Has the fall season officially started if pumpkin isn’t involved? This recipe is not only tasty, it’s healthy as well. It is not overly pumpkiny, but has just enough to give it a faint cinnamon sweet flavor with a little heat from the cayenne. Hummus is already naturally gluten-free, vegan and nutritious.  And topping it off with pumpkin will enhance the flavors!

Ingredients:

• ½ cup pumpkin puree
• 1 (15oz) can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
• ½ lemon, juiced
• 2 garlic cloves
• 2 tablespoons tahini
• 4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, divided
• ½ teaspoon sea salt, plus more to taste as desired
• ½ teaspoon ground cumin, plus more to taste as desired
• ½ teaspoon chili powder
• ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper

Instructions:

1. Combine all ingredients in the bowl of a food processor or high-speed blender. Process or blend until smooth, stopping occasionally to scrape down sides of bowl or pitcher.
2. Drizzle 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil over the top and serve with raw veggies, chips and/or crackers. Also, wonderful as a topping for sweet potatoes, salads and wraps.

Happy Hummus Halloween!

For generations, dietary advice has been to avoid butter, cheese and steak because they have saturated fats which clog arteries. However, a new study has shown that there has never been clear evidence that these fats cause disease. Unfortunately, cutting way back on saturated fat has caused harmful consequences for women, such as increasing the risk of having a heart attack. Saturated fats are needed for certain critical bodily processes, and for many people, cutting back has resulted in replacement of those calories in the form of carbohydrate. This leads to a surge of higher blood-sugar-related consequences in our population.

In the end, it’s probably fine to eat butter, cheese and steak in moderation. And, it may even be dangerous to rid them from your diet altogether. The caveat to this is new discoveries in genetic and gastrointestinal medicine. Certain people may still have negative consequences from eating a lot of saturated fat or a lot of meat in their diets, depending on their genetic makeup and their microbiome (what types of bacteria are growing in the gut). It’s important to keep in mind, the safest thing to do is have the proper testing done in these areas with your doctor before embarking on a new type of diet. Just remember, moderation.

If you’ve fallen victim to acid reflux, you’re not alone. Although a majority of people “treat” this issue with over-the-counter drugs and prescriptions, studies have shown that these approaches are not as effective or as safe as thought. Here is how you can fix this:

• Create a diet high in beans, vegetables and nuts, not pasta and bagels
• You should aim to eat more plants and fewer processed foods
• It’s important for people to make healthy changes for the long run
• Any time you can avoid taking prescription drugs is a plus
• Choose to have a healthier diet to see better results!

Enjoy those veggies!