Tag Archive for vitamins

T is for Turmeric

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Have you heard of turmeric?

 

Turmeric is what gives curry is robust yellow color and it is one of the most incredible antioxidants known.

This orange packs a punch and can be a little messy if you spill it on your desk at work..

While going through what I wanted to say about this wonder food I located this article and its just has all the information on Turmeric and Curcumin that I would be doing you a disservice by not simply linking to this top 10 list.

http://authoritynutrition.com/top-10-evidence-based-health-benefits-of-turmeric/

Here’s is a rundown of what the article is all about. If you want to read further into ANY of the following I highly suggest you click on the link above. This article is a bit sciency but I think it’s easy to understand and straightforward.

 

1. Turmeric Contains Bioactive Compounds With Powerful Medicinal Properties

2. Curcumin is a Natural Anti-Inflammatory Compound

3. Turmeric Dramatically Increases The Antioxidant Capacity of The Body

4. Curcumin Boosts Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor, Linked to Improved Brain Function and a Lower Risk of Brain Diseases

5. Curcumin Leads to Various Improvements That Should Lower Your Risk of Heart Disease

6. Turmeric Can Help Prevent (And Perhaps Even Treat) Cancer

7. Curcumin May be Useful in Preventing and Treating Alzheimer’s Disease

8. Arthritis Patients Respond Very Well to Curcumin Supplementation

9. Studies Show That Curcumin Has Incredible Benefits Against Depression

10. Curcumin May Help Delay Ageing and Fight Age-Related Chronic Diseases

 

I started taking a daily supplement of Turmeric once I was diagnosed with cancer. Cancer thrives on inflammation. Turmeric (the Ketogenic Diet) and Curcumin are inflammation crushers. A great supplement can be found at Costco or through Amazon. But you can also find Turmeric in the spice and seasoning isle at most grocery stores as well.

That being said, I try to consume turmeric fairly regularly in my diet. I actually really like Indian Food and curry dishes. On occasion I will sprinkle either curry powder or straight turmeric on eggs (not too much, I don’t want my 4 year old to notice ;)) as well as add curry seasoning or turmeric to my salad along with black pepper and olive oil. A girlfriend of mine made lunch not too long ago out of chicken, avocado, and a heavy hand of curry powder. It was fantastic. Now I almost to add curry seasoning to my avocados. I have in the past added it to coffee making my BPC super BPC. I have a friend who grew up in a traditional Indian home and she gives her sons warm milk with a dash of turmeric before bed when she is worried about the sickies. She always prefers the natural route, just as many of us do, especially when it comes to people in footed pajamas.

 

We could all benefit from less inflammation in our lives; especially those dealing with chronic pain, arthritis, and cancer. Adding this spice into your diet, tea, or vitamin box is one of the easiest and most natural ways to feel better.

 

 

Posted in Cancer, Research, Treatment tagged with ,

‘Stock’ Pile Your Health Arsenal!

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I have started hearing some sounds of fall, football, leaves crunching,squirrels scurrying all across my roof, way too early Christmas commercials, and those raspy sniffly coworkers.

That’s right.

It’s that time of year! 

 

Dealing with those under-the-weather-friends is similar to most everything else; meaning that the best offense, is a great defense.

 

Image result for go broncos

Sorry, I had to throw in some football.

 

One of the absolute best ways to take care of yourself this time of year is to regularly drink grass-fed bone broth. The vitamins, minerals, and overall good health feeling of this wonder drink can really make a difference in your immune system function.

I usually have a solid stock pile of my broth as well bones in my freezer. I have purchased ‘just’ bones before from a grass-fed farmer as well as buffalo bones from Whole Foods. Yes I am that serious about my broth. But more recently, when Cindy and I had our cow butchered, we had them box the bones for us as well. These bones are AMAZING!

Right now, we have enough bones to last us a very long time. Annnddd provide us with ample to share with friends and family that might need help getting over one thing or another.  I love sharing this stuff.  Plus, here in south Texas, we are predicted to have a nice wet fall this year, so really you can’t have too much in your keeping healthy arsenal!

 

Making broth/stock is SUPER simple, and not at all, labor intensive. The hardest part is finding storage space once you realize how great this stuff makes you feel.

 

Here is my super simple Bone Broth recipe:

Image result for bone broth

Bone Broth

Ingredients:

  • 3 to 5 pounds grass-fed beef bones (soup bones) and/or knuckle bones
  • ½ cup raw apple cider vinegar (ACV)
  • filtered water
  • 3 celery stalks,
  • 3 carrots, halved
  • 3 onions, quartered
  • Sachet of herbs (parsley, peppercorns, thyme, rosemary, Bay leaf, etc)-you can also omit here and just add to your mug when you drink.

Method:

  1. Roast Bones at 400 for 30 minutes to 1 hour until fragrant
  2. In a large stock or crock pot, place roasted bones, and pour in cool filtered water to cover.  Add your apple cider vinegar.  Do not heat yet.
  3. Allow mixture to rest for 30 minutes to an hour.  This will allow the vinegar to pull the nutrients from bones.
  4. Bring the pot to a boil, and add more water if needed
  5. Reduce to a low simmer, cover, and cook for 24-72 hours – just leave it going!
  6. With about four hours remaining, add the vegetables
  7. During the last 30 minutes of cooking, toss in the herb sachet-or omit and add as you drink.
  8. Remove bones, veggie, and herb sachet (knock out any remaining marrow back into broth)
  9. Pour broth through a strainer or cheese cloth into a glass container

Drink with generous amounts of quality Himalayan or Celtic salt, or use in any recipe calling for broth, stock, or added water.

The broth can be consumed immediately and stored in the fridge up to 5 to 7 days.  You can also store in the freezer up to 6 months.  We like to freeze into ice cubes so we can pop them in a mug to reheat when needed.

When reheating, bring broth back up to boiling for one minute.

Enjoy!

 

Image result for keep healthy

 

Posted in Beverage, tips, Treat, Treatment, Vegetable tagged with , , , ,

Get a Little Sunshine

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When I was diagnosed with cancer in September 2013 one of the very first things my oncologist tested me on was my level of vitamin D.

It was off the charts low. This really should have been no surprise with amount I was working in a cube everyday and making sure to fully coat myself in sunscreen when I (infrequently) played outdoors. I had wrecked havoc on my level of the oh-so-important sunshine Vitamin. I was given a prescription to bring my level up to optimum amounts.

 

This deficiency is incredibly common. Not just for cancer patients but for most people that spend most of their time in doors and likely too much time in front of a screen.

 

Vitamin D is incredibly important for basically every cell in our body especially that of our immune system.

 

Think about cold and flu season, typically during the short day cold weather months where most are covered and bundled if outside at all.

But so many of us are scared to be outdoors or without sunscreen due to the fear of skin cancer. The reality is the threat of skin cancer is very real and very dangerous. I have met several skin cancer patients in treatment rooms getting very significant doses of chemo.

 

I am not advocating tossing the sunscreen! But what I am advocating is that we give ourselves a little time without it. Enough to satisfy our bodies need for the sun.

Image result for vitamin D

 

Think about that warm comfortable feeling when the sun first hits your skin. This feeling doesn’t last that long maybe 10-20 minutes (for fair skinned.)The best way I can describe it is therapeutic.  Turns out that’s because it is! I am talking about the time before you start to get pink or hot, and definitely well before you burn!

 

The amount of sun time a person needs varies from person to person, just as our skin tone itself. Pasty folks like me may need as little as 15 minutes to get their vitamin D fix for the day where as darker skinned person may need a couple hours. The Vitamin D Council  goes into depth about the variables. This site even has a suggested amount of sun time needed based on your skin tone and location.

Image result for terrier in the sun

I think he’s on to something here.

As another survivor told me, “It’s hard for cancer to live in a body getting a bunch of Vitamin D.” She has recently celebrated her 5 year cancer free status and throughly enjoys her time gardening outside and taking daily walks.

 

Here are my suggestions:

  1. Daily get outside and get a bit of sunshine-drink your coffee outside, watch part of your kids game or practice in the sun, roll down the windows, open the blinds
  2. Get your Vitamin D level tested*
  3. Consider taking a Vitamin D3 Supplement
  4. When playing outside all day-WEAR sunscreen/cover up!

 

 

As with most of the tests taken at your doctors office-shoot for optimum not for normal. “Normal” doesn’t necessarily mean healthy it’s based on the average person’s numbers including cube dwellers.

Enter (and stay for 10+ hours) at your own risk.

 

Posted in articles, Cancer, Kids, Treatment tagged with , , , ,

What We are Reading/Listening to

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https://thesweetlifesugarfree.com/what-were-reading-or-listening-to/

It’s Posted! YAY!

We just posted a page for those out there that would like to do more reading (or listening) and research a bit further on their own.

 

Sample of Erin’s Keto library

 

There are TONS of books, sites, Podcasts, and articles out there, and we have read or listened to so many of them. Together we have created a list of a few of our favorites and brought that list to our site to share with you. You can purchase these off of our Amazon store – right out of our page (EASY!).
Yes!  We have read pretty much everything we can get our hands on regarding the topic of Keto! We have read a ton about Paleo as well (if you have questions on that) and the Paleo resources are much more abundant.
I will also say, from first hand experience, the selection of material at the San Antonio Library has also been very good. And if its not there you can ask online or at any branch they are extremely helpful in locating anything specific. This is a great way to try out cookbooks as well!

 

We are full of suggestions on this topic! Please just ask if you would like to know where to start depending on your goals we will lead you in the right direction.

 

 

 

Posted in articles, Health, Research, tips tagged with , ,

Quick Rule for Vegetable Picking

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One of the very first questions that we get when people start wanting to go low carb is, “What do I eat?!”

The answer can be frustratingly simple because the answer is fat, protein, and vegetables.

The protein is easy enough, the fat raises most eyebrows, but the veggies end up being more difficult than people expect.

Once you start monitoring what you eat, it can be very eye opening the actual carb and sugar count on many foods that you thought were healthier than they are in actuality.

Image result for frustrated foodOf course, dark leafy vegetables are the the clear winners when it comes to the best bang for your buck on nutrients and lowest on the carb count. Side note-some of the best dark leafies are ones you have likely never considered, HERBS!

One super herb is Parsley:

Image result for parsley nutrition

% Daily Value for Parsley, dried 1 tbsp (1.6g)

 

Additional nutritional information on several herbs can be found here.

But after the dark leafies things get a little fuzzy, and that’s why we have employed the rule of thumb: “An above ground veggie is a good veggie.”

While the rule isn’t 100%, it is a great guideline. The high carb veggies tend to be the root vegetables such as carrots, beets, onion, parsnips, yams, turnip, radish, yucca, and of course, potatoes. While onions are on the underground list, the amount of onion people tend to eat in most recipes will not equate to a full serving size-so these can usually slide.

 

Image result for root vegetables

Basically, the general rule means that if it’s above the ground, you are likely okay! The exceptions include the starchy squashes, such as butternut, and of course the veggies that are not really veggies, prime example being corn. Despite being found in the fresh, frozen, and canned sections at grocery stores, corn is a grain, and a highly GMOed one at that, but that is an entire other post.

 

So next time you are considering what side to make, or what vegetable to pick up, just go with the general above ground rule, and you should be in the clear. Oh, and of course, don’t forget to add some healthy fat!

 

Image result for quality fat

 

 

 

 

 

Posted in Dinner, Side Dish, tips, Vegetable tagged with , , ,

Why More Fat is GOOD for Your Health!

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Please read this article that gives a synopsis about why our dietary guidelines are all wrong!  Our bodies were meant to consume fat, and as a species, we have for 99.999999 percent of our existence on Earth.  It wasn’t until the 1950’s that Ancel Keys came into the picture and changed everything about the US diet based on false science and a huge ego!  We hope you find this educational and as interesting as we do!

http://www.askmen.com/sports/foodcourt/high-fat-diet-benefits.html?utm_source=Bulletproof&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=Partner

Here are some good ways to begin your day with great fats to start you off with loads of ENERGY!!!!!

Drink your Bulletproof Coffee!

It is the best way to start your day!
Bullet Proof Coffee

Quality Coffee or Tea (Chai and English Breakfast are good) of Your Choice

Add in to your taste:

 1 or 2 TBSP Grass-fed Butter

1 TBSP Coconut oil (or more – We use 2 to 3 TBSP)

Cinnamon/Nutmeg/Allspice

Stevia drops (So many flavors – I like Vanilla)

Heavy Whipping Cream

Turmeric

Unsweetened Cocoa

Use a milk-frother to mix it VERY well!

Milk Frother

If you still see oil on the top, mix it some more!

There are so many options!

Play with it a little at a time and you will get it just the way you like it!

It will give you an immediate burst of energy to send you out the door.

eggs_and_bacon-630x310

For those in your family that don’t drink tea or coffee, (i.e. your children) this is a great breakfast.  We do a lot of scrambled eggs (Pasture Raised), poached eggs, fried eggs, boiled eggs, and egg casseroles made with breakfast sausage and cream.  You can even do crustless quiches, omelets, and frittatas.  The kids love the sustained energy it gives them until lunch.  You can also mix up your breakfast meats with bacon, sausage, chorizo, ham, Canadian bacon, etc.  And don’t forget the cheese and homemade salsa for some extra zing!

Did you know eggs are one of the most ideal and perfect foods we have been given?

Along with whole milk, eggs contain the highest biological value (or gold standard) for protein. One egg has only 75 calories but 7 grams of high-quality protein, 5 grams of fat, and 1.6 grams of saturated fat, along with iron, vitamins, minerals, and carotenoids.

The egg is a powerhouse of disease-fighting nutrients like lutein and zeaxanthin. These carotenoids may reduce the risk of age-related macular degeneration, the leading cause of blindness in older adults. And brain development and memory may be enhanced by the choline content of eggs.

Proven Health Benefits of Eggs:

They are loaded with nutrients, some of which are rare in the modern diet.

The health benefits of eggs have been confirmed in human studies.

Eggs are among the most nutritious foods on the planet.

A whole egg contains all the nutrients required to turn a single cell into a baby chicken.

A single large boiled egg contains:

Vitamin A: 6% of the RDA.
Folate: 5% of the RDA.
Vitamin B5: 7% of the RDA.
Vitamin B12: 9% of the RDA.
Vitamin B2: 15% of the RDA.
Phosphorus: 9% of the RDA.
Selenium: 22% of the RDA.
Eggs also contain decent amounts of Vitamin D, Vitamin E, Vitamin K, Vitamin B6, Calcium and Zinc.

Eat your eggs!  The AHA revised their guidelines for eggs back in 2000, so eat up!

Posted in Breakfast, Kids, recipe, tips, Uncategorized tagged with , , , , , , , , , , ,

Sprouts; Your Source for Supplements!

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IMG_0683I always make my Sprouts run on Wednesdays because it is double ad day, meaning you get all of last week’s sales, plus the sale prices on the items for the following week!  It is usually a really great deal for produce.  Not everyone wants to make the trek over to 1-10 and Callaghan or 281 and 1604, but this week is worth it!  All supplements are 25% off, and if you spend more than $100 you get an additional 10% off.  This also includes items like Jay Robb Whey Protein and Stevia products!  It is worth the trip this week!

 

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I got some great products on sale today and stocked up on:

Bulk Cashews (only in moderation folks)

Bulk Coconut

Grass Fed Whole Milk for the kids

Organic Celery

Cilantro and tomatoes to make another batch of salsa

Summer squash and zucchini (on sale – I always stock up)

All colors of bell peppers (on sale – stock up)

Green onion to use in a stuffing I make for the yellow squash (to be posted at a later date)

Coconut Butter

Brussel Sprouts (The ultimate cancer fighting food)

The Spaghetti sauce we like is also on sale

All Supplements are on sale – yes ALL!!!

Let’s talk about supplements for a minute…  There are a few we recommend to anyone starting on a Ketogenic diet.  The main reason, is because you are switching to REAL food and eliminating ALL processed foods and grains from which you obtain a large amount of sodium.

We always advise that you see your primary doctor to order base line blood tests to see where you might be deficient in certain nutrients. Shoot for optimal or ideal levels on your blood work- not average levels! (Unfortunately, our average population is not all that healthy.) We take more than we are showing you based on our own individual deficiencies.  The following are needed by the vast majority of individuals.

When you go through Keto Adaption you lose a massive amount of toxins and water. It is very easy to get dehydrated because you are losing essential minerals as well.  These supplements will help you immensely…

 
Celtic or Himalayan Salt – (The darker the better) think of all the boxed and processed foods you are no longer eating – they are filled with salt. When you give them up, you need to make sure you are supplying your body with quality sodium filled with trace minerals.

 
Potassium (99mg) – I take one in the morning and one in the evening.  If you have cramping when starting Keto, you can up the dosage and then bring it back down to two a day.  It maintains fluid balance in the body and relaxes muscles – also eat avocado, parsley, cabbage, celery, watercress, coconut, and cauliflower.

 
Magnesium Glycinate (800mg at night) – Magnesium helps hold potassium in the cells. It promotes healthy muscles, strengthens bones and teeth, heart muscle, nervous system, helps digestion and energy production.  Magnesium is also great for constipation, sleep and keeping a regular heart rhythm. Good sources: Nuts

 

Vitamin D3 – Is actually a steroid hormone that activates more than 930 genes in human physiology mostly in the brain – powerfully anti-inflamitory and a great antioxidant. Everyone differs on dosage – see your doctor, but D has over 900 uses in the human body. Depends on sunlight, body weight and other factors

Statins inhibit vitamin D production
Low Vit D Contributes to: Alzheimer’s, Parkinsons, Multiple Sclerosis
Weak bones and teeth, Illnesses

Other sources are fish, eggs, cheese, and oysters.

 

Vitamin C – This is great for your immune system and overall good health.  I usually take 1000mg in the morning and 1000mg in the evening.  When you limit your fruit intake, it is good to supplement with a quality Vitamin C.  Make sure you are also eating your bright veggies like the yummy peppers I bought today, broccoli, cauliflower, lemons, and limes.

Posted in Groceries, Supplements tagged with , , , , , ,