Ingredient Substitues: Sweetener, Flour, Oil & Dairy

Refined sweeteners and flours fall into the same category. Both do not contain any beneficial nutrients and they spike your blood sugar levels. Not only do they not provide nutrients to your body, they actually deplete your body of existing nutrients and cause your body to be more acidic. Both of sugar and white flour can:

• Increase your risk for high blood pressure, heart attack, stroke, obesity, diabetes and high cholesterol
• Increase risk of some cancers and inflammatory disease, such as arthritis
• Increase risk of fatty liver disease
• Can cause fatigue, anxiety, hypoglycemic, and other health problems

Sweeteners (BAD):

• White Sugar
• Brown Sugar
• Agave
• HFCS (high fructose corn syrup)
• Sweet N’ Low
• Equal
• Healthy Alternatives :
• Coconut palm sugar
• Coconut palm nectar
• Stevia
• Xylitol 

Flours (BAD):

• White Flour
• Whole Wheat Flour
• Healthy Alternatives:
• Almond Flour
  
• Buckwheat Flour
  
• Quinoa Flour
  
• Rice Flour
  
• Chickpea Flour
  
• Coconut Flour
  
• Flax Seed Meal
  
• Other Nut Flours (Cup for Cup from William’s & Sonoma, Bob’s Red Mill’s Gluten-Free Flour)

Not all oils are the same! Each contains their own types of fats and should be used  and consumed in different ways. Industrial seed oils were not part of the human diet until relatively recently when the American Heart Association promoting them as heart healthy. 

Using polyunsaturated (omega 6) cooking oils causes inflammation in the body. Omega 3 fatty acids are anti-inflammation. The ideal ratio is 1:1 for Omega 6 to Omega 3 fats- the average American is currently consuming a 20:1 or 25:1 ratio. Omega 6 fats can be found in most packaged food products and almost all restaurants cook with these poor quality fats. Most of these oils are inexpensive because they are not good quality ingredients. 

Cooking Oil To Avoid:

• Vegetable oil
• Canola oil
• Sunflower oil
• Safflower oil
• Margarine

Healthy Alternatives:

• Expeller pressed coconut oil
• Organic Ghee (clarified butter)
• Organic grass-fed butter (for low-heat cooking)
• Grapeseed Oil
• Seasame Oil
• Organic Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• Avocado Oil

 Conventional dairy products are loaded with hormones and antibiotics. Since these cows are treated with antibiotics and hormones regularly when they are raised, we ingest them too. This is part of the reason why we are seeing a rise in hormone imbalances, infertility, and auto-immune conditions. Choosing organic dairy products is the only way to ensure that no antibiotics or hormones were used. Additionally, many people have a hard time breaking down the ‘lactose’ protein that is found in milk products. Using a dairy alternative is a great idea because some of your guests might be sensitive to dairy. 

Dairy Products to Avoid:

• Conventional cream
• Conventional cheese
• Conventional milk

Dairy Alternatives:

• Grass-fed cheese
• Goat’s cheese
• Sheep’s milk cheese
• Coconut milk/ Coconut Cream
• Unsweetened almond milk
• Hemp Milk

Halloween Detox

Did you indulge during this long Halloween weekend?? I will be putting up a juicing Detox guide this week on www.skinnyfatkids.com to help you get back on track! It's Monday, so it's a perfect day to start your week off the right way!

Quick Tips!

1. Hydration is crucial- it helps to flush our organs. Make sure you start your day with a large glass of water with lemon. Split your body weight in half and drink that # in ounces of water! Get rid of soda, fruit juice, and coffee for the week!

2. Get moving and sweat it out. Even if it's a walk on your lunch break, taking the stairs instead of the elevator, fitting in a 20 minute run before dinner, just move !

3. Eat every couple of hours! As soon as you skip meals or go long periods of time without eating, our body's will store fat!

Example of a good snack would be an apple with a handful of raw nuts!

4. Load up on fiber! Fiber helps remove the built up toxins we have in our systems.

5. Eat at home - not only will you eat less, but you know what is going into your food. Restaurants add salt, butter, oils and things that quickly add large amount of unnecessary calories!

6. Incorporate detoxifying herbs!

Here are some I love:

Dandelion: Dandelion one of the greatest liver herbs known. It stimulates the liver to detoxify poisons. Promotes healthy circulation, strengthens weak arteries. You can buy it in tea bags at any health food store.

Capsicum: also known as cayenne pepper is an alterative, antioxidant, antiseptic, and circulatory stimulant. It is rich in vitamin C and helps improve metabolism, thus contributing to weight loss.

Ginger: is a great herb for restoring digestion. When toxins impair the process of digestion and when the digestive enzymes have been weakened, they need assistance to restore their functioning. Ginger will stimulate the digestive system and help with your metabolism.

Chlorella: Most of you know how much I love chlorophyll in my water! Chlorella is an power-packed whole food source provides over 19 amino acids including all 8 essential, plus beta-carotene, potassium and other valuable vitamins and minerals, and enzymes. Contains natural antioxidant phytonutrient source, also a great detoxifier, cell enhancer, and blood cleansers. This green stuff is an internal deodorant to reduce body odors originating in the digestive tract.

Turmeric: The health of our digestive system affects our immune system. The mucus membrane of the gut, a part of the lymph system is compromised by digestive imbalances. These imbalances which can be caused by toxins, diet choices, stress and lifestyle manifest either as constipation or diarrhea depending on whether the imbalances are drying or creating congestion. Seasonal factors can add to the imbalances.

7. De- stress Constant stress is bad for your entire body. Give yourself a break by taking five to 10 minutes every day to do something that helps your mind and body relax. Whether it's sitting in a park or on the beach and being quiet and breathing, if it's taking a yoga class, reading a book, writing in your journal, or taking an Epsom salt bath... Find your way to release your day, everyday! Concentrate on how your body sounds, moves and feels. Your bodies should be your temple.

8. Get enough sleep Aim for seven to eight hours of good sleep every night. Hit the hay before 11 p.m... According to Chinese medicine, 11 p.m. to 3 a.m. is key for the gallbladder and liver, which help detoxification.

9. Probiotics: are microorganisms which promote good health and digestion. Optimizing your gut flora is critical to staying healthy. The purpose of a detox is to eliminate toxins from the body, it is vital to support your gut during this cleansing process. Probiotics help break down substances in your diet to enable better digestion & detoxification, they aid the absorption of vitamins & minerals essential to your body, and they boost your immunity by limiting growth of harmful bacteria. If you’re only going to take one vitamin or supplement this year, make it a probiotic.

10. Don't wait till the new year to make a resolution! You can do this!

2012 New Year, New YOU. Special!!

Start your 2012 off right!!! It’s not too late to learn the tools that you need in order to detox those holiday sweets and goodies you just couldn’t resist!!!

So what's a party person to do to gain energy, maintain or lose weight, and celebrate the end of a challenging 2011 and the beginning of a remarkable 2012?

Do you need inspiration in the kitchen, or maybe want to eat healthily, but have no clue how to go about it?

Not to worry. I am here to help!!! I want to offer you some of the great techniques and tools I have been taught during my program!!

Because I am technically not a “certified nutrition consultant or natural chef” just yet, and because you are all my friends, I am giving you half off my normal prices! Below are some examples!

Even if I am not in your city, we can make it work! I am here to help my clients choose foods that sustain the health, vitality, and nourishment of themselves, their communities, and the earth. Lets get HEALTHY!!!

Menu of Services: (Subject to change)

1. Diet & Lifestyle Consultation  (Diet journals)                                                
2. Health Assessments and Questionnaires                                                         
3. Home Kitchen Makeover                                                                                
4. Cooking classes (private and semi-private, w/ children)
5. Garden to table class                                                                          
6. Planting a Garden with kids                                                               
7. Menu Plans w/ recipes                                                                                                                     
8. Grocery shopping list                                                                                      
9. Detox / Cleansing program                                                                           
10. NutriCalc Diet Analysis                                                                                  
11. Stress reduction techniques                                                                             
12. Exercise methods                                                                                            

 (contact me personally for prices!!)

Sample Menus:

• Juicing & Smoothies
• Going gluten free
• Paleo
• Dairy free
• Thai cooking class
• Mexican made healthy
• Healthy dessert
• Easy Asian cooking
• Italian cooking
• Sushi
• Soups
• Booster foods
• Warming winter
• Cooking with the seasons
• Fermentation (sauerkraut, kombucha, pickling)
• Quick and easy 30 minute meals
• Healthy brown bag lunch
• Quick and healthy breakfasts
• Healthy On the go snacks

Detox program:

There are a couple different detox options, depending on your personal needs. Each of the personally guided programs will be aimed at achieving the following benefits;

• A healthy and new relationship with food
• Clearer skin
• Improved digestive function
• Increased Energy
• More Restful Sleep
• Stress reduction
• Fewer Allergies
• Balanced Mood and Mental Focus
• Decreased Food Cravings
• Clear thinking
• Anti-aging

 It’s important to note that this is not a starvation diet or fast! You will be eating healthy whole foods and integrating special detox “foods”. Detoxing can be an effective tool to jump start weight loss because it will help you to let go of eating habits (such as overeating and sugar cravings) that don’t serve you.

 My main focus is on integrating more vegetables, healthy beverages, essential fats, non-glutinous grains, “clean” proteins, and special detox foods into your diet.

Please respond to me with any comments/ suggestions you might have.

And please feel free to forward this special offer to your friends & family!!

Stay Healthy!

Xoxo,

Torie Borrelli

borrelli.torie@gmail.com

Skinnyfatkids.wordpress.com

Liver–The World’s Most Nutrient Dense Food

Liver is nature’s most concentrated source of Vitamin A and contains all the B vitamins in abundance. Many of us tend to be deficient in both. It’s also one of our best sources of folic acid, iron and copper.

How to choose liver?

• The World's Healthiest Foods recommends purchasing liver only from organically raised animals, as the liver is involved in processing toxic chemicals inside the body, such as pesticides and hormones.
• Alternate the type of liver you eat to ensure a variety of flavors and cooking options. Pork, goose, lamb, beef and fish liver are all widely available and good sources of vitamins and minerals, according to the European Food Information Council.
• Keep liver frozen or refrigerated until just before cooking. Calf's liver, especially, is highly perishable and should be cooked and consumed within two days of purchase unless frozen.
• Cut large pieces of liver into smaller, even-sized pieces. Because liver requires little cooking time, cutting it up before cooking ensures the meat cooks evenly.

“But doesn’t the liver store the toxins?” you might ask. The liver neutralizes toxins; it does not store them. Toxins are more likely to be lodged in the fatty tissues and nervous system. But the liver DOES store a host of vitamins and minerals, all of which you are able to access by eating it. As always, please select liver with as many adjectives as possible (grass finished, free range, antibiotic free, organic…). It’s best to pass on the conventional. And because liver is so powerful, a 4oz serving once or twice per week is sufficient.

Why eat liver??

•  Liver is an exceptionally nutrient-dense food as it is an excellent source of zinc, vitamin B12, vitamin A, copper, folate, riboflavin,; a very good source of selenium, protein, niacin, vitamin B6, panthothenic acid, and phosphorus; and a good source of iron. Although calf's liver is also high in cholesterol and saturated fat, its concentration of so many beneficial nutrients makes it an extremely healthful food.

Ingredients:

• 1 pound liver, as free range and grass fed as possible, cut into pieces
• 1/2 onion or shallot, chopped
• sea salt and pepper
• 1 bunch parsley
• 8 oz organic butter, ghee, coconut oil, or organic lard
• seasonings of your choice: try an Italian blend; rosemary, garlic, thyme, sage…
• option: ¼ cup sherry, red pepper, raw milk, garlic

Method:

1. Sautee onion in oil until translucent (5 min).

2. Add a little more oil to the pan and add liver.
Note that they will release a significant amount of liquid.

3. Sprinkle with salt, pepper and seasonings.

4. Simmer livers until browned through make sure and cook on both sides. Inside should still be  a little pink (few minutes on both sides).
 Note that at this point many of the chicken livers will be falling apart on their own;  a very good thing.

5. Add liver AND JUICES FROM PAN to blender.

6. Blend in food processor.

7. Taste. It shouldn’t taste overly “livery”. If it does, add more seasonings.

8. You can use this recipe as a snack or alongside a meal. Serve it with sprouted grain toast, cucumbers, gluten free crackers, and garnished with dried cranberries, toasted walnuts and microgreens, chicken liver pâté can make a full meal in and of itself.

I usually put my pate into ramekins. I place some plastic wrap in the ramekins, followed by the pate. I also will freeze the extra into ice trays, especially convenient  if you life alone (or are the only on eating this!). When the pate is set, I turn it out onto a plate and remove the plastic wrap. It’s simple!!

I can’t express this point enough: Liver is an important food   and is worth learning to like. Like many foods that can seem initially off-putting  like wheat grass, sardines, and fish roe, for example, and you may need to try it more than once to acquire a taste for it.

Remember: just one appetizer-sized portion of chicken liver pate provides approximately 41% of the RDA for folate, 79% of the RDA for vitamin B12 and 88% of the RDA for vitamin A. (From: Nourishing Traditions)

Why antacids and acid reflex drugs are bad!

Here is a great post by my friend from class! check out her awesome blog:  http://sonobrio.com/sonobrio/Home.html

Why antacids and acid reflux drugs are a BIG problem

Let’s dive right in, shall we? Yes I know, these drugs work to reduce symptoms but you pay a big price along with that relief and there is a much better way to get symptom free long term without their use, I promise!

Let me explain how stomach acid works... Think of your stomach as a tank for this stuff. If your tank is full of stomach acid, you are going to have severe symptoms. But, did you know that if you’re tank is close to empty, the symptoms are also going to be quite severe? I betchya didn’t. I bet you also didn’t know that almost all people with acid reflux fall into the too low stomach acid category and there are very few out there with too high. Having a nearly half full tank is where we all want to be. This is where our stomach acid needs to be to do it’s job of beginning the important process of protein digestion. What the antacids do is wipe out your stomach acid 100%. Having none at all will take away the symptoms, but also means you can’t digest your proteins or properly absorb your vitamins and minerals especially B12 and zinc. Think of it this way...

Full Tank = acid reflux symptoms.

Half Tank = no symptoms and you are digesting and absorbing properly.

Nearly empty tank = acid reflux symptoms (almost all symptomatic individuals fall here), also improperly digesting and absorbing.

Empty tank = Individual is on antacids and is symptom free, but not digesting or    absorbing.

What can you do about it?

First do this easy at home test to test yourself to see what the status of your stomach acid is.

Directions:

• mix one quarter teaspoon of baking soda in eight ounces of cold water
•  first thing in the morning, before eating or drinking anything except water.
• Drink the baking soda solution.

If your stomach is producing adequate amounts of hydrochloric acid you should probably burp within two to three minutes.

Early and repeated belching may be due to excessive stomach acid.

No burp within 5 minutes means you don't have enough acid.

Seeing a certified nutrition consultant is the best way to get back on track and get off the medications. They will help you use whole foods to build your stomach acid to it’s ideal level.

What you can do:

A simple way to work on building up stomach acid is to mix a tablespoon of apple cider vinegar into a glass of water and drink this cocktail with every meal. Do this for a week or two and see if symptoms subside. This trick totally worked for my dad! He struggled with heartburn for as long as I can remember and now a bottle of apple cider vinegar later, is 100% symptom free without any drugs at all.

Video Clip On MS you must Watch!

Check out this!! This woman is incredible ! This MD doctor reversed her own advanced MS purely through food and diet, after the so called "best" drugs and medical treatments failed.

You must see this!!!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KLjgBLwH3Wc&feature=share

Please share this with people you know who might have MS.

The TRUTH about your Thanksgiving TURKEY!

The Truth About Turkey

How much do you know about your Thanksgiving turkey? If you buy your turkey from a typical grocery store–and most Americans do–you might not realize that the approximately 46 million turkeys consumed every year come from a factory farm.

But if Thanksgiving is truly about offering gratitude for what we have, it seems fitting to also be grateful to the turkey that many of us will eat for dinner. We ought to think about how that turkey lived before ending up on our tables. With that in mind, let’s first take a look at the life of a turkey in an industrial farm.

Turkeys on factory farms are hatched in incubators mostly on large farms in the Midwest or the South. A few days after hatching, turkeys have their upper beaks snipped off. Once the beak is removed, the turkey can no longer pick and choose what it wants to eat. In their natural environment, turkeys are omnivores. But in a factory farm, turkeys are fed a steady diet of corn-based grain feed laced with antibiotics.

Industrially produced turkeys spend their first three weeks of life crammed into a brooder with hundreds of other birds. In the fourth week, turkey chicks are moved from the brooder to a giant window-less room with 10,000 other turkeys where bright lights shine 24 hours a day. With the lights constantly blaring, natural sleeping, eating, and fertility patterns are completely disrupted and the turkeys are, for the most part, kept awake and eating non-stop. Turkeys have an instinct to roost, or to clutch something when they sleep, but on the floor of a crowded room there is no such opportunity. If this is starting to sound like torture to you, you’re on the mark.

As a result of these unhealthy and crowded living conditions, farmers must feed the turkeys a constant supply of antibiotics. Pesticides are also widely used to inhibit the spread of disease. Antibiotics are also known to promote weight gain in farm animals and this connection is being made in humans now as well. In an effort to maximize the more profitable white breast meat, farmers have genetically selected and bred the white broad breasted turkey, which become so top heavy that they can no longer stand or reproduce and as a result, all industrial turkeys are created by artificial insemination. Turkeys are then brought to slaughter, often in a brutal way.

If that wasn’t enough to make you reconsider your Butterball, there’s more. Thanksgiving is also a time when we honor the abundance of the harvest represented by the bounty on our tables. But supporting a Big Turkey farm (or any factory farm) contributes to the devastation of our natural environment and imperils the safety of our food supply.

According to the USDA, factory-farmed animals in the U.S. produce 61 million tons of waste each year–130 times the volume of human waste. The Environmental Protection Agency reports that hog, chicken, and cattle waste has polluted 35,000 miles of rivers in 22 states and contaminated groundwater in 17 states. Polluted runoff from factory farms and other industrial farms is the biggest water pollution problem in the U.S., according to the EPA.

Human health is impacted in other ways by factory farming. Just this past August, Cargill announced a recall of 185,000 pounds of ground turkey due to Salmonella contamination. With recalls and food-borne illnesses on the rise as a result of conditions in factory farms, it seems wise to avoid these foods for that reason alone.

Factory farmed meat is also implicated in long-term health consequences. Resistance to antibiotics is now a growing concern among many in the medical field and it is largely due to the 29 million pounds administered to factory-raised animals every year. As it stands today, one out of six cases of Campylobacter infection, the most common cause of bacterial food poisoning, is resistant to the antibiotic most used to treat it. And nearly all strains of Staphylococcal infections have become resistant to penicillin, while many are developing resistance to newer drugs as well. Indeed, 80 percent of all antibiotics used in this country are used on factory-farmed animals according to an FDA report.

And finally, there is the nitty-gritty of nutritional value in these factory-farmed foods. Studies show that pastured-based meat and dairy are far more nutritious than their conventional counterparts. They are richer in antioxidants; including vitamins E, beta-carotene, and vitamin C and contain far more Omega-3 fatty acids. Turkeys that are raised on grass and allowed to roam around and practice normal turkey behavior are healthier, safer to eat, good for the environment, and get to live a happy life. Our best option is to eat high quality meat and a lot less of it.

So in the spirit of Thanksgiving, let’s be grateful to the turkey that we’re eating and opt out of supporting a system of abuse and environmental destruction. Eat a pasture-raised turkey or make a vegetarian alternative for this year’s Thanksgiving feast.

Eat Wild is a valuable resource for pasture-raised meat and animal products. Brooklyn Based also lists pasture-raised turkeys available for sale in New York City. Slow Food USA has information and resources for heritage breed turkeys. Meatless Monday offers 10 tips for cooking a meatless Thanksgiving.