Foods That Detox the Body

                                                 rawforbeauty.com

Enhance Your Body's Natural Detox Process

Every day your body disposes of toxins from the metabolism of food, fluids, medications, and even the air you breathe. Your liver, kidneys, lungs, skin, and digestive system all play important roles to filter, inactivate, and remove toxic by-products and waste materials out of the body.

What can you do to enhance your body’s natural processes? Well, the good news is that it’s really not that hard to improve your body’s detox systems—and the result is that you will most likely have more energy, fewer skin issues, and fewer minor digestive complaints. The starting point is a healthy diet full of fruits, vegetables, and whole grains. I strongly urge folks to stay away from fast foods, as eating chemical-laden, often fried foods adds a HUGE burden of toxins for your body to process! Vegetables and whole grains are rich in fiber and help bind toxins and harmful metabolites so they can be excreted. Here are five tips to support your body’s detoxification systems:

• Eat more whole grains. When choosing breads and cereals, look for phrases such as “100% whole wheat/whole grain,” and choose breads that provide at least 3 grams of fiber per serving, as well as cereals that provide at least 5 grams fiber per serving.
• Satisfy your sweet tooth with fruit—not sodas. Fresh fruit is generally low in calories but high in fiber. One cup of fresh blackberries or raspberries has about 8 grams of fiber. One medium-sized pear or apple has 4 grams.
• Eat your veggies. Vegetables provide vitamins, minerals, phytonutrients, and fiber. One artichoke has 5 grams of fiber, and a potato (eaten with the skin) provides 5 grams.
• Ladle up some legumes. Beans and legumes are low in fat and versatile (great in soup, on salads, or as a vegetarian entree). A serving of beans provides about 6 to 8 grams of fiber.
• Drink more water. We recommend at least six glasses of plain water per day. Carry a water bottle with you (make sure it’s BPA free) and commit to refilling it at least three times per day! Your digestive system and your skin will thank you.

Pesticides with your Cheerios?

Mom's have trusted Cheerios to feed their toddlers for years. But the trusted brand by General Mills, Inc. has betrayed our trust and is in the middle of a social media backlash. www.Facebook.com/cheerios recently tried to gain customer brand loyalty with an app asking users to share "what Cheerios meant to me". The app was shut down in just a day after they quickly realized Facebook users don't approve of their use of Genetically Modified Foods in their products or their political advocacy to keep it a secret from the public. General Mills, Inc. spent $1.2M in California against Proposition 37 to keep us from knowing about GMOs in our products. The United States is one of the few industrialized countries that doesn't require the clear labeling of controversial “genetically modified” food. The state of California attempted to expose and reverse this problem with Proposition 37, which would have required producers and commercial retailers to specifically label their products and would also prevent companies who use GMO food products to stop misleading the public with phrases like “all natural”, ”naturally derived” and “naturally flavored.” The Proposition 37 law was narrowly defeated in November, mainly due to out-of-state funding by a coordinated group of multinational brands like General Mills that blitzed the public with a $46 million PR campaign. The ingredients in Cheerios that are suspected of containing GMO's are: modified corn starch, sugar and vitamin e.  For a list of brands to avoid, including General Mills products, see my earlier post "Boycott the Brands that helped kill Prop 37" and always look for brands that are organic and list their products as Non GMO.
picture is a screenshot from http://www.cheeseslave.com

Boycott the Brands that helped kill Prop 37

Proposition 37 in California would have been the 1st law in the U.S. to force producers and manufacturers to label our food that includes Genetically Modified food products.  Although it was defeated, we can still make an impact with our purchasing dollars.  We may not think about it but we vote every day... what are you voting for?   Big business or local business?  Chemicals, Pesticides, Genetically Engineered or Natural, Organic and Non-GMO?  Produce from other countries or locally grown from local small farmers?  We can all be aware of these choices as we spend our purchasing dollars.   I have listed some of the companies to avoid below....

According to the Huffington Post, here are some of the major companies who worked to defeat Prop 37 and the money they put against it:

Monsanto - $7,100,500
DuPont - $4,900,000
Pepsi - $2,145,400
Bayer - $2,000,000
Dow - $2,000,000
BASF - $2,000,000
Syngenta - $2,000,000
Kraft Foods - $1,950,000
Coca-Cola - $1,455,500
Nestle - $1,315,600
General Mills - $1,135,000
ConAgra - $1,077,000
Kellogg’s - $790,000
Smithfield - $684,000

According to Natural News, here are some of the natural brands that are "owned" by traditional companies and Natural News is suggesting we boycott:

1) Naked Juice, Tostitos Organic, Tropicana Organic. Each of these popular brands is owned by PepsiCo, which donated $2.5 million to the No on 37 campaign.

2) Boca Burger, Back to Nature. These two brands are owned by Kraft Foods, which donated $2 million to defeat Prop. 37.

3) "O" Organics. This organic brand is owned by the grocery store chain Safeway, which is a member of the Grocery Manufacturers Association (GMA). GMA spent $2 million to defeat GMO labeling in California.

4) Honest Tea, Odwalla. Both of these popular "natural" brands are owned by the Coca-Cola Company, which donated $1.7 million to the No on 37 campaign.

5) Muir Glen, Cascadian Farm, Larabar. All of these brands are owned by General Mills, which donated $1.2 million to defeat Prop. 37.

6) Orville Redenbacher's Organic, Hunt's Organic, Lightlife, Alexia. Each of these brands is owned by Con-Agra, which spent $1.2 million to defeat Prop. 37.

7) Kashi, Bear Naked, Morningstar Farms, Gardenburger. These popular "healthy" brands are all owned by Kellogg's, which spent $791,000 to kill Prop. 37.

8) R.W. Knudsen, Santa Cruz Organic. These two brands are owned by Smucker's, which spent $555,000 to defeat Prop. 37.

9) Ben & Jerry's. This ice cream favorite is now owned by Unilever, which spent $467,000 to defeat Prop. 37.

10) Horizon, Silk, White Wave. These three brands can be found in health food stores all across the country, but their parent company, Dean Foods, donated $254,000 to the No on 37 campaign.

Learn more: http://www.naturalnews.com/038112_Prop_37_boycott_brands.html#ixzz2EZnxxVZe

Know the Warning Signs... Diabetes!

There are nearly six million people in the US with undiagnosed Diabetes. Because the symptoms of the disease can be so subtle, many Americans have no idea that they are suffering from this incredibly dangerous condition. In keeping with our sugar-themed newsletter this month, we wanted to share a list of Type 1 and Type 2 Diabetes symptoms and warning signs. If you’re suffering from any combination of the symptoms below, contact your general practitioner immediately for a complete screening. Frequent urination Unexplained weight loss Excessive thirst Changes in vision Fatigue Tingling feet and hands Consistently slow healing wounds Even if you aren’t presently displaying any symptoms, there’s a chance you could still be suffering from Diabetes as Type 2 doesn’t always show signs. Talk to your physician about your lifestyle to see if you fit the qualifications for diabetes risk. Above all else, contact your doctor immediately if you recognize any of these symptoms as the disease can be fatal if left unmanaged.

Healthy Recipe: Ricotta and Fig Tart

No matter how good you are, sweet cravings are sure to rear their ugly head during weeks leading up to Thanksgiving. If you feel your sweet tooth kick in, try this quick and easy recipe for a delicious, low sugar treat that with loads of fresh fall flavor. You’ll need 1 store bought pie crust (or homemade) 3 fresh figs 2 tbsp ricotta 1/2 tsp melted butter Pinch cinnamon Pinch nutmeg Pinch coriander Pinch sea salt Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Thaw pie crust until soft and semi-malleable (it’s ok if breaks a little bit). Spread ricotta around the middle of the crust in a five inch circle. Dust ricotta with seasonings. Slice figs thin and lay them over the ricotta. Fold outer edges of pie crust in so they lay over a most of the filling. Brush with melted butter and dust with seasonings again. Bake for 6 to 8 minutes or until crust is golden brown. Remove and let cool for 3 minutes. Serve warm.

With Halloween only a few days behind us and the bevy of pumpkin-flavored treats flooding the horizon, sugar overload is a real risk during the month of November. With that in mind, I’ve put together a few tips for managing sugar intake during the holidays, and finding ways to help cope with the minor (or even major) indulgences that come along with seasonal celebrations. First, and perhaps most importantly, set limits. It seems obvious, but you might be surprised how many adults don’t do it. Simply establishing a strict limit on how much sweet, calorie-laden food you’re willing to allow yourself can have a huge impact on how you perceive eating. It’s certainly still easy to overdo it, but even while it’s happening, you’ll feel the guilt of missing your expectations. Second, make a deal with yourself. Making a deal that goes both ways sets up a system of reward and punishment that can be a very effective motivating tool (this is a common tool used by weight loss experts). For example, allow yourself a moderate indulgence for every week you don’t go over your limit. It may sound a little counterproductive, but it’s actually very helpful. Slipping snowballs into more slipping, but discipline with rewarded allowances works as excellent motivation. Finally, give your body a fighting chance against sugar overload. Even if you follow the suggestions above, you still might find yourself consuming a little more sugar than your body wants to process. To help combat the risks of elevated blood sugar, keep a natural glucose regulator in your medicine cabinet. Taking one of these sugar managing compounds can help your body combat sugar-related disease. Additionally, glucose regulators can also help curb cravings, making it easier to avoid the troubling treats in the first place.