The Vita Mix- An Overpriced Blender?

I knew about it for years.  Thought it was just an overpriced blender for those with money to spare.  A few weeks back one of my clients told me all the wonderful things she makes with it, that she’s had her Vita mix for 50 years and how it changed her life.

A week later a neighbor had purchased one at the Costco road sale. They came over bragging about all the wonderful things they had made.  I suddenly had to re-evaluate my stance.  Could this “blender” really do so much and actually change or enhance one’s life?

Fresh Nut Butters

Off to Costco I went to purchase my “blender.”  The first day I made peanut butter from just roasted peanuts and cashew butter from raw cashews and a little avocado oil.  The result?  The best nut butters I’ve ever tasted and in case you did not know peanut butter is my favorite food.  I’ve probably tasted every brand that was ever made in hopes of a better nut butter.  I finally found it.

Faux Ice-Cream

Next I made peach “ice-cream” or something that tasted pretty darn good.  Three peaches, 1 tablespoon of 100% cane sugar, 1 teaspoon of vanilla, 1 cup of milk and some ice.  Very refreshing and worth every bite.

Jeffrey has a smoothie every morning with some milk, yogurt, protein powder, fruit, ground flax seeds and ice.  A normal blender could handle that but the consistency of the smoothie is like velvet and hits the spot if you are on the run.

Gourmet Soup?

Do I sound like an infomercial yet?  One last thing.  This week we had a few different types of squash – delicata, butternut and acorn.  We roasted them in the oven and then scooped out the flesh into the Vitamix with small amounts of curry, sage and pepper, vegetable broth and a little milk.  After about 5 minutes what resulted was a thick creamy hot soup so delicious I was savoring every bite- better than any fine restaurant soup I’ve ever tasted.

An over-priced blender?  Maybe.  However, if can make gourmet soup, faux ice-cream, fresh nut butters without additives in the amounts I need them and a quick breakfast drink the investment over the long run and enjoyment it has provided is well worth the cost.  I’m hoping mine lasts the 50 years but even if it doesn’t I’m sold and enjoying the taste of real whole food more than ever!

Cancer and Carbohydrates?

Many years ago one of my clients brought me an article that discussed how carbohydrate intake is related to cancer.  This article peaked my interest and since that time I have followed research linking carbohydrates to incidence of cancer.

Research over the last few years has consistently linked high insulin levels to development of certain types of cancers and cancer reoccurrence.  A high glycemic carbohydrate diet can increase production of insulin, which in turn can increase cell growth of tumors in the body.  When insulin levels are high, tumor cells can get the food they need to divide and multiply.

What about pancreatic cancer?

A group of researchers examined the records of 89,000 women participating in the Nurses’ Health study in 2002.  They found that women of normal weight who ate large amounts of refined starches, such as white bread and potatoes, slightly increased their risk of pancreatic cancer. Women who were overweight, did not get a lot of exercise, and ate a lot of starchy foods were 2.5 times more likely to develop pancreatic cancer than if they ate other types of healthy carbohydrates.

One of the co-authors of the study, Charles S. Fuchs, discussed how replacing starchy foods that increase insulin levels with healthy carbohydrates from fruits and vegetables can improve your health by not only lowering risk of cancer, but diabetes and cardiovascular disease as well.

What does this study show us?  Although cancer does exist for multiple reasons one possible cause is consuming refined starchy carbs. Continually eating these types of foods makes the pancreas work harder to produce more insulin.  Besides increasing storage of fat, increased levels of insulin can stimulate tumors to grow.

Take home message?  Eat your carbohydrates from whole real foods – fruits, vegetables, nuts/seeds, and avocados.  If you eat starches, eat limited amounts and stick to brown or wild rice, quinoa, buckwheat and other truly whole grains. 

How Can I eat Healthy During Pregnancy?

Since we've been discussing the genetics of what happens in the womb, what are the guidelines for having a healthy pregnancy?

What you eat and how active you are determines your child’s future well-being.  Although specific recommendations may vary hitting these key foods will help set the tone for health.

Here is a checklist for healthy eating for fertility, pregnancy, or breast-feeding.

   Strive for balance in your diet:

• Protein - lean sources of beef, lamb, chicken, and fish; eggs, nuts/seeds, nut butters at each meal and snack
• Carbohydrates - fruits, vegetables, and unprocessed whole grains
• Fats – omega-3 rich and monounsaturated fats (avocados, nuts/seeds and olive oil) on a daily basis:
•        ALA – found in ground flax seed
•        DHA  -found in fish and fish oil
•        EPA – found in fish and fish oil

Eat or drink dairy - 3 to 4 servings of plain low fat yogurt, cottage/ricotta cheese, hard cheeses (grass-fed)

Consume fruits - 3 to 4 servings per day, including one citrus or vitamin-C rich fruit

Eat your vegetables - dark green leafy and orange/yellow/red daily

Choose real, whole foods - avoid processed and refined foods.  Choose fresh, unprocessed foods, and as much as possible, organic and non-genetically modified foods and animal products that are grass fed 

Avoid diet foods or foods with non-nutritive sweeteners 

Minimize caffeine and avoid alcohol