Monday, December 9, 2013

5 Tips for Staying Healthy Over The Holidays



The holiday rush is on! Shopping madness, dinners, holiday parties, holiday treats and busy-ness wreck havoc on our bodies, minds and emotions. If we stop and really take a look at the whole cycle it is not difficult to see why most of us end up sick and burned out either during the holidays or not long after. While the holidays always bring lots of smiles and love they also tend to bring us many other things we don't want, like extra pounds, sicknesses, low energy levels and too much stress! In fact the incidence of flu and colds doubles in incidence in December and January. All the things that lower our immune resistance, stress, sugar, unhealthy fats, too much food and not enough exercise, are in full effect during this time of year. Too many treats, too much wine and not enough of everything healthy drives us to set healthy goals and resolutions for the New Year. Why wait until the New Year? With a few easy tips you can stay healthy and balanced and sail into January looking and feeling your best!

1. Stay Active


This is an important one and no running around and shopping does not count. When our schedules get busy one of the first things most of us squeeze out of our lives is a consistent exercise routine. It's important to stay active during the holiday season most especially because exercise addresses exactly what we need to stay in balance during this time: releasing stress, increasing energy and increasing metabolism. The Holidays can be stressful and exercise is one of the best ways to release this built up stress and prevent it from doing any damage to our health. Even taking just a 30 minute walk each day will do wonders for your health and well being. 

2. Eat Healthy Outside of Parties & Holiday Functions


We all know it will be next to impossible to say no to pumpkin pie, mashed potatoes and gravy and all the great treats the Holidays naturally invite. It's not so bad to indulge every once and awhile in fact it creates a healthy balance in your life, what is important is not to allow indulging to turn into an all day, every day thing. Fatty and sugary foods are naturally addicting because the heighten neurotransmitters in our brain, the feel good mood chemicals. So once we have a taste of this stuff, we want more! If you watch yourself, you'll notice the times you fall off the "healthy eating wagon" are times that start with a wonderfully indulging meal or dessert. That one meal turns into days of eating in unhealthy ways. Knowing this ahead of time will give you some awareness. If you know you will be attending a Holiday function, be mindful to eat healthy the day of and the day after. Allow yourself to indulge, but know the next day you will be back to your fresh, healthy diet. Following this tip will ensure you keep yourself balanced throughout the Holidays.

3. Start Your Day Fresh


I talk alot about the importance of fresh, raw foods in the diet and that is because it not only keep your health at the highest levels, but also your outward beauty radiant, your emotions balanced, and your energy levels high. This can be a challenge in the colder months because cold, raw foods can throw our bodies out of balance. So what to do? Starting the day with a fresh green smoothie is the best approach to getting a healthy dose of fresh foods while allowing the rest of the day to be more balanced to the external weather with warm soups, grains and veggies. Green smoothies naturally cleanse your body, which is best done first thing in the body, increase the amount of oxygen supply in your body, which is a great way to jump start your day, hydrate and alkalize your body and infuse your cells with living nutrients and enzymes. Starting with a smoothie also keeps your digestive energy exertion to a minimum freeing up energy first thing in the morning, when we all need it most.  Adding a green smoothie during the Holidays gives your body the nutrients it needs while flushing toxins (think wine, sugary desserts and fatty meals) each and every day. This one tip will immediately increase your energy, vitality and overall health almost immediately. 


4. Healthy Stress Management Practices


Stress! There's that word again. Stress is talked about so frequently in a truly holistic approach to health because it has such a negative and profound effect of every area of your life and all of us have way too much of it! In fact during stressful times your biological age, the age of the inside of your body, can be as much as 32 years older than your calendar age! That's how negative stress is on the inside of your body. The Holidays become a very stressful time for alot of people. Spending, shopping and pressure are all words that can be synonymous with the Holidays if we allow these things to have an impact on us, and for many it will have an impact on us. It's important to your health and well being to have healthy stress management practices in place and to practice them consistently especially throughout the most stressful times of year. Healthy stress management practices such as deep breathing, yoga, meditation, exercise,and taking ample down time will help you stay in balance and keep your health vibrant even during the most stressful times. As little as 5 minutes a day of deep breathing can go a long way to help reduce your stress and the stress impact on your body and health. You can contact us directly to receive a free 5-minute deep breathing exercise. Make sure going into the Holidays you have a plan in place for the days and times you will dedicate time to releasing stress. I find meditation exercise and yoga to be the most beneficial for me. What stress management practices are most beneficial for you? Make sure they are in your weekly schedule. 

5. Don't Get Lost in the Hustle and Bustle



The Holidays should be a time of family, love and thankfulness. The rest like parties and presents are just ways of expressing those things. For years I was caught up in the hustle and bustle of the Holidays, most especially making sure my kids had bigger, better presents. Then I became more conscious and watched. I watched as my kids opened present after present, and as present after present was literally thrown to the side to open the next. There was no appreciation or gratefulness and I knew this was my fault. In the last couple years I have began to take the approach of offering gifts as a representation of love and appreciation for my children. This has translated into less presents with more meaning and more meaning has translated into less of all the other stuff. It's so easy to get lost in the marketing, advertising and pressure of the Holidays but it's important to take time to decide what the Holidays truly mean for you. Once you have that understanding, your actions can align and your focus will remain clear. Coincidentally enough, this results in less stress and a better sense of peace during the season. Don't get lost in everything the Holidays aren't, instead stay grounded in what the Holidays are. This will minimize your stress and other negative emotions and increase all the positive and peaceful feelings the Holidays innately generate. 

By implementing these 5 simple steps you will take a big step forward to staying balanced and healthy this Holiday season. We realize however, that many times more attention is needed to get to that place of desired health and well being. For those we offer our 30-day Holistic Health program, Raw Vitality. 


Raw Vitality Total Health Transformation is a 30 day holistic health journey that helps you to become your healthiest you in a natural, balanced and sustainable way. Raw Vitality provides you with the tools, education, support & motivation you need to get and stay healthy naturally! You will learn natural and sustainable ways of eating including daily juicing for preventative health with lots of fun, and delicious recipes; consistent movement and exercise; healthy stress management practices to reduce the stress impact on your life and health; holistic living strategies to create greater balance in your life and reduce your exposure to harmful toxins and ways of living; and ongoing wellness coaching to support and encourage you in your journey to a more healthy you!

The 30-day Total Health Transformation Program helps you to successfully reach your health goals and intentions, reverse chronic health conditions, find your naturally balanced weight, create more energy and radiant natural beauty while bringing your total being - body, mind and spirit - into perfect balance.


Get a free taste of Raw Vitality with 10 Fresh, Fast & Healthy Raw Vitality Recipes at www.rawvitalitytotalhealth.com

Monday, December 2, 2013

Reset & Revitalize After the Holidays - Reset Digestion



It's no secret that comfort foods, sweets and over indulging often go hand in hand with the holidays. While it may feel great while doing, days later you are left feeling bloated, heavier, sluggish and not very energized. Most of this comes from an over worked and over burdened digestion. Digestion utilizes more then 80% of our energy. It has a healthy daily cycle and when it is functioning optimally it was what energizes us and keeps us feeling our best. When we over eat, eat at strange times or eat constantly our digestion gets all out of whack and the first and most pronounced areas to suffer is our energy levels. When digestion is not functionally optimally we also do not process the food we eat well which leaves food to stagnate and be stored, leaving us feeling and looking bloated and sluggish. 

Digestion has its own energy and daily rhythms which rise and fall, making you slightly hungry in the morning, very hungry midday and moderately hungry at the end of your day. In between these times, digestion shuts down your appetite so it can digest what has been eaten. When the digestive process is complete, your appetite renews. If this process is interrupted or thrown off, like often happens during the holidays, your body becomes confused and appetite and digestion start to overlap which decreases your digestive power and your body’s overall vitality.  

You can easily get your digestion back on track to revitalize and energize yourself by following this simple 3 day Digestion Reset Process. 




Day 1



  • Eat a normal breakfast and lunch
  • Breakfast should be eaten 1-2 hours after rising
  • Lunch should be your biggest meal of the day
  • Do not have an afternoon snack or any alcohol after noon
  • Eat a light nourishing dinner, satisfying but not heavy, at least 2 hours before you go to bed
  • Follow dinner with two glasses of tepid water

Day 2


Before digestion can be reset it must be lowered which is done by not eating meals and only drinking liquids. 

  • Take a short walk in the morning or afternoon
  • Juice in the morning, afternoon and evening
  • 3-4 more glasses can be drank throughout the day between meals, as you feel hungry or as desired
  • Drink water freely, especially water with fresh lemon
  • Spend the day relaxing, performing light activities and taking it easy

Day 3


Now you want to restart your digestion and allow it to return to its normal cycles.

  • Eat a light breakfast 1-2 hours after rising
  • Do not eat again until midday. Midday have a good lunch, satisfying but not heavy
  • Do not eat again until dinner. Eat dinner 2-3 hours before bed. Dinner should be smaller than lunch.



Looking Forward


Now that your digestion is reset your hunger cycle will make you naturally want:
  • A light breakfast eaten 1-2 hours after rising
  • Substantial lunch, eaten at about the same time every day, midday
  • A light dinner, eaten early and at the same time every day.

Digestion can be thrown off by the following:
  • Eating between meals other than light snacks
  • Strong stimulants
  • Skipping meals
  • Eating too large of meals
  • Eating right when you wake up or right before you go to bed

You can engage in this 3 day process any time you feel your digestion has been suffering or thrown off its natural cycle. This is a good practice to engage in if you find yourself suffering from any type of digestive disturbance such as heart burn, indigestion, constipation or a myriad of other digestive complaints. Engaging in this practice after the holidays ensures your digestion is optimized at all times.



Raw Vitality Total Health Transformation is a 30 day holistic health journey that helps you to become your healthiest you in a natural, balanced and sustainable way. Raw Vitality provides you with the tools, education, support & motivation you need to get and stay healthy naturally! You will learn natural and sustainable ways of eating including daily juicing for preventative health with lots of fun, and delicious recipes; consistent movement and exercise; healthy stress management practices to reduce the stress impact on your life and health; holistic living strategies to create greater balance in your life and reduce your exposure to harmful toxins and ways of living; and ongoing wellness coaching to support and encourage you in your journey to a more healthy you!

The 30-day Total Health Transformation Program helps you to successfully reach your health goals and intentions, reverse chronic health conditions, find your naturally balanced weight, create more energy and radiant natural beauty while bringing your total being - body, mind and spirit - into perfect balance.


Get a free taste of Raw Vitality with 10 Fresh, Fast & Healthy Raw Vitality Recipes at www.rawvitalitytotalhealth.com




Tuesday, October 29, 2013

Daily Juicing for Preventative Health



Chronic degenerative sickness and disease in our society has far superseded an epidemic. Today, you have about a 75% chance of getting and dying from a chronic degenerative disease but only about a 25% chance of living healthy and dying from old age and natural causes. According to former U.S. Surgeon General, Dr. C. Everett Koop, of the 2.4 million deaths that happen each year, 75% are the result of avoidable nutritional factor diseases, or diseases caused by nutritional problems. The good news is than that you have almost 100% control over your health by taking the right nutritional approaches. Your body needs lots of vitamins, minerals and micronutrients like antioxidants and enzymes to be healthy and vibrant and most especially to prevent sickness and disease. If you are living on a mostly Westernized diet chances are you are not getting the nutrients you need and you are also getting a lot of things your body doesn’t need, like a whole lot of toxins! This is a recipe for a health disaster especially as you age. Chronic degenerative type sicknesses and diseases begin very early in life. We begin being exposed to toxins at a very early age and we don’t always get the best nutrition as we grow. Kids are notorious gluttons for junk and sugary foods. Parents get busy and often aren’t able to make nutritious home-made meals each day. As we move into our teenage years, our nutrition usually continues to get worse. Pizza, tacos, hamburgers, soda pop and candy are the main stay in most teenagers’ diets. This sets the stage for the slow deterioration of our bodies and health. One solution to this problem has been to use multi-vitamins, to “fill in the gap.” But as we continue to learn, we understand vitamins are not necessarily the best approach. They are difficult for many people to digest, they don’t assimilate well and overall they are just not the way the body was designed to get nutrients. Multi-vitamins also do not solve the problem of an overload of toxins. Fresh living juices each and every day help to solve both the problems of toxicity and deficiency. Fresh juices are filled with lots of fresh and living nutrients including vitamins, minerals and enzymes. They also help to hydrate and alkalize your body while flushing or continuously cleansings your cells of toxins. Fresh daily juicing is one of the best forms of natural preventative medicine.

Hydrating

If most of the foods you eat are already prepared or are coming out of a package, can or box, you are eating a diet that is highly dehydrating, very acidic and very low in nutrients. Every step in the processing process, from a fresh whole food to a boxed or canned food, removes valuable nutrients, like vitamins and water, and adds many anti-nutrients, like salt and preservatives. Fresh foods are filled with lots of clean pure water which will hydrate your body and are also very alkalizing so help to bring your body back into balance.

Alkalizing

The pH balance of the body is so important to preventative health. Sickness and disease cannot live in an alkaline environment, but thrives in an acidic environment. Acidity causes cellular and even DNA damage which in turns starts the process of disease. Most people are far too acidic, which mostly comes from the foods you are eating but can also come from stress and too many toxins from water, air and products. Juicing helps to restore your pH balance. Natural and organic produce is highly alkalizing. Alkalizing your body is one of the best ways to prevent disease and juicing is one of the best ways to alkalize!

Nutrient Dense & Easily Assimilated

Daily juicing allows you to take in a large amount of vitamins, minerals and micronutrients like antioxidants and enzymes, an amount you could never get by just eating alone. While it is important to be eating a diet made up lots of fresh organic foods, juicing allows you to take in a much larger amount of nutrients than just eating alone. This allows you to restore any deficiencies you may have that can lead to health problems in the future.

One of the greatest benefits of fresh daily juicing is that it requires little digestive energy on the part of your body so all of these nutrients are immediately available for your body to put to good use! This is a much better approach then taking a muti-vitamin that is hard to digest and not well assimilated. Juicing removes the fiber from the plant. While fiber is important and necessary for strong digestive health and cleansing it also inhibits your body from absorbing all of the nutrients found in fresh foods. Juicing removes the fiber from the plant and the body is then able to easily absorb all the nutrients immediately without any digestive energy spent or loss of any nutrients. Mixing up your juicing ingredients periodically so you are taking in a wide variety of nutrients is the key to keeping your health and vitality at its highest levels and preventing. Changing up your juicing ingredients with the seasons is so very important! Your body is in tune with the environment around it and in-seasons foods not only have the highest nutrient content but help to keep the body balanced and most healthy. 


Daily Cleansing

Fresh juicing each and every day also helps to cleanse your body of toxins daily. Your liver has hundreds of functions but most notably it functions to clean your blood of toxins and wastes. All of the toxins you are exposed to throughout your life are filtered through your liver. Over time this can cause your liver to become overrun and its ability to rid your body of toxins is greatly reduced. When this happens, toxins remain in your body which then re-enter your blood stream and eventually end up in other vital organs and deep within your body’s tissues. This  also means your body is unable to keep you properly detoxified which leads to the process of sickness and disease. Antioxidants found in fresh juices including beta-carotene, vitamin C, vitamin E, and N-acetyl cysteine are potent liver cleansers. Other vitamins found in juices like B-vitamins riboflavin and niacin also help to keep your liver cleansed. Juicing helps to flush all of your cells, not just your liver cells and restore the all important sodium-potassium balance at the cellular level. Daily juicing is a great way to cleanse your body each day and help prevent sickness and disease from developing as you age.

Juicing is a powerful and effective way of restoring balance within the body and correcting the problems of deficiency and toxicity both of which are the main causes of disease and sickness. Fresh juicing gives the body the abundance of nutrients it needs to stay balanced and continually repair and heal. Unlike multi-vitamin fresh juices provide a wide array of nutrients including pure water and living enzymes while being much more easily digested and bio-available. Raw Vitality Total Health Transformation includes lots of new and exciting juicing recipes to make daily juicing fun and most healthy!




Raw Vitality Total Health Transformation is a 30 day holistic health journey that helps you to become your healthiest you in a natural, balanced and sustainable way. Raw Vitality provides you with the tools, education, support & motivation you need to get and stay healthy naturally! You will learn natural and sustainable ways of eating including daily juicing for preventative health with lots of fun, and delicious recipes; consistent movement and exercise; healthy stress management practices to reduce the stress impact on your life and health; holistic living strategies to create greater balance in your life and reduce your exposure to harmful toxins and ways of living; and ongoing wellness coaching to support and encourage you in your journey to a more healthy you!

The 30-day Total Health Transformation Program helps you to successfully reach your health goals and intentions, reverse chronic health conditions, find your naturally balanced weight, create more energy and radiant natural beauty while bringing your total being - body, mind and spirit - into perfect balance.

Get a free taste of Raw Vitality with 10 Fresh, Fast & Healthy Raw Vitality Recipes at www.rawvitalitytotalhealth.com







Wednesday, August 7, 2013

Oxidative Stress - What You Need to Know to Protect Your Health


Although we need oxygen to live, high concentrations of it are toxic and damage our cells. Our normal metabolic processes, toxins in the air we breathe, water we drink, foods we eat and stress we are subjected to all create toxic byproducts called free radicals. Free radicals are unstable molecules that do a lot of damage to the cells of the body. Free radicals cause oxidative stress which damages all the vital parts of our cells, including the proteins, lipids and even our DNA. Mutations in DNA is what we now know causes a variety of diseases and sicknesses.

Our body has a natural built in response system to deal with free radicals and oxidative stress called our Antioxidant Response Element (ARE). Our body creates its own antioxidants through this system, which are far more powerful then antioxidants we get through the foods we eat. Antioxidants from foods are called indirect antioxidants and they neutralize free radicals at a ratio of 1:1 every second; each one antioxidant is capable of neutralizing one free radical. However, our own antioxidants, direct antioxidants which are produced by our ARE, are able to neutralize free radicals at a 1:1 million ratio every second! This response system works highly effectively, but begins to naturally decline around the age of 20. This in part, is due to the sheer number of free radicals our body is exposed to on a daily basis. Free radicals are everywhere, they are in the air, our water, the foods we eat, in the products we use, they are literally everywhere, so you can begin to understand the burden they place on our body.

Oxidative stress is caused when there is an imbalance between the damage being done by free radicals and our body’s ability to neutralize and repair the resulting damage from these harmful molecules. In humans, oxidative stress is involved in over 200 diseases, such as atherosclerosis, MS, Parkinson’s disease, heart failure, diabetes, Alzheimer’s, chronic fatigue and just about every other nasty health condition under the sun. Oxidative stress is also responsible for the process of aging. Aging and age-related diseases are simply a reflection of our body’s inability to cope effectively with oxidative stress over time and the imbalance between our own antioxidant defenses and number of free radicals in our body. Oxidative stress also increases as our body begins to deal with sickness and disease. This increase in oxidative stress increases inflammation and exasperates symptoms. By reducing oxidative stress disease and sickness symptoms can lessen and even reverse.
 
 

The good news is that by activating the body’s own antioxidants in combination with eating a diet high in natural antioxidants while reducing our exposure to toxins through holistic living strategies, we can prevent many of these age related diseases and slow the process of cellular aging. One such way to activate our own internal Antioxidant Response Element (ARE) is through the activation of a little messenger protein called Nrf2, which is housed within each of our cells. Nrf2 is a messenger that communicates directly with our DNA and tells it to activate our ARE and produce more antioxidants such as glutathione and SOD. Increasing our own antioxidants is especially important as we age, because as we learned, our own internal antioxidant system naturally declines after age 20. By activating Nrf2 and allowing it to activate our own ARE, our ability to neutralize free radicals can be restored and cellular damage can be prevented and even reversed.
 

 

Combating oxidative stress naturally is extremely important in the natural prevention and reversal of sickness and disease as well as increasing energy and vitality!  
 
To learn more about natural Nrf2 activation and the reversal and prevention of oxidative stress please visit: www.mylifevantage.com/rawvitalitytotalhealth

Tuesday, July 30, 2013

GLUTATHIONE: Mother of all Antioxidants, Master Detoxifier & Maestro of the Immune System

Today we are republishing a blog post by Sheree Dye. We are reposting because this topic is of such great importance to detoxification, the natural prevention and treatment of chronic illness and reaching levels of optimum health and vitality....



THE IMPORTANCE OF THE SURVIVAL GENE: GLUTATHIONE

FROM SHEREE DYE

It's the most important molecule you need to stay healthy and prevent disease -- yet you've probably never heard of it. It's the secret to prevent aging, cancer, heart disease, dementia and more, and necessary to treat everything from autism to Alzheimer's disease. There are more than 89,000 medical articles about it -- but your doctor doesn't know how address the epidemic deficiency of this critical life-giving molecule .

What is it? I'm talking about the mother of all antioxidants, the master detoxifier and maestro of the immune system: GLUTATHIONE (pronounced "gloota-thigh-own").

The good news is that your body produces its own glutathione. The bad news is that poor diet, pollution, toxins, medications, stress, trauma, aging, infections and radiation all deplete your glutathione.

This leaves you susceptible to unrestrained cell disintegration from oxidative stress, free radicals, infections and cancer. And your liver gets Overloaded and damaged, making it unable to do its job of detoxification. In treating chronically ill patients with Functional Medicine for more than 10 years, I have discovered that glutathione deficiency is found in nearly all very ill patients. These include people with chronic fatigue syndrome, heart disease, cancer, chronic infections, autoimmune disease, diabetes, autism, Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease, arthritis, asthma, kidney problems, liver disease and more.

At first I thought that this was just a coincidental finding, but over the years I have come to realize that our ability to produce and maintain a high level of glutathione is critical to recovery from nearly all chronic illness -- and to preventing disease and maintaining optimal health and performance. The authors of those 76,000 medical articles on glutathione I mentioned earlier have found the same thing!

What is Glutathione? Glutathione is a very simple molecule that is produced naturally all the time in your body. It is a combination of three simple building blocks of protein or amino acids -- cysteine, glycine and glutamine. The secret of its power is the sulfur (SH) chemical groups it contains. Sulfur is a sticky, smelly molecule. It acts like fly paper and all the bad things in the body stick onto it, including free radicals and toxins like mercury and other heavy metals. Normally glutathione is recycled in the body -- except when the toxic load becomes too great. And that explains why we are in such trouble ... Who knew we would be poisoning ourselves and eating a processed, nutrient-depleted diet at the rate that we are?

Almost of half of the population now has a limited capacity to get rid of toxins. These people are missing GSTM1 function -- one of the most important genes needed in the process of creating and recycling glutathione in the body. Nearly all very sick patients are missing this function. The one-third of our population that suffers from chronic disease is missing this essential gene.

The Importance of Glutathione in Protecting Against Chronic Illness


Glutathione is critical for one simple reason: It recycles antioxidants. You see, dealing with free radicals is like handing off a hot potato. They get passed around from vitamin C to vitamin E to lipoic acid and then finally to glutathione which cools off the free radicals and recycles other antioxidants. After this happens, the body can "reduce" or regenerate another protective glutathione molecule and we are back in business.

However, problems occur when we are overwhelmed with too much oxidative stress or too many toxins. Then the glutathione becomes depleted and we can no longer protect ourselves against free radicals, infections, or cancer and we can't get rid of toxins. This leads to further sickness and soon we are in the downward spiral of chronic illness.

But that's not all. Glutathione is also critical in helping your immune system do its job of fighting infections and preventing cancer. That's why studies show that it can help in the treatment of AIDS.(i) Glutathione is also the most critical and integral part of your detoxification system. All the toxins stick onto glutathione, which then carries them into the bile and the stool -- and out of your body.

And lastly, it also helps us reach peak mental and physical function. Research has shown that raised glutathione levels decrease muscle damage, reduce recovery time, increase strength and endurance and shift metabolism from fat production to muscle development. If you are sick or old or are just not in peak shape, you likely have glutathione deficiency.

In fact, the top British medical journal, the Lancet, found the highest glutathione levels in healthy young people, lower levels in healthy elderly, lower still in sick elderly and the lowest of all in the hospitalized elderly. (ii)



Keeping yourself healthy, boosting your performance, preventing disease and aging well depends on keeping your glutathione levels high. Glutathione is so important because it is responsible for keeping so many of us HEALTHIER. It is critical for immune function and controlling inflammation. It is the master detoxifier and the body's main antioxidant, protecting our cells and making our energy metabolism run well. And the good news is that you can do many things to increase this natural and critical molecule in your body. 

So how do you get it? Studies have shown glutathione supplementation is ineffective because it is not able to be absorbed by the body. A better way is to boost the body's own production of Glutathione. Protandim is an all natural plant based supplement that has been shown to increase the body's own production of Glutathione through Nrf2 activation within the body's cells. In fact, Protandim has been shown to boost the body's production of Glutathione by as much as 300%. 

To learn more about Protandim and how to increase the production of your Glutathione go to http://www.rawvitalitytotalhealth.com/ and click on the "Natural Aging" tab.


Tuesday, July 9, 2013

Odds & Ends Fresh & Healthy Weeknight Pasta Salad Recipe

Quick and healthy weeknight meal Idea...

We all have those nights where you don't have time to get to the grocery store, don't want to eat out and don't have alot of time to make something! You need something fresh, healthy and easy to throw together....
 
This recipe uses all your kitchen odds and ends and makes a quick and easy pasta salad that can also be eaten on the go...
 
 
 
 
 
 

Odds & Ends Fresh & Healthy Weeknight Pasta Salad

 

 

 

 

 

1 Package Pasta Noodles

 
Anything can work but most especially yummy is veggie pasta salad noddles, quinoa noddles or any short pasta noodle. Cook as directed on package. 

Variety of Fresh Veggies

 
Whatever your have left in your veggie drawer will do. Zucchini, bell peppers, garlic, squash, carrots, broccoli, spinach. Anything will work. Chop into bite sized pieces. Add raw to noddles or add to paste cooking water for last 2-3 minutes while paste cooks.

Drain veggies and pasta. 

Toss with 2 tbs healthy oil (flax, hemp or olive), 1 tsp, Sea Salt, 1 tsp. coarse black pepper with a squeeze of fresh citrus (lemon, lime or orange juice). 

To top add fresh diced herbs. Anything you have growing outside or hanging around in the fridge. 

Delicious and packs a nutrient punch!

Friday, May 24, 2013

Healthy Summer Eating Series ~ Tropical Cucumber Salad Recipe



BBQ season usually inevitably means throwing out your fresh and healthy eating habits and opting for greasy burgers and chips and dips. Stay healthy this BBQ season by making fresh plant based recipes which not only provide you with great options at every BBQ but also makes a healthy impact on everyone at the party!

We will be posting a series of healthy summer recipes for you so check back often!

Try this Delicious and refreshing Tropical Cucumber Salad:


INGREDIENTS


2 tsps. Celtic or Himalayan Sea Salt
1 teaspoon freshly grated lime zest, plus more for garnish
2 tablespoons lime juice
1 tablespoon melted coconut oil (do this in hot water and NOT a microwave)
2 teaspoons organic coconut sugar
1 teaspoon rice vinegar
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper
1 medium English cucumber, cut into 3/4-inch dice
1 avocado, cut into 3/4-inch dice
1 mango, cut into 3/4-inch dice (see Kitchen Tip)
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro

DIRECTIONS


Whisk salt, lime zest, lime juice, oil, coconut sugar, vinegar and crushed red pepper in a large bowl until combined.
Add cucumber, avocado, mango and cilantro; gently toss to coat.
Serve garnished with lime zest, if desired.


Raw Vitality is a raw food and juice holistic cleanse that includes organic, whole foods, fresh living juices, medicinal herbs, balancing lifestyle practices, healthy stress management, consistent exercise and holistic living strategies. More then just a shake or pill-a-day cleanse, Raw Vitality teaches you how to eat and live in a way that naturally increases your health, energy and vitality. 

The eating and lifestyle principals taught through the Raw Vitality cleanse will allow you to create the vibrant health you so deeply desire and a lifetime of radiant health and beauty. Raw Vitality is perfect for those looking to balance their weight, increase energy, naturally address health symptoms, reverse & slow aging, create long term health eating and lifestyle practices, create radiant natural beauty and vibrant health!

Get a free taste of Raw Vitality with 10 Fresh, Fast & Healthy Raw Vitality Recipes at www.rawvitalitycleanse.com

Tuesday, April 30, 2013

The 10 Key Areas of Focus for Increased Energy & Health


One of the biggest complaints people have in their health is the amount of or lack of energy they experience on a consistent basis. Most adults have energy issues at some point throughout the day. Not feeling refreshed and revitalized when waking up, 2pm slumps and exhaustion by the end of the day are all signs you are not experiencing the energy you could and should be experiencing. Lack of energy is a multi-faceted problem, meanings its root causes can be found in a variety of areas. This also means you must look at ALL these areas to increase your energy and better your health.

Dr. Herbert M. Shelton, who was the most prominent leader in the Natural Hygiene movement, a movement that advocates a nontoxic diet, primarily or exclusively made up of raw foods, comprised a list of basic requirements needed to obtain vibrant levels of health. These life requirements, if practiced consistently over time, help your body to build greater levels of health and energy. When you don’t pay attention to these areas, however, your energy levels fall and you create an internal environment that is not as healthy.

The 10 Key Ares of Focus for Increased Energy & Health…

1. Fresh Foods 

This is number one on the list, for all the reasons discussed in this book. Raw foods include fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds, legumes and sprouts, to name a few, but are any foods that are left in their natural state. These foods must be organic to have maximum benefit.  Toxins found in in-organic foods sap energy and decrease health.

2. Cleanliness Inside & Outside of the Body

You know the importance of a clean body on the outside, but often don't think about the cleanliness of the inside of your body. Toxins and wastes, not properly and periodically cleansed, build up in the tissues, causing a very unhealthy internal environment and a variety of health problems. Regular cleansing is one of the best forms of natural and preventative medicine.

3. Pure Air

Oxygen is of vital importance to your body. Our air quality, especially in urban areas is not so good. Poor air quality can contribute and exaggerate a number of health issues, including asthma and allergies. Taking time to be in areas where the air quality is clean and pure, is important as is taking time each day for deep breathing. Deep breathing allows your body to release accumulated toxins and revitalize from the inside out.

 

4. Pure Water 

Pure and plentiful water is an essential component to a healthy body. Most of us do not get enough clean filtered water daily. Dehydration is a common culprit for a myriad of health complaints from headaches and low energy, to aches, pains and emotional imbalance. A water filtering device is indispensable, and something every household should have. Unfiltered water contains both chlorine and fluoride which are known harmful chemicals to the human body,

5.  Adequate Rest & Sleep

The natural rhythms of the body are activity and rest. The body repairs, renews and regenerates when it rests and sleeps. Balancing a busy life with equal amounts of rest is imperative to good and lasting health. Sleeping well is also very important. Disturbed or disrupted sleep patterns can cause many health problems and significantly decrease your overall energy levels. Creating a calming period before bed can allow your body to unwind and balance your sleep patterns.

6. Sunlight

The outdated and incorrect "guidance" by the American Medical Association for years to always cover yourself or wear sunscreen at all times has had disastrous health consequences. Most of the population in the U.S. is now Vitamin D deficient, and is it any wonder why? Western medicine scared everyone out of the Sun! The Sun's light is important for numerous body functions, including circadian rhythms, immune system functioning, healthy bones, mental health and much more. Twenty to thirty minutes a day of Sun, on uncovered skin is recommended. You don't want to burn, but sunlight is imperative. Know your skin, and get the amount of Sun that is right for your body.  

7. Regular Exercise

 The Western lifestyle has unfortunately evolved into a very sedentary lifestyle. Exercise is important for the immune system, mental health, weight regulation, bone and muscle strength, flexibility and pretty much everything else. Walking is one of the best and easiest exercises to engage in daily, and helps regulate digestion and other body processes and functions. Weight bearing exercise is important for strong, healthy bones. So mix it up, and get moving!  



8. Emotional Balance

This includes freedom from addictions, high self esteem, a purposeful life and meaningful goals.  Everything in our body is connected. When our emotions are out of balance, everything else also becomes out of balance. A chaotic emotional life, equals a chaotic body and mind. Engage in yoga, meditation, relaxation techniques, and seek out the support and help you need to bring your emotional life back into balance.  

9. Nurturing Relationships

Having  people in your life that are supportive, positive and life giving is so important.  Just as we were told as kids, the people you surround yourself with will determine how successful you will be, success in every area of life. 

10. Preventative Health Care

Your body cannot take care of itself all by itself. What you give your body and do with your body on a daily basis has long lasting impacts on your overall health. Preventative health care is the idea of caring for your health in a balanced and ongoing way in order to avoid the development of sickness, disease and pain. When your body is in balance you do not get colds, the flu, allergies nor any of the bigger chronic degenerative diseases. Ensuring you are keeping your body in balance, giving it what it needs and avoiding bringing anything harmful in your body is the best approach to preventative medicine.


 Raw Vitality is a raw food and juice holistic cleanse that includes organic, whole foods, fresh living juices, medicinal herbs, balancing lifestyle practices, healthy stress management, consistent exercise and holistic living strategies. More then just a shake or pill-a-day cleanse, Raw Vitality teaches you how to eat and live in a way that naturally increases your health, energy and vitality. 

The eating and lifestyle principals taught through the Raw Vitality cleanse will allow you to create the vibrant health you so deeply desire and a lifetime of radiant health and beauty. Raw Vitality is perfect for those looking to balance their weight, increase energy, naturally address health symptoms, reverse & slow aging, create long term health eating and lifestyle practices, create radiant natural beauty and vibrant health!

Get a free taste of Raw Vitality with 10 Fresh, Fast & Healthy Raw Vitality Recipes at www.rawvitalitycleanse.com