3 Surefire Ways to Avoid PMS

This one is for the ladies. Got headaches, cramps, body aches, discomfort, swelling, inflammation, bloat, puffiness, heaviness, fatigue, insatiable hunger, cravings, hormonal acne, anxiety, depression, or erratic moods? Let's put an end to it for good.

#1: Avoid ALL dairy in the few days prior to when you expect you'll get your period and throughout the duration of it. Dairy is directly related to PMS symptoms and is also congesting, something that will give you extra unwanted bloat and discomfort. Dairy includes eggs, milk, cheese, ice cream, butter, cream cheese, sour cream, and cream. Read the labels on the food you purchase! Better yet, just focus on fresh fruits and vegetables that are cleansing and natural diuretics, releasing any undesired puffiness.

#2: Drink your blackstrap molasses! Pick up a bottle of organic, fair trade, unsulphured molasses at your health food store and have 2 T per day (1 in the AM and 1 in the PM). Molasses replenishes the supply of minerals that quickly diminish during this monthly phase - potassium, calcium, and iron (and vitamin B6). Mix 1 T of molasses with 1 cup of hot water and drink while hot (sip slowly). It really tastes much better while at a higher temperature and is pretty nasty once it cools down. The heat will soothe you internally and relax your muscles too. Think of it like an internal heating pad that's loaded with minerals.

#3: Make loose leaf nettle tea! Nettles are highly alkaline, packed full of minerals and trace minerals, including the same ones found in molasses (calcium, iron), as well as beta-carotene and vitamin C. In the rockin Rawsome! book by Brigitte Mars, she says that nettles 'are more effective than spinach in building the blood. Nettles are so rich in nutrients that they help curb overeating'. This has to be one of my favorite books on raw foods. Typically I also add alfalfa to the nettles and turn it in to my Stunning Skin Medicinal Tea. If you're searching for ways to Maximize Health, Energy, and Culinary Delight with the Raw Foods Diet, this book is for you.

Bonus Tip: Green Smoothies! Pack in as much leafy green vegetables as you possibly can during this week that typically wreaks havoc on women. Bump up the amount of kale, spinach, chard, romaine, lettuce, collards, plus any weeds, herbs, and sprouts you can get your hands on. Greens are high in magnesium and calcium, minerals that calm and relax those tight core muscles. Refer to Greens For Life for green smoothie wisdom and recipes. Here's one to get you started:

Supreme Green Dream
2 -3 bananas (depending on size)
2 handfuls spinach (toss in a couple kale, romaine, chard leaves or other leafy greens)
Thick slice of fresh pineapple or 1/2 fresh ripe mango
2 dates
1-2 cups water or medicinal tea

Blend WELL (gatta love the Vita-Mix). I like mine to have a thinner consistency and it goes down much quicker than I would have ever expected! This is a very simple recipe that is not original and was inspired by Victoria Boutenko's Greens for Life book. Green smoothies such as these did not used to be a part of my routine, but now that I've found a very basic one to base the rest from, I've been experimenting and am crazy over them!

In all my years of making these suggestions, I have yet to hear that the dreaded symptoms made a presence - IF the women committed to all 3 (plus the bonus for those that really suffer needlessly) beginning approximately 2-3 days in advance of when your PMS would normally begin. Avoid it all together - you have the choice and the power is yours!

Seduction Body Silk Special

To continue the feelings of love for the recent Hearts Day holiday, I am offering a special 25% discount for the Seduction Body Silk (4 oz or 9 oz) in my product line. This offer is good until February 28, 2009. You can order it here; just enter the code 'seduction09' when checking out and the discount will be applied.

This one is a favorite for many reasons, and for me, it's the alluring aroma and sensuous feeling that makes me crave more. The ingredients are: organic raw unrefined cacao butter, unrefined organic coconut oil, infused organic olive oil (w/ alfalfa, burdock root, comfrey leaf, horsetail, nettle leaf, noni, oatstraw, and red clover blossoms), organic sweet almond oil, organic jojoba oil, vitamin E, angstrom sulfur (beauty mineral), essential oils of jasmine, neroli and ylang ylang, and marine phytoplankton (algae extract). Below, I refer to one of David Wolfe's books several times because he just always gets it right! Here's what all these pure, raw ingredients can do for you~

Raw Cacao butter - To quote from Eating for Beauty (David Wolfe's work of art), 'cacao butter can be used over every part of your skin. In fact, nothing is better for one's lips and the delicate areas around the eyes where pores are small'. Who doesn't want to put chocolate right onto their skin? Cacao butter is super nutritious, moisturizing, and delicious. Balanced with the right pure essential oils, the smell of bliss will carry with you all day.

Coconut Oil ~ Coconut oil is used for dry, rough, sensitive, and wrinkled skin because it's so mild and gentle. 'It prevents stretch marks and lightens existing ones. Its antiseptic elements keep the skin young and healthy and relatively free from infections' (Eating for Beauty). You reap the bonus benefits of coconut oil being anti-viral, anti-microbial, and anti-fungal. I suggest checking out 'The Coconut Oil Miracle' by Bruce Fife for all that you ever wanted to know about this healing oil.

Olive Oil - Loaded with the skin replenishing omega 3 and 6 fatty acids, it's also high in antioxidant vitamin A and E, and abundant in minerals. 'Olive oil is a soothing fat for damaged and dry skin, hair, and nails' (Eating for Beauty). It is helpful for repairing dry patches and the dreaded stretch marks.

Sweet Almond Oil - This lightweight oil penetrates the skin and absorbs well; it's quite nutritious with a high fatty acid content, and excellent for all skin types, especially dry, inflamed, or itchy skin.

Jojoba Oil - Chemically similar to our own sebum (compatible with human skin), jojoba penetrates easily, leaving no oily residue. Jojoba oil is the perfect choice for inflamed skin, eczema, psoriasis, rough or dry skin, and acne.

Angstrom Sulfur - 'Sulfur is the foundational mineral of all beauty. It produces a flame-like tint in the skin. It creates a subtle lustre and sulfur-residue foods make the complexion radiant. Sulfur is able to make our hair, nails, and skin shine with radiance. Sulfur truly is the most beautifying of all food nutrients, and the best cosmetic in the world' (Eating for Beauty).

Marine Phytoplankton - This supercharged, raw, live, enzyme-active, ocean based micro-algae is abundant in naturally produced vitamins, minerals, trace minerals, life force (direct from the Sun), chlorophyll, and essential fatty acids (3, 6, 7, 9). By putting this into my Body Silks, you absorb these benefits when applied to your skin. I had the fortunate opportunity to be on the Elements for Life conference call with the man who is responsible for doing the research and getting this algae into the consumer market. Many consider it the greatest food on this planet .. the original source of all omega fatty acids (more than fish; this is what fish eat to get their omegas!), DHA, infused Sun energy, chlorophyll, B12, and is surprisingly, a complete protein. It has it all!

In a future post, I'll go into great detail about the 8 herbal blend (their properties, benefits, actions) that make up my olive oil infusion. If you want to lather your body with a luscious silky body butter that will have you yearning for more just from the aroma, this one is for you. It's alluring, sassy, sexy, uplifting, and stress-relieving - who doesn't want all that?!

Using Herbs to Eliminate Nutrient Deficiencies

I'm asked every single day about vitamins and minerals and how optimal daily needs can be met. Most want to find an inexpensive way to remedy deficiencies and fill in the gaps between their refined sugar, caffeinated energy drinks and lifeless Healthy Choice frozen meals. How can we address and resolve this question?

One day a week I work at an 'integrative' pharmacy (that's another post) and my genuine heartfelt response to the vitamin/mineral question is to refer them to herbs and medicinal teas. It's unlikely the corporate pill-pushers want me around because of my minimal contribution to rising synthetic supplement sales! When people have a real need, I try to convey what was already present prior to the convenience of vitamin shops, supplements, and pills. Beautiful Nature - herbs, plants, roots, barks, greens - we have been given all that we need to keep our body emotionally, psychologically, and physically balanced and resilient. However, some have been steered so far away from a natural diet by a culture constantly whispering in our ear that 'food' comes in a box, can, or package, all of which is in an adultered state. Supplementing has become a perceived magic bullet to remedy the detrimental effects of processed and refined foods the people I talked with won't live without (cooked addiction).

I would much rather be unconventional and eat raw and living foods, build resilience with adaptogenic herbs, and reach superior health with superfoods. In my conversations with these desperate individuals (this is not a judgment, it's the reality of what I've witnessed), I think my approach comes across quite clear through the passion in which I talk, but most people really just want the short answer, quick fix, and to be on their way to Starbucks. I may be a poor synthetic supplement salesperson because I honestly want for others to grasp the enormous potential of pure food and superfood boosted living. I've been told countless times during my Superfood Education sessions (whether at HealthForce demos or in Healing Wellness Programs), that I can sell absolutely anything - if I wholeheartedly believe in it. To me, that's not selling - that's sharing and healing.

In Mountain Rose Herbs' January newsletter, there was a phenomenal article written titled 'Just Say No to Synthetic Vitamins and Processed Foods!' and I really recommend you read it. I love that this information is available to us! It's just a matter of making ourselves aware, keeping informed of the truth, and following the ancient herbal wisdom.

My favorite herbal remedy is a delicious thirst-quenching blend I call Stunning Skin Medicinal Tea. This inexpensive blend includes nettles, alfalfa, horsetail, burdock root, noni, oat straw, and red clover blossoms. This is also the blend that I use to infuse the organic olive oil I use in my Body Silks. As you'll read in the article link above, these herbs offer a broad spectrum of vitamins and minerals - all in a highly bioavailable form our body recognizes and therefore absorbs. You'll replenish your reserves of vitamin A, B1 (thiamine), B2 (riboflavin), B3 (niacin), B5 (panothenic acid), B6 (pyridoxine), B12 (cyanocobalamin), and vitamin C, D, E, and K. Minerals, such as calcium, chromium, iron, magnesium, manganese, molybdenum, potassium, selenium, sulfur, and zinc, are abundant as well. Who would have thought?

Cultivate health by adding herbs:
- as an infusion steeped overnight (add hot water to small handful of herbs and steep 6-12 hours for maximum potency) - it doesn't taste like medicine, but it is medicinal
- as your smoothie's liquid base - immensely healing
- as an herbal hair rinse in the shower
- in the bath (small muslin bag of herbs draped under spout) - soak and absorb the benefits through your skin
- in homemade skin care formulas in place of flower water (as the liquid part of a clay masque)

I typically make the tea every few days, store it in fridge, and enjoy it in these ways throughout my week. Comment on your experience and results! Do you use herbs in any other way?

Raw Chocolate Dream Fudge

I used to make an incredible vegan fudge made with tofutti's soy cream cheese (which now I cringe at) and powdered sugar - there were only 4 ingredients and it was so easy to make. But, I've found the perfect raw replacement and I know you will absolutely love it. It takes minutes to make from start to finish and there's no heat or anything complicated about it. You can make it in a food processor (as I did tonight) or a high-speed blender (like the Vitamix).

Confession: I made a batch just two days ago, filled up an entire ice cube tray (which makes perfect BIG bite size pieces), and needed (yes, NEEDED), to make another batch tonight because we (I do share these indulgences however difficult it may be) plowed through the first within 48 hours.

I am currently living on fresh green juices, collard wraps w/ the best hummus ever (recipe coming soon), super plump goji berries, macadamia nuts, and a different raw cacao dessert every other day. I'm finding this to be quite balanced. Actually, when have you ever had fudge that is super packed with super-nutrition? As a nutrition educator, I can tell you this is likely the healthiest fudge you'll ever eat, and you'll feel fabulous and guilt-free afterward, as you should. And now...

Raw Chocolate Dream Fudge
1/3 cup raw organic almond butter (Maranatha)
1/4 cup organic coconut oil
2 T raw cacao powder
small handful raw cacao nibs
1/4 cup agave (I prefer Sunfood Nutrition)
1 T maca force (HealthForce Nutritionals)
1 tsp raw lucuma powder (makes everything sweeter & smoother)
1 tsp - 1 T of E3Live (how good do you really want to feel?)
1 tsp vit E tocotrienols
drizzle of angstrom calcium (for mineral balance - see note below)

Whip this up into a creamy dessert in your food processor or blender, pour into ice cube trays, and freeze or refrigerate to store.

If you don't have every single ingredient, make it anyway! You can still make this even if you only have the almond butter, coconut oil, cacao powder, and agave - the remaining ingredients boost the nutrition, but I certainly don't want you to postpone making this just because your cupboards aren't filled with every superfood out there. I just started using lucuma powder this week and am experimenting with it in these desserts. Coincidence? I've eaten more chocolate desserts this past week than... - could it be that I'm still celebrating my birthday (yes, 4 days later), or, my body is craving sweets after the 3.5 day green smoothie challenge of deprivation (just kidding), or, is there something addicting about lucuma?

Angstom calcium is the most bioavailable form of calcium. Raw chocolate is exceptionally high in magnesium and the body needs calcium to balance this out, hence the addition of angstrom calcium. I get it mine from Sunfood Nutrition or Raw Vegan Source).

I'm throwing a Spa Party this coming Sunday, at the Beauty Bar Spa and Boutique in West Seattle and will be making this raw fudge as a decadent addition to the other sweet indulgences during this very special evening. Contact me if you'd like to join us - all are welcome!
Details: Sunday, November 16 from 5 - 9pm.