Salubrious Life

Tips For Winter Nutrition

     Winter brings cold and snow.  If you are feeling chilled by this winter weather, the best foods to eat are warm carbohydrates, such as oatmeal, chili, and lasagna, as well as warm fluids such as hot cocoa, hot tea, hot cider, and soup.  Other foods that provide energy and add heat to the system are carrots, greens, onion, potatoes, spinach, squash, sweet peas, tomatoes, and turnips.

     Good breakfast foods are cracked wheat, oats, and tapioca.  These foods are especially good if they contain freshly roasted nuts and raisins.  Dates and figs are also good additions.  Diary products and citrus fruits should be eaten on a very limited basis because they are sour foods that produce cold in the system.  An instant heat producer is a teaspoon of ginger, a teaspoon or more fenugreek and seven black peppercorns.

     When you eat cold foods, your body tries to conserve heat by reducing the blood flow to the skins surface.  This is why your fingertips and toes get cold.  Eating the food mentioned above, will keep you warm through this cold winter season.

Six Reasons To Use Turmeric

     Turmeric, an Indian spice, has important healing properties.  It is an east Indian plant that is a member of the ginger family and is used as a spice and a food color.  It is a warming spice with a bitter taste that is commonly found in curry sauces in South Asian cuisine.  The substance in turmeric that gives it a yellow color, curcumin, is showing with increasing frequency in medical journals all over the world its many health attributes.

     This golden yellow spice is so significant that it is being studied in the treatment of cancer, Alzheimer's disease, cystic fibrosis, psoriasis, arthritis, and osteoporosis.

     1.  Curcumin, the active component of turmeric, may decrease the risk of developing  polyps in the colon, which in turn, decreases the risk of colon cancer.  It may help prevent the spread of breast cancer cells as well.

     2.  Curcumin may help the immune system eliminate the protein that is suspected of accumulating to form damaging plaques in the brains of people who develop Alzheimer's disease.

     3.  Curcumin may be helpful in the treatment of some cases of cystic fibrosis.

     4.  Curcumin may help the symptoms associated with psoriasis.

     5.  Curcumin may help ease the pain and inflammation that accompanies arthritis.

     6.  Curcumin may help prevent bone loss associated with osteoporosis.

For more information on this spice used in Ayurvedic medicine consult an Ayurvedic Health Counselor.

Six Foods to Eat to Fight Cancer

     Some statistics suggest that 30% of all cancers in adults in the United States are caused by poor diets.  Fortunately, scientific evidence has now established that cruciferous vegetables contain vital cancer-fighting components that offer powerful protection against cancer.  This family of cruciferous vegetables is naturally rich in indole-3-carbinol (I3C), a compound that is quickly becoming recognized as one of the most powerful cancer-fighting compounds that we know of.

     These six foods contain I3C which has been shown to prevent the onset and halt the progression of colon, breast, prostate, and, cervical cancers.  These natural compounds also promote healthy estrogen metabolism in the body, which is a critical component in any disease prevention strategy.

     These 6 foods are listed below.

     1.  Broccoli.  It has only 25 calories and is high in vitamin A and is a good source of folic acid, calcium, potassium, vitamin C, and beta-carotene.

     2.  Cabbage.  It is low in calories and loaded in potassium and vitamin A.

     3.  Cauliflower.  It is 92% water, low in calories, and a good source of potassium, vitamin C, riboflavin, folic acid, niacin, and vitamin B6.

     4.  Brussels Sprouts.  They look like mini-cabbages, but are sweeter.  They are an amazing source of vitamins K, C, and A as well as folic acid, B6, and fiber.

     5.  Kale. It is low in calories and loaded with vitamins K, A, C, B6, and magnesium.       

     6.  Kohlrabi.  It resembles a turnip with leaves.  It is low in calories and a good source of potassium and vitamin K.

Clearly, eating these extraordinary potent vegetables on a regular basis is a safe, effective, and inexpensive strategy for preventing cancer.

Five Ways to Perform an Autumn Cleanse

     Autumn is the season of the harvest.  These days of seasonal change around the equinox are a perfect time to cleanse your body and lighten yourself for fall's work.  Like early spring, early autumn is a good time for cleansing.  Afterwards, your diet may be fuller, richer, and more heat-producing than in spring, in order to carry you through the chill of late autumn and winter.

     An early autumn cleanse will help regulate the diet and provide enhanced elimination clearing the body of potential illness.  Listed below are five techniques that you can use for your autumn cleanse.

     1.  A week or so of juice cleansing will give you a boost of energy and improve organ functions by flushing out toxins.  A good choice is apple-pear juice, or other fruit juices in the morning with vegetable juices like carrot, beet, celery, zucchini, or parsley in the afternoon or evening.

     2.  Garlic facilitates cleansing and healing.  Garlic acts medicinally as a stimulant, diuretic, antiseptic, disinfectant, and as a germicide.  So eating more garlic in your meals will aid in your cleanse.

     3.  Colonic Irrigation is a beneficial and non-toxic method of cleansing the large intestine with water.  If employing this method, use a highly trained specialists.  Many doctors have stated that constipation is one of the main causes of disease.

     4.  Meditation Practice.  Your mind has many dimensions with its ability to expand its attention, to focus, limit, contain, and even close off that attention.  Your mind is your body's transmitter and receiver.  What is happening in your mind affects how you feel emotional and physically.  What you are experiencing in your head influences your physical body and vice versa.

     5.  Any exercise that causes you to sweat is great for cleansing.  Whether it is basketball, soccer, running, hiking, weight lifting, yoga, or martial arts, they all create heat in your body which will create sweat.  So exercise more during this time.

Always consult your doctor before employing any of these techniques.  Once your doctor has cleared you and you need more guidance, contact a holistic health counselor.

    

Five Foods for Healthy Summer Skin

     Is the summer heat wrecking havoc on your skin?  Before you reach for another cleanser, toner, or moisturizer, add the following foods to your diet to clear the way for a beautiful complexion.  The nutrients found in these foods nourish your skin from the inside out.  So before your next trip to the grocery store put these foods on your list.

     1.  Carrots and sweet potatoes.  The orange color of carrots and sweet potatoes not only looks great on your dinner plate, they also work wonders on your complexion.  Sweet potatoes and carrots boost large amounts of beta-carotene.  Beta-carotene is an antioxidant whose protective qualities defend against the damage that sun exposure will cause.    Beta-carotene is found in vegetables who have red, yellow, and orange pigments.

     2.  Salmon.  Add luster and softness to your complexion by feasting on salmon, a fish with one of the richest concentrations of omega-3 fatty acids.  These healthy fats nourish the skin by decreasing clogged pores, reducing the body's production of inflammatory substances, and preventing wrinkles and fine lines.

     3.  Sunflower Seeds.  Slow down the development of saggy, wrinkled skin by eating sunflower seeds.  These seeds are loaded with vitamin E.  Vitamin E is a powerful antioxidant that decelerates the aging of skin cells, keeping us looking younger longer.  It also is known for its ability to diminish the appearance of scars.

     4.  Kiwi.  This sweet treat packs more vitamin C per ounce that most other fruits.  Vitamin C helps maintain the collagen in our skin, keeping it firm.  So if you want more supple skin, eat the fruit that has furry skin, kiwi.

     5.  Tea.  Dietitians continue to debate just how much liquid we should drink each day.  Most agree that it should be between  8-10 glasses per day.  Our body is comprised of 70-80 percent water and if we don't drink enough, our cells do not regenerate and remove waste, resulting in a buildup of impurities.  Alternating glasses of water with caffeine-free hot tea loaded with antioxidants is ideal.  Drinking teas loaded with antioxidants will boast your ability to fight acne.  A natural caffeine-free alternative tea to green tea is rooibos.  Rooibos is native to South Africa and has the same qualities of green tea and black without the caffeine.

The Summer Diet

     Summer is usually hot and everyone is more active.  You need a diet which keeps you cool and light.  We are very fortunate that nature provides us with such luscious fruits and vegetables to eat at this time.  The gardens and orchards are full.  A diet of primarily raw fruits and vegetables, organically grown is ideal.  This will help you feel lighter, aid in weight loss, and keep your energy strong.

     Foods have yin and yang qualities.  Yin is a general category for passivity, contraction, and the feminine energy.  Things that are cold, moist, slow-moving or even stationary are said to be in a yin state.  Yin is at nighttime, when life slows down and sleep occurs.  Water and the moon are yin and thus connected with the feminine in nature.  The earth and all of space is yin also.  Yang is a general category for things in a state of activity, aggressiveness, and expansion.  Fire is yang.  All things that are hot, dry, and fast-moving are yang.  The daylight hours, during which there is  much activity, is yang.  Time is yang and the sun is a great ball of yang.  Yang is considered the masculine principle in nature.  Thus, time and the sun are associated with the masculine energy.

     Fruits are the most yin followed by vegetables. They are wet and cooling, which are qualities of yin.  Proteins, fats and complex carbohydrates are more yang.  So during the summer, eat lots of fresh fruits and juices, multicolored salads and vegetables, some seeds, nuts, and grains, and fewer dairy products and meats.

     Obviously, if you are doing more physical outdoor work or getting lots of physical activity, you need to eat more food.  Fruits are good in the morning, early afternoon, or as a nighttime snack, and vegetables then can be eaten more in the latter part of the day.  If you eat a heavier meal, you should do this in the middle to late afternoon and rest for a couple of hours.  This will give you overall better evening energy and sleep, plus more complete digestion than eating nearer to bedtime.

     Here are a few good breakfast ideas.  If you like feeling light, have just a couple of pieces of fruit, fruit juice, or tea in the morning.  A richer breakfast might include a small bowl of yogurt with one or two sliced pieces of fruit, such as banana, pear or apple.  You could also choice to have a few nuts, raisins, with a touch of honey or agave nectar.

     If you need more help with your summer diet, make an appointment with a holistic nutrition counselor.  They will be able to assist you with your summer diet and make it tailored to fit your individual needs.

Six Ways to Balance Stomach Acid

     Diet and lifestyle play central roles in the onset of ulcers.  The modern diet, rich in fat, refined carbohydrates, coffee, tea, tobacco, sugar, alcohol, spices, and fried foods, all increase production of stomach acids.  Many common drugs, such as aspirin, also promote stomach acids, as do many salted, pickled, and smoked foods.  Since these foods make up the bulk of the Western diet, there is little wonder that so many millions of people suffer from stomach disorders and particularly ulcers.

     Listed below are six ways to help balance out stomach acids.  If you are experiencing gnawing pain or burning sensations in your stomach, and have been checked by your doctor to not have an ulcer, try these techniques to see if you get relief.

     1.  Cut down on dry, spicy, and salty foods.

     2.  If you are not lactose intolerant, drink a little cool milk, but not with meals.

     3.  Eat sweet juicy fruits, such as plums and pears alone.

     4.  Minimize alcohol consumption.

     5.  Eat promptly when you are hungry.  Don't skip meals.  Eat four to six meals through the day, rather than three larger meals.  This will place less stress upon the stomach.

     6.  Get proper rest.  Try to go to bed before 10pm when digestion becomes active again.

Kicking Out the Internal Dust Bunnies

A confluence of events has led me to where I am today.

Where is that you might wonder?   Well, I'm on day 13 of a 14 day whole body cleanse and I could not feel better (or could I.....what happens on day 14?)

It began with my seasonal ritual of spring cleaning.  I mean the real kind. Pulling out furniture and getting in behind it to remove trapped dirt. Pulling open long shut windows to clean off grime collected over the long winter.   Getting rid of the "dust bunnies" as it were.

As I was doing this work, I began to wonder if, just like my house, had my body stored up its own share of dust bunnies during the interminable winter?

Then, reading Salubrious Life I find our very own Anita Thompkins  had chosen to write on just such a topic.   Say no more........off I went to whole foods to find me some all purpose body cleanser.

There was much to choose from, but a very helpful consultant led me to a 14 day system by Enzymatic Therapy called:  "Whole Body Cleanse"

The cleanse is a three part system made up of:

1. Laxative Formula purging the intestine of built-up toxins.  The formula contains Magnesium hydroxide which draws water into the intestines, making waste material soften and swell (tmi??)   Also Slippery elm bark supporting healthy intestinal mucous, marshmallow root supporting immune and digestive health, peppermint leaf extract helping to soothe intestinal muscles and finally burdock and red clover supporting detoxification of the lymph and circulatory system
2. Fiber Fusion.  Of course, for a healthy cleanse, you need the fiber to move the toxins out of your body.  In this formula are: Pectin from Citrus fruit for fiber and immune health, Psyllium husk which absorbs more than any other bowel regulating fiber.
3. Super Milk Thistle.  This product supports healthy liver and gall bladder function and detoxification.  Super Milk Thistle contains: Milk Thistle, purported to be one of natures finest liver-supporting herbs and anti-oxidant, artichoke extract to support healthy bile production, Licorice and dandelion for the support of healthy bile flow.  (bile transports the toxins that the liver neutralizes to the intestines where they leave the body as waste)

In this two stage system, the first week is dedicated to cleansing and the second week is called "transition".  The formula is altered in this second week to assist in greater liver cleansing.

The first three days were awful.  I felt incredibly tired, irritable and slow.  It's as if all of the "dust bunnies" had risen for one final hoo ha before leaving my body.

Now on day 13 I do feel good.  No dramatic weight shift (though none promised)  My skin appears clearer and I feel sharper.  It makes sense to take care of your digestive health and I think that a whole body cleanse with the change of each season is something I'll be incorporating into my health and wellness plan from here on in.

Thanks for the tips Anita!

Nine Ways to Balance Digestion

     You have heard the saying "you are what you eat." Actually, "you are what you digest" is more accurate and more critical because digestion converts food into energy producing nutrients that sustain and support your body.  Poor digestion can lead to gas as well as a heavy feeling, which is usually a build up of digestive impurities.  Good digestion begins with a balanced appetite.  Some people do not have an appetite, while others can not fully taste their food.  And others, never feel satisfied during and after eating.  When a meal is savored and enjoyed, it helps the body prepare for proper digestion and assimilation of the nutrients in the food.

     Listed below are nine ways to help you balance your digestion.  If you are experiencing gas or other digestive discomforts, try these techniques to see if you get relief.

     1.  Eat your biggest meal at mid-day, when digestive fire is strongest.

     2.  Eat fresh food.  Avoid left-overs.

     3.  Eat only when hungry.  That is an indication that your previous meal is digested.

     4.  Maintain regular meal times. 

     5.  During your meal, chew slowly, take your time to eat, and sit quietly for five minutes after each meal.

     6.  Do not divide your attention by reading, working, or watching TV while you are eating.  Savor your meals.

     7.  Avoid cold or iced drinks.  They decrease the digestive fire and slow down digestion.

     8.  Eat only until your are satisfied, which is about three-quarters full.

     9.  Boil milk with ginger or cinnamon and drink it warm or cool.

Do You Need A Spring Cleanse?

     Yes, it is here. Spring!  And it is the time of year to do spring-cleaning.  You clean out your closet, your home and maybe you should consider cleaning out your body.  Spring is the cleansing healing season.  It is the time of year where nature produces foods that have cleansing properties.  It is also the time to take a good look at your life and make a new plan. 

     If you have thought about doing a cleanse but did not know if you really need one, read the list below.  If you have any of the following, you are most likely in need of a spring intestinal cleansing.

     1.  Any disease or malfunction of the body.

     2.  Constipation (less than one bowel movement per day).

     3.  Bad breath.

     4.  Body odor.

     5.  Flatulence.

     6.  Dry and hard stools (they should be soft and break up with you flush).

     7.  Poor complexion.  Acne is a bowel problem.

     8.  Lack of energy.

     9.  Obesity or unusual thinness.

    10.  A history of taking antibiotics.  They completely destroy the friendly intestinal     flora.

     11.  Foul-smelling stools (unless you eat onions an garlic) or off-color stools (they should be light to dark brown).

    12.  Bowel movements that take more than 30 seconds or require pushing or grunting (they should be quick and easy).

There are many different cleansing regiments available.  Please consult with a holistic health counselor and your doctor prior to starting a cleanse program.