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One of my favorite springtime foods is a large salad. While some might consider this rabbit food, I would beg to differ since certain salads have enough substance to be considered a full- on meal. This recipe combines pungent celeriac, dark dandelion greens, and the sweet note of blood oranges and beets to make a lovely medley of flavors. According to Traditional Chinese Medicine theory, beets aid in clearing a congested or stagnated liver. This also makes sense from a Western standpoint since beets help to thin out bile, thereby allowing for the smooth flow of qi.

Liver Lovin’ Springtime Salad

1 organic celeriac peeled

3 organic golden beets cubed

3 small organic blood oranges

¼ pound of organic baby arugula

¼ pound of organic dandelion

1 organic garlic bulb, roasted

¼ cup organic chives diced

Preheat oven to 400F.

Peel away the outer layer of the garlic keeping the bulb intact. Chop ¼ off the top of the bulb, exposing the inner cloves of the bulb. Place on a sheet of parchment paper and drizzle olive oil over the garlic. Wrap the entire clove with parchment paper, wrapping under garlic to secure it. Place in oven and bake for 30-35 minutes as you prepare the rest of the salad.

Place cubed beets  in a steamer and steam for about 15 minutes until soft. Set aside in a bowl. In the meantime, peel celeriac’s skin and discard. Continue to peel away at the celeriac to get long strips – don’t worry if some of them are short. Place in a bowl along with arugula, dandelion and beets. Chop chives and add to bowl.

Peel blood oranges and remove white pith. Cut into ¼ inch slices and add to bowl.

By this point the garlic should be ready to remove from oven. Allow to cool, and begin to make salad dressing (see below). With a small knife, cut around each garlic clove and remove with fingers or a cocktail fork. Add to salad.

Dijon Honey salad dressing

¼ cup olive oil

1 Tbsp organic Dijon mustard

1 tsp honey (or to taste)

Juice from one organic lemon

For salad dressing combine all ingredients into a small jar, close and shake vigorously. Pour over salad and eat immediately.

By eating according to the spring season we can discard the old and allow new energy to flow in. So eat your greens, breathe deeply, and welcome in the new change with seasonal foods under your belt.

Spring is a time of detoxing and inner cleansing. If you are considering a detox this spring, be sure to add probiotics (good bacteria) to your routine. There are three main steps to detoxing: 1) clean 2) capture 3) sweep. In step one, your body’s detoxing organs (for example, your skin, lymph, blood, liver and kidneys) work to clean out toxins hiding within your body. They send these toxins to your liver. In step two, the liver adds these toxins to bile and sends them into your intestines. Fibre in your intestines traps the toxins so you will not re-absorb them. Step three involves the colon. Sweeping or moving the toxin-filled fibre out of your body is very important. If left too long in your colon, the toxins can cause damage to the tissues. Cascara sagrada and magnesium hydroxide are two supplements commonly used to help sweep out waste from the colon. 

This sweeping is the step in which probiotics fit into cleansing. How? Certain species of beneficial bacteria help sweep out the colon and it can be used to promote colon health during a cleanse. However, your colon is not the only part of your intestines affected by a cleanse. The increased amount of toxins in your intestines during a cleanse can cause damage to your probiotic populations. Therefore, it may also be beneficial to replenish your probiotic populations after cleanse.

Replenish your probiotics

Rapidly replenishing the intestinal tract with probiotics after a cleanse can help ensure the intestines do not become a host to infections. Your intestines are like a parking lot. If there are spaces in your intestinal parking lot left empty after it experiences the high toxic load of a cleanse, bad microbes (for example, salmonella) take over. Make sure that these empty parking spaces, which are filled on a first-come first-served basis, are filled by probiotics not bad bacteria. Include a high-dosage probiotic  to your cleansing program to keep your intestines healthy and happy.

Health effects of probiotics

• Boost immunity
• Prevent diarrhea/constipation
• Improve vitamin synthesis (use by the body)
• Help with lactose digestion
• Prevent yeast infections and urinary tract infections
• Promote health of heart and bones

Making a good choice

When selecting the probiotic to add in your cleansing program, choose one that includes both lactobacilli and bifidobacteria species. These  probiotics live in your small and large intestine respectively. Using this type of probiotic product will help ensure that your entire intestinal tract is replenished, not just one part. Look for a product that contains a variety of probiotic species. Your intestinal tract contains over 40 different species of probiotics, so using a product with many species is beneficial because it mimics your natural, healthy probiotic environment. Select a probiotic product that contains prebiotics. Prebiotics encourage probiotics to grow and flourish in your intestines. Adding prebiotics to your probiotic supplement offers additional help because prebiotics promote the health of your existing probiotics populations.

Make bifidobacteria your friend

The health of your colon is important. The colon is not just a holding tank for waste; it is also the site of vitamin synthesis (usage by the body). Probiotics called bifidobacteria live in your colon and help synthesize B vitamins, which you need to feel energized. Bifidobacteria also help convert vitamin K in foods to vitamin K2, the form your bones need to stay strong and healthy, as well as play a role in boosting your immunity. Bifidobacteria help to detox, too! When your colon contains bifidobacteria, it has lower amounts of putrefactive substances (harmful toxins caused by “putrefying” or rotting food). This means that your colon tissue is less likely to be damaged. A product that contains Bifidobacteria longum, a particular strain of probiotics, has been shown in clinical trials to help increase fecal movement and improve the health of the colon. Not sure if you have a healthy colon? Frequently illness and diarrhea or constipation are signs that your colon is unhealthy. Cleaning up this spring? If you are detoxing or inner cleansing, add probiotics to your program. Then you can enjoy health from the inside out.

As the weather turns warmer, we begin that annual ritual – spring cleaning. While you’re at it, don’t forget your medicine cabinet. It might surprise you what you’ll find. Read the rest of this entry »

Rather than letting age get you down, let’s look at natural strategies

that will keep you looking and feeling young or younger… Read the rest of this entry »

Reducing saturated fat is the single most important dietary
change you can make to cut blood cholesterol. Used as a
replacement for meat and cheese, soy foods help your heart
by slashing the amount of saturated fat that you eat
The Smart, Delicious Alternative Read the rest of this entry »

Used originally in most cultures for ceremonies, caffeine
has become the most ubiquitous drug in the western world.
Most negative effects of caffeine are not necessarily a
concern for the occasional user, but do occur with regular
use of over 100 mg daily, also depending on the
individual’s sensitivities. Read the rest of this entry »

With summer ending soon and school approaching fast, it’s time to give THE BRAIN a tune up.  Take a look and see how YOU can improve your brain function, whether or not you are a formal student or just a student of life:

11 BRAIN DAMAGING HABITS

·       1.No Breakfast

>            People who do not take breakfast are going to have a

> lower blood sugar level.

>            This leads to an insufficient supply of nutrients to the

> brain causing brain degeneration. Read the rest of this entry »

Normally, the body has its own internal de-cluttering system, continually detoxifying, pollutants, cellular by- products, harmful chemicals and toxic waste. Here’s how. Read the rest of this entry »

Can what you eat give yourself  breast cancer? A mountain of evidence says yes, and it is summarized in the latest issue of Alternative Therapies in Health and Medicine. Read the rest of this entry »

…decrease acidity and increase alkalinity…

An imbalanced diet high in acidic food (animal protein, sugar, colas, fried foods, caffeine, processed foods) causes far-reaching damage to one’s health. The body constantly attempts to rebalance itself, and return to its natural alkaline state. Read the rest of this entry »