Wake Up With Lemon Water

By: Amy Goodrich Natural News on Aug. 1, 2014

Photo Credits: en.fbw.vn

"Lemon water gives you an instant boost of energy and improves your mood right at the start of your day."

If you are looking for an easy trick to improve your life and overall health, than look no further. Drinking lemon water first thing in the morning is a pretty simple routine to get into and will have tremendous effects on your overall health.
Since I started this simple and surprisingly healthy habit a few years ago, I definitely noticed the difference. Not only does the refreshing taste wake me up in the morning, it helps to kick start digestion and finalizes my body’s natural detoxification processes… And lemons are packed with vitamin C, B, calcium, iron, magnesium, potassium, enzymes, antioxidants, and fibers.
According to the Ayurvedic philosophy, choices you make regarding your daily routine either build up resistance to diseases or tear it down.
So what are you waiting for to jump start your day with this incredible easy morning routine. Its benefits are endless and I listed the 15 most important ones for you in this article.

1.    Improves Digestion

Lemon juice has a similar structure to your stomach’s juices and helps to loosen and flush out toxins from the digestive tract. Lemon juice can help ease indigestion, heartburn, and bloating. It also helps to move your bowels in the morning, hydrates your colon, stimulate bile production, and infuses water in your stool.

2.    Boost Immune System.

Lemon juice is rich in vitamin C, which helps strengthen the immunes system and fights cold and flu. But not only vitamin C is important for a good working immune system, iron is another important nutrient, and lemons improve the ability to absorb more iron from the food you eat.

3.    Hydrates Your Body

It is important to stay hydrated. Especially during the summer months. Plain water is best, but many people find this boring and are not drinking enough of it. That’s where lemon comes into play to make things more interesting. So feel free to not only start your day with lemon water, but drink as many glasses as you wish during the day to stay hydrated.

4.    Boost Energy

Lemon water gives you an instant boost of energy and improves your mood right at the start of your day.

5.    Promote Healthy And Rejuvenated Skin

Lemons are a rich sources of antioxidants that prevent free radical damage. These free radicals are responsible for pre-mature aging of your skin. Vitamin C helps to maintain your skin’s elasticity to prevent the formation of wrinkles and decrease blemishes.

6.    Reduce Inflammation

Lemons have the ability to remove uric acid from your joints. Uric acid built-ups are one of the major causes of inflammation.

7.    Weight Loss Aid

Although lemon water on its own is no weight loss miracle, it can definitely help you to achieve faster and long term results. Lemons assist in fighting hunger cravings, boost metabolism, and give you a stuffed feeling, making it less likely to snack in between meals.

8.    Alkalize Your Body

Although lemons have a sour taste, they are one of the most alkalizing food sources on Earth. Too much acids can cause inflammation, obesity, and major diseases like cancer, diabetes and Alzheimer’s. Click here to learn more about the importance of alkalizing your body.

9.    Cleansing Properties

Lemons help your entire body to flush out more toxins to prevent built-ups and damage to your cells, tissues, and organs. It stimulates your liver to produce more enzymes and work more efficiently. Lemon juice works as a diuretic to keep your urinary tract toxin-free and can also change the pH levels which discourage bacterial growth. This is very helpful for people who often suffer from UTI (urinary tract infection). And like mentioned before, lemons loosen and flush out waste from your digestive tract and cleanse your colon.

10.Antibacterial and Antiviral Properties

Lemons have antibacterial and antiviral properties. They help fight the flu, cold, and soothe a sore throat. Although people who drink their daily lemon water every day are less likely to get these in the first place.

11.Reduce Mucus And Phlegm

Lemon water helps to reduce mucus and phlegm formation. People who drink cow’s milk are often more sensitive for mucus production. So starting your day with lemon water can definitely help to lessen mucus if you’re not ready to go dairy-free.

12.Freshen Breath

Lemons freshen your breath and fight mouth bacteria. Although lemons are great for your overall oral health, avoid drinking or using it undiluted. The citric acid can erode tooth enamel, so don’t brush your teeth with it, but have a glass of lemon water instead.

13.Boost Brain Power

The high levels of potassium and magnesium show beneficial effects on our brain and nerve health. Lemon water can give you the boost you need to fight depression and stress. It creates mental clarity and more focus, making it a great drink for students or people with busy and stressful jobs.

14.Anti-cancer

Lemon’s antioxidants not only protect your skin from ageing, but also reduce the risk of several types of cancer. They are great in neutralizing acids as well. Cancer loves to grow in an acidic environment. Alkalizing your body may stop cancer cells to grow and may reduce the risk of getting cancer in the first place.

15.Get Of Caffeine

Many people are able to get off caffeine by replacing their morning coffee by lukewarm lemon water. It gives a similar energy boost to wake your body and boost energy as one cup of coffee would.

How To Make Lemon Water

Making lemon water is super simple. It takes less than 5 minutes of your precious morning time. Just squeeze half a lemon in lukewarm water. If you weigh more than 150 pounds, use a whole lemon.
Why use lukewarm (or room temperature) instead of cold or hot water to make this healing morning drink? Well, hot or cold water takes more energy to process, so your first glass in the morning should be lukewarm or at room temperature to slowly wake your body and kick start digestion.
If you love the taste feel free to add more lemon water to your diet during the rest of the day, cold or hot. It adds up to your daily water need, is less boring than plain water, and adds tons of benefits for body and mind.

Read more: http://blogs.naturalnews.com/15-reasons-drinking-lemon-water-every-morning/

Eating with Your Hands is Healthier

By: Stasia Bliss http://guardianlv.com on Sept. 25, 2014

Photo Credits: www.indianwedding.info

"Ayurvedic wisdom teaches that our bodies can respond to this food-touch by producing the needed enzymes and digestive juices before the food even meets our lips."

We have long been conditioned in the western world that eating appropriately meant using utensils such as forks, spoons and knives.  Generally eating with the hands is left to pizza, hamburgers and little ones, right? In some other countries, especially India, much of Africa and the Middle East, eating with one’s hands is appropriate etiquette and might actually prove to be healthier.

How is it Healthy?
In the Vedic tradition, eating with ones hands is tied to the practice of hand mudras – or meditative gestures using the hands and other body parts.  The hands are honored as a beautiful ‘organ of action.’ A famous Vedic sloka or verse suggests that divinity rests within human effort – brought about through the hands.
When we touch our food before putting it into our mouths the millions of nerve endings on the tips of our fingers are getting a temperature and texture reading that is immediately sent to the stomach – like a warning signal.  Ayurvedic wisdom teaches that our bodies can respond to this food-touch by producing the needed enzymes and digestive juices before the food even meets our lips – and that the fingers themselves even contain enzymes which start the digestive process upon first touch.
Julie Sahni is a New York chef who grew up in India, never having eaten with utensils until a weekend visit to Europe when she was in college had this to say about hand eating: “Eating with the hands evokes great emotion, it kindles something very warm and gentle and caressing. Using a fork is unthinkable in traditional Indian eating. It is almost like a weapon.”
Experts say eating with the hands engages all the senses and keeps one present while eating.  Using utensils can become more mechanical, done without even thinking, as there is no actual physical contact with the food until it touches the lips.  When food is touched with the hands, there is automatically more careful attention placed on it – how you will retrieve it, what the temperature is, how much you can carry, how the hand must be held in order to keep the food in it.  Some call it ‘primal eating’ since it is plainly assumed in times before utensils people used their hands to eat.

Why use utensils?
Habit is probably number one. We were all handed tiny forks and spoons as youngsters and expected to master the art of food pocking, scooping and balancing, even though using our hands was so much more convenient and practical. Over time we became conditioned that utensils were the way - as I don't suppose there are many mothers out there who would condone using hand to pick up that spaghetti. The natural instinct to pick food up with our hands was eventually snuffed out as we became accustomed to and better at the art of utensil use.
We think it's cleaner. Don't we? Eating with one's hands does automatically create a greater need for napkins and soap. there is really no getting around the cleanliness issue when eating with ones hands. However, when approaching food with the knowledge that utensils will not be used there becomes a higher likelihood that hand washing will take place before the meal as well. A big Plus. What's the matter with having messy fingers while eating anyway? It would surely cause attention to be placed upon the food alone and nothing else. This culture could use a little re-direction of attention when it comes to mealtimes anyway.

Research Says
Research studies have shown those given food to eat while watching television ate 70% more than those who ate with no distraction. Not only that: "When two groups of people were given the same lunch, half without distractions and half with a game of computer solitaire to play, the distracted group rated themselves less satisfied by their lunch than those who had no distractions while they ate. When these same individuals were offered biscuits half an hour after lunch, those who had spent their lunchtime playing solitaire ate substantially more biscuits than the group who had paid attention to their lunch and found it satisfying."
Distraction has a big part to play in how well we eat and what satisfaction and nutrients we get from our food.
Eating with the hands may be the answer called for in order to bring much needed attention away from the screens and busy projects and back to the plate. Food well focused upon brings about better absorption, assimilation and satisfaction leading to a better health and calmer, stress-free life.
Eating with your hands is not only potentially healthier than utensil eating, it can be a lot more fun! When was the last time you ate lasagna or soup with your hands? How about stir fry or rice pudding" Next time you have a big meal with your friends or family, try it up without silverware and see what your response is. It's sure to make for lively conversation and a lot of laughter!

Written by: Stasia Bliss

Read more at http://guardianlv.com/2013/06/eating-with-your-hands-is-healthier/#h10Kptmbdes4RGBU.99

Why Detoxification Is So Important

By: Kali Sinclair Natural News on Sept. 19, 2014

Photo Credits: lovetolivenutrition.com

To many, the word detox is just one of today's buzzwords--not a means to gain health. Others think of detoxing as a form of starvation. Nothing could be further from the truth--not if you do it right.
We live in a world filled with chemicals. They are in our water, in our air, and in nearly everything we touch. Too many of us bathe and shampoo with products laced with chemicals, then use chemical laden products to shave, to smell good, to soften our skin, to treat our blemishes, and more. Our skin soaks up these chemicals every day.
We pick up parasites from our food and our surroundings that take up residence in our bodies. Our bodies store mercury, lead, and other heavy metals.
All of these foreign materials tax our body's resources and interfere with optimum health. The purpose of a detox is to cleanse the body of these foreign substances along with accumulated waste in order to optimize healthy bodily functions and healing.
We've been taught to regard our brain as the center of our universe. It would be more accurate to give this place of honor to our gut. If our gut is not working well, we do not assimilate vitamins, minerals, fats, carbohydrates or proteins. The focus of a detox is to clean up the gut first, and follow with cleaning out the storage bins (stored fat), the organs, the blood and the lymph.
Learn more: http://www.naturalnews.com/046933_detox_parasites_intestinal_health.html#ixzz3Dl5cffVJ
 

Yamuna Devi's Spiced Chickpea Salad with Spinach

Yamuna Devi's Spiced Chickpea Salad with Spinach Yamuna Devi writes: "As an alternative to spinach, try red or green Swiss chard leaves - they are delicious. Because chard is not as tender as spinach, blanch or steam it for a minute or two before assembling the salad". Soaking time: 8 hours or overnight, Cooking time: about 2 hours, Serves: 6. 1½ cups (290g) chickpeas, soaked in water 8 hours or overnight, then drained, 1 teaspoon black mustard seeds, ½ teaspoon celery seeds, 4 tablespoons lemon juice, 6 tablespoons olive or nut oil Scant ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper or paprika, ¼ teaspoon yellow asafetida powder (hing), 2 tablespoons tomato paste, 2 tablespoons maple syrup or honey, ½ teaspoon salt, ¼ teaspoon freshly ground pepper, 1 large ripe tomato, diced, 1 small cucumber, peeled, halved, seeded and diced, ½ of a yellow bell pepper, seeded, and diced, ½ pound (230g) fresh spinach, washed, trimmed, coarsely chopped and patted dry. Place the chickpeas in a heavy saucepan with 4 cups (1 litre) of water and simmer over low heat for 1½-2 hours or just until tender. Keep an eye on the chickpeas during the last ½ hour to prevent them from overcooking. Drain and let cool. Crush the mustard seeds and celery seeds with a mortar and pestle. Place them in a salad bowl with the lemon juice, oil, cayenne or paprika, asafetida, tomato paste, sweetener, salt and pepper, and beat with a fork or wire whisk until emulsified. Add the chickpeas, tomato, cucumber and bell pepper. Gently toss, cover and chill for 2-4 hours. Thirty minutes before serving, remove the salad from the refrigerator. Add the spinach, toss, and bring back to room temperature.

Yamuna Devi's Sautéed Brussels Sprouts with Coconut

Sautéed Brussels Sprouts with Coconut (Gobhi Foogath)Yamuna Devi writes: "Adapted from a recipe cooked by the residents of Udupi, in South India’s Kanada district, this dish may be prepared with either ghee or coconut oil. In the fried seasoning, split urad dal is browned with spice seeds. Shop for baby Brussels sprouts, bright green and compact. If the sprouts are large, remove the tough outer leaves. If you want a creamy dish, fold in a spoonful of plain yogurt or sour cream just before serving".Preparation time : 30 minutes, Cooking time: 15-20 minutes, Serves: 4. 1½ pounds (685g) small Brussels sprouts, 3 tablespoons ghee or coconut oil, 1½ teaspoons black mustard seeds, 2 teaspoons split urad dal, 8 curry leaves, preferably fresh, ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper or paprika, ½ teaspoon garam masala, 1/8 teaspoon freshly ground nutmeg, 1 teaspoon salt, 1/3 cup shredded fresh coconut. Cut off the stem of the Brussels sprouts, along with any wilted, yellow or loose outer leaves. If the sprouts are large, remove the tough, outer leaves and use only the compact center. Cut a small cross in the base of each and soak in salted water for 15 minutes. Drop the sprouts into a large pot of salted boiling water and cook, uncovered, for 5 minutes. Drain well. (These two steps can be done ahead of time) Heat the ghee or oil in a large frying pan over moderately high heat. When it is hot but not smoking, drop in the black mustard seeds and split urad dal and fry until the mustard seeds pop and turn gray and the urad dal turns reddish–brown. Add the curry leaves, Brussels sprouts, cayenne or paprika, garam masala and nutmeg. Sauté for 3-4 minutes, then cover and reduce the heat to low. Cook for 4-5 minutes longer if the sprouts are young, up to 10 minutes if they are old. When they are just tender, add the salt and coconut and gently toss.

Inconvenient Culinary Truth #20
From The American Vedic Association

 A series of 42 slides illustrating the relationship between our food choices and a healthy environment.

Inconvenient Culinary Truth #19
From The American Vedic Association

 A series of 42 slides illustrating the relationship between our food choices and a healthy environment.

Corny Olde Blogge: Here's One We Made Earlier by Kurma Das

This is an article that sunk to the bottom of my TTB ('things to blog') list and surfaced again yesterday. When corn was juicy and in full season here in Sydney I whipped up a batch, and served them with some nice sticky Japanese short-grain rice and a peanut sauce.Indonesian Crispy Corn Fritters (Perkedel Jagung) Although rice is the staple diet of most of the people of Indonesia, corn is another important mainstay, especially in the drier eastern provinces, and also during the dry season in the whole of Indonesia. Corn is prepared in many ways, this being one of the most tasty. Serve crispy Perkedel Jagung alongside rice dishes, accompanied with a sauce or relish, or alone with just a squeeze of lemon.PREPARATION AND COOKING TIME: 40–50 minutes, YIELD: about 25 fritters 2 1/2 cups raw corn kernels fresh from the cob, about 3 or 4 large cobs 3 large hot green chilies, seeded and chopped, 1/2 cup plain flour, 1/2 cup rice flour, 1/4 teaspoon baking powder, 2 teaspoons salt, 2 teaspoons coriander powder, 1 teaspoon sugar, 1⁄2 teaspoon cayenne pepper or chili powder, 1 teaspoon yellow asafetida powder, oil for frying, 6 candle nuts, or large macadamia nuts, up to 3⁄4 cup cold water, packed 1⁄2 cup chopped celery leaves and stalk. 1. Coarsely chop or crush the corn kernels to form a mixture of whole and semi-crushed pieces. 2. Combine the flour, rice flour, baking powder, salt, coriander powder, sugar, cayenne and yellow asafetida powder in a large bowl. 3. Pour a few tablespoons of oil into a small saucepan over moderate heat. Drop in the candle nuts or macadamia nuts and fry them until they are golden brown and aromatic. Remove, drain and slightly cool the nuts, then grind them to a powder in a spice mill or coffee grinder. 4. Add three-quarters of the water to the bowl of flour and spices, and whisk it to form a very thick batter. Fold in the corn, the nut powder, the celery, and the chilies. Adjust the consistency with extra water, if required, to form a thick but spoonable batter. 5. Place oil in a 22.5cm (9-inch) frying pan to a depth of 1.25cm (1⁄2-inch) over moderate heat. When the oil is fairly hot, carefully spoon in 6–8 heaped tablespoons of batter, flattening them into circular fritters. Fry them for 3 or 4 minutes, or until the undersides of the fritters are golden brown. Turn the fritters over with kitchen tongs and fry them until the other side is also golden brown. Remove and place on absorbent paper towels to dry. 6. Repeat for all the fritters, and serve hot.

Inconvenient Culinary Truth #18
From The American Vedic Association

 A series of 42 slides illustrating the relationship between our food choices and a healthy environment.