Wheatgrass is a great way to powerpack your morning with energy in anticipation of all your daily superhero activities.  Known as a ‘superfood,’ wheatgrass juice offers amazing nutritional benefits to your diet. Also regarded as a booster for general health and well-being, wheatgrass juice is one easy way to ramp up your game.

Including Wheatgrass Daily

Wheatgrass is a great addition to your nutritional life, O.K. But exactly how does one do that?

Below are the pros and cons of adding fresh, frozen, or freeze-dried wheatgrass to your health regime:

Frozen wheatgrass

Often termed as “fresh-frozen,” this type of wheatgrass is grown on the producer’s farm either in trays or in the ground.  It’s then harvested, juiced, flash-frozen, and delivered to you.

• Convenient Yet Nutritious:  Frozen may be the best way to preserve wheatgrass juice nutrition and enzymes while at the same time not compromising your schedule.
• Easy to Use: Frozen wheatgrass juice comes premeasured in .5 to 1 oz shots.  Simply pull it out of the freezer and let thaw for a minute.  Add to water, juice, or a smoothie.  Always add 3x the amount of water (or juice) to 1oz of wheatgrass juice.  Avoid heating frozen wheatgrass juice on the stove or in the microwave as it will destroy the nutrients.

The downside:

• Expensive: The downside of frozen wheatgrass juice is typically the price tag.  Delivered to your door, the price per ounce can vary from $1.50 to over $2.00.  If you’re drinking a shot a day at $2.00, then you’re looking at an additional $60 a month to add to your budget.

Fresh wheatgrass

The idea of growing wheatgrass may seem daunting, but in the end it may be worth it for you to become a DIY wheatgrass grower.

• Easy to Start: there are easy-to-use Wheatgrass Starter Kits that provide all the basics for growing wheatgrass at home. The time between the sprouting and growth stage, when you can juice the grass, is about 10 days.
• Overall Savings: The price tag including the starter kit and manual mastication juicer is $85 (may not include S&H).  In the end, you save by being able to put what you would normally spend on buying juice away.  Do the math and compare to the cost (both money-wise and nutrition-wise) of both frozen and fresh wheatgrass.
• Immediate Nutrition: Growing your own wheatgrass gives you all the ‘right now’ benefits of wheatgrass juice nutrition.  You can’t get any fresher than clipping it from your own wheatgrass garden, juicing, and drinking.
• Versatile: If you have the space, you can transplant wheatgrass from your trays and plant it into the ground, creating your own home-grown wheatgrass garden.

The downside:

• Time-Consuming: Unless you’re a gardener or enjoy puttering around in the kitchen, growing your own wheatgrass may not be for you. Growing, harvesting, and juicing takes time, energy, and effort.

Freeze-dried wheatgrass

• Nutrition—Hmmmm:  With wheatgrass in freeze-dried (powdered) or pill form,there is a general consensus that the nutrition has been compromised (i.e. fresh is mo’ bettah).  The jury is still out on this one, so anyone drinking or eating freeze-dried wheatgrass juice please weigh in the comments below!
• Convenient: Needless to say, freeze-dried or pill form is absolutely the most convenient way to take wheatgrass.  If you’re traveling or just need to carry it in your purse or pocket, it’s  much easier to be mobile with these forms.
• Middling Price tag: Freeze-dried wheatgrass typically comes in a 1 oz package that has about 56 servings.  At $29.99 per package, you’re saving from the cost of frozen, but still spending more than if you were to grow your own.

Ultimately, home-grown or flash-frozen offers the best and most viable nutrition.  But that’s only if you can decide which option both your wallet and your schedule can handle.

Weigh-in: How do you take your wheatgrass, and why? Tell us in the comments below!

Health Benefits of Turmeric

Turmeric is primarily known for its anti-inflammatory properties. Turmeric is so good a combating inflammation, it’s been suggested as a replacement to pharmaceuticals, without the side effects.  Turmeric’s active ingredient is curcumin, which is what gives turmeric its notable color.

But Turmeric is a giant when it comes to health:

• An antiseptic and antibacterial agent you can use to disinfect cuts and burns.
• Naturally detoxifies the liver.  Regular use combined with a liver cleanse will keep this vital organ at peak condition
• A treatment for inflammatory diseases such as arthritis.  Turmeric has been shown to reduce swelling, stiffness, and enabled arthritic suffers to move and walk longer.
• Can be used regularly after athletic endeavors to keep the muscles supple and the joints lubricated.
• Used as a treatment for depression by Chinese medicine.
• Has a deep research history in the treatment of cancer from either stopping tumor formation or destroy cancer cells. The research includes data on breast, prostate, pancreatic, and childhood leukemia.
• Is thought to protect against the advent and/or progression of Alzheimer’s disease by removing the plaque build-up from the brain.
• May reduce the risk of heart disease.
• Used in Chinese and Indian medicine to also treat jaundice, chest pain, bruises, toothache, hemorrhage, bloody urine, flatulence, and menstrual issues.

Turmeric can be taken in raw, powder, pill, or tincture form.  It’s typically used either raw or as a powder when cooking.  As a general supplement, you can take turmeric as a pill or tincture.

Contraindications: If you have gallstones or a bile obstructions or are pregnant, please consult your health practitioner before using turmeric.

Nutritional Breakdown of Turmeric

A 2 teaspoon serving of turmeric contains only 16 calories, and:

• 18% of the daily value of manganese. Here’s some great recipes for getting your daily dose of manganese!
• 10.4% of the daily value of iron
• 4% of the daily value of Vitamin B6
• 3.3% of the daily value of potassium

Sun Milk

• ¼ cup turmeric powder
• ½ cup purified water
• 1 cup of almond milk (need to learn how to make almond milk?)
• 1 tsp almond oil
• Honey or agave nectar to taste.

In a small saucepan, mix the turmeric and water until it boils.  Reduce heat, stirring constantly, until a paste forms.  The paste is good for up to 40 days stored in an air tight container that’s placed in the refrigerator.

After making the paste, blend together 1 cup of almond or other nut milk with 1 tsp of almond oil, ¼ teaspoon of turmeric paste.  Add honey or agave nectar to taste.

Raw option: add turmeric to nut milk or raw milk and serve cold.

A Little History

Turmeric has a long history in its native Indonesia and India where it has been used for over 5,000 years.  While used as a textile dye and in cooking, turmeric is hailed as primary member of ancient pharmacopeias and used in both Indian (Ayurvedia) and Chinese medicines.

Introduced to Europe as early as the 13^th century, Turmeric was largely ignored by the West until recent research about its amazing medicinal properties gained public awareness. Turmeric has been called ‘Indian saffron’ due to its deep yellow-orange color.

Selection and Storage

Because Turmeric is an Eastern spice, check local ethnic markets to see what varieties of turmeric are available.  They may have the raw rhizome or a wider selection of turmeric. The color of turmeric differs per variety, so it’s not an indicator of freshness.

For the full benefits of turmeric, choose raw or powdered turmeric rather than a curry powder mix.  There is typically little turmeric in curry mixes.

Store the turmeric powder in a tightly sealed container in a cool, dark, and dry place.  Fresh turmeric should be stored in the refrigerator.

Hot summer days and nights mean lighter bites. Summer soups are an easy way to explore fresh, fun, and flavorful fare.

Why use raw food?

Cooking chemically alters foods.  In some cases, cooking food can destroy vital nutrients and enzymes that are better used by our bodies in their raw form. Cooking can also create the much dreaded free-radical and other toxins.

A raw food diet typically consists of 75-100% uncooked and unprocessed foods. The foods are nutritionally dense in their unaltered form and are best when organic. Choose organic, because pesticides are not food and can cause harm to your health. Raw food is naturally alkaline, which is great for the body. Cooked food reduces the alkalinity and creates acid. Also, certain types of food such as meat are naturally acidic.

Since our bodies are alkaline based, it’s  important to keep our bodies on the alkaline side of the pH balance to maintain homeostasis. The alkaline pH normal for our bodies is 7.35 – 7.45.  As you can see, there isn’t a lot of room for movement, so a .10 of a difference can have huge effects on our body’s health. Often this is indicated as an overly acidic blood level, poor digestion, or weight gain.

Biggest obstacles to raw food: time, money, and nutrition

Including more raw food into your diet or going totally raw is often thought to be time-consuming and very expensive. The truth is that raw food is actually fairly easy to prepare, has ‘grab and go’ convenience (prepare and store in the fridge), and is more economical than other diets.

Because raw foodists typically adhere to an organic diet, the food they consume can be 80 – 300% denser in nutrition than non-organic food. This means your body can better use the food for energy and power. It will burn clean, and the benefits for the consumer are less hunger and more energy. You will eat less therefore reducing your food costs. Not to mention what a raw food diet does for reducing healthcare costs over time.

Two Summer Soups to Tempt Your Palate for Raw:

Carrot Ginger Soup

• 2 cups carrot juice (reserve pulp)*
• ½ cup plain yogurt
• 1 ½ – 2 Tablespoons ginger juice (according to taste)
• Freshly ground black pepper

Directions:  Juice carrots reserve the pulp.  Juice ginger.  Mix all ingredients together and chill.  Serves 4

Gazpacho

• 2/3 cup cucumber juice,  reserve pulp to add some back in for texture
• 2 ¼ cups tomato juice
• ¾ cup carrot juice, reserve pulp to add some back in for texture
• 2 cloves garlic, pressed
• 2 Tablespoons of finely chopped fresh herbs:  basil, oregano, thyme
• Freshly ground black pepper

Juice and reserve pulp as desired.  Mix all ingredients.  Chill before serving.  Serves 4

*For more ideas on what to do with juice pulp, check out this article from a few weeks back!

So whats your favorite raw foods meal or snack?

Share it in the comments below!

The Citrus Sharp

• 1 pink or red grapefruit (peeled)
• 1 orange (peeled)

Put both in your juicer and enjoy. This is a fantastic morning wake-up and will give you more energy than any cup of coffee.

Grapefruit is a Vitamin C storehouse with over 74% of the recommended daily value. Mixed here in this recipe with the orange (provides over 100% of the daily value alone), you can start your morning with extra alertness and sharpness of mind.

Why Citrus in the morning?

Vitamin C is a powerhouse for health. Not only does it supports the immune system, but also has anti-inflammatory properties. With Vitamin C, your body takes what it needs and flushes the rest. High doses of Vitamin C have been shown to increase the body’s vitality, disease fighting capabilities, and overall health. The combination of the two has high antioxidant activity.

Grapefruit has a high concentration of lycopene, which has anti-tumor properties. Lycopene is well-known for its ability to fight oxygen-free radicals. Choose grapefruits that are a rich pink or red to get the most in lycopene.

For men, the addition of lycopene in their diet may reduce the risk of prostate cancer.  Fruits and vegetables that are high in lycopene include the pink grapefruit, tomatoes, apricots, watermelon, papaya, and the guava.

Citrus Juice and Prevention of Kidney Stones

If you are prone to kidney stones, then be sure to drink grapefruit, apple, or orange juice daily. The Citrus Sharp gives you two out of three, providing extra protection against calcium oxalate kidneys stones. Drink ½ to 1 liter of these juices daily.

Citrus Juice and Prevention of Lung Cancer

Studies show that drinking three 6 ounce glasses of grapefruit a day is truly the best way to keep the doctor away. Grapefruit juice reduces the activity of an enzyme that activates chemicals found in tobacco smoke that cause cancer.

A Brief History of Citrus

Grapefruits are relatively new to the flora scene, having been discovered in Barbados in the 18^th century. It’s said that the grapefruit is a natural cross between the orange and the pomelo. The pomelo was brought to Barbados from Indonesia in the 17^th century, and the term “grapefruit” refers to how the fruit grows by hanging in clusters just like grapes. In the early 19^th century, the grapefruit came to the United States and became one of Florida’s major crops.

Selection and Storage of the Grapefruit

Grapefruit that has a tough skin and discoloration, scratches or scales matter not to the taste or texture of the inner flesh. Signs of a grapefruit past its prime include an overly soft spot at the stem end or a water-soaked appearance. Ensure that the fruit feels heavy for its size, as the added weight ensures it will be juicy and tasty. Choose grapefruits that are firm, yet springy. You can keep grapefruit at room temperature or in the fridge. But do not refrigerate before the fruit has ripened.

Got any GREAT grapefruit recipes? We want to hear them!

Kale is an all around awesome green food. It removes toxins from the body and has been shown to detoxify at the genetic level, too.  Kale’s high vitamin resource naturally supports the immune system. Kale’s other nutritive properties assists in the prevention of constipation, atherosclerosis, and high blood pressure. If you wish to maintain your weight or are on a weight-loss program, Kale is a beneficial addition to your food program. Kale reduces the risk of five types of cancer, including bladder, breast, colon, ovary, and prostate.

Nutritional breakdown of the evergreen Kale

Kale is a knock your socks off WOW when it comes to being good for the body. Green, lean, and mean, Kale is a good source of copper, calcium, manganese, and potassium. It’s also dense in Vitamin A, C, B6, K, and lutein. Kale is high on nutrition and low on calories, with one cup containing only 33 calories.

Kales biggest claim to fame is its massive amount of Vitamin K, providing over 1,000% of the daily value. Vitamin K is essential for normal blood clotting. It protects your bones from fracture and prevents bone density loss, especially important for post-menopausal women. Kale also prevents calcification of your arteries.

Vitamin A in Kale is over 192% of the daily value. Vitamin A is useful for protecting your eyes and vision. Followed next by over 88% of the daily value is Vitamin C, which is of course one of the best immune boosting vitamins. Kale also sports fiber, manganese, copper, calcium and more on it’s list of body-boosting mineral power-ups. Eating Kale 3-4 times a week raw, juiced, or cooked will power-pack your system with nutrition.

All of these nutrients add up to an antioxidant and anti-inflammatory cocktail that is great for the body.

Choose Organic Kale – Here’s Why

Kale is one of the vegetables most affected by pesticides, so it’s a best practice to choose organic kale when shopping. If organic Kale is unavailable, thoroughly wash the Kale before cooking and eating it. An alternative to buying non-organic Kale is to grow it yourself in your own organic garden. Kale grows easily in the ground, raised beds, or pots, and the plant will thrive in cooler climes.

The Green Machine – A JuicyJosh Original

• 1 head of romaine
• 1 bunch of organic kale
• 1 apple of any variety, quartered
• ginger root (1-2” slice)
• 1 lemon (peeled)

Juice the romaine and kale and then add the apple, ginger, and lemon. Add more ginger or lemon to taste.

Post your comments – what are your favorite Kale recipes, juiced or cooked?

In cooking and juicing, none can deny the intense impact a lemon or lime has in enhancing the flavor of other foods. The lemon and lime one-two punch on flavor is a top notch addition, bundled in a low-calorie package (only 15 calories per ¼ cup).

Lemons evoke sunny summer days and lemonade stands. Most lemons are acidic, astringent, and tart. This combination adds a “refreshment” to any food from water to watermelon. The most common sour lemons are the Eureka and the Lisbon. The characteristics of a Eureka lemon include a textured skin, short neck on the end, and seeds, while the Lisbon is smoother in skin and is typically seedless. The most popular sweet lemon is the Meyer lemon.

Limes, on the other hand, evoke the passion of the islands and Caribbean. Limes come in both sour and sweet, though the sweet variety is not found easily in the United States. Sour limes have a higher acid and sugar content than lemons that add a distinctive “limey” taste. The Tahitian lime is the typical sour lime you find in your market. Specialty sour limes called the “key lime” provide the distinctive flavor to dishes such as key lime pie, as you can probably infer from the name, Key West.

History of the lemon and lime

Thought to have originated in China or India, the lemon was cultivated as a cross between the lime and the citron. It was first brought to Spain in the 11^th century via Arabia. The Crusades are credited with bringing the lemon to the rest of Europe. Christopher Columbus brought the lemon in 1493 to the New World.

Lemons were highly prized for their ability to prevent scurvy throughout history and in the mid 19^th century, they went for up to $1 per lemon. Even by today’s standards, a buck for a lemon is pricey, so it must have been a pretty coveted little fruit back then.

Limes flourish in the subtropics and the tropics. They were first introduced in the 10^th century to Egypt and North Africa by traders returning from the Orient. Southeast Asia is thought to be this green fruit’s home. The lime spread to Spain in the 13^th century and then throughout Europe and the New World. Limes were cultivated in the Caribbean and flourished easily in similar climates.

Lemon and Lime Nutrition

Lemons and limes contain flavonoid compounds whose properties include antioxidant and anti-cancer power. Limes in particular carry a flavonoid that has been proven to act as an antibiotic, and the lime has played a role in protecting against cholera.

As a power pack of Vitamin C, the lime and lemon play a healing role in osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis. Lemons and limes both have almost 50% of your daily dose of Vitamin C in a ¼ cup serving. Further, studies indicate that ingesting Vitamin C rich foods provides humans protection against the onset of rheumatoid arthritis and protection against current inflammation for those with either disease.

Selection and Storage

Choose lemons that are thin-skinned, for they will be juicier. The rind should have a finely grained texture and the lemon should feel a bit “heavy” for its size. A solid yellow will indicate the lemon is riper than one with green around the edges. Avoid lemons that are too soft, too hard or wrinkled. Keep lemons at room temperature and out of the sun for up to one week. You can then store lemons in the refrigerator for up to four weeks.

Limes should be firm and heavy for their size, too. A glossy skin that is a rich green is the optimal, but be aware that limes turn more of a yellow as they ripen. Their tart flavor is best when they are green. Avoid limes with brown spots. Limes are to be kept at room temperature and out of direct sunlight for up to one week. Afterwards, place them in a loosely sealed plastic bag in the crisper of your fridge, and they will stay fresh for about two weeks.

Lemonade or Limeade:

• 8 lemons or 8 limes
• honey or agave nectar
• water or sparkling water

Remove the peel from both lemon and limes and juice.  Add water, a sweetener of your choice, and ice. Serve, enjoy!

There are a plethora of plums in the world – over 2,000 varieties in existence and over 100 available in the United States, in fact! Plums are categorized as:

• American
• Japanese
• Damson
• European/Garden
• Ornamental
• Wild

All of these plums vary in size and shape, though it’s common for plums to be heart or oval-shaped. Plums are the rainbow of the fruit world, with color variations of their skin coming in red, purple, blue-black, green, yellow, and amber. The plum’s flesh varies from green, yellow, pink, and orange. The peak plum season runs from May to October, depending upon the variety available.

Plum Passion Juicing Recipe

• 1 apple
• 4 plums (pits removed)

Cut the apple into wedges that will fit into the juicer shute. Remove the pits from the plums. Juice the fruit and enjoy!

Plum Nutrition

Plums contain unique nutrients called phenols, which are antioxidants. These phenols are the prime neutralizer of a free radical called the ‘superoxide anion radical’ which can damage brain cells. Plums protect brain cells and the neurons that fire information between our cells.

The plum also allows the body to better absorb iron. It is thought that the benefit of iron absorption is related to the plums high Vitamin C content. Vitamin C is an all around immune booster. Consumption of fruits and veggies high in Vitamin C is highly recommended by health professionals far and wide. Plums are also a good source of Vitamin A, Vitamin B2, and potassium. All which are vital to good health.

Plum History

European plums were discovered over 2,000 years ago in an area near the Caspian Sea. In ancient Rome, over 300 varieties of the European plum where known. Plums came to the Americas with the pilgrims.

Japanese plums are actually Chinese in origin, but received their name from the country that cultivated them.

Selection and Storage

Plums are ripe and ready to eat when they yield to slight pressure and are a bit soft at the tip. If the plums are firm, leave them at room temperature to ripen. Once the plums are ripe you can store them in the refrigerator for several days. Avoid overly firm plums, as they are immature and will probably not ripen to be sweet and juicy as the best plums are. Avoid any plums with bruises or punctures. If you wish to freeze plums, remove the pits beforehand to preserve that plum-goodness.

The best part of juicing is the double duty you get out of the fruits and vegetables. Not only do we receive the straight up nutrition and cleansing benefits, but we also get the added healthy oomph and flexibility from the pulp. Juicing, it seems, is more than just juice.

The power of fruit and vegetable pulp is concentrated dietary fiber packed with vitamins and minerals that are densely bio available. Using the pulp in recipes not only adds fiber, but also adds extra moisture to recipes or bulk to a recipe providing nutritious ‘filler.’ The moisture in your pulp will vary based on the power of your juicer. A high-powered juicer will produce a drier pulp as a low-powered juicer will create a wetter pulp. Pulp from both machines adds fiber and roughage to whatever recipe you use it in.

Pulp Time Line

Use the pulp immediately if you can, otherwise place it in a bag or container and freeze it. The enzymes in the fresh pulp will start to dissolve quickly, but freezing the pulp will stall that chemical reaction.  That’s because the fibrous property of the pulp is fairly stable and freezing it will extend it’s usability.

Things to do with juice pulp!

Re-Purposing the Pulp Possibilities

What to do with fruit pulp:

• Add some lemon juice and freeze to make a light and delightful sorbet.
• Mix with oil and vinegar to create a salad dressing.
• Turn into a marinade for poultry, pork, or tofu by adding olive oil and apple cider vinegar or lime juice.
• Berry pulp is a great topping for yogurt, ice cream, and muffins.
• Mix soft fruit pulp with a bit of water and put in ice cube trays and freeze for a fruity summer popsicle.
• Add berry pulp or pulp from peaches, pears, orange, apple, and apricots to muffin, bread, or pie recipes and in replacement of whole fruit.
• Feed it to the birds, but first test out a variety of pulps to see which our avian friends prefer.
• Add to the feed for livestock.

What to do with vegetable pulp:

• Mix with yogurt or cream cheese and spices for a cracker or veggie dip.
• Mix with buttermilk or yogurt to create a salad dressing.
• Mix with green onion, minced garlic, and salt for a tasty spread for atop a veggie or cold-cut sandwich.
• Mix in with your pet’s food to provide extra fiber and nutrition. The raw food in their diet will add sheen to their coat and an extra spring to their step. Give them a few days to get used to the idea.
• Add celery, carrot, or beet carrot pulp to burgers, meatballs, and meatloaf to add an extra zing.
• Thicken soups, stews, and gravies with the pulp rather than sing cornstarch.
• Use in ‘layered’ recipes such as lasagna, moussaka, and terrines.

Compost

If you’re an avid juicer like me, then you’ll most likely end up with more pulp than you’ll know what to do with.  If excess pulp is taking over your kitchen, consider composting the pulp to create a healthy fertilizer for your home garden or yard. The compost will create a rich, loamy soil, packed with nutrients your vegetable or flower garden will thank you for.

I’ve discovered Chia seeds!  I can’t stop singing that song from the commercial advertising the Chia Pet!  Remember that one?

Yes, the chia seeds that everyone is discovering now are the same ones that we grew on our countertop so many years ago.  Am I dating myself here?  C’mon, someone out there must remember the chia pets?  Those little clay figures?  I think I had a sheep and a human head.

I certainly knew that one of the latest additions to a living food lifestyle was chia seed, but I didn’t use it.  Then one day I was trying to find another remedy for my daughter’s stomach aches and stumbled across a post on chia seeds.   It said if you take one teaspoon of dry chia with water to swallow, in 15 minutes your stomach ache will be gone.  Let’s look more into this cute little seed.

The chia seed has been around for centuries and was used as a staple food by the Indians.  They would eat a teaspoon full when they went on their 24 hour marches.  Indians going from Colorado to California would take only chia seed for food.  Its use as an endurance food has been recorded as far back as the ancient Aztecs. 

Chia seeds are the perfect food for athletes.  This tiny seed is highly hydrophilic.  That means it absorbs large amounts of water.  They can absorb over 1o times their weight in water.  It can also regenerate  muscle tissue for conditioning athletes and weight lifters.  Chia in your system will absorb the water you drink and hold it in your system longer.   Studies have been done showing that eating chia seeds will slow down how fast your body converts carb calories into simple sugars.  This is great news for diabetics!  This slowing down allows for greater endurance.  Carbs are the fuel for energy in our bodies. 

 Chia seeds gel in the stomach and as it moves through our digestive system  it can help prevent some of the food that we eat from getting absorbed into our system.   This is of great help when dieting or trying to eat less.  You will feel fuller faster and in turn this will help you eat less and be less hungry.  Chia seeds can be a great addition to your detox program.  They are high in fiber and healthy oils.

What about stomach aches?  Raw foods consist largely of hydrophilic colloids.  Cooking, on the other hand, precipitates food’s colloidal integrity.  This change alters the hydration capacity of our foods to interfere with their ability to absorb digestive juices.  Eating raw food allows us to not need hydrophilic colloid.  Raw food contains enough hydrophilic colloid to keep our gastric mucosa at a good balance.  For those of us who suffer from gas, slow digestion or heartburn, we need more hydrophilic colloids incorporated into our foods.  Some of these conditions are not helped with eating raw foods.  However, consuming chia, a hydrophilic colloid, can help certain people with their symptoms.

Chia seed contains Omega 3 and Omega 6 in their oil.  They also are high in alpha-linolenic fatty acid which makes this seed a healthy dietary source of fatty acids.  No, you don’t have to grind them like you do flax seed.  They are relatively easy to digest.  Flax seeds are not.  Chia seeds are also a great muscle and tissue builder.  As a source of protein, it can be digested and absorbed very easily into the tissues and can be utilized by the cells rapidly.  This would’ve been great when my daughter was going through some major growth spurts.  Do you have growing children?  Or are you pregnant?  This benefit of the chia is good for you too! 

Last, but not least, the chia seed is a rich source of calcium.  It contains the mineral boron.  Boron acts as a catalyst for the absorption and utilization of calcium by the body.

Chia gel works as a fat replacer for many recipes.  Just prepare it with pure water and it will absorb 9 times its weight in water in less than ten minutes. You can put chia seeds directly in any of your smoothies.  You can also sprinkle them on top of yogurt or your cereal or add them to salads.  I’ve been putting them in my green smoothies.  The only time I get stomach aches now is when I eat cooked foods, so I am really looking forward to getting my daughter to try them for her stomach issues.

Most of us know the feeling…..when our emotions are too much to handle and we want to deny or bury them with food.  Or if we just don’t know what we are feeling and food is the comfort we have always turned to.  I am an emotional eater.  After turning to a mostly living food lifestyle, I still tend to indulge in the sugar treat, but it only makes me feel crappy.  Alas, even the emotional eating part of my life has changed.

When you feel your strongest cravings for food, chances are you are at your weakest point emotionally.  You may find yourself turning to food and not even know why.  Maybe you understand you are doing it for comfort, or to help you face a problem, handle stress, fight boredom, express anger or deal with anxiety.  Most of us do it unconsciously.  Whether consciously or unconsciously, it will affect your physical and emotional well being.

Emotional eating will sabotage your weight-loss efforts and will lead to eating too much, especially during this holiday time.  You may overeat for many reasons; unemployment, health problems, bad weather, fatigue, work stress or relationship problems.  Eating for these reasons can often lead to eating too much of the high fat, high calorie and the sugar rich foods!  Some people actually eat less during high emotional times.  I tend to eat less during depressing times.  Like with the recent passing of my father, even though I think about food constantly, my stomach won’t allow overeating.  I’ve had many moments where I don’t even remember eating.  And I look at my plate and it’s gone and I didn’t even enjoy it.  You could be reaching for some food right now as you read this and not even thinking about what’s happening.  You may also reach for food instead of dealing with a painful situation.  I’m trying to cry when I need to and take advantage of alone time, but also find comfort in family and friends.

Do the emotions you’ve tried to deny by eating actually go away? No, they often return and will drive you to overeat again, unless you deal with them.  It is an unhealthy cycle.  However,  you must first realize you are doing it.  Try not to beat yourself up for eating without thinking.  Let’s go over some techniques to help you the next time you reach for food instead of that kleenex.

• Think before you eat.  Do you want to eat because you are emotional or because you are hungry?  Is your stomach grumbling?  Did you just recently eat?  Give this craving a little time to pass.  Take a walk or drink a glass of water first.
• Try to deal with stress in other ways.  If you eat to calm stress, try yoga, meditation or listening to relaxing music.
• Get support from friends or family or a group.  These people will help and can sometimes talk you through what you are really feeling.
• Writing down how you are feeling when you think you want to eat or keeping a food diary can help.  This may help you see the patterns and help you connect your mood with food.
• Here’s something I do:  Don’t keep those snacks you tend to over indulge with around the house.  If I don’t have them, I can’t eat them.  Or I will just buy one cookie, instead of a whole box.
• It’s ok to enjoy an occasional treat.  Don’t deprive yourself.  That will just increase your food cravings. 
• Healthy snacks.  You can never have enough around the house.  Choose raw, such as fresh fruit and veggies.  I don’t use salad dressing usually.  A big salad with every veggie that’s available.  Add some fruit or lemon juice for a dressing.  Mix well.
• It’s hard to fight boredom.  We have so many coping mechanisms. I find laughing to help with boredom.  Always have on hand a funny movie or a classic sitcom.  How about playing your favorite artist really loud and dancing around the house?
• Are you getting enough sleep?  It’s hard to feel stable with your emotions if you are also tired.  Naps are good and you should not feel guilty.
• If you still can’t get a grip on your emotions, seek professional help.  A therapist will help you understand your emotional eating and help you learn new coping skills.

And here’s the most important one: If you have an emotional eating episode, forgive yourself. Write about it and plan what you can do to prevent it in the future.  Focus on the positive and what you are learning.

As always, I wish you a healthy and happy holiday.  Keep in touch with your feelings.  Make the choice to feel joy.  PEACE