Body Ecology® Partners with Tula’s® CocoKefir™ to Produce New Probiotic Coconut Kefir

CocoKefir, L.L.C., producers of Tula’s® CocoKefir™ and CocoYo™, has announced the launch of a new, cobranded coconut kefir product in partnership with Body Ecology, Inc. of Playa Vista, California. The new product, Body Ecology Coconut Kefir, will be produced exclusively for Body Ecology by CocoKefir and will launch on May 23^rd at the Autism One/Generation Rescue Conference in Chicago where Body Ecology founder, Donna Gates, will be speaking. Like CocoKefir’s other products, this new coconut kefir will contain billions of powerful, living probiotics fermented in raw young coconut water for people who seek to improve their digestive health and support healthy immune function.

CocoKefir founder Michael Larsen said of this new partnership, “We are very happy to be partnering with Body Ecology and Donna Gates on this new product. My wife Holly and I have witnessed firsthand the profound improvements The Body Ecology Diet can provide and we hope we can help spread the word about this new way of looking at our health and the foods we eat.”

Gluten Free Pizza Breadsticks (a Cauliflower Recipe!)

This is a vegetable packed, kid friendly recipe!  Look for the notes about riced cauliflower below. 

Ingredients:

1 cup riced, organic cauliflower (not cooked)

1 organic egg 

1 cup Daiya (or any dairy free cheese of your choosing) mozzarella cheese

10 slices organic pepperoni, chopped (note: you can omit these and just make breadsticks!)

3 tsp Italian seasoning (or mix your own with fennel, oregano, parsley, etc)

sea salt

a little extra cheese for sprinkling

 Directions:

 Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Grease a bread pan or square baking dish.

Take your prepared riced cauliflower* and put in a microwave safe bowl, (you can gently heat in the oven as well if you have time) warm up the cauliflower for just a minute or less. Press out all the extra moisture with cheesecloth or paper towel (note: you can omit the warming of the cauliflower, however your breadsticks will be doughier and take additional cooking time).

Combine all ingredients in a bowl. Press dough into your prepared pan.  Bake at 350 for 20-30 minutes, or until set.

Carefully,  loosen the dough around the edges  and remove the dough to a parchment lined cookie sheet.

Cut strips through the dough (to the size and shape breadstick you’d like), gently maneuver the sticks apart slightly so the sides can crisp up.  Sprinkle with optional salt and/or extra cheese.  Bake at 450 degrees until the top browns.

Serve with organic homemade pizza sauce (optional).

*To rice your cauliflower, rinse and dry cauliflower florets, place in food processor and run until rice size pieces form

How Do I Stay Healthy?

Most of us know, or think we know, the basics of staying healthy- eating well, getting enough exercise, drinking plenty of water, and sleeping 7-8 hours a night. What you may not know, is that all of these components can play a role in our gut health.

Everyday we hear more about the importance of GI health. This is not just a fad and emerging scientific studies are proving this among the medical community. The digestive system is home to roughly 70% of our immune system (our body’s biological defense against infection and disease). The GI tract is also where nutrients, vitamins and minerals are absorbed, which when in good condition helps strengthen this system of natural defenses.

Staying healthy and maintaining a healthy gut can become more of a challenge as we age. Rich foods, foods high in sugar and high in bad fats are not only addictive and will cause weight gain, but are bad for gut flora. Our founder likes to think of it as our own inner ecosystem upon which our existence depends – our own unique, fragile flora mix that sustains us. We should be highly concerned with the “invaders” we introduce into that inner ecosystem. Common “invaders” that people introduce into their bodies include: herbicides and pesticides in conventionally grown fruits and vegetables; yeast filled foods such as breads, beer or wine; antibiotics; food dyes and colors; common anti-inflammatory medications such as ibuprofen or naproxen; caffeine. All these, and more, chip away at our inner ecosystem, causing dysbiosis (an imbalance in our gut flora).

Keep your gut flora thriving and strong by eating nutritious foods, getting adequate sleep, minimizing stress and consuming plenty of fermented foods!

Gluten Free, Kid Approved Healthy Pizza Recipe

Tula and her sister have approved this kid friendly, healthy pizza recipe! Enjoy 

Crust

- 3 cups of quinoa soaked (uncooked) in water overnight (or longer)

-1 tbsp olive oil

-¼ to ½ cup water

- 1 tsp sea salt (more or less to taste)

- ½ tsp aluminum free baking powder

- 1 tsp organic Italian herbs to taste

 Directions: Blend quinoa, olive oil and water on high speed in blender starting with ¼ cup of water and adding more until a pancake batter-like consistency is achieved. Add salt, baking powder and herbs.

 Heat skillet with more olive oil to (to reduce sticking). Try not to burn the oil – don’t let it smoke, but you’ll need it hot. Pour crust “batter” and spread out to your desired thickness. If you prefer a thinner crust you can consider omitting the baking powder. Cook one side until bottom is beginning to brown slightly and then flip to cook to a similar color on the other side. Remove and place crust on a cookie sheet or pizza peel (you’ll want to be able to slide it on and off easily to insert and remove it from the oven later).

 Sauce

- 15oz can organic tomato sauce

- 1 ½ tsp organic Italian herbs

 Directions: Mix ingredients in small saucepan and heat over low heat for 15 to 20 minutes until flavors are nicely blended.

 Toppings 

Whatever toppings you like, here are some of our favorites:

 - Uncured, nitrate/nitrite free pepperoni

- Grass fed hormone and antibiotic free cooked ground beef

- Organic artichoke hearts

- Organic black olives

- Organic onions

- Organic avocado

- Organic any-veggie-you-like

-Daiya brand dairy free, soy free cheese

 Bake at 400 degrees F until crust is crunchy and toppings are not too overcooked. A little browning is good enough. Serve and enjoy!

Gluten Free, Dairy Free Sloppy Joe Recipe

This kid friendly meal is courtesy of co-founders Michael and Holly, it makes an excellent quick and easy dinner.

Ingredients:

- 1.5 lbs. antibiotic/hormone free grass-fed ground beef or free range ground turkey

- 1 medium chopped onion (chop finely for those little people who think they don’t like onions – they won’t even know it’s there)

- 15 oz. can of organic low salt tomato sauce

- 1 tbls. organic yellow mustard

- 1 small clove crushed organic garlic

- 2 tbls. Lakanto sweetener

- Salt and pepper to taste

Brown beef or turkey. Add chopped onion and sauté until softened and translucent. Add the remaining ingredients and stir to combine.

We typically choose to serve this on toasted, low carb, almond flour bread, but you can serve it on any gluten free bread or bun you choose. Our goal is to limit the carbs, so we choose breads with a low glycemic index.

How Contagious Is The Flu? – It Depends On Your Immune System

You’re probably reading this because you searched “how contagious is the flu”.  We hope this helps!

There’s a lot of talk right now about the flu, the vaccine and why people who got the shot are still contracting the virus.  With recent studies showing an efficacy rate of 62%, it’s prudent to look into alternative ways to improve your immune system.

When we contract the cold or flu virus, it is a visible sign that our immune system was unsuccessful at defending against the intruder and is perhaps weak. Your immune system is at work constantly and wards off most disease, however an unhealthy diet, lack of sleep and stress break down its ability to fight.  When our body is challenged with invaders or needs reinforcement, probiotics can help strengthen our natural defenses.  Recent studies strongly suggest, probiotics induce an immune boosting reaction in the body.

As part of a healthy diet, probiotic rich foods promote optimal immune function. Traditionally society has viewed food as a source of energy, today as we evolve and gather more information we view food as an essential component to our well-being.

Fermented Cranberry Relish

Try this healthy alternative side with your turkey this Thanksgiving!
There are a lot of different ways to alter your relish, feel free to use more or less of what you prefer.  I used more cranberries and added soaked and dehydrated walnuts in ours! Alter the amount of desired sweetener depending on your taste.

Ingredients
-1 1/2 cup fresh cranberries (organic preferred)
-2 oranges (organic preferred), peels and seeds removed & quartered
-2 tart apples (organic preferred), cores removed & quartered
-1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
-1/2 teaspoon sea salt or other good quality salt
-1/4 cup lakanto (1/4 t. stevia would work too)
-1/4 cup Apple Cinnamon CocoKefir, or any of the CocoKefir varieties

Combine all ingredients in food processor. Running the processor in intervals, pulse to chop (don’t puree).  Pack into a clean, wide mouth jar or multiple jars (makes a quart). Make sure the mouth of the jar is clean and screw on the cap.

Rest the jars for a couple days on the counter out of direct sunlight. Taste for desired texture, depending on your room temperature relish should be ready after 1 to 3 days.

You can release the pressure in the jar every so often to release the fermentation gasses (preventing explosions). When it reaches desired taste and texture, transfer to the refrigerator in an airtight container. Keep the lid on tight and keep in the refrigerator. Enjoy the sweet and slightly tangy balance of your hard work!