Inspiration: Reversing Diabetes

Just last week I found out about a documentary film called Simply Raw. This film follows 6 diabetics (both type 1 and type 2) as they travel to a healing center where they live for a month, eating only raw fruits, vegetables, nuts, and seeds. I bought it right away and have watched it two days in a row. :) Their transformation was AMAZING! By day 3 many of the people were off of insulin ENTIRELY, and the others had cut down dramatically. I don't want to ruin the surprise of how it all turns out, but I can tell you that I am completely convinced that diabetes can be cured by changing what we're eating.

If you or someone you love is a diabetic or is at risk for it, I would definitely encourage you to check out this film.
http://www.rawfor30days.com/

It comes with some wonderful downloadable bonus items as well.

I get no compensation for telling you about this film. It is just a wonderful resource that I am very excited about!

No-Sugar Graham Crackers and Chocolate Topping

The kids were wanting a treat today and asked for homemade graham crackers. This is something I learned from the MSG Myth Cookbook. In this book there are a lot of great recipes for making yummy food without MSG and other glutamates, but it often uses white flour and sugar. So I adapt a lot of these to be closer to whole foods. Here is my adaptation of the homemade grahams:

1 cup whole wheat flour

half cup whole oat flour (grind your own, or just whir up some oatmeal in your blender)

1/3 cup + 2 tablespoons agave nectar or honey (I used raw agave nectar today)

1-2 tablespoons rice milk, regular milk, water, or in my case I used some run-off liquid from making homemade yogurt the other day

1/3 cup butter, oil, or applesauce

half teaspoon baking soda

pinch of salt

Mix together dry ingredients. Melt butter, mix with other liquid ingredients, and then add to dry items. Mix until smooth. (I did all of this using my Hamilton Beach Big Mouth Food Processor and it worked great)

If it seems to sticky to work with, chill for about a half hour. I just went ahead and rolled it out onto a cookie sheet (sprayed with no-stick spray). You want it to be fairly thin--a quarter inch or less. Poke it a few times with a fork.

Bake at 350 degrees for about 7 minutes. It should be golden brown.
When you take it out of the over, quickly cut into the size/shapes you want your graham crackers to be.

In addition to being able to use this for a graham cracker alternative, you could cut it into smaller pieces and make it into cereal!

My daughter wanted some chocolate to go along with this, so here is what I did:

Melt a tablespoon of coconut oil.
Add in about a tablespoon of cocoa, carob, or cacao powder.
Add in a couple tablespoons of agave nectar or honey.
Mix it up til smooth, and taste a bit to see if it is sweet and chocolatey. Add more agave or honey if needed.

I drizzled this over some of the grahams. The kids came running and loved it. (even the 16 year old) You could add some natural peanut butter or other nut butter to the chocolate if you like. The coconut oil is good for you, plus if this drizzle needs to sit for awhile, it'll get a little hardened up and not stay runny.

I had some leftover chocolate concoction after the drizzling, so added natural peanut butter and some unsweetened flaked coconut to mine and poured it into a container and stuck it in the fridge. It'll hit the spot sometime when I'm feeling a chocolate craving. :)

What's the difference between the various types of Super Mom and Super Dad vitamins?

I'm often asked what the difference is between the various multi vitamins that I offer at the store. Here's a quick answer:

Super Mom Multi Vitamins with Spirulina: Comes in tablet form and you only need to take two a day.

Super Dad Multi Vitamins with Spirulina: Same as above, except does not contain iron.

The tablet form works out to be the most economical way to get these vitamins. ($12 per month for an excellent product!)

Super Mom V-caps: The same excellent product, in capsule form. Some people find these easier to swallow. You have to take 4 a day of these.

Super Dad V-caps: Again, same as the Super Mom V-caps, just without iron.

You don't have to be a woman to take the Super Mom vitamins. Guys, I promise you--you won't grow a uterus if you use these. :)

I personally take the Super Dad tablets because I do not like extra iron in my diet.

I get emails from customers all the time telling me how much these vitamins have helped their health, helped them have healthier pregnancies, given them more energy, and more! They are very good and I'm pleased to be able to offer them to you. :)

What about non-stick pans and coated aluminum?

Erica,

You mentioned Aluminum and aluminum pans in your email this morning.
Do you have an opinion on Circulon (R) brand hard anodized aluminum
non-stick pans? They happen to be on sale currently at Sears, and we were
considering purchasing a set.

Our kitchen has a flat ceramic cooktop surface, and our cast iron
skillets are not completely flat on the bottoms and are not recommended
to be used on this type of surface.

Thanks in advance!

Michelle

Hi Michelle,

From the research I've done, non-stick coatings look to have some health risks that are distressing. Here are some resources I've found:
http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2007/09/20/beware-teflon-products-can-harm-your-baby.aspx
http://shop.mercola.com/Seminars-Dangers_of_Teflon_Special_Report-P775.aspx

Dr. Mercola writes in another article:
Use glass, cast iron, carbon steel, titanium, and enamel cookware. Both aluminum and Teflon are well known for their toxic dangers, and stainless steel can expose you to carcinogenic nickel.

http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2008/07/22/toxic-metals-the-reason-you-still-feel-sick.aspx

I hadn't read about the risks of stainless steel before. Rats! Now I have to think about one more thing.... ;)

I hope this helps!

~Erica

I did think of Visions cookware for this. It is glass-ceramic, so I would think it would be a safe choice. I got a bunch of it back in the olden days when I first got married, but passed it along to a friend in favor of the Revere stainless steel set that I also got, which was what I was used to from growing up. Now I guess I'll be on the lookout for some sales on Visions.

Gardening Blog

Hey everybody!

For those of you that enjoy hearing about how things are working for other gardeners, you will probably enjoy checking out this one. The author is a daughter is one of my recent class members. She is gardening for her family! Check it out.

Earth Day Festival

Today was such a gorgeous day here in Kentucky! It was comfortably warm, with lots of strong breezy winds. Wonderful for us to walk around and see the sights....but a lot less convenient for all of the vendors who had their tents and brochures flying about!

I was very happy to find vendors selling garden plants that were organic and heirloom. Heirloom plants allow for you to save the seeds and reuse them for future years, plus have the fun of sharing with friends. :)

Plants I bought today include:

several varieties of tomatoes (ah! Just the thought of the glorious scent of tomato plants has me looking forward to getting the tiller out!)
cucumbers
cabbage
cauliflower
broccoli
eggplant
lettuce (growing in my indoor window garden!)
basil (also growing indoors, along with some parsley I already had)
and probably a few more that I can't remember.

We were also able to buy some seeds. We're planning a large area for pumpkins, gourds, corn, watermelon, and some other melons. And of course I'm going to grow zucchini! (such an impressive plant!)

I am hoping that we can get all of these lovely plants into the ground very soon. I am really looking forward to growing lots of yummy things in my own back yard this year!

What will your garden grow this summer?

Quick Update, and a New Sale!

Hey everybody!

It's been a crazy busy week or three here.....hence the lack of latest blog posts. I just sat down at the computer with a y-u-m-m-y bowl of healthy ice cream (recipe from my online class!) and wanted to check in with you all.

It has been 44 days since I stopped eating sugar, and I'm doing very well with that. I've lost a little more weight, too. I'm considering going on a juice fast for a week or two. I've had a lot of stress lately and I'm just not feeling as healthy or energetic as I'd like to. I've never done a long juice fast yet but have been reading about it online and thinking through whether or not I've got the time or energy for it right now. (juice fasting can produce a lot of detox symptoms which can be rough going while it lasts....basically, things feel worse before they feel better...can I deal with feeling worse?! I don't know...) At the very least, I'm busting out my Green Star juicer tonite so that I can make some delicious and refreshing juice made from carrots, celery, zucchini, beet, and apple tomorrow. Believe it or not, it is very light tasting, sweet, and wonderful!

I am also looking forward to taking my children to our local Earth Day Festival tomorrow. It is supposed to be a gorgeous day! (it was in the 80s here today)

Today I was THRILLED to see that my potato plants are growing!!! I've been eagerly awaiting to see if the above-ground method was going to work, and had just about given up hope. but today, there were some beautiful baby plants poking up through the straw. How FUN! The kids and I were just about jumping for joy at the sight of them. :) Now we have to get busy with the rest of our gardening plans. I feel like we are getting a late start!

Are you growing anything in your yard these days?

I also wanted to let you all know that I've got several items on sale this week:

My Supermom's No-Lice Hair and Body spray is at an all-time low for a limited time. If you've got kids or work with them, you will want to check this out.

Also on sale right now:
Super Dad Vcaps and Super Kids liquid multi vitamins!

What are you doing to improve your health this week?!

Today's My Birthday!

Yep! It's true. Today is my birthday and I'm 38 years old now. :) (If I get vain in a few years and start refusing to tell people how old I am, you'll be able to check back here and figure out the truth!)

To celebrate, I decided to put together some $38 specials in the store. (get it?! 38 Special? Were you a teenager in the 80s?)

It was too good a pun to resist.

I've got a variety of deals, with a regular retail value of anywhere from $41.95-$56.85!

Check out the $38 specials here. They're only going to be up through Saturday.

Enjoy!

Basic Cooking Resources

Recently a gal from the online class emailed me to say that she is totally brand new to cooking and was wondering if I had any resources to recommend to her. Here's what I came up with:

I did a google search for basic cooking and found a few sites that look like they might be a help:
http://www.i-hate-cooking-recipes.com/
http://startcooking.com/
http://www.basiccookingtips.com/

This blog is one of my favorites for cooking. She takes tons of photos so you understand what to do every step of the way:
http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/
I will say, though, that I find that Pioneer Woman does a bunch of her cooking The Hard Way. (very slow, a lot of fussing, many steps where there needn't be so many, dirtying many pots and pans which I do not have any patience for, etc.) I always redesign those recipes to do it My Way (which is the much, much easier and faster and less annoying way). You will also need to keep an eye open for ways to make those recipes healthier. This isn't a healthy food blog. Sorry.

I also thought of the Joy of Cooking cookbook, which is a classic. They have a web site. not sure how basic it is though:
http://www.thejoykitchen.com/

I got a Betty Crocker cooking back in 1991 when I got married, and it has been one of my favorites. Most general cookbooks tell about pots and pans, what various cooking terminology means, etc. so those are really good for starting out not knowing much. Your library probably has a ton of cookbooks to choose from, so that may be a good resource.

You Tube has a lot of cooking videos that are helpful also.

If you know any older ladies in your neighborhood or church, maybe you could ask them to teach you some things about cooking. Many skilled women are around and find that younger women do not value the domestic talents they have. You'd probably make some lady very happy to be able to share what she's learned. Plus, when you learn from others you can often learn the short cuts and tips that make cooking easier, faster, tastier, and cheaper than if you just follow a cook book.

I hope this helps. Good luck to you on your journey!

A little no-sugar treat

It has been over a month since I stopped eating sugar. Along the way I created some other eating guidelines for myself, in an effort to get back to where I'd like to be health-wise, and to help lose some weight. I've mainly only eaten whole grains (and have limited them), have limited myself on treats (one Jocalat bar per day), and haven't overdone it on fruits. I've also tried to get in raw foods as much as possible. I've lost about pound a week doing this, which seems good to me considering that exercise hasn't been added into the mix.

*I did just start adding some exercise yesterday, and if I told you what it was you would cringe for how pitiful it was. Actually, I am going to tell you: 2 minutes of going up and down our stairs as quickly as possible. I was going to start with 3 minutes but found that I was already hurting after just one minute! I tell you this in order to keep it real. Too many of you email me and mention your make-believe ideas about how perfectly I'm eating and living. I'm not! There's a reason why I teach like I do--I have to be honest! I fall off the wagon. A lot. And then I get back on. That's what I'm best at. ie: Knowing what I'd like to be doing, struggling to do it, being nice to myself anyhow, and then trying again when I'm ready. It seems like I get a little better at it every go-round. :)

Tonite I was having a hankering for a treat but wasn't willing to fall off the no-sugar bandwagon for it. Decided to see what I could make from what I had. I ended up with a variation of my healthy fudge recipe, which I share in the online class. Here's what I did:

half cup natural peanut butter and natural cashew butter
*Last time I went to the health food store I ground my own nut butters there. These have been entirely non-oily, and the peanut butter in particular is easily spreadable even though it is kept in the fridge. I don't think I will ever go back to peanut butter in a jar again!

half cup of light agave nectar
*works into the mix easier than honey, fewer calories than honey, and a lower glycemic index

about a cup of unsweetened flaked coconut

some chopped dates (maybe a half cup)

about a third cup of cocoa powder
*You could use carob powder as well, but I don't have any right now

I just whizzed it all up in the food processor, tasted a bit to make sure it was ok, and smooshed it into a medium sized Tupperware container and stuck it in the fridge. I plan to cut it into small squares to enjoy when a chocolate craving hits me. You could also roll it into balls or logs, coat with more coconut or crushed up nuts, etc.

Obviously there is a lot you could do to vary this recipe. I just worked with what I had. I was pleased that I didn't need to heat this since I prefer keeping it raw if I can. The agave in place of honey sure helped, as did the easy-spreadability of the peanut butter I have. Yay!

Good Guide

A friend of mine told me about this cool new web site, Good Guide. You can find out the safety and health of various food and personal products, as well as how environmentally friendly the companies behind them are. I was happy to see Miessence products rated very well here. You can look for regular grocery store foods as well as healthier options and see how they were evaluated. A really cool resource!

Healthy Sun Screen--Finally!!

Commonly available sun screen products are some of the most dangerous products in the market. Typically they are full of chemicals that are known carcinogens, parabens, and petroleum products. Ironically, the products specifically for babies and children are usually the worst!

I am so pleased to now be able to offer this excellent sun care product that is safe and effective for the whole family.

A water-free nourishing balm with natural minerals that help reflect damaging ultraviolet radiation. Microfine zinc oxide offers protection from harmful rays whilst organic olive oil keeps the skin supple. Potent antioxidants including natural vitamin E, beta carotene and polygonum extract, protect the skin from premature aging and prevent damage caused by the elements.

The Reflect Outdoor Balm is actually tested to 29.5 SPF.

"Due to regulations in Australia for SPF ratings, ONE Group (makers of Miessence products) would have to have this product manufactured in a licensed SPF facility (instead of their own manufacturing plant) to claim an SPF higher than 15. ONE Group submitted it for third party testing which gave it a rating of SPF level 29.5"

So, the product has an SPF of 29.5, it has been tested to this level but it's not labeled or advertised that way.

ONE Group did not want to let go of manufacturing control, risking exposure of possible synthetic ingredient contamination by having this product manufactured by a licensed SPF facility that uses synthetic chemicals.

Purchase it here!