Awaken Your Health Newsletter - September 2009

Welcome to the September Spring edition of the Awaken Your Health Newsletter.

Ever thought about the link between your diet and the seasons? Spring is all about new beginnings and is the ideal time to consider ‘spring cleaning’ your diet, lifestyle & body.

Embarking on a Cleanse is also a great opportunity to re-connect with your body and to install more awareness into your every day choices and actions, further motivating you towards achieving your individual health goals.

I am investing in myself this year by doing a Cleanse at the Golden Door. Stay tuned for my feedback from their program, in addition to some new delicious recipes.

This Newsletter's recipe is simple & may save you some cash in your weekly shop – see below for our very own home-made hummus – a tasty & healthy spring time snack.

Look forward to hearing from you. Yours in good health,

Tabitha

Why Cleanse?

The human body comes equipped with a highly effective detoxification system – a team of organs working together to eliminate to toxic waste of normal metabolism, plus toxins that we are exposed to from our environment via daily activities, diet & lifestyle choices. Toxicity affects everyone to some extent.

Our eliminatory organs are regularly over-burdened by poor diet, excessive sugar, stress, & lack of sleep. Then there are an exhaustive list of environmental toxins: see if you recognise any of the below:

PRESERVATIVES, FOOD ADDITIVES, ARTIFICIAL COLOURS & FLAVOURS, PESTICIDES, INSECTICIDES, FERTILISERS, ANTIBIOTICS IN OUR FOOD CHAIN, WAX, CHLORINE, HEAVY METALS, PLASTICS, PCB’S, PTHALATES, TRANS FATS, MSG, DETERGENTS, CLEANING AGENTS, PERFUMES, CHEMICALS IN MAKE UP, DEODORANTS…

Modern habits of regular caffeine & alcohol consumption add to the chemical load.

This over-loading can produce a variety of symptoms, including sluggishness, fatigue, allergies, headaches, depression, dull eyes and skin, IBS, PMS, recurring infections & weight gain.

It will help you by:

• Supporting and repairing your digestion
• Enhancing heavy metal clearance
• Promoting both phase I & II liver-detoxification
• Guiding you through a meal plan for the duration of your detox
• Education on how to minimise your toxin exposure in day to day life

Benefits to you include:

• Restoring your digestive balance
• Boosting your kidney and liver detoxification capacity
• Providing you with increased energy, clarity, and feeling more connected with yourself
• Enabling you to perform better, and to look & feel your best coming into summer

Important note: Cleansing is an individual thing - depending on your current diet, lifestyle and health status. One shoe does not fit all. Many of the products on the market are aimed at a quick fix solution, recommending extreme dietary restriction. Detoxification is an energy dependent process requiring a variety of vitamins, minerals and amino acids.

The most effective way to do a Spring Cleanse is with the proper Naturopathic guidance and support. For those people wanting to fly solo, I have included some practical tips that you can follow at home to get you started:

• As much as possible, avoid processed foods such as packaged snack foods, biscuits, cakes, and added sugars: anything made from white flour or white sugar is a no-go!
• Eliminate coffee, chocolate, and alcohol for the duration of your detox and slowly re-introduce once finished.
• Consume nutrient dense foods (vegetables, fruits, legumes, small fish, raw nuts and seeds) plus drink a minimum of 2L of water daily.
• Detoxify your environment: buy eco-friendly cleaning products, personal care products
• Make time for ‘detox-enhancing’ habits such as taking a sauna, having a massage, an epsom salt baths, dry skin brushing, and exercise. All of these improve circulation and increase perspiration, which help fuel your body’s natural cleansing system.
• Be aware of toxic emotions and stress & manage them as best you can. Rest your mind daily, even if you can only commit to 10 minutes a day. It is so important just to be: remember, we are human-beings, not human-doings!

Recipe: Home–made Hummus

Ingredients:

• 3 x cans of Organic Chickpeas (we use Amato brand)
• 4 tbsp organic Tahini (hulled)
• 8 roasted cloves of garlic
• 2 tsp Cumin
• Juice of 2 lemons
• 100mL water
• 1 tsp sea salt
• 200mL Xtra virgin Olive oil

Method:

Put all ingredients in Breville blender or food processor and blend until smooth.

Tips:

This makes a big batch. It keeps in the fridge for about 1 week. Perhaps you could share it around with some friends/family, or halve the recipe. Tastes great with paprika sprinkled on top.

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