As I mentioned in my Valentine’s post I am declaring Buddha Chocolate a new fave around here. I have always adored raw chocolate but since going Paleo late last year I am craving chocolate more than ever. Not the milk chocolate you find at most grocery stores either. I only want super dark chocolate, which is harder to find unless I drive to a health foods store. Not sure why I am experiencing these cravings but I feel comfortable just going with it. Buddha Chocolate sent me some of their offerings to review and I shared them with the husband this week. We both curled up on the couch for a good movie while the kiddies were at school and we noshed on chocolate. Does it get better than that? Nay.

Okay so what makes this chocolate better than what you can get at the grocery checkout? Well, it is raw & organic artisan chocolate made with pure Ecuadorian cacao beans. They sweeten it with raw, humane honey and the total ingredient list is very short with REAL food ingredients. Since the chocolate is not heated over 108 degrees all the enzymes and nutrients are in tact, which makes it a healthy, living food. They are dairy free, soy free, gluten free, and have no added sugar.

I was also blown away by the taste. The two almond butter cups they sent were my fave. A healthy version of the infamous peanut butter cup! The almond butter was creamy and delicious and the chocolate was rich and amazing. One of them (the red) has strawberries and full Goji berries in it. It was my #1 pick. All three chocolates have mesquite in them which gives them a lovely smoky flavor and they all have Pink Himalayan Crystal salt in them too. The salt factor gave them a real wow factor. The chocolate bar was generously sprinkled in the stuff. Insanely delicious!

The packaging is gorgeous and each piece has a Buddha quote on it for a bit of fun. I still have the little quotes on my desk. One was about quality of life and the other was about love. Both timely for Valentine’s Day I think. The owners of Buddha Chocolate are two adorable yoga teachers in New York City so this is a small business worth supporting too. As with most raw chocolate the price is up there but these are luxurious chocolates that are very rich and worth the price as long as they are an occasional luxury. If you love raw chocolate as I do, Buddha Chocolate is a must try. Enjoy!

Telling me you are a doctor and know a little something about nutrition and health doesn’t mean much to me. The more you research and take your health into your own hands… the further you go down that rabbit hole, the more you realize that most doctors and physicians are just products of a failed system and flawed science. Vaccination is a perfect example. We are told over and over again that vaccines are safe and that they keep us safe. Get those shots! It is only when a parent comes home from a well check or a hospital with a severely damaged child that they decide to kick over some rocks and find the truth. It is the same with many other aspects of health, disease, and nutrition. We have all been indoctrinated and it takes a great bit of courage and strength to take the red pill (ala The Matrix) and wake up from the fog. When you do, you start to realize that many doctors and physicians took the blue pill and they cannot help you on your journey to true wisdom and knowledge.

From there you have to find the physicians, researchers, scientists, and otherwise motivated individuals who have been brave enough to forge their own path and challenge current ideas about health and diet. I am going to list some resources that I feel fit the bill here. This is not to say that I agree 100% with everything contained therein but they have a lot of great info that challenges conventional wisdom. Read through and see what you think. Also shout out your own resources in the comments. Enjoy!

Wheat Belly – You may be sick of hearing about this book by now since I mention it quite often. It really is a life changing book that manages to take random bits and pieces you already knew and arrange them in a completed puzzle. You close the book wondering how you never saw it before.  You also wonder if mainstream medicine is really that stupid or if they are covering this up to protect other interests.

The New Evolution Diet - This book shows our paleolithic ancestors did not suffer from heart disease, diabetes, high blood pressure, or obesity. It also exposes a good deal of what we view as normal aging as a modern condition that is more akin to disease than any natural state of growing older. While it does confirm that we have made many wonderful advances in medicine it also shares why our modern ideas on nutrition and diet have been devastating for human health.

Nourishing Traditions – This is one of those books I don’t completely agree with but it still has lots of great info. Most importantly it shares how saturated fats and cholesterol are not villains but vital factors for health. While it doesn’t encourage us to go back as far as our paleolithic ancestors for dietary ideas it definitely encourages us to stay away from modern processed foods.

Eat Fat Lose Fat - Flouts conventional wisdom by revealing that so-called healthy vegetable oils (such as corn and soybean) are in large part responsible for our national obesity and health crisis, while the saturated fats traditionally considered “harmful” are essential to weight loss and health.

The No Grain Diet - The main point is that refined grains of any type are basically deadly and eating them should be viewed as an unhealthy addiction.

Good Calories, Bad Calories: Fats, Carbs, and the Controversial Science of Diet and Health -  This book could use a Cliff Notes companion. It is REALLY in depth and at times a tough read but WOW. It is jam packed with wonderful information. The author shows us that almost everything we have been taught about the nature of a healthy diet is wrong.

The Whole Soy Story: The Dark Side of America’s Favorite Health Food - An expose about the information the soy industry has tried to suppress. Soy is not a health food, does not prevent disease and has not even been proven safe.  Epidemiological, clinical and laboratory studies link soy to malnutrition, digestive problems, thyroid dysfunction, cognitive decline, reproductive disorders, even heart disease and cancer.

Fat Head – This is a movie and you can actually get it on Netflix. When I sat down to watch it for the first time I thought it was going to be a crock of you know what because it takes aim at another documentary, Super Size Me. I have no love for McDonalds so even though I have never seen Super Size Me I WANT to believe that every incriminating thing in the movie is true. Fat Head shows us how that other documentary was more fiction than fact. Tim Naughton does a high fat, fast food diet himself for 30 days and loses weight. And no the movie is not actually an endorsement for fast food. You have to watch. The latter half is actually the most informative. Naughton discusses how we came to accept current nutrition ideas, why they are wrong, and how politics and the food industry is keeping that from us. It is also VERY funny.

Earthing – Demonstrates how our loss of physical contact with the earth is harming our health and provides a solution that does not include sleeping in a grass hut.

Lights Out: Sleep, Sugar, and Survival - This book attacks agriculture and grains as the most devastating thing to happen to human health and the invention of the light bulb and artificial light as the second worst. Lots of wonderful information on why we need more sleep and how we can help reduce stress in our bodies caused by artificial light.

There are probably numerous other resources I could mention but those are the ones on the front burner for me lately. How about you?

Added to Real Food Wednesday

I have limited knowledge of Paula Deen myself. I did not watch her show (though I may have seen bits of an episode or two) and I don’t want to bash her or bash her food. That is not the intent of this post. What irritates me about this whole thing is that the first thing people say when they hear about this is… “Well, just look at all the fat in her recipes!” They talk about her fried foods and her love of butter. They talk about all the bacon she used in her recipes. They talk about how she needs to go vegan and get rid of all that fat. Huh????

Color me confused but what in the heck does fat have to do with this issue. Nothing. Why does everyone bring up the fat content of her meals? It was not the fat that made her diabetic. It was all the sugar and other foods that turn into sugar and cause insulin spikes and blood sugar imbalance, the carbs. It was not the butter, it was the bread, pasta, grains, baked goods, and sugar. It wasn’t the egg, or the patty, or the bacon in her Lady’s Brunch Burger… it was the glazed doughnut that sandwiched these things.

Perhaps Ms. Deen DID go overboard with fats in her recipes. I don’t dispute that. I highly doubt she much considered the quality of her fats either. But I do not think that fats make you fat and lots of current research supports this. Watch the movie Fat Head for a crash course. The book Wheat Belly also addresses this at length. It is too many calories and all the carbs… grains, pancakes, pasta, doughnuts, bread, oatmeal, etc that causes obesity. The insulin causes our body to store fat and send messages to our brain to keep eating carbs, even though technically we have eaten enough calories. Fat satiates us and makes us feel full. Carbs make us hungry again an hour after we eat a big meal. The insulin spikes from the constant carb load eventually cause insulin resistance. Our body is worn out from years of abuse and we develop type 2 diabetes and it wasn’t from eating fat. If you put two sticks of butter in your mac and cheese that didn’t help matters. Yet it was the pasta next to all that cheese and butter that caused your body to store that fat instead of burn it and make you ready for seconds before the first plate even digested.

It bothers me to see bloggers and other media folks harping on the fat while they give a free pass to the real culprits… the grains and carbs. Obesity is blamed when obesity is simply the symptom. Sadly when Paula Deen’s recipes are revamped for “healthier” eating they will likely become low fat whilst remaining high carb. A diet like that almost ensures that a diabetic will need to take insulin for management and intertwine their future with a pharma company who is motivated by profit and has no desire to help you achieve actual health.

Sadly I see the wrong foods being blamed here and the “cure” isn’t going to do anything but ensure you become and remain, a pharma customer. Why isn’t anyone talking about that?

Lady Brunch Burger Photo Source  | Added to Real Food Wednesday

The comments I got in regards to this were a mixture of confusion (what is left to eat?!) and frustration. It is indeed very frustrating to hear that the foods that have been paraded around in front of you as healthy for all your life, actually aren’t so healthy for you after all. Everyone thinks they have the “right” answer as well. The Weston A. Price folks cling to their lard, tallow, and liver like a security blanket, while the vegetarians and vegans sing the praises of their grains and soy. Raw foodies have wisely ditched the grains but go a bit overboard with nuts and carbs. I have followed all of these diets in the past. None of them seemed to cure everything that ailed me though and recently that has really started to bother me. I truly believe that food should be our medicine and instead of accepting certain nagging health issues as part of life I decided I wanted to get to the bottom of mine. I never imagined that I would want to go paleo or primal and in fact last year I would have said you were out of your cottin pickin mind if you told me I ever would. Those folks are fanatical about meat! And they don’t like dairy, like my beloved yogurt!

So what changed my mind? Actually it was by listening to my own body and analyzing all of my food intake in depth. Thanks to my obsession with SparkPeople.com I have tracked every bit of food that has entered my mouth for over a year. I saw exactly how many grams of carbs, fat, and protein I was consuming as well as all the major vitamins and minerals. It is conventional wisdom that guides Sparkpeople so it is naturally aimed me for a high carb, low fat, moderate protein diet as the goal. Even if I knew that fats were not bad as we have been programmed to believe it still bothered me to get a warning at the end of the day if I went over what they considered healthy. It was almost impossible to eat too many carbs though, which seemed wrong to me. I also had trouble meeting the minimum protein requirements many days.

After I got into weight training I realized my protein load was lacking and my carb load was causing me to feel hungry all day. I was frankly sick and tired of feeling ravenous only an hour or two after a big meal. It got to where I was making dinner for myself later and later because I hoped I would be in bed and asleep before the inevitable after-dinner hunger pangs struck. I knew something was off… my blood sugar and insulin levels. I need protein to keep making gains at the gym. I need less carbs so that I won’t be hungry all the time and be causing my blood sugar to spike all day long. I need more fats in the diet for the same reason… fats are what make you feel satiated and full. My analysis leads me to think I would be better served by a high fat, moderate protein, low carb diet.

If I want low carb then I need to stick to fruits and veggies as my source of carbs and drop any processed carbs that cause blood sugar spikes like grains, rice, potatoes, beans, and the like. After reading books like Wheat Belly I learned of another bazillion reasons to ditch them as well, especially grains like wheat. Going raw again was my first thought but I didn’t want to go crazy with nuts just to get my protein and fat levels higher. They are really hard on the digestive system. I am not a fan of avocados the way most raw foodies are either and coconut products are good but not in massive quantities. Plus raw foodies typically eat metric tons of fruit and dehydrated fruit… ala constant blood sugar spikes yet again. Ironically I had just read a blog post by a raw foodie talking about how many raw food dessert bars they ate in one day, uncontrollably. That sealed it. Lots of dehydrated fruit is no good either because the concentrated sugars will cause you to be ravenous just a short time later as your blood sugar drops. I needed to get off that roller coaster, not find a different version of the same ride.

At the same time I also wanted to address nagging health issues. My thyroid problem was not going away and I am still forced to take meds, something I detest. The hair loss in women is a deal breaker for many, me included. I am also suffering from sleep issues, seasonal depression, some annoying aches and pains, bloating, dry skin, and I broke out like a teenager during a couple of my last menstrual cycles. Yeah, something was way off. It isn’t something I started eating, like the soy-thyroid fiasco, because my diet has been constant, it is most likely something I wasn’t eating.

My research kept leading me back to the paleo or primal diet which is high fat, moderate protein, and low carb (no bad carbs). So why not? Well there is that whole vegetarian thing but I never gave up meat because I thought it was unhealthy to eat. It was out of concern for body acidity and environmental impact that I gave up on meat. I will keep things alkaline by going grain free and the eco issues are solved by buying local, pastured, ethically treated meat and not supporting factory farming. I always said I would go back to eating meat the moment we could raise our own on a small family farm but I guess I can’t wait that long. Of course I will have to put my own spin on the paleo diet and keep most of the fruits and veggies raw, drink my green smoothies, and not forgo dairy entirely. Another big factor is that the rest of my family eats meat and cooking/making different meals has got to stop. It will be such a huge stress reliever to make one meal that all of us eat!

This blog is not vegetarian centric in any way but I know that early this year when I posted a picture of a fish my son caught, some readers acted as though they wanted to come through their computer screens and claw my eyes out. I know some may be disappointed or angry to read I am going back to eating meat but I think I have explained some very solid reasons for doing so. It’s worth a try in my opinion.

I started this diet just before Christmas so it is hard to say with certainty how it is going but I am encouraged thus far that I am on the right track. I am already noticing that I am not experiencing bloating anymore, and I am not hungry between meals. Not hungry AT ALL. In fact I am having trouble getting in all the calories I should be consuming because my body already seems to be using fat stores for energy rather than sending messages to my brain that glucose fuel is needed and I need to eat carbs. I have also been sleeping better already, waking up slightly less in the night. No miracles to proclaim but there is improvement. I look forward to seeing what 2012 brings my way.

Right now I am reading lots about paleo/primal diets. It is based upon meats, seafood, nuts, healthy oils, greens, veggies, and fruit. We all know that previous generations were healthier than our own but rather than eating like my grandmother or my great-grandmother did, I am going back a bit further. The science is there and it is fascinating to read about the way we ate for thousands of years, primal health, and even ways we can exercise that can help us achieve the lean but immensely strong bodies of our ancestors. After reading The Primal Blueprint I was ready to kiss Mark Sisson, whose blog I used to eyeball occasionally but never read in depth, until now. He advises against chronic cardio and shows why that is actually not good for us to run marathons and do extensive cardio as so many do these days. I felt like a lazy slug because I had no desire to run long distances. I am totally content with running a mile or two max (and not every day) and yet all the cool kids seem to be doing marathons and half marathons. Now I am completely content to stick with my mild cardio workouts and weights.

Other Books I am Loving:

The Primal Blueprint Cookbook

Everyday Paleo (pictured above)

The New Evolution Diet

Hope I have answered the “What Will You Eat” question. I wanted to find a happy balance… WAPF with less grains and dairy, raw with more protein and diverse fats, and less sugar/carbs. I think that paleo /primal is a happy middle ground. Is it the “right” way? The jury is still out.

For the new year I decided to make some diet changes. I would consider myself a pretty healthy person who eats a healthy, balanced diet. The nourishing vegetarian, high raw diet I have “mostly” followed since my cancer diagnosis in 2006 has brought me back to health and vitality and yet there are some nagging health issues that have not been cleared up. My thyroid issue, which I am certain was caused by the soy I didn’t even know I was eating, is not reversing itself. I have had trouble getting to sleep and staying asleep for several years now. I think I have a few too many aches and pains for a 34 year old woman to have. As healthy as I may think my diet is, something has to be missing, right? The answer seems to be lurking in the dietary realms in which I did not want to go. Time to man up, or woman up, and go there for 2012.

One major change is that I am going grain free this year. No more wheat for me. I am also adding to my “NO” list rice, legumes, lentils, potatoes, corn, and quinoa. All of these things have either gluten-like components that cause digestive issues and immunity issues or they cause blood sugar spikes which can lead to insulin resistance. After reading Wheat Belly I am more and more convinced that this is the right thing to do. Despite the fact that I already limit grains and/or soak and ferment them, I know that they actually have no place in my diet at all and there is no time like the present to bite the bullet.

The book is essentially about modern wheat’s assault on our health. It follows the evolution of wheat, starting with its much milder, ancestors einkorn and emmer to the drastically hybridized and genetically modified wheat we have today. The early versions of wheat would not be suitable for things like bread and doughnuts; it was more suitable for porridge. It was also not suitable to be grown on a very large scale. Hence human involvement to adapt and change wheat so that it was everything we wanted it to be. Everything except safe for consumption ironically. No studies or tests were done to determine if all these changes we have made to wheat were safe and many scientists, including the doctor who wrote this book, think it is one of the most devastating foods to human health there is. It is a major factor behind obesity, diabetes, intestinal issues, Celiac Disease, compromised bones, heart disease, skin conditions, hair loss, and inflammation like rheumatoid arthritis. The book also explains how wheat is an addictive substance. There are numerous stories about how his patients reversed some very serious health conditions simply by kicking wheat to the curb.

The reason the book is called Wheat Belly is pretty clear from the beginning chapters. Wheat actually causes your body to store fat. It elevates blood sugar almost more than any other carb, including candy bars. It triggers insulin and the growth of fat, especially in the abdominal area. Not only does it make us fatter, it also stresses out our endocrine system with all the glucose spikes. If we eat a lot of complex carbs it’s like a roller coaster ride that never ends. It is no wonder that so many are getting type 2 diabetes. They are wearing these bodily systems out!

Another big sticking point is that wheat and other grains make the body acidic. This, coupled with concerns about factory farming, was why I gave up meat. I did not realize that grains had the same, and even worse, effect. I would have been much better served giving those up instead but conventional wisdom trains us to believe that grains are so good for us. Just think about how many times you read a food package and it says “Heart Healthy Whole Grains”.

There is so much information in this book that I barely knew where to start in reviewing it. I think I have hit on several of the major points but I barely scratched the surface. It is a must read for anyone who is eating grains.

Here is to a great “grain free” year!

I think I may need to do a once monthly column on new food products I have reviewed. Lately here I have been getting more and more food product pitches from companies and have been pleasantly surprised to find some really good eats among the offerings. I don’t buy processed foods all that often but a I do buy some for convenience’s sake if they are healthy enough to justify it. Some of my recent discoveries wowed me enough to ensure that I will keep buying.

The first product I have to mention is Melt Buttery Spread. When I first read the email I only skimmed it and thought it was a pitch for a margarine-like butter substitute. We are big pastured butter fans here. REAL butter with all its healthy and delicious fats. I was just about ready to hit the delete button when I noticed the mention of coconut oil. So then I had to go back through and read more carefully and this time I was intrigued. It is a butter substitute, which I really didn’t have a need for, but instead of margarine with its unhealthy soy oils and transfats, this spread has healthy fats via coconut oil. It is organic, has Omega 3 fatty acids, has no GMO ingredients, is gluten free, soy free, trans fat free, and has no preservatives or artificial coloring. So if it has healthy fats like butter does then why use Melt? It has half the calories. While I do love me some butter I think it is all too easy with nourishing, real foods to overdo it on the portion sizes and calories. I think Melt has provided us with a nice way to enjoy even more of the creamy buttery goodness without so many calories. Its a win win.

Ingredients: Organic oil blend (organic virgin coconut oil, organic palm fruit oil, organic canola oil, organic hi-oleic sunflower oil, organic flaxseed oil), water, organic unsalted butter, sea salt, organic butter flavor, non-GMO sunflower lecithin, tocopherols, annatto-turmeric.

We have used Melt for a couple months now and will keep purchasing if we see it in our local stores. We will keep buying butter too but I can see a place in our frig for both. A whole wheat english muffin just tastes divine with Melt on it because you get just a hint of coconut flavor from the coconut oil. Yum!!

The second stand out winner was That’s it Fruit Snack Bars. I decided to accept some of these because I thought they would be good snacks for the kids. And I am sure they are but I wouldn’t know because none of the bars made it to my kids. I ended up tasting the cherry/apple bar and deciding that these were PERFECT for pre-workout and post workout snacking. They are tasty and satisfying but not overly heavy. Love them! It is seriously hard to find good snack bars and protein bars that are healthy I tell ya.

These taste like real fruit roll ups but they are thick like a Lara bar. The only ingredient in them is fruit so you get 2 servings of healthy fruits with each bar and they have high levels of antioxidants and minerals. The 3 flavors are apple/cherry (1 apple, 10 cherries), apple/apricot (1 apple, 3 apricots), and apple/pear (1 apple, 1 pear). My fave is the apple/apricot. I have always been a fan of dried apricots. My second fave is the apple/pear. You can buy them via their online store or on Amazon. I have continued to buy these and probably will for a long time to come.

While we are talking about snack bars it seems a good time to mention Two Degrees Bars. This company makes healthy, all-natural, gluten-free nutrition bars in three delicious flavors. Two of them are fruit/nut combos and one is a nut/chocolate combo. I got one of each flavor from Klout, a member perk. I loved all of the flavors but sadly they have soy lecithin as an ingredient. They did not seem to adversely affect me the way soy protein isolate does but I cannot help that I am totally anti-soy now. I probably wouldn’t buy them again for that reason. They were delicious though.

Lastly I got a couple loaves of Rudi’s Organic bakery bread to try recently. Their breads are organic and gluten free. They were also tasty as well. We don’t eat that much bread here but I think theirs is a pretty good option compared to most of the products in the bread isle at conventional grocery stores.

Have any new products at your natural grocer knocked your socks off lately?

I have written about eating well on less money many times. This post on affordable organic food is a popular one. Even though I think it is totally possible to eat well and not spend a fortune it can be a difficult and delicate process. I asked fans on my Facebook page how much they spend on food, assuming that they eat mostly organic, whole, nourishing foods. The answers varied but it seemed that families with only 2 or 3 managed to get away with spending only $200-400 per month. When the family size went up to 4-5 the amount rose to an average of $750-$800. I had an inkling that I had gotten a little lazy with my own family’s budget and thanks to Mint.com I was able to quickly see that we spent over $1000 on food in August. This month I put a little more effort into it and I think we will end up around $850. That still seems high to me but what we are paying in money, we are not paying in doctor bills. Food, in my mind, is like a supplemental insurance policy. We almost never have to go see doctors anymore. What once was a large annual expense we wrote off on our taxes is now only a couple hundred dollars a year and that is mostly from preventative stuff like teeth cleaning and state hoops we have to jump through (our two boys both have IEPs).

So once I reminded myself of how healthy we are and how we rarely get sick I stopped feeling guilty about that $850 and started patting myself on the back. I don’t feel a bit guilty about the $65 a month we spend on gym memberships or the gas money we use to get to and from almost every day of the week between the two of us. So why feel guilty about nourishing my body, and my family’s bodies, with the best food? I shouldn’t and I have to let that go. But even so, I like a challenge and the idea that I could whittle that down even further appealed to me. I also happened to run across the book Wildly Affordable Organic: Eat Fabulous Food, Get Healthy, and Save the Planet–All on $5 a Day or Less at the library and it was a great read.

The author, Linda Watson, was inspired to try an experiment in the summer of 2007 when food philosophy and food politics came to the forefront. It was inspired by the work of Michael Pollan and the Food Stamp Challenge whereby some were trying to live on the national food stamp allowance of a dollar a meal. When public figures attempted the challenge and bemoaned how impossible it was, she talked her husband into doing the challenge with her so they could see just how well you could eat on a dollar a day. She also took a full time job outside the home while this was going on so that her attempt would be realistic to the lives of the working class. She and her husband discovered a lot on that journey but perhaps the most important thing was that they could eat healthy food on so little money AND they felt better physically than they had in a long while.

The book has two sets of meal plans. The “green” plan, which is the $5 plan, involves cooking with organic, sustainable, and kindly raised ingredients. The “thrifty” plan picks ingredients with a focus on cost. All recipes are vegetarian because the author is and I think that is awesome because IMO our society is meat obsessed. Whether you decide to be a vegetarian or not I think it is vital to know how to turn out lots of meatless meals, especially if you are on a budget. The meals plans in this book are compatible with the food stamp budget per person allotted by the state where the author lives (North Carolina).

I thought the book was quite excellent. It walks you through a bunch of educational info and pricing information so that you can get a feel for how to save money while still buying the pricier, healthier options. The recipes also look quite tasty although many of them would be adapted in my house to use less grains. I have said it a million times but veggie based cookbooks and recipe plans are heavy on bread and grains. This one isn’t too bad but I would still make some changes here and there.. mostly using a different sweetener here or coconut flour in leu of whole wheat flour there, etc.

The author also gives recipes for making your own bread, yogurt, and pizza dough. I admit that I do not bake my own bread and that is mostly because we do not buy enough or eat enough to justify it. My 5 year old son is usually the only one who demands bread and buying a loaf every two weeks is not breaking the budget. Still I plan on making bread more often over the winter. My sourdough starter has just come out of hibernation (the frig) and I plan to see if I can get a second hand heating pad for helping dough to rise. We already make our own sourdough pizza though I am going to add some of the seasonal toppings recommened in this book. Kale pizza here we come!

I already make yogurt at home but I could do it more because we still buy some at the store as well. We are big yogurt eaters here. Another recipe I want to try is the homemade burger buns. We have some turkey burger enthusiasts in the house and my hubby is always lamenting the crappy ingredients in his burger buns. I think he might like these.

After reading I made a list of ways I think I can whittle down food costs even more without sacrificing the quality of our food and most of that is all about planning better.

How about you? Do you feel that eating well can happen on a food stamp budget?

Awhile back I asked the Natural Family Living Facebook fans what their favorite cookbook was. I am ALWAYS in the market for something new and tasty to cook and the answers provided an excellent mix of real foods and nourishing foods cookbooks. There were also some specialty cookbooks that came highly recommended. Here are the cookbooks that ranked the highest. Enjoy and comment below if you have any suggestions to add!

First on the list was Nourishing Traditions. This was to be expected. I don’t know many real foods enthusiasts that don’t have a copy. It is on my bookshelf as well. Written by Sally Fallon of WAPF fame, it is full of traditional recipes that are nourishing and nutrient dense. It is so well accepted because it challenges the rather modern idea that we need to eat low fat diets. Rather fats and cholesterol are vital to normal growth, proper function of the brain and nervous system, protection from disease and optimum energy levels. If you love your pastured butter and cream you will likely love this book.

Also highly rated was The Art of Simple Food by Alice Waters. Alice is a chef and a food activist who has spent years trying to bring fresh, local, sustainable foods back to our plates. She has even been called the mother of American Food. Her cookbook is full of simple, seasonal recipes that are simply delicious. In my opinion it is like The Joy of Cooking for real food cooks. 4 ingredient soda bread, onion custard pie, nectarine and blueberry crisp… YUM!

The Blue Heron Cookbook (pictured above) is a cookbook full of recipes that are served at the Blue Heron Zen Retreat Center. It is just a fascinating cookbook and the hand drawn pictures just give it such a dreamy, whimsical feel. Recipes we particularly liked where the Banana Bread (which uses whole wheat flour and honey), the Sunday Pancakes, and the Simply Miso Soup. If you have a cook in the family, they would be delighted to get this unique book as a gift.

The Moosewood Cookbook is a classic and one of the best selling cookbooks of all time. Even better it has lots of healthy, real food recipes. Hand-drawn pictures and handwritten recipes make it feel like Grandma’s secret recipe book.

Feeding the Whole Family concentrates on healthy, organic, whole foods meals that everyone in the family will enjoy. Many times it can be tempting to make one dish for the grown ups and something else for the kids but these meals are designed to be healthy and savory while appealing to all family members.

Mediterranean food is considered by many to be one of the healthiest cuisines around. I also happen to think it is the tastiest as well so those that recommended Mediterranean Harvest are gals after my own heart. It has 500 vegetarian recipes from this region. Olive oil and garlic, herbs and spices, tomatoes and eggplants, peppers and squash, figs and peaches, seasonal produce, crusty bread, local cheese, the freshest yogurt, and wine. Yep, this one is a winner.

One of my fave cookbooks that seems to be well received everywhere is A Spoonful of Ginger – Irresistible, health-giving, recipes from Asian kitchens. I love Asian cuisine so any cookbook that helps me replicate some of their most flavorful dishes while keeping it real and healthy gets an A+ in my book. LOVE the sweet and sour soup!

On my wish list is a newer cookbook called Super Natural Every Day: Well-loved Recipes from My Natural Foods Kitchen.

Hungry yet?

One of the most important places that we can make an impact in child nutrition is the school lunch. Have you seen what is on school menus these days? Chicken nuggets, pizzas, burgers, mac and cheese, sugar laden drinks, and french fries are what is passing for veggies these days. It is truly sad that often times it is cheaper for parents to let their kids eat at school rather than to pack a lunch. This may be why @DrPraegers had designated each Wednesday as Healthy Lunchbox Day and parents are encouraged to pack a veggie rich, healthy lunch for the day. The idea that we might need to completely overhaul our kids diet can seem daunting, especially if your kids have been raised on the Standard American Diet (SAD). Healthy Lunchbox Day breaks this into an achievable goal… make Wednesday the day you give your child’s lunchbox a makeover and work from there. Baby steps right? Start small and help your kids establish healthy eating habits for life.

Here are some quickie lunchbox makeover tips:

• Use sprouted whole wheat bread instead the “white stuff”.
• Blend veggies into a hearty soup and send your child to school with a thermos.
• Add greens like spinach to fruit muffins. They won’t even know they are there!
• Use nori sheets to add funny faces to fruits and veggies.
• Sprinkle veggies with Parmesan cheese.
• Add snap peas to their lunch and almond butter or peanut butter for dipping.
• Instead of plain old carrot sticks pack some jicama sticks for variety.
• Sliced cucumbers go well with rice wine vinegar.
• Grated carrots can be hidden in peanut butter and jelly sandwiches as well as grilled cheese sandwiches.
• Hide broccoli sprouts or bean sprouts in the bottom of a pita.
• Make a chocolate pudding with avocado.
• Finely chopped veggies can be disguised in egg salad sandwiches.
• Sprinkle sesame seeds, sunflower seeds or flax seeds on top of salads and sandwiches.

Dr. Praeger’s is a company that makes healthier food options for kids including nuggets that have spinach, sweet potatoes, and other healthy ingredients. Their all-natural, delicious and nutrient-rich options that are a great way to help kids eat sensibly, maintain a healthy lifestyle and make smart food choices. Whether you serve their line of foods or you cook from scratch the goal is shine the spotlight on healthy foods and start those healthy eating habits early.

Any way you slice it, it is a monumental job in this age of sugary, processed, chemical laden food. Do you have any secret tips to share that have worked in your family?

This is part of a campaign sponsored by Dr.Praeger’s that I have been participating in for the month of September.

A few months back my husband and I fell in love with coconut juice/water. I had long known the claims surrounding it and we already used coconut oil, coconut flour, and the fresh meat from young coconuts for raw desserts, coconut yogurt and coconut kefir. Coconut is just all around one of the most AMAZING foods you can consume. But despite that we didn’t buy the individual bottles of coconut juice. Water seemed to work just fine for our hydration needs.

Earlier this year though my husband kind of kicked off a new wave of fitness goals around here when he joined a workplace challenge. Unlike many workplaces in this country my husband’s actually wants to try and do something about outrageous healthcare costs and so they negotiate breaks on insurance costs by actively encouraging their employees to be healthier. The employees participate because the payoff might be a large monetary bonus or a new flat screen TV. The company benefits by having healthier employees and by getting cheaper rates when they can show their insurance carrier their progress. Well, my husband started running every day and lifting weights. He didn’t end up winning the challenge at work but he won in his mind and mine because he started looking like his teenage self again. Both of us were pretty muscular and active in years past and seeing him get closer to his old physique was enough to send me to the gym too. ;) Both of us embarked on a journey into fitness, weight lifting, running, barefoot shoes, protein shakes, food supplements, and various other things including… coconut water.

What makes coconut water different from plain old water is the electrolytes: calcium, potassium, sodium, magnesium, and phosphorous. When we exercise for any length of time and sweat a lot, our body can be depleted and the electrolytes help us recover faster. This is why sports drinks are so popular but I happen to think Gatorade and most other sports drinks taste nasty. They also have artificial sugar which is no good IMO. Coconut water is a natural source of electrolytes with natural sugars and it is low in calories and fat if you want to watch that type of thing. I happen to like the extra calories (compared to water) because it can be tough to get all your calorie requirements met when you eat heavy on the fruits and veggies. I just went over this with my mom who was not eating nearly enough calories on her almost vegan diet and replacing water with coconut water in her twice daily green smoothies was just one way to get more calories without making her feel like she was eating all day long.

Anyway, we tried and liked one of the major coconut water brands. The only issue was that I did not like the way they tasted straight up so I it was green smoothie or nothing for me. Then I came across Amy and Brian Coconut Juice on Twitter and they offered to send me some cans for review. It has turned out to be a match made in heaven.

One issue I had with some other coconut drinks is that they come in plastic bottles or non-recyclable juice boxes. I didn’t really care for either of these packaging options. Amy and Brian Coconut Juice comes in cans, which have their drawbacks as well, but I prefer them overall. No one is making a glass bottle coconut juice/water that I know of. ;) Also I like the taste 1000% better than any other brand I have tried and that may be because it is coconut water mixed with some of the coconut flesh. My fave option, as well as my husband’s, was the coconut juice with pulp. It looks a little strange but it is delicious! I LOVE the chunks of coconut swimming around and I can drink it straight up or in a green smoothie.

The cost is not to bad either. These are big cans with two servings so we can easily use half and save it for the next day if we want. My husband prefers to drink only one serving but I have no issue downing a whole can. You can buy a 12 pack on Amazon and use the subscribe & save feature to get them for  just over $25. That qualifies you for free shipping and the per can price is just over 2.00.  Hubs and I buy Amazon gift cards through Giant Eagle so we can get the fuelperks to and that ends up knocking off another $6 on two 12 packs. Right now my husband and I are both lifting 4 days a week. We will usually have Amy and Brian Coconut Juice mixed in a green smoothie on gym days. On off days we drink almond milk and whey protein powder shakes. It seems to be working out well for us right now and we plan to keep buying since we like them so much.

But what about their impact on the planet? Well, I came across an article on the Mother Jones web site that addresses the sustainability of coconut products and overall coconut farming is pretty easy on the environment. Coconuts require little fertilizer, and their giant root systems help prevent soil erosion. The tough husks also mean that pesticides are rarely used. For the most part coconut farming is still done by small scale family operations so that that is a nice perk. Shipping to the US is the biggest environmental impact, as with many products. Coconut products go on my list of acceptable compromises (along with bananas and pineapple) in our household.

Green Smoothie Recipe:

Popeye’s Coconut Surprise

1 can Amy and Brian Coconut Juice w/pulp
1 banana (frozen or fresh)
1 cup of frozen fruit ( I used peaches)
3 cups fresh spinach
1-2 scoops greens powder
Ice cubes

When the weather is warm and I am not in the mood for a green smoothie I make the next best thing… a milkshake. Nosh on some chocolate on the side and I am heaven sent. Yum!

This is a raw, vegan “mylkshake” made from unsweetened almond milk. I added a bit of Thai coconut sugar, a ripe banana, some vanilla, and ice cubes. It is frothy and delicious. I think the Ball jar and glass straw just add a little something too.

In the bowl is handful of Nativas Naturals Cacao Goji Power Snacks. I have long liked the brand for their raw, vegan, organic offerings. They sent me this bag and and a bag of Citrus Chia snacks. The chocolate ones are killer. The Chia Citrus ones tasted like soap. I did not like them at all. My husband, however, devoured the whole bag in about 30 minutes. Guess they don’t taste like soap to everyone.

Now I am powered up for errands and laundry!

What are you snacking on?

The folks at Zico sent me a case of their coconut water a few weeks back. I was excited to try some coconut water pre and post workout because it seems to be all the rage right now. Fitness bloggers are talking about it and pics of celebrities leaving the gym with a bottle or sippy box in their hand are everywhere. The protein bar thing didn’t work out so well when I decided to get in THAT fad but this seemed relatively harmless. Coconut water as it appears in these products is just the water found inside young coconuts and we love young coconuts here.

So why coconut water anyway? Well, it hydrates you amazingly well just like water but it has some flavor. It is low in calories, fat free, has as much potassium as a banana, and also has electrolytes like calcium, magnesium and phosphorus. There is no added sugar either, which is awesome. In actually it is isn’t some miracle drink, just a good source of nutrients and hydration. Although coconut water can be used intravenously which is rather cool.

It is MUCH better IMO than a lot of sports drinks that are marketed to fitness enthusiasts. But is it better than water? My answer would have to be maybe. If you want the extra nutrients and you like the flavor then sure why not? My husband and I both decided, after working through our case, that we prefer water. The coconut water was tasty but it just didn’t satiate our thirst like good old fashioned water. My husband liked them a bit more than I did. In fact I really only liked the “plain” coconut water and would not drink the flavored ones. Of course that is when I was drinking them straight up.

I found that I MUCH prefer to put coconut water in green smoothies where that extra bit of sweetness is appreciated more. In fact I LOVED adding them to my daily smoothies, even the flavored ones. My smoothies are not very sweet. I can taste all the greens and veggies and most other family members do not much appreciate the smoothies I make for myself but adding the coconut water gave it an extra little kick that we all liked. I also liked that it upped the calorie content because sometimes it can be hard to get enough calories in when you are eating/drinking high raw AND exercising a lot.

The smoothie in the picture above is one quart of a two quart blender… 3 cups of collard greens, a banana, some frozen mango, two scoops of Vita Mineral Green, a couple teaspoons of chia seeds, and lime flavored coconut water. It is served as all my smoothies are, in wide mouth Ball jar with a glass straw. Yum!

So the million dollar question is… will we buy more? The answer is maybe. You can get them at Amazon for about $2.00 a bottle and that is a bit expensive when we prefer water. They also come in either non-recyclable boxes or recyclable plastic bottles. Yes, the bottles can be sent out for third party recycling but that is not a sure thing. I think if I got a good deal on them I would buy them now and again… as a treat for my green smoothies. :)

I found it initially via Facebook and immediately became hooked. I have heard lots of people refer to it as a weight loss resource like Weight Watchers, which it is… but I would personally classify it as a community for health enthusiasts or those that want to be. There are literally thousands of people there to lose weight but there are just as many there to track other goals related to health and fitness, aka their marathon training, weight training, and/or the nutrition in the foods they eat. I love it because it allows me to input each and everything I eat and every exercise that I do and let me compartmentalize and see how nutrient dense and healthy my diet is. That became important to me when I went vegetarian because so often you get questions about how you get x,y, or z without meat and this site helps you track that info yourself so you armed and ready.

You track the big three of course… fats, protein, and carbs. But those are less important to me as the vitamins and minerals you can also track. My carbs to protein ratio is not fascinating to me but my intake of iron, folate, B vitamins, and calcium is. You can track just about everything you could ever want and it gets organized into neato little pie graphs and charts at the end of each day. It totally takes the guesswork out the equation. You know what you are eating and what you are getting out of it each day. And yes, it gives calorie info for everything automatically so if you want to lose weight the system helps with that too. It was by using this record of my meals that I was able to see what had changed in my diet and caused the problems with my thyroid and hormones.

Most of what you see above was already in the system and I only had to search for it to add it to my menu for the day. It already had info for the grass fed yogurt from Whole Foods and the Trader Joe’s Greens Powder. Other things I have to add when I cannot find them or I use a substitute. I didn’t have the Sun Warrior Activated Barely today I had a the Sun Warrior Raw Ormus SuperGreens but that wasn’t in their search database and I didn’t have the packaging on me to enter it manually. So yes, that is a cheat but usually I am pretty spot on.  I don’t think I have the Ancient Harvest brand Quinoa either but I figured there wasn’t likely to be a lot of variation so I just used that data rather than manually enter my brand.. which was just organic bulk quinoa from the market. After looking at this I see something I forgot to add… doh! I had chia seeds for lunch too.

I like how there are water intake and a fruit/veggies toggle buttons. It is nice to press those toggle buttons and see your numbers for the day go up, up, up. Drinking water is sometimes a struggle for me and this feature helps.

The photo above shows the nutrition section but there is also another section for Fitness. You look up any activity you did from a 30 minute yoga class to 30 minutes of heavy cleaning and it calculates calories burned and adds those minutes to your fitness totals. There are even virtual trophies for fitness minutes that you can earn each month. You can set up goals like mine, which is to walk/run 5 miles a week and swim twice. The weight training section allows you add any weight lifting exercises you do whether it be via circuit training machines or free weights and it keeps them in memory so that you can check them off when you complete them on future days and weeks.

And as if all that wasn’t amazing enough it really is a community with forums that are general and specific to your region. You can join fitness teams in your city and even look for a fitness buddy. You can also set up your own personal Sparkpage and blog.

This site has become so valuable to me I just had to share. Enjoy!

Eating healthy while traveling is perhaps one of the most difficult jobs that a health-conscious individual may encounter. Between tight traveling itineraries and the foods that are available, more often than not even those who are health minded will find they have fewer choices than the family who will just swing through the nearest fast food restaurant. Thankfully, however, there is a way to ensure that even while traveling you can avoid the lapse into unhealthy eating. This could be for long term travel like vacations or even just short jaunts away from the home.

Tips for Eating Healthy ‘On the Go’

Brown Bag It. Whether you are looking at a full-scale lunch or just snacks, the best (and least expensive) way to eat healthfully while traveling is to pack your own snacks or lunches. Mind you brown bagging your food does not usually work if your travel involves airports, but for cars, busses and trains a carefully planned lunch or snack can save you money and guilt. Of course if you plan on eating your own lunches you will need to plan your stops accordingly and opt for rest areas or public parks instead of strip malls or convenience stations for your meal breaks. For packing snacks and meals I like LunchBots. They are perfect for veggies, fruit, and sandwiches. I also like to take Lara bars with us for snacks on the go.

I also REALLY like the stainless steel food containers from Fill Your Own. The blue container in the photo above is from this Canadian store. It is from their Panda Play collection. I packed these up recently with cherries and other fresh foods for us to take with us to see Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. I have no qualms about taking outside food into these places because the food they offer there is terrible. I either put them in my purse or in one of the matching reusable bags that Fill Your Own sells. Snacking on cherries and Lara bars during the movie beats popcorn for sure.

Choose Wisely. When traveling it is a fact that ‘fast’ food is often the most convenient. But just because you are pressed for time – or because it the most accessible – doesn’t mean that you have to settle for unhealthy choices. If packing a lunch is not an option and you really are pressed for time, there are plenty of healthy choices when it comes to ‘fast food’ restaurants. Subway and Chipotle are two restaurants that come immediately to mind when thinking about healthier food choices. At Subway I will get a 6 inch veggie sub and at Chipotle I get a vegetarian burrito bowl. For family meals I also really like Bob Evans because they have fresh fruit plates and yogurt as meal choices for kids and adults.

Plan Ahead. Many times poor eating habits while traveling isn’t necessarily about a lack of time – or even a lack of choices – but rather a lack of planning. You rush and rush in order to get ready, but fail to eat breakfast before you leave for the airport, or bother to pack a snack for the drive, and so it is easier to just pull into a fast food joint or grab a quick bite at the airport. By planning ahead and eating before you leave, or scheduling a real dinner for after you arrive, or packing a lunch for while you’re on the road, you can avoid many unhealthy food choices.

Your choices may be limited while traveling, but you do still have choices, and no matter what your mode of transportation, you can still exercise your will power when it comes to healthy eating options and rest assured that you don’t have to stop eating healthy just because you are on the road.

What is your favorite way to deal with meals on the go or eating healthy while traveling?

Canning and preserving food is no longer the necessity that it used to be before the age of grocery stores and pre-packaged convenience foods. In fact, there are plenty of people who look down on the art of canning and preserving as being unnecessary, time consuming and pointless. However, for those families who understand the cost and health benefits of preparing your own foods; learning to can and preserve can go a long ways towards cutting costs and keeping your family eating healthy, even during the winter when fresh foods aren’t available. Food preservation is especially important for families that like to keep it green by eating local.

What Exactly IS Canning?

The concept of canning food is simple enough; you put food in jars and then subject the filled jars to very high temperatures for a long period of time. This process kills all sorts of nasty microorganisms and puts a halt on a whole host of enzymes that can cause your food to spoil. During the heating of the jars also drives the air out of the jar causing a vacuum seal as the food in the jars cools, keeping the food inside as fresh as when it was processed.

There are dozens of websites and books that provide excellent directions and recipes for canning different kinds of foods, but there are a few things to keep in mind before starting any sort of canning or preserving project. For further reference I happen to like The Art of Preserving and Preserving Nature’s Bounty.

Canning and Preserving Tips

Choose Your Foods. Just about any kind of food can be subjected to canning or preserving, but your best bet for both cost effectiveness as well as health benefits is to preserve the foods fresh (both fruits and vegetables) when they are in season, so that you can benefit from having 100% natural foods year round.

Know Your Process. Be aware of what sort of method you are going to want to use when canning or preserving your produce. Do you want to preserve the produce in its uncooked or raw state? There are preserving processes specifically designed for ‘raw packing’ your foods. If you want to hot pack your foods (heat your food before it is put into jars) then you will find that there is a whole different set of steps you will need to follow.

Make Sure You Have the Right Equipment. Canning requires some specialized equipment. First off, you will need a canner (The kind of canner you need will depend on what foods you will be canning so be sure to check which sort of canner is recommended for which kind of food), canning jars, new lids and rings, a jar lifter, a funnel (preferably stainless steel).

Start Small. If you are just starting out with canning and preserving, don’t get over-ambitious to start with. Begin small; simple vegetable or fruit canning can be an excellent (and easy) way to start and will give you much needed practice. As you become more comfortable you can move on to more complicated methods. Make as much as you can your first year without feeling overwhelmed and keep track of how long it took you to eat those items. Then the next year if you went through all 10 jars of jam by October then you know that you need to double the amount you preserve the following year.

Other Preservation Methods

Ice is Nice. If you have a large freezer or even a dedicated stand alone freezer then you have the perfect opportunity to freeze your seasonal fruits and veggies as you buy them for later use. Look for tips online specific to eat type of produce. That way you will know how to freeze strawberries and blueberries for instance, without having them stick to each other in one frozen lump. Once again make a checklist so that you know you started the year with 3 bags of green beans and see how long they lasted so you know how many you will need next year. Freezing is probably the easiest preservation method but sadly it relies quite a bit on plastic bags. I have frozen food in glass ball jars though with much success.

Vacuum Pack. I have never tried this myself but I know many moms who swear by their FoodSavers. I imagine though that most of what they seal still ends up in the freezer, as above.

Salt Preservation – I have a copy of the book Preserving Food without Freezing or Canning and it highlights ways to preserve meats with salt in lieu of nitrates and nitrites. I love this book but have never tried that particular method. My husband, however, would love to try preserving fish with salt.

Cold Storage – Some produce can be preserved simply by keeping it in your root cellar or another suitable place for cold storage. Some things that do well with this method are potatoes, carrots, turnips, beets, apples, and onions. Some need to be stored in specific ways though. I know some put carrots in barrels full of sand and apples are often individually wrapped in newspaper.

Dry Your Foods. Using a dehydrator to preserve food is actually pretty simple if you have a good dehydrator. I recommend the Excalibur with its is nifty trays and temperature controls. It allows me to dehydrate foods at low temperatures so that technically they are still living, raw foods. You can dry lots of fresh fruits and veggies and put them in jars for snacking all year long. Healthy school lunches are MUCH easier to pack when you have dehydrated goodies on hand. You can also dehydrate goodies for camping and backbacking trips. Whole meals can be made for this purpose so that you only need to add water at the camp site.

What is YOUR favorite thing to preserve?

There seem to be two major concerns battling for superiority when it comes to the subject of eating well.  Firstly, everyone can agree that eating healthfully is important, but at the same time, with the increasing cost of food prices, there is a strong emphasis being put on saving money on your grocery bill. Is there a way to be able to reconcile the two?

In spite of the astronomical rise in food prices (especially in fresh fruits, vegetables, meats and dairy) there is a way to ensure that you are not only able to eat well but to spend less doing so.

Guidelines to Eating Well for Less

Cut out Convenience Foods: We are an incredibly busy society, and to help ourselves out we’ve created (and have come to depend on) ‘convenience’ foods; things that can just be popped into the microwave or that only take a few minutes to fix on the stove top.  The problem is, convenience foods may be quick and easy, but they are usually quite expensive and are definitely not good for you; the list of additives and preservatives in even the most basic of ‘convenience’ foods should be enough to make anyone sick just looking at them.

Cooking from Scratch: Choosing to cook from scratch is important if you are looking to eat well.  If you cook from scratch you get to choose all of the ingredients that will be in your food including seasonings and so you don’t have to worry about chemical additives or questionable food preparation methods.  Cooking from scratch may seem like a daunting proposition, but it is really not as difficult as it may seem.  Yes, it is going to take longer to prepare the food, but on the plus side, you will know exactly what has gone into the food you have prepared and can take pride in the dishes that you have prepared.

Prepare Ahead: One of the biggest things about convenience foods is that they are ready NOW.  You can take away the sting of removing convenience foods from your diet by preparing food ahead of time.  There are many dishes that can be prepared from scratch in advance and then frozen in smaller sized containers to be re-heated when a quick meal is needed.  This will prevent you running out for fast food or a quick convenience food when the urge hits you.

Buy Locally: Purchasing locally grown foods can not only cut down on your grocery bill, but also on your concern as to the quality of merchandise that is being purchased.  When you buy food at a large chain grocery store; even fresh foods; you really have no idea where the food came from or how long it has been on the road.  Purchasing as much fresh food locally as possible can go a long ways towards your peace of mind when it comes to the quality of your food and will also help to encourage a closer sense of community between neighbors.

While there are plenty of other things that can be done to ensure that you can eat well and actually spend less money doing so, these simple guidelines can go miles toward ensuring that you can start eating better now, and actually save money in the process.

How do you save some green while still making sure you eat healthy foods?

The Thyroid’s role may seem like a simple one; to stimulate the metabolism and (along with the parathyroid glands) control the body’s circulating calcium levels, but when the Thyroid is not functioning properly, things can get very nasty very quickly, which is why the very earliest signs of a malfunctioning Thyroid should not be overlooked.

As I wrote about earlier I made a very big mistake in March when I started consuming soy. The end result was that my thyroid went wacko. I had no idea that something was amiss with my thyroid until my hair started falling out. A blood test confirmed the problem.

Symptoms of a Malfunctioning Thyroid

The symptoms of a malfunctioning Thyroid include things like cold hands and feet, sensitivity to cold, headaches, sleeplessness, coarse skin, swollen eyes, fragile nails, joint aches, constipation, fatigue, hair loss, a croaky voice and dizziness and none of these things are ever associated with a major disorder and are in fact overlooked by many medical professionals.

What Can Be Done?

Regardless of whether you have been medically diagnosed with a malfunctioning Thyroid or whether you simply suspect that this may be your problem, there are plenty of natural remedies that you can employ that can right the wrongs that have been done to this delicate system.

For starters, a good diet can do wonders to keeping not only correcting outstanding thyroid problems, but in maintaining a healthy Thyroid.  To this end you should avoid foods and liquids that have been treated with chemicals or been exposed to chemical pollutants because many chemicals can interrupt the delicate balance of the Thyroid. But simply eliminating chemicals and chemical pollutants is not always enough.

You should also replace any expeller-processed or solvent-extracted oils in your diet since these kinds of oils (polyunsaturated oils) can block the production of thyroid hormones.  Coconut oil is recommended to act as a replacement for polyunsaturated oils and many also believe that it actually helps stimulate healthy thyroid function.

The lack of iodine plays a major part in the malfunctioning of the Thyroid and no, simply using iodized salt is not enough.  In fact, you should be replacing your table salt with unprocessed sea salt as natural sea salt contains larger amounts of iodine.  You need to be able to significantly increase the amount of iodine in your diet, this includes adding foods such as seafoods, vegetable juices and kelp or seaweed based products.

Another helpful hint when considering your diet is that there are some foods that are considered to be natural gotrogens which means that they can affect and even inhibit effective Thyroid functioning.  Some of these foods include brussel sprouts, kohlrabi, turnips, rutabaga, radishes, cabbage, kale, rapeseed, broccoli, sweet potatoes and soy. It also helps to cut back on processed flour-based products such as cookies, crackers, breads and other products as they can slow the Thyroid functioning down significantly. I happen to eat lots of the above mentioned greens and veggies (minus soy) and have never had an issue. Soy was the only one that caused a problem.

In addition to keeping an eye on your diet, there are some herbs and mineral supplements that can be taken that help improve the efficiency of the Thyroid gland.  These include: Shilajeet-Asphaltum Puniabiunum, an Indian wonder drug that contains over 85 different minerals in different forms; Kanchanara-Bauhinia Veriegata (purple mountain ebony), an herb that has a reputation for keeping the Thyroid functioning effectively and, finally, licorice.  This is not the candy, but the herb and is used to maintain a healthy balance between glands and energy building.

None of these things guarantee a ‘cure’ for your Thyroid problem but with the proper application these steps can help you to keep your Thyroid in prime condition. Personally I opted to do nothing different after my diagnosis except stop eating the soy of course (which I already had) and continue my normal healthy eating patterns. I had my blood tested 1.5 months after I stopped consuming the soy and my levels are now only “slightly” outside of normal. Woot! Now I plan to start eating kelp and seaweed flakes to see if I can totally reverse the problem. Might try some of the herbs I mentioned to.

In other news I also had another issue the soy caused that I didn’t mention in my original post because I wanted to see how it would play out. The first symptom that something was awry was not the thyroid issue. It was my detection of a painful mass just under my left breast. The first month it popped up a few days prior to my menstrual cycle and this was only a few weeks after I started the soy. It went away after 2-3 days and I ignored it. The next month it came back and was even more painful. I was out of town at the time so I didn’t go to see a doctor. That was most likely me just making excuses though… in my mind I was thinking lump = breast cancer and since I have already saddled that pony and ridden it before (colon cancer) I was not anxious to get a diagnosis.

Anyway it came back a third time and I went to see a doctor. It was gone by the time my appointment rolled around but they gave me prescriptions for an ultrasound and a mammogram.. which I ignored because it was at this appointment that I found out about my thyroid. I had discovered the soy in the protein bars I was eating 2 weeks before and was fairly certain they were what had caused this breast lump business and now with the thyroid information I was 100% convinced.

When my next cycle came around 1.5 months after I stopped eating the soy I was actually surprised by it. The painful lump had preceded my last 3 periods so it was kind of a shocker to have it sneak up on me with nary a symptom. The mass still appeared but it was smaller and not painful at all. I had a breast exam and thyroid levels check that same day and the doctor is in agreement that soy is probably what caused it and that it is most likely just a cyst that developed due to hormones (phytoestrogens in soy).  My doc is a vegetarian so he was totally familiar with soy and the issues it can cause and doesn’t think I need to get a mammogram or U/S. He advised me to stay away from soy based faux meat products, LOL. NOT a problem! I am wondering if my lump issue will end up going away completely… only time will tell. For now I need to concentrate on fixing the thyroid issue and I am glad I am having success with that already.

When it comes to healthy summertime treats for kids the winning solution usually has to do with the presentation of the treat. Something that captures a child’s imagination has a much better chance of actually getting eaten.

Getting a Visual on Summer Treats

A child given a handful of carrot and celery sticks is far less likely to be interested in eating them than is if they were given ‘notched’ carrot and celery sticks that they can create buildings out of (think the old fashioned Lincoln Logs).

Which brings us to our first healthy summertime treat:

Rabbit’s Lincoln Logs. Rabbit’s Lincoln Logs consist of carrot and/or celery sticks cut to precisely the same length and “notched” on each end so that they can be used to create edible structures. Kids will have a blast creating and then eating cabins and other structures. Stand by with a kitchen knife so that you can “cut out” windows and doors. If you want to get really creative, you can add olives as “ornaments” or lettuce leaves as thatching for the roof.

Juicy Pops. Tried but true, freezing 100% natural juice in your freezer to make juice pops never goes wrong, no matter how young or old your child is. Orange juice and apple juice fresh from the juicer and then frozen are big hits with my own kids. You can also buy popsicle molds with interesting shapes and forms that kids will love.

Homemade Smoothies. Everyone loves a cold drink on a hot day, but if you want to make sure that your kids get healthy alternatives to the high-sugar varieties of drinks available, you may want to consider homemade smoothies. Use an all-natural yogurt or kefir (plain or flavor of choice) as your base. Add 1 cup of berries and a handful of spinach. Blend it smooth and serve in small cups. Hint: Try to aim for a ‘pleasing’ color for your smoothie or your child may refuse to even try it. In our home we especially spinach and musk melon smoothies. They taste great and the pale green color is appreciated.

Tea Party Sandwiches. While the idea of tea party sandwiches may be aimed at girls for the most part, just change the name for boys, the idea is the same. Use a sprouted bread (like Ezekiel) and your favorite sandwich filler, and then cut the sandwich with a cookie cutter to make fun sandwich shapes. Hint: to minimize waste, use a cookie cutter shape that you can get at least one tea party sandwich per slice of bread, and don’t add the filler until after you’ve cut the shape, this will prevent unnecessary waste of the sandwich filler (not to mention cut down on the mess).

Nut Butter Porcupines. Use a smooth nut butter (like almond) and scoop out a large tablespoon full. Pat the nut butter into a smooth ball and then roll through chopped up walnuts and coconut until they resemble porcupines that have rolled themselves up into a ball. For an extra sweet touch you can add honey to the butter before rolling them in the nuts and/or coconut. This treat can technically be considered a “sweet treat” thanks to the coconut, but is still far healthier than many “sweet” snacks available on the market. Sunflower seed butter (which my kids adore) will also work with this if you add a bit of almond flour to solidify it.

What treats do your kids like to eat in the summer?

As I mentioned in my post on Sourdough Bread, I am not a fan of grains and try to keep those to a minimum in our diet. They are hard for us to digest, they are often refined in such a way that makes them nutrient deficient, and many are causative in some autoimmune disorders like Celiac disease. There is also quite a following of parents who believe that grains and specifically gluten, is like poison to a child with autism or other sensitivities. You hear more and more about families going gluten free for the sake of their health every day.

It was a struggle for us at first since I LOVE bread with a passion but once you get used to not eating as much bread and grains you lose the taste for it. We never opted to buy up gluten free versions of the foods we used to eat but the fact that this option is available is pretty awesome.

The market place has really stepped up to meet the needs of gluten free families. Gluten free products are everywhere, which is actually quite awesome because it used to be hard to find qualifying products. A good gluten free cookbook would be the best place to start if you want to try going gluten free but there are also numerous processed products out there that fit the bill too.

After perusing the site, Free From Gluten, I was impressed with all that they offer. I wouldn’t mind trying the gluten free pretzels (because I still love pretzels) and the ginger juice myself. The curious side of me wants to know how gluten free bread really tastes and heck I didn’t even know there was such a thing as gluten free shampoo… or even shampoo with gluten.

Does your family avoid gluten? How easy or hard has it been?

** This is a sponsored post

Healthy eating is such a subjective thing. Or is it? Everyone has their own ideas of what is healthy. Many swear by tofu and I think it is a bad idea. Others think that fat is the devil and I think no such thing. Can we ever agree? Well, I do happen to agree for the most part with Real Simple magazine’s list of 30 healthiest foods… not that they are the healthiest per say but it is a pretty good list of healthy foods. I thought it would be fun to go through their list and see how regularly my family is eating these foods.

1. Mushrooms – Eating these weekly. This week it was baby portabellas and oyster mushrooms.

2. Walnuts - Monthly at best. My kids eat them more than I do.

3. Peanut and Almond Butters – No peanut butter but we do have almond butter and sunflower seed butter. My kids eat some daily usually. I may have a spoonful once a week.

4. Quinoa – Monthly, although I really want to increase this. I need to experiment with some Quinoa recipes.

5. Almonds – We used to make homemade almond milk several times a week but have fallen away from that now that we have local, fresh cow’s milk available to us. But we do have the almond butter.

6. Blueberries – Daily. I put a small bit in our green smoothies every day usually and my 5 year old eats frozen blueberries like M&M’s. I had to go out this morning to buy some in fact, because I knew he would request them first thing. In the summer we will have fresh blueberry compote for breakfast a couple times a week.

7. Eggs – We eat about 2 dozen a week from our local farm delivery service. They are pastured eggs with deep orange yolks… yum!

8. Spinach – Daily. I put at least a cup of spinach in our smoothies each day.

9. Wild Salmon – Nope.

10. Chicken Breast – My husband likes these and buys them for himself and the kids but that is rare since he is not usually home for dinner. IMO this should not be on the list.

11. Avocado – Rarely and in the summer only. My kids don’t like avocados much unless I mix it with cacao and make chocolate pudding. I might try blending one in a smoothie this summer though.

12. Sweet Potatoes – Only in winter but we do have them a couple times a month during that time.

13. Barley – Nope.

14. Whole Grain Pasta – 1-3 times a month usually. This should also not be on the list.

15. Oatmeal – Rarely. We don’t much like it here but we do have it in cookies sometimes.

16. Skim Milk – Nope. I usually buy 2% or full fat. Unless it is in kefir or yogurt the kids are the only ones who drink it. Skim milk should not be on this list either.

17. Lentils – Once a month maybe. We just had 13 bean stew this week and there were lentils in it.

18. Bulgar - Nope.

19. Sardines – My 10 year son and husband eat these on occasion.

20. Kiwi – A couple times a year maybe.

21. Olive Oil - Weekly. My 10 year old likes good olive oil mixed with pepper and he dips baked bread in it. Its his fave snack.

22. Kale – Weekly in smoothies. I alternate between kale, chard, collards, turnip greens, and wild greens.

23. Kidney Beans – I think these were in the aforementioned 13 bean stew but before that I can’t recall the last time we ate them.

24. Chard – Weekly in smoothies.

25. Edaname – Nope.

26. Pumpkin – In the fall only.

27. Oranges – Weekly usually. The kids love them.

28. Non Fat Greek Yogurt – Yes to Greek yogurt, no to non-fat. I eat 2% or full fat Greek yogurt every single day, first thing in the morning. Once a week for my kids.

29. Broccoli - Weekly.

30. Black Beans – Monthly. Usually only at Chipotle… have to have one of their vegetarian burrito bowls at least once a month.

I would add carrots, green beans, snow peas, more greens, blackberries, wheatgrass, and coconut oil right off the top of my head.

How did you do? See anything you would remove from this? Or Add?