June 2007 Healthy Chef Creations Newsletter

FROM HEALTHY CHEF CREATIONS JUNE NEWSLETTER:
(www.healthychefcreations.com)

STAY WELL HYDRATED:

With the summer fast approaching and temperatures rising, you need to pay special attention to adequately meeting your fluid/water needs. Water is needed for a vast number of functions in the body like transporting nutrients, burning fat, body temperature control, circulation, removing waste products, aiding digestion, and healthy skin. Dehydration can put undue stress on the body. In fact we can not live more than a few days without water and yet 95% of clients or people I discuss nutrition with are dehydrated daily. It’s no wonder we are tired, have difficulty losing weight, have wrinkled skin, and health issues.

Your fluid needs can be calculated by dividing your weight in half and then putting that number into ounces. So if you weigh 200 pounds then you would need about 100 ounces of fluid. Fluid is anything liquid which would include water. I tell my clients to aim for 75% of their fluid needs to come from pure water. So in the case of the 200 pound person, they would need 75 ounces of pure water.

The best kind of water to drink is water filtered from impurities or chemicals like chlorine. If you like beverages with caffeine then keep in mind that caffeine can have a diuretic effect. I recommend replacing 1 cup of water for every cup of caffeinated beverage you drink. Sugary beverages can also add calories, so if you are watching your waistline, cut back on those or opt for pure water. Many of my clients enjoy decaf sugar free herbal teas/ coffee/sodas or calorie free flavored waters. The good news is that those can count for water as well. Pure water though is the best fluid replacer.

During the hot summer months you may sweat more. For every 30 minutes of exercise or being outside in the heat try drinking 8 ounces of water for fluid replacement. This will be in addition to your fluid needs.

Don’t forget to take your drinks to the beach, park, etc. Waiting for thirst means that you are already dehydrated. A good rule of thumb is to drink 4 - 8 ounces of water every 30 minutes. In addition,eating plenty of raw fruits and vegetables in the diet can increase fluid so don’t hold back from preparing or ordering The Healthy Chef Creations crisp, mouth watering salads.

By: Rebecca Gerard, Registered Dietitian



SAVE THE EARTH ONE BOTTLE AT A TIME!!

Worried about all of the plastic water bottles that wind up at the garbage dump? Check out the reusable "Refill not Landfill" polycarbonate bottle. All proceeds are donated to NativeEnergy, an organization that helps build American Indian renewable energy projects. For more information: www.refillnotlandfill.org



***COOKING TEMPS FOR NATURAL MEAT:

Free range and organic meats generally have less fat content because of their diet and exercise.  The best way to ensure juiciness, flavorful, perfectly cooked meat is to sear at high temperatures to lock in juices.  Use an instant read thermometer and to follow these simple temperature guidelines:

• Ground beef, lamb and pork: 160°F
• Ground beef with eggs or breadcrumbs: 165'F
• Beef roasts and steaks: (at least) 145°F; for medium: 160°F
• Pork chops, roasts and tenderloin: 160°F

Insert the thermometer into the middle of the thickest part of the meat. Wait a couple of minutes before reading.  I also recommend searing or grilling your meats on high temperatures to lock in the natural juices.

An Important Message from Patagonia*:

Tell Chlorine Plants to go Mercury Free! Each year an unsafe amount of mercury makes its way into the ocean. It builds up in fish and ends up on our dinner plates. Eating mercury-tainted fish damages the brains and nervous systems of children and can harm the cardiovascular, immune and reproductive systems in adults. Flying well below the radar, a small subset of the United States chlorine industry makes a major, and completely unnecessary, contribution to the global mercury crisis by using outdated technology that releases tons of mercury into our environment every year. Fortunately, there are cleaner, more efficient methods of chlorine production that are mercury free.

* Patagonia is a sports clothing and gear company whose products are created using processes that cause the least harm to the environment. They are actively involved in many other environmental projects, check out their website for more information.



CAUTION: LYME DISEASE IS CAUSED BY TICK BITES!!

Watch for ticks this summer if camping or hiking, or if you have an outdoor animal, because if bitten you can develop a bacterial infection known as Lyme Disease. Often misdiagnosed, its debilitating symptoms can lead to more serious health problems, so it is important to protect yourself.

Some facts about Lyme Disease:

• Symptoms include extreme tiredness, flu-like symptoms, joint pain, numbness or weakness in the limbs, depression, and Bell’s palsy (temporary paralysis of one side of the face).
• The classic sign of a Lyme infection is a bull’s-eye rash, but this appears on less than 50% of patients.
• The ELISA and Western Blot are tests given to detect the disease.
• The average person sees more than 12 doctors before receiving the correct diagnosis.
• Antibiotics are highly effective in treating Lyme disease in its early stages (make sure you take a probiotic whenever taking antibiotics!).
• Immune-boosting supplements like CoQ10 and Glutathione can be very helpful.

Some natural tips to protect yourself from ticks :

Consume Garlic – According to a study in the Journal of the American Medical Association, people who took 1200 mg of garlic capsules for eight weeks were less likely to be bitten by ticks than those who didn’t. Researchers believe the odor released through body sweat is repulsive to bugs.

Natural Repellent – you don’t have to use toxic DEET to repel ticks and other bugs, your health food store probably has several natural products to choose from…the Centers for Disease Control recommends picaridin (Bayrepel) as an alternative without DEET’s side effects. For more information visit: www.lymehelp.org. and www.healthtouch.com



Organic Bananas, Plus…

According to Natural Health Magazine (www.naturalhealthmag.com) Dole, the world’s largest producer of fresh fruits and vegetables, has opened a plant in Colombia, South America, that is its first-ever organic banana farm (their organic bananas were previously sourced from independent organic growers). What is special about this facility is that the 1,000 workers are not exposed to harmful pesticides, and breathe cleaner air, because the facility doesn’t use tractors (the bananas are transported via cable!), and they cut water use by 90% by using a fruit washer that filters and reuses water. Look for the three-digit “farm codes” on the label of their organic bananas, then got to www.doleorganic.com, type in the code, and you can find out where your bananas were grown…as well as see photos of the farm and its workers. Way to go Dole!!!



NEW ON THE SHELF:

• Deepak Chopra’s, The Seven Spiritual Laws of Success - this DVD is described as “a practical guide to the fulfillment of your dreams”, and is based on his best-selling book by the same name. For information visit www.chopraDVD.com , or www.hayhouse.com.
• Dr. Wayne Dyer’s, The Power of Intention – Learning to Co-Create Your World YourWay. This live lecture is available on DVD or CD...hear him speak about transforming conventional thinking and about making things happen in our lives, to a profound understanding of how each person possesses the infinite potential and power to co-create the life he or she desires. To accomplish this, Dr. Dyer takes the audience through a journey into the seven faces of intention: (1) creativity, (2) kindness; (3) love, (4) beauty, (5) expansiveness, (6) abundance, and (7) receptivity. Visit www.hayhouse.com for more information about the DVD or CD.
• ORGANIC COTTON SHEETS & TOWELS : If you are looking for 100% organic cotton sheets and towels at amazing prices check your local Target or visit www.target.com. They have a nice selection of colors - all made from environmentally friendly dyes. Pottery Barn has just introduced a quality line of unbleached, 100% organic cotton sheets, quilts and towels, for more information go to www.potterybarn.com.

Add To Your Reading List:
I just ordered a copy of what sounds like a fascinating new book, The Intention Experiment by Lynne Mc Taggart. In an effort to demonstrate the power of thought/intention, Ms. Mc Taggart details an experiment she conducted on March 11, 2007. Four hundred people in a conference hall in London started to intend for a leaf to “glow and glow”…the leaf happened to be 6,000 miles away in a laboratory in Arizona. According to Ms. Mc Taggart, the physicists monitoring the leaf were astonished at how brightly the leaf glowed, and did not need the highly sensitive cameras they had intended to use to analyze the data, as the result was so remarkable. To order, or for more information, visit www.amazon.com (where it has a five-star rating), or www.barnesandnoble.com. For special offers available from the author go to http://book.theintentionexperiment.com/.



The “New” Super Foods!!
Want to eat your way to good health?? These foods are the foods we've been reading most about:

1. Pomegranate – with higher antioxidant activity than red wine and green tea, studies show that it may prevent skin cancer, as well as kill breast and prostate cancer cells. Pomegranate may also fight Alzheimer’s Disease and prevent hardening of the arteries!
2. Kiwi Fruit – is full of antioxidants and fiber, plus provides lots of Vitamin E and lutein (good for vision)…it protects you from free radical damage, may lower blood clot risk and lower triglycerides.
3. Barley – this whole grain doesn’t lose its fiber content when processed and can help to reduce bad cholesterol, decrease blood sugar and insulin levels, making it a good choice for people with Type 2 diabetes.
4. Kale - rich in cancer fighting substances and bone building Vitamin K, and the highest antioxidant rating of any vegetable.
5. Sardines - a great source of protein, omega 3 fats, and the least contaminated of any seafood.
6. Flax Seeds - they are the only plant source of omega 3 fats, plus a good source of fiber.
7. Guava - rich in fiber and antioxidants, 2nd only to blueberries...also contains cancer-fighting lycopene.
8. Apples - loaded with pectin (an important fiber), good source of boron (a nutrient that supports healthy bones).

So True, So True…

My favorite passage from The Zen Book by Daniel Levin:


Two dogs walk into a room.
One comes out
quivering, barking in
fear the whole time,
while the other comes
out wagging his tail,
with a seemingly big
smile across his face.

A man seeing this
walks into the room to
discover that it’s full
of mirrors. That is the
way of this life:
What we see is who we are.