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Basil and Garlic, So Many Benefits

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leaf aWho says healthy food can’t taste good?  You and I know better.  It is the very herbs, the lowly plants with so many beneficial properties that give our recipes flavour.  Is it any coincidence that they are so protective of us and so delicious to us as well?  I don’t think so.  A quick tour around the world reveals that almost every culture has incorporated a variety of antibacterial herbs (AKA plants, AKA medicine) into food preparation and daily life.  Basil and garlic or their close relatives are a pair that appear across many different cultures in many parts of the world.  They are beneficial taste wonderful together.

In the 16th century in European medicinal practices powdered dried leaves of basil were inhaled to treat respiratory infections, chest infections and headaches.  The leaves and flowers have traditionally been used in Asian medicinal practices for many things but notably as an anti-inflammatory, antibacterial and antiviral plant.  The smell of basil alone is divine and can help increase mental clarity and calm.  Crushed fresh basil can be used directly on insect bites and sores.  Basil can be used fresh or dried in food and tea or distilled into essential oils.  Basil can also be tinctured using ethanol or glycerine, macerated in oil or vinegar and now CO2 extracted.  I love adding fresh basil to my juices along with lemongrass and Thai pepper.  As a fresh herb it has a bright flavour and can instantly create refreshing dips or sauces.

Garlic has been used for thousands of years in Ayurvedic and other Asian herbal traditions as an anti-parasitic, antiseptic, anti-inflammatory, antibiotic, decongestant and expectorant.  I like to call this parasite modulating, microbial modulating, inflammation modulating.  In Western practices garlic was one of the primary ingredients in the “four theives vinegar” when in the legends it enabled four thieves to raid bodies during the plague without contracting the disease themselves.  I would like to point out that the plague referenced is the Bubonic plague which was spread through insect bites from rats containing certain bacteria.  The plague is often referenced as an example of garlic’s antiviral activity and while each of the four thieves’ ingredients may have antiviral properties this specific plague is not evidence of that.  Feels good to get that off my chest.

Garlic is now used for everything from circulation to joint pain to candida.  Garlic is a strong plant and is actually usually recommended to be taken for a short time and then taken a break from before returning to it.  Some buddhist traditions do not support the use of garlic and onions (alliums) in food because of their stimulating effect.  If I am not mistaken garlic and onions sprouted beneath the devil’s feet himself as he left the garden of Eden.  Garlic can keep evil spirits, apparently fleas or even your loved ones at arms length because of its pungent smell.  Because of this many people choose to take garlic capsules.  This can be a decent idea but the problem with some of these is that alisin, the primary active ingredient in garlic becomes ineffective when improperly prepared so check with the company.  Alisin is made by an enzyme in raw garlic that is inactivated by heat.  The alisin itself is not destroyed by heat so as long as the enzymes are given the chance to build alisin before they are deactivated it will be present in the final product.

The taste of cooked/roasted garlic can be more forgiving and softer than the harsh spiciness of raw garlic so when preparing raw recipes with garlic it is important to use a little less than would be used in the cooked counterpart.  I do use garlic in my juices and raw sauces but sparingly because of this.

If the aliums are difficult to digest because of their FODMAP content then try green onions, chives and garlic scapes (the arial parts of the plant).  In general the FODMAP carbohydrates will be stored in the roots and not the flowers and green leaves/stalks of these plants.

Together garlic and basil may have been traditionally protective with a broad range of antiviral, antifungal, antiparasitic, and antibacterial characteristics.  Both of these herbs have been used safely for millennia across cultures.  These herbs taste wonderful and are rich in minerals, vitamins and antioxidants.  Celebrate garlic and basil with one of the pesto recipes here.

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Alternate Vitamin C Sources

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clip_image001Maybe you have heard the rumours that our fresh fruits and vegetables do not have the vitamin C they reportedly have.  What?  Oranges without vitamin C?  In one study the oranges sampled were found to have no vitamin C at all.  Vitamin C is a bit of a sensitive vitamin and may be susceptible to loss over time as food is in transport or ripening off the tree.  We cannot know for sure how much vitamin C is in any of our produce, all we can do is buy the healthiest looking fruits and eat them as freshly as we can.  If you live somewhere oranges or lemons are grown, lucky you.  We can grow lemons here but not in my backyard, yet.

There are many fruits and vegetables with more vitamin C than oranges.  Most of the comparisons are done by weight, making things impractical for greens and herbs. Peppers all have more C than oranges.  Most brassicas do too.  Brassicas are a the family of vegetables containing cabbages, kale, collards, broccoli and cauliflower.  Some people have issues digesting peppers or brassicas but if you are good to go then these are great options for vitamin C.  Broccoli in particular loses its vitamin C very quickly after picking so depending on the freshness of the produce and time of year, there may be better choices.  I can get local brassicas almost all year and they are nutrient dense beyond the C including other antioxidants and of course sulforaphane.  Papayas are also a good source. There are two wild sources of vitamin C and one superfood source that I would love to share with you.

Rosehips are a great source of vitamin C. In fact some rosehips have 38 times the vitamin C of oranges by weight. This would mean that a rosehip could have about the same amount of C as an orange on average.  Rosehips can be an acquired taste. I like to chew them while I walk around in the forest but I don’t eat the tough bits or the inner seeds.  I find rosehip powder a little easier to incorporate into my regular diet through smoothies and raw “baking”. You can make your own rosehip powder by drying wild rosehips and then powdering them in a grinder, mortar and pestle or good old dry high speed blender.  If you have a freeze drier all the better.  Rose hips tend to taste better when picked later in the fall so they have had a chance to freeze but not be waterlogged if possible.

Wild greens including dandelion are excellent sources of vitamin C as well. While not as high in C as the mustard and brassica families (very closely related), dandelion greens are still a good source of vitamin C and I feel safe recommending them to people because as long as they are harvested from a safe and clean location they are pretty easy to identify and they are definitely not endangered… You can differentiate dandelion from its lookalikes through its jagged leaves that are not fuzzy and not bumpy or lobed and its hollow stalk with a single flower.  Of course dandelion is also available in some specialty stores when in season and maybe in your neighborhood growing outside too.  Do you have dandelion greens accessible to you?  If you would like to see mustard greens which are an even higher source of vitamin C than the dandelions you can check out this video where I show you what to look for.

Finally sometimes when I am looking for a lot of vitamin C and a little bit of convenience I like to use Camu Camu dried berries or powder. Camu Camu is of course a great source of vitamin C, can be combined with other fruit powders to make tasty elixirs and is also a decent source of calcium and potassium. One teaspoon of Camu Camu has apparently up to 60 times more C than an orange. That’s a lot! Camu Camu is also a surprisingly good source of amino acids.  If you can find frozen berries, flash frozen shortly after picking, those will have the best preserved antioxidants including the vitamin C.

Vitamin C is depleted by stress and as an antioxidant it is used to combat oxidative stress in the body. Many recommendations for amounts of C required for our immune systems, bone health and cartilage repair are just not enough for our modern stresses we face on a daily basis. Many of the studies done on the efficacy of vitamin C supplements on the immune system and health have, in my opinion, just not been done with enough vitamin C to actually make a dent.  And the ones with success are done with much more vitamin C than the RDA suggests.

I would like to finish this article with a testimonial from… MY MOTHER who finally decided to hit a terrible cold she was having with some vitamin C. She let it go a bit far before she consented to try this renegade supplementation strategy and didn’t notice too much with her cold. She did however notice a significant reduction in her joint pain for a knee and hip that have been bothering her literally for decades. She has tried many many conventional and unconventional treatments for the knee over the years but it was not until she started a fairly high dose of vitamin C that she noticed a difference. The importance of vitamin C for bone and cartilage health is so often overlooked I couldn’t be happier for her having a reduction in pain.

You can watch this weeks’ video Immune System Health Part 1 for more information on this vitamin and the role it plays. Enjoy your vitamin C and I will see you in the comments below.

*Update I now make liposomal C for my mom and myself, especially in this time of social distancing and immune focus we are both enjoying taking that at home.

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3 Made Up Eating “Disorders”

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Totally made up stuff, not serious article…

We have been on the path to health for some time now.  You have conquered many demons and reached for personal and physical health and development at every opportunity, as have I.  You welcome the challenges of life and do not like to numb yourself with empty calories or mindless entertainment.  You have the courage to see yourself and how powerful, gorgeous and beautifully flawed you are and work through whatever stands between you and optimal health whether it is a food or a mindset…  My point is you work on yourself and food is just one of the ways that you do.  And then someone accuses you of having unhealthy eating habits or even an eating disorder because you are not ascribing to the “everything in moderation” theory or because you are not following a mainstream plan.

This is probably not the best time to get into an ethical or culinary debate with family or friends.  Try to remember that the greatest of visionaries were ridiculed before their ideas were eventually adopted.  Washing hands before surgeries and the earth being spherical come to mind…  Please consider you may have “seen the light” and freed yourself from the following three totally mainstream (and TOTALLY made up) eating disorders but the rest of the world, has not YET.  A little inside joking for us to lighten the load, please do not take seriously.

Warning:  do not read this article unless you consider yourself radical and way outside of the mainstream in diet and lifestyle.

Totally made up eating disorder #1:

Escanonymous Nervosa:  This disorder is characterized by the eater having absolutely no desire to know where their food comes from.  The eater may believe that food comes from factories or stores or more likely is not aware of a thought of the origin of their food.  Commonly the eater chooses food out of convenience and often eats while engaging in other activities such as walking, driving, working or playing games.  They may think “it’s only food”.

Escanonymous Nervosa  does not refer to the billions of people living in conditions that prevent them from having access to clean food, water and education and prevent them from being able to make ANY choices, let alone healthy ones.

The eater suffering from Escanonymous Nervosa may or may not be aware that there are chemicals in food which can affect their endocrine, immune, nervous and digestive systems.  The eater may also not be aware of the human body’s basic nutritional needs and will often have no interest in meeting their own basic needs.  This eater sees no relation between food, our most prevalent environmental exposure and immune trigger, and their health.  This eater is at risk for deficiencies, allergies, obesity and other “first world diseases” and seeks reduction in symptoms at the doctor’s office.  This type of eater does not like to sit in the drivers’ seat of their health but would rather be in the back seat eating a pizza.  The greatest challenges for those suffering from Escanonymous Nervosa are acceptance of the implications of food having an effect on health and acceptance of the often gruesome truth about many foods’ origins.

Totally made up eating disorder #2:

Cruciomorsus:  This disorder is characterized by the eater continuing to habitually consume foods that they are aware make them feel sick.  Many people will admit to having symptoms after eating at least one food.  What distinguishes this eater is their unwillingness to remove the offending food, whatever it may be for them, regardless of experiencing overt symptoms.  This does not refer to the billions of individuals who do not have access to alternatives, living in subsistence and servitude.

Cruciomorsus refers, for example, to the person who knows that when they drink beer or eat cake they get a splitting headache but does not find that to be a good enough reason to stop.  Underlying this condition is often a deep sadness and lack of self esteem or self efficacy where the sufferer does not believe that they either can nor deserve to improve their situation by making a different choice.  Persons suffering from Cruciomorsus are at risk of triggering more chronic digestive or immune conditions as they are already experiencing symptoms.  Their greatest challenge is in recognizing their worth and having the courage to choose something for themselves that they perceive to be outside of mainstream acceptance, perhaps inconveniencing others in the process.

Totally made up eating disorder #3:

Nutriomammalia Nervosa:  This disorder is characterized by the eater being addicted to drinking the hormonal secretions of other mammals.  Some examples of this are humans drinking the breast milk of sheep or cows.  This does not refer to individuals whose most efficient way of extracting nutrients from a barren landscape is the culturing of yak milk, for example.  Nutriomammalia Nervosa refers to individuals who have been weaned off of the breast milk of their own mother, live in the western world and have many choices available for nutrient consumption.  The person suffering from Nutriomammalia Nervosa may be under the mistaken impression that they “need” to drink the milk of other mammals to survive and most likely does not realize the ludicrousity of this situation.  Unfortunately many people who suffer from Nutriomammalia Nervosa are the victims of food addiction and insidious marketing.  They may even believe brown cows make chocolate milk.  Like any addict or accused they will defend their position vehemently until they recognize the problem and then may require much support to recover from this lifelong habit.

Please keep in mind that these are totally invented eating disorders designed to point out that normalcy is in the eye of the beholder.

If you or someone you know is suffering from any type of actual eating disorder I implore you to secure help as soon as you can and if you have any comments as usual please post them below.  This means anything where food or the focus on food or the lack thereof is detracting from your quality of life rather than adding to it.  You are a champion for your health and a better world.  Don’t let anyone tell you different.

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When Eating is Out of Order

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Orthorexia Nervosa…  Have you heard of it?  Have you been touched by this or by other eating disorders?  The sad reality of modern life is that most women know someone closely who has been touched by an eating disorder of some type.  The difference between the more familiar Anorexia and Bulimia and the proposed “Orthorexia” is in the focus on the healthfulness rather than the quantities of foods.  Mental illness of some type will touch each of us during our time on the planet.  The good news is that we are more and more open to learning and invisible illnesses are less stigmatized than they used to be.

The bad news is that through a combination of denial, marketing and miseducation mental illness has become one more way to sell drugs, to disconnect from one another and to evade root cause health care.  Orthorexia Nervosa is still under pretty hot debate and may or may not be a “real” eating disorder but the media has certainly glommed onto it and is using it as an excuse for each of us to go out and eat cheeseburgers.  What a terrible disservice to those of us that actually need help let alone those of us who are dealing with chronic health challenges which are so interconnected with mental and emotional symptoms.

Good old Wikipedia defines Orthorexia Nervosa as “a proposed eating disorder or mental disorder characterized by an extreme or excessive preoccupation with avoiding foods perceived to be unhealthy.”  I have seen people in situations that could fit this profile regardless of what they were eating.  Raw vegan, paleo, “moderation”, high carb, low carb, standard American, it doesn’t matter.  Hyper-vigilance can get in the way of leading a normal life.  IF this is a real disorder it is my belief that it can not be assessed by looking at what a person chooses to eat and not to eat.  In other words just because someone is on a fruitarian or a low carb or a gluten free/dairy free/nut free/sodium free/egg free/meat free/you get the point diet… it doesn’t mean they have a mental illness.

We may all operate on a continuum between health and disorder in many aspects of our lives.  I personally believe that when eating is OUT of order it becomes a DISorder.  When is eating out of order?  When is eating IN order?  Eating is IN order when the foods that we eat nourish us, meet our basic needs, allow us to participate in physical activity without injury and allow us to grow and develop, learn, and adapt to new situations.  Eating is out of order when it does not meet those requirements.  Eating is out of order when it interferes with us having healthy lives including work, relationships, family and interpersonal reflection.  Eating is out of order psychologically when it does not meet those requirements AND the focus on food interferes with relationships, employment, safety or emotional/physical health.

Unhealthy eating might interfere with relationships when a person chooses to stay home rather than attend any family functions or events with friends because they do not want to face the obstacle of eating in these situations.  This IS NOT when you go to the family dinner and you choose not to eat the things with dairy and your great Aunt gets her feelings hurt because you don’t eat her potato salad.  Sorry.  Not an eating disorder.  Just a nice lady who thinks you’re weird.  And you having boundaries about how you treat your body.

Unhealthy eating might interfere with employment when a person eats too little, gets light headed and cannot complete tasks or when their diet makes them ill and they cannot meet their commitment to show up on time or when they decide every day to walk 10 miles at lunch to buy a juice and it makes them late every afternoon and they get fired.  This IS NOT when you bring cauliflower tabouli to work or even out to lunch and your co-workers think you’re weird.  That’s just a bunch of people who think cauliflower tabouli is weird.  Again not an eating disorder.  You get the picture.  When people think you eat weird or even if they accuse you of your diet being a religion or use other defensive or aggressive language this does not mean you have an eating disorder.

Eating disorders are often present when food becomes more than food in some way or when the focus on the food or lack thereof becomes an obsession.  For example when the avoidance of eating consumes a person to the point where they withdraw from social events and succumb to illness then the avoidance of food has become so important that it has taken over their lives.  Another example is that when food is used as a reward or punishment is has become more than what it should be.  I had a babysitter once who ate an entire year’s worth of my son’s halloween candy in one evening.  Good for us because we couldn’t figure out what to do with a bag of candy but honestly bad for her.  She was obviously not eating this huge bag of candy to nourish herself within reason.  I implore you to look into getting help (WE ALL NEED HELP) when food or the lack of food reduces rather than enhances your quality of life.

As we continue to ask questions, push the boundaries and take our knowledge of how to feed ourselves and extract nutrients from the environment further we will continue to be on the fringes of society and what they are eating.  It is going to be very important for each of us to assess when our eating is unhealthy or when our eating is just different from what other people are eating.  Diagnosing someone as having Orthorexia Nervosa because they are on a special diet is no different than thinking someone is bulimic because they are thin.  Being thin is not a disorder and neither is eating kale.

My problem with the media surrounding this issue is this:  They seem to think that in order to “resolve” this disorder (if indeed it makes sense to call it a disorder) one must adhere to a strict diet of moderation/normal.  One must, in a sense, lighten up.  The issue is not in the kale but in the consumer.  The issue is mental health, not the food in and of itself.  We must focus on that.  And we must support each other.  What might cause undue stress for one may cause none for someone else.  It’s an inside job.  I can eat kale all day and it doesn’t stress me out.  I don’t think about kale constantly, just when I am hungry.  What about you?

Food is nutritional and certainly enjoyable in the moment and no more or less than that.  The moment of enjoyment should not be prioritized over the health of a lifetime.  That is an imbalance that can border on self-abuse.  I’m not stressed bringing my own salad to the party or making a dip at someone’s house for my cucumbers.  That doesn’t stress me out and moreover it doesn’t interfere with my relationships, my work or my emotional well being.  Discomfort in my relationships around my choices resolves from poor communication rather than from how I choose to treat myself and how I am developing strong boundaries around my self care.  Eating disorders must be resolved by looking at the root cause, not by looking at how food is being viewed (the symptom).  Root causes of mental illness are varied and complex and require the help of professionals.  They can not be resolved by a trip to McDonalds.

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Echinacea: When I Take It and When I Just Can’t Take It Any More

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Echinacea has become the icon of “alternative” cold and flu management.  It really is a stunningly beautiful and powerful flower.  Having a passion for edible flowers and for herbal medicine I have long been fascinated by echinacea.  I am fortunate that in my neighbourhood it is very popular to grow echinacea and it is possible to see the two most popular types growing nearby.  Of course our cold/flu remedies are made from the root of the plant.  Wild echinacea has been severely reduced and is in danger because of wildcrafting for medicine.  I try to make sure to take the herb when it is suited and not abuse it.  There are times when echinacea can be very effective but it does tend to be overused or misused so may be better replaced by a more appropriate or specific herb.  Here are some situations where echinacea can be particularly effective and some where I don’t bother.

At the onset of a cold or flu

Echinacea has been shown to increase phagocytosis and in this way can improve immunity and help our bodies fight off various infections.  Echinacea has been used to treat syphilis, topical infections and lesions more than it has traditionally been used for respiratory infections.  At the onset of symptoms of any infection echinacea can be effective.  I take it when there is something going on with my skin or when I start to feel a cold taking hold or I get a scratch outside and want to give myself an advantage.  Echinacea is antimicrobial (microbial modulating) and so works by directly kicking the bacteria out when they have overstayed their welcome and also by helping our immune systems to do this themselves.  Echinacea also encourages the development of our digestive mucosa, increasing digestive immunity, protection and the opportunity for the development of even more over time.  Echinacea is best when taken frequently throughout the day for a short number of days so if I find it is not working for me sometimes it is because I am not using it enough or frequently enough.  I enjoy it in teas however it can also be taken as a tincture making it more portable for use throughout the day.  The most desirable medicinal constituents are in fact alcohol soluble so the tea may not be effective for increasing immunity outside of the digestive system.

When there is lymphatic congestion

Echinacea can be very detoxifying because it helps to move lymphatic fluid.  Our lymphatic fluid is like the waste disposal system (the garbage trucks) of our bodies.  Our lymph carries cellular waste and other things that we don’t want in our blood any more.  The problem with “lymph” is that it doesn’t pump itself like our blood does.  Lymphatic fluid can be moved through muscular contraction like exercise or movement and can also be moved through massage!  We can pump our lymph through hot/cold alternating baths or therapy.  Echinacea can be very valuable for taking the burden off of our immune systems at the onset of a cold or flu by encouraging lymph flow so that our bodies can focus on fighting the flu more effectively, again, when taken regularly.

When there is warmth

Echinacea is a slightly cooling herb so is great paired with warming spices and herbs such as ginger or is great when there is excessive heat in the body.  This means that when I “feel cold” (kind of subjective I know) I don’t opt for the echinacea.

Now here are three more situations where I do not take echinacea.  As I spoke to above I feel this gorgeous and endangered flower is quite overused and I will opt for something else when doing so feels appropriate.

For the duration of the cold

I usually stop with the echinacea if the cold goes past the initial
battlefield stage.  This can be surprisingly difficult to do because it seems to be in everything!  When my body is finished with the fight I do like to move on to a more appropriate herb like goldenseal which actually dries the mucosa or sage which moistens and can help reduce spasms.  Something else might be right for you, really depends on the cold.

During times of normal health

Echinacea can be a very powerful herb and thus I do not take it as a 

preventative measure for anything.  There are some herbs that I don’t mind taking on a daily basis but echinacea is not one of them.

When it is wildcrafted

I prefer to purchase the cultivated rather than the wildcrafted echinacea because of the problems of over-foraging.  Many packages now state whether the echinacea in the products is farmed or found.  Of course I would like to grow my own.  If you have experience growing your own echinacea please let me know in the comments below.  If you have experience making gorgeous food goodies with it then even better!

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