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Raw Milk-not for human consuption-wink wink

One day, I wondered into a fruit and vegatable stand by my house to buy some veggies of course.  It is owned by a local farmer, so besides veggies, they also carry free range eggs and yes raw milk.  The first time I saw it, it intrigued me especially when it said it was only for animal consumption-therefore humans should not drink it.  So what did I do, I bought it and drank and OMG it was soooo yummy.  So I kept on drinking it.  Before this monumental moment, I hardly ever drank milk.  I really didn't like it.  But I loved this milk.  The best part is the 2-3 inches of creme at the top-perfect for a peppermint latte:)

So now I am curious, if this milk is good for me too.  One thing I noticed right off the bat is it helped my digestion.  I did not read about this, I just experienced it.  Instead of a water or apple juice based smoothie, I started making milk based smoothie and my stomach liked it so much better.  To be clear, I wasn't getting indigestion.  With that experience, I decided to do a little research.  This is what I found. 

"we took a closer look at the claims made by groups like the FDA and CDC that raw milk is “dangerous”. We found that, though the relative risk of becoming ill from drinking raw milk is about 9 times greater than it is from drinking pasteurized milk, the absolute risk of developing a serious illness (i.e. one that would require hospitalization) from drinking raw milk is exceedingly small: about 1 in 6 million."http://chriskresser.com/raw-milk-reality-benefits-of-raw-milk.

Well That is worth the risk for me.  So why should I risk it?  What are the benefits.

1.  Others besided myself also think it is super yummy.
2.  It has a higher nutrional value.  Milk that has been pasturized kills many nutrients.
3.  Statistically people are more tolerant of raw milk than pasturized milk
4.  There is substantial epidemiological evidence from studies in Europe that consumption of raw milk during childhood may protect against asthma, allergies and other immune-mediated diseases" 
5.  Buying milk from a local farmer supports the community
6.  It is more sustainable.   "Consuming milk that is produced by local farmers using sustainable methods has far less of an environmental impact than drinking milk produced in large confinement feeding operations thousands of miles away."

There is it in a nutshell.  The important thing is to choose for yourself and listen to your body.   Please do you own research.  "http://chriskresser.com/raw-milk-reality-benefits-of-raw-milk

Foods that Heal-Re-Train your taste buds

There was a time in my life when I actually thought fast food was yummy.  It was a treat to me to stop by and get some greasy fries and a juicy (really just fat) hamburger.  It was kind of a craving.  Well, it didn't happen overnight, but I no longer crave or even want that type of food.  And if I do happen upon this sub standard food (not really food as it contains 0 energy), I feel ill.  And this is not out of guilt.  My body just knows the difference between real food and not real food.

How did I do this.  A little by intention, but mostly by just eating well.  The more I ate meals with real nutrition, the less I wanted that chicken Mc'nugget.  Speaking of, don't you just love how the fast food restaurants are all offering the dollar menu.  I think it is conspiracy to get people hooked and definitely appeals to the people with not alot of change in their pocket.  Let's face it, it fills you up.  But the problem is, that it doesn't ultimately satisfy.   At least from my experience, when I eat well-food filled with energy, I am satisfied and have more energy.

I want to share a simple meal I made last night and boy was it yummy.  I made some veggie patties.  I didn''t follow a recipe, I just went with taste and consistency.  Here's my recipe:

• 1 can of organic chickpeas (you could soak some dried ones yourself if you want)
• 1 can of organic black beans (I suggest using the can- I soaked black beans for two days and still couldn't get them to be soft)
• Rice-about 1 cup dried to make two cups prepared
• 1/2 onion chopped
• Seasoned with sea salt, pinch cayenne pepper, cumin to taste
• Parsley chopped
• 3 eggs
• Powdered oatmeal-you can use flour or anything you like to soak up the liquid

___________________________________________________________________________

Top with Cukes, Tomatoes, Lettuce, Avocado ect.

I mixed all the ingredients together except the powdered oatmeal.  Squished and mashed the ingredients then added enough powdered oatmeal to hold the patty together.  Then simply fried them in sunflower oil on low to medium heat.  SUPER DELICIOUS.  This makes about 8 patties, so I froze  of them.  I hope I remember them:)

Hope you like this recipe!  Don't be anxious about changing, just take baby steps and you will naturally change because your body will feel and love the difference.

Love y'all

Zenjen

Choices: LOVE THEM

I love choices and am thankful I get to make them every day.  Like should I get up (glad I can) or should I stay in bed (if I want to get fired:), Do I want to smile or be grumpy, Will I appreciate and love all living beings or will create a division so I can justify my dislike.  This is one that we can all relate to, Do I eat that sweet or do I say no.  Not so hard for me when it is store bought because I generally don't like eating preservatives, dyes, and fake sugars.  But oh, if you make it, I have to have it, right?  REALLY......maybe not.

 

Did you know that it is YOUR choice? How many times have I heard myself or others say, "oh-it so difficult where I work or live because of all the junk that people bring in. It is so hard to not eat it." It is hard, I agree, but I think it is hard because deep inside we feel we don't have a choice. I had to, I couldn't help myself and so on. I go there and you probably do too.

 

One day, as I was putting a yucky sweet in my mouth because I thought "it is there, got to do it", I actually tasted it and noticed how aweful it really was and spit it out. You might say, well so what, I would have spit it out too. But when I did that, I connected with the intellegence of my body and realized right then and there that I did not like it and I did not HAVE to eat it. The difference is I realized I had a choice.

 

So what choices am I making these days. Eating healthy for me is not hard because I actually like good food. So no problem. Recently, as you might know in a previous post that I am making the choice to only drink pure spring water. Another choice is I realized that I really don't need wine. I am not saying wine is bad, in fact there are lots of evidence that says that a little wine is good for you. But I think my body does not want it anymore, and my emotions and choices I make while drinking wine are not serving me. I am feeling that I need to sustain from wine for a while and just live right here, right now. You are probably thinking well how much wine does she drink. Not much but too much for me right now.

My commitment to listen to my body, mind and spirit is my choice and thankful I can have that choice.

I love water

I was on a hike today and came across the best swimming hole I have ever found.  It was like out of a picture.  One large swimming hole with two additional levels of jacuzzi's with there own water falls.  I am so thankful I live in an area where swimming is healthy, fun and I know that water is clean.  Enjoying this made me think about the water we drink everyday.  I have been making a special effort to only drink spring water directly from a natural spring.

Drinking water directly from a natural spring in your area in my opinion is the best water you can get.  Everyone know how important water is to your health.  For years we have been told that drink 8 glasses a day.  But what kind of water is probably more important.

Providing that you know that the source of the spring is clean, I recommend drinking spring water over other types.  Why?  Because the sparkling clean taste is awesome of course!   It also contains a level of minerals that is beneficial to health for most living things. Mineral-rich water will usually have a neutral or slightly alkaline pH.

Drinking alkaline water will help to neutralize acidity in the body and can reduce the amount of free radical damage. It will also help to keep bones and teeth strong and dense.  Distilled water and reverse osmosis is lacking in the amount of minerals spring water contains.

I live in Asheville, NC where getting spring water can be challenging but not impossible. There are three places that I know about.  On highway 9 going away from Black Mountain, about a 5 minute drive, you will see a white pipe off to the side of the road spewing out lots of spring water. Another place is about 1/4 mile hike along the river on the gravel road at balsalm knob.  And lastly at mile marker 395 on the Blue Ridge Parkway, hike the gravel road heading south about 1/4 of a mile and you will find water on the left.

If anyone else knows of good spots let me know. Hope you all find your specials swimming hole and natural spring this summer:)

Promotion Day

There are numerous awesome healthcare professionals here in Asheville and I want to share with you just a couple that I go to and think are super awesome.  What makes them awesome.  Well, you leave feeling way better, they deliver more than you expect, and lastly their prices are less than what you would expect.

I love R.J. Burle Chiropractic.  He does more than crack bones.  In fact, that is not his focus.  He tunes into you and works to correct those problems through Kinesiology, cranial sacrum and muscle manipulation along with some secondary medical devices.  If a bone moves in the process, then so be it.   In the end, you feel peaceful and well.  R.J is located downtown Asheville, NC  on grove street.

In the same building is another one of my favorites.  At Peoples Acupuncture, Sam and his associates offer community accupuncture with a personal style.  Through some simple questions, Sam will also tune into what your body and mind needs.  Although you are put into a room with some other patients, it is very calm and relaxing.  The best part is you determine how long you need to stay for the magic to happen.  And as an extra very valuable benefit, Sam offers amazing advice on your diet and supplementation to help you recieve optimal health. 

There are many wonderful places to practice yoga and the place I love is http://ashevillecommunityyoga.com/in Woodfin.  What makes this place special is the wide variety of Yoga teachers and styles and the surrounding are very beautiful and peaceful.  There are numerous programs and places to get involved that support their passion:  Community Yoga.  I love it when they remind you, "It is your yoga."

Right across the street is Emil Healing Art.  All I can say that it is an ART and he is master.  Last December, I purchased a gift certificate for myself .....it's good to be good to yourself..for one hour.  I went to him with a hidden problem.  I had it for so long (3 years),I did not even think about it.  Every morning I would wake up with a very stiff right hand due to overuse and injury.  I did not tell Emil about this but he soon found it and worked on that whole area.  My appointment was for an hour, but he kept working until he was satisfied.  I am more than satisfied because from that point forward, I have had no problem in my right hand.   I was so appreciative that I tipped him extra for his passion to heal.  Like I said, delivering more than expected. 

I am sure you all have your favorites for good reasons, I just wanted to share with you mine because I am so thankful for their service.