This tasty little spice packs a lot more power than most people think! Known as one of the oldest spices around, cinnamon is a small tree that grows in India, Sri Lanka, Brazil and Vietnam. The spice has been used in meals and tea for ages but is also a very popular healing remedy. In Chinese medicine cinnamon is used for colds, nausea, diarrhea, painful menstrual periods and also as a remedy for diabetes and indigestion. Other more recent studies have found that cinnamon may help lower you LDL cholesterol levels. Cinnamon has also been show to have really great anti-inflammatory benefits and it also helps your colon! Whoopie!
I love cinnamon and put it in my coffee every morning, it tastes fabulous and is LEAPS and BOUNDS better than splenda!! I also love to put cinnamon on bread with peanut butter or in yogurt to give it a little more flavor. Cinnamon tea is also fabulous! With nearly 100 different types of cinnamon out there you have no excuse to not start using it!! It's soo good for you and tastes like candy. Eat it, drink it, smell it, whatever you need to do to get it into your system!
Wednesday, April 28, 2010
Tuesday, April 20, 2010
Eggcelent Nutrition
This blog is an egggstravaganza! Firstly, everyone please stop hating on eggs and egg yolks! Stop all of this pure eggs white crap now! Whole eggs, including the yolk, are very nutrient and energy dense and contain lots of vitamins, proteins and fats. This makes total sense if you think about it, a fertilized egg has to feed a baby chick until it hatches so it must be rich in nutrients, and all things good for survival. Also, eggs are the best source of protein you can get! The quality of the protein in eggs is so high that it is the value against which all other proteins are measured. Plus its full of all of those nutritional vitamins and minerals. Including, Vitamin B-12, Vitamin D, Iron, Vitamin A, Folate, Magnesium, you name it!
Now, I know what most of you are probably thinking, "but it's so high in cholesterol and fat". Well yes in the way that nutritional facts explain it, yes it would look that way to the untrained eye, but this kind of cholesterol really isn't bad for you! It's good for you!
According to Harvard medical research and Health.com eggs contain unsaturated fat which has been show to aid in weight loss, and is said be a "good fat". Second, the cholesterol is eggs is seen as good cholesterol. Not all cholesterol from food goes directly into the bloodstream, which is where cholesterol problems arise. Eggs contain dietary cholesterol which scientists are finding does not increase blood cholesterol whatsoever. LDL's or Low Density Lipoproteins are the bad type of cholesterol that stick to your artery walls. This is found in unhealthy and processed foods you would buy at Mc Donald's or KFC. Another recent study by the British and American Heart Associations has proven that eggs are actually a very valuable contribution to a healthy diet and should be eaten daily. Their studies have shown that dietary cholesterol consumed through eating eggs may increase LDL cholesterol a small amount but it is almost insignificant. They say that in fact eating eggs may counter-act the effect of LDL cholesterol on heart disease.
So please, stop the whole egg white thing and indulge in some eggs over easy in the morning. I honestly spring out of bed everyone morning knowing that I am going downstairs to eat two eggs over easy on brown rice toast with avocado. It couldn't get any better than that, and I know I'm providing my body with lots of great nutrition and energy. So stop believing the myth! It is sooo eggcelent for your body!
Now, I know what most of you are probably thinking, "but it's so high in cholesterol and fat". Well yes in the way that nutritional facts explain it, yes it would look that way to the untrained eye, but this kind of cholesterol really isn't bad for you! It's good for you!
According to Harvard medical research and Health.com eggs contain unsaturated fat which has been show to aid in weight loss, and is said be a "good fat". Second, the cholesterol is eggs is seen as good cholesterol. Not all cholesterol from food goes directly into the bloodstream, which is where cholesterol problems arise. Eggs contain dietary cholesterol which scientists are finding does not increase blood cholesterol whatsoever. LDL's or Low Density Lipoproteins are the bad type of cholesterol that stick to your artery walls. This is found in unhealthy and processed foods you would buy at Mc Donald's or KFC. Another recent study by the British and American Heart Associations has proven that eggs are actually a very valuable contribution to a healthy diet and should be eaten daily. Their studies have shown that dietary cholesterol consumed through eating eggs may increase LDL cholesterol a small amount but it is almost insignificant. They say that in fact eating eggs may counter-act the effect of LDL cholesterol on heart disease.
So please, stop the whole egg white thing and indulge in some eggs over easy in the morning. I honestly spring out of bed everyone morning knowing that I am going downstairs to eat two eggs over easy on brown rice toast with avocado. It couldn't get any better than that, and I know I'm providing my body with lots of great nutrition and energy. So stop believing the myth! It is sooo eggcelent for your body!
Friday, April 16, 2010
The palm of life
So being that I am so obsessed with coconut oil, and I want EVERYONE to jump on the bandwagon, I am going to write about even MORE benefits and amazing things it can do for you. Yes, it is the tree (palm) of life, the elixir of life, I swear I think this stuff may even make you live forever; or at least until you're 110. Think about it, use coconut oil every day and you may live to see flying cars, you might be able to live on mars for a while, or even breath underwater. Who wouldn't want to do that!!! So just do it already. Go to whole foods and get the Extra Virgin Organic Coconut oil.
Benefits for this gem of a food include: gorgeous skin (I have and had very bad acne and acne scars on my face, I started putting some coconut oil on my face before I went to be and have had 3 people compliment me on my complexion just this week!), its also great for your hair. I dabble some on the ends of my dry hair before I go to bed. When I wake up I wash it out in the shower, cause it does make your hair look greasy, and its super shiny and looks really healthy afterwards. Now, not to sound gross but I did have a couple of warts on my feet; I mean come on who hasn't had one!! I put coconut oil on my feet for a week before bed and then slept with socks on and all of the warts are gone. Coincidence? I think not!
In terms of ingesting it, I suggest putting a tablespoon or so in your coffee every morning. This really helps your metabolism get going. Then I spread some on my gluten free toast that I then put avocado and eggs over easy on top of and its just decadent!! (The AMAZING benefits of eggs and eggs yolks is soon to come in one of my blogs). I try to ingest about 2 tablespoons a day and spread it across the entire day. That way I keep feeding my metabolism and it stays fast all day long.
So go out and buy coconut oil now and order the book "The Coconut Oil Miracle" on amazon.com too! It has so much more information than I have divulged here and will help you with all the sciency reasons as to why its so good for you.
Enjoy the weekend and drink some organic red wine while you're at it! Great for the heart, and the soul!
Benefits for this gem of a food include: gorgeous skin (I have and had very bad acne and acne scars on my face, I started putting some coconut oil on my face before I went to be and have had 3 people compliment me on my complexion just this week!), its also great for your hair. I dabble some on the ends of my dry hair before I go to bed. When I wake up I wash it out in the shower, cause it does make your hair look greasy, and its super shiny and looks really healthy afterwards. Now, not to sound gross but I did have a couple of warts on my feet; I mean come on who hasn't had one!! I put coconut oil on my feet for a week before bed and then slept with socks on and all of the warts are gone. Coincidence? I think not!
In terms of ingesting it, I suggest putting a tablespoon or so in your coffee every morning. This really helps your metabolism get going. Then I spread some on my gluten free toast that I then put avocado and eggs over easy on top of and its just decadent!! (The AMAZING benefits of eggs and eggs yolks is soon to come in one of my blogs). I try to ingest about 2 tablespoons a day and spread it across the entire day. That way I keep feeding my metabolism and it stays fast all day long.
So go out and buy coconut oil now and order the book "The Coconut Oil Miracle" on amazon.com too! It has so much more information than I have divulged here and will help you with all the sciency reasons as to why its so good for you.
Enjoy the weekend and drink some organic red wine while you're at it! Great for the heart, and the soul!
Monday, April 12, 2010
The Coconut Oil Miracle
The Coconut Oil Miracle!! Yes it is a miracle and I can't stop talking about it! I became enlightened with how AMAZING this product is after reading the amazing book obviously titled "The Coconut Oil Miracle". I was skeptical at first as I looked down at this hardened white stuff that scarily resembled hardened pig fat; and at 130 calories a tablespoon I had my doubts. Boy oh boy was I wrong!
Coconut oil is a saturated fat. Yes a saturated fat and it's good for you! Most people today that are trying to live a healthy lifestyle and keep fat off of their bodies assume that they should be eating no fat of any kind, but this is so wrong. Fats (the right kinds of fats) actually aid in weight loss! Coconut oil especially has been given a bad name by our health and food industries because of a strong move by food manufacturers to use main cash crops in the US like soy. So much of what we are told to eat by health food companies is hugely affected by what is easy and cheap to manufacture for the US industry, not at all by what is actually good for our bodies. Unlike coconut oil, the soy industry is destroying rain forests left and right and polluting our earth faster than any other crop industry.
So, I'm telling you, use coconut oil! It is good for everything, and I mean everything! Lately it has been my solution to every problem. I feel like the father in My Big Fat Greek Wedding with his windex, I swear coconut oil will fix everything!
Well maybe not everything but here are only some of the benefits!
From organicfacts.net "The health benefits of coconut oil include hair care, skin care, stress relief, maintaining cholesterol levels, weight loss, increased immunity, proper digestion and metabolism, relief from kidney problems, heart disease, high blood pressure, diabetes, HIV, cancer, dental care, and bone strength". According to this website and many other resources I have researched, including the book "The Coconut Oil Miracle" the benefits of coconut oil are attributed to the presence of lauric acid. Now i'm not into the whole sciency thing of breaking down saturated fats, etc so if you're interested in the science side check out this website.
http://www.organicfacts.net/organic-oils/organic-coconut-oil/health-benefits-of-coconut-oil.html
So, this post is already long enough but trust me, with how obsessed I have become with coconut oil, I will be back to tell you more about it and how it has helped me ASAP. For now, head to your nearest whole food and buy some! Put it on your face, drink it in your coffee, spread it on your bread, heck scream its praises to the wind and hope that everyone jumps on board with this phenomenon!
Until next time!
Coconut oil is a saturated fat. Yes a saturated fat and it's good for you! Most people today that are trying to live a healthy lifestyle and keep fat off of their bodies assume that they should be eating no fat of any kind, but this is so wrong. Fats (the right kinds of fats) actually aid in weight loss! Coconut oil especially has been given a bad name by our health and food industries because of a strong move by food manufacturers to use main cash crops in the US like soy. So much of what we are told to eat by health food companies is hugely affected by what is easy and cheap to manufacture for the US industry, not at all by what is actually good for our bodies. Unlike coconut oil, the soy industry is destroying rain forests left and right and polluting our earth faster than any other crop industry.
So, I'm telling you, use coconut oil! It is good for everything, and I mean everything! Lately it has been my solution to every problem. I feel like the father in My Big Fat Greek Wedding with his windex, I swear coconut oil will fix everything!
Well maybe not everything but here are only some of the benefits!
From organicfacts.net "The health benefits of coconut oil include hair care, skin care, stress relief, maintaining cholesterol levels, weight loss, increased immunity, proper digestion and metabolism, relief from kidney problems, heart disease, high blood pressure, diabetes, HIV, cancer, dental care, and bone strength". According to this website and many other resources I have researched, including the book "The Coconut Oil Miracle" the benefits of coconut oil are attributed to the presence of lauric acid. Now i'm not into the whole sciency thing of breaking down saturated fats, etc so if you're interested in the science side check out this website.
http://www.organicfacts.net/organic-oils/organic-coconut-oil/health-benefits-of-coconut-oil.html
So, this post is already long enough but trust me, with how obsessed I have become with coconut oil, I will be back to tell you more about it and how it has helped me ASAP. For now, head to your nearest whole food and buy some! Put it on your face, drink it in your coffee, spread it on your bread, heck scream its praises to the wind and hope that everyone jumps on board with this phenomenon!
Until next time!
Sunday, April 11, 2010
Girl Meets Green
Alright so I have to admit this before I start writing my blog. Yesterday I finished watching Julie and Julia and I was immediately obsessed with the blogging world. I had to have one, and it had to be about food!! So here I am, less than 24 hours later, starting my own blog about food. Now please, I'm not so unorigional that I can't think of my own topic within food thats different from Julie's! So instead of blogging about de-boning chickens and writing about how many sticks of butter I go though a week, I'm dedicating my blog to nutrition and its effects on the mind, body, and soul.
After having several health problems myself, including Celiac Disease, I have come to the conclusion that all of our problems can be solved by what we put into and onto our bodies. Now this seems so simple right? Well of course, "we are what we eat", but so many people, including myself, put total CRAP into their bodies. All of the "diet", no sugar added, low calorie drinks and foods we are eating to try and "lose weight" are really only bringing us one step closer to cancer, diabetes, alzheimers, and so many other diseases that are running rampant throughout society. People have become so obsessed with dieting and being as thin and "in shape" as possible that we have become blinded as to what we are really doing to our bodies. Do you think that putting chemicals into our bodies that look like they are spelled in German will make you feel energetic and revived? Does starving yourself and only eating celery and tomato juice sound like what your body really needs to survive? It sounds horrible to me! And then on the other side of the dieting teeter totter we have the unhealthy fatty eaters who drive through Mc Donalds every day and think french fries are a vegetable.
Now please, don't get me wrong, I loooove food! I love chocolate, I can't live without ice cream, and I think Mexican food is the best thing that ever happened to our earth. I have just found a healthier way to eat these things, and also eat them in moderation. I could honestly say that food is at the center of my world and I think about it all the time! So please don't think that this blog is going to be reprimanding people that eat unhealthily or enjoy a milkshake here or there, cause I do enjoy those things! But, I have also seen VAST improvements in my body after I began eating foods that were just purely from our earth. No added hormones, crazy sugars I can't pronounce, or chemicals from Mars. Just pure meats, organic vegetables, and brown rice breads. We humans come from the earth so it would only make sense that our bodies work best when we give that earth back to our bodies.
I am hoping that through writing this blog I will be able to document how the body responds to a natural, balanced diet, while still enjoying being a young adult living in California. I want to share my journey with people and show them that we can return to our roots, eliminate disease, but still eat the things we love! I also just want to share the knowledge of food and health that I have and continue to learn from those around me as I dedicate myself to a happier, healthier future, not only for me but for those around me, and the earth I live in.
After having several health problems myself, including Celiac Disease, I have come to the conclusion that all of our problems can be solved by what we put into and onto our bodies. Now this seems so simple right? Well of course, "we are what we eat", but so many people, including myself, put total CRAP into their bodies. All of the "diet", no sugar added, low calorie drinks and foods we are eating to try and "lose weight" are really only bringing us one step closer to cancer, diabetes, alzheimers, and so many other diseases that are running rampant throughout society. People have become so obsessed with dieting and being as thin and "in shape" as possible that we have become blinded as to what we are really doing to our bodies. Do you think that putting chemicals into our bodies that look like they are spelled in German will make you feel energetic and revived? Does starving yourself and only eating celery and tomato juice sound like what your body really needs to survive? It sounds horrible to me! And then on the other side of the dieting teeter totter we have the unhealthy fatty eaters who drive through Mc Donalds every day and think french fries are a vegetable.
Now please, don't get me wrong, I loooove food! I love chocolate, I can't live without ice cream, and I think Mexican food is the best thing that ever happened to our earth. I have just found a healthier way to eat these things, and also eat them in moderation. I could honestly say that food is at the center of my world and I think about it all the time! So please don't think that this blog is going to be reprimanding people that eat unhealthily or enjoy a milkshake here or there, cause I do enjoy those things! But, I have also seen VAST improvements in my body after I began eating foods that were just purely from our earth. No added hormones, crazy sugars I can't pronounce, or chemicals from Mars. Just pure meats, organic vegetables, and brown rice breads. We humans come from the earth so it would only make sense that our bodies work best when we give that earth back to our bodies.
I am hoping that through writing this blog I will be able to document how the body responds to a natural, balanced diet, while still enjoying being a young adult living in California. I want to share my journey with people and show them that we can return to our roots, eliminate disease, but still eat the things we love! I also just want to share the knowledge of food and health that I have and continue to learn from those around me as I dedicate myself to a happier, healthier future, not only for me but for those around me, and the earth I live in.
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