Apple Oat Muffin Recipe

2 cups freshly ground certified gluten free oatmeal (rolled oats) (Ground in Vitamix)

2 teaspoons gluten free baking powder

1/4 teaspoon baking soda

1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon (I used 1 tsp pumpkin spice and 1/2 cinnamon)

1/4 cup firmly packed dark brown sugar

1/4 cup plain, gluten free yogurt

*1/2 cup good quality 100% apple juice

2 lightly beaten large eggs plus one egg white

4 tablespoons butter, ghee or coconut oil

1/2 teaspoon vanilla (I used Almond Extract)

*1 cup shredded apple (about one large apple – do not peel the apple)

1/2 cup chopped walnuts  (I used hazelnuts – ground in Vitamix)

1 tablespoon sugar and 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon to sprinkle on muffins (optional – I didn’t do this)

*In place of apple juice and shredded apple. I pureed 1 orange and 1 small apple in the Vitamix.  What can I say, I love my Vitamix – it makes my gluten free life easier.

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350°
2. Use a clean coffee bean grinder to process 2 cups of certified gluten free oats into oat flour. Depending on the size of your grinder, you may have to do this in batches.
3. Place oat flour, baking powder, baking soda, brown sugar and cinnamon in a mixing bowl. Whisk to blend.
4. Lightly beat eggs in a small bowl. Add yogurt, apple juice, oil and vanilla. Whisk to blend and pour into bowl with dry ingredients. Stir to thoroughly blend.
5. Fold in shredded apple and walnuts. Stir just until blended.
6. Line muffin pan with paper liners, or lightly grease pan and fill each muffin cup about 3/4 full.
7. Bake for 16 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center of muffin comes out clean.
8. Sprinkle hot muffins with cinnamon sugar mixture and allow muffins to cool for about 10-15 minutes before serving.

If you drink milk, make it RAW!

I haven’t drank milk in over a year – I didn’t need milk once I gave up processed cereals. But, my family still does. So I decided to make the switch to a better choice for them. I tried making fresh almond and rice milk, but they still were not happy with it. So I found a dairy farm close by (well 17 miles isn’t so bad) – for the same price ($3/half gallon) as the organic milk I was purchasing.  Also a couple of individuals in our family who are considered lactose intolerant, are drinking raw milk without any problems.

So you might wonder what’s the difference? Well here is an excerpt from Dr. Mercola’s website:

Here is a link to the full website –> http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2012/01/01/cdc-misrepresents-raw-milk-statistics.aspx?e_cid=20120101_SNL_Art_1

And please consider supporting “Ron Paul’s bill, HR 1830, and inform everyone you know. This issue has nothing to do with whether or not you want to drink raw milk, and everything to do with whether or not you want the right to chose what you feed your family. If we allow the U.S. government to remove our right to raw milk, who knows what could be next?”

Raw Milk is a Healthful, Living Food

High quality raw milk has a mountain of health benefits that pasteurized milk lacks. For example, raw milk is:

• Loaded with healthy bacteria that are good for your gastrointestinal tract
• Full of more than 60 digestive enzymes, growth factors, and immunoglobulins (antibodies)
• Rich in conjugated linoleic acid (CLA), which fights cancer
• Rich in beneficial raw fats, amino acids, and proteins in a highly bioavailable form, all 100 percent digestible
• Loaded with vitamins (A, B, C, D, E, and K) in highly bioavailable forms, and a very balanced blend of minerals (calcium, magnesium, phosphorus, iron) whose absorption is enhanced by live lactobacilli

It is not uncommon for people who drink raw milk to experience improvement or complete resolution of troubling health issues—everything from allergies to digestive problems to eczema. It is also common for people who have “milk allergies” to tolerate raw milk just fine. Pasteurized milk is a completely different story.

Pasteurization Creates a Dead, White Liquid That is NOT Beneficial to Your Health

Pasteurization turns milk into a dead white liquid whose health benefits are largely destroyed. Consider what pasteurization does to milk:

• The price of killing the pathogenic bacteria is that you also kill the good bacteria which helps digest milk and make it such a nourishing food
• Proteins and enzymes are completely destroyed or denatured, made less digestible and less usable by your body
• Immunoglobulins, metal-binding proteins, vitamin-binding proteins, carrier proteins, growth factors, and anti-microbial peptides such as Lactoferrin are destroyed
• Many vitamins and minerals are rendered biologically unusable
• Fats are damaged and destabilized
• Additionally, the bacteria killed by pasteurization are not removed, so their dead carcasses remain in the milk to ignite immune reactions in those who ingest them, which is one major cause of milk allergies. It isn’t really an allergy to the milk itself, but to the organic cell fragments it contains.

Making matters worse, cows in CAFOs (confined animal feeding operations) are routinely given drugs in an effort to counter the ill health and immune problems caused by their poor living conditions. Feedlots are breeding grounds for all kinds of harmful bacteria. So the cows are snowed with antibiotics. This milk HAS to be pasteurized, because it is simply loaded with bacteria—and not the beneficial kind.

Here is a link to the full website –> http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2012/01/01/cdc-misrepresents-raw-milk-statistics.aspx?e_cid=20120101_SNL_Art_1

What should I eat? More vegetables.

I’m so confused here.  I’m still having reactions (brain fog) to many of the foods I eat – more specifically grains.  I can’t imagine not ever eating grains again.  That would leave me at my current diet of chicken, vegetables and a little fruits and some beans.  I hope this isn’t the case.

This morning I decided to try the rotational food diet.  This way I would make sure that there are 4 days between eating a certain food.  This would help me to identify food allergies.  Well, I messed up already.  I thought it would be safe to eat cashews and oats since I haven’t had them in over a week, but I had an immediate reaction.  I finished the cashews and started on the oats when I noticed that it felt as if my chest was tightening up.

So, it’s now 11 am and I haven’t eaten a sufficient amount of food.  I just don’t know what to eat.  So off to my good old stand by…veggie juice.  This morning it will be carrots, kale, celery, beet and a bit of apple.  I think I can eat/drink all the veggies I want and not develop any allergies to them.  Good old veggies.

I have a “leaky gut” problem

Leaky gut, also know as increased intestinal permeability, is the reason that food affects me immediately after I eat.  ”A healthy small intestine allows absorption of some substances – such as triglycerides from the digestion of fats, sugars from the digestion of carbohydrates, amino acids and di- and tri-peptides from the digestion of proteins. But it seals out compounds that would likely cause harm, such as partially digested bits of food, toxins and heavy metals.”  Yet, if you have increased intestinal permeability there are small microscopic openings and holes in the small intestine.  These holes allow partially digested foods to pass directly through the intestinal wall into the blood stream.

“A main cause of increased intestinal permeability is food allergies and sensitivities”. So, my sensitivity to gluten caused my leaky gut.” Common food allergies include allergies to egg, dairy, corn, wheat and other grains such as rye, barley and oats.”

Well, this is what I’m learning (or confirmed so far).  I had read all of this information before (in the book titled “Toxic Relief” by Dr. Don Colbert) and I had guessed a long time ago when I first read the book, but I didn’t have any way to validate my assumption.  A few weeks ago, my naturopathic doctor told me that this was my problem and it makes much sense.  The toxins that are being released directly into my blood stream are circulating through all of my organs including my brain – thus, this explains my brain fog.

 

Where I am now

It’s been over a year since I started searching and December 17th will be the 6 month anniversary of the day I discovered that I’m “highly” sensitive to gluten. I’m thankful for that. I’ve had many “clear” days as far as brain fog goes — so I feel normal. Yet, I still have another obstacle to overcome. For some reason, my digestive system is not all healed. So, I finally decided to visit a doctor – a “naturopathic doctor”. (Remember the other doctors just told me that I was getting old and those feelings – which I can now attribute to eating gluten – were just normal feelings. I wonder how many other people have accepted what the doctors say even though deep inside, they know something is really “off”?)

Currently, my doctor said that I should not eat sugar and no fruits other than oranges, lemons and grapefruit. Also, I’m not doing well with rice and even GF oats are questionable. So, my diet is mostly vegetables (fresh and steamed), baked chicken/fish, sweet potatoes and nuts – without any sauces, condiments, spices, etc. (except for salt, pepper, fresh garlic & onions, extra virgin olive oil and apple cider vinegar – for dressings). To be so very truthful, I’m tired of being limited concerning the foods I can eat. My doctor says that once I heal my “gut” – I will have more options. I’m so ready for this, I was hoping this would be true six months ago when I had finally found the “culprit” to what was making me ill; I was hoping that I would be eating almost normally by now. But unfortunately, eating wheat has caused such havoc in my digestive system and it will take time to heal.

I’ll keep you posted.

Sodium Bisulfate (Food Additive) is Toxic

Because I need to avoid digesting “gluten” at all costs, I decided to look up ingredients in a bottle of chili paste that “for some reason” was still in my pantry.  To my surprise (not really) was what I discovered about sodium bisulfate and it is something that I wanted to make sure to share with you.  I know that this isn’t the only toxic food additive that there is…there are many others, but I just wanted to make this very important point.  ”Most pre-packaged food contains toxic food preservatives/additives. ” If you want a list of others, just email me.

Many of our common household products and processed foods use sodium bisulfate as a key ingredient for cleaning and preservation purposes.

As a food additive, Sodium bisulfate acts as an acidulant when used a food additive. Acidulants are acids that, when added to food, impart a tart or sour taste. This helps enhance flavor. Acidulants also act as preservatives, helping prevent the growth of bacteria by lowering the pH, or increasing its acidity. Although most acidulants are organic acids, sodium bisulfate is an exception.

But, it’s toxic.Sodium bisulfate toxicity can be acute or chronic. In acute toxicity, sodium bisulfate corrodes and burns the human body upon ingestion, severely burning the mouth, throat and stomach, leading to a painfully sore throat, vomiting, diarrhea and even death. Direct contact with skin or eyes causes pain, redness and burning. Inhalation of the pure chemical form irritates the lining of the nose and throat, and damages mucous membranes and the upper respiratory tract.  (So that hot and spicy feeling that this chili paste causes isn’t just from pure chilies!)

Chronic exposure to wet or moist forms of sodium bisulfate chemical causes respiratory problems including lung irritation, tracheal bronchitis and coughing. In some cases, excessive exposure to breathing dust particles of sodium bisulfate through the mouth corrodes the teeth.

I also looked up common names of chemical compounds and found that it’s listed as Sani-flush (http://www.csudh.edu/oliver/chemdata/com_name.htm).  And I also found this about Sani-flush:  ”Sani-Flush is a brand name of toilet bowl cleaner produced by Reckitt Benckiser. Its main ingredient is Sodium Bisulfate and it also contains sodium carbonate. In addition it containssodium lauryl sulfate, talc, sodium chloride, fragrance and dye. Due to environmental concerns, it has been discontinued.”

Other findings:

Sodium Bisulfite

Type of sulfite

Found in: Bottled lemon juice, wine, dried apples, dehydrated potatoes

Preventing fruit discoloration, inhibiting bacterial growth in wine

Some humans allergic to sulfites; inU.S., FDA prohibits their use on raw fruits and vegetables

I’m happy to see that it cannot be used on fresh fruits and veggies, although I bet it can be used on pre-cut fruits and veggies (I’ll have to check this out later, but pre-cut fruits and veggies always made me feel bad.)

The National Institutes of Health lists the following:

Where Found

• Household cleaners
• Metal finishing
• Swimming pool pH additives

Note: This list may not be all inclusive.  (This note was one added by NIH and what they didn’t include was ‘food’.)

WHY IS THIS IN OUR FOOD? (That’s a rhetorical question, but one that we still might want to “ponder” over a bit.)

References:

• http://www.livestrong.com/article/137967-what-is-sodium-bisulfate/#ixzz1cChu5cGw
• : What Is Sodium Bisulfate? | eHow.com http://www.ehow.com/about_5471540_sodium-bisulfate.html#ixzz1cCgbFAlw
• http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/002548.htm
• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sani_Flush

Kathmandu Stew (Lentils and Sweet Potatoes)

Kathmandu Stew  By Moira Nordholt

I don’t know how I came about this recipe, but it has two of my favorite things in it.  I love sweet potatoes and lentils, so I had to try it.  It has lots of Indian flavors, quite tasty – especially if you are looking for something different.

Serves 4
1 teaspoon of cumin seeds
1 teaspoon cumin powder
1 teaspoon fennel seeds
3 teaspoons curry powder
1/2 teaspoon coriander powder
1/2 teaspoon turmeric powder
1 pinch of cinnamon
2 cups organic red lentils, rinsed
1 medium sweet potato, diced
2 carrots, diced
1 medium red onion, diced
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 or 2 teaspoons sambal oelek (chile paste) or dried red chiles (I used Chiapaspaste.)
4 cups water
Pink Himalayan sea salt
1 small bunch of fresh cilantro, chopped

1.  Toast the cumin seeds and powder, fennel seeds, curry powder, coriander, turmeric, and cinnamon in a cast iron frying pan on high heat until the cumin seeds start to pop.

2. Add the red lentils and stir until the spices are mixed in.  Add a splash of water and continue cooking and stirring.  Add the sweet potato, carrots, onion, sambal oelek, and 4 cups water.

3. Stir, cover, and bring to a boil, then stir again, turn down the heat, and simmer for about 20 minutes until the sweet potatoes and lentils are cooked.  Add salt to taste, and serve garnished with fresh cilantro.