leaves of kale
1/2 bunch of mint
Water

Finger banana-spinach
10 finger-bananas
2 handfuls of spinach leaves
Water

Bosc pear-raspberry-kale
3 bosc pears
1 handful of raspberries
4-5 leaves of kale
Water
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Victoria Boutenko teaches classes on raw food at South Oregon University and, as a result of her teachings, many raw food communities have been formed throughout the world. Victoria and her family have lived on a 100% raw food diet for nine years and all four have cured their incurable diseases. The transformation of Victoria’s family to raw food is described in her book, Raw Family. Victoria is also the author of 12 Steps to Raw Foods. Her two children have written a book containing delicious raw food recipes called Eating without Heating. Visit Victoria’s site at http://www.rawfamily.com

Who doesn’t love Hershey’s Chocolate Syrup?  I mean, what’s not to love?  Oh, wait, let’s read the label…

Ingredients:  High Fructose Corn Syrup, Corn Syrup, Water, Cocoa, Sugar, Potassium Sorbate – Preservative – 2% or Less, Salt – 2% or Less, Mono and Diglycerides – 2% or Less, Xanthan Gum – 2% or Less, Polysorbate 60 – 2% or Less, Vanillin – Artificial Flavor – 2% or Less

There is three different kinds of sugar in Hershey’s Syrup… the largest amount (as well as the #1 ingredient), high fructose corn syrup, being the absolute worst for you.  Most of us are learning just how bad high fructose corn syrup (HFCS) really is for us.  The word is getting out so much so that the Corn Refiners Association has started putting out advertisements trying to convince you that it is actually natural and good for you.

Don’t buy it.  These ads are akin to the tobacco ads of yore where a kindly and smiling doctor with a stethoscope around his neck advised you smoke a cigarette to reduce stress and improve your health.  Yeah, not so much.

HFCS is used because it is… cheap!  Food manufacturers like cheap because it improves their bottom line.  But, let’s be clear, it does not, will not, and cannot improve your, um, bottom.

There are lots of easy, quick,  and healthier chocolate syrup options out there for you.  Recipes like this one eliminate the HFCS, corn syrup and preservatives and still provide you with a tasty chocolate syrup… that’s cheaper than buying the Hershey’s brown bottle to boot.

And if you want to forgo the sugar but still have your syrup too… there are several raw chocolate syrup recipes out there that are delicious and dangerously close to being… *gasp*… good for you.  Here’s just one example of what I found: (more can be found searching for chocolate sauce recipes online)

The below recipe is sweetened with agave syrup.  Agave is wonderful because of its low-glycemic impact!  A great sweetener option!

Deep Dark Delicious Chocolate Sauce

2 T raw cacao powder, either ground from raw cacao nibs or purchased as powder (I like Nativas Naturals or Green & Black’s.)
2 T raw agave syrup
1/2 t coconut oil or other organic raw nut oil

Mix the agave syrup and the oil or water together.

Slowly whisk (do not use your blender) the raw cacao powder into the agave syrup mixture, mixing it in until well-blended into a smooth sauce. The amount suggested is a rough guideline. How much cacao powder you will ultimately use depends on the consistency you want.

(recipe source: AdventuresInRawFood.com)

Enjoy!!

Shopping the produce section can be disheartening these days. Paul & I LOVE avocados and we’ve been doing without more often because they cost $3 a piece! Grocery prices have gone up in every aisle. Most of us are looking for ways to stick to our commitment of eating healthier without eating through the cash in our wallets at the same time.

I’ve always preferred buying organic produce, and after Amira was born, it was even more important to me. But we’ve been on harder times financially in recent years and buying all organic produce just isn’t practical or possible. When lists came out giving me invaluable information on which produce items are most heavily sprayed and covered with pesticides and those that aren’t… now that’s some information I can use! So here’s a quick cheat sheet for you!

12 fruits and vegetables that you can BUY CONVENTIONAL if you can’t afford the organic:

• Broccoli
• Eggplant
• Cabbage
• Banana
• Kiwi
• Asparagus
• Sweet peas (frozen)
• Mango
• Pineapple
• Sweet corn (frozen)
• Avocado
• Onion

12 fruits and vegetables that you should try to always BUY ORGANIC:

• Peaches
• Apples
• Sweet bell peppers
• Celery
• Nectarines
• Strawberries
• Cherries
• Lettuce
• Grapes (imported)
• Pears
• Spinach
• Potatoes

Click here for a complete and printable list of 43 fruits and vegetables from the best to worst in terms of pesticides. And to read detailed information on pesticides, nutritional variations between organic and conventional produce and GMO produce, read this article on Dr. Mercola’s website.

Are you a sugar addict?

Do you eat a lot of bread, pasta, noodles, pastries, soda, fruit drinks, or candy on most days? Can you imagine not eating those foods for even a day? Does food help you feel better when you are down? If you are stressed or tired, what do you reach for? Cut vegetables and dip, or a box of cookies, a slice of cake, a thick piece of toasted sourdough bread? Do you promise yourself that you won’t eat any of “those” foods today and at the end of the day you realize you didn’t make it to lunchtime without breaking your promise? Do you get annoyed if someone suggests you are addicted to sugar? What foods do you obsess over? What do you crave? Do you feel crappy after eating sugary foods, but eat them anyway? Do you wake up in the middle of night on a regular basis – or are you able to sleep solidly through the night? Do you have energy crashes? Do you want to eat nutritious meals but haven’t found that it’s “worth it” to give up your favorite foods?

Historically, the medical industry has asserted that sugar is not addictive. More recent research however, is beginning to show otherwise. In fact there is a study showing that sugar is more addictive than cocaine! And we know anecdotally… sugar addiction definitely has legs. Next time, before you leave your next get together with friends and family, check out the buffet table. Chances are that the veggie tray is still at least half full, but the plates of cookies, cake pans, ice cream buckets and pie tins have been wiped out.

Why Does This Matter?

If you are overweight, we know sugar doesn’t help our cause. Sugar adds empty, nutritionless calories and more inches around our waste. Sugar comsumption increases insulin levels in our bodies. Increased insulin means that you can count on living with one or more conditions like premature aging, type-2 diabetes, high blood pressure and cholesterol , heart disease and cancer. Being overweight, our risks are already high, but we are adding another couple bullets into the chamber in our game Russian Roulette by having a lifestyle filled with sugary foods.

Now, say you are right-weighted, pretty active and eat, in general, pretty good. Feeling a little more blase about avoiding sugar? Here are just a few things that sugar does to our bodies, overweight or not:

1. Suppresses the immune system, making us open to bacterial infections
2. Increases inflammation
3. Throws off the body’s ability to both absorb and maintain proper balance of essential minerals (i.e. calcium, magnesium, chromium, copper)
4. Creates hormonal imbalances
5. Creates mood, mental and behavior shifts such as depression, hyperactivity, anxiety, aggression, inability to concentrate or think clearly, drowsiness, etc.

Remember, this is only a partial list!

Inflammation

The impact of sugar on our bodies is pervasive. Let’s focus on one in particular, inflammation. Inflammation is a catch word flying through the medical research community. We are finding that inflammation in our bodies is the source of virtually all of our physical ails. Sugar feeds inflammation and inflammation is the catalyst and cause of nearly all degenerative diseases including allergies, asthma, Alzheimer’s cancer, diabetes, digestive disorders, hormonal imbalances, and osteoporosis. Degenerative disease are what most of us chalk up to “aging”… so yes, you are correct to associate sugar with premature aging on your health and your appearance.

Remove Excess Sugar and You Will Be Doing The Single-Most Important Thing to Improve Your Health

According to the World Health Organization, no more than 10% of our diet should come from added sweeteners. The USDA recommends 9% or less. If you use a formula that the USDA provides, take the example of a 2,000 calorie diet. That would amount to no more than 200 calories from sugar a day. That translates to about 50 grams. Many yogurts have 25-35 grams of sugar per serving, so you can see how easy it would be to hit that 50 gram mark pretty darn quickly. Removing excess sugar from your diet requires a lifestyle change. It’s not going to happen without choosing it and planning it.

Is It Worth It?

That’s a question you can only answer for yourself. I’ve been discovering that for me, it is. And, when I read the stories of those who’ve chosen to embrace their health, they are happy. Very happy. They are ecstatic that their bodies support them in accomplishing and doing what they want to do in life… in play, in relationships, in work, and in their dreams. Our physical health reaches beyond our bodies. It influences and impacts everything about who we are and how we spend our days. It’s that important.