Fructose - a poison?

Hello!

Think I've touched on this in other detoxes, but its so important just want to flag it up again.

THE DANGERS OF FRUCTOSE

Table Sugar and High Fructose Corn Syrup are both the same thing in that they contain 50% glucose and 50% fructose.

Glucose can be used by every cell in the body. Fructose can only be metabolized by the liver. Very much like ethanol the sugar in alcohol.

Its what fructose get metabolized to that is the real problem. 30% of the fructose ingested will end up as VLDL - Very low density lipo-proteins. This is the bad stuff. You thought LDL cholesterol was bad well VLDL is worse. It causes heart disease, hypertension, increased blood tri-glycerides, a fatty liver, and most alarmingly of all, insulin resistance. Which means you don't properly store the glucose you ingested along side the fructose. Leading to elevated blood glucose and insulin levels. What we're talking about here is Type II Diabetes.

And pre Type I.

If we just ate fructose from fruit and veg we'd ingest around 15g/day. And this was about what was consumed pre world war II. Today, this increased alarmingly by 4-5 times. No wonder we are facing an obesity and diabetes epidemic.

And all the time they blamed dietary fats.

You ever looked at the ingredients list on a low fat product?

It'll be sky high in sugar cos otherwise it wouldn't taste of anything!

So eat your fats - the good ones

And wean yourself off the sugar. Cos its never gonna do you any favors!

Don't use fructose as a sugar substitute!

Eat sugar as nature intended. Packaged in fruit with a whole load of fiber!

To find out a load more on this follow this link to a talk on the subject by Dr Robert Lustig

http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2010/04/20/sugar-dangers.aspx

Big hugs

Georgie

Herbs off the shelves and wild foraging

EU Herbal Directive

After extolling the virtues of Swedish Bitters I find I now can't get it any more. Here in the Europe the ever wisdomful EU, is changing the landscape of herbal medicine forever. Age old remedies like Swedish bitters are gone from our shelves because the companies can't afford the 20,000 - 100,000 pound cost of registering them under the new legislation that says all herbal products have to come in line with Pharm. drugs and be lab tested for safety accordingly. Because decades, neigh centuries of public use is not enough to prove they are safe. This is quite an extraordinary move seeing as herbal medicine has not exactly proven dangerous over the years... unlike big pharm. drugs.

Anyway, on a more cheerful note

Wild Foraging

Today, apart from the appalling weather, was a day of celebration for me. Celebrating my first wild foraging of this year! Yippee! The wild garlic is up in profusion in our local woods and the nettles are just though enough to pick some tips. So I enjoyed the delights of eating food picked less than an hour before I ate it! Full of vitality and goodness. Wild garlic leaves are wonderful in an omelette - about 8 leaves chopped up and mixed into the beaten eggs with some jalepeno. Yummy. The nettle tips I sauteed with some nutmeg. Soon there will be enough nettles for making soup soon! Delicious!

Happy foraging!

xxx

Swedish Bitters

SWEDISH BITTERS

Want to say a word on this fantastic remedy. Bitter foods are generally lacking in the western diet and is important in detox and to stimulate the digestive system generally.

General use

This is a great remedy to have in the medicine cabinet to treat any kind of indigestion. When food sits in your stomach like a brick, or if your sensitive to fats and oil and they leave you with a little nausea. Swedish bitters with almost squeeze your liver and gall bladder into action and relieve symptoms.

In a Detox

You can use this as part of a detox program by taking a teaspoon after each meal. It will stimulate digestion and give your liver a boot us the back side. If you have any signs of a liver that is struggling - brain fog, difficulty concentrating, anger and irritation, indigestion of any oily foods. Then try this remedy!

Chickpea and Kale Soup

Oh my gosh! I just made the best soup ever:

http://blog.fatfreevegan.com/2007/11/north-african-chickpea-and-kale-soup.html

Molly

Georgie's response on Cultured Foods

Body Ecology Diet by Donna Gates is an excellent, one of the best I've read on health in a while. If you have any digestive issues its one to get.

Mols, I know that Body Ecology do Coconut Kefir starters as well. You could try use brown coconuts but its the green ones that have the excellent nutritional profile. The older a coconut gets the more of the goodness gets locked into the fleshy part.

Gigi, the Kifir soda could be coconut kefir. It is kind of fizzy like a soda. Have been thinking that apple juice might be interesting to try and culture so if you find out anymore on the soda's let us know.

Janee, definitely have to be careful over the long term with strong acids like lemon juice and apple cider vinegar eroding teeth. But wouldn't worry too much if you are drinking 1-2 times a day, and well diluted.

Georgie

Cultured foods discussion

Ok guys lets get this discussion on the blog where everyone can see it.

GIGI WROTE
I have recently been enjoying Kombucha...a lovely fermented tea
that has made a big difference in my life. I haven't made it
successfully at home...yet...but the bottled stuff (GT's) is
very, very good.
Love,
G2

MOLLY WROTE

Hello Happy Detoxers!
Wasn't sure if I should post here or the blog....
I made cultured veg last winter and wanted to give my experience.

I did buy the starter from the Body Ecology web site (great book and site)
http://www.bodyecology.com/cveggies.php

as I just wanted to make sure I did it right the first time.

I used 1.5 heads of cabbage - green and red. Added some shredded carrot, ginger and garlic. So it was kind of a non-spicy Kim Chee.

I sure made enough! I still have a load in the fridge. There seems to be 2 variations out there in terms of producing it. One is in the 6th edition of the Body Ecology and the 10th edition has a different way. The way with the plate, possible mold, and all that I did not try (I presume the older way). The newer is just put a lid on it and let it do its work.

The only thing I would do different in the next batch is no garlic and make less. I have so much in there to finish before I can experiment with another recipe. Also, I don't really like the flavor. It is very powerful. My favorite way to eat it is just mixed into a salad. But I try to think of it as medicine, not food, and that helps.

If anyone finds a recipe that they love - let me know. Also, Dea - I would love to hear about your Coconut Kefir experience. I would love to make it but haven't tried it yet. We have the brown coconuts in the stores - can you use those? What to do if you don't have a green coconut?

Cheers! Happy cleansing!
Molly

GIGI WROTE

I've been drinking Kombucha lately. LOVE IT. Tried brewing it
once, unsuccessfully. Anyone have any thoughts on this? GT's
is very good, and I try to drink one bottle over the course of
a day.

I have also heard about something called Kefir Soda...is that
like the coconut kefir? It's supposedly relatively easy to make...and
very kid friedly.

(Molly...would love to try your Kim Chee...although I wonder
what "powerful" means?)

Love to you...
G2

JANEE WROTE

Hello folks,

I take Apple Cider Vinegar most days, great for the gut. I take it first thing in the morning and then before my evening meal, mixed with water. Some people don’t like it at all but I love it and I begin to crave it after a few days if I don’t have it. Its very refreshing after exercise.

I think a recommended dose is 2tbsp ACV to 250ml water. I don’t sweeten it, but its possible to add a little honey if you really cant tolerate the flavour. Try it though – it grows on you!

I read in this website http://www.earthclinic.com/ that it is not recommended to take ACV or other remedies every day because it creates dependence. I guess my cravings are testament to the truth in that advice! I just cant imagine the torment of going cold turkey through apple cider vinegar withdrawal ; - )

There is also some information there that says the ACV should be mixed with bicarb soda to stop the vinegar from decaying the teeth. I must admit I don’t do this at the moment as the bicarb mixed with vinegar makes a big frothy mess and its so much easier first thing in the morning to just mix a bit of ACV and water. I’ll have to go to the dentist and see what they say!

Best wishes for the Detox and bring on Spring,

Janee

ACV + Bicarb Soda link: http://www.earthclinic.com/Remedies/acv_baking_soda_cures.html#RF

Cultured foods

Hello!

Just had a email from Dea saying she made her own Kim Chee this morning and has been making Coconut Kefir! Very envious. Your lucky in the USA you can get fresh green coconuts!

Ok, this was a topic I wanted to talk about so I'm gonna take this cue. Cultured foods are one of the greatest ways to restore and maintain gut health, and gut health is so key to good health generally. Culture foods are like fermented foods but its bacteria rather than yeast that are the active agents. These foods are basically a living pro-biotic; they feed and amplify the good bugs in our gut. Sauerkraut is a great example of this and a great option if you are not in a position to make your own cultured veg. Take a heaped tablespoon of Sauerkraut with or before a meal. Make sure you get the un-pasteurized sauerkraut though as pasteurization kills all those beneficial little bugs!!

Other good culture foods - Kim Chee, Apple Cider vinegar, Natto.

There are many more and you can make your own. Wild Fermentation by Sandor Ellix Katz is a good guide to making your own.

Happy experimenting!

Georgie

xx

March 9, 2011

Morning follks!

Well I'm home and its cold, but the sun is shining!

How you all doing? Hope you have got off to a good start, and if you haven't, be gentle on yourself!

Ok, what am I loving so far about the detox. Well I'll admit I'm breaking myself in slowly. I put some different beans and grains in the sprout this morning. Loving that. Growing food is just the best. Look forward eating them at the end of the week!

Tell you what I'm really loving is spring greens. Call me mad but I think this might be my favorite vegetable. It is so sweet and tender and need hardly any cooking if at all. My favorite breakfast at the moment (as its cold) is eggs, kind of Japanese style. Rice, with 2 poached eggs on top and spring greens sautéed with fresh ginger in coconut oil and a little water. All seasoned with a little shoyu. Soo yummy!

Quote of the moment: "The vegetable garden is also our nations medicine chest - it yields a large portion of the vitamins which protect us against infection" Lord Woolton, Ministry of Food, 1941.

Remember if you have any questions please ask!

Welcome to Equinox Detox March 2011

Hey everyone!

Good morning and welcome to this Equinox Detox! I'm really feeling good about this one. I can really feel summer on the way! Ok, so I'm completely fooling myself. I feel like this because I'm in Israel right now and the weather is gorgeous. However I fly home tonight and the forecast back there is for snow... Hmmm. See how I feel tomorrow!

Anyway hope you are all feeling good about doing the detox. If you are in a cold climate try find somewhere to go get a sauna. Its such a lovely treat to yourself and so healthy while you detox to help the body get the stagnant stuff moving. Its great to do things like sauna's, massage, etc. Things that to make the detox feel like something really positive you are doing for yourself and that you can enjoying the taking care of yourself! Those of you who have done it a few times I'm sure know that the reward of feeling bright and healthy at the end out weights any pain in the process.

I'm doing things a little different this time. As you know I've asked people to sign up. So these emails are just going out to those who replied. This makes it a lot easier for me as I know those I'm communicating with are taking part. So we are a smaller group but everyone on the email list is taking part. So feel free to "reply to all" to share stuff. And if you want to tell any friends thats great to. There's no limit to adding people. Guess I should be doing this on facebook eh? Will look into that.

So have you decided how you are doing your detox? If this is your first time. Check out the website. You need to decide how deep to take the detox. If you are just going to cut out alcohol for example, or cut out everything on the list. Remember set yourself achievable goals!! That way you can feel going about attaining them!

Website

Ok, folks. Thats all for now.

Speak tomorrow from the snowy English Lake District! Ahhh!

xx