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Spice Up Your Healthy Diet To Detox Gently In Winter

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Spice Up Your Healthy Diet To Detox Gently In Winter

Spice can perk up any meal and are fantastic for your health. Winter is not the time for following a very restrictive detox diet
 but you can still eat healthily and add a spice that will not only warm you up but will help you gently detox too. Spice has been used traditionally in Natural medicine for years but science is showing that they are powerful weapons against many diseases.

Turmeric

Ground turmeric is the spice that makes rice and curry dishes yellow. It has long been used in China and India to treat many conditions including including diarrhea, fever, jaundice, bronchitis, colds, worms, and bladder and kidney inflammations. It is commonly used in Ayurveda to purify the blood and treat skin conditions.

Turmeric treats the entire digestive system. Traditionally it is used for weak stomachs and poor digestion. It can calm an upset digestive system by getting rid of gas and distention and increase bile production helping with detoxification of toxins that the liver has processed. Recent research has shown that it can help with healing peptic ulcers and may be useful for Colitis and Crohn’s disease.

Turmeric has antioxidant properties and increases the levels of the enzymes glucuronyl transferase and glutathione S-transferase (GST), which are essential for liver detox. Curcumin is the compound in turmeric that makes it yellow and it has an inhibiting effect on Phase 1 Liver Detoxification while stimulating Phase 2.

In doing this it helps to lessen the activation of cancer causing chemicals while speeding up the detoxification of the ones that have been activated. Cucumin can directly inhibit cancer cells too.

Turmeric loses it’s potency after about 6 months so buy it fresh and store in a cool dark place. Just make sure it is from a reputable source and is guaranteed to be free from contaminants. A few years ago Consumer labs found that some curcumin supplements were contaminated with lead which is toxic.

Turmeric blends well with cumin, cinnamon, paprika, and ginger. You can add it to rice, lentil dishes, casseroles and stews, potato dishes.

Detox Diet

Ginger

Ginger  belongs to the same plant family as Turmeric and is an excellent spice for the digestive system. It has long been used as a folk remedy for nausea of pregnancy. Studies have shown that ginger has good antibacterial properties and the active constituents of ginger can prevent the multiplication of colon bacteria which ferment undigested carbohydrates causing gas.

Studies have shown that ginger also stimulates GST in the liver,  lungs, intestines and kidneys so can help protect against xenobiotics (foreign toxic chemicals).  The GST enzymes play a major role in detox and help in the conversion of toxic substances to safer forms that can be excreted form the body.

The spice can also increase motility in the gut and stimulate bile production.  Bile is one way the liver gets rid of toxins that have been through the detox system.  So you can see that ginger is good for detox and cleansing.

Buy fresh ginger root (actually an underground stem), peel off the skin and slice into matchsticks, chop, grate or  purée, and add to vegetables dishes, stir fries,  rice, soups and of course green smoothies and juices.

Cumin

Cumin is a seed that has a very distinctive taste and is used in the cuisines of many countries. It’s apparently the second most popular spice in the world after black pepper.  Cumin seeds have traditionally been used for digestive disorders. Scientists have shown that cumin may stimulate the secretion of pancreatic enzymes which are needed for digestion of food and may also help to stimulate liver detox enzymes.

Best known as an important ingredient of Indian curry powder this spice has over one hundred different chemical constituents, including all the essential fatty acids. It is also used in Mexican and Middle eastern dishes. Use it as a tasty addition to any lentil, bean dish or rice dish.

Cayenne Pepper

The heat of peppers comes from their high concentration of capsaicin which is known for its ability to stimulate the circulation and digestion.  Researchers showed that people consuming meals with ground cayenne pepper had reduced hunger and higher calorie burning effects after the meal compared with those who didn’t.

Cayenne stimulates intestinal motility so helps with elimination. By improving the circulation it can help with liver detoxification. The better the blood circulates through the liver the better it can process chemical toxins so they can be removed from the body.

Cayenne is a vital ingredient of the Master Cleanse drink also known as the Lemonade detox drink. Instead of doing the full Master Cleanse you can take a lemon cayenne pepper detox drink every morning for 3 to 10 days to cleanse the liver.

Here is the recipe for the Lemon Cayenne Pepper Detox Drink

Blend together the juice of 1 medium lemon with 8 oz water, 1 tablespoon virgin olive oil, 1 clove of garlic, a small amount of grated root ginger to taste and ¼ – ½ tsp cayenne pepper until well mixed. Sweeten with a little orange or apple juice or add a few drops of Stvevia if you have to. Drink slowly and follow with a small glass of water or juice to cleanse the mouth of the oily taste.

It’s better to start with a very small amount of cayenne to begin with and gradually build up the dose as it can take a bit of getting used to.

Add a pinch of cayenne to salad dressings, soups or meats.

By using these wonderful spice in your food you get all their health benefits and help encourage detox during the cold weather without going on a strict detox diet.

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Spice – Garam Masala at Bill & Sheila’s Coo kbook

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Family Finance: Shopping Smart and Eating Healthy

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Family Finance: Shopping Smart and Eating Healthy

NEW YORK (AP) — Drink fat-free or low-fat milk, and make sure half of the grains you eat are whole grains.

Do these healthy eating guidelines sound costly?

Researchers at the University of Washington raised eyebrows earlier this month with a study finding that a healthy diet is expensive and difficult for cash-strapped Americans to afford. And with the cost of food rising faster than other products — the Agriculture Department estimates that grocery prices will rise by 3.5 to 4.5 percent this year and another 3 percent to 4 percent in 2012 — it would seem that problem may only get worse.

But frugal foodies say it’s still possible to eat well and healthy on a budget. It just takes a bit of organization and some smart strategies.

The path starts with understanding what’s healthy and what’s not. That’s where the federal government comes in. The USDA has updated its recommendations with the aim of helping people make better food choices. Details of the new “plate” that replaced the “food pyramid” earlier this year can be found on www.choosemyplate.gov .

The site explains what types of foods provide different nutrients, which “empty” calories provide little nutrition and provides recipes for a variety of meals.

It’s easiest to save if you have some basic cooking skills to rely on. Cooking is almost always going to be less expensive than buying prepared meals or eating out.

Healthy meals don’t have to be gourmet concoctions, said Kelly Hancock, the author of the soon-to-be-released book “Saving Savvy” and a blogger at FaithfulProvisions.com. “You don’t have to be a master chef to cook dinner every night.”

Once armed with the knowledge of what to eat and how to pull it together, getting the most out of every grocery dollar requires a system. But that doesn’t mean you have to resort to building up a case full of coupons.

“If you don’t have the basic concepts down, coupons are not going to help you,” said Hancock.

Instead of focusing on clipping and organizing coupons, put your time into planning, said Steve Economides, who with his wife, Annette, operates the website AmericasCheapestFamily.com, and last fall wrote the book, “Cut Your Grocery Bill In Half.”

“Everything we talk about really comes down to planning in advance,” he said. “The more you plan, the more you save.”
Here’s a recipe for grocery saving success:
1. Plan meals and shopping trips to cut down on impulse purchases
The Economides family makes one major shopping trip per month, with a second to pick up necessities in between. Although they acknowledge that their shopping strategy relies on plenty of storage space and a large freezer, they advocate minimizing trips as much as possible. “The more times you go into a store, the more you’re going to pick up unplanned items,” said Annette Economides.

It’s also critical to plan meals and develop a good list. Sit down for a few minutes and map out what your family will eat for the week, and you’ll be less likely to randomly fill your cart. Check recipes to make sure you’ve got all the necessary ingredients, and aren’t inviting an extra run to the store for that last item — and six others.

2. Reduce waste through planning ahead, using leftovers
The U.S. generates more than 34 million tons of food waste each year, according to the Environmental Protection Agency. Much of that comes from homes where uneaten food gets discarded.

Overshopping is a big contributor to waste, so planning will help cut down on that problem. Hancock said one way she avoids tossing out good food is by preparing extra-large batches, and freezing a portion of what she’s cooked as a convenient second meal. While the Economides use a weekly “leftovers night” to create a smorgasbord dinner.

3. Shop sales to keep your pantry and freezer stocked
Smart shopping advocates say it’s easy to get fooled by advertising if you don’t know what food typically costs. Grocery chains often include items in their flyers that are not really on sale — or sale prices that are not their lowest. To know when an item is really a bargain, keep notes on the prices charged in various stores, and the price of items when they’re put on sale.

Be sure to put whatever storage space you have available to work. Building a stockpile of staples is an important step in stretching a budget — but that doesn’t mean you have to fill a room with surplus.

Avoid going overboard by keeping an inventory of the items in the pantry and freezer to help you decide whether it’s time to take advantage of a sale.

4. Learn what’s in season, and what goes on sale seasonally
The height of summer is prime time for many healthy fruits and vegetables, and prices drop as the various crops hit their peak. Choosing what’s in season can keep costs down, while picking healthy out-of-season produce or items shipped a long distance will require an extra bounty.
“There’s no excuse for saying I can’t eat fruits and vegetables because they cost too much,” said Annette Economides.

Find a local farmer’s market for really healthy fresh bargains. If you shop at the end of the market hours, you’ll typically find vendors offering steep discounts. Contact a local Chamber of Commerce or visit www.localharvest.org to find a market near you. Freezing or canning any extras can extend the life of those deals through the off-season.

Hancock notes that seasonal items like marinades for grilling will be on sale in spring, while baking products are discounted before the holiday season. Stocking up on items with long shelf lives during seasonal sales can help cut costs.



Healthy Lifestyle – with Bill & Sheila

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