Sip your way to wellness

There is nothing like a warm cup of nourishing tea to soothe long cold winter nights or to warm up your insides throughout the day. I love tea. I love coffee too, don’t get me wrong but tea is softer, it feels more healing and there is a tea for every ailment and for every palate.

Here are my favorite healing teas of late…enjoy!

Marshmallow is not just something to eat by a fire but the perfect root tea to ease sore throats with a lovely soothing coating while also calming the bronchial passages. If you like it sweet, add some fresh raw organic honey and this blend is perfect to ease that nagging cough as well. I am also a big fan of licorice root tea and echinacea tea which is often combined with elderberry a fantastic anti-viral herb that I have grown to admire over the years.

Having trouble getting great sleep? Remember a lot of healing and body regeneration takes place when we sleep so it is vital to our optimal health. I terms of sipping your way to great sleep try a blend of valerian root, a muscle relaxing, stress relieving herb that is often combined with passion flower to induce a very restful sleep.

And only because I am drinking it right now and loving it, dandelion tea for detox is just great to have in your tea repertoire. Dandelion is wonderful in relieving congestion in the liver and kidneys, the main detoxification centers in the body. It is also known to stimulate bile so it can be very helpful as a digestive aid to break down fats as well as cholesterol. I like my dandelion tea roasted which adds a great robust flavor to every sip. Combine this with chicory and top it off with some almond milk and wow, a caffeine free substitute is born!

 

Spring Forward; Cleanse & Energize

Spring is my favorite time of year. The grey and white world of winter blossoms into vibrant colors and greens. It is the perfect time to be thinking about a cleanse; to lessen our bodies’ burden of harmful chemicals and to refresh; restore balance and revitalize. By following these simple effective internal spring cleaning tips you can help your body detoxify and restore your systems’ balance, optimal health and abundant energy.

1. Increase healthy liquids: Simply increasing healthy liquids, will shift your bodies’ balance strongly toward improved elimination and less toxin buildup. Healthy fluids help dilute and eliminate toxin accumulations, pure water being the most important detoxifier. It helps clean us through our skin and kidneys, and it improves our sweating with exercise. Try and eliminate all stimulants like coffee and chemical drinks, like sodas, alcohol and enjoy the purifying effects of healthier liquids such as water (1/2 your weight in ounces per day) along with herb teas, and teas high in anti-oxidants such as green tea or red tea (rooibios).You can also enhance the detoxifying benefits of water by adding a tsp of lemon juice or apple cider vinegar and consume ten minutes prior to eating every meal.

 

1. Fiber is a wonderful detoxification supporter, helping to cleanse and pull toxins from the intestines. I recommend adding chia seeds, fresh ground flax seeds or flackers to your daily menu. This will provide your body with excellent fiber, plant lignans and healthy fats known as omega-3 fatty acids. Other good sources of fiber are fresh vegetables and fruit, especially berries.

 

1. To help maximize your spring cleaning program, increase your intake of organic fresh fruits, herbs and vegetables. Have at least three colors of vegetables with every meal, add medicinal cleansing potent anti-oxidants filled herbs to your food; cilantro, onions, parsley, dandelion, and garlic. To help promote optimal liver function, the main detoxification center in our bodies, I suggest 1-2 servings of artichokes and 2-3 servings of brassica family (broccoli sprouts, cabbage, cauliflower, Brussels sprouts, kale, kholrabi) per day. These foods will promote healthy digestion, increase flow of bile and help with the elimination of harmful environmental chemicals and heavy metals.

And finally, get outside and play, enjoy and move your body. Your body will love you and you will feel fabulous!

To your optimal health,

Alison Levitt, MD

 

 

Jump Start the New Year; Detox & Anti-inflammatory Magic Brew

Why not jump start the New Year and commit to health and to feeling fabulous right now!

This Magic health brew will give you energy, help your body detoxify and is nourishing as well.  Try it once or even better, enjoy it today, prior to the New Year and jump-start your healthy mission.

Kale, Pineapple, Turmeric and Ginger Detox Drink
This purifying beverage contains kale to nourish the body and cleanse the kidneys; pineapple and turmeric two fabulous anti-inflammatory nutrients, bromelain which also helps to aid digestion; and ginger to help stimulate bile flow in your gall bladder.

Ingredients

1 bunch organic kale de-stemmed (3-4 cups chopped)

1/2 cup fresh pineapple
2 large cucumbers, organic, skins included if possible for the silicon and fiber benefits

1/4 tsp turmeric (the ultminate anti-inflammatory herb)
1/2 lemon, squeezed with a dab of zest

1/4 inch of ginger
1 bunch of mint (1/2 cup) optional but good

If you plan on drinking a lot, add a dropperful  or 30 drops of tincture of milk thistle (my favorite is from Herb Pharm, it is in liquid form, they have a liver tonic/support formula that I adore). This will ensure a happy liver recovery.

Blend and enjoy!

Happy healthy day and year to you all!

 

To eat or not to eat….the tale of the toxic can of mushrooms..

Yesterday I worked for ten hours seeing sick people at the clinic and when I was done I needed a little Alison time to decompress and so naturally I went to the grocery store. I find shopping for fruits and vegetables quite soothing. I know, some people like shoes, me, it’s the produce section….Anyways, there is a global market near the clinic and so I decided to stop, see what Asian/Mexican treats were available. Needless to say I bought a plethora of interesting greens and foods, some that I still do not even know how to use or how to name – I shall experiment this evening. And I must say that I was happily distracted for at least an hour.

I walked the aisles of curry, hot sauces and seaweeds and when I stumbled across the ‘every kind of canned mushrooms’, I was super happy. I love the straw variety and decided that I definitely needed a few cans of these.

Today, as I was preparing lunch and heating up some chili that I made, I remembered that I had those delicious mushroom. So, I opened a can, rinsed and then poured them into my soup. YUM! When I was putting the can in my recycling bin I happened to see the expiration date, it said 2022. Wow, I looked again thinking it probably said 2012, but nope, clearly it said 2022. I thought, my God these little guys may live longer than me! Then I had to wonder how is that possible, feels weird? I was actually scared to look at the ingredient list especially after I noticed the 800 mg of sodium per serving…yikes!  I just had to stop and pull my eyes away but before I did, I had another thought, BPA. OMG! Of course this can also had BPA and I thought how much BPA can a  mushroom absorb between now and 2022? How old is the can to begin? I mean, if it can last until 2022, maybe it is only midway through its shelf life and this can is actually from 2002. So I am thinking that is a lot of BPA?

Jeez, I am telling you, knowledge is not always bliss!  After all was said and done I contemplated deep and hard as to whether or not I should even eat this delicious meal. I really like those mushrooms and the chili that I added it too was divine. Funny, as toxic laden as it may be, it was not an easy decision…Needless to say I am probably never going to buy canned mushrooms at the asian store again.

 

Spicy roasted beets

Just when you thought I was done with beets….

After my beet greens post the other day I thought I was too! But then I thought two things

1. if you have beet greens, then you usually also have beets. So maybe I should say something about these lovely healthy root vegetables like how they are packed with antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and detox potential goodness. 

2. To top it all off I then saw this recipe in www.vegetariantimes.com and I could not resist doing post number two on beets and sharing. Besides even if you do not like beets, spicy roasted? Doesn’t that sound delish? Perhaps this recipe will tempt you to give them a try, they are in season after all…

Recipe:

2 bunches of beets, golden preferred (tops removed-but now you know what you can do with those babies right?), washed and quartered. You may also peel if you like but you would miss out on some good fiber

2 tbsp. coconut oil

1 tsp cumin

1/2 tsp paprika

1 pinch of chili powder

preheat over to 400 degrees. Toss all ingredients together and spread on baking sheet, Bake for 30-40 minutes or until beets are tender. Turn them over once. Salt pepper as desired and enjoy…yum!

 

Detox with Bobbi Brown!

I just could not resist posting this on my blog! Bobbi Brown was kind enough to let me share some of my favorite detoxification tips on her web site http://www.everythingbobbi.com/en/.

 It turns out that Bobbi Brown has decided to devote this year to health and wellness, how lucky for me?

Try all, some or even one of these detox recipes and be svelte and feel more energized this summer.

Check it out….

http://www.everythingbobbi.com/en/2012/06/01/summer-detox/

 

Smart Spring Detox; Tips to Revitalize & Energize from the Dr in The Kitchen

You too can feel this good!

Spring, my favorite time of year. The grey world of winter blossoms into colors and greens, divine aromas awaken my senses from nearby blossoming trees. Sensual and visual candy everywhere and also the perfect time to be thinking about a cleanse. It’s the perfect time to refresh, restore balance and energize because despite the incredible beauty of the season, we all are still exposed to toxins daily. We eat and drink them and sometimes even knowingly impose them upon ourselves.

But no worries, the Dr in The Kitchen has the rescue remedies you need!

Spring is the perfect time to lessen our bodies’ burden of these harmful chemicals and the good news is that our bodies are marvelously equipped to either neutralizing or eliminating most of the chemicals that it is bombarded with daily. By following these effective internal spring cleaning tips you can help your body detoxify and restore your systems’ balance, optimal health and abundant energy.

1. Increase healthy liquids: Simply increasing healthy liquids, will shift your bodies’ balance strongly toward improved elimination and less toxin buildup. Healthy fluids help dilute and eliminate toxin accumulations, pure water being the most important detoxifier. It helps clean us through our skin and kidneys, and it improves our sweating with exercise. Try and eliminate all stimulants like coffee and chemical drinks, like sodas, alcohol and enjoy the purifying effects of healthier liquids such as water (1/2 your weight in ounces per day) along with herb teas, and teas high in anti-oxidants such as green tea or red tea (rooibios).You can also enhance the detoxifying benefits of water by adding a tsp of lemon juice or apple cider vinegar and consume ten minutes prior to eating every meal.
2. Fiber is a wonderful detoxification supporter, helping to cleanse and pull toxins from the intestines. I recommend adding three tablespoons of either fresh ground flax seeds, flackers or dried sprouted flax seeds to your daily menu. This will provide your body with excellent fiber, plant lignans and healthy fats known as omega-3 fatty acids. For added fiber you may also consider one tablespoon of psyllium seed husks. (Note: All fiber works more effectively with increased water intake
3. To help maximize your spring cleaning program, lighten your internal load by;

a)     increasing your intake of organic fresh fruits, herbs and vegetables. Try always having at least three colors of vegetables with every meal, in addition add fresh medicinal cleansing herbs to your food like; cilantro, onions, parsley, dandelion, and garlic. This will ensure more fiber intake in addition to potent anti-oxidants and excellent phytonutirents.. I also suggest adding the following, 1-2 servings of artichokes and/or beets and/or onions-garlic per day, 2-3 servings of broccoli and other members of the brassica family (broccoli sprouts, cabbage, cauliflower, Brussels sprouts, kale, kholrabi) per day. These foods will help promote optimal liver function, (the main detoxification center in our bodies) healthy digestion, increase flow of bile and help with the elimination of harmful environmental chemicals and heavy metals.

            And finally….

b)    Avoid known toxins (alcohol, cigarette smoke) or ingesting foods that produce toxicity in our bodies such as: red meats, cured meats, Trans fatty acids, saturated fats, all refined processed foods and sugar (often disguised as corn syrup, fructose, brown rice syrup).

To your optimal health and your fabuouls revitalized energy!