Sunday, 1 December 2013

December, A Time of Festivities

 
 
Welcome December!  A month long of festivities, good food, friends & family. 
 
Not only do we celebrate Christmas, but we also usher in the season of Hanukkah, The Festival of Lights.  
 
Diwali, also The Festival of Lights, was celebrated last month. 
 
As Christmas, both include gatherings with friends, family, gift sharing and beautifully prepared meals.

Saturday, 19 October 2013

Kale Tonic for Headaches & Migraines


I've been posting many homemade remedies for colds & flu. 

In October with the temperature change, so many of us find ourselves with chest inflammation, runny noses & fatigue, symptoms of cold & flu.

Another common cold & flu symptom are headaches & migraines. 

This remedy, which you also can make at home, is easy to make & eases the pain you feel with a migraine. 

INGREDIENTS

1/2 sliced pineapple
3-4 kale leaves
1 celery stalk
Juice from 1/2 lemon
1 /2 teaspoon crushed ginger

Blend these ingredients together. 

Drink immediately.  Store remaining portion in fridge and store up to 1 day. 

Drink this throughout the day. 

This juice calms the nervous system and is effective for migraines, headaches, particularly those associated with colds & flues.

Onion, Garlic & Honey Cough Syrup


Here's another effective cold & flu remedy.
 
 
INGREDIENTS
 
 
1/2 cup honey
1/2 cup water
1 clove (sliced) or 1/4 teaspoon crushed garlic
1 onion (sliced)
Dash of sage, thyme & oregano
 
 
METHOD
 
Mix honey & water.  Add onion & garlic.   Add sage, oregano & thyme.
 
Steep overnight at room temperature.
 
Strain & use the liquid as cough syrup.  1 - 2 teaspoon per serving.
 
Store rest in fridge.

Lemon, Garlic Tonic for Colds


This is the remedy I used to bring myself back to good health. 

I was eager to try it because it has a lot of the ingredients that release the chest & throat congestion like cayenne & lemon. 

The garlic attacks the virus and the honey soothes the throat.

The taste is good.  If you like garlic, you may even think it's delicious. 

After only one treatment, my symptoms went away within an hour. 

This is the recipe.

INGREDIENTS

1/2 lemon
1 to 2 garlic cloves or

1/2 teaspoon shredded garlic
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 tablespoon honey 


METHODS

Cut the lemon in half.  Squeeze both halves.  Use the 1st half for this treatment & the 2nd half 4 hours later if you do the treatment again.

Take the juice of 1/2 lemon & mix with the garlic.  Let mixture sit for 10 minutes. 

After 10 minutes, add the cayenne pepper. 

Add the honey and mix very well.  Put it into the blender if the mixture isn't blending well by hand. 

Repeat this treatment after 4 hours again if symptoms persist.

Sunday, 6 October 2013

Nutritional Deficiencies in Skin

 
When the body's skin is itchy, flaky, shows a lack of colour,  has patchy colours, a yellow tinge or is loose, you may look to these nutritional deficiencies.
 
All of these are signs show a lack of vitamins & minerals in vitamins A, C, K; mineral Zinc and Essential Fatty Acids.

Nutritional Deficiencies in Your Mouth


When lips are chapped, dry & peeling, look to a Vitamin B deficiency.

Swollen, burning, sore or pale tongues suggest a deficiency in Vitamin B Folic Acid, Vitamin B3, Iron or a food intolerance, sensitivity or allergy.

Nutritional Deficiencies in Your Throat



Throat swelling may be an indication of a iodine mineral deficiency.

A reduced ability to lose weight, loss of energy, fatigue, lethargy are signs of hypothyroidism. 

This  is a sign of an inactive or imbalanced thyroid. 

While iodine deficiency may be the root of it all, a more thorough analysis of deficiencies and physical imbalances would be appropriate.

An overactive energy, heightened mood may be signs of hyperthyroidism. 

As with an under active thyroid, you may wish to examine all deficiencies and imbalances you're experiencing in order to identify the underlying cause of your ailment.

Nutritional Deficiencies in Legs

 
When you're experiencing leg pain or weakness, it can often be linked to the mineral magnesium deficiency. 
 
Particularly weak knees or tender calves.

Nutritional Deficiencies in Facial Skin


Skin can be radiant, soft, clear complexion. 

Or your skin could be scaly, red, flaky or acneic. 

Aggravated skin shows Vitamin B2, Vitamin B6 nutritional deficiencies.

Nutritional Deficiences in Eyes

 
 
Your eyes will have bags or dark rings under them when you have food intolerances, sensitivities or food allergies.
 
Those with cataracts on your eyes may indicate a nutritional deficiency in the mineral chromium. 
 
May also suggest you've been exposed to free radicals and are experiencing eye damage from this.

Nutritional Deficiences in Gums


When you're nutritionally deficient in Vitamin B Folic Acid and Vitamin C, your gums may be inflamed, or bleed or you may even have gum disease.

Nutritional Deficiencies in Nails

 
 
Your Autumn detox is completed and it's now time to begin fortifying your body to meet the challenges of a long, cold winter.
 
Before you begin strengthening yourself, it's best to know what nutritional deficiencies you have.
 
Take a look at your nails, your hand nails and your toenails. 
 
You are nutritional deficient in these ways if your nails look this way :
 
White spots.  You are low in minerals, particularly zinc.
 
Ridges.  You are deficient in zinc.
 
Soft, brittle nails.  You are low in magnesium.
 
Bitten nails.  You are generally low in all minerals.
 
Yellow nails.  Indication of fungus in the body, possibly a sign of candida.

Sunday, 29 September 2013

Autumn Pantry Preparation



Buy local.  Buy from local farmers, either directly from their farm or from a farmer’s market.  

Join a food co-op. You will get to try lots of new things for the 1st time and you will get to do this at a fraction of the price.


Buy produce that is in-season. Purchasing food that is in season is not just cheaper, it is nutritionally beneficial too. Buying strawberries in January and asparagus in October requires that the produce be picked before it is fully ripe, and the produce begins to decompose and lose nutrients the second it is separated from the plant.  

Grow as much as you can in the space you have.  Plant a sunny windowsill with salad veggies and herbs, grow a container garden on a balcony, or turn your yard into a mini-farm.  Apartment dwellers can have shared access to garden space close to their home buildings.

Plan your menu after shopping not before. This allows you to stay on budget. You can take advantage of the best deals and plan your meals around those.  

Buy staples in bulk. Organic grains like brown rice, wheat berries, cornmeal, barley and oatmeal can be purchased in bulk quantities.  This reduces the price to lower than or equivalent to the smaller conventional packages that are offered in your local grocery store.

Buy some meats frozen instead of fresh.  Some butcher shops freeze meat that isn’t sold immediately and sell if for a lower price.  Look for deals on frozen chicken breasts, frozen fish, and frozen turkey breast. Fish is often cheaper frozen.

Buy meat in bulk.  Look into buying beef in quantity.  Check out the prices at local farms for a quarter of a cow.  You will pay slightly more for the lesser cuts but much less for the better quality cuts.  It balances out to a much lower price for meat farmed in the healthiest way possible.

Don’t buy anything with an ingredients list greater than 5 items. The more items on the ingredients list, the more likely you are consuming additives, preservatives, food colourings & artificial food flavouring.  None of which add to your health.

Cook from scratch.  May sound time consuming but if you organize yourself in your home kitchen, much of the preparation can be quick & easy.  

Some conventionally grown foods are okay.  Some foods have a fairly low pesticide load, even when conventionally grown.  Organic produce, while the healthiest are expensive.   

Preserve food.  Whether you grow it yourself, rescue it from the 'last day of sale' rack at the grocery store, or buy it by the bushel from a farmer, learning to preserve your own food allows you to buy in bulk and squirrel some of that delicious food away for the winter ahead.  Canning, dehydrating, and freezing are all methods to help extend the summer harvest for use later in the year.

Eat leftovers.  When you put aside small amounts of leftovers in a freezer container, you can make 'soup' for a meal that is basically free because it came from items that would have otherwise been discarded.  Use larger amounts of leftovers for lunch boxes or a buffet style meal for the family.

'Shop' from nature.  You might be surprised to learn how many edible plants are growing wild in your own neighbourhood. Even those of us in the city can often find things to forage. 

Saturday, 28 September 2013

Autumn Detox & Reflexology Massage


Reflexology is a therapeutic method of relieving pain as well as activating the release of toxic buildup in the body by stimulating predefined pressure points on the feet, hands and face.
 
Reflexologists work from maps of predefined pressure points that are located on the hands, feet and face.
 
These pressure points connect directly through the nervous system and affect the body's organs and glands.
 
You can receive a reflexology treatment by a reflexology health therapist or you can learn the trigger points on your body and self administer them.

 
 
In the Autumn as you continue your detox through exercise & juicing, you can also combine these with reflexology massage treatments 2-3 times per week if you are doing the treatments for yourself. 
 
If you are receiving the treatments from a reflexology, one hour long session per week will suffice.

 
Massage, whether it's a full body massage or reflexology massage for your feet, face or hands are a highly effective way to cleanse the internal body. 
 
You will find that your detox will increase the desired results when you combine reflexology or massage with exercise and juicing. 
 
If you are trying to lose weight, you'll notice quicker results as well.

Friday, 27 September 2013

Autumn Detox & Foot Baths

 
Detox Foot Bath

If you have a heart condition, high blood pressure, speak to your physician before giving yourself these baths. 
 
You want to avoid over stimulating your heart.

In the evening, before bed and after skin brushing, try giving yourself a detox foot bath. 
 
Again, if you’re feeling particularly unwell, be gentle with the amount of ingredients you use. 
 
I recommend using 1 cup of Epsom salts for every 60 lbs of weight.  So if you are 120 lbs, use 2 cups. 
 
However, if you’re very ill, or worn out, try only ½ cup or 1 cup of Epsom salts.  
 
The weaker you are, the more toxins are likely in your body.  When they begin to circulate from doing skin brushing & these baths, you'll feel very ill and may give up before you've had benefit. 


This is a formula I recommend:

Basin of hot water (no more than 98 degrees).

About 2 cups of Epsom salts (for a person 120 pounds). 
 
If you feel very healthy and want to aggressively clean out your lymphatic system, double this amount.  So instead of 2 cups, try 3-4 cups of Epsom salts. 

About 2 cups of hydrogen peroxide. 

When wanting a thorough cleanse, add an additional 2 cups.  Try to use the therapeutic grade found in natural health stores.   Hydrogen peroxide stimulates oxygen in the blood providing you a greater sense of ‘aliveness’ & calming to your nervous system.

About 1 cup of baking soda. 
 
As with hydrogen peroxide, natural health stores carry a grade that is without any additives that are not supportive of good health. 
 
Baking soda in the foot bath relieves itching& skin irritation. 
 
This is critical for you if you’ve been experiencing allergic reactions due to food intolerances or toxin buildup in the body.

As an addition, you can also add some raw, grated ginger, about a tablespoon.  It stimulates the body to increase blood flow. 

Many detox foot baths also call for addition of essential oils. 
 
As they are highly potent, you may wish to experiment first which ones trigger release of toxins and give you a greater sense of calm. 
 
I’ll talk at length about essential oils at a later date.

Best time to give yourself a detox foot bath is before bed. 
 
Give yourself a skin brush treatment, first, then soak in the foot bath for about 20 minutes. 
 
The truth though is that by 20 minutes, the bath will no longer be hot. 
 
I prefer to soak in the steaming bath for several minutes and then let my feet relax even further in the warm water for another 10-15 minutes. 
 
I read a book, listen to music.  Sometimes, I sit at my laptop and blog while I soak my feet.  Whatever works for you.

You’ll find your body heating up during the foot bath. 
 
For great health, you should be drinking upwards of 8 glasses of purified, non-chlorinated water everyday. 
 
When you do a foot bath, add an additional 1 to 2 glasses of water daily, depending on your height and weight.  The taller you are, the heavier you, the more water you will need.

After the foot bath, do not rub your feet aggressively dry.  Instead pat them dry. 
 
Your feet pores are open and are now actively releasing toxins.  Allow them to release so patting dry will least interfere with your ores.
 
At this point, you may also wish to stimulate your internal organs by pressing specific reflexology trigger points
 
As with essential oils, I'll be discussing reflexology at length at a later date. 
 
In the meantime, if you're eager to try reflexology, google the topic as there is an ocean of knowledge available online to get you started.
 


If you feel nauseous or headachy after your foot bath, place your feet in cool water.  This slows down the detoxification from your body. 
 

Give yourself a foot bath every night or at least twice a week until your energy has increased, your focus has improved and your overall health is better. 
 
Consider this a therapy to heal yourself of poor health.   A period of three to six weeks should clear up a number of health issues.
 
However, I also advise that you try giving yourself detox foot baths at least once or twice a week on an ongoing basis to maintain good health.
 
Skin brushing can be done everyday twice a day on an ongoing, non stop basis. 

While your detoxing, eat fruits, vegetables, lots of purified water, organic chicken and fish.  Eat whole foods.  
 
Supplement your diet with vitamin & minerals & good fats. 
 
When you exercise, do so gently as your body needs it’s strength to detoxify. 

Other than increasing your energy & focus, you will likely begin to see other ailments reduce or eliminate such as yeast infections, inflammation in joints, headaches, weary eyes. 
 
During the heaviest part of the detoxification process, your tongue will likely have a thick white coat or even a coat with a yellowish tinge. 
 
Scrape off this coat as it’s simply unwanted substances coming out of your body.

When you go for walks when you detoxify, you may find yourself sweating more than normal and your sweat may take on different odours. 
 
Again, allow what’s been built up in your body to leave.
 
Detox foot baths & skin brushing is inexpensive, simple & quick to do & non invasive to your body. 
 
Moreover, the benefits, as I've pointed out, are critical to your overall health & well being.
Farmer's Daughter

Autumn Detox & Skin Brushing (Pt2)


Here’s how to start:

Skin Brushing

Before you shower, skin brush your entire body.  Do twice a day, morning & before bed.
 
Start at your feet and move upwards toward your heart. 
 
Include your back, arms, legs. 

Do not skin brush your face. 
 
You should feel tingly as you’ve stimulated your lymphatic system and have increased your body’s circulation. 

The lymphatic system’s role is to remove unwanted substances, toxins from the body. 
 
When we age, our muscle tone typically decreases.  It is the muscles that push the lymph (the fluid within the lymphatic system) through the body. 
 
As we age our ability to move lymph through our body, decreases. 

Result is that toxins, unwanted substances remain unmoved from the body. 

They stay in the body and cluster.  After a time they create blockages & ultimately illness. 
 
Skin brush in the morning& then once again before bedtime to stimulate your lymphatic system. 
 
Over time you should notice a difference in your body’s skin.  Cellulite may begin to disappear. 

Your skin appears more vibrant, smoother.  You’re also removing dead skin cells allowing for new skin to appear providing a more youthful appearance to your skin.

Autumn Detox & Skin Brushing (Pt1)


If you are feeling unwell, fatigued, headachy or unfocused, try these home remedies.   

If you’re working outside the home, as many of us do, try these remedies but be mindful that these formulas are potent. 

Reduce the frequency & the amount of ingredients until you've found what works best for you.

Give yourself a series of detox foot baths & brush your body twice a day with a natural loofah brush. 

This method is called skin brushing. 
 
The aim of these remedies is to stimulate your body’s lymphatic system to push toxins through & out of your body. 
 
When doing these foot baths & skin brushing, be mindful that when toxins are circulated in your bodies, before their release of your body, you may feel even worse than before you started. 

To avoid feeling poorly, DO NOT be overly aggressive with, particularly, the foot baths. 

"The rule of thumb" is that the sicker you are, the more toxins are in your body and awaiting release.  Therefore, be gentle. 

Try a lighter version of the foot baths to start and increase the ingredients as the days & weeks continue.

For the foot bath, these are ingredients you can use, although you won’t need each of them in each bath: 

Hot water
Epsom salts
Sea salts
Hydrogen peroxide
Baking soda 

You can also use:

Bentonite clay
White wine vinegar
Apple cider vinegar 
Raw ginger