friday thoughts

Hello, Dallas. City Yogi :)

Week one of the blog is going strong, going well. I'm going to work hard to dedicate more time to it everyday. I've had a lot of good reactions to the blog, and I know that some of you are following closely. I've already made some posts for next week, but I just have to tell you, wonderful readers, I'm working on a mural for the next two and a half weeks, so I will be very busy. It is over 300 feet long, and it is for Klyde Warren Park (http://www.klydewarrenpark.org/) here in downtown Dallas. Just FYI, if you're wondering where I am :) 

A reader pointed out to me something very interesting about peanut butter, since I had suggested having it on toast for breakfast, on a banana, or in a smoothie. I did some research, and found out that Peanuts are susceptible to a mold called Aspergillis which produces aflatoxins (a known carcinogen) that can inflame and impair the liver, even possibly leading to cancer or liver shutdown. In most cases, the mold cannot be seen in peanut butter, and it's very hard to eliminate it from peanut butter. Even if the fungus is killed through heating, the aflatoxins can still remain :( Sad, I know. I love PB. 

So what can you do about it? You can keep your peanut butter in the fridge, but was it in the fridge when you bought it or off the shelf? Just consider that. There is no way to determine how much mold has grown since the peanut butter hit the shelf at the grocery store. Fresh ground peanut butter could be a safer route, but it needs to be refrigerated and eaten within a week. Almond butter is the safest route in terms of aflatoxins, but it could be more expensive. It's up to you. If you live in an area that isn't dry and has any amount of humidity, I would say you definitely need to switch to fresh ground, in the fridge for a week or less, or fully make the switch to almond butter, especially if you like to enjoy nut butters on a daily basis. This is my recommendation and what I'm going to implicate in my own home, but you should do your own research.

We might eliminate peanut butter all together just for the simple fact that I have had problems with candida before. I'm actually pretty upset I didn't get the warning on peanut butter sooner. Sometimes I don't eat it for weeks, but sometimes I eat it every single day for weeks! Luckily, I like almond butter so it won't be that difficult to switch. If you can't let go of PB, go organic, buy the best possible, and keep it in the fridge. 

This is the article about it that I found most helpful:

(http://www.openeyehealth.com/2011/05/dangerous-mold-in-peanut-butter/)

A couple of weeks ago an artist friend asked me if he could photograph me doing some yoga on top of our warehouse. It is part of a series he is doing on different people and their lives in the city. I don't have access to the pictures that he took yet, but my hubby was on site and took a couple of wonderful shots of me :) That's where the picture at the top and below came from. Enjoy.

Watch out for posts next week about:

Vegan Lunch Ideas

Consciousness? What does this word mean?

Recipe Wednesday

Hopefully a post about the progress of the mural!

Have a great weekend! Namaste <3