5 Reasons Why We Keep Eating Toxic Food

Step by step is the only way out of old food habits

Research shows that what we eat has a direct effect on our health and well being. Processed food is full of chemicals, dyes, preservatives, and artificial ingredients that our bodies were never designed to consume. For decades this truth had no impact on my lifestyle at all. I ate whatever I wanted to eat without giving it a single thought. 

The only reason I started investigating the relationship between what I eat and how I feel is because my fibromyalgia symptoms were so severe that I was turning into a housebound invalid. I had severe pain in multiple muscles and joints, frequent bouts of spiking pain in my knees, elbows, and feet, pain that increased with changes in the weather, pain so severe it woke me up at night, difficulty falling asleep and staying asleep, never feeling rested even when I managed sporadic sleep, unremitting fatigue, difficulty completing even the simplest tasks of daily living, loss of focus, an inability to concentrate, and feelings of hopelessness.

The most hopeless feeling of all was that I would have to cope with this disease for the rest of my life. After an entire year of misery and despair, I started looking for a way to feel better. After reading everything I could find on fibromyalgia, chronic illness, and the impact of processed food and chemicals on our health, I developed a plan that involved making three primary lifestyle changes. 

• I eliminated as many chemicals as possible in my home.  
• I stopped eating processed food that is full of toxic ingredients.
• I started eating real food that contains antioxidants and anti-inflammatory nutrients

When I started reading everything I could find about my illness, I was only hoping to discover a way to feel well enough to function every day. I was amazed that I not only found a way to feel better, but my symptoms completely disappeared. Is this a cure or is the disease just in remission?  All I can tell you is that when I made these changes in my life I got well. I have been symptom free and feeling great for almost three years.

Researchers who are studying the relationship between exposure to chemicals in our environment and chemicals in our food have found links to a host of illnesses including fibromyalgia, arthritis, lupus, Sjogren's syndrome and other illnesses like heart disease, depression, and cancer. So why isn't every person with fibromyalgia or another chronic illness getting rid of chemicals in their environment and food and eating whole foods? I suspect it is for the same five reasons I was slowly killing myself with food and chemicals for over half a century.

Habit.  When you are used to doing things a certain way, it seems simpler to keep on doing them that way than to change. So we keep using the same cleaning products and personal grooming products. We keep spraying our homes with scented products full of VOCs (volatile organic compounds) We keep eating things out of packages and boxes. We drink soda and stuff our faces with candy, cookies, and chips. It is what we are used to doing.

Lack of Information.  We don't educate ourselves about the harm processed food and environmental chemicals can cause. In the past, perhaps this information was hard to find. Now it is everywhere. You can get online, type a key word or phrase in your favorite search engine, and have hundreds of scientific articles right in front of you in a matter of minutes.The truth is out there.  

Disbelief.  Even when we have the information and read every article and book about the harm environmental chemicals and processed food cause our bodies, we just don't want to believe this could be true. We had rather believe there is some other cause, pop a pill, and hope for the best. Even some physicians are still not paying attention. I am grateful to have met many who are wholeheartedly behind the movement to eat well to live well. 

False Sense of Trust.  If it is available on our grocery shelves, we think it must be safe to eat. Nothing could be further from the truth. Giant food corporations have only one motivation for producing processed food products. And it is not our well-being. It is profit. Read the book "Salt, Sugar, Fat" by Michael Moss for an eye opening look into the world of manufactured food.

Unwillingness to Change.  Even when we know the truth and believe the truth, sometimes we just don't want to change our lifestyle. We don't want to give up soda or packaged cookies. We don't want to switch to safer organic chemical free cleaners. We just don't want to change our ways. It took me six months after I started finding out the truth to finally summon up the determination to take action and make the changes I needed to make.

If I had not made those changes I would still be dragging myself out of bed every morning just hoping for a low pain day, glad if I had the energy to take a shower and make it to the couch. Instead I am traveling, writing, camping, playing with my grandchildren, and living each day with joy and gratitude. Don't let chemicals and processed food rob you of your potential to live a life that is full of hope, promise, and possibilities. 

Want to stay connected?

Like my Facebook page: Practical Healing in a Toxic World  to find lots of practical ways to move toward a healthy life.The page has recipes, tips on chemical free living, fibromyalgia facts, and spiritual encouragement. 

Follow me on Twitter  @KathyKNorman


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5 Ways to Cope with Depression in Chronic Illness While Moving Toward Recovery

One of the hardest things about dealing with fibromyalgia,or any other chronic illness, is trying to wrap your head around the idea that this terrible disease that has invaded your life is never going to go away.  

I am by nature a positive person. I usually can find some sliver of light even in the darkest situation. When I was diagnosed, I was told that there is no consensus in the medical community about what causes fibromyalgia and there is no definitive cure for the disease.I don't think I truly believed that in the beginning. I woke up every morning expecting to feel better. But day after day passed and I still had severe pain and debilitating fatigue. After a whole year went by with no improvement, reality hit. I might feel this horrible for the rest of my life. I tumbled headlong into another symptom: Depression.  

If I was going to cope with chronic illness, I had to learn how to cope with the depression it caused. Like every other aspect of the disease, this became a process over time. If you have found things that help you deal with the depression that comes with chronic illness, please share in the comment section. Different things help different people.  

Five things helped me cope with the depression caused by my fibromyalgia. If you suffer from fibromyalgia or another chronic illness and are struggling with depression, it may help to:


Practice an Attitude of Gratitude Every Single Day

We celebrated Thanksgiving yesterday. Families and friends sat around the table counting their blessings. This can be a jarring ritual for someone who feels lost in the darkness of feeling horrible all the time. When I was dealing with my illness, I knew that I needed a way to shift my focus from my current negative circumstances to more positive thoughts. So every day I tried to think of at least one thing that I could be thankful for. This was not always easy. But it helped. I expressed thanks for all kinds of things.

• This morning I took a shower and brushed my teeth before I had to sit down. Yay!
• I drove to the supermarket and shopped for fifteen minutes all by myself.
• My pain level on a scale of 1 to 10 is an 8 today instead of a 10.
• I am surrounded by family and friends who love me.
• My husband encourages and helps me every single day.
• I saw five deer walking through the woods behind my house.They were beautiful.

Spend Time in Prayer

I am a woman of faith, so bringing the darkness that enveloped me to God was a natural response for me. I asked God to show me ways that I might be able to feel better. I asked him to help me develop good coping mechanisms to deal with the reality that I might not ever feel well. I asked for enough strength to simply put one foot in front of the other and somehow manage to survive the day. Sometimes my prayers were along the line of: 

"Why in the world did you allow this to happen to me?" 

"I'm mad, tired, and discouraged and don't really feel like talking to you today." 

God loves us like a dad loves his family so he patiently listened to my complaints and questions. I had dealt with all kinds of negative circumstances before being diagnosed with fibromyaliga. I had other illnesses. People I loved had died. Relationships I cherished had ended. My faith in God helped me cope then. My faith would help me cope with this too. 
There is a verse in the Bible that has encouraged me in many of the dark times in my life and I held on to this thought. 

"I am convinced that neither death, nor life, neither the present nor the future, nor anything else in all creation will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord." Romans 8:38-39


Read a Wide Variety of Books

I have always loved to read all kinds of books. The books I read during my illness reminded me that I was not the only person in the world who was suffering, taught me smart ways to eat, reminded me to be grateful, and brought balance to my view of my current situation. I read my Bible, devotional books, books about dealing with chronic illness, books on depression, books about coping with trauma, books about eating good food, books about learning to be thankful in difficult circumstances. I didn't agree with every single thing in every single book but I was given bits and pieces of light from each one.The words dancing across all of those pages encouraged me. Here are a few suggestions:

• Why Do Bad Things Happen to Good People?  by Harold S. Kushner
• Eating on the Wild Side by Jo Robinson
• The Hiding Place by Corrie Ten Boom
• In Defense of Food by Michael Pollan
• Learning to Pray When Your Heart is Breaking by Denise George
• FibroWHYalgia by Sue Ingebretson
• A Place of Healing by Joni EarecksonTada
• Eating Well for Optimum Heath by Andrew Weil
• Prayer:Does It Make Any Difference? by Philip Yancey
• Foods That Fight Fibromyalgia by Dierdre Rawlings
• Help.Thanks. Wow by Anne Lamott
• 1000 Gifts by Ann Voskamp.

Make Intentional Movement a Planned Part of Each Week 

The pain from fibromyalgia was so severe that my muscles and joints screamed at just the thought of movement. My fatigue was so debilitating that I considered walking from the couch to the kitchen a monumental triumph. 

Then I heard a doctor describe an exercise program designed for people with chronic illness that started with walking just one minute a day. I thought even I could handle that. So I walked around the inside of my house for one minute once a day for several weeks. After I got used to that, I started walking two minutes each day. I added minutes every few weeks until I was walking fifteen minutes at a time, then twenty. When the weather was nice, I walked outside. I wasn't race walking. I was strolling and meandering. Moving around in the sunshine is a great mood booster. I gradually added swimming, light weight lifting, and stretches to my routine. Not only did this help with my physical symptoms, it also elevated my mood.


Take Charge of Educating Yourself about Your Illness

After a year of wallowing in misery, I became proactive about my disease. I started looking for answers and possibilities. There is a wealth of information in books and on the internet. I read all kinds of theories about what causes fibromyalgia and other autoimmune diseases. I searched for things I could do to feel better. Even before I discovered a single thing that helped, I felt my depression lifting. I was finally actively taking charge of this chronic illness instead of passively allowing it to take charge of me. Looking for information made me feel hopeful instead of helpless.  

Over time I developed a plan that involved three primary lifestyle changes.  I eliminated as many toxic chemicals as possible from my home environment. I stopped eating most processed food. I started eating real food rich in antioxidants and anti-inflammatory nutrients. I hoped this would help me feel at least somewhat better. I was utterly amazed that I eventually completely recovered. On December 6 I will celebrate three years of being symptom free.




Want to stay connected?

Like my Facebook page: Practical Healing in a Toxic World  to find lots of practical ways to move toward a healthy life.The page has recipes, tips on chemical free living, fibromyalgia facts, and spiritual encouragement. 

Follow me on Twitter  @KathyKNorman

Check out my Pinterest boards KathyKNorman3

Chocolate Almond Pie

Chocolate Almond Pie

Check out yesterday's post for thoughts on Thanksgiving desserts and a recipe for Apple Pear Crisp. If you love chocolate and nuts, you'll like today's recipe for an easy to make pie with the texture and taste of a rich chocolate brownie. You can tweak a few ingredients to make this pie dairy free and gluten free to meet any special dietary needs of your friends and family. If you have nut allergies, just omit the nuts and the pie will still be delicious.

Chocolate Almond Pie

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees.

Melt and stir in a pan over low heat:

1/4 c of coconut oil
1/4 c of butter, or butter substitute if you want a dairy free version
4 T of cocoa. Use a brand that contains 100 % cocoa and nothing else.

In a large mixing bowl beat:

The melted ingredients
2 eggs. Use organic free range eggs if possible.
4 T of unbleached flour. Use rice, coconut, or almond flour to make this pie gluten free.
3/4 c of raw organic sugar
1 tsp.of pure vanilla extract. Use vanilla extract, not vanilla flavoring. 
1/8 tsp. of salt

Pour into a 9" greased pie plate.

Sprinkle 1/2 c of coarsely chopped almonds over the top of the pie and press gently into the chocolate layer.

Bake for 25 minutes.

Serve warm or at room temperature.

Apple Pear Crisp

The fall into winter holidays - Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year's - are traditionally a time when desserts are served at family gatherings and one party after another. The first Thanksgiving that rolled around after I started my healthy eating plan, my fibromyalgia symptoms had greatly improved. By then, it had been almost a year since I stopped using so many chemicals in my home, stopped eating so much processed food, and started eating a lot of real food full of antioxidants and anti-inflammatory nutrients. I wondered how I could navigate the potentially sugar laden festivities and still stay on track with my practical healing plan.

Some nutritionists and real food enthusiasts advocate never eating any type of sugar. Others say that it is fine to eat some sugary treats as long as you make them yourself. My focus from the start has been to make practical choices. It didn't seem very practical to me to ignore dessert during the holidays. It was a lot more realistic to search for new recipes and to tweak ones I already had to make them more healthy. I don't eat dessert every day but Thanksgiving is a perfect occasion to indulge in a small serving of something sweet.

The first thing I did was eliminate any recipe that used processed packaged food as an ingredient. It was amazing how many recipes I had filed away that included processed ingredients like: a box of cake mix, a container of whipped topping, a can of pie filling, packaged crust, chopped up candy bars, etc. I read the labels on these products and decided that I was not going to include artificial dye, high fructose corn syrup, artificial flavorings, preservatives, and other potentially harmful food additives to my dessert menu during the holiday season. I was extremely grateful to be feeling so much better. I certainly didn't want to eat my way into a relapse. 

Apple Pear Crisp Ingredients

Apple Pear Crisp

Preheat the oven to 475 degrees.

Peel, core, and slice:

4 apples
4 pears

Put the apple and pear slices in a mixing bowl.

Stir together:

1/4 c of brown sugar
1/4 c of raw organic sugar
2 T of flour. Use rice, almond, or coconut flour to make this recipe gluten free.
2  tsp. of ground cinnamon
1 tsp. of ground ginger
1/2 tsp. salt

Pour the dry ingredients over the apple and pear slices.
Add 2 T of water and stir until apples and pears are evenly coated.

Put the apple and pear mixture in a greased 9 x 13 baking dish. Apples and pears vary in size. If the dish doesn't look full enough, add another apple and/or pear and stir again.

For the topping combine:

1 cup of regular oatmeal
1/4 tsp. salt
1/2 c brown sugar or raw organic sugar
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/3 c chopped walnuts
1/3 c chopped almonds

Melt:
1/4 c coconut oil
1/4 c butter, or butter substitute if you are eating dairy free

Pour the melted butter and coconut oil over the dry ingredients and stir until the mixture is crumbly

Sprinkle the oatmeal mixture over the top of the apples and pears.

Bake for about 30 minutes or until juices are hot and bubbling and top is golden brown.

Serve warm. 

Portuguese Country Bread

My mother went on a trip to Portugal several years ago. An earthy delicious bread was served at many of the country inns they visited. She brought home the recipe and makes it every year for our Thanksgiving celebration. If you have never made a homemade loaf of bread before, this is a great recipe to try for your first time out. It contains only a handful of ingredients and it's easy to put together. You need to make it on a day when you have enough time for the dough to rise. You can do other things while you wait for the yeast to work it's magic. Also you can make this bread days or weeks ahead of time and freeze it. Just slice the bread after the loaf has cooled completely and put it in a freezer safe bag or container.Take the sliced loaf straight from the freezer, wrap in aluminum foil, and heat for about 15 to 20 minutes in the oven at 350 degrees.

Portuguese Country Bread

Stir together:

3 1/2 c of unbleached flour
1/4 tsp. of salt
1 package of active yeast (about 2 tsp)

Make a well in the center of the flour mixture.
Slowly add 1 c plus 3 T of warm water 

Stir to make a firm dough. 
Form a ball.
Knead until the dough is smooth and elastic. This will take about 15 minutes if you do it by hand. But you don't have to do it by hand. You can use a bread machine set to the dough cycle for this first kneading step. Just add the above ingredients according to your bread machine directions and wait for the dough cycle to finish. 

Once the first kneading is complete:

Brush olive oil all over the inside of a large mixing bowl.
Gather up the dough and form into a ball.
Put the ball in the mixing bowl and turn until the dough ball is completely covered in oil.
Cover the bowl and set aside in a warm, draft free space and let it rise until it doubles in size. This will take about an hour.

Punch down the dough.
On a floured surface, knead again until the dough is smooth and elastic. This will only take about five minutes. If you have a stand mixer with a dough hook, you can use it for this second kneading. 

Shape the dough ball into a free form long loaf. 
Brush a cookie sheet with 1 to 2 T of olive oil until it is lightly coated.
Place the dough loaf on the cookie sheet.
Leave the dough loaf uncovered on the cookie sheet until it doubles in size again. This will take about an hour.

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
Bake the bread for 15 minutes.
Lower the oven temperature to 350 degrees.
Bake the bread an additional 15 to 20 minutes until it is well browned on top and the bottom sounds hollow when tapped.
Cool the bread on a wire rack before slicing.

Slow Cooker Macaroni and Cheese

My grandchildren love macaroni and cheese so I always include it in my Thanksgiving menu. Making it in a slow cooker is helpful because it frees up the oven for the turkey and the stove top for other side dishes.You can put it together several hours ahead of time and then forget about it until it's time to serve dinner. When I make it myself, I know exactly what is in it. Did you know boxed macaroni and cheese often contains sodium tripolyphosphate, an ingredient that is also used to make detergent and soap? 

This recipe is flexible. It can be adjusted to fit the size of slow cooker you use. The amount of cheese and kind of cheese you use can be adapted to suit your taste preferences and the size of your slow cooker.

Some notes about cheese
I use only white cheese with no added color. Artificial dyes are harmful. Even a natural coloring agent may cause problems. Annato, a red plant extract that comes from achiote shrub seeds, is used to give many types of cheese an orange color. The Journal of Clinical Gastroenterology did a study which linked annato to IBS (Irritable Bowel Syndrome) If you want your mac and cheese to be more colorful, add a pinch of the spice turmeric. Turmeric is high in anti-inflammatory nutrients and it will give your mac and cheese a nice golden hue. Buy block cheese and grate it yourself. Packaged grated cheese contains cellulose which is commonly made from wood pulp, Cellulose is used to keep the grated cheese pieces from clumping together. It is currently being debated whether this is harmful. But do you really want to eat wood pulp with your cheese?

Slow Cooker Macaroni and Cheese

I have a large size slow cooker. The amounts listed are for a 6 quart slow cooker. If you have a smaller slow cooker, use only half the amount for each ingredient.

Cook two 12 oz. packages of elbow macaroni according to the directions on the package. 

Drain the macaroni.

Rub butter over the inside of your slow cooker. Some folks like to use plastic slow cooker liners. But I'm skeptical about their safety. There's no proof that the chemicals used to make the plastic liners leach into the food but there are no definitive studies that show that the chemicals don't leach either. Since I'm trying to avoid chemicals and eat real food, I just don't take the chance. Besides, the butter adds an extra oomph of flavor.

Dump the drained macaroni into the slow cooker. If this seems to be too much macaroni to fit in your size slow cooker, take some out and save it to use in another recipe such as macaroni salad. You need to have at least 3" to 4" of space left after you put in the macaroni so that you have room to add and mix in the remaining ingredients. 

Add 1 tsp. of salt, 1/2 tsp. of ground black pepper and a dash of turmeric.

Stir in 4 beaten eggs.

Grate 4 cups of your favorite kind of white cheese or a mixture of these. White cheddar, mozzarella, and monterey jack are all good. . 

Stir 3 c of the grated cheese into the macaroni.

Pour enough milk over the macaroni mixture to just cover and stir again.

Sprinkle 1 c of cheese over the top of the macaroni mixture. Do not stir.

Put the cover on the slow cooker.

Cook on high for four hours.

Easy Roasted Vegetables Recipe

I love to roast all kinds of vegetables. Here are some fruit and vegetables I picked up from the farmer's market.

The purple onions, purple potatoes, and yellow squash all taste delicious roasted. I cut the purple potatoes in half, sliced the squash, chopped the onion, added a sliced zucchini and some chopped garlic I picked up at the grocery store, and had a great side dish to go with grilled chicken fingers.

I have also roasted broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage, red new potatoes and red, green, yellow, and orange bell peppers with great results.

To make Easy Roasted Vegetables for your Thanksgiving feast, select your favorite fresh vegetables.Think colorfully.Vegetables with deeper colors usually have more nutritional value than paler versions. Purple onions have more nutrients than white onions. Purple and red potatoes and deep orange sweet potatoes have more nutritional value than plain white potatoes. 

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

Brush a large rimmed cookie sheet with 4 T of olive oil.

While the oven is preheating, wash, slice and chop the vegetables you have selected. Zucchini, yellow squash, broccoli, several colors of bell peppers, purple onions, and garlic make a delicious and pretty dish.

Arrange the prepared vegetables in a single layer on the cookie sheet.

Use a basting brush to spread 4 T of olive oil over the top of the layer of vegetables.

Sprinkle with salt, pepper, and your favorite herbs and spices to taste.

Bake in the preheated oven until the vegetables are golden on top and starting to brown around the edges. This will take from 30-45 minutes depending on how thickly you have sliced the vegetables.

Use a slotted spoon or spatula to remove the vegetables from the pan to a serving platter.

Sprinkle chopped fresh parsley on top.

Serve warm.

Want More Recipes?

To get recipes for Slow Cooker Macaroni and Cheese, Portuguese Country Bread, Roasted Vegetables, Apple Pear Crisp, and Chocolate Almond Pie check out my Facebook page: Practical Healing in a Toxic World  Thanksgiving recipes will be featured this week.

Like the page to find lots of practical ways to move toward a healthy life.The page has recipes, tips on chemical free living, fibromyalgia facts, and spiritual encouragement. 

Happy Thanksgiving to all!

Planning a Real Food Thanksgiving Dinner

Thanksgiving is next week.The first November that rolled around after I changed my lifestyle to move toward recovery from fibromyalgia, I wondered: "How am I going to prepare for a holiday that centers around food without blowing my real food eating plan?" I have celebrated three Thanksgiving dinners since then so I have some ideas to share

Dealing with my personal food needs is not the only obstacle I face in planning our Thanksgiving dinner. I am looking forward to having four generations of my extended family gathered around my table.There will be laughter, hugs, long talks, games, and plenty of counting our blessings. But there will also be enough of us in the dining room that have food allergies that we could do group Public Service Announcements for the National Allergy Board. One or more people in my family cannot eat dairy products, gluten, beef, nuts, corn, bananas, spicy food, shellfish, pork, citrus fruits, kiwi, avocados, chocolate, tomatoes, soy, or peanuts. It's a good thing I like creative cooking and relish a challenge.

I want to encourage you that it is possible to make healthy meals even during the holidays. If I can prepare a delicious Thanksgiving meal for my food allergy bunch, I know that you can come up with some smart choices for you and your family too. You can eat healthy foods every day of your life for the rest of your life if you make eating well a priority. 

Here are some ideas if you are cooking for a crowd that has food limitations. Have one entree that everyone can eat and plenty of side dishes so that everyone can choose at least two additional foods. If I tried to make every single dish something that every single person could eat, we would have nothing but a lonely turkey on our table.

To keep your holiday meal free of processed food that contains harmful chemicals and toxic additives, plan simple recipes that use real food instead of food that comes out of a box or package. Real food is always a healthy and delicious choice.

Thanksgiving Menu

Roasted Turkey. I fill the cavity with apple slices, onion, garlic and spices and baste with olive oil and everyone can eat it. You can also add slices of oranges, lemons and limes to ramp up the zesty flavor.

Slow Cooker Macaroni and Cheese. The lactose intolerant folks have to pass on this one but all of my grandchildren adore it.

Portuguese Country Bread. My mother got this recipe on a trip to Portugal.

Baked Sweet Potatoes. I serve them plain with a choice of toppings that include butter, soy- free dairy-free butter substitute, brown sugar, ground cinnamon, and ginger.  

Roasted Vegetables that can be made with just about any vegetables you like.

Fruit Plate with enough choices that everyone can eat at least one of the fruits.I saw a cute picture on Pinterest of a fruit plate arranged to look like a turkey. If you are feeling artistic you may want to check it out. Festive Turkey Fruit Platter
 
Salad Greens with kale, carrots, mushrooms, tomatoes, and homemade balsamic vinaigrette dressing. I put the greens in a large bowl and arrange the other ingredients on a tray so that everyone can make their own.

Apple Pear Crisp with oatmeal topping.

Chocolate Almond Pie that is dairy free, soy free, and gluten free.


And there you have it: a Thanksgiving feast we can all enjoy. Oh, and by the way, my family will be here from Wednesday until Sunday so I will have to round up food choices for breakfast, lunch, and dinner for the allergy crowd for five days. And that's a chore I"m grateful to have. Because spending time with people you love is a gift. And Thanksgiving is the perfect day to smile and count your blessings.


Want Some Recipes?

To get recipes for Slow Cooker Macaroni and Cheese, Portuguese Country Bread, Roasted Vegetables, Apple Pear Crisp, and Chocolate Almond Pie check out my Facebook page: Practical Healing in a Toxic World  Thanksgiving recipes will be featured this week.

Like the page to find lots of practical ways to move toward a healthy life.The page has recipes, tips on chemical free living, fibromyalgia facts, and spiritual encouragement. 

Happy Thanksgiving to all!

Apple Oatmeal Muffins

I made a lot of lifestyle changes as I looked for ways to recover from the debilitating pain and fatigue of fibromyalgia. The three main ones were:  

• I eliminated as many chemicals as possible from my home environment
• I stopped eating most processed food
• I started eating real food with lots of antioxidants and anti-inflammatory nutrients

On the blog this week, I've been sharing what I eat for breakfast. Today's recipe features healthy ingredients including nuts, flax, oatmeal, coconut oil, olive oil, and an apple. 

Apple Oatmeal Muffin Ingredients

Apple Oatmeal Muffins

Grease a 12 cup muffin tin and preheat the oven to 425 degrees

In a mixing bowl stir together:

1/2 c whole wheat flour
1/2 c unbleached flour
1/4 c raw organic sugar
1 T baking powder
1/2 tsp salt 
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground ginger
1 c regular oatmeal

Add and stir until blended:

1/2 c raisins
1/2 c chopped walnuts or almonds
1 apple,any variety,peeled and grated 

In another small bowl beat with a whisk:

2 T melted coconut oil
1 T olive oil
1 egg
1 c almond milk

Add the liquid ingredients to the dry ingredients and stir with a spoon until just blended. Do not over mix. Batter will be a little lumpy.

Spoon batter evenly into the prepared muffin tin. 
Sprinkle 1/4 tsp of raw sugar over the top of each muffin.

Bake in the preheated oven for 15 mins.
Remove from the oven and cool in the muffin pan for 3 to 5 mins.
Run a knife around the edge of each muffin.
Place on a cooling rack until completely cool.
Store in a freezer safe bag or container.
Take one muffin out for breakfast each morning as needed and heat in the microwave for 45 seconds or until warm. Microwave ovens vary. Do not overheat since overheating can make the muffin too dry. 

Want more recipes and more information on fibromyalgia recovery?

Check out my new Facebook page: Practical Healing in Toxic World. 

https://www.facebook.com/practicalhealinginatoxicworld 

Like the page to find lots of practical ways to move toward a healthy life - physically and spiritually.It will contain recipes, tips on chemical free living, fibromyalgia facts, and spiritual encouragement. I have been featuring breakfast recipes on the page this week. 

Ginger Tea

Ginger tea is one of my favorite things to make. It is full of antioxidants and anti-inflammatory nutrients. I drink a large cup every morning with breakfast and often have another cup at night. I use tea with caffeine in the mornings but only use decaffeinated tea after midday so that my sleep pattern will stay on track. When I first started making the ginger tea, I drank at least three cups a day every day for several weeks to help jumpstart the healing process. 

Peel a one to two inch slice of fresh ginger root.

Use a microplane grater to finely grate 1 to 2 tablespoons of the fresh ginger. You may want to make your first cup of ginger tea using 1 teaspoon rather than 1 to 2 tablespoons and increase the amount of ginger a little bit each day until you get used to the taste of freshly grated ginger.It is quite spicy.

You can use any mug you have and any type of tea that comes in a tea bag.

If you are using a regular mug and tea bag, put the grated ginger into the mug.

Add 1 to 2 teaspoons of raw local honey.

Add the juice from one slice of lime or lemon.

Add 1/4 teaspoon of ground cinnamon.

Wait for the teakettle to whistle.

Fill the mug half full with boiling water.

Stir briskly to thoroughly mix the ingredients and dissolve the ginger.

Add a single serving size tea bag of your favorite black or green tea. 

Add hot water to finish filling up the mug.

Steep the tea for three to five minutes depending on how strong you like your tea.

Remove the tea bag and enjoy.

When I make ginger tea, I like to use an infusion tea mug that has an inner removable strainer and loose leaf organic tea. If you use an infusion mug, follow these steps.

Put the grated ginger and your favorite loose leaf organic tea into the infuser. Oolong, Darjeeling, and Irish Breakfast are some of my favorite loose leaf organic teas.

Add a slice of lime or lemon and hot water.

After the tea has steeped for 4 minutes, remove the inner infuser liner and add the honey and cinnamon. 

Stir and enjoy.

Want more recipes?

To get recipes for tropical banana muffins, apple oatmeal muffins, ginger tea, and more, check out my new Facebook page: Practical Healing in Toxic World. 

https://www.facebook.com/practicalhealinginatoxicworld 


Like the page to find lots of practical ways to move toward a healthy life - physically and spiritually.The page just went live this week. It will contain recipes, tips on chemical free living, fibromyalgia facts, and spiritual encouragement. 

Tropical Banana Muffins

When I first implemented my plan to stop eating most processed food in an attempt to improve my fibromyalgia symptoms, it didn't occur to me that bread might be problematical. After all, what could be in packaged bread other than flour and salt and other, you know, bread ingredients? As it turns out, quite a lot.

If you want an eye-opening experience, grab the nearest loaf of packaged bread in your house and read the ingredients label. This is what I found on mine:

Ingredients in packaged whole wheat bread

Stone ground whole wheat, flour, and water sound reasonable. But what are all those chemicals and why are they in my innocent looking loaf of packaged bread? Maltitol has been shown to cause side effects such as stomach and abdominal pain and diarrhea. In other countries, including Canada and Australia, a mandatory warning label is required on any product that contains maltitol. Dough conditioners (that's quite a list) are not needed in traditional bread-making. The food industry uses them, not because they make the bread healthier and more delicious, but because it makes the manufacturing process faster and cheaper. 

My initial reaction after reading this info was that I was going to have to make all of the bread we ate. My second thought was, "Where in the world am I going to find the time and the energy to do that?"

I was looking for practical ways to recover from fibromyalgia and stay healthy in the toxic environment that surrounds us. Making all of our bread would reduce a whole category of chemical exposure but it certainly didn't seem to be a very practical idea. My dietary goal is to make sure that I eat real food 90 to 95% of the time. I sometimes make loaves of homemade bread and sandwich buns in my bread machine. But that is quite time consuming so I also eat packaged bread. I just don't eat much of it and I make sure that it falls into that 5 to 10% of my daily diet that includes some processed items.

I have found muffins to be the easiest type of bread to make myself. They are quick to throw together. I can make 12 at a time and freeze them for future use. And I can add all kinds of healthy ingredients to muffins like fruit, nuts, ground flax seed, and coconut oil. I eat a homemade muffin every morning for breakfast as part of my healthy eating plan to load my body first thing in the day with foods rich in antioxidants and anti-inflammatory nutrients. 

Here is a recipe for Tropical Banana Muffins that pack a nutritional punch since they include bananas, coconut, almonds, walnuts, coconut oil, and flax seed. 

Tropical Banana Nut Muffins

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Grease a muffin tin that makes 12 medium sized muffins.

In a large bowl mix the following dry ingredients and set the bowl aside.

1 cup of unbleached flour

½ cup whole wheat flour

2 T of ground flaxseed. Helpful hint: Ground flaxseed stays fresh for only a few weeks after you open the package. You can grind your own flaxseed as you need it.  But I prefer to buy flaxseed in travel size packets. Each packet holds1 to 2 T depending on the brand you purchase. This helps me to always have fresh ground flaxseed on hand since I only have to open one or two packets at a time depending on the amount I need for a recipe.

1 tsp baking powder

1 tsp baking soda

½ tsp salt

¼ cup chopped almonds

¼ c chopped walnuts

¼ c grated organic packaged coconut or grated fresh coconut. If you use packaged coconut look for an organic brand that contains only one ingredient: shredded coconut. Most commercially packaged coconut contains artificial dye added to make it whiter and may contain other unhealthy additives.

In another bowl

Mash 2 large ripe bananas. I like to use a pastry cutter to mash the bananas.

Add ¾ cup of raw organic sugar and 1 beaten egg. I use free range eggs in all my recipes when possible.

Put 2 T of coconut oil in a 1/3 cup size measuring cup. Fill the rest of the way with butter. If you are lactose intolerant, add a butter substitute or olive oil in place of the butter.

Melt the coconut oil and butter in the microwave and add it to the banana mixture.

Add ¼ c of almond milk.

Stir all of the wet ingredients until well blended.

Pour the wet ingredients over the dry ingredients and stir until everything is just moistened. The batter will be a little lumpy. Do not overmix.

Divide the batter evenly in the prepared muffin tin.

Bake the muffins for 25 minutes or until the tops are golden.

Cool in the pan for five minutes.

Run a table knife around the rim of each muffin to loosen them from the muffin tin.

Put the muffins on a wire rack to cool completely.

Put the cooled muffins in a freezer safe bag or container and freeze.

Heat each frozen muffin for 45 to 60 seconds in the microwave. Microwave heating times vary depending on the brand of microwave you use so start with 45 seconds and add time as needed.

Like my new Facebook page

To get more recipes and more information on how I recovered from fibromyalgia and moved toward a healthier life in general, check out my new Facebook page: Practical Healing in Toxic World. 

https://www.facebook.com/practicalhealinginatoxicworld 

The page just went live yesterday.It will contain recipes, tips on chemical free living, fibromyalgia facts, and spiritual encouragement. I will be featuring breakfast recipes on the page this week.