Samoa Cookies

Even though they claim, tran-fat free, this isn't true. Partially hydrogenated oils are listed in the ingredients. If you look closely the cookie photo says "per serving." If the total amount is less than 1 gram, they can claim this, but even 1 gram is enough to cause a snowball effect of issues. Not to mention it takes 9 months to detox our bodies from these plastic-like fats!

Ingredients: Sugar, partially hydrogenated oils, enriched flour, coconut, corn syrup, sweetened condensed milk, cocoa, sorbitol, glycerin, invert sugar, cocoa pressed with alkali, cornstarch, salt, caramelized sugar, dextrose, soy lecithin, carrageenan, leavening (baking soda), natural and artificial flavor.

NO one wishes harm on their children, but if you feed them trans-fats, you are unknowingly setting them up for severe health issues. This is because trans-fats in foods are like BIG SUV's trying to park into a "compact" parking spaces of our cells that are reserved for healthy Omega 3 fats (DHA). When this happens, our neurotransmitters responsible for focus, mood, and memory have a hard time finding and recognizing their receptors due to the inflammation of the membranes on the brain cells caused by the consumption of trans fats.

Brain levels of the neurotransmitter dopamine (important for mood and focus) are lowered by 95% when you ingest trans fats. BUT what is even more disturbing, is that when you switch to eating 100% trans-fat free our brain remains unable to produce normal amounts of dopamine in

the hippocampus (the part of the brain most responsible for consolidating memory). This is one reason for the high rates of ADHD and depression. To read more on Brain Chemicals, check out my book: Secrets to Controlling Your Weight Cravings and Mood

Children who start at age 3 or 4 eating a steady diet of fast food, pop tarts, commercially prepared fish sticks, stick margarine, cake, candy, cookies and microwave popcorn can be expected to have a harder time focusing, an increase risk of depression, have heart disease and strokes at earlier ages. BUT even if you avoid typical "junk food," you must remain a detective! I have seen trans-fats in refrigerated SALSA!



COOKIES:
1 1/2 cup blanched almond flour
1/2 cup coconut flour
1 tsp aluminum free baking powder
1 cup coconut oil or butter
1 cup Just Like Sugar
1/2 cup erythritol (or Truvia)
2 tsp stevia glycerite
1 egg
1 tsp Celtic sea salt
COCONUT CARAMEL:
1 cup JUST LIKE SUGAR (or xylitol)
6 TBS grass fed butter
1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
1/2 cup unsweetened coconut flakes
CHOCOLATE DRIZZLE:
2 TBS grass fed butter or coconut oil
1 oz unsweetened baking chocolate
10 TBS heavy cream
1/4 cup erythritol (or Just Like Sugar)
1 tsp stevia glycerite

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. In a medium bowl, cream the butter, Just Like Brown Sugar, erythritol and stevia (add in egg if using). Cream for a few minutes until very fluffy. In a separate bowl mix together the almond flour, coconut flour, baking powder, and salt. Slowly add in the dry ingredients to the wet and mix until smooth.

In between 2 pieces of parchment (greased parchment), roll the dough out into 1/4 in thick dough. Using circle cut-outs, cut into Samoa cookie shapes.

Place cookies about 2 inches apart. Bake in preheated oven for 17-20 minutes or until golden around the edges. Cool completely on the baking sheet before removing from cookie sheet.


COCONUT CARAMEL: Before you begin, make sure you have everything ready to go - the cream and the butter next to the pan, ready to put in. (If you are using Xylitol click HERE for directions). If you don't work fast, the sweetener will burn. Heat butter on high heat in a heavy-bottomed 2-quart or 3-quart saucepan. As soon as it comes to a boil, watch for specks of brown (this is brown butter....SO GOOD on veggies!). Immediately add the JUST LIKE SUGAR and the cream to the pan. Whisk until caramel sauce is smooth. Let cool in the pan for a couple minutes, then pour into a glass mason jar and let sit to cool to room temperature. Stir in dried coconut flakes. Place 1-2 TBS of this mixture on top of each circle. Set in freezer to set. Meanwhile make the chocolate sauce. TIP: I always have caramel and chocolate sauce in my fridge; it keeps for quite a while.

CHOCOLATE DRIZZLE: Place the butter and chopped chocolate in a double boiler (or in a heat safe dish over a pot of boiling water). Stir well until just melted (don't burn the chocolate!), add in the cream, and sweetener. Stir until smooth and thick. Place 1/2 the chocolate in a shallow bowl and dip the bottom of the cookies into the chocolate. Place on parchment paper. Put the other 1/2 of the chocolate in a small ziplock bag. Cut the corner of the bag and use to pipe stripes over the cookies. Makes 24 cookies.

NUTRITIONAL COMPARISON (per serving)
Traditional Cookie = 140 calories, 7g fat, 1g protein, 19 carbs, 1g fiber
"Healthified" Cookie = 125 calories, 11g fat, 3g protein, 5 carbs, 3.8g fiber

Ramen and MSG

Yikes! With ingredients like this, do I really need to tell you that this plastic bag is nothing but junk?

Ramen Noodle Soup Ingredients: Enriched Flour (Wheat Flour, Niacin, Reduced Iron, Thiamine Mononitrate, Riboflavin, Folic Acid)Vegetable Oil (contains One or More of Following: Canola Oil, Cottonseed Oil, Palm Oil) Preserved by Tocopherols and/or TBHQ and/or Ascorbyl Palmitate, contains Less than 2% of Salt, Sodium Tripolyphosphate, Potassium Carbonate, Sodium Carbonate, Sodium Alginate. Seasoning Mix: Salt, Monosodium Glutamate, Hydrolyzed Soy, Corn and Wheat Protein, Chicken Powder, Soy Sauce Powder (Wheat, Soybeans, Maltodextrin, Salt)Onion Powder, Garlic Powder, Spices, Chicken Fat, Calcium Silicate (Anticaking Agent)Celery Powder, Sugar, Dehydrated Leek, Turmeric Color, Autolyzed Yeast Extract, Citric Acid, Disodium Guanylate, Disodium Inosinate, Natural Flavors, Artificial Flavors.

MSG (an excitotoxin) causes damage to the neurons in your brain and has links to Parkinson’s disease, Alzheimer’s, Huntington’s disease and many others. Children are very susceptible to this type of effect on their sensitive and growing brains. Excitotoxins excite the neurons in the brain too much. They become exhausted and die. Neurotoxins are also a main cause of seizures . The damage may not be seen until many years later. When this happens, our neurotransmitters responsible for focus, mood, and memory have a hard time finding and recognizing their receptors due to the inflammation of the membranes on the brain cells caused by the consumption of MSG.

Brain levels of the neurotransmitter dopamine (important for mood and focus) are lowered by 95% when you ingest excitotoxins. BUT what is even more disturbing, is that when you switch to eating 100% free of processed food, our brain remains unable to produce normal amounts of dopamine in

the hippocampus (the part of the brain most responsible for consolidating memory). This is one reason for the high rates of ADHD and depression. To read more on Brain Chemicals, check out my book: Secrets to Controlling Your Weight Cravings and Mood


​TBHQ comes from petroleum (think "lighter fluid"). It is banned in other countries. TBHQ keeps fats from going rancid, so you see it in a lot of foods that they want to have a long shelf life. It is considered an "anti-oxidant" BUT it can itself be oxidized into harmful molecules, like tert-butylquinone...causing a TIRED TOXIC LIVER (see chapter on the liver in Secrets to a Healthy Metabolism).

TBHQ also promotes production of quinone reductase, which is linked to cancer. TBHQ can cause a full range of reactions from asthma to anxiety, ADHD, insomnia, depression, tiredness, learning difficulties and children's behavior problems. This chemical is also found to effect estrogen levels...are you trying to get pregnant? or dealing with menopausal symptoms? I would avoid this like the plague.

"HEALTHIFIED" Ramen
3 1/2 cups vegetable broth
4 cups zucchini "noodles"
2 tsp organic Tamari sauce (soy sauce)
1/2 tsp chili oil (or sesame oil)
1/2 tsp minced fresh ginger root
1 egg, lightly beaten
2 green onions, sliced

Peel and "swirl" the zucchini using THIS TOOL: Spiral Slicer. In a medium saucepan combine broth, zucchini noodles, tamari sauce and ginger. Simmer, uncovered, for 10 minutes. Stir in chili or sesame oil. Slowly pour in the egg and stir for 30 seconds until the egg has cooked. Garnish with green onions. Makes 4 servings.

NUTRITIONAL COMPARISON (per serving)
Traditional Ramen = 190 calories, 26 carbs, 2 g fiber (24 effective carbs)
"Healthified" Ramen = 75 calories, 5.3 carbs, 1.4 g fiber (3.9 effective carbs)

BBQ Chicken Pizza and DEPRESSION Facts

Why don't I eat gluten? Well, for many reasons, but for one, my mood has increased a lot. Gluten is the protein found in wheat, rye, barley and oats. Have you put flour and water together to make your own gooey paste? In Poland, they use this for wallpaper paste. I’m not putting that “gummy” paste in my body; it causes way too much inflammation.

After the digestive tract, the most commonly affected system to be affected by gluten is the nervous system. It is thought that depression can be caused by gluten in one of 2 ways.

1. INFLAMMATION: A gluten sensitive individual’s immune system responds to the protein gliadin. Unfortunately, that protein is similar in structure to other proteins present in the body, including those of the brain and nerve cells. A cross reactivity can occur and the immune system “confuses” proteins in the body for the protein gliadin. This is called cellular mimicry and the result is the body attacking its own tissues with inflammation resulting. When inflammation happens in the brain and nervous system, a variety of symptoms can occur, including depression.

Please note, that even though most doctors will dismiss a gluten allergy/sensitivity if you don’t have any digestive issues, this is not true. You can have problems with gluten that show up in other parts of your body, not just the digestive track. Gluten can attack any organ: thyroid, gallbladder, nervous system, joints (arthritis), cellular membrane (multiple sclerosis), you name it.

2. SEROTONIN LEVELS: Gluten sensitivity interferes with protein absorption. Specifically the amino acid tryptophan, which is essential for brain health. Tryptophan is a protein in the brain responsible for a feeling of well-being and relaxation. A deficiency can be correlated to feelings of depression and anxiety (along with insomnia and constipation). 90% of serotonin production occurs in the digestive tract. So it makes sense that food has an effect, either positive or negative, on serotonin production. Our society is too willing to accept a “chemical imbalance” as an explanation for their symptoms and instead of getting to the root cause of the condition, simply swallow a pill – a pill that in the case of anti-depressants has very dangerous and undesired side effects.

The frequency with which clients can taper off their anti-depressants is considered “unbelievable” too many mainstream doctors, yet it happens regularly. How is that possible? Well, it is important to look at the root cause of the depression, rather than just putting a “Band-Aid” over the problem. Instead, I find success with a gluten-free diet as the main path to recovery, along with a therapeutic dose of amino acids, such as 5-HTP or GABA, along with Vitamin B and other key nutrients.

Food allergies can also affect our children’s behavior. Encounters with allergens stimulate the release of serotonin and histamine from mast cells in the body. This increase affect alters arousal, attention, activity and vigilance. As a result, a highly allergic child can be either quite sluggish or hyperactive, depending upon the system of the allergic reaction. Eliminating all allergens from the diet will eliminate hyperactivity or lethargy and inattention.

So when I tell clients to eat “gluten free” they often grab all the “gluten-free” pre-packaged foods on the shelf…but that most likely will cause weight gain and slow the healing process in your gut. Rice flour, the common flour substitute in gluten-free products, is higher in calories, higher in carbohydrates, and lower in nutrients than regular flour. It can cause more inflammation in our body. So my recommendation is to use make your own healthier options by using almond flour and coconut flour, which are very easy to digest. The healthy fats in nuts actually are nourishing to our brain. To read more on how to fight depression through food and supplements, check out Secrets to Controlling Your Cravings Weight and Mood.


Here is another item to toss from your freezer! Marketing Marketing Marketing. Click HERE to read why trans-fats increase depression.

Ingredients: Crust: Enriched Flour Wheat Flour, Malted Barley Flour, Niacin, Iron, Thiamine Mononitrate, Riboflavin, Folic Acid)Water, Tomatoes (Tomato Paste, Water)Cornmeal, Yeast, Vegetable Shortening (Partially Hydrogenated Soybean Oil and Natural Flavor, Salt, Sugar, Dough Conditioner, Diacetyl Tartaric Acid Ester Of Mono and Diglcerides ,Wheat Gluten, Sugar, Dextrose, Wheat Flour, Guar Gum, Active Malt Flour, Calcium Pyrophosphate, Lecithin, Ascorbic Acid, Enzyme)Butter Flavoring Oil with Garlic (Partially Hydrogenated Soybean Oil, Oleoresin Garlic, Salt, Soybean Lecithin, Natural and Artificial Butter Flavors Vitamin A Palmitate, Beta Carotene Added For Color)Dough Conditioner (Dactyl Tartaric Acid Ester of Mono and Diglycerides ,Wheat Gluten, Sugar, Dextrose, Wheat Flour, Guar Gum Active Malt Flour Calcium Pyrophosphate, Lecithin, Ascorbic Acid, Enzyme)Olive Oil, Modified Food Starch, Spices, Garlic, Garlic Powder Dehydrated Parsley, Xanthan Gun Topping: Low Moisture Part-Skim Mozzarella Cheese, Cultured Pasteurized Part-Skim Milk, Salt, Enzymes)Tomatoes (Tomatoes Paste, Water) Pre-cooked Barbecued Chicken Breast Rib Meat-Smoke Flavor Added (Chicken Breast with Rib Meat, Water, Salt, Flavorings, Dextrose, Grill Flavor (Maltodextrin, Salt Grill Flavor (from Vegetable Oil)Modified Food Starch, Corn Syrup Solids, syrup Solids, Smoke Flavoring, Modified Food Starch, Corn Syrup Solids, Sodium Acid Phyrophoshate)Cooked with Bacon Bites Smoke Flavoring Added (cured with Water, Salt, Sugar, Smoke Flavoring, Sodium Phosphates, Sodium Nitrite)Seasoning Blend (Sugar, Salt, Molasses Powder, Maltodextrin, Acetric Acid, Caramel Color, Sodium Diacetate, Smoke Flavor, Onion Powder, Mustard Flour, and Not More Than 2 % Silicon Dioxide Added To Prevent Caking, Spices, and spice Extra Extractives, Citric acid, Garlic Power, Anchovy Fish Powder Red Onion.

YIKES!!!! WHAT IS "Dough Conditioner"????? Let's toss those frozen pizzas and make our own!



Crust:
1/3 cup almond flour
1/3 cup unflavored whey protein
1/3 cup Parmesan cheese, shredded
1 tsp Celtic sea salt
Water (just enough to hold dough together)
Optional: Italian spices

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Sift all the dry ingredients together. Slowly add in water, 1 TBS at a time until dough can hold a ball shape. Grease a pie pan. With wet fingers, push the dough to cover the pie pan. Bake for 15 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from oven. Top with toppings listed below. Place back in oven for 5 minutes or until cheese is melted. Yum! Makes 2 servings.

NUTRITIONAL COMPARISON (per serving)
Traditional Frozen Pizza = 350 calories, 54 carbs, 5 fiber
"Healthified" Pizza CRUST Only = 208.5 calories, 4 carbs, 2g fiber

Layer the pizza with:
BBQ Sauce (no sugar)
Shredded Chicken (I precooked mine in a crockpot)
Freshly Shredded cheddar
Chopped Tomato
Red Onion

CLICK HERE TO FIND MY FAVORITE NO SUGAR BBQ SAUCE

Ice Cream Cone and ADHD

Next time you serve your kids an ice cream cone...remember this:

NO one wishes harm on their children, but if you feed them trans-fats, you are unknowingly setting them up for severe health issues. This is because trans-fats in foods are like BIG SUV's trying to park into a "compact" parking spaces of our cells that are reserved for healthy Omega 3 fats (DHA). When this happens, our neurotransmitters responsible for focus, mood, and memory have a hard time finding and recognizing their receptors due to the inflammation of the membranes on the brain cells caused by the consumption of trans fats.

Brain levels of the neurotransmitter dopamine (important for mood and focus) are lowered by 95% when you ingest trans fats. BUT what is even more disturbing, is that when you switch to eating 100% trans-fat free our brain remains unable to produce normal amounts of dopamine in

the hippocampus (the part of the brain most responsible for consolidating memory). This is one reason for the high rates of ADHD and depression. To read more on Brain Chemicals, check out my book: Secrets to Controlling Your Weight Cravings and Mood

Children who start at age 3 or 4 eating a steady diet of fast food, pop tarts, commercially prepared fish sticks, stick margarine, cake, candy, cookies and microwave popcorn can be expected to have a harder time focusing, an increase risk of depression, have heart disease and strokes at earlier ages. BUT even if you avoid typical "junk food," you must remain a detective! I have seen trans-fats in refrigerated SALSA!

Ingredients in a store bought cake cone: Enriched Wheat Flour (contains Niacin, Reduced Iron, Thiamine Mononitrate, Riboflavin, Folic Acid)Tapioca Flour, Sugar, Vegetable Oil Shortening (Partially Hydrogenated Soybean Oil, Partially Hydrogenated Canola Oil, and or Corn Oil)Leavening (Sodium Bicarbonate, Ammonium Bicarbonate)Salt, Natural Flavor, Annato (Vegetable Color)

Here is a very tasty recipe for a classic ice cream cone!

1 egg white, whipped

1 TBS butter (melted)
1/4 cup almond flour
1/4 cup vanilla whey protein OR egg white protein

Heat a pizzelle skillet on high. In a medium bowl, whip the egg white until frothy. Add in all the other ingredients and mix until smooth. Place 1 TBS dough onto greased skillet, close tightly. Let sit for 1-3 minutes depending on skillet directions. While you are removing, before it cools, roll into a cone shape. Makes 8 cones.

Nutritional COMPARISON (per cone):
Traditional Sugar CONE = 114 calories, 5g fat, 1g protein, 23.8 carbs, 0.5 fiber
"Healthified" Cone = 50 calories, 3g fat, 4.2g protein, 0.9 carbs, trace fiber

Click HERE to find the Pizzelle Skillet I use.

Nut Free Granola Bars and Facts on BHT

Quaker Chewy Granola bars are a common staple in many families. There are some scary ingredients in those little plastic packages. One of which is BHT. BHT is produced by an alkylation reaction of p-cresol with isobutylene and is also used in cosmetics, pharmaceuticals, jet fuels, rubber, petroleum products, and embalming fluid. As a food additive BHT has been banned in Japan, Romania, Sweden, England and Australia and the Center for Science in the Public Interest recommends it be avoided whenever possible.

They also contain the caramel coloring, banned in other countries due to the detrimental side effects. AND a whole lot of ingredients that just mean sugar!
Ingredients in Quaker Granola Bar = GRANOLA (WHOLE GRAIN ROLLED OATS, BROWNSUGAR, CRISP RICE [RICE FLOUR, SUGAR, SALT, MALTED BARLEY EXTRACT],WHOLE GRAIN ROLLED WHEAT, SOYBEAN OIL, DRIED COCONUT, WHOLE WHEATFLOUR, SODIUM BICARBONATE, SOY LECITHIN, CARAMEL COLOR, NONFAT DRYMILK), SEMISWEET CHOCOLATE CHIPS (SUGAR, CHOCOLATE LIQUOR, COCOABUTTER, SOY LECITHIN, VANILLA EXTRACT), CORN SYRUP, BROWN RICE CRISP(WHOLE GRAIN BROWN RICE, SUGAR, MALTED BARLEY FLOUR, SALT), INVERTSUGAR, SUGAR, CORN SYRUP SOLIDS, GLYCERIN, SOYBEAN OIL. CONTAINS 2% OR LESS OF SORBITOL,CALCIUM CARBONATE, SALT, WATER, SOY LECITHIN, MOLASSES, NATURAL ANDARTIFICIAL FLAVOR, BHT, CITRIC ACID.


I know a lot of schools are going "nut free," so here is a granola bar you can send to school while keeping the children with allergies safe. This is a quick and easy snack that the kids can make themselves! If your kids prefer, you could use 1/2 cup xylitol for the sweetener instead (some people are "super tasters" and don't care for the erythritol taste), xylitol tastes just like sugar without the health concerns. Click HERE to read more on xylitol.



1 cup creamy sunflower seed butter
1/2 cup erythritol and 1/2 tsp stevia glycerite (or 1/2 cup xylitol)
1 tsp vanilla
1 cup NATURE'S HOLLOW xylitol honey or maple syrup
1 cup ground flaxseed
1 cup whole flaxseed
1 cup pumpkin seeds
1 cup sesame seeds
4 cups whey crisps
OPTIONAL: 1/4 cup cocoa powder

In a saucepan over low heat mix together the sunflower butter, and sweetener. Heat until the sun-butter is melted. Stir in the flaxseeds and vanilla, then pour the mixture over whey crisps and mix well. Grease a 9x13 inch baking pan (or line with parchment paper), then spread the mixture into the pan and press down to form a dense sheet. Let the mixture sit for about 5 to 10 minutes, until firmly set, then cut into bars. Makes about 28 bars.

NUTRITIONAL COMPARISON (per serving)
Traditional Granola Bar = 256 calories, 44 carbs, 2.6g fiber
"Healthified" Granola Bars = 190 calories, 7.2 carbs, 4.9g fiber

CLICK HERE TO FIND THE FOOD PROCESSOR I USED TO MAKE THE GRANOLA BARS.

XYLITOL= Xylitol occurs naturally in many fruits and vegetables and is even produced by the human body during normal metabolism. Manufacturers make it from plants such as birch and other hard wood trees and fibrous vegetation. Some people prefer the taste of xylitol. I only use it when I have to due to it's higher calorie content and increases insulin a little.
CALORIES = 2.4 calories/gram; 1 tsp has 9.6 calories and 1 tsp of sugar has 15 calories (40% fewer calories and 75% fewer carbs than table sugar)
SWEETNESS = Same as table sugar. Use cup for cup.
BENEFITS = Has been known to aid in the prevention of ear infections. Tastes more like table sugar. Dissolves in liquids and melts.