Food Heals

salut mes amis,

So the new year has gotten under way and with a new year can come a new you. Not in the sense that I want to "change" who I am but to become a better me or a me from long ago.. which one I'm still not so sure. I once said - you are who you always were and will be what you had been before - hence my new/old outlook on food.

In order to fully appreciate what I am about to share, there needs to be a little background history I include first. Food heals, this I absolutely know! You should feed your body what it needs in the purest form possible. The less ingredients the better and homemade is always the best. In this recession and being a student has led me back to the past I use to know. When I was a kid my mom made us everything - not just in the context of food - but even clothing right down to our socks!!! So thinking about injuries I am trying to heal from as a result of a car accident, being super broke, and always being conscientious of what I put in my body I started to think back to what my mom did when we were kids.

One thing I always enjoyed was the sprouts my mom would grow for us. In our Canadian climate and uncertainty in weather (is there going to be frost or not) and since in Alberta our last summer was horrible for our growing season - I thought what could I grow in my house that wouldn't take up huge amounts of room or take forever..... Then I remembered the sprouts!!!! It's so easy, they are so bloody good for you - did you know that broccoli sprouts are 30x better for you than actual full grown broccoli!?!?! - and it doesn't matter what time of year it is, you are able to have sprouts in about a week depending on your tastes and what type of seed you are sprouting. Now I could go on forever and tell you all the additional benefits that sprouts have like vitamins A, C, K blah blah blah but I wouldn't want to bore you all to death and youtube has great videos already posted waiting for your viewing on the matter. Why I am writing this is that by growing your own sprouts can save you cash - and a fair bit. I need fresh fruits and veggies every day so this was a no brainer for me. With only a couple of tablespoons of seeds you can have close to a pound of sprouts and food is getting more and more expensive. Not only that but I control the environment that the seeds are grown in. Since the seeds are organic (I don't suggest sprouting seeds that are not organic) and I know exactly how they have been grown I don't need to worry about additional chemicals being ingested into my body and I am also actively supporting an important sustainable industry that would leave a positive imprint on the earth rather than a negative one.

Now that I have started doing more research I was curious about what else my mom taught us that is a more traditional but healthy way to live and eat. So I don't really eat junk food - okok - I know yell at me now but I would much rather eat some fresh carrots or an apple than a bag of chips. This message isn't to preach and tell you not to enjoy the foods you like - maybe just think about them before you put them into your mouth. The easier it is to eat the more ingredients it probably has. That is not to say you are not able to make quick and healthy meals but normally we are thinking "I want this fast and I want what I am craving" aka fats and sugars. But that doesn't mean you can't still indulge yourself but maybe just cut back a bit - moderation - and don't feel guilty about it. We are taught to feel guilty about food yet food is so amazing how can we possibly feel guilty about enjoying it????

So through my research I have come across certain information that will allow you to optimize your health through the food you eat but will also provide you with flexibility within you eating lifestyle to adapt to your surroundings and indulge in you more sinful cravings.

1) Cabbage has gotten a bad rap!!!!! Cabbage is an amazing vegetable and should not be treated with such disrespect. I eat cabbage almost daily. I eat it raw, cooked - I don't care, I love love love cabbage. It has been documented that if you eat cabbage at least once a month it can help prevent colon cancer. A good friend of mine went through this painful disease and he eats cabbage almost every day and he wasn't even suppose to go into remission!!! Cabbage is also super yummy if cooked the right way and there are so many things you can do with cabbage aka like make cabbage rolls - soooo good!!! The other great thing about cabbage is that it is cheap!!! Yes I said it - cabbage will last like forever in your fridge (if you have a cold storage I am so jealous - but will keep in your cold storage forever as well) and you can always find it at a super low price. Make cabbage your friend!!!!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=joVTuxrIZVU
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=21H9SgUYkn8

2) So what is the difference between animal fats and vegetable oils.... This is something new I came across and okay I will admit that about 70-80% of my diet is vegetarian - not vegan - but still mostly vegetarian with little to no bread, pastas, rice, potatoes etc. While I was surfing around I came across this youtube video talking about the foods you should not eat. One thing the lecturer pointed out was that animal fat coagulated at room temperature but vegetable oils don't. What this means is that the fat you ingest from the animal is not going to stay in a liquified form even at room temp. which is what your body temperature runs at normally. It is no wonder that if you eat too much meat you can have a serious problem with you heart since the fat isn't able to move around as freely in your system as what vegetable oil does. My suggestion would be to seriously think about the amounts of animal fats you are ingesting - there are many different option including switching over to a leaner meat such as buffalo. It is super lean but also extremely high in proteins and you should be able to find a local organic rancher.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zG_tn3KAXNE

3) Coconut oil is a God Send... what does this mean? Well the benefits of coconuts are amazing and again you can google or youtube it and find countless posts about it. So why is it so good for us.. well first of all it has a super high heat threshold this means that you can cook with it, bake with it etc and you will not convert that oil to having carcinogenics such as what happens if you heat extra virgin olive oil - I know I was super shocked about this too. Coconut oil can be taken plainly, added to smoothies, cooked with and it is amazing for you skin. My niece uses it to wash her face and has really helped her calm her acne and also fits within her vegan lifestyle. It is also great for the skin if it is dry or for your hair as a treatment! Not only can you use it for all of these things - it tastes great too - when you purchase it look for the purest and organic form you are able to.

4) Turmeric aka curry. Okay so many people complain that they can't even stand the smell of this spice but GET OVER IT ALREADY!!! This is such a good natural way to help ensure quality of life as you get older. It is said to help many different kinds of cancer including prostate and breast cancer (in reports it is claimed that indian people who consume this spice in just about every meal has 20 times less cases of prostate cancer than in North America, 6 times less cases of breast cancer, and also is claimed to prevent the onset of alzheimer's disease. It is stated that the average Indian person ingests 2-3 grams of this per day but if you eat turmeric and black pepper together it is stated that the black pepper increases its benefits by 2,000 times!!!!

Okay so there are some good pointers for those who would like to make some lifestyle aka foodstyle changes that doesn't cost a lot - actually they are all pretty cheap if you don't get into the hype of buying an electronic sprouter - be smart buy some mason jars and some stainless steel mesh and you will be on your way sprouting that same day - and is easy to start doing and adopting into a new healthier way to eat. All of these things I have written about was done with love not dictation - take it as you will. I really think the food we eat impact how we feel every day... Food for thought non?

Bises mes amis - I hope this helped and if you have any other pointers I would love to hear about it!!!

LFF