Elizabeth Yarnell, Author, Innovator, Naturopath, Speaker
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Pesticide Exposure May Lead To Food Allergies

Food allergy in children increased 18 percent in the United States between 1997 and 2007, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. One theory is that chemicals in pesticides and tap water may play a role in how we lose tolerance and become reactive.

HealthDay News reports on a new study out this month in the Annals of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology that shares results from a study of 2,200 Americans aged 6 and older. The researchers found that those with sensitivity to one or more foods had higher levels of dichlorophenols in their urine compared to people without such allergies.

Dichlorophenols are found in commonly-used pesticides on produce and in lawn care, as residue on conventionally-grown fruits and vegetables, and in our tap water. In short, we are exposed to these chemicals at every turn. Other studies have linked pesticide exposure in golfers to breast cancer.

What can we do to avoid exposure? Avoid freshly-treated lawns, stick to organic fruits and vegetables, and filter all the water going into your home, or, at the very least, filter your drinking water.

Speaking of Nutrition, Health, and Wellness…

I’m excited to share a recent speech I gave at the Guffy Jackson Charitable Foundation for NMO Research‘s Patient Day on my “Five Simple Strategies for Healthy Eating”. The fabulous audience led the interactive discussion through topics ranging from sea salt and  artificial sweeteners to BPA in tin can linings, GMOs, and the benefits of eating organic foods.

I’ve already heard from many who felt enlightened about their food choices and empowered to add diet to their tools they use to fight progression of their disease after attending one of the four breakout sessions I led last month in Los Angeles. I, in turn, was inspired by the brave folks battling this frightening disease, and was thrilled to make a personal connection with so many of them.

I invite you to watch this health and nutrition speech and want to remind you that I’m available to speak at your corporate wellness week, brown-bag lunch, fundraising event, or national conference. Give your colleagues and employees the value of information that will improve their lives and keep them healthy and happy!

Where to Find Safe and Natural Cosmetics and Skin Care Products

Where do you look for make-up and skin care that you can feel safe using? Try Natural Solutions: Holistic Beauty, Body, & Bath, a healthy-minded collection of products free of chemicals, parabens, phthalates, petrolateum and other nasty ingredients found  in most standard make-up products.Safe and healthy cosmetics and skin care.

What’s the problem with all these chemicals in your cosmetics and skin-care products?

Don’t forget that our skin is our largest and most absorbent organ. These dirty ingredients are scientifically proven to be carcinogenic as well as to disrupt hormones and mess with the endocrine system. The Campaign for Safe Cosmetics continues to ask the giant cosmetic companies, particularly those “pink ribbon” companies that support breast cancer research, to pledge to remove these chemicals in their products that have been so linked to breast cancer. So far, none have agreed to put the safety of their customers above the hassle of reformulating their products to be safe to use.

Not only can you trust every single product Natural Solutions carries to be as safe as possible (and many of the items show off their low ratings from the Environmental Working Group’s Skin Deep Cosmetics Safety Database as proof!), but most of the cosmetics are available to try in sample sizes that cost only $1-3. What a brilliant idea! It makes it easy to try out a few colors of a new foundation or eyeshadow without committing to a full product.

Natural Solutions has a brick-and-mortar store in Salem, Ohio, but their extensive catalog is available online everywhere.

Post-Thanksgiving Turkey Stew

On the Sunday after Thanksgiving, I stuck the turkey carcass – with any remnants still hanging on it – into a large stock pot, covered it with water, and let it simmer for hours before straining out the meat and returning the broth and the cleaned meat to the pot.

I added some chopped potatoes, carrots, and even a sliced zucchini, because I had it around. A few dashes of cumin along with salt and pepper, and I had a large pot of turkey stew ready for dinner that night and to be frozen for satisfying dinners later in the winter.

This weekend I look forward to cooking things that have nothing to do with Thanksgiving!

Dairy-free Creamy Sweet Potato Soup Recipe

I had a dozen baked sweet potatoes left over from the Thanksgiving celebration that I turned into a creamy, nutty, dairy-free soup this week.

Africans often prepare sweet potatoes with peanuts or peanut butter and milk, like I did in my African Peanut Butter Chicken recipe in the Glorious One-Pot Meals cookbook, and many readers have told me how much they love the combination, as do I. For this recipe, I decided to go with Sunbutter, a yummy sunflower seed butter product that has replaced peanut butter in our house, and use coconut milk for rich creaminess.

As a twist, I added some Chat Masala spice mix from The Savory Spice Shop. Chat Masala is an interesting spice mix with a taste of the sub-continent. I love it sprinkled on fresh watermelon, too, though my kids are not the fans that I am.

So, here’s my recipe for sweet potato soup with Indian and African influences:

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Creamy Sweet Potato Soup (Dairy-free)

sweet potato soup recipe
Creamy Sweet Potato Soup
  1. 12 baked sweet potatoes, cooled (or baked squash would work well, too)
  2. 1 14 oz. can coconut milk (or any other milk or milk substitute)
  3. 3 tablespoons Sunbutter (or any other nut butter)
  4. 1 14 oz. can chickpeas (garbanzo beans), drained and rinsed (or any other bean)
  5. 2 teaspoons Chat Masala, or to taste
  6. sea salt, to taste
  7. chopped parsley for garnish

Peel the baked sweet potatoes and drop the flesh into a soup pot. Add coconut milk, Sunbutter, and about 5 cups of water. Blend with an immersion blender until smooth and lump-free (add more water if desired to thin the soup). Heat until steaming; season with Chat Masala and salt. Add chickpeas. Serve garnished with parsley.

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