Will You Help Me Be Better?

"We get Results in Accordance with the Real Values we Give"

And value is what I want to give you, but while I can say with hand on heart that after 25 years of being in the natural health & beauty industry, I have leart that every one of  you is unique and individual. This means that each of you will be more interested in some of the articles that I write than others. I am hoping you will help me understand what those interests are in order to help me serve you better, but also to avoid myself spending too much time writing and posting less than interesting information.

NOTE

As each article I write or recipe I post, takes a lot time to organise and get out to you, I need YOU to tell me what YOU would like me to be writing more about. There is no point in me pouring my guts down on paper if it is not something that you want to hear so it is my intention to focus a lot more on what you want to hear and not only what I want to write about.

Personally, I know what works for me when it comes to feeling good, colours that work for me, the people I like to be surrounded with, styles that support me well, foods that give me energy, help me sleep well and keep me healthy but what about you?

What are you struggling with?

What way do you like to learn?

What would you like to learn more of from  me?

I have put together a small survey that I hope won't take you any longer than 5 minutes to answer.

So, with all that said please find below.........

The quickest survey ever...

A) What is your greatest challenge when it comes to eating well?

1. Money.

2. Time.

3. Knowledge.

4. Commitment.

5. All of the above.

6. None of the above.

B) How much time in any given week do you spend in the kitchen preparing meals?

1. 2 hours.

2. 4 hours.

3. 6 hours.

4 All of the above.

5. None of the above.

C) What is your preferred method of learning new information that you are interested in?

1. Going to a class.

2. Reading a book

3. Downloading an ebook followed up by a seminar or class

4. Getting a coach

5. All of the above

6. None of the above

D) Please select from the following, the topics that are of most interest to you?

1. Natural Beauty - including, essential oils information, skin care, chemical free products

2. Kitchen aids, blenders, juicers, food processors - essential equipment for a healthy kitchen

3. Living foods info, vegetarian recipes, green smoothies healthy holiday foods 

4. Green glamour, bringing the glamour into green, including green gifts, unique style ideas, helping you find your stylish green side.

5. All of the above

6  None of the above

E) Would any of the following be beneficial to your life?

1. Coaching, both off line, on line and tele-seminars.

2. On line daily support programme

3. Home visits

4. On line courses in living a green lifestyle

5 All of the above

6 None of the above

I am always delighted to hear any comments that you have or if there is anything that you have not seen here that you would definitely like me to write more on, then please let me know.

Your own comments here: ----------------------------------------

You're done!

Thank you so much for taking the time to help me. I really am ever so grateful to you.

Best wishes,

Ruth.

Ps: I will be posting up the results over the next few days...can't wait to see what you all say.

Tasty Turmeric Veggies with Millet

Hello fellow yummy, healthy foodies,

It's been too long since I posted a recipe or indeed wrote my blog, but I hope the attached will go some way towards letting you know how sorry I am. It's been all go here getting my book ready for publication and it really is taking up oodles of time. But, things are beginning to calm down now, so it will be all systems go with my blog over the coming months and I am really looking forward to sharing what I know with all of you.

While this millet and veggie recipe wouldn't win any prizes in Master Chef, is still delicious, incredibly good for you because it's sooo alkalising and easy peasy to make which I think more than makes up for the lack of creativity.

Change the veggies around to ones that work for you if these don't float your boat. You can add chicken if you are that way inclined but I think it would be great if you could leave it out and see how you get on without it. How about making it your veggie meal of the week? Just a thought!
I love it and I hope you do too!

Well, here it is...

Turmeric Tasty Veggies with Millet (serves 2 and a bit for the pot!)
3 cups water
1 cup of millet
1 Tbs coconut oil (it won't taste of coconut, don't worry)
1/2 an onion, diced
Handful of peas
1/4 squash (optional)
3/4 tsp good quality sea salt, Himalayan or Celtic
1/2 Tbs ground cumin
1/4 tsp turmeric
1 pepper (I like red), but yellow is good too
1 cup broccoli florets

To make
If you soak the millet over night, it will be much easier to digest and will be easier for your body to extract the available nutrients within.

Add the soaked millet to a pan of boiling water and simmer for about 10 to 15 minutes. Set aside. In a pan heat the coconut oil and add the onions.  Cook for a few minutes until they are a translucent quality. Then add salt and your spices. Cook for several minutes. Finally add all the vegetables except the peas which will be added later. Cook for about 8 minutes. Add peas and cook for a further 3 to 4 minutes. Finally, add the cooked millet to the pan and stir everything together. If you would like to add more spices, you can add to adjust the flavouring to suit your taste buds. That's it!

This dish can be served with a nice green salad if you find you would like something on the side.

As always, I'd love to know what you think!

Get the Glow,

Ruth.

Fats-The Good, The Bad & The Downright Ugly

I just couldn't resist it the photo:) But there is some element of truth behind it. There are so many people in the world for whom the battle of saying no to the goodies is a really tough one. Tackling your mindset around why these are so tempting to you in the first place, is the most important area to get clear on (and will be covered in another blog), but it is equally as important that people know why saying no is a whole lot better for you in the long run.

When I was growing up my mum was a brilliant cook and in particular, a brilliant baker. I loved and still do love the delights that she can produce when she gets into the kitchen. Although,  nowadays her idea of a dessert (living on her own) is a nice M&S, mixed berry crumble, or heaven's forbid, one from Lidyl or Aldi! Still, she gave myself and my sisters a taste for the sweet things in life and we are beyond fussy, when it comes to getting it right in the goodies department. Lucky for me though, I had a host of food sensitivities, so I began to uncover the world of guilt free baking! And discover it was exactly what I did. To this day, I cannot and will not eat the stuff that some people pass off as a "replacement" for brownies or flapjacks, which I love!! These baking faux pas can be truly horrific and would put anyone off wanting to chose the "healthy" option. Honestly, I would prefer to eat an amazingly good product once a week than one a day of these poor, desperate imitations (unless it's me making it that is...such modesty!) But I digress......

The baking tray is not the only place where we can find these fats that we find so hard to say no to, but it is one of the more challenging, particularly if you like to go for cup of coffee in Starbucks or some of the other coffee houses that have popped up all over the place in recent years. You may even have told yourself that having that muffin or scone every day with your cup of coffee is ok because it's your little "treat" for being so good (good for what I'm not quite sure), and because they are packaged so invitingly, you might be fooled into to thinking that they're are actually not as bad for you as you thought! Well, I will be the bearer of bad news..... these products are laden with the types of fats that you definitely do not want to eat on a regular basis. Remembering that there's so much more to fats than meets the immediate eye. Let me give you the low down on some of the important things you should now about fats, especially if you are going to move from zero to hero in their world.

First though, let's get some facts about fats out of the way.  ALL fats are completely, totally and utterly essential for us to live healthy lives. Fats help you body absorb many essential vitamins (A,D,E and K), they maintain the structure and function of cell membranes and preserve the integrity of your immune system (helpful don't you think!).  Your brain is composed of 60% fat and one third of this should come from essential fats if you want to achieve optimal health and wellness. So next time you hear of someone on a fat free diet, worry, really worry!

Fats break down into the following categories:
1. Saturated fats - which are solid at room temperature e.g. butter, meat, lard, coconut oil/butter
2. Unsaturated fats - which are liquid at room temperature e.g. vegetable oils

Unsaturated fats break down further into:
Monounsaturated  fatty acids (avocado oil and olive oil)
Polyunsaturated fatty acids (sunflower, corn or hemp oil )

Some of these fats are essential fatty acids and the others are non-essential. In short, we need to take in essential fatty acids (also known as the polyunsaturated ones) because they cannot be made by the body. The primary function of EFA's is the production of prostaglandins which regulate body functions such as heart rate, blood pressure, blood clotting, fertility and play a role in immune function by regulating inflammation by encouraging the body to fight infection. The non-essential can be manufactured by the body in small amounts and therefore it is not essential that we get them from our diet.

Polyunsaturated Fatty Acids - The Really Good Guys
Just to keep things simple, I will only look at omega 3 and omega 6 fatty acids. Omega 3 fats can be found in sources such as flax (also known as linseed), pumpkin and hemp, plus fish oils like krill. The omega 6 fats are found in sunflower, sesame seeds and pumpkin seeds). In the body, the omega 3 fats are converted to alpha-linolenic acid, which then converts to EPA and DHA, which have an anti-inflammatory effect. Omega 3 fatty acids are easily damaged though (which is why you should not heat these oils) and is also why they are usually omitted from many processed foods. We are much less deficient in omega 6 than omega 3 because many food manufactures add these omega 6 oils to our food. This happens for many different reasons, but one of these reasons is because fats make our food taste better. However, this leads to a over supply of omega 6 and an under supply of omega 3 for many of us and therefore provides another reason to reduce the amount of processed food in your shopping basket. The omega 6 fatty acids are broken down by the body to linolenic acid, which is then coverted to to GLA (think evening primrose ladies) and a not so good acid called arachidonic acid. To avoid too much arachidonic acid, the recommendation again is to lessen the amount of processed foods you eat plus reduce the amount of animal based products you consume. As mentioned above, because all essential fats are so easily damaged by heat, please avoid using these oils for cooking and do consume cold for best results.

Saturated Fat - The Bad Guy or Is It??
Not all saturated fat is bad for you, which may come as a shock to many of you.We actually need saturated fat in our diet. It is the saturated fat that is found animal based products, which we need to reduce, which is also the saturated fat that found in large amounts in or current Western diet. But did you know that coconut oil is also very high in saturated fat too? But it a different type of saturated fat which contains medium chain triglycerides rather than long chain triglycerides and our bodies LOVE these MCT's. They are actually incredibly beneficial for our health and can be brokendown and utilised quickly by the body and are a really excellent source of energy. In South East Asia and the Pacific Island where coconut is revered, they enjoy high levels of cardiovascular health and super strong immune systems and it is their consumption of coconuts that are largely responsible for these findings. Coconuts also contain lauric and capric acids, which are incredible antiviral, antifungal and antibacterial agents to so excellent for maintaining a healthy gut.

Transfats - The Downright Ugly and what's it doing on our plates anyway Guy!!
A lot of the polyunsaturated fats we eat are damaged and become trans fats or processed fats. These are also known as hydrogenated fats. To turn a vegetable oil into a hard fat (e.g. margarine) it goes through a process called hydrogenation. This is where hydrogen is added to a vegetable oil to make it solid.You know the type that you can take out of the fridge and spread immediately?  This hydrogenation process blocks the body's ability to use the good fats and is something that we really want to avoid.  Could this mean that you are reducing the effectivness of your essential fatty acid supplements??  Having too many of these transfats in your diet will also increase your bad cholesterol (LDL) and also lower your good cholesterol levels (HDL). Transfats are not something you want in your food so next time you go shopping, please read that label for the word "hydrogenated or partially hydrodgenated" If it contains either, don't buy it. Transfats are not even recognised by our bodies and will immediately store it as a toxin. And back to my baking scenario above, most of the shop bought cakes, muffins and scones are make by using these hyrdogenated vegetable oils, so this is another good reason to avoid them or at least reduce the amount you purchase and consume.

As with anything I do, my aim is not to scare you senseless into making changes or to confuse you so much that you do not know what to eat anymore. My only aim is to educate and inform you and to help you feel better and live a healthier and longer life.  So, the next time someone puts one of those pretty looking cup cakes in front of you and your feel obliged to eat it, be aware of what they contain and make your choices based on the facts. I also LOVE cupcakes and scones too, but when I chose to bake them, I will make make sure that my body at least knows what to do with it when it goes in by using real identifiable butter or fat that my body will recognise. I suggest you do this too.

I hope this has helped you and would love you to share it with as many people as possible if it has. This is the best way to pass on the good word.

I would also be thrilled to receive your comments and if you have any pressing concerns about what you've read, please feel free to email me (see contact me area).

Finally, if you are currently challenged by any health concerns i suggested you consult your doctor before embarking on any major change to your diet, particularly if you are currently taking doctor prescribed medication.

Other than that.....I wish you incredible health and happiness!

Ruth.

Get Your Giggle On

These are challenging times we are living in. It may sound strange, but I gave up listening to the news quite some months ago. But somehow, I have always managed to keep abreast of everthing that's going on in the world through other people and glimpses of headlines here and there without having to actually sit and watch or listen to any news channel.


For some people the very idea of this may be too much to handle, but for me, it just makes sense. Especially if you could be watching something really funny instead. Anyway, for the last few years, there has been very little good news to report, and I don't particularly want to be remided of it daily. Especially, if I am having a day that things are not going as well as I would like them to. Some people find knowing what to eat stressful, for me this is simple, for others, it is chosing something to wear, again, for me this is something I love doing. However, the area I fall down on most is making sure I am not overgiving, and keeping my stress levels well managed. This is an area of my life that I like to keep in check and one of the best ways I have found to do this and that works for me to have a good old giggle. Oh, you just feel brilliant afterwards! Like going to see a good comedian and having to hold your sides from the pain because your waist  muscles are getting such a good workout. In my opinion, nothing is a good at changing your mood as much as laughing. So how are you going to get your giggle on?

For me it was last Sunday afternoon when I met with an old and very good friend of mine. We had not seen each other for a long time (way too long in my opinion). We spent a wonderful day together and what resulted from this meeting was a completely fresh look at life.We laughed and giggled for hours and I came home completely refreshed and invigorated. It reminded me of when I was young, carefree and unaware of the world around me. I felt fantastic and could barely remember what had been causing me concern in the first place. However, some days later I did remember what it was, plus several creative solutions to achieve resolutions, without having to sit down and "figure" them out.

Some people naturally gravitate towards having lots and lots of fun and making sure that it is an integral part of their lives. For me, I have a tendency to work a lot and keep seeing where I can be better. This means that I can sometimes forget to "pencil in" (that's a joke!) to have a good old giggle.

It may sound too silly for you (and if it does, then perhaps, then it is good to be reminded), but I am wondering, have you had a giggle today? What did you do? If you didn't, could you find a way to have one tomorrow? Life is a journey, not a destination and it will be much more fun and enjoyable if you can make room for giggling. So, what are you waiting for?...get your giggle on! A really belly laugh is irresistible and if you still want to be technical about it, having a giggle will do your immune system the world of good. Studies have shown, that people who laugh more, have stronger resistance to stress and build healthier and more white blood cells. They're the little critters that go out and work hard protecting you from getting sick.

I would love to hear what makes you have a belly laugh and if you happen to be facing challenges right now, what creative ways you have found to help you deal with some of those challenges, particularly if they involve laughing or having a giggle.

If you have any comments, I would be delighted if you would post them in the comments box below and look forward to reading them all.

Yours in good health and giggleness,

Ruth.

Get in Touch with Your Inner Cow

Don't judge it until you've tried it! You know that most things in life that are incredibly good for you, don't always taste the best....in the beginning anyway. If I told you that you might actually get to like this substance, would you believe me? Alright, like might be too strong a word, but how about tolerate? Better? Wheatgrass was one of these little substances that took me a while to get used to. I found it bitter and just way to grassy for my liking. Even today when I take wheatgrass, and I do regularly, I think it's the closest I will ever feel to understanding what a cow's life must be like....without needing the 4 stomachs to digest it.

What is Wheatgrass?
A little information about this berry. It is grown from the wheat berry, which is the whole kernel of the wheat grain, so while it might have a similar appearance to lawn grass (see daisy above), in truth it is far from it. Wheatgrass is the young shoots from the berry that has been watered and nurtured for approximately a 10 day period. In order to extract the nutrients, the wheatgrass will need to be run through a juicer called a masticating or auger juicer to get all the available nutrients out and to make these nutrients available for the human body. Wheatgrass, can be tolerated by those with wheat allergies because the gluten, which is the protein in wheat that causes the allergic reaction, changes during the sprouting process and the protein that was in the original seed is no longer in the grass blade and therefore can be tolerated by people with wheat/gluten sensitivities. Some people people who have been diagnosed as coeliacs are not prepared to try it just in case, but research points to the fact that it is safe to drink because it does not contain gluten.

Wheatgrass has been around for a long time, but it was through Dr. Ann Wigmore in the 1940's a health pioneer,  who uncovered it's benefits when using it to help people with serious health challenges. Dr. Wigmore passed away in 1994 but if you would like to find out more about Dr. Wigmore and her legacy you can visit http://www.annwigmore.org or http://www.annwigmore.com . Suffice to say that almost anyone who is interested in the benefits of wheatgrass or sprouting, has come across the name Dr. Ann Wigmore. Her legacy is wide and far reaching.

The Benefits of Wheatgrass
Looking at the following list if might seem obvious that everyone should be consuming wheatgrass daily to their get their dose of vitamins and mineral, but they are not. I hope that the following will go some way to helping you understand a little about why it would be incredibly beneficial for you to start taking this green drink.

Wheatgrass is reported to have the following benefits:

• Be one of the richest sources of Vitamins A and C
• Contains a full spectrum of B vitamins including B17, which has been accredited to destroying cancer cells but without affecting normal cells
• Provides organic iron to the blood which helps improve circulation
• Contains 92 of 102 trace minerals
• Very rich in chlorophyll, a powerful detoxifying agent
• Helps to purify the liver
• Improves blood sugar problems
• Is considered a complete food by many authorities
• Helps wound and sores heal more quickly
• Is very similar to the molecular structure of your red blood cells, enhances the blood's capacity to carry oxygen to every cell of your body

And I know that this list is not complete! But I wanted to give you some understanding of what those little green shots that you have heard are good for you are actually doing.

Another point that I would like to mention about wheatgrass is that it can be very strong. It also contains alkaloids, which are like nature's chemicals that can strengthen the immune system, but if taken in too large quantities are not supportive to the body. At times, I can down 3oz shots (approx 90mls), but then I wouldn't give you tuppence for even a 1oz shot. Like always, my advice is to see how you go. Try a 1oz first and then work up to more if you can tolerate it. Sometime, I add a shot to my green smoothie because I don't want to take it on it's own. This way I can still get the benefits, but without having to take it on it's own.

One final note, wheatgrass is best taken on an empty stomach even though I personally add it to my smoothies at times. I mostly have it on it's own to get maximum bang for my buck.

Well, that's it from this meadow.

As always, I wish you good health and empowerment!

Green, grassy wishes.

Ruth.

Fibre…itis!

There is a new epidemic sweeping our lands and it’s coming to a house near you....I call it Fibre...itis! When I look at a plate of food I see nutrient content, you know, fibre, enzymes, phyto-nutrients. I think to myself, what am I going to get out of it? Will it feed me or just fill me? I know I am in the minority here and perhaps it’s a crazy concept for a lot of people, but one that I would ask you to be open to. You see, what you are eating will determine quite of lot of how you are feeling. When you eat something, it will be broken down into smaller parts. These smaller parts, will then go on to become even smaller parts and smaller etc….Eventually, these parts need to become energy for your cells. If you put diesel into a petrol engine, you wouldn’t get very far right? Well, that’s what has happens with your body too. Junk food in, junk energy out.

However, no matter what you take in, it is through all of these incredibly complex metabolic processes, that we produce waste products that will need to be eliminated from the body. If these waste products are not eliminated correctly, and efficiently, the body almost begins to poison itself from within...sounds yuck eh! These waste products will look for alternative way of elimination e.g. spilling onto the skin and causing eruptions and problems and like just slowing us down in general sometimes to the point of stopping us in our tracks with a major illness until we do get the "junk" out. There is a better way than letting these waste products build and build and cause damage to our bodies and this is by taking in sufficient fibre. Fibre is the magic sponge that will safely eliminate these waste producs from our bodies.  So, exactly is fibre and where do I get it from?

Soluble Fibre
There are two main types of fibre: soluble and insoluble. The soluble is the kind found in fruit, beans peas, oat bran, rye, barley, certain veggies such as broccoli and carrots, psyllium (that you can buy in shops) and especially chia seeds. Soluble fibre has a jelly like substance that improves bowel movements. If you’ve ever soaked chia seeds in water, you will get a very good example of this jelly like substance. Soluble fibre also mops up or binds with cholesterol found in the small intestine and brings it out of the body. Soluble fibre can slow down the release of sugars into the system, and is therefore an excellent way of reducing the risk of diabetes.

Insoluble Fibre
Insoluble is the type found primarily in greens, peels, nuts, seeds wholegrains and beans. Think of the husks of grains, and you’ll get the picture of what insoluble fibre looks like. Insoluble fibre is like a sponge and indeed plays a similar role. If you’ve ever put a sponge over water and allow it soak it up, then you will have a good visual of how the insoluble fibre works in the intestine. It can absorb many times its own body weight in toxic residue and then releases it from the body.

Other than metabolic waste where do these toxins come from?
From inhaling the air around us, to undigested foods, taking in heavy metals from the food chain e.g. tuna fish is very high in mercury, and from other pesticides/herbicides that have been used to bring the food to our table. Skin care products, household products that are not environmentall friendly, shampoos and conditioners that are usually bought in chemists and supermarkets, mobile phones, laptops, medication,, alcohol, coffee etc. We live surrounded by them and there is nothing you can do to avoid some of them. However, the one good way to make sure that you are fighting them in the best way possible is to up your fibre intake.

What is the best way to up my fibre intake?
For me, this has to be by taking a green smoothie daily. The fruit and leafy green combination works perfectly. You can also do as I do and add chia seeds for even more soluble fibre. I soak mine before hand. If you do manage to get some chia seeds  and put them in water, you will see exactly how this works. You could also up your legumes (peas, beans and lentils), seeds, nuts and veggies intake. Fruit is also an excellent source of fibre, but I would not encourage you to take in too much as it still does contain a lot of fruit sugar. About two pieces per day is best. Also, please don't get too bogged down in whether or not you have eaten soluble or insoluble fibre, just increase your intake of veggie foods and you will be really helping your gut. For the record, animal products are not sources of fibre, so do not be fooled, you will get neither soluble or insoluble fibre from eating them. Plant based foods are the way to increase your overall fibre intake.

If you would like some green smoothie recipes, please visit www.facebook.com/kitchengreenie. There are plenty of recipes there to get you started.

I hope you found this article helpful and if you did, then please so pass it on to someone who might benefit from reading it.

To your good health!

Ruth.

Juicy Secrets

There has been lots of interest in juicing in recent years and deservedly so.  Many people now replace several of their daily meals with these nutritional power-houses and are reaping the benefits of such a change. Juicing remains one of the quickest ways to supercharge your health and vitality that is available to date. The following is a short guide on juicing that I hope will help clear up any questions that you might have had but were afraid to ask.

Fresh Versus Pasteurised
The first thing you need to know is that there is a difference between pasteurised and un-pasteurised juice. Fresh juice has active enzymes and the pasteurised version does not. These active components of fresh juice are the main reason why juiced fruit and veg only last a short time after being prepared. Typically this is around 24 hours, after that, the juice will have oxidised quite considerably. Oxidation is the process where the active enzymes comes into contact with oxygen and as a result, begins to degrade over time. If you’ve ever cut an apple and left it exposed to the air, you will see it turning brown. This is the same oxidative process that happens to a fresh juice. There is a considerable reduction in the quality and enzymatic content once the juice has been extracted, which is why it is better to drink it soon after it has been made.

Juice Contains No Fibre
This is true. The juice is almost like the blood of the plants. Once it is passed through a juicer, the fibre is removed leaving only the liquid element behind. You body can easily absorb the nutrients from this liquid without having to go through the lengthy digestive process that eating the whole plant involves. This makes light work on the digestive tract, and is an excellent way to up your nutritional intake, particularly if your digestive system is functioning below par. Have you ever felt the need to sleep after a big meal? Not exactly the result eating a meal is meant to achieve, but shows the power of the digestive process, particularly when it is under siege, well, juicing is an incredible way to give your body a break, while feeding it at the same time. 

However, even though juice does not contain any fibre, we do still need  to eat it and in fact, we need a lot more than we would imagine, so I would not recommend you staying on only juice for a long time, unless you are treating a serious health condition. Fibre is like a magic sponge that mops up all the toxins that are stored in our colon. The lack of fibre in our western diet is a major cause for concern and is seriously damaging people’s health. Victoria Butenkyo (one of my secret nutritional heroes) in “Green for Life” recommends people take in at least 30 to 50 grams per day. It is sad, but most of us are falling way short of this figure, with most people closer to 15 grams per day. I most certainly do not want to “dis” juicing, or its increcible role in reversing many illness and nutritional deficiencies, but feel that people need to be made aware of its lack of fibre.  I will be covering more on fibre in another post over the coming weeks so watch out for it.

Best Time to Juice
Morning is definitely the best time to juice. This is because the body has several different cycles and it is in the morning when the juice will be of most benefit to you. The body goes into its cleansing and detox cycle at 3am and does not leave this cycle until noon the following day. During this time, the inner organs are cleansing and expelling the body of unwanted toxins. It is more supportive to your body to drink fresh juice and have foods with a high water content during this time, which means a nice, fresh veggie juice is an excellent way to start the day. Examples of veggies that have a high water content are cucumber and celery. Fruit too also has a high water (and sugar content too) and don’t forget your leafy greens. You may have heard that having your biggest meal in the middle of the day really is better for you but now you know why, it’s because your can digest it easier. The later the hour in the day that you eat, the more taxing it will be on your digestive system. If you are going to have a large meal and it is a late hour and you find your digestive system is not what it used to be, then I suggest you try taking some digestive enzymes before you eat. I find these little things a Godsend!

Juicing is Alkalising to the Body
Our body’s blood has a natural acid/alkaline balance. It is measured on a PH scale that ranges from zero, with zero being the most acidic to 14, being the most alkaline. Good health is somewhere between 6.8 and 7.6. Most of the refined foods we eat, i.e. all processed and packaged  food, wheat based products, dairy and animal products are acid forming to our bodies. When our PH is too acidic it is Disneyland for bad bacteria and yeast to survive and thrive. Ideally we are better off refusing entry to these little nasties and juicing, particularly green juices are an excellent way to redress this balance to more alkaline surroundings. The reason I mention green juices is that many people are under the illusion that having mango, pineapple, pear a carrot is a good nutritious juice. It is certainly better than the shop bought version, but for maximum nutrition, low GL (glycaemia load) and truly healthy juices, you need to get juicing those leaves and veggies with a smaller amount of fruit. I will be putting up a Useful Links Index shortly so, do please keep checking back to see if I’ve been organised enough to get write and jog my memory if I haven't.

Different Veggies You Can Juice

• All Leafy Greens – including kale, spinach, pak choi, parsley, coriander, mint – high in vitamins A,C and E, watercress, rocket, all types of lettuce, chock full of chlorophyll (see separate entry on chlorophyll) and phyto-nutrients. Great for alkalising the body.
• Cucumber and Celery are incredible for flushing out toxins from the kidneys. Great for building hair, skin and nails. Anti-inflammatory qualities. Celery is high in the coumarins, a phyto-chemical that may help lower blood pressure and increase white blood cell count.
• Beetroot – great for building strong blood and heart. They add a lovely earthy flavour to your juice. Don’t forget to juice the leafy tops too as they contain beta-carotene, calcium and iron.
• Apples- are lovely and sweet and bring a lovely taste to your juice. They are a great system cleanser and like most fruit, have plenty of anti-oxidant properties because they have high Vit A and C content. They are also more alkalising to the body than other fruits.
• Pears – similar to apples, but are the more alkalising than most other fruit.
• Ginger – Incredible for your digestion and brings such a unique taste to your drink. I love this and add it to almost all of my drinks and smoothies.
• Lemons and Lime - Full of Vitamin c, but their real benefit is in the alkalising effect they have on the blood. This makes them excellent for taking the edge off some of the more bitter leafy greens and a great combination with lots of other fruit.

As you can imagine, this is not an exhaustive list, of fruit and veggies that are available. There are lots of juicing books on the market that can offer lots of creative recipes that you and your family can enjoy. For juicing, the higher the water content, the more juice you will get. The above list are some of the fruit and veggies that I juice regularly.

Enjoy getting to know what works for you and I look forward to hearing all about your amazing, healthy, juicy concoctions.

To you good health!

Ruth.

Alkalising Your Body

My friend Kate from Alkalkine By Design is a whizz kid when it comes to alkalising the body correctly. It is my view that there is a lot of misinformation about the best way to alkalise the body.  It is something that I myself, pay close attention to in my own life. I do this by measuring my body's PH levels (more on this towards the end of this piece). I've asked Kate to write a small piece to explain exactly what alkalising is and to highlight some of its benefits. Not only has she offered the following for my blog, there is a free alkalising ebook to all those who would like to know more.

Here's what Kate has to say on the subject of Alkalising

Alkalising is a natural hygiene (natural eating) term applied to the practice of eating raw salads and vegetables, with the inclusion of nuts and seeds, and some fruits. Alkaline foods are considered all vegetables (with the exception of root vegetables) and only a handful of fruits such as lemons, grapefruits, avocadoes and tomatoes. Your blood is slightly alkaline, and in order for the blood to maintain its proper form and correct function, it too needs alkaline foods. Without it the blood then starts to steal nutrients from other organs and tissues creating pain and disease from such lack. When you 'alkalise' you give your body correct nutrition for creating blood, tissues and maintaining proper organ function. The benefits of which give you clear skin, much more energy, proper working function of every organ in your body and reversal of aging. Even better is an abundance of digestive enzymes, and good bacteria without the need for supplementation. People who alkalise rarely have pain in any area of their body and are known to reverse painful conditions. Under supervision, alkalising is also known to reverse serious health problems where Western Medicine offers no hope or progress. You lose your taste for sweet sugary foods, your taste changes considerably and your mouth will freshen with the renewal of tastebuds - you literally start tasting your food for the first time as it should be, and will desire salt and other dressings and food additives much less. Your body wakes up and receives the goodnesss for use and blood creation, giving you a glint in your eye, a spring in your step and a return of your sex drive. An 80/20 approach (80% of your daily intake being veges, salads and oils/nuts etc) and 20% being acidic (such as rice, salmon or other fish fillet, millet, quinoa, sweet potato and also any protein or animal based foods) is a very strong long term strategy for living a healthy and socially inclusive life. To find out more about what kinds of foods you could enjoy in this transition please visit my website at www.alkalinebydesign.co.uk and download Alkalising Made Easy for free.

My words on your PH

I've been checking my own PH levels for a while now. When I first started, I was amazed at how easy it was to affect it, particularly by the foods we eat. The PH scale is a measure of the degree of aciditity or alkalinity as measured on a PH scale. PH stands for potential of hydrogen and in effect is the amount of hydrogen in any particular substance. If you look at the diagram above, you will see that the PH scale runs from 0 to 14 with 0 being the most acidic and 14 being the most alkaline. Neutral is around the 7 mark. The scale is a good indicator of good health with the body being more healthy and disease free in an alkaline environment. It is thought that anywhere from 7.2 to 7.4 is the best alkaline environment for our bodies to live in.  There are many other elements that affect your PH and while diet is a very important element, it is not the only one. Drinking pure, clean water will do wonders for keeping your PH alkaline. However, our water supply chain is not pure and clean, so if you can get access to either spring water or get a good water filter fit into you home, this will go a long way towards keeping your body balanced. Keeping your stress levels in check will also help. I have known some people who had the optimum PH levels and did not eat a particularly alkaline diet. However, what they did have was a super attitude to life and oozed happiness and contentment. Being stressed creates acid in the system, which in turn will alter your acid/alkaline levels, so do keep those negative thoughts and emotions to a minimum if possible or at least get help with clearing them out altogether.

Kate and I will be running a series of talks and workshops in September 2011 in Ireland and the UK. The schedule has yet to be confirmed, but we are we are really excited to share this information with you. I will be showing you how to clean up your diet and Kate will be taking you through best way to improve your PH safely. If you would like to be put on the mailing list, please feel free to contact me on kitchengreenie@gmail.com.

Kate will also be running life blood analysis clinics at that time and I will be posting up information on these over the coming days.

For now, I will wish you a super, healthy, happy and empowered day!

Best wishes,

Ruth.

Know Your Personal Care Products

  

Some of the potentially harmful ingredients commonly used by the personal care industry and the products that you can find them in are as follows:

Antipersperant

The main culprit here is aluminium.  Aluminium is a metallic element used extensively in the manufacture of aircraft components, prosthetic devices, but also as an ingredient in antiperspirants, antacids and antiseptics.  Scientific research conducted on the brain tissue of deceased Alzheimer's patients, found unusually high levels of aluminium in the brain.  Aluminium compounds are known to be neurotoxic (a toxin that damages or destroys nerve tissue) for humans.  When we use products that contain these harmful substances, the liver must work harder to rid our bodies of these toxins. The US FDA advisory panel has requested the removal of such chemicals from antiperspirant deodorants but still they are widely available. Substances that have been considered safe in the past are now considered harmful and it is up to each of us to choose wisely when making our purchases for ourselves and our families.

Toothpaste

Hard to believe, but your toothpaste is not a harmless substance that leaves your teeth nice and clean and your mouth feeling fresh.  The average bathroom toothpaste contains two harmful substances fluoride and sodium lauryl sulphate (SLS) that are best avoided.  Fluoride is a chemical that has had much research conducted on its safety levels for humans. The following might be worth noting: that if as little as 1 gram of fluoride is ingested, it can cause poisoning in humans. Adults don't normally swallow toothpaste, but children do. However, adults don't get away unscathed, as according to the World Health Organisation, Fluoride can accumulate in body tissue and can be poisonous if ingested over longer periods of time.  So essentially, the choice is yours.  We don't need it.  If you are still worried about protecting your teeth from decay you are receiving more than enough of your daily quota of fluoride if you drink Irish tap water! So why have it in your toothpaste as well? The reasons why SLS is best avoided is set out below under the heading "shampoo".

 

Shampoo

Both sodium lauryl sulphate (SLS) and sodium laureth sulphate (SLES) are synthetic ingredients found in most shampoos bought in supermarkets and chemists. SLS is a harsh detergent and wetting agent used in garage floor cleaners, engine degreasers and auto cleaning products, but also found in many of our personal care products.  It is a known irritant that is rapidly absorbed and retained in the eyes, brain, heart and liver cells which can have long term health implications. Sodium laureth sulphate is another irritant that has a low molecular weight which is rapidly absorbed by the body and will readily penetrate the skin.

Other research has shown that SLS and SLES may cause potentially carcinogenic nitrates and dioxins to form in shampoos and cleansers by reacting with commonly used ingredients found in many products. Large amounts of nitrates may enter the blood system from just one shampooing. They are used in personal care products because they are cheap.

 

Skin Care Products

Considering the  skin absorbs almost anything that we put on it, perhaps the next time you shop for your products, you might note the ingredient list. These are products that are widely available in our supermarkets and chemists and ones that we are told are totally safe for human use.

I believe the wost of the harmful ingredients to be propylene glycol. This is a substance found in many skincare products, body lotions and even baby wipes.  Propylene glycol prevents the escape of  moisture and water from the skin, which has the effect of making the skin look plumper and younger in appearance.  The Environmental Defense Fund, state that propylene glycol can weaken the immune system and has been found to cause kidney damage and liver abnormalities. Propylene glycol is also found in paint, liquid laundry detergents, antifreeze and brake fluid. I for one have not used any harmful skin care products containing these ingredients for over 20 years, and I do hope that you will look on your bathroom shelf today and clear out any and all harmful products that do not serve the best interest of your or your family's health.

The above is by no means an exhaustive list of hazardous chemicals that we are exposed to every time we choose a personal care product . I have outlined some others to watch out for below.

 

Other harmful ingredients

Alpha Hydroxy Acid
Animal Fat (Tallow)
Bentonite
Collagen
Formaldehyde
Glycerine
Mineral Oil
Petrolatum
Talc

Over the coming days, I will add an article on the most commonly used E numbers used to preserve our foods that I believe are best avoided.

To your great health and empowerment!

Ruth.

Be Your Own Health Expert

The following was given to Kitchen Greenie by the kind permission of Suzanne Laurie, Director of Studies at the Institute of Complementary & Integrated Medicine - www.icim-ireland.net.

Be Your Own Health Expert Quick diet health check

To find out just how your diet measures up try our quick quiz below.

Score one point for every statement that applies to you:

* I do not add sugar to food/drink most of the time.
* I avoid processed foods most of the time.
* I rarely add salt in my food.
* I do not drink more than one cup of coffee most days.
* I do not drink more than two cups of tea most days.
* I do not drink more than 2 units of alcohol a day.
* I do not eat fried food more than twice a week.
* I do not eat "fast food" more than twice a week.
* I do not eat red meat more than twice a week.
* I do not eat chocolate or sweets more than twice a week.
* On most days more than a third of my diet consists of fruit & vegetables
* I drink more than 1 litre of plain water each day.
* I usually choose whole grain products (bread, rice, pasta) over 'white' alternatives.

Scores:
1-5. Your diet needs some major improvements if you are to avoid poor health. Use the quiz above to establish where your problem areas are, then work at changing one or two at a time over the next few months.

6-10. You are on the right track. However there is still room for improvement if you wish to be in the best shape possible.

11-14. You obviously work hard at looking after your health. Because of this any 'treats' are unlikely to affect your health. Keep up the good work.

You Are What You Eat
It ain't what you do it's the way that you do it.
We are all constantly being told what we should and shouldn't eat so most of us know the components of a healthy diet. However could the way we eat actually be just as important as what we eat in terms of health. Here are some top tips to ensure that you get the most out of what you eat......and that you can have the fun stuff too!!!

How to eat
It is all too easy for eating to become a habit rather than a pleasure in this busy world in which we live. However, forgetting to appreciate food, and mealtimes can lead to overeating, poor digestion and ultimately poor health and weight gain.

Heres how to do it properly:
* Eat slowly. The stomach and digestive organs need time to prepare themselves for digesting the food we eat. Ideally they should receive a signal that food is on its way - perhaps from cooking smells or chewing action in the mouth. At this point small particles of food should start reaching the stomach. However this should be a slow controlled process. If you are eating a sandwich on the go or rushing dinner to get to an appointment the digestive organs will not have time to organise themselves and food may be poorly digested. You are also unlikely to know when you are full, as it can take 20 minutes for this message to reach the brain.

* Chew well. Chewing is the first part of digestion. If food is not broken down in the mouth properly then it may be too big for the digestive system to handle. This can lead to malabsorption of nutrients and weight gain. It can also lead to overeating as mentioned above.

* Allow yourself to be hungry. In this day and age it is ok to be hungry. It does not mean that you will not get fed and should be embraced because it means that you will enjoy your food more once you do get it. It is also important to stop eating once you feel satisfied. Our taste buds become less sensitive the fuller we are so as soon as you stop tasting the food and are just shovelling it in - stop!!

Portion control
One of the major obstacles to a healthy diet is over eating due to poor portion control. We just don't seem to know how much is enough anymore! Watching your portion sizes is a great way of ensuring that you can eat ALL your favourite foods without piling on the pounds or damaging your health. Here are a few easy to follow tips:

* Don't fill your plate. The trend for super size dinner plates means that a plate of food is now about 1/3 bigger than 20 years ago, yet we do not need to eat that much more food. So don't fill it. Stick to the following simple guidelines for how big each part of your meal should be:

- Meat / fish / beans / lentils - the size of a pack of cards
- Cheese - the size of a box of matches
- Potatoes / rice / pasta - the size of a tennis ball
- Vegetables - half your plate of food

* Half and half. Try decreasing the portion size of your favourite foods by half and substituting the rest for fresh salad, vegetables or fruit. For example, if you are used to eating a whole deli or sub sandwich at lunch, just eat half and have it with raw veggies or some fresh fruit. Then wait to see if you're still hungry.

* Know your serving sizes. Just how much of your favourite snack is considered one serving? Do you even know? Check the box and see -- you may be surprised at how many servings you are actually consuming at one time. Measure them out following the recommendations next time you eat them.

* Can you stomach it? The stomach is about the size of two loosely formed fists. Therefore it only really needs a large handful of food at any one time to be satisfied. It is better to eat a small amount regularly (but only when you feel real hunger) than overface your digestive tract with larger less frequent meals.

Healthy weight loss
Many of us feel that we could do with a few less inches around our waists/bottoms/thighs (... delete as appropriate!). However weight loss should only be undertaken for health reasons and just to emulate the latest waif like superstar. As we age it is even more important to have a bit of padding in appropriate places as it helps to cushion our delicate bones and organs as well as helping to smooth out those pesky wrinkles! Periods of starvation only cause nutrient depletion which can lead to problems later in life such as osteoporosis, dementia and even cancer. So if you do want to lose weight - do it sensibly. Weight loss of about 1-1.5lbs per week is both achievable and sensible. To lose that weight you need to get rid of about 350 calories per day from your diet. This can be achieved by simply removing a portion of ice cream, a bagel, a large bag of crisps or by reducing food intake slightly and exercising the rest away (an hours walk will burn off 150-300 calories.

A note from Kitchen Greenie....While I stay away from animal products myself, I feel this article highlights that most people are overdoing it when it comes to animal protein, particularly when you look at the healthy portion size recommended by Suzanne. For further information on why it is more health enhancing to reduce the amount of animal products you eat, please read The China Study by Colin T. Campbell on http://amzn.to/jvR6zn. I will be posting some other great meat free recipes over the coming weeks so do log back in.

Thanks so much for reading!

Ruth.

Lemon Treats

Makes about 28 treats. Tart lemon, nutty walnuts and sesame seeds, rich coconut and smooth, sweet dates come together to make these incredibly refreshing treats.

1 cup chopped pitted dates
1 cup raw walnuts
1 cup sesame seeds
¼ cup lemon juice
2 teaspoons freshly grated lemon zest (organic)

How to make them…
Place dates, walnuts, sesame seeds, lemon juice and zest in a food processor. Pulse and blend until completely combined and smooth. The mixture will be slightly sticky. With dampened hands, roll tablespoons of the mixture into balls. Roll in coconut and chill until ready to serve.

This recipe is posted especially for those ladies who enjoyed eating them at the Greystones Community Garden this evening.

Super easy and super tasty.

Enjoy ladies!

Unleasing Your Potential

The Oxford English Dictionary defines potential as “having or showing the capacity to develop into something in the future”. This definition certainly speaks to me. Many people believe that some things are totally out of their reach and because of these limiting beliefs, stop striving to achieve their goals. There may be no truth in the statement that anything is possible for anybody. For example, if you are a wheelchair user, it may be a very difficult feat for you to run a marathon, but you could certainly wheel one. This leaves it more realistic to say that anything is possible, for anybody, on their own terms. This now brings in the whole concept of a person’s potential, something that I believe is very overused and much mis-understood.

We all have potential to be something in the future and that future is ever changing. In years gone by, it was thought that the life we were born into was the only life you could live. This, thank goodness, has become a very outdated way of thinking. However, some people are very happy with their lot and would not change it even if they could. This I believe is a very important point to remember when considering your own potential. I ask you now to reread the definition again and again until it has well and truly sunk in and is fully registered with you. You can indeed be anything you would like to be, within your own parameters, but it will take new ways of thinking and behaving from you. You will need to know how to set goals and achieve them before you can achieve that potential. If you keep going down the same road, you will get the same result, so once you’ve identified the potential that you would like to move into, then I believe you will find the following goal setting strategy very helpful in helping you achieve that potential.

Goal Setting – Learning How To Set Goal
Focussing on the final outcome of a goal when it seems very far away can be overwhelming. This in turn can lead to a disheartening effect. It will be a lot easier if you break your goal down into mini goals. For example, you could set outcomes that you would like to achieve in certain time periods. Let’s say your plan is to achieve your goal in one year, you could break this into 12 sections representing the twelve months. For me, my health is something that I place great importance upon and therefore is one of my top 3 life goals. This is because without your health, you pretty much will have difficulty achieving any of the other goals in your life without it. So setting a goal like eating more health enhancing living food will move you towards this goal. This will mean being organised and not just grabbing the first thing that is put in front of you because you’ve let yourself get so hungry, your blood sugars will tell you to eat something, anything and quick! You could decide to make a new vegetarian dish every month for your family, which would also move you towards this goal. If you decide to take out all processed foods from your diet over night, you are setting yourself up for failure. This is because we need to get organised when we want to achieve a goal. If you have no idea how to cook a healthy meal, then you will resort back to your old ways of eating pretty quickly. Once you are back in your old and very comfortable way of eating, you will tell yourself that this is actually the way of eating that suits you best….all because you failed to plan! So each month set sub goals for yourself. Continue to keep your final outcome in your mind and subdivide your mini goals within the time framework that suits you.

Some questions to ask before setting your personal goals.
If we don’t know what we truly desire in life, it is difficult to create a situation where it can happen. Tuning into nature, regular physical exercise and quite contemplative time are ways that can help restore the connection to who we truly are.

• What do I really enjoy doing?
I love this one because most people forget that what they enjoy doing will bring them most pleasure….Note to self: must dance more!

• What am I passionate about?
Is there a topic that you feel very drawn towards and one that you find yourself speaking up about in particular? This will also serve as a good guide for you and will help you set clearer goals. No point in becoming the chairperson of the bingo club, if you’re really find nothing of interest in bingo.

• What makes me feel alive?
When I eat good food, I feel amazing and this is a feeling that I like reproducing. What makes you feel alive? Walking, nature, meeting friends, writing, painting. Do take some time to figure this out.

• What do I want out of life?
Ask yourself what do you value? Money, fame, family, community status, peace…..Asking
yourself these simple questions will help you get clear on exactly what your life is about for
you.

• Where do I want to be in five, ten years time?
This question will help you get organised. If deep down you would like to own a house in the country, and you live in an apartment in the city, then maybe you could take some visits to the country at the weekend and keep it alive your heart and mind.

• What are my core values? (what’s important to me?)
This is extremely important for you to figure out. As I’ve mentioned above, health is one of my top 3 goals. This makes many of my decisions around staying healthy much easier. It makes exercising pleasurable rather than a chore. Figuring out what’s important to you will help get really clear on what direction your life will take.

• Who are the people I admire?
Doing this exercise, you will be able to see what qualities these people have that you admire. Once you’ve done that, you can then consider taking on some of their qualities.

• Who are my role models?
This is similar to the above except once you’ve identified these people you can now become more of a copy cat. If they’ve been successful in a particular career, then you can be too. If it has been achieved by one person on the planet, then it can be achieved by you too. I have a sister who really admired a particular actress. The actress was particularly funny, and my sister became very funny too. In fact, it was uncanny how like her she became. You do not have to become the person fully, but you can certainly take on aspects that might work for you and also look at how they achieved their life goals and work with that.

• If I only had a year to live, what would I like to accomplish?
Isn’t this a great question? I still ask myself this to keep myself on track. It is so easy to get caught up with the day to day grind of life that we forget to stop, step back and see if we’ve set our sails in the right direction, living daily by focussing on what’s important to us. What would your year look like?

SMART Goals
If you remember nothing else from this article, do remember the following and put it up on your fridge.

SMART goals are – specific, measurable, achievable, realistic, time-framed.

• Work off of lists and mark the items by their importance.
• Do the toughest things on your list first. This will give you a sense of freedom and you will be surprised at how quickly you will get through the easier tasks.
• Delegate tasks to others when possible
• Surround yourself by experts. You cannot do everything yourself.

While all this is going on, it is important to set time aside just for you; outside of your personal commitments. Treat yourself to a massage, reiki treatment or just a walk in nature. It is in these quite moments that your greatest bursts of inspiration have space to come in.

To your good health and empowerment!

Ruth.

Edible Ireland

We're fighting back!

Goji Energy Bars

Goji Energy Bars
1 cup pine nuts
1 cup buckwheat
1/4 agave
1 cup almonds
Water
Dried gojis(as many a you would like)

Put pine nuts, soaked buckwheat, pumpkin seeds, almonds and so goji berries into a blender or food processor and blend. In a bowl, mix these ingredients with the agave and add a little water to moisten and add more dried goji berries.

Mold the mixture into energy bars. Use cookie molds or make balls with your hands or make compact energy bars. Let sit for a while before you dig in.

I will be making these over the coming days and will pop up a photo for you.

They're great for the kids too!

Going for Goji

Good things come in small packages and gojis are the perfect example of this.

Goji berries grow on a bush that develops something like a vine. These bombastic little berries range in colour from pale yellow to deep red. It is the deep red that are most available in our European shops and will set your energy on fire when you start eating them regularly.

They are an incredibly hardy little plant that can grown in very harsh dry desserts as they can in the tropics. Energerically, this is a great sign. You wouldn't want to support something that drops over at the first sign of trouble would you?

Benefits of goji
1. They are great for helping you deal with stress. In the Chinese medical system, gojis strengthen the adrenals and kidneys. In our modern world, most peoples' adrenals are very overworked, so adding a handful of goji berries to your diet will help them greatly. Eating more goji berries will lead to better strength and stamina and also a better ability to deal with stress and I know that I, for one, am always happy to have a good dose of stress buster foods daily.

2. A seventy year old person will produce one tenth of the amount of Human Growth Hormone (HGH) that is generated by a twenty year old. This means that the older your get, the more your physical body will deteriorate, meaning lower levels of energy and muscle mass. By boosting the amount of HGH you produce, can help you look younger and feel more alive. You do want to look younger and feel more alive don't you?? Well, going for gojis will help you do just that.

3. Antioxidants protect our DNA from free radical damage. DNA damage opens the door to lots of illness and accelerates aging. David Wolfe reminds us that while our bodies are designed to continually repair themselves, they can become ovewhelmed by too many free radicals as we age. Goji berries are another one of natures richest source of antioxidant carotenoids (lots more than carrots by the way). Could I be so bold as to say, the more antioxidants you eat, the longer you will life?? Absolutely!

4. If your eyesight is not what it used to be, then eating more gojis could be the answer. Gojis contain two antioxidants; zeaxanthin and lutein that are essential for healty eyesight. Free radicals attack the eyes and these two antioxidants help repair the damage. I'm not suggesting you throw away your glasses just yet, but I am suggesting that you could simply have a pack of gojis in the car and simply let your had visit the bag a few times a day. Could this be the secret to why Irish Eyes are always smiling?? That definitely merits another blog entry......

The Best Way to Use Goji Berries
Snacking Bags
I love having the foods that I want to eat, close to hand as I really do not like feeling hungry (unless I am on Day 1 of one of my detoxes...that, I can accept), so I keep a bag of gojis in my car ready to eat. If you don't like them on their own, the add some 70% cacao chocolate drops, plus a few broken cashew pieces into the bargain. Now, you'll definitely like them.

Gogi Water
I know David Wolfe suggests adding them to your drinking water, but I personally am not fond of this method. However, if it works for you, go for it. Incorporate gojis whatever way you can.

Smoothies
I add gojis to my smoothies, particularly if I haven't already used much fruit. If this is a method you like, it's best to soak them before you add them to your blender.

Power Bars
I will be adding a lovely recipe for goji energy bars that should help you get started making these snacks for yourself and your family. They are a super way of making sure you get this superfood into your diet.

Desserts
Feel free to add gojis to your desserts and biscuits too (especially if they're raw). Add them to your cheesecake mixtures and sprinkle them over your strawberries and fruit salads.

I'd like to make one final point about gojis and any superfood in general. Having them twice one week and then not again for another three weeks, will not be enough to gain the benefits that I have outlined above. Like any new lifestyle choice, it must be practiced regularly to fully reap the rewards. Going for Gojis is best taken in a daily dose.

I hope you have found this blog entry helpful and will enjoy including these wonderful berries into your diet.

To your incredible health!

KG.

Goji Coconut Balls

Goji Coconut Balls

1 cup shredded coconut flakes
1/2 cup coconut oil
1 1/2 cups raw cashews
1 1/4 cup hempseed
1/2 cup goji berry powder (I grind my gogi berries in a coffee grinder)
1 1/2 cup goji berries
1 cup tocotrienols (mechanically powdered rice bran that can be left out)
2 1/2 Tbsps. raw honey
1 pinch of celtic sea salt

Method
Grind seeds and nuts separately in a coffee grinder, then add the remainding ingredients to a high-speed blender or food processor and blend until turned into a mush. Roll this into balls and then refrigerate.

I hope you enjoy them as much as I did!

Coconuts Can Save Your Life

The first time I ran into anything coconutty was via a well known bar that is sold in Europe called a Bounty bar. These delicious chocolate covered sticky coconut treats, became an absolute favourite of mine. However, when I realised that my almost daily indulgences were causing my skin to itch and my chest to wheeze, I was devasted and I thought I'd never find anything similar again. Little did I know how untrue that was. It was during one of my nutrition courses that my favourite treat was about to become an old favourite of mine again, but without all the processed rubbish.

I am all to aware that for some, the taste of coconut is just a no no, but in writing this small piece I hope to appeal to those inner tropical paradisers among you who think it's as wonderful as I do, but also to appeal to those who find its taste less than palatable. I do hope you will reconsider after reading the following.

In Sanskrit, the coconut palm is know as "kalpa vriksha", meaning "the tree that supplies all that is needed to live". According to David Wolfe, no matter how badly you have treated your body, or what you have done, fresh young coconut flesh, coconut water and coconut cream/oil can save your life.

Coconut Cream and Coconut Oil
This causes some confusion in many raw food recipes, but really the two are interchangable and they are both extremely beneficial to your health.

The coconut oil is made by grinding the mature hard, white coconut meat into a coconut cream and extracting the oil out separately. Even though we would expect coconut oil to be a liquid, coconut oil will be solid at room temperature, but will become liquid when heated. For maximum nutritional benefits, the oil should be used raw. For the oil to remain raw, it must be extracted using a temperature no greater than 78 degrees Fahrenheit.

By weight, coconut oil has fewer calories than any other fat source and unlike the cholesterol soaked, long chain, saturated animal fats found in meat and dairy products, coconut cream and oil are made of raw saturated fats containing mostly medium chain fatty acids that the body can metabolise efficiently and convert to easily to energy. So just remember, not all saturated fats are bad for you.

Coconut cream is sometimes referred to as coconut butter. Coconut cream/butter is make from the hardened white flesh of the coconut. This meat is shredded and collected and put through stone grinders. Over a period of about 24 hours the meat is broken down into a type of nut butter which is what we have termed coconut cream. Nutritionally there is very little difference between a fat and an oil and they can both be used interchangeably.

More great news about coconut oil/cream is that they contain absoultely no cholesterol and can actaully help balance cholesterol levels. Recently coconut oil received recognition by many health professionals and has even been dubbed the "diet fat" because it helps the body to beak up accumulated fats in the system and metabolize them.

If that isn't enough to sway you, hopefully, the following benefits from are from coconut product in general:

Benefits
1. They are incredibly valuable to the immune system as they contain many antiviral, antifungal and antimicrobial saturated fatty acids.

2. They improve the absorption of many fat soluble vitamins (A,D,E and K).

3.The improve the blood sugar levels by lessening the sympthoms of hypoglycemia.

4. They consist of 90% saturated fat (medium chain) - essential building blocks for every cell in the human body.

Ways of Getting Coconut into the Diet.

Coconut Water

Young coconut water is almost identical to human blood plasma and therefore makes an excellent universal donor.

It is also excellent for rehydration and makes a wonderful base for your smoothies.

It is also an excellent tonic for all ages and for infants in particular.

Coconut water is easily available in health food stores nowadays, which makes this wonderful product more accessible than ever.

Coconut for Cooking

Using coconut oil for all your cooking needs is the most valuable piece of information I learned many years ago. Coconut oil is the most stable oil (of any known butter/oil) at high temperatures. This means that you should definitely throw away the sunflower oils and good quality olive oils for cooking. When most oils are heated to the high temperatures needed for cooking they become carcinogenic, with the exception of coconut oil. This is one change to your kitchen cupboards I suggest you make.

Coconut Cream/Oil for Desserts

This is my favourite way of using coconut products. I just adore making raw desserts with coconut oil/cream and dessicated coconut. I have already posted my raw macrons on this site, but the following is another great dessert that was created by Sandy B from Chocolate Face.

Goji Coconut Balls
1 cup shredded coconut flakes
1/2 cup coconut oil
1 1/2 cups raw cashews
1 1/4 cup hempseed
1/2 cup goji berry powder (I grind my gogi berries in a coffee grinder)
1 1/2 cup goji berries
1 cup tocotrienols (mechanically powdered rice bran that can be left out)
2 1/2 Tbsps. raw honey
1 pinch of celtic sea salt

Method
Grind seeds and nuts separately in a coffee grinder, then add the remainding ingredients to a high-speed blender or food processor and blend until turned into a mush. Roll this into balls and then refrigerate.

I hope you enjoy them as much as I did!

Stinkin Thinkin

When I was studying for my B.A. degree, I was introduced to a concept called "The Ghost in the Machine". This was used to explain how the body could be influenced by the mind, without making too obvious a reference to the much mistrusted idea of "a soul" and was based on the work of the philosopher, Rene Descartes. There was much speculation about how something that was not mechanistic in nature i.e. our thoughts, could actully affect something that was not only mechanistic but chemical and biological too. Of course in today's world we know only too well that our thoughts carry powerful consequences.

Is it true that the mind can not tell the difference between something that is imagined and something that is real? Amazingly, the answer to this question is yes. When explaining this concept, most people ask you to imagine a sable tooth tiger in close range to you, however, I believe choosing something more personal to you is better for encouraging the right response. So I now invite you to choose your own example of something that might illicit a physical response from your body. Personally, if I think of being locked into a particularly small room, my beathing begins to quicken, until I change the image. To be honest, I usually change this fairly rapidly as I do not like to spend much time in this state. Don't spend too long here, it's just to make the point about how our mind/thoughts affect our body.

Where am I going with all this? I want to help you see that while we may not be fully aware that our thinking controls much of how we spend our day, it does. Our thinking also has more to do with the food choices we make than we realise. It is also said that 95% of our thinking is unconscious. Wow! perhaps you would like to reflect on that for just a short moment. 95%. What a staggering number! This basically means that until you become aware of something, it may be very difficult if not impossible to change it. Difficult, but not impossible.

With many of my clients, one of the first questions I ask them is to outline their top three values. If I don't hear that health is up there in the top three, I ask them to put it there. Good health is one of my top three goals in my own life as I know and value it more than anything else. If it's ever been taken away from you, you will know exactly what I mean when I say this.

However, even though I really value my health, some days my thinkin is so stinkin that it really is only fit for the rubbish heap. Am i alone in this? I think not. It is in these off days that I find myself at the chipper door ordering a single of chips and a veggie burger (was I not listening in the hydrogenated fats lecture!!). After eating, I feel a sense of stillness, almost as if someone has put a muzzle on me. Listening carefully for my motor mouth mind, I can no longer detect any stinkin thinkin. It has been silenced. Actually, I no longer think or feel anything. It is unlikely that we will reach for the mung bean sprouts when we are in this state of mind, and yet, it is almost exactly what we need. Yes, I did just say that!

So what do I suggest you do when it attacks? My suggestion is to run with it, but if you are at home when it hits, at least have your kitchen filled with whole and healthy foods that will lessen the impact. If all you can find are Kimberly Mikadoes(and coconut creams:)), then guess what you're going to much on?? You got it in one. And if you are not at home and happen to be passing the chipper and there's absolutely no way your Ghost in the Machine is letting you away with anything less than a single, then only have one, make it a small bag and do not get the the extra scoop! Oh, and have a handful of sprouts when you get home.

No one is immune to these bouts of madness, but as anyone will know who has started a diet (not a favourite word of mine), when these stinkin thinkin attacks, the chips are eaten, washed down with diet coke and a few squares of dark chocolate that has turned into a whole bar and sure I've ruined it now I might as well finish the Ben and Jerry's and start again tomorrow..but when tomorrow comes, guess who's forgotten to go shopping!

I suggest you, stand strong and stare down your stinkin thinkin...Why? because you're worth it!

Benefits of Cacao

There’s so much to say about cacao that it’s hard to know where to begin. Although, I think as good a place as any is to confirm that what you’ve heard about chocolate being good for you is absolutely true. It is incredibly good for your health on so many levels. However, before you go out and buy yourself a large mars bar quoting that you saw it written somewhere that chocolate is great for your health!, you might like to read the rest of this post to find out exactly the chocolate I’m talking about. Although, I’d say that if you’re any way savvy or like to read a little, you had your doubts about it being the convenience store variety.

So, which chocolate does have these amazing health giving properties? Well, it is the actual cacao bean that chocolate is derived from. The one that is grown in the regions of central and south America, before it meets our processing plants. I can understand that when people hear that chocolate is good for them, they are delighted, and can’t wait to nip off to tescos to top up on a few bars. The thing is, even if you do buy 70% cacao which is a whole lot better for your than milk or white, it still contains quite a lot of refined sugar. It was the Europeans who first combined the cacao bean with sugar to form something similar to what we find in our stores today, but luckily the raw version is beginning to show its face again, in select outlets throughout the world.

We now know that the refined sugar that is in most chocolate bars draws minerals out of the body and causes blood sugar problems and is highly addictive. This added refined sugar also lowers the healing quality of the cacao which is so rich in nutrients but it is the more bitter variety that we need. The chocolate that is sweetened with agave, yacon or stevia, even zylitol retains more of the health giving properties, particularly if it is in raw form, but ou may find these hard to locate in your local shop.

Cacao starts off life, after it has been pollinated, as a green pod-like fruit. It changes colour green to red, orange and even yellow as it begins to ripen. It takes approximately 5 to 6 months for each pod to ripen. Each fruit contains anywhere from 20 to 50 almond shaped beans or seeds that we know as the cacao bean. This is also what is known as the raw or natural form of chocolate and it is this “chocolate” that is exceedingly good for you.

Top 5 Reasons for Eating More Chocolate

According to David Wolfe, Superfood Expert Cacao is the best natural food source of the following nutrients:

1. Antioxidants
Cacao contains the highest concentration of antioxidants of any food in the world. By weight, cacao has more antioxidants than red wine, blueberries, acai, pomegranates and goji berries.

2. Magnesium
Magnesium is one of the most deficient major minerals for those on the Standard American Diet. Magnesium is an essential mineral for heart health, causes strong bowel movements, helps build strong bones, it also is one of the few alkalising minerals that our body needs in order to maintain a healthy PH. Cacao also seems to be the number one food source of this macro nutrient also.

3. Iorn
A low iron count is experienced by people suffering from anaemia. If you’ve ever experienced a low iron count, you will know how important this nutrient is to maintain good health. It keeps our blood healthy. Cacao is high in iron too.

4. Chromium
Is very helpful for balancing blood sugars. Cacao contains enough of this nutrient to reverse a chromium a deficiency.

6. Zinc
Zinc is a trace mineral that we only need small amounts of. Zinc plays a critical role in supporting the immune system, liver, pancreas, sexual fluids and skin. It is also involved in thousands of enzymatic reactions through the body.

So, now, if you've managed to get through this blog, you totally deserve to go out and eat lots and lots of chocolate!

Loving, delicious, chocolate filled moments!

Kitchen Greenie.

Ps: I will post up a recipe for a simple, cacao smoothie in the next few days.

Pss: Now you know how good the guilt free, raw cacao macroons are for you.