I am convinced that no other factor has more influence over your health. If you ask someone that has just been diagnosed with cancer, for instance, if they’ve been under stress recently they will more than likely say, “why as a matter of fact, yes!”. It's important to keep in mind cancer does not appear overnight, it is always with us, it just manifests itself from constant stress.
You may be wondering, why is emotional stress one of the most significant causes of all chronic health challenges? Well simply put, because your body cannot defend itself against the damage that emotional stress creates quietly over time. Your body pays a heavy physiological price for every single moment that you feel anxious, tense, frustrated, and angry.
I'm not suggesting that you should strive to never feel these emotions. Anxiety, tension, frustration, and anger all serve important purposes when they first arise. The danger is in experiencing these emotions on a chronic basis.
Emotional stress sets off a series of reactions in your body that involve your sympathetic nervous system, the portion of your nervous system that would increase your chance of surviving if you were to run into a mountain lion during a hike. In such a situation, your sympathetic nervous system would:
· Speed up and intensify your heart and breathing rates, so that you could have more oxygen and nutrients available to your muscles to run or fight.
· Divert the bulk of your blood supply to your large muscles groups to run or fight.
· Slow or even shut down your digestive system so as to not waste blood, nutrients, and oxygen that could be used to run or fight.
· Stimulate the release of extra glucose into your blood to give you a burst of energy, just as a cheetah's spleen gushes extra blood into its circulation when it needs a burst of acceleration.
· Cause your adrenal glands to release epinephrine and norepinephrine into your system to increase cardiac output and increase blood sugar.
· Stimulate the release of cortisol from your adrenal glands to increase blood sugar and energy.
· Increase the diameter of your pupils to allow for more light to enter your eyes and more acute vision for fighting and running quickly on any type of terrain.
Clearly, it is to your advantage to have a healthy sympathetic nervous system, one that is capable of providing all of the functions listed above during physical emergencies.
What you don't want is for your body to experience all of the above on a continuous, low-grade level because of emotional stress.
And this is exactly what many of us are suffering from in today's hectic world.
Wednesday, August 29, 2007
Saturday, August 25, 2007
Sake Colada
The happy colada!
2 cups chopped pineapple
1/2 cup coconut meat (use baby coconut meat for a smoother flavor)
1/2 cup coconut water (of course from the baby coconut)
1/4 cup agave nectar
1 tbs lime juice
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 cups ice
3/4 cup sake (think quality, not quantity)
pinch of sea salt
In a blender, puree all the ingredients and serve immediately.
2 cups chopped pineapple
1/2 cup coconut meat (use baby coconut meat for a smoother flavor)
1/2 cup coconut water (of course from the baby coconut)
1/4 cup agave nectar
1 tbs lime juice
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 cups ice
3/4 cup sake (think quality, not quantity)
pinch of sea salt
In a blender, puree all the ingredients and serve immediately.
Plum-Passion Fruit Long Island Ice Tea
This is a great summer soother, instead of the old traditional favorite Long Island Ice Tea with the 5 types of alcohol and splash of coke, we have a fruit-tea sake inspired beverage that is just downright sinful!
Here's how to make it.
1 1/2 cups steeped and chilled plum-passion fruit tea
1 cup sake (think quality, not quantity)
1/2 cup lime juice
1/4 cup agave nectar
Lemon or lime wedges for garnish
In a large pitcher, combine the tea, sake, lime juice and agave nectar and stir well. Pour into cocktail glasses or tall glasses full of ice and garnish with lemon or lime wedges.
Here's how to make it.
1 1/2 cups steeped and chilled plum-passion fruit tea
1 cup sake (think quality, not quantity)
1/2 cup lime juice
1/4 cup agave nectar
Lemon or lime wedges for garnish
In a large pitcher, combine the tea, sake, lime juice and agave nectar and stir well. Pour into cocktail glasses or tall glasses full of ice and garnish with lemon or lime wedges.
Carrot Soup, nummies!
Today, I'll show you how to make a lovely summer chilled, raw, creamy carrot soup. If you've never tried a chilled soup before, I really recommend you try at least one of them. It's so easy to make, much easier than regular, hot soup, and much better for you!
INGREDIENTS:
3 large organic tomatoes, chopped
2 Tablespoons green onions, chopped
Small handful fresh basil, chopped
1 avocado, peeled, pit removed
Juice from 1/2 a lemon
Approx 1 1/2 cups freshly-juiced carrots
Approx 1/3 teaspoon cumin
PREPARATION:
Place tomatoes, green onions, basil and avocado into large mixing bowl if using immersion blender (or large blender or food processor).
Pour in carrot juice.
Add cumin.
Add lemon juice.
Whiz up with immersion blender (or blend in blender or food processor) until smooth.
You may think it's a funny color, but fear not. The taste is superb! If you'd like, you can strain it before serving, but I like mine a bit chunky, with the veggies left in.
A fantastic, chilled, raw, summer soup that's really good for you and your family. I'm sure you'll all love it! Nummies!
INGREDIENTS:
3 large organic tomatoes, chopped
2 Tablespoons green onions, chopped
Small handful fresh basil, chopped
1 avocado, peeled, pit removed
Juice from 1/2 a lemon
Approx 1 1/2 cups freshly-juiced carrots
Approx 1/3 teaspoon cumin
PREPARATION:
Place tomatoes, green onions, basil and avocado into large mixing bowl if using immersion blender (or large blender or food processor).
Pour in carrot juice.
Add cumin.
Add lemon juice.
Whiz up with immersion blender (or blend in blender or food processor) until smooth.
You may think it's a funny color, but fear not. The taste is superb! If you'd like, you can strain it before serving, but I like mine a bit chunky, with the veggies left in.
A fantastic, chilled, raw, summer soup that's really good for you and your family. I'm sure you'll all love it! Nummies!
Friday, August 24, 2007
Renee in Wonderland....
I'm sitting here wondering, wondering why people don't pay attention to their health until it's too late! Even then they don't.
Every day I get a phone call of someone telling me that "so and so" has just been diagnosed with cancer. This cancer, that cancer. It's such a commonplace these days it's incredible. Usually it's third stage, whatever cancer it happens to be. How is this possible? How can so many people be so completely unaware of what is happening in their body? Are they so tied up with daily living? Too afraid to go to the doctor early on? If they go to the doctor early on, does the doctor dismiss their concerns as "stress" related?
What amazes me is even after someone has been diagnosed with cancer, goes in for surgery, even has to decide if they want chemotherapy or not in some cases, the person still trys to eat the same way they ate before.
Nutrition plays such an important role in our health. Do salads really taste that bad? I suppose if your taste buds have become so coated that you cannot experience the taste of "real" food, it really doesn't matter. Except for the fact that the fried food you just ate is creating a mucoid plaque in your intestines that will cause you harm down the road. Maybe because you cannot see it, it's not like it's really there? Well, you can't see gravity but we all know it's there. I guess that's what keeps us from jumping off of bridges and things like that!
It may seem difficult or expensive to begin a natural healthy eating lifestyle and taste "funky" at first. But believe you me the benefits will be great in the near and distant future. What will be difficult is not being able to sleep and have to pay for expensive operations and medicines! and have to have your relatives take care of you. How much fun can that be?
It's time to wake up and smell the wheat grass juice! Take responsibility for your health and let the government take care of the others that just can't seem to get past their aspartame riddled diet cokes and trans fat laden french fries.
It's a known fact there will not be enough heart surgeons to facilitate all the heart bypass surgery's that are going to be needed in the next 10 years!
The aging population is actually living longer, yet with ill health...just more medication. When you suppress an illness with medication the illness actually reverts inward towards your internal organs. This is the philosopy and knowlege of Homeopathic Medicine.
When the TV commercials are telling you to "ask your doctor" for this or that medication, it's gotta make you wonder once again, "who's agenda is it anyways?" I really don't think it's yours. Unless you really pay attention to the dislaimer "may cause heart disease, stroke, kidney failure, etc." ...so your cholesterol is under control, but your kidney's are failing?
You be the judge.
Every day I get a phone call of someone telling me that "so and so" has just been diagnosed with cancer. This cancer, that cancer. It's such a commonplace these days it's incredible. Usually it's third stage, whatever cancer it happens to be. How is this possible? How can so many people be so completely unaware of what is happening in their body? Are they so tied up with daily living? Too afraid to go to the doctor early on? If they go to the doctor early on, does the doctor dismiss their concerns as "stress" related?
What amazes me is even after someone has been diagnosed with cancer, goes in for surgery, even has to decide if they want chemotherapy or not in some cases, the person still trys to eat the same way they ate before.
Nutrition plays such an important role in our health. Do salads really taste that bad? I suppose if your taste buds have become so coated that you cannot experience the taste of "real" food, it really doesn't matter. Except for the fact that the fried food you just ate is creating a mucoid plaque in your intestines that will cause you harm down the road. Maybe because you cannot see it, it's not like it's really there? Well, you can't see gravity but we all know it's there. I guess that's what keeps us from jumping off of bridges and things like that!
It may seem difficult or expensive to begin a natural healthy eating lifestyle and taste "funky" at first. But believe you me the benefits will be great in the near and distant future. What will be difficult is not being able to sleep and have to pay for expensive operations and medicines! and have to have your relatives take care of you. How much fun can that be?
It's time to wake up and smell the wheat grass juice! Take responsibility for your health and let the government take care of the others that just can't seem to get past their aspartame riddled diet cokes and trans fat laden french fries.
It's a known fact there will not be enough heart surgeons to facilitate all the heart bypass surgery's that are going to be needed in the next 10 years!
The aging population is actually living longer, yet with ill health...just more medication. When you suppress an illness with medication the illness actually reverts inward towards your internal organs. This is the philosopy and knowlege of Homeopathic Medicine.
When the TV commercials are telling you to "ask your doctor" for this or that medication, it's gotta make you wonder once again, "who's agenda is it anyways?" I really don't think it's yours. Unless you really pay attention to the dislaimer "may cause heart disease, stroke, kidney failure, etc." ...so your cholesterol is under control, but your kidney's are failing?
You be the judge.
Saturday, August 18, 2007
Book Review: The Balanced Plate, by Renee Loux
This book is chock full of recipes and ingredients the author has wonderfully combined in such a way that encourages people to make healthier choices in food and meal decisions.
Interestingly enough, her use of seemingly unusual ingredients really aren’t that unusual as it turns out. They can all be found at your local grocery or health food store. More than likely you just didn’t know what it was called or what the heck to do with it! Take for instance a “Daikon radish”. Most people have never heard of what that is, let alone know what to do with it. Renee has a tea recipe that incorporates this truly amazing vegetable to help dissolve fat! She also has little explanations throughout the book on why something is good for you, that information can have a lot of merit in deciding what to or not to eat.
She reviews different styles of eating from Ayureveda, to Macrobiotics to Raw, with a few in between. Discussing the merits of each. There is detailed information of the seasonings and spices a lot of her recipes call for that identify the origin, benefit, uses, and much more. It really is a complete novel for the cook looking to bring in some new ideas to the table and delight their culinary taste buds for themselves, their family and/or their friends.
In conclusion, I was impressed in the food and recipe variations she has put together. I imagine largely due to her experience being in the field of nutrition and culinary arts for the past 12 years. Considering she is also a teacher of incorporating whole foods into a balanced lifestyle, she has a way that comes across to the reader that is informative enough that gets you to try recipes with ingredients you may normally not have tried like the wild rice with carmelized onion broth. Especially if you’re not a big onion fan! Note: I left out the brussel sprouts and leeks, but everyone loved it anyways.
Interestingly enough, her use of seemingly unusual ingredients really aren’t that unusual as it turns out. They can all be found at your local grocery or health food store. More than likely you just didn’t know what it was called or what the heck to do with it! Take for instance a “Daikon radish”. Most people have never heard of what that is, let alone know what to do with it. Renee has a tea recipe that incorporates this truly amazing vegetable to help dissolve fat! She also has little explanations throughout the book on why something is good for you, that information can have a lot of merit in deciding what to or not to eat.
She reviews different styles of eating from Ayureveda, to Macrobiotics to Raw, with a few in between. Discussing the merits of each. There is detailed information of the seasonings and spices a lot of her recipes call for that identify the origin, benefit, uses, and much more. It really is a complete novel for the cook looking to bring in some new ideas to the table and delight their culinary taste buds for themselves, their family and/or their friends.
In conclusion, I was impressed in the food and recipe variations she has put together. I imagine largely due to her experience being in the field of nutrition and culinary arts for the past 12 years. Considering she is also a teacher of incorporating whole foods into a balanced lifestyle, she has a way that comes across to the reader that is informative enough that gets you to try recipes with ingredients you may normally not have tried like the wild rice with carmelized onion broth. Especially if you’re not a big onion fan! Note: I left out the brussel sprouts and leeks, but everyone loved it anyways.
Coconut Macaroon Recipe
These little guys are the bomb! bet you can't eat just one...
3 cups dried coconut
2 tbs raw almond butter
2 tbs coconut butter
4 tbs agave nectar
2 tbs raw honey
2 tbs maple syrup
1 tsp vanilla
1 tsp ground cinnamon
pinch of sea salt
In a food processor, grind 1 cup of the coconut into a powder.
Add the almond butter, coconut butter, agave, honey, maple syrup, vanilla, cinnamon and salt and blend until well mixed.
Fold in the remaining coconut by hand.
Roll 2 tbs of the dough into a ball and flatten on one side with the palm of your hand. Continue until you've used all the dough.
Freeze until firm. Transfer to a sealable containger and stor in the freezer for up to 2 months.
3 cups dried coconut
2 tbs raw almond butter
2 tbs coconut butter
4 tbs agave nectar
2 tbs raw honey
2 tbs maple syrup
1 tsp vanilla
1 tsp ground cinnamon
pinch of sea salt
In a food processor, grind 1 cup of the coconut into a powder.
Add the almond butter, coconut butter, agave, honey, maple syrup, vanilla, cinnamon and salt and blend until well mixed.
Fold in the remaining coconut by hand.
Roll 2 tbs of the dough into a ball and flatten on one side with the palm of your hand. Continue until you've used all the dough.
Freeze until firm. Transfer to a sealable containger and stor in the freezer for up to 2 months.
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