All posts tagged grain-free

November 19, 2014 · Blog

Discipline; the Engine that gets you to good health

 

 

One of the biggest roles I play as a health coach is motivator. So many clients want to feel better and see changes in their health but in the beginning they just can’t seem to resist the ice-cream or the chocolate or fill in the blank with your fave food. Part of it is physical addiction but the biggest hurdle is plain old discipline.

 

One of the best things I have developed through my life is strong discipline. It’s because of lots of self talk that says “Joy it’s not worth it!”  Whether it was watching the pounds or detoxing.

I believe the most important thing is to ask yourself “Self, what is your motivation?” And make sure you give yourself one heck of an answer.

We can talk ourselves into or out of anything.  It all comes down to your motivation. It has to be strong and it has to be purposeful.

 

Once, I healed a bad case of gastritis with diet.  I learned to de-stress with yoga, breath deeply, and I followed a strict diet of protein, vegetables and good fats. Discipline was key. I had important goals I did not, no, would not mess up. The choice was stay on medication that could destroy my digestion for life or heal naturally. I’d say that’s a strong motivation, especially when you have a family who depends on you.

 

The only way to whole-body health is by harnessing your discipline and putting into action all the knowledge you know will change everything.

There is a sense of power and happiness that comes from dedication to your self. 

We have to grow up and realize that choices have consequences and the world owes you nothing. 

 

Make good choices about the foods you eat and smarter choices about lifestyle. Add movement into your day, consciously relax; meditate or tap away stress. This stuff is so life changing its crazy. Most people need support to stay with it at the beginning.  Once you start and see the symptoms change its so much easier.

 

So define your motivation. What is it for you?

 

October 29, 2014 · Blog

Bulletproof Coffee

From the time I was a little girl, really little (like 3 or 4 years old), I remember begging my mother for a little of her coffee poured into my milk.  Maybe it was the delicious aroma I smelled every day as my mom perked a pot of coffee in the morning, or how special it seemed to the adults around me.   My Mom called it my coffee, as in  “I can’t function until I have my coffee.”  That’s important stuff!  So it’s not surprising that I love coffee.

As I got older, and I was finally allowed to drink coffee, I realized I didn’t feel so good when I had it.  I became all shaky and felt weird from the caffeine.  So I had decaf coffee.  Later on in my late twenties, as I was getting more and more into healthy eating and lifestyle, I gave up drinking coffee.  I learned how it was acidifying, and that it was like drinking pesticide juice because of how the beans are commercially grown and processed.

I discovered grain coffee, a coffee-like drink made from barley and chicory.  It was okay, but nowhere near the taste and smell of real coffee. If you are a real coffee lover, it’s not gonna bring it home for you.   Twenty-five years I settled for walking into Starbucks, getting an unsweetened iced tea and watching my husband drink his delicious latte.  At least I got to smell it!

Then a great thing happened. I started reading about something called Bulletproof coffee.  All over the Paleo community, people were talking about it.  Healthy coffee? I couldn’t believe it.  I heard it from all the experts.  Mark Sisson was drinking it, but it was hard for me to believe because even the best organic coffee gave me terrible headaches and stomach aches.  Then I went on the Bulletproof website, Upgradedself.com, and I heard the greatest pitch ever from Dave Asprey, the Bulletproof executive.  He claimed that the micotoxins, mold, and pesticides found in commercial coffee are responsible for making people sick from coffee and not the coffee itself.  If you tell me there is a possibility that I can drink coffee, well you know I am going to try!  So I ordered the purest, best Bulletproof Upgraded Coffee and put it to the test.

I am having my freshly ground and perked coffee most mornings, bulletproof style, blended with 1 tbsp. grass-fed butter and 1 tbsp. MCT oil (concentrated coconut oil).  So delicious!  Full of antioxidants and good nutrition.  Yum, and I didn’t get the least bit sick!  No headaches, no stomach aches.  They claim that the good fats mixed together with the coffee slow down the absorption of the caffeine, as well.

Of course, my family caught on to this amazing coffee and two of my kids claim that I ruined any other coffee for them.  Since they’ve been drinking Bulletproof coffee, they actually taste the pesticides in all other coffees and they can’t drink it.  This makes me so happy!

I always say I am a human science project; I test everything on myself first.  Let me know if you try it and what your experience is. It is one thing you can change that will make your life a whole lot healthier.  I love to start my day with coffee; there is something nostalgic and cozy about it, my coffee.

 

 

January 22, 2014 · Recipes

Creamy Cauliflower Soup

1 head of cauliflower, cut into florettes

1 onion, chopped

2 stalks of celery, chopped

1 tablespoon of coconut oil

4 cups of water

himalayan salt and black pepper to taste

-sautee onion and celery in coconut oil until wilted

-add cauliflower, salt and pepper, and water

-Bring to a boil and then simmer for approx 20 minutes or until vegetables are soft

– puree the soup

– Enjoy!

*You can substitute bone broth for the water for an even hardier, healthier soup 😉

December 11, 2013 · Recipes

Best Paleo Birthday Cake

1 cup coconut flour, sifted

1tsp celtic sea salt

1/2 tsp baking soda

12 eggs

1 cup coconut oil

1 cup raw honey

1 tbsp vanilla extract

-combine coconut flour, salt, and baking soda

-in a separate bowl blend together eggs, coconut oil, raw honey and vanilla

-mix wet ingredients into dry and blend with a mixer or hand blender until smooth

-Pour batter into 4 well greased and floured (w coconut flour) pie or cake pans (to create 4 even layers)

-bake at 350 for 20 minutes

-cool completely

-frost and serve

 

Best fudge frosting

-1 cup almond milk

-2 cups good quality chocolate chips

Heat almond milk to boiling, close the fire. Put chocolate chips into hot almond milk and let sit a few minutes until chips are melted . stir well to blend.

When cooled frost each layer of the cake and the top and sides. Dust with almond flour or decorate with sliced almonds.

let cool completely.

Enjoy!!

December 11, 2013 · Blog

The Real Truth About Workout Food

 

What’s wrong with the fuel most people are using?  I call them Frankenfuels. From Gatorade to power bars to those creepy gel packs with the chemicals they contain and synthetic “nutrients”, I really don’t know how we got so far from real food.

 

Those Frankenfuels have very high sugar content. Gatorade was recently forced to take out the brominated vegetable oil, BVO.  Another ingredient in many sport drinks is TBHQ it is a preservative also an anticorrosive agent found in diesel oil!

 

Many of the protein powders people use have artificial sweeteners and chemicals that lead to brain fog during a workout.

 

The truth is that we should be putting as natural a food source as possible into our bodies especially during and after strenuous physical activity. To understand why we need to understand carbohydrate delivery and the maximum rate of fluid absorption; Osmolality.

Most sports drinks have 6-8% concentrated solution.  Bars. Energy packets and gels have 10-30% concentration of carbs. When you consume them absorption is not ideal unless you drink tons of water with them.  Many labels suggest drinking at least 8 oz. of water with it and most people don’t follow directions.  Anything above a 4% concentrated solution will result in GI distress and fluid emptying.

 

Another thing that’s been hyped up to sell sports drinks is electrolytes.  The body can maintain plasma levels of electrolytes and salts several days without running out. The body maintains this via the kidneys as it slows down the rate of sodium excretion. Sports drinks actually speed up the loss of electrolytes through the sweat.

 

Why don’t people just eat real food? Well you can’t patent and make money off raw almonds.  Real food takes time to plan and prepare. It is so much easier to grab a power bar at the gym.  People have been led to believe they need to train with the fuel they will use during competitions. At the time of an iron man competition it is not very aero dynamic to carry bags of food along.

 

However, here are some good ideas of things you can prepare and take along;

-Chia seeds 3-4 tbsp  Soak in water add lemon and stevia and make a slurry. Its clean burning food.

-Pemmican (rendered fat) or jerky

-Rice balls using pressure-cooked white rice, you can add eggs and meats or coconut, blueberries, raw honey and dates. Put in the food processor and make balls.

**Skip the rice if you are low carb and want your body to use fat to burn fuel.

-Raw seeds and nuts with a little dried fruit.

-Nut butters mixed with coconut oil and raw honey.

-Grain free granola

-Hydrolyzed Collagen Protein like PaleoZip by Joy Harari

Real food alternatives require less water than bars and gels. Bars and Gels contain fermentable carbs like fructose and maltodextrin, which causes gas and bloating and indigestion afterwards.

For post workouts, the ideal scenario is to eat a real meal. Don’t worry about protein carb fat ratio the experts say it is not necessary. Just eat your regularly scheduled highly nutritive meal.

 

So lets all commit to a more natural source of healthy energy to fuel our workouts.  It will keep you healthier and younger looking in the long run.

 

 

 

 

 

 

December 3, 2013 · Blog

Healthy Conception

Why should we be mindful and thoughtful about conception? One reason is the alarming number of birth defects we are seeing here in America.  1 in 8 children have Autism. There are also rising levels of auto immunity problems in children.We are not seeing these rates in 3rd world countries.We are malnourished and saturating ourselves in environmental toxins.The good news is we can learn to do better.

Back in the day when Dr. Weston A. Price traveled the world studying indigenous cultures, he found their treatment of people who would be trying to conceive a baby to be very special.  They would be fortified with the most nutritious foods, high levels of fat-soluble vitamins and calcium.  There was a reverence for conceiving, carrying and nursing-moms.

Men as well were well prepared with a pre-conception diet high in cholesterol rich fats like butter, egg yolks and organ meats and fat-soluble vitamins. Intuitively these cultures knew the healthiest preparation for conception.

Here in our culture today we see young brides and grooms starving themselves to fit into their wedding gowns and Tuxedos, yikes!

One very interesting bit of information is that these indigenous cultures practiced child spacing.  They allowed moms to replenish nutrients for 3 years before having another child…. interesting.  With the high rate of post-partum depression and knowing how malnutrition plays such a strong role in that, it may be something to think about.  It is also well known that the 2nd child and on are more likely to have Autism because the moms are depleted of vital nutrients.

So what else can we do to ensure we are in good condition to conceive a child?One important thing is to make sure your gut health is up to par.

-If a person has been on antibiotics they need a good time frame for clean up; A good year on the GAPS diet with sugar and caffeine out and fermented cultured foods in.  Also eating good sources of animal fats and organ meats.  I know someone who hates the taste of liver but cuts it up and swallows it like a pill so they can get the important nutrition it offers.

-Get rid of plastic and xenobiotics. They are estrogen like compounds that affect the hormonal balance.  Use glass as #1 preference.

-Make sure your iodine levels are right.  It is critical for the IQ of the baby.

-Also make sure your B vitamins levels are good.  If necessary take a good quality supplement especially for B6 and folic acid.

-Clean up your home environment. Make sure it is non-toxic and that you have pure water.

Let’s work on communicating these ideas for a good foundation for pregnancy and the developing fetus.  In a culture obsessed with weight and thinness we need to reconsider how important good nutrition really is.  It needs a lot more attention than its been given, for the sake of the coming generations.

 

November 13, 2013 · Recipes

Healthy Toll House Pies

2 cups fine ground blanched almond flour

1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt

1/3 cup coconut oil, or ghee, softened or liquid
1/4 cup raw honey
1 tablespoon 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.
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.

Fill small ramekins 3/4 way up with batter
Bake on 350 until tops are golden, approximately 20 min.

serve warm

Recipe By Yvonne J Harari

Thanks Yvonne!

October 23, 2013 · Recipes

pumpkin Smoothie

Ingredients for Smoothie:

  •        ½ cup pure organic pumpkin
  •        1 cup unsweetened almond milk
  •        ½ frozen banana
  •        ½ tablespoons maple syrup (or Raw honey)
  •        ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
  •        ¼ teaspoon cinnamon (+ more to sprinkle on top)
  •        1/8 teaspoon ginger
  •        1/8 teaspoon nutme
  •        1/8 teaspoon allspice
  •        1/2 cup  of ice more or less depending on thickness you like.

 

Put all ingredients into the blender and blend on high speed until smooth.

*you can add 2 tbsp of Paleo Zip protein powder to add to nutrition and insulin balance.

 

July 31, 2013 · Recipes

Peanut Butter Pie

For the crust:

2 cups almond flour

¼ cup coconut flour

1 tsp Paleozip pure collagen protein

¼ tsp Himalayan salt

2 tbsp. raw honey

½ cup coconut oil, softened or melted

 

Place almond flour, coconut flour, Paleozip, and salt in the bowl of a food processor. Pulse a few times to combine.  Add honey and coconut oil to flour mixture and process until the dough is well mixed.  Press the dough on the bottom an up the sides of a tart-pan. Bake on 350 until golden brown.

 

Filling:

1 cup creamy peanut butter

3 medium bananas

2 tsp. vanilla

1/8 tsp. Himalayan salt

¼ cup coconut oil

stevia to taste

 

Mix in a food processor or Vitamix blender.

Fill the baked crust with the filling.

 

Chocolate topping:

½ cup unsweetened almond milk

¾ cup good quality chocolate chips

 

Bring almond milk to a boil over a med flame.

Close the fire.

Drop in the chocolate chips and let sit for a minute or so.

When chips are melted stir until well combined.

Spread the chocolate ganache in a thin layer over the peanut butter filling.

 

Refrigerate or freeze the pie.

Serve cold or room temperature.

 

April 24, 2013 · Blog

Juicerexia

Each year spring rolls around and I just want to purge; My house gets cleaned in a big  ‘vacuum out the dust under the fridge’  kind of way. My clothes get sorted out. The best thing that happens is that I start craving green leafy vegetables and wheatgrass.

 

Our bodies have an internal clock that knows spring is here. Dr. John Douillard says if you detox in the spring, you won’t get sick the following winter.  That word “detox” is loaded these days. My clients will call me and insist I give them a good detox.  Every magazine has articles on detoxing. What is goin’ on?!

 

This is the bottom line; your body knows just how to accomplish this task. It does it on a daily basis. If we consistently eat good quality, fresh, unprocessed foods and drink lots of pure water that detox system will be free to work its magic. Yup that’s all you have to do. No torturous crazy protocols of lemonade only. Eating in season helps too. Fresh young greens come up in spring so eat up!  Eating things that are in season is always a good idea.

 

Getting an enzyme rich veggie juice from one of the beautiful Juice bars that are popping up is always a great idea, but according to Courtney Rubin in Marie Claire Magazine it may be wise to skip the “juice fast”.   “One expert calls juice cleanses ‘the perfect pathway to disordered eating”, with an alarming power to seduce otherwise healthy women.”

 

Juice cleanses have become uber trendy, that’s for sure. “Even Starbucks has expanded into Juices. And as interest in them peaks, public health professionals and doctors are dealing with the fallout; an epidemic of malnourished, run-down young women- Juicerexics- some of whom have stumbled into full-fledged anorexia or bulimia.”

 

“Of most concern? For women already in the throes of anorexia or bulimia, juice fasts provide a great cover….. People say, ‘oh, good for you. That’s so healthy.’ It’s society’s most accepted form of eating disorder.”

The best situation I have seen is at  a beautiful Juice bar called Jus by Julie, which has recently expanded to a second Brooklyn location, and a third location in Cederhurst, NY.  Julie Maleh is a Certified Health Coach and is very “Hands on” with her clients. She described to me how she monitors her clients closely when they do a cleanse.

“I do not allow the young teens to do a full juice fast. I insist they incorporate the juices into their lives and have at least 1 meal.  None of my clients are permitted to do consecutive cleanses. Three days is the maximum, then they incorporate the juices into their daily life. I like them to wait a month to do another 3 day cleanse, I am very strict! I monitor everyone to avoid these problems.  I am 100% on top of it.”

Go Julie!!

Stephanie Zakay the Pure Juice Cleanse proprietor is also totally on it with guiding her clients. Her main goal is to encourage people to get more fruits and vegetables into their daily routine.  “People that come to me use the cleanse as a way of making a commitment to a new way of eating and say good-bye to the processed junk foods they were putting into their body.”

With responsible guidance like Stephanie and Julie provide, the safety and benefit of juice is fully realized.

 

 

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