Hacking my Health

Read this on mercola.com today.. and thought I would reshare because there is some great tips here.

By Dr. Mercola

“More than half of all cancer deaths could be prevented by making healthy choices like not smoking, staying at a healthy weight, eating right, keeping active, and getting recommended screening tests.”³

This quote is taken directly from the American Cancer Society, and it should be eye-opening and empowering if you’re not yet aware that cancer prevention starts, first and foremost, with you and, as the featured article explains, your home.⁴

1. Optimize Your Vitamin D

If you want to slash your risk of cancer, it’s essential that you spend adequate time in the sun or a safe tanning bed, or if that’s not possible supplement with proper amounts of vitamin D3. It’s been definitively proven using data from more than 100 countries that the higher the solar UVB, the lower the incidence of 15 different types of cancer, including:⁵

BladderBreastCervicalColonEndometrialEsophagealGastricLungOvarianPancreaticRectalRenalVulvarHodgkin’s lymphomaNon-Hodgkin’s lymphoma

The most important factor is your vitamin D serum level. In order to help prevent a wide variety of diseases and health ailments, including cancer, your vitamin D level needs to be between 50 and 70 ng/ml year-round. Vitamin D from sun exposure or a safe tanning bed is the BEST way to optimize your vitamin D levels.

Just be cautious about the length of your exposure. You only need enough exposure to have your skin turn the lightest shade of pink. Once you reach this point your body will not make any additional vitamin D due to its self-regulating mechanism. Any additional exposure will only cause harm and damage to your skin.

If you’re taking oral vitamin D, you also need to make sure you’re taking vitamin K2 as well, as K2 deficiency is actually what produces the symptoms of vitamin D toxicity, which includes inappropriate calcification that can lead to hardening of your arteries. To learn more, please see my previous article: What You Need to Know About Vitamin K2, D and Calcium. If you take oral vitamin D and have cancer, it would be very prudent to monitor your vitamin D blood levels regularly.

2. Avoid Eating Excess Protein

Most of us eat far too much protein. Consider reducing your protein levels to one gram per kilogram of lean body weight unless you are in competitive athletics or are pregnant. It would be unusual for most adults to need more than 100 grams of protein and most likely need close to half that amount. This may come as a surprise, as we’ve been told for decades how important protein is for your health, but the truth is that excessive protein intake can have a great impact on cancer growth.

The mTOR pathway is short for mammalian target of rapamycin. This pathway is ancient but relatively recently appreciated and has only been known for less than 20 years. Odds are very high your doctor was never taught this in medical school and isn’t even aware of it. Many new cancer drugs are actually being targeted to use this pathway. Drugs using this pathway have also been given to animals to radically extend their lifespan. But you don’t have to use drugs to get this pathway to work for you.

You can “biohack” your body by restricting your protein intake and replacing the decreased protein with healthy fats; this will provide virtually identical benefits as these dangerous and expensive drugs.

For most people, reducing your protein levels to one gram per kilogram of lean body weight means restricting protein intake from 35 to 75 grams. Pregnant women and those working out extensively need about 25% more protein, though. Further, when you reduce protein you need to replace it with other calories, specifically high-quality fats such as avocados, butter, coconut oil, olives, olive oil, nuts and eggs.

3. Eat Living Foods with Amazing Health Benefits

Sprouts are a “super” food that many overlook. In addition to their nutritional profile, sprouts are also easy to grow on your own. I started sprouting seeds in ball jars 10 to 15 years ago. A Care2 article published last year⁶ listed 10 reasons for eating sprouts, including the following. You can see my recent article that extols their benefits. I should be providing a more comprehensive report in the near future.

• Sprouts can contain up to 100 times more enzymes than raw fruits and vegetables, allowing your body to extract more vitamins, minerals, amino acids and essential fats from the foods you eat
• Both the quality of the protein and the fiber content of beans, nuts, seeds and grains improves when sprouted
• The content of vitamins and essential fatty acids also increase dramatically during the sprouting process. For example, depending on the sprout, the nutrient content can increase as much as 30 times the original value within just a few days of sprouting. Sunflower seed and pea sprouts tend to top the list of all the seeds that you can sprout and are typically each about 30 times more nutritious than organic vegetables you can even harvest in your backyard garden
• During sprouting, minerals, such as calcium and magnesium, bind to protein, making them more bioavailable
• Sprouts are the ultimate locally grown food, and can easily be grown in your own kitchen, so you know exactly what you’re eating. And since they’re very inexpensive, cost is no excuse for avoiding them

4. Simplify Your Cleaning Supplies

My top list of cancer prevention strategies has always included reducing your exposure to environmental toxins like household chemical cleaners. While it is very difficult to prove that a person’s exposure to household cleaners over the course of 10, 20 or 30 years is what caused their cancer diagnosis, it is well known that commonly used household chemicals do, in fact, cause cancer, along with other serious health effects like reproductive and developmental problems in developing children.

Research has found, for instance, that breast cancer risk is twice as high among women who report the most use of cleaning products and air fresheners, compared to those who rarely use such products.⁷ Mold and mildew cleaners and air fresheners have shown the greatest correlation with breast cancer. Some of the chemicals of greatest concern that you’ll want to avoid include:

Synthetic musksPhthalates1,4-diclorobenzeneTerpenesBenzeneStyrenePhenolNonylphenol ethoxylates (NPEs)FormaldehydePetroleum solventsButyl cellosolveTriclosan (antibacterial)

Fortunately, it’s simple to replace toxic commercial cleansers with safer options. One of the best non-toxic disinfectants is plain soap and water. You can use this for washing your hands, your body and for other household cleaning. Another all-purpose cleaner that works great for kitchen counters, cutting boards and bathrooms is 3% hydrogen peroxide and vinegar. You can also keep your home very fresh and clean by making your own natural cleaning products using items you probably already have around your home. Some more tips for making simple and effective all-natural cleansers:

• Use baking soda mixed with apple cider vinegar to clean drains and bathtubs, or sprinkle baking soda along with a few drops of lavender oil or tea tree oil (which have antibacterial qualities) as a simple scrub for your bathroom or kitchen.
• Vinegar can be used to clean almost anything in your home. Try it mixed with liquid castile soap, essential oils and water to clean floors, windows, bathrooms and kitchens. It can even be used as a natural fabric softener.
• Hydrogen peroxide is safer to use than chlorine bleach for disinfecting and whitening.
• Vodka is a disinfectant that can remove red wine stains, kill wasps and bees and refresh upholstery (put it into a mister and simply spray on the fabric).

For a great video on how to use these ingredients and other tips for cleaning your home without hazardous chemicals, please review the article How to Keep Your Home Clean Naturally. The free eBook Toxic Free⁸ also has 70 recipes for a toxic-free home that are worth checking out.

5. Use Greener Beauty Products

When cleaning up your lifestyle you may be tempted to start with your diet (which is a good place to start), but your personal care products are also important to address. Putting chemicals on your skin is actually far worse than ingesting them, because when you eat something everything must go to your liver before entering your blood stream, providing your body an opportunity to detoxify substances that could be harmful. When you put chemicals on your skin however, they’re absorbed straight into your bloodstream without filtering of any kind, so the toxic chemicals from toiletries and beauty products are largely going into your blood, lymphatic system and then directly into your internal organs.

There are literally thousands of chemicals used in personal care products, and only a tiny fraction of them have ever been tested for safety. According to the National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health, nearly 900 of the chemicals used in cosmetics are known to be toxic. It’s impossible to list them all, but some of the most common culprits to avoid include:

Sodium lauryl sulfate (SLS)MusksMercuryParaben1,4-DioxaneLeadPhthalates, including dibutyl phthalate (DBP), dimethyl phthalate (DMP), and diethyl phthalate (DEP)Mineral Oil, Paraffin, and PetrolatumNano particlesAntibacterialsHydroquinoneFormaldehyde

When it comes to personal care products, I like to use this rule — if you wouldn’t eat it, don’t put it on your body. Ideally, you’ll want to look for the USDA’s verified Organic seal. I also highly recommend using the Environmental Working Group’s Skin Deep Cosmetic Safety Database,⁹ where you can look up a wide variety of products and brands to find out what they’re really made of, and whether or not they’re safe. You can also make your own personal care products, using simple all-natural ingredients that many of you may already have in your home Our Nourishing Roots has a recipe for a watermelon face mask that you can try,¹⁰ and here are a few of my recommendations:

• All-natural moisturizers — Pure emu oil is a great alternative to facial- and body moisturizers and lotions, as is pure coconut oil. It’s a fantastic moisturizer and a potent source of the beneficial fat lauric acid.
• All-natural acne fighter — Rubbing just a drop of oregano oil on a breakout can speed up the healing and prevent unsightly scarring (remember to wash your hands thoroughly afterward).
• All-natural deodorant – Plain soap and water works fine. If you still need further help then try a pinch of baking soda mixed into water as an effective all-day deodorant.

6. Ditch Your Non-Stick Cookware

About 70 percent of the cookware sold in the US contains a non-stick coating that contains PFOA (perfluorooctanoic acid) and other perfluorinated compounds (PFCs), which are used to make grease-resistant food packaging and stain-resistant clothing as well. Even though there are many names, if the item in question is “non-stick” or “stain/grease resistant,” it will generally have some type of fluoride-impregnated coating that is best avoided.

It’s well documented that when non-stick pans are heated the coating begins breaking down, releasing toxins into the air in your kitchen. When the pan reaches 680 degrees F (which takes about three to five minutes of heating), at least six toxic gases are released. At 1,000 degrees F, the coatings on your cookware break down into a chemical warfare agent known as PFIB. Research has revealed that these toxins can accumulate in your blood at an alarming rate and may lead to chronic disease like cancer over time. You can keep your exposure as low as possible by avoiding (or getting rid of) products that contain PFCs. This includes:

Non-stick cookware (choose either ceramic or glass instead)Microwave popcornPackaging for greasy foods (including paper and cardboard packaging)Stain-proof clothingFlame retardants and products that contain themStain-resistant carpeting, and fabric stain protectors

7. Drink Clear Pure Water

If you receive municipal water that is treated with chlorine or chloramines, toxic disinfection byproducts (DBPs) form when these disinfectants react with natural organic matter like decaying vegetation in the source water. DBPs are over 10,000 times more toxic than chlorine, and out of all the other toxins and contaminants present in your water, such as fluoride and miscellaneous pharmaceutical drugs, DBPs are likely the absolute worst of the bunch.

Already, it’s known that trihalomethanes (THMs), one of the most common DBPs, are Cancer Group B carcinogens, meaning they’ve been shown to cause cancer in laboratory animals. They’ve also been linked to reproductive problems in both animals and humans, such as spontaneous abortion, stillbirths, and congenital malformations, even at lower levels. A whole-house filtration system is your best choice to remove chlorine, chloramine, ammonia, DBPs and other contaminants from all of your water sources (bath, shower and tap). If you don’t have the resources for a whole-house filtration system at this time, there are a couple of other tricks you can try. At FindaSpring.com you can identify local springs where you can get pure, chloramine-free drinking water for a minimal cost. You can also try:¹¹

• Adding fruit, such as slices of peeled orange, to a 1-gallon water pitcher, which will help neutralize chloramine in about 30 minutes
• Dissolving a 1,000-mg vitamin C tablet into your bath water, which will neutralize the chloramine in an average-size bathtub

8. Choose Organic and Locally Grown Food

Many pesticides and herbicides are potentially carcinogenic, and you may be exposed to them when you eat conventionally grown produce and animal products. The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) considers 60 percent of herbicides, 90 percent of fungicides, and 30 percent of insecticides to be carcinogenic, and most are also damaging to your nervous system as well. Some of the pesticides/herbicides classified as probable or possible human carcinogens by the EPA include:

ChlordaneHeptachlorTetrachlorvinphosCarbarylPropoxurLindaneDichlorvosPhosmetPermethrin

The answer, of course, is to opt for organically grown produce and organically raised, pastured animal products, which are raised without chemicals and other potentially cancer-causing products, like rBGH (a genetically engineered growth hormone commonly found in milk).

It’s well known that conventionally grown fruits and vegetables are often tainted with unacceptable levels of pesticide residues, but you’re also exposed when you eat animal products. Animals raised in confined animal feeding operations (CAFO’s) eat feed full of pesticides, and these toxins accumulate in their flesh and fat over the course of their lifetimes. When you eat factory-farmed meat, you then ingest these accumulated pesticides.

As for fresh produce, certain fruits and vegetables tend to be far more contaminated than others, simply because they’re more susceptible to various infestations and therefore sprayed more heavily. Some foods are also more “absorbent,” with thin, tender skins. Such foods would be high on your list for buying organic. The Environmental Working Group (EWG) produces an annual shopper’s guide to pesticides in produce¹² that you can download. It lists the produce with the highest and lowest levels of pesticide residue, which can help save you money if you can’t afford to buy everything organic.

Choosing organically raised animal products is potentially even more important, however, as animal products tend to bioaccumulate toxins from their pesticide-laced feed, concentrating them to far higher concentrations than are typically present in vegetables.

Fermented foods can be helpful here as well, as some of the beneficial bacteria produced in fermented foods have been found to help detoxify organophosphorus insecticide. A 2009 study¹³ showed that during the fermentation of kimchi, the insecticide degraded rapidly until day 3, and had degraded completely by day 9. Four lactic acid bacteria were identified as being responsible for the effect, so regularly consuming fermented foods (or alternatively a high-quality probiotic) may help you buffer some of the damage that pesticide exposures can cause.

9. Skip the Canned Foods

Avoiding canned foods is perhaps your best way to avoid bisphenol-A (BPA) – an endocrine-disrupting chemical linked to cancer and reproductive and fetal development problems, among other health issues.

Though BPA is a widely used component of plastic containers, it’s also found in food packaging and the inner lining of cans. Research from the Harvard School of Public Health¹⁴ revealed that canned foods and beverages can increase your BPA levels by a staggering 1,000 percent in a mere five days! The lead researcher noted that given this finding, canned goods may be an even greater contribution to your BPA levels than plastics. Here are 10 tips to help reduce your exposure to BPA around the house:

Only use glass baby bottles and dishes for your babyUse glass, ceramic, or stainless steel travel coffee mugs rather than plastic or Styrofoam coffee cupsGet rid of your plastic dishes and cups, and replace them with glass varietiesAvoid using plastic wrap (and never microwave anything covered in it)Give your baby natural fabric toys instead of plastic onesIf you opt to use plastic kitchenware, at least get rid of the older, scratched-up varieties, avoid putting them in the dishwasher, and don’t wash them with harsh detergents, as these things can cause more chemicals to leach into your foodStore your food and beverages in glass containersAvoid using bottled water; filter your own using a reverse osmosis filter insteadIF you choose to use a microwave, don’t microwave food in a plastic containerBefore allowing a dental sealant to be applied to your, or your children’s, teeth, ask your dentist to verify that it does not contain BPA

10. Ditch Your Microwave

If you microwave your food in plastic containers, it can hasten the rate at which potentially cancer-causing chemicals can leach into your food. Additionally, microwaving creates new compounds that are not found in humans or in nature, called radiolytic compounds. We don’t yet know what these compounds are doing to your body.

In addition to the violent frictional heat effects, called thermic effects, there are also athermic effects, which are poorly understood because they are not as easily measured. It is these athermic effects that are suspected to be responsible for much of the deformation and degradation of cells and molecules.¹⁵ As an example, microwaves are used in the field of gene-altering technology to weaken cell membranes. Scientists use microwaves to actually break cells apart. Impaired cells then become easy prey for viruses, fungi and other microorganisms. You really CAN survive sans microwave—people are living quite happily without one, believe it or not. You just have to make a few small lifestyle adjustments, such as:

• Plan ahead. Take your dinner out of the freezer that morning or the night before so you don’t end up having to scramble to defrost a 5-pound chunk of beef two hours before dinnertime.
• Make soups and stews in bulk, and then freeze them in gallon-sized freezer bags or other containers. An hour before meal time, just take one out and defrost it in a sink of water until it’s thawed enough to slip into a pot, then reheat it on the stove.
• A toaster oven makes a GREAT faux-microwave for heating up leftovers! Keep it at a low temperature — like 200-250 degrees F — and gently warm a plate of food over the course of 20-30 minutes. Another great alternative is a convection oven.
• Prepare your meals in advance so that you always have a good meal available on those days when you’re too busy or too tired to cook.
• Try eating more organic raw foods. This is one of the best ways to improve your health over the long run.

Ripe For Change

California — always a fascinating marriage of opposite extremes — is at a cross-roads in agriculture. Many Californians are struggling to fend off overdevelopment and the loss of farming lands and traditions while embracing innovative visions of agricultural sustainability. At the same time, California is where fast food was born and a center of the biotechnology industry and large corporate agribusiness. The debates raging in California over issues of food, agriculture, and sustainability have profound implications for all of America, especially in a world where scarcity is the norm and many natural resources are diminishing. This fascinating documentary explores the intersection of food and politics in California over the last 30 years. It illuminates the complex forces struggling for control of the future of California’s agriculture, and provides provocative commentary by a wide array of eloquent farmers, prominent chefs, and noted authors and scientists. The film examines a host of thorny questions: What are the trade-offs between the ability to produce large quantities of food versus the health of workers, consumers, and the planet? What are the hidden costs of “inexpensive” food? How do we create sustainable agricultural practices?

Through the “window” of food and agriculture, RIPE FOR CHANGE reveals two parallel yet contrasting views of our world. One holds that large-scale agriculture, genetic engineering, and technology promise a hunger-less future. The other calls for a more organic, sustainable, and locally focused style of farming that reclaims the aesthetic and nurturing qualities of food and considers the impact of agriculture on the environment, on communities, and on workers. RIPE FOR CHANGE was directed by award-winning filmmaker Emiko Omori.

In this interview, Dr. Northrup shares her top 10 tips for women’s health:

1. Get enough sleep: Proper sleep is essential for optimal health, and it helps metabolize stress hormones better than any other known entity.
2. Meditate for at least 3-12 minutes each day, to calm and soothe your mind.
3. Begin your day with a positive affirmation.
4. Exercise regularly. Ideally, aim for a comprehensive program that includes high intensity exercises and strength training along with core-building exercises and stretching.
5. Breathe properly. When you breathe in and out fully through your nose, you activate your parasympathetic rest-and-restore nervous system, which expands the lower lobes of your lungs, and therefore engages the vagus nerves.

“Relax the back of your throat. So many women have thyroid problems – it’s from chronic tension here; because you’re pretty sure your feminine voice isn’t going to be heard. It hasn’t been heard for 5,000 years. You’re not alone. But it’s being heard now,” she says.

1. Practice self love and unconditional acceptance. Dr. Northrup suggests looking at yourself in the mirror at least once a day, and saying: “I love you. I really love you.”

“After 21 days, something will happen to you. You’ll see a part of you that looks back at you, and you begin to believe it. “I love you. I really love you.”

1. Optimize your vitamin D levels. Get your vitamin D level checked. Ideally, you’ll want your levels within the therapeutic range of 50-70 ng/ml. According to Dr. Northrup:

“Sunlight is not the enemy. It’s lack of antioxidants in your diet that is the enemy. Natural light is a lovely source of vitamin D; you can’t overdose. But many people – to get their levels of vitamin D into optimal – are going to need 5,000 to 10, 000 international units per day. So, vitamin D is important. You can get your level drawn throughMyMedLab.com without a doctor’s prescription.”

Just remember that if you take high doses of oral vitamin D, you also need to boost your intake of vitamin K2. For more information on this, please see my previous article, What You Need to Know About Vitamin K2, D and Calcium.

1. Cultivate an active social life; enjoy some face-to-face time with likeminded people.
2. Epsom salt baths (20 minutes, three times per week) are a simple, inexpensive way to get magnesium into your body.
3. Keep a gratitude journal. Each night, before you go to bed, write down five things that you are grateful for, or five things that brought you pleasure.

“Remember: every emotion is associated with a biochemical reality in your body. So, you want to bring in the emotions of generosity, pleasure, receiving, and open-heartedness. The same things that create heart health create breast health.”

When you invest the time and money into a trip to the grocery store, you want to be sure the foods you purchase last as long as possible. The featured article has compiled more than two-dozen tricks to keep up your sleeve to do just that:

Vegetables

1. Store onions in old pantyhose to keep them fresh for up to eight months (tie a knot in between each one to keep them separate).
2. Chop dry green onions and store them in an empty plastic water bottle. Put the bottle in the freezer and sprinkle out what you need when you’re cooking.
3. When storing potatoes, keep them away from onions (this will make them spoil faster). Storing them with apples will help keep the potatoes from sprouting.
4. Asparagus should be stored in your fridge upright in a glass of water (like cut flowers, cut the asparagus bottoms off first), and covered with a plastic bag.
5. Store salad greens in a bowel covered with plastic wrap, and add a paper towel to help absorb moisture. A salad spinner will also help remove excess moisture — a key culprit in wilting leaves — from your greens.
6. Mushrooms should be stored in a paper bag in a cool dry place, or in the fridge. Avoid storing mushrooms in plastic, as any trapped moisture will cause them to spoil.

Fruits

1. Swirl berries in a mixture of one part vinegar (white or apple cider) to 10 parts water. You won’t taste the vinegar but the solution will help keep your berries from getting moldy and soft.
2. When storing chopped avocado or guacamole, leave the pit in, spritz it with some lemon juice or olive oil, cover with plastic wrap, and put it in the fridge. This will help keep it from turning brown.
3. If you spot a rotten apple, remove it right away, as one rotten apple really can spoil the whole bunch.
4. Put plastic wrap around the crown of a bunch of bananas to keep them fresh for days longer (and be sure to store them away from other fruits, as they emit a lot of ethylene gas which accelerates ripening).
5. Store tomatoes at room temperature away from sunlight, in a single layer with the stem side up (don’t put them in plastic bags, which will cause them to spoil faster).

Herbs

1. Store delicate herbs like parsley, basil, cilantro and chives upright in a glass of water (like you would arrange cut flowers) in your fridge. Put a plastic bag over the top and secure it around the glass with a rubber band for optimal freshness.
2. Bunch oily herbs like thyme loosely together, secure them with a string around the base and hang them in your kitchen for storage.
3. Fill an ice cube tray with olive oil, then add chopped herbs (rosemary, sage, thyme or oregano) to each cube. Pop one out when you’re cooking for instant herb-infused oil.
4. Store fresh ginger root in the freezer. You can grate it frozen (peel and all) when cooking.

Dairy and Nuts

1. Rub the cut side of a block of cheese with butter to keep it from drying out.
2. Cheese should be wrapped in cheese paper or wax paper, not plastic wrap, then put in a plastic baggie.
3. Store cheese in the warmest part of your fridge, such as the vegetable or cheese drawer.
4. Nuts can be stored in the freezer to keep them fresh longer. Ideally put them in Mason jars that have the air vacuumed out with a Food Saver and attachment.

Organization, Gadgets and Other Tips

1. Keep milk and other highly perishable items on the middle shelf in your fridge, NOT in the door where temperatures fluctuate.
2. Avoid mixing produce and meats in the same drawer, as cross contamination can lead to food waste.
3. Avoid over-stocking your fridge, as a crowded fridge will keep air from circulating properly leading to warm spots that can cause spoilage.
4. Avoid chopping up your fruits, veggies and meats before storage, as this will make them spoil faster.
5. Glass mason jars make a great food-storage option, and you can seal them with an automatic vacuum sealer like Food Saver for even more freshness.
6. Remove spoiled food from your fridge promptly to keep mold from transferring to fresh food.
7. Get an ethylene gas absorber for your fridge; they’re available online and can keep your produce fresh up to three times longer than normal. There are many types of bags that can do this. They are typically called “green bags.” One example would be Debbie Meyer Green Bags.
8. A gadget called the Herb Savor, which has a well for water and a plastic cover to keep herbs fresh, claims to make herbs last for up to three weeks.

Reposted from Reboot Your Life

March is National Nutrition Month so we have come up with our own Reboot-friendly tips to keep you healthy all month long. Plus, spring is just around the corner and what better time to focus on healthy eating?  Here is a quick and easy day-by-day guide with recipes to make the most of good nutrition during the month of March.

Save this as a reminder for every day of the month!

MARCH 1: Choose at least one red fruit or veggie today: Tomato, Beet, Red grapes, Watermelon, Cherries, Strawberries

MARCH 2: Choose at least one Orange/Yellow fruit or veggie: Squash, Sweet Potato, Orange, Clementine, Peppers, Carrots

MARCH 3: Choose at least one Green Fruit or Veggie:  Kale, Spinach, Apple, Zucchini, Celery, Cucumber

MARCH 4: Meatless Monday!Try a meatless breakfast like Trail Mix Oatmeal  or Teff Oatmeal with Almonds & Blueberries

MARCH 5: Choose at least one Blue/Purple Fruit or Veggie: Grapes, Blueberries, Cabbage, Eggplant, Plums

MARCH 6: Choose at least one White Fruit or Veggie: Garlic, Onions, Ginger, Horseradish, Cauliflower

MARCH 7: Hydrate!  Drink at least 8 cups (64 oz. or 2 L) of water. Enhance your water for flavor and nutrients.

MARCH 8: Choose baked foods over fried foods, like these delicious Sweet Potato & Carrot “fries” .

MARCH 9: Spring Cleaning Day – Toss the Sugar! Go through your pantry and cupboards and read the labels of packages. Ditch anything that includes High Fructose Corn Syrup or has sugar/corn syrup/cane sugar as the first ingredient, or contains added sugars.

MARCH 10: Choose tea over coffee or try making ginger “tea” with hot water, fresh ginger root and lemon.

MARCH 11: Meatless Monday! Try a meatless lunch like Black Bean & Red Pepper Soup.

MARCH 12: Drink a juice for breakfast or snack. 

MARCH 13: Make it from scratch! Try homemade granola bars like Almond Butter Berry Bars.

MARCH 14: Make exercise, like walking a daily habit.

MARCH 15: Try a brand new veggie!  Fennel, Jicama, Yucca,  Brussels Sprouts, Watercress, any veggie will do!

MARCH 16: Spring Cleaning Day- Toss the Trans-Fats! Read labels for Trans-Fats (listed in the facts label under Total Fat) and read the ingredients for Partially Hydrogenated Oils.

MARCH 17: Go Green for St. Patrick’s Day!  Try the Shamrock Smoothie.

MARCH 18: Meatless Monday! Try a meatless dinner like Black-Eyed Bean Shepard’s Pie.

MARCH 19: Drink a smoothie for breakfast.

MARCH 20: Make it from scratch!  Try a homemade soup. Perfect for lunch or dinner with plenty of leftovers!

MARCH 21: Try a new grain! Quinoa, Teff, kasha (buckwheat), and amaranth just to name a few choices.

MARCH 22: “Just say no” to dessert.  Opt for a tart treat with plenty of fiber and phytonutrients instead.

MARCH 23: Spring Cleaning Day- Toss any artificial colors, sweeteners or flavors! Read labels carefully for ingredients like acesulfame-K, sucralose, sorbitol.

MARCH 24: Make it from Scratch! Try juice-pulp veggie broths and soups. Thai Infused Broth  & Lemon & Mint Lentil  Soup

MARCH 25: Meatless Monday! Try a meatless snack like Carrot & Parsnip “Chips”.

MARCH 26: Try a new spice! Turmeric, cumin, coriander, chili, the list for flavor, immunity and health is endless.

MARCH 27: Make it from Scratch! Try homemade almond milk alone or with Cinnamon Vanilla or Hot Chocolate.

MARCH 28: Start your day with some veggies! Try a veggie-heavy juice, raw veggies with hummus or even asalad in the morning.

MARCH 29: If you want something sweet go for a “smart sweet”.

MARCH 30: Spring Cleaning Day- Toss the BPA (a toxin found in plastic and can linings). Look for BPA-free on packaging.

MARCH 31: Make it from Scratch!  Try homemade gluten-free pizza.

A raw foodist is a person who’s main source of calories come from a raw food source.