Homemade Pumpkin Protein Bars

1/3 cup cashew butter

Juice of 1/2 lemon

1 TSP coconut oil

3 TBSP raw Greek honey or Agave

1/4 cup raw hemp protein powder (add up to 1/3 cup protein powder)

1/4 cup raw pumpkin seeds (a little less than 1/4 cup)

1. Mix in a bowl.

2. Form into patties.

3. Refrigerate to set.

Stays fresh for 10 days in the fridge. Makes two protein bars.

Raw Chocolate Chip Banana Cookies

Come and Get em!! 

3 bananas

1 TBSP cinnamon

1 cup ground raw walnuts

1 cup ground raw cashews

1 TSP raw cacao or raw carob powder

2 TBSP raw cacao nibs

2 TBSP shredded coconut (optional)

2 TBSP raw Greek honey

1. Mix ingredients in a bowl.

2. Form into patties

3. Dust with raw cacao and a drizzle of honey.

4. Top with a walnut half or two almonds to form a heart.

5. Dehydrate for about 4 hours (if you don't have a dehydrator you can use your oven, just turn the heat all the way to the lowest setting, crack open the door and put the fan on).

Diabetes: The scary statistics

Diabetes runs in my family. I am told I need to be careful and have been reading various books about insulin resistance. Below are some frightening facts from a book I just read, Sugar Nation. I recommend the book, which is an easy read and can be easily found on Amazon.

• Between 1993 and 2004 hospital stays for diabetes among 29 or younger increased 40%.  (Diabetes Care study).
• One in every three people born in the US in the year 2000 will become diabetic, for minorities the rate will be one in two.
• Cost of diabetes: direct medical expenditures $120 billion/year + lost productivity, $58 billion/year= $178 billion/year
• More money can be made treating diabetes than curing it.
• The ADA is in bed with the pharmaceutical companies, pushing drugs as it is assumed that patients will not make the necessary lifestyle changes that can reverse the disease. Instead there is a focused reliance on drug after drug, none of which look at the underlying problem, insulin resistance due to a sedentary lifestyle an overabundance of refined carb-laden foods.
• 30% of Medicare’s budget goes towards diabetes (which doesn’t take into consideration cardiovascular disease attributed to the disease).
• One person globally develops diabetes every 5 seconds, 17,000/day. 
• This number will double by 2030 (World Health Organization study).
• The overweight now out-number the malnourished.
• Per capita sugar consumption raised from 5 to 160 pounds from late 1800s to today.

The best thing we can do to help fight this disease is to watch our diet and to incorporate exercise into our daily lives.  Below are some extra things you can do to help assist diabetes prevention:

Supplements which improve insulin sensitivity:

Chromium, 1,000mcg daily
Biotin, 8-16 g daily
Magnesium, 500 mg day
ALA, 600 mg daily

Chromium rich foods

-Tomato, spinach, broccoli, onion, garlic, basil leaves, lettuce, fresh chili, green pepper, beet, mushroom, rye, apple, orange and banana.

Exercise Effects on Insulin resistance:

30 min daily strenuous exercise- get sweating!

The liver reacts to exercise by breaking down glycogen and absorbs glucose from the bloodstream.

We love CHERRIES, the healing fruit!

The Health Benefits of Cherries: "The Healing Fruit"

1) Cherries are PACKED with Vitamin A and contain almost 20 times more beta carotene than other berries.

2) Cherries are rich in iron and magnesium, two of the highest deficiencies in the standard diet.

3) Cherries have anthocyanins, which prevent cancer and inflammation.

4) Eating cherries reduces your chance of diabetes. 

5) Kidney friendly fruit that also detoxifies the body.

6) Full of phosphorus to calm the nerves.

7) Great for your liver, reducing swelling and serving as a therapy after taking medication that is harmful to the liver.

Need I say more?? 

Superfood Meal, Perfect after a day on the beach

Fresh summer fruit: blueberries, blackberries, figs for phytonutrients and antioxidants

and Bananas for potassium and tryptophan

with:

Raw cacao for magnesium, chromium and iron (314% RDA in one ounce!)

Hemp and Chia seeds: for your omegas, calcium, iron, protein, fiber (the list goes on and on..)

I also like to add goji berries and sprinkle bee pollen :)