Do you ever wish you could brighten those pearly whites without chemicals?
Almost everyone I know who cares about their body is eager to find ways to get positive results without sacrificing the integrity of their own well-being and the well-being of our lovely planet.
That means those bleach trays and teeth whitening products on the market don't exactly qualify. They have you ingesting boatloads of toxins like coal tars, fluorides, aspartame, aluminum and benzene.
So, if having a healthy mouth and brighter, whiter teeth is a priority for you, but ingesting carcinogens are not, you're going to love oil pulling.
Oil pulling is an ancient Ayurvedic ritual where you swish oil (like coconut oil, sesame oil or sunflower oil) around in your mouth for about 20 minutes and then spit it out.
Dr. Bruce Fife, whose written an entire book on oil pulling, says the oil acts like a cleanser.
"When you put it in your mouth and work it around your teeth and gums it “pulls” out bacteria and other debris. As simple as it is, oil pulling has a very powerful detoxifying effect. Our mouths are the home to billions of bacteria, viruses, fungi and other parasites and their toxins. Candida and Streptococcus are common residents in our mouths. It is these types of germs and their toxic waste products that cause gum disease and tooth decay and contribute to many other health problems including arthritis and heart disease. Our immune system is constantly fighting these troublemakers. If our immune system becomes overloaded or burdened by excessive stress, poor diet, environmental toxins and such, these organisms can spread throughout the body causing secondary infections and chronic inflammation, leading to any number of health problems.”
Although there's no scientific evidence to support these claims, there are 3,000 years worth of personal testimonials from people India and a growing number of testimonials from people in the U.S.
I was personally inspired to start doing it about a year ago to help repair some of the damage I had done to my mouth and teeth from a decade of having an eating disorder. The most noticeable effects for me have been whiter teeth, healthier gums and more clear skin. It's been a great addition to my morning routine!
When done daily this practice is incredibly effective for:
Brightening & whitening teeth
Healthier gums
Removal of mucus
Boosting the immune system
Preventing bad breath
Increasing energy
Having a clearer mind
Decreasing headaches
Clearing the sinuses
Alleviating allergies
Better sleep
More clearer skin
Regulating menstrual cycles
Decreasing inflammation
Improving the lymphatic system
Improving PMS symptoms
How to oil pull:
Drink 1 cup of water on an empty stomach.
Melt 1-3 tsp. of organic, cold-pressed vegetable oil (I like coconut oil the best) in your mouth or over very low heat in a double boiler.
Swish through your mouth for 20 minutes while you’re busy doing something else. The first few times my gag reflexes reared themselves and it was a little difficult keeping the oil in my mouth, but I persisted and by the third day it was fine. If you have this problem too, I recommend sticking with it.
Spit into trash, compost or outside in the grass (just not in the sink - we don’t want to clog the pipes).
Swish water through your mouth to rinse.
Take Action Now:
Get yourself some oil and try oil pulling tomorrow morning (I do it while I'm walking my dog).
Leave a comment below with any thoughts, tips or ideas on the topic.
Let your friends and family in on the oil pulling secret by sharing this post!
Published May 22, 2012 at 3:20 PM
About Ashley Pitman As a Wellness Educator, Cleanse Specialist crusader for whole-body nourishment, Ashley Pitman supports thousands of people in achieving a hot body and radiant beauty with a blend of raw food education, Ayurvedic inspiration, guided detoxes courses, and lots of loving encouragement. All the action takes place at Vixi.com, a digital ashram for wellness-inspired people looking to use food as medicine and health as a spiritual practice. Stay devoted to your radiance and well-being by joining the free weekly newsletter with health and lifestyle tips that work.
Too many of us wear stress and busy lifestyles like a badge of honor. Unfortunately, the medal that goes along with stress is usually adrenal fatigue. If you’re one that burns the candle at both ends, leaves stress unchecked, and exists on coffee and nutritionally devoid food, then this is something you might need to address.
Until quite recently, I had no idea what adrenals were. I wasn’t the best science student, and they certainly were never a part of that body part jingle that taught us of the components of the human body. “The shin bone’s connected to the knee bone, the adrenal glands connected to the …”
The adrenal glands (also known as suprarenal glands) are the triangle-shaped endocrine glands that sit on top of the kidneys. They are chiefly responsible for regulating the stress response through the synthesis of corticosteroids and catecholamine, including cortisol and adrenaline. If that just sounded like a bunch of big words to you, let me break it down. Over-worked adrenal glands = big problems for your health.
Your adrenal glands are super important for a healthy immune system. They are necessary for proper thyroid function, balancing your hormones, maintaining your ideal weight, stabilising your emotions, controlling your cravings and much more. They are pretty much the regulators of your body, and sorting them out may be the key to solving many of your unexplained health challenges.
How do we know if our adrenals are fatigued? Unfortunately, because of the nature of our fast-paced lifestyles, this is a condition that can go unchecked because we just get so used to feeling less than brilliant. However, common symptoms include:
Excessive sweating or perspiration from little activity
Lower back pain and/or knee weakness or pain, especially on the side
Dark circles under the eyes
Dizziness
Muscle twitches
Low blood sugar
Heart palpitations
Sensitivity to light, or difficulty seeing at night
A craving for salt
Low stamina for stress, and easily irritated
Excessive mood responses after eating carbohydrates such as pasta, breads and sugar
Tired but wired feeling, poor sleep, difficulty getting out of bed in the morning
Cravings for sweets and carbs, intolerance to alcohol
Premature aging
Dry, unhealthy skin with excess pigmentation
Lack of libido
Cystic breasts
Tendency to startle easily
Negative response to thyroid hormone
Poor concentration and fuzzy thinking
7 Ways To Support Your Adrenals
1. Get adequate sleep.Seven to eight hours a night is ideal, and if you can get to bed well before midnight you get extra points. This is when our bodies do most of their healing.
2. Schedule “me time” as part of your daily routine, and make it a priority.
4. Incorporate yoga into your routine (and spend extra time in savasana).
5. Eliminate refined sugar and processed carbs. They are empty calories and do nothing besides stress out your adrenals. Adrenal glands help to regulate blood sugar levels.
6. Eat a clean diet of organic, fresh, plant-basedwhole foods. Load up on vegetables, fruits, nuts, legumes, beans and whole grains.
7. Kick the coffee habit. Swap your caffeine fix for green tea, peppermint tea, dandelion and chicory root tea or nice clean water.
Published May 23, 2012 at 5:10 PM
About Jess Ainscough Jess Ainscough is a writer, holistic health coach, and the creator of the health and wellness website, The Wellness Warrior. Via her e-books, daily blog posts, and videos, Jess’ goal is to empower people to take control of their health and show that the quality of our lives is directly linked to how we treat our body and mind. Her transformation from champagne-guzzling, Lean Cuisine-loving magazine writer to all-out nutrition nerd was made after she was diagnosed with a rare, “incurable” cancer back in 2008. Deciding she wasn’t having a bar of that “incurable” nonsense, Jess took responsibility for her condition and healed herself with two years of Gerson Therapy. Along the way, Jess developed a obsession with passing on all of her newly learnt wellness wisdom to anyone who was parked in front of her for long enough to listen.
Website: thewellnesswarrior.com.au Twitter: @jessainscough Facebook: thewellnesswarrior
Do
you find yourself trying to get the most effective workout possible by gulping
sports drinks during exercise?
Many people
who work so hard during exercise are sabotaging their weight loss and fitness
success without realizing it. Join me as I discuss how to maximize your
hydration routine during exercise and get the results you deserve.
One of the
biggest mistakes folks make when they exercise is poor hydration choices.
Well-marketed sports drinks – even ‘healthy’ or ‘natural’ ones - are loaded with
sugar and, unless you are a professional endurance athlete, you simply don’t
need them.
Gatorade,
while loaded with electrolytes, also has tons of sugar - up to 42 grams of sugar
in 24 ounces of the fitness drink. That is almost the same amount of sugar in a
whole package of Twizzlers licorice, and nearly twice the amount contained in
one serving of Ben and Jerry’s ice cream!
I think we
know that licorice and ice cream are sources of needless fatty calories. But
when we are sucking down that Gatorade during a workout, few realize it is just
as bad. It packs the same amount of calories, delivers the same amount of sugar,
and layers the same amount of fat where you don’t want or need
it.
Some choose
“healthier” rehydration drinks during exercise, such as Vitamin Water. Vitamin
Water contains 27 grams of sugar per bottle. Though lower in sugar than
Gatorade, it’s still a very high amount of sugar for the body to process. The
gels and goos that are the current fad are not much better.
Then there
are the after-workout drinks, gels, and protein bars designed to build muscle
mass and strength. A PowerBar – perhaps the most famous after-workout bar – has
lots of good protein, but also packs a whopping 26 grams of sugar that
quickly converts into body fat.
Read
Labels The bottom
line is that the human body is just not equipped to process that much sugar at
once. These energy/rehydration sports drinks deliver such a surge of sugar into
the bloodstream that the body gets pushed into an emergency state. It must
process the excess sugar urgently, because allowing it to remain in the blood is
dangerous.
The next time
you are in a health club or grocery store, read the label on some of those
so-called “healthy” sports drinks. Pay special attention to the sugar content,
you may be shocked!
Don’t
Undermine Your Hard Work The quickest
way for the body to lower blood sugar is to convert it quickly and effortlessly
into fat in the form of triglycerides (body/belly/hip fat), or to raise
cholesterol levels. Knowing this, I cringe as I watch folks sucking down their
Gatorade, Powerade, and Vitamin Waters. I want to tell them, "No, No, No, stop
drinking that stuff! You are making FAT with each gulp, while working so hard
to burn it off!”
Do you
realize that it takes 14 hours of moderate exercise, like hiking or biking, or 6
hours of vigorous exercise, to lose just one pound of body fat? If you took an
hour-long vigorous fitness class three times a week, it would take two weeks to
lose one pound of body fat.
Exercise and
activity are the major ways for the body to reduce its fat stores. Now that you
know how long it takes to burn just one pound of real body fat, don’t undermine
all that hard work with a sweet, fat-generating sports
drink!
The best
hydration beverage on the planet is - Water.
The truth is,
very few of you will ever push yourselves hard enough to need to replenish
electrolytes from a workout. The Tarahumara people, identified as the
best runners in the world, routinely run 50, 75 and even over 100 miles a day in
the hot Copper Canyon desert of Mexico, and they have probably never even tasted
Gatorade!
Once in a
while, in extreme circumstances, they will add chia seeds to their water to
boost their reserves and continue to run through the mountains in the desert
heat.
Why Can’t I
Run Like the Tarahumara? The reason
most of us cannot do that is because we have become lousy fat burners. We have
conditioned the body to be fed every couple of hours and de-conditioned
the body to make energy last, effectively robbing us of the endurance that has
allowed the human species to survive.
Do You Think
You Can’t Live Without Your Sports Drink? If you just
cannot continue working out without the aid of a sports drink, stop the
workout. By that time, you have already exercised too much! When you feel
the need or craving for a sports drink, realize that this is a sign of your
blood sugar lowering.
The blood
sugar is the body's first choice for fuel. If you do not feed it with more
sugar, the body will naturally adjust to the low blood sugar by kicking into fat
metabolism - and you’ll start burning fat and losing inches! But, if instead,
you suck down 27 grams of sugar in the form of a sports drink, the body will
say, "Oh, wait! I think the sugar is coming. Cancel the order to burn
fat!"
Your
Hydration Challenge Make water
your only beverage for one month and see how you feel. Replace your coffee and
tea with hot water and your soft drinks with room temperature water. Try to
follow this hydration protocol for one month:
Wake up:
Drink one glass of water*.
Breakfast:
Sip room temperature or hot water with breakfast.
Between
breakfast and lunch: Drink a glass of water.
15-20 minutes
before lunch: Drink a glass of water.
Lunch: Sip
room temperature or hot water with lunch.
Between lunch
and supper: Drink a glass of water.
15-20 minutes
before supper: Drink a glass of water.
Supper: Sip
room temperature or hot water with supper.
Between
supper and bedtime: Drink a glass of water.
In Addition:
Hydration During Exercise
15-30 minutes
before exercise: Drink 1 glass of water.
During
exercise: Take sips or small drinks of room temperature water.
After
exercise: Drink a glass of water.
Total: Drink
6-8 glasses of water per day.
* A “glass of
water” means 8-12 ounces, depending on your size and weight; 6-8 ounces for
vata men and women, 8-12 ounces for pitta or kapha
men and women. Don’t know your type? Take our free Body Type Quiz here.
Don’t Misread
your Body’s Thirst Signals Many articles
now suggest drinking only when you are thirsty. The problem with this is that
the hunger and thirst centers in the brain are very close. Because of this,
thirst is often misread as hunger, or the need for Gatorade rather than water.
This
Hydration Challenge is designed to break the sports drink and/or sugar and snack
habit, and reacquaint ourselves with the good taste and great benefit of just
plain water.
Are
you feeling too tired to exercise, even though you know how good it is for you?
Or are you frustrated with poor workout results? Most folks are either too
fatigued to get a good
workout in, or they work hard, sweat a ton, and invest a
lot of time—with little benefit.
The cause may
be related to how you exercise.
More than 100
million Americans eat a diet that decreases muscle strength and energy,
which
undermines the motivation to exercise and the effectiveness of their workouts.
(1) Are you one of them?
Proper
exercise can boost your muscle strength, and give you the energy and vitality
needed to exercise regularly.
Join me as I
teach a simple workout that can give you the vigor of a teenager.
______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Article-At-A-Glance When your
blood sugar levels are too high, you will become too fatigued to exercise,
or
will struggle through your workouts.
Short bursts
of exercise are better than long workouts because they raise your levels
of
Human Growth Hormone (HGH), which:
helps you
lose weight
calms your
mind
boosts
energy
tones your
muscles
enhances sex
drive
detoxifies
your body
increases
performance
Keep reading
below to learn my Twelve Minute Workout, and why keeping your blood sugar levels
balanced is essential.
==================================
Muscle
Fatigue = Less Motivation to Work Out Your muscles
fatigue when your blood sugar levels are too high. When the hormone
insulin rises to an unhealthy level, the muscle cells resist the
function of insulin, which is to uptake more sugar. As sugar is fuel to muscle
cells, they essentially starve and cannot function properly . This is similar to
flooding a car with gasoline, yet the engine just won’t start.
This process
is called insulin resistance, and unless fasting blood sugar levels are
below a healthy 85mg/dL, the muscles will continue to reject sugar from the
blood. Without sugar for energy, the muscles grow weak and tired.
Fatigue sets
in, desire to exercise wanes, and the blood sugars continue to
rise.
Studies show
that 85% of Americans have fasting blood sugars greater than 85mg/dL, which can
weaken your muscles, cause fatigue, and hamper your motivation to exercise.
In addition
to converting the excess blood sugar into fat and cholesterol, which causes a
host of weight-related issues, the sugars stick to proteins in our blood through
a process called glycation. This creates sticky blood that sticks the
muscle spindles together, making muscle contractions during exercise more
difficult.
How Your
Muscles Work Every muscle
is made up of spindles that slide amongst each other during activity. They are
like the twines of a rope that intertwine to make the rope strong. Blood is the
lubricant for muscular contractions and strength. If the spindles stick together
due to clumpy or sticky blood, the muscle weakens.
Sticky
muscles require much more energy to slide or contract. Exercise then becomes a
chore, rendering most folks just too tired to
workout.
The
Solution The solution,
of course, is a multi-pronged approach of diet and exercise.
The good news
is: research has shown that with the right combination of proper exercise,
healthy lifestyle, and balanced diet, the function of the muscles can be
restored in as little as 12 minutes a day!
(2,3,5)
Our Bodies
Were Designed To Sprint Historically,
exercise was essential to our survival. However, hunting a rabbit wouldn't
require 45 minutes in your heart rate training zone three times a week, the way
fitness authorities today advise us to exercise. Instead, it would require
multiple sprints using fast twitch muscle fibers that would last about a minute
each, followed by periods of rest while you wait for the rabbit to show again.
Fast twitch
muscles, as opposed to slow twitch muscles, are muscle fibers that generate
short bursts of strength, but fatigue easily.
After hunting
in this way, alternating between periods of sprinting and recovery, a natural
fitness level was achieved.
Move like a
Child Have
you ever asked a child of 10 or 12 years when the last time was that they ran as
fast as they could? They would most likely respond by saying, "All the time, I
ran here."
On the other
hand, if you ask a 50 year old the same question, what do you think would be the
most common response? Probably something like, "I can’t remember when I last ran
as fast as I could."
When you
sprint, fast twitch muscle fibers are activated, forcing the big muscle groups
to contract and demand more fuel in the form of sugar, glucose, or glycogen. The
more you use the muscles in this way, the more energy they demand. Via this
process, insulin resistance can be slowly reversed.
Anti-Aging
Benefits Fast twitch
muscle activation also stimulates the production of Human Growth Hormone (HGH).
This hormone decreases significantly after 50 years of age. Activated by fast
twitch muscle exercise, like sprinting, HGH helps restore the youthfulness and
elasticity you had in your twenties and, in itself, offers all the benefits of
regular exercise.
Be Calm and
Lose Weight The benefits
of this kind of exercise are compelling. Nasal breathing during this Twelve
Minute Workout naturally creates a safe governor for monitoring how much
exercise is good and how much more can be potentially harmful, as indicated
above. The sprint/recovery training offers many health benefits in just 12
minutes a day (without the wear and tear of a long, slow duration workout), such
as (2,3,5):
Increasing
fat metabolism
Calming the
nervous system and mind
Stabilizing
glucose and insulin levels
Increasing
caloric expenditure
Boosting
energy
Creating a
sleeker, stronger, and more toned physique
Enhancing sex
drive
Improved
lymphatic drainage leading to healthier skin and detoxification
Amplifying
exercise endurance and performance
Raising
growth hormone – which may be responsible for all of the above
Avoid the
Dangers of Over Exercising There is an
increasing amount of research indicating the damage of long, slow training on
the heart. In one study, 80 marathon runners were tested for the kind of heart
damaging chemicals seen after a heart attack. Prior to the marathon, runners
were free of these chemicals. Right after the marathon and three days later,
all of the runners showed the kind of early stage cardiac damage seen
after a heart attack. (5)
Below is a
simple, 12-minute workout routine that I recommend to reverse insulin resistance
and give you all the benefits of fast twitch muscle activation.
Twelve Minute
Workout Sprint
Recovery Training
This twelve
minute routine can be performed daily, or a minimum of 3x/week, for
cardiovascular improvements. You can use this as your entire workout or as a
cardiovascular warm up before yoga, a bike ride, or hiking. In these twelve
minutes, you will build your cardiovascular base.
Step One:
Warm up Slowly begin
exercising. You can choose one of the exercise options listed under the “Sprint
Alternatives” section below, or pick something else that appeals to you. Stick
to this activity throughout the entire routine.
Exercise
slowly for 2 minutes while breathing in and out through your nose as deeply as
you can. Check out my book, Body,
Mind and Sport, to learn more about why nasal breathing is important.
Also, in a recent video
newsletter, I discussed all the truly amazing benefits of nasal
breathing during exercise, compared to mouth breathing. Nasal breathing is a
skill that may take some time to master. Don’t worry if you have to breathe
through your mouth. Do the best you can and, in time, the nasal breathing will
get easier.
Step Two:
Sprint Start
exercising faster, like a mini sprint, for 1 minute. Use the nasal breathing
during the sprint if you can, as it will slow you down and not let you do too
much. Don't push it here. Start slowly and build yourself up to a faster sprint
over time. Try to find a pace that you can maintain for one minute. In a couple
of weeks, you will be sprinting like a pro.
Step 3:
Recovery Slow the
exercise down to the warm up pace for one minute, maintaining the nasal
breathing if you can. Nasal Breathing during the recovery will force air into
the lower lobes of the lungs, allowing for more efficient release of CO2 and
activation of the calming parasympathetic nervous system that predominates in
the lower lobes of the lungs. This will help you release toxins and
stress.
Step 4:
Second Sprint Start another
sprint for one minute. Make this a little faster if you can. Continue nasal
breathing if possible.
Step 5:
Second Recovery Recover from
the sprint with one minute of deep nasal breathing at the warm up pace.
If you cannot maintain nasal breathing during the recovery, it’s an indication
that the sprint was too hard. It will get easier each
time.
Step 6:
Continue Sprints and Recoveries Continue
sprints and recoveries for a total of 4 sprints and 4 recoveries. Follow the
nasal breathing if you can.
Step 7: Cool
Down Repeat Step
1. Exercise at the warm up pace, slowing down gradually, with deep
nasal breathing for 2 minutes.
Note:
In the beginning, you may need a 90 second recovery period after each sprint
instead of just one minute. If this is the case, then just do a 2-minute warm
up, followed by three 1-minute sprints with three 90-second recoveries and a
2-minute cool down, for a total of 12 minutes.
Sprint
Alternatives: Sprinting can
be running as fast as you can, running up and down the stairs, jumping jacks,
jumping on and off a curb, anything that gets the exertion levels up. However,
if sprinting scares you, here are some options:
Walk quickly
up and down your stairs for 1 minute as fast as you can
Step up and
down on the first step in your house as fast as you can
Hold a can of
food in each hand and raise your arms up and down as fast as you can for
one
minute
Consider
joining a fitness facility and start a weight training program. Weight training
causes the big muscles to slide and demands that more energy and sugar is
received by the muscle, which reduces insulin resistance.
If
you are weight training, use lighter weights and do fast (and safe) reps for one
minute
to activate your fast twitch muscle fibers.
Less Is More
It is clear
that long, slow workouts in your heart rate training zone are not
necessarily healthy. In some cases, they can even be damaging to your
heart. In just 12 minutes, you can get your cardiovascular base and be free to
enjoy a fun bike ride, hike, or some yoga. Less has been proven to be
more!
I am on a plane as I write from Tulum. The yoga retreat was beyond amazing. I am always amazed that Tulum can enchant me more each time I visit and that it seems to hypnotize me from routine and my modern life. This trip was healing and yet invigorating. The group was perfect and we enjoyed each other's company tremendously. Getting to know people on a deeper level especially in the midst of such a beautiful environment is such a treat.
The trip also renewed my love for teaching yoga and for my journey to constantly deepen my own pratice. I cannot ask for more!
We had three classes a day of yoga...over 4 hours of yoga daily! We started each day with a beach side meditation which was the perfect way to wake up! We had three healthy and delicious meals following our practices...we were well fed. We took the most amazing excursions. The first one was a bike ride to the Tulum ruins. It was on top of the rocky beach cliffs overlooking a beautiful beach and ocean. We swam in the lovely turquoise sea after touring the Mayan ruins. The next trip was a snorkeling trip to the Dos Ojas Cenotes. I cannot even begin to describe how amazing seeing these underground caves filled with fresh water could be! It is like an underground world of beauty and amazement. The last excursion took the cake...a tour of some Mayan ruins that are not open to the public outside Tulum in the biosphere and then a boat ride through the fresh water turquoise lagunas to float down a 2 kilometer fresh water channel in the jungle of the biosphere. It was peaceful, private and magical. We could not believe how lucky we were to experience it all.
The rest of the days were filled with beach walks, massages, lounging and doing whatever we liked. It was just hard to describe how fun it all was!
As I fly back to reality and eagerly await seeing my daughter I am feeling so blessed to be able to share my love of yoga with others and to be able to unite those of us that love yoga with a retreat for our souls! I think we all come home changed and transformed for the good...and that is the power of a yoga retreat. Come join us in 2013!
I am one of those people who brings my lunch to the office at least 4 out of 5 days per week, usually 5 out of 5 days. My reasons include the fact that I haven’t found a place near my office that serves anything worth spending $10 for and I like to eat clean and know what is going into my food. Here are two super quick and easy recipes that you can throw together and bring to the office to keep in the fridge or bring with you to the beach or on a hike for a light and clean meal.
1) Simply Delicious Black Bean Salad
This super quick and easy recipe can be played around with and modified. This is ALWAYS a hit no matter where I bring it… for lunch or as a side to a dinner or BBQ.
Ingredients:
1 16-oz can organic black beans, rinsed
1 whole tomato, chopped
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
2 tablespoons fresh cilantro (or to taste)
½ white onion (or to taste), finely chopped
Juice of 1 half of a lemon or lime (depending on preference – both are great!)
½ ripe avocado (optional, but adds a creamy goodness that is irresistible)
1 jalapeno, sliced (also optional, but an excellent addition for those who like some heat)
Pinch of salt
Mix it all together in a large bowl and it is good to go! Goes wonderfully with some whole grain toast, and if you are looking to make a creamy dip, just mash all the ingredients and you get a delectable black bean hummus.
2) Quinoa with Mushroom and Asparagus
Another quick fix when in a bind, this recipe can be modified to include any veggies you have in your fridge and need to use up. I happen to love mushrooms, and the Asparagus adds a nice crunch!
About Brigitte Meinders Brigitte Meinders is a New York City born yogi, writer, traveler and animal lover. She is a Wellness Program Manager at a health club in New Jersey who loves to inspire people to become their best selves possible. She enjoys spending time with her husband and two dogs, friends and family, and living, loving and laughing in the sunshine as much as possible!
Meat-eaters will never stop asking and vegans always get sick of hearing it:
“How do you get your protein?”
The image of a skinny (not to mention gangly and dread-headed) hippie has typically been the poster child of veganism. After all, there’s no way we can be muscular, fit and even bulky as vegans, right?
Wrong.
Vegan athletes like Brendan Brazier, Rich Roll, and Jimi Sitko are changing the negative stereotypes, proving that plant-based protein can not only build strong muscles, but can keep a vegan healthy enough to run, swim, bike, dance or pump iron – no flesh-eating necessary.
So how do you get your protein? Here are 10 vegan sources to try on for size:
1. Veggies: Yep, good old greens will pack a protein punch. One cup of cooked spinach has about 7 grams of protein. The same serving of French beans has about 13 grams. Two cups of cooked kale? 5 grams. One cup of boiled peas? Nine grams. You get the idea.
2. Hemp. No, you don’t have to get high to get your protein. But toss 30 grams of hemp powder in your smoothie and get about 11 grams of protein – just like that.
3. Non-Dairy Milk. Got (soy) milk? A mere 1 cup of soy or almond milk can pack about 7-9 grams of protein. Eat with some fortified cereal and you’ve got a totally vegan-friendly breakfast.
4. Nut Butter. Eat up your peanut butter, almond butter and cashew butter. A couple of tablespoons of any one of these will get you 8 grams of protein.
5. Quinoa. I kinda think quinoa is God’s gift to vegans (and gluten-free peeps!), as it’s versatile, delicious and delivers about 9 grams of protein per cup.
6. Tofu. Four ounces of tofu will get you about 9 grams of protein. And at about 2 bucks a pop, it’s a cheap vegan’s BFF.
7. Lentils. With lentils, you can make rice dishes, veggie burgers, casseroles and more. One cup cooked delivers a whopping 18 grams of protein!
8. Beans. They really are the magical fruit. With one cup of pinto, kidney or black beans, you’ll get about 13-15 grams of protein, a full belly and heart-healthy fiber.
9. Tempeh. One cup of tempeh packs abour 30 grams of protein! That’s more than 5 eggs or a regular hamburger patty.
10. Sprouted-grain bread. Pack a sandwich with vegan sprouted-grain bread and you’ll get about 10 grams of protein in the bread alone.
Still want to ask me where I get my protein? Yeah. That’s what I thought.
Published May 10, 2012 at 12:45 PM
About Mara Tyler Mara Tyler is the author of “Cheap and Simple Vegan Recipes,” a no-nonsense book for vegans who want easy and affordable meals. She’s also the managing editor of Healthy Bitch Daily, a vegan lifestyle website. With a mission to make veganism accessible to anyone, she promotes progress, not perfection. When she’s not making a mess in the kitchen dreaming up vegan recipes, she can be found hiking or looking for bliss in yoga.
The way you start each day is incredibly important. Whether you're a mom, a coach, a writer, a small business owner or a yoga teacher, what you do first thing in the morning matters.
According to Ayurvedic philosophy, choices that you make regarding your daily routine either build up resistance to disease or tear it down.
Ayurveda invites us to get a jump-start on the day by focusing on morning rituals that work to align the body with nature's rhythms, balance the doshas and foster self-esteem alongside self-discipline.
Your mind may say you have to check emails, take the dog out, get the kids out the door, that you can't be late for work or that you just don't have enough time to cultivate your own morning rituals.
But, if you can only make time for one ritual that will improve your health, let it be this.....
Start the day out with a mug of warm water and the juice of half a lemon.
It's so simple and the benefits are just too good to ignore. Warm water with lemon:
1. Boosts you're immune system
Lemons are high in Vitamin C and potassium. Vitamin C is great for fighting colds and potassium stimulates brain & nerve function and helps control blood pressure.
2. Balances pH
Lemons are an incredibly alkaline food, believe it or not. Yes, they are acidic on their own, but inside our bodies they're alkaline (the citric acid does not create acidity in the body once metabolized). As you wellness warriors know, an alkaline body is really the key to good health.
3. Helps with weight loss
Lemons are high in pectin fiber, which helps fight hunger cravings. It also has been shown that people who maintain a more alkaline diet lose weight faster. And, my experience is that when I start the day off right, it's easier to make the best choices for myself the rest of the day.
4. Aids digestion
The warm water serves to stimulate the gastrointestinal tract and peristalsis—the waves of muscle contractions within the intestinal walls that keep things moving. Lemons and limes are also high in minerals and vitamins and help loosen ama, or toxins, in the digestive tract.
5. Acts as a gentle, natural diuretic
Lemon juice helps flush out unwanted materials because lemons increase the rate of urination in the body. Toxins are, therefore, released at a faster rate which helps keep your urinary tract healthy.
6. Clears skin
The vitamin C helps decrease wrinkles and blemishes. Lemon water purges toxins from the blood which helps keep skin clear as well.
7. Hydrates the lymph system
This cup of goodness helps start the day on a hydrated note, which helps prevent dehydration (obviously) and adrenal fatigue. When your body is dehydrated, or deeply dehydrated (adrenal fatigue) it can't perform all of it's proper functions, which leads to toxic buildup, stress, constipation, and the list goes on. Your adrenals happen to be two small glands that sit on top of your kidneys, and along with your thyroid, create energy. They also secrete important hormones, including aldosterone. Aldosterone is a hormone secreted by your adrenals that regulates water levels and the concentration of minerals, like sodium, in your body, helping you stay hydrated. Your adrenals are also responsible for regulating your stress response. So, the bottom line is that you really don't want to mess with a deep state of dehydration!
Adopting just this one practice of drinking a cup of warm water with lemon in the morning for a month can radically alter your experience of the day. Don't be surprised if you begin to view mornings in a new light.
Like I said, the recipe is really simple - a cup of warm (not hot) water and the juice from half a lemon.
In the comments below, tell me which one of these benefits is going to get you to try this morning ritual. Or, if you're already a lemon water junkie, what specific benefits have you noticed?
About Ashley Pitman As a Wellness Educator, Cleanse Specialist crusader for whole-body nourishment, Ashley Pitman supports thousands of people in achieving a hot body and radiant beauty with a blend of raw food education, Ayurvedic inspiration, guided detoxes courses, and lots of loving encouragement. All the action takes place at Vixi.com, a digital ashram for wellness-inspired people looking to use food as medicine and health as a spiritual practice. Stay devoted to your radiance and well-being by joining the free weekly newsletter with health and lifestyle tips that work
Kale & Brussels Sprout Salad 1/4 cup fresh lemon
juice 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard 1 tablespoon minced shallot 1 small
garlic clove, finely grated 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt plus more for
seasoning Freshly ground black pepper 2 large bunches of Tuscan kale
(about 1 1/2 pounds total), center stem discarded, leaves thinly sliced 12
ounces brussels sprouts, trimmed, finely grated or shredded with a knife 1/2
cup extra-virgin olive oil, divided 1/3 cup almonds with skins, coarsely
chopped 1 cup finely grated Pecorino
Combine lemon juice, Dijon
mustard, shallot, garlic, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and a pinch of pepper in a small
bowl. Stir to blend; set aside to let flavors meld. Mix thinly sliced kale and
shredded brussels sprouts in a large bowl.
Measure 1/2 cup oil into a
cup. Spoon 1 tablespoon oil from cup into a small skillet; heat oil over
medium-high heat. Add almonds to skillet and stir frequently until golden brown
in spots, about 2 minutes. Transfer nuts to a paper towel�lined plate. Sprinkle
almonds lightly with salt.
Slowly whisk remaining olive oil in cup into
lemon-juice mixture. Season dressing to taste with salt and pepper. DO AHEAD:
Dressing, kale mixture, and toasted almonds can be prepared 8 hours ahead.
Cover dressing and kale mixture separately and chill. Cover almonds and let
stand at room temperature.
Add dressing and cheese to kale mixture;
toss to coat. Season lightly with salt and pepper. Garnish with
almonds.
I eat a mainly vegetarian diet and sometimes I hear..how do you get all your nutritional needs? Here is an how plant based diets can stack up to a typical diet with respect to the nutrients we all really need to stay healthy.
Protein
Protein provides the amino acids you need for growth and repair of tissue. An average woman needs 60g and a man needs 70g. One cup of cooked beans has 15g of protein, barley 11g, cottage cheese 15g. The key is variety so that you get a good balance of amino acids.
Iron
Iron assists with delivery of oxygen to the cells. A deficiency can cause fatigue, poor immune system response, and mental fog. Women need 18 mg, (pregnant women need 27mg)and men need 8 mg. Iron rich options for vegetarians include: kelp,black strap molasses, wheat bran,pumpkin seeds, almonds,beans, dark leafy greens, and lentils. There are two forms of iron. The type that is taken from animal sources is easily absorbed but not the case with plant based sources. It is good to pair these options with good sources of Vitamin C to aid in absorption. Examples are tomatoes, peppers and citrus fruits. You can take this as a supplement but there can be side effects with elimination from the supplement. Note that high intakes of Calcium, Magnesium and Zinc can also interfere with iron absortion.
Vitamin B-12
B-12 is vital for maintenance of nerve and red blood cells. It is also used to make DNA. We all need 2.4 micrograms daily. This is abundant is fish, meat, poultry and eggs it is more difficult to find in plant based foods. My best source of it is nutritional yeast. You can sprinkle this on veggies into oatmeal or into your meal. You need about 2 tsp full. Algae is also a good source. I like live blue-grean algae from Kathlamath Falls-E3Live. Some milks also supplement with B-12.
Calcium
Calcium is needed for bone health and for proper enzyme activity. The contraction of muscles depends on calcium. I do not cosume much dairy so I get my calcium from my hemp, soy or rice milk mainly. Actually kale is a better source of calcium than milk! Other sources are tofu, spinach, chickpeas and broccoli. Most of us need 1000mg daily. Sometimes supplements are good for this one as long as they are paired with Magnesium but beware of the amounts they provide. Most do not provide the RDA. I prefer calcium citrate over carbonate due to its absorption. Caffeine, alcohol, protein and sugar increase calcium excretion. Calcium deficiency can result in muscle cramps, osteoporosis, high blood pressure and colon cancer.
Omega-3 Fatty Acids
Omega 3 fatty acids are important for cardiovascular, eye, and brain health. If you do not consume fish, you may be low in EPA and DHA fatty acids. The general recommendation is 0.3 to 0.5 g for men and women. Another important fatty acid is ALA which is abundant in flaxseed, walnuts, soy, and canola oil. Aim for 1-2 g per day. The body can make EPA and DHA from ALA sources but you will need to consume more. Algae supplements provide some DHA and so do some eggs. Some symptoms of fatty acid deficiency are fatigue, dry skin, hair and cracked nails, maldigestion, immune weakness, forgetfullness, and aching joints.
The site of my May Yoga Retreat was just featured in the current Yoga Journal Magazine as one of the top locations for a great beach yoga retreat get away! Pick up an issue and take a look. It is not featured online yet. Those of you joining me on the trip..we are in for a treat and those of you that are still looking for a last minute get away..come join us! A peaceful paradise awaits you!
The retreat is May 17-23rd in Tulum, Mexico. See the events link to get more information.
You
know you should be eating your vegetables, but do you know
why?
Did you know,
for instance, that eating more vegetables can help you reduce stress, increase
attentiveness, reduce cravings, and lose weight?
The truth is,
while most of us know we should be eating plenty of vegetables, few of us
actually eat enough. The US Food Guide Pyramid recommends that we eat 3-5
servings of veggies a day, yet studies show that only 22% of Americans do.
Here are 10
reasons you may not have known for piling on those greens. Once you read these
top ten unsung reasons for eating veggies, I hope you will have all the
motivation you need.
Article at a
glance:
Learn how
eating more veggies can help you: - increase
attentiveness - release
toxins - protect
yourself against high cholesterol and heart disease -
stabilize blood sugar - alkalize
your blood - balance
your taste buds - restore
the flora in your gut - and
more!
Number One: A
Reason to Chew Have you ever
eaten a bowl of fresh, either lightly steamed or raw veggies? If you have, you
may have noticed one simple fact - it takes time to chew.
Unlike a
sandwich, which you can eat quickly, eating veggies demands more dedication to
chewing.
Studies
conducted by the chewing gum industry have linked the act of chewing to
many beneficial effects on the nervous system. One study from St. Lawrence
University found that students who chewed during tests outperformed non-chewing
students in five out of six cognitive tests due to what they called,
"mastication induced arousal."
Another study
from Cardiff University measured increased cortisol (a stress hormone)
production, faster heart rates, and increased attentiveness - all from chewing.
These test results were not linked with the sugar content in the gum, nor the
flavor of the gum chewed. As a result of the overwhelming research in this area,
students today are actually encouraged to chew gum during
tests.
While the
advantages of cortisol production and “mastication induced arousal” are
debatable, here is a list of amazing benefits to be reaped from chewing:
Chewing
stimulates the production of salivary digestive enzymes like amylase in
saliva, which lubricate the esophagus and the chewed food in the digestive
tract.
Chewing
relaxes the end of the stomach - called the pylorus - allowing food to
be released into the small intestine more easily.
Chewing
stimulates taste receptors in the mouth, which in turn triggers the release of
hydrochloric acid, or HCL, in the stomach. HCL is responsible for processing
hard-to-digest proteins, like casein in dairy and gluten in
wheat.
Inadequate
chewing has been linked to digestive issues such as gas, bloating, and other
forms of indigestion.
Chewing also
forces us to relax and take time to eat, rather than race through every
meal.
In other
words: The more you chew, the better you digest. So sit down to a meal of
veggies and chew your way to better digestion.
Number Two:
Take it From the Gorillas Gorillas,
whose digestive system most resembles that of humans, eat more than half their
body weight in ounces of vegetables a day. They literally spend all day
munching on veggies. While it may be unrealistic to match their consumption,
experts agree we should be eating up to one, or even two, pounds of veggies each
day.
Gorillas also
eat fruits, grains (in their natural unprocessed form), and a small amount of
meat.
Number Three:
Release those Toxins Vegetables
are loaded with fibrous cellulose, which scrubs the intestinal villi, provides
bulk for the stool, and binds toxins for escort out of the body. Without enough
cellulose in the digestive tract, bowel movements - and the consequent
elimination of toxins - are dramatically compromised.
Cholesterol,
along with other toxins, is attached to bile in the liver. Vegetable cellulose
attaches to the bile and escorts it, with toxins in tow, out of the body through
the stool. Without enough vegetable cellulose in the diet, up to 94% of the bile
(with cholesterol and toxins attached) is re-absorbed by the liver and the
blood, which raises cholesterol and increases risk of cardiovascular disease.
Number Four:
Your Armor Against Heart Disease Most
Americans gets their cholesterol tested regularly to screen for heart disease,
the number one killer of Americans. The cholesterol that is connected with heart
disease is called low-density lipoprotein, or LDL, and is often referred to
simply as, “the bad cholesterol”.
Cholesterol
becomes “bad” through the process of oxidation.
Vegetables
are the number one source of antioxidants in the diet, neutralizing the
process of oxidation. When vegetable intake is low, antioxidant levels crash,
allowing the fats in the blood to oxidize. Low vegetable consumption is directly
linked to the oxidation of LDL and, ultimately, high cholesterol and heart
disease.
Major
protective phytonutrients found in vegetables, including
flavonoids and carotenoids, have been shown to reduce heart
disease, high blood pressure, diabetes, obesity, and some
cancers.
Number Five:
The Ultimate Low-Calorie, Blood-Sugar Stabilizing Food
Group Vegetables
are extremely low in calories. A cup of vegetables averages about 50 calories.
By contrast, nuts and seeds can have as many as 750 calories per cup. Moreover,
the body uses almost the same amount of energy to chew and digest vegetables as
it receives from them, thus, they are called a “free food,” or a food with a
very small caloric load.
Breaking down
the cellulose fibers in vegetables takes time, which allows the carbohydrates to
be released slowly. This helps keep the blood sugar stable. You can see why
vegetables are the ultimate low calorie, blood-sugar stabilizing food group.
Vegetables
are also low in fat and have zero cholesterol. In fact, 95% of all vegetables
have less than one gram of fat per serving. Eating plenty of vegetables
stimulates the breakdown of fat already stored in the body, and helps the body
burn this fat for energy.
Number Six:
Alkalize! Most experts
agree that the diet for optimal health should be 1/3 acidic and 2/3 alkaline. In
nature, the winter harvest is a mostly acidic one, high in grains and meats. In
the spring and summertime, nature’s bounty of alkalizing fruits and vegetables
helps the body naturally detoxify the heavy stores of winter.
Alkalizing
the body helps keep the blood healthy and the lymphatic system moving,
maintaining a constant natural detox.
Challenge
yourself this spring to make two-thirds of your diet alkaline - it is more
challenging than you might think! See my
Acid/Alkaline Food list here.
Number Seven:
Balance the Six Tastes Vegetables
provide the body with the oft-overlooked tastes of bitter,
astringent, and pungent. In a society largely addicted to the
sweet, sour, and salty tastes, large amounts of vegetables have been replaced
with a diet rich in grains and bread, meats, dairy, and eggs.
According to
Ayurveda, the six tastes are to be included with each meal. This balances not
only the body, but the mind and emotions as well. In Ayurveda, the word for
“taste” – rasa - is the same as the word for “emotion,” echoing that
food is fuel for the body, mind, and spirit.
A diet high
in the sweet and salty tastes can overly-satisfy the senses and, in time, create
a dependency on those sweet and salty foods. Studies show that these foods
activate dopamine receptors in the brain.
Dopamine is
the "I’ve gotta have it hormone," and it plays a part in any addiction. It is a
“diminishing” hormone, meaning that the more you stimulate it, the more of a
substance it takes to stimulate it to the same degree. Soon, the natural sweet
taste of vegetables (think of them as complex sugars wrapped in fiber) gets
replaced with the more potent, quick-acting sweet taste found in breads, dairy,
and sweeteners.
To balance
this major cultural addiction to the sweet and salty tastes, we must
significantly reduce those tastes and add generous, nearly gorilla, amounts of
veggies back into the diet!
Number Eight:
Spring Cleaning In the
spring, when the snow begins to melt and the ground softens, deer dig up
rhizomes to eat. Rhizomes, or surface roots, are loaded with astringent and
bitter constituents that scrub the intestinal villi of old and hardened mucus
congestion. It is like a spring cleaning of the gut. These early spring roots
also stimulate liver function and blood purification. So don't forget the root
vegetables like beets, burdock, carrots, ginger, radish, onions, garlic,
dandelion, turmeric and most spices.
Number Nine:
Nature’s Pro-Biotics Green
vegetables, especially the spring greens, are loaded with chlorophyll.
Chlorophyll fertilizes the intestinal villi and aids in the proliferation of the
good intestinal bacteria, which are essential for digestion, assimilation,
detoxification, and intestinal waste removal. This is a natural way to get the
pro-biotic result, without a supplement. In contrast, most pro-biotic
supplements do not encourage the growth of your own flora. They work well only
while you take them, but the benefits stop when you discontinue taking them.
The
production of intestinal flora may be one of the most important factors linked
to optimal health. When we take nature’s cue and load our diet with alkalizing
veggies in the spring, we naturally restore healthy intestinal
flora.
Number Ten:
Vitamins and Minerals (That Your Body Doesn’t Make) Vegetables
deliver vitamins that the body does not make, including the water-soluble
B-complex vitamins such as B1, B2, B3, B5, B6, B12, biotin, and choline, as well
as Vitamin C. The water-soluble vitamins are not stored in the body, so they
must be ingested daily. Without adequate amounts of veggies in the diet, many of
these vitamins may become deficient.
Vegetables
are also a rich source of the fat-soluble vitamins A and K, and some Vitamin
E.
Vegetables
are also the primary source of minerals in the diet. For instance, the main
source of calcium for humans should not be dairy, but green leafy veggies. As
far back as 1936, in a well-publicized report entitled, “Document 264 from the
Department of Agriculture”, the 74th Congress stated that, "99% of the American
people are deficient in minerals, and a marked deficiency in any one of the more
important minerals actually results in disease."
That same
report from 1936 stated that, "virtually all soils in the United States are
mineral deficient." In 2001, The Journal of Complimentary Medicine pointed out
that US and UK Government statistics showed a decline in trace minerals of up to
76% in fruit and vegetables from 1940 to 1991.
Perhaps this
makes a case for mineral supplementation, but first and foremost, we must focus
on getting as many veggies in our diet as we can!
* Always eat
organic when possible.
Top Tip for
Getting More Veggies:
Try
veggies for breakfast! Start the day off right by adding steamed
greens to your am fare. It might seem unusual at first, but you’ll quickly get
used to how good you feel.
For those of you that have not heard, I recently accepted a full time job with 24 Hour Fitness as a club manager. I am excited, scared and in shock at this next step. For the last almost 2 years I have been working for a company as the director of an internal consulting group. I have been traveling the country during the week and then changing hats to a yoga and fitness instructor on the weekends. Meanwhile trying to spend time with my little one and manage my personal life. It has been interesting and yet exhausting. I knew a few months ago it was time to move on and make a change. I was not sure what this change would end up being but my desire was for it to be in the field of my passion..fitness and wellness. This job came to me and for now it looks like the next best step. Unfortunately, it entails me only working for 24 Hour Fitness. I am having to give up my classes and the Riverplace Athletic Club and Bethany Athletic Club. This is a huge, scary step for me as these classes have been the source of such joy for me for many years. Those of you in my class are so dear to me and I have been blessed by your presence! The thought of not being in class on Saturdays and Mondays is quite odd and sad to me..but as I learn in my life time and time again..nothing ever stays the same.
This lesson of impermanence is a tough one I struggle with.. I seem to find things I love and then I hold on tight because, let's be honest who likes losing things we love and things that give us joy? But then things that seem new and different and uncomfortable are avoided and sometimes these are the very things that send us to levels of joy and growth that were previously unfathomable. We cannot grow if we stay hidden in our comfort zones..staying stagnant is not safe it is just ignorance that we are clinging to. The joys and the good times in life will never always be there and in the same token the sad and tough times do not remain forever either. Life is an ebb and flow of hard and good times and loss is a part of life for everyone. I can understand this on a mental level but still it seems hard to sometimes make those necessary changes. Although my current situation was stagnant and needed a change I am afraid of giving up those classes that were such sources of joy but truly that is just my fear and clinging to the comfortable. Perhaps I will not find classes in which I love and adore as much again but perhaps I will find another source of joy that is equal or surpasses this one. Really I do not know and there is no certainty about any of it but it is a part of the cycle. I must step forward to continue to grow and learn and there will be loss along the way and that is just the cycle of life.
So to those of you I must say good bye to soon..thank you for your part in the blessings. I honor and feel much grattitude for our time together. As Dr.Suess says, "Don't cry because it is over. Smile because it happened." I will smile because I have such happy memories that remain with me.
My last BodyPump class at Riverplace will be 5/14
My last BodyPump at Bethany will be 5/12
My last Yoga classes at the Riverplace will be 5/12
Yogis, at 24 Hour Fitness, I will continue to see you Sunday nights and perhaps even more in future days. :)
Posts
Do you ever wish you could brighten those pearly whites without chemicals?
Too many of us wear stress and busy lifestyles like a badge of honor. Unfortunately, the medal that goes along with stress is usually adrenal fatigue. If you’re one that burns the candle at both ends, leaves stress unchecked, and exists on coffee and nutritionally devoid food, then this is something you might need to address.
I am one of those people who brings my lunch to the office at least 4 out of 5 days per week, usually 5 out of 5 days. My reasons include the fact that I haven’t found a place near my office that serves anything worth spending $10 for and I like to eat clean and know what is going into my food. Here are two super quick and easy recipes that you can throw together and bring to the office to keep in the fridge or bring with you to the beach or on a hike for a light and clean meal.
Meat-eaters will never stop asking and vegans always get sick of hearing it: 
The way you start each day is incredibly important. Whether you're a mom, a coach, a writer, a small business owner or a yoga teacher, what you do first thing in the morning matters.