Foods That Feed Your Brain

 GREEN LEAFY VEGETABLES are the best. Kale, spinach, collards and broccoli are just a few. They can be prepared raw in salads, added to soups and casseroles or create a stir-fry. Fresh or frozen are your best bets. 

As you incorporate more vegetables into your diet be sure you are eating less carbs and starchy foods. i.e.: more sauce and vegetables; less pasta.

FATTY FISH like canned tuna and fresh or frozen cod, salmon, halibut and even pollack. Other non-fishy sources of good fat are avocado, walnuts and flaxseeds.

BERRIES! Learn to eat your berries without sugar or the least amount possible. Stick to fresh or frozen berries. Studies have shown eating berries at least 3 times a week slowed memory decline.

CAFFEINE from tea and coffee attributes to good short term memory. Which is why on one hand a cup or two is good for you but too much is bad. Too much caffeine can also be disruptive to sleep. Sleep is one of the best things you can do for your brain!

WALNUTS, while nuts in general are health, walnuts specifically offer memory improvement and as mentioned above are also linked to the very healthy fatty acid omega-3.

Science shows us that inflammation in the body contributes to all sort of disease. So an anti-inflammatory diet over-all is a great defender in declining health as we age.

Further reading! https://www.health.harvard.edu/healthbeat/foods-linked-to-better-brainpower

Gluten and Dairy Free Beverages

 

1.      7Up And Diet 7up

2.     All Water Like Plain, Carbonated, Sparkling, Flavored.

3.     Almond Milk (Check Your Refrigerated Section For Silk, Blue Diamond & Others)

4.     Apple Cider

5.     Apple Juice

6.     Arizona Fruit Punch

7.     Arizona Green Tea

8.     Bai Beverages

9.     Bodyarmor Fruit Punch Super Drink

10.   Bolthouse Farms Berry Boost Fruit Juice Smoothie

11.    Bolthouse Farms Plant Milk

12.   Bolthouse Farms Strawberry Banana Fruit Smoothie

13.    Bragg Apple Cider Vinegar Ginger Spice Drink

14.   Calamatta Juice

15.   Capri Sun

16.   Cherry Bay Orchards 100% Tart Cherry Juice

17.    Clamato Tomato Cocktail

18.   Coconut Milk

19.   Coconut Water

20.   Coca-Cola And Diet Coke

21.   Coffee

22.   Core Hydration Perfect Ph Water

23.   Country Time Lemonade Flavored Drink Mix

24.   Cranberry Juice

25.   Crystal Light Drink Mix

26.   Dr. Pepper

27.   Faraon Aloe Vera Juice

28.   Flaxmilk

29.   Gatorade

30.   Ginger Ale

31.    Goodbelly Probiotics Juice Drinks

32.   Grape Juice

33.   Grapefruit Juice

34.   Hawaiian Punch

35.   Hi-C Punch

36.   Juice

37.   Jumex Mango Nectar

38.   Kern’s Guava Nectar

39.   Kern’s Mango Nectar

40.   Kevita Cleansing Probiotic Apple Cider Vinegar Tonic, Turmeric Ginger

41.   Kevita Lemon Cayenne Sparkling Probiotic Drink

42.   Kevita Master Brew Kombucha Tart Cherry

43.   Kevita Sparkling Probiotic Drink, Lemon Ginger

44.   Kevita Sparkling Probiotic Mojita Lime Mint Coconut Drink

45.   Kevita Strawberry Acai Coconut Sparkling Probiotic Drink

46.   Kool-Aid

47.   Lemon Juice

48.   Lemonade

49.   Lime Juice

50.   Lipton Green Tea Citrus

51.   Lipton Iced Tea Mix

52.   Lipton Iced Tea Peach

53.   Martinelli’s Gold Medal Sparkling Cider

54.   Minute Maid Fruit Punch

55.   Minute Maid Peach Fruit Juice

56.   Mio Liquid Flavored Water Enhancer

57.   Mountain Dew

58.   Monster Energy Drink

59.   Naked Blue Machine Juice Smoothie

60.   Naked Mighty Mango Juice Smoothie, But…

                                          i.    Naked Green Machine Has Wheat (A Gluten)

                                         ii.    Naked Protein & Greens Juice Has Dairy

                                       iii.    Naked Protein Zone Juice Smoothie Has Whey, (A Dairy Ingredient)

61.   Naked Red Machine Juice Smoothie

62.   Naked Strawberry & Banana Juice Smoothie

63.   Odwalla Mango Tango 100% Juice Smoothie

64.   Odwalla Original Superfood 100% Juice Smoothie

65.   Orange Juice

66.   Pacific Organic Almond Non-Dairy Beverage (Shelf Stable Box)

67.   Pacific Organic Coconut Non Dairy Beverage (Shelf Stable Box)

68.   Pepsi And Diet Pepsi

69.   Perrier

70.   Pineapple Juice

71.    Pomegranate Juice

72.   Powerade Sports Drink

73.   Prune Juice

74.   Red Bull

75.   Rice Milk

76.   Simply Fruit Punch Juice Drink

77.   Simply Lemonade

78.   Simply Smoothie’s, All Flavors

79.   Snapple

80.   Soft Drinks; All Soft Drinks And All Diet Soft Drinks

81.   Soy Milk (A Soy Product)

82.   Sparkling Ice Brand Sparkling Water

83.   Sparkling Water

84.   Sprite

85.   Starbucks Blonde Roast Iced Coffee (In-Store)

86.   Sunny D

87.   Tang Orange Powdered Drink Mix

88.   Tea

89.   Tequila

90.   Tomato Juice

91.   Torani Sugar Free Flavoring Syrup

92.   Trader Joe’s Almond Cashew & Macadamia Nut Beverage

93.   Trader Joe’s Almond Nog

94.   Tropicana Essentials Probiotics Strawberry Banana Juice

95.   V-8 Splash Berry Blend

96.   V-8 Splash Tropical Blend

97.   V-8 Vegetable Juice

98.   Vitamin Water

99.   Water

100. Welch’s Red Grape Sparkling Juice Cocktail

Your appreciation by making a purchase from one of the products in the sidebar is much appreciated! Or, I accept Zelle to PL8302@gmail.com

Gluten And Dairy Free Grocery List Baking Aisle

 This is the short list. The book actually has 109 items listed. You can check out the book details below: 

1.      4c Gluten Free Plain Bread Crumbs

2.     Albers Yellow Corn Meal

3.     All-Purpose Gluten Free Flour

4.     Almond Flour

5.     Almond Milk, Shelf Stable

6.     Almond Oil

7.     Amaranth Flour

8.     Arrowhead Mills Organic Gluten Free Brown Rice Flour

9.     Arrowroot

10.   Avocado Oil

11.    Bakers Premium Unsweetened Chocolate Baking Bar

12.   Baking Powder

13.    Baking Soda

14.   Ball Real Fruit Instant Pectin

15.   Bean Flour

16.   Better Batter

17.    Betterbody Foods Cacao Powder

18.   Betterbody Foods Coconut MCT Oil: The Only Ingredient Is Coconut Oil

19.   Bisquick Gluten Free Pancake & Waffle Mix

20.   Bobs Red Mill 1-To-1 Baking Flour

21.   Bobs Red Mill Gluten Free All Purpose Flour

22.   Bobs Red Mill Egg Replacer

23.   Brown Rice Flour

24.   Brown Sugar

25.   Buckwheat Flour

For over 1000 grocery items, categorized by grocery store department, you can check out this booklet: A Comprehensive Gluten and Dairy Free Grocery List. It is available in kindle or paperback. https://amzn.to/3BSw4xN

Finding products that are both gluten and dairy free can be difficult especially if you are just starting out. Don't get overwhelmed. My advice is to start with foods that are naturally gluten and dairy free and once you start to feel better start exploring products with ingredients list.

The naturally gluten and dairy free items will not have an ingredients list, or, not much of one at all. For example a frozen bag of peas will only have that one ingredient: peas. Much easier than say a frozen entree with 30 ingredients to read through and try to understand what it all means.

Pasta is one of the processed foods that is pretty simple for gluten free meals. I would suggest sticking to a rice flour based pasta at first. 

Good luck, and I will be posting more several times a week so if you would like to please follow the blog.

Products listed on the side are commission earning products through my affiliate link. Your purchases are very much appreciated.

Creamy Comfort Chicken Recipe

 

Creamy Comfort Chicken

• 3 tablespoons butter (whatever your dairy free preference is)
• 2 tablespoons cornstarch
• 2 cups Homemade Chicken Stock/Broth
• 1 cup Shredded Chicken
• ½ teaspoon Sage
• ½ teaspoon Thyme
• Salt and Pepper
• 1 teaspoon chopped parsley

Melt butter in a skillet, add the cornstarch to make a roux. Add broth, stirring constantly, over medium heat until thickened. Like a gravy. Add chicken and seasonings.

Just before serving add parsley and stir.

#glutenfree #dairyfree #soyfree #nightshadefree 

This goes quite well over mashed/pureed cauliflower. Boil the cauliflower in chicken stock for best flavor. Be sure to salt and pepper before serving.

Dairy Free Talk, Advice and Tips

 When I first went dairy free I chose to just avoid foods that needed cheese. I made a list of all the foods and dishes I liked that did not involve cheese at all. Like meatloaf and roasted chicken, seafood, vegetable stir-fry and so on. It just seems my clients that immediately try to use any of the "dairy free cheeses" on the market right away are so disappointed that many abandon the diet all together only to start feeling sick again and start all over.

I've had allergies all my life. Went to an allergist until they made my allergy pills available without a prescription as I am sure many of you did as well. First of all let me mention that I found my allergy pills work MUCH BETTER if I take it with a full glass of water. Huge difference in how effective it is.

I took (still take) two to three allergy medications. Two daily, and one as needed. The one thing I no longer have to do, thank goodness, is use nasal sprays. I hated being congested and I hated using nasal sprays even more. This is where going dairy free comes in.....

I found that after a few weeks of being completely dairy free my nasal congestion stopped all together and I no longer needed the nasal spray. [jumping up and down and celebrating].

Now I still too a decongestant tablet daily; but that tablet and being dairy free has completely stopped any nasal congestion for me. You may experience the same thing. 

Another benefit I noticed after going dairy free is my urine flow is much stronger and it does not take so long to get the urine flow started.

There are many varieties of dairy free products out there now. Not like when I first went dairy free 15 years ago. Milk, cheeses, sour cream, cream cheese, yogurt, ice cream and more. Now for me, I have to also look for dairy free products that are also soy free. I avoid soy completely. I can tell if I can even the slightest bit of soy because I begin having a problem controlling my temper. I get angry and combative about the silliest of things and I do not seem to have any control over it. Others have uncontrollable bouts of crying. Avoiding all the soy has saved the day!!

My bestselling 'grocery list' booklet is a gluten and dairy free grocery list, but, for those of you avoiding gluten, dairy, soy and also nightshades I have a 'grocery list' booklet for you too!

https://amzn.to/3C1MJiH

Foods That Are Green

 Think Green. No not the money, foods. 

Foods that are literally the color green. 

So much nutritional value and most are quite versatile in how you can prepare and eat them. Eat cold or hot. For any meal of the day and you can eat whole, chopped and diced and sliced, puree it, mix it, stir fry it or use the as a garnish. You can make salads, omelets, pesto, soups, stir fry's, But eat your greens. 

This list does NOT contain any nightshades. Avocado, iceburg lettuce, romaine lettuce, kale, arugula, Artichokes, asparagus, bok choy, broccoli brussels sprouts, cabbage, celery, cucumber, collard greens Endive, fennel, green beans, kohrabi, leeks, green olives, Okra, spinach, snap peas, snow peas, green peas Turnip greens, zucchini, lima beans Limes, kiwi, green grapes, parsley, cilantro, dill, basil, rosemary, chives, sage

I wrote a book on lettuce, actually two, and as boring as that may sound it really is quite interesting! It is available on Amazon in kindle or paperback. And, it may help you to eat more greens!

Lettuce Amaze You and Breakfast Salads

 https://amzn.to/3r1oGLE

 https://amzn.to/3DL7phi

Go green starting right now!

Remember that even if you have fast food for lunch, choosing vegetables for supper is still a healthy choice and still will benefit you and your body.

Make Your Own Pesto

Easy Pesto

Put all of the following ingredients in your blender; blend til smooth.

Fresh spinach leaves, oil, parmesan cheese, garlic, salt and pepper. Add oil til the pesto is the consistency you want. Taste as you blend and also add salt, cheese and garlic til you get the flavor you like best. Refrigerate for pesto or use immediately in a pasta or use in place of a tomato sauce in lasagna or on pizza if you are avoiding nightshades (i.e.: tomato sauce)

I am aware that parm cheese is a dairy food. Many of us can have small amounts of dairy on the rare occasion. If you cannot find a dairy free parm or try leaving it out all together and see if you still like it. I have many clients who don't use it at all in their pesto and say they do not miss it.

What is corn starch?

Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Corn_starch

Corn starch, cornstarch, cornflour or maize starch or maize is the starch derived from the corn (maize) grain. The starch is obtained from the endosperm of the corn kernel. Corn starch is a popular food ingredient used in thickening sauces or soups, and is used in making corn syrup and other sugars.[1]

Source: http://bakingbites.com/2011/06/what-is-cornstarch/

Cornstarch is a fine, powdery starch that is made out of corn. The cornstarch is actually made from the endosperm of the corn, which makes up most of the kernels that we eat when enjoying popcorn or corn on the cob. Cornstarch, also sometimes called cornflour, is produced by grinding, washing and drying the endosperm of the corn until it reaches that fine, powdery state. Cornstarch is gluten free.

Gluten Free Dairy Free Mushroom Gravy

Saute diced onion in oil or butter

Add sliced mushrooms and crushed rosemary

Remove from skillet and brown your protein; either chicken or beef.

Once browned on both sides move your protein to the oven for about 15 - 20 minutes at 375 degrees

While the meat is in the oven puree a can of white beans until very smooth and creamy. Add to the skillet.

Stir into the oil and renderings left behind by the meat. Stir in chicken or beef broth until the consistency you like. Add the onion and mushroom, salt and pepper to taste, and crushed red pepper to taste. If you can tolerate sour cream a tablespoon of sour cream is a nice touch. Margarine or butter will also elevate it a bit but neither is that necessary.

Serve over chicken or beef along with rice, or preferably a vegetable. Maybe asparagus or a cauliflower puree.

No gluten and no dairy if you choose. A surprisingly savory tasty gravy or sauce.

Vitamin K and your blood

If you bruise or bleed easily or have heavy periods, thickening your blood may be beneficial. In this case, adding vegetables to your diet that are high in vitamin K can help do the trick.

However, as with any change in diet, you should always first consult with your physician.

Vitamin K is a fat-soluble vitamin that can be found in many different food sources.

It is known as the clotting vitamin as it is essential in making blood clot.

A deficiency can occur if you are on long-term antibiotic treatments.

If you are a patient on blood-thinning drugs such as Coumadin, vitamin K intake from dietary sources may need to be limited to allow for the medications to work as prescribed.

Vegetables High in Vitamin K

Many vegetables offer much more vitamin K than the recommended daily amount. If you experience heavy periods, eating these on a regular basis; at least 3 or 4 times a week if not a small serving everyday may help.

Green vegetables tend to be the highest in vitamin K content. For example, 1 cup of Brussels sprouts provides 156 mcg of vitamin K, while 1 cup of cooked Kale provides 1054 mcg. For lower amounts, Iceberg lettuce provides 13 mcg per 1 cup serving and peas provide 36 mcg per 1 cup.

Boil, don't bake your Spaghetti Squash

I have always boiled my spaghetti squash. The oven uses so much electricity and it heats up the kitchen much more than boiling something on the stove does.

I also find it quite difficult to cut a raw squash as opposed to the ease of cutting it after it is cooked tender.

Place the squash into a pot of water.
Bring to a boil. Depending on the size of your squash it will take from 35 to 50 minutes to cook through. After about 30 minutes check it by sliding a knife into the squash. You want it to boil until very tender and the knife easily punctures the skin and goes through.

Once tender, drain the water and remove the squash from the pot onto a cutting board. Allow to cool so you can easily handle it before trying to cut the ends off and then cutting it in half.

Now that your squash is cut in half, use a ice cream scoop to scoop out the seeds

Then it is just a matter of using a fork to pull the squash away from the skin. Discard the skin and you are left with wonderfully tender and nutritious spaghetti squash.

You can freeze the squash for later use. Or eat right now. Look on your favorite recipe site for recipes. I like to toss mine with garlic and butter. Yum!! Or, tonight I am in the mood for a nice tomato sauce and wine.

Gluten and Dairy Free Cauliflower Potato Soup Recipe

This is a great tasting soup. A nice consistency. Give it a chance and try it.

Chopped white onion
diced celery
diced carrot
one can white beans
chicken broth
garlic, salt, pepper, crushed red pepper
diced frozen or tender (boiled or baked) potatoes
tender (boiled or steamed)chopped cauliflower

Blend the canned beans including the liquid in a blender until Very smooth. Add a cup of chicken broth and blend again.

In a sauce pan, melt three tablespoons of margarine or butter substitute. Saute onion, carrot and celery. Add creamed beans from blender, cooked potatoes and cauliflower.
Stir. Add chicken broth until a bit thinner then the consistency you like. Add seasonings. Simmer for about 15 minutes. When stirring be sure to scrape the bottom renderings for thickening of the soup. If you can tolerate cheese add cheese for a cheesy soup.