I’m so excited to be invited back to contributing to White Lights On Wednesdays. I think many of you who visit this blog may have young children like Julie so I will try to bring topics to you that will help you to make life better for your family and for yourselves. I hope you will enjoy what I bring and it will make a difference to the health of you and your families.
So let’s get started.
Since it’s still summer, skin cancer and sunscreen seem to be a good place to start. So what is the best way to protect ourselves from getting skin cancer? By eating our Sunscreen!!! You heard me correctly! So what do I mean by this outrageous statement?
Well, about two-thirds of Americans use sunscreen to guard against skin cancer. I’m sure you do too and being good moms, you make sure that your kids are protected as well. We’ve been slathering and spraying chemicals on our skin for decades to prevent skin cancer and what have we gotten in exchange? Increased skin cancer and a Vitamin D deficiency on top of that. Vitamin D actually helps to prevent many cancers as well as helps maintain bone health, prevents depression, and boosts our immune system. Why do you think we get more sick in the winter? Less Sun, not more germs!!
So what is to blame for the continued rise in skin cancer? Well, there are several factors but one of the biggest causes of skin cancer that we do have control over, is what we put into our bodies. Most Americans consume the SAD diet or the Standard American Diet which is very sad indeed. The SAD diet is full of foods that promote free radicals which can cause cancer and other diseases. The SAD diet is also deficient in antioxidants which gobbles up the free radicals! Free radicals are what cause the mutation of our cells to form cancer cells and damage our tissues, including our skin. These are found in most of the processed foods and beverages that Americans eat and drink daily. So the SAD diet provides a double whammy that creates the perfect environment for all types of cancer including skin cancer to grow. It is important to know that we can and should eat our sunscreen! Yes, that’s right, what we eat probably has more to do with preventing skin cancer and other cancers than any other factor.
So let’s look at what we need to do to change our SAD diet into a HAPPY diet.
#1. Eat Real Living food! Now that sounds easy but it’s not as easy to do as it was even 50 years ago. How do you know if a food is real? It will change, ie grow moldy, spoil, if left at room temperature for 7-10 days. Those flour tortillas or bread that do not turn moldy in 7 days are not real living foods. It’s been altered and made dead with preservatives and perhaps hydrogenated oils too which act as a preservative as well.
#1. Reduce Sugar and refined carbohydrates: cancer loves sugar and uses much more of it than healthy cells for energy, so increases the growth of cancer cells. Refined Carbs such as the donut or pasta or bagel turn quickly into sugar once digested, so there are included here.
#2 Eat more vegetables and more fruit-think ANTIOXIDENTS: You might be saying yeah, yeah but how do I incorporate that into my diet or my finicky kids or husbands diet? I will try to post a recipe monthly to help you learn how incorporate more vegetables and good fats into your meals in a way that everyone will enjoy. There are a couple of good cookbooks out there that sneak greens and fruits into recipes that we all know and love and you can’t even tell.
#3 Eat good fats which are loaded with Antioxidants: Good fats are found in extra virgin olive oil, raw nuts and seeds (don’t forget chia seeds), avocados, coconut oils, and cold pressed safflower and flaxseed oils.
Below is a yummy recipe full of antioxidants and that your kids will enjoy. I had initially found it on Kelley Herring’s site, The Healing Gourmet. I am unable to find it again on her site but I had thankfully copied it J! Most fruit snacks are made from fruits that are the most contaminated with pesticides which include apples, grapes, raspberries, cherries and strawberries but this recipe is pesticide free and sweetened naturally and comes with a bit of protein as well from the gelatin. Always, always use organic for all of the above mentioned fruits. It is so well worth it!!!
Lemon-Raspberry Gummy Fruit Snacks
Ingredients
- 2/3 cup organic lemon juice
- 1 1/2 cups organic frozen raspberries
- 5 tablespoons grass-fed gelatin
- 1 teaspoon raw honey
Instructions
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Combine lemon juice and raspberries in a medium sauce pan. Cook over medium heat until the mixture beings to simmer. Remove from heat and let cool slightly.
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Pour the mixture into a blender and puree until smooth. Add the gelatin and honey, and blend again until combined.
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Pour mixture into a 9" x 9" glass baking dish (or candy molds). Refrigerate for 45 minutes to 1 hour. Cut into bite sized pieces (make a 5 cuts horizontally and vertically in a grid pattern), or remove fruit snacks from candy molds. Can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to one week.
Recipe Notes
From Kelley
"Using organic frozen berries and pure gelatin from grass-fed cows, these simple and delicious fruit treats are quick to whip up. Experiment with a variety of berries and citrus juices to suit your little one's (and your own!) taste. Raspberry seeds contain powerful phytonutrients that are liberated with high speed blending."
When it comes to keeping your family healthy, making small changes like this one will pay dividend in your child’s long-term health and your peace of mind.
To Your Family’s Best Health!
And here is a link to another fruit leather option without the gelatin.
http://www.momables.com/how-to-make-fruit-leather/