ChocoPerfection Winner
Time to pick a winner of the box of ChocoPerfection bars!! And the winner is...... Phat Filipina (Lany Witham-Hurst)!! Congratulations. Just send me a message with your address and I will send them out! Here is her comment:
Phat Filipina: "So far my fave is the cinnamon rolls. I made them with coconut flour I got at my local market. I finally have some Honeyville blanched almond flour on the way and will be making so much more as soon as it arrives. I am pretty sure the waffles will the biggest hit in my house, but I am waiting until I get my Jay Robb protein since I have tried it with other brands and I don't like the taste of the other brands of whey protein. Jay Robb is unbeatable. Thank you for another opportunity to win some yummy chocolates!"
GALL BLADDER FACTS
Are you or someone you know part of the increasing population having gall bladder surgery? It is becoming a very common operation. Is there something changing in our current diets that is causing this? Could it be the gluten over-load in our diets? Gall bladder disease or malfunction is often associated with celiac disease. CCK (cholecystokinin) is the hormone responsible for gall bladder contraction. The bulk of this hormone is produced in the duodenum. People with celiac, or sensitive to gluten, will have a reduction or of duodenal production of CCK; which will cause gall stones.In the past few recent decades, we have been mis-informed that fat-free diets and healthy "whole grains" are the healthy way to eat. Even the medical profession is telling parents to have their kids drink skim milk! Don't get me wrong, there are some fat to totally avoid, such as vegetable oils and trans-fats. But going on low fat diets is more harmful than you realize. This is why I always use full fat (and tasty) foods! High protein and grain-free diets alone are not the way to go. High fat is.
Galls are released by dietary fat. If you go on a little-to-no fat diet, the gall bladder starts to atrophy because it doesn't need to work; just as when you don't use your muscles, they atrophy and you are no longer as strong as you once were. Once the damage is done, and the gall bladder is removed, patients mistakenly believe that they can no longer eat fats without discomfort. This is not true, the bile to break down fat is made in the liver, then stored in the gall bladder. Even without a gall bladder, you produce bile and can (and should) consume healthy dietary fats.
After surgery (any surgery) you lose most of your beneficial bacteria; such as bifido bacteria, that keeps your intestines strong and healthy. Adding in probiotics and digestive enzymes are the first step to healing. Your body is smart, after years of low-fat dieting, it no longer produces lipase like it once did; lipase is the enzyme to break down fat (just as when a vegetarian adds in more protein after years of low protein, they feel sick... they no longer produce Protase, the enzyme to break down protein).
After a few days of increasing enzymes and good bacteria, adding in quality fats is essential for your body and cellular health; our brain and cells are composed of over 60% fat people! It is important! I suggest starting with coconut oil. Coconut oil is a medium chained triglyceride (MCT) which is an awesome fat because it doesn't require bile for digestion! I use this in place of butter for all my baked goods. It gives them an AWESOME and naturally sweet flavor.
Foods high in cholesterol are also essential! You NEED cholesterol to produce bile. Start to add in quality eggs (yes, the yolks...whites don't count, the cholesterol is in the yolks), organic cream and butter, grass-fed meats, lobster and other shellfish. I am not talking about "oxidized cholesterol"... which is damaged cholesterol found in skim milk and many processed foods; which triggers heart disease). If you keep avoiding fats and cholesterol, your body will keep on pace with no lipase excretion or bile production...causing a vicious cycle.
A low carb, high fiber diet with LOTS of liquids will help keep this painful condition away! So using coconut flour and psyllium husks, which are in tons of my recipes, will really help too! Just make sure you increase your water consumption when increasing fiber.
Also using Just Like Sugar which uses chicory root as a sweetener, helps decrease gall bladder issues. Chicory root builds your body's resistance to gallstones and liver stones by increasing the flow of bile, it assists the body in digesting foods and liquids. The extra bile also helps break down fats in the body. Chicory root has a mild laxative effect, increases bile from the gallbladder, and decreases swelling. Click HERE to find it.
A low carb, high fiber diet with LOTS of liquids will help keep this painful condition away! So using coconut flour and psyllium husks, which are in tons of my recipes, will really help too! Just make sure you increase your water consumption when increasing fiber.
Also using Just Like Sugar which uses chicory root as a sweetener, helps decrease gall bladder issues. Chicory root builds your body's resistance to gallstones and liver stones by increasing the flow of bile, it assists the body in digesting foods and liquids. The extra bile also helps break down fats in the body. Chicory root has a mild laxative effect, increases bile from the gallbladder, and decreases swelling. Click HERE to find it.
With these tips, along with not eating processed foods and wheat, your body will start to heal and you will feel and enjoy foods like you once did. Happy Eating!
"HEALTHIFIED" PUMPKIN BREAD:
3 cups blanched almond flour
1/2 tsp Celtic sea salt
1 tsp baking soda
2 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp ground nutmeg
1 tsp ground ginger
1/4 tsp ground cloves
1/4 cup butter or Coconut Oil
1 cup Swerve (OR 1 cup Erythritol and 1 tsp stevia glycerite)
6 large eggs
2 cups fresh OR canned pumpkin
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. In a mixing bowl combine almond flour, baking soda, salt, and spices. Mix butter, sweetener, eggs and pumpkin until smooth. Stir wet ingredients into dry. Grease and pour into a bread pan. Bake 60-70 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean (you may want to loosely cover with tinfoil so the outside doesn't brown too much). Top with glaze or my "healthified" pecan butter! Makes 16 servings.
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| Spread my Pecan Butter on it for a real tasty treat! |
NUTRITIONAL COMPARISON (per serving)
Traditional Pumpkin Bread = 230 calories, 14g fat, 2g protein, 40g carbs, 1.9g fiber (38.1 effective carbs)
"Healthified" Pumpkin Bread = 191 calories, 14g fat, 7.3g protein, 7.5g carbs, 3.3g fiber (4.2 effective carbs)
GLAZE:
1 cup coconut oil
1/2 cup confectioner Swerve (or powdered erythritol)
Mix ingredients together and spoon over warm bread.
"HEALTHIFIED" BREAD PUDDING:
1 loaf "healthified" pumpkin bread, cut into cubes
1 cup unsweetened almond milk (or coconut milk)
1/2 cup heavy cream (or coconut milk)
3 large eggs
2/3 cup Swerve (or erythritol and 1/2 tsp stevia glycerite)
2 cups pumpkin puree
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp pumpkin pie spice
1 tsp pure vanilla (or 1 vanilla bean)
1/2 tsp Celtic sea salt
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease an 11x7-inch baking dish. In a bowl, cover the cubed bread with the almond milk and cream; set aside. In another bowl, combine eggs, sweetener, pumpkin, spices, and vanilla; blend well. Pour pumpkin mixture over soaked bread and stir to blend. Pour mixture into the prepared baking dish. Bake for 45 to 60 minutes, or until set. Serve with whipped cream, or "healthified" vanilla ice cream and "healthified" caramel sauce. Makes 18 servings.
NUTRITIONAL COMPARISON (per serving)
Traditional Bread Pudding = 573 calories, 15.7g fat, 5g protein, 91g carbs, 3g fiber (88 effective carbs)
"Healthified" Bread Pudding = 204 calories, 15g fat, 7.9g protein, 9g carbs, 3.8g fiber (5.2 effective carbs)
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