Detoxing and Returning to Health

Detoxing can be a very powerful, wonderful way to clean your insides out, lose weight, brighten your skin, clean the blood, return to vibrant health and eliminate parasites. It helps to bring the body back into balance ensuring pathogenic microorganisms such as candida don't get out of control in the body.
This is my personal detox plan, feel free to use it although this is only what I PERSONALLY do for myself (tailored to my food intolerances), it is essential that you are supervised by a highly qualified naturopath/nutritionist and a detox is also CONTRAINDICATED in pregnancy- as during the process of removing toxins etc these could be passed on to the baby and cause serious damage.

Detox steps (many of these steps will not be suitable for those with severe salicylate intolerance SORRY! Suitable for celiac's, wheat intolerant etc), begin with a few days of vegetable juice fasting and chicken bone broth and vegetable soups.

You may use one piece of fruit in your morning juice but throughout the day it is best just to use vegetables (you can use as much lemon and lime as you want however) so that your sugar levels don't get out of control as candida etc will feed off all sugar including fruit, the best kinds of vegetables to juice are green ones- these will be very alkalising and excellent at detoxing and cleaning the blood, include spirulina, celery, barley and wheat grass, chlorella, kale etc. You may use a high quality protein powder such as Tony Sfeirs pea protein or egg yolks in your juice for extra energy and protein.

Throughout entire treatment it is ESSENTIAL to practice dry skin brushing, take epsom salt baths, get sunshine every day and exercise, DON'T overdo it on the exercise during this time however, light yoga and a nice walk in the park will be enough. It is also very important to have quiet time every day, meditate and practice positive affirmations and loving and approving of yourself.

After a few days of fasting begin to introduce more whole vegetables, seeds, nuts, grains if you tolerate them (quinoa, buckwheat, millet, amaranth only, in their WHOLE form (not flour, bread, pasta etc), including plenty of ginger, garlic, coconut oil, organic eggs, spices and herbs and variety but do not introduce dairy or meat at this stage. At this time you want to begin taking a supplement to kill off parasites, you can find these at your local health food store and are usually made of herbs such as black walnut, wormwood, garlic etc. It would also be advisable to make sure you are getting essential minerals so continue with the bone broth soup throughout. It is essential to take PLENTY of Vit C, 4 teaspoons of pure Melrose brand a day would be excellent. Don't forget to continue with exercise, sunshine and meditation. It would also be a wonderful idea to take a good quality fish oil. After a good three weeks on this protocol you can discontinue the use of the parasite killer.

Commence replenishing friendly bacteria, I use kefir made on raw organic milk and water kefir (read this to find out more http://www.rawfoodmelbourne.com/water-kefir/), also include kombucha, these are all amazing probiotic drinks for replenishing friendly bacteria and the best news is they are DELICIOUS. It would be particularly beneficial to take the probiotic SB floractic or another high quality probiotic capsule. Introduce small amounts of raw organic grass fed meat slowly as well as raw organic butter (preferably cultured), while still using coconut oil and all other things previously listed in the diet above.
To maintain health benefits continue to eat in this manner indefinitely, after a few months you may cease taking probiotic capsules but continue with kefirs, kombucha etc.

WHAT NOT TO DO DURING A DETOX
Eat any amount of processed/packaged foods, sugar, fast food, flour, gluten etc etc
Eat dried fruits (high in sugar)

If you live in Brisbane and wish to hold a Thermomix demonstration please email me at jessrems@gmail.com with your contact details and I will be in touch.

Best of luck!
Jessie :)

Healing Leaky Gut to Ease Allergies and Food Intolerances

Leaky gut, candida and other digestive disorders can HUGELY impact how severe your reactions to foods you don't tolerate well will be.

When the gut becomes leaky or too permeable this will mean that large particles of food as well as pathogenic microorganisms can escape into the blood stream wreaking all kinds of havoc including immune responses to foods.

Leaky gut can occur very quickly and become a serious problem. It can happen to anyone at any time. The main causes are as follows:

• Yeast or Candida- Yeast is a single celled microorganism and is found in every human body. This is fine when it is kept in check, however when it gets out of control (which is usually due to antibiotics which kill off other good bacteria but leave candida to proliferate out of control) it becomes a serious problem as it mutates into a fungal form which literally grows root like tentacles that drill into the sensitive mucosal lining and poking holes into the gut causing it to become leaky!
•  STRESS- stress is a serious factor here- most people with candida and/or leaky gut concentrate obsessively on the diet and less on dealing with how stressed, uptight, angry and/or resentful they are. Stress literally suppresses immune and intestinal function and if left will create serious problems with leaky gut. I recommend purchasing Louise Hay's book You Can Heal Your Life, cheap on fishpond and they do free postage, I have also found her Cd's very helpful for quiet meditation as well as taking a walk in the park each morning and practicing yoga. Take time for yourself, take the kids to the park if you have kids, breathe deeply and instead of criticising yourself and others so much and blaming people or circumstance, tell yourself positive, affirming statements and take control of your own life.
•  Medications- See a highly experienced naturopath and/or nutritionist that understands salicylate intolerance and talk to them about coming off any unnecessary antibiotics, steroids etc. Stop taking over the counter pain relief like ibuprofen (obviously if you are allergic to salicylates you would avoid anything with aspirin anyway).
•  Zinc deficiency- Have your naturopath and/or nutritionist test for zinc deficiency, this can also lead to gut permeability, if you are deficient make sure you are supplemented with a high quality liquid zinc.
•  Diet- Eliminate refined flour, gluten, sugar, toxic fats and processed and packaged foods. This is an obvious for most people who are salicylate intolerant as processed foods contain a BOATLOAD of artificial colours, flavourings and preservatives which can trigger fairly major reactions.  Although refined flour and sugar are apparently safe for someone who is salicylate intolerant they will most certainly contribute to a leaky gut and keep you very sensitive to any new foods. For health and healing please look at my nutritional guidelines on this blog.

For most people to eliminate candida and/or leaky gut and promote digestion we are told to consume a variety of different herbs and spices, different superfoods and coconut oil and a whole range of other things which would do someone who is salicylate intolerant NO GOOD AT ALL! I have been there, I was trying to get well and became more and more sick, it was not pretty.

SO how do we deal with this problem and come to a place where we are well and can return to a nearly normal diet (just avoid those foods that a very high in salicylates most of the time)
FIRSTLY I cannot stress enough that it is fairly imperative to see a highly qualified and reputable naturopath and/or nutritionist and seriously read Louise Hay, I Can Heal Your Life. Being able to cope with life's stress and promoting positive thoughts are essential for healing.

This is how I am dealing with the problem
I take Active Elements Minerals to support my mineral deficiences.
I spoke with the founder of Active Elements, Leslie Fisher and he confirms they do not contain salicylates.
I take Bioceuticals Ultra Clean EPA/DHA plus Fish Oil to assist with inflammation.
I take Thomson's B Complex
Bioglan Vit C (pure no salicylate formula, avoid those with riboflavanoids, rutin etc)
I take Bioceuticals Ultra Biotic 45 to replenish good bacteria
(Edit) OOPS! I also take 2mLs Metagenics liquid zinc at night, I have it after dinner and have a Vit C drink as well which stops it making me feel sick in the stomach.
Doing a detox for a few days can really help, the detox may involve just drinking bone broth soup and juiced vegetables (from the low salicylate column) this gives the digestive tract time to heal as the nutrients are much more easily assimilated and digestion can rest.

When you do go back to whole foods when you are eating make sure that you are relaxed, are enjoying your food to the fullest and CHEW YOUR FOOD PROPERLY!! For the love of everything, leaving huge chunks of food in your mouth and just swallowing them whole is a sure fire way to put distress on your digestive system and contribute to the dis-ease. Sounds gross but please savour your food and chew it in your mouth WELL before swallowing. It doesn't matter if it takes you an hour to eat it. Making something delicious and yummy and savouring every mouthful will go a long way in fixing the problems.
One of the most important aspects of healing digestive health is including a good bone broth and low salicylate vegetable soup, the properties from the bones really go a long way in healing the digestive tract. See my recipe on this blog.

Eliminate unnecessary toxins, I use a Zazen water filter at home, I open and air the house daily, do breathing exercises and make sure I go out and get some sun (Vit D) and fresh air every day.
Look into other alternative methods of healing such as acupuncture, massage (my favourite is kahuna), reflexology and something I am yet to try but looks extremely interesting is Bioresonance therapy http://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=bioresonance+therapy&oq=bioresonance+therapy&gs_l=youtube.3..0.74.2731.0.2832.16.10.0.5.5.1.469.1836.4j3j1j0j2.10.0...0.0...1ac.1.X3K9QJus5Fo
I am sure I will edit and update this as time goes on, I have probably forgotten a number of helpful tips.

All the best to you all and all my healing thoughts with you.
Jessie.
If you want more info check out these resources
http://www.brighterdayfoods.com/PDFDocs/d/DR3C27M98FWC9G33VJ916NSGP7RTAG86.PDF
http://www.enzymestuff.com/conditionleakygut.htm

Going Gluten Free, Benefits for Everyone

Digestive disorders such as Crohn's, ulcerative colitis, celiac disease, candida, food intolerances, allergies and autism are more and more common in today's society. The American food pyramid would have us believe that we should consume mostly pasta, cereal, bread, flour etc. This couldn't be further from the truth and guess who the pyramid was created by? Someone who was employed by Kellogg's, surprise surprise (thanks to my fabulous nutrition lecturer Leonie for this little insight).

Flour is literally glue in your digestive system, it has no nutritional value given it is stripped of all the vitamins and minerals during processing. It can lead to blood sugar problems as flour breaks down into glucose, constipation and literally FEEDS yeast and pathogens, it 'gums up' your insides and is a major contributor to all the aforementioned dis-eases. Unfortunately gluten intolerance or celiac disease is more and more common and even whole grains such as spelt, rye and oats can be a problem for these people, as well as those battling candida or a yeast infection. Fortunately there are a few wonderful products that you can use to overcome this situation. My personal favourite is quinoa, this grain, or really seed, is truly amazing. It is a complete protein, carrying all nine essential amino acids, is high in magnesium, essential for relaxing muscles and a variety of essential bodily functions, fantastic source of fiber (yes I am going there, you will poop better), it is also a good source of manganese and is an excellent antioxidant, removing free-radicals, aiding in the prevention of cancer and other dis-eases. PLEASE ENSURE YOU SOAK IT OVERNIGHT FIRST. This will ensure proper digestion and assimilation and get rid of any lectins which can be a problem.

Buckwheat, millet and amaranth are also excellent alternatives but to ensure proper digestion and assimilation it is an excellent idea to first soak these grains in some filtered water overnight or for the day before you cook them :) Going gluten free is NOT the end to eating wonderfully delicious meals, there are so many options and delicious things you can make that are full of nutrients and will leave you feeling vibrant and healthy, help digestion, constipation, acne, fatigue and even irritability. Give the gluten free way a go for a few weeks and let me know if you notice any changes.

I have also found these noodles called miracle noodles that are gluten and wheat free, I am NOT sure if they are acceptable for those of us who are salicylate intolerant but it's definitely worth checking out, here is the link :) http://www.miraclenoodle.com/default.aspx If you want to know more about the benefits of going gluten free visit these wonderful links-

http://bodyecology.com/articles/quinoa_benefits_guide.php#.UJIcMmfU2So
http://bodyecology.com/articles/risks_consuming_grains.php#.UJIUh2fU2So
http://www.westonaprice.org/making-it-practical/replacing-white-flour?qh=YTozOntpOjA7czo1OiJmbG91ciI7aToxO3M6NjoiZmxvdXJzIjtpOjI7czo3OiJmbG91cmVkIjt9

All the best on your gluten free journey to health and healing. Jessie.