Pest to Pesto

Garlic mustard, dandelion, and nettles are they a pest in your garden?

Garlic mustard is a garden pest.  It is an invasive species that crowds out native plants.  It grows wild, is a perennial and spreads like crazy.  But, if you are going to pull it in your yard, why not eat it? Did you know that garlic mustard has one of the highest nutritional values of any green leafy vegetable?  Its high is vitamin A, beta carotene, zinc, manganese and fiber.  It tastes like a cross between garlic and mustard.  Add it to your salads, sautés, soups and more.

Dandelions, those wonderful “weeds” that are fabulous for your body.  They are loaded with calcium, iron, filled with protein and loaded with minerals.  Dandelion both helps your body become nourished and at the same time helps it detoxify.  As our livers need to cleanse in the spring, dandelion sure comes in handy as an amazing helper. Read more

Chia seeds seem to be the rage lately.  Do you know what they are?  So many have never heard of chia seeds before.  The only time they’ve heard of them was from the tv advertisement around 30 years ago that stated ch ch ch chia and they were sold with an animal shaped tera cotta planter.  However, chia seeds are extremely beneficial for your body.

Most Americans are very deficient in both fiber and essential fatty acids.  Because chia seeds are an excellent source of omega-3 fatty acids and contain about 10 grams of fiber in 2 tablespoons they are a great addition to your diet.  They are so easy to use, throw some in your smoothies, put some in your water and just drink them down, add them to just about anything.  You can grind them or use them whole.  Sprinkle them on cereal, rice and more.  In Mexico a favorite dish called Chia Fresco is made by soaking chia seeds in fruit juice or water. Read more

Do you know what xenoestrogens are?  They are chemicals that can mimic estrogen.  (xeno means “foreign”)  They are synthetic chemicals that can have an estrogen effect in the body which means they are chemicals that fit into the estrogen receptors in our bodies.

I love the description Sara Gottfried, MD says of xenoestrogens.  “Think of them as unwanted guests, drinking, chatting convivially, but they are really party crashers who will disrupt the whole affair when they take off their masks.”  So, not only are they crashing your endocrine party but they are stored in your fat tissue for decades, and the greatest amount of these live in breast tissue.  Lengthened exposure to estrogen (or xenoestrogens) creates a significant risk factor for breast cancer.

What kind of disease is related to xeno-estrogens?  Read more