Healthy with Jodi

moisture

Kids home from school? Try this healthy Chocolate pancakes to keep them full of natural energy

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    Coconut flour cacao pancakes
    GF, Dairy free
    Happily serves 12 pancakes

    ALL ORGANIC INGREDIENTS
    1⁄3 Cup Coconut flour
    5 eggs
    ½ Nut milk of choice
    ¼ Cup full fat coconut milk
    ¼ Cup coconut sugar or stevia
    3 TBSP Raw Cacao powder
    ¾ tsp vanilla extract
    Dash of Sea salt
    Coconut oil spray for each pancake

    In a deep bowl, whisk all ingredients except ghee/coconut ghee/coconut oil, until well combined. Batter should be very thick but pourable. Not watery.
    Let batter sit for 5 minutes to let the coconut flour absorb the liquid, stirring once more at the end.
    Pour about 1⁄3 cup of batter into a frying pan pre-heated with coconut oil. 
If necessary, tilt pan and shake lightly for even distribution of batter. (Batter does not necessarily need to spread throughout the pan).
    Fry for a couple of minutes, occasionally covering with a lid, till liquid has almost firmed up
    Tip: Covering the pan with a lid occasionally will help keep moisture and enhance even cooking.
    Flip with a spatula, and fry the other side for a couple more minutes, then remove from pan.
    Repeat for rest of batter, greasing pan between batches as needed, and occasionally stirring the batter left in your bowl for even consistency.

    Probiotics Basic Info

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      Probiotics in A Nutshell…

      The human gut contains 10x more bacteria than all the human cells in the body. 400 known species equaling 100trillion in the intestinal tract.

      Probiotics are ESSENTIAL for normal digestive, endocrine, and immunological functions of the bowel. They are therapeutic for treatment of variety of gastrointestinal and systemic disorders. Definitely needed if your gall bladder or spleen has been removed.

      Goal is to have an 80 to 20% ratio of good bateria verses harmful bacteria.

      In general, 1 billion CFU’s (colony forming units) is REQUIRED to deliver to the intestines. You can safely take up to 450 billion for patients with IBS, and even 200 billion following liver transplant.

      Do they need to be refrigerated? It is recommended it maximizes freshness. Probiotics that have micro encapsulated with fatty acids are the only exception. Probiotics sold in health stores are often not and have about 30-50% less viable microorganisms that they claim on their label.

      Probiotics live in the absence of oxygen. Dark Glass bottles are recommended. Moisture also kills micro organisms, keep in a cool dark place.

      Deliver systems are important because we want the absorption to happen in the intestines not the stomach. Stomach acid plays apart in breakdowns and absorption.
      The use of antibiotics feeds bacteria growth so it is important to double amounts during infectious times or if you are put on antibiotics or have heavily used them in the past.

      It is important to have B complex vitamins, especially B12, folates, and Vitamin K for probiotics absorption.

      When do you take them? Everyone is different but generally between meals or bed time is ideal so food or stomach acid isn’t interfering with absorption.

      Prebiotics are carbohydrates that are indigestible by the human intestine and selectively stimulate the activity and growth of certain bacteria in the COLON. Most are chains of 2-9 sugar molecules (oligosaccharides). They are commonly found in chicory, asparagus, artichoke, onions, leeks, garlic, and human breast milk. If you want to use food as medicine, consume those veggies. They should pass through the small intestine to the colon.

      There are different strains of probiotics that are more beneficial to your health issues which is why not guessing is important, research is good, but science based research is what professionals do. Knowing your source and trusting your health care practitioner to make the best recommendations for you. They may cost a little more, but why waste money and time guessing when you don’t have to?

      Gut health leads to immune health. If you want to power your body, supplementation is necessary.

      The differences between Green, Black, and Oolong Tea

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        Green tea is the least processed and thus provides the most antioxidant polyphenols, notably a catechin called epigallocatechin-3-gallate (EGCG), which is believed to be responsible for most of the health benefits linked to green tea. Green tea is made by briefly steaming the just harvested leaves, rendering them soft and pliable and preventing them from fermenting or changing color. After steaming, the leaves are rolled, then spread out and “fired” (dried with hot air or pan-fried in a wok) until they are crisp. The resulting greenish-yellow tea has a green, slightly astringent flavor close to the taste of the fresh leaf.

        In black tea production, the leaves are first spread on withering racks and air-blown, which removes about one-third of their moisture and renders them soft and pliable. Next, they are rolled to break their cell walls, releasing the juices essential to fermentation. Once again, they are spread out and kept under high humidity to promote fermentation, which turns the leaves a dark coppery color and develops black tea’s authoritative flavor. Finally, the leaves are “fired,” producing a brownish black tea whose immersion in hot water gives a reddish-brown brew with a stronger flavor than green or oolong teas.

        Oolong tea, which is made from leaves that are partially fermented before being fired, falls midway between green and black teas. Oolong is a greenish-brown tea whose flavor, color and aroma are richer than that of green tea, but more delicate than that of black.

        Green tea has always been, and remains today, the most popular type of tea from China where most historians and botanists believe the tea plant originated throughout all of Asia. Why is this so? Perhaps because green tea not only captures the taste, aroma and color of spring, but delivers this delightful bouquet along with the highest concentration of beneficial phytonutrients and the least caffeine of all the teas.

        Mango Energy Bites

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          Mango Energy Bites
          Vegan, GF, Refined Sugar Free
          Happily serves 15

          ALL ORGANIC INGREDIENTS

          1 1/4 Cup walnuts or cashews
          1 Cup firmly packed dried unsweetened mango
          10 soaked medjool dates, pitted
          2 TBSP hemp seeds
          1/3 Cup unsweetened finely shredded coconut
          1 lime and zest
          Dash Sea salt
          Preheat oven to 350.
          Add dried mango to a mixing bowl and cover with warm water (don’t skip this step or they’ll be too tough to blend).
          Let soak for 5-7 minutes, or until soft and pliable, but not too soggy.
          Drain and lay on a towel and pat off excess moisture. Set aside.
          Add nuts to a food processor and mix into a fine meal. Set aside.
          Add dates and soaked mango to the food processor and mix until a rough paste/sticky dough forms.
          Add nut meal, hemp seeds, shredded coconut, lime zest, and sea salt. Mix until it forms a moldable dough.