Hello! and some changes....

Hi there! I wanted to apologize for not posting very much recently. I started back to school in early January and I've been very busy getting back into the routine. I do hope to post a bunch of things soon though...so hang in there with me.

Also, I wanted to let you know that I am going to be making a few changes. My diet has changed and I have been eating wheat and dairy for sometime now and I feel pretty good nonetheless. :) YEAH! I'm really excited about it and I want to share what I make with you still....

So, here is what I will do....

1. I will try to mark each post if it is GF or dairy-free (and I will mark it as such if it is naturally GF or dairy-free or can be easily adapted...which I will try to note in the recipe.)
2. My site will still most definitely be about being healthy...and that includes still being sugar-free (refined sugar that is!) :) I love using honey, fruit, fruit juice, dried fruit, stevia, etc. I am narrowing down the agave I use because I have read a lot about it NOT being the best for us after all.
3. For most foods with flour, I will be using 100% whole wheat or some form of whole grain.
4. I am striving to continue to be the healthiest I can and I am grateful that I had food intolerances (or still do---sugar, etc) that allow me to research and realize how important it is to eat healthily and what eating healthy actually is! :)
5. I will continue to use whole grains in my recipes, natural, unrefined and cold pressed (if possible) oils such as olive oil, butter, organic palm shortening, coconut oil, and grape seed oil.
6. I hope you will stay with me as I continue my quest for good health! I hope those of you who are either GF or dairy-free or both will still hang in with me as I will offer suggestions for you!

I wish you all the best in your endeavors for good health whatever your case may be. Please keep in mine that the changes I make to the site will probably take sometime but I will try to do them soon. :)

I've already started! What do you think of the blog design?

Have a wonderfully healthy day!

-Ari

2010: 10 things for a healthier you (and your family!)

Here’s a list of ten things you can do to be healthier this year food wise. I plan to try some of them! What do you think?

http://nourishedkitchen.com/new-years-resolutions/

Especiallly:

“7. If you eat grain, always sprout, sour or soak it first.

If you choose to eat grain, always sprout, sour or soak it first.  Grain is not an essential or important aspect of a wholesome, nourishing diet.  There’s nothing you can find in grain that you can’t find in greater quantities elsewhere.  While a crusty loaf of sourdough bread dipped in a fragrant olive oil might be a nice treat, it isn’t essential.  Grain should be kept to a minimum, if eaten at all.  If you choose to eat grain, this year make sure to prepare it properly in accordance with traditional, time-honored methods.  You see, whole gain contains an antinutrient called phytic acid which binds up minerals preventing their full absorption.  Which means all those whole grain cereals, crackers and cookies aren’t doing you or your family a lick of good.  The effects of these antinutrients can be mitigated by souring, sprouting or soaking which combines whole grain with warmth and slightly acidic solution.  This process activates phytase, a food enzyme, that effectively neutralizes phytic acid rendering the whole grain more digestible and its nutrients better absorbed.  Make the effort, in the new year, to sour, sprout or soak your grain.

To Do: The next batch of bread you make should be sourdough, and plan meals ahead so you have time to properly prepare your grain for optimal nutrition.  Give sprouting a try.  If you don’t have time to soak or sour your grains, use sprouted grain flour (see sources) instead.”

 

This one I’ve mostly done already but plan to  fully implement. I’m still researching about agave nectar though.

“1. Give up refined foods: sugars, oils and flours.

The single most effective thing you can do for your health in the new year is simple: remove all refined foods from your cupboards.  Give them up.  Just like that.  Yes, you may have paid good money for that bag of sugar, the gallon of vegetable oil or that bag of flour.  Sure, you may think to yourself, “I only use flour (or sugar or canola oil) occasionally.”  But, occasionally is still too often. Refined foods can leach micronutrients from your body, contribute to risk of autoimmune disease, cancers, metabolic disorders and heart disease.

To Do: Take a big garbage bag and throw out any vegetable oil, soybean oil, canola oil, cottonseed oil, hydrogenated fats, white sugar, brown sugar, corn syrup, agave nectar, white flour, unbleached all-purpose flour, refined sea salt, iodized salt and any boxed or packaged foods containing these ingredients.

Read More: Modern Sweeteners, When Natural Foods Aren’t Natural: Agave Nectar, A Guide to Natural Sweeteners, Role of Traditional Sweeteners”

Is agave good or not?

Here’s an article I recently found about agave. What do you think?

http://nourishedkitchen.com/when-natural-foods-arent-natural-agave-nectar/

And another about corn syrup (which is supposed to be very similar)

http://nourishedkitchen.com/what-they-say/