Ape Health

 Inflammation is a natural and beneficial response of your immune system to fight infections, injuries, and foreign substances. However, when inflammation becomes chronic or excessive, it can cause serious health problems such as heart disease, diabetes, arthritis, and cancer. Chronic inflammation can be triggered by factors such as obesity, stress, and unhealthy dietary choices. Fortunately, you can reduce inflammation and lower your risk of chronic diseases by following an anti-inflammatory diet and lifestyle. Here are some tips to help you fight inflammation naturally. 1. Eat more anti-inflammatory foods. These are foods that contain antioxidants, phytochemicals, and omega-3 fatty acids that can help reduce inflammation and protect your cells from damage. Some examples of anti-inflammatory foods are tomatoes, olive oil, green leafy vegetables, nuts, fatty fish, and fruits such as berries, cherries, and oranges. Aim to eat a variety of colorful fruits, vegetables, and whole grai...

 Hey, friends! Do you want to ditch the unhealthy seed oils from your diet but don't know what to use instead? Don't worry, I've got you covered. In this blog post, I'll share with you some of the best healthy alternatives to seed oil that you can easily find and use in your cooking. Let's get started! What's wrong with seed oil anyway? Seed oils are highly processed oils that are extracted from seeds like soybean, corn, canola, sunflower, and cottonseed. They are often marketed as "heart-healthy" and "low in saturated fat", but the truth is they are loaded with omega-6 fatty acids, which can cause inflammation, oxidative stress, and chronic diseases. Seed oils also have a low smoke point, which means they can easily turn rancid and toxic when heated. What are some healthy alternatives to seed oil? The good news is that there are plenty of healthy alternatives to seed oil that you can use in your cooking. Here are some of my favorites: - Oliv...

Being and staying healthy is one of the biggest trends, and lifelong decisions, that people are making for themselves, right now. People around the world, specifically the United States of America and China, have been using the spice not just in cooking, but therapeutically for many years. Cayenne pepper began to receive major glorification when it was discovered to help detoxify your body and cleanse your dieterich systems. There have even been diets that are centered around cayenne because of it’s ability to raise the levels in your circulatory system.

Stress can be harmful to the health especially over a long period of time. In other to reduce stress, you have to learn how to manage it. Here are some useful tips to reduce stress and help you feel better and live a stress free life every day:

One of the easiest ways to lose weight without really doing anything is to completely cut soda out of your diet.  But you can also put the weight loss on overdrive by replacing your daily soda consumption with green tea.  Today we present a Supplement of the Week and a Substitute That ! combo meal, suggesting that readers remove every non-water beverage that they currently drinking from their diet, and replace it with the magic that is green tea! World-renowned author, computer scientist, inventor, and futurist Ray Kurzweil has stated that he drinks between 8 to 10 cups of green tea every single day in an effort to reprogram his biochemistry and improve his longevity.  Nutrition specialist Oz Garcia, who works with several A list celebrities, helps his clients prepare for the Oscars by having them drink at least 4 cups of green tea daily .  What do they know that the rest of us do not?  Read on to find out!

Often times when we are trying to go healthy, we get sucked into the "reduced fat" scheme and ultimately end up making choices that are even less healthy than the food we are trying to avoid.  In today's edition of Substitute That! , we are going to be returning to the basics, ditching your "healthy" reduced fat peanut butter, and replacing it with nothing other than the real thing! mmmm, get some! So, you're a peanut butter lover, but you just can't stomach the 15g  of fat ( 3g saturated ) and 200 calories  per standard 2 tablespoon serving that is found in the real thing.  Besides, you have been taught your whole life that fat, and particularly saturated fat, is evil, right (a topic for another day...)?  So you do the "smart" thing and you pick up the innocent and healthy alternative, fresh factory made reduced fat peanut butter!  Now you can slather up your apples with confidence, knowing that you are making the right choice for you...

Welcome to the new Ape Health!   Regular readers will probably notice quite a few changes to the site today.  Ape Health has now ditched its old WordPress roots and transitioned to a Blogger powered website.  We have switched to a new layout and logo as well, moving more in line with the general style and theme used by the rest of Ape Apps .  The move to Blogger should facilitate more user engagement by tying the commenting system into Google+.  I also intend to provide more regular updates to the site, and there may even be a mobile app in the pipeline! So go ahead and take a look around the new site.  All of the old posts have been migrated over from the old server, so all of the content and recipes that you love are still here waiting for you.  So stay tuned, bookmark the site, and enjoy Ape Health!

Ingredients 1 cup oats 1/2 cup applesause 1 egg 2 T sugar Instructions Combine ingredients in a blender Heat greased pan to medium high Pour batter onto pan Cook till pancake edges are firm and flip till golden brown

Today it came out that the Centers for Disease control in Atlanta has inadvertently exposed 75 of it's own employees to the deadly Anthrax disease.  According to CNN , Early reports show that a lab did not adequately inactivate samples, which were then moved and used for experimentation in three laboratories not equipped to handle live Bacillus anthracis, or anthrax. Believing the samples were inactivated, workers in those labs did not don adequate protective equipment, the CDC said. These CDC workers would have most likely been exposed through either their lungs, or by direct skin contact.  A respiratory anthrax infection starts out mimicking a common cold, eventually leading to pneumonia and then death.  On the other hand, skin exposure to anthrax can cause brutal skin lesions and ulcers, but it is generally less fatal then a respiratory infection. As for the case of the CDC workers, exposure is said to be low and vaccines have already been distributed. ...

In the second part in a series on fighting depression , we are going to take a look at vitamin alternatives to prescription drugs that can help remedy depression.  Often times, being depressed for no apparent reason is actually your brain trying to tell you that it is deficient in certain vitamins and nutrients that you are not getting through your diet (rarely will your body tell you that it is deficient in Prozac, so don't be fooled). B Vitamin Deficiencies B Vitamins are naturally found in whole, unprocessed foods.  That being the case, you can see where many people now days are probably deficient.  Common names for your B-Vitamins are thiamine, riboflavin, niacin, pantothenic acid, pyridoxine, biotin, folic acid, and cobalamin.  If you are suffering from mood problems, insomnia, or depression, Vitamin B deficiency could be to blame.  A lot of people find that taking a daily B Complex vitamin improved both their mood and general well being. Nature Made Sup...

According to the CDC, 1 in 10 Americans report that they are currently suffering from some form of depression.  Further, the Anxiety and Depression Association of America reports that a staggering 18% of the U.S. population suffers from some form of anxiety disorder.  Meanwhile, Americans are spending tens of billions of dollars each year on prescription anti-depressant medication.  These drugs often times cause dependencies and carry other risky side effects. There are many alternative, natural, and safe remedies for depression that you may not get from your doctor.  In this first article in a series on depression, we will take a look at the cheapest and easiest anti-depressant you can get - natural sunlight. After decades of of hearing how bad the sun is for us, people are now suffering from the effects of a lack of sun exposure.  According to this article on HowStuffWorks, A chronic lack of sun exposure has been linked to fertility problems, severa...

Sometimes you just want to shed the pounds quickly, and you don't really care about long term weight stability.  Perhaps you have a reunion coming up, or an important job interview.  Whatever the reasoning, millions of people just want a quick and easy weight loss method and they don't want to wait for results.  For them, an ultra low carb diet will most likely do the trick.  Just beware of the discomforting side effects. So I recently did a bit of vacationing, and like many people who travel, I came home to find an entirely different number on the scale than the one I had left behind.  Fast food, soda, and gas station goodies has all taken their toll on my waistline.  Coupled with the steady increase of pounds I have been experiencing since turning the big 3-0, I decided that it was time to take control of my weight and institute a diet change.  And like most people, I wanted quick results.  And also like most people, ain't nobody got time for ...

Graham Cracker Crust 1 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs 1/3 cup butter, melted 1/3 cup sugar Preheat oven to 350°F. Mix all ingredients together and press evenly across bottom of a inch springform pan. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes; cool and fill. You may also buy a pre-made crust  Cheesecake Filling 2 cups fat free plain Greek yogurt 1/2 cup sugar pinch of salt 2 eggs 2 tsp vanilla extract 1 T cornstarch Optional: Sliced strawberries for garnish Preheat oven to 350F. In a blender or food processor, combine the eggs, sugar, yogurt and vanilla. Blend until smooth, then add cornstarch and pinch of salt and blend again. Pour filling into crust in a 10 inch springform pan, and bake for 35 minutes. When the cheesecake is done, it will still be jiggly in the center but will have a “done” look to it. The edges of the cake will start to pull away from the sides of the pan. Make sure you don’t overbake.

Green Smoothie 1 cup fat free milk ½ cup fat free plain yogurt 1 banana, frozen and chunked 1 T peanut butter powder 2 cups fresh spinach 1 cup ice cubes (optional) Thin Mint ½ cup milk 1 cup spinach leaves 10 mint leaves, chopped ¼ cup raw cacao seeds 1 t peppermint extract 1 banana, frozen and chunked Cinnamon Apple 1 cup apple juice 1 pear 1 apple 1 cup fresh spinach 1 t cinnamon ½ cup ice Blueberry 1/3 cup frozen blueberries 1 frozen banana 1 T lemon juice ¼ cup tea or water Carrot Fruit Smoothie 1 cup spinach 1 apple 1 banana ½ cup chopped carrots ½ cup orange juice ½ cup strawberries Kiwi 1 kiwi ½ cup pineapple chunks ½ cup green grapes ¼ mango ¼ cup water ½ cup spinach Pumpkin Smoothie 1 small can pumpkin or yam 1 ½ cup yogurt ½ cup milk 1 banana 1 t cinnamon Apple Pie ½ cup pumpkin puree 1 banana 1 apple ½ cup apple juice 1 ½ cup yogurt 1 t cinnamon 1 t nutmeg PB&J 1 banana 2 cups strawberries 4 T pea...

A healthy dip, great with sliced cucumbers or zucchini. Substituting the cream cheese with a greek style coconut yogurt makes an excellent dairy free option. Ingredients: 5 c cauliflower florets, cooked 1/4 c reduced fat cream cheese 1 T anchovy paste 1 T lemon juice 1 t Worcestershire sauce 1 t Dijon mustard 1 t minced garlic Instructions: Puree  ingredients in a food processor In a pan add a teaspoon of olive oil, pine nuts and chopped red peppers Pour cauliflower mixture in a bowl and garnish with nuts and peppers Yield: 10 Calories: 35 Protein: 2 g Carbohydrates: 4 g Fat: 1.5 g

Ingredients 2 T olive oil 1 lb peeled and deveined shrimp 1 onion, chopped 1 c grape tomatoes, halved 4 garlic cloves, minced 1/2 c dry white wine or chicken broth 1 c chicken broth 1/4 c chopped basil or parsley 2 T lemon juice 1 T butter Instructions Heat oil in large skillet over medium high heat. Cook shrimp until golden brown then transfer to plate Cook onion until golden brown Stir in tomatoes and garlic, cook until tomatoes are wilted Pour in wine and cook until about half is evaporated Add broth, basil, lemon juice and butter, and return shrimp to pan Cook until heated through Yield: 4 Calories: 255 Protein: 24 g Carbohydrates: 8 g Fat: 11.5 g

Ingredients: 2 T olive oil 6 oz cooked turkey sausage, cut into 1/4 " thick slices 1 lb boneless, skinless chicken, cut into 2" pieces 1 pkg (14oz) frozen sliced bell peppers and onions 1 T minced garlic 1 T Cajun seasoning 3 c cooked brown rice 1 1/2 c frozen peas 1/2 c chicken broth Instructions: Heat oil in large skillet over medium high heat, cook sausage until golden brown and transfer to plate Add chicken and cook about five minutes and transfer to plate Cook peppers and onions until liquid evaporates Stir in garlic, seasoning, peas, broth and rice Add chicken and sausage and cook until chicken is done Yield: 4 Calories: 333 Protein: 24 g Carbohydrates: 33 g Fiber: 4 g Fat: 11 g

Ingredients 2 lg eggs 1/2 c coconut milk, room temperature 1/4 c coconut oil, melted 1/4 c almond butter, at room temperature 1/4 c unsweetened almond milk 1 t almond extract 1/4 t liquid stevia 3 c almond meal/flour 1/2 c slivered almonds 1/4 c unsweetened cocoa powder 2 T coconut flour 2 1/2 oz extra dark chocolate, chopped Instructions Heat oven to 350 degrees and line baking sheet with parchment Whisk together eggs, coconut milk, oil, almond butter, almond milk, almond extract and stevia in large bowl Whisk together almond meal, almonds, cocoa, coconut flour, and chocolate chunks Stir into egg mixture until well blended Place on prepared pan and shape into 12" x 4" log Bake 40 minutes Remove from oven and reduce heat to 300 degrees Cook on rack for 15 minutes Using serrated knife, cut crosswise into 3/4" slices and lay each slice on its side on baking sheet Bake about 30 minutes, until firm and dry, turn halfway through Yield: 15 Sli...

Ingredients 1 c almond meal/flour 1 c ground golden flaxseed 4 t baking powder 4 T cold butter, cut into cubes 4 lg egg whites Instructions Heat oven to 350 degrees and line baking sheet with parchment Mix together almond flour, baking powder and flaxseed Cut in butter until combined Beat egg whites with mixer on high until soft peaks form Fold whites into dry ingredients Spoon into eight rounds on pan and flatten to 3/4" thick Bake until golden brown, about 15 minutes Yield: 8 Calories: 209 Protein: 8 g Carbohydrates: 9 g Fiber: 6 g Fat: 18 g

Research shows some herbs may boost your skin's ability to protect against UV rays from the inside out. Green Tea The tea leaves contain an antioxidant, EGCG, that can decrease sun damage when applied topically. Drinking 3 cups of green tea a day increases the ability of blood cells to protect themselves from damage caused by UV exposure, and skin cells may also benefit from green tea. Pycnogenol This supplement is extracted from the French maritime pine bark. It inhibits inflammation caused by UV exposure and protects against sunburns. Polypodium Leucotomos This fern is rich in antioxidants that can increase the length of sun exposure without burning.