4. Add lemon juice mixture to miso/tahini mixture.
5. Enjoy!
That simple! I have enough left over for a few salads. So just storing in the fridge.
Also makes a great dip for zucchini, celery, cucumber, carrots, bell pepper, etc.
Super healthy! Rich in calcium, vitamin E, healthy fats, and other good-for-you stuff!
Miso is a fermented food that contains probiotics (the healthy bacteria for our gut) and stimulates the secretion of digestive fluids in the stomach. It’s also a great source of B vitamins and is beleived to reduce the risk for breast, prostate, lung and colon cancers. Miso has a substrate that chelates heavy metals out of the body (nice!).
Tumeric, Cayenne, garlic and onion all are well known for their anti-bacterial qualities. Some of these are also anti-inflammatory, anti-cancer, anti-fungal. Yay! That’s one power-packed salad dressing!
Good stuff!
* NOTE: Back when I was sick, I could not handle miso. So if you are chronically ill; have leaky-gut; some sort of auto-immune disease; or are sensitive (or allergic) to molds, then miso may not be a good option for you. Every body is different so only you will know. If I were in the process of rebuilding my gut, I would probably avoid miso, but that is only my opinion based on my own life experience. We are all biologically different, so food that works for one person may be toxic to another person (which is one good reason why no one diet works for everyone – even when choosing a food plan to exploit the body’s natural healing ability).
P.S. The egg is *totally* not necessary in this salad and did not go well at all. There is plenty of protein (and fat) in the tahini (and pumpkin seeds – which are anti-parasitic). It just so happened that I hadn’t decided to make the dressing until after I made the salad. Ha ha ha!
One of my biggest ‘aha’ moments in saving my health, was when I went on this cleanse. My brain was having seizure activity and my Neurologist wanted me to go on an anti-seizure medication. This video explains about the research I did, why I chose an alternative route, and my experience with the Master Cleanse. This cleanse quite literally changed my life.
Prior to doing the cleanse I was tired all the time, fatigued, and felt like my head was in the clouds – or a veil of… smog was taking over my brain. I couldn’t think clearly, I couldn’t track conversations, I could barely comprehend what I was reading, and I was getting lost in the town I grew up in. It was awful. » Read more..
Today is Wellness Wednesday! Each Wednesday I make a post related to wellness, healing naturally, and to start sharing things that I did to support my body in healing itself naturally. Today, I share a glimpse into my kitchen while making a green smoothie.
Green smoothies are, like, healthy fast food. Packed with nutrient-dense ingredients, it’s a way to make a quick breakfast with easy cleanup! Here’s a quick review of the key components I use in my green smoothies, and how I make them taste more sweet without using loads of sweeteners and fruit. Be creative and add what ever you like, just make sure to rotate your greens. All greens have a little bit of ‘poison’ or alkaloid in them and when we eat too much of the same green, we will start to get an aversion to that green due to the build up of that particular alkaloid.
And here’s how simple cleanup of a Vita-mix can be:
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You may notice that I use a lot of tumeric in my recipes. It’s true. I use it so much because it is a potent medicine that has long been used in by the Chinese and Indian cultures. According to the School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, extensive studies in last twenty years suggest that curcumin contains a broad range of anti-inflammatory, anticancer, antiviral, anti-amyloid (amyloid is a starch-like protein which is deposited in the liver, kidneys, spleen, or other tissues in certain diseases), antiarthritic and antioxidant properties.
The Journal of the American Chemical Society reports that tumeric contains a broad range of antioxidant, antiviral, antibacterial, antifungal, anticarginogenic (An anticarcinogen is any chemical which reduces the occurrence of cancers, reduces the severity of cancers that do occur, or acts against cancers that do occur, based on evidence from in vitro studies, animal models, epidemiological studies and/or clinical studies), antimutagenic (in genetics, a mutagen is a physical or chemical agent that changes the genetic material, usually DNA, of an organism and thus increases the frequency of mutations above the natural background level. As many mutations cause cancer, mutagens are therefore also likely to be carcinogens) and anti-inflammatory properties.
Studies have linked lower rates of prostate cancer, breast cancer, lung cancer and colon cancer have been linked to tumeric or it’s compound, curcumin. Circumin has even been shown to prevent tumors from forming in laboratory experiments.
Rich in niacin, Vitamin C, Vitamin E, Vitamin K, sodium, potassium, calcium, magnesium, copper, iron and zinc; tumeric is also widely know as an immunity booster and has been studied in treating or preventing a wide variety of conditions, including Inflammatory Bowel Disease, Rheumatoid Arthritis, Cystic Fibrosis, Cancer, and even High Cholesterol. Tumeric is also a well known liver tonic. In fact, an extract from tumeric, circumen, repaired and regenerated liver tissues of diabetic groups in this study.
As you can see, there are many, many reasons to make tumeric a regular part of your diet! The benefits of this medicinal food can be received by eating the fresh root or by adding the spice to your meals. To me, it is virtually flavorless but packs a huge nutritional and medicinal punch to my meals.
“What may be even more remarkable is the accumulating research on the anti-liver cancer properties of turmeric (and curcumin). The GreenMedInfo.com has 26 preclinical studies showing it kills liver cancer cells and tumors, including one case study involving a 6-month old infant with a life-threatening liver vascular tumor (hemangioendothelioma) who was reported treated successfully with a dietary supplement of curcumin, with 6-year follow-up.
One of the most remarkable facts about turmeric as a potential drug and chemotherapy alternative is its exceptionally high margin of safety. A 2001 study in cancer patients reported that quantities of curcumin up to 8 g, administered per day for three months, were not toxic and resulted in significant anti-cancer properties in a number of those treated. Considering that turmeric is only 3-4% curcumin by weight, this implies that a larger quantity of turmeric can be consumed safely, as well.”
Here are a few recipes showing you how simple it is to incorporate tumeric into a soup, or check out my recipe page. Happy Healing! <3
Soda is full of sugar, and it’s bad for you. If you have fat around the middle of your body you can thank sugar for that. Seriously, research it. How do you kick a soda addiction? Replace it with something good, like nutrient infused water.
Here is a link to a recipe for Mint, Cucumber, Lemon water and here is what one of my readers has to say about it:
“i been trying [this] drink out for the last couple of days (and eating the contents in the evening!) well all i can say is it really has got things moving (and i didn’t know i had things which needed to be moved lol!) got to be good for me!!”
This recipe is supposed to be a “fat flush” drink:
This site lists 8 different “detox” water recipes:
http://bembu.com/detox-water-recipes
Truthfully, drinking some of these instead of soda may suck at first, until your taste buds change. Just proceed with the understanding that after you go a while without the soda (sugar) your taste buds will change over time. Once they do, the infused waters will actually taste good and the soda will eventually taste gross.
Also, for me, the more processed sugar I consume, the more I crave. As long as I stay away from it, I didn’t crave it.. but it generally takes about 2-4 weeks for the cravings to disappear after cutting processed sugar out completely.
Coconut water is also good for you but it may taste pretty disgusting at first, especially if it’s packaged. Again, as your taste buds change, the taste will improve. Coconut water from Young Thai Coconuts is sweeter and yummiliscious! Here is what they look like:
If you’re in the Wichita, Kansas area, you can find them at Green Acres, or you can save some money and go to an Asian store to buy them. Finally, you can even make one of my personal favorites, good old fashioned, home-made lemonade. Click here for the recipe. Cheers!
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PITCHER
35 oz water
7 Lemons
7 Oz Sweetener (Maple Syrup, Honey, etc)
Optional: Ice Cubes
SINGLE SERVE
2 Tbsp Maple Syrup or Honey
Juice of one fresh lemon
6-8 oz water
Optional: Ice Cubes
DIRECTIONS
Juice the lemon into a glass
Add Sweetener and Water, then stir
Optional: Add Ice
Lemons are incredibly healing. They are alkalizing, and have strong strong antibacterial, antiviral, and immune-boosting powers. They also have anti-oxidant powers and contain large amounts of vitamin C (nearly half the daily recommended dosage). Lemons also assist in healing and cleansing the liver and, did you know that lemons lower blood sugar? It’s true!
Back when I had metabolic syndrome, when my blood sugars would go higher than I wanted, I would drink fresh squeezed lemon juice in water to bring it back under control. I know it works because I tested my blood sugar levels before and after. Neat stuff! Hippocrates said, “Let thy food be thy medicine and they medicine be thy food”… there is something to that statement. After all, Hippocrates was was a pretty smart dude.
“Vitamin C travels through the body neutralizing any free radicals with which it comes into contact in the aqueous environments in the body both inside and outside cells. Free radicals can interact with the healthy cells of the body, damaging them and their membranes, and also cause a lot of inflammation, or painful swelling, in the body. This is one of the reasons that vitamin C has been shown to be helpful for reducing some of the symptoms of osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis.
Since free radicals can damage blood vessels and can change cholesterol to make it more likely to build up in artery walls, vitamin C can be helpful for preventing the development and progression of atherosclerosis and diabetic heart disease.
Vitamin C is also vital to the function of a strong immune system. The immune system’s main goal is to protect you from illness, so a little extra vitamin C may be useful in conditions like colds, flus, and recurrent ear infections.
Owing to the multitude of vitamin C’s health benefits, it is not surprising that research has shown that consumption of vegetables and fruits high in this nutrient is associated with a reduced risk of death from all causes including heart disease, stroke and cancer.”
♥ – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – SOULYSTIC CHALLENGE – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – ♥
KICK-START YOUR DIGESTIVE PROCESS FOR THE DAY
For the next three weeks, and on an empty stomach, try drinking freshly squeezed lemon juice in a warm (not hot) glass of water with a little bit of honey first thing in the morning to kickstart the digestion process for the day. and see what it does for your digestion. Let me know how it works for you! Read more here about the benefits of drinking warm water. Everyone is different, so test out quantities for yourself. For me personally, I drink about a quart of fluid in the morning, minimum. Most days I drink more than that. It seems the more fluid I take in the morning, the better my digestion.
♥ – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – ♥
WHY AVOID PESTICIDES?
It’s no secret that pesticides are toxic. They’ve been linked to many health problems, including neurological and gastrointestinal problems, as well as problems in the endocrine and hormonal systems. After all, these chemicals are designed to kill, but guess what? The way they’re designed to work isn’t against any one species, so they often kill or harm organisms other than pests; including humans.
Aside from the fact that pesticides are harmful to the environment, long-term low-level exposure to pesticide residues in food as well as contact with pesticide residues in the air, water, soil, sediment, food materials, plants and animals, can lead to pesticide poisoning. Pesticide poisoning occurs when chemicals intended to control a pest affect non-target organisms such as humans, wildlife, or bees.
The World Health Organization reports that this long-term exposure to pesticides can “increase the risk of developmental and reproductive disorders, immune-system disruption, endocrine disruption, impaired nervous-system function, and development of certain cancers. Children are at higher risk from exposure than are adults.” In fact, any young and developing organism is particularly vulnerable to the harmful effects of pesticides, even with very low levels of exposure.
These symptoms are often very subtle and may not be recognized by the medical community as a clinical effect.
Toxipedia reports that “Pesticide exposure can cause a range of neurological health effects such as memory loss, loss of coordination, reduced speed of response to stimuli, reduced visual ability, altered or uncontrollable mood and general behavior, and reduced motor skills. These symptoms are often very subtle and may not be recognized by the medical community as a clinical effect. Other possible health effects include asthma, allergies, and hypersensitivity, and pesticide exposure is also linked with cancer, hormone disruption, and problems with reproduction and fetal development”.
How many neurologists, eye doctors, or psychologists ask their patients if they eat conventional or organic foods? How many doctors consider this as a root cause? How many doctors advise their patients to remove pesticide-ridden food from their diet tosee if there is any improvement?
WHAT CAN WE DO?
It is better to eat fruits and vegetables, even with pesticide residue, than to not eat vegetables and fruit at all. While we may not be able to fully eliminate the pesticides in our food, there are many steps we can take to reduce our exposure. Use the following tips and techniques to limit your exposure to pesticides:
Clean Fifteen/Dirty Dozen
Each year Environmental Working Group publishes two lists to aid in the selection of produce. The ‘Dirty Dozen’ list tells which foods are most contaminated with pesticides. The ‘Clean Fifteen’ list shares the opposite; which foods are least contaminated. Each year the lists change. Search for these titles followed by the current year for the most current list, or, follow this link.
Wash Your Produce Wash your produce thoroughly, even your organic produce, with any of these pesticide rinse recipes. Experts recommend rinsing in running water as opposed to dunking in a tub of water. Use a scrubber for produce with firmer skin, like carrots, potatoes and squash. If possible, dry your produce with a clean cloth or paper towel.
Rinse 1:
Soak your vegetables in a solution of 10% white vinegar* to 90% water (i.e.: one cup vinegar to nine cups water) and let it soak briefly, then swish it around and rinse well. This is not recommended for fragile fruits like raspberries; mine actually fell apart!
*Proper vinegars should have on the label that they are made from distilled grain alcohol or other similar language indicating natural products from distilling. Avoid 20% vinegar.
Rinse 2:
In India, studies show that a solution of Tamarind (at least 20mg) and Vinegar were effective in removing the pesticide residue, up to 95%. The study said the vegetables should be dipped in the tamarind-vinegar water for 15 minutes.
Rinse 3:
Mix one teaspoon of sea salt per one cup of water, let produce soak briefly, then swish it around and rinse well.
Liquid dish soap and bleach are not recommend for washing your fruits and vegetables. These chemicals can get trapped in the pores of produce, becoming difficult to rinse off, there-by adding residues to your produce.
NOTE: Don’t believe your food has pesticide residue? Take this test and see for yourself:
1. Buy one large bunch of organic grapes and one large bunch of conventional grapes.
2. Place each bunch in a large bowl or pan.
3. Squirt dishwashing detergent in each bowl/pan and swish it around, mixing thoroughly for one minute.
4. Carefully watch the water for evidence of pesticide residue.
Grow Your Own Food
The most sure-fire way to know for certain what’s in your food, is to grow your own.
Buy From Your Local Farmer’s Market
If growing your own food is not an option, consider buying from your local Farmer’s Market. Local growers often use less pesticides and are more likely to grow organically. Locally grown food is healthier. In fact, many believe that eating locally grown non-organic is healthier than eating organic that’s been shipped in from another location, as long as it’s been cleaned properly.
Buy Organic
Contrary to popular belief, organic does not mean ‘pesticide free’. However, pesticides used in organic produce are derived from natural sources, as opposed to being manufactured synthetically. Also, most organic farmers employ techniques such as insect traps, disease-resistant crop selection, predator insects and beneficial microorganisms.
Peel Your Food & Discard Outer Layers
Discard the outer layer of leafy greens and, if you can not grow your own or buy organic, you can always peel the food to strip the outer layer that is believed to holds a higher concentration of the pesticide.
Ferment Your Food
Studies now show that the act of fermentation degrades the pesticide in the food. In one study, the insecticide degraded at a rapid pace until day three, and by day nine, the chemical had degraded completely. Researchers identified four strains of lactic acid bacteria that were responsible for this effect.
Eat a Variety
Eating a variety of fruits and vegetables will minimize the potential of exposing yourself (and getting an over-exposure) to one specific pesticide.
Trim the Fat
Pesticide residue will accumulate in the fats of fish, poultry and other meats. Trimming the fat will reduce your exposure to these chemicals.
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Love to you!
Jodi
Source(s)
ewg.org
toxipedia.org
World Health Organization
National Pesticide Information Center
Health.howstuffworks.com
Mercola.com
articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com
npic.orst.edu
Today is the final day of the 21 day Panchakarma treatment, and I am so glad.
I get to broaden my horizons on the food front and have bananas, apples, and avocado again. I can even have eggs or yogurt if I want, woo hoo!! Oh! And I get to have Mysore dosa and Thali again! Yeess!!!
Week two was smooth sailing, after the initial experience with the nose drops. I did miss the deep-tissue massages, though. Ayurvedic massage just isn’t my preference. I was told that weeks one and two focused more on on stirring up and releasing toxins, while week three was more focused on replenishing nutrients.
In week three, I got to receive the deep tissue massage again, and the complimentary treatment this week was a technique called Basti. It is the most powerful of the five main procedures of Panchakarma. To all my friends with narcolepsy and neurological disorders, basti is supposed to be *the* treatment for those with neurological disorders.
Quite honestly, it’s been a long three weeks and, I can’t say I feel much different from when I started Panchakarma. Many people say they have a lot of weight loss from Panchakarma and I haven’t noticed this ‘side benefit’ personally. My roommate did say he thought I had lost weight. I don’t know. Maybe I can find a scale tomorrow.
Perhaps it is because I already had a pretty clean diet to begin with, that I haven’t seen major results from this cleansing procedure/technique. Perhaps it is because I had a few cheat days. I will never know. I do wish I had gone to a facility to have this treatment done, as opposed to an ‘outpatient’ type clinic. Next time I will go to a facility. In the facility they provide meals for you, do your laundry, give you a gentle yoga practice daily, practice pranayama, and keep you on schedule. It would have been good for me to have that structure and to not have to worry about cooking my own meals, sourcing ingredients, doing dishes, traveling, and figuring everything out.
During the Panchakarma I was not allowed to do morning yoga practice. The theory is that the body needs the energy to support the cleanse. I was allowed to do an evening practice, but I didn’t. Aside from taking care of daily duties, like cooking, cleaning and laundry, I just took this time to focus on allowing my body to detox and heal. Some days I was simply tired from the process itself.
Now, I must rebuild my body’s strength so that I can start practicing yoga again and get strong enough to take Ashtanga Yoga Teacher Training. I’ve got my work cut out for me. I am nowhere near having the strength I need for Ashtanga Yoga Teacher Training right now. It’s time to re-build my strength and my body. Can I do it?!??? Time will tell.
My ego is having a heyday with this one. It can be so intimidating walking into a yoga class with a bunch of hard-core, seasoned ashtangees, when you don’t even know the series and haven’t got the strength to complete it. It can be twice as intimidating, having the memory challenges that I have. I just have to keep telling myself that putting myself out there is better than being the gal sitting on the couch at home, and to hell with what anybody else thinks!
The only way to truly get over my fear is to bask in it until it dissolves, and that means to thrust myself, full-force, in the midst of my fear so that I can experience it fully. Deep breath, “I can do this”.
So, after I get myself to the point that I can do the Sun Salutations five times each, I will be seeking a studio to practice at again. And yes, I will be asking my divine to give me strength and the courage to once again step outside of my comfort zone and do this. Wish me luck!
What have you been putting of lately, out of fear? Are you letting fear of failure keep you from trying something new? You know, often times, when we allow ourselves to fully experience our fear, it will simply disappear. What fear have you been running from? What fear can you thrust yourself into and experience fully?
You were born with divine potential. How can you reach this divine potential if you do not gather the strength and courage to face your fears? Truth is, when you exhibit courage, you inspire others to do the same, and others will follow your lead.
Aristotle, he was a pretty smart dude, and he said, “Courage is the first of human qualities because it is the quality which guarantees the others”.
♥ – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – SOULYSTIC SUGGESTION – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – ♥
Do one thing today that scares you. If you don’t feel you have the courage, ask your divine to give you the strength and to carry you through it.
♥ – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – -♥
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The word panchakarma literally means “five actions”, and in panchakarma there are five different procedures used as a therapeutic way of eliminating toxins from the body. I started panchakarma last week. Each day I go to the clinic, check in with the doc, then go for my treatment. At first, I felt like I was in heaven! But then? Shit got real lol.
In week one, I was given internal ‘medicine’ to take daily. Each day I would awaken, take the internal meds, then go to the clinic for my check-in. After check-in, I would receive a head massage and a full body deep-tissue massage, then I would go into the steam box. The steam box is typically a big wooden box that encompasses your body, with a slot for your head to poke through the top. It releases hot steam inside, which opens your pores and assists in the elimination of toxins (see pictures below).
I also got some funky, dukey-lookin’ stuff put on my head, that I had to leave in for two hours. That put a damper in my daily plans lol. Walking home with this mess on my head every day was fun! No. Seriously! The looks I got were priceless!
I loved the beginning of week one! Even though I was on a limited diet, I still had a host of foods to choose from that were quite delicious – including my ‘Health Idli’s’ (if you’re subscribed to my Facebook page you know what these are). The massages were to live for, and I left feeling so relaxed. However, toward the end of the week, everything changed.
During the fourth and fifth day I was really, really tired. I came home after each treatment and fell asleep. Also, on the fifth day, I was very emotional. I went for my check-in and the next thing I know I’m bawling at the doctor’s desk! For those of you who aren’t familiar with detoxing the body, crying is a symptom – it always gets worse before it gets better! The doctor and I talked for about an hour and I cried most of the time. Then I went in for my treatment and cried during the head massage. After that I went home and, yes, cried some more.
STEAM BOX
The next day I wasn’t supposed to take any internal meds and man I felt a total difference! For that one day I had energy for a change! On this day I also was on a liquid diet, as a preparation for the following day’s ‘purgation’. I drank fresh coconut water most of the day, and had one bowl of soup.
I was excited to start week two, because I knew I would no longer be walking around with dukey-head lol. That meant I could actually go somewhere after treatment and get some things accomplished. Instead of the head massage and treatment, I was going to get a face massage and some nose drops. COOL!
The doc warned me that, after the drops, I would need to spit and clear my nose, so to go to the bathroom after the face massage take care of it. She also warned me to not snort the drops. So the man put the drops in my nose and I had to let it drip towards my brain for a couple minutes. I didn’t fully snort it.. but.. I did inhale a little harder than normal. I figured, I’m paying good money for this cleanse and I want it to be effective, right? What was I thinking?!
After my face massage, I felt fine, so I went straight into the steam box. Suddenly, just after I’m closed into the steam box, my throat starts to burn and I can’t breath without coughing. I expected throat symptoms, no biggy. Next, my eyes start burning. Now I’m confused, because doctor never mentioned anything about eyes burning. “Why are my eyes burning?!”, I wonder. I ask the man if my eyes are supposed to burn. “No”, he says.
Okay, honestly? I may as well have snorted habanero sauce; I’m pretty sure it would have given similar effects. “Holy heck!!”, I think, “What IS that stuff?!” I feel like someone placed a torch behind my eyeballs and they were burning from the inside out, like an inferno is inside my head. Tears were streaming down my face, unprovoked by me. I am now choking on, what seems like fumes in the back of my throat. A steady burning sensation hurled through my nose, and it began to run.. I’m pretty sure it eventually just went completely numb at some point.
Walking home I probably looked like a drunkard on crack whose best friend just died; walking all cock-eyed with my eyes all bloodshot, tears steady streaming down my face. My throat was sore, my nose was still burning, and I’m pretty sure at this point that I no longer have nose hairs. As soon as I got home a roommate asked if I was okay; he thought I was really upset and had been crying. Later, a different roommate asked me if I was sick with a cold or something. A good hour to hour and a half passed before it finally settled down and I’m not going to lie, it sucked.
So much for shopping and sight-seeing after treatment! Let’s hope tomorrow is more gentle lol. There you have it, folks. That’s my adventure for the day and my initial experiences with panchakarma. Okay, okay. It wasn’t THAT bad, of course I’ve exaggerated for sheer entertainment purposes lol. I can’t give an honest review of panchakarma until I’m through the entire treatment, but don’t let this post scare you away from it; I hear that many celebrities swear by it and come to India to have it done annually.
What’s the weirdest or funniest experience you’ve had with a cleanse?
