Restoring Healthy Through Nutrition

Brussels sprouts Milk Thistle seed Not everyone enjoys the flavor of Brussels sprouts.  Broccoli and cauliflower are often left off the menu when the "cook" has an aversion to eating these essential vegetables.  Sadly, many children could not identify them in the produce section. Toxins and the body  The liver plays an important role in cleansing the toxins from the body.  Whenever there is something to be removed from the blood stream in order to protect the body's cells from potential damage, the liver can get the job done.  This is even true when heavy metals enter the blood stream.   The role of the dynamic trio  What happens to the toxins after the liver filters them out?  They are stored. . . that is until the proper order of events takes place to bind the toxins and release them for elimination.  This is where Brussels sprouts, broccoli and cauliflower play an important dietary and liver detoxifying role.  These incredible ...

Angiogenesis is the body's ability to grow capillary blood vessels, an important function of the body which is needed for healing.  During exercise, the muscles benefit from angiogenesis, giving blood supply to any damaged tissues.  Healing is dependent on angiogenesis in the event of a cut or some other injury. It is now understood that the body regulates a delicate balance of angiogenesis, making sure that there is not an excess or deficiency of the body's ability to supply blood vessels.  The body is actually able to block the formation of new capillaries  and prune back the supply of blood vessels when they are no longer needed.  Cancerous tumors, however, release angiogenic growth factor proteins in order to get the needed blood supply for the tumor to grow.  Without the blood supply needed to feed it, cancer cannot thrive. There are many herbs and foods that provide anti-angiogenic properties which can effectively starve cancer cells by blocking the f...

There are warnings that women should not  drink white pine needle tea if pregnant or planning to get pregnant.  Also, individuals with an allergy to pine should not try this. White pine needle tea has some medicinal properties for colds, chest colds or for diseases like scurvy (vitamin C deficiency).  It is high in vitamins A and C, both of which are essential for boosting the immune system.  Pine is antiseptic and aromatic, providing help to the airway when used as a steam.  The tea is mild and could be made with other herbs such as peppermint to improve the flavor or add a bag of green tea to increase the antioxidants. White pine is identified by its long needles, attached to the branch in groups of 5.  Another pine, the  Red pine, has   long needles  in groups of 3.  I have read that other varieties of pine can serve as an alternative to white pine, but I don't recommend using anything other than white pine.  It is best to use ne...

I find it very helpful to know what to shop for when I go to the grocery.  Sometimes, I have to buy fruits and vegetables that are not organic.  When should I not buy the food item at all unless I can find the organic option?  Here is a list of the "Dirty Dozen Plus" and the "Clean 15" that are safe to consume even with limited pesticides. The following information comes from the website for the Environmental Working Group, a non-profit dedicated to informing the public in order to protect public health and environment.  http://www.ewg.org/foodnews/summary/ Dirty Dozen Plus ™ Buy these organic 1 Apples 2 Celery 3 Sweet bell peppers 4 Peaches 5 Strawberries 6 Nectarines – imported 7 Grapes 8 Spinach 9 Lettuce 10 Cucumbers 11 Blueberries – domestic 12 Potatoes Plus + Green beans + Kale/Greens + May contain pesticide residues of special concern Clean 15 ™ Lowest in Pesticide 1 Onions 2 Sweet Corn 3 Pineapples 4 Avocado 5 Cabbage 6 Sweet peas 7 Asparagus 8 Mangoes 9 Egg...

Transforming health by correcting the diet seems too simple, doesn't it?  Maybe it seems a little radical .  Perhaps it looks like quackery to some folks.  However, eating plant-based is less time consuming than checking blood sugar levels all day long, less expensive than paying the doctor and hospital, and more effective in protecting precious organs and limbs than drug therapy.   A person in poor health has the perfect motivation necessary to take health back.  Sick people can experience renewed health through the life-saving approach of a nutritional, plant-based diet.  Michael Goldberg explains how he has seen people - who have not had diabetes as long as he - suffer from all sorts of health complications such as vision loss, obesity and amputation.  Now THAT is radical!   Michael Goldberg keeps his type 1 diabetes in check - McDougall Program Dr. Barnard, in the following video, explains the concept of molecular mimicry as a possible trigge...

Soak 1 cup almonds in water 6-8 hours or overnight Strain and rinse almonds thoroughly Combine soaked almonds with 4 cups water in juicer, adding water evenly with almonds Strain milk and refrigerate Almond pulp can be saved in the freezer for use in baked goods or for making crackers      http://www.elanaspantry.com/vegan-almond-pulp-crackers/ Almond milk can be made with a juicer, Vitamix or common kitchen blender.  Our preferred ratio of almonds to water is 1 cup almonds to 4 cups water.  Any ratio is acceptable as long as you like it.  It can be made from a 1:2 (which would be difficult to strain) up to a 1:4 ratio!  The most important piece of equipment is a strainer.  I have a stainless steel strainer with a closely woven mesh.  There are nut milk bags that are made specifically for straining home made "milk".  A bag would strain out most of the nut meal that can still get through a strainer, but I don't bother to use a nut milk ba...

It is possible to find a cure for your disease. This girl shares her story in a "Star McDougaller" video.  She found a cure for her Juvenile Rheumatoid Arthritis by eating a starch based (vegan) diet.  Accidental consumption of dairy or eggs can trigger her RA. McDougaller, Juliea Baker cured Juvenile Rheumatoid Arthritis with diet Phyllis Heaphy cured RA with McDougall diet and additional elimination of: wheat, corn, citrus The concept of leaky gut, molecular mimicry and food as a connection between what we eat and our diseases is fascinating and makes sense to me.  There is a great deal of hope for people who are suffering with arthritis, other auto-immune diseases and diseases of metabolic syndrome.  With the motivation and understanding of the connection between food and disease, a person can take back his or her health!     Many foods have natural anti-inflammatory properties! At the bottom of this paragraph, I have posted a good link to a list of...

Celery is powerful medicine . . . . for those who eat it! Celery used to be a meaningless food to me.  It used to be just something that was added to soup or salads for the crunch and a little flavor.  Now I know that it is one of   many great cancer-fighting foods, designed by God for the benefit of man's health. Fresh fruits and vegetables contain hundreds of plant chemicals that have been found to provide healing power to the human body on the cellular level.  The science is "in" and has provided very positive news for everyone who is drawing breath.  Many fruits and vegetables have been studied for their healing benefits.  Celery has been found to have at least two (more are listed in article link below) dietary agents that assist in the activation of apoptosis (the targeted death of cancer cells).  The two agents are Luteolin and Apigenin .  Luteolin is also found in green pepper and plants of the mint family such as peppermint and oregano....

Another encouraging video was just posted on the Vegetarian Society of Hawaii channel.  The doctor has much to say to challenge the way we think about losing weight and getting healthy.  His prayer at the end in his native tongue is a blessing. Terry Shintani, M.D. (lawyer, doctor, nutritionist) - "The 7 Step Health Makeover" Doctors are not trained to heal. Obesity is on the rise in the U.S. Common diseases are related to our diet. 4th leading cause of death is pharmaceuticals.  (my favorite quote from this video) "Why would a doctor prescribe the 4th leading cause of death (prescription medication)  for the 16th leading cause of death (diabetes)?    Queen and worker bees have identical genetic information.  The queens genes express different characteristics because she is fed a different diet! Epigenetics - altering gene function without altering DNA - discovery of dietary influences connected to the expression of your genes. You can lose weight by e...

I just picked up a new recipe book, Forks Over Knives , to give me some more plant based meal ideas.  This will help especially when company comes to visit and eat in our home.  I am also called upon to make a "dish to pass" from time to time. Making food for other people brought on a lot of stress for me when we first chose to adopt the healthy path of life and eat plant based.  I was never ashamed to eat a salad for lunch, or roasted vegetables and potatoes for dinner and call it good.  But when people were invited to my home and I offered to make them dinner, the pressure was on.  It had to be tasty, exciting and convincingly nutritious.  At first, it seemed best to never invite friends to eat at my house. Now it has been a year of eating plant based and I am feeling great.  Only occasionally do I get wound up at the thought of making a dish to pass that is tasty.  Every time I cook for company, I remember watching this video from the Vegetaria...

Answer:  The USA The Federal nutritional policy is founded on "The Dietary Guidelines for Americans."  The Dietary Guidelines Committee has written a document every 5 years since the 1980's regarding the recommendations for the American diet.  This committee is comprised of several advisory doctors, as well as a member from  each  the USDA and Health and Human Services.   Based on the 2010 Dietary Guidelines, the government has stated that the standard American diet is directly related to the preventable diseases listed below.  The following link is to the pdf file of the document. http://www.health.gov/dietaryguidelines/dga2010/DietaryGuidelines2010.pdf Here is an excerpt from pg 3 " The heavy toll of diet-related chronic diseases Cardiovascular disease  • 81.1 million Americans—37 percent of the population—have cardiovascular disease.  Major risk factors include high levels of blood cholesterol and other lipids, type 2 diabetes,...

This post is for the reader who is facing colorectal cancer.   Take some time to discover all options before you start treatments. The best part in the title of this post is "after".  It is such a blessing from God that we have witnessed His touch in our lives since my husband faced the colorectal cancer diagnosis in January of 2011.  We have experienced a happy ending to what was a deeply spiritual and physical challenge in our lives.  He has been released to our family doctor after his fourth "clear" CT scan.  He had to get a permanent colostomy midway through his treatments due to the location of the cancer.  As we look back at the journey, we have recognized a few regretful decisions.  Each regret will be covered under the heading for the various phases of my husband's treatment.   Chemotherapy We were in a big hurry to start treatments at the beginning. The oncologist recommended two months of chemo before surgery in an attempt to shrink the ...