Pantry Posts: Substitutes Part II

With Substitutes Part I, we stayed with items stored in the pantry. In this next Pantry Post I'll start with some that are stored in the pantry as well as other items that are refrigerated.

Before sharing, in healthing up your pantry, don't stress about changing everything out now. Make small changes each time you go buy food for you and your family. You may scare your family into thinking you are a crazy nut to think they are going to eat that way. Also, by doing it gradually you can price out the healthy food options before purchasing. Your budget will thank you later. My husband wishes I had done it that way at first.

Now let us continue with the substitutes . . .

Sweetened Condensed Milk- How can something taste so good yet work against the body being healthy? No worries, we have another option . . .

Sub: Coconut cream, butter, or oil (cold pressed). The only thing to take note is that these are not to be heated. They can break done easily into bad trans fats when used in cooking or baking. I am refining my recipe for pumpkin pie using coconut cream. I'm hoping it will be ready for Thanksgiving. Let me know if you have used any other healthy options in lieu of sweetened condensed milk.

Bleached White Pasta- For the Italian food lovers there are options that taste just as good and no one will notice.

Sub: Brown rice pasta (I like this brand), buckwheat soba noodles, whole wheat pasta

Soy Sauce- There are tons of conflicting views on soy products. I was extremely frustrated to have a person share their opinion to me while I was buying some soy milk while pregnant. Constructive criticism is fine but out right putting down a person's choice is not. I took what I could from the experience and read up on as much as I could on the subject. I suggest you do the same. From my knowledge, I believe that consuming NON-GMO (non-genetically modified) soy beans are safe and goof for the body. As well as non-fermented sources of soy too. You make your own call. Make sure you check your organic soy to see if it is NON-GMO. If it is not labeled on the package, than it is most likely not.

Sub: Braggs Liquid Aminos

Mayonnaise- You may be buying "real" mayo but it may not be real healthy for your body.

Sub: Vegenaise made with grapeseed oil. You will enjoy this more than regular mayo. You may even want to classify it as a dressing instead of a mayo substitute, it's that good. Grapeseed oil in two studies showed that if taken in a small amount daily with a good diet will increase your good cholesterol (HDL), and lower your bad cholesterol (LDL).

Pantry Posts: Substitutes Part I

Yay for all of you! Are you wondering what Health My Pantry is? Well, the new and upcoming Pantry Posts will be an ongoing series in answer to a Simply Healthful reader's query. That's right, we love hearing from you and love even more helping you get healthy.

For this first post we are going to touch upon making those changes that seem so overwhelming. Where do I start? What choices do I have? Why am I making these choices?

Let us start in your actual pantry. What other options can you use in lieu of your not so healthy pantry foods? Here is a short substitute list and reasons for making those changes. These are basics in most pantrys. I will continue this list in future posts.





All Purpose Flour- Usually people will sub this one with whole wheat. Is whole wheat healthy? Well, let's just categorize it as healthier. Whole wheat is a great substitute when in need of something with gluten and can be mixed with other flour options. All purpose flour and other bleached flours, although great for using in baking, is not the best for giving nutrients to the body.

Subs:
Flour subs- whole wheat, whole grain, almond, kamut, spelt, millet, soy, flax meal, and there are others you can find.
Best subs- all of the above but sprouted. Like I posted about sprouting before. It is one of our greatest food sources for nutrients we need on a daily basis. In an upcoming pantry post I will post a recipe for sprouted wheat bread.


Sugar- I'm pretty sure most of you have a good understanding why refined sugars are not good for our bodies. If not, let me name a few reasons we feel it's not something to consume on a regular basis. Refined sugars including high fructose corn syrup have been directly linked in studies to type 2 diabetes, memory decline and there are studies of them being as addictive as cocaine and heroin. I could go on for some time about reasons why sugar is bad for the body but I'll let you do the research. You may even be suffering from a related health problem from consuming too much. When we control the amount of sugar we intake we see few complications in our health.

Subs:
Better subs: honey, pure maple syrup, agave, stevia or other natural sweeteners (although I am not a big fan of xylitol, which they say is all natural. Mainly because it comes from xylose, a derivative from corn and bark, which is then hydrogenated into xylitol, a sugar alcohol. The ruling is still out for me).
Probably the best sub that I know of: green stevia, so basically the plant. This is because it actually has good nutrients in it for the body.


Table Salt- You will find that most everything that is processed and refined has a negative affect on the body when consumed. In the refining process of table salt, 82 out of the 84 minerals are extracted out. Did you know your body actually could use salt for health benefits? With unrefined Real Salt or Himalayan Salt you still have those minerals and they come from a pure source. These unrefined salts can actually help regulate your blood pressure and blood flow. Go ahead and do some research on it, you will be amazed. Also, take a bath with a few tablespoons. It has been known to help draw out toxins in the body.

Subs:
Real Salt or Himalayan Salt and Braggs Liquid Aminos


Peanut Butter- Did you know that peanuts are not even nuts? It is actually a part of the Fabaceae legume family. Most peanut butters are heated in processing and that can create toxins to be found in peanut butter. With the salmonella outbreak, it's best to just stay away for now.

Subs:
Raw almond butter. Why raw? Same reason for not wanting our peanuts heated, it can create trans fats and toxins in the food. You will find when you use raw almond butter that your dishes actually taste better. It has a sweeter and more mild nut taste. You can find the best prices for raw almond butter at Trader Joe's health food store.

Is Blogging Bad For You?

I love blogs. I love keeping up to date with family and friends, connecting with people from my past, learning all sorts of helpful information and best of all - I love writing posts for my own blogs!

As wonderful as blogs are, (and I don't really mean to pick on blogs, but rather surfing the internet all together) I can't help but wonder if blogging is quickly becoming an unhealthy habit. Now, before you decide to quit reading this blog entry, let me explain what I mean.

How often have you gone to one of your friends blogs, only to see a name on their blogroll that sparks your interest, you click on it - spend a good amount of time reading what they are up to - and see yet another name that you are curious about and go to their blog as well? And how long does this little web of blog surfing go on? Twenty minutes? Thirty minutes? An hour?

It's so easy to get caught up in blog hopping, that before you know it, you've spent a good portion of your free time SITTING, doing NOTHING, burning NO calories whatsoever! (Too bad clicking a button on a mouse doesn't burn a few hundred calories huh?!)

Now before you ban yourself from reading blogs, there are some few simple things you can do to make sure blogging, (or any computer time) doesn't cause undesirable side effects. (One of them being weight gain.)

1. The most effective thing you can do, to make sure you don't waste too much time sitting at the computer, is to buy a little timer and set it next to you. Decide how much time you are willing to use surfing the internet and when the buzzer goes off... make sure your computer does too. This is a fabulous technique, because it is so easy to lose track of time when you are at the computer and this simple little trick keeps you right on track.

2. Another idea is to get up off your rear when you are using the computer. (This only works for laptop users.) Often, I will place my laptop on the kitchen counter and write my blog entries while I stand. Since I am standing, I am burning at least few more calories than if I was sitting - plus, it helps me avoid wasting time looking at random, websites that I'm not even that interested in.

3. If you DO have to spend a lot of time in front of a computer because of a job or project you are working on, make sure you get up and move at LEAST every hour... if not sooner. If you can, get up and do 100 jumping jacks or run in place for three to five minutes. Whatever you do, just do something to get your muscles moving and blood pumping.

4. A common problem that occurs when people sit in front of a computer for a long period of time, is that they start to slouch and have terrible posture. A way to cure this problem is to get rid of your chair and use a stability ball instead. It forces you to sit up straight and it also engages your core muscles the entire time you are sitting. Another plus to sitting on a stability ball is that every now and then, you can bounce yourself up and down, do 20 crunches, or lay down on it and stretch your back muscles.

5. And last, but not least, I recommend subscribing to your favorite blogs through RSS, so you don't waste time checking to see if there is a new post or not. Each time you check your email, you are alerted which of your favorite blogs has a new article. It takes a lot less time than jumping from blog to blog to blog.

Hopefully these little tips will help you think about how much time you are spending in front of your computer and make you more aware of how often you are moving your body. Do what you can, to avoid the pitfalls that come from being chair-bound and inactive.

Start Off the New Year Right

I'm sure most all of us don't need to be convinced that exercising is good for the body. And, now that the holidays are over and there is more of us to love (or at least more of me), I'm sure most of you are resolving to recommit to your workout schedule. Well, last year I chose to say goodbye to my favorite form of exercise (running), to prevent possible surgery on my feet and knees. It was a hard choice but I have felt good about the decision. So, in search of other forms of exercise, for someone who needed low impact but wanted results, I came across a few I really like and wanted to pass along the information, especially to those in my situation. These exercises would be great for seniors too.

My favorite right now is the rebounder mini trampoline. I actually have been using this form of exercise for years and when I use it consistently I get major results. Pros: Easy to use, fun, can watch t.v. while using it, I usually see significant results. Cons: For an outdoor lover, it's not the easiest to use outside (at least for me since I have a small yard) plus it's not a form of exercise I feel comfortable having my neighbors see me doing. Some places to visit for more info - here, and NASA even did a study on it, look here. My favorite rebounder that I love but can't afford is here.

Yoga. Surprisingly you can burn a significant amount of calories in an hour and break a sweat while doing yoga. For the past few months I have been consistently waking up in the early morning to do yoga. I not only enjoy the peaceful movements but it has been helping me with my achilles tendon that has been causing me problems. My favorite class I've been to is on the television. If you have BYUTV the Yoga series on at 4 am PST, is great (I DVR it and use at a different time).

A vibrating machine. There are a growing amount of medical studies on vibrating machines. Particularly on older women (65+ years) and if it helps osteoporosis. Some studies may lead you to believe that it does but personally I think the ruling is still out on that until we get a long term study done. It is believed that these machines can help the body release nitric oxide (which helps cells communicate with each other) and endorphins. I have not used one of these consistently but have tested out a few and have really liked how my body felt afterwards. It is on my wish list now.

Bicycling. I love being outside and miss that the most from not being able to run. Bicycling can be hard to get into in the beginning so start off on flat terrain and BE SAFE. I have yet to get a bike, it is also another item on my wish list. This is the option my doctor suggested I do in lieu of running. He told me it is the equivalent to running in exercise intensity without being harsh on the body like running can be. I'd like a 24 speed and cruiser from here.

You will notice I don't have as much to report on the last two but that is because I haven't been able to test them out on a consistent basis. I'm hoping to try them out more this upcoming year.

Whatever you choose just resolve to choose something this year. Doing even a small amount of exercise on a regular basis has been known to help various ailments like edema, arthritis, fibromyalgia, heart disease and others not to mention obesity.

Happy New Year!

Where to Buy Sprouting Seeds

I thought others may want to know where to buy sprouting seeds, thanks for the question Lisa. Sprouting seeds have been spotted in natural food stores like Whole Foods and Trader Joes, so that may be a great place to start. You may find better deals by buying in bulk elsewhere but be careful where you buy your seeds. Always make sure you buy from a credible website or business. Here are some websites that may help you.

Wheatgrass Kits - They sell organic sprouting seeds in bulk. You can even buy a years supply! They have great options for kits and trays too.

Sprouthouse - This is where my mom got her sprouting trays. They work great for her. Of course, I'm cheap and think my Mason jars work just fine. They also sell sprouting seeds.

Sprouting at Home

This is something my mother just recently taught me. She has been sprouting for years in her home. When I visit, it is not rare to see her sprouting trays full of sprouts. If you go to my mom's for lunch, sure enough somewhere on your plate will be sprouts. So, what is the big deal about sprouts and why were we pushed to eat them when we were younger?

Well, for some wonderful reason, when seeds and nuts are soaked and sprouted they increase their nutritional value by over 500%. This includes increases in vitamins, protein, enzymes and nucleic acids (essential components for cell growth). Dr. Jeffery Bland, Professor of Nutritional Biochemistry at the University of Puget Sound, believes that 6 cups of sprouts could potentially supply the average adult their recommended daily nutritional intake. That's everything in those multi-vitamins you are taking without any potential harmful fillers. So, if you are not a sprout fan, become one. They are super easy to produce, super nutritional, and super cheap. You can even harvest your own crop anytime during the year.

I love adding alfalfa sprouts to my avocado and pesto sandwich. For those who are not into sprouts, alfalfa sprouts have a mild taste so that would be a great sprout to tryout first.

To start sprouting your seeds you will need a regular ol' jam jar with lid or rubber band, cheesecloth, muslin, or I used a mesh liner, sprouting seeds (not all seeds are the same so make sure they are seeds used for sprouting), and good water. That's it!

After giving your seeds a once over, tossing shriveled seeds out, spoon 1-2 tablespoons of seed into the jar. Cover jar with muslin and secure with lid or rubber band. Pour water into jar, about a 1/2-1 inch above seeds (in picture below I put an unnecessary amount), and let soak over night (for smaller seeds the soaking time goes down).

After initial soaking, drain, keeping cloth fastening on and cover with a kitchen towel so that no light will get in. Make sure it is not too cold where you place the jar.

Everyday rinse the seeds 2-3 times a day to prevent mold.

Within 3-6 days your sprouts will be ready to consume. Once there, refrigerate sprouts and eat within a weeks time.

I used some great references:

Preparedness Principles - The Complete Personal Preparedness Resource Guide by Barbara Salsbury

You Are What You Eat by Dr. Gillian McKeith

If you have any questions, problems, or great recipes with sprouts let me know. Send an email.

Food For Thought Part I

One small step to determining your body's individual needs

A little bit of background:
Let me introduce myself. Aside from my bio, I am an optimistic pessimist. Yes, we do exist. I also have a love of life and learning. I also have this very interesting body that has its own agenda.
I suffer from many physical things. But today we will talk a little bit about the hormonal migraine headaches that I get to experience every month for 10-17 days. And no, that is not a typo. This leads me to share with you the hypo allergenic diet that I went on a couple of years ago, that has been very helpful.
Here’s how it went. I had some long visits with those who practice traditional medicine. They were not helpful. I actually appreciate traditional medicine and I am not against it, but it just wasn’t working for my body. Thus I went to see this fabulous woman, who is a naturopath. She started the diagnostic process by asking me a lot of questions about my body, and how it worked. She recommended some supplements which have really helped. I’ll talk about that on my next post. She also set about to determine if I had any allergies. This is what we did, and it has changed my life.
The Hypo-allergenic diet
My naturopath, an individual who uses a holistic approach and focuses on natural remedies like herbs and foods instead of synthetic drugs or surgeries, had me remove the following things from my diet, for an entire month, to get them out of my system.

The NO list
Fruits and Veggies: NO oranges, orange juice, tomatoes, corn, or any creamed veggies.
Grains: No wheat, corn, barley rye, kamut, no gluten-containing products. No products made from Wheat, corn, spelt, kamut, rye or barley.
Soy: No soy, no soy products. NO tofu, soybeans, soy milk etc...
Nuts: No peanuts, or peanut butter
Meat and Fish: No beef, pork, shellfish, Sausage, hot dogs, cold cuts, or canned meats other than fish in water.
No Dairy: All Dairy which included, milk, cheese, cottage cheese, cream, sour cream, yogurt, butter, ice cream, non-dairy creamers, eggs.
No Sugar/sweeteners: No white or brown refined sugar (insert weeping here), honey, corn syrup, high fructose corn syrup, maple syrup, Soda pop/ soft drinks. No chocolate.
No Alcohol.
No caffeine: No coffee, tea, and any other drinks with caffeine in them,
No dressings or condiments. No ketchup, relish, chutney, soy sauce, BBQ sauce, and any/all other condiments. No margarine, butter, shortening, hydrogenated oils, mayonnaise, and other spreads.
Some of these things were not hard to stop, because I don’t consume them. On the other hand… it is a flavorless and time consumingly difficult way to prepare food from the Yes list. I can also chat about this in my next post.

Here is what I could eat
The YES list
Fruits and Veggies: Yes to unsweetened, frozen, dried, or canned water packed fruits, and fruit juices, anything but Soy.
Grains/Starches: Rice, Oats, millet, quinoa, amaranth, teff, tapioca, buckwheat, potatoes, arrowroot.
Nuts: Any nuts but peanuts. Seeds are also ok.
Meat and Fish: Yes to frozen or fresh chicken, turkey, fish, wild game, lamb, and canned water packed fish.
Drinks: Distilled, mineral, seltzer or filtered water, decaffeinated herbal tea.
Some Sweet: Fruit sweeteners, blackstrap molasses, brown rice syrup and stevia.
Some Spice: All spices like salt, pepper, dill garlic ginger, cumin oregano, parsley… etc. and Vinegar.
The Result:
After a challenging month of eating from the Yes list, I gradually re-introduced each “no” food into my diet one at a time. And the results were fascinating to me. For example for me personally, I should not eat oranges, honey, lunch meat, pork, soy, or eggs. I should be careful with peanuts, certain dairy products, shell fish, corn derivatives and tomatoes. I learned this from the way I felt after I re-introduced the foods from the “no” food list.
What does this all mean? Well, first of all when I was eating the hypoallergenic diet. I have never felt better. Secondly by using the information I got from this diet, I have been able to reduce my migraine pain by about 50%.
In the next several posts, I will break down this process for you, and help you examine some options for yourself. I do this so you can think about it. This is food for thought, but I would never recommend you doing this without visiting with a naturopath or other person who practices alternative medicine. This diet along with the guidance of a naturopath can be one helpful step to determining your body’s individual needs.