Honey!

Honey

There is a hige difference between raw, unpasteurized honey and processed, pasteurized honey. In raw honey you can find 27 minerals, 22 amino acids and 5000 live enzymes. When honey is pasteurized the heat destroys the antioxidants and kills the live enzymes that our bodies need. Raw honey will have a milky appearance and should be darker in color than the processed honey.

Pasteurized and processed honey is clearer when held up to the light and much lighter in color than raw honey.

Honey is sweeter than white refine sugar but it is still a carbohydrate no matter how you look at it. Honey contains 82 grams of carbohydrates and the same amount of white refined sugar would contain 100% carbohydrates!

Raw honey is an antiviral, antifungal, and antibacterial. Raw honey contains niacin, riboflavin, thiamin, and B6. This naturally made syrup can aid in digestion, strengthen the immune system, eliminate allergies, stabilize blood pressure and is great for acne, skin conditions and injuries as well as burns. Raw honey can be put on infections and rashes as well to help speed the healing process. Raw honey is also an anti inflammatory so it can be used to relieve certain types of pain. using raw honey to calm the nerves and treat ulcers has no side effects like many drugs do. For using in seasonal allergies it is best to use local raw honey only for best results.

Manuka honey is made in New Zealand where pollution is very low and therefore it is rumored that this raw honey has greater antibacterial benefits for colds, sore throats, indigestion, stomach ulcers and acne.

There are many types and flavors of honey depending on where the bees are visiting. Orange Blossom honey which obviously comes from the bees primarily visiting orange blossoms is usually very light in color with a mild flavor of citrus. Wildflower raw honey gets its name due to the bees collecting through a variety of wild flowers and not just one type. Apiaries use this name especially when the bees are using an unknown source. Clover honey is the highest producer in the United States and varies in color depending on where it is produced.

Overall honey is an amazing sweetener with incredible healing and medicinal qualities.Do your reasearch and enjoy the gift from the bees of raw honey.

Greens, Peppers and Dates Oh My!

This weeks recipe is really wonderful because it combines several flavors into one and the outcome is delicious. Again ALL recipes are super easy to create and ALWAYS highly nutritious. Get the full recipe at www.drsharrie.com

Cinnamon

Cinnamon

Cinnamon comes from the inner bark of the Cinnamomum tree and dates back to the Egyptian times. Cinnamon was considered a gift to the kings and has been mentioned in the bible quite often as medicine. Cinnamon is actually in the same family as Bay leaves and Avocados.

There are two main types of cinnamon. Cassia is the most common type of cinnamon found today in supermarkets. However, true cinnamon is Ceylon cinnamon.

There are many active compounds in cinnamon. The amazing smell and powerful health benefits are derived from the oil called cinnamaldehyde which contains an anticlotting action.

Cinnamon can stop the growth of bacteria and therefore qualifies as an antimicrobial. Because of this cinnamon would be of great benefit for people ridding their body of candida and yeast overgrowth.

Cinnamon would be great for diabetics because it slows down how fast the stomach empties which reduces the rise of blood sugar right after a meal. In type 2 diabetes cinnamon has been shown to improve the body's response to insulin. These studies were done using less than a half of a teaspoon per day.

Cinnamon has been proven to be a better antioxidant than ginger, licorice, nutmeg and even the chemicals BHA and BHT which is commonly used in cereals.

Research has proven that just smelling cinnamon improves cognition. In my opinion we should use this as an essential oil in our public school system. Can you imagine the great benefits our children would have with this? And without feeding them chemicals and drugs!!

There are so many ways to include cinnamon in your daily regiment. Cinnamon essential oil can be put in a diffuser especially when your children are doing homework! Mash some bananas on a piece of toast then sprinkle with cinnamon-call it banana pizza. How about a little honey and cinnamon on the toast too? I love to saute bananas in coconut oil and sprinkle them with lots of cinnamon. Warm some almond milk up and put a cinnamon stick in it and a little honey if you like it sweeter. Cinnamon is great in raw cookies or even the cooked kind, applesauce, fruit sauce, pancakes, squash, pumpkin, oatmeal, chicken, pizza with pineapples, avocado pudding and i have even heard it be used on popcorn!

Zucchini Potato Pancakes

Zucchini Potato Pancakes

¼ Cup Shredded Zuchinni

¼ cup cooked sweet potato or regular potato

1 egg

½ tspn cinnamon

Salt and Pepper to taste

1 TBS coconut oil

Combine ingredients and mix thoroughly with a spoon. Warm a pan up on medium with coconut oil in it. Drop about a tablespoon full of batter into coconut oil in warmed pan. Cook until lightly browned then flip over and brown the other side. Serve plain or with a nut cream.

3 FREE recipes and a discount on the cookbook

Ginger Video says so much!

Ginger is such a versatile flavor that can be used in so many different dishes. There are not that many spices you can use in both savory dishes as well as sweet ones. Dinners and desserts as well as breakfast. It can also be used for medicinal purposes or as a warm fuzzy on a rainy or cold day. Check out the video to learn more about the ginger rhizome.

Bananas, Oh My!!!

Bananas

Historians believe that bananas originated in Malaysia around 4000 years ago and spread to the Philippines and India. There is proof of them existing during the reign of Alexander the Great in 327BC. Once again, just like Ginger the Arabs enabled bananas to be brought to other countries through the traders and that's when they came to the Americas.  Because of the fragile nature of the banana they were only consumed by coastal residence as they were closest to the docks where trading occurred. When refrigerators were invented the banana became more popular across the country as storage was no longer an issue.

Banana plants grow to be anywhere from 10 to 25 feet tall bearing from 50 to 150 bananas in groups of 10 to 25 bananas called hands. There are hundreds of varieties of bananas but only two main types-sweet and plantain. They also come in a variety of colors other than just yellow.

Sweet bananas can be eaten raw or cooked but plantains are eaten cooked as they are considered more of a vegetable than a fruit and contain more starch than the sweet banana plus their beta-carotene levels are higher.

Bananas a filling and can help with dieting with only about 90 calories each, keep your bowels regular, help to regulate heart rhythm and contain nutrients for eye health. Since half the fiber in the banana is soluble fiber it can slow the digestion down which makes you feel full longer so consuming a banana before a meal can help curb the appetite and hunger.

Since bananas are high in potassium (400mg or so) they are great for regulating high blood pressure, leveling out electrolytes, feeding the brain, protection against atherosclerosis. They are low on the glycemic index with about 14-15 grams of sugar which is  a bonus for diabetics. Bananas are also high in bifidobacteria which will help with gastrointestinal issues. I have also heard the if you rub your teeth with the inside portion of the peel it can whiten your teeth.

New Use for Coconut Oil

I discovered a new use for coconut oil!!! I bit the inside of my cheek a few days ago! It wasn't healing very quickly - more than likely due to me re-biting (is that a word?) it because it was swollen. Anyways, I have coconut oil with peppermint essential oil in my bathroom for brushing my teeth. I swished that like oil pulling twice yesterday and last night it felt better and this morning its almost gone!! WooHoo!! Yay me!! SO if you should bit the inside of your mouth now you know-Coconut Oil swish to the rescue!!!

Summer Sandwich

This open face sandwich is like a combination of lettuce and tomato sandwiches that grandma made and Reuben from the local diner. The difference is that this one is actually healthy, fast and easy to throw together and as you know, I am all about as little time in the kitchen as possible.

Summer Sandwich

1 slice of bread (Gluten Free preferably)

2 TBS minced fresh tomatoes

2 TBS minced fresh cucumber

2 TBS fermented vegetables or Kimchi

Toast (GF) bread. Layer the cucumber first then the tomatoes and finally the fermented vegetables on top. Serve and enjoy!