No Bake Cranberry Relish

by Karen Roth, MS, NC, of TheHolisticOption.com

When planning a Thanksgiving dinner, many cooks focus on the turkey and stuffing, perhaps the vegetable and potatoes. But when it comes to the cranberry sauce they default to the simplicity of opening a can. What the cook may not realize is that preparing a unique and delicious cranberry relish can make the cook the talk of the dinner table.
This year, why not treat your dinner guests to a fresher, more scrumptious and healthy version of that same of cranberry sauce? After all, this is the peak of cranberry season!
"No Bake Cranberry Relish" is easy and quick to prepare, and gives you a fun new way to serve cranberries. It's crunchy and fresh, tangy taste will no doubt have everyone talking!

Cranberry Relish Ingredients:

12 oz fresh or frozen Cranberries
1 medium ORGANIC apple, chopped
1 ORGANIC medium pear, chopped
Half cup RAW honey
1 TBS horseradish

Directions:

Chop cranberries very fine. A food processor may be used
Chop the apple and pear into 1/2 inch cubes
Combine all ingredients and mix well
Serve

Recipe taken from The World's Healthiest Foods

Since pear and apples are heavily sprayed with pesticides, make sure and buy organic!
When choosing horseradish, choose pure horseradish made with only salt and/or vinegar as opposed to the commercial brands that contain harmful high fructose corn syrup. I like Gold’s brand found at Whole Foods.

Benefits:
Since this is a raw recipe, there is no damage to nutrients from heat or processing.

Cranberries:
Everyone knows that cranberries help prevent urinary tract infection, but they can also prevent kidney stone formation and they also promote gastrointestinal and heart health. Cranberries are also low in calories, 1/2 cup is on 23 calories, and they contain 5 times the antioxidants of broccoli. The phytonutrients found specifically in the cranberry can protect against macular degeneration and breast cancer. According to a study published in Cancer Letter, cranberry phytonutrients can cause cancer cells to kill themselves off and shut down their ability to multiply. And, if that isn’t enough to make you thrilled to be enjoying cranberries this Thanksgiving, you’ll be happy to know that drinking the juice, or eating the whole berry, benefits the heart because research has shown that the cranberry lowers LDL cholesterol while increasing the more beneficial HDL cholesterol.

Pear:
Packed full of antioxidants that prevent damage to cells, pears promote heart health.
Additionally, pears protect the oxidation of LDL cholesterol and lowers cholesterol. Pears are also a good source of fiber and they promote digestive health, which may come in handy after a big Thanksgiving meal! Oh, and pears are low in calories; one pear is 98 calories.

Apple:
Apples are also hearth healthy and contain two types of fiber; the insoluble fiber binds to LDL cholesterol and moves it out of the body while the soluble fiber lowers the production of LDL by the liver. Apples also contain potent antioxidants such as Quercetin and Vitamin C. These prevent free-radical damage that promotes heart disease.

Oh, and the two fibers in apples relieve constipation, which can also follow a really big Thanksgiving meal!

Raw Honey:
Loaded with amylases, enzymes that help us digest carbohydrates. Raw honey doesn’t upset blood sugar levels like table sugar does.

Horseradish:
When horseradish is cut it releases a strong chemical called allylisothiocyanate, which protects against food borne illness. It protects against Listeria, E. Coli, and Staphylococcus aureus. Horseradish is also a cholagogue, an agent that increases bile thereby promoting a healthy gallbladder and improving digestion. Increasing bile production also helps us digest fats and oils.

So, as you can see, by serving No Bake Cranberry Relish you are giving your Thanksgiving guests a holiday gift... the gift of health!

Karen's website is www.nutritionalchoice.net.

Menopause Symptoms Preventing Enjoyment of Life?

by Karen Roth, MS, NC, of TheHolisticOption.com

For anyone who has experienced depression, it’s not a fun place to be. The feelings of sadness and despair can hang over you even though you can’t pinpoint any specific reason for feeling so down. Although many of life’s circumstances can contribute to depression, it can sometimes be the result of hormone imbalance. Let’s take a look.

Inadequate levels of Estrogen can leave you feeling less outgoing and less positive. For some women the symptoms of estrogen imbalance are more severe and they become withdrawn, apathetic and even experiencing periods of hopelessness. This can be on-going or it can be an occasional occurrence which can be a sign of unusual fluctuation in hormone levels. Our hormones have a biological baseline and do fluctuate throughout the month, but at no time should that result in you feeling depressed.

Low Testosterone levels can lead to moodiness, a loss of confidence and low motivation, and in some women the feeling of being frightened or afraid. Even though testosterone is thought of as the male hormone, it is just as important for women to have appropriate levels to maintain a sense of wellbeing.

Progesterone is yet another important hormone that, when out of balance, can contribute to severe mood swings. You know the kind that comes out from nowhere!

If depression or mood swings are affecting your quality of life, you do have options. But, how are you to know if your hormones are out of balance and contributing to this condition? There is a very simple and accurate saliva test I offer to my clients, which, when analyzed by the lab, produces a clear picture of what’s going on. If a problem is identified, I then work with my clients on an individual basis to balance their system, not with drugs, but naturally. Sometimes adjustments are as simple as slight changes in diet. Other times, it’s a little more involved. Either way, the end result can be life changing.

Karen's website is www.nutritionalchoice.net.