Did You Know?.... Fluoride & Chlorine

Did you know?... Fluoride & chlorine (commonly found in tap water & toothpaste) block iodine receptors in the thyroid gland, resulting in reduced iodine-containing hormone production (ie: hypothyrodism).

Besides all of the artificial colorings and added sugars, one of the main ingredients found in toothpastes is the poisonous substance fluoride. A report compiled by Dr. Yiamouyiannis (B.S. in biochemistry from the University of Chicago, and Ph. D. from the University of Rhode Island), a recognized international authority on the biological effects of fluoride, highlights the following: “Fluoride is more poisonous than lead, and just slightly less poisonous than arsenic. It has been used as a pesticide for the control of mice, rats, and other small pests. A spokesman from a large fluoridated toothpaste company states that there is, “theoretically, at least …enough fluoride [in the toothpaste tube contents] to kill a small child.” More info about flouride & the health risks here: http://www.fluoridealert.org/issues/health/

The Great Flouride Myth: The largest U.S. study examining the effect of fluoridation on tooth decay found that fluoridation does not reduce decay in permanent teeth. Examination of the dental records of 39,207 school children ages 5-17 from 84 geographical areas around the U.S. showed the number of decayed, missing, and filled permanent teeth per child was 2.0 in fluoridated areas, 2.0 in non-fluoridated areas, and 2.2 in partially fluoridated areas.

Other recent large scale studies by public health dentists in New Zealand, Canada, and the United States have also reported similar tooth decay rates in fluoridated and non-fluoridated areas.

In primitive societies whose drinking water contains negligible amounts of fluoride, such as the Otomi Indians in Mexico, the Bedouins in Israel, and the Ibos in Nigeria, 80% to 90% of the people go throughout life without tooth decay - very similar to the findings of Dr. Weston Price. Looking at their diets, it was found that their consumption of refined carbohydrates, such as white sugar, is extremely low. It appears that proper diet, not fluoridation, is necessary for good dental health.

How Do I Remove The Flouride From My Water? You can install a reverse a osmosis system (a deionization filter that uses ion exchange resin), or activated alumina technology system in your home, which removes almost all flouride from water. Something we ourselves would like to do but it is costly. For now, we personally use a filter for tap water to remove contaminants like chlorine, heavy metails, pharmaceuticals, industrial pollutants, microbial cysts, etc. And we try to limit our flouride exposure from other things; for example - we use flouride-free toothpaste, we don't get flouride treatments at the dentist, we buy fresh foods free from pesticide use (cryolite and sulfuryl fluoride are commonly used flouride pesticides), we cook on stainless steel or cast iron, we stay away from processed foods, etc. There are naturally occurring low-levels of flouride in surface water & fresh foods. But the thing to be wary of is the flouride that is being added to our tap water, toothpaste & some medications; and flouride being used as a pesticide & even as a rodent/insect killer in some food processing plants, etc. FAN has some really good info about that on their website: http://www.fluoridealert.org/content/top_ten/


The Good News! Remember, as Christians we are told if we drink poisons (Mark 16:18) they will not harm us. We have an obligation to make wise, informed & mindful decisions for our health & wellness, so we can be good stewards of the bodies The Lord has entrusted us with. But, we can take comfort in knowing that when we are obedient to following Him & His ways as best we can, God will always honor His promises!

 

Greek Couscous With Chicken & Feta

Ingredients

1 tablespoon  olive oil

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 onion, chopped

3/4 teaspoon  dried oregano

1/2 teaspoon  salt

1 1/2 cups  Israeli pearl couscous

1 1/4 cups  low-sodium chicken broth

6 ounces  green beans, trimmed and halved

2 cups  cooked, shredded chicken breast

3 plum tomatoes, seeded and chopped

1 can (13.75 ounces) artichoke hearts, drained and roughly chopped

1 cup  crumbled reduced-fat feta

1/3 cup  kalamata olives, halved

2 tablespoons  lemon juice

Directions

1. Heat oil in a medium-size nonstick saucepan over medium-high heat. Cook garlic 30 seconds, then stir in onion, oregano and 1/4 teaspoon salt; cook 4 minutes.

2. Stir in couscous and cook for 1 minute. Add chicken broth and 1 cup water to pot and bring to a boil; reduce heat to medium-low and cook, covered, for 12 minutes or until water is absorbed. Add green beans to pot for last 5 minutes of cook time.

3. Stir in remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt, chicken, tomatoes, artichoke hearts, feta, olives and lemon juice and serve immediately.

Banana Bread with Yogurt

Makes 1 loaf.

Dry Ingredients
1/2 cup walnuts, optional
1 1/2 cups whole wheat or whole spelt flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 two. Salt

Wet Ingredients
3 large or 4 small bananas
1/4 cup olive oil
1/4 to 1/3 cup honey or maple syrup
1 egg
1/4 cup plain yogurt or kefir

Directions
Preheat oven to 350. Grease a standard loaf pan.
Chop the nuts and combine with the remaining dry ingredients in a medium bowl.
In a large bowl, mash the bananas with a fork. It is OK if they are  bit lumpy.
Add the remaining wet ingredients to the mashed bananas and combine well.
Add the dry ingredients to the banana mixture; mix enough to moisten.
Pour the batter into the loaf pan. Bake until a toothpick inserted into the center of bread comes out clean, about 45-55 minutes. Cool slightly before slicing.

Sweet Potato Shepherd's Pie

Ingredients

2 1/2 pounds  sweet potatoes, peeled and diced into 1/2-inch pieces

1/4 cup milk (can use non-dairy milk such as soy or almond) 

3 tablespoons unsalted butter

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon  pepper

1 1/2 pounds ground turkey, or grassfed ground beef

2 medium carrots, finely diced

2 ribs celery, finely diced

1 small onion, finely diced

2 tablespoons  all-purpose flour

2 tablespoons  tomato paste

2 cups  reduced-sodium beef broth

1 10 ounce package frozen peas

1 tablespoon  chopped fresh thyme

1 tablespoon  chopped fresh rosemary

Directions

1. Heat oven to 375 degrees. Add potatoes to a large lidded pot and cover with 1 inch of cold water. Bring to a boil; reduce heat to a simmer and cook, covered, 10 minutes or until fork-tender. Drain and return to pot. Add milk, 2 tbsp of the butter, 1/2 tsp of the salt and 1/4 tsp of the pepper. Mash until smooth. Cover and set aside.

2. Meanwhile, add remaining 1 tbsp butter to a large saute pan over medium heat. Stir in ground turkey or beef, breaking apart with a spoon, as well as carrots, celery and onion. Cook 15 minutes until vegetables are softened. Stir in flour; cook 1 minute. Stir in tomato paste, beef broth and peas. Bring to a simmer and cook 3 minutes, until liquid is slightly thickened and peas are thawed. Stir in remaining 1/2 tsp of the salt, remaining 1/4 tsp of the pepper, the thyme and rosemary.

3. Transfer meat-and-vegetable mixture to a 13 x 9 x 2-inch baking dish. Spread sweet potatoes over mixture, leaving a 1-inch border around the edge. Swirl top with back of a spoon, if desired. Bake at 375 degrees for 30 to 35 minutes or until shepherd's pie is bubbling.

Quinoa Stuffed Peppers

Ingredients

7 sweet peppers (red, orange and yellow)

1 cup  Bob's Red Mill whole grain quinoa

1 tablespoon  olive oil

1 cup  diced sweet onion

1 teaspoon  ground cumin

1/2 teaspoon  cinnamon

1 cup  dried figs, roughly chopped

1/2 cup  unsalted cashews, roughly chopped

3/4 teaspoon  salt

1/4 tablespoon  pepper

Directions

1. Heat oven to 375 degrees. Seed and dice 1 of the cooked peppers. Slice remaining 6 peppers from stem to bottom; seed.

2. In a medium lidded pot, bring 2 cups water to a boil. Stir in quinoa; return to a boil. Cover, reduce to medium-low and cook 10 minutes. (If using another brand of quinoa, cook 2/3 time shown on package.) Drain; set aside.

3. Return pot to stove; place over medium heat. Add olive oil. Stir in the 1 diced pepper and onion. Cook 5 minutes. Mix in cumin and cinnamon; cook 1 more minute. Stir in figs, cashews, quinoa, salt and pepper. Fill pepper halves with quinoa mixture and place cut-side up in a 9 x 13-inch baking dish. Cover with foil and bake at 375 degrees for 25 minutes. Remove foil and bake another 30 minutes or until peppers are tender.

Tip

Quinoa is high in magnesium, which is known to reduce headaches and regulate blood sugar.

Peanut Turkey Noodles

Ingredients
8 ounce (1/2 box) whole wheat/grain linguine
8 ounces snow peas, trimmed and halved lengthwise
1 cup shredded carrots 
9 ounces fully cooked carved turkey breast
3 scallions, trimmed and sliced
1 7 ounce jar Thai peanut sauce
1 tablespoon white vinegar

Directions
1. Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to boiling. Add linguine and cook 9 minutes. Stir in snow peas and carrots and cook another minute. Drain and rinse under cold running water until cool to the touch.
2. Transfer linguine mixture to a large bowl. Add turkey and scallions. Pour the peanut sauce over the top, then add vinegar to peanut sauce jar. Screw cap back on and shake jar. Pour contents over linguine mixture, toss to coat completely with sauce and serve.

Collard Greens

On their own, collard greens have a mild, smokey taste, but they also take on other flavors beautifully. Give their versatility, it's no surprise they're featured in dishes globally. 


How To Select & Store
Choose nice green leaves with no blemishes. Look for leaves that aren't wilted, then you know they're fresh. To store, simply place collard greens in a zip-lock bag and refrigerate. Collards should keep well for up to five days.

Prep Tips
Collard greens can be sandy, so to clean, submerge them in water to loose any grit, then wash and dry. For raw preparations including salads and slaws, you'll  want to use smaller, tender collard leaves, and cut them into thin ribbons. Larger, more fibrous leaves are best roasted, sautéed oar braised; slice off woody stems and cut or tear into bite-size pieces before cooking.

Try This
For a vegetarian version of traditional Southern collard greens, sauté collards and garlic in olive oil, and simmer in vegetable broth; to make it a meal, add sautéed onions, carrots and celery and finish with a can of white beans.

Carbs: Dr. Neal Bernard responds

I went vegetarian recently, and although I feel good and am losing weight, I'm worried because I seem to be eating so many carbs. Is that bad? 

 

Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine President & author of Power Foods for the Brain, Dr. Neal D. Bernard, M.D., answers: 

Not at all. In fact, those carbs are a big part of the reason you're losing weight. Despite the bad rap that carbs have somehow acquired, a gram of carbohydrate has only four calories. Compare that with a gram of fat, which has almost nine. In other words, carbs are relatively low in calories. That' a one reason the majority of people in Japan and other Asian countries where they eat lots of rice and noodles have customarily been thin. But people in these countries have been gaining weight since the 1980's, when meaty Western eating habits started to replaced their rice-based diets. 

So, if carbs are actually low in calories, how did bread, pasta, potatoes and other carb-rich foods get their reputation for being fattening? We'll think about how they're often served: mashed potatoes are drowned in butter or gravy, spaghetti is doused with meat sauce. What we fattening are the greasy toppings, not the carb-rich foods themselves, which are actually innocent bystanders. 

Some people have suggested that carbs ought to be fattening because of the glucose they contain. When a carbohydrate molecule breaks apart in your digestive tract, glucose enters your bloodstream; glucose stimulates the release of insulin, which escorts glucose into the body's cells. The theory is that this insulin release promotes weight gain. What the theory's proponents are forgetting is that insulin release is triggered by proteins too. Just as insulin helps glucose enter cells, it does the same for the amino acids that are the building blocks of protein. So it turns out that beef, cheese, etc. trigger as much or more insulin secretion as many high-carb foods. 

What's more, carbohydrates are a pretty big group. Carbohydrates are in everything from table sugar, candy, and doughnuts to whole-grain pasta, fresh blueberries and heirloom beans. You'll want to pick the healthiest representatives of the group, such as whole grains, beans, fresh fruit, and veggies. They are better choices than highly processed snack foods where healthful fiber is taken out and fatty ingredients are added. 






Courtesy of Vegetarian Times, Jan/Feb 2014