Thursday, December 28, 2017

Smashed Cucumber Chicken Salad Recipe

 

 

 

Chinese Smashed Cucumber Chicken Salad Recipe

 
  • Prep time: 5 minutes
  • Resting time: 30 minutes
  • Yield: 4 servings
For a vegan version, substitute 1 block cubed tofu for the chicken.
Two poached chicken breasts will make enough for this recipe. See: How to Poach Chicken Breasts.

Ingredients

For the salad:
  • 2 large English cucumbers or other thin skinned cucumbers, such as Persian or Japanese (2 to 2 1/2 pounds)
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1 pound (about 2 cups) shredded cooked chicken, cold from the fridge
  • 2 tablespoons sesame seeds, to serve
  • Cilantro leaves, to serve (optional)
  • Dried red chili flakes, to serve (optional)
For the dressing:
  • 1/4 cup rice vinegar
  • 2 tablespoons soy sauce, tamari, or coconut aminos
  • 2 tablespoons honey
  • 2 teaspoons finely grated ginger
  • 1 clove garlic, minced
  • 1/4 cup chopped cilantr

Tuesday, December 26, 2017

Sesame Vinaigrette and Shitake Bacon bok choy salad

  •  
  •  
  • 1 cup delicata squash, sliced into ¼ inch half moons
  • 3-4 shitake mushrooms, sliced thin
  • Olive oil
  • 1 bunch bok choy, cut into bite-sized pieces
  • 1 tbsp. maple syrup
  • ¼ cup rice wine vinegar
  • ½  cup toasted sesame oil
  • Sea salt to taste
Preheat oven to 400.  Coat delicata squash with olive oil and sea salt, and roast until soft (35-40 minutes). Drizzle shitake mushrooms with olive oil and sea salt. Lay shitake on a baking tray and roast until crispy.  Mince shitake mushrooms and set aside. Whisk maple syrup, vinegar, sesame oil and sea salt. Toss chopped bok choy and roasted squash with dressing. Garnish with crispy shitake bacon bits.

Saturday, December 23, 2017

RED Water Original Fat Flush Water








Here's Today's Tip... Digestive Health.
We’ve recently been talking about digestion. If you experience digestive distress, here are some of the top tips to help you improve your digestive health.
  • Eat slowly, mindfully, and intentionally... Digestion starts with the thought, smell, and anticipation of food. Eating mindfully helps initiate the “rest and digest” aspect of the nervous system.
  • Chew your food thoroughly... You begin breaking down carbs and fats in your mouth, and the mechanical aspect of chewing gets the rest of the digestive system prepared for what’s to come.
  • Supplement with digestive enzymes... Because natural production of digestive enzymes and stomach acid decreases as we get older, many people find broad-spectrum enzyme supplements to be extremely helpful.
  • Address vitamin and mineral deficiencies... B vitamins, magnesium, manganese, and copper all play important roles in digestion.
  • Regularly eat fermented foods... The makeup of gut bacteria plays an important role in digestive health, including digestion and absorption. Because different fermented foods contain unique strains of probiotics, consider incorporating a variety of them in your diet.
  • Supplement with a high-quality probiotic... Not all probiotic supplements are created equally. Look for a product that has probiotics that are “protected” from stomach acid. Also, because probiotics have very unique functions, most people will be best off using a multi-strain probiotic. What’s more, because they are equally important—if not more important—than probiotics, look for a product that contains prebiotics.
  • Regularly practice stress management... Stress isn’t inherently bad, but too much for too long can be problematic when it comes to digestive health. Focus on properly managing stress by:
    • Setting boundaries (i.e., learning to say “NO”)
    • Exercising (whatever you enjoy doing)
    • Practicing yoga
    • Taking a walk outdoors
    • Meditating
  • Get moving to get moving... Not surprisingly, a sedentary lifestyle is associated with constipation, and along those lines, regular exercise is a fundamental recommendation to help get things moving. As is often the case, there can be too much of a good thing; exhaustive exercise can have negative effects on digestion (e.g., inhibit gastric emptying, interfere with nutrient absorption) and lead to digestive distress.
  • Eat more fiber... Speaking generally, consuming enough fiber (25 – 40 grams per day) is foundational for digestive health and regularity. Most people who aren’t eating enough find that increasing fiber consumption improves digestion feelings (e.g., bloating, constipation, digestive discomfort), general feelings of well-being (e.g., feeling less fat, more mentally alert, slim, happy, and more energetic while feeling less stressed, tiredness, and difficulty concentrating), and bowel function (e.g., ease of defecation). Of course, some people are sensitive to increases in fiber, especially insoluble fiber, so make sure to pay attention to how your body responds to any changes you make, and along those lines, it’s best to implement changes systematically so you can identify what’s working—or not.
  • Stay hydrated... Although not very glamorous, adequate hydration goes hand-in-hand with fiber intake when it comes to optimizing digestion. Make sure you’re drinking about 8 – 10 eight-ounce glasses of water a day.
  • Remove trigger foods... Trigger foods can vary greatly across individuals, so figure out what works (and doesn’t) for you. Here’s a list of probable suspects:
  • Milk products
  • Wheat and other grains
  • Corn
  • Soy
  • Fish and seafood
  • Eggs
  • Nuts
  • FODMAP-containing foods
  • Nightshades
  • Histamine-releasing foods
  • Foods containing biogenic amines
  • Spicy foods
  • Fried foods
  • Caffeine
To Better Health, 
Change That Up
Now before I go I wanted to pass this along... Weird recipe eliminates “toxic sludge”.
A recent Harvard study showed that 80% of men and women over 40 have a “digestive bile defect” that makes it nearly impossible to burn belly fat.

Your bile helps break down the food you eat and shuttle nutrients to your muscles and organs to be burned up for energy.

However, because of the increased dietary toxins and free radicals, it’s almost guaranteed that your digestive bile has turned from a thin, free-flowing fluid into a THICK, sludge-like goo that clogs up everything (stopping your body from burning fat).

This means every time you eat, your body can’t break down the food properly because your digestive bile is too thick… so everything you eat gets sucked into your fat cells.

Adding extra fiber (like psyllium husk) can definitely help, but there is a special “red water” recipe you can make right at home that THINS out your bile and boosts your fat-burning metabolism by up to 53%.

Even though moving more and eating less are great pieces of advice… many times it’s simply not enough. Try this “red water” recipe below and you’ll be feeling lighter and leaner in just a few days from now.




Fat deposits that form on the body can be tough to break down and eliminate. Fat is broken down when the body uses its fat deposits to produce energy and the triglycerides in the fat cells are removed. These triglycerides are broken down into fatty acids and glycerols and then absorbed into your muscle tissue and internal organs, where they are then broken down even further through various chemical processes. If the products left over from these chemical processes are not used by the body as energy, they are then considered waste products and need to be removed from the body. This is where water comes into play.
Water is the vehicle used to remove these waste products from the body. The leftover materials from the fat breakdown are then filtered out of your organs by the water that you drink. The water carries the waste to your bladder, where it is then expelled from your body through your urine. It is important to drink enough water each day to keep yourself hydrated and facilitate the breakdown and elimination of fat cells.

RECIPES


Here are some of the original fat flush water recipes to literally flush fat from your system down the drain.

1.) Original Fat Flush Water

Ingredients:
1 ounce 100% pure unsweetened cranberry juice
7 ounces water
Directions: Mix water and unsweetened cranberry juice together in a large glass. To save time during the day, mix a full batch (64 ounces) in the morning — add 1 cup (8 oz) cranberry juice to a half-gallon container and fill the rest with water.

 2.) Red Water Master Cleanse


 The right mixing of these Master cleanse ingredients and consuming it in right amount for fixed period of time help to shift your body into better shape. It should be noted that the exact measurement is very important to get good results which should be as follows:
  • 2 table spoons of organic lemon juice that is freshly squeezed
  • 10 ounces of filtered water
  • 2 table spoons of organic grade B maple syrup
  • 1/10 teaspoon of cayenne pepper
Mix the master cleanse ingredients and drink 12 servings of this prepared lemonade diet every day.  The master cleanse ingredients are simple, affordable and easily available. The only thing is you have to do is take advantage of it.
What is extremely important is that you stick with the master cleanse diet. First two to three days of any cleanse are difficult. But, once you get through those days, you will find the diet gets a lot easier and comfortable.
It is advisable to make lemonade juice cleanse detox everyday from fresh ingredients so that it will not get stale. It will be more effective this way and will provide you the best and fast results.

Significance of Ingredients for Master Cleanse

The master cleanse detox diet is packed with nutrients such as vitamins, minerals and enzymes. The main master cleanse diet ingredient (lemon) is a citrus fruit and contains powerful antioxidant property that help to minimize the risk of colon cancer. Besides, it is rich in vitamin C, potassium and flavonid that reduces the risk of cancer and heart disease.
Maple syrup is high in zinc and manganese that helps to boost immune system. It is also loaded with nutrients such as vitamin B2, Iron, Calcium and potassium. It contains natural sugar that are much easier to digest and provide required energy.
Cayenne pepper helps to reduce pain and inflammation due to the presence of capsaicin. Besides, cayenne pepper is rich with vitamin A, C and B complex. It is an important herb that has more medicinal value.
It regulates digestive system, improves blood circulation, drain and flush mucus from the body. Water helps to keep the body hydrated and helps to run it optimally.
In all ingredients in Master cleanse makes the master cleanse a powerful diet to detoxify the body resulting in weight loss very fast and naturally. And you should definitely try this out if you haven’t tried it yet.
BOOKS TO READ The Complete Master Cleanse by Tom Woloshyn

 GET My Free 5-Day Clean Eating Guide 
http://madmimi.com/signups/366722/join
http://madmimi.com/signups/366722/join
 

Friday, December 22, 2017

Green Tea Chicken Soup Recipe



If your idea of comfort food is a big bowl of chicken soup, this meal from Primal Kitchen founder Mark Sisson will give you all the cozy feels. The recipe is pretty traditional at first glance, but adds an unexpected step. Steep a few green tea bags in the chicken broth and you’ll layer in extra herbal flavor and some antioxidants, too. And since the whole pot is ready in just 30 minutes, it’s quick enough for any day of the week.

Green Tea Chicken Soup

Yield: 2 servings
Active Time:

Ingredients

2 cups Thrive Market Organic Chicken Bone Broth
1-inch ginger, peeled and thinly sliced
2 garlic cloves, smashed
green tea bag or 1 tablespoons loose-leaf green tea leaves placed in a tea ball
⅓ cup mushrooms (shiitake or cremini), thinly sliced
1 handful baby spinach
½ cup cooked and shredded chicken breast

Instructions

Add chicken bone broth, ginger, and garlic to a large stock pot and simmer 10 minutes. Off heat, add green tea bags; steep 5 minutes. Remove tea, and strain out garlic and ginger. Return broth to simmer, add mushrooms, and cook 5 minutes. Add spinach and chicken; simmer 1 minute more. To serve, ladle into bowls.
Recipe credit: Mark Sisson

Thursday, December 21, 2017

Will Avocados Put Weight On Me?




As for the fat in avocados, it is healthy, monounsaturated fat that is good for the heart and won’t raise cholesterol. In fact, avocado oil can reduce cholesterol and increase the ratio of HDL (“good”) cholesterol to LDL (“bad”) cholesterol. Avocados also are a good source of fiber. And they provide glutathione (an antioxidant) and folate.
Another potential health bonus: beta-sitosterol, one of the phytochemicals in avocados can help prevent cholesterol from being absorbed from the digestive tract (although there’s no proof yet that it lowers the risk of coronary heart disease). The only nutritional downside to avocados is their high calorie content – about 300 for a whole one.
If you love avocados as I do, you’re likely to be in better health than people who don’t eat them. A 2013 analysis of data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) found that people who regularly eat these unique fruits have better diet quality and nutrient intake than others, lower body weight, lower BMI (body mass index), lower intake of added sugars, higher levels of HDL and a lower risk of metabolic syndrome.


For those of you who aren’t familiar with avocados, here are some buying and preparation hints:
  • Test for ripeness with a gentle squeeze. If the fruit yields to pressure but doesn’t remain dented, it’s ripe. A firm avocado will ripen in a few days sitting on a kitchen counter, faster if you enclose it in a paper bag.
  • To cut an avocado, slice it lengthwise around the seed and rotate the halves to separate. Lift the seed out with a spoon and then peel the fruit with a knife (or your fingers) – or just scoop out the flesh with a spoon. Discard any brown areas.
  • To prevent a cut avocado from turning brown, squeeze some lemon juice on the cut surface if you aren’t going to eat it right away.
  • Use avocados as a healthy substitute for other types of fat, including butter, mayonnaise, sour cream, cheese, cream cheese, and cream. I sometimes spread lightly salted, mashed avocado on dense and chewy whole grain bread – a nutritious alternative to butter.

Get My Free 5-Day Clean Eating Guide Here 

http://madmimi.com/signups/366722/join

 

Wednesday, December 20, 2017

Why Eat Bitter?


https://www.amazon.com/shop/boxcosmetics









Imagine if you could eat something that would help your liver, act as a gentle diuretic to purify your blood, cleanse your system, assist in weight reduction; cleanse your skin, eliminate acne, improve your bowel function, prevent or lower high blood pressure, prevent anemia, lower your serum cholesterol by as much as half, eliminate or drastically reduce acid indigestion and gas buildup by cutting the heaviness of fatty foods, and, at the same time, have no negative side effects and selectively act on only what ails you.

If I also told you that this wonder food also tasted good in salads, teas, and soups, what would you do to get your hands on this treasure? Well, thankfully you have nature at on your side, providing these miracle plants in abundance during spring!
I'm talking about bitter greens. Dark and leafy, some great examples include dandelion, arugula, and kale. In addition to being vitamin-rich (like most greens), bitter greens are exceptionally beneficial for digestion. They have a bold flavor that may take some getting used to, but the health benefits are definitely worth the effort!

Certain flavors can affect health – we know that the obesity epidemic in the United States likely owes a lot to our national taste for sweets. All those sweet sodas, cookies and candy cause blood sugar, insulin, and hunger to spike and then dip – often leading, in genetically susceptible people, to obesity and type 2 diabetes
.
We would be better off eating fewer sweets and more bitter foods, which can have the opposite effect, moderating both hunger and blood sugar. Unfortunately, the two most common bitter ingredients in the American diet – coffee and chocolate – are usually heavily sweetened before serving.
The third popular bitter food in this country is beer, which does have some health benefits that appear to stem from a flavonoid in hops called xanthohumol that may also have antiviral, anti-allergic, anti-clotting, anti-inflammatory, and anti-tumor activity. I wouldn’t call beer a health food – the alcohol it contains can damage health when you get too much of it, and it is also is high in calories – but it is likely harmless, and perhaps healthful in limited ways, when consumed in moderation.
We have evolved to find bitter flavor off-putting because bitterness is sometimes a marker for toxicity. However, many nutrient-dense, healthful foods such as Brussels sprouts and leafy green vegetables have a measure of bitterness. The fact that a bitter flavor can activate caution in our species has an upside – it may help dampen appetite. Europeans sip bitter aperitifs before a meal, not a bad idea if you want to lose weight.

Bitter foods also affect health in that they stimulate the liver to produce bile, which is an important part of optimal digestion. Bile emulsifies fats and renders nutrients – especially fat-soluble ones such as vitamins A, D, E and K – more available.
Research has shown that up to 25 percent of the population cannot detect certain bitter flavors, 25 percent can detect exceedingly small quantities and everyone else falls between these two extremes.
You can boost your bitter intake by including radicchio, Belgian endive, and broccoli rabe in your diet. Here are other sources I recommend:
  • Bitter tonics: Aside from the well-known Angostura bitters, a proprietary product bottled in Trinidad and Tobago, many small, artisan bitters are now available via the Internet, most are made with extracts of the bitter, nontoxic root of the great yellow gentian, Gentiana lutea, in an alcohol base. While typically added to cocktails, bitter tonics can also be added to nonalcoholic drinks or even taken via mouth spray.
  • Bitter melon, Momordica charantia: Widely available at Asian-themed supermarkets and also easy to grow from seeds, this traditional Okinawa favorite may help explain why Okinawans have the world’s longest lifespans. (It is greatly enjoyed in China and India, as well.) Start with the milder Chinese variety, then “graduate” to the more intensely bitter Indian version.
  • Dandelion greens, genus Taraxacum, multiple species: There are few healthier habits than regularly eating dandelion greens, which combine the benefits of strong but appealing bitter flavor with extraordinary nutrient density, similar to that of kale. The greens are available in natural foods stores, or pick them from your yard – after making sure no pesticides or herbicides have been sprayed on them and no dogs have visited the area
  •  Visit my amazon store

  • Here are the top health benefits of eating your bitter greens:
    1. They're a nutritional powerhouse.
    Bitter greens are packed with vitamins A, C and K, and minerals like calcium, potassium and magnesium. Filled with folate and fiber, and low in fat and sodium, these greens are a nutritional powerhouse! They promote great skin (beta-carotene), a strong nervous system (folate), healthy blood clotting (vitamin K) and contain phytonutrients shown to support eye health.
    2. They're digestive magic.
    Eating bitter food activates taste buds that simultaneously stimulate enzyme production and bile flow, which promotes digestion. The better your food is digested, the more nutrients you'll absorb from your food. It doesn't matter what you eat, if you can't absorb it, it won't be of much benefit to you. The high fiber content in bitter greens also helps to eliminate waste through the digestive tract.
    What’s more, bitter greens also promote natural detoxification of the liver, which regulates cholesterol, balances hormones, detoxifies the blood, and metabolizes fats. Considering that there is so much hype about higher fat Paleo diets, we need to eat more bitter greens to digest fats in a more efficient manner.
    3. They'll balance your taste buds and reduce cravings.
    Ayurveda recommends we consume all tastes for better health: sweet, salty, sour, bitter, pungent, and astringent. Unfortunately, a western diet primarily consists of sweet and salty tastes, and is lacking in others. It is to our benefit to eat foods that activate all of our taste buds and start with incorporating some seriously healthy bitter greens! It’s also been suggested that consuming bitter greens may also reduce food cravings and aid in weight loss!
    So how do you incorporate these leafy greens into your diet and love the taste?
    It’s surprisingly not that difficult. When shopping, choose organic greens with crisp leaves and look for greens that are in season. Collards, kale, turnip greens and mustard greens are in season from October through early spring. Swiss chard and beet greens grow from spring through fall. Dandelion greens are best in spring and summer.
    Greens will keep in the refrigerator for 2 to 3 days, but it’s best to use them as soon as possible. To prepare greens for cooking, wash or “bathe” greens in a sink full of water and then remove any hard stems or stalks.
    To tame bitterness, try this universal recipe: lightly sauté greens with a small amount of salt and fat. Adding sea salt and high quality oil when cooking reduces bitterness, enhances digestibility, and even releases nutrients for easy absorption.

    Here is a list of bitter greens worth trying

  • Arugula
  • Endive
  • Broccoli Rabe
  • Dandelion Greens
  • Escarole
  •  Kale (including Dinosaur Kale, Lacinto Kale)
  • Mustard Greens
  • Nettles
  •  Turnip Greens
  • Watercress
  •  
  • Sources:
    Pollan, Michael, “In Defense of Food: An Eater’s Manifesto,” p. 156, Penguin, 2008.
    Masé, Guido,” The Wild Medicine Solution: Healing with Aromatic, Bitter and Tonic Plants,” Healing Arts Press, 2013
    Noam Cohen  et al, “T2R38 taste receptor polymorphisms underlie susceptibility to upper respiratory infection.” Journal of Clinical Investigation. 2012 Nov 1;122(11):4145-59. doi: 10.1172/JCI64240

Saturday, December 16, 2017

Squash with Tahini Recipe

 

 

 

 

Ingredients

  • 2 honey squash (or 1 medium butternut squash)
  • 1 Tbsp olive oil
  • Salt and pepper
  • 3 Tbsp good quality tahini, at room temperature
  • Pomegranate molasses, pomegranate seeds, chopped fresh herbs (optional)

Directions

  1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
  2. Peel the honey squash, cut off the ends and cut into 1/2 inch thick rings.
  3. Spread squash out in a single layer on a baking sheet. Sprinkle with salt, pepper and olive oil, and using your hands, make sure squash is evenly coated.
  4. Cook on first side for 10-15 minutes. Turn the rings over and cook another 10-15 minutes, until just caramelized.
  5. Drizzle with tahini. Top with additional pomegranate molasses, pomegranate seeds or fresh herbs if desired.

Friday, December 15, 2017

What Every Woman Ought to Know About Menopausal Weight Gain



What Every Woman Ought to Know About Menopausal Weight Gain

Menopausal weight gain can have consequences more serious than outgrowing your favorite pair of jeans. Find out how middle age spread affects your body and what you can do about it.

Facts about Menopausal Weight Gain

1. Understand estrogen. As estrogen levels drop during menopause, your metabolism slows down. Your body burns fewer calories and stores more fat.

2. Watch your waistline. Extra pounds you gain after menopause are likely to turn into abdominal fat, which increases your risk for diabetes, heart disease, and other conditions. Talk with your doctor if your waistline is 35 inches or more.

3. Check your thyroid. Menopause and thyroid conditions can cause similar symptoms including increased weight, as well as depression and fatigue. Your doctor can advise you about whether you would benefit from testing.

4. Expect changes. If you've been thin your whole life, you may be surprised to see the scale edging up. It's natural if you to need to eat less and move more to maintain your dress size.

Using Your Diet to Fight Menopausal Weight Gain

Putting on extra pounds later in life is common, but not inevitable. A University of Pittsburgh study found that women who made two simple changes in the way they eat lost dramatically more weight.

Take a look at their secret:

1. Skip desserts and soda. Women who consumed fewer desserts and sugary drinks lost almost eight times more weight than their peers in that Pittsburgh study. Switch to fruit and water instead.

2. Reduce calories. You can also eat less by controlling your portion sizes and choosing nutrient-dense foods. That way you can keep up your energy while you stay trim.

3. Dine at home. Cooking your own meals gives you more control. Restaurants tend to use more fat and sodium than you would.

4. Eat soy. Some experts believe that plants have isoflavones that function like human estrogen. You may want to try tofu or soy milk to relieve night sweats and help you sleep.

5. Consider supplements. Most women can get all the nutrients they need from a balanced diet. However, your doctor may recommend supplements, including iron and calcium, based on your individual needs.

Using Exercise to Fight Menopausal Weight Gain

Almost 80% of adults don't exercise enough according to the CDC, and older adults are even more likely to be inactive. Once you start working out, you'll burn more calories and experience other benefits like strengthening your bones and relieving stress.

1. Train in intervals. Structure your workouts so that you alternate between brief bursts of high intensity movements and gentler exercises. You'll burn more calories and fat, condition your heart, and increase your metabolism while spending less time at the gym.

2. Build muscles. You lose muscle mass as you age, but you can slow down the process. Lift dumbbells or do body weight exercises like dips and pushups.

3. Work on balance. Enhancing your balance can protect you from falls, correct your posture, and sharpen your thinking. Sign up for yoga classes or train at home. Try doing squats while standing on your toes or sit on a stability ball when you're watching TV.

4. Move more. In addition to formal exercise, you can incorporate more activity into your daily routi

Wednesday, December 13, 2017

Playlist Workout Challenge!


Playlist Workout Challenge!

Choose 4 of your favorite pump-up songs – they should be between 3:30 and 4:30 minutes long.  Each circuit is done for the duration of the song. 

Warm up with 5 to 10 minutes of light cardio, then dynamic stretches (leg swings, arm circles, etc)

Song 1:
- 10 Jumping Jacks
- 10 Reverse Lunges (10/side)
- 10 Mountain climbers (10/side)
- 10 second rest (if needed)

Song 2:
- 10 Push-ups
- 10 BodyWeight Squats
- 10 Bent-Over Rows (10/side)
- 10 second rest (if needed)
Song 3:
- 10 Burpees
- 10 High Knees (10/side)
- 10 1-Legged Reaches (10/side)
- 10 second rest (if needed)

Song 4:
- 10 Glute Bridges (hold 3 sec at top)
- 10 sec Side Plank (10 left / 10 right)
- 10 Plank with V-Jump
- 10 second rest (if needed)

Tuesday, December 12, 2017

Health and beauty begins in the gut



 

It Feels Good to Feel Good: Learn to eliminate toxins, reduce inflammation and feel great again



 











1.     Tell us briefly about your self

Cheryl Meyer holds a BA from the University of California Berkeley. She is an Integrative Nutrition Coach and received that designation from the Institute of Integrative Nutrition©, in New York City in 2017. She is a self-employed business owner and is a member of Wellness Universe. 

Five years ago, Cheryl got autoimmune disease.  This led her to go on a get well journey that ended up with her eliminating all of the toxins in her food, her cosmetics, her over the counter drugs, her kitchen utensils and storage, her cleaning supplies, and her water, and also led her to lower her toxic stress, her ANTs “anxious negative thoughts”, toxic lack of sleep, toxic relationships and toxic lack of movement in her journey back to wellness.  She wrote a book, It Feels Good to Feel Good, which is the manual that she wishes she had had when she began her journey.


2.     First of all who is your book"Its feels good to feel good for"?
Originally, I wrote the book for others with chronic pain and inflammation.  But truly this book is for everyone; for parents that want to raise healthy children, for people who are ill and want to get well, whether it is from autoimmune disease, cancer, or heart problems and for anyone that is healthy and wants to stay that way.  I am hoping to reach people before they get sick and tired of being sick and tired, and if they are sick, they need to know they don’t have to have a life of pills and pain.


3. You say beauty begins in the gut explain 
You are what you eat, and your skin is your showcase to the world.  Toxins can only leave the body 3 ways.  Through breathing, through excretion, and through your skin. 

The skin is our largest organ.

If you are eating real or fake sugars, GMOs, processed foods, fast food, chemicals sprayed on our crops, chemicals in our water, they go into the gut and need to find a pathway out of the body. For some people, gluten also creates havoc in the gut and can be reflected in our skin. Some people have sensitivities to other foods, which impact the gut, and are reflected in our skin.  I have 18 sensitivities that I now eat around.  Acne, psoriasis, eczema, even dry skin all start in the gut. 

There are also unhealthy chemicals in many of our cosmetics, which have not been regulated, so the toxins have an easy pathway into the body, and a difficult pathway out.
Even stress and toxic lack of sleep impact the health of the gut, and therefore also the health of our skin.

A healthy gut leads to healthy skin and a healthy body.  Healing your gut also leads to healthy hair, healthy nails, and a healthy attitude, which are also all part of beauty.

One of my clients followed my advice, changed his diet, and his psoriasis diminished significantly.

3. In your book, you talk about skin condition such as psoriasis, eczema, and acne are often caused by inflammation. Tell us about this

Eczema and psoriasis are actually considered to be autoimmune diseases.  Without getting too technical, autoimmune disease is caused by leaky gut.  Food particles are not broken down properly and then these particles and the toxins get into the blood-stream through a small rip in the gut wall which is only 1 cell thick. The rip is caused over time by sugar, alcohol, sensitivities, toxins, gluten, GMOs, infections, and stress.  When the toxins and larger particles of food get through these rips, the rips get larger. Although the gut wall heals itself every seven days, it eventually can’t keep up.  The body burden is too great. When these particles slip through, the body detects these as foreign substances and screams “attack” because it triggers the immune system.  These particles mimic different body systems, wherever the body is weakest, which varies by individual.  If it is your skin, it shows up as psoriasis or eczema.  On some people it attacks their thyroid, on some people, it attacks their muscles or their bones.  Healing the gut is the first step in reducing the inflammation and in finding relief.  Bad skin is one of the early symptoms of leaky gut.

Acne is often a response to conventional dairy.  Conventional dairy has lots of cow hormones in it, both natural and synthetic, which then impact the skin.  Eating grass-fed organic dairy products can help with skin issues. 

Acne can also be caused by things put on the skin that block the toxins from coming out.  Petroleum jelly products, including mineral oil, can do that. Acne can also be caused by low zinc.  It can also be caused by bacteria on the skin which can be taken care of by dabbing tea tree oil on the skin. (I like the tea tree/lavender blend.)

4. Tell us what are some of the unsafe cosmetic ingredients  
Alcohol, Isopropyl (SD-40): (rubbing alcohol)a very drying and irritating solvent and
dehydrator that strips your skin's moisture and natural immune barrier, making you more
venerable to bacteria, molds, and viruses. It is made from propylene, a petroleum derivative and is found in many skin and hair products, fragrance, antibacterial hand washes as well as shellac and antifreeze. It can act as a "carrier" accelerating the penetration of other harmful chemicals into your skin. It may promote brown spots and premature aging of the skin. A Consumer's Dictionary of Cosmetic Ingredients says it may cause headaches, flushing, dizziness, mental depression, nausea, vomiting, narcosis, anesthesia, and coma. Fatal ingested dose is one ounce or less.

DEA (diethanolamine), MEA (Monoethanolamine) & TEA (triethanolamine): hormone-disrupting chemicals that can form cancer-causing nitrates and nitrosamines. These chemicals are already restricted in Europe due to known carcinogenic effects. In the United States, however, they are still used despite the fact that Americans may be exposed to them 10-20 times per day with products such as shampoos, shaving creams, and bubble baths. Dr. Samuel Epstein (Professor of Environmental Health at the University of Illinois) says that repeated skin applications…. of DEA-based detergents resulted in major increase in the incidence of liver and kidney cancer. The FDA's John Bailey says this is especially important since "the risk equation changes significantly for children."

DMDM Hydantoin & Urea (Imidazolidinyl): just two of many preservatives that often release formaldehyde which may cause joint pain, skin reactions, allergies, depression, headaches, chest pains, ear infections, chronic fatigue, dizziness, and loss of sleep. Exposure may also irritate the respiratory system, trigger heart palpitations or asthma, and aggravate coughs and colds. Other possible side effects include weakening the immune system and cancer.

FD&C Color Pigments: synthetic colors made from coal tar, containing heavy metal salts that deposit toxins into the skin, causing skin sensitivity and irritation. Absorption of certain colors can cause depletion of oxygen in the body and death. Animal studies have shown almost all of them to be carcinogenic.

Synthetic Fragrances: mostly synthetic ingredients can indicate the presence of up to
four thousand separate ingredients, many toxic or carcinogenic. Symptoms reported to the FDA include headaches, dizziness, allergic rashes, skin discoloration, violent coughing and vomiting, and skin irritation. Clinical observation proves fragrances can affect the central nervous system, causing depression, hyperactivity, irritability, inability to cope, and other behavioral changes.
Alternative – Organic Essential Oils.

Mineral Oil: petroleum by-product that coats the skin like plastic, clogging the pores. Interferes with skin’s ability to eliminate toxins, promoting acne and other disorders. Slows down skin function and cell development, resulting in premature aging. Used in many products such as baby oil which is 100% mineral oil!
Alternatives – Moisture Magnets (Saccharide Isomerate) from beets; Ceramides, Jojoba, and other vegetable oils, etc.

Polyethylene Glycol (PEG): potentially carcinogenic petroleum ingredient that can alter and reduce the skin’s natural moisture factor. This could increase the appearance of aging and leave you more vulnerable to bacteria. Used in cleansers to dissolve oil and grease. It adjusts the melting point and thickens products. Also used in caustic spray-on oven cleaners.

Propylene Glycol (PG) and Butylene Glycol: gaseous hydrocarbons which in a liquid state act as“surfactant” (wetting olagents and solvents). They easily penetrate the skin and can weaken protein and cellular structure. Commonly used to make extracts from herbs. PG is strong enough to remove barnacles from boats! The EPA considers PG so toxic that it requires workers to wear protective gloves, clothing, and goggles and to dispose of any PG solutions by burying them in the ground. Because PG penetrates the skin so quickly, the EPA warns against skin contact to prevent consequences such as brain, liver, and kidney abnormalities. But there isn't even a warning label on products such as stick deodorants, where the concentration is greater than in most industrial applications.
Alternatives – water extracted herbs, Therapeutic Essential Oils, etc.

Sodium Lauryl Sulfate (SLS) & Sodium Laureth Sulfate (SLES): detergents and surfactants that pose serious health threats. Used in car washes, garage floor cleaners, and engine degreasers – and in 90% of personal-care products that foam. Animals exposed to SLS experience eye damage, depression, labored breathing, diarrhea, severe skin irritation, and even death. Young eyes may not develop properly if exposed to SLS because proteins are dissolved. SLS may also damage the skin's immune system by causing layers to separate and inflame. When combined with other chemicals, SLS can be transformed into nitrosamines, a potent class of carcinogens. Your body may retain the SLS for up to five days, during which tie it may enter and maintain residual levels in the heart, liver, the lungs, and the brain.
Alternative – Ammonium Cocoyl Isethionate.

Triclosan: a synthetic “antibacterial” ingredient – with a chemical structure similar to Agent
Orange! The EPA registers it as a pesticide, giving it high scores as a risk to both human health and the environment. It is classified as a chlorophenol, a class of chemicals suspected of causing cancer in humans. Its manufacturing process may produce dioxin, a powerful hormone-disrupting chemical with toxic effects measured in the parts per trillion; that is only one drop in 300 Olympic-size swimming pools! Hormone disruptors pose enormous long-term chronic health risks by interfering with the way hormones perform, such as changing genetic material, decreasing fertility and sexual function, and fostering birth defects. It can temporarily deactivate sensory nerve endings, so contact with it often causes little or no pain. Internally, it can lead to cold sweats, circulatory collapse, and convulsions. Stored in body fat, it can accumulate to toxic levels, damaging the liver, kidneys, and lungs and can cause paralysis, suppression of immune function, brain hemorrhages, and heart problems. Tufts University School of Medicine says that triclosan is capable of forcing the emergence of "super bugs" that it cannot kill. Its widespread use in popular antibacterial cleaners, toothpaste, and household products may have nightmare implications for our future.

Other Common Toxic Ingredients To Avoid:
 Aluminum
 Phthalates
 DEET
 Dioxins
 Formaldehyde
 PABA
 Para-Aminobenzoic Acid (PABA)
 Parabens
 Phenoxyethanol
 Toluene
 Camphor
And also petroleum jelly products.

5. You say some face powder can cause inhalation risks tell us about this

Depending upon the size of the molecules in the powder, if they are small enough they can cause serious inhalation risks.  Talcum powder, mica, Titanium Dioxide, and Zinc Oxide are all used in face powders and can all be small enough to get into areas of the lungs where they cause problems.  Talcum powder has additional health hazards.  The risks increase if inhaled over several years.

6. You talk about a diet that is sustainable. what do you mean by that?
I believe in eating real live food that is as close to the farm as possible and in all of the colors of the rainbow. When available I prefer to eat food that is locally grown.  If we would all do that, there would be no need for diet books.  Our bodies want to participate in keeping us healthy if we provide the correct building blocks and eliminate all of the chemicals, synthetic ingredients, and fake foods that have penetrated the American diet.  The body feels fantastic on real food, and once that is experienced, it becomes a sustainable method of eating and fueling the body.  There is no need to “starve” the body short term to lose weight.  Eating “healthy and clean” becomes a lifelong strategy.

7. You say "When cooking at home, you can take any recipe and make it healthy" how do you do that?
There are so many hidden toxins in our food, it is really important to cook most of what we are going to eat so that we can control what we are putting into our bodies.

I avoid using processed foods loaded with chemicals, and also avoid things like canned soup because of the ingredients and the BPA in the cans.

By cooking I ensure the maximum number of nutrients to fuel my body.

First of all, I should share that I have sensitivities to 18 different foods, so I have become very inventive in the kitchen to make old favorites.  As a result, I am a fast order cook, and I have become very inventive.  Because  I love to eat , I also turn out really yummy food.

I can not have dairy, its kryptonite to me, so if I want a cream sauce, depending on what dish I am using it in, I will do soaked cashew nuts, and/or steamed cauliflower.  I would use almond cream instead of dairy cream.  This all gets a spin in my Vitamix.  I also add sea salt and the appropriate seasonings.

I have even made dishes like Swedish meatballs and clam chowder using my cauliflower cream sauce (with mushrooms and onions, and almond cream from Califa).

Since I can’t use butter, I use ghee in its place. Ghee is clarified butter, which means the milk solids that I am sensitive to are removed.  It adds the taste of butter without the downside. If canola oil is on the ingredient list or a vegetable oil (corn, soy, safflower, soybean, sunflower oils) I would use olive oil, coconut oil or avocado oil.

I will often make cauliflower rice instead of a carb rice.  Cauliflower takes on whatever flavor you are looking for.  I have made cauliflower Italian, Greek, Moroccan, and I made paella with it and even made it with apples, garlic and onions once.  Cauliflower also is fantastic mashed instead of potatoes and loaded with wonderful nutrients.  I had one guest tell me my mashed cauliflower was the best-mashed potatoes they had ever eaten.

Instead of sugar or fake sugar, I cut the sweet way down, probably in ½ and use either honey or maple syrup.  They are still sugar but have trace elements that are healthy. Things taste better less sweet, and sugar is toxic.  Sometimes I use applesauce for part of the sweet, like in cakes.

I use organic cocoa.  And I use 70% semi-sweet morsels. (or 69%) (Real Life, also soy free)

I use organic spices and seasonings.

For meat, I substitute grass fed grass finished beef, heritage pork, pastured poultry.  We only eat wild fish.

I use pastured eggs.

For flours, depending on what I am making I would use almond flours for baked goods and cookies, or cassava flour for pie crusts.  Often a mixture of coconut flours with almond flours get the best results.  I like Honeyville blanched almond flour because of how fine it is for how it bakes.

So, I take a recipe and go down the ingredient list and use the healthiest substitution possible.

If the recipe calls for olive oil, I make sure it is either Californian or a certified Italian or Spanish oil that declares it is 100% olive oil  The mafia has gotten involved in the olive oil industry and is cutting it with less expensive oils.                                                                                                                                                                       

8. Why does stress cause weight gain? 
Stress triggers cortisol, one of our hormones and puts us into fight or flight mode. This response gives us a burst of energy, changes our metabolism and blood flow which impacts our digestion and appetite.  Cortisol triggers a desire to eat what we know as comfort foods that are generally high in carbohydrates and sugar.  Stress impacts us to store belly fat.

 9. How do anxious negative thoughts sabotage our diet?
One reason you may find yourself binging on carbohydrates when you feel anxious or stressed is that carbohydrates temporarily raise serotonin levels. A powerful neurotransmitter, serotonin affects your emotions, alleviating anxiety and depression. The temporary lift you get from binging on carbohydrates, though, is often followed by a crash, and it certainly isn't worth the increased calories and resulting weight gain.

10. What is functional medicine
Functional medicine is a new paradigm in medicine.  A functional practitioner has gotten additional training from the Institute for Functional Medicine.  My MD graduated from Yale but then got the additional training when she got sick and was looking for a solution.  Conventional medicine tends to try to match up the symptoms with a pharmaceutical.

Although a functional MD has the same drugs in her toolbox, her original approach is to find the”root cause” of the ailment. Drugs could be used as a temporary solution. Appointments are longer, and treatments are more inventive.  Different tests are taken to identify what is causing the symptom.  One major difference is a functional MD reacts before a test shows a disease state, and tries to improve the result before the patient enters a disease state.
  
11.  In your book, you help people Lighten the toxic load and inspire people to eat healthy, what are some of the topics in your book?
The first part of the book is written to people with chronic pain that don’t know where to start to find a solution.  The second part of the book identifies where the toxins are-  in our food,(which is broken down to organic vs conventionally grown vs GMOs, processed foods, canned goods, fast food, dairy, sugar, soda, clean meats, soy, oils,  our cosmetics, our over the counter drugs, our kitchens, our cleaning solutions and our water and then also in our heads- stress, anxiety, lack of sleep, toxic relationships, lack of exercise.  I not only identify the toxin, I share what I have replaced it with and why, and if you don’t like my choice (bio-individuality) I explain how to research to find your own.  Once you buy the book, if you write to me, I send you a workbook to use as you read my book.  My idea is that since it is all about toxic load, each toxin you eliminate gets you one step closer to health.  You write down in the workbook the things,  that you identify that you want to replace and then when you run out of the toxic item you replace it with a much less toxic choice.  I wrote the manual that I wish I had had when I got autoimmune disease 5 years ago, and I share everything that I have learned.  As a result, my book has now won 8 awards.

  
12. where can people find your book and where can people find you?



To receive the catalog write to me at cherylmhealthmuse.com.  I