The New Flu Shot

1000 x better than a flu shot

For those of you who are unaware...it is not really necessary to get a flu shot. People get sick because they have compromised immune systems. So all you have to do is work on building your immune system and you can avoid getting sick.

P.S. every time I have gotten a flu shot I have gotten the flu. When I don't get the flu shot, I don't get the flu. Go figure. You can see why I am against getting the flu shot.

How do I build my immune system? 

1) Take a vitamin D supplement every day. Check our Vitamin D guide for details about choosing the proper dosage.

2) Get as much sunlight as you can for as late into the year as you can manage. Even getting sunlight on just your face helps produce more vitamin D in your body. (I go tanning in the winter for a few minutes a few times a week)

3) Drink immune-boost beverages like Raw Generation Juices, which contains a blend of dark greens including wheatgrass! Get much needed vitamins and minerals in one bottle (or shot of wheatgrass juice). (shameless plug!)

4) Get regular exercise to boost your circulation and immune strength. This exercise should be frequent and moderate. Do not over-stress yourself at the gym, or your immune system will be temporarily compromised. 

5) Take supplements especially designed to protect your respiratory tract. These include Lomatium, Osha, Elderberry and more.  

6) Eat more meals that are rich in pungent spices. Eat more curry, which is rich in turmeric. Eat more ginger. Eat more cilantro, rosemary, thyme and other rich spices. This includes cloves and nutmeg, two spices you'll typically find in eggnog drinks. These spices boost immune function and taste great, too! 

7) Clean up your diet. If you're eating cheese and drinking processed milk, those substances are to be avoided during the winter influenza season, especially. In many people, cheese and dairy products tend to cause sinus stuffiness, which is really a lack of sinus circulation. This can make you more susceptible to physically catching and harboring a virus floating around. 

8) Boost your trace minerals intake, especially zinc. Both zinc and selenium are hugely important for immune function. Zinc is especially well known for functioning as a shield support against many viral attacks. One of the best ways to boost your trace minerals intake is to switch to a natural sea salt or a high-mineral salt.  

9) Move your lymph! Rebounders (mini trampolines) are great for this purpose. Jumping rope also works, as does just hopping in place for a few minutes each day. You can also do arm rotations and other simple movements to keep your lymph circulating. Lymph movement is crucial for immunity. 

10) Take immune-protective herbs such as goldenseal, garlic, echinacea, osha root and elderberry.  

11) Get plenty of sleep. A lack of sleep compromises the immune system. 

12) Reduce your levels of chronic stress, if possible. Stress also compromises your immune system, and it even "uses up" nutrients in your body, leaving you nutritionally depleted. 

13) Laugh a little! Watch some comedy movies, or spend some fun time with family and friends. Laughter boosts immune function at many levels. It's good for your body and your mental health. Find creative ways to expose yourself to comical situations and you'll benefit as a result. :-)

Instead of getting the flu shot... try a daily wheatgrass shot! I drink at least a bottle of our Recipe #2 each day (which includes wheatgrass).

My FAVORITE! Juice Recipe

I have been making a whole variety of different juice recipes over the past few weeks for an e-book I am working on for Raw Generation Juices and I wanted to share with you my absolute favorite one that I have made thus far.

RED ROOTS (about 16 oz)

• 1 beet
• 2 red apples
• 4 carrots
• 1 lemon
• 1" piece ginger root

This combination is sweet, earthy, tangy, warming, and delicious all at the same time. It's also instant energy. I have tried it a few times recently when it's the middle of the day and I'm dragging ass. Instead of drinking coffee I drink a juice and within a few minutes I am feeling revived. 

Bet you didn't know that beets:

• act as a medicine for liver and gallbladder
• help lower cholesterol
• destroy tumor cells and cancer cells
• strengthen the function of blood and overcome Anemia
• produce red blood cells
• clean and neutralize toxins in the body
• strengthen the circulatory system and immune syste
• fight against inflammation, infections, and kidney stones
• give power and balance to the body

Even if you only do one juice a day, I highly recommend incorporating some form of juice into your everyday diet. The benefits of getting all of these fruits and vegetables in your body outnumber the effort it takes to make. This juice takes all of 4 minutes to make and is enough to fill you up. And BONUS! You are getting roughly 8 servings of fruits and vegetables in one shot!

What are your favorite juice recipes?

Sunbathers Beware

I am not shy about admitting that I love being out in the sun. If I could I would sit on the beach all day every day for the rest of my life. But, I live in New Jersey and we have 4 seasons. Anyway, now that my favorite season is ahead of us- SUMMER - it's time to talk about sunscreen. I am a sucker for sitting in the sun, but I am also careful to NEVER BURN! I didn't used to be as religious about using the sunscreen when I was a lifeguard (major fail) probably because I never thought I would get older and get wrinkles.

Well, as much as I love the sun and getting vitamin D, I also want to make sure that I am using a sunscreen that isn't going to be toxic to me. I just came across an article from Natural News about an ingredient in sunscreens that shows up in our urine.

I am completely convinced that when we put something on our skin- be it water, or lotion, or perfume- it is absorbed and travels through our body. It's the same as putting over-processed junk in our mouths. The chemicals/preservatives/additives are digested and travel around doing damage.

Commercial sunscreens are a danger to your health

Wednesday, May 16, 2012 by: Randall Neustaedter OMD 

(Original Source)

(NaturalNews) A recent study has shown that a potent sunscreen ingredient, oxybenzone, may be a cause of endometriosis. This condition occurs when uterine tissue grows in abnormal sites in the abdomen and causes severe pain. Women are usually diagnosed because of severe cramping during their periods. In this study of 600 women, those with the highest levels of a form of oxybenzone in their urine had a 65 percent increased risk of endometriosis. Oxybenzone, like bisphenol-A (BPA), is a chemical that mimics estrogen. And endometriosis growth is fed by estrogen.

This study should be another warning sign that oxybenzone should not be put on the skin. The highest levels of oxybenzone in the urine of women in this study occurred in the months of July and August, proof that the sunscreen ingredient is readily absorbed into the bloodstream.

Exposure to sunlight promotes good health. The more sun exposure we get, the better our bodies function. Preventing sunburn during the hottest part of the day is a good idea. Sunburn damages the skin. But with all of the evidence that sunlight is beneficial in the prevention of cancer and heart disease, maintaining a strong immune system, and building bones, no one should be using sunscreens on a routine or daily basis.

This study provides further evidence that commercial sunscreens that contain cancer-causing and estrogenic chemicals should never be used. Sunscreens with oxybenzone, methoxycinnamate, and PABA are dangerous. The only proven safe sunscreen ingredient is zinc oxide.

About the author:

Dr. Randall Neustaedter, OMD, has practiced and taught holistic medicine for more than thirty years in the San Francisco Bay area, specializing in child health care. He is a licensed acupuncturist and doctor of Chinese medicine, author of The Holistic Baby Guide, Child Health Guide and The Vaccine Guide. Visit his website, www.cure-guide.com, to register for a free newsletter with pediatric specialty articles and follow him on Facebook, at Dr. Randall Neustaedter, OMD.

Here are some non-toxic sunscreens. Click on the images to buy the products on Amazon.

If you know of any leave a comment below! 

Who Nu?

(Source)

Who nu imitation Oreos could be so healthy? I saw a commercial for these cookies about a week ago and was completely floored at how F-ing stupid this company is and disgusted at the fact that we are in a world that regards products like this as health food items. I'm not sure what this company's sales are like, but the one thing we can all count on is that this world full of people who take things at face value and don't question much.

(Source)

Are these people serious? I mean come on! Any sort of bogus nutrition that they are claiming is in these COOKIES is obviously man-made. Unless they found a Who Nu plant somewhere in the wild jungles of some far away place only accessible by befriending an ancient alien tribe after floating there on your over-sized magic carpet. I would imagine it could look something like this:

REALITY CHECK! This company claiming Who Nu cookies are as healthy as a cup of spinach, a cup of blueberries, and as fibrous as oatmeal is about as crazy as me talking about ancient alien tribes in far away jungles and flying magic carpets. 

What seems more ridiculous to you?

To sunbathe or not to sunbathe...

Ok, people. Let's talk about the controversial topic of the sun. Most of you I'm sure have been brainwashed into thinking that the sun is unhealthy for us. What about skin cancer? And ladies, I know you're worried about wrinkles. But what about getting enough Vitamin D? Majority of us are Vitamin D deficient. Vitamin D is actually not a vitamin but a hormone that controls the absorption of vitamins and minerals into your blood, among other things. It's extremely important. Without it you could eat the healthiest diet in the world and your body still wouldn't be able to use all of the vitamins and minerals it was trying to absorb.

The sun is how we are naturally supposed to get Vitamin D. These doctors that are pushing synthetic Vitamin D are doing everyone an injustice.

What is UV light? Simply put, it's electromagnetic radiation with a wavelength that's shorter than that of visiblelight, and longer than x-rays. Visible light, UV rays, x-rays-all of these are just names for different wavelengths of electromagnetic rays. It's called ultra-violet because these frequencies are higher than the wavelengths that wehumans identify as violet. There are five kinds of UV light, but the first two, Vacuum UV and Far UV are bothcompletely absorbed by the.

UVB is the most dangers of the commonly encountered forms of UV. It has enough energy to wreakphotochemical havoc on our cellular DNA, but not enough to be absorbed by the atmosphere like UVC. UVB isneeded by our skin to generate Vitamin D, but too much exposure can cause sunburn, cataracts and can lead toskin cancer. People who work outside are at the most risk of these dangers, and cloud cover is not enoughprotection to block UVB. 

UVA is the most commonly found form of UV, and is responsible for the tanning effect we see in our skin after time spent in sunlight, and can cause sunburn if exposure is excessive. The atmosphere does very little to blockthis kind of UV, and it's needed to help generate Vitamin D. However, too much exposure can cause our skin togrow tough, hard, and wrinkled. It can also suppress the immune system and cause the creation of cataracts. (source)

Here's the problem with the sun and skin cancer. Until recently sun screens only blocked UVB rays (Vitamin D producing). They did nothing to block UVA rays (the cancer producing rays). So guess what happened? People thought they were protecting their skin from skin cancer, but they weren't. So they were roasting in the sun (present company included) not burning because the sunscreen was protecting those top layers of skin, but meanwhile underneath (where the UVA reaches) there was some serious damage being done. When UVA rays penetrate they actually burn the deeper layers of your skin which you do not feel but still causes damage that can result in skin cancer- and wrinkles.

I get the question/statement all the time 'Well I know someone who wore sun screen/didn't wear sunscreen and now has skin cancer. What do you say about that?'. Well, this is what happens- if you are the type that doesn't burn and you aren't wearing sunscreen, UVA rays are still being absorbed deep into your skin which will potentially cause skin cancer. If you are the type to use sun screen but it only blocks out UVB rays then you are still being exposed to the potential of skin cancer because the UVA rays are penetrating deep into your skin.

The goal is to get enough sun so you can manufacture Vitamin D and not burn. LET ME REPEAT THAT....THE GOAL IS TO NOT GET SUN BURN. You can do this a couple ways. You can sit in the sun for as long as your skin will tolerate (err on the side of caution especially in the beginning of the spring/summer) and then put sunscreen on if you are going to sit out longer (must be UVA & UVB). You can go to a tanning salon. HOWEVER! There are a few questions you must ask the tanning salon you plan on going to:

• Do the lamps use an electronic ballast or a magnetic ballast? You want electronic.
• What is the ratio of UVA to UVB. Ideally you would want bulbs that are at least 10% UVB

You can also take an oral Vitamin D3 supplement, however you should really get a blood test to check your levels before you start taking a supplement as you can take too much orally. Another important thing to mention is the type of Vitamin D that milk is fortified with is the wrong one- D2. The kind that our body utilizes is D3 which we have the ability to make when we are exposed to UVB & UVA rays. Our bodies have a self regulating mechanism that will not allow Vitamin D to get to toxic levels, but only if we get it from sun exposure.

Below is a video that explains how to figure out the times of the day that you will get UVB according to where you live and the time of year. The actual website where you can put in your city, state, and date is http://aa.usno.navy.mil/data/docs/AltAz.php

So what do I do? Well, in the winter I go to a tanning salon and in the summer I sit in the sun. Call me crazy but when I go tanning consistently I don't usually get sick. In fact, if I feel a cold coming on I go tanning and it will literally be almost gone the next day. BUT I DON'T BURN! I start out at 1-2 minutes and work my way up to 8 minutes. I have friends who are Italian (you know who you are) who go tanning and go in for too long (and burn) because they want to get color immediately. This is the worst thing you could do for yourself and are totally missing the point of the purpose of getting sun. 

Every single one of our cells has Vitamin D receptors. How then did people centuries ago survive without the vitamin industry pushing pills on them? The sun. And the people who didn't live in climates where the sun was an option ate the fat of animals that contained Vitamin D in it. 

Nature always provides what we need when we need it. It is our job to get back to a place where we are not brainwashed by big industries (vitamins, pharma, beauty). Oh and I almost forgot about wrinkles. If you get a little bit of sun, and eat a diet high in fruits and vegetables you will literally look younger and healthier than you ever did. No need to buy expensive creams (that don't work anyway). 

FYI those older models in face cream ads that look flawless are Photoshopped. 

Going RAW: Part Deux

It has been almost a week that I have been eating a mostly raw food diet. Wohooo! Even though it is not my goal to cut out cooked food cold turkey I feel like I have a pretty good handle on it. I am not going to stress about it if I absolutely want to eat something cooked every once and a while. I think that my body will take care of what it needs over time and I will want it less and less.

I hired help of course. Lisa was kind enough to fit me into her schedule and help a sista out by making her heavier "transition" raw foods. I can handle fruit salad, smoothies, and green salads (although she does make me a few of these) but I asked her to make me things that are going to be as close to cooked food as possible like her zucchini pasta with creamy basil pesto!

Everything is awesome! I am finding that even with raw food I really love savory (salty) food over sweet. I have always been one for salty things- especially potato chips.

What a change since the last time I tried to do this! If you don't remember (or weren't reading my blog yet) I tried this last November when we were just getting into winter and I was crazy busy with work. I found myself completely freezing and wanted nothing but soup. So I parked it for a few months. Now we are over the hump and spring is around the corner. I don't have the insane need for hot things anymore. I am ready!


Why am I doing this? Well, after last month's EPISODE followed by a bad cold, I was fed up and felt like the next thing to do was to completely change my diet. Enter raw food. I have been reading about people who have made the change and am amazed by their testimonials about how much their health improved. So I thought I would give it a shot. I want to try to maximize the amount of vitamins and minerals I am getting from my food.

Most people, when I tell them what I am doing, say 'oh, I could  never do that', and you know what they probably can't. Because when you say you can't do something you are right. You are putting limitations on yourself before you even try. I used to say that I could never give up meat. Oh how far I've come!

Anyone out there considering going raw? or has and has some advice?

For All You Athletes Out There

I started drinking coconut water about a year or two ago. All of a sudden it is everywhere. I find it especially thirst quenching after a big night out, or a really long workout. Here are the health benefits in a nutshell:

"Coconut water is a powerhouse of natural electrolytes, vitamins, minerals, trace elements, amino acids, enzymes, antioxidants and phytonutrients, and is low in sugar, but pleasantly sweet. It’s great for post-exercise re-hydration, but also has anti-inflammatory properties, protects your heart and urinary tract, is a digestive tonic, improves your skin and eyes, supports good immune function, and can even help balance your blood glucose and insulin levels." 

"Coconut water is the richest dietary source of cytokinins, plant hormones that have anti-cancer, anti-aging, and anti-thrombolytic benefits in humans. Because coconut water is isotonic and sterile (upon coming out of the coconut), it is very similar to blood plasma and has been used intravenously in emergency situations for more than 60 years." (Original Source)

While I do agree with the nutritional benefits of drinking plain coconut water, the stuff with mixed fruit and fruit juice is just a bunch of sugar. I just stick with the original plain kind now, but it just tastes a little off when you drink it by itself.

What I started doing, instead of drinking the pineapple flavored kind (I am obsessed with pineapple), is using plain coconut water in my morning smoothies. Instead of using a lot of water, I use half coconut water and half water. I have found that this has really helped me as I have increased my workouts over the past few weeks.

SIDE NOTE: You can even use coconut water in drinks! This pic was taken at a beach side bar in Rincon, PR last year. The bartenders chopped the coconut up right in front of you with a machete (something that apparently is common to have and walk around with in Puerto Rico), used some of the coconut water, some other goodness that I can't really remember (probably rum) and cinnamon. Not really a "healthy" drink, but it sure was delish!

Coconuts have been very underrated here in the US, but times, they are a changin'!


Try using coconut water instead of Gatorade, Vitamin Water, and electrolyte waters. Who the hell knows what is in them (really...can you understand the ingredients?) OR if our bodies actually use the synthetic s-h-i-t they put in there anyway. My guess is all these companies pushing vitamins are bringing knives to a gun fight. Mother Nature being the one holding the gun. 

Eggs: My favorite food

If you haven't noticed, I have been writing about eggs a lot lately. They are my absolute favorite food- period. Especially in the winter. I could eat them twice a day. In fact, after I finish writing this I am going to make myself an omelet.

I just wanted to share something with you that I learned recently about how the egg is supposed to look when you crack it out of it's shell. You should know by now if you have been reading my ramblings that I go to a farm to buy meat and eggs. I buy as many eggs as Carla has available, and since I don't get down there as often as I would like, I buy the rest of my eggs organic and pastured if possible.

Look at the difference between one of the farm eggs (bottom) and an organic store-bought egg (top). If you can't notice a difference let me school you:

• the farm egg (bottom) is darker orange in color which means that it is richer in beta-carotene 
• the egg white around the farm egg is thick with a defined edge
• majority of the liquid in the bowl came from the organic egg (top)

Here are some things that you cannot see:

• The shell of the farm egg was a lot harder to crack
• I did a poke test to see how easily the yolk would break and the farm egg's yolk was much more resilient to my poke; the organic egg yolk broke almost immediately. 

Why is this important? Well, the healthier the animal, the stronger the egg, the healthier the egg is for you. Beta-carotene, which is the pigment responsible for orange foods like carrots, sweet potatoes, and pumpkin, is important because it is a precursor to Vitamin A. Vitamin A is an important vitamin because without it our bodies cannot utilize all of the vitamins and minerals we take in through our food. It works in conjunction with Vitamin D, which is why they fortify dairy with both, however the dairy industry missed the boat and is using the wrong form-Vitamin D2- when we really need Vitamin D3. If you don't know my stance on vitamins read thisA Bitter Pill to Swallow...how vitamins may not actually be healthy. 

Bottom line is that this power couple (Vitamins A & D) is responsible for directing where other nutrients are sent in your body. They are like the air traffic controllers. Without them it is a whole big mess. 

In addition to the sun (Vitamin D) and fruits & vegetables (Vitamin A), you can also get them in the meat and dairy from animals that have been pasture raised. The animals absorb Vitamin D from the sun and they get Vitamin A from the grass, both end up being stored in their muscle, organs, and milk (and subsequently the milk products). This is one of the reasons why so many cultures (including ours until recently) ate the organ meats of animals. They were very high in Vitamins A & D- although I doubt they knew this. This is how many cultures survive in very cold climates with hardly any exposure to sunlight. They ate animals in their entirety- the liver, the bones in soup, the feet, EVERYTHING! And the animals were either wild or pasture raised. Factory farms didn't exist until very recently. 

So. It's winter. I live in New Jersey. I don't get any sun- I usually go tanning a few times a week, but my package ended and I just haven't gotten around to renewing PLUS I want to see if I can fulfill my needs through my diet. Enter eggs, meat, and dairy from pastured animals. 

Do you think people used to worry about getting enough vitamins or did they just eat what was abundant in their area? 

(Pssst... Nutritionism and all this hype about individual nutrients is an American made thing (scary!). It has never been practiced anywhere else in the world. Cultures around the globe practiced eating whole foods which were indigenous to their area. Over time, they found what worked for them so they could survive and thrive where they lived. I think we need to go back to that- who the hell are we to think that we can design it better than Mother Nature?)

OMG I want to eat LIVER!

Well, I've gone and done it again. Just when I think I know enough to make informed decisions about what I am eating I learn something new that totally blows my mind and makes me rethink what I have been doing.

New year's night I ate dinner at my Aunt's house and liver and onions came up in conversation. We aren't weirdos...my grandmother used to eat it all the time. As soon as I heard that my face scrunched up and I got that feeling like "I could never eat organs!" Hahaha like it's any different than eating muscle (which is what meat is).

Anywho, I was just listening to a lecture by Sally Fallon of the Weston A Price Foundation on "what a healthy diet is". In a nutshell, Weston Price (who was a dentist) saw his patients coming in with awful teeth. He knew that diet had something to do with it so he set out to study a bunch of isolated "primitive" cultures around the world. They are referred to as primitive because they have no interaction with the "civilized world". His goal was to examine their teeth, their overall health, and the foods that they ate.

He went to each culture and did just that. He examined everyone from the elders down to the infants and found, to his astonishment, that the majority (99%) had perfect teeth and were generally of good health. Their babies were healthy, the old people were healthy. Then he recorded their diets. He set out thinking that their diets would be vegetarian. On the contrary they ate everything from raw milk to organ meats to fish heads (yum!).

What these "primitive" cultures ate depended on what they had available. There was a group of people in Switzerland that ate mainly raw milk products and a dense sour dough bread.

You ask...how is that possible? I thought carbs and dairy were bad?

Well the bread and cheese those people ate were completely different than the bread and cheese that we eat today. They did not pasteurize their milk which kills everything beneficial that raw milk has to offer, and the bread that they made was made in such a way that is easily digestible.

 There were a lot of similarities between how these "primitive" people ate but here are the few that intrigued me the most:

• they ate what was available to them (whether it was dairy, or bugs, or fish, or grains) 
• they ate entire animals/fish
• they ate the fattiest parts of the animals

How does this relate to liver and onions? Well until just recently it was common to use most parts of an animal. Two generations ago, people ate liver. And this is in New Jersey, not some isolated valley in Switzerland.

liver & onions courtesy of The Food Network

Since then, the no-fat/low-fat health claims have twisted us into thinking that we are healthier without all the fat. But these isolated "primitive" cultures around the world have proven otherwise. These cultures have been eating traditionally for hundreds if not thousands of years (depending) because it has allowed them to thrive and survive in their particular surroundings. They do not need doctors and scientists to tell them what nutrients are in what. They ate liver not knowing it is very high in Vitamin A & D. They did not explicitly know that Vitamins A & D are fat soluable (which means they need fat present to be absorbed). The liver is a fatty organ. They did not explicitly know that Vitamins A & D are important in that they allow all of the rest of the vitamins and minerals to be absorbed and utilized properly, as well as play a huge role in the proper functioning of hormones. Their animals were raised on a pasture, which in turn produces meat that is high in Vitamin D.

They weren't screwed up about what they should eat. 


Why do we (Americans) think we know it all? Why in a relatively short period of time have we screwed it all up? Who do we think we are?

After listening to this lecture, I got the uncontrollable urge to try liver. I heard horror stories from my mom and aunt about liver and onions, but I have a feeling that if I use enough butter and make a pate it will be delicious. I mean if the French can eat it (and a lot of it) why can't I?

Coming Soon...liver pate... are you yay or nay?

*By the way... if you were like me and against liver (or other meat) you can take a cod liver oil supplement, but not without butter!!! Butter makes everything better.

My HOT Friday Night Date

Meet Hot Toddie. He is wonderful in a pinch, if you want to let your hair down, or are feeling a little under the weather. A date with him doesn't require you to get all dolled up and freeze your ass off waiting on some line. He is totally unpretentious, warms you up, and relaxes you.

Yesterday, as the day wore on I started to get that 'I think I'm getting sick' feeling, and after dinner I knew it was so. I was hoping I could sleep it off, but unfortunately that was not in the cards for today. I was slow as molasses, and very unfocused but I had to stay at work to get things done and also because I had a much-needed hair appointment tonight that I wouldn't have cancelled even if I was dying.

I thought I was in the clear, but something got through my defenses. I was just thinking this week that I can't remember the last time I was sick (or semi-sick like today). This is one of those instances where if I just suck up my Friday night out it will be gone soon. So here is my 'I-am-getting-sick-and-I-don't-have-time-to-be-sick' routine:

• Get home, take off my clothes and put on sweats & a fuzzy bathrobe w/ cushy socks  
• Take 1500mg of Vitamin C & 50mg of Zinc
• Do the neti pot (if you don't know what that is I will explain below)
• Put a few drops of ear oil in each ear
• Make a Hot Toddie
• 1 cup tea (I used echinacea)
• 1 slice lemon juice
• 1 tbsp honey
• 1 shot of cognac (I didn't have that so I used Jack Daniels- which I think has been on my liquor shelf for at least 2 years...not really sure where it came from)
• Get into bed with a good book (still in your robe) and try to sweat your ass off

I say try to sweat your ass off because I am generally always cold. In the winter it is common for me to sleep in full sweats under 2 blankets with the space heater on. Now on to the neti pot. This thing which was introduced to me by my Nani many years ago is weird but it works. It is this Aladdin's lamp looking thing which you fill with warm water and either salt or the packets they give you (which is basically salt). You stick the spout to one of your nostrils and hang your head sideways over a sink. The water solution runs up one nostril and out the other...I told you it's weird. It kind of feels like you inhaled water, but it doesn't hurt. And if getting salty water in the back of your throat doesn't make you barf (like it does to me) you can tilt your head back so it runs down your throat to clear out the back of your sinuses. I can't do that.

Anyway, time to get into bed and RELAAAAXXXXXX! G-night!

What are your 'I-am-getting-sick-and-I-don't-have-time-to-be-sick' remedies?






12/3 UPDATE: Worked like a charm...I'm ready now to undertake this giant task of catching up on a month of school work, studying for a test and going to a wedding tonight. Have a wonderful Saturday!

Papaya

This is the first papaya I have ever eaten (knowingly). I have never had anything against them, it just never ended up in my shopping cart probably because I didn't know what it looked like. I was introduced to one in the Korean Market last week. So I put it in a smoothie this morning.

• 1 papaya
• 1/2 pineapple
• 1 mango
• 2 bananas
• coconut water
• water

If you recognize the smoothie above it is my FAVORITE smoothie with the addition of papaya. And must I say it was pretty, pretty, pretty good. And beautiful!

Here are a couple compelling reasons to start adding these babies to your morning smoothies:

• Papayas offer not only the luscious taste and sunlit color of the tropics, but are rich sources of antioxidant nutrients such as carotenes, vitamin C and flavonoids; the B vitamins, folate and pantothenic acid; and the minerals, potassium and magnesium; and fiber. Together, these nutrients promote the health of the cardiovascular system and also provide protection against colon cancer. In addition, papaya contains the digestive enzyme, papain, which is used like bromelain, a similar enzyme found in pineapple, to treat sports injuries, other causes of trauma, and allergies.
• Papayas may be very helpful for the prevention of atherosclerosis and diabetic heart disease. Papayas are an excellent source of vitamin C as well as a good source of vitamin E and vitamin A (through their concentration of pro-vitamin A carotenoid phytonutrients), three very powerful antioxidants.
• Papayas are also a good source of fiber, which has been shown to lower high cholesterol levels (and keep the poop shoot flowing properly- this tidbit was not from the original source). The folic acid found in papayas is needed for the conversion of a substance called homocysteine into benign amino acids such as cysteine or methionine. If unconverted, homocysteine can directly damage blood vessel walls and, if levels get too high, is considered a significant risk factor for a heart attack or stroke. Folic acid is also extremely important for pregnant women. (Original Source)

So, if you have never eaten this tropical fruit, I suggest you try it out. Just make sure you scoop the seeds out before you blend because they taste very peppery. 

I should have been born French

I recently watched the movie Julie & Julia (I know it is a few years old) and was instantly enthralled by Julia Child. Honestly I could have done without the Julie character and her story (although that was a great accomplishment to have her blog turned into a major motion picture). They should have just done the movie about Julia Child. Anywho. Julia Child had spend years and in France "mastering the art of French cooking" which coincidentally is the name of her two volume masterpiece. I have not read it yet, but I am going to buy it and start working through it. She also has another book Julia's Kitchen Wisdom: Essential Techniques and Recipes from a Lifetime of Cooking which I think might be right up my alley. 


The real reason I am writing about this is because it occurred to me that she lived to be 92, and, from what I saw and know of her recipes, ate a high fat diet full of pastries and duck, beef and butter (among other things). This was back in the 1950's until the time she died in 2004. I do know that she used real, fresh, quality ingredients, and lots of love. She LOVED to cook and figure out the best ways to prepare any dish. A woman after my own heart. 

This raises the question... do the ingredient matter as much as the quality?


Let's take butter for instance. It is quite possibly my favorite fat and I will put it on anything that I can. According to SELF Magazine's Nutrition Data Website it is 99% fat and 1% protein. It is very inflammatory probably because it is a saturated fat from an animal source (I assume that they are rating this as bad as they are because it is high saturated fat and everyone is under the impression that saturated fats are bad- WRONG - unnatural fats are bad). It has upwards of 20% RDA of Vitamins A, D, E, & K as well as being a complete protein (a complete protein is a source of protein that contains an adequate proportion of all nine of the essential amino acids necessary for the dietary needs of humans or other animals).

So in butter's case, it is the saturated fat and cholesterol vs. all 9 essential amino "fatty" acids and 4 vitamins. Now obviously you can find these vitamins elsewhere in a wide variety of vegetables. The essential fatty acids are another story.


Two things:

• The complete proteins are called "essential" fatty or amino acids because our body cannot make them. We need to get them from other sources, and our bodies will not function properly if we are deficient.   
• The word "fatty" means they come from FAT. Therefore, you will be deficient if you eat a low fat diet. That means, if you only eat egg whites, boneless skinless chicken breast, no butter, and no meat you are running the risk of becoming deficient in one or several of the 9.

Yes you can find some of the 9 amino acids from other sources (legumes, grains, and vegetables) but they tend to be limited in the number of amino acids. Some are notably low, such as corn protein. Hmmmm, didn't I just find out that corn in the United States is genetically modified and shows up in a lot of the processed foods Americans buy? 

These are the foods naturally containing all 9 amino acids:  amaranth, buckwheat, hempseed, meat, poultry, soybeans, quinoa, seafood, and spirulina.


How many of those can you say you eat on a regular basis? Personally, I can say 1 regularly (seafood) and 5 occasionally. The three that I have never used in my cooking so far are amaranth, buckwheat, and hempseed. 


It is easy to get all of the essential amino acids if you eat a wide variety of unprocessed foods, but how many of you can say that?


So with all that technical stuff aside, let's get back to quality. After everything that I have read on the science of fats, dairy, the dairy industry, sugar, the sugar industry, soy, the soy industry, etc, it is my humble conclusion that the quality of the fats, sugars, and proteins are more important than the amount of saturated fat in something or the amount of carbs in something else. 

Instead of counting calories and grams of fat, try focusing on these few things that will make a tremendous improvement in your life:

1. Buy organic egg and dairy products. If you are lucky enough to live in a state or country that allows the sale of raw dairy take advantage. The packaging must say "without antibiotics and growth hormones" and would be a HUGE plus if it says "comes from grass fed/pasture raised animals". Cage Free is does not mean that the chickens live on a farm. They are given slightly better living conditions than normal (which isn't saying much). If you want to know how "conventional" animals are raised look up some videos on YouTube...a lot of it is worse than your wildest imaginations.
2. Buy meat from "humanely raised" animals. Grass fed is good too, but the regulations for raising grass fed animals go against what is natural for those animal. Animals eat other things than grass in nature. Organic means nothing unless it also says humanely raised or grass fed.
3. Don't buy processed soy UNLESS it is soy sauce, tofu, tempeh, or miso. Check all ingredients though because manufacturers sneak in bad ingredients to cut costs. 
4. Cut out as much refined sugar as you possibly can. Fruit sugar is different. We are meant to eat fruit. It has fiber in it which slows down the absorption into our blood stream. Fruit is also bursting with vitamins, minerals, anti-oxidants, and cancer-fighting nutrients. 
5. NO TRANS-FATS. Partially hydrogenated and hydrogenated oils make up this category. They wreak havoc on your bodies in many different ways. 

Long story short...EAT LIKE JULIA DID...REAL, HIGH QUALITY FOODS COOKED WITH LOVE.

She was funny too!

Stop Getting Sick... Go Tanning!

It is that time of year. The sun is going down around 7pm. The leaves are starting to change colors. People are getting sick. NOT ME!

In the summer I make a point to get as much sun as I possibly can. I sit in the sun for about 20 minutes without any sunscreen on and soak up the rays. Then of course I lather up with 30-50 SPF depending on my length of time I plan on being at the beach. I used to, however, put sunscreen on before I even left the house. I used to get sick quite a bit.

I never get sick in the summer any more, but usually I am fighting off colds all winter long popping vitamins and drinking loads of tea. Well last year I started tanning regularly around the holidays because I had been sick a handful of times that fall, and guess what? I stopped getting sick.

Almost everyone I talk to about the fact that I tan (in tanning beds) says "What the hell are you doing? Tanning beds cause skin cancer!" Well I beg to differ. BURNING causes skin cancer. The tanning beds give off the same types of light as natural sunlight. Tanning has received bad press because of everyone's fear of skin cancer and wrinkles. Misinformed politicians are sticking their noses where they don't belong (where do they belong?) and scaring people into believing something that is just wrong. The sun should not be feared...they key is to not burn. At the end of every summer, before my tan fades, I start tanning a few times a week. I start off with a few minutes (4-5) and work up over the course of a month or so to 9-10 minutes.

I don't usually get sick. However, sometimes when I let myself get rundown and low on sleep, I start to feel that pre-sick feeling- like you know that if you don't do something fast you are going to be full blown sick. That happened to me on Monday (the day after my nonstop-blowout-birthday-weekend). In the middle of the day I started to feel that back of the throat tickle, ache behind the eyes, ears are getting clogged feeling. Lucky for me I live 1/2 mile from the beach, I was at home, and we were at the end of an Indian summer. Needless to say I went and plopped my exhausted self on the beach for about 2 hours with no sunscreen. I didn't feel better right away, but low and behold I woke up yesterday morning and felt completely fine!

I urge everyone who lives in colder climates to think about tanning in the winter. Do your own research, and no matter what DON'T LET YOURSELF BURN! Below is a brief video and some great information on sunlight, vitamin D, and cancer prevention.

New Model Of Cancer Development: Vitamin D is the Key By Dr. Mercola (Original Source)

Researchers studying the preventive effects of vitamin D on cancer have proposed a new model of cancer development that hinges on a loss of cancer cells' ability to stick together. The model, dubbed DINOMIT, differs from the older model of cancer development, which suggests genetic mutations as the earliest driving forces behind cancer. 

"The first event in cancer is loss of communication among cells due to, among other things, low vitamin D and calcium levels," said epidemiologist Cedric Garland. "This loss may play a key role in cancer by disrupting the communication between cells that is essential to healthy cell turnover, allowing more aggressive cancer cells to take over." 

Garland suggests that such cellular disruption could account for the earliest stages of many cancers. Previous theories linking vitamin D to certain cancers have been tested and confirmed in more than 200 epidemiological studies, and understanding of its physiological basis stems from more than 2,500 laboratory studies. 

Each letter in DINOMIT stands for a different phase of cancer development – disjunction, initiation, and natural selection, overgrowth of cells, metastasis, involution, and transition.
While there is not yet definitive scientific proof, Garland suggests that much of the evolutionary process in cancer could be arrested at the outset by maintaining adequate vitamin D levels. This latest study, published in the Annals of Epidemiology, is yet another piece in what’s turning into a mountain of evidence showing vitamin D’s effectiveness for a wide variety of cancers. 800+ links showing vitamin D’s effectiveness on cancer The idea of getting sun exposure in order to stay healthy is such a simple strategy it’s easily dismissed in this age where so many folks believe health comes in a pill and costs a fortune. But it’s true, and with the mounting evidence, not even conventional medicine can ignore it any longer. 

In fact, some of the top vitamin D experts in the world believe optimizing your vitamin D levels by getting proper sun exposure is the next largest variable after smoking that can influence whether or not you’ll get cancer. 

I am a bit surprised at that comment as from my understanding vitamin D has a far more profound impact on cancer. Vitamin D seems to universally lower risk for nearly all cancers where smoking is primarily restricted to lung cancer. And if you took vitamin D as a smoker you would still radically reduce your cancer risk.

Here’s why:  

• Receptors that respond to vitamin D have been found in almost every type of human cell, from your bones to your brain.
• Your organs can convert the vitamin D in your bloodstream into calcitriol, which is the hormonal or activated version of vitamin D. Your organs then use it to repair damage, including that from cancer cells.

So how can you get enough vitamin D? Well, you can get it in your diet by eating fish or taking vitamins, however there are a few problems with those options. First is that you would have to eat a ridiculous amount of fish to obtain the daily requirement, and second when you take an oral vitamin D pill it is the end result. When your body absorbs sunlight (UVA & UVB rays) there are several steps from absorption to synthesis of vitamin D, all are equally important. 

It’s important to realize that your ideal source is from appropriate sunshine exposure. Your body can safely create as much as 20,000 units a day this way, without any risk of overdosing – a factor you’ll have to contend with if you’re taking oral supplements.

A Bitter Pill to Swallow...how vitamins may not actually be healthy

I have a different view than most on vitamins. I used to take them... loads of them from time to time. I also never watched what I ate. A couple things happened to change my views on whether taking vitamins is appropriate or not. 

The first was Nani getting diagnosed with stage 4 pancreatic cancer. She always took a lot of vitamins, and always pushed them on me regardless of how good or bad I was feeling.  If I was sick the first thing she asked me was "Did you take lots of vitamin C and zinc?". It was one of the dreaded topics of conversations I used to have with her (the others were my period and PMS, saving money, having safe sex, and dressing to stay warm- this continued until she died...I was 27 years old and very well at judging how to dress for my comfort level). She would have recommendations of what I should be taking- vitamin C, fish oil capsules, iron, zinc and echinacea were her usuals. A new one would creep in every once and a while; I assume after she got done reading the latest article about miracles in pills.  Anyway, I took many different kinds for years. I took selenium for my brain, vitamin E for my skin, iron for my energy,and a multi-vitamin among others.

Before Nani was diagnosed, I had thought she was relatively healthy and that she would be around for a long time. This came as a great shock to us all, especially considering we knew how fast the disease would take her. My world was blown, because I was under the impression that vitamins will make you and keep you healthy. As some of you may be aware, I put myself in charge of researching foods that would keep Nani strong and healthy through chemo. This is where I started to learn how foods have vitamins in them. I am laughing at this now, because it seems so ridiculous that I didn't think that before, but I really didn't give healthy foods any weight. This is also where I was introduced to the "fresh and raw" movement. 

The second thing that changed my view on taking vitamins was the addition of fruit and vegetable smoothies into my diet a few months ago. I literally never felt half as good when I was taking vitamins as I do now just eating a whole lot of whole fruits and vegetables. It seems absurd to me now, knowing what I know, that more people don't know that you don't need to spend hundreds and thousands of dollars on vitamins and minerals if you eat a wide variety of fruits, vegetables, whole grains, beans & legumes, and get a little sun. That's it! 

In my humble opinion, the only time a vitamin should be used is for a brief period to normalize your levels while you change your diet to incorporate more of those vitamin-rich foods. Your body absorbs vitamins and minerals from the food you give it! It is quite simple. We are literally machines for breaking down food into teeny tiny parts so that our bodies can use those parts to function properly. Did you know that every organ in your body is used for digestion? Every single one of them!

Enough preaching. Below is a brief article about the risk of taking unnecessary vitamins. I urge you to do some research and use a little common sense on this issue. The more fresh, raw, healthy, whole foods you incorporate into your diet, the more your body will pull out in the form of vitamins and minerals. 

Vitamins linked with higher death risk in older women By Michelle RobertsHealth reporter, BBC News (Link to Original Article)

When it comes to vitamins, it appears you could have too much of a good thing, say researchers who report a link between their use and higher death rates among older women.Experts have suspected for some time that supplements may only be beneficial if a person is deficient in a nutrient. 

And excess may even harm, as the study in Archives of Internal Medicine finds.All of the women, in their 50s and 60s, were generally well nourished yet many had decided to take supplements. 

Multivitamins, folic acid, vitamin B6, magnesium, zinc, copper and iron in particular appeared to increase mortality risk.The researchers believe consumers are buying supplements with no evidence that they will provide any benefit. 

Harms v Gains 

They are quick to stress that their study relied on the 38,000 US women who took part in it recalling what vitamins and minerals they had taken over the previous two decades.And it is difficult to control for all other factors, like general physical health, that might have influenced the findings. 

But they say their findings suggest that supplements should only be used if there is a strong medically-based cause for doing so because of the potential to cause harm."Based on existing evidence, we see little justification for the general and widespread use of dietary supplements," Dr Jaakko Mursu of the University of Eastern Finland and his research colleagues said. 

Less is More 

Conversely, calcium supplements appeared to reduce death risk. However, the researchers say this finding needs more investigation and they do not recommend that people take calcium unless advised to by a doctor in order to treat a deficiency. 

In the study, iron tablets were strongly linked with a small (2.4%) increased death risk, as were many other supplements. The link with iron was dose-dependent, meaning the more of it the individual took, the higher their risk was.  

Drs Christian Gluud and Goran Bjelakovic, who review research for the Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews to evaluate best evidence, said: "We think the paradigm 'The more the better' is wrong." 

They say dietary supplementation has shifted from preventing deficiency to trying to promote wellness and prevent diseases, and caution: "We believe that for all micronutrients, risks are associated with insufficient and too-large intake." 

Helen Bond of the British Dietetic Association said some people, like the elderly, might need to take certain supplements. For example, vitamin D is recommended for people over the age of 65. 

But she said that generally, people should be able to get all the vitamins and minerals they needed from a healthy, balanced diet. 

She said some took supplements as an insurance policy, wrongly assuming that they could do no harm. "But too much can be toxic and it is easy to inadvertently take more than the recommended daily amount." 

Link to Original Article

I thought it would be good to include a brief summary of which vitamins and minerals are in which foods. If you have any more questions on this, just email me at jessicageier@gmail..com and I can point you in the right direction, but as you can see from below, if you eat a variety of fresh, raw, healthy, and whole foods you will get all of your vitamins and minerals.

• Vitamin A
• whole eggs
• dairy
• beef liver (yum!)
• dark green veggies
• B vitamins
• green vegetables
• meat
• Kombucha!!!
• Vitamin C
• fruits, especially citrus, kiwi, strawberries, tomato, watermelon, bananas
• vegetables- green peppers, broccoli, carrots, potatoes 
• Vitamin D
• sunlight
• fatty fish
• egg yolks
• beef liver
• Vitamin E
• vegetable oils 
• nuts
• beans
• whole grains
• Vitamin K
• dark green leafy veggies & cabbage
• beef liver (AGAIN?)
• the bacteria in our intestines can synthesize vitamin K when they are healthy
• Calcium
• dairy
• dark green vegetables
• seaweeds
• sesame
• soy (I would not recommend this as an option)
• almonds
• Fluoride
• tea
• seafood
• also found in fluoridated water which should be considered toxic but is still forced on us
• Iodine
• seafood
• iodized salt (use sea salt instead- it has all of its trace minerals still intact)
• Iron (absorbed better when eaten with vitamin c rich foods)
• red meat
• organ meats
• fish
• poultry
• eggs
• beans
• lentils
• green leafy vegetables
• dried fruits
• Magnesium
• green leafy vegetables
• legumes
• nuts
• seeds
• whole grains
• Phosphorus
• most foods including animal and plant
• Potassium
• most foods including animal and plant
• Selenium
• meat
• chicken
• fish & seafood
• brazil nuts
• whole grains
• garlic
• mushrooms
• Sodium
• sea salt
• soy sauce
• sea vegetables
• Zinc
• meat
• poultry
• seafood
• eggs
• dairy
• whole grains
• legumes

SIDE NOTE: Taking vitamins during pregnancy is a different story, and I probably will not write about it until I am forced to when I become pregnant and have to make the choice for myself (hopefully it will be a while...not there yet if you know what I mean). Until then it would be based on my beliefs now. I would think they might change a little if I have another human being growing inside of me. 

If you are pregnant and have had this dilemma yourselves I would love to hear about it. Please comment!

10/12/10 UPDATE
 As I was looking on Self Magazine's website (for other reasons) I found an article on their Healthy Self Blog on the dangers of vitamins. Read below: 

Study Points to Dangers of Vitamin Supplements

 By Healthy Self Blog

This study might make you think twice about popping a multi. A 19-year analysis of almost 39,000 women found that those who took dietary supplements including multivitamins, vitamin B6, folic acid, iron, magnesium, zinc and copper were at a higher risk of death than women who did not.

The study was conducted by researchers at the University of Minnesota and the University of Eastern Finland, who believe there's no reason for the average healthyperson to take dietary supplements.

"Based on existing evidence, we see little justification for the general and widespread use of dietary supplements," the authors wrote. "We recommend that they be used with strong medically based cause, such as symptomatic nutrient deficiency disease."

Participants were around age 62 at the start of the study in 1986. Among them, those who took supplements had about a 2.4 percent increased risk of dying over the course of the study, compared with women who didn't take supplements. Only the women who took calcium supplements had a reduced risk of dying.

Doctors Goran Bjelakovic of the University of Nis in Serbia and Christian Gluud of Copenhagen University Hospital in Denmark wrote in an accompanying commentary that the findings "add to the growing evidence demonstrating that certain antioxidant supplements, such as vitamin E, vitamin A and beta-carotene, can be harmful." But they added that vitamin D3 may be beneficial to some older women, and possibly older men.

Rania Batayneh, MPH, nutritionist and owner of Essential Nutrition For You, agreed that while getting nutrients through food is ideal, women may need to supplement their diets with additional calcium and vitamin D3.

"Women

50 and younger need 1,000 daily milligrams of calcium, but most of us can get there with few daily servings of dairy and veggies," she says. 

Batayneh also recommends folic acid for women in their childbearing years, which is found in prenatal supplements. And despite the study, she still thinks a good multivitamin is fine for most women and reduces the need for additional supplementing. 

But when possible, "Food really is medicine and there is nothing that compares with a healthy balanced diet," she says.

"Before you pop supplements, first tally how much calcium you get from your typical diet, and then use supplements to make up the difference of what you're missing from food."
it's better to get your nutrients from food.