Summer means strawberry season throughout the northern United States. Fresh, juicy and sweet berries can be readily found in markets and farm stands. They make excellent snacks and desserts.
Strawberries are rich sources of phenolic antioxidants that can help:
1. reverse inflammation
2. aid in weight loss
3. reduce the risk of chronic disease.

Strawberry extracts may have direct anti-inflammatory effects, helping to inhibit the activation of genes and enzymes that promote inflammation.
Most of this benefit is due to another group of phenolic antioxidants called anthocyanins, which give ripe strawberries their lush red color. Anthocyanins may decrease the risk of heart disease and stroke by protecting blood vessels from the effects of wear and tear.
The ellagic acid and anthocyanins found in strawberries may aid weight loss in at least three ways:
1. Chronic inflammation blocks the hormones involved in keeping you lean. Foods like strawberries help restore normal function to weight-reducing hormones.
2. Anthocyanins can actually increase the body’s production of a hormone called adiponectin, which stimulates your metabolism and suppresses your appetite.

3. Both ellagic acid and anthocyanins can slow the rate of digestion of starchy foods, controlling the rise in blood sugar that follows a starchy meal. This effect can help control blood sugar in people with adult-onset (Type 2) diabetes.
You can eat fresh or frozen strawberries as a snack or dessert anytime. Add plain, fat-free organic yogurt for a creamy topping and chopped walnuts or ground flax seed for crunchiness.
I recommend organically grown strawberries, besides the fact that conventional strawberries have one of the highest amounts of herbicides and pesticides, organic strawberries have been shown to have higher levels of vitamin C.

The Pesticide Action Network has launched a new online searchable database designed to make the public problem of pesticide exposure visible and more understandable. Whether you want to find out what’s in your apple juice, milk, peanut butter, or bottled water, this innovative tool links pesticide food residue data with the toxicology for each chemical, making this information easily searchable for the first time.

Bookmark this link! and share it with everyone you know!

My nutritional philosophy is, “If it has a label, don’t eat it.”

That said, I realize that’s not always realistic for all of us all of the time. We like to have convenience foods to help us deal with our time crunches, and that’s OK. But I recommend that you read the labels. Choose packaged foods made with real-food ingredients over those with factory-created components.

Be a smart consumer and look for things that are going to help your body thrive. When you pick something up, ask yourself the question: “Is this something my great grandmother would have eaten?” If the answer is “no,” you should probably put it back. Things like frozen blueberries or canned black beans can still be good for you, as long as they don’t contain a bunch of unhealthy and unnecessary ingredients.

STOCKING A HEALTHY PANTRY

Now that you know what to avoid, go to your cabinets, refrigerator, and freezer and toss out any foods that contain the ingredients on the avoid list.

Here’s a list of foods that you can replace in your pantry with healthier foods.

· Refined White Sugar – replace with stevia, agave nectar, honey, brown rice syrup, or Rapadura Whole Cane Organic Unrefined Sugar

· Margarine – replace with organic real butter

· Table Salt – replace with natural Celtic Sea Salt

· Skippy, Jif or other Peanut Butter – replace with natural peanut butter with only two ingredients: peanuts and salt.

· Canned veggies/fruit – eat fresh fruits and veggies

· Soft drinks – good clean water, sparkling water, herbal teas

· Pasta – replace with brown rice pasta, quinoa pasta, or whole wheat pasta if your not sensitive to gluten or wheat.

· White Flour – replace with 100% whole wheat flour, or whole wheat pastry flour or other non-gluten flours.

· White Bread – replace with a good 100% whole grain bread. The ingredient list should be short with only a few ingredients such as whole wheat flour, yeast, honey, salt.

· Crackers – replace with whole grain crackers – try Ak-Mak, Mary’s Gone Crackers, or Back to Nature Harvest Whole Wheats

· Breakfast Cereals – Go with a whole grain one, look for short ingredient lists.

Written by Dee McCaffrey, CDC

One of the most widely used pesticides in the world has been linked to brain, intestinal and heart defects in fetuses, according to the results of a scientific investigation released Monday. According to the study authors, the doses of herbicide used in the study “were much lower than the levels used in the fumigations,” and so the situation “is much more serious”.

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Monosodium glutamate (MSG) is one of the most common and hazardous food additives on the market. MSG is reportedly more toxic than alcohol, tobacco and many drugs. MSG is an excitotoxin, so it tricks your brain into wanting to eat more and more foods containing the ingredient, even if you are already full. Side effects of MSG include: obesity, eye damage, headaches, depression, fatigue and disorientation. Food manufacturers know that health-conscious consumers try to avoid MSG, so it is oftentimes not listed in a product’s ingredients. MSG is banned in organic foods.

Here’s a list of ingredients that ALWAYS contain MSG:

Autolyzed Yeast — Calcium Caseinate — Gelatin Glutamate — Glutamic Acid — Hydrolyzed Protein — Monopotassium Glutamate — Monosodium Glutamate — Sodium Caseinate — Textured Protein — Yeast Extract — Yeast Food — Yeast Nutrient

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1 cup millet, uncooked
3 cups water
2 cups black beans, cooked
2 large tomatoes, chopped
1 medium onion, (or substitute green onions), chopped
1 medium cucumber

Dressing
1/3 cup water
3 Tablespoons lemon juice
1 Tablespoon balsamic vinegar
2 teaspoons garlic, minced
1 teaspoon sea salt
1/2 teaspoon allspice
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1 teaspoon cumin

Cook the millet in 3 cups of water until water is absorbed, about 30 minutes. Fluff with fork and allow to cool.

In a large bowl, combine millet, black beans, tomatoes, and onion.

Peel several strips from the cucumber (it should look striped) and cut it lengthwise into four pieces. Remove the seeds and cut into 1/2-inch slices. Add the cucumber to the salad.

Mix all dressing ingredients until well blended and pour over the salad, tossing to blend. (Experiment with the seasonings to suit taste.) Cover and refrigerate until the salad is well chilled. Serve on lettuce leaves or stuff into pita bread.

The little stickers on fruits and vegetables have digits that let you know whether they’re conventionally grown or organic, and if they’re genetically modified (GM). There are many benefits to knowing this information:

Here’s what you should look for:

Sources:
Ideal Bite January 30, 2009

Read Dr. Mercola’s take on GMO foods here:

By Dr. Ben Kim on April 07, 2009

The secret to mouthwatering falafel pitas is a rich, creamy tahini dressing – be sure to make some along with this recipe, and don’t be shy in dolloping it on before devouring these healthy falafels.

Ingredients:

1 large Yukon gold potato, peeled and diced
1 can of chickpeas (garbanzo beans), drained and rinsed
1 onion, finely chopped
1/2 a cup of fresh parsley, roughly chopped
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1 tablespoon of tahini (sesame paste)
2 teaspoons of freshly squeezed lemon juice
1/2 a teaspoon of turmeric
1/2 a teaspoon of coriander
1 teaspoon of cumin
6 whole grain pitas
Olive oil

Garnishes:

Cucumber slices
Tomato wedges
Chopped green onions
Shredded romaine lettuce

Directions:

1. Steam peeled and diced Yukon gold potato until tender.

2. Combine cooked potato with chickpeas in a bowl and mash together until well homogenized.

3. Add onion, parsley, garlic, tahini, lemon juice, turmeric, coriander, and cumin and mix well.

4. Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Put pitas on a baking tray and allow them to warm up in the oven – it’s best not allow them to get crispy.

5. Use your hands to roll chickpea mixture into small balls – about the size of small figs or walnuts. Place balls on a baking sheet that has been greased with a thin layer of olive oil. Bake balls for 15 minutes. Turn them over and bake for another 15 minutes.

6. To serve, open each pita and fill with 2-3 falafel patties along with garnishes. Add a generous dollop or two or three of tahini dressing. And feel free to add some hummus as well for extra richness and healthy protein content.

Enjoy this super delicious and healthy falafel pita recipe.

Tahini Dressing Recipe

Ingredients:

2 heaping tablespoons of raw, organic tahini
1/2 clove of garlic
Juice of 1/4 of a lemon
Sea salt, to taste
Water

Directions:

Blend all ingredients, adding water slowly until desired consistency is reached.