You've all most likely eaten cabbage in some form over your years as it is found everywhere, but did you know it's been around for over about 6,000 years?  In the history of food and in ancient and medieval traditions, cabbage has been there.  And for good reason - Whether you like the taste of cabbages and its cousins, the way you prepare them makes all the difference in taste!  Why are they called crucifers or cruciferous vegetables?  They have cross shaped flowers the plant produces in order to reproduce.  And what vegetables qualify as crucifers?  Direct descendants of wild cabbage, the main species are broccoli, cauliflower, Brussels Sprouts, kale...and now turnips, mustard sprouts, arugula and radishes as well. Humans domesticated cabbage about 4,000 years ago and they then produced their culinary preferences for their region, mostly in Europe and the Mediterranean.

Now studies have been showing that cruciferous vegetables are among the main sources of anti cancer properties that can be experienced by eating fruits and vegetables.  It has been found that eating these amazing veggies regularly have been linked with a lower risk of several cancers including bladder, breast, lung, gastrointestinal, and prostate. Whether in reducing the risk of cancer and providing protection, they also are observed in reducing chances of any recurrence as well.  These veggies also have the most significant amount of phytochemical compounds that have anti-cancer effects.  Their glucosinolates, (plant chemicals)release two classes of compounds called isothiocyanates and indoles.  These both have very anticancer activities and the process of chewing the veggies crushes the plant cells and mixes up the various compartments in the cells that are normally separated from each other.  The glucosinolates that were stored in one compartment of broccoli cells are then exposed to an enzyme called myrosinase.  The main isothiocyanate, glucorphanin, suddently finds itself in the presence of myrosinase and immediately turns into sulforaphane, a powerful anti- cancer molecule.  What an amazing veggie, and effect that can happen just by chewing the vegetables!  

One thing to remember, though, is that these compounds are very soluble in water, so cooking crucifers in large amount of water for just 10 minutes cuts the quantity of glucosinolates in half so you might want to avoid that cooking process.  The activity is also sensitive to heat, so prolonged cooking also reduces the effect of the enzyme.  So the message here is to get the most positive effects is to cook those crucifers as little as possible, and in a minimum amount of water.  Steaming or stir frying them is a good option.  Avoid frozen cruciferous veggies as the blanching process reduces the enzyme activity.  OR, there is another option I share below!

Another method besides eating these veggies raw to preserve these beneficial chemicals, is to chop your broccoli, kale, Brussels sprouts, collard and cauliflower first and then wait 40 minutes, and you can then cook them!  The sulforaphane is already made and the enzyme has done its job in that time.  Another option, is to sprinkle some mustard powder on your broccoli even after its heat processed as this significantly increases the formation of sulforaphane according to researchers from the University of Reading.  And it doesn't take much to make a difference!  Try adding just 1/4 teaspoon to a couple servings of broccoli and that will be enough!  You could also add daikon radish, horseradish or wasabi - all cruciferous veggies packed with the enzyme and that would work as well!  They found that even a quarter teaspoon of Daikon radish for seven cups of broccoli did the trick!  AND adding a small amount of fresh greens to your cooked greens will work as well as the fresh greens have the enzyme myrosinase that can go to work on the cooked greens!  Talk about amazing!  
The sulforaphane activity is important as it seems to act directly on cancer cells and cause their death by triggering the apoptosis (cell suicide) process and speeds up the body's elimination of toxic substances as well.  There are also other plant chemicals that are beneficial for the body including the indole-3-carbinols that are also cancer preventative and show an impact on estrogen metabolism.  Just SO many reasons to load up on those cruciferous veggies EVERY DAY!  If you would like some yummy recipes and ideas on how to prepare them, just let me know!  Join into my plant based meal prep/cooking classes that are now online to learn more as well!  Enjoy!  

There are so many different eating styles out there right now.  So how to you know which one is best for YOU?  Well, it depends on what your objectives and your motivation are for eating a certain way, of course.  Could it be that you are interested in losing some pounds?  Reducing and or eliminating a health issue or challenge?  Prevention of illness and disease?  Maybe just because you want more energy and clarity?  Or because someone you know is raving about a certain way of eating.  Whatever it is for you, getting a clear vision of what you are working towards, and what you will be successful at integrating into YOUR life is what will keep you motivated and set yourself up for success for a lifestyle change in your eating style.  That's what we should be working towards anyway, right?  Here is some important info on why....
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No, don't tell me you are still working on dieting?!  Those have been proven to start and then end, usually with results you weren't looking for....Changes in your blood markers such as stress on your kidneys or liver, feeling deprived and eating what you have been depriving yourself of with wild abandon, yo-yo weight fluctuations and more.  Whatever you do, it has to be sustainable, make you feel energetic and motivated, easy to integrate into your life depending on your schedule as well as work with your family situation and dynamics.  And wouldn't it be best if it also was an eating style that actually protected your health at the same time?  Win-Win!  
We can deep dive into some of the popular "diets" and eating styles of 2019 but this article is about inspiring you and hopefully educating you about why there is a huge RISE in the interest of whole food plant based diets.  This will be a huge trend for 2020, and probably (hopefully) beyond that as well.  Ok, I'm not saying you have to be totally vegetarian, or even Vegan.
Phew....Can you relax and take a deep breath?  
What I AM saying is to stop here, take a look at the reasons WHY to incorporate more of those amazing plant foods into your daily diet (lifestyle) and learn some reasons why this might be a good thing for you.  We can all say we are more opt to do something consistently if we have in our minds the reasons why to make it happen, and find an easy way to integrate that into our busy lives as well, right?
What if I told you adding more of those plant foods could assist you in prevention and management of diabetes and insulin resistance (any type of sugar balancing actually), prevention of heart disease, reducing blood pressure, prevention of cancer, reduced risk of overall death?  Would that be enough for you?  Maybe, maybe not....Depends again on your overall motivation, actually....
How about if you knew that regular ingestion of red meat, eggs, poultry and even fish can change the composition of your gut bacteria.  Your gut bacteria processes foods that contain choline and  turns them into something called TMA (Trimethylamine) and the liver converts that to something called TMAO, which is nasty stuff according to some, and studies have shown that elevated levels of TMAO directly contributes to the narrowing of artery walls through plague build up - Not such a good thing to have happen!  TMI?
Here is a link to learn more about the growing research.  https://www.health.harvard.edu/staying-healthy/red-meat-tmao-and-your-heart

The therapeutic potential of many plants does date back to ancient times as well.  Research has shown in recent years that a large number of plants that are part of our daily diets (Only if we choose them to be!), are exceptional sources of those molecules that have the ability to interfere with some of the processes at work in cancer development as well.  This means that those plant foods you ingest have the potential to interrupt the essential stage of the development of disease, like a switch -  once its turned off, they can prevent disease from developing.  
Plus, some of the amazing benefits of a plant based diet are also lowering cholesterol, blood pressure, increasing energy levels, decreases stress on the body, improves mood and mental clarity, and it's also more environmentally friendly....What's not to like?!  More on that later.....
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Ready to give it a try?  At least start by cutting back on red meat, eggs, poultry....
Find ways to add more veggies, and fruits - even herbs, into your meals!  Add maybe two more servings (one full cup) of each per day and start there!  Need recipes and inspiration?  Just reach out - Maybe join my upcoming Whole Food plant based immersion program - And it's online!  Let's do this!  


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​Stress adaptation?  How do we do that?
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What kind of stress do you experience?  It could be mental/emotional stress, or physical stress?  The word stress has been used as a way to describe a process of adaptation to the circumstances in which we live and how we are successful at adjusting to those conditions that are always changing created by the world around us.  The problem lies in that fact that there are ALWAYS things happening in our lives, and in the world that can cause a reaction of stress and anxiety in the body.  Our life skills at adapting to those stressors are usually not sufficient and we suffer adverse effects to the tune of 75-90% of all visits to physicians being related to that stress response.  You could experience headaches, heart disease, immune deficiencies, anxiety disorders, digestive disorders, sugar imbalances, dizziness and much more!  I've been there and my guess is that most of you have as well!  We even cause our own stress due to faulty perceptions!  If you can control internal conversations so that the disjointed dialogue that you experience during stress and transform it into communication that becomes coherent and more in balance, you can basically tap into your own innate healing power that resides inside YOU!  Your heart has been demonstrated to have a magnetic field that is much more powerful than the brain and can influence your own brain waves as well as those individuals several feet away from you!  And your heart is the seat of your emotion rather than the brain!  Want to know more about how to work with your emotions to start working on harnessing that stress in your life?  

The statistics on mounting stress and its detrimental effect on your body, mind, emotions and health are currently shouting at us!  A Harvard study showed that people who live in a high state of anxiety are four and a half times more likely to suffer sudden cardiac death than nonanxious people and that people who are unable to effectively manage their stress have at least a 40% higher death rate than their non stressed counterparts!  Obviously, we need to look at some options for ourselves  to deal with our fast paced, stressed lifestyles!  And we would do well to work on them now instead of later - Do you agree?  
It's astounding to know that in 2002, people in the US bought nearly $17.2 BILLION worth of antidepressents and antianxiety drugs, while also spending $1.1 BILLION in the same year on just two of the major prescription sleeping pills, and over the counter brands, and seven of the top ten best selling drugs are for stress related ailments.  And the ages of people experiencing negative effects of stress are getting younger and younger as well.  What gives?
Faster communciations, constant streams of information at home, school, work.  Remember what I said about your emotions and your heart and how this magnetic field can influence those around you?  What about others broadcasting their stress through there own reactions, energies and words - Everyone, including yourself, can feel it and be influenced by it all as well.  And the stress can be somewhat addicting as well!  We have all become accustomed to the stimulation of stress and the ongoing tension, stress, worry  - So much so that they seem to be normal these days!  Stayed tuned for the next blog article about solutions!  Breathe and give me a call to chat more about some easy solutions for YOU TODAY! I've been there too and its a constant awareness to work on that balance! 
​ Namaste....Elaine  760-845-9459  [email protected]

This is the time of year when we increase our intake of those sweets and snacks as we move into the holidays.  
We have an epidemic of blood sugar balancing issues in America for various reasons, and mostly due to our diets including excess sugars consumed in so many of our foods, and hidden in places you wouldn't expect (Watch the documentary "Fed up!").

Imagine a healthy, happy work force that feels management cares! Sick days are rare; personality conflicts and workers compensation claims rarer still. Your workplace vibrates with happy, healthy, appreciated employees and your business grows due to their positive impact.

You drive it everywhere.  In fact, you can’t imagine how you would get through your day without it – work, errands, picking up the kids, getting to the grocery store, etc…

As you are driving your car, time slips by and you never get around to changing the oil, wiper blades or other maintenance like you should.  Since money doesn’t grow on trees, you are economical about the gas you buy, finding the lowest price – after all, in our area we have some of the highest prices in the nation.

Just what is this so called locavore  or localvore movement and what does that mean to me?!

Actually, this word was word of the year in 2007 in the Oxford American Dictionary!  It was created by Jessica Prentice of the San Francisco Bay area at the time of the World Environment Day in 2005.