Chris Pedersen's Blog, page 16

Wisdom Wednesday

Tip:
A word of caution about juicing. Do not juice only fruit. Without the fiber, you've concentrated the sugar—that's too much sugar. A maximum of 25-30 grams of sugar from all sources per day is the limit for health. Above that amount adds to weight and unhealthy conditions for the body. A glass of fruit juice can contain the equivalent amount of sugar as a soft drink... and you know that's not healthy.

The idea of juicing fruit is to add vegetables—adding more each time—until you acquire a palate for greens. Stick with juicing lots of greens, adding one small apple/pear for sweetness.

OPEN: Farmer's Markets

It's that time of the year when farmer's markets open all across the country. Each year there are more opening as the demand for locally grown food grows. Hurray! As the large farms expand by gobbling up smaller family farms and wars are waged over water to the farm fields, consumers are showing they want to buy from small local farms. Meeting the farmer and being able to quiz them on their growing methods is becoming important.
If you live in El Dorado county here are the locations and start dates for local farmer's markets:
Cameron Park - Burke Junction Wednesday, May 14Placerville - by Sweetie Pies Saturday, May 3 Placerville - Library Friday, June 6 (NEW!) El Dorado Hills - Town Center Sunday, May 18 El Dorado Hills - Community Center Thursday, June 5 Remember, just because it comes from a farm does not make it organic. Ask the farmers about their farming process. Some are in the process of qualifying to become certified organic, thus they already follow organic procedures in order to qualify for the certification. Others may be using organic methods, but choose not to go through the organic certification for cost reasons.

South Fork Farms, which first opened last year, is an organic farm close by. They are now open, but produce is limited due to the early season—kale and carrots are available. South Fork also makes bread, which is legendary in the area. Right next door you can purchase organic eggs for $4 per dozen still warm from the nests.

Are there farmer's markets where you live? Please leave the where and when of markets in your area in a comment below so others close to you might find out.
 

Wisdom Wednesday

Tip:
I have been using a chlorine filter on my shower for 9 years. Chlorine is a poison that we should not drink and should not wash in. Our skin is the largest organ of our body, therefore the time we spend in the shower exposed to chlorine is not healthy.

I can recommend the shower filter unit from Green Home to remove the offending chlorine. It's really easy to add in-line to your existing shower head. Every year I replace the filter by simply unscrewing the clear plastic housing and replacing the used filter with a new filter. This is the filter I've used in my home for the last 9 years.

How to Make Kombucha Tea

I had a scoby in my fridge for some time, plus had all the ingredients and supplies needed, before I finally decided to just do it. Had I known how easy it would be, I wouldn't have waited so long.
What are you waiting for? Scoby's are readily available. If you're making Kombucha, the scoby naturally replicates. Ask someone brewing the fermented tea—if they don't have a scoby baby at the moment, they will soon have one they can pass on to you.
What is a SCOBY?SCOBY is an acronym for Symbiotic Culture Of Bacteria & Yeast. It's similar to the mother that makes  vinegar. Kombucha begins as a sugary tea—the scoby infuses bacteria which devours most of the sugar during the fermenting process. The tea is transformed into a refreshing, fizzy, slightly sour fermented beverage.
After a few brewings using the scoby, you'll begin to feel like you have a new household pet. It is alive after all. So the first time you have something go wrong with a batch and you have to discard it, you might feel a bit weird about how to do that—discard the scoby. Should I give it a proper burial? Some say you grind it up in your next smoothie. What? You decide what to do, but tell me if you don't develop a weird feeling about this organism. Okay… maybe that's just me. Moving along now.What You'll Need:
1 large pot, preferably stainless steel1 gallon glass container1 cup of organic pure cane sugar6 tea bags or equivalent loose tea1 coffee filter or cloth to cover tea while it ferments (I use a rubber band to secure it)1 room temperature scoby (normally stored in the fridge with a coffee filter or similar cover)8 16 oz glass bottles with tight-fitting lidsflavoring (optional)I use an organic hojicha loose green tea from Mighty Leaf. Using cheese cloth, I measure out 6 servings and secure the cheese cloth with a rubber band.
When the tea is ready to bottle, you can flavor it. I add a cranberry concentrate I got from Trader Joe's. I add about 1/4 teaspoon to each bottle and then pour in the finished Kombucha using a funnel. I'm going to add some ginger in this next batch.
Why Make & Drink Kombucha?This thirst-quenching bubbly tea is a part of our immune strengthening regimen. It provides a myriad of healthy bacteria to our bodies. Since the American gut is the most deficient in good bacteria because of poor diet and over use of antibiotics and antibacterial this-and-that, we can use all the help we can get to boost our immunity, which begins in the gut. If it isn't healthy, you won't be healthy. That's all there is to it.
Start yourself on a routine of drinking Kombucha tea and see if you can escape all those nasty little illnesses that snag you throughout the year. Works for me!
KombuchaFermented Tea
from Adapted from Food Renegadeyield 1 gallon
category Drinkcuisine Vegan
ingredients1 Gallon filtered water1 Kombucha mother/scoby plus 1 C of finished Kombucha tea6 bags of orgainc black tea or tea of choice1 C orgainc sugar1 Gallon glass jarPorous filter to seal jar (e.g., dish towel, coffee filter, paper towel plus rubber band to secure)16 oz and/or 32 oz glass bottles with secure lids to bottle finished brew
directions1. Bring 1 gallon of water to boil in stainless steel pot.2. Once boiling, remove from heat, add tea bags then let steep for 6 minutes.3. Disolve 1 C organic sugar in the hot tea. Let tea cool to room temperature.4. Remove scoby from refrigerator and let it come to room temperature.5. Pour cooled tea into 1 gallon glass jar. Top with scoby and 1 C of finsihed Kombucha tea (should be the tea scoby is stored in).6. Cover the glass jar with porous towel to let the scoby breathe then secure with a rubber band. Let the tea ferment for 5-7 days in a corner of the kitchen that does not get direct light. CAUTION: This is a sweet tea, so it may attract ants!7. After 5 -7 days, remove the scoby and 1 C of tea (enough to cover it). Store in a glass bowl or jar in the refrigerator until ready to make another batch.8. Bottle your brew! Put approximately 1 1/2 oz organic fruit juice (no sugar added) in 16 oz bottles and fill with fermented tea leaving about 1/4" at the top. Screw lid on securely. Let set in a corner of the kitchen that does not get direct light for 2 days to complete fermentation.9. "Burp" your bottles daily (unscrew lids and let excess gas out). When ready, place in the fridge to stop the fermentation process. Drink for enjoyment and health.

notes: • Search the Internet for additional information on brew times and flavoring amounts. Experiment until you find what tastes best to you. • After a cycle or two you'll notice that your scoby is getting thick and seems to want to peel in two. Copngratulations! That is a baby scoby. Peel them apart and start an additional batch with it or adopt it out to a deserving Kombucha drinker. Don't worry if it tears a bit—it will grow and fill itslelf in. • http://www.foodrenegade.com/how-to-br...
Make a batch and let me know how yours turned out.

Sautéed Brussels Sprouts with Lemon & Capers

I know many people do not like
Being one of the cruciferous vegetables it's great in the fight against cancer. Plus recent studies show a unique benefit of protecting DNA. I need that... and guess what? So do you!

Try this out on your reluctant brussels sprouts crowd and see if you can win them over.
Sautéed Brussel Sprouts

from Chris Pedersenyield 2-3 servings
category Side Dishcuisine Vegan
ingredients2 Tbsp coconut oil20+ brussels sprouts, cleaned and halved (about 2 Cups)1/4 C yellow onion, sliced1 Tbsp of capers with juiceJuice of 1/2 lemon
sea salt & pepper to taste
directions1. Heat coconut oil in wok over medium high heat. Add brussel sprouts and stir until browned.

2. Add onion and stir until cooked and slightly browned.

3. Add capers and lemon juice and stir. Add salt and pepper to taste.4. Serve
See! Easy! Try it and report back to me.

Best brussels sprouts to get are on the stalk. They stay really fresh in the fridge and you simply cut off what you want for the meal.

An Herbal Combination to Fight Cancer

Six months into my cancer-fighting diet and one year after hearing the earth-shattering news I had cancer in my colon and a genetic defect that makes my body produce cancer in my colon, I added a few  targeted cancer-fighting supplements to my regimen. Read  How I Beat Cancer .

One was Vitae Elixxir and the other was Amygdalin or B17. You can read about B17 in Cancer Answer Arsenal Part I.
A co-worker of my husband, learning of my cancer fight, gave him a small glass bottle containing an herbal extract called  Vitae Elixxir . He said it got rid of the prostate cancer that plagued his father and felt it would heal any cancer I had. I followed the recommended protocol for the extract, taking it faithfully everyday. Gradually I built up the daily dosage to 10 drops in a glass of filtered water taken with food.

Looking up the product on the web, I found many people had good results on the product. I read with interest one account of a doctor who used the extract to treat her skin cancer. I had a spot on my thigh the doctor identified as actinic keratosis. She froze it twice to no avail—it grew back quickly and larger each time.

I decided to try the Vitae Elixxir. Each day I put a drop of extract on the spot, it stung and stained the skin a bright purple. The purple came from the herb red root in the extract. A bandaid covering the spot kept it moist and out of sight when I wore shorts on my morning run. After one week of that routine, a big scab had formed on the spot with some swelling and redness. I left it alone and kept it under observation. A week later the scab came off leaving a small crater on the surface of my skin. As the skin healed, the area soon filled in and became normal healthy skin—no sign of any keratosis. I said to myself, "That's what's happening inside my body."

My husband has had a few cancerous spots removed by traditional surgical methods on his face, arm and torso. Each removal left a noticeable scar where the cancer once was. Recently he used Vitae Elixxir to treat two spots on his face. Each area healed up to beautiful new skin with no noticeable scar.

Vitae Elixxir is a potent combination of herbs in a 2 oz bottle, which lasts a long time. To learn more about Vitae Elixxir, its history and ingredients, go to Vitae Elixxir Herbal Extract.

I take Vitae Elixxir every day as part of my cancer-fighting lifestyle. I believe this product is a powerful fighter of disease, especially cancer.

Full disclosure: I sell the Vitae Elixxir and make a profit doing so. I want to get it into the hands of anyone with cancer who has decided to fight the disease with natural remedies.

This remedy is not a replacement for treatment by a qualified medical professional or a healthy balanced diet.

A word of caution: There is no magic bullet for anything. The best defense against any disease whether its the flu or cancer is a healthy diet and lifestyle that includes lots of water, vegetables, good sleep, a little exercise and a positive attitude.

Don't think you can pop some pills (prescription or otherwise) and get better or feel better without doing the work of making healthy choices in food and life.

Any questions, leave a comment or contact me.

Wisdom Wednesday

Tip:
To make sure you are getting healthy and fresh olive oil, remember these tips:
Buy only extra-virgin olive oil (that means it's pressed cold, thus protecting the oils from spoilage).Store tightly covered in a cool, dark place (oils will degrade when exposed to oxygen, heat and light). Don't keep your olive oil on the counter—it is not for decoration.Buy locally grown and bottled—not from Italy. That way you know it's fresh.Oils that are old should be thrown out. If it tastes bad—it is bad.
Be diligent about the freshness of your oils (not just olive oil). Oils that are over-heated and gone rancid due to oxidation are actually hazardous to your health. That's right! Fats can heal and fats can kill.

Carrot Cupcakes

These cupcakes were made by budding pastry chef Julia Thompson for my book signing at Face In a Book back on January 11th. These are not your ordinary cupcake with sugar-laden frosting and more sugar in the cake. They are completely approved for my cancer-fighting diet. Some may describe them more like a muffin, but they are delicious none the less.
Book signing for The Prisoner of Carrot Castle
Carrot Cupcakes
from Chris Pedersenyield 1 - 2 dozen cupcakes
category Dessertcuisine Vegan
ingredients3 carrots1/4 C water2/3 C of coconut oil, melted)2/3 C honey1 egg2 C whole wheat flour2 tsp baking powder1/2 tsp salt1 tsp vanilla extract1/2 tsp lemon extract1/2 C chopped walnuts1 tsp lemon zest1/4 C coconut sugar
directions1. Preheat oven to 350º2. Run carrots through juicer and use juice and pulp OR finely grate carrots.3. Add water to carrots and cook over very low heat for 10 minutes, stirring often to keep pulp from scorching. Let cool completely.4. In large bowl, mix together the oil, honey and egg. Then add the cooled carrot mixture.5. In separate bowl, mix flour, baking powder and salt.6. Add carrot mixture to dry ingredients and mix well.7. Add vanilla and lemon extracts, chopped walnuts and lemon zest.8. Pour into cupcake papers and sprinkle with coconut sugar.9. Bake for 20 minutes. Test with toothpick.

The recipe yields 1 to 2 dozen cupcakes depending on whether you use the mini-cupcake papers or the full-size.

What do you think? Cupcake or muffin?

Attitude Is Everything

Life is a shipwreck but we must not forget to sing in the lifeboats. ~Voltaire

I've been reading a lot about the subject of attitude and healing lately. It is a huge component of optimum health and has risen to the top in discussions among health encouraging circles. It's worthwhile to go over the things about attitude that are important to deal with when working on avoiding illness and especially when on the road to healing from sickness.

I call Attitude the fourth root of optimum wellness. Together with diet, exercise and sleep, a healthy attitude will assure you stay healthy and live longer. Attitude encompasses a myriad of issues. You can do all the right things with diet, exercise and sleep, but if you are negative, take things personally or hold on to issues of hurt from your childhood, I guarantee your health will suffer.

Psychological Issues
Attitude is more than just positive thinking. There are some things we cannot think away. I put these into the category of psychological damage. Stuff that we endured in our childhood and likely carried into a marriage or other relationship. These are things that hold us back and keep us from believing what God says about us. They haunt us (oftentimes unconsciously) and cause us to react relationally in an unhealthy way.
Psychological issues are best handled by a trained therapist who can help you deal with the pain and/or anger. Even if your spouse or best friend is an empathetic ear and can help you sort through the yucky stuff. You really don't want to burden them with your stuff on a regular basis. It can add to their full plate of stress and end up escalating into more relationship trouble.

So often time it happens, we all live our life in chains, and we never even know we have the key. ~The Eagles, "Already Gone"
We can believe what others say about us, we can believe what our feelings say about us or we can believe what God says about us. We are God's children. I've seen enough in my life and experiences to realize God knows best.
My friend, Karen Daly Cook, a trained therapist, once made a post to her blog in which she described the baggage we carry around as a big anchor that drags us down. And lets not forget that we usually drag others with us in the process.
Tips for a Positive Attitude
Here are a few things you can do to improve your attitude and help you in your quest for optimum wellness:
Associate with people that build you up, not tear you down or are constantly negative. Keep in mind there is benefit to discussing things that are negative in order to process them and move beyond.Remember God is in control. It may not be all rosy and nice, but if you know how it ends, there is hope. Hope is BIG.Incorporate laughter in your life. Watch funny movies and videos, hang with people that make you laugh and read books that are humorous.Keep an attitude of gratitude. Volunteer your time to the less fortunate. Giving to others helps us forget ourselves and our troubles. It tends to reinforce a thankful feeling within.Memorize scripture or positive affirmations that remind you of who you really are. Exercise to get endorphins going to lift your spirits and improve your mood. It's longer lasting and healthier than caffeine. See Exercise: Begin Now and Keep Moving for more positive exercise benefits.If you don't like something change it; if you can't change it, change the way you think about it. ~Mary Engelbreit

Just as you are what you eat, you are also what you think. Make sure you check your attitude and clear up all those baggage items so you can be healthy in your mind, heart, soul and body.

Watch Chris Wark's interview with Dr. Patrick Vickers from the Northern Baja Gerson Center for more on the subject of Attitude.
What's your favorite scripture or positive affirmation? Scroll down and leave a comment.

African Bean Soup

Sweet potatoes and nuts are familiar ingredients in many African dishes. This colorful soup combines garbanzo beans with vegetables and is served over rice or quinoa. With all the soups recipes I've provided this winter, I expect you all to be have a great arsenal against cold and sickness in the future.
African Bean Soup

from PCRMyield 8 servings
category Vegancuisine Ethnic ingredients1/2 C filtered water3 Tbsp Bragg's aminos soy sauce1 onion, sliced2 small sweet potatoes or yams, peeled and diced (about 2 cups)1 large carrot, sliced1 celery stalk, sliced1 red bell pepper, seeded and diced1 15 oz can of crushed or diced tomatoes4 C (1 32 oz box) vegetable broth1 15 oz can garbanzo beans, undrained1/2 C chopped fresh cilantro3 Tbsp almond butter1-2 tsp curry powder4 C cooked brown rice or quinoa
directions1. Heat water and soy sauce in a large pot. Add onon and sweet potatoes or yams and cook over high heat, stirring often, until onion is soft (about 5 minutes).2. Add carrot, celery and bell pepper. Cover and cook for 3 minutes, stirring occasionally.3. Add tomatoes, broth, beans and their liquid, cilantro, almond butter and curry powder. Stir to mix, then cover and simmer until vegetables are tender (about 10 minutes).4. Serve in a bowl over brown rice or quinoa.

Have you been to an exotic place where you enjoyed the local food?