Blog Archives - Fairy's Red Color Diet

Fairy's Red Color Diet

Gluten Free Crispy Cornmeal-Encrusted Catfish With Black Bean Salsa

10/31/2014

        My favorite meal at my favorite restaurant is the fried catfish-shrimp platter. When I came across this recipe from " Gluten Free Everyday Cookbook." by Robert M Landolphi I thought not only of The Cypress Inn Catfish but of my son's catching catfish. Yesterday I had catfish thawed out but was just too tired from gardening to cook this recipe up. My son asked when it'd be ready and when I told him I was too tired he decided to do it himself. I talked him through it from the couch and it was a close second to the Cypress Inn, but lets face it those meals are usually celebration meals of some sort. We didn't make up the black bean salsa but I'm including that part as well.

    ingredients for salsa:
    1(15 ounce) can black beans, rinse & drained
    2 cups frozen corn kernels
    2 tomatoes. chopped
    1 small red onion, chopped
    4 small green onions, chopped( including green parts)
    1/2 cup minced fresh cilantro
    1 small Serrano or jalapeno chile, minced( optional)
    3 tablespoons freshly squeezed lime juice
    2 teaspoons balsamic vinegar
    1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
For the salsa: In a bowl, combine the beans, corn, tomatoes, onion, chile, lime juice, vinegar, salt, and pepper and stir to blend. Cover and refrigerate for 3 to 4 hours.
     ingredients for catfish fry:
    3 pounds boneless, skinless catfish fillets
    1 large egg
    1/2 cup buttermilk
    1/4 cup cornstarch
    1/4 cup plus 1/3 cup tapioca flour
    1/2 cup gluten free cornmeal
    1/2 teaspoon baking soda
    1/2 teaspoon baking powder
     2 tablespoons Old bay seasoning ( I used Chef Paul's seafood seasoning instead)
     Canola Oil, for panfrying
     Salt for seasoning.

   Pat the fillets dry with paper towels and set aside. In small bowl, mix together the egg and buttermilk. In a shallow bowl, mix together the cornstarch, the 1/2 cup tapioca flour, the cornmeal, baking soda, baking powder, and seasoning.
   In a large sauté pan, heat 1/2 inch of canola oil over medium high heat. Put the 1/3 cup tapioca flour in a shallow bowl and dredge both sides of the fish in the flour. Dip the floured fish into the egg mixture, and then into the cornmeal mixture.
   Panfry the fish until golden brown, about 2 minutes on each side. Salt as wish and serve with the salsa. Enjoy!

Pecan Muffins Sweetened With Stevia And Honey

10/29/2014

      I thought of this quote as I strove to make "Perfect " pecan muffins. But in the process I saw the innate perfection in learning to take a recipe and make it mine, The original recipe was called Date Pecan Muffins and is in Elana Amsterdam's " The Gluten Free Almond Flour Cookbook." Many of the recipes here are from this book. A really great Cookbook by the way. But today as I substituted out 2 ingredients, left out one, changed the temperature and time and added in another ingredient and added extra pecans I wondered if I should even call it Elana's recipe. Then when I went to write the title I knew I couldn't call it what she did because I left out the dates! If you want Date Pecan Muffins go ahead and try hers I'm sure they are fine. But I didn't really cook hers in the long run.
       I've discovered disturbing information about both grapeseed oil and agave nectar and won't use them. While I liked both the Almond and Flaxseed Muffins and Cinnamon Apple Muffins I made during my 45 days, I really wished they had been sweeter, hence my adding Stevia. Also I wanted them to be moister so I added applesauce. Also I think my apples were too small. I didn't use her dates because I don't like dates. They turned out absolutely delicious!! It was tough to stop at one , but I did.


       Pecan Muffins:

3 cups blanched almond flour
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
  1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
  1/4 cup oil ( I used canola)
  2 tablespoons raw, unfiltered honey
1/2 teaspoon pure Stevia powder
   2 large eggs
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
  2 medium apples, peeled, cored and sliced
1( 6ounce bag of pecan bits) Or A bag that says 1&1/2 cups on the label)
A jar of applesauce to add to dough if too stiff- I added 4 tablespoons before the batter "felt" right-not pourable-but stir able.

      Preheat the oven to 325 degrees and bring ingredients to room temperature.
     In a large bowl, combine the almond flour, salt, baking soda, and nutmeg. In a blender, combine the oil, stevia, honey, eggs, vanilla extract, and apples. processes on high until smooth. Stir the wet ingredients into the almond flour mixture until thoroughly combined,( this is where I added 3 tablespoons applesauce) ( my apples may have been too small) and then fold in the pecans. Spoon the batter into 12 paper lined muffin cups.
     Bake for 30-35 minutes, until the tops are golden brown and a toothpick inserted into the center of a muffin comes out clean.
                                            Enjoy!

100 Days of Weight Loss Book Review

10/27/2014

        Today I pulled up a "quote" from this book. The only quote I kept from it. Three simple words: "Boundaries, not diet." I thought of this because on yesterdays post I said I'm 98% Gluten free and later that day I was looking for the Glycemic Index of Gluten free pasta only to find That it is 55 ( which is the highest # to be considered low) and that organic whole wheat from the same company has a glycemic load of 44. That made me think of how Linda Spangle wrote about how diets tend to be all or nothing ( The Red Color Diet certainly is). That when dieters are very strict sometimes if they slip up and eat a delicious (but forbidden) food, you figure you've blown it and might as well eat more and then before you know it you've thrown the whole thing out the window.
       She suggest setting guidelines, not rules. I feel that what I wrote yesterday are my guidelines. Then when I discover new information ( such as what a GI is, that an oil I thought was good, isn't ect.) I can adjust my boundaries to be healthy and still loose my weight. At this point I believe that watching my GI load is the way to accomplish the loss, On Nov. 9th ( my next weigh in day ) I'll find out if that is true.
      As for Linda Spangles book- I highly recommend it. The last time I lost 72 pounds (over 6 months time) I used this book 1 day at a time for 100 days and that really helped me stay on my diet. Unfortunately 3 months later I forgot this very first thing she talked about, severely limited my calories and included sugar in those calories.
      The book gives a new assignment each day to do. At the time I was following it with an online support group, in fact that is how I found out about it. I also signed up for her 100 days of Weight loss challenge at ( www.100DaysChallenge.com) I recommend this for after you've done the Red Color Diet and want to continue to Loose. Or maybe browse through the daily titles and see what might apply to you during your 45 days.
       Remember she is talking about the long haul here. The Red Color diet is a finite limited amount of days and might not work if not followed exactly. here are a few day titles from "!00 Days of Weight Loss":
        Interested or Committed
        Protect Your Program ( this is why I didn't open my comments section until after 45 days)
       Fuel or Filler
       Retrain Old habits
       Savoring
       Eat Dessert when it's special ( that is why I have a cash of sugar free wheat free dessert recipes on hand)
       The five hour rule
       If Not Food, then what?
       Head Hunger
       Instant tools for triggers
       Ditch the critic
       Let it Go
       This is how I live

Ginger Fairy's "After The Red Color Diet" Weight Loss Journey

10/25/2014

        So that was fun. I will always fondly remember my 45 days of Linda Goodman's Red Color Diet. Twenty Four Pounds down. A really great start. But no where near the finish line I need to reach in order to act on my personal big dreams. I'm still obese, but so grateful to have found a healthy way of eating that will get me to my healthy in weight.
      To me the greatest gift of my "rainbow miracle" was being able to kick the sugar out of my life. I believe the Red Color Diet helped me because of it's 45.54 or 63 day length with no sugar or sugar substitutions except for honey and no refined white flour products.
      I chose to go gluten free as well, because it was the easiest way for me to know that there was no refined white wheat flour in a product. If you read my "Linda Goodman's Red Color Diet section you will know how her program affected me as I lived it.
     I now choose to eat mindfully. There are several books helping me with that. I'll review them when I finish.
     To loose the rest of the weight I need to loose to reach my dream I'm following these nine steps:
     1. No sugar in any of it's forms except for no more than 5 teaspoons of honey a day and Stevia powder with FOS or Stevia liquid drops.
     2. I am now 98-99% Gluten Free. I do not have Celiac Disease so I'm not a purest here-I don't worry about cross contamination or if gluten is in some product I'd never dream it would be.
     3. I only have low fat red meat once a week.
     4.No artificial substitutes other than Pure Stevia
     5. I keep track of my Glycemic Load ( another blog, another day)
     6. I only use Olive Oils with stove top cooking and either canola or safflower oil baking. The jury is out for me on which is healthier.
     7. I try to balance my omega 6's with omega 3's.
     8. I try to keep my ph balanced. ( another future blog subject)
     9. I eat a high protein, high complex carb Breakfast ever day. Mom was right, Breakfast is the most important meal of the day. She just fed us the wrong stuff at that meal.
   That is the way I plan on eating joyfully for the rest of my life. To help me be able to achieve this I pray daily, meditate daily, give thanks at meals, be mindful of what I'm eating and if I'm physically hungry. First thing in the morning and last thing at night I tell God I love Him and what I am grateful for.
    I use a feelings "script" for old baggage and tapping for cravings. I use self Reiki and Quantum Touch and affirmations. ( you are welcome to copy any from my site you want to.)
    Every day I either garden, do chair yoga, chair Tai Chi or chair exercises for seniors.
    I stay in contact with people, I no longer isolate. I live in the now the best I can and search for ways to give of myself to others. It helps to help. I hope this of help to you and I'm here if you need me. Namaste.

63 Year Old Lady Loses 24 Pounds in 45 Days On The Red Color Diet.

10/24/2014

          I am so happy to be where I am right now. I am happy to begin the rest of my life today. I start this beginning with a 24 pound loss having used The Red Color Diet from Linda Goodman's " Star Signs. Thank you Linda from the bottom of my heart. This 63 year old grey haired, Fairy loving Grandmother had accepted where I was. ! had been recommended reading Linda Goodman's books by a wonderful friend that loves Linda, is an astrologist as well and knew that I would totally "get" Linda. She was right.
     I bought this "Star Signs" book thinking it was about astrology. Well, talk about not judging a book by it's cover!! Not much astrology in this long book, but a hodge podge of fascinating information from Linda Goodman's fascinating mind. My favorite part was about numerology. I love the # 9. I always have and it played a part in the way I followed, even chose to do The Red Color Diet. So here I am reading about names, numerology, wishing I could visit where Linda Goodman lived in Colorado, when I come across her color diet.
        I talked about this in my first post, but because today is the first day I am opening up my comments I'll repeat some of it. I had no intention to try losing weight again. I had just been on the merry go round too long and have not been able to maintain anything I do lose. I felt physically horrible, knew I needed to lose for my health, but just could not give up every thing I love to eat ( read sugar & wheat here) for the rest of my life.
       When I read that you choose to go on this diet for 45, 54, or 63 days I thought to myself-well maybe I can do this for 45 days. If you cheat in any way you have to start over, so that kept me on tract. I chose 45 days because that fit in the time frame to be through by the holidays. Guess What? Now I don't even want Halloween candy, a sweet Thanksgiving dinner or pig out Christmas!! I no longer crave sweets or anything else for that matter!!
        If you want to find out how I did this go back to my first post in August'14 " Success Allowed" and follow my journey. From there to here are about 23 post. Today is a new beginning for me. I have more weight to loose to get to a healthy point for me and even then I need to go on living a healthier lifestyle. My whole way of eating has changed, my whole attitude about food has changed . I'll be off eating only red, gold, yellow, orange and white foods exclusively. But I'll also be off sugar as well. Tomorrow I'll tell you my intentions for my new lifestyle to enable me to shed the extra pounds that remain. Today I'm headed to the park with my Doxie, Penny and my son. Have a joyful day!

Buttermilk Pancakes Sugar and Gluten Free

10/23/2014

         Remember just lazing and playing in the grass? I do. I want the same for my Penny and my grandkids. So I spent 5 hours yesterday starting to take out flower beds to prepare for grass in the spring. I was so tired when I came in and starving. I decided to treat myself by taking the time and trouble to make these sugar free, gluten free homemade buttermilk pancakes for supper. This is new for me. Seeing cooking in a healthy way, taking extra time and effort just for my self. In the past I would have just grabbed the quickest thing I could. I now see learning new recipes as pampering myself.

      This is a review of a recipe from America's Test Kitchen's " The How Can It Be Gluten Free Cookbook?." Both my husband and I liked them. He couldn't believe they weren't "the real thing." He usually makes a face if I even mention Sugar free, wheat free. I like these better than the last pancake recipe I posted.


Buttermilk Pancakes:
   Be sure to bring ingredients to room temperature whenever baking.

   You start with ATK (American Test Kitchen's) Gluten-Free Flour Blend. You can use this in all their recipes and other gluten free recipes requiring flour mix. They give ounces and cups, I used cups and have decided to get a food scale for future baking. I had trouble measuring with cups-getting it even-so I ended up adding fluid when the batter was too thick. (mind you all gluten free batter is thicker but this really was even more so. The Gluten Free Girl blog also recommends weighing.:

         Flour Mix: 24 ounces ( 4&1/2 cups plus 1/3 cup white rice flour. ( ATK also found Bob Red Mill Flours best for baking)
        7&1/2 ounces (! & 2/3 cups} brown rice flour
        7 ounces (1&1/3 potato starch
        3 ounces ( 3/4 cup) tapioca starch
        3/4 ounce (3 tablespoons) nonfat milk powder.
Wisk together in a large bowl until well combined. Transfer to airtight container and refrigerate for up to 3 months

   The Pancakes :
        10&1/2 ounces (2&1/4 cups) ATK Gluten Free Flour Blend
         1 teaspoon baking powder
         1/2 teaspoon baking soda
         1&3/4 cups buttermilk
         2 large eggs, separated
         4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and cooled
         2 tablespoons sugar( I substituted 1/2 teaspoon of Earth Sweet Stevia with FOS-Amazon)
        1-2 teaspoons vegetable oil ( I used Safflower)
    1. Whisk flour blend, salt, baking powder, and baking soda together in large bowl. In separate bowl, whisk buttermilk, egg yolks, and melted butter until combined.
    2. Using stand mixer with whisk, whip egg whites on medium-low speed until foamy, about 1 minute. Increase speed to medium-high and whip whites to soft, billowy mounds, about 1 minute. Gradually add sugar (Stevia) and whip until glossy, stiff peaks form, 2-3 minutes.
    3. Whisk buttermilk mixture into flour mixture until batter has thickened and no lumps remain, about 1 minute. Gently fold in whipped egg whites until just combined and few streaks remain.
   4. Heat 1 teaspoon oil in 12 inch nonstick skillet over medium heat until shimmering for 3-5 minutes. Using paper towels wipe out oil. leaving a thin film of oil on bottom and sides of pan. Using 1/4 cup batter per pancake, portion batter into skillet and cook until bottoms of pancakes are brown and top surfaces start to bubble,2-3 minutes. Flip pancakes and cook until second side has browned, 1-2 minutes longer. Serve and enjoy!

Thich Nhat Hanh's Meal Blessings

10/20/2014

        I came across this five part meal blessing from Thich Nhat Hanh today.
He recites it throughout his meals. All I can say is WOW! I'm starting this with my lunch today. I think it would be hard to pig out and say this at the same time. So while this is not part of Linda's Red Color Diet it is now part of Fairy's Red Color Diet. It goes as follows:

1. As Food is served:
      " I see clearly the presence of the entire universe supporting my existence."
  2, While looking at a full plate of food:
      " All living beings are struggling for life. May they all have enough food to eat today."
   3. Just before eating:
      " The plate is filled with food. I am aware that each morsel is the fruit of much hard work by those who produced it."
   4. While taking the first 4 mouthfuls of food:
     With first taste: " I promise to practice loving kindness."
     With the 2nd : " I promise to relieve the suffering of others."
     With the 3rd:    " I promise to see other's joy as my own."
     With the 4th:     " I promise to learn the way of nonattachment & equanimity."
    5. Upon finishing the meal:   " My plate is empty. My hunger is satisfied. I vow to live for the benefit of all beings."

Almond and Flaxseed Muffins Sugar and Gluten Free

10/17/2014

         In the right bottom corner of the above picture is my Sandy. In her final years this old lady taught me so much about compassion. Caring for an elderly dog takes applying the power of compassion and love. I was blessed to be able to do so. I'll see you at the Rainbow Bridge Sandy.
     This morning I decided to make Donatella Giordano's almond and flaxseed muffins. I was already hungry, but wanted to try the muffins so that I'd have some for quick access from the freezer. As I had problems with my new (& only) mixer, forgot to 1st bring ingredients to room temperature and had to wait. I took a few minutes for that compassion it took to not beat myself up. Then I made the muffins.
      This is a review of Ms Giordano's recipe from her book. "Almond Flour." Once again, because of the no sugar of any kind rule in the red color diet I substituted 1/2 cup honey for the raw palm sugar. Also the jury is still out on whether or not it is any healthier for you. If you read my article on cooking with honey you will know why I lowered the heat to 325 instead of 350. While I also substituted the coconut oil out myself because I'm allergic to eat I'm leaving that in for you. There is more to do with this recipe than the apple ones I made. But worth it. Folding in the egg whites made such a difference in the texture and in the rise of these muffins. They just looked pretty! I liked them fine, but will be adding those walnuts next week ( when my 45 days are over) for crunch. I also added a pinch of stevia. I've decided that Linda would approve of stevia-it flat out is a leaf you can grown and powder yourself. 100% natural.GI is Zero! I'll leave that up to you.
                                       Almond and Flaxseed Muffins

        1 cup of flaxseed
        1 cup of almond flour
        1 tbsp. of baking flour
        1/2 tsp salt
        1tsp nutmeg
        1tsp cinnamon
         1/2 cup honey ( or after the diet 1/2 cup raw palm sugar)
         1/2 cup of coconut oil, melted
         4 eggs, yolks and whites separated
         1/2 cup water ( Because of the honey I kept it a bit under that cup)


     Preheat the oven to 325 with honey or 350 with sugar
    Combine the yolks, oil and sugar in a large bowl. Stir in the water.
    Combine the almond flour and flaxseeds in a food processor and pulse to a fine powder.
    Transfer to a mixing bowl, add the spices, salt, and baking powder. Add to the egg mixture.
    Beat the egg whites until stiff and carefully fold them in the cake batter.
    Pour the batter into 10 muffin paper liners and bake for 20 minutes or until golden.
    After your 45,54 or 63 Red Color Diet Days you can add some chopped walnuts to the batter.

Perseverance

10/15/2014

     Earlier today, about an hour before my red light treatment, I was feeling really tired of and bored with this red color diet. Mind you, I wasn't craving food. I just found myself counting the days till I no longer have to stop at noon to do that red light thing, carry water glasses outside, ect. I'm ready to just eat healthy ( still going sugar free, gluten free and a few other things like limiting red meat, using healthy oils, only eating when I am physically hunger. Yes, I have had to tap out cravings for red meat all week. I'm ready to walk out into my garden when I want, stay as long as I want and not worry about getting back inside in time for that red color treatment.
     So I tapped about that boredom until "light" time. As I lay under the light, I looked up on my nook quotes on persevering. When I read the above quote I felt such a feeling of " OK, God, I hear You." Sometimes we just have to do what is required. I am required to stay the course on the red color diet for 8 more days. Boredom is just a part of life. I started with a passion for this diet-but along the way have developed a passion for getting healthy.
     I also picked up "Allowing Your Success." by Terez Hartmann and ,of course, where I had left off reading was all about when times get hard to keep your BPI ( Big Picture Intention) in mind. I have a much bigger BPI than losing weight and even getting healthy. That BPI requires that I be able to stand for an hour or more and be physically stronger than I am. perhaps someday I'll talk about it and I will tell you about Terez's book when I am through with it.
    The picture above was taken at my last garden about 15 years ago. When I read Churchill's quote I thought about this suburban garden. It was a "restricted " neighborhood with rules about how you landscape, I learned the hard way. No vines on fences. Gardens need boundaries if coming down to the street ( hence the fence).
     For Churchill, " I did my best" wouldn't cut it when his country, indeed the world's very life was on the line. He had to do what was required. For my garden, "my best" was not what the neighborhood required if I didn't want to see the cops at my door again. Fence went up and vines came down. For me, " well I already lost 18 pds and counting," doesn't cut it. I made a commitment to myself to finish the whole 45 days.
     As Terez said If I want to be successful I have to keep my passion for my Big Picture Intention in mind.

8More Pounds Down! That makes 18 Now!!

10/9/2014

       When I weighed in today I smiled seeing I'm down another 8 pounds. Today marks exactly 1 month since I began The Red Color Diet. I have now lost 18 pounds. Love that it added up to a "9" number.
     So why is the music not in tune? Actually it is now, but after weighing in I physically felt wiped out. I kept falling asleep, little bit at a time. My arthritis has really kicked in this week and pain has kept me awake at night. I have red snapdragon's and red & white sweet Williams waiting to be planted that I got yesterday. Also a flat of pansies now 3 weeks old I really need to plant asap. To me keeping on with the red color diet's energizing elements was my way to keep on singing. At ten the red meditation and solar water made no dent on me. I felt like a wet rag. Just wanted to sleep-not that Penny would let me. The I lay under that red light and dang if I don't feel energized .
      I just had grilled chicken and white rice for lunch and am headed outside. Come to think of it-In the past I would have eaten sugary baked goods for " energy". Today I didn't even think of it. After my 45 days(2 weeks to go) I'm still pulling out that light when I feel a need for energy,

Broken

10/8/2014

There were times in the last couple days when I felt broken. Events happened that in the past would have sent me strait out for Pizza or scouring for chocolate. It was almost surreal that when tears of anger and fear and frustration of not knowing what to do to "fix" the situation, even as I started to try tapping it out It never once crossed my mind to eat. Instead I was in there feeling my feelings, actually trying to get to the bottom of what they really are and where they came from. Then I stopped, amazed, " I'm not craving sugar!! WOW ! This Red Color stuff is really working."

I'm finding that usually when I'm upset, out of balance, it isn't just about what is going on right that minute, but triggering buttons pushed long ago with whomever the current conflict is with. Now that I have the red color to stave off the cravings and the tapping to find and deal with the feelings after I've truly felt them and "The script" from Karol K Truman's " Feelings." book I no longer have to see everything as broken when I feel broken in the moment . The next morning I also placed Reiki in my heart and sent it with prayers to "the situation" and within ten minutes I got a call where everything was shown to be already resolved! It is such a blessing to have been given all these tools. Pick some of them up for yourself. Namaste.

Honey-Why It Is Beneficial and How to Cook With It

10/4/2014

       I'm starting with what to be aware of when cooking with honey before why raw honey is just so darn good for you. This is all about when you substitute honey for white sugar in your recipes.
    I learned the hard way you may need to reduce oven temperature by 25 degrees at which point you may need to leave in longer -checking every 5 minutes.
    When substituting over 1 cup of sugar you need to substitute 2/3 cup honey for every cup of sugar.
     But under 1 cup it's 1to 1 substitution.
     put water in measuring cups first to pour honey out easier.
     When substituting honey for sugar in your old recipes reduce the liquid in your recipe by 1/4 cup for every cup of honey used.
     Honey can be a little acidic so add 1/4 teaspoon baking soda for every cup of honey used.

        Why all this trouble? Well of course for the red color diet it's the only sweetener you are allowed. But beyond that there are many reasons to fall in love with using honey way past Linda's diet. BTW only use raw, unfiltered never heated never processed honey. Local is best if available. Also never give honey to babies under 1 year. So let us count the ways:
      1. This first one is the first and only reason I ever tried honey. I read this report that was supposedly from Copenhagen University but very recently was reported to be a hoax. I believed it at the time and followed the honey and cinnamon recipe twice a day and my joints did feel better after a couple months. For me it worked somewhat. Now I have to wonder if it was a placebo effect.
       2. In a trial with 48 diabetics those fed honey for 8 weeks lowered their body weight, triglycerides, and total cholesterol while increasing HDI cholesterol. HDI is the "good one" that removes "bad" cholesterol.
       3. Honey reduces C Reactive Protein -a marker of inflammation.
       4. Unrefined honey contains antioxidants, Esp. Buckweat honey.
       5. Manuka honey is a natural antibiotic for small cuts and burns. It helps sterilize and heal with less scabbing. Just put a thin layer on the cut or burn and place Band Aid over that.
      6.Honey soothes coughs and sore throats.
      7. Honey aids sleep. It helps facilitate the action of tryptophan . Take 1 teaspoon
      8. Honey's anti bacterial and antiviral properties help boost immune systems. Try using 1 tablespoon honey and 2 teaspoons of lemon juice in 1/2 cup hot ( not boiling) water.
     9. Manuka honey's antibacterial properties helps with ulcers and gingivitis.
    10. Local raw honey is good for treating allergies and asthma

     Raw, Unfiltered Honey is a low glycemic carbohydrate which enters your bloodstream more slowly than other sugars, giving you sustained energy.
     YOU MUST USE ONLY RAW< UNFILTERD < UNPROCESSED HONEY!!!
Processed honey is heated and pasteurized. This can cause botulism in infants and does cause the honey to change to a high fructose corn syrup bad for all of us but esp. for diabetics. The heat also removes it's antibacterial properties.
     The American Heart Association recommends no more than 10% of your total calories a day come from added sugar. For most women this is about 5 teaspoons of honey a day.
                Benefits of Raw Honey and Ceylon Cinnamon :
       1. As stated in # 1 above. it is reputed by some( esp. in Ayurvedic medicine)  good for arthritis. They recommend a mixture of 1 tablespoon of honey with 1/2 teaspoon of Ceylon cinnamon powder30 minutes before breakfast. In another article it recommends 1 teaspoon cinnamon and 2 teaspoons of honey in hot ( not boiling) water 30 minutes before breakfast and again at bedtime. This is the way I did it.
       2.  In another study cholesterol was reduced in patients by giving them a paste of honey and cinnamon on bread for breakfast.
       3. This last one was on an Ayurvedic diet blog. It was listed as a weight loss aid. I'm already doing this out there Red Color Diet so why not try this? It can't hurt. It just said to have one cup of hot water ( not boiling) with cinnamon and honey in it 30 minutes before breakfast on an empty stomach and at night before sleeping. Sound familiar? Hmm? I've already been on it in the past and didn't even know it when I did this for arthritis. Did I lose weight? who knows? Wasn't trying to at the time.
        So there you are. I wonder if Linda knew all this?

Keep Looking Up!

10/1/2014

      Keep looking up. That is what I keep telling myself the last couple days.
My Puppy Penny is in the midst of a health scare. I have to keep her still for a week before they recheck her and decide if she should stay there in a cage to keep her still. The only way to keep her still is to stay next to her. She has never been in a cage or left us in her 8 years on earth. So here we sit, together on the couch, wishing we were out playing in the first cool days in the garden. I am concerned the half flats of pansies sitting round waiting to be planted won't make it. Please God let it rain.
     Now sitting and watching TV is one of old eating patterns and I have to keep tapping out cravings more than ever. The tapping really works for cravings-but-Once I start eating what I'm allowed on the red color diet I can't seem to stop, yesterday and today. I know Linda doesn't put limits on quantity- and I know that calories aren't the real culprit. I've been on high calorie diets like Atkins and lost weight. But fat and carbs-not so sure about that. That is where you gain.
      I know stress alone ( even without overeating) causes weight gain. Something about our caveman's body's needs. Somehow just writing and talking about it does help. I keep trying to remember to live right now, while Penny is laying close to me. I guess now I'll pull out my " script" and work thru it. Hmmm-that just came to me-tell you about it later. It's almost time for my light treatment and I'll have to figure out what to do with Penny-I hate to wake her up, but can't risk her jumping off couch.
Well, that's life. The rainbow will come out. I know it will.