Grow your roots for everyday living.

Posts from the ‘Illness / Prevention’ category

Shake it UP

Blue Bird Rising
almond milk, blueberries, raisins, almonds, walnuts & honey

Splendid
almond milk, strawberries, dates, chia seeds & vanilla extract

Whole Hearted
almond milk, cantaloupe, banana, coconut butter, coconut, dates, cinnamon, almond butter & vanilla extract

Energize
almond Milk, coconut water, kale, banana, nut butter, dates & walnuts

Grazer
almond milk, banana, dates, nut butter, coconut, flax seeds & granola

San Diego Happiness
coconut milk, Greek yogurt, banana, nut butter, dates & coconut

Musculos
coconut milk, banana, blueberries, almond butter, protein blend

West Coast
coconut, water, kale, apple, lemon & ginger

Start Strong
coconut water, kale, spinach, celery, apple, chia seeds, flax seeds, dates, honey & spirulina

Sweetness
coconut milk, banana, orange, pineapple, nut butter & almonds

Screen Shot 2015-12-14 at 5.23.46 PM

<- Immune, Inflammation, Infection ->
For Extra Boost Add:

– Bone broth
– Apple cider vinegar
– Collagen powder
– Carlson’s cod liver oil
– “Green Food”
– Bee products (local)
– Protein powder

*Use “unsweetened” milks and other products to keep sugars down.

Rooted in liquid nutrients.

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What is Collagen and Why we Need it

Collagen, the most abundant protein in the body, is part of the connective tissue for bones, muscles, blood cells, cartilage, arteries and organs. As you age, the production of collagen decreases, leading to a slew of potential side effects. Drinking beverages containing collagen powder, made from animal or fish materials, may be beneficial by helping offset some of that collagen loss.

Collagen is comprised of long chain proteins, and when you consume collagen powder – or collagen containing foods – your digestive system breaks down the proteins into amino acids. The amino acids are then absorbed and used as building blocks that support collagen production throughout the body. Collagen can then help heal the body from within. Collagen powders are a particularly rich source of the amino acids glycine and proline, which supports metabolic functions and detoxification – especially for bones, joints, cartilage, skin cells, hair and nails. Collagen is also important for healing the gut and strengthening the immune system.

For optimum digestion and absorption of amino acids, consume collagen powder on an empty stomach, at least 30 minutes before a meal.

Maple Pumpkin Collagen Shake
(makes 2 large or 4 small)

1/2 cup pumpkin puree
1 large navel orange, juiced
1 cup unsweetened coconut milk
2 frozen bananas, peeled and roughly chopped
1 tbsp pure maple syrup
1/2 tsp cinnamon
2 tbsp collagen hydrolysate – Great Lakes Gelatin
(http://www.amazon.com/dp/B005KG7EDU/?tag=heafameat-20)
Pinch sea salt

Put all ingredients into a blender and whizz until completely smooth and well blended, adding a dribble or two of filtered water if you find it too thick. Serve immediately.

collagenface

Rooted in beautiful skin!

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The Healing Power of Sleep

Your Body is Working Behind the Scenes

Sleep is often overlooked and underrated, as many of us seem to forget how necessary and important sleep really is. Getting quality sleep can be the easy, natural and inexpensive fix you need. Whether you are preparing for fertility, trying to lose weight or challenged by certain ailments, you can’t complain about things not operating properly if you are not getting sufficient zzzz’s.

→ Take a Look:

– While your sleeping, your follicles are growing and being recruited.
– Hormones are being released.
– Tissue and muscle repair/growth occurs.
– Energy is restored.
– You’re also detoxing your body in your sleep.
– The adrenal glands need deep sleep, in order to restore themselves.
– Go to sleep by 10:00 pm to renew your adrenals and allow your body to naturally detox.
– Every hour of sleep before midnight is worth 2 hours.

→ How to Attain Deep Sleep:

– Remove EMF emitting appliances from bedroom – tv, radio, cell phone, computer.
– Stop watching TV or using the computer 2 hours before bed.
– Put appliances throughout your house on walls facing outside if possible.
– Avoid, moderate caffeine and alcohol throughout the day – stimulants.
– No sugar or simple carbs after dinner, to prevent a spike in blood sugars.
– Have a little protein and fat right before bed.
– A hot bath, Abhyanga, sauna, castor oil packs and meditation are ideal before bed.
*This can work for people addicted to Ambien.

 

Get your sleep, it may be just what you need.

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Raynaud’s: A Medical Phenomenon..

Every family has their medical downsides, and as much as I am a proponent and believer in creating our own destiny, there are just some things we inherit regardless of what we do.  I am writing this one for my family, as this is something a few of us seem to have inherited.

Do your fingers or toes go icy and drain of color and feeling when you are exposed to cold or feel stress?  Does it happen in just moderately cold conditions and then return to normal shortly after your extremities warm-up?  As the sensation returns, do you experience numbness giving way to pins and needles, then tingling and sometimes throbbing?  Color slowly returns to the digits that went blue or white just moments before.  Once you get out of the cold or stressful environment, all is usually well again in about 15 or 20 minutes.

If you find yourself nodding your head ‘yes this is me’, then you likely have Raynaud’s.  This is a circulatory condition in which the body responds in an exaggerated way to cold temperature or stress.  Normally, the body responds to cold by constricting blood vessels to retain heat.  With Raynaud’s however, the reaction results in excessive vasospasms, or abnormal constrictions that cause the blood vessels to narrow too much and too quickly, in turn leading to little or no blood flow to the extremities.

This condition comes in two forms: primary and secondary.  Primary Raynaud’s is often bothersome and uncomfortable.  More of a nuisance if I do say so myself, but it does not result in permanent damage.  Its cause remains unknown, as its been deemed ‘Raynaud’s Phenomenon,’ but Raynaud’s tends to run in families.  A study completed in 2012 in the American Journal of Physiology-Cell Physiology points to specific receptor proteins in the skin’s blood vessels involved in reacting to cold stimuli.  These players may be overreactive or simply dysfunctional, a finding experts hope will lead to improved treatment for conditions like Raynaud’s.  Luckily, primary Raynaud’s is more of a nuisance than anything else!

Secondary Raynaud’s tends to make it’s appearance later in life.  It’s associated with connective tissue diseases such as scleroderma, lupus and rheumatoid arthritis.  However, there are other possible causes, such as a hand or foot injury; blood vessel disease, repetitive movements (typing), working with tools that vibrate (jackhammer) and drugs for colds, migraines, blood pressure or cancer.  In this case, pain from attacks can last for hours.  Severe cases can cause damage to skin tissue, leading to sores and possibly gangrene.

Regardless of your trigger – cold temperature, stress, or unknown – treatment for both forms can include self-management strategies:

  • Keep hands and feet warm and dry
  • Avoid sudden exposure to cold air (even air conditioning)
  • Learn ways to reduce stress
  • Quit smoking
  • Terminate an attack by placing hands and/or feet in warm water or in a warm place, rubbing hands together, or rotating your arms in a windmill pattern.
  • In worse case scenario, people with secondary Raynaud’s may need medication to relax blood vessels.  Rarely, surgery is advised to remove damaged tissue.

Raynaud’s has no cure, so ongoing care is essential to prevent tissue injury.  For those of us with this condition that enjoy ‘cold’ sports, such as skiing, snowboarding, sailing, surfing, or just being outdoors, you simply need to prepare.  Up until a couple years ago, I had no idea my ‘condition’ even had a name.  My sister wonders why I don’t spend more time in the ocean — and plain and simple — it sucks when you are paddling around and your fingers keep going numb!

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SUGAR Substitutes?

As people are constantly trying to cut down on sugar and calorie intake, they often turn to sugar substitutes.  Although the FDA claims many of these to be safe, lots of people worry about the safety of these products.  Truth be told sugar substitutes are hundreds of times sweeter than table sugar (sucrose), so much less goes a long way.  Most are calorie free or close to it and they don’t affect blood sugar.  HOWEVER, there’s no truly long-term research proving they are safe.  Sugar substitutes are not a fix for obesity; a better alternative is to simply cut down on sweets and make other changes little by little.  Putting chemically engineered, highly processed foods in your body is a toss up.  The structure of these products resembles a toxin more so than a molecule of real sugar.  My advice is that if you are craving ‘sweet’, go for the real thing.

Here’s How They Differ:

Sucralose (Splenda) — This is a sugar molecule altered so that it passes through your body undigested and therefore has no calories.  It can be used anywhere you would normally put sugar, as it has become very popular.  It is a synthetic compound made through a complex chemical process.

Stevia extracts (Truvia and PureVia) — Stevia comes from the shrub Stevia rebaudiana, which has been used for many years as a sweetener in South America.  Because of concerns brought about by early animal studies, stevia was banned as a sweetener in the U.S.  Most recent research however has failed to find adverse effects.  So, in 2008 the FDA granted GRAS (generally recognized as safe) status to rebiana, a purified extract of rebaudioside A, one of the plant’s main sweet components.  Marketers boast the stevia extracts (rebiana) are “natural”, though the leaves must be highly processed to isolate the compounds.  Whole-leaf stevia herb, in liquid or powder form, can be sold solely as a dietary supplement, not explicitly as a sweetener.

Aspartame (NutraSweet, Equal) — Created from two amino acids, naturally occurring building blocks of protein, this has been around for 30 years.  This is not safe for people with a rare genetic condition called phenylketoneuria (PKU), who lack the ability to process one of the amino acids.  According to the FDA this is safe for everyone else.  Nonetheless, many have linked aspartame to: headaches, brain tumors, dizziness, migraines, depression, insomnia, memory loss, and a number of other conditions.

Neotame — Chemically related to aspartame, though not much sweeter.  People with PKU can consume this.  This is found in many food products, but not available directly to consumers.

Saccharin (Sweet’N Low) — This was linked to bladder cancer in the 1970’s in animal studies; yet other research claimed it was safe for human consumption.

Acesulfame-K (Sunett, Sweet One) — Also called acesulfame potassium.  Often combined with aspartame in soft drinks, this compound passes through the body unchanged, and contains a very small amount of potassium.  Once again, FDA has claimed its safe, but many consumers worry this could be linked to cancer among other conditions.

Sorbitol and Xylitol — These and other sweeteners with the “-ol” are sugar alcohols, which have approximately half the calories of sugar and are absorbed more slowly by the body.  They are often found in chewing gum and sweets because they have a more favorable taste than other noncaloric sweeteners, and may help reduce tooth decay.  They can cause gas, bloating, and diarrhea.

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Go Fish

To reduce risk of heart attacks and get your dose of protein — Eat Fatty Fish — provided it isn’t high in mercury!

A recent study of men in Sweden and Finland, in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, found that those who ate mostly fatty fish, those with higher levels of omega-3 fats, had a substantially reduced risk of heart attack.  Omega-3 fatty acids are necessary for human health as they play a crucial role in brain function, as well as normal growth and development.  Research has also shown that omega-3 fatty acids reduce inflammation and may help lower risks of cancer and arthritis.

In fact, infants who do not get enough omega-3 fatty acids from their mothers during pregnancy are at risk for developing poor vision and nerve problems.  Symptoms of omega-3 fatty acid deficiency include fatigue, poor memory, dry skin, heart problems, mood swings or depression and poor circulation.

These “good fatty fish” — those with higher levels of omega-3 fats include: salmon, tuna, and halibut, in addition to other seafood including algae and krill.  It is recommended to consume these fish 2x/week.

Beware:  Those fish with higher mercury levels cancel out the beneficial effects of the fish.  These fish with most notable high mercury levels include: swordfish, shark, tilefish, king mackerel, and large tuna.  These are especially dangerous for fetuses and young children.

Source: http://www.umm.edu/altmed/articles/omega-3-000316.htm#ixzz2OCnebuwr
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