Pomegranate season typically runs from October to January, making it peak season to enjoy this amazing fruit!

In addition to their high vitamin C content, pomegranate’s are high in antioxidants, which help the body fight free radicals that cause cell damage. Pomegranate juice is higher in antioxidants than red wine, green tea, blueberry and cranberry juice.

Pomegranates are rich in polyphenols, plant chemicals known to reduce the inflammation process associated with heart disease. Chronic  inflammation in the body has been linked to an increased risk of  heart disease and stroke.

While scientific research is still in its early stages, there are a number of studies that suggest pomegranates may prevent or help treat certain types of cancer. According to a study done by Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine (LECOM) School of Pharmacy, pomegranates produced anticancer effects in experimental models of lung, prostate and skin cancer. Similarly, a three year University of California study concluded that drinking 8 ounces of pomegranate juice per day may cut down the effect of prostate cancer in men. Specifically, the study showed that the period during which PSA levels in men treated for prostate cancer remained stable, increased by nearly four times.

TIP: A perfectly ripe pomegranate will be heavy and have smooth, deep red skin. Older pomegranates normally weigh less than the fresh ones as they contain less juice and tend to be more dried out.

Considered a sacred fruit in many cultures, pomegranates are very versatile and make a great addition to everything from salads to sorbets.

Pomegranate and Cucumber Salad

This salad is the perfect accompaniment to any holiday festivity!

• 2 pomegranates
• 2 large cucumbers
• 1 can of garbanzo beans
• 2 cloves of garlic pressed
• 4 or 5 fresh basil leaves chopped

Vinaigrette:

• extra-virgin olive oil
• red wine vinegar
• salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

Peel the cucumbers and cut into small cubed pieces. Remove the seeds from the pomegranates and discard the rind. Add both the cucumbers and pomegranate seeds to a serving bowl.

Drain and add the garbanzo beans, garlic and basil and toss all the ingredients together.

Using 1 part red wine vinegar to 2 parts olive oil, add the dressing to the salad and mix thoroughly. Allow salad to rest in the fridge briefly before serving. Enjoy!

According to Dr. Tim Lobstein of the International Obesity Task Force, the scope of these numbers and their implication for mankind is unprecedented.

From smiling clowns at drive-up windows to a beckoning Chihuahua, and a kid whose bologna has a first name; the competition is fierce for market share of your child’s stomach. Drive-up counters have replaced the dinner bell and fast food is no longer fast enough. Not surprisingly, diagnosis of Type 2 Diabetes has surged 90 percent, in the last decade alone.

Sugar races into your child’s bloodstream, signaling their pancreas to produce insulin. Trans fatty acids accelerate their risk for heart disease. Preservatives, artificial additives, man-made sugars, white carbohydrates and processed foods add fuel to this internal fire—the building blocks for cellular aberration, degeneration and stored body fat.

If we care about prevention… we need to translate that belief to our children. It starts by recapturing the family dinner and wholesome cooking. Prioritize purchasing locally grown foods and the value of what “live food” can do for the body, mind and spirit. It’s time for us to become nourishers as well as nurturers.

10 Ways to Get There:

1)  Healthy snacks: Seeds are far more nutritionally dense than other foods, particularly those from pumpkin and squash. Add them to a mix with the healthiest nuts like almonds, pistachios, macadamia and pine. They break down slowly and feed you gradually, helping your child avoid hunger and low blood sugar; while bathing their cells with “healthy” fat.

2)  Fruits and vegetables: Seven fruits or vegetables a day “is” doable.  Invest in a great blender, like the Vita Mix 5200, and throw in all things good. You’ll be amazed at how a banana can mask the taste of the most onerous veggie (even fish oil). Consider mixing in some organic” freeze dried” berry powder. Make healthy smoothies or serve fresh vegetable juice.

3)  White Carbohydrates: Eliminate bleached and artificially fortified miracle bread. If you must, opt for sourdough and top it off with healthy Extra Virgin Olive Oil or real organic butter. It’s naturally high acidity, coupled with a topping of healthy fat, slows its entry in the bloodstream, giving your child’s pancreas a break. For pasta dishes, make the switch from white noodles to 100 percent whole wheat.

4)  Organic locally-grown vegetables: Grow your own or purchase them from a local farmers market. Another alternative is Community Supported Agriculture. Go to www.localharvest.org/csa/. Sign up and pick up a beautiful basket of fresh locally grown produce for a small fee at a local community college. Take control of what your child eats in school as well. Farm to School (www.farmtoschool.org) delivers healthy foods from local farms, to schools nationwide.

5)  Less is best: Serve less food by using smaller plates or share an entrée when dining out. We’ve grown accustomed to eating outlandish portions because they’re there. Serve moderate amounts of animal protein too. As a rule of thumb, never eat a serving of protein larger than a deck of playing cards. Kids need even less.

6)  Make healthier choices: Healthy fats in reasonable amounts help balance blood sugar and reduce internal inflammation. Extra Virgin Coconut Oil for higher-heat cooking. Extra Virgin Olive Oil for low to medium heat cooking. Dredge that chicken in coconut flour, not bleached flour. Eat the healthiest sources of protein, by choosing grass-fed beef, free-range pastured poultry, and fish from unpolluted waters.

7)  Sugar: Reduce it. While no sugar is healthy, studies show that Xylitol significantly reduces the bacteria and plaque on teeth when used moderately. Even better, use Stevia, an all natural herbal sweetener with none of sugar’s downside. Fill that “sippy cup” with water, not fruit juice; fructose cravings and tooth decay begin at a young age, from sugary foods.

8)  Family Time: A study by Harvard researchers Taveris et al. (Obesity Research, 2005) of more than 14,000 children ages 9-14, concluded that the benefits of eating dinner as a family appear to include improved diet quality, reduced high-risk adolescent behaviors such as tobacco, alcohol and marijuana use, and improved performance in school.

9)  Water: Drink ample amounts of natural spring water without fluoride; approximately half your child’s body weight, expressed in ounces daily. Example: an 80-pound child should drink 40 ounces of water throughout the day.

10) Walk: Studies show countless benefits from brisk walking for as little as 15 minutes a day, from reduced body fat to increased bone density.

Randy Karp has been featured on radio, television and in magazines highlighting his book new book, Misinformed About Food, an October release.

Advanced author signed copies are available at  www.rkinformedliving.com.

Have you had your onions today?
Onions have been held in high esteem throughout recorded history and used in nearly every cuisine around the globe.  They are one of the oldest known vegetables, probably among the first cultivated crops, are easy to grow, do well in a wide range of soils and climates, are less perishable than many other vegetables, and have grown wild in many regions of the world.  Food historians estimate that man has been sowing and reaping onions for at least 5000 years and that our ancestors feasted on wild onions for thousands of years before the invention of farming and writing.

Let onions be your medicine
Hippocrates, the father of modern medicine, noted for saying “Let food be they medicine and medicine be thy food,” considered onions as medicine. Asians have similarly held onions in high esteem. Dr. Henry C. Lu, author of Chinese Foods for Longevity and Chinese System of Food Cures, promotes the health benefits of onions and says that onions have been used in China for at least 5,000 years—to increase urination, expel phlegm, treat coughs, colds, wounds, ulcers, constipation, trichomonas, vaginitis, non-bacterial enteritis, and hypertension.

Wash your mouth out with onion
According to food historian Martin Elkort, author of The Secret Life of Food, an
old wives tale lists onions as an ideal mouthwash!  “Chewing raw onions for five minutes kills all germs in the mouth, making it sterile; a good thing to know next time you get a cold.”

Ode to the onion
What  shall we make of this lore?  Can an onion a day really keep the doctor at bay? Surprisingly, it may.  Modern research supports a surprising array of ancient allium-related health claims.  According to researchers in the United States and India, onions also kill the germs that cause tooth decay.

What’s the secret?
Onions contain at least 25 identified active disease combating compounds that, like garlic, posses antibacterial, antifungal, and immune enhancing properties— which may explain their efficacy in warding off colds, relieving upset stomach, and other gastrointestinal imbalances.  Onions appear to lower blood pressure and cholesterol, inhibit growth of cancer cells, reduce stroke risk, and aid in preventing heart disease.

An onion a day
Many people don’t appreciate the nutritional value of onions. One medium onion contains only 38 calories and as much vitamin C as each of the following: 2 apples, 1 banana, 1 tomato, or 1 orange.  Onions are among one of the 10 most popular vegetables in the U.S.  Prevention Magazine named onions one of the 25 superfoods for combating heart disease and cancer.  So, an onion a day….. is a decent way to increase your odds for a healthy, well-rounded existence.

Onion prowess
The onions most assertive compounds appear to be sulfur and quercetin, antioxidants able to neutralize free radicals in the body, protecting cell membranes from damage.  Onions beat red wine and tea when in quercetin content. (Yellow onions top red onions in the antioxidant race.)  Unlike wine, onion addiction won’t reduce your reflexes or get you arrested, so you can safely indulge—-any time!   (I do, daily!)

Raw or cooked?
Both have benefits.  Cooking softens the bite, sweetens the pot, multiplies your options, concentrates the volume and nutrients, and allows you to eat more onions in a single sitting.  Cooking does reduce sulfur compounds slightly…. though it leaves the quercetin  intact.

If you have a craving for onions now, try Chef Rachel’s Healthy Onion Ring Recipe.

Bio:  Chef Rachel Albert-Matesz has been a natural foods chef, cooking instructor, and freelance food and health writer for more than 20 years. She has led 900+ cooking classes in 5 states and had more than 225 articles published in national and regional publications.

She is the author of The Ice Dream Cookbook: Dairy-Free Ice Cream Alternatives with Gluten-Free Cookies, Compotes & Sauces (Planetary Press, 2008) and co-author with Don Matesz of the award-winning book, The Garden of Eating: A Produce-Dominated Diet & Cookbook (Planetary Press, 2004. She leads group and private classes, cooking parties, healthy shopping tours, coaches clients by phone and in their kitchens, and speaks to groups in the Phoenix metro area. For recipes, cooking tips, and a schedule of classes, visit her blog www.TheHealthyCookingCoach.com

Basil

Black Pepper

Cardamon

Chives

Cilantro

Cinnamon

Cloves        Garlic           Ginger           Parsley

Rosemary       Turmeric

“Let your food be your medicine.” Hippocrates, the Father of Medicine

P.S. Buy organic spices when you can

Same day, different question, “How about a fresh, crisp Caesar salad, a plate of cool angel hair pasta with lemon, olive oil and Parmesan, along with a chilled sangria?” Interested now?

Eating in accordance with the season is just natural, plain and simple. One of the healthiest habits you can acquire is to eat in harmony with the season. It forces you to look for the freshest produce and local foods that are sold only days after being pulled from the earth, versus foods transported across the country for days or even weeks.

When you start eating congruently with nature you will notice a difference in how fresh the same foods taste. If you make the switch to organic foods you may notice a striking difference.

Ripe, fresh foods also have a significantly higher nutrient content. Foods that have to endure processing and shipping are harvested long before they reach their peak state of ripeness and thus never get a chance to achieve their total nutritional value.  A book I really like is Eating Well In Season: A Farmers Market Cookbook.

Why not support our local farmers and their efforts as well? To me, it’s just a win-win situation all round. One of my favorite resources for the best organic local produce is at localharvest.org.

Should those words be included in the description of our current methods of ‘manufacturing’ and mass production of the foods we eat? Should they be listed as ‘disclaimers’ outlining the very foundation of our current “Food Pyramid?”

A new movie will be coming out shortly that unveils some pretty frightening data about what’s inside and behind the food we eat, what packs the aisles of our grocery stores and what lines the pockets of an absolutely monster industry.

“Food, Inc.” is the title of the movie.

Are we unknowingly using our mouths as weapons to naively self-inflict the afflictions that we will ultimately suffer from? Is the drug dealer on the corner peddling things that much different than what lines the shelves of the corner grocery store?

How painful is it to watch someone you love pass? If you’ve ever had to hold someones hand as they suffer-you know what I mean.

Are we now facing the fact that much of what they suffered from, and how they suffered, might have been caused from ‘food’ choices and the industrial formulation and manufacturing practices?

This subject goes beyond ourselves, beyond our children. It’s multi-generational. Ultimately, if we don’t wake up and alter our motives, we’re on a path to effect the human species. One of my favorite books that goes hand in hand with the future of food is called The End Of Overeating
by Dr. David Kessler.

Here’s my one and only attempt at being a movie critic…

“If you only see one movie this year- this should be it!”

Please pass this link on to as many people as you can. Watch and support this movie when it comes out!

This movie just may be what we need to wake us up. Please use “Twitter it” button below. Here is a listing of opening dates.

Monosodium glutamate, mono sodium glutamate (MSG), is a compound added to foods prepared at home, in restaurants, and by food processors. It’s main purpose is to enhance flavor but unfortunately it comes with some serious baggage. Neurotoxic, brain damaging, cellular destructing, baggage. Not to mention that it has HUGE (sorry for the pun) effects on being overweight and obese.

The FDA politely describes MSG as “the sodium salt of the amino acid glutamic acid and a form of glutamate.” Similar in appearance to salt or sugar crystals, it doesn’t have a particular  flavor of its own. However, the FDA reports, “Scientists believe that MSG stimulates glutamate receptors in the tongue to augment meat-like flavors.”  If MSG wasn’t harmful, it wouldn’t be hidden under a variety of different names.

Remember this list…

I dare you to go through your pantry and look at anything in a package or a box and not find these ingredients. Please…learn to read labels!

High levels of MSG can lead to… hypothyroidism, inflammation, high blood pressure and obesity…that we know of. In particular, MSG directly stimulates the pancreas to release insulin, which in turn drops blood sugar levels. Studies show an over release of insulin can lead to Type II Diabetes. If you are suffering from any of the following symptoms then you could be suffering from a condition known as MSG symptom complex…

• burning sensation in the back of the neck, forearms and chest
• numbness in the back of the neck, radiating to the arms and back
• tingling, warmth and weakness in the face, temples, upper back, neck and arms
• facial pressure or tightness
• chest pain
• headache
• nausea

Msgtruth.org calls MSG the “anti-appetite suppressant.”  Meaning that it actually has the ability to make you hungrier. It’s also possible to become addicted to MSG.

Here’s the ugly part of big business… If billion dollar companies make foods that include an ingredient that makes us crave more of it, what does that do to their bottom line? Can you say “billions?”

If you’ve ever noticed how eating lots of fast food makes you crave it even more?

This could be due in part to MSG, not just your willpower. This is why MSG can lead to weight gain. Consider avoiding this stuff at all costs.  You’ll be shocked to find out how many of the foods that you eat each day are laced with MSG.

In January 2009, a team of researchers at Princeton University and The Cancer Institute of New Jersey discovered the gene involved in breast cancer metastasis.  The gene effects cells susceptibility to glutamate excitotoxicity.  This gene is involved in the metastasis of breast cancer and other malignant tumors. Currently, excessive glutamate neurotoxicity due to MTDH, is believed to cause dementia.

Here’s an eye opening, life-changing video telling the TRUTH about how rampant MSG is. It could even be in your infants formula. MSG contains excitotoxins and causes brain damage and new research is saying it can cause cancer as well. It’s my declaration that 100 years from now, people will look back on this and say “What were they thinking?”

If you’re feeling ‘poisoned’ inside, you’re not alone. That’s one reason I recommend our CleanseToThin^TM colon cleansing powder. It gently eliminates toxins and waste build-up, leaving you healthier and feeling clean.

Here are a few great resources on the subject.  Truth In Labeling and http://www.msgtruth.org/related.htm

Low-glycemic fruits won’t give your blood sugar that undesirable sudden spike.

Fruits are rich in vitamins needed to support a healthy body. Citrus fruits and many other fruits contain vitamins C, A and E and work as anti-oxidants, protecting the body from the damage caused by free radicals.

Fruit aids in digestion, working as a natural laxative. The fiber in fruit encourages the body to rid itself of toxins and waste. Fruit is a much better source of all-important fiber than are grains, which can inflame the body.

Phytochemicals work with nutrients and dietary fibers to protect against diseases like cancer, cardiovascular disease, and diabetes. They also give fruit their naturally bright color.

It’s important to eat a wide variety of colored fruits to ensure that your body gets a variety of phytochemicals, all of which offer their own individual nutritional benefit. This is known as the “Rainbow Diet” principle.

Fruit also has a positive impact on brain function. Plenty of fruit can actually improve memory. The natural sugars in fruit stimulate the brain so we can think faster and recall information more quickly.

Fruit is also low in sodium so it helps reduce the chance of gaining water weight.

Ample fruit consumption helps fill the stomach faster, encouraging fewer high calorie foods to be consumed. As a result, fruit promotes weight loss and cleansing.

• Cherries
• Grapefruits
• Kiwi
• Grapes
• Oranges
• Prunes
• Pears
• Plums
• and apples are great lower-glycemic fruits.

But don’t just revolve your choices around the glycemic index. Fruits like blueberries are truly a superfood as is pomegranate. They have a higher glycemic index but are amazingly healthy and should be eaten.

Where people get in trouble is when they confuse store bought orange juice with a a raw orange. The latter is really the only healthy choice.

Fruits are perfect, as nature intended, for health, wellness and weight loss.