Refresh Your Soul

Why do we have digestive issues??? Our healthy bacterium has been compromised due to: 1. Our environment 2. The food we eat and drink 3. The water we drink 4. The medication we have taken or are currently taking 5. Lack of cooking home cooked food A healthy bacterium is made up of about 85% healthy bacteria and 15% bad bacteria. The healthy bacteria surrounds and kills the unhealthy bacteria. When our body is unbalanced, the unhealthy bacteria takes over and causes digestive issues such as bloating, gas, constipation, and IBS. About 95% of people have an unbalance in their gut bacteria and are feeding the bad bacteria. The bad bacteria begins to take over the gut and the good bacteria is starving to survive.  What kills and feeds unhealthy bacteria??? 1. Antibiotics 2. Sugar/ simple carbohydrates 3. All artificial sweeteners (chewing gum) 4. Processed foods (anything packaged or canned, soda) To rebuild the healthy bacteria in your micro

Going back to your Roots #1 Nutrition Truth: "The more we eat like our ancestors, the better: fresh, whole foods that are locally and sustainable raised and minimally processed or not processed at all. These are the types of foods that your genes and biochemistry are adapted to and that will provide you with the ability to reverse and prevent most disease." -  Dr. Mercola I tell my clients all the time to "eat from the earth."  My clients ask me almost daily what I eat, and I tell them I eat from the earth.  For many years, I subscribed to the raw food/vegan way of life, and I still I support that community, but I no longer label myself as such.  Today, I don't belong to a box: I found boxes to be to restricting. Over time, I found that I was in a food community because my ego liked the label, not because that's what I believed in or because it was the most nutritious or what was best for my body. I struggled with leaving raw food/vegan-ism after ye

The Truth When did it become wrong to tell people the truth?  Most of the time people don’t want to hear the truth and they definitely don’t want to do the work to change their digestive system.  As a society, we have been trained to respond this way: you go to the doctors, they give you a pill, and it masks the problem.  It typically will not solve the problem and it comes with a list of side effects, but it does give you instant relief. People used to use herbal remedies which, believe it or not, are very effective and potent.  Unfortunately, most people under estimate herbs and their effectiveness. A lot of clients come to me totally exhausted, feeling defeated and discouraged with typical western medicine.  Others simply have difficultly talking about their digestive issues, an emotional and psychological problem that has effected thousands of people in our society.  While not something most people are comfortable discussing, “Fecal matter, pooping, dumping” are not b

Ten things you need to know about healthy digestion! #1 of healthy digestion is chew your food well… we have heard this our whole life but we never understood why.. the truth is it  not only break downs our foods but it actives our enzymes in our mouths and is essential in our digestion processes. Today in our fast pace lives we eat on the go and wolf down our food and there is no wonder we end up with constipation and gas.. Our intestine is trying to break down chucks of food.. and we are not absorbing our nutrients. As we age we lose the ability to produce enzymes, and we will go into this later on. The way we release enzymes is by chewing.  BTW that’s why chewing GUM IS BAD BAD BAD!!! First of all, the chewing process mashes your food into small pieces and partially liquefies it, making it easier to digest. Secondly, when food hits your mouth, it stimulates saliva production. Saliva contains its own digestive enzymes, so the longer you chew, the more time these enzy

“Leptin”  Leptin is a hormone that is produced by the body’s fat cells . It is often referred to as the “satiety hormone” or the “starvation hormone.” Leptin’s primary target is in the brain, particularly an area called the hypothalamus. Leptin is supposed to tell the brain that we have enough fat stored, that we don’t need to eat, and that we can burn calories at a normal rate. It also has many other functions related to fertility, immunity, brain function and others (5). However, leptin’s main role is long-term regulation of energy balance… the amount of calories we eat and expend, and how much fat we store on our bodies . The leptin system evolved to keep us from starving or overeating, both of which would have made us less likely to survive in the natural environment. These days, leptin is very effective at keeping us from starving. But something is broken in the mechanism that is supposed to prevent us from overeating. Bottom Line: Leptin is a

Flat tummy   Fennel and leek soup  fennel is great for getting rid of retaining water. Put your feet up  and enjoy feeling that your getting slimmer  with every spoonful! 1 large bulb fennel 1 large leek 1 TBS sunflower oil 1 tsp. Himalayan pink salt 1 tbs bouillon powder 31/2 c boiling water 1 white onion finely chopped 1 clove of garlic finely chopped 1 tsp fenugreek 1 tsp coriander 1/4 cilantro juice 1/2 lemon pre-heat oven 325 roughly chop fennel and leek toss in 1 tbs sunflower oil and salt on baking sheet and roast for 20 mins add bouillon powder to the boiling water to make a vegetable stock and stir until dissolved heat remaining oil in pan over the lowest possible heat. Add onions and garlic and saute together with ground spices. Keep adding small splashes of stalk to keep the pan cool, as soon as you take the leek and the fennel out of the oven transfer to the panwith onions and add rest of stock. turn up heat bring soup to a simmer for 10 mins. T

The Healing Influence of Broth on Your Gut In later years, medical scientists have discovered that your health is in large part dependent on the health of your intestinal tract. Many of our modern diseases appear to be rooted in an unbalanced mix of microorganisms in your digestive system, courtesy of an inappropriate and unbalanced diet that is too high in sugars and too low in healthful fats and beneficial bacteria. Bone broth is excellent for "healing and sealing" your gut, to use  Dr. Natasha Campbell-McBride  term. Dr. Campbell's GAPS Nutritional Protocol, described in her book,  Gut and Psychology Syndrome  (GAPS), centers around the concept of "healing and sealing" your gut through your diet. Broth or "stock" plays an important role as it's easily digestible, helps heal the lining of your gut, and contains valuable nutrients. Abnormalities in your immune system are a common outcome of GAPS, and such immune abnormalities can then allow

WHY?? Lemon water!! Drink it first thing In the morning on a empty stomach is a great practice to re hydrate. After our body are in a dehydrated state after loosing fluids via respiration, urination, and sweating all night long.  Adding Organic lemon to warm water enhances the water nutrients by adding trace minerals.vitamins and antioxidant. There is also a lot of science based evidence proving that warm lemon water detoxify the body specifically the liver. Lemon is an excellent and rich source of vitamin C, an essential nutrient that protects the body against immune system deficiencies Lemons contain pectin fiber which is very beneficial for colon health and also serves as a powerful antibacterial It balances maintain the pH levels in the body  Having warm lemon juice early in the morning helps flush out toxins It aids digestion and encourages the production of bile It is al

Why do I have digestive issues and why do I get sick? Our intestinal flora has been compromised due to our unnatural state of being in what we consider as normal life in our society. To answer these questions, we have to take it back to the beginning of life itself. One of the most natural functions as animals, giving birth, has been dehumanized and in fact, we treat child birth like a disease.  The birthing process takes place in sterile hospital rooms and mothers are hooked up intravenously. They are injected with antibiotics which end up affecting the foundation for the baby’s digestive and immune systems.  The antibiotics prescribed, "to prevent infection," often prevent good bacteria from colonizing in the baby’s digestive tract. Induced labor often leads to caesarian section births, which is another issue.  A baby in the mother’s womb is sterile. The passage through the birth canal, full of healthy bacteria, is the baby’s first exposure to bacteria orally

Why Plastic is BAD!! Xenoestrogens or foreign estrogens! Xenoestrogens can wreak havoc on normal hormone balance by mimicking the body's natural estrogen, which in turn can lead to imbalance in the ratio of estrogen to progesterone. Fibroid can lead then develop as a result of this estrogen  dominance. Its important to reduce or avoid foods that  promote excess estrogen- processed foods, dairy, products, refined carbohydrates, and excess alcohol and caffeine . Xenoestrogens are also found in personal care products, cosmetics, household cleaners, plastics "Plastic Bottle- Bottled water" and pesticides. You can visit The Environmental Work Group website ewg.org for more information. There you can look up household products  and cosmetics to see  how they rate on toxicity scale.

Turmeric and Digestion  Turmeric is an Asian spice long been use to treat inflammation, known mostly for its amazing health benefits for those suffering with  joint pain specifically Arthritis and Rheumatism. But wait is there more to this amazing spice that meets the eye,  Turmeric has a wealth of benefits for the digestive system, increase mucin content for the stomach, and astringe the stool. Turmeric works wonders for diarrhea. In caps up to 500mg a day or 2 heaping TBS of turmeric powder mix with honey or maple syrup

 23 Key Guidelines to Good Gut and Good Health!   1.       Eat a well- balanced diet Organic (grown without chemical fertilizers and pesticides) whole, natural, unprocessed foods, now today we have to educated shoppers, look for heirloom seed produce by local get to know your local farmers ask them questions about how they grow there produce. Avoid all GMO's (Genetically modified organisms). I recommend 80 percent plant based diet and 20 percent animal products. 2.       Avoid large meals 3.       Avoid eating 2 hours before bed 4.       Identify and eliminate foods to which you’re allergic 5.       Exercise on a regular basis 6.       Minimize (or eliminate) use of alcohol and caffeine 7.       Take prescription drugs only as directed by your doctor 8.       Use over the counter   drugs with care –If at all 9.       Chew thoroughly 10.   Avoid drinking beverages with meals 11.   Avoid Ice cold beverages, room temperature beverages are preferred