Juicing vs Blending

Dear readers, 

again today I just quickly want to share some valuable information with you concerning the difference between juicing and blending.  

Juicing means extracting the juice from fruit and vegetables, the pulp, the dietary fiber, is being discarded. In the below article you will see why sometimes this might be the better option.

Blending means using everything of the fruit or vegetable. With blending you create full, rich smoothies, which - according to what you add to them - can substitute a whole meal. Or they can just be a nice, easy way of taking in a lot of goodness, which approaches your cells very quickly. 

I got used to having a smoothie as a breakfast. There are fantastic recipes, which will take you through the morning until lunch. You might want to add raw tofu for your protein, wheatgerm for additional, bowel-moving fiber, a drop of pure coconut or olive oil, which will do you a lot of good plus helps your body to absorb the vitamins in your drink. You can grind nuts and seeds and add them to the smoothie, you might want to use almond or soy milk to make it a bit richer. And you can experiment with fresh veggies and fruits in a mix, which is what I am doing. 1 small banana (the real ones, please, not the forever lasting one from a certain brand I do not want to name here!) adds sweetness, body and its own package of goodness. So, play around, experiment, a kind of dark green leafy vegetable is always a good essential component. 

Here is the respective article http://www.foodmatters.tv/articles-1/juicing-vs-blending-which-one-is-better#

handful of spinach

whole apple, cored but not peeled

handful of kale

1 carrot, peeled (you really don’t have to peel, that’s my weirdness)

1/2 cup blueberries

2 tablespoons flax seed

1 cup cranberry juice OR 1 cup grapes

1 cup cubed ice

- See more at: http://petitelefant.com/best-veggie-fruit-smoothie-ever/#sthash.lrc7GEeB.dpuf

handful of spinach

whole apple, cored but not peeled

handful of kale

1 carrot, peeled (you really don’t have to peel, that’s my weirdness)

1/2 cup blueberries

2 tablespoons flax seed

1 cup cranberry juice OR 1 cup grapes

1 cup cubed ice

- See more at: http://petitelefant.com/best-veggie-fruit-smoothie-ever/#sthash.lrc7GEeB.dpuf

handful of spinach

whole apple, cored but not peeled

handful of kale

1 carrot, peeled (you really don’t have to peel, that’s my weirdness)

1/2 cup blueberries

2 tablespoons flax seed

1 cup cranberry juice OR 1 cup grapes

1 cup cubed ice

- See more at: http://petitelefant.com/best-veggie-fruit-smoothie-ever/#sthash.lrc7GEeB.dpuf

Enjoy!!! 
 

     

Health food against cancer - Natural healing

Dear readers,

today I had a special topic in mind that I wanted to write about. On my way back from the big city though I stumbled across some essential information, which I have to share with you.

It is about cancer. And it brings to the point everything I have trying to put across lately. Some people listen, some unfortunately remain ignorant to these facts. Please read this information carefully, spread it, keep it in your mind. I wish that some people around me will also read this and finally understand. 
If you imagine that in some (European) countries chemotherapy is compulsory....

 

LATEST CANCER INFORMATION

from Johns Hopkins

AFTER YEARS OF TELLING PEOPLE CHEMOTHERAPY IS THE ONLY WAY TO TRY AND ELIMINATE CANCER, JOHNS HOPKINS IS FINALLY STARTING TO TELL YOU THERE IS AN ALTERNATIVE WAY …


1. Every person has cancer cells in the body. These cancer cells do not show up in the standard tests until they have multiplied to a few billion. When doctors tell cancer patients that there are no more cancer cells in their bodies after treatment, it just means the tests are unable to detect the cancer cells because they have not reached the detectable size.

2. Cancer cells occur between 6 to more than 10 times in a person's lifetime.

3. When the person's immune system is strong the cancer cells will be destroyed and prevented from multiplying and forming tumors.

4. When a person has cancer it indicates the person has multiple nutritional deficiencies. These could be due to genetic, environmental, food and lifestyle factors.

5. To overcome the multiple nutritional deficiencies, changing diet and including supplements will strengthen the immune system.

6. Chemotherapy involves poisoning the rapidly-growing cancer cells and also destroys rapidly-growing healthy cells in the bone marrow, gastro-intestinal tract etc, and can cause organ damage, like liver, kidneys, heart, lungs etc.

7. Radiation while destroying cancer cells also burns, scars and damages healthy cells, tissues and organs.

8. Initial treatment with chemotherapy and radiation will often reduce tumor size. However prolonged use of chemotherapy and radiation do not result in more tumor destruction.

9. When the body has too much toxic burden from chemotherapy and radiation the immune system is either compromised or destroyed, hence the person can succumb to various kinds of infections and complications.

10. Chemotherapy and radiation can cause cancer cells to mutate and become resistant and difficult to destroy. Surgery can also cause cancer cells to spread to other sites.


11. An effective way to battle cancer is to STARVE the cancer cells by not feeding it with foods it needs to multiple.

What cancer cells feed on:

a. Sugar is a cancer-feeder. By cutting off sugar it cuts off one important food supply to the cancer cells. Note: Sugar substitutes like NutraSweet, Equal, Spoonful, etc are made with Aspartame and it is harmful. A better natural substitute would be Manuka honey or molasses but only in very small amounts. Table salt has a chemical added to make it white in colour. Better alternative is Bragg's aminos or sea salt.


b. Milk causes the body to produce mucus, especially in the gastro-intestinal tract. Cancer feeds on mucus. By cutting off milk and substituting with unsweetened soy milk, cancer cells will starved.

c. Cancer cells thrive in an acid environment. A meat-based diet is acidic and it is best to eat fish, and a little chicken rather than beef or pork. Meat also contains livestock antibiotics, growth hormones and parasites, which are all harmful, especially to people with cancer.

d. A diet made of 80% fresh vegetables and juice, whole grains, seeds, nuts and a little fruits help put the body into an alkaline environment. About 20% can be from cooked food including beans. Fresh vegetable juices provide live enzymes that are easily absorbed and reach down to cellular levels within 15 minutes t o nourish and enhance growth of healthy cells.

To obtain live enzymes for building healthy cells try and drink fresh vegetable juice (most vegetables including bean sprouts) and eat some raw vegetables 2 or 3 times a day. Enzymes are destroyed at temperatures of 104 degrees F (40 degrees C).

e. Avoid coffee, tea, and chocolate, which have high caffeine. Green tea is a better alternative and has cancer-fighting properties. Water--best to drink purified water, or filtered, to avoid known toxins and heavy metals in tap water. Distilled water is acidic, avoid it.

12. Meat protein is difficult to digest and requires a lot of digestive enzymes. Undigested meat remaining in the intestines will become putrified and leads to more toxic buildup.

13. Cancer cell walls have a tough protein covering. By refraining from or eating less meat it frees more enzymes to attack the protein walls of cancer cells and allows the body's killer cells to destroy the cancer cells.

14. Some supplements build up the immune system (IP6, Flor-ssence, Essiac, anti-oxidants, vitamins, minerals, EFAs etc.) to enable the body's own killer cells to destroy cancer cells. Other supplements like vitamin E are known to cause apoptosis, or programmed cell death, the body's normal method of disposing of damaged, unwanted, or unneeded cells.

15. Cancer is a disease of the mind, body, and spirit. A proactive and positive spirit will help the cancer warrior be a survivor.

Anger, unforgiving and bitterness put the body into a stressful and acidic environment. Learn to have a loving and forgiving spirit. Learn to relax and enjoy life.

16. Cancer cells cannot thrive in an oxygenated environment. Exercising daily, and deep breathing help to get more oxygen down to the cellular level. Oxygen therapy is another means employed to destroy cancer cells.

Health Food against Allergies

 

Dear readers,

it is the 30th of January. Winter will maybe keep those flowers and buds in his icy grip for another month, but then...he will release spring's beauty and with it all the pollen that make our eyes itch and our noses run. At least for many of us it is like that in the meantime, especially people, who live in city environments. 
The other kind of allergies, which is increasing constantly, are food allergies. 

So in the end in order to escape these tiring, exhausting sneeze attacks and itches and after long and tiresome allergy tests we consume pills to find relief or worse cortisone as there seems to be no help from nowhere.

There is something we can do though. We can prepare our bodies during winter in order to be better able to fight off the attacks of springtime. We can do this by improving our nutrition, by eating natural, healthy food and thus build up a strong immune system, which will also be able to combat food intolerances. 

What is an allergy?
An allergy is an excessive response of the body to certain environmental substances known as allergens. Our immune system hyper reacts to these allergens, activates antibodies to combat this basically harmless substances and thereby harms the body. The symptoms of allergy are varied and range from a runny nose (mucous membrane), itchy skin, frequent sneezing on an impairment of the airways (asthma) or gastrointestinal symptoms to acute emergencies.

Almost all foreign substances are potential triggers of allergies. Common allergens are pollen, pet dander, dust, cosmetics, chemicals in soaps or detergents, drugs, metals but also food.


But never mind what it is you react to, it is always a consequence of a disturbed immune system. To keep the immune system up and running as we have learned earlier we need to cure our intestines as everything starts from there. A healthy nutrition supports the mucuous menbrans of our intestines, our airways and our skin. 


How do I support my immune system against allergies?

In our diet we have to take special care of an adequate supply of vitamins C, E and B. These vitamins bring the immune system back into balance by supporting the functions of immune cells. Simultaneously the allergic reactions of the body can be reduced by especially vitamin C, which degrades the mistakenly by the immune system produced histamine. 

Histamine is a substance that is produced by the immune cells as a consequence to the allergic reaction in large quantities and this histamine again triggers the allergic reactions. A vicious circle! Which we can only try to break through the right nutrition.

Also, zinc, calcium and methionine (an amino acid that is found in broccoli, Brussels sprouts, spinach and green peas) act as an anti-histamine, reducing the symptoms of hay fever. 

Very important is an adequate supply of magnesium and manganese (found in mustard greens, collard greens, lettuce, spinach, cucumber, squash and peanuts, pineapples, strawberries, millet and barley. Spices that contain manganese include turmeric, cinnamon, peppermint and thyme).
 
Deficiency of these substances can increase allergy tendency. Vitamin B3 (contained in calf liver, peanuts, tuna, chicken, halibut and mushrooms), however, slows the release of histamines, thus slows down the allergy.  

Pantothenic acid (in calf liver, peanuts, brown rice, watermelon, broccoli and chicken eggs) and gamma-linolenic acid  (in the oil of evening primrose plants, borage seed and blackberry seeds) reduce inflammation and also act against congestion.

 

Supporting the immune system should not only take place upon the occurrence of allergic reactions. It is crucial, to early pay attention to a balanced diet with those nutrients, so as to assist the body's immune system ideally. 

Best is a healthy, naturally based diet all around the year.

 

Alkaline drink

Dear readers,

just a quick one this morning as I am working vigorously on my second book, which will be again about "Ayurveda at Home", but this time with much more focus on nutrition and filled with wonderful recipes and a 9-day Detox Plan. I hope to launch it around March/April.

My first book is selling well, as I had already mentioned, you can buy it directly through me, but: it is in German only.

This morning when I had my smoothy after the Yoga Meltdown workout, my recent post about alkaline food came to my mind. Alkalizing our bodies is of utter importance as most of our today's food is far too acid. This leads to illness, aging and gives cancer cells a perfect environment to grow. We have to balance the acidity in our bodies and add more alkaline food to our daily nutrition. Please read my respective post! 

The following wonderful and easy recipe you could call a "Vegetable Tea" as you can prepare it and have it with you in a thermos and sip on throughout the day. In case you find it too bland, experiment with some honey or add a dash of salt and pepper. 


You need:
 
-4 cups filtered water
-1 celery stick
-1 small or 1/2 a large zucchini
-1 cup fresh parsley
-1 cup string beans
-1" piece of fresh ginger
-lemon

Bring the water to a boil in a medium-sized pot. Meanwhile, chop all the vegetables and slice the ginger; add to the pot. You can also add a few slices of lemon, or squeeze in the juice of a lemon wedge at the end. Simmer on a low boil for half an hour. Store hot in a thermos and consume throughout the day. Makes about 4 cups. This is something you can easily prepare in the morning while having your shower and preparing for work. So, no excuses! 

Switch up your greens - Health Food

Dear readers,

welcome to the 4th day of 2013! How has your year been so far? Have you already accomplished one of your NY's resolutions? Like...getting back into your healthy diet routine, for example?

I am pretty sure you have...so what I thought about this morning when I was fixing my lunch break sandwich and building it up with tomatoes and salad was that I had somehow seen this salad too often in my life. Not these 2 particular leaves obviously, but this type of salad! Boring! And as I looked outside the window where rain was pouring down on the huge diversity of green we have around here I thought why not create a small jungle even on our sandwiches and in our salads? 

There are so many greens around with each of them providing a high number of benefits - let's use them! They grow them anyway, so let's also consume them!

Let's see what we have...

1. Baby spinach
Make sure the leaves are really tender and fresh, otherwise they tend to be quite bitter. 
What does it have?
It is packed with vitamins and minerals, let me just point out that is is very high in Vitamin K (essential for your bones) and in beta-carotene. Yes, that is the stuff for the eyes. Apart from that, baby spinach is high in antioxidants. 

2. Radicchio
What does it have? 
I am a big fan of this red leafy vegetable as it peps up any salad with its bitter taste, which adds a nice twist to other dishes as well. I have already grilled it and boiled it. It is jam packed with antioxidants and contains folic acid and the important selenium.





3. Butter lettuce

What does it have?
First of all it comes with this wonderful, nearly sensual texture. Further, it is an excellent source of Vitamin K and contains mildly anti-inflammatory agents. 






4. Arugula
What does it have?
Arugula comes in the well known form of Rucola, but is also available in the form you can see on the left side with more tender and less bitter leaves. 
It promotes eye health through a high content of Vitamin A, as well as Vitamin K and a good package of folate. Arugula is also a vegan source of iron. 
 


5. Watercress
What does it have? 
 I love watercress, it is on all my sandwiches and in all my salads. The fresh, crispy, slightly sour taste adds a nice twist, plus it is packed with nutrients. It is considered a superfood due to its extremely high content of antioxidants. Watercress is an excellent source of Vitamin A and C and can lower cancer risk. 








 

6. Tatsoi
What does it have?
And here comes the most exotic lettuce. Look out for small, tender leaves, the thick leaves can have a bitter, slightly metallic taste. 
It is rich in phytonutrients and comes with Vitamin K. 

  


Enjoy a new world of greens in your kitchen!