detox

I found this easy and very quick pasta sauce that you can make in 5 minutes. It’s dairy and gluten-free so it’s great for the Elimination Diet. My whole family loves it! Here is a picture of last night’s dinner.

INGREDIENTS [YIELDS 12 OZ. SAUCE]

1 c. coconut milk [the canned kind] 1/2 c. nutritional yeast
1 medium clove of garlic
1 tsp. dried basil
1 tsp. sea salt
1/2 tsp. fresh ground black pepper

Mince the garlic and add all of the ingredients to a blender. Blend until the consistency is smooth and creamy – you know, like alfredo sauce. Pour it over any pasta you’d like and warm quickly with the rest of your hot pasta and other toppings.

This week, I added broccoli to my boiling pasta and cooked diced chicken at the very end. My pasta choice is a rice and quinoa pasta I found at Costco. I suppose the whole meal isn’t vegan but the sauce is so enjoy!

The link to the original source is here at The Fitchen.com

Yummy Vegan Alfredo SauceRead More

Many people decide to do a detox during the spring months but focusing on what’s going in your body is just as important as what’s going out of your body.

During a spring detox, you will most likely be looking at foods or herbs to help you with your detox. What about the other things that you intake? How about the air you breathe, the liquid you drink, and what you put on your skin?

Quality of Air

Everything that comes into our body we must use or shuttle back out. During a detox (and really all the time) it’s another great opportunity to lessen your exposure to toxic chemicals and freshen your air naturally. We are exposed to many chemicals in our regular environment. Try starting at home by eliminating artificial air fresheners and chemical based cleaners. Try essential oils, home cooking, or good old baking soda to help freshen your air. There are also a multitude of green home cleaning suggestions and recipes you can find online.

More research is being conducted that shows us the connection between air pollution and conditions such as asthma, allergies, and even autism. Invest in a high quality air purifier for your home like Blue Air or IQ Air.

Quality of Liquid

During a detox you should still to liquids such as:

Purified water (not in small pastic bottles)
100% fruit or vegetable juice
Herbal teas

We know that too much pop and sugary drinks are not very nutritious or good for our health. Give your body a break from the junk and drink clean, pure liquids your body knows how to deal with.

The quality of your water is important too. There are different opinions on which type of water is best.

City Water	Thoroughly tested and treated however contains things like bromine and chlorine which can cause some issues for some sensitive people. Buy a chlorine shower filter for your shower head.
Reverse Osmosis	Nothing is left in the water. Very pure, clean tasting. However, some believe the water is “dead” as nothing is left in it.
Bottled water – 500ml etc	Quality of water is questionable as they don’t have as strict standards. Plastic leaching into the water is a toxin for your body – drink water in glass, ceramic or stainless steel.
Alkaline water	All toxins have been removed and then it is remineralized for your benefit. Some suggest starting slowly to incorporate this into your diet.

During your detox I would recommend you stick to reverse osmosis water or alkaline water. See your local water suppliers like Aquamart.

Quality of Food

Eat real food – this is a great mantra for your spring detox. Eat things that have one ingredient in the label. For example: carrots, quinoa, chicken. Avoid things in a box or can or prepared with preservatives or other chemicals. You can season your own food and start from scratch.

Should I go organic?

Every year the Environmental Working Group analyzes the fruits and vegetables available in the grocery store. They rank them from the most contaminated with pesticides to the least contaminated. Here are the top 12 aka “The Dirty Dozen of 2014.”

Apples
Strawberries
Grapes
Celery
Peaches
Spinach
Sweet Bell Peppers
Nectarines
Cucumbers
Cherry Tomatoes
Snap Peas
Potatoes

Quality of Skin Care

Your skin absorbs the things you put on it. For a true detox, try to limit the products you use on a daily basis. Look at your moisturizers, makeup, shaving cream etc. Women put a multitude of products on our skin, hair, face and nails every day. Take an inventory of the number of products you use and you might be surprised the actual number and the ingredient lists on those containers.

For your detox try to limit what you normally use. Try coconut oil in your hair as a smooth finisher after blow-drying. How about olive oil, coconut oil or almond oil on your skin? If you can eat it, you can also put it on your skin. My personal favourite moisturizer is by Kiss My Face, which you can find at the health food store or in the health food section at big grocery stores.

So, when does your detox start?

Watch for more great tips here on our blog!

May Detox – What Goes In?Read More