Did things get a little crazy this Thanksgiving ? Were you double fisting turkey legs while polishing off a whole bottle of wine... by yourself ?Did you stuff your face with stuffing or snack on leftover Pumpkin Pie for breakfast? If so, it's not too late to start fresh and get your body back into shape before the holidays.

While it's always fun to throw your inhibitions to the wind and indulge your every desire, you might find yourself feeling sick and sluggish this winter. After Thanksgiving, many tend to continue the celebration by feasting on poor food choices for the next month, waiting till New Years to kick their bodies back into shape. Well, why wait when you can start now!

Firstly, I am not a big fan of intense cleanses. I don't believe in starving your body after a night of shameful indulgence. This type of lifestyle can be very harsh on the body because you are continually changing from two extremes. First, you stuff yourself with an abundance of junk food, salt, sugar and alcohol and then deprive your body of nourishment. When you undergo intense cleanses such as " The Lemonade Diet" or "The Master Cleanse," (a liquid mono diet where you live off of water, lemon, maple syrup and cayenne pepper for 10 to 40 days) your body goes into shock and believes there is a famine. Since your body's main goal is to survive, it sets up a defense mechanism called " The Starvation Response." According to Joshua Rosenthal, founder and director of Integrative Nutrition, "your body will suck up every calorie from the small amount of nutrients you give it and when you finally break the fast your body will rapidly put on weight." Also, many become so ravenous after these cleanses that they binge eat. As you can see, this entirely defeats the whole point of cleansing.

In contrast, I believe cleansing should an ongoing process by incorporating more raw living foods that are rich in vitamins and minerals. Instead of fasting, begin cleansing by going back to basics. Trade in massed produced, genetically modified foods for light, fresh, organic fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds and whole grains. Now instead of starving , you'll be giving your body what it truly needs, while removing toxins and heavy metals. Bellow are a list of foods created by Jordan Rubin who is one of the most recognized and respected natural health experts.

1. Avocados : high in fiber, potassium and vitamin E

2. Flax Seeds and Chia Seeds: rich in fiber, fatty acids, promote healthy cellular structure

3. Raw Coconut Cream: medium chain fatty acid that promotes positive intestinal environment

4. Raw Vegetable Juice: provides vitamins, minerals, enzymes, and antioxidants

5. Blueberries: low in sugar and high in fiber superfood, rich in antioxidants

6.Cucumbers: high in fiber and minerals and are perfect for hydrating

7. Tomatoes: a gentle form of fiber and rich in vitamin C and the antioxidant lycopene

8. Raw Cultured Veggies: sauerkraut in particular has billions of live probiotics and active sulfur compounds that help detoxify the liver (our major fat burning organ)

These foods are ideal for getting your body hydrated and nourished. A few things to eliminate during this natural cleansing process are:

1. Processed Foods

2. Refined Sugar: (white table sugar) stick to natural sugar like honey or stevia (which has 0 calories ... your welcome !)

3. Refined Grains: ( white bread, bagels ) If its white ... it aren't right ! stick to whole grains like whole wheat bread, brown rice, oats, quinoa

4. No Caffeine !

5. No Alcohol

Try eating these foods for a week. Many such as myself, feel so good eating this way that living

foods become primary in my daily diet. Your body will have more energy, you'll be hydrated and you'll be getting plenty of fiber, minerals, vitamins and nourishment.

" to eat is a necessity, but to eat intelligently is an art"

... La Rochefoucauld

Peace, Love & Rock'n Roll

Happy Healthy Hippie

Stress.. The Grym Reaper of Today !

Have you ever had one of those days when you are stressed the F out? Everything you touch falls apart, you're consumed with deadlines, financial issues and problems that seem impossible to overcome ? Well what if I told you that your stress is causing more harm than the actual thing your stressing about!

Long ago, stress was used to help us survive when our lives were being threatened by predators . Today, we are still experiencing the same physical reaction as if our lives were in danger, except now your stressing about your tivo breaking and missing the season finale of Mad Men. See the problem ?

In a study conducted by neuroendocrinologist, Robert Maurice Sapolsky, he researched issues of stress and neuronal degeneration in Kenya while studying a population of wild baboons. What he found was that when animals became stressed, everything that was not essential to survival was no longer utilized. The lungs worked overtime to pump oxygen into the bloodstream, the heart beat increased dramatically to pump the oxygen to the muscles and blood pressure rises to deliver the energy throughout the body. As a result, cellular functions such as growth, reproduction, tissue repair, and the immune system all shut down. We as humans are experiencing these same effects on a regular and permanent basis throughout our entire lives.

By constantly experiencing this "fight or flight" response, many neglect to see the link between stress and sickness, causing catastrophic harm to your body and spiritual and mental well being. In particular, stress increases the flow of hormones and damages blood vessels, creating more plaque in the arteries and leads to high blood pressure. Stress also may have something to do with haziness and slow learning. Subsequently, stress and anxiety has the ability to damage brain cells in the hippocampus, the part of the brain responsible for memory and learning. In other words, stress can make you seem a a little "special"... well in a mentally challenged kind of way :)

Stress has also been proven to damage our immune system and intensify symptoms such as headaches, colds, irritable bowel syndrome and even some link stress to cancer. Stress can lead to poor diet habits and also affect your mental state of being.

So what do you do to fight off the big bad monster known as stress ? Stop, breathe and give yourself permission to be selfish. Whatever it is that you have to do can wait. By giving yourself that extra moment to take a step back, you'll find that you'll have the clarity and calmness to deal with the problem in a more effective and powerful way. Take some precious, selfish time to just be you. Go for a hike, take a yoga class, go for a run, meditate or do whatever makes you feel alive and in your body. I find that being out in nature and feeling the dirt beneath my feat while filling my lungs with fresh air has a truly euphoric effect on my body, mind and spirit. Take delicious time to be with yourself, without fear, judgment or the need to please anyone but yourself.

Lastly, another way to help reduce stress and create a more peaceful and happier world is to have compassion for others. In Robert Maurice Sapolsky's studies, he discovered that "telomerase" is an enzyme that repairs telomeres that protect our DNA. He found that expressing care and thoughtfulness towards others lead to an increase of telomerase. So next time you feel rage and anxiety burning inside you, remember to take a moment and connect with others. In the words of the Dalai Lama " kindness is society." By living from a more compassionate viewpoint, we can create not only a better life for ourselves but for the world.

Peace

Veggies

and Rock'n Roll

Love,

Happy Healthy Hippie !