April's Most Requested Recipe!

Chocolate Chip Granola Bars

Serves: 24

Ingredients:

1/2 C. Peanut Butter or Almond Butter
3/4 C. Real Maple Syrup mixed with 4 TBSP Oat Flour (**See note below)
2 TBSP Honey
1 Egg
1 Tsp Vanilla
1 C. Oat Flour (**See note below)
1 Tsp Cinnamon
1/2 Tsp Baking Powder
1/4 Tsp Salt
1 1/2 C. Oats
1 1/2 C. Rice Crispy Cereal
1 C. Unsweetened Coconut
1 C. Chocolate Chips


**Please note that whole wheat flour can be substituted for oat flour.


INSTRUCTIONS:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Combine nut butter, maple syrup mixed with the 4 TBSP oat flour, honey, egg and vanilla in a large bowl until well combined. Add 1 C.Oat Flour, cinnamon, baking powder and salt. Mix well. Add Oats, Rice Crispies, Coconut,and Chocolate Chips. Mix until well combined and dry ingredients are well coated. Spray a 13 x 9 inch pan with non-stick cooking spray. Pour granola bar mixture into pan and press down with a piece of wax paper until evenly distributed in the pan. Bake for 15-25 minutes until light golden brown. Baking time can vary so check at 15 minutes and every 2 minutes thereafter. If you desire a chewier granola bar, remove from the oven at 15-18 minutes. Cut into 24 rectangles. The bars freeze great and can be stored in the freezer for 2-3 months.


PER SERVING:

CALOIRES: 151
PROTEIN (g): 3.6
CARBS (g): 21
FATS (g): 6.5
RATIOS: 10-53-37

Protection from Colds and Flu

Is it germs or the state of your health that leads to disease? Actually it can be both. Lowered resistance can result from compromised immunity, poor diet, lack of exercise, stress, and inadequate sleep. These factors influence our vulnerability to viruses and germs. Additionally, the sugar in your food and drinks decreases the number of white blood cells and weakens their ability to fight germs. (Refer to the previous blogspot article!) Deficiency of nutrients such as protein, vitamins A and C, and zinc also plays a role. Taking nutritional and herbal supplements may be effective in protecting your body from being vulnerable the foreign invaders.

In the prevention of most illnesses, it's important to eat a wholesome and balanced diet, get regular exercise and proper sleep, and learn to deal healthfully with daily challenges.

Basic preventative tips include:

*Avoiding excess sugar, alcohol, and chemicals in your diet as these can weaken immune system. *Take a basic multivitamin/mineral appropriate for your gender. (Men and post menopausal women don’t need iron.)
*Take additional vitamin C, at least 1000 mg twice daily.
*Consider taking maitaki or reishitaki mushroom extracts a couple times daily between meals.
*Stay hydrated with water, fresh juices and hot herbal teas.
*Exercise to sweat if your energy is sufficient and there is no fever present. Try the sauna or steam room as the increase in body heat may stimulate your immune activity.
*Get adequate sleep!
*Wash your hands FREQUENTLY during the day to protect yourself.
*Minimize your exposure to those people who are ill and be careful about the spreading germs.

Herbals and immune supporters that may protect you from getting colds and flus include:

*Echinacea has a great range of activity against viruses, bacteria, fungi and protozoa. Echinacea boosts the immune defenses in various number of ways.
1) It strengthens the body's local defenses by use of a substance (echinacein) that deactivates germs' tissue-dissolving enzyme. This prevents germs from spreading and infecting other body tissues.
2) A study in Infection and Immunology showed that Echinacea stimulated production of white blood cells and phagocytes, and increased macrophage germ-killing activity. (Remember, we need the phagocytes to consume the germs and viruses!)
3) A University of Munich study demonstrated that Echinacea boosted production of infection-fighting T-lymphocytes up to 30% more than standard immune supportive drugs. In Germany Echinacea is used to treat flu, colds, bronchitis, tonsillitis, ear infections and whooping cough. Echinacea root extracts are believed to boost interferon levels, vital to our body's defenses. Echinacea is recommended to be used for short periods of time not to exceed 8 successive weeks. It is best taken as liquid extract or in capsules.

*Garlic is the one of the best example of an herbal wonder drug for fighting infections. Garlic contains several anti-microbial compounds including allicin, one of nature's strongest broad-spectrum antibiotics. Garlic's anti-bacterial activity has been proven against Bacillus, Brucella, Citrobacter, E. Coli, Hafnia, Klebsiella, Salmonella typhi, Shigella, Vibrio cholerae, and various forms of Staph and Strep. Garlic is most active in raw form as a food or a fresh-pressed juice. A few cloves may be juiced along with carrots to make the medicine go down easy. Or it can be taken in capsules, (Kyolic is a great brand!) 2 to 3 per day as preventative, or 2 to 3, three times daily for acute situations.

*Astragalus is a very versatile and potent immune strengthener. Astragalus builds up the body's vitality, prevents and speeds the infection's departure. This is a commonly used herb in Chinese medicine and is part of many immune-supporting formulas. Astragalus can be found in extracts, or capsules.

*Black Elderberry has been used as a remedy for flu, cough, colds, and upper respiratory infections for over 2500 years. Recent studies demonstrate Black Elderberry's effectiveness against all strains of influenza virus. An enzyme present in Black Elderberry (neuraminidase) inhibits the virus from piercing the cell membrane and entering the cells Black Elderberry is most effective in either a syrup form or in lozenges and is found in children’s and adult formulations at most health food stores.


Note: This information is for educational purposes only and is not intended to diagnose or treat any illness or disease

Avoid Sugar to Improve Immune Function!

Diets high in sugar have been linked to health problems including diabetes, hypoglycemia, asthma, candida infections, headaches, intestinal gas, inflammatory bowel disease, chronic constipation, obesity and tooth decay.

Eating sugar affects cancer as well. Elevated insulin levels slow the release of growth hormones, which in turn reduces white blood cell production and promotes tumor growth. Insulin, the hormone that lowers blood glucose, in excess will send a message to our cells to grow! This is great for healthy cells, but not so great for the cancer cells. One of the goals in our food choices should be to avoid the dramatic spikes in blood sugar, with the correlating spike in insulin. Referring to glycemic index information can assist in making informed, lower GI food choices. (http://www.nutritiondata.com/topics/glycemic-index)

High sugar diets also increase production of secondary bile acids. These carcinogenic compounds contribute to a toxic GI environment and have been linked to colorectal cancer. Reducing sugar in our diets is a very positive step towards fighting cancer.

Let’s take a look at what sugar does to our immune system. Neutrophils are a type of white blood cell that phagocytize (eats) any viruses, bacteria, cancer etc. that is present in your body. In order to swallow these invaders efficiently, these white blood cells need vitamin C to be inside the cell. To the white blood cells, the vitamin C and sugar look similar in structure. If there’s a lot of sugar in your system, it will compete with the vitamin C for entry into the white blood cell. The more glucose that goes into the cell, the less vitamin C that enters, so the phagocytic ability of the cell weakens. The average white blood cell can gobble up about 14 germs in an hour. When the body is exposed to 100g of sugar (about 3.5 ounces), the number of germs per hour falls to 1.4 and stays that way for two hours. Tackling sugar overload is something that is important to boost the immune system. According the U.S. Department of Agriculture, a safe amount of sugar is about 40g (1.5 ounces) per day. If you can reduce your intake, you can dramatically improve your health and improve the way your immune system functions.