BENEFITS OF BASIL

BENEFITS OF DILL

El Andador ~ Organic & Healthy Food

DANIEL THE CHEF

 I am very humbled to be able to talk about the chef that I had when I was treat for functional medicine.  Unfortunately, he is no longer at the facility but, has opened up his own business.  He prepares food for outpatients and delivers to them personally.  The food is all organic and gluten free.  I love the way he prepares the food for he puts his whole self into it ~ gourmet.

If you are in the Tijuana area look him up, you will not be disappointed.  Check his menu below along with some pictures of foods that he creates.  

 
Tel (664) 864-1115 or (664) 303-2573

A LIFESTYLE CHANGE

BENEFITS OF THE HERB DILL

OATMEAL PANCAKES

OATMEAL PANCAKES

 

If you know me, I like to experiment in making things and baking is no different.  Dan wanted some oatmeal this morning, but I didn’t want just oatmeal.  So why not oatmeal pancakes and not just oatmeal but add other healthy ingredients also to make it my own masterpiece.  Cooking can be so much fun and the finish product just melts in your mouth.

 

Ingredients

A must

·        Oatmeal

·        Two eggs

·        Flour

·        Water

Next

Additional ingredients, make it your own.  Here are some suggestions

·        Any type of fruit ( I love berries)

·        Cinnamon

·        Coconut

·        Ground peanuts ( what every you wish)

Mix in a bowl!   I heat up avocado oil in a pan which then I drop the mix in circles in the pan.  From there you know what to do….

 

Again, this is your dish and you should use your own imagination on what it consists of.  So make it special and unique.

 

Until next time, you are what you eat… GO ORGANIC

  

 

THE HERB KAVA AND BENEFITS

BENEFITS OF EATING ORGANIC FOODS

10 Benefits of Eating Organic Food

http://idealbite.com/10-benefits-of-eating-organic-food/
Are you concerned about the health of yourself and your family due to the unnecessary chemicals known to exist in the foods we eat on a daily basis? You should be. There is some scary stuff out there that many people aren’t even aware of.

If you are concerned with the problems that eating non-organic food can cause, you should consider moving your family to eating an entirely organic diet. Sure, there is a slight variance in price and you may spend a bit more money investing in organic food, but nothing is worth risking your family’s lives due to devastating health problems and diseases that these chemicals have been proven to cause.
If you just eat one apple, you could potentially eat more than 25 chemicals, even if you washed the apple like we have all been told to do. The quality standards of food have decreased so drastically over the past few decades so we must be careful what we are putting in our bodies.

The levels of vitamins in our food is nowhere close to what it used to be, and similarly, organic foods have been proven to contain 50% more vitamins, minerals and nutrients than similar food that is produced in a regular manner. Even if you try to eat more fruits and vegetables to account for the deficiencies in today’s mass produced products, you will wind up eating even more chemicals in the meantime!

Because food producers were trying to mass produce food quickly and in the cheapest possible way, chemicals like pesticides and herbicides were created to extend the life of our fruits and vegetables, to make sure animals and insects do not attack them, and to avoid mold from growing on them. These chemicals were created with the best intentions, but have been linked more recently to troubling health problems.

While most people turn to organic food for reasons relating to health, there are many other reasons people should appreciate and support organic farming. There are tons of incredible benefits of eating organic food. For people who are unfamiliar with organic food and the many things it can do to improve your health, here we will go over the top ten reasons we believe that people should eat organic.

Great Taste
Organic food tastes delicious and it makes sense why it does- healthy soil and plants make food that tastes the best. In a number of studies people who have done taste tests almost always choose the wonderful taste of organic food over processed and food tainted by chemicals. Fruits and vegetables taste much more vibrant and strong if they are grown organically which is just another added benefit of the healthy powers of healthy organic foods.

High Standards
Organic foods have to meet extremely high standards to qualify to be called organic. This is why most foods are not organic, because companies don’t want to go through the strict processes required of them to be declared organic. The certification process that foods have to go through is designed to make sure the public is clear that the food was grown in the proper way as well as processed and handled in the ways in which the certification standards recommend.

You want to look for products that say they are organic and certified by the Quality Assurance International standards. If you see this assurance, you can be confident that you are eating the best organic food out there. The QAI standards confirm that the producer and manufacturer follow strict procedures to ensure you are getting the best possible food, free of chemicals that can be damaging to your health.

Soil Erosion
Soil erosion is a huge problem currently, and we as a planet are looking at the biggest erosion problem in the history of the world because of the way that most farmers do their business nowadays, with no regards for the land they are farming. Organic farmers focus a lot of their time and energy in farming in the way that best respects the land. They understand that the soil is basically the foundation of farming and without it we would be unable to farm. So they focus a great deal on protecting the soil through organic farming and are involved in programs to conserve and restore the soil that they find so valuable. This not only earns them a great deal of respect from fans of organic food, but it also is a feel good example for farmers all around the world on how they can be successful and do the right thing at the same time.


Health Benefits of Organic Food
The main reason most people initially begin going organic in their diets is because of health reasons. Whether people have actual health problems or they have simply heard of the many health issues that may possibly come from ingesting chemicals through normal food processing, many individuals are turning to organic foods so they can trust what they are putting in their bodies and what they are feeding their loved ones.

The production of organic food actually reduces the risks of health problems to the general public. Many of the damaging chemicals and pesticides we began using decades ago to protect our food and make it last longer were approved before there was good research showing any problems with it. Since then, a lot of these same chemicals have been linked to cancer and other very serious medical problems. While originally the concerns were just about cancer causing chemicals, now these chemicals have been traced to other terrible medical problems like Alzheimer’s and birth defects.
The EPA now admits that about 60% of weed eliminators, 90% of mold eliminators, and 30% of insect eliminating chemicals may cause cancer. So why are they still being used in our food production? Since organic farms avoid using these chemicals to treat their food, it is much safer overall than regular farming.

Organic foods also do not use antibiotics in animal food which can cause people to become more resistant to fighting disease over time. Additionally, organic farms are much safer for their employees to work at since they aren’t exposed from all of these dangerous pesticides and chemicals. Overall, organic farming is so much safer for everyone involved, it simply cannot be disputed.

Organic Partnership with Wildlife
Organic farms also focus on the entire ecosystem with regards to their farming activities and they understand that we are not the only ones on this planet benefitting from what the ground provides. Organic farmers understand that animals and insects are a normal part of farming. They use specific crops in their farms to serve the needs of wildlife, and they also manage wetlands, ponds, and other animal preserves within their farming activities.

Support for the Farming Community
Organic farms and people committing to buy organic foods are virtually the only support left for the small family, local farmer. Most produce and animal products are produced by a very small number of huge plants and manufacturing locations that hardly even resemble farms, and most small rural farmers are being eliminated because they cannot support themselves financially. While their products are of much higher quality and standards, the focus on mass produced, cheaper produce has almost eliminated the small time farmer.
Purchasing organic produce helps to support the smaller farmers who rely on farming for their incomes, to support the local economy, and to employ local farm workers. Supporting organic farming is support for small business and job creation in your local community.

Water and Organic Food
Because organic farmers do not use the harmful chemicals within their farming, they are not polluting the ground and the water supply. This also supports the soil conservation efforts that were previously mentioned. Because there are no chemicals used in the production of organic foods, there is no potential for harmful chemical runoff and damaging chemicals to impact our water supply. This is healthier for everyone because while our drinking water is generally pasteurized before it goes into the water supply, it does not catch everything, and some of that water is put back into the atmosphere and then rained back down on us. Eliminating the prevalence of these chemicals will make our entire environment even healthier.

Innovation
Organic farmers are on the cutting edge of science as they are focused on finding ways to produce quality foods without the use of the chemicals that are harmful to our health, and the health of the planet. These farmers have used innovative techniques to replace the chemicals that can be so damaging, and do their research using their own funding at their own farms.
We have learned a great deal about the harmful qualities of regular farming through this research. The entire point of the research is to find ways to produce food that is as high quality as food grown on a regular farm without the use of chemicals. This is better for the environment, for people individually, and for the farmers as well.

Strengthening Species of Food
A major problem in environmental science is that we are gradually losing entire species of food. While most people are entirely unaware that this is occurring, it is of great concern in the farming community. Organic farmers take great pride in trying to make sure this problem doesn’t continue by breeding many species to keep them in existence. These farmers are cataloguing every species and retaining seeds for future use and so that they can be reproduced in the event that one of them becomes extinct.

Variety
Every type of food has a healthier alternative now that organic food has been around for a while and because the harmful facts of non-organically produced food have come to light. While there is more education and funding needed to make sure everyone is aware of what they are putting in their bodies and to help farmers continue to be innovative and create products at lower costs, you can get almost anything you want in an organic form. The innovative farmers and scientists who work in the organic food industry have worked to create an alternative for virtually every food you can imagine, one that is healthier and produced the right way.

There are more reasons than the ten highlighted here as to why you should transition your family to an organic diet, but they all come down to health. Organically grown food is healthier for our environment, our planet, our communities and ourselves.

BENEFITS OF JASMINE

HERBS

HERBS

 

In cooking to help create our masterpiece, we use herbs to spice up and add favor to our dish.  However herbs also act as a healing source too.  As days go on I will be posting different herbs and what they can do for your body.  Depending on what you use the favor of the dish will change.  So educate yourself on the different types as you use them for cooking.

 

In general use, herbs are any plants used for food, flavoring, medicine, or perfume. Culinary use typically distinguishes herbs as referring to the leafy green parts of a plant (either fresh or dried), from a "spice", a product from another part of the plant (usually dried), including seeds, berries, bark, roots and fruits.

In botanical English the word "herb" is also used as a synonym of "herbaceous plant".

Herbs have a variety of uses including culinary, medicinal, and in some cases spiritual usage. General usage of the term "herb" differs between culinary herbs and medicinal herbs. In medicinal or spiritual use any of the parts of the plant might be considered "herbs", including leaves, roots, flowers, seeds, resin, root bark, inner bark (and cambium), berries and sometimes the pericarp or other portions of the plant.

 

 

ORGANIC TOMATO SOUP

ORGANIC TOMATO SOUP

I love creating soups and salads for you can make each one different 365 days of the year…  It’s all what you put into it, herbs as well as the love you add.  When I start to make a dish, I always look at the colors that go into it.  For I love a mixture of shades to create the beauty as well as taste.

So today I am going to make a healthy tomato soup to go with a salad full of vegetables.  But before we start lets go over the benefits of tomatoes.

1. Filling Food:

As tomatoes have high water content, they work perfect as filling food. Tomatoes, with its water content moisturizes our skin and keeps it healthy and shiny.

2. Vitamins and Nutritional Content:

It provides almost 20 percent of the daily vitamin intake required, per serving, which is necessary for maintaining good health. It is also known to have all the positive nutrients needed for proper functioning of the human body according to USDA.

3. Controls Heart Rate:

Being rich in potassium content, it gives about 237 mg of potassium which is useful for controlling heart rate and is helpful in preventing heart diseases and strokes.

4. Prevents Eye Diseases:

The vitamins such as vitamin A, flavonoid B complex, thiamine, folates, niacin etc. are also present in tomatoes that help cure skin and eye disease.

5. High Blood Pressure:

Tomatoes, with a powerful punch of minerals and nutrients also help in safeguarding our body from High Blood Pressure and High Cholesterol.

6. Good for Bones and Teeth:

Being rich in Calcium, it tends to improve bone strength and bone formation in the body. It is also beneficial in maintaining the teeth in healthy state.

7. Protects from Free Radicals:

Some of its flavonoid antioxidants, such as lycopene and zea-xanthin are best known to health specialists for their anti-free radical behavior.

8. Anti-Cancerous:

The antioxidant behavior of this vegetable also helps to prevent many unwanted reactions in the lungs, colon and breasts that can tend to be cancerous. The antioxidants help in the treatment of cancer by preventing carcinogenic reactions in the body which stop by blocking free radicals from proceeding further.

9. Cell Repair and Muscle Building:

It is a naturally rich source of protein, which is good for cell repair and muscle building.

10. Less Fat content:

Other basic nutrients include 4 grams of carbohydrates, 1 gram of protein, 18 calories and 0 grams of saturated fat. This vegetable can be eaten in good amounts due to the lower rate of calories in tomato.

11. Treats Open Pores:

•Add four drops of tomato juice to 1 tablespoon of water and apply it on your face with the help of a cotton ball.

•Gently massage your skin with this mixture and leave it on for 15 minutes. Regular application of this will shrink the pore size.

12. Glowing Skin:

Tomatoes are not just an important part of a healthy diet but also work wonders when applied topically on the skin. Applying tomato juice or rubbing tomato halves on the skin evens out the skin and revives the glow giving you a healthy looking skin. It contains high amount of Vitamin C which is known to brighten skin.

13. Treats Skin Conditions:

Tomato seed oil is the newest addition to the line of natural carrier oils and is excellent for treating several skin conditions. These are packed with a substance that fights free radicals and signs of ageing. Tomato seed oil is used for the treatment of mild to severe skin conditions like eczema and psoriasis. It is also helpful in treating dry and damaged skin.

•Use a moderate quantity of oil to massage the affected areas of your skin. Leave it overnight and wash it off the next day.

•You can also add this oil to your facial creams, moisturizer and scrubs, to keep the skin soft and smooth.

14. Treats Acne:

Vitamin A and C are commonly found in many acne treating medicines and ointments. The high acidic content in tomatoes helps to treat rashes and acne.

•If you are suffering from tiny zits on your face, then cut the tomato in two halves and apply the inside of it on your face

•. If you suffer from severe acne problems then peel a fresh tomato and mash it. Apply this pulp on your face and leave it for an hour.

•Rinse it off and pat dry. Use this pack regularly to get rid of tan and pimples.

15. Prevents Excess Oil Secretion:

Excess sebum production leads to clogging of pores that leads to pimples, dirt build up and uneven skin tone. Squeeze juice of 2 tomatoes and add 4 tablespoons of cucumber juice to it. Apply this homemade toner to your face daily with the help of a cotton ball to control excess oil and shine and to unclog the pores.

16. Prevents Signs of Ageing:

Tomatoes and its products enable the skin to absorb oxygen and prevent the signs of ageing. It provides an amazing natural skin treatment which can make the skin look younger and healthy with less effort.

17. Acts as a Natural Sunscreen:

According to various studies, tomato contains an antioxidant called lycopene which acts as a natural sunscreen. This provides the skin protection from harsh UV rays.

18. Acts as a Stress Reliever:

Tomato extract is often used in luxurious body massage oils to combat visible sign of stress on the skin. Tomato extract is also used in eye creams, which, along with other essential ingredients, leaves the eyes looking fresh and revitalized.

19. Perfect Astringent:

The astringent properties of tomato make it an excellent choice for combination skin.

•A pack made from mashed avocados and tomatoes soothes the skin and cleanses it thoroughly to give you a glowing complexion.

•Apply this face pack and wash it off with lukewarm water after 20 to 30 minutes. Tomato contains natural oil reducing and astringent properties while avocado provides antiseptic and moisturizing effect to the skin.

20. Fights Cellular Damage:

Consumption of at least 16 milligrams of lycopene every day reduces the amount of free radicals in the body to give you a youthful kin. It fights cellular damage and reddening of the skin and also retains the moisture, thus preventing fine lines and wrinkles. This property of tomato makes it an amazing anti -ageing product.

21. Natural Bleaching Agent:

Tomato is considered as a natural bleaching agent and is very helpful in lightening the skin tone.

•Prepare a face pack by mixing 1 teaspoon of oatmeal, 1 teaspoon of yogurt and 2 teaspoon of tomato pulp.

•Apply it on the face and neck and leave it for 20 minutes. Oatmeal will gently exfoliate the skin, while yoghurt and tomato will help to clear the blemishes. This improves the complexion.

22. Prevents Sunburn:

According to Prevention Magazine, people who consumed 5 tablespoon of tomato paste daily for 3 consecutive months were naturally protected against sun burn. Sun burnt skin can also be treated by applying tomato on the affected parts.

•Make a pack by mixing 2 teaspoons of tomato pulp with 1 teaspoon of yoghurt. Apply this on the face, neck, hands and feet.

•Tomato cools the skin while yoghurt provides a protein boost to make the skin soft and supple.

23. Smooth Skin:

Mix honey with tomato juice to make a thick paste. Apply it on the face and wash it off after 15 minutes to get a smooth and glowing skin.

24. Removes Dead Skin Cells:

Tomatoes can greatly help you to remove dead skin cells.

•Grind tomatoes in a mixer with the seeds and add 1 teaspoon of sugar to it.

•Apply it on the face and massage gently in circular motion.

You can also cut 1 tomato into 2 halves and sprinkle some sugar on it. Gently scrub your skin with it to do away with dead skin cells and get a clean and fresh looking skin.

So you can see that tomatoes are not just healthy to eat, put to put on your body.

When preparing for tomato soup of course you have to have the main ingredients.  I go every Tuesday to my local organic market to buy them.  Depending on what style and or type they have I will pick up enough for some soup.  The favor also depends on the kind of tomatoes you use.

I chop them up in small pieces and then put in a blender and liquefy them.  Whatever the mood I am in determines on what type of herbs I will add.

I love tomato and basil.  Therefore I will get fresh basil and crush in with maybe some pepper.

The next step is putting this liquid piece in a pot and boil until it gets nice and red.  I then serve it with goat’s cheese on top, which will melt from the steam.

This  

Makes for a perfect lunch or dinner with a salad of your choice.

Enjoy until next time…