STRESS!

I wanted to talk about STRESS today. We could spend the rest of our lives on this subject. It gets more stresser and stresser every day. From North Korea to China to Russia to Cuba to taking down statues, the National Debt, (not to mention my debt) to Hillary and Trump, health insurance, taxes, and on it goes. Want me to continue? I didn’t think so. What shall I worry about, pray about, and stress over today? Whatever happened to the days when I was fat, dumb and happy? I guess I got skinny, started listening to FOX and reality became my companion.

If stress is left unchecked, it has been shown to play a role in cancer, heart disease, and inflammation. Inflammation is the root cause of many disease states. However, diet, supplementation, and lifestyle can make a big difference, and help reduce stress related conditions. But you should not turn to comfort foods, sugar, alcohol, coffee, etc. because these will derail efforts to deal successfully with stress and will sabotage your health.

Today we will mention the benefits of adding turmeric to your diet, which has been studied for its ability to alleviate depression and anxiety. One study showed that curcumin (the active ingredient in turmeric) alone is as effective as Prozac in alleviating depression. When you add turmeric to your food, be sure to add black pepper along with it. Curcumin is poorly absorbed by the body but peperine in black pepper increases the bioavailability of curcumin. Also, consuming it with a healthy fat, such as coconut oil, also increases the bioavailability.

Curry is a healthy spice containing turmeric. I have a great recipe for Indian Chicken that has both coconut oil, pepper and curry in it. I got this recipe from the South Beach Diet Cook book. I’ll pass it along.

INDIAN CHICKEN (South Beach Diet Cook Book)

1 ½ pounds boneless, skinless chicken breast 1 tspn ground ginger

Cut into ½” pieces 1 med head cauliflower cut into florets

1 Tblspn Coconut Oil 1 can Coconut Milk

2 cloves garlic ½ Cup chicken broth

1 Tblspn curry powder Salt and black pepper to taste

Season chicken with salt and pepper. Heat Coconut oil in large skillet over med high heat; add chicken and lightly brown (about 5 min). Transfer chicken to a plate. Reduce heat to med-low. Add onion, garlic, curry powder, and ginger to skillet. Cook until fragrant (about 2 min.) Add cauliflower, coconut milk, and broth; cover and simmer, stirring now and then, until veggies are crisp tender, about (5 to 10 min.) Add chicken back to skillet and cook until chicken is heated through. I serve this over rice. Now, I add a bit more broth because we like a “soupier” dish. This recipe serves about 4 people. This is also a good way to use up leftover chicken. Just skip the first step of browning chicken and proceed.

Till next time.