Author: Scott & Rhonda

Boosting the Immune System

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A couple of weeks ago I wrote about ‘Man Flu’ because Scott was suffering from a cold.

He generously shared it with me, despite my efforts to keep it at bay. However, even though we both became sick, we were feeling unwell for a very short time.

We did not take any of the usual cold and flu medications, as these suppress the symptoms and the body takes longer to heal itself. We did however have some ‘immune shots’ that Scott created, that we drank 3 times a day.

These ‘shots’ consisted of – Echiberry 10ml, Natural Mineral drink by Modere 10ml, Green Qi super green powder by Modere 1 tsp, ground Cinnamon ½ tsp & ground Ginger ½ tsp mixed with approximately 20ml water.

They did taste a bit unpleasant, but most ‘medicine’ does. Scott stated that these shots helped our immune system fight the virus. So, after only spending 2 days sick, I think they really did work. I decided to share with you why these ingredients help us when we are sick.

First the Echiberry, which I purchased from our local health food store.

This liquid combines Echinacea purpurea root extract, Elderberry, Olive leaf extract, NZ Blackcurrant and Manuka Honey.

*Clinical trials have shown Echinacea to be useful in both preventing as well as treating bacterial and viral infections including colds and flu.

*Elderberry is highly regarded by herbalists for the treatment of winter ailments, particularly where there is fever, aches and pains.

*Olive leaf extract has been shown to inhibit a number of bacteria and viruses. It is widely used as a tonic for the immune system.

*NZ Blackcurrants are one of the most potent antioxidant-containing berries in the world. Research has shown the anthocyanins (antioxidant compounds found in blackcurrants) can help reduce the effects of asthmatic lung inflammation.

*Manuka Honey is unique to New Zealand and has a powerful additional antiseptic property not found in other types of honey.

Next is the Natural Mineral drink by Modere

This drink contains Alpine moor mineral extract, which is abundant in plant derived phytonutrients and minerals. Among the benefits of phytonutrients are antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activities. Phytonutrients may also enhance immunity and intercellular communication.

Then the Green Qi super green powder by Modere

A green powder supplement contains all the vitamins and minerals of a multi vitamin. There is also added nutrients such as probiotics, prebiotics, detoxification nutrients and disease-protective antioxidants.

Followed by Cinnamon

Cinnamon is loaded with powerful antioxidants that have anti-inflammatory effects, which may help lower the risk of disease. Cinnamaldehyde, the main active component of cinnamon has antifungal and antibacterial properties, which may reduce infections.

Finally the Ginger

Ginger has a very long history of use in various forms of traditional/alternative medicine. It has been used to help digestion, reduce nausea and help fight the flu and common cold, to name a few. Gingerol is the main bioactive compound in ginger, responsible for much of its medicinal properties. It has powerful anti-inflammatory and antioxidant effects.

So, in conclusion, all of the ingredients in these ‘immune shots’ assist the immune system. By taking the mixture 3 times a day, we were ensuring that our immune systems were continually fuelled with what they needed to fight the infection.

The result being that we able to get well sooner.

Till the next post,

Live clean n prosper

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A healthy snack recipe – Cacao Fig Balls

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Today I’m going to share a Cacao Fig Ball recipe that is both yummy and nutritious.

 

Recently I was talking to a Nutritionist about the importance of calcium in the diet as people age. I asked if there were other calcium rich foods that we could incorporate, apart from the more commonly known dairy foods and greens.

Some of the foods that she recommended were Dried Figs, Sesame seeds or Tahini and Kale.

I decided put together a ball recipe that would include the figs and seeds to make a calcium rich snack.

 

I’ve decided to call these Cacao Fig Balls.

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Ingredients

8 x dried figs (or 100 grms – depends on how juicy they are)

20 x dates (or 100 grms depends – on how juicy they are)

½ cup unsalted Pistachio nuts

2 tbsp Sesame seeds.

½ cup fine shredded coconut

4 tbsp raw Cacao powde

30g Cacao butter – melted

1 tbsp Coconut oil – melted

1 tsp Vanilla essence/paste

+ ¼ cup fine shredded coconut to roll balls in

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Method

 First, put the pistachios into your food processor and quickly blitz to break them up, followed by the figs and dates, then pulse till crumbly and sticky.

Add coconut, cacao and Sesame seeds then pulse till combined.

 I then added the vanilla, cacao butter and coconut oil and mix till combined.

Now the mix should look crumbly, however, if you scoop out a teaspoon full it should press together.

 I used my tablespoon-measuring spoon to scoop out the mix and pressed the mix into shape.

 This mix made 21 balls. Some of which I artfully displayed on my trusty board to photograph.

 

 Now for some nutritional information,

 It seems that figs’ are a member of the Mulberry family!

 It turns out that apart from Calcium, dried figs are an excellent source of minerals, vitamins and antioxidants

 Dried Figs are full of minerals like copper, potassium, manganese, iron, selenium and zinc. 100 g of dried figs contain 680 mg of potassium, 162 mg of calcium, and 2.03 mg of iron.

 Furthermore, research studies suggest that figs help lower blood sugar levels and control blood glucose levels in type-II diabetes.

 

Now, about Sesame seeds.

 It seems that the Sesame plant is a tall annual herb and the seeds are one of the first oil seeds known to humankind.

 Sesame is among the seeds rich in quality vitamins, and minerals. They are an excellent source of B-complex vitamins such as niacin, folic acid, thiamin (vitamin B1), pyridoxine (vitamin B6), and riboflavin.

 The seeds are incredibly rich sources of many essential minerals. Calcium, iron, manganese, zinc, magnesium, selenium, and copper especially concentrated in sesame seeds.

 Sesame seeds are also valuable sources of dietary protein with fine quality amino acids that are essential for growth, especially in children. Just 100 g of seeds provide about 18 g of protein.

 

The dates also contribute health benefits to this recipe.

 Dates contain antioxidants known as tannins. Tannins are known to possess anti-infective, anti-inflammatory, and anti-hemorrhagic (prevent easy bleeding tendencies) properties.

 They are also an excellent source of iron, potassium and minerals like calcium, manganese, copper, and magnesium. (Facts source – http://www.nutrition-and-you.com)

 

I have previously written about the health benefits of raw cacao, so I won’t go there.

 So, all these ingredients come together to create a great tasting snack that is very good for you.

 

Till the next post,

 

Live Clean n Prosper

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Iridology – reading the eyes.

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Scott suggested that he contribute to the blog, so he has written todays post.

I recently attended a workshop that was really interesting so I thought it was time I wrote a post for the blog.

Irises, eyes

Learning about my eyes

One of my lecturers from college held an Iridology workshop in her home and I was lucky enough to be invited. Iridology is the study of the eyes to help determine health, although I have discovered it is so much more. I have had photos of my eyes taken by a student naturopath at the Endeavour College Clinic. The lecturer was able to read my eyes from them. What she was able to discern from my eyes just blew me away. This is a person who only knows me as a face in a classroom, but she spoke about me like she had known me all my life.

What I learned

You see Iridology looks not just at your physical health but your personality too. I don’t mean that it is some kind of psychic thing but rather a way of reading your eyes. Then using this knowledge as a way to make better decisions regarding health. For example it was determined that I have a strong constitution, these are graded from 1 to 5, I am a 1. It may seem on face value that is very desirable but it also means that I can tend to push myself to hard sometimes. Compared to a person who is a 4 or 5 who is better at knowing when to stop and take a rest to avoid injury.

Also identified are 4 basic personality types, these are Jewel, Stream, Shaker and Flower; I am a Stream. I won’t go in to all the traits of this type but the description fits my personality. There are many Iridology charts that explain all sorts of things that are indicated in the eyes. As a beginner I plan on sticking to the basics until I learn more.

Many people tend to think of Iridology as some kind of voodoo, however there are some aspects that medical science agrees with. Take the cholesterol ring, this is a kind of smoky ring around the outside of the iris that indicates, you guessed it high cholesterol.

How does it work?

It is not yet fully understood how Iridology works, but the theory is that the iris contains nerve fibres that are connected to various parts of the body through a nerve pathway in the brain. As we experience different things a small marker is left in these nerve fibresHowever it happens, I am a convert and I plan to keep learning as much as I can about this fascinating subject during my studies, so I can use it in my own practice in the future.

Till the next post,

Live clean n prosper

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