#simpleorganix

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[loveandthepsyche]

CALL YOUR POWER BACK:

Hands On Belly, Deep Breaths & Repeat:

I call back ALL fragments of my power that I have consciously/subconsciously given away, left behind or misused in every version of me, on every dimension, in all realities across all directions of time and space. Thank you. And so it is.

Via @SimpleOrganix

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Pic credit: SimpleOrganix

[simplelittlebrowngirljae]

Let’s talk sweet potatoes!

Sweet potatoes…. One of my favorite foods out there. How can one vegetable be so tasty and versatile, yet so amazingly good for you??? Sweet potatoes are an ancient vegetable and have been a staple in my ancestor’s diet for centuries, which is probably why I love them so much and why I find them easy to incorporate into my diet.

Now, I will be honest, I didn’t always run to the sweet potato. I do have a deep love for the white potato and would eat a baked potato, mashed potato, fried potato, or potato chip in a quick minute. But all of that changed when I was diagnosed with Endometriosis. My primary care doctor at the time, the last doctor I would have imagined, told me that I needed to make some dietary shifts to better help me navigate my life with endo. Big picture he suggested switching to a more Mediterranean diet and to eat more sweet potatoes. I looked at him crazy with that “huh” look on my face. I got the Mediterranean part, because I knew that the diet would provide me with good fiber, healthy fats and help to eliminate inflammation by ridding my system of toxins and other free radicals. But it also learned that it would help in hormone regulation, which plays a major role in the manifestation of the Endo. I then asked him even more about the sweet potatoes. So he proceeds to explain that sweet potatoes help in the removal of free radicals as well, and also help in the removal of heavy metals, which can cause the body to become sluggish. But the most important benefit of them all was that they help in the delivery and regulation of progesterone, which is very important the balance and functioning of the female reproductive system. If progesterone is off, the chances are the estrogen in the system is off as well, which results in all sorts of issues.  So by regulating the progesterone, then the estrogen can be better regulated and the ill effects of endometriosis can be minimized. Mind=Blown!

Just a quick snippet on endometriosis (had to take a moment to bring awareness to this disease), because it affects 1 out of every 10 women. Essentially, Endo is when the lining of your uterus grows primarily outside of the uterus, mostly in the pelvis attaching to other organs and structures but can grow and attach on any organ and cause extreme pain. It sadly takes years to decades for a woman to get diagnosed because the symptoms are brushed off or a doctor doesn’t believe us when we say something is wrong. Some of the symptoms of endometriosis include:

-          Nausea and vomiting

-          Dizziness

-          Weight gain

-          Heavy bleeding during your period

-          Bleeding between periods

-          Intense pain before, during and after your period

-          Cysts ( sometimes called chocolate cysts because they are blood filled and not easily visible on imaging)

-          Infertility

-          Trouble with bowel movements and digestion of food

-          Shortness of breath

-          Irregular heart beat

And these are just a few symptoms. Endometriosis has the capacity to affect literally EVERY ORGAN SYSTEM, thus causing a wide variety of issues.

That’s a lot right? I have a very odd and severe case—the growths are on my intestines and sciatic nerve, as well as all over my pelvis to include my round ligaments. During my last surgery, my surgeon tried to get as much as he could but he was limited because he didn’t want to leave me paralyzed or put me through having to get a colostomy bag because of how it was affecting my intestines .  Treating me medically has been difficult to treat due to my other health conditions. Which is why I was grateful for my doctor suggesting a different route to help ease my pain (sorry for the long detour, but I had to set up the whole picture for you!!) Food was one of the last resort options to be medicine for me. I knew it wouldn’t be easy for me to adjust to this new diet but this was my Hail Mary in the 4th quarter.

So just how great are sweet potatoes to your health??? Well, here are just a few benefits:

 -          They are loaded with vitamins and minerals!! One medium sweet potato contains high amounts of fiber, Vitamin A, Vitamin C, Manganese and Potassium among other nutrients. They also contain antioxidants which can help reduce the risk of certain cancers… awesome right??

-          They are full of fiber and an antioxidant that can promote the growth of healthy gut bacteria.

-          They support health vision.

-          Sweet potatoes contain compounds that fight inflammation on a cellular level. Purple sweet potatoes contain special phytonutrients that reduce inflammation of the brain and nerve tissues.

-          Sweet potatoes are slow burning starch that promotes the release of adiponectin, which is important to the modification of insulin, which means less blood sugar spikes.  (Simpleorganix, 2019) (Julson, 2019)

Sweet potatoes are a highly versatile food, and can be manipulated into a lot of different dishes. You can do sweet, savory or a combo of both. So incorporating this super food into your diet is very easy! Once I learned just how great this food is, I started searching for recipes outside of the traditional sweet potato casseroles or candied yams that we serve at Thanksgiving, Christmas and Easter. I wanted to make things that gave me ALL the benefits of this great veggie. I learned through trial and error that the flavor of sweet potatoes goes really well with certain flavor profiles. My fave go to recipe is a baked kale, sweet potato and black bean dish served with brown rice. Here is the recipe (it is super, super easy!!!)

-          1 can black beans, drained and rinsed

-          2 bunches of kale, cut, washed and dried

-          1 large sweet potato, diced

-          ½ a red onion diced

-          Paprika

-          Salt

-          Pepper

-          Dried Oregano

-          Dried Basil

-          Cumin

-          Garlic ( 2 cloves fresh, or garlic powder, or the 1 tsp of the minced garlic in a jar)

-          3 tbsp of olive oil or canola oil

Preheat oven to 375. In a small bowl combine the paprika, salt, pepper, oregano, basil, cumin and garlic. Set aside. In a 9 by 13 baking dish (I use my pyrex dish) put your kale, beans, sweet potato and onion. Drizzle olive oil over the veggies then sprinkle the seasoning mixture over them. Toss the veggies around to coat with the oil and seasonings. Once well coated, even out in the dish and place in the oven to bake uncovered for about 20-25 minutes. You want the kale to be crispy and the sweet potatoes to be tender when poked with a fork.

You can eat it just like this or serve with brown rice or quinoa. I also like to top mine with feta cheese, which gives AMAZING flavor profile.

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