Beans,Beans Are Good For Your Heart.....

Beans, beans are good for your heart....

We all have heard that saying before, but according to an extensive study by the American Institute for Cancer Research they recommend eating whole grains and legumes(beans, chickpeas, soybeans, split peas or lentils) at EVERY meal.  Not every week or day, but every meal!  Legumes are loaded with protein, iron, and zinc as you might expect from other protein sources such as meat but legumes contain nutrients that concentrated in the vegetable kingdom, including fiber, folate and potassium.  You get the best of both worlds with beans, all the while enjoying foods that are low in saturated fat, sodium and cholesterol-free.  Along with rice they are very inexpensive, especially in bulk.  Consumption of beans is associated with lower blood pressure, regulation of blood sugar, and insulin levels.  They also reduce the risk of stroke, depression and colon cancer.  The phytoestrogens in soy, such as tofu and tempeh (great/easy: tempeh chicken salad recipe) help to prevent breast cancer and  breast cancer survival.  Beans can be added to any meal, snacks and the main dish.  The possibilities are endless.

Here are a few of my easy bean recipes:

Quinoa Black Bean Bowl

Kale and Chickpea Mash

For a little more effort:

Kristen's Vegan Crock Pot Chili

Black Bean/Beet Veggie Burgers

For more (27) easy recipes check out Blue Zones: Turn 1 Can of Beans Into 27 Easy Meals

BELIEVE IN 

KINDNESS

Have a great week.

Judd

Got Hemp?

Got Hemp?  It does a body good.

Cultivation of hemp dates back over 10,000 years!  It was first used as food in ancient China and India.  For nearly 3000 years it was the planet's largest agricultural crop and most important industry producing fiber, paper, clothing, lighting fuel and medicine used by much of humanity.  

In the 17th century, American farmers in Connecticut, Massachusetts and Virginia were ordered by law to grow Indian Hemp.  By the early 18th century, a person could be sentenced to jail if they weren't growing hemp.   Hemp can be farmed without herbicides/pesticides, without field rotation, and in a variety of soils and climates.  Modern technologies have made possible over 20,000 products from hemp.  We should be growing more.   

It is and always has been Earths' most sustainable resource. 

Hemp seeds are a "Super Food", a gift of nature.  They are one of the most nutritious foods in the world. Containing a complete protein, They have the most concentrated balance of proteins, essential fats, vitamins and enzymes then any other food.

Here are a few benefits;

*Promotes heart health: with a perfect 3:1 balance of omega 3 and omega 6 fatty acids.

*High in fiber: has both indigestible and digestible fibers.

*Contains 20 amino acids: but also the 9 essential amino acids our bodies cannot produce, which makes it the perfect protein.

*Rich in GLA: which helps in inflammation reduction, balancing hormones, fighting cancer and MS.

*High in Vitamin E: also potassium, phosphorus, magnesium, calcium, iron and zinc.

For more information on hemp see here: Pure Healing Foods, History of Hemp

An easy way to get a daily dose of hemp seeds is to top your morning oatmeal.

You can get an 8 oz bag from Trader Joe's for under $5.

Have a great week.

Be kind.

Judd

Hummus with Roasted Red Peppers

Here's a recipe for a quick, delicious hummus:

2-15 oz. cans of organic garbanzo beans.

1-6 oz. jar of roasted red peppers.

1/4 cup tahini.

1 garlic clove.

1 teaspoon salt.

Put all ingredients in a Vitamix or high speed blender. 

Blend until smooth and creamy.

Hummus topping:

1-6 oz. jar of roasted red peppers.

A handful of fresh basil.

A pinch of garlic powder or a fresh fat clove.

A dash of salt and pepper.

A dash of sugar.

A drizzle of white wine vinegar.

Combine all into a food processor until smooth.

 Enjoy with fresh veggies or pita chips!

Have a great week. 

Be kind.

Judd

Teriyaki Tofu Fried Rice

If you happen to have a Trader Joe's near you, you should definitely take advantage of the great prices and large selection of great products.  Kristen and I usually make the 45 minute one way trip a couple times per month to stock up the pantry and refrigerator/freezer.  One meal we love to make is Teriyaki Tofu Fried Rice.  You can get everything from Trader Joe's.  It is a simple, delicious meal with minimum ingredients.

Here it is:

*Press 1 package of extra firm organic tofu for 20 minutes.

*Cut into 1/2" cubes and marinate in TJ's Island Soyaki for 30 minutes.

*Bake at 325'F for 45 minutes (flip at 15 & 30 minutes) we used our new Breville Smart Oven Air.

*Stir fry TJ's Vegetable Fried Rice for 5 minutes.

*Add cooked tofu to the rice mixture and serve with Coconut Aminos or Sweet Chili Sauce (both available at Trader Joe's)

I hope you enjoy it!

By shopping at Trader Joe's you are able to save on your grocery bill, while still finding a wide selection of organic foods, produce, breads, frozen fruits and veggies, treats and even wine.

Have a great week.

Be kind.

Judd

Eat Your Greens!

Leafy greens.

Hippie food, rabbit food, its called many different things.

I call it for what it is: a superfood.  Superfood is something that is more nutrient dense calorie for calorie than a regular food.  Being one of the most least expensive and most abundant types of foods, leafy greens are mostly avoided.  We have become addicted to the "great flavors" of processed foods.  There is a wide diversity of tastes and flavors of every green, none taste the same. Peppery arugula, buttery smooth bibb, crispy romaine, bitter kale or spinach just tastes "green".

The fastest way to improve your health is organic leafy greens, they are life supporting, health inducing, nutrient-packed edibles, that should take up most of our plates at every meal. Eat them or drink them everyday.

A general rule for nutritional value is the darker the more nutritious.  Lettuces are mostly water and very low in calories.  Dark greens such as spinach, collard, kale, radicchio and Swiss chard are rich in minerals such as calcium, iron, magnesium.  They are loaded with anti-oxidants which help our cells combat environmental stressors and toxins. Cruciferous greens, such as cabbage, broccoli rabe are full of fiber, phytochemicals which are good for our digestion and helps feed our gut bacteria.  There many wild greens (Eating Weeds) that you can find in your backyard and by foraging the countryside. Dandelion and Purslane are the most common.  Just make sure you are confident in identification of anything wild and have not been recently sprayed with herbicides.

Here are some health benefits from consuming leafy greens:

*Dark leafy greens give our bodies Folate: Folate describes the B vitamin which is essential in amino acid production and cell division.

*Dark leafy greens burn fats: even though they are a low calorie, weight loss food they contain nitrates which convert white fat cells into brown fat cells. This creates extra fat-burning and ultimately weight loss.

*Dark leafy greens are anti-aging: vitamin k, beta-carotene and lutein influence anti-aging.

*Dark leafy greens are heart healthy: greens regulate the production of a hormone called erythroproietin which decreases blood viscosity which in turn reduces blood clots and heart attacks.

*Dark leafy greens fight diabetes: magnesium, ALA omega 3 fatty acids and polyphenols found in greens manage glycemic load and insulin sensitivity.

Dark leafy greens feed your gut: the high fiber content greens provide substrates for our guts microbes to digest and create healthy gut biomes.

Dark leafy greens build enzymes: raw foods have the most alive and active enzymes, which promote cellular detoxification.

Do not overeat just one type of green ( or any food), for example: some greens bind calcium so your body has trouble absorbing it.  

Eat a variety of dark leafy greens and you'll reap all of the positive health benefits!

Greens are the real secret of a healthy diet and are pure medicine.

Go make a "Big Ass Salad" with nuts, seeds and raw veggies.

Food for Thought

Have a great week.

Be kind.

Judd

Take Control of Your Health

The research is in.  Years of study.  Tens of thousands of people studied.  Whole plant-based diets are the number one recommended diet for ultimate health.  In 2013, a "Nutritional Update for Physicians" was published by Kaiser Permanente, the largest managed-care organization in the US.  They cover about nine million people with 15,000 physicians, who were told that healthy eating may be best achieved with a plant-based diet and discourages meat, dairy and eggs as well as refined and processed foods.  They went on to say, physicians typically ignore the benefits of nutrition and quickly prescribe medications instead giving patients a chance to correct their disease through healthy eating and active lifestyle.  Physicians should consider recommending a plant-based diet to all their patients, especially those with high blood pressure, diabetes, cardiovascular disease and obesity. 

"Want to “lose weight,…feel better,…improve, stabilize, or even reverse chronic…disease,” get off some of your medications? If you answered ‘yes’ to any of these questions, then a plant-based eating plan may be right for you.” Side effects may include lower cholesterol, blood pressure, and blood sugar, reversal or prevention of heart disease [our #1 killer], a longer life, healthier weight, lower risk of cancer or diabetes—may even slow the progression of certain types of cancer,” and improve inflammatory conditions, like “rheumatoid arthritis.”   

Sounds like a pretty good deal

Here's a great video from Nutritionfacts.org on: "Lifestyle Medicine"    

I know I am always linking podcasts from Rich Roll but this one one is incredible: "The Alzheimer's Solution"  This is a must listen to podcast.  The research they have done shows how important our diets and lifestyle choices are to having a healthy life.

Have a great week.

Be kind.

Judd

Good Carbs vs Bad Carbs

There is a lot people out there who believe that "carbs" are bad.  Most people want to cut out all carbohydrates thinking that's the only way to lose weight.  There are good carbs and bad carbs.  Along with protein and fat, carbohydrates are the three main macro-nutrients that are bodies need. Their primary function is to provide energy for us.  Simple, complex and refined carbohydrates encompass a broad range of sugars, starches and fiber.

Complex carbohydrates are good carbs which we should base our diets on.  Complex carbs are sugar molecules that are strung together in long, complex chains.  The body digests them very slow and generally doesn't produce a spike in blood sugar.

Sources of complex carbs include:

*Oatmeal, Barley

*Brown Rice

*Beans, Lentils

*Sweet Potatoes

*Green Vegetables

These are also a great source vitamins and minerals.

Simple carbohydrates or "simple sugars" are just that, simple.

They are comprised of one or two molecules and the body is able to digest them very quickly.  They are a fast acting source of energy.  Athletes in competition use them for quick burning energy.  If you are sedentary, simple carbs are more likely to spike your blood sugar and cause you to gain weight.

Sources of simple carbs include:  

*Raw sugars

*Corn (high fructose)syrups 

*Baked cakes

*Cookies

*Fruit juice concentrates 

*Energy drinks(Gatorade/Powerade)

Raw fruits are simple sugars, but along with those you are getting a lot of fiber and minerals.

These should be the only types of simple sugars you consume.

For an easy, quick burning energy, try my recipe for Spartan AROO Balls.

Refined Carbohydrates are even more "simple". 

These are foods that the fiber is removed.  These come from whole, natural foods which has been processed to where they no longer resemble their original form. High fructose corn syrup and bleached white flour are common examples.  Most pastas, breads and even fruit juices are refined carbs and contain little to no nutrients.  All of these spike your blood sugar levels and cause you to gain weight.  You should consume "sprouted" whole grain breads, pastas, etc and just eat the whole fruit, fiber and all!

Why you need Complex Carbs:

*Energy: They provide the body with energy immediately, consume early in the day, and they will keep you from being tired and fatigued later in the day.

*Digestion: Since carbs contain fiber, they help aid digestion and keep you "regular".

*Metabolism: Without energetic calories(carbs) your metabolism suffers. Low carbs=slow metabolism=no energy.

*Filling Fiber: Not only does it regulate your digestion, it keeps you full longer. Aim for 25-35 grams of fiber per day.  Whole food sources of carbohydrates have a lot of fiber.

*Brain and Nervous System Function: Complex carbs help to maintain a grounding effect on our bodies, reducing nervousness and anxiety.  Without good carbs we become sad, depressed and it's hard to concentrate.

Eating more of complex carbohydrates will benefit you and you will hopefully suffer less health consequences.

Have a Happy Thanksliving!

  Have a great week. 

Be kind.

Judd

The Power of Seeds

It's amazing how much nutritional power a tiny seed can contain.  Seeds are some of the most powerful foods you can consume.  If you think about it, a seed contains all the nutrients it needs to grow into a mature plant.  Therefore, we get a tiny power punch of nutrients to boost muscle growth and provide us with a lt of clean energy.  Seeds are full of amino acids(protein), magnesium, B vitamins, iron, fiber, healthy fats and many more minerals.  

Some of the more common seeds are:

*Chia Seeds- they provide much more omega 3 fats than omega 6 keeping that ratio balanced to fight inflammation. For more info see Chia

*Flax Seeds- Known for their high fiber content, they assist in lowering blood sugar. You MUST use ground flax seeds, as our bodies cannot digest whole seeds. You can add them to just about everything like salads, smoothies, oatmeal, baked veggies and even substitute in gel form for egg replacement in baking.

*Hemp Seeds- hemp seeds have mega dose of magnesium which regulates muscle/nerve functions, blood sugar and blood pressure. They provide a mild nutty flavor to just about everything. For more info see this: Benefits of Hemp Seeds

*Sunflower Seeds- everyone loves sunflower seeds. They promote healthy cardiovascular systems, full of magnesium,, healthy cholesterol levels, promotes healthy mental health and "Selenium" maintains healthy thyroid and hormone levels. For more info see this: Benefits of Sunflower Seeds.

Pumpkin Seeds- with Halloween this week, it's a great time for pumpkin seeds. When cleaning and carving your pumpkin don't throw away the seeds! Roast them!  They are full of potassium, protein and vitamin E.

*Sesame Seeds- sesame seeds have long been a favorite, topping buns, making tahini paste, in stir fries and curries. They are high in iron and calcium and provides fiber to lower cholesterol and protect the heart.  Tahini makes the greatest hummus.   

*Quinoa- a replacement for dishes using rice, Quinoa is a high protein packing seed. High in manganese, magnesium, copper, fiber, and folate. Also, it's gluten-free! For more info see: Quinoa

For those quick, easy and nutritious snacks throughout the day, just a carry a pack of mixed nuts and seeds. You can never go wrong with that option.

Correction from last week's post:
I found out that almonds and walnuts are actually seeds, not nuts😏
Have a great week.
Be kind.
Judd