Summer is the peak of the season for northeastern fruit such as peaches,cherries, raspberries, blueberries, and melons. Many of our favorite vegetables, such as tomatoes and sweet corn are best when picked at thepeak of ripeness and eaten while still very fresh. This is a great time of year to visit the farmers markets.
Enjoy seasonal fruit for breakfast or a snack.
Make a salad of fresh local tomatoes, basil, peppers, cucumbers, and onions.
Grill fresh sweet corn in the husk with your summertime barbecues. If the corn is very fresh, it needs very little cooking and can even be eaten raw.
Grill vegetable kebobs with onions, peppers, tomatoes, summer squash, and eggplant.
Cold Soba Noodle Salad
8 ounces soba (buckwheat) noodles
6 cups water
1 bunch sunflower sprouts or pea shoots, chopped
1/2 cup chopped red radishes
1/2 cup chopped celery
1/2 cup chopped cucumber
Dressing:
1/2 cup finely chopped fresh basil
1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil
1/4 cup tahini
2 tablespoons tamari soy sauce
2-inch piece grated fresh ginger
Juice of 1/2 lemon
Put soba noodles into a pot of 6 cups boiling water and cook until tender, no more than 8 minutes. Rinse with cold water when finished cooking.
Mix all vegetables and noodles in a large bowl.
Combine ingredients for dressing in a separate bowl, then pour dressing over noodles and mix well.
Summer Barley Salad
1 cup barley
2 ¼ cups water
¼ teaspoon sea salt
2 bunches arugula
½ cup sunflower seeds
1 carrot, chopped
½ bunch scallions, finely chopped
2 tablespoons olive oil
Juice of 1 or 2 lemons
Place barley, water and salt in a pot. Bring to a boil; reduce heat to low and simmer, covered for 45 minutes.
Wash arugula and chop into small pieces.
Place sunflower seeds on a cookie sheet and toast for 5 minutes in a 350-degree oven, being careful not to burn them.
When the barley is cooked, let it cool and then transfer to a large mixing bowl, mixing it with all ingredients. Add salt and pepper if desired.
Late Summer Corn Salad
4 ears of corn
½ small red onion, diced
½ green bell pepper, chopped
½ red bell pepper, chopped
½ bunch cilantro, minced
1 tablespoon olive oil
Juice of 1 lemon
Sea salt and pepper to taste
Boil corn in a large pot for 5-10 minutes. Remove from pot and cool by running under cold water. Cut kernels from the cobs and place in a large mixing bowl.
Mix with all other ingredients.
Friday, July 3, 2009
Are You Living On The Edge?
Modern nutrition does not lend much attention to how diet influences our emotional being. While we may recognize how an emotional state can lead to certain eating habits, we haven’t paid much attention to how the foods themselves can create certain emotions or stress.
Food contains more than just vitamin A, B, or C. Just as our bodies pulsate with energy, food contains energy as well. As the two energies mix, our food can have either an expansive effect in our body or a contractive one.
When we consume sugar, caffeine, alcohol or drugs we feel “lighter”, hence more expansive. If we eat meat, eggs, salt, or hard cheeses, the feeling can be more grounded. This is a more contracted energy.Too much contracted food can make us feel heavy and lethargic. Too much salt can make us feel tight. Too much alcohol or ice cream can leave us with a headache. Expansive has a more upward moving energy while contractive has a more downward one.
If an individual’s diet consists mostly of contractive foods, heavy in animal protein and cheeses, his or her diet can be too extreme on the contractive side. Since the body is always looking for balance, we may experience cravings for something expansive like sugar or alcohol to balance us out. A craving for a sweet dessert after a meal is not uncommon. Have you ever had an experience that you were so full and heavy but when dessert showed up, you were suddenly ready to eat more?
Cravings are not a bad thing as many of us seem to perceive them. They are the body’s natural search for balance. Not to say that the dessert is going to balance you out. It will most likely cause havoc, cancelling the digestion of your meal, leaving it to ferment undigested in the stomach. Even so, since the body is in search of finding center, the thought of something more uplifting when feeling full can sound appealing.
Each craving holds a clue to help us find balance. In this case, the desert craving may be a clue that the overall diet needs to consist of less contractive foods.
Lifestyle as well as diet can cause cravings for expansive foods. When we feel stressed, our body will contract and muscles will tighten. This tightness is a state of contractiveness. If we feel contracted in life, we will crave expansiveness for balance.
At times of stress we may be reaching for a candy bar or a cup of coffee to keep going. We may crave a cold beer or ice cream at the end of a stressful day. If this is the case, your body is signaling it needs more expansive experiences throughout the day. Implementing some simple stress reducing techniques, can help eliminate the craving.
Can a person also be too expansive? Absolutely! If you are only eating fat-free, substituting breakfast with a cup of coffee, minimizing caloric intake, (while often binging on sweets), you are too extremely expansive. In this case, more grounding energy is needed. Often you can overcome the sweet tooth by adding more grounding foods such as healthy fats and a proper breakfast.
Our diet is woven into the fabric of our lifestyle with respect to our physical, biological, emotional and spiritual aspects.
Use your body’s feedback to understand how to change your diet:If you feel tight, tense, or too rigid, reduce the amount of contractive foods. If you feel too spacey or scattered, increase your contractive foods and diminish the expansive ones.
Food contains more than just vitamin A, B, or C. Just as our bodies pulsate with energy, food contains energy as well. As the two energies mix, our food can have either an expansive effect in our body or a contractive one.
When we consume sugar, caffeine, alcohol or drugs we feel “lighter”, hence more expansive. If we eat meat, eggs, salt, or hard cheeses, the feeling can be more grounded. This is a more contracted energy.Too much contracted food can make us feel heavy and lethargic. Too much salt can make us feel tight. Too much alcohol or ice cream can leave us with a headache. Expansive has a more upward moving energy while contractive has a more downward one.
If an individual’s diet consists mostly of contractive foods, heavy in animal protein and cheeses, his or her diet can be too extreme on the contractive side. Since the body is always looking for balance, we may experience cravings for something expansive like sugar or alcohol to balance us out. A craving for a sweet dessert after a meal is not uncommon. Have you ever had an experience that you were so full and heavy but when dessert showed up, you were suddenly ready to eat more?
Cravings are not a bad thing as many of us seem to perceive them. They are the body’s natural search for balance. Not to say that the dessert is going to balance you out. It will most likely cause havoc, cancelling the digestion of your meal, leaving it to ferment undigested in the stomach. Even so, since the body is in search of finding center, the thought of something more uplifting when feeling full can sound appealing.
Each craving holds a clue to help us find balance. In this case, the desert craving may be a clue that the overall diet needs to consist of less contractive foods.
Lifestyle as well as diet can cause cravings for expansive foods. When we feel stressed, our body will contract and muscles will tighten. This tightness is a state of contractiveness. If we feel contracted in life, we will crave expansiveness for balance.
At times of stress we may be reaching for a candy bar or a cup of coffee to keep going. We may crave a cold beer or ice cream at the end of a stressful day. If this is the case, your body is signaling it needs more expansive experiences throughout the day. Implementing some simple stress reducing techniques, can help eliminate the craving.
Can a person also be too expansive? Absolutely! If you are only eating fat-free, substituting breakfast with a cup of coffee, minimizing caloric intake, (while often binging on sweets), you are too extremely expansive. In this case, more grounding energy is needed. Often you can overcome the sweet tooth by adding more grounding foods such as healthy fats and a proper breakfast.
Our diet is woven into the fabric of our lifestyle with respect to our physical, biological, emotional and spiritual aspects.
Use your body’s feedback to understand how to change your diet:If you feel tight, tense, or too rigid, reduce the amount of contractive foods. If you feel too spacey or scattered, increase your contractive foods and diminish the expansive ones.
Sunday, June 7, 2009
Are You For Real?
Choosing a healthy diet means choosing a natural diet. Natural foods come in various forms: raw, cooked, fermented, or dried. Foods stop being natural when processed with chemicals or preservatives. Some foods which may look natural are not if they have been raised or grown with hormones or through genetic engineering.
We fill our shopping carts with substitutes for real food. We grab animal byproducts like cold cuts, hot dogs and processed cheeses. We’ve been told that soy sausage or fake bacon are “health foods” when in fact they are highly processed products made from soy byproducts.
Health food is real food as nature created it. Our focus on healthy eating is usually limited to the type of food we are eating. We commonly overlook the importance of the quality of food. If we cease to pump our animals with antibiotics and hormones and stop processing the food with nitrates and preservatives, there would be no need to substitute it with other highly processed “healthier choices” like a soy burger. You can’t solve a problem with the same mindset that created it.
If you do eat these types of food, eat them in moderation and choose real meat products from real, grass-fed, naturally raised animals, free of all chemicals and preservatives. Furthermore, be sure to balance your diet with plenty of vegetables, especially the green leafy ones.
Superfoods:
If we only ate grains, fruit and vegetables from soil rich in natural nutrients, and meat from animals fed natural food, we would maintain a healthy balance of vitamins and minerals.
But let’s be honest; that’s not easy to do even if we planted and raised everything ourselves.
Super-foods are naturally nutrient dense. Unlike many dietary supplements, super-foods contain many nutrients that support each other and prevent the kind of imbalances that often occur when taking only vitamins.
Here are some of the major super-foods:
1. Goji Berries: Goji berries are a complete protein filled with antioxidants and trace minerals. These berries can improve eyesight and boost production of growth hormones. Add to your trail mix or top off a breakfast cereal with it.
2. Raw Chocolate (aka cacao): Contains more antioxidants than red wine, blueberries, acai and goji berries combined. Full of magnesium to help the body stay alkaline, an amazing source of iron, and it contains tryptophan, a mood-enhancing nutrient. Keep in mind that raw cacao - raw chocolate that has not been cooked (as opposed to most chocolate bars) - retains more nutrients. You can find raw cacao as powder, nibs, or whole beans.
3. Maca Root: Enhances libido, rich in calcium, magnesium, zinc, iron, selenium, and silicon (for bone strength). It supports the endrocine system and thyroid in accurate hormone production. Maca is great for rebuilding the adrenal gland, which is our body’s center for handling stress. It counteracts the damage caffeine causes to our adrenals.
4. Bee Pollen: Contains all twenty-two essential amino acids, increases endurance, improves muscle growth and definition, and is packed with B vitamins to bolster against stress.
* it is important to start with a small amount of bee pollen (1/4 tsp) to ensure that you are not allergic to it (signs of allergy include light swelling as well as moderate difficulty in breathing).
5. Spirulina: Contains 65% protein, supplements B12, builds the blood with its high chlorophyll content, and is full of beta-carotene.
*This algae is cooling and wet: if you are prone to feeling cold avoid using large amounts
6. Hemp Seed: contains all essential amino acids, has brain-building and liver-supporting lecithin, is rich in vitamin E, and contains essential fatty acids to protect the skin from sun exposure.
Super Smoothie (2 servings)
1 apple
1 cucumber
1-2 celery sticks
¼ cup blueberries
1 tbs raw cacao powder
4 tbs goji berries
1/4 tsp bee pollen
2 tbs hemp seed protein powder
1 tbs maca root powder
¼ cup walnuts
1 tbs Spirulina (or other greens like wheatgrass powder)
1-1 ½ cups of water
Mix all the ingredients in a blender and slowly add more water as needed to reach your desired consistency.
Variations: Switch the fruits, add avocado, almonds, or pumpkin seeds.
Sweeter: Add a tablespoon of raw honey or 3-4 dates.
Workout Shake (1-2 servings)
Put away your soy protein shakes and start making your shakes with hemp powder. Enjoy the flax and hemp for their essential fatty acids, the banana for potassium, the spirulina for cellular regeneration.
1-2 tbs hemp seed protein powder
1 tsp maca root powder
1 tbs spirulina
1-2 tbs flax
1 banana
1-1 ½ cups of water
Mix all the ingredients in blender until smooth.
We fill our shopping carts with substitutes for real food. We grab animal byproducts like cold cuts, hot dogs and processed cheeses. We’ve been told that soy sausage or fake bacon are “health foods” when in fact they are highly processed products made from soy byproducts.
Health food is real food as nature created it. Our focus on healthy eating is usually limited to the type of food we are eating. We commonly overlook the importance of the quality of food. If we cease to pump our animals with antibiotics and hormones and stop processing the food with nitrates and preservatives, there would be no need to substitute it with other highly processed “healthier choices” like a soy burger. You can’t solve a problem with the same mindset that created it.
If you do eat these types of food, eat them in moderation and choose real meat products from real, grass-fed, naturally raised animals, free of all chemicals and preservatives. Furthermore, be sure to balance your diet with plenty of vegetables, especially the green leafy ones.
Superfoods:
If we only ate grains, fruit and vegetables from soil rich in natural nutrients, and meat from animals fed natural food, we would maintain a healthy balance of vitamins and minerals.
But let’s be honest; that’s not easy to do even if we planted and raised everything ourselves.
Super-foods are naturally nutrient dense. Unlike many dietary supplements, super-foods contain many nutrients that support each other and prevent the kind of imbalances that often occur when taking only vitamins.
Here are some of the major super-foods:
1. Goji Berries: Goji berries are a complete protein filled with antioxidants and trace minerals. These berries can improve eyesight and boost production of growth hormones. Add to your trail mix or top off a breakfast cereal with it.
2. Raw Chocolate (aka cacao): Contains more antioxidants than red wine, blueberries, acai and goji berries combined. Full of magnesium to help the body stay alkaline, an amazing source of iron, and it contains tryptophan, a mood-enhancing nutrient. Keep in mind that raw cacao - raw chocolate that has not been cooked (as opposed to most chocolate bars) - retains more nutrients. You can find raw cacao as powder, nibs, or whole beans.
3. Maca Root: Enhances libido, rich in calcium, magnesium, zinc, iron, selenium, and silicon (for bone strength). It supports the endrocine system and thyroid in accurate hormone production. Maca is great for rebuilding the adrenal gland, which is our body’s center for handling stress. It counteracts the damage caffeine causes to our adrenals.
4. Bee Pollen: Contains all twenty-two essential amino acids, increases endurance, improves muscle growth and definition, and is packed with B vitamins to bolster against stress.
* it is important to start with a small amount of bee pollen (1/4 tsp) to ensure that you are not allergic to it (signs of allergy include light swelling as well as moderate difficulty in breathing).
5. Spirulina: Contains 65% protein, supplements B12, builds the blood with its high chlorophyll content, and is full of beta-carotene.
*This algae is cooling and wet: if you are prone to feeling cold avoid using large amounts
6. Hemp Seed: contains all essential amino acids, has brain-building and liver-supporting lecithin, is rich in vitamin E, and contains essential fatty acids to protect the skin from sun exposure.
Super Smoothie (2 servings)
1 apple
1 cucumber
1-2 celery sticks
¼ cup blueberries
1 tbs raw cacao powder
4 tbs goji berries
1/4 tsp bee pollen
2 tbs hemp seed protein powder
1 tbs maca root powder
¼ cup walnuts
1 tbs Spirulina (or other greens like wheatgrass powder)
1-1 ½ cups of water
Mix all the ingredients in a blender and slowly add more water as needed to reach your desired consistency.
Variations: Switch the fruits, add avocado, almonds, or pumpkin seeds.
Sweeter: Add a tablespoon of raw honey or 3-4 dates.
Workout Shake (1-2 servings)
Put away your soy protein shakes and start making your shakes with hemp powder. Enjoy the flax and hemp for their essential fatty acids, the banana for potassium, the spirulina for cellular regeneration.
1-2 tbs hemp seed protein powder
1 tsp maca root powder
1 tbs spirulina
1-2 tbs flax
1 banana
1-1 ½ cups of water
Mix all the ingredients in blender until smooth.
Friday, May 1, 2009
Spring Forward Lightly
Spring Awakening
Just as the life in the seeds can’t help but erupt into the glory of the first spring flowers, in our bodies, potential is finding its way to the surface.
Our natural surroundings provide a reflection of what is going on inside. Just as in the winter time we had to wear layers of clothing to keep us warm, the body had to coat its tissues and cells with insulation. Now, as we peal off our winter coats, our inner body is trying to do the same. Sticking to a diet that is rich in fats, animal protein, dairy, and other heavily mucus forming foods, is as unnatural as making ourselves wear our thermal underwear on a warm spring day!
Spring is a time of budding what lays beneath the surface. On an emotional level, seeds of optimism may grow and we may find the power to shine bright. On the other hand, if we have avoided the introspective season of winter and kept our internal struggles repressed, they may now surface with full force, demanding to be addressed.
Waking up isn’t always easy, but vital for our survival as spiritual beings.
Whether you are experiencing pain or pleasure, feeling “good” or “bad” is not the point. The awakening is has more to do with how we relate to what we are feeling rather than to the feeling itself.
As the weather warms, it is common for a new sense of urgency around appearance and body image to arise. In the example of weight loss, your body may be awakening to its need of shedding winter layers. An urgency to lose weight in order to look good in the eyes of others is not an awakening. An awakening is when the desire to lose weight comes from the inner directed natural rhythm of your body.
While the weight loss methods may be the same in both cases, the internal process is entirely different. Fighting the weight through stress and self criticism is war. When we learn to let go internally as well as shed the physical layers, we learn Love. When you learn to love it all you have awakened; the good, the bad, the journey, and the destination,
No matter what cross road you are on, invite spirit into it.
Feeling tired?
During spring allot of energy is being drawn out of the earth by the trees, allowing them to bloom. When we spend most of our day walking in shoes on concrete floors, we are not receiving much earth energy for ourselves. Lean your back on the trunk of a tree for a few minutes each day or spend some time walking barefoot on the grass. There is a lot of energy on the surface of the ground, soak it up!
Just as the life in the seeds can’t help but erupt into the glory of the first spring flowers, in our bodies, potential is finding its way to the surface.
Our natural surroundings provide a reflection of what is going on inside. Just as in the winter time we had to wear layers of clothing to keep us warm, the body had to coat its tissues and cells with insulation. Now, as we peal off our winter coats, our inner body is trying to do the same. Sticking to a diet that is rich in fats, animal protein, dairy, and other heavily mucus forming foods, is as unnatural as making ourselves wear our thermal underwear on a warm spring day!
Spring is a time of budding what lays beneath the surface. On an emotional level, seeds of optimism may grow and we may find the power to shine bright. On the other hand, if we have avoided the introspective season of winter and kept our internal struggles repressed, they may now surface with full force, demanding to be addressed.
Waking up isn’t always easy, but vital for our survival as spiritual beings.
Whether you are experiencing pain or pleasure, feeling “good” or “bad” is not the point. The awakening is has more to do with how we relate to what we are feeling rather than to the feeling itself.
As the weather warms, it is common for a new sense of urgency around appearance and body image to arise. In the example of weight loss, your body may be awakening to its need of shedding winter layers. An urgency to lose weight in order to look good in the eyes of others is not an awakening. An awakening is when the desire to lose weight comes from the inner directed natural rhythm of your body.
While the weight loss methods may be the same in both cases, the internal process is entirely different. Fighting the weight through stress and self criticism is war. When we learn to let go internally as well as shed the physical layers, we learn Love. When you learn to love it all you have awakened; the good, the bad, the journey, and the destination,
No matter what cross road you are on, invite spirit into it.
Feeling tired?
During spring allot of energy is being drawn out of the earth by the trees, allowing them to bloom. When we spend most of our day walking in shoes on concrete floors, we are not receiving much earth energy for ourselves. Lean your back on the trunk of a tree for a few minutes each day or spend some time walking barefoot on the grass. There is a lot of energy on the surface of the ground, soak it up!
Food Focus: Sprouts
Sprouts represent new beginnings, containing a youthful vibrancy of potential growth.
As with any living organism in stages of infancy, we can feel the full potential of life. When eating sprouts you are providing your body life and vitality. Sprouts contain the vitamins, enzymes, amino acids and simple sugars. They are high in antioxidants, phytochemicals and significant amounts of vitamins A, C and D. Since sprouts are very easy to digest, our bodies are able to metabolize all these wonderful nutrients.
In their raw form, sprouts have a cooling effect on the body, and therefore are best consumed in warm weather or by robust, warm body types. Those who tend to feel cool can try steaming spouts or adding them to warm dishes such as stir-fries and soups, to reduce the cooling effect. There is a wide variety of edible and delicious sprouts, each with a different texture and flavor: alfalfa, mung bean, lentil, radish, clover, sunflower, broccoli, garbanzo and adzuki.
Here are some great ways to serve up sprouts:
* Add to salads
* Combine with other vegetables in wraps, roll-ups or stir-fries
* Use as garnish on top of soups, stews, omelets or scrambled eggs
* Add to rice or whole grain dishes
* Use in sandwiches instead of lettuce.
As with any living organism in stages of infancy, we can feel the full potential of life. When eating sprouts you are providing your body life and vitality. Sprouts contain the vitamins, enzymes, amino acids and simple sugars. They are high in antioxidants, phytochemicals and significant amounts of vitamins A, C and D. Since sprouts are very easy to digest, our bodies are able to metabolize all these wonderful nutrients.
In their raw form, sprouts have a cooling effect on the body, and therefore are best consumed in warm weather or by robust, warm body types. Those who tend to feel cool can try steaming spouts or adding them to warm dishes such as stir-fries and soups, to reduce the cooling effect. There is a wide variety of edible and delicious sprouts, each with a different texture and flavor: alfalfa, mung bean, lentil, radish, clover, sunflower, broccoli, garbanzo and adzuki.
Here are some great ways to serve up sprouts:
* Add to salads
* Combine with other vegetables in wraps, roll-ups or stir-fries
* Use as garnish on top of soups, stews, omelets or scrambled eggs
* Add to rice or whole grain dishes
* Use in sandwiches instead of lettuce.
Spring Cleanse Salad
Prepare a salad using the following ingredients:
* Mixed greens (use dark green or red lettuces, a spring mix, arugula, or baby spinach.)
* Dandelion greens
* Alfalfa sprouts (or other sprouts; see examples mentioned above)
* Spring onions
* Dikon radish (delicious when shredded or julienned)
* Regular radishes
* Carrots (shredded or julienned)
* Raw beet (shredded or julienned)
All the vegetables above are seasonal to spring. You can then add you other favorites such as tomatoes, mushrooms, peppers, cucumber, etc.
For The Dressing:
mix lemon juice (a spring cleanser), olive oil, garlic (another spring cleanser), salt and pepper. You can optionally add a teaspoon of mustard to the mix.
* Mixed greens (use dark green or red lettuces, a spring mix, arugula, or baby spinach.)
* Dandelion greens
* Alfalfa sprouts (or other sprouts; see examples mentioned above)
* Spring onions
* Dikon radish (delicious when shredded or julienned)
* Regular radishes
* Carrots (shredded or julienned)
* Raw beet (shredded or julienned)
All the vegetables above are seasonal to spring. You can then add you other favorites such as tomatoes, mushrooms, peppers, cucumber, etc.
For The Dressing:
mix lemon juice (a spring cleanser), olive oil, garlic (another spring cleanser), salt and pepper. You can optionally add a teaspoon of mustard to the mix.
Wednesday, April 1, 2009
Truth or Dairy
Got Milk?
Milk has become a hot topic in the world of health and wellness. Some believe dairy to be the healthiest of foods while others believe it to be a major culprit of disease.
According to recent studies, the majority of the adult population of the world cannot biochemically utilize dairy products. People of Northern European descent are unique in retaining the ability to produce the lactose-digesting enzyme, lactase, into adulthood. Meanwhile 95% of Asian Americans, 74% of Native Americans, 70% of African Americans, 53% of Latin Americans, and 15% of Caucasians suffer from lactose intolerance.
Dairy products are a recent addition to the human diet that came along with domesticated animals about 10,000 years ago. While milk has been used widely during this time, it has not always been used wisely. The cruel treatment of animals as well as the chemicals and hormones used in the cows’ feed all contribute to the growing health hazard effects of milk and other dairy products. Due to the poor living conditions and unnatural diet, cows receive antibiotics that prevent illnesses. Even higher amounts of hormones are present in the milk due to the common practice of milking pregnant cows. All of these hormones, antibiotics and chemicals are transferred to us through the milk.
Calcium, especially from milk products, is recommended as the main element to reduce the risk of bone fractures. However, there are far more fractures in regions that consume milk products (US, Great Britain, Canada, Northern Europe) than there are in regions that do not (Traditional Africa and China). While calcium may contribute to bone strength, if we are not eating the foods that build collagen, the bone will have no flexibility and can still easily fracture.
These days more and more health conditions have been linked to dairy such as common digestive disorders, cardiovascular disease, prostate cancer, ovarian cancer, tumors and diabetes.
If you are experiencing symptoms of digestive disorders, intestinal disorders, congestive disorders and mucus, or skin conditions, eliminate dairy from your diet for at least two weeks and see if conditions improve. Gradually introduce various forms of dairy back into the diet and notice any changes.
The main problem with dairy today is its over-consumption as well as its lower (processed) quality.
When butter, yogurt, and ghee are made from pasture fed organic milk they can be some of our most nourishing and healing foods. Dairy must be of finest quality!
Lower your intake of dairy. Use dairy as a condiment, not a major ingredient.
The FDA’s recommendation of 3 glasses a day is far more related to its political obligations to the subsidized dairy industry than it does to the concern of your health.
For most, I would recommend avoiding milk and consuming fermented dairy products, such as yogurt and Kefir. Try a variety of milk substitutes such as unsweetened rice milk, almond milk, oat milk or hazelnut milk. Experiment with goat milk products as they are often much easier to digest by the human body and are found to be far less mucus forming than cow’s milk.
Non-dairy foods that are high in Calcium include:
Beans and nuts
Greens, especially broccoli, collards, kale, mustard and turnip tops, parsley, watercress, dandelion.
Sea vegetables
Sesame seeds and tahini
Canned salmon and sardines with bones
Soups made with the bones of fish, fowl, or beef. One tablespoon of wine vinegar will help draw out the calcium into the broth.
Milk has become a hot topic in the world of health and wellness. Some believe dairy to be the healthiest of foods while others believe it to be a major culprit of disease.
According to recent studies, the majority of the adult population of the world cannot biochemically utilize dairy products. People of Northern European descent are unique in retaining the ability to produce the lactose-digesting enzyme, lactase, into adulthood. Meanwhile 95% of Asian Americans, 74% of Native Americans, 70% of African Americans, 53% of Latin Americans, and 15% of Caucasians suffer from lactose intolerance.
Dairy products are a recent addition to the human diet that came along with domesticated animals about 10,000 years ago. While milk has been used widely during this time, it has not always been used wisely. The cruel treatment of animals as well as the chemicals and hormones used in the cows’ feed all contribute to the growing health hazard effects of milk and other dairy products. Due to the poor living conditions and unnatural diet, cows receive antibiotics that prevent illnesses. Even higher amounts of hormones are present in the milk due to the common practice of milking pregnant cows. All of these hormones, antibiotics and chemicals are transferred to us through the milk.
Calcium, especially from milk products, is recommended as the main element to reduce the risk of bone fractures. However, there are far more fractures in regions that consume milk products (US, Great Britain, Canada, Northern Europe) than there are in regions that do not (Traditional Africa and China). While calcium may contribute to bone strength, if we are not eating the foods that build collagen, the bone will have no flexibility and can still easily fracture.
These days more and more health conditions have been linked to dairy such as common digestive disorders, cardiovascular disease, prostate cancer, ovarian cancer, tumors and diabetes.
If you are experiencing symptoms of digestive disorders, intestinal disorders, congestive disorders and mucus, or skin conditions, eliminate dairy from your diet for at least two weeks and see if conditions improve. Gradually introduce various forms of dairy back into the diet and notice any changes.
The main problem with dairy today is its over-consumption as well as its lower (processed) quality.
When butter, yogurt, and ghee are made from pasture fed organic milk they can be some of our most nourishing and healing foods. Dairy must be of finest quality!
Lower your intake of dairy. Use dairy as a condiment, not a major ingredient.
The FDA’s recommendation of 3 glasses a day is far more related to its political obligations to the subsidized dairy industry than it does to the concern of your health.
For most, I would recommend avoiding milk and consuming fermented dairy products, such as yogurt and Kefir. Try a variety of milk substitutes such as unsweetened rice milk, almond milk, oat milk or hazelnut milk. Experiment with goat milk products as they are often much easier to digest by the human body and are found to be far less mucus forming than cow’s milk.
Non-dairy foods that are high in Calcium include:
Beans and nuts
Greens, especially broccoli, collards, kale, mustard and turnip tops, parsley, watercress, dandelion.
Sea vegetables
Sesame seeds and tahini
Canned salmon and sardines with bones
Soups made with the bones of fish, fowl, or beef. One tablespoon of wine vinegar will help draw out the calcium into the broth.
Food Focus: Tahini, a calcium rich food
Tahini, tahine, tehina, or sesame paste is a paste of ground sesame seeds.
When used in Middle Eastern cooking, tahini is made of hulled, lightly roasted seeds. East Asian sesame paste is made of unhulled seeds.
Tahini paste is used in a variety of dishes. It is a popular condiment for meat and vegetables in Middle Eastern cuisine. It is also a main ingredient in soups, sauces, and as a spread. Most commonly we know Tahini as a key ingredient in Hummus dips and spreads.
Hummus
1 15oz can of chick peas
3 tbls. Tahini paste
2-3 tbls. lemon juice
1 garlic clove (optional)
½ tsp. salt
¼ tsp. pepper
1/8 tsp. cumin (optional)
Water as needed- use the water from the chick pea can (little less than 1/3 of a cup)
Blend all ingredients and serve.
Can be served garnished with olive oil and paprika and chopped parsley
Tahini Dip, Sauce or Salad Dressing
This recipe can be thinned down to a salad dressing by adding more water or left thick as a spread or a dip:
¾ cup sesame tahini
5 Tbs. fresh lemon juice
1 small garlic clove, minced
3/4 – 1½ cups of water (depending on desired thickness)
½ - 1 tsp. salt (will vary with amount of water used)
A handful of finely minced parsley
Place tahini, lemon juice and garlic in a food processor with a steel blade, or in a blender. (This recipe can also be made in a bowl, stirring the ingredients in with a spoon).
While the motor is running, slowly drizzle in the water, checking every now and then for the desired consistency. Stir in salt.
Transfer to a small bowl a top with fresh Parsley.
Optional: If using a food processor you can add in half to a whole bunch of parsley, blending it into a yummy extra calcium tahini!
Store in the refrigerator in a tightly sealed container. Keeps for up to 5 days.
Honey-Tahini Sweet Potatoes
Cut sweet potatoes, toss in a drizzle of olive oil and bake at 400 for 45 minutes.
To prepare the sauce- mix tahini (ground sesame seeds) and honey (preferably raw honey), using about half the amount of honey than the amount of tahini. Mix in water a bit at a time until you reach a consistency you like. Poor over the baked sweet potatoes.
In Desserts
Tahini is also great in desserts. To get a picture of how it can add to the sweet flavor try spreading a layer of the raw paste (right out of the jar) on some bread and top it with honey.
Another favorite of mine is drizzling some of the raw paste over some sliced banana and chopped dates.
When used in Middle Eastern cooking, tahini is made of hulled, lightly roasted seeds. East Asian sesame paste is made of unhulled seeds.
Tahini paste is used in a variety of dishes. It is a popular condiment for meat and vegetables in Middle Eastern cuisine. It is also a main ingredient in soups, sauces, and as a spread. Most commonly we know Tahini as a key ingredient in Hummus dips and spreads.
Hummus
1 15oz can of chick peas
3 tbls. Tahini paste
2-3 tbls. lemon juice
1 garlic clove (optional)
½ tsp. salt
¼ tsp. pepper
1/8 tsp. cumin (optional)
Water as needed- use the water from the chick pea can (little less than 1/3 of a cup)
Blend all ingredients and serve.
Can be served garnished with olive oil and paprika and chopped parsley
Tahini Dip, Sauce or Salad Dressing
This recipe can be thinned down to a salad dressing by adding more water or left thick as a spread or a dip:
¾ cup sesame tahini
5 Tbs. fresh lemon juice
1 small garlic clove, minced
3/4 – 1½ cups of water (depending on desired thickness)
½ - 1 tsp. salt (will vary with amount of water used)
A handful of finely minced parsley
Place tahini, lemon juice and garlic in a food processor with a steel blade, or in a blender. (This recipe can also be made in a bowl, stirring the ingredients in with a spoon).
While the motor is running, slowly drizzle in the water, checking every now and then for the desired consistency. Stir in salt.
Transfer to a small bowl a top with fresh Parsley.
Optional: If using a food processor you can add in half to a whole bunch of parsley, blending it into a yummy extra calcium tahini!
Store in the refrigerator in a tightly sealed container. Keeps for up to 5 days.
Honey-Tahini Sweet Potatoes
Cut sweet potatoes, toss in a drizzle of olive oil and bake at 400 for 45 minutes.
To prepare the sauce- mix tahini (ground sesame seeds) and honey (preferably raw honey), using about half the amount of honey than the amount of tahini. Mix in water a bit at a time until you reach a consistency you like. Poor over the baked sweet potatoes.
In Desserts
Tahini is also great in desserts. To get a picture of how it can add to the sweet flavor try spreading a layer of the raw paste (right out of the jar) on some bread and top it with honey.
Another favorite of mine is drizzling some of the raw paste over some sliced banana and chopped dates.
Sunday, March 1, 2009
The Ultimate Outcome
Setting goals is a way of focusing the mind on a desired result. In a goal oriented culture such as our own, the teaching of “the law of attraction” has found its way into business schools, holistic circles and pop culture alike.
The law of attraction says “like attracts like”; you get what you put your energy and focus on. No matter if you want it or not, how you think creates your reality.
The beauty of applying this knowledge is that it brings us to reflect on our own thinking patterns. We begin to notice a space between ourselves and our thoughts so that we can now watch each thought rather then lose ourselves in it. There is an awakening in which we come out of the constantly thinking mind and into the meditation of consciousness
As we deepen our reflective practice, we may notice that we put more focus on the problem or on what we don’t want rather than the solution, thus creating more of the same.
We manifest what we think about all the time. On the simplest level; you get a call from someone just as you’re thinking about them or something shows up just when you need it. But how many times have we achieved goals or gotten things we thought would make us happy and yet we still felt unsatisfied?
The danger of the realization of our own power is that for many who practice the law of attraction, the basic focus seems to remain in the consumer mentality such as how to get a new sports car, or a vacation home in the tropics. We can get trapped even further in our dependencies of the material to make us happy.
While it is true that the mind is powerful and we can create and attract what we want, what else are we creating in the process? When we believe we must achieve something in order to make us happy; we experience a feeling of lacking something. We may manifest the things we ask for but the law of attraction also attracts more of the same; we attract more of the feeling of a void that needs to be filled.
Rather than focusing on getting “things that make us happy”, I suggest we make happiness itself be the goal. If the goal is our own inner peace, no matter how things unfold, we still stay in a place of calm and trust. Rather than seeing no result, we rest in the knowledge that we are in the process of creating the result, allowing something better to evolve.
We never know what happiness is going to look like. We may be missing the biggest gifts because we are trapped in our preconceptions that we need something else.
Or perhaps we truly are not achieving what we want because were too focused on what it feels like when we don’t have it.
The spiritual satisfaction comes when our desire becomes ‘to give’ rather than ‘to get’. When we feel that we can afford to give away, we are trusting in abundance. Feeling abundant creates abundance. Here we can still achieve all our goals while meeting our true desire of satisfaction.
Rather than being careful what you wish for; be careful how you wish for it.
The law of attraction says “like attracts like”; you get what you put your energy and focus on. No matter if you want it or not, how you think creates your reality.
The beauty of applying this knowledge is that it brings us to reflect on our own thinking patterns. We begin to notice a space between ourselves and our thoughts so that we can now watch each thought rather then lose ourselves in it. There is an awakening in which we come out of the constantly thinking mind and into the meditation of consciousness
As we deepen our reflective practice, we may notice that we put more focus on the problem or on what we don’t want rather than the solution, thus creating more of the same.
We manifest what we think about all the time. On the simplest level; you get a call from someone just as you’re thinking about them or something shows up just when you need it. But how many times have we achieved goals or gotten things we thought would make us happy and yet we still felt unsatisfied?
The danger of the realization of our own power is that for many who practice the law of attraction, the basic focus seems to remain in the consumer mentality such as how to get a new sports car, or a vacation home in the tropics. We can get trapped even further in our dependencies of the material to make us happy.
While it is true that the mind is powerful and we can create and attract what we want, what else are we creating in the process? When we believe we must achieve something in order to make us happy; we experience a feeling of lacking something. We may manifest the things we ask for but the law of attraction also attracts more of the same; we attract more of the feeling of a void that needs to be filled.
Rather than focusing on getting “things that make us happy”, I suggest we make happiness itself be the goal. If the goal is our own inner peace, no matter how things unfold, we still stay in a place of calm and trust. Rather than seeing no result, we rest in the knowledge that we are in the process of creating the result, allowing something better to evolve.
We never know what happiness is going to look like. We may be missing the biggest gifts because we are trapped in our preconceptions that we need something else.
Or perhaps we truly are not achieving what we want because were too focused on what it feels like when we don’t have it.
The spiritual satisfaction comes when our desire becomes ‘to give’ rather than ‘to get’. When we feel that we can afford to give away, we are trusting in abundance. Feeling abundant creates abundance. Here we can still achieve all our goals while meeting our true desire of satisfaction.
Rather than being careful what you wish for; be careful how you wish for it.
Food Focus: Breakfast
As a way of tuning into your body and learning to listen to its messages, explore eating a different breakfast every day for a week. Jot down what you eat and how you feel, both right after eating and again two hours later. Sit quietly after you eat and reflect. Note how your energy level, your moods, and your physical symptoms are affected by the food in your body.
Day 1: fresh fruit salad or fruit smoothie or baked fruit
Day 2: rolled oats (not instant) with nuts and dates or dried fruit
Day 3: egg scrambled with veggies (try tomatoes, mushrooms, spinach)
Day 4: coffee, orange juice, tea or milk, muffin
Day 5: whole grain toast with nut butter
Day 6: whole grain cereal with fruit on top
Day 7: fresh green salad or dinner leftovers
Day 1: fresh fruit salad or fruit smoothie or baked fruit
Day 2: rolled oats (not instant) with nuts and dates or dried fruit
Day 3: egg scrambled with veggies (try tomatoes, mushrooms, spinach)
Day 4: coffee, orange juice, tea or milk, muffin
Day 5: whole grain toast with nut butter
Day 6: whole grain cereal with fruit on top
Day 7: fresh green salad or dinner leftovers
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
