Amazing Flax Meal

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

Red Red Wine

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

Garlic, Protects You From More Than Vampires

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!

Vitamin E- Your Fountain of Youth?

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

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

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

Vitamin C

Photo: Jon Bunting

Yo ho, yo ho,
               a pirates life for me!

This vitamin is the famous cure of scurvy.

It help our health much more than that!

Vitamin C, eat up me hearties, yo ho!

What's it do?

It lowers inflammation in your body.

It prevents and lessens symptoms from the common cold.

It lowers allergy symptoms.

Vitamin C might help the heart and blood vessels. It is used for hardening of the arteries, preventing clots in veins and arteries.

It repairs and boosts your immune system. 
        Can help prevent diseases and reduce many symptoms.

It's thought to help depression.

It may be anti-aging by counter effecting cortisol.

Vitamin C in sunscreens may help block the sun.
"When applied topically, vitamin C also helps protect your skin against the damaging effects of UV rays." 1.

Where to get it?

It's best to get Vitamin C from your foods, but it's hard to get high amounts that way.  So many people add supplements.

Papaya
Bell Peppers
Broccoli
Brussels Sprouts
Strawberries
Pineapple
Oranges
Kiwifruit
Cantaloupe
Cauliflower

Getting more:

Vitamin C boosts your body’s ability to absorb more iron.

The longer fruit been cut the lower the vitamin C content.

Hungry for more?

sources: 

Vitamin C from Puritan's Pride

1.http://health.howstuffworks.com/wellness/food-nutrition/diet-aging/5-anti-aging-vitamins.htm#page=2

-http://www.webmd.com/vitamins-supplements/ingredientmono-1001-vitamin%20c%20(ascorbic%20acid).aspx?activeingredientid=1001&activeingredientname=vitamin%20c%20(ascorbic%20acid)

-http://healthyeating.sfgate.com/vitamin-c-increase-iron-absorption-4865.htmlhttp://healthyeating.sfgate.com/vitamin-c-increase-iron-absorption-4865.html

-No More Allergies by: Dr. Gary Null (This is a great example of read with attention.  Some of Dr. Nulls ideas seem far fetched but there is invaluable information and research in the book.  So read, skim, note and re-read.  Then compare it to other sources.)

-http://fightinfoods.blogspot.com/p/sources-addictions.html

Like your temper, Your body is better without the inflammation.

Photo by: Robert S. Donovan


We love a good steak, but make sure it's grass fed & finished and not too often.





Inflammation is bad news for your body. Loads of health problems begin and get worse with inflammation.

Reduce your inflammation to reduce your chances of developing and your symptoms from:
ADD/ADHD, Allergies, Alzheimers, Anemia, Arthitis & Carpal Tunnel, Autism, Cancer, Celiac, Crohns, Diabetes, Excema, Fibromyalgia, Fibrosis, Gall Bladder, Disease, Heart disease, Kidney failure, Lupus, Migraines, Multiple Sclerosis, Pain, Psoriasis, Stroke. 

Our lives would be a lot better if we could not deal with these. What you can do to help...

Eat!
No seriously...

Add anti-inflammatory foods.

• Fish 
• Flax Meal
• Walnuts
• Leafy greens
• Omega 3s
• Avocados
• Ginger & Turmeric
• Garlic & Onions
• Olive Oil
• Berries
• Cherries
• Soybeans
• Tea
• Ginger Extract
• Foods high in Vit C
• Mediterranean Diet
• Gluten free whole grains- Buckwheat, oats, quinoa, rice
• Foods high in vitamin D 

very cool anti-inflammatory food pyramid

You can also reduce inflammation in your body by: reducing stress, doing yoga, meditating.

Limit foods that increase inflammation.Avoid/Limit

• Sugar (ingredients end in ...ose)
• Red Meat
• Alcohol
• Saturated & Transfats
• Excess Omega 6 fatty acids (corn, safflower, sunflower, grapeseed, soy, peanut, and vegetable; mayonnaise)
• Processed meats
• Gluten & Casein
• Refined Carbohydrates
• Processed Foods
• MSG
• Aspartame

Anti-inflammation Smoothy
1 banana
1/2 pear (cored)
2 C cold water
1 T ground flaxseed
1T ginger

sources: 
http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2013/03/07/inflammation-triggers-disease-symptoms.aspx

Fight With Chocolate

Photo: Tim Sackton

If there was ever a fight you want to pick... this is it.  Fight for your health with chocolate!

Dark Chocolate-

dilates your arteries- yay! for your heart!
improves nitric oxide, (a signaling molecule in your body)
high in antioxidants

Watch out for added milk fat or partially hydrogenated vegetable oil or even coconut or palm oil.
Stick to dark chocolate for the most health benefits.  The higher the percent of cocoa the better.

Cocoa

Has high flavonoids (cacao )
magnesium
calcium
helps control blood pressure
reduces chances of stroke


Don't buy dutched it's been treated with alkali.  (you tell it's dutch BC of the dark color.  Buy the lighter one.) It's done to make cocoa milder and make PH neutral.  Opt for the original.

You Need Some Fat! No Seriously.

Photo: Jurvetson

Americans have been so conditioned of our fear of fat that we are missing vital protection.  Guess what? Your cells need fat to function. Not saturated fat, not trans-fat, not fractioned fat- They are starving for Omega 3s, poly unsaturated fats and Omega 6s.
Give them...

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.

Olives- 

are high in flavinoids.

High in...

Iron

Vit E

Fiber

polyphenols

antioxidants-protecting from heart disease, stroke, impotence & wrinkles.

Photo: Slgckgc

Avocado-

High in:

Vitamin K

Fiber

Vitamin B6

Vitamin C

Folate

Potassium (60% higher than bananas)

Ease Osteoarthritis pain and onset.

(Contain antioxidant monounsaturated oils, essential fatty acids and Vitamin E. Promote cartilage repair in osteoarthritis.)1
High in Lutein (Protects your eyes)

Monounsaturated fats reduce your cholesterol & triglycerides.

Raises your HDL.

High in phytosterols.

1. http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-1194401/Why-apples-avocados-glass-red-wine-ease-arthritis.html

Sardines-

packed in oil -are high in omega 3s

B12

Selenium

fresh- are high in vitamin D

Protein

Calcium

Protects you from blindness

Lowers your triglycerides.

Now before you turn your nose up... you just need a few good recipes to incorporate this powerhouse into your meal time easily.  No one will be squeamish and they rest of your household will never be the wiser.

I LOVE this recipe and my children will devour it with Ciabatta bread...

Bagna Cauda

grind 6 cloves of garlic into a paste w/ 1 t good kosher salt

add to 4T grass fed butter to pan on low heat

add 6 anchovies or sardines to pan and smash to paste

once fish has 'melted'

whisk in 1/2 olive oil

+ 1/4 c fresh parsley

Serve with crusty ciabatta slices and dip in this heavenly mix.

A little more about fats...

Did you know saturated fats increase hunger? Unsaturated fats are more satisfying. Probably because your body is getting what it actually needs from them!

Unsaturated fats can improve insulin sensitivity. 

• You are insulin sensitive if a small amount of insulin needs to be secreted to deposit a certain amount of glucose, and insulin resistant if a lot of insulin needs to be secreted to deposit the same amount of glucose.2 Way to protect against and even cure diabetes!

2. http://examine.com/faq/how-do-i-increase-insulin-sensitivity.html

You're Nuts!

Scared of nuts? They are high in calories. But they are also very high in a lot of valuable nutrients and disease fighters.  So put the saltine down.

Almonds- Did you know?

In 1 ounce of almonds there's...

3.3g of fiber.  That's the highest of any nut.

Vitamin E 35% of your daily value! (The best you can find in a whole food source.)2

12% of your daily protein

Calcium 31mg 

Potassium 84 mg 19%

Riboflavin 7% dv

-Not to mention-

Thiamin
Niacin
Vitamin
Folate 
Zinc
Iron

Magnesium 32 mg
Phosphorus 58 mg
Copper
Manganese 14%
Selenium

Omega-3 fatty acids
Omega-6 fatty acids

"(Almonds) Reduce Heart Attack Risk - A Loma Linda School of Public Health study showed those who consumed nuts five times a week had a 50% reduction in risk of heart attack. "1

They also reduce your triglycerides

Lower your cholesterol and raise your HDL

They prevent gallstones too.

1. http://www.nutsforalmonds.com/nutrition.htm

2.http://nutritiondata.self.com/facts/nut-and-seed-products/3085/2

Pecans- More than just yum!

Have the most antioxidants of any nut.

High in potassium

fiber

B1

Vit E

they can lower your saturated at by 10%

lower your LDL and chance of heart disease.

Walnuts- 

Eating 4 per day can raise your omega 3 ratios.

1 1/2 ounces eaten after a fatty meal can reverse arterial stiffening within 4 hours.

High in...

Protein

Potassium

Folate

Fiber

They lower your LDL, oxidation, and inflammation in your bloodstream.

They keep your arteries flexible and improve heart health.

That news really does do a heart good!