The Ultimate Healthy Cupboard

Do you want to eat healthier in the New Year? After you have eaten everything that you have now in your cupboard consider replacing them with these foods which are alkaline and healthier for both you and your kids.
Here is an idea of what should be on your new grocery list –
• Irish steel-cut oats. Oats do contain some gluten, but for most people they are quite tolerable and they are okay for most kids with asthma to have.

• Mixed-grain hot cereals. Be sure they’re gluten- and sugar-free—and this means no honey or maple syrup

• Rice cakes. Stay away from the ones with too much sodium or funky flavorings (like sour cream and onion rice cakes!)

• Flax crackers

• Gluten-free bread. There are many delicious alternatives to the usual bread you buy. Try some sprouted breads, as they are easier to digest and are less processed.

• Sweet potatoes, yams

• Grains: brown or wild rice, millet, quinoa, amaranth, buckwheat, corn.

• Nuts: almonds, walnuts, cashews, soy nuts, macadamia nuts, filberts, etc.

• Seeds: sunflower, pumpkin, sesame, hemp, flax. Flaxseeds must be freshly ground rather than eaten whole, otherwise you won't get full nutritional benefit.

• Nut or seed butters: almond butter, tahini, cashew butter, peanut butter (all unsweetened)

• Vegan butter

• Vegan mayonnaise

• Nondairy protein powder (soy, hemp or orris root-based)

• Beans and legumes: black beans, lentils, chickpeas, lima beans, adzuki beans, black-eyed peas, edamame, and fava beans. Dried ones are best

• Tofu

• Tempeh

• Fake meats: burgers, sausage patties, “meat crumbles,” “chicken” patties. Make sure all are gluten-free.
• Artichoke, rice, or quinoa pasta

• Pasta sauce

• Vegetables: kale, broccoli, cauliflower, green beans, asparagus, Brussels sprouts, zucchini, eggplant, collard greens, squash of all kinds, tomatoes, etc.

• Mushrooms: shiitake, hen of the woods, portobello. Grilled, they make a great main dish and are almost as good as a steak

• Salad: arugula, radicchio, endive, mixed greens, peppers, avocado, tomato, radish,

• Fruits: apples, raspberries, cherries, peaches, blueberries, goji berries; frozen fruits for smoothies

• Citrus and exotic fruits lemons, limes, and unsweetened pomegranate juice for sparkling-water cocktails

• Herbal teas such as mint, chamomile and fennel.

• Nondairy milk, such as rice, almond, hemp, or soy milk (unsweetened)

• Healthy sweeteners: xylitol, agave nectar, and stevia for smoothies, milks, cereals and baked goods.

• Extra-virgin olive oil, expeller-pressed organic canola, high-oleic versions of sunflower and safflower oils, walnut oil, and flaxseed oil (the last is good to pour over things like salad or baked yam, but not to cook with).

• Seasonings: garlic, ginger, tamari; Himalayan crystal or Celtic sea salt. Regular table salt is bleached and stripped of minerals

• Flours to cook or bake with: bean, pea, soy, potato, buckwheat, tapioca, nut and seed, arrowroot, and rice. There are also prepackaged flour mixes that cater to the gluten-free shopper.

• Popcorn

• Corn chips

• Guacamole

• Hummus

• Soy cheese (rennet-free)

• Frozen spinach, broccoli, and cauliflower to throw into smoothies . . . you won’t even taste it!

• Vegetarian stock for cooking
Try some prepared foods from health food stores. They are often very tasty and nutritious too.

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Get Rid of Gluten and Get Rid of Asthma!

Gluten can be a source of health problems and today you are going to try and figure out how well your body has been tolerating it. Gluten is, in fact the source of most ongoing digestive problems causing everything from gas to bloating to irritable bowel syndrome. Just cutting out gluten has been known to cure asthma and other chronic problems in children..

Gluten is the key component in most types of bread, and it’s found in a number of grains—namely wheat, rye, and barley. It is part protein, part starch or carbohydrate.
We generally think of gluten as being only in bread and pasta, but in fact it is now widely used in processed foods, with negative consequences to many people’s overall health. It’s important to check labels and read ingredients carefully.

Other names for gluten include: modified food starch (though this sometimes refers to corn on a food label), hydrolyzed vegetable protein, hydrolyzed wheat protein, textured vegetable protein, and, of course, wheat.

The rule of thumb is that the more highly processed a food is, the more likely it is that these ingredients will show up on the labels.

Gluten is often present in:
• Bagels
• Beer
• Bread and bread rolls
• Cake
• Cookies
• Couscous
• Crackers
• Deli meats (which are heavily processed)
• Flour, including wheat, spelt, semolina, and rye
• Muffins
• Noodles
• Pancakes
• Pasta
• Pizza Sauces (often thickened with flour)

There are gluten-free versions of these products available made from beans, rice, corn, nuts, soy, and potatoes. These are the foods you’ll want to choose when converting from an acidic to an alkaline diet.

Gluten is not a naturally occurring protein in the human body. In fact, some researchers call gluten protein a toxin.

How could something that we eat so much of be classified as a toxin? Some studies suggest that gluten damages the small intestine and allows food proteins to be released into the body, and the immune system then interprets these proteins as invasive and goes into high gear to defend itself.

In other words, you get an overblown immune response. This kind of immune response can possibly contribute to or mimic diseases like lupus, arthritis, and multiple sclerosis.
Problems with digesting gluten can also cause headaches, asthma, skin rashes and hives, weight gain and/or loss ,bloating, fatigue, and behavioral problems such as depression.
At the most harmful end of the spectrum is celiac disease. Commonly thought of as an allergy, it is actually an immune-system response to gluten.

Click here to get Gluten-Free Foods for your Celiac Disease Diet

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