ILOG 3 day Smoothie Challenge – Will You Join Us?
13 Apr 2012 9 Comments
in Diabetes, Diet & Weight loss, God's Green Herbs, Green Living, organic food, recipes, Smoothies & Juices Tags: green smoothie, Green smoothie fast, green smoothies, ILOG, Leaf vegetable, organic food, organic girl, smoothie challenge
It’s unfortunate but we recently discovered high quantities of black and brown colored mold in our home. This is second time we have gone through this and experienced all kinds of health complications because of it. We have been in essence homeless for a month and have moved 3 times since the mold was discovered. I wrote an article that discusses how mold affected us the first time and how it can harm your health; you can check it out by clicking here.
Needless to say we are trucking through with God’s help and we are thankful that it was discovered sooner than later.
With all the madness and stress, I have noticed that I am not sleeping as much and I am having trouble falling into a deep sleep. I am having cravings, experiencing a bit of dry hair and feeling tired more than I should.
I know stress is a nasty enemy and coupled with the effects of being around toxic mold, it can play some not so nice tricks on our health.
Hence the “ILOG (I Love Organic Greens)” Smoothie Challenge that I am about to start in a few days to give my body a jump start at cleansing and strengthening my immune system.
As a family we have embraced the greens in smoothies for almost a decade and we have seen the benefits in our overall health. I have written many articles on delicious green smoothie recipes that I have taught people to make over the years and made for our family.
This is a challenge I am doing with a few friends but you can join in on the fun if you like. The challenge is quite easy to follow as not everyone is used to drinking their salad; so to start off we are going to stick to the basics and leave room for a healthy cheat if needed.
Regardless of how long it takes you to muster up the courage to actually do a 3 day or 5 day or 20 day fast, this marks the beginning of a new journey. And a lot of things can happen in 3 days. There are 3 sunrises and 3 sunsets to witness, laughs to savor and beautiful outdoors to embrace. No matter where you are or what you are doing, you have 3 days; what you will do with them is all up to you, but the sky is the limit.
Don’t be intimidated or think that you have to be some food guru or health expert to do this. All you need is some will and your doctors approval.
And just in case you are wondering, I am not a raw foodie, nor am I a vegetarian. My friends, family and followers in some 185 countries know me as La Chica Organica which means, The Organic Gal. I like to live simply and I try my best to eat a healthy balanced diet which is based on the needs our family has. Eating organic as much as possible is one of my top priorities, I do so to avoid ingesting high levels of pesticides, herbicides, fungicides, genetically modified organisms, hydrogenated oils and anything that looks like FrankenFood. I also enjoy making raw food dishes and desserts and I incorporate them in our diet as much as possible.
In other words, we try to keep in real, and by real I mean, “Real Food.” Food that is living and not created in a lab by mad food scientists.
The reason for this is simple. If we put dead foods into our body we will most likely only get dead, lifeless results in the end; like the many sicknesses and diseases that are plaguing our society. In many cases they are the result of a dead food diet. Living foods however are life building foods that aid our body in the healing process.
Living foods are those foods taken directly from creation and consumed usually immediately. Living foods consist of all the vitamins, minerals, enzymes, fiber and antioxidants our bodies need to survive. By giving us these perfect foods God knew He would be helping our bodies deal with cancer, heart disease, obesity, diabetes, and many other diseases.
Now for the fun part. Just how do I plan on doing this?
The process is easy. Take a few days to prep by creating a shopping list of your favorite fruits, vegetables, herbs and leafy greens, remembering to choose organic when possible.
During prep days, you should eliminate one to two cooked meals (including animal protein) a day and replace those meals with salads, fruits, smoothies and raw or lightly steamed vegetables. By the last day of your prep time you should not be consuming any animal protein, pre-packaged foods, fast food, junk food, sodas, coffee, or anything that does not grow in the ground or on a tree.
You can keep organic almond milk, coconut milk, rice milk or hemp milk in your diet if you choose to during this time.
I recommend prepping for 3-5 days depending on your schedule.
Starting the “ILOG” Smoothie Challenge
The goal is to drink green smoothies for breakfast lunch and dinner. Fluids allowed in between are filtered water and pure coconut water.
In my case I plan on making a 32 ounce green smoothie every morning, afternoon and evening. Each smoothie should always have 1 or 2 fruits and 2 or more greens or if you can tolerate straight greens then you do not need to use any fruits.
A great starter smoothie is something I like to call my BanKalBoost. Are you ready for this complicated recipe?
1 banana, 5 large frozen strawberries or just a handfull, ½ cup of raw spinach, 1-2 leafs of kale and 1.5 cups of water, almond milk or rice milk. Place your bananas in first with liquid, blend. Then place in greens and blend. Lastly add in your frozen strawberries and blendy blendy then get ready for the green mustache. For an extra punch try adding in a few snips of cilantro or parsley and blend.
They key is variety as to not get bored from the same old green smoothie every day for 3 days. Pears, mangoes, apples, bananas, strawberries, grapes, romaine lettuce, clover sprouts, collard greens, chard, cilantro, parsley and mixed blends of salad greens work well for this challenge.
I personally also take a dose of pro-biotics in the morning before heading out to work to aid in digestion and keep my gut flora healthy.
So if you think you are up to the challenge then you can pretty much get started anytime, but be sure to write about your experience and post it here under the comments section.
For those friends of La Chica Organica that need an extra push, we can set you up under the ILOG Coaching which will prepare you with shopping lists, recipes, fun tips, resources and encouragement for your 3 day journey. To get more information please drop me a line by clicking here. We are aiming at starting our ILOG Smoothie Challenge by Thursday of next week so if you need to sign up for coaching please do so by Monday.
Hope you can join me and raise your green glass, sport your green mustache and say along with me “I Love Organic Greens.”
Oh and just in case you can’t do the challenge right now, don’t feel bad. Check out these awesome fruit and green smoothie recipes below you can make anytime, anywhere.
Most amazing Green Smoothie Ever
Help your Digestion with this Delicious Cost Effective Smoothie
5 Fabulous Healthy Easy to make Smoothies/Juices
Another Great Green Smoothie Recipe that Supports the Immune System & Digestion
More Delicious Signature Green Smoothies by La Chica Organica
Lots of Love – May the Green be with you!
LCO
As a disclaimer I must say that should you choose to do any type of fast you are responsible for your well-being not La Chica Organica. This post and ideas expressed here are not to be taken as medical or health advice. I strongly recommend you consult with a licensed health professional before changing your diet or fasting.
Also if LCO has blessed you with helpful tips or you have a testimonial to share, please feel free to post a comment or contact us here.
At La Chica Organica we are not paid for all of the free resources we offer here, so if at any time you are lead to bless us with a gift or scholarship to continue offering wholesome teachings and wellness education, please just drop us a line by contacting us here.
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Health News: Eating Greens & Fruits Turns Off Heart Disease Gene
13 Oct 2011 Leave a Comment
in Green Living, Health News, Heart Health, how to stop a heart attack, organic food Tags: greens for heart, healthy foods for heart, heart disease, reverse heart disease
Eating a healthy amount of greens could have an effect on genes linked to heart disease, according to a new study.
Researchers from Canada’s McMaster and McGill universities found that eating fruits and vegetables may actually change a gene variant, called 9p21, that is one of the strongest predictors for heart disease.
“We found that in people with this high-risk gene who consumed a diet rich in vegetables and fruits, their risk came down to that of people who don’t have that gene,” said Dr. Sonia Anand, a lead author and professor of medicine and epidemiology at the Michael G. DeGroote School of Medicine at McMaster University.
The researchers analyzed the diets of more than 27,000 people from different parts of the world who were already enrolled in two separate studies looking at heart disease.
“Despite having a high genetic risk for heart disease, a healthy lifestyle can actually turn off the gene,” said Anand. She also said it’s not yet clear exactly how diet affects the gene.
The study participants who lowered their risk through their diet ate at least two servings of fruits and vegetables a day. Raw fruits and vegetables played the biggest role in lowering risk, Anand said.
New research suggests eating a healthy amount of fruits and vegetables could change a gene strongly linked to heart disease.
Experts not involved in the Canadian research say the research provides more evidence that there is a strong gene-environment interaction involved in heart disease and other conditions.
“This may be true for other issues. There may be genetic factors that make a patient more sensitive to salt and develop hypertension, whereas another person can eat large amounts of salt and maintain normal pressure,” said Dr. Carl “Chip” Lavie, medical director of Cardiac Rehabilitation and Prevention at the John Ochsner Heart and Vascular Institute at Ochsner Health System in New Orleans.
“Other studies have also shown that those who eat healthier diets tend to offset the risk that same chromosome places on them,” said Dr. Phil Ragno, director of cardiovascular health and wellness at Winthrop University Hospital in Mineola, N.Y.
Motivation for Lifestyle Change?
“We know that despite public health recommendations to eat five or more servings of fruits and vegetables a day, only a minority of people take the advice seriously,” said Anand. “Genetic information may be a motivation to help people take the public health recommendation seriously.”
But she added that this research doesn’t mean that people should go out and get genetically screened for the presence of 9p21 variants. Screening is costly and not routinely done.
The role of genetics is an expanding area of medical research, and experts believe the next few years will bring new health recommendations based on people’s genetic makeup.
“This points the way toward the future and where we’re going in terms of understanding the genetics of heart disease,” said Dr. William O’Neill, cardiology professor and executive dean of clinical affairs at the University of Miami’s Miller School of Medicine. “Maybe in the next few years, we may be able to do specific gene scans on individual patients and if we find the patients who have genetic high risk, we really want to concentrate on modifying risk by targeting smoking, cholesterol adn diet.”
And that could be reassuring for many people with genetic susceptibility to certain conditions.
“We often think of genetic factors as being un-modifiable factors,” said Anand. “But lifestyle factors can actually change the genes.”
Source ABC News
Article written by KIM CAROLLO
Make Your Own Coconut Kefir – A Great Cultured Food for Digestion
21 Sep 2011 Leave a Comment
in Green Living, organic food, recipes Tags: Coconut, coconut kefir, Coconut water, Cutured Food, fermented drinks, Veggie Culture Starter
I am working on a article about Autism and how there is a tremendous link between gut health and autism. Here is a great way to increase the good flora in your digestive track and its something you can make at home in minutes.
Many of the longest-lived societies included cultured foods in their diets because of the amazing benefits. Most authorities agree that the ancient people of the Middle East ate yogurt regularly. Written records confirm that the conquering armies of Genghis Khan lived on this food.
The benefits of friendly bacteria first came to the attention of the general public in 1908, when Dr. Elie Metchnikoff, a Russian biologist, wrote The Prolongation of Life. Dr. Metchnikoff devoted the last 10 years of his life to the study of consuming lactic-acid-producing bacteria as a means of increasing life span. After much research, he was convinced that he had discovered why so many Bulgarians lived noticeably long lives. This phenomenon, he theorized, was due to their consumption of large quantities of cultured foods, especially yogurt, which he believed help maintain the friendly bacteria that live in the gastrointestinal tract.
So it’s very important that we include cultured foods into our diet on a daily basis, especially if there is digestive issues.
Cultured Coconut Kefir:
- What moist and fresh young coconuts look like.
Examples of old, moldy coconuts: The water inside may still be fine to ferment (see picture on page 2).- Lay young coconut on its side and cut several thin slices from the bottom.
A circle appears (often white, sometimes a brown ring). This indicates the soft spot or way into the sterile, sweet coconut water.
Sometimes a hard knot makes it more difficult to cut through the coconut. Usually the hole is in or beside this knot.
Poke down through soft spot, creating a hole in the coconut shell.- Setting the coconut down into a sink, so “cone-shaped” head nestles firmly into drain makes this easier. Widen
the hole with a carrot peeler, so water can pour out. 
Each coconut contains 1½ cups of liquid. Open 3-4 coconuts to obtain 1½ quarts.
If the water is pink, do not use it (water on the right is spoiled, and so is the coconut).
Pour Coconut Water through strainer into sauce pan. Ideally, Microflora prefer that the liquid be 92° F (31° or 32° degrees C), so be careful not to overheat.
Use an inexpensive thermometer if desired, to check the temperature.- Or wash your hands well and dipping your finger into the coconut water, test for the right temperature. At 92 , you won’t
feel hot or cold. It will be a neutral feeling or “natural feeling”. 
Add Body
Ecology’s kefir starter or Body
Ecology’s culture starter to the heated coconut water. The culture
starter contains plantarum, an antiviral bacteria, and the kefir starter
contains lactobacillus and beneficial yeast.
Put lid onto glass container and shake well!!- Ideally the room temperature should be around 70°F to 75° F). If your room is colder you may want to place glass
container into insulated storage. Kefir is ready in 36 hours (may vary with temperature). 
Once fermented, coconut water will become cloudy and lighter in color (see picture towards the bottom. The left jar is fermented, the right one is not).(After fermentation is complete, you will want to refrigerate your kefir to extend its life. It should maintain its
fresh flavor for about 3 weeks.)- Now you can enjoy in smoothies or drink it alone.
- This is a fantastic treat and great for the whole family
- Sources:
- Body Ecology
- terawarner.com
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This Chemical Ingredient in Nail Polish, Toys, Soaps and Hair Care Products Must be Avoided
10 Sep 2011 2 Comments
in Baby & Child Health, Beauty and Skin Care, Green Living Tags: Cosmetics, Nail polish, Personal care, Phthalate, toxic toys
Phthalates are chemicals that can cause damage when absorbed or otherwise ingested into the human body. They are commonly used as an inexpensive chemical ingredient in several consumer goods.
Phthalates are mostly used as a “plasticizing” agent to help keep materials cohesive. They are often used to make plastics more flexible or to act as a suspension or stabilizing agent in solutions.
The phthalate group of chemicals is being eliminated from some products built for close human contact or consumption due to health concerns. However, there are still some consumer products out there that have kept this ingredient in order to create a desirable consistency.
Some of these products include nail polish, perfumes, lotions, air fresheners, soaps, cosmetics and hair care products. The health concerns for this chemical are vast. Perhaps the largest concern is the effect that even “normal” exposure to phthalates can have on unborn and young children.
Studies have shown that phthalate exposure in mothers of unborn males can result in a blockage of male hormones during gestation. This can lead to reproductive abnormalities in infant boys and ultimately to adult infertility. The connection to phthalates was identified when mothers of baby boys with reproductive abnormalities tested with high levels of phthalates in their blood.
Women of child bearing age actually have tested the highest for phthalate concentration in adult male and female studies. This suggests a connection to frequent use of body care and cosmetic products containing phthalates.
Children are particularly susceptible to the hormonal disruption phthalates cause because their bodies are still developing.
Children are also more likely to put things in their mouth that contain phthalates, increasing their absorption of the chemical. This is why it is important to check your labels and make sure your child’s toys are phthalate free, as well as the personal care products you use on them.
Phthalate use in children’s toys has been banned in the U.S. since 2008. After the ban took effect, stores were allowed to sell toys containing the plasticizing chemical if they were in their “existing inventory” at the time of the ban. This means you may want to discard toys purchased before or during 2008 if they are not specifically labeled as phthalate-free.
You may also be inhaling phthalates if you use scented sprays, air fresheners or perfumes that are not labeled as phthalate-free. The chemical is often used as a stabilizing agent in these types of scented sprays, so read your labels on products of this nature as well.
Aside from the proven endocrine disrupting properties of this chemical, there are studies that show phthalates can damage the lung, kidney and liver tissues. Breathing disorders such as asthma have been linked to exposure, as well as liver and kidney cancers.
There is more and more evidence that phthalates are generally toxic to the human body. It is therefore wise to avoid this chemical as much as you possibly can in your daily life.
Sources :
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phthalate
http://dir.salon.com/story/news/fea…
http://www.virginiahopkinstestkits….
http://environment.about.com/od/hea…
http://www.babycenter.ca/baby/safet…
Giving Thanks after a Night in the Pediatric ER
02 Sep 2011 4 Comments
in Baby & Child Health, God's Green Herbs, Green Living Tags: baby cuts head, ER, herb for bleeding, Herbalism, how to stop bleeding, lco, Plantago major, Plantain
I just had to share this picture with you. Our little one turned 2 yesterday. We were serving birthday dinner and he hit his head and started to bleed. So off to get emergency care. It was the first time I had ever had that happen with one of the children, so mama almost had a mini heart attack and poor daddy had to wipe him down and clean his head.
Contrary to popular belief, LCO can not stand the site of blood. I know, I know. It seems ridiculous but believe it or not, that was the determining factor for me to not pursue a career in the medical world. Everything else about medicine fascinates me but I can’t stand to see blood. So I opted for being a natural health educator, health and wellness researcher and herbal medicine crafter, which I enjoy with all of my heart.
Anyways, I am VERY thankful to God that it was not worse and that he is well and recuperating after a few staples in his head. On our way to the urgent care facility, I gave him homeopathic meds to calm him and reduce pain and inflammation. After saying a quick prayer, I too took a few drops of Bach Flower Remedies to calm my nerves.
We took him to After Hours Pediatrics where the attention from the doctor and staff was simply amazing. Below our little one is pictured with the doctor that treated him.
But in the case where someone is bleeding and you cannot stop the blood and don’t have quick access to medical care, what could you do?
There is a little herb that I treasure. Its called Plantain (Plantago major). It is used as a poultice on the outside and taken as a tea on the inside. It is a safe and effective treatment for bleeding because it quickly stops blood flow and encourages the repair of damaged tissue.
Plantain is an herb that you should never go without. At home we use plantain in tea, baths, poultices, and soaks. The heated leaves are used as a wet dressing for wounds, skin inflammations, malignant ulcers, cuts, stings and swellings and said to promote healing without scars. Poultice of hot leaves is bound onto cuts and wounds to draw out thorns, splinters and inflammation.
Hope you stay safe this weekend.
Lots of Love
LCO
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