All Natural Rosemary Lemonade Recipe

This spring I added a stevia plant to the herb garden in hopes to eliminate sugar from our kitchen entirely. All of the ingredients in this recipe are all real food, from the earth (and of course, organic).

How to use stevia in place of sugar in this recipe:

Steeping the leaves is much like the familiar sugar/water simple syrup.  Muddle, tear or bruise the stevia (like you do with mint when making a mojito) so all of the flavor will blossom.

Ingredients:

• 8 cups water
• 6-8 springs rosemary
• 10-12 large stevia leaves
• 8 small lemons, juiced

(If you have a super sweet tooth, add a tablespoon or two of agave nectar)

Instructions:
Collect herbs from the garden and wash.

Add herbs and 6 cups water and bring to a boil.

Steep for 30-45 minutes.
Strain.
Juice the lemons.

Combine the sweetened "syrup", lemon juice, and 2 cups cold water or ice.

More Than Skin Deep

Basal cell carcinoma is a non-melanoma type 

of skin cancer and is known as the most

common type of skin cancer as it accounts 

for 75% of all skin cancers according to 

the American Cancer Society (PubMed Health).  

Of course wearing a sunscreen that protects against both UVA and UVB rays is an ideal practice to exercise for prevention of skin cancer, but there's more to this story...

Image: http://www.realsimple.com/beauty-fashion/skincare/winter-skin-survival-guide-10000001583935/index.html

Let's begin at the beginning: skin cancer is just that, cancer. So what does that really mean? The "C word" has become such a part of American daily life that I'm afraid we may have grown a little desensitized to the word- and more importantly the meaning.  Simply put cancer results when some type of cell damage has occurred causing the cells to grow/divide uncontrollably and made them unable to die as part of a normal cell life cycle.  These abnormal, damaged cells can result in a malignant growth or tumor. "Skin cancer does not have to be inevitable or unstoppable despite prior cell damage"(topicalinfo.org).

Your Pancreas vs. Cancer-

Your pancreas has the under appreciated  task of producing the enzymes need to digest food. These very same enzymes that routinely digest our food can also eradicate cancer cells in the body (they actually digest them)!!

"Pancreatin is a mix of many different enzymes, and those involved in the digestion of proteins are also used to help eliminate cancers that occur by dissolving the protein coating which protects cancer cells from being recognized by the immune system. Cancer is often a disease of protein metabolism because the pancreatin enzyme cancer defense mechanism can be overwhelmed by consuming protein rich foods at inappropriate times or in excessive amounts. Because protein digestion shares the use of the same enzymes (particularly trypsin and chymotrypsin) used to fight cancers, the body needs a time span each day approaching twelve hours or more without protein consumption for its cancer defense mechanism to work optimally... Mutations occur not infrequently in the body, but are normally destroyed by activated enzymes manufactured by the pancreas. Only when the amount of pancreatin delivered to the mutated cells is insufficient to "digest" them does the cancer have a chance to thrive"(topicalinfo.org).

YOU Have The Power To 

Heal Yourself

Image: http://www.supermarketguru.com/index.cfm/go/sg.viewArticle/articleId/1241

Nutritional Protection:

Antioxidants:
Antioxidants are well known for their natural ability to neutralize free radicals (free radicals are toxins that attack and damage our cell membranes and DNA, creating cancer).  Eat up antioxidants in berries and cherries (especially acai and blueberries), avocados, kale, ginger, beets, parsley, spinach, brussel sprouts, cabbage, nuts & seeds, soybeans, citrus fruits, pineapple, pomegranate,and green tea... just to name a few.

Carotenoids:
"Beta-carotene, lycopene, and lutein are all different varieties of carotenoids. They all act as antioxidants with strong cancer-fighting properties. Antioxidants protect cells from free radicals, substances that work to destroy cell membranes and DNA. Smokers tend to have higher concentrations of free radicals in the blood due to the chemicals they inhale. So, it's no surprise that studies have confirmed that antioxidants lower the risk of lung cancer for smokers.¹ (This is no reason to smoke, of course, as it is impossible to predict who will develop cancer in every instance.) Studies have also suggested that carotenoids may help prevent skin, breast, and prostate cancer.^2-4 Some carotenoids are also converted to vitamin A, which is necessary for healthy vision and cell growth." (cancer project.com)

Enjoy a hearty dose of carotenoids in some sweet potatoes, carrots, kale, pumpkins, cantaloupe, broccoli, apricots and spinach.

Vitamin C & E:
Both of these vitamins are powerhouses when it comes to combatting free radicals.  Get some Vitamin C from lemons, one tablespoon of lemon juice holds about 10% of the RDA for vitamin C.  Lemon zest also has a super cancer fighter in the chemical d-limonene.  Find vitamin E nutritionally in almonds, peanuts, seeds, brown rice, wheat germ, and extra virgin olive oil.  In fact, extra virgin olive is a hero inside and out- "according to Japanese researchers, putting extra virgin olive oil on your skin after sun (exposure) could protect you from ultraviolet radiation.  It is not a sunscreen, but vitamin E and other antioxidants nab free radicals caused by the sun before they do too much harm.  Just make sure you use extra virgin- regular olive oil isn't as effective" (Eat and Heal, p. 264).
 

Green Tea:
Dr. Santosh K. Katiyar has conducted a series of studies in the  chemoprevention of skin cancers.  Some of his findings include:

• "Green tea protects against cancers caused by UV radiation, and that green tea cream applied prior to exposure to a carcinogen is highly effective in protecting the skin against cancerous changes"
• "The progression of skin cancer is lessened by topically applied green tea"
• "Green tea extract has a protective effect in all three stages of cancer: initiation, promotion, and progression... green tea extract inhibits the development of melanoma" 

(The Green Tea Book, p. 68)

Image: http://sensibleweightlossnow.com/green-tea-for-effective-safe-weight-loss/

AVOID:
Scale  back on animal proteins- you really can get all of the protein you need (and then some) from your plant based diet.  Let your pancreas do it's job without drowning it in animal proteins.

• "Avoid red meat, processed foods, red and yellow dyes, monosodium glutamate, nitrites (found in cured meats), saccharin, sugar, dairy products, alcohol, caffeine-containing drinks, aspartame (NutraSweet), and hydrogenated vegetable oils"(homemademedicine.com).

What is a processed food?  Think of it this way- if it goes through a building before it gets to you, it's a processed food. 

• ALCOHOL inside & out. "Discontinue any topical alcohol use, such as topical minoxidil, some deodorants, after shave lotions, and colognes. Alcohol in cosmetics is often in the form of isopropyl alcohol that, according to some sources, may enable parasites to flourish. Parasites can tie up the immune system unnecessarily, and may even promote cancer by stimulating stem cells to form trophoblastic barriers around the parasite. If these stem cells suffer genetic damage, such as from ultraviolet radiation, they can become cancers"(topicalinfo.org).

See the following 

• skin cancer topical home remedies, 
• home remedies for skin cancer, and  
• Squamous and Basal Cell Carcinoma Treatment Strategies

The Green Tea Book, by Lester A. Mitscher, Ph.D. and Victoria Dolby. Avery Publishing Group, 1998.
Eat and Heal, by the Editors of FC&A Medical Publishing, 2001.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmedhealth/PMH0001827/

http://www.homemademedicine.com/home-remedies-skin-cancer.html

http://www.topicalinfo.org/
http://www.cancerproject.org/protective_foods/carotenoids.php

Beauty & The BEETS

My family has (finally) entered the magical world of juicing!  After discussing it for over a year, last week we purchased a fancy-schmancy Jack LaLanne juicer from Craigslist and we are baffled as to why we didn't do this a year ago.  So far, we have experimented with several juice recipes, selecting the ingredients mostly based on their healing benefits.  I openly admit that I was reluctant to sample the Beet Rejuvenator recipe  that I happened upon in another blog.  I really am not a fan of eating beets!  Only recently have I 'trained' myself to eat pickled beets- but that's as far as I can go.  Knowing the overwhelming health benefits beets possess, I was frustrated with my unwilling palate.  Beet juice saves the day!!  It can't be BEET!  Here's why you might want to give it a go...

We've got the BEET

After sampling (and, more importantly enjoying) the Beet Rejuvenator juice, we were off to peruse other juicing recipes.  We borrowed a few books from our library including The Complete Book of Juicing by Michael T. Murray, N.D. which has been an excellent resource- so great in fact, that I purchased my own copy of this book.

In one part of the book the author details his Better Red Than Dead juice, named after a lecture he heard on carotenes and he notes the links between high catorene levels and life expectancy levels.  The author adds that "carotenes will be deposited in the skin, where they will protect against sunburn" (Murray, p. 187).  While I wouldn't go without sunscreen, this added protection is surely a bonus!

Better RED Than Dead juice recipe  

(from The Complete Book of Juicing)

• 1 beet, including top
• 1/2 medium sized sweet potato, cut into strips
• 3 carrots

Juice the beet first, then the yaw strips, and then the carrots.

You Can't BEET this:

Beets are high in sugar, but loaded with nutrients.  They are a shining nutritional source of beta carotene, folate, potassium and magnesium.  And don't discard the tops of the beets, they are considered the most nutritional part of the plant (another reason to favor beets in juice- I know I don't want to sit down to a heaping plateful of beet tops).  The red color in the beets comes from Betalains- a group of phytonutrients known for their "antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and detoxifying angents that are richer in beets than other plant foods" (naturalnews.com).  Beets are also know to aid the human body in creation of red blood cells.

The powerful nutrients packed in to this sweet little plant can help you to:  

BEET Cancer- The high folate levels in beets have been linked to lower cancer risks, and beta-carotene may be a nutritional way to prevent lung and prostate cancer.  "There's also evidence to suggest that folate may protect against cervical dysplasia, the development of abnormal cells in the cervix that is sometimes a precursor to cancer" (Food Smart, p. 60).  Also, the Betalains in beets "provide some cancer prevention capacity, especially against colon cancer.  In vitro (test tube or petri dish) lab tests have reported beet betalain supression of human cancer cells" (naturalnews.com). 

BEET Heart Disease- Folate also lowers the level of homocysteine in the blood- homocysteine is a "by-product of protein metabolism (and) can dmage and narrow your arteries, which leads to heart attacks and strokes" (Eat and Heal, p 79).  The anti-inflammatory agents in the betalains also aids in cardiovascular health.

BEET High Blood Pressure- The high level of potassium in beets helps keep your blood pressure low.  It also lowers your chances of having a stroke.
and BEET Osteoporosis- The nutrients potassium, magnesium and beta-carotene all work to keep bones strong and healthy.

Eat and Heal, By the Editors of FC&A Medical Publishing.  2001.

Food Smart: Savory Strategies to Defy Disease, By Susan G. Berg and the editors of Prevention Health Books for Women. Rodale, Inc. 1998. 

The Complete Book of Juicing, Michael T. Murray. Prima Publishing, 1992.

http://www.naturalnews.com/035377_beets_cancer_cardiovascular_disease.html

-Stacey

Our “Dailey” Juice

After being uber inspired from watching the trailer Hungry for Change, I have decided to post our (my hub and I) juicing recipe that we try incorporate daily.

(All fruits and veggies organic and local as possible, serves 2)

8 carrots
Nickel sized (from stems) bunch of parsley
6 stems of kale
2 granny smith apples

Super simple! We like to substitute the kale for chard, as well as beets! Now, the reasoning behind what we juice and why.

Carrots – This is going to get very paradoxical Yes, they are on the higher side of sugar content, but they also regulate blood sugar! Carrots are excellent source vitamins A, C, D, E, K, B1, and B6. Carotenes (awesome anti-oxidants) help a long laundry list of ailments.
Parsley – Parsley is a P.O.W.E.R H.O.U.S.E!!! It’s rich in chlorophyll, vitamins A, B, C, K, folic acid and iron. The great minerals it contains are calcium, magnesium, potassium, zinc etc.
Kale - Among many of its nutritional qualities, kale is high in vitamins A and K, calcium, and iron. 
Granny Smith Apples – Like the others, apples in general are high in vitamin A and pack with the lovely beta-carotene. 
Chard – Chard has many phytonutrients, with lutein being the most abundant. It’s rich in vitamins A, K, and C. 
Beets – Beets have an amazing blood cleansing property, and are loaded with the Bs: B1, B2, and B6.

We specifically juice granny smith apples because of their lower sugar content.

PS – Dailey is our last name

-Bridgett

Excuses... suck!

Why is it so easy for our minds to make excuses and then go through the motions of acting them out? It drives me nuts because A.) I do it, and B.) I see others doing it.  Naturally, this leads me to think about the decisions (and excuses ) we make about  food.  

Lately my biggest excuse with food has been “I just don’t have enough time to cook.”  GRR. Even just looking at that sentence makes me frustrated!  My time has been greatly infringed upon this semester (I talk in terms of semesters because I’m a student) by primary time-suckers as: school, work, and exercise. Secondary time-suckers: cleaning, being social, etc. All of these things serve a purpose in my life, and they aren’t all bad, I just wish I made the choice to cook more.  Eating a plant-based diet doesn’t exactly aid in convenience when both my husband and I are “hangry” (a word we use when we’re hungry, and as a result, angry), but we’ve found some ugly food choices that are convenient and fit within (ah, sort of) our plant-based diet. It sounds a little like this “I’ll have a bean burrito, no cheese.”  Gross.  

I wanted to  post about this because it helps me get my gears going about how I can better prepare, so it takes less time to cook. I also want to hear about how others (you) make time for cooking.

So what is your excuse?

-Bridgett

Inflammation Is Bigger Than You May Think

Inflammation is something we should all be thinking about.
Think of it like a weed.
It has roots in conditions such as arthritis and chronic joint
pain, heart disease, Crohns disease, neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer's, Parkinson's, Lou Gehrig's, and is
linked to Multiple Sclerosis as well, just to name a few.

What is inflammation?
Of the ten leading causes of mortality in the United States, chronic, low-level inflammation contributes to the pathogenesis of at least seven. These include heart disease, cancer, chronic lower respiratory disease, stroke, Alzheimer’s disease, diabetes, and nephritis (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention 2011; Bastard et al. 2006; Cao 2011, Jha et al. 2009; Ferrucci et al. 2010; Glorieux et al. 2009; Kundu et al. 2008; Murphy 2012; Singh et al. 2011)(lef.org).
As presented in an article from sciencedaily.com, healthy inflammation occurs naturally in the body to aid in the nervous system's response to injury (signaling the need for tissue repair) or infection (alerting the immune system). When the inflammation goes un-checked, beyond the necessary response to the afflicted area, damage and destruction of neurons can occur.  This is the role inflammation plays in neurodegenrative disease, the destruction of neurons.

Inflammatory markers named in an article from Life Extension Magazine, including fibrinogen and C-reactive protein (CRP), have been linked to heart disease and stroke.  "High fibrinogen levels can induce a heart attack via several mechanisms, including increased platelet aggregation, hyper-coagulation and excessive blood thickening. The New England Journal of Medicine studies showed that those with high levels of fibrinogen were more than twice as likely to die of a heart attack" (lef.org).  Further, "indicates an increased risk for destabilized atherosclerotic plaque and abnormal arterial clotting. When arterial plaque becomes destabilized, it can burst open and block the flow of blood through a coronary artery, resulting in an acute heart attack. One of The New England Journal of Medicine studies showed that people with high levels of C-reactive protein were almost three times as likely to die from a heart attack" (lef.org). 

What can you do?

The whole body is connected and should be treated as a whole.  It is but one harmonic system, and should be healed on the whole, not specific symptoms treated individually. I've even heard doctors and specialist stress the importance of brushing one's teeth twice daily and regular flossing as significant in reducing inflammation in the body- it's all connected.  I believe that an anti-inflammatory diet is a most logical place to begin. 

• Tea- Both green tea and black tea have anti-inflammatory properties that suppress inflammatory proteins.
• Turmeric- "Experts say, if you want relief from pain and swelling, try turmeric.  It might work as well as ibuprofen and other nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDS), but without their side effects.  Turmeric might even be powerful enough to fight the stiffness and swelling of rheumatoid arthritis and osteoarthritis, according to the Arthritis Foundation" (Eat and Heal, p. 342).  Try a turmeric tea.
• Ginger-Like turmeric, ginger contains "curcumin, an antioxidant with pain fighting powers.  In laboratory studies, curcumin appeared to be as potent as NSAIDS, like ibuprofen.  The Arthritis Foundation even lists turmeric and ginger as alternative therapies for RA" (Eat and Heal, p. 311-312).
• Magnesium- "Magnesium was rated as the most anti-inflammatory dietary factor in the Dietary Inflammatory index, which rated 42 common dietary constituents on their ability to reduce CRP levels based on human and animal experimental and observation data" (Cavicchia et al. 2009)(lef.org).  Great dietary sources of magnesium are beans, bananas, oranges and seeds/nuts.
• Vitamin D- "Vitamin D appears to exert anti-inflammatory activity by the suppression of pro-inflammatory prostaglandins...several observational studies suggest vitamin D deficiency may promote inflammation. Vitamin D deficiencies are more common amongst patients with inflammatory diseases (including rheumatoid arthritis, inflammatory bowel disease, systemic lupus erythematosus, and diabetes) than in healthy individuals" (Guillot et al. 2010)(lef.org).  The most fun way to get some Vitamin D is by soaking up some sun.
• Vitamin E- suppress C-reactive proteins, CRP.  Get some Vitamin E in wheat germ, almonds, peanuts, or sunflower seeds (Eat and Heal, p.55).
• Zinc and Selenium- "reduce reactive oxygen species (free radicals)... and prevents the production of several inflammatory enzymes" (lef.org). Find zinc in barley, wheat, and beans- selenium in whole wheat and mushrooms.
• Carotenoids- "In the Women’s Health and Aging Study, participants with the highest blood levels of α-carotene and total carotenoids were significantly more likely to have the lower IL-6 levels than participants with low carotenoid levels at the onset of the study (Walston et al. 2006)(lef.org).  Get carotenoids in foods rich in Vitamin A and beta carotene like apricots, cantaloupe, carrots, pumpkin, sweet potatoes, kale, spinach, mangoes and broccoli (Eat and Heal, p. 133).
• Sesame lignans- Currently being studied for their potential anti-inflammatory properties, they are found nutritionally in sesame oil (also believed to lower blood pressure).

-Stacey

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/05/110512132410.htm
http://www.lef.org/protocols/health_concerns/chronic_inflammation_01.htm 
http://www.lef.org/magazine/mag2001/jan2001_awsi.html

Eat and Heal, by the Editors of FC&A Medical Publishing.  2001.
Kitchen Doctor; Book of Healing Recipes, Jill Scott.  Hermes House, 2006.