Experimenting with Super Foods

I am learning so much about Raw Diets and Super Foods that I am now super curious about how to incorporate these into my diet.

I ordered myself a few superfoods on Amazon. I have a Amazon Prime problem. Don't worry, my husband is quiet aware. My mail man is not too thrilled either because of our excruciatingly long driveway. But I digress...

•The Chlorella/Spirulina tabs are some of my favorite. I have tried a version or two of these in the past and have found good results. Less joint pain, better energy and boost in immunity. Consistency is key here.

•Raw Cacao- not a fan. Heck, I love chocolate as much as the next girl, but this stuff ain't chocolate. It is bitter and not at all "super" in taste. So my goal is to experiment with dates and cocao. Granted, I have a bit of a sugar addiction, but dang these were harsh.

•Dragon Fruit was new to me. I liked it. I am totally unaware of how to pick a ripe dragon fruit so I trusted Wegmans not to steer me wrong. Max, my 5 year old, was not as impressed as I was.

I will definitely eat more dragon fruit in my diet.

Throughout my journey I hope to incorporate more of these

Top Ten Super Foods

1. Cacao- antioxidant high in magnesium, iron, manganese, and fiber.

2. Gogi Berries(wolfberries)- anti aging, anti-cancer, supports neurological and reproductive health. High in selenium, iron, riboflavin, and vitamin C. Max and I drink this every morning with our Ningxia Red.

3. Maca- increases energy, endurance, fertility, and libido. I tried this before and found it produced more cysts in my breast tissue. So I stay away now.

4. Raw Hemp Products- good source of protein. Rich in iron, zinc, phosphorus, magnesium, and omega-3s. I like Hemp Milk, it tastes like marshmallows to me.

5. Spirulina- highest vegetarian source of complete protein. Improves blood sugar, reduces blood pressure, and supports healthy cholesterol.

6. Bee Products- pollen supports immunity, reduces inflammation. I like to take every morning at the start of allergy season. Raw, unfiltered honey is rich in minerals, antioxidants, and enzymes. As a prebiotic, honey may also help to support gut health.

7. Camu Camu Berry- I am gonna be honest, I have never heard of this berry until now. But it is one of the highest sources of vitamin C on the planet. Go fig'

8. Sea Vegetables(kelp, nori) - beneficial for the thyroid and hormone function with iodine, magnesium, calcium, potassium, and fiber. I eat sushi! I think that counts

9. Medicinal Mushrooms- I am curious in a non-burning-man kind of way

10. Blue-Green Algae- antioxidant. May help to improve mood and reduce symptoms of depression.

To juice or not to juice...that is the question

So we have all done it. Gone on benders of health. We buy the latest juicer, or blender, or in my case the oh-so-healthy quesadilla maker. We use these products for a week or two and then they are on the highest shelf looking down with judgment.

Well, this week I dusted off my juicer and made Max help.

I love juicing and how I feel. I don't even mind the cleaning. My issue was always the wavering question of "what about the fiber?"

Yes, juicing takes the fiber away. And yes, fiber is good. But on the flip side, juice has a 99% absorption rate that enters your system pretty rapidly. Eating the raw, fiber-filled veggie or fruit equivalent only gives you about 50% of the food value after digestion.

And if you juice organic you are likely to have 2times the nutritional mineral content with less aluminum, lead and mercury.

But what about the fiber?!?!

Ok, so I decided to use the leftover pulp or fiber to make a raw cracker. This was my first attempt and it wasn't horrible. It definitely needed more salt and spice.

Ingredients- I suggest experimenting with herbs like thyme and coriander

2 1/2 cups pulp

1/2 cup ground flaxseed

1 tbsp sweet curry

1 tbsp lime juice

1 tsp salt or soy soy sauce to taste (I used salt, next time I am doing soy sauce)

1 tsp sesame seeds

Mix all the ingredients with hands removing any larger pieces. Spread on dehydrator tray sprayed with olive oil, or on parchement. Set dehydrator to 115º. Dehydrate overnight or until crisp, flipping once or twice. Remove from dehydrator and let stand for 15 minutes before cracking and putting away.

They should last the week.

Without dehydrator try lowest temperature on your oven.

We juiced apples, carrots, celery, cucumbers, and beet

Food not Products

Module 3 in my lessons was about our world view of nutrition and how crazy f'd up everything is.

Nutrition is really the only science that has totally conflicting opinions.

Eat meat vs. Meat will kill you

Dairy is good vs. no one should ever drink milk, you are not a cow!

Coffee good Vs Coffee bad

One thing we can agree on is we put too much of the wrong stuff into our bellies.

I have really gotten interested in the blood type diet and according to my blood type (A) I should be vegan. I was vegan for a year. Highly devoted and a little neurotic about it. I did it for health reasons. After endometriosis surgery for the fifth time, I figured what the hell. I felt amazing. Most of my inflammation went away and pain subsided.

Now, I eat it all. I will be experimenting with ways of eating throughout this process but giving up meat will be a struggle. I will need some major brain reworking to give up bacon.

My goal for this week is to cut out packaged items. I don't eat very many but I can go more fresh than processed, so i will. Wish me luck!