Happy Foods

Do you ever go through patches when you feel a bit blah? We’ve all been there. The good news is that the foods you eat can boost your mood. You just need to know which ones to put in your shopping cart.

Greens are #1 on your "feel good" food list. Dark green veggies, such as collard greens and spinach, are a rich source of vitamin C and magnesium, supplying our neurotransmitters with a joyful feel. 

#2 Nuts and Seeds. Flax/chia/hemp/pumpkin seeds and walnuts are great sources of mood-boosting omega-3s. A handful of cashews are known to work like Prozac. And let’s not forget the king of nuts – almonds, which contain zinc (a major nutrient in maintaining a balanced mood), iron (which curtails brain fatigue) and healthy fats (which reduce anxiety).

#3 Blueberries and Acai Berries. Rich in vitamins, phytonutrients (plant nutrients) and a variety of stress-reducing antioxidants. 

#4 Raw Cacao. Yes! Chocolate! Just the taste will make you feel good, right?

Cacao contains phenylethylamine (the same chemical generated by the brain when falling in love), causing the release of endorphins. What a great excuse to indulge! Keep the percentage of chocolate high, like 70% and higher to lessen the sugar content.

#5 Foods high in Vitamin B are a mood lifter: legumes, nuts, seeds, brown rice, oats, dark green veggies, and nutritional yeast.

#6 Bananas are full of energy, vitamin B6, tryptophan, iron, magnesium and potassium, plus being a natural probiotic, high in fiber, and a regulator of blood sugar. In fact, eating one banana as a mid-morning snack will fuel the body with enough magnesium (a stress-reducer) for the entire day!

#7 Complex carbohydrates such as chickpeas, lentils, nuts, oats, brown rice, potatoes, sweet corn, wholegrain cereals, bananas and starchy vegetables have been shown to encourage the production of serotonin.

#8 Maca Root is purchased as a powder and has been used as a stress reliever. Rich in calcium, magnesium, phosphorous, sodium, and potassium, it is also a good source of trace minerals such as iron and magnesium (for controlling anxiety), zinc, iodine, and vitamins B1, B2, C and E.   

#9 Spirulina is one of the most nutrient-dense foods on the planet! A supergreen equivalent of a multi-vitamin, spirulina is 60-70 percent protein and high in iron, B vitamins (notably B12, which is rare in plant foods), tryptophan and essential omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids. Spirulina also has calcium, magnesium folic acid, vitamins A,B,C,D,E,K and antioxidants. One food that seems to have it all! 

Eat well, be happy!

Fruit Juices

Americans drink more than 2 billion gallons of fruit juice every year and children under 12 are the largest group of juice consumers. In the past pediatricians have recommended that children drink fruit juice to receive more Vitamin C and fluids. Not so much any more.

When consumed in moderation, fruit juices may provide some protective benefits. However, most experts agree that eating the whole fruit is always better than drinking fruit juice. Whole foods are almost always better than processed foods, and all fruit juice is processed. The exception is if you were to puree the fruit in a blender and 'drink' it that way....that would be the whole food - skins and all.

Some of the lower quality brands also contain artificial colors and flavors and added sugar. Many are no healthier than a can of soda. Even when it is 100% fruit juice, you are better off eating a whole piece of fruit than drinking a glass of juice.

As long as you consume fruit juice in moderation, a little each day (say 8 oz for an adult, 4-6 oz for a child) a glass a day should not do any harm. Just be aware that you are not getting the vitamins you had hoped for and you are getting a lot of unwanted calories.

What about giving juice to kids? The American Academy of Pediatrics has a few guidelines:

• Never give fruit juice to children under 6 months old
• Children 6-12 months may have up to 4 ounces a day
• Children 1 - 6 years may have up 4-6 ounces a day
• Children 7 years and older may have up to 12 ounces a day
• Infants should never be given juice in a bottle or sipper cup that allows them to drink it throughout the day
• Children should not be given juice at bedtime
• Children should be encouraged to eat whole fruit

There are major differences in fruit juices out there. Here is what to avoid when choosing a fruit juice:

• Choose 100% fruit juice only
• Avoid "fruit drinks," "fruit-juice cocktails," "fruit beverages," and any juice that have added sugar, flavors or colors.
• Choose healthier dark colors (grape, pomegranate, cranberry, blueberry)
• Look for juice with sediment on the bottom - that would be the skins and fiber from the fruit.
• If you want to limit your calories, dilute by half with sparkling water

Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Another good reason to use Extra Virgin Olive Oil.

Studies have shown that Extra Virgin Olive Oil protects against the Genetically Modified (GMO) foods we consume. It is still a good idea to avoid anything GMO, but since it is almost impossible to avoid everything, protect yourself with EVOO.

According to the study, the always popular extra virgin olive oil may reduce DNA damage caused by consuming genetically modified soybean products. It showed that there was less DNA damage in the spleens of rodents in the study who also consumed EVOO.

The study also suggested that olive oil antioxidants can help to normalize red blood cells altered by GM soybean consumption. "We can conclude that adding EV olive oil to the diet of rats appears effective in inhibiting oxidative damage and may act as a protective agent against chronic diseases such as liver fibrosis, hyperlipidemia and diabetes," researchers said.

Consumers who do purchase extra virgin olive oil should also be aware that unless it’s 100%, it could potentially contain filler oils such as GM canola oil.

In that theme you might want to try the following recipe for pesto using Extra Virgin Olive Oil. Enjoy!

PESTO

All these amounts are suggestions. You can adjust to your own taste.

2 packed cups fresh basil leaves, without stems

3 garlic cloves

1 cup pinon nuts, toasted

¼ t. salt

1/3 c. raw Cashews

½ c. extra virgin olive oil

In food processor, pulse all ingredients except oil until fine. Drizzle oil in and pulsate for a few seconds until paste. 

Serving options: Mix into hot pasta. (GF: Tinkyada brown rice pasta doesn’t get mushy) Add sauted onions and mushrooms. Add at last cherry tomatoes. Can be served hot or cold - great leftovers.

Also good as a spread for crackers. Look for "Gale's Cracker Recipe".

Cashew "Cheese"

This is a beautiful sauce to use with the GF crackers. It is raw, made in a blender. It doesn't get much easier than that. I'm told it is very "more-ish"

Cashew Cheese 
BLEND until VERY smooth the following:
1 c. Raw cashews (1 gram fiber/oz.)
1/3 c. lemon juice  
1 c. water
½ c. olive oil 
2 T. sesame seeds (1 gram fiber/T.)
4 T. Nutritional Yeast (Savory Yeast Flakes) (4 g. fiber/T.)
1 t. onion powder
pinch garlic powder
1/8 t. celery seed or celery salt
1 to 1 ½  t. sea salt
When blended, ADD ½ c. roasted red peppers (capsicum) and blend again. (you can find Nutritional Yeast at Whole Foods or any health foods store). The peppers don't change the flavor much, but add the yellow cheddar color to it - and of course, it would add more fiber. 

Use in Lasagna or “mac and cheese” with brown rice noodles for a healthy alternative. NOTE: For nachos: add jalapeno pepper and/or 1 can Ortega chilies. Makes a great enchiladas ‘cheese’.


There are approx. 26 grams of fiber in this whole recipe. I don’t recommend eating the whole batch in one sitting! A serving size would be about a ¼ c. with approx. 4 grams of fiber/serving. Serve with baby carrots for more fiber! With all this fiber, this recipe is perfect for Full Plate Living (www.fullplateliving.org)

Gale's Cracker Recipe

Here is a healthy cracker made from a bean flour mixture. The coconut oil (which will not turn rancid) will keep it fresh without preservatives. It will keep in a sealed container for weeks (I had to hide some to test this theory because everyone in our family loves them!) Enjoy!

CRACKERS
In a blender or bowl, mix until smooth. It will resemble a thin pancake batter.

1 1/4 cup soymilk (or other plant milk)
1/4 cup coconut oil
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon Himalayan salt
1/2 cup bean flour*
1/2 cup tapioca starch
1/2 cup potato starch (not flour)

Place baking paper on 2 cookie sheets (don't miss this step or you will never get them off the pan). Pour half the batter on each sheet and tilt pan to cover the whole surface evenly. Using a salt grinder add salt to taste. Sprinkle with sesame seeds and sunflower seeds (or your favorites - my family loves it with chili flakes lightly sprinkled on them - but it can be hot). Repeat on second sheet. Bake at 325F for                                                      10 minutes.

Remove pan from oven and, with a pizza cutter or knife, score slightly baked batter to form "crackers." Return to oven to finish baking, about 20 minutes.

Keep checking and remove the outer edges as they get done. It will bake from the outer edges to the center.

This cracker is gluten free, preservative free, MSG free. Because it is made from literally ground up beans, it is also filled with fiber. It is well worth the effort! Mate this cracker with cashew 'cheese' sauce  (http://gale4health.blogspot.com/2014/11/cashew-cheese.html)
or fresh pesto (http://gale4health.blogspot.com/2018/08/basil-pesto.html) and you have a 'good for you' snack.

*chickpea flour (also known as Besan Bean flour) is the most readily available type of bean flour. Fava bean flour also works well.  I mix the 3 flours together and keep it in a bin marked "Bean Flour Mix" so I have it handy to make these crackers.

Margarine

Margarine was originally manufactured to fatten turkeys. When it killed the turkeys, rather than waste all that money spent on the research they found they could make it taste similar to butter. It was a white substance with no food appeal so they added the yellow coloring and sold it to people to use in place of butter. Both have the same amount of calories. 
Butter is slightly higher in saturated fats at 8 grams; compared to 5 grams for margarine.

Eating margarine can increase heart disease in women by 53% over eating the same amount of butter, according to a recent Harvard Medical Study. Eating butter increases the absorption of many other nutrients in other foods.
 Butter has many nutritional benefits where margarine has a few and only because they are added! Butter tastes much better than margarine and it can enhance the flavors of other foods. 

Margarine is.......Very High in Trans fatty acids, triples risk of coronary heart disease, increases total cholesterol and LDL (this is the bad cholesterol) and lowers HDL cholesterol, (the good cholesterol), increases the risk of cancers up to five times, lowers quality of breast milk, decreases immune response, decreases insulin response, and here's the most disturbing fact.......Margarine is but ONE MOLECULE away from being PLASTIC... and shares 27 ingredients with PAINT.

These facts alone were enough to have me avoiding margarine for life and anything else that is hydrogenated (this means hydrogen is added, changing the molecular structure of the substance).

Open a tub of margarine and leave it open in your garage or shaded area. Within a couple of days you will notice a couple of things:


1) no flies, not even those pesky fruit flies will go near it (that should tell you something)


2)  it does not rot or smell differently because it has no nutritional value; nothing will grow on it. Even those teeny weeny microorganisms will not a find a home to grow.

Would you melt your Tupperware and spread that on your toast?

Butter may add fat to your body; however, in moderation, it won't kill you!

NOTE: There are some whole food margarines on the market now that are not harmful. Please read your labels very carefully. 

Are you NORMAL?

I have been a vegetarian all my life…so I must be  healthy, right? Then why, in my mid 40s, was I low on energy, having joint pain, and allergies? I was getting older so those things are normal, right? They are not  NORMAL, they are COMMON. About 15 years ago I decided I needed to be healthier than just a vegetarian. I started eating more fruits and vegetables and whole grains, stepped up my exercise (I parked further from the store and  danced while I vacuumed), and I purposefully removed the junk from my diet.  Within weeks I had more energy, within months my joint pain went away and my allergies practically disappeared. As a bonus my hair was thicker and my nails were no longer splitting.  Getting the junk out consisted of removing toxins from my diet: white flour, white sugar, white chemicals (MSG, Aspartame), white oils (hydrogenated oils) and dairy. Nobody is perfect and these still slip into my diet on occasion;  however, if I am able to keep them out of my daily life, the old ailments do not  return. I am now NORMAL, which, it seems, is very UNCOMMON. Won't you join me?

***To stay 'Normal' I added Juice Plus to my daily life. "Eating" 26 fruits, vegetables, grains and berries every day, consistently, has given my body what it needs to thrive. I am feeling younger and more energetic as I age.*** For more information about Juice Plus go to: www.gale4.juiceplus.com