Updates from Leah Negrin

Since we're talking about the immune system this week (see Sunday's post on some of what actually makes up your immune system) I thought I'd share one of my favorite recipes that makes me feel like a serious warrior against disease 💪 with some info on why these ingredients matter. 

👉Coconut Oil: I use this to sauté the majority of my food as it has a high heat point but it also has lauric acid and caprylic acid which are known anti-viral compounds.

👉Pea shoots: These little guys contain beta carotene, vitamin C, folate, and fiber. I could write pages and pages on each of these but even if you just look at Vitamin C-powerful helper for our immune systems.

👉Mushrooms: I have always loved these dirty little veggies. They contain Ergothioneine which is an antioxidant that has been shown to help fight free radicals that can happen from stress, environmental exposure and more. Depending upon where you source your mushrooms they can also contain vitamin D (soil matters people).

👉Turmeric: You might have heard that turmeric can be great but specifically it's because it contains curcumin (a powerful anti-oxidant) which has been known to help decrease inflammation that can be related to a myriad of different diseases. (feel free to look it up for the pages and pages of details😀

👉Garlic: It has been shown that eating this magical plan can actually boost the number of T-Cells in your bloodstream (these are some of the cells that help fight those harmful pathogens-see Sunday's post). It also contains alliin which converts to allicin and has been shown to be antibacterial too.

👉Bok Choy: This beautiful green is high in Vitamin A and Vitamin C both of which can be immensely helpful when it comes to your body operating at homeostasis.

 (hint lots of studies on PubMed if you want to go down the science train about each of these specific nutrients)

Now for the recipe! (I edited this recipe from somewhere on the internet a long time ago and then threw in a few extra things that I like too!)

This makes about 6 bowls but if you have someone in your home with the appetite of a baby bear, it may only be 2 😆

1/2 cup of organic pea shoots (you can edit this to your liking, or if you can't find them throw em in next time!)

1 tablespoon coconut oil
1 organic large onion, chopped
6 organic garlic cloves, minced
2 organic celery stalks, sliced or chopped-your choice
1 pound of organic mushrooms there are many different kinds, I've made this with the regular white button mushrooms but it's even better with shiitake) 

1-2 drops of Ginger EO-it's strong so add 1, then taste and decide
1 1/2 tsp sea salt (I add more but that's beautiful I enjoy salt a lot)
1/4 tsp black pepper
1 tsp turmeric (I've used this one, as quality does matter!)
12 cups water
4 heads organic baby bok choy
1/2 head organic kale, chopped

⚆Slice mushrooms, feel free to leave stems on and sometimes they can contain a powerhouse of nutrients!

⚆Heat up coconut oil in a large pot over medium heat.
⚆Add onions and sauté for 5 minutes or until translucent.
⚆Add in garlic and cook for 1 more minute.
⚆Add in celery and mushrooms and sauté for about 10 minutes or until mushrooms have wilted.
⚆Add in spices and water and bring to a boil.
⚆Then let simmer, covered for 1 hour or as long as you want (the longer you leave, the better!)

⚆Add bok choy and kale in the last 10 minutes of cooking to wilt.
⚆Serve warm or store for up to 1 week in the refrigerator.

Immune system, did you know what that was before this year or just figured it was some part of your body that was important? 🤣 

So for quick reference your immune system is made up of many moving parts but we'll focus on white blood cells (leukocytes) for this post, or we might be here forever. So why do these even matter?! Oh the list goes on for that too but short version:

Leukocytes are kind of like little awesome police officers that circulate in the body's blood vessels, looking for harmful pathogens to remove.🚨 When they find the perpetrator they multiply and send signals out for other cells to do the same-almost like amassing the army to fight for your health💪

Our police force is stored in different parts of the body that are a part of the lymphatic system:

👉Spleen: Ever wondered what the hell is your spleen is for?!-well it filters your blood, so it takes some of the those pathogens that can be present and helps your body filter them out.

👉Lymph nodes: You might have heard of these, especially if you're feeling like you're coming down with something, you lymph nodes on your neck often swell and give you a sign to start taking care of yourself so they can finish the fight. These are all linked up by lymphatic vessels all throughout the body.

👉Bone marrow: This is complex but short version; bone marrow is the viscous tissue that fills the inside of your bones. It has a multitude of functions but in terms of immune support there are red blood cells which bring oxygen rich blood to our cells to function and white blood cells that help our bodies fight off infection.

👉Thymus: As much of our body, this organ is complex too. Within the thymus there are T-cells which help the body fight off these harmful pathogens and it is also home to some macrophages (these bad boys are known as the garbage trucks🗑️because they eat any foreign matter).      

So now that we know a little bit about what is present in our bodies to help us fight off those nasty pathogens, I'm going to be sharing over this next week a bit more about ways you help your body rock!  Did you know any of this info? Does it interest you the way it does me? Share away 😀

"I don't know how my story will end, but nowhere in my text will it ever read....I gave up."

Unknown

I love this quote. There have been times in my life when I gave up. But I learned that giving up isn't always a bad thing. There are some things you start doing, thinking they'll get you where you want to be, and you realize (sometimes halfway through) that it just isn't right. The path you started out on, isn't the right one for you, at least not at that moment. I had to learn forgiveness whenever this would happen, it wasn't that I was a failure or couldn't achieve things, but that this simply wasn't right for me.

Dictionary.com defines a goal as-"the result or achievement toward which effort is directed". Yup. I've outlined my goals for this year, the next five years and the next ten. It's big, scary and exciting all at the same time.

What are some goals that you're never planning on giving up on? That your dream, visions and determination all tie so deep into that it would be inconceivable to give up?👇

Happy New Years!

As we all know it's been quite the year. No matter what you think of it of what perceived 'side' of things you might be sitting on; it's been a strange one. But there also have been magical events too-weddings of close friends, my own engagement, beautiful babies born and more. I am always one to look at the bright side of things, and when I find myself unable to do that, I zone out for a little while before I pick back up. But I digress, there are so many things that I could chat about and share knowledge around on this first day of 2021 but I'm choosing to look at traditions.

Whenever I hear the word tradition, I automatically go straight to wanting to sing it Fiddler on the Roof style but often refrain depending upon my audience 🤣. This year I have created a few new traditions and for New Years Eve that is no exception. There is a Spanish tradition known as las doce uvas de la suerta (the 12 lucky grapes) which says that eating 12 grapes at the stroke of midnight (one for each chime of the clock) will bring good luck in the coming year. The 12 also symbolizes each month of the Gregorian calendar year.

So I decided in addition to my champagne toast at midnight I would add in this wonderful grape tradition-since WAY back my ancestors were in Spain, might as well toast to them! 😀🥂

Do you have any fun or meaningful New Years Eve traditions that you rock?! 🎉

Well I normally don't dive into the pumpkin spice latte land (or should I say argument) because frankly, I do what I do and others can do what they do, but this year I felt the need to consume some actual pumpkin spice, not the artificial crap but the actual spices in a beautiful tea latte.  

The biggest reason I never jumped on the PSL train would definitely be the ingredients that are in a typical pumpkin spice latte. They vary depending upon where you purchase this drink but a few of the less than desirable ingredients from a Starbucks include Natural Flavors, Potassium Sorbate, Carageenan, Potassium Sorbate, and Sulfiting Agents. (There are more but wanted to keep it fairly short)

Natural Flavors: Natural flavors are almost the exact same thing as artificial flavors (I know this made me sad too). These are made from things that do occur in nature (animals, plants etc.) but they also can include solvents, emulsifiers, preservatives, and other additives which can make up to 80% of the formula.

Carageenan: This one has been talked about for awhile now with a lot of back and forth regarding the health impacts of consuming it. Some evidence suggests that carrageenan can cause inflammation, gastrointestinal ulcerations, and further damage to your digestive system.

Sulfiting agents: There six of these that are used in food production in this country (let's note how Starbucks doesn't actually tell us which ones are this 'drink'); sulfur dioxide, sodium and potassium metabisulfite, sodium and potassium bisulfite and sodium sulfite. These have been banned by the FDA for use on fruits and veggies that are meant to be consumed raw. Many people have reactions to the the sulfites in wine but this can happen in any other processed foods that you might be consuming.

Potassium Sorbate: This is a synthetically produced salt and is a widely used preservative in food, some personal care products and drinks. This is another one that there has been much back and forth with. With large amounts (more than is technically allowed in food) of this it has been shown in animal studies to cause reproductive and developmental toxicity.

So instead of buying it, I'm on the hunt for a recipe to make my own! If you have one please share! 🍂