Breakfast 'Cereal'

I bought puffed millet about a month ago and have just been using it in my homemade chocolate (recipe in a previous post).  However just recently I have been eating it as cereal in the morning.  It is like a puffed rice crispy.  It's not crunchy when it gets wet, but I think it adds a great variety to the morning routine.  I had a large bowl of it with pecans, fresh raspberries and unsweetened almond milk.  It is not very filling by itself so adding nuts and some berries gives it more substance.  Try it and see if you like it!

I purchased mine in the health food section of Kroger... possibly by the cereal or healthy baking section.  (It's been awhile so I can't quite remember)

June... a great time to do a Cleanse!

June has quickly approached us... I am not sure where the first half of the year went?!?  Doing a full body cleanse is a great idea to do at least 2 times a year.  It gives your body a fresh cleaning and helps you to get rid of the "gunk" that bogs it down over time through our environment and diet.  Clean Start by Nature Sunshine is an amazing cleanse..  Hands down it is my favorite.  Its very simple to do, doesn't have a bad taste, and I feel great while doing it.  I always feel so much better by day 3 or 4.. increased energy, clearer thinking, better bowel movements, etc.  It cleans out all the filters in your body which people never think to do... we clean out the air filters in our cars and house however people never think to do so in their body! Think how much better you would function and the sickness that could be prevented by just doing a cleaning every once in awhile.  Most people only focus on cleaning the outside of their body (which is a plus)... and rarely focus on the inside which is MUCH more important!! Take time for yourself and make it a must do!

Available in the office or online by following the online ordering instructions at http://www.drcarolynmaxfield.com/page/online-store.html.  The stock number is 3993-8.  Make sure to get the Wild Berry. 

***DO NOT do cleanse if you have loose stool

Brownie/Chocolate Cake with Almond Flour

Sorry its been awhile since I have last posted and put up a recipe.  Life has been busy needless to say and I haven't been trying out new recipes lately.. so I will get back in the swing of things.  (And it gives me ideas to post up stress releasing ideas and supplements... who wouldn't benefit from that.. right?!) Anyways a patient of mine sent this recipe to me awhile ago and I finally made it last night!  It was great! It gives you that chocolate and 'starchy' fix that many people crave.

Ingredients
2/3 cup xylitol or honey
1/2 cup melted butter coconut oil
1 Tbsp. vanilla extract
3 eggs
1 cup almond flour
1/2 cup cocoa (unsweetened)
1/4 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. sea salt

Mix ingredients all together and place on a greased 8x8 pan.  (I grease all my pans for baking with coconut oil.)  Bake on 350 degrees for about 20 to 25 min. 

The texture is closer to a dense cake than brownies I thought.... and the batter is delicious :).. that's my weakness. 

I hope you enjoy them like I did!  It would be great with raspberries on top :)



The recipe was modified from http://grainfreefoodie.blogspot.com/2012/01/almond-flour-brownies.html. 

Another easy meal idea... A Roast!

Another meal I forget to talk to patients about (esp those in Phase One) is a roast in the crockpot.  It takes about 2 minutes to get ready and full of tasty food and protein.  Throw the roast in the crockpot with an onion, carrots, celery, and a few cloves of garlic.  (You could probably add in sweet potatoes too.)  I put it in a few inches of water but organic chicken stock is another great option and gives it a great flavor.

Put it in the crockpot in the morning and then when you get home from work your dinner is already made!  Sounds like a perfect deal to me!  Have the roast and cooked veggies by itself or you can even put it over some warm quinoa.  Delicious!! :)

Weds Night Dinner

Tacos (well... without the shell)!! It is something that is so quick and easy to make and great for anyone especially those doing Candida Clear.  Last night we had them and they hit the spot.  It is something I keep forgetting to mention to patients for a quick easy meal.

Last night we had turkey burger, onion, tomato, lettuce, homemade guacamole (avocado, lime, cilantro, onion), cilantro.... all topped with lime juice.  It was very tasty, easy to make, and a great healthy meal.  Hopefully you all will remember this quick easy meal and be able to eat as much of it as I did!  Delicious!  

Almond Milk vs Regular Milk

For all those people that think milk is full of vitamins (especially vitamin D) and calcium and do not want to make a switch to almond milk think again.  Milk advertisements have done their job and made people believe that if you don't give your kids milk they won't grow tall and strong.  Adults think the same holds true for them.  Well I took a pic of a simple chart that was on my almond milk.  It compares calories (lower in unsweetened almond milk), sugars (lower in unsweetened almond milk), calcium (higher in almond milk), Vitamin D (higher in almond milk), and Vitamin E (much higher in almond milk).  Almond milk is a GREAT milk for children, much easier to digest and YES they will still grow tall and strong!!

(Also never ever drink soy milk... no matter how old or young you are.  If there is soy in infant formula avoid at all costs.  Soy acts as an estrogen and by ingesting it you are ingesting liquid hormones which then causes a whole host of other problems.. Avoid avoid avoid!)

Share with all those people who are still convinced milk is the only answer.

Truth about Acid Reflux

If you or anyone you know suffers from acid reflux keep reading!  Acid reflux actually happens because there is a deficiency in stomach acid.  Yep that's correct... there is NOT enough stomach acid!  It may sound confusing but when there is not enough stomach acid your body can't break down food properly (resulting in indigestion) causing gas and bloating.  When the food isn't broken down properly it causes the regurgitation up (into the esophagus) causing what we call 'acid reflux.'  When people have symptoms they typically take something which actually neutralizes the acid (which is already low)... this causes an even lower amount of stomach acid and only puts a band aid on the acid reflux and does not fix the problem.

Stomach acid is there to help you digest food and kill off invaders such as bacterias and viruses. If you or someone you know gets sick constantly I would confidently bet they have low stomach acid because their body's first line of defense (stomach acid) is lacking.  Obviously there are many many other reasons people get sick but that is one of the best and first places to start.

WHAT SHOULD YOU DO?
There are a couple things... first people who do have ulcers from long term acid reflux have to treat this slowly.  You don't want to introduce more stomach acid when there is an ulcer... ouch!  To test for this you can take 2 TBS of Apple Cider Vinegar with a little bit of water and see if this burns in your stomach area.  If it does then you likely have a ulcer of some sort.  If you do there is no need to worry because we have 2 products at the office by Standard Process that help to heal the ulcers and coat the stomach to help prevent reflux.  They are called Gastrex and Okra-Pepsin.  These are not the fix to acid reflux but are a natural 'Tums' that does not deplete stomach acid like antacids do. 

If you do the Apple Cider Vinegar test and it goes okay the 2 best supplements I use are PDA (not public display of affection...) by Nature Sunshine and Zypan from Standard Process.  These include stomach acid in them to help you break down food and actually fix the real root cause of reflux... low stomach acid.  If you have questions or concerns contact the office.  I actually test for this on new patient visits so let me know if you want me to check it again!  (For existing patients- Food Enzymes has a little stomach acid in it as well as other great things!)

A side note... Apple Cider Vinegar is great for digestion and I encourage people to take it with meals as often as possible.  I take it whenever I am home and fill up a shot glass half with Apple Cider Vinegar and half with water.  (You may want to take it with a little more water to make the taste more mild.)  Also for those who are on the Candida Clear diet/Phase 1 it says no vinegars... however Apple Cider Vinegar is an exception to the rule.  It actually helps to combat candida and is one of the very few vinegars that can be used.  It has enzymes that help tremendously with digestion and also helps to create an environment for healthy bacteria to live in your digestive tract which in turn keeps candida in check. 

FUN FACT: Anyone with gray hair is deficient in stomach acid

Please feel free to email me at DrCarolynMaxfield@gmail.com if you have any questions!