Tasty Tuesday: Green Smoothie Fields Forever

Growing up, we were all encouraged to eat our greens.  For most of us, we gagged them down until we eventually got used to them.  Watching Popeye eat spinach never tricked a single kid I knew into liking it.  But, is it normal for children to have an aversion to green foods?  It may be, but in my experience, kids that are raised from the beginning on whole, natural foods tend to be more open to green vegetables.  Could it be that eating processed grains, sugars, fats and denatured proteins distorts the taste buds and the sense of smell?

Regardless of the answer, as adults, we all know (almost intuitively) that greens are healthy and important in our diet.  Modern research certainly supports this, and we can all attest to how eating cabbage, spinach, kale, leafy lettuce, etc. makes us feel.  Greens are loaded with bone-building minerals, vitamins, complex carbohydrates, protein, and chlorophyll.  Some research suggests that greens contain cancer-fighting properties, protect the heart from damage, and help digestion.

While green juice provides a lot of absorbable nutrients, most of us don't have a lot of time to juice every day.  Well, that's all changed.  The Green Smoothie Revolution has arrived and it's now easier to get your greens then ever.  One of the biggest promoters of raw, green smoothies is Victoria Boutenko and her raw family.  Victoria goes into great detail about the benefits of greens and how to create awesome green smoothies in her book, Green Smoothie Revolution.

When creating your own green smoothie, it's important to find a combination that you'll like.  Pick one or two greens (leafy salad greens are milder are good to start with), but always rotate your greens (all plants have some anti-nutrients that can build up if eaten daily).  In a blender, place a handful of greens, a seasonal fruit (banana, mango, apples, etc.) and water.  Blend until smooth and enjoy.

Over time, you'll learn what tastes good to you, but you might want to start reducing the sugar and get used to eating more green tasting smoothies.  One of my favorite combinations is celery, kale, cilantro, parsley, apple and banana.  Sometimes, I even throw in some ginger or garlic for a little kick.  The key is to be creative so you can find combinations that you like.  If it's torture, you probably won't continue doing it.  So, go out and buy some greens and join the Green Smoothie Revolution.  Your body will thank you.  Be healthy!

Mystic Merman

Superfood Sunday: The Power of Maca

High up in the Andes, an ancient radish grows above 10, 000 feet and is revered by the people of this area.  Like many foods that grow in extreme conditions, Maca has developed unique superfood qualities that help humans adapt to stress in the environment when consumed.  These foods are commonly called adaptogens.  Ginseng is another popular example.

Adaptogens help to balance the body's systems, and Maca is well-known for its effect on the hormonal system and is commonly used for libido.  Beyond its reputation as a sex herb, maca also stabilizes the nervous system, the cardiovascular system and the lymphatic system.  Athletes often take the herb for energy and bodily stress reduction.  In fact, the ancient Incas are reported to have used Maca before going into battle.

Because Maca can stimulate the body, I recommend taking it in the morning.  The flavor is strong and pungent, so most people have to find a way to use it that agrees with them.  Personally, I prefer to blend it with raw cacao (chocolate).  Cacao is also somewhat stimulating, so this is the perfect morning drink.  Usually, I make about 12 ounces of tea (use different herbs daily like mint, Cat's Claw, Holy Basil, etc.).  I put the warm tea in a blender and mix with one tablespoon of cacao powder, one teaspoon of Maca, and a little sweetener.  This creates a rich, dark chocolate drink that tastes good, nourishes the body and gives sustained energy for hours.

Like most superfoods, start off with a small portion and work your way up to a full dose (one to two teaspoons a day).  You may find that Maca does wonders for your health.  Be healthy!

Mystic Merman

Sexy Saturday: Take Care of Your Skin and Health with Coconut Oil

Coconut oil has a long history of use in many parts of the world.  It comes from the flesh of the mature coconut and is extracted using hot or cold methods.  By far, cold processing yields a better quality coconut oil.  The oil is very heat-stable and is commonly used for cooking.  It can also be used on the skin as a moisturizer.

In the middle of the 20th Century, coconut oil began to get a bad rap for internal use, due to it containing a high amount of saturated fat.  Some of you may remember eating theater popcorn that was popped in coconut oil.  The smell and taste were unmistakable.  By the end of the 70s, though, that was history and popcorn was never the same.  During this time, all saturated fats were lumped into the same category and authorities urged the public to avoid these fats.  Because coconut oil was easily replaced by other "healthier" oils, it received the worst rap, and animal fats continued to be eaten with great zeal.

Fast forward a couple of decades and new research reveals something totally different about coconut oil.  Virgin (not hydrogenated) coconut oil contains medium chain fatty acids, which are much easier for the liver to digest than other fats.  Founder of the Coconut Research Center, Bruce Fife is considered one of the world's experts on coconut oil.  The author of several books and essays on the miraculous oil, Dr. Fife concludes that coconut oil taken internally and used externally contains numerous healing qualities.  Some of its notable properties include being antiviral, anti-fungal, antibacterial, and anti-inflammatory.  Research also shows that it can help the liver, blood sugar, intestines, immune system, thyroid, and kidneys. It's actually good for the heart too, which is the opposite of what was believed 50 years ago by Western medicine.

One of the best kept secrets about coconut oil is its effect on the skin.  When applied to the skin, coconut oil can protect it from free radicals and slow aging.  It's also one of the best moisturizers, healing dry skin, even helping with severe skin issues like psoriasis and eczema.  As a person who likes to go in the sun a lot during the summer, I have found no better oil to heal my skin after a long day of sun.  Any light burn quickly heals and turns into a tan.  If your skin is not too sensitive to the sun, you can even use coconut oil as a natural sunblock as it protects the body from UV rays.

When choosing a coconut oil, be sure to find a company that uses a cold, centrifugal process.  Also, make sure the oil is unrefined, with no added preservatives or chemicals.  Sunfood.com has a great, truly-raw coconut oil that you can eat or use on the skin.  If you have never indulged in this oil, do yourself a favor and try it.  Be good to your health and your skin.  Be healthy!

Mystic Merman 

Free Friday: Sugar Me Sick

According to a 2009 report by the American Heart Association, Americans guzzle 22 teaspoons of sugar a day EACH!  Most of this comes from soda and candy.  One soda alone carries around 8 teaspoons of sugar.  Alarmingly, teenagers raise the average for Americans by consuming up to 34 teaspoons of sugar in one day.  Recommendations from the AHA allow 6 to 8 teaspoons of sugar a day, depending on your size.  Personally, I think the goal should be 0.

Processed sugar comes to us in many forms: white sugar (from cane or beets), corn syrup, high fructose corn syrup, and many other disguises in our food.  It's hiding in almost anything packaged like cookies, crackers, pasta sauces, peanut butter, salad dressings, mayonnaise, you name it.  Even bread, meat and soup can be loaded with sugar.

So, what's the problem with sugar?  Well, humans haven't been consuming these quantities of refined sugars for very long, so the long-term effects are just beginning to occur to us.  Many experts blame high consumption of refined sugar for a plethora of diseases.  Diabetes is the most obvious, but many recent studies indicate that sugar may play a huge role in hundreds of other diseases.

In her book Lick the Sugar Habit (which I highly recommend), Dr. Nancy Appleton references dozens of studies that implicate sugar in connection with cancer, heart disease, obesity, tooth decay, mineral deficiencies, depression, intestinal disorders, free radical damage, constipation, asthma, and the list goes on.  With as much sugar as humans consume daily, it would not be surprising if scientists soon discover that sugar is the main problem in most chronic diseases.

Why wait until science clearly tells us what we all already know?  Refined sugar is toxic and contributes to disease.  Cutting this out of your diet in all of its forms will do nothing but contribute to your health and well being.  As humans, we should be getting healthy sugars from fruits and vegetables.  Concentrated, denatured sugar is nowhere to be found in nature.  Even honey is a rare treat for an animal in the wild that dares to penetrate a beehive.

If you have a sweet tooth, learn to enjoy foods that are naturally sweet (like fruit and dates).  If you have to have sweets, find ones that are sweetened with less harmful sweeteners like agave, coconut palm sugar or stevia (ultimately, the goal should be to avoid any form of concentrated sweetener).

I would also recommend learning to enjoy the other flavors that food has to offer.  Bitter is a taste that most people stay away from, but you can develop a taste for slightly bitter foods by introducing them with other foods like in a green smoothie.  Sour, salty, spicy, pungent, and astringent are some other tastes that can be enjoyed.  Learning to enjoy flavors can be exciting with plant foods, because there is so much variety.  Be adventurous!  Enjoy food.  Be healthy!

Therapy Thursday: Intestinal Cleansing Part II

As promised, this is the second part of my blog on intestinal cleansing.  Although I plan on covering this topic more in the future, this specific two-week segment is about the Ejuva cleanse.  This is the second time I have taken on this intestinal cleanse, and it's been difficult both times.  Juice fasting was challenging, but hunger went away after about 7 days.  With the Ejuva cleanse, a lot of deep toxins, habits and emotions are stirred up.  I find it difficult to lessen my eating as I go along.  In fact, I get hungrier and have more cravings.

The fourth week has been the most challenging.  Last Friday, I was supposed to begin juice fasting only, but I ended up eating more.  So, I slowed down the fast and allowed myself to eat when I needed to.  Over the last week, I've slowly been preparing myself to eat less food and gradually work back into the fast.  Tomorrow, I'll be full board again on juice and herbs four times a day.

While this has been disappointing for me, I'm learning to just let it be what it is.  After 30 days on a juice fast, keeping up with a regular exercise routine, losing around 30 pounds, and starting a daily blog, I think I have a lot to be proud of.  The cleanse has been great for me, and, even though I didn't get the maximum benefit from it, I certainly did my body a great service and released a lot of toxins.  The next week will be a great indicator of how much progress I've made.

Once again, I highly recommend doing a short or long intestinal cleanse.  Not only can you release toxins that build up in the body, but you may also be shown emotional baggage you've been holding onto.  Most of us have a lifetime of emotional eating from stuffing our faces when we're sad, lonely, angry, guilty, whatever.  Letting go of these stuffed-down emotions is not easy, but it can be done.  Be healthy.

Mystic Merman

Workout Wednesday: Stretching for Health

For most athletes, stretching remains a cornerstone of their exercise routine every day.  Without it, they know the risk of injury increases dramatically.  However, if you pay attention to what most people do before working out, you'll notice that many of them stretch very quickly or not at all.  This could be one of the biggest mistakes people make when working out.

Studies on stretching show that, when done correctly, it may increase your athletic performance and reduce the risk of injury.  By creating more flexibility in your muscles and joints, your body can move more freely through each movement.  This can help decrease the risk of immediate or long-term injury.  Any book or website on athletic performance will tell you that a full range of motion is the goal.

Additionally, stretching increases the amount of blood to your muscles, warming them up and allowing more flexibility.  It's important to make stretching part of your warm-up and cool-down routines when working out.  Your body will thank you for it.

When you choose a stretching routine, make sure to cover all the major muscles groups.  If you are spending more time on your legs that day (hiking, running or biking, for example), focus on leg stretches.  Also, don't rush through stretching.  Consider it part of your workout routine and take at least 30 seconds for each stretch, going as deeply as feels comfortable.  Also, be aware of your own body, paying attention to the areas that may need more focus.

At any time during the day, you can stop for a few minutes and stretch your body.  I have found this to be very effective at work, where I am sitting all day.  My neck and shoulders can get very sore, and stretching them a few times a day can relieve tension and pain.  After a few weeks of daily stretching, you will certainly begin to notice a difference.  Take care of your body and be healthy!

Mystic Merman

Tasty Tuesday: Mock Tuna Salad

When getting into raw, plant-based food, recipes provide tasty, transitional meals that can sometimes imitate the original, cooked version.  Some of these recipes are complicated and require expensive equipment or take hours to prepare.  However, there are a lot of really easy, fun recipes to make that don't require a lot of time.

Last weekend, I made this for a raw potluck and it was quite a hit.  I've tried Mock Tuna Salad from several recipes, but my favorite comes from Matt Amsden's book, "Rawvolution."  The only thing you need is a food processor to grind the soaked sunflower seeds, which are the "meat" of the tuna salad.  Here are the ingredients for each part:

For the Salad:

3 cups soaked, raw sunflower seeds, ground in a food processor
3 to 4 stalks celery
1/2 bunch scallions, diced
2 tablespoons dulse flakes
1/4 cup dried dill

For the Dressing:

1 1/2 cups young coconut water (you can get these at an Asian market or natural food store)
6 cloves garlic, peeled (I found this to be too much, try 3 or 4)
1 cup fresh lemon juice
1 tablespoon sea salt
2 1/2 cups raw cashews (pine nuts or macadamia nuts work too)
1/2 cup stone-ground mustard (I used whole mustard seeds)

Combine all the salad ingredients in a large bowl and set aside.  Combine all of the dressing ingredients in a blender and blend completely.  Pour the dressing over the salad and mix well.  Serves 4.

So, there you have it.  An easy to prepare, delicious and nutritious meal.  I like to put this on top of my salad or eat it with flax crackers.  Also, it lasts in the fridge for several days, so if you're making it for yourself, it will give you a few good meals.  Enjoy and be healthy!

Mystic Merman