The following is an addition by Dr. Keri Topouzian.  For more information on Dr. Topouzian and his practice visit www.cfhll.com or just follow the link in the bottom right hand corner to our pharmacy, and you will find his web link there.

As a comedian once spinned: “Cheetahs, one of the sleekest and fastest animals on our planet, eat meat all day long and there’s not an ounce of fat on them. Elephants on the other hand, one of the largest animals on our planet, eat grass and leaves all day long… Folks, these salads are killing us!”   Which brings about a good point: most people eat way too much refined carbohydrates and not enough protein. I’m not talking about Adkins and putting your body into ketosis, but protein should be a part of every meal as well as snacks. Most patients that I interview have minimal amounts of protein for breakfast or lunch. Protein will kick start your metabolism in the morning. So don’t have a clue as what to eat??  Here are some ideas…

1. Eggs (free range, not grain fed)  2. Whey protein powder drink or whey protein bars 

3. Smoked Salmon (preferably Wild Alaskan)   

4. Fresh Wild Alaskan salmon 

5. Roasted Turkey cold cuts  6. Fresh Edamame in the pods 

7. Yogurt Plain (add your own fresh blueberries, ground flax seed or even coconut flour which is high in protein) 8. Sardines 

9. Tofu 

10. Nuts of all kinds

11. Seeds of all kinds 

12. And if you are in a pinch, Canadian bacon or turkey bacon Remember, if your great great grandmother was sititng next to you and she would not recognize what you were eating… Then you probably shouldn’t be eating it!    

This next recipe might sound a little bit off the wall, though it really is delicious.  We came across this recipe through the book The Rosedale Diet, by Dr. Ron Rosedale. 

This book is full of recipes and information for those looking to reset their metabolism through working against issues of insulin resistance and diabetes (see previous article.)

Not only does it take the non-fiber sugar content of potatoes out of the equation, it adds in cauliflower which has the wonder benefits of indole-3-carbinol (i3c) which is proven to help with estrogen metabolism and possibly cancer prevention.

Serves 4

1 head of cauliflower, leaves and stems removed, cut in to quarters

2 tablespoons of creme fraiche

1/2 stick, or 4 tablespoons, sweet butter

salt (preferably premier pink salt) and pepper to taste

1/2 cup almonds, finely ground in a blender

1/2 cup green onions, sliced thin

1. Preheat oven to 400 degress

2. Boil water in large pan.  Place cauliflower in the boiling water and cook until soft.

3. Remove the cauliflower from the water, drain, and place in a bowel.  Using a hand mixer, add creme fraiche, butter, salt, and pepper to the cauliflower.  Whip until the cauliflower is smooth, or has a consistency of mashed potatoes.

4. Drain the cauliflower mixture in a finely meshed strainer to remove excess water.  “if you dont have a strainer that is fine enough, strain the cauliflower through a non-bleached coffee filter.”

5. By hand, mix in the nuts and green onions.

6. Greese a ring mold with butter.  Add the cauliflower mixture. 

7. Bake for 6 to 10 minutes, until the cauliflower is golden brown on top.

Bon apetite.

Amy Kress

Swiss chard is one of the super foods rich in many nutrients, including antioxidants & indol-3-carbinol (I3C). This recipe was created so that you can eat it often with many meals. The simple dressing complements it very well. When the chard is fresh, it needs nothing else to be delicious and satisfying.Prep and Cook Time: 15 minutes

Amy Kress

Did you know that the United States is the second largest consumer of refined sugar, second only to Germany.  How often do you hear news stats on our obese society, and morbid metabolic issues such as diabetes and heart disease.

The biggest factor to the metabolic syndrome that we face as a society is insulin resistance.  Insulin resistance is the body’s inability to effectively manage blood sugar through the use of insulin.

One of the biggest factors is this over consumption of refined sugars.  Now, let us begin, refined sugar is not a food and it should not be consumed.  It is only a manufactured poison, a darling of the packaged food industry that is addictive, cheap to incorporate in to faux food products, basically killing our society for profit. 

What we want to address is the hidden sources of sugar that can promote the same dramatic effect on our health.  When you think of sugar, you tend to think of the “obvious suspects”- the table sugar you use in your coffee, candy, soda and deserts.  The reality is, if you eat most prepared food (snack foods, frozen TV dinners, canned soup, packaged cereals, bread, frozen waffles, crakers, tomato sauce, condiments such as ketchup and steak sauce) you are eating sugar.  Once you start reading food labels, you will be amazed to see that various forms of sugar (sucrose, corn syrup, high fructose corn syrup, fructose, dextrose, turbinado, maple sugar, etc.) are common ingredients in prepared food.  Organic, so-called “natural” sugar or honey is no better.  Some experts estimate that many people may unknowingly be eating between forty to sixty teaspoons of sugar a day in their food. 

What is of major concern is the high rate of consumption of high fructose corn syrup, or fructose, a cheap, very sweet sugar which is finding its way into more and more prepared foods and even nutritional food products (often by leading nutraceutical companies–READ THE LABELS!!)

Although fructose is low on the glycemic index (a misleading tool that rates the conversion to glucose) it can cause serious health problems.  The major problem is that it promotes the insulin resistance mentioned above and promotes FAT STORAGE!  It actually causes more damage inside your body than glucose, which is found in table sugar, though we are not recommending table sugar (combo of fructose and glucose)as an alternative.

Stay tuned for follow up articles on alternatives to sweeten up your life.

 In health,

 R-n-A