Healthy Eating Blog Is Moving ...

All future Healthy Eating blog posts will be made to my new Healthy Eating Advisor blog

Some of the info on this blog will be moved to the new blog, but not all. So you may want to bookmark this page to come back to some favorite recipes or other useful healthy information.

Come visit me on the new Healthy Eating Advisor blog and let me know what you think.

Pepper, Mushroom & Green Bean Stir Fry

1 cup onion cut into 1/2" pieces
1 cup mushrooms, sliced
1 cup red bell peppers cut in 2" thin strips
1 cup green beans cut in 1" pieces
1/2 cup chopped cilantro
marjoram to taste (optional)
thyme to taste (optional)
Celtic Sea Salt to taste
1 tablespoons coconut oil
bone broth, chicken broth or water

Melt the coconut oil in a good quality skillet.
Saute the onions for about 1 minute.
Add the mushrooms, bell peppers and green beans and saute for another minute.
Add a small amount of broth or water, cover and simmer on low heat until the beans are just slightly tender.
Add seasonings and stir. You may substitute your favorite herbs or spices.
Add cilantro and turn off the heat.
Let sit for a few minutes then serve.
Enjoy!

Find more healthy recipes here.

Do You Take Your Water With Or Without Lemon?

Silly question? You decide ...

A study done in 2007 found that 2/3 of the lemon slices served at 21 different restaurants were contaminated with bacteria that had the potential to cause disease.

Does that make you want a slice of lemon in your next glass of water?

Read more here.

The Truth About Organic Eggs

Have you ever wondered what's different about the organic eggs you pay such a premium price for and if they're really worth the extra cost? What about the organic eggs that are lower priced? Are they still as good as the higher priced organic eggs?

These are very good questions, and you'll probably be surprised at the answers.

There are some less than honorable egg farmers out there producing "Bogus" organic eggs and calling them "Organic." Read the article here to get the full definition of "Bogus" organic eggs.

How do you know if the organic eggs you buy are the real thing or the oh-so-common "Bogus" organic eggs?

The Cornucopia Institute created an "Organic Egg Scoreboard" and rated them on housing and outdoor space for roaming and feeding. The rating system is from 1 to 5 stars, 5 being the best.

Some of the common organic brands found in Trader Joes, Whole Foods, Safeway, WalMart and other popular grocery stores scored only in the 1 star category - "Bogus Organic Eggs."

Are you eating any of these "Bogus Organic " brands?

* Trader Joes Organic
* Safeway's O Organic
* Costco's Kirkland Signature
* A&P's Green Way
* Walmart's Great Value
* Whole Foods 365 Organic
* Land O'Lakes
* Horizon Organic
* Garden Valley
* Eggland's Best
* Chino Valley Ranchers

These are only a few of the "Bogus" brands.

A couple of the 3 star brands - rated "very good"

* Clover Organic Farms
* Organic Valley

The 5 star farms are small to medium family farms. Most of those brands I've never seen in the health food markets where I shop and actually have never heard of.

See the entire Organic Egg Scorecard.

Now's the time to start scrutinizing the brand of eggs you buy. It's obvious by this study that organic on the carton, even certified organic may not really be true organic.

Learn more about healthy eating.

Cancer And Diet

According to Dr. Mark Hyman, during his medical school oncology rotation, his professor stated that 70% of all cancers are diet related!

What would happen to the rate of cancer in this country, in the world, if everyone ate a healthy diet?

What would happen to the food industry if everyone only bought healthy food?

If you knew that you could save yourself from cancer, diabetes, obesity, heart disease and many other ailments by eating a healthy diet, would you do it?

You don't have to figure it all out and do it on your own. It's all made easy for you in the Healthy Eating e-class. If you need more personalized assistance, try Healthy Eating Coaching.

Health Benefits of Beets

Beets are a nutritional powerhouse. There is abundant nutrition in both the root and the leaves. They are especially helpful for the health of your liver and gallbladder. They are also anticarcinogenic and protective against heart disease.

Beet greens are an excellent source of beta carotene, calcium and iron. The young beet leaves are a rich source of betaine, which is important for liver health and helps your body to metabolize fat.

The beet root is a source of vitamin C, folacin and manganese, as well as many other nutrients. Fresh beets have greater amounts of the C and folacin.

Both the greens and the roots can be eaten raw or cooked. The greens can be used raw in salads or green smoothies. They can also be steamed lightly, for 2-3 minutes. Season with raw organic butter and Celtic Sea Salt®

The beet root can be shredded and mixed with lemon juice and extra virgin olive oil for a liver-gallbladder tonic or added to a salad. Beets can also be steamed or baked. They should be cooked whole and cut after cooking is complete.

Read more about the amazing benefits from eating beets.

Learn more about healthy eating.

Top 10 Ways to Avoid GMOs

Avoiding GMOs is getting harder and harder as more and more GMO crops are planted and high levels of secrecy are maintained as to which products contain genetically engineered ingredients.

Here are some tips from Maria Rodale about how you can avoid GMOs:

1. Buy USDA-certified organic food.
2. Avoid all nonorganic soy products like the plague. (I recommend avoiding ALL soy.)
3. Don't buy anything that claims to be "non-dairy" that isn't organic.
4. Don't buy or eat anything with corn in it that isn't organic.
5. At all costs, eliminate high-fructose corn syrup (a.k.a. "corn sugar") from your diet.

Read the full article.

For more help with choosing healthy food, get the FREE Healthy Eating E-Class. Work through all the lessons and implement what you learn. It is guaranteed to get you eating healtfully in 5 easy lessons ... if you follow the plan.
  

Healthy Fish To Eat

Do you want to get the health benefits of fish, but don't know which ones to choose?

Many different varieties of fish are contaminated with mercury or PCBs. How do you choose the fish that are the healthiest to eat and won't adversely affect your health?

The Smart Seafood Guide 2010 tells you which fish, both nationally and regionally (U.S.) are the healthiest choices. "Food & Water Watch analyzed over 100 different fish and shellfish to create the only guide assessing not only the human health and environmental impacts of eating certain seafood, but also the socio-economic impacts ..."

This is the best seafood guide I have seen. It makes seafood selection easy.

Learn more about healthy food here.

3 Ways To Enjoy Your Burger Without The Bun

White bread and buns, even if made with enriched flour or wheat flour - but not whole wheat - have all the nutrients removed and a few synthetic chemical nutrients added to give you the false impression that they are healthy and nutritious. They're not. In fact they deplete the body of the B vitamins and other nutrients your body needs to be healthy.

Besides being unhealthy for you, processed grains contribute to obesity, diabetes and other health problems. In fact, we eat far too many grain products. It is not advisable to eat the large number of servings of grains as recommended by the FDA food pyramid, even the 2010 version, and especially not refined grains.

Truth be told, you don't need a bun to enjoy your burger. And yes, burgers can be healthy if they are made of beef from pastured, grass fed cows or turkey from free range, organic birds. So, it's best to make your own burgers at home from scratch.

Here are my 3 favorite ways to eat a burger:

1. Use a corn tortilla (made with corn, lime and water only) instead of a bun or bread. You could also use a sprouted grain tortilla as well.
2. Wrap your burger in 1 or 2 large leaves of lettuce.
3. Eat your burger as a serving of meat in a meal with a salad, steamed vegetables and brown rice or a starchy vegetable, like red potatoes, sweet potatoes or winter squash.

You can add healthy condiments to your burger, like lettuce, organic mustard, organic ketchup, onion, tomato, sprouts, cilantro, shredded carrots, etc.

So, enjoy your healthy burger!

Learn more about healthy eating.

Healthy Halloween Tips

On Halloween, our little "trick or treaters" get so much candy, full of sugar and chemical additives. Sugar is known to cause hyperactivity in children and dental caries, as well as mood swings, depression, and obesity. But, it's not only the sugar that's so bad for them. It's also the other chemical additives, including artificial and natural flavors and FD&C colors, most of which are derived from coal tar which is a carcinogen. Here are five tips ...

Read more.

Celebrate Your Body!

Join the body image revolution

You Can Start a Body Image Revolution

Are you bored with ‘managing’ your weight, sick of ‘watching’ every thing you put in your mouth, or tired of being embarrassed when you look at your body in the mirror?

What if there was another way to be a woman?

A way that honored all of you, just the way you are, rather than just what you’re not? A way that recognized everything you DO do, rather than just what you don’t? A way that helped us decide who and how we WANT to be, rather than trying to fit us in the picture of perfect in a magazine or movie?

There is a way, it’s called The Body Image Revolution, and it starts today, Thursday October 21, I’m part of it and you can be too. I am teaming up with eleven other international body image experts in one big Telesummit to bring you the real facts about your weight and your health, Practical 'How-To' Tips to help you see your body and your life, just how it is right now, in a new light that is more real, more powerful, and more YOU.

Click here to visit The Body Image Revolution.

Tofu and Your Brain

There are two camps on the benefits of soy products - those who proclaim it has health promoting benefits and those who claim that it is harmful to your health.

In spite of those who vigorously promote soy as a healthy food with health-promoting benefits, there is a great deal of evidence indicating that soy is not the health food that the industry would like you to think it is. Kaayla Daniel, in her thoroughly researched book, the whole Soy Story, explains in great detail why soy is not a healthy food and should generally be avoided, except for use of some of the fermented soy products, like natto, tempeh and miso.

I have noticed that some who endorse Dr. Daniel's work also endorse the use of tofu, claiming that it is a fermented food product. While fermented tofu is produced by the Chinese and Japanese and eaten in those countries, it is generally not the tofu found in the U.S. In fact there is a study that "showed that men and women who ate tofu at least twice per week experienced accelerated brain aging, diminished cognitive ability and were more than twice as likely to be clinically diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease."

For more information on the harmful effects of soy, check out these resources:

The Whole Soy Story: The Dark Side of America's Favorite Health Food

Facts About Soy, the Industry Doesn't Want You to Know: An interview with Dr. Kaayla Daniel author of The Whole Soy Story

For more information on healthy eating, click here.

Green Smoothie

This is a healthy drink to start off your day or for a refreshing snack.

1/2 - 3/4 cup fresh or frozen mango, cut in chunks
1-2 tablespoons fresh or frozen pineapple
2-3 tablespoons melted coconut oil
1 raw egg, organic, free range
1 cup plain, whole milk yogurt, organic, hormone and antibiotic free
2 cups of fresh, organic greens, just the leafy part (kale, chard, spinach, collards, dandelion, etc.)

Thaw frozen fruit overnight in the refrigerator. Before blending the ingredients, warm the fruit to room temperature or above 76º F.

Add coconut oil to the fruit. Above 76º F, the coconut oil will be liquid. Mix the fruit and coconut oil together until the oil remains liquid.

Warm the egg to room temperature.

Put the raw egg into a blender or VitaMix (A VitaMix is much quicker than a blender).

Add the fruit and coconut oil mixture. Blend till creamy.

Next add the yogurt. Blend till completely mixed.

Last, add the greens. If using a blender, make sure the greens are broken into small pieces. If using a VitaMix, they can be added whole.

If you use a blender, it will take a bit longer to blend completely to a creamy consistency. With the VitaMix, it's pretty quick.

With the amounts of fruit and greens in this recipe, you can taste the greens a little. I like it that way. However, if you would prefer not to taste the greens, you can add more fruit. You can vary the types of fruit according to your taste.

Enjoy!

This is a great way to get these healthy greens into your family's diet.

This Kid Really Gets It!

Watch this video and get inspired to get your kids and your whole family on the path to healthier eating.

Salmon Lovers Beware!

The FDA is getting ready to approve genetically engineered salmon and it won't be labeled. It will be up to you to guess if the salmon you're buying is genetically engineered or not.

Read the article.

As we've seen frequently in the recent and distant past, the FDA has a history of making decisions that are not in the best interest of the consumer, but rather in the interest of the industry. In fact, a statement made by Former FDA Commissioner, Dr. Herbert Ley, makes it real clear that the FDA is not interested in protecting you...

"The thing that bugs me is that people think the FDA is protecting them. It isn’t. What the FDA is doing and what the public thinks it’s doing are as different as night and day."

That's right from the horses mouth.

So, now that you know that the FDA has no interest in protecting you, but is committed to protecting the profits of big business, it's up to you to protect yourself.

Here are some links to resources to help you protect yourself.

Healthy Eating
Food Additives
Healthy Eating Bookstore

Making Healthy Eating Easy

Have you ever thought that you should eat healthier, but have put it off because of the time it would take to figure it out?

Here are some tools to make healthy eating easy for you:

• Free healthy eating e-class
  
• Easy to follow Healthy Eating e-book
  
• Healthy recipes
  
• Your Personal Food Planner - to make the transition very easy
  
• Healthy Cooking Classes

These tools are easy to use. And if you follow the program in the healthy eating e-class, you will be eating healthfully in no time at all!

Choosing Your Eggs

The latest egg recall is just another case of poor practices of factory farming causing contamination. It's not the eggs that are bad for you, it's where they come from and how they are handled. Even organic eggs purchased from a store may be cause for caution.

Your best bet, buy locally grown, organic free range eggs.

Read the article here.

Get an insiders view about chicken farms in the movie, Food Inc.



Learn more about healthy eating here.

Gluten-Free Not Just For Celiacs

Gluten is a protein in certain grains that can cause an inflammatory reaction in your body. In those with Celiac's Disease, it triggers an "immune reaction that damages the small intestine and prevents absorption of nutrients."

You don't have to have Celiac's Disease to be affected by gluten. Gluten Intolerance is said to be more wide spread than most people are aware of.

Read the article here.

Gluten-containing grains include:

• wheat
  
• rye
  
• barley
  
• kamut
  
• spelt
  
• triticale
  
• bulgur
  
• durum
  
• semolina

Learn more about healthy eating.

Everything You Ever Wanted To Know About Green Tea

You've undoubtedly heard that green tea is healthy for you.

It has been said that it can help prevent cancer, heart disease and lower cholesterol. It is supposed to be helpful in losing weight and preventing tooth decay, to name just a few.

But did you know that all green tea is not created equal?

Click the image below to find out everything you ever wanted to know about green tea.

Grapefruit or Orange Freeze

This is very refreshing on a hot day...

Peel a whole grapefruit or orange and section it.

Or, to increase the nutritional value of this treat, peel a thin layer of the skin off with a knife. Cut into sections leaving some white pulp on each section.

Put the sections in a glass, freezer-safe container and freeze.

Enjoy instead of popsicle or juicicle treats.

It's a healthy, refreshing treat that tastes great!

ADHD and Pesticides

A study earlier this year examined the relationship between organophosphate pesticide exposure in children ages 8-15 and the incidence of ADHD.

The "findings support the hypothesis that organophosphate exposure, at levels common among US children, may contribute to ADHD prevalence."

You can read the article here, though it is quite technical.

This is a good reason to eat organic, especially now that there are so many GMO crops used in processed foods. The use of pesticides on GMO crops is far heavier than on non-GMO crops because the GMO seeds are engineered to withstand high levels of Monsanto's Roundup pesticide.

Click here for help with healthy eating.

Do You Like To Snack?

Most of the snack foods on the market contain processed and refined sugars, grains and other harmful ingredients.

It's hard finding truly healthy snack foods. I've shared some of my favorite healthy recipes for snacks in this blog. However, frequently there just isn't enough time to prepare all the foods and snacks we want to eat.

So, now, I'd like to share a healthy snack food that you don't have to make yourself.

Click the link to check it out.

Vitaminwater - Healthy or Unhealthy?

The name itself leads you to believe it's a healthy drink. Some people might even think of it as a way to get their daily dose of vitamins.

But is it?

The marketing makes you think it's healthy for you. But the Coca-Cola company that produces Vitaminwater has been sued for making "deceptive and unsubstantiated" claims for it.

In fact...

"In response to a recent lawsuit against Coca-Cola filed by the Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI), Coke's attorneys replied in court briefings that, '...no consumer could reasonably be misled into thinking vitaminwater was a healthy beverage.' "

Read the article here.

Farmer's Markets - A Fresh Place To Buy Your Food

Food in your local grocery store may be trucked in from thousands of miles away. So that it keeps that "fresh" look, it's often picked before it's ripe or it may be treated with chemicals or irradiated to keep it from ripening before it gets to the store.

When you buy from your local farmer's market, you get fresh, locally grown food, much of it picked that very same day.

While it's ideal to buy organic, even from the farmer's market, often you'll find vendors who are not certified but who do not use the chemicals and pesticides used on the food trucked in from great distances. These foods, though not organic, are a much better choice than the non-organic choices in your grocery store.

Of course, organic is always best, but when it's not practical for you, make sure you check for the low pesticide foods that are safe to buy non organic.

Click here to watch a video on farmer's markets and find a farmer's market in your area.

Learn more about healthy eating here.

Tasty Veggie Dip

1 cup filtered water
2/3 cup raw sunflower seeds
1/2 teaspoon Celtic Sea Salt
1 thin slice fresh onion
1 clove fresh garlic
1 heaping teaspoon Italian Herbs
3 tablespoons raw, unfiltered, apple cider vinegar
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil (optional)

Place all ingredients in a blender and blend until creamy and smooth.
Chill at least 30 minutes before serving.

This is great with all kinds of raw veggies and is a healthy alternative to Ranch dressing. It can also be used as a salad dressing.

Adapted from Sunny Salad Dressing in The Guilt-Free Gourmet: A Vegan Cookbook & Lifestyle Resource Manual

No Mayo Coleslaw

1/2 head of cabbage, grated or shredded
1 carrot, shredded
1/2 of a medium zucchini, shredded
1/2 of a small onion, finely chopped (optional)
2-3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon raw, unfiltered apple cider vinegar, or to taste
Celtic Sea salt to taste

Vegetables can be grated, shredded or chopped in a food processor. This makes it really quick to prepare.

Mix all ingredients. Refrigerate for 30 minutes before serving.

Most mayonnaise on the market is made from soy, canola or safflower oil. None of these are healthy oils. Mayonnaise made from extra virgin olive oil is very expensive. This is a great alternative to using mayonnaise on your coleslaw and it tastes great!

Breakfast Pudding

Here's a tasty, healthy, quick breakfast treat...

1 cup plain whole milk yogurt, organic preferably
2 tablespoons chopped walnuts or almonds
2 tablespoons shredded coconut, unsweetened
1 heaping tablespoon carob powder
1-2 tablespoons coconut oil, organic or virgin, melted
Stevia, clear liquid, a few drops or to taste

Mix all ingredients together, thoroughly.

This is great for a quick breakfast or a dessert.

Healthy Veggie Burgers

My big complaint about veggie burgers is that most you buy in the stores contain soy ingredients, canola oil and/or some form or MSG. It's really hard to find a healthy veggie burger in the grocery store or your natural foods market.

When I came across this article on veggie burgers, I was very suspicious that they would contain some of these harmful ingredients. I was pleasantly surprised.

Millet Burger with Chive Pesto

All healthy ingredients.

Beans and Greens Burger

Calls for orange zest. Make sure you make it from organic oranges only. Non organic oranges can be artificially colored with Citrus Red. No. 2, which is a possible carcinogen.

Calls for toasted whole grain bread crumbs. Make sure they're free of harmful chemical additives. Better yet, make your own from organic, sprouted grain, flourless bread.

Calls for olive oil to cook the burgers. A better cooking oil is coconut oil. Organic coconut oil has had the coconut flavor removed and still has the healthy, therapeutic properties of coconut oil.

Mushroom and Black Bean Burger

Calls for olive or canola oil to cook the burgers. Skip the canola oil. It is an unhealthy oil. And as I mentioned above, coconut oil is a better choice for cooking than olive oil.

Calls for stale or toasted sandwich bread to make breadcrumbs. Best to use organic, sprouted grain, flourless bread.

Calls for hamburger buns or hard rolls. Flourless, sprouted grain is your best choice. However if, like me, you don't like using buns or rolls, try wraping your burger in a couple big leaves of lettuce. It's a great way to have sandwiches without the bread.

Lentil Almond Burger

Calls for olive oil for cooking. I recommend organic coconut oil.

Calls for celery. Make sure you buy organic. Celery is #1 on the 2010 list with the most pesticides.

Black Bean and Sweet Potato Burger

Calls for whole spelt flour or other flour. If you use other flour, make sure it is whole grain.

Calls for tamari. Traditionally made tamari, as made in Japan, is fermented over long periods of time and is one of the few soy products that have the least harmful effects. However, made in America, the processing is modern, high speed and very unlike traditional processing. Modern soy sauces may contain dangerous levels of toxic chemicals. "The safety of commercial soy sauces cannot be assured." Reference, The Whole Soy Story, by Kaayla Daniel.

If you can get traditionally prepared tamari imported from Asia, then that would be a better choice than American made. I personally substitute Celtic Sea Salt in recipes that call for tamari or soy sauce.

If you enjoy veggie burgers, give these a try. They're definitely more healthy than the pre-made ones you buy in the stores.

Could Anything Be More Absurd?

This has just got to take the cake!

Now, people who like to eat healthy food are being classified as mentally ill!

You can guess who's behind this ...

Read the article.

Book Review - Plan-D: The Amazing Anti-Diet That Will Change Your Life Forever

A month or two ago, I received a call from a customer placing a book order for my books, who told me about Plan-D, and how close this book is to the philosophy that I teach in my books. So, I decided to check it out.

Dee McCaffrey is an organic chemist and Certified Diet Counselor who lost 100 pounds and has kept it off for 18 years. Her story is very compelling and will inspire anyone who has ever struggled with a weight problem. Plan-D is not about diets or cutting calories. It's about eating real food that your body wants and needs and feeling satisfied.

The whole theme in Plan-D is about eating processed free; avoiding processed flours, sugars and chemicals and eating fresh whole foods. The book is thorough and well organized. It explains in easy-to-understand language, the reasons for eating or avoiding certain foods. The book has a recipe section at the end to help you implement Plan-D eating into your life. It even includes some healthy dessert recipes.

This is not just another diet book by someone who never needed to lose weight. Plan-D is a program that Dee McCaffrey herself used to lose 100 pounds in a year and keep it off. She's "been there and done that" and Plan-D tells you how she did it!

While Plan-D is probably 99% of what I teach, there are a couple items I do need to mention:

Plan-D does not advocate soy products, but does indicate that fermented soy products are okay occasionally. Tofu is included as a fermented soy product. However according to Kaayla Daniel in her book, The Whole Soy Story, tofu is not fermented, but precipitated. Tofu has been effectively used by monks in Asian countries for centuries to kill their sex drive. Tofu is not a product that I recommend.

In addition, Plan-D's limited use of sweeteners includes agave nectar/syrup. Earlier this year, there was an article by Dr. Joseph Mercola, and supported by the Weston A. Price Foundation, regarding agave's high fructose content and the processing methods which agave undergoes to become the agave syrup sold in health food stores today. According to these articles, the agave syrup on the market is very unlike the true, healthy, unprocessed, agave nectar used by the indigenous peoples in the past. Therefore, due to the current controversy, agave is not a sweetener I recommend.

Those two points aside, I can say that it isn't often that I come across a book on healthy eating that I can wholeheartedly recommend. This book is one of those few.

Learn more about Plan-D here.

Meat and Vegetable Curry

2 large onions, chopped
2 bell peppers, chopped (organic only)
2 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil or coconut oil
1 cup frozen corn (organic)
1 cup green beans cut in 3/4 inch pieces (organic only)
1/4 cup lime juice
1 pound ground meat (grass fed beef, lamb or free range turkey)
2 cans or 2 heaping cups home cooked dried organic beans (black, kidney or pinto)
1 28 ounce can of organic tomatoes
2 teaspoons ground cumin
2 teaspoons coriander
2 teaspoons turmeric
6 cloves of garlic sliced, chopped or minced
1-2 cups fresh cilantro, chopped
4 teaspoons Celtic Sea salt

Cook ground meat and set aside.
Saute onion, bell pepper and garlic in a little water.
Add frozen corn and green beans.
Add olive or coconut oil and lime juice.
Add Celtic Sea salt, cumin, coriander and turmeric. Stir until spices are evenly distributed.
Add meat, beans and canned tomatoes. Simmer 5-10 minutes or until thoroughly warmed.
Add chopped cilantro. Mix. Cover pan. Turn off heat. Let sit 5-10 minutes before serving.

Serve over brown rice or quinoa with a large tossed salad.

There are enough vegetables in the curry, but I like to also serve steamed or sauteed greens along with this.

This is one of my family's favorites.

This recipe freezes well. Store in glass freezer-safe dishes. Cool uncovered before freezing.

Creamy Tomato Basil Soup

Here is a delicious recipe with some great healthy ingredients. The only thing I would change is to use arrowroot powder instead of cornstarch.

Get the recipe here.

Melon Smoothies

2 cups of your favorite melon cut in chunks

Blend and enjoy!

It's quick and easy. My favorite is honey dew. Watermelon and cantaloupe also taste great.

Non-Dairy Blueberry Ice Cream

2 cups fresh or frozen blueberries
1 raw egg yolk (optional)
1 tablespoon arrowroot
1 can organic coconut milk *
1/4 teaspoon Stevia powder

Process the blueberries in a blender or food processor.
Add the remaining ingredients and process until smooth.
Pour into an ice cream maker and follow the instructions.

Enjoy!

For variety, you can substitute other berries or fruits for the blueberries.

* Note: Make sure you buy organic or natural coconut milk from a health food store or natural foods market. The coconut milks in conventional grocery stores and Asian markets contain harmful chemical additives.Click here for help with food additives.

This recipe was adapted from the Berry Ice Cream recipe in Nourishing Traditions, one of my very favorite cook books!

Recipe: Sweet Potatoes and Apples

1 medium - large sweet potato
1 medium organic Granny Smith apple
1/2 cup bone broth or chicken broth, preferably homemade since bought broth generally contains MSG
1/2 teaspoon organic cinnamon (non organic spices are commonly irradiated, organic are not)
1/16 - 1/8 teaspoon stevia powder

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
Cut potato into 1/2 - 3/4 inch chunks
Cut apple into slightly smaller chunks
Place sweet potato and apple chunks into small casserole dish and mix.

In a separate container, mix bone broth, cinnamon and stevia. Stir until completely dissolved. Pour over the sweet potato and apple mixture. Stir thoroughly.

Bake at 350 degrees F for about an hour or until sweet potatoes are soft, stirring periodically.

This recipe is delicious cold too and makes a great snack.

I modified this recipe from the book, Ayurvedic Cooking For Westerners. It has been a family favorite for years.

This recipe has a lot less sugar than the original recipe, but still has the same flavor and a mild sweetness. You can adjust the sweetness by adding more or less stevia. However, care must be taken when using powdered stevia since it is extremely sweet and it's easy to get too much.

Sweet Potato Fries

You may already know that french fries are one of the unhealthiest foods to eat. But this is a recipe where you can have your "fries" and eat them too. Read on ...

Sweet potato fries are very easy and tasty - actually they're baked, not fried.

Scrub a large sweet potato or yam.
Cut into strips like you would for french fries.
Grease a baking pan with extra virgin olive oil or organic coconut oil.
Spread the sweet potato strips on the greased baking pan.
Spray olive oil (with a Mister) on the potato strips, or drip it from the bottle or a cruet. You can also drip melted coconut oil on the potato strips.
Sprinkle with Celtic Sea Salt.
Put baking pan in oven, preheated to 350 degrees F, no hotter.
Bake until soft.
Enjoy!

Find more helpful hints for healthy cooking here.

Homemade Chicken Soup For Your Soul

This soup is quick, easy and delicious.

5-6 cups chicken broth or chicken bone broth
1 large carrot thinly sliced or shredded
1 large turnip cut in 1/2 inch chunks
greens from the turnip cut in 1 inch pieces
1/2 large onion chopped
1-2 cups kale cut in 1 inch pieces
1-2 cups of cabbage cut in 1 inch pieces
2 cloves garlic, sliced
1 cup cilantro leaves
1 teaspoon Celtic Sea salt
1/4 teaspoon each of marjoram and thyme
2 cups chicken cooked, cut in small chunks

Put broth in a saucepan, not more than 1/2 full, on low heat. Add chicken and all vegetables, except cilantro. Add seasonings. Simmer until vegetables are tender. Add cilantro right before you turn off the heat. Cover and let sit for 10 minutes before serving.

Enjoy!

Companies exploiting socially-networked children to push junk food like drug dealers

This should be illegal, yet junk food manufacturers are getting away with it and your kids are suffering!

Read the article.

Learn how to teach your kids about healthy eating and make it a family affair.

Get a free healthy eating e-class that the whole family can do together.

Pizza Lovers Beware!

Your pizza may be sprayed with silicon, a toxic chemical that is not approved for use as a food additive. What's even worse, some of these pizzas are sold to kids through the school lunch programs.

Read the article.

Get a free Healthy Eating E-Class here.

Learn how to cook truly healthy foods.

Healthy Eating is a Breeze ...

... when you have the tools to make it easy. Find out how you can easily develop healthy eating habits that last a life time here.

Get a Free Healthy Eating E-Class, a 5-Step Program to help you develop healthy eating habits that you can live with for a lifetime - guaranteed - if you follow the plan.

There's more healthy eating tips every day on the Healthy Eating Advisor Fan page on Facebook.

Healthy eating can be easy and delicious if you just have the right tools!

Healthy Eating Tips on Facebook

Become a fan of Healthy Eating Advisor on Facebook and get healthy eating tips, ask questions, share information about healthy eating and healthy recipes.

Click here to go the the Healthy Eating Advisor fan page.

Healthy Cooking

Healthy cooking can be a challenge when you're just learning what's healthy and what's not. There's a lot of misleading information about healthy eating and it can be confusing just trying to figure out what foods to prepare for your family.

Here are two resources to help you out:

• FREE Healthy Eating E-Class
• Healthy Cooking Classes