Spring 2009 Detox - Day 2

What quantity of food should I eat? Should I count calories?

These are questions that often come up. Especially during a detoxification, which seems to be associated with diet and weight lost. But this is not the aim of this detox.

The best way of controlling the quantity of food you consume is quite simply controlling the quality of the food you consume. During the present detox, if you avoid salt and spices (which excite the appetite), then very naturally, your appetite will adjust to meet your true physical needs.

In fact, and especially if you are very active physically, you will have to take care to eat enough. Raw and living foods naturally contain lots of water and fiber but little calories, even more so if you avoid nuts, oils and avocados (as in the present detox). The usual diet of people is the exact opposite of raw and living foods: it is low in water content and fiber but rich in calories. The need and reason for a transition period becomes self-evident when considering these facts.

Eat raw and living foods as much as you need to feel satiated. If you ate a good proportion of your previous diet in the form of cooked foods, you might need to eat more often while your body adjusts. Go for wholesome fresh and living foods and you will not need to worry whether you overeat or not.

Snacks can take the form of fruits (always handy) and vegetables (sticks, slices, etc.). Take some of these with you at all times and you will have healthy options to guard against the temptation of other less ideal options.

The detox menu for today consists of a green smoothie for breakfast, a tropical salad (pineapple, oranges, baby greens and sunflower sprouts) for lunch and another green smoothie for supper.

Spring 2009 Detox - Day 1

Ah! Spring has sprung and I feel like cleaning!!! The windows of the house have been closed all winter. The snow is melting revealing flower beds and a garden. But it is too soon to open the windows or plant anything... What's a girl to do? How about a spring detoxification (aka detox)? Why not!

And here I am. Day one. I planned my menu, I bought the foods. This week, it's simplicity all the way. Simple foods. No concentrated fats (nuts, oils or avocados). No dehydrated anything. Just fresh, clean, simple fruits and vegetables. No fancy recipes, but rather, simple meals made up of a few ingredients. This will liberate a lot of energy in the body so it can clean up and get rid of any and all impurities.

So, what better way to start this day than with a tall glass of water? Nothing will help you more during this week of "housecleaning". Begin each day with a tall glass of water. Then wait for hunger to manifest itself. If you have to leave the house, then bring along a breakfast, so you won't be tempted by "less-than-ideal" options.

We all know that raw and living foods contain a great deal of water. But you still have to drink. Start the day with a glass of water and hydrate adequately during the day. Just try not to drink with your meals as this dilutes digestive juices and hinders digestion. The water you drink during this week will help rid your body of its impurities.

Today I am having liquid meals only. One green smoothie for breakfast and two energy soups during the course of the day. If I need a snack, I'll be eating veggie sticks (no dip!).

Water will become your best friend this week. So, drink, drink, drink! Get your hands on the purest water you can find and drink.

Photo Credit: Robert Mclassus

Un-Pout Smoothie

I went the adventurous route a few days back and discovered an all new country of possibilities in the Smoothie Universe. Wow! How can changing just one ingredient transform a familiar staple into an adventure into unchartered territory? Well, that's what I did. My green smoothies will now take on a life of their own.

This recipe, of course, begs for modifications and additions. It's just to inspire you. See where you end up! And, do not forget to tell me all about it! I am soooo curious!!!

Here's to eating (well, drinking!) our greens and loving it!

The ingredients:

1/2 cup fruit kefir
2 bananas
Juice of half lemon
3 tbs hemp
2 cups spinach
1/2 tsp cinnamon
a few drops of vanilla

Blend everything together into a creamy, delicious, super-nutritious smoothie! Enjoy.

Lemon love...love lemon

Some love lemons, some hate them. Where do you stand? These little jewels are very common and should be included into our diets regularly. Aside from their fabulous taste, they are endowed with a wide range of nutritional benefits.

Lemons are yellow fruits of an acidic nature. Lemon juice is used throughout the world in various cuisines to add flavor and taste to foods.

It contains a very good amount of copper, magnesium, manganese, iron, phosphorous, potassium and calcium. It also has small amounts of zinc and sodium.

Lemon contains excellent levels of vitamin C. It is also a good source of thiamin, vitamin B6, riboflavin and pantothenic acid. Lemon also contain traces of vitamin B2.

Most of the health benefits of lemon can be attributed to the presence Vitamin C. Lemons are good for digestion, cancer, heart diseases, arthritis, boosting immune system, diabetes, liver disorders, infections, dental care, hair care, skin care, and urinary tract infections.

Now, knowing all the above, don't you feel like eating more lemons? Here is a simple yet delicious recipe using the little gems.

Banana-Lemon Pie
Recipe inspired from Raw Rose's book, "Uncooking with RawRose"

3 cups pecans or walnuts (unsoaked)
1 1/2 cups raisins (unsoaked)
4 medium bananas
juice and rind from 1 1/2 medium lemons
poppy seeds, berries, slices of fruit, flowers or sprigs of
mint (optional)

Process nuts in food processor.
Add raisins to the nuts in food processor and process them until the mixture starts to clump together. Press the mixture into a pan.
Grate the lemon rind on top of the nut/raisin crust. Juice lemons into a bowl. Slice bananas into the lemon juice; stir gently to coat the bananas with juice. Spread banana slices/lemon juice on the crust.
Optional: Decorate with poppy seeds, berries, slices of colourful fruit, flowers or sprigs of mint.







Photo credit: Mosaica of RFC

Are you taking good care of your thyroid?

What? Thyroid? Well... I don't know, you'll probably answer. How exactly does one take care of a thyroid gland? Where is the gland, first of all? These are all good questions.

The thyroid is a butterfly-shaped gland. It is part of the endocrine system and is located in the throat, near what we call the "adam's apple". The thyroid secretes hormones (messenger-like chemicals that our body produces so that different part of the body communicate with one another).

According to Harvard Women's Health Watch, 1 in 10 women over 50 HAS hypothyroidism or inadequate thyroid hormone levels. Some research points out that 25% of adult American women presently have clinically detectable thyroid dysfunction. Apparently, thyroid disease is becoming more common in our society. So, what can we do to protect ourselves?

Here are some of the easy steps you can take.

1) Drink lots of purified water.
2) Use unrefined, whole sea salt
3) Eat seaweed regularly (3-5g per day of powdered kelp; or 1 once per week)
4) Consume an abundance of raw fresh organic vegetables and fruits (for vitamins and minerals)
5) Include lots of green leafy vegetables in your regimen (green smoothies are even better!)
6) Use a water filter to get rid of chlorine in your water supply (that includes a shower filter as well)

Next week, I'll finish this list with 9 more things you can do to keep that thyroid gland of yours happy and running smoothly.

Until then, here's a nice simple green smoothie recipe, to get you going!

3 peaches
1 big handful spinach
Water, to taste

Blend together until smooth. Peaches are sweet enough not to add any sweetner in there but, if you want to, you can add some dates or agave nectar. If you have coconut water available, you can substitute that for the water and get a bonus dose of precious electrolytes! Enjoy!