The Most Powerful Natural Antibiotics

by Lois Breneman

In doing a little research I found some of the most powerful foods that act as natural antibiotics. 

Many of these super-powerful foods can be incorporated in homemade soups or even added to bought soups to boost your immune system.  Use them on a regular basis for the most benefit.

Apple Cider Vinegar
Garlic
Ginger
Horseradish Root
Habanero Peppers
Oregano Oil
Echinacea
Tumeric
Raw Honey
Onion

For a powerful homemade Super Tonic to help at the first little sign of a cold or flu, click here.

Top 10 Healthiest Seeds to Eat

This is my summary from reading the article, but please read the entire article for much more great information! 

I put this list inside my kitchen cabinet as an ever-present reminder.

The top 5 healthiest seeds to eat are:
Flaxseeds
Hemp Seeds
Pumpkin Seeds
Poppy Seeds
Sunflower Seeds

Then 5 more are added to total 10:
Chia Seeds
Sesame Seeds
Pine Nuts
Quinoa Seeds
Pomegranate Seeds

                    ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Article by Rachael, MS, RD
April 8, 2019
Permission given by Dr. Josh Axe

Read More:

https://draxe.com/nutrition/top-10-healthiest-seeds-to-eat/

5 Danger Foods You’re Consuming on a Regular Basis

by Dr. Josh Axe
https://draxe.com/danger-foods/?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=sep_2_newsletter_a
Used by permission

Hippocrates, the founder of modern medicine and the food is medicine concept, once said, “All disease begins in the gut.” Today, more than ever, we know this is true as we hear scientists connecting disease after disease to microbiome disruption. This assault on your gut — largely triggered by eating danger foods — often leads to a condition known as leaky gut.
Also known as “intestinal permeability,” leaky gut is characterized by a malfunction in the tight junctions of your intestines. This results in things like toxins, microbes and undigested food particles leaking out of your gut and into your bloodstream. This sets off a cascade of inflammation, leading to all sorts of side effects and diseases like allergies, asthma, eczema and autoimmune disease symptoms.
Clearly, leaky gut doesn’t only impact your gastrointestinal tract. Bloating, food intolerance and gas are common symptoms in people living with leaky gut, but not everyone experiences them. One important way to start healing your gut is to start avoiding danger foods. Let’s take a look.

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Danger Foods to Always Avoid

1. The Wrong Fats

The best sources for healthy fats include things like avocados, raw or organic grass-fed butter, omega-3 rich fish like wild-caught salmon or anchovies, coconut oil, and extra virgin olive oil. Always avoid damaging, processed fats found in things like margarine, other “vegetable oil spreads,” and rancid, inflammatory vegetable oils like canola oil, safflower oil, and cottonseed and soybean oils.
Processed oils are extracted by high heat and pressure and the use of solvents. The fats in these oils are exposed to light and air, which oxidizes the fat, turning them rancid. The high heat and pressure destroy antioxidants and alter the chemical nature of the fat, creating dangerous free radicals. BHA and BHT, dangerous preservatives, are then often added to the oil to extend the shelf life.
Trans fat, listed as hydrogenated oils or sometimes “shortening” on the ingredients label, should be avoided at all costs, too. Harvard researchers estimate that trans fats cause about 50,000 premature heart attack deaths annually. (1) A 2015 review of studies concluded that those who ate the highest levels of trans fat were 34 percent more likely to die from any cause compared to people who ate the least trans fat. (2)

2. Tap Water

OK, not technically a food, but tap water is a diet staple for millions of Americans. (It’s the second most consumed beverage behind carbonated soft drinks.) What’s concerning here is that a growing number of microbiologists believe even low levels of chlorine commonly found in tap water could be damaging the beneficial bacterial community in the digestive tract. (3) That’s the No. 1 reason this lands on the danger foods list.
I’m not suggesting that bottled water, which is about 300 times more expensive than tap water, is the right alternative, either. (4) Numerous studies suggest bottled water also contains contaminants. A recent German study detected nearly 25,000 chemicals in a single bottled water. (5) I suggest looking for a water filter featuring the NSF/ANSI 42 standard label. This means it’s been proven to significantly reduce levels of chlorine from water. Activated charcoal filters often bear this label.

3. Surprising Inflammatory Grains

This may come as a surprise, but I’m not here to tell you that all grains are evil. While I do recommend going exclusively grain-free during the first phase of the leaky gut diet, avoiding ancient grains for the rest of your life may not be necessary. Instead, learn how to soak and sprout grains. This helps break down gut-irritating phytic acid and antinutrients in ancient grains, helping your body absorb more nutrients without all of the unnecessarily inflammation.
Years ago, our ancestors typically soaked, sprouted and fermented ancient grains before consuming them. The shift to eating grains without taking these important steps has left our bodies more inflamed.
In fact, consuming high levels of phytic acid (or phytate, as it’s called in its salt form) in unsprouted grains can actually lead to nutritional deficiencies. These antinutrients impair your body’s ability to absorb things like calcium, copper, iron, magnesium and zinc. (6) Phytic acid also inhibits our digestive enzymes called amylase, trypsin and pepsin. Amaylase breaks down starch, while both pepsin and trypsin are needed to break down protein. (7, 8)
For those who love bread and don’t want to give it up, Ezekiel bread in moderation is a better choice.

4. The Sneakiest Sugars

To be clear, I’m not suggesting you eliminate all forms of unprocessed fruit from your life. In fact, the health benefits of blueberries make them a great part of your breakfast routine. What you need to start avoiding are the sneakiest forms of sugar, though. This includes avoiding things like yogurt (even organic yogurt) that contains added sugar.
Too much sugar causes yeast overgrowth, triggering the yeast in your gut to start overtaking the beneficial microorganisms in your gut. Sugar feeds yeast overgrowth and candida, causing malabsorption issues over time. This means your body won’t be able to absorb and digest all of the vitamins and minerals you need. If your’e experiencing certain vitamin and mineral deficiencies, particularly vitamin B12, iron, zinc and/or magnesium, know that these are chief symptoms of leaky gut.

5. Gluten

Intense breeding practices in agriculture have left us with a modern wheat that’s loaded with gluten, a protein that’s very hard to digest. Today’s hybridized wheat contains about double the amount of gluten compared to grains of the past, too. And let’s not forget that, historically, people prepared wheat in a much different way, routinely sprouting and pre-digesting it so it’s easier for the body to process.
Today, some people in particular are more sensitive to gluten. Some signs of gluten intolerance include frequent headaches, infertility, muscle and joint pain, skin rashes, mood disorders, and a higher risk of learning disabilities, among others.
Foods with gluten aren’t always obvious. For instance, ketchup, ground spices, lunch meat and hot dogs are often unexpected sources.

Read Next: The Top 15 Anti-Inflammatory Foods

10 American Foods that Are Banned Elsewhere

This Article First Appeared At Care2.com

Americans are slowly realizing that food sold in the US doesn’t just taste different than foods sold in other countries, it’s created differently. Sadly, many U.S. foods are BANNED in Europe — and for good reason. Take a look at the plummeting health of Americans; what role might toxic foods play in our skyrocketing disease rates?

Below are 10 American foods that are banned elsewhere.

#1:  Farm-Raised Salmon

Farm-raised fish is usually fed an unnatural diet of genetically engineered (GE) grains, antibiotics and chemicals unsafe for humans. To mask the resulting grayish flesh, they’re given toxic and potentially eyesight-damaging synthetic astaxanthin.

To determine wild from farm-raised salmon (sold in most restaurants), wild sockeye gets its red color from natural astaxanthin and carotenoids. The white “fat strips” are thin, meaning it’s lean. Pale pink fish and wide fat marks are a sign of farmed salmon.

Avoid “Atlantic Salmon.” Look for “Alaskan” or “sockeye,” which is illegal to farm and has very high astaxanthin concentrations.

Where it’s banned: Australia and New Zealand

 

#2:  Genetically Engineered Papaya

Most Hawaiian papaya is genetically engineered to be ringspot virus-resistant. But research shows animals fed GE foods like corn and soy suffer intestinal damage, multiple-organ damage, massive tumors, birth defects, premature death and/or nearly complete sterility by the third generation. Dangers to humans are unknown.

Where it’s banned: The European Union

 

#3:  Ractopamine-Tainted Meat

About 45 percent of US pigs, 30 percent of cattle and an unknown percentage of turkeys are plumped with the asthma drug ractopamine before slaughter. Up to 20 percent of ractopamine is still there when you buy it.

Since 1998, more than 1,700 US pork lovers have been “poisoned” this way. For this very health threat, ractopamine-laced meats are banned in 160 different countries! Russia issued a ban on US meat imports, effective February 11, 2013, until it’s certified ractopamine-free. In animals, it’s linked to reducedreproductive function, increased mastitis and increased death. It damages the human cardiovascular system and may cause hyperactivity, chromosomal abnormalities and behavioral changes. Currently, US meats aren’t even tested for it.

Where it’s banned: 160 countries across Europe, Russia, mainland China and Republic of China (Taiwan).

 

#4:  Flame Retardant Drinks

Mountain Dew and other drinks in the US contain the synthetic chemical brominated vegetable oil (BVO), originally patented as a flame retardant.

BVO bioaccumulates in human tissue and breast milk; animal studies report reproductive and behavioral problems. Bromine alters the central nervous and endocrine systems and promotes iodine deficiency, causing skin rashes, acne, loss of appetite, fatigue and cardiac arrhythmias. The featured article explains:

“The FDA has flip-flopped on BVO’s safety, originally classifying it as ‘generally recognized as safe,’ but reversing that call, now defining it as an ‘interim food additive,’ a category reserved for possibly questionable substances used in food.”

Where it’s banned: Europe and Japan

 

#5:  Processed Foods and Artificial Food Dyes

More than 3,000 preservatives, flavorings and colors are added to US foods, many of which are banned in other countries. The featured article noted:

“Boxed Mac & Cheese, cheddar flavored crackers, Jell-O and many kids’ cereals contain red 40, yellow 5, yellow 6 and/or blue 2 … (which) can cause behavioral problems as well as cancer, birth defects and other health problems in laboratory animals. Red 40 and yellow 6 are also suspected of causing an allergy-like hypersensitivity reaction in children. The Center for Science in the Public Interest reports that some dyes are also “contaminated with known carcinogens.”

In countries where these food dyes are banned, companies like Kraft employ natural colorants like paprika extract and beetroot.

Where it’s banned: Norway and Austria. Britain advised companies against using food dyes by the end of 2009. The European Union requires a warning notice on most foods containing dyes.

 

#6:  Arsenic-Laced Chicken

Arsenic-based drugs are approved in US-produced animal feed because they cause animals to grow quicker and meats products to look pinker and “fresher.” The FDA says arsenic-based drugs are safe safe because they contain organic arsenic … But organic arsenic can turn into inorganic arsenic, run through contaminated manure and leach into drinking water.

The European Union has never approved using arsenic in animal feed; US environmental groups have sued the FDA to remove them.

Where it’s banned: The European Union

 

#7:  Bread with Potassium Bromate

Bread, hamburger and hotdog buns are “enriched” with potassium bromate, or bromide, linked to kidney and nervous system damage, thyroid problems, gastrointestinal discomfort and cancer.

While commercial baking companies claim it renders dough more tolerable to bread hooks, Pepperidge Farm and others use only unbromated flour without experiencing “structural problems.”

Where it’s banned: Canada, China and the EU

 

#8:  Olestra/Olean

Olestra, or Olean, created by Procter & Gamble, is a calorie- and cholesterol-free fat substitute in fat-free snacks like chips and french fries. Three years ago, Time Magazine named it one of the worst 50 inventions ever. MSN noted:

“Not only did a 2011 study from Purdue University conclude rats fed potato chips made with Olean gained weight … several reports of adverse intestinal reactions to the fake fat include diarrhea, cramps and leaky bowels. And because it interferes  with the absorption of fat soluble vitamins such as A, D, E and K, the FDA requires these vitamins be added to any product made with Olean or olestra.”

Where it’s banned: The UK and Canada

 

#9:  Preservatives BHA and BHT

BHA (butylated hydroxyanisole) and BHT (butylated hydroxytoluene) are common preservatives in foods like cereal, nut mixes, chewing gum, butter spread, meat and beer. The National Toxicology Program’s 2011 Report on Carcinogens says BHA may trigger allergic reactions and hyperactivity and “is reasonably anticipated to be a human carcinogen.”

Where it’s banned: Both are banned in parts of the European Union and Japan; the UK doesn’t allow BHA in infant foods.

 

#10:  Milk and Dairy Products Made with rBGH

Recombinant bovine growth hormone (rBGH), a synthetic version of natural bovine hormone is injected into cows to increase milk production. Monsanto developed it from genetically engineered E. coli bacteria, marketed as “Posilac.”

But it’s banned in at least 30 other nations. Why? It converts normal tissue cells into cancerous ones, increasing colorectal, prostate and breast cancer risks. Among other diseases, injected cows suffer exorbitant rates of mastitis, contaminating milk with pus and antibiotics.

In 1997, two Fox-affiliate investigative journalists, Jane Akre and Steve Wilson attempted to expose the dangers of rBGH, but lawyers for Monsanto – a major advertiser with the Florida network – sent letters promising “dire consequences” if the story aired.

In 1999, the United Nations Safety Agency ruled unanimously not to endorse rBGH milk, resulting in an international ban on US milk.

The Cancer Prevention Coalition, trying for years to affect a dairy industry ban of rBGH, resubmitting a petition to FDA Commissioner Margaret Hamburg in January 2010, but the FDA sticks to its false position that rBGH-treated milk is no different than milk from untreated cows.

Action: Look for products labeled “rBGH-free” or “No rBGH.”

Where it’s banned: Australia, New Zealand, Israel, EU and Canada

 

Take Control of Your Health with REAL Food

If you value your health, avoid foods containing harmful ingredients and ditch processed foods entirely – even if they are permitted in the US.  Opt for fresh whole foods, organic, grass-fed/pasture-raised beef and poultry, dairy products and eggs.

Real Food Road Trip Snacks

by Kathryn Milliron, Holistic Health Coach - Real Food

http://www.simplecleanliving.com/real-food-road-trip-snacks/

Summertime meals vacation time for many families. But often, when on the road to your vacation destination, the choices that you have for food are, shall we say….less than healthy. But you don’t have to be stuck with only fast food and convenience store fare this year. You can bring plenty of healthy, real food snacks that will make everyone happy.

 

Now when my family travels, we always bring a cooler. It simply gives us far more choices in the snacks that we can bring with us! And unless you are traveling by air, I can’t recommend bringing a cooler with you more!

 

1. Homemade Larabars-if you like Larabars, you can make them at home from scratch. These taste great and travel very well too!
2. Yogurt-whether you make homemade yogurt of have found a good whole fat variety, with a cooler, regular or Greek yogurt is a great addition to your travel cooler.
3. Fresh fruit and vegetables-chop up some fresh veggies and bring them in containers. You can bring fresh fruits whole, or cube fruits like pineapple and melons.
4. Dried fruits-homemade or store bought unsulphured dried fruits are great snacks to bring.
5. Hard boiled eggs-boil up some eggs and throw them into the cooler for a protein rich, hand held snack on the go.
6. Nuts-nuts that have been soaked and dehydrated are great, healthy, filling snacks for any trip.
7. Seeds-along with the nuts above, seeds like sunflower and pumpkin seeds can help to fill your tummy on a trip.
8. Sandwiches- bringing pre-made sandwiches can really help you to avoid the fast food joints along your route.
9. Hummus-hummus is a great dip for cut veggies or crackers. You can easily make this at home and bring it in a container.
10. Cheese-bringing cheese cubes is an easy snack that most kids and adults enjoy.
11. Kale chips-If you are looking for something tasty, but without all of the nasty vegetable oil found in potato chips, then kale chips are a great substitute. These are also pretty simple to make at home and can be made in advance….if you can keep everyone away from them before the trip!
12. Homemade trail mix-combine your favorite nuts, seeds, dry fruit, and maybe even some dark chocolate chips to share….so good!
13. Jerky-I do recommend homemade jerky if you are going to bring jerky with you, but this snack is protein rich and tastes wonderful.
14. Popcorn-I love to pop a big batch of popcorn and snack on it throughout the trip. Easy to make and very portable too!
15. Homemade chocolate snacks-if your family likes chocolate, you can make your own chocolate snacks in a variety of flavors to bring with you….just make sure you keep them in the cooler if it is hot out or you will end up with a chocolate mess!
16. Crackers-crackers are easy travelers and can be paired with cheese, hummus or even nut butter! There are some great, easy recipes that you can make at home, to help you avoid the processed ingredients in store bought varieties.
17. Cookies-bring a batch of homemade cookies and your family will be happy.
18. Homemade muffins-muffins are very portable, and can be made from scratch with any fruits or even bacon and cheese!
19. Nut or seed butter- use these to spread on crackers or to dip fruit.
20. Pickles or olives-easy finger foods to bring along…and if you happen to bring fermented pickles, even better! They will help to keep your digestion on track during your vacation.

Try to plan ahead for the foods that you are going to bring on your vacation. If making homemade snacks, most of the ones on the list can be prepared well in advance and some can be frozen as well (like the cookies and muffins).  Most of all, enjoy your vacation!

Packing Nutritious Lunches for Healthy, Happy Kids & Husbands

by Lois Breneman - © 2007 - Heart to Heart

{Updated Note - August, 2013:
After forty-three years of packing lunches for my husband to take to work (He fully retired in June), and many years of packing lunches for our children who are all married, the only lunches I need to pack to carry out of the house at this point are for trips or picnics, but I'll gladly share what I've learned over the years}.

School is already under way for many families, and you may be dreading all those lunches that need packing!  For many years I packed lunches for my three children and my husband, and certainly know myself how easy it is to fall into a lunch packing rut!  Although those days of packing lunches for my children are in the past, I've continued to pack lunches almost every weekday for my husband to take to work.  It's good to know that lunches don't need to be predictable, monotonous, repetitious and boring, but I know I have fallen short in this area many times.  Hopefully these tips will give you more ideas, as well as motivate me to perk up my husband's lunches!   

Did you ever stop to think how those packed lunches add up so quickly?  Just think!  If you pack lunches for only one child, that's as many as 180 lunches each school year, but if you have three children and a husband to send off with nutritious lunches, that's as many as 720 lunches, just counting the school year!  Wow!  Using these lunch packing tips, we will all be able to put together many good nutritious lunches, as well as have a substantial savings measured in dollars, compared to purchased high calorie, fat-laden lunches every day.  A little preparation goes a long way in helping to make lunch packing less stressful, so let's get started.  I hope that all of us, including those who teach their children at home, will find some new ideas here for serving nutritious lunches, as well as ways to save time and money.

Begin by discussing lunches with your family to be sure of their food preferences.  Involving them in the process will help ensure you that the foods packed will be eaten.  Getting their input each year is always a good idea, because likes and dislikes do change.  Otherwise you may learn your children are trading or tossing their food in the trash to hide the evidence.

Involving your children in the lunch packing process will teach them future survivor skills, and you will be so glad you involved them in this responsibility!  They will be glad as well - maybe not now, but definitely later! 

Most younger children love carrying lunch boxes, but from experience I've learned that teens would rather die than carry a lunch box.  They will most likely want to brown bag their lunches, and toss all the containers, so provide foods for them in zipped plastic bags, rather than Tupperware, Rubbermaid or Glad containers. 

As much as possible choose from different food groups, using the Food Guide Pyramid as a guide.  Plan to include breads and starches, fruits and vegetables, and some form of protein, with a variety of natural colors and textures.  Avoid food coloring, preservatives and junk food.

Breads and starches are probably the easiest group to include. But rather than the usual choices of bread, crackers and cookies, whole grain bagels, nutritious muffins, whole grain pita bread, pretzels, rice cakes, and tacos.  Skip the white flour and go with whole grains whenever possible.

Protein is provided in tuna salad, egg salad, hard cooked eggs, and humus spread with whole grain crackers or with vegetables for dipping.  Peanut butter, almond butter, nuts, cheese, milk, yogurt, beans and meats also fit into this category.

Buy colorful fruits in season.  The old standbys are apples, bananas, grapes, and oranges, but also include strawberries, mangoes, plums, pears, peaches, pineapple, grapefruit, watermelon and cantaloupe.  Oranges and grapefruit are much easier to eat if they are peeled and sectioned at home, so have the children help right after the evening meal.  One orange may be enough for two younger children and a grapefruit could be divided between several lunches.  Bananas and grapes are probably the easiest to eat.  Try fruit kabobs too.  Spray fruits that brown with lemon juice.  Add a tiny amount of Stevia if lemon juice make the fruit too sour.

A tossed green salad works well in a plastic container with salad dressing in a separate Tupperware midget cup.  For teens who like to toss containers, you could still send a salad in a paper or Styrofoam soup and cereal bowl, covered with aluminum foil.  Salad dressing could be wrapped in a small piece of aluminum foil or bought in individual size servings.  Try packing carrots, celery, cucumbers, grape tomatoes, avocados, and veggie kabobs as well. 

Invest in disposable snack containers in the snack size and single serving size.  If you already have Tupperware midget cups, they are perfect for sunflower seeds, peanuts, almonds, raisins, dried apricots, salad dressing, and peanut butter for dipping apple slices.  Fresh or canned fruit can be prepared and put into serving size containers and stored in the refrigerator for about a week.  Buy a seedless watermelon, or a few cantaloupes.  Then cut up the entire melon right away, filling smaller containers for lunches and larger ones for meals at home.

If you think it's too expensive to buy healthy food, just begin by purchasing healthy whole grain bread, natural peanut butter, good quality apples and more of other fruits and vegetables.  Next cut out junk food, juices containing added sugar, and all soft drinks, and you will have cash reserves to spend on beneficial food that will build healthy cells, rather than tear them down.  Colds, sinus infections and flu may even decrease, which will save not only visits to the doctor, but expensive medications, makeup school work, makeup tests, plus lots of unnecessary misery!

Do research where you shop to see if you can save money by purchasing the economy size containers of nuts, applesauce, raisins, yogurt and canned fruit to fill your own serving size containers.  If so, enlist the help of your children in filling the individual containers.  It can be fun.  Your children could also help to bake lunch items and wrap them too.  If that's overwhelming to you right now, you may want to start off the year buying a few individual servings, and switching as soon as you catch your breath.

When I buy apples in the grocery store they are often bruised and sometimes waxed.  Better choices can be found at a nearby orchard.  They have less bruised, non-waxed and much better tasting and less expensive apples!   Have you ever seen a tossed apple core after a child (or grownup) has eaten the apple?  There's usually lots of waste!  For better odds of less waste, remove the core at home with an apple corer, and spray with lemon juice to prevent browning.  Wrap in plastic wrap.  A sliced apple sprayed with lemon juice and stored in a zipped bag or container is great for dipping into peanut butter too.  There is a great time-saving kitchen tool that will core and slice apples with one push! 

An even more fun and nutritious way for a child to eat an apple is to pull a "Walking Apple" from her lunchbox!  You can be sure your child's friends will want to see how they are put together and make them as well!  Core an apple, fill the core with peanut butter and raisins or sunflower seeds.  Dip the peanut butter ends in sunflower seeds or nuts, or stuff each end with a dried apricot.  The title, "walking apple," comes from the convenience of being able to eat an apple while taking a walk, without having even a bit litter to toss.  These can be made ahead and kept wrapped in plastic wrap in the fridge several days in advance.  Have your children get them ready for their lunches!  A fun and nutritious way to eat an apple! 

Here are some fun ways to eat vegetables as well!  Wash and dry celery ribs and spread peanut butter on a rib.  Dip the peanut butter top in toasted unsweetened coconut or cover with sunflower seeds to prevent the peanut butter from sticking to plastic wrap.  Raisins on a peanut butter filled celery stick can be called, "ants on a log!"  Use cream cheese or pimiento cheese to fill ribs of celery.  Another fun way for younger kids is to wrap a few goldfish crackers separately for the child to put on the filled celery at lunchtime, so it looks like "fish swimming in a river."  So you see, you and your children can even have fun when packing lunches!

Make a large batch of granola and add dried fruit. Package it for a healthy snack or dessert.  Store in the freezer.  Granola eaten with yogurt would be a delicious and healthy addition to any lunch.

Bake banana nut bread, pumpkin bread, or other quick breads, cutting down on the sugar (or use honey).  After it cools, slice it into serving sizes, wrap breads in plastic wrap and store in a freezer bag in the freezer.  Make apple crisp, cutting back on the sugar (use half the amount and add a little Stevia).  Freeze the apple crisp in individual containers and use for a tasty addition to quick lunches.  Bake large batches of cookies or bars, wrap one or two in plastic wrap or put into snack bags, and freeze together in a large freezer bag.

Prepare and store a couple weeks' worth of snack lunch items to keep on hand.    If you have freezer space, consolidate the freezable lunch items, possibly storing them in a rectangular plastic tub that can be pulled out to retrieve snacks easily as lunches are packed.  Keep adding to the stash as you use up the previous snacks.  If storage space is a factor, during the winter, something like a large metal popcorn tin works great to store smaller lunch items in the garage, basement, or on the back porch or deck.  By using a metal can with a tight fitting lid, you should have no problem with critters having a party.

Keep an eye on sales for possible lunch items such as fresh and canned fruit, mini carrots, celery, grape tomatoes, peanut butter, yogurt, 100% juice, dried fruit, soups, nutritious bread, crackers, tortilla chips, salsa, nuts, jams and other lunch items.  All Fruit is a jam made with all fruit (no sugar), and is often on sale.  Check clearance items, but only purchase if it's a good buy and something that will be used.  Dollar stores carry zipped snack bags, sandwich bags, Glad containers, brown paper bags, as well as many of these other supplies.  Try to refrain from a lot of sugary snacks and foods containing artificial coloring and preservatives, which do not promote good health or learning.

Soups can be heated in the morning and carried in thermos bottles.  Cold or hot drinks can also be taken in a thermos.  Include their favorite casseroles or leftovers too.  Many school cafeterias and offices also have microwaves available for students and employees to heat food, which eliminates the need of a thermos.

Pack tortilla chips in a zipper bag, and provide salsa in a small covered container for dipping.  For a turkey tortilla, spread cream cheese on one half of a tortilla.  Add a little salsa, a layer of turkey, and a sprinkle of grated cheese. Fold over and wrap in plastic wrap to hold it all together.

For peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, spread a thin layer of peanut butter on both slices, with jelly in the center to prevent soggy sandwiches.  These freeze very well.  You may have heard that mayonnaise should not be frozen, but the only reason is because it may separate a bit.  There is no health risk.  I have frozen sandwiches with mayonnaise many times and the mayonnaise looks and tastes fine.  Sour cream or cream cheese may also be used as a substitute or even mixed with mayonnaise, with dill weed added for extra flavor.  Green lettuce can be sent separately in a zipped bag to be added to a sandwich.  Iceberg lettuce contains barely any nutrients, so go for the green.

Many sandwiches can be made ahead of time and frozen.  Cheese, chicken or turkey sandwiches freeze well.  Eliminate or go easy on lunch meats and hot dogs because of nitrates and preservatives.  In an extensive study Dr. Ted Broer reported that children who ate three hot dogs each week had nine times the chance of getting leukemia compared to children who ate no hot dogs.  Of course, that's not to say this is the cause for every child who has ever had leukemia, but it is something to seriously think about!

My children and I used to make sandwiches "assembly line style," using the entire kitchen table.  The sandwiches were carefully cut in half with a serrated knife.  One half of a sandwich was stacked on the other half and wrapped in plastic wrap, with the filling showing.  The sandwiches were all kept in a bread bag in the freezer until the night before they were needed.  We usually packed lunches the night before in order to save time in the morning, as we had to get out of the house quite early to carpool across town.  Some families I know have totally given the responsibility of assembling lunches to their children, and that has worked well for them too. 

Keep in mind the time your child has allotted to eat her lunch.  Include a napkin, a Wet One, or even a damp paper towel in a baggie in her lunch.  From time to time add notes, cartoons, and coupons for a favorite snack or special activity for when they get home.  Use notes to remind your child and husband of your love and prayers for them.  Tell them how proud you are of them.

Now some of us, including myself, need to work on refreshing our husband's packed lunches, making them less predictable, monotonous, repetitious and boring!  It is my prayer that these tips and ideas will be helpful in making life a little easier for you and your family. 

What's So Healthy about Eggs?

April 21, 2013 By HealthyLiving

http://healthylivinghowto.com/1/post/2013/04/whats-so-healthy-about-eggs.html?utm_source=Healthy+Living+How+To+Newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=db77bcc17d-RSS_EMAIL_CAMPAIGN

 

Look up the nutrition facts for egg yolks, and you will find, it reads more like a multi-vitamin than a food that has been demonized due to its saturated fat content. Just 3 egg yolks, not including the whites, provides over 50% of your daily need for Vitamin D and Selenium, over 40% of Vitamin B12, over 25% of Vitamin B5 and Phosphorous, and over 15% of Iron, Folate, Vitamin A, Vitamin B6, and Vitamin B2. These same three egg yolks also provides 8 grams of protein and 7% of your daily omega 3 fats. Egg yolks also contain the carotenoids, lutein and zeaxanthin, which are antioxidants believed to help prevent against degeneration and chronic disease.

 

If it’s the cholesterol in eggs that keep you from eating them, watch this eye-opening documentary, The Great Cholesterol Cover Up. This is a must see movie for all, whether you take a statin drug, have been told you have high cholesterol, or believe saturated fat clogs the arteries and causes heart disease. As a nation we’ve been brain-washed to believe cholesterol is something we must measure, track and lower, as a means of preventing heart disease. But does low cholesterol really equate to better heart healthy? Watch and find out.

 

If it is not the cholesterol or saturated fat that is the demise of our health and waistline, then what is it? Perhaps this article, What’s If It’s All Been A Big Fat Lie, by Gary Taubes, founder of NuSi and author of Why We Get Fat, can help set the record straight.

 

Looking for healthy eggs? Check out the Cornucopia’s Institute Organic Egg Scorecard to see how your eggs measure up. Remember, chickens are omnivores not vegetarians, they love to peck the ground and eat bugs. The healthiest eggs are going to come from chickens living in conditions that allow them to spread their wings and roam about foraging the ground for food.

 

Click here for a step-by-step tutorial on how to Make the Perfect Hard Boiled Egg.

 

How a Young Mom Feeds Her Family with Nutrition in Mind & Cooking with Beans

Elizabeth Tromm is a young mom with two daughters and a son, ages 6, 4, and 2.  She beautifully illustrates this post with colorful photos of her food choices on her blog, http://babytromm.xanga.com/772117491/what-we-eat/

What We Eat
by Elizabeth Tromm - Used by permission

I wrote a post a year and a half ago about the way we eat and about my grocery budget, but I have had several people ask me to write another one about our meals and snacks. I do feel really strongly about healthy eating because I believe that it plays a huge role in how often we get sick and/or how we feel, but I try not to throw it into other people's faces. So here is what we eat.

 

We eat a ton of dried beans. Black, red, navy, chick peas, pinto, etc... Our all time favorite meal, winter, spring, summer, fall, is black beans and rice. I use brown rice and I always buy the beans dried. At the beginning of the week I will soak and cook a pot of black beans and usually another pot of a different variety. That way they are ready when I am ready to use them during the week. We put the black beans on top of the rice and then I put chopped peppers (red, yellow, or orange), tomatoes, and cucumbers on top of that. I will also put the cucumbers in sour cream and add garlic and cumin. Over all of that I put brown apple cider vinegar. It is the best meal ever!! Mia often requests it for breakfast.

 

Another favorite meal is grilled marinated chicken. I marinate it for at least 24 hours in zesty Italian dressing and slowly grill it. Depending on the season we have a different variety of veggies. In the summer I usually grill squash, onions, tomatoes, and  peppers along with the chicken. Other times we have baked "french fries." I slice the potatoes into wedges and put them in olive oil and four to six different types of spices and herbs, depending on what flavors I want that day.

 

Of course, I love a good hamburger. My recent and most favorite to date is a grilled burger topped with this AWESOME locally made hot wing sauce, jalapeño peppers, grilled onions, and minced garlic. It. Is. So. Good!! With that we will do the baked potato wedges, and cole slaw, or green beans and corn on the cob in the summer.  Tacos with loads of veggies is another meal that is loved by everyone in our house. Pasta. Any pasta covered in sauce is a good meal to my family. Eva and I love chick peas, Mia and Carter eat them but they don't request them like Eva does. My favorite way to fix chick peas is to heat them to room temperature, add grape tomatoes cut in half, chunked avocado, a pinch of salt and fresh lime juice over everything. It is so yummy. 

 

I always try to have fresh raw veggies and cooked vegetables at all of our meals along with meat when Rob is home. We usually eat fresh fruit for dessert. I love bread but my girls are not fans. So I usually fix a loaf or two each week to eat with our dinners.

 

Our lunches consist of mostly leftovers. If those are not available I give the kids an option of beans or sandwiches. Mia usually goes for beans and the other two like a sandwich.

 

For breakfast I fix them oatmeal with my canned peaches or frozen berries that we put up in the spring and summer.  Other days we might have Greek yogurt, sausage and gravy with biscuits, or eggs. Sometimes I have granola that they can eat. We stay away from store bought cereal because of all the added sugar and enriched ingredients. I always fix a 20 oz green smoothie for myself and about 4 oz for each of the kids. On days when Rob eats breakfast with us I usually fix bacon or sausage to go with our eggs.  We love some bacon in our family!

 

Snacks are the biggest struggle. Even though we eat lots of fiber and whole grain my kids are always starving. Growing up I don't remember snacking a lot but who knows. I have decided that as long as it is more than an hour before a meal the kids can eat as many snacks as they want, within reason.

These are the snacks they are allowed to have:

1. Oatmeal

2. Fresh vegetables. I always keep peppers, celery, and broccoli cut-up, and in the veggie drawer. I also have carrots and small cucumbers in that drawer. On the counter there is usually a container of grape tomatoes.

3. Fresh fruit. I keep seasonal fruit for the most part. Pineapple, oranges, and bananas have been around my house lately. In the summer it is berries, peaches, and pears. In the fall we eat a lot of apples. I throw in grapes here and there as they go on sale. 

4. Nuts and dried fruit. I usually have pecans and almonds. Sometimes we roast them but the kids prefer eating them raw. They also like dried fruit - prunes, raisins, apricots, etc.

5. String cheese or cubed cheese

6. Greek yogurt

7. Popcorn. They are half Fenzel and we all know how the Fenzel clan loves their popcorn.

The kids usually tell me when they are hungry and if we are not in the middle of school or some project, I tell them to go and pick out what they want and sit at the table. Since I keep everything sliced and prepped they are able to get what they want by themselves.

Cooking Beans for Easy Digestionby Lois Breneman - 2012 - Heart to Heart Newsletter

Satisfying, versatile, and very inexpensive  - about $1 per pound - at a time when budgets need to be stretched to put gas in our vehicles!   I just cooked another 4 pounds today!  Beans freeze very well!

A few months ago I shared how to cook beans to be easily digestible.  A nutritionist told me to soak grain overnight by adding 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar for every cup of grain.  However, I adapted this recipe and found it works just as well without the beans soaking up so much vinegar.  There is no vinegar flavor with the following directions.

This is what I do:

Soak the following overnight in a large Dutch oven or cooking pot:
4 pounds of dried beans, washed thoroughly in a colander (Great Northern or pinto beans are very good)
1 gallon of distilled water (or enough to fully cover soaked beans)
1/2 cup apple cider vinegar

Note: DO NOT add any salt at this point!  Salt will prevent the beans from getting tender.  Salt and season later.

After soaking overnight or at least 8 hours, drain and rinse the beans several times.  Cover with more pure water and bring to a boil.  A foam may cover the top after they come to a boil.  Skim off the foam with a large spoon.  I hold the lid in my left hand and spoon the foam into the lid, then pour it down the drain.  This needs to be done until the foam is about gone (5 minutes or so).  Simmer beans for about an hour or more until the beans are tender.  I drain the beans unless I plan to make bean soup.  You can season at this point or wait until serving.  Spoon some of the beans into containers to freeze.  Save some with the liquid for bean soup, and make hummus with the remaining beans for dipping carrots, celery or crackers into this high protein snack.

Complete protein:  By eating a grain with beans, you will have a complete protein (a meat substitute).  Whole grain bread or crackers, rice cakes or crackers, or a bean and rice dish will suffice.

 

 

 

Should Vegetable Cooking Water Be Saved?

by Sarah, The Healthy Home Economist on February 12, 2011

Sarah, TheHealthyHomeEconomist.com

Source: Nourishing Traditions Cookbook

Nourishing a Growing Baby

 

Adelle Davis popularized the practice of saving vegetable cooking water during the Leave it To Beaver era of the American 1950′s.

 

The reason for this recommendation was that any vitamins and minerals lost from cooking the vegetables would end up in the water.    This cooking water could then be added to homemade soups or sauces with the nutrition benefiting those that consumed them.

 

This notion took hold and has not let go to this day. Unfortunately, reserving vegetable cooking water can do more harm than good.  If the vegetables that are cooked are not organic, pesticides and nitrites from commercially produced fertilizers can end up in the cooking water.  Even low to no spray veggies such as asparagus would not be safe bets as these crops are still typically fertilized with commercial preparations that are high in nitrites.

 

Cooking cruciferous vegetables such as broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage, Brussels sprouts and kale would add goitrogenic (thyroid blocking) substances to the cooking water which should be discarded. Water used to boil potatoes would contain chemicals called hemagglutinins that disrupt red blood cell formation.

 

Dark green, leafy vegetables such as beet greens, spinach and chard contain oxalic acid that blocks calcium and iron absorption. This irritating substance also can cause distress to the sensitive mucous membranes in the mouth and intestinal tract and contributes to the formation of kidney stones.

 

Consuming cruciferous or dark, leafy greens raw is not an alternative either as the substances that cause problems when in the cooking water also cause problems if consumed directly with the vegetable in an uncooked state.

As a result, only the cooking water from organic root vegetables (carrots, turnips, parsnips, and beets), organic squash (including zucchini), and organic vegetables from the lily (onions, leeks, and garlic) and nightshade (tomatoes, eggplant and peppers) families can safely be used.

If you find it confusing as I do to remember the distinctions of which organic veggies are safe to use the cooking water for and which are not or if you mix you veggies together when you steam them, it is best to just adopt the practice of not using the cooking water at all.

 

It is of particular importance not to use the vegetable cooking water for use in pureeing homemade baby food.

One final word of caution:   All vegetables tend to form nitrates after cooking and during storage.   These nitrates can transform into strong carcinogens in the intestines, so it is best to avoid refrigerating and reheating vegetables, particularly leafy, green vegetable which concentrate nitrates when grown commercially.

Nutrition Apptitude Test

UC Berkeley Wellness Letter, June 2003, www.wellnessletter.com/html/wl/wlTOC.html

(Answers given below)

1. Milk is a great source of calcium. Which of these are also good sources?

(a) broccoli, (b) almonds, (c) sardines with bones, (d) collards, or (e) dried figs.

2. Which of the following actually get a nutritional boost when cooked or canned?

(a) corn, tomatoes, and carrots, (b) broccoli, onions, and green beans, or (c) lima beans     and kale.

3. True or false: Sweet potatoes are no higher in calories than white ones.

4. Ounce for ounce, which of these has three times as much vitamin C as oranges?

(a) sweet potatoes, (b) green peppers, or (c) spinach.

5. True or false: Seven-grain and other multi-grain breads are a better choice than plain whole-wheat bread.

6. True or false: Honey is more nutritious than white sugar. 

 ANSWERS TO NUTRITION APTITUDE TEST (ABOVE)

1. all;    2. a;    3. true;    4. b;    5. false;    6. false.

Lunch Packing Ideas

by Lois Breneman - Copyright - Revised 2010

Walking Apple ~ This great idea was shared with me by my sister-in-law, June Walker, in the 70's and used by our family many times!  Core an apple.  Stuff with various combinations of foods such as peanut butter, raisins, sesame or sunflower seeds, shredded unsweetened coconut, and plug both ends with a dried apricot, prune, or dip into sesame seeds or sunflower seeds to cover the gooey peanut butter.  This is a great treat wrapped in plastic wrap for lunches and can be made ahead up to 3 days in advance, if refrigerated.  This is called a "Walking Apple," because it can be eaten without littering while taking a walk!

Peeled Oranges ~ Always try to include fresh fruit in your child's lunch.  If oranges are too messy or difficult to peel during lunchtime, have an "Orange Peeling Party" with your children around the kitchen table as you listen to music, review scripture verses or call out your child's spelling words for a quiz.  Then divide each orange into smaller child-size servings for the week's lunches.  Zipped snack bags work well.  Your children may appreciate their lunches more if they have a part in them, plus they are learning a valuable life skill.

Other Fruits such as apples, grapes, watermelon, cherries, peaches, plums, nectarines are refreshing to any lunch.

Peanut Butter Balls ~ Also a great toddler treat for kids over a year of age.  Babies under one should never be given honey, as it can cause botulism in children under one year of age.  I suggest using unsweetened coconut and natural peanut butter.
1/2 cup peanut butter                       
2 Tbsp. honey  
2 1/2 Tbsp. nonfat dry milk

1/4 cup coconut          

2 Tbsp. raisins                                     
Mix all ingredients except sesame seeds.  Form small balls and toll into sesame seeds.


Hard Cooked Eggs provide good protein.  Peel before sending.  Provide a salt packet, unless salt is available at lunchtime.

Goody Cups or Goody Packs ~ Get a jump on packing nutritious lunches by filling Tupperware midget cups in advance with peanuts, other nuts, raisins, sunflower seeds, granola, or almond butter/ peanut butter for dipping apple slices or celery sticks into.  Have lots of these types of snacks prepared ahead of time to save valuable time packing lunches the night before.  Veggie dips and salad dressings in midget cups can also be prepared in advance, but of course, need refrigerated.

Fill  Ziplock-type Snack Bags with sesame sticks, banana chips and other healthy snacks found in the health food section of your grocery store or a natural foods coop.  Also fill the bags with baby carrots or carrot sticks, celery sticks, cucumber sticks, bell pepper strips, pickles, cheese blocks, wedges or strips to have ready for packing lunches in quick time.  Kids may enjoy the veggies plain or they might rather use a dip of hummus.  Tupperware midget cups would be perfect for this.

Applesauce ~ Buy natural applesauce (without sugar) and if you want to add a little sweetness, use a small amount of stevia to satisfy that sweet tooth.  You can also find natural applesauce in individual throw-away containers in the grocery store.

Whole Wheat Crackers in a snack bag, with cheese wrapped separately.  Or send along a Tupperware cup with egg salad, tuna salad, chicken salad, pimiento cheese spread, or peanut butter to eat with the crackers.

Fresh Fruit Kabobs using strawberries, pineapple chunks, watermelon, grapes or other fruit.  The fruit could be put into Ziplock snack bags and the child could make his own kabobs, using either toothpicks or shish-ka-bob skewers.  If time is limited during lunch, have him assemble the kabob the night before.

Apple Slices, dipped in orange, pineapple, or lemon juice (to prevent them from turning brown).  Send along peanut butter, almond butter or yogurt for dipping.

Homemade Granola can be stored in snack bags, along with a plastic spoon for lunches or snacks.  Or make a trail mix using pretzels, peanuts, Chex cereal, granola, dried fruit, popcorn, and chocolate chips.  Popcorn alone is a great snack, as well as the other ingredients, but go easy on the chocolate chips.

Yogurt is always a great addition to a lunch.

Green Salad with a dressing to add at lunchtime.

Rice Cakes with Cheese ~ If a microwave is available, your child can melt the cheese at lunchtime.

Carrots or Pretzels with Hummus ~ Prepare Tupperware cups of hummus in advance, as well as snack packs of pretzels or carrots.

Celery Flowers can be made by spreading peanut butter, pimiento cheese spread or cream cheese on 5 ribs of celery.  Place them together with the filling facing toward the center.  Fasten tightly with rubberbands and refrigerate overnight.  Slice with a sharp knife into 3/4" thick slices.  Each one resembles a flower, and is a tasty treat!  An alternative is to spread peanut butter, pimiento cheese spread or cream cheese on ribs of celery and wrap each one individually.

Popcorn can be made with so many flavorings - cayenne pepper, parmesan cheese, cinnamon and stevia, Italian seasonings, onion or garlic.  Make up your own flavorings.

Cheese Sticks can be cut in advance, wrapped in plastic wrap and stored in the fridge for lunches.  String cheese is another option.

V-8 Juice, Carrot Juice, Pineapple Juice and other healthy juices are great, but watch out for sugars added to cocktail juices.
.
Quesadillas ~ Assemble shredded cheese on a tortilla.  Fold it over and wrap in plastic.  Send along some salsa in a Tupperware midget cup.  The child can microwave the tortilla until the cheese is melted and dip away.  Or send a few tortilla chips for dipping.  If you'd like to make your own salsa, mix together chopped tomato, chopped green onion, a little garlic salt, sea salt, and chopped fresh cilantro.

Sandwiches can be made ahead a few days and refrigerated.  I like to cut the sandwich in half, stack the two halves, and wrap with the filing showing.  Some sandwiches, including peanut butter and jelly, can even be frozen.  To prevent pb&j sandwiches from getting soggy, spread peanut butter on each slice, and spread jelly over top of the peanut butter. When freezing sandwiches, I used to wrap each sandwich in plastic, and keep them in bread bags in the freezer until packing lunches the night before.  For variety use pita pockets instead of bread.

Dried Fruit is like a dessert - raisins, craisins, pineapple, mango, and other fruit, but keep in mind that dried fruit is loaded with natural sugar.

Quick Breads and Muffins ~ Bake ahead for lunches.  After your home baked breads have cooled, slice into individual servings, wrap in plastic wrap, and freeze for lunches.  Banana bread made with about 1/3 part whole wheat flour makes it even more nutritious.  You can use other healthy "additives," such as wheat germ or brewer's yeast in quick breads for added nutrition.  Cut way back on sugar too.  To cut down on fat, applesauce can be substituted for at least part of the cooking oil in most recipes for baked goods.

Personal Lunchbox Notes ~ Type out some special notes of encouragement on your computer, print in multiples, cut and save to secretly tuck in lunches.  First sign the notes from Mom, Dad or a sibling.  Grandparents could make some notes to be tucked into their grandchildren's lunches too!  If your grandchildren live far from you, this would really be a fun surprise for them!

"Jesus loves you and so do I!"                   
"I'm praying for you to well in your test today!"

"Remember how much I love you!"            
"I'm praying for your friendships."

"I'm so proud of you!"                                  
"I'm praying for you today, as always!"

Write out encouraging scripture verses to tuck in as well.

Using at least some of these lunch packing ideas, I hope you will be relieved of some frustration, commonly associated with this task - not one of my favorites either.  Hopefully you will save time, have your children join in with you, as you make packing healthy lunches a family effort.  They may be more willing to eat what is packed if they were involved in preparation and they will also be learning new skills that will benefit them the remainder of their lives.