Juaniques Gluten-Free Dairy-Free Cookies

I sometimes get urges for junk food...I'm only human right? When I do get those urges, I make this!!  

Juanique’s Gluten-Free, Dairy-Free Oatmeal Cookies
1 Cup Coconut butter
4 eggs
½ cup honey
1 tsp liquid vanilla 1
½ cups rice flour
3 cups oatmeal
1 tsp Xanthum Gum
½ cup semi-sweet chocolate chips or raisins

1) Heat the oven to 350 degrees F.
2) Heat the coconut butter until it’s liquefied. Mix the butter with the eggs, honey and vanilla
3) Add the rice flour. Mix.
4) Add the oatmeal. Mix
5) Add the xanthum Gum. Mix
6) Add semi-sweet chocolate chips or raisins
7) Once all ingredients are mixed, put balls of the dough onto a lightly greased oven pan. 8) Bake for 10 minutes or until the tops just begin to brown
9) ENJOY!!

Sugar: the Bitter Truth

Yes this is long but if you have time, watch it and be ready to have your cerebellum blown to bits! :P

NOW We Are Getting Somewhere

I don't know about you but I've been trying to tell this to people for a while! More veggies and protein, less grains. I don't think it's perfect (yet) but it's better than what it was before.

http://lifehacker.com/5842833/the-harvard-healthy-eating-plate-offers-politics+free-nutritional-guidelines

Flat feet Exercises

A common thing I keep seeing these days is Flat foot syndrome. People have often asked me why this happens. There's a lot of info on the internet you can read as to why but in my personal opinion the reason WHY we are losing them is because we don't USE them!

"If you don't use it, you lose it". A lot of the people I work on have probably heard me say this before. If you are not using your arches, you're going to lose them. Yes, a lot of it has to do with developing your arches during your childhood but there's still hope for those of us who aren't children any more.

In todays society we don't develop arches because we pamper our feet too much or we are just not as active as our bodies were designed to be. When we run we run heel-toe, we wear protective shoes, we only use our feet to stand (and not to pick up things or kick things or jump or sprint), and so on.

Here are a few videos I found that I really liked. Also, if you're interested, do some reading on the Vibram 5 fingered shoes.

These videos go from the least intense exercises to the most intense.

UK Takes Action Against Food Dye

UK Takes Action Against Food Dyes While U.S. Ignores the Risks

The Lancet study prompted the British Food Standards Agency (FSA) to issue an immediate advisory to parents, warning them to limit their children's intake of additives if they notice an effect on behavior. They also advised the food industry to voluntarily remove the six food dyes named in the study and replace them with natural alternatives if possible.

As of July 2010, most foods in the EU that contain artificial food dyes were also labeled with warning labels stating the food "may have an adverse effect on activity and attention in children." And this prompted many food manufacturers to voluntarily remove the dyes from their products.

This is why if you eat a Nutri-Grain strawberry cereal bar in the United States, it will contain Red 40, Yellow 6 and Blue 1. But that same bar in the UK contains only the natural colorings beetroot red, annatto and paprika extract.

In fact, the UK branches of Wal-Mart, Kraft, Coca-Cola and Mars have removed artificial colors, sodium benzoate and aspartame from their product lines as a result of consumer demand and government recommendations.

In the United States, however, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) continues to allow these toxic ingredients in countless popular foods, including those marketed directly to children.

FDA Decides to Keep U.S. Consumers in the Dark

At the end of March 2011, the FDA held a session to discuss the science on food dyes and hyperactivity – and decided that warning labels are not necessary on U.S. foods that contain artificial color.

They concluded:

"FDA concludes that a causal relationship between exposure to color additives and hyperactivity in children in the general population has not been established."

This is despite not only the Lancet study but also a 58-page report from the Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI). In "Food Dyes: A Rainbow of Risks," CSPI revealed that nine of the food dyes currently approved for use in the United States are linked to health issues ranging from cancer and hyperactivity to allergy-like reactions -- and these results were from studies conducted by the chemical industry itself.

For instance, Red # 40, which is the most widely used dye, may accelerate the appearance of immune-system tumors in mice, while also triggering hyperactivity in children.

Blue # 2, used in candies, beverages, pet foods and more, was linked to brain tumors. And Yellow 5, used in baked goods, candies, cereal and more, may not only be contaminated with several cancer-causing chemicals, but it's also linked to hyperactivity, hypersensitivity and other behavioral effects in children.

Despite the growing research linking food dyes to adverse health effects, all the FDA would acknowledge was that:

"For certain susceptible children with Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder and other problem behaviors … the data suggest that their condition may be exacerbated by exposure to a number of substances in food, including, but not limited to, synthetic color additives.

Findings from relevant clinical trials indicate that the effects on their behavior appear to be due to a unique intolerance to these substances and not to any inherent neurotoxic properties."

Yet, research again suggests otherwise, including a meta-analysis of double-blind, placebo-controlled trials by David W. Schab, assistant clinical professor of psychiatry at Columbia University, which found artificial food colors may lead to "neurobehavioral toxicity."

For now it appears the FDA will remain mum on food dye regulations, other than to say more research is needed. But as Michael Jacobson of CSPI said to the Los Angeles Times, rather than the FDA asking their expert panel whether research shows food dyes cause hyperactivity, they should have asked "Is there proof the dyes are safe?"

The Right Type of Colored Foods to Include in Your Diet

Avoiding not only artificial food coloring but food additives of all kinds is one of the basic principles of my healthy eating recommendations. And this is extremely easy to do when you limit or avoid processed foods in your diet.

This becomes second-nature when you realize and acknowledge that food dyes are added to processed foods to make a product that would otherwise be an off-colored mess look appealing.

As Schab and Jacobson wrote in The Washington Post:

"Artificial colorings are explicitly meant to manipulate consumers' perceptions. Manufacturers tout research showing that redness enhances the impression of sweetness, and that in tests with beverages and sherbets, the color of the product did more to influence consumers' perception of the flavor than the flavor itself.

One dye marketer states that its colorings offer "a limitless palette, unmatched technology and the emotional connection between people and color.""

If you live in the United States, there are some companies, including Starbucks and Necco (which makes the candy wafers), that have dropped artificial dyes from their products. Whole Foods and Trader Joe's also carry products free from artificial food coloring.

However, the best way to get more color into your diet is to choose foods that are naturally colorful. You can find natural fruits and veggies in a rainbow of colors, and unlike with artificial color, naturally colorful whole foods will add countless important nutrients to your die

Carrot Apple and Celery Soup

The Madre made this for me the other day and I LOVED it. It was kind of sweet but light and energizing.

4 cups water
1 bouillon (a stock cube) or 1 Tablesp vegetable stock
1 onion diced
3 celery sticks diced
2lbs carrots diced
3 apples diced
2 Tablesp tomato paste
Salt & pepper (to taste)
1 Bayleaf or 1 Tablesp herbs or seasoning of your choice.

On medium heat boil onion, celery, carrots, salt, pepper and herbs till cooked (I leave my veggies a little crispy)
Remove bayleaf
Add Tomato paste
Add apples and stir in (don't boil).
Blend and serve

Coconut Curry

Curry Soup or Coconut Curry Soup

4 potatoes (Yukon Golden) diced

2 large organic carrots diced

¼ pot water

Boil until potatoes and carrots are cooked - then add:

Shredded cooked chicken

1/3 cup cashews

1 Tsp Vegetable Stock

1 teasp salt

¼ teasp cayenne pepper

1 Tblsp Curry Powder (hot)

Simply Organic All Season Salt – to taste

Trocomare (optional) - to taste

2 tsp Dill Weed

1½ cups corn

1 can Natural Organics Chilli Beans

1 can coconut milk (optional)

Serve when all heated through.

The Buzz on Gluten

The Argument Against Cereal Grains

*Click title for the article*

For those who want to know what the heck gluten is , where you find it, what it does and why it's bad for you, I hope this helps to clear up any questions you might have so the next time you hear someone say "I'm gluten intolerant," you'll understand why they are and why they choose to eat that way.

Some people who are gluten free may have or are trying to rid themselves of:

Thyroid problems, malnutrition, chronic fatique, osteoporosis, an auto immune disease, chronic inflammation, weight loss, headaches, migraines, arthritis, brain fog, leaky gut syndrome, autism, skin problems, iron deficiency

Below is a summary of an article from this website. The article is kind of lengthy and may be a little confusing to those who are new to the gluten subject so I'm going to highlight on the main points to make it easy. Feel free to read the entire article though to see if it's legit.

Thoughts and opinions are always welcomed!

*****************************

-"Cereal grains are seeds of monocot grasses that have been artificially selected by humans to serve as food. The ones that cause the most trouble, and constitute the biggest part of European and North American diets, are the gluten grains Wheat, Barley and Rye."

-Gluten is a protein composite that appears in cereal grains and related species such as wheat, barley and rye.

-Lectins are a protein compound also found in grains which are very hard for the body to digest and can damage ones digestive system (ever feel gassy after eating beans, raw broccoli, or bread? Lectins are a huge part of that. Your body CAN'T break it down elegantly!). "Gluten grains are grass seeds that are employing a biologic strategy to avoid consumption, including elaborating the heat stable lectin WGA, which is known to damage the human gut"

-The reason for gluten and lectin molecules in the grain is for self preservation. it is the grains defense mechanism from consumption. Nuts have shells, certain foods have poisons or thorns, and grains have gluten and lectins which make it hard for animals to digest and therefore is toxic for them to varying degrees. Some animals have adapted to eating them...birds for example.
Humans? No...not yet at least.

Here's why:

-1% of the population has full blow Celiacs Disease (Complete gluten intolerance). 30% of the population has the genetic HLA haplotype that is susceptible to celiac disease

-People with celiac have a much higher chance of any type of autoimmune disease than anyone else, and Visa Versa...People with autoimmune diseases are more likely to have Celiacs. "Conversely, celiac patients have increased cancer, osteoporosis, and autoimmune diseases like DM I (myotonic dystrophy), autoimmune thyroid disease, Multiple Sclerosis, Sjogren disease, Rheumatoid arthritis, neuropathies, and even neurological disorders like schizophrenia."

- " there are a variety of other antinutrients in cereal grains, including phytates that bind essential minerals, and enzyme inhibitors that inhibit digestion."

-the oils found in grain containing gluten will throw off your Omega 3 and omega 6 ratio. If this 1:1 ratio (this 1:1 ratio is KEY for optimal health an to avoid inflammation, oxidation in the body and autoimmunity) is thrown off your immune function will tank! Big time!

-"Cereal grains and legumes have antinutrients with clinically significant effects, and the evidence that these are an evolutionarily recent food source (grains haven't been our staple food in our history) supports our observation that we are poorly adapted to them".

*****************

Does this clear up any confusion?

Veggie Coma Soup

It's called Veggie Coma Soup because there are TONS of veggies in it. On a health scale of 1-10, this recipe is a 15!! (yeah, you'll body go into shock because it'll have so many nutrients from this). LOL

Ingredients:
-Organic Chicken Broth (64 oz). So two boxes of broth, like the one you see in the picture.
-1 and 1/2 cup rice noodles (or normal noodles, the rice has no gluten in but is YUMMMMMMMY!!)
-1 or 2 cans of beans (beans of your choice. I LOVE black beans. Great protein and great energy source)
-2 cans of diced organic tomatoes (like the one in the pic. Don't get the tomatoes that or preserved with sugar or have high fructose corn syrup -HFCS). HFCS is CRAP and makes you put on weight a lot quicker than other sugars.
-1 1/2 cups finely sliced celery
-1 1/2 cups of sliced carrots
2-3 cups of broccoli (I get the frozen organic broccoli from costco. YUM)
-1/2 cup sliced mushrooms
-2 cups mixed veggies (A frozen corn, carrot, green beans mix is what I get from costco. You can see the bag of veggies in my pic. Again, you don't have to have this exact combination. You could do just frozen corn or frozen corn and green beans.)
-about 2 thawed chicken breast diced to the size you want int
-1/8th Braggs liquid aminos or soy sauce or namashoyu


So here's the process.
It may seem complicated but it's not. I promise. And I think the end product is worth it. Make sure to have a VERY LARGE pot. This makes a lot of soup. It will last Tristin and I 3-5 days.

Pour broth in pot. Put the heat just a little bit above medium. Add the chicken and pasta and let it cook. The broth will take a while to start boiling. let it boil for about 20-25 mins. Add the lid and start to prepare the veggies.

Start to slice the celery, mushrooms, chop the carrots, open the cans of beans and tomatoe, etc. Wash the beans but dont let the juice out from the tomatoes. You want to keep that.
Put the carrots and frozen broccoli in a blender. Add some of heated up broth to the blender. blend until you get a vibrant green, watery substance. Put that aside for later.

Once the noodles and chicken are cooked add the celery and sliced mushrooms and let cook for a few minutes. add the Braggs liquid amino (or soy sauce or namashoyu). Add the mixed frozen veggies (the corn, green beans and carrot mixture) and let it sit for a few minutes. Add the the tomatoes, beans and blended broccoli and carrot. Mix and let it sit and heat up to your desired temperature.

And now you're done! Serve, add some salt if you like or more sauce, add your favorite seasonings if you like. You can do what ever.

Butternut Squash Dessert

Butternut Squash Dessert:


-1 Medium to large sized organic butternut squash

-1/2 cup of organic raisins

-about 6 tbsp Organic agave or honey (measurement will change according to how sweet you want your squash to be)

-1/2 cup of cut of organic walnuts (how big all small you want your walnut chunks is up to you)

-.1/2 tbsp of organic cinnamon

-1 tbsp organic coconut butter/oil

Cut your squash in half, take the seeds out and bake it on a flat sheet (face down) at 350 degrees for about 45 minutes to an hour.

Scrape the squash into a bowl (preferably glass. Plastic heated up can leech harmful chemicals into your food) and mix it until its mushy.

Add the rest of the ingredients in and mix. You are welcome to add more or less of the other ingredients to suit your preference. Tristin loves raisins so I typically add more raisins. Those measurements will also change according to how big your squash it.

Eat and enjoy as you get a large serving of a delicious vegetable for dessert!! Your kids will never know any different (unless you tell them it's a vegetable) :)

Cashew Cream For Dessert

Cashew Cream:

-4 cups raw organic cashews

-between 4-6 tbs organic agave (measurement may change according to how sweet you want your cream to be)

-1.5 tsp vanilla essence

-1.5-3 cups water (depending on how thick or thin you want your cream to be)

Toss all ingredients into a blender. Blend until you get a creamy substance. Eat with your favorite fruits. It's great for snacks and desserts and any company that may come by is sure to LOVE it!

some fruit recommendations to go with your cream are: strawberries, blueberries, mangoes and peaches.

Quiz your Health

That's the book I'm reading at the moment. Basically it talks about how psychological symptoms in your life (like depression, anxiety, ADD, brain fog, chronic stress, chronic fatique, low self esteem, insomnia, irritability, etc), is strongly linked to malnutrition. The key question is, what, vitamin, mineral or nutrient/s are you missing?

Here is a quiz (if you're interested in finding out) that will help guide you to finding out what it is that you may be missing in your diet.

My imbalances after I took the test?

-Thyroid

-Adrenals
-hormones
(No surprises there!)

What are your imbalances?

PS:the test takes about 20-30 mins to take if you have the time to kill
PPS: This is NOT a diagnostic tool! It's just a guide

Peace

Carrot Souffle

One of my Favorite all time Desserts. On a health scale of 1-10 (10 being super healthy it'll put hairs on your chest) this dessert probably only gets a 6.5. Still, Normal cakes and candies are a 1!

Carrot Souffle

1lb carrots
1/2 cup melted butter (I use the Earth Balance butter because it's vegan)
3 eggs
1/3 coconut sugar
1 Tbs Honey
3T rice flour/cornstarch
1t baking powder
1t vanilla
Salt to taste

Cook carrots until tender. Blend carrots and butter. Mix remaining ingredients together in a separate bowl. Add to carrots and blend until smooth and slightly fluffy. Bake in a deep bowl that is oven safe (best) or cake pan. Bake for 45 min at 350. Lick the spoon and spatula!

A Guide to "Organic" and Other Food Labels

Click here for the whole article

The Word "Organic"

This is the biggie among food labels, and one of the most controversial. It's a word that sounds black and white—either it grew up naturally and was brought to you without chemicals, hormones, pesticides, or radiation, or it didn't, you'd think. But under federal law, any product with "organic" anywhere on its packaging or display materials must contain at least 70 percent organic ingredients.

To qualify as organic, those ingredients can't contain, or be produced with, any of the following: chemical, additives, synthetics, pesticides, or genetically engineered substances. That's the stated law, but, as you might imagine, those criteria can be subject to interpretation, and the USDA's regulation of the "organic" label has come under questioning. Photo by Tim Psych.

Cauliflower Pizza

Thank you Britt for this amazing recipe!

Cauliflower Pizza:

Ingredients:

-1 cup cauliflower, grated
-1/2 cup shredded light mozarella cheese (If you are going dairy free, try almond or Daia cheese)
-1 egg
-1 tsp oregano
-2 tsp basil
-2 tsp parsley
-1/2 tsp fennel
-1 green pepper
-1 onion
-1 tomato
-Garlic powder, to taste


Directions:

Chop pepper, onion and tomato. Set aside. Steam the cauliflower, let it cool and then grate it.


Combine grated cauliflower with the mozzarella and egg in a large bowl. Spray a circular or rectangular metal pan with cooking spray before spreading the dough evenly. Sprinkle the dough with fennel, oregano, parsley and basil. Add garlic powder.


Bake at 450° F for 12-15 minutes. Remove the dough from the oven and sprinkle chopped green pepper, onion and tomato, as well as the remaining mozzarella cheese on top. Return the pizza to the oven. Turn the heat up to broil and leave in until the cheese has melted and the crust is crispy.

Study: a link between Pesticides and ADHD

Studys show links between Pesticides and ADHD:

Studies linking environmental substances to disease are coming fast and furious. Chemicals in plastics and common household goods have been associated with serious developmental problems, while a long inventory of other hazards are contributing to rising rates of modern ills: heart disease, obesity, diabetes, autism.

Add attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) to the list. A new study in the journal Pediatrics associates exposure to pesticides with cases of ADHD in the U.S. and Canada. In the U.S. alone, an estimated 4.5 million children ages 5 to 17 have been diagnosed with ADHD, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and rates of diagnosis have risen 3% a year between 1997 and 2006. Increasingly, research suggests that chemical influences, perhaps in combination with other environmental factors — like video games, hyperkinetically edited TV shows and flashing images in educational DVDs aimed at infants — may be contributing to the increase in attention problems.

Read more: http://www.time.com/time/health/article/0,8599,1989564,00.html#ixzz1I94w2sT0

Introductions

Bodies are my obsession. They are miracle machines that keep growing, changing, glitching and sometimes breaking down. But they don't have to.

"If you have health you have hope. If you have hope you have everything"

That is the motto for this blog. I hope that I can help people make healthier choices in their lives that'll help their bodies function at their optimal: always! Food can be our medicine if we are dedicated to letting it heal us. Yes, it takes time and yes, it's a little different from what we are used to, but it doesn't have to be boring. Good food doesn't have to taste horrible and good food doesn't have to be dreaded.

Health if fun, it's enjoyable and it improves our life's quality! Food is fun, it's enjoyable and it CAN improve our life's quality....if we know how to use it properly!