All The Nuts - Health Benefits of Almonds, Pecans, Walnuts, Etc.

 I grew up in the San Joaquin Valley, home of Diamond Walnuts. As a matter of fact, nuts of all kinds grew there, in addition to any fruit or vegetable you can imagine. It was a wonderful place to grow up. We used to work in the walnut orchards owned by Diamond, as a volunteer project for our church youth program. The trees went on endlessly, as far as the eye could see. Who would have thought that 30 years later, the very existence of the almond and walnut orchards would be on the verge of collapse?

I've been so sad to hear about the conditions recently in northern California and the affect they have had on the nut crops, especially almonds. First it was the extreme drought conditions in 2014 that brought on the necessity for almond farmers to destroy thousands and thousands of acres of almond trees. Now in 2017, it's the opposite. Record rainfall is killing or has already killed the state's almonds. A record 27 inches of rain fell this last winter, the most ever recorded! And it's ironic that water is responsible for killing the trees, because almonds consume huge amounts of water and have even been accused of depriving other resources of adequate water! 

Being as it may, the health benefits of eating those water-greedy nuts is huge! I would urge anyone not to make their dietary plans so constrictive that they can't fit in a handful of some kind of nut into their daily food plan! By the way, peanuts are not nuts. They are legumes. Consider the benefits of eating a handful of nuts!

1) Great source of healthy fat! Of course we know that some fats shouldn't be consumed and other fats should be consumed in moderate amounts. Nut fats are helpful for weight loss, heart health and for brain health!

2) 20% less likely to die for any reason! That is huge! Studies found that a person who ate a small handful of nuts 7 times a week or more, were less likely to kick the bucket!

3) People who eat nuts have better cardiovascular health, lower risk for diabetes, lower mortality rate which then raises your longevity!

Sometimes you want something a little more exciting than just a handful of nuts. There are a lot of ways to dress up those nutritionally-loaded nuggets. 

Maple Cinnamon Pecans
2 cups raw pecans
1/3 cup maple syrup (or to taste)
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2  Tbsp. cinnamon
Cinnamon Sugar for sprinkling

Combine pecans, maple syrup, salt, and cinnamon. Heat over medium heat in a skillet for 6 - 8 minutes until thickened. Spread onto wax paper to cool. Sprinkle with cinnamon sugar, if desired, and store in an airtight container.

Rosemary Garlic Almonds
2 cups raw almonds
1 Tbsp Coconut oil
2 tbsp. fresh chopped rosemary
1/2 tsp. garlic powder
1 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper

Combine all ingredients and cook in a medium sauce pan, stirring regularly until toasted and fragrant. Spread and cool on wax paper. Store in airtight container. 

Either recipe is gluten free, vegan, and paleo! I'm such a fan of all the nuts and this is one obsession that I don't feel a shred of guilt for! So enjoy some nuts, and here's to your health!

sources: Grub Street 
Mercola.com
AgAlert 
CenterCut Cook 

Her IdealShape For The Summer Months Ahead

The products I received to review

 I have wondered how in the world I am going to get my swimsuit, short-sleeved, sans sweater summer look this year.  But I think I've got the kick start that I've been looking for.  It's called IdealShape and it's a program that lets you stop dieting by simply replacing one meal and replacing it with a milkshake that has some powerful natural hunger-blocking ingredients that will not only help you lose weight, but will enable you keep it off as well!   
   Have you ever had that unsatisfied feeling when you are trying to be good, but no matter what you're doing, the only thing that matters is that you get something to eat NOW.  I know I have and when that happens, I'm looking to feel satisfied.  That's when the overeating comes in. I know, there are so many diet programs out there, but I was really impressed with this one because it has a proprietary appetite control formulation called Slendesta which has been shown to be the most powerful natural appetite-curbing substance out there.  Slendesta is derived from.....wait for it...... potatoes.  Using a water-based, patented process, it is completely stimulant free.  It's NOT one of the many "fat-burners" on the market and does not artificially stimulate the metabolism.  
  Not only does Idealshape provide you with incredible nutritional tools, like the shake, to succeed at your weight loss, it also has a complete support system as well. I'm talking about mind-altering techniques that will help you actually see yourself as that beautiful and healthy person you secretly know you are.  They are brain training CD's and they have helped IdealShape men and women achieve and maintain weight goals they never thought possible! I haven't read it yet but I'd love to get ahold of the book or CD called 'Think' by David Meine.  It's offered by Ideal Shape for $5.00 off the regular price and it helps you unchain the mental power you have within you to succeed with your weight goals.
The Shake:  I absolutely love this shake.  I tried the chocolate and it is fabulous.  The taste is wonderful.  And it's the easiest shake I've ever blended.  It mixes up so well with just the shaker bottle.  I'm extremely picky about using a shaker.  Normally I don't like using the shakers because I don't think most drinks or shakes mix up well enough, ending up gritty or clumpy, which is definitely not a picnic in my mouth.  But this shake mixes well and easily so.  And it really does make me feel full for about 3 hours.  Of course, I cheat.  I use 2% milk rather than the skim or non-fat milk they recommend.  But wow, it's really good.  I think it would also be tasty with almond milk. The shaker bottle that comes with the Ideal Shape program is the perfect size.  You really do feel full for about 3 hours.  These shakes will give you that satisfied feeling.  For at least 3 hours!  Amaazing!  Click to enlarge the two pictures below to see some great comparisons and specific benefits you get from the Ideal Shake. 

    The Bars: I also tried the Ideal Bar in Cinnamon Caramel Crunch Flavor (1 of 3 flavors).  It was delicious and has Slendesta, the same hunger blocking technology as the shake.  I found it was also good when I had a food craving going on and needed to get it under control. 

 The Supplement:  Another great tool is the NaturalShape Hunger Blocker.  If taken approximately 30 minutes before a meal it will give you the ability to control your portions and keep yourself in control.  It has a full serving of Slendesta plus Resveratrol, Green Tea Extract and Kelp. 

Something that is stressed very strongly with this program is to drink plenty of water.  Because of the nature of the potato protein that swells in your stomach, you need to get fluids in with it for proper absorption and digestion. 

I am very impressed with IdealShape and I'm so glad I got the chance to review it.  Like so many of the great products I review, I will definitely be a repeat customer on this one. 

A Green Smoothie Experience

I really wish I could have taken a picture before I downed the first green smoothie concoction I ever made a few hours ago, but it was so good and I was so excited to drink it that I didn't even think about it until it was down the hatch.  I never imagined I would be a fan of green smoothies.  I thought it was some fad for the extremists, the ones who went way overboard in their quest to be healthy.  Seriously, who in their right mind would blend raw spinach, and other vegetables together with fruit and other healthy stuff in a drink?  Not me!!!  I take supplements and I drink V-8 occasionally.  But I have a great friend, Diane, who has benefited greatly from her smoothies.  I think the main reason green smoothies are good is that you get all that concentrated raw food in an easy-to-take form.  (Just plug your nose and down it quick, if nothing else!)  Fresh enzymes are so important for health and well-being.  You can only get enzymes from raw food, not processed foods, cooked foods, or food supplements.  I learned how important good nutrition was from taking some really good nutritional supplements for 20 years.  I experience first-hand how getting nutrients your body needs is the key to health, beauty, energy and disease prevention.  The problem is that even those great nutritional supplements I take aren't doing the trick like they once did.  I have become more and more lethargic and have not been able to keep the weight off despite being extra careful and taking my nutritional supplements religiously and exercising 40 minutes per day on average.  No, I haven't been sick in over 3 years, but it's my metabolic functions that are sluggish.  I feel like they just got stuck and are in need of repair.  Some might say that is what happens when you get to be "a certain age", but I'm not ready to slow down yet.  There are so many more things I would like to do.  So I borrowed my gal pal Diane's high-powered blender (on her insistence), went to the store and bought some raw stuff and just started blending.  My first improvised recipe was:  

• 2 cups water/ice
•  3 cups mixed greens including spinach
• 3 leaves red chard
• 2 apples
• frozen banana cubes to equal 1 1/2 bananas
• 3/4 cup frozen berries
• 1/3 cup Xagave sweetener
• a chunk of  melted-together Nestle's semi-sweet chocolate chips from a bag that had been left in the car on a hot day, which I had no use for until today.   

Yield: about 8 cups of smoothie
I drank it all except for 3/4 cups which I gave to my dad.
  
I felt that my first attempt was quite successful because it tasted great!  I felt
extremely full and satisfied.  I have no idea how many calories I consumed, but I know I consumed a lot of raw nutrition with maybe a tad too much sweet to get it down. 
About an hour later, though, I had to use the restroom.  I won't go into it, but let's just say I must have been clogged up, judging from the experience.  Maybe too much raw stuff in one shot?  Maybe I over-did it, I don't know. Suffice it to say, I am definitely not constipated this evening.  Oh, excuse me I'll be right back....
_____________

This experience has not deterred me.  I will forge ahead and maybe try less sweetener tomorrow.  After all, I have 3 containers full of various greens that need to be used up and only time will tell if raw food in the form of smoothies is a good option for me.  

Not the smoothie I made, but a close likeness

Update:  It has been a year and 3 months since I had my first green smoothie.  I have been quite consistent  and got my own high-powered smoothie maker.  I certainly don't follow the recipe that I first made.  Basically I try to use at least 3 fruits along with 1 - 2 cups of greens.  I flavor it with coconut oil, peach-flavored fiber, and protein.  Sometimes I add cinnamon and other flavorings, but I try to stay away from sweeteners in general.  I feel much more healthy and my skin, hair and energy have benefited.  Unfortunately, I haven't lost the weight I wanted to, but I definitely feel more healthy overall!