Anti-Inflammatory Butter Recipe

To my delight, the Potsdam Food Co-op recently had a basket full of wild turmeric root*. Before I could discover it, I received several messages from personal clients and Co-op members... "Hey Paula, guess what I found at the Co-op?  AND, what do I do with it now that I have it?"

Suggestions:

• grate into soups, stews, and stir fries
• add to grated root veggie slaws
• grate into butter and nut butters
• grind into smoothies** if you are a smoothie person (See eBook information below)
• add to yummy chai tea

Keep in mind that turmeric is absorbed and used more efficiently (healing & nutritionally speaking) when it is eaten with fat. Some plant constituents (the natural chemicals in plants) are better broken down, absorbed, and assimilated into your cells when fat is part of the equation. Healthy fat is also a great help in weight loss, healing body cells, and creating vibrant health.

So... I decided to make Wild Turmeric Butter!  No, this is not local butter but I was out of Kriemhild Butter and I get tired of stock piling the plastic containers it comes in. Time for me to special order some of the 1 lb. rolls that are wrapped in paper. Hmm, they do sell a 50 pound block!    :) 

Wild Turmeric Butter Recipe

Into the vita-mix I threw: 

• 1/4 pound (1/2 cup) of cow's milk butter, see image above
• 1/3 cup raw, local honey
• 2-3 tbsp. of organic, extra virgin olive oil (always make sure it comes from a virgin!)
• 1/3 cup organic, raw, unrefined coconut oil
• 1/3 cup raw coconut butter (this contains all edible parts of the coconut not just the oil)
• 6-7 small pieces of wild turmeric root
• 2 tsp. Ceylon cinnamon
• 1 1/2 tsp. dry ginger root powder (next time I will use a piece of fresh, organic ginger root)

Then I blended it thoroughly. This took using the vita mix plunger to keep pushing the mix of ingredients into the blades. I also shut off the blender twice to scrape the sides down with a rubber spatula until all was well blended.

The next time I make this decadent and scrumptious butter I will use only cow's milk butter with the honey, turmeric, cinnamon, and ginger. I was down to my last 1/2 pound block of butter. Being without butter in my home is a tragedy!

Looking into the vita mix

Turmeric butter on toast with a fried duck egg from Nature's Storehouse in Canton.

Finished Turmeric Butter in it's jar

*Curcumin, turmeric's most active ingredient, reduces the formation of fat tissue. Turmeric suppresses the blood vessels needed to form new fat tissue (it is an anti-inflammatory herb and excess fat formation is an inflammatory response) and therefore may help prevent fat build-up. Curcumin use, from turmeric, results in improvements in insulin resistance, hyperglycemia, hyperlipidemia, and other inflammatory symptoms associated with obesity, metabolic disorders, and even cancer.

**Smoothies:

Courtesy of: BeHealthyToday

My Whole Food Vitamin

Have you heard of Bullet Proof Coffee? This is my bullet proof, whole food, vitamin & mineral morning drink.

Body cells need nourishing. Whole food eating is my basis for nourishing my and my kid's body cells. In today's world, our bodies can use every bit of extra cell nourishment we can get.

Recipe:

• 1/3 to 1/2 cup water, gently warm (not hot!) before adding to your blender. This helps the butter blend in.
• 1 tbsp. butter or coconut oil, your choice, I go with pasture raised butter. This helps the body better absorb the fat soluble nutrients.
• 1 1/2 tsp. turmeric - ginger blend
• 1 heaping tbsp. Superfood Plus powder formula
• 1 to 2 mg of iodine drops, when I remember to add it
• 1 tbsp. organic fruit juice concentrate (I use this for my kid's doses as a flavor enhancer. Cherry and grape concentrate work very well.)

****I added to my mix on 10/22/14:

OK, so I just watched the 9th video in The Quest for the Cures series: http://thetruthaboutcancer.com/live/episode9.php 

This is The Truth About Cancer video series that talks about cancer; what cancer really is and how to cure the body naturally.  I am going to add fresh black pepper to this mix!  Fresh as in you do not cook it and best when ground from whole peppercorns.

Blend all the ingredients, gently.

To make it easier, less cleanup, use an 8 oz jam jar. Add the warm water and butter and shake until melted. Add the rest of the ingredients and shake well; lid on please. It makes quite a green mess if you forget the lid!

The turmeric-ginger blend. I buy in 1 lb. bags from Frontier herbs; organic of course.  Available through the Potsdam Food Coop or Nature's Storehouse - support your local health food store!

This is the Superfood,  www.herbdoc.com. The chorella and spirulina are potent heavy metal detoxers.

There are many green food powders on the market. Try your local health food store. To find one, read ingredients carefully for 100% whole foods. This SuperFood Plus is available wholesale which considerably cuts down the cost. I keep it available and share my wholesale discount. 

My indoor herb garden. I chew sprigs of the herbs daily for their medicinal, healing properties.

Last winter the kids and I took Juice Plus over the winter months. We had a great winter, in regards to our health, and avoided all the viral bugs that swarmed about us. We may add JP again this winter. Juice Plus are blends of fruits and veggies that have been juiced and low heat dehydrated. Basically they are fruit and veggie juice powders.

What do you do to add extra, whole food nutrition to your life? Share in the comments. New ideas are always good!

Holistic Healing Taste Testing

I decided to do some taste testing of the holistic healing options in my Northern NY State. As I taste test around Northern NY I will report on my findings.

If any of the healing options speak to you, try them out and report back to me in the comments.

Acupuncture:  Ok, I confess, I have used and LOVE acupuncture for over 16 years. The taste test was successful after my very 1st acupuncture treatment. I guess I could say I have become a regular consumer! Acupuncture has helped in healing my sciatica, headaches, low back pain, and menstrual issues (I am sure there have been more!).

Originating in China, traditional acupuncture is the oldest continuously practiced medical system in the world. It is based on natural laws that describe the flow of life energy both in nature and in the body. Acupuncture addresses the needs of the whole person and has the best results when patients use it in conjunction with other health promoting attitudes and behaviors.Well known for relieving pain, traditional acupuncture is actually a holistic approach that addresses body, mind, and spirit.

I recommend you try acupuncture with Shelby Connelly and Five Elements Living. I am certain you will find it a tasty way to support your healing!  (315) 262-2622

• • addiction
• • common cold
• • migraines
• • allergies
• • depression
• • mood swings
• • anxiety
• • digestive disorders
• • menopausal symptoms
• • fatigue
• • sciatic pain
• • back pain
• • fertility issues
• • sinusitis
• • bursitis
• • insomnia
• • arthritis
   

Arthritis: Cooling the Inflammation Naturally

Support to move into a whole food eating & healing lifestyle.

Dietary Changes:  

1. Ok, here I go.... whole foods.  

If you replace everything you put in your mouth that is not 100% whole food with real food, whole food, your body will heal.  It is really that simple.

I could give much more information but making changes, one simple thing at a time, is easiest for most people.  Changing the diet from processed, packaged, food "products" to 100% whole food is a huge change for most people.  Seriously think about what you eat for each meal and snacks, if you snack: How many food items are manufactured in a factory?  How many were created by nature and nature alone (no human meddling)?

2. While switching to whole foods, remove wheat and gluten from the diet.  

By removing all these packaged foods from your life, you will be removing many laboratory made ingredients that are derived from wheat.  Many food additives are made from wheat and therefore contain gluten.  You will not read "wheat" on the label but the ingredients with weird, chemical sounding names, more than likely are wheat derived and contain gluten.  Eat un-packaged food!  

I know many people have complete relief of symptoms by getting gluten out of their diets.  This is not as hard as people "groan and moan" it is going to be.  People need to educate themselves around gluten and with this new found knowledge, avoiding gluten is not so difficult.  Where it gets difficult is we have become a culture dependent on food products and eating away from home (which most food in restaurants is cheap, crap food; use the cheapest ingredients to make the most profit possible).  Food products and food prepared out of home is often times full of wheat derivatives.   For help:  Gluten-Free Cooking & Living Class

3. Another key step in whole food, gluten-free eating is to avoid gluten-free products.  

Most are full of filler crap ingredients that are debilitating to health.  You will be, in essence, trading one debilitating food for another.  Read labels on all foods, gluten-free included, for 100% whole food ingredients. All gluten free foods need to be 100% whole food: no white rice flour, potato starch, tapioca starch, etc. These are refined ingredients and hard on your body's health.

OK, so why remove gluten?  Because it is very inflammatory in most people's bodies.  Modern day wheat is extremely high in gluten compared to heritage wheat of days gone by, the wheat that existed before human manipulation.  The high concentrations of gluten in modern wheat disturb metabolism and cellular health, some people notice it more than others.  How gluten affects each person is different.  What is known is that gluten is a huge culprit in arthritis and many people are relieved of arthritis symptoms simply by getting rid of gluten.  Eat completely gluten-free for 2 weeks, see how you feel.  If any doubts about it helping or not, try this:  after 2 weeks of gluten-free eating, eat plenty of wheat at every meal for a whole day.  Pile on the whole wheat bread, pasta, crackers, and cereal.  Now pay attention to how your body feels!

Bread was traditionally made from sprouted whole grains and then fermented for 3 full days with sour dough cultures. The amount of gluten left after sprouting and culturing was very minimal. Today's bread is mass produced in a matter of a couple of hours. There was good reasons for traditional food preparation.

Gluten is naturally found in wheat, rye, barley, and oats*.  Any variety of wheat will contain gluten:  spelt, kamut, einkorn... anything that says heritage wheat variety.  Yes, they have less gluten but at this point, with an auto immune disease, any amount of gluten will just exacerbate the internal inflammation.

Think lung disease:  how many daily cigarettes would you recommend to someone with lung disease?

Think liver disease:  how many shots of liquor would you recommend to someone trying to heal liver disease?

Think diabetes:  how much sugar would you recommend to someone trying to heal the beta cells in their pancreas and ultimately heal their type II diabetes?

Would you tell these people to do the 80/20 plan with their cigarette, alcohol, or sugar consumption? 

Eliminating the "culprits," (the cause or causes of the health symptoms) and introducing nourishing healers (food, lifestyle, herbs, etc.) is what will heal your beautiful body, right down to each and every beautiful cell!

*Avoid oats unless certified gluten-free and organic. Oats do not naturally contain gluten.  If whole oats, oat flakes, Irish oats, or oat flour are CERTIFIED gluten-free, then they are fine.  Gluten-free certification is essential with oats.  Otherwise, you are consuming oats that have been contaminated with gluten in the grain harvesting and handling process.  Oats are processed on the same equipment that wheat is processed on. This industry practice contaminates oats with gluten from the wheat.

All grains should be organic to avoid pesticides and agricultural chemicals that will, most likely, exacerbate your symptoms. Glyphosate (broad spectrum herbicide brought to you by Monsanto) is hard on the gut lining's health, disrupts gut microbial populations, and creates inflammation in the body. 

4. Get rid of sugar:  

A whole food diet will take care of that problem immediately. Perhaps some educational handouts around the ill effects of sugar would help out here?  Email me and ask for my sugar handouts: pyoumell@gmail.com

5. Dairy:

Often people have much relief from arthritis symptoms when they completely avoid dairy. Some people do well to re-introduce dairy after weeks of eliminating it IF the dairy is raw and from grass fed animals. This means no pasteurization or homogenization. Others do well to re-introduce only raw, grass fed goat milk and goat milk products (cheese, yogurt).

6. Alkalize the body:  

The human body likes to function in a slightly alkaline state.  When the body struggles to balance from acidic eating and lifestyle habits our health suffers: mineral loss causing tooth decay and bone de-mineralization and deterioration of body organs, body cells.

Below is a chart on acid and alkaline foods.  Eating in a balanced way, to keep the body alkaline, helps to heal, including arthritis. Example:  Eat veggies with meat to balance the acid-alkaline effects.  This is only a quick explanation of acid-alkaline balancing.  I encourage you to explore and learn more.

A youtube video with a good, basic explanation: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yk1ru_CJt2k (Forgive the couple of misspelled words, the content is what counts here.)

7. Movement Magic:  

Movement is essential.  Move it or lose it.  Try something called dynamic movement which helps to heal the adhesions that settle in from moving body parts in one direction only. Can I recommend Yoga?

Lisa Huck: I cannot recommend this woman enough:  her exercises will restore youthful movement in just minutes a day by lubricating (listen to her awesome words in the video).  I stumbled upon her (thanks to Dr. Mercola) and her dynamic movements have ended my sciatica and low back issues (which were not low back issues at all, but movement issues!).  She is the Goddess of Movement, my Goddess of movement!

http://thrivefnlblog.com/2012/04/16/dynamic-core-routine/

8. Herbal Healing:  

Herbs are fabulous whole foods for healing the body.  I would add these in AFTER you have had gluten out of your diet for at least 2 weeks.  This way, you can see the effects getting gluten out has on getting healing into your body!  You do want to know what is having the healing effects!

My favorite herb:  Stinging nettles, I love this green healer.  Her work is truly magic in the human body. Nettles adds nutrients to every body cell.  This is what you want for your body!

 Nettles:  planted right next to my porch so I always know I have a supply!

9. More herbs to add for nourishing the body cells, easing symptoms of inflammation, and healing:

ginger, turmeric, cinnamon*, cayenne, and Devil's claw. (*Please use real Ceylon cinnamon, not the grocery store variety of cinnamon.)

Turmeric Ginger Anti-inflammatory syrup recipe

Turmeric butter, anti-inflammatory butter recipe

10. Burdock root and dandelion root:  

Nourishing the liver and adding essential fatty acids to the diet heals the body.  Both of these roots can be eaten in soups, stir fries, stews, and grated (raw) into a slaw salad or grated to put on top of a green salad.  Making an infusion and drinking 3 to 4 cups  daily is healing as well. An infusion is a medicinal strength herbal tea.  Need help on how to brew an infusion?

11. Nature's Path:  

Find that place outside and get fresh air and sunshine (even on cloudy days) every day. Visualize a potted plant, shoved in the bottom of a closet, no fresh air or sunshine.  What do you think will be the outcome for that plant?  Put this common sense in action in your life.  All living beings need fresh air and sunshine, period, bottom line!  Embrace it, love it, find time every single day.  I promise, you will not regret it.

Putting your body in direct contact with the Earth is called Grounding. Think bare feet walking on a sunny day, cloudy day, even a rainy day. Try removing as much clothes as possible and lie right down on the ground getting as much Earth contact as possible.

Below zero and snow you say? There are Grounding mats you can buy. I will not profess any knowledge or experience around these things as I have never used them. I have clients who swear by them for relief of body aches and pains. 

12. Acupuncture:  

I would be horribly remiss if I did not tell you about the healing powers of acupuncture to reduce inflammation and move healing energy in the body.  I recommend Shelby Connelly, Licensed Acupuncturist in Colton, NY:  http://fiveelementsliving.com/

Not in the Northern NY State area?  Find an acupuncturist from Tai Sophia, Maryland University of Integrative Health.

13. Yoga:  

Does amazing things for healing!  Find a yoga instructor knowledgeable in arthritis health and healing.  Here in the Northern part of NY State, St. Lawrence County... I recommend Rebecca Rivers, Ellie Beeler, and Sarah Harris.  Try the Yoga Loft & Trillium!

14. Reiki Energy Healing:

Find a Reiki practitioner to help bring calming relief to your body, mind, and spirit. I often recommend people take Reiki 1 training to learn to do Reiki healing on themselves.

Bottom Line:  

1.  Whole foods

2.  Gluten-free eating, maybe grain free

3. Sugar free eating & drinking

4.  Move your body

5.  Fresh air & sunshine

6.  Herbs

7.  Acupuncture and energy healing

8.  Yoga

9. Reiki

May this post inspire you to move forward in your life, to take self-responsibility for healing your own body. You know your body best and what it needs to heal.

Be well, relax, learn to heal your beautiful body through nature!  If I can help you with your healing plan, you know where to find me. Contact Paula

PS  Need some words of love & encouragement from happy clients & students?

Free Natural Health-Lifestyle Medicine Information to further encourage your Self Healing Skills:  

• Principles of Whole Food Eating  (Whole foods are the foundation for your healing plan.)
• Movement Magic
• Whole Health Lifestyle Choices
• Making Herbal Infusions
• Bone Health
• Making any recipe a Whole Food Recipe
• Microwave ILLS
• Gut Health
• Keeping blood sugar healthy
• Cook like a kitchen artist!
• Clean 15, Dirty Dozen list from Environmental Working Group
• Recipes

Gustatory Guru of Gastronomy

Gustatory Guru of Gastronomy

So recently, I received a very sweet email, thanking me for my support in cleaning up this divine person's diet and contributing to their vibrant health.  And... "Gustatory Guru of Gastronomy" was the "alliterative moniker" she used for me!

Seems a lighter label than Diet “Dr. Doom” from an earlier blog post inspired by an encounter with a "health" chump of mine!

I find this to be true of people who are ready, on the cusp of making healthy changes in their lives:

When you are a stick of dynamite, ready to blast off into health and healing, changes are easier to accomplish and feel good about!

I light the fire under you and inspire you to activate your beautiful mind. You then peel back the layers to uncover your perfect soul. Healthy changes happen because when you feel good, you want to feel better.  What a ripple effect!

And... when one is not quite ready to dive headlong into major changes (Maybe you are one for a more subtle metamorphosis!), I help plant a seed.  A seed that will bloom and grow in your life, when the "soil" and conditions are right for growth.

Recipe:

Ethiopian Smothered Brussel Sprouts and Carrots with Turmeric 

1-2 tbsp butter, ghee, or toasted sesame oil

1 medium red onion, finely chopped

Unrefined Sea Salt

3 cloves garlic, minced

¾-inch piece of fresh ginger, peeled and minced (or use dried ginger powder in a pinch!)

2 tsp ground turmeric

1/2 lb carrots, quartered lengthwise and cut into bite sized chunks

2 lbs Brussel sprouts, cut in half to make bite sized pieces

How to throw this together into a scrumptious pile of food:

Saute' the onion in butter, add ginger and saute' for 1-2 minutes more

Add carrot and Brussel sprout chunks

Let simmer in a cover pan for 10 minutes or so (I like the veggies to have a crispness to them)

Sprinkle turmeric over veggies, add crushed garlic cloves and stir well.

Turn off heat and let sit, covered, while you finish getting the table ready.

Serve:  over red lentils.

I bring 1 1/2 cups of water to boil, add 1 cup red lentils,  and gently return to simmer.  Shut off heat when it returns to simmer and keep covered.  I then take the dog for a good 1/2 walk and the lentils are ready when I come out of the woods!

Options:

Use cabbage and potatoes instead of carrots & brussel sprouts

Add garlic, ginger powder, and turmeric to 1 cup pasture raised milk in your blender.  I also add 1/2 to 1 cup shredded coconut.  Blend to a puree and pour over veggies, stir well and gently re-warm.

Use coconut milk with the above spices.

As you can see, I added a few raw cashews on top!

The veggies are all local, seasonal, and organic.

The spices, coconut, and cashews... well, not so local!