Carrot Cake: Grain Free & Cow's "Liquid Lactation" Free :)
I work with people who have health challenges... sometimes big health challenges:
- auto-immune,
- cancer,
- diabetes, etc.
The ravages of modern living and modern eating raise holy hell with people's bodies creating ongoing inflammation, immune activation, cellular metabolism issues, blood sugar issues, glandular ill health... BUT, people still want an occasional celebratory food to relax into and enjoy.
With above said health challenges; the removal of gluten, grains, and cow's milk dairy (it is a caesin & A1 protein / caesin issue) are imperative (from a functional medicine / natural health perspective) to reduce gut and immune health inflammation and get the healing process rolling.
Read on my friends... recipe is below!
I work with people who have health challenges... sometimes big health challenges:
- auto-immune,
- cancer,
- diabetes, etc.
The ravages of modern living and modern eating raise holy hell with people's bodies creating ongoing inflammation, immune activation, cellular metabolism issues, blood sugar issues, glandular ill health... BUT, people still want an occasional celebratory food to relax into and enjoy.
With above said health challenges; the removal of gluten, grains, and cow's milk dairy (it is a caesin & A1 protein / caesin issue) are imperative (from a functional medicine / natural health perspective) to reduce gut and immune health inflammation and get the healing process rolling.
My son Jakob's birthday is always celebrated twice: once with his summer, Lake Ozonia friends and once with family. Dates and times available never seem to mesh to celebrate with all together.
Summer Friend Birthday Celebration: Bridge Jumping, Jake's On The H2O, & Cake
This year I made him the standard, as close to whole food, Oreo® cookie cake that a mom can muster up in the kitchen. I use Newman's Organic creme filled chocolate cookies. It is year # 6 for this cake, making twice yearly for both sons, and I think I have perfected it.
Now comes the family celebration cake. With health issues to consider, I have opted to make a non-inflammatory cake of Jake's 2nd favorite option... carrot cake. Click carrot cake, back there, for the standard whole food carrot cake recipe. Oh yeah... and enjoy.
Grain Flour Free, Cow's Milk & Butter Free, Gluten Free BUT Yummy Whole Food Carrot Cake:
- 3 eggs
- 1 cup buttermilk (I used raw goats milk soured with 1 tbsp. raw apple cider vinegar)
- 3/4 cup organic coconut oil (melted)
- 3/4 cup sucanat sugar
- 3 tsp. vanilla
- 3 tsp. cinnamon
- 1/4 tsp. unrefined sea salt
- 3/4 cup fresh ground coconut flour
- 1 cup fresh ground almond flour
- 2 tsp. baking soda
- 2-3 tsp. cinnamon
- 1 tsp. cardamom
- 1 tsp. nutmeg
- 1 1/2 tsp. ginger
- 1 rounded TBSP. baking powder
- 2 cups shredded carrots
- 1 - 8 oz can pineapple with natural juice, no added sugar (I used the organic canned pineapple from the Coop, it is a 14 oz can, i used 1/2+. I will use the whole can the next time I make this yummy cake.)
(All ingredients organic and naturally raised)
Preheat oven to 350 F.
- Beat eggs, then beat in buttermilk, and coconut oil.
- Blend in sugar, vanilla, and spices.
- Mix in nut flours, b. soda, b. powder, and salt.
- Shred carrots on a cheese grater and blend into batter.
- Chop pineapple pieces in blender to a puree and mix into batter.
- Add 1/2 the can's pineapple juice and mix in well.
- Use coconut oil to grease two 8" round cake pans, divide batter evenly between two pans
- Bake for 45 minutes, until cakes is pulling from edge of pans and knife inserted in center comes out clean.
- Allow to cool until just warm and turn out on cooling racks.
- When completely cool, frost the bottom layer, add the top layer, and frost top and sides completely.
Options: You can add the raisins, coconut flakes, and walnuts of the original recipe.
Frosting:
This creates a cow's milk dairy free frosting. Auto-immune conditions benefit from avoiding gluten and cow's milk dairy.
- 2 cups raw unsalted cashews, covered in water and soaked overnight (24 hours is even better)
- 3/4 - 1 cup sheep's milk feta
- 1/4 cup maple syrup
- 2 tbsp. water (use water from soaking the cashews)
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 tsp almond extract
- 1/2 tsp apple cider vinegar
- pinch or two of unrefined sea salt
I soaked 2 cups of organic, raw cashews (I think they were free range?) overnight in a wide mouth 3 cup peanut butter jar. Put the cashews in the jar and just cover with enough water to submerge the nuts. They will swell considerably by AM.
- Drain cashews. Place in food processor with remaining frosting ingredients.
- Purée on high. You want all ingredients to blend well together into a creamy consistency.
- Scrape out of food processor into a bowl and freeze for 30 minutes.
- Remove from the freezer and fluff with a fork.
- Freeze again for 15 minutes.
- Fluff up again.
- Freeze for 15 minutes.
- Fluff again.
- Freeze for final 15 minutes.
- Fluff very vigorously until frosting becomes light.
- Frost your carrot cake.
- Refrigerate until serving time.
My Holistic Momma's Dilemma
You might remember my earlier blog post on healthy kid's b-day parties and WHY have healthy kid's b-day parties. So my latest dilemma... my soon to be 12 year old kid wanted an Oreo cookie birthday cake. First of all I asked: "Why Eli? I have never purchased Oreo cookies for you!"
Bottom line is he wanted what he wanted.
Truth of the matter is there is not one ingredient in an Oreo cookie that was ever meant to be:
- in your digestive tract being digested and
- sent out into your blood stream being delivered to
- every cell in your body to do
- all the processes to nourish your cells so you have a
- healthy body!
Nature did not mean for our body cells to be poisoned by packaged food's synthetic ingredients. Ouch, Paula, really? My healing advice comes into question on occasion: "She is so strange, too harsh, very severe, too tough..." But really, the truth is the truth, our bodies were not meant to be poisoned.
I am all about moderation; moderation in foods that were meant to be part of our cellular metabolism. There is no way, in my mind, to be moderate about that which was never meant to be a part of our cellular being.
For just 2 weeks, try feeding your body with 100% whole food, every snack and meal. I guarantee you will feel like a whole new person: alive, vibrant, clear headed, sleep well, etc. Then, after 2 weeks of whole food eating, go back to your regular diet, 100%, for a day or two. You will be aghast at how lousy processed food leaves your body feeling.
Whole food eating is not about what you are removing from your life, junk food, but what you are inviting into your life, vibrant health. Let me know how it goes.
So, back to that Oreo cookie cake. I started off with the basics. I do not measure ingredients, just throw in the bowl, so I am giving my eyeballed estimates. Thank my Mom, that is how she cooks. I learned through observation.
- real butter, from grass fed cows grazing in the Finger Lakes of NY - about 3/4 cup
- 3 pasture eggs from Maria of Deep Root Farm, wicked orange yolks. Lots of good nutrients. Use the whole eggs.
- local milk from some sweet, grazing, local goats - 1 cup
- *oat flour I ground from gluten-free oats - about 1 1/2 cups
- Sucanat unrefined, real brown sugar (Available at the Potsdam Food Coop & Nature's Storehouse, Canton) - 1/2 cup
- organic vanilla - 1 Tbsp.
- baking soda - 1/2 tsp or less
- baking powder - 2 to 3 tsp.
*gluten free flours will make a shorter, denser cake. If gluten is Ok in your diet, use whole spelt flour or whole wheat pastry flour. Whole food cakes, made with 100% whole grain flours, will be heavier, denser, and shorter cakes. When you get used to this denser, more flavorful, manner of creating in the kitchen... the "fluffy" refined food versions will be tasteless and boring.
The below Newman cookies are made with wheat flour and therefor contain gluten.
I caved (What else is a Mom to do? He is so damned cute.) and bought Newman's Own Organics Newman-O's Creme Filled Chocolate Cookies.
Original Ingredients:
Organic Unbleached Wheat Flour, Organic Powdered Sugar (Organic Sugar, Organic Corn Starch), Organic Sugar, Organic Palm Fruit Oil, Canola Oil (Expeller Pressed), Cocoa (Processed with Alkali), Unsweetened Chocolate, Salt, Natural Flavor, Sodium Bicarbonate (leavening), Soy Lecithin (an emulsifier)
I took one row of the cookies, scraped the creme filling out, crushed the wafers, and added the crushed mess to the batter.
The "Oreo" cake after baking:
Tomorrow I shall slice it in half to make 2 layers and fill the center with frosting. Then I will slather the whole thing with the rest of the frosting.
Frosting:
- 2 eight oz. packages of Organic Valley Pasture Raised whipping cream
- 1 eight oz. package of Organic Valley Pasture Raised Neufchatel cheese
- 2 Tbsp. local, dark maple syrup
- 1 Tbsp. organic vanilla
- the second row of Newman-O's, scraped and crushed, added to the finished frosting
The final, third row, of Newman-O's will be cut into 1/2 rounds and placed on top of the cake.
Happy Birthday Eli! Much LOVE, Mom
Or, as my boys call me...
Teaching whole food eating, cooking, and baking classes: I volunteer teach cooking classes through the Sustainable Living Project, Local Living Venture. Sign up for their emails to be notified of upcoming classes. I also do small groups at my home, just ask. pyoumell@gmail.com
13 Health Foods That Are NOT So Healthy
13 Health Foods
That Are NOT So Healthy...
Proceed with
1. Brown Sugar: Brown sugar used to be sugar that did have the molasses intact. Modern brown sugar is merely refined "white" sugar that has added caramel coloring to make you THINK it is real brown sugar. Action to take: Use sucanat, read the label and look for sugar that is simply dehydrated, sugar cane juice... nothing added, nothing removed. Another good brand is Rapunzel Rapadura Sugar.
2. Greek Yogurt: Real Greek yogurt is truly just cultured milk that has been strained to make it thicker, creamier, and higher in protein. If refined ingredients have been added to thicken the yogurt, it is not real Greek yogurt. Most Greek yogurts, on the market, are not real. Action to take: Read labels on everything that a food manufacturing facility makes for you. Read those labels for 100% whole food ingredients. Do not settle for less; your cellular health depends on this.
While I am on the subject, eat plain yogurt*, not the flavored varieties. Again, read labels, flavored yogurts are loaded with crap ingredients and sugar. These crap ingredients and sugar do not create vibrant, healthy body cells.
Real yogurt should be milk and active cultures, period. No thickeners, no flavorings, no sugars, etc! Want a recipe for making a yummy snack with yogurt, fruit, and nuts... email me! pyoumell@gmail.com
3. Frozen Yogurt: OK, so this is a fun one. People order frozen yogurt instead of ice cream... well, because "it is yogurt. Yogurt is good for me, so frozen yogurt is a healthy treat, right?" No, it is not. See above info on plain yogurt. No good gut microbes survive freezing, so thinking frozen yogurt is good for gut health is a flawed thought (yes, perpetuated by marketing, but flawed none the less). Action to take: *Eat plain yogurt you have made yummy and fun with fruit, berries, cinnamon, vanilla. Want a recipe? Email me, pyoumell@gmail.com.
4. Ginger Ale: "Ginger ale is good for me when I am sick, have a fever, correct?" "It settles my stomach if I have a nasty, gut bug sickness, correct?" No, sorry. Modern sodas are just a source of liquid corn syrup, artificial flavors, and other artificial ingredients. Action to take: Make ginger tea, use the ginger tea with seltzer water to make your own ginger soda; buy a natural brand of ginger soda that has real ginger in it!
5. Bran Muffins: Running late for work or an appointment, no time for breakfast, so one stops at the mini-mart and grabs a bran muffin. It is the health option in the mini-mart, correct? NO, it is loaded with refined and toxic ingredients: white sugar, corn syrup, hydrogenated oils, white flour, artificial flavors, fillers, dough conditioners, etc., and a small amount of bran. Action to take: Make your own and have them handy. Want a recipe, email me. Take the time for a real breakfast.
6. Wheat Bread: Lots of issues here: modern wheat is not all it is cracked up to be, most wheat breads have minimal whole grains in them, and most manufactured wheat bread is loaded with refined and crap ingredients. Again, read labels.Action to take: Read labels and make certain breads are 100% whole grains for 100% whole cellular health. Sprouted whole grain breads are another nourishing option.
7. Commercial Fruit Smoothies: Ok, so the fruit does not exist in powdered smoothie mixes. Many are artificially fruit flavored or have dried fruit powders in them. Action to take: Make at home with 100% whole food ingredients, whole fruit, and only buy fruit smoothies in shops that make them the same way. If the fruit smoothie is a powdered mix, RUN, fast, get away from the powdered world crap. I don't care how healthy they say their protein powder fruit smoothies are for you. They are not real food!
8. Vitamin Water: One word: crap. Ok, so vitamin water has a marvelous marketing campaign. This is a big clue here, any product with a marketing campaign most likely is worthless and not nourishing to your body cells. Fresh produce does not need to be marketed as healthy. We all innately know it is! Action to take: Drink water from your tap, if it has not been poisoned with chlorine and fluoride. If it has, filter it. If you think you need to have added vitamins in your water, go to Nature's Storehouse and find a 100% whole food liquid vitamin supplement and add it to your water. Your health and cells will be grateful.
9. Non-Calorie Sweeteners: Nature did not make many non-calorie sweeteners. Food laboratories do; that is your clue to avoid them. Nature makes real food, "food" labs do not. These sweeteners are toxic to your liver and toxic to all of your body cells. Now stevia... yes, if you are using real, green stevia. The powdered green herb form of stevia is a real non-calorie sweetener. Stevia that is the white powder or clear liquids, refined in food labs, in not healthy cell food. Action to take: Get a hold on your sugar usage. Is it really something we were meant to eat every day? Nah... it's not!
10. Diet Soda and Diet Drinks: Toxic to liver and body cells. See Non calorie sweetener above. Action to take: Always put your body cells first and foremost in your mind when choosing foods and food products. Make herb teas and enjoy them sweet free or use a tiny bit of raw, local honey. Make "soda" with seltzer water and a wee bit of organic fruit juice concentrate.
11. Gluten Free Food Products: A word of caution: when a health problem arises, manufacturers are quick to respond with ' "food products" to help solve your problem. Many gluten free products are HIGHLY processed and full of junk ingredients.
Gluten free does not mean it is healthy. There are thousands of gluten free products on the market: cakes, cookies, breads, pizza crusts, boxed mixes; processed food heaven! Learn to read labels. Many of these products are full of fillers. Yes the “fillers” in question are gluten free, but they are also refined, nutritionally devoid foods. If the natural, whole food nutrition is not in the food, the refined food product will rob your body cells of nutrients and contribute to degenerative diseases. You are trading off one huge health problem for another of equal degenerative quality.
Things to look for are: white rice flour, corn starch, potato starch*, tapioca starch*, tapioca flour*, potato flour*. Basically these are cheap, filler ingredients not real food, not food that nourishes your beautiful body cells. These fillers create a host of health problems in your body including blood sugar and insulin issues that contribute to inflammation and exacerbate health issues.
Action to take:
Keep refined ingredients out of your diet for vibrant health. Read labels, buy food products that are 100% whole food ingredients only, including gluten free products.
Want to learn more? I do gluten free workshops, contact me: pyoumell@paulayoumellrn.com
Want gluten free bread & pizza dough recipes? See my recipes under FREE STUFF link at the top of my web page. Or contact me for more suggestions.
*Note: Some brands of tapioca flour and potato flour are the whole roots ground into flour. Check with the individual companies to know that what you are buying is a whole food flour, not a refined food flour.
12. Fat Free Dairy: There are many reasons to avoid animal fat. My big issue is that they are contaminated with all the toxins that have been created on this divine planet. So, I advise buying organic and naturally raised animal products. I even try to avoid animals products from animals that are fed GMO foods: corn and soybeans. These are no easy tasks, I admit, and can leave one throwing up their arms in despair. With this said, fat is needed in your body! The manufacture of your bodily hormones depends on ingested fat. Action to take: Get to know your farmers, ask them how they raise their animals, what they feed them, if the corn /soy is GMO free, if they get fed very little corn and soy and mostly have access to pasture. (Yes, winter in the north country complicates the pasture grazing issue!) www.gardenshare.org Go ahead, click the link, and start finding local farmers to grow your food!
13. Chocolate: Ok, I know there are people who will want to strangle me for adding this one to the list. Let's get serious, anti-oxidants aside, we all intuitively know that eating processed chocolate, every day, is not what nature intended. It has been well marketed to us as a healthy superfood. (Please see the above comments about marketing campaigns and food.) Yes, I am certain chocolate, cocoa beans, have antioxidants, why wouldn't they? Nature did make them. But humans take those beans and process them into 554 million different chocolateproductsand then market them as a necessary daily food. Our culture has certainly bought into this food campaign: hook, line, and sinker. Perhaps we could all thrive ingesting just chocolate, red wine, and coffee... all are loaded with antioxidants, right?! Ok, ok, I know I am being a smart ass. Action to take: See it for what it is; a tasty, fun, occasional treat. Buy organic and fair trade to support the farmers that grow these amazing beans and enjoy it, with a smile, on occasion.
Questions to ask yourself about a food product:
Was this nature made or man-made?
Were the ingredients nature made or man-made?
Was this made in a food factory?
Does this product have a huge marketing campaign?
If you would like to know more about how to heal your body with real food, how to incorporate healing-whole health strategies into your life, enter your name (above and on the right side of the page) to subscribe to my blog newsletter. Come to a class I teach or give me a shout and we can work one on one. Your health will soar, you will feel great, your cells will bounce with amazing energy! Blessings, Paula
NAKED Skin Care
NAKED Skin Care, Natural Skin Care That Is
I used to make my own shampoo, conditioner, lotions, face creams, blah, blah, blah. I still do make my own face stuff but really, how much time do I have? Homemade gluten free bread, homemade veggie slaws, 100 % homemade meals from local foods, and fermenting my own veggies. There IS only one of me!
I have had psoriasis for 15 years, just after the birth of my eldest son. Hmmm, coincidence? Anyhow, I have pretty much kept it to a very mild issue with diet, sunshine, yoga, and natural lifestyle choices. Gluten free is a huge help!
Then, along comes Eli, Son #2. He developed psoriasis at 8 years of age. It's a gut and whole body health issue but no time to write a book to explain all that in detail. Try to get an 8 year old to leave gluten alone. (Someday he will wish he listened to me...gluten intolerance, if continually irritated with gluten can become full blown celiac disease. It's just like pre-diabetics and diet or orally "controlled" diabetics who continue to indulge in sugar... just wait, they can develop full blown, insulin diabetes from the continual irritation of sugar in their systems.)
Yes, We will be doing another Gluten Free Workshop; me and the Local Living Venture. Sign up for their newsletter and get informed! Use this email address and ask them to subscribe you: sustlivingproject@gmail.com
OK, so I digressed a bit, forgive me. I was looking for natural skin care for psoriasis to help my son. His is much worse than mine, but, may I add, completely disappears when he leaves gluten out of his diet. So, anyhow, I found these products. I know apple cider vinegar is good for the gut and good for the skin. Keeps the microbes healthy and in check. But I did not want to make the products myself. Again, how much can I do everyday?
LOVE this company's stuff: http://www.justnaturalskincare.com/Psoriasis/ALL-skin-psoriasis-products.html
Bottom Line: Psoriasis Advice
1. 100% Whole food diet... am I a broken record about this or what?!
2. Gluten free, no refined sugar.
3. Naked sun: as naked as you are comfortable being outside! Sun to the skin, protect the face (it's the wrinkle factor on the face!).
This is the email, I just received from JustNatural, offering a 20% discount in March. There is no better way to try something new than with a discount! OK, maybe free, but that is not an option! They even have products for stopping hair loss with age.....
Use
as coupon code
Shop Today use code March2014 at checkout
We wish a warm thank you to all of our wonderful customers
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Copyright © 2014 Just Natural Products LLC. All rights reserved.
Again, we wish a warm thank you to all of our awesome customers!
We would like to introduce and share with you the quality of natural hair and skin care products.
In nature many ingredients can be found that are beneficial for your hair and skin care needs. But in today’s hectic world of constant marketing the plain truth is often hard to come by.
Hair care and skin care products that are made with chemicals are often touted as being this or that solution. The reality is that chemical ingredients are often used in hair care products to replace the more expensive and effective alternative, that is real natural and organic ingredients.
Please consider choosing products with fewer chemicals and your hair and skin will thank you for it. We ask that you try natural hair care products and experience the change for yourself.
We bring nature closer to you.
Arthritis: Cooling the Inflammation Naturally
Dietary Changes:
1. Ok, here I go.... whole foods.
If you replace everything you put in your mouth that is not 100% whole food with real food, whole food, your body will heal. It is really that simple.
I could give much more information but making changes, one simple thing at a time, is easiest for most people. Changing the diet from processed, packaged, food "products" to 100% whole food is a huge change for most people. Seriously think about what you eat for each meal and snacks, if you snack: How many food items are manufactured in a factory? How many were created by nature and nature alone (no human meddling)?
Support to move into a whole food eating & healing lifestyle.
Dietary Changes:
1. Ok, here I go.... whole foods.
If you replace everything you put in your mouth that is not 100% whole food with real food, whole food, your body will heal. It is really that simple.
I could give much more information but making changes, one simple thing at a time, is easiest for most people. Changing the diet from processed, packaged, food "products" to 100% whole food is a huge change for most people. Seriously think about what you eat for each meal and snacks, if you snack: How many food items are manufactured in a factory? How many were created by nature and nature alone (no human meddling)?
2. While switching to whole foods, remove wheat and gluten from the diet.
By removing all these packaged foods from your life, you will be removing many laboratory made ingredients that are derived from wheat. Many food additives are made from wheat and therefore contain gluten. You will not read "wheat" on the label but the ingredients with weird, chemical sounding names, more than likely are wheat derived and contain gluten. Eat un-packaged food!
I know many people have complete relief of symptoms by getting gluten out of their diets. This is not as hard as people "groan and moan" it is going to be. People need to educate themselves around gluten and with this new found knowledge, avoiding gluten is not so difficult. Where it gets difficult is we have become a culture dependent on food products and eating away from home (which most food in restaurants is cheap, crap food; use the cheapest ingredients to make the most profit possible). Food products and food prepared out of home is often times full of wheat derivatives. For help: Gluten-Free Cooking & Living Class
3. Another key step in whole food, gluten-free eating is to avoid gluten-free products.
Most are full of filler crap ingredients that are debilitating to health. You will be, in essence, trading one debilitating food for another. Read labels on all foods, gluten-free included, for 100% whole food ingredients. All gluten free foods need to be 100% whole food: no white rice flour, potato starch, tapioca starch, etc. These are refined ingredients and hard on your body's health.
OK, so why remove gluten? Because it is very inflammatory in most people's bodies. Modern day wheat is extremely high in gluten compared to heritage wheat of days gone by, the wheat that existed before human manipulation. The high concentrations of gluten in modern wheat disturb metabolism and cellular health, some people notice it more than others. How gluten affects each person is different. What is known is that gluten is a huge culprit in arthritis and many people are relieved of arthritis symptoms simply by getting rid of gluten. Eat completely gluten-free for 2 weeks, see how you feel. If any doubts about it helping or not, try this: after 2 weeks of gluten-free eating, eat plenty of wheat at every meal for a whole day. Pile on the whole wheat bread, pasta, crackers, and cereal. Now pay attention to how your body feels!
Bread was traditionally made from sprouted whole grains and then fermented for 3 full days with sour dough cultures. The amount of gluten left after sprouting and culturing was very minimal. Today's bread is mass produced in a matter of a couple of hours. There was good reasons for traditional food preparation.
Gluten is naturally found in wheat, rye, barley, and oats*. Any variety of wheat will contain gluten: spelt, kamut, einkorn... anything that says heritage wheat variety. Yes, they have less gluten but at this point, with an auto immune disease, any amount of gluten will just exacerbate the internal inflammation.
Think lung disease: how many daily cigarettes would you recommend to someone with lung disease?
Think liver disease: how many shots of liquor would you recommend to someone trying to heal liver disease?
Think diabetes: how much sugar would you recommend to someone trying to heal the beta cells in their pancreas and ultimately heal their type II diabetes?
Would you tell these people to do the 80/20 plan with their cigarette, alcohol, or sugar consumption?
Eliminating the "culprits," (the cause or causes of the health symptoms) and introducing nourishing healers (food, lifestyle, herbs, etc.) is what will heal your beautiful body, right down to each and every beautiful cell!
*Avoid oats unless certified gluten-free and organic. Oats do not naturally contain gluten. If whole oats, oat flakes, Irish oats, or oat flour are CERTIFIED gluten-free, then they are fine. Gluten-free certification is essential with oats. Otherwise, you are consuming oats that have been contaminated with gluten in the grain harvesting and handling process. Oats are processed on the same equipment that wheat is processed on. This industry practice contaminates oats with gluten from the wheat.
All grains should be organic to avoid pesticides and agricultural chemicals that will, most likely, exacerbate your symptoms. Glyphosate (broad spectrum herbicide brought to you by Monsanto) is hard on the gut lining's health, disrupts gut microbial populations, and creates inflammation in the body.
4. Get rid of sugar:
A whole food diet will take care of that problem immediately. Perhaps some educational handouts around the ill effects of sugar would help out here? Email me and ask for my sugar handouts: pyoumell@gmail.com
5. Dairy:
Often people have much relief from arthritis symptoms when they completely avoid dairy. Some people do well to re-introduce dairy after weeks of eliminating it IF the dairy is raw and from grass fed animals. This means no pasteurization or homogenization. Others do well to re-introduce only raw, grass fed goat milk and goat milk products (cheese, yogurt).
6. Alkalize the body:
The human body likes to function in a slightly alkaline state. When the body struggles to balance from acidic eating and lifestyle habits our health suffers: mineral loss causing tooth decay and bone de-mineralization and deterioration of body organs, body cells.
Below is a chart on acid and alkaline foods. Eating in a balanced way, to keep the body alkaline, helps to heal, including arthritis. Example: Eat veggies with meat to balance the acid-alkaline effects. This is only a quick explanation of acid-alkaline balancing. I encourage you to explore and learn more.
A youtube video with a good, basic explanation: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yk1ru_CJt2k (Forgive the couple of misspelled words, the content is what counts here.)
7. Movement Magic:
Movement is essential. Move it or lose it. Try something called dynamic movement which helps to heal the adhesions that settle in from moving body parts in one direction only. Can I recommend Yoga?
Lisa Huck: I cannot recommend this woman enough: her exercises will restore youthful movement in just minutes a day by lubricating (listen to her awesome words in the video). I stumbled upon her (thanks to Dr. Mercola) and her dynamic movements have ended my sciatica and low back issues (which were not low back issues at all, but movement issues!). She is the Goddess of Movement, my Goddess of movement!
http://thrivefnlblog.com/2012/04/16/dynamic-core-routine/
8. Herbal Healing:
Herbs are fabulous whole foods for healing the body. I would add these in AFTER you have had gluten out of your diet for at least 2 weeks. This way, you can see the effects getting gluten out has on getting healing into your body! You do want to know what is having the healing effects!
My favorite herb: Stinging nettles, I love this green healer. Her work is truly magic in the human body. Nettles adds nutrients to every body cell. This is what you want for your body!
Nettles: planted right next to my porch so I always know I have a supply!
9. More herbs to add for nourishing the body cells, easing symptoms of inflammation, and healing:
ginger, turmeric, cinnamon*, cayenne, and Devil's claw. (*Please use real Ceylon cinnamon, not the grocery store variety of cinnamon.)
Turmeric Ginger Anti-inflammatory syrup recipe
Turmeric butter, anti-inflammatory butter recipe
10. Burdock root and dandelion root:
Nourishing the liver and adding essential fatty acids to the diet heals the body. Both of these roots can be eaten in soups, stir fries, stews, and grated (raw) into a slaw salad or grated to put on top of a green salad. Making an infusion and drinking 3 to 4 cups daily is healing as well. An infusion is a medicinal strength herbal tea. Need help on how to brew an infusion?
11. Nature's Path:
Find that place outside and get fresh air and sunshine (even on cloudy days) every day. Visualize a potted plant, shoved in the bottom of a closet, no fresh air or sunshine. What do you think will be the outcome for that plant? Put this common sense in action in your life. All living beings need fresh air and sunshine, period, bottom line! Embrace it, love it, find time every single day. I promise, you will not regret it.
Putting your body in direct contact with the Earth is called Grounding. Think bare feet walking on a sunny day, cloudy day, even a rainy day. Try removing as much clothes as possible and lie right down on the ground getting as much Earth contact as possible.
Below zero and snow you say? There are Grounding mats you can buy. I will not profess any knowledge or experience around these things as I have never used them. I have clients who swear by them for relief of body aches and pains.
12. Acupuncture:
I would be horribly remiss if I did not tell you about the healing powers of acupuncture to reduce inflammation and move healing energy in the body. I recommend Shelby Connelly, Licensed Acupuncturist in Colton, NY: http://fiveelementsliving.com/
Not in the Northern NY State area? Find an acupuncturist from Tai Sophia, Maryland University of Integrative Health.
13. Yoga:
Does amazing things for healing! Find a yoga instructor knowledgeable in arthritis health and healing. Here in the Northern part of NY State, St. Lawrence County... I recommend Rebecca Rivers, Ellie Beeler, and Sarah Harris. Try the Yoga Loft & Trillium!
14. Reiki Energy Healing:
Find a Reiki practitioner to help bring calming relief to your body, mind, and spirit. I often recommend people take Reiki 1 training to learn to do Reiki healing on themselves.
Bottom Line:
1. Whole foods
2. Gluten-free eating, maybe grain free
3. Sugar free eating & drinking
6. Herbs
7. Acupuncture and energy healing
8. Yoga
9. Reiki
May this post inspire you to move forward in your life, to take self-responsibility for healing your own body. You know your body best and what it needs to heal.
Be well, relax, learn to heal your beautiful body through nature! If I can help you with your healing plan, you know where to find me. Contact Paula
PS Need some words of love & encouragement from happy clients & students?
Free Natural Health-Lifestyle Medicine Information to further encourage your Self Healing Skills:
- Principles of Whole Food Eating (Whole foods are the foundation for your healing plan.)
- Movement Magic
- Whole Health Lifestyle Choices
- Making Herbal Infusions
- Bone Health
- Making any recipe a Whole Food Recipe
- Microwave ILLS
- Gut Health
- Keeping blood sugar healthy
- Cook like a kitchen artist!
- Clean 15, Dirty Dozen list from Environmental Working Group
- Recipes
Build a Better Breakfast...
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