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

Super Bowl Foods You Can't Live Without...

Meets Whole Foods, Healthy Foods

I know what you need to watch the Super Bowl...

Something smothered in Franks Hot Sauce.

Worry not, we've got you covered.

Now put the chicken wing down and run away.

Photo: Jess

Our New Addiction...Buffalo Cauliflower with homemade Blue Cheese DressingThere are a lot of versions going around out there.  Please be careful what ingredients you use.  This is just as good with good for you ingredients.Photo: Nick SaltmarshIngredients 2 heads cauliflower (florets chopped off & rest composted)1/2 to 1 Cup Franks Hot Sauce1/4 Cup Olive Oil
Preheat oven to 425 degrees place a jelly roll sheet in oven to heat
Pour Cauliflower florets into large bowldrizzle olive oil over & tossdrizzle franks over and toss.Pour on jelly tray in single layer and cook for ~45 minutes.(Stir every 10 minutes and cook until your desired doneness.  We like them with crunchy little edges, but less cooking at a high temp is better to reduce carcinogens, so stop when it's acceptable to you.)

Blue Cheese Dressing

Photo: cookbookman

Ingredients

2 1/2 oz blue cheese crumbled (we know you wanna add more, just go for it!)

3T Buttermilk (cheater alert... add 1t lemon juice to your milk and let it curdle for a minute)

5T Full fat organic plain yogurt

2t white wine vinegar

1/4 t honey

1/8 t garlic powder

salt & pepper to taste

Mix all.  Adjust to taste.

Now try not to eat them all before your guests arrive.

Enjoy the game!

Inflammation- Food and Lifestyle Ways to Fight.

Inflammation has been on the forefront lately as the culprit of many health problems and diseases.

We need inflammation in our bodies to heal but too much causes loads of problems.

What can you do to help your body function properly?

Food-

• Go organic! It will remove loads of pesticides from your diet. (plus it provides micro-nutrients not found in conventionally grown produce.)
• Stay away from GMO's, they wreck havoc on your system because they are unknown proteins that your body is not sure how to handle and is thus constantly battling.
• Eat only whole grains and mostly nut, coconut and gluten free flours and grains- like buckwheat, oat, quinoa, and brown rice
• Limit red meat and eat only grass fed to lessen artery inflammation
• Limit alcohol. 1 per day women and 2 per day men. and better to have red wine.  1 helps, more swells.
• Step away from the fast food! The fat and additives are terrible for you.  Make it at home instead if you're craving it.
• Eat whole unprocessed foods.  Those lucky charms are definitely not lucky. The chemicals and partitioned foods (like corn starch, corn meal, corn syrup and such) are taxing on your system.  Not to mention loaded with pesticides and GMO's usually.

Lifestyle-

• Clean with all natural products and remove the dangerous chemicals from your home.
• Give your office or school cleaning crew a gift of natural cleaning supplies and recipes.  They'll save money and protect their health and yours.
• Garden and Lawn care organically.  Pesticides and dangerous fertilizers should be far away from your home.  You're there the most!
• Stay away from smoke. Quit and stay far away from second hand smoke.  This is a huge stress on your organs.
• Sleep!
• Relax, do yoga, meditate, go for a walk, sit quietly.  Stress causes inflammation.  Control what you can and drop the rest.
• Exercise.  Pick something you like and do it at least 3 times per week.  
• Control your weight. Those excess pounds stress out your system even more than they stress out your jeans.
• Watch your textiles.  Don't go tearing into that old couch to reupholster it.  Don't get that super cheap carpet.  You'll breathe that stuff in everyday.  Pick carefully.
• Keep it dry! Mold causes your system minor to major problems, depending on your sensitivity.
• Heat electrically not with gas if you can.
• Try to minimize your exposure to car exhaust, industrial exhaust and the like.  This one is hard but whenever possible limit and distance.

hungry for more?
The Inflammation Syndrome, by Jack Challem

You are what you eat and you'll eat what you have.

You're starving... to the kitchen you mindlessly wander... your instinct is taking over...  

The question is will you find Cheetos or cashews?  Cheez-its or extra sharp white cheddar from grass fed cows? Chocolate Frosted Sugar Bombs or Shredded Wheat, with a little sugar even?

We've heard it a million times, "Healthy food tastes terrible!"

May we ask, "What on earth are you eating?!"

Roasted chicken?.

Thick cut bacon on occasion?

Sliced avocados on everything?

Olive oil in everything?

Roasted garlic everywhere?

Vegetables in season roasted until sweet with Parmesan. Any of them and all of them?

Pecans for an afternoon snack?

Apple chips crisped with butter and cinnamon?

Red wine to finish off each day?

Gold potatoes baked and then smashed with olive oil and sea salt until crispy?

Scrambled eggs with grass fed butter?

Salads with red leaf lettuce, rainbow chard, purple cabbage, sliced almonds, fat chunks of tuna & local honey and grainy mustard dressing?

Hummus on whole grain pitas?

Almond Turbino sugar cookies?

Dark chocolate laced with chili spice?

Pray tell are these the gross things of which you speak.

Perhaps you'd like your McDonalds Fries and your Fiery Dorito kindling now.

Fill your pantry and refrigerator with whole foods you'll be happy to gorge on.  Control your portions,  go for a walk, a run, an hour of yoga. And eat yourselves happy on really good food.

Get serious. Switch for the good stuff and stop eating processed inferior food.

Eat whole food.  Eat yummy food that makes you so happy to eat.  Reject the chemical 'food' and get real, Control your portions.  Stop eating fake scientifically made food and eat really good food. 

Enjoy your food. Demand good food.

Go read Real Food by Nina Planck.  Learn to LOVE food.  

Healthy Choices, Marketing Mayhem... The Vitamin Water You Really Need...

Photo: Kenny Louie
His pictures are gorgeous btw, you must go look.

You're trying to be healthy.  It's great.

                     But... (here it comes)

You may be susceptible to marketing claims that know they just need to sound healthy and look pretty to suck you in.

Vitamin Water.

Capitalizing on your great concern for your lack of nutrition.

Problem #1

"Most Americans aren’t vitamin-deficient" Marion Nestle

Problem #2

Vitamin water contains 2 Tablespoons fructose.  That's a lot- especially for a health claiming drink.
(This one's made from corn starch by crystallizing corn syrup.  Not only added empty calories but addictive and dangerous.)

Problem #3

Vitamins A, D, E and K are fat-soluble... which means you need to add olive oil or other healthy fat to a food containing these vitamins- and that drinking them does absolutely nothing.

Problem #4

Over-fortification of foods can increase the risk of excessive intake of vitamins and minerals and pose health problems for children 8 and younger. (source EWG)

What Vitamin Water is...

-Something to drink with less sugar than soda.
-A drink with safer colors (They are from vegetables not FD&C dyes.)

But when we say "Eat the rainbow...This is NOT what we mean."

May we suggest hydrating from that source at your kitchen sink?
It's always the best source.

Hungry for more?
We suggest...
http://www.ewg.org/research/how-much-is-too-much/harmful-effects-excess-vitamins-and-minerals



Sources:

http://scienceline.org/2007/12/ask-intagliata-vitaminwater/