Live Long and Prosper....Thanks for the Lessons, Aunt Effie

I just got back from the funeral visitation for my 92-year old aunt; up until about a month ago she was still pretty much perking along. She was a great example on many levels for us; her lifestyle, in particular, was inspirational.

In this day and age of climbing in to a car to get from any point A to point B, she did something rather unique--she walked. She walked up the street to church, she walked to the post office, to work for many years, to visit friends and relatives around town.

She had diabetes--when she got the wake-up call, she heeded it. She didn't take medications so she could indulge in desserts or any other sugar-laden foods or drinks. She accepted the fact that sugar wasn't her body's friend, and she simply stopped ingesting it.

She attended church regularly--she kept her soul and spirit in check. She taught Sunday school for over 60 years; she was a fixture of the church from the time she was a child until she moved to the Masonic Home a little over two years ago.

When she realized it was time to move to assisted living in Franklin to be nearer to her daughter and granddaughter, she went in a good spirit; I always believed that her faith led her to accept the change in her life after 90 years with patience and a sense of calm.

And, she kept walking and kept visiting and kept going to church and kept eating healthy...it was her legacy to us.

It's one I'm going to heed.

Thanks, Aunt Effie, for a rich lifetime of good examples. I'll miss sending weekly notes to you, but I'll forever smile when I think of you.

A New "Cure" for Diabetes?

I've heard two separate reports in the past two days on the discovery of using gastric by-pass surgery to help "cure" diabetes. Anyone else out there think this is a bit extreme?

Oddly, all conversations tend to avoid the nutritional elephant in the room--how about just eating to delight and keep the temple in good shape?

The avoidance of this by surgeons interviewed is a bit disturbing to me. They were very enthusiastic about doing the system-altering surgery, mentioned perhaps someday having a newer and more effective pill to take...

...eating well was a begrudged afterthought that came out only after an excessive amount of prodding from the interviewers.

Have doctors given up on nutrition? Please say it isn't so!

If we start re-arranging bodily organs with no follow-up via viseral manipulation, scar tissue alone can wreak havoc on other systems in the body. The diabetes may be "fixed" for a time, but at what price otherwise?

And how about a little willpower?

We need to stretch our willpower muscle...it will benefit us not only in our body being much happier, but our emotional state will benefit as well. We are created to be strong by an awesome creator--we, as a part of our worship can use this gift of willpower and overcome something as simple as giving up sugar.

It's just sugar...grab some xylitol and you're there. End of story.

And your temple will be cleaner and healthier and won't bear the outer scars of "quick fix" major surgery.

If such surgery is needed as a last resort, then so be it...but wow--never for a replacement of willpower.

Have a wonderful anti-fungal day!

Apple Crisp, Chocolate Biscotti, Pecan Cookies...

This week the kitchen has become somewhat of an anti-fungal bakery...and we've enjoyed it. As I write this, the dark chocolate biscotti is drying in the oven and it smells mighty good. And the best part about all these wonderful goodies? They're all sugar-free, gluten-free, and anti-fungal.

We're not exactly suffering.

Up until this time, I have been sticking pretty much with fruits for dessert and treat time. They're still central to our daily menus, and we do love fresh berries with some freshly made whipped cream.

But it's fun to have treats, too. So the bakery at Highbanks opened this week.

Once again, the grocery list is pretty straight-forward. Agave nectar, almond flour, arrowroot, eggs, sea salt, pecans, dark chocolate, apples. Quick to fix and long on enjoyment.

And all these fantastic recipes can be found, once again, at Elana's Pantry (http://www.elanaspantry.com).

Treat yourself and someone you love to a little sweetness...and treat them to good health, too!

80/20

One thing that tends to make lots of folks hesitant about becoming an AFF (anti-fungal foodie) is the seeming enormity of eating "differently". 

Don't let this keep you from trying it and feeling better as a result.

The basic rule is 80/20--80% "regular" foods and 20% specialty foods. Yep, it's that easy.

I have a little space in the pantry that holds my 20%...this includes almond, brown rice, and coconut flour; grapeseed, coconut, and olive oils; agave and coconut nectar and xylitol; shredded and flaked unsweetened coconut; brown rice pastas; brown rice; golden flaxseed meal. With these ingredients, I can pretty well whip up just about anything from several anti-fungal/gluten-free/paleo cookbooks and websites.

The rest come from the grocery store--produce, meat, odds and ends--80% worth.

So don't let it stop you from trying it out...80/20 is pretty easy to live with, don't ya think? 

Birch Bark and Corn Cobs

Wow...what an education I'm getting in the world of all things anti-fungal. The other day I asked Melody about Xylitol, something I was seeing in some recipes online, but had no idea about it.  Her reply was that it was good, but to get it made from birch bark and not corn cobs.

Come again?

Birch bark? Corn cobs? Really?

Really.

So, while at our dearly loved local health food store (thank you Grounded!), we were perusing the Xylitol. I asked one of the workers there and she immediately knew what I was  talking about (thank you knowledgeable staff at Grounded!). She didn't see the ingredients on one brand, so she immediately dialed them up and asked. Yep, birch bark. And yep, we're eating trees now. A purchase for us.

So...what's the difference? Not much unless you're in phase one of eating anti-fungally. Then, no corn. Period. Not even corn cobs. So the "Now!" brand (many of their items grace our pantry shelves) wouldn't work for us. We went with Xylitol USA.

Xylitol is a pretty "sugar"...it looks like granular sugar, it feels like granular sugar, and it tastes great. The best part? No sugar. Safe for diabetics, equal parts in comparison to sugar, doesn't promote cavities, and no after-taste.

Give it a try...just remember...birch bark.

No corn cobs. 

French Toast, Anyone? Really, Truly!

Ah, Sunday mornings...I do love them. Time to meditate, write for the spiritual blog, take life at a slower pace...try new bread recipes from the Gluten-Free Almond Flour cookbook by Elana Amsterdam. These breads are almost a feat of magic--trust me, I use that term sparingly. The ingredients don't begin to sound as though they could produce the end result...but they do and deliciously.

We like brunch on Sundays, so I decided to bake some bread so we could have French toast along with our bacon and eggs. I used Elana's "scrumptious sandwich bread" recipe which is remarkably easy and pretty darn fast for a loaf of fresh-baked bread. All you do is combine 3/4 c. of almond butter (at room temperature--since I keep it in the fridge, I just popped my metal measuring cup of the butter into the oven for just a couple of minutes to warm it up) with 4 eggs.  Use a hand mixer and get it well blended. Then add a dry mixture of 1/4 c. of almond flour, 1/4 arrowroot powder, 1/2 t. sea salt, 1/2 t. baking soda, and 1 T. ground flax meal (I used golden since that was what I had). Combine all these with the wet mixture and then put into a loaf pan. (She suggests a 7x3 inch pan, but since I don't have one, I used a regular pan and it worked fine. Put the mixture into a 350 degree oven for 40-45 minutes. The end result is some pretty amazing (and pretty) bread.

And the French toast? Tre manifique!

Give it a try...and happy anti-fungal Sunday :)).

Balancing

Balance. We all look for it, and it's not always easy to find.

I've been working out during weekdays on a balance ball and found out quite quickly that balance doesn't just happen--it takes concentration and work.

It also takes concentration and work to eat a "balanced" diet. It's so easy anymore to just grab whatever is nearby, to drive through at a fast food restaurant, or to skip a meal only to binge later in the evening. We all know the results of these choices, yet to re-think and re-plan one's eating pattern on a daily basis is quite the commitment.

Yet we need balance.

Physically, mentally, spiritually.

How about taking time to meditate and live in the present without allowing your mind to wander to the past or to the future? Not easy, but well worth the effort. A great way to do this is to play in the dirt...dirt in a container, a small plot of land, you name it. With our warm days and later sunsets, now is a great time to plant a vegetable, an herb, a flower. Tending it will reap many benefits and keep you and the environment in better balance.

How about we start looking for balance today?

 

Spring has Sprung...Time to Get Moving

If you've started removing fungal material from your daily food/drink consumption, you're probably seeing pounds start to peel off a little, which is great. It will make you feel better naturally, physically and mentally. Body and mind are in it together, as we all know.

So now...how about a little movement to go along with those better eating habits?

I enjoy watching The Doctors on TV at 10:00 each morning. With my schedule, it's a great time for me to work out while watching. My exercise equipment is minimal during this time, yet it packs a punch. I'm guessing most readers of this blog have these items. If you don't, you can find them all on the cheap. My items:

a wall (yep...told you you'd probably have one of these)

a yoga mat

an exercise ball

resistance band

That's it.

Can't be home at 10 each morning? No matter. DVR the show (it's packed with great information that stresses the importance of integrative medicine and health) OR pick a show that you usually sit through and, instead, move through it. Here's an easy workout for either 30 or 60 minutes.

The wall--Put your back straight up against the wall and slide down to an imaginary chair position. Hold as long as you can, pressing your back into the wall...great workout for your legs.

The yoga mat--great general exercise mat to use when not in use for yoga. If you want to do yoga, OM Yoga for Daily Practice is a great little spiral book to use to get going. I just checked and you can find it on amazon.com for $4. 99--good deal! The mat is also a great place to do a few push ups.

Exercise Ball--All exercise balls come with an exercise sheet. Use it...it works!

Resistance Band--It's just kind of a natural exercise tool. Step on the middle of the band and you'll find yourself doing arm exercises naturally. If you're unsure, you can always google beginning resistance band exercises and you'll get all kinds of suggestions.

Give yourself a little time with each of these items and your exercise time will fly by...treat yourself with an almond milk/fruit smoothie you toss in the blender afterward.

Your body is a temple...treat it as such. Have a peaceful, mindful day.

Eat Healthy...Think Healthy

I took a day off from the blog yesterday; back to teaching on Tuesdays brought some needed hours of prep time. When I arrived home last night, I started to write, but instead watched Dr. Wayne Dyer on PBS. Time more than well spent.

You may have already heard of Dr. Dyer or be a long-time fan. His latest book, Wishes Fulfilled, was the basis for his talk last night. At the same time, I'm reading Understanding the Messages of Your Body by Jean Pierre Barral D.O. (a wonderful suggestion and a book loan from Melody). Both books talk about living intentionally. They both offer a great challenge to we humans.

Live in the present.

We're not very good at that.

Take a look at facebook posts; think back on the last 5 conversations you've had with friends, loved ones, co-workers, or even yourself--what percentage of those talks dealt with the past or the future? We're not living in the present very often at all, sadly. We obsess, relive, and rehash the past. We obsess, worry, and fume about the future.

And our organs are suffering for it. They carry our woes.

What does this have to do with anti-fungal eating? Everything. If we're only attending to what food goes into our bodies and not actively participating in what information goes into our body, we're not going to feel well. We'll still have stress, anxiety, headaches, stomach aches, high blood pressure--you name it.

So, for today, live in the present. Smell, taste, see, hear. Whenever the infamous "monkey mind" starts playing tricks on you by dragging up your past or tempting you to worry about the future...tell the monkey to go play some where else. You're on your Creator's time...in the present.

Peace.

Baking and Breaking Bread

One of the main things that an AFF (anti-fungal foodie) avoids is bread. We see a loaf of bread, we know it's going to have wheat, or rye, or any number of other grains that are notorious for fungus. Not to mention sugar...AFF enemy #2.

However...I just baked a mighty fine loaf of bread with almond flour and a touch of agave nectar.

It's pretty AND it tastes good. Tom just had a second sample and gave his seal of approval. I  think it's going to make great toast...or French toast! I think it could make good sandwich bread, but I'm going to need to be on the hunt for a different kind of loaf pan (deep and short). Darn the luck...have to start scanning the kitchen stores.

Every time I find a new recipe that works great, it opens up our foodie world exponentially.  I know that lots of people won't take the time to look for ingredients, spend some extra time in the kitchen, or adapt to some lifestyle changes. And that is unfortunate. Ask anyone who has embraced the good habits of anti-fungal eating, and I'm safe in saying they feel better...much better.

If you're not already on the train, hop on board--it's a good ride!

And now here's the really good bread recipe...extremely easy and tasty. And, once again, THANKS to Elana's Pantry http://www.elanaspantry.com 

Combine 2 1/2 c. almond flour, 1/2 t. sea salt, and 1/2 t. baking soda in a bowl. Whisk together 3 eggs, 1 T. agave nectar, and 1/2 t. apple cider vinegar. Combine the dry and wet ingredient. Put the mixture into a loaf pan. Bake in a 350 degree oven for around 50 minutes. The crust will be a medium-darker brown.

Enjoy!

Sunday--A Day of Rest, Meditation, and Experimentation

Happy Sunday! Hope yours was blessed and full of good food, good drink, good people, good meditation, and good exercise as well as rest. It was a beautiful day here in Southern Indiana--right around 70 degrees with azure blue skies and a light breeze. The dogs and I enjoyed a couple of miles of walking--it always feels great to get out in the sunshine and the fresh air.

Walking is also a great time to meditate. Next time you head out for a stroll or powerwalk or whatever your speed is, try meditation and calming your monkey mind. What is monkey mind? We all have it. When you sit down to meditate or walk or rest, your mind starts clamoring with a bazillion thoughts, emotions, and suggestions. Most of those thoughts dredge up the past or the future. Meditation gives us permission to gently nudge the monkey mind back into the present. Be in the moment. Smell the smells, see the sights, hear the sounds. Live in the present. It's a guaranteed way to relieve stress and anxiety--even after walking for several minutes, you'll feel more rested than if you'd sat in front of the tv or computer screen and let you mind go monkey-wild.

Today was also a day of experimentation. I recently purchased a juicer after Kurt and I discovered just how good fresh fruit and vegetable juices are when we tried out one he brought home from his apartment. Ever tried it? Amazing...truly. We made juice from granny smith apples and it was excellent. Tom walked into the kitchen just after Kurt and I sampled a glass of it with a response of "wow!"...Tom's response? "Wow!" An endorsement from all of Weismanhaus' inhabitants. Since then Kurt and Kelsie have been using the juicer for all kinds of juices. So today was the day to wash the new one up and give it a try. I juiced three carrots (just wash--no need to peel or cut off the ends) and it make about 3 ounces of juice...incredible. A smaller amount that we usually think as a serving size, but like most really quality tastes of food or drink, it takes less to be satisfied.

The juicer is an 800 watt GE. I found it at Walmart for right around $50. A good investment in my book and a welcomed addition to the kitchen.

So, happy anti-fungal living...and here's to a week of good health.

Thinking About an Anti-Fungal and Healthy Spring

Face it...we all have it.

Spring fever.

The heat is returning to the sun, the songbirds are returning, the chickweed is growing, and those of us with gardens or containers are getting the itch.

Never grown a vegetable? No time like the present.

You can make it a wonderful anti-fungal spring by growing some of your own food.

Here's a list of some really good vegetables that are fun to grow:

radishes...can be grown most anywhere and the fun part is that they grow pretty quickly
lettuce...get some mesclun seeds and, in a short time, you'll have some beautiful, colorful and tender greens to enjoy
scallions...nothing like some nice, tender green onions to add to your salad!

Getting interested? Here are some good cool weather plants you can plant now (greenhouses are getting them in and they're reasonably priced):

cauliflower--move over, orange juice...cauliflower is packing some great vitamin C
broccoli--fiber, iron, vitamin C...broccoli is a super veggie
kohlrabi--crazy looking, but it tastes like really good, strong broccoli and fun to grow
cabbage--another vegetable that is a powerhouse

So many great tastes, colors, and textures...sure hope you'll get the urge to grow some fresh anti-fungals of your own this season.

Happy gardening!

Started the Anti-Fungal Path Yet?

It's been a good week on the anti-fungal front. Thanks to the Inter-webs, I've found a ton of great recipe sites. One in particular is www.elanaspantry.com. You really need to check it out. The recipes are easy to fix and they taste great. We've made, believe it or not, cupcakes with great icing...there are good alternatives to wheat and overly processed flour.

I was also happy to see today that Walmart is now carrying brown rice chips, brown rice pasta, agave nectar, and other anti-fungal items...makes cooking much more convenient when it doesn't require a two-hour drive for supplies.

I'm incredibly happy with this way of eating. After three weeks, my sinus issues have disappeared. Without giving it much effort, I weigh 10 pounds less. My energy level is much more even.

No fancy dancin' here...just eating healthy food and, more importantly, giving up some unhealthy stuff.

Lose the sugar for a week and see how much better you feel--that will be a great start. Once that's accomplished, then move on to eating a lot less processed food (or dump it all together).

Every step is a good step for your miraculous body. 1 Corinthians 6:19 "Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit. who is in you, who you have received from God?"

Be at peace and be healthy.

Suppertime!

The evening meal, dinner, supper...what ever you call it, it's a nice time of day to settle in and enjoy. Here are some ideas to make that time anti-fungally and enjoyable.

1. Spaghetti and meat sauce--Sauce-2 cans of tomato sauce, 1 chopped green bell pepper, 2 chopped cloves of garlic, 1 chopped onion, 2 T. oregano, 2 T. basil, 1 t. parsley, 1 1/2 t. sea salt. Put everything in a pot and let it simmer for around 30 minutes. Pasta--1 package of brown rice spaghetti ( you can find this at most whole foods or international markets and also at www.vitacost.com). Salt the water with sea salt to taste slightly salty. Follow directions on the pasta package for preparation. Meat for the sauce--fry us some hamburger, ground chuck, or turkey sausage. Once finished, add to the simmering sauce. That's it...add a mixed greens salad and you're set!

2. Chinese chicken and veggies with ginger. In a wok, toss in some diced green bell pepper, one chopped onion, 1 tablespoon diced ginger, 1 c. chopped cabbage along with hot sesame oil. Add in two shredded carrots, 1 c. of frozen broccoli, and 1 c. frozen cauliflower. Add in some hot chili powder for heat if desired. You may need to add more sesame oil along the way. When veggies are almost the correct consistency, add 1 cup of chopped cooked chicken. Serve with brown rice.


3. Fried fish dinner--Using tilapia or flounder fillets, coat in rice flour and fry in grapeseed oil. Fry until crisp. Salt with sea salt. For a side dish, grab some slaw mix and add a dressing of yogurt, vinegar, and a touch of stevia.


4. Chicken stroganoff--1 pound chopped cooked chicken, 1 chopped onion, 1 minced glove garlic, 1 cup chicken broth, 1 t. sea salt, 1/4 t. pepper, 1/2 t. thyme, 1 T. chopped fresh parsley, 2 T. olive oil. Heat the oil and add the chopped onion, garlic, and herbs along with salt. Cook until the onion is transparent; add the chopped chicken, and the chicken broth. Simmer until the broth is reduced. Add the chopped parsley and serve on brown rice (can use minute brown rice to speed up the meal). Recipe from The Fungus Link by Doug Kaufmann.


5. Curried shrimp--Heat 4 T. of olive oil. Saute 4 chopped cloves of garlic, 1 chopped onion in the oil until the onion is translucent. Add 1/2 of tomato puree, 2 t. minced fresh ginger, 1/2 t. cumin, 2 T. coriander, and 1/2 t. tumeric--simmer for 5-7 minutes. While the fist items are simmering, thaw a package of raw shrimp (be sure to use raw so it's not rubbery when cooked) under hot water. Peel and de-vein as needed. Add to the sauteed mixture for about 10 minutes, or until the shrimp is cooked through. Give a squirt of lime juice to the finished product. (Recipe borrowed and modified from the fantastic website Elaina's Pantry (www.elanaspantry.com.)

Hope you enjoy these meals!

What's for Lunch, You Ask?

Today is lunch day on the blog. What can one have for lunch being anti-fungal?

Pretty much anything--just maybe with a little different perspective...

Here are five quick and easy lunches to fix to take to work, to school, or to have at home--

1. Broiled salmon salad: put some romaine lettuce into a bowl. Slice up any of your favorite veggies, i.e. green pepper, red onion, tomatoes, radishes, you name it. Stir up a dressing of olive oil, a little sea salt, and any herb from your spice rack that you like. Take a piece or two of salmon from the freezer, thaw it in the microwave while you're making the salad, sprinkle on a little olive oil and set under the broiler--watch it--it will cook quickly. Toss is onto top of the salad, and you're ready to go. For dessert, how about a granny smith apple?

2. Take some cooked chicken, place on a large lettuce leaf, and add some salsa and some sour cream.

3. Take some ham and turkey slices. Slather some onion and chive cream cheese on each slice, do some stacking, roll up, and then slice into rounds.

4. Another salad idea: put some green leaf lettuce into a bowl. Add some chopped chicken, chopped walnut, chopped apple, a little scallion. Add some olive oil with a squirt of lemon juice.

5. Chicken soup--make the night before and enjoy re-heated. Make soup as you usually would, but instead of wheat-based pasta, add some brown rice pasta elbows. And, of course, omit any sugar. If you need it to cut the "bite" of the tomato, add a tiny bit of stevia...just taste as you add. Eat along with some nut crackers.

It's easy to eat well and anti-fungal. As you get more used to eating in this way, new ideas will constantly come to you.

Enjoy!

What's for Breakfast?

How about some easy-to-fix breakfasts that will make you feel good all morning? The best part? They're quick!

Here's a quick 5:

1. 1 pat of butter in a small skillet, melted over med-high heat. Drop in two eggs, a little sea salt, and a handful of spinach

2. A brown rice cake with a tablespoon of almond butter spread

3. 1 cup of Greek plain yogurt, 1 cup of strawberries, blueberries, or raspberries (or all of them, if you like)

4. 1 cup of berries (any of the above from #3), 1 cup of unsweetened almond milk, 4 pieces of ice--all in the blender; top with whipping cream (make with whipping cream, a little stevia, and a touch of vanilla)

5. 1/2 grapefruit with a bit of stevia

Brunch time--how about a great omelet filled with sauteed green pepper, onion, spinach, bacon or sausage or ham along with some green tea, mixed fruit with chopped pecans.

Not exactly suffering from this eating plan, eh? Enjoy!

The Grocery List

When you're ready to take the plunge, there are some basic items you'll need:

Fruit--anything that ends in "berry", i.e. strawberry, blueberry, raspberry, blackberry
          Granny Smith apples

Produce--any vegetable except: all kinds potatoes, corn, winter squash, peas

No beans (at least for a week or two)

No grains (at least for a week or two) with the exception of occasional servings of brown rice

All meats are fine--of course, a full daily diet of bacon doesn't make the best sense. A good variety is important.

Fish--just not breaded, of course

Eggs--good.

No flour--you can use almond flour, coconut flour, or brown rice flour. You'll be amazed at how versatile these flours are.

No sugar--period. Use stevia or agave nectar

No breads--unless you make them with the above-named flours

Almond milk, real sour cream, real cream cheese, real butter are all fine. No cheese except feta.

Nuts--almonds, walnuts, hazelnuts, pecans, cashews.

If you've not read labels in the past, now is a good time to start. You'll be amazed what all gets crammed
into a "natural" can of something. Simple rule--if you can't pronounce, don't eat it.

Hope this helps! Make it a fun trip with lots of discoveries...your happy little body will thank you for it.

Today's easy to fix and good to eat recipe: Spaghetti with meat sauce and green beans. To fix: use brown rice pasta (can find at vitacost.com and several international/health food/whole foods stores). Prepare according to directions on the package. Fry up 1 lb hamburger or ground chuck. Season with one medium onion, two cloves garlic, and sea salt to taste. While it's cooking combine 1 T. oregano and 1 T. basil with one can of tomato sauce. Let it cook on low until the herbs have flavored the sauce. Put the spaghetti, hamburger and sauce together. For the green beans, dice 1/2 onion, sea salt to taste, pepper, 1 T. bacon grease and one can of green beans. Cook at a hard boil for 5 minutes and then simmer for 10 more minutes. Enjoy!

No Time Like the Present

Welcome and happy Sunday! Traditionally, Sunday is the first day of the week, but with so many people working Monday through Friday (or Saturday), Sunday becomes a prep day for lunches, suppers, etc. As you're pulling out all those packaged and processed foods, start a new idea that by this time next week you'll be happily packing some great anti-fungal lunches and planning some great, healthy, economical and easy to prepare suppers and breakfasts.


It IS truly easy...tomorrow I'll give you some ideas for your grocery list.


Tuesday we'll do through some quick recipes for breakfasts.


Wednesday we'll look at some easy to pack lunches.


Thursday we'll play with some recipes for good suppers.


Come the weekend, you'll be set with that grocery list in hand. You'll probably be walking in some different parts of the grocery store--more in the perimeter and less in the aisles. You'll also get to check out the local health food/whole food store in your area for some fun new flavors. One thing that won't be on your list is sugar--sugar has become the unwelcome guest that attempts to sneak into practically everything that is processed in any way, shape, or form. To keep the intruder at bay, I've emptied the pantry of it--from now on, only the hummingbirds will be ingesting sugar here.  I'd invite all of you to do the same. 

Don't have time to prepare meals this new way? Don't believe what the fast food nation of marketers tell you. If you're not spending time at the grocery or at the sink cleaning some veggies and fruits now, you'll be more than likely spending time sitting in a doctor's office or standing in line at the pharmacy later. I don't know about you, but I'm taking the grocery/kitchen sink route.

Today's recipe is a good supper of fried fish, creole brown rice, broccoli, and grape tomatoes.

Head to the frozen food section of the store and look for flounder or tilapia fillets--very inexpensive and with such a mild taste, even picky eaters will like it. You can put hot water in a mixing bowl and toss the individually packed fish for a quick thaw. I use rice flour to coat the fish (you can find it at most any health food store. Heat canola oil, add the fish, and when once done, remove and give a good shake of sea salt on the fillets. While you're attending to the fish, cook some frozen broccoli in the microwave and then cook some brown minute rice in the microwave--once done, shake on some creole seasoning. I use Tony Chachere's original creole seasoning--$1.00 for 8 ounces at most any grocery store. You can also add some to the brown rice flour when frying the fish--it's great! When all is done, plate it, add some grape tomatoes. Less than 30 minutes, and you have an anti-fungal meal that's really healthy! (Picture will appear on fb.)

Come back tomorrow--grocery list time! 

The Ick Inside

Yesterday I said I would share some valuable information that Melody gave me regarding one's gut and the fungus in it. I'm still a newbie at this, but, after having her explain the basics and sharing a valuable book with me entitled The Fungus Link by Doug Kaufmann, I learned pretty quickly that eating the diet that we here in this country ingest daily is causing us harm. The chief culprit--sugar. Our gut is kind of like a fermentation factory; in a normal environment, the fermentation works okay. BUT...when we add all the sugar we have in our abnormal eating habits, the fermentation goes awry.

The result? Have sinus problems? Headaches? Allergies? Skin irritations? Throat or eat infections? A bazillion other symptoms?

Yeast overload from your fermentation factory is more than likely the epicenter of the issue.

What to do? Let food be your cure.

Truly.

I invite you to follow this blog daily and I'll share a recipe a day as well as information I've discovered through research on the topic as well as the valuable information and inspiration I get from Melody during my visits to her for cranial sacral therapy. Follow the basic guidelines (tomorrow's blog) and you'll be amazed at how much better you feel.

It will take a little time to make some changes, but compared to being sick on and off and sitting in a doctor's office or standing in line at the pharmacy...it's much more fun to just eat good newly cooked foods.

And I'll be here every day to cheer you on.

Today's recipe: Strawberry cooler--ridiculously easy! Crush some ice in a blender, add a cup of vanilla almond milk, and a handful of cut up strawberries. Blend away and you're done!

Discovery of the Fungus Among Us

Back in November, I started feeling my heart race periodically. Being 51, I had read my share of information on menopause and this is a common symptom. Nevertheless, anyone who has had that feeling knows that it's anything but comfortable. One day after Thanksgiving I was at my mom's and took my blood pressure--it was high for me. I've never dealt with blood pressure over the usual 120/80 except near the end of my pregnancy and even then it wasn't considered high.

Now it was--what the heck?


Undoubtedly, I had events of stress in my life over the past few months--being downsized out of my job for the past five years, looking and thinking to the point of obsessively for the next job and feeling like I was letting down the family for not being employed full-time. On the contrary, I had been in education for the past 20+ years and, as anyone else in the profession can agree, is stressful as well. I knew stress. This current stress was just oddly different.

So I went the conventional route and headed to the ER. I was diagnosed with tachycardia which, in layman's terms is when one's heart rate is over 100--mine was hitting the magic number when I was hooked up to everything. I was given a small dose of a beta blocker which, once I did some research, came to find out was a somewhat out-dated mode of treatment, but the dosage was low and when I asked my gynecologist about it during a check-up about a month later he thought it was okay. That particular day I had a case of "white coat syndrome" and my bp and heart rate were screaming again, so he added a very low dose of anti-anxiety medication to take up to three times a day. My arsenal was growing...did I mention I really don't like to take medicine?

A little time travel to February and, through a series of events, I found myself calling Melody Kinker, a cranial sacral therapist. Anytime I had cranial sacral therapy in the past I had no particular need; I just enjoyed the experience and the refreshed feeling I had after receiving it. This time there was a need--I wanted to get my blood pressure and heart rate under control as much as possible without being dependent on pills to do it the rest of my life. After our initial session, Melody gave me some interesting information--my gall bladder surgery from 2009 was causing havoc in my entire system. The scar tissue had pretty much pulled the left side of my body inward--even my left rib cage was a bit higher than the right. That's some pull! The overly tight muscles in my back and left shoulder that made my neck perpetually sore were all a part of this huge pull. Long story short--my neck pain is gone, my shoulder is loosening up, and after a check-up with my gp, I'm off both meds. I still check my bp and heart rate daily and it's doing fine. Cranial sacral is incredible and I highly recommend it.

There is something ELSE that was lurking around also, however...Melody explained that our systems can get an over-load of fungus...more on that in tomorrow's blog. PLEASE check back in to read about the culprit lurking in our lives.

As mentioned yesterday, each day I'll be offering information I've found along with recipes I'm discovering and creating. I'm also adding recipes onto the "No Fungus Among Us" board on Pinterest...feel free to check them out. I'll add comments on to keep them anti-fungal.

This morning I started my day with two eggs fried in a pat of butter with some fresh spinach. I put on a dollop of homemade guacamole (1/3 onion and 1 avocado with some sea salt in the hand chopper--about three minutes to make). The whole breakfast took about 10 minutes. Ten minutes isn't an eternity...it's just a matter of priority. Please make good health yours.

Have a great day and I'll see you tomorrow!

...Actually There IS a Fungus Among Us

This morning while talking to Tom, I looked down at a section of The Wall Street Journal that caught my eye. The article was talking about food allergies and kids. It reported that currently in the US 6 million kids (1 out of about every 13) now have an identified serious food allergy. More shocking yet, the number of these identified allergies "rose by 18% from 1997 to 2008" ("Finding Food Allergy Allies"). Perhaps, however, the most shocking information from this entire article was not to look systemically at the problem, but to take action in the form of creating more rules, stocking up on medicines at schools, and developing materials on how to recognize symptoms.

Wait.

Aren't we avoiding the VERY LARGE elephant in the room?

It's the food, folks...or the poor representation of the word.

I realize there are exceptions to every rule; however, study after study after study consistently reveals the same information to us that what Americans now call food seldom is. As a result, we're filling ourselves and our offspring with fat, chemicals, sugar, and empty calories. We have obese children like never before, having adult illnesses and flabby, pre-aged bodies.

Time to get our collective act together...are you with me?

On this blog I will offer the latest research I can find as well as a multitude of recipes that will suit even "picky" eaters. You will need to realize that some of you are already working with a strong sugar addiction that needs to be faced head-on (so are some of your kids). But isn't it worth it to see healthy kids once again...and healthy adults?

Spring is just around the corner--time to start fresh. How about today?

Tomorrow I'll give you some info on how I discovered that "fungus among us"--and, in taking action, got off prescribed meds.  See you then!