Beautiful Dawn walk...storm rolling in over the mountain as trees whisper with the wind. Loving the dew drops on my dog's nose.
Ginger's Got It Goin' On
Next time you reach for an Advil or Tylenol, think about using Ginger instead as a natural way to combat inflammation.
Ginger root has anti-inflammatory properties that can be beneficial for people with arthritis, fibromyalgia and seasonal allergies.
Ginger is a gastric stimulant that can kick-start your organs in the morning, influence a good digestive system and break down fat. It's known to alleviate bloating, flatulence, diarrhea and constipation; relieve dizziness and nausea; lower cholesterol levels and decrease systemic blood pressure.
Ginger possesses blood thinning capabilities that help in the treatment of heart disease and it boosts your immune system by warming the body and helping it break down the accumulation of toxins in the organs, particularly the lungs and sinuses.
KICK START YOUR DAY. Drink 8oz of “Good Girl Ginger Tea” first thing every morning. The anti-oxidant powers of ginger are a great way to clear your system and your sinuses. Here's a quick and easy way to prepare...
Peel and slice organic ginger into thin pieces, approximately 1 cup and place in a large 4 cup teapot. Boil water and wait for it to cool down to about 140°F/60°C to prevent burning all the goodness out of the ginger then pour water over ginger. Let sit until cooled. Refrigerate overnight and drink first thing on an empty stomach in the morning. Add lemon or [local] honey if you like. You can probably get a second pot from the same ginger, so go on, add some more hot water for another round! Do this every day and you might never need to pop Tylenol ever again. Go Good Girl, Go!
Here is a helpful article from Dr Oz in The Oz Blog .
Garlic: The "Allicin Wonderland Drug"
There's no need to wear garlic around your neck, but eating it most definitely keeps the baddies away. Garlic has antioxidant, antibacterial, antiviral, anti-clotting, and anti-cancer properties BUT ONLY IF you let it sit for ten minutes after crushing or slicing it.*
Heating garlic immediately after pressing it adversely impacts its healing abilities by destroying the enzyme that triggers the all-important reaction when two substances in garlic come in contact with one another - the protein fragment alliin and the enzyme alliinase. The two won't commingle until crushed. When they join, they produce allicin - the mighty allium super hero. So chop, mince, slice, or mash your garlic but don't plunk it straight into that heated oil. Keep it away from heat for ten minutes so that the maximum amount of allicin can be produced, delivering a bounty of scientifically proven healing properties straight to your body. Garlic is known to:
- reduce heart disease as it helps prevent blood clots by decreasing the stickiness of platelets;
- lower LDL cholesterol without hurting beneficial HDL cholesterol levels;
- boost our immune system;
- lower blood pressure;
- fight certain cancers, particularly those in the intestines;
- reduce the size of cancerous tumors;
- reduce pain and other symptoms associated with rheumatoid arthritis;
- act as an antibiotic as it kills a range of microbes including viruses, bacteria, fungi and parasites such as athlete's foot, thrush [a fungal infection of the mouth] and viral diarrhea.
* This healthy tip was provided by Jo Robinson, author of Eating on the Wild Side. For more wild tips from Ms Robinson, stay tuned as Good Girl learns "a radical new way to select and prepare foods to reclaim the nutrients and flavor we've lost."
Olive a little longer: Ditch the fat-free store-bought salad dressing
Did you know that we cannot absorb some of the most important nutrients in salad greens unless the dressing or the meal contains some type of fat? That's right, friends. Stay away from fat-free dressings as they limit your absorption of the fat-soluble vitamins found in greens. Soybean is the most common oil in commercial salad dressings and it takes almost seven times more soybean oil to get the same results as olive oil, which does the best job of making compounds bioavailable. From now on, keep it simple and healthy: make your own salad dressing using unfiltered extra virgin olive oil + garlic [crush to get all the healthy benefits of allicins] + organic apple cider vinegar + salt and pepper to taste.
This healthy tip was provided by Jo Robinson, author of Eating on the Wild Side. For more wild tips from Ms Robinson, stay tuned as Good Girl learns from Jo Robinson "a radical new way to select and prepare foods to reclaim the nutrients and flavor we've lost."
Don't Sweat the Little Things
Looking for an organic deodorant that supports your body's natural detoxification process without risky antiperspirants like aluminum salts? Even the most sensitive underarms will appreciate Nourish Organic deodorant , an organic, gluten-free blend of naturally deodorizing cornstarch and vegetable protein, shea and cocoa butters, beeswax and coconut oil that really works. There's also Weleda's Sage deodorant. Described as an "earthy, unisex" deodorant, It’s a refreshing, non-aerosol spray that uses neutralizing herbal fragrance and pure essential oils. The distinct aroma and astringent properties of organic sage and tea tree leaf oil are complemented with delicately blended essential oils. While Weleda's deodorant is not certified organic, Weleda pledges that all its products contain: No synthetic preservatives, No synthetic fragrances, No synthetic chemicals, No synthetic anything...and that's refreshing.
Good Girl Amy Huebner Spreads The Word with Dr Oz
Good Girl Amy Huebner and all the folks at Fire Cider work hard to spread the word about food as medicine. They contribute to making our food system healthy and wholesome for all. We're all connected in the food chain. In a recent blog post, Amy writes, "healing our food system and turning it into something that’s health building, good for mother earth and sustainable into the future is up to us as individuals and is the responsibility of all of us who work in the natural foods industry." Read more about Amy's path to wellness in the Good Girl story on her, and here's a clip from Dr Oz.
Salad Days!
Nothing beats a bag of fresh picked mixed greens from Peace Haven Farm in Becket, MA. It's filled with wild greens, baby kale, 5 different lettuces, rutabaga leaves, mizuna flowers, arugula, pak choi, tatsoi, mustard greens, collard greens and spinach too! If you frequently eat green salads, you're likely to have higher blood levels of powerful antioxidants [vitamin C and E, folic acid, lycopene, and alpha- and beta-carotene] especially if you include raw vegetables. Tear your greens and double [even quadruple] their anti-oxidant power. For more helpful tips from Jo Robinson, New York Times Bestselling author of Eating on the Wild Side click here and scroll down to “12 Terrific Tips.” Enjoy!
Day 14 - Rest Easy
Ditching sugar, breaking up with wheat, banning gluten, and walking away from booze were easy detoxes compared to letting go of caffeine. It's a doozie, but this final detox - in addition to all the other detoxes - has gifted me the best sleep I've had in years, and for that alone, I am forever grateful for this whole dreadful caffeine detox world I am in right now. If you are thinking of bailing on caffeine, rest assured you will rest easy, Go, Good Girl, Go!
Lucky 13?
It's Day 13 - no java no nice. I am having a really tough time today. My brain feels like it is sloshing around in there and I question whether or not I should even be out in public...but lucky for me, I bumped my cart into the nice young man working in the produce section at Guido's Fresh Market. I fessed up and told him it wasn't the vodka on my cornflakes and he pleasantly reassured me that by Day 21 things should be looking brighter. Well ok then, that'll keep me clean for another week. I also need to be more patient and remind myself why I am doing this, like a mantra bringing me nearer to a better place... I am not depriving myself of the joys of a latte. I am instead choosing to make my gut less acidic and [gulp] to FULLY embrace the anti-inflammatory diet my body needs to manage the pain of fibromyalgia.
Ten Days That Shook My World...
Day 10. 1/3 of the way through my 30 day no caffeine-no dairy elimination. I am really not happy. I miss my Latte. Coffee makes life so much more...enjoyable. It softens up those rough edges and wakes me every morning with the sweet words: I am always here for you. I have never felt worse and my brain feels likes it's sloshing around in my head. I will stick to it ... just wanted to be perfectly honest about all this - it is NO FUN. pout pout stamp foot.
Some Like it HOT! A spicy Chai to make me forget [I am missing coffee]
Spicy Chai all the day long. Here's a perfect chaser to a morning Fire Cider shot. You can sip it all day long and your house will smell sooo good.
20 cloves + 20 cardamom pods + 20 peppercorns + spoonful of fennel seeds + a few cinnamon sicks + 5 fingers of fresh, thinly sliced ginger + vanilla. Combine spices in tea pot, add 3-4 cups of water and bring to boil. The longer you let it sit, the better. Strain and squuueeeze that lemon. It's a Zinger! A pot can last for way more than just one round if you keep replenishing water but keep it refrigerated over night.
Day 8 - Life after Coffee?
It's been a long time coming, and I've resisted for too long. I've finally eliminated coffee and milk from my diet... 8 days ago. Am I missing my latte? Yes! Am I cranky, irritable, and sore? Yes! but who isn't during daylight savings? I am my own experiment and looking forward to the 30 day report to see if this is another monumental life change for me...ever hopeful, time for some homemade spicy chai [recipe above]
Treats!
Heat wave today, with sunshine and temperatures reaching 30...time to wash the car and thank the sweet girl at the car wash for her bright smile and the joy she got from feeding my dogs treats out the back of my car. Treats indeed, nothing quite like a big smile from a stranger.
Sunshiney Day!
Storms are over and the big sky is back! but if you're still feeling a bit sore and achy, don't reach for the Advil...peel and chop a handful of organic ginger instead. Place it in a small tea pot. Add boiling water over the ginger and let sit over night. First thing in the morning, have a glass to go with your Fire Cider shot [and probiotic of choice]. Go, Good Girl, Go!
Morning, Sunshine
Protein and Greens for breakfast today! Scrambled Organic Extra Large Grade A eggs [1 egg packs a mighty 7g of protein + Omega-3s, Lutein, Choline, and Vitamin D]. 1 slice toasted Food for Life's 100% Flourless 7 Sprouted Grains [1 slice has 4g protein and only 1g sugar]. ADD GREEN to fill half your plate, lightly steamed or raw however you like your spinach, baby kale, or brocolli. Go, Good Girl, Go!
Glorious Oats - Winter Fuel
There are so many ways to enjoy winter and its big sky beauty. Bob's Red Mill Gluten Free Old Fashioned Rolled Oats mixed with Bob's Gluten Free Quick Cooking Oats [you decide how much of each]. Follow directions on bag and cook oats in 1 part boiling water and 1 part real milk [or all water if you are dairy free]. Add to cooked oats: 1 packet Carrington Farm Organic Flax Paks Flax Seeds [Milled, not crushed] + organic walnuts and pecans, topped with fresh raspberries and warmed milk or fresh cream [or non-dairy substitute]. If you must sweeten, a little bit of Now Organic "Better Stevia" goes a long way. Now you're ready to hit the slopes or put your snowshoes on!! Go, Good Girl, Go!
Happy
Happy Dance. Happy You. Happy Me. Happy New Year, indeed.