Do your vegetables and fruits contain the nutrients you need?

Purchasing and eating vegetables and fruits does not guarantee you that you will provide your body with all the essential nutrients it needs on a daily basis.  This is due to the majority of our soils being depleted in nutrients (selenium, zinc, etc.) and most of the fresh produce containing high levels of pesticides.

By choosing organic and biodynamic foods you can obtain the essential nutrients you need from your fruits and vegetables without exposing yourself to harmful chemicals. You can truly nurture your body and enjoy the health benefits when choosing organic.

Below is a list of vegetables and fruits which are most likely to contain high levels of pesticide residues:

1. Carrots
2. Garlic
3. Celery
4. Bell Peppers (Capsicum)
5. Leafy greens (e.g. kale, spinach, silverbeet and bock choy)
6. Lettuce
7. Peaches
8. Apples
9. Nectarines
10. Grapes
11. Cherries
12. Pears
13. Strawberries

Continue Reading

Chia Seeds

1. Are an endurance foods
2. Are the highest source of omega-3 fatty acids next to flax seeds
3. Lubricates dryness
4. Relieve constipation
5. Reduces nervousness
6. Treat insomnia
7. Improve mental focus

Continue Reading

Our metabolism slows down as we age which can lead to gaining extra, unwanted kilos. Small dietary adjustments can be very helpful and efficient in minimizing weight gain. Try the following recommendations:

1. Start the day with a healthy breakfast. Your metabolism will be increased when enjoying a warm, fresh cooked breakfast or a vegetable juice in the morning.
2. Eat like a king for lunch. Your digestive fire is the strongest around noon. So make lunch the main meal of your day as often as possible for efficient calorie burning.
3. Eat like a bagger a night. Enjoy fresh made and light soups or stews before 7.00 pm as your metabolism will slow down afterwards. Late night eating results in weight gain and weakens your fat metabolism.
4. Avoid ice cold liquids and foods. Cold beverages or foods weaken your digestive fire and slow down your metabolism immensely, therefore contributing to weight gain.
5. Drink dandelion coffee/tea or green tea. Coffee and black tea make you acidic which weakens your body systems and slows down your metabolism. Antioxidant polyphenols in green tea stimulate the body to help burn calories. Also, dandelion coffee/tea has fat metabolizing properties and can lower cholesterol.
6. Use herbs and spices. Turmeric, coriander, fresh ginger, pepper, rosemary, thyme and fennel aid digestion and generate heat in the body, leading to more calories burned.
7. Choose healthy carbohydrates. Replace refined, high-glycemic-index carbohydrates (e.g. flour products from wheat, corn or rice) with unrefined, low-glycemic choices (e.g. whole grains such as barley, spelt, quinoa, kamut, amaranth, millet, and buckwheat). The latter do not cause the spikes in blood glucose levels that encourage the storage of fat.

Continue Reading

When you tell people that you are a vegetarian, their first response would be: ‘Where do you get your protein from?’ No one ever asks: ‘Where are you getting your fat or carbohydrates from?’  People only seem to worry about their protein intake.  It would be much more important to ask yourself: ‘Where am I getting my omega-3 fatty acids from?’

High protein diets have been very popular over the last years, especially the consumption of protein bars and protein powders. Protein consumed in excess of the body’s needs for growth becomes fuel that the body burns for energy, and that protein is a relatively dirty and inefficient fuel compared to carbohydrate and fat.

Protein molecules are so complex, the ratio of energy expended to energy gained is dismantling and metabolizing them is less favorable than that for running the metabolic engine on fat or carbohydrate. This may be the reason why many people find high-protein diets help them lose weight.  Because protein molecules contain nitrogen, when they are burned to yield energy they leave nitrogenous residues instead of just producing water and carbon dioxide, the only waist products of the fat and carbohydrate metabolism.

It is important to also consider that a high protein diet may have the following effects:

• increases workload on the liver (ammonia the waste product from the metabolic combustion of protein is converted to urea in the liver before filtered by the kidneys)
• increases workload on the kidneys
• the possible exposure of sensitive organs to toxic metabolic waste
• diuretic effect, accompanied by mineral loss, especially Ca (increase risk of osteoporosis)
• Irritates immune system – keeping it off balance

Ten to twenty percent of calories as protein may be the right general range for the majority of people.  Also, more effort should be placed on consuming vegetarian protein sources which have been neglected for so many years.  Spirulina (68g/100g edible portion), chlorella (55g/100g edible portion (EP)), lentils (25g/100g EP), sunflower seeds (24g/100g EP), quinoa (18g/100g EP), amaranth (16g/100g EP) and many more plant foods have a high protein content when compared to animal protein (Eggs 3g/100g EP, Tuna 29g/100g EP, Beef 17-21g/100g EP).  When vegetable protein sources are combined with the correct foods (i.e. amaranth and brown rice) a complete amino acid profile (equivalent to meat) is obtained as well.

Continue Reading

Ingredients

• 10 ml of Liquid Chlorophyll
• 10ml of Aloe Vera Juice
• 1 tsp of Bee Pollen
• ½ tsp Acai berry powder
• 1 tsp of Barley Grass Powder
• 1 tbsp of sunflower seeds (soaked)
• ¼ cup of almonds (soaked)
• 4 fresh dates
• ½ cup of water

Put all the ingredients in a blender and blend until you receive a smoothie consistency.

Continue Reading

• Powdered skim milk is a source of dangerous oxidized cholesterol and neurotoxic amino acids which is added to 1% and 2% milk. Skim milk is devoid of fat and enzymes necessary for calcium absorption.
• Low-fat yogurts and sour creams contain mucopolysaccharide slime to give them body.
• Pale butter from hay-fed cows contains colorings to make it look like vitamin-rich butter from grass-fed cows.

A study that followed 12,829 children ages 9 to 14 years found that weight gain was associated with drinking reduced-fat milk but that drinking full-fat milk was not associated with weight gain (Archives of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine, June 2005).

Myth: Children benefit from a low-fat diet

Truth: Children on low-fat diets suffer from growth problems, failure to thrive & learning disabilities (Food Chem News 10/3/1994)

Butterfat in whole milk, particularly butterfat in milk from cows that graze outside on green pasture, provides unique nutrients that support thyroid function and help the body put on muscle rather than fat.

Myth: A low-fat diet will make you “feel better . . . and increase your joy of living”

Truth: Low-fat diets are associated with increased rates of depression, psychological problems, fatigue, violence and suicide (Lancet 3/21/92 v339)

Myth: Low-fat diets prevent breast cancer

Truth: A recent study found that women on very low-fat diets (less than 20%) had the same rate of breast cancer as women who consumed large amounts of fat (NEJM 2/8/96).

Continue Reading

An increasing number of people are diagnosed with lactose (an enzyme that digests milk sugar or lactose) or casein (one of the most difficult proteins to digest in the body) intolerance which may be due to the degradation of today’s milk and milk products.

The majority of today’s supermarket milk is pasteurized and/or homogenized, and may contain high levels of growth hormones.  We have been taught that pasteurization is beneficial, a method of protecting ourselves from infectious diseases without taking into consideration that the modern milking machines and stainless steel tanks, along with efficient packaging techniques and distribution, may make pasteurization totally unnecessary for the purpose of sanitation.  Also, the side-effects of pasteurization are never really mentioned:

• Destroys enzymes
• Diminishes vitamin content
• Denatures fragile milk protein
• Destroys vitamin B12 and B6
• Kills beneficial bacteria
• Formation of histamines

Pasteurized milk is also often homogenized which destroys the structure of the butter fat and can therefore not be processed by the body.  It has also been linked to an increased risk in heart disease.

Another problem that may contribute to the high rates of milk-protein allergies could be the use of inappropriate feed for dairy herds. High protein soybean meals are a popular feed for cows which stimulates the cow to produce larger quantities of milk but contributes to a high rate of mastitis and other problems of sterility, liver problems and shortened lives. Little research has been conducted to determine the effects of soy feeds on the protein quality in cow’s milk.

The overuse of antibiotics also contributes to the rising number people, suffering from lactose intolerance.

We have also been told that we need milk as a source of calcium. This is not really the case as a lot of ‘living nutrient dense whole foods’ such as for example sea vegetables, wheat or barley grass, almonds, amaranth, parsley, brazil nuts, sunflower seeds, quinoa can serve as an excellent source of calcium and essential co-factors.

If milk is tolerated well, one should strive for the best quality available (organic milk from grass fed cows or unpasteurized (raw) goats milk which is generally more healthful than cow’s milk). Also, milk should be heated to counteract its mucus forming qualities and to aid digestion.  By adding spices such as cinnamon, cardamon and clove the digestibility can even be further enhanced.

Continue Reading

Many of us work hard throughout the year to achieve better health, vitality, lean bodies, and sharp minds.  That all of that effort is not lost during the festive period through overindulgence in rich foods, sugar, alcohol and late party nights follow some simple recommendations to overcome indigestion, a bloated belly, hangover or fatigue.

Continue Reading

Increasing numbers of people today are suffering from gluten intolerance, wheat and yeast sensitivity and related health conditions such as indigestion, lethargy and headaches. A primary cause of many of these health conditions is the continued over-consumption of refined grains (e.g. yeast breads, rice, couscous). Refined grains lack many essential nutrients such as vitamin E, B vitamins and iron because of the removal of the nutrient-dense bran and germ during milling and processing. Further, the combination of wheat and yeast, as found in virtually all commercial breads, can cause our system to clog up, inhibit absorption by the intestine and contribute to the production of toxins.

Whole grains such as quinoa, millet, buckwheat and amaranth are nutritionally superior to refined grain and yeast products. These whole grains contain an abundance of beneficial antioxidants, phytochemicals, and essential nutrients, and are therefore protective against various chronic diseases, ranging from irritable bowel syndrome to cancer. Whole grains are also well metabolized by the human body when properly prepared via soaking, roasting and other forms of preparation.  In addition, they have to be chewed well.

Continue Reading

During summer, the sun is at its strongest and increases our internal fire.  The diet should consist of more cooling sweet foods and drinks such as cucumber, asparagus, beet greens, broccoli, cabbage, celery, cilantro, fennel, green beans, kale, lettuce, okra, parsnip, peas, sweet potato, summer squash, sprouts,  zucchini, sweet fruits (e.g. apples, berries, avocado, coconut, dates, figs, grapes, mango, strawberries, pears) fruit and vegetable juices (not acidic or the citrus variety), mung beans, aduki beans, black-eyed peas, chick peas, pinto beans and soy beans, soaked and peeled almonds, sunflower seeds, seaweed, spirulina, chlorella, barley or wheat grass, quinoa, barley, amaranth and millet, as well as more cooling herbs (mint, coriander, cumin and fennel).

It is also important to consume a lot of water (8 glasses minimum) at room temperature to stay hydrated.  Salty, sour and pungent foods should be avoided.  Hot, spicy, fermented and acidic foods such as chilies, onions, and garlic should also be excluded from the diet or used in small quantities.  Tea, coffee, alcohol and smoking should be avoided or limited to keep the body and mind healthy and balanced during summer.

Continue Reading