Chris Pedersen's Blog, page 20

Wisdom Wednesday

Tip:

There is a running controversy on whether to vaccinate your children or not with various pro's and cons on each side. For further information on the subject, check out the new documentary, The Greater Good, on DVD.



For the record, I chose not to have my son vaccinated as a child. He suffered no ill effects and was never denied entrance to any school. He is now a healthy 31-year-old.

Should I Get a Flu Shot?

Headlines read...


Flu More Widespread in US



Flu Season Hits Early and Hard



Flu Cases on Rise at Hospitals



It seems that every year the media hype over the flu and the need to get a flu shot reaches a higher high. "The worst flu season ever... " "Infection rates have officially reached epidemic levels... "



Really?



With drug stores sprouting up on every corner in even the smallest towns, you can't avoid seeing banners that promote getting a flu shot. Cold weather setting in typically signals the start of the flu season. Should you run down to your local pharmacy and get a flu shot?



Flus are not fun. Fever, chills, runny nose, sore throat, cough, muscle aches, vomiting, fatigue and decreased appetite. With some rest they typically run their course in two to three days, with some symptoms hanging on for a week. The fact is dying from the flu is rare. The vast majority of so-called “flu deaths” are due to bacterial pneumonia—a potential complication of the flu if your immune system is weak.


Here are the reasons I do not get a flu shot:


The flu shot will likely NOT prevent the flu. A study by the University of Minnesota reported in October, 2011 that flu shots barely make a difference at all and are least effective on seniors and children.
The flu shot does NOT protect against flu-related deaths.
Flu vaccines contain a best-estimate of flu strains expected to hit the US. If the expected strains don't appear in the US, you've been injected with a list of useless harmful ingredients.
The flu vaccine contains a potpourri of poisons. Vaccines may include formaldehyde, mercury (Thimerosal), MSG and other hazardous ingredients.
The flu shot will likely weaken your immune system. After being injected with all those hazardous ingredients, your body's immune system and liver will be working overtime to process the toxins. That leaves you vulnerable to disease.
You could get seriously ill from the shot. Serious reactions to the flu vaccine can include a life-threatening allergic reaction, Guillain-Barre Syndrome (a severe paralytic disease that is fatal in about 1 in 20 cases) and other serious conditions.

Because the efficacy of the flu shot has been shown to be weak by any measure (62% effective), I can only conclude that flu shots are all about the money. This year's flu shot again includes inoculation for the H1N1 virus—not really a player in the flu outbreaks this year. Just my opinion, but I believe there are stock piles of the H1N1 vaccine due to low turnout to get the vaccination when the threat was active in 2009.



This year, an ample supply and multiple choices of vaccines will make it easy for health care providers to promote vaccination for their patients.



To avoid getting sick with the flu, your best measure is to eat healthy foods to keep your body strong and your immune system at its peak. Follow these Five Steps to make you healthy. Take your Vitamin D or better yet get outside and get some sun!



Have you gotten a flu shot and do you plan to get one this year? If you don't get the flu shot, what are your reasons? If you got a flu shot, did you still get the flu?

Macaroni & Vegan "Cheese" with Broccoli

If you and your kids find Mac 'n' Cheese to be sacred, I ask you to set you bias aside and give this vegan version a try. Your kids might be pleasantly surprised and you may find a healthier version. Don't give it away when you set the dish in front of them. Then step back and watch their reaction.



The recipe comes from the Forks Over Knives website from the kitchen of Victoria Fiore, plant-based chef at the Naked Core.



I adjusted the recipe amounts to suit using a small butternut squash and used fussilli pasta because it's a lot more fun than elbows. You can use your favorite. This recipe calls for gluten-free, brown rice pasta for added nutrition and those avoiding wheat.




Prep and cook the butternut squash in a covered dish in the oven at 350º. I use a toaster oven. It's more efficient than heating up your full-size oven. Once the squash is cooked enough to process into a creamy sauce, transfer to a blender (or use emersion blender). Crush garlic cloves and add to squash with "milk," nutritional yeast, salt and garlic powder. Process until smooth and creamy.



Add parley flakes and pepper to creamy sauce.



Cut broccoli head into florets and cut stems into pieces. Steam broccoli stems for 5 minutes and add florets and steam for 3-4 more minutes.



Bring creamy sauce to a low boil and add broccoli and pasta then mix gently with a wooden spoon. Serve and observe.




Macaroni & Vegan "Cheese" with Broccoli




From Victoria Fiore

Yield 2 servings




Category Main Course

Cuisine vegan, gluten-free




Ingredients

1 small butternut squash

1 medium broccoli head

2 C dry brown rice pasta

3 garlic cloves

1/4 C almond or coconut milk

1 1/2 Tbsp nutritional yeast

sea salt to taste

1/2 Tbsp garlic powder

parsley flakes

pepper to taste




Directions

1. Peel the squash, cut-up and remove the seeds. Place in baking sdish, cover and bake in oven at 350º for 30 minutes. Test with fork for doneness.

2. Separate broccoli into small florets. Cut stems into small pieces.

3. Boil the pasta according to package instructions. Careful to not overcook.

4. Steam broccoli stems covered for five minutes, then add the florets for 3-4 more minutes.  

5. Crush garlic cloves and add to squash. Add plant-based milk of choice, nutritional yeast, sea salt and garlic powder. Then process in blender or in pot using emersion blender until smooth and creamy.

6. Add parsley flakes and pepper to creamy sauce and mix with spoon.

7. Bring sauce to a gentle, low boil and add the pasta and broccoli while mixing with a wooden spoon.

8. Serve.


What other kids' favorite could you adjust to make it healthier?

Have a Healthy Halloween

I love the dress-up part of Halloween. When our son was young, I enjoyed coming up with fun costumes. One year I made a tyrannosaurus rex costume and my husband and I dressed as cave man and woman. We won best group costume at our community Halloween Festival as the Prehistoric Family.



What I don't like is all the candy.


Lots of sugar gets consumed even before we hand out candy to trick or treaters calling at our door (of course not in my household). Seeing all those tiny (and some not so tiny) kids dressed as their favorite hero, princess or ghoulish figure at your door is part of the fun of Halloween. But we don't have to give them candy.



We get lots of kids to our door from the neighborhood, but they get something different from us--fun/playful treats.



I went to the Dollar Store and spent $10 getting multi-packs of erasers, pencils, bling rings, dinosaurs, bugs and glow-in-the-dark bats.





It's all in a bowl ready to hand out. Non-consumable, sugar-less treats that kids can appreciate and enjoy long after the sugar high is gone.



Parents and kids like coming to our door on Halloween.



What do you do to break the tradition of giving out candy to Trick or Treaters?

Apple Crisp

Fall is Apple Hill time in El Dorado County where I live. Located up the hill, heading East towards Lake Tahoe, at 3,000 feet elevation sits a bucolic farming region planted in apples, pears and wine grapes. The majority crop is apples, but you'll also find peaches, nectarines, cherries and several berry varieties. And let's not forget we're cruising into the Christmas season and Apple Hill boasts the best Christmas Tree farms in Northern California.



This Apple Crisp dessert is another simple and delicious recipe from PCRM Recipe of the Week. I recommend getting on their email list.




Pick a tart and sweet apple, like Granny Smith, Pippin or Pink Lady. Have the lemon juice ready to sprinkle on the apples because they start to brown quickly. I recommend you peel, core, cut, add to baking dish and sprinkle with lemon juice one apple at a time.



Sprinkle the sugar and cinnamon over the apples and stir to distribute over the slices.



Mix-up the remaining ingredients in a bowl and spread over the apples. Then bake at 350º for 35 minutes or until apples are tender.





Apple Crisp




From PCRM

Yield 12 servings




Category Dessert

Cuisine Vegan



Ingredients


4 green apples, peeled and cored

3 Tbsp fresh lemon juice

1 Tbsp organic, raw sugar or coconut palm sugar

1 tsp cinnamon

1 1/2 C old-fashioned oats

3/4 C finely chopped nuts

1/3 C maple syrup

1 tsp vanilla extract

1/4 tsp sea salt



Directions


1. Preheat oven to 350º.

2. Slice apples thinly and spread in a 9"x9" baking dish. Sprinkle with lemon juice, sugar and cinnamon.

3. Combine oats, nuts, maple syrup, vanilla and salt in a bowl. Stir to mix then spread evenly over the apples.

4. Bake until apples are tender when pierced with a knife, about 35 minutes. Let stand 5 to 10 minutes before serving.





A couple of other fall dessert recipes you might like are Pear Berry Crisp and Pumpkin Apple Crisp. Then there's Spicy Pumpkin Cashew-Cheese Dip for a yummy appetizer.



What's your favorite fall recipe?

Wisdom Wednesday

Tip:

The arrival of cool, crisp mornings remind many of the impending flu season. What to do? Underlying your susceptibility to contract a dreaded seasonal illness is a Vitamin D deficiency. This vital vitamin is key to keeping your immune system ready to fight off illness. Here are some tips for being prepared:


Natural sources of Vitamin D include adequate sun exposure (without sunscreen) and foods such as mushrooms, egg yolks, and fish rich in Omega-3 oils such as salmon, mackerel and tuna.
Get your blood tested to determine your Vitamin D levels. They should be within 50-70 ng/ml.
If you take Vitamin D supplements, make sure you take D3. An average adult requires about 8,000 IU's of Vitamin D3 per day; children 35 IU's per pound of body weight.
If you supplement, add Vitamin K2, an important co-factor for proper synthesis of Vitamin D.

Three Bean & Lemon Cucumber Salad

This is a twist on the original Three Bean Salad posted on Healthy Journey Cafe. The celery is replaced by lemon cucumber in this version.





Lemon cucumbers are round and grow to be two to three inches in diameter. Changing color as it matures, its early, lemon-yellow color turns a golden yellow as it ripens. The mild, pleasant taste is complemented by a cool, crisp texture. Resembling a lemon in appearance, the flavor is more delicate and less acidic than the common green cucumber. Lemon cucumber skin has tiny bristles that are edible but may be easily removed.


Cucumbers contain anti-oxidants and anti-inflammatory properties. They also contain lignans that provide a reduced risk of cardiovascular disease as well as several cancer types, including breast, uterine, ovarian, and prostate cancers.




Three Bean & Lemon Cucumber Salad



From Chris Pedersen

Yield 4 servings




Category Salad

Cuisine Healthy, Vegan




Ingredients

1/2 C fresh green beans

1/2 C kidney beans

1/2 C garbanzo beans

1/8 C of chopped red onion

1/8 C of chopped lemon cucumber

1/8 C apple cider vinegar

1/8 C extra virgin olive oil



1 Tbsp raw honey

salt & fresh ground pepper




Directions

1. Trim beans and cook in steamer over boiling water for 3 minutes until beans are dark green and slightly soft.

2. Rinse in cool water to stop them from cooking more. Pat dry and cut into 1-inch pieces. Place in bowl with lid.

3. Add kidney beans, garbanzo beans, onions and celery to bowl and set aside.

4. Mix oil, vinegar and raw honey together. Add salt and ground pepper.

5. Pour dressing over the bowl of beans and stir.

6. Cover the bowl with a lid and place in refrigerator for one hour to marinate before serving. Stir the mixture after 30 minutes to distribute the dressing.




Have you swapped an ingredient in a well-used recipe to create a pleasant new dish?

Black & Green Bean Corn Salad

This healthy salad has fresh, raw green beans and corn. Definitely a good crunch to this salad. Serve it over lettuce, with chips, or eaten just as it is—out of the bowl.



I modified a recipe from the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine (PCRM) Food for Life Recipe of the Week to incorporate the abundance of green beans I had coming from my garden. If you've grown pole beans, you know once they start producing beans you need to get out to the garden and harvest every day. Then you need to make something. I'm a raw-food-kinda gal so I loved the idea of using them raw with fresh corn off the cob. Yum!



Easy recipe... and you know that's what I like.




Black & Green Bean Corn Salad




From Inspired by PCRM

Yield 2-4 servings



Category Salad

Cuisine Vegan




Ingredients

1 can black beans, drained & rinsed

1 C green beans, trimmed & cut to 1" pieces

1 C fresh corn kernels

1/4 C diced red onion

1/2 C diced red pepper

1/2 C loosely packed cilantro leaves, minced

1/8 C fresh lime juice

Sea salt & pepper to taste

Dash of cayenne pepper (optional)




Directions

1. Add all ingredients to bowl and stir gently to combine.

2. Cover and refrigerate for several hours before serving. 



What did you have coming out of your garden you needed a recipe for?

Wisdom Wednesday

I run a couple miles 3-4 days a week, but decided I need to strengthen my core. Here's a great slide show from the Mayo Clinic providing details for 12 exercises to do that. You don't need to do all 12 in a day. On Monday do 2. Tuesday do the next 3. Wednesday do the next 2. Thursday do the next 3. And Friday do the last 2.



Take the weekend off and repeat again on Monday. You can do it!




Exercises to improve your core strength from Mayo Clinic 

Giveaway for PROMO CODE for Prisoner of Carrot Castle

Post by Purple Carrot Books.