Green Smoothies for St. Patrick's Day!

Happy St. Patty's day!
I totally forgot about the holiday until the drive to Pilate this morning when I heard it on the radio. Then, at Pilates, everyone (except me) was dressed in green workout clothes! Ah, how I missed my bright green workout shirt today...
So, as a late celebration for the green holiday, I decided to have a green smoothie lunch.

Green Smoothie:

2 cups baby spinach or baby kale (or 2 leaves large kale)
1 banana (preferably frozen)
1 pinch green stevia leaf powder
sprinkle of cinnamon
1/2 tsp ginger
1+ tsp coconut sugar (to taste)
1/4 scoop VegaOne Vanilla Chai Nutritional Shake
optional 1 tsp chia seeds

Blend until smooth & enjoy!



Variation:
Instead of the coconut sugar, add a handful of frozen berries or frozen peaches & use whatever protein powder you have on hand (or omit the protein altogether).


Picture from: https://pixabay.com/static/uploads/photo/2015/03/20/17/49/green-682620_960_720.jpg  (labelled for reuse)

Struggling with Candida: the "diet" that worked for me

A bit of a personal post & general thoughts on foods:

In spring 2012, I found out that yeast overgrowth in my digestive tract was causing my acne, which I had been fighting since early teen years. (Candida, or yeast, is quite normal to have in your gut, but an imbalance can lead to 'dis-ease'.) It's been a bumpy road to health, but I think I'm finally closing in on it for good. My body feels strong & healthy. My acne is under control & my face is healing. I have found more confidence.

Those who have been by my side through my journey know that my diet has been the biggest part of my health journey. At the very beginning, my diet was strict, but as I became healthier I was able to enjoy more and more foods. However, some things have stayed constant:

Healing Foods (to consume daily):

• whole milk (not 2% or lower!)
• cocoa
• ground ginger (spice, not fresh)
• cinnamon
• eggs
• 1 TB unheated oils: corn, sunflower, safflower
• something green & something orange (eg. spinach and yam)
• black beans (weekly)

Foods I avoid:

• pork & pork products  (sigh...the guilt of cheating on bacon is real)
• wheat  (but not necessarily gluten)
• yogurt  (sugar + probiotics that could throw off my own gut bacteria)
• dried fruit  (HIGH sugar)
• fruit juices  (high sugar & no fiber to slow down the digestion)
• added sugars  (sweeten with coconut sugar and stevia instead)
• yeast  (theory that yeast nurtures yeast)
• alcohol  (especially beer and sweet liquors)

Anyone familiar with candida & the typical candida diets (which emphasize eating no sugars to starve out the yeast) will be questioning why I drink milk. Lactose is a sugar after all.

However, it seems that yeast is unable to use lactose. In addition, lactose (and milk in general) is incredibly important to build up the good bacteria in the gut.
While I find it difficult to find literature of yeast & lactose in English, the idea that yeast is unable to metabolize milk sugars is very popular in German.


My diet is much more in depth, but I've posted this list because I believe that almost everyone would benefit from following it - at the very least, focusing on having the "healing foods" on a regular basis.

Green Mint Chocolate Ice Cream

Summer has finally come to Alberta! It's been incredibly hot these past few days, and the ice cream maker has been in use. If you don't already own an ice cream maker - I highly recommend you get one! If not, ice cream can still be made in the freezer, but it won't be as creamy.

Since I'm not having dairy or eggs, I made coconut milk based ice cream. It's creamy and satisfying! Plus, you can change the flavor/sweetness to be exactly how you like it. :) This recipe even sneaks in some veggies for that lovely green color instead of using artificial colors.

This is the easy ice cream I made today, based off of Food Babe's recipe.

Blend in a high-speed blender (like Vitamix):

2 cans coconut milk

1 cup coconut palm sugar

3 tsp peppermint extract

2 loose handfuls spinach

1 pinch Himalayan sea salt

Then pour into an ice cream maker, follow manufacturer instructions and add a handful of cocoa nibs halfway through.

Community Nutrition: False Advertising

This video is self explanatory. We watched it in my community nutrition class: CBC Marketplace Food Fiction: Lousy Labels.

If you have some time, I highly recommend you watch it so you can be more aware of false food claims when going grocery shopping. The food ingredient list and nutrition table are much more reliable than the claims on the front of the label... 

It frustrates me that, as consumers, we must research and criticize every ingredient on the food label to determine whether a product truly is healthy. Eating right should not be this difficult! Click here for a list of 10 ingredients to avoid in your foods, by Food Matters.

A healthy twist on broccoli salad

Margaret at www.kitchenfrau.com always has the most delicious wholesome recipes! This week I'm re-posting one of her lentil recipes that she has entered in a contest.

Take a look at the recipe - if it intrigues you and has you considering swapping out the greasy bacon for smokey paprika lentils, leave a comment or pin from her blog! Feedback is always appreciated :)

Broccoli Lentil Salad

http://www.kitchenfrau.com/broccoli-lentil-salad/

Doesn't it look absolutely delicious? It can even be adapted to be vegan too. Enjoy!

Lentil Health Benefits

1. Lentils are slow release carbohydrates, so they can help regulate blood sugar levels
   
2. Lentils are high in protein, but if you are vegan or vegetarian, keep in mind that lentils and legumes do not provide a complete protein source. Combining legumes with whole grains or nuts and seeds will provide you with a complete protein over the day.
   
3. The high fiber keeps you full longer, so lentils may be helpful in weight loss.
   
4. High in potassium and low in sodium: potassium plays a major role in maintaining fluid and electrolyte balance. A balanced potassium distribution is crucial for the body to keep a steady heartbeat etc. Most Americans are deficient in potassium.
   
5. Low in fat. I am a fan of healthy, naturally occurring fats in avocados, nuts, seeds, olive oils, even coconut oils. But our diet needs to consist of many naturally low fat foods as well (please don't buy reduced fat processed products...) and lentils are a great choice!
   
6. A source of vitamin B6. All the B vitamins are essential for metabolism, but I find vitamin B6 especially important for regulating stress and adrenal fatigue.
   
7. A good source of iron. This is especially important who have a higher requirement of iron (due to monthly blood loss) and vegans or vegetarians (since non-animal iron sources are not as well absorbed). 

References:

Jenkins, D. J., Wolever, T. M., Taylor, R. H., Griffiths, C., Krzeminska, K., Lawrie, J. A., ... & Bloom, S. R. (1982). Slow release dietary carbohydrate improves second meal tolerance. The American journal of clinical nutrition,35(6), 1339-1346.

Wikipedia nutrition fact label for boiled lentils.

Valentine's day lunch

So I thought I would share the special lunch I made for Valentine's day yesterday. Chicken pot pie is one of Harry's favorite meals, and I've been meaning to try make it for years now. Valentine's day was the perfect opportunity!

I am great at making cakes. I am decent at making cookies.
But I have only made pies a handful of times. And I've never had chicken pot pie, let alone made it.
On top of that, I have a current egg and dairy allergy. So I had to adjust the recipes I used...
But I was determined to make Harry's favorite food.

I used this recipe for the chicken pot pie filling, and used this vegan flaky pie crust.
These were my adjustments (and they worked well):

Vegan Flaky pie crust (doubled):
recipe from VeganBaking.net
2 ½ cups all-purpose flour 2 ½+ cups light spelt flour
1 ¼ teaspoon salt  1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon shiitake mushroom powder (optional)
½ teaspoon onion powder (ground onion flakes)
¼ teaspoon garlic powder
⅛ teaspoon ground pepper
¾ cup (161 grams) or 1 ½ sticks cold Regular Vegan Butter or non-hydrogenated stick margarine, cut into ¼ inch cubes  161 grams Earth Balance vegan spread
6 Tablespoons (81 grams) or ¾ stick cold Vegan Shortening or store bought shortening, cut into ¼ inch cubes
½ cup cold water (I only used half of the liquid! Probably due to the flour change)
3 Tablespoons cold vodka

Refrigerated overnight.

I did have some trouble with this recipe - it was extremely sticky when making (which is why I used half of the liquid) and still relatively sticky when rolling out the next day. I might try with 3 cups of spelt flour next time right of the bat. 

Tip: roll out between wax paper sheets!!

Chicken pot pie filling:
recipe from TasteofHome.com
2 cups diced peeled potatoes
1-3/4 cups sliced carrots 2 cups sliced carrots
1 cup butter, cubed 3/4 cup mixed coconut oil, Earth Balance vegan spread, and splash of olive oil
2/3 cup chopped onion 1 cup chopped onion
1 cup all-purpose flour 1 cup spelt flour
1-3/4 teaspoons salt 3/4 teaspoon Himalayan salt
1 teaspoon dried thyme
3/4 teaspoon pepper
3 cups chicken broth
1-1/2 cups milk 1 can coconut milk
4 cups cubed cooked chicken breast (boiled the night before)
1 cup frozen peas
1 cup frozen corn
2 packages (14.1 ounces each) refrigerated pie pastry doubled the vegan pie crust recipe

I also added a bit of oregano and paprika to taste.

I baked at 350F convection for about 35 minutes. (This differed from the recipe.)

The result:

Not the prettiest - but delicious!

The Valentine's chicken pot pie

The second chicken pot pie for my family.

The crust was beautifully flaky and the inside seasoned well. I'll definitely use these recipes again.

Healthy fats:

Personally - I like coconut oil. It has healthy medium length saturated fatty acids much like butter. Used in moderation, I think it's a healthy fat. So I'm happy with my substitution of butter with the oils in the chicken pot pie filling. 

Also, substituting the Earth Balance spread for the margarine stick in the crust recipe was a healthy choice as well. I couldn't find non-hydrogenated margarine (better than hydrogenated) so I bought the Earth Balance spread instead. These are much healthier fats than the processed margarine stick has. In fact, I might try using only the Earth Balance spread in the crust next time to get rid of the yucky hydrogenated fats in the vegetable shortening! Making the vegan butters and shortening as on the crust recipe website would also be a great option.

<3 Jessica

Sources:
http://www.veganbaking.net/recipes/pies/flaky-pie-crust
http://www.tasteofhome.com/recipes/favorite-chicken-potpie

Healthy Snacks

I don't know about you, but I snack A LOT when I study. And with midterms coming up so fast, I've been eating more even when I'm not hungry. There's been days when I hardly have supper because I'm already so full on snacks from afternoon study sessions. Not good...
Studying on campus helps a lot. I am able to concentrate more and get less distracted by eating or thinking about food.

Nonetheless, studying at home is convenient, and I do it a lot. For any of you that have the same problem snacking, here are some delicious snacks that are also nutrient-dense. I figure that if I'm eating, I better be consuming lots of healthy anti-oxidants, vitamins, and minerals.

Pecans and pumpkin seeds

1. Nuts or seeds.
My favorites, since I'm avoiding almonds due to an allergy, are: pecans, walnuts, pumpkin seeds and cashews. Just keep in mind that nuts and seeds pack a lot of energy - pour a bowl, don't eat from the bag/container. This is a great tip for any snack.
Nuts and pumpkin seeds are absolutely delicious roasted in an oven or on a dry frying pan for a bit, until fragrant. Beware of burning. For truly raw nuts and seeds, it would also be worthwhile to soak and then toast to increase digestibility.

Delicious organic figs (from Costco)

2. Dried fruit
High in fiber and nutrients, this is a great snack option. My favorites: figs, medjool dates, & raisins.
However, beware sugar-sweetened craisins and other dried fruit with added ingredients like sulphites. Also keep in mind that even non-sweetened dried fruit has a lot of naturally occurring sugars - so keep portion sizes small, and consider them a treat.

3. Combine dried fruits and nuts for a delicious, homemade trail mix!

4. Hummus with veggies.
Mmm hummus. With lots of garlic. Makes any vegetable taste heavenly! The classic trio of broccoli, cauliflower, and carrots works well for this snack and is very affordable. You can even make quick homemade hummus if you have a food processor around! (I don't recommend a Vitamix for hummus or other spreads.)

5. Cereal.
A bit on the sugar-y side, especially if you choose mainstream cereals. But some brands use truly whole ingredients and are also really healthy. Read the food label ingredient list!
Bonus: super quick and always available.

Roasted chickpeas with honey, oil, cinnamon, nutmeg, and cocoa glaze

6. Roasted chickpeas
Unfortunately there's a wait time for this snack, but it's well worth it! Chickpeas are high in fiber and a good source of protein. You can make them sweet, spicy, herb-y... whatever you feel like! All you need is a can of garbanzo beans, some oil, and spices. Google roasted chickpeas for lots of recipe ideas.

Mary's Organic Crackers with lemon & dill tuna

7. Crackers with toppings
I just love Mary's Organic Crackers! They go well with a chocolate almond spread for a sweet tooth, and I also like them with cream cheese and other savory toppings.

8. Rye crispbread with honey
A simple yet satisfying snack: Wasa light rye crispbread with unpasteurized honey. Just sweet enough for your sweet tooth but without danger of a sugar high.
Crispbreads have a lot of healthy fibers. They're obviously meant as savory snacks - but are often versatile enough for sweet treats as well (depending on the brand and flavors).

9. Fresh fruit or vegetables
An obvious nutrient-packed snack - my favorites include: avocados, kiwi, apples, broccoli, carrots and cherry tomatoes. If you have the time, a quick salad is always a satisfying snack.

10. Vega One All-in-one nutrition shake
Quick & easy. However, it's not my first choice since it is processed to an extent...but Vega One is great brand & delivers a delicious product. One scoop with water, shake, drink! I usually have this snack after workouts.


Happy snacking!
<3 Jessica

Dry skin brushing, for your health!

 Rather than view dry skin brushing as a fad-like quick fix, it should be seen a habitual practice as fundamental as bathing or brushing your teeth.

Potential benefits of skin brushing are best divided into two categories: vanity benefits and health benefits.

Vanity benefits:

• Removes dead skin
• creates smoother skin and gives a healthy glow
• Improves skin's elasticity
• could reduce cellulite
• improves muscle tone
• prevents premature ageing 
• can change/purify eye color

Health benefits:

• Stimulates the lymphatic system
• clears toxins from the lymph system
• strengthens immune system
• helps with digestion
• stimulates circulation
• improves cell renewal
• stimulates and balances hormones

Why dry skin brushing has so many benefits. 

Most people have heard that the skin is the largest organ we have. The skin removes around a pound of waste every day. The make-up of sweat mimics urine so many consider the skin sort of like a third kidney! So keep those pores clean and open! 

A major factor in the skins ability to properly rid toxins is the lymphatic system, which includes the liver. 70% of the lymphatic system lies underneath the skin in the interstitial space. The lymph system does not have any sort of pump or mechanism to keep it clear and moving, so it requires stimulation to help the flow of toxins. 

A healthy flowing Lymphatic system helps other body systems function better as well. 

How to skin brush

First, you will need to buy a dry skin brush with natural bristles. Any supermarket, drugstore, or health food store should carry them for around $10. Always use it while completely dry and wash it around every week depending on use. 

Quick tips:

• Should take 5-15 minutes. I think it could combine well with a meditation routine. 

• Skin and brush must be completely dry

• Do in the morning or before bed- though, it can be energizing!

• Good to do prior to showering since body is prepared for cleansing

• Sauna is great to use after brushing

• Alternate hot and cold in sauna/shower for extra circulation boost. 

• No lotions for a few hours prior to use

• Should not cause too much agitation. Slightly pink skin is OK. 

• Avoid broken skin or damaged areas

• Wash brush once per week 

Many experts have developed their own methods to follow for skin brushing. I have tried 3 which I have enjoyed and have combined them in different ways. The key is to find strokes that work for you.

Check out the water shed approach which can be found in a youtube video by greensmoothiegirl titled "The correct way to skin brush.

Check out Dr. Bruce Berkowsky's method which can be found in another youtube video by greensmoothiegirl titled how to dry skin brush.

Happy brushing! 

Harrison

How to Estimate your Calcium Intake

Calcium is the most abundant mineral in our body and supports a healthy skeleton. In fact, 99% of the body's calcium is found in bones and teeth. It plays 2 main roles within bones & teeth: calcium is part of the structural framework hydroxyapatite, and it serves as a bank for when dietary calcium is low.

The 1% of calcium in the blood is balanced by vitamin D, as well as calcitonin and parathyroid hormones:

Blood Calcium Balance 

In general, we don't want to leach out the calcium from our bones, since it makes up the structure and strength of our bones and teeth. So... we must ensure to reach our peak bone mass (between ages 20-30) and consistently eat plenty of calcium rich foods (both to reach the peak bone mass, and maintain bone mass).

Otherwise, we may face osteoporosis. This disease takes a lifetime to develop and effects 1/4 Canadian women and 1/8 men. It can be easily prevented by a healthy diet.

Shortcut to measure Calcium Intakes:

To ensure adequate calcium intake, you can quickly tally up calcium rich foods. Keep in mind that the recommended daily allowance of calcium is 1000 mg/day (for 19-50 year olds).

50 g cheese = 1 point

1 cup milk, yogurt, or fortified soy beverage = 1 point

90 g canned sardines with bones = 1 point

1 cup ice cream, cottage cheese, or boiled broccoli (or green leafy veggies) = 0.5 point

A well-balanced diet with high variety of foods = 1 point

1 point = ~300 mg of calcium

Thus, you need 3-4 points of calcium intake to meet requirements