Fun Food "Facts", Heart Health, and Monday Menu

I received this in an email from my fun (and very health-conscious) friend Sandy. I tried to check it out on Snopes to see if all of the facts are right and couldn't find it. That's why I put the word "facts" in quotes. Some of it is undeniable, though and it's definitely interesting!


A sliced Carrot looks like the human eye.

The pupil, iris and radiating lines look just like the human eye...and YES science now shows that carrots greatly enhance blood flow to and function of the eyes.


A tomato has four chambers and is red. The heart is red and has four chambers. All of the research shows tomatoes are indeed pure heart and blood food.






Grapes hang in a cluster that has the shape of the heart. Each grape looks like a blood cell and all of the research today shows that grapes are also profound heart and blood vitalizing food.






A walnut looks like a little brain, a left and right hemisphere, upper cerebrums and lower cerebellums. Even the wrinkles or folds are on the nut just like the neo-cortex. We now know that walnuts help develop over 3 dozen neuron-transmitters for brain function.



Kidney beans actually heal and help maintain kidney function and yes, they look exactly like the human kidneys.




Celery, Bok Choy, Rhubarb and more look just like bones. These foods specifically target bone strength. Bones are 23%sodium and these foods are 23% sodium..If you don't have enough sodium in your diet the body pulls it from the bones, making them weak. These foods replenish the skeletal needs of the body.


Eggplant, avocadoes and pears target the health and function of the womb and cervix of the female - they look just like these organs. Today's research shows that when a woman eats 1 avocado a week, it balances hormones, sheds unwanted birth weight and prevents cervical cancers. And how profound is this? ... It takes exactly 9 months to grow an avocado from blossom to ripened fruit. There are over 14,000 photolytic chemical constituents of nutrition in each one of these foods (modern science has only studied and named about 141 of them).


Figs are full of seeds and hang in twos when they grow. Figs increase the motility of male sperm and increase the numbers of sperm as well to overcome male sterility.



Sweet potatoes look like the pancreas and actually balance the glycemic index of diabetics.





Olives assist the health and function of the ovaries.




Grapefruit, oranges, and other citrus fruits look just like the mammary glands of the female and actually assist the health of the breasts and the movement of lymph in and out of the breasts.




Onions look like body cells. Today's research shows that onions help clear waste materials from all of the body cells They even produce tears which wash the epithelial layers of the eyes.



Interesting "food for thought," huh?

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Did you know February is American Heart Month? I picked up this cookbook at the checkout stand last week and will be incorporating some of the recipes in our weekly menus. It contains many yummy and *easy* recipes!
I had heart surgery in my early twenties due to a congenital defect that, by God's grace, was found before I had children. Having been a heart patient before (and never wanting to be one again!) I am increasingly aware of making sure my cooking is more "heart healthy." Forty-one percent of all women die of heart diease. Women are ten times more likely to die of heart disease than cancer! I know this sounds scary, but it can be prevented more easily than we think. We just need to increase the amount of fruit and vegetables we eat, eat more fish and more whole grains, and increase physical activity. As evidenced in the list of foods above, God knows what our bodies need and has provided food to keep everything working as it should! There are more dietary and lifestyle recommendations over at the American Heart Association website. Another very informative resource that I picked up last summer is the book How to Keep from Breaking Your Heart: What Every Woman Needs to Know About Cardiovascular Disease by Barbara H. Roberts.

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And now for our menu! I don't go "all out" on healthy recipes as I should, but in our weekly menus I use low sodium soups, whole wheat flour, and low fat ingredients as much as possible. I don't always mention it in my menus, but I try to keep fresh veggies available for snacks (especially if they come into the kitchen before dinner hungry.) If you've read our menus before you know that I make my fair share of gooey desserts and my husband loves the fact that I can make gravy with anything! So... I've had to make an effort to go healthier over the years!

We will be attending a two-day adoption seminar all day Thursday and Friday, which will cut into our evenings on those days, so we will be eating leftovers, going out, or taking something home those nights. It'll be a shorter week in the kitchen for me as a result!

Monday~

B: cinnamon toast, yogurt, fruit

L: Chicken Pesto Panini's

D: Pizza Pancakes (with Heart Healthy Bisquick and turkey pepperoni)

Tuesday~

B: Raspberry Scones with Lemon Icing (from the Light and Easy cookbook), fruit

L: baked potatoes, salad

D: Chicken Spaghetti, whole grain bread, salad, green beans

Wednesday~

B: leftover scones, fruit

L: fish, mixed vegetables

D: Tuscan Bean Soup (L&E cookbook), salad, bread

Thursday and Friday~

B: on the run

L: at the seminar and the kids will be at friends'

D: Out, yey!

For more menus and some *great* organizing tips (February is kitchen month!) visit Laura.

Have a wonderful week!