 |
| Over 2500 varieties of apples are grown in the United States |
I made three major lifestyle changes that led to my recovery from fibromyalgia. Making these choices can help moderate symptoms, not only from fibromyalgia, but also from many other chronic illnesses and autoimmune diseases.
- I got as many chemicals as possible out of my home environment by changing what I used for cleaning and personal grooming.
- I stopped eating most processed food.
- I started eating real food with a lot of antioxidants and anti-inflammatory nutrients.
Check out the post from February 8 for info on the health benefits of adding antioxidant rich foods to your diet. Want to make something with almonds? Check out last week's post. This week is all about apples. Buy organic ones when possible. If you are lucky enough to live in an area that grows apples, you may be able to find an organic apple farm that allows you to pick your own fruit.
Apples are on several dirty food lists because of the high concentration of chemical residue in commercially produced apples. If you buy them from the supermarket,wash thoroughly and peel before eating.
Or try this. Put 1/4 cup of plain white vinegar in a large metal or glass bowl. Add apples. Fill the bowl with water until the apples are covered. Put a heavy plate on top of the apples to keep them submerged. Or turn the apples every few minutes to make sure the whole surface is coated. Soak in the vinegar and water mixture for 15 minutes. Rinse the apples in plain water and dry them with a paper towel. This helps lift chemical residue off the apples. I also soak grapes, lemons, berries and any fruits that may have been exposed to pesticides and other chemicals in the vinegar mixture before eating.
I have searched the web this week for healthy apple recipes. Here are seven delicious ways to use this antioxidant rich fruit.
Apple Spinach Chicken
Baked Apples
Beet and Apple Salad
Chicken with Apples and Cranberries
Pork Chops with Apples and Garlic Smashed Potatoes
Pumpkin Apple Soup
Updated Waldorf Salad
Apple Desserts
Apple pies, crisps, cakes, and tarts are delicious for dessert. Here are three tips to make your apple dessert recipes a little healthier.
Add healthy ingredients. To increase the nutritional value of the dessert, add healthy ingredients that blend well with the flavor of apples. Try adding chopped walnuts, chopped almonds, raisins, or medjool dates. Add 2 tablespoons of flaxseed or flaxseed/chia seed mixture to the dry ingredients. Replace part of the butter called for in the recipe with organic coconut oil. Replace part of the flour called for with rolled oats.Use unbleached flour and whole wheat flour instead of refined white flour.
Sugar. Consuming too much refined sugar is linked to a variety of health problems. Instead of white refined sugar, use raw organic sugar, raw organic honey, real maple syrup, or molasses for sweetener. Reduce the amount of sweetener called for in the recipe. I have reduced the amount by up to half with delicious results.
Shortening and oil. If your apple dessert recipe calls for oil, always use pure olive oil. Olive oil is much healthier than corn oil, canola oil, or other vegetable oils. If the recipe calls for shortening, try using organic coconut oil instead. Coconut oil looks like solid shortening and works much like shortening in recipes. Try this coconut oil pie crust.
Coconut Oil Pie Crust
Want to join my online community?
Follow this blog on one of the links located on the sidebar.
Follow my faith blog Living Faith Words
Follow me on Twitter @KathyKNorman
Connect with me on LinkedIn Kathy K. Norman
Like my Facebook page Practical Healing in a Toxic World to find practical ways to move toward a healthy life, recipes, tips on chemical free living, fibromyalgia facts, and spiritual encouragement.
Check out my Pinterest boards KathyKNorman3
No comments:
Post a Comment