April 2018 Newsletter
Spring has sprung… it’s time to get outside. Come over and see us during the month of April and receive one ear meridian balancing session for free! Ear meridian balancing is a form of electric acupuncture that is done on the ear.
Enjoying sweets… yes, there are ways you can you do that. J Last month I talked about sugars (particularly white sugar) and the hazards of over-consumption, including damage to the brain leading to Alzheimer’s. Here, I deliver on my promise to offer ideas for lessening the damage while still being able to enjoy a little bit of sweetness in our lives. The main concept I’d like you to grasp is to add some protein or fiber, or both, and dilute with liquid when possible.
In general, adding fiber to our diet mostly involves including vegetable fiber and the bran of grains. Fiber fills the stomach, which helps us feel satiated, and it slows down the evils of a spike in blood sugar. At the same time, it also speeds up the flow of the bowels which helps with weight loss. Some weight loss programs will lower their assigned point value or caloric impact of foods that contain more fiber. Whole grain crackers or bread are a lot healthier for you for this reason. Their nutritional content is also usually better. Spend some time comparing labels and educate yourself about this. When I was a child, white bread was considered wonderful. In actuality, it was not very nutritional and probably contributed to health problems. When something is made “from scratch” healthier ingredients can be used and added, such as fruit, grain fiber, nuts, or vegetable fiber. The sweet treat will be less of an assault on the pancreas.
In regards to the pancreas, the reason fresh fruit is better than a piece of candy (besides nutritional content) is that the fiber in the fruit slows down the absorption of the sugar in the fruit, and the liquid in the juice of fresh fruit fills the stomach with more volume. The fiber and fluid not only help you feel more full, it also inhibits a sudden rush of sugar for the pancreas to process. The spike to the blood sugar is lessened. I do offer a word of caution about dried fruit as compared to fresh, because dried fruit offers a “mixed bag”. Dried fruit is better than candy, but the water content has been removed, so the fruit sugars are quite concentrated. Without the water content, dried fruit has less of a capacity to fill you up. When consuming dried fruit, I recommend increasing fluid intake as a counter balance.
Now, let’s compare a piece of candy with other sweet treats. Candy is comprised mostly of fat and sugar. A cookie or piece of cake will also have eggs, which adds protein to the picture that slows down the sugar rush. If other forms of protein or fiber are added, the treat can be even healthier. An oatmeal cookie is better than a piece of candy because the eggs and oats have protein and the oats also offer fiber. If eaten with a glass of milk, there is additional protein and the fluid to fill the stomach. Even a cup of coffee or tea will slow down the consumption process and fill the stomach with something that will help it feel full. Adding nuts or seeds (like sunflower seeds) to a cookie increases the bulk and protein, providing even more nutritional value. There is yet one more aspect that can make a cookie a better choice than a piece of candy, and that is something I refer to as the ‘chew factor’. A piece of candy typically disappears from the mouth in a very short amount of time. A cookie usually takes longer to chew and swallow. This is something to think about when deciding which sweet treats to allow ourselves.
As a side issue, I would like to address the use of salads to lose or maintain weight. People often try to lose weight by eating salads. It’s a good start because lettuce, peas, carrots, and most vegetables contain a good amount of fiber. The chew factor is also significant. However, the typical salad bar at a restaurant includes many things that won’t help a person lose weight (such as gelatin, canned fruit, and pudding). Lettuce has fewer calories, but also contains fewer nutrients to satisfy hunger. The main thought process to use as a guide for what to choose at a salad bar should be more vegetables and some protein. Cheese and bacon are proteins, but also mostly fat, so they should be added sparingly to build a salad that aids weight loss. Then, there’s the issue of things like salad dressing and croutons. Croutons are a simple carbohydrate. A typical creamy salad dressing like ranch is usually just oil, sugar, cream, spices and a little vinegar or lemon juice. It’s better to use a vinegar/oil dressing or none at all. I’ve seen people put so much dressing on their salad, that it had more calories than a “Big Mac”. It still would have more fiber than a hamburger, but it won’t be much help in losing weight.
Here are a few recipes for healthier treats. If you grew up eating treats made with nuts, whole grains, and fruit it is less of a transition than if you grew up with white flour/white sugar treats. In time, you can condition yourself to appreciate the wholesome flavors. Given more time and consistency in the practice of healthy eating, the unwholesome treats usually won’t seem as appealing.
Oatmeal Cookies
With a mixer, cream together: 1 cup shortening, 1 cup peanut butter, I cup brown sugar, and ½ cup white sugar.
Add: 1 egg, ¼ cup water, 1 tsp. vanilla. Mix well.
Add: 1 cup flour, 3 cups instant oatmeal, 1 tsp salt, ½ tsp. baking soda, and mix very well
Optional: Add 1 cup of raisins, or peanut butter/chocolate chips, or coconut or sunflower seeds.
Place teaspoonful size pieces on a cookie sheet, bake @ 350° for about 10 min until slightly brown.
Aunt Betty’s Banana Bread/Muffins
Mix: ½ cup milk and 1 tablespoon vinegar, set aside for 5 minutes (or use ½ cup buttermilk).
In a separate bowl, put ½ cup white flour, ½ cup whole wheat flour, 2 tsp baking powder, ½ tsp baking soda, and ½ tsp salt and set aside. Put the following into the main mixing bowl: ½ cup brown put sugar, 1 cup instant oatmeal, ½ cup bran cereal, 3 T oil, 1 egg, 3 mashed bananas (or at least 2/3 cup).
Stir, then add the milk/vinegar mixture, stir well, add the dry ingredients, stir really well again. Put into muffin cup, bake @ 400° for 15 minutes. Makes about 18 muffins. Optional: add ½ cup chopped nuts.
Rye Crisp Crackers
Mix: 1 ½ cups bran cereal and 1 cup very hot water, set aside to soften.
In a different bowl, mix 1 cup milk and 1 T vinegar, set aside for 5 min. (or use buttermilk)
In a large bowl stir together: ½ cup brown sugar, ½ cup soft butter, add 1 cup white flour, 1 tsp baking soda, 2 tsp baking powder, 1 tsp salt, ½ cup wheat germ and stir very well.
Add the bran mixture, add the milk mixture, stir very well, add 1 cup rye flour, then 2 more cups of flour, one cup at a time. Stir this up until it is too thick and stiff, and then knead it in. Cover the dough with wax paper for at least an hour, it can be put in the refrigerator overnight. When ready to bake, break off a chunk about the size of a tennis ball. Using additional flour, roll out very thin. Cut with pizza cutter and place on a cookie sheet. Bake @ 375° for 10 to 15 minutes until brown. These keep for months in an air tight container.
Help us “Help the Needy”… on Saturday April 14th, from 9am until 1pm. Stop by for a chiropractic adjustment or meridian balancing (acu-stim) treatment in exchange for a monetary donation in the amount of your choice. This month’s proceeds will benefit Help the Needy.
Spring has sprung… it’s time to get outside. Come over and see us during the month of April and receive one ear meridian balancing session for free! Ear meridian balancing is a form of electric acupuncture that is done on the ear.
Enjoying sweets… yes, there are ways you can you do that. J Last month I talked about sugars (particularly white sugar) and the hazards of over-consumption, including damage to the brain leading to Alzheimer’s. Here, I deliver on my promise to offer ideas for lessening the damage while still being able to enjoy a little bit of sweetness in our lives. The main concept I’d like you to grasp is to add some protein or fiber, or both, and dilute with liquid when possible.
In general, adding fiber to our diet mostly involves including vegetable fiber and the bran of grains. Fiber fills the stomach, which helps us feel satiated, and it slows down the evils of a spike in blood sugar. At the same time, it also speeds up the flow of the bowels which helps with weight loss. Some weight loss programs will lower their assigned point value or caloric impact of foods that contain more fiber. Whole grain crackers or bread are a lot healthier for you for this reason. Their nutritional content is also usually better. Spend some time comparing labels and educate yourself about this. When I was a child, white bread was considered wonderful. In actuality, it was not very nutritional and probably contributed to health problems. When something is made “from scratch” healthier ingredients can be used and added, such as fruit, grain fiber, nuts, or vegetable fiber. The sweet treat will be less of an assault on the pancreas.
In regards to the pancreas, the reason fresh fruit is better than a piece of candy (besides nutritional content) is that the fiber in the fruit slows down the absorption of the sugar in the fruit, and the liquid in the juice of fresh fruit fills the stomach with more volume. The fiber and fluid not only help you feel more full, it also inhibits a sudden rush of sugar for the pancreas to process. The spike to the blood sugar is lessened. I do offer a word of caution about dried fruit as compared to fresh, because dried fruit offers a “mixed bag”. Dried fruit is better than candy, but the water content has been removed, so the fruit sugars are quite concentrated. Without the water content, dried fruit has less of a capacity to fill you up. When consuming dried fruit, I recommend increasing fluid intake as a counter balance.
Now, let’s compare a piece of candy with other sweet treats. Candy is comprised mostly of fat and sugar. A cookie or piece of cake will also have eggs, which adds protein to the picture that slows down the sugar rush. If other forms of protein or fiber are added, the treat can be even healthier. An oatmeal cookie is better than a piece of candy because the eggs and oats have protein and the oats also offer fiber. If eaten with a glass of milk, there is additional protein and the fluid to fill the stomach. Even a cup of coffee or tea will slow down the consumption process and fill the stomach with something that will help it feel full. Adding nuts or seeds (like sunflower seeds) to a cookie increases the bulk and protein, providing even more nutritional value. There is yet one more aspect that can make a cookie a better choice than a piece of candy, and that is something I refer to as the ‘chew factor’. A piece of candy typically disappears from the mouth in a very short amount of time. A cookie usually takes longer to chew and swallow. This is something to think about when deciding which sweet treats to allow ourselves.
As a side issue, I would like to address the use of salads to lose or maintain weight. People often try to lose weight by eating salads. It’s a good start because lettuce, peas, carrots, and most vegetables contain a good amount of fiber. The chew factor is also significant. However, the typical salad bar at a restaurant includes many things that won’t help a person lose weight (such as gelatin, canned fruit, and pudding). Lettuce has fewer calories, but also contains fewer nutrients to satisfy hunger. The main thought process to use as a guide for what to choose at a salad bar should be more vegetables and some protein. Cheese and bacon are proteins, but also mostly fat, so they should be added sparingly to build a salad that aids weight loss. Then, there’s the issue of things like salad dressing and croutons. Croutons are a simple carbohydrate. A typical creamy salad dressing like ranch is usually just oil, sugar, cream, spices and a little vinegar or lemon juice. It’s better to use a vinegar/oil dressing or none at all. I’ve seen people put so much dressing on their salad, that it had more calories than a “Big Mac”. It still would have more fiber than a hamburger, but it won’t be much help in losing weight.
Here are a few recipes for healthier treats. If you grew up eating treats made with nuts, whole grains, and fruit it is less of a transition than if you grew up with white flour/white sugar treats. In time, you can condition yourself to appreciate the wholesome flavors. Given more time and consistency in the practice of healthy eating, the unwholesome treats usually won’t seem as appealing.
Oatmeal Cookies
With a mixer, cream together: 1 cup shortening, 1 cup peanut butter, I cup brown sugar, and ½ cup white sugar.
Add: 1 egg, ¼ cup water, 1 tsp. vanilla. Mix well.
Add: 1 cup flour, 3 cups instant oatmeal, 1 tsp salt, ½ tsp. baking soda, and mix very well
Optional: Add 1 cup of raisins, or peanut butter/chocolate chips, or coconut or sunflower seeds.
Place teaspoonful size pieces on a cookie sheet, bake @ 350° for about 10 min until slightly brown.
Aunt Betty’s Banana Bread/Muffins
Mix: ½ cup milk and 1 tablespoon vinegar, set aside for 5 minutes (or use ½ cup buttermilk).
In a separate bowl, put ½ cup white flour, ½ cup whole wheat flour, 2 tsp baking powder, ½ tsp baking soda, and ½ tsp salt and set aside. Put the following into the main mixing bowl: ½ cup brown put sugar, 1 cup instant oatmeal, ½ cup bran cereal, 3 T oil, 1 egg, 3 mashed bananas (or at least 2/3 cup).
Stir, then add the milk/vinegar mixture, stir well, add the dry ingredients, stir really well again. Put into muffin cup, bake @ 400° for 15 minutes. Makes about 18 muffins. Optional: add ½ cup chopped nuts.
Rye Crisp Crackers
Mix: 1 ½ cups bran cereal and 1 cup very hot water, set aside to soften.
In a different bowl, mix 1 cup milk and 1 T vinegar, set aside for 5 min. (or use buttermilk)
In a large bowl stir together: ½ cup brown sugar, ½ cup soft butter, add 1 cup white flour, 1 tsp baking soda, 2 tsp baking powder, 1 tsp salt, ½ cup wheat germ and stir very well.
Add the bran mixture, add the milk mixture, stir very well, add 1 cup rye flour, then 2 more cups of flour, one cup at a time. Stir this up until it is too thick and stiff, and then knead it in. Cover the dough with wax paper for at least an hour, it can be put in the refrigerator overnight. When ready to bake, break off a chunk about the size of a tennis ball. Using additional flour, roll out very thin. Cut with pizza cutter and place on a cookie sheet. Bake @ 375° for 10 to 15 minutes until brown. These keep for months in an air tight container.
Help us “Help the Needy”… on Saturday April 14th, from 9am until 1pm. Stop by for a chiropractic adjustment or meridian balancing (acu-stim) treatment in exchange for a monetary donation in the amount of your choice. This month’s proceeds will benefit Help the Needy.
