Cranberry's

CRANBERRIES ARE NOW IS SEASON 

Its that time of year when cranberry's are now part of our diet so I wanted to offer up a little information about them, and a recipe you can make for the holidays. Cranberry's are a rich source of procyanidins, phytochemicals that appear to prevent bacteria from sticking to the urinary tract and causing infection. Researchers speculate that regularly drinking a glass of cranberry juice may deliver enough procyanidins to help ward off a urinary tract infection. They may also offer protection against cancer and cardiovascular disease.  They are low in calories, and a good source of vitamin C.  However, try to use unsweetened cranberry juice for the most benefits. 

Cranberry Pear Crisp
Ingredients 
4 ripe pears 
1 cup whole cranberries 
1/4 cup maple syrup

2 tablespoons lemon juice 
1/2 cup oatmeal 
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 tablespoon flour 
1 teaspoon cinnamon 
1 tablespoon butter 

Topping can be whipped cream or vanilla ice cream

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. 

In a medium bowl combine the peeled, cored and cubed pears, cranberry's, maple syrup, lemon juice and toss well. 

In another bowl combine the oatmeal, brown sugar, flour, and cinnamon. Cut in the butter to resemble course crumbs. 

Spoon the pear mixture into an 8 x 8 inch baking dish, top with the oatmeal mixture. Bake for 10 minutes at 400, then reduce the heat to 350 and cook for 20 minutes more, or until fruit is bubbling.

Serve with desired topping or alone.

Serves 4. 

Cancer Fighting Cabbage

When it comes to diets that help fight cancer cabbage is one of the foods you want to consume.  It is high in calcium, vitamin A, and vitamin C.  But most people don't buy it and many say it smells. Would it surprise you to learn that it smells because it's boiled?  

The glucosinolates in cabbage are what give it the cancer fighting properties. Boiling cabbage also cooks out most of the glucosinolates. That being the case we need to get it into the diet in other ways.  For the most flavor and the most nutrients try it the following ways: 

STEAMED - Cabbage doesn't loose nutrients when it's lightly steamed. Add some salt and pepper and serve along side a meat dish.  You can also chop it up and add it to mashed potatoes or any other veggie dish. 

SAUTEED - Five minutes of sauteing preserves the glucosinolates.  Toss into stir fry's as   you can do some many different things with stir frys, just change up the protein and veggies, or simply saute in a little butter or olive oil. 

RAW - Your body absorbs more glucosinolates when you eat it raw.   Add it to salads, salsas, and soups. You could even use it in a sandwich in the place of lettuce. 

I have a recipe for a cold Asian Slaw salad that is delicious.  It's cold and crunchy and everyone who has had it falls in love with it and asks for the recipe.  Here is it: 

Dressing: 
6 tbsp rice vinegar 
6 tbsp vegetable oil 
5 tbsp creamy peanut butter 
3 tbsp soy sauce
3 tbsp brown sugar 
2 tbsp minced ginger 
1 1/2 tbsp minced garlic
2 tbsp miso

Combine the following in a bowl and whisk to blend. Can be made ahead and refrigerated however, let stand at room temp for 30 minutes before using.

Salad:
5 cups thinly sliced green cabbage 
2 cups thinly sliced red cabbage 
2 large red or yellow peppers, cut into matchsticks 
2 med carrots, shredded 
8 large green onions, sliced 
1/2 cup chopped cilantro 
Optional: roasted and salted peanuts

Slice all salad ingredients into a large bowl and chill well. This salad must be served very cold.  Dress the salad right before serving so it stays crisp. Toss in some chopped peanuts if desired. 

This a great recipe to serve a crowd. Take it to a party as a side dish.  

Possible Sight Savers - Food for Eye Health

I thought it was only carrots that helped with eye health. I am alone on this or does everyone else have that impression too?  I can remember my Mother always telling me to eat my carrots so I could see in the dark.  I thought she was pulling my leg.

Did you know that some of the best foods for eye health are kiwifruit, pomegranate juice, and wheat germ?  They can help stop age related macular degeneration (AMD) and cataracts, which occur twice as often in women as in men. 

Kiwifruit

They are an excellent source of lutein, zeaxanthin, and vitamin C, antioxidants that may reduce the risk of AMD and cataracts. Eat two per week. 

Pomegranate Juice

Reduces systolic pressure (a risk factor for eye disease) by 5% after two weeks, increases blood flow to the eye by widening optic blood vessels. Drink 1/2 to 1 cup of pure no sugar added pomegranate juice 5 to 7 times per week. 

Wheat Germ 

High in vitamin E and one of the best sources of folic acid which helps level homocysteine which is an amino acid that has been linked to AMD.  Eat two tablespoons per day.

And don't forget to eat your carrots :)






Source: Natural Health Magazine April 2009   

Skim Milk - the big lie

Why do people drink skim milk?  Because they think that they will lose weight by not drinking the fat?  That the fat is bad for them?  And what about the taste?  Without the fat it has little to no taste. So why do people drink it?

Whole milk has saturated fat in it.  And when it comes to saturated fat we've been sold a bill of goods. Prior to World War II Americans did not drink skim or low fat milk. We only drank whole milk, and in fact the more cream in the milk, the higher the quality of the milk, and more likely the consumer was to buy it. In addition, milk was not homogenized then so you could see the cream line on the bottle.  Cream was considered a valuable and nutritional food for centuries.

Remember the bill of goods we were sold about margarine?  Remember when butter was bad and margarine was good?   Now we know that margarine is bad and everyone needs to go back to eating butter. It's the same with skim milk.  Years ago even doctors told us to drink skim milk, now we know better.

The no fat craze is over, thank goodness.  Thirty years later we continue to gain weight and heart disease is on the rise. The no fat craze did not have the effect we were all told it would. Look around.  Has anyone really benefited from eating a no fat diet? I don't think so. 

The fact is skim milk has been found to cause people to gain weight.  That's right!  Diabetes and hypoglycemia tend to raise on these types of diets.  The fat in milk helps us to digest the sugar lactose and it slows the blood sugar release. There are no ups and downs of insulin when your diet has fat in it.  So what happens when you drink skim milk?  The lactose sugar spikes your glucose level. This action is something you want to avoid.  Repeated spiking is what contributes to diabetes.  Your goal should be to eat foods that get released slowly, with no spike.

Fat as part of a meal slows down absorption so that we can go longer without feeling hungry.  In addition, they act as carriers for important fat soluble vitamins A, D, E and K.  Dietary fats are needed for the conversion of carotene to vitamin A, for mineral adsorption and for a host of other processes.  Do you take vitamin supplements?  Well, your body needs fat to absorb those vitamins otherwise they may be doing you no good. 

Additionally it has been shown that people who drink skim milk tend to substitute carbs to fill the gap.  Again these carbs spike the blood sugar and are the foods that actually contribute to weight gain.  Consuming the fat in milk will help to satiate you and you will be less apt to need those additional foods.

Part of a healthy nutritious diet includes good fat sources, and that includes fat in milk.  Try and buy the best quality organic milk you can afford, and when you drink that glass of milk I hope you think about the good you are doing your body. 

Leave the shoes at the door

What's the policy in your home about wearing shoes indoors?  Do you always remove your shoes when entering and ask your guests to as well? Or do you feel that shoes are meant to be worn all the time, and therefore wearing them indoors is the norm.  There are two distinct camps on this topic.  Here's my take. 

I used to wear my shoes indoors all the time. It seemed an inconvenience to remove them, and I did not like having to look for them or having them lined up in the entry way. I am a bit of a neat freak and I like my house to look nice all the time so shoes piled up by the door can make me crazy.  But then I started studying the effects of toxins in the home, and learned about all the stuff that gets on my shoes and then is tracked around my house. Uck!  Plus I looked at the carpet that is a contact challenge to keep clean and realized that it was me who was leaving all this dirt on the carpet, it basically acts as a door mat.  Everything I've stepped on that day ends up on the carpet in my house. 

Now that I know what I know it is not hard to take my shoes off at the door. All I have to do is think about what I am bringing in and that it is now following me around the house.  And if you have kids that are down on the floor think about what they are crawling and playing on.   

Pesticides from lawns and plants, dog poop, bacteria, heavy metals, chemicals used in all our public places, bug spray, parasites, arsenic, DDT, and lead are some of the items we bring indoors on our shoes. Any toxins you bring indoors are gradually released back into the air you breath. This can pose a health issue. 

Where have your feet been all day?

So if you want a healthier house leave your shoes at the door. There are a few other things you can do to minimize the toxins as well.  Use a vacuum with a hepa filter, replace furnace filters regularly, and consider using a portable air purifier in your bedroom.  

If you take all these steps to insure the air quality of your house your health will be better and your house will be cleaner.  

Melaleuca Essential Oil

Today I want to share a story with you about Melaleuca or Tea Tree Oil.  It's a somewhat icky story, and I am somewhat reluctant to tell it, but I also feel that being honest, and sharing, might help someone else.  So here goes.  Unfortunately I contracted a rash after visiting our community Jacuzzi.  It's called Hot Tub Folliiculitis and it's a bacteria found in or around the area.  Yeah sounds lovely right?  It wasn't.  I woke up the next day with these red bumps on my temples and neck around my hair line and thought I was going through puberty again.  After a few days I realized it was not acne and started looking into what it might be. In the meantime I developed these red puss filled dots.  I didn't even want to go out of the house. It's a good thing most of my work is done over the phone!  A wonderful doctor friend of mine figured out what it was (thanks Dr. Lee) and then I was able to treat it appropriately.  Since this rash is a bacteria I started using melaleuca which is an anti-bacterial essential oil.  I could see the improvement right away. I used it twice a day after washing my face, and the dots starting drying out, the puss disappeared.  Every time I use an essential oil it reaffirms my belief in the products. There is an essential oil for almost everything that ails you.     

Essential Oils - Oregano Oil

Essential Oils 



In my studies about general health I ran across essential oils quite frequently and I become very interested in how essential oils can help us with our health, in a holistic way. I had no idea that essential oils had so many uses, and that you can eliminate a lot of over the counter products you buy at the drug store once you understand how to use them.  I am somewhat new to this study but I am so excited about these products that I recently decided to become a doTERRA Representative.  Representing this product is a natural extension to my health coaching business.  doTERRA is considered the top of the line product in essential oils. They are the best you can buy.  I want to share with you the information that I am learning about these oils and, therefore, will feature a different oil in each newsletters with information about how to use the oils.  I think you will amazed at the uses as well and I hope you will give them a try.  As always, my sole purpose is to help you live a more healthy and natural life.

This time I am going to talk about Oregano Oil. I become interested in this oil because my husband suffers with nail fungus, (sorry honey!), and this oil can help keep it at bay.   Oregano oil has anti-fungal and anti-microbial properties which is why it works. He uses it around the affected area, however it must always be diluted before using directly on the skin.  It can also be used as a digestive aid, using it internally as part of a monthly cleansing regimen for GI health.  This oil is a potent germ killer and also helps with yeast infections, migraines, sinus headaches, and insect bites.  If you google the benefits of oregano oil you will be surprised at what you find.  If you would like more information about this feel free to contact me.