Vegan, GF (gluten free), Refined sugar free
Happily serves 4
1 16 oz package fresh cranberries
1 pear, diced
1 apple, diced
1/4 cup honey (or maple syrup) or 1/4 tsp stevia
1 tsp grated ginger
1 TBSP balsamic vinegar
Blend cranberries in a blender or food processor.
In a bowl, combine blended cranberries and rest of ingredients.
1 serving (219 g)
Calories: 164
adapted from http://whfoods.org/genpage.
A new report has found that U.S. land for organic farming reached 4.1 million acres in 2016, a new record and an 11 percent increase compared to 2014.
As of June 2016, the number of certified organic farms in the U.S. reached 14,979, a 6.2 percent increase of 1,000 farms compared to 2014 survey data.
A recent report on organic acreage from Mercaris found that the top five states in organic cropland are California, Montana, Wisconsin, New York, and North Dakota. California leads the U.S. with 688,000 acres. However, Montana has seen a 30 percent increase in organic farmland, reaching 417,000 acres in 2016, an increase of 100,000 acres since 2014 and adding 50 new organic farms.
The report also estimates that North Dakota, Colorado, and New York all increased their organic farming acres by more than 40,000 since 2014. North Dakota has surpassed Oregon as the fifth leading state in organic acreage. Oregon is sixth followed by Colorado and Texas.
Scott Shander, an economist at Mercaris, attributes the increase in organic acres to farm economics and consumer demand for organic foods.
“The organic industry is growing and with lower commodity grain prices, and farmers are looking to add value and meet consumer demands,” he says.
According to Alex Heilman, a sales associate at Mercaris, the number of organic acres is likely to continue increasing, especially with larger companies such as General Mills and Ardent Mills launching programs to increase organic acres.
“I think we will see more of an impact of those programs in the next few years as more farmers start the transition process (to organic),” he says.
Organic alfalfa/hay was the leading organic crop grown with more than 800,000 acres in 2016. This was followed by organic wheat, corn, and soybeans with 482,000, 292,000, and 150,000 acres respectively. Organic oats reached a record level of 109,000 acres in 2016. Organic wheat showed the greatest increase with nearly 150,000 more acres since 2014 and a 44 percent increase since 2011. Plantings of organic corn increased by 58,000 acres since 2014.
The percentage of acres planted to organic crops such as wheat, corn, soybeans, and oats remains small compared to conventional crops in the U.S. Organic corn accounts for only 0.31 percent of total corn acres; organic wheat was 0.9 percent of total wheat acres; organic soybeans were 0.2 percent of total soybean acres. Organic oats account for the highest percentage of an organic crop with 3.6 percent of total oat acres.
Acreage of both organic corn and soybeans has seen small increases as a percentage of total acres for both crops in the past few years, according to the report. This may be due to the fact that the U.S. is importing large amounts of organic corn and soybeans, which is depressing the U.S. market and prices for both crops. According Shander, 25 percent of organic corn and 75 percent of organic soybeans used in the U.S. are imported.
“It’s a global market that is dictating U.S. prices,” he says. “Demand for organic corn and soybeans is still growing strongly, but production in the U.S. is not growing as fast so more of the production will be international.”
This article is courtesy of http://civileats.com/2016/11/09/u-s-organic-farmland-hits-record-4-1-million-acres-in-2016/
Happily Serves 4
1/2 medium onion, finely chopped
2 TBSP Avocado oil
1 Large can pure pumpkin or fresh pumpkin
4 Cups bone broth (or vegetable broth if a Vegan)
1/2 cup Coconut Milk or 3/4 cup soaked cashews
2 tsp Pumpkin pie spice
3/4 tsp Sea salt
1 garlic clove
Black pepper
Optional: Add Curry powder and Coconut milk to desired texture
Heat Avocado oil over medium-high heat.
Add the onion and cook, stirring, 3 minutes
Cream cashews in food processor.
Stir in the pure pumpkin, bone (or chicken) broth, milk or cashews, pumpkin pie spice, and sea salt.
Cook, stir occasionally for 3 minutes or until soup simmers.
Soup can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
Happily serves 8
Raw ,Vegan, Paleo, GF (Gluten Free
Crust
1 cup soaked dates
1 cup pecans
I cup walnuts (can use sub cashews or almonds)
Optional: 1/4 cup figs
1/8 teaspoon of Himalayan salt
Add the nuts to the food processor and blend until they are like a rough flower then add the dates and salt. Pulse together until it becomes a lumpy ball and then press into the bottom of a pie dish and refrigerate.
1 baking pumpkin (about4-6cups)
1 cup dates
4 TBSP softened coconut oil or coconut cream
1/3 cup maple syrup (can sub coconut nectar)
1-4 TBSP Pumpkin pie spice (cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger and cloves)
Add pumpkin to the food processor until smooth. Add the other ingredients and process until smooth. At this point you can transfer the filling to a high-powered blender and blend on the highest setting until It is smooth like the cooked version of pumpkin pie, or if you have a high-powered food processor you may blend it until smooth. Transfer the filling to your piecrust and let refrigerate for a few hours.
You can used canned pumpkin, but fresh pumpkin is so much better tasting
Gluten Free, Vegan, Paleo
Happily serves 8-10
2 Cups pitted and soaked Dates
½ C Nut Butter
1 ½ C Almond Flour
1/2 C Pumpkin (fresh or canned)
6 TBSP Coconut flour
2 tsp Pumpkin pie spice or Allspice
Sea Salt to taste
Combine dates and nut butter in food processor until it forms a paste. Add pumpkin, coconut flour, almond flour, All spice and a dash of sea salt until completely combined. Press into an 8×8 Glass pan.
Optional to top with some coarse sea salt.
Freeze for one hour before serving.
meet the FDA gluten-free standard.Certified Organic Label Guide
Source: Organic.org
Making sense of organic labeling can be difficult, and many consumers do not understand the significance of the USDA Organic label. Since October 21, 2002, the following guidelines were established by the United States Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) National Organic Program (NOP) to assure consumers know the exact organic content of the food they buy.
Single-Ingredient Foods
On foods like fruits and vegetables, look for a small sticker version of the USDA Organic label or check the signage in your produce section for this seal.
The word “organic” and the seal may also appear on packages of meat, cartons of milk or eggs, cheese, and other single-ingredient foods.
Multi-Ingredient Foods
Foods such as beverages, snacks, and other processed foods use the following classification system to indicate their use of organic ingredients.
100% Organic—Foods bearing this label are made with 100% organic ingredients* and may display the USDA Organic seal.
Organic—These products contain at least 95–99% organic ingredients (by weight). The remaining ingredients are not available organically but have been approved by the NOP. These products may display the USDA Organic seal.
Made With Organic Ingredients—Food packaging that reads “Made With Organic Ingredients” must contain 70–94% organic ingredients. These products will not bear the USDA Organic seal; instead, they may list up to three ingredients on the front of the packaging.
Other—Products with less than 70% organic ingredients may only list organic ingredients on the information panel of the packaging. These products will not bear the USDA Organic seal.
Keep in mind that even if a producer is certified organic, the use of the USDA Organic label is voluntary. At the same time, not everyone goes through the rigorous process of becoming certified, especially smaller farming operations. When shopping at a farmers’ market, for example, don’t hesitate to ask the vendors how your food was grown.
*Salt and water are not included.
1- Mitochondrial Energy Production:
Mitochondria definition: and organelle found in large number in most cells, in which the biochemical process of energy production occurs. It has an inner and outer layer.
2-Organic sourced foods: look up EWG.org
The environmental working group is a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization dedicated to protecting human health and the environment. Learn what organic means
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is a great resource
3- Delayed food allergens: and allergy is an adverse reaction due to immunologic mechanism. A delayed onset food allergy is an auto immune disease that causes your immune system to overact when you ingest certain foods. The immune cells mistakenly attack food particles and treat them as foreign invaders and produce anti-bodies to try to fight what they perceive as toxins. Known allergies we can the immune and digestive systems, draining the body of energy.
Energetic Health Institute…an innovative 501(c)3 California Non-Profit & Gold Rated by GuideStar.org for transparency. School approved by the National Association of Nutrition Professionals (NANP)
I’m a Certified Holistic Nutritionist who can order you the right lab work to complete and over see this process.
https://www.
4- 60% Alkalizing pH scale 0-14 Acid vs. Alkaline
Certain foods can effect of the acidity and pH of bodily fluids, including the urine or blood, and therefore can be used to treat and prevent disease
5- Green Food
Chlorophyll turns into new blood. Green promotes health and energy.
6- ORAC Value of Food
Oxygen radical absorbance capacity Is the unit of measurements of antioxidants found in food. (calories are a unit of energy)
http://superfoodly.com/orac-
7-Refined Sugar
A healthy adult has approx 5 liters of blood circulating at any given moment and needs 1 teaspoon of sugar available during a fasting state. That’s all the body needs to function.
12-ounces of soda or energy drinks typically contain approx 10 tsp of sugar. That raises the blood sugar 10x above what the body needs to function and typically within a matter of minutes.
1 Teaspoon of Sugar = Approx 4 Grams of Sugar
Take the total grams of refined sugar & divide by 4 to learn how many teaspoons of sugar you are consuming per serving.
8-Naturally sweet:
Think Real food
9- Fiber: 8-12 grams per meal. Average 25-30 grams a day.
Adds bulk to you diet and aids in digestion.
Insoluble fiber: found in wheat, bran, vegetables, and whole grains. It helps speed passage of food through the stomach and intestines.
Soluble Fiber: attacks water and turns into gel, slowing digestion. Found in foods like oat bran, barley, nuts, seeds, beans, lentils, peas, and some other veggies and fruits. Can help lower cholesterol.
10-Raw foods
Raw foods contain enzymes. Enzymes help break down food and aid in digestion.
Proteases: breaks down Protein
Lipase: breaks down fat
Amylase: breaks downs carbs
11- Healthy Preparation Methods
12-Environmentally Safe Meats and Fish
13-Environmentally safe Cookware
NO TEFLON!
14-Friends and Family MOODS
15- Beverage 8oz or less
16- Burn off what you consume!
Exercise/movement
Simply stated, nutrient density means how many nutrients you get from a food, given the number of calories it contains. Nutrient density is a simple way to connect nutrients with calories.
– World’s Healthiest Foods
Higher Nutrient Content
More Vitamins & Minerals per Calorie
More Essential Fatty Acids & Amino Acids per Calorie
More Antioxidants per Calorie
*Acetylcholine Esterase Inhibitors
Acetylcholine is the body’s most predominant neurotransmitter.
Essential for Memory Recall & Quick Thinking
Nutrient Density: Organic Legumes, Vegetables, Fruits
Acetylcholine Esterase is the enzyme that clears the neurosynaptic junction allowing for the next impulse to come.
This is an especially important cycle for inhaling/exhaling during respiration and the contractions and relaxations of the heart muscle.
◦Thus Pesticides have an adverse effect upon the Lungs & Heart.
http://scorecard.goodguide.
Consequently, “The nutritive value of crops and their ability to handle pests and diseases is diminished.” The bottom line, Kittredge says, is, “across the board, our foodstuffs are less nutritious than they were. It’s well documented. Between 1940 and 2009, in a basic salad, USDA records show a 55-70 percent decrease in mineral levels.” – Remineralize the Earth
We identified 191 matched pairs with valid comparisons of antioxidant, vitamin and mineral levels. Of these, 119 organic samples within the matched pairs had higher nutrient levels, or 62% of the total matched pairs.
◦State of Science Review: Nutritional Superiority of Organic Foods – Charles Benbrook, Xin Zhao, Jaime Yáñez, Neal Davies and Preston Andrews- www.orgain-center.org 53 pages
Vitamin D is essential to the body. A few of Best sources of Vitamin D come from shrimp, sardines, cod and eggs. The FDA has set the reference value for nutrition label for vitamin D at 400 IU’s. Therapeutic ranges fall between 400 to 1000 IU’s.
Vitamin D is a fat soluble vitamin, and actually functions more like a hormone then vitamin. It works with the parathyroid hormone to maintain proper levels of calcium in the blood.
We need vitamin D to help our bones and teeth. It also helps regulate the growth and activity of cells. Vitamin D also helps prevent excessive inflammatory immune related activity, it builds your immune system and helps protect against disease.
Vitamin D deficiency results in decreased absorption of calcium and phosphorus. Prolonged deficiency can lead to an impact on your bone mineralization, Thus experiencing bone thinning (osteopenia), bone pain and or soft bones (osteomalacia).
It is estimated that nearly 75% of Americans are deficient in vitamin D1. For many people, basking in the sun may not be an answer because of skin conditions and sensitivities. Eating oily fish on a regular basis also may not be an option, much of our seafood is over-fished or contaminated from pollution so it can be difficult to find pure sources. Surprisingly, there are several foods packed with vitamin D that are easy to incorporate into your everyday routine.
If you think you’re going to get enough vitamin D from the sun you need to have at least 40% of your skin exposed for at least 15 minutes a day. Otherwise you will need to get your vitamin D from food and or supplementation.
If you prefer to get your protein vitamins or minerals from a plant-based diet, try mushrooms. 3 ounces portobello mushrooms is 20 cal, 3 g of protein, 1 g dietary fiber, zero cholesterol, 15 mg of sodium, 300 mg of potassium and 4% of your vitamin D for the day.
Most leafy greens are high in vitamin D, but chard trumps them all. Add to your omelet or steam with garlic and onions. Try swiss chart instead of raw Kale in your smoothie and your stomach will thank you for the easier digestion.
Go for Raw and sprouted!My favorite variety of pumpkin seeds are pepitas, the shelled pumpkin seed that has been roasted and sometimes tossed with spices and sea salt.
Most people remember (not-so-fondly) being forced to eat liver and onions, but beef liver can actually be delicious. Try it in chili or even mix half beef liver and half bison or beef in your favorite meatball recipe. Organic is SO Important!
Mushrooms, especially ones grown in sunlight, are very high in vitamin D. Portobello mushrooms are actually considered one of the best vegan sources of vitamin D.3
It may not be for everyone and it can be quite expensive, but caviar is also high in vitamin D. If you can’t afford a fresh tin of expensive caviar (which typically isn’t sustainable anyways), try fresh fish roe next time you go out for sushi. Many brands carry organic, sustainably roe at affordable prices.
While almonds are very high in vitamin D, many people don’t remember to eat a couple handfuls every day. Try buying almond milk instead of dairy.
Liver may turn some people off, but they can be so tasty if cooked right. Try it with Black rice, which has sautéed onions, garlic, peppers, spices and chicken livers.
Good news! Dark chocolate that has over 60% cacao content is packed with vitamin D, so the next time you have a sweet craving, indulge in a few small pieces of high-quality dark chocolate, Organic of course! Look for Cacao not Cocoa.