All posts tagged vegetables

November 20, 2013 · Blog

Aging, What Causes It and What are The Best Super Foods to Help

What really causes aging? The main problem is when cells degrade too fast.

One of the biggest causes of rapid aging is the over-expression of insulin. And you guessed it; this is caused by the wrong food choices such as processed foods, sugar, grains as well as large portion sizes.

The over expression of insulin creates excessive ROS (Reactive Oxygen species). That is the most dangerous and potent free radical in the body.

ROS causes leaky mitochondria. The Mitochondria is the powerhouse of the cell.

This chemical reaction causes the electron transport system to fail, which causes the ATP to fail. ATP is basically the energy currency of life. It is a molecule that stores all the energy that comes from food.

Therefore controlling insulin is vital for youthfulness and longevity.

You have all heard me talk about how important it is to eat good fats. Another thing that causes the mitochondria to rust is rancid industrial oil.

Mutated oils like Canola, sunflower and vegetable oil don’t fit with the lipid bilayer of the mitochondria. These lipid bilayers are made up of healthy fats. Healthy fats from say grass-fed animals, give the mitochondrial lipid bilayer a strong shape and provide cell permeability that mitochondria need for cell communication.

So I hear you saying “Joy, just tell me what to eat!!” And I will.
Anti-aging foods

One of the most anti-aging foods you can eat is organ meat from grass-fed animals.

Liver is so anti-aging. It is mandatory for mitochondrial health. It contains coq10 and should be eaten 3 times a week for maximum benefit.

Another anti-aging super food is Seafood. Seafood is high in B3, manganese, potassium and magnesium. Magnesium is so important to cell health because without magnesium you cannot create ATP. Our soil is depleted of magnesium, which affects animal protein and all vegetable sources. However our seafood’s are rich in this mineral. Best choices are;

Seaweed

Kelp

Atlantic fish

Caribbean fish

*Avoid pacific seafood due to Fukashima.

Another group of Anti-aging foods contains;

Onions

Garlic

Cabbage, brussel sprouts

I recommend cooking these as it releases more minerals, flavonoids and essential cofactors in optimizing mitochondria. They also contain quercetin, which is an anti-inflammatory. Eat them often!

Broccoli is another anti aging super food. It is better to eat broccoli cooked. The sulfur compounds in broccoli helps mitochondria with methylation. Which means that it prevents the degradation of mitochondria.

The best way to incorporate these foods into your diet is menu planning! The more you plan ahead and make shopping lists so you have the ingredients on hand the more you will increase your rate of success. I guess that means the younger you will stay!

August 7, 2013 · Blog

Just Say Yes!

When clients ask me what they shouldn’t eat, my answer usually goes something like this;

“You know what you shouldn’t eat, my job is to tell you what you should eat.”

Some how with old and young alike the minute you say no to something, that’s the very thing they want, and they want it bad!!

My advice to parents, husbands and wives is to accentuate the positive. Instead of telling your loved ones to put down the cookies and chips, offer up their favorite veggies and fruits.

I actually learned this lesson the hard way. Back in the day, I freaked out when I saw my kids, or any kids for that matter eating sugar, high fructose corn syrup, blue ices, and other chemically laden things.

My reactions backfired big time. My children told me, as they got older, about how they used to stuff themselves with sugar (and everything else I said not to eat) when the opportunity came up.

It is so much more effective to focus on what you can say yes to, in a positive non-reactive way.

A little bit of psychology goes a long way. Instead of saying “I am not buying sugar cereal it’s poisonous!” You can say “Oh we ran out of that, try this…..”

If a child asks for something you do not want them to have, you can firmly say ” That is not one of our choices today. You can choose A or B.” Let them choose from 2 or 3 healthy options that they like.

I also want to suggest good old bribery to get your kids to try new vegetables and healthy foods they’re not used to. It takes 3 times for a child to be exposed to a new food and for them to like it. So write down each time they try something new. After 15 times of trying new foods, buy them an agreed upon gift. It can be inexpensive and small.

I’ve been seeing amazing things happen with these simple guidelines. Children who only ate chicken nuggets and noodles are now eating broccoli, string beans and asparagus, and they love it!

Do you have any good ways to coax a picky eater? Share with us in the comments below.

July 10, 2013 · Blog

Welcome to Holland

A young mother gives birth. She knows this child well. This baby kicked and moved about and the mother understood the child’s special energy. Sometimes, between the 1^st and 4th birthday typically, some children receive a dreaded diagnosis of a spectrum disorder.
The feelings a mother has at a time like this are fear, and worry, maybe panic. The beautiful “Welcome to Holland” story says it like no other.

I love this mom’s analogy. She describes having a child with a disability like planning a trip to Italy but ending up in Holland. It’s not bad, it’s just different. It’s not what you were expecting and now you have to navigate this new place with no itinerary.

A health coach is like your travel agent/ concierge. We help you navigate Holland and help to make it the best trip ever.

(read “Welcome to Holland” HERE)

I am guessing that a lot of parents would like to take back the responsibility and control of their child’s situation. That is where we come in. Those of you who have been reading my blog know I believe very strongly that the brain and gut are totally linked together. We work to help with the challenges of diet change and behavioral issues. The results, healing and behavoiral changes have been astounding. We begin with the following challenges.

Challenge #1– knowing what you can and cannot eat.

What really happens; often when people begin they look at a long laundry list of stuff they can’t eat. So they feel deprived, confused and HUNGRY.

What a Coach does; We help navigate the whole landscape of new foods. We translate old unhealthy choices into healthful ones. We menu plan and answer questions in emails and emergency texts from the grocery store. We help to create substitutes for favorite foods that are delicious, satisfying and easy.

Challenge #2- slowly incorporating different ways to detoxify and change the digestion.

What really happens; people take on these tasks and they start to feel like it’s a full time job.

What a Coach does; We help develop a doable routine that is fun and easy.

Challenge #3-rebuilding gut flora;

What really happens; every member in the family, because of the changes being implemented, feels the resistance.

What a Coach does; We try to meet the emotional needs of all family members and give support with solutions that become part of day-to-day life.

Yes there are challenges, but with the right support a parent can meet them with a smile, and take back control of their child’s health and healing. One of my favorite Client Mom’s recently told me “Had I known how easy my life was going to be, I would have welcomed the challenges with open arms!”

April 10, 2013 · Recipes

Paleo Egg Muffins

Paleo Egg Muffins

These delicious muffins can be used for a convenient breakfast on the go, lunch or a delicious snack. Each time you make them you can try different vegetable/meat combos or different herbs and spices and never get bored. Get creative and Enjoy!

Ingredients

▪ 1 lb ground sausage (pasture-raised, organic if possible)

– or 2 cups of chopped vegetables.(broccoli, onions, mushrooms, peppers, or any veggies you like)

– or a combo of meat and veggies.

▪ 1 dozen eggs

▪ ghee, coconut oil or other fat of choice

▪ salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Slice or crumble and brown the sausage in a frying pan
In a medium/large bowl scramble one dozen large eggs and season with salt and pepper.
Grease the cups of one muffin pan with oil.
Place equal amounts of browned sausage in the bottoms of the muffin pan.
Pour the scrambled eggs evenly on top of the sausage. The mixture will come almost to the top of the tin.
Bake for 20 minutes. Remove from the oven and allow to cool for about 5 minutes.
Use a knife to loosen the egg muffin from the sides of the pan.

December 5, 2012 · Recipes

String Beans and Carrots with Orange and Rosemary

2 medium carrots, peeled and sliced on the diagonal

3/4 pound string beans, trimmed and cut in thirds

2 tbsp coconut oil

1/2 orange -grate 1/4 tsp of the orange zest and juice the half orange

2 tsp. minced fresh rosemary

himalayan salt to taste

Parboil sliced carrots for about 3 minutes. Use a heavy skillet and heat over medium-high heat, add the coconut oil and sauté the string beans, drain carrots and add to skillet. Sauté until everything is just tender approx. 10-12 minutes.

When the vegetables are tender add the zest, juice, salt to taste and rosemary to them. Stir for another minute or two just until the juice reduces to a glaze, then serve.

Enjoy!

June 3, 2011 · Blog, Recipes

Zucchini Spaghetti

It would be great if we could all make vegetables the largest part of our diet. O how healthy we could be! Foods like zucchini pasta really help with that.

It took about 5 minutes to make a huge bowl of zucchini pasta with my (inexpensive) handy dandy zucchini spaghetti maker!

…….and talk about healthy…..Zucchini is a good source of
protein
vitamin A
thiamin
niacin
phosphorus
copper
dietary fiber
vitamin C
vitamin K
riboflavin
vitamin B6
folate
magnesium
potassium
manganese

Whew!!!!!! You can cook italian style with onion, garlic, tomato sauce and Italian spices, or asian style…..whatever floats your boat! Always chew well and Enjoy!

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