Showing posts with label Food. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Food. Show all posts

July 17, 2012

Are you Alkaline?

So I woke up today to find this in my news feed on Facebook, obviously I read the entire thing before I even got out of bed.  This is info I've been reading more and more about as of late and so I did a little research today... Here's 3 lists I came up with (and by I, I do mean the internet):

"Alkaline Foods List: Foods to Eat Freely..."*

This an Alkaline Foods List Showing Alkaline "Ash"
"Ash" is a term used to describe the waste product of certian foods after it has been metabolized through the digestive tract.


The following is a list of common foods with an approximate, relative potential of acidity (-) or alkalinity (+), as present in one ounce of food.
Vegetables
Brussels Sprouts +0.5 Barley Grass +28.1 White Beans (Navy Beans) +12.1
Peas, Ripe +0.5 Soy Sprouts +29.5 Granulated Soy (Cooked
Asparagus +1.3 Sprouted Radish Seeds +28.4 Ground Soy Beans) +12.8
Comfrey +1.5 Sprouted Chia Seeds +28.5 Soy Nuts (soaked Soy Beans
Green Cabbage, March Harvest +2.0 Alfalfa Grass +29.3 Then Air Dried) +26.5
Lettuce +2.2 Cucumber, Fresh +31.5 Soy Lecithin (Pure) +38.0
Onion +3.0 Wheat Grass +33.8
Cauliflower +3.1
Nuts
White Cabbage +3.3
Root Vegetables
Almonds +3.6
Green Cabbage, White Raddish (Spring) +3.1
December Harvest +4.0 Rutabaga +3.1
Seeds
Savoy Cabbage +4.5 Kohlrabi +5.1 Sesame Seeds +0.5
Lamb's Lettuce +4.8 Horseradish +6.8 Cumin Seeds +1.1
Peas, Fresh +5.1 Turnip +8.0 Fennel Seeds +1.3
Zucchini +5.7 Carrot +9.5 Caraway Seeds +2.3
Red Cabbage +6.3 Beet +11.3
Rhubarb Stalks +6.3 Red Radish +16.7
Fats (Fresh, Cold-Pressed Oils)
Leeks (Bulbs) +7.2 Summer Black Radish +39.4 Olive Oil +1.0
Watercress +7.7 Borage Oil +3.2
Spinach, March Harvest +8.0
Fruits
Flax Seed Oil +3.5
Chives +8.3 Limes +8.2 Evening Primrose Oil +4.1
French Cut Green Beans +11.2 Fresh Lemon +9.9 Marine Lipids +4.7
Sorrel +11.5 Tomato +13.6
Spinach (Other Than March) +13.1 Avocado (Protein) +15.6
Water
Garlic +13.2 Spring, Mineral, or
Celery +13.3
Non-Stored Organic
Ionized Water varies
Cabbage Lettuce, Fresh +14.1
Grains And Legumes
Coconut Water +9.04
Endive, Fresh +14.5 Buckwheat Groats +0.5
Cayenne Pepper +18.8 Spelt +0.5
Straw Grass +21.4 Lentils +0.6
Shave Grass +21.7 Soy Flour +2.5
Dog Grass +22.6 Tofu +3.2
Dandelion +22.7 Lima Beans +12.0
Kamut Grass +27.6 Soybeans, Fresh +12.0




"Alkaline Foods: Foods to Eat Sparringly*...

This a Chart of Food "Ash" pH

"Ash" is a term used to describe the waste product of certian foods after it has been metabolized through the digestive tract.


The following is a list of common foods with an approximate, relative potential of acidity (-) or alkalinity (+), as present in one ounce of food.

Fish
Non-Stored Grains
Fresh Water Fish -11.8 Brown Rice -12.5
Wheat -10.1
Fruits
(In Season, For Cleansing Only
Nuts and Seeds
Or With Moderation) Wheat Kernel -11.4
Rose Hips -15.5 Walnuts -8.0
Pineapple -12.6 Pumpkin Seeds -5.6
Mandarin Orange -11.5 Sunflower Seeds -5.4
Bananna, Ripe -10.1 Macadamia Nuts -3.2
Pear -9.9 Hazelnuts -2.0
Peach -9.7 Flax Seeds -1.3
Apricot -9.5 Brazil Nuts -0.5
Papaya -9.4
Orange -9.2
Fats
Mango -8.7 Sunflower Oil -6.7
Tangerine -8.5 Coconut Milk -1.5
Currant -8.2                                  
Gooseberry, Ripe -7.7
Grape, Ripe -7.6
Cranberry -7.0
Black Currant -6.1
Strawberry -5.4
Blueberry -5.3
Rasberry -5.1
Yellow Plum -4.9
Italian Plum -4.9
Date -4.7
Cherry, Sweet -3.6
Cantaloupe -2.5
Red Currant -2.4
Fig Juice Powder -2.4
Grapefruit -1.7
Watermelon -1.0
Coconut, Fresh +0.5
Cherry, Sour +3.5
Bananna, Unripe +4.8



"Acidic Foods: These are Regarded As Acid Foods That Make You Fat and Tired."

Food "Ash" pH Chart*

The following is a list of common foods with an approximate, relative potential of acidity (-) or alkalinity (+), as present in one ounce of food
Foods You Should Never Eat!
Root Vegetables
Sweets
Stored Potatoes +2.0 Artificial Sweetners -26.5
Chocolate -24.6
Meat, Poultry, And Fish
White Sugar -17.6
Pork -38.0 Beet Sugar -15.1
Veal -35.0 Molasses -14.6
Beef -34.5 Dr. Bronner's Barley
Ocean Fish -20.0 Malt Sweetner -9.8
Chicken (to -22) -18.0 Dried Sugar Cane Juice
Eggs (to -22) -18.0 (Sucanat) -9.6
Oysters -5.0 Barley Malt Syrup -9.3
Liver -3.0 Fructose -9.5
Organ Meats -3.0 Milk Sugar -9.4
Turbinado Sugar -9.5
Milk And Milk Products
Brown Rice Syrup -8.7
Hard Cheese -18.1 Honey -7.6
Quark -17.3
Cream -3.9
Condiments
Homogenized Milk -1.0 Ketchup -12.4
Buttermilk +1.3 Mayonaise -12.5
Mustard -19.2
Bread, Biscuits
Soy Sauce -36.2
(Stored Grains/Risen Dough)
Vinegar -39.4
White Bread -10.0
White Biscuit -6.5
Beverages
Whole-Meal Bread -6.5 Liquor -38.7
Whole-Grain Bread -4.5 Wine -16.4
Rye Bread -2.5 Beer -26.8
Coffee -25.1
Nuts
Fruit Juice, Packaged, Natural -8.7
Pistachios -16.6 Fruit Juice Sweetened With
Peanuts -12.8 White Sugar -33.6
Cashews -9.3 Tea (Black) -27.1
Fats
Miscellaneous
Margarine -7.5 Canned Foods
Corn Oil -6.5 Processed Foods
Butter -3.9 Microwaved Foods



So... I want to hear your thoughts on this.  Can food prevent disease?  Can it kill cancer?  Are we being told things that aren't true when it comes to our health?  What do you think? 














































July 12, 2012

Asking for help...

We spent the evening driving around North Vancouver to go to local businesses to see if they would donate anything for the fundraiser I'm doing.  I'm looking for anything they can donate for a raffle that will be done at the car wash/bottle drive for Chelsea next weekend (you can read about Chelsea here and watch her story in the news here).  We hit up about 20 places including Restaurants, pubs, a spa and Canadian Tire asking for anything they can donate to us.  We are going to do a minimum $5 donation for a car wash with the option of donating more to get tickets in our raffle ($10 = 3 tix, $15 = 5 tix and $20 = 10 tix).  I'm hoping to raise around $10,000 for Chelsea and her family through this event and to be honest, I'm getting a little stressed out over the whole thing.  It's turned into a pretty big event with news teams planning to be there, newspapers advertising for the event and even the amount of people on Facebook getting involved - it's pretty overwhelming.  If there is anyone out there reading this that wants to volunteer time or donate anything, please get in contact with me, it would be greatly appreciated. =)

Now onto some food!

Since we left as soon as we got home from work today, we ate on the run.  Jeff ate Burger King (yuck) and I ate Subway.  My sandwich had no cheese (it's processed), no meat (I'm a vegetarian), no salt (It's in everything, why add more), and a bunch of veggies.  I know these veggies were picked awhile ago and have no nutrition because I'm already hungry.  I can eat a fresh salad with no bread or anything BUT veggies and be full for 6-7 hours, but the Subway left me feeling hungry an hour after I ate it.  This, to me, is the same as eating McDonalds.  I just got NOTHING but empty calories and zero vitamins from my "healthy choice" dinner and that means Subway is now banned.

It's funny how you don't notice these things until you start paying attention.  I've started paying attention to my body, my moods and how food makes me feel. 

After my post yesterday about the food that the world throws away I need to make some serious changes to what I eat and where I get it from.  The most difficult thing about wanting to do this is Jeff.  He couldn't care less about any of this and that is effecting the respect that I have for him.  How can he listen to the things that I'm telling him and still not care about anyone or anything but himself?  I get that bacon tastes good, but do you know what goes into that bacon you insist on eating?  Preservatives.  Do you know how that pig was raised?  How he/she was treated?  What he/she was fed?  What penicillin they gave him/her?  How he/she was killed?  How scared he/she was when he/she was killed?  How can you care so little about your body and health and care so little about the life that you are eating?  I just can't stomach a person that is given this information and still only cares about them self.

I want to plant a garden and have chickens in my backyard so I can have fresh eggs, I want to shop at local farmers markets and use home made products.  I didn't realize how hard it would be to share a life with someone that doesn't.

July 11, 2012

Food waste and other fun things that make me sick

OK, I knew we threw away food (and by "we" I mean us rich nations), but I didn't know HOW much... Take a look at these.

The one that got me was the bread one... I mean, who doesn't eat the ends of their bread?!  What a waste!  AND WHY ISN'T THIS GOING TO THE FOOD BANK?  There are people starving in the city I live in - let alone entire nations in other parts of the world - why isn't this food going to help feed people that can't afford to feed themselves?  Why is it OK to throw away perfectly good food because it doesn't look right?

I did a quick google to find out more about why we throw away so much food and found this video.

One of the things that got me was food that had travelled 10,000 km from Kenya only to be thrown away.  Think of the water that was wasted on watering it, the fuel used to get them there and the food that could have fed a hungry person.

Why is this OK?  How can I help put a stop to it?  How can I make my voice heard? 

About 3 years ago I started doing research on food and what it can or can't do for you, I had no idea what went into the food I was eating.  I slowly started to cook at home more and to try and eat more plants then from cans, bottles and boxes (nasty processed food).  Last March I started to cut out meat by making more vegetarian choices when I was cooking or eating out.  Last August a baby cow licked my hand at the PNE and it was then that I stopped eating them.  I have started learning more about the meat industry and what exactly goes into this diet that the western world has developed; I don't like it.  Factory farms, sick animals that live in pure hell and are slaughtered in unimaginable ways.  Chickens that never see the light of day and cows that are feed corn simply to make them bigger in a faster amount of time so they produce more meat - even though it's not what their diet should be - just so companies can make more money off them.  These cows are standing on piles of their own shit (and guess what shit causes?  E-coli!  That's where all the fun outbreaks are coming from.  Here's what's happening today down in Ohio.  The cow shit runs into the water that then runs down into crops spreading E-coli everywhere.  Yum)!  After watching Food Inc. I can honestly tell you that I will never eat meat again and I decided to start going to Farmers markets instead of always going to Safeway, but I still go to Safeway.  How do I tie all this together?  How do I "vote" for food that is actually good for me?  How do I "vote" for food that doesn't come from a company that is throwing away so much food simply because it doesn't look right?  Where do I go to get these things in my neighbourhood?  I want organic, natural, healthy, fresh vegetables and fruit that I can grab on my way home from work everyday so I don't throw out "bad food".  I guess I have some research to do.

If you haven't seen Food Inc. I think you should watch it, it's an eye opener (I've watched it twice... Just to make sure I never wanted to eat meat again).  I found this and this (have I mentioned how much I LOVE Bill Maher before?) which are 2 interviews with Michael Pollan (the dude that made Food Inc) and he has some good stuff so check them out right now before you watch Food Inc in the next few days (trust me, watch it).

I'm off to research where I can get local, organic food from a source that doesn't waste.  Wish me luck!

July 10, 2012

Life without "Boob" is good

I'm a happy camper this week cause my boss (or as I call him "Boob" or "The bain of my existence") is away alllll week long.  I can actually do MY work as opposed to his little tasks (like planning his dental appointments or setting up his and his wife's new iPhones for an entire day).  So I've been getting my stuff done and it feels great to not be behind.  This also means I can show up when I want and leave when I want because there really isn't that much to do at this time of year so I can get my stuff done in about 2 hours.

I also planned my meals today for work!  In the morning I had 600ml of water with about a tablespoon of cayenne pepper and half a lemon squeezed in, I highly recommend the cayenne pepper and lemon water in the mornings! On the days that I do it, I honestly feel great.  I got the idea from a Facebook group I'm in Called Health Motivation that a very good friend of mine started for people to share food and exercise tips and to help motivate each other, I've found it very helpful (you can see it here).  For lunch I had one of my salads with my home made dressing.  I wasn't hungry at dinner time so I went for a walk with my friend and our mutts (another beautiful night) and when I got home I made myself a grilled cheese sandwich - I know!  So bad.

I find I eat better at work... does anyone else find that?  Why do my habits get unhealthy when I'm at home?

How lazy are you?

It's funny how much writing some of this has made me think.  Jeff and I used to go for months without grocery shopping (yes, I said MONTHS).  We would go out for literally every single meal.  It scares me to think of the sodium we put into our bodies, but that's the laziness problem that we have.  Sure, we are active with our dog and we are outside whenever we can be, but it's easier to go to the local pub for lunch or dinner then to buy food, cook it and clean up after it.  I can't tell you how many times we have gone grocery shopping and then watched food go bad because we were to lazy to cook it.  I've been reading a lot of these "health blogs" lately and they are all about exercise and eating properly, but I don't think going for a walk or eating veggies is what people have a hard time doing.  The hard part is all the work that goes into eating a vegetable; go to the store, buy it, take it home, prepare it, eat it and clean up after it.  Why do all that when you can go out and eat or eat a hand full of cookies.  I bet everyone would eat healthy if an organic meal was prepared for them every night so they didn't have to do any of the work that goes into one.  How can we strive for that?

Here's what I find has been working for us:

Lately I've been stopping off at the grocery store on my way home from work to pick up fresh veggies and fruit for the evening and into the next days breakfast and lunch.  I only buy enough for the next 24 hours so it's fresh and it doesn't sit in my fridge.  We have done a big shop at the beginning of each of the last 2 months to stock up on things that (are bad for you) don't go bad in a matter of days.  We freeze bread and any meat we buy (for Jeff, not me as I'm a vegetarian), get our canned tomatoes, soup stock, crackers, things that can last longer then a few days we then buy anything else as we go.  I've found it to work for us as the fresh stuff is always fresh.

Try stocking up on basics for your freezer, fridge and cupboard that won't go bad in a matter of days.  Cooking won't seem overwhelming if there is a deadline on your food.  Then slowly start buying a few veggies on your way home to make yourself something.  I almost always make enough for lunch the next day so I can kill 2 birds with one stone.  Let Me know if this works for you.

July 9, 2012

Monday isn't so bad



Hello!

Hope you weekend was as EPIC as mine!  Summer finally showed up here in Vancouver and I did my first lake swim of the year yesterday.  My new favorite lake is Lavette Lake up in Squamish; it’s the perfect temperature, it’s surrounded by glaciers, there are very few people up there (the road isn’t an easy one)and there’s a rock in the middle of it that you can swim out to and jump off.  It’s paradise.

I must now admit to the beer and Jack Daniels I drank on Saturday night (I was camping! That makes it OK, right?!)  I try not to worry about what I eat on the weekends, because they are my weekends and I try not to worry or stress about anything.  So I usually just take them as they go, sometimes I eat healthy and sometimes I drink beer and eat cupcakes at a birthday camping event.

I will say this though: Swimming around in a lake for 6 hours will burn some calories.

On to today’s food!  I had a breakfast sandwich from the cafe downstairs from my office as I decided sleep was more important last night and this morning then planning any meals, so here’s what it had on it: veggies, cheese and egg on a bun with butter.  Meh… I got a lot of exercise over the weekend.

Lunch Time!!
One of my most favorite restaurants is Bandidas on Commercial Drive and 12th (This might be why I moved to Commercial and 13th).  They do organic/vegetarian/vegan Mexican food!  It’s unreal how good it is and I eat there all the time.  Today I had a “Connie’s Burrito” with Walnuts ground, apple salsa , cheese & roasted red pepper sauce. The burrito also has purple cabbage & pinto beans. And to drink?  Water.

 Great food!!

This is a MUST TRY restaurant.  Trust me.  If you like goat cheese, you can get that in the burrito instead AND like I said, if you’re a vegan – they got that covered too!  Yum!

I already know what I’m having for dinner… SALAD while I sit in the sun in the back yard with my fur babies.  And is there anyone that would like to join me for a walk around Trout Lake with my pooch after dinner?  Jeff is at work tonight and doesn’t get home till 8:30.  It’s 5km from my house, around the lake twice and back again.

Hey!  I can tell you how I figured that out!  There’s an app for that!  I use Endomondo.  It tracks how far you went, at what speed, at what incline and you can choose the type of exercise you are doing (walking, running, bike riding etc) you can follow friends and try and beat their records, set a goal or use another users route.  It tells you the calories you have burned too and stores your history.

Todays food (July 6)

I should tell you what I ate today…

I woke up and added a little over a table spoon of cayenne pepper and half a squeezed lemon to 20 oz of water. 


Why?


My favorite is this:

13. Possible Anti-Cancer Agent

Studies done at the Loma Linda University in California found that cayenne pepper can prevent lung cancer in smokers. This may be again related to cayenne’s high quantity of capsaicin, a substance that can stop the formation of tobacco-induced lung tumors. Other studies have also shown a similar reaction in cayenne’s ability to inhibit liver tumors.

Remember I’m terrified of cancer?  I’m having a hell of a time quitting smoking fully.  Every time I’m out with smokers or I have even a sip of beer, I must have a smoke.  It’s odd that I can go months without having one, open a bottle of beer and then immediately light up.

http://health-tipz.blogspot.ca/2009/07/25-health-benefits-of-lemon.html
May favorite is this:

4. Lemon is found to be anti-carcinogenic which lower the rates of colon, prostate, and breast cancer.
They prevent faulty metabolism in the cell, which can predispose a cell to becoming carcinogenic.
Also blocks the formation of nitrosamines in the gut.

Obviously.

For lunch I had a salad.  I could live off my salads!!  Here’s what I put in it:

Kale
Tomato
cucumber
avocado
red pepper
celery
red onion
yellow pepper
orange pepper
kidney beans
sunflower seeds
pumpkin seeds
1 clove fresh pressed garlic (yep! Raw garlic)
broccoli
Cheese (good ol’ cheddar)
I also make my own salad dressing.  I’m not to happy with the preservatives that is found in food, so I cut out as much as I can.
Here’s what’s in my dressing:
Extra virgin olive oil
white vinegar
fresh cracked pepper
basil
oregano
paprika
rosemary
and 2 (yes 2) cloves of raw garlic
It’s amazing.


Why so much garlic?

My favorite is this:

Garlic and Cancer
Current research has shown that a number of readily available foods such as garlic and onions that make up a healthy diet, actually have a major impact on cancer prevention. The protective effect of garlic seems to be greater than that of onions, even though onion consumption has been shown to reduce the risk of stomach cancer. These cancer fighting foods seem to have the ability to interfere with the development of cancerous tumors.
The October 2000 issue of the American Journal of Nutrition had a summary of a number epidemiologic studies which showed that people who consumed cooked or raw garlic on a regular basis compared to those that ate little or none had about half the risk of stomach cancer and one-third less risk of colorectal cancer.
This remarkable little bulb now tops the American National Cancer Institute’s list of potential cancer-preventative foods. It contains multiple anticancer compounds and antioxidants, more than 30 at the last count, which such powerful compounds as quercetin, diallyl sulphide,allin and ajoene. These have the ability to block cancer causing agents such as nitrosamine and aflatoxin which have been specifically linked to stomach, lung and liver cancer. Garlic’s ajoene and allicin have also been shown to retard cancer cells as a type of natural chemotherapy.
The Iowa Women’s Health Study discovered that women who included garlic in their daily diet had lower risks for colon cancer.
Meat cooked at high temperatures (well done to burnt) can produce carcinogenic (cancer producing) chemicals and research has recently discovered that when meat is cooked with garlic this effect is limited.
The ten best groups of anti-cancer foods include: berries and citrus fruits, cruciferous vegetables, garlic and onions, green tea, omega 3 essential fatty acids, olive oil, tomatoes, soy products, red wine and dark chocolate.
Disabled World – Disability News for all the Family: http://www.disabled-world.com/artman/publish/garlic-benefit.shtml#ixzz1zrz5JTVp
With my salad I’m having a can of ginger ale (No one’s perfect)

But, there is ginger in ginger ale so here's why I drink this instead of the coke I crave.

My favorite is this:

benefits of gingerGinger has been used as a natural remedy for many ailments for centuries. Now, science is catching up and researchers around the world are finding that ginger works wonders in the treatment of everything from cancer to migraines. Here are ten health benefits of this powerful herb.

Ovarian Cancer Treatment
Ginger may be powerful weapon in the treatment of ovarian cancer. A study conducted at the University of Michigan Comprehensive Cancer Center found that ginger powder induces cell death in all ovarian cancer cells to which it was applied.

Colon Cancer Prevention
A study at the University of Minnesota found that ginger may slow the growth of colorectal cancer cells.
But I’m sure you knew that.