All posts tagged GAPS diet

February 20, 2013 · Recipes

Chia seed pudding

This is a delicious pudding that helps curb your appetite. It is a great weight loss aid because Chia seeds help prevent the absorption of some of the calories we eat.

Chia seed are also very nutritious. Read 10 Reasons to Eat Chia Seeds.

I am presenting 2 variations, but change it up and have fun!

1) Chocolate

1/4 cup raw organic chia seeds

1 cup unsweetened almond milk

1 tsp raw cacao powder

stevia to sweeten

– Mix almond milk, cacao and stevia.

-stir in chia seeds

-let stand for 10-15 minutes

-mix again

-enjoy!

2) vanilla

1/4 cup raw organic chia seeds

1 cup unsweetened almond milk

1 tsp vanilla extract (gluten free)

1/2 tsp ceylon cinnamon

stevia to sweeten

-mix all ingredients except chia seeds

-stir in chia seeds

-let stand 10-15 minutes

-mix again

-enjoy!!

February 20, 2013 · Recipes

Chicken Salad

left over cooked chicken about 1 1/2 cups cubed

1 tomatoe cut in cubes

1 cucumber cut in cubes

1/2 an avocado cut in cubes

1 stalk of celery diced

1 tsp of homemade mayonnaise

himalayan salt and pepper to taste

-combine chicken, tomatoes, cucumbers and celery

– mix in mayonnaise

-fold in avocado gently

-add salt and pepper

Enjoy!

January 6, 2013 · Recipes

Kefir is a fermented liquid. I usually recommend organic milk kefir or organic goat milk kefir. People who have trouble with dairy usually do well with kefir because it is lactose free as the probiotics have eaten up all the sugars in the milk. Kefir is teaming with good probiotics and you all know how much I love those, especially in their host.

-Start with Kefir grains (which are not actually grains, they are more like little colonies of probiotics)
You can find some on my amazon shopCLICK HERE. Look in groceries.
Add some organic Milk, it can be goat, low fat or whole.

-Cover with a porous cloth or a kitchen towel and secure with a rubber band.

-Leave in a 70 degree F room for 24-48 hours. When it is ready it will be thickened like a buttermilk consistency.

– Just strain through a plastic or nylon sieve to separate the grains, and use the grains again and again to make more and more Kefir.

It’s so inexpensive and easy to do. The health benefits are priceless… READ HERE

January 1, 2013 · Recipes

How to make a meat stock

Homemade meat stock is the most healing, and
soothing thing for the digestive tract.

It is nutrient dense, full of minerals, vitamins, gelatinous proteins, and all are in a very bio-available form.

Do not use commercially available soup stock or bouillon cubes.
They are highly processed and full of detrimental ingredients.

Once you make your meat stock, it can be frozen or it will keep well in the fridge for a week. I make a big pot of each, and then
freeze in portions I can take out each day.
You can make soups, gravies and stews with it or warm up a cup to have with meals or between meals.

Do not take the fat out of the stock. It is good to consume the fat together with the stock. You need meat and bones to make a good meat stock.
Bones and joints are important as they enrich the stock with the kind of nourishing substances which meat alone cannot provide.
Beef, lamb, game, poultry and fish are all good and will make stocks with different flavors and different nutritional compositions.

All you need is a large pot full of water an a bit of salt and pepper.

Lamb, beef or game

Put the joints bones and meat into a large pot, add 5-10 peppercorns, himalayan salt to taste and fill it up with water. Cover and bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for 3 hours at least. The longer you cook the meat and bones, the more nutrition they will give to the stock. Take the meat and bones out and pour the stock through a sieve into a separate pan to remove any small bones and peppercorns.

Chicken stock

Put a whole organic chicken into a large pot, fill it up with water, add himalayan salt to taste. Bring to a boil and simmer for 2 hours. take the chicken out and put the stock through a sieve.

Fish stock

To make a good fish stock you need bones fins skins and heads of the fish, not the meat. Put all into a large pot add 8-10 peppercorns and fill the pan with water. Brin to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for 1 1/2 hours. Take the fish parts out and sieve the stock.

December 19, 2012 · Recipes

Too Good Grain-free Chocolate Chip Cookies

1 3/4 cups fine ground blanched almond flour

1/4 cup coconut flour

1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup coconut oil, or ghee, softened or liquid
1/4 cup honey or vegan substitute (I like clover honey for its mild flavor)
1 tablespoon GF vanilla
1 tablespoon canned full fat coconut milk
1/4 cup chocolate chips

Directions:

In a large bowl, combine the almond flour, baking soda and salt until well blended.

Note: Be sure to ‘scoop’ up the AF with the cup and sweep over the top with a flat edge. If you spoon it into the cup, you are likely to not have enough AF for the recipe.

In a separate smaller bowl, combine the liquid ingredients. Blend well.

Add the liquid ingredients to the dry ingredients, mixing till just combined. Stir in the chocolate chips. The dough will be wetter than your average cookie dough and pretty sticky. Let it rest while you get the pans lined with parchment paper.

Scoop level (measuring) tablespoon amounts of cookie dough and tap it out of the spoon.

Place another cookie sheet under the one with the cookies. (This will help keep the bottoms from browning too fast.)

Bake in a 350 degree oven for about 11- 12 minutes. Keep an eye on them though, as baking times will vary from oven to oven, as well as thickness and size of cookie. Do not over bake or the bottoms and the outsides of the cookie will become ‘tough’.

Remove from oven and let cool for at least 5 minutes before transferring.

Makes 15-17 small cookies.

They come out flat and chewy but out of this world, really amazing!! Be careful not to over eat them, like I named them …too good!

December 5, 2012 · Blog

Eat Like a Dinosaur (for my “little” readers)

What would happen if I gave a flower orange juice or soda instead of water and sunshine?

What would happen if I gave my puppy only sugar cereal and candy?

What would happen if I fed my goldfish chocolate chips and ice-cream?

The flower would die, the puppy would get very, very sick and my goldfish would not live very long at all.

Every plant, animal, and human being needs healthy, nutritious things to help them grow healthy and strong.

People need fresh water, good sources of protein like eggs, fish, chicken and meat, vegetables and fruits. We should eat like Dinosaurs!!

Back in the day when Dinosaurs were around, that’s exactly what they ate to be healthy and strong.

So the next time your friends ask you why you’re not eating the cookies, pizza, noodles, candy, and soda, you can just say “I eat like a Dinosaur! I am healthy and strong!”

This is the cutest book ever for parents and little grain-free kids. Click and buy it today!

Visit the authors’ website at www.paleoparents.com

November 18, 2012 · Recipes

Coconut Honey Candy

1/2 cup honey
1 cup Tropical Traditions Coconut Cream (pureed meat of coconut)
1/4 cup cocoa powder(could omit for a non-cocoa candy)
1 tbsp vanilla extract
1 cup unsweetened shredded coconut(omit if you prefer smooth candy)
optional:3/4 cup broken up raw walnuts

Heat the honey in a saucepan over medium heat until it boils. Boil for 2 minutes while stirring
constantly. Remove from heat and add coconut cream, cocoa powder and vanilla. Stir to blend well.
Coconut cream will melt from hot honey. Add coconut and walnuts. Stir until well combined.

Press into a parchment paper lined 8″ square pyrex. Refrigerate for a half hour and cut into squares.
Store in refrigerator.

November 18, 2012 · Recipes

Rosemary Crackers

1 ¾ cups blanched almond flour
½ teaspoon himalayan salt
2 tablespoons fresh rosemary, finely chopped
1 tablespoon coconut oil or butter
1 egg
In a large bowl, combine almond flour, salt and rosemary
In a medium bowl, whisk together coconut oil and egg
Stir wet ingredients into almond flour mixture until thoroughly combined
Roll the dough into a ball and press between 2 sheets of parchment paper to ⅛ inch thickness
Remove top piece of parchment paper
Transfer the bottom piece with rolled out dough onto baking sheet
Cut dough into 2-inch squares with a knife or pizza cutter
Bake at 350° for 12-15 minutes, until lightly golden
Let crackers cool on baking sheet for 30 minutes, then serve
Yield 24 cracker cookies

tested by Rosy Shamah, thanks Rosy!!
*Note: Rosy substituted italian spices for rosemary and they were delicious!

**I recently got a great idea from one of my awesome clients to make cinnamon(sweet) cookies from this recipe. Just add cinnamon and stevia and cut the salt, they are so delicious!

November 14, 2012 · Blog

A Very Personal Story

“Waaaa, waaa, waaa” said the baby. Cute, you think? I don’t think my mom thought so. I did not sleep through the night for a full year after I was born. So… neither did my mom.

I had severe stomach pain that was not just “colic”. I was diagnosed with Celiac Disease. As my mom told me, she took me to a doctor in New York City who specialized in gastro-pediatrics. I don’t know how she found him, but leave it to my mother to find the best. I do remember his wood paneled office and his big desk that I could barely see over.

Back in the day, doctors didn’t only use pharmaceuticals. They healed people. They used nutrition. This wonderful doctor put me on a Specific Carbohydrate Diet or the SCD for short. It is basically a diet that omits any type of grains, beans, and legumes, and is mostly made up of animal protein, vegetables and some fruits. My mom thankfully, strictly adhered to the diet. I was kept on it until I was four years old.

For me, it wasn’t so bad. I actually felt special. My mom made me special meals, and frozen juice pops to eat when those ice-cream truck bells began to ring. I had never tasted sugar so I had no idea what the fuss was about.

At age 4 I was pronounced, “healed” and I was back to a regular diet that I was then able to tolerate. In a family that had our share of learning disabilities, I had none. In fact I was always an honor student. What does that have to do with anything, you ask? Read on…

Years later as my interest in nutrition became strong; I thanked God that I was spared from 4 years of eating sugar, but I questioned the diagnosis I was given for Celiac. Everything I read assured me that Celiac was incurable. I recently discovered I was wrong as could be! It was curable, and I was cured!

I have come to believe, very strongly I might add, that everything can be cured with food and other natural modalities. I have seen it all. Proper nutrition can do miracles and more.

With a lot of experience and all my studies, I came up with a very specific diet that was truly healing a lot of my clients. It helped people who suffered from constipation as well as others who had stomach issues and severe depression. I developed it by focusing on controlling insulin levels and getting a good ecology going in the digestive tract with the very best quality foods. Yessiree I was on to something good!

It was then that I started connecting the dots. If I had not been on that SCD diet when I was a baby, would I have learning disabilities? What else did it save me from?

I happened to have a copy of Dr. Natasha Campbell-McBrides’ book “Natural Treatment for Gut and Psychology Syndrome” (GAPS) that I just received from Amazon. It was sitting on my coffee table just waiting to be read!

The GAPS Diet, based on the SCD, is the one people are using to cure all psychological problems: Autism, Dyspraxia, ADD, Dyslexia, ADHD, Depression, Bi-polar, Schizophrenia, and more. The research and studies that are highlighted in the book, show a very distinct connection to all those problems with the condition of the digestive tract. It is truly amazing!!

Ready for the clincher? The Doctor who cured me, Dr. Sidney V. Haas, was the inventor of the original diet, the SCD! I discovered this at 11:30 at night when my whole household was asleep. I did a low squeal as I flipped-out from the news in the GAPS book!

Dr. Haas developed this revolutionary approach in 1951, and cured me in the early 60’s. All later variations such as the GAPS Diet, are based on his work. I had no idea he was “the man”.

Well that is the craziest, most destined thing I ever saw! He cured me, got my gut and brain working, and now I hope to carry on doing his work? Mind blower don’t you think?

And so it goes. I am dedicating my life to helping people heal their guts and minds in the way mine were healed; in a natural, painless, healthy way. I have so much gratitude to God, my mother, and Dr. Haas for healing my body and mind, what better way to show it?

November 14, 2012 · Blog

Mom Alert: Can ADD, Autism, Dyslexia, and Anxiety be Cured with Diet?

The Gut-Brain Connection

“One area of medicine is particularly prone to look at its organ separately from the rest of the body. That area is psychiatry. Mental problems are examined from all sorts of angles: genetics, childhood experiences and psychological influences. The last thing that would be considered is looking at the patient’s digestive system. Modern psychiatry just does not do that. And yet medical history has plenty of examples, where severe psychiatric conditions were cured by simply “cleaning out” the patient’s gut. A renowned Japanese professor, Kazudzo Nishi, has estimated that at least one in ten psychiatric conditions is due to self-intoxication coming from the bowel.”- Gut and Psychology Syndrome (GAPS DIET) by Dr. Natasha Campbell-McBride MD

How do people become self-intoxicated? Alcoholism has a serious connection to gut and psychology syndrome. When sugars or complex carbohydrates are eaten, the bad bacteria overgrowth produces alcohol as a by product of digesting the sugars. There is no part of the body that will not suffer from a constant supply of alcohol, even in small amounts.

GAPS people develop a whole overgrowth of pathological flora in their bodies; I call them ‘bad guys’. One of the bad guys is Candida. Candida + sugars = alcohol. Scary.

Opiates are drugs like opium, morphine and heroin. Gluten is a protein. Casein is a milk protein. When GAPS people cannot digest gluten and casein they turn into substances with the same chemical structures as opiates. Those opiate like substances go right into the system of people with this syndrome causing many of the psychological disturbances we see. Even scarier.

These gut-brain toxic connections are just a couple of examples of what is going on with people who have many of the psychological problems we are talking about.

So here is what the GAPS diet does; It restores balance to the digestive and elimination systems to function correctly. When a good balance is reached, symptoms disappear. So beautifully simple. Yes, Diet can cure.

It cured me! Read my very personal story.

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