5 Delicious and Beautifying Summer Drink Recipes (via Kimberly Snyder)

5 Delicious and Beautifying Summer Drink Recipes

During the summer, it’s especially important to stay hydrated for optimal health and beauty. Your body will crave more fluids as you are naturally perspiring more. Sometimes I feel like a camel in the summer, and just guzzle away many times more the amount of fluids than I do in the winter.

While pure water is always best, sometimes you want a little flavor in your refreshment. Unfortunately, many popular summer drinks are filled with sugar and chemicals that do you no favors in terms of your health or hydration. But there are many other good choices, and you can enjoy a refreshing summer beverage without all of the chemicals and sugar. Here are five of my favorites.

Cucumber Water

If you follow the Beauty Detox program, you religiously start each morning with hot water with lemon, and perhaps drink more lemon water throughout the day. This is a different twist on our daily citrus-flavored water. Cucumber is a powerful beauty food, and this refreshing beverage infuses water with the flavor of cucumber. Cucumbers are high in vitamins A, C, and B6, as well as folic acid. Best, the drink is super easy to make and really delicious!

• 1 medium cucumber, cleaned and cut into ½ inch slices
• 2 quarts of pure water

Combine cucumber and water in a large pitcher and allow to sit for one hour or longer. Serve cool.

Aqua Fresca

This popular Mexican drink infuses water with your favorite fresh fruit.

• 4 cups pure, cold water
• 2 cups of your favorite fresh fruit (I like berries or papaya)
• Stevia to taste
• 2 teaspoons of fresh squeezed lime juice
• Lime wedges

1. Place fruit and water in a blender and puree.
2. Place a small sieve over a pitcher and pour mixture into it, straining the liquid into the pitcher. Discard solids.
3. Add lime juice and stevia.
4. Garnish with lime wedges.

Iced Rooibos Mint Tea

Rooibos tea is high in antioxidants and flavonoids, so it promotes youthfulness and great skin. Over a little ice with mint and lemon, it’s a refreshing and detoxifying summer beverage.

• 6 Rooibos tea bags
• One lemon, sliced
• Several leaves of fresh mint
• Stevia to taste
• 1 gallon of boiling water

Pour water over lemon, teabags and mint leaves and steep, stirring occasionally, until liquid cools. Remove tea bags, pour into a pitcher, and refrigerate. Serve cool or over a little bit of ice.

Basil Lemonade

 
Lemons are high in vitamin C and promote alkalinity and cleansing in the body. The basil adds a refreshing flavor to this sugar-free lemonade.

• ½ cup of freshly squeezed lemon juice
• 4 cups of cold water
• 1 cup of fresh basil leaves
• Stevia to taste

Place basil in the bottom of a pitcher and muddle it by slightly crushing the leaves. Combine lemon juice and water and pour over basil leaves. Add stevia to taste. Chill, and serve over ice.

Cilantro and Jalapeno Limeade

Cilantro is loaded with antioxidants and aids in detoxification, while jalapeno can help rev up your metabolism. Lime is high in Vitamin C.

• 4-1/2 cups of water
• 1 cup organic cilantro, washed and chopped
• 2 large jalapenos, seeds and ribs removed and chopped
• 1-1/2 cups of fresh lime juice
• Stevia to taste
• Lime slices for garnish

Pour water over cilantro and jalapenos. Steep for 30 minutes at room temperature, and then cover and chill for 3-4 hours. Strain the mixture into a pitcher and stir in lime juice. Add stevia to taste. Serve over ice garnished with lime slices.

Summer Hydration Tips

Staying hydrated is essential, especially in the summer. Water helps flush toxins out of your body. Your best bet is to drink pure water at room temperature, especially after periods of activity. Other tips:

• Drink 30 minutes before or 60 minutes after you eat so you don’t dilute your gastric juices necessary for food digestion.
• Avoid electrolyte replacement beverages, soft drinks, and other sugary drinks filled with chemicals. Just avoid them all.
• When you are active, be sure to take plenty of pure water with you.
• Drink mostly water, and have special drinks like those listed above occasionally when you feel that you need something with some flavor. Coconut water is also a good option.
• The Institute of Medicine suggests letting thirst be your guide to summer hydration. There’s no need to force beverages.
• How can you tell if you are dehydrated? Along with thirst, urine color may be a good indicator you need more water. If your pee is amber colored, you get thy water glass to thine lips!
• Alcoholic, sugary, and caffeinated beverages dehydrate you, which is another reason water is best.

Sauerkraut, Ferments and so much more.....

Yay!  It's almost summertime and that means Robbinsville (the town I currently live in) is filled with festivals and fun activities.  Yesterday was the first day for our local Farmer's Market.  Every Monday from now until September 26^th, the Robbinsville Farmer's Market convenes at the parking lot across the street from my house from 3pm – 7:30pm.  Convenient, yes, I know!  J

 

So, The Taste of Times Square (which I usually go to faithfully every year) was yesterday, but I skipped it, so that I could be home in time to visit the Farmer's Market.  Of course, there decides to be traffic and we arrive just in time to catch all the leftovers before all the farmers wrap up and go home.  What did I score?  Some toffee roasted almonds and pecans, as well as dehydrated kiwi fruit and ginger.  What else?  SAUERKRAUT!

 

For those who don't know, sauerkraut is one of the best foods in the world that you can eat…….especially (and only) when it's freshly made and not processed/pasteurized.  Not only is it loaded with naturally occurring vitamins and minerals, it's loaded with probiotics!  For those who are lactose intolerant or cutting dairy from their diet, this is a good alternative to yogurt.

 

For those who didn't know, sauerkraut is fermented cabbage, just as pickles are fermented cucumbers.  I tried making some about a month ago, but it was my very first attempt and didn't fully ferment, as I had hoped.  So, I was happy to score a freshly made variety at the Farmer's Market yesterday.  Some facts, which I pulled from Dr. Weil's website are below.

 

Sauerkraut may not be the best food in the world for health, but fresh sauerkraut is VERY good for you. The friendly lactobacilli created in the fermenting process by which cabbage is transformed into sauerkraut aid digestion, increase vitamin levels, produce a variety of beneficial enzymes and promote the growth of healthy flora throughout the digestive tract. And in a study published in the October 23, 2002 Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry Finnish researchers reported that fermenting cabbage produces compounds known as isothiocyanates, shown in laboratory studies (in test tubes and animals) to prevent the growth of cancer. There's no evidence, yet, that these compounds have the same effect in humans, but we do know that isothiocyanates occur naturally in broccoli and brussel sprouts, vegetables which appear to be protective against cancer.

From a nutritional point of view sauerkraut is a great food choice. One cup amounts to only 44 calories, provides eight grams of fiber and plenty of vitamin C. The downside to sauerkraut is its salt content. To make sauerkraut you shred cabbage, add salt and wait for it to ferment. The salt draws out the cabbage juice, which contains sugar. The juice and sugar ferment forming lactic acid, which creates sauerkraut's tangy flavor. But sauerkraut is one of the saltiest foods available, containing much too much sodium for people with high blood pressure and heart disease. If you rinse and soak sauerkraut in cold water before you eat it, you can lower the sodium content considerably.

Many peoples in the world, including Germans, Japanese and Chinese, consider it important to include fermented foods in their diets. Natural pickles, Korean Kimchi, tempeh and miso (made from soy) as well as high quality yogurt are all sources of the friendly cultures found in sauerkraut. Unfortunately, most of today's commercially available sauerkraut is pasteurized and "dead" - that is, it lacks the beneficial bacterial cultures that make it so good for us. Instead, all you get is a lot of salt. To get the health benefits, look for fresh sauerkraut in the refrigerated sections of natural food stores and in barrels in delicatessens that still make their own. Or, even better, make it yourself - it's not that difficult.

Andrew Weil, M.D.

I am also a huge fan of a nutritionist named Kimberly Snyder.  Her website also includes information of the benefits of sauerkraut (which she calls Probiotic & Enzyme Salad) and provides a video and instructions on how to make it at home.  Below are some useful benefit data, which appears on her page.

 

I cannot stress enough the importance of the Probiotic and Enzyme Salad in helping to make us more clean and balanced. This sacred and extremely nutritious salad. It is packed with enzymes and flora to increase our immunity and to restore us to a basic pH. It doesn't take that much time to make, and it is the most inexpensive way to get daily probiotics. This is especially important for those of you that can't afford probiotic supplements, which can definitely be expensive. Cabbage is very inexpensive, so there is no excuse to not make this salad!!

Imbalanced intestinal flora is one of the root causes of disease and is essential to replenish to achieve true health and therefore true beauty. This powerful salad will lead to improved Beauty Energy and ongoing cleansing. Most importantly, it will aid you in clear up any digestive blockages or irregularities that you are experiencing. It is great for those with Candida and sugar cravings.

Probiotic & Enzyme Salad is essentially raw sauerkraut and is made with green cabbage, miso paste or sea salt, and optionally flavor add-ons like ginger or carraway seeds. The raw, cultured veggies that are chopped and sealed in airtight containers for a few days. Sealing and storing the cabbage creates an environment for lactobacilli and enzymes in the vegetables to flourish, creating a probiotic-rich food. Pretty cool, right? Cabbage in itself has natural probiotics, is packed with vitamin C, and has natural cleansing properties. I love that that it's so easy to make and is a yummy, tangy accompaniment for any meal.

Sauerkraut usually stirs up images of a soppy, salty condiment that adds flavor to various meats, but this is not what you are making here! It's time to break the stereotype and open up your mind to the possibility of delicious, nutritious and beautiful foods that benefit the body and the mind. Probiotic & Enzyme Salad is the most powerful tool you can use to get there!

Remember, the fermentation process to create all of those healthy nutrients takes about 5 days so when you start to run low, be sure to whip up a new batch. You can store sealed jars of salad in the refrigerator for up to a month or so, once the seal has been broken, it will keep for up to 1 month. Probiotic & Enzyme Salad should be a core staple of your Beauty Detox by including ½ cup for dinner each night and also at lunch when possible.

For a simple and easy demo on how to make Probiotic & Enzyme Salad, click here! If you are still having issues with your batches going funky, remember to 1)Sterilize everything very well beforehand 2)Pack the mixture down firmly 3)Make sure your jar lids are tightly closed 4)Use spring water to make the brine.

Through increasing your consumption of probiotics and probiotic-rich foods, over time you will see an increase in energy and skin beauty, which will further serve as motivation to keep eating them!

Getting More Sleep Naturally…For Beauty and Weight-Loss

Here's another little re-blog from my favorite celebrity nutritionist, Kimberly Snyder.  This re-blog was inspired by my sister, Frankela's sleeping problems and her need for valium to regulate them.  :-)  I rarely have trouble sleeping, but my lover does, so hopefully this will help him, as well.  Peace & Love!!!  ~Faunya

 

So as a little reminder, the low-down on sleep is that getting a consistent amount of good sleep makes you LOOK good, FEEL good, and keeps you SLIMMER and your ideal weight. Yay sleep!!

Our bodies are governed by a biological clock, and we rely on it for the regualation of our metabolic processes, such as our hormone levels, blood sugar levels, body temperatures, metabolism, immunity, etc. Faulty sleep patterns could impede surges of growth hormone, that promotes lean muscle tissue and the burning of body fat. Inadequate sleep also forces cortisol levels to rise, which can quicken fat storage, especially around the belly area! So not getting enough rest, unfortunately, can definitely make you fat and look more FLABBY. Eeeek. (Now THERE IS some motivation to cut back on your late night web surfing hmmmmmm??????).

Everything suffers if we don’t get adequate sleep! You’ll feel crabby and sloth-like during the day, and won’t have as much energy to achieve your goals. To help combat the energy slumps you will also be more apt to reach for snacks and more food— even though it is more sleep that you need, NOT more food!

How much sleep do we really need? Well I’m sure you’ve always heard that scientists insist that we need 8 hours of sleep a night. I think that it is more individual than that, depending on our lifestyle and diet. If you are eating mostly raw food you should require less sleep, since you have so much more energy freed up from the processes of digestion. I need about 6 hours of sleep a night to feel amazing and fully energized! Be intuitive with your own sleep patterns and understand your own body to know how much sleep your really need.

Then be responsible for your health and get to bed at the time you need to get those necessary beauty sleep hours!

All of us have trouble falling asleep sometimes- or for some of us it is a chronic problem. We live in such a fast-paced world, with so many sensory elements pulling us this way and that, it is no wonder that it difficult for us to shut everything off at the end of the day and immediately pass out! So we must be conscious of the root causes of our sleep problems and work to correct them- rather than put a bandaid (and an unnatural and liver-harming one at that!) on the issue and resort immediately to the multiple varieties of sleep pills available to us today!!! Sleeping pills should be a very last resort.

Here are some easy, natural sleep tips:

-    Eat dinner 2-4 hours before bedtime. Do your best, and eat as early as is feasible for you. Be sure your dinners are of the best food combining possible (more on that later). As a general rule, avoiding eating complex starches with heavy proteins. We want our digestion to be as easy as possible and not impede our sleep or rest at all!

-    Avoid drinking any caffeine (a stimulant)- even green tea- in the evenings. Remember raw cacao has some caffeine, so if you are having your raw cacao truffles or raw vegan hot chocolate for desert, just be sensible in limiting the amounts and again, have dinner as early as possible.

-    Avoid eating “Rajastic” (stimulating activity) foods at dinner. This would include excessive spicy chilies, lots of garlic and onion, and a large amount of animal flesh foods.

-    A cup of warm almond milk (see Megan’s Almond Milk recipe to make it truly raw or buy the unsweetened kind at the store) before bedtime is very soothing and contains magnesium and calcium, which can be helpful for falling asleep.

-    Try to avoid taking naps after 4:00 PM.

-    Take a hot shower before bed. There is a signal to your body that it is bedtime, created by the rise in body temperature followed by the decline in the core temperature. I take one every night! And I find it immensely helpful. I like to imagine the stream of water also as white light flushing away the stress and other peoples’ energy from the day, off my body and down the drain. It soothes my muscles, which are always sore from yoga and makes me feel fresh and restored.

-    Try to get to establish a (somewhat) consistent pattern of going to bed and waking up around the same time. I know, I know, the weekends are when things go a bit awry in this area, and you deserve to kick back and hang out with your friends or stay up late watching  movies etc on your weekends (!) but like I said, just do your best!

-    Make sure your bedroom is cool- a warmer temperature creates a harder sleep environment. I sleep with my air filter on “turbo mode” which makes a pleasant white sound and produces cool air!

-    Make sure you don’t have any electrical appliances plugged in in in your bedroom. That includes plugged-in alarm clocks, etc. These appliances have subtle radiation currents which can interfere with our body’s natural sleep clocks and REM sleep!  So buy a $10 battery-operated alarm clock instead!

-    Drink a cup of Kava Tea, which is a tea derived from a root from the South Pacific, and has been shown to reduce anxiety. When I was in Fiji, at night and whenever I met some locals, they would always invite me to a cup of Kava. They would put the root in a cloth and use their hands to rub the essence into a bucket of water for over 10 mins., then ladle it out into cups. Of course I tried not to focus on the level of everyone’s hand cleanliness , but it sure did make me feel relaxed! You can get Kava Tea at the health food store with several popular brands.

-    Don’t watch TV in your bedroom or right before you fall asleep. The TV is a lightbox of sounds and images meant to stimulate your senses. How can we be expected to instantly rest peacefully when we have just watched the imagery of all the drama shows they have one, or even worse…the nightly NEWS??? Which is often about doom and gloom and fear-based things and not really peaceful sleep material we want on our mind as we are drifting off!

-    Lastly and most importantly: Be sure to arrange your schedule for a nightly meditation practice. Even more importantly in our busy, busy lives, we need a barrier between the craziness of our days and our sojourn into peaceful sleep. We need some time to reconnect back. Allow yourself at least a few minutes (1/2 hour would be blissful!) to go into meditation. It will make all the difference! If you have no definite technique, do some deep yogic breathing techniques and focus on being still. It will really help you calm down. There are some breathing techniques in my blog, “A Little Discussed Weight Loss Tip.


Happy rest dear ones. ☺
xx Kimberly

Click below to find out more about the author's bestselling books.
Books by Kimberly Snyder

Quick and Easy Tips to Prevent Acid Reflux and Heart Burn

 

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If you've ever experienced burning in the chest and throat, belching, nausea after eating, difficulty swallowing, hoarseness, coughing, hiccups, or pain with lying down, bending, and stooping – particularly after a large meal, there's a good chance you are suffering from a very common health problem. Acid reflux, also known as gastroesophageal reflux disease or GERD, the condition affects approximately 1/3 of the people in the United States. That's a scarily significant portion of the population, and costs for evaluation and treatment of GERD are more than $10 billion per year!

What Causes GERD?

GERD is a little more than occasional heartburn. People with occasional heartburn experience it less than once a week, while GERD affects people two times a week or more. In some cases, GERD may even cause significant discomfort every day, leading people suffering from the condition to try just about every type of medication they can.
So what causes GERD? Food passes through your digestive system via the lower esophageal sphincter (LES), which sits at the bottom of your esophagus just before your stomach. This passage is supposed to be one-way only. Unfortunately, a number of things can cause the LES to not close properly, or to open at inappropriate times, allowing stomach acid to flow upwards through the LES, carrying stomach acids into the esophagus and mouth. While many people experience occasional bouts of heartburn, when this begins to occur regularly, doctors diagnose GERD.

What factors contribute to GERD?

• Eating large meals
• Eating foods that irritate the stomach
• Constipation or poor elimination
• Excess belly fat
• Excess intake of acidic foods
• A high fat diet

Natural Ways to Eliminate Acid Reflux

While the common response to GERD is to reach for an antacid or the latest anti-GERD miracle medicine such as Zantac or Prilosec, this only treats the symptoms and does not eliminate the cause. In some cases, even medications aren't enough to fully eliminate symptoms. In others, you are forced to take more and more medicine in order to get the same level of relief. And even if you have relieved the symptoms through medicine, have you eliminated the cause? Of course not!
Fortunately, you can control the symptoms of GERD naturally, and even help your body heal so you never need to reach for that roll of Tums again! By making lifestyle changes that support good health, you can start feeling relief without medicine.

1. The Glowing Green Smoothie: I really do believe the GGS is a miracle in a glass. Starting your day with one can do so many positive things for your health. Here's how it helps with GERD. Since one of the leading causes of GERD is constipation (straining to eliminate hardened stool can widen the LES over time, allowing acids to back up through the esophagus), all of the beneficial fiber from a daily GGS will help bulk up your stool and eliminate constipation. Another reason the GGS is so powerful in your fight against GERD and acid reflux is that you are starting your day with a powerfully alkaline drink that can neutralize any acids in your system and help maintain your body's pH levels.
2. Eat a plant-based diet: Plants are full of wonderful nutrients, fibers, and active enzymes. Additionally, plants are alkaline, which can help create an internal environment that inhibits acids from building up. Plants are easy to digest, so your stomach doesn't need to work nearly as hard or produce nearly as much acid as it would with other foods.
3. Avoid or minimize all animal products: On the other hand, animal products (including dairy, meat, fish, eggs, and poultry) are very difficult to digest. They require tremendous effort (and acid release) on the part of your stomach. Likewise, animal products create an acidic environment in which conditions like acid reflux thrive.
4. Minimize acid-forming beverages: Coffee, soda, and energy drinks all create tons of acid in your body – and your stomach. They can also irritate your stomach lining. Carbonation may also contribute to GERD symptoms. Switch to herbal tea, pure water, or a water with a squeeze of lemon.
5. Avoid gluten grains: Wheat, rye, barley, and some processed oats all contain gluten, which is a protein that is very hard for the digestive system to process. Instead, switch to healthy, non-GMO grains like millet and quinoa. These not only add beneficial fiber to your diet, but the are much easier on digestion.
6. Minimize fats: While your body needs some fat to survive, minimizing your intake of super fatty foods like fried foods and animal products can make a big difference in GERD.
7. If you are overweight, lose weight: Belly fat can contribute to GERD, so losing weight can ease the pressure on the LES.
8. Stop eating before you are stuffed: Eat your meals slowly, chewing fully, and stop when you start to feel full – not when you feel so full you can't move. Huge meals overextend the stomach, which can cause – you guessed it – acid reflux.
9. Eliminate foods that may irritate your stomach: Certain foods can really be irritating to the stomach, including things like onions and peppers. If you notice a certain food irritates your stomach, cut it out.
10. Wait an hour after eating: Before you lie down or get all excited about bending, stooping, and other actions, wait an hour after a meal. This helps keep the acid right where it belongs – in your stomach. If you allow gravity to aid stomach acid by bending or lying and you have a weakened or widened LES, it's going to wind up in your esophagus and mouth.
11. Sleep with your upper body in an elevated position. If acid reflux gets you at night, defy gravity by lying in bed with your upper body raised to keep acids where they belong.
12. Avoid antacids: While these chalky pills temporarily relieve symptoms of acid reflux, they also cause the stomach to produce more acid to overcome the alkalinity they create. This creates a downward spiral where you take more antacids to combat the increased acid, and your stomach produces more acid to combat the increased number of antacids. Before long, you'll be going through a Costco-sized Tums in just a few days. Nobody wants to live that way!
13. Stop smoking.

 

Natural Acid Reflux Treatment

I can see you saying, "But I have acid reflux right now. These things will take time. How can I relieve my symptoms now?"

Here are a few suggestions.

1. Have some licorice root tea. This tea soothes and can coat the lining of your esophagus. If you have high blood pressure, talk to your doctor before trying licorice root, which can elevate blood pressure.
2. Chew a fresh basil leaf. This Ayurvedic remedy can sooth your digestive tract.
3. Suck on a slippery elm lozenge. Available at the health food store, these lozenges will protect your digestive tract and relive coughing or pain.
4. Take digestive enzymes. This can help encourage digestion to occur more quickly.
5. Try some organic raw honey. This will neutralize the pH in your stomach, reducing acids that can come back up.
6. Have some chamomile tea. Chamomile can soothe and neutralize stomach acids.

*Please note that the above is a repost from Kimberly Snyder's blog on April 19th, 2012
Kimberly Snyder is a nutritionist and author of three books, which appeared on the New York Times Best Seller list.
Click on the below links to find out more about these books and/or make a purchase:
Beauty Detox Solution: Eat Your Way to Radiant Skin, Renewed Energy and the Body You've Always Wanted
The Beauty Detox Foods: Discover the Top 50 Beauty Foods That Will Transform Your Body and Reveal a More Beautiful You
The Beauty Detox Power: Nourish Your Mind and Body for Weight Loss and Discover True Joy

The Top 5 Beauty Detox & Cleansing Secrets

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......as outlined in Kimberly Snyder's book called, "The Beauty Detox Solution."

On going cleansing is one of the most important ways to reach our highest goals of health and beauty, reverse aging and lose weight.

Cleansing is how our body rids itself of waste, toxins and the sludge that is trapped inside and is constantly accumulating.  When we are not cleansing properly, we can drive the toxins deeper into our body, where they continue to weaken us, steal our beauty energy, make us look old and tired, and eventually cause disease.

We cannot rebuild, heal or maintain our weight easily without cleansing.  Cleansing rebalances us and cleans out the sludge and mucus in our bodies so we can adequately absorb nutrients.  If you change your diet but don't properly cleanse on an ongoing basis, you will not get the results you desire, no matter how strictly you adhere to the program.

Beauty Detox Secret #1: PROBIOTICS
Probiotics help preserve a healthy digestive environment and play a critical role in our immune system.
Probiotics can also help restore our internal balance and will increase our overall health.

Beauty Detox Secret #2: PLANT-BASED DIGESTIVE ENZYMES
Poorly digested food ferments and putrifies in the digestive tract, stimulating the growth of unfriendly bacterua and the creation of their toxic, acidic by-products and waste, which then become absorbed into the blood and deposited in tissues all around the body, especially soft-tissue areas, such as the joints.  Toxins in the blood also negatively affect our skin and our physical appearance.
Digestive enzymes are therefore a critical aid to us.  They can be taken daily and right before meals and should be ingested before any meal that contains cooked food.  They give our bodies an extra boost of lipase, amylase and protease to help efficiently digest fats, starches and proteins.

Beauty Detox Secret #3: PROBIOTIC & ENZYME SALAD
Probiotic & Enzyme Salad is composed of raw, cultured vegetables that have been chopped and left in airtight glass containers at room temperature for several days.  This allows the beneficial lactobacilli and enzymes already naturally present in the vegetables to flourish, creating food that is extremely rich in probiotics (friendly bacteria), enzymes and minerals. It is really raw sauerkraut.
Consuming 1/2 to 1 cup with dinner at least five nights a week would be ideal.

Beauty Detox Secret #4: MAGNESIUM-OXYGEN SUPPLEMENT
This powerful cleanser combines magnesium oxide compounds that have been ozonated and stabilized to release monatomic, or nascent, oxygen over twelve hours or more throughout the entire digestive system.
Unlike synthetic laxatives, or even harsh natural herbs with laxative properties, like senna, good-quality magnesium-oxygen supplements are non-habit-forming and promote the strength of all the organs' functions, making them safe for regular use.

Beauty Detox Secret #5: GRAVITY-CENTERED COLONICS AND ENEMAS
Our colon is the sewer system of the body and encases a large amount of aging sludge.  When our colon becomes overloaded, toxicity builds in the rest of our digestive tract, including our liver, kidneys, etc.  When we clean the colon, we start a chain reaction of cleansing in other organs throughout the whole body.
Gravity-centered colonics also work with gravity and your body's energy to release waste, so you'll actually strengthen peristalsis and your body's natural bowel movements, not weaken them.

BUY HERE: The Beauty Detox Solution: Eat Your Way to Radiant Skin, Renewed Energy and the Body You've Always Wanted

DIET & DETOX UPDATE - April 2012

So, it's been about two months since I started this whole diet & detox kick and I must say that I have been doing pretty well.  I am proud of myself!

 

Last month, I brought a blender, which helped me to kick it up another notch with fruit and vegetable smoothies on a regular basis.  The benefit of these smoothies, which I think I mentioned in an earlier post, is that it allows you to have several servings of fruit and vegetables in a single cup. 

 

Anyways, here is the daily routine I follow to date.  I am entering times as a guideline, but it all depends on when I wake up and what I have to do/go that day.

 

5:00am                 Drink hot water with ¼ lemon

8:00am                 Drink 1 cup of water with daily vitamins and supplements (includes One-A-Day, Fish Oil, Iron and Probiotic)

8:30am                 Drink a cup of my Glowing Green Smoothie or eat some fruit (if smoothie isn't available)

9:30am                 Eat breakfast (After drinking the smoothie or eating fruit, I wait at least ½ hour and eat only if/when I am hungry)

10:30am               Drink a cup of water or tea or other nutritious drink, followed by a small nutritious snack if I'm hungry (anytime between 10:30am-12:00pm)

12:00pm               Eat lunch (Salad or other raw veggies, followed by the remaining portions of my meal)              

2:00pm                 Drink a cup of water or tea or other nutritious drink, followed by a small nutritious snack if I'm hungry (anytime between 2:00pm-7:00pm)

7:00pm                 Dinner (Salad or other raw veggies, followed by the remaining portions of my meal)

9:00pm                 Drink a cup of water or tea or other nutritious drink, followed by a small nutritious snack if I'm hungry

 

Some of the rules I follow are:

·         Do not drink during your meals.  Drink at least ½ hour before and/or 1 hour after your meal.

·         Listen to your body and only eat when hungry.

·         Begin each meal with a fruit or raw vegetable.

·         To help the flow of digestion eat from light to heavy (raw fruit à raw greens/vegetables à cooked greens/vegetables à starch à meat à desserts/other).

·         Cut artificial sweeteners and sodas from your diet (or decrease them dramatically).

·         Do not eat at least 2 hours before going to bed.

 

I am still working to perfect and improve on these.  In addition, I'm trying to discipline myself to work out at least 4 days a week.  I'm going away to a resort with my job in June and travelling to the beautiful island of Sal, Cape Verde in September.  I've got quite a bit of work to do!!!!! 

The Easiest Weight Loss/Maintenance Tip Ever

I found the following on Kimberly Snyder's blog and thought it was a great tip to share.....

The Easiest Weight Loss/Maintenance Tip Ever

With a title like that, you’re probably expecting something really profound. Well, they say the most profound things in life are really simple. And so is this tip: Drink as little water and other liquids as possible during your meals. Why???

Well I remember reading the yogi Master Paramanhansa Yogananda say that if you need to gain weight, drink lots of water with your meals, and when you want to lose or maintain weight, of course do the opposite…drink less with meals. Hmmmmm. In college and for a few years after I always used to down water with my meals, thinking that I would get more full and therefore eat less. But I started researching this idea deeper, especially after my travels to India.

There is scientific theory to back up the idea of drinking less with meals. Large amounts of water and liquids impede the digestive process by diluting gastric juices, such as hydrochloric acid. Many people are already deficient in digestive acids to start, due to their diet. You also dilute the digestive enzymes your body needs for the effective digestion of proteins, carbohydrates, and fats. Yes, so much of easy weight loss has to do with ease of digestion and properly breaking down foods! When these juices, acids, and enzymes are diluted, you can experience bloating, abdominal distension after meals (NOT pleasant! And not particularly attractive- especially if you are having dinner before going out!), and can have a hard time losing weight and/or maintaining your ideal weight.

Water is a truly a miracle from nature. We are so blessed to have access to clean drinking water that keeps our bodies and its fluids functioning optimally and removes toxins and waste products. But try to drink large quantities of this miracle liquid at least 20 minutes on either side of a meal, and sip only during meals. Cheers! Here’s to your healthy and more effortlessly slimmed down body!

(For the science nerds like me, here is a supportive study: In 1910, a study was done on people that drank 3 liters of water with meals for five days in a row. The findings showed: An increase in body weight of an average of two pounds in the five days; increased amount of excretion of urinary nitrogen; increased output of ammonia, due to an increased output of gastric juice; and a decrease in the quantity of bacteria excreted daily.)

Kicking It Up A Notch!

That’s it!  I tried to take this change in my diet slowly, but I must be a little hastier.  I am going full vegan with a large portion of my diet becoming raw food.

Let me explain.  Over a month ago, I stopped using deodorant because I kept getting these lumps under my arm.  I went to the doctor and she felt that perhaps it was an infection, which can come from microscopic openings left under my arm from shaving and deodorant, sweat or other bacteria getting caught in the openings and getting infected.  My doctor prescribed antibiotics and told me to try resting steaming rags under my underarms from time to time to help clear out any clogged pores or impurities.  I’ve been too afraid to return to deodorant once the lumps disappeared, so have resorted to pouring baby powder under my arms each morning.  I even have one of those facial puffs that I put powder on, and then pat my underarms, when I have a little more time and don’t want to make a mess.

Fast forward to Sunday.  Out of nowhere, I developed a pimple-like thing on my left inner thigh.  By nightfall, it had a huge white top and I developed a similar structure on the left side of my upper lip.  I popped both and put acne medication on them before I went to bed.  However, by morning, they were both back and bigger than ever.  Ugh!!!!!!   So, anyway, by the end of the day, my leg bump had burst due to the constant friction it had to endure under my pants all day.  The lip pimple was alive and thriving.  After I washed my face last night, I put the acne medication on my lip bump again and then was so desperate that I also put toothpaste on the bump to try and dry it up.  By morning, the very middle of the white head of the bump seemed to by dryer, but overall the bump was thriving.  I couldn’t go back to work another day with this stupid thing on my lip, so I popped it, cleaned it and put some stuff on it.  Needless to say, now it looks like I had a cold sore, instead of a pimple.  Smh!  Soooo embarrassing.

Fast Forward to 10:00am this morning.  I looked down and low and behold this exact same pesky pimple-like bump has appeared on my left forearm.  WTH! My forearm?  I don’t sweat or produce loads of oil on my forearm.  Why would I get this pimple there?

Well, I decided to do what any self-respecting person would do under my circumstances……I took to Google and looked up white puss bump….or something like that.  What I came up with is that perhaps this is some kind of boil or staph/bacterial infection on my skin.  They make it very clear online that while your doctor can prescribe antibiotics; these types of bacteria often become resistant to medications.  The best way to fight this (assuming that my hypochondriatic conclusions are right) is to change your diet and hygiene.  Well, my hygiene’s pretty good.  I don’t even touch bathroom doors when I’m exiting them in public restrooms and I always wash.  My research also revealed that meat products and processed foods also contribute to these infections.  Removing those items from your diet has been proven to be successful to both treat and combat these infections……as well as a thorough detox.

So…….forget my 12-step program to better health and detox.  I am starting it all (or at least most) today!!!!!  ….or tomorrow.  I love my life and me too much to take any more chances.  And if it is determined that I never had a staph infection and these are just pimples, it doesn’t matter.  I will be healthier, have more energy, clearer skin, etc., etc.   J  God Bless America!

HYDRATION AND SUPPLEMENTATION

HYDRATION AND SUPPLEMENTATION

Sorry, I wasn’t able to send this out sooner.  I intended to send this out of Sunday, but with my 2-year wedding anniversary on Monday and my grandmother’s funeral on Tuesday, I was quite inundated with several pressing issues.

Anywho, the second stage of my nutrition and detox plan is called “Hydration and Supplementation”

STAGE I encouraged everyone to start their morning off with hot water and freshly squeezed lemon and highlighted the benefits of lemons, in general.

STAGE II will provide an outline for the need for liquids (hydration) and supplementation (vitamins/supplements) in your diet, as well as providing guidelines on what to drink and when.

As previously mentioned, you should start your morning off with a mug of hot water and freshly squeezed lemon.

The next thing that should enter your mouth is a tall glass of water (if it includes lemon, even better).  This is also a good time to take your first daily dose of vitamins.  Have you been to the doctor’s lately?  Is your iron low?  Are you unsure?  If you are unsure, it is a good idea to take a multivitamin as a bit of insurance.  Other supplements, such as iron or folic acid are also recommended if you are anemic, have heavy periods, are pregnant or trying to get pregnant.

I would also like to suggest that you begin taking probiotics (if you aren’t already).  Probiotics will help you begin to build healthy flora in your intestines, strengthening your immune system and helping rid you of toxins that build up in your intestines.  Most yogurts contain live probiotic cultures.  However, most people are lactose intolerant and our bodies have difficult times correctly digesting the dairy in yogurt, so a probiotic supplement is a great alternative.

Hydrate: Your body needs water to function. Staying hydrated is essential, and drinking water is the best way to do it. Water helps flush toxins out of your system and keeps your mucous membranes moist, which can prevent cold and flu germs from adhering inside your nose or lungs. The amount your body needs is dependent on many factors, including your activity levels and the kind of food you eat. For instance, salads, fruits and raw veggies contain a lot of water. A general rule though, is that you need at least a half-ounce of water per pound of body weight to stay hydrated. Just remember to drink water between meals, not with them.  Try to not to drink less than 20 minutes before eating, as this can  dilutes digestive enzymes, slows digestion and causes bloating.  Also, allow your body to absorb the nutrients in the food you are eating by waiting at least 60 minutes after you eat to drink anything.

Aside from the cup of hot water with lemon you begin your day with and the filtered water you drink throughout the day, here are some other suggestions of things that will keep you hydrated.

-          Green Juice: Thirsty? If you have a juicer you can juice a mix of green vegetables and various fruits for lots of liquid packed with the bonus of antioxidants, enzymes and minerals!

-          Coconut water: Contains lots of potassium and minerals, and very hydrating. Comes in convenient recloseable cartons also!

-          Iced herbal teas: Right now my favorite is peach rooibos, which I have been drinking a ton of here in hot New Orleans during this film! Herbal iced teas add great flavor, antioxidants, and doesn’t have the caffeine of iced green or black tea. I drink mine unsweetened, bu you could sweeten yours up with stevia if you like!

-          Watermelon: At around 92% water, watermelon is so juicy! Remember you can hydrate with fruit! But in keeping with our blog heading, the way to  make this is a drink is to simply blend it with a bit of cold water, then you have a great watermelon smoothie to sip on at your desk!

-          A Green Smoothie contains a mix of green vegetables and various fruits, is incredibly hydrating, and the fiber keeps you full and energized, so you won’t need so many dehydrating caffeine-filled beverages. This can be made in a high-powered blender or brought from places like Jamba Juice or Smoothie King.  Naked also produces a gently pasteurized smoothie called Green Machine ($0.49 cents at Target this week with a printed coupon available online).

Drinks to avoid are:

-          Tap water: I rank tap water pretty high upon the avoid list, since it is full of chlorine, heavy metals and contaminates, and trace prescription meds that aren’t all filtered out at the water processing plants. Get yourself a good water filter!

-          Artificial sweeteners: We should also avoid beverages that contain any type of artificial sweeteners. Besides aspartame, sucralose, acesulfame potassium and saccharin, also look out for chrystalline fructose, which is derived from corn.

-          Heavily pasteurized beverages: These include most every beverage that comes in bottles. Orange juice and those Odwalla smoothies are among the first thing that come to mind. I do not recommend them. They are high in sugar, acidic and their enzymes and natural nutrients have been destroyed by the high temperatures. There are different levels of pasteurization, and some products are more gently pasteurized than others, which is better b/c some of the nutrients are preserved. Coconut water is an example of a product which is gently pasteurized. It holds up pretty well, and coconut water contains important minerals versus vitamins; vitamins are more susceptible to high heat damage from pasteurization.

Probiotics: Probiotics, or good bacteria, are beneficial and very important to include in our diet. They exist in many cultures, such as in kimchi from Korea and unpasteurized kefir in Russia. Some of the many benefits of probiotics include helping to keep our systems in balance, encouraging regularity, keep toxicity in check, improve our synthesis of B Vitamins, strengthening our immunity, supporting digestion and helping to eliminate yeast issues. 

There is a coconut milk-based yogurt from a brand called So Delicous. It is dairy free and soy-free, and it tastes pretty good. It is sweetened with cane sugar, so there are no scary artificial sweeteners or agave in it.

Raw sauerkraut, kimchi and unpasteurized miso are other natural sources for probiotics.

Probiotic supplements can be expensive, so I tend to watch for coupons and discounts to maintain a good amount of probiotic supplements stocked in my house.  This week, Walgreens has Renew Life Ultimate Flora Probiotic supplements on sale.  You purchase them for $10 and Walgreens gives you a $10 Register Rewards coupon that can be used on anything in the store.  This basically makes a 30-day supply of probiotics free.  Another good brand endorsed by Kimberly Snyder, a highly sought after nutritionist and author of the best-selling book, The Beauty Detox Solution, is the Dr. Ohhira brand.  Her website also includes in-depth details on the benefits of probiotics, as well as a recipe for a homemade Probiotic and Enzyme Salad.

PHASE I Detox & Diet: The Power of the L.E.M.O.N.

Last night, my husband and I went grocery shopping and #1 on my list were…..LEMONS.  Thus, I have chosen to begin stage 1 of my detox and diet today!

PHASE  I: Start your day with a mug of hot water with lemon.

You are not cleansing unless toxins and waste are actually leaving your body. How you begin each and every day is important. It’s important to get in the habit of allowing yourself to have as complete an elimination as possible first thing in the morning.

This means that right when you wake up, you really shouldn’t eat anything immediately. If you do, part or the majority of your digestive fires will be directed at digesting the food you just put into your body, rather than focusing on your very important first (and maybe only) elimination of the day (!).

Here’s an excellent habit to get into:
Turn on your tea kettle first thing, then make yourself a cup of:
- Hot water**
- Fresh juice of a quarter of a lemon squeezed in

**Remember your water should be fairly hot but never boiling!!! Let it cool down before you squeeze the lemon in. Don’t kill all the enzymes and vitamins of the lemon!

This drink will help relax your bowels and promote elimination. The warm lemon water will also dissolve mucus in the body, flush and support the liver, and help with the absorption of minerals. So let this be the first thing that enters your lips in the morning- and don’t eat anything for at least one hour after you wake up, as your body can use this time to detox.

 To maximize cleansing benefits, get into the habit of drinking one hot mug of water with the juice of half a lemon squeezed in first thing in the morning. Refresh yourself throughout the day with cool lemon water. Something sweeter more your speed? Feel free to throw in some natural sugar, honey, stevia or xyitol for a lighter taste with the same benefits……or make tea with lemons.  To really cash in on the goodness of lemons, spritz a mix of lemon, apple cider vinegar, stevia (and sea salt/pepper to taste) on all your greens for the day.

Cleansing is one of the most powerful instruments we have in our toolbox to bring our bodies (and our minds) back into alignment. After all, balance is one of the most important things in our lives, right? The important thing to remember about this PHASE I cleansing step  is that it  is meant to instill long-term habits, which I want you to keep doing after this stage  is over.  On March 1^st, I intend to move on to PHASE II, which will build on to PHASE I.

Please note that this information has been obtained from various sources, including The Beauty Detox Solution by Kimberly Snyder.

My Journey Towards Cleansing, Nutrition and Optimal Health

It all started a month ago when I was flipping through the TV channels on an uneventful Saturday night.  PBS was doing another one of their pledge/money drives and had a man by the name of Joel Fuhrman on the screen, giving a presentation called “3 Steps to Incredible Health.”  Depending on the amount you pledged to give the TV station, you could get special DVDs and books from Joel Fuhrman to help you on your path to incredible health.  If you know me, you know that I always get dragged into these types of infomercial-type presentations.  He talked about how to naturally avoid and/or reverse the signs of aging and sickness.  He brought people on stage whose lives were changed by following his plan.  I was amazed!  I was so amazed that I stayed up later than normal, even though my husband was ready for bed.  However, I was not amazed enough to pledge $100 to PBS and receive this very special package Fuhrman was offering.  Instead, I did what any smart and frugal woman would do, I researched Fuhrman online and proceeded to reserve all of his books through the New York Public Library.  Why would I pay, when I can get his books and articles written about his health plan for free?  Duh!

Sign #2 came that very next Monday.  I woke up “sick” and had to call out of work that day.  A lady by the name of Kimberly Snyder was on one of the morning shows giving the very same message that Fuhrman was giving two nights before.  You can have optimal health, clear skin, reverse aging, etc., etc. simply by changing your diet.  According to both health experts the key to doing this, mainly, were green leafy vegetables.  Hey!  I like vegetables.  Tell me more.  So, I did what Faunya always does when new information comes to her attention.  I researched this lady online and reserved her book at the library.

Both books arrived at the library at the same time, but I chose to read Kimberly’s book first.  The reasons have more to do with library etiquette and aren’t that interesting.  However, I must say that I am so glad that I chose to read Kimberly’s book first.  It has been life changing.

Anyway, I want to go on this life changing journey towards total body cleansing and optimal health and I would like to take some people with me.  I would like each change that I make to be lifelong and so, therefore, I have decided to take it slow and make only 1-2 changes in my lifestyle per month.  Will you go with me?
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