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?