My Top 5 Sweetener Choices

Top ratings go to 1) Raw Honey, 2) PureLo by Swanson, 3) Swerve Sweetener, 4) Lakanto, and 5) Raw Stevia leaves, the only healthy sweeteners I can find. My criterion are purity, stable blood sugar, and balanced metabolism. With a world epidemic of diabetes, obesity, and metabolic disorder, we need sweeteners that stop the sugar cycle in it's tracks. Sadly, grocery stores do not carry healthy sweeteners, so we buy them online. We don't really need sweeteners, but some of us got used to a ...

Best Depression Med? 100% Chocolate!

Pure 100% chocolate is my favorite food in the world. And for good reason. Pure unsweetened cacao gives me a lift! It is higher in antioxidants than grapes, blueberries, or green tea. Maybe that’s why ancient cultures called it “Food of the Gods.” Who needs meds when we have the REAL STUFF? But there's a catch! If it has sugar added, it's partly toxic. Why ruin the healthiest food by mixing it with the most unhealthy toxin? Sugar acidifies the body and causes inflammation. Cacao, when ...

Turmeric: Huge Health Benefits? or Hype?

Turmeric is all the rage. It's in everything from smoothies to chai, curries, and of course Golden Milk. Turmeric is packed with earthy, pungent flavor. This bitter, yellow, peppery root contains the active ingredient curcumin which can support health in many ways. I believe perhaps the modern world is finally rediscovering the value of this plant, used for thousands of years in Ayurvedic and Chinese medicine. Turmeric as an herb stimulates blood circulation. It is a powerful anti-inflamma...

Chronic Disease is Just Nutrients Lost in Processed Food

Four-time Nobel Prize Winner Dr. Linus Pauling once said: “Every sickness, every ailment, and every disease can be traced back to an organic trace mineral deficiency.” And it’s still true. What is ONE SINGLE thing that could end chronic disease? All of them: Diabetes, cancer, hypertension, heart disease, malnutrition, etc? It is THIS: Eat whole foods, unrefined. Instead of processed grains, eat dark rice and whole wheat flour. Forget white rice and white flour. This study below shows ...

Are There Any Almonds in Your Almond Milk?

Have you ever wondered how many almonds are in your almond milk? I compared four brands to find the number of almonds used. The results are astonishing. This won't be my most popular post. There are only 9 to 14 almonds in 2 cups of commercial almond milk. A profitable business model indeed! ...

Egg Buyers, Beware

By Jane Barthelemy. You're in the grocery store looking for non-GMO eggs, and it's confusing. What is the truth behind these terms: Free-Range, Organic, Cage-free? Are any of these eggs Paleo? While most have legal meanings, the labels are purposely misleading. For example, did you know that pasture-raised hens may receive up to 30% of their diet in GMO grains? GMO grains are NOT Paleo....

Chia Seeds a Superfood? Best Chia Recipes

Recently I’ve been using a lot of chia seeds in my recipes. I find them perfect for grain-free cooking, and loaded with nutritional benefits. People often ask how to use chia seeds in recipes. Aha! I have some amazing secrets to share with you. Chia seeds expand to absorb 9x their volume in liquid, ...

Saffron

My epiffany of the day was the discovery of saffron. Oh, I've been cooking with it for years - but I mean I DISCOVERED where it really comes from. Saffron is simply the pistils (OK, that's the sexual organs) of a tiny crocus called "Crocus Sativus". Each flower has only 3 pistils. So how many beautiful crocus flowers ...

Coconut Flour

Many people ask me why I don't use coconut flour in my recipes. I try to use whole foods that are unrefined and Paleo. Unfortunately, the coconut flour we buy in the grocery stores has been refined and de-fatted with chemicals and heat to sell the oil. The resulting by-product is mashed and pulverized including the hull and husk, and dried...

Can I Substitute Almond Meal for Coconut?

Yes! Convert almond flour back and forth to coconut flakes! It's easy with this chart. Many people ask why I don't use much almond flour in my recipes. Almond meal/flour is more expensive than shredded coconut per pound. Many people have tree-nut allergies. ...

Just Like Sugar – Table Top Sweetener

I love Just Like Sugar Table Top was my favorite natural sweetener, made from chicory root. A zero-calorie, zero-carb granulated sweetener is hard to find, one we can enjoy with no blood sugar rush or insulin response. Sadly, Just Like Sugar is no longer available. The company's brilliant owner and inventor, Michael Sylver, recently passed away. Perhaps his partners will be re-launching the product or something similar. I don't know. For the moment, Click here to se my favorite ...

Coconut Kefir

See all Jane's recipes using Coconut Kefir. Kefir (Ka-FEER) is a refreshing fermented drink that comes from the North Caucusus region. It is usually made of milk, by introducing kefir grains of healthy bacteria and allowing them to ferment in a leather pouch. ...

Avoiding GMO’s? Here’s a Guide.

By Jane Barthelemy. Our health movement is now mainstream! So what is step #1 for your health? Well, I'd say taking care of the food you eat is pretty high. With so many processed ingredients, one of the easiest things to slip through the cracks is GMO's! You're thinking of a chicken salad for lunch? Think again – the chicken will be GMO-fed, and the dressing has GMO canola or soy oil. How about a beef burrito? Nope, the beef is from a CAFO with antibiotics, GMO-feed, and the tortilla is raised with Glyphosate. Okay, so you choose a shrimp wrap. But uh oh! ...

Kelp Powder

Find all Jane's recipes that use Kelp Powder Kelp is an underwater plant that is high in nutrition and a deep green color. It is best to buy kelp that comes from a clean and unpolluted ocean source such as Hawaii, Iceland, Canada, and the Pacific Northwest....

Flaxseeds

See all Jane's recipes that use Flaxseeds Flaxseeds are a good source of Omega-3 oils. Flaxseeds are not digested whole, and must be ground to eat. The whole seeds store well for long periods. However once they are ground they are highly perishable ...

Eggs

See all Jane's recipes that use Eggs It’s surprising to see the many captivating terms on egg cartons. If you don’t have time to figure them out, here is an easy guide: Pasture-Raised Organic Eggs are Best!...

Nuts

See all Jane's recipes that use Nuts Cashews Pecans I love almonds, pecans, walnuts and every kind of nut. Nuts are a true natural food, rich in proteins, healthy fats and enzymes. However many people have difficulty digesting nuts, and tree-nut allergies are ever more common. Here are some important ways to resolve that....

Raw Yacon Syrup

Find all Jane's recipes that use Raw Yacon Syrup Raw Yacón Syrup comes from a South American root. It has a delicious natural flavor something like caramel or molasses. The sweetness comes from fructo-oligosaccharides, which have a sweet taste but are low in calories and carbs. Hooray!...

Mesquite Powder

See all Jane's recipes that use Mesquite Powder Mesquite Powder is a delicious and nutritious powder with a sweet, nutty flavor. The powder is ground from the seed pods of the mesquite plant that grows in South America and the South Western US....

Maca Powder

See all Jane's recipes that use Maca Powder Maca is a root from the high Andes mountains that resembles a radish. Maca Powder is said to have many health benefits, especially as a support for hormone balance, stamina and stress. Sometimes called "Peruvian Ginseng", Maca is ...

Good Morning Paleo

Paleo Desserts