Home » Articles

Articles

Pumpkin Cocoa Custard

Pumpkin-Cocoa-Custard

  • 1 can organic pumpkin puree
  • 1 can full-fat organic coconut milk
  • ¼ cup grass-fed gelatin
  • ¼ cup organic cocoa powder
  • 1 tsp pumpkin pie spice
  • Pinch of sea salt
  • Stevia or raw honey to taste (optional)
  1. Put all ingredients in high-speed blender and mix thoroughly.
  2. Spoon into serving dishes, dust with cocoa powder.
  3. Enjoy!

Mulled Wine Recipe: Cheers to a Non-Toxic Holiday

Mulled Wine Recipe: Mulled wine is a Christmas classic, and believe it or not, it is actually a fantastic healthy post-dinner beverage. Loaded with spices and aromatics, a mulled wine can help you digest and relax after a big meal. Read on for the ultimate healthy mulled wine recipe! mulled-wine-recipe  

Opting for a Natural Non-Toxic Wine

Mulled wine calls for wine, and as the more prominent ingredient in the recipe, it’s important to opt for a high-quality, natural, and non-toxic wine. Conventional wine is made with grapes that are sprayed with pesticides and herbicides. The residue of these pesticides is then fermented along with the grapes and when consumed, will add to your toxic load. Even organic wines in many parts of America test for the residue of dangerous chemicals like glyphosate, because of run-off and how present it is in the tap water system 1. Some wine companies are not only organic but lab-test their wines for purity. Whether you’re making mulled wine or drinking wine as is, Dry Farm Wines make keto and paleo-friendly dry wines that are also sugar-free. Alcohol is arguably the sticking point for many people when it comes to the health benefits of wine. Mulled wine, however, reduces the alcohol content significantly. Fifteen minutes of simmering reduced the alcohol content by 40%. If you want to reduce it even more, an hour of simmering will reduce it to 25% of its original alcohol content.

Aromatic Spices and Bitters

What makes mulled wine not only delicious but also nutritious is the abundance of aromatic spices and bitters. Although wine itself has many anti-aging benefits, the added ingredients to a mulled wine improve digestion, lower cortisol levels, and reduce stress. Cinnamon contains antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, metabolism-booking, and glucose regulating properties. Using cinnamon is a great way to balance blood sugar levels, which are already low in a dry natural wine. Ceylon cinnamon contains more medicinal properties. 2 Clove is another antioxidant-rich spice that has potent antibacterial properties, also helps regulate blood sugar levels, and is rich in manganese. 3 Star Anise promotes digestion and has potent antibacterial and fungal properties. It is also rich in flavonoids and polyphenols, including linalool, quercetin, anethole, shikimic acid, gallic acid, and limonene. 4 Oranges are loaded with vitamin C, but the biggest benefits come from the oils found in the rind. These oils have antimicrobial, pain relief, weight loss, and antioxidant properties. The orange peel also provides a digestive boost. 5 Ginger is well known for its digestive boosting properties and also loaded with antioxidants that prevent stress damage. It helps a variety of ailments including heart disease, high blood pressure, and viral infections. 6 These are just some of the wonderful, warming, and medicinal ingredients found in the mulled wine recipe below. When choosing your spices, it’s typically best to stick with whole or crushed spices. Although the ground flavor is much more aromatic and potent, they are very difficult to strain out. Unless you want to sift your mulled wine through a cheesecloth, avoid the finely ground spices. With whole or crushed spices, you can also leave them in the pot, and just use a ladle to serve the mulled wine to family and friends when they come over!  

Mulled Wine Recipe

mulled-wine-recipe Ingredients
  • 1 750ml bottle of natural organic red wine
  • 1 orange
  • 10 dried cranberries (with no added sugar)
  • 1 tablespoon of sliced fresh ginger
  • 3 cinnamon sticks
  • 4 whole cloves
  • 2 star anise
  • 5 allspice berries
  • Maple syrup to taste (optional) about 1-3 tablespoons
  • Garnish with a slice of dried orange (optional)
Instructions 
  1. Bring all the ingredients except for the maple syrup to a boil and immediately reduce to a low simmer
  2. Simmer for 10-15 minutes (or to the desired alcohol content)
  3. Strain the spices and whisk in the maple syrup to taste if you would like it sweeter
  4. Garnish with a slice of dried orange
 

References

1 “Organic Research.” The Dirt Doctor, https://www.texasorganicresearchcenter.org/organic-research-page/Glyphosate-found-In-100-Of-California-Wines-Tested-Even-Some-Labeled-Organic_vq12656.htm. 2 Rao, Pasupuleti Visweswara, and Siew Hua Gan. “Cinnamon: a multifaceted medicinal plant.” Evidence-based complementary and alternative medicine : eCAM vol. 2014 (2014): 642942. doi:10.1155/2014/642942 3 Ali, Shakir et al. “Eugenol-rich Fraction of Syzygium aromaticum (Clove) Reverses Biochemical and Histopathological Changes in Liver Cirrhosis and Inhibits Hepatic Cell Proliferation.” Journal of cancer prevention vol. 19,4 (2014): 288-300. doi:10.15430/JCP.2014.19.4.288 4 Miyagawa, Michiyo et al. “Anxiolytic-like effect of Illicium verum fruit oil, trans-anethole and related compounds in mice.” Phytotherapy research : PTR vol. 28,11 (2014): 1710-2. doi:10.1002/ptr.5190 5 Seladi-Schulman, Jill. “Orange Essential Oil Uses, Benefits, and Safety.” Healthline, Healthline Media, 3 Oct. 2019, https://www.healthline.com/health/orange-essential-oil-uses#benefits. 6 Wang, Shaopeng et al. “Biological properties of 6-gingerol: a brief review.” Natural product communications vol. 9,7 (2014): 1027-30.

Vanilla Cinnamon Nut Mix

Vanilla Cinnamon Nut Mix

  • 1 egg white
  • 1 Tbsp. coconut oil, melted
  • 1/4 tsp. pure vanilla extract
  • 4-6 drops liquid stevia (optional)
  • 1 tsp. ground cinnamon
  • 2 pinches of sea salt
  • 1/2 cup walnuts
  • 1/4 cup almonds
  • 1/4 cup macadamia nuts
  • 2 Tbsp. almond meal
  1. Preheat oven to 275° F.
  2. In a mixing bowl, whisk together the egg white, coconut oil, vanilla extract, cinnamon, stevia (if desired, optional), and sea salt.
  3. Add the nuts (you may substitute other kinds of your choice) and almond meal, and toss to evenly coat.
  4. Spread the nuts evenly on a rimmed baking sheet and bake for 25 to 30 minutes, until toasted.

Indian Spiced Cauliflower Chili

Indian Spiced Cauliflower Chili--

  • 2 Tbsp. ghee (or coconut oil)
  • 1 large onion, finely chopped
  • 2 cups beef bone broth (I use homemade or Kettle and Fire. You may also substitute vegetable broth)
  • 2 large carrots, scrubbed and diced
  • 4 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 tsp. ground ginger
  • 2 tsp. turmeric
  • 2 tsp. cumin
  • 2 cinnamon sticks
  • 1/2 tsp. cloves
  • 1 tsp. cayenne (optional, or to taste)
  • 1 tsp. sea salt (to taste)
  • 26oz. box or jar of diced tomatoes (or look for BPA-free cans)
  • Cauliflower rice (2 bags frozen riced cauliflower or 1 large head fresh cauliflower, riced)
  • Cilantro, to taste, as garnish
  • Full-fat coconut cream to drizzle on top, optional
  • Diced avocado for the top, optional
  1. Heat ghee or oil in a heavy-bottomed pan over medium heat.
  2. Add onions and saute until translucent, about 4 minutes.
  3. Add garlic and carrots. Continue sauteing about 90 seconds.
  4. Add spices, ginger through salt. Saute about 1 minute.
  5. Add tomatoes. Continue cooking about 2 minutes.
  6. Add bone broth. You may add extra broth or water to desired consistency. Bring to a near boil and then turn heat to low. Cover. Simmer for about 30-60 minutes.
  7. Stir in riced cauliflower and simmer another 15-20 minutes. You want the cauliflower to have some bite, but still be cooked through.
  8. Garnish with coconut cream, avocados, and fresh cilantro, if desired.

Happy Gut Detox Salad

Happy Gut Detox Salad

Salad:

  • 8 cups mixed greens or roughly chopped kale (I mixed both)
  • 1/4 cup raw sauerkraut or other raw, fermented vegetables of your choice
  • 3-4 medium radishes (thinly sliced)
  • 1/4 cup raw (sprouted, if possible) pumpkin seeds
  • 1 medium ripe avocado (thinly sliced)
  • Shredded beets
  • Shredded carrots
  • Handful of chopped parsley
  • Handful of chopped cilantro

Dressing:

  • 1/4 cup tahini
  • 1 Tbsp. grainy mustard (Dijon works great, too!)
  • 2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
  • 2 medium lemons, juiced
  • 1 healthy pinch each of sea salt and black pepper
  1. Add the greens to a large serving bowl and top with beets, radishes, sunflower seeds, parsley, and avocado.
  2. Next, whisk all of the salad dressing ingredients together in a small bowl. Season with salt and pepper, and toss with the salad.
  3. Best when fresh, though leftovers keep (undressed) up to 3 days in the refrigerator.

Your Brain on Diet Soda: Aspartame Effects on the Brain

Recent headlines read, “Michael J Fox will never find a cure.” The actor, long suffering from Parkinson’s disease, was a former advertiser and consumer of diet drinks since a young age, which contain the chemical sweetener aspartame. A seven year time lapse between his diagnosis and informing the media, left many people missing the link between his diet drink consumption and the disease.

The Elusive Cure

Although aspartame is a known trigger of Parkinson’s disease, the Michael J. Fox Foundation is still seeking the elusive cause and cure. Many people have sent legitimate research studies to the foundation pointing to aspartame as a trigger of Parkinson’s, but have been largely ignored. It’s easier, of course, to keep looking for a cause instead of blaming a billion dollar industry with so much profit at stake.

Aspartame Effects on the Brain: The Problem with Aspartame

MJ-FOX-Featured-Image What exactly is so wrong with aspartame? Studies have shown the sweetener directly affects our NMDA receptors, the glutamate-gated ion channels that control our synaptic plasticity and neuronal communication, thereby influencing our learning and memory. The receptors are involved in many neurological disorders, including Parkinson’s, Alzheimer’s, and epilepsy. Aspartame damages NMDA receptors by causing nerves to fire excessively. Basically, it stimulates the neural cells to death, and is the reason why aspartame is called an excitotoxin (others include flavor enhancers like MSG and artificial flavorings). Excitotoxins excite our taste buds, as the name suggests, making them very appealing for the food industry to use to enhance flavor. Aspartame is particularly harmful because high doses can cause severe damage to the nervous system and brain. Therefore, aspartame begets excitotoxins, which creates a brain inflammation cycle that plays a critical role in the onset of Parkinson’s and other diseases of the brain. For further information on this topic, I highly recommend the work of brilliant biochemist Dr. Martin Pall. Many of my clients suffering from neurological disorders and memory loss have a history of consuming diet products; the link between aspartame and neurologic dysfunction is undeniable to me, and I'm observing a growing number of these cases. Moreover, researchers utilize aspartame to produce cancer and tumors in lab rats and, ironically, it's been shown to promote obesity. Sorry dieters, but your diet soda is not only causing brain dysfunction, it is making you gain weight. How much more evidence do we need to ban this poison?

Why is Aspartame Legal?

If the studies indicate that aspartame is a major public health concern, why does it remain on store shelves? One word: money. In 1980, when Donald Rumsfeld (former president of Searle, creator of aspartame) was hired to help transition President Regan into office, he made his old friend Dr. Arthur Hayes head of the FDA. Rumsfeld and Hayes had close links to the president of Pepsico, and Hayes soon approved aspartame for use in foods and sodas. To top it off, Rumsfeld got a $12 million dollar bonus for his role in the scheme. I like to believe that Rumsfeld didn’t realize the massively negative impact that aspartame would inflict on society, as most folks at the time believed it to be safe.  But today we know that it is in no way safe, and is in fact driving neurodegenerative diseases.

The Link to Heavy Metals

In addition to aspartame, Parkinson’s disease is also linked with heavy metal exposure, a topic near to my heart as I battled for years with debilitating mercury toxicity caused by amalgam fillings (read my personal story here). When watching old Michael J. Fox films you can observe a mouthful of fillings when he laughs. The “perfect storm” of aspartame consumption and mercury fillings likely gave rise to his disease. Research has shown that abnormal or excessive exposure to heavy metals is associated with various neurologic and movement disorders, since the metals encourage free radical formation.

The Key to Restoring Brain Health

So what do we do? As I always say, an illness will never heal until the origin or source is removed. Once the offending source, or sources, of illness are eliminated, the body can begin to heal itself as God designed. Stop consuming aspartame immediately, and tell everyone you know and care about to do the same. Also, share this article and video with others who need to hear the truth. I hope and pray that Mr. Fox recognizes the reality of the true cause of his disease, and uses his fame to expose the truth of the deleterious effects of aspartame to the world.

Fight back: Brain-Changing Solutions

What else can you do to impact your brain health and safeguard your memory? I took part in developing these “brain-changer” products, which have made remarkable impacts on many of my clients suffering from neurological decline and disease: A powerful intra-cellular antioxidant which 1) helps to down-regulate the brain inflammation cycle, 2) enhances the cells ability to generate glutathione and Superoxide Dismutase in response to oxidative stress, 3) acts against superoxide and peroxynitrate (ONOO) free radicals. VISTA 1 and 2: A distinctive two part system taken as capsules and liquid oil, composed of the correct ratio of Omega 3 and 6 fatty acids to target and support regeneration of the cellular membrane, where all life begins. The formula contains cardiolipin, critical to the cell’s ability to produce energy, which supports body-wide cellular function. In addition, consuming an un-processed, whole foods diet rich in good fats can make a massive impact on brain function. My favorite healthy fats include: coconut oil, MCT oil, raw olive oil, hemp oil, and eating high quality, grass-fed animal protein like beef, poultry, eggs, wild game, whey, and raw, cultured dairy products, all included on my Cellular Healing Diet. Additional Resources:
  • To read more about my 5R’s of PompaCore Cellular Healing, click here.
  • For more information on how heavy metals negatively impact the body and how to properly remove them and detox, read my three part article series here: part 1, part 2, part 3.
  • Click here to watch the video I shot with my son Simon on healthy cooking and the importance of removing toxins from your life.
  • To get a copy of my brain-changing Cellular Healing Diet book, click here.