The Factory Farmed Chicken vs. Free Range

I just read this great article from Farm Forward that does a great job at shedding light on a bird that is raised humanely vs. the 99% of birds America eats that are raised on factory farms.

Farming in Season Farm Forward

Ch-Ch-Ch-Chia!!!!!!

I know I am not the only one that remembers those awfully annoying commercials advertising the little terracotta figurines that all you had to do was provide some H2O, slather on the seeds and it would grow magnificent “fur” or “hair”!

Well who would have known that chia seeds are good for something other than providing us with cute little “furry” animals??  The Mayans, Aztecs and Incas have been using these little super-foods for years and chia actually means “strength” in Mayan.  In ancient times, Chia seeds were used as medicine and were valued more than gold due to their incredible health enhancing properties!

Salvia Hispanica (commonly known as Chia) is actually chock full of a number of healthy benefits and has been called nature’s most powerful food.  It is a great source of stamina and provides the following:

·        5 more times more calcium than milk (and includes boron which is a trace mineral that helps the calcium get into your bones)

·        More Omega 3 than flax seed

·        Excellent source of dietary fiber

·        Excellent source of iron and other minerals

·        Low glycemic index, delivering it’s amazing nutrients slowly to impart energy throughout your day (awesome super-food for the diabetic)

·        Extremely high in anti-oxidants (3x more than blueberries!)

·        One of the highest plant-based sources of complete protein (a complete protein is a source of protein that contains all 9 of the essential amino acids in the correct proportions necessary for our dietary needs)

·        Great for weight loss

They really don’t have a flavor so they can be mixed into just about anything!  When you add water to the seeds, it creates a gel-like coating around the seed.  Both the gelling action of the seed, and it’s unique combination of soluble and insoluble fiber combine to slow down your body’s conversion of starches into sugars keeping you feeling fuller for longer.

So what are you waiting for??  Start adding these guys to everything!

Uses:

Mix into sauces to thicken them, add some to your smoothies, stir into your granola or yogurt and even your cake mixes!  I love adding them to my morning oatmeal and even sprinkle them over my salads.  Basically, whatever you come up with, these guys will join the fun without altering the taste.

Enjoy!

MILK: Does it REALLY do the body good????

The dairy industry spends gazillions of dollars to make you think of milk when you think of good health and strong bones.  They drive this home with very elaborate, expensive marketing campaigns utilizing celebrities in their ads with beautiful little milk moustaches.  Of course, if Taylor Swift or Beyonce or Angelina Jolie or so and so says “milk does the body good” damn it, milk must do the body good, right?  Wrong!!!!

On average, American drinks 600 pounds of milk annually (http://www.visualeconomics.com/food-consumption-in-america_2010-07-12/), yet the occurrence of osteoporosis is higher than ever and continues to climb.  By comparison, the diet of a typical woman in Africa is devoid of milk and other dairy products; her calcium intake comes solely from plant sources. Even though she only consumes ½ the average amount of calcium consumed by North American women, she is unlikely to ever suffer from osteoporosis.  Despite this evidence, North American government departments and dairy bureaus advise us that the way to counter osteoporosis is to drink more milk. (Excerpt taken from “The Ultimate pH Solution”)

The dairy industry also achieves this high status by influencing government.  I am sure you are all familiar with politics….so what happens is these executives in the dairy industry become government regulators and help drive agenda that benefits the dairy industry.  Remember those lovely food pyramids that tell you how much of what you should be getting in your diet on a daily basis??  Guess who supplied the charts??  You got it, the dairy and meat industry!

Kris Carr said it best, “A cow drinks cow’s milk when it’s a baby.  A bunny drinks bunny’s milk when it’s a baby. Beyond a certain age, even they know that it’s freaky to suckle.  And do you ever see them switch and swap?  The only time milk is essential for good health is when we are babies, being breast-fed by human mothers.  Once we are weaned from our mothers, the majority of us quit producing the lactase enzyme necessary to break down the lactose in dairy products, hence lactose intolerance.  Cow’s milk contains more than three times as much protein as breast milk.  That’s because baby cows need a lot more protein.  They grow to between 1500 and 2000 pounds.  Is that your desired weight?”

Ok, so you may be thinking “where in the world do I get my calcium then??”  Fear not, here is a short list of foods that you can start with:

Almonds, arugula, black beans, broccoli, cabbage, chickpeas, collard greens, figs, flaxseeds, kale, kidney beans, lentils, okra, peas, peanuts, pinto beans, potatoes, quinoa, spinach, sunflower seeds, sweet potatoes, salmon, sesame seeds, swiss chard, tahini, tofu, turnip greens and on and on and on………….

And how do I eat my cereal?  Or make my smoothies?  There are plenty of milk alternatives: almond milk, oat milk, rice milk, hemp milk, etc.

As if all of this isn’t enough to think twice about consuming milk, I happened upon this awful youtube video exposing what goes on behind the scene at a typical dairy farm.  I found this video very disturbing and stopped it 3 minutes and 42 seconds in….I wouldn’t watch it if I were you but wanted to make it available in case any of you were curious.  http://youtu.be/6RNFFRGz1Qs

Salmon: Farm Raised vs. Wild Caught

Salmon is a super food packed full of omega-3 fats.  Why are omega-3’s so good?  They offer cardiovascular protection, reduce heart attacks, improve brain function, memory, skin health, kidney function, lower blood pressure and the list goes on and on!
But all salmon are not created equal!  There are two types you will typically find,  Farm Raised and Wild Caught.

Wild salmon gets its color from feeding on krill, providing a highly beneficial natural carotenoid that gives it that rich red color.  Wild salmon have no added chemicals, antibiotics, preservatives, growth hormones, or GMOs (genetically modified organisms)

Farm raised salmon has never even seen a krill and are instead fed a diet of grain.  Seriously?  Last time I checked grain isn’t part of the food chain in the ocean!!  Farm raised salmon gets its color from a dye that is injected because without it, the salmon would be a pale gray.  Yuck!!!!!  Farm raised salmon are raised in large pens and it is estimated that feces from one large salmon farm can equal the sewage from a city of 10,000 people!!  Since they are packed in by the thousands (pretty much like a can of sardines), disease can spread rapidly,  therefore, farmed fish receive antibiotics in their food and through injections.  . Farm raised salmon have repeatedly been shown to have up to 10 times higher levels of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and other environmental toxins than wild salmon.  Ummm, no thank you.

Wild caught salmon tend to be more expensive than their farm raised cousins, but the health benefits you receive from them totally outweigh the costs!  If you don’t want to spend the money to buy wild, maybe find another way to get your weekly dosage of omega-3’s.

http://www.ehow.com/list_6067230_benefits-wild-salmon_.html

Health Hazards Due to Plastics - Health Tips from EWG | Environmental Working Group

Hi everybody! I am in the process of working on the next post but came across this article today and thought it was important to share.

I have heard a lot of rumblings over the last year regarding the safety of plastic and have made a conscience effort to be more mindful when using it. I do agree with this article that totally removing plastic from your life is not practical, however, there are definitely key areas that we all can work on in an attempt to limit the exposure to these harmful chemicals!

Health Hazards Due to Plastics - Health Tips from EWG Environmental Working Group

The Bear vs. The Bee

VS.

I have been reading so much about the benefits of honey but have learned that the lovely stuff you get inside the cute little bear is crap.  Full blown sugary crap with zero health benefits other than causing your blood sugar to spike.  The honey inside the bear has been pasteurized which kills many of the nutrients and beneficial enzymes that make it digestible and so healthy.  What you should look for is pure, raw, wholesome goodness aka. RAW HONEY.  A few key items that the label should state are:

• Make sure the word "raw" or "un-pasteurized" is on the label
• It is best to have honey from only one country of origin...North American or Canadian have a high reputation.  And if you can, it is best to buy locally grown organic raw honey
• Real raw honey should be solid at room temperature.  Don't buy "raw" honey that is liquid in form....this means it has been heated and is lacking the beneficial elements
• Real raw honey is a milky brown susbstance and typically  has a layer of white film on top

Click the link below to learn more about the benefits of raw honey:

http://www.ehow.com/how_4532406_benefit-raw-honey.html

Click the link below to learn more about the many uses of raw honey:

http://www.ehow.com/how_4688512_benefits-raw-honey-how-use.html

Happy Honey Eating!