Most people at some point in their lives suffer from acute, mild, or even severe or chronic digestive conditions.  Many people actually learn to deal with the symptoms, or treat it with medication, rather than finding the cause.  But if your reading this, you likely are NOT the type of individual who will settle for mediocrity, but instead takes the high road with the seriousness of your health.

I am a big proponent of cleansing my digestive tract at least 1-2 times a year, with a natural blend of herbs and supplements that will help restore the natural pH balance of the body, eliminate built up toxins, recharge vital organs, and restock on the good stuff that helps us function optimally.  If you want to feel your best, try a gentle natural cleansing, and be sure to consult with a holistic dietitian to help you do it safely, and without the need to starve yourself, or lose muscle mass....

A Few Natural Digestive Aids

Fennel:  Used for digestion, weight loss, detoxifier, stomach aches, and boosting metabolism

Kefir:  Fermented milk of goat, sheep or cow.  Benefits lactose intolerance, problems with digestion and flatulence.  Yogurt works well too.

Lemongrass:  Aids with digestion and detox, but also helps with anxiety and insomnia.  Can also aid in Diabetes and heart disease.

Fermented foods/beverages:  In addition to Kefir, Kimchi, Sauerkraut, Kombucha, and Miso are various fermented foods which aid with digestion.

Dandelion Greens:  Not only a digestive, but also a liver cleanser;  add to your salad!!!  You can also use other parts of the plant, to make tea.

Fiber:  Insoluble fiber found in grains, beans, fruits and vegetables, and flax/chia seeds....if you need a larger amount found in a psyllium supplement, make sure you drink plenty of water each day.

Ginger:  Helps strengthen the lining of the upper GI tract in addition to helping with digestion, nausea, ulcers and parasites.

Others include peppermint, fenugreek, aloe, slippery elm

What to Avoid: Spicy, fried/greasy, highly acidic, alcohol, eating fast, constricted clothing (ie: belts), lying down after meal/ too much liquid with meal (for reflux), other food sensitivities- can include gluten and casein (hard to digest) 

What herbaceous flowering perennial was once classified in the Lily family, is cousin to the onion and garlic, and whose fruit is a small red berry that is poisonous to humans?

Greek writings have described asparagus as an Aphrodesiac, but scientific studies have raved about asparagus’ medicinal benefits from everything to a clean diuretic, to reducing blood pressure to aiding in urinary tract disorders....

Do you want to grow an easy crop that will reproduce year after year with virtually little care? 

I have a plant for you to try....

ASPARAGUS

Asparagus Soup Shooters

2-3 T. coconut oil

2 small leeks (white and pale green parts only), halved lengthwise, thickly sliced (about 3 cups)

1 1/2 pounds asparagus, ends trimmed, spears coarsely chopped

4 cups vegetable stock 

3 cups chopped spinach, dandelion greens, and kale

2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

3/4 cup diced peeled pitted avocado and 3 T. cilantro (optional)

Preparation:

Heat oil in heavy large saucepan over medium heat. Add leeks and sauté until soft, about 5 minutes. Add asparagus and stock; bring to boil. Reduce heat to medium, cover and simmer until asparagus is tender, about 8 minutes. Add greens, cover and simmer until wilted, about 4-6 minutes. Working in batches, puree soup in blender until smooth. Transfer soup to large bowl; season to taste with salt and pepper. Cool, then cover and chill until cold, at least 2 hours and up to 1 day.

Season to taste with lemon juice, salt and pepper.

Divide into large shot glasses and top with small diced avocado and cilantro.

With all the differing controversy and gimmick advertising with cooking oils and which to choose, it’s no wonder I get phone calls on a regular basis to clear the air. So I’ll give you the facts and you can make your own decisions based on the information and what you are willing or not willing to put in your body.

As many of you know, I own my business, Organique, and love learning about, and inventing new foods and recipes to share. Well, what you may not know is that, as a Dietitian, I am also fortunate enough to be contracted by the Corporate Healthy Living Program of Hannaford.  

Athletes are always looking for that special drink, powder, bar, or gel to help improve their performance. And with all the various diets on the market and internet, it can be difficult to know which one will be best suitable for meeting all their nutrition and fitness needs.   But while some athletes are also concerned with putting on unwanted pounds, which can indeed hinder performance, not getting enough calories will almost always guarantee a failure to achieve that next level of performance.

Have you ever walked into a room, and the aroma you experienced took your breathe away and brought you back to a moment from your past?  The smell of masa will ALWAYS bring me back to my home as a child, sitting in the kitchen watching my mother teach me how to make tamales, empanadas, and all the other amazing authentic recipes I have had the pleasure of learning from her.  The smell of lilacs reminds me of summers at my best friends house as a teen, with the breeze carrying that smell into her bedroom window as we talked about boys all night.  Of course the scent of patchouli...that’s a whole other story of it’s own...or two...

Have you ever had a migraine after eating too much Chinese food?  Have you ever seen a child change their behavior/mood significantly after eating an ice cream cone with rainbow sprinkles?  

IT’S 2013 PEOPLE !!!!! (Horn blowing and lots of hooting and hollering in the background please...) and good or bad, our worlds as we know them are still here.

Time to reach for that pot of gold and take charge of your life! In a world where most people wait until something bad happens to react, it may be time for us to become proactive, and one step even further, instill a proactive lifestyle in our children. I’m sure you have, in your lifetime, changed something about yourself, whether it be your activity level, diet, or a bad habit, because it stopped working for you. Well, what about changing something in your life, even though, up to this point, it really hasn’t caused any major pitfalls? What if you decided, rather than waiting for a bad report from the doctor, or even an accident to happen, you decided to do just ONE simple change a day to improve your life? What would it be? Would it be rearrange your office to improve your mood (sit near a window, change the paint on the walls, add a few plants...) or maybe it would entail shedding a few pounds to allow for more flexibility? What motivates you to make changes where none are warranted? I really would love to hear what is in store for you in 2013, and what steps you plan to take to get you there?

A good one I like to keep in the forefront of my mind is gratitude. Showing gratitude is one of the easiest (and cheapest!) things we can do, not only for ourselves, but for those around us. When we express an act of kindness as a conscious feeling of gratitude, you not only boost someone else’s mood for what they have done, but you also increase your sense of wellbeing too!!!! So make the most of 2013...and feel grateful for that which you DO have...This IS your lucky year!!!!!!!!