Recipes of Today

Acai-Prickly Pear-Coconut Oil
Ice Cream, by way of a VitaMix or similar blender: for two people, blend two frozen bananas, two heaping tablespoons of coconut oil, one prickly pear (cactus fruit), half a cup of walnuts, five grams of acai powder, half a cup of ice and half a cup of water. Blend away and enjoy on the spot. For additional thickness add walnuts.

Seaweed Soup, by way of blending (I used a Nutribullet) ~ for one or two people, blend one cup of warm water (120-140 degrees), one cup of chopped broccoli, quarter teaspoon of cayenne pepper, a pinky size piece of ginger, heaping teaspoon of kelp powder, heaping teaspoon of irish moss, half a teaspoon of Celtic sea salt or Himalayan salt and a tablespoon of coconut oil

– blend away

Acai-Sunflower Seed-Coconut Oil 
Ice Cream, by way of blending: for one
or two people, two heaping tablespoons of coconut oil, two tablespoons of raw sunflower seeds, one frozen banana, pinch of stevia and half a cup of ice water - blend away 

Camu Camu-Cantaloupe Smoothie,
blend 4 brazil nuts, one quarter of a cantaloupe, 4 grams of camu camu powder and one cup of ice water

Longevity Warehouse Hormone Health Smoothie, blend mesquite powder, half a sweet potato, cinnamon, ashwaganda root powder, maca powder, tahini and   dates (longevitywarehouse.com)

Camu Camu-Broccoli Smoothies, camu camu berry powder, broccoli, orange, banana & stevia 
* camu camu berry powder, broccoli,  banana, cilantro & stevia

Goji Smoothie, goji berries, shizandra, coconut milk, macadamia nuts and stevia

Acai Smoothie – Acai powder, cacao nibs, blue berries and apple or pear – stevia optional

Acai Smoothie - Acai powder, plums, blueberries, stevia and prickly pear or red cabbage

The Thyroid Gland

FACTORS THAT AGGRAVATE THE THYROID GLAND

courtesy of: easyhealthoptions.com

• Xenobiotics/xenoestrogens: Environmental chemicals that mimic and disrupt thyroid hormone metabolism and function. They are in plastics, pesticides, cosmetics, prescription medications and more. Examples of problematic medications include synthetic estrogens, lithium, interferon alpha, interleukin-2, amiodarone and thalidomide.

• Sex steroid hormones (estrogen, testosterone, progesterone, etc.): Can interfere with thyroid hormone function.

• Emotional stress: Down-regulates the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) hormone cascade, including thyroid hormone, inhibits conversion of T4 to T3 (most active) due to low levels of the stress hormone cortisol; thyroid receptors are 50 percent less responsive to thyroid hormone supplementation in the presence of low cortisol. A 1994 study of refugees from East Germany who experienced chronic stress among refugees from East Germany were found to have a very high rate of hypothyroidism. 

• Adrenaline: When produced due to critical illness, it lowers thyroid hormone. Hyperglycemia and metabolic syndrome are much more prevalent in hypothyroidism and are thought to suppress thyroid hormone.

• Heavy metals: May lower thyroid function. Mercury is especially problematic.

• Chronic gut inflammation: Food allergies and intolerance to ingredients such as gluten (the protein found in wheat, barley and rye) and their derivatives add to the autoimmune condition of Hashimoto’s thyroiditis. Gluten sensitivity affects an estimated 10 percent to 20 percent of the general population.

• Suboptimal nutrition furthers thyroid dysfunction: 
• Iodine; vitamins A, B and D; omega-3 fatty acids; 
• selenium; and zinc can easily be deficient in the diet.

Courtesy of - easyhealthoptions.com

Nutrient supplements important for healthy thyroid function are:

• Selenium: 200 mcg daily; selenium deficiency can exacerbate the effects of iodine deficiency and less so for vitamin A or iron deficiency;  iron, zinc and copper deficiency can adversely affect thyroid hormone metabolism, too. 

• Zinc: An essential element for the basic biochemical reactions of the thyroid gland and hormones. In 2009, it was shown that low serum thyroid hormone levels improved after six months of zinc supplementation. 

• Vitamin D-3: Required by the thyroid gland. In a 2011 issue of Thyroid, low levels of vitamin D were associated with worsened thyroid function in patients with Hashimoto’s thyroiditis.  Make sure you are getting sufficient vitamin D3 or 20 minutes of sunlight daily (enough sunlight for your skin to make adequate amounts).

Herbs That Enhance Thyroid Function

• Sea Kelp (Ascophyllum nodosum): Provides natural iodine. Also protects thyroid cells from inflammation. Decreases the risk of autoimmune thyroid disease. 
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• Bladderwrack (Fucus vesiculosus): Provides a natural iodine source. Also, it has anti-estrogen properties, thereby reducing the risk of thyroid gland inflammation by estrogen in both men and women.
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• Hops (Humulus lupulus): Contains xanthohumol, which enhances iodine uptake by the thyroid and represses the activation of the pro-inflammatory molecule NF-kappaB, thereby decreasing pro-inflammatory cytokines TNF-alpha, IL-6.
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• Coleus (Coleus forskohlii): Stimulates iodine uptake; boosts thyroglobulin, T4 & T3 production: enhances T3 and T4 secretion. 
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• Brahmi (Bacopa monniera): Provides direct thyroid stimulation by increasing serum T4 by 41 percent but not T3 in lab experiments. 
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• Ashwagandha (Withania somnifera): Raises serum levels of thyroid hormones by acting directly on the thyroid gland.  (Even raised thyroid hormone excessively in a woman who took too high a dose of ashwagandha.)
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• Guggul (Commiphora mukul): Directly stimulates T3 production by influencing liver enzymes. 
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• Rosemary (Rosmarinus officinalis) and Sage (Salvia officinalis): Contain carnosic acid (thought to increase thyroid hormone-specific receptors on the nuclei of target tissue cells ).

The Best Definition of Abundance

Abundance: 

The ability to do what you need to do when 

you need to do it.

- Bashar.org 

p.s. Do you have any better ideas? 

Anti-Estrogenic Nutrition

Probing the surface of hormonal health - keeping estrogen in check:

With hormonal imbalances being so pervasive in our world, I believe you will find helpful the following set of suggestions for using foods and food supplements to combat toxic variations of estrogenic build ups in the body.

As the foundation include: 1) cruciferous vegetables (broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage, kale, etc.) & cruciferous indoles in supplemental forms; 2) citrus fruits (all of them) and citrus peels (lemon, lime & orange when dried); 3) omega-3 oils & omega-3 oil rich food; 4) organic dairy fats (butter, aged cheese, whole milk, etc.); 5) passionflower & chamomile flower (ideally in standardized supplemental form); 6) garlic & onions

A second layer of defensive foods that are rich in plant sterols: 1) olives & olive oils; 2) avocados; 3) stabilized rice germ oil & wheat germ oil; 4) nuts & seeds: sesame, almonds, cashews, macadamias, peanuts, pecans, pistachios, walnuts and defatted flax; 5) stinging nettle root (supplement)

Lastly, the liver detoxifiers, antioxidants & blood sugar stabilizers: 1) spices (turmeric, oregano, thyme, rosemary and sage; 2) herbs (reishi mushroom, milk thistle, dandelion root, shilajit, amla berry, ginger & gotu kola 3) green vegetables in general; 4) berries in general; 5) apples, papaya & pineapple; 6) legumes (other than soy); 7) whole oats 8) barley

End Note: When eating or drinking the sweeter fruits, be mindful not to over do it. Erratic blood sugar, elevated insulin levels and insulin resistance together can make your body prone to excessive adipose tissue and estrogenic build ups as a consequence.

Nutrition for Improving Vision

Regarding a conversation I recently had:

Nutrition for improving vision -

I have laid out here a succinct list of foods and a couple of supplements that

would be most worthy of implementation. 

The two most important foods that stand apart arebilberries and goji berries. Blending these together with other plants into adrink would be quite effective - though not a really cold drink, especially no ice. Eclectic Institute makes a really good freeze dried bilberry powder as well as tincture.

As for supplements, there are two in particular to incorporate into any eye health regiment. The Dragon Herbs formula known as Eagle Vision is quite interesting  for this purpose because it addresses energetic imbalances associated with the liver that adversely effect eye health. Please visit the web page that explains this formula which is also the page for making the purchase. http://www.dragonherbs.com/prodinfo.asp?number=291

The other supplement to implement is a very special algae(Haematococcus pluvialis), which is sold everywhere now inhealth food stores as Astaxanthin. This algae is eaten by salmonand krill and is responsible for their pinkish hue. Salmon is also a very healthy food to eat as well for eye health. Look for fish thatare high in the fatty acid known as DHA. Please visit this link to learnwhat Dr. Mercola has to say about Astaxanthin: http://products.mercola.com/astaxanthin/

Carrots are protective to the eyes because of the carotenoid pigments
in their cell structure. Other foods that are orange or near orange in hue
that should also be consumed for eye health include the following:
sweet potato, red palm oil, apricots, orange & yellow peppers, pumpkin and 
golden berries (aka Inca berries). Also eating these foods with fatty foods
like avocado could help with absorption. 

The wikipedia entry on carotenoids is worthy of a glance: 

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carotenoid


Lastly the implementation of foods that improve circulation will be

important as well: cayenne pepper, ginkgo and hawthorn berries


are some notable examples.

A Succinct Overview of Cacao Benefits (Body & Mind)

The number one thing is that cacao must be unprocessed in order to receive the wide ranging health benefits. 

If it is processed using high heat into chocolate candies, truffles, bars or anything like that,

the Omega 6 fatty acids in the chocolate are likely to go rancid. The raw state also keeps the enzymes and amino acids intact.

The beneficial mind altering properties are as follows:

PEA aka Phenethylamine - this is the love molecule that puts people in "the mood" after eating chocolate. Its associated with dopamine and its chemical counterparts are released in our brain when feelings of love arise.

Anandamide - this is basically a type of endorphin that the brain releases during exercise and cacao is the only food that contains this composition.

Tryptophan - a precursor to serotonin. This is the main amino acid for preventing depression.

Serotonin - apparently cacao also contains serotonin (our primary tryptamine).

Theobromine - dilates the cardiovascular system and makes the heart's job easier. The Aztecs called cacao heart blood.Theobroma means Food of the Gods in Latin.

It is also an antibacterial substance which kills the primary organism that causes cavities, which is why adding refined sugar is so absurd. This is also the primary stimulant in cacao that has a resemblance to caffeine. 

Lastly the mineral highlights include: magnesium, iron, chromium, manganese and zinc. Magnesium and PEA is partially what causes chocolate/cacao to be an appetite surpressor. 

The antioxidant levels are also off the chart.