Granola

 

Granola seems to get a bad rap; I don't really know why. If made correctly, it is quite nutritious. For one, think "fiber!" 😉 (Read my "F" post) It is also fairly simple to make.

Homemade Granola

Dry Ingredients:

6 cups organic rolled oats

1 cup wheat germ

1 cup coconut

1 teaspoon salt

1 cup nuts

Ingredients for blending:

½ cup cold-pressed oil

½ cup warm water

1 tablespoon vanilla

1/3 cup organic brown sugar or whole cane sugar

Directions:

Mix dry ingredients in large bowl:

Blend: oil, warm water, vanilla, and organic brown sugar

Add the liquid mixture to the dry ingredients. Mix well by rubbing oats between hands. Do not squeeze or “knead” the ingredients but try to evenly coat the oats with the liquid. Food-handling gloves help!

Spread the mixture out evenly onto a large baking sheet. You may need 2 baking sheets if the ingredients are too thick on one sheet. Do not pack it down but try to keep it “light and airy”.

Bake at 250 F. degrees until brown (about 1 ½ to 2 hours). Check to see if it is browning evenly. It may need stirring.

Note: If finished granola is hard and tough, there was too much water added. You want the clumps to break apart easily but not be dry and powdery. The right temperature is important so experiment with longer, slower cooking if you aren’t satisfied with the final product. (recipe from Wildwood Health Institute)

One of my favorite ways to eat granola is with non-dairy yogurt, and blueberries. This morning, I had granola with a sliced up banana and almond milk. Delicious!

Fiber

 

(I realize the schedule for this challenge is to blog Monday through Saturday, but I am choosing to blog Sunday through Friday instead, and take my rest on the seventh-day Sabbath.)

"F" is for fiber. What is fiber? Wikipedia says: "Dietary fiber or roughage is the portion of plant-derived food that cannot be completely broken down by human digestive enzymes." Fiber  helps regulate the body's use of sugars, helping to keep hunger and blood sugar in check. 

Fiber is found in fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds, grains, legumes. Notice, these are all plant based! There is no fiber in meat, dairy, eggs, which are animal products. 

What was the original diet that God gave man when He created this world? 

Genesis 1:29 says, And God said, “See, I have given you every herb that yields seed which is on the face of all the earth, and every tree whose fruit yields seed; to you it shall be for food." NKJV

Genesis 3:17, 18 go on to say: Then to Adam He said, “Because you have heeded the voice of your wife, and have eaten from the tree of which I commanded you, saying, ‘You shall not eat of it’:

“Cursed is the ground for your sake;

In toil you shall eat of it

All the days of your life.

18 Both thorns and thistles it shall bring forth for you,

And you shall eat the herb of the field. NKJV

Notice that the original diet was whole food plant based! Maybe it's still a good idea to have as great a whole food plant based diet as possible now. What say you?

Exercise

 

NEWSTART

"E" is for...you guessed it: Exercise. God created our bodies for movement. As stewards of these bodies God gave us, we should do our best to take care of them. Exercising is one important activity we can do to care for our bodies.

These days, there are all kinds of gadgets to remind us to take time for exercise. I have a Fitbit. I have it set to remind me to get 250+ steps each hour, for 8-12 hours. Some days I manage to get all my hours in; most days I don't. 😏

There are also plenty of apps for your phone to help track your exercising.

Of course, walking isn't the only exercise there is. You can swim, ride your bike, run, canoe/kayak, climb a rock wall, use the treadmill, lift weights, etc. 

This was our first (and last, so far) 5K. 

What is your favorite form of exercise? Share in the comments below.

Newstart Now

Vitamin D

 

 Vitamin D is both a nutrient we eat and a hormone our bodies make. It is a fat-soluble vitamin that has long been known to help the body absorb and retain calcium and phosphorus; both are critical for building bone. Also, laboratory studies show that vitamin D can reduce cancer cell growth, help control infections and reduce inflammation. Many of the body’s organs and tissues have receptors for vitamin D, which suggest important roles beyond bone health, and scientists are actively investigating other possible functions.

Few foods naturally contain vitamin D, though some foods are fortified with the vitamin. For most people, the best way to get enough vitamin D is taking a supplement because it is hard to eat enough through food. Vitamin D supplements are available in two forms: vitamin D2 (“ergocalciferol” or pre-vitamin D) and vitamin D3 (“cholecalciferol”). Both are also naturally occurring forms that are  produced in the presence of the sun’s ultraviolet-B (UVB) rays, hence its nickname, “the sunshine vitamin,” but D2 is produced in plants and fungi and D3 in animals, including humans. Vitamin D production in the skin is the primary natural source of vitamin D, but many people have insufficient levels because they live in places where sunlight is limited in winter, or because they have limited sun exposure due to being inside much of the time. Also, people with darker skin tend to have lower blood levels of vitamin D because the pigment (melanin) acts like a shade, reducing production of vitamin D (and also reducing damaging effects of sunlight on skin, including skin cancer). [quoted from: Harvard School of Health]

Did You Know?

Catching the sun’s rays in a sunny office or driving in a car unfortunately won’t help to obtain vitamin D as window glass completely blocks UVB ultraviolet light.

Complex Carbohydrates

 

These days there is a lot of "hype" about carbs, like carbs are an enemy to good health and weight loss. Seriously?

Let's stop a moment and consider this. Carbohydrates are the fuel for our bodies, as gasoline (or diesel) is fuel for vehicles. We need the energy that carbs provide.

Now, there is a difference in the types of carbohydrates. The healthy carbs are the complex carbohydrates, as found in whole grains, with minimal processing.

Complex carbohydrates are made up of sugar molecules that are strung together in long, complex chains. Complex carbohydrates are found in foods such as peas, beans, whole grains, and vegetables. Both simple and complex carbohydrates are turned to glucose (blood sugar) in the body and are used as energy

Choose whole grain bread, rather than white bread made with bleached white flour. Choose whole grain pastas. Whole grain cereals. 

Bananas, Broccoli, Beets, Beans

 

They all begin with the letter "B."

Bananas are a rich source of potassium. They tend to be one of the first solid foods babies are fed. Some people have texture issues with them. One of my favorite ways to eat a banana was with peanut butter smeared on it. Thanks to COVID, I can no longer tolerate the flavor of peanut butter! So I use almond butter or cashew butter instead. 

Broccoli tends to be one of those somewhat controversial foods, especially among children. I mean, come on! It's green! Who wants to eat something green? It's also a good source of potassium, as well as a rich source of vitamin C.

Then there are those beets! Talk about a controversial food! They are a good source of vitamins, minerals, antioxidants and fiber. They help protect your heart health, and your liver health. 

Beans are an excellent source of protein, and fiber. They are also excellent sources of copper, phosphorus, manganese and magnesium. Most types of beans are rich sources of iron, too. 

Beans are easy to prepare. You do need to plan ahead a bit, if you're going to prepare them from dry beans. They should be soaked overnight. Then the next morning, put them into your crockpot or slow cooker, cover with water, and cook 4-6 hours. They are delicious with just salt, onion and garlic powders, or you can "doctor them up" a bit more, if you want.

Today I made a batch of beans: 

1 cup navy beans

1/2 cup pinto beans

1/2 cup kidney beans

1/2 cup baby lima beans (I used great northern)

1 medium onion, chopped

2-3 tsp. salt

3 Tbs. molasses

1/2 cup oil

Soak beans together overnight. Drain them the next morning, and put them in the slow cooker, with the onion in the bottom. Let them cook for a couple hours, add the salt, molasses and oil, and let them cook longer. You can also put them in a bean pot and bake them in the oven, at 300F for 3-4 hours. You can also add 1 or 2 8 oz. cans of tomato sauce, near the end of cooking.

Enjoy!

Can you think of any other foods beginning with the letter "B"? What is your favorite way to eat beets, or beans, or broccoli? Please share in the comments below.

April Blogging from A to Z Challenge

I'm attempting an experiment, when that I hope will give this blog a jumpstart. I hope you'll come along for the ride! I plan to post some health tips, exercise goals or progress, and maybe even a recipe or two (or more!)

 

One topic I will be sharing is the concept of God's "feel good secrets," if you will. They can best be remembered with an acronym: NEWSTART. If followed, they will help you have a new start in feeling better. I'll include them alphabetically as we go along.

What do you think that "A" stands for? Any guesses?

AIR!

We all need air to breathe, we know that. Fresh outdoor air is the best! (Really, how many places can you find fresh outdoor air these days? What with so much pollution and all) That's one of the advantages of living in the country, or even the suburbs.

I tend to take a walk most mornings, shortly after sunrise, so I can take some deep breaths of the fresh Florida country air. Watching the sun rise and hearing the bird chorus, combined with the exercise and fresh air help my mental health as well as my physical health.

If you can't get outside for exercise in the fresh air, you could at least take several deep breaths a few times a day. Fill your lungs, make that diaphragm work!

Please come back tomorrow; I'll be looking for you!

Newstart Now

November: Diabetes Awareness Month

As you may already know, November is Diabetes Awareness Month. If you've been following my blog, of my social media, for long, you may also know already that I usually post something about diabetes, especially Type 1, nearly daily throughout the month of November each year.

Today I will share some links to some articles that help explain the difference between Type 1 and Type 2.

Type 1 vs. Type 2 Diabetes: Diagnosis, Treatment, and Symptoms

The Difference Between Type 1 And Type 2 Diabetes

Type 1 Diabetes vs. Type 2 Diabetes

Over on Instagram and Facebook, I also share a daily graphic from Project Blue November.

Here are the graphics from the first four days:

In addition, this month, I'm taking on 34 miles for the American Diabetes Association! My Fitbit tracker is a great help with that! I already have a total of 9 miles toward that!