Gout Report March 2018

Gout, Gout, get it all out!

If you or a loved one has ever suffered an attack of gout you will appreciate that statement. For those of you lucky enough to never experience this painful condition, here’s the scoop.

Gout is a different form of arthritis, it’s very painful and can come on suddenly, it happens with there is too much uric acid in the blood and crystals start to form and accumulate around the joints. A very common joint it attacks seems to be the big toe.

But what is Uric acid?

Uric acid is a compound produced when your body is breaking down purine. Now, purine is naturally occurring in your body but it’s also packed into certain foods. Usually, uric acid is excreted in your urine, but when there is a build up in your body and you can’t process it, that’s when the attacks happen.

Gout Diets

Following a gout diet may not only reduce the pain and inflammation related to gout but may also help you avoid medication. Since so many of our students tell us they have a collection of pills the Doctor has already given them 🙂 it’s nice to have a helpful hint that doesn’t include pill popping. A gout diet is simpler than it sounds and may help lower the risk of future attacks as well as helping protect us from progressing joint damage.

A quick history lesson.

Centuries ago when gout first popped up on the radar, it was dismissed as a disease of the wealthy. It was an overindulgence disease. It was believed that overeating meats and over drinking alcohol were the main reason the disease appeared. Even back then the Doctors of the day saw relief for their patients by using diet restriction.

Here’s the Good News It was once believed the “cure” for gout was an extremely difficult diet that must be followed to the T. It included long lists of foods that must be completely avoided it also contained foods that had low as well as high levels of purine. But having such a strict diet to follow made it very hard for people to effectively stick to the plan.
As we all know, when following an eating regimen if it’s too hard, too long or too confusing, we won’t follow it for too long!

The Good News

With more recent studies we have obtained a clearer understanding of gout as a disease and the important role that following a gout diet can play in your recovery. Yes, there are some foods that during an attack should be strictly avoided… I’d say the pain will help in the desire not to indulge. But the good and exciting news is, foods that once were considered on the no-no list are now part of the yes yes list.

In previous incarnations of the Gout diet, all foods with purines would have been eliminated, even fruits and vegetables. It was believed this was necessary to quickly reduce the uric acid levels.

Today’s Focus

The gout diet as we know it today really focuses on management of the risk factors for all disease. The awesome goal of the gout diet is obtaining a healthy weight and eating a healthy well-balanced diet, and in return, you are lowering your risk of other diseases. Pretty good bonus package 🙂

Here’s the Deal McNeal… Losing Weight. As we all know being overweight is a huge risk factor for many diseases and gout is on that list. Losing weight even if you are not following a purine-restricted diet will net you fantastic relief, your joints will automatically thank you for lessening their load. Many people also are unaware that losing weight will lessen the damage to your kidneys. The fat in the abdominal area puts a great strain on the blood vessels feeding the kidneys causing eventual kidney stones and other kidney distress.
Eat Carbs! I have to admit, carbs are my go to. I love a bowl of cereal and some fruit. But the powerhouse of carbs is stored up in the complex carbs department. In the previous version of the gout diet, it was believed you should avoid all fruits and vegetables that contain purines. But what we have discovered, it is not necessary to restrict or avoid fruits and veggies even if they run a bit high in purines. It’s much more important to avoid processed carbs like bread, candy sugary beverages and… dun dun dun…. High fructose corn syrup! (which seems to be in everything so read your labels.

Water is the Word. Drink more water, for sure drink your 8 glasses a day it will help your kidneys have something to flush out the bad stuff. Think of it this way. When planning for gold you must have water to wash away all the excess dirt and sand. The kidneys are the same way they must have fluid in the body to release all the excess “dirt and sand” we eat during the day
Cut back the Fat Attack. Focus on reducing your saturated fat intake from meat, poultry, and dairy, yep that includes your mocha from Starbucks (dadgummit!) the sacrifice will be worth it. Power Proteins pack too much of a punch. There are so many diets today that focus on extremely high intakes of animal protein. Unfortunately, this is a huge stressor for your kidneys. Limit your protein from fish, meat, and poultry to 4 to 6 ounces. That is the size of the outside of your hand when made into a fist ( a woman’s hand that is). Focus for a bit on low-fat dairy, usually, we suggest not using low-fat dairy as they will always add sugars, but for a bit when you need the dairy it’s going to be okay. Check out this list of low and high purine foods.
Good for You veggies.Eat lots of fruits fresh cherries are awesome for gout but don’t do what one of our customers was doing. After he heard cherries were good for gout he started eating a jar of maraschino cherries every day. Also, increase your nibbles of veggies even if they are high-purine counts (eat multiple times a week, v.s large amounts at once), always include peas, cauliflower, mushrooms, spinach, asparagus. Include your favorite beans and lentils to help boost your proteins. Limiting amounts at serving time is better than eliminating these foods totally.

Purine-Rich Foods.Avoid All organ meats. All processed meats, bacon ( I know that freaks some of you out) also avoid all processed deli meats as they contain loads of salt and chemicals, (we talk more about that in our second book, There’s NO Food in your Food)
Seafood. For now avoid anchovies, sardines, mussels, scallops, trout, haddock, mackerel, tuna, and herring.

Alcohol.I know that will be hard on your social life if you enjoy having a beer with your mates but alcohol significantly raises your uric acid production and also is a factor in dehydration. Beer specifically increases your risk of having attacks of gout. For wine drinkers, the verdict is still out.

Coffee Lovers rejoice! For whatever reason (let’s not look a gift horse in the mouth) coffee consumption may help reduce the risk of gout attacks, especially the regular caffeinated coffee. Can we all say, Thank you, Jesus!

Quick Menu Ideas

Breakfast Old Fashioned Oatmeal for Breakfast (not instant) drizzle a big of Original Canary Island Garlic Herb Olive Oil over the top before serving. Super Delish! I can’t eat oatmeal without it 🙂

Lunch 2 oz of sliced chicken breast 2 Tablespoons of Black Beans ½ apple diced Sliced almonds Sliced cucumbers
Serve on top of organic arugula and spinach salad Drizzle Canary Island Garlic Herb Olive Oil over top with Drizzle of Honey

Following these simple steps is a huge step in the right direction.

Take it one day at a time and add our Canary Island Garlic Herb Olive Oil to everything you eat. It is sugar-free contains no high fructose corn syrup and is almost totally salt-free. It hits all the right targets for a gout free lifestyle.

If you have a friend or family member that suffers from gout attacks please share this information with them.

We thank you in advance, take good care. Miriam Vigoa and Kristi Linebaugh

P.S

Join us this weekend in Valdosta Georgia for the Azalea Festival March 10-11 It’s a great festival and lots of wonderful people and a beautiful area. We would love to see you come on by and say Hi!

P.P.S When you’re ready here’s two more ways we can help you.

www.vigoacuisine.com

www.vigoacuisine.etsy.com

For free shipping on a 4 pack of our oils, use our Etsy site with the shop code SHIPMEFREE

The World’s Most Curious Newsletter

Welcome to “The World’s Most Curious Newsletter!” Inside you will find Oddities, Wonders of the World, Little Known Facts, Videos, Healthy Recipes, Tips, Tricks and Life Hacks. You won’t want to miss an episode. Join us, won’t you?

Have you ever Wondered?

Health Squad: Why in the world do I get leg cramps? We’ve all had them, been awakened in the middle of the night screaming and clutching at our leg. Usually sending the cat screeching up the wall and your spouse spilling out onto the floor! A Charley Horse (curious where that word came originated?) This short read will shed some light on this unwelcome nighttime visitor. You’ll love the nighttime trick to fight cramps.

Weather Squad: We all need a coat in winter! But why do our nose run and our face turn red? Well before you read these Curious Facts about our body in cold weather, you have to watch the goats in pajamas video. We all need snuggly pajamas!

 

He’s obviously already had coffee this morning!

 

Geek Squad: Why does my phone get hot? I have complained about this on more than one occasion, usually in the car. Which is perfect because who doesn’t want to have your passenger whining while your driving, (right Miriam?) Here’s 5 tips to keep your phone from overheating.

Pet Squad: Curious about what’s going on in a cat logic? You will love this video!

Curious Food Facts: Tomatoes were once considered poisonous and avoided like the plague. No one dared touch them until a famine hit and everyone was forced to eat them…and survived! I use to feel the same way about Brussel sprouts! But now I love them sauteed in Lime Canary Island Garlic Herb Olive Oil…delish

Did you know: A vegetable is defined as coming from edible parts of plants, like root, stems, stalks, and leaves. A fruit is from the ovary of the flower of the plant. So… that means peas, cucumbers, olives, eggplant, pepper, pumpkin, zucchini, and avocado are fruit!

Here’s a great FRUIT PIZZA Recipe!

1 pita

2 Tablespoons Hummus

3 thin slices of eggplant marinated in Hot Canary Island Garlic Herb Olive Oil

chopped zucchini

kalamata olives or green olives

Sliced tomatoes

A.) spoon hummus on pita and sprinkle zucchini olives and tomatoes on top.

B.) slice the eggplant into strips and lay on top of pizza

C.) Drizzle some Lime Canary Island Garlic Herb Olive Oil over the top

Preheat the toaster oven 420 and toast for 5 minutes or until the outer rim of the pita becomes golden brown. This is a dairy-free version you can add mozzarella if you wish.

 

this is a wood fire oven, hopefully, your toaster oven doesn’t use fire…on purpose 🙂

 

Well, I hope you liked our short and sweet, World’s Most Curious Newsletter! Join us again next time when we share more Curiousness.

Talk soon,

Miriam and Kristi

p.s

Here are three more ways we can help you.

Join us this weekend in Fort Myers for

an Art and Craft Show in Edison Ford Square: Next to Publix

Sat-Sun

10-5

Daily

Try out Miriam’s World Famous Chimichuri and other

appetizers

After the art festival hit Fort Myers for these fun things to do

OR

If you have never tried our Canary Island olive Oils or you just

need to snag a couple of bottles to restock!

Grab two on our Etsy website

Save 5.00 Off!

1.) Go to www.vigoacuisine.etsy.com

2.) Pick your flavors

3.) Use Coupon Code GIFTCARD BooM  Pow!!!! 5.00 OFF

OR

Did you get a Gift Certificate from Amazon? Cash it in on HOT Splash

We Love Amazon?

You can grab our

Hot Splash on Amazon now!

P.P.S

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Grab all your favorite flavors

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We appreciate you and thank you in advance

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Miriam and Kristi

 

2017 Thanksgiving Turkey Buying Guide: Don’t Foul up the Fowl!

Popular postcard from 1900

Thanksgiving 2017 it just seems impossible that it’s already Thanksgiving, doesn’t it? Buying the stuffing and the cranberries or the cranberry jelly,  cooking the hot rolls and green beans. So much to do and so much planning. Of course, let’s not forget the star of the show. The beautiful Turkey, whether you fry the turkey, bake the turkey or brine the turkey that’s all personal taste.

The important part is the selection and preparation of the turkey, that’s where things can go a foul for the fowl! (I know, it’s adorkable, but I had to do it)

• Start Here

When buying your turkey you want to calculate how many people will you be serving?How many of those people are adults versus children?

Are your people heavy eaters, gotta unbutton their pants and take a nap, before they come back for seconds or thirds? Are they light eaters a little nibble here and there and then they are off to the next batch of relatives houses for more nibbling.

According to the awesome blog The Kitchn, a Good rule of thumb is 1 pound of bone-in turkey per person or 1 1/2 if you would like leftovers

Would you like leftovers for a week a month or a year? okay, maybe not a year. There is a great calculator you can use to figure out how large of a turkey you will need after you answer the above questions use this calculator to figure out how large a turkey is needed. It’s from Butterball Turkeys, I think they would be the go-to source for that info.

• Fresh or Frozen

It’s really up to you or as our lives predict, it’s often how much time you have to cook the turkey. If you plan on buying it the day before Thanksgiving and cooking it that night for dinner in the afternoon. That’s only going to happen if you buy a fresh turkey. I don’t mean fresh as in not rotten but fresh as in not frozen.

“Fresh turkey is ready to prepare. Fresh turkey is best if held in the fridge for 24 hours before final preparation.” according to the Butterball website.

Frozen turkey can be purchased weeks in advance but will need to thaw out for several days. 1 day of thawing for every 4 pounds place the turkey on a cookie sheet and place in the fridge. Remember very important don’t just sit the turkey in the sink for 2 days to thaw out. You will foul up the fowl for sure just letting it sit in the sink. If you are doing a sink thaw you must do a  cold water thaw. Check this calculator for thaw times, cooking times and portion sizes.

Watch the video

Now you’ve got your amounts be sure your oven is big enough for the big bird! If you have a smaller oven make sure the turkey pan and the turkey will all fit comfortably inside the oven.

• Self Basting Turkey or All Natural Turkey

Well if it is important to you how your turkey spent it’s childhood, then you will want to steer toward a pastured turkey (raised in a pasture). If you aren’t too worried how it grew up but you are concerned if it did drugs when it was a teenager 🙂

Then you will want to stay away from the self-basting, basted or injected turkeys. All three of these varieties are usually the cheapest option because they are injected with saline solutions, vegetable oils and other tenderizers commonly associated with msg.

• Bake, Brine or Spatchcock

Now you’ve covered all the bases, do you bake your turkey in a bag, brine it, deep fry it or Spatchcock it? At our restaurant, Miriam always baked the turkey in a baking bag. It was super delicious, we just used the Canary Island Garlic Herb Olive Oil, and the Olive oil gave the skin a nice little crunch and the herbs and spices gave it a real lusciousness.

If you choose to brine your turkey you will not want to use a cheaper self-basted or pre-marinated turkey as it will be super salty if you brine it. I’ve never personally brined a turkey because I don’t want so much salt.

Health Tip of the Day.

When you brine in salt water, or a company injects saline into the meat,  it tenderizes because the salt goes in between the muscle fibers and separates the fibers storing the salt water in between the fibers. That’s why when we eat too much salt the fibers in our body (fingers, ankles under the eyes) puff up with “water”. We got brined!

but if you would like to try it here’s a short video on how to brine.

Miriam:  love to bake our turkeys it’s easy and fast and I don’t have to babysit the bird and baste it every 15 minutes.

Kristi: Yes we were so busy getting ready for breakfast and lunch we were already running around like…..turkeys with our heads cut off….I know…I had to…  This is an awesome picture of one of Miriam’s turkeys you can see all the goodies on top from the Canary Island Garlic Herb Olive Oil all over, it’s used as a marinade and a rub.

Miriam: look at all that goodness. I could eat a leg right now!

Kristi: Me too!!!

This next time maybe we should try this next one it’s called Spatchcock it’s perfect for all of our customers that need Easy Recipes for the Busy family…we are all busy that’s for sure. It goes a little bit like this.

Cut out the back bone, flip the bird over, press it down rub it with Canary Island Garlic Herb Olive Oil and apparently it’s done in 90 minutes! It would sure help to if you have a small oven then the bird is laying down flat you can get a bigger bird. Never done it but looks pretty interesting. You can also put some of our olive oil under the skin with the herbs for a lip-smacking deliciousness that won’t soon be forgotten. Here’s a short video from the website Pure Wow on Spatchcock turkey.

Well that about wraps it up for us today on another episode of, Oh My God…what am I doing in the kitchen….okay…not really….that wraps it up for another edition of Shockingly Simple Recipes from Vigoa Cuisine. If you would like up to the minute recipes and show announcements where you can come out and see us at live events and sample Miriam’s amazing appetizers or go to a local cooking class. You can sign up to receive our email newsletter and get weekly goodness right in your inbox.

Till next time, take good care

Miriam Vigoa and Kristi Linebaugh

p.s

Here are 2 more ways we can help you.

Remember we are doing $5.00 Shipping for the Holidays you do not want to miss this. Call Miriam on her direct line 863-289-7263 or 800-975-2677  When it’s over it’s over.

Love buying on Etsy we have a new site there with our cookbook as well as all our oils.

If you have friend and family who will benefit from this blog, please share with them. We are a small family owned Made In America business and we thrive on your word of mouth referrals. Thank you in advance for helping us spread the word. You Rock 🙂

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Eat to Beat the Wintertime Blues: 3 Foods to Lift your Mood

By Christian David Gebauer

How to conquer winter depression. Winter blues and anxiety. Is winter blues and winter depression the same thing. Maybe you’re thinking….dern that’s whats wrong! (with my spouse!) Whether it’s you or someone you love, depression or the blues is no laughing matter. But let’s all breathe a sigh of relief that we don’t have to take the horses out on the sleigh or go down to the frozen lake to cut blocks of ice. Like Christian David Gebauer’s painting, it’s pretty to look at but I wouldn’t want to do it!

I just read a great blog Champney’s Health Spa on Foods to Eat to Beat the Winter Blues

It discusses the lack of Vitamin D can bring about Winter Blues or Wintertime depression,  the good news is, we talked about in our last blog post, Daylight Savings gonna make you scream, there are foods that will help lift the winter blues and anxiety.

•  Root Vegetables

Kristi: I Love a good root soup and you make the very best!! Hallelujah, that acorn and sweet potato soup you made the other day, knocked my socks off!

Miriam: Thank you, I love working with acorn squash and it’s so fantastic right now. I really love the squash from Aldi they seem to have the best price and freshest of the acorn squash available. Check out their blog at the link above they are featuring the squash and also the grass-fed beef that I absolutely adore!

Kristi: And that dab of fresh ground cinnamon on top of the soup. Oh my oh my oh my!

Miriam: I really enjoy the root vegetables they add such a nice sweetness to the soup and in the winter the root vegetables will bring you warmth. The sweetness in the soup is simply the veggies, I don’t use sugar as it will spike your sugar and cause mood swings…none of us need any of that. Right, Kristi 😉

Kristi: haha, hey…what are you trying to say 🙂

Julia Mueller from the blog The Roasted Root says it great, “The answer is simple: whole, unprocessed, low or no inflammatory foods. In this sense, you should aim for foods that contain zero or small amounts of refined sugar….lean animal protein…leafy greens…root vegetables.”

Here is a great recipe that I kinda made the other day I hadn’t seen Julia’s recipe but I think it would work just as well. I didn’t use the bacon but the brussel sprouts and acorn squash were fantastic in the  OriginalCanary Island Garlic Herb Olive Oil, I drizzled a little of the Hot Canary Island Olive Oil over the top before I ate it…lip-smacking! Julia’s recipe calls for maple, cinnamon, and pecans, well that’s always a good idea!

• Citrus and Vitamin C

So we know now that root vegetables will give you a little boost in the mood department, next let’s look at citrus and vitamin c. I love nothing more than eating mandarin oranges, (okay truth be told I eat 3 or 4 at a time, hey, they’re’ little!)

Citrus has the awesome punch of vitamin c and is full of antioxidents which not only help rid your body of toxins but gives you a boost when you’re get up and go has got up and…went back to bed on the couch…with its house shoes on….and an afghan! And it ain’t gettin up no way no how!

picture courtesy of Department of Agriculture

Beat the Winter Blues suggests eating more citrus and veggies in the winter for brain health. For example. Broccoli, Grapefruit, strawberries (only organic, strawberries are heavily sprayed so stick with the organic Aldi has AWESOME organic strawberries and grapes), Tomatoes Peppers and Potatoes.

Kristi: Miriam makes an insanely amazing stuffed pepper with everything from ALDI! I was just checking their website and they have an awesome recipe for a quinoa bowl recipe I bet that would Rock the World stuffed in a pepper…Can I get an Amen!

The third food we will talk about that will Boost the Mood is…

• Protein

Carbs and protein are best buddies and work together to reduce irritability and anxiety as well as increasing your overall alertness. Protein foods are also perfect for increasing your norepinephrine and dopamine helping you concentrate.

Focus on healthy lean meats, I’m not talking about running down to the local BBQ joint and grab a slab or ribs swimming in sauce or grab a bucket of KFC. There’s a time and a place for that but if you are having a down in the dumps kinda day, adding fast food will get you in a bad mood…fast! There are too much processed chemicals, msg, and fat.

Stick to Lean Beef, Fish, Chicken, beans, and yogurt. Like we spoke about in the last blog try cooking these goodies at home to help avoid all the overprocessing and buckets of salt and chemicals.

Take good care and until next time, Give your family a hug and a kiss and take a friend out to coffee! (pick me pick me!!)

Talk soon,

Miriam Vigoa & Kristi Linebaugh

P.S Here are two more ways we can help you.

Do you want more Easy Recipes for the Busy Family? Our first cookbook, Shake, Splash & Eat! is now back in stock on our website. It features recipes most requested at our restaurant that serve 1 or 2 people. You will looove it!

If you have never signed up for our Show Announcements and Recipe Newsletter you can sign up for that to get up to the minute shows where we will be appearing so you can sample our oils in person. Sign up here.

If you know someone who would benefit from knowing this information. Please share it with them. We are a small family owned Made in USA company and we thrive on your word of mouth. Thank you for helping us spread the word.

In good health,

Miriam and Kristi

 

 

Daylight Savings gonna make you Scream? Why and What to do about it!

Why is it we are so easily upset? Stress, stress, don’t mess with me! I don’t mean when your dog makes a deposit on your new carpet and then tries to blame the cat. We all tend to look like Edvard Munch picture the Scream! I mean when our daily system of comings and goings get all in a wad. We wake up at the same time (or not), we try to wake up at the same time every day. We go to work or we go do errands or whatever the schedule calls for. We feel fine, but just let the evil hands of Daylight Savings grab you and all heckaroo brakes lose.

Now don’t get me wrong I love a good extra hour to sleep but it sure messes with me the rest of the day. Why is that? Well, I read a great article today that sheds light on the extra hour of sleep evil conundrum! I will give you a summarized version of the article if you are short on…time!

It turns out that the extra hour of sleep messes with your brain not just your bad attitude 🙂 it’s because the fallback portion of the daylight savings makes it dark sooner.

How it works.

The darkness is picked up by your brain in the pineal gland which releases melatonin,  the night night time to go to sleep juice. So your brain picks up on the dark it thinks you are supposed to be asleep but you are forced to stay awake. That’s probably why I always fell asleep during elementary school when we watched a film in class!

Anyway, what happens is when we sense light our melatonin starts to dissipate and serotonin is released, and serotonin is the good mood dude. So the cure is we need more natural light to feel good and perky. They do have natural light boxes you can sit in front of to help if you suffer from clinical sadness   

The good news is most of us are not as severe as Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) and we can implement a few daily routines to help lift your spirits and get your off the Daylight Savings Mood Swing

Get up and Boogie…okay not actually
You don’t need to go dancing or in this case spinning! As long as you do 30 minutes of exercise whether, at the gym or just a nice walk, the chemicals in the brain that are released during exercise are natural mood enhancers.

Eat Whole Foods and Cook at Home

Try to avoid fast food drive-thrus and put more real foods, instead of french fries try making an old-fashioned baked potato, you know the one, you wrap it in aluminum foil and put it in the oven. Instead of cooking a frozen lasagna saute some eggplant in our Original Canary Island Garlic and Herb Olive Oil and towards the end add some baby grape tomatoes a little fresh basil and a sprinkle of cheese and serve over the top of an awesome organic salad.

Cooking at home you are more likely to use whole foods, you can play some music and light some candles and get a little relaxed. It’s much easier to eat clean when you cook food for yourself. Like Miriam says eat more good than bad. 70% Good 30% not so much

Start Drinking….water 🙂 Silly

Being dehydrated has been shown to cause irritability, fatigue …in general being a meany! So guzzle the water and if need be put little fresh cucumber slices or orange slices in your water with lemon slices. Looking for ways to add more water to your life. Here is a great article with tips and tricks to add a bit of H20 to your groove.

Last but not least throw a little light on the subject

Replace your bulbs at home with full spectrum lights, they mimic natural lighting. And it will help you see when you are eating your delicious eggplant you just whipped up with your favorite Canary Island Garlic and Herb Olive Oils….gotta have a plan!

Take good care,

Miriam Vigoa and Kristi Linebaugh

P.S If you have a friend or family member that would be helped by this information please share it with them. We are a family owned Made in USA company and we thrive on your word of mouth referrals. Thank you for helping us spread the word 🙂

Here are two more ways we can help you.

Our cookbook is back in stock, Shake, Splash & Eat! Shockingly Simple Recipes on our website. We now have an Etsy site as well if you love handmade items you will love Etsy.

Papaya Recall Extends to 12 States #Tuesdaythoughts

A quick update many of you may not have heard of the Papaya Recall going on right now. The FDA just sent out a new update on the deadly outbreak of Salmonella.  Many have been hospitalized, with 47 cases and 1 death. If you think you may have purchased a Caribena brand papaya, please throw it out and sanitize the area where you have prepared it.

The Maradol Papaya is the focus of the investigation.

These papayas are oval shaped with green skin that turns yellow when ripe. They can be 3lbs and up with salmon color flesh inside. Since you have no control over what type or brand manufacturers or restaurants are serving it is of good advice to not consume papaya at this time.

The States that are effected at this time are IA, KY, LA, MA, MD, MN, NJ, NY, PA, TX, UT, VA. The CDC is still collecting samples so for the time being if you have a Maradol Papaya at home or any Papaya throw it out, as they say, When in doubt throw it out!

With this latest update to include 12 States in the U.S Here is what you need to know.

Please share this with you family and friends.

Thank you for spending a little time with us, Here is to your continued good health.

Take good care,

Miriam Vigoa and Kristi Linebaugh

www.vigoacuisine.com

p.s

Another way we can help you.

We have our first book now on www.vigoacuisine.etsy.com as a digital download and right now you can use the code GiftCard and save $5.00 Off any of our Professional Grade Seasonings or cookbook. Shake,Splash & Eat! Shockingly Simple Recipes (3,5 &7 minute recipes for those days and nights you just aren’t in the mood to figure it all out!)

Losing Weight for the Summer..Brain Fog and High Protein Diets. (Video)

Are you working like crazy to lose weight for the summer? Are you cutting sugar for a detox and cutting carbs for weight-loss. Are you at the gym for more hours than you are at the office. Do people see you at the gym so much they think you work there? I know lots of people lose weight for family reunions and high school reunions. So you suddenly are super motivated to lose weight. No more chocolate…unless… No…No more chocolate 🙂

Then a funny thing happens…. you suddenly realize you are feeling a brain fog not up to speed kinda feeling. Then your big toe starts to hurt and the topper….you smell like ammonia when you sweat…OMG…. you’ve turned into a cleaning product? Well put your mop and bucket down and lets get you some answers.

Miriam: I’m glad we are talking about this today. We often have different questions pop up at our classes and shows that we do. This was the first time I have had this question.

Kristi: Yes it’s very interesting. So many people are following so many types of protocols and diets. I often hear of diets that leave out entire food groups.

Miriam: I feel like moderation is the key. They say that about lots of things, but I truly feel that with your body and how it functions, it is very important to focus on moderation.

Kristi: I think for me it’s been a learning process of listening to my body and learning the signs, when something hurts is popping & cracking or is inflamed & swollen I don’t just write it off  to aging. Although that would be conveniently uncomfortable.

Miriam: I like the conversation that came up this weekend at a show. A customer was telling us about his high protein no carb diet he was doing for weightloss. He said it seemed to be working but that he didn’t really feel very good. He felt like his brain was in low gear and he was sluggish and tired he hated going to the gym and his arms and legs felt like they were wrapped in concrete! He had always heard about all this energy people got on the no carb and high protein diets, but it just didn’t make him feel very good.

Kristi: Since we have pictures of me up at the booth before I lost the 50lbs people tend to want to talk about weightloss with us. The customer said the weird thing was that he had noticed he smelled like ammonia when he sweats now and that had never happened before. He said he had started having some health issues so he wanted to get the weight off but now he smelled like a cleaning bucket!

Miriam: I’m glad we did a little research about it for this article. It’s really very amazing and most people don’t know it’s a danger sign.

Simply Put:

The first reason: When we eat high protein or more protein than our body can use and assimilate. The body has to get rid of it.  When protein is being digested it creates nitrogen, which is usually turned into urea and is passed out through the kidneys. If there is too much nitrogen in the system and the kidneys are overwhelmed and can not get rid of the nitrogen fast enough it will be excreted through your sweat, producing a smell of ammonia.

The second reason: If you are on a low carb or no carb diet and you are smelling like ammonia when you sweat. What is happening is, your body is breaking down your muscle and using the protein for it’s energy source (katabolic). The body loves to use carbohydrates for fuel for the brain and the entire body. When there is not enough complex carbohydrates in the body it will break down the muscle to feed itself. The nitrogen from the muscle breakdown is released through your sweat.

What has gout got to do with it? (Download the PDF)

When your body has too much uric acid and it can not process it out of your body. Usually it is processed through the bloodstream and into the urine. Uric acid is produced from the breaking down of Purines, purines are found in all your body tissue. The first signs of gout usually attack the big toe, red and inflamed and can last for 7-10 days.

Uric acid can also lead to painful crystal buildup in the joints (gout), lumps under the skin and crystal kidney stones.

Do you have gout and don’t know it? Here’s a short video to help you.

Since your body is not getting enough carbohydrates to feed it’s energy source, the brain included you can feel a sense of brain fog. Not being able to focus or concentrate, literally your brain is starved for energy.

What to do about it?

In the gout PDF above and in the video you will notice they recommend certain foods to avoid but their real focus is on medicating the problem with steroids and other meds.

Kristi: I have had a time when my big toe will start to hurt and for me that is a sign that I’m eating too much protein. It’s not gout in the strictest sense of all that it talks about in the video, but in the fact that it’s just tender and aches, but I don’t want it to get to that point. So I focus on going vegetarian for 3 days and wouldn’t ya know it…it goes away 🙂

Miriam: I also recommend in our cooking classes that people eat certain items to help with inflammation. For example pineapple, ginger, green leafy veggies, kale, collards and spinach for example.

Strawberries, blueberries (should be organic) cherries and oranges to name a few.

Our favorite food to fight inflammation is…..Olive Oil!!

Kristi: I have a drink I do every morning, Miriam started me on it at our restaurant years ago. It’s my green water and it’s awesome to cleanse your system and fight inflammation. I add a little bit of our Lime Canary Island Garlic Herb Olive Oil for a good fat as well.

This drink really gets your move on and it’s a nice way to re hydrate your body after sleeping all night and not getting any fluids in your system.

In this drink I was using the Organic Kale from Walmart but the Organic Kale from Aldi is really good too. Remember don’t put too much as you are not looking for a green smoothie you are loooking for a green water.

In this picture I had added a cucumber so it made it a bit thicker than usual.

 

So what have we learned?

When doing a gym workout or following a certain weightloss regime if your body starts giving you signals it is struggling, Don’t ignore the signs. Not all weightloss programs are a good fit for everybody. We are all unique individuals and we all have unique needs for our body. Hi protein may work for some and not for others, if you feel tired sluggish and sick then it may not be the best protocol for you.

Miriam: I feel like the best way to loose weight is to feed your body food that it doesn’t need to struggle to digest and use. Give your body a break and let it focus on healing your body, not on digesting artificial ingredients and heavy dense ingredients.

Kristi: Well it’s worked for me, and my toe doesn’t hurt anymore! 🙂 That’s whats so great about the protocol you came up with for me, it’s easy, delicious and I’ve lost weight and kept it off!

Thank you for spending time with us today and help us spread the word, life really can be delicious, easy and fun. If you have a friend who will benefit from this article, please share with them and your following.

Take good care,

Miriam and Kristi

p.s

We will be in Sarasota Florida this weekend our last time there till next year on St. Armonds Circle at the Art and Craft Festival June 10-11 from 10-4pm.  Come out and sample our seasoned olive oils, you will also get a six pack of recipes with your purchase! We make Garlic and Herb Original, Lime garlic and herb and, Habanero Garlic and Herb.  www.artfestival.com

Another way we can help you:

Our first cookbook is now on www.etsy.com it is the Digital version of our Shake,Splash & Eat! a cookbook for 3,5&7 Minute recipes, for those nights you just aren’t in the mood to cook! check it out here www.vigoacuisine.etsy.com 

Weightloss..It’s Not Quality it’s Quantity..What the what??

Weightloss, Weightloss Journey, Weight Watchers, Fat Busters, Pilate, Yoga. Zumba… on and on it goes the “not so” Merry go round. Miriam and I are actually in the car right now as I write this. And no I’m not driving, Miriam is 🙂

I was working on our new Etsy site listening to my Ipod and Miriam had the radio on in “the car and she said, ” Oh my God you have to hear this public announcement.” So  I paused my Cher music and listened. Here’s the gist.

“When losing weight. Quality is Not important. It’s more important to focus on quantity.”

Miriam: Well that got my attention right away. Because that just sounds odd.

Kristi: I thought they were saying just lose a lot it doesn’t matter how, just lose a lot!

What they ended up saying, It’s Not the quality of the food you are eating, it’s the quantity of the food. So essentially they said, just cut back the quantity you eat and you lose weight.

Miriam: That makes sense on first inspection but it’s not a sustainable way to lose weight keep it off and get or stay healthy. Because I can just eat half a bag of cheetos and a double cheeseburger instead of a triple cheeseburger and a medium strawberry shake instead of the large.

Kristi: But really, at that point, I’m “trying” to lose weight…you know what they say, “trying is lying.” If I was still eating like that, and yes I did eat like that! I didn’t get up to 240lbs eating iceburg lettuce! I would still be struggling with my weight.

Miriam: The “secret equation” to eating anything you want and still losing weight like Kristi did, really is the

“Quality of food +prepared quickly+ Quantity divided= Permanent Weightloss”

Kristi: That really is the easiest way to explain it. I think we should write more about that next time. Maybe go a little deeper with that concept. What do you think.

Miriam: I would love that.

Kristi: Oh I almost forgot, Another way we can help you.

Our Etsy site has our first cookbook in digital form now. It focuses on the “prepared quickly with quality ingredients part of the equation.” You can grab your copy here to get you started.   www.vigoacuisine.etsy.com 

Well then till next time 🙂

Take good care,

Miriam Vigoa and Kristi Linebaugh

p.s

Sign up, follow  and share our blog for more tips, tricks and tales from the kitchen!

 

 

3 Ways to lower your Blood Pressure: Breakfast Burrito Eat Eat Eat

Fresh apple snack with hemp seeds and almond butter from http://www.vigoacuisine.com

Kristi: Last time we spoke a little bit about our favorite diets, or should we say meal plans. It causes such a cold sweat of panic to run down my back when I say diet! There is a joke that says never do anything that the first three letters spell die! I know I felt like that when I was running around trying to find the Perfect Diet.

Miriam: I am always talking to customers and students about their eating plans and how the Doctor told them they have to make a change because of blood pressure or cholesterol. A lot of people just give up and jump on the drug carousel. What most people don’t realize is that the carousel never stops to let you off. Once you add a drug, many times like in blood pressure medicine, most folks don’t know that the pills can actually contain multiple drugs working on different problems. One blood pressure pill could also contain a diuretic or calcium channel blocker.

“Some calcium channel blockers have the added benefit of slowing your heart rate, which can further reduce blood pressure, relieve chest pain (angina) and control an irregular heartbeat.”-Mayoclinic.org

The trouble with the drug carousel is that more and more riders tend to hop on as the ride progresses.  If you blood pressure does not respond then cholesterol lowering drugs may be added and on it goes.

Kristi: We don’t by any means want to come across that you should stop taking your drugs without the advice of a physician or that you should not take the drugs that were prescribed. We just like to offer some easy techniques I personally have used to lower my blood pressure.

1.) Easy snacking to lower blood pressure:

We are on the road a lot and it’s easy to run into a jiffy mart and grab a pack of peanut butter crackers or a bag of potato chips. When a snack attack hits it gives no warning!

When you buy pre-made snacks, cookies and crackers they are loaded with cheap hydrogenated oils that are big culprits in raising your triglycerides and cholesterol. These cheap oils are used to give the cakes and crackers a very long shelf life.

Easy Fix: Snacking for trips. Take a jar of unsalted peanuts and mix in chopped walnuts, raw sunflower seeds and pumpkin seeds. Drop in a few raisins for a touch of sweet. Put in small snack size ziplocs and when a munchy hits you, grab a snack bag.

2.) Avoid Drive Thru Dilema:

Miriam: Many of our students when we talk about weightloss they bring up the time management issue. It is so much easier to run through the drive thru and grab a morning egg mcmuffin or breakfast burrito for the road. Problem with that is there is so much sodium (830mg of sodium in egg mcmuffin) and crazy chemicals in there it spikes your blood pressure before you even get to work and…..the other employees haven’t even started stressing you out yet!

Easy Fix: After you cook dinner and before you do the dishes. Grab some Canary Island Garlic Herb Olive Oil “Hot” Splash and pop it in the pan with 2 or 3 eggs (3 eggs for 3 people). Make an egg scramble and add leftover chicken or steak and veggies beans and your favorite sprinkle of cheese. Using an ice cream scoop you scoop ingredients into tortilla and roll up and put in fridge in foil. In the morning just pop in toaster oven and Boom Pow Breakfast Burrito of the Champions…Make you strong like Bull!

Breakfast Burrito with Hot Canary Island Garlic Herb Olive Oil http://www.vigoacuisine.com

3.)Always Include More Good Than Bad:

Kristi: This is such a great idea that Miriam always promotes in our books and classes. 70-30. Eat 70% Good for you and 30% Not so good for you. Which means we don’t expect you to give up all the things that make life lovely. After all we all need an ice cream from time to time. We just limit it to a junior size or a small. Instead of thinking we need a peanut butter buster parfait or a giant blizzard. Just get a junior ice cream and add a little chocolate shell.

How boring would life be if we cut out everything “Bad ” for us. I know I wouldn’t be able to face it if I thought I could Never Never Ever Ever have a potato chip again. I just get the plain and if they have one cooked in olive oil even better. But Always Always avoid potato chips or other food cooked in cotton seed oil. For goodness sake cotton isn’t even a food!

Well we hope that gives you a little ray of sunshine in your day. Thank you for spending time with us and please share and leave us a comment. What health issues do you have questions about?

Take good care and we will talk soon,

Miriam Vigoa and Kristi Linebaugh

p.s

Check out our Facebook website for the latest update of shows we will be at across the U.S every year we travel and do all sorts of goodies we would love to share with you in person so head on over to our Facebook page and like us Facebook Vigoacuisine

Testimonial:” I’ve Lost weight and gotten off two blood pressure medicines as well as off 1 of my Diabetes medicines. Thank you for the Canary Island Olive Oil, I couldn’t have done  it without you!”-Don Bok (FL)

To purchase on our new ETSY site the Canary Island Garlic Herb Olive Oil: www.vigoacuisine.etsy.com 

or Whole Foods Markets in Florida or Lucky’s Markets in Florida

 

3 Little Known Facts about Fish: Heart #HealthyRecipe

Heart Healthy Wild Salmon with Canary Island Garlic Herb Olive Oil. http://www.vigoacuisine.com

Kristi: Here fishy fishy! I grew up eating fish, but in Mo. we had canned salmon or catfish. Not a large selection to choose from. Or maybe we were just more of a meat and potato family. I know my Dad sure loved his Ribeye and T-bone steak.

Miriam: I grew up eating tons of fish and seafood. Being so close to the ocean I learned how to clean a fish when I was just a little girl. It was a family affair, fishing, cleaning and then a big feast with the rest of the family on the beach.

Kristi: Well we did have a similar experience in the Midwest, it just usually surrounded a fish fry. I don’t eat fried fish usually now, unless I can find an English Pub that will hand batter them. That’s a real treat.

Miriam: You wanted to share this information with our readers after talking with your brother the other day about buying fish in the market. Can you tell us what you were talking about.

Kristi: Yes. My brother is in the meat industry and we were discussing the fish and how to make sure that the fish is fresh when you buy in the store. Of course the same goes for buying at a fish market. I had been to a local store and the wild salmon was on sale so I wanted to get a couple of pounds. When I got there the salmon looked like it was mushy on top. I asked the man behind the counter about it he said that salmon was just like that, that was the way salmon was.

Miriam: Well you knew something was fishy!

Kristi: Yep. So  I asked my brother and he said that fresh fish is Never mushy, whether its salmon or not. But, there is an exception to every rule. He said that the salmon could have been fresh but that the salmon had been so mishandled  and knocked around it would damaged the flesh.

Miriam: Tell them the little trick he taught you.

Kristi: Oh yes, he said when you find a piece of fish you like, ask the counter person to touch the piece of fish with their fingertip. If they leave an indention that does not spring back up then you know the fish is mushy.

Miriam: Of course this trick only works if you are buying the fish that is not already cooked or seasoned. I have noticed a lot of grocers are now selling the fish with special blends of seasoning on the outside so you just take it home and cook it. The problem to watch out for when you buy things preseason-ed, you usually increase your sodium content as well as MSG. If you start pilling on the sodium and chemicals you just sank the healthy part of eating fish!

Miriam: Speaking of healthy part of eating fish there are certain fish that they recommend that you eat to avoid high levels of  mercury and of course they always recommend you eat wild fish versus farmed fish as the fish are free of contaminants and antibiotics.

“Some types of fish have higher levels of these beneficial fatty acids than others. Fish and shellfish that contain higher levels of these fatty acids and are also low in mercury include: anchovy, capelin, char, hake, herring, Atlantic mackerel, mullet, pollock ( Boston bluefish), salmon, smelt, rainbow trout, lake whitefish, blue crab, shrimp, clam, mussel and oyster.”– Health Canada

Kristi: Here are 3 More Little Known Facts about Fish

• Fish-ercise: It’s more like Jazzercise than Zumba, or in the fish’s opinion it’s more like an obstacle coarse for training in the Marines! River fish get more exercise since they swim against currents and taste better than lake fish who just kinda take it easy and float in an inner-tube around the lake all day.
• Hate fish bones? Who hasn’t had one caught in their throat at one time or another? Well if you hate dealing with the thin sliver bones, usually the ones grabbing your larynx, then only eat saltwater fish. Saltwater fish have bigger bones that are easier to find when chowing down. The reason that saltwater fish have bigger bones is that the salt water is more boyant than fresh water and the saltwater fish bones are more dense.
• “According to the United Nation’s Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) The State of World Fisheries and Aquaculture – 2010, approximately 62% of all farmed seafood in the world is produced in China, 26% in Asia outside of China, 4.5% from Europe, and 4.5 percent from the Americas”. –NOAA Fisheries

#ChefSecret

Never flip your fillet. Fillets are very thin and will cook very nicely just cooked on one side. Usually if you try to flip them they will flake apart and end up in chunks. Nice for serving in bits over rice like I like, but not too good if you want to serve whole with a veg.

Add our Lime Canary Island Garlic Herb Olive Oil to the pan first then add a bit to the top of the fillet and cook till done. Boom Pow delish in a dish!

Heart Healthy Salmon Recipe

1 Wild Salmon Filet

2 Tablespoons Original Canary Island Garlic Herb Olive Oil

Fresh organic greens

Grape tomatoes, onions, plantain, quinoa

A.) Put Canary Island Olive Oil in the pan with garlic clove (optional) and turn on Medium  heat and when oil starts to heat up add the salmon and cook for 4 minutes. Drizzle a bit more of the Canary Island Olive Oil on top of fish if you desire and flip and cook 3-4 more minutes till flesh is firm.

B.) In this picture it was served with a big organic salad and quinoa tomatoes and slivered onions. A drizzle of Braggs Apple Cider Vinegar (only vinegar we use) and a sprinkle of Celtic Sea Salt. ( the only salt we recommend)

I love eating all my meals on top of a salad. Miriam came up with that idea to help me lose weight, because I never was one to eat a salad. And dern if it didn’t work. I’ve kept the weight off, and the flavor can’t get much better, a Splash of Canary Island Olive Oil makes everything, lipsmacking!

Talk soon and remember to share with your friends and family and leave us a comment. Take good care and we will talk next time, thank you for spending time with us!

Miriam Vigoa and Kristi Linebaugh

p.s

You can order more Canary Island Garlic Herb Olive Oil on Amazon in a 3 pack bundle

Or http://www.vigoacuisine.com