The Truth About Cancer

There is a free docu-series going on right now.  It is free until Monday.  After the free viewing is over, the series will be available for sale.  Sorry for the short notice!  Sign up here to view it.

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Super grain: Quinoa

 

Quinoa Garden Salad

Update

I have been critical of Dr. Oz for changing his point of view in the past.  I was very disappointed in fact over a couple of issues.  This time, however, I agree with him completely over the use of medical marijuana.  I do not support the use of it as a recreational drug but see it as a powerful herb that can help many people especially with cancer and epilepsy.  Here is a recent clip with Dr. Oz and his comments about this herb.

Super Grain Quinoa

I recently had friends over for lunch and I forgot to pick up dessert.  I sent my husband to pick some up for me.  After our meal, I set out the dessert which included chocolate chip cookies.  There are certain things that trigger weakness in me.  Chocolate being one of them and the second being cookies.  Chocolate chip cookies?  Double whammy!  I usually feel a sense of accomplishment over mastering the art of self control.  I love the discipline of eating healthfully.  I love passing by sugar and junk most others indulge in.  There are times however when I miserably succumb to the temptations around me.  My husband had tossed the packaging to the cookies and the trash was taken out, so we weren't sure if the cookies were gluten free or not.  My wishful thinking took over, my inner "cookie monster" was awakened and the rest is history.  I tasted one and thought, "these are powdery, crumbly cookies.  They must be gluten-free".  So I began downing them one by one.  Self-control?  Out the window!  I had my fill and I so enjoyed it!  Beyond shameful! 

The next day I began to feel a sharp pain in my shoulder and it steadily increased until my arm was useless by my side.  Sure enough, the cookies weren't gluten free.  It has been a rude awakening for me going gluten free.  Gluten has become poison to my body.  I never knew how much I craved gluten foods until I had to give it up for the sake of health.  I have had to continually remind myself of how blessed I am.  I can live with zero symptoms of arthritis by simply removing gluten from my diet and eating mostly alkaline foods- no drugs, no pain and full mobility- I can't ask for more.  I am also exploring baking with gluten free flours- not terrible.

In the past year or so, because of my new sensitivity to gluten, I have become acquainted with some grains that really are healthful.  I eat them on a regular basis and would like to share them with you.  I have mentioned that I make an effort to maintain an alkaline diet which is mostly raw, but I do include cooked foods.  In this post, I would like to discuss super grain quinoa.  I was first introduced to quinoa by my sister's in-laws who are from Peru.  My mom began cooking with it and now, only after the scourge of psoriatic arthritis has made itself very present, I have started using it.

I purchase my quinoa at Costco

The Benefits of Quinoa

Quinoa has been consumed for thousands of years by those who live in and around the Andes of South America.  It has been cultivated at high elevations and benefited those who lived in such a climate.  The Incas revered this grain so much, that they considered the grain as sacred.  It is rich in protein and actually has all 9 essential amino acids.  People fret about eating complete protein on a vegetarian diet.  I believe that the body stores and assembles complete protein as needed.  For those who insist on getting it all in one meal, consider adding quinoa.  Nothing but complete protein with this grain!  Quinoa is also rich in Iron, B vitamins such as B1, B2,B3, B6 and B9.  Quinoa has a high fiber content making it more filling and satisfying.  As for minerals, quinoa contains magnesium, phosphorus, potassium, calcium, zinc,copper, selenium and manganese.  This super grain has been shown to help those consuming it to stave off chances of developing diabetes and cholesterol.  It is excellent in helping one achieve optimal weight provided that the rest of one's diet and lifestyle is also healthful. 

Cooking with quinoa

If you know how to cook rice, you know how to cook quinoa.  I take a cup quinoa and two cups water, season it and bring it to a boil.  Once boiling, I reduce heat to low and bring the mixture to a simmer.  I let it cook until all the water is consumed.  This may take 15 to 20 minutes.  Another method is to just toss it into a pot of chili, stew or soup.  I eat quinoa most frequently for breakfast.  I like to season it with cinnamon, nutmeg a dash of salt and coconut palm sugar (to taste).  Once cooked I'll pour coconut milk over it and eat it as a hot cereal.  Below is a recipe for Quinoa Garden Salad.  Hope you enjoy it!

Quinoa Garden Salad

2 cups water
1 cup quinoa
2 to 3 bell peppers (red, orange and yellow)
2 cucumbers
1 bunch chopped green onions
1- 14 1/2  can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley
1/4 cup chopped fresh mint
1/2 cup fresh lemon juice
1 tbsp soy sauce
Tabasco sauce- a dash
freshly ground black pepper

(as a side note, I always adjust ingredients until it tastes right to me).

Place the quinoa and water in a pot and bring this to a boil.  Once boiling, reduce heat to simmer, cover with a lid and allow to cook until the water is consumed. This should take about 15 to 20 minutes.  Set aside and allow to cool.  Chop bell peppers, cucumbers, green onions, parsley, mint  - place into a bowl with chick peas.  Mix lemon juice, soy sauce, tabasco, salt a pepper.  Mix quinoa, chopped salad ingredients and dressing.  Adjust seasonings.


Have a great day!

Documentary Film: Fed up

 There is another must-see documentary.  I follow Dr. Mark Hyman, MD and in one of his recent emails, he shared that on May 9, The new documentary film, Fed Up, will be released in theaters for public viewing.  I have only seen the trailer to the film but it looks like another good one.  View the official trailer here.

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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.


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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!