BHA ingredient in foods??

My daughter recently tried a new “spread” at her daycare and came home to tell me how yummy it was.  It was called “Imperial Cinnamon Spread” .

Check out this article http://dougcookrd.com/2012/05/grocery-store-navigation-imperial-cinnamon-spread/ .  This spread contains BHA which is a chemical additive used in foods (and many cosmetics) to prevent the product from spoiling.  BHA has already been banned in many Europen countries and is slated for further assessment in Canada and the US.  

As this article recommends … use real butter, a pinch of sugar and ground cinnamon; stick with real food 🙂

ZaZaZa Pizza

I went to Zazaza Pizza for lunch and had the “Crazy Horse” gluten free pizza and the Bocconcini & tomato salad and it was amazing!! Would definitely recommend this restaurant!  They have regular pizza crust too.

http://www.zazazapizza.com/pdf/ZaMenu.pdf

Raw Kale Salad

I tried making this raw kale salad and the dressing was so good!!  http://kblog.lunchboxbunch.com/2013/04/5-step-raw-kale-salad.html?m=1

Gluten & Dairy Free Chocolate Chip Bars

I made these Chocolate Chip Bars on the weekend and they were SO good!! http://tasty-yummies.com/2013/01/22/grain-free-chocolate-chip-cookie-bars-gluten-free-dairy-free/

 

What! Gummies bears are made with pig hide or beef skin!!!

I honestly had no idea that gummy bears contained pork or beef gelatin. I didn’t even know that gelatin used in food is produced from beef skin or pig hide. Yuck! I could probably be a vegetarian!!

http://www.fitsugar.com/Gelatin-Made-Out-What-84889

Warm Lentil Salad

I made this warm lentil salad – so good!! You can find the recipe here http://tasty-yummies.com/2013/03/19/spring-cleanse-warm-lentil-salad-gluten-free-vegan/

 

Water Simplified

UPDATE (Jan 2016):  We’ve had our Santevia Water Filter for 4 years now and still love it!  We have only had to replace the spout and it works better now with the new spout because you don’t have to hold the spout down to pour water.  Kids use it all the time and so do we.  Super convenient and tastes great!

Water intake

How much? Adults should drink between 2-3 litres of water per day. If you want to figure out how much you should drink check out this calculator.

When? You should try to stop drinking any fluids approximately 20 minutes before eating and 1 hour or more after eating. If you drink water during eating it slows down the proper digestion that needs to take place and can cause indigestion, bloating, etc.

Warm or Cold? Warm/room temperature water is best to drink because your body doesn’t need to expend energy/time bringing that water to you body temperature. Cold water shocks the system and will make the stomach contract for a short period of time. Cold water lessen the body’s ability to digest the food taken and lengthens the digestion time.

The Santevia Pure Earth Water Countertop System was recommended to me. You can purchase it at Rainbow Foods for $179.99.  I bought one in December 2011 and LOVE it.  Water tastes great and so easy and accessible for the kids to use themselves they are drinking water all the time 🙂    It removes chlorine and most pharmaceuticals and there are many benefits from drinking Mineralized water

Below is a photo of our Santevia Water System.  I bought 30 small glasses from IKEA and our 3 kids can easily access it and they drink so much more water now!!

Eating Simplified

Below are a few tips I follow ….

• Don’t buy salads or lettuce in a bag or plastic bins as they have lots of preservatives sprayed on them to keep them fresh which can give you headaches, cramps and indigestion. Buy the loose romaine or leaf lettuce in the grocery store.

• Limit or eliminate food from cans when possible. Check out Farm Boy – they carry many foods in glass jars like pasta sauce or pizza sauce.

• When you are buying fruits and veggies follow the Dirty Dozen and Clean 15 List 

• Try olive oil and balsamic vinegar on your salad. It really tastes great and it is much better than any salad dressing you can buy.

• Use sea salt in recipes.  Try Celtic Sea Salt.  Sea salt should be a grey or pinkish colour not white.

• Try Stevia in your coffee or tea as a natural sugar replacments.  Stevia is a natural sugar replacement and it has zero calories. History about Stevia: Stevia rebaudiana is a small shrub in the same family as lettuce, chicory and chrysanthemums. It grows wild in Paraguay and Brazil. Stevia is a natural product with centuries of usage since pre-Columbian times by natives in Paraguay with no reports of side effects. Rigerous research in hundreds of trials internationally have proven stevia to be completely non-toxic for both human and animal consumption.  I buy it in Concentrate liquid form – only need one or 2 drops in a cup of tea or coffee. Available at: Rainbow Foods and Natural Food Pantry

• Limit using the microwave and when using it only use glass or ceramic dishes (not plastic).

• Try coconut oil when cooking.  Coconut oil is made by shredding and cold-pressing coconut meat while it’s moist, separating the oil and the milk. Although coconut oil is a saturated fat, it is a medium-chain fatty acid. This means it metabolizes more easily than other saturated fats, which are long-chain fatty acids.   In addition to giving your metabolism a little boost, coconut oil is also heat stable and can be used for higher-temperature cooking and for baking. Look for expeller-pressed unrefined or virgin coconut oil, which retains a slight aroma and taste of coconut. Coconut oil will keep well in a dark, cool place, and will remain solid at room temperature.