Sex: A Symptom Reliever For The Common Cold

Put down the nasal spray and listen up! Here’s what your parents never told you about the birds and the bees:
Sex is helpful in clearing nasal and sinus congestion!

In our bodies we have erectile tissue, a spongy tissue that expands and becomes hard when filled with blood. Needed for the proper function of sexual stimulation, it is only present in the genitals, the breasts, and the nose.

The nose?!

The swelling and shrinking of this tissue within the nose is always fluctuating. When one nostril subtly expands, the other one shrinks. For this reason the passage of air becomes stronger on a certain side at different times.

If there is no interference with the rhythm, the breath will alternate dominant nostrils every hour and a half to two hours. The switch is a gradual transition.  Irregular schedules of activities, meals, or sleep can interfere with this rhythm. Pollutants and congestion are also a factor. While we still experience the shift from one dominant nostril to the other, the rhythm has been skewed. According to Ancient Indian Medicine this lack of rhythm can bring the onset of disease.

Each nostril governs different functions in our body. The right nostril is associated with the more active and extraverted aspects of the personality. It also has to do with the more heated functions within the body such as digestion.
The left side governs the quieter more passive psychological state, and is associated with the more restorative functions within the body.

Ayurveda recommends resting on the left side after meals. By laying on the left, one compresses the left lung, enhancing the flow of air through the right nostril, which stimulates the digestive tract. When going to bed it is recommended to lie on the left side for 10 minutes to increase body heat for cleansing (we cleanse the blood when we sleep,) and then roll onto the right for a more restful slumber.

However the title of this post suggests using our bedroom for more than just sleeping.
So here it is friends: an insight into my own bedroom adventures:

Last night, with the onset of a cold, I was feeling congested and lousy and was ready for an early night. Engaging in my nightly ritual, I brushed my teeth and filled my neti pot for a nasal rinse. I spent a good few minutes trying to run the water through my nose but it was completely blocked. No use, I headed to bed.

Fast forward to the end of the sex (Sorry, That’s all the details you get,) I noticed my nose is completely open!

Excited by this revelation, I tried the neti pot again and voila! The water ran right through.

Erectile tissue. Who knew?!

Living Our Dharma in 2012

Here we are. 2012. Great. What’s for dessert?

We all live our days wanting something delightful. We might choose healthier or less healthy pleasures, but the desire is the same: to fill the need for delight.

We’re always thinking about the next best thing; hence the tradition of New Year resolutions.

What were this year’s resolutions? Changing the shape of our body, or improving our health or lifestyle?

If that’s the goal, we’re in trouble! Statistics tell us that we stand very little chance of fulfilling our resolutions.

It seems there is never going to be a number on our scales or in our bank account that will meet our desires. We tell ourselves that we know this, but do we really? “If I can just achieve this goal, THEN I can be happy.” How misleading.

No external goal will resolve the deepest question nagging us all; “Who am I meant to be?”

Each of us is unique with a role to contribute in this lifetime. The extent to which we fulfill our purpose is the extent of our happiness.

Regardless of money, or body weight, if we have not found and begun to live for and commit to the desire of our personal purpose, nothing will satisfy us.

For those of us who practice yoga (or engage in other mindfulness practices,) we have to take care not to lay the same expectations on our practice. No arm balance or backbend will meet such expectations. While yoga will aid in calming the restlessness, it is a tool, not the answer.

Some of us are dealing with professions or obligations that discourage us. We wish we could pour our energy into something we truly love and believe in. This sense of dissatisfaction is our Dharma calling: a desire for our purpose.

Purpose is not about profession. Purpose shines through all aspects of life. It shines through relationships to self and others as well as to each living moment.

When we seek the means to fulfill our purpose and have a healthy relationship to this purpose, we have a natural urge to be healthy in order to reach our fullest potential. Our resolutions can serve as tools but they are not the destination.

Let us seek pleasure, intimacy, kindness, and warmth. The soul longs for expression.

If you are focused on becoming healthier, ask yourself why you are doing this. We all have desires, but some are more helpful than others. Be clear on your purpose. What is your body here to serve you in doing this lifetime? Reflect: look inward and ask questions.

Self Care Through The Holiday Season

The Holiday Season! This can be a nourishing time when we choose it to be so; gathering with loved ones, giving gifts, celebrating food and paying homage to our ancestors.

But the season of celebrations can also be the season of burnout. As nature slows down we tend to speed up with parties, hectic preparations and low quality foods.

This year, let's rejoyce in the festivities AND take care of ourselves...

• Take a deep breath.
• Aim for 30 chews per bite.
• Eat foods that are warmer, heavier, oilier, and saltier (that means high quality unrefined oils and sea salt - not table salt). 
• Add miso and tempeh to your weekly diet.
• Incorporate more grains like quinoa, amaranth, millet, and brown rice, which are filling, full of nutrients and help create calm.
• Enjoy the taste of beets, carrots, winter squashes, onions and sweet potatoes. Root vegetables will energetically ground you.
• Spice it up with cardamom, cumin, cinnamon and fennel.
• Dose up on vegetables. Many people feel more grounded and warm when eating animal protein in the winter. If doing so, be sure to balance your meals with an abundance of vegetables to help with the digestion of heavier animal foods.   

More Support?

Download Your FREE Holiday Guide! 

Recognizing the potential stress that this season can bring, I am happy to offer you the The Integrative Nutrition Healthy Holiday Guide as your very own go-to resource for holiday eating, self-care, and gift-giving. From delicious recipes that will warm your spirit to unique gift ideas for your family and friends, you are sure to find something to make this holiday season even more delightful!

Click Here to Receive Your FREE eBook
(Link expires on 12/31/11)

Eggnog: Naturally Sweetened & Dairy Free

1/2 cup almonds
3 medjool dates (or 1/4 cup dates)
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/8 tsp nutmeg
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
3 eggs
2 Tbs maple syrup
3 cups water
1 cheese cloth
optional - for the alcoholic version add rum and brandy to taste.

In your blender, blend almonds, dates, cinnamon, nutmeg, vanilla, and water. Blend until the almonds and dates are chopped as fine as possible.

In a bowl whisk the eggs and add maple syrup.
Pour the liquid from the blender through a cheese cloth into the bowl with the eggs.
Whisk the eggnog and add alcohol if you wish.
Place it in the fridge to cool until it thickens.

For a lighter vegan version, this blended mixture tastes great without the eggs.

(If you are using a powerful blender such as a Vitamix, most of the almonds and dates will have liquified anyway so the cheese cloth is not as important.)

Cold Remedies From Your Kitchen Cabinet

During the winter season many of us are either experiencing, fearing or recovering from the common cold. While there is no cure, there are many remedies to maintain health or speed up recovery.

The suggestions bellow are not meant to be taken simultaneously. Pick two or three  to try at a time.

Simple Kitchen Herbs

During a Cold or For Winter Health Maintenance:

• Boil a pot of water with ginger, cinnamon, freshly squeezed lemon juice, a pinch of chili flakes or cayenne, and honey. Keep refilling your cup and enjoy several times a day until you feel well.
• Other ginger and cinnamon tea options could consist of lemongrass or a pinch of cardamom.
• Tulsi (holy basil) can be purchased in tea bags and is a great winter tea to prevent and recover from a cold or flu.
• Garlic: chop a clove of garlic into small pieces and swallow like a pill with water. Garlic helps fight bacterial and viral infections. You can do this every morning and will not experience garlic breath.

Cold Remedies:

• Half a teaspoon of fennel seed mixed with one teaspoon of honey can be taken 2-3 times a day.
• In a jar mix honey with chopped onion and garlic. You can also add chili flakes, black pepper or a pinch of cayenne to the mix. Let sit for a couple of hours until the honey has liquefied.  This concoction is highly effective as an antibacterial and for breaking up accumulated mucus.Take 2-3 tablespoons of the liquid solution daily.
• For colds with a cough and congestion: Mix half a teaspoon of cinnamon with one teaspoon of honey. Take 2-3 times a day.
• For a cough with mucus or sinus congestion: Mix a quarter of a teaspoon of black pepper with one teaspoon of honey. Take after a meal.
• For a dry cough: Mix half a teaspoon of ginger with one teaspoon of ghee.
• For a sore throat: Mix one teaspoon of whole cloves, half a teaspoon of celery seeds, half a teaspoon turmeric, quarter teaspoon of ginger powder, one teaspoon ghee, and half teaspoon of honey. Take half a teaspoon of this mixture several times a day.
• For sore throat: Chew on one whole clove followed by the black inner seeds of a cardamom pod. Spit out the remainder of each when done chewing.
• For sore throat: Mix half teaspoon of turmeric and a teaspoon of salt in one cup of hot water. Gargle it in the morning and evening or up to five times a day.
• For Nighttime coughing: Take two teaspoons of honey at bed time to reduce nighttime coughing. Honey is also known for soothing a sore throat when taken with warm water and lemon.

Morning or Evening Routines For Winter Health

• Neti Pot:
The regular use of a neti pot can be more effective than many over-the-counter medications for cold or allergy related nasal and sinus congestion. First fill the neti pot with warm salt water. Tilt your head over a sink and place the spout of the neti pot in the upper nostril. Allow the water to flow through your nasal cavity, coming out the lower nostril. This will flush out excess mucus. Blow your nose (preferably not squeezing the nostrils shut) and repeat on the other side.
Ceramic neti pots are available at most pharmacies and health product stores. Costing about $15, they can last a lifetime.

• Sesame Oil Rub:
Using sesame oil (preferably cold-pressed and organic), warm the oil and apply topically all over the body. Daily self-massage (called abhyanga in Ayurveda) will hydrate dry skin, move lymph, enhance circulation and boost immunity. The hydration of the skin will also prevent the lips from cracking.
When applying, use circular motions around joints and long strokes up and down on limbs. When oiling the belly, it is recommended to rub up the right side and down the left to flow with the direction of the digestive tract.
A daily routine of self-massage will calm the mind and grounding the mind, and sooth the nervous system. These are the qualities that keep us in balance during the winter months.

Heal Your Cold Through Diet

• Winter appropriate diet: click here to learn more about a diet geared towards winter health.
• Mom’s infamous chicken soup: For generations people have been using this remedy during a cold for its anti-inflammatory and anti-congestive benefits.
• Hydration! Room temperature or warmer water, clear broth, or water with lemon are vital for cold prevention and recovery. Drinking hot water several times a day is effective in removing toxins and recovering from a cold.
• Avoid drinking sodas and coffee when sick. Not only are they dehydrating but their stimulating effect on the nervous system robs the body of its healing capabilities.
• If congested with mucus, avoid dairy products.

Rest And Exercise When Sick

Mild to moderate exercise can be helpful in relieving a cold if you are not running a fever and all your symptoms are upper respiratory (runny nose, nasal congestion, sore throat). If symptoms are felt below the neck (chest congestion, hacking cough, upset stomach, widespread muscle ache), it is best to postpone exercising. Keep your exercise gentle. Vigorous practices can move the cold to the chest. Inversions such as shoulder-stand or headstand as well as forward bends can help prevent postnasal drip and drain mucus through the nose.

Breathing Exercises For Winter Balance

• “Breath of fire”: Kapālabhāti Pranayama
This is a vigorous breathing technique, stop before the muscles and lungs become fatigued.
Gently exhale all of the air from the lungs then inhale a little. Exhale rapidly like a gentle sneeze making a sound with the mouth closed. Then inhale rapidly and begin to exhale and inhale in quick rhythm. Use the diaphragm to create the force required for quick inhalation and exhalation. Adding a little more force to the exhalation, the inhale will be quick and automatic.
Start with 8- 12 rounds of inhalations and exhalations. Gradually build up the number of Kapālabhāti breaths taken each time. Stop if the chest fatigues.
This breath burns the cold.

• Alternate Nostril Breathing: NādīŚodhana
Alternate nostril breathing will balance the nervous system and relieve congestion. The term NādīŚodhana refers to cleansing the Nādīs (energy lines that carry prana, vital energy and life force) and nerves.
Perform NādīŚodhana by Inhaling through one nostril and exhaling through the opposite nostril . Then inhaling through the same nostril that was used in exhalation and switching nostrils after each inhalation.
Bend one arm and pinch the nose with the thumb and a finger of your choice. Breathe in through the right nostril. Exhale through the left nostril. Inhale through the left nostril. Exhale through the right nostril. Keep this flow going, trying to pause at the top of each inhalation, effortlessly retaining the breath, before naturally exhaling.

Giving Up Hope As A New Year Resolution?

The Buddhist tradition teaches us that as long as we continue to wish for things to change, they never will. As long as we hope to improve, we won't. As long as we have an orientation toward the future, we will never just relax into what we already have or already are.

One of the deepest habitual patterns we carry is to feel that now is not good enough. We reflect and compare the present to the past or wish things to be different when imagining the future.

Even at times when we feel great satisfaction in our lives, we tend to think about what the future holds. We don't quite give ourselves full credit for who we are in the present.

It is easy to yearn for things to improve as a result of our actions. We create our New Year resolutions based on these hopes. Vowing to exercise more or improve our diet, we hope to feel or look a certain way.

Abandoning any hope of fruition does not mean abandoning our ambitions. Instead, it points to a path that focuses on the present rather than on results.

Whatever we do, it is usually done for a purpose, hoping to succeed rather than fail. That works well until our thoughts of success or failure begin to overpower the task at hand. Hopes and fears tend to go hand in hand and when we become result driven, we often miss the lessons presented along the way.

How is it possible to maintain our focus and work toward achieving our desired outcomes, without getting fixated on results? As we go about our activities, we must pay attention to the difference between having a goal and being taken over by our hopes, fears, and speculations.

I personally want to meditate more this year, but am not listing that as a resolution. My intention is to continue integrating more compassion toward others and myself. My methods to experience this include meditation and yoga, teaching and coaching, nutrition, and nurturing my relationships. By doing what I love, I tap into my natural strengths. In this way I can experience my ultimate result in the present moment and by meditating more, the experience will simply continue from what is already present rather than from what I feel may be missing.

As you work with your New Year resolutions, keep in mind that the root of healing is not in the premise that you are going to try to push things away, but that what you already have in each step of the process is worth appreciating. Enjoying the ride is how we ultimately find joy and gratification in our lives.

A Winter Way Of Eating

The New England winter climate is mostly cold and dry. Just as the trees and plants around us have dried, we may experience the dryness of our own skin and lips as well as a drop in our body temperature.

As things change externally, our inner body changes in a similar manner and we must care for our bodies accordingly.

Foods For Winter

*  Since winter is cold and dry we need to avoid similar food to maintain warmth and moisture within.
*  Warm, home-cooked foods are ideal, cooked with easy-to-digest oils such as ghee (clarified butter) or olive oil, but not deep-fried.
*  Use cooking methods such as steaming, roasting, stir-frying or poaching in order to heat the food all the way through.
*  Avoid raw foods, which are cold in nature such as salads, cold fruits, ice (especially in drinks), ice cream and raw vegetables as these tend to cool the body.
*  Incorporate foods that create moisture and warmth. Minimize the consumption of crackers, rice cakes and breads, as they are very dry.

Flavor

*  The flavors that nourish and balance the body in the cold, dry, winter season are the sweet, sour and salty tastes. It's best to eat less of the astringent, bitter, and pungent flavors in winter, although all six tastes should be included in your diet.
*  From the less ‘favored’ flavors use ginger (unless you run both an extremely hot body temperature and a hot temper) and radish for pungent to keep warm, enjoy leafy greens and dandelion root for bitter, and cranberry or apple for the astringent flavor to aid detoxification during these months.
*  Root vegetables and grains will provide the sweet flavor. Refined sugars will create more harm than good.
*  For salty flavor reach for small amounts of high quality sea salt and an abundance of sea vegetables.

Food Suggestions


*  Warm hearty soups, healthy lean meat and root vegetable stews, whole grains, and roasted nuts.
*  Cereals, grains, and legumes: brown rice, oatmeal, millet, soybeans, and mung beans.
*  Meat, poultry and fish.
*  Nuts (avoid in excess if you have a lean or lanky body combined with a quick and restless mind.)
*  Root vegetables such as yams, sweet potatoes, yucca, potatoes, beets, turnips, ginger, ginseng, taro, burdock, carrots, parsnips, as well as, fennel, onions, chives, scallions, garlic and leeks.
*  Herbs, spices, condiments and oils: peppermint, basil, ginger, turmeric, parsley, gogi berries, licorice, cinnamon, cloves, chamomile, pepper, honey, and sesame oil.
*  Fruits and nuts: (at room temperature) apples, clementines, cranberries, red grapes, grapefruit, persimmons, dates, figs as well as lemons and limes.
*  If eating dairy (choose organic products!) avoid having them cold. Using ghee (clarified butter) is a great butter substitute.
*  Hydrate! Hot water and room temperature only. If drinking with a meal, sip hot water slowly.
*  The salty taste is attributed to the kidney and bladder, so by adding some salty foods in your diet during winter you can improve the function of these two organs. In Chinese medicine these are the meridians/organs governed by the water element that can be most affected by the dryness of the season. Incorporate some of the following foods to support the kidney and bladder function in winter: burdock root, eggs, fish, miso soup, nuts, tofu, and sea vegetables (such as arame, hijiki, kelp, kombu and wakame.)
*  This is not the season to be eating a fat-free salad and cracker diet. Play with steaming or roasting vegetables for salads and if eating things like toast for breakfast, spread a thin layer of ghee or butter on top.
*  To promote consistency, regularity and a sense of calm it is important in winter to keep a regular routine with your meals.

Winter Breakfast Recipes (balancing the cold and dry season)

Stewed Apples


2 apples peeled, cored and sliced
4-5 dried apricots, soaked in hot water for 20 minutes
4 dates, preferably medjool, pitted and cut in half
2 cups water
1 Tbs. maple syrup

1 Tbs. grated ginger

1/4 tsp. ground cardamom

1/4 tsp. ground cinnamon

Put all ingredients in a saucepan and bring to boil. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover and simmer for 5 minutes.
 With a ladle, transfer about a third of the contents, including the liquid, to a blender or food processor and blend into a puree. Return the puree to the pan and serve warm.



Spiced Oatmeal

1/3 cup almonds (preferably soaked overnight)
1&1/2 cups of water

1/2 cup rolled oats
1 Tbs. raisins
1/8 tsp. ground cardamom

1/8 tsp. allspice powder
1/8 tsp.ground ginger
1/2 banana

1 Tbs. maple syrup

Boil the water and stir in the oats and spices. Simmer for 7-9 minutes, stirring occasionally. If using quick oats, simmer and stir for 3-4 minutes. Stir in maple syrup and add banana and almonds.


Sprouted Wheat Bread (Manna or Essense Bread)


Purchase Manna bread at your health food store and enjoy with ghee or almond butter. For a sweetener use honey (preferably local and raw) and sprinkle a dash of cinnamon on top.

Click Here to learn how to make your own Manna bread

Sprouted Bread (known as Essene or Manna Bread)

The simplest bread of all: Grains and water, no additives necessary.

This bread has a moist consistency that resembles a hearty muffin. I often enjoy a slice topped with nut butter or honey as a light breakfast or a sweet snack.

Traditionally, the Hebrew tribes in ancient Egypt made Essene bread by grinding berry roots between rocks or millstones that were then laid to bake on stones heated by a fire or the sun.

These days we don't have to work quite as hard...

You can make your own essene bread or find it in the frozen bread section of your health food store.

Instructions for Making Your Own Essene Bread:
1.  Using 2 cups of dry wheat berries for each loaf, rinse the grains and cover them with twice the volume of water in a ceramic, metal or glass bowl, jar or pot. Cover with a screen or netting that will allow a flow of air and let soak overnight (at least eight hours).
2.  Drain in the morning and rinse at least twice a day for 3 to 4 days, keeping them covered with the netting. Make sure to drain out all the water each time you rinse while shaking the berries to prevent matting and spoiling.
3.  Allow the sprout hairs to grow at least the length of the berries and/or to be sweet to the taste before grinding. If they still taste starchy, give them another day of sprouting.
4.  Grind into a paste in a food processor, knead and shape into loaves (keeping them somewhat round and flat in shape.)
5.  Bake on a cookie sheet at low temperature (160-250°) for three to four hours or until browning occurs.
6.  Let cool and store. Refrigerate or freeze if intended to keep for more than three to four days.
7.  Cut with a wet and serrated knife, and enjoy!
8.  Variations: Add honey, seeds, or chopped nuts or fruit when making your bread.
* Ezekiel and other sprouted bread are made in a similar fashion from sprouted grains and water only with the addition of yeast.

Seasonal Pumpkin Oat Energy Balls

my solution to leftover pumpkin.... 

Balls:

2/3 cup pumpkin puree (canned or fresh)
2 Tbs maple syrup
2 Tbs dry roasted almond butter
1/4 cup apple sauce
2 cups quick cooking oats
1/3 cup pepita seeds (pumpkin seeds)
1/3 cup walnuts

Coating:
1/4 cup quick cooking oats
1/4 cup pepita seeds

For Balls: Mix pumpkin, maple, almond butter and apple sauce. Add in oats, nuts and seeds. Roll into two dozen balls.

For coating: In a coffee grinder, grind oats and pepita seeds into a flour. Pour the mixture onto a plate and roll each ball in the flour until covered.

Variation: Roll balls in shredded coconut instead of oat and pepita mixture.

Pumpkin-Oat Power Bar
Press the ball mixture into a 8x8 baking dish and bake at 350 for 30 minutes. Once cooled, cut into squares.

Pass The Salt: A Source To Winter Health & Iodine

Iodized Table Salt

With cooling weather, falling leaves animals preparing for hibernation, plants retreating underground and darkness arriving earlier, nature has begun its preparation for winter.

Meanwhile inside, in the comfort of my own kitchen, the salt shaker has made a reappearance on the dinner table...

Salt carries a contractive/grounding energy that coincides with the ‘downward and inward’ natural direction of the season. As the body redirects its energy for the winter, small amounts of high quality salt can be supportive for winter health.

Not all salts are created equally.

The salt we are most commonly consume is iodized table salt. This salt is a commercially refined table salt that has been heated to such high temperatures that the chemical structure of the salt has mutated from its natural state. It is chemically cleaned, bleached, and treated with anti-caking agents. (That’s why it pours so easily.) Common anti-caking agents used in the mass production of salt are sodium alumino-silicate and alumino-calcium silicate. Both are sources of aluminum, a heavy metal that has been suspected to contribute to the development of Alzheimer’s disease.

Himalayan Pink Salt

Celtic Sea Salt

During the refining of table salt, mined natural sea salt or rock salt is stripped of more than 60 trace minerals and essential macro-nutrients. Refined salt is similar to refined sugar in the sense that they have both been stripped of their nutrients and are concentrated to a degree that throws the body off balance.

To avoid refined salt, minimize the consumption of processed foods (especially soups and microwave dinners), many of which are extremely high in refined salt which is added as a preservative. Furthermore, forget about the salt shakers at most restaurants and switch the salt you cook with at home.
 
The best salts to purchase are sea salt. There are many on the market, from plain old sea salt to fleur de sel, gray french sea salt, and Hawaiian sea salt. Many are coarse, but you can grind them to make them fine.

Using a coarse salt, you will most likely need to use less of it to reach your desired flavor. It is best to add salt at the end of the cooking process to maintain its mineral contents as well as to minimize the amount needed.

I most commonly use Himalayan pink salt, considered the highest grade of natural salt; it contains 84 elements and helps your body maintain a healthy electrolyte balance. You can even add a pinch to filtered water, along with the juice of a lemon, for a natural sports energy drink post-workout.

Natural sea salts promote health  and can aid your body in maintaining normal blood pressure. [Click here for more information on different salts.]

The importance of Iodine:
Refined salt is usually fortified with iodine, which is responsible for many of the body’s health functions including thyroid support (iodine is needed for under active or hypothyroid), fighting infection, and helping the body fend off cancer and mood instability. Severe lack of iodine causes goiter (swelling of the thyroid in the neck), a result of the thyroid gland swelling.

Iodine deficiency can show up in the body as fatigue, foggy thinking, cold hands and feet, dry skin, thin hair, and constipation. If you suspect you might be deficient, ask you doctor to run the 24 hour urinary iodine load test or click here for Dr. Douillard’s mail in test

Natural Sources of Iodine:
We do not get enough iodine from high quality sea salt since much of it is lost during packaging and transportation of the product. However there is no need to seek out iodine artificially as an additive. Be sure to incorporate natural sources of iodine from the following foods:

1. Sea Veggies: the number one source of iodine in food, kelp is the superstar (also available in capsules for a more vigorous treatment).
 
2. Fish: Pacific cod, Atlantic sea bass, black perch and Atlantic haddock are fish high in iodine.
 
3. Animal Foods: Animal foods such as turkey, chicken, high quality dairy and eggs are a decent source.
 
4. Other: Baked potatoes with skin and legumes can contain some iodine.

Sea Vegetables

No food group serves as a better iodine source than sea vegetables. The estimated amount of iodine needed by an adult each day is 150 mcg (micrograms). Depending upon the specific type of sea vegetable, this guideline can be met by 1 teaspoon. A gram of iodized table salt typically contains about 65 micrograms of iodine, whereas kelp contains 100-200 mcg, dulse contains 150- 300 mcg, and wakame contains 79 mcg.  

Kelp is particularly interesting with respect to iodine because some studies suggest that up to 35% of the iodine contained in some varieties of kelp is actually stored in the same forms in which iodine is found in our thyroid hormones.


Simple ways to add iodine to your diet, purchase kelp or dulse shakers and sprinkle on a warm dinner meal or over a salad. Click here to see what seasonings you can purchase at most health food stores.

Further more, click here to discover all different sea vegetables available at health food stores with explanations of how to best use them along with a variety of recipes individualized for each product.


In addition to iodine, sea vegetables (or seaweeds) provide a wide and abundant variety of minerals and vitamins, including calcium and iron, and can help balance hormone and thyroid levels in the body.



Studies have documented sea vegetables to reduce blood cholesterol, remove metallic and radioactive elements from the body, counteract obesity, strengthen bones and teeth, aid nerve transmission, improve digestion, and soften hard masses and tumors.
Eating too many processed foods or foods grown in mineral-depleted soil can result in a lack of minerals in the body, leading to cravings for salty or sugary foods. Adding sea vegetables to your diet can help balance your energy levels and alleviate cravings.

Winter Health

While holiday indulgence can be fun, heavy meals and sugary foods can leave us with unhealthy cravings, mood swings, and low energy. Often the "winter blues" are the result of poor nutrition.

During the cold and dry winter we can nutritionally create balance through warming and lubricating foods. Enjoy hearty stews, soups and baked foods. Make sure to have some healthy fats in the form of unrefined oils such as extra virgin cold pressed olive oil. Create meals from beans, whole grains, winter squashes and root vegetables. If eating animal proteins, be sure to balance them out with an abundance of vegetables. Warming foods and healthy oils are especially important if you have a difficulty staying warm. If you are prone to suffer from dry skin, minimize your intake of dry foods such as breads and crackers.

Be prepared. This is not the time of year to come home and whip up a salad or have a bowl of cereal because you haven't had time to go shopping. Store canned beans, frozen vegetables, and quick cooking grains (like quinoa)  to be able to quickly create a warming meal within minutes. 

Easy Beans and Greens

1 tbs olive oil

2 garlic cloves, chopped

1 can of black beans (or pinto, red, kidney—your choice)

1/2 tsp of cumin
1 bunch kale, chopped (or collard greens, chard, spinach. Use frozen if you have none fresh.) 

Heat oil in a saucepan and saute garlic for 1-2 minute. Add drained can of beans and cumin.

Once mixed, add greens for 2-5 minutes until greens are bright green and tender. Remove from stove.
Add to your portion toppings such as avocado, parsley, cilantro, freshly squeezed lime, guacamole, salsa, nuts or any other fun thing you can think of

Adzuki Beans for Winter & Adrenal Health

The Adzuki bean is a small red colored bean with a sweet and nutty flavor. Adzuki beans are known as the “king of beans” in Japan, where they are used in dishes from soup to dessert  (commonly in the form of red bean paste.) These beans are one of the easiest to digest, providing a good source of protein and a grounding effect.

Adzuki beans tonify the kidneys and adrenals and can help ground and soothe us during the busy holiday season. They are digested slowly and cause only a gradual rise in blood sugar levels, making them a superior carbohydrate for those with diabetes and blood sugar imbalances. Adzuki beans are low in fat and high in calcium, potassium, iron, zinc, many B vitamins, and they contain isoflavones, which help prevent cancer and heart disease.

Adzuki beans cook quickly, and can be used in casseroles or stews, mixed with grains, added to soups, tossed in salads, or enjoyed alone. They can be substituted for any other bean in a recipe.

Squash and Adzuki Beans
1 cup adzuki beans -- dried
3 1/2 cup water
1 piece dried kombu*
1 cup butternut squash -- diced
1/2 tsp ginger root -- grated
1 tbs Fresh parsley -- chopped

Place beans, water, and kombu in a medium-size saucepan. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer, covered, for 45 minutes. Stir in squash and ginger root, then cover and simmer 30 minutes longer. Mix gently with a wooden spoon, and break up the kombu which has softened. Serve garnished with parsley.

Variations: add onion, garlic, carrots or other root vegetables instead or in addition to the winter squash.

* Kombu is a dried seaweed that is known as a flavor enhancer of anything you add it to while cooking. Without adding a “seaweedy” taste to your stews or soups, kombu helps beans cook faster and aids in their digestion.

Note: It is best to soak beans overnight before cooking but you can get away with cooking dried adzuki beans that have not been soaked. If soaking, discard the soaking water before cooking. 

Strengthen Your Adrenals

• Get your beauty sleep! Rest is vital in strengthening the adrenals. That means going to bed by 10pm. Make this a priority and stick with it. 
• Eliminate sugar and processed carbohydrates. Sugar and simple carbs put stress on the adrenals as they interfere with the adrenal glands’ role in regulating blood sugar levels. 
• Eat animal proteins raised with no growth-hormones or antibiotics. Choose organic vegetables when possible, enjoy fruits, nuts, legumes, beans and whole grains.  
• Quit the coffee habit and drink plenty of fresh filtered water every day.