Archive for Healthy Home

Recipe: Leeks and Greens Soup

December 15, 2009 · Filed under Healthy Home, Recipe · Tagged , , , , ,

 

Welcome to Healthy Home, an enlightening weekly series on Mom Going Green.  Healthy Home focuses on natural health topics for the whole family.  The goal of this series is to provide moms (and dads too), with information on how to achieve optimal health for the entire household naturally.   The series will include the latest in natural health news, wholesome health tips, yummy recipes, and natural health remedies that have worked for healthy homes in years past. 

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This tasty green soup will keep you warm and healthy this winter.  Homemade soups are a stable in our house in the winter.   Soup is fun because you can get creative with it.  I like to make soups with seasonal foods when possible.     Eating warm foods can also make you feel more full faster than eating colder foods. 

3 Tbs Butter

1-2 Garlic cloves

1 Onion

1 Leek

8 oz Brussels sprouts (i used frozen to keep the cost down)

4.5 oz green beans

5 Cups organic vegetable stock

1 Cup frozen peas

1 Tbs lemon juice

1/2 tsp coriander

4 Tbs organic heavy whipping cream

Salt & Pepper to taste

Directions:

Melt the butter in a saucepan.  Add the onion and garlic and saute over low heat until soft.  Slice the white part of the leek thinly and set aside.  Slice the remaining leek, the brussels sprouts and beans.  Add all 3 to the saucepan along with the vegetable stock and simmer for 10 minutes.  Add the peas, seasoning and lemon juice, simmer 10-15 minutes.   Let the soup cool then process in a food processor or blender until smooth.  Pour back into the sauce pan and add the reserved leek, boil for 5 minutes, until the leeks are soft.  Adjust the seasoning if needed, add the cream and heat gently.  Serve and enjoy!  Servings:  6, Total time:  1 hourI sometimes top with mozzarella cheese.  I like to make a double batch and freeze some for later.

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A Homemade Holiday Gift

December 7, 2009 · Filed under Healthy Home, Homemade / Do-It-Yourself · Tagged , , , , , , , ,

 

Healthy Home

  Welcome to Healthy Home, an enlightening weekly series on Mom Going Green.  Healthy Home focuses on natural health topics for the whole family.  The goal of this series is to provide moms (and dads too), with information on how to achieve optimal health for the entire household naturally.   The series will include the latest in natural health news, wholesome health tips, yummy recipes, and natural health remedies that have worked for healthy homes in years past.  

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Nothing beats a homemade holiday gift.  Recently, Denise Pickenpaugh came to our New Albany chiropractic office to teach a class on making homemade, all natural soy candles.   Soy is a great alternative to the traditional and unhealthy paraffin candle.  Paraffin candles emit carcinogens into the air.  Have you ever seen the black soot inside of a half burnt candle container and thought about that entering and depositing in your lungs too?  According to a CBS News article “Paraffin, which comes from the distillates of wood or petroleum, can be more toxic than gasoline”.    Planet Green states that the fumes from paraffin candles are similar to those from burning diesel.  Even OSHA lists paraffin as causing irritation to the eyes, nose, throat, and skin.  There are many benefits of soy candles over traditional paraffin candles.  Soy candles produce no black soot on walls, ceilings, and the candle container.   Soy beans are renewable, sustainable and grown in the US.  Making or buying soy candles supports American farmers.  Soy candles are non-toxic and non-irritating for people with breathing problems (and for those who don’t want to get breathing problems).   Also, each soy candles is unique and different.  Every soy field is different, with different soil and different properties therefore every candle is unique!  If buying a soy candle look for the percent soy on the label.  A candle can be labeled soy with little soy in it.  Look for 85-100% soy.   I had a great time at the candle making class and learned a lot.  I’m so excited to make some candles for friends and family this year (did I just give that away?).    So here’s what you need to know: 

Materials:

  • Decorative container
  • Wick
  • Soy wax flakes
  • Scent
  • Hot glue gun
  • Double boiler
  • Scale
  • Liquid thermometer
  • Chopsticks or skewers

Make your Candle:

  • Heat water in the base of a double boiler to 125-135 degrees (maintain that temperature throughout process).
  • Use the scale to weigh 2lbs of soy wax flakes and place in double boiler
  • After wax is completely melted, add 2 oz of scent (1oz/lb wax) to the waxCook 15-20 min, or 20-30 if using vanilla or another heavy oil
  • In the meantime, use a hot glue gun to attach wick to the bottom of the container. 
  • Use a small wick for 1-2 inch diameter container, medium wick for 2-3 inch diameter, large for 3-4 inch and X-large for 4-5 inch diameter.  For larger containers double wick but be carefulot to place the wicks too close or they will drown each other out.
  • Pour wax into container.
  • Use chopsticks or skewers to hold the wick in place by lying them on top of the container on either side of the wickLet the wax dry, 12-24 hours
  • Trim the wickReady to gift or burn and enjoy!

Look for all natural ingreadients localy at Makes Scents Candles in Pataskala.  

Delightful

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Baffled by Sugar

December 2, 2009 · Filed under Healthy Home, Nutrition · Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Healthy Home

 Welcome to Healthy Home, an enlightening weekly series on Mom Going Green.  Healthy Home focuses on natural health topics for the whole family.  The goal of this series is to provide moms (and dads too), with information on how to achieve optimal health for the entire household naturally.   The series will include the latest in natural health news, wholesome health tips, yummy recipes, and natural health remedies that have worked for healthy homes in years past. 

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Options for Sugar

 The sugar aisle in the grocery store is the most confusing and frustrating for me.  So many choices, UGH!!  I don’t like so many choices, it brings out my indecisive side.  Do I go with regular white, brown, Raw, Demerara,

Turbinado, Rapadura, Sucanat, Stevia???  Where do I start?  What’s the difference?  Is one cup of white sugar the same as 1 cup of Rapadura or Turbinado, or Raw?  I’m getting a headache! 

 After putting in several hours of research here is a synopsis of what I found and a handy chart to tuck in your re-usable shopping bag when at the store.  

 ”White” & “Brown” Sugar

Let’s start with the traditional refined white sugar.  If you guessed this is the worst and most unhealthy, you are correct!  White sugar has been heated and filtered to the max, not to mention, bleached, so that all nutrients and molasses is filtered and heated out and what is left is fine white crystals with no nutritional value.  Brown sugar goes through the same process but with some of the molasses or caramel coloringbeing added back in (at different ratios for light/dark).   

 Turbinado Sugar

This sugar is produced when the juice from crushed sugar cane is extracted and evaporated with heat.  The sugar crystallizes and is spun in a centrifuge.  This removes additional moisture and molasses (the nutrient dense portion of sugar).  A small amount of molasses remains.  Turbinado often comes from Hawaii, one company that produces a form of turbinado is Sugar In The Raw, out of Maui, Hawaii.     

 Demerara Sugar

(Washed Raw Sugar) is processed similar to Turbinado.  The name Demerara is from the Demerara River in the Guyana region where this sugar was grown.  It has similar nutritional value to Turbinado.  They are both a light brown, large crystal sugar.  An example of Demerara is here.   

 Muscovado Sugar

A dark brown sugar from sugar cane after evaporated, heated, pan-evaporated in the sun, and finally pounded.  It retains a lot of nutrients and is tends to be hold extra moisture, therefore it may take some experimenting before using in baked goods.  Muscovado comes from Mauritius, an island of the coast of Africa.     

 Organic Whole Cane Sugar

(formerly Rapadura)

This is an unrefined and unbleached sugar by Rapunzel, harvested in Brazil.  Organic Whole Cane Sugar is not separated from the molasses during the squeeze-dried process.  It is known for a unique caramel flavor.  It can be substituted for white sugar in a 1:1 ratio.  The Rapunzel is very eco-conscious and has been since 1974.  They grow and purchase through the Hand in HandTM Fair Trade program.   Rapunzel works with local small farms in South America and contributes to educational, health and environmental programs in the local community.   

 Sucanat

Sucanat stand for SUgar CAne NATural which is a brand name of this first whole, unseperated, unrefined sugar sold in the US. Sucanat comes from whole sugar cane from Costa Rica.  The sugar cane is crushed, the juice extracted and heated then hand-padded dry.  They are certified Fair Trade and Organic.  I have read several sources that state that for a period of time Sucanat  removed the molasses and then added it back in, therefore no longer “whole”, but have since reverted to their original practices.    I have not confirmed this information with the company but have read it on several sites.   

All of the above sugars can be subsituted in a 1:1 ratio for white or brown sugar or used in coffee and other beverages.  I have tried Demerara and now moved onto Rapadura.  I like their green practices and consistant product.    I feel liberated to know that I know have more nutritions and healthy staples in my cubbards.  I only wish I would have found these jewels years ago.   Most of these sugars can be purchsed in bulk online at Azure.  

Below is a handy chart I found at The Center for Process-Free Living. 

Amounts based on 100 grams White Sugar Raw Brown Sugar (Sugar in the Raw) Sucanat Rapadura
Minerals        
Potassium (mg) 3-5 15-150 570 600-1,000
Magnesium (mg) 0 13-23 8.7 40-100
Calcium (mg) 10-15 75-95 110  80-110
Phosphorous (mg) 0.3 3-4 37 50-100
Vitamins        
A (IU) 0 0 <20 120-1,200
B1 (mg) 0 0.01 0.007 0.023-0.1
B2 (mg) 0 0.006 0.55 0.06-0.15
B6 (mg) 0 0.01 0.27 0.02-0.05
Niacin (mg) 0 0.03 0.7 0.03-0.19
Pantothenic Acid (mg) 0 0.02 0.33 0.34-1.18

Have you tried any of these sugar alternatives?  What has been your experience? 

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Hydrogenated Oils: Information You’ll Want to Read!

November 17, 2009 · Filed under Healthy Home, Nutrition · Tagged , , , , , , ,

 

Healthy Home

Welcome to Healthy Home, an enlightening weekly series on Mom Going Green.  Healthy Home focuses on natural health topics for the whole family.  The goal of this series is to provide moms (and dads too), with information on how to achieve optimal health for the entire household naturally.   The series will include the latest in natural health news, wholesome health tips, yummy recipes, and natural health remedies that have worked for healthy homes in years past. 

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Are the chemically altered oils in the foods you eat Killing you?

Watch out for these foods

Hydrogenated and Partially Hydrogenated Oils are found in countless processed foods on grocery store shelves.  So what are hydrogenated and partially hydrogenated oils?  They are liquid vegetable oils which have been turned into solid fat.  This is done by a process called hydrogenation where the structure of the oil has been chemically changed by adding hydrogen atoms.  During this hydrogenation process, some of the fat molecules change shape to create a completely unnatural type of fat known as trans fat.  One example is margarine.  Trans fats are appealing to food producers because they increase the shelf life of the product.  They are commonly found in baked goods, pastries, packaged crackers and cookies, and other processed foods marketed toward children.  There are 2 types of hydrogenated oils, partially hydrogenated and fully hydrogenated.  Partially hydrogenated oils are by far the worst.  They contain significant amounts of trans fat.  Fully hydrogenated oils have no trans fats and contain saturated fats only.  However, during the process of hydrogenation, there are likely to be some fat molecules that slip through the cracks and are not fully hydrogenated.  These fats remain partially hydrogenated and therefore, are likely to contain some small level of trans fat.     

Health Ramifications of Trans Fats

Health ramifications

Health ramifications of trans fats are evident and not good.  Trans fats increase LDL, the bad type of cholesterol, and decrease HDL, the good type of cholesterol.   According to a 2009 study by Harvard School of Public Health, “if you add just 2% more calories from trans fat to your diet there is a 23% increased risk for heart disease.”  Trans fat also increases inflammation in the body.  Chronic inflammation is linked to cancer, heart disease, diabetes, arthritis, Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, acne, eczema, psoriasis, and multiple sclerosis.   It is widely agreed that trans fats are far worse for our health than saturated fats.  There are no known health benefits of trans fats.  So read your labels and be an educated shopper, and your family will reap the benefits. 

Misleading FDA Labeling:

Is Zero Really Zero?  No!   According to the FDA a product can be labeled zero Trans fats if it has less than .5 grams.  If you have one serving of “zero” trans fats for each meal a day, after a week you could be taking in 10.5g Trans fats, that is 546g a year, when you think you are getting zero!  As a health conscious consumer I find this extremely frustrating and deceiving!  It’s loopholes like this that make it difficult for consumers to put their trust in the FDA, that they really do have the consumer’s best interest in mind. 

Read your Labeles

Therefore when reading labels it is best to look at the ingredient list.  If it contains hydrogenated oil but states zero trans fats, you can guarantee trans fats are in the product.  Additionally you need to pay attention to the wording.  Often times it will say hydrogenated oil in the label and won’t specify if it is partially or fully hydrogenated.   “Hydrogenated oil” and “Partially Hydrogenated oil” are sometimes used interchangeably.  Therefore if it doesn’t say “Fully Hydrogenated Oil” then you have to assume that there are trans fats in the product.  

Knowledge is power!  You may be overwhelmed when first digging through your cubbards or walking through the grocery isles at how many products have hydrogenated oils on the label.  Don’t be discouraged.  There are many healthy foods out there to choose from, it just takes a little more time and effort to find them.  The peace of mind I get from knowing that my family is eating wholesome foods without dangerous additives and ingredients such as hydrogenated oils makes the extra for reading labels well worth it!  I hope this gives you the knowledge and power to feel confidant in the foods you give your family. 

 Have you come across any foods you were surprised contained hydrogenated oil?  I’d love to hear from you.

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Diabetes: You Have the Power to Prevent it!

November 10, 2009 · Filed under Healthy Home · Tagged , , , , , , , , , ,

green apple

Healthy Home

Welcome to Healthy Home, an enlightening weekly series on Mom Going Green.  Healthy Home focuses on natural health topics for the whole family.  The goal of this series is to provide moms (and dads too), with information on how to achieve optimal health for the entire household naturally.   The series will include the latest in natural health news, wholesome health tips, yummy recipes, and natural health remedies that have worked for healthy homes in year past. 

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November is national Diabetes Awareness month.  You may not think the timing is right with the holiday season around the corner.  Most people figure they’ll just enjoy the holidays and make changes come January 1st.  But why not go into the holidays with a different attitude this year;  of coming out on January 1st feeling great and ahead of the game!

It is estimated that 16 million Americans suffer from Type 2 diabetes. 

outreach_diabetes_bottleEven more troubling is the fact that just a few years ago Type 2 Diabetes was more commonly known in the health care world as “Adult-Onset Diabetes”, but because of the poor diets and exercises habits of American children today, this name has been replaced as more and more of our children suffer from this preventable disease.  Diabetes and other preventable diseases also play a huge roll in the money toiletcurrent health care crisis.  According to The American Diabetes Association, the total annual economic cost of diabetes was estimated at 174 billion dollars in 2007.  It is astonishing that our country has allowed diabetes to become so wide spread and costly considering how preventable this disease is. 

While it is outrageous that diabetes is so out of control in our country, it is not surprising that the number of Americans with diabetes is growing.  As a health care provider it is frustrating to see commercials on television touting the health benefits of “natural” high fructose corn syrup, especially in foods marketed towards children.  When I look in the coupon booklets in the weekly Sunday newspaper, 90% of them are for processed, unhealthy foods. There is so much money spent promoting the foods that have lead Americans to this diabetes epidemic!  Just take a walk down the aisles of your local grocery store.  They are filled with processed, convenience foods loaded with sugar and artificial, chemically created ingredients with names that are impossible to pronounce.  Sadly, the average American today eats this processed, unhealthy food for breakfast each day, goes to work where he or she sits at a computer, then eats a lunch with more processed, sugary foods, returns to the computer to work, sits in a car to go home, sits down for a dinner of even more unhealthy food, heads to the couch to sit and watch television, and finally goes to bed.  And we wonder why so many Americans must take diabetes medication to survive!    

While diabetes is preventable, it takes a little bit of effort and will power.    Try shopping in the perimeter aisles of the grocery store where you will find fresh fruits, vegetables, and meats.  When shopping for meats it is important to look for grass fed beef and free range poultry and eggs.  This is because meat from corn and grain fed animals contain pro-inflammatory fatty acids that can facilitate diabetes.   Nuts such as walnuts and almonds should be a regular part of your diet.  When shopping for grains, choose whole grains and rice.  Try glutin free options to further reduce inflammation such as brown rice flour.  Avoid continence foods that have an ingredient label a mile long.  You can make natural foods convenient too.  Throw some grapes in your freezer and you have a tasty snack.  Try organic, all natural peanut butter on 100% whole wheat bread with raisins and unsweetened coconut.  Add a touch of honey if you like.   On the weekend when you have more time, pre-cook several free-range chicken breasts to place atop a bed of lettuce with avocado slices and an oil and vinegar dressing.  Add additional fresh fruits, veggies, nuts, seeds, or spices to increase the flavor.  Be creative.  If you plan ahead it is not hard to have quick and healthy meals ready!  When shopping, don’t spend too much time in the middle aisles of the store.   That is where most processed and unhealthy foods are located.  Avoid hydrogenated oils, refined sugar, processed foods and sweets.  When buying packaged foods, be sure to read the label.  Choose items with few ingredients and make sure you know what they are.  If you have never heard of it avoid it.  Don’t deprive yourself of your favorite foods, just eat them in moderation.

Exercise

jogging momWhile most researchers and physicians focus on diet as the primary preventative tool for diabetes, it is important to note that exercise is also extremely beneficial.  One study conducted at the Cleveland Clinic and published in the “Annals of Nutrition & Metabolism,” showed that patients who exercise and change their diet reduce their risk for diabetes more than those who change their diet alone.  Another study conducted in Copenhagen showed that the anti-inflammatory effects of exercise have a positive effect on type 2 diabetes among other diseases.  Exercise has several positive effects that help to prevent and treat type 2 diabetes.

Diabetes Misconception

kiwiMany diabetics are fearful of eating fresh fruits.  Yes, fruits contain sugar, but they are natural sugars.  If you are not loading up on processed refined sugar, there is plenty of room in your diet for fresh fruits.   If you still have concerns about fruit and blood sugar levels, consume some protein with your fruit.  A hand full of nuts is a good protein option.  Fruits have many valuable anti-oxidants and vitamins that are good for your body.  Don’t deprive youself of this.  Instead cut back or eliminate unnatural refined sugars.

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