Published in The Valley Times - Sept. 17, 2013
Autumn Equinox the perfect time to cleanse the body By Lisa Rohde
For the VT
If you have not been thinking about cleansing in preparation for a long and healthy winter ahead, full of merry times with friends and family, it is not too late. Autumn Equinox, Sunday September 22, when the daylight and dark are equal, marks the season when the nights are growing longer. This is a perfect time to begin a cleanse.
In general we live in a more toxic world then humans have ever had to live in. Newborn humans are born with 200 or more toxic chemicals in their little bodies mounting to the thousands of toxic chemicals accumulated by later life. In a sense we humans have to be stronger than our ancestors ever were and therefore seasonal cleansing is an ideal routine.
It is said that if one is born before the 1940s then chances are they have a pretty strong disposition, and can handle a moderate amount of junk food and toxins in their life. However if you are born after the 1940s then you are inheriting weakened DNA. Yet, current Science tells us we have the ability to turn gene expressions on or off, and so we can grow stronger, through our lifestyle and diet choices. Furthermore degenerative disease of every kind are on the rise, and, what is more scary, illness including heart disease, cancer and diabetes are hitting our youngest generations at increasing rates too! It is not too late, however, to turn this downward spiral into a wellness revolution by making the commitment to become educated in your own health, and to make the necessary lifestyle changes so that you ultimately will discover your own vitality and balance.
Overall it is best to look at cleansing as exploring a fun, new, exciting, creative, nourishing, or energizing way of eating and living, whatever inspires you. The idea is to introduce beneficial new habits and foods into your life; rituals that amplify your wellness and happiness. Cleansing can be done seasonally, monthly, weekly, or daily as a way of life. It is always best to cleanse at your own pace and to take things one step at a time. Know that unpleasant or old symptoms physical and/or emotional may arise while you cleanse as your body works to rid itself of those toxins and stored emotions.
There are, however, a few things that are very important to give up when you are on a cleansing diet. Avoid all sugars, alcohol, and caffein. You will find that a lot of foods have hidden sugar in them for instance: energy bars, vitamin C drink mixes, sports drinks, chocolate, flavored milk and yogurt, sweetened iced tea, alcohol, peanut butter, ketchup, and so on. Educate yourself about hidden sugars. Flour or processed foods such as bread, crackers and muffins too break down as sugar in our bodies. Did you know that two pieces of wheat bread cause a glycemic index spike hiker than a single candy bar!
If you are not tolerating sugar well, you may want to give up most fruits temporarily at this time too. Sugar feeds a lot of unwanted pathogenic organisms, such as fungus, bacteria, viruses, parasites, and the natural sugar in fruit can contribute to this too. So until you get them bugs under control, you may want to lay off fruit momentarily. Though as soon as you are able you will want to reintroduce fresh, local and seasonal fruit high in antioxidants and cancer fighting properties. Best lower glycemic fruits include blackberries, raspberries, blueberries, cranberries, and pomegranate. Granny smith green apples are the lowest glycemic apples and apple season is upon us. Try to avoid dried fruit as much as possible, your body metabolizes it like candy. Especially avoid dried fruit that is coated with sugar or which has sulphates or other preservatives.
Be sure to drink plenty of water, especially in the morning. Our bodies naturally cleanse over night and so plenty of water in the morning helps to complete our nightly cleanse cycle.
For natural sweets, enjoy adding lots of sweet veggies and root vegetables such as sweet potatoes, carrots, sweet corn, sweet red pepper, and so on into your diet. Though you may want to avoid too many potatoes; red potatoes have a slightly lower glycemic profile. Dicon radishes and burdock are said to reduce sugar cravings, stabilize blood sugar, and aid cleansing. In general white veggies act like soap in our bodies. Furthermore cooking your whole grains with cardamon pods is sweet, delicious, and aids digestions. Also enjoy cinnamon as it satisfies the sweet tooth, is anti-fungal and aids digestion. Raw green stevia powder or whole leaf green or brown stevia tincture is 100 times more sweet than sugar so a little goes a long way.
That brings us to the next subject, enjoy your grains as whole grains. Short grain brown rice is the lowest glycemic rice, and wild rice adds a hearty bit of protein and a delicious combination. Always soak and/or sprout your grains, and at the very least rinse them well before cooking. Soaking grains helps to remove phytic acid, which is a digestive inhibitor and anti-nutrient, form the seed lining. Other grains to try are quinoa because it is the highest protein grain, millet, and amaranth. You will want to avoid oats while you are cleansing. When you do add oats back into your diet seek those that are certified gluten free and don’t be shy to soak these either. Try soaked and rinsed buckwheat cereal instead. Never soak buckwheat more than 60 minutes other grains can soak for several hours and up to 24 hours. Healthy fats combine well with grains so you may choose to enjoy sautéed veggies with your whole grains.
Vegetables, don’t be shy, eat them, especially the dark, green, leafy ones, but enjoy a medley of color too. Try lightly steaming, or sauté in extra virgin olive oil or raw coconut oil. Raw coconut oil is anti- bacterial, anti-viral, and anti-fungal. Vegetables, especially dark green leafy ones like raw kale, are high in phytonutrients. Phytonutrients are created by the plant to protect the plant from its environment. Therefore eating a lot of dark green leafy vegetables, in season and locally grown, will optimize your phytonutient protection from your environment.
While cleansing, proteins should be from your high protein grains, quinoa, wild rice... in combination with seeds including pumpkin, sunflower, flax, hemp, and chia, tree nuts only if you know you are not allergic to them. Seeds and nuts like grains may also be soaked and/or sprouted. Soaked and rinsed seeds and nuts may be stored in your refrigerator for a few days. You may also enjoy legumes, beans, and lentils. You will want to eat less animal protein and dairy, and most people should not need any at all while they cleanse.
Completion of your cleanse is the perfect time to decide and/or experiment with adding foods like animal protein and dairy back in to your diet one step at a time. Notice how you feel when you eat different kinds of animal protein and different kinds of dairy. Some find they tolerate cultured yogurt and cheese better than milk, while others find they tolerate goat dairy better than cow dairy. Some may choose to only eat certified organic and hormone free eggs and wild caught fish, while others may enjoy wild game, or perhaps poultry is for you. One thing to consider in an increasingly toxic world, likewise, not all practices of animal meat production or consumption are sustainable or safe. Did you know that non organic chickens are often fed poultry feed laced with arsenic; it helps to pink the flesh.
Remember everyone is bioindividual, but we all share in common an increasingly toxic environment. Don’t forget to include fresh air into your home or work space. You may want an HEPA and carbon based air purifier; avoid ozone machines as they are highly toxic. You may seek an organic mattress,
or finish your home with non-toxic and sealing paints and finishes. Wash your clothes in hypoallergenic unscented detergents as our skin is perhaps the number one way toxins enter our bodies. Clean your home with vinegar and baking soda and your favorite essential oils, lemon, lavender, or tea tree.
Remember to breath and exercise. Exercise on a daily basis, with more gentler versions as needed throughout the week or month. Breathing literally eliminates toxins while taking in alkalizing oxygen.
Our bodies are at their optimal health when we have a slightly alkaline blood ph. Again, eat green plants. Not only do they make us oxygen to breath, but these plants are very alkalizing and oxygenizing to eat. When we are slightly alkaline we have plenty of oxygen and are at our most optimal health. When we become acidic we are at risk of acidosis or lack of oxygen.
Breathing practice such as yoga or meditation is so beneficial. Remember the mind-body connection and visualize yourself in your vibrant health. Experience gratitude for your body and all that you do to nurture your body, this will reinforce your healthy choices.
Be sure to find time to treat yourself to special relaxing time when you cleanse such as a massage, a sauna, or a steam room. Seek additional help from a practitioner for herbal supplementation, enemas or colonics as needed or desired. Find support, knowledge, and accountability from a health coach or a friend.
What you eat and how you treat your body one season effects your health for the coming season ahead. Suzanne Mathis McQueen points out in her new book, 4 Seasons in 4 Weeks, that a women's cycle is like the seasons. The Fall season is the cycle that marks her deepest cleansing week. In a 28-day cycle fall is represented as the first week of each month when a women experiences her monthly so called period. Winter is the time for joy and celebration, family and friends, connection, and intimacy. Winter is also seen as the second week of each woman’s monthly cycle. So in a sense one can see how the autumn is a perfect season to focus on cleansing in preparation for a fun holiday filled winter, and what not a better time to begin than Autumn Equinox? Cleansing can be done seasonally or monthly, or daily as a lifestyle, find a rhythm that works for you.
Lisa Rohde Certified Holistic Health Coach CHC, AADP, is an expert in the field of preventative medicine with a professional certificate from the Institute of Integrative Nutrition. Rohde offers individual counseling, workshops and group classes. Connect with Rogue Living Well on Facebook and to learn more visit www.RogueLivingWell.com.
Autumn Equinox the perfect time to cleanse the body By Lisa Rohde
For the VT
If you have not been thinking about cleansing in preparation for a long and healthy winter ahead, full of merry times with friends and family, it is not too late. Autumn Equinox, Sunday September 22, when the daylight and dark are equal, marks the season when the nights are growing longer. This is a perfect time to begin a cleanse.
In general we live in a more toxic world then humans have ever had to live in. Newborn humans are born with 200 or more toxic chemicals in their little bodies mounting to the thousands of toxic chemicals accumulated by later life. In a sense we humans have to be stronger than our ancestors ever were and therefore seasonal cleansing is an ideal routine.
It is said that if one is born before the 1940s then chances are they have a pretty strong disposition, and can handle a moderate amount of junk food and toxins in their life. However if you are born after the 1940s then you are inheriting weakened DNA. Yet, current Science tells us we have the ability to turn gene expressions on or off, and so we can grow stronger, through our lifestyle and diet choices. Furthermore degenerative disease of every kind are on the rise, and, what is more scary, illness including heart disease, cancer and diabetes are hitting our youngest generations at increasing rates too! It is not too late, however, to turn this downward spiral into a wellness revolution by making the commitment to become educated in your own health, and to make the necessary lifestyle changes so that you ultimately will discover your own vitality and balance.
Overall it is best to look at cleansing as exploring a fun, new, exciting, creative, nourishing, or energizing way of eating and living, whatever inspires you. The idea is to introduce beneficial new habits and foods into your life; rituals that amplify your wellness and happiness. Cleansing can be done seasonally, monthly, weekly, or daily as a way of life. It is always best to cleanse at your own pace and to take things one step at a time. Know that unpleasant or old symptoms physical and/or emotional may arise while you cleanse as your body works to rid itself of those toxins and stored emotions.
There are, however, a few things that are very important to give up when you are on a cleansing diet. Avoid all sugars, alcohol, and caffein. You will find that a lot of foods have hidden sugar in them for instance: energy bars, vitamin C drink mixes, sports drinks, chocolate, flavored milk and yogurt, sweetened iced tea, alcohol, peanut butter, ketchup, and so on. Educate yourself about hidden sugars. Flour or processed foods such as bread, crackers and muffins too break down as sugar in our bodies. Did you know that two pieces of wheat bread cause a glycemic index spike hiker than a single candy bar!
If you are not tolerating sugar well, you may want to give up most fruits temporarily at this time too. Sugar feeds a lot of unwanted pathogenic organisms, such as fungus, bacteria, viruses, parasites, and the natural sugar in fruit can contribute to this too. So until you get them bugs under control, you may want to lay off fruit momentarily. Though as soon as you are able you will want to reintroduce fresh, local and seasonal fruit high in antioxidants and cancer fighting properties. Best lower glycemic fruits include blackberries, raspberries, blueberries, cranberries, and pomegranate. Granny smith green apples are the lowest glycemic apples and apple season is upon us. Try to avoid dried fruit as much as possible, your body metabolizes it like candy. Especially avoid dried fruit that is coated with sugar or which has sulphates or other preservatives.
Be sure to drink plenty of water, especially in the morning. Our bodies naturally cleanse over night and so plenty of water in the morning helps to complete our nightly cleanse cycle.
For natural sweets, enjoy adding lots of sweet veggies and root vegetables such as sweet potatoes, carrots, sweet corn, sweet red pepper, and so on into your diet. Though you may want to avoid too many potatoes; red potatoes have a slightly lower glycemic profile. Dicon radishes and burdock are said to reduce sugar cravings, stabilize blood sugar, and aid cleansing. In general white veggies act like soap in our bodies. Furthermore cooking your whole grains with cardamon pods is sweet, delicious, and aids digestions. Also enjoy cinnamon as it satisfies the sweet tooth, is anti-fungal and aids digestion. Raw green stevia powder or whole leaf green or brown stevia tincture is 100 times more sweet than sugar so a little goes a long way.
That brings us to the next subject, enjoy your grains as whole grains. Short grain brown rice is the lowest glycemic rice, and wild rice adds a hearty bit of protein and a delicious combination. Always soak and/or sprout your grains, and at the very least rinse them well before cooking. Soaking grains helps to remove phytic acid, which is a digestive inhibitor and anti-nutrient, form the seed lining. Other grains to try are quinoa because it is the highest protein grain, millet, and amaranth. You will want to avoid oats while you are cleansing. When you do add oats back into your diet seek those that are certified gluten free and don’t be shy to soak these either. Try soaked and rinsed buckwheat cereal instead. Never soak buckwheat more than 60 minutes other grains can soak for several hours and up to 24 hours. Healthy fats combine well with grains so you may choose to enjoy sautéed veggies with your whole grains.
Vegetables, don’t be shy, eat them, especially the dark, green, leafy ones, but enjoy a medley of color too. Try lightly steaming, or sauté in extra virgin olive oil or raw coconut oil. Raw coconut oil is anti- bacterial, anti-viral, and anti-fungal. Vegetables, especially dark green leafy ones like raw kale, are high in phytonutrients. Phytonutrients are created by the plant to protect the plant from its environment. Therefore eating a lot of dark green leafy vegetables, in season and locally grown, will optimize your phytonutient protection from your environment.
While cleansing, proteins should be from your high protein grains, quinoa, wild rice... in combination with seeds including pumpkin, sunflower, flax, hemp, and chia, tree nuts only if you know you are not allergic to them. Seeds and nuts like grains may also be soaked and/or sprouted. Soaked and rinsed seeds and nuts may be stored in your refrigerator for a few days. You may also enjoy legumes, beans, and lentils. You will want to eat less animal protein and dairy, and most people should not need any at all while they cleanse.
Completion of your cleanse is the perfect time to decide and/or experiment with adding foods like animal protein and dairy back in to your diet one step at a time. Notice how you feel when you eat different kinds of animal protein and different kinds of dairy. Some find they tolerate cultured yogurt and cheese better than milk, while others find they tolerate goat dairy better than cow dairy. Some may choose to only eat certified organic and hormone free eggs and wild caught fish, while others may enjoy wild game, or perhaps poultry is for you. One thing to consider in an increasingly toxic world, likewise, not all practices of animal meat production or consumption are sustainable or safe. Did you know that non organic chickens are often fed poultry feed laced with arsenic; it helps to pink the flesh.
Remember everyone is bioindividual, but we all share in common an increasingly toxic environment. Don’t forget to include fresh air into your home or work space. You may want an HEPA and carbon based air purifier; avoid ozone machines as they are highly toxic. You may seek an organic mattress,
or finish your home with non-toxic and sealing paints and finishes. Wash your clothes in hypoallergenic unscented detergents as our skin is perhaps the number one way toxins enter our bodies. Clean your home with vinegar and baking soda and your favorite essential oils, lemon, lavender, or tea tree.
Remember to breath and exercise. Exercise on a daily basis, with more gentler versions as needed throughout the week or month. Breathing literally eliminates toxins while taking in alkalizing oxygen.
Our bodies are at their optimal health when we have a slightly alkaline blood ph. Again, eat green plants. Not only do they make us oxygen to breath, but these plants are very alkalizing and oxygenizing to eat. When we are slightly alkaline we have plenty of oxygen and are at our most optimal health. When we become acidic we are at risk of acidosis or lack of oxygen.
Breathing practice such as yoga or meditation is so beneficial. Remember the mind-body connection and visualize yourself in your vibrant health. Experience gratitude for your body and all that you do to nurture your body, this will reinforce your healthy choices.
Be sure to find time to treat yourself to special relaxing time when you cleanse such as a massage, a sauna, or a steam room. Seek additional help from a practitioner for herbal supplementation, enemas or colonics as needed or desired. Find support, knowledge, and accountability from a health coach or a friend.
What you eat and how you treat your body one season effects your health for the coming season ahead. Suzanne Mathis McQueen points out in her new book, 4 Seasons in 4 Weeks, that a women's cycle is like the seasons. The Fall season is the cycle that marks her deepest cleansing week. In a 28-day cycle fall is represented as the first week of each month when a women experiences her monthly so called period. Winter is the time for joy and celebration, family and friends, connection, and intimacy. Winter is also seen as the second week of each woman’s monthly cycle. So in a sense one can see how the autumn is a perfect season to focus on cleansing in preparation for a fun holiday filled winter, and what not a better time to begin than Autumn Equinox? Cleansing can be done seasonally or monthly, or daily as a lifestyle, find a rhythm that works for you.
Lisa Rohde Certified Holistic Health Coach CHC, AADP, is an expert in the field of preventative medicine with a professional certificate from the Institute of Integrative Nutrition. Rohde offers individual counseling, workshops and group classes. Connect with Rogue Living Well on Facebook and to learn more visit www.RogueLivingWell.com.