Pumpkins, apples, cinnamon and coconut milk just in time for flu season!

As usual I had a wonderful time as a guest on "The Dave and Cindy Show," 107.9 FM in Vero Beach, FL last week. We discussed the health, beauty and anti-aging benefits of pumpkin, clove, cinnamon, thyme, nutmeg, allspice, apples, apple cider, and coconut milk. That's right, I said coconut milk! I know it doesn't seem to fit in traditionally with fall spice and comfort foods but I'm going to give you good reason to start including it in your recipes this time of year.

Prior to the show I had mentioned to Cindy that I find it no coincidence, that, as we are heading into flu season, historically we break out the warming spices. Cinnamon, clove, allspice, nutmeg, etc. all have anti-microbial & anti-infectious properties. Our ancestors were smart and traditions often serve us well, without us giving it much thought. The use of these spices can help in the prevention of both viral and bacterial infections. To help avoid illness even further, we tend to gravitate to foods rich in Vitamin A and C, that can help fortify our immunity like pumpkin, sweet potato and squash. These foods are rich in carotinoids, phytochemicals, zinc, and various anti-oxidants which can also help with the eyes and skin. If you slather them on your skin as a mask, they even have alpha hydroxy acids in them, which can help to minimize fine lines, remove dead skin and help cellular turnover.

I touched on the recent study which stated that eating an apple or pear a day can indeed keep the doctor away. This study revealed that there was a 52% decrease in strokes in people that added the "white fruits and veggies"to their daily diet. (White's- being apples, pears, cauliflower, etc.) Also, 8 oz. of traditional English apple cider has as many anti-oxidants as a glass of red wine! Who knew?!!

Now that we have covered the basics of the fall harvest, let me get back to the coconut milk! I use it in place of dairy in almost all of my recipes, pies, bisque soups, etc. Coconut milk has natural anti-viral components, as well as anti-candidal/fungal properties. Which is also important around the holidays when our sugar consumption increases with all the desserts, wine, and cookies.
 Homogenized dairy products on the other hand, often cause much congestion of the sinus and gastrointestinal tract. As flu season approaches, that is the last thing you want in your system. Bacteria and virus thrive in the body that is congested. Most of my clients do not handle dairy well. Once I ask them to start listening to and watching their bodies for signs when they eat dairy- they begin to notice they get a stuffed up nose and/or gastrointestinal distress of some sort after eating it. Switching from dairy to using coconut milk is a no-brainer, especially during flu season.

So next time you go to make that wonderful pumpkin bisque soup add the coconut milk and know that you are really doing your body good.

Delicious Cucumber Cooler!

On our last trip to Barbados, my friends and I stopped at one of our favorite restaurants there, Champers. The food is consistently wonderful, as is the service, and the views are pretty special too. I'm always left amazed at how fresh their food tastes. Well, this lunch we were in for a little surprise, when to our dismay they did not have iced tea. Say what?!!
Our waitress suggested the cucumber water instead. We all looked at each other like, "What the heck is that???" The waitress went on to say that it is a fresh raw juice, not merely water with a slice of cucumber, and VERY popular. My friend David, the most adventurous of the bunch said he would try it. We followed his lead.
And boy was I glad we did! It was incredibly delicious and one of the most refreshing drinks you could ask for in a hot climate. I had to try to make it as soon as I got home. And thanks to my, Hurom Slow Juicer, which I love and cannot live without, I worked it out!

Here is my simple but delicious recipe inspired by Champers:

2 large cucumbers
1 cup of honeydew
lemon (optional & to taste)
garnish with any herb you like ( mint or basil is nice)

Just juice the cucumbers, if they are organic you don't have to even peel. If not, I advise peeling them. Then juice the honeydew. If you are a fan of lemon, either juice that or just squeeze it in. Serve over ice. Garnish.

I believe adding raw live fruits and vegetables is one of the best anti-aging strategies there is. Cucumber juice is believed to have a beneficial effect on the skin, kidneys, and may even lower blood pressure. It can be a diuretic, helps normalize body temperature during hot weather, and it has alkalizing properties. Juicing the skin of the cucumber (if organic) can be especially helpful for the high silica content. Which helps hair growth, nails, skin, and all connective tissues. Silica is a little known anti-aging superstar!

 Honeydew also has it's own list of benefits due to being a source of potassium, folic acid,provitamin A, zinc and vitamin C. All useful and important to keep us young and healthy : )

I hope you will give the Cucumber Cooler a try!!! Feel free to post your own twist on the recipe or thoughts.

Food Sensitivity Testing is Important Sooner Than Later

Many years ago I was on one of my "health" kicks and made a real effort to eat "better." I was working out with a personal trainer, so of course, I was trying to cut back on bad fats, carbs, and eat more protein. For breakfast I was having egg whites with peppers and 1 slice of whole grain bread with a touch of butter.  Seemed like a reasonable breakfast for most people, however, within an hour or so I felt exhausted and just generally unwell. I felt bad enough that I noticed and thought to myself, "I need to see if this happens again tomorrow."

A couple of hours later I was hungry again, so I grabbed an organic trail mix bar. After eating that, again, I didn't feel so well. I looked at the ingredients and noticed it had almonds, cranberries, sunflower and or safflower oil, oats, etc...I thought the ingredients looked harmless enough and those things are supposed to be good for us, right?  I continued on this eating plan for about 3-4 days and just felt worse and worse. I decided to listen to my intuition and have a food allergy/sensitivity test done. At this point, I truly felt so bad, I stopped on my own with this new eating plan while I waited for the results to come back.

I had always suspected I had undetected food issues even as a young child, so when my results came back I was somewhat prepared for them. I say somewhat! What surprised me was how obvious the offending foods were when I was" in touch" with and listening to my body. Turned out, not only was I "sensitive" to egg yolk, but egg whites were my most reactive food. Other offenders on my list were brewer's and baker's yeast, almonds, sunflower, safflower & canola oils, kidney bean, cranberry, and cow's milk. Basically, between the egg white breakfast with toast and then the trail mix bar containing all the oils I was reactive to, plus the almond and the cranberry in the mix, I had effectively hit about every food I was reactive to by 11 AM. No wonder I felt so awful those mornings on my new "healthy" diet plan!

 I learned that it was key to recognize that we are all individuals and what nourishes one may be acting like a poison to another.

 I have found that most people have food sensitivities they are unaware of. I strongly recommend anyone who suspects food allergy or sensitivity issues to get tested sooner than later. Undetected food sensitivities, I am convinced, become a breeding ground for recurrent infections, weight gain, inflammatory conditions, and many different forms of auto-immune diseases. All types of inflammation age us before our time. The most effective anti-aging plans should incorporate food allergy/sensitivity testing very early on as part of an initial work up.

The Amazing Coconut!

So I have known about the benefits of coconut oil, coconut meat (high in fiber), and last, but certainly not least, coconut water for quite some time now. One of my dearest friends, plastic surgeon extraordinaire, Dr. Alex De Souza even wrote the book on coconut water. He was one of the first importers of coconut water into the USA. I was surprised to find out from him that it was even used for blood transfusions during WWII in the South Pacific. My body does not handle alcohol well, so there has been the occasional morning when I wished he was around to hook me up and give me a coconut water infusion, lol.  My hang-overs are not pretty!!! As many of you probably know, coconut water can lessen the pain of a hangover. It is the best natural hydrator, high in potassium and electrolytes. I think the key is to drink it before or during cocktails to possibly avoid the hangover in the first place. I will try that! I have and it works, lol. All kidding aside, because it is such a good hydrator, it is a wonderful thing to start including into your anti-aging regimen. Some of the benefits noted are that it helps to keep skin smooth, soft, blemish free, and helps to prevent premature wrinkling. Bring it on!!!

In addition to the water being so good for us, the oil is of tremendous benefit too. After spending some time on Pub-Med to investigate the truth of touted benefits, I'm left amazed. Truly amazed. Ok, so here goes- the components of coconut oil can lower the viral load of AIDS, and inactivate CMV, herpes simplex 1, influenza, and others. It is anti-bacterial against many pathogenic bacteria, including heliobacter pylori. (The bacteria known to be one of the causes of chronic indigestion.) It's also been shown to be effective against fungus (candida), think yeast infection, and  protozoa. Pretty impressive. And even though it can clearly kill a lot of the bad stuff, it appears the good bacteria are not harmed. Shouldn't hurt though to take a good probiotic if taking the oil for good measure.

Many people claim so many different health benefits from using and/or consuming the oil. Weight loss, better thyroid function, increase in energy levels, helping with chronic fatigue, fibromyalgia, Crohn's, irritable bowel syndrome, and skin disorders resolving are just some of the reports.

I have personally noticed improved energy levels, seemingly better thyroid function & better immune function. I've started to give my dog coconut oil now for several days, so sorry I did not keep up with it before, as the change in his skin problem is remarkable! In a few days of giving him the oil, a 6 year allergic skin issue seems dramatically better. As soon as I get the oil out he sits patiently waiting to get his, he loves it! I think he knows it's helping him. I will keep you posted!

Uncovering your hidden mineral deficiencies.

It has been said that disease cannot exist in the body without a nutrient deficiency. I have had that feeling as well since I was a young child and was sick all the time. I always wondered why. Well, I have personally figured some things out pertaining to my health or lack there of, along the way. Much of it has been through trying just about everything "integrative" or "alternative" to mainstream Western medicine. You see, even as a young child, when the DO, our general practitioner, told my mom he thought my tonsils should be removed, I said, "No way, God doesn't make mistakes!" "They are there for a reason." My internal feelings were, "This dope just hasn't figured it out yet!!!" Ahhh, the wisdom I had as a child, lol.

I now know from various forms of testing, that most people are MULTI-nutrient deficient. So, if a single MINERAL deficiency can possibly decrease metabolic function by 50%, no wonder we are all suffering in one way or another when we hit age 30-40.

This is what I see all of the time, endocrine and metabolic problems that rise from decades of nutrient deficiencies, enzyme deficiencies and eating the wrong foods.

We have to start somewhere to get people back on the right track so I have found a good way to start. It involves a taste test of the 8 core minerals we may be deficient in. The 9th important mineral, iodine, is not taste tested but recommended for most people. Almost everyone is iodine deficient due to exposure to fluoride and chlorine, which can bind it making it unavailable for use by the body.

Once the mineral deficiencies are identified it makes it very easy to remedy the issue. Clients are instructed to just add the mineral drops they need on a daily basis into a glass of juice with some added vitamin C, that's it!  Something so simple and basic yet so powerful.

Morning tea with friends makes me smile

My fascination with energy within the body began many years ago when I started chiropractic school. I won't say how long ago, lol, let's just say a couple decades ago. We discussed the results of a study that showed a radio was once "hooked up" to an animal's brain and ran. I know, I too am horrified at the mere thought, but in the supposed name of science it was done. Important point to take away is, it ran, even if for a couple of seconds. This illustration enabled me to grasp the understanding of chiropractic and other energy type of bodywork quickly.

After decades of my eternal quest for knowledge about all "healthy" things, i know undeniably, that there are several major energy channels within our bodies. Even every cellular action occurs due to an electrical exchange in one way or another. Can be good, in the case of say an anti-oxidant which donates an electron, thus squelching a toxic reaction. Or something we choose to put in our bodies, can do the opposite thing down on a cellular level, stealing our cell's electrons. Like having a non-organic coffee and adding milk to it or that God awful for us, but delicious, hydrogenated vanilla creamer, that I recently broke my addiction to. Nasty little electron stealer.

This morning I am making a conscious choice to start my day with a triple header of cellular energy support! I even traded in my ganoderma coffee for a green tea, with a spoonful of coconut oil and royal jelly!!!

Whoo hooo, that's livin' ;)