I gave up all grains a year ago after reading the book, “Undoctored”, by William Davis MD, and I have really missed eating pasta the most. It was tough to give up!
Have you tried Chick Pea and Green Lentil Penne? I discovered this one day while shopping at Walmart of all places, with my mother. I couldn’t believe my eyes—I found a pasta I could eat! It has two ingredients – Chickpea flour and Green Lentil flour. A three-ounce serving has 24 grams of protein, 43 grams of net carbs, 69 mg of Calcium, 4 mg of Iron and 540 mg of Potassium.
Since this discovery, I have found several other varieties of edible non-grain legume pastas on the market. One of my favorites is a Red Lentil pasta made with just red lentil flour—that’s it! One ingredient.
The brands I originally found came from Italy, but now I have found several companies making this type of pasta. The health food stores carry several different types made from all kinds of beans and legumes. Read the ingredient list and make sure it’s a pure non gmo product, and organic if possible.
I have made some delicious meals and they make me feel like I am eating regular pasta. Zucchini noodles are wonderful substitutes for noodles, but they never really satiated my taste buds like good old pasta did. This product does. The key is to cook it in lots of water and keep it al dente. Rinse well and then use in your recipe. Since it’s not like wheat pasta, it does create quite a murky look in the water, but don’t worry, it rinses clean and tastes great.
Of course, I don’t eat this too much, since it’s still high in carbs, but once in a while is perfect and a wonderful treat to have.
For years I read about how bad clams, oysters, shrimp and all the bottom feeders in the ocean are for your health. But, now new research is showing that we need them to supply all the missing Micronutrients our bodies need. Most of us focus on the Macronutrients, but we need both to be healthy.
Clams are a lean source of protein; high in iron, copper, manganese, selenium, potassium, phosphorus, zinc, vitamins and Omega -3 fatty acids. They also have been found to possess cancer preventing properties.
For those of you taking CoQ10 as a heart builder, did you know that you need zinc, copper and magnesium for it to work properly? John and I were trying to find natural ways to help heal my father’s congestive heart failure and recently learned that bit of information from our Ayurvedic Cardiologist. He is a big proponent of crab, shrimp, mussels, oysters, lobster, clams and salmon. He also suggests eating Pumpkin seeds, Hemp seeds, Flax seeds, Cashews, Brazil nuts, Almonds and dark chocolate.
The best way to be healthy and get what our bodies need is through clean nutritious food. Supplements are helpful, but only if we can’t get it through eating.
Since my two episodes of cancer, I did initially take quite a few supplements but now weaning them down and selectively using more natural herbal extracts. A wonderful place to visit online is Banyan Botanicals. I purchase all my cooking spices and Ayurvedic herbal powders from them. I love all their products and they are a great resource to have.
Happy eating and cooking! Be bold and try new foods!
To your health and happiness,
Alis