Foods You Should be Eating - Grapefruit

Good Morning!  It feels sooo good to be back!  I hope you enjoy the posts - I would love to hear from you... feel free to post comments. We are still working on the list of foods that you should all be eating on a regular basis.  I have tried to stay very well rounded - fruits, vegetables, meat, herbs... there are essential foods from every single group - every color.. we could discuss them for quite some time. :) 

Grapefruit was very popular back in the 80s... and kind of fell off, which is a shame because they have so many health benefits.  One of the most important is that they contain enzymes called "monoterpenes" which clean the body of toxins and carcinogens (cancer causing agents). 

Grapefruit is high in vitamin C, fiber, bioflavonoids (fights cancer and strengthens immune system), and calcium. It fights fatigue, fever, the flu, indigestion, insomnia, diabetes, constipation, arthritis, and UTIs.  It also raises metabolism, is an antiseptic, boosts liver function, breaks down gall stones, and promotes healthy clearer skin. 

Recommended Reading: http://www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?tname=foodspice&dbid=25
More Recommended Reading: http://hubpages.com/hub/Health_Benefits_of_Grapefruit

One of my favorite fruits is Mango, but I do love ruby red grapefruit as well... and when you add them both to a salad with avocado... mmm... Try this one: http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Mango-Orange-Grapefruit-Avocado-and-Pistachio-Salad/Detail.aspx

Enjoy!  Blessings... E

Honey & Vinegar

The more I read on both honey and vinegar the more convinced I am that everyone needs to take 2 teaspoons of apple cider vinegar and 2 teaspoons of honey in warm water three times a day before meals... EVERY DAY. 

The combination helps you maintain a healthy weight, cure allergies, cure any bronchial ailments,  absorb proper amounts of calcium for strong bones, maintain normal blood sugar levels, sleep better, prevent colds / flu, have better focus and energy, and a host of other benefits.

Honey is the purest of sugars - it has already been processed in the stomachs of bees so is absorbed easier into the bloodstream - it causes less stress to the pancreas - and helps create new blood cells.   It also helps your body absorb vital minerals from foods.

Apple Cider Vinegar has a wealth of benefits - aiding in digestion, fighting cancers, curing nausea, helps maintain normal blood pressure, maintain normal cholesterol levels, keep you heart healthy, maintain the proper acidic/alkalinity balance, fight diabetes, and improves memory.

Hey Honey!

Honey is a natural antibiotic and has been used for a long time with lemon in tea.  But there are many, many other uses and benefits to honey.  There are many different kinds of honey as well - so let's start there.

I have always been told to look for honey made in my region.  Honey is made from the nectar of flowers and pollen from those flowers finds its way into the honey as well.  For those of you tortured by allergies - honey consumed from your region is to help strengthen your immune system to fight allergies.  Another thing I have always been told is to choose the darkest honey available in your region.  The more types of flowers used - the darker the honey - this is another benefit for those of use with allergies. 

Antibacterial uses - Since honey is an antibacterial it can be used to help heal cuts, scratches, burns, and acne.  Clean the area with soap and water and put a little honey on the wound, cover with a band aid.  Repeat daily.  Honey helps to speed up healing and reduces scar visibility.
Moisturizer - Honey helps to soften skin - rough patches, rough heals, and dry skin.  Clean area with soap and water and spread a thin coat of honey over.  Cover with a warm moist wash cloth or towel and let sit for 5 - 10 minutes.  Rinse and pat dry.
Immune booster - A teaspoon of honey taken each morning with daily supplements has been professed to boost the immune system.
Energy booster - When you are in need of a quick boost, drink a cup of green tea with a tsp of honey.
Improve blood flow - The glucose in honey helps increase blood flow.
Colon damage prevention - Honey is high in antioxidants which strengthen the colon.  Daily dosage of honey helps to strengthen the colon and reduce the chances of colon cancer.
Parasite removal - When mixed with vinegar and water, honey can remove worms and other parasites in the body. 
Calming the mind and body - It is unknown how, but adding a teaspoon of honey to warm milk or tea has a calming effect on both reducing anxiety and nervousness. 
Cancer fighter - As a natural antibiotic and being high in antioxidants, honey has powerful capabilities in aiding the fight against cancer.
Calcium aid - By adding honey to your diet, you will retain more calcium in your body.
Heals stomach ulcers - Honey helps to balance stomach acids, and aids in the healing of ulcers.

Replacing processed white sugar with honey, gains you many more nutrients, minerals and gives your body more fructose (less harsh on your pancreas) in addition to the many other benefits.  Honey is the one product in your pantry that will never spoil.  Your baked goods will not dry out as quickly when made with honey as it retains moisture. 

Recommended reading for beauty secrets using honey: http://www.girlsustainable.com/beauty/jillion-honey/
Recommended reading for healing benefits of honey: http://www.honeyo.com/honeyhealing.shtml

Blessings.. E

ewww... Milk

Is it normal to dislike the taste of milk?  Is it normal to have a reaction to anything with milk in it?  The answer may surprise you... YES!  Yup, it is true.  Here are some facts we don't really think about...

1. Humans are the only species that continue to drink "milk" once weaned.
2. We do NOT need milk products to get our daily requirements of calcium and vitamin D.
3. It is ABNORMAL to be able to eat and drink milk products.
4. Babies classified as "colicky" may be lactose intolerant.
5. Most all people that are born lactose intolerant - are lactose tolerant during their formative growing stages (10 - 23) and then revert back to lactose intolerance.
6. Many cases of IBS (Irritable Bowel Syndrome) are actually Lactose Intolerance.

I am lactose intolerant - and didn't know it until I had my second daughter.  All during my pregnancy I had issues - and for a while I thought I was dying my discomfort and pain were so great.  I didn't know until my daughter was born (she is also lactose intolerant) and I was searching for answers to her colic that I found we were both lactose intolerant.  Lactose Intolerance wasn't formally designated / recognized until mid to late 1960s - up until then babies were just said to be colicky.  My mom retells the stories of me crying constantly - and as a child I HATED milk... it has always tasted sour to me and is gross. 

How do I know if I am lactose intolerant?  There are many symptoms - upset stomach, heart burn, belching, stinky gas, stomach cramps, and diarrhea.  And they appear in that order depending on how intolerant you are and how much you have consumed.   The easy way to quickly determine your tolerance is to drink an 8 oz glass of milk.  If you are lactose intolerant you will know within 20 minutes.  It will also give you a pretty good idea of HOW intolerant you are.  The faster you go through that list of symptoms - and how long they last - will tell you very quickly how intolerant your body is. 

If you are 100%, you are not even able to eat things with whey or powdered milk in them.  For a while I was 100% intolerant - I couldn't even eat pre-packaged tortillas because they had whey in them.  For me soft processed cheeses (velveeta), milk and ice cream were the worst. 

So, what IS lactose intolerance?  As a creature grows from breast milk to normal foods, they lose the ability to break down lactase, which is a complex sugar.  As a result, that creature becomes lactose intolerant - and the taste of milk and milk products changes - becomes distasteful.  Obviously, that is a simplified definition - but one you should easily be able to grasp.

We are told by all the dairy companies, and doctors that we NEED milk.  This couldn't be further from the truth.  Again, we are back to marketing... does milk provide you with calcium and vitamin D? yes.  Is it the only way to get those nutrients? no.  Mother's breast milk provides a lot more than those two nutrients - but they are very necessary to an infant due to the rapid growth that they go through in that first year.  Once we are weaned - our bodies aren't growing any where near the speed of that first year and don't need the amount of nutrients found in breast milk. 

Foods that replace your need of calcium in milk include sesame seeds, spinach, rhubarb, collard greens, molasses, bok choy, broccoli, swiss chard, kale, brazil nuts, celery, almonds, papaya, flax seeds, and oranges - to name a few. 

Recommended reading: http://pediatrics.about.com/od/calcium/a/06_calcium_food.htm

Foods / other things that replace your need of vitamin D in milk include fish (omega 3), orange juice, soya, mushrooms, spinach, potatoes, eggs and most importantly SUNSHINE!

Recommended reading: http://www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?tname=nutrient&dbid=110

Minerals / Vitamins

Depending on your diet you will more than likely need more vitamins / minerals.  We have all heard of yin and yang.  This is the delicate balance that exists in every facet of our existence.  Our health also maintains a yin / yang balance  Eating only fruits and vegetables tips the balance heavily in the yin direction.  Eating only animal protein tips the balance heavily in the yang direction.  Both are unhealthy. 

Here is a general overview from one extreme to the other from Michael Tierra's book "the way of herbs":
Extreme Yin
  - watery fruits (orange), small fruits (hawthorn, juniper, lycii)
  - small fruits (cherry, blueberries), flowers (chamomile, honeysuckle, elder)
  - leaves (spinach, comfrey, alfalfa, skullcap)
  - roots (carrot, parsnip, turnip)
Balanced between Yin & Yang
   - seeds (rice, sunflower, oats), neutral roots / bark (echinachea, slippery elm, sassafras)
   - dairy (cheese), bitter roots / bark (rhubarb, genatian, cinnamon)
   - fish (tuna, salmon), long roots (dandelion, burdock, ginseng)
   - poultry (chicken, turkey)
Extreme Yang
   - red meat (beef, pork, venison), processed roots (rehmannia, red ginseng)

How do we get from here to the discussion of minerals and vitamins?  If we are eating a properly balanced diet rich in a full spectrum of colors and textures, you should have no need for supplements.  However, we not always have the ability to obtain enough of the proper nutrients in our foods.  If you eat a primarily Yang diet (meat & potatoes) you are more likely to have a deficiency in vitamins.  If you eat a primarily Yin diet (fruits & vegetables) you are more prone to mineral deficiencies. 

Below is a SHORT list of important Vitamins and Minerals - please remember that ALL vitamins and minerals are important... if you feel you are lacking in any you should strive to change your diet to better accommodate your body's need than to take supplements.... if you can help it.

Iodine - we have discussed in depth iodine deficiency.  This is one mineral that can be very difficult to obtain naturally.  Tuna, Salmon, Iodized Salt, and root vegetables that have been grown in iodine rich soils are all good sources of iodine.  Iodine works primarily with your metabolism and thyroid, which is the reason that many people are misdiagnosed with Hypothyroidism instead of iodine deficiency. 

Recommended reading: http://www.organicfacts.net/health-benefits/minerals/health-benefits-of-iodine.html

Calcium - we all know about calcium and its benefits to bones, but there are more health benefits of calcium in our diet - heart health, proper weight management, fights cancer, and helps maintain a healthy alkaline level (cancer can't live in an alkaline environment).  Foods rich in calcium include salmon, tuna, spinach, broccoli, oranges, almonds, soybeans, and peas.  It is important to note that for proper absorption the proper compliment of magnesium must be taken, if it isn't taken naturally.

Recommended reading: http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0NAH/is_1_32/ai_81391090/

Zinc - Zinc's best known benefit is that it strengthens the immune system (healing, rebuilding cells, and skin), it also aids in the absorption of minerals and vitamins, also aids in healthy vision,  helps balance blood sugar, aids in proper weight management, and is anti-inflammatory.  Foods rich in zinc are oysters, wheat germ, veal liver, sesame flour / tahini, beef, pumpkin / squash / watermelon seeds, chocolate, lamb, and peanuts.

Recommended reading: http://www.vitamins-nutrition.org/vitamins/zinc.html

Recommended reading - Mineral Chart: http://www.healthalternatives2000.com/minerals-nutrition-chart.html

Vitamin B Complex - The entire group of B vitamins is very necessary for good mental health, strong immune system, healthy skin and muscles, promotes cell growth, and a wide variety of other benefits, much too long of a list to provide here.  Foods rich in vitamin B include liver, beef, turkey, brazil nuts, tuna, oats, avocados, legumes, and bananas.

Recommended reading: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/B_vitamins

Vitamin C - we all know that vitamin C helps fight colds and boosts our immune system, it also helps promote healthy skin and collagen, helps lower cholesterol, helps fight Arteriosclerosis (hardening of the arteries), and it helps keep us young! All of your fruits are a good source of vitamin C the best however, are

broccoli, bell peppers, kale, cauliflower, strawberries, lemons, mustard and turnip greens, brussels sprouts, papaya, chard, cabbage, spinach, kiwifruit, snow peas, cantaloupe, oranges, grapefruit, limes, tomatoes, zucchini, raspberries, asparagus, celery, pineapples, lettuce, watermelon, fennel, peppermint and parsley.

Recommended reading: http://www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?tname=nutrient&dbid=109

Recommended reading - Vitamin Chart: http://www.healthalternatives2000.com/vitamins-nutrition-chart.html