Breakfast

   

      Yes, moms all across the ages have been saying it for years: "Breakfast is the most important meal of the day."  And they are right.  Let's take a look at the first meal of the day.
     First of all, the very name can teach us a lot.  Breakfast comes from "break the fast".  You have been ( or should have been) sleeping all night.  Your body has been on a fast (unless you are a midnight snacker!).  Your metabolism has slowed down significantly.  When you get up, your body is hungry and needs some nourishment.  Breakfast is the fuel that your body needs to get going and make it through the day.  It awakens your brain as well!  Breakfast helps to curb your hunger and keeps you from binge eating throughout the day.  It has been proven that kids do better in school when they have eaten a good breakfast. 
     The key word in the above paragraph is "good".  Let's investigate some of the common breakfast foods that we often eat.  Walk down your local grocery store's cereal aisle and you are overwhelmed with colors and kinds and flavors.  Have you ever noticed that the junkiest cereals are the cheapest?  As a health conscious and budget conscious shopper, that fact alone drives me nuts.  Why are the cereals that go through the most processing and have the most ingredients in them and are advertised the most have the lowest price?  Supply and demand  my dear, supply and demand.  There is more demand for the colorful, sugar infested foods and so the ones that are the healthiest cost the most.  Argh.  And then there are the pop tarts.  These have become staple in the American diet.  A dry chunk of goo and cardboard, supposedly loaded with 11 essential vitamins and minerals, that you just pop into your toaster and you are ready to go!?!?  Sugar has become the staple ingredient of breakfast foods.  We all think sweet when we want breakfast.  Yet, sugar is the worst thing you can put in a body that has been fasting.

     Do you know how to read sugar content in foods?  It's pretty easy.  Look at the nutrition facts on a package.  Near the bottom you will see "sugars" and an amount in grams.  Divide that number by 5 and that will tell you how many teaspoons of sugar are in one serving of that particular item.  Notice the following picture:

     19 grams of sugar calculates to about 4 teaspoons of sugar.  Have you guessed what these "nutrition" facts are for??  Yes, pop tarts.  My husband is addicted.  I can tell my kids what to eat, but I can't tell him!  So, for each  pastry, there are 4 teaspoons of sugar.  Of course, Kellogg's puts them 2 in a package so you think that 2 is a serving.  So in reality you are getting more like 10 teaspoons of sugar!!  Wow.  Pay attention next time you buy something to the serving size on a common food you eat.  Usually they give a small portion size so the nutrition facts look better.  Deceptive!
     Eating sugar for breakfast makes you feel energetic at first and then drops your energy level quickly.  Sugar is one of the foods that digests the fastest, so you feel its effects quickly and then feel empty sooner.    A better choice for breakfast foods would be to choose something with more protein that takes longer to digest and stays with you longer. You will feel fuller longer, you won't get that sinking feeling at 10 a.m. and go looking for more sugar to fill you up.  Did you know that white, processed flour and corn and rice also turn to sugar in your system?  Isn't interesting that most popular cereals are  made of these ingredients.   If you must eat something sweet, balance it with an egg or bacon or some REAL whole grain bread.
     Eggs are a perfect breakfast food.  They are full of super protein.  When I eat eggs for breakfast I don't feel hungry again until lunch time.  I fact, I have read of a diet that consists of eating 30 grams of protein for breakfast (about 6 eggs!!), and starting your day full and giving you the boost of energy and fuel that you need.   Many people would lose weight quickly if they followed this plan.
     One of the complaints about breakfast is that you don't feel hungry at that time of the day.  Yes, stress about your day can complicate the feeling of needing food.  You also can stifle the hunger pangs after a certain length of fasting.  Find something you do like.  Change the breakfast menu and eat meat and potatoes, or soup, or a sandwich for breakfast!
     One of my favorite breakfast recipes is the following pancake recipe.  Yes, is has some sugar in it, but the balance comes from the whole wheat, oil and eggs.  No, I don't get up at 5 a.m. to make these. I make them during the day and freeze them (Eggo had the right idea!) and then just pop them in the toaster or microwave for a happy kid's breakfast.  My kids like maple syrup, apple butter, powdered sugar (slight amount! ) and even honey or just butter.  They are super easy to make and a very flexible recipe to shape to your family's needs.

Whole Grain Pancakes
 *Makes approx. a dozen medium sized pancakes.  I cook them in coconut oil  (or butter, or olive oil) on my griddle set at 300.

1 1/2 cups buttermilk (or milk, cream, canned milk, water, juice, yogurt...)
1 egg
2 Tbsp. oil (hint: use the same measuring spoon for the honey and it will slide right out!)
2 Tbsp. honey
1 tsp. vanilla
1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour ( I often add half oat flour, or ground flax for added nutrition)
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. soda
2 tsp. baking powder

     Combine all ingredients.  If you like thin pancakes, add more liquid;  add more flour if you like thick pancakes.  Fry in oil or butter (coconut oil seems the best!).   Cool on a cooling rack if you are planning to freeze them.  I freeze them in bags of a dozen (yes, I triple the recipe).


     So, let me encourage you to start your day with a good foundation.  Nothing for breakfast is not good, but a junky breakfast is not good either.  Take the time to think about what you are ingesting and make choices that will help you get through your day feeling more energetic and better about yourself!

Drug Infested Nation

  

      I had an interesting conversation with a lady recently.  She was telling me about her granddaughter who was suffering from acid reflux, so the doctor put her on Zantac. The thing that really troubled me was that the granddaughter was only 4 months old. The baby also had to be held upright for 1/2 hour after every bottle and could not lay on her tummy at all.   Actually, I was more than troubled,  I was floored. I knew that drugs were a problem, but I didn't know that we were now giving them to infants. Go to your local pharmacy and the place is overrun with people waiting for their "fix".  We have become a nation that is driven by our symptoms and what we can do to cover them up.  No longer do doctors seek to heal the cause of a problem, they just prescribe a drug to hide the symptoms.  We hear that something is approved by the Financially Driven Administration and the American Money Association so we hurry and go get some to see if it can help us.  These government agencies are not interested in our general well being, neither are they concerned about our health. They are driven by money.  Every day we hear about drugs (approved by those groups!)  that have been recalled because they had certain "unexpected" side effects.  We see ads from law firms wanting to defend you and help you sue for serious and often devastating side effects.

     So, I did some research on Zantac.  Very interesting study. Simply stated,  Zantac is a drug that reduces the amount of acid that your stomach produces.   Many people suffer from what is called an over abundance of stomach acid. After doing some more research, I found out why.  The stomach has a "door" on the top end called the LES (lower esophageal sphincter).  The door opens to allow food to enter the stomach and closes to keep the acid in there as it churns and "eats" the food.  When the stomach has LOW acidity, the LES opens and remains open!!! Probably because it knows that it needs some good acidic fruits and vegetables to replenish it!  So, people with acid reflux disease actually suffer from LOW acidity!  Taking a drug to reduce stomach acid only aggravates the problem.  Sad, sad, sad.  If they could only start eating raw apple or pineapple with every meal, they would probably see a great change. I believe that acid reflux is also caused by overeating...another major problem in our country.  Acid reflux in infants is most likely due to poor eating habits by mommy before baby is born, and also a result of using formula rather than breast feeding.

     There is also the problem of drug side effects.  Listed on Zantac's website are these general side effects:  increases risk of pneumonia, chest pain, fever, shortness of breath, green or yellow mucous, easily bruised, unusual weakness, fast or slow heart rate, vision problems, sore throat, headache, sever blistering peeling red skin rash, nausea, stomach pain, loss of appetite, yellowing of the skin or eyes. There were also "major" side effects listed.  They were rather scary. I think I would rather have acid reflux than the above side effects.  Oh, it also mentioned that it should not be taken more than 14 days in a row. Hmmm.  How many people have been taking it every day for years???
     I just found this today.  It was a report given on October 25, 2011. Very timely topic.

     "Stomach acid might cause a lot of people a lot of pain, but it also serves an important purpose in the body: it stops incipient infections in their tracks. Now, a new study says that medications that suppress the production of stomach acid can make people more susceptible to complications of gastrointestinal infections, including raising the risk of dying.
The study examined hospital patients infected with the drug-resistant bacteria Clostridium difficile, which is infamous for causing diarrhea in hospitalized patients and responsible for more deaths in the United States than all other intestinal infections combined.

In the study, patients who had recently taken prescription acid suppressants were almost five times more likely to die from their C. difficile infections than those who hadn't taken such drugs.
Previous studies linked the use of acid suppressants with an increased risk of becoming infected with C. difficile , but "this is the first study to have found an association between use of antacids and increase of mortality," said study author Dr. Edith R. Lederman, an infectious disease specialist at the Naval Medical Center in San Diego.
The report was published Oct. 5 in the journal Clinical Infectious Diseases."
  

      Wow, that was pretty eye opening.  By the way, stomach acid also digests your food, though I bet you already knew that!   It is an extremely important part of your well being.  Reducing your stomach acid is not going to help you.  Changing your eating habits and adding more raw fruits and vegetables to your diet will greatly help.  I implore you, don't fall for the habit of going to the medicine cabinet for symptoms, find out what is causing it instead of just covering it up!  I'm sure there will be more posts on various symptoms (and their accompaning drugs!) in the future!
   

Our Daily Bread

     Here it is, the post you have been waiting for, the bread making tutorial.  You'll have to excuse some of the pictures, I only have a point and shoot camera. ( Wishing for a better one, but we'll see!)  I do recommend any first time bread baker to invest in a bread machine.  I have tried bread in my Kitchenaid mixer, only to have it turn out too dry every time.  The bread machine seems to mix it up perfectly and does such a great job of raising the dough, too!  Machines are pretty pricey, but all of mine I have bought at Goodwill for pretty cheap.  My latest model was by far the cheapest!

('Just had to add this picture. I started to remove the sticker, but left it on to remind me of how exciting cheap prices can be!!  Don't you just love finding a super bargain??) Second hand stores are great places to find machines.  Most people get them for Christmas, use it a few times and then it just ends up gathering dust and taking up a lot of room in the cupboard.  Ask around. Many people may have one that they no longer use that they will be willing to let you try out, or just have!  Be sure the machine has a "dough" cycle.  I have found that bread baked in the machine tends to be very dry with a hard crust. Plus, baking it in the oven makes people think that you are a supermom or something!!

     So, here is the recipe that I use the most.  Layer these ingredients in the bread machine in this order:
                                           1 cup plus 2 Tbsp warm water (not so hot that you couldn't drink it!)
                                           1 1/2 Tbsp  honey
                                           1 Tbsp real butter (or lard, margarine, coconut oil, olive oil)
                                           1 tsp salt (salt can interfere with the yeast, so I always add it to the liquids)
                                           1 egg (optional, I add it to give some moisture and protein)
                                           1/2 cup rolled oats (I use old fashioned, quick oats are fine, too)
                                            2  cups white whole wheat flour

     Okay, after you add these, make a "well" in the top of the flour and add 1 3/4 tsp of yeast. Just like this:

     Just a note about flour.  I use Prairie Gold brand.  It is a white wheat, very soft, and very yummy.  You hardly notice that it is whole wheat.  Very family friendly!!  The recipe calls for 2 1/2 cups of flour, I usually use less to begin with and add more later. Whole wheat flour tends to "soak up" more of the liquid, thus it can get too dry too fast.  So, watch it and add more as you go. 

     So, now select the right setting.  I have tried other cycles, and then forget about them and the bread starts to bake.  The "dough" cycle mixes it up, then lets it raise and takes about an hour and a half, then beeps at the end to let you know that it is done.  A great way to let you multi-task and get some things done while you are "making" bread! :)

As soon as you press "start", the paddle in the bottom starts to turn.  It does it intermittently at first, stopping and starting to let the ingredients "fall" and mix together.  Don't shut the lid yet, you need to keep an eye on it!



  As it begins to form a dough, it will either be too wet or too dry.  This is the time to be vigilant!  Soon the machine will begin mixing constantly.  Be ready to add more flour.

     Now it is starting to form one solid chunk of dough, but is very wet, sticky and not smooth at all. We want smooth.  

     Add approximately 1/4 cup more flour to the mix.  Let it stir for awhile and watch.

Now it is starting to form more of a ball, but still is rather wet looking and not smooth.

You may have to add flour a couple of times until the dough forms one ball and is smooth looking, not sticky.

We now have a smooth ball, not sticking very much to the sides and spinning quickly in the machine.  Now, you can shut the lid and leave it alone for about an hour!

When your machine beeps, you will hopefully come back to find it looking like this.  Find your bread pan, spray it with oil or spread with butter and take the dough out of the machine.  Put it on a well floured flat surface and roll it out with a rolling pin.  (Sorry, on the day I was doing this, I had an emergency and had to do it very quickly and didn't have time to take pictures!!) Don't roll it flat and huge, just roll it about the width of your bread pan and about a foot and and half or so tall.  You are just wanting to get the bubbles out so you don't end up with holey bread.  Roll it back up and pinch the seam, place it in your bread pan and start the oven (375 F).  Let the bread rise for a few minutes while the oven is heating up.  I usually cover it with a cloth and let it sit until it reaches just above the edges of the pan.  Then stick it in the oven for 20 - 25 minutes.  Soon you will have heavenly smells coming from your kitchen!

Remove from the oven.  Next comes my favorite part:

Slather (love that word!) on lots of butter!  It makes the crust so yummy! 

     What a beautiful shine!  Now you need to remove the bread from the pan to cool. Gently slide a knife around the edges and it should come out when you turn the pan over.  Place it on a cooling rack so it doesn't get soggy on the bottom.  I like to use an electric knife to slice it.  It is easiest to slice when it is cool, but is soooo good when it is warm! 

     Not all loaves turn out perfectly.  There will be many loaves that are ugly, flat, or full of holes, but your family will be happy to be your guinea pigs as you try and try again!  Happy baking!

Salt is good???

    

     It plainly states in Mark 9:50 that "Salt is good...." So, why are we warned about too much salt?  Why do people who have high blood pressure or have experienced a stroke go on a "no-salt" diet? Why do we have so many products on the shelf in grocery stores that boast low or no salt added?  Something does not jive here. 
     To get the real picture, we have to define what we mean by salt.  The salt sold on the store shelves has been processed and refined.  It has had iodine and other chemicals added to it to keep it shelf worthy and "FDA" worthy.  That kind of salt can cause problems. It has been harvested in salt mines as brine, which means the salt has been in water.  Chemicals are added to the brine to remove the impurities, which really are minerals which are beneficial to you.  The process in which the salt goes through ( heat and compression) molecularly changes the structure of the salt.  Then toxic chemicals are added to keep the salt from clotting.  The salt is now pure and white, but dead.  There are no  beneficial properties; no cleansing, healing ability.  The process also leaves an imbalance between the sodium and the chloride; an imbalance which many  bodies cannot deal with, often causing swelling in the hands and ankles and causing blood pressure to rise.
       The more I study and the more I learn, I am amazed at how much good can come just by keeping things balanced.  Remove one necessary item, and chaos can result.  God's original design for salt was that it included the important trace minerals that your body needs to keep things in balance.  An imbalance of minerals can result in many health related problems.  Because the earth is aging, many of the minerals in the soil have been depleted and therefore, they are no longer found in our vegetables and fruits.  So, it is important that we find alternative ways of getting those trace minerals back. 
     We all have a natural craving for salt.  Try popcorn without it and you'll see!!  We need the essential properties found in salt, but we need to find a salt that has not been so processed that is no longer salt!  Stores have started picking up on the salt craze.  You can buy real sea salt in many stores.  Even better is the salt that has minerals that you can see: for instance pink or gray or red salt.  They do have a stronger salt taste, but your body will appreciate the extra minerals.
      Another interesting fact about salt is that it can help your body absorb more water.   Just adding 1/4 tsp of salt to every quart of water you drink will help your body use the water it needs and will also add the benefit of the trace minerals.  Yes, it does taste salty, yet surprisingly still quenches your thirst. It just may take a little getting used to!
     If you have been told to go on a no-salt diet, I implore you to do more studying and read Salt your Way to Health by David Brownstein.  A no-salt diet will only bring an imbalance to your system and cause more problems.  Plus, how bland your diet would be without it!  So, remember that "Salt is good" and it is something your body needs.  Find some that is natural and unprocessed and you may see a change in how your body functions.

Storing up for the future

     If you knew that there was a crisis on the horizon, what would you do?   Think back to 1999.  Did any of you stockpile food and water just in case there was a computer glitch in 2000?   If there were some way to know if there was going to be an economic meltdown in a year, would you do anything about it?   Most of us would start some kind of action plan to start storing up supplies and necessities just in case.  If our favorite snack or cosmetic item or shoe brand were going out of business, we would try our best to find all we could locate to have a stash for future use.  It makes me think of Joseph in Genesis.  He knew about the famine coming and gave a plan to store up so that there would be plenty in the hard times.
     I believe that our bodies do the same thing.  If we are not getting enough of something in our diet, then our body starts "storing" it in different ways and in different areas.  Here are some examples:

*Water: Do you retain water?  Ever had water on the knee?  Most obesity is a majority of water retention.  If overweight people started drinking their 2 liters of water a day, they would see a huge change in  just a short time because they would lose the water that their bodies had been storing up for so long.  I once knew a girl who had been told by her doctor that she was allergic to water.  She was very young, and rather obese as a result. I cannot imagine what that doctor had been thinking.  The human body is made up of over 70% water, how could one be allergic to it???

*Calcium: Have you ever had kidney stones or heel spurs?  The body stores up calcium in these ways.  A doctor will tell you that you have them because you are getting too much calcium.  I doubt that any person living today gets too much calcium.  And, on a side note, if you are taking calcium, TUMS is not a reliable source of calcium.  There are only certain types of calcium that your body will use, and it needs other nutrients in order to use it.  Eating rocks and bones is not a good way to get calcium!

*Fat: Okay, those of you who struggle with weight issues, don't take this to mean that if your body is storing fat, then you should go buy some Krispy Kremes or something.  However, it may mean that you are not getting the right kinds of fat.  Your body needs fat.  Your brain is made of fat.  (Another theory of mine: have you ever seen a fat Alzheimer's patient?  Me neither. Pictures of brain scans of Alzheimer's patients reveal a brain that looks like it had dissolved.) The right kinds of fats (olive oil, coconut oil, animal fats) will help you lose weight!  A great book to read on this subject is Eat Fat, Lose Fat by Mary Enig.

     Most doctors believe that if your body is storing something up, then that means that you are getting too much of that thing.  However, I believe the opposite is true.  You are just storing up for the future, because there is a limited supply of what you need.  Think it over!

The Bread of Idleness

     I did a study in Proverbs 31 several years ago.  I came to verse 27 that states "She looketh well to the ways of her household and eateth not the bread of idleness".  We all have read that verse before and thought that  Solomon's mother was drawing a picture to help get her point across: this woman is so industrious that she will not partake in idleness.  But, what if the writer literally meant a kind of bread?  I looked up "bread" in my concordance and each time it is used in the Old Testament it refers to literal bread!  So, what is the "bread of idleness"?
     Let's think about the times that this woman was living in.  They didn't have a local Walmart. Obviously most things were handmade in the home kitchen.  But, I can imagine the market place did have baked items for sale.  It would have been easy to let someone else take care of making the bread for  her household everyday. Those of you that make your own bread know that it is a time-consuming task. So, the "bread of idleness" is store-bought bread!!  The woman spoken of here in Proverbs 31 was so committed to giving her time to her family and was against anything that would take away from what is best for them, that she refused to even eat of that bread!! 
      Think about the foods that are available to us today.  We have become a nation of convenience!  Anything that advertises that it will save us time is a real temptation.  Store shelves are packed with foods that are ready to serve, or "just add water" or "heat and eat".  So, are we guilty of eating the food of idleness?
     Our next simple step to eating healthier is to make something homemade.   Ready-prepared foods contain so many preservatives and chemicals to keep them from spoiling, and often they have been so processed that most of the good nutrients are gone.  So, try something homemade.  There are hundreds of recipes out there for homemade salad dressings, seasonings, breads, sauces and condiments that are so much better than what you get off the shelf.   If you don't know how to cook something "real", ask someone who does. You most likely know an older lady who is a great cook and would be thrilled to teach you.  Learn the lost art of making pie crust (you will NEVER buy a premade one again!) or gravy.  Forget the dried potato flakes and surprise your family with real mashed potatoes. Ignore the cheap mac and cheese and try a homemade version.  If you feel brave, try some homemade bread.  Your family will never be the same!
     Here is one of my favorite homemade recipes that is so much better than the store-bought version.
Homemade Taco Seasoning:
 3 Tbsp. chili powder                2 Tbsp cumin                  2 Tbsp seasoning salt (Lawry's)
2 Tbsp. oregano                       1 Tbsp garlic powder      1 Tbsp cornstarch
1 tsp. paprika                           2 tsp cayenne pepper      6 Tbsp cornmeal
Combine all and store in a jar in the refrigerator.  Use approximately 2 Tbsp per pound of hamburger. 
I  just sprinkle it over the top of my meat after it is browned, add a little water and let it simmer a few minutes.  It makes it great to adjust a recipe, too. If you like it spicy add more mix, etc.

P.S. I noticed in the concordance that Proverbs also mentions the "bread of wickedness".........hmmm.  'Might have to look into that one.
    

Good Medicine

"A merry heart doeth good like a medicine" Proverbs 17:22 

         Our next little step to better health is : JOY!  That's right. We can take the prescription written above from the Great Physician and cash it in to the pharmacy of heaven.  It has been proven that laughter is good for you.  All doctors know that the attitude of the patient determines the length of recovery.  Take the time to look up "joy" in your concordance and see how many times that it is mentioned in Scripture.  Even in His prayer, Jesus mentioned that His purpose in coming to the earth was that He could speak the words of the Lord so that we "might have my (His) joy fulfilled in themselves" John 17:13. It is the Lord's will that you be joyful!  I recently taught a teen girls' Sunday School class on what Jesus was like as a teenager.  Before that study, I had always pictured Jesus has a hermit-like individual, sullen, somber and "other-worldly".  But, my eyes were opened when we considered the passage that mentions that "Jesus increased in wisdom and stature, and in favour with God and man" (Luke 2:52).  The author of the Bible study highlighted the part that states that He grew in favour with man.  You can't find favor with man if you are sullen and somber.  Jesus fulfilled all Scripture-- He was joyful, a delight to be around, and a person that was pleasant.
     I heard a great sermon on Sunday morning all dealing with being joyful.  It is something that we often forget.  It's so easy to let circumstances rob us of the joy that should be evident in our actions and on our faces. I know, our favorite saying as moms is "If mama ain't happy, ain't nobody happy."  It's too bad that we "mamas" let the little things that happen in our day determine the attitude of the day! 
     Let's bring it down into a practical light.  The Bible plainly states that having a joyful spirit is like a medicine.  The verse written above continues: "...but a broken spirit dryeth the bones." Proverbs 17:22.  Have you ever known a bitter woman?  Did she also suffer from osteoporosis, bone spurs, kidney stones, or even bone cancer?   A broken spirit can do that to you! 
     So, take the time today to laugh.  Children can detect a joyful or bitter spirit a mile away.  Show them your joy with your actions.  A smile isn't the only way to show joy, you can show joy in the way that you walk and work.  Take this simple step to better health and reach for joy instead of bitterness.