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"Five Power Foods That Will Change Your Life"
Improve your metabolism, digestion, circulation and immune system through these five medicinal foods
...by Stephanie Rolfe CNC
Modern convenience has largely replaced our original eating habits that included foods that were so loaded with valuable nutrients, they were medicinal in effect. Now, we reach for a little blue pill rather than restorative and rejuvenative foods that are far superior in their healing powers.
I will discuss five Power Foods most effective in restoring health, vitality and longevity to your body, mind and spirit. I will explain how they work to improve your metabolism, digestion, circulation and immune system.
These five power foods are Kelp, Sauerkraut, Garlic, Cayenne, and Ginger. They each have their own individual properties, which have a powerful effect on the human body. If you incorporate them into your diet, you will feel more energy, vitality, virility, clarity, balance and longevity. Start out slowly until you incorporate them into your diet on a daily basis and notice how you feel after being on these foods after just a few weeks. If you’re the type that likes to test everything, try them for a few weeks, then eliminate them for a week and notice the difference. You’ll soon be reaching for these extraordinary healers on a daily basis.
Kelp
Kelp is seaweed so packed with nutrients and benefits, that I call it the King of Greens. If you're not aware of your need for greens, know that including more green foods in your diet is probably the single most important thing you can do to empower yourself and your improve your health. Greens are not iceberg lettuce! Nutrient rich greens are foods like kale, Swiss chard, watercress, suey choy, bok choy, spinach, parsley, green beans, alfalfa, spirulina (algae), green barley, wheat grass and especially kelp.
Kelp is loaded with vitamins and minerals, especially the B vitamins, calcium/ magnesium and most importantly, iodine. Iodine is a trace mineral which helps feed the thyroid, a critical gland to help metabolize fat and create energy.
I have helped hundreds of clients lose weight through this one food alone! Because our N. American diet is so devalued in minerals, we have almost no iodine in our diet, which is why it was we added to salt years ago. Before that, many people developed Goiter, an overgrown thyroid caused by a lack of iodine. Now we’re cutting back on salt, so our only source of iodine is diminishing.
Undiagnosed Hypothyroidism
This iodine deficiency is also causing widespread, undiagnosed hypothyroidism. Hypothyroidism is an under-active thyroid condition, which manifests as chronically feeling chilled, low energy, weight gain, hormonal imbalance and brain fog. Due to a rather insensitive blood test for this condition, many, many patients are sent home to suffer with these symptoms, thinking there must be something else wrong with them. The problem is their thyroid is seriously lacking its main food; iodine!
Feed your thyroid iodine and you’ll notice your energy levels increase as well as improved brain functioning. It is reported to be beneficial to brain tissue, the membranes surrounding the brain, the sensory nerves, and the spinal cord, as well as the nails and blood vessels.
Kelp is also rich in calcium/magnesium/potassium, three essential minerals for every body system, especially the bones and heart. Women should eat Kelp everyday to help replace lost minerals in their menstrual cycle.
Kelp, along with alfalfa, is an amazing alkalinizer. Due to stress, fast food and way too much coffee and alcohol, our bodies are too acidic. Highly acidic bodies are more susceptible to disease, especially cancer. We need to balance this with highly alkaline foods, which include most greens, notably kelp.
There are many types of kelp, the most delicious being Nori, the sheets used for wrapping Sushi. Just buy the sheets in the Asian section of your grocery store and rip them up into bite size pieces and eat throughout the day or with meals.
Kelp also comes dried, powdered or granulated for spreading on your food as a salt substitute. If you don’t like the taste you can buy it capsule form, usually to be taken 3-6 a day.
My absolute favorite way to include kelp in my daily diet is to use it as a natural soup thickener and seasoning. I love the taste of Nori seaweed, and it naturally thickens a soup, depending on how much you use. In a big pot of soup I add 2 sheets of Nori, which is just a slight thickener and tastes yummy!
Sauerkraut
Sauerkraut is a German/Austrian word for sour cabbage. A process called fermentation sours the cabbage. Which does not mean canned in vinegar. In fact, this information here does not apply to any canned sauerkraut as the canning process kills valuable nutrients and enzymes, essential to its rejuvenative powers.
The fermentation of cabbage creates lactic acid. Lactic Acid fermentation is incredibly healing to the digestive system.
In our Western Culture, millions and millions of people are suffering from the ill effects of fast and packaged food, causing excess gas, burping, painful indigestion, nausea and burning sensation after eating. They rely on antacids and acid-suppressing medications, which give only temporary relief, meanwhile suppresses much needed digestive acids.
We desperately need our stomach acid; hydrochloric acid, to start breaking down our food so the next stage in digestion can occur; assimilation of nutrients. Hydrochloric Acid (HCL) is also essential in killing unwanted bacteria and parasites in the body. Due to stress, aging and certain illnesses, our HCL count diminishes, which is when we should be giving our bodies a break by eating lighter foods.
However, most people eat the same junk they always eat, calling on the body to overproduce HCL, causing acid reflux. They then take copious amounts of antacids, claiming they’re just one of those people who “produces too much acid”.
Advertisers further promote this with pizza commercials claiming you can now eat any food your like as long as you take their medication. They even have the gall to show the meds being delivered on top of the pizza box. People don’t naturally produce too much acid; pharmaceuticals just say that so you’ll buy their drugs. The body produces too much acid because it is out of balance and piling on bad fats, excessive sugars and inappropriate proteins and antacids are only further exacerbating it.
Eating lactic acid-fermented cabbage is the number one way to restore your natural digestion so it doesn’t have acid reflux, burping and indigestion. Rich in Vitamin C and digestive enzymes, sauerkraut has a unique harmonizing effect on the stomach; it strengthens the acidity of the gastric juice when hydrochloric acid production lags, and reduces the acidity when production is up! No other food does this. It’s inherently a booster and an inhibitor of HCL.
So when you eat a little sauerkraut before or with every meal, especially later in the day with heavier meals, you’re basically unlocking your secretion glands according to their need. Besides chewing your food well, there’s not a more important step to take in assimilating your food.
You’re not what you eat; you’re what you assimilate. If you have poor stomach acids, you’re not taking the necessary step to assimilate your food. Sauerkraut will also “sweeten” your small and large intestine, as well as provide you with vitamin C.
To promote optimal digestion, include with most meals and if you already have indigestion, drink a few tablespoons of sauerkraut juice (never throw your excess juice away!) and you’ll feel instant relief. You don’t need to eat a lot of sauerkraut, 3-5 tablespoons a day is highly beneficial.
As I mentioned earlier, commercially canned sauerkraut is not the same as homemade. Homemade, unpasteurized sauerkraut is a Power Food. Once you’re tasted homemade kraut, you’ll never want commercial again, it doesn’t taste or act the same. Some commercial kraut isn’t even fermented; it’s just canned in vinegar, and tastes like it too.
If you’ve only experienced this type of kraut, you’re in for a treat. I include it in most of my recipes. It’s an excellent flavor booster to salads, stir fries, fruits, salsas and sandwiches, try it in everything!
Garlic
Garlic is one of the most medicinally and culinary useful foods on this planet. For centuries, cultures around the globe have used it for more purposes than any other plant. It was used in the building of the pyramids for strength and endurance. In 460 B.C., Hippocrates used garlic to treat infections, intestinal disorders, wounds, chest pains, toothaches, leprosy and epilepsy.
Traditionally, garlic has been used for healing colds, bronchitis, asthma, pneumonia, typhoid, TB, earaches, sore throat, stomach aches, cramps, diarrhea, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, gout, skin diseases, arthritis and cancer.
Garlic is high in methyl allyl trisulfide, which dilates vessel walls, lowering high blood pressure and hypertension. It thins the blood by inhibiting platelet aggregation, which reduces the risk of blood clots and aids in preventing heart attacks.
Research around the world has irrefutably established that garlic can lower blood serum cholesterol! In these studies, patients on a high fat diet that included garlic had consistently lower cholesterol than patients on the same diet without the garlic.
Garlic also has strong antibiotic properties.
When garlic is cut, it releases its active ingredient, allicin, which is also what causes its pungent odor. Allicin has a powerful antibiotic effect; it exerts an antibacterial effect estimated to be equivalent to 1 percent of that of penicillin. Before the discovery of antibiotics, garlic was used to treat wounds and infections during WW1.
Garlic is also anti fungal and antiviral. It can be used on the bottoms of the feet, where it will be tasted on the tongue on seconds. It destroys Candida or yeast infections vaginally by inserting raw garlic or garlic oil vaginally, whereby it will also be tasted on the tongue in seconds. It can destroy certain viruses like fever blisters, genital herpes, smallpox and some influenza.
Garlic is also effective in breaking down mucous, thereby helping with any lung conditions as an expectorant and decongestant.
Besides being a miraculous and multipurpose healer, garlic has an enormous nutritional value containing high amounts of sulfur (excellent for healing everything, especially the joints), high in protein, Vit A, Vit C, thiamine, copper, calcium, iron, magnesium, potassium, selenium, zinc and germanium. It’s also high in allicin, allyl disulfides and aldehydes.
It’s easy to surmise that garlic is good for virtually any disease or infection. There are several way to ingest garlic, cooked or raw or in supplement form. Raw is the most medicinal, however it’s also the smelliest. Sliced garlic isn’t quite as odoriferous as squeezed, and if you combine it with parsley, its chlorophyll absorbs the odor.
Some people believe there’s no such thing as “too much garlic”, others will only take it in supplement form, Kyolic garlic being the best known for its odorless healing effect.
To make your own garlic oil, put 6-10 ounces of peeled, minced garlic into a quart of canola oil, keep refrigerated for a month or so, and then replace with fresh cloves. You can take a tablespoon of this daily or use it for sautéing and cooking.
This oil is excellent for earaches, just put a few drops in the ear, let it sit for a while, repeat as needed. If that doesn’t work, add one drop of Tea Tree Oil with the garlic oil in the ear, both have powerful antibacterial qualities.
You can also rub this oil onto sprains and skin disorders.
A garlic douche can be made for the treatment of yeast infections by blending a clove or two of garlic into one pint of water, strain then add another pint of water. For vaginal yeast infections, try inserting one capsule of acidophilus vaginally and leave over night. This works!
Cayenne
Cayenne pepper, a beautiful hot red pepper also called Capsicum annum, has so many medicinal qualities; it can also be called The King of Herbs. It is a powerful stimulant targeting the digestive and circulatory system.
Cayenne regulates blood pressure, strengthens the pulse, feeds the heart,lowers cholesterol, thins the blood, cleanses the circulatory system, heals ulcers, stops hemorrhaging, speeds healing of wounds, rebuilds damaged tissue, eases congestion, aids digestion, regulates elimination, relieves arthritis, prevents infection and numbs pain.
I first discovered the powerful effect of Cayenne’s ability to heal damaged tissue and ulcers when I developed an ulcerated bladder, a very painful and common bladder condition caused from stress and over acidic diet. When I first researched this condition and read that Cayenne is one of the best healers of ulcers, I thought they must be mistaken. How can a hot red pepper be good for an ulcer?!!! Within days of taking it in powder form, I was cured! Cayenne has a miraculous ability to rebuild mucous or interstitial tissue, which is found in the lining of your stomach, intestines and bladder. As it healed my wounded bladder, the natural acidity of my urine quit attacking my bladder; no more pain. Cayenne is the number one healer of Interstitial Cystitis and stomach ulcers. It also kills bacteria, which is the cause of most stomach ulcers.
Cayenne is equally miraculous on the circulatory system.
Dr. John Christopher, famous natural healer, praised the use of Cayenne throughout the time of his practice. He had this to say in his Newsletter titled "Cayenne", Vol 1, Number 12
Many of the old herbalists claim that in cases of severe cuts, gunshot wounds, etc., cayenne can be taken internally as a tea and the bleeding will stop by the time, in most cases, you can count to ten. Cayenne goes immediately into the blood stream and adjusts the blood pressure from the top of the head, to the bottom of the feet, equalizing pressure over the whole body. This takes high pressure, which causes rapid bleeding, away from the wound and clotting starts immediately.
Cayenne prevents the absorption of cholesterol and helps the body shed excess cholesterol. Cayenne also helps thin the blood and prevent blood clots that can clog the arteries and cause heart attack and stroke.
Cayenne is an excellent energizer containing a high amount of nutrients; Vitamin C, E, A and minerals. Paprika, the mildest cayenne, has the night vitamin C content of all. Cayenne, the vibrant red fruit bursting with heat and energy, holds more vitamins C and beta-carotene than any other plant in the garden. Beta-carotene contributes highly to the healing of ulcers.
Cayenne’s high mineral content, especially sulfur, iron, calcium magnesium and phosphorus, makes an effective treatment for diabetes, gas, arthritis, pancreatic and throat disorders. The unusually high vitamin C content helps with colds and immune dysfunctions.
One of Cayenne’s amazing benefits is its ability to enhance any other power food or herb. It speeds the delivery of nutrients and herbs to the major systems of the body.
Externally Cayenne or Capsicum Cream is an effective pain reliever, especially for joint or muscle pain. It’s also well known for healing hemorrhoids or any weak tissue of the body.
HOW you ingest cayenne is crucial to its effectiveness. Its best ingested in powder form, holding it in the mouth for a minute or so. This sends needed signals to the stomach for ease of digestion. If you take it in capsule form, you might notice it opens like a firebomb in your stomach, as there’s been no preparation for its arrival. If you hold it in the mouth for a while, you won’t notice this fiery onslaught. And small amounts works well, starting with a 1/16th of teaspoon and working up to as much as a teaspoon mixed with a cup of water.
It’s an amazing liver cleanse when mixed with fresh lemon and Grade B maple syrup and water. Called The Master Cleanse, you can live on this mixture for weeks. I fast on the Master Cleanse several times a year for 3-10 days at a time and love the energy and clarity I gain from it. Use fresh cayenne from the health food store, not the old devalued spice bottle that’s been sitting around for years.
Ginger
Revered in the Orient for its powerful healing qualities and its culinary uses, Ginger has been in use for over 2000 years. A perennial herb, ginger is a greenish yellow rhizome. The botanical name of the spice is Zingiber Officinale.
Ginger is been used extensively in the Orient; its benefits covering a spectrum so wide, that it includes the medicinal, culinary as well as aromatherapy fields. A pungent and flavorful spice, ginger is one of the most widely used spices in the East.
Ginger is known to be beneficial to the body in a number of ways. Ginger can be used in its raw as well as dried form. Raw ginger is a thermogenic (increases metabolism), anti-flatulent, appetizer, digestive and laxative.
Dried and ground ginger is used to cure cold, cough, cholera, nausea ad vomiting, inflammations, diarrhea, colic, flatulence, anorexia, asthma and headaches.
The uses of ginger as a digestive aid can be largely attributed to the presence of gingerols and shogaols, which help neutralize stomach acids, enhance the secretion of digestive juices and tone the muscles of the digestive tract.
The active ingredient in ginger is terpenes and an oleoresin, which is called ginger oil. These active agents are responsible for its antiseptic qualities, lymph-cleansing, circulation-stimulating and mild constipation relief. Research has shown that ginger lowers blood cholesterol by reducing cholesterol absorption in the blood and liver.
Ginger is an effective herbal remedy for all kinds of motion sickness and even morning sickness during pregnancy. A great way to get rid of the uneasy, queasy feeling in the stomach. Ginger has been clinically proven to be more effective than Dramamine. Unlike Dramamine, which contains the drug dimenhydrinate, ginger does not have the side effects of drowsiness because it works on the stomach, not the brain. Besides being highly effective for nausea, it also works on morning sickness, dizziness, vertigo and the stomach flu.
Ginger has also been known to reduce inflammation of the joints and muscle tissue for people suffering from arthritis or rheumatism. Ginger improves blood circulation, hence thought to improve the complexion too. It is also known to have reduced nervousness, ease tendinitis and relieve sore throats.
Scientists have found that ginger can block the effects of prostaglandin - a substance that causes inflammation of the blood vessels in the brain, which leads to migraine. Many women believe that consuming ginger tea during periods helps minimize menstrual cramps. Known for its warming action, ginger is an effective treatment in colds and flu. An effective remedy for cramps caused by flatulence, ginger stimulates digestion. Ginger is a mood enhancer, the Cineole present in ginger also helps provide stress relief.
It is a great mouth freshener and ginger tea is known for its refreshing properties.
An excellent culinary AND medicinal Ginger Tea;
In the heat of the summer, this makes an excellent iced tea. Your guests will love it too!
Master Cleanse Instructions
Cayenne, fresh, not the old can that's been I your spice cupboard for years.
Lemons (must be fresh, no substitutes, and organic is ideal, buy a big bag or a box full if more than one in the family is fasting. Grocers often give discounts for boxes of produce). Or if you live in California or Florida, just go raid your neighbors lemon tree.
Grade B Maple Syrup (if Grade B is not available, then use pure Grade A or Pure Amber Maple Syrup. Trader Joes has the best deal on Grade B)
Doing the Master Cleanse is quite simple if you don’t follow the instructions given in most Health Books, or the original formula laid out by Stanley Burroughs.They’ll have you carrying around jars of overly spicy lemonade that you’d rather use as a pesticide on your plants than actually drink. When you leave the hot cayenne pepper in the liquids all day, the heat distills out and makes it undrinkable at the end of the day. Besides, it’s absolutely not necessary to carry jugs of the stuff around with you.
Simply squeeze about 6 fresh lemons into a jar or container with lid, and double that with the Grade B Maple syrup (Grade B is richer in minerals and cheaper than Grade A, which is more refined for the more sugary palette).
So, if your lemon measures out at a cup, then add a cup of syrup. This is the concentrate you’ll carry with you for the day. Throughout the day (drink as much as you like, even if you need to make up a batch later) pour about 1/5 of a cup into a glass; add a glass of water and a pinch of cayenne pepper and drink. Because you’ve just added the pepper, it won’t be hot at all, quite invigorating actually.
So, besides your lemon/syrup concentrate, you’ll need to carry a small baggy or container of cayenne. You can find water wherever you are, so need to pack that everywhere.
Drink as much as you like, drinking it when you feel hungry, light headed, low energy or nausea. Some people find it too sweet, so back off on the amount of concentrate you add to the glass. Others have higher physical demands, so they’ll want to add more concentrate to keep their blood sugar up. It’s important to include the Grade B maple syrup or your blood sugar will drop too low.
If you’re hypoglycemic, don’t buy into the myth that you can’t fast. You can fast on the Master Cleanse because it keeps your blood sugar consistently high. And you’ll heal your blood sugar swings because your liver functioning will greatly improve, thus creating a more stable blood sugar level. If you can ever find this little gem of a book, you’ll never fall for the hypoglycemic myth again;
“Hope for Hypoglycemia, It’s not your mind, it’s your liver” by Broda O. Barnes MD PhD Out of print, but worth searching for.
How long should you fast?
If this is your first fast, I recommend about 3 days. But if you’re trying to heal any diseases (including hypoglycemia) you should consider trying 10-30 days. Most people do 10 days, in the spring when cleansing is ideal. Helps get rid of the winter pudge too!
Please consult with your local naturopath on how to fast safely.
Improve your metabolism, digestion, circulation and immune system through these five medicinal foods
...by Stephanie Rolfe CNC
Modern convenience has largely replaced our original eating habits that included foods that were so loaded with valuable nutrients, they were medicinal in effect. Now, we reach for a little blue pill rather than restorative and rejuvenative foods that are far superior in their healing powers.
I will discuss five Power Foods most effective in restoring health, vitality and longevity to your body, mind and spirit. I will explain how they work to improve your metabolism, digestion, circulation and immune system.
These five power foods are Kelp, Sauerkraut, Garlic, Cayenne, and Ginger. They each have their own individual properties, which have a powerful effect on the human body. If you incorporate them into your diet, you will feel more energy, vitality, virility, clarity, balance and longevity. Start out slowly until you incorporate them into your diet on a daily basis and notice how you feel after being on these foods after just a few weeks. If you’re the type that likes to test everything, try them for a few weeks, then eliminate them for a week and notice the difference. You’ll soon be reaching for these extraordinary healers on a daily basis.
Kelp
Kelp is seaweed so packed with nutrients and benefits, that I call it the King of Greens. If you're not aware of your need for greens, know that including more green foods in your diet is probably the single most important thing you can do to empower yourself and your improve your health. Greens are not iceberg lettuce! Nutrient rich greens are foods like kale, Swiss chard, watercress, suey choy, bok choy, spinach, parsley, green beans, alfalfa, spirulina (algae), green barley, wheat grass and especially kelp.
Kelp is loaded with vitamins and minerals, especially the B vitamins, calcium/ magnesium and most importantly, iodine. Iodine is a trace mineral which helps feed the thyroid, a critical gland to help metabolize fat and create energy.
I have helped hundreds of clients lose weight through this one food alone! Because our N. American diet is so devalued in minerals, we have almost no iodine in our diet, which is why it was we added to salt years ago. Before that, many people developed Goiter, an overgrown thyroid caused by a lack of iodine. Now we’re cutting back on salt, so our only source of iodine is diminishing.
Undiagnosed Hypothyroidism
This iodine deficiency is also causing widespread, undiagnosed hypothyroidism. Hypothyroidism is an under-active thyroid condition, which manifests as chronically feeling chilled, low energy, weight gain, hormonal imbalance and brain fog. Due to a rather insensitive blood test for this condition, many, many patients are sent home to suffer with these symptoms, thinking there must be something else wrong with them. The problem is their thyroid is seriously lacking its main food; iodine!
Feed your thyroid iodine and you’ll notice your energy levels increase as well as improved brain functioning. It is reported to be beneficial to brain tissue, the membranes surrounding the brain, the sensory nerves, and the spinal cord, as well as the nails and blood vessels.
Kelp is also rich in calcium/magnesium/potassium, three essential minerals for every body system, especially the bones and heart. Women should eat Kelp everyday to help replace lost minerals in their menstrual cycle.
Kelp, along with alfalfa, is an amazing alkalinizer. Due to stress, fast food and way too much coffee and alcohol, our bodies are too acidic. Highly acidic bodies are more susceptible to disease, especially cancer. We need to balance this with highly alkaline foods, which include most greens, notably kelp.
There are many types of kelp, the most delicious being Nori, the sheets used for wrapping Sushi. Just buy the sheets in the Asian section of your grocery store and rip them up into bite size pieces and eat throughout the day or with meals.
Kelp also comes dried, powdered or granulated for spreading on your food as a salt substitute. If you don’t like the taste you can buy it capsule form, usually to be taken 3-6 a day.
My absolute favorite way to include kelp in my daily diet is to use it as a natural soup thickener and seasoning. I love the taste of Nori seaweed, and it naturally thickens a soup, depending on how much you use. In a big pot of soup I add 2 sheets of Nori, which is just a slight thickener and tastes yummy!
Sauerkraut
Sauerkraut is a German/Austrian word for sour cabbage. A process called fermentation sours the cabbage. Which does not mean canned in vinegar. In fact, this information here does not apply to any canned sauerkraut as the canning process kills valuable nutrients and enzymes, essential to its rejuvenative powers.
The fermentation of cabbage creates lactic acid. Lactic Acid fermentation is incredibly healing to the digestive system.
In our Western Culture, millions and millions of people are suffering from the ill effects of fast and packaged food, causing excess gas, burping, painful indigestion, nausea and burning sensation after eating. They rely on antacids and acid-suppressing medications, which give only temporary relief, meanwhile suppresses much needed digestive acids.
We desperately need our stomach acid; hydrochloric acid, to start breaking down our food so the next stage in digestion can occur; assimilation of nutrients. Hydrochloric Acid (HCL) is also essential in killing unwanted bacteria and parasites in the body. Due to stress, aging and certain illnesses, our HCL count diminishes, which is when we should be giving our bodies a break by eating lighter foods.
However, most people eat the same junk they always eat, calling on the body to overproduce HCL, causing acid reflux. They then take copious amounts of antacids, claiming they’re just one of those people who “produces too much acid”.
Advertisers further promote this with pizza commercials claiming you can now eat any food your like as long as you take their medication. They even have the gall to show the meds being delivered on top of the pizza box. People don’t naturally produce too much acid; pharmaceuticals just say that so you’ll buy their drugs. The body produces too much acid because it is out of balance and piling on bad fats, excessive sugars and inappropriate proteins and antacids are only further exacerbating it.
Eating lactic acid-fermented cabbage is the number one way to restore your natural digestion so it doesn’t have acid reflux, burping and indigestion. Rich in Vitamin C and digestive enzymes, sauerkraut has a unique harmonizing effect on the stomach; it strengthens the acidity of the gastric juice when hydrochloric acid production lags, and reduces the acidity when production is up! No other food does this. It’s inherently a booster and an inhibitor of HCL.
So when you eat a little sauerkraut before or with every meal, especially later in the day with heavier meals, you’re basically unlocking your secretion glands according to their need. Besides chewing your food well, there’s not a more important step to take in assimilating your food.
You’re not what you eat; you’re what you assimilate. If you have poor stomach acids, you’re not taking the necessary step to assimilate your food. Sauerkraut will also “sweeten” your small and large intestine, as well as provide you with vitamin C.
To promote optimal digestion, include with most meals and if you already have indigestion, drink a few tablespoons of sauerkraut juice (never throw your excess juice away!) and you’ll feel instant relief. You don’t need to eat a lot of sauerkraut, 3-5 tablespoons a day is highly beneficial.
As I mentioned earlier, commercially canned sauerkraut is not the same as homemade. Homemade, unpasteurized sauerkraut is a Power Food. Once you’re tasted homemade kraut, you’ll never want commercial again, it doesn’t taste or act the same. Some commercial kraut isn’t even fermented; it’s just canned in vinegar, and tastes like it too.
If you’ve only experienced this type of kraut, you’re in for a treat. I include it in most of my recipes. It’s an excellent flavor booster to salads, stir fries, fruits, salsas and sandwiches, try it in everything!
Garlic
Garlic is one of the most medicinally and culinary useful foods on this planet. For centuries, cultures around the globe have used it for more purposes than any other plant. It was used in the building of the pyramids for strength and endurance. In 460 B.C., Hippocrates used garlic to treat infections, intestinal disorders, wounds, chest pains, toothaches, leprosy and epilepsy.
Traditionally, garlic has been used for healing colds, bronchitis, asthma, pneumonia, typhoid, TB, earaches, sore throat, stomach aches, cramps, diarrhea, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, gout, skin diseases, arthritis and cancer.
Garlic is high in methyl allyl trisulfide, which dilates vessel walls, lowering high blood pressure and hypertension. It thins the blood by inhibiting platelet aggregation, which reduces the risk of blood clots and aids in preventing heart attacks.
Research around the world has irrefutably established that garlic can lower blood serum cholesterol! In these studies, patients on a high fat diet that included garlic had consistently lower cholesterol than patients on the same diet without the garlic.
Garlic also has strong antibiotic properties.
When garlic is cut, it releases its active ingredient, allicin, which is also what causes its pungent odor. Allicin has a powerful antibiotic effect; it exerts an antibacterial effect estimated to be equivalent to 1 percent of that of penicillin. Before the discovery of antibiotics, garlic was used to treat wounds and infections during WW1.
Garlic is also anti fungal and antiviral. It can be used on the bottoms of the feet, where it will be tasted on the tongue on seconds. It destroys Candida or yeast infections vaginally by inserting raw garlic or garlic oil vaginally, whereby it will also be tasted on the tongue in seconds. It can destroy certain viruses like fever blisters, genital herpes, smallpox and some influenza.
Garlic is also effective in breaking down mucous, thereby helping with any lung conditions as an expectorant and decongestant.
Besides being a miraculous and multipurpose healer, garlic has an enormous nutritional value containing high amounts of sulfur (excellent for healing everything, especially the joints), high in protein, Vit A, Vit C, thiamine, copper, calcium, iron, magnesium, potassium, selenium, zinc and germanium. It’s also high in allicin, allyl disulfides and aldehydes.
It’s easy to surmise that garlic is good for virtually any disease or infection. There are several way to ingest garlic, cooked or raw or in supplement form. Raw is the most medicinal, however it’s also the smelliest. Sliced garlic isn’t quite as odoriferous as squeezed, and if you combine it with parsley, its chlorophyll absorbs the odor.
Some people believe there’s no such thing as “too much garlic”, others will only take it in supplement form, Kyolic garlic being the best known for its odorless healing effect.
To make your own garlic oil, put 6-10 ounces of peeled, minced garlic into a quart of canola oil, keep refrigerated for a month or so, and then replace with fresh cloves. You can take a tablespoon of this daily or use it for sautéing and cooking.
This oil is excellent for earaches, just put a few drops in the ear, let it sit for a while, repeat as needed. If that doesn’t work, add one drop of Tea Tree Oil with the garlic oil in the ear, both have powerful antibacterial qualities.
You can also rub this oil onto sprains and skin disorders.
A garlic douche can be made for the treatment of yeast infections by blending a clove or two of garlic into one pint of water, strain then add another pint of water. For vaginal yeast infections, try inserting one capsule of acidophilus vaginally and leave over night. This works!
Cayenne
Cayenne pepper, a beautiful hot red pepper also called Capsicum annum, has so many medicinal qualities; it can also be called The King of Herbs. It is a powerful stimulant targeting the digestive and circulatory system.
Cayenne regulates blood pressure, strengthens the pulse, feeds the heart,lowers cholesterol, thins the blood, cleanses the circulatory system, heals ulcers, stops hemorrhaging, speeds healing of wounds, rebuilds damaged tissue, eases congestion, aids digestion, regulates elimination, relieves arthritis, prevents infection and numbs pain.
I first discovered the powerful effect of Cayenne’s ability to heal damaged tissue and ulcers when I developed an ulcerated bladder, a very painful and common bladder condition caused from stress and over acidic diet. When I first researched this condition and read that Cayenne is one of the best healers of ulcers, I thought they must be mistaken. How can a hot red pepper be good for an ulcer?!!! Within days of taking it in powder form, I was cured! Cayenne has a miraculous ability to rebuild mucous or interstitial tissue, which is found in the lining of your stomach, intestines and bladder. As it healed my wounded bladder, the natural acidity of my urine quit attacking my bladder; no more pain. Cayenne is the number one healer of Interstitial Cystitis and stomach ulcers. It also kills bacteria, which is the cause of most stomach ulcers.
Cayenne is equally miraculous on the circulatory system.
Dr. John Christopher, famous natural healer, praised the use of Cayenne throughout the time of his practice. He had this to say in his Newsletter titled "Cayenne", Vol 1, Number 12
Many of the old herbalists claim that in cases of severe cuts, gunshot wounds, etc., cayenne can be taken internally as a tea and the bleeding will stop by the time, in most cases, you can count to ten. Cayenne goes immediately into the blood stream and adjusts the blood pressure from the top of the head, to the bottom of the feet, equalizing pressure over the whole body. This takes high pressure, which causes rapid bleeding, away from the wound and clotting starts immediately.
Cayenne prevents the absorption of cholesterol and helps the body shed excess cholesterol. Cayenne also helps thin the blood and prevent blood clots that can clog the arteries and cause heart attack and stroke.
Cayenne is an excellent energizer containing a high amount of nutrients; Vitamin C, E, A and minerals. Paprika, the mildest cayenne, has the night vitamin C content of all. Cayenne, the vibrant red fruit bursting with heat and energy, holds more vitamins C and beta-carotene than any other plant in the garden. Beta-carotene contributes highly to the healing of ulcers.
Cayenne’s high mineral content, especially sulfur, iron, calcium magnesium and phosphorus, makes an effective treatment for diabetes, gas, arthritis, pancreatic and throat disorders. The unusually high vitamin C content helps with colds and immune dysfunctions.
One of Cayenne’s amazing benefits is its ability to enhance any other power food or herb. It speeds the delivery of nutrients and herbs to the major systems of the body.
Externally Cayenne or Capsicum Cream is an effective pain reliever, especially for joint or muscle pain. It’s also well known for healing hemorrhoids or any weak tissue of the body.
HOW you ingest cayenne is crucial to its effectiveness. Its best ingested in powder form, holding it in the mouth for a minute or so. This sends needed signals to the stomach for ease of digestion. If you take it in capsule form, you might notice it opens like a firebomb in your stomach, as there’s been no preparation for its arrival. If you hold it in the mouth for a while, you won’t notice this fiery onslaught. And small amounts works well, starting with a 1/16th of teaspoon and working up to as much as a teaspoon mixed with a cup of water.
It’s an amazing liver cleanse when mixed with fresh lemon and Grade B maple syrup and water. Called The Master Cleanse, you can live on this mixture for weeks. I fast on the Master Cleanse several times a year for 3-10 days at a time and love the energy and clarity I gain from it. Use fresh cayenne from the health food store, not the old devalued spice bottle that’s been sitting around for years.
Ginger
Revered in the Orient for its powerful healing qualities and its culinary uses, Ginger has been in use for over 2000 years. A perennial herb, ginger is a greenish yellow rhizome. The botanical name of the spice is Zingiber Officinale.
Ginger is been used extensively in the Orient; its benefits covering a spectrum so wide, that it includes the medicinal, culinary as well as aromatherapy fields. A pungent and flavorful spice, ginger is one of the most widely used spices in the East.
Ginger is known to be beneficial to the body in a number of ways. Ginger can be used in its raw as well as dried form. Raw ginger is a thermogenic (increases metabolism), anti-flatulent, appetizer, digestive and laxative.
Dried and ground ginger is used to cure cold, cough, cholera, nausea ad vomiting, inflammations, diarrhea, colic, flatulence, anorexia, asthma and headaches.
The uses of ginger as a digestive aid can be largely attributed to the presence of gingerols and shogaols, which help neutralize stomach acids, enhance the secretion of digestive juices and tone the muscles of the digestive tract.
The active ingredient in ginger is terpenes and an oleoresin, which is called ginger oil. These active agents are responsible for its antiseptic qualities, lymph-cleansing, circulation-stimulating and mild constipation relief. Research has shown that ginger lowers blood cholesterol by reducing cholesterol absorption in the blood and liver.
Ginger is an effective herbal remedy for all kinds of motion sickness and even morning sickness during pregnancy. A great way to get rid of the uneasy, queasy feeling in the stomach. Ginger has been clinically proven to be more effective than Dramamine. Unlike Dramamine, which contains the drug dimenhydrinate, ginger does not have the side effects of drowsiness because it works on the stomach, not the brain. Besides being highly effective for nausea, it also works on morning sickness, dizziness, vertigo and the stomach flu.
Ginger has also been known to reduce inflammation of the joints and muscle tissue for people suffering from arthritis or rheumatism. Ginger improves blood circulation, hence thought to improve the complexion too. It is also known to have reduced nervousness, ease tendinitis and relieve sore throats.
Scientists have found that ginger can block the effects of prostaglandin - a substance that causes inflammation of the blood vessels in the brain, which leads to migraine. Many women believe that consuming ginger tea during periods helps minimize menstrual cramps. Known for its warming action, ginger is an effective treatment in colds and flu. An effective remedy for cramps caused by flatulence, ginger stimulates digestion. Ginger is a mood enhancer, the Cineole present in ginger also helps provide stress relief.
It is a great mouth freshener and ginger tea is known for its refreshing properties.
An excellent culinary AND medicinal Ginger Tea;
- 1-2 inches of ginger root, chopped up small
- 1 whole lemon, washed, chopped up small
- 1 Quart of purified water
In the heat of the summer, this makes an excellent iced tea. Your guests will love it too!
Master Cleanse Instructions
Cayenne, fresh, not the old can that's been I your spice cupboard for years.
Lemons (must be fresh, no substitutes, and organic is ideal, buy a big bag or a box full if more than one in the family is fasting. Grocers often give discounts for boxes of produce). Or if you live in California or Florida, just go raid your neighbors lemon tree.
Grade B Maple Syrup (if Grade B is not available, then use pure Grade A or Pure Amber Maple Syrup. Trader Joes has the best deal on Grade B)
Doing the Master Cleanse is quite simple if you don’t follow the instructions given in most Health Books, or the original formula laid out by Stanley Burroughs.They’ll have you carrying around jars of overly spicy lemonade that you’d rather use as a pesticide on your plants than actually drink. When you leave the hot cayenne pepper in the liquids all day, the heat distills out and makes it undrinkable at the end of the day. Besides, it’s absolutely not necessary to carry jugs of the stuff around with you.
Simply squeeze about 6 fresh lemons into a jar or container with lid, and double that with the Grade B Maple syrup (Grade B is richer in minerals and cheaper than Grade A, which is more refined for the more sugary palette).
So, if your lemon measures out at a cup, then add a cup of syrup. This is the concentrate you’ll carry with you for the day. Throughout the day (drink as much as you like, even if you need to make up a batch later) pour about 1/5 of a cup into a glass; add a glass of water and a pinch of cayenne pepper and drink. Because you’ve just added the pepper, it won’t be hot at all, quite invigorating actually.
So, besides your lemon/syrup concentrate, you’ll need to carry a small baggy or container of cayenne. You can find water wherever you are, so need to pack that everywhere.
Drink as much as you like, drinking it when you feel hungry, light headed, low energy or nausea. Some people find it too sweet, so back off on the amount of concentrate you add to the glass. Others have higher physical demands, so they’ll want to add more concentrate to keep their blood sugar up. It’s important to include the Grade B maple syrup or your blood sugar will drop too low.
If you’re hypoglycemic, don’t buy into the myth that you can’t fast. You can fast on the Master Cleanse because it keeps your blood sugar consistently high. And you’ll heal your blood sugar swings because your liver functioning will greatly improve, thus creating a more stable blood sugar level. If you can ever find this little gem of a book, you’ll never fall for the hypoglycemic myth again;
“Hope for Hypoglycemia, It’s not your mind, it’s your liver” by Broda O. Barnes MD PhD Out of print, but worth searching for.
How long should you fast?
If this is your first fast, I recommend about 3 days. But if you’re trying to heal any diseases (including hypoglycemia) you should consider trying 10-30 days. Most people do 10 days, in the spring when cleansing is ideal. Helps get rid of the winter pudge too!
Please consult with your local naturopath on how to fast safely.
