Happy New Year

To help in the new year with colds and flu's, here is a few websites to check out.

http://www.pamrotella.com/health/flu.html
http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2011/12/31/organic-mushrooms-for-immune-support.aspx?e_cid=20111231_DNL_art_1

Of course there are other thoughts on this. I happen to like Astragulus capsules 2 to 3 times a day when the sore throat starts or sneezing and Vogel's Echincea spray for sore throats. As Pam says that not all rememdies work every year the same. Oh and don't forget to take your D around 5,000 iu's during the winter months.

Wishing you all a Healthy, Happy New Year.
Suzanne

Benefits of Coconut Milk

 We use almond milk for coffee but for all other uses we use coconut milk. I take a glass milk bottle, put in one can coconut milk and then fill to the top with filtered water, give it a good shake. Refrigerate and use in smoothies, protein shakes and on top of gluten free granola.

Benefits of Coconut Milk:

Following are some of the health benefits of coconut milk:

1. Helps to maintain blood sugar places:

   Glucose intolerance may cause manganese deficiency in your body. Coconut milk is a rich source of manganese. Whole grains, legumes and nuts are some excellent sources of manganese.

2. Keeps skin and blood vessels flexible and elastic:

   Copper is very important mineral for most of the bodily functions. Copper and vitamin C help to maintain the flexibility and elasticity of the skin and blood vessels.

3. Aids in building strong bones:

   Coconut milk is not rich in calcium, but it is rich in phosphorus. Phosphorus is an essential nutrient that body needs for strengthening bones. It is must to take phosphorus with calcium particularly to prevent bone loss because it supplies phosphate to the body.

4. Helps to prevent anemia:

   Lack of iron is the most common nutrient deficiency among the people throughout the world. Iron deficiency in body does not allow the body to develop enough hemoglobin for keeping sufficient oxygen levels in red blood cells, resulting in anemia. Each cup of coconut milk supplies the body with nearly a quarter of daily value of iron.

5. Relaxes muscles and nerves:

   Whenever you feel muscle cramps or muscle soreness, have some food along with coconut milk. It is rich in magnesium and can help you in relieving the problem. One of the functions of magnesium is it acts as a gate block in many nerve cells. If magnesium is not present in body, nerve cells become very active because of calcium that activates nerves. Excess contraction of muscles is caused by over active nerve cells.

6. Helps in Controlling Weight:

   This can be a good news for people who are trying to reduce weight. Coconut milk makes you feel full very quickly because of high concentrations of dietary fiber.

7. Decreases the risk of joint inflammation:

   Selenium is an important antioxidant. It controls the free radicals and thereby helps in relieving the symptoms of arthritis. It is observed that people with low levels of selenium may suffer from rheumatoid arthritis.

8. Helps in lowering high blood pressure:

   People who are concerned with their blood pressure will not face any problem for reaching the foods containing potassium. Potassium helps in lowering blood pressure levels in the body.

9. Helps in maintaining healthy immune system:

   Coconut milk helps in warding off colds and coughs by keeping the immune system healthy. It supplies vitamin C to the body which boosts the immune system.

10. Promotes the health of prostate gland:

    Zinc plays a vital role in promoting the health of prostate gland. A preliminary study showed that it slows down the activities of cancer cells.

I hope the above mentioned information helps you in understanding the relation between health and coconut milk. It can also be consumed by people with cow’s milk allergy. It is free from gluten and soy. Hence people who are allergic to these substances can also use this.

Nutritional Values of Coconut Milk:

Following are the nutritional values present in 100 grams of fresh coconut milk:

• Calories – 230
• Proteins – 2.3 g
• Fat – 23.8g
• Carbohydrates – 5.5 g
• Dietary fiber – 2.3 g
• Sugar – 3.35 g
• Vitamin C – 2.8 mg
• Vitamin E – 0.15 mg
• Vitamin B1 – 0.026 mg
• Vitamin B6 – 0.033 mg
• Vitamin B5 (Pantothenic acid) – 0.183 mg
• Folate – 16 mcg
• Vitamin B3 (Niacin) – 0.76 mg
• Iron – 1.64 mg
• Selenium – 6.2 mcg
• Sodium – 15 mg
• Calcium – 16 mg
• Magnesium – 37 mg
• Phosphorus – 100 mg
• Potassium – 260 mg 

Chicken Liver Pate

We often think of pate as a sinful indulgence.  It’s not.  Pate is simply chock full of essential nutrients such as:

• Iron for healthy blood
• Folate for healthy cell regeneration and protection from heart disease
• B12 for a healthy nervous system
• Vitamin B6 for healthy hormones and protein metabolism
• Vitamin A for healthy eyes, skin and respiratory tract
• Zinc for healthy skin and immune system
• Protein for growth, repair and regeneration
• Choline for healthy nerves and muscles
• Cholesterol (yes cholesterol IS an essential ‘nutrient’, without it there’d be no oestrogen, progesterone or testosterone, you’d have leaky cells and you wouldn’t be able to store memories or make myelin which protects your nerves.  If your cholesterol is high you need to find out why YOUR liver is producing more than it should.  Your liver makes 80% of the cholesterol found in your body, 10% is made in your digestive tract and 5% in your skin.  Only 5-10% comes from dietary sources.  FYI breast milk contains more cholesterol than any other food)

Try it on toast for breakfast (makes better brain food than honey on toast and most kids love it provided you don’t tell them what it’s made from!).  It also makes a mid afternoon snack with some raw organic carrot sticks.
Most pate these days is made from margarine instead of butter. By making your own you know what goes into it. No preservatives, no trans fat, just good ingredients.
There are many good recipes on the net. I make different ones from batch to batch.
 

CHICKEN LIVER PATE

8 oz chicken liver, trimmed
1 small onion, finely chopped
1 clove garlic, finely chopped
4 oz butter
Salt & pepper
1 tablespoon brandy
Pinch dried thyme, or mixed herbs
Clarified butter

China pot or small cocottes

Method:

Melt 1 oz butter in a pan, cook onion & garlic until soft then add liver.  Increase heat and sauté briskly for 2-3 minutes, liver should be firm to touch but remain slightly pink in centre.

Cool mixture and chop very finely or pass through a mincer.  Then rub through fine sieve or work in an electric blender.

Cream remaining butter and beat into liver mixture.  Season well and add brandy and herbs.

Put into china pot or small bowls with tops.  Smooth over the top, cover with a little clarified butter.  Refrigerate.

Just an example of many. Whip up a batch and enjoy.
Health and Happiness
Suzanne

Wheat and Brain Disorders

I found this post at Eating beyond limits. Food for thought!

You’re not crazy, it’s just your sandwich talking

Posted By Vivian On November 8, 2011 @ 12:59 pm In Uncategorized | No Comments

Seizure disorders. Ataxia and cerebellar degeneration. Neuropathy. Schizophrenia. Depression. Migraine. Anxiety disorders. ADHD. Myasthenia Gravis. These health conditions are not conditions commonly associated with wheat, are they? Maybe they should be.

I’m not a doctor nor do I play one on TV, but I know that the medications prescribed for these conditions can be really helpful but frequently have undesirable side effects. If I could change my diet and see a very serious neurological or psychiatric condition improve, I know that I would prefer that route first. Would you? Does your doctor even know to consider it? Studies done since at least the 1950’s have confirmed that gluten can play an important role in lots of conditions not commonly associated with gluten intolerance or celiac.

A recent Psychiatric Quarterly article (http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21877216) provided a survey of PubMed literature from 1953 to 2011:

located 162 original articles associating psychiatric and neurologic complications to celiac disease or gluten sensitivity. Thirty-six articles were located for seizure disorders, 20 articles for ataxia and cerebellar degeneration, 26 for neuropathy, 20 forschizophrenia, 14 for depression, 12 for migraine, and up to 10 articles each for anxiety disorders, attention deficit and hyperactivity disorder, autism, multiple sclerosis, myasthenia gravis, myopathy, and white matter lesions.

Human beings are amazing. We are all very similar, yet there is enough variation to make life interesting. Some of that variation shows up in our hair color, some of it shows up in our guts, and some of it shows up in our nervous system. We all know that what is right for one person isn’t always right for everybody. What I have come to understand is how true that is when it comes to food and diet. More people are coming to understand that food affects their gut and they modify their diets according to their gut needs, but far fewer people (including many doctors) understand that what they eat can cause neurologic and psychiatric effects.

I’m not sure why the medical community isn’t more aware of this information but I want to make YOU aware of it, dear reader, so you can take it to your doctor or share it with someone you know who may benefit.

Copyright secured by Digiprove © 2011 Vivian Ballard

---

Article printed from Eating Beyond Limits: http://eatingbeyondlimits.com

URL to article: http://eatingbeyondlimits.com/2011/11/youre-not-crazy-its-just-your-sandwich-talking/

Copyright © 2011 Eating Beyond Limits. All rights reserved.

Calcium Rich Sesame Cookies

This is reposting of the recipe I did in August with some changes.

Gluten Free Sesame Cookie
1 ¼ cups blanched almond flour
¼ teaspoon celtic sea salt
½ teaspoon baking soda
⅓ cup honey
⅓ cup tahini (raw or roasted, though roasted will give more flavor)
1 tablespoon melted coconut oil
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
¼ cup sesame seeds (hulled or unhulled -I used hulled)

In a large bowl, combine almond flour, salt and baking soda
In a smaller bowl, blend together honey, tahini, oil and vanilla
Blend the dry ingredients into the wet
Form the dough into 1 inch balls and roll in the sesame seeds
Place on a parchment paper lined baking sheet and flatten
Bake at 350° for 8-10 minutes until lightly brown
Cool on baking sheet
Serve

Makes 14 cookies

I love these cookies because they hold together, spread flat and are crunchy. I took the original from Elana's Pantry and tweeked it a bit. Sometimes I don't roll them in sesame seeds. I just push them down with a fork and they kind of look like peanut butter cookies.



Sesame seeds are a very good source of the minerals copper and manganese. They are also a good source of magnesium, calcium, iron, phosphorus, vitamin B1 and zinc. In addition, sesame seeds are a good source of both dietary fiber and monounsaturated fats.
Here is a good link for all the benefits of sesame seeds and sesame paste.

http://www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?tname=foodspice&dbid=84

The recipe for the cake was posted in August.
Suzanne