Dandelion Supreme

This living food recipe for the raw food diet is a great source for strong greens and an excellent detoxifying recipe. 

Dandelion is often referred to as the “weight-loss” herb.

Dandelion helps to purify the lymphatic system as well as provide an excellent source of calcium and chlorophyll.  With this tasty recipe, you can enjoy the nutritional benefits of dandelion at any time. 

1 ½ bunches dandelion, chopped

¼ cup scallions

1 clove garlic, minced

1 large mango, cubed

1 cup purple cabbage, shredded

½ lime

½ cup pine nuts

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

2 tablespoons flax seed oil

1 teaspoon Braggs Liquid Amino

Dash of sea salt

Marinate cabbage with lime juice, 1 teaspoon of olive oil, and sea salt. 

Set aside for 20 minutes. 

Fold in cabbage and mix together with all ingredients.

Watch the intake of salt and liquid amino. 

Braggs liquid amino is quite strong.  It only takes a little bit. 

Mixing with sea salt can be overpowering, if one has a heavy hand.

Article by Roslyn Randle from www.BlueLotusLiving.com

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Why Refined Sugar Is The Most Dangerous "Food" You Can Eat

When you consider how it is made, what it does in the body and the negative health effects it produces, refined sugar is gram for gram, one of the most hazardous substances you can possible eat.

If you only make one improvement to your diet this year, I hope it is to replace refined sugar with raw food sweeteners.

If you do, I can guarantee you that smoother digestion, more relaxed muscles, more peaceful emotions and increased mental clarity are soon to follow.

Before looking at the negative health consequences of eating refined sugar, let’s have a quick look at how it’s made. This will give you some insight into why it affects the body the way it does. The majority of sugar comes from sugar cane (Saccharum spp.) which is a dense tall grass that grows in tropical regions.

The juice from sugar cane is traditionally used as a sweetener from India to the Caribbean. And, interestingly, raw sugar cane juice is pretty good for you, being alkalizing and relatively low on the glycemic index.

But in the 1500s manufacturers began refining sugar cane so that it could be more easily transported overseas, especially back to Europe. Over the years, the process has become increasingly complex and dependent on chemicals.

Here is what happens between cutting sugar cane in the fields and delivering refined sugar to your local store.

After harvest, machines at a sugar mill wash, cut, shred and press the juice out of the cane stalks.

This liquid is then heated to boiling and treated with chemical solvents to remove impurities. Then it is moved to huge tanks and heated again to evaporate the water content. This leaves a thick syrup that is placed in a centrifuge machine to form the syrup into crystals.

These crystals are then transported to a sugar refinery where they are heated to boiling again, treated with bleach and other chemicals and then filtered through bone char, which is a powder made from cow or pig bones. After filtering, the syrup is then centrifuged again to produce refined white sugar. Brown sugar is created by adding molasses before putting it in the centrifuge.

Given the fact that its heated to boiling at least three times, treated with chemicals, filtered through bone powder and forced to crystallize, it’s no wonder that refined sugar has literally had the life force beaten out of it.

Refined sugar, white or brown, literally has zero nutritional value no minerals, no vitamins, no fiber, no enzymes, no fats – nothing of value for the body. Instead it’s toxic to the body. You can live longer on pure water alone, than on water mixed with sugar.

Here is what refined sugar does in the body:

It produces an acidic condition in the digestive system. This drains the body of vitamins and minerals and the consequences can be life threatening. For example the metabolism of sugar requires leaches calcium from the bones and teeth which can lead to tooth decay or osteoporosis. Sugar also depletes the body of potassium and magnesium, which are required for proper cardiac function, and is therefore a major factor in heart disease.

It compromises the body’s immune system and stresses the pancreas by forcing it to produce a rush of digestive enzymes. This can lead to the formation gallstones and diabetes.

It depletes stores of vitamin B, which is our brain food, and can interfere with memory, concentration and other mental functions.

It makes the blood very thick and sticky, inhibiting much of the blood flow into the minute capillaries that supply our skin gums and teeth with vital nutrients. Refined sugar has been shown to increase wrinkles and dry aged skin.

When excess sugar is eaten, it is first stored in the liver. With continued consumption the liver expands like a balloon and begins to function poorly. An improperly functioning liver can quickly lead to high blood pressure, skin disorders and acne to name a few.

In addition, most people consume far more sugar than their bodies can possibly use for energy. When this happens, the liver converts the extra sugar into molecules called triglycerides and stores it as fat, or else produces cholesterol from the by-products of sugar and deposits it in veins and arteries. Sugar is thus a major factor in obesity and arteriosclerosis.

It also negatively effects behavior. Refined sugar consumption has been linked to violent behavior, hypertension, and learning impediments. In one study violence in prisons was remarkably reduced simply by eliminating refined sugar and starch from prison diets. And Singapore in 1991 banned sugary soft drink sales from all schools and youth centers, citing the danger that sugar poses to the mental and physical health of children.

Finally refined sugar is an addictive substance. Abruptly giving up sugar often brings on the sort of withdrawal symptoms associated with narcotic drugs- fatigue, lassitude, depression, moodiness, headaches, aching limbs. This happens as the body eliminates the left over toxins from the sugar and begins to bring itself back into balance.

As you can see, putting processed sugar into your body makes no sense at all. It is something like pouring sugar into the gas tank of a million dollar racing car. Only do it if you want to screw up your car/body for some reason.

Fortunately for all of us with a sweet tooth, there are many natural raw sweeteners that are not only harmless to the body, but actually support it. The highest choice is to use 100% unrefined and untreated sweeteners.

These are what I use exclusively:

Fruits

• Dried fruits like dates or raisins

• Pure cane juice

• Raw, unprocessed cane sugar

• Agave syrup

• Stevia and Stevia extract

• Yacon syrup

• Raw honey

• Mezquite powder

  Most of these are available at any health food store. Just make sure to ask if they are minimally processed and raw (meaning unheated).

  Whatever you choose, you can be sure of this: eliminating refined sugar from your diet is one of the kindest and most loving things you could ever do for your body. Please pass this information on to anyone in your life who you care about.

Some interesting sugar facts:

Sir Frederick Banting, the co discoverer of insulin, noted in 1929 that among sugar plantation owners who ate large amounts of refined sugar, diabetes was common. Among native cane-cutters, who only chewed the raw cane, he saw no diabetes.

In 1915, the average of sugar consumption was around 7-10 Kg per person per year. Today the average person consumes about 70 kg

In 2002, almost 132 million tons of sugar were consumed worldwide.

1. Sugar is used in leather tanning, printers’ inks and dyes and even in textile sizing and finishing

2. Film stuntmen use bottles and plate glass windows made of sugar

3. Chemical manufacturers use sugar to grow penicillin

4. Sugar hardens asphalt. It slows the setting of ready-mixed concrete and glue.

5. About 30% of refined sugar comes from sugar beets. The rest comes from sugar cane

6. One 12 oz. Cola contains 11 teaspoons of sugar.

7. Sugar was one of the first pharmaceutical ingredients used, as it still is today, to mask the bitter taste of medicines

Mark Ament is the author of several books and programs on natural health, including his unique introduction to natural healing course called the "5 Master Keys To Ultimate Healing." To get your free copy and learn more about Mark’s work visit http://www.healingvibes.com

By Mark Ament Published: 9/1/2008

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The Health Benefits Of Juicing

I started juicing raw vegetables and apples in 1996.

It is very easy to do. All you need is a good juicer.

Much of the foods people eat, such as french fries, fried chicken, microwave popcorn, doughnuts, margarine, cookies and pastries contain an artery-clogging fat called Trans fat.

This fat can lead to type two diabetes, high cholesterol and other health problems.

If you desire to live a long, healthy, vibrant life, you have to take care of your body by giving it the proper nutrition. That is why I am such a strong advocate for Juicing.

Health Benefits

The benefits of consuming these freshly made, health drinks are many. They aid in keeping organs such as heart, liver, and kidneys strong and healthy.

They also help prevent colon cancer and keep your digestive system in tiptop shape. This is because they are a great supplier of protein, vitamins and minerals.

These drinks also boost the immune system and promote good-looking healthy skin.

Another health benefit to consuming these drinks is they help you lose weight and lower cholesterol naturally.

Nutritional Health Begins On The Inside

I am a firm believer that if you work on being healthy on the inside it will show-up on the outside.

Sometimes when I run into old friends they tell me that I look very healthy. I believe the juices that I drink has a lot to do with this.

I know a woman who smoked for many years. When she finally quit smoking I noticed in a short period of time, the skin on her face look healthier.

There was almost a glow to it. Can you visualize what would happen if more and more people would work on being healthy from the inside out? I can!

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A daily vitamin packed drink of your choice that includes romaine lettuce, celery, stalks kale, apples, lemon, and fresh ginger (or make your own drink)

To eat healthy we need to eat daily one pound of raw vegetables for each 50 pounds of body weight.

By juicing this amount, it is very easy to get 50% of your body weight’s requirement of raw vegetables.

Raw food is important to our body because when it is consumed, it does not raise our white blood cells like cooked food does.

It did not change when raw foods or low temperature cooked foods were consumed.

Health juices are not a new thing over history. Limejuice cured scurvy in the16th century, saving thousands of sailor’s lives. But our generation has only recently discovered the nutritional and biochemical properties of fruit and vegetable fresh juices.

Juicing is the cheapest and most economical method to maintain the health of the individual in our time today. It was discovered that the best time to take a juice drink is in the morning and during the evening.

Freshly squeezed juices from vegetables and fruit contain more vitamins and minerals, along with enzymes, than any canned or fresh juice. When making your juice, always include a dark leafy vegetable such as spinach, broccoli, cabbage, or beet tops.

It was discovered that the best time to take a juice drink is in the morning and during the evening.

Within ten minutes after consuming the drink they are absorbed into the bloodstream.

This is an advantage to drinking freshly juiced vegetables as compared to eating fresh vegetables and fruit.

Eating solid foods take several hours to digest, while a fresh fruit or vegetable drink is absorbed quickly into the system. The fiber is lost due to the juicing process but a higher amount of nutrients goes into the body and its system.

By: Jennifer Seaton  Article Directory: http://www.articledashboard.com  For tips on okinawan tea and coca tea, visit the Types Of Tea website.

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