Tuesday, August 28, 2012

A Thorough Cleansing

Last week I embarked on my very first (it won’t be the last!) 3 Day Suero Viv Cleanse. I admit that I was a little uncertain as to how I would handle drinking six SueroViv beverages per day and consuming no other foods or beverages. Would I feel tired? Hungry? Experience blow sugar swings and be contrary? However, I was pleasantly surprised at how stable my blood sugar remained…and the very few times I did start to feel the slightest bit tired or hungry, it was time to drink another Suero Viv which filled me up and gave me an energy boost. I did not even experience food cravings during or after the Suero Viv Cleanse.

What did I experience?
·       A clear mind to accomplish daily tasks and get settled into a new routine and some new commitments.  
·       Energy to do some pretty insane workouts every morning and extra group workouts two evenings.
·       More time! I found myself saying, “there are too many hours in the day”. With time saved preparing and eating meals, I found “extra time” to do things I had been putting off for another day.
·       Restful nights, awaking refreshed and ready for the morning.
·       Weight loss
·       Inflammation removed
·       Smooth soft skin

Now, you may be asking, “what is Suero Viv and what exactly are the internal benefits to following a 3 Day Suero Viv Cleanse?”
Suero Viv, meaning Whey of Life, is a cultured whey beverage alive with probiotics and enzymes, hydrating and packed with electrolytes and B vitamins, plus it is addictively delicious with a slightly sweet/slightly tangy flavor.
Drinking Suero Viv or following a Suero Viv Cleanse aids your body in eliminating waste and toxins that accumulate as a result of pollution, radiation from electronics, and consuming foods commonly found in the standard American diet. The cultured whey works to cleanse your liver, colon, kidneys, and lymph system. The potassium actually pulls waste from the cells of the body. Check out this excerpt from a recent article on draxe.com:
Potassium is in a class known as electrolytes. When dissolved in water, electrolytes conduct the electricity needed by our muscles and nerves to function. Another function of potassium is to assist the storage of carbohydrates in the muscles. Carbohydrates are needed for endurance, and also play a role in the body’s blood pressure regulation, as well as fluid balance. When the body lacks potassium, not only are the muscles and nerves compromised, but the heart may even have trouble maintaining a normal rhythm.
If you follow what I call the SAD Diet (Standard American Diet) there’s a good chance you may also suffer from the potassium-sodium imbalance. The good news is this imbalance is not permanent. There are ways to correct it.
Cleansing is just a good idea because it promotes cellular health and brings your body into a better balance by flushing waste out.
Cleansing is something that can be done on a regular (monthly) basis to help keep your body balanced and in good working order. I felt so good as a result of my 3 day cleanse that I already have my next one planned! An added benefit to regular cleansing is sustained weight loss. Now, losing weight was not the main goal I had when I began my cleanse, but I have noticed since turning 31 that I do have to be a little more careful about how much dessert I eat (and I DO enjoy my fair share of dark chocolate!). Since I like to play with numbers, let’s consider if I’m consuming around 2,000 calories a day on a regular basis, but I take 3 days per month to cleanse:
2,000
normal daily caloric intake
-720
daily calories on a Suero Viv Cleanse
1,280
calories saved per day
X3
number of days cleansing
3,840
calories saved per cleanse
X12
months per year
46,080
calories saved per year


 AND 3,500 calories = 1 pound…so that is a 13 pound weight loss or avoidance of weight gained over the course of a year, just simply by cleansing on a regular basis. Pretty amazing stuff! If all of this has you craving Suero Viv and ready to cleanse, then by all means, visit my BeyondOrganic site and check it out!

Wednesday, August 22, 2012

New & Old Summer Favorites


With school starting this week for most students, summer break has come to an end. Yet we still have several weeks remaining with hot, humid summer days. I thought this would be a great time to share one of my favorite meals from this summer. My parents and I returned from Israel very shortly before the Fourth of July and we were feeling very patriotic. We had some great new All-American-type recipes to try out and a few old favorites.
One of the new recipes was a No Potato Salad that I found on Elana’s Pantry. Using cauliflower in place of the potatoes intrigued me. Cauliflower is a very versatile cruciferous vegetable and I've enjoyed it made into faux mashed potatoes and pizza crust, so this sounded like something I had to try. I made a few small changes, such as adding more mustard and more celery. This turned out great and I think it was a crowd pleaser!


A trusty old stand-by for our family is baked chicken nuggets. It’s a kid-pleaser and a favorite of the grownups as well.

We cut 2 chicken breasts into about 1-inch sized pieces and then soak them in coconut milk for 30 minutes or more. Then we combine:
1 Cup Teff Flour
1 ½ teaspoons Herbamare Seasoning

Coat each piece of chicken in the flour mixture and spread out in a 9x13 baking dish that has been oiled with coconut oil. Bake at 400 degrees for 22 minutes.


Two new recipes came from a sneak peak at the Whole Life Nutrition Kitchen’s new cookbook. The first was a baked beans recipe. It called for apple cider; somehow I missed this when making the grocery list, but applesauce and a little water made a fine substitution. These were a huge hit!


The other new recipe was coleslaw made without mayo. The dressing ingredients included cashews and a little Herbamare for seasoning. The salad was a nice crunchy element to the meal.


To top it all off, we finished up with some seriously moist and chocolatey brownies made with almond butter and dark chocolate chips.
 
 
I could go for one of these right now, but I'm in the middle of a 3 Day Suero Viv Cleanse. In all seriousness, the Suero Viv's are so refreshing that even after looking at all of these food pictures, I'm still not craving any of it. I will be posting about my experience on the Suero Viv Cleanse soon!

Saturday, August 11, 2012

What to do with White Fish?

Halibut, when wild-caught, is an excellent source of omega-3 fatty acids which promote healthy brain function, eye health, balances mood, reduces inflammation (a precursor for all disease) and may even improve cardiovascular health. With all of these health benefits, I am all for eating more of this white, flaky fish. I have it shipped right to my door and it already comes in prepackaged 6 oz. portions. Folks, it doesn’t get much easier than this!

To me, halibut just doesn’t have much flavor, and if you read my last post, you know that I am a big fan of mustard, so I thought, why not spread a little mustard on some halibut and bake it for dinner? The result was a simple, yet delicious and nutritious dinner in just minutes.

Ingredients:
Halibut (cut into 6 oz. portions)
Celtic Sea Salt
Black Pepper
Stone Ground Mustard
Extra-Virgin Coconut Oil

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Oil a glass baking dish with extra-virgin coconut oil.

Place halibut in the baking dish. Sprinkle salt and pepper (it just takes a little) and spread stone ground mustard over each piece of halibut. I like a lot of mustard on mine, so you can add a little or a lot. Mustard is a low-calorie condiment and the turmeric in it is anti-inflammatory, so I am a big fan of it and use it liberally on my fish.

Bake for about 12-15 minutes.

Asparagus and broccoli salad are perfect accompaniments to halibut. Light and nutrient dense.

Sunday, August 5, 2012

Sesame Breadsticks

Have you ever just had a craving for mustard? It is by far my favorite condiment and it's a great choice because it gets that nice yellow color from turmeric, which is anti-inflammatory. I enjoy mustard smothered sardines...don't knock it, it is a great way to get some healthy omega-3's and makes for a quick protein addition to a salad. I also enjoy a GreenFinished beef burger with mustard on top.




But sometimes I just want something "snacky".

A sesame bread stick seemed like a great option, so I began to think of how to make a grainless breadstick. The result...delicious breadsticks that have some great benefits including: calcium in sesame seeds...vitamin E in almond flour...fiber in coconut flour. Plus, they are super quick and easy to make!


Sesame Breadsticks

Ingredients
1/2 Cup Almond Flour
1/2 Cup Coconut Flour
1/4 tsp Celtic Sea Salt
1/4 tsp Baking Soda
2 Eggs
1 Tbsp Grapeseed Oil or Extra Virgin Coconut Oil
1/4 Cup Sesame Seeds

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Combine all ingredients. Form into 2"-3" "sticks". Bake for 15 minutes.

Serve with mustard for dipping.