Wednesday, October 30, 2019

Blueberry Hemp Acai



Blueberry Hemp Acai 

3 cups Frozen Blueberries 
2 tbsp Peanut Powder 
1 scoop Acai Powder
1 tsp Mucuna Pruriens
1 tbsp Maple Syrup 
Blend all ingredients in a food processor. Serve topped with Frozen Blueberries and Hemp Hearts! 
Packed with Omega 3 & 6, antioxidants and an array of beneficial vitamins this Acai Bowl is nutritionally delicious! 

Thursday, October 24, 2019

Matcha Green Tea


The best Matcha Green Tea comes from Japan where it is the staple ingredient upon which traditional Japanese tea ceremonies were built in the 12th century. Matcha has many health benefits, and a beautiful, distinct flavor. Matcha is essentially processed green tea leaves that have been stone-ground into a delicate powder. The powder is then sifted and whisked with hot water. .
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What most distinguishes Matcha from other Green Teas is that matcha bushes are covered for up to 20 days prior to harvest to shade the leaves from direct sunlight. This is done to boost the plants' chlorophyll levels, which turns the leaves a darker, more vibrant shade of green, and increases the production of L-Theanine, an amino acid that occurs naturally in the tea plant.  Thanks to the L-Theanine in the tea it will give you both a calming and stimulant affect! .
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Matcha is high in antioxidants, And contains a specific set of organic compounds known as catechins. Among antioxidants, catechins are the most potent and beneficial. One specific catechin called epigallocatechin gallate (EGCg) makes up 60% of the catechins in Matcha Green Tea. Out of all the antioxidants, EGCg is the most widely recognized for its cancer fighting properties. Scientists have found that Matcha Green Tea contains over 100 times more EGCg than any other tea! .
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Matcha is a traditional delight in Japanese ceremonies while also adding a lot of health benefits. You can make delicious Matcha teas or bake with it as well and your body and mind will thank you! .

Wednesday, October 16, 2019

Chronic Pain




Last week I was given a devastating blow!  I was told by all medical professionals that I'm currently seeing that basically it's time to just come to terms with the fact that I'm going to need two more surgeries.  A new orthopedic doctor looked at me during a consultation for a pain management epidural and said it's been two years since you were hit by the car, you've had five cervical epidurals already.  If you think that i'm going to give you the six magical epidural that suddenly fixes everything, than I'm sad to tell you, you're sorely mistaken.  He refused to do anything but refer to me to a surgeon for a consultation.  Now, I face having my hip operated on again because I have major symptoms that should be gone by now and they want to slice my neck open through the front to fix my spine!  I'm honestly terrified. I could go through all of this and end up worse or I could have to live like this forever.  I've cried my heart out over it but as long as I keep my stress levels down I can keep the terror from occupying my mind. I don't take any pain medication so the mental strength I use to stay positive is very emotional and very deep. It's like the Ancient Greek mythology story of the man tied to the rock and a bird pecks at him for eternity. That's what it's like living with chronic  pain.  

Through out this journey I have found a routine of using alternative measures along with holistic nutrition to take the edge off and make sure that the rest of me is in tip top optimum health. I would like to share with everybody a day in my life combating chronic pain and supporting optimum health with physical restrictions: 

Wake up Marijuana Joint: curbs pain, numb limbs, spasms and stiffness 

Turn on music to keep my mind positive. Pain is less noticeable when you're singing a George Michael song. 

Breakfast: all you can eat! 
Grapefruit: curbs appetite, reduces cholesterol, support heart health, positively influences blood lipid                    levels 
Pineapple: packed with vitamin C as well as other vital nutrients and minerals, it also contains an       enzyme called Bromelain which effectively helps joint pain, arthritis, inflammation and surgical recovery 
Dates:  fiber, potassium, manganese, magnesium, copper, b6 

Cold Pressed Turmeric Latte: mix 1 tablespoon each of honey, cinnamon and turmeric with hot water and cold pressed coffee
Benefits: anti-inflammatory, lubricates joints, pain killer and a little caffeine to offset the sluggishness pain gives you! 

15/30 minutes: Cool Therapy icing to reduce pain and inflammation and get my leg and neck ready to bare the day 

15/30 minutes: Epsom salt bath to reduce inflammation

Now I'm ready to get my blood pumping so the properly functioning parts of my body get some cardiovascular work, so they can support the rest of what's going on. I smoke marijuana prior so I can do this without increased pain. Since I cannot do anything with impact, I will do 1hr of Ballet (cardio barre), stationary bike or mild incline hike as well as some hand weights. My pain is still present during these activities but because of the morning routine, it doesn't increase. While I'm moving, I know it's there but mentally I feel a release I desperately need.

Post "work out"-

Greens Juice: cucumber, kale, collard greens, spinach, celery, cayenne, ginger, lemon and apple. 
Benefits: nutrients, minerals, anti-inflammatory 

30 minutes: Cool therapy Machine to reduce pain 
15/20 minutes: Epsom salt bath 

Now, I have about an hour or maybe two where I try to accomplish a blog post, or office tasks I need to do. It's very hard for me to sit still because it hurts and my body has spasms and ticks and I constantly have to reposition. 

Lunch: 
6 cups or more- Greens (spinach, romaine, arugula): high water content to reduce inflammation, iron, B vitimans, blood health, heart health, protein
Garbanzo Beans: fiber, protein
Cucumbers: high water content to reduce inflammation, detoxes body 
Beets: detox, blood health, minerals, vitimans, mental health, digestive health
Tomato: anti-oxydents, immune system support 
Curry spice: joint lubricant, cardiovascular health 
Dressing: balsamic or red vinegar mixed with sweet hot mustard And pepper...

32 oz home brewed - muscle recovery tea with turmeric

The afternoon is usually a doctors appointment, physical therapy or some sort of treatment to help me feel better or try to fix the issues. I smoke marijuana before any of these activities so I can do them. 

Snack: Green Juice: Greens Juice: cucumber, kale, collard greens, spinach, celery, cayenne, ginger, lemon and apple. 
Benefits: nutrients, minerals, anti-inflammatory 

30-60 minutes Hot tub: increases circulation, jets help sooth spasms and soreness

Dinner:  This is where I get a little break from having to eat to support my issues!  I either eat high fat/high protein or high carb/low fat!  This purely comes down to food combining. If I eat high carb high fat, I swell up and my stomach hurts so I seldomly do that.  So it's either a ribs or meat/veggies or pasta or grains/veggies! Always all you can eat! Sometimes I have an alcohol drink with dinner if I want to.  This is the time where I usually find my pleasure factor with eating. A lot of the time I feel the impacts of these choices immensely the next morning or immediately after but I need the joy that comes with pleasure eating to give my life balance and satisfy my palletes desires. If I didn't have this 20% of pleasure from food I would explode. It's natural for us to want to eat for pleasure so finding this balance has enabled me to maintain a healthy weight, body and mind.

After dinner I usually take a medicated edible that eventually puts me to sleep for about 10 hrs which is the only time I kinda get a break from pain! 

I know it all sounds like a chore and terrible to have to do day in and day out, I do mix in fun activities but one day away from this take 2 days to get back to bare able. A lot of people think I'm anti social but the truth is when you live with chronic pain you want to be alone a lot so people don't see you hurt. You have to plan and build yourself up for events and prepare for the recovery time from the exertion but this is all better than being addicted to narcotics and having no chance to get better. I have to protect myself from inexcusably stress and all of the things that doctors say can cause us ailments because it's all true and my body and mind are so vulnerable to them. 

I could dwell on what's happened and stop living but instead I choose to use what I can to manage with what I'm faced with until a time comes along where I am better. I know what serves me and what doesn't because I do the work to live the best I can with circumstances I am faced with. 

Friday, October 11, 2019

Benefits of Parsley



Raw Earth Medicine: Benefits of Parsley


1. Bone Health

Parsley is rich in many vital vitamins, including Vitamin C,  B 12, K and A. This means parsley keeps your immune system strong, tones your bones and heals the nervous system, too. 

2. Detox

Parsley helps flush out excess fluid from the body, thus supporting kidney function. 

3. Essential Oil

Parsley essential oil, when massaged into the scalp, may reduce hair loss. Use parsley essential oil daily, and you’ll feel relief from joint pain. That’s because the herb has anti-inflammatory properties.

4. Parsley Tea 

Parsley tea relaxes stiff muscles and encourages digestion.

5. Anti-Cancer

Studies indicate that parsley, especially its essential oil, may have a role in inhibiting cancerous tumors. In fact, scientists have billed it a ‘chemoprotective’ food.  Studies show that myristicin, an organic compound found in the essential oil of parsley, not only inhibits tumor formation (especially in the lungs), but also activates the enzyme glutathione-S-transferase, which helps the molecule glutathione attach to, and fight against, oxidized molecules. Myristicin can also neutralize carcinogens like benzopyrene in cigarette smoke that can pass through the body, consequently fighting against colon and prostate cancer.

6. Antioxidants


Parsley is rich in antioxidant including luteolin, a flavanoid that searches out and eradicates free radicals in the body that cause oxidative stress in cells. Luteolin also promotes carbohydrate metabolism and serves the body as an anti-inflammatory agent. Furthermore, two tablespoons of parsley contain 16% of the RDA of vitamin C and over 12% of the RDA of vitamin A – two powerful antioxidants.

7. Anti-Inflammatory 

Along with Luteolin, the vitamin C found in parsley serves as an effective anti-inflammatory agent within the body. When consumed regularly, they combat the onset of inflammatory disorders, such as osteoarthritis (the degeneration of joint cartilage and the underlying bone) and rheumatoid arthritis (a disease causing inflammation in the joints).

8. Healthy Immune System


The vitamins C and A found in parsley serve to strengthen the body’s immune
system. Vitamin C is support the production of collagen, the main structural protein found in connective tissue. This essential nutrient AIDS the body’s ability to repair wounds, as well as maintain healthy bones and teeth.  Vitamin A, strengthens and helps to defend the entry points into the human body, like the mucous membranes, the lining of the eyes, the respiratory system, urinary and intestinal tracts. Our immune system depends on lymphocytes, or white blood cells, which rely on vitamin A to fight infection in the body.

9. Healthy Heart

Regular use of parsley can help control your blood pressure. The folic acid in this herb is like a tonic for your heart. Homocysteine, an amino acid that occurs in the body, threatens the body’s blood vessels when its levels become too high. 
Folate (or vitamin B9) found in parsley helps convert homocysteine into harmless molecules. A regular garnish of parsley can help ward off cardiovascular diseases, such as heart attack, stroke, and atherosclerosis.

10. Vitamin K


Parsley is rich in vitamin K, which is necessary for the synthesis of osteocalcin, a protein that strengthens the composition of our bones. Vitamin K prevents calcium build-up in our tissue that can lead to atherosclerosis, cardiovascular disease and stroke.  The vitamin K in parsley is essential for synthesizing the fat needed to maintain the myelin sheath around our nerves. Parsley helps support our nervous system as a whole.

Parsley not only makes a plate look beautiful as a garnish but it's also a wonderful herb that supports your entire bodies functions and systems.  We recommend you start incorporating Parley into your nutrition to achieve optimum health.  By eating parsley you're  preventing disease and strengthening your body! It's also delicious! Give it a try and remember to add parsley to your next meal! 

Create a lifestyle you can live with! 

Tuesday, October 8, 2019

Pregnancy nutrition and fetal development

Pregnancy Nutrition and fetal development into childhood development:


What is nutrition?  It’s the cumulative amount of vitamins and nutrients that the cells in your body need to keep your body properly functioning. People really lose site of the purpose of eating and forget that at its very core everything you eat is used to keep your body alive. When you’re pregnant everything you eat feeds the cells of the fetus as it develops. At its simplest explanation, feeding cells is essentially a chemical reaction.  

Many studies have linked artificial hormones and chemicals in foods to a variety of diseases in the human body. A disease at its very core is a chemical reaction that causes symptoms so naturally one would think eating these hormones and chemicals during pregnancy would cause developmental issues with the fetus    It is finally being scientifically proven that what many believe are genetic disorders are actually the affects that the mothers nutrition has on the development of the fetus during pregnancy.  

Many studies on autism have only tried to dispel or prove genetic links or after birth links for the cause of autism.  In a first ever study of its kind the University of Florida, has linked autism to a food preservative. 

“The Study

The study describes how elevated levels of the preservative, propionic acid (PPA)–used to extend shelf life and reduce mold in packaged foods, breads and cheeses—can adversely affect the development and differentiation of neurons in fetal brains in children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD).

In the current study, Saleh Naser, PhD and her team at UCF found that when neural stem cells were exposed to high levels of PPA, the neurons incurred multiple changes resulting in cellular damage and inflammation. One of the major effects of PPA they noted was the overproduction of glial cells , the protective outer cells making up the sheath covering neurons, with a corresponding reduction in the number of neurons themselves. An excess of glial cells may disrupt the connectivity between the neurons and induce inflammation, a common finding in the brains of children with ASD.

While prior studies have suggested the role of genetic factors and environmental influence in ASD, this study, according to the authors, is the first to note a molecular link from elevated levels of PPA, overproduction of glial cells, disruption of neural connections and autism.” -  

The study goes on to link the gut
microbiome found in these patients fecal matter to intestinal issues common with Autism Patients which further links that the possible core of the development of brain diseases is simply by products of poor nutrition and the manipulation of our foods.  

Saturday, October 5, 2019

Juice Cleanse

Everyone wants to try a Juice Cleanse and ends up starved & dehydrated. Here's a look at how I "Juice Cleanse" which includes eating. You won't be starved but instead fed full nutrition! Your times may vary and this is just a one day example of the structure of how I Cleanse! 

7am: 8 oz - coffee/tea/hot water mixed with Cinnamon, Turmeric and Honey (maple syrup)

#1 Anti Inflammatory Juice + Any Fruit 

1 pineapple
1 head of romaine
1 handful of spinach 
2 inches of turmeric root
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper 

10am: #2 Skin & Digestion or any beet/carrot juice 

5 carrots
1 Beet
1 cucumber
1 lemon
1 green apple

Walk for 30 minutes or full work out

1 pm: Meal: Vegan Pho 

Vegan Broth Base: 
48 oz Low Sodium Vegetable Broth or Water
2 cups Chopped Celery
2 cups Chopped Carrots
2 cups Chopped Potatoes
2 cups Chopped Sweet Onion 
1 cup Chopped Parsley
1 tablespoon Black Pepper
1 tablespoon Thyme
2 tablespoons Organic Soy Sauce 
1 inch sliced Ginger Root 
1 inch sliced Turmeric Root

Sweat Veggies in 1 inch of Broth or Water until Carrots soften (10 minutes) then add remaining water/broth with spices and bring to a boil for 5 minutes then lower to a simmer for 15 minutes. 
Toppings: Mung Bean Vermicelli Glass Noodles, Organic Tempeh Cubed, Avocado and Pickled Ginger (make noodles in spectate pot then add to pho)

4pm #3 Clean Greens or any low sugar Greens juice 

1 head of Romaine
2 cups Spinach
1 apple
1 lemon
1 inch Ginger Root

6pm Snack: Brown Rice Veggie Sushi

8pm: # 4 Pure Greens or any low sugar Greens juice

1 head of Romaine
2 cups Spinach
2 cups Kale
1 cup Dandelion 
1 lemon

Please drink a minimum of 64 oz of water

*Please see a medical doctor before making major dietary changes and to make sure you are healthy enough to partake in a cleanse*

Each Juice has a purpose in my Cleanse! We have covered all of the nutrients, vitamins, minerals, essential Aminos, protein, carbohydrate and fat that your body requires to maintain perfect health. We have eliminated anything that could negatively affect the body to Cleanse. Any weight loss from this Cleanse will be actual weight and not water. You'll feel lighter and more energetic! 

Tuesday, October 1, 2019

Vegetable Layered Lasagna

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Vegetable Layered Lasagna
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4 Zucchini (cut into long strips)
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Fennel Mixture:
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1 Minced Fennel Bulb 
1 Avocado 
1 tsp Coconut Vinegar
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Tomato Mixture: 
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2 Diced Organic Tomatoes
2 cups Mashed Garbanzo Beans
2 tbsp Minced Garlic 
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Mix each mixture well
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In a glass baking dish put a layer of the tomato mixture then a layer of Zucchini then a layer of the fennel Mixture then Zucchini then the tomato mixture then Zucchini then top with the Fennel Mixture, Pine nuts and Fennel Sprigs
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Raw: Chill for 30 minutes then serve
Cooked: Bake at 350 for 20-30 minutes
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Raw or cooked this gluten free, low carb and plant based Lasagna is satisfying, hearty and delicious!