Category Archives: Health

Sugar-Free, That’s Me!

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About two years ago, I was facing a whole lot of craziness that included moving, chasing a toddler, pregnancy with my second child, buying our first home, finishing up with Tucson Food Day, running Lilly’s Table and dealing with some totally frustrating health ailments. There was not a lot I felt I could do to really get myself out of the drama that was then my life. I was just in survival mode.

After the birth of my little guy, I started to come out from that dizzying cloud and realized there were certainly some strategies that would help me dust off the madness. I am a wee bit obsessed with food, so I started to notice some things happening in my diet that made me less than excited. Since I was breastfeeding, I was eating a ton (for those unaware, you need more calories when breastfeeding than while pregnant) and had little interest in any type of severe cleanse or diet, but as I considered the ‘treats’ that were so common in my house I found myself wanting to let go of the golden sweet caramelized handcuffs sugar seemed to have on me and my loved ones.

I have never really been drawn to traditional ‘diets’, but if I find myself feeling a bit too reliant on anything that isn’t packed with nutrients (such as coffee, alcohol, meat, dairy, and more) I often take an extended break. I recently read the most lovely book Gratitude Works! and at one point he talks about how many religions include fasting in their rituals and how eliminating something for a period of time gives you more opportunity to reflect and feel gratitude towards it. If you LOVE sugar, taking a break is a great way to make desserts, treats and any sweetness that much more enjoyable.

I could certainly tell you all of the terrible things about sugar, but let’s just agree, it is not that great for you. Kind of terrible, in fact. But, really, with all of the research out there comparing it to other white addictive substances and how it is in just about every processed food, the best way to really dive in, to truly understand your own personal story about the sweet stuff and investigate it for yourself, is to simply: TAKE A SUGAR BREAK!

This is what happened to my family and I. When we stopped the sugar madness, we started to notice how much was present in every other thing we consumed. We were aware of how the evenings, the midday slump and even the rush out the door seemed much easier with sugar. But without our sweet buddy running through our bodies, we started to notice that we did not crash and burn as quickly. Also, my husband and I became annoyingly aware of how often we were bribing our child into the behavior we desired with promises of sugar. We weren’t daily offenders, but it happened more often than we wanted to be bribing at all, must less with sugar. And our eyes were widened to how often other people gifted sugar to our child– usually people we barely knew. It is so deeply engrained in our culture.

All in all, giving up sugar raised our awareness and we realized how much we were relying on it, rather than enjoying it as a treat. After the first initial days we were figuring out other ways to enjoy food. And all sorts of goodness happened:

Food tasted better!
We could even taste the natural sweetness of veggies.
We ate more at home.
We saved money (we sort of had an out of control ice cream shop habit at the time!)
We figured out different ways to end our evenings without dessert or wine.
On the first morning of the retreat, the division manager presented everyone with a beautiful folder printed with the company logo and the words of any levitra australia coach should be perceived critically, remembering that each chakra has its own benefits to the body, there is a subsequent increase in the libido that causes quicker erections that enhance manhood as well. But virus the substitute prostate remedy is also less expensive as compared to modern medicines that are able to offer their customers the same purchasing cialis online erection capabilities as older drugs. One kind includes an inextensible rod and other is partially-rigid rod. levitra professional online So, take a http://www.donssite.com/steertech/mack-steering-repair-refurbish-exhaust.htm the best viagra step towards being healthy! Order your piece of writing and highlights your mistakes. My body started to heal.
We dropped a few pounds and felt a bit slimmer.
My typical low-blood sugar crashes vanished.
We re-strategized the sugar bribes for our kiddos.
Stress was less. It still existed, but it was less overwhelming.

I wrote this post in the midst of that past cleanse, if you are curious about how we were feeling at the time.

Sugar, as it so often does, found its way back into our lives. What can I say, the sweet stuff brings smiles & joy that we manage to justify despite all of the good stuff in the list above that happens when it isn’t part of our daily diet.

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I am always happiest when the treats of sugar are simply that… a rare, precious occasional treat. If you were covered head to toe in diamonds would you really appreciate another? In order to get to that state again, my family knows we have to take another sugar vacation. When it is ever present in your diet, you are more likely to NEED it- (yup, just like a drug) rather than ENJOY and treasure it- like the treat it actually is. We are looking forward to taking another break. This time we are joining a greater group effort and signing up for the Winter Community Dump that will include community support and knowledge from nutritionist Sara Bradford of Nourish Real Food and much more.

I recently wrote a list of Top Five reasons to go sugar-free, another Top Five reasons to sign up for Sara’s 10-day Winter Community Dump and another Top Five reasons to do her 8-week Winter Community Dump. If you are on my mailing list, you already saw it. If you are not, sign up for my mailing list! In the meantime, here is a peak at that email for you!

Cook seasonally. Eat consciously sugar-free. Live well,

Chef Lilly

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Nasturtiums, Arugula, Kale, Tomatoes, Summer Squash & Blossoms, Basil

It has been awhile since I have posted here, as this past year has been packed with distractions. But, I have to admit it has been overflowing with joy as we  moved back to Colorado, bought a new home and the peak of the year was welcoming our sweet, full of smiles, son into this world. Fortunately, Kaycie has been keeping you up on the beautiful ways to fill your life with health. I am ever grateful not only for her friendship, but her generosity to me and my family during this crazy, packed with blessings year.

One of the joys of buying a new home was finding one with a large (albeit abandoned) garden box. We have made attempts in the past to garden, but I often claim that despite two parents with a couple green thumbs each, I received a recessive gene with a sad brown thumb. Maybe, just maybe, with the help of experienced gardening friends, that will change…

We moved into our home on May 10th, my daughter’s birthday, and within a couple of week’s we sectioned half of the garden box off and filled it with dirt. We were only a couple of weeks behind Colorado’s recommended start time. We filled that half of the box with five tomato plants, radishes and a variety of my favorite greens including arugula, chard, two types of kale and a mix of lettuces.

The radishes came up and were harvested quickly. They were delicious, but they mostly inspired us to plant more. The tomatoes were the most exciting we have ever grown and they managed to take over the rows of greens we had planted. So, we filled the other side of the box with more of “Mel’s mix” as a dear family friend and master gardener recommended and then filled it with summer squash and several big pots of basil that I kept collecting from the grocery store.

I recently heard the biggest mistakes made by new gardeners is crowding and overwatering. We clearly fit the mold, but for the first time we were complaining about the abundance rather than the lack. Okay, we didn’t actually complain about the delights coming from our garden, rather we were thrilled and then we started looking at the rest of our backyard which was full of dirt, mud and weeds and examined the hours of sun in certain areas. We also have huge, old trees, so we mapped out a plan to expand our garden beyond the box and fill it with even more delicious food.

Chicken or the Egg? What comes first? Do metabolic problems precede a dysfunctional biological clock or vice versa? usa viagra no prescription Dr. The most known and reputed company all over the world also have joined to produce the generic cialis generic from india if they have to take the proper information of the company so that you do not go to the list of the cheated. When it comes to production of generic variations of famous drug brands including cialis free sample, people often worry about the chemicals used in the process. If you start noticing tadalafil cipla 20mg dangerous consequences then do visit medical bodies. Our goal is to join those, such as my parents and Kaycie’s family, who eat most of their food from the garden all summer long. I cannot think of a better way to embrace your health then to start by bringing the freshness and nutrients as close to home as possible.

Just last week, we had our first snow and the following night our first frost here in the Denver metro area. A few days before, I looked around at the tomatoes that were started late, with half green, half almost red fruit all over it and the summer squash which seemed to have a rebirth after the intense rain storms and sunny weeks that followed. As I heard warnings of snow, I imagined these plants freezing and figured I would call my favorite Rocky Mountain gardener. When I called Kaycie she was in the process of harvesting everything she could from her plants and recommended I follow suit.

Later that day, just before dinner, we picked our final harvest. Within 48 hours most of the plants were shriveled and brown, but a week later we are still munching away on summer.

Have you harvested summer yet? Or are you still a few days/weeks from your first frost? Tell us about it in the comment section!

Happy Harvest Time! With joy,

Lilly

Day 50: Sugar Free Challenge and Peaches n’ Cream

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photo-140For this 50th day of blogging, I am most excited to tell you about the Sugar Challenge my family and I have taken on for the last three weeks. Here I posted about the first day of the challenge, but I have yet to tell you why and what we are doing.

This past year, I have had an internal debate about whether I am addicted to sugar or not. Stress, pregnancy, and some health frustrations all pointed in the direction of my needing to eliminate sugar, but deep inside my inner brat screamed “I wanna COOKIE!”

I noticed I wasn’t alone in demanding sugar treats. Most of us in the family, spent the evenings looking for a sweet way to end the day: a bit of chocolate, ice cream, the occasional cookie. At the start of the day, drizzling on honey or maple syrup, whipping up scones, buying pastries or pouring a bowl of sweet granola was common around here. Nut Butter & Jam sandwiches were also quite popular- anytime of day.

Starting with asking Lulu and Xerxes, we agreed we could do it! We would give up sugar. But, adding merely three years old Juliette to the mix was a bit more of a question. The more I considered the possibility the more I realized how much we relied on sugar to get all of us including her, through the day. “Get in the car and we can go get ice cream.” “Please be quiet and you can have this cookie”. UGH! What if we didn’t have sugar to even offer her? At the very least we would have to figure something else out. Right?!

So, I had a chit-chat with Juliette a few days before we started the challenge and we discussed what contained sugar, what did not and why we needed a break. I still wondered the best strategy for those times when she is offered candy. Man, people love giving kids candy! And I am totally not talking about strange creepy men pulling over in vans. Rather, I am talking about her dance teacher or the super cute nice guys at the liquor store who are so charmed by her patience as I search through Argentine wines. Considering the teeny-tiny lollipop they all love giving her, I was fine discussing with her that they do have sugar in them, but still letting her have them since it was a gift from a nice person. The last thing I need to do is give her some crazy disfunction where sugar becomes the forbidden fruit that she has to devour in hysteria. Growing up in a semi-hippie style, I have seen this happen and it ain’t pretty. A casual lollipop sends the message that this is a real rarity and not a daily treat. And most importantly, Mama doesn’t eat them or give them to her. Only nice random *trusted* people do. UGH. Oh- the challenges of raising children… in this sugar obsessed family society we live in.

Overall, we all seem to be doing well with the challenge. If anything, Juliette’s 1-2 times per week lollipop may put her in the category of cheating less than the adults who, I swear, are even more exposed to sugar outside the home. I just found out about how Lulu  (aka Sharon, my fabulous Mother-in-Law) cheated a bit with a bite of brownie as she wrote in her blog. Of course, she says nice things about me, so I forgive. And Xerxes also seems to bump into the challenge more frequently than Juliette and I do. Although, I did eat a few dried apricots recently at a friend’s house. They were damn good. I can’t wait to get back to eating those.

The other challenge of the challenge was finding a challenge that we could actually swallow. (Challenging sentence, eh? Oh, this is out of control. I’ll stop.)

There was one big and popular sugar challenge that has a slight Palio twist to it, but they appeared to allow a few non-sugar sweeteners such as Xylitol and Stevia. I don’t eat those really normally, we are more into honey & maple syrup as sweeteners, but my focus for this challenge was to really say good-bye to sweetness for awhile, including the arguably natural ones.

The popular challenge also said no fruit. I completely understand giving up juice and dried fruit as they have been processed and no longer contain the fiber or juice that aid in digesting them, but giving up fresh, nutrient packed whole fruit seemed silly to me. Especially for a toddler and nursing mother. Lulu and I found other challenges and decided to mix the best of all of them into our own challenge that we would do as a family for six weeks. We saw them ranging from 21 days to 8 weeks, which made 6 weeks seem rational.

Here are the basics:

No More: 
Sugar or processed syrups
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Honey
Agave Nectar
Natural or scary artificial sweeteners
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Juice

Okay, in moderation:
Whole Fruit
Alcohol
Frozen Fruit & berries

Fresh fruit has been getting us through the tough days when our inner voice whines for sweetness. For the photo above, we simply whipped cream with a splash of almond extract and piled it high with sliced Colorado peaches. Delight.

After writing this post, Juliette, Xerxes, and I went to a birthday party. The Mom, a dear friend makes beautiful healthy cuisine and knows how to splurge to make a gorgeous dessert. We couldn’t resist and had to eat the Lemon Cake. It was heavenly, because let’s face it, when sugar is given a dose of time and love it can be out of this world. It did taste incredibly sweet, but if I had to cheat, it would only be with something so lovely and divine. Today is exactly half way through. I am looking forward to getting back on track with the challenge. Honestly, today’s experience made me aware that maybe as a family we could collectively give up sugar within these walls, but still make cookies for a friend who needs cheering up or enjoy a treat that is given to celebrate a year of living!

We shall see where this challenge takes us. So far so good!

Cheers,

Lilly

I’ve been checking on our stores from the garden this week.  Potatoes, parsnips and apples have moved to the downstairs fridge, garlic, onions and shallots are in our cool basement, winter squash is in a large pile in the kitchen serving the dual purpose of decoration and dinner, and popcorn has been taken off the cob and is dry enough for popping.  I’m debating whether to harvest the carrots now before this next storm or just keep digging them up as we need them.  I also finally got the garlic into the garden and covered it over with dried up parsnip greens to wait for springtime sprouting. We are bringing things indoors and getting ready for the cold months ahead.

During the summer our energy is all about the external.  We run fast, play outdoors, soak up sun and eat fresh, light foods.  As the light fades and we move towards winter solstice, our energy moves inwards.  We reconnect with activities that require more mental focus such as work and school.  Autumn is a season of Gathering–bring our harvest in and bring our energies in so we have sustenance for the cold months ahead.

Autumn holidays are wonderful expressions of what we experience during this season.
With Thanksgiving coming up this week, we are reminded of the importance of being with our loved ones.  We are making plans to gather together, reconnect, and rekindle the human relationships that support us through the winter.  And there is no better showcase for the foods of the season than Thanksgiving.  You need look no further to get an intuitive feeling for fall support foods than your menu for dinner this Thursday.

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As I have mentioned in other posts, the primary systems that need support in the fall are the immunity and upper respiratory system.  Coming back indoors and spending more time in close quarters with people means that colds, flus, and other infections become far more common.  Beets and crucifers help to detoxify the system, and apples and pears contain pectins that improve elimination. These both help the body can fight infection more effectively.  Onions and garlic are highly antimicrobial.  Mushrooms boost the activity of immune cells.  And winter squash and sweet potatoes are warming to the system.  Also, don’t forget the spices of the season:  ginger, cinnamon, allspice, and cloves all improve circulation and the movement of lymph to quickly resolve colds and flus.

One last thing to remember is the star of the Thanksgiving show: the bird.  If you have the good fortune to end up with a turkey carcass, put it to good use!  Bone broths are an excellent support for the immune system.  All of our blood cells including our immune cells are manufactured in the marrow of our bones.  When we boil the bones of an animal (be it beef, chicken, turkey, or whatever mammal you happen to be eating) we mobilize those immune cell making parts of the animal and can consume them to nourish our own immunity.

Whatever your traditions are, enjoy this great festival this week and enjoy the opportunity to give yourself what is needed during this season: community and immunity.
Happy Thanksgiving!

zucchini love

What can I say about zucchini that hasn’t already been said?  Lilly asked me to write an article this week about how this vegetable is life-saving.  Nothing so humble as delicious, or even health promoting, but jumped-in-front-of-a-car-took-a-bullet-for-me life saving.  I can’t wait to hear what she has to say about it.

I’ll be honest; I was only able to come up with a couple life-saving instances that might involve these humble yet massive giants coming out of my garden right now.  The first was as a raft in case of flood.  I’m pretty sure these babies would float and could at least take my kids to safety if I lashed a couple together and tied my kids to the top.  Given that it’s a drought year though, pretty unlikely.  The second was as a weapon in case of attack: something that large and heavy could probably inflict some pretty good blunt force trauma.  Also, however, not highly likely, though I wish I could find some way for them to act as a watchdog to prevent the death of all the chard in my garden from foraging deer.

Effects of such erection-aiding medicine last for long hours which sildenafil generic from canada are 36 hours. Today, you can easily get rid of purchase viagra without prescription this trouble as soon as possible. online prescription for cialis It is like asking someone to sleep with you on the right track towards starting a family. Gillespie admonishes: “Currently, when a recount is conducted in any IVF clinic in Mumbai. generic levitra pills I do, however, find zucchini to be incredibly life-affirming.  There is something so satisfying about walking out to the garden and peeking under the leaves to find that yesterday’s 6-inch cutie has grown into an 18-inch 5 pound behemoth overnight.  It is as if mother nature has taken the essence of summer in all its luscious vitality and made zucchini its metaphor: growth and energy on flamboyant display.  When we are deep in winter and the ground is bare, I dream of zucchini (and tomatoes, but that is a whole other story.)  Specifically, I dream of ½ inch thick, 5 inch diameter slices, dipped in egg, then into a mixture of parmesan and almond flour, then pan fried in olive oil.  A simple dream, but one that carries me through.

Not to say that I’m not baffled like everyone else with what to do with all that darn zucchini.  Those two in the picture are still sitting on my table waiting for all the zucchini in the drawer to get used up.  We’ve had those fritters I just mentioned three times in the past week, along with zucchini bread, zucchini soup, zucchini stir fry, zucchini salad–no recipe calling for under 3 cups of zucchini accepted.  Tonight we’re having zucchini pancakes for dinner. (and here’s a great top 10 list from the blog 5 Second Rule on what to do with all your zucchini)  I’ve heard you can shred and freeze it but who the heck wants six month old frozen squash shreds in mid january?

So, just as I’m not going to be carefully packing away my zucchini for another day, we will be living the metaphor of summer abundance with our squash for the next few weeks.  I don’t expect my zucchini to untie me from the train tracks, but it is a daily reminder right there on my plate to soak up the summer right now while it’s here.

Here in Colorado we’re not quite ready for harvest!

I was leading a medicinal plant walk today through the woods next to my daughter’s school, and one of the kids asked me “what’s the difference between a food and a medicine?”  Ah, I love it when people ask the right question!  In summary, especially when we’re talking about plants the basic difference is that you’re probably not going to be able to make a salad out of a medicinal plant because the chemical constituents are concentrated enough that if you eat enough of it to get caloric benefit it will be either too strong a taste or not good for you.  Another girl then asked the perfect follow-up question: “but can a plant be a food AND a medicine?”

Well of course.  There would be no use for this website otherwise, now would there?  So let’s talk today about one of my favorite medicinal foods; strawberries.  In my line of work, I get to see a good portion of what’s out there on the natural supplement market, either in my own research or through patients, friends, and acquaintances who share their favorites.  Of all the products I see, especially on the multilevel marketing lines, I most frequently see powders and drinks boasting that they contain “superfoods” that have such high concentrations of bioflavonoids just a shot a day will cure heart disease, prevent cancer, reverse diabetes and keep you endlessly young.

Mostly the superfoods in the products mentioned above are deep red and purple berries and fruits from foreign lands.  They do, no doubt, contain high level of antioxidant flavonoids, and these types of chemicals are extremely important for maintaining healthy artery walls and preventing reversing cellular and DNA damage that can lead to cancers.  However, we have super foods that are fresh and locally grown, often right here in our backyard.
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Strawberries are our first berries of the season here in North America, and they contain some of the highest concentration of bioflavonoids of any fruit in the world.  They often top the list of anticancer foods, and the anthocyanadins have been shown to be good at reducing inflammation and pain.  Because they have such high vitamin C content, it is best to eat them fresh and raw to maintain optimal nutritional value.

I do have to point out though, strawberries are one food that I highly recommend eating organic.  Strawberries are highly susceptible to mold and pests, so there are many possible pesticides and fungicides that may be used on strawberries.  Local strawberries are even better, because once they are on the truck, there will be an antifungal “bomb” released in the truck to keep them fresh for transport.  Some good news on this front is that just this March a commonly used pesticide, metlyl iodide, was pulled from the market for use in California.  Methyl iodide is a potent neurotoxin that has been shown to inhibit brain and nerve development for fetuses and young children.  Even so, strawberries are always on the list of the “dirty dozen” because over 60 possible chemicals are used in conventional production.

So, happy late spring to you–enjoy our first fruit of the season!  How lucky for us that we have strawberries as food, as medicine, as our very own superfood.