Friday, January 29, 2021

OLIVE OIL TO DIAL DOWN INFLAMMATION

What type of oil do you use in your kitchen and/or how many different types do you have in your pantry right now? That should be very limited and if you are fighting inflammation in your body, and who isn't, your choice of oil should be olive. And let this sink in, the reason is the fat in olive oil! I often hear people say, "Olive oil? That has too much fat in it." It cannot be said often enough that there are good fats and bad fats. Your body must have fats to operate properly. Olive oil is one of the very best fats. It is rich in oleic acid which is a healthy fat that calms inflammation. In fact, some studies have shown its compound oleocanthal compares to ibuprofen. If you are relying on ibuprofen to help  you get through the day, try using more olive oil in your daily diet. It is better for you than all that ibuprofen. It doesn't take a lot and you can find many ways to add more olive oil to your diet daily. Last night I had drops of two flavored olive oils, lime and pear, on my salad and it was delicious.



Sunday, January 17, 2021

SOME INTERESTING FACTS ABOUT PEPPER

I was surprised when I ran across this information about pepper. I like pepper and have always used it liberally and I guess that is a good thing. Perhaps it is why I am a 35+-year breast cancer survivor and have also survived colon cancer, who knows? Here are a couple of the surprising things I discovered about black pepper:

  • Black pepper is a digestion aid. Black pepper stimulates the taste buds to signal the stomach to produce hydrocholoric acid. Hydrocholoric acid aids in digestion.
  • Black pepper is antibacterial. No explanation needed there, we all know what antibacterial means.
  • The outer layer of peppercorns contains piperine. Piperine is an alkoloid that increases the body's ability to assimilate cancer-fighting nutrients including beta-carotene, curcumin, and selenium. The National Cancer Institute says piperine also may have anti-inflammatory and anti-tumor properties.