Friday " Food Facts"... Broccoli

Broccoli is a very common food, but I think it helps to be reminded of all the good benefits that it can offer our bodies.

Broccoli Facts

Contains twice the vitamin C as an orange

Almost as much calcium as milk and the calcium is better absorbed

It's a natural source of selenium, which is good for your body

Moderate source of Vitamin A and E

It has antioxidant properties

Friday Food Facts...Calcium

 

 Calcium

... is a mineral found in many foods. The body needs calcium to maintain strong bones and teeth. The body also needs calcium for the muscles to move and for nerves to carry messages between the brain and other parts of the body. Calcium is used to help blood vessels move blood throughout the body and to help release hormones and enzymes that affect almost every function in the human body.

I like finding ways I can get more of my vitamins and minerals from natural sources when possible. Today I wanted share some sources for Calcium.

The most common are - milk, yogurt and cheese
~But if your like me - dairy free then you need to look elsewhere...
Kale, broccoli, Chinese Cabbage, spinach, okra, collard greens, almonds, sesame seeds, chia seeds, quinoa, oats, beans, canned salmon, dried figs,

Milk Allergy vs Lactose Intolerance...

Milk Allergy is caused by a malfunctioning immune system. The immune system identifies milk proteins as harmful invaders and releases antibodies called immunoglobulin E ( lgE) into your bloodstream. These antibodies then release histamine which cause milk allergy symptoms. It is a true food allergy caused by an allergic reaction.

Lactose Intolerance is caused by your stomach's inability to properly digest lactose, a sugar present in milk. Your small intestine doesn't produce enough of the enzyme lactose.  The enzyme is essential for the digestion of milk and the milk nutrients. Instead of being digested, milk moves into the colon where bacteria ferments it, making fatty acid and gases which cause the unpleasant symptoms.

(Some) Symptoms of a milk allergy - 

skin rashes/irritations

hives

itching/itchy eyes

redness

swelling and tingling around the mouth

vomiting

diarrhea 

stomach ache

runny or stuffy nose

sneezing and coughing/wheezing

(Some) Symptoms of Lactose Intolerance -

gas

bloating

abdominal pain

nausea

diarrhea

If you are lactose intolerant there are over the counter remedies like "lactaid" that provide the lactase enzymes you need. There are dairy products on the market that have added enzymes as well. 

If you have a milk allergy your options are only to not ingest milk and use the non-milk substitutes like, almond, soy, coconut or rice milk and non-dairy cheeses.

Some people can only have an allergy to one milk protein called whey.

Here is a list of other words to look out for, that mean "dairy".  Reading your food labels, you will discover "milk" you didn't even know hiding in the foods you eat.

http://www.godairyfree.org/dairy-free-grocery-shopping-guide/dairy-ingredient-list-2

A few sources of non dairy calcium rich foods -

Almonds

figs

Beans

Carrots

Pecans

Raisins

Brown Rice

Apricots

Garlic

Dates

Spinach

Sesame seeds

Brazil nuts

Cashews

Papaya

Avocados

Celery

*Note - my daughter had a milk allergy when she was a very young infant ( about 1-3 months old) and was only nursing at the time. The milk she was ingesting came from the milk that I was drinking. What you eat/drink does comes through breast milk. So when I stopped drinking milk she felt much better.

If you would like help reading labels, shopping and/or making meal planning easy contact me athttp://www.wholefood-living.com/contact.html

Tuesday "Try" Cacao Nibs..

Candied Cacao Nibs

http://candy.about.com/od/chocolate/r/candiedcacaonib.htm

In honor of Valentines day this week I thought I would try something with chocolate ( any excuse to eat chocolate is good enough for me!) Cacao nibs are a healthier option then most chocolate consumed and they offer great benefits for your body http://www.livestrong.com/article/462015-benefits-of-cocoa-nibs/. They contain, magnesium, calcium and zinc to name a few, and what better way to get these minerals then through eating chocolate. Now with that said they do have a dark chocolate bitter taste and the internet if full of great ideas to remedy that without loosing all the good qualities. I found this recipe for candied cacao nibs, and it was easy to make and great to put away for later use, like sprinkling on my coconut yogurt, or grind them up and put in a smooth or just nibble on them, which I found myself doing and put the rest away before they were all gone.

This is what they look like. They have a rough crunchy texture with somewhat of a bitter taste.

I put the sugar ( the recipe didn't specify what kind of sugar, so I used my coconut sugar to add a more brown sugar/molasses like taste). Then put on med. high heat and continued to stir.

The recipe said to wait till the sugar was dissolved to put the butter in ( I used Earth Balance instead of butter to make it dairy free) but after a few minutes I put the Earth Balance in and it did fine. It got a caramel like coating on all the cacao nibs ~ Yum! Once it was all incorporated I spread them out on parchment paper and sprinkled some salt while still hot. I love sweet and salty.

~Happy Valentines Day~

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