Once upon a time there were no E-channel, People magazine, In Style, and access shows that revealed everything from a celebrity’s bathroom to his or her shoe collection. If you wanted to see what Elizabeth Taylor was like when she was Elizabeth Taylor the movie star (the jewels, the dress, the walk), you had to watch the Academy Awards. And it happened only once a year.
After giving up dairy, people report having more energy, better digestion, better skin, less puffiness, and less stuffiness in their sinuses. Seriously – you’ll look and feel better. And you’ll smell better, too.
Antibiotics are frequently used to treat the multitude of cow ailments that come from the common and unnatural dairy production practices such as hormone therapy, force feedings, and steroid use. If you’ve ever breastfed a baby, you know that whatever YOU eat, the baby also eats. Same thing works with the cow’s milk – whatever goes in the cow comes out in the cow’s milk. More antibiotics (and hormones, and steroids) for you.
Milk and dairy products are not a necessary source of calcium. The type of calcium in cow’s milk is too coarse for absorption in the human body. Most of us get enough calcium through other foods like salmon, sardines, soybeans, tofu, nuts, sesame seeds, spinach, broccoli, and other dark green leafy vegetables. (Pssst – where do you think cows get calcium? From grasses, of course. Green grasses. Unless they’re only eating some kind of feed – then the calcium is a supplement. Learn from the cows! Get calcium from greens!)
Just a note on tilapia – the fish that was practically unknown in 2000, but was one of the top 5 fish consumed by 2005.
There was some info last fall about tilapia being so overloaded with omega-6 fats that it was probably better to eat a cheeseburger. Well. That is just wrong.
Most tilapia are farm-raised. That means they may not be the healthiest choice of fish (wild-caught fish is better – that’s fish living and eating in its natural habitat).
Check the package label or ask at the fish counter about the country of origin. There are better regulations against over-fishing in the US, Canada, and Scandinavia. That’s not an exhaustive list, but it’s a start.
Since tilapia is high in omega-6s, be sure to add some flax seed (ground for better absorption of nutrients) or flax oil into your daily menu. The high concentration of omega-3s in flax will help balance the omega-6s of the tilapia.
It’s the last day of our THM® on a Budget class. We’ve learned to make choices that are healthy for our bodies and our budgets. Thanks to coach Cindy R for twelve incredibly amazing days of an excellent class!
Too bad v v v these folks v v v didn’t take Cindy’s class… they’d feel much better about money! Now get up and move! (Try pushups, bicep curls, tricep dips, and chest flys.)
Most dietary oils come from seeds, and from leafy greens and sea vegetables. All of these are “good oils,” supplying essential fatty acids (EFAs) from three families: omega-3, omega-6, and omega-9 fatty acids. Omega fats are all classes of polyunsaturated fats.
The human body cannot manufacture omega-3s or omega-6s, so they must be supplied in the diet. They are therefore considered “essential.” Omega-9s can be made within the body and are not considered essential, although they have many health benefits. Relative ratios of omega-3s and omega-6s from our diet have shifted dramatically over the centuries, with the most pronounced shift occurring in the past 40 or 50 years. While the hunter/gatherer diet was high in omega-3s and lower in omega-6s, today our diets are higher in omega-6s than in omega-3s. We eat far too many omega-6 oils and too few omega-3 oils, and we are paying the health consequences.
Benefits of omega fats:
Keep cell membranes fluid and flexible which in turn affects the white blood cells that repel invaders of the body.
Promote normal growth, especially of blood vessels and nerves.
Keep the skin and other tissues youthful and supple through lubrication.
Are key components of nerve cells and hormone-like substances known as prostaglandins.
Improve nerve blood flow, nerve conduction and prevent neuropathy.
Omega-3s can be found in raw nuts, seeds, beans, fish oil, and unrefined vegetable oils such as flax, hemp, walnut and than mainstay of many of the world’s diets, the soybean. Experts advise us to add more omega-3 rich foods to our diet so that the proper ratios between omega-3s and omega-6s are restored.
Omega-3 rich dietary oils and the percent each contains are:
Flaxseed (57 percent)
soy (8 percent)
walnut (5 percent)
pumpkin seed (15 percent)
These oils, however, must be converted in the human body into longer chain polyunsaturated fatty acids (LCPs) needed for cell membrane transport and key cellular functions. They are not immediately available to the body upon ingestion, but adding them to your diet still increases your LCPs.
Fish supply “ready-made” omega-3 because their bodies have already converted the parent omega-3 EFA alpha linolenic acid (ALA) from various food sources. We can also get the preformed LCPs by consuming certain kinds of seaweed and algae, best gotten through supplementation with DHA.
Omega-6s can be found in certain vegetable oils such as safflower, sunflower and sesame as well as hemp, walnut and soybean oils.
Omega-9s are monounsaturated fatty acids. Omega-9s can be manufactured by our bodies, so they are not considered an ‘essential’ fatty acid, but we still need to maintain healthy levels of this fat. Omega-9 can be found in flax, hemp, and fish oils.
The next time you are shopping, stock up on fishes, flax seed and other oils, seaweeds, and nuts. (You can find flax seed oil in the refrigerated section of your health food store).
Remember; store these oils in the fridge. Keep them cool and away from light and air. These three things can make your oil go rancid and transform some of the fat. And we all know what transformed fats are: the always bad-for-you trans-fatty acids.
Baked Tuna With Tomato Pesto Blue ~ Serves 6 generously
6 cloves garlic, peeled and chopped
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
2 Tablespoons chopped fresh Italian parsley
2 Tablespoons chopped fresh basil
1/2 cup toasted pine nuts (or use walnuts, almonds, or cashews)
1 28 oz can Italian-style peeled tomatoes, drained and chopped
4 Tablespoons cold-pressed olive oil
6 tuna steaks,* about 5 oz each, 1-inch thick
Preheat oven to 425F.
Place the first 7 ingredients into a food processor and grind until smooth. Put mixture into a bowl, add the tomatoes and carefully mash into a coarse paste. Whisk in the olive oil. Smother the tuna steaks with the pesto and marinate in the refrigerator for 30 minutes.
Place the marinated tuna steaks with the pesto marinara into a baking pan. Drizzle with a little olive oil. Bake, uncovered, for 15 minutes, or until the steaks are medium – still nice and pink inside – when checked with a sharp knife.
Serve immediately with the pesto and some nice steamed vegetables on the side. Accompany this with a fresh spring green salad with Italian balsamic vinaigrette dressing.
To make dressing, just add 1/4 teaspoon basil, and 1/4 teaspoon oregano to a small bottle of any balsamic vinaigrette dressing. Shake well and let stand for a few hours before serving.
*Budget tip – Prices for fish usually drop during Lent (starts Wednesday, February 25 this year). Check for sales, and stock up.
On your toes, from your knees, or standing and using a countertop or wall… whatever your form, start now, Just leave a comment to let us know how you do.
To make your mornings easier, plan ahead for a good breakfast.
Freeze the leftovers in single portions, and just reheat to enjoy again.
Old-Fashioned Apple-Raisin Oatmeal in the Crockpot Yellow ~ 4 servings
1-1/2 cups rolled oats (not instant, not steel cut)
4 cups cold water
1 tsp salt
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1 medium size cooking apple, such as Granny Smith or Rome Beauty, cored, peeled and shredded
3 Tbsp raisins
1/2 cup granola (optional)
Combine all the ingredients except the granola in a lightly oiled 3-1/2 to 4 quart slow cooker. Cover and cook on Low for 6 hours. To serve, spoon the oatmeal into bowl, sprinkle with the granola if you want more texture, and serve hot.
Other topping ideas: maple syrup, peanut butter, soy creamer, honey, fresh fruit
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Not so quick the first day, but if you make a big batch and freeze them, you’ll have a good breakfast ready to go. If you’re not vegan, swap out the egg replacer and water with 1 egg.
Whole Wheat Vegan Waffles Blue ~ Serves a bunch
1 Tablespoon egg substitute
1/4 cup lukewarm water
1-1/4 cups unbleached flour
3/4 cup whole wheat flour
2 Tablespoons Sucanat
1 Tablespoon baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
1-3/4 cups soy or rice milk
6 Tablespoons vegetable oil
½ cup finely chopped walnuts or pecans (optional)
First mix up your egg substitute…stir powder into the water with a small whisk. Let set for 20-30 minutes.
Combine dry ingredients and stir until evenly distributed. Add “milk” and oil, stirring until well blended and smooth. Fold in egg substitute and let batter set 5 minutes before using. Spray waffle iron with cooking spray and heat it up. When it is ready, pour 1/2 cup (for 6″ round iron) or 3/4 cup (for “4-square” iron) batter into center of iron, cook until done (see waffle iron directions).
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Find Joey’s French Toast by clicking the Recipe category over there on the right >>>>>
Just make more, and freeze the prepared and cooled French toast between sheets of wax paper in a freezer-weight zipper bag. Take out what you need on a busy morning, heat and serve.
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Find Jessica’s Breakfast Smoothie by clicking the Recipe category over there on the right >>>>>
Adapt the smoothie recipe to the fruit (fresh or frozen) and juice (or use water or soy milk or rice milk) you have in the house. Make a double or triple recipe the night before, and leave it in the blender container in the fridge. In the morning, whiz it up again, and serve.
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Find Baked Egg White, Broccoli, and Mushroom “Cupcakes” and Scrambled Egg White, Tomatoes & Onion by clicking the Recipe category over there on the right >>>>>
The Scrambled Egg White goes together fast in the morning. The Egg White “Cupcakes” can be made ahead and warmed up.
