Ghoulish Goulash

Ghoulish Goulash
Parents, there are ghoulish dangers awaiting your children this Halloween eve; dangers like high-fructose corn syrup, sugar, refined carbohydrates, food coloring, artificial flavorings, trans fats, and triglycerides just to name a spooky few. All of these kick the “BOO” out of your immune system leaving the door ajar for H1N1.
Food colorings and artificial flavorings have been linked with worsening ADD and ADHD plus, according to several studies, they cause aggressive behavior; the bully syndrome.
All of these common ingredients in Halloween candy are linked to such conditions as childhood obesity, coronary artery disease, diabetes, yeast overgrowth syndrome and multiple-chemical sensitivity. Very frightening!!
If you find this hauntingly objectionable, serve this vegetable rich Vegetable Goulash to neutralize the damage ‘Over-Dosing’ on sugar can cause. Sugar is a drug. Too much of anything is not a good thing. The vegetables and fiber is this dish will help neutralize the damage from the annual Halloween sugar bloodbath of gore.

1 tsp. olive oil
½ medium onion, sliced thin
1 carrot, chopped
¼ cup celery
2 cloves of chopped garlic
1 cup shiitake mushrooms, sliced thin stems discarded (Stimulate the immune system)
1 green pepper, sliced thin
1 tbs. wheat germ
½ cup fake ‘meat’ crumbles
1 tsp. paprika (smoked if you can find it)
1-14 ½ oz. can whole canned tomatoes, chopped, reserve juice
1 cup of cooked beans, drained
½ cup red wine vinegar
1 tsp. oregano

~Heat the olive oil over medium heat.
~Sautee the onion, celery, peppers, carrot, garlic, paprika, crumbles and mushrooms till tender.
~Stir in the tomatoes with juice; add beans, wine, oregano and reserved tomato juice.
~Bring to a boil, but do not cook more than 5 minutes. Add wheat germ and stir.
~Serve over a bed of brown rice, whole wheat pasta or quinoa and a dark leafy green salad.

Aging with Grace

Prolonging the Inevitable
Last weekend, enticed by the multi-colored splendor, azure skies and crisp air, Sandi and I drove the country back roads to visit our granddaughter attending her first semester at Indiana University.

For the first time, despite my steadfast aerobic workout routine and good health, I truly felt like the droopy old fart every 61-year-old man ultimately must acknowledge. I mean, wasn’t it last year that I cradled her in my arms as she cooed, giggled and then yanked my glasses off, while dutifully filling her diapers?

Face it; we’re all going to die. What we do between birth and death, however, factors significantly into life’s final chapters. Am I going to experience late-life morbidity or wake up dead some morning? Using the stimulus, I appraised my personal efforts to steward my temple to remain healthy until I expire. Living to 100 is no longer attractive unless I can remain in lucid mental and physical health.

After patting myself on the back for overcoming cigarette addiction, my first focus was my weight; next to not smoking, the most important thing anyone can do to live longer. Fat cells produce hormones which raise the risk of type 2 diabetes and generate cytokines which cause inflammation, stiffening of the arteries, heart and other organs. Packing surplus fat raises the risk of some cancers. Currently I’m the same weight I was when I was 18, just more wrinkly. I did, however, weigh 300 pounds in 1988.

Next, I scrutinized my vitamin regimen. Big Pharma would love for the vitamin industry to go away. Out of fear and greed, they’ve slandered and discredited vitamins and minerals for decades. Yes, there are some crappy vitamins out there, but with some homework and a friend at your community vitamin shop, anyone can deduce good from bad. I’ve taken Source of Life vitamins for 20 years. Research assures grocery store vitamins are the absolute worst. Most are synthesized by a chemist, not our Creator; therefore our cells cannot use them. Doctors at the University of California-Berkley report we all should take a quality daily, food-based multiple vitamin with minerals. They urge the age-challenged to take daily doses of 800 mg alpha-lipoic acid and 2,000 mg acetyl-l-carnitine, nutritional warriors which power our cells. Mitochondrion decay is a major factor in aging and is connected to Alzheimer’s and diabetes. Anyone over 50 should also pop a B-complex and D-3 every day. Solgar and Carlson brands are top shelf.

Do I know how to mellow out? I’ve learned the value of regularly practicing a series of deep, cleansing breaths. Life strife increases the concentration of hormones cortisol and norepinephrine, which raise blood pressure and suppress the immune system. Seek daily quiet time to meditate and center on each breath. Dr. Andrew Wiel picks deep breathing as a universal anti-stress practice. Exhale strongly, making a whoosh sound. Breathe in quietly through the nose for a four-count. Hold the breath for a seven-count; then exhale with the whoosh sound for an eight-count. Repeat the cycle three more times and feel the fresh oxygen refresh your mind, body and soul.

Do I eat enough fresh produce? Extremely necessary as we age, Antioxidants found in all fruits and vegetables are used by our body intelligence to brawl with free radical agents that damage healthy cells. Fibrous anti-aging fruits and vegetables help the digestive process along. This includes all green leafy vegetables such as lettuce, spinach, collards and kale. Carrots, cucumbers, sweet potatoes, avocado and celery are also fibrous and vigorous.
It’s wondrous how the holy temple heals and restores.

People live longer today than ever, partly due to what scientists and doctors are discovering about how the temple responds to a diet rich in anti-aging fruits and vegetables that extend our relatively short lives. Are you an adult who still doesn’t eat their anti-aging fruits and vegetables? Come on — get with it and grow up! Antioxidants in fresh produce are necessary as we age to fight free radicals agents that damage healthy cells.

Finally, do a good deed. The best way to stay healthy is to be kind and loving to others as well as yourself

Aging with Grace and Style

Last weekend, enticed by the multi-colored splendor, azure skies and crisp air, Sandi and I drove the country back roads to visit our granddaughter attending her first semester at Indiana University.

For the first time, despite my steadfast aerobic work-out routine and good health, I truly felt like the droopy old fart every 61 year old man ultimately must acknowledge. (proof provided with this picture) I mean, wasn’t it last year I cradled her in my arms as she cooed, giggled, and then yanked my glasses off while dutifully filling her diapers?

Face it; we’re all going to die. What we do between birth and death, however, factors significantly into life’s final chapters. Am I going to experience late life morbidity or wake up dead some morning? Using the stimulus, I appraised my personal efforts to steward my temple to remain healthy until I expire. Living to 100 is no longer attractive unless I can remain in lucid mental and physical health.

After patting myself on the back for overcoming cigarette addiction, my first focus was my weight; next to not smoking, the most important thing anyone can do to live longer. Fat cells produce hormones which raise the risk of type 2 diabetes and generate cytokines which cause inflammation, stiffening of the arteries, heart and other organs. Packing surplus fat raises the risk of some cancers. Currently I’m the same weight I was when I was 18, just more wrinkly. I did however weigh 300 pounds in 1988.

Next, I scrutinized my vitamin regimen. Big Pharma would love for the vitamin industry to go away. Out of fear and greed, they’ve slandered and discredit vitamins and minerals for decades. Yes there are some crappy vitamins out there, but with some homework and a friend at your community vitamin shop anyone deduce good from bad. I’ve taken Source of Life vitamins for 20 years. Research assures grocery store vitamins are the absolute worst. Most are synthesized by a chemist, not our Creator; therefore our cells cannot use them.

Doctors at The University of California, Berkley report we all should take a quality daily, food-based multiple vitamin with minerals, They urge the age-challenged to take daily doses of 800 mg alpha-lipoic acid and 2000 mg acetyl-l-carnitine; nutritional warriors which power our cells. Mitochondrion decay is a major factor in aging and is connected to Alzheimer’s and diabetes. Anyone over 50 should also pop a B-Complex and D-3 every day. Solgar and Carlson brands are top shelf.

Do I know how to mellow out? I’ve learned the value of regularly practicing a series of deep, cleansing breaths. Life strife increases the concentration of hormones cortisol and norepinephrine which raise blood pressure and suppress the immune system. Seek daily quiet time to meditate / center on each breath. Dr. Andrew Weil picks deep breathing as a universal anti-stress practice. Exhale strongly, making a whoosh sound. Breathe in quietly through the nose for a 4 count. Hold the breath for a 7 count; then exhale with the whoosh sound for an 8 count. Repeat the cycle three more times and feel the fresh oxygen refresh your mind, body and soul.

Do I eat enough fresh produce? Extremely necessary as we age, Antioxidants found in all fruits and vegetables are used by our body intelligence to brawl with free radical agents that damage healthy cells. Fibrous anti-aging fruits and vegetables help the digestive process along. This includes all green leafy vegetables such as lettuce, spinach, collards and kale. Carrots, cucumbers, sweet potatoes, avocado and celery are also fibrous and vigorous.
It's wondrous how the holy temple heals and restores.

People live longer today than ever, partly due to what scientists and doctors are discovering about how the temple responds to a diet rich in anti-aging fruits and vegetables that not only extend our relatively short lives. Are you an adult who still doesn’t eat their anti-aging fruits and vegetables fruits? Come on, get with it and grow up! Antioxidants in fresh produce are necessary as we age to fight free radicals agents that damage healthy cells.

Finally, do a good deed. The best way to stay healthy is to be kind and loving to others as well as yourself.

Sweet Potatoes Redux

Enjoy this tasty easy-to-prepare recipe.
http://www.wishtv.com/dpp/living/recipes/Chef_Wendell_Roasted_Sweet_Potato_Salad_20091004

Does it require smothering and incinerating these colorful, nutritional nuggets to get your clan to partake? Once reserved for the holidays, maybe you should reconsider the potent root vegetable as an important addition to your family’s diet throughout the year.
The swollen, tuber like root, a member of the morning glory family is rich in health enhancing vitamins A, C, Calcium, potassium, and fiber. The Nutrition Action Newsletter rated 58 vegetables by adding up the percentages of recommended daily allowances for Vitamin A, C, iron, calcium, fiber, complex carbohydrates and protein. In their report, the sweet potato scored an impressive 583.
Its nearest competition, a raw carrot, came in at 434, and the every-day baked potato, a scrawny 114. ‘High Energy’ Sweet potatoes also contain B6, manganese, and lutein, which had been connected with macular degeneration prevention. It would take 23 cups of broccoli to provide the same amount of antioxidant protection; clearly a super food. They are grown on the ground, so be sure to scrub your spud.
Black beans are a wonderful source of cholesterol-lowering fiber, as are most other legumes. In addition to lowering cholesterol, black beans' high fiber content prevents blood sugar levels from rising too rapidly after a
Does it require smothering and incinerating these colorful, nutritional nuggets to get your clan to partake? Once reserved for the holidays, maybe you should reconsider the potent root vegetable as an important addition to your family’s diet throughout the year.
The swollen, tuber like root, a member of the morning glory family is rich in health enhancing vitamins A, C, Calcium, potassium, and fiber. The Nutrition Action Newsletter rated 58 vegetables by adding up the percentages of recommended daily allowances for Vitamin A, C, iron, calcium, fiber, complex carbohydrates and protein. In their report, the sweet potato scored an impressive 583.
Its nearest competition, a raw carrot, came in at 434, and the every-day baked potato, a scrawny 114. ‘High Energy’ Sweet potatoes also contain B6, manganese, and lutein, which had been connected with macular degeneration prevention. It would take 23 cups of broccoli to provide the same amount of antioxidant protection; clearly a super food. They are grown on the ground, so be sure to scrub your spud.
Black beans are a wonderful source of cholesterol-lowering fiber, as are most other legumes. In addition to lowering cholesterol, black beans' high fiber content prevents blood sugar levels from rising too rapidly.

Flax Seed vs. Fish Oil

What a fine mess! At the same time health authorities recommend Americans eat more fish with Omega 3 they also warn fish are jam-packed with unsafe pollutants.

Recall in the early 80s when studies showed the Inuit’s had low rates of heart disease despite their high-fat blubber diet rich in oily fish? Turns out the omega 3 fatty acids in the fish protected their hearts. After all, they had no gardens.

However, the reality echoing from the halls of the EPA and FDA states ALL of earth’s sacred rivers, lakes, streams, estuaries, mangroves, swamps and oceans are so contaminated that fish are saturated with hundreds of cancerous, innutritious, chemical substances not preordained to enter the blessed human vessel. Factory Fish Farms are the nastiest with the highest levels of antibiotics and PCB from farm run-off; not the way God planned it. Plus they’re fed questionable by-products from chemical-happy Factory Farm beef slaughterhouses. How charming.

Since farmed fish are not allowed to consume their heavenly designed diet, they’re nutritionally insolvent and even fed orange dye-pills for the fish to appear normal. As a result, omega 3 sought from fish is AWOL due to the insanely irresponsible un-holy diet man thrust upon the captive aquatic critters. Clearly, we’ve miserably failed obeying the heavenly directive to be responsible stewards of Gods creations. The laws of the universe have been tweaked for our consumerist convenience. Where then does one get clean, pure, life-saving Omega-3’s?

With increased popularity of plant-based diets and fears about mercury and PCBs in seafood, people often ask me about flax for their daily dose of Omega 3’s. Fairly significant considering Omega 3’s defend against the accumulation of a protein linked to Alzheimer's disease; decrease HDL and increase LDL cholesterol plus lower pesky triglycerides. Omegas 3’s also act as an anticoagulant preventing blood clotting. Now you know why they’re called ‘essential’.

Three thousand years ago in Babylon, flax fiber was cultivated for clothing. Then in 650 BC, Hippocrates wrote about using flax for the relief of abdominal pain. About the same era, Theophrastus recommended flax mucilage as a cough remedy. During the 8th Century, Charlemagne considered flax so important for the health of his subjects he passed laws and regulations requiring its consumption. He’d be proud our rediscovered interest in this fibrous, healing ancient grain.

Ground, not whole flax seed, provides more nutritional benefits than whole seed. Flax seeds are extremely hard and durable, making them difficult to crack even with chewing. Grind up the shiny brown seeds in small batches in a coffee grinder to unleash the ancient golden Omega oil. Upon ingestion, your digestive system cannot break them down and when excreted then planted, would grow. Once ground, the seeds quickly lose their oomph, so process and refrigerate the ground seeds in an airtight container and store un-ground seeds in the refrigerator for up to 3 months. Need more colon cleansing fiber? Add ground flax seed to literally any dish. It disappears, is not crunchy and I guarantee it will get your bowels a’ moving.

Men, more is not better. We should all avoid ingesting too much flax oil pills until more is known about excessive flax intakes potential link with prostate cancer. Too much of anything is bad, so don’t let this restrain you. Other sources of omega 3’s include green leafy vegetables, soy and tofu, almonds, walnuts, pine nuts and fortified eggs. However, eggs come with a blast of cholesterol which seems counter intuitive.

Health is all about variety, balance and a good dose of nutritional literacy. Bon appetite!
-30-

Shiitake Mushrooms

The Mushrooming Popularity of Fungi
Published September 24th, 2009

For thousands of years, the shiitake has been coveted as the premium edible mushroom in Asia, and now America is becoming uber-hip to this fungal bequest of the universe.

The Japanese word shiitake means “mushrooms from the shii tree.” Consciously or unconsciously, most everyone has eaten one when plowing through steaming white cartons of Asian carry-out. Don’t call them shiitake mushroom, however, as that would be redundant. To be accurate, simply refer to the ethereal specialty as shiitake.

Pronounced “shih-TAH-kee,” the distinctive woodsy flavor and firm, meaty texture are a mouth-watering addition to any recipe. The ancient Chinese have been using shiitakes as medicine for thousands of years and believe the shiitake dispelled hunger, treated colds and nourished the circulatory system. The Egyptians considered mushrooms the sons of gods sent to earth riding thunderbolts.

For hundreds of years, Germans have used this mushroom to rev up immune function, reduce inflammation, combat allergies and help balance sugar levels and support the Holy Temple’s detoxification mechanisms.Fungi absorb their nutrients from their surrounding environment. Shiitake has no chlorophyll so they cannot make food from sunlight but must live by eating plants or animals. It is the shiitake’s medicinal possibilities that are receiving the worldwide spotlight.

Over the last two decades, scientists have isolated substances from shiitake that may play a role in the cure and prevention of heart disease, cancer, viruses, bacteria and AIDS.
Shiitakes are brimming with potassium, manganese, iron, copper, niacin and vitamins C, B1, B2, D, A and E, plus they possess essential amino acids, just as meat does. Four average size shiitakes also contain around 10.3 g carbohydrates, 1.5 g fiber, 1.12 g protein, 40 calories and a whooping 17.8 mcg of cancer-preventing selenium.
Meaty shiitakes are outstanding food. As a family, discover the earthy, ambrosial flavor and healing mojo of the ancient shiitake.
Sautéed Shiitake Serves 4 as a side of wild mushrooms or 6-8 as a delicious topping over steamed vegetables, chicken or turkey.

Greens & Pasta: Nutritional Powerhouse

Pasta with Greens: A Nutritional Powerhouse
Makes 4 servings

Video included:

http://www.wishtv.com/dpp/living/recipes/Chef_Wendell_Pasta_with_Greens_20090919

It's easy being green, despite Kermit's lament.

Greens are one of the healthiest vegetables on God’s green earth. Why we don’t eat more of them is a mystery. Dark green leafy vegetables are the most concentrated source of nutrition of any food.
Clearly, if Americans would have been swayed to eat more greens as they grew up, there would be a mere fraction of the disease we experience today.
They are a rich source of iron, calcium, potassium, and magnesium and vitamins K, C, E, and many of the B vitamins. Greens provide an assortment of phytonutrients including beta-carotene, lutein, and zeaxanthin, which protect our cells from damage and our eyes from age-related problems. Dark green leaves even contain small amounts of Omega-3 fats.
Vitamin K:

• Regulates blood clotting



• Helps protect bones from osteoporosis



• May help prevent and possibly even reduce atherosclerosis by reducing calcium in arterial plaques.H



• Helps prevent diabetes

This dish is quick, easy, nutritious, deliciously, economical and works with all sorts greens. (Except Al Green)

Hint: Use the same pot of water to blanch the greens before boiling the pasta and then cooking the whole dish in the pot.

1 bunch cooking greens (chard, collard greens, turnip greens, spinach)
1 tbs. sea salt plus to taste
Black pepper to taste
1 lb. whole grain / bean spaghetti or linguini
4 cloves minced garlic
2 tbs. olive oil
1/2 tsp. red pepper flakes
1 tbs. ground flax seeds
3/4 cups freshly shredded grating cheese such as parmesan, soy or Romano

-Bring a large pot of water to a boil
-Meanwhile, trim and wash greens, leaving the leaves whole
-Add 1 Tbsp. salt to boiling water. Add greens and blanch 30 seconds until wilted
-Use tongs or a slotted spoon to remove the leaves to a colander
-In the same water, boil pasta until tender to the bite
-Drain, reserved 1/2 cup of the cooking liquid, and set aside
-Meanwhile, chop garlic and cooked greens
-Once pasta is drained, return pot to medium high heat. Add oil, garlic, pepper flakes. Cook, stirring, until garlic turns just the tiniest bit golden
-Add chopped greens and flax; stir to combine
-Add reserved liquid and bring to a boil.
-Add pasta, stir to combine and bring to a boil
-Take off heat. Stir in half of the shredded cheese
-Taste and add salt and pepper to taste
-Divide between plates or pasta bowls, garnish with remaining shredded cheese and serve.