Category: Colon Health

Water & Juice Fast

I just finished my water and juice fast. The day I started, 17 days ago, I didn’t even know I was going on a fast. Me, who loves visualizing a goal first before starting anything substantial. I still do value the importance of starting with a strong mindset but this time my only thought at the start of that day was; “I don’t feel like eating today, only drinking water”. And that’s how it started.

I only had a 24 hour long water fast. Simply because I wasn’t prepared mentally for a longer one on purely water and I was longing for juices. So juicing it was. I drank water each day as long as I could and made a green juice in the evening.

The second day I thought that it would be nice to hold on for two weeks. I posted a few sentences on face book and my water/ juice fast was born. I received so many comments and likes on that post that I was stimulated to update everybody day by day. The comments and emails where wonderful, right from the heart, grateful for being so inspiring.

The second week a new illumination came to me and it felt so natural to do a liver/gallbladder flush. I had done one last year with light meals but what if I would combine it with only water and juices? Wouldn’t that make a perfect combo? It turned out to work just fine and what more, I didn’t have to go through the mental preparation of another cleanse. It is good to do a gallbladder flush at the start of each new season and since spring is in the air…

I was so pleasantly surprised and touched by what all my face book friends wrote me that I became just as inspired! I became aware of how much this topic is appealing to people and how scared many of them are to start a fast alone. I also became even more aware of how alive the wish is to get rid of all junk and toxins in the body, the wish to feel good and healthy.

This is when I knew I had to take this momentum and do something with it. I started writing an eBook about fasting and what the possible side effects are, based on my experiences and what I had been reading before. I felt that the eBook would help but still, something was missing. I want to guide you through this fast personally.

This is why I am writing a program for you if you want to go on a fast but are postponing the moment because of numerous reasons. Maybe you are wishing that you could do it but that it feels lonely somehow. What I noticed during those weeks of intense interaction with others is that the fear of doing a fast is mostly doing it alone and not being able to hold on to it. Well, you are not alone if we do this together. You will feel motivated, supported and strong in your commitment to your health.

When this juicy program will be up? I hope very soon! I will keep you updated for sure. There will be a free tele call first to tell you all about the program. I can’t wait to share my experiences, to walk and support you through each step of the way!

Super Chia Smoothie

You will love, love LOVE this smooth smoothie! I do! I am enjoying it right now while I am writing. I simply have to share this wonderful recipe which started in some kind of a minor because I was out of bananas and leafy green vegetables and didn’t feel like going out in the rain. My throat was feeling soar since last night and I felt tired when I woke up this morning so I had to make a super smoothie fast!

I was wondering how to replace the smoothness of a banana in my smoothie. I opened my fridge, hm, soaked chia seeds could do the trick. And ripe pears for some sweetness. My favorite loyal coconut oil would help too for sure. This is how I brew this overnice super boosting smoothie. After drinking one glass I feel the energy coming back and the sourness has gone.

This smoothie is packed with essential fatty oils (3 to 10 times the oil concentrations of most grains), proteins (one and a half to two times the protein concentrations of other grains), linoleic (the unsaturated fatty acid which the body can’t produce) and calcium ( it contains the important mineral boron, a catalyst for the absorption of calcium).

TOOLS YOU NEED

  • A blender
  • A sharp knife
  • A cutting board

INGREDIENTS FOR ALMOST 1 QUART

  • About 3-4 cups rejuvelac (you can also use water, tea or coconut water… but the rejuvelac is so great!)
  • 1 C soaked chia seeds
  • 2 C blueberries (when you take frozen berries in winter, you don’t have to add ice)
  • 2 ripe pears
  • 2 TBS coconut oil
  • 2 tsp maca
  • 1 tsp bee pollen
  • 2 TBS supergreen powder (Amazing Grass is very good and tasting lovely!)
  • 2 TBS hemp seeds
  • 2 TBS honey

THE MAKING OF…

Blend until very smooth ( a bit longer to break down all the chia seeds) and soak all the goodies in this goddess drink…

TIPS

  • Chia seeds have no taste so you can easily add other flavors while enjoying all the great nutrients of chia (EFA’s!)
  • You can add chocolate, goji berries… their rich flavors will always take over from the chia seeds
  • Soak a few cups of chia seeds overnight and store what you don’t need in a sealed glass container in the refrigerator; they stay good for two weeks
  • Chia seeds can help you to lose weight because of their good fats. Moreover they are very filling and help you control hunger in a natural way



Green Green Grass Of Home

Grown wheatgrass

Nothing is as simple as growing grass and yet… a lot of people seem to have trouble to get those green blades up and ready to juice.  So I thought it might be a good idea to tell you how you can be successful in growing your lovely waving  grass  in the light at your window. What are the most common problems I hear about?

  • Mold
  • The berries take a long time to sprout
  • The grass is growing irregularly and much too ‘thin’

I must say I had some trouble when I started too. All you need is a little bit of practice and some good tips. When you have a problem, ask yourself what is the cause and you go on from there to find your own solution. But you won’t have to with this little guide…

Green Green Grass Of Home

Let me start from the beginning; sprouting the berries. The first times when I was sewing my wheatgrass, ( and I bet a lot of starters do) I simple threw the seeds in a tray with organic soil, drenched it with water and put it up in the light because when you need to grow something, it needs light no? Nope, it doesn’t! Actually seeds need to be in the dark to be triggered and sprout. They need that signal; “you are under the ground so better start growing so you can see the light!” To grow your grass easier, you have to help it a bit by soaking and sprouting the seeds first.

Soaking

SOAKING BEFORE SEWING

  • Rinse one cup of wheatberries so eventual residue can come off
  • Soak  them covered up with pure water overnight
  • Next morning rinse them until the water is clear
  • Put them in a sprouting bag or jar and turn the jar upside down so the water is removed and the seeds can’t get moldy
  • Cover up with a dark towel and place them where you don’t forget about them
  • Rinse them 2 to 3 times a day
  • When they get their little tail, they are ready to sew

Ready to sew, the tails may even be smaller

SEWING

  • Take a plastic tray that is perforated (this is important so the seeds will never be too wet and grow mold)
  • Make  a layer of organic soil of about 1.96 to 2 inches (the quality of the grass is depending on the quality of the soil!)
  • Wet the soil but don’t make it too wet (mold)
  • Now you can sew your sprouts; very thick! You may not see any soil anymore or you will only have some poor blades)

Every day!

  • Spray the seeds
  • Take a piece of newspaper, make it wet and cover the tray with it (this way the seeds can keep the moist they need)
  • Place this tray in a dark, cool place
  • Wet the newspaper every day, and spray the soil and seeds very well(this way you won’t get too much water in the tray)

White Grass After Two Days

  • After two or three days, you will have lovely white grass
  • When it is about 2.7 inches or 7 cm high, take the newspaper off, get it out of the dark and bring into the sunlight!

Into The Light

  • Now the miracle happens and it is always lovely to see it happen; photosynthesis turns the grass green and makes it grow
  • After about 7 days, your grass will be about 6 inches or even more

Ready for Harvest

HARVEST & JUICE

The way you harvest your grass is just as important to receive all the minerals and nutrients. Most minerals are close to the soil.

Harvest

  • Take a sharp knife or scissors and cut off the grass as close as possible to the soil.
  • The best way to get all the juice out of grass is juice it with a slow juicer or manual juicer.
  • If you don’t have either of them, you can make a diluted version with your blender: put two handfuls of grass in it and pour a little bit of water on top to get it going, blend and strain through a fine sieve or a nut milk bag. This juice is not as strong as the real thing, but it is still better than having none. This is how I did it until I could buy my slow juicer.

Wheatgrass Juice From The Blender

TIPS & NOTES

  • Don’t blend grass too long in your blender; it may dull the blade
  • Mold can be caused by too much water, but also by too few water! When you spray your seeds, you have much more control.
  • Choose a very good organic soil to benefit your grass at the fullest! Grass absorbs about 97% of all minerals in the soil; so if you want to have good quality wheat grass, the soil has to be rich in minerals.
  • Buy organic seeds who will give you all you need.
  • Something I always do to give my soil extra vitamins and enzymes is when I rinse my smoothie glass, I use that water to spray the grass. If it doesn’t help, it sure won’t harm and by the way; I am sure it is the best fertilizer for my grass.
  • Don’t let the seeds sprout too long. Don’t wait with sewing until their tail is very long; it will take away their strength and they will grow slow and look poor. A little tail is all you need; the wall is now soft enough and the sprout is ready to grow.
  • Wheatgrass can be different depending on the kind of seeds you bought. Some seeds give long, narrow blades as the ones I was growing above. But you will also notice that other pictures have grass with wider blades. I prefer those because they are much juicier.
  • If you always want a tray ready, start a system with a routine that keeps you juicing and drinking this healing grass.
  • When you have mold, you can’t juice the grass anymore. Throw it upside down on your compost; it brings oxygen in compost.
  • You can grow and harvest one tray twice; it will look rougher and not as long anymore but just fine to juice!
  • The grass will “eat” all the soil and form a “mat” with the roots. This is first class compost!
  • A great organic brand for wheatberries is Geo. The seeds are strong and the grass is …. sweet and green! To purchase feel free to visit my website.

Geo seeds and their grass

Good luck! If any questions, feel free to email me.

Super(b) Smoothie

The less I think about what to put in my morning smoothie, the better it gets! Of course you have to be lucky with the individual tastes of the vegetables and fruits you grab because they vary every day. But well, I was lucky and if you have sweet pears and bananas available nothing much can go wrong with this combination.

Slamming Smoothie

TOOLS YOU NEED

  • A blender
  • A sharp knife
  • A cutting board

INGREDIENTS

  • 4 small leaves of kale (or two large ones)
  • A frozen banana (you can take unfrozen too)
  • A sweet pear
  • Fill up your blender with spinach
  • A grab of parsley
  • A handful of Goji Berries (it adds sweetness and so many great nutrients!)
  • 1 tsp beepollen
  • 1 tsp Maca
  • 1 TBS coconut butter
  • Rejuvelac (see the recipe here; I added slices of lemon and mint to this batch)

THE MAKING OF…

  • Throw everything in your blender
  • Blend and chew that smooth smoothie! Cheers!

    Super Smoothie

Alive Smoothie

I make smoothies every day. But sometimes you have that one smoothie which exceeds all others. It is a combination of factors and you don’t have them always under control. Each smoothie tastes different, even with the exact same ingredients. Simply because all vegetables and fruit add their own personal flavor. One banana can be soothing sweet and another hardly have any taste. Same with juices; one pound of carrots can taste like heaven and another will be rather bitter and spoil your sweet soup. So a lot depends on that willing touch of your chosen fruit of that day.

Notice the oxygen bubbling up in this smoothie! Ready to shake you up and make you come alive!

Sometimes you think you are brewing the greatest smoothie ever and when you take your first highly expecting sip, it turns out you can hardly swallow it down. It happens to everybody. So what can you do then with that rich smoothie, full of nutrients and expensive superfoods and greens and fruit? Drink it up with two fingers shutting your nose? Because the last thing you want to do is throw it out!

I discovered how to save those “failures” and have a wonderful drink after all. Just pour that smoothie in your nut milk bag and sssquuueeeze out the juice. The pulp is a great fertilizer for your wheatgrass (mingle it under your soil, all those minerals will be soaked by the grass and provide you strong shots!) and the juice… the juice is just great! The taste changes and you can pour all the glorious nutrients down to your body.

But now more about my Alive Smoothie. I always use what I have laying around and was lucky with the combination and the great tastes of the greens and fruits. My mustard greens were soft, the banana sweet, the spinach soothing, and then… my secret weapon: rejuvelac! You know how much I am into this elixir of life. I always use it to make my smoothies the best, both taste and content.

When you use rejuvelac instead of water, you add an extra dimension; life. And that is what you will feel in your body; life. You can make a whole lot of rejuvelac and store it easily for two weeks in your refrigerator or in your basement so you don’t have anything else to do but grab and smooth away.

Alive Smoothie

TOOLS YOU NEED

A blender

INGREDIENTS

  • One sweet banana
  • A handful of mustard greens
  • Two leaves of kale
  • A grab of parsley
  • Fill up the rest with spinach
  • A handful of Goiji Berries
  • A TBS Maca
  • A TBS bee pollen
  • Fill up the blender until halfway with rejuvelac

THE MAKING OF…

  • Blend and taste. Not sweet enough to your taste? Add a juicy pear…

Drink, chew and be alive!

Mustard Green

Killer Carrots

Juicy Stuff

If you are still wondering where to get your proteins from when you go raw you can stop now and be reassured that you will get all you need with raw food. And with raw juices. This is one of the reasons why you have to eat a varied scale of vegetables, fruits, nuts, seeds and sprouts. Also eat all the colors in the rainbow to receive all the antioxidants you want to look younger and feel better.

Carrots are sweeties. Not just because of their soothing taste but because of the treasure of nutrients they are offering us in one glass of juice. They provide vitamins A, B1, B6, C, D, E, G and K, minerals such as calcium, potassium, iron and phosphorus, traces of carbohydrates and proteins.

Color your life

If you dream of  a smooth skin; carrots make it look healthy! They have extreme properties for skin health.

  • Carrot juice contains carotenoids which reduce risk of a heart attack and regulate blood circulation
  • The phytonutrient ‘falcarinol’ helps in the protection against colon cancer
  • And yes, it is true that they are good for vision, especially for night sight because of the beta-carotene
  • Drink more carrot juice and notice how much better your hair, skin and nails will look
  • Carrot juice also contains essential oils. They help digestion and therefor are fighting acne.
  • Drinking carrot juice in summer will help you to protect against sunburn. It heals damages caused by the sun
  • The antioxidants slow down the aging process and protect you against free radicals
  • It lowers high blood pressure and cholesterol
  • A load of iron helps to reduce anemia

And again, this is a list that goes on and on. It is good to know what vegetables and fruits can mean for your body. Just juice what you need to jazz up your health and you will feel the difference soon!

TOOLS YOU NEED

A juicer, a sharp knife and a cutting board

INGREDIENTS

  • 8 to 10 fresh organic carrots
  • A big chunk of ginger

THE MAKING OFF…

  • Juice your stuff and feel juicy…

Carrot Ginger Juice

Orange With A Twist

It is the season of the oranges. They are juicier and sweeter than ever during this time of year. I almost forgot how nice a simple orange juice can be. Then I saw that last piece of lemongrass and thought; “What if I …?”

Juicy Stuff!

A very simple juice, but only one glass is covering five fruit servings. We are so used to squeezing oranges but what do we know about them? That they are rich in vitamin C, yes. But did you know that they also…

  • … have high levels of magnesium and potassium? So one glass a day will balance high blood pressure!
  • … have inflammatory  properties and help relieve joint pains?
  • … contain folate and increase growth of skin cells and blood cells?
  • … contain enough nutrients and minerals to boost your immune system?
  • … are very good for your bones and teeth because of their calcium?
  • … are very rich in antioxidants and the carotenoids fight free radicals to reduce damage to your cells?
  • … enable a good DNA in your body with their niacin content?
  • … are a rich source of phytonutrients who make the nutrients work optimal?

A lot of good reasons to make that fast juice in the morning when you are out of time!

TOOLS YOU NEED

  • A juicer
  • A sharp knife and cutting board

INGREDIENTS

  • Three oranges
  • One stalk of lemongrass

THE MAKING OF…

Juice and twist!

Orange Twist

Upbeet

Juice Up Your Health!

I never was really fond of beets until I started juicing them. They are now on my list of favorites. Not only because they make the loveliest juices, but also the best ones for your health. Drink one glass of beet juice every day and it will beat high blood pressure. Beets also increase the body’s production of glutathione, the most important antioxidant we have. Without glutathione, our most powerful detoxifier of cancer-causing poisons, you can’t absorb other antioxidants or can’t pull the environmental chemicals into the colon where they can be removed. So they will stay in our precious body, causing serious health problems.

High cholesterol? Too low cancer-destroying CD8 cells in the colon? Skin problems? Stress? Digestive disorders? Beet juice takes care of you and ‘upbeets’ your health with its rich content of antioxidants, vitamin A, C, B6, B1, B2, calcium, sulfur, sodium, iodine, bioflanonoids, potassium and natural sugars. Oh and don’t forget the source of dietary fiber, carbohydrates, folic acid, magnesium, biotin and niacin.

When you start drinking beet juice, you might experience some diarrhea in the beginning, red stool and urine. Don’t worry and remind that you have been drinking red beets before running off to the doctor. It will go away by itself and when you drink it more often and is purifying you, you will notice less or no coloring as time goes by.

Beet Before...

TOOLS YOU NEED

  • A juicer
  • A sharp knife and cutting board

INGREDIENTS

  • One beet, unpeeled if it is organic
  • Two apples, cored

THE MAKING OF…

Cut, juice and get your upbeet!

Beet After...

Good Mood Juices

Dark weather all day long, rain, cold wind, the birds stopped singing: winter can’t be far away. I feel like looking at colors… and drinking them to juice up my mood. I took what I could find in the refrigerator; beets, carrots en fennel. I grabbed apples and oranges and decided to make very simple, pure drinks. Oh, this beauty!

Color your mood!

I have to share these good mood juices. Even if you can almost predict by looking at them what they are. Some got a little twist.

Sweet Fennel Juice

Have you ever thought of drinking fennel just as it is? I mostly add it to salads or to mixed juices to sweeten and freshen it up. But eaten on its own it can be a quiet overwhelming after a while. As a juice though, you can’t get it enough. With its extraordinary anise flavor, it is like no other juice. A great choice if you are longing for a drink in the evening. You can leave that bottle of Ricard; juice a fennel and you have the same taste. With much more benefits! Fennel is very rich in phytoestrogens and therefor helping with a lot of issues such as…

  • colic, wind, irritable bowel
  • spleen
  • liver
  • lungs
  • kidneys
  • digestive system
  • menstruation
  • increased urine flow

Fennel Green

But fennel is also used to treat…

  • asthma
  • anxiety
  • depression
  • high blood pressure
  • decreased libido
  • coughs
  • heartburn

And the list goes on. But let’s juice now and “feel” instead of read about benefits.

TOOLS YOU NEED

  • A juicer
  • A sharp knife and cutting board

INGREDIENTS

  • One big fennel

THE MAKING OF…

Juice and enjoy heaven!

Sweet Fennel Juice

Electrolyte Shock

When I woke up I had no idea what time it was. It was too dark, too silent, too weary to get up. I notice that I am even more sensitive than ever to the changing hours in autumn. Only one hour, but my whole system still seems disturbed after a week. Even the metabolic clock of my pets is messed up; they start waiting for food one hour earlier than usual.

Electrolytes!

I was wondering what to do about it when it struck me. I would start my day with an electrolyte shock to awaken and coop with the dark weather. So I jumped out of the bed, showered, dressed and took one of my fresh Thai coconuts out of the refrigerator. I grabbed my impressive meat cleaver -with which I will never cleave meat!- and chopped off the coconuts head.  Hmm, have to make a picture of this, I thought. I have to write about all these electrolytes in only one glass! Have you never wondered how this energizing water gets into this heavenly nut? I did!

Electrolytes in a glass

I found the answer when I was reading David Wolfe’s book “Superfoods”. What is so beautiful about coconuts is that they carry and nurture their water as a human pregnancy. Almost nine months is how long it takes to filter each quart in that hard shell. Which must make you wonder how it got there in the first place. Let me quote the master himself here because I can’t think of other words: “The water rises through innumerable fibers which purify the water before it ends up in the sterile nut.”  This water is the most powerful water in nature because of the highest levels of electrolytes.

Moreover young coconut water is very similar to the structure of our blood plasma and therefor was even used in  the Pacific battles of World War II as blood transfusion for wounded soldiers. Coconut water in our veins?? Our blood exists of about 55% of plasma (about the same structure as coconut water) and 45% of hemoglobin (for the transportation of oxygen). This hemoglobin is “essentially transformed plant blood”, chlorophyll. So this means that when you make yourself a drink of fresh coconut water (55% plasma) mixed with fresh green leaf juice or the by Dr. Ann Wigmore recommended wheatgrass juice (45% hemoglobin), you will treat your body on a blood transfusion. Isn’t this amazingly easy?!

Blood Transfusion

If you can’t imagine that you will be able to drink a combination like this, let me give you these very simple yet lovely tips.

  • Use coconut water as the base of your smoothies. It is delicious and will sweeten it up.
  • Take a glass of coconut water and add one table spoon of “green superfood” which is packed with the chlorophyll of barley, wheatgrass, broccoli, spirulena, chlorella and many others. This is what I did here and it tastes… heavenly!
  • Drink this is the morning on an empty stomach if you want the full benefits of it and a quick absorption in the blood.
  • Oh, and give this magic drink to your children before they take off to school! They will be fit and concentrated and love the taste because it is very sweet.

My body is tingling now and my mind is clear. (I drank the green version while I was writing). The effect of this booster is almost immediately. It only takes five minutes to feel your blood pump. So get those young Thai coconuts, grow your grass, juice your greens and get in tune with your body!

Sources: David Wolfe “Superfoods” and my own experiences.

Juicy Stuff!

After two days of wiggling from juices to smoothies to salads, I had a very juicy day! And guess what; I wasn’t hungry for one moment, or even craving. Once you flow with the clean feeling you get when you add more an more juices, it all goes by itself. I am now thriving and feeling so much better. It is amazing in how a short notice juices can calm down the body and uplift it to more energy and clarity!

Juicy Stuff!

I am starting my day very simple: with water. I even keep drinking water and herbal tea until noon before I make my first juice. It has a great effect on my body. It feels very clean and light when I give it a chance to get rid of all toxins of the day before. Because this is what happens in the body in the morning until noon; it is awakening and releasing all the toxins of previous meals. This is also the reason why it is best to start your day with a light meal.

But let me share this great juice with you, because it tasted so heavenly!

TOOLS YOU NEED

  • A Juicer
  • A sharp knife and a cutting board

INGREDIENTS

  • Two big apples, cored
  • One pear
  • One kiwi
  • About 6 to 8 carrots
  • A BIG chunk of ginger (I love ginger! so if you don’t, you can leave it out or add less)
  • One lime

THE MAKING OF…

Juice and slurp!

You will be amazed how filling this juice is. Leave one hour between several juices to give them a bit of time to digest. But that will no problem. It took me hours to feel the first hunger and make a  very green juice of cucumber, celery stalks, kelp granules, dandelion and spinach. Enjoy!

Orange Without "Orange" Juice

Jazz Up Your Health!

Ah juices, aren’t they heavenly. I started a soft and gentle cleanse yesterday with juices, smoothies and simple salads. My purpose is to start slowly and only drink juices for a few days. I abandoned nuts for a while because once autumn, I feel like eating them more and more. I was way passed my one handful a day, so had to say stop! and turn the wheel.

Juice Up Your Health!

The first two days are always the toughest ones, although you don’t have to feel hungry for a bit. Juices are so filling! No, it is your mind, fooling around with you, whispering that you fancy a piece of pie or a dense dish. So what can you do about it?

  • Before you start cleansing, put your mindset together.
  • Schedule a colonic for after the cleanse.
  • When overwhelmed by hunger, ask yourself if you are really hungry. Is it hunger in your stomach or between your ears?
  • The moment you start looking for food in your cupboards, take a glass of water and drink it. Often when you feel hungry, it is just thirst. Big chance your ‘hunger’ will calm down after drinking water.
  • When you are really hungry, make another juice. You can drink fresh juices as much as you want or need to.
  • If you feel the juices aren’t satisfying and you can’t hold on, make a green smoothie. The fiber in them will help you.
  • You can start with  juices and some big smoothies a day and replace the smoothies by juices after a few days.

Drink more water than you are used to. How can you know how much water you need for your body? Take your body weight and divide it by two; drink that amount in ounces. During a cleansing, try to add some extra 8 ounce glasses.

Be gentle with yourself during a cleanse -well, always be gentle with yourself…- and don’t do heavy physical efforts. You will be detoxing and you might have a head ache at first, or feel a bit sick in the stomach. Those are good signs! The detox is working!

TOOLS YOU NEED

A juicer

A sharp knife and cutting board

INGREDIENTS

  • Two big apples, cored (apple seeds are poisoned)
  • One pear
  • A chunk of ginger
  • One kiwi
  • One lime

THE MAKING OF…

Just juice and drink! If you wish, you can add your Maca in your juice so you don’t have to miss your favorite superfood.

Health in a glass.

Fascinating Fall

I love fall, the deep earth colors, that special light, the changes in nature and in people, another rhythm, abundance for free, the comfort of a fireplace. When I was walking in the fields today, a man came who lives there came up to me with a bucket in his hands; “Would you like some fresh chestnuts?” I was delighted. So was he because all the chestnuts of the tree in the fields next to his house are falling down in his garden and he didn’t know what to do with them. So I came back with a large bag of fresh, crunchy chestnuts, my arms full of dandelion I picked on my way to dry for tea and the dogs belt wrapped around one finger.

Chestnuts

I am picking dandelion and stinging nettles where I can lay my hands on them when I am sure they aren’t sprayed. I remember last winter. I missed those two herbs so much that I was looking forward to spring only to pick my power friends for my smoothies. The prices of free herbs are ridiculous so I didn’t buy them out of personal protest. I am not going to let this happen again, this is why I started drying them. I have a dehydrator but you can use a common oven too. Just wash your harvest well,  dry it by dipping with a clean paper towel, tear the leaves into large parts (they shrink a lot) and let them dry overnight on about 107° with the door a little bit open to release humidity.

Dandelion

I dropped by my friends and they had visit from a woman who ones promised me to give her small grapes in autumn. So there she was, with a big bag full of lovely baby grapes. She didn’t know what to do with them and they where just falling off on her terrace. “They make such a mess and they are much too acid to eat!” I was delighted and so was she because she didn’t have to throw them away and her terrace would stay clean. So I came home with many pounds of grapes to juice. The kitchen was one big mess and abundance; free grapes, free herbs, free chestnuts. I saw them priced in the store for almost 6 euro. I was all smiles.

Baby Grapes

Because these grapes aren’t fully grown in the Belgian climate, they didn’t develop their full sweet flavor but they have such a nice tart taste! So I made a wonderful “Grateful Grape Juice” with apples, kiwi and a pear.

TOOLS YOU NEED

  • A juicer
  • A sharp knife

INGREDIENTS

Ingredients for Grateful Grape Juice

  • A bunch of wild grapes out of your garden (or just organic grapes)
  • 2 apples
  • 1 pear
  • 1 kiwi (if organic you can use it with the peel!)

THE MAKING OF…

Cut large fruits, juice everything, shake it up, pour it into your favorite glass and enjoy!

Grateful Grape Juice

Drink it Wild!

Stinging Nettles

Last week when I working on my website while drinking a lovely smoothie, my father came in. His first question with frowned  eyebrows and a disapproving expression around his mouth: “Why are you drinking mud?” I am still laughing when I think of this. I must admit, the color was dark but only because it was a very wild composition.

One of the great things about smoothies is that you can throw in them whatever you have. Open your refrigerator, check out your deep freezer for frozen fruits, get some fresh wild edibles out of your garden (or  your neighbor’s if it isn’t sprayed:  they won’t be angry with you for weeding their yard), get your favorite superfoods out of the cupboard and start creating.

This is what I do every morning and wow, does it feel good to pick your weeds and looking forward to the energy they will recharge you with! All these greens filled with chlorophyll mean that you will be drinking direct sunlight. What else can fuel your body more than sunlight?!

What did I have in my frig? Kale and Rejuvelac and some fruit on my counter. I have to go get new supplies today! But no worry, nature offers enough to complete your smoothie when your refrigerator is almost empty: wild edibles! I came back with a basket filled with the arousing scents of mint, dandelion with roots and the soft tops of stinging nettles. Put together they make a wild thing!

Dandelion

Oh, almost forgot to give you my great tips.

  • When you have a blender with horsepower, throw in a half (organic) avocado pit. It is a very powerful ingredient in the prevention of cancer, a booster of your immune system. It also thickens your smoothie a bit when you like it more creamy.
  • When you have a large can on your blender, you can make two different tastes when you get bored easily. I often pour one liter in a bottle as a green smoothie, then add blueberries to the rest of it and blend again. You will now have two different smoothies to consume according to the mood you are in that morning.

You will see, you can’t impossibly eat all these greens from a plate in one day. Liquefied it provides you more vitamins, minerals, enzymes and proteins than you would probably get in a normal week. What am I saying… in a few weeks for the S.A.D eater. You can now understand where your new energy is coming from. Moreover because when you drink a smoothie, the digestion process is halfway, your body can keep its energy for itself and you can go wild!

TOOLS YOU NEED

  • A blender
  • A sharp knife

INGREDIENTS

Ingredients for Wild Kale Smoothie

THE GREENS

  • 3 leaves of kale without stem
  • 2 big dandelion plants (leaves and roots)
  • About 6 tops of stinging nettle
  • 2 or 3 sprigs of mint
  • 1 pear
  • 1 banana
  • 1 kiwi (with skin if organic)
  • Pure water, Rejuvelac (which is the best in your smoothie! It makes it come even more alive with enzymes and pro biotics) or coconut water. You can also make a combination of liquids.
  • Ice (made from pure water, not tap water)  if you want it cool right away.

Superfoods!

  • SUPERFOODS of your choice. (I wanted some superpower today so added 2 tsp. Maca for energy,  a handful of chocolate nibs for concentration, 1 TBS Beepollen for immunity before winter, a handful of Goji Berries for testosterone, 1 tsp. kelp granules to maintain healthy thyroid functions, 1 TBS. Green Superfood powder for more chlorophyll,  2TBS. Hemp seeds for proteins.
  • A dash of cayenne to spice it up, get the antibacterial benefits and get a deep body glow (it is cold today and my throat hurts a bit)
  • If you want it sweeter, add a medjool date (pitted)

THE MAKING OF…

Superfoods on top

  • Wash and throw your fruits and greens in your blender
  • Add the superfoods of your choice

Filled with abundance!

  • Add pure water or rejuvelac till about halfway the content

Up and Running

  • Blend, taste and adjust to your own taste if necessary

Two Tastes in One Effort

That’s it! The most nutritious breakfast you can think of and enough valuable content to live on all day long if you have to. Buy a well sealed bottle and take the rest with you to work for a pause. You can drink your smoothie out of a large tea cup if you want to avoid questions or comments from your colleagues.

By the way, don’t pour smoothie away if you can’t drink it all. You can freeze it in ice cubes and use later. Or give it to your pets; they love smoothies and will thrive on them just as much as you do.

Ravishing Breakfast!

Colon Care with Colonics

All set for a Hydrotherapy Colonic

Colonic hydrotherapy is the best treat you can give your body. About 70% of all diseases find their cause in the colon. A high colonic  is very beneficial in the prevention and relief of many common ailments. You can choose between several options such as an enema which you can do yourself at home or a a colon irrigation with a professional colon hydro therapist. Good colon care means overall health.

I had my first colonic when I was raw for about a year and a half. I scheduled it after a detox on smoothies, juices and mono meals. This was the moment I felt ready and eager to get the old trash out of me. That first time knocked me out completely, physically and mentally. I was exhausted, incredibly sad and depressed. All I could do was stay calm and rest, telling myself this wasn’t me but a heavy detox I was going through. These side effects came as a total surprise to me. I had expected a bit of fatigue, rapidly followed by the euphoric feeling Matt Monarch always talks about. I missed that part. What happened?

I had three sessions that week because that’s what a colon needs the first time to release old waste. It took me a whole week to recover from the first one. I lost four pounds in one hour but that is only little compared to many others, who can lose up till sixteen pounds and more. This is how much plaque can be built up  in the colon due to eating bad food all life long.

Four days later I had a new appointment. I asked the therapist why I was feeling so awful.  She said my liver couldn’t take all the toxins and she decided to support it. I was afraid of the of a second session. It was a relieve that the following bowel rinses had less and less effect on me. I was recommended to schedule one every month to sustain my colon and to remove possible toxins on a regular basis.

Machine for Colon Irrigation

The one I have been looking forward to the most, was right after the liver & gallbladder flush. It was a tough colonic.  It took twenty minutes before stuff started loosening. She said I was so clean but I felt  like I was totally stuffed. Then suddenly a lot of small stones and bile appeared. I felt very sick in the stomach, had cramps, my legs felt weak and weird, I got a heavy migraine. Later on though I recovered very quickly and felt much better than before the colonic.

So what exactly happens during a colonic? When you never heard of it, it might be scary and you don’t know what to expect. But generally it is a very soft procedure. First of all I had to write down a whole week what I ate and drank. They advised me not to eat any meat or fish, lots of vegetables and fruit. I was glad because not all therapists want you to eat raw food before a colonic. During my research I saw certain websites were  they were forbidding raw vegetables and fruits. So you have to find out for yourself who is in alignment with your lifestyle.

After you lay down on your left side, the therapist places a soft tube into you. It is completely painless. You can then lay on your back and relax, covered with a towel. When the session starts, the hydro therapist starts running lukewarm water into you until the colon is full. Then he/she releases the pressure by stopping the flow of the water. The colon releases its wastes. It can take five or ten minutes before waste starts to loosen, depending on the kind of food you eat and the lifestyle you had. It is interesting when you can see the whole procedure and ask your questions, find out what is in your colon, if it is healthy, if there are parasites or -in my case- signs of other issues.

Choose for a hygienic place!

It is amazing how much a hydro therapist can see in your waste. They can track Candida for instance, if you are eating too many sugars, if you are eating healthy or fast food, if you have heavy metals and toxins in your body, or gall stones, protein in your urine, if your colon is active or lazy, how your bowl movement is improving after a few times. So it is very interesting and you learn a lot in forty five minutes to one hour.

Right after the session you have to go to the toilet to release the remaining water and waste. It takes several colonics to get the water up in the appendix and to remove all the old plaque. This is also why it’s called “High Colonic”. My therapist has a start package of three times to be sure you are clean. Others offer each cleansing separate. Also there are several systems. This one is with a machine but a friend of mine is having sessions with a gravity system that works very natural. Here you can’t follow the procedure yourself.

The effects aren’t always predictable. The first time I felt so energized right after the session! Ten minutes later I fell asleep in the car, driving. It is a good idea to take it easy after your first colonic. Schedule it on a day off so you can rest if you need to. And try to find a good one close to your home.

I am convinced that this thorough cleansing is determinative for my health. I might have had some struggle at first but I am feeling the difference now. It sure is a detox that I will build in my daily life by planning one every month. I can recommend to everybody who is on raw. A colon irrigation gives your body a complete new start and an opportunity to go to a next higher level in your raw food journey.