To Cook or Not to Cook?

To size it all up in a nut-shell, "Cook or Not to Cook" shouldn't be a matter of either/or; but a question asking..."How much of each should I consume daily?"

According to most research done on raw verses cooked foods, scientists have discovered that a little of both is required in order to have a well-balanced diet which contains all of the daily nutrients and vitamins our bodies need; yet have a minimal dosage of toxins from pesticides and other chemicals obtained through food preparation.

A diet exclusively made of raw food sounds  good.

Raw fruits, nuts and vegetables are loaded with many vitamins and minerals the body needs to function at its best.
However, in most individuals, the human body is not designed to function on an exclusive raw food diet.
Most starchy vegetables are easier to digest cooked than uncooked; and should be cooked without salt or butter.

Although fresh fruit and salad vegetables contain vitamins such as A, C, and D, and are loaded with minerals the body needs to maintain normally on a daily basis.

The human body still needs small portions of cooked starchy foods to provide it with the protein and carbohydrates needed for daily energy.

Cruciferous veggies like broccoli, cauliflower and cabbage which contain goitrogens (which inhibit thyroid hormone) and are neutralized with light cooking, as well as some leafy greens, like spinach, kale, chard and collard greens which contain oxalic acid which reduce the absorption of calcium and can irritate the intestines. (Vreni Gurd, writer for Trusted.MD)

Below is a list of foods that are easier to digest when cooked:

.Baked Potato

.Cooked Grains (brown rice, wheat, oatmeal, quinoa)

.Beans & Peas

.Nuts (should be roasted or soaked in water, excluding peanuts)

.Broccoli

.Kale

.Collard Greens

.Lettuce

.Cauliflower


Below is a list of foods that are more beneficial for the body consumed raw:

.Lettuce

.Alfalfa Sprouts

.Cucumbers

.Fresh Fruit

.Peanuts

.Tomatoes

.Fennel

.Celery

According to Gurd, Ideally 40-60% of our diet should consist of uncooked foods.

In a normal diet, it can be difficult consuming that much raw food in one day.

Therefore, you should try starting your morning off with mixed berry smoothies.

For a great smoothie recipe go to: http://worldtherapycenter.blogspot.com/2010/08/mixed-berry-smoothie-1-cup-orange-juice.html.

Add a fresh fruit and some yogurt to your lunch menu, followed by a fresh salad approximately 1-2 hour later (yogurt helps your body to digest uncooked vegetables).

Then have a mid-day snack consisting of celery (no dipping sauce), cucumbers, carrots, and/or nuts.

And finally, for the last meal of the day be sure to included steamed vegetables along with all of your evening meals.

If you are watching your weight, try to excluded as many starches as possible from your evening dinner.

In conclusion, it is safe to say that no one preparation is the WINNER in the battle between "Cooked or Non-Cooked Foods."

Just like "light" verses "dark", "yin" verses "yang," and "cold" verses "hot"....each must exist to create a well-balanced and healthy life.

Top 5 Power Foods of the Week: Slow Aging, Prevent Disease, and Boost Immunity

Almonds- Eating about 48 almonds a day gives you approximately 50 percent of the daily amount of magnesium needed in your diet. Magnesium is very important for the health of your heart. Studies have proven that eating at least 2-ounces of almonds daily have significantly lowered total cholesterol levels, and several other factors that contribute to heart disease as well.  Also, almonds are high in vitamin E, fiber, and monounsaturated fats.


Apples- Apples are high in fiber and antioxidants. Not only are they good for colon health, but also for lowering total cholesterol and triglyceride levels. This delicious fruit contain catechins, potent cancer-preventative substances. They are also good for preventing lung cancer; as well as liver and prostate abnormalities.




Salmon- Fatty acids are what our brain uses to create the cells that help us to process thoughts and to feel.  Salmon is one of the healthiest foods you can eat. Wild Salmon is one of the best sources of Omega-3 essential fatty acids. It is low in saturated fat, and it has one of the lowest amounts of contaminants among all seafood.

Other health properties of wild salmon are:

• Wild Salmon improves your brain matter.
• Wild Salmon improves your mood.
• Wild Salmon improves your synaptic connections.
• Wild Salmon improves your arteries.
• Wild Salmon reduces your chances of stroke, Dementia, and Alzheimer’s.


Avocados- This fruit, sometimes referred to as nature’s butter, provides fiber, folic acid, vitamin E, and potassium.  But more than anything, avocados are known to lower total cholesterol levels because they are the number-one fruit source of beta-sitosterol.  In addition, avocados have higher levels of the potent antioxidant lutein, which protects our eyes from cataracts and age-related muscular degeneration.


Blueberries- Blueberries help the brain to produce dopamine. Dopamine is essential for coordination, memory, and the feeling of well-being. However, blueberries are most known for their high levels of immunity boosting antioxidants. According to cbsmoneywatch.com,   Researchers recently found that blueberries prevented the growth of breast cancer cells in test tubes.

This week, try to consume as much of these Top 5 Power Foods as possible. Find creative ways to incorporate them in your daily diet by making smoothies with blueberries and fresh apples.

Have Mexican night and make guacamole with your avocados.

Or, try Almond Crusted Salmon as an entrée along with your favorite side dishes.

The Importance of Goal Setting ….and Daily Planning!

Remember the old saying, “Stand for something or fall for anything?” Well that still holds true to this day. Unless you set life goals, and make daily plans towards accomplishing them. Eventually you will start to feel as if your life has become meaningless.

You’ll start to lose focus of your objectives in life, allowing yourself to become engulfed with everything else other than accomplishing your goals.

Your daily planning should reflect your New Year Goals in ways that if you were to do a monthly outline of your goals, you can flip through the pages like a cartoon script and see your yearly goals evolving step-by-step.

All it takes is a step-by-step approach.

Start your New Year Goals with a theme for the year. My theme for last year was “The Year of the Break Thru…out with the Old and In With the New! And that is exactly how my year went.

I started utilizing my journalism degree by freelance writing for 2 online companies; Textbrokers and Experts 123.

Then, I became certified in Medical Massage while I was in the process of leaving my job as a massage therapist at Nordstrom Spa, to open a Health Spa in Dunwoody, Georgia.

And, none of it would have happened, if I had chosen not to write a New Year’s list of goals. My goals kept me focused each month as to the direction I was going.

Goals keep people on track, so write your goals for this New Year and post them in your home-office area so you can see them every morning when starting your day.

When making New Year Goals it is important to search for improvement in every area of your life.

Your goals should be reasonable and well defined.

Example:

2011 New Year Goals
“Theme” Example: The Year of the Break Thru
I. Professional Growth Goals
a. Example: Increase sales volume by 1/3 in the first two quarters.
b. Example: Cultivate relationships with co-workers and management staff.
c. Example: Get more education or training.
II. Personal Growth Goals
a. Example: Be a more discipline parent to my teenager.
b. Example: Be more understanding of my partners needs.
III. Self Growth
a. Example: Improve who I am as a mother/father by…
b. Example: Improve who I am as a wife, husband, significant other by…
c. Example: Improve who I am as a business woman/man by…
d. Example: Improve who I am as a (son) daughter or granddaughter (son) by…
IV. Spiritual Growth
a. Example: Attend service more often.
b. Example: Pray everyday
V. Relationship Growth
a. Example: Be more compassionately expressive and less reactive.
b. Example: Confront issues as they arise.
VI. Physical Growth
a. Example: Do palates 2 times a week.
b. Example: Work out in gym 3 times a week.
c. Example: Take supplements 3 times a week.
VII. Financial Growth
a. Example: Pay credit card debt down or off.
b. Example: Have 3-6 months (or more) worth total monthly expense in savings.

When it comes to planning out your goals, it never hurts to write out a “’wish list” before starting.

Make sure to include small steps towards achieving everything you wish for in your New Year Goals.

Although planning may sound simple, it’s simply not!

It takes organization to execute a well written plan.

When planning, I have two simple suggestions that will make your New Year Goals hard not to obtain!

1. Sign up for a Gmail account (if you don’t already have one).

2. Then, go out and get a smart phone (download Google mobile app first) to sink your business and personal contacts on your phone with your Gmail account, Google calendar with your phone, and social networks into.

Update your Gmail calendar from any computer daily and it will sink in with your smart phone accordingly. You can also auto-set your calendar to alarm your phone when you have a scheduled appointment or task for the day.

Now…MAKE IT A GREAT YEAR EVERYONE!

3-Step Treatment for Strained Muscles

A strained muscle, also known as a pulled muscle, is one of the most common sports injuries.  Stretching a muscle beyond its comfortable limits, poor body mechanics when working out, and too much impact during cardio exercise or lifting an object that is too heavy can cause small tears to occur within the muscle fibers.

Symptoms of a strained muscle are:                                                                                                 

• Pain
• Swelling or Inflammation        
• Tightness 
• Stiffness
• Heat radiating from area 
• Bruising
• Impaired muscle functions during exercise or daily usage

The most frequently pulled muscles are:  pulled hamstrings, groin muscles, pulled calf or quad muscles; pulled low back, shoulder and neck muscles. 

There are several steps to treat pulled muscles at home, depending upon the severity of the injury.  

Step 1 - Treatment

REST is the first step in the early recovery phase (1-5 days). Immobilization is not always recommended. However, it is good to avoid workouts until the pain subsides. If the strain occurs in an area on the arms or legs, it is important to elevate the extremity to reduce swelling and alleviate some of the pressure.  

ICE the area to reduce pain and swelling. According to http://orthopedics.about.com, you should begin icing as soon as possible after sustaining a muscle pull. Ice applications can be done frequently, but should not be done for more than 15-minutes per application. Applying ice while you rest and elevate saves time.

ANTI-INFLAMMATORY MEDS help to alleviate painful symptoms and reduce swelling.  Always remember to check with your doctor before taking anti-inflammatory medications; unless you have already taken them in the past and know what works for you with the least amount of side-effects. Anti-Inflammatory medications such as Aspirin, Ibuprofen, Naproxen, etc; helps to reduce inflammation and to inhibit pain signals to the brain. They sometimes work as well as rest, ice and elevation for people with busy schedules.

Step 2 – Strengthening 

STRENGTHENING is very important after the swelling subsides. Strengthening an injured muscle before returning to athletic activities not only facilitates the healing process, but it also helps to prevent future injuries from occurring. Light weights or the use of body weight as resistance is recommended.  Be sure to avoid heavy weights and heavy impact strengthening exercises at this time of the healing process.

Step 3 - Prevention

Once the injured muscle has re-gained its strength, the healing process has nearly taken its course.  The final step to treating strained muscles is prevention.  Look at the area of injury as a “problem area”.  If you continue to do the same workout routine you did to injure yourself, the same results will occur. Therefore, it is important to incorporate methods to prevent injuries from occurring before your workout routine.

GENTLE STRETCHING makes muscles more flexible, and flexible muscles are less likely to be injured during workouts or athletic events. 

HEAT makes the muscles more flexible and increases blood flow to the region. Increased blood flow brings a fresh supply of nutrient-rich blood to the area, and circulates toxins and waste back through the system for elimination. Therefore, heat applications make the muscles less susceptible to strain and injury. 

WARM UP slowly by starting your exercise at a moderate pace and use lighter weights. Then slowly increase in pounds, pace, and repetitions as you proceed with caution.  

AVOID MUSCLE FATIGUE by slowing the pace of your workout, or taking a break during workouts. When muscles are fatigue, they can easily become more susceptible to strain and injury.

Sometimes pulled muscles take hours to develop symptoms. Therefore is it always good to keep a high performance muscle rub on hand to apply to heavily worked muscles regions immediately after an athletic event or strenuous exercise (Especially if the workout routine is new to the body or more challenging than previous workouts).

Biofreeze offers temporary relief for muscle sprains and spasms. It is the topical pain reliever of choice for Chiropractors, Podiatrists, Occupational Therapists, Physical Therapists, Massage Therapists, and Athletic Trainers. 

For more information or to purchase Biofreeze log on to: http://www.sagepayments.net/eftcart/products.asp?M_id=315471591751.

Colonic Cleansing…Who Knew Elimination Could Be So Good!

At first when I decided to get colonics I was very nervous.      

 

I had an automobile accident when I was 18-years old. In that accident I suffered several injuries including: multiple bone fractures, lacerations to my stomach, left lung and diaphragm, spleen and my colon.

And, for the last 17-years I have suffered from residual ailments as a result of my trauma injuries and surgeries.  Silently, I suffered digestive problems for years with no knowledge of a treatment to help aid my symptoms. 

Symptoms I experienced were:

·         Constipation

·         Abdominal pain after eating

·         Bloating

·         Gas

·         Inability to digest dairy or yeast

My weight would fluctuate from 5-7 pounds depending on what I ate that day.

I soon realized that it was my diet that was causing my digestive system to be out of whack.

Once I started to discover what was causing my Irritable Bowel Symptoms through the process of elimination, I soon discovered that my symptoms were due to a lack of intestinal enzymes needed to process certain foods properly as a result to my previous traumas and lifestyle stresses.

My food sensitivity started with dairy and bread and ended with meat such as beef and pork. Therefore, I removed them from my grocery list.

However, when I dined out at some of Atlanta’s finest restaurants, my symptoms would reoccur. 

In this society it is hard to eliminate all dairy, bread, and meat from some of our favorite meals. Even if they are not a part of our main entrée; at least one of the three are an ingredient used to make our dishes. 

Therefore, I started to detox heavily, to eliminate everything I ate before it would cause digestive problems and make for a miserable evening.

Eventually, I started to suffer from anemia and exhaustion because I was eliminating the good with the bad.

One day I ran into this lady by the name of La Tanya Young who held my attention.

Not only because her name is similar to mine (Tonya), but because she seemed knowledgeable in her line of work as a Physician’s Assistant (PA).  La Tanya Young owns Sol Sanctuary Holistic Detoxification Center in Roswell, Georgia. 

Needless to say, I scheduled an appointment with Ms. Young and was completely impressed by her services. Ms. Young greeted me at the door with a big smile. She sat me down and comforted me that my experience would not only be painless, but also relaxing. 

She showed me around her facility. Then she escorted me to a room with a massage table and a dry sauna. I was instructed to lie down in supine position on a BioMat table and relax while the heat soothed my muscles and increased my circulation, allowing a more peaceful elimination. 

After taking a quick nap on the BioMat for approximately 15-minutes, I was ready for action; La Tanya escorted me to the colonic table. 

As I entered the room I saw a big beige plastic table with an open compartment that looked like a sink with an attaching hose. 

But as I inched closer to the devise, I noticed that it was more like a birthing table with mantles for leg placements on each side of the table and a rectangular whole used as an elimination bowl with a thin hose attached (similar to a toilet with no sitting water).

It was then that I was told that the process would be self-administered from this point forth. Boy was I relieved to know that she was not taking away one of the most personal experiences of my existence! 

Ms. Young instructed me to:

1.       Undress from the waist down.

2.       Get on the table and cover-up with the disposable sheet.

3.       Put on plastic gloves and lubricate the area of insertion.

4.       Insert the tube (smaller than a pencil’s width) only 2-inches into my rear.  (The tube is slightly curved upward for comfort, and to leave room for waste to eliminate without obstruction).

Once the process was done I pressed the button for farther instructions. 

Next, she entered the room and turned the water on.

The saline water entered the inserted tube slowly. It was very warm and soothing; and the flow was non- disruptive to my sphincter muscles.   

Within minutes I could feel my intestines filling with water and it was all downhill from that point forth. 

The experience was more relaxing than a self-induced BM, because the warm water made the entire process slow, painless, and effortless.  

 I chose to watch the clear tubes as the waste traveled from my body through this long clear pipe which led to a toilet devise that Ms. Young came in to flush occasionally, as she re-heated the pillow she had placed on my stomach to help things loosen even more.

Overall, it was a wonderful experience. 

Afterwards she escorted me to the sauna where I released even more toxins by sweating for 30-minutes.

The last step was the consultation in which we discussed my diet and she gave me future tips on detoxing at home, eating better for my body type, and aftercare tips for the next 48 hours. 

I left Sol Sanctuary feeling refreshed and rejuvenated and about 10-pounds lighter!

For more information on Colonic Cleansing contact Ms. La Tanya Young at 770-717-7000, or log on to: www.solsanctuarydetox.com.

 

*This article was written by Tonya Jones, owner of World Therapy Center*

Bamboo Terry Robes

A robe should be much more than something you slip into after a long days work.

Your robe should represent your safe haven from life. Robes are like our personal royal attire that confirms we are the masters of our domain; the rulers of our territory.

Bamboo Terry Robes make the perfect luxury robe to unwind in. These eco-friendly bamboo terry cloth robes are by far the softest around.

They are used by some of the finest resorts and cruise ships around.

Made with 100% sustainable Moso Bamboo fibers, they make the perfect gift to give to family and friends for occasions such as get well gifts, holidays, and special occasion gifts.

Bamboo Terry Robes are unisex and come in a variety of sizes. They have a shawl collar, matching terry trim, two patch pockets, and a matching belt.

Once you put them on, you will never want to de-robe again.

For more information and order instructions on Bamboo Terry Robes log on to:http://www.sagepayments.net/eftcart/products.asp?M_id=315471591751.

Yeah Baby’s Cloud 9 Spa Slippers

Slip into these cuddly soft spa slippers and you will never feel alone again. Yeah Baby’s Cloud 9 Spa Slippers will have you wiggling your toes non-stop.

This unisex slipper ensures comfort for every one of all sizes. From XS-S, M-L, and L-XXL, Yeah Baby, you will find just the right fit for your individual needs.

The Yeah Baby’s new ultra-soft exclusive design delivers a relaxing fit. Yeah Baby’s are safe for wet areas (such as gym showers). These spa slippers are silent on hard floors and they are machine washable.

For information and order instructions on Yeah Baby’s Cloud 9 Spa Slippers log on to: http://www.sagepayments.net/eftcart/products.asp?M_id=315471591751.

Yeah Baby’s are available in Black, Chocolate, Sage and Mystic Blue.