THE BENEFITS OF EATING MEXICAN FOOD

I am often bothered by this talk of putting up fences along the Mexican boarder. Some of us fight so hard to keep the Mexican people out of our country, yet we enjoy the food, and the festivities that our neighbors to the South bring to the table

 

Whenever I find myself not feeling well, especially after a visit in the hospital, I go directly to Taco Rock to get my energy back on.  For me, spicy Mexican food has always felt good to my body.  I crave it when I’m feeling under the weather.   A lot of my friends think I’m crazy.

“Damn girl, they just cut you open and operated on your intestines!  How can you eat  that? Man, you’re gonna mess yourself up!”

But apparently I’m not the only one who seeks out good Mexican food when they’re sick.  The Taco Rock management told me that someone else had recently visited their establishment bragging about the healing qualities of Mexican food.

So I did a little digging and found out that spicy foods are among the best for your health.  Peppers contain capsaicinoids which gives peppers their heat.  Most capsaicin properties are found in the inner white membrane of the pepper.

There is evidence that capsaicin suppresses the growth of prostate cancer cells while leaving normal cells unharmed, and it lowers blood pressure by activating the release of nitric oxide.

In addition, capsaicin can assist in weight loss, lowers your cancer rate, is good for your heart, can improve your sex life, and relieves pain, by working as an anti-inflammatory. 

Jalapeno peppers can provide relief from migraine headaches, relieve congestion, and they contain high amounts of vitamins A and C.  They are accredited to strengthening blood vessels by making them more elastic and better able to adjust to changes in blood pressure.

It is believed that Cayenne pepper is the most valuable herb of all.  Not only does it increase the effectiveness of other herbs when used, but it also good for the entire digestive system. 

It has been said that one teaspoon of cayenne pepper in cup of hot water can stop a heart attack in three minutes.  It is further suggested to give a teaspoon of extract every fifteen minutes in a glass of hot water, if a heart attack should occur.

There is even a story circulating of how a man found dead in his car of an apparent heart attack, was given a cayenne tincture into the mouth, and within a few minutes the man’s heart began to beat again. 

It is suggested that a regimen of cayenne and hawthorn berries will strengthen the heart and possibly prevent a heart attack.

Cilantro is another common ingredient found in Mexican food, and it too has amazing healing capabilities.  It is a strong anti-oxidant that can prevent cardiovascular damage.  It also assists in sleep quality, and has been shown to have anti-anxiety effects.

Cilantro is linked to lowering blood sugar as well.  The School of Life Science in India noted that cilantro leaves and stems, “If used in cuisine would be a remedy for diabetes.”

Cilantro is well known for cleansing the body of toxic metals.  It binds to the metals and loosens them from the tissue.  People with mercury poisoning have reported a reduction in symptoms when taking cilantro regularly. 

Cilantro is said to help those with Alzheimer’s disease by limiting the neuronal damage in the brain.

The herb is also a natural diuretic and great for those suffering from kidney stones.

And not only should you include the leaves and stems in you diet, but the seeds (referred to as coriander seeds) also contribute to the health benefits of cilantro.   The seeds are known to lower blood sugar; and they lower LDL (bad cholesterol) and increases HDL (good cholesterol) at the same time.

My body told me that Mexican food was healthy for me, before I even did the research.  Of course, afterwards I was ecstatic by what I had discovered.  I plan to include cilantro among my favorite teas, and carry a small bottle of cayenne tincture in my medicine bag for now on.

Much love to my sisters and brothers south of the boarder!  Life would be a lot less enjoyable without you – for sure!  And thank you for the many blessings you bring.



5454 Pensacola Blvd, Pensacola, Florida 32505

850-436-2030

www.yelp.com/biz/taco-rock-pensacola

 

 

OUR REDNECK SWIMMING POOL

About a week before the Memorial Day Weekend, we put our swimming pool up.  It is sixteen foot in diameter and three foot deep.  Every year my other half insists on throwing the pool out and purchasing a new one, because we usually have to clean it up.  It takes the better part of one day with us both working on it, and I wouldn’t say that it’s a simple task. 

In 2014 we decided to clean the pool at the end of the season and simply fold it in half and laid a pool cover over it, so the following spring we could just unfold it and fill it up.  But, what we didn’t know at the time was that I would end up in the hospital that winter, and again in the spring with complications.  We didn’t put the pool up in the summer of 2015, due to my health.

Our poor little pool sat on the ground with puddles of water and dead leaves upon it for just four months short of two years.  When we tore away the pool cover and unfolded the pool itself, it didn’t look bad at all.  But then the palmetto bugs began to scatter, and when we lifted the sides of the pool up to see if we needed to clean under that area, the slugs were everywhere and more cockroaches too!  It was awful!

My other half was like, “No way!  We don’t even know if it’ll hold water!”  But I was very insistent refusing to add to the local dumps.  The typical American solution for everything is to get rid of it and buy new.  It is so much easier.  But then again, you’ll find yourself in the same situation come next spring – the pool is still going to need to be cleaned. 

So me and my amigo found ourselves cleaning the pool.  Our next task was to add air to the rubber ring that sits topside around the pool.  We don’t know how, but somehow water got inside the ring.  And if that wasn’t enough to make us quit, the rubber piece where you blow the air into the ring was totally missing! 

I was determined!  So I ran to the store and bought some bubble gum.  A lot of it!  We chewed and chewed while we inflated the ring.  Then came the time when we pulled the air pump from inside the ring – I was first as I jammed a huge wad of gum into the hole.  Then my other half spit her gum into my hand, and I spread it like a patch on the outer side of the ring.  It worked.

So then we filled the pool with water.  Then we had to clean the mud off the outside wall of the pool.  It was really looking pretty.  To look at it you would have never known how skanky that pool was just the day before.

The next day when we awoke though, the pool looked like it lost a foot of water.  This went on for the next few days.  We would refill the pool with water, and the next morning it would be a foot short from being full.  We walked around the pool all three mornings looking for wet spots on the pool and on the ground.  We couldn’t find any leaks.  We were both totally baffled.  It seemed that throughout the day the pool held water.  It was only at night that the water slipped away. 

Then one morning it became clear as to how the pool water was disappearing.  When we shut the pump off in the evening, the pump would leak underneath.  Instead of investing more money into a new pump, we got four two inch bricks, a patio chair and a bucket.  We sat the chair on top of the bricks and the bucket on top of the chair.  At night when we turn the pump off, we sit the pump up on the bucket (above the water line). 

No more problems.  The pool is good to go!

And as always, when the breath taking heat comes, we simply adore our little oasis underneath the shade tree.  The water is so refreshing; it stays nice and cool throughout the summer season.  We don’t even complain about the Florida heat.  The heat only provides us with an excuse to play like children again.

Take care of the pool, and the pool will take care of you.

SUMMERTIME & THE HOLISTIC FIX

With summertime upon us it is important to stay hydrated, especially if you plan on visiting the beach much and what better way, than to take advantage of the summer’s harvest.  Take for instance watermelon, not only does watermelon provide us with water, it is also provides us with a high amount of vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants.  Their sweet taste not only assists us in combating the heat, they make great deserts for the kids and are low in calories. 

 

Many studies suggest that by increasing consumption of plant foods, such as watermelon, decreases obesity, diabetes, heart disease, and increases energy.  Watermelon can even help combat cancer, constipation, muscle soreness, and it’s great for the skin.

 

Although made up of 92% water, it contains thiamin, niacin, vitamin B-6, folate, pantothenic acid, magnesium, phosphorus, potassium, zinc, copper, manganese, selenium, choline, lycopene, and betaine.  One cup of watermelon contains 43 calories, 0 grams of fat, 2 milligrams of sodium, 11 grams of carbohydrate (including 9 grams of sugar), and 1 gram of fiber.  That one cup will provide 17% of the recommended daily allowance of vitamin A, 21% of vitamin C, 2% or iron, and 1% of calcium.

 

www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/266886.php

 

CHILL OUT— Researchers at the Stanford University of Medicine recommend chilling your hands during a workout in order to cool down.  People who utilized hand cooling devices worked out longer.  Cooling the palms assist in the circulation of blood and pulls heat from the body, lowering the core temp.  According to the researchers, it works “Better than steroids.”
 

news.stanford.edu/2012/08/29/cooling-glove-research-082912/

 

WATCH OUT—Every year, the Environmental Working Group (EWG), releases a guide regarding sunscreens.  According to the 2015 report three fourths of the sunscreens analyzed did not work or contained hazardous ingredients.  There is a high chance that your sunscreen is on the EWG’s worst sunscreen list.  Neutrogena is said to be the worse culprit.  The EWG recommends that consumers avoid products containing oxybenzone.

time.com/3883293/sunscreen-spf/

 articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2014/06/04/ewg-sunscreen-guide.aspx

 

 

DID YOU KNOW?

• Ocean plankton provides more than half of our planet’s oxygen.
• Water covers more than 70% of the Earths surface.
• 80% of the world’s population lives within 60 miles of the coastline of an ocean, lake or river.
• 2/3rds of the global economy is derived from activities that involve water in some form.
• The average person in the U.S.  uses 80 to 100 gallons of water everyday.
• In 2010 the General Assembly of the United Nations declared, “Safe and clean drinking water is a human right essential to the full enjoyment of life.”
• Human fetuses have “gill slit” structures in their early stages of development as a result of human evolution (from water to swimming, crawling, and then walking).
• In 2010 researchers at Plymouth University in the United Kingdom asked 40 adults to rate over 100 pictures of different natural and urban environments.  Respondents gave higher ratings to any picture containing water.

(From the book, “Blue Mind,” by Wallace J Nichols—2015)

 

 

THE HIDDEN MESSAGES IN WATER— by Masaru Emoto of Japan has published six books (1996-2007) that claims human consciousness has a direct effect on the molecular structure of water. Considering that 90% of the human body is made up of water, Emoto’s research has most certainly proved a direct correlation between the two.  

Emoto wanted to test the power that thought and words had on water. So he taped words onto glass containers, so that the word could be read by the water inside. The water would respond to words like, love     and gratitude, by crystallizing shiny and white, like snowflakes. But words like hate or even the name Hitler crystallize in somewhat shapeless and unattractive forms.

 

Emoto’s experiments may prove that what we say and think has a profound effect on ourselves physically. And to further this theory that thought can clean and heal polluted water, a demonstration of few hundred people, led by a Buddhist Monk, gathered around a polluted stream in Japan and focused on the water healing for an hour. Fifteen minutes after the meditation, it was reported that the water became visibly clearer. 

 

So when you go to water yourself in the morning be sure to show some love to the water, and you’ll be making the world a better place to live.  Thank you water!

 

The next time you go to the beach, bring a glass container with you and collect some water from the Gulf and take it home.  Sit it in a spot with all your favorite things; maybe it’s a place in your home where you like to meditate, or an alter.  

 

Decorate your container with colors and words such as love, peace, healing, gratitude, compassion or happy.  Maybe keep a candle beside it.  

 

Take ten minutes or so to sit with the water and visualize the water healing; the toxins disappearing, or maybe a white light glowing from the center of the container.  Then next time you go to the beach, release the water back into the Gulf with the intent that it will spread the love.

 

http://www.masaru-emoto.net/english/water-crystal.html

 

 

 

GIVE ME SOME PEACHES!  Did you know that peaches originated in China?  They are rich in vitamins, minerals and antioxidants.

 

Peaches can provide hope for good eye sight; they contain beta carotene, which is not only good for your eyes, but it also increases blood circulation.

  

Peaches are rich in vitamin C, which is good for the skin. You can also apply the juice to your skin directly to improve dark circles and wrinkles.

 

Peaches contain a high amount of fiber potassium  which assist in the prevention of kidney disease.

 

Containing only 68 calories, and zero fat, regular intake of one large peach can help you in losing weight. 

 

And here’s a little hint to help you save some money at the grocery:  buy peach baby food, take it home, mix with some water in two quart pitcher, and  wa-la, you have peach juice at half the cost.

 

 www.ihomeremedy.net/7-amazing-health-benefits-of-peaches/

 

 

THE HIGH PRICE FOR HEALTHY FOOD—It really does cost more to eat healthy food.  The University of Washington researched 370 foods sold in supermarkets in Seattle and found that not only is junk food cheaper but the prices are less likely to rise as a result of inflation.  Their findings were published in the American Dietetic Association Journal (2007) and may explain the high rate of obesity among lower income families. 

 

The study also showed that among the lower calorie foods, such as vegetables and fruits were more likely to increase in price, as much as 19.5% in a two year period, while high calorie foods dropped in price by 1.8%.  Based on their findings, a 2,000 calorie diet cost just $3.52 per day in comparison $36.32 per day for low energy dense foods.

 

well.blogs.nytimes.com/2007/12/05/a-high-price-for-healthy-food/comment-page-17/?_r=0

 

 

 

CHLORELLA “THE EMERALD ALAGE” - also known as the perfect whole food.  Aside from being a complete protein and containing all the B vitamins, including vitamin C and E, and the major minerals (with zinc and iron large enough to be considered supplementary), it has been found to improve the immune system , improve digestion, detoxify the body, accelerate healings, protect against radiation, aid in the prevention of degenerative diseases, help in the treatment of Candida albcans, relieve arthritis pain and, because of its nutritional content, aid in the success of numerous weight loss programs.

 

It can be purchased at most health food stores, but beware, although widely available, they differ depending on the particular strain of chlorella used.  The average use is 5 to 8 tablets daily, but the author suggest starting out with 1 to 3 tablets daily.  For detox purposes it is best taken on an empty stomach, however it can be taken with food.

 

(Taken from the book, Earl Mindell’s Vitamin Bible, 1991)

 

Chlorella is also used as cancer prevention, and can increase white blood cell counts.  

 

Do not use Chlorella if you are taking Warfarin (a blood thinner), or if you are taking immunosuppressant's.  Do not take if you have a sensitivity to iodine.  Chlorella might cause an allergic reaction in people who are allergic to molds.  

 

www.webmd.com/vitamins-supplements/

 

 

Researchers think laughter might be the best medicine, even though they aren’t sure if the act of laughing alone is what makes people feel better.  A good sense of humor and a positive attitude with the support of friends and family might play a role too.

 

One pioneer in laughter research, William Fry, claimed it took ten minutes on a rowing machine for his heart rate to reach the level it would after just one minute of hearty laughter.

 

And laughter appears to burn calories, too. Maciej Buchowski, a researcher from Vanderbilt University, conducted a small study in which he measured the amount of calories expended in laughing. It turned out that 10-15 minutes of laughter burned 50 calories.

 

One study of 19 people with diabetes looked at the effects of laughter on blood sugar levels. After eating, the group attended a tedious lecture. On the next day, the group ate the same meal and then watched a comedy. After the comedy, the group had lower blood sugar levels than they did after the lecture.

 

So get your happy on!

 

www.webmd.com/balance/features/give-your-body-boost-with-laughter