*After The Cleanse*

[Res]

Four Healthy and Delicious Seeds Worth Snacking On
by www.SixWise.com

Have you ever been caught in a traffic jam, on a delayed flight, or in an incredibly long meeting, all while feeling starved because you had to miss your breakfast or lunch hour?
Of course you have! We've all been in fixes where we're hungry and have nothing to satisfy our appetites -- sometimes even when we're in our own kitchens, yet "nothing looks good."

Sunflower seeds start out black or grey in color (sometimes with stripes). You can purchase them with the shells on, but they're widely available already shelled, which gives you the edible, inner kernel without any of the trouble!
Well, we have here some incredibly simple, satisfying and healthy snacks that will fill you up in a good way, and, get this, they're all seeds!
All of the seeds below make excellent "right out of the bag" snacks, but you can also mix them with some shredded coconut, dried fruit (raisins, mango, cranberries, cherries, pineapple, you name it), raw nuts and even a handful of dark chocolate chips for a healthy trail mix (kids love this!) that you can take with you anywhere.
Seeds are also great stirred into yogurt or cottage cheese, or sprinkled on salads, but don't underestimate their "stand-alone" value. All of the seeds below are delicious and definitely worth snacking on. (Ideally, eat them raw to get the most nutritional benefits.)

1. Sesame Seeds
Sesame seeds are tiny but they have a big nutty flavor. They're loaded with beneficial minerals including copper, magnesium and calcium (they're actually one of the best food sources of calcium out there!).
These seeds also contain protein, iron, phosphorous, vitamin B1, zinc and fiber, along with lignans, beneficial fibers that may help to lower your cholesterol and have been shown to prevent high blood pressure and increase vitamin E in animals. Plus, sesame seeds contain a substance called sesamin, which may protect your liver from oxidative damage.
Sesame seeds also have the highest phytosterol content of all the nuts and seeds commonly eaten in the United States, according to a study in the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry.
Phytosterols are plant compounds that may reduce your cholesterol, enhance your immune system and even decrease your risk of certain cancers.

2. Sunflower Seeds
Sunflower seeds have a subtle nutty flavor and a tender texture, plus they're loaded with the antioxidant vitamin E and beneficial phytosterols.
They're also full of healthy monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats, protein, zinc and selenium. Selenium has been found to help repair damaged cells in your body and inhibit the spread of cancer cells. Just a quarter cup of sunflower seeds gives you almost 31 percent of the recommended daily value for this healthy nutrient!


Love seeds? Want recipes? Alive in 5: Raw Gourmet Meals in Five Minutes has the raw seed recipes you crave, plus a host of other tasty raw food dishes that can be prepared in just a few minutes!


3. Pumpkin Seeds
Who can resist the sweet, nutty flavor and chewy texture of pumpkin seeds? These nutrition powerhouses contain magnesium, manganese, phosphorous, iron, copper, protein, omega-3 fats, carotenoids and zinc.
Like other seeds, pumpkin seeds also contain beneficial phytosterols, along with compounds that may promote prostate health in men.
Animal studies have even shown that pumpkin seeds have anti-inflammatory properties, and adding them to the diet has a similar effect on reducing inflammatory symptoms as using non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs!
Pumpkin seeds have also been used traditionally to remove parasites from your body and treat urinary tract infections.

4. Hemp Seeds
Hemp seeds are sometimes referred to as the world's most nutritious seeds. They contain protein, essential fatty acids and fiber, are rich in antioxidants, such as vitamin E, and contain minerals, including magnesium, iron and zinc.
They also have a high content of phytosterols that may help:

• Promote heart health
• Reduce the risk of cardiac arrest
• Maintain normal cholesterol levels
• Treat certain cancers, including colon, breast and prostate
• Delay the neurologic effects of Alzheimer's and Parkinson's diseases
• Treat rheumatoid arthritis
• Prevent and treat osteoporosis
• Reduce inflammation
• Treat atopic eczema and psoriasis

And don't worry, hemp seeds won't get you high. Whereas marijuana contains about 5 percent to 20 percent THC (the compound that produces the "high" associated with marijuana), hemp has a maximum limit of three-tenths of 1 percent, which is not nearly enough to produce any psychotropic effects.

[Res]

The Best-to-Worst Ways to Cook Your Food
by www.SixWise.com

You take great care in choosing the right foods for your family to eat, but did you know that the way they're prepared can have a large impact on their nutritional value?

Whereas some cooking methods will preserve the food's nutrients and flavor, others can actually diminish nutrient content and create harmful substances within your food.

It is always preferable to cook foods at lower temperatures than higher temperatures, not only because the nutrients are better preserved but also because the oils that you cook your food with -- particularly vegetable oils like soybean, corn and canola -- are easily damaged (oxidized) by the heat, posing health risks.

Fortunately, there are many cooking methods out there that are good for your food and good-tasting. Here we've outlined some of the most popular cooking methods, starting with the healthiest methods and ending up with the worst.

1. Eat Your Foods Raw
Well, it's not exactly a cooking method, but it is a very healthy way to consume many of your favorite foods. Raw foods, advocates say, are higher in vitamins and nutrients, which are destroyed by cooking. Eating raw may seem extreme, but you can actually prepare some pretty tasty dishes if you know what foods to combine.
If you would like to try out some delicious raw food recipes for yourself, Alive in 5: Raw Gourmet Meals in Five Minutes is packed with them (raw lasagna, spaghetti marinara, stuffed mushrooms, broccoli in cheese sauce, apple pie and more). They're healthy and delicious, even if you're new to raw foods!

2. Steaming
Simply put a little water in a pot, put in a steamer basket or colander, and add your food. As the water boils, the steam will gently cook your food. Be sure not to cook your food for too long (veggies should still be brightly colored and slightly crunchy when they're done), and you can also add some spices to the water to flavor the foods as they steam.
This method works especially well for fragile vegetables like leafy greens and fish.

3. Poaching
You can poach chicken, eggs and other foods by simmering them in a little bit of water or broth on your stovetop. Use a covered pan and take the foods off the heat when they're tender.

4. Baking/Roasting
Baking in your oven is a perfectly healthy way to cook, though it's preferable to use a lower temperature and a longer cooking time than a higher temperature to cook the food more quickly (roasting is typically done at a higher temperature). You can bake meat, fish, poultry, veggies, bread, fruit and anything else. To keep in some of the moisture, try keeping your baking dish covered.

5. Stir-Frying
Stir-frying is a fast, healthy way to cook. Chop your meat and veggies into small, uniform pieces, add a little oil or broth to a pan or wok, then stir the foods until they're just cooked through (add meat, which takes longer to cook, before the veggies). To preserve the nutrients in the veggies, cook them only slightly.

6. Braising
When you braise a piece of meat or fish, you brown it slightly in a pan, then cover it with a small amount of liquid such as broth. The pan is covered, and the food is left to slowly and gently finish cooking. After the food is removed, the leftover juices can be used to make a flavorful sauce.

7. Boiling
Boiled foods are healthy in that no harmful substances form when using this cooking method. However, there is some concern that nutrients may be lost when foods are boiled, and they may become overcooked. Steaming is a preferable cooking method to boiling.

8. Sauteing
Sauteing (cooking foods in a small amount of oil on your stovetop) is an acceptable form of cooking, although it does pose the problem of oxidizing oils. To avoid this, replace the oil with some broth instead and don't turn the heat up too high.

9. Grilling and Broiling
Many people love to grill their foods, however there are some potential problems to be aware of. Barbecue grill smoke contains cancer-causing chemicals known as polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons. Meanwhile, heterocyclic amines form when food is cooked at a high temperature, such as those used in grilling and broiling. The chemicals have been linked to cancer.

Advanced glycation end (AGEs) products are also produced when meats are cooked at high temperatures. AGEs, according to researchers at Mount Sinai School of Medicine in New York, build up in your body over time leading to oxidative stress, inflammation and an increased risk of heart disease, diabetes and kidney disease.

10. Frying
Frying foods is the absolute worst way to cook your foods. The high temperatures produce cancer-causing heterocyclic amines, along with AGEs. Meanwhile, frying exposes your foods to large amounts of oxidized (rancid) vegetable oils, which then soak into your food and wreak havoc in your body. You should avoid frying your foods and use the cooking methods higher up on this page instead.

[Res]

Egads, I love a good bbq - even bbq'ing veggies. I wish they would've said something like, "turn the bbq down to low and this is an acceptable way to bbq." I eat corn on the cob raw because I like the juicy way it tastes but I also love the burnt flavor of the corn which apparently is bad.

Things get more and more interesting every day.

And I have hemp seeds sitting in the fridge. I haven't tasted them yet. Anyone else eat hemp seeds? Ani says in her book that these should be a staple.

[kiropa]

res, try this one for me, will you (a craving i am currently having):

beautifully ripe avocado chunked and sprinkled with sea salt, pepper and maybe a squeeze of lime. sprinkle with hemp seeds and enjoy!

the hemp seeds give a nutty texture that is hmmm, hmmm, good!

[kiropa]

see, you just freaked yourself out for nothing.

your typical day looks inspiring. you are doing great.

yep 5-7 pounds could even be normal for you. i'd use 5 as a gauge.

i would keep doing what you're doing. if the scale starts to climb higher, then maybe i'd re-evaluate.

sounds like you are off to a GREAT post-cleanse lifestyle!

Okay I have gained 6 lbs back but I did not know that 3-5 pounds was food in my digestice system. phew!!! I thought i was gaining it all back. My clothes fit fine. Great actually. I've had to go shopping twice since last month for new clothes. I guess I am just obssessed with the number on the scale. I blame our culture for that one. I don't think I am overeating because I really don't eat much. Here is what a typical day is for me.
Morning- banana with some type of nuts on top (walnuts, almonds etc.)
10-11- green smoothie
around 2- some fruit (mango, apple, whatever I have in the kitchen)
4-5- green smoothie
dinner- usually a salad of greens and veggies

that's what I am eating now. Before I had a horrible diet consisting of takeout, pizza, and just not healthy things. I am feeling more energized now. Better than I have in a long time. I use to be on antidepressants and anxiety medicaiton but now just after a month I am not longer on them because I don't need them. I guess I am doing everyhting right. ITs just that I am so new to this I don't want to mess it up because I want to keep the good feeling I have. It's weird, but I have nevr been so clear or happy. I even changed my Majorin school to something that would make me happier. I was a business major because I grew up with paprents telling me that I needed something that would surely make me money. I was absolutely miserable studying business. Now I am an art history major and am thrilled with my decison. ITs sounds funny but I don't think I would have made the change if I had not done the MC or started eating raw. Before I was going through life with a clouded mind. NOw I see clearer and am an better wife and mother for it. Plus its great that my family is trying to make the transition with me. My husband still loves his steak but drinks the green smoothis with me

[Res]

Kiropa: Gladly.

beautifully ripe avocado chunked and sprinkled with sea salt, pepper and maybe a squeeze of lime. sprinkle with hemp seeds

[nanay]

Res: Hemp seeds.....mmmmm. It's been a while but I remember them having a buttery/nutty flavor...good in shakes too. and have Kiropa's "avocado special" for me too. That sounds ssoooo good!

[jmommy]

That does sound yummy. I've been snacking on almonds lately. I am also a huge fan of the avocado. Every time I have a craving for mexican food i mix avocado, corn, cilantro, a little bit of lemon juice, some jalapenos (I like my spicyness) and tomatoes all wrapped up in some romaine lettuce. yum yum yummy.

[Res]

Nanay: Commercial bread and even homemade that isn't made with "organic" ingredients causes me to gain weight. I know I sound like a broken record but that's my discovery. I believe that Trudeau is right when he says you can eat almost anything that's Organic or made with Organic ingredients without adding weight/toxins etc to your body. Weird huh? We were never intended to eat cluttered food! Most of the additives are fillers and junk to "addict us" (yes folks addict - watch Supersize Me) then kill us. <-- Sound brutal? The truth really hurts.

I'm going to step down off of my bandwagon for now. I'm so glad today is Friday.

Love,
~Res

[Sunnyshine]

AMEN to that Res! Sounds like we're on the same bandwagon!

I've read Trudeau too--I think he's got plenty of good things to say that more people need to hear.

To what you said earlier Nanay, no one has all the answers about nutrition, but keeping it simple and real is what it's all about. The more you can make yourself from all organic ingredients, or eat a place where you know the ingredients and integrity of preparation, the better off you will be.