One Degree of Change #4

The tiny caterpillar beginning it's one degree of change!

One Degree of Change #4

Inspired by watching the caterpillars begin their transformation, I couldn't stop thinking about how tiny changes can make a difference in our quality of life.  I counsel and coach my patients everyday attempting to inspire and motivate them to take care of the amazing machine we call "our human body".  The small egg that hatches becoming that caterpillar, who knows exactly what to eat and how much to eat to grow to the exact size for the next transformation.  I have watched the tiniest caterpillar, within days of hatching, devour the milkweed and grow to 300 times its original size.  And that is how nature works.  It is my patients that I watch devour foods that are not good for them and they grow by 10-50 lbs.!  That is not an act of nutrition but an act of self destruction.

#4 Clean out your refrigerator door of all foods with the ingredient: HIGH FRUCTOSE CORN SYRUP! 
I know this sounds so simple and unassuming, but here are just some of the facts:

• The average American consumes 65 lbs. of HFCS per year (mostly in sodas).
• Sugar in any form is the leading cause of Type II Diabetes, Obesity and Heart Disease.
• HFCS consists of glucose and fructose, not in a 50-50 ratio, but a 55-45 fructose to glucose ratio in an unbound form.
• High Fructose Corn Syrup is sweeter than glucose.
• HFCS is cheaper than sugar because of the government farm bill corn subsidies.
• HFCS goes right to the liver and triggers lipogenesis (the production of fats like triglycerides and cholesterol) this is why it is the major cause of liver damage in this country and causes a condition called “fatty liver” which affects 70 million people.
• HFCS contains contaminants including mercury that are not regulated or measured by the FDA.
• HFCS is almost always a marker of poor-quality, nutrient-poor disease-creating industrial food products or “food-like substances”. 

So why would you even want to put this in your mouth?  So here is your challenge.  Open your refrigerator and look at the food items that are just in your door.  Read the labels. The products that will be suspicious are:

• ketchup
• salad dressings 
• pickles
• pickle relish
• pancake syrup
• jellies and preserves
• sodas
• juices

A jar of sweet pickles
with a picture of a stork!

What did you find in your door? Don't balk at throwing something out because it is unopened or half consumed.  Empty the container and recycle it.  Don't make that mistake again.  The loss of money from throwing away those foods will be made up in less money spent on your healthcare for diabetes, obesity and heart disease in the future.

So to honor your initiative to clean out your fridge, I cleaned out mine to make a meal (No HFCS in my fridge)!  I did my own version of the "Chopped" TV show.  In my basket were four boneless, skinless, organic chicken breasts, a box of organic chicken stock, 1/2 a container of coconut milk, a head of cauliflower, two large cloves of garlic, a whole yellow onion, 1/2 a red pepper, 1/2 a bottle of Iguana Jalapeño sauce and some green onions and fresh cilantro.  So what did I create?



Dr. B's Paleo White Chicken Chili
with coconut flour biscuits!

Dr. B's Paleo White Chicken Chili

Ingredients:

• 1.5 - 2 lbs. boneless, skinless, organic chicken breast, cut into bite size pieces
• 1 Tb. I used cayenne chili pepper infused olive oil, or regular olive oil
• 1 large onion, diced
• ½ red bell pepper, seeded and chopped
• 1 -2 jalapeños, seeded and diced or I used a ½ a small bottle of Jalapeno sauce
• 2 cloves of elephant garlic or 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 tsp. salt
• 1 Tb. ground cumin
• 4 cups organic chicken broth
• 1 small head of cauliflower, broken into very small pieces to simulate cannellini beans
• ½ cup thick canned coconut milk (unsweetened)
• 1/3 cup of corn grits (ground with the milling blade & my Nutribullet), masa or arrowroot powder
• Chopped green onions and cilantro for garnish

Directions:

1. Chop the chicken and veggies. Then place a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the oil, onions, peppers, jalapeño, and garlic.
2. Sauté for 5 minutes, then add ½ of the diced chicken, salt and spices. Sauté another 5-8 minutes, until the chicken is nearly cooked through.
3. In the crockpot add the broth, the remainder of the chicken, cauliflower, and coconut milk. Whisk in the ground grits, masa or arrowroot powder and bring to a boil.
4. Lower the heat and simmer for 20 minutes. Then take a potato masher (or ladle) and smash the chicken pieces to shreds. Serve topped with green onions and cilantro.

Note: Feel free to add 2 cans (drained) of white beans instead of the cauliflower, if you aren't on a paleo diet (or don’t know what it is?!).

Now clean out that refrigerator!