Archive for Immune System

Recipe Makeovers: Cauliflower Pizza Crusts and Caesar Salad Dressing that make you Lean and Healthy

January 6, 2015 / / Comments Off on Recipe Makeovers: Cauliflower Pizza Crusts and Caesar Salad Dressing that make you Lean and Healthy

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERAI received an email from a reader, asking if I could do another post on weight loss soon.

My response:  EVERY SINGLE POST IS ON WEIGHT.  Food is Medicine or Food is Poison, and our weight is a side effect of that fact.

If Weight Loss is our first priority when it comes to food, We’ll NEVER SUCCESSFULLY LOSE WEIGHT AND KEEP IT OFF. Ever.  95 – 99% of everyone who loses weight on a Diet gains it back.

Low calorie foods, low fat plans, starving ourself, skipping meals, exercising a ton, and STRESSING ABOUT OUR WEIGHT are literally guaranteed to make us gain weight in the long run, because we’re eating toxic food and/or employing toxic behaviors.  Poison.

Weight Loss is never a priority for our body or brain.  For women particularly, losing weight is the last thing our body wants to do, even when we carry excess fat.  Fat’s crucial not just for building our Brain, Glands, Organs, Bones, and Immune System, but our body makes many of our Hormones from fatty acids.

Healthy fats, vegetables, herbs, spices, clean proteins, seasonal fruit, nuts, seeds…..Medicine.

My point?  To lose weight and keep it off, we HAVE to eat Medicine Foods.  Also, cut the Grains, Sugars, and Chemicals; those things ruin our liver, our brain, our arteries and destroy our hormones. Permanent weight loss is impossible as long as they’re a regular part of our diet.

Here’s some recipe makeovers that I promise are husband and kid approved. These recipes contain Nutrient Dense Real Whole Foods (Medicine) guaranteed to satisfy our body and brain, and help us lose weight.

WARNING/ADVICE:  Sometimes with picky kids and husbands, it’s best NOT to tell them what’s in the food.  Don’t set yourself up for snide (or worse) comments about the ingredients or your efforts to make you and your family healthier.  Just do it.  Stay strong and determined no matter what mud a teenager slings at you.  The great thing about Real Whole Food is that fat, herbs, and spices make EVERYTHING taste good.  Broccoli with butter, parm, and sea salt?  DELICIOUS.  Chicken with skin on/bone in?  Delicious.  Bacon, brussels, butter, sea salt and pepper?  Delicious.  Stay with the program, be persistent, and eventually,… you’ll win.

Here’s a picture of our dinner last night:  Cauliflower Pizza and Caesar Salads with homemade dressing.                                                      dinner 1:4

If you look online for Cauliflower Pizza Crust recipes, you’ll find 1.6 million; they’re nobody’s secret, and they’re all pretty similar.  (Helpful hints to follow) Here’s the recipe I use:

CAULIFLOWER CRUST PIZZA

Full head of cauliflower, RICED ( in your food processor or Vitamix )

1 egg
1 tbsp sea salt
1 tbsp Italian seasoning
1/2 cup of your favorite cheese.  You’ll see recipes that use goat, parm, mozzarella, and cheddar, just pick one.

Directions: Set oven to 450.  “Rice” the whole head of cauliflower, and then either steam it ( more dishes, but better ) or put it in a pot of 1″ water and cook it, just for a couple of minutes.

IMPORTANT:  YOU HAVE TO GET ALL THE WATER OUT OF THE CAULIFLOWER.  Don’t whine.  Think positive thoughts, like, you’re going to have pizza and you’re not going to feel stuffed/bloated/or regretful the next day, PLUS, you’re eating a sulfur containing cruciferous vegetable that prevents cancer and disease.  Good thoughts.

I put my cooked cauliflower in a fine mesh strainer and press with a big wooden spoon, then I put it in a dishtowel and twist and wring until even more water comes out.  Cauliflower contains a lot of water, and you need it fairly dry.

When you’re done, mix it in a bowl with all the other ingredients; if you used a big head, you have enough for 2 pizzas, or one very thick crust. You only need about 2.5 cups per thin crust. Thicker crusts may not act like “real” pizza, i.e, you’ll have to cut them with a fork instead of holding them.  MOMS:  if your kids are suspicious of your efforts, make the crusts thin so they’ll stay together when they’re held. I’ve been at this long enough that I can make a thick crust and we all use forks, but switching the family diet from Fake Foods (poison) to Real Foods  (medicine) needs to be done gently, and wisely.

Put a piece of parchment paper on your stone, and use your hands to form your crust, then bake it for anywhere from 10/12 minutes for a thin crust, to 25 minutes for a thick crust. (read my hints at end of post)

When it’s baked, load it with your favorite toppings.  Last night I used slow roasted tomatoes, sausage, onions, herbs, and cheese.

Back in the oven at 425, for 16 minutes, and you can make your salad and dressing.

Caesar Salad and Dressing:   Look at these ingredients! How did we ever start thinking that brain food like this could be bad for us???

3 eggs ( I use farm fresh eggs, but use pasteurized if you want )
1 can anchovies
1-2 garlic cloves
1 tbsp Red Wine vinegar
1/4-1/2 tsp sea salt
1/2 c lemon juice
1/2 c parm
1/2 tsp yellow mustard

1/2 cup of Extra Virgin olive oil

Directions for dressing:  put the first 8 ingredients into your BLENDER or VITAMIX, and blend for a minute.   Then sloooowly pour in the olive oil; you’re emulsifying it, that means you need to drizzle the olive oil into the mix for it to set up thickly.

Pour this over a bowl full of romaine, shredded parm, and bread crumbs made from COCONUT MILK bread croutons.  Or just make your favorite salad, and use this dressing because it’s absolutely delicious and your family will love it.

A few last words of advice:

1) I’ve heard juicing the cauliflower is the best way to go, no wringing, but I haven’t tried it.

2) If your cauliflower head is extra big, add an egg white.

3) Judge your crust by how it looks more than time; it should turn light brown and “crusty”.

4) If after all your efforts the “dough” is still pretty wet, add 1/2 to 1 tbsp of coconut flour.  Coconut flour absorbs liquid;  start with the 1/2 tbsp and go from there.

5) To make croutons with Coconut Milk Bread, cut off a slice, tear into pieces, drizzle with olive oil, salt, and bake for 10 minutes on 350.  Judge from there if they need a few more minutes.

 

Category: Cooking, Fats, Hormones, Immune System, Paleo Recipe, RWF, Uncategorized, Weight Loss / Tags: , , ,

Has the Flu, a Cold, Virus or Bacteria Invaded Your Home? Here’s What To Do Now:

December 28, 2014 / / Comments Off on Has the Flu, a Cold, Virus or Bacteria Invaded Your Home? Here’s What To Do Now:

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year, and a BIG thank you so much for reading my Blog:)

Now on to the topic of about a dozen emails the past several days:  either you, or someone in your home, has the flu, or a bad cold.  It’s a pretty sick December, isn’t it?  Obviously, the first line of Defense is to PREVENT pathogenic virus or bacteria from setting up shop in the first place.  Read these posts on how to do that plus several suggestions for treating illness after it strikes:  (1), (2), and (3).   Then see what I’m doing right now, including a few recipes.

My daughter Shelby is on her 3rd day of illness.  I’m pretty sure it was or is the flu, and she definitely had/has Pink Eye.  I absolutely DON’T believe in the flu shot.  For one thing, it’s LOADED with Mercury and Aluminum, why would I inject that into myself or my kids?  I’d rather get the flu bugs than Toxic Heavy Metals.  And Two: the CDC admitted that this years shot isn’t even that effective for those who did get it.  (I have a beef with vaccines. My daughter Amanda’s first seizure was 30 minutes after her kindergarten shots.  )   I’m not saying that all vaccines are bad, but they’re not all good either.

I also don’t use standard Cold Remedies anymore.  That stuff’s poison, and they have ZERO effect on actually helping your body kill the pathogenic bacteria or virus – ZERO, or boosting your immune system.  Cough and Cold medicines ONLY suppress symptoms, and actually contain ingredients like acetaminophen ( horrible for the liver), food dyes ( cancer anyone? ), and other chemicals that come with a long list of undesirable side effects.  PLUS *** symptoms like fever, coughs, runny nose, and watery eyes, are all DEFENSE MECHANISMS OUR BODY USES TO GET RID OF BAD GERMS.  I don’t want to suppress those;  I want to help her body clear them.

Here’s what I’m doing in my house for my Sick Kid, and here’s her symptoms: low grade fever ( about 100 ), severe body aches, nausea, sore throat, pink eye.  Everything abated within 12 hours, now it’s mostly a cold and fatigue.

1) She’s on 2 homeopathic flu remedies,  Oscillococcimun, and Influenzium 30.  I got both from my local health food store a few weeks ago.  I stocked up because the Influenzium 30 is actually a good PREVENTATIVE.  The past 2 years we’ve done a “take 10 pills 1x a week” routine starting in January, which worked beautifully.  ( I didn’t plan on someone getting sick so early!  Now, it’s a treatment instead of a preventative. )

2) She’s drinking a TON of water, herbal teas, and my TONICS, recipes to follow.

3) I’m using the essential oil blends ( from DoTerra ), Breath, On Guard, and a personal mix from a friend of Lavender/Clary Sage/Myrrh/Frankincense, which I’m rubbing on her feet, and the skin on the outside of her throat.   I’m a BIG believer in Essential Oils; they’re very, very effective.

4) For the Pink Eye ( and it was wicked!), I made a mix of 1 cup water, 1tsp salt, and a tbsp of Manuka Honey.  We’re putting those drops in her eyes every couple of hours; it started working very quickly.  She went from swollen shut with lots of goobers to wide open and no discharge within an afternoon.

5) Hot baths with Magnesium Flakes and essential oils, the same ones listed above.

6) She’s eating eggs, homemade Coconut Milk Bread w/ butter and honey, bananas, chicken, homemade broth, and peas.  Easy foods to digest.

7) For sleeping:  Melatonin, and Herb Pharm Relaxing Sleep Tonic – this puts her out like a light; our body WANTS to sleep when we’re sick, that’s when it can heal best.

8) Lots of Positive Reinforcement and Hugs.

Here’s the Recipe for Elderberry Syrup from the Wellness Mama site:

⅔ cup black elderberries
3.5 cups of water
2 T fresh or dried ginger root
1 tsp cinnamon powder
½ tsp cloves or clove powder
1 cup raw honey (we get from our farmer’s market)

Instructions
Pour water into medium saucepan and add elderberries, ginger, cinnamon and cloves (do not add honey!)
Bring to a boil and then cover and reduce to a simmer for about 45 minutes to an hour until the liquid has reduced by almost half. At that point, remove from heat and let cool enough to be handled. Pour through a strainer into a glass jar or bowl.
Discard the elderberries (or compost them!) and let the liquid cool to lukewarm. When it is no longer hot, add 1 cup of honey and stir well. ( you don’t want to kill honey’s live nutrients )
When honey is well mixed into the elderberry mixture, pour the syrup into a pint sized mason jar or 16 ounce glass bottle of some kind.
Ta Da! You just made homemade elderberry syrup! Store in the fridge and take daily for its immune boosting properties. Some sources recommend taking only during the week and not on the weekends to boost immunity.
Standard dose is ½ tsp to 1 tsp for kids and ½ Tbsp to 1 Tbsp for adults. If the flu does strike, take the normal dose every 2-3 hours instead of once a day until symptoms disappear.

Here’s The Vinegar of the 4 Thieves from the Wellness Mama Site, and yes, it needs to sit and develop.  If you make some this week, you’ll still have it for the last part of the winter.  I put a note on my calendar last year to make it in November this year.  I’m learning to plan ahead!

Vinegar of the Four Thieves Ingredients:

2 TBSP Thyme (dried)
2 TBSP Rosemary (dried)
2 TBSP Sage (dried)
2 TBSP Lavender (dried)
2 TBSP Mint (dried)
4-8 cloves of minced garlic (optional)
One 32-ounce bottle of organic Apple Cider Vinegar with “the Mother”
[Note: Most herbs can be found locally, but are also available online at places like Mountain Rose Herbs]

How To Make the Vinegar of The Four Thieves:

Put all the dried herbs and garlic (if using) into a large glass jar (I used half gallon)
Pour the Vinegar over the herbs and garlic and seal tightly. The vinegar is strong enough to corrode some metal lids, so in this case, consider putting plastic wrap or a plastic bag on top and then putting the lid on.
Leave in a cool, dark, place for 6-8 weeks (for health tonic recipe) shaking daily if possible.
After 6-8 weeks, strain the herbs out using a small strainer and store tonic in smaller jars for easy use.
Uses for Four Thieves Herbal Vinegar:

As I mentioned before, this vinegar makes a very effective (though strong smelling!) insect repellent. If you make it to this strength, just put 1/4 cup of the vinegar in an 8-ounce spray bottle and fill the rest with water. Spray on skin, clothes, etc. when in heavily insect infested areas. We store in the fridge to minimize the vinegar smell and make more refreshing.
In cases of illness, the Vinegar of the Four Thieves is very helpful in quick recovery. Adults can take 1 TBSP several times a day (dilute in water!!) and kids can take 1 Tsp several times a day (well diluted in water/herbal tea).
When a family member is sick, diluting this with 1 part water and putting in a spray bottle will make a potent disinfectant that can be used on surfaces or sprayed in the air.
I’ve had some people report really good success using this vinegar as a soak or topical spray for foot or nail fungus.
Diluted and used on the scalp, this remedy is also said to be effective against dandruff.
This vinegar makes an effective natural disinfectant spray for use in house cleaning.

Category: Immune System / Tags: , , , , , , , , ,

Holiday Eating Gone Bad? 8 Facts To Scare You Straight.

December 6, 2014 / / Comments Off on Holiday Eating Gone Bad? 8 Facts To Scare You Straight.

me:girlsIt’s the holiday season, you’re busy, you’re struggling, you want motivation, so I’ll be fast and effective.

I’ve had several emails and comments in the past two weeks full of regret and remorse over Eating Gone Bad.  There’s definitely the sense of, ” I couldn’t help myself because…”

A client friend said to me yesterday, ” I want to become scared of flour and sugar, like you are.”  I want ALL OF YOU TO BECOME SCARED OF FLOUR AND SUGAR, like I am!  Let me scare you straight, quickly.

Simple carbs from Grains and Sugar cause high levels of sugar and insulin in your blood/arteries/veins. The negative health effects from this are PROFOUND:

1) Excess blood sugar ( from sugar and grains) is converted to Triglycerides and stored in our fat cells.

2) Excess blood sugar “GLYCATES” proteins and lipids in our blood and body.  EXAMPLES OF GLYCATION ARE WRINKLES, AGE SPOTS, AND IMPOTENCE.   Alzheimer’s is being called Diabetes Type 3 because of the plaques/glycation of the brain, which is composed of fats and proteins.

3) Alzheimer’s, Migraines, Dementia, and all sorts of Neurological Conditions, including ADD and Mood Disorders, are highly associated with high blood sugar and insulin.

4) Cancer cells are covered with Insulin Receptors.  Cancer cells eat SUGAR.  The insulin receptors that cover cancer cells make sure those cells get all the sugar they want and need to grow and thrive.   APPLY THAT THOUGHT TO YOUR KIDS THE NEXT TIME YOU FEED THEM MAC N CHEESE WITH A SIDE OF BREAD.  Seriously.  That stuff is poison!

5) Heart disease is caused by several conditions initiated by sugar and insulin:  excess sugar thickens the blood; excess sugar robs the heart of it’s favorite mineral – Magnesium, and it’s favorite vitamin – the Bs ( that’s because digesting/metabolizing sugar requires an enormous amount of Magnesium and B vitamins ); and excess sugar and insulin severely damage artery walls, in several ways.

6) Damage to the artery walls ( whether those arteries are near your heart, in your neck, or MEN:  IN YOUR FAVORITE ORGAN THAT FILLS WITH BLOOD!!) means they need to be “fixed”.  In an effort to mitigate the damage we do, the liver puts together PLAQUE patches, and sends them to the sites of the damage.  This keeps us alive for years, but eventually, the high blood pressure, the thick blood, the extra stress on the heart, comes back to Bite Us In The Butt.

7) Excess sugars can completely change the Bacterial Composition of your entire gut: from the stomach, which needs to have just a tiny bit of H-Pylori and a TON of acid to be optimal, to the small intestine, which should be intact but more often then not is “LEAKY” or plagued with SIBO ( small intestinal bacterial overgrowth.  If you bloat badly, ask me about this.),  to the large intestine, which should house at least a few POUNDS of beneficial bacteria that perform literally THOUSANDS of jobs for our bodies.  Constipation, Bloat, Reflux, Diarrhea: NOT NORMAL!  It means you’re not breaking down and absorbing your nutrients which sets the stage for all sorts of disease and dysfunctions.

8) Excess sugar and insulin suppress your immune system, IMMEDIATELY, for up to 24 hours.  This means if you let your kid eat a breakfast of pop tarts or crappy cereal, and then send them to school to sit by someone on the bus or in the classroom who’s coughing or sneezing, they’re an EASY TARGET for the germs to set up house and proliferate. Same for you: a quick muffin or sugar/chemical drink at Starbucks, then off to an office/gym filled with bad germs?  You’re a sitting duck!

I could go on and on, but say this to yourself:  Food Is Medicine, or Food Is Poison; for me, and for my kids.

Then, delete the ancient notion that eating well means Dieting; eating low fat/no fat chicken and steamed broccoli is a recipe for a Rebound Binge.

That’s why I love the Paleo Diet:  Real Whole Food with plenty of good FAT, good meats and proteins, TONS of vegetables, some fruit, some nuts and seeds, and GOOD dairy if you can tolerate it.  The Paleo Diet even includes Real Whole Food DESSERTS, what’s not to like?  ( Christmas Paleo Party at my house, 12/12/14, from 12 -2. Everyone’s invited, and you’ll get to see just how good Real Whole Food is!)

If Food Addiction is your struggle, then all the common sense/information in the world doesn’t help too much.  Read my last post.   If you have trouble staying away from grains and sugar, know that they contain compounds that trigger addiction centers in your brain, and your child’s brain.  That doesn’t happen with Real Whole Food. 

Finally, in this stressful, busy season of the year, acknowledge that “eating for stress relief” doesn’t actually Relieve Your Stress, it makes you MORE STRESSED afterwards.  Just the opposite of sitting down to a Real Whole Food meal, which actually satiates your mind and body.

Change today.  Don’t wait til the season is over.  We’re talking about your health, your mind, and the example you’re instilling in your kids.  The food you put in your mouth matters.  I’ll say it again:  Food is Medicine, or Food is Poison.

Category: Carbs, Fats, Food Cravings, Gut bacteria, Hormones, Immune System, Mind/Body, Paleo Diet, RWF, Sugar, Weight Loss / Tags: , , , , ,

Sugar Cravings, Pimples on Your Butt, Fatigue, and Cracks at the Corner of Your Mouth? You Can Heal That.

November 6, 2014 / / Comments Off on Sugar Cravings, Pimples on Your Butt, Fatigue, and Cracks at the Corner of Your Mouth? You Can Heal That.

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERAWe’re officially into The Season Of Eating, where many of us will actually EXPECT to gain weight, somewhere between 5 and 10 pounds, by January 1, 2015.  Not me.  Not Mark.  And I want you to say, Not Me Either.

I don’t want you on a diet, I don’t want you to count calories or carbs or fat.  I want you to start thinking of Food as Information, because the Food We Put In Our Mouth Becomes Who We Are.

So how are you?

Symptoms, like those listed in the title,  are a “sign of the existence of something, especially of an undesirable situation.” Sugar cravings, pimples on your butt,….they’re signs of Nutrient Deficiencies, not medicine deficiencies.  Do you want to be a Happy Weight, with great energy, hair, skin, low levels of inflammation and perfect digestion?  You need to feed your cells what God intended for them to eat.

Our bodies are made from Water (~60%), Proteins/amino acids (~16%), Fatty Acids (~15%), Minerals (~4%), Vitamins (~2%), and LESS than 2% (made from) Carbs/Sugar.  If we eat a diet LOADED in carbohydrate ( say…..11 servings of grains a day per My Plate),  plenty of Low Fat foods, chemicals that make things taste/smell/look like ACTUAL food, bad oils, and Drugs – for all our ills – we’re in trouble.

“Food is Information; we’re NOT a calories in/calories out model, we’re a chemistry set.” JJ Virgin.

Look at this short list of Symptoms.  I’m going to attach possible deficiency causes, and I want you to start thinking of FOOD in terms of What It Does To Us, the good (glowing health), the bad (weight issues), and the ugly ( CANCER and DISEASE):

Sugar Cravings:  You could be deficient in L-Glutamine, an amino acid that builds Dopamine. Dopamine alleviates anxiety (sugar momentarily does that, but long-term actually worsens the dopamine deficiency – it’s a vicious cycle).  Is your addiction to sweets overpowering?  Practice thinking of simple sugars as Devils Food, seriously.  Processed sugar’s links to CANCER, Heart Disease, and Diabetes are concrete and undeniable.   Supplementing with L-Glutamine is a great way to deal with cravings and addictions; ask me if you’re interested in trying this.

Pimples on your butt/arms/thighs/checks:  You could be deficient in Omega 3, Vitamin A, or Vitamin D. Make a big effort to eat foods high in those nutrients: salmon, sardines, grass fed dairy, leafy greens, and orange/red fruits and veggies.  Green Pastures Fermented Cod Liver Oil is a great source of all 3 nutrients, as are the Fruit/Veggie and Seafood areas at the grocery store.

Fatigue: So many possibilities, let’s just look at Adrenal Fatigue.  Do you get enough fat? Your adrenal glands are made of fat, and the Fight/Flight hormones they make are produced from fat and cholesterol, and the Sex Hormones they make are produced from fat and cholesterol. Eat a low fat diet, and you’ll have low functioning Adrenal Glands, guaranteed.

Cracks at the corners of your mouth:  iron, zinc, and B vitamin deficiency, and iron absorption is enhanced by Vitamin C, so maybe C deficiency.  Do you get enough good red meats?  Eggs from chickens allowed to eat bugs and plants, uncaged and free?  Do you eat plenty of fruits and vegetables?  Do you occasionally eat oysters or liver?  They’re super nutrient dense.

Dry Skin: your skin is made from proteins and fatty acids.  Do you eat enough?  Look at your skin closely in the mirror and access it.  Your skin is an ENORMOUS reflection of your diet.  Do you eat too much sugar?  Sugar, from grains, alcohol, and the white stuff, GLYCATES our skin cells.  That means glucose molecules ( from sugar/alcohol/ and grains ) improperly attach to our skin cells and destroy both their function and their ability to communicate.  This is evidenced as premature wrinkling and age spots.  Quit eating sugar, and add Bone Broth.

Headaches/High Blood Pressure/Diabetes/Cardiovascular Issues/Muscle Cramps:  there’s a good chance you’re Magnesium deficient.  Statistically, 80% of Americans are Magnesium deficient, which is a bad thing.  Magnesium’s involved in several hundred chemical reactions necessary for good health.  Foods which SHOULD be high in Magnesium are leafy greens, avocados, nuts, and seeds.  We’ve got a problem though;  food gets it’s minerals from the soil, and our soil is almost devoid of Magnesium; this also applies to organic food unless it’s been grown in soil to which minerals have been added.  Another depleter of Mag?  Round-up;  actually the chemical in Round-up called glyphosate, which “chelates” or grabs on to and EXPELS from our body, several minerals including Magnesium.  (A good reason to avoid GMO)

My point here, Magnesium Supplementation is pretty much a MUST for everyone. Even a diet full of Magnesium rich foods probably won’t supply the levels we need.  Let me know if you need a recommendation, because the quality and origin of supplements matter.

Back to my opening; PRACTICE and FOCUS on thinking about food in terms of your health and your energy and your skin and your immune system.  When you become careful about what you put in your mouth because your know that certain foods can cause Cancer, Heart Disease, Diabetes, Bad Skin, Thin Hair, and Depression, you have the strength and motivation to Just Say No without the stress.

Moms, this is why it’s easy for me to say NO to Shelby when she asked for “a Real Cake with Flour” for her 18th birthday.  I’m not giving her cigarettes, I’m not giving her alcohol, I’m not giving her drugs, and I’m not giving her gluten and sugar.  It’s Toxic. ( BTW, she’s my #4, so YES I know she eats crap, but on her own dime and not in the house. )

Be determined to become very conscious about what you eat.  Every single food we eat sends signals and information and has hormonal effects that either make us healthier, or less healthy. Every single food.  There are No Neutral Foods.  Practice thinking of food in terms of what it contains in every way EXCEPT CALORIES.  Calorie counting is a SHAM.  It’ll just make you sick, CRAZY, and probably overweight ( 95-99% of EVERYONE who goes on a diet gains their weight back, 50% gain more than they lost.)  

Need help?  Get in touch with me.  You can do this!  You can change, you can lose weight, you can become healthier, you can improve the health of your whole family.  Ditch the sugars, the grains, and the chemicals, and eat Real Whole Foods.

Category: Food Cravings, Hormones, Immune System, RWF, Sugar, Weight Loss / Tags: , , , , , , , , , ,

Immune Tonic Recipes Everyone Should Have In Their Home

October 30, 2014 / / Comments Off on Immune Tonic Recipes Everyone Should Have In Their Home

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERAI’ve been on an Immune System kick for my last several posts.  With Halloween around the corner and Sugar Season  the Holiday Season about to start, I want to load you up with ideas that will allow you to make it though the holidays, and then winter, strong and well.

Immune Tonics are AMAZING.  Two years ago, my oldest daughter, Megan, gave me Fire Cider for Christmas.  It’s a blend of herbs and spices that are both immune boosting and germ killing.  I made my own last year, and have just bought the ingredients to make another batch this weekend.  It has to sit and brew for a few weeks, and I want it to be ready for when all my kids are home from mid-December to mid-January.

Why not use an OTC cold/fever/flu medication?  Have you seen their ingredients? The artificial dyes, the artificial flavors, the petroleum products and artificial sugars.. disease in a bottle masquerading as medicine.

Here’s the ingredient list for Vicks Dayquil:

Inactive Ingredients: Citric acid, FD&C yellow 6, flavor, glycerin, polyethylene glycol (aka PEG, I wrote about this in the Miralax post), propylene glycol, purified water, saccharin sodium, sodium citrate, sucrose.

Active Ingredients: Acetaminophen ( #1 cause of Liver Failure in the U.S.),Dextromethorphan HBr, and Pseudoephedrine HCl ( banned from store shelves since 2006).

It’s time to get rid of the false notion that fevers, coughs, runny nose, and watery eyes are either Virus or Bacteria getting the best of us.

Fevers, Coughs, Runny Noses, and Watery Eyes are OUR IMMUNE SYSTEM COOKING, KILLING, AND EXPELLING BUGS.  We actually WANT those “symptoms”, they’re signs of a strong immune response.  Even fatigue is good for us when we’re sick; the less energy we exert on activities, and the more we lie around or sleep, the harder our immune system can work to Kill the Bugs.  

Instead of Vicks, next time you or one of your kids gets sick,  (or even better, BEFORE you get sick as part of your supplement routine) reach for one of these tonics:

Elderberry Syrup.  Why?  In addition to Elderberry’s long history of medicinal use, numerous studies have verified it’s efficacy against cold and flu.  Elderberry has very high levels of Vitamins A, B, and C, which are great for our immune system.  You can buy Elderberry Syrup in any health food store, or you can make it, which is honestly super easy, and potent!  My local health food store sells Elderberries ( cheap ), but you can also buy them on line.

Parents:  This is delicious, your kids will actually WANT to take this.

Here’s the Recipe for Elderberry Syrup from the Wellness Mama site:

⅔ cup black elderberries
3.5 cups of water
2 T fresh or dried ginger root
1 tsp cinnamon powder
½ tsp cloves or clove powder
1 cup raw honey (we get from our farmer’s market)

Instructions
Pour water into medium saucepan and add elderberries, ginger, cinnamon and cloves (do not add honey!)
Bring to a boil and then cover and reduce to a simmer for about 45 minutes to an hour until the liquid has reduced by almost half. At that point, remove from heat and let cool enough to be handled. Pour through a strainer into a glass jar or bowl.
Discard the elderberries (or compost them!) and let the liquid cool to lukewarm. When it is no longer hot, add 1 cup of honey and stir well. ( you don’t want to kill honey’s live nutrients )
When honey is well mixed into the elderberry mixture, pour the syrup into a pint sized mason jar or 16 ounce glass bottle of some kind.
Ta Da! You just made homemade elderberry syrup! Store in the fridge and take daily for its immune boosting properties. Some sources recommend taking only during the week and not on the weekends to boost immunity.
Standard dose is ½ tsp to 1 tsp for kids and ½ Tbsp to 1 Tbsp for adults. If the flu does strike, take the normal dose every 2-3 hours instead of once a day until symptoms disappear. 

Here’s the recipe for Fire Cider, which is DELICIOUS served over vegetables or salads.  Or you could just be tough and drink a tablespoon mixed in water.  Again, this is Immune Boosting and Germ Killing, which is far, far smarter than just suppressing symptoms.  (Recipe from Mountain Rose Herbs.) 

1/2 cup fresh grated organic ginger root

1/2 cup fresh grated organic horseradish root

1 medium organic onion, chopped

10 cloves of organic garlic, crushed or chopped

2 organic jalapeno peppers, chopped

Zest and juice from 1 organic lemon

Several sprigs of fresh organic rosemary or 2 tbsp of dried rosemary leaves

1 tbsp organic turmeric powder

1/4 tsp organic cayenne powder

organic apple cider vinegar

raw local honey to taste

Directions

Prepare all of your roots, fruits, and herbs and place them in a quart sized jar. If you’ve never grated fresh horseradish, be prepared for a powerful sinus opening experience! Use a piece of natural parchment paper under the lid to keep the vinegar from touching the metal, or a plastic lid if you have one. Shake well! Store in a dark, cool place for one month and remember to shake daily.

After one month, use cheesecloth to strain out the pulp, pouring the vinegar into a clean jar. Be sure to squeeze as much of the liquid goodness as you can from the pulp while straining. Next, comes the honey! Add 1/4 cup of honey and stir until incorporated. Taste your cider and add another 1/4 cup until you reach the desired sweetness.

Make this year’s cold and flu season the least annoying/invasive/troublesome ever.  Focus on giving your immune system what it wants and needs to fight the millions of germs we come into contact with every single day.  Real Whole Foods.

Category: Food Additives, Immune System, Natural Therapies, Paleo Recipe, RWF / Tags: , , , ,

Natural Cures, They’re Real! Learn What You Can Do For Yourself and Your Family.

October 11, 2014 / / Comments Off on Natural Cures, They’re Real! Learn What You Can Do For Yourself and Your Family.

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERAWho doesn’t want a stronger immune system? Between us and our kids, a weak immune system leads to: trips to the doctor, days off of work or school, trips to the pharmacy, that run down/scratchy throat/headachy/ miserable feeling, and possibly worst of all, if you take any common drug for your symptoms, side effects.

My last Post was on the Immune System. In this Post, I’m going to give you more proven steps to boost your own bacteria and virus fighting abilities.  Our immune system was designed to be a Fantastic, Super Strong, Fighting Machine.  In a perfect world. (Really, who gets 8 hours of sleep every night and always “manages” their stress???)

We don’t live in a perfect world, so we ABSOLUTELY need to take every step possible to make ourselves stronger.

Here’s 14 ideas (barely scratching the surface) for the next time you either “feel something coming on”, or you’re already sick.  Honestly, judging from the success I’ve had with my own family of 6 naturally boosting our immune systems or ditching a bug, these Traditional Therapies honestly work.  If you want proof, click on the links.  Click even if you don’t need proof – it’s important to LEARN about the compounds in Real Whole Food so you can use food as Medicine.

I’m going to guess many of these you’ve never heard of.

#1 Go To: Garlic.  I could never be a vampire, I do a LOT of this. Chop or crush a clove ( or 2), let it rest for 15 minutes ( oxygen activates it’s medicinal properties) and then swallow it down. It goes down surprisingly well – HONEST.  Oh, DON’T CHEW IT, unless you’re really really sick, and very tough.

#2 Go To: Garlic in a spoonful of Honey.  Manuka Honey has actual anti-bacterial properties, butmanuka garlic even regular RAW honey is loaded with healing properties.

#3: Ginger:  Buy a knob at the store, peel and grate the whole thing, and then baggy and freeze it flat.  It’s a time saver.  Crack off a piece and drop it into your tea or hot water, or your food.  Ground ginger is good too, just not as powerful.

#4: Oregano Oil:  This is a powerful antibiotic.  I’m big into essential oils, we’ve been using them for a few years now, and yes, it does matter that you buy yours from a company with a good reputation.  I use DoTerra.  There’s others, Young Life comes to mind, but I don’t know much about them.  Oregano Oil can be applied topically, on the bottoms of the feet, or over glands/lymph nodes.  My oldest daughter and I actually rub a drop or two in our mouths – it tastes beyond horrible, but sometimes it’s worth it.

I also use Oregano Oil in a pill form (it’s called ADP) from a great supplement company called Biotics.  All my girls have a bottle of this whereever they are ( school, traveling, etc), it’s very strong, and while there is a slight oregano odor, there’s no taste.  If they’re home, I have them swallow the pills and I also rub the oil on the bottoms of their feet.

#5: Fermented Foods: We should all be eating something fermented, whether it’s kombucha, keifer, GOOD yogurt, saurkraut, kimchi, Bubbies Pickles, EVERY SINGLE DAY. Talk about loads of beneficial bacteria!  I’ve been getting amazing krauts from my co-op, with all sorts of interesting vegetables in them.  Check out www.localharvest.com to see what you have available in your area.

#6: Rose Hips:  I buy them in bulk from the health food store, grind them, and put a big spoonful in my morning smoothies.  Not only are they an ENORMOUS source of Vitamin C, and the co-factors necessary for absorption, they’re loaded with anti-inflammatory properties.  Buying herbs in bulk from a trusted health food store is CHEAP.

#7: Coconut Oil: It’s not just for preventing Alzheimer’s and Dementia, coconut oil is loaded with anti-viral, anti-bacterial, and anti-fungal properties.  This is something that should be incorporated every day, in cooking, baking, foods, and it’s also excellent in your tea or coffee.

#8: Vitamin C and Zinc: Whether you feel it coming, or you’ve already got it, zap a cold/flu with small doses every 3 or 4 hours.

#9: Turmeric: BIG TIME anti-inflammatory. You can use a supplement ( that would be Curcumin), or buy a jar of Organic Turmeric the next time you’re at the store, and start adding it to what you’re cooking.  If the taste is too strong start with a curry instead.  There’s  turmeric in it’s ingredient mix; it’s an easy way to get used to the flavor. Pretty soon you’ll love it, I promise!

#10: Echinacea: I use it in both a Tincture or tea.  Either way, this is a BIG immune booster.  People with auto-immune conditions should NOT use echinacea.  It’s TOO stimulating.

#11: Clove Oil:  Huge go-to for me.  Again, I use DoTerra Clove Oil.  Clove’s medicinal properties are endless.  This oil, just like the oregano oil, is POWERFUL.  When you use essential oils, you only need a drop, 2 at the most.  I use clove oil throughout the year in my smoothies ( a couple times a week ), but if I feel something coming on or need to fight a bug, I use it every day.

#12:  DON’T HAMPER YOUR IMMUNE SYSTEM WITH SUGAR, GRAINS, OR CHEMICALS.  Ever.  It doesn’t matter if you have the best Natural/Traditional program in the world if you put crap in your mouth.  Food is Medicine.  Food either builds us up and makes us stronger, or it makes us weaker.  There are NO NEUTRAL FOODS.

#13: Don’t use the hand blowers in public restrooms! Studies have shown a four-fold increase in the number of bacteria on people’s hands after using a blow dryer. GROSS! One study from 2009, found that people who used a blow dryer to dry their hands had two to three times as many bacteria on their hands as they did before washing them. Not only that, many of the bacteria were pathogenic— the kind of bacteria that cause disease.   Apparently, the vents and bottoms of the dryers get contaminated with all sorts of germs, and the warm, moist environment is a perfect place for them to thrive.

WHO KNEW??

#14: Don’t use the soap in public bathrooms, or touch the door handles.  Any soap in a public bathroom is going to be cheap, full of chemicals, and probably Anti-Bacterial.  Read what the science ways about anti-bacterial soaps.   There’s some great NATURAL anti-bacterial hand sprays and wipes you can find almost anywhere now, check the healthy aisle of your grocery store, or make your own.

Remember, drugs for symptoms DON’T MAKE US HEALTHY.  They just suppress the symptoms while our immune system struggles to overcome the Bad Guys.  Drugs also cause damage to the gut, the liver, etc. Help your Immune System by turning to these proven methods.  Read!  Learn!  Your body responds to these Natural Compounds beautifully.

Use a diet of Real Whole Foods, smart Natural supplements, good sleep, stress management, and appropriate exercise, and I promise your trips to the doctor will literally plummet.  It’s NOT normal to be sick all the time.  Take control of your life and your habits ( and teach this to your children), and get the healthy body you’re meant to have.

 

 

 

Category: Immune System, Natural Therapies / Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
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