10 Foods That Fight Inflammation

10 Foods That Fight Inflammation

There are many drugs and some foods  that help fight inflammation. Health Central has compiled a  list of 10 foods that have been found to decrease inflammation in the body. 


One of the food items that is missing from the list is the spice Turmeric (Curcumin). I now put Turmeric in almost everything thing that I eat because of its cancer and inflammation reducing properties. 


Another food item that also has inflammation reduction and other properties is aloe vera! I add edible aloe vera gel to smoothies, and use aloe vera topically on my skin.


A lot of discomfort and pain that we feel is due to inflammation or internal organ and external parts of our bodies. If you can reduce inflammation, you can reduce all of pain and discomfort and improve the proper functioning of your body and organs.

By HealthCentral Editorial Staff

http://www.healthcentral.com/multiple-sclerosis/cf/slideshows/10/1/?ap=825


Disclaimer: The statements regarding the nutritional and medicinal properties of the various foods have not  been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. These items are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease. Please consult your own physician for guidance regarding your health and nutrition.

Related articles

• Cancer And Inflammation: You Have Some Control (drbryanwarner.com)
• 5 Herbs for Arthritis & Joint Pain (mindbodygreen.com)
• Cancer Fighting Foods - 4 Anti-Cancer Foods (naturalsociety.com)
• 3 Things You Need to Know Before Using Aloe on That Sunburn (bellasugar.com)

How to pick, cut, use, and eat Aloe Vera!

How to pick, cut, use, and eat Aloe Vera!

Deutsch: Echte Aloe (Aloe vera)
(Photo credit: Wikipedia)

I purchased an Aloe Vera plant from Home Depot's indoor plant section. I nurtured the plant indoors until I got some really good growth!


Unfortunately when I tried to remove one leaf I ended up cutting off most of the leaves in the middle leaving only two leaves on the base! No problem -- I thought -- "I will just fillet and eat them"! Wrong number! The inner fillet was so bitter -- I almost gagged! 


I decided to just fillet all the leaves and use them topically. Only problem was that I started to itch a bit when I rubbed the inner side of the leaf on my skin. I knew I had to be doing something wrong so I decided to search for a good video on how best to pick, cut, use, and eat Aloe Vera.


Next time I will pick the leaves for my smoothie when they are nice and round! By the way -- my Aloe Vera plant just sprouted new leaves in the middle so the plant is quite hardy and will rejuvenate without much effort! Also, I  used a potato masher to mash up some of the raw fillet for topical use, and froze the rest for use later. You can also use a blender  but it is too much effort to clean up later! I just go with the easiest approach as long as it works! I hope that it will work for you too.


Here is a video from YouTube that describes how to pick an Aloe Vera leaf and what part is edible. Please click to view the video!

Disclaimer: The statements regarding the nutritional and medicinal properties of the various foods have not  been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. These items are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease. Please consult your own physician for guidance regarding your health and nutrition.

Related articles

• Multi-tasking hero: 10 ideas on how to use aloe vera (echolife.com.au)
• The Side Effects & Health Benefits of Aloe Vera Juice (refreshingnews99.blogspot.com)
• Aloe vera juice for the hair (africanhairblog.com)
• Homemade Aloe Vera Face Moisturizer (blogher.com)

Cephas Gilbert on the Benefits of Aloe Vera!

Rastaman Cephas Gilbert shares his wisdom on the benefits of Aloe Vera!  


"Aloe Vera Vibrations, Yeah, Positive!" That is so funny! Sometimes we need to lighten up a little!






Disclaimer: The statements regarding the nutritional and medicinal properties of the various foods have not  been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. These items are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease. Please consult your own physician for guidance regarding your health and nutrition.

Related articles

• Homemade Aloe Vera Face Moisturizer (blogher.com)
• Multi-tasking hero: 10 ideas on how to use aloe vera (echolife.com.au)

Chocolate Chai Smoothie!

There is nothing like Chocolate to make you feel really good! Okay, okay -- there may be other things that can make one feel good but for me I am in heaven when I have chocolate!


David Wolfe's Chocolate Smoothie: I decided to try David Adocado Wolfe's "Chocolate Smoothie". My first attempt at making David's version was a major disaster! The chocolate did not blend at all and the cashew nuts were all chunky. It was a total mess and not a very good experience. However, I am not one for following any recipe wholesale so I decided to retry David's recipe using my own approach and my unique twist on things -- so here goes!


My Approach: First, I broke up and melted the block of chocolate in warmed up Coconut Milk and Almond Milk with Vanilla Extract. This worked out great! I stirred in the spices and chocolate powder, and poured the melted chocolate and spice mixture into the blender with the bananas, yogurt, ginger, honey and aloe vera gel. I then blended all the ingredients into a smoothie. The result was wonderful! One of the best smoothies I have ever had! The "Chai" effect comes from the spices.


One can actually make ice cream or sherbert out of any smoothie. If you freeze the fruits before making the smoothie, you will get a soft-serve or sherbert type smoothie. Just experiment to find out what works best for you.


Here is the recipe for my Chocolate Chai Smoothie:


Ingredients
1/2 cup Coconut Milk
1/2 cup Almond Milk
1/2 cup Nonfat Yogurt
2 peeled Bananas (cut into large slices)
1/4 cup Aloe Vera Gel or 4in piece of freshly peeled Aloe Vera fillet
3/4 oz solid Dark Chocolate (70% or more cocoa or cacao)
2 tablespoons Cocoa or Cacao Powder
1 or 2 tablespoons Honey (optional to taste)
1 tablespoon freshly peeled and chopped Ginger
1 teaspoon freshly cracked Black Pepper
1/2 teaspoon powdered Cayenne Pepper
1 teaspoon Turmeric (optional)
4 pods green Cardamom (optional -- crack open the pods and remove the seeds)
1/2 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
1/4 teaspoon Sea Salt (optional)


Alternative ingredients when not using Coconut or Almond Milk
(Coconut and Almond Milk are good for people that are lactose intolerant):
1 cup Non-fat or Low Fat Milk or Soy Milk
1 tablespoon melted Organic Coconut Oil
1/4 cup Roasted Cashew Nuts (add when using a blender, such as Vita Mix, with powerful blades)
1/2 teaspoon Sea Salt (to taste)


Tools
Blender
Measuring Cup
Small glass or metal mixing bowl
Small glass container (for melting Coconut Oil)
Cutting board
Chef's Knife
Measuring spoons


Steps
1. Break up and place the block of dark chocolate into the mixing bowl.
2. Warm up the Almond Milk, Coconut Milk and Vanilla Extract and pour the warm milk into the mixing bowl with the chocolate chunks. (If you are using a Microwave to warm up Coconut and Almond Milk just add the milk in a glass bowl with the chocolate. Be sure to use a low heat setting such as "Defrost" or microwave for just one minute until the milk is warm. Do not boil the milk! The purpose of the Smoothie is to get the beneficial properties of the ingredients. Microwaving or heating the milk at a high temperature will destroy the beneficial properties so just take your time!)
3. Gently stir the warm milk and the chocolate chunks until all the chocolate is melted.
4. Add the powdered chocolate and all the spices and stir until thoroughly mixed.
4. Add the sliced bananas, ginger, cardamon, yogurt, honey and aloe vera gel to the blender
5. Pour the melted chocolate and spice mixture into the blender and blend all the ingredients into a smoothie. (Start the blender on "Stir" or "Mix" and then increase the speed!)
6. Serve the "Chocolate Chai Smoothie" in a tall glass! Enjoy!


(You can pour any remaining "Chocolate Chai Smoothie" into a Thermos-style "BPA-Free" flask and store in the fridge for a snack later or the next day. Do not keep smoothies in the fridge for more than one day!)


Notes:


1. Aloe Vera: If using fresh Aloe Vera fillet, be sure that it is "Aloe Vera Barbadensis Miller" and remove all the skin since the skin has laxative properties. You can freeze the remaining aloe vera fillet and use it in another smoothie as soon as possible. I am growing my own Aloe Vera plant so I can use the fresh fillet but I have a full-grown plant, I am using the Lily of the Valley Certified Organic Aloe Vera Gel which I obtain from a Super Supplement store or Pharmaca. I particularly like Pharmaca because there are trained Naturopathic specialists that were trained at Bastyr University that can discuss supplements in an intelligent way.




Disclaimer: The statements regarding the nutritional and medicinal properties of the various foods have not not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. These items are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease. Please consult your own physician for guidance regarding your health and nutrition.

What you should know about Aloe Vera - YouTube

What you should know about Aloe Vera - YouTube


Disclaimer: The statements regarding the nutritional and medicinal properties of the various foods have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. These items are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease. Please consult your own physician for guidance regarding your health and nutrition.

Replay | Wellness Revolution

Replay | Wellness Revolution

TOPIC:  Superfoods to boost your Immune system, adrenals and thyroid function

Today I learned about "grounding" and connecting to the earth from the replay of David Wolfe's  discussion on "Superfoods to boost your Immune system, adrenals and thyroid function" presented by Adoley Odunton's "Wellness Revolution".

I love gardening so winter time is really hard for me to deal with. Yesterday, I had this overwhelming urge to touch soil. I finally decided to clip all the dead branches and leaves off my patio herb garden. Just touching the soil made me happy again. I need to get some houseplants to help me through the long Northwest winter.

Another issue that David emphasized was "water" -- drinking lots of water to reduce inflammation. He recommends natural spring water.

He recommends super foods and herbs to create an arsenal to boost your immune system. He mentioned the following

• Reishi or Lingzhi mushrooms
• Aloe Vera juice (fresh is best, remove the skin and use the fillet)
• Noni (powder or fruit rollup)
• Tumeric (very nutritious and helps cognitive ability. Add to juice, dressings, smoothies, seasoning of other superfoods)

 Have enzymes, anti-fungal and anti-inflammatory properties.

Other super foods to consider -- blueberries, raspberries, blackberries.

Use powdered super foods (concentrated) to supplement fresh super foods. 

Calcification affects our immune system and leads to inflammation. Calcium supplements could be adding to the calcification problem.

Iodine: we don't get enough from our food. We can use seaweed -- kelp -- to supplement iodine.

Maca: it is in the cruciferous vegetable family. You can use the powdered form.

Horsetail Nettle tea: natural medicine against fungal infections.

Learn more about David Wolfe's work: http://www.davidwolfe.com/