Healthy Foods from A-Z

Happy, blessed and healthy New Year to everyone! Rob has been gracious enough to invite me to contribute an article each month to his newsletter again this year. I am going to begin a series that will run through the end of the year I’m calling, “Healthy Foods from A-Z.” Each month I’ll give you some information on several healthy foods and some suggestions for how to include them in your daily meals. While I’ll only share a few foods in each category in these articles, I’ll be compiling them along with additional ones into an e-book, hopefully by the end of the year.

Much is written about “super-foods.” These are usually expensive, exotic foods you can barely pronounce from a rainforest across the globe. According to the experts they can help you improve your health and extend your lifespan. The problem is that many of those foods are not readily available to everyone.

I think ALL the fresh, natural, whole foods God created happen to be “super” foods! So, I will be talking about foods you can easily find in your grocery store that can absolutely improve your health and extend your lifespan. Let’s begin!

This month let’s do the A-B-C foods!

An apple a day keeps the doctor away! So very true! Whole apples, especially with their peels, are a good source of fiber and potassium as well as antioxidants (phenols). In fact, they have the second highest level of antioxidant activity among fruits. Studies have found numerous health benefits related to the consumption of apples:

Their soluble and insoluble fiber help regulate the movement of the bowels, which relieves constipation thus moving toxins out of the body. (A definite win-win!)
They’ve been found to lower “bad” cholesterol and raise the good one.
They reduce symptoms of metabolic syndrome including high blood pressure.
They lower blood levels of C-reactive protein, an indicator of heightened risk for heart disease and diabetes.
*Just choose organically grown apples whenever possible so you can safely eat the skin which is a major source of pectin – the soluble fiber.

Beets are nutritional powerhouses! They've been found to increase stamina during exercise by 16%, are known to break up cancers and tumors, improve digestion, and are an excellent source of betaine, which helps break down fats and protein. The cells in your liver produce betaine naturally, so supplementing with a natural source of helps keep your liver function at its best.

Celery is an amazing and under-appreciated vegetable! What can’t it do?? It is known to contain at least eight families of anti-cancer compounds; aids in increasing bile acid secretion which helps to remove cholesterol from the body; is a natural laxative that helps to relieve constipation; is an effective diuretic that helps rid the body of excess fluid; contains powerful anti-inflammatory compounds; lowers high blood pressure and is high in magnesium which can help with insomnia. As if that wasn’t enough, raw celery is a “negative calorie food.” Your body uses more calories to eat, digest and eliminate the 19 calories in one cup of raw celery! So, it’s a great weight loss food.

Take a Step:

A crunchy, delicious fresh apple is one of my absolute favorite snacks just as is or with a handful of raw nuts! In fact eating an apple slowly and mindfully 15-30 minutes before a meal will help you eat less due to the fact that they’re full of water and fiber!

Besides grating a raw, organic beet into my salad, my favorite way to prepare them as a side dish is this: peel and cut into chunks as many beets as you like; add a tablespoon of virgin coconut oil (it’s the best fat to use for cooking at higher temperatures, but if you don’t have any, olive oil is also good) and a sprinkle of sea salt. Cover and roast at 400 degrees for about an hour. You can also add a splash of balsamic vinegar if you like. They’re delicious.

Next time your children want a snack – offer ants on a log – my son, Christopher’s favorite as a child. Fill crisp, fresh stalks of celery with a high quality natural nut butter and top with raisins or dried cranberries (the ants!).

Take a minute to drop me an email and share your thoughts!

Until next time I wish you vibrant health!

Ann

Healthy Lunch Ideas

A healthy lunch can help you and your child stay focused and full of energy throughout the afternoon. Here are some ideas you may consider:

Nut butter (organic and unsalted) sandwiches - peanut butter, almond butter or cashew butter - on whole grain bread are always a winner. You can add a bit of no sugar added organic jam or jelly or slice up a banana. You can make a "faux" peanut butter if your child has an allergy to nuts. Mix Aktivated Barley, Rice Bran Solubles and Organic Tropic Coconut Oil (from Purium Health Product) and spread just as you would nut butter. Cut out with cookie cutters and they're irresistable.

Instead of bread try whole grain english muffins; put spread on and make a face by decorating with fruit slices, raisins or whatever your child likes. My only caution here is to be sure whatever brand of Rice Bran Solubles you use does not contain arsenic. Some brands do.

Yogurt is always a great choice. Stoneyfield Farms and Horizon Organic have yogurt in a tube the kids will love. Pair this with fruit and some nuts or seeds.

Other good lunch choices are hard-boiled eggs, cheese sticks, hummus and raw vegetables (try jicama sticks, Jerusalem artichoke, celery, bell peppers, baby carrots); whole grain crackers (look at the ingredients - the shortest list wins - Original Triscuit are good) and guacamole or salsa; cottage cheese and vegetables; some mini high protein muffins, a handful of nuts and seeds and a small piece of dark chocolate (what a treat!).

Any left-overs from dinner work well. Something as simple as a turkey, chicken, tuna or salmon sandwich on whole grain bread and some baby carrots, celery sticks or sliced peppers provides protein and fiber. An egg sandwich or burrito are also excellent choices. Just be sure the wraps you choose are whole grain. A thermos of soup (lentil, vegetable, split pea) and whole grain crackers is a great option. You can puree cauliflower and add it to soup to bump up the nutritional value even more.

Salad is another great lunch (or dinner) idea. Top lettuce and whatever sliced or chopped fresh veges your child especially likes (cucumbers, grape tomatoes, mushrooms, peppers, shredded carrots) with chick peas (or any other bean), peas, sunflower or pumpkin seeds and provide a healthy dressing. You can purchase a container especially made for salads that even has a reservoir on top to store the dressing so the salad doesn't get soggy and has it's own ice pack in the lid to keep everything fresh. They're sold in supermarkets and make it easy to carry a salad to school or work.

Take a Step:

Get creative. Gradually introduce some different foods presented in a different way to allow your children the opportunity to try them. You may be surprised at how adventurous they truly are!

Until next time, I wish you vibrant health. Ann