Butterfly Balance Wellness Center

Review: Life Juice Cleanse

I recently completed a 3-day juice cleanse/fast from Life Juice and wanted to share my experience with it. 

I'd never done a juice cleanse or any other type of fast before, unless it was a fast for a medical procedure. And during those fasts I always felt awful and was starving, so the idea of fasting for the heck of it didn't sound too appealing. I follow the blog of Chef Amber Shea and she was doing a review of various juice cleanses that she had received and done. I was intrigued, and in a moment of temporary insanity, decided to order a 3-day Juice Cleanse from Life Juice in New York.

The juice is shipped frozen via overnight courier and must be used within 3 days of defrosting, as the juice is not pasteurized and will spoil after that time, and lose nutrients even if it didn't spoil. There are 18 pint drink bottles - 6 for each day of the cleanse (the drinks do not vary daily).

Drink #1 is called Himalayan Sea Salt Solé, a mixture of Himalayan sea salt, water and lime, and it is recommended to drink it warm on an empty stomach at the beginning of the day. This was a surprisingly nice drink - very refreshing and light, and the warmth of the drink was very soothing. A nice start to the day.

Drink #2 is called Alkaline Blend, a mixture of apple, carrot, cucumber, lemon, celery, beet, spinach, kale, parsley, and ginger.  A very tasty, sweet juice with beautiful red color, it was probably my favorite of the juices.

Drink #3 is Oh My Green Goodness, a mixture of apple, cucumber, celery, lemon, spinach, kale, parsley, and ground ginger. A very "green" tasting juice from all the vegetables, but still sweet from the apple. I enjoyed this juice, which is a good thing since it repeats later in the day. :)

Drink #4 is Energizer Bunny, a mixture of apple, carrot, lemon, and ginger. I do not generally like carrot juice, so was not looking forward to this. I was surprised, however, how the carrot was not overpowering, despite the bright orange color. I really enjoyed this juice.

Drink #5 is a repeat of #3, Oh My Green Goodness.

Drink #6 is Toasty Spiced Almond, not a juice, but a mixture of filtered water, raw organic almonds, dates, cinnamon, clove, and nutmeg, and they recommended warming it up. I'll admit it was not my favorite drink - it was a bit grainy and thin - but not unpleasant. The fiber content was very high from the almonds, and - at the risk of TMI - was a bit of a shock to my system, if you know what I mean. :)

Hungry for Change

I just saw an interesting trailer for a film called Hungry For Change, from the producers/directors of Food Matters, which you may have heard of.  I really support the notion of food being very powerful and being a vital part of our wellness and balance. This movie looks to discuss the diet and health industry and the lies that we are being told about what we allegedly nourish ourselves with in terms of food.

The trailer appears below, and you can then go to the Hungry for Change website to sign up for a link to view the entire movie for free from March 21 through March 31, 2012. From the website:

 "HUNGRY FOR CHANGE exposes shocking secrets the diet, weightloss and food industry don't want you to know about. Deceptive strategies designed to keep you craving more and more.

Could the foods we are eating actually be keeping us stuck in the diet trap?

In this free online premiere event you'll discover:

• How to navigate your supermarket - what to buy and what to avoid

• The real truth behind "DIET", "SUGAR-FREE" and "FAT-FREE" products

• How to overcome food addictions and cravings

• Why fad diets don’t work

• What food additives to avoid and how to read labels

• What is fat and cellulite and how do we get rid of it for good

• The most effective detox and cleansing strategies, and

• How to eat for clear eyes, glowing skin and healthy hair

Find out what's keeping you from having the body and health you deserve and how to escape the diet trap forever.

Featuring interviews with best selling health authors and leading medical experts plus real life transformational stories from those who know what it’s like to be sick and overweight.

Learn from those who have been there before and continue your health journey today."

Here's the trailer. Let me know what you think after you watch it, and don't forget to sign up to attend the free online preview at the end of March.

 

 

How to Cut Butternut Squash Without an ER Visit

Normally I just cheat and buy pre-cut chunks of butternut squash from Trader Joe's. But it costs a heck of a lot more than a whole one. But I have never been able to figure out how to cut it without killing myself. Thanks to the wonders of Google, I found this wonderful video that helped immensely.  It was still hard to cut, and I'll probably go back to pre-cut, but this woman's video (found here) made me feel much more secure about my technique. Now I just have to do something about my knife technique in general, which a chef at a cooking class recently said frightened her. :)

 

Free Movie Screening: Forks Over Knives

I wanted to share information about a free screening (10/28 in Seattle, but also in various cities nationwide throughout the rest of the year) of the movie Forks Over Knives.

I had not heard of this movie previously before seeing this event posted on Facebook, but it looks interesting. From the Forks Over Knives website:

The feature film Forks Over Knives examines the profound claim that most, if not all, of the degenerative diseases that afflict us can be controlled, or even reversed, by rejecting our present menu of animal-based and processed foods.

Here is the movie trailer:

While I personally am making these types of changes to my diet, I just wanted to clarify that I do not insist that my clients do so as well. The beauty of Health Kinesiology is that we can fine tune health suggestions such as diet on an individual basis, and what works for one person may not be ideal for another, and you may not even need to make any changes. However, since I do focus on health and wellness in general, I hoped that the concept might be interesting for you to learn about, even if you do not agree or follow it in practice. And a free movie is always good. I'm sorry I'll be missing it as I'll be travelling for class that day.

The movie screening in Seattle will be held on Thursday, October 28, 2010 at 7:00 p.m. at the Regal Meridian Theatre (#4), 1501 Seventh Avenue, in downtown Seattle. Tickets are free. RSVP by calling 425-957-6726 or by emailing ForksOverKnivesInSeattle@WholeFoods.com . Click here for screenings in other cities.

If you attend, I hope you'll come back and share your thoughts about it in the comments.

 

 

Human Exposure to BPA "Grossly Underestimated"

"Americans are likely to be exposed at higher levels than previously thought to bisphenol A, a compound that mimics hormones important to human development and is found in more than 90 percent of people in the United States, according to new research.

"U.S. EPA says it is OK for humans to take in up to 50 micrograms of BPA per kilogram of body weight each day. The new study, published in the journal Environmental Health Perspectives, suggests that we are exposed to at least eight times that amount every day.

"Our data raise grave concern that regulatory agencies have grossly underestimated current human exposure levels," states the study."

The text above is from an article in yesterday's New York Times: Study: Human Exposure to BPA 'Grossly Underestimated' which I found highly disturbing.

I've been on a quest for a long time to remove a majority of plastics from my household in the quest to reduce my exposure to BPAs. When I mention this to friends/family, I'm often told that I'm overreacting, and that it's not really a big deal. And I've probably felt complacent for a while about the removal of BPAs from what I buy. I don't drink out of plastic bottles, and none of my glasses, dishes or food storage containers are made of plastic anymore. But I'm all for convenience foods and have conveniently ignored the BPAs that are present in the packaging of the foods I buy, and the containers I'm microwaving them in. (The microwave is a whole different issue that I want to write about.) I figure I'm doing "so much already" in terms of avoiding it. But when I read articles like this, I realize I'm not doing enough.

BPAs are stored in the body in fat (among other places). So if this hormone-disrupting substance is storing itself in the ample fat storage of my body, and now studies are showing that "they" really underestimated how much humans are exposed to, well, it makes me think twice about my health and what I'm doing for it.

It's frustrating to think that as I make so many changes to "detox" my body of the chemicals and exposures of my lifetime which have caused the many ailments I've suffered from, that simultaneously I'm returning these substances to my body.

One thing I urge you to pay attention to are the numbers on the bottom of plastics that you purchase.  If you see a symbol that looks like the one to the right with a #7 on it, I recommend that you avoid it. This is the symbol used when a plastic doesn't fall under all the other categories, and while all #7 plastics do not contain BPAs, those that DO contain it will usually bear a #7 on it.

There are so many things in our environment that we do not have any control over, but this is something that we can start to become aware of and avoid when possible. Don't just take my word for it - do your own research into the reported effects of BPAs, as I did when I first heard about it.

I have BPA samples (and other toxic substance samples - all in energetic form so as not to be harmful to anyone) in my Health Kinesiology test kits, which I can use in corrections to help the body recognize it and learn how to process it out of our system. But it's always easier to keep things from happening than work to fix them later!

 

 

The Accidental Almost Vegan

I was a vegetarian many, many years ago, for about 4 years ago. I lived off mayonnaise, cheese, starchy carbs and mass quantities of sugar, and gained 50 pounds. But no meat passed through my lips! And I felt just awful, as any reasonable person would imagine from that list of "quality food."

I've mentioned recently that I've been making changes in my diet by eliminating dairy, corn and red meat per a Health Kinesiologynutrition workup. I've known there was more to do in terms of following the workup, but I needed to take baby-steps and go slowly. But I've been in a holding pattern for a few months now, not really doing all that I could do. I knew things had to change and took another look at my instruction sheet the other night.

I am supposed to have animal protein (poultry, fish or eggs only) for only 4 meals a week. In a week with 21 meals, that means that 17 of my meals needed to be vegetarian. Not a big deal, I thought - I've done the vegetarian stuff before. So I started planning out things I would eat, but realized that before, in my previous life as a vegetarian, my meals revolved around things that were dairy. Once you take dairy out of the equation, things change immensely.

That's when I realized that without dairy, and without meat, I was essentially becoming an "almost vegan." Hmmm.  If someone told me a few months ago that they wanted me to become a vegan, I would've told them they were crazy - never gonna happen. But somehow, it has sneaked up on me. For two days now, I have had nothing but vegan meals. Healthy, vegan meals that I've actually enjoyed.

Interesting how a label (or directive) can change how we feel about something. If you just happen to eat no animal products for 2 days out of choice, it's an easy decision. If somebody told me I had to go vegan for 2 days, it brings up all kinds of feelings (like panic or dread), even if it's the same exact thing that was already being done.

I'm still easing into this, and since I'll be traveling a lot during May, I doubt that I will be sticking to only 4 meat meals a week. I think the no-dairy or red meat part of my plan will be hard enough on the road. :) It'll be an interesting process to see how to adapt my lifestyle and eating plans to balance out convenience and self-care.

"Take me out to the ballgame. Take me out with the crowd. Buy me some gluten-free, healthful snacks ... "

I was thrilled to read this article in yesterday's Seattle Times about the new, healthier food options at Safeco Field, home of the Seattle Mariners, including vegan, organic and gluten free fare.

This type of food is definitely not what one thinks of when going to a baseball game. But this nation's food choices are definitely not in our best interests most of the time, and offering these options is a step in the right direction.

From the article:

"Fans headed to the Mariners' home opener Monday will see some unfamiliar players, not just on the field, but in the concession-stand lineup.

Hummus platters at a ballgame? Vegan soup? Organic fruit smoothies?

Yes, yes and yes.

Fear not, traditionalists. Your basic hot dogs and cold beers will be there aplenty, along with Safeco Field fan favorites such as garlic fries and clam chowder."

I'm not a baseball fan, so will probably not be setting food in Safeco Field anytime soon. But I hope this catches on, both in terms of sustaining the healthier concessions here, and giving incentive for this to catch on elsewhere.

It's so much easier for us to maintain good health than to fix things that go wrong when we don't.

(The title of this blog entry was borrowed from Jack Broom's Seattle times article.)

Newsflash: My Cat Eats Better Than Me!

I was reading one of my favorite magazines, Body and Soul, and saw an ad for Wellness pet food, which is the only brand that I feed my kitty, Olias. This ad said, in part:

True Wellness
comes from an ideal nutritional balance – never ‘empty calories’

True Wellness
is about being more than natural – Every ingredient has a purpose.

True Wellness
means real quality control – only trustworthy sources.

True Wellness
comes from carefully chosen, authentic ingredients.

These are the reasons I feed this food to my cat. I want him to eat wholesome, human-quality food. Look at that sweet face over there; doesn't he deserve that? But when I read this ad, I realized that there's a bit of a problem when my cat is eating better than me!

There's no reason I can't eat like this; don't I deserve that too? I know the convenience food that I eat is not always good for me, even the stuff I buy at the health food store. But, like many people, I'll make the excuse that I'm busy or tired, or I want to go out for a junk food "treat."  I go long periods of time where I eat so well, and then life seems to get in the way and I revert to old habits. It's frustrating.

Reading this ad was a huge newsflash to me. Don't I deserve to treat myself as well as I treat my cat? Seriously? Don't we all?

My health kinesiology practitioner recently did a personalized nutrition work-up for me using muscle testing, and let me know what my body wanted to eat (and not eat) to help me function at my best. Real food - nutritious fruit, vegetables, proteins, grains. My body didn't ask for a bag of potato chips and a chai latte (imagine that!). This is why I started making changes like not eating dairy anymore, and no red meat - because my body asked for it. So sometimes I feel like I'm taking one step forward and two steps back. But it's a work in progress, and I haven't given up, so that's a good thing.

My baby step today was to skip my morning latte and instead eat a piece of fruit. What's one step you can take today towards treating yourself the way you deserve to be treated?

Okay . . . Okay, I Get It!

As I mentioned in a recent post, I'm now having to make some major changes in the things I eat because I've recently learned in a Health Kinesiology nutrition work-up that certain things are stressing my energy system, not to mention being responsible for this awful, chronic cough that I've been dealing with for years.

For a while now I've been told to eliminate milk. That wasn't so bad - I actually enjoy rice milk and oat milk, and most coffee shops in West Seattle carry rice milk.  Not eating sour cream was a challenge at times, and I should've been eliminating butter, but I don't eat too much of that anyway.  But when recent word came that I was to give up cheese?  Wow.

I really had no idea how much cheese I ate until someone tells you not to eat it.  Nor did I realize what kind of psychological hold cheese can have on a person. To me, it is the ultimate comfort food.  Some of my most prominent memories of my mom involve her famous macaroni and cheese meals.  To this day, when I'm feeling sad and needing the comfort of food, melted cheese has a huge part in that.  I can't eat a bowl of pasta without a handful of parmesan on it.   And you're telling a New York City girl not to eat pizza or most italian food?  Wow.

I went 3 weeks without eating any dairy (which means cheese too).  I was thrilled to find out my cough was so significantly better.  I slept better, mostly because I wasn't hacking up a lung when I laid down.  I was losing weight too - cheese is high fat and high sodium.

Then the addict mind tried playing tricks on me.  I went to my usual lunch spot and decided to not order the pesto chicken sandwich (which has melted cheese) but instead ordered the turkey/cheese/avocado sandwich . . . total disconnect on the fact that the latter had cheese.  I took a few bites, realized it and then tossed it out (the cheese, not the sandwich). But that night I laid down in bed and felt like I was drowning again and was kept awake from the cough.  Damn.  A week later I had pizza, and the same symptoms came back. 

I went another 2 weeks without cheese and then last might I decided I absolutely had to order it (in something that didn't even need it), and again, last night, I slept badly as a result. 

Okay . . . okay, I get it!  I can't eat the #$^*& cheese!  LOL!  I mean, how many times do I have to test myself before it sinks in?  I'm laughing at the ridiculousness of this situation and my reaction to it.  I found myself wishing that I was actually allergic to cheese, in the sense that it would make me sick if I ate it.  Sick as in doubled over in pain, as opposed to just coughing.  But then I realized I'd probably still try it anyway and just medicate it away; that's what addicts do.

I'm also supposed to be eliminating corn (which is on everything on earth, it seems), all meat other than poultry, and a few other things.  None of those seem as torturous as the cheese.

So I sympathize - if you come to me for an HK session and I tell you that your body would like you to eliminate a food, I get it . . . it will not necessarily be easy.  But I trust in HK to know that if my body is asking for something, it would benefit me greatly to listen. So I think I'll start listening and stop making excuses.

I'm going to need to do some HK psychological corrections on cheese, I think.  :)  

"New" & "Natural" Sweetener (Which is Neither)

I just read this really disturbing article about how the makers of aspartame (a/k/a Nutrasweet and Equal) is rebranding their product with a new name and under the guise of being a "natural sweetener."

Aspartame has been renamed and is now being marketed as a natural sweetener

Friday, February 12, 2010
by: Ethan Huff, citizen journalist

In response to growing awareness about the dangers of artificial sweeteners, what does the manufacturer of one of the world's most notable artificial sweeteners do? Why, rename it and begin marketing it as natural, of course. This is precisely the strategy of Ajinomoto, maker of aspartame, which hopes to pull the wool over the eyes of the public with its rebranded version of aspartame, called "AminoSweet".

Over 25 years ago, aspartame was first introduced into the European food supply. Today, it is an everyday component of most diet beverages, sugar-free desserts, and chewing gums in countries worldwide. But the tides have been turning as the general public is waking up to the truth about artificial sweeteners like aspartame and the harm they cause to health. The latest aspartame marketing scheme is a desperate effort to indoctrinate the public into accepting the chemical sweetener as natural and safe, despite evidence to the contrary.

You can read the rest of this article here.

I think one of the biggest problems is that the term "natural" is essentially useless these days. "Natural" makes me think of unprocessed, healthy things. But "natural" is just a buzzword that only wants to make you think those things so you'll buy whatever is being advertised to you.

We need to be so diligent in reading packages and ingredients and knowing what we're putting into our bodies. And saying no to "frankenfoods" that are nothing more than processed crap that end up causing all kinds of unthinkable diseases years after we've all become addicted to them.

I have not eaten an artificial sweetener for about 7 years now. But this post isn't about proselytizing to you to give them up also. What I want to do is educate people who think they are getting something supposedly healthy. Or the person who gave up aspartame/Nutrasweet and instead will get this "new" sweetener, AminoSweet, not realizing it's the exact same thing. Eat what you want to eat, but at least be educated on what it is. Or in this case, what it isn't.