Cacao: The World’s Favorite Food

Last week, I listened to a TED Talk by David Wolfe on raw chocolate and the amazing benefits and properties of this fruit. His research and findings have really changed how I view chocolate.

Raw chocolate contains many important minerals and nutrients including:

• Magnesium, and other essential minerals including calcium, sulfur, zinc, iron, copper, phosphorus, potassium, and manganese
• Polyphenols called flavonoids, with antioxidant properties
• Vitamins: B1, B2, B3, B5, B9, E
• Essential heart-healthy fat: oleic acid a monounsaturated fat
• Protein
• Fiber

The above nutrients have been linked to a number of health benefits:

1. Neutralize Free Radicals – High levels of antioxidants protect the body from a build up of free radicals from pollution, cigarette smoke, and sun exposure which can damage healthy body tissue leading to cancer and cardiovascular disease.
2. Improves Digestion – Cacao may help to keep your bowel movements regular. A 1 oz serving of cacao nibs contains 36% of the recommended daily intake of dietary fiber, or 9 grams.
3. Enhance Physical & Mental Well-Being – Magnesium, phosphorus, and calcium are important for healthy bones and teeth, sulfur for healthy hair and skin, iron for healthy blood, potassium for kidneys, heart, and adrenal glands.
4. Promote Cardiovascular Function – The antioxidant power of flavanoids and essential minerals found in raw cacao can support healthy heart functioning by lowering blood pressure, and in turn lowers your risk for a stroke or heart attack.
5. Lower Blood Pressure & Improve Circulation – The fiber and polyphenols work together to control your blood pressure and blood glucose levels.

That’s Bananas!

Today, I want to share with you why bananas are so great for you. At the end, I sneak in my all-time favorite banana recipe. With a creamy and sweet taste and perfect yellow packaging, bananas are a fantastic snack that can be enjoyed all year round. One medium sized banana contains about 105 calories and are a very good source for Vitamin B6, manganese, Vitamin C, Fiber, Potassium, Biotin, and Copper. For a more in-depth nutritional profile of a banana: click here.

Why I love Bananas:

1. They improve your mood – containing high levels of tryptohpan, which converts into serotonin (aka the happy-mood brain neurotransmitter)

2. These bad boys lower your blood pressure and protect against heart attack and stroke with the high content of potassium and low sodium amounts.

3. Bananas can help you become more “regular.” They contain a soluble fiber called pectin that can help normalize movements through the digestive tract.

4. With 25% of your daily vitamin B6, which allows your body to make nonessential amino acids to create healthy cells.

5. Super versatile and easy to transport. I have included these in all kinds of recipes from smoothies to breads to desserts.

6. Bananas are the perfect fuel for athletes because they provide the carbs that your muscles need and contain antioxidants that help speed up your recovery.

7. They help you feel full longer. The 6 grams of resistant starch in the banana is a carb that resists digestion, functioning like fiber. The greener the banana the more resistant starch it contains.

Yummy Banana Cookies

Ingredients: 3 ripe bananas, 2 cups gluten-free oats, 1 cup dates (pitted and chopped), 1/3 cup apple sauce, & 1 teaspoon vanilla extract. Feel free to add in 1/4 of walnuts or chocolate chips!

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F

2. In a large bowl, mash the bananas. Stir in oats, dates, apple sauce, and vanilla. Mix well, and allow to sit for 15 minutes. Drop by teaspoonfuls onto an ungreased cookie sheet.

3. Bake for 20 minutes in the preheated over, or until lightly brown.

 

** If you want your bananas to ripen faster, just put them in a closed paper bag with an apple, pear, or tomato. The more ripe the bananas the sweeter they taste! I know how easy it is to eat these once out of the oven, but try to resist and be careful not to over eat these sweet treats.

Benefits of Soaking Almonds

Always soak your nuts! Soaking helps deactivate inhibitor enzymes so that nutrients are more readily available to the body and less acid forming. The peel can also be irritating on the stomach lining for some people, and without it the nuts are much easier to digest.  Almonds are high in oil, fatty acids, protein, copper, iron, potassium, magnesium, zinc, & vitamins B and E.
Incredible benefits of ALMONDS:

• aphrodisiac
• stimulate energy
• high fiber
• general laxative
• muscle relaxant
• lower cholesterol
• nourish your nervous system
• boost brain activity
• high quality protein

TO SOAK:  Measure 1/4 cup of almonds and place them in a glass jar or bowl. Then, I cover the nuts with water, and cover the bowl with a plate or lid. In the morning or at least 7 hours later you can begin to peel the skins right off the almond. It can be a little tedious, but you are doing your body a huge favor-trust me!  All nuts have different soaking time, but the process is generally the same.

SOAK TIME:

Almonds, Peanuts, Pine Nuts, Macadamia Nuts, & Hazelnuts: at least 7 hours or overnight

Cashews: 6 hours, no longer!

If you plan to make more than one serving, be sure to store these bad boys in the fridge, but not for more than a week because they will go bad.

 

What is Your Tongue Telling You?

You know when you go to the doctor, and they ask you to stick out your tongue? They aren’t just doing this to make you giggle. Our tongues are a special window into the quality of our health. That’s the main reason they want to have a good look at your tongue.

Your tongue has the magic power of sensing if you’ve properly digested your food from the night before, if your organs are functioning optimally, if your colon is clear, if you are feeling anxious or fearful, and is can tell you if you need a cleanse. Certain organs in your body correspond to a different part of your tongue (see diagram). So cool, right? The front of tongue corresponds to the lungs, heart, chest and neck. The centre of tongue equates to the spleen, stomach, pancreas and liver. The back of the tongue corresponds to the intestines, colon and kidneys.

I’m going to share with you a couple simple tips to self-diagnose yourself through tongue analysis to quickly remove any toxins you may have lingering.

Characteristics of a Healthy Tongue:

1. COLOR: A healthy tongue is usually a pale-red or pretty pink. It’s not too pale or too dark. This signifies a healthy amount of blood reaching the tongue.

2. SHAPE: The tongue will look supple and not too flabby or stiff. It does not tremble, does not have cracks, and does not look too thin or too puffy.

3. COATING: There is a thin white coating. The coating will be a little bit thicker towards the back or base of the tongue.

4. MOISTURE: The tongue is neither too dry or too wet. The tongue is slightly moist.

5. SUBLINGUAL VEINS: The veins underneath your tongue are not swollen due to pressure from the inside. They are either barely visible or not at all. The color of the veins is light, and not a dark purple color.

 

Characteristics of an Unhealthy Tongue:

I’m going to explain the 12 most common signs that you might see show up on your tongue, and what they mean about your health.

WHITE: Body is releasing toxins

GREY or BROWNISH-GREY: Stomach or intestinal problems

YELLOWISH or YELLOW-GREEN: Liver or gallbladder problems

INDENTATIONS or CRACKS ON SURFACE: Malnutrition or vitamin deficiency

A BORDER with THE EDGES of SHOWING THE TEETH OUTLINE: Mineral  deficiency

 

 TOP ROW:

‘U’ SHAPED COATING ON BACK OF TONGUE – (left image) Vata sign indicating a sensitive colon or toxins in the colon

DISCOLORED, EITHER WHITE OR OFF WHITE – (middle image) Kapha indicator of kidney problems or congestion

REDDISH SPOT – (right image) Pitta sign revealing a sensitive and delicate heart

2nd ROW:

REDDISH SPOTS LINING FRONT OF TONGUE – (left image) Kapha sign revealing a sensitive and delicate lungs

FROTHY, EITHER WHITE OR BROWNISH – (middle image) Kapha sign indicating the lungs are congested, mucousy with bronchitis

BROWN WITH DARK SPOTS – (right image) Kapha indication of pneumonitis

3rd ROW:

TEETH MARKS – (left image) Vata indication of malabsorption and poor assimilation of nutrients

WHITE COATING ON BACK OF TONGUE – (middle image) Vata indication of toxins in the colon

WHITE w/ RED PERIMETER – (right image) Pitta indication of toxins and impurities in the small intestines

4th ROW:

CRACKS – Vata imbalances related to nerves in the large intestines, sensitive nerves, nervous indigestion

TREMORS – Vata disorders related to fears, insecurities and anxieties

MIDLINE CRACK – Vata sign related to emotional disturbances and spinal column problems

Before brushing, take a look at your tongue for a few weeks and begin to notice the differences of how it looks depending on how you are feeling that day. Does it look red when you feel feverish and stressed out? Or does it look swollen when you haven’t been drinking enough water?

Another tip I suggest is to buy a stainless steel tongue scraper and add this simple step to your morning routine. It is best to scrape the tongue upon rising in the morning before eating or brushing your teeth. Gently scrape the tongue from back to front enough times to remove all the bacteria. Will you try tongue scraping in the morning?

 

Image Courtesy http://www.ayurvedic.ie/