Plant Medicine Can Be More Than Cannabis & Hemp
This is the new normal. We are all having to shelter in place. If you have exercise equipment, schedule your workouts so you get in a routine, just like you had going to work or about your day. We are told to be mindful of what we touch and how far we have to stay from others. In the meantime, we have to take care of ourselves, sanitize constantly and figure out how we’ll make our food last. But most important, I believe, is that we have to ensure that our food support our well-being and survival goals for that matter. Food is connected to plant medicine in so many ways.
In the growing movement toward plant medicine, many who believe in the benefits of CBD and cannabis, in many cases, are people who had been dealing with underlying health issues who found that plant medicine has brought relief and improved their quality of life. Fibromyalgia, gastrointestinal disorder, inflammation, Crohn’s disease, anorexia and so many more have been documented.
Going Grain-Free May Help Balance You
It’s long been known that consuming certain cannabis strains may increase your appetite. For some people cannabis has led them to binge eating unhealthy foods like chips and pizza. We reached out to Barbara Rogers, author of It’s a No Grainer cookbook to gain insights on what we can do to eat healthy and improve our well-being by eliminating grains.
“Consider the fact that 80% of healthcare costs are driven by chronic disease where the dominant factors are diet and lifestyle,” she tells me. Eighty percent is allot! And, there is some light at the end of the tunnel she says.
Barbara has long held the belief that changing one’s diet can work wonders in long term health and even reverse certain illnesses. Her belief has driven her to really research how she was dieting and look at all the diets and eating plans she has come across and consider what could work in replacing grains with other plant-based ingredients.
“Grains have been altered genetically in the last 50+ years and have been a root cause in auto-immune disease, obesity, high blood pressure, diabetes, Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s, to name a few,” she informs us. “In creating over 200 recipes for my book, I found ways to replace wheat flour in making simple breads, cookies, and even pizza” among other delicious recipes.
Barbara recounts her own journey in personal weight management as the impetus for starting this book over 6 years ago. “I have tried practically every diet known to man for weight management. From Atkins to Weight Watchers and everything in between, I found that some would work for a while and then they didn’t.” Then she read a book called Lean and Fit by Dr. Joseph Scherger, a medical doctor who holds a Masters of Public Health from the University of Washington where he studied nutrition and is also a Doctor of Functional Medicine. “Dr. Scherger maintains an active life and eats much of like what we have created in It’s a No Grainer. In fact, his book has a few of our recipes,” Barbara tells us. Reading this book inspired her to research deeper into foods that heal and help her in her own active lifestyle.
Among other nutrition books she read studied in her research were Wheat Belly by Dr. William Davis and Brain Grain by Dr. David Perlmutter where she found that grains work against us, especially contributing to leaky gut (celiac disease). She shared her Cauliflower Cheese Bread with us and it tastes really great and uses no grains. “This really is a great alternative to regular cheese bread, especially with so many people eating pasta right now,” she says. “Given our current situation, it’s highly unlikely that people will trade out pasta and bread. This would be a good time to start experimenting in the kitchen with food.”
Many in the movement to normalize cannabis and CBD use are looking at other areas of well-being like nutrition to make a connection between the benefits of cannabis and foods. There are many chefs who educate consumers on how to prepare cannabis for consumption to add to their prepared foods. Just like learning how to make your pot brownies, now there is a way to take out the grains and replace with other plants.
Barbara has a website called ItsaNoGrainerLife.com that has about 80 recipes currently. “We have everything from appetizers to main dishes and something for everyone on the site. Whether you are vegan or paleo, or just looking to add variety and healthfulness for what you follow diet-wise, you’ll find something unique in the recipes.”
It’s a No Grainer Cookbook is scheduled for release sometime before end of Summer 2020. In the meantime, we are adding a couple of recipes in our Edibles section and you can follow her IG feed here.
You can also get a couple of recipes on our website here.