The Amazing Health Benefits Of Chia Seeds

Chia seeds are a nutritional supplement that will provide you with fiber, protein, calcium and omega-3.  Consuming 4 tablespoons a day - the optimal daily consumption - gets you 14 grams of fiber.  They have a neutral flavor so there's a lot of ways you can incorporate chia seeds into your diet.  One of the best ways would be to include it in a smoothie, which will leave you feeling energized and awake for the day.  You can also sprinkle them directly on your meals.

Available at Alternative Solutions in Aviston

Benefits of Chia Seeds

• Assists in weight loss
• Reduces glucose levels which can benefit diabetics
• Reduces sugar cravings
• Reduces hunger when taken before a meal
• Provides energy
• Omega-3 in chia reduces symptoms of depression and increases brain function

Why you should reach for water instead of soda...

The American Heart Association is linking soda to 180,000 deaths per year.  I don't know about you but we find that rather disturbing!  Our area in general seems to drink a lot of these sugary drinks.  Many start with one in the morning to get themselves moving, but did you know that coffee or green tea would actually be the better alternative.  Just go easy on the added sugar and cream.    As adults, we need to steer our children towards healthier lifestyles, and not allowing soda would be a great start.  

Check out these articles for some great facts on the negative outcomes of drinking soda.

• 9 Disturbing Side Effects of Soda

• Can You Drink Soda While Pregnant

Whether regular or diet, soda is not good for us for so many reasons.  Why not go for a glass of water flavored with fresh fruits instead?

Simple Lemon Butter Barramundi Recipe

This recipe is super easy and great for you.  Barramundi is an Australian fish that is mercury-free and contains omega 3's.  It is like tilapia in a way, that it does not have a fishy taste.  You can find it at Dierbergs, and each package contains two pretty good sized pieces of fish.  There is a recipe on the back of the package, but this is my revised version.

Ingredients:
4 Barramundi fillets
4 tbsp. organic unsalted butter
1 clove of minced garlic
4 tbsp. fresh lemon juice
5 fresh basil leaves, minced
10-12 organic grape tomatoes, halved
salt and pepper to taste

For the sauce:
Melt 2 tbsp. in a small sauce pot then add garlic and saute for 2 min.  Stir in 3 tbsp. lemon juice, basil, and tomatoes. Cook on low for 5-7 min.  Add salt and pepper to taste.

For the fish:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Add remaining 2 tbsp. butter and 1 tbsp. lemon juice to a glass baking dish.  Put dish into oven while it is heating until butter melts.  Salt and pepper the fillets.  Add the fillets to the glass dish with the melted butter.  Bake in the oven for 15 minutes.  Serve over a bed of spinach or your favorite salad greens and spoon sauce over fillets.

As you can see I made a simple side of mashed potatoes with organic potatoes.  When making mashed potaoes use the water the potatoes cooked in, instead of milk.  I also add a little shredded parmesean cheese, salt, and pepper.  So simple.  I hope you enjoy!!

10 Signs You're Gluten Intolerant

More than 55 diseases have been linked to gluten, the protein found in wheat, rye, and barley. It’s estimated that 99% of the people who have either gluten intolerance or celiac disease are never diagnosed.

It is also estimated that as much as 15% of the US population is gluten intolerant. Could you be one of them?  Check out this article to see.

Inspirational Quote of the Week

Better than the Rest Chicken Nuggets

It can be hard to find recipes that the whole family will love, especially when you have kids.  Here is a healthy recipe for Chicken Nuggets that your kids will be sure to love.  It's kid tested and approved!

Ingredients:

• Organic Chicken Breasts 
• Hemp Seeds
• Himalayan or Sea Salt
• Pepper
• Garlic Powder
• Organic Free Range Eggs

Directions:

Mix seeds, garlic powder, salt and pepper.  In separate bowl, mix the eggs.  Drop chicken breasts in egg to coat, then transfer chicken to the seed mixture and coat evenly.  Cook them on the range with a little bit of coconut oil or bake them in the oven at 350 for about 30 minutes or until done. Serve it up with a side of sweet potato fries and your favorite veggie mix!

Farmers Markets

Farmer's Markets will be starting up soon and are great places to shop for local, organic, or naturally grown produce and meats.  It is a great way to meet local farmers as well and learn about their farms and practices.  Here is some information on local markets and questions to ask before you buy.

Carlyle's Farmer's Market, Carlyle, IL
The market is set to run from June 20th - September 20th, on Thursday afternoons from 4:00-7:00pm.  It will be located on 8th Street between Franklin and Fairfax Streets.  For more information check it out at www.stayandplaycarlyle.com under the events tab.

The Land of Goshen Community Market, Edwardsville, IL
The market is set to run from May 11th - October 19th, on Saturday mornings from 8:00am-12:00pm.  It is located next to the courthouse on St. Louis Street.  Many of the farmers we have listed on our Resources page sell there.  For more information go to www.goshenmarket.org. 

Here are some questions to ask the vendors at the market's to make sure you are getting organic or naturally grown or raised food:

• Where was the food grown, or did you grow this?
• Some market's may have vendors selling for someone else or may be bringing food from other places.  Also, check out what is in season before you go.  If someone is selling something not in season, then you should know it wasn't locally grown or natural.

• Is this food certified organic?
• If not, ask if it is "chemical free," "natural," or grown using organic practices.

• How do you control weeds and other pests?

For beef and other meats:

• Are they grass-fed?
• Do you use antibiotics or hormones?
• If grain or corn fed, is it non-gmo and pesticide free?
• You want to get close to 100% grass-fed if possible with no antibiotics or hormones used.

You will soon be able to tell a big difference in the taste of your food, and will never go back to buying the other stuff.

You are What You Eat

We've all heard this before and it couldn't be more true.  The foods you put into your body will determine how you look on the outside and how you feel in the inside.  Eating fruits and vegetables will leave you feeling light and give you energy.  Loading up on breads, pasta, your favorite sweets, fried foods, etc. will leave you feeling bloated and sluggish.  It's as simple as that.  If you want to feel better, you have to eat better.

Start your morning off with a smoothie.  It will help you get your daily servings of fruits and vegetables in and they taste great.  Need help with some recipes, let us know, we'd be happy to share!

Smoothie Pops

With the recent warm weather we are having it's the perfect time to talk about a popular treat for the kids.  Instead of buying Popsicles that are full of sugar and other ingredients you can't read, why not make your own. Here's a recipe we've tried but don't be afraid to get creative with them! 

Ingredients:
1 cup almond milk(whatever your flavor of choice is)
1/2 cup of organic orange juice
1 cup of blueberries(fresh or frozen organic)
1 cup of raspberries(fresh or frozen organic)
1 cup strawberries(fresh or frozen organic)
5 slices of organic frozen peaches
Handful of spinach
1 banana

Extras to add that are optional, but really good for you:
 1 tsp. cacao powder
 1 tsp. bee pollen
 1 tbs of a liquid form of children's vitamins

Directions:
Mix all ingredients together in a blender and pour into Popsicle molds, then freeze.  Usually ready in 6-8 hours.  Makes 8 Popsicles.

Kids love them!

Artificial Food Dyes

We posted alternatives to food dyes for use on your Easter eggs a couple weeks ago so we just wanted to touch back on this topic in a little more depth.  100 Days of Real Food has a few posts regarding the same issue which is where the information in this post was received.  We wanted to share a picture from one of those posts to make it easier for you to know what you should be avoiding on the ingredient labels.

 Why should you avoid these artificial dyes:

1. They are made in a lab with chemicals derived from petroleum, a crude oil product, which also happens to be used in gasoline, diesel fuel, asphalt, and tar. 
2. They’ve been linked to long-term health problems such as cancer. If you’re a child of the ‘80s (like us) do you remember that rumor about red M&Ms causing cancer? Maybe it wasn’t just a rumor after all. 
3. Did you know that food products containing artificial dye are required to have a warning label in the U.K.? The label states that the food “may have an adverse effect on activity and attention in children.” So speaking of M&Ms, they aren’t so brightly colored in some countries outside of the U.S. because manufacturers would rather do away with the artificial dye than have to put a warning label on their products.
4. Synthetic food dyes have been shown to cause an increase in hyperactivity in children as well as a negative impact on their ability to learn. 
5. They add absolutely no value to the foods we are eating, but do in-fact pose quite a few serious risks. 
6. They trick your senses…just like other artificial additives including sweeteners.
7. They are contributing to the obesity epidemic by attracting children (and adults) to highly processed food, which in many cases is being eaten instead of fresh whole foods.

From personal experience checking every label now when we shop we were shocked at some of the foods that contained dyes.  Pickles and Children's Motrin were two of them...what's the point!.  You can see a larger list in this post. Check them out, there's a lot of good, need to know facts in there.  And just to clarify to those who think food dyes and processed food in general is OK because we grew up on it and are just fine, see below.

"Consumption of food dyes has increased 5-fold since 1955 (up from 3 million to 15 million pounds per year) – 90% of which is from Yellow 5, Yellow 6, and Red 40. This is one of the many reasons why the argument that we grew up eating this stuff and turned out “just fine” doesn’t hold up – processed food has changed (and continues to change) since we were kids." 

Hope this information was helpful and that you remember to check the labels!

How Food Companies Exploit Americans with Ingredients Banned in Other Countries

Here is yet another article from 100 Days of Real Food about the disturbing ingredients in our food that are banned in other countries.  It's so important that we are aware of this issue and that way get this information out and here's why. 

• More than two thirds of United States citizens are overweight – 33% being obese.
• 32% of children are either obese or overweight.
• 43% of Americans are projected to be obese in 10 years.
• After smoking, obesity is America’s biggest cause of premature death and is linked to 70% of heart disease and 80% of diabetes cases.
• And 41% of Americans are projected to get cancer in their lifetime!

          (These statistics can be found in this article.)

I don't know about you but these statistics are rather disturbing and enough to make us at Trust your gut continue to look for healthy alternatives to what we are eating and feeding our families.  We know change is difficult so take it one step at a time, cutting out little things here and there.  Change is possible! 

Creamy Chicken, Tomato and Vegetable Soup

Need a new soup recipe, try this one from Deliciously Organic.

Ingredients:

4 tbsp unsalted butter
4 large carrots, chopped
1 large leek, chopped
2 ribs celery, chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced
8 oz mushrooms, sliced
2 tsps Celtic sea salt, divided
2 tsps dried Itlaion seasoning
4 cups chicken stock
3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 (24 oz) jar crushed tomatoes
1/2 cup heavy cream

Instructions:
Melt butter in a large pot.  Add carrots, leek, celery and garlic.  Stir. Cover pot and reduce heat to low.  Cook for 30 minutes. 

Add mushrooms and 1 tsp sea salt to pot.  Stir and cook for 10 minutes.  Stir in Italian seasoning and cook for 1 min.  Add stock, chicken, tomatoes and remaining 1 tsp salt.  Bring to a simmer and cook until chicken is cooked through, about 10 min.  Remove chicken from pot, chop into bite-size pieces and add back to the soup.  Pour in cream and season to taste.  Serves 6.

Try it with a cup of quinoa as well.  Just add it in with the chicken.  It was soooo yummy!  The whole family enjoyed it, and the leftovers were even better.

Seven Foods You Think Are Healthy But Aren't

We found this article talking about 7 foods you probably think are healthy, but actually aren't through 100 Days of Real Food.  Most of it we've touched on already but just wanted to get the information out to you again.  It's about a former New York Times reporter and her journey to understanding the true meaning of labeling on packaged foods so many of us eat.  Her research was used for her book, "Pandora's Lunchbox: How Processed Food Took Over the American Meal."  There's some good information in there!

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