SALYCILATES THE NEW GLUTEN ?

Salicylates the new buzz word....

Everywhere you turn today you find a new product or restaurant that claims to be "gluten free". This is being done because the medical community is diagnosing gluten sensitivity more than ever before thus people are now "gluten free" consumers. Gluten is not so much the enemy but rather the quantity of it that we take in as part of the SAD (Standard American Diet) diet. Just check your food intake for the amount of wheat you consume, and while you are at it check the amount of sugar and dairy you and your family may consuming. No wonder we end up with lactose intolerance, gluten intolerance and diabetes. It is almost all due to the quantity we consume as part of the SAD diet.

I see the next buzzword being "Salicylates".  It is a natural compound found in plants and is a sort of  naturally occuring pesticide. This compound also helps plants fight diseases. It is important to understand that if we eat huge quantities of any single food we are putting ourselves at risk of consuming to much of what that food contains. It is for this reason we should eat a broad spectrum of raw plant based foods, vegetables, leafy greens, nuts, seeds, some beans, sea vegetables, grains, berries, and some fruits (not too many).

We may recognize the word salicylate from common over the counter medications, especially N-SAIDS (aspirin or ibuprofin), as well as other compounds such as pesticides, and even some perfumes or fragrances and, plastics. These are forms that are made in labs for commercial use. Naturally occurring salicylates seem to be reduced when foods ripen naturally on the tree or bush before they are picked. Nature has a way of protecting the unripened fruit from various organisms until it is ready to be harvested for human consumption at which time the salicylate counts drop dramatically. Genetically modified foods (GMO) are said to contain high levels of salicylates so if we eat organic non GMO foods we don't consume the same volumes of salicylates.

Some foods high in salicylates:
Jams
Processed juices
Processed syrups
Chemically dried fruits and veggies
Processed sauces
Fruits picked unripe
Processed flavorings for foods

To eliminate or reduce salycilate sensitivity
Eat fruits that ripen naturally (don't overeat on fruit period, too much sugar)
Eat whole, pure and natural foods
Eat an organic plant based diet
Less commercially processed foods
Drink clean energetic water and fresh organic green vegetable juices
Avoid meds, cosmetics, and common household products containing salicylates

As you can see processed foods, unripened foods, and some man made products seem to be the greatest issue here. Moving to an organic, plant based, high variety form of eating greatly reduces anyone's intake of salicylates. Something we should all think about anyway.

A few diseases that have been implicated as a possible salycilate sensitivity
Certain types of asthma (aspirin allergy)
Meniers disease
Some forms of autism
ADHD

This is just a quick primer on salicylates, if you feel you have an issue you might choose to do much more research. Remember, as in any lifestyle disease or sensitivity,  the effects are cumulative so if you start to improve your diet and lifestyle to a more natural way of eating and living hopefully you will reverse your symptoms, but please be patient.

VANILLA EXTRACT...ANY VALUE ?

Many people including myself love to use vanilla extract in smoothies and other recipes does it have any nutritional value?

The answer is across the board pretty much none. It does have a few calories (24 per 2 tablespoons which equals 399 for a cup) but thats pretty much it. Each serving has 1 sugar and 1 carb, almost zero protein, fats, sodum etc.
So in a way it provides us with a tremendous taste with nothing good OR BAD for us. Just a rich full flavor.

There are a few reported folk remedies that vanilla is used for:
1. It is calming to the stomach and helps with nasuea. Just mix in water.
2.It can help with weight loss since it does bring a sense of richness to what it is added to.
3. It has been reputed to help regulate menstrual cycles.
4. In an emergency it has been used on wounds with some positive results.
5. Because of its wonderful odor it has been reported to calm nerves and anxiety.

So don't stress over vanilla, just enjoy it as a regulat part of your diet.