Monday, October 21, 2013

WHY YOU NEED ALPHA LIPOIC ACID (ALA)

Alpha Lipoic Acid has been, literally, a Godsend to me in getting my health back and freedom from pain, tingling and numbness. Back in 2011 when I decided it was time to take back my health, I prayed and talked to God pretty much 24/7 asking for Him to show me what I needed to do to get my health back. If you've read any of my blog posts then you know that He started revealing to me what foods to eat that would nourish my body and what "foods" to stay away from that were destroying my body. Well, during this time I also kept hearing "alpha lipoic acid" "alpha lipoic acid". I would hear it as I was driving down the road, as I was trying to go to sleep, it was the first thing that came into my mind as I awoke every morning. After a 2 or 3 weeks of this, I told my husband one day "I think God wants me to take Alpha Lipoic Acid". Kevin asked me what it was and I said "I don't know. I've never heard of it." So, I began to research alpha lipoic acid. And WOW! As I kept finding out more about this incredible antioxidant, I began to realize why God was telling me to take it. And right about now, some of you think I have lost my mind, but I know that others of you understand exactly what I'm talking about.

So, let me tell you about Alpha Lipoic Acid. It is a naturally occurring compound that's made in the body, but when you're system is out of whack, your body can not produce enough of it to help you. ALA is an antioxidant & is one of the most potent of all antioxidants because it is soluble in both water and fat. This unique ability to dissolve in both fat and water means that ALA has more "free range" to scrub your body for cell damaging free radicals. Here's just a few of the benefits of ALA:

*   Converts glucose to energy
*   Lowers blood sugar
*   Lowers blood pressure
*   Detoxes and protects the liver
*   REPAIRS DAMAGED NERVES

Europeans have been using ALA for years to provide relief from the pain, burning, tingling and numbness caused by neuropathy. Studies show that ALA aids in stopping or slowing the damage done by a variety of health conditions including HIV and liver disease.

Research also shows that ALA helps mend damage caused by strokes and even to help slow down the process of Alzheimer's.  It's ability to facilitate the regeneration of nerve cells has some very promising implications in brain and nerve trauma treatment.

ALA supports healthy skin as well. It keeps your skin young and resilient.

The American Cancer Society says that "ALA may inhibit genes that trigger cancer cells to grow and some recommend it as a component of an alternative anti-cancer regimen or as a complementary therapy to prevent or relieve some side effects of conventional cancer treatments. Researchers have begun to look at whether ALA can help prevent nerve damage from the use of chemotherapy drugs." 

ALA is found in red meats, organ meats, spinach and broccoli, but you would have to eat a ton of these foods every day to get what your body needs. So supplementation of ALA is crucial to stay healthy.

http://www.cancer.org/treatment/treatmentsandsideeffects/complementaryandalternativemedicine/pharmacologicalandbiologicaltreatment/lipoic-acid

http://www.webmd.com/diet/alpha-lipoic-acid-ala

ALA has helped me tremendously with the pain, numbness & tingling from neuropathy and carpal tunnel.

 Blessings to you all,
Lori 




Thursday, October 3, 2013

WHOLE GRAIN PINEAPPLE UPSIDE DOWN CAKE WITH COCONUT SUGAR

My husband's appetite is back! The last 4 years he has not had much of an appetite. He said nothing tasted good to him and of course, being on dialysis, he didn't feel real good most of the time. Before he got sick, he had a huge appetite. And he has always had an enormous sweet tooth. One of his favorite cakes is Pineapple Upside Down Cake. I used to make it with Bisquick and lots of brown sugar. So, since we have cut back on processed foods and are trying to eat more nutritiously, I decided to try to make a more nutritious Pineapple Upside Down Cake.

First step was NO Bisquick. Then had to replace the brown sugar for a more nutritious option. I've posted several recipes using coconut palm sugar. My family loves it! And it is a good feeling to know that I am feeding them a sweet treat that is actually nutritious and not going to harm them. Coconut sugar has a low glycemic index so it is safe for diabetics. It is high in several minerals including potassium, magnesium, iron and zinc. Here is a link to a couple of good articles on coconut sugar.  http://www.naturalnews.com/030120_coconut_sugar_sweetener.html

http://www.livestrong.com/article/280219-healing-benefits-of-coconut-palm-sugar/

WHOLE GRAIN PINEAPPLE UPSIDE DOWN CAKE

1/4 cup butter
1/2 cup organic coconut palm sugar
pinch of nutmeg
pinch of cinnamon
1 - 15 1/4 ounce can crushed or sliced pineapple, drained

BATTER
1/4 cup butter, softened
1 cup organic coconut palm sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
1 tsp pineapple juice (from the crushed pineapple)

1 cup organic oat flour
1/2 cup organic whole wheat pastry flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1/3 cup milk

1.   Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Place 1/4 cup butter in a 9 inch round baking pan; heat in oven until melted.  Remove pan from oven and tilt pan to coat bottom and sides with butter.

2.   Mix coconut sugar, nutmeg & cinnamon together and sprinkle onto bottom of buttered pan.

3.    Spread pineapple over sugar mixture.

4.   For batter - in a large bowl, beat butter and coconut sugar until blended.  Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.  Beat in vanilla and pineapple juice.

5.   In another bowl, whisk flours, baking powder and salt together. Add to creamed mixture alternately with milk.  I do it in thirds.

6.   Bake 25-30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.

7.   Cool 10 minutes before inverting onto a serving plate.

I put 4 maraschino cherries on the cake for Kevin. He loves them, but he doesn't get them very often anymore. Now that we know about HFCS and red dye! Scary!
I know I don't take good pictures. Sorry. You can tell it doesn't look like your traditional pineapple upside down cake which is yellow or white. We have to get past that idea that white food is pretty. Most white food is not healthy. Whole grains have color and texture.

Pineapple upside down cake













VARIATIONS:
You can replace one of the flours for white flour if you don't like the texture of whole grain flours. But, please, use organic unbleached white flour.  At least it isn't loaded with chemicals like regular flour.

I hope you enjoy it as much as my husband did!

Blessings to you all,

Lori