Pick Me Up Smoothie
Smoothies are a great way to get lots of goodness into one glass. Quick and easy to prepare they will give you a pick me up that is both nourishing, energising and soothing all in one go. This smoothie is chock full of essential vitamins, minerals, protein and healthy fats and sugar balance to keep you feeling sharp, boost your mood and support digestion and immune health.
Handful of greens- include any and all, such as rocket, parsley, kale and spinach
½ cup frozen berries
1 banana or ½ avocado
A dash of maple syrup or honey
A sprinkle of cinnamon
1 large Tablespoon of Spirulina powder
1 large Tablespoon of Cacao powder
1 large Tablespoon of any Nut butter of your choosing
Water to fill
Blend all in high powered blender until smooth. Enjoy!
Adrenal Recovery Soup
Feeling under-par during the cold and flu season? Already exhausted and now have to try and recover from illness on top of an already busy life, need to get back to full function quickly?
Here’s a soup recipe taken from Dolores S. Downey’s “Balancing body chemistry with nutritional seminars”, it has proved to be helpful in restoring adrenal function when you are also fighting off the effects of viruses and illness.
3 cups of chopped green beans
1 cup chopped celery
1 courgette, sliced
1 medium onion, chopped
1 cup tomato juice
1 cup spring water or filtered water if using tap water
2 Tablespoons raw honey
1 teaspoon paprika
1 cup chicken broth
Pepper to taste
Combine ingredients and simmer for one hour until vegetables are tender.
Skin Health
There are many factors that can impact on the health of our skin. The skin or integumentary system is one of the largest detox organs of the body, it can be affected by diet, hormones, lack of exercise and circulation, poor detoxification, low nutrient levels, such as zinc, essential fatty acids, silica, and a breakdown in collagen. Toxic heat in the body may create dry irritable skin or may encourage a dampness to occur resulting in skin eruptions that are moist and become easily infected. Toxic heat can result from factors such as improper diet eg; too much sugar and dairy, excess spices such as chilli, negative self-talk and built-up anger and resentment, an overburdened liver and excess acidity and dehydration.
We can separate toxic heat into that which occurs from heat- over-acidity that requires cooling, and that which occurs from cold- lack of circulation in the blood creating damp- heat. Here are two recipes that can help to move the toxic heat, either due to cold, or heat. Enjoy!
To cool the heat and encourage alkalinity:
Homemade Aloe Juice- Remove 2 Tablespoons of Aloe gel from 1 Aloe Vera leaf, add to 1 cup of water (take care not to get any green skin in the gel, it may cause diarrhoea) place in blender or use stick blender to blend on high until a latte-like foam is created. Drink immediately or keep in the fridge for 1 week. If too bitter or you get loose stools then reduce aloe gel by half, add honey to sweeten if desired.
(Taken from The Everyday Ayurveda Guide to Self-Care. Kate O’Donnell)
To encourage circulation, clear cold, damp and for blood cleansing:
Kawakawa Decoction- Add 30 Kawakawa leaves to 2.5 litres of water, bring to boil then simmer for around an hour or until the leaves start to dissolve. Keep saucepan lid on to stop evaporation. Store, once cooled and strained, in a glass jar in fridge. Will last for a week. Drink half a cup 2 times daily for a week. Then follow with 1 week of no Kawakawa treatment, repeat this cycle until treatment is no longer needed.
(Taken from NCNZ Study Notes)
Aches and Pains
Throughout our lives we will all experience aches and pains of one kind or another, such as through injury, growing pains, exercise, life stages, hormonal cycles and just at times from the weather. Aches and pains may be an indicator of something deeper that may need addressing, such as suppressed emotional pain, a more serious pathology or they could be structural changes, or maybe just fleeting viral inflammations.
Whatever the case may be, there are many things we can do to reduce the severity of aches and pains such as maintaining a healthy, balanced diet that encourages low internal toxicity, regular exercise and good sleep patterns, self-care through regular body work and practises that encourage a calm and centred mind.
Inflammation is a key player in the body’s response to aches and pains, there are many ways to reduce inflammation. Here is a quick and effective way to reduce inflammation and reduce aches and pains in your joints, muscles, abdomen or lower back.
Castor Oil Pack: Castor Oil has powerful anti-inflammatory and pain-relieving properties.
Soak a thick piece of cheese cloth or a flannel in castor oil, make sure it is thoroughly soaked but not dripping. Place the castor oil-soaked cloth over the inflamed area (do not use on open wounds), cover with plastic wrap- this is to stop the sticky oil from getting all over everything else, and to keep the heat in. Then lay a heated wheat-bag or hot water bottle over the top, cover this with a towel to retain heat. Ideally do this at a time when you can sit back and relax and have the pack on for at least 1-2 hours. For chronic inflammation or joint restriction do this once a day or evening for 3-4 consecutive days per week. The heat will encourage the oil to soak into the area.
Castor Oil packs can be re-used, place in a jar and top up with oil if needed. Wash the affected area with soap and water once finished- castor oil is a very thick emollient!
Castor oil is also a strong laxative so a castor oil pack over the abdomen may help relieve constipation.
Kidney Cleanse and Flush
Our kidneys often are overlooked in regards to detoxification, they work extremely hard to clear our bodies of waste and particularly at this time of year when we can become easily dehydrated, low in electrolytes and are often socialising and imbibing. Here are a few suggestions to give your Kidneys a supporting reset.
Option 1:
Option 2:
The following mixture can be taken once in the morning to stimulate daily detoxification or taken several times a day to more powerfully activate detoxification. Do not eat anything before drinking the mixture.
You will need:
Smoothies are a great way to get lots of goodness into one glass. Quick and easy to prepare they will give you a pick me up that is both nourishing, energising and soothing all in one go. This smoothie is chock full of essential vitamins, minerals, protein and healthy fats and sugar balance to keep you feeling sharp, boost your mood and support digestion and immune health.
Handful of greens- include any and all, such as rocket, parsley, kale and spinach
½ cup frozen berries
1 banana or ½ avocado
A dash of maple syrup or honey
A sprinkle of cinnamon
1 large Tablespoon of Spirulina powder
1 large Tablespoon of Cacao powder
1 large Tablespoon of any Nut butter of your choosing
Water to fill
Blend all in high powered blender until smooth. Enjoy!
Adrenal Recovery Soup
Feeling under-par during the cold and flu season? Already exhausted and now have to try and recover from illness on top of an already busy life, need to get back to full function quickly?
Here’s a soup recipe taken from Dolores S. Downey’s “Balancing body chemistry with nutritional seminars”, it has proved to be helpful in restoring adrenal function when you are also fighting off the effects of viruses and illness.
3 cups of chopped green beans
1 cup chopped celery
1 courgette, sliced
1 medium onion, chopped
1 cup tomato juice
1 cup spring water or filtered water if using tap water
2 Tablespoons raw honey
1 teaspoon paprika
1 cup chicken broth
Pepper to taste
Combine ingredients and simmer for one hour until vegetables are tender.
Skin Health
There are many factors that can impact on the health of our skin. The skin or integumentary system is one of the largest detox organs of the body, it can be affected by diet, hormones, lack of exercise and circulation, poor detoxification, low nutrient levels, such as zinc, essential fatty acids, silica, and a breakdown in collagen. Toxic heat in the body may create dry irritable skin or may encourage a dampness to occur resulting in skin eruptions that are moist and become easily infected. Toxic heat can result from factors such as improper diet eg; too much sugar and dairy, excess spices such as chilli, negative self-talk and built-up anger and resentment, an overburdened liver and excess acidity and dehydration.
We can separate toxic heat into that which occurs from heat- over-acidity that requires cooling, and that which occurs from cold- lack of circulation in the blood creating damp- heat. Here are two recipes that can help to move the toxic heat, either due to cold, or heat. Enjoy!
To cool the heat and encourage alkalinity:
Homemade Aloe Juice- Remove 2 Tablespoons of Aloe gel from 1 Aloe Vera leaf, add to 1 cup of water (take care not to get any green skin in the gel, it may cause diarrhoea) place in blender or use stick blender to blend on high until a latte-like foam is created. Drink immediately or keep in the fridge for 1 week. If too bitter or you get loose stools then reduce aloe gel by half, add honey to sweeten if desired.
(Taken from The Everyday Ayurveda Guide to Self-Care. Kate O’Donnell)
To encourage circulation, clear cold, damp and for blood cleansing:
Kawakawa Decoction- Add 30 Kawakawa leaves to 2.5 litres of water, bring to boil then simmer for around an hour or until the leaves start to dissolve. Keep saucepan lid on to stop evaporation. Store, once cooled and strained, in a glass jar in fridge. Will last for a week. Drink half a cup 2 times daily for a week. Then follow with 1 week of no Kawakawa treatment, repeat this cycle until treatment is no longer needed.
(Taken from NCNZ Study Notes)
Aches and Pains
Throughout our lives we will all experience aches and pains of one kind or another, such as through injury, growing pains, exercise, life stages, hormonal cycles and just at times from the weather. Aches and pains may be an indicator of something deeper that may need addressing, such as suppressed emotional pain, a more serious pathology or they could be structural changes, or maybe just fleeting viral inflammations.
Whatever the case may be, there are many things we can do to reduce the severity of aches and pains such as maintaining a healthy, balanced diet that encourages low internal toxicity, regular exercise and good sleep patterns, self-care through regular body work and practises that encourage a calm and centred mind.
Inflammation is a key player in the body’s response to aches and pains, there are many ways to reduce inflammation. Here is a quick and effective way to reduce inflammation and reduce aches and pains in your joints, muscles, abdomen or lower back.
Castor Oil Pack: Castor Oil has powerful anti-inflammatory and pain-relieving properties.
Soak a thick piece of cheese cloth or a flannel in castor oil, make sure it is thoroughly soaked but not dripping. Place the castor oil-soaked cloth over the inflamed area (do not use on open wounds), cover with plastic wrap- this is to stop the sticky oil from getting all over everything else, and to keep the heat in. Then lay a heated wheat-bag or hot water bottle over the top, cover this with a towel to retain heat. Ideally do this at a time when you can sit back and relax and have the pack on for at least 1-2 hours. For chronic inflammation or joint restriction do this once a day or evening for 3-4 consecutive days per week. The heat will encourage the oil to soak into the area.
Castor Oil packs can be re-used, place in a jar and top up with oil if needed. Wash the affected area with soap and water once finished- castor oil is a very thick emollient!
Castor oil is also a strong laxative so a castor oil pack over the abdomen may help relieve constipation.
Kidney Cleanse and Flush
Our kidneys often are overlooked in regards to detoxification, they work extremely hard to clear our bodies of waste and particularly at this time of year when we can become easily dehydrated, low in electrolytes and are often socialising and imbibing. Here are a few suggestions to give your Kidneys a supporting reset.
Option 1:
- A combination of celery, parsley, beetroot and apple (organic if possible) can be juiced to provide 1 cupful of juice. Dilute the juice 50:50 with water to make two cups of liquid. One cup can be drunk in the morning and one in the afternoon.
- Throughout the day, herbal teas of either parsley or nettle can be drunk to further cleanse the kidneys.
- Follow this protocol for approximately 3 weeks. If there is a history of kidney infections or kidney stones, then this should be increased to 5 weeks.
- Plenty of water should be drunk each day to flush the excreted toxins out of the system. The more water that is drunk, the more toxins the body will be able to expel as part of this cleanse.
Option 2:
The following mixture can be taken once in the morning to stimulate daily detoxification or taken several times a day to more powerfully activate detoxification. Do not eat anything before drinking the mixture.
You will need:
- Two lemons (organic & unwaxed)
- A juicer
- 1 cup pure, hot or cold water
- Cayenne tincture or powder
- Pure Maple syrup to sweeten
- Put the whole lemons through the juicer
- Add the juice to the pure water
- Add 10 drops of cayenne tincture or a pinch of powder
- Sweeten with maple syrup as required
- Do not eat anything until half an hour after the flush
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