FOOD AND HEALTH TIPS

On the journey of awakening there comespoint when one begins to take note of the manner in which they feed and nourish their physical form, the temple of the soul divine. So many take finer care of what fuel they put in their car than in their body. Food is a major source of human addiction it is used to quell our truth, to keep us entertained, and to dull our light. The production, packaging and cartage of our food stuffs is the major consumer of carbon on our planet today! If we are to become consciously congruent it is imperative that we stop the horrendous slaughtering of animals~ how can we be "BEINGS of PEACE" when the very energy source of our physical being is resultant upon the mindless slaughter and carnage of our fellow animal earthlings. At this time of the NEW World Creation we have readily available at our finger tips every healthy nourishing fruit, herb plant, vegetable, nut and seed for our "thrival." It is no longer relevant for our health and survival to kill animals, actually it is now been proven to be counter productive to our optimum well being.

No longer do we need to practice animal husbandry, fishing, or hunting, discontinuing these out dated practices will allow our planet to be restored to some semblance of balance. When we stop the bloody slaughter and violence we inflict upon the animal kingdom we may also grow the consciousness to stop the violence that man inflicts upon his brothers. When the consciousness of ingesting of blood ceases it will become totally abhorrent to spill blood of any kind!

To support and encourage greater balance and peace in your life I encourage you to become more aware of the subtle, yet profound ways that food affects you on the physical, mental and emotional levels.For example, eating heavy, dense food can leave you feeling heavy and dense, whereas eating more light and vibrant foods encourage us to feel more light and vibrant! We make life much easier for ourselves on all levels when we give our body optimum foods that require minimum of effort to digest whilst giving maximum possible nutrition and life-force

OPTIMUM FOODS

• All fresh, ripe fruit and vegetables (raw and local is ideal)

• Sprouted seeds, grains and beans (e.g. sunflower seeds, quinoa, mung beans)

• Sea Vegetables (e.g. spirulina, dulse, wakame, nori)

• Superfoods (e.g. hemp seeds, goji berries, wheatgrass)

• Cultured Foods (e.g. sauerkraut, tempeh, kefir)

SIMPLE DIET SUGGESTIONS

Removing meat from your diet is essential:
You can do this by increments- firstly remove red meat- then white meat- then fish.

To lower your own environmental impact:Try replacing caffeinated drinks with herb teas (there are hundreds) or simple, pure water. Water is essential for our bodies, and carries toxins out of the blood stream, so drink as much water as you can enjoy throughout the day. It balances out the dryness from cooked meals. Also watery fruits help to hydrate the body.

Try replacing cows milk dairy products with sheep or goat milk or nut milk products instead. It is more easily digested by your stomach. Soya, rice or nut milk is another tasty alternative.

Wheat can be especially hard work for the stomach, so try breads made with rye or corn or even rice flour. Tasty alternatives are there if you look for them! Rice cakes and oat cakes are good with spreads. If you must have wheat, choose whole grain. Beautiful uncooked seed breads ( more like craqkers) can be created in a dehydrator, essene breads are another delicious alternative you can try.

Try replacing refined sugar with honey, maple syrup, agave, apple and pear concentrate,or barley malt. Foods with sugar tend to overstress the body. Sweet ripe fruit often beats any sugar cravings.

Listen to your stomach - it speaks wisdom! If you eat when you really feel hunger, it improves digestion and energy levels. Eating just enough food to feel satisfied also greatly helps in this respect.

Always take your time with food. Try to eat when you feel relaxed and take your time to taste, chew and appreciate every mouthful. You will enjoy it more, and need less of it!

Smoothies (blended foods) are a great way to eat more in less time, and are very helpful for the stomach, as most of its work is already done. Try anything  blended with water, fruit juice or soy milk. Avocados and bananas make very good smoothies. Experiment.

DETOXING AND FASTING

After many years of unhealthy eating - with respect to the foods eaten and our emotional state when eating - our bodies carry physical and emotional toxins that can hinder the expression of our full life-force, and subsequently, our happiness.

There are many simple and enjoyable ways that we can begin to let go of these limiting toxins from our bodies, and regain the vitality and enthusiasm for life that is our natural state.

SIMPLE DETOX SUGGESTIONS

First thing in the morning, drink a glass of warm water with squeezed lemon juice, and honey if needed. This flushes out toxins released during the night and balances the body.

One day a week, give your stomach a much needed rest. Have a day drinking just blended smoothies, or just fresh fruit juice, or ideally drinking just water (lots).

Eating raw food is detoxifying in itself - especially watery, juicy fruits. Buy a book on raw food preparation (you will be surprised by the possibilities!), and try a few days eating uncooked meals. A week is ideal.

Milk thistle extract is a wonderful liver cleanser. A few drops in water every day will help your liver greatly. It is available from health food shops and pharmacists.

Saunas, steam rooms and jacuzzis encourage a greater rate of detoxification. Be gentle, don't push yourself too far beyond what is comfortable.

There are many different ways to cleanse the liver, but perhaps the best and most popular method is the lemon juice and olive oil recipe.

We recommend reading the liver-gallbladder information page before doing a flush so you have a better understanding of the cause of the problem and how to prevent it happening in the future. 

Olive Oil, Lemon Juice, Liver & Gallbladder Flush

This liver-gallbladder cleanse can be performed either over 3 days or 7 days depending on what is convenient. The 3 day method is more difficult to perform and also more inconvenient for many people who have to go to work or take care of a family, but it is possibly more effective as the bowel also gets cleansed along the way. The first part of the cleanse consists of consuming a lot of apples or apple juice, which softens up the gall stones which block the bile ducts which lead to and from the liver and gall bladder. The second parts involved drinking a cup of lemon juice and live oil which causes the gall bladder and liver to flush bile into the bowel, which pushes out the stones and toxins.

If undertaking the 3 day liver cleanse, then the person should consume as many organic apples, apple juice and apple cider vinegar as they can. No other food or solids should be taken during the 3 days. Be sure that the apple juice is either freshly squeezed from organic apples, or if you are buying it already made, please make sure it is organic, with no additives, such as vitamin C or ascorbic acid or anything else. If you cannot find organic apples, normal apples should be fine, but be sure to scub them with a plastic dish scourer under running water to remove waxes and pesticides before consuming. When juicing the apples, if they are not organic, cut out the core, as a lot of toxins can be in there from the sprays.

If undertaking the 7 day live cleanse, the person should drink as much freshly squeezed or organic apple juice and apple cider vinegar as comfortable for the duration of the 7 days. Over 1 litre is recommended per day. During this week, do not eat meat, dairy or wheat products. Have no sugar and, if possible, stay away from coffee and cigarettes. You basically want to try to have only alkaline forming foods , This helps to detox the body.

The foods which are alkaline forming are non-toxic to the body and have an abundance of alkalizing minerals such as calcium, magnesium, sodium, potassium and iron. They are also non-mucuos forming.

Acid forming foods are either toxic, such as alcohol, or are usually starch and protein rich food, which should be consumed in moderation. Their dominant minerals are sulfur, phosphorous and chlorine. These foods are mucus forming and can contribute to the buildup of mucoid plaque if eaten too frequently.

To alkalize the body quickly, we recommend taking green smoothies - look at our articles for recipes.

When a person eats too much acid forming food for too long, the body becomes deficient in alkaline forming minerals and the digestive function becomes impaired. In this situation the body is often forced to excrete mucous into the bowel to protect itself from inadequately digested food. If this happens too often the mucous becomes hardened (mucoid plaque) and impairs food absorption. This hardened mucous is very difficult to remove and becomes a breeding ground for parasites and other unfriendly organisms, which are a constant source of toxins that flow into the bloodstream and wreak havoc on all the organs. This is the start of disease. As time goes on the organs start to break down, and generally speaking, this is where most disease originates.

Olive Oil, Lemon Juice, Liver & Gallbladder Flush

On the last day of the 7 days, consume a light vegetarian meal for lunch and have no dinner, except maybe an orange or grapefruit.

Now, whether you are dong the 3 day or 7 day liver cleanse, the instructions are the same. On the final day, around dinner time, drink a cup of prune juice, this will help with moving your bowels the following day, you may also take an enema now if you wish. 1 hour after the prune juice take a good herbal laxative that you know will get you moving, we recommend this one from Blessed Herbs. Start taking it a couple of days before the final day, and then whatever amount got you moving, increase it by 50%, most peopl will use about 4.

Some liver flushes recommend taking Epsom Salt (or magnesium sulfate) at this point, do not do this as it is dangerous and can damage the body.

Just before bed measure out 120 mL (~half a cup) of room temperature, unrefined extra-virgin olive oil (or you can use more if you want, up to 240 mL, if you want a stronger flush. But it is recommended to start with 120 mL on your first flush as you may feel sick). Mix the olive oil with the same amount of fresh organic lemon juice (120-240 mL) at room temperature. Squeeze the lemon juice and mix both in a blender. If you don’t own a blender, shake the mixture well in a jar. Then drink it.  Hold your nose and gulp it down fast. Or if you really like olive oil and lemon juice you can drink it slowly and savour the flavour :-).

At this point some people may feel nauseated, but don't worry and just try to hold the drink down, Now go bed and lie on your right side with your knees up to your chest for at least 30 mins, the longer the better.

The next morning, have another cup of herbal laxative and some more prune juice about 30 mins later. Some time on this day you should have a big experience on the toilet. Keep an eye out for the stones, or if you are lucky they may have been liquefied by all the apples you ate.

Have a look at what comes out and look for little green balls or blobs. They are usually light green to dark green and sometimes turquoise. Black stones may appear, but that is very rare in western countries. The stones may range from a thick liquid (if you’ve consumed a lot of apples or juice!) to the size of your thumb. The normal size is a little larger than a watermelon seed to the size of a small coin.

Usually you can see them easily. If you found a lot of stones (approx. ½ cup or more if they were all in a blob), you should do the flush again in another two weeks.

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Finally, drinking plenty of pure water eating live healthy green foods and relaxing as much as possible really helps your body detoxify. Take baths, go for walks, simply breathe, or do whatever puts you in a peaceful state. Relaxation of the mind and body is the key to greater health and happiness. Aim to be in a relaxed state from morning until night, and then observe what thoughts take you away from that state of relaxation. Detoxify your mind as well as your body.