Plant-Based Diets are Powerful!

When you have some time, these are two awesome videos, well worth the time, from Dr Greger, a physician who gets to the bottom of nutrition research, and with some humor, makes the amazing-ness of a plant-based diet super-clear!

Uprooting the Leading Causes of Death

This video focuses on studies published no earlier than 2012 in peer-reviewed scientific medical journals. "Dr Greger offers practical advice on how best to feed ourselves and our families to prevent, treat, and even reverse many of the top 15 killers in the United States."

Here he shares the report that eating the amount of FIBER in just one cup of oatmeal per day, decreases our risk of death by as much as running four hours per week!

Here is an summary of the second video: "Dr Greger has scoured the world's scholarly literature on clinical nutrition and this brand new live presentation on the latest in cutting-edge research on how a healthy diet can affect some of our most common medical conditions."

More than an Apple a Day: Combating Common Diseases

This is another post about Dr Greger and his awesome videos (he's made hundreds!). These two video links are each around an hour, while most of his videos are only a few minutes long.

Now you want a way to get lots of veggies? Try this!

Rainbow Veggie Lasagna

This is Raise the Roof Sweet Potato Lasagna from the Engine 2 Diet!

Check out 5 Reasons to Make Your Meat Portions Small!

Food Labels for Smarties!

No one who takes the time to LEARN is a DUMMY!

Cartoon by Mike Adams at naturalnews.com.

Don't be fooled by POSITIVE messages all over the package! The proof is in the NUTRITION FACTS and the INGREDIENTS list! Know your numbers on food labels! Easy as 1,2,3, ...4!

#1  FIBER
If you ever count anything, try counting fiber grams! Increase fiber intake gradually, but nearly EVERYONE can benefit from more fiber!

#2  Avoid saturated fat and trans fat, and also look under ingredients for sneaky culprits! (click HERE for more on these fats)

#3 Look for a product with more protein since this increases the energy you need to digest and metabolize the food; click here for a bit more on PROTEIN.

#4 INGREDIENTS!
Short list is great! NO list is even better!
Avoid the following words: enriched, hydrogenated, any sneaky form of sugar

Here a few more pointers about ingredients care of Food Rules by Michael Pollan:
Avoid also: anything your great grandma wouldn't recognize, a third grader couldn't pronounce, or you couldn't picture in its natural form.

For MORE GREAT FOOD RULES click HERE!

Plus, another post discussing some GREAT FOOD RULES!

NOTE: I am actually NOT concerned with calories, though SERVING SIZE is something to check on...often a single serving is much smaller than what one normally eats in a single sitting. If you're following the 4 recommendations above, it really won't much matter about calories or serving size because you'll certainly be eating a healthy food -- NOURISHING your body! GO YOU!

COMING SOON: let's look at the Example of Bread...
White, Wheat, Whole Wheat, Bread v. tortilla, Sprouted Grain...

COMMENTS: Do you look at labels? What do you watch, count, etc the most?

Fabulous Fiber, PLUS Apricot Crinkler Cookies/Muffins!

EVERY superfood FILLS US with FIBER!

Oh my goodness, the average American only takes in about 10 grams of of fiber each day! It is recommended (and you'll soon see why!) that women eat AT LEAST 25 grams, and men eat AT LEAST 38 grams PER day! Since you're here reading, hopefully trying to get healthy, I bet your number is probably higher than average, but WE could could all benefit from MORE fiber! Learn why!

Besides the chocolate chips and vanilla, 

Apricot Crinkler Cookie ingredients are all fiber-full! (recipe below)

FIVE FIBER FUNCTIONS!

1. CHOLESTEROL REDUCTION for heart health! TWO mechanisms: fiber binds to BILE released when you eat, so your body needs to make more bile which is made out of cholesterol. Secondly, fiber binds to ingested cholesterol as it travels through the digestive tract, and both are ultimately removed as WASTE.

2. REGULARITY -- I won't go on about this ... you understand. Eat fiber = have happy poop :)

3. WEIGHT LOSS -- low-calorie, high-volume foods make you feel full sooner, and longer!

One study says that women eat a certain volume of food, regardless of the total calories. On average, women eat 3 pounds of food per day. If you eat 3 lb of lettuce you will consume a tiny fraction of the calories that you would if you had consumed 3 lb of steak or cheese.

4.  Slows ABSORPTION -- improves blood SUGAR control, AND provides sustained ENERGY!

5.  Cancer PROTECTION -- it's in all of us; the key is to slowing/stopping the chain of events that spurs cancer development; fiber helps with this! One way, for example, is by moving waste through the digestive system quickly, so that its cells are exposed to the toxins in the waste for less time. The Cancer Project provides a nice explanation of how fiber may help prevent various forms of cancer.

Plus, fiber sources UNDOUBTEDLY provide abundant vitamins, minerals, phytochemicals, healthy protein, fat, and of course, carbs!

As well as LITTLE to NO saturated or trans fat, cholesterol, harmful substances such as nitrates, hormones, antibiotics...

Fruitful Fiber SOURCES!

Whole Grains

• For pasta, couscous, orzo, bread, and more, choose 100% whole grain
• AVOID the word ENRICHED in ingredients list
• Of course, plenty of grains have super-short one-ingredient lists: quinoa, wild rice, brown rice, farro, barley, and more!

Fruits, Veggies, beans, legumes, nuts, and seeds

• Fresh, frozen, dried, freeze dried
• No sugar added
• Avoid salt
• Avoid added chemicals, hydrogenated oils (Trader Joe's makes a great can of refried beans without hydrogenated oils!), ...I'm still working on dried beans  ... so I used canned, still, often.  
• Fresh, Local, and Organic, is always optimal! CLICK here for a great way to get your hands on some!

TRY THESE FOR A QUICK FIBER BOOST!!

Apricot Crinkler Cookies (or Muffins)!

1 c unsweetened, dried, apricots

1 c walnuts, ground

1 c bran

1 c banana, blended or mashed (2 bananas)

1/4 c chia seeds

1/4 c chocolate chips

1 Tbsp cinnamon

1 Tbsp vanilla extract

Stir everything up in a bowl until well blended. For muffins, fill muffin tin (or a silicone pan) and bake at 375 degrees for 20 minutes, or until nicely browned. For cookies, flatten little scoops on a cookie sheet, as shown and described below. You don't have to worry about anything in here cooking enough -- you could eat the whole bowl of dough raw!~

Enlisting help is fun AND it makes little ones more willing to try new things!

My awesome silicone cookie sheet (you need a metal one below it for support)! This is how you make "cookies"; spread some dough/batter into a small cookie shape. Flatten out spoonfuls. Small is good if you love all the crackle-y edges like me :)

For muffins, you can fill as high as you like -- they won't change shape during baking. Sometimes, I fill them only slightly for more of a cookie :)

 

Don't worry, this is before they went in the oven -- she just wanted to try the mitts! Finished product is shown above! We ate them all up first thing in the morning!

COMMENTS: What is your favorite fiber source?

Chia Seeds -- Energy Food of the Aztecs!

Believe it or not!  You've probably already had chia in your house!

It's the same stuff that grows as a CHIA PET!

Actually, CHIA SEEDS are good for more than growing a window pet!

They are SUPER NUTRITIOUS!

They have been used for hundreds of years by the Aztecs as their primary energy source; with the Mayans as well, so much that the word "chia" means STRENGTH in Mayan!

Why are CHIA SEEDS SO Awesome?

Benefits of Chia

1.  Load of OMEGA-3 -- anti-inflammatory, pain reduction Among other benefits!
You find omega-3 in few plant foods besides flaxseed and walnuts.

2.  Awesome non-meat, gluten-free, complete source of PROTEIN!  Why would you want non-meat protein?  Why would you want gluten-free protein?  Here are some other non-meat sources of protein and PROTEIN BENEFITS

3.  Soluble FIBER -- really helpful for BLOOD SUGAR control, weight loss (increases the volume of food by 9x while only adding minimal calories...see note on GEL below), sustained energy (Aztecs used as primary energy source!) -- it keeps you going strong for a long, long time!

4.  Lots of antioxidants (quantity comparable with blueberries!), protecting it's omega-3 fats (#1) from oxidative damage (avoid rancidity -- yucky!, AND destructive to awesome health benefits!).  Plus, the antioxidants protect YOUR BODY from free radical damage!  More HERE on antioxidants and chia seeds!

5.  Here are just SOME of the other nutrients: CALCIUM, POTASSIUM, MAGNESIUM, IRON, and ZINC!

Chia GEL = Combine 1 part seeds and 9 parts water, and SOAK for at least 10 min.  Add to any food that blends with liquid, such as oatmeal.

Recipes to Try!

CHIA FRESCA:  add chia to 100% fruit juice or add chia to water and a bit of lemon or lime juice!  A Mexican tradition!

Plus, 7 fresh-you chia seed recipes!

4-Ingredient Chocolaty Goodness

Choco-Peanut Crunch Laraballs

Chocolate Oatmeal

Chocolate Raspberry Kiss Muffins

Healthy Mexican Lasagna

Hearty "Turkey" Meatloaf

3-Ingredient Super Shake

BONUS CHIA USE: Better Baking Breadcrumbs!  Use them in every dish!

COMMENTS: Did you ever have a chia pet growing up?  I don't remember ever doing it!  Did you ever do a funny one, like Garfield?  I see there are still a lot of options to choose from!

Easy Sandwich Snack!

Hungry?

Try this quick snack!

Simply chop half an avocado and spread it on your bread of choice -- whole grain!

Add generously good old-fashioned regular mustard!

Great with the roll-up (above is a piece of Multi-Grain Flatout!) heated 10-15 sec for a warm treat,

or by toasting a Whole Wheat Bagel Thin!

Multi-Grain Flatout bread is awesome!  Just 100 calories, 8 g fiber, 9 g protein, omega-3 fats, no saturated or trans fat, a huge variety of grains from bulgar to millet to rye to oats and more!

Enlisting help from the little ones increases the chance they'll eat it all up!

Toddler EATING TIP: Read them a book, reading another page with each eaten bite.

If there is a challenging food on the plate, a page is earned with a bite of that food.

For more Picky Eater Tips click HERE.

You likely know by now that AVOCADO is a HEALTHY FAT

full of FIBER (~10g per whole fruit - yes it's a fruit!) and 

They are among the HIGHEST fruit sources of vitamin E (an ANTIOXIDANT), folate (this is key for potential MOMMYS), potassium (higher levels in diet correlate with lower blood pressure), and magnesium.

Let's discuss MAGNESIUM tonight: it's important for having a healthy blood pressure, overall cardiovascular function, blood sugar control, bone health, and may be helpful with migraines!

Check out this comparison to butter and cheddar (UNhealthy fats).

This chart is from www.avocado.org/nutrition

For MORE avocado BENEFITS click HERE!

One more thing: MUSTARD!

Did you know it is healthy for you?  Did you know why?

Mustard is a RICH source of TURMERIC!

Top 3 Reasons TURMERIC (which contains CURCUMIN) is good for your health!

1. Powerful anti-inflammatory: this can help about every part/system of our bodies -- we're all inflamed :~

(this is a link to a nice summary of the research on Tumeric from University of Maryland Medical Center)

2. Powerful antioxidant ~ helpful in many ways,
including preventing a variety of cancers, aging, and more!

3. Makes platelets less likely to clump and clot (like CHOCOLATE and ASPIRIN!)

Ok, that's it for now, go enjoy a nice avocado and mustard roll-up now!

WHAT DO YOU THINK?  Can you replace other fats with avocado?  What creative ways can you think of to do this?

PB&J Poppers!

Craving peanut butter? No worries! It's a healthy fat that speeds up your fat-burning and overall metabolism! It's a great source of protein and FIBER, as well. Peanuts also provide vitamin E, folate, and magnesium.  For more on benefits of NUTS click HERE!

Be sure to eat "natural" PB; this is peanut butter with an ingredients list that includes only one or two items: peanuts, and perhaps salt.

PB and J Poppers

GRAB YOUR FOOD CHOPPER and whip some up!

1/2 c peanuts

1/2 c unsweetened raisins

1/4 c ground flaxseeds

Add 1/2 tsp chia seeds for an added nutritional punch!

Blend together until mixture begins to clump and then shape into balls! Addicting! For more hints about how to make these yummy treats, click here. Here is carrot cake flavor!  You can learn about Laraballs here!

"Like" the fresh-you Facebook page here!

WHAT DO YOU THINK? Tell me in a comment below: do you like some other version of PBJ? Grape or strawberry jelly? Jam? Add dried fruit or nuts inside? Almond butter instead? Perhaps peanut butter and butter (Earth Balance spread) like my oldest daughter?

PB&J Poppers!

Craving peanut butter? No worries! It's a healthy fat that speeds up your fat-burning and overall metabolism! It's a great source of protein and FIBER, as well. Peanuts also provide vitamin E, folate, and magnesium.  For more on benefits of NUTS click HERE!

Be sure to eat "natural" PB; this is peanut butter with an ingredients list that includes only one or two items: peanuts, and perhaps salt.

PB&J Poppers

GRAB YOUR FOOD CHOPPER and whip some up!

1/2 c peanuts

1/2 c unsweetened raisins

1/4 c ground flaxseed

Add 1/2 tsp chia seeds for an added nutritional punch!

Blend together until mixture begins to clump and then shape into balls! Addicting! For more hints about how to make these yummy treats, click here. Here is carrot cake flavor!  You can learn about Laraballs here!

"Like" the fresh-you Facebook page here!

WHAT DO YOU THINK? Tell me in a comment below: do you like some other version of PBJ? Grape or strawberry jelly? Jam? Add dried fruit or nuts inside? Almond butter instead? Perhaps peanut butter and butter (Earth Balance spread) like my oldest daughter?

Fiber for Fitness!

A fit intestine that is! Fiber is not digested, so it cleans up your insides and aids elimination. It can also help you look fit by helping you lose weight. Fiber promotes weight loss in lots of ways! It makes you feel full longer, slows down your intake because you have to chew it, and replaces other foods higher in fat and calories. Fiber is in fruits, vegetables, and whole grains. Check your bread label today: look for “whole wheat” or “whole grain” as the FIRST ingredient and avoid the word “enriched”.

The Magical Fruit!

Beans, peas, and legumes are some of the most nutritious, inexpensive, and versatile foods you can find! Substitute these savory little nuggets for meat in a meal this week to lower fat, cholesterol, and calories. One cup of beans provides half of the fiber that we should each consume daily, as well as plenty of vitamins, minerals, and protein. So it’s no surprise that beans may even prevent colon cancer, heart disease, and type II diabetes!

Plus, here are three more ways to eat your magical fruit!