Do No Harm

As I go through life trying to be a good wife, mother and grandmother, a faithful church member, a caring friend and a professional music teacher I often ponder on the Old Testament's King Hezekiah.  He has a thought-provoking story.  According to 2 Kings,  Hezekiah became king of Judah at age 25.  He trusted in the Lord and was considered a righteous king.  Several years later Hezekiah becomes sick unto death and the prophet Isaiah tells him:

Thus saith the LORD, Set thine house in order; for thou shalt die, and not live.  Hezekiah prays in desperation:  "I beseech thee, O LORD, remember now how I have walked before thee in truth and with a perfect heart, and have done that which is good in thy sight.  And Hezekiah wept sore.

The Lord hears his prayer and says through Isaiah:  ...behold, I will heal thee: on the third day thou shalt go up unto the house of the LORD.  And I will add unto thy days fifteen years...

So fifteen years later, Hezekiah dies.   However, within those extra fifteen years given to him, he has a son named Manasseh who becomes the king at age twelve and ... did that which was evil in the sight of the LORD.  Manasseh has a horrific reign and sheds so much innocent blood that it filled Jerusalem from one end to another....including, tradition tells us, that of the great prophet Isaiah who was sawn asunder during the reign of Manasseh.

So sad.  Having been spared from an early death myself, I think this message is for me.  No matter how much more time I might have on this earth, perhaps I should not focus so much on trying to do good but just hope that in all my endeavors I DON'T DO TOO MUCH DAMAGE!!! 

If I have, please forgive me....it's a real challenge.

A Word of Wisdom



After my last two posts I started thinking about grains.  So many of you my invisible friends have asked this question that I may as well blog about it publicly:  

 

Why do I have to stop eating whole wheat bread?  The Word of Wisdom states that grain is the staff of life and wheat is for man.

Well, I guess the simple answer is, you don't--that is, if you are happy with your state of health right now and aren't concerned about your future.  If you aren't sick, don't get colds and flu, have allergies, auto-immune or other diseases.  If you don't have high cholesterol, digestive disorders or sleep disorders.  If you aren't obese, gluten intolerant, have blood sugar or insulin issues, have a thyroid disorder or Candidiasis (about 1/3 of the U.S. is known to have yeast overgrowth: http://www.candidafree.net/resource_21.htm)

Here is the actual quote:

14 All grain is ordained for the use of man and of beasts, to be the staff of life, not only for man but for the beasts of the field, and the fowls of heaven, and all wild animals that run or creep on the earth;

                                                                                                             (Doctrine & Covenants 89) 

                                                                     

As I read it, all grain is for our use.  If one variety makes us sick, then we have others that will work just as well.  Staff means to support in time of need.  How is it we came to eating wheat (or corn) nearly every meal? 

If you have any of the aforementioned disorders, then wheat should probably not be your grain of choice, especially wheat that includes yeast.  Bread yeast feeds all these problems.

In addition, there is one other factor you should know about.  It is addressed by Dr. Mark Hyman, M.D., (http://drhyman.com/about-2/about-dr-mark-hyman/ author of The Blood Sugar Solution and family physician who specializes in blood sugar issues: 

 

Three Problems with Wheat/Bread:

The wheat of today is not the same as the wheat of 50 years ago. It has different starches, genetics (change in number of chromosomes) and (gliadin) proteins. Over 50 years ago, a scientist was awarded the Nobel Prize for developing a hybridized, genetically modified new dwarf, dense and starchy wheat strain. The theory was that it could feed more people. The problems that arose:

1. Super Starch: More quickly-absorbed starch (amylopectin) and inflammatory proteins.

2. Super Gluten: More inflammatory proteins.

3. Super Addictive Properties: Has exitotoxins (gluteomorphins) that create hunger and cravings and addiction.
 

Two slices of bread will raise your blood sugar more than two tablespoons of table sugar.

Oh, and here is one more:  http://bodyecology.com/articles/the-top-3-most-addicting-foods-why-they%E2%80%99re-destroying-your-health-and-how-to-get-your-kids-off-them?utm_source=The+Body+Ecology+Newsletter&utm_campaign=edaa091fb8-MailChimp_Top_3_Most_arch_below_art&utm_medium=email&mc_cid=edaa091fb8&mc_eid=0518d46541#.UDu-fdZlRsL

 All this just to explain why I prefer quinoa pancakes!  Sorry.... 

Back to School Lunch

School is upon us!  And since all health-conscious grannies are busy giving unwanted advice I am putting in my two cents worth.  There is one thing more important than school supplies:  School food!

 If you are worried that your child will not have enough healthy food options at school, send a lunch to school with them. We ancients lived in the era where packing a lunch was not considered cool!  Plus, we also had the dilemma of knowing that we could pack a great lunch for our kids only to have it thrown in the trash or send an assortment of packaged foods that we knew the kids would eat, but which were loaded with salt, sugar and empty calories.   

You can do better than we did.  Packing a healthy lunch day after day is not easy but it is do-able.   Make sure you include your children in the planning and preparing of their own lunches. That will help a lot.   

Now, here's your big challenge:  Avoid sandwiches and processed, packaged foods.  OK, wait!  Before you say anything, do not despair!  I am going to give you some great alternatives.  Kids love a variety of foods, especially finger foods so start with that.

Sliced fruits, carrot and celery sticks, tree nuts (no peanuts), little tomatoes, hard-boiled eggs, or cheese sticks.  Add to that, black bean hummus (see my previous blog post), home-flavored organic, commercial plain yogurt or goat yogurt, pre-cooked organic, free-range meat slices/patties, or homemade muffins (see previous blog post), or leftovers in an insulated food jar like the ones shown here: 
http://by148w.bay148.mail.live.com/default.aspx?rru=inbox#n=1847087659&rru=inbox&fid=1&fav=1&mid=d1067fd0-ec4c-11e1-a9c6-00215ad96bc4&fv=1

Don't be tempted to send boxed juices.  If you doubt it, check out the following:  (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/linda-larrowe-bergersen/why-fruit-juice-emisntem_b_677830.html )   

And don't buy into the Dairy Council-promoted myth that says kids need milk.   http://milkmyths.org.uk/health-nutrition/don%E2%80%99t-children-need-milk-calcium

Have a great school year, my little invisible friends! 

Hot and Quick Energy Breakfast!

I love Doug Kaufman's online program, Know the Cause, and one of the reasons is because of his food segment, Dining With Denni.  This is where I found this great recipe.  Serve these quinoa pancakes with your favorite green smoothie and you have a meal that will keep you going for most of the day!  It's a great breakfast for kids who may not eat a good lunch at school.

Quinoa Pancakes

(Cook a pot of quinoa a day or two before and store in refrigerator.  [It is best to soak all seeds 8-12 hours in a covered glass container, drain and rinse before cooking.  Soaking removes an enzyme inhibitor.]  Cook as per directions on the package.)

Mix together:
1/2 cup cooked whole quinoa (I like 1/4 c. red organic quinoa and 1/4 c. regular quinoa better)
1 egg
1 egg white

Pour batter on griddle, cover with a lid and cook on med-high for one minute.  Flip.  Cook for a few more seconds and serve hot!

Now, as usual, I have tweaked this recipe.  I like a little salt, so you can either cook the quinoa in some salt or you can add some to the pancake mix just before cooking.

Also, I like it sweeter because I don't use syrups or other sweetened toppings.  I just sprinkle some powdered stevia extract in the pancake mix before cooking.

One more thing:  If you don't know what to do with extra egg yolks, just use two whole eggs.  It just depends on how "egg-y" you want the pancakes to taste.

The best part is when I spread some ghee (also known as clarified butter--see previous blog post The Big Fat Lie) and some raw cashew nut butter that I have blended in my food processor.  (Oh no, I just realized I haven't given you the recipe for nut butter.)  So here you go:

Raw Cashew Nut Butter

In a food processor using the regular blade, blend until smooth (3-4 minutes):
3 cups raw whole cashews
1 tablespoon almond oil

Here's to a healthy new school year!  Enjoy!