CLEANSING YOUR BODY WITH

WHOLE   FOODS.

Spring is here.  We’ve cleaned the house, washed   the windows and are checking our bicycle tires and planning our gardens.  Now, let’s remember the most important item on the “cleaning” list – our own bodies!

Did you know that most people don’t even think about their bodies and how they function until something malfunctions or we get sick?

Since prevention is highest on my list of health care, let’s look at a basic diet- which means anything that passes through your lips-  ideas that can cleanse your body and bring about not only healthy short-term results, but encourage long term lifestyle changes which may prevent the onset of nasty colds, some allergies and chronic dis-ease.

Whole foods are a vital part of this process!  Whole food can be defined as food that is consumed closest to its natural state, closer to its raw, uncooked form and therefore at its highest quality.  In this condition, all the enzymes are found intact.  The amino acids are in their finest form.  The minerals, trace elements, carbohydrates and “life force” are present.  This life force in food is capable of reproducing healthy tissue and replacing body parts damaged by an empty nutrient diet.

Remarkable things begin to happen in your body as well as your mind when you improve the quality of food you consume.  There is an amazing intelligence present in every cell of our bodies.  When the food coming in to our bodies is of higher quality than the tissues which the body is made of, the body begins to discard this “old material” to make room for the superior material which it uses to make new and healthier tissue.  In simple terms, “out with the old and in with the new” high-test fuel for the body. You are worth it!

It’s a simple Law of Nature that our bodies try to produce healthy cells unless we interfere by putting excess “empty nutrition” into our bodies.  Some examples of “empty nutrition” are processed and packaged foods, additives and unpronounceable substitutes, diet drinks and carbohydrates such as white bread, pasta, alcohol, coffee, candy etc.

As we cleanse our bodies of these toxins,  some cleansing symptoms may (sometimes referred to as a healing crisis)  occur,  such as headaches, especially when kicking caffeine, nausea and skin breakouts, which may last anywhere from 3 days to several weeks.  You might say, “I didn’t have these conditions when I was into my old way of eating”.  Please realize that your body needs time to clean out an accumulation of those bad substances.  Is your life worth giving your body the chance to experience renewed energy both physically and mentally?

Foods that help the body detoxify naturally are fresh dark green leafy vegetables, kale, chard, Crucifers; cabbages and Brussels sprouts, asparagus, beet roots & greens, raw seeds and nuts and partly unsaturated oils like olive, walnut, coconut and grapeseed.  Some fruits and whole grains, mainly millet and brown rice, also help clean out our systems.

Adding these foods to your regular diet – a little at a time, like one or two per week – may help kick-start the cleansing and change your mind and your bodys’ desire for junk foods.  Also try eliminating or at least cutting back on some of the junk at the same time- replacing it with the good stuff.

It’s a good idea to check with your health professional before beginning any cleanse.  As a health coach, I suggest a regimen of certain foods and filtered water that can be eaten to help cleanse and replenish the body’s energy, vital organs, systems and functions.

Our deep love and enjoyment of our beautiful surroundings should begin with loving ourselves enough to take care of our bodies and minds with food – first!

Happy Spring!

A Fast Food Tummy Treat: Fruit

 In the ideal world of – “eat what you want and the weight will NOT follow” – fruit plays a sweet part.  As fast food or convenience food, fresh and dried fruits are nourishing and easy to carry without any preparation, other than careful washing  and/or peeling.  It’s also one of the most healthful and important food groups we can stomach on a daily basis.

 A sweet suggestion: Eat fruit by itself; especially melons. And it’s best to eat fruits before your meals! And the reasons are easy to digest: Fruit takes about 15 – 20 minutes to digest and make its way through the stomach and your small intestine.

 Quell the potential rebellion: If there’s a cheese and tomato sandwich or turkey, stuffing, cranberry sauce, potatoes, salad and French bread ‘n butter, etc. in its way, the fruit cannot get to where it will digest easily and your body knows it.  The minute the fruit comes into contact with the food and digestive juices in the stomach, the entire mass of food attempts metabolize itself. With the topping of fruit, the whole meal begins to ferment and turns to acid, producing a rather uncomfortable feeling we call acid reflux or indigestion. 

Not fun at all. The fire in your tummy makes life uncomfortable. 

Enhance your enjoyment of fruit (and your meal) by eating it alone or before your meal. For my clients and anyone whose tummy is sensitive or prone to acid reflux, this works well.  For those of you who need reasons – according to researchers and other nutritionists I’ve consulted – it’s the best way to eat fruits.

Remember when you were a kid and you ate the fruit cocktail before your meal?  It served a couple of purposes; one, to cleanse your palate and two, to get your taste buds ready for the rest of the meal.  It can also play a major role in detoxifying your system, supplying you with a great deal of energy for weight loss and other life activities. 

 Tips for enjoying your fruits – eating a whole fruit is better than drinking the juice.  If you drink the juice, sip it slowly, because it’s best to let it mix with your saliva before swallowing it.  Eeating 2 – 4 oranges a day may help keep colds away, lower cholesterol, prevent & dissolve kidney stones as well as lessen the risk of colon cancer.  Organic strawberries are protective fruit and may aid your immune system against cancer-causing, blood vessels-clogging free radicals.

Organic kiwis: Tiny but mighty, are a good source of potassium, magnesium, vitamin E & fiber.  Bonus:  Kiwi’s vitamin C content is twice that of an orange.

Amalaki, an Indian fruit in Zrii, a powerful liquid nutritional,   has more antioxidant power than most other fruits.     Zrii*

An apple a day keeps the doctor away although an apple has a low Vitamin C content, it has antioxidants & flavonoids which enhances the activity of Vitamin C and pectin (fiber) thereby helping to lower the risks of colon cancer, heart attack & stroke.

 So please enjoy some fruit for breakfast, between meals or as a tantalizing appetizer before you partake of the rest of your meals.

 If these suggestions help you, please feel free to email me. Your comments and feedback, (pun intended) are welcome.

THE GROWING CONCEPT – “NATURAL & HEALTHY” FAST FOOD

It’s preventive medicine through munching the right food – what I call “eating your way to good health”.   It’s interesting that in nutrition schools, magazines, newspapers and many publications, prevention is emphasized through eating right and exercising.  Heck, buying clean food and preparing it at home is cheaper than eating out 4 – 5 time a week and getting sick – especially eating the fast food that’s currently being offered in this country. Get Creative:

Making your own snacks from fresh & dried fruits and veggies, leftover meats, cheeses and nuts can be fun and it’s more economical than buying the packaged junk, and – it helps clean up the kitchen and refrigerator so you can bring in more good stuff.  Even a 3 year old can put nuts and raisins, a handful of berries or apples slices & sesame sticks in a bowl or baggie to go – fast!

Fast & cool: Cut cold meats & chicken pieces, carrots  &  jicama sticks for one baggie or plastic container, and spoon a dip into another (get the tiny plastic baggies or tiny jars) and you have a great healthful “fast” snack to pack. 

Always good: Fruits-fresh & dried (the dried ones have more concentrated sugar) - sprinkle a little lemon, lime or orange juice on cut apples and pears to add a tangy taste  keep them from oxidizing (browning) toss in a handful of almonds or walnuts or sunflower seeds & a napkin…

Pick your veggies; Any vegetable that “crunches” – snap peas, broccoli (the stems cut into small slices make great crunchy snacking) celery, carrots, jicama, and baked and gluten free crackers or sesame sticks with or w/out salt, are great alone or combined with dried fruit.  The chewing also keeps you satisfied more easily than just swallowing a smoothie (that’s another blog).

Reflecting a trend all across this country, business owners in New Hampshire, Maine, Massachusetts and Colorado are saying there is a growing demand for natural foods.  From articles in the Boston Globe, comes confirmation about the healthy growth of Natural Food Markets – YEA!

Menus include foods such as hormone-free, antibiotic-free meats, organic slow roasted beef, all-natural chicken, wild bison and wild Alaskan salmon sandwiches served on warm organic flatbread, as well as a variety of vegetarian options, including stir-fried Asian noodles and individually tossed salads. There are no fries on the menu at O’Naturals. Instead, heirloom potatoes are roasted in olive oil with herbs, and served as a healthier alternative. Yumm.

The Nutrition Business Journal says the 2004 US market was estimated at $62 Billion for natural and organic foods, supplements, and natural personal care products. From 1997 to 2004 sales of organic food almost tripled and it continues to grow.  The Maine based O’Naturals restaurant group, which bills itself as “fast food, naturally”, was named as one of six recipients of the Hot Concepts award of the Nation’s Restaurant News.

Ok, so where do we in the Roaring Fork Valley of Colorado go from here? How about “Mchealthy’s SOUP’s ON!” * for hearty Organic soups and sauces~email me For more information and to order please

Wouldn’t you love to see a place that sells the fresh organic ingredients, prepares and serves the foods, hosts classes and educational seminars and prepares lunches and dinners-to-go for working people and families who now have very limited choices.    If I’m dreaming, please don’t wake me.

It is a viable concept whose time has arrived.  Gary Hirshberg, president and CEO of Stonyfield Farms and one of O’Naturals cofounders, was cited as saying that natural and gourmet are coming together and that “The quality of the ingredients really shines through and that’s most important.”

From the Galichia Center on Aging at Kansas State University, Valentina Remig, an assistant professor in human nutrition said, “Good nutrition – a varied diet with fruits, vegetables, whole grains, enough protein and less fat and sugar – has an important role to play in keeping people alert and healthy…. The more healthy the body is, the stronger the immune system…and the less rapid is the development of illness” such as depression, anxiety, heart disease, diabetes, arthritis, and other chronic physiological ailments that begin as early as the teen years.  In other words, eating right keeps your brain, as well as your body, in good shape. My philosophy exactly.

Since living healthy promotes mental and emotional vigor and potentially extends the quality and length of life, one would think that has great appeal for most of us who eat on a regular basis.  Noting the huge percentage of obese adults and children in this land of plenty, I often wonder who actually reads these articles?   Comments welcome.

Back to where I began, create your own healthy “fast food”: Buy healthful ingredients and prepared food that’s fresh, organic and “clean” – (no GMO or chemical additives, substitutes or preservatives – please read labels!)   The quality of ingredients affects the quality of meals, taste and better health.  For more tips on creating your own “healthy fast foods”, please contact me or go to foodnews.org for more information.