I was drawn to this publication when I stumbled upon it somewhere in my Twitter world and I’ve been smitten ever since. It is filled with beautiful art work, positive words, great stories and a feeling of connectedness.
I was honored to share a little bit about Ayurveda in their May issue, out today. Check it out, Ayurveda even made the cover!!
There are two optimal times of the year for completing a cleanse; the Spring and the Fall although depending on the cleanse you can certainly do them whenever it works for you in your life. I’ve been so excited to offer this spring detox cleanse with The Yoga Spa and Yana Yoga in an effort to couple the nutrition piece with the wonderfully necessary yoga piece.
Yoga is naturally a detoxifying activity but when a detox practice is coupled with a proper nutritional plan, the results can only be enhanced. My goal was to do as much yoga over the course of this 10 day cleanse (3 pre-cleanse days, 4 on the cleanse and 3 post-cleanse days) but each day through the cleanse period. This is the time to remember all your self-care practices, be kind, nourish and rest appropriately. For me that means yoga and meditation each morning.
As I’ve received many inquires; here is what my final pre-cleanse day-in-the-life looks like.
6:30am: lemon water
7:30am: 20oz green juice
8:10am: ½ serving slow cooked oatmeal w/almond milk, cinnamon, cardamom, walnuts + maple syrup
9:30am: purple leaf tulsi tea
12:30pm: a large serving size NO MORE cravings kale salad + my basic lemon vinaigrette
(I added ½ avo for good measure)
3pm: honey orange tea
See, real food.
I’ve also had 1 ½ liters of water so far today, more to come as well as more tea and a good dinner. Tomorrow I cleanse and I’m ready!
Although you may not want to complete a full on cleanse, maybe you can find sometime over the next couple weeks to regroup, rethink what you’re doing to care for yourself. Is it working?
Does it need tweaking, do you need to add some self-care practices?
Since I was on such a kale kick I thought it would be a good time to finally try the massaged kale salad I’ve seen all over the place. I don’t remember where I acquired the recipe exactly but I’ve had it jotted down, waiting. The kale was washed and chopped ready to go and I knew I could scrap up the rest of the ingredients so it was to be.
This is my variation the recipe I had written down called for a handful of pine nuts which would have been amazing, but I didn’t have any on hand.
Let me know if you make a variation of the massaged kale, I’d love to try it out as well.
Massaged kale salad
1 head kale
1 clove garlic, finely chopped or grated
Juice from 1 lemon
1 Tbsp olive oil
1/2 tsp sea salt
1 avocado
handful of grape tomatoes, sliced
few shakes of slivered almonds
pinch of cayenne
pinch of black pepper
Put the washed + chopped kale in a bowl.
Sprinkle the kale with the olive oil, salt + lemon juice and massage it in with your hands.
Once it is massaged into the kale, the kale will begin to soften. Allow it a few minutes to soften.
Add the remaining ingredients.
I was surprised at how good the touch of spice was with the cayenne, it was the perfect touch with the lemon juice. Enjoy.
In preparing for a spring cleanse to be held in a couple of weeks I compiled a few tips to help the body during the process. Eating dark leafy greens like kale, chard, spinach and arugula is not only effective in removing excess toxins from our body but so nutritious as well. Kale is the green I am featuring today as it has been a staple in my diet for several months now. From sauteing and serving with eggs, juicing into a green juice or enjoying mixed into a salad it is always on the shopping list. Kale is high in fiber, vitamin A, C and K, is rich in calcium and iron, it is high in anti-oxidants as well as anti-inflammatory nutrients as well. We don’t hear much about vitamin K but it is one of the key nutrients that regulates our bodies’ inflammatory process. Very important. Kale also has a highly concentrated amount of carotenoids and flavonoids which have been tied to cancer prevention. It is a super food, by my definition. As we move into spring and your body wants more raw foods, try enjoying some dark leafy greens, you won’t be sorry. In the meantime, you can check out a few of my favorite recipes here; kale mushroom marsala, kale + spicy beans and veggie kale soup.
Enjoy, Amber
photo credit: kelly rossiter
We slather on sunscreen, apply makeup, lotions, oils and beauty cream of many different kinds but are we looking and examining our skin for signs of diminished health? An overburdened liver will express itself through skin concerns whether a rash, acne, eczema or psoriasis it is likely your liver that needs a break. Spring is the season of the liver and gall bladder which is probably why so many are looking to do a cleanse of this or that to detox the liver and the body. I’ve written about cleansing already here however as many that aren’t well thought out or supportive to the body there are that many that are supportive, nourishing and cleansing.
Signs you may need a liver cleanse this spring;
> You have been having frequent headaches.
> Your eyes feel strained unnecessarily.
> You have joint pain or muscle spasms.
> You feel restless or in a state of agitation.
> Your skin is acting up or your hormones are going crazy.
> Lastly and most interesting to me; palpate between your ribs at the top, just under your solar plexus. If you palpate with your fingers in between and a little to the right and it feels very hard or quite tender, your liver may be toxic.
If you find that you need to clear the toxins, reset your digestion and eliminate waste there is likely a cleanse for you. You may be at the point where removing caffeine, alcohol, sweets and dairy is it, work on that for a week or so while drinking lots of warm water with lemon, including detoxifying foods like dark leafy greens and getting LOTs of rest.
Or you may be someone who is ready for a juice cleanse or even a partial day juice cleanse drinking juice through mid-day before introducing wholesome clean meals for the remainder of the day. Like this one by Ashley Pitman of Vixi.com you can do at any time, on your own time. Or check out Healthy Crush and Jenny’s delicious juice recipes for some inspiration.
For those of you that are local, I’m leading a customized Ayurveda inspired cleanse mid-April that will couple a guided plan with some amazing detox yoga sessions at The Yoga Spa and Yana Yoga.
Stay tuned for more information + happy cleansing !
photo credit: Thea Coughlin Photography
It is hard to believe with the 70 degree projections today that the kids were home with a snow day just twelve days ago. The sun is shining at the moment but it keeps ducking behind the clouds, those that will shower us with rain a little later today. As exciting as the Spring air makes me it does wreak havoc for some people.
My little one for instance. According to Ayurveda, she is Kapha dominant through and through and although we’ve done a great job of keeping most illnesses at bay this year, the early entry of Spring weather has led to a very runny nose and congested cough. As we move from late winter to early spring our bodies naturally expel any extra we have accumulated throughout the winter months into our digestive tract. As a result it can become sluggish, slow and over-burdened causing mucus to accumulate in the stomach and if not addressed in time eventually coming through as a cold symptoms.
Luckily I’ve learned a few things that can help and cut down on how long it lasts. A remedy I picked up while learning Ayurveda is one in which you coat the tongue with necessary spices via raw honey.
Joyful Belly has a great recipe here, which involves mixing the spices into honey and over the course of a 10 minute period or so slowly ingesting it. It calls for 1/8 tsp each of ginger powder, black pepper and turmeric mixed into 1 Tbsp of honey. The spices aid in heating the body, the digestion and circulating the blood while essentially expelling excess fluids. The honey sweetens the mixture while also breaking up the mucus. You could even add some cloves to clear lung tissue if needed.
enjoy.
200 hours, 14 women and memories to last a life time. I’m so thankful for this experience and the friendships made or deepened.
I’m now ready to share something so close to my heart. Very grateful.
The Gluten Free Renewal Cleanse is underway. I took part in the intro call over the weekend in which Meghan Telpner and her staff gave us the basics and answered any pending questions on how to proceed. I was very impressed with their stance that replacing gluten infused foods with unhealthy replacements (many include potato or corn starch) wasn’t the goal of the cleanse. They not only want to assist us in removing gluten from our diet but to also replace with healthy alternatives and foods in general encouraging the cleansers to MAKE REAL FOOD (imagine).
Along with our support package and guidelines we were supplied with some great recipes for various meals throughout the cleanse. I wanted to share this super easy, very delicious one I tried for Roasted Tomato Soup. It was quick and easy to make, a great alternative to heavier comfort foods and delicious.
Ingredients
3 tomatoes cut in half
1 small onion, roughly chopped
3 cloves of garlic
2T coconut oil, melted
3 c water or vegetable broth
½ tsp salt
½ c fresh basil leaves
Directions
Toss the tomatoes, onions and garlic in the coconut oil and bake at 375 degrees until they are soft
and slightly caramelized, about 35-45 minutes. Remove from the oven and allow to cool for 10 minutes or so. Put the roasted vegetables some of the water/broth and spices in a blender and blend until smooth. Add more or less liquid according to the consistency and your preference. Season to taste.
As promised, more information to consider and my very exciting giveaway, a gluten-free renewal cleanse, you have 3 more days to enter.
I’ve had an interesting relationship with gluten one I didn’t take very seriously until now. What I’ve learned as of late has opened my eyes to so many other issues associated with gluten that I wasn’t even aware of. Where to start? Well, what is gluten? For those of you that aren’t familiar gluten is a protein composite found in products made from wheat and other related grains such as barley or rye. It serves a purpose of binding and lends to the chewy texture associated with these foods.
From what I’ve learned gluten acts like a glue/paste substance that adheres to the intestinal tract. It can then get gunked up and inhibit nutrients from being absorbed properly which in turn lead to continually feeling hungry and overbearing cravings. Gluten intolerance and gluten sensitivity has been attributed to many chronic diseases and ailments from digestive issues of all kinds, interference with brain processes (WHAT?) to headaches, body aches, depression and hyperactivity. According to Dr. Barry Sears, of The Zone Diet (and more recently Toxic Fat), it could be contributing to a case of silent inflammation in your body that could linger for years or decades until ‘symptoms’ begin. (I note symptoms as questionable as I believe our bodies so very often give us a head’s up when something isn’t right and we often ignore, brush it away or justify the sign.)
This silent inflammation is cell inflammation and disrupts the cell communication within our body; this is when we become more susceptible to cancer, diabetes, ADD, depression, etc. Again according to Dr. Sears the gluten works hand in hand with Omega 6 fatty acids found in such things as vegetable oils, safflower and corn oils. They act as building blocks for the inflammation fanning the fire and spreading the inflammation. Removing gluten will be far easier than removing Omega 6 fatty acids from your diet as they are hard to detect at times. One suggestion is that you increase your intake of Omega 3 fatty acids to high doses….combatting the existing inflammation and to begin the reversal process sooner.
I have been working myself and my children towards a gluten-free existenceas of late, which I’ve found a little challenging. I’ve always known that my body feels lighter and cleaner when gluten isn’t in the picture but my recent attempts are ultimately for my children. This information spoke volumes to me and explained a lot that I had trouble explaining about my health in particular. It was also a lot to take in and absorb but felt it was pretty important and I needed to share it.
I am not a health practitioner and in no way imply to direct care or explain illnesses to you only to perhaps enlighten you and call attention to what I think could be a problem for many. If you’d like to research father for yourself, you might want to check out Gluten Free School or Dr. Sear’s site directly.
And for some recipe inspiration, check out some gluten-free favorites already posted; Chocolate Nut Butter Bars, Almond Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies or these Healthy Superfood Bars.
thanks to Claudio.Ar for the photo.
I’m thrilled to have found this program; an online guide to ridding yourself of gluten. When I did I immediately planned to participate and was thrilled when I was offered the opportunity to gift a spot to my readers as well. Yes, a giveaway.
Meghan Telpner is a Toronto based nutritionist who runs The Love in the Kitchen Academy and regularly doles out healthy goodness on her blog, Making Love in the Kitchen. Her list of accomplishments is endless, I invite you to check out her site here.
Meghan’s gluten-free renewal cleanse online program promises to assist in clearing gluten from your body over the course of a 4 week period while laying the groundwork for healthy alternatives. Just look at all it includes;
If this looks like something you would like to be a part of just a few simple steps are required to enter;
1. Follow me here on truly T H R I V I N G. I will be tracking progress, posting about the cleanse and support is always beneficial.
2. Tell me why you have gone or want to go gluten-free.
3. Tell me any challenges you have been facing or are concerned with.
Simple as that. Just email the above info to me at amberallen.p@gmail.com by Thurs Feb 23rd 2012 at 9pm EST.
I will choose a winner then and notify you by email with all the necessary details. Get going, this will be a great opportunity. I feel so blessed to be a part of it.
Have a great weekend,
amber
