Nothing is more sobering than taking a peek into the current state of our children's health. Whether you have children of your own or know and love someone else's, the startling statistics have an impact on us all. 

• 31% of children in the United States are overweight or obese
  
• 5.2 million have been diagnosed with ADHD
  
• 5 million have a learning disability
  
• 3.4 million have reported food allergies
  
• 9.4 million have reported skin allergies
  
• 7.0 million currently have asthma
  
• 1 in 110 have Autism Spectrum Disorder 
  
• 10 million have been on a prescription medicine for at least 3 months
• 1.2 billion annual ambulatory care visits
  

With these kind of statistics, it's quite likely you know or love a child who is affected by one or more of these health issues. While conventional medicine would like us to believe that our children's health is left to chance, there is a growing movement of adults who have embraced the healing power of real food as the key to not only their own health but the health of their children.

The Paleo Parents, Stacy Toth and Matthew McCarry, are leaders in this real food movement. Combined they lost 200 pounds in less than fifteen months, transforming their own health as well as the health of their children. The Paleo Parents have paved the way for families to reclaim their health and the health of their children. First, by starting the Paleo Parents website, a resource where they share their practical approach to preparing foods that aren't genetically modified, processed or commercially produced and second with the much anticipated release of their book Eat Like a Dinosaur, Recipe & Guidebook for Gluten-Free Kids.

While the book is beautiful in every way, with glossy pictures, lots of color and scrumptious recipes, Eat Like a Dinosaur (ELaD) is so much more than a cookbook, it is the personal story of how this family embraced food instead of medicine to get healthy.

ELaD is about Cole, a chubby baby turned overweight preschooler with self-control issues. Close to being expelled from school for his behavior. By removing processed foods from his diet, his behavior dramatically changed, incidents of bed wetting stopped, his asthma disappeared and his skin rashes cleared up. It was Cole's dramatic health improvements that inspired the Paleo Parents to write this book. Cole has his own special chapter in the book with a beautifully illustrated story about how he "Eats Like a Dinosaur". 

ELaD is about Finian, a high-spirited and energetic child with extreme highs and lows. At the age of two, he was showing early signs of attention deficit disorder. Like his brother, he was at the top end of the weight chart, with skin sensitivities and pet allergies. With the elimination of grains, refined sugars, legumes and dairy, not only did these things resolve themselves, no medication was necessary. Amazingly, Finian's ability to listen to directions, remain on task and be attentive has improved while his energetic personality remains unchanged.

ELaD is about Wesley, the baby of the family who was spared the health consequences that affected his older brothers. Not unlike his brothers, he was exclusively breastfed, however because of Stacy's commitment to a diet rich in real foods, free of dairy and gluten, Wesley never experienced the all too common gassy baby belly, fussiness and colic, diaper rash and weekly fevers. Instead he is a good sleeper, a good eater, an overall easy-going, happy  and healthy baby.

ELaD is about how ordinary families everywhere can revolutionize their health, by eliminating poor quality food with no nutritional value to eating whole nutrient dense foods every meal of the day. With the guidance of the Paleo Parents your kids will be in the kitchen with you helping you stir the pot, picking out fresh produce at the farmer's market and even eating broccoli and loving it.

Eat Like a Dinosaur, Recipe & Guidebook for Gluten-Free Kids
is available TOMORROW (3/20/2012) through Amazon and Barnes & Noble.  

It's the week of love. While many claim Valentine's Day is a "Hallmark holiday", a day that exists solely for commercial purpose, I am going to re-claim it as a holiday to spread the love. That is my love of all things healthy. I have a few fun give-aways planned this week, so be sure to check back regularly for a chance to win a few of my favorite healthy things.

Today I want to spread my love of books. I love to read and if I didn't feel like a sloth for sitting so long or get hungry, I would read all day. While I enjoy a good fiction book on occasion, I am usually reading non-fiction. Anything that has to do with healthy living captivates me, whether it's a cookbook or a book on GMOs. While I have several favorite books, there are two at the top of my list, The 150 Healthiest Foods on Earth and Cracking the Metabolic Code. I recommend these two books to anyone who not only wants to eat healthy but be healthy as well.

THE 150 HEALTHIEST FOODS ON EARTH
Author: Jonny Bowden, Ph.D., C.N.S.

When it comes to books of the food persuasion, I'm a sucker for glossy pages and colorful pictures. The 150 Healthiest Foods on Earth has both. In addition it is loaded with all you need to know, to be convinced, the foods we eat, can either harm us or heal us. In this book, Dr. Bowden not only shares the top 150, he also consults with nutrition industry experts for their top favorite healthy foods. While all the foods in the book are considered the healthiest, there are some that get star status, those foods that could be considered "super" foods, like Brussels sprouts, coconut, butter, eggs, tea, cinnamon and more. Finally, Dr. Bowden tackles the issues of food quality by discussing issues like pasteurization, sustainable farming and organic practices. There are shelves of diet books on the market that tell us what not to eat, you probably have many of them on your own bookshelf. Not this book. This book tells you exactly what to eat to experience health and vitality. 

CRACKING THE METABOLIC CODE
Author: James B. LaValle, R.Ph., C.C.N., N.D.

I was introduced to Jim LaValle when he partnered up with Life Time Fitness as an educator and expert in metabolic medicine. It would be impossible for me to say how much this man has impacted my health. He was the cornerstone in rebuilding my health and educating me on adrenal fatigue and endocrine function. I have been a patient of Jim's for three years and what a blessing it has been to be able to benefit from his expertise and knowledge first hand. You too can benefit by checking out Cracking the Metabolic Code. This book is for anyone who wants to be healthy and optimize their health by understanding how the body functions. The book explains the interrelationship of everything you do in life and how it affects your health by breaking it down into nine key steps. Once you've read through the nine, you take a series of questionnaires that help you "crack" your own metabolic code. While I wholeheartedly believe everyone can benefit from reading this book, if you suspect or know you have adrenal, thyroid or other metabolic issues, this is an absolute MUST READ! 

As I mentioned on the Healthy Living How To Facebook Page, after making lacto-fermented mayonnaise the other day, I was dreaming up something for dinner that could be drowned in it's deliciousness. Egg salad, tuna salad, salmon salad all fit the bill, but I had also cooked a whole chicken in our pressure cooker. For a while there, I was in the habit of making a whole chicken once a week, two birds, one stone, you know. Enough chicken for a recipe or two and bone broth for the week. This is a reminder to myself, must get back into this habit. After searching through a few of my favorite recipe sources and not finding anything that teased my tastebuds, I decided to go with an easy chicken salad. I am the queen of just throwing meals together on a whim, so no measurements necessary for this recipe and there is plenty of leftovers. 

I've just about covered the rainbow in this dish. It's got red, yellow, orange and green peppers. Some more orange with the carrots, a little white with the jicama and some green/white in the table onions. Serve this over a bed of mixed salad greens and you can pick up some purple, or if it fancies you, throw in a few seedless purple grapes as well. Either way, this salad is loaded with color, beautiful for the eyes and the body.

Rainbow Chicken Salad
Recipe by Healthy Living How To

Printable Recipe

Prep Time: 15 minutes
Serves: 4-6

Ingredients

• 2-3 lb. Organic Free-Range Chicken, Cooked
  
• Green, Red, Yellow, Orange Bell Pepper
  
• Celery
  
• Jicama
  
• Carrots
  
• Green Onion
  
• Lacto-Fermented Mayonnaise
  
• Celtic Sea Salt & Coarse Ground Black Pepper
  
• Oven-Roasted Pecans, Walnuts or Sliced Almonds

Optional Fruit Add-Ins

• Purple Seedless Grapes, Sugar-Free Dried Cranberries, Green Apple, Raisins
  

Directions

1. Choose whatever method you prefer and cook the chicken. When making a chicken for the shredded meat (as opposed for the presentation), I use the pressure cooker. It's done in 20 minutes. Once chicken is cool enough to handle, clean, saving all remnants, skin and bones to make bone broth. Chop or shred chicken and place in a large mixing bowl.

2. Lay out nuts on parchment lined cookie sheet and oven roast at 350º F for 10 minutes or so. If using pecans or walnuts, you will chop once roasted and cooled.

3. Get a sharp knife and cutting board out and begin chopping all your veggies. I like to really bulk up the salad, so I use a lot of veggies. If using fruit, dice it up now as well. You decide how much you want to use. Throw veggies on top of the chicken.

4. To the chicken and veggies, plop two large dollops of mayonnaise on and mix. Add as much mayo as you desire. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

5. Finally serve and top with roasted nuts. Enjoy!

I'm far from being a raw vegan, but for whatever reason, lately, I have been drawn to recipes, tips and tricks alike, used in this style of "un"cooking. I think my new found affinity is two-fold, for starters, raw vegan recipes are usually very creative and two almost always beautiful. So while my belief in the optimal nutritional intake differs from that of a raw vegan, I appreciate the commitment it takes to eat healthy real food. 

I recently stumbled on a recipe for a vegan dairy-free alternative to Parmesan cheese that promised to be all that and a bag of kale chips. It sounded a little to good to be true, after all, it's just ground up cashews, garlic and salt. So, I went straight to Google to do some investigating. Seriously, how can that possibly taste like Parmesan cheese? Lo and behold, I couldn't believe it, recipe after recipe, with slight variations, all with rave reviews, for this vegan cheese making secret. Then I lost my mind and actually bought a Raw Nut Cheese Recipe e-book from Russell James, a well-known raw vegan chef with a very cool accent. I'll keep you posted on my forays in becoming a vegan nut cheese maker.

Somewhere amidst my recipe, website and blog hopping, I landed on Mimi Kirk's recipe and video for a raw vegan Caesar salad that uses "Cashew Parm" (that's what vegans call it) in the dressing. I love, love, love Caesar salad, and my tried and true recipe uses "Real Parm", made with dairy. The same dairy that I confessed doesn't agree with me. I hadn't ventured into making a non-dairy Caesar dressing since going dairy-free, until today.

I followed Mimi's recipe, adjusting ingredients for my preferred taste in a Caesar dressing. I suggest you do as well. Be sure to use an olive oil that you like the taste of, as that can make or break your salad dressing. No anchovies or anchovy paste is used in the original recipe, but you can certainly add a squirt or two, I did. The original recipe calls for gluten-free tamari sauce, which can be swapped with coconut aminos or worcestershire sauce, each will lend a slightly different taste. Like I said, everyone has their own taste preference in a Caesar, so don't be afraid to play with the ingredients a little.

Caesar Salad with
Cashew "Parmesan" Cheese

Original Recipe by Mimi Kirk
Adapted by Healthy Living How To

Printable Recipe

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Ingredients

• 2 Organic Medium Garlic Cloves
  
• 1 tsp. Organic Capers
  
• 1 oz. Organic Lemon Juice, Fresh
  
• 1/2 tsp. Dijon Mustard
• 1 tsp. Coconut Secret Raw Coconut Aminos
• 1/2 tsp. Coarse Ground Black Pepper
  
• Squirt of Anchovy Paste (optional)
• 1/2 c. Extra Virgin Olive Oil
  
• 1 c. Raw Cashews
  
• 1 tsp. Celtic Sea Salt
  
• Romaine Lettuce Leaves
  

Directions

1. In a food processor or high powered blender, pulse cashews with salt and one garlic clove until it resembles Parmesan cheese. Set aside. *Store leftovers in a tightly sealed container in the refrigerator. 

2. In a mixing bowl, using a garlic press, crush one clove of garlic along with the capers. To this add fresh squeezed lemon juice, coconut aminos, mustard, pepper and anchovy paste and whisk together.

3. While whisking with one hand, slowly drizzle in the olive oil creating an emulsion. 

4. Once all oil has been incorporated, add 1/4 c. of the cashew "Parmesan" cheese.

5. Plate your salad, drizzle with dressing and top with more Paremesan cheese. Enjoy!

The ORAC (Oxygen Radical Absorbance Capacity) unit, ORAC value, or "ORAC score" is a method of measuring the antioxidant capacity of different foods and supplements. It was developed by scientists at the National Institutes of Health. While the exact relationship between the ORAC value of a food and its health benefit has not been established, it is believed that foods higher on the ORAC scale will more effectively neutralize free radicals. According to the free-radical theory of aging, this will slow the oxidative processes and free radical damage that can contribute to age-related degeneration and disease. ~ORAC Values

In the veggie world, guess what veggie has the highest ORAC value? I will give you three guesses, and the first two don't count. If you guessed Kale you win the prize. Wait, there's no prize, pat yourself on the back for being super duper smart! Yes, Kale is the superstar of the ORAC value rating table. Per 100 grams or approximately 3.5 oz., Kale scores 1,770 and raw spinach is a close second at 1,260 followed by Brussels sprouts, alfalfa sprouts and broccoli. Want to keep the doctor away and the wrinkles at bay? It is recommended to consume between 3,000 to 5,000 ORAC units per day from fruits and veggies. 

Kale belongs to the Brassica family, sibling to broccoli, cauliflower, Brussels sprouts, cabbage, collards and turnips. This family of veggies is rich in phytochemicals, indoles and sulforaphane, potent cancer fighters. 

Kale is rich in calcium, iron and vitamins A, C and K. In fact, Kale is a spectacular source of Vitamin K. One cup of Kale provides more Vitamin K than any other vegetable. Vitamin K is a key nutrient in helping the body regulate inflammation. It also helps the blood clot normally, prevents calcification of the arteries and protects the bones from fracture.

When shopping for Kale, it is important to buy organic. The reason isn't because the nutritional value is necessarily greater, but because of the pesticides. Pesticides have been linked to a variety of health problems, including brain & nervous system toxicity, cancer, hormone disruption, and more. The Environmental Working Group publishes a list of what's called the "Dirty Dozen", the top 12 produce that have the highest concentration of pesticides (that's after being washed). Kale is on the list.

Kale Chips, I dare you to eat just one.
These melt-in-your mouth veggie chips are strangely addicting.

Kale Chips
Recipe by Healthy Living How To

Printable Recipe

Prep Time: 5 Minutes
Cook Time: 10-12 Minutes
Serves: 2-4

Ingredients

• 1 Large Bunch of Organic Kale
• Misto Sprayer filled with Olive Oil or Olive Oil
• Celtic Sea Salt
• Seasoning of Your Choice, Onion Powder, Garlic Powder, Paprika, Parmesan Cheese

Directions

1. Separate leaves from the stem and tear into bite-sized pieces.
2. Rinse and dry kale using a salad spinner.
3. Lay out on baking sheet lined with parchment paper and lightly spray or drizzle with olive oil.
4. Sprinkle with salt and seasonings.
5. Bake at 350°F for 10-12 minutes.

Most people attribute dairy sensitivities to lactose, the natural sugar in cow's milk and milk products. Gastrointestinal distress, bloating, and gas are common symptoms that present themselves when you lack the enzyme necessary to digest lactose. However, sensitivity to the proteins found in milk, casein and whey, may also be the culprit in a number of health issues. If you regularly suffer from nasal congestion, sinusitis, ear infections, joint pain, seasonal allergies, diarrhea, psoriasis, eczema, acne, or any other autoimmune illness, you may experience significant improvement in your health just by avoiding dairy.

There are compelling arguments for and against the consumption of dairy products. Whether it's an animal rights issue or a health issue, it's quite easy to find dairy-free alternatives. Cow's milk and its by-products are actually quite easy to cut out of your diet. Many recipes can be made by substituting cow's milk with almond milk or coconut milk, without a change in flavor or consistency. Goat's milk is believed to be easier to digest and less allergenic, which makes goat cheese an excellent alternative. If you haven't tried the different varieties of goat cheese you don't know what you are missing.

If you are unsure if dairy if affecting your health, there is one way to find out, give it up. You can do a dairy-free challenge by abstaining from all dairy products for about thirty days. On day thirty-one, reintroduce dairy, paying close attention to any signs of sensitivity. I have done this challenge myself and noticed no difference in my health during the thirty days, however, what I noticed when I reintroduced it was interesting. 

I show no signs of intolerance to having heavy cream (grass-fed, pasteurized, non-homogonized) in my morning coffee. Some days I have an afternoon cup of java as well with no noticeable ill effects. Now, if I have some form of dairy (cheese, yogurt, sour cream) with my breakfast and again at dinner, I will almost always go to bed bloated and gassy. So for me, there seems to be a limit with how much dairy my digestive system can handle. Almost always, the day after having more dairy then I should, I wake up in the morning with watery "sticky" eyes. For a long time I attributed this to seasonal allergies, which I now have been able to trace back to too much dairy.

I am not an animal rights activist and enjoy meat with the best of 'em, however, I can't write about dairy without a quick note about farming practices and quality of conventional dairy products. Instead of me writing about it, I will leave it to Jonny Bowden, Ph.D., CNS and author of The 150 Healthiest Foods on Earth. Here's what he has to say...

"In the modern factory farm - which is truly a farm in name only - cows are milk and beef production machines that exist to turn corn and grain into milk and meat as quickly as possible. Since the natural food of cows is grass, the resultant situation is no less than a biological absurdity, akin to keeping lions alive on a diet of chocolate chip cookies.

A concentrated corn diet can give cow acidosis, which can lead to a general weakening of the immune system that leaves the animal vulnerable to a host of horrible feedlot diseases. In addition, with the intensive production schedules, it's common for the modern dairy cow to produce many times the number of pounds of milk they would produce in nature. Growth hormones and unnatural milking schedules cause dairy cows' udders to become infected. To prevent this, factory-farmed cows are routinely given large doses of antibiotics, the residue of which, along with that of the steroids and growth hormones they are given, invariably wind up in the milk and meat they produce."

If you are ready to reduce your dairy consumption or give it up completely for a month, before you go and buy a an alternative milk product that has unnecessary additives and thickeners, take a shot at making it. It will be healthier for you, taste better and cost a lot less. I regularly make coconut milk and almond milk at pennies on the dollar.

When I first started experimenting with almond milk, I used Blue Diamond Almond Breeze. I didn't drink it straight up, but would use it to make protein shakes or mix with my "greens" supplement. A small carton, which provides four, eight ounce servings, costs anywhere between $1.99-$2.49 where I shopped. I thought it tasted good until I made my own. I tried a couple different brands, like the Trader Joe's brand, cheaper, but disgusting, and Pacific Natural Foods, palatable, but nothing special.

After doing a little research, I found making almond milk is super simple and requires only two ingredients: almonds and water. Compare that to the ingredients in the Almond Breeze: almondmilk (filtered water, almonds), calcium carbonate, tapioca starch, sea salt, potassium citrate, carrageenan, sunflower lecithin, natural flavor, vitamin a palmitate, vitamin d2 and d-alpha-tocopherol (natural vitamin e). And let's not forget the the cost savings!

Cost Comparison of Four 8oz. Servings

Homemade Unsweetened Almond Milk = $0.44

Blue Diamond Unsweetened Almond Breeze = $1.99-$2.49

Cost Savings = 78%+
*I buy a 3 lb. bag of raw almonds at Costco for $9.99

Homemade Almond Milk
Recipe by Healthy Living How To

Printable Recipe

Servings 8

Ingredients

• 1 c. Raw Almonds
• 8 c. Cold Filtered Water, Divided

Directions

1. Place one cup almonds in a mason jar and cover with water.
2. Loosely cover and let soak overnight or 8-12 hours. Rinse and drain.
3. Place soaked almonds and 4 c. fresh cold filtered water in Vitamix or high-powered blender.
4. Process on high for 3-4 minutes.
5. Strain through mesh sieve lined with a cheesecloth or linen towel over a large bowl.

At this point you have a very rich and creamy almond milk. This is not the same, calorically speaking, as the Almond Breeze. It is quite a bit more condensed. This condensed almond milk is fabulous in coffee as a creamer replacement. To thin it out and make it similar in consistency and calories to Almond Breeze, add four more cups of cold filtered water. If you want vanilla flavored almond milk, add one to two teaspoons of high quality vanilla extract and a dash of stevia. Chocolate, no problem, add a tablespoon or two of rich dark cocoa powder along with a pinch of salt and a pinch of stevia.

And so it begins, the holiday season. From Halloween to Christmas, sugary sweet temptations are lurking around every corner. If you are looking to strengthen your resolve and make healthier choices this year, it's time to educate (or re-educate) yourself about the detrimental consequences of sugar.

In her book The Mood Cure, Julia Ross, a nutritional psychotherapist and bestselling author, calls sugar a "bad mood food". Her website lists 59 Reasons Sugar Ruins Health. She is not alone in her crusade for a healthy sugar-free lifestyle, expert after expert has cried out against sugar (and refined carbohydrates), all in the name of better health. This morning I went through several of the books on our bookshelf looking for just one positive health benefit of sugar consumption and I couldn't find one. Not one. But here is what I did find:

"For the same reasons sugar jams hormone signals, it also clogs nutrient channels, weakening bone and muscle and slowing neural communication, which can impair mood and memory and lead to dementia. While all this is going on, sugar stiffens the collagen in your tendons, joints, and skin, causing arthritis and premature wrinkling, while interfering with the production of new collagen throughout your entire body. And because sugar changes the surface markers your white blood cells need to distinguish between indigenous cells from invaders, it opens the door to cancer and infection." ~ Shanahan, Dr. Catherine, Deep Nutrition: Why Your Genes Need Traditional Food 

I understand giving up sugar can be hard. I've been in sugar remission for many years, however, I too loved my sweets. I didn't eat them very often, but when I did, I did it big. Why have one cookie when a dozen is better. I searched out the biggest piece of cake with the most frosting. No dessert was too rich or too sweet. So, I get it. I really do! However, these days, you couldn't pay me to eat a sugar laden dessert. No way, no how. I value my health and my future health way too much. The more I read and learn about how sugar is a contributor to almost every disease, the easier it is to say no thank you, and then I go make these......