Sunday, February 21, 2016

One Degree of Change #36

One Degree of Change #36

And, I missed it!  Another chance today!
I always want to acknowledge my readers from faraway!  This week I want to welcome my readers from Brazil, Ukraine and the UK!  I really don't mean to bore you with the butterfly theme, but the chrysalises that I posted last week are almost ready.  Two of them have started to turn dark and you can see the wings exposed as the chrysalis becomes transparent.  Maybe later this morning or tomorrow, but I will update the picture when it happens. So make sure you check back!

Monarch Fairy and Plumerias

by Hiroko Reaney

My fascination with butterflies is partly from my love of flying and the other is spiritual.  They are like fragile, magical fairies dancing on the air. A butterfly represents a spiritual transformation and journey to me. I started life as an egg.  I transformed into a small caterpillar that started out simply, learning to function on this big planet.  I crawled along, day to day, growing but then searching for the inner meaning of my journey (this happened when I was in my late 30's). My search for inner meaning was like wrapping myself in a cocoon.  I meditated, read, and studied turning my focus inward.  At one point, I emerged and spread my wings to fly.  A butterfly's life is short, the Monarch has the longest lifespan, six months.  It is a constant reminder of how life is fleeting and moves by so quickly.  It is funny, when we were younger a minute seemed like a day, now as I have gotten older, a day seems like a minute.  The butterfly reminds me to enjoy the power of the moment and make the most of my existence on this planet. It is very interesting to put your thoughts into words.

Image result for kale
Oh, Kale Yeah!
One Degree of Change #36: Make and Drink a Green Shake Twice a Week!  It is so easy to increase your dietary needs for foods that are nutrition rich and fiber dense.  No matter what diet you subscribe to; from flexitarian to vegetarian, from paleo to omnivore, the most important diet is to benefit from eating nutrition dense foods.  These foods are loaded with vitamins, antioxidants, minerals, protein and vitamins.  They also should be included in your diet daily. Here are my Top Five Nutrition Rich and Fiber Dense Green Foods to add into your daily diet.

  1. Kale: Vitamin and mineral packed; may help to fight cancer
  2. Collard & Mustard Greens: Rich in Vitamin A, C & K; reduces DNA damage to blood cells
  3. Bok Choy: Potassium for nerve & muscle function; B6 for efficient carb, fat & protein metabolism
  4. Spinach: Vitamin & mineral packed; maintain vigorous brain function, memory and mental clarity
  5. Brussel Sprouts: High fiber content and ability to bind with bile acids help decrease cholesterol; improve stability of DNA in white blood cells

 Let's start with twice a week. An easy way is to incorporate some of these foods is to make a super food shake.  We get a basket of fresh produce each week by Lee Farms Webster.  Don't be jealous, but it is delivered to our doorstep each Thursday.  I know, lucky dog!  Anyway, sometimes we don't have time to get to all our fresh veggies, so we freeze them.  Especially kale and spinach, when it starts to be on the side of no return, I put it in a big container. I toss it in the freezer to use with my shakes.  When we are doing the Standard Process Purification Program, shakes are included twice a day for the 21 days.  I am always creating new recipes for the participants to use during the program.  We continue the shake even after the program because it is a quick and easy way to make a nutrition rich and fiber dense meal.

Here is one of the recipes that is my favorite.

My "Green" Mango Shake/Smoothie
Dr. B's Green Mango Shake:
1/2 cup coconut or cashew milk
1/2 cup water
1/3 frozen banana
1 cup frozen mango

1/2 cup frozen kale or fresh
1/2 cup frozen spinach or fresh
1 tsp hemp seed
1 tsp flax seed
1 tsp chia seed

Grated ginger root (I keep mine in the freezer) to taste
2 scoops SP Whey Pro Complete (optional)


Place all ingredients into container and blend.  I promise you won't even taste the kale and spinach!  

Personally, I use a NutriBullet.  I can't wear the thing out!  We use it every day for shakes.  But we also use it to make soups and dips, like guacamole.  You don't need to purchase one, but when your blender finally does it's last blend, replace it with a Nutribullet.  There are also other machines that are quite capable such as the Vitamix and the BlendTec.  The Nutribullet is so easy to clean and use.  I timed myself one morning.  From start to finish, which included getting the ingredients out, making the shake, then putting everything away and cleaning up, it took me less than 10 minutes (yes, I really timed myself).  Do your research before you buy!

The other benefit of using the Nutribullet or similar appliance is the nutrient extraction that happens when you make the shake/smoothie.  I use whole flax & chia seeds along with hemp hearts.  The most beneficial disease fighting antioxidants are found inside the seeds.  The ingredients are broken down into the most absorbable state for digesting and utilizing these super nutritious foods. The seeds usually get discarded if we use a juicer and a regular blender isn't strong enough to breakthrough the outer covering.  Also the greens that I suggest to use are better broken down via something like a Nutribullet.  The stems and leaves are broken down and better absorbed with the process of extraction than we can do by just chewing.

We still need to chew foods because that is a very important process that activates the digestive system.  Chewing the food, prepares the stomach by the release of enzymes.  These enzymes aid in breaking down the incoming food.  While in the acidic environment of the stomach, in combination with the enzymes, the food is further broken down to be sent to the small intestine.  The nutrients are absorbed in the small intestine.  Most of our population are on proton pump inhibitors or eat Tums like they are candy because they don't digest their foods well.  These inhibit the release of the gastric acid necessary to break the foods down.  So starting with a shake can help to return the digestive system to its proper working order.  Start with one a week and then try for two a week.  

Transform your health, improve your digestion and reduce your risk of serious diseases with this One Degree of Change.  Heal yourself, prevent disease and become more resilient & stronger than you ever thought possible.  Be the change!

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