Getting on the RIGHT track to health... this is your ticket! Choo-choo!!

If you pay any attention to the world of health and nutrition then you know how very confusing it can be out there. Should you be Paleo, vegetarian, vegan? Should you juice? What is a plant based diet? Why is everyone so afraid of gluten these days - hasn't it been around forever? Where do you even begin to determine what will work for you to get you on the right track to optimal health?! Do you have to starve and restrict yourself in order to reach your goals? Absolutely not!

I was a vegetarian for about 12 years. I've been Paleo off and on for a couple of years. I just try to do the best that I can and eat what makes me feel good - and it's never difficult. With everything I've learned over the past few years, I know that different people have different nutritional needs at different times in their lives. We are all different bodies with different compositions and different genetics. If you get in tune with your body, you'll learn what those needs are and be able to eat and supplement in a way that optimizes your health. It might sound complicated at first, but it's actually quite simple.

Generally speaking, I think that you should be cautious of any diet that is monopolizing from a name. Do your own research and become your own advocate. I believe the most important principle that WE ALL need to follow is to JUST EAT REAL FOOD. Allow me to simplify some of the basics...

• Moderation is always key.
• Fast food has an extra 's' in it ;)
• Processed 'foods' are not food. 
• Organic is best - check the Clean 15 and the Dirty Dozen for the best produce buying guides.
• GMO's are bad - watch GMO OMG - educate yourself and do what you can. 
• Hormones, additives, preservatives & artificial sweeteners are poisons that should be avoided as much as possible.
• Refined sugars and carbs should be minimized. 
• Some fats are good for you! "Fat free" is usually not.
• Certain foods and deficiencies can lead to inflammation and disease. If you're having health issues, learn what those are for you by talking to your doctor, running blood tests and determining food allergies.
• Educate yourself on the ethical treatment of animals and conscious meat-eating. This is a touchy area, but I believe that we can all live and eat in a conscious and healthy way here. 
• Eating fresh vegetables at every meal can greatly improve your health! This is a simple step everyone can take in the right direction!

I could go on and on with this list, but this covers a wide spectrum. The biggest question then arises around going gluten free (or Paleo, which is also grain free). Is this another trend? Certainly the name is, but the principle takes us back to basic eating. And I'm certainly convinced that in our food supply there are very little grains or gluten that are straight from a healthy, nutrient dense source of soil and/or not genetically modified. While you might think these foods have been around for centuries, what we're getting on our plates is not what the cavemen were gathering. Most of the foods on our grocery store shelves are being passed through too many hands, machines and chemicals to be called food anymore. Our bodies are unable to process them naturally and they don't provide the nutritional value that our bodies need.

I will always adhere to the simple fact that we ALL should be educating ourselves about what is going into our bodies. We can't count on the medical system to fix us once we've put our health on the back burner for too long. Here are some ways you can begin the process. These are some of my favorite resources, but I know there are a plethora of them out there. Do the work! :)

• Become your own health advocate! Learn about natural eating and living and take on the practices and principals that work for you.

• Find a doctor that supports natural and holistic health. These doctors adhere to getting to the root of the issues you're be dealing with rather than just treating the symptoms. These are the doctors that are willing to sit with you for longer than 5 minutes to determine all of the factors of your health with you.

• Read, read, read!
• Robb Wolf
• Whole30
• Eat Clean
• Juicing

• Watch, watch, watch!
• Forks Over Knives
• Fat, Sick & Nearly Dead
• Food Matters
• >>>This whole list<<<

• Get in tune with your body by doing an elimination diet.

• Get tested for food sensitivities (ask your doctor).

• Get tested for >Gluten sensitivity< (or ask your doctor).

If you have any questions, send me a message! I'm passionate about supporting and empowering a naturally healthy lifestyle. And, if you're in the San Diego area, let's see how we can work together! I'd love to help you! :)

Yours in health,
~Mimi~

Cauliflower crusted pizza - first attempt - scored!!

Ok, so maybe it wasn't perfect, but it was pretty dang close.. because well, come on, THE KIDS LIKED IT!! And especially for Eddie, that's saying A LOT. His absolute FAVORITE food is pizza and he has really missed it since going Paleo. I'm so happy to find some pizza that he can eat again - happy kids, happy mom!! :)

It's funny because my cooking almost always comes out the best when it's not planned or measured. So, I'll give you my best shot at sharing what I did tonight. If you try it, please let me know how it works out for you!

I'd also like to add, that our *official* Paleo Cooking at Home program is over. Tomorrow Eddie has an appointment with our family osteopath and we will be discussing diet further with her. There are definitely some things we'll be keeping around, such as some meats.. and then of course we'll still indulge in our occasional "treats."

All in all, I have been extremely pleased with where our Paleo venture has taken us. I think all of us have benefited from it in some way or another. It has taken me back into the kitchen and I am going to be sharing lots more of my ventures in food with you again. It is something I have truly missed over the past year and where my passion truly lies.

So, here's that crazy crust I threw together! :)

Cauliflower Crusted Pizza

1 small head of cauliflower, blended in a food processor or Vitamix.

1/4 C whole flax seeds

1/4 C coconut flour
(you can use your own choices of flours: flax, almond, coconut, etc.)

1/8 C or less nutritional yeast

3 eggs

3 oz. tomato paste (optional)

2-3 tbsp. coconut oil

Salt & pepper

Mix all ingredients together. It will have a thick, pasty texture.

Coat cooking sheet with plenty of coconut oil and spread the mixture thinly and evenly on pan.

Cook the crust by itself at 400* for about 20 minutes, until it begins to brown.

Take out and top with homemade pizza sauce and your favorite toppings. I was working with limited options tonight because I need to go shopping. I used a cheese blend because it was all I had, but I prefer shredding my own mozzarella. 

Bake again at 400* for about 10-15 minutes. 

Because this isn't your typical pizza dough, you might not be able to pick it up with your hands to eat it. It just depends on your toppings, your cooking sheet and how your oven cooks it. Either way, you should be able to serve easily with a spatula and ENJOY!! :)

Reading Labels

A crucial piece to optimizing your health is knowing what you're putting in your body. One of the places you can start is learning to read labels. In a perfect world, nothing we eat would have a label to begin with. While I believe that is something we should all strive for, it would be unrealistic to assume that everyone eats that way. So, here are some of the key pointers when looking at food labels so that you can be sure that what you're eating is REAL food and not laden with chemicals and preservatives - all of which can prolong and divert your healthful goals - whether those may be to lose weight, to regain or just maintain your health.

INGREDIENTS: The longer the list, the better off you are without it. Why? Because you probably can't pronounce half of the things on the list, which means you probably don't know what they are. If you don't know what something is, look it up and you'll be sure to not want to eat them after all. Knowing is half the battle!

I used to be addicted to chips. When I started getting serious about my health, that was the first thing to go. I don't think all chips need to be red-taped, but if their ingredients list looks something like this, you should think twice. This is not whole food.

Some ingredients to avoid:
MSG
BHT
Aspartame
Trans fat
High fructose corn syrup
Artificial sweeteners
Artificial colors (Red 40, Yellow 5, etc.)
Enriched flour
Textured soy
Hydrogenated oils
Autolyzed and hydrolyzed yeast extracts



So, what IS acceptable? Most likely that answer is going to be different for everyone, depending on your goals and preferences; whether you're a meat eater, vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free, etc. But I think there are a few universal things to look for.

SUGARS / SWEETENERS (<<click here for a list of sweeteners in disguise): Processed and refined sugars come in MANY shapes, sizes, names and disguises. Generally, I prefer raw honey, stevia and xylitol because those are the ones that I know to be less or not processed. I also know that there is still debate on some of those. If you can get your sweet fix from adding fresh fruit to your dishes instead, it's MUCH better and healthier for you. On a label though, I would look to see where "sugars" sit in the list. The further down they are, the less there is of it. Then I would check the grams. Always, less (or none) is best. 

This is my idea of a good looking label. These are from Flackers. Whole seed crackers; no added sugars or flours; no mysterious ingredients.

FLOURS / STARCHES: A lot of people ask what breads are best. Personally, I might have bread once every couple weeks. And when I do, I opt for 100% whole grain and if I can I choose sprouted (found at most health food stores). Ezekial is one of the best that I know of. Breads (and crackers) are commonly loaded with ingredients to avoid: enriched flours, high fructose corn syrup and other sugars. Here's a nice looking bread:

Reading the ingredients list is a perfect place to start learning about what's in your food and what you're putting in your body. The more you know, the bigger your desire becomes for whole, real, FRESH foods. And in turn, the better you will start to feel.

The closer a food is to the way Mother Nature made it, the better. 

If the Earth made it, eat it - if man made it, don't. 

Thanks for reading, and please let me know if you have any questions or things you'd like to add.

Yours in Health,

~Mimi~