CHA-CHA-CHA-CHIA

Step aside flax, there's a new seed in town!

With more antioxidants than blueberries and more calcium than whole milk, chia seeds have gained recent popularity in the health food industry.

Truth be told, chia seeds are nothing new. Aztecs, Incans, and Mayans are said to have been the first to incorporate the seeds into their diets, combining them with water and simply drinking them, or grinding them into flours, oils, and pastes utilized in cooking and medicines. They also consumed chia before exercise for improved endurance and stamina and packed them when they traveled long distances for the same reason.

Chia Vs. Flax
Like flax seeds, chia seeds are both gluten-free, and vegan, but they easily trump flax nutritionally and their generous proportion of antioxidants to oils means they keep for years without spoiling, even without refrigeration. They are readily digested when consumed whole, unlike flax seeds which contain enzyme inhibitors that prevent nutrient absorption.

That being said, chia is available for purchase at health food stores in whole seed or sprouted form. Sprouting always improves digestibility and nutrient absorption. Choose the sprouted variety as an everyday addition to soups, smoothies, oat meals, salads and yogurts, and reserve the whole seeds for homemade, pressed milk and grind them (in a coffee grinder) for use in baking.

Vegetarians & Chia
Chia seeds are ideal for those on a vegetarian, and especially vegan diet as they are rich in the omega-3 fatty acid, Alpha-Linolenic Acid (ALA), and are a source of calcium and iron, nutrients largely absent in such diets.

Vegetarians Note: Apart from fresh seaweed, healthy animal proteins, such as (organic) wild pacific salmon and (organic) free-range eggs alone provide the other two essential components of omega-3 fatty acids, EicosoPentaenoic Acid (EPA) & DocosaHexaenoic Acid(DHA), so it is important to supplement with a high-quality seaweed-based omega-3 oil for optimal health if your diet contains no animal products.

How Does Chia Taste?
Chia seeds have a very subtle nutty flavour, so they are easily disguised in most dishes, boasting nutritional content without the introduction of a competing flavour.

Try adding two tablespoons to your favourite smoothie or liquid whole food meal supplement, but know that chia seeds have a natural thickening effect, so adjust the water content accordingly.

Notable Nutrients
Whole Dried Chia Seeds
Protein, soluble fiber, calcium, iron, manganese, omega-3 & omega-6 fatty acids

The soluble fiber present in chia seeds not only leaves you fuller, longer, it soothes the digestive tract, coating the intestinal walls, keeping them hydrated easing the passage of food.

Omega-3 fatty acids not only improve skin and hair health, they have anti-inflammatory properties which are contributors to heart health, reducing the risk of heart disease and stroke by lowering blood pressure. The same properties reduce muscle and menstrual cramps and joint pain, such as arthritis and tendinitis, and lower the risk of diabetes among other degenerative diseases.

Antioxidants in chia seeds counteract free-radicals, strengthen the immune system, and help prevent breast and colon cancers. They also have a positive hormonal influence on mood, raising serotonin levels, thereby reducing symptoms of depression.

Hit up your local health food store for some chia today and if all else fails, you can always make yourself a low-maintenance pet!

Sa-Sa-Sa-Sarah



Sources:

Sarma Melngailis' "Living Raw Food"

http://www.drbenkim.com/

http://nutritiondata.self.com/facts/nut-and-seed-products/3061/2

3 INGREDIENT GREEN PEA SOUP WITH ROASTED GARLIC

When green peas are on the table, you better believe I am having seconds, but as fresh and delicious as these little legumes are, they are always playing second fiddle to the meal's main event. Peas are easy to whip up in a hurry so they were always an afterthought.

This pea soup is my new take on the super time staple. I Added roasted garlic to bring these sweet spheres to life, packing in a ton of flavour, without adding a ton more calories.

Simply pop the garlic heads in the oven to roast when you arrive home from work and by dinner they will be ready to work their magic in this simple souper, surprisingly filling meal.

Once the garlic is roasted, the green pea portion of the recipe takes less than 10 minutes to prepare. So, skip the high-sodium, low-flavour canned soup variety and whip up this nutritious, economical, 3 ingredient soup fit for the whole family (I call it "Shrek Soup" for kids!)

Ingredients
3 heads garlic
4 cups frozen (organic) green peas
4 cups hot vegetable stock, low sodium or homemade (better!)
Sea salt to taste
Freshly ground black pepper

Directions
1. Preheat oven to 350 F. Chop the tops off all 3 heads of garlic, just grazing the cloves and place them in a covered casorole dish.
2. Bake for 40-50 minutes, until they are soft and squishy. Remove from oven, allow to cool.
3. Turn each head topside down and squeeze the softened cloves out into a pot.
4. Add the peas and stock, bringing the mixture to a boil and then simmer on low for 5 minutes.
5. Puree using a blender. (If you don't have a hand blender, I highly recommend the fantastic tool. Use it right in the pot to puree sauces and soups).
6. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Serves 4

Notable Nutrients
Green Peas
vitamin K, vitamin C, manganese, dietary fiber, folate, thiamin (vitamin B1), vitamin A, phosphorus, vitamin B6, protein, niacin, magnesium, riboflavin (vitamin B2), copper, iron, zinc and potassium.

Green peas promote bone and cardiovascular health and prevent osteoperosis and cancer. Their rich vitamin B complex supports the metabolism of fats, proteins and carbohydrate, resulting in increased energy.

Garlic
Allyl polysulfides (anti-oxidant rich sulfers), manganese, vitamin B6, vitamin C, protein and thiamin (vitamin B1), and minerals: phosphorus, selenium, calcium, potassium, and copper.

The anti-inflammatory benefits of garlic include blood pressure regulation, reduced cholesterol and lower the risk of heart disease and stroke. Garlic has antibacterial properties which aid in the body's response to infection. Regular consumption of raw garlic is preventative against cancer.

Pass the peas please!

Sarah

Sources:

http://www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?tname=foodspice&dbid=55

WHAT DOES "HEALTHY" MEAN?

These days, everyone is throwing around the word healthy as if it's going to go out of style. Companies slap the word on their products and watch their sales soar and it's convenient for consumers to purchase a product based on front-of-package health claims, rather than reading the label.

Traditionally, the term healthy meant a person was in a state of good physical and mental well-being. Let's google it!

"The general condition of a person in all aspects. It is also a level of functional and/or metabolic efficiency of an organism, often implicitly human" 1.

We don't eat something healthy. We eat something nutritious and it makes us healthy. So how did healthy come to describe our food?

The advertising industry could be to blame for the word's misuse. The word healthy became synonymous with nutritious simply because it was marketed to us that way. Now lets google nutritious!

"Nutrition (also called nourishment or aliment) is the provision, to cells and organisms, of the materials necessary (in the form of food) to support life" 2.

Nutrition is the action and health is the reaction. Though the words have come to mean the same thing in the food packaging world, healthy and nutritious are not interchangeable terms. You wouldn't call someone nutritious for the same reason we shouldn't label our food healthy.

That being said, products are currently mislabelled this way. We must learn how to decipher nutritious items from imposters using more than a company's empty prepackaged promise.

What's In A Name?
It has become fashionable for companies to label their products healthy because of some of its content. A box of granola bars may read healthy and it may contain nuts and seeds, which are indeed health promoting, but reading the label could expose taste enhancers such as glucose (sugar) and sodium (salt) in large quantities, preservatives to prolong shelf life, or the box has simply been sitting on that shelf for months. The granola bar is not actually nutritious.

The best way to insure your diet is nutritious is to eat foods in their most natural state. Our bodies can digest them efficiently and have been doing so for millions of years.

Consider an apple. An apple you pick off the tree and consume immediately contains more nutrients than an apple that is picked, then shipped to a grocery store, which contains more nutrients than an apple that is picked, covered in wax, stored in a factory, then shipped to a grocery store, which contains more nutrients than an apple which is picked, waxed, stored, juiced, mixed with other ingredients and preservatives, then shipped to the grocery store.

Eating foods in their most natural state (think fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds, grains) is referred to in the health and fitness industries as eating clean. Such foods are nutrient dense so we are satisfied eating less and stay fuller longer. These foods also take less energy to break down, so our bodies have more energy for cleaning and repair.

Nutritious Shopping Tips
1. Choose mostly fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds, whole grains and pseudograins (see below).

2. Avoid prepackaged items such as microwave dinners, canned foods, crackers, most cereals and granola bars.

3. Make a prepackaged exception for frozen whole fruits and vegetables, whole grain or gluten-free (better) pastas, wild brown basmati rice and psuedograins like quinoa, buckwheat groats, oat groats, millet, amaranth, and whole or sprouted flax and chia seed.

3. Focus shopping around the perimeter of the grocery store. Avoid going down most aisles which tend to be stocked with low in nutritional value items.

4. Read each label carefully, keeping in mind the serving size located at its top.

5. If you don't know what it is, don't put it in your mouth! Products which feature lengthy chemicals you can't even pronounce are best avoided.

6. Items that boast low calorie, zero calorie or diet such as sodas and sweeteners are filled with chemical replacements. There is no such thing as a healthier soda.

7. Eat your calories. Don't drink them! Unless you are making homemade smoothies or vegetable juices, stick to filtered water and herbals teas whenever possible. Fruit also has a high water content which will satisfy your sweet tooth.

Healthy is a lifestyle and nutrition is your yellow brick road. Tell the Wiz I say hi!

Sarah

*As we all know, to achieve optimal health, a nutrious diet should be accompanied by a fitness program*

1. wordnetweb.princeton.edu/perl/webwn
2. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nutritious

RUNNER'S HIGH EXPLAINED

During prolonged moderate to intense exercise, our brains release chemicals known as endorphins as a natural response to physical stress placed on the body. These endorphins combine with epinephrine, serotoin, and dopamine to improve our physical performance through blocking pain receptors.

The result is an excited or happy state. Some would even go as far as to call it euphoric. It is comparative to a drug induced high or the feeling love, and it is possible to develop a similar addition.

How to Get the High
The truth is, you don't need to run to experience runner's high. Your body will respond the same way to any type of lengthy moderate to intense stress. The key is keeping your heart rate up and maintaining a comfortable, but challenging pace.

It is important to hydrate, warm-up and stretch for 5 to 10 min before beginning any fitness routine. This will not only prepare the body for the work ahead, but significantly reduce the risk of injury.

Begin running, dancing, jumping rope or your exercise of choice at a moderate pace and maintain that pace for at least 25 minutes. You will reach a point where you begin to feel very comfortable. (My personal indicator is when my mind is suddenly able to wonder). You have caught your second wind, or found your stride.

Increase your speed to a more intense level, outside your comfort zone, where you begin to feel out of breath. Maintain this speed until you feel the high.

The Mechanics of Runner's High
Runner's High is experienced just beyond the anaerobic threshold.

When we are at rest, walking, and exercising at a slow pace for a long period of time our body is using our aerobic metabolism. In this state our muscles are being oxygenated at a rate that can support or endure the stress placed on them without tiring.

During moderate activity, such as the aforementioned 25 minute moderate pace, our body uses both our aerobic and anaerobic metabolic systems, but our aerobic in a much greater proportion. When we pick up the pace, our body compensates, switching to our anaerobic metabolism.

Suddenly the stress placed on our muscles is greater than our body's ability to reoxygenate them. The signs of fatigue set in. We are out of breath and our muscles begin to burn due to a lactic acid build-up, the waste product of the anaerobic metabolism.

Our body's built-in natural fight or flight response tells us to slow down or stop. Heart rate is up, lungs are taxed, even our pupils dilate. If we choose to fight, our body provides us with a temporary surge of energy in the form of a hormonal cocktail which blocks our pain receptors, allowing us to press on a.k.a. runner's high.
Of all the reasons to exercise, Runner's High is by far my favourite. Nothing beats feeling fantastic!

So go get high (on fitness) today! It will be good for you.

Sarah



*It is in your best interest to consult a doctor before beginning any exercise program.*

COO COO FOR COCONUT OIL

Coconut Oil is the most versatile tool I have in the kitchen, though its uses are not limited to cooking.

Ten, even twenty years ago, the stuff had a bad wrap as it is largely a saturated fatty acid. However, coconut oil redeems itself in its specifics. It is rich in medium-chain triglycerides, a type of fat the body uses very efficiently and with minimal effort. Upon consumption, this fat is carried to your liver via your bloodstream and immediately transformed into energy.

Don't believe me? Pop about a tablespoon before a workout and enjoy an improved performance! This increased energy also revs up your metabolism, so coconut oil is quickly being recognized as a weight loss tool.

FAT DOES NOT MAKE YOU FAT! Fat is essential for so many vital processes in your body. Brain and nerve function, hormonal balance, nutrient absorption, healthy arteries and skin cell regeneration all rely on our intake of fats. By cutting healthy fats (minimally processed and non-animal fats) from your diet you are really doing your body a disservice.

Coconut oil is also known for it's ability to soothe digestion all the way down the line. It has natural anti-bacterial, anti-fungal, immune strengthening, heart-disease-risk-lowering properties.

Can you cook with it?
YES! In fact, (organic extra-virgin) coconut oil is the healthiest cooking oil you can use. Those medium-chain fatty acids translate into extreme stability when exposed to high heat.

Best Uses in cooking:
- Warm a tablespoon in a pan to use in place of all cooking oils
- Use in place of butter 1:1 in cooking or baking
- Use to oil your BBQ grill
- Use to thicken raw sauces
- Eat a spoonful raw before a workout, or any time in the day, except after a workout
- Add a spoonful to a smoothie for a healthy does of essential fatty acid
- Use it to pop popcorn in a pot on the stove and sprinkle some sea salt on top for a sweet and salty low GI, low carb snack

I'm such an advocate of coconut oil, the only other oil I use is organic extra-virgin olive oil, but I never cook with it. I restrict its use to salad dressings and raw sauces.

How does it taste? The truth is, all coconut oils were not created equal. The healthiest version would be an organic, extra-virgin coconut oil and some varieties have a stronger coconut taste than others. The kind I favour is among the highest quality with the mildest flavour: https://www.drbenkim.com/sunshop/index.php?l=product_detail&p=60

Shopping Tip
To avoid trans fats, which are dangerous, non-essential fats stored by the body, check the label for the words: "partially hydrogenated" which means "I contain trans fat" and NEVER BLINDLY TRUST A PRODUCT THAT CLAIMS: "NO TRANS FAT!" It is legal for companies to claim this of products which contain less than 0.5 grams of trans fat per serving and MANY just lower the serving size on their label to appease this law.

Other Uses
My favourite use for coconut oil apart from cooking, is to slather it on all year as a moisturizer. Most moisturizers even baby products are laden with harmful chemicals (cancer-causing parabens are among the worst) which are sucked right into your body via your skin.

My rule? If I read the label and I don't know what it is, I don't put it on or in my body. I highly recommend this practice. When we raise our standards, companies are forced to raise theirs relatively.

Coconut oil has a natural SPF of 5, will keep your skin ridiculously smooth and soft, helps prevent premature aging and wrinkling, is safe for baby's skin, and it smells yummy!

Choosing to work with coconut oil is an easy positive change you can make which will make improve both your short-term and long-term health.

I promise you'll become coo coo for coconut, just like me!


Sarah



Sources: www.drbenkim.com, Brendan Brazier's "The Thrive Diet"