Super Healthy Cookies

These are hands down the most delicious and nutritious cookies I have ever come across. They are actually vegan (no eggs or dairy) and use two healthy sweeteners, agave and maple syrup. They are really fantastic. The recipe was passed onto me at our lake this summer so unfortunately the original source at this point remains a mystery. Enjoy!
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2 1/4 cups organic oat flakes

2 cups spelt flour or whole wheat flour (spelt is often nutritionally superior to whole wheat as it enhances your immune functioning but using whole wheat is fine. Try and use unrefined whole wheat flour which has undergone less processing).

1/4 cup ground flax seed. Great source of omega-3

1 Tbsp ground cinnamon

2 1/4 teaspoon salt

2 tsp baking powder

1 cup pumpkin seed. High in zinc, vitamin E, protein and minerals

1 cup sunflower seeds. Also great source of vitamin E, minerals and antioxidants.

1 3/4 cup chocolate chips (or carob chips)

1/2 cup unsweetened coconut. Use unsulphured.

1 1/4 cup dried cranberries
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3/4 cup canola oil

1 cup soy milk, almond milk or plain milk

1/4 cup water

1/4 cup agave (sweetener which does not cause spike in blood sugar)

3/4 cup maple syrup. Good source of minerals.

Mix wet ingredients together, stir in dry ingredients and mix with a wooden spoon. Spoon onto greased cookie sheets (they will seem quite runny). Bake at 350 degrees for 22-24 minutes.  Check them after 20 minutes depending on the size you make.
Hope your family loves them as much as mine does!
Carrie

Probiotics

Probiotic Drinks (Photo credit: Jepster)

I am often asked about the use of probiotics so today I am going to tackle this interesting topic. Many researchers today now believe that our overall immunity begins in our GUT (intestinal tract). It is actually now thought that approximately 70% of our immunity begins in our GUT. Our intestinal tract contains what is called a “normal flora” of microorganisms which help to produce natural antibiotics. Probiotics are good bacteria that we can take orally to help keep this flora in a healthy balance. We want to keep the balance tipped in favor of the beneficial bacteria which are necessary for health instead of towards the negative bacteria which can set us up for a whole host of health problems!
Probiotics are excellent for everything from irritable bowel and chronic heartburn to the flu and cancer! Cancer patients are now even prescribed probiotics to help increase overall immunity and to help fight off carcinogenic substances we ingest such as pesticides and second hand smoke.
Also fascinating are the effects probiotics have on children. Infants are born with an essentially clean GUT and through the ingestion of breast milk (which contains prebiotics) they colonize their intestinal tracts. Formula fed infants will lack the bifidobacteria in breast milk and will often be those infants with chronic ear infections, diarrhea etc. This is why more and more formulas these days contain a probiotic.  Researchers are also finding that children who lack the healthy balance of beneficial bacteria are more prone to food allergies and asthma. Some research is now even pointing to a link between autism and excessive antibiotic use in early childhood. Often these kids had frequent infections (such as ear infections) and the antibiotics prescribed can allow the overgrowth of a neuro toxin secreting bacteria.
So bottom line….probiotics are a great investment in your family’s overall health! Look for probiotics containing lactobacillus bifidus, l.plantarum, l. casei, or l. bulgaricus.

Bisphenol A -BPA

Three tin cans of varying sizes; the one at the front is opened with a pull tab. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Many of you have probably already heard of BPA but here is a quick overview of why it is so lethal. BPA is a chemical that mimics the hormone estrogen and has shown strong correlations to the onset of early puberty, a whole host of cancers and even heart disease. Fortunately in Canada BPA has been declared a toxic substance and has been removed from our baby bottles. Now we can buy many BPA free products for our kids to play with and to eat from. However, BPA remains in our plastic water bottles, plastic storage containers and the lining of tin cans. To compound matters, heating these containers or leaving our plastic water bottles in our cars and reusing them allows the BPA to leach into us about 50 times faster. In one study eating canned soup for 5 days increased participants BPA levels by more that 1,000%. According to many researchers eating canned foods may even have more of an impact on our BPA levels than plastics! What can we do?
1. Store food in glass containers
2. Stop drinking from plastic water bottles
3. Avoid plastic containers labelled #3 or #7
4. Never heat food in plastic containers
5. Buy products for our children that clearly state BPA free
6. Use fresh not canned food but one company called Eden Organics have BPA free liners for all its canned food.
7. Canned tomatoes are particularly laden with BPA and so far I have not come across any companies that have BPA free canned tomatoes. This apparently has something to do with the acidity of the tomatoes. We either use fresh or go to our local Italian market where they have lovely glass jars of tomatoes!

Carrie

Source: JAMA. 2011 Nov 23;306(20):2218-20.

Omega-3 and Super Anti-Oxidant Rich Smoothie

As healthy as this smoothie is … it tastes even better.
1 cup frozen cubed mangoes (run under hot water for a minute to cleanse and soften)
1/2 cup pineapples optional (for a really tropical treat)
1 large or 2 small bananas (I like them really ripe)
1 1/2 cups juice ( mango/peach or apple juice)
3/4’s cup almond milk (vanilla)
1 heaping tablespoon whey powder ( protein powder)
30 mls of coconut oil (melted)
1 tablespoon crushed flax seeds
1 to 2 heaping tablespoons crushed nuts (this is a recipe in itself – I usually use equal parts of pumpkin seeds, walnuts, almonds, cashews, hemp seeds along with 3 parts pistachios)
1 tablespoon chia seeds

Should make close to 4 cups or a 1 litre blender size magic bullet

Blackberries or strawberries are a great substitute for Pineapples and the kids love the colour.