High protein foods for vegetarians!

Here is a challenge: find a way to maintain your meat-free diet and still get enough protein.

Luckily nature is up to the challenge and there are a few delicious choices, so dig in!

Some of these foods are not only protein rich but also have some special health benefits:

Avocado contains a good amount of natural protein and also is packed with monounsaturated fats which help manage cholesterol and prevent heart disease.

Spirulina has a whopping 19 amino acids and is loaded with chlorophyll which helps with the production of blood cells.

Broccoli contains plant protein but also has powerful antioxidant properties and is even thought to be an effective anti cancer.

Kale packs a protein punch and brings a good amount of vitamins and antioxidant power to the table.

Figs, while also a rich source of plant based protein, can also help with ulcers, diabetes and lower the risk of heart disease.

A quick rundown on the most common high protein vegetarian foods.

Cutting meat out of your diet can have several positive impacts on your health, but make sure you include protein and iron rich foods to balance your nutritional profile.

The best times to drink water

The importance of drinking water at the correct time maximizes it's effectiveness on the human body.

1. Drinking 2 glasses of water just after you wake up stimulates your organs.

2. Drinking a glass of water half hour after a meal helps digestion.

3.  A glass of water before a bath helps lower blood pressure.

4. A glass of water before bed lowers the risk of stroke and heart attack.

6 vegetables to grow inside your apartment and how

Let’s face it, not all of us have a lawn we can turn into food. Sometimes we just have to make do with what we can. Did you know that you can grow many different vegetables indoors? There are certain varieties that tend to flourish on windowsills or conservatories. So next time you may feel a bit defeated because you live in an apartment and cannot grow your own food, fret not, for there is a virtual cornucopia waiting to be grown right in your living room!

Even if you have a yard, the benefit to growing vegetables indoors is that some varieties can be cultivated year round. Also if you live in a cooler climate, there is no need to construct a greenhouse because you basically already live in one.

Tomatoes: There are plenty of varieties of tomato that can be grown indoors. Some do very well in hanging baskets. Varieties to plant in your indoor garden are, ‘Hundreds and Thousands,’ ‘Tumbler,’ ‘Maskotka,’ and ‘Garden Pearl.’ All of these varieties do very well in hanging baskets and can easily be hung in front of a window.

Radishes: While some root vegetables need too much depth to feasibly grow indoors, round radishes do not. They will work in most any container. Repurposed milk cartons do well for just a few seeds, just make sure to wash the container thoroughly prior to planting. Varieties that tend to do well inside are the fast-growing ones such as ‘Early Scarlet Globe,’ ‘Cherry Belle,’ and ‘Pink Beauty.’

Potatoes: Potatoes are especially easy to grow indoors. You can spout roots from any potato, but be sure to choose one with a lot of eyes. Place a few toothpicks in the potato to hold it up at the top of a container filled with water. Then place the container on the windowsill making sure the eyes are covered in water. It should sprout in about a week. You’ll want to choose a pot that is at least 12 inches deep. Place some pea gravel at the bottom of the pot for drainage and then fill the pot up about 1/3 of the way with soil. Place the potatoes root side down about 6 inches apart. As the plant grows you’ll need to add more soil. When the potato vine reaches the top of the pot, train them to go toward the window. Water them deeply. When small tubers begin to form on the vines your indoor harvest is ready for picking!

Mushrooms: You can grow a myriad of mushroom species indoors. In fact you can buy organic mushroom kits, with mycelium already spawned, online, and simply place them on your windowsill and water daily. But for the mushroom enthusiast, you need to start with a good sterile spawning medium and some spores. Organic rye seed works best for spawning shrooms, just make sure you are in a sterile environment to inject the grow bags with the spores. Place in a dark closest and make sure to maintain proper moisture. When the white mycelium starts to grow, usually around 2-4 weeks, you are ready to transfer to compost and grow your mushrooms. Oyster mushrooms do particularly well indoors and are a delightful treat.

Beans: Dwarf French Beans or one of the many other types of running beans are great for indoors. You can plant the beans in a relatively small pot on the windowsill or just below. When the beans sprout make sure you have fashioned a small trellis for them to climb into the window frame. The beauty of growing beans indoors is that not only will you get food, but the vines running up the window are aesthetically pleasing too!

Salad Greens: There are many different salad greens and leaf lettuce varieties that are great for indoors. Your indoor micro-green garden will also provide a beautiful sight. An important step to take is making sure that your pot has holes in it at the bottom for drainage, as greens are particularly susceptible to root rot. Make sure to keep the soil moist to the touch too. When the plants start to appear pinch off the new sprouts to keep the large healthy shoots growing. When they are tender enough, you can pick your salad right from the plant, one leaf at a time.

Patient Improvement Update!

August 27, 2013

We are so excited about the positive changes in our daughter’s health!

In mid-July of this year, we brought our 11-year-old daughter for a nutritional evaluation from

Susana.  The symptoms included constant bed-wetting at night and even wetting during the

day; stomach pain and heartburn; and most difficult of all – our daughter was always angry.  

This made daily living a challenge for the entire family.

We followed Susana’s recommended dietary changes closely, and our daughter took the

concentrated whole-food supplements that her body specifically needed to help get back on

track with her health.

Just six weeks later, there is an enormous change!  The wetting accidents have stopped

completely.  There is no more stomach pain, and the heartburn has diminished.  Best of all, our

daughter’s anger problem has resolved from 100% of the time down to 10% of the time!  

The whole family is delighted, and we look forward to total resolution of all her problems.

We know how important it is to continue this program plus a healthful life-style in order to

maintain and increase her improvement, and give her a quality of life that we could not even

imagine before.

I am now bringing two others of our children for Nutrition Response Testing, to address their

health issues.   What they do in this clinic really works!

(Names withheld for privacy purposes)

JOIN US ON FACEBOOK FOR ALL OF OUR HEALTH TIPS AND NUTRITIONAL UPDATES!

Why you should eat lemon peels?

When you squeeze a lemon, are you throwing away the most valuable part away?

 

 

 

The skin of a lemon literally has 5 to 10 times the amount of active nutrients as the juice of the lemon.  Salvestrol Q40 and limonen, which are present in the peel, are known to be potent anti cancer agents.  The flavanoids that lemon skin contains have are believed to suppress the division of cancerous cells in the body. Of course the peel is loaded with vitamin C which is referred to as the detox vitamin for its ability to cleanse the blood system of harmful free radicals, preventing tissue damage, inflammation, and lowering the risk of developing heart disease.  Lemon skin can also be eaten to help detox and improve the appearance of skin.

 

Picture credit: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Rawforbeauty/222272341214778

How to Make Organic Fruit and Nut Snack Bars

Kitchen Notes
Back-to-school is almost here, and that means it’s time to find some wholesome lunchbox ideas that are as easy to make as they are tasty.

Of course, we adults need healthy options too! And the good news is, these protein-rich bars are a hit with kids and adults alike!

Inspired by my affinity for KIND Fruit & Nut Bars, this honey-sweetened, grain-free version is far less expensive to make than purchasing its namesake. And even better, you can customize the recipe to make a wide variety of flavor-combinations based on your own personal taste preferences (and your kids too)!
Fruit & Nut Grain-Free Bars

Servings: 8 bars
Active time: 15 minutes
Total time: 35 minutes

Ingredients

1/3 cup pure honey (I prefer sage due to its mild flavor)
2 tablespoons coconut flour
1 tablespoon *all-natural almond butter
1/8 teaspoon sea salt
1 1/3 cups chopped whole *nuts
1/2 cup chopped dried fruit
1 cup unsweetened coconut flakes (not finely shredded coconut)
Directions

Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Trim parchment paper to line a 8×8-inch baking dish, leaving parchment paper to hang over two sides of the dish.
In a large bowl, add the honey, coconut flour, all-natural nut butter and salt. Use a spoon to stir until well combined.

On a large cutting board, coarse-chop a couple of large handfuls of assorted whole nuts (see note below). Measure out 1 1/3 cup of the chopped nuts and add them to the honey mixture.
Rough Chopped Nuts for recipeNext, chop the dried fruit and measure out 1/2 cup and add to the honey mixture.

Finally, measure 1 cup of coconut flakes (not shredded coconut). Place coconut flakes on the cutting board and coarse-chop. Add chopped coconut flakes to honey mixture.

Using a spoon, mix ingredients together making sure they are thoroughly combined.

Place the bar mixture into the parchment-lined baking dish. Fold overlapping flaps down and evenly press the top of the bar mixture firmly to pack-in the ingredients so they hold together better after baking. Then, peel back the parchments flaps from top of bars. (Do not trim, as the flaps make it easier to remove the bars after baking.)

Bake for 20 minutes. Then remove from oven and allow to cool on stovetop for approximately one hour (or until bottom of baking dish should is room temp).

Place in freezer to continue cooling. Once nearly frozen (about 45 minutes to an hour), remove dish from freezer. Then, run a knife along the two edges without parchment. Using the parchment paper ends, lift the bars from the baking dish and place on a cutting board.

Cut into 8 bars and individually wrap and store in freezer. Then you can easily take out what you need and place directly into your child’s lunchbox (or yours) – no need to thaw. However, for best results, bars should be kept cool so they do not become over-sticky. Simply include an ice pack, if placing them in a lunchbox, or taking them on the go.

Recipe Notes:
You can use any combination of nuts, such almonds, cashews, pistachios, peanuts, etc. Just be sure to rough-chop the nuts first and then measure out 1 1/3 cups. The same goes for dried fruit – rough-chop any combination of dried fruit you choose and then measure out 1/2 cup. And finally, you can use any all-natural nut butter you choose, just be sure it’s simply ground nuts without additives for best results and nutrition. (P.S. Notice in the photo how I use my empty Honey Pacifica jars – they make great food storage containers!)

Recipe courtesy of Kelly at The Nourishing Home. For more real food recipes and easy meal planning check out Kelly’s website or follow her on Facebook

How to use lemon and honey to clear your skin

Using Lemon and Honey For Clearer Skin:

Take a half lemon from the fridge and put 3-4 drops of honey on it. Rub the lemon on your face, emphasizing trouble areas. Leave the lemon and honey mixture on your face for 5 minutes and then wash it with cold water. You will be able to see the results immediately. Additionally, lemon juice will also fade other marks/spots on the face and honey will moisturize.

5 Easy Steps to Grow GIANT Vegetables and Flower

Many gardeners enjoy the competition of growing the largest vegetables and flowers - giant vegetables and flowers. It is truly amazing how large some of these giants will grow. I’m not talking about that baseball bat zucchini that hid out under the leaves. I’m talking about 100 pound cabbages and pumpkins that gain 25 pounds in a day. These giants take planning and care.

To seriously compete with the seasoned giant vegetable growers, you’ll need to put considerable effort into your soil, your choice of site and your gardening technique. But to get you started having some fun growing giant sized vegetables, here are 5 easy steps toward success.

Choose the Right Seed

This is the most important step, because some varieties simply grow larger than others. Serious giant growers will often seek out rare seeds to grow. You can start your own giant lineage by selecting a promising variety, like Atlantic Giant Pumpkin or Old Colossus Heirloom Tomato and then saving the seeds from your largest fruits for planting next year. (This only works with open-pollinated varieties, so steer clear of hybrids if you plan to save seeds.)

You may have to do some research on varieties that dependably grow into giants, but the name usually gives it away, like Russian Mammoth Sunflower, that grows upwards of 17 feet tall. Here are a few suggestions to get you started.

Cabbage: Northern Giant Cabbage (100 lbs.)

Carrot: Japanese Imperial Long Carrot (12+ inches long)

Cucumber: Mammoth Zeppelin Cucumber (16 pounds)

Gourd: Giant Long Gourd (120 Inches)

Onion: Kelsae Sweet Giant Onion (One held the world record at over 15 lbs.)

Pepper: Super Heavyweight Hybrid Pepper (½ pound each)

Pumpkin: Atlantic Giant Pumpkin (400 to over 1000 pounds) or

Squash: Show King Giant Green Squash (400+ pounds)

Sunflower: Grey Stripe Giant Sunflower (2 foot heads)

Tomato: Old Colossus Heirloom Tomato (2+ pounds)

Watermelon: Carolina Cross (Giant) Watermelon (200 pounds)

If you’ve had success growing a giant vegetable or flower, let us know what it was.

Give Them a Healthy Start

Beef up the soil your plants will be growing in before you even plant. Spread some manure or compost the fall prior planting. If you’re serious about competing, you should have a complete soil test done and replenish any nutrients and micro-nutrients that might be lacking.

Giant vegetables tend to grow in quick spurts, so they need lots of food. Slow acting organic fertilizers added at planting time will ensure that the food is there when the plant needs it. It will also make for a healthier soil and less pest problems.

And know what type of fertilizer your plant needs. If you’re growing the plant for the fruit, like pumpkins and tomatoes, you’ll want a fertilizer that’s high in potassium and phosphorous, the last two numbers on the package. If you’re growing a leafy vegetable, like cabbage, you’ll want a higher nitrogen number.

Water

Giant vegetables won’t be as tolerant of sporadic watering as the common garden vegetable would be - and even the common vegetable is touchy about not getting its one-inch per week. You have to provide regular deep waterings or your fruits will either languish or split. I recommend using drip irrigation on a timer that compensates for rain, so there are no slip-ups. Because as much as your plants need regular water, they don’t want to sit in wet soil.

Thin to Just the Best Fruits

The more fruits on your plants, the smaller they will be. If they have to compete for nutrients, they’re never going to be giants. So prune or pinch out all but about three of the largest, healthiest looking fruits. Later in the season, you might want to thin down to just one, but keep a couple of extras at the beginning for insurance.

Don’t worry about too much foliage. The foliage is what will be feeding the fruits and helping them grow larger.

Keep Close Watch for Problems

Pests, diseases and cultural problems can move in quickly and ruin an entire crop, especially when there are only a handful of fruits to begin with. Check your plants daily and correct any problems immediately. Try and remove problems by hand, since using chemicals can disrupt the plant too. Hopefully since you’ve given your plants every advantage, problems will be few.

Now comes the hard part. You have to be patient. Look but don’t touch. Too much fussing with your plants is as bad as too little. Let them do what they do and just enjoy watching them grow.

If you find yourself addicted to growing giant vegetables, talk with the competitors at your local county fair. Some will be coy, but many are very open and generous with their knowledge. They’ll know who has the best seed and will be happy to discuss technique with you. There may even be a regional Giant Vegetable Growers organization in your area.

For a humorous, but very informative peek into growing giant pumpkins, I recommend the book Backyard Giants - The Quest to Grow the Biggest Pumpkin Ever, by Susan Warren. Ms. Warren follows competitors through an entire growing season and gives us plenty of tips along the way.

In Memory Of The Innocent Victims Who Died September 1, 2011

"When I look out the window, I exhale a prayer of thanks for the color green, for my children’s safety, for the simple acts of faith like planting a garden that helped see us through another spring, another summer. And I inhale some kind of promise to protect my kids’ hopes and good intentions we began with in this country. Freedom of speech, the protection of diversity — these are the most important ingredients of American civil life and my own survival. If I ever took them for granted, I don’t know."

-Barbara Kingsolver, novelist

How to make breakfast in a jar for two

We now know you can make salads in Mason Jars, but did you know you can also make the BEST breakfasts to “GO” in a Jar too?

You can do it RAW or do it cooked. This recipe we are giving you tastes delicious raw, but if you don’t like muesli, you can just use cooked organic oats.

This is a perfect recipe to make the night before, so your breakfast is WAITING for you….in the refrigerator, alive, raw, living and delicious. It will ‘give’ you ENERGY ~ rather than make you sleepy, as ALL cooked foods will do.

Magnificent Mango Breakfast!

1 large Mango, skined and cubed. ***

1 cup rolled oats (organic)

1/3 cup slivered almonds

1/2 cup chopped Fuli Apple or (any tart apples)

1/4 cup raisins

2 tbsp chia seeds

1 3/4 cups homemade almond milk or COCONUT milk.

Place all ingredients *** except the mango and place in a bowl and soak overnight. Cover all ingredients with a paper towel and place the bowl on the counter. You can also put into the refrigerator but it needs 12 hours to assimilate together.

Now you’re ready….to place into Mason Jars, and tighten the lid and take with you to work or eat right at home. This breakfast will last for 4 hours without refrigeration, unless you live in a hot area. You can also make a few batches of it ahead of time and keep it refrigerated for 24 hours, but no more than that.

Sources: Jay Kordich and Raw For Beauty

Be safe with Backpacks!

Congratulations to MARCOS FRIERE, our Patient of the Month!  Marcos has brought three of his children for our customized Nutrition evaluation recently.  As a Thank You, Marcos will receive one FREE service visit in our office, either chiropractic or nutrition...and his children will greatly benefit from addressing health issues early on!

 

Did you know that your child's spine continues developing and solidifying up to age 17?  That's one reason that a child with a scoliosis (distorted spine curvature) can be greatly helped with chiropractic care.  In fact, we have seen scoliosis reversed! 

 

There is a reported increase in back pain in 11-16 year olds - the period of a child's most rapid growth.  As well as being problematical now, this can carry over into later life.  This back pain may well be due to multiple factors, but we'll take a look at one possibility - backpacks.

 

The common practice of carrying all school books and other items in a backpack can easily produce a strain on the back, unless guidelines are followed. Just as there is a "right way" and a "wrong way" of diving into water, so with carrying backpacks.

 

Here are some excellent tips to help carry your child through those growing years and minimize the chance of sustaining damage from carrying backpacks:

 

1) Use an appropriate size for the child, to avoid sagging and slipping 

 

2) Get wide, padded shoulder straps to absorb the load better. Waist straps help, too, for balance 

 

3) Keep the load light - no more than 15% of the child's weight if he carries the backpack; anything too heavy affects his immediate posture, which over time could become permanent.  (An 80-pound child may carry up to 12 pounds)

 

4) Balance the load in the bag, heaviest items close to the child's back

 

5) Sling it over BOTH shoulders instead of one, thus avoiding imbalance from the body's leaning and curving to compensate for the uneven load. Tighten both straps to hold the pack 2 inches above the waist 

 

6) Consider getting a backpack with wheels - best idea!

 

We're always glad to hear from you.  Someone today has requested a Healthful Cooking Class from Mrs. Thropay.  If any of you wish to join us, please call or email us back and let us know.  We'll try to find a time that suits everyone! 

 

(562) 861-3896

7 Reasons To Drink Water & Lemon

How can chiropractors benefit your health?

Back and neck pain are the chief complaints for which patients seek chiropractic help. Through manual spinal manipulation, chiropractic care is a holistic therapy that focuses on maintaining healthy musculoskeletal and nervous systems to ensure overall wellness.

Effectiveness
The research about chiropractic care is growing. According to the Annals of Internal Medicine, recent studies show that spinal manipulative therapy performed by a chiropractor, along with exercise, relieve neck pain more effectively than medication.

Furthermore, the Journal of Manipulative and Physiological Therapeutics reported that an integrated approach to health care -- including chiropractic care -- results in a 51.8 percent reduction in pharmaceutical costs and 43 percent fewer hospital admissions.

You should consider seeing a chiropractor if you experience frequent pain in your back, neck or joints, as well as headaches. This is especially so if intense soreness follows accidents, household chores or prolonged periods of poor posture.

Back and neck pain
Chiropractors are best known for safely and effectively treating acute back and neck pain, as well as headaches. Whereas a medical doctor might prescribe pain medicine, muscle relaxers or anti-inflammatory drugs, and an orthopedic doctor might suggest surgery, a chiropractor will treat your back problems by hand, through manipulation of the spine.

Nancy Elwartowski-Cooper, a pediatric and prenatal chiropractor, sees more and more referrals from medical doctors: "They (patients) are tired of the drugs and want answers to what is causing their problems."

Chiropractors bring the musculoskeletal structure into proper alignment. Chiropractors change the position of your body and apply pressure to particular points along the spine that are not properly aligned. This results in a popping noise similar to the one created when you crack your knuckles. The noise is created by a change in pressure in your joints as gas bubbles are released.

By adjusting the spine with their hands at particular pressure points, chiropractors unblock nerve energy and allow it to flow better down your spin and throughout your entire body. Repeated visits can, over time, realign your spine to optimize overall health.

Chiropractor Brian Elwartowski said the brain sends messages down the spinal cord and out through the nerves to the rest of your body. If certain nerves are squeezed by a twist in the spine, they won't function as well as if they were straight. "Chiropractic [care] allows the nerves to work at their most optimum ability," he said, "allowing the body to heal at its optimum ability."

Treatment plan
Many chiropractors seek to care for the whole person, from general wellness to disease prevention. They examine every patient, not only for the reason of their visit but also their level of health. After diagnosis, a chiropractor develops a treatment plan.

Keith Overland, president of the American Chiropractic Association, said, "This may include combinations of chiropractic manipulation, physical therapy and rehabilitative procedures for many musculoskeletal problems."

Some chiropractors provide nutrition advice, exercise recommendations, ergonomic and lifestyle counseling and so on. The successful management of chronic conditions may require a combination of these major components. This holistic approach can reduce the need for potentially addictive pain medication or invasive surgery.

Read more: http://www.foxnews.com/health/2012/05/02/how-can-chiropractors-benefit-your-health/#ixzz2dxrmFSWC

Another Happy Customer With Thropay Chiropractic!

We are so excited about the positive changes in our daughter’s health!

In mid-July of this year, we brought our 11-year-old daughter for a nutritional evaluation from Susana.  The symptoms included constant bed-wetting at night and even wetting during the day; stomach pain and heartburn; and most difficult of all – our daughter was always angry.   This made daily living a challenge for the entire family.  

We followed Susana’s recommended dietary changes closely, and our daughter took the concentrated whole-food supplements that her body specifically needed to help get back on track with her health.

Just six weeks later, there is an enormous change!  The wetting accidents have stopped completely.  There is no more stomach pain, and the heartburn has diminished.  Best of all, our daughter’s anger problem has resolved from 100% of the time down to 10% of the time!   

The whole family is delighted, and we look forward to total resolution of all her problems.  We know how important it is to continue this program plus a healthful life-style in order to maintain and increase her improvement, and give her a quality of life that we could not even imagine before.  

I am now bringing two others of our children for Nutrition Response Testing, to address their health issues.   What they do in this clinic really works!

(Names withheld for privacy purposes)

Happy Labor Day From Thropay Chiropractics!

In the United States, Labor Day, the first Monday in September, is a celebration of the labor movement and is dedicated to the social and economic achievements of American workers. It constitutes a yearly national tribute to the contributions workers have made to the strength, prosperity, and well-being of their country.

In many countries, the working classes sought to make May Day an official holiday, and their efforts largely succeeded. In the United States and Canada, however, the official holiday for workers is Labor Day in September. This day was promoted by the Central Labor Union and the Knights of Labor, who organized the first parade in New York City. After the Haymarket Massacre, US President Grover Cleveland feared that commemorating Labor Day on May 1 could become an opportunity to commemorate the affair. Thus, in 1887, it was established as an official holiday in September to support the Labor Day that the Knights favored.