Holistic Life Navigation
  • Home
  • Online Course
  • Events
  • Webinar Replays
  • Instagram
  • Podcast
  • About Me
  • Contact
  • Mailing List
  • Music

8/8/2016

Fasting For Diverticulitis

18 Comments

Read Now
 
Don't let the doctors take your colon!

Diverticulitis is an extremely painful, serious condition where little pockets form in the colon/digestive tract and become inflamed and infected by food. The condition begins as diverticulosis and this is just a fancy way to say that the pockets have formed in the diverticulum. Diverticulitis is when it becomes inflamed and/or infected. Remember, a diagnosis doesn't mean you're frozen in a state forever - it just means that's where you are at the moment.

There are dozens of ways to heal this that do NOT include surgeries. Most doctors will prescribe a liquid diet of milkshakes, protein powders, and a solid diet that is typically processed flours, meats, and cheeses. Why is such a horrible diet prescribed for something that came about from horrible dieting? The answer is low fiber. If peristalsis can be halted, the pain and discomfort will go away and then the inflammation will eventually cease. The problem with this is that it's not a long-term solution and it's certainly not healing. It's just a temporary bandage.

Fasting is really the most important, safest, way to heal diverticulitis and most other stomach issues. I know this because I did it myself. Before I lived a holistic lifestyle I was on an intense acne medication for 1 year called Accutane. It's an endocrine-disrupting high dose vitamin A that stops oil production and dries up the body to such an intensity that it's nearly impossible to make pimples - or hormones, enzymes, saliva, etc. I would wake up in the middle of the night choking because I had no lubrication. This medication is why I became a holistic nutritionist as it completely destroyed my liver and digestive system - all of which I've healed. My body is actually healthier now than it's ever been - before or after Accutane.

One major side effect is diverticulosis/diverticulitis. I remember my first "attack". I was eating a huge bag of organic popcorn with cayenne pepper on our way to a romantic getaway in Vermont. I also ate a ton of gluten and soy (two prominent intolerances of mine) thinking I could handle it after years of abstinence. I was rudely awakened by an 8 hour cycle of extreme cramps, implosive gas, severe nausea, and an overall sensation of death! I ate nothing but grapes and oatmeal for days until it got better. For a good year after that I would have these attacks in the middle of the night. I would have tremors, involuntary shaking, sever nausea, intense stomach pain, and the most painful, otherworldly sensations while using the bathroom. I would become hot, sweaty, dizzy, and feel like I was going to pass out. Once I emptied my bowels I felt great. I knew this meant that my diverticulosis had become -itis and I had major inflammation and rawness in my colon. Anything moving by felt like a sharp knife through my system. I knew this meant it was time to fast.

So I embarked on a 3 day juice fast. It was late January. I never recommend long fasts in the Winter, but this was an emergency. I lived off of carrot juice and green juices that I made myself. The first night I woke up and experience the most painful bowel movement of my life. I was disappointed because it was the start of my fast, but I knew my body had work to do and things to clear out. The second day was already better. I had half the pain and was able to sleep through the night. I felt even better on the third so I decided to keep fasting. On day 4 I had a breakthrough. The day started out awful. I had severe lower left rib pain and general discomfort that would wind up through my whole body, wrap around my jaw, and just made my whole self feel tense, inflamed, and sick. My vision would have pulsating specs in it when I walked up stairs. When I went to the bathroom the smell was intense and there was a pain and nausea that hadn't been there before. I felt scared, discouraged, but kept on. Finally, after several tiny bowel movements, my body passed what looked like 20-40 little stone-like, foamy orbs along with a huge sweat, sulfurous odor, and (30 minutes later) absolute relief.

The diverticulitis pouches had cleared themselves! I celebrated with 32 oz of green juice will aloe. I felt alive again. My body felt like it was coming back to me. So I kept fasting. I figured if the diverticulitis was cleared then I should still not eat so that everything could repair itself after the trauma of releasing the infected pockets. On day five I awoke and passed a small stool from the minuscule fiber I had ingested from all the juices and there was no pain. So I kept fasting. On the sixth day I fasted on water only so as not to add any fiber to my body. Then on day 7 I broke my fast with boiled spinach for lunch and steamed carrots for dinner. On the 8th day I had fruit porridge for breakfast, a small serving of amaranth for lunch, and steamed sweet potato for dinner.

My digestion has never been so good since. My diverticulitis has totally healed and has yet to come back. With the right diet and some supplements I know I'm able to keep it away. Intense stress and certain foods could definitely bring it back. but at least I know a simple fast will cure it. What I do now to rebuild and keep healthy is this:

- Fruit or fruit porridge for breakfast.
- Have 1-2 tsp. slippery elm for the first several weeks.
- Easily digestible gluten-free grains like millet, amaranth, quinoa, white rice.
- 2 tsp. of spirulina powder daily
- 1 tbsp. of flax oil daily
- 100 billion count probiotic in the morning
- royal jelly in raw honey for the first 30-90 days only (This is a deeply nourishing medicine that is made strong for the Queen Bee. It would be disrespectful to take and take if the situation is not chronic. Only take for up to 3 months so as not over harvest and try to get it locally and organically from someone who loves their bees)

In addition to these things I eat a whole food vegetarian diet and fast on water once a week to maintain digestive rest and balance. I've truly never felt better in my life and, of course, credit the diverticulitis as an angel that introduced fasting and body awareness to me in a very intense way.

If you're dealing with this, or something like it, and want to work with someone who has been through it and is now on the other side do not hesitate to write me. 

Be well!

Share

18 Comments

8/8/2016

Yarrow & Rose tea: Let Your Skin Shine!

0 Comments

Read Now
 
Picture
​One of my favorite teas around, Yarrow & Rose make a beautiful combination in the jar and the meadow. Whenever I'm picking yarrow in a meadow it's often growing between big beautiful bushes of white and pink roses. This makes sense to me, as they're both faerie flowers and lend an astringent, toning quality to the entire body. More specifically, yarrow helps tone the digestive system and breaks down toxins in the blood so that they can be flushed out from the body without too many detoxification symptoms like headaches, rashes, or nausea. Roses tone the heart, circulatory system, and feed the capillaries beneath the skin: perhaps this is why drinking roses makes one's skin rosy?

I like to take a big handful of yarrow and a nice handful of roses and throw them into a quart jar. I boil water and fill it to the top and let them steep overnight. In the morning I drink 1-2 cups warmed up on the stove before eating anything to flush my body, tone my organs, and nourish my skin from the inside out!

Share

0 Comments

8/8/2016

Curried Sweet Potato Fries

0 Comments

Read Now
 
Picture
These are a favorite our home and always are a hit with our friends! Contrary to what you heard, sweet potatoes are not nightshades at all. Meaning, they don't contribute to inflammation. Curry powder is anti-inflammatory, great for the liver, and amazing for digestive fires. When you combine the two, you get a "french fry" that is nutritionally superior to its white, canola-fried, diner friend in that it's loaded with beta-carotene, antioxidants, is restorative to digestive health, and warming to the entire body. The nutrients in sweet potatoes helps the skin retain its glow, tones the kidneys, and eases constipation and nausea. 

Get yourself a large sweet potato, sesame oil, curry powder, and tamari. Now, do the following:

1) Slice potato into the desired thickness, thinness, or shapes.
2) Add sliced potato to a bowl and cover with 1-2 tbsp. of sesame oil, 1 tbsp. tamari, and 2 tbsp. of curry powder.
3) Mix well.
4) Spread on a cookie sheet and bake on 425 for 25-35 minutes until crispy - or leave them in longer if you wish.
5) Serve with any meal, as a snack, or with your favorite dipping sauces!

Share

0 Comments

8/8/2016

Winter Breakfast: Apple Porridge Benefits & Recipes

0 Comments

Read Now
 
Picture
Eating fruit for breakfast is one of the best things you can do for your health. You see, fruit is the one food that does not get digested in the stomach. It bypasses the stomach completely and is broken down in the small intestine. This means the stomach can continue resting after sleeping and your body and stay in a fasting mode that helps to cleanse, strengthen, and fortify your system every day. It's a short cut to alkalizing and rebalancing. If you can't eat just fruit for breakfast, have something light with it like organic toast from sprouted grains or some hot porridge. The worst food in the morning is something high in fat and protein like dairy products, nut butters, & meats. Unrefined, whole carbohydrates are the best way to wake up your sleepy body.

This recipe, if I can call it that, is so simple and easy. It takes but 10 minutes or so and can stew while you get ready for work, admire the birds, or tend to other morning rituals. You'll need:


1 apple or pear
1/2 pint of blueberries
1 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. slippery elm powder
1 pinch of sea salt


1) Dice the apple and peel it if you desire a smoother porridge.


2) Fill a pot with just a shallow layer of water and place it on the burner.


3) Add apples, berries, cinnamon, and salt. Cover and bring to a boil, then reduce to medium heat for 10 minutes.


4) Uncover and mash up the porridge with a spoon to soften the apples further.


5) Like this!


6) Remove from heat and add slippery elm powder.


7) Mix well and pour in a bowl. This makes one serving of warm, delicious apple porridge.


The benefits of such a simple, easy meal like this never fail to impress me. Pectin from the apple is a great fiber that helps to cleanse the colon, detoxify heavy metals from the body, and even absorb and remove radiation! The antioxidants and phytochemicals in the blueberries have potent liver enhancing and restorative properties, along with helping to improve eyesight, skin repair, and clean the blood. The cinnamon helps balance blood sugar levels and increase circulation (a must when you're living in the Northeast in February!) and the slippery elm soothes and repairs the digestive system by healing inflammation and rebuilding tissue.

All of that comes from this humble bowl of apples and berries! To make this more appealing for children, peel the apples and add a small amount of maple syrup to mimic apple sauce or a sweet treat. You may also use this as topping for oatmeal, pancakes, or toast. Pears are equally good alternatives for apples if you're wanting more variety as well.

Stay warm and enjoy!

Share

0 Comments

8/8/2016

My Cup Of Tea: Spirulina Benefits!

0 Comments

Read Now
 
Picture
A lot of people, actually. Spirulina is a fishy, dark green algae that has a strong taste but an even stronger healthy punch. The amazing thing about Spirulina, like most not-so-palatable foods, is that your body will gain so may benefits from its nutrients that it will soon start to like and then actually crave the taste of it. I take my Spirulina shaken in a jar - never stirred. Add 2 cups of slight lukewarm water and 1 tsp. of Spirulina powder to a  jar and shake well. This will get all the clumps out and slightly dilute the flavor.


The BIG Benefits of Such A Little Plant

​
I don't even know where to start as there are so many. Spirulina can and has (for me):

- balance blood sugar very well
- cleanse the colon and promote regularity
- heal internal wounds and cuts like ulcers, diverticulitis flare-ups, and other digestive traumas
- rich in chlorophyll it acts as an internal deodorizer so you will smell like a garden - not compost
- very high in Vitamin A which can help improve eyesight, skin, and add moisture to the entire body
- can be healing for the mucus membranes: mouth, anus, vagina
- builds strong blood with chlorophyll (mimics iron) and vitamin K for proper clotting and healing
- detoxifies the system of any pathogens and bacteria with high chlorophyll content
- high in antioxidants help it prevent oxidative stress to the brain, heart, and lungs
- has been very helpful with cancer and other immune disorders
- improves appetite and rejuvenates the digestive tract
- can help the body's B-12 stores in Vegetarians and Vegans

I take 2 teaspoons daily. One in water upon rising, and one in my food in the afternoon or evening. This miraculous algae has helped me cure asthma, acne, diverticulitis, weakness, malnutrition, and fatigue from stress. It was one of the first greens I ever took when entering the holistic world in 2004. Try a cup for yourself and start slow. Have 1/2 tsp. daily and work up to 2. 

You'll be glad you did. 

Share

0 Comments

8/8/2016

Fast Food: Open Faced Dulse Avocado Tomato Sandwich

0 Comments

Read Now
 
Picture
Fast food happens to all of us, but it doesn't have to mean GMOs, animal products, or drive thrus. It can be as easy as a few ingredients deliciously paired together. This sandwich is that kind of food - or should I say dat kind of food. Behold, "DAT" open faced sandwich.





​All you need is:

Ezekiel sprouted, gluten-free bread
1/2 ripe avocado
maine coast apple smoked dulse strips
tomato
a toaster

1) Toast your Ezekiel bread to desired texture.
2) Smash half an avocado and spread over the toasted bread.
3) Layer generous amounts of smoke dulse strips.
4) Then top with juicy tomato and eat!

This Dulse Avocado Tomato (DAT) sandwich is loaded with nutrition. First, you're getting your week's worth of iodine from the dulse which is good for your thyroid, detoxifying to radiation, and preventative against many different cancers. The apple wood smoked style makes it taste like bacon! The avocado is supplying you with over 1/2 your vitamins, minerals, and healthy fats. The sprouted bread is giving you lots of fiber and flavor - but NO gluten or weird starches. The tomato is loaded with lycopene for blood cleaning, prostate health, and protection against the Sun. Not like the latter is a real problem right now in upstate NY.

So there you have it. A simple, 5 minute breakfast, lunch, dinner, or snack to nourish and feed your brain and body.

Share

0 Comments

8/8/2016

Amaranth Porridge Recipe

0 Comments

Read Now
 
Picture
​Amaranth is a forgotten grain. It's the hardest to find in a store, on a menu, and even at specialty shops and restaurants. The taste and texture may contribute to it. We often liken the smell of dried amaranth to grasshoppers and the texture to slime. I know I'm not doing a good job at proving why you should eat this but, don't worry, I will!

Amaranth is the most mineral-dense grain on the planet. Or at least that I'm aware of. This is why it smells so strong and tastes so unique. Amaranth is loaded with calcium. magnesium, iron, trace minerals, and protein. In fact, it has more digestible protein than any other plant sources AND it is complete in that it is full of L-Lysine: the amino acid that most grains lack. 

L-Lysine is a superstar amino acid that helps prevent and treat viruses and viral breakouts like shingles, herpes, and possibly even HIV. It protects the immune system, strengthens the skin, and helps create healthy muscles and collagen structures like tendons and ligaments in the body.

It is said that there is no malnourishment wherever Amaranth is eaten. As far as growing it, it grows nearly anywhere, in any climate, and can easily thrive in poor soil, drought conditions, and the cold. The nutrient density of this grain and its ability to grown anywhere makes it extremely beneficial for a world that is running out of whole foods and room. This grain is sustainable, vital, and SO good for you.

Now, about the taste, how does one work with it? I recommend starting with this tasty breakfast porridge. You'll need:

1 cup amaranth
1 cup coconut milk from the can (or homemade/store bought nut milks)
1/2 pint blueberries
5 walnuts
1 tsp. cinnamon
maple syrup or raw honey

1) Simply add 1 cup of amaranth to 2 cups of water and bring to a boil. Once boiling, simmer and keep covered for 15-25 minutes until most water is absorbed. It should resemble cream of wheat porridge.

2) Add everything else except for the walnuts or honey, stir well, and let it sit covered for another 5 minutes.

3) Pour a serving into a bowl, top with crushed walnuts, a sprinkle of cinnamon, and a drizzle of your preferred sweetener (optional) and enjoy this warm, creamy, delicious and nutritious breakfast!

It makes a great snack and post-workout food as well. Your kids will love it if you add organic cocoa powder to it and chill it in the fridge. It tastes like a decadent chocolate pudding that way. Perhaps the kid in you will love it too?

I first discovered Amaranth many years ago when I was detoxing my liver and curing Candida in my gut. Amaranth porridge was an essential part of my diet. It's a great food for anyone with stomach issues as the grain is less abrasive because it creates a soothing mucilage rather than an abundance of indigestible fiber like wheat or brown rice. 

Enjoy!

Share

0 Comments

8/8/2016

Soul Loss

0 Comments

Read Now
 
Aemen and I were speaking about Soul Loss tonight and I felt inspired to write some thoughts about it. If you're unfamiliar with the term, I'll try to break it down. Though I'm unsure of the origin, I know many pagan peoples have used it over the span of time through different words, stories, and representations. Soul Loss is an event where the soul leaves the person. This is totally different than Spirit. Spirit is the connection to the divine, whereas Soul is our unique "fingerprint" that is us and only us. You can never truly lose your Spirit, but your Soul can fly away.

Trauma is the major catalyst for Soul Loss. I'm finding more and more that my clients, family, friends and others I encounter are dealing with Soul Loss. It's quite common actually. The media gets into our heads, our parents hurt us when we're children, our hearts get broken when we're forming our egos and sexual identities as teenagers, we feel isolated around technology - the list goes on and on.

All of these unavoidable events, in the modern world, are traumas. In the old world, proper rituals, rites of passages, and sacred practices would be used to help iron out the pain, make sense of the loss, and honor the new phase of one's life as an initiation to a more exciting chapter. There was more sense of community in the old world as well. A tight net of love and support to make us feel safe, secure, and accepted.

Soul Loss has so many symptoms: depression, weight gain, addiction, psychological blocks, disease, lack of identity, etc. Quite often, to retrieve one's Soul, it is important to make yourself feel secure, loved, and acceptable. I find in my own experience, as well as in the experiences of countless others, that a character is created when we're very young to protect us and guard our Soul so that we don't lose it during trauma. This character or this defense mechanism throws our Soul into a mason jar, tightens the lid, and hides it from us so well that we cannot remember where we put it, what it looks like, or how to get it back. This kind of Soul Loss requires us to learn how to trust ourselves, love ourselves more deeply, and truly believe that we deserve the best.

We have to use shamanic practices, psychological practices, and dietary practices to slowly make our Souls feel safe in our bodies again. We need our bodies to physically feel fit and powerful through a healthy diet. We need our emotional pool to be clean and pure by expressing what is underneath through art, talk therapy, crying, or intellectualize the situations. We also need some kind of sacred practice that releases the old self, the old patterns, and the old blocks through means of shamanic therapy, crystal healing, meditation, or hypnosis.

Working on the level of mind, body, and Spirit can heal so many things and return us to our original, beautiful states where we are unscathed, have a healthy ego, and can genuinely believe in and love ourselves. Once we accomplish this, we begin to treat others with that same compassion and love. It is then that our communities begin healing and our World begins healing.

Remember, we are all trying to keep in touch with our Souls each and every day. Through every shallow advertisement, every time we feel abandoned, when we lose someone special, when we are in a poor state of health, when we feel lonely - whenever we feel scared. If we can remember this, then we can truly have more patience with one another and ourselves.

This is just one simply idea of Soul Loss and Soul Recovery. Perhaps this image of our Winter creek can fill your eyes with beauty, your heart with rest, and your mind with ease.

Share

0 Comments

8/8/2016

Ginger Tea Recipe For Immunity

0 Comments

Read Now
 
Picture
Oh, the many benefits of ginger! Warming to the body, detoxifying for body, cleansing to the liver, softening to the tissues,  thinning to mucus, circulating for the blood, beautifying for the skin, intensifying for the chi, toning for the sexual organs, healing for the stomach, strengthening for the heart, and appealing to the taste.

This ginger tea recipe of ours will surely keep your immune system strong throughout the Winter or, if you're already sick, have this in addition to 4 cups ofhot yarrow infusion while taking hot baths for 3 days.

1) Begin with boiling 4 cups of water in a pot on the stove.

2) While the water boils, chop ginger into big chunks like so.
3) Add the ginger to the pot and let it boil for 10 minutes, then simmer for another 15.
4) Pour the water into a mug through a strainer and add:

- The juice from half a lemon.
- 1 dropper full of Mullein tincture
- 1 dropper full of Echinacea tincture
- I teaspoon of local, raw, chemical-free honey*.

Drink this throughout the day and you will be doing your body a lot of good. The lemon is alkalizing, which helps bring more oxygen into the blood to flush out pathogens and other anaerobic things like fungi and mold. The Mullein is cleansing to the lymphatic system and helps remove mucus from the lungs. Echinacea is lymph cleansing as well, but really good for boosting the immune system. Local, raw, chemical free honey is nourishing, gentle for upset stomachs, and loaded with special minerals, vitamins, and unknown magic (including natural antibiotics) that help rid the body of bacteria and viruses.

Enjoy!

*I will do a larger article about honey, but for now I will say this: I'm a pure vegetarian and strongly believe in animal welfare but I find local, raw, organic/chemical-free honey to be helpful for the bees during their crises the same way an animal sanctuary is for retired farm animals. As long as they're leaving plenty of honey for their bees to live off of throughout the Winter, I consider it ethical. Honey is truly a food straight from the Goddess. That being said, it should only be used in small, medicinal amounts out of respect.

Share

0 Comments

8/8/2016

How To Eat Organic Cheap!

0 Comments

Read Now
 
" I want to buy good quality food, but on a low budget. What tips do you have & what exactly should I be buying?"
This question has been plaguing my inbox, so I thought it would be a good time to address it. Eating healthy does NOT mean eating expensive and gourmet. It's quite the opposite. The type of diet I advocate is a pure vegetarian diet made of whole foods. Some call it Vegan, but I prefer to call it pure vegetarian (more on that another time). 

A pure vegetarian, whole-food diet consists entirely of whole grains, beans, vegetables, seaweeds, nuts, seeds, and fruits. You can include high quality plant oils, but a very small amount. Eating this way does take more time, but you will save your money and your health. 

Now, if you're going to be buying organic prepackaged soups, organic microwaveable meals, organic frozen pizzas, organic cereals, organic nut milks, organic cheeses, organic meats, and organic desserts you are going to spend a considerable amount more than the unprocessed foods I mentioned before.

There's a good reason for this: there's more energy in the box! Any company that wishes to be certified organic must spend much more money than a conventional food company for testing, evaluations, and any fines or penalties they may come across in the certification process. Organic, bulk products are the most inexpensive ways to eat healthy.

Organic oats in bulk are $1.79 per pound, while organic packaged oats are $4.49 per pound. One can (3 cups) of black beans is $2.79, while organic dried black beans are $2.49 per pound. If you take both of these figures into consideration, also realizing that 1 cup of black beans yields 3 cups cooked and there's nearly 3 cups of black beans in one pound bulk, you'll spend 4 times the amount on oatmeal and almost 3 times the amount on beans.

If you make grains and beans your staple, a single person would spend around $5 each week on just the grain and bean portion of each meal. This is not an ideally balanced diet, but it's a great start! Moving onto vegetables and fruits, there are certainly some that go a long way nutritionally, while still saving you money.

Vegetables

Cabbage
Broccoli
Kale
Carrots
Potatoes (sweet and white)
Onions


Fruits

Pears
Apples
Raisins
Bananas

At Sunflower Natural Foods in Woodstock, NY Broccoli is $3.49 for two bunches, sweet potatoes are $1.79 per pound, and apples are $1.69 per pound. If you figure you get 5 servings or more from the broccoli, and that one sweet potato is 1 pound and yields 2 servings you can see that a meal made of rice and beans with broccoli and potatoes costs less than $4.00. If steaming is too bland, you can even add 1 tbsp. of coconut oil ($10.99 per jar, 30 servings), and use one thin slice of an onion ($1.59 per 1 pound onion) and you're talking rice and beans with stir-fried vegetables for $4.69!

Broccoli is known to be one of the most cancer-preventing foods around. For 69 cents a serving, you can literally be cutting down your risk for cancer and many other degenerative conditions. For $1 per apple, you can take in heavy metal absorbing pectin and fiber that will help cleanse your bowels daily of industrial toxins and pollution. For 90 cents a serving (sweet potato), you can obtain your day's worth of Vitamin A which helps to rebuild your skin, cleanse your blood, and build your immune system. Unlike inorganic, "cheaper" produce you're getting nutrients that rebuild your body and immune system, rather than deplete it with pesticides, GMOs, and other chemicals that hurt your body when you're trying to eat healthy. It's really not saving you money to go to the doctor's office when you're sick from the cheap food you're eating. When you look at food this way and see it's true worth, you can see how inexpensive organic really is.

My partner and I mostly eat like this and we spend $50 a week or less on groceries. Eating this way is simple, healthy, and completely inexpensive. If you don't indulge, you can even spend the extra penny on almond butter, coconut oil, and a $6 pint of blueberries. The almond butter at $10.99 will last two weeks if you eat it in moderation, coming out to 78 cents per serving. The blueberries, well, those ARE expensive! But they're not too much more than a pint of ice cream. The difference is that the blueberries can help lower your cholesterol, blood pressure, and lower your risk of cancers and strokes.

Organic food is a slower process. It involves growing foods in accordance to nature's laws and rhythms. This is exceptionally true for biodynamic farming. I like that organic food is more expensive than conventional food. It teaches us to value our Earth and her abundance over other things that may be draining our money and our Earth. Things like computers, endless Smartphone renditions, and tons of plastic packaging.

One can easily spend $500 per month on cable, smart phones, and health insurance alone. I say throw them all out, have more time with your own thoughts, do more creative things with your friends, and use your money to buy healthy food that may actually prevent you from ever needing to consider insurance. Still, you don't have to change your life that drastically. Simply eat oatmeal for breakfast, and rice and beans with vegetables for lunch or dinner. Watch how much money you save and how much better your feel!

Buying organic also helps you take a stand against destructive methods of making food. When you consider that a burger that comes from a cow raised in whatwas the rainforest, then shipped across the world by boats and planes, put between a bun that's full of genetically modified corn, which was processed in a lab by manipulating its genetic code to make it withstand tons of chemical fertilizers that were also made in a lab, then flown over hundreds of acres to be dropped over a large mono-crop of corn, soy, or wheat that pollutes all the drinking water in the area, then is harvested and packaged with preservatives, more chemicals, and endorsed by cartoon characters can be cheaper than something raised on water and sunshine. One of two things must be true: whoever is in charge of this system is either mad with greed or simply mad from all the genetically modified food they've been eating.

In any case, the consumer is really who is in charge. It is up to us to decide what to spend our money on and what we find to be most important and changing our systems in life. If you can't buy all organic, at least go to your local farm stand or farmer's market and get food that may not be organic but may be better than organic: local, home-grown, and chemical free! The best thing you can do is grow as much food yourself and truly gain control of your life and health.

I will be adding recipes on here that are inexpensive to make from bulk, organic ingredients. The recipe below is anti-viral, lymph activating, detoxifying, warming, and nourishing for the winter. You can add any additional green vegetables to this if you desire. Its also delicious with squash instead of sweet potatoes. 

Coconut-Curried Cabbage Soup

1 red cabbage (2-3 cups chopped)
1 onion (diced)
1 can coconut milk - full fat
2 small, or 1 large, sweet potato
2 tbsp. coconut oil
2 tbsp. curry powder
1 tbsp. rosemary or thyme
1 pinch of sea salt
4-6 cups of water

1) Add oil, salt, curry, and onions to the bottom of  a pot and fry for 3 minutes.
2) Add cabbage and sauté for an additional 4 minutes.
3) Add the entire can of coconut milk, diced sweet potato, and 4-6 cups of water depending on how rich you want the stock to be.
4) Bring to a boil, then simmer for 35- 45 minutes.
5) Serve with millet and sauerkraut.

Enjoy!

Share

0 Comments
<<Previous
Details

    Archives

    May 2020
    April 2020
    January 2020
    April 2019
    November 2018
    October 2018
    June 2018
    December 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    November 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016

    Categories

    All
    Beauty
    Food
    Health
    Herbs
    Nutrition
    Recipes
    Spiritual

    RSS Feed

Holistic Life Navigation
4 Deming Street #2
Woodstock, NY 12498
845-684-5919

  • Home
  • Online Course
  • Events
  • Webinar Replays
  • Instagram
  • Podcast
  • About Me
  • Contact
  • Mailing List
  • Music