Basic Nutrition 101

Since I quoted from Sally Fallon yesterday, I thought I would continue along that line and share the Weston A. Price Foundation's Basic Dietary Guidelines. (Sally Fallon is the president of WAP.)

I find these 20 health suggestions really helpful. First, they were helpful when I was getting started and needed a solid foundation to build on. They gave me a place to jump in and begin my own research and investigation. Second, they have continued to be helpful as a resource to refer back to every now and again in order to refocus my efforts. So, here they are:

Dietary Guidelines

1. Eat whole, natural foods.
2. Eat only foods that will spoil, but eat them before they do.
3. Eat naturally-raised meat including fish, seafood, poultry, beef, lamb, game, organ meats and eggs.
4. Eat whole, naturally-produced milk products from pasture-fed cows, preferably raw and/or fermented, such as whole yogurt, cultured butter, whole cheeses and fresh and sour cream.
5. Use only traditional fats and oils including butter and other animal fats, extra virgin olive oil, expeller expressed sesame and flax oil and the tropical oils-coconut and palm.
6. Eat fresh fruits and vegetables, preferably organic, in salads and soups, or lightly steamed.
7. Use whole grains and nuts that have been prepared by soaking, sprouting or sour leavening to neutralize phytic acid and other anti-nutrients.
8. Include enzyme-enhanced lacto-fermented vegetables, fruits, beverages and condiments in your diet on a regular basis.
9. Prepare homemade meat stocks from the bones of chicken, beef, lamb or fish and use liberally in soups and sauces.
10. Use herb teas and coffee substitutes in moderation.
11. Use filtered water for cooking and drinking.
12. Use unrefined Celtic seasalt and a variety of herbs and spices for food interest and appetite stimulation.
13. Make your own salad dressing using raw vinegar, extra virgin olive oil and expeller expressed flax oil.
14. Use natural sweeteners in moderation, such as raw honey, maple syrup, dehydrated cane sugar juice and stevia powder.
15. Use only unpasteurized wine or beer in strict moderation with meals.
16. Cook only in stainless steel, cast iron, glass or good quality enamel.
17. Use only natural supplements.
18. Get plenty of sleep, exercise and natural light.
19. Think positive thoughts and minimize stress.
20. Practice forgiveness.

These are straight from the book... without my additional comments added, although I could say some things about each of these.

If these guidelines present new information to you, please don't let them overwhelm you!!! I suggest taking small steps. Find a few that you could put into practice for the remainder of this year. Then re-evaluate the list at the New Year and select a few more for the next season. Allow each new practice to become habit before you add in more... but don't stop adding in more!

Off to run around like a chicken with my head cut off until bedtime...

Encouragement for Meal Planning

Yesterday I mentioned how important it is to create a reasonable meal plan full of nutritious and balanced foods... and then stick to it. Remember the adage: "If you fail to plan, you plan to fail."?

For real, I know that putting healthy foods on the table for three meals a day can be very time and thought intensive. The good news is that most things will become habitual and lose a level of difficulty. However, even after eating this way for more than ten years, I still have to plan!

Eating healthy takes time and effort, but it pays off in energy, vitality and wellness. I find it very much worth the effort.

Today I'd like to share a simple tip with you that could increase your success... It is something I ran across in Sally Fallon's Nourishing Traditions. She gives a section of kitchen tips for those who need help getting started. In one of her tips, she suggests thinking ahead to the next two meals every time you prepare a meal.

This is how I have trained my mind to function over the years. But actually, I have found it helpful to think three meals ahead. So when I make supper one night, I can make sure meat is thawed for the next night. Or that beans are soaking so that they will be ready for the slow cooker the next morning.

When I make breakfast, I think ahead to lunch and dinner. At that point, I take the time to start grains soaking and I can also do any advance prep work that can be done to lighten the work load in the evening.

This is just a suggestion, but it works enough for Sally Fallon to include it in her book and it certainly works for me. I have discovered that I am greatly limited in what I can pull of if I wait until the last minute to plan and prepare supper. By waiting, I find myself with meat still frozen at the very least!

Do you have any tips on how to streamline meal preparation times in your home? I would love to hear your thoughts, so please share in the comments!

Thanks,

Pregnancy Update and Meal Plans

I am at the end of my second trimester! Things are going very well with this pregnancy... EXCEPT that I have been really tired lately. My doctor has evaluated my bloodwork, and I have talked at length with my midwife. Their final analysis: my fatigue is simply due to overloading my schedule and not getting enough rest.

Hmmm. I am glad it is nothing serious, but I don't know how to thin out my schedule... and napping doesn't really come easily in a house full of active children. We'll just have to see how I can fit in more rest... yeah, right.

But in the meantime, I know that my body (and my baby) would not appreciate me cutting corners and letting unhealthy convenience foods into my daily diet. These foods actually deprive us of energy because of the additional strain they put on our digestive and detoxification systems. In times like these, our bodies really need the right fuel to keep them operating at peak performance. (Which reminds me of a post I wrote a while ago about the proper fuel for our bodies.) The "right fuel" is real food... So I will keep pressing on with my "whole foods" meal plans and preparations.

Here's what I have planned for this week:

Monday: This quiche with Parsley Mashed Potatoes and a Garden Salad.

Tuesday: Make Yogurt in the morning.
Cabbage Rolls (from this cookbook) plus a Garden Salad. I have so much cabbage from my last produce box! I will make a double or triple batch of these and freeze them for future meals when I simply don't have time to cook.

Wednesday: This is our full-to-bursting day. So I will make Crock Pot Black Bean Soup (follow this link) and some fresh soaked flatbreads to dip into the soup. If I have time in the morning when I start to soak the flatbreads, I will also bake some Banana Nut Muffins.

Thursday: Crock Pot Roast, Oven Roasted Potatoes, Steamed Vegetables.

Friday: Chicken and Spinach Calzones with another fresh, crisp salad... full of all the wonderful raw food benefits we need to frequently take advantage of!


Press on dear readers... we all get tired, don't we? But what we eat really matters! Make a reasonable plan, then stick with it... you'll be glad you did!

Do You Ever Wonder...

Do you ever wonder why I recommend only Shaklee supplements and cleaning products? I mention why in my series on What Is Health Anyway? (Part I, Part II, Part III) and in My Personal Health Journey. But, I have recently found this video that summarizes my reasons (plus more) very nicely.

If you have ever wondered "Why should I choose a Shaklee supplement over a store bought or health food store vitamin"...

If you have ever asked, "Why is Shaklee a better value?"... please watch this seven minute video.

For more information on Shaklee supplements (or for purchasing) click here.

Busy Evenings and Quick Meals

I feel like a broken record, as if the same thought keeps echoing in my head... "Things have been so busy here!" Have you heard yourself saying the same thing?

Our challenge is to keep providing healthy meals for our families despite the busy-ness. Be encouraged... It can be done! And, be encouraged... even if you have to get take out once in a while. I am positive that your efforts the other 97% of the time will still count for good.

So what do you do when you arrive home at 5:20 and have to be finished with supper by 6:00 for the next evening activity?

First, it really helps if you have some already prepared meat in the freezer that you can pull out to thaw the morning of a busy day. For example, you can brown a few pounds of beef, add taco seasoning and freeze it in one-pound portions. The morning of a busy day, you can pull a pound out to thaw and then make some beefy quesidillas and a salad for supper. (Try sprouted wheat tortillas!) With lettuce already washed and ready, you could make these two things in just fifteen minutes.

With plain ground beef already browned, you can use the thawed meat to make a quick spaghetti sauce. Finely chop onions, peppers, garlic, squash, zucchini, greens... any vegetable you have on hand... and saute them with the browned beef. Then, add two cans of Crushed Tomatoes and some Italian Seasoning for a fifteen minute spaghetti sauce to serve over whole grain pasta. Like with the lettuce, if you have already chopped veggies, you can really save time. I keep diced onions and peppers in my freezer and can pull those out and put them directly into a skillet to saute. (You can chop and freeze fresh onions and peppers without any other preparation.)

Or, have some cooked chicken in the freezer. I have gotten into the habit of cooking a few chickens at a time and then freezing the meat in meal sized portions. The ready-prepared meat and stock came in really handy yesterday! In the morning, I threw ingredients into a crock pot... and when I arrived home at 5:20, I had Arroz Con Pollo ready to dish up for supper.

So here's how I made Arroz Con Pollo, which might just be the easiest meal EVER. This meal serves 8-10.

Add each of these ingredients to your crock pot in the morning... I add them in this order:

• Meat from 1/2 a cooked chicken. As I mentioned before, I like to make our meat stretch, so I just use half, but if you wanted this meal extra meaty, you could use a whole.
• 2 diced onions
• 2 diced green peppers
• 4 cloves of garlic, crushed
• 1 tsp. sea salt
• 1 1/2 tsp. of Italian Seasoning (make sure you use a natural seasoning mix so that it contains no added, unwanted ingredients)
• Cayenne Pepper... I just add a few sprinkles, but if your kids like spice you can add more.
• One can of Crushed Tomatoes
• One can of Petite Diced Tomatoes (on the tomatoes, it is preferable to use organic or home canned tomatoes, but use what you are able to buy)
• 2 cups of brown rice
• 1-2 Tbsp. Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• 3 cups of chicken stock or fresh water

Give the pot a few gentle stirs. Then let it cook on low all day long... say from 8-5pm or 9-6pm, give or take, which is what is nice about crock pot meals. When you're ready for supper, you'll have a tasty, hearty, healthy meal for your family!

We will all have extremely busy days. If we think ahead, we can still put a nourishing meal on the table. Think ahead, work ahead... and next time I have a quick meal idea, I'll be sure to pass it along too.

Enjoy your days!

Don't Throw Away the Liquid from Cooking Vegetables!

While I really see the health value in eating raw vegetables and salads as much as possible, sometimes veggies are just better cooked. I'm thinking about eggplant, zucchini, and greens for example.

In fact, some veggies are even more healthy when they are cooked. For example, cabbage, broccoli, brussles sprouts and kale contain thyroid inhibiting compounds called goitrogens. Spinach, chard and beet greens contain oxalic acid, which blocks the absorption of calcium and iron. Cooking neutralizes both of these negative factors.

But what do you do with the leftover cooking liquid? Here is what's left from a pan in which I sauteed onions, rainbow chard and garlic. There's a lot of good stuff in that liquid!

But who wants to drink it??? (There are rare children like Spiderman who eagerly await the liquid from cooking beets as his choice beverage, but I understand he is a rarity. None of my girls want any part of it!)

Don't throw it out! Don't waste the extra nutrients! Instead, you can add the liquid to your store of stock in the freezer or fridge. Keep the stock plus vegetable liquid to steam rice or add to soup, spaghetti sauce, chili or almost any crock pot meal.

I usually have some chicken stock in the fridge or in the freezer. I pour this 1/4 cup of liquid in with it. By doing so, I add extra flavor and nutrients to whatever I use the chicken stock for. The possiblilies are endless!

Note: If you have a pint or quart of stock in the freezer, adding 1/4-1/2 cup of cooled vegetable liquid will not defrost the stock enough to cause a problem. If you are adding more than 1/2 cup, you may want to just freeze it by itself in leftover yogurt containers. Just think ahead to pull it out of the freezer before you make rice or soup. Or you can quick-thaw-it by leaving it submerged in a sink of cool water for a bit.

This works for me -- I hope it works for you too!

For more Works For Me Wednesday posts, visit We Are That Family.

New Blog Listing

What a full weekend! And what a Monday!!!! I'm about to get my produce box, so I haven't made my meal plan for the week yet... I hope to post that and get back to regular posting tomorrow. Until then, here is a fun tidbit for those of you who like to blog hop:

Health Begins With Mom has been listed in a blog link collection entitled "100 Best Blogs for Entrepreneurial-Minded Moms." The list is separated into subcategories from which it is easy to pick and choose what meets your interests. The categories are:

• Advice and Support from other Mom-Entrepreneurs
• Budget
• PR and Marketing
• Health
• Balance
• Parenting
• Quick Recipes
• Beauty, Fashion and Shopping
• Helpful Resources

I, for sure, will be checking out the Quick Recipes blogs... looking for healthy ideas or recipes I can tweak to meet our whole foods standards. And I'm sure I'll check out the other health blogs, plus a few more.

If you like to see what other moms are up to, be sure to visit the link!

Happy Monday,