Natural Health News: November 2009

Heal With Hope is delighted to share these delicious, nutritious recipes courtesy of Healhy Chef Creations. 
For more ideas or to learn more about their home delivery service of natural/organic meals, visit their website or call them at 1-866-575-2433.
 

Old-Fashioned Candied Sweet Potatoes

Serves 8

•   4 lb sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1-inch pieces
•   5 TB butter
•   2/3 cup golden brown sugar, packed
•   1 tsp ground cinnamon
•   1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
•   Pinch of ground ginger
•   1/2 tsp salt
•   1/2 cup pecans, chopped

Preheat oven to 375°F. Place potatoes in 13 x 9 x 2-inch glass baking dish. Combine butter, sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger and salt in small saucepan over medium heat. Bring to boil and stir until sugar dissolves. Pour this mixture over sweet potatoes and toss to coat. Cover dish well with foil.
Bake 50 minutes. Uncover and continue to bake until potatoes are tender and syrup thickens a bit (basting occasionally) about 20 minutes. Raise oven temperature to 500°F. Top sweet potatoes with cubed marshmallows and pecans and bake until marshmallows begin to melt and nuts begin to brown, about 3 minutes.

Mashed Cauliflower

Mashed cauliflower tastes similar to mashed potatoes but reduces the carbohydrates. This simple recipe produces a smooth and creamy dish, and you can add a bit of cream, if desired.
Serves 4

•   1 medium head organic cauliflower, cut into small florets (about 6-7 cups)
•   1 TB extra virgin olive oil
•   2–4 TB Soy creamer
•   1 tbsp garlic, minced
•   sea salt to taste
  
  Boil the cauliflower in water until very tender, about 10 minutes. Drain and place in a blender or food processor. Add olive oil, sauted garlic, and soy creamer, one tablespoon at a time until a smooth consistency, similar to mashed potatoes, is reached. Season with salt and serve immediately.

Roasted Leg of Lamb

•   one 5 pound leg of lamb, trimmed of excess fat
•   3 tablespoons olive oil
•   2 tablespoons minced fresh rosemary
•   1 tablespoon minded fresh mint
•   1 garlic clove, pressed
•   1 cup pomegranate juice
•   1/4 cup good red wine
•   fresh rosemary sprigs
•   Sea salt and pepper to taste
•   1/2 cup beef stock mixed with water

In a bowl or Ziploc bag large enough to hold the lamb comfortably, mix olive oil, minced rosemary, mint, garlic, and 1/2 cup pomegrante juice. Season all sides of the lamb with kosher salt and pepper then add lamb to marinade. Cover tightly and refrigerate. Lamb should marinate 2–6 hours; be sure to turn it over halfway through so all sides get marinated.

Green Bean Casserole

Serves 6–8

•   1 can of organic cream of mushroom soup
•   2 large sweet onions, peeled, cut in half and thinly sliced (1/4 inch thick)
•   1/4 cup organic whole wheat flour
•   1/4 cup organic unbleached white flour
•   1/4 tsp garlic granules
•   1/4 tsp sea salt, or to taste
•   1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper, or to taste 
•   1/2 cup buttermilk
•   1 cup whole wheat bread crumbs
•   2 TB extra virgin olive oil
•   1 lb fresh green beans, trimmed and cut into 2 inch pieces
•   olive oil cooking spray

Preheat oven to 425°F.
In a large bowl, combine whole wheat flour, white flour, garlic granules, sea salt, pepper, and cayenne. Add onions and stir well or use clean hands to coat. Pour buttermilk over onions and toss again to coat well. Place breadcrumbs in a separate large bowl. Add olive oil and mix well using clean fingers. Add onions. Toss well, again, coating every onion. Coat a large cookie sheet with olive oil spray. Transfer onions to prepared cookie sheet. Bake onions for half an hour, or until golden brown and crispy. While onions are baking, steam green beans until just tender, about 4 to 5 minutes. If necessary, drain green beans and return to pan.
Reduce oven to 350°F.
Pour mushroom soup into the steamed green beans. Add half the onion rings. Place in an olive oil-sprayed casserole dish. Top with remaining onion rings. Bake for 30 minutes or until hot.
 

Bosc Pear Cobbler

Serves 6

• 6 cups Organic Bosc Pears
• 2 TB Organic Apple Butter
• 1 TB Organic lemon juice
• 2/3 cup Organic Whole Wheat Flour  
• 1/4 cup Pure Maple Syrup
• 1/2 cup Oats
•  3 TB Organic Raw Sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
• 41/2 TB butter (Balance Butter)

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Rinse fruit and drain thoroughly. Cut pears into bite size in a mixing bowl and add lemon juice, maple syrup and apple butter. Combine, and pour into a 10”pie plate. In a food processor, pulse together the remaining ingredients until they resemble coarse breadcrumbs. Cover the fruit with the topping and bake for thirty minutes until the top has browned and the fruit is bubbling.

Can be served hot or at room temperature. Goes very well with ice cream.

 Beware of Hidden Ingredients!

 By Laura Chervenak

I admit it. I am obsessed with reading ingredient labels when shopping for food. That's because I’ve discovered there are ingredients that are added to foods that may seem healthy and innocent-sounding, but are often unhealthy, even toxic. Below is a list of the ingredients I try to avoid:

High-Fructose Corn Syrup
This ingredient is practically listed in any type of food imaginable. It is cheap to produce, and even cheaper to use, which is why manufacturers choose it over sugar. This ingredient is linked to obesity as it contains more fructose than real sugar and converts to fat more easily. Not only can it cause inflammation of our vital organs and aging, but it is the number one source of calories for most Americans. Take a look in your pantry and I think you will be surprised at the number of food products that contain high-fructose corn syrup. This is definitely an ingredient to be on the alert for!

Enriched Flour and Bleached Flour
When a bread product you are buying has “Enriched Flour” or “Bleached Flour” on the label this means that most of the fiber and nutrients that are naturally found in wheat flour were removed. After the removal process is complete, they may add a little bit of those nutrients back into the product that they took out so they can call it “enriched flour.” Either way, the end product becomes a simple, as opposed to the complex carbohydrate it should be. It is less nutritious and passes through your digestive system more quickly meaning you will be hungrier sooner, and which can result in a surge in insulin levels.

Monosodium Glutamate (MSG)
MSG is used in many foods as a flavor enhancer and to make foods taste better. It is often used in Chinese Foods is found in sauces, mixes, and potato chips. It’s hard to spot MSG on an ingredients listing because it can be hidden in ingredients such as yeast extract, autolyzed vegetable protein, and hydrolyzed vegetable protein. Many people can have adverse reactions to MSG, such as headaches and rapid heart rate. Some of the more serious affects can include nerve damage, long-term neurological damage, reproductive disorders, reduced fertility, and may even could be a contributor to diseases such as Multiple Sclerosis and Alzheimer’s. In some research is has even destroyed brain cells in mice!

Aspartame/Sweet ‘n’ Low/Equal/Splenda
All are these are artificial/ chemical sweeteners that are supposed to be a replacement for real sugar. Similar to high fructose corn syrup, most of these are found in large variety of foods, especially aspartame. There is concern that these artificial products can cancer or neurological problems, weight gain, and cravings. Aspartame poisoning actually mimics symptoms of MS.  If you are looking for something to sweeten foods and beverages that is often recommended by natural/alternative practitioners, try stevia.  Honey may be another good choice as it also offers many healing and nutritional benefits.

Sodium Nitrate/Nitrite
Sodium Nitrates are compounds that are added to packaged meats to give them more of a red-colored hue making them look fresher and more appealing when the natural color is normally a dull, grayish color. Because of the word sodium in the name you might think this additive is a typical salt derivative, but it is actually considered to be carcinogenic. Sodium nitrite reacts with stomach acid and other chemicals in the stomach to produce nitrosamines, which have been shown to cause cancer in animals when consumed in large quantities.  They have been connected to brain tumors, leukemia, and cancers of the digestive tract. These additives are prevalent in hot dogs and packaged lunch meat, but check labels carefully as many products now contain nitrates/nitrites.

Carmine
Carmine, also known as cochineal,is sometimes referred to as “natural food color” but if you knew what it really is I am not sure you would want to eat it!  Carmine is a paste that is made from dried and ground dead husks of female red beetles from the Canary Islands. It is then imported to the United States and is added to foods and beverages (and some cosmetics!) to give it a nice pink color. Examples of foods that might have carmine would be strawberry yogurt, pink grapefruit juice, and pink colored candy. It seems a bit dishonest for manufacturers to try to disguise the truth about this ingredient!

When reading labels it is important to remember that ingredients are listed in the order in which they are most prevalent. If you are reading a label and don't recognize the word and/or it is something you can’t pronounce, it may well be an artificial or chemical ingredient.  Better health is worth the time it takes to read labels and to learn more about the “hidden ingredients” in the food you eat!

Laura Chervenak is associate Editor of Heal With Hope, working with her mother, Andrea, to bring you ideas and inspiration for healing and health of the body, mind, and spirit. She is an avid fitness buff, a student of natural health, and is currently training to run her first marathon. 

The Power of Gratitude

by
~  Andrea Chervenak ~ Louise Hay ~ Laura Alden Kamm ~Ellae Elinwood ~ Dr. Bernie Siegel ~

Andrea Chervenak:
I have always been a grateful person.  From a young age my father would often remind me that "there is always someone who has it worse than you."  When I was feeling especially sorry for myself he would tell me his favorite story, about a man who sat down at a bar and began complaining about the hole in his shoe until he realized the man he was complaining to had no leg.  I must have heard this story dozens of times, but it was not until illness struck did I realize the impact it had in forming my attitude about life.There was a time when I was so ill I didn't have the energy to turn over in bed. I remember laying there so full of fear and uncertainty. And then I would hear my father's voice reminding me that as difficult a time I was going through, there was someone, somewhere, who was suffering more than I was. Of the many factors that contributed to the healing I was eventually blessed to find, I have no doubt that the sense of gratitude that my father had instilled in me, was a large part of it. 

As I evolved spiritually, and developed a stronger sense of connection to God, I came to understand that being grateful is a state of mind, as well as a state of being. I stopped praying for things, and starting giving thanks for all that I knew was on its way to my life. I make it a priority to give heartfelt thanks for every blessing that comes my way - large or small. I no longer pray " God please bless me with ______" but rather, "thank you God for the blessing of ________"  because I know God wants all of us to be healthy, happy, and abundant...and so I thank Him for all of  the good that I know is available to all who ask with a pure heart. And when I hit those inevitable bumps in the road of life, I thank God for the the strength I know He will bless me with to move past the challenge quickly.  I also express my gratitude each day by asking God to lead me to all of the ways in which I may serve Him.

Gratitude is being thankful for what you are capable of giving, not having. It is finding the blessings in every circumstance, no matter how deep you must dig to do so.  It is making the choice to look past your troubles to see and appreciate life's beauty and wonder. It is finding a way to love even when you are feeling unloved.  It is knowing that every breath is a precious gift that will not last forever. It is understanding that life is filled with struggle and challenge, but also moments of beauty, joy, and peace. Gratitude is an appreciation of the good times, as well as life's trials and tribulations...because we know that these are the times in which we develop character, wisdom, and strength. It is when each day becomes a thanksgiving that we are living life with a true attitude of gratitude. 

Louise Hay:
I am grateful for all the good in my life this year. 
Gratitude is a gift I give myself and others. 
The joy I share is returned to me multiplied many times over.

Laura Alden Kamm:
Every morning I greet the day with gratitude. I end the day in the same way. I stand by my bedside and lift my arms above my head while saying, “Thank you my beautiful cells.” I bring my hands down in front of my body, moving the energy of heaven down through me. It is a Qi Gong movement. I lift my arms above my head again and say, “Thank you my beautiful body.” Once again, pressing my palms down slowly toward the floor, moving them downward in the front center of my body. Lifting my arms up again I say, “Thank you my beautiful Spirit.” The final time, I repeat the process saying, “Thank you my beautiful Laura.”  This is the way I express my gratitude for my cells, my body, my Spirit, and my persona as it all moves together through this life. Doing what I am here to do; experiencing what I am here to experience. I can’t make a move without any of these parts of my wholeness. So, thanks to them all!

Ellae Elinwood:
In the years following the death of my oldest daughter I really struggled with gratitude.  I found that the simpliest approach worked by far the best.  I took from the Irish...Count your blessings every day.  Large and small they will light the way.

Dr. Bernie Siegel:
Choose a role model who has lived the message and act and behave as if you are that person. It could be Mahatma Gandhi, Mother Teresa, Albert Schweitzer or others. For me it is WWLD, or What Would Lassie Do? 

Sign Up for Updates, Newsletters & More!
Questions?  Email: andrea@HealWithHope.com