Soy - What??? - A Beginners' Guide To Healthy Oils

 It's Not Nice To Be Fooled With Soy Isolates!

I had a bit of a shocker recently. A learning curve thing. I try to eat right and use healthy, good ingredients. But here's the fine print: Some soy products may be really bad for you. 

I DIDN'T know that!!

And so now I am aghast at how many products -including ingredients in your vitamins-  slip in this potentially evil substance, in particular soy isolate. Even eviler, it can be disguised under a few technical, hard-to-identify, and harder-to-pronounce names as well.

There is a LOT of concern that these can cause cancers to grow, bad estrogens, etc. So just when I thought it was safe and smart to use Smart Balance, etc. ...

(*But on a note of relief: my understanding is that fermented soy (think soy sauce and clean Thai food!) is still healthy!!)

I have gone back and changed my recipes to reflect this new knowledge. (If I missed anything, please let me know. I am ALL about good information here.)

~~

On to Thinking Positive:

 

How I Came to Appreciate Beautiful Oils and Butter

Healthy Living IS An Adventure!

First of all, let me repeat, that, to the best of my knowledge, fermented soy is not a culprit -thank goodness there as I love my soy sauces-  and most -if not all- of the ones I like to use seem to be made with the right ingredients.  It's the soy elements, in products, that have been toyed with that are most suspicious. And we have been led to believe that soy in all its forms is good for us. Maybe not so much.

And, as I begin to explore my options, there are MANY!!

I found this article, a guide to oils, over at Whole Foods.  It talks about good and bad oils. It's worth a read.

Here's a quick bite from it:

For baking: Coconut, palm oil ave the best reputation.
For frying: Because they stand up well to the heat, avocado, palm and sesame oil are ideal for frying.
For sautéing: Many oils are great for sautéing, including avocado, coconut, grapeseed, olive, and sesame oils.
For dipping, dressings and marinades: When it comes to making dressings and marinades, or finding oil that's perfect to serve alongside crusty bread for dipping, you're looking for terrific flavor. For this purpose look to olive, toasted sesame or walnut oil.

To start with oils, I read the above and a few other articles and then I ran off to Whole Foods to purchase a few good-for-me oils. I was happy to find such a good selection.

I purchased two high heat oils:
Grapeseed oil (a very clean, light, all purpose cooking and baking and wok/sautéing oil)
and
Avocado oil (also for frying and sautéing) (and it is not bad as a skin care product either!). 

 Of course there is the mainstay of Extra Virgin Olive Oil as well, but it is best not cooked at high heats.  

My favorite new oil is a French walnut oil (amazing!!) for salads and delicate recipes -it is best unheated. It's very delicate and oh sooo good for you.  

Soon, I plan to experiment with Almond oil and Truffle oils.

I love that many of these gourmet specialty oils can be purchased fairly inexpensively in smaller containers. And extra nice to find out, so far the sunflower, avocado, and walnut oils, that I am keeping in my refrigerator, do NOT solidify in the refrigerator like olive oil does. That's a convenient benefit.

As far as table spreads or more buttery blends to sauté with, I have also changed my ways there too.  I loved the taste of my old Smart Balance and Original Recipe Earth Balance.  Soy, I discovered, was amongst, if not their first ingredient!! They are now all in the past. And also, out went the Omega 3 Smart Balance Oil I had been using!

Earth Balance does have a soy free spread and I am cautiously trying that out. It's very clean tasting and not bad for everyday use. But now I am suspicious of foods with too many "ingredients" and being more careful. And I have returned to pure butter. I like mine unsalted or lightly salted, made from grass fed (not soy fed) cows milk.  With butter, you just need to use less and it does go further. So much for the myth that margarine with its fewer calories and omega 3's can be a healthy choice with benefits.

I also threw out my mayonnaise and I am soon to experiment with true French mayonnaise.

Along the road to healthy eating, one might just discover the wonders of better tasting food too!

Lucky for us, good groceries and good food producers care and thus (like my husband was about to do) we don't have to all go out and buy our own oil presses - although I did read up on that and it sounded kind of fun!


Bon Appétit!


-bbffair

6/10/2017  Notes:
I have updated my oils list. 
Some oils that I found iffy, or without enough information over time, I have deleted from my original list above. 
At this time, Grapeseed oil is my go-to oil for cooking. It is very light and clean and can sustain high heats and is perfect for high heat Thai. 
I continue to enjoy the soy-free Earth Balance spread and or pure unsalted butter.
And my go-to salad (no or low-low heat) oil is still a high quality Extra Virgin Olive Oil.

The Joy of Going Nuts: Pine Nuts and Other Great Nuts

The Joy of Going Nuts

One of the joys of weekly food shopping over the last year for me has become my visit to the bulk bins at Whole Foods.

In the past, I used to buy a package of nuts -for me, most often, this would be walnuts that I used to use more of and so could justify buying a whole package at a time- but now that I have discovered the bulk bins at Whole Foods, I am free to experiment!

Nuts are healthful, nutritious, great add-ins, and a handy way to go vegetarian for a meal or a day without hunger, weakness, or deprivation.  That's all helpful. But, let's face it: they are also Yumm!

Anyway, at Whole Foods, I can now buy a sample of this or a handful or a week's worth of a bunch of different nuts and dried fruits, etc. so I've grown my nut-palate and become more familiar with what used to be exotic rare excursions into eating and using nuts.

<p><a href="http://www.freedigitalphotos.net">Image: FreeDigitalPhotos.net</a></p> 


Here is one of my favs:

The Pine Nut

It's not really a nut. It's a seed in a pine cone! Who would have thought those squirrels and even my dogs -the famous sheepdogs: Darla and Fisher- would be so smart. In the past, I've had them primarily in pesto dishes. But now, they color my salads, soups, vegetable dishes, my eggplant, chicken, and fish, and I even eat them raw all by themselves. They are lovely and delicate and guess what else, they are amazing nutrition-wise.

They are 58 calories in a TBSP but curb your appetite so they help with weight loss, they aid cardiovascular support, are high in iron, anti-oxidants -i.e. anti-aging, contain lutein, an antioxidant that is crucial to the prevention of eye diseases such as macular degeneration and cataracts and vitamin A in the form of beta carotene, another important eye vitamin, and containing protein and magnesium, they aid in energy boosting. That's a LOT of umphhhffff  for something with such a good Yumm factor.



A few of my other favs include:

Brazil Nuts

"A handful of Brazil nuts a day can reduce the risk of eight types of cancer by up to 76 per cent, scientists said yesterday. They are packed with the mineral selenium, which can help prevent cancer of the liver, lung, stomach, prostate, pancreas, brain, kidney and oesophagus by blocking the formation of tumours."    -How Brazil Nuts Can Beat Cancer  by Tim Utton and Robin Yapp

Also:   Brazil Nuts Hold Cancer Hope

Cashews

Okay, Just Yumm.  We know these are good for us. We eat them in Chinese and Thai chicken, for goodness sakes. They are best eaten you know, umm, naturally, and are still full of flavor. But here is a perfectly important point: At Whole Foods, you can buy the Thai salted, roasted cashews and they won't make it home, they are soooo delicious. But you can buy a handful and be gloriously done with it and leave the rest in the bin behind you. Ahh yes, a moment of zen.

Almonds

Edgar Cayce said 2 almonds a day warded off cancer / http://www.healingcancernaturally.com/cayce-almonds-health-readings.html

Dried Michigan Cherries

Here is my plug for the best of the best cherries from my own home state of Michigan. I dare you to compare!


*A word of caution and forewarning though: like all things, take your nuts in moderation. Don't overdo it. Some are fattier than others and for some people, they may be hard to digest in large amounts too, so use your good common sense!

And, with this, I ask you to journey to your own Whole Foods or other natural food bulk food bin aisle and do what you must: taste and experiment and let your senses have at it!

-bbffair

Healing Light

Today I finished my radiation treatments. I never thought I would make it. Every single day it was like that for me.

I cannot thank enough the amazing staff at the Radiation Department of University of Michigan Hospital that worked every day to get me through, who were so very very kind and gentle with me. This was one of the hardest things I have ever had to do.

Here is to healing light that it may touch all of us when and where we need it the most.

-bbffair

Breast Cancer Hurts

Breast Cancer Hurts

 I have had 11 radiation treatments out of a prescribed 30 treatment schedule so far that I began on October 27th.

After 6 treatments, I felt I could not go on. But my medical team convinced me to continue. This is a hard, hard road to travel, a day-by-day one.

This past October was Breast Cancer Awareness month and wow, I have never been so aware of it.

I cannot stress enough how much we need our health and good living and even then, this miserable disease can strike.

First the fear. Then the shock. Then the surgery.  The pain of surgery and the relief of getting the disease out of you in time. They got it all. They got clear margins. The surgery included taking two lymph nodes to see if it had traveled. Both were clean. Another blessing. But sooner or later you have to look in the mirror and face the shock and loss that comes with missing a part of yourself. I had a lumpectomy, but anyway you slice it, it is a partial masectomy and they take more than a lump. And then there is the too long recovery, the pain, the medicated days, the weakness. I spent long weeks sleeping and sitting on the couch reading.

When my strength came back, I was overjoyed. It feels so good, so delicious to jump, to stretch, to feel my vitality again. I have never been a fan of bras, but for now I have to do my aerobics in a sports bra to keep things from hurting, but I'm jumping and dancing again. I'm fairly small on top so with clothes on, even just a sports bra, you'd never know I'd had the surgery. Even naked, it's not too bad anymore, not as drastic as it seemed (like a deflated tire) right after surgery and more like a bite out of my missing lower breast. I try to love it even more these days. It saved my life by presenting the lump early. And after radiation, if it still needs a nip and tuck using some part of my body fat or muscle, these hero docs know how to put you back together.

I love my hero docs. My breast surgeon is the handsomest guy with a big smile and kind eyes and he oozes confidence. It's very helpful to have doctor heroes, especially very handsome ones too. I call mine my Dudley Do Right. He has that kind of Dudley Do Right great hair. And all I ever wanted him to say to me was: "I'll save you, Nell!"

I got a go free from the chemo experience. They have these impressive, expensive tests called Oncotype DX where they send a part of your lump to California and they analyze 21 genes in it that can help predict whether or not you should have it. These tests save lots of women (like me)  from having to undergo such a huge and invasive treatment. Yeah!

But with a lumpectomy, radiation is part of the treatment. I was trying to look at it like intense sunlight therapy.

I'm still trying to be as positive as I can. But this is hard and absolutely shocking to my system. It drains you and can be painful and make you feel so sick and is a very intense thing to go through.

I had no idea it was going to be this hard.

Today is my 12th treatment.

One day at a time.

-bbffair


< http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Breast_Cancer_Awareness_Month.png >

Eat Your Broccoli!

EAT YOUR BROCCOLI!

Fresh vegetables are *GOOD* for you!

Lucky for me that I love my veggies.

It also seems that broccoli is making news as a cancer fighter.


Yeah!!! Go broccoli!

So, for me, having had breast cancer, I am now even more passionate about eating things to help my body get and stay healthy! So, along with my steamed veggies and healthy protein, I am definitely adding in eating raw as well.

This afternoon, I made a huge tray of raw fresh broccoli, white button mushrooms, parsley, tomatoes, and carrots. I even used ample dip. I ate all I wanted (about half the whole platter) and couldn't finish what was in front of me. Afterwards, for my protein, I finished with about 1/2 ounce of walnut halves mixed with about 1/8 cup of dried Michigan cherries.

My total calorie count was 330.

My nutrition count was 100%, tasty, filling, balanced, cancer-fighting, whole food.

Bon Appétit!

-bbffair

{Broccoli, photograph courtesy of freedigitalphotos.net <p><a href="http://www.freedigitalphotos.net">Image: FreeDigitalPhotos.net</a></p>}

Respecting Your Health Through Challenges

 

 Changes I have made for Health

 As I have previously posted, I was diagnosed with breast cancer and the last three months have been a challenging time for me. I've had surgery that removed my tumor, and two lymph nodes, both clean, Thank God.

I am still recovering from the surgery, a lumpectomy and sentinel node biopsy, that has left me without much distortion, but with much nerve upset in my nipple, which is hopefully temporary, but upsetting, and much fatigue. As well, I am preparing for a round of radiation to the area, which, I'm told, will increase my fatigue for awhile both during the treatments and in the months following.

I still feel very grateful as I move forward. But this is no cake walk. 

I have also been thinking hard about how much of the traditional medicine in front of me seems to keep pointing, not just at the irradiating of the cancer, but also at poisoning the body enough so that the cancer never ever returns. The cure is hard. The preventative measures very difficult to grasp.

I still don't know if I can take a drug that is basically a chemotherapy pill for five years. That's a decision I don't have to make just yet, but one I am wrestling with.

In the meantime, what I am focusing on, right now, is what changes I can implement in my nutrition and exercise that are not extreme or desperate, but sensible, sustainable, and doable.

I have started buying only hormone-free and antibiotic-free milk –it tastes great!–  and chicken and beef. I am mostly eating a plant based diet with my protein coming mainly from fish first, chicken second, and only very occasionally beef. I am staying far away from fats. No, not entirely, but reasonably. I still like the Earth Balance spread. And, I realize that alcohol, even though I really just like very nice wines, is a very possible culprit in creating bad estrogen. It's out for now except maybe for a rare indulgence.

I am busy exploring how I can beef up my immune and energetic systems, rebuilding my health stronger and better. I plan to meet with a professional nutritionist. I'll be blogging about that more in the future.

And I am humbled by how tired surgery and healing have left me and learning to take littler, but very effective smaller steps. Right now, 3 mile walks exhaust me, 30 minutes of jumping is too much for my sore breast, and I've had to back down. I thought I could get right back and up to speed, but I have definitely been slowed down. However, the good and inspiring news is this:

LITTLE STEPS CAN GO A LONG WAY!

I can walk a half mile to a mile 2-3 times a week and build on that as I get my energy back.

I can do the standing (10 minutes) portion of the Original Callantics one day and the floor portion (10 minutes) the next day.

I can put on a breast binder or sports bra and gently dance-jog in my living room on a spring floor for 12-20 minutes (Remember my 12 minutes post!!  See it here! ) three times a week to start and keep checking in with myself to make sure that it's not too much and only keep it up or add to it respecting my body deeply, that it is telling me how far is far enough and when it is ready for more.

I can eat delicious and healthy food (like I have been and like I talk about on this blog) with the above changes (i.e. less meat, no hormones or antibiotics in food, etc.) but not quite as much as when I was exercising more vigorously. I'm eating closer to 1300 calories a day. It's actually not a hard adjustment as I need less. For example, instead of two eggs, I eat one egg. I plan to also have future blog posts about some of these even lighter meals as they still contain the good nutrition and vitamins and flavor (!!)  that I like and need and that provides healthy, balanced, and balancing (very important!) meals, but they are trimmed down a bit more.

And for really good news, even while going through all this doctor-business,  and even while I am still in the process of needing to regain my strength and stamina, I continue to be on a path of health with healthy results!

-bbffair  

 

 <Green Bulb -above- by Digitalart, courtesy of http://www.freedigitalphotos.net>

 

Easter Heart - Renewed Life - Joy

 My Dear and Wonderful Friends and Fellows on the Path of Light,

I had my surgery this morning. I am home. Everything went just great. My relief is immeasurable.

The lump was removed and they went back again for an edge of an area that had not quite enough of a clear margin and got it.

Isn't it so cool that they can tell right then and there how to get the cancer and the clear margin.

The nuclear medicine and photos showed very clearly where my closest nodes were and in the right place. They only took 2 lymph nodes. We still have to wait five days for pathology on those, but my hero doctor told my husband that they look normal and very good.

My pre-surgery panic, anxiety, depression, and fear is all but completely gone as I feel such relief.

I am so grateful that I have the University of Michigan Cancer Center around and supporting me.

If all I have to do is radiation therapy and drug therapy, I can handle that. Maybe even with joy. The joy of my life!

I feel my life unfolding before me like a new road, a healthy, loving, good, and long one.

Your connections to me and mine to you are extraordinary and beautiful and filled with light and profound gratitude. 

I love and appreciate you all.

With love and health,

Bobbi

-bbffair

*Update: The pathology report came in yesterday afternoon. My nodes are clean. I am cancer free! Yeah! Yeah! Like I said, I will be the best radiation patient they ever had.

 

Light Warrior in Need of Angels

I am, we all are, I believe, this beautiful mix of light-filled souls and vulnerable humans.

A few weeks ago, I was contemplating how a human can get out of alignment with their light. I was thinking then, about why we get separated from our vitality and health and right weight, but I was also thinking about the deeper implications.

And now, since I seem destined for the skinny cancer diet, suddenly I am seeing it more poignantly. It is not just about getting that sweet, sexy shape going on and feeling beautiful on the outside. It is that. I mean we want that too. But it is also about shining your light everywhere and stretching out in it, beautiful and alive in every cell and in one's way of connecting and interacting with their light and their life force.  And, suddenly losing too much weight is what frightens me.

So I am doing some extra deep soul-searching. I have been given so many gifts in this life: people who I love deeply who love me just as I am, art, writing, joie de vivre, a dancing fool path, humor, a sense of fun and adventure, a clean safe world, a perfectly wonderful body, a deep sense of caring about humanity, a place in the world to live where people try hard to be kind to one another, and so much more.

And I have had some issues, some sorrows, some areas of cocooning too. And if they are appearing in my breast, I wish to shine more light now. I have no where left to hide. This is so much more important than just getting fit and healthy. This is turning me inside-out and revealing me where I thought it was safe to take some "stuff" and hide it. I guess not.

I suppose if you have angels, that they see everything and they love the everything in you. The extra sweet you had ain't so bad if you loved yourself thoroughly enjoying it. But perhaps the things you hurt yourself with might also be plain holding onto sadness instead of letting it wash through you.

I'm ready to let my stuff wash through me and let my angels have at me.

-bbffair

Breast Cancer

This is a heart painting that I have made called "Three Hearts." It's about joining hearts. I turned it into a print and a project I call "1000 Hearts"  to share with dear friends and also to help support children's causes.*

Dear Friends,

This is why you haven't heard from me in awhile.

I don't want to mess with you. I don't think I have done anything really wrong. But I have a lump and I am and have been scared to hell, which is why I stopped posting for a while.

I'll get back to you after I learn more. I have just learned that I have invasive ductal carcinoma. (I wish I could cross that out too.)


Now for the really hard news:  It is treatable but I need immediate surgery. And, in this economy where our income has (temporarily we have hoped but still not beyond the tight part) gone down by 75%,  we made a tough decision that was based on the fact that we just couldn't afford our ever-rising health insurance premiums.  I was so healthy and I was doing so much right about that, so when we couldn't afford health insurance anymore (for a while, we thought, on a calculated low risk), we went on the "don't get sick" health plan.

So now, my husband and I are scrambling.

Prayers and good wishes are sooooooo appreciated.

I wish every woman–and man– great health.

Love,

bbffair

*(If you would like more information on how to become part of my "1000 Hearts Project" and to purchase a modestly priced signed and numbered of my "Three Hearts" print, shown above, and to help support children's causes, your own preferred ones or one of mine, please email me at bbffari@aol.com.)