Foods Long Life

The appearance of unusual floaters was a sign that my retina was tearing.  Unusual Floaters Monday, the night before our 25th anniversary, a very unusual floater appeared in my eye. I've always had floaters. Little guys that look like space ships that float across my field of vision. They were a bit annoying but not enough to make me crazy. But the other night this massive Pac-man looking floater appeared. It didn't just float across my vision, it aggressively whipped around like those bumper car rides. I was also seeing flashes of light when I moved my eye. I knew something was really wrong.  PVD We spent the morning of our big day in my eye doctor's office. After examining me he said that I had posterior vitreous detachment , not uncommon for someone my age or someone who just had cataract surgery. PVD is a condition where the vitreous, the clear gel-like fluid that fills the inside of your eye, starts to collapse and shrink away from the retina. When it does ...

You can add microbe-rich miso to any brothy soup. Follow Foods For Long Life on Facebook and Pinterest . Preview my eBook, Health Begins in the Kitchen . Today is our Anniversary  Twenty six years ago today my wonderful husband and I went on our first date and 25 years ago today we were married! I am the luckiest woman in the world to find a man who has provided love and kindness to me and the children, gave me endless encouragement in my many ambitious endeavors, and shared my obsession for living a healthy lifestyle. We worked well together as engineers in Silicon Valley and now we work just as well together as organic farmers, bloggers, and wine makers.  Today is our 25th Wedding Anniversary So yesterday when I felt like my allergies were getting the best of me and were possibly turning into a cold, it was time to make a pot of soup despite the warm temperature outside. We have big plans for our anniversary dinner and I want to feel my best.  Goals for this...

Artichoke tea, hot or cold, can provide health benefits. Follow Foods For Long Life on Facebook and Pinterest . Preview my eBook, Health Begins in the Kitchen. My Garden I am having so much fun in my garden this year. The most exciting veggie I tried growing is the artichoke which happens to be one of my absolute favorite foods. They grow really well in Northern California so I guess I shouldn't have been shocked when they started popping up only weeks after planting pretty mature plants (I bought the ones in 1 gallon containers). They've been coming up pretty regularly now and this morning I had two of them along with my usually zucchini and my first two tomatoes! This morning's haul! My favorite way to eat artichokes is to stuff them with breadcrumbs but that takes some work. So lately I've just been boiling them and dipping them in hummus or miso tahini dressing. One day when I was boiling the the artichokes, I noticed that the cooking water turned into a beautiful,...

Follow Foods For Long Life on Facebook and Pinterest . Preview my eBook, Health Begins in the Kitchen. Pomona's Universal Pectin You know how much I LOVE Pomona's Universal Pectin. Every jam recipe in this blog uses it and I even dedicated an entire chapter in my eBook, Health Begins in the Kitchen , to making healthy jam using this wonderful product. What makes Pomona's Universal pectin so great is that it allows you to make jelly and jam with little or no sugar!  Pomona Pectin Giveaway My friends at Pomona wanted me to tell you all about this year's exciting giveaway that will run from June 10th through June 17th, 2015. All you need to do to win is enter the Giveaway - and everyone gets 2 FREE ENTRIES. Here's What You'll Win! * Cookbook : Preserving with Pomona's Pectin   by Allison Carroll Duffy * A Box of Pomona's Pectin * A case of 6 Orchard Road Jelly Jars from Filmore Container The Cookbook Preserving with Pomona's Pectin (Fair Winds Press, ...

I compared these two 72% dark chocolate bars with cocoa nibs. Follow Foods For Long Life on Facebook and Pinterest . Check out my eBook, Health Begins in the Kitchen. Where Health and Flavor Intersect We all have heard by now that chocolate is good for us. Good news like that travels fast! But many chocolate products are packed with sugar, fat and dairy. So Doug and I tend to buy the darkest chocolate we can find that still tastes good. For us, the point where bliss crosses optimal health is 72% dark. We find anything higher than that distasteful. For good measure, we also get chocolate that contains cacao nibs, which are bits of the cacao bean itself. The nibs give the chocolate a lovely crunch that takes chocolate goodness, as well as healthfulness, to the next level.  Our Microbes are at it again Many of chocolates health benefits come from its anti-inflammatory properties. Scientists are now discovering that inflammation is the root of all evil and can cause cancer, ...

Cynthia Lair  taught us how to make our own fermented foods. Follow Foods For Long Life on Facebook and Pinterest . Check out my eBook, Health Begins in the Kitchen . Making Your Own Fermented Foods Last week I wrote about the 5 Changes I Made Immediately After Attending the 2015 Health and Nutrition Conference.   The first one was to eat and make more fermented foods as it is one of the most important things you can do for your health. Hands down, the most fun and entertaining presentation at the conference was by Cynthia Lair. I had never made sauerkraut before and, quite honestly, I was intimidated by the entire process. I pictured big ceramic crocks filled with smelly cabbage being pressed down with plates weighed down with rocks. But Cynthia's process was so easy I couldn't wait to try it. Cynthia Lair Watch her web cooking show, cookusinterruptus.com Latin American Curtido Kraut by Cynthia Lair Raw Vegan, Gluten and Dairy Free Makes 4 to 6 cups Requires 2 wide-...