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Tag Archives: health
Part 3 – Why Fad Diets Don’t Work
The deeper I get into my study of nutrition the more I have come to embrace bio-individuality as the best term to sum up my personal beliefs about healthy eating. You may have heard the saying “one man’s food is another man’s poison.” Well, bio-individuality is the concept that best summarizes this because it is essentially saying there is no one perfect way of eating for everyone. Every single human being, including you and I, have unique genetic make-ups, blood types, ancestry, metabolism, and food intolerances.
Part of your job, when walking the healthy living path, is to be your own health guru and figure out what makes your stomach and your body happy and healthy. Some bodies metabolize carbs better, and some proteins. Some people cannot be optimally healthy on an animal based diet or diet that includes dairy. Some people may not thrive on a vegan or raw diet, either because of improper supplementation, eating a diverse group of foods, or because their body is simply not getting the levels of essential nutrients or fat soluble vitamins it needs to function at its best. When this happens individuals find themselves with candida imbalances, tooth decay, fatigue or other signs that something is off-balance in the body.
I am a firm believer that optimal health should always be the end goal, and sole focus. This means that rather than clinging to a diet like a religion that leads to illness and eventually disease, each of us should carefully mine the information we hear about different food choices and diets and filter out by testing on our own body, and discovering what is appropriate for us. So how do we avoid falling into the fad diet trap?
As the ancient Egyptians put it: “Know thyself.” You have to know your ancestry, learn what foods your body does and does not like, and decipher what any imbalances that arise are trying to tell you. Most doctors can’t do this for you. It takes some personal initiative and perhaps some digging with the help of non-traditional and traditional health practitioners along with a nice dose of intuition. But when you put in the work it’s well worth it. My idea of a healthy and balanced world is one is which bio-individuality is embraced fully, where all of us avoid the factory and embrace the field, and where dietary labels don’t need to exist because everyone eats whole fresh good karma foods that support their unique and incredible body. -XoXo Raw Girl
Click to read Part 1 and Part 2 of Make Your Health Your Best Accessory.
The Healing Benefits of Tree Pose
Photo from HealLoveNow.com
Muscle tone in your legs is one of the first things to go when you have a sedentary, computer-centered life. That is why it so good to get up from your laptop every few hours and stand in tree pose.
Vrikshasana, in its call for balance and poise, tones the leg muscles, strengthens the spine and increases flexibility in the feet. A great pose for core building, Tree will increase your coordination, teach you patience and calm your mind.
Like a tree’s trunk you become rooted in your sense of self and grounded with conviction, while also expressing freedom, expansion and a heavenward gaze like the branches and leaves. Hunching over at your desk is commonplace I know, but the spine wants to fully extend, as does the spirit. Open your shoulders with Tree pose to increase your range of motion and improve posture.
Daily practice of this asana will bring waves of inner strength, self-confidence and peace to balance the fast-paced excesses of modern life.
– Sia
To learn more about Sia, click here
5 Foods and Beverages You Should Avoid Like the Plague
Photo from www.memorise.org
Soda: Sodas used to contain 9 teaspoons of sugar, which is an enormous amount to consume, especially on an empty stomach. But sodas today are sweetened with an equivalent amount of high fructose corn syrup (HFCS), which leads to obesity and fatty liver disease ( aka non-alcoholic cirrhosis of the liver) because it is not used like sugar by the body, but rather gets stored as fat. On top of the HFCS, sodas contain phosphoric acid, which cause calcium to be leached from your bones, teeth, and soft tissue, setting you up for osteoporosis, cavities, arthritis and other disease states.
What to do? Drink home-made herbal iced tea sweetened with stevia or sparkling mineral water with lemon/lime or plain coconut water, or try kombucha, a delicious, fermented carbonated beverage with liver-detoxifying properties that you can buy or make at home.
Grain-fed beef from CAFOs: What is grain-fed beef from CAFO (concentrated animal food operations)? It is the beef you eat in 99% of all restaurants and at home. It is also the beef from cows that have been fed an unnatural diet of corn and animal by-products in cruel, unsanitary and disease-causing environments. The meat from these cows is void of conjugated linoleic acid (CLA), a potent protector from cancers. The meat also has the wrong omega 3 to omega 6 ratio, causing inflammation in the body. It is low in riboflavin and other important B vitamins as well as having less Vitamin E, Vitamin K, and trace minerals like magnesium, calcium, and selenium.
What to do? If you want to eat beef, eat 100% grass-fed beef from health food stores, organic butcher shops and from local farm buyers’ clubs – go to www.eatwild.com and check out their directory.
Processed snacks and baked goods: What kind of snacks are we talking about? It’s the candy bars, Oreos, muffins, pastries, Cheez Whiz, and chips. Most processed snacks contain trans fats of some kind. Trans fats get incorporated into your cell structures when you eat them and take two years to cycle out. The incorporation of trans fats into cell walls leaves them incapable of important chemical reactions. As a result, there is chaos and dysfunction on the cellular level. Over a period of time, this leads to cancer, heart disease, diabetes, immune dysfunction, disrupted fetal growth, and obesity.
What to do? Eat whole fruit/veggies and cheese or hummus for snacks, as well as raw and unsalted nuts, plain yogurt (sweetened with stevia if you like), and home baked goods made from almond flour.
Juice: You were always told that fruit was good for you, and what is fruit juice but lots of fruit? So it must be very good for you, right? Wrong! Commercially produced juice has relatively little vitamin and mineral content, and it has had all the fiber taken out, so it sends your blood sugar sky high without giving you much of anything in return. It causes over production of insulin and weight gain, and also causes sugar crashes with accompanying energy lows, inability to think, and mood swings including irritability, anger, anxiety and sadness – yuck! As if impaired mental function weren’t enough, all of these symptoms are just little steps on the road to diabetes – nothing to laugh about.
What to do? Drink herbal iced tea sweetened with stevia or sparkling mineral water with lemon/lime or plain coconut water, or try kombucha, a delicious, carbonated fermented beverage with liver-detoxifying properties. You could also enjoy freshly squeezed vegetable juices with small amounts of fruit added in, and very occasionally treat yourself to fresh-squeezed straight fruit juice if you want, but have it with protein and fat to limit the effects of.
Cereal: All cereals except granola and muesli are extruded at extremely high temperatures (over 500 degrees Fahrenheit), altering the molecular structure of the grains in the slurry and burdening your body, which doesn’t know what to do with this strange food. Add in sugar or aspartame, food dyes, preservatives, and the worst quality commercial vitamins sprayed onto it, and you have an extremely artificial food that gives your body no real nutrients and all the burden of figuring out how to incorporate it. According to Paul Stitt, biochemist and industrial food critic, in an unpublished study conducted by a cereal company, lab rats lived two weeks only when given a diet of extruded cereal, while rats given only water lived significantly longer. In spite of all the marketing around it, as revealed by the autopsy in this study and others, the truth is that extruded cereal is terrible for your body, leading to dysfunction of the pancreas, liver and kidneys and degeneration of the nerves of the spine, all signs of insulin shock.
What to do?If you must have cold cereal, eat granola or muesli in plain yogurt and add raw, unsalted nuts and fresh fruit.
– Babette
To learn more about Babette, click here
Juice! Tangy Cucumber Cooler
I’m on a sugar-free regimen for the entire month of November, and it is in one word HARD. We are so used to being stimulated by sugar in so many forms, it is hard to function without it. In fact, the majority of us are so sugared-up that it leads us on the path to chronic illness and disease.
It is estimated that the average American eats 150 to 170 pounds of sugar each year. That’s the weight of an adult human being! No wonder so many are obese or sick and tired. Take stock of how much sugar you are putting in your body from morning to evening and you may be surprised. It’s in everything from condiments, processed foods, and “health drinks.
” Yes, our body needs carbohydrates to thrive and to give us energy, but it does not need refined sugars found in processed foods, desserts, and candies. Juicing is a great way to break addictions, and help the body reset from unhealthy cravings. Below is a recipe for a simple healthy juice with no added sugars, that is light and refreshing. -XoXo Raw Girl
Tangy Cucumber Cooler
1 head of Romaine
2 Cucumbers
1 Lemon
ginger root (to taste)
Run all ingredients through juicer. Strain, serve, enjoy!
The Healing Benefits of Lotus Pose
Photo from HealLoveNow
Sometimes it is good to just sit still and do nothing. Daily life can be so hectic if moments are not taken to simply be and nothing else. Motionless sitting in the easy version of the yoga Lotus pose can bring about a centering of the mind, body and spirit.
This pose can open up a congested heart and free a troubled mind, bringing about an expanded sense of awareness while decompressing the body. Taking time to consciously relax is what we all need, away from the TV, internet, phone and other distractions. When seated in this asana you will find that tensions stored in a compressed, anxious and tight body begin to release immediately. A more positive and trusting outlook is established and maintained by continued practice of advanced Lotus, as well as its beginner variations. A great position from which to pray or meditate, Lotus pose is like a flower whose petals open at dawn revealing more beauty which each expression.
If you are uneasy, stretching into Lotus can bring serenity.
If your mind is racing, easing into Lotus pose can bring peace.
If you have back or hip pain, Lotus can help relieve it.
If you suffer from exhaustion, Lotus pose can increase vitality and bring on more restful sleep.
This simple, easy pose is synonymous with tranquility, peace and joy. Try it and experience these benefits first-hand.
– Sia
To learn more about Sia, click here
Got Parasites? Signs That You May Have Intestinal Worms
Do you know what it feels like to have your life force being sucked out of you daily? Most people do, and they don’t know what the source of their woes are. Parasites! If you have been a long term reader of this blog, you know how much I hate the buggers. Although it seems hard to believe, the parasite or intestinal worm problem is not only real, it is one of the leading causes of health problems. It is estimated that over 80% of Americans and an even higher percentage of people worldwide are infected with parasites. In many developing countries parasites can claim the lives of entire villages. There are thousands of species within the major categories of parasites. Because of the wide range of types and depending on the area and degree of infection in the body the symptoms can be really wide-ranging. In many cases people are treated for other diseases when in fact their problem stems from having a severe parasite infection. Besides leeching nutrients from their hosts, parasites also produce toxic waste that affects the body and compromises the central nervous system.
Some key symptoms of parasitic infection are outlined below. If you believe you have parasites, you need to first confirm that it is the source of your health concerns, and then discern what may be the root cause for your imbalance before you begin cleansing. After slaving tirelessly for the past year, Parasites, Be Gone! my comprehensive guide to cleansing the body of parasites is now available in the Raw Girl Store. The goal of the book which includes a 14 Day Parasite Cleanse was to not only share my journey, but to compile extensive research combined with my personal experience to create a guide that would save want to be parasite-killa’s time and money weeding through the riff-raff. There are so many products, theories, diets, and foods that are aimed at solving the problem, and I wanted to a way to give anyone looking to become parasite-free to have a clear and thorough road map of how to begin. To celebrate the launch below is a tidbit taken from chapter one in the book which describes some of the symptoms you may experience when infected by worms. -XoXo Raw Girl
Stomach & Intestinal Complications like those mentioned below are caused by large amounts of parasites in the lower digestive system and the toxic waste they produce.
- Constipation
- Diarrhea
- Gas & Bloating
- Irritable Bowel Syndrome
- Abdominal Pain
- Leaky Gut
- Bloody Stools
- Mucus in the Stools
- Nausea
- Hemorrhoids
Fatigue or lack of energy happens when the toxic waste overloads and overworks the eliminative organs and strains the nervous system and can cause:
- Chronic Fatigue
- Low Energy
- Lethargy
- Excessive Weakness
Skin Disorders or Allergies can be caused by parasites that penetrate the skin and can cause itching. When the bodies’ defense system kicks in and white blood cells increase the reaction can cause rashes or food sensitivities to appear and symptoms may include:
- Acne or skin reactions like Rashes or Hives
- Dry Skin or Dry Hair
- Food Allergies
- Hair Loss
- Itchy Anus
- Itchy Skin
- Crawling Sensations Under the Skin
- Sores
- Swelling
Mood and Anxiety Issues can arise from the negative impact that the toxic metabolic waste from parasite activity has on the nervous system and can cause:
- Mood Swings
- Nervousness
- Depression
- Foggy Thinking
- Slow Reflexes
- Anxiety
- Forgetfulness
Sleep Disturbances can be caused by the mere presence of parasites or the body reacting to them during restful periods. This can cause symptoms such as:
- Teeth Grinding
- Bed Wetting
- Insomnia
- Waking in the middle of the night
- Drooling while asleep
- Itching around the anus (especially at night)
Weight & Appetite Problems are very common among those infected with parasites. Most people may have no idea this is the source of their ravenous appetite or inability to gain weight, and so the problem remains undetected. Some symptoms include:
- Excessive Hunger/Increase in Appetite
- Excessive Weight Loss
- Strong and frequent sugar and carbohydrate cravings
Sankalpa: Reflect and Resolve
Photo from skylarlester.tumblr.com
Pop quiz! What is one of the most important tools when doing yoga?
While most of us are always on top of making sure we have our mats, and some of us are making sure that we have on the latest workout get up before hitting the studio, almost all of us are forgetting the item that holds the most value. Our Sankalpa. One should never leave home without it.
Sankalpa is the inner work of the practice; it is the prayer or the good intention that orchestrates the movement. Seeking out and setting the intention is an essential component in anyone’s yoga, without it, one cannot reap the full benefits of their practice. By utilizing the greatness of Sankalpa, we can work to align our spiritual truths with our worldly behavior.
“The essence of your intention is stored in a cosmic database, every dedication that is in line with your destiny will eventually be released into fruition.”
When setting your intention, be mindful of keeping it just that. Try not to turn it into a request for something tangible by setting a goal. With an intention we always start where we belong. The beginning. The other wonderful thing about an intention is that you can set it up so no matter what direction life takes you, you are content and receptive to its many rhythms. An example of an intention could be the ability to express joy no matter what adversities you face.
How to turn a goal into an intention:
“My goal is to open up a cafe because I’m passionate about making people happy with my delicious foods.”
Turn it into an intention by saying:
Through my practice, it is my desire to generate happiness.
Now you try!
~ Sihnuu Hetep
To learn more about Sihnuu, click here
Why Your Body Needs Prebiotics & Probiotics
Photo by www.targetwoman.com
Most often when you hear about maintaining a healthy gut, the conversations are around probiotics and increasing good bacteria in your colon. However our body needs much more than probiotics to create an optimal internal environment, it also needs prebiotics. Prebiotics are a type of fiber or non-digestible carbohydrate found in edible plants that are food for good bacteria in your colon. They help maintain blood sugar levels, aid in maintaining healthy weight, and can prevent constipation. However not all foods high in fiber are prebiotic. Some great prebiotic foods include leeks, dandelion greens, garlic, Jerusalem artichokes, tomatoes, soybeans, oats, asparagus, onions, and unfiltered apple cider vinegar.
How does your body use these prebiotics? Prebiotics are made up of carbohydrates called oligosaccharides, (oligo means few and saccharides means sugars). When you eat these foods the body moves the fiber that was not digested all the way down to the large intestines, where it is fermented. Through the fermentation process your body breaks down these carbs and produces short chain fatty acids, or acids that are made up of 2-6 carbons. These fatty acids then become very important for colon health because they regulate the pH or balance of alkalinity and acidity within the colon and one fatty acid called butyric acid actually serves as an ideal energy source for the cells of the colon.
Having an abundance of these critical short chain fatty acids then in turn can reduce inflammation, support immunity, and maintain a health gut flora environment. So, it’s incredibly important that you maintain a whole foods diet that is comprised of both prebiotic and probiotic foods, because they work together to keep your colon happy. Some simple ways you can incorporate prebiotic foods into your routine include: drinking an apple cider vinegar tonic that consists of a glass of water and diluted ACV, steam sautéing greens with caramelized onions and garlic, having steamed asparagus as a side dish or chopped up in a salad along with tomatoes, adding artichokes to salads, or just adding garlic often to meals. Now the next time sometime goes on a rant about how bad you need your probiotics, you can say “Got Prebiotics?” –XoXo Raw Girl
The Ultimate Prebiotic Salad
1 bunch kale
Arugula
Garlic (2-3 cloves)
Pea Shoots (or any sprouts)
6-7 stalks of asparagus steamed
artichokes
Sun Dried Tomatoes
Dulse
Himalayan Sea Salt
2-3 capfuls of unfiltered organic apple cider vinegar
turmeric ½ teaspoon
Chop kale and wash along with arugula thoroughly. Add finely diced garlic, olive oil, turmeric, apple cider vinegar, and sea salt to taste. With your hands massage the greens thoroughly for a few minutes. Chop steamed asparagus and then add the rest of the ingredients into the salad: tomatoes, artichoke. Top with sprouts and sprinkle dulse. Serve & Enjoy!
Yoga: Fullest Expression
As you ground and grow in your much less wobblier vriksasana, you hear the instructor utter the words you least look forward to.
“Fullest expression!”
Feeling confused and alone, you’ve now lost your drishti. Your eyes wander about the class and eventually toward home girl two mats over, who has somehow managed to get her arms into some kind of contortionist style prayer fold.
With your teacher’s presence near, you make a conscious effort to reset your focus. You frantically throw your arms in the air and think to yourself, this will work for sure.
“Lovely yogis,” your teacher replies.
You feel charged as your hands make their way back to anjanayasana. You’ve made it through another class without flaking out in your expression.
When an instructor calls “fullest expression,” what is being asked of the student? Is the teacher looking for the craziest arms in tree pose? Or perhaps the straightest and highest kicked leg in one-legged wheel? It is very easy to get caught up in the aesthetic of a yoga practice when those words are said in class.
I believe that pouring self: heart, mind, and body, entirely into practice is the way to access one’s fullest expression. At times, coming into one’s fullest expression could mean staying in the in the most basic form of the posture, tapping into the sounds of the heart and the deep rhythm of inhales and exhales.
There is no need to do anything overly taxing, be gentle and allow yourself to flow freely so that you may connect with your inner guide. This is a part of the practice cannot be orchestrated and should be full of your authenticity.
Trust in your breath and be.
~ Namaste, Sihnuu
To learn more about Sihnuu, click here
3 Little-Known Secrets About Candida
Candida Albicans Photo from neogen.com
Secret #1: Candida can live in your face!
Have you had persistent inner ear itching that always makes you have a q-tip on hand to alleviate this torment? Do you experience tightness in your jaw, sometimes so bad that it prevents you from opening your mouth or smiling fully? Are your eyes ultra sensitive, always red, often swollen and plagued by itchy, watery, or dry bouts? Is your nose constantly running or stuffy and clogged? Are you extremely sensitive to chemical odors or perfumes? Do you have an itchy throat with a coated white tongue and bad breath in the morning? How about problems with your teeth shifting, grinding or yellowing? What about terrible, relentless acne, eczema or hives? If you answered yes to all or most of these, you can assume that Candida has very likely made a secret colony inside your facial tissue and mucous membranes.
Secret #2:Candida can harbor in your brain!
Do you feel depressed all the time for no good reason? Are you always irritable, easily annoyed or moody? Is your motivation and drive much less than what it used to be, making you sluggish, lazy and procrastinating? Are you cloudy in your thinking, overwhelmed by crowds and averse to people and social situations? Have you become reclusive, judgmental and negative-minded? Answer yes to all or most of these questions and you could have Candida overgrowth in your brain tissue affecting your cognitive and emotional abilities. These organisms send distorted information through your brain pathways as they proliferate, feed and die-off. This faulty information is destabilizing for your body system, which is being misdirected by foreign yeasts and pathogens.
Secret #3: Candida can eat your vitamins!
Are you always on expensive high quality supplements that never seem to work? Do you take lots of vitamin C, probiotics and superfoods, but to no apparent lasting benefit to your body? Are you still constipated with bad skin, dry breaking hair and low energy? Do you have trouble sleeping, tossing and turning all night with insomnia? Is finding foods that don’t cause allergic reactions a constant battle for you with even “healthy” items being difficult for you to digest? Are you nauseous after eating, ravenous for snacks in the evening and unable to ever get a feeling of satisfaction? Do you eat healthy, vegan or raw and yet still always feeling undernourished, bloated and toxic? If you answered yes to all or most of these questions, then the pathogenic yeasts called Candida may be using the undigested, unassimilated vitamins rotting in your belly as their food! If the yeasts are not brought into balance, none of the healthy nutrients you ingest have a chance of reaching your vital organs where they’re most needed.
– Sia
To learn more about Sia, click here