I'm Back

I haven't blogged in weeks now partly because I've been out of town but partly because I just have not been feeling well. I've been having some pretty bad weeks, my pain level increased and I had a difficult time getting around. But I am back and it has been an interesting journey these past few weeks which I would love to share with you all.

In this journey I have met some very interesting people. One person in particular is a woman who was diagnosed with Rheumatoid Arthritis about 20 years ago.  Like me, she chose not to go the traditional route but chose to fight it naturally.  A few years into her diagnosis she met another woman who had RA who told her about a health and wellness center in Santa Rosa, CA called True North.  They specialize in medically assisted water fasting as well as juice fasting and a vegan diet.  At the time she heard about this place she was in so much pain she had to shuffle her feet to walk, she could not lift her arms above her head and she had a difficult time getting up from her seat.  She was skeptical and fearful of what might happen to her if she tried to water fast for 7 days but she was at a point in her life that she would try anything.  It has been 10 years since that first trip to True North and she has gone for 14 days every year since then. When I met her you would never know she has RA in fact she told me she has not had any symptoms from RA in the last 3 years!  She is 70 years old but you would never know it, she looks like she's in her 50's. She is beautiful and vibrant!  I sat and talked with her for 2 hours about her journey and she was such an inspiration to me that I am now going to True North myself in October.

It was so great to finally meet someone who set out to combat RA naturally and was successful at it, what an inspiration!

Juicing Recipes

Here are few recipes for juicing that I enjoy on a daily basis and the benefits of each ingredient:

My Daily Greens

• Kale ~  contains vitamin C and vitamin A (antioxidants); omega-3 fatty acids (anti-inflammatory) and vitamin K which strengthens your bones and prevents calcium build up in your tissues. 
• Parsley ~ contains vitamin C and vitamin A (antioxidants); an organic compound called myristicin which helps fight cancer by inhibiting tumor formation. Vitamin B9 which help ward off cardiovascular disease and Vitamin K.
• Cucumber ~ contains vitamin C (antioxidant and immune builder) as well as minerals such as silica, potassium and magnesium
• Spinach ~ contains vitamins K, A, C, E, B2 and B6; magnesium, folate, iron, calcium, potassium, zinc.  It is a good source of protein as well as an omega-3 fatty acid. All these things promote a healthy heart, gastrointestinal health, anti-inflammatory and immune support.
• Carrots ~ vitamin C, beta-carotene (antioxidants), benefits the cardiovascular system, vision health and helps prevent cancer, specifically colon cancer.

As far as how much I use of each ingredient, I start out by buying about 3 to 4 bundles of each and juice equal amounts until I have about 32 oz which I store in a mason jar. Once you juice a few times you'll be able to eye it.

Here are a couple of fruit based juices I have done. I am constantly playing around with different recipes which keeps it interesting!

Ginger/Lemon/Apple Juice

• Lemons ~ antibacterial, vitamins A, C and P which strengthens blood vessels, potassium which is beneficial to the heart.
• Ginger ~ a strong antioxidant, inhibits the production of cytokines which cause pain and swelling, promotes digestion, also contains vitamins A, C, E, B-complex, magnesium, phosphorus, sodium, iron, zinc, calcium, beta-carotene and manganese which builds resistance to disease, protects lining of heart, blood vessels and urinary passage.
• Apples ~ contains phytonutrients that regulate your blood sugar, and a good source of vitamin C.

This is a good summer drink, the lemons give it that fresh taste, the apples provide the sweetness and the ginger gives it a spicy kick!

Beet/Grapefruit/Apple Juice

• Beets~ provide antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and detoxification support and is especially good for your liver.
• Grapefruit ~ rich in vitamin C, lycopene which is an antioxidant, Phytonutrients called limonoids help inhibit the formation of tumors and contains detoxifying enzymes.
• Apples ~ contains phytonutrients that regulate your blood sugar, and a good source of vitamin C.

Something to take note of, beets are very strong so I recommend using a half a beet per 32 oz of juice you make. 

Both of the above fruit based juices require quite a bit of apples and lemons so I would buy the bags of organic apples and lemons if you can.

I hope you try these recipes out and enjoy them!


* Nutritional information on the above ingredients was pulled from http://www.whfoods.com/.

Welcome to my Blog!

The purpose of this blog is to reach out to those of you who may be dealing with an Autoimmune Disease or know someone who is. Statistics show that 1 in 12 Americans and 1 in 9 women will develop an autoimmune disorder. I don't state that to strike fear into anyone, I state it because chances are you or someone you know is fighting one of more than 100 different types of autoimmune and related disorders. This blog is meant to take you along side my personal journey to overcome. To inspire and provide knowledge as I believe the body CAN heal itself naturally.

About one month ago I was given a diagnosis for Rheumatoid Arthritis. At that time I thought this was something only someone over the age of 60 could get, I had no idea it was classified as an autoimmune disease, a disease in which your immune system becomes confused and attacks your own joints. Disbelieving, I went home and began researching what it was. The more I researched the more I became confused and angry.  Phrases such as "crippling disease";  "takes 12 years off a person's life" splashed across the screen.  How could I have this? Just a few weeks ago I was out running at the beach and doing yoga! I am 31 years old and completely healthy, how could I just wake up with this?

Truth be told, I did do this to myself. Yes, I eat well and exercise but I am known to work hard and play hard as well.  I was working 50 - 60 hour weeks, waking up at 4:30 AM to commute 4 hours a day in an environment where we were short staffed and had recently lost our boss. I was placed as the interim Lead for the group until they hired a new Director which took them 8 months to do. As we were short staffed I not only took on the leadership role but I also picked up work from the employee who had recently left. I was essentially doing the work of 3 people.  By the time Friday rolled around I just wanted to escape so we would go out with friends, have a few drinks and try to forget about the stressful week. By Saturday morning I was comatose, but given I only had Saturday and Sunday to do the things I never had time for in the week, I was up and at it again.  I was non stop.  So I guess it should come as no surprise that the Dr. has told me the onset of this was stress induced.

It is a miracle that I have found a wonderful Natural MD who is teaching me how to fight this naturally. So many people get passed from Dr. to Dr. with no answers.  She personally has overcome worse and she sees patients overcome disease everyday. She has given me a renewed sense of hope that you can't find on Web MD or any other conventional medicine website.

I am also truely blessed to be surrounded by an amazing support system: my God who gives me strength, my Husband who is my rock, my family who is constantly encouraging me and my friends who continue to love and support.

And so, for those of you scouring the Internet looking for answers in world where there is little on this topic.  I hope this blog will give you the hope that I am just beginning to discover as I embark on this journey to conquer.

Juice Fast

They say a juice fast will jump start your healing process so yesterday I gave it a try by doing a one day juice fast. I made a vegetable juice which contained celery, kale, parsley, cucumber, spinach and a few carrots to make it a tad sweet. I also made a vegetable/fruit juice which contained beets, apples, grapefruit and ginger. First thing in the morning I drank 8 oz of the vegetable juice, about 3 hours later I drank 8 oz. of the vegetable/fruit juice and then 2-3 hours later I drank 8 oz. of the vegetable juice again, I continued to alternate these every 2 -3 hours until about 7 PM.  All in all I consumed about 40 oz. of juice throughout the day.  I was also sure to drink water in between to help flush out the toxins. 

I didn't feel sick to my stomach or experience any achiness you sometimes feel when you detox.  I did however feel the hunger pangs in the evening and felt very tired.  All of which they say is fairly normal on a juice fast.  I was actually pleasantly surprised to find I didn't feel the hunger pangs until in the evening and for the most part throughout the day felt satisfied.  I have heard that when you feed your body the nutrients it really needs you will not feel hungry, this is a great example of that.  I did give in to feeling tired and was in bed asleep by 8:30 PM! It felt great.

Today I did wake up feeling achy and stiff so it makes me wonder, is it my body releasing the toxins from yesterday's juice fast or is it just a "bad" day for me?  With what I have there are good days and bad days in which I would rate the pain level on a scale of 1 to 10.  On a "good" day my pain level is typically at a 2-3, only a few joints hurt such as my fingers and maybe my knees, but overall I can move around with little stiffness.  On a "bad" day my pain level is typically at a 4 -5, multiple joints hurt (hands, feet, knees, shoulders) and  I'm stiff and achy all over.  Usually a hot shower will help loosen everything up but over all I feel "flu-like" symptoms. Whatever the cause is today for this, I will push on as I know I am on the path to being 100% healthy again.

Healthy Recipes

Here are few of my favorite healthy recipe ideas for dinner tonight!

CHICKEN  ASPARAGUS BAKE

This is a great dish to add to your week night staples. It is low in fat, high in nutrition and super easy to make.

Ingredients

2 Organic, free range chicken breast, cubed

Organic Asparagus, chopped

1/2 cup of organic chicken broth or water

2 cloves of organic garlic, crushed and minced

4 tablespoons of organic onion, chopped

Dash of paprika

Salt and pepper to taste

Directions

Place chicken, asparagus, liquids, and spices and pour into a small baking dish.  Bake at 375 degrees for 30 minutes or until bubbly hot. Once done, sprinkle with paprika.

*  Add a side salad with tons of fresh organic veggies and you have yourself a complete nutritious meal!

LEMON DILL FISH

Pair this entree with a side of veggies and a side salad.

Ingredients

Any kind of white fish

4 tablespoons of lemon juice (freshly squeezed)

1/4 cup of vegetable broth or water

1 teaspoon of apple cider vinegar

1 teaspoon for fresh dill

1 clove organic garlic crushed and minced

1 tablespoon of minced organic onion

Salt and black pepper to taste

Directions

Saute fish with lemon juice, vegetable broth and vinegar.  Add garlic, onion, and fresh dill.  Cook for an additional 5 - 10 minutes or until fish is completely cooked.  Garnish with lemon wedges.

STRAWBERRY VINAIGRETTE (my fav!)

A super simple vinaigrette that not only goes great on salads but also can be used as a marinade for chicken!

Ingredients

4 fresh organic strawberries

1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar

1 tablespoon lemon juice (freshly squeezed)

Stevia to taste

Dash of salt

Dash of cayenne (optional)

Directions

Combine all ingredients in food processor or blender until smooth. Pour and enjoy!

You will notice that all of the above recipes are made with organic fresh ingredients. No oils, butter or fats. Many of the ingredients contain great health benefits as well, here are a couple that I use all of the time in my recipes:

Apple Cider Vinegar:

• Be sure to purchase the Organic Raw Apple Cider Vinegar, this is made of organically grown apples and retains the fruits' nutrients because raw apple cider vinegar is not pasteurized.  It goes through a fermentation process which produces enzymes and life giving nutrients. It is a great base for all vinaigrettes and marinades.
• I recommend Bragg
•  Raw Apple Cider Vinegar

Stevia:

• Stevia is a small green plant native to Paraguay, the leaves have a delicious taste that can be 30 times sweeter than sugar.  The human body does not metabolize the sweet glycosides from the leaf and therefore the body does not obtain any calories from Stevia. Be sure to purchase Stevia in it's pure unadulterated form and it will not adversely affect blood glucose.
• Stevia comes in powder form or liquid form, I put this in just about everything from my coffee in the morning to my protein shakes. The liquid also comes in many great flavors for your coffee and desserts... yummy!

Juicing 101

So for those of you who are new to this juicing thing as I am, here are a few tips and tricks I've learned from my Natural MD. It is of course the best to juice and consume it within 12 to 24 hours but if you're anything like me you are busy and juicing every day can be a daunting task. So, if you are unable to consume your juice right away you can store it in a mason jar, put a spoonful of raw honey in it to preserve it and it will keep for up to 3 days.

To get started here is what you'll need:

#1: A Juicer

Feed the veggies and fruit through the top and mesh it down slowly, the juice will pore from the spout in the front and the pulp will spit out the back into the container provided.

#2: A Mason Jar

Be sure to fill it to the rim to properly preserve the juice.

#3: Really Raw Honey

A natural preservative, and it'll make your greens yummy!

Juicing: What is this all about?

We've all seen the infomercials with the old muscular guys with the particularly orange tans and bright white teeth ranting and raving over their juicer and how this magical green juice will fight cancer and help you live to be 120. Well, I have to say everything I am learning about in this new venture points to this juice as the cure all. I've read story after story, such as an orthopedic surgeon from San Francisco who developed breast cancer and was on her death bed when she began a juice fast and within 8 months her tumor which was the size of grapefruit completely dissolved and she is now 74 and living cancer free.  Jay Kordich, also known as "The Juice Man" came down with bladder cancer at age 25; he also began a juice fast and was healed of his cancer within 8 months. A woman with Fibromyalgia who couldn't get out of bed began juicing and within 3 months she was up and about. So what is it about this juice that makes it so powerful for the body?

A few explanations are phytochemicals, chlorophyll and enzymes all found in plants.   For example, citrus fruits have a substance that make it easier for your body to remove carcinogens, grapes contain a phytochemical that appears to protect each cell's DNA from damage and many green vegetables contain phytochemicals that appear to protect against cancer causing substances. Juicing also adds chlorophyll to your daily diet.  Chlorophyll enhances the body's ability to produce hemoglobins which is a substance in the blood that is responsible for transporting oxygen.  Fresh juice also delivers enzymes to your body which are your body's work force. Enzymes are essential for digestion and absorption of food. Enzymes are destroyed by heat so therefore every time you cook your food above 114 degrees you cook the enzymes right out of it. Another reason to pass on the containers of juice at the grocery store.  All juices that are placed in a container, think Ocean Spray, have to go through a sterilization process which cooks the juice at 180 degrees.  Also, a majority of the juices sit in a warehouse for up to two years before they land on your local market's shelves; even the organic juices. Yuck!

Overall, juicing fights disease, increases your metabolic rate, enhances your immune system and contains anti-aging benefits.

You motivated to start juicing yet? See Juicing 101 to get started!