Friday Feature: Acidic v. Alkaline Body

Posted on August 17, 2012 by Rhonda J. Smith

We have a host of health problems in the United States and the root of many of our issues may be that our pH balance is off. Our pH, which stands for potential of hydrogen, determines if our body is more acidic or alkaline. For optimum health, our bodies need to be more alkaline. When our bodies are more acidic, we may have common problems, like indigestion, chest pains, and belching. The more extreme issues that can come from having acidic bodies, also known as acidosis, are immune deficiencies, cardiovascular damage (such as blood vessel constriction and reduced oxygen), weak bones, kidney stones, and chronic fatigue. I have even heard that a more acidic body is the ripe environment for cancerous cells to grow. Whatever our health problems, making sure our bodies are more alkaline should be a top priority.

Our pH level is based on a scale from 1-14, with the higher numbers representing a more alkaline body. The recommended pH is between 7.35 and 7.45, with 7.4 being considered ideal. To find out your pH level you can buy pH strips from a pharmacy and test your saliva or urine. Regardless of what your pH level is, you should work to create a more alkaline body by eliminating certain foods from your diet and incorporating other foods.

As you may have guessed, acid-yielding foods include animal products, like meat, eggs and dairy. Other culprits include white flour and sugar, artificial sweeteners, beverages with caffeine, and soft drinks. To help alkalize our bodies, we have to consume alkaline-yielding foods like kale, baby spinach, avocados, cucumbers, apples, collard greens, lemons and limes. Green drinks are also great for alkalizing our bodies.

In general, eat more fresh fruits and vegetables and less meat and processed food products. Doing so increases the chance of our bodies being pH balanced and decreases the chance of our bodies being diseased.

Friday Feature: Avocado Health

Posted on August 10, 2012 by Rhonda J. Smith

Last month after more than a year I stopped being a vegetarian who was mostly a raw vegan. I eat meat again! When I first ventured back into the omnivore world I could only eat small amounts, my body only used to food that digests easily. A month later I can sometimes eat two chicken legs at one meal and not feel initially overstuffed, but as the food makes its way through my digestive tract I begin to feel heaviness in my gut. When this happens I know for the next few meals I need to eat little to no meat. To help me feel full and get the protein and fat I need, I often choose to eat an avocado.

Avocado is considered a super food because of its more than 20 nutrients, which include Vitamins C and E, carotenoids, selenium, zinc, and omega-3 fatty acids. Avocadoes, full of good fat, increase your “good” cholesterol (HDL) levels. They have anti-inflammatory properties, all the 18 amino acids needed for the body to form a complete protein and can be used in a number of ways. I eat avocadoes alone, on salads and sandwiches, in smoothies, spread on toast, on nachos and in what has become one of my favorite quick snacks or even a meal: 5 Minute Guacamole.

5 Minute Guacamole

Ingredients

1 ripe avocado (Gently squeeze the skin to see if there are soft, but not really soft, spots. Really soft spots mean the avocado is overripe and may not taste good.)
2-3 tablespoons of salsa (Choose one without any chemicals and other additives and that has standard guacamole ingredients of onions, cilantro, hot peppers, like jalapeños, and lime or lemon juice.)

Directions
Cut the avocado around the long way and remove the seed. Scrape out the entire avocado, including what’s stuck to the skin, and place in a bowl. Mash with a fork, leaving some chunky pieces. Add 2-3 tablespoons of salsa and mix together. Serve with nacho chips and enjoy.

I like to add raw olives to my guacamole and dip my mixture up with nacho chips. Like plain avocado, you can use this guacamole on a sandwich, spread on toast or as a topping to a loaded nacho. We can enjoy food and still get the health benefits we need while doing so. Here’s to your fast fixing and good eating!

Friday Feature: Seed Sense

Posted on July 13, 2012 by Rhonda J. Smith

We are a snacking society. This is obvious with the widespread availability of these seductively tasty treats. But with most of these snacks loaded with sugar, high fructose corn syrup, MSG, and hydrogenated oils, we are contributing to our death every bite we take. And some of us aren’t even hungry; we are just in the habit of putting something in our mouths or simply eating out of boredom.

To help steer your snacking in a more healthy direction, you can add seeds to your munching menu. Most seeds are high in Omega 3 and Omega 6 essential fatty acids (EFAs). These EFAs “balance and regulate energy production, blood circulation, nerve function, inflammation, hormone regulation, recovery from exercise, immune function, cell growth, . . . and can elevate mood,” and “improve brain function and development.” The benefits of eating seeds are a great contrast to any typical processed snack food you could eat.

As a snack, you can eat seeds by the handful and you can eat them in more substantive ways by adding them in smoothies and protein drinks, putting them on salads and in salad dressings, and mixing them into garden burgers and other raw recipes.

I offer you a list of edible seeds to reach for next time you want to snack:

Chia seeds – These are good in Omega 3 and Omega 6 fatty acids and are high in calcium, copper, manganese, phosphorus, and zinc. They are a great source of protein and fiber, and have anti-inflammatory and laxative properties.

Flax seeds (AKA linseed) – Like chia seeds, flax seeds are high in Omega 3 and Omega 6 EFAs and have anti-inflammatory and laxative properties. They are rich in several B-vitamins, copper, iron, lecithin, magnesium, manganese, phosphorus, potassium, selenium, zinc, and all 8 essential amino acids. They are a good source of fiber and protein and contain lignan, a phytoestrogen that has been shown to prevent cancer, heart disease and osteoporosis. These seeds should be ground before using.

Hemp seeds -These nut-like flavored seeds are high in Omega 3 and Omega 6 EFAs and are a great source of fiber and protein, containing all the essential amino acids. These are great in raw and cooked foods.

Pumpkin seeds – Great in and out of the shell, these seeds are rich in B-vitamins, copper, iron, lignan, magnesium, manganese, phosphorus, potassium, selenium, zinc, Omega 6, and vitamin E. They are a great source of protein and fiber.

Sesame seeds – Another good choice to add to raw and cooked foods, they are rich in B-vitamins, calcium, copper, iron, magnesium, manganese, potassium, zinc, Omega 6, linoleic acid, protein and fiber.

Sunflower seeds – These seeds have the same properties as pumpkin seeds , but they are also rich in calcium and linoleic acid. These, too, are rich in protein and fiber.

If but just in a minimal way, I hope you at least add seeds to your snack menu. You now know the great benefits of seeds being a part of your diet. Won’t you add them to add health in a significant way to your life?

Friday Feature: Six Ways to Stay Cool with Fruit

Posted on July 6, 2012 by Rhonda J. Smith

The heat wave that has swept the nation has most of us thinking about how to remain cool. This is on my mind today as the high temperature in Detroit is expected to reach 100 degrees. With the exception of taking my mom to therapy in the morning twice this week, I have remained in my cool, air-conditioned house. And I thank God for my cool house because powerful storms this week knocked out power for many surrounding neighborhoods and they are feeling the heat. But if you have been blessed to still have power you might want to try my six ways to stay cool with fruit:

Cold Fruit—The most basic way to keep cool is simply to eat cold fruit. My family has been enjoying watermelon and pineapple mixed as a salad. I have added to my mix blueberries and cantaloupe and sometimes strawberries. I love how these taste together. At the end of my bowl I have wonderful fruit juice.

Natural fruit juice—You don’t have to wait until you get to the end of your bowl to drink fruit juice. In fact, to have cold fruit juice you can put the cold fruit in your juicer or blender and have a tall glass of freshness without refined sugar and other unnecessary additives. Use fruits with a lot of water to create a juice. Use these along with the softer ones, like banana, mango and papaya, for smoothies.

Smoothies—I make these almost daily for my boys and me. Their favorite is Mango-Strawberry-Banana with honey. I put these and about five ice cubes in the blender for a luscious treat anytime of the day. I even use frozen strawberries that I buy or freeze myself to add to the drink’s refreshing coolness.

Frozen fruit—Frozen fruit is not just for my smoothies; I like to eat them. My favorite is blueberries that tend to melt in my mouth. If I let my frozen strawberries sit at room temperature for a couple of minutes I eat those, too. Otherwise they are too dense to bite. My friend Carla loves frozen grapes. Frozen raspberries are a nice treat, too.

Frozen fruit ice cream—One treat that I love that sends chills throughout my body is ice cream. I just can’t eat it whenever I want because I don’t like the taste of, and even if I did I refuse to buy, cheap ice cream. Cheap ice cream has high fructose corn syrup and a bunch of other ingredients that I can’t pronounce and have no idea why they are in ice cream. When I buy ice cream I am eating Haagen-Dazs or some equivalent that only has cream, milk, sugar, eggs and a truly natural flavor. But with that ice cream being high in fat and cholesterol, I opt for frozen fruit. I like to freeze a banana, a ½ cup of chopped up mango and ½ cup of pineapple and then blend them with a little orange juice to give them that ice cream consistency. I get a sweet treat without the cholesterol and fat we all need to avoid.

Fruit juice popsicles—I wonder what natural fruit juice would taste like as popsicles. My boys and I pour bottled juice in ice trays to make popsicles so I think I’ll try juicing some fruit and freezing it to make popsicles. I can’t imagine that these won’t be good.

I hope you try or continue to use these methods to stay cool this summer or for a healthy treat anytime during the year. These have refreshed me and I hope they refresh you. Tell me; in what ways do you keep or plan to keep cool with fruit?