The DoctorsTV: Drink This and NOT That While You Nibble on This and NOT That!
Yesterday the Doctors featured a number of foods that you can eat that are much healthier than the usual stuff you feed your face with daily when you feel the urge to nibble. My favorite was the fresh apple slices with the almond butter that Dr. Jim was dipping into with fervor and flavor!
If you are a smart and savvy snacker; then head on over to Love Street Living Foods for your Almond, Cashew, and other Nut Butters along with other superfoods and healthy whole foods. These are some of the best tasting and healthiest foods you’ll find anywhere for Longevity, snacks, ingredients for Smoothies, and foods that will keep you fully alive and well!
BUT…on today’s DoctorsTV show, I watched the guy who writes books and has a blog about what to eat and what not to eat tell the audience which drinks they should avoid and what they might replace them with to save on calories. While this fellow gave some reasonable suggestions, I totally refuse to give up my organic freshly-juiced fruit Smoothies, because I sweeten them with honey or blue agave nectar or stevia. Those are OK and your pancreas and adrenal glands will generally agree with me on that!
Commercial businesses and franchises often use processed sugars and sweeteners to make their Smoothies sweet. One of the reasons for this is that they are not using fresh organic fruit with natural sweetness. When you resort to frozen, canned, or fruit powders; you will often lose much of the inherent flavor and sweetness. Please continue to patronize those businesses who use organic fresh fruit in their drinks, so the others will eventually get the message and follow suit.
We have frequently told you about healthy beverages that are the best natural alternatives and substitutes for the common soda pop, fizzy drinks, alcoholic beverages, and many artificially-flavored drink mixes that most people are familiar with from the store or their favorite restaurants. Brain Toniq is still at the very TOP of our List of great natural and healthy beverages. Reed’s Ginger Brew and China Cola are in second and third place with the natural beverages from Jones Soda filling in the top ten. The Black Grape Soda is also on this List and it is only available online. There are others that have merit, but we’ll have to do a separate blog post to give you all the juicy details!
BRAIN TONIQ ‘Think Drink’
Water is only a good choice when it is purified or distilled. You can always add liquid ionic minerals to your distilled water and we make our own using a special unit that is well-worth the money to make your own water in your home and office. If your water doesn’t taste good all by itself, then consider adding some organic lemon juice. You can also put fresh mint leaves in your water. Don’t drink water that it too cold or too hot! Try to drink your beverages at room temperature or as a warm tea instead of extreme temperatures of burning hot or iced to the point of making you think that you are in the Arctic!
We want to encourage you to stop drinking all beverages that are NOT organic and natural. Drink healthy herbal teas, juices, and almond milk or soy milk between meals. Enjoy a morning cup of Chai or Hot Chocolate! Once you begin to feel the difference, you will never let a synthetic beverage slip past your lips ever again! Forget the Slim Fast drinks, the artificial drinks, the poor excuses that turn to refined sugar or worse yet..Splenda or Equal. Those are death sentences in the long run – cutting your life down to size, stealing your life force, and confusing your body’s natural bio-chemical balance with the synthetic chemicals and artificial sweeteners. Don’t do that to your beautiful body, no matter who offers you one of those drinks – Just Say NO!
Dr. Oz had a great segment on foods that are going to help you live longer. Longevity is one of our special areas of interest, so we were glad to see these foods on Dr. Oz today. He brought one of our favorite cooks from the Food Network and another expert to share information about these healthy foods that will lengthen your lifespan.
Kale…do people actually know how to make these bitter Greens taste good? Use less water by steaming it, but don’t nuke it with a microwave… Do add some apple cider or balsamic vinegar as well as ginger root and garlic cloves with other great spices and herbs to make it more palatable! If you don’t season your Greens, you most likely won’t be too eager to eat them regularly. Onion, scallions, carrots, and celery can be easily combined with your Kale and other Greens to enhance the taste and the nutrient value.
Teff! Amaranth…quinoa…thank you Dr. Oz! Finally, he mentions some of the more important whole grains that contribute to your health and wellness. We happen to be big fans of TEFF and the delicious injera that we make using teff flour which replaces wheat flour or corn meal tortillas. Teff is popular in Ethiopia, but we intend to make it more popular here with the introduction of injera to the Wellness communities who love whole foods!
Dates and mango provide the nutrients for Longevity…so says Oz. That’s correct and we love our dried fruits almost as much as our fresh organic sweethearts. Apples do contain compounds which support the body in maintaining one’s health and vitality, especially when it comes to supporting the function of the lymphatic system. Just be sure to enjoy organic fruits!
Beans and nuts are being included in Dr. Oz’s discussion of protein along with meats and fish. Brazil Nuts and Tofu were two of the featured foods for getting your protein. One of the experts mentioned how important the neural pathways in the brain are when you eat foods which support the function of these neurological connections for your brain health. The Nut Butters that Dr. Jim recommended and that we have been eating for forty years are excellent sources of both protein and essential fatty acids…the healthy fats or lipids that you need for the health of your brain and the rest of your body.
The two servings of dairy that Oz described is best if it is cultured like yogurt or kefir, although that coconut milk yogurt is much more suitable. Your best source of calcium is in your dark leafy Greens, your tofu and soy products, carrots, sea vegetables, and pearl powder which is the most bio-available form of calcium that has ever been evaluated in my office. If you want to do everything you can to never allow cancer in your body, then dismiss dairy products unless you raise your own goats.
Dr. Oz wants you to know how to add years to your Life and the drinking of tea is one of the best ideas for accomplishing this task he could have offered to you. Just buy organic teas, regardless of whether it is black, green, white, or herbal tea. The trick is to vary the kinds of tea you drink daily, so you include all of these types of tea in your Wellness program for living long and living well.
Flaxseed is one of the better foods that Dr. Oz suggested that you grind up and put into a Smoothie. They are relatively inexpensive and give you the EFAs that are so valuable. In addition to flaxseed, you are going to want to add chia seeds to your regimen, too. Don’t forget other seeds like poppy seeds, pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, and sesame seeds. You can also sprout your own organic seeds and add the sprouts to sandwiches and salads.
Shi’itake mushrooms are next on his List and we adore them as much as Oz does. Oz mentioned the cancer and mushroom connection which is common knowledge for those people who enjoy a Macrobiotic diet or eat more like people who live in Asian countries with a variety of mushrooms which have been used for centuries in this culture in both cooking and healing.
The Shi’itake mushrooms used to be dried and needed to be rehydrated before eating, but now there are many growers and most grocery stores will carry them fresh as well as dried. Add these mushrooms to your seaweed dishes, your soups, your stews, your vegetable dishes and in sauces to pour over your whole grain dishes. While they take a little longer to cook properly, they are real jewels for your wellness. We like tofu, shi’itake, onion, grated burdock root, carrot, celery, and purple cabbage with ginger and garlic covered with chopped scallions and sprinkled with sesame seeds and sea salt. We serve this dish with a side of beans or lentils and a pickled vegetable like pickled daikon or sauerkraut.
I am proud of our TV doctors who are sharing all of the good news about how to be well, instead of just talking about disease and drugs. It’s about time that the public realized that this is the trend among doctors who are listening to their patients. People are changing the way doctors approach health care and when we all encourage whole foods and good nutrition; then a healthy Lifestyle will be on everyone’s mind and will change the nation and our global health for the better.
Dr. Oz encouraged his audience to put down that soda AND we want you to pick up either a healthy soda like Brain Toniq or drink some herbal tea, organic coffee, or chai…or sip some pure water with lemon juice to your ultimate Health and sense of good taste today and always!
