May times people are concerned that the oxalates in spinach block the absorption of calcium. While this is true, it is of only minimal effect. Spinach is second only to kale in its ORAC value of antioxident activity and has amazing healing and health building effects. It also has great anti-inflammatory and anti-cancer activity.
Baby spinach leaves is best if you want to eat a raw salad. The leaves are more delicate. When cooking spinach, boil or steam for no more than a minute. This help activate the phytonutrients while not killing all the good stuff. Toss with a touch of good olive oil or raw butter to help absorb the fat soluable vitamins A and K. I also like to add a splash of raw apple cider vinegar or lemon juice!
Enjoy!
Tuesday, December 28, 2010
Tuesday, November 30, 2010
Resveratrol
Resveratrol has been in the news for quite some time. It has very potent antioxident properties to help our bodies fight off the damaging free radicals formed by our stressful, chemical-laden lives. It also has mild phytoestrogen activities and can help the obese. Raspberries, grapes, cranberries, peanuts, blueberries, mulberries, bilberries, and lingonberries all have high amounts of resveratrol.
Phytochemicals are substances in plants to help protect them from their environment; internally and externally. So, they are helpful for us, too.
One easy way to get more phytochemicals, like resveratrol, in our diets is to make "green drinks". My patients have heard me talk about green drinks for years, and my own kids ask for them. Here is a simple recipe:
2 cups pure water OR 1 cup pure water and 1 cup good, pure fruit juice
2 handfuls organic baby lettuce leaves
1 cup frozen berries
1 tbsp organic yogurt (optional)
Blend in a blender and share with a friend or loved one! I also add liquid trace minerals, probiotics, and sometimes a scoop of superfood powder like barley grass, etc. Yum!
Phytochemicals are substances in plants to help protect them from their environment; internally and externally. So, they are helpful for us, too.
One easy way to get more phytochemicals, like resveratrol, in our diets is to make "green drinks". My patients have heard me talk about green drinks for years, and my own kids ask for them. Here is a simple recipe:
2 cups pure water OR 1 cup pure water and 1 cup good, pure fruit juice
2 handfuls organic baby lettuce leaves
1 cup frozen berries
1 tbsp organic yogurt (optional)
Blend in a blender and share with a friend or loved one! I also add liquid trace minerals, probiotics, and sometimes a scoop of superfood powder like barley grass, etc. Yum!
Monday, November 22, 2010
Talkin' Turkey
Thanksgiving is coming up and many of us Americans stick with tradition and roast a turkey as the main dish. Turkey is not only yummy, but brings with it many health benefits.
Since most of its fat is in the skin, a serving of turkey meat without the skin is very low in fat. That's the reason why it is best to roast the turkey in the skin; so that the juices can stay in the meat. That's also why, if left out, turkey meat drys out so fast. Ground turkey can be substituted in any recipe that calls for ground beef. Just know that you might want to brown it using a bit of no-fat or low-fat chicken broth, or maybe EVOO so that it is not so dry.
Turkey is very high in selenium, a mineral used in your body's production of T3, the most active form of thyroid hormone. Compared to beef, turkey is much less likely to form N-nitroso compounds in the large intestine. These compounds have been associated with an increased risk of colon cancer. Turkey also is high in some of the B vitamins, which are important for overal energy production. The high protein content in turkey has been compared to egg whites and tuna, two of the best sources of protein.
Enjoy!
Since most of its fat is in the skin, a serving of turkey meat without the skin is very low in fat. That's the reason why it is best to roast the turkey in the skin; so that the juices can stay in the meat. That's also why, if left out, turkey meat drys out so fast. Ground turkey can be substituted in any recipe that calls for ground beef. Just know that you might want to brown it using a bit of no-fat or low-fat chicken broth, or maybe EVOO so that it is not so dry.
Turkey is very high in selenium, a mineral used in your body's production of T3, the most active form of thyroid hormone. Compared to beef, turkey is much less likely to form N-nitroso compounds in the large intestine. These compounds have been associated with an increased risk of colon cancer. Turkey also is high in some of the B vitamins, which are important for overal energy production. The high protein content in turkey has been compared to egg whites and tuna, two of the best sources of protein.
Enjoy!
Tuesday, July 13, 2010
Microwaves
I got an email from a friend a few weeks back about watering plants with water that had been boiled in the microwave vs. on the stove then cooled down. The pictures in the email showed 2 of the same type and sized plants. One had been watered with the microwaved water and the other with the stove water. After several days ( forget the time frame), the pictures showed the microwave-water plant all shriveled and dying. The text in the email claimed that the microwave killed the water or something like that.
My friend asked me what I thought and I just happened to have access to 2 similar-sized tomato plant seedlings. (Thanks Tammy!) I said, "I don't know, but let's find out!"
I took the plants to my friend Linda's house and began the experiment. I did actually take pictures and send them to my first friend about every 2-4 days.
After almost 2 weeks, the plants were both thriving and ready to be transplanted into larger pots!
So, I'm concluding that water boiled in a microwave and cooled down is just as good to water plants with as water boiled on the stove. I don't know what else it means, but the plants both did well.
My friend asked me what I thought and I just happened to have access to 2 similar-sized tomato plant seedlings. (Thanks Tammy!) I said, "I don't know, but let's find out!"
I took the plants to my friend Linda's house and began the experiment. I did actually take pictures and send them to my first friend about every 2-4 days.
After almost 2 weeks, the plants were both thriving and ready to be transplanted into larger pots!
So, I'm concluding that water boiled in a microwave and cooled down is just as good to water plants with as water boiled on the stove. I don't know what else it means, but the plants both did well.
Still Not Stinkin' After Almost A Year!
Some of you might remember when I switched over from store-bought antiperspirant to plain ol' baking soda. I did it as kind of an experiment because, in my experience, I had never found a "natural" deodorant to work for me. It has always been important to me to go as natural as possible, within reason. I really had wanted to use something less toxic under my arms than the commercial options, but it is also important for me not to offend you, my friends and patients, especially when I was wanting you to r-e-l-a-x while I was adjusting you. How could you, after all, if I had b.o.?
Well, it will be a year in September that I switched to baking soda only as an underarm deodorant. I can tell you now from experience that it works! I don't stink and my family has not begged me to switch back! I figured that late Spring/early Summer in CA would be a good test, but, let me tell you: Summer in OK definitely puts the baking soda to the challenge. Most of you know by now that I moved here in Early July. I have been here for over a week in sweltering heat with high humidity. Even when working in our new house, with no A/C because we don't have electricity yet, my pits are still odor-free. I am drenched from head-to-toe, but no b.o.!
Look back on my blog in on 11/9/09 if you are interested in the process of switching over. I think it was a good decision for me, and I am happy to decrease my toxic load in one more small way!
Dioxins and Plastic Bottles
I had heard that leaving your plastic water bottles in direct sunlight leaches toxic chemicals out into the water. But, now I see just leaving the water in a hot car, whether or not it's in direct sunlight, leaches dioxin into the water, a chemical found increasingly in breast cancer cells. Dioxin is also the chemical found in bleached paper products.
Many have heard of these solutions, but they are worth repeating:
1) Don't buy water in plastic bottles. Federal Law requires the water to be boiling when putting the water into the bottle which already starts the chemical-leaching process.
2) Buy your own BPE-free water containers and purchase water from a water store.
3) Carry your water in a stainless-steel, glass, or a BPE-free container and don't leave it in a hot car.
4) Don't freeze water in plastic bottles. Freezing also allows dioxin to be released into the water as it thaws.
5) Don't microwave in plastic, styrofoam, or cardboard containers. Put food into a glass bowl or on a glass plate to cook or reheat. You just don't know what's in those containers.
6) Buy a raised microwave plate cover to place over your food in the microwave when using. If you cover the plate with plastic wrap or paper towel, don't it touch the food.
Going on a detoxification program from time to time is a good way to decrease your body's toxic load!
Many have heard of these solutions, but they are worth repeating:
1) Don't buy water in plastic bottles. Federal Law requires the water to be boiling when putting the water into the bottle which already starts the chemical-leaching process.
2) Buy your own BPE-free water containers and purchase water from a water store.
3) Carry your water in a stainless-steel, glass, or a BPE-free container and don't leave it in a hot car.
4) Don't freeze water in plastic bottles. Freezing also allows dioxin to be released into the water as it thaws.
5) Don't microwave in plastic, styrofoam, or cardboard containers. Put food into a glass bowl or on a glass plate to cook or reheat. You just don't know what's in those containers.
6) Buy a raised microwave plate cover to place over your food in the microwave when using. If you cover the plate with plastic wrap or paper towel, don't it touch the food.
Going on a detoxification program from time to time is a good way to decrease your body's toxic load!
Sunday, July 11, 2010
Simple, yet Powerful Health Tips
Good health is often the result of not interfering with the natural flow of life. God designed us to be healthy and self-healing. It's when we interfere with the life-force that naturally occurs from Above-Down-Inside-Out that health issues can occur. The more interference you can detect and eliminate, the better your life-force will flow.
In Chiropractic Philosophy, we are taught about three intelligences: Universal Intelligence (some people call this God), Innate Intelligence (the life-force within each of us, some people call this the Holy Spirit), and Educated Intelligence. You can override Universal or Innate Intelligence with your Educated Intelligence. Your inner voice might tell you, "You'd be better off with less caffeine" or "How about replacing some of those Twinkies with some fruit?". You can either listen and obey or rationalize your behavior and drown out that voice.
Anyway, this is a subject that is an ongoing discussion and better dealt with on my other blog:
thewordonhealth.blogspot.com The purpose of this blog is to give you physical health tips. Although, most of us know that you cannot separate Spirit-Soul-Body.
Here are some great health tips that are simple, but powerful when applied consistently:
1) Charlotte Gerson (she runs a Natural Healing Institute for cancer in Mexico) says that it's much easier to prevent cancer than to heal it. Include many live/raw foods each day that have all the live, disease-fighting enzymes in them. Lots of fresh fruit and veggies, miso soup, probiotics, etc. She said that white flour can't even sustain life for the lowly maggot! Eat whole grains, especially sprouted!
2) We are a nation of constipation. Most medical doctors will tell you that 3-5 BMs per week is normal. Most natural healthcare practitioners way 2-3 per day! Eat a diet high in vegetable matter and good, clean water. Start your day off with a cup of warm water with fresh squeezed lemon juice. If taken on an empty stomach, it will go directly to the large intestines and stimulate peristalsis - the natural wave-like motion of the intestines. It also gets the liver cleansing!
3) 2 drops of castor oil in the eye each morning can help dissolve catarracts!
4) Regular exercise, clean water, good rest, sunshine, temperance, fresh air, good nutrition, and trust in God all work together to create healing miracles!
5) Essiac tea is Canada's #1 cancer cure!
6) Check out my earlier post about doing a gallbladder cleanse.
More to come!
In Chiropractic Philosophy, we are taught about three intelligences: Universal Intelligence (some people call this God), Innate Intelligence (the life-force within each of us, some people call this the Holy Spirit), and Educated Intelligence. You can override Universal or Innate Intelligence with your Educated Intelligence. Your inner voice might tell you, "You'd be better off with less caffeine" or "How about replacing some of those Twinkies with some fruit?". You can either listen and obey or rationalize your behavior and drown out that voice.
Anyway, this is a subject that is an ongoing discussion and better dealt with on my other blog:
thewordonhealth.blogspot.com The purpose of this blog is to give you physical health tips. Although, most of us know that you cannot separate Spirit-Soul-Body.
Here are some great health tips that are simple, but powerful when applied consistently:
1) Charlotte Gerson (she runs a Natural Healing Institute for cancer in Mexico) says that it's much easier to prevent cancer than to heal it. Include many live/raw foods each day that have all the live, disease-fighting enzymes in them. Lots of fresh fruit and veggies, miso soup, probiotics, etc. She said that white flour can't even sustain life for the lowly maggot! Eat whole grains, especially sprouted!
2) We are a nation of constipation. Most medical doctors will tell you that 3-5 BMs per week is normal. Most natural healthcare practitioners way 2-3 per day! Eat a diet high in vegetable matter and good, clean water. Start your day off with a cup of warm water with fresh squeezed lemon juice. If taken on an empty stomach, it will go directly to the large intestines and stimulate peristalsis - the natural wave-like motion of the intestines. It also gets the liver cleansing!
3) 2 drops of castor oil in the eye each morning can help dissolve catarracts!
4) Regular exercise, clean water, good rest, sunshine, temperance, fresh air, good nutrition, and trust in God all work together to create healing miracles!
5) Essiac tea is Canada's #1 cancer cure!
6) Check out my earlier post about doing a gallbladder cleanse.
More to come!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
