Time to give back...

Your body is an amazing machine, known to be it's own best doctor, and will remain extremely loyal to you up until its ultimate breaking point. If your like me ( like I was ) you spent years over eating meats, processed foods full of sugar and going out a few times a week poisoning yourself with alcohol. Your body doesn't mind much in your younger years, it will deal with the abuse and bounce back just as quick as you ask it to. Now my readers that drive know how it is when you bring your neglected car in for a routine wheel alignment, to have the mechanic inform you that you happen to need new brakes, struts, tires, and a computer chip. Your body works in a similiar fashion, you can drive it hard for a while without any issues, but when something fails you it's usually a vicious and possibly fatal chain reaction. So here are just a few foods that cleanse and will assist in erasing some of the beating you put on your body this summer...

Fresh squeezed lemon water - I have a prior post on lemon water but just to reiterate, a great liver cleanser loaded with vitamins and minerals.

Garlic (raw)- Garlic is one of the most impressive and potent of natural foods, with its powerful antibiotic, antibacterial, antiviral and anti-fungal properties, garlic is one food that you should be eating every day.

Beets- The pigment that gives beetroot its rich, red color, betacyanin, has found to be a powerful cancer-fighting agent. Beets' potential effectiveness against colon cancer in particular. Great for skin health as well.

Apples- Apples contain quercetin, which is a powerful antioxidant. This substance not only fights cancer, but protects your brain from degeneration, fighting Alzheimer's disease. A recent food database analysis also shows that adults who eat apples have less hypertension, which is a major factor of heart disease.

Papaya- Papaya is one of the tastiest cleansing foods. They promote digestive health with natural enzymes. In case you didn't know, a body with strong digestion has a stronger immunity and has the ability to remove built up waste from the body, which may be in the form of excess fat and weight. In addition, strong digestion equals a speedy metabolism.

Greens- Including spinach, chard, kale, wheat grass, arugula, and super foods such as spirulina and chlorella. These plants will help give a chlorophyll-boost to your digestive tract. Chlorophyll rids the body of harmful environmental toxins from smog, heavy metals, herbicides, cleaning products and pesticides. They also aid the liver in detoxification.

An old friend...

First and foremost let's clear up a rumor that has surfaced and been spreading around for a while now. The sugar in fruit does not cause weight gain, and thats factual. As I posted a while back, my morning's are spent grazing on different types of fruits in respect to the chart of fruit combining or natural hygiene. When I speak of raw foods in their god given state, that is directed towards fruits and vegetables which are haven't been cooked, heated or processed, and consumed in the true nature which they were given. Now let's discuss a close friend of mine who has been given a bad name over the years, and unrighteously so. The banana is abundant in sugars that convert to quick and sustainable energy. An excellent source of potassium which is crucial for kidney function and minimizes the excretion of calcium which leads to stronger bones. Men who are deficient in potassium and calcium are those who end up developing kidney stones over time. Bananas are a greeat source of vitamin B6 which ultimately is converted into energy, while having a calming effect on the brain. Bananas are best eaten around time of exercise or used as a healthy boost for that 3pm slump. I personally make it a point to utilize bananas ( usually 2 ) as my energy source as I'm out and about during the day. Remember when it comes to fruit or vegetables, variety is key. Eat up!

A quick thought for Friday...

I've been doing some reflecting over my life in the past few days, looking at changes that have surfaced in the past year. It started out with the passing of a sibling, which was a total pivotal point in my life. Some how ( but not coincidentally) that ignited a curiosity to cease eating animal flesh, which has snowballed into living a green, raw, spiritual and natural lifestyle. Recently I've been incorporating a variety of sprouts into my daily eating, which is ultimately a living food with a strong energy and life force. When your ingesting living foods, you bring about a new found energy to your life. The cleaner I get internally and the closer I get to optimal health, the closer I feel connected to our maker and provider, whom I choose and always will call my God. He is the source of all love, abundance, prosperity and will direct your life in the right path if you make the choice to allow him. So here I am, doing some modeling work, hosting and serving at some trendy uppity parties a few nights a week. But ultimately I'm in the process of being molded from the inside out, and patiently waiting for my calling. I'm sure that I'm here for a purpose ( the will of God ), and I won't be complete on Earth until that purpose is unfolded to me. But in the mean time there is a power in stillness and silence, so I find enjoyment in my every day routine and sharing my knowledge and genuine love with people. I'm hoping to do some traveling along the way, possibly even find part time residence over seas. There is a lot to see and experience besides the repetitive NYC life, and seeing the way other cultures live unlocks your mind, heart, and gives birth to the appreciation for clean water and a place to sleep every night. That's about it for today people, have a safe weekend.

Sweet Dreams...

I've recently been revisiting an old habit that I developed during college years. After spending my days balancing out classes, study groups and gym time, it would be difficult to get home and wind down before bed. Sure, a glass of wine is a nice tool of relaxation, but there is a much better method which also aids digestion if your a late eater, and promotes a good night of sleep. Chamomile tea also helps obtain a clear complexion, reduces dark under eye circles, and has many anti inflammatory properties. I tend to wake up with freshness and vitality after a night cap of Chamomile Tea, where wine leaves me dehydrated and with a slight headache. Chamomile should be brewed right below boiling temperature, and in a tea pot or filter rather than using those toxic bleached tea bags. I hope this before bed routine works the wonders it does for me. Drink up!

Raw multi...

Happy friday everyone, even though I tend to look at each day of the week as I would a friday. I don't think one day should bring more joy than the other six, but then again I'm not hand cuffed to a desk and computer all week, so that could very well be the basis of my views. So I want to give you a short post today on the multi vitamin that I stand for and use daily. This is separated from the competition in that it doesn't contain synthetic man made, lab rat tested ingredients, that your body will reject after a while anyway. This multi is composed of Raw and Whole foods, combined with enzymes and probiotics, all essential for an optimally functioning body. The company also makes a different male and female multi due to the fact that we obviously need different nutrients in different amounts. Their vitamins are more than reasonably priced and found at Vitamin Shoppe or Whole Foods, and just for the record I'm not being paid by this brand to promote their products. It's information I'm distributing for the well being of my readers. Nourish your body, feed your mind...and everything else will fall into place.

Growth and Change...

Just a quick thought on these two words and how they relate to us as humans. Every living thing around us grows and changes. Stop and picture our environment in a few weeks when Autumn finally lands. New crop growth ( apples, pumpkins and squash) with bursts of eye catching colors covering our land, sure signs that a new season of life is upon us. Now I'm positive that if these signs of Fall never arrived, or if Fall itself never arrived, we would be concerned. So why is it that most humans feel that we shouldn't constantly grow and change as our earth does. We get into a job, relationship or a stale routine that hinders our growth and we simply lay down to it, rather than making Change to stimulate Growth. Imagine if you planted a cherry tree in your back yard, which takes a good 10 years to mature and give fruit. The tree grows as expected for the first 4 years, but then suddenly stops growing and never produces the cherries you were hoping for. Would you suspect something was wrong with the tree? Did you feed it enough to grow as it got older and wiser? Was there environmental changes that ultimately took a toll on the tree? Or maybe it got used to the same old food and water day in and day out? My point here is pretty clear people. Seek the truth, feed yourself knowledge and keep your environment full of the substance you need to grow.

RaW food as medicine...

A great video to give you some basics. Notice when we say "raw", this is food unheated ( or heated below 104 F ) and untreated by humans. Just for the record and copyright legalities, this is NOT my video nor am I taking credit for it. I'm simply sharing what I believe in with the American public. Enjoy the video and your weekend people...

Laying down foundation...

So I've been getting a fair amount of Facebook mail asking about my skin care routine, which products I use and when. Skin care is actually a science that differs for each individual roaming the planet. But I will give you a few commandments from my personal skin care bible and a wash that I feel is concrete foundation to a good routine. First and foremost this commandment drowns the others and is the one you should really take into consideration. A good complexion starts on the inside and works it's way out. Your diet, lifestyle, sleep patterns, hydration and any internal sickness all show on your body's largest organ, your skin. You can spend hundreds on skin care products ( which is unnecessary) but if your not caring for the inside of your body, you will see minimal results. The second commandment I apply to life as well as my skin, simplicity is the ultimate sophistication. I truly believe that perfecting life is living on simpler terms as the key to perfecting your skin, is using minimal product. If your weighing your face down with foreign oils, fragrances and whatever else they decide to put in skin care these days, you will suffocate your skin and it will react accordingly. Now believe me I would love to tell you about Dr. Bronner and his spiritual beliefs ( which you can actually found written on the outside of the bottle ) but instead I will put you on to such a quality facial soap. This potion is fair traded and made of pure organic ESSENTIAL oils. It contains no fragrances, detergents or toxic ingredients, and is a very mild wash on your face where the skin is most fragile. Bronner's can be used as a body wash as well, and is more than reasonably priced. But I will warn you in advance, you need a drop the size of a penny to wash your face and if you get this soap in your eyes, you wont happy. Bronner's comes is various natural scents and variations, I'm still using a 4 month old bottle of lavender which is still half full...Enjoy!

A preserver of youth...

I hope everyone had a good weekend, I've actually been spending more leisure time than I usually would in the Union Square area. I'm trying to figure out if subconsciously I'm being drawn there for a reason, or if I just appreciate being amongst other free spirits who view the world through the same transparent lenses I do. Yesterday, I woke up and decided to finally close a door that's been open for the last 3 years of my life. God has been in constant motion regarding this door, revealing to me that he wants it closed, and putting a damper on my progress as human as well as my relationship with him. He tends to give several signs, but at times expects us to step out in faith to reciprocate, and highlight our trust in his works. So yesterday I took a step towards him, closed the door behind me...and locked twice.
Now I don't believe in one particular food ( or drink ) that halts aging and preserves youth. But I do in fact believe that a balanced diet and life style will keep you as young looking and feeling as humanly possible. Green Tea happens to make the all star team in this game. Rich in cancer battling antioxidants, fights tooth decay, gives the skin a smoother appearance and healthy glow, are only a fraction of green tea's benefits. The caffeine in green tea is actually a lot lower and less harsh on your adrenal glands than its competition coffee. Now from my mediocare knowledge of wine ( also on the all star team ), I do understand that good wine is a combination of the year and where the grapes are grown, taking into consideration the climate, weather conditions and the reputation of the maker. With this being said, a better wine doesn't necessarily have to be more expensive. On the contrary, my experience with green tea's aren't the same. The best tea's I've sipped, with the stronger medicinal properties, were a few more dollars than your average Lipton tea. I'm a strong believer that real green tea is not brown dust in a bleached paper bag. That's actually the resin of the tea leaf, scraped up and stuffed into a bleached paper bag for your enjoyment. This combination is actually more toxic to your body than invigorating, so don't even bother. Mighty Tea Leaf and 2 Leaves and a Bud are two of the better companies, both sold in Whole Foods. If you want suggestions on specific tea, bagged or loose leaf tea, or proper brewing methods to preserve the nutrients of the tea, feel free to contact me. Tea is a natural healer which connects you to the earth, our provider and each other ..embrace this gift!