Bare Cupboards Equal Culinary Delights!

So I'm actually really bad at going grocery shopping on a regular basis. I might do it once a month or so and just pick up a few fresh things when I need them in between. So there's usually a point every month when my cupboards are empty and I get to look at what I have left, what's far in the back that I haven't seen since I moved into this house.

At times like these I get to be very creative! And it doesn't mean that the back of the cupboard food is any less healthy than the newer food! In fact creative cooking is one of my favorite hobbies. There was actually a time when I entertained the idea of a cookbook. I even had a name picked out! I was going to call it "Adventures With Knives: Meditations Outside the Recipe." I even thought that my sister might contribute a chapter or two on the many ways to fix Ramen or things to do with peanut butter!

Well I doubt there's a cookbook in my future, however, I can still share with you this really interesting, tasty, and versatile dish I made the other day. It doesn't have a proper name yet. Do you have one for it? I used it as a spread on some rice cakes, a dip for some chips, the filler for some quesadillas and I even threw it in as the glue for some stir fried vegis. I was going to try it inside a seaweed roll in place of sushi rice, but I ran out. Maybe the next time I make it.

So here is what I came up with:

1/2 cup of plain flax seeds soaked in enough water for a couple hours to become gummy but not runny
1 can of black beans
4 cloves or more of garlic
salt to taste
whatever spices appeal to you (I used oregano and some basil and maybe some celery salt? You could go Indian!)

Throw it all in the cuisanart and blend till you like the consistency. It will be kind of like a chunky, dark hummus. Lots of protein and omegas from the flax seeds. I didn't work out the nutritional info but it's pretty low in calories and fat and high in fiber since it's mostly just beans and flax seeds. You could add a little olive oil to make yours smoother.

What interesting recipes have you discovered by mistake?

To your health!

Rebecca Cowan
Producer and Host of Healing From the Roots
http://www.healingfromtheroots.com

What's this gluten free craze all about?

Happy Wednesday to everyone! I recently gave up gluten with the new year and I wanted to share the massive changes going through my body because this has been a real eye opener for my own health so, I've suddenly become very passionate about this topic.

So to start with, here is the 2.5 month breakdown of what has been occurring:

First 2 weeks
- Inflammation in my gut reduced immediately.
- Dry skin, eczema started to heal

First Month
- belly smoothing out
- cravings reduced, not as pulled to want baked goods and
- Menstrual cycle regulating (sorry for that bit of personal info, but it's been a long struggle and it was miraculous for me)
- more energy

Month 2
- skin smooth and clear (unless I do a big load of dishes)
- Weight loss! Hurrah!
- Tons of energy, working out is easy and not such a chore
- Food cravings gone, I eat when I'm hungry and don't overeat naturally, no dieting, just my body's food desires have changed

Start of month 3
- I'm giving up sugar for lent AND IT'S EASY! (I'm not catholic, I've just always liked the idea of lent (raised Presbyterian))

Really, I've just noticed how what my body wants has changed. I used to think about food all day long. Now I eat because my belly growls and I'm satisfied by less. I think this is why giving up sugar this month has been so seamless and easy. I'm not a nutritionist, though I have done a lot of research over the years trying to figure out what's best for me, and also through my powers of deductive reasoning, I believe this is because of the control that gluten has on the brain.

I read a really great article that I got from Dr. Ritamarie Loscalzo, "The Many Faces of Gluten Intolerance." It talked about how gluten activates opioid receptors in the brain similar to the effect of cocaine and creates that intense craving for bread products, giving you the bottomless pit feeling. I know I've been trying to feed that hole myself for years and really didn't understand why I couldn't stop eating. She also discusses how this reaction on our brain may also link gluten intolerance, not to be confused with Celiacs disease, to many emotional and mental disorders such as autism, depression, learning disabilities, schizophrenia, and a host of other neurological problems. You can get the full article at www.drritamarie.com.

I also read the book, "Eat Right 4 Your Bloodtype" and it's recommendation for type O's is also to go wheat free. Type O's make up the majority of the population and are from a time in history when we were hunters and gatherers, we didn't farm yet and there was no grain available. Makes sense to me!

I've also gotten my mother reducing her gluten intake. I haven't gotten the full account from her, but I know that so far it has really helped her intense heartburn. Seems that everyone reacts to it differently and can get some benefits from trying it out.

The times that I have slipped and had a little wheat, thinking it wouldn't hurt, has brought on a resurgence of all my old problems. So I'm sold on the gluten free lifestyle!

It's not terribly hard to do, it just takes some substitutions. My favorite brand of gluten free baking products is Pamela's. Their chocolate cake and the chocolate chunk cookies are amazing and fluffy and moist! And you can feel good about eating it because you know it's digesting better and being used by your body for nutrients it needs instead of as a filler like flour often tends to be.

I'm really stoked on this topic and I'd love to do an episode of Healing From the Roots about this. If you're a gluten free expert and would like to come and talk about it, please go check out my website, www.healingfromtheroots.com, to see if my show would be a match for your business and look on the guests page to see the requirements for being a guest. Then message me and we'll have a discussion.

I'm sure I'll write more about this because it just fascinates me! For now, try eating less gluten, preferrably none at all, and see how it changes your life.

To Your Health!

Can Wealth Be Spiritual?

"Money is the root of all evil." How many times have you heard this yourself over the years? It's a phrase that most regular people grow up believing, and still, we all dream about winning the lottery or getting the promotion or raise that would take us out of survival and into surplus.

Back when I was still a school teacher, I was also a big activist. It meant that a great deal of my free time was spent at rallies and meetings or angry protests against people or companies who were oppressing the under-serviced communities or individuals. It was a life in which I felt very full of purpose as well as frustrated, like our efforts were never going to get us anywhere and we were just preaching to the choir. Plus, all that anger felt toxic in my body and on my soul.

When I decided that I wanted a different life, one where my words had weight, where I could feel unified with my fellow humans and not in a constant "Us" against "Them" battle with people that were more similar than different from me, I lost a lot of friends. Even my boyfriend at the time didn't understand and called me a "capitalist" in our breakup conversation. Though, what I got in return was a new purpose that brought me peace and greater happiness than I'd ever known.

I stopped being angry at people that I only knew from the media and organizations that I was told to hate and avoid because they believed something different from "Us." I found that I was happier finding ways to unite and cooperate with my fellow man than separate the human race. And I discovered that one of the ways I could do that more effectively was to get myself out of survival so that I could be free to help more people.

The time that I had felt this most acutely was right after Hurricane Katrina. Many people were migrating to New Orleans to help however they could or giving more money than they ever had to a cause before. I was so moved to join the efforts, however, there was nothing I could do. I was tied to a job where I didn't have enough days off to volunteer my time and even though I had a respectable job as a public school teacher, I was still living paycheck to paycheck and didn't have much in additional funds to contribute.

I'm sure many of you have felt like you wish there was more you could do for yourself, your family, or even the world. If having more money is something that you would aspire to in your life, you're completely normal! You can let yourself out of any guilt that could be holding you back to making a bigger impact on the world through a path of greater wealth.

Activism still holds an important place in society and our progress as a race. There is nothing nobler than standing up for the fair treatment of other humans. However, there are many ways to do that. What would the world be like if more millionaires were also human rights activists?

I can speak from experience as well that the path to wealth can also be a path of greater self discovery and *gasp* spiritual growth! As we grow our wealth, we also must grow our self-confidence, give up old beliefs, and expand our ability to receive.

Last summer I released an episode with Johnny Fernandez, the co-founder, with his wife Laura, of Life Launch Training. He discussed with us this concept of the pursuit of wealth being a spiritual path.

Check out this promo of that episode and then look up the full episode on the healing from the roots website. www.healingfromtheroots.com

Summer Too Hot for You?

I have been in the studio diligently editing my latest episode on summer nutrition. Your body is affected by the weather and seasons, as well as our digestion, more than you might think! In this episode a couple of my guests are experts at Ayurvedic nutrition. Talya Lutzker and Elizabeth Cunningham Bossart share with us how the summer can change the way we feel depending on our "Dosha." Some of us may love the warm summer and feel "defrosted" while others of us are overwhelmed by the heat!

Being of the fire dosha, Pita, this made me laugh to learn about myself. I can remember summer as a child and going to sleep away camps. One particular summer at Girl Scout camp, (Yes I was a Girl Scout for 10 years!) when I was about 12, the other girls were impressed with how warm I stayed when it got cool at night. A few of the girls wanted me to sleep next to them as their personal heater!

Though I love the sun and warm weather the best, summer can often be a hot, miserable time for me if I don't take care of my body and nourish it with cooling foods and lots of water.

Here is just a taste of this upcoming episode. In this 4 minute clip, Talya shows us how to make a cooling, raw, vegan pesto. It is so tasty! She gave me a full jar of it to take home afterward and I ate the whole thing with a spoon right away! I couldn't control myself! It was just that good!

I hope you enjoy this teaser and look for the full episode in the next couple weeks on Community TV of Santa Cruz County or on the Healing From the Roots website, www.healingfromtheroots.com.

Welcome!

Healing From the Roots is now blogging! Santa Cruz County's local health and well-being television show is making it's debut in the online world of rants and raves for your health! Healing From the Roots is a cable cast television show out of Santa Cruz County, California.

We stand for free distribution of information and letting you know about life changing, life saving, natural healing modalities that have been considered taboo by the mainstream media.We demystify natural and holistic options for your health and explain how they are legitimate, scientifically based practices for living healthier, happier lives.

You can learn more about our show and even see web-cast episodes on our website, www.healingfromtheroots.com.

Our blog will feature information about guests, sponsors, and "try this at home" tips for your health and happiness. Also, anytime we hear about a great deal or an exciting event happening, we'll let you know! We want you to have the latest information for living a balanced, healthy life and exploring more of yourself to discover well-being of your mind, your body, and your spirit.

If you can find more health, it frees up more mental space to focus on your dreams and goals. If you don't have to worry about pain or illness in your body, it puts you at ease and brings more peace and happiness to your life on the whole.

Our mission is to make the world a better place by helping individuals realize natural methodologies for healing your body and your life. When people are happier, they are nicer to their fellow humans. It is the fundamental principal that our show draws from to spread more peace in the world, particularly through health and mental well-being.

Follow our blog to get health tips and practices for bringing more peace and happiness into your life from the experts interviewed on the show. We'll be posting a few times a week to keep you entertained and informed.

To your health!
Rebecca Cowan
Producer and Host of Healing From the Roots