When Spanish conquistadors banned the Aztecs from growing
amaranth in the 1500's because it was used in religious rituals,
the ancient grain nearly disappeared from the Americas. Luckily
for us it staged a glorious comeback and is popping up in
mainstream supermarkets in brands like Arrowhead Mills and
Bob's red Mill. "Amaranth has a mild nutty flavor and is a great
source of protein, calcium, magnesium, and iron," says Nyree
Dardarian, RD, a nutrition science professor at Drexel University.
Start experimenting with this naturally gluten-free grain today.
Get Cooking
A bowl of warm amaranth cereal makes a tasty alternative to
oatmeal. Add 1 cup amaranth to 3 cups boiling water and cook
over low heat 20 minutes. Top with milk, cinnamon, and a drizzle
of maple syrup.
Cook amaranth (same proportions as above) in chicken or vegetable
stock instead of water for a savory side dish or stir-fry base. It's
great at absorbing the flavors of other ingredients.
Amaranth seeds can be popped like popcorn on your stove top,
resulting in small, crunchy puffs that make a terrific addition to
trail mix. Toss with nuts and dried fruit for a multitextured treat,
or sprinkle with some Parmesan cheese and rosemary for a
savory snack.
-Prevention Magazine, September 2013
Saturday, August 31, 2013
Go Nuts for Breakfast
Peanut butter doesn't just stick to the roof of your mouth- it also
sticks to your ribs. Have some for breakfast and you'll stay satiated
until long after your regular lunchtime.
Peanuts are legumes, and crunchy or creamy, peanut butter is packed
with fiber, good-for-you fat, and protein. Go ahead and spread one of
these favorites on your morning toast: Smucker's Organic Creamy
Peanut Butter, Laura Scudder's Nutty Natural Peanut Butter, or
MaraNatha Organic Crunchy Peanut Butter.
-Prevention Magazine, September 2013
sticks to your ribs. Have some for breakfast and you'll stay satiated
until long after your regular lunchtime.
Peanuts are legumes, and crunchy or creamy, peanut butter is packed
with fiber, good-for-you fat, and protein. Go ahead and spread one of
these favorites on your morning toast: Smucker's Organic Creamy
Peanut Butter, Laura Scudder's Nutty Natural Peanut Butter, or
MaraNatha Organic Crunchy Peanut Butter.
-Prevention Magazine, September 2013
September Tip of the Month
Steam a sliced squash or buy a peeled, diced butternut
squash at the supermarket that's ready to go into the
oven, a stir-fry, or a soup. It's an easy way to get lots
of vitamins A, C and fiber.
-Nutrition Action Healthletter
squash at the supermarket that's ready to go into the
oven, a stir-fry, or a soup. It's an easy way to get lots
of vitamins A, C and fiber.
-Nutrition Action Healthletter
Thursday, August 29, 2013
Vitamin D
The belly fat solution I bet you’ve never heard of.
The new research regarding the D connection to obesity is so compelling that I felt it was high time to detail the latest D-iscoveries.
A 2010 study in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition found that subjects with healthy vitamin D levels lost about twice as much weight as those with the lowest levels, and there is plenty of “skinny” science to back it up.
So, if you’ve been carrying around 10 to 15 extra pounds, the “sunshine” vitamin just might be the missing link.
Here’s a snapshot of the mounting D research:
Are You D Deficient?
Besides packing on belly fat and the inability to lose weight, other symptoms include fatigue, depression, low immunity, greater susceptability to flus and viruses, and joint and bone aches and pains. Only those of us living below 34 degrees north latitude (a line connecting Los Angeles, CA and Columbia, SC) actually get enough sunlight for vitamin D production year-round.
How to Boost Your D Stores
With the summer sun fading fast, and fall rapidly approaching, we can’t rely on rays alone. Start by adding D-rich foods to your diet like button and shitake mushrooms, eggs, salmon, and sardines.
When it comes to supplementation, I always suggest D3 (cholecalciferol), as it’s the type of vitamin D the body naturally produces in the skin in response to sun exposure. I’ve found Thorne D-5000 to be the very best dietary supplement out there because it contains pure, undiluted D3 without added preservatives. This is in line with the Vitamin D Council’s recommendation of 5,000 IU of vitamin D daily for adults. Children can take 1,000 IU per 25 pounds of body weight daily. Blood levels for adults should ideally range between 50 and 80 ng/mL, year round according to the D Council.
One thing’s for sure—I have D-etermined that the “sunshine” vitamin may be the weight loss catalyst of the century!
-Edge On Health, Dr. Ann Louise Gittleman
The new research regarding the D connection to obesity is so compelling that I felt it was high time to detail the latest D-iscoveries.
A 2010 study in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition found that subjects with healthy vitamin D levels lost about twice as much weight as those with the lowest levels, and there is plenty of “skinny” science to back it up.
So, if you’ve been carrying around 10 to 15 extra pounds, the “sunshine” vitamin just might be the missing link.
Here’s a snapshot of the mounting D research:
- Individuals with higher levels of vitamin D are less likely to become obese in the first place.
- The higher the vitamin D levels before starting a diet, the more successful the weight loss results, primarily in the belly region.
- D works with calcium to help reduce cortisol production, the stress hormone that causes you to store belly fat to begin with.
- Adequate levels of vitamin D in the bloodstream prompt fat cells to slow down their fat-storing efforts, while low levels of D cause levels of calcitrol and parathyroid (PTH) hormones to rise, causing the body to store fat instead of burning it.
- Vitamin D triggers the body to release more leptin—the “stop eating, you’re full” hormone that signals the brain that you’re no longer hungry. D deficiency inhibits leptin from communicating with the brain, which leads to overeating and of course, weight gain.
- Low vitamin D levels lead to insulin resistance, a major factor in the obesity epidemic.
Are You D Deficient?
Besides packing on belly fat and the inability to lose weight, other symptoms include fatigue, depression, low immunity, greater susceptability to flus and viruses, and joint and bone aches and pains. Only those of us living below 34 degrees north latitude (a line connecting Los Angeles, CA and Columbia, SC) actually get enough sunlight for vitamin D production year-round.
How to Boost Your D Stores
With the summer sun fading fast, and fall rapidly approaching, we can’t rely on rays alone. Start by adding D-rich foods to your diet like button and shitake mushrooms, eggs, salmon, and sardines.
When it comes to supplementation, I always suggest D3 (cholecalciferol), as it’s the type of vitamin D the body naturally produces in the skin in response to sun exposure. I’ve found Thorne D-5000 to be the very best dietary supplement out there because it contains pure, undiluted D3 without added preservatives. This is in line with the Vitamin D Council’s recommendation of 5,000 IU of vitamin D daily for adults. Children can take 1,000 IU per 25 pounds of body weight daily. Blood levels for adults should ideally range between 50 and 80 ng/mL, year round according to the D Council.
One thing’s for sure—I have D-etermined that the “sunshine” vitamin may be the weight loss catalyst of the century!
-Edge On Health, Dr. Ann Louise Gittleman
Wednesday, August 28, 2013
A Poison in Your Food Linked to Over 60 Diseases
It’s why we are becoming the United States of Diabetes.
Sugar has been linked to more than sixty different ailments, including Type 2 diabetes, obesity, heart disease, and most recently— Metabolic Syndrome, said to affect 75% Americans to some degree! (See full list of sugar-related ailments) Studies show that there are almost 30 million of us with Type 2 diabetes with another 70 million individuals that qualify as pre-diabetics. Sugar is very sneaky.
It is so pervasive in our society, not only in obvious forms such as cookies and candy but also in just about any other food you can think of. From packaged meats to soups to commercial salt, sugar is in there. It’s even hidden in such nonfood items as vitamins, aspirin, prescription and over-the-counter drugs, and various cosmetics.
The sugar connection to cardiovascular health was first noticed in the 1970s. In the classic study The Saccharine Disease, surgeon Capt. T. L. Cleave showed convincing evidence that increases in cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and other common diseases could be traced to increases in sugar and refined-carbohydrate intake. These diseases were virtually nonexistent in primitive cultures, he noted, until about twenty years after the societies began eating refined carbohydrates.
British researcher John Yudkin, M.D., came to a similar conclusion. In his classic book Sweet and Dangerous, Dr. Yudkin cited numerous examples in a variety of societies that showed that sugar was a more likely cause of heart disease than fat. For example, the Masai and Samburu tribes of East Africa, he explained, have almost no heart disease, yet they eat a high-fat diet of mostly meat and milk but no sugar.
Recent research is proving the validity of the theories posed by Drs. Cleave and Yudkin, showing a direct relationship between sugar and heart disease because of insulin. Remember that when sugar is eaten, insulin is produced. Insulin not only helps to store excess sugar as fat (as explained before), but also helps regulate blood triglyceride levels, which are a major predictor of the development of heart disease. The more sugar you eat, the more insulin your pancreas will produce, and the higher your triglyceride levels are likely to be.
High insulin levels in the blood are also linked to low levels of high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL, the “good” cholesterol), high blood pressure, high triglycerides and obesity––four other important heart-disease risk factors. Caused by the common problem of insulin resistance, this conglomeration of symptoms was originally named Syndrome X in 1988 by Gerald Reaven, MD, a world-renowned endocrinologist and Professor Emeritus at Stanford University School of Medicine. Today, this condition is more popularly known as Metabolic Syndrome.
While refined sugar consumption has declined in recent years, a new breed of sugar substitutes has emerged in the form of artificial sweeteners such as Splenda, aspartame, and high-fructose corn syrup (HFCS). Ironically, sugar’s “kissing cousins” may be even more harmful to your health than sugar itself. Could it be just a coincidence that at the same time the country was quietly being slipped high-fructose corn syrup (HFCS) in the general food supply, the average cholesterol levels were shooting up through the roof. Not to mention the trend of increasing triglycerides and abnormal liver tests. How could this be, you ask? The answer is just as simple – your body is not designed to metabolize HFCS. Put simply, the HFCS skips right past the need for insulin production (so your body doesn’t send out a signal that it’s gotten food, so your appetite is satisfied) and goes right into your cells where it becomes an uncontrolled source of trouble all the way down to your liver. Your body simply doesn’t recognize HFCS so it doesn’t know how to control it and in the end it stores it as fat.
If you suspect Metabolic Syndrome, have your doctor perform some simple tests.
Here are some things to look for:
1) A high quality multivitamin that contains optimal levels of the B-complex vitamins that aid metabolism and help to buffer diabetic neuropathy while offering rare therapeutic minerals for natural diabetes therapy. I usually suggest the Female Multiple (regular or iron-free) because not only is it chock full of B vitamins but it contains a wide array of trace minerals like the blood-sugar stabilizing vanadium ( 100 mcg), manganese (10 mg) and the miracle “molecule” molybdenum (100 mcg). In order to metabolize fructose and sucrose, the body requires a molybdenum-dependent enzyme so daily amounts of this trace mineral is critical to avoiding depletion and to help your body get rid of the brain fog which often accompanies sugar intake. In addition, this multiple contains the ideal ratio of magnesium to calcium (2:1 in favor of magnesium).
Magnesium is one of the most common mineral deficiencies in diabetes because it personally escorts glucose into the cells as well as performs more than 300 other bodily tasks. You may need more than what is in the Multiple, but that will give you a foundation to build upon by adding another 200 -400 during the day or before bed for peaceful and uninterrupted sleep!
For men, I recommend the iron-free Male Multiple. Excess iron is a major factor in cardiovascular disease and can be unusually elevated in males past the age of 40 and in females who have stopped menstruating.
2) Biotin – 5 mg. A high potency biotin can enhance sugar metabolism, lower triglycerides and stop yeast in its tracks by preventing the yeast from converting into its more aggressive fungal form. Yeast overgrowth is an all too common byproduct of diabetes and metabolic syndrome. It can create huge sugar cravings that even the most potent appetite suppressants cannot control. Over the years, many of my clients have reported fuller hair and stronger nails with biotin.
3) Chromium – 200 – 400 mcg. A key nutrient that improves insulin sensitivity and even helps to produce more insulin receptor sites. Very helpful in overall weight loss which is why I included it in The Weight Loss Formula with a hefty dose of 500 mg of L-Carnitine and other supportive nutrients and herbs that stabilize blood sugar, increase energy level and support healthy fat metabolism.
4) EPA and DHA (the Omega-3s) – 1,500 mg twice per day. This natural anti-inflammatory will tamp down inflammation, raise HDL, lower triglycerides, and prevent the type of nerve damage that is frequently associated with diabetic neuropathy.
Sugar has been linked to more than sixty different ailments, including Type 2 diabetes, obesity, heart disease, and most recently— Metabolic Syndrome, said to affect 75% Americans to some degree! (See full list of sugar-related ailments) Studies show that there are almost 30 million of us with Type 2 diabetes with another 70 million individuals that qualify as pre-diabetics. Sugar is very sneaky.
It is so pervasive in our society, not only in obvious forms such as cookies and candy but also in just about any other food you can think of. From packaged meats to soups to commercial salt, sugar is in there. It’s even hidden in such nonfood items as vitamins, aspirin, prescription and over-the-counter drugs, and various cosmetics.
The sugar connection to cardiovascular health was first noticed in the 1970s. In the classic study The Saccharine Disease, surgeon Capt. T. L. Cleave showed convincing evidence that increases in cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and other common diseases could be traced to increases in sugar and refined-carbohydrate intake. These diseases were virtually nonexistent in primitive cultures, he noted, until about twenty years after the societies began eating refined carbohydrates.
British researcher John Yudkin, M.D., came to a similar conclusion. In his classic book Sweet and Dangerous, Dr. Yudkin cited numerous examples in a variety of societies that showed that sugar was a more likely cause of heart disease than fat. For example, the Masai and Samburu tribes of East Africa, he explained, have almost no heart disease, yet they eat a high-fat diet of mostly meat and milk but no sugar.
Recent research is proving the validity of the theories posed by Drs. Cleave and Yudkin, showing a direct relationship between sugar and heart disease because of insulin. Remember that when sugar is eaten, insulin is produced. Insulin not only helps to store excess sugar as fat (as explained before), but also helps regulate blood triglyceride levels, which are a major predictor of the development of heart disease. The more sugar you eat, the more insulin your pancreas will produce, and the higher your triglyceride levels are likely to be.
High insulin levels in the blood are also linked to low levels of high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL, the “good” cholesterol), high blood pressure, high triglycerides and obesity––four other important heart-disease risk factors. Caused by the common problem of insulin resistance, this conglomeration of symptoms was originally named Syndrome X in 1988 by Gerald Reaven, MD, a world-renowned endocrinologist and Professor Emeritus at Stanford University School of Medicine. Today, this condition is more popularly known as Metabolic Syndrome.
While refined sugar consumption has declined in recent years, a new breed of sugar substitutes has emerged in the form of artificial sweeteners such as Splenda, aspartame, and high-fructose corn syrup (HFCS). Ironically, sugar’s “kissing cousins” may be even more harmful to your health than sugar itself. Could it be just a coincidence that at the same time the country was quietly being slipped high-fructose corn syrup (HFCS) in the general food supply, the average cholesterol levels were shooting up through the roof. Not to mention the trend of increasing triglycerides and abnormal liver tests. How could this be, you ask? The answer is just as simple – your body is not designed to metabolize HFCS. Put simply, the HFCS skips right past the need for insulin production (so your body doesn’t send out a signal that it’s gotten food, so your appetite is satisfied) and goes right into your cells where it becomes an uncontrolled source of trouble all the way down to your liver. Your body simply doesn’t recognize HFCS so it doesn’t know how to control it and in the end it stores it as fat.
If you suspect Metabolic Syndrome, have your doctor perform some simple tests.
Here are some things to look for:
- Low HDL levels (lower than 50 for men, lower than 60 for women)
- Total cholesterol/HDL ratio (greater than 3 to 1)
- High triglycerides (greater than 100)
- High triglycerides/HDL ratio (greater than 4 to 1)
- Fasting blood sugar greater than 100 (now considered pre-diabetes)
- Fasting insulin greater than 5 (IU/DL)
- Blood sugar greater than 126mg/DL (now considered diabetes)
1) A high quality multivitamin that contains optimal levels of the B-complex vitamins that aid metabolism and help to buffer diabetic neuropathy while offering rare therapeutic minerals for natural diabetes therapy. I usually suggest the Female Multiple (regular or iron-free) because not only is it chock full of B vitamins but it contains a wide array of trace minerals like the blood-sugar stabilizing vanadium ( 100 mcg), manganese (10 mg) and the miracle “molecule” molybdenum (100 mcg). In order to metabolize fructose and sucrose, the body requires a molybdenum-dependent enzyme so daily amounts of this trace mineral is critical to avoiding depletion and to help your body get rid of the brain fog which often accompanies sugar intake. In addition, this multiple contains the ideal ratio of magnesium to calcium (2:1 in favor of magnesium).
Magnesium is one of the most common mineral deficiencies in diabetes because it personally escorts glucose into the cells as well as performs more than 300 other bodily tasks. You may need more than what is in the Multiple, but that will give you a foundation to build upon by adding another 200 -400 during the day or before bed for peaceful and uninterrupted sleep!
For men, I recommend the iron-free Male Multiple. Excess iron is a major factor in cardiovascular disease and can be unusually elevated in males past the age of 40 and in females who have stopped menstruating.
2) Biotin – 5 mg. A high potency biotin can enhance sugar metabolism, lower triglycerides and stop yeast in its tracks by preventing the yeast from converting into its more aggressive fungal form. Yeast overgrowth is an all too common byproduct of diabetes and metabolic syndrome. It can create huge sugar cravings that even the most potent appetite suppressants cannot control. Over the years, many of my clients have reported fuller hair and stronger nails with biotin.
3) Chromium – 200 – 400 mcg. A key nutrient that improves insulin sensitivity and even helps to produce more insulin receptor sites. Very helpful in overall weight loss which is why I included it in The Weight Loss Formula with a hefty dose of 500 mg of L-Carnitine and other supportive nutrients and herbs that stabilize blood sugar, increase energy level and support healthy fat metabolism.
4) EPA and DHA (the Omega-3s) – 1,500 mg twice per day. This natural anti-inflammatory will tamp down inflammation, raise HDL, lower triglycerides, and prevent the type of nerve damage that is frequently associated with diabetic neuropathy.
5) Vitamin D-3 – 5,000 IU taken 1 – 2 times per day. The key here is to check your Vitamin D
levels with your doctor —and have him oversee your D supplementation—
every three to six months with the 25 OH vitamin D blood test. The ideal
level is between 50-80 mg/dl according to the Vitamin D experts I have
interviewed. Vitamin D is probably the most deficient vitamin in America
today. It has been found to impact hundreds of genes that can halt and
“cure” Metabolic Syndrome along with diabetes.
-Edge on Health, Dr. Ann Louise Gittleman
Sunday, August 25, 2013
Yummy Scones
Muesli Scones
~gluten-free, grain-free, dairy-free, cane sugar-free
2 cups blanched almond flour
½ teaspoon celtic sea salt
½ teaspoon baking soda
¼ cup dried cranberries
¼ cup dried apricots, cut into ¼-inch pieces
¼ cup sunflower seeds
¼ cup sesame seeds
¼ cup pistachios, coarsely chopped
1 large egg (size does matter as dough will not hold together with a small or medium egg)
2 tablespoons agave nectar or honey
Kudos: Elana's Pantry
More: http://www.elanaspantry.com/muesli-scones/
~gluten-free, grain-free, dairy-free, cane sugar-free
2 cups blanched almond flour
½ teaspoon celtic sea salt
½ teaspoon baking soda
¼ cup dried cranberries
¼ cup dried apricots, cut into ¼-inch pieces
¼ cup sunflower seeds
¼ cup sesame seeds
¼ cup pistachios, coarsely chopped
1 large egg (size does matter as dough will not hold together with a small or medium egg)
2 tablespoons agave nectar or honey
Kudos: Elana's Pantry
More: http://www.elanaspantry.com/muesli-scones/
Meatballs
Sweet n Sour Pork Meatballs
~gluten-free, grain-free, egg-free option, dairy-free, cane sugar-free, Paleo
Kudos: The Healthy GF Life ( will be at Sept's GIG of Portland meeting with her new book Make Ahead Paleo on 9/14)
1 lb. ground beef (1 pkg. 75% lean)
1 lb. ground pork (1 pkg.)
1 small organic onion, finely diced
1 small organic red pepper, finely chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
2 TBSP chopped fresh organic parsley
1 tsp finely chopped fresh ginger
Sea salt to taste
Freshly ground pepper to taste
2 farm fresh organic eggs (*or use 1 TBSP ground flax seeds or chia seeds mixed with 3 TBSP hot water. Let it sit until it gels then use like an egg.)
Sauce:
1 C organic pineapple juice (you can also use the drained juice from a can of pineapple
chunks – save the pineapple for snacking later)
1 TBSP raw organic honey
2 TBSP red wine vinegar
2 TBSP coconut aminos
1 clove garlic, minced
1/3 C organic tomato sauce
2 TBSP organic tomato paste
More: http://www.thehealthyglutenfreelife.com/category/main-dishes/pork/
~gluten-free, grain-free, egg-free option, dairy-free, cane sugar-free, Paleo
Kudos: The Healthy GF Life ( will be at Sept's GIG of Portland meeting with her new book Make Ahead Paleo on 9/14)
1 lb. ground beef (1 pkg. 75% lean)
1 lb. ground pork (1 pkg.)
1 small organic onion, finely diced
1 small organic red pepper, finely chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
2 TBSP chopped fresh organic parsley
1 tsp finely chopped fresh ginger
Sea salt to taste
Freshly ground pepper to taste
2 farm fresh organic eggs (*or use 1 TBSP ground flax seeds or chia seeds mixed with 3 TBSP hot water. Let it sit until it gels then use like an egg.)
Sauce:
1 C organic pineapple juice (you can also use the drained juice from a can of pineapple
chunks – save the pineapple for snacking later)
1 TBSP raw organic honey
2 TBSP red wine vinegar
2 TBSP coconut aminos
1 clove garlic, minced
1/3 C organic tomato sauce
2 TBSP organic tomato paste
More: http://www.thehealthyglutenfreelife.com/category/main-dishes/pork/
