Since most of my clients are following (hopefully)  ;0)  a no pasta, no bread, no rice, very limited bean and dairy diet, I thought I should post a bit about this book and some of my favorite recipes so far.   To purchase the book yourself simply click this link:   http://bit.ly/PrimalBlueprint

Here are 4 favorites for you to try for a great alternative to those carbohydrate foods many often crave… particularly in the wintry cold months.

Nut Crackers (great with and avocado dip)

2 cups fine almond meal

1 teaspoon baking soda

1-2 tablespoons dried oregano or Italian seasoning

1 cup finely grated Parmesan or Romano cheese

2 tablespoons olive oil

3 tablespoons water

Preheat oven to 350. In a mixing bowl, combine all ingredients and stir to form a moist, sticky dough. Add more water or oil if needed. Using wet hands, place the dough on a a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Unsing your fingers, flatten the dough out into a thin rectangle measuring about 10×8

Sprinkle a little sea salt on top if desired. Bake for 15 minutes or until dough becomes dry and golden in appearance. Remove and cool on a wire baking rack. Once the dough is cooled, use a pizza cutter to create crackers. If not consuming immediately, be sure to store in an air-tight container.

Coconut Pancakes

3 eggs

3 tablespoons melted butter or coconut oil

1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons coconut milk

1/2 teaspoon raw honey

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup coconut flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 cup water

flaked coconut, nuts, cinnamon (add to batter)

Whisk together eggs, oil, coconut milk, honey and vanilla.  In a separate bowl, stir together dry ingredients then add the wet ingredients, stirring until smooth.  Add the water to thin the batter out until it reaches your desired consistency. In a well buttered pan or griddle, cook pancakes until browned on both sides (about 3 minutes a side).  Note: the pancakes will fall apart if too big – so keep them small.

Nut Butter Bars

1 cup slivered almonds

1 cup hazelnuts

1 1/2 cups pecans

2/3 cup flax meal

2/3 cup shredded coconut (unsweetened)

1/4 cup unsalted almond butter

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 1/2 teaspoon black-strap molasses

1/4 cup melted coconut oil

Place almonds, hazelnuts, pecans, flax meal, shredded coconut, nut butter, salt and molasses in a food processor. Depending on the size of your food processor, you may have to put in half of the nuts, pulse a few times, and then add the rest. Process until the consistency is fairly smooth (but not completely) then slowly drizzle in the oil until a coarse paste forms.  Scrape the batter into an 8×8 pan lined with parchment and press down evenly to fill the pan. Chill in refrigerator for at least 1 hour or more until bars are hard.

Pumpkin Nut Muffins

1/2 cup coconut flour, or almond flour ( or try blending the two)

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1/4 teaspoon ground cloves

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup cooked pureed pumpkin

6 eggs

4 tablespoons coconut oil or ghee melted

1/3 cup pure maple syrup (Grade B)

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/4 cup coarsely chopped pecans or walnuts

Few chocolate chips

Use muffin pan or Pyrex dish.  Grease very well with coconut oil, or use liners.  Sift coconut flour, baking soda, salt, and spices into small bowl. Stir to blend well and set aside. Place pumpkin puree in a medium mixing bowl. One by one, crack the eggs into the bowl, mixing well with the pumpkin puree after each egg is added. Add melted coconut oil or ghee, maple syrup, and vanilla extract and mix thoroughly.

Add flour mixture to egg mixture and blend well with a whisk until most of the floury lumps have disappeared – don’t stir more than necessary.  Gently fold in nuts, if using.

Spoon into greased muffin pan or pyrex dish. Bake for 18-20 minutes, until lightly golden brown on top and toothpick inserted into center of muffin is clean when removed.

http://bit.ly/8VaccinationMyths

The first place to look is your diet.  The average person generally eats 3-5 times per day. It is important to consider the type of foods you are consuming. Are these foods nourishing your body, or simply filling your stomach and pleasing your taste buds? One of the most common culprits to inflammation is the over-consumption of sugar.  Sugar comes in many disguises so don’t be fooled! Two of the most common are lactose and fructose found in milk and fruit. But did you know that all grains convert to sugar alcohol in your body?  A typical breakfast for many usually includes one of the following; a bowl of cereal and milk,  a bagel with cream cheese, a bran muffing with jelly, Oatmeal and fruit – washed down with a big glass of orange juice.  If that’s you, then you’re starting your day with a ton of sugar!

Consider this: your body can only handle approximately 1tsp. of sugar in the blood stream at any given time. Any more than that and you’re in trouble.  A 12 ounce glass of OJ provides a whopping 8 teaspoons – and that’s just your beverage! So what happens? In a nutshell, the pancreas has to work on over-drive to produce enough insulin to regulate the amount of sugar entering the blood stream at one time.  The body interprets this constant demand on the pancreas as an internal stress and alerts the adrenals to get involved. The adrenals are the glands that respond to “fight or flight” situations and produce a hormone called cortisol to help your body deal with stress. In normal amounts cortisol acts as an anti-inflammatory and natural pain reliever.  The problem is, when this hormone is being produced on a consistent basis, and in high amounts, it has the reverse affect. It starts to cause inflammation and pain!

Once you’ve started this cycle it can be hard to get out of because your body craves the very thing that is causing the stress response…SUGAR! Do yourself a favor and cut out the sugar – that means carbohydrates folks. Try to eat more healthy proteins, fats, and low starch vegetables. In fact, give up the cereal for your morning breakfast all together.  Try replacing it with this healthy shake instead:

• 8-10 ounces of coconut milk (dairy section of Whole Foods)
• Or 8-10 ounces almond milk
• 1/2 avocado
• 4 ounces FAGE Greek yogurt (dairy section Whole Foods – full fat please)
• 1 raw egg (organic, free range please)…if your queasy about a raw egg, replace it with some almond butter- no peanut butter though!
• 1 tsp. stevia or xylitol
• Optional sprinkle a bit of cinnamon and nutmeg

Blend and drink. – Delish! Don’t like my suggestion? OK, then be creative and try something different. Just don’t go for that bagel with cream cheese,  muffin with butter, or toast with jam. When’s the last time you had some free range eggs with a side of spinach or steamed kale?

Once you’ve considered your diet, you may want to add some supplements to help assist your body in overcoming inflammation.  Of course, the type of supplements appropriate for you depends on what is causing your inflammation. Below is a list of supplements that you may find helpful. Most of these can be found at your local health food store.

• MSM - helpful for all kinds of inflammation as well as problems with connective tissue such as ligaments, tendons, and even hair, skin and nails.

• Omega 3 Fatty Acids (specifically: MORE EPA by Minami). EPA acts as a natural anti-inflammatory and helps regulate the ratio of omega 3 to omega 6 fatty acid, too much of which can lead to inflammation.

• Cherry Fruit Extract – specific for different forms of arthritis or gout.

• Sculacia – Two types of flavanoids that metabolize fatty acids in the joint. Work particularly well for joint stiffness and functional mobility (Please call 781-352-2690 to order this product)
• Boswellia – an Ayurvedic herb typically known for its anti-inflammatory properties.

Remember, everyone is different, and everyone’s body will require a unique approach to achieving health.  To find out more about your body’s unique needs and nutritional requirements, consider the Living Balance program, Adrenal Stress Test, and/or the Hair Mineral Analysis for more insight on how your body is handling stress as well as metabolizing carbohydrates.

Part 1 of 3

Part 2 of 3 >
Part 3 of 3 >

Colostrum

Reishi Mushroom

Oregano Oil

Probiotics

Oscillococinum

The Global Animal Partnership 5-Step Animal Welfare Rating program outlines specific welfare practices, beginning at Sept 1, which is the first level in the program and a clear departure from conventional practices. At Step 1, farmers and ranchers mush focus intently on the welfare of their animals and meet specific standards, including no antibiotics, no animal by-products in their feed, and no added growth hormones. As another example of the strict Step 1 standards, most physical alterations widely used in animal production are prohibited.  The progressive nature of the program encourages producers to improve their welfare practices and to attain higher Step ratings.

Throughout the meat department at Whole Foods Market, you’ll find chicken, beef and pork labeled with the Global Animal Partnership 5-Step Animal Welfare Rating.  It’s your way of knowing exactly how the animals were raised for the meat you are buying.  They have made it easier for you to identify the steps with simple color coding.

Below is a description of what these steps mean for the quality of life of the animals as well as the quality of meat you put in your body.

STEP 1

• No crates, no cages, no crowding
• No antibiotics
• No added growth hormones
• No animal byproducts in feed
• Animals must have enough space to express their normal behaviors
• Animal must be chosen for the environment where they will be raised
• Feed must satisfy hunger and provide optimal nutrition
• Ill or injured animals must be treated or euthanized if treatment is ineffective
• Lameness must be monitored and corrected
• Maximum transport time that considers stress level of animals

STEP 2

• Enriched Environment
• Enrichment’s required so animals can play and explore
• More stringent requirements for addressing lameness and other ailments

STEP 3

• Enhanced outdoor access
• Continuous, unobstructed outdoor access for ALL pigs, and chickens
• More stringent requirements for addressing lameness and other ailments

STEP 4

• Pasture Centered
• Animals must live on pasture or in foraging areas for their entire lives; may be removed when seasonal or weather conditions pose a welfare risk .
• Pasture must maintain a high percentage of vegetative cover

STEP 5

• Animal centered; all physical alterations prohibited
• Animals live on pasture or foraging areas for their entire lives; may not be seasonally removed
• No physical alterations of any kind
• Pasture requires higher level of vegetative cover
• All commercial animals on farm must be audited
• All domestic animals must be managed according to specific welfare principles

STEP 5+

• Animal centered; Entire life on same farm
• No transport in the life of pigs or cattle
• Maximum 2 hour transport for chickens
• Animals must spend entire lives on the same property or on integrated farm

Support the farmers who are putting in the extra time and money to make a better quality of life for the animals we rely on so much for our food.  Support Whole Foods for making animal welfare a priority!

1. Continually eating food processed from a microwave oven causes long term, permanent brain damage by “shorting out” electrical impulses in the brain (de-polarizing or de-magnetizing the brain tissue).
2. The human body cannot metabolize (break down) the unknown by-products created in microwaved food.
3. Male and female hormone production is shut down and/or altered by continually eating microwaved foods.
4. The effects of microwaved food by-products are residual (long-term, permanent) within the human body.
5. Minerals, vitamins, and nutrients of all microwaved food is reduced or altered so that the human body gets little or no benefit, or the human body absorbs altered compounds that cannot be broken down.
6. The minerals in vegetables are altered into cancerous free radicals when cooked in microwave ovens.
7. Microwaved foods cause stomach and intestinal cancerous growths (tumors). This may explain the rapidly increased rate of colon cancer in America.
8. The prolonged eating of microwaved foods causes cancerous cells to increase in human blood.
9. Continual ingestion of microwaved food causes immune system deficiencies through lymph gland and blood serum alterations.
10. Eating microwaved food causes loss of memory, concentration, emotional instability, and a decrease of intelligence.

Have you tossed out your microwave oven yet? If not, refer to the this scientific study!

The fear comes from thinking that the yolk of an egg is going to result in high cholesterol and higher risk for heart disease.  The misinformation is exactly that notion – cholesterol found in food does not lead to high cholesterol in your body or heart disease.  In fact, it is the exact opposite.

Lets evaluate the benefits of eating a whole egg yolk. Take a look at the following article “The Incredible Edible Egg Yolk,”  and learn some valuable food facts regarding egg yolks vs. egg whites.

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