12 Reasons to Add Turmeric to Your Recipes (and a Warning)

Archives for May 2017

If you eat Indian food you're familiar with turmeric, it’s the main spice in curry.

It’s what gives so many Indian foods their deep orange color and rich flavor.

Besides being a great spice, turmeric has been noted for its many health benefits. It’s one of the most useful and well known medicinal herbs due to its many healing qualities.

Top 12 Reasons to Eat Turmeric

1. It’s an anti-inflammatory.

2. It cuts the risk of cancer.

3. It’s a powerful detox agent.

4. It boosts cognitive function.

5. It helps restore blood sugar balance.

6. It improves kidney function.

7. It lessens the symptoms of arthritis.

8. It helps with symptoms of stomach problems.

9. It’s an anticoagulant.

10. It’s an effective therapy for mild depression.

11. It helps control cholesterol.

12. It’s a natural pain killer.

turmeric-grilled-meat

  • Studies have shown that when you add this spice to grilled meat, you cut down on harmful HCAs.
  • Using it when you cook carrots and pumpkin help retain their high levels of beta-carotene.

A Couple of Warnings About Over-Use

With so many good reasons for using turmeric, it’s important to note that too much of a good thing can be a big problem.

People who boost their turmeric too much can have allergic reactions to the spice. It’s a good idea to keep it away from your skin, as it can cause an itchy rash for some people.

Too much turmeric can cause some uncomfortable, and even serious side effects including:

  • Nausea
  • Diarrhea
  • Risk of bleeding
  • Elevated liver function results
  • Hyperactive gallbladder
  • Lowered blood pressure
  • Uterine contractions in pregnant women
  • Increased menstrual flow

People who are taking aspirin or other blood-thinning drugs should stay away from turmeric. The same is true of people who are taking anti-inflammatory drugs.

If you want to add turmeric to your diet, doing so is easy.

Turmeric is available in the spice aisle of most stores, but the spices you can buy at an Indian market will likely be freshest, and may even be organic.  You can also find fresh turmeric root at these stores near the ginger root.

You can add this to soups, salads and marinades. If you're able to find the root, it needs to be kept in your refrigerator, but the dried spice can be kept in a sealed container in a cool, dry place.

One of the easiest and most delicious ways to add turmeric to your diet is to add it to egg salad. It gives it great flavor and a beautiful color. Other people add it to brown rice with raisins and nuts or use it to season fresh steamed vegetables like cauliflower.

Just be careful when you’re using it – turmeric stains!

One of our favorite ways to enjoy turmeric is to use it to make tea. Earth Echo made it easier for you! Grab a pouch of the Golden Superfood Bliss , it's what I personally use! You can also enjoy the quick recipe below.

Healing benefits turmeric tea recipe

 

Yours in health and happiness,

Danette

P.S. Please help me spread the word about turmeric by sharing this with your friends and let me hear from you too in the comments below. Is turmeric a staple in your kitchen now?

Have you been trying to lose weight without working out?

Maybe you’re just trying to keep extra weight off.

Most people know that to lose or maintain weight, you need to work out, but still, many don’t.

If you're a person who doesn’t want to work up a sweat, what you’re about to read may make you change your mind.

Researchers have found one of the top reasons why people who exercise tend to stay thin.  fit woman running on beach

It’s called irisin, and it’s an exercise hormone that fights fat in two ways.

Irisin was first found a few years ago by Bruce Spiegelman of the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute at Harvard Medical School. Back when he found irisin, he knew it was created during exercise, but he didn’t know what it did.

Now researchers from the University of Florida have figured that part out.

Irisin is released when we do moderate aerobic exercise over a long period. Our muscles make it when they and our cardiorespiratory system are activated.

But the big news is in the two things that irisin does.

First, irisin turns our white, calorie-storing fat cells into brown fat cells. When we exercise, our bodies free up fat to burn as fuel. This goes on for as long as our workout does.

But when you have brown fat cells, they keep burning that fat that was freed during your work out.

The fat burning continues, even after you have stopped. Brown fat heats up your metabolism.

The second thing that irisin does is to stop new fat cells from forming.

Even better, it redirects the cells that would have turned to fat into bone-forming cells. These help us fight osteoporosis and heart disease. It also fights inflammation.

The University of Florida’s lead researcher, Li-Jun Yan, says that her research provides everybody with a road map for better health.

“Knowing that the body produces small quantities of fat-fighting irisin underscores the importance of regular exercise. Irisin can do a lot of things. This is another piece of evidence about the mechanisms that prevent fat buildup and promote the development of strong bones when you exercise.”

So now that you know what irisin does, you need to know how to get more of it.

Though it might be nice if you could just get irisin in a pill, right now the only way to boost your levels are through exercise.

3 workouts that help your body produce this amazing exercise hormone are: woman swimming in pool burning fat

1. High-Intensity Interval Training (H.I.I.T.)

2. Swimming

3. Strength training

Try to do at least one of these types of exercise for at least 20 minutes, three or four times per week.

My workouts are specifically designed with this in mind and if you're ready to turn your body into a fat burning machine you will LOVE the workouts you'll get in my Forever Fit online personal training site!

One thing to remember about brown fat: your body will prevent white fat from turning brown if you don’t eat enough food each day. The same is true if you overeat.

Maintain a healthy diet with lots of fresh produce and lean proteins and you'll help your body make even more of this metabolism boosting fat.

Yours in health and happiness,

Danette

P.S. Please share this with your loved ones and I don't forget to leave me a comment below!

You probably have heard of collagen. It's what gives our skin its strength and keeps us looking young. It's also what keeps our bones and connective tissues strong.

Collagen is the #1 protein in your body. It makes up 70% of the protein in our skin and 30% of the protein in our bodies!

Collagen is literally what holds our bodies together!

Unfortunately, as we get older our bodies’ collagen production slows down. This is why we get wrinkles and our hair loses its strength and shine.

It's also why our bones and joints start to ache and weaken. Decreases in collagen have also been linked to digestive problems.

Fortunately, we have a lot of options for adding high-quality collagen to our diets. We can eat foods that boost collagen production or you can take collagen powder like the one I use here, as a supplement. These powders contain about 90% protein.

Some of the foods that add or preserve collagen include:

  • Bone broth (made almost entirely of collagen) 
  • Dark leafy greens (they protect against collagen loss)
  • Wild caught fish and lean, grass-fed meat
  • Berries
  • Garlic (helps rebuild damaged collagen)

Collagen is also available as a powder that you can add to your coffee or to a smoothie or oatmeal in the morning.  It dissolves into just about any liquid and has no flavor. You can also add it to any recipe.

Top 4 Reasons to Consume Collagen

1. It helps you shed pounds! Collagen is protein, so when you eat it you stay full much longer, and this may help with weight loss.  By adding a couple of scoops to a meal you can stay full and avoid unnecessary snacking.

Hydrolyzed collagen has also been shown to cut down on the fat in the body. At the same time, the protein may cut down on sagging skin that is sometimes left behind after you lose a lot of weight.

collagen helps arthritis pain

2. Collagen can ease arthritis pain. This is because it gives us high levels of the amino acids that built our joints and bones.

Not only does collagen cut down on aches and pains, it also can increase range of motion and strength.

3. It heals your gut. Collagen contains glycine, which can help to heal your gut after antibiotic damage.

This cuts down on symptoms of leaky gut, as well as author autoimmune diseases like inflammatory bowel disease and celiac disease.

4. Collagen can improve your skin.

One study showed that women who took collagen every day decreased the depth of the wrinkles around their eyes by 20% in just 8 weeks.

If you want to try adding collagen to your diet, here's the quick & easy way that I like best.

If you have more time on your hands, here is a recipe for making your own bone broth.

You can make it with chicken or beef bones or both, which is what this recipe is for. It can be stored in the refrigerator for a week or frozen for later use.

This nutrient dense drink takes time but is easy to make and delicious too.

bone broth recipe

Yours in health and happiness,

Danette

P.S. Please help me spread the word about collagen by sharing this article with your friends and I always love hearing from you in the comments below!

The avocado has long been a staple of the Latin American diet.  In the last 10 years, it has grown to be widely popular in the U.S. You can now walk into any market and find them piled up next to standard foods like tomatoes and apples.

The average American will eat nearly 7 pounds of avocados this year!

Avocados are often used in salads and sauces. Because it's not sweet and has a green color, people often think they are a vegetable. In fact, they are a stone fruit, just like peaches and plums.

Their creamy flesh is more than just tasty: it's also extremely healthy. The avocado is well known as a heart-healthy fat, but it offers a lot more benefits than that.

6 Science-based Reasons to Eat Avocados

1. Avocados are known as a heart-healthy food. This is because they have high levels of “beta-sitosterol”. avocado halves shaped into a heart wooden background
This substance is known to control cholesterol and keep it at a healthy level.

2. Avocados are good for your eyes. They contain lutein and other phytochemicals that protect against ultraviolet rays.

They also contain fatty acids that help the body to absorb other vitamins and minerals. These help to reduce the risk of macular degeneration.

3. Avocados are high in Vitamin K.  In fact, half an avocado gives you 25% of your daily RDA of this important vitamin.

Vitamin K helps you to absorb calcium and keeps your body from excreting calcium through your urine. That means that it’s good for bone health.

4. Avocados have a lot of folates. Folate is one of the most important nutrients. It’s been shown to protect against DNA and RNA mutations. When cells mutate, it can lead to cancer.

Folate is also key to a healthy pregnancy. It cuts the risk of miscarriage and birth defects.

5. Avocados make you happier! It's true, folate is tied to a lower risk of depression. Women shopping bags laughing outside

Scientists believe that it stops a substance called “homocysteine” from building up. It blocks the production of important mood hormones.

6. Avocado is high in fiber. Just half a fruit contains 6-7 grams. Fiber can help lower the risk of colon cancer. It also fights the symptoms of constipation and to move toxins out of the body.

Fiber has also been shown to cut the risk of heart disease and stroke.

When you buy avocados, you need to look for fruit that has a bit of give to it if you are going to use it right away. Otherwise, you can let them ripen on your counter until they soften and then store them in the refrigerator.

Avocados can be used in many ways. In addition to using them in salads and dips, you can use them in baking. Avocados are delicious with eggs and make a healthy sauce for pasta.

And of course, they can be used to make guacamole just like my favorite recipe above.

With all this great news about avocados, you may be wondering…is there such a thing as too much avocado?

Yours in health and happiness,

Danette

P.S. Please share this with your avocado loving friends and I love hearing from you in the comments below. What's your favorite way to enjoy avocados?

 

Here is my update of my liver and gallbladder flush. I love researching detox methods and I did a 3-day detox and this is what I learned.

Here's the step by step info on the gallbladder flush I used.

Consult your Doctor before following this Detox Plan.

Yours in health and happiness,

Danette

P.S. Please share this video with your friends and I would love to hear from you in the comments below. Have you tried a gallbladder flush before?

If you had to guess, how many people do you know who have ever gone on a diet?

It’s a funny question, isn’t it?

When you think about it like that, you realize that at one time or another, almost everybody you know has told you that they need to take off a pound or two.

You’d have to tally up the numbers of almost everybody that you have ever met.

It’s far more interesting – and revealing – to ask how many people you know who have lost weight and kept it off.  That is a much smaller number because it is a much harder thing to do.

The people who have lost 30 pounds and then kept if off know that losing weight is only half the battle.

They know that counting and cutting calories is just a temporary fix and that if they don’t adopt healthier habits, the weight is going to come right back.

There’s a good chance that they have tried and failed at dieting before and only managed to make a permanent change when they changed their lifestyle.

The people who have been most successful at keeping their weight off share certain things in common. They might not all have lost their weight in the same way, but the lifestyle changes they've made are what has kept it off.

5 Habits of People Who Lost 30 Pounds (and kept if off)

1. They get enough sleep.

Studies have shown that people who are sleep-deprived have higher levels of activity in the part of their brains that reward eating unhealthy food.

Getting enough sleep keeps our hormone levels stable, including the hormones that tell us when we are hungry and when we are full.

2. They exercise more than other people.

A study using data from the National Weight Control Registry shows that people who keep their weight off walk 60 to 75 minutes per day or do some other exercise for that amount of time, 6 days per week.

Exercise gives a buffer against gaining weight.

3. They are careful about what they eat.

Instead of counting calories, people who keep their weight off watch their fat and sugar intake.

They eat more lean proteins and fresh fruits and vegetables to help them feel satisfied.

4. They do not deprive themselves.

They eat in moderation and mindfully. They plan their meals, and if they eat something that is high in fat or sugar, they savor them.

5. They have a good support system.

The people who are most successful at losing weight and keeping it off do so with the support of family and friends.

By enlisting people to join you in a program or sharing your victories, you make yourself more accountable.

Yours in health and happiness,

Danette

P.S. Please share this with your friends and I welcome your comments below.

Everybody has their favorite comfort food.

Usually, it's whatever we were given as children when we were sad, or sick.

Sometimes it's the food that was used as part of a family celebration.

Unfortunately, most of the foods that we tend to think of as comfort foods are not very healthy. They're high in fat and sugar and can lead to insulin resistance and increased waistlines.

Wouldn’t it be nice if there were foods that are good for us that could also help reduce stress?

Good news is: There are!

There are plenty of foods that can help us ease the symptoms of stress. They help us to produce mood boosters and chemicals that help get rid of stress and help to stabilize our blood sugar.

Top 8 Superfoods to Calm Your Nerves

1. Dark green leafy vegetables

Spinach, kale and other dark greens are high in folate.

Folate helps us to make serotonin and dopamine. Both of these are neurotransmitters that fight depression and stress.

Here are 5 warning signs that you need more leafy greens in your life.

2. Turkey

Turkey is one of those foods that is linked to happy memories and that is good for us too! It is high in tryptophan. Tryptophan is an amino acid that shifts to serotonin in our bodies.

When we eat foods high in tryptophan we are less likely to argue.

Other foods high in tryptophan include cage-free eggs and pumpkin seeds.

3. Foods that are fermented

We know you are thinking of wine and beer here, but let’s look elsewhere! When a food is fermented it contains good bacteria that can help boost your mood.

Good choices include yogurt and kombucha tea.

4. Wild caught salmon

Wild caught salmon is good for us for so many reasons, and it is a mood booster too.

Salmon contains omega-3 fats that studies show helps cut anxiety by 20%.

5. Blueberries

Blueberries and blackberries both contain anthocyanins. These are what gives them their deep color. They also help the brain make dopamine, a good mood chemical.

Blueberries also help us build more of the white blood cells that boost the immune system.

6. Pistachios

Did you know that these delicious nuts help to dilate your arteries? This means that you have less vascular constriction, and that means less stress on your heart.

That's not the only reason I count pistachios as one of my favorites either!

7. Dark chocolate

Chocolate makes us feel better for lots of reasons.

In addition to its delicious taste, it also contains anandamide. This is a neurotransmitter that blocks pain and depression.

One study showed that eating just 1.5 ounces of dark chocolate a day makes us feel calmer.

8. Avocado

The delicious green fruit gives us loads of minerals and vitamins and healthy fat. It also keeps our moods steady by helping us to feel full and controlling our blood sugars.

Yours in health and happiness,

Danette

P.S. Please share this list with your friends and don't forget to leave me a comment below.

Stroke affects about 800,000 people in the United States every year.

It happens when the brain stops getting the blood that it needs. This causes brain cells to die.

Once this happens, the abilities that those cells were responsible for are lost.

Strokes can be minor or they can be catastrophic depending on how much brain tissue is damaged and what part of the brain is affected.

Some people may end up with a temporary weakness of an arm or a leg, while others may lose the ability to speak, may become paralyzed, or may even die.

According to the National Stroke Association, stroke is the fifth leading cause of death in the United States and the leading cause of adult disability.

Making matters worse is that fact that:

8 out of every 10 strokes could have been prevented with the help of medicine and lifestyle changes.

Top 9 Ways to Reduce Your Risk of Stroke

1. Get more exercise. If you just take a 20-minute walk each day, you can cut your stroke risk by 30%.

If you don’t have a 20-minute block of time, you can cut it in half and make it two 10-minute walks. The goal is to walk 2 hours per week.

2. Take measures against depression. Stroke is 29% more likely in women who suffer from depression.

This is in part because women who are depressed are more likely to smoke. They are also less likely to exercise.

3. Get the right amount of sleep. Make sure that you are getting 7 hours of high quality sleep each night, but less than 10. You might think getting more sleep would be a good thing, but you’d be wrong.

People who sleep more than 10 hours a night have a 63% greater chance of stroke.

4. Use olive oil for your salad dressing. You may already know that olive oil is a heart-healthy ingredient, but research shows that using it can also cut your chance of stroke by 40%.

Just make sure you aren't making this common mistake with olive oil.

5. If you get migraines, talk to your doctor. People who get them are at higher risk for stroke. Some migraines can even be avoided by changing your diet.

6. Listen to your body. If you are getting symptoms like heart flutters, shortness of breath or chest pain, you could be having atrial fibrillation (AF).

People who have this abnormal heartbeat have a five times greater chance of stroke. The good news is that there are medicines that are very effective at treating AF.

7. Eat foods high in potassium. Eating sweet potatoes, raisins, bananas and other foods high in this mineral can reduce your risk of stroke by 20%.

Other good sources include fish, poultry, and low-fat dairy.

8. Take a deep breath. The more stress you feel, the higher your chance of stroke.

A study found that people who are more likely to get angry are also more likely to have other high risk factors for stroke.

9. Know the symptoms. One of the most important factors in minimizing the impact of stroke is to get treatment quickly. The best way to do that is to know the symptoms.

Know the Symptoms by using the acronym BEFAST:

B is balance (loss of balance or dizziness)

E is for eyes (blurred vision)

F is for face (drooping, numbness)

A is for arm and leg (weakness, numbness)

S is for speech (slurred, mute)

T is for time (you need to move quickly!)

If you know the symptoms and get help quickly, you can minimize the long-term impact of stroke.

Yours in health and happiness,

Danette

P.S. Please share this important health information with your loved ones and I always love to hear from you in the comments below!

You know that too much sodium can harm your health. And if you’re like most people, you think that salt and sodium are the same things.

That’s not true.

Sodium is a mineral that has an impact on the human body. Salt is a chemical compound that contains sodium. There’s a big difference!

If you’re trying to cut down on sodium, it’s important for you to understand this difference.

Once you do, you will be able to make smart choices about the food you eat.

Sodium serves a purpose in the way our bodies work:

But too much of a good thing can cause harm, and that’s very true of sodium.

When you take in too much sodium you can retain extra water. This can lead to high blood pressure.

High blood pressure raises the risk of heart problems and stroke.

Salt forms when sodium combines with another mineral called chloride. The chemical makeup of salt is 40% sodium, with the other 60% chloride.

You can try putting away the salt shaker to cut down on sodium, but that won’t get you far.

We get more sodium from processed foods then we get from the salt we put on our food.

The best way to keep the amount of sodium in your diet low is to read food labels and know what they mean.

Food Labels and Sodium

Though your doctor may have given you different instructions, healthy people should keep their sodium intake to no more than 2,300 mg a day.

If you have high blood pressure or kidney disease, you should drop it to less than 1,500 mg a day.

To get an idea of how much that is, understand that just one teaspoon of salt has 2,300 of sodium.

When reading food labels, check to see how much sodium is in each serving and keep that in mind when eating the contents.

The label of a 2-serving package of food may say that one serving has 750 mg of sodium. That means that if you eat the whole package you have consumed a whole day’s worth of sodium!

It’s also good to know that food packages list their ingredients in order and that salt is not the only thing that contains sodium.

If you’re looking at the ingredient list to watch out for high sodium items, keep your eyes open for hidden sodium:

1. monosodium glutamate (MSG)

2. baking soda

3. baking powder

4. sodium citrate

When cutting back on sodium, here are the key things to remember:

  • If a product says that it's sodium free or has no sodium, it contains less than 5 mg
  • If a product says it is very low sodium, it contains less than 35 mg
  • If a product says it is low sodium, it contains less than 140 mg
  • To keep your sodium intake low, look for foods for which one serving contributes less than 5% of your daily recommended sodium intake

Yours in health and happiness,

Danette

P.S. Please share this important health info. with your loved ones and don't forget to leave me a comment below!