We've been recommending High Nutrient Dense food as a way to stay healthy and even reverse some health conditions for some time now. And one thing that's important to keep in mind is no matter how nutrient dense a food is, if there are toxic chemicals in them, that presents a problem of it's own.
A good friend shared a video with us of Zen Honeycutt who founded Mom's Across America to bring awareness to the problems that toxins in our foods can create for our children. She was struggling with her children's health issues. All of her sons had 20 some allergies each, symptoms of asthma and autism as well as autoimmune issues.
She discovered that there were lots of toxins in our food and by going all organic, almost all of her kid's health issues went away. In fact, she said that two of the three boys haven't been to a doctor for nine years now.
Join us to hear more.
Here's a short video of Zen telling more of her story if you'd like to hear that.
We realize that buying all organic food is more expensive but we've always felt that in the long run it more than paid for itself in health care savings and the value of the quality of life we have as a result of staying healthy, partly by avoiding the impact of toxins.
But if you don't have the budget to buy all organic, there are some things you can do to reduce your exposure to harmful toxins from commercial farming that uses herbicides and pesticides. The Environmental Working Group has been testing herbicide and pesticide levels in food since 2002. They publish what they call the Clean Fifteen and the Dirty Dozen.
So, if you need to choose which foods to buy organic, put your organic dollars into the foods listed on the Dirty Dozen so you aren't exposed to the high levels of toxins in those foods. And for the non-organic foods you buy, buy the foods on the Clean Fifteen because the toxin levels on these is not as high.
Here are the lists for 2023:
If you have any questions leave them in the "Comments" section below.
And this week we have a new taco recipe, Squash & Bean Tacos. We've never thought to add squash to our tacos, but it was suggested by Molly Patrick of Clean Food, Dirty Girl and we love it. Give it a try and let us know what you think.
To your Amazing Health,
Connie and Bill
Squash & Bean Tacos (Serves 2-4) *Adapted from Molly Patrick
For the Tahini Dressing:
- ½ cup tahini
- 1 juicy lemon, squeezed
- 2 peeled garlic cloves
- 6 dates, cut in half
- 1 cup filtered water
For the squash:
- 3 cups butternut squash, peeled and cubed (Or Kabocha, Kuri, Buttercup or Delicata squash can be used without peeling)
- ¼ cup Lemon Tahini Dressing (recipe below)
- 1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper
For the tacos:
- Corn tortillas (7 to 10)
- 1 avocado
- 3 cups lettuce, shredded
- 15 ounce can pinto or black beans, drained and warmed
- 1 cup salsa
- ¼ cup cilantro, minced (optional)
Preheat oven to 400º F.
Place all the Dressing ingredients in a high-speed blender and blend until creamy and smooth, 60 seconds or more.
Add squash to a bowl, add ground black pepper and half the dressing and mix well. Place squash on a parchment paper or silicon baking mat lined cookie sheet. Spread out to form a single layer and bake for 30 minutes.
When the squash is cooked, steam tortillas in a steamer basket if not fresh and pliable. To steam, bring water to a boil in the steamer pan, add tortillas, cover and turn off heat. Let steam 1 to 2 minutes until pliable.
Place tortillas one at a time on a plate and mash avocado in center of tortilla. Add lettuce, beans, salsa, squash and drizzle additional tahini sauce over them. Assemble all tortillas you plan to eat and enjoy