Just Three Things....February

Here are my Just Three Things topics for this month:

Organic vs. Conventional Apples

For real people, this is not right?
(organic normal sized apple on the left)

Mercury Levels in Tuna: Is it Safe?
The Many Benefits of Liver

Organic vs. Conventional Apples
My kids know that when an apple looks all shiny and beautiful that that is not the apple you want to pick. At school, my son, told his friend that his shiny apple had pesticides on it. At first glance, I'm raising food snobs:) At second glance, he's educating others. Apples are always on the dirty dozen list of fruits and veggies with the highest pesticide loads. And yes, that shiny apple is coated in wax and other pesticides. Lately, I have been noticing HUGE apples at the store. I am sure they are GMO. Either way, SO wrong. No apple needs to be that big. It just doesn't seem right. Now I hear they are "creating" an apple that doesn't brown. Is this really such a big deal? Squeeze a little lemon juice on those apple slices before sending them off in your kid's lunch. Let's not create in a lab something that is not natural. When it comes to apples, bigger is not always better. 

Mercury Levels in Tuna

I love tuna. I used to pretend I was sick from school just so my mom would make me a tuna sandwich and mushroom soup. Tuna day was every Monday. Tuna with cucumbers on fluffy white bread....YUM! Ah, food memories...little did my parents know, or did I until recently, the amount of mercury in that tiny can. Mercury can really do damage to the body. Did you know that unless you intentionally try and clear it from your system, it will just sit there forever. Most of us even have mercury that has been passed down from our ancestors. Here is a link to the environmental defense fund's website with more detailed information on the topic: https://www.edf.org/oceans/mercury-alert-canned-tuna-safe-eat
I use canned salmon as a substitute. I also have found this tuna and have been using it. It tastes just as good and I feel better feeding it to my family. 
https://safecatch.com * TIP: A good first step to clearing your body of mercury or any other heavy metals, start eating cilantro. Its the best at detoxifying it and moving it out of your body.

The Many Benefits of Liver

Don't let the pic fool you. It's not chocolate mousse:)

Most of you are cringing I know. There are 2 frames of thought around liver. One is that it's a superfood. Full of amazing vitamins and minerals. The second is that its the liver. It filters through toxins all day long and why would I want to eat that? I'm on the side of superfood. Although, it's important to buy liver from grassfed and responsibly raised animals. The liver does filter toxins but it doesn't hold onto them. Liver is full of iron and zinc. So, if you are borderline anemic or have a low immune system, its a good thing to eat. It also has a healthy amount of Vitamin A and Vitamin B12. Vitamin A is an amazing antioxidant and vitamin B12 is essential for a healthy nervous system and keeping your red blood cells healthy. Liver has a very odd texture, so I cannot fry it up and eat it but I do make a killer liver pate that is so good with veggies or plantain chips. Its creamy and tasty. It may not look the best but I urge you to try it. 

My Liver Pate
1 lb chicken livers
1 onion sliced 
1 piece of nitrate free bacon
a few shakes of thyme, salt, and pepper

Preheat oven to 385 degrees. Put all ingredients in an oven safe dish. Cook in oven for 35 minutes. When it is done, put in ninja, vitamix, or food processor. Blend until smooth. Let cool in fridge. 
Enjoy.
* TIP: its also really good alongside of guacamole. Sounds odd but don't knock it before you try it.