Antioxident-Rich Foods

Most of us know that it's good to eat lots of antioxident-rich foods. They help slow down the aging process, fight disease, and combat degeneration. The Oxygen Radical Absorbance Capacity is the level of the antioxident level in a specific food. This ORAC value is a number given to tell us how good it is at fighting free radicals - the enemies to every cell in our bodies. The higher the number, the more potent the antioxident capacity.

Here is a list of the top 20 antioxident-rich foods along with their ORAC values:

1. Small red beans, 1/2 cup -  13727
2. Wild blueberries, 1 cup    -  13427
3. Red kidney beans, 1/2 cup - 13259
4. Pinto beans, 1/2 cup -  11864
5. Cultivated blueberries, 1 cup -  9019
6. Cranberries, 1 cup  -  8983
7. Artichoke hearts, 1 cup cooked  -  7904
8. Blackberries, 1 cup  -  7701
9. Dried prunes, 1/2 cup  -  7291
10. Raspberries, 1 cup  -  6058
11. Strawberries, 1 cup  -  5938
12. Red Delicious apple  -  5900
13. Granny Smith apple  -  5381
14. Pecans, 1 ounce  -  5095
15. Sweet cherries, 1 cup  -  4873
16. Black Plum  -  4844
17. Russet Potato, 1 cooked  -  4649
18. Black beans, 1/2 cup  -  4181
19. Plum  -  4118
20. Gala apple  -  3903

We've heard so much about "super fruits", but look at all those "super beans"! If you cook your beans at home, remember to soak them overnight and/or put a stick of Kombu seaweed in the pan while cooking; both these help cut down on gas. Take your digestive enzymes, too!

A BIG thanks!

Thanks to all the lovely ladies who attended my class on "Balancing Hormones Naturally" yesterday. We had a super time, filled with helpful information, yummy, healthy treats and hugs!

Keep posted for more information on upcoming classes!

Miso Soup reduces risk of Breast Cancer

As reported in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute, Vo. 95, Issue #12, Miso Soup Consumption is linked with up to a 50% reduction in the risk of  breast cancer!

As I posted previously, Miso is a live food with many health benefits.

Here is an easy, delicious way to prepare on cup of Miso Soup:

Simmer 1/2 tsp. chopped scallion, 1/2 tsp. crushed seaweed (like wakame), and several pieces of cubed tofu in 1 cup water or stock.

Dissolve 2 tsp. Miso in a small amount of water and add to the soup after removing it from the heat. Never boil miso!

Enjoy!

Thumbprint Cookies

These cookies have been my favorite for a long time. They are so healthy, you can eat them any tme of the day. I often have them for breakfast! I use organic agave syrup for a lower glycemic version. My original recipe was made with pure maple syrup.

THUMBPRINT COOKIES

1 cup whole grain flour - wheat, spelt, rice, quinoa - your choice
1 cup raw rolled oats - ground in coffee grinder
1 cup ground nuts or seeds - almond, walnuts, sunflower - whatever - I prefer these 3
1/2 cup agave or pure maple syrup
1/2 cup cold-pressed or expeller pressed safflower or canola oil
100% fruit spread

Combine the first 5 ingredients.
Use about a walnut-sized amount of dough and roll in a ball.
Place on ungreased cookie sheet.
With thumb, press and indentation in center of dough ball.
Put 1/2 - 1 tsp of fruit spread in the indentation.
Bake at 375* for 15 minutes or so - depending upon desired crispness!

ENJOY!

Almond Milk

Many of my patients have been looking for alternatives to cow's milk, soy milk, and rice milk. Almond milk or other nut or seed milks are good alternatives.

Almond milk is very easy to make at home. It will stay in the fridge for a few days. Use it on cereal, in tea or coffee, or in baking.

ALMOND MILK

2 cups water (for the milk itself)
1 cup whole, raw almonds
1 tsp vanilla
pure maple syrup, agave syrup or honey (optional)

Put about an inch of water in a frying pan and bring to boil. Add the almonds. Blanche for about 1 minute or until the skins pop off easily. Pour in strainer and rinse with cool water. Pop the skins off and discard. Put the almonds in a blender with the 2 cups of water, vanilla, and sweetner if desired. Blend thoroughly. Strain the almond pulp. You can use the pulp by itself as a snack, in yogurt, in oatmeal or whatever. I have also used it as a scrub in the shower! This is especially effective if you left the skins on.

Options: 1) If desired, you can just use the almonds raw and not blanche or skin them.  2) You can leave the milk unstrained. This I only recommened if you are using it on cereal because the pulp will settle to the bottom in a cup of tea.

ENJOY!

Miso Soup

     Miso is a great, live food that helps to restore the health of your digestive tract, thereby affecting the rest of your whole body. It is a type of probiotic - similar to the supplements that are so popular. Miso is a thick paste made from fermented whole grains and soybeans. When something is fermented, it is naturally partially broken down, so it makes it easier to digest and assimilate, even if you had previously had a difficult time with that particular food. Miso comes in dark, medium, and light varieties. The dark misos should be eaten in the colder winter months. Use the medium in the spring and fall, and the light varieties in summer.
     The easiest way to eat miso is in soup. It is very easy to prepare and quite delicious. Since miso is a live food; meaning it has live, healthy microorganisms, like lactobacilus, it should NEVER be boiled.

MISO SOUP

1 1/2 cup water, or soup stock (fish, veggie, chicken)
1 1/2 cup mixed, chopped veggies (broccoli, sweet potato, carrots, kale, collards, onions, seaweed - whatever you like)
~ 1 TBSP miso - to taste

Put the water or stock in a sauce pan and add the harder veggies. Bring to boil, then reduce to medium. Add the softer veggies and cook till all veggies are BRIGHT in color - not dead. So, the carrots and sweet potatoes might take 7-8 minutes, where the broccoli and onions about 5, and greens about 2-3.
While veggies are still cooking, take about 1/4 cup of the water out and put into a seperate bowl. Add the miso. Stir till dissolved. Take the soup off the flame. Add the miso, stir, and enjoy!

Biological Aging Markers

There is a difference between chronological age and biological age. When calculating your biological age, they use parameters like how often you exercise, blood pressure, diet, stress management, and other markers. A more detailed way is to actually measure the length of the ends of your DNA, called telomeres. As we age, they shorten with each DNA replication.

Good news, though! Omega 3 fatty acids and  chinese tea have been shown to actually preserve the telomere length, thereby slowing the aging process.

So, keep drinking your chinese tea - Black tea can be drank first thing in the morning on an empty stomach. Green and oolong teas are natural fat emulsifiers, so are best drank with meals.

Good sources of Omega 3s are ground flax seeds, walnuts, edamame, cold water fish, and of course Omega 3 - EPA/DHA supplements!