N is for Nuts

ABCs for healthy living are quick takes on simple strategies for creating a healthier life.

Go Nuts!

One of my favorite real foods is nuts. I eat a few every morning for breakfast, add them to things I bake, or eat a handful for a crunchy snack.These small wonders are packed with big benefits for creating a healthier life. 

Almonds
Almonds are full of anti-inflammatory nutrients. Eating them helps reduce inflammation and the pain caused by inflammation.They contain magnesium, calcium, and vitamin E.They are low in saturated fat. Almonds contain phytochemical compounds which help protect against heart disease and cancer and reduce cholesterol levels.

Pecans
Pecans are rich in antioxidants that keep cells from being damaged and protect against disease.They are a good source of protein and several of the B-complex vitamins. Studies show that pecans may help lower bad (LDL) cholesterol levels and increase good (HDL) cholesterol levels.

Pine Nuts
Pine nuts contain Vitamins A, C, and D. They have iron, protein, and magnesium. Research suggests they help fight free radicals and promote healing.

Walnuts
Walnuts are full of antioxidants, vitamins, and minerals that help you stay healthy.They are a great source of Omega 3. 

When buying nuts,know what you are getting. Read the labels. Make sure the nuts you buy do not contain added salt, oil, or chemicals.The only ingredient that should be listed on the package is the name of the nut.Look for raw nuts. Buy certified organic nuts when possible.

Nuts are easy to incorporate into your daily diet. Eat them by the handful for a quick energy boosting snack. Add them to salads and stir fry recipes. Add chopped nuts to muffin and cookie recipes. Sprinkle them over cooked vegetables. Toss nuts, chopped apples, sliced bananas, and grapes with a few spoonfuls of your favorite yogurt to make a quick fruit salad. 

Go nuts! Your body will thank you.

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J is for Junk Food

ABCs for healthy living are quick takes on simple strategies for creating a healthier life.

Two in One Oatmeal Cookies

When I created strategies for healthy living,I wanted them to be practical and easy to integrate into my daily routine. I have an incredible sweet tooth. So, completely eliminating sweets didn't seem very practical.I found a way to include sweet treats in my diet without blowing the healthy eating part of my plan. Eating a lot of refined sugar can trigger increased inflammation in your body that leads to all kinds of diseases.I don't eat an excessive amount of sugar, but I haven't eliminated it all together either. For more info on the dangers of increased inflammation, check out this post  I is for Inflammation

I have four guidelines for adding sweet treats to my healthy eating plan:

1. I eat real whole food for at least 90% of my diet every day.The other 10% is flexible.It includes occasional processed food with 5 ingredients or less, eating out when I'm not sure of the ingredients used in the food, and sweet treats.
2. I can eat whatever sweet treat I want as long as I make it myself from real food ingredients.This accomplishes two things:I know exactly what is in the food and I don't eat it nearly as often as I would if I grabbed a package or box of something from the grocery store.(Boxes of cake mix, bowls of whipped topping, packages of cookies aren't real food ingredients.I was amazed how many of my "from scratch" baking recipes involved dumping various processed foods together.)
3. I substitute healthier ingredients for less healthy ones.
4. I add healthy ingredients to everything I bake to increase the nutritional value.

Easy recipe substitutions:

• coconut oil or olive oil instead of vegetable oils and shortening
• raw organic sugar, organic honey, real molasses, or real maple syrup instead of highly refined white sugar
• whole wheat flour instead of refined white flour

Healthy ingredients that are easily added to sweet treats:

• coconut oil
• dried fruit
• fresh fruit
• ground milled flaxseed and chia seeds
• nuts
• nut butters
• oatmeal
• seeds like pumpkin seeds and sunflower seeds

Love cookies? Two In One Oatmeal Cookies are delicious and full of healthy ingredients. They are a time saver because you can make two different kinds of cookies out of the same batch of batter: Raisin Nut Oatmeal Cookies and Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Cookies.

You can make a gluten free version of these cookies by using 2 c of gluten free flour such as coconut flour, rice flour, tapioca flour, and/or almond flour in place of the unbleached flour and the whole wheat flour.

You can make them dairy free by using almond milk and a dairy free butter substitute in place of the milk and butter.

You can substitute peanut butter for the almond butter. If you do, buy a brand of natural peanut butter that only contains peanuts and a little salt. Many commercial brands of peanut butter contain added ingredients including high fructose corn syrup, soy, sugar, and hydrogenated oils full of harmful trans fats. I prefer almond butter because it has more nutritional value than peanut butter.Almond butter contains omega 3 and omega 6 fatty acids, niacin, folate, calcium, iron, riboflavin, manganese, and other healthy minerals. Look for an organic brand that contains fewer than five ingredients. 

I use the flaxseed/chia seed combo travel packets for the ground milled seeds.I add one or two packets of this to almost everything I bake.The travel packets stay fresh longer than a whole bag of ground milled flaxseed. Measure the first time you use this to see how much of the ground milled seeds the packet contains.This can vary according to which brand you buy.

Two in One Oatmeal Cookies

Preheat the oven to 325.

Cream together in a large mixing bowl using an electric mixer:

1/3 c of organic coconut oil
1/3 c of butter, or butter substitute if you want them to be dairy free
1/3 c of almond butter

1/4 c raw honey

1/2 c raw organic sugar
3/4 c raw organic brown sugar 

Beat in:

2 eggs, use organic free range eggs when possible

2 tsp. of pure vanilla extract
1/3 c milk, use almond milk if you want them to be dairy free

In a separate bowl mix together:

1 c unbleached flour

1 c of whole wheat flour.
1/2 tsp. baking soda

1/2 tsp. salt

1 T of milled flaxseed or ground flaxseed and chia seed combo 

4 c of rolled oats, regular not quick cooking

Blend the flour mixture thoroughly into the creamed mixture.

Scoop out half the batter into another mixing bowl.(approximately 2 1/2 cups)
Add 1 c of chocolate chips to this bowl.I like to use Enjoy Life Mini Chocolate Chips.They are dairy free, gluten free, soy free, and peanut free.

Stir with a large spoon until the chocolate chips are completely blended into the batter.
Set this bowl aside.

To the batter in the other bowl add::

1/2 c chopped walnuts

1/2 c chopped almonds

1/2 c raisins
1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon

1/2 tsp. ground ginger

Mix with an electric mixer until all of the ingredients are completely blended.

For each cookie, scoop out 1 heaping T of dough. Put the ball of dough onto a greased cookie sheet. Leave 1" of space between each cookie. Flatten the cookie balls slightly with your hand, the back of a spoon, or a spatula. Grease whatever you use (including your hand) with a little butter or oil so the dough won't stick when you flatten the cookies.

Bake at 325 for 11 to 14 minutes or until the cookies are lightly browned on the bottom and just starting to turn a golden brown on the top.

Remove the cookie sheet from the oven and allow the cookies to cool for two minutes on the cookie sheet. Use a spatula to remove the cookies from the cookie sheet and place on a wire cooling rack to cool completely.This recipe makes about 80 cookies, 40 of each kind. Store them in an airtight container if you are planning to serve them within a couple of days.Store in a freezer safe container or bag if you want to bake them ahead of time to serve later.I like to freeze them and take out a couple at a time when I'm in the mood for a little sweet treat. Microwave two cookies for about 20 seconds for a warm treat or take as many as you need out of the freezer and leave at room temperature to defrost if you want to serve a plateful at a family gathering or party.

Want to join my online community?

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Go Nuts!

Since I recovered from fibromyalgia and chronic fatigue syndrome, I have become an avid fan of whole natural foods.  Eating whole foods instead of processed products played a major role in my recovery.  My symptoms completely resolved six months ago.  I continue to eat natural foods to stay healthy.  One of my favorite healthy foods is nuts.  Here are a few nutty facts. 


Almonds
Almonds are full of anti-inflammatory properties.  Eating them helps reduce inflammation and the pain caused by inflammation.  They contain magnesium, calcium, and vitamin E.  They are low in saturated fat.  Almonds have a lot of phytochemical compounds which some research has shown to be helpful in protecting against heart disease and cancer and useful in reducing cholesterol levels.

Pecans
Pecans are rich in antioxidants that keep cells from being damaged and protect against disease.  They are a good source of protein and several of the B-complex vitamins. Studies show that pecans may help lower bad (LDL) cholesterol levels and increase good (HDL) cholesterol levels.

Pine Nuts
Pine nuts contain Vitamins A, C, and D.  They have iron, protein, and magnesium.  Some research suggests they help fight free radicals and promote healing.

Walnuts
Walnuts are full of antioxidants, vitamins, and minerals that help you stay healthy.  They are a great source of Omega 3. 


When buying nuts, read the labels.  Make sure the nuts you buy do not contain added salt, oil and chemicals.  The only ingredient that should be listed on the package is the name of the nut. Buy certified organic nuts if possible.

Nuts are easy to incorporate into your daily diet.  You can eat them by the handful for a quick energy boosting crunchy snack.  Add them to salads and stir fry recipes.  Sprinkle them over cooked vegetables.  Toss nuts, chopped apples, sliced bananas and grapes with a few spoonfuls of your favorite yogurt to make a quick fruit salad. 

Go nuts!  Your body will thank you.  

To Snack or Not to Snack? Hmmmm.

I enjoy eating snacks and treats. I've eaten far too many of the wrong kind for decades.  But I knew myself well enough to know that I wasn't about to give up snacking completely.  It was obvious that I could not continue to eat the prepackaged cookies and candies I had been consuming because of the chemicals and additives they contain. But the truth is I was trying to find a food plan I could live with for the rest of my life. On a practical level, I knew I did not have the time or the inclination to make every single thing I eat from scratch. 

I use some packaged foods. I have become an avid label reader. The things I buy tend to contain only a few ingredients. The brand of dried cherries I buy has one ingredient: cherries.  I stay away from items that contain dyes, preservatives, trans fats, and other harmful chemicals.  I have found that if I eat whole foods 95% of the time, I can tolerate some packaged foods the other 5% of the time.  You may discover a different formula that works for you.  I got well and I have stayed symptom free on this plan.

Some day I may decide to make my own bread, mayo, mustard, ketchup, pickles, chips, dried fruit, granola, yogurt, and almond butter but right now these are things I purchase that someone else has made.

I had to learn to think a new way and be creative in my choices. Being willing to change was a key factor for me.  I'll admit that I had a serious internal struggle with this.  It was six months from the day I first read about chemicals in the environment and processed food as a possible cause for fibromyalgia to the day I finally decided to go for it and alter my lifestyle.  I felt so miserable and hopeless by then that I was willing to try anything to get better.  Today my fibromyalgia pain is gone.  My debilitating chronic fatigue symptoms are gone. And now I wonder, why in the world did it take me so long to decide to do this? 

Here are some snack ideas you might want to try:

Wash and freeze grapes.  Take out a handful to munch on at night while watching TV.  They are a cold, crunchy treat.  Red or dark purple are my favorites.  Fresh pineapple is also delicious frozen.  

Sprinkle organic granola over a cup of Greek yogurt.  Add walnuts, almonds, and dried cherries.

Have an apple, banana or an orange.  Drizzle with raw honey. Sprinkle with nuts and a spoonful of crunchy almond butter.

Spread chocolate almond butter on a graham cracker. Most graham crackers contain some partially hydrogenated fats but no other harmful chemicals.  I do well with them as long as I eat only two at a time and do not eat them too frequently. 

Have a single serving size bag of potato chips.  Read the ingredients label.  I eat chips that list three ingredients:  potatoes, oil, and salt.  Some brands also list food additives, preservatives, hydrogenated fats, food dyes, and other chemicals as ingredients.  I steer clear of those

Make ginger cookies with molasses and freshly grated ginger.  My favorite recipe makes about 100 cookies. Ginger is a main ingredient and it is an anti-inflammatory food.

I love chocolate.  Occasionally I make homemade brownies with walnuts.  Walnuts are on my good foods list.   I bake and freeze the brownies and defrost only one at a time.  I do the same thing with the cookies.

These are the four key points to my snack attack plan:

Limit refined sugar

Read the ingredient labels on every single package

Eat plenty of whole fruit

Find healthy substitutes for unhealthy foods

What is your favorite healthy snack food?