Effortless Eating - Page 87 of 189 - Elizabeth Yarnell – Solving Inflammation & MS

Drought Drives Up Food Costs; How to Stretch Your Food Budget

October 22, 2012

As my friend Nonna Joann Bruso predicted, we are seeing rising food prices as the effects of this summer’s drought conditions sink into the food supply chain.

Restaurants are responding by shrinking portions or raising prices, but the home cook needs to get creative to stretch the food budget. Here are some tips for making your food dollars go further.

Cook at home.

A great way to combat rising restaurant prices is to cook at home more often. Here, of course, I have to do a shameless plug for my Glorious One-Pot Meals cookbook because it introduces a quick and easy technique that makes cooking at home convenient, healthy, and delicious. Check out some video cooking demonstrations to see just how simple cooking this way can be.

Eat vegetarian more often.

Let’s face it, the most expensive part of a home-cooked meal is usually the animal protein. There is already a movement to have “Meatless Mondays,” but you can easily choose to go meatless three or four days a week to cut costs. Who knows, you might even see some other side effects like increased energy and weight loss. Here’s a delicious meatless recipe to try: Farmhouse Pasta!

Stock your freezer.

By loading your freezer up with fresh vegetables while they are cheap and in-season, you can enjoy vegetables all winter long without paying higher prices. Did you miss the harvest window for preparing and freezing your own veggies? Commercially-prepared frozen vegetables may often be less expensive than fresh veggies in the winter. Just make sure that your frozen veggies don’t have any additional additives, and you’re good to go.

Joann Bruso has been devoting a lot of blog space to making your grocery dollars go further, and I suggest you check out her Baby Bites blog for more great tips, suggestions, and recipes for making it through this coming winter of high food prices.

Do you have any tips to share for stretching your food dollars and still eating well and healthfully? Share them in the Comments below!

Natural Remedy for Diarrhea

October 19, 2012

One of my naturopathic clients complained of a sudden bout of diarrhea that was making her very uncomfortable. When these kinds of occasional bouts of intestinal distress arise, I reach for the healing powers of coconut water and probiotics to help the gut calm down.

Tropical islanders have long known coconut water to be helpful in clearing a bit of dysentery from the occasional spoiled food or a food- or water-borne bacteria that your body wants to expel quickly and forcefully. Diarrhea is one way the body evacuates irritants, so it is important not to artificially stop the flow. Staying hydrated, keeping electrolytes balanced, and eating foods that are easy to digest will keep you more comfortable while your body does what it needs to do to keep you healthy.

Besides offering hydration and bio-absorbable electrolytes, coconut water contains other amino acids and nutrients that help to finish the expulsion and calm the gut. It’s like a special sauce that you’ll only get from the water inside a coconut. You used to have to visit a tropical local and whack off the top of the coconut with a machete in order to drink the sweet coconut water through a straw, but now you can find coconut water boxed or bottled in many grocery stores. I like the individual-serving-sized boxes because they are convenient to keep in the pantry for quick re-hydration after sweaty soccer games. For electrolyte replacement needs, coconut water beats the artificial colors and high sugar content of commercial sports drinks hands down.

Besides coconut water, I recommended that my client start on a probiotic and follow the B.R.A.T diet until she felt better.

The B.R.A.T. diet was designed of non-laxative solid foods to help recover from diarrhea, and it is a regimen my family has turned to many times during the periods of digestive distress due to colds or flu’s as well. B.R.A.T. stands for Bananas, Rice, Applesauce, and Toast. You can modify this as needed, such as gluten-free toast or brown rice, but do not add in apple juice, as it will only encourage the diarrhea to continue. I can always tell when the patient is recovering because they can’t stand to stay on the BRAT diet any longer!

While these tips may be helpful for easing the strain of chronic diarrhea, if your diarrhea is more than occasional it likely means something else is going on such as parasites and/or food sensitivities. Unfortunately, coconut water will not cure either of these conditions, but you are always welcome to contact me to look into other options for getting well.

The Non-GMO Project and GMO Labeling

October 18, 2012

The Environmental Working Group estimates that the average American now consumes more than his or her own body weight in Genetically Modified foods (GMOs) – 193 lbs. – every year. Since the EWG only took into account corn, soybean oil, and sugar beet consumption and there are many other GMO crops infiltrating our food supply, this is probably a low-ball estimate of how much exposure to GMOs we are actually getting as unwitting subjects in this massive biochemical experiment on the public health.

Because GMOs are not required to be labeled, much of the food you are eating regularly likely contains GMO ingredients like high fructose corn syrup or corn in any form. Since more than 88% of our corn is now GMO corn, we have to assume that most corn-based foods and additives are GMOs unless otherwise labeled.

Not only are GMO foods messing with our bodies and those of our future descendents, but they are wreaking havoc on the environment. According to the EWG’s report on GMOs: “The evidence of environmental harm of GE crops and associated pesticides is compelling. The planting of GE crops has increased overall pesticide use by more than 300 million pounds and has led to the proliferation of pesticide-resistant superweeds and superbugs.”

Right now, the Non-GMO Project is the only way short of organic that you can be sure that the food you are eating is not a genetically modified chemistry experiment with long-term effects on your body. The Non-GMO Project is a non-profit that offers the only third-party verification seal on products not using GMOs. Look for their seal on products at the grocery store to be sure you are keeping your family safe.

If you need any other reasons why it’s important to label GMO foods, watch “Genetic Roulette,” a compelling documentary about GMOs in America. Right now, GMO labeling is on the ballot in California, so if you live in California be sure to vote YES on Prop 37 and help labeling laws spread across the land to allow each of us to protect ourselves and opt out of the experiment.

Does Enameled Cast Iron Work Differently Than Seasoned Cast Iron?

October 16, 2012

Reader question: I recently purchased your book but have not received it yet. I have a cast iron Dutch oven without the enamel. Will I need to change your recipes to adapt to the Dutch oven that I have? ~ Sue, Waukesha, WI

Sue, the first response I always have to questions like this one is that, for the purpose of Glorious One-Pot Meals: “Cast iron is cast iron is cast iron.”

Humans have been using cast iron to fashion cooking utensils since the Iron Age because cast iron absorbs, distributes, and retains heat evenly. These properties make cast iron a top choice of many chefs when it comes to cookware.

The benefits to using an enameled cast iron Dutch oven is that it won’t rust, is often dishwasher-safe (check the brand), and is usually lighter weight than an unseasoned cast iron pot of the same size (the enamel coating enables the walls of the pot to be thinner while still retaining tensile strength). Enameled cast iron is also non-reactive to acidic foods and non-leaching, making it one of the safest materials to cook food in.

Seasoned cast iron Dutch ovens will work just fine for preparing Glorious One-Pot Meals as well, they just need different care. Seasoned cast iron pots should never be washed with soap, for example, and will rust if not dried properly and oiled for storage. If you purchase an unseasoned cast iron Dutch oven, you will need to season it yourself before using. You should be aware that un-enameled seasoned cast iron may leach iron into your food, especially when the iron is in contact with acidic foods such as lemons or tomatoes. This is not necessarily a bad thing as we can use some iron in our body for red blood cells and oxygen transport; too much iron may cause constipation, though.

So, the answer to your question is that the recipes in Glorious One-Pot Meals should work just fine in your un-enameled seasoned cast iron Dutch oven. Depending on the number of diners you plan to feed, you may choose to double or triple the recipes. Just be sure to check the chart in the front of the book to adjust the cooking time accordingly.

Natural Laxative for Occasional Constipation

October 15, 2012

This was a recent post in a mommies’ group:

Any advice? My 2 year old daughter is very constipated. She has been laying on her stomach for the past 2 hours, crying on and off. We are trying to get her to drink prune juice, but what else can we do?? She needs some relief ASAP! I was thinking an enema, but then I read about it online and someone posts a horror story. Not sure what to do.

This plea hit close to home for me. My adored son experienced constant, brutal constipation during the first six years of his life. It seems that more and more kids these days are chronically constipated; 100 years ago this wasn’t the case. Every time I turn around it feels like I hear of another child suffering like he did.

As a mom, I often felt desperate to try to get him to empty his bowels and find some relief. We visited pediatricians, pediatric G.I. specialists, allergists, geneticists, and even x-rayed his colon to see if perhaps there was an anatomical reason behind his evacuation problems. Fortunately, all was well with his DNA and anatomically, except that his colon was swollen and distended and full of solid, impacted stool.When I saw that on the x-ray, it was clear that nothing we had tried to help him with the constipation up to this point had worked.

Before this moment we had tried every typical remedy for constipation. The pediatricians had all recommended daily doses of Miralax brand laxative, which had worked for a while initially, then had no effect. After a year, the only thing I was sure of was that he was not deficient in Miralax.

We had tried prunes and prune juice, giving him extra fiber, magnesium, and hydration. Nothing worked consistently, and I often had to resort to more extreme methods of a glycerin suppository, ExLax, senna tea, or the dreaded-and-not-guaranteed-to-work enema.

I’m telling you all this to assure you that I am an expert in constipation. It wasn’t until we finally realized that his constipation was due to a colon inflamed from hidden food sensitivities and changed his diet according to the results of his MRT food sensitivity test, that his constipation eased up and he became a free-flowing pooper. When he strays from his diet, the constipation returns 48 hours later like clockwork. As long as he has been back eating safe foods, it will be gone by the next morning, but sometimes when we travel or over holidays, he still needs a little help.

These days the only constipation remedy I reach for is Buddy Bear Gentle Lax Chewable Laxative for Kids. On the bottle is says: “Buddy Bear Gentle Lax contains magnesium and natural fig, prune, rhubarb and peach leaf to promote healthy elimination. Contains no yeast, wheat, corn, gluten, soy, salt or artificial ingredients.” Two chewable chocolate-flavored, bear-shaped tablets do wonders to gently clear a clogged colon overnight without any cramping or straining. I know they work well for adults, too, when facing occasional constipation! Gentle, natural, and effective.

Drought Drives Up Food Costs; How to Stretch Your Food Budget

Cook at home.

Eat vegetarian more often.

Stock your freezer.

Natural Remedy for Diarrhea

The Non-GMO Project and GMO Labeling

Does Enameled Cast Iron Work Differently Than Seasoned Cast Iron?

Natural Laxative for Occasional Constipation

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