The Food Revolution Summit

 There are certain individuals who dared to think outside the box and question the status quo.  I consider them visionary pioneers who weren't afraid of being marginalized.  In their quest for answers that perplexed them, they found healing and have helped thousands of those around them to also find the path to health-even after their passing.  I consider Ann Wigmore, John Christopher and more recently, John Robbins to be among them.  John Robbins, heir to the Baskin Robbins fortune, chose to forego his inheritance to invest his energy in something far more valuable- opening the eyes of the general public to the horrendous way food is produced in the United States.  He continues with this effort with the help of his son, Ocean.  The Food Revolution Summit begins Saturday April 26th to May 4.  They have several well informed speakers and even some celebrities like Woody Harrelson and Alicia Silverstone who will participate in this summit.  Click here to register for this free online event.


Have a great day!

Happy Easter!

Wishing you and your loved ones a very Happy Easter!

Sourcing The Highest Quality Vitamin D

I absolutely love spring!  Something about fresh chartreuse green, young bulbs poking out of the ground and the busy chatter of the birds that sends my head spinning.  As a daydreaming little girl, I would get myself into trouble in school when I couldn't stay focused on the lesson because I was so enraptured with the budding trees.  Trees of all things!  It's my favorite season again and time to get back outside.  My family and I spent a lot of time in the sun this past weekend.  After such a brutal winter, we were eager to peal off layers and expose our skin to the sun.   We joined friends and headed toward the Tidal Basin to see the cherry blossoms in D.C.  My friend Don is just as obsessed as I am about living healthfully.  Of course, our conversation naturally gravitated to the topic of the sun and vitamin D.

Did you know that one of the reasons people do not get sick as frequently during the summer is because of increased sun exposure?  Vitamin D boosts immunity and is a must for anyone who is fighting cancer or any other sickness where the immune system is compromised.  The sun is also excellent for treating depression and sleep disorders.  I am a very light sleeper, believe me -it can be miserable!  However, I can sleep like a log after several hours of being outdoors.

You can imagine why I go stir crazy when I see so many articles about increased risk of cancer from the sun.  Burning plus a body that is sick from poor lifestyle habits equals a risk for skin cancer.  However, if you change the variables of the equation, you can completely change the outcome.  Sun exposure at appropriate times and duration on a body that is  saturated with phytonutrients, will boost immunity and help to increase health in the individual.  Supplementation is necessary during the winter months but nothing beats the quality of Vitamin D that is only obtainable  by sun exposure.  Vitamin D from sun exposure is water soluble which makes it much more usable by the body than vitamin D which comes from other sources.  I wanted to share an excellent article with you from Dr. Mercola.  Here is one of my posts on sun exposure where I take the time to explain how to obtain appropriate sun exposure. 

I just got word that the temperature is supposed to drop tonight below freezing.  Old man winter just won't let up!

Have a great day!

Better Kitchen Tools and Appliances

Here's where I spend a lot of my time!- My Kitchen

I was going to begin by offering excuses for my lapse in posting.  I really can't keep up like I used to.  I have resigned to the idea that it's okay.  I will post when I can.  When the demands of life shift, I have to adapt as well.  So without any further explanation, onto my post!

Update

The Raw Living Summit is taking place online right now.  Click here to tune in.


Better Kitchen Tools and Appliances

I believe in making every effort to promote a healthful lifestyle by what food I provide for my family and how I prepare it.  There are certain appliances and tools I will steer clear of.  I would like to explain why.

Microwaves

I have a microwave in my kitchen and use it periodically- but not for any of the food I or my family eat.  I had it installed for the resale value of my house.  The first reason why I limit use of my microwave is because of the electro-magnetic radiation that it emits.  Manufacturers can always make claims as to the safety of their products, I usually do not take their claims into consideration.  The second reason is because whenever anything gets nuked, all nutrition is lost.  Consider a fruit or vegetable and how it is grown this day and age.  It is first treated with pesticides, chemicals and many times genetically modified.  Consider the time in transit when being shipped to the grocery store.  Then we would add the time we store it before we eat it.  You can begin to understand how nutrition steadily declines.  If we are trying to nourish our bodies, why microwave and zap the last bit of nutrition out of our food?  I have heard of people microwaving baby formula (I just cringe at the thought!)  Microwaving will actually change the molecular structure of our food.  I heard of a story of someone who had saved blood in a blood bank before surgery.  The blood was warmed in a microwave before it was given back to the patient.  The patient died as a result.  Here is an excellent article which addresses these topics in much greater detail.

I purchased a double oven which is very handy.  The top oven is smaller and is what I use to reheat food.  It takes all of five minutes to reheat a plate of food in this section of my oven.  A counter top convection oven would also be a good alternative to the microwave oven.

Non-Stick Teflon

I avoid using Teflon because of the harmful gases they emit when heated to high temperatures.  Manufacturers will always claim that their products are safe to use, however  studies show that the gases emitted will cause harm.  Small birds die when they inhale the gases and there is such a thing as Teflon flu in humans.  There is also the concern of how the chemical Perfluoro-octanioic Acid or PFOA can be found in human blood samples, not to mention how it has polluted our water supply.  Here is an article worth reading in regards to this topic.

A better alternative is to use PFOA- free ceramic pans.  When they first became available for sale, they were very expensive.  I have noticed that they are more widely available and reasonably priced.

Plastic Cutting Boards

I once believed that plastic cutting boards were superior to wood boards.  I figured since plastic has a hard non-porous surface, it would become thoroughly cleaned when run through a dish washer.  I have been corrected on this topic.  Plastic becomes scored when used frequently which creates endless striations and fibers which are practically impossible to clean completely.  Wood on the other hand, has properties that kill bacteria over time.  It's completely amazing!  Read this article which covers the studies that have been done on this topic.  I am a firm believer that you can't improve upon what has already been done in nature. The more I read, the more I'm blown away by the amazing attributes found in natural things all around us.

Have a great day!

Two Restaurants

Update

Dinner with Dr Neil Barnard, MD

I wanted to bring to your attention a dinner hosted by Great Sage restaurant in Clarksville, MD.  Dr. Neil Barnard, the founding president of PCRM (Physician's Committee Of Responsible Medicine) will be the guest speaker at this event.  This dinner will take place Monday, March 10 at 7 pm.   The cost of the meal will be 100 dollars per person with a portion of this amount donated to PCRM.  For more information, go here.

Two Restaurants

I love finding good restaurants.  To be more specific, I like finding restaurants that cater to my dietary needs.  When I do find one, well, I just have to share!  My family and I went out to eat recently and of all places we went to find a healthful meal, we ended up at Silver Diner in Laurel, MD.  Diners in general are synonymous with greasy spoons to me and selections that are vegan friendly seem to always be few and far between.  But the same cannot be said about Silver Diner!  I was so pleasantly surprised!  I had a gluten free, vegan meal and my family also found options to their liking.  My kids even had incredibly delicious vegan milk shakes!  Kudos to Silver Diner for having a broad inclusive selection!  Check out their site here.

 We enjoy heading down to the parks in Orlando from time to time and whenever we do, we're always on the lookout for a good place to eat.  We recently ate at a restaurant called Ethos.  So yum!  Usually when we go out to eat we look for the vegetarian section of the menu.  Looking at the Ethos menu my son said, "Wow, how do the meat eaters do it?  Too many choices!"

Check it out next time you take the kiddos to Orlando.

I plan to do a series on grains, seeds and superfoods.  I never seem to get through my series quickly.   Just know that it will intermingle with other info that crosses my path.

Have a great day!

Kale, More Health Food Stores in Europe And A Post By Kimberly Snyder

Have you heard the commotion over kale?  I have been warned to limit the kale I put in my smoothies because of the harmful effects on the thyroid.  I really didn't have any opinion on the topic when I was given the firm admonition but I was definitely intrigued.  I generally try to rotate the greens I put into my smoothies and think that everyone should.  I believe any good thing in excess can be potentially harmful, but I was curious to know if there were any differing opinions.  I have recently seen some interesting opposition. Green Smoothie Girl, Robyn Openshaw has an article worth reading.  Here is one by Dr. Joel Fuhrman.  Celebrity nutritionist Kimberly Snyder also posted a good article.  A good rule of thumb to follow in eating plant foods is to try to include as many colors as the rainbow.  Colorful is always key.  Try the odd vegetable that you aren't used to eating much.  This requires for me to do a little homework.  I picked up some watercress and I didn't really know what to do with it so I got online and looked up some watercress salad recipes.  I have to admit that I haven't had the salad twice but I'm willing to try it again with a different recipe.  After reading the articles in this post, the concern that kale can affect thyroid function is bunk to me.  I will not in any way curtail my consumption of it because it tops the list of the most nutrient dense foods.

More Health Food Stores in Europe

I had intended to give a more thorough list of health food stores in Europe but found the task daunting, especially with the language barrier.  I met a sweet Adventist lady in Italy who graciously agreed to email me some at a later date.  Here are the sources she provided.  Here is one in Torre Pelice, a town located in the Italian Alps.  This is a chain of stores located in France.  Here is another chain based in France with one store that is close in proximity to Geneva, Switzerland.  Thank you so much Danielle!  (I honestly regret not knowing more languages!  I could have had more success with providing a better list if I did!)

A post by Kimberly Snyder

My last post was on colon health.  I read this post by Kimberly Snyder and thought it was very good although the title made me chuckle.  Skin is skin is skin and everyone should try to avoid chemicals in body care products whether a man or a woman.  But the sight of a man with cucumber slices on his eyes was a little funny to me.  Sorry!  What I wanted to point out is that at the bottom of tip #5, one of her recommendations was to have a colon cleanse. An unhealthy colon can affect so many areas of the body, including your skin.  I generally believe that colonics are helpful in reversing cancer, detoxification and other major disorders, but in this article, Kimberly recommends it to improve appearance.  Not a bad idea if you ask me.  Don't forget, you can always use herbs (taken orally) to cleanse the colon.

Spring is just weeks away!

We are digging our way out of the snow here in Maryland.  I get cabin fever easily but found the sunshine to be so uplifting today.  I put on my boots  and went for my daily walk with my dog and completely reveled in it. The birds were singing and I saw my first robin of the season.  It doesn't take much for me to feel like I'm walking on clouds.  Just give me a little sunshine and the beauty of nature and I'm flying!

Have a great day!

Audrey Hepburn and the Importance of Colon Health

 My all time favorite actress is none other than the incomparable Audrey Hepburn.  She is one of those timeless individuals that transcends culture, generational style and fad with her inimitable presence.  If truth be told, if I could choose my looks, I would look like Audrey.  I find her to be along the same ranks as Nefertiti and Helen of Troy.  Audrey has drawn countless admirers with her childlike innocence and captivating doe eyes.  She was different from her contemporaries.  Far from voluptuous, her long and lithe figure was more comparable to that of a ballerina, a fact that she bemoaned calling herself,"skinny" and "flat chested".  No matter, men melted at the sight of her.  Several who knew her personally fell helplessly in love with her.  And oh those clothes!  She forged a friendship with legendary couturier Hubert de Givenchy.  What a partnership!  She was the perfect canvas for him to create such lovely style.  Who can forget those yards of fabric, kitten heels, pill box hats or the forever striking little black dress?  To top all this off, she sought to cultivate a loveliness of character and was most beautiful on the inside!  My kids roll their eyes every time I watch a Hepburn film.  I can't help it!  I just love them!  Funny face, Sabrina and My Fair Lady are among my favorites.  Audrey died of colon cancer.  A condition that is so preventable and sadly is all to common here in the United States.  What do you do if you want to prevent it?

Detoxification should begin in the colon

Doing a detox has become a bit of a fad.  I am not minimizing their importance by any means but I believe that before embarking on any detox program, the first area of the body that should be cleansed is the colon.  Americans are number one in having the poorest digestive systems in the world.  This is as a result of eating fiberless food such as meat, white flour and processed, chemical laden food.  Food passes through the colon at a much slower rate than in other healthier cultures.   Having a bowel movement every other day, every two or three days is not uncommon here in the States.  What happens when one switches to whole, fiber rich plant based diet?  Bowel movements become more frequent.  People from healthy cultures who eat a  plant based diet report having bowel movements between two and three times a day.  A far cry from the reality of that exists amongst Americans.

So what do you do?  Eat plant foods in as close to a natural state as possible.  What if you want faster results?  Do a bowel cleanse.  I think people imagine sticking something up, "where the sun don't shine" in order to cleanse their colons but it is much easier than that when you choose to use herbs.  So why is it important to cleanse the colon?  The colon does not exist within a vaccuum.  It touches so many other organs of the body.  Imagine a colon that is sluggish with fecal matter that slowly passes through.  The toxicity in the colon will seep out and affect other areas of the body.  Clean the colon out and suddenly certain ailments will disappear.  After a colon cleanse, people have reported flatter tummies, clearer skin, migraines gone etc.   Once you clean out the colon, then you can focus on any detox program you may want to try. I recommend Danny Vierra's  or Dr. Schulze' intestinal detoxification programs.

To sign off I wanted to share this brief clip on "Audrey Style"
or this more lengthy documentary for any of you Audrey fans out there. I so enjoy anything, "Audrey!"

Have a great day!