inflammation

Eat this to prevent cancer and heart disease!

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The family is gathered for dinner, Danielle is helping me prep the food, and life is good!

 

Hello, friends! I want to talk to you today about one of my FAVORITE things to eat. The greatest thing about it besides the deliciousness is how totally good it is for you. What I am referring to is…. the avocado. A simple and humble fruit, but WOW does it pack a healthy punch of nutrients and antioxidants that helps prevent all kinds of really bad illnesses. So my goal here is to tell you why you should be eating more avocados, and then show you a recipe for a scrumptious and easy avocado salad that I made the other day.

The main thing to remember about the avocado is that it is a fruit, but unlike most other fruits it contains healthy fats instead of carbohydrates. Each avocado has approximately 160 calories, 2 grams of protein and 15 grams of monounsaturated fatty acids (MUFAs). Although it has 9 grams of carbs 7 of them are fiber, which means there are only 2 net carbs, making avocados a low-carb friendly plant food.

Avocados have:

  • Vitamin K: 26% of the RDA.
  • Folate: 20% of the RDA.
  • Vitamin C: 17% of the RDA.
  • Potassium: 14% of the RDA.
  • Vitamin B5: 14% of the RDA.
  • Vitamin B6: 13% of the RDA.
  • Vitamin E: 10% of the RDA.
  • Small amounts of Magnesium, Manganese, Copper, Iron, Zinc, Phosphorous, Vitamin A, B1 (Thiamine), B2 (Riboflavin) and B3 (Niacin).

Again, avocado is a high fat food. In fact, 77% of the calories in it are from fat, making it one of the fattiest plant foods in existence. But they don’t just contain any fat… the majority of the fat in avocado is oleic acid. This is a monounsaturated fatty acid that is also the major component in olive oil and believed to be responsible for some of its beneficial effects. Oleic acid has been linked to reduced inflammation and been shown to have beneficial effects on genes linked to cancer.

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When it comes to nutrients, the total amount of them is not the only thing that matters. We also need to be able to absorb them… move them from the digestive tract and into the body, where they can be used. Some nutrients are “fat soluble,” meaning that they need to be combined with fat in order to be utilized. This includes vitamins A, D, E and K… along with antioxidants like carotenoids. One study showed that adding avocado or avocado oil to either salad or salsa can increase antioxidant absorption by 2.6 to 15-fold. So… not only is avocado highly nutritious, it can dramatically increase the nutrient value of other plant foods that you are eating. This is an excellent reason to always include a healthy fat source when you eat veggies. Without it, a lot of the beneficial plant nutrients will go to waste.

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From a food perspective avocados are also very versatile to cook with and to eat. Besides guacamole, which most people think of when they think about making food containing avocados, you can use them in many different dishes. I slice them on top of meat, use them in salads, slice them on top of tacos or nachos, and I love them with eggs too.

I also love the recipe I’m going to share with you today. It’s an avocado salad and the reason I like it so much is that I love guacamole, but when I eat it I find that I eat half a bag of tortilla chips and that is too many carbs and calories for me. It also has black beans in it, which ups the fiber content as well as the protein, and makes it taste even better as well. I hope you enjoy it too!

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Avocado Salad

  • 4 medium tomatoes, diced
  • 1 bell pepper, seeded and diced
  • 1 15 ounce can black beans, rinsed and drained
  • 1/2 cup diced onion
  • 2 seeded and minced jalapeno peppers
  • 1/2 teaspoon freshly grated lime zest
  • 1/4 cup freshly squeezed lime juice (2 limes)
  • 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil (EVOO)
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon pepper
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper
  • 2 ripe avocados, seeded, peeled, and 1/2 inch diced

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Add the tomatoes, pepper, beans, onion, jalapenos, and lime zest in a large bowl.

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Whisk together lime juice, EVOO, salt, pepper, cayenne pepper, and pour over the vegetables. Toss well.

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Carefully fold the avocados into the salad before you’re ready to serve it. Taste and add more salt and pepper if needed. That’s all there is to it!

I know you’ll love the taste of this avocado salad, it’s got the zesty punch of the lime juice and zest, combined with the creaminess of the avocados, the heat of the jalapenos, and the sweetness of the tomatoes. It’s a delicious variety of flavors! And remember, it’s super healthy for you too. Eating salads like this will help you live a life of vitality- with Valerie:)

This Will Start Your Day The RIGHT Way!

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Hello friends! I just finished this awesome smoothie and I had to tell you about it because it’s life altering! Now you might think, “Why is she so excited about a smoothie?” Well, I’ll tell you why. It contains one of my favorite things- coffee. I love coffee more than most things in life. It’s one of my three favorite liquids- water, coffee and wine. Coffee’s reputation has been totally rejuvenated these days, as it used to be universally vilified and the supposed source of all kinds of health problems. I’m very happy though that now coffee is known to be GOOD for you and can help protect against many heinous diseases like Parkinson’s, liver cancer, diabetes, and heart disease. Coffee drinkers are also less likely to die than non coffee drinkers, like 8-15% less likely to die. That sounds good to me.

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Why is coffee so good for you, you ask? Good question! Here’s why, it contains chlorogenic acid, lignans, quinides, trigonelline, and magnesium which reduces inflammation and insulin resistance. It’s also the number 1 source of antioxidants in the American diet. Antioxidants are chemical compounds that fight the damage to your DNA caused by day to day life. Now most of the studies have been done on caffeinated coffee so researchers are not sure that the health benefits are the same for decaf coffee. And remember, we are not talking about the zillion calorie, full of sugar drinks from your favorite coffee shop, because we know that the damage caused by all that sugar far outweighs the benefits of the coffee. I’m talking about healthy coffee.  See my previous blog post, https://vitalvaldecap.com/2014/10/22/healthy-coffee-is-my-favorite-way-to-start-the-day/, for more information on how to have a healthy cup of coffee.

So that brings me back to my coffee smoothie- talk about healthy! I never really thought about coffee in a smoothie. I don’t drink smoothies very often because they are usually filled with things that aren’t very healthy, and they can really be quite calorie laden. I ran across this recipe on Prevention.com and what I liked about it is that it was lower in calories and sugar. It was also filled with ingredients I really enjoy so I thought, “What the heck, I’ll give it a try.” And I loved it so much that I wanted to share it with you today.

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Delicious Coffee Smoothie

  • 3/4 cup almond milk (or any milk of choice)
  • 1/2 cup cold coffee or coffee ice cubes
  • 1 frozen banana
  • 1 tablespoon cocoa powder
  • 1 tablespoon peanut butter
  • Pinch of salt

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The first thing you have to do is put a peeled banana in the freezer a few hours before you plan to make this smoothie. I always put my overly ripe bananas, you know the ones that no one wants because they’re black and smooshy, into a freezer bag and store them in the freezer until I need them. The second step is to brew a cup of coffee and put it in the fridge to cool. I pull a shot of espresso the night before I’m going to make this smoothie and put it in the fridge. You can make coffee ice cubes too but I don’t have any ice cube trays so that’s out for me.

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Next you add the first four ingredients (almond milk, coffee, banana, and cocoa powder) into the blender and whirl.

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Last, add the final ingredients (peanut butter and salt) and give it a second whirl to combine.

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And there you have it! The smoothie is sweet, but not too sweet, chocolatey, and the hint of salt from the peanut butter and salt really brings out the wonderful flavors of the smoothie. It’s also healthy for you at only 240 calories per serving, 7 grams of protein, 7 grams of fiber, and 11 grams of fat, it’s a great meal substitute. You get your meal and your coffee all in one, what could be better than that?!! Drinking healthy coffee smoothies will help you live a life of vitality-with Valerie!

 

 

PULL your way to great health!

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Hello my friends! Danielle was the inspiration behind my post this week. I had been reading about something called “oil pulling” and how great it was for not only your teeth but your overall health, however I hadn’t gotten to the point of trying it. Danielle did and she was SO impressed with the benefits of it that I was inspired to actually try it myself. It’s been so amazing for me that I thought I would tell all of my readers about my experience. 

  
First let’s talk about what oil pulling is and why it’s good for you. Oil pulling is an Ayurvedic dental technique also known as gundusha or kavala, that involves swishing a tablespoon of oil, preferably coconut oil, in your mouth for 15-20 minutes. Swishing the oil pulls toxins out of your body and improves not just your dental health, but your overall health. The main benefit of oil pulling is that it decreases the amount of harmful bacteria in the mouth. The bacteria makes a film on the teeth, which is plaque. Excess plaque can cause bad breath, yellowing teeth, gum inflammation, gingivitis and cavities. 

Harmful bacteria in your mouth spreads to the body and can cause inflammation which can lead to heart disease, cancer, and all sorts of other bad things. Therefore, less harmful bacteria through oil pulling can help protect against some really bad stuff. 

  
Also, using coconut oil in particular is even healthier because coconut oil is antibacterial AND anti-microbial, which means it can kill bacteria, viruses, and fungi. So my recommendation is to use coconut oil versus other oils. In addition, I like the flavor of coconut oil and I don’t think I’d like to swish vegetable oil in my mouth for 20 minutes!

It’s really easy to do. You take a tablespoon of coconut oil, put it in your mouth, and push and “pull” it around and around for 15-20 minutes. Then, you spit it out, but not in the sink because it can clog your pipes, and rinse your mouth with water. Then brush your teeth as normal. Try not to swallow any of it because remember the oil pulls toxins out of your mouth as you’re swishing. I definitely don’t want any of you swallowing those toxins that you worked so hard to remove from your mouth! 

  
I use Skinny and company’s coconut oil- peppermint oil pulling. It has a slight peppermint flavor which is a nice, refreshing taste. The complaints I’ve heard about oil pulling are that the taste is really thick and oily. That’s why I chose Skinny and company’s peppermint oil pulling, first because of the great flavor and second because Skinny and company is the only raw and alkaline coconut oil on the market, according to their website. It has a natural and delicious taste that isn’t fake or weird tasting. I don’t think it would give anyone an upset stomach from the flavor! 

Here’s a tip, start with 5 minutes at first and GRADUALLY build up to 15-20. At first, the sensation of holding the liquid in your mouth can be disconcerting and starting with 5 minutes can help build up your comfort with the process before moving up to a longer period of time.

  
So here’s what I do, I get up in the morning, take out my retainer, and put a tablespoon of the Skinny peppermint coconut oil in my mouth. Skinny and company is located in Broad Ripple, which is near me, and I visited their shop recently. They gave me a scoop to use with the coconut oil, which is convenient. I scoop it out, put it in my mouth, and swish as I go about my morning routine. I get dressed, feed my dogs, and take them out while I’m swishing and pulling the oil around in my mouth. By then it’s been 15-20 minutes, and I come back in, spit it out in my kitchen sink, run the disposal so it doesn’t clog the drain, rinse my mouth, and brush my teeth. 

I’ve been doing this for a week now and have really seen a difference in the whiteness of my teeth. Plus they FEEL cleaner too, very smooth and slick. I guess I will have to wait to see if I’m healthier overall from doing it, but I’m hopeful about that! 

  
Here’s a picture of my teeth after a week of coconut oil pulling and they look pretty white. The picture at the beginning of my post shows Danielle’s white teeth from oil pulling, but mine weren’t as white as they are now because I wasn’t pulling then. 

I will definitely continue to practice oil pulling because I really like how clean and fresh my mouth feels after I’m done. Coconut oil certainly can’t hurt me, now can it?!! 

So that’s what I’m doing these days and I am so excited to share it with my readers. Try oil pulling and I think you’ll see the benefits like I do. Doing health things like oil pulling will help you like a life of vitality- with Valerie! 🙂

Peter Piper Knew What He Was Talking About- Here’s Why You Should Do It Too!

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Eat your heart out, Peter, I pickled my own!

Eat your heart out, Peter, I pickled my own!

Now when I speak of our good friend, Peter Piper, I’m not talking about the part where he PICKED the peck of pickled peppers. Though how do you pick pickled peppers anyway? Wouldn’t you have to pick regular peppers and then pickle them? So confusing,  those old tongue twisters. No it’s the PICKLED part of the peppers that I want to focus on today.

You may be thinking, why should I care about pickled peppers or pickled anything else? Here’s why you should care- pickled or fermented vegetables are SO GOOD for you! And we’re talking ANYTHING pickled- like cucumbers (most common vegetable pickled), radishes, green beans, cabbage (think sauerkraut), and the Korean fermented vegetable dish called Kim chi. Did you know that pickled foods contain probiotics (good bacteria that helps your gut health)? Yes, that’s true. Let me explain this a bit.

Pickled cucumbers, or as most of us call them, pickles!

Pickled cucumbers, or as most of us call them, pickles!

Pickling is a form of fermentation, and when vegetables and fruits are fermented, healthy bacteria help break down the hard to digest cellulose in foods, as well as some of the natural sugar. These healthy bacteria help keep fermented food safe and less likely to spoil, and can also help increase the good bacteria in your gut when eaten. That’s not just good for your gut, my friends, it also affects your immune and nervous systems. Almost 80% of our immune system exists in the gut, which contains about 100 trillion bacteria. In other words, we have 10 times more gut bacteria than the number of cells in our entire bodies! The gut also has the second nervous system in our bodies. We have the same amount of neurotransmitters in our gut as our brain! I know, crazy right?!!

Here’s the thing you’re probably thinking, ok so the gut is important, but why do we need pickled or fermented vegetables and fruits? The reason is because bad diets, antibiotics, stress and numerous other factors can create an imbalance of bad bacteria, creating bloating, fatigue, diarrhea, inflammation, headaches, and sugar cravings. Probiotics in fermented foods can help rebalance your good bacteria and ELIMINATE THESE SYMPTOMS!

Yummy, interesting Kim chi!

Yummy, interesting Kim chi!

Another reason we need more pickled or fermented fruits and vegetables is that overweight people have different intestinal bacteria than lean people. In addition to other health problems, an imbalance of bad bacteria can create inflammation and fat gain. A study in the European Journal of Clinical Nutrition showed obese people reduced abdominal fat nearly 5% simply by drinking probiotic rich fermented milk for 12 weeks. Probiotics also reduce the risk for metabolic syndrome, which is an unpleasant condition that includes high blood pressure, insulin resistance, cardiovascular disease and type 2 diabetes. Clearly, probiotics are the way to help prevent numerous diseases!

The recommendation is to eat 1-3 servings of pickled or fermented vegetables each day to get the optimal gut benefits. Now, don’t go rush out to the grocery store and buy 10 jars of processed pickles. If you’re going to buy your pickled vegetables please buy them from the refrigerated section and try to get them without added sugar and organic if possible. If you don’t like pickles, refrigerated, non-pasteurized high quality sauerkraut is a delicious and healthy way to get your probiotics and vitamins, minerals, and phytochemicals too. Kim chi, the Korean fermented vegetable dish, is another way to get your probiotics. My daughter’s boyfriend is of Korean descent and his mom brought us Kim chi. I have been OBSESSED with it since she sent it, and have eaten the garlicky, spicy vegetables with almost every meat I’ve eaten. If you don’t know someone Korean, go visit your local Korean restaurant and try it! Truly unique and delicious!

Last and most important, I’m here to give you an easy and quick recipe for pickling vegetables so you can do it at home. You will be stunned at how easy and delish this is. Then, you can make some more when you run out instead of buying more from the grocery store. It’s also convenient to make your own because you can pickle whatever vegetables and fruits you have available at home. Check it out, you’ll be impressed!

Ingredients ready to be pickled!

Ingredients ready to be pickled!

Valerie’s Easy, Quick Pickled Vegetables

Gorgeous peppers- Peter would definitely want these, even before they're pickled!

Gorgeous peppers- Peter would definitely want these, even before they’re pickled!

  • One cup chopped vegetables ( I used cucumbers and of course, peppers- both sweet and jalapenos)
  • 1/2 cup vinegar
  • 1 tablespoon sugar
  • 1 teaspoon salt

Stir the vegetables into the vinegar, sugar and salt. Let sit for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. THAT’S IT!

Cukes sliced and ready for pickling!

Cukes sliced and ready for pickling!

You can put the pickles on a burger, hot dog, any sandwich, mix them into scrambled eggs, serve them alongside pork chops or steaks, or stir them into soups or top them on salads- they are versatile and delicious. I made a batch before I wrote this post, and Danielle is trying to eat them all before I’m even done writing! They’re addictive, and they’ll help give your gut the healthy flora it needs to boost immunity, fight disease, and get rid of that extra weight! Sounds great to me!

Voila! Done and ready for eating!

Voila! Done and ready for eating!

Try to pickle your own vegetables and let me know what you think of them. Also, I’d love to hear if your health improves by eating your pickled veggies, but remember you need to eat them AT LEAST once a day! Eating pickled vegetables is a way to live a life of vitality- with Valerie!