Gluten Free Raw Foods Recipes to the Rescue: Healthy Habits Lead to Happy Hormones

Gluten free diets have been lauded for every thing from autism to eczema, asthma to ADD.  But have you ever considered that gluten may be wrecking your sex life?

Can such a tiny little protein as gluten, found in all your favorite breads, pastas, desserts and breakfast cereals really create havoc in so many parts of your body?

The research overwhelmingly says YES!By destroying your hormones and the glands that produce them, gluten leaves no body part unscathed, even if your symptoms are confined to a few select areas.  The problem is, much of the damage caused by gluten is silent, until you reach a critical threshold, them fall apart.

Magic Moments Candies

This is especially true of gluten induced osteoporosis.I’ve seen it happen over and over again.So what’s the solution?  Is there a magic drug or herb or procedure you can do to cure the damage gluten creates in your body?

The good news is, the answer doesn’t require any drugs, radiation or special surgical procedure,it’s not dependent on hormone replacement or herbal remedies.

It’s not something that acupuncture or chiropractic can cure either, although both can be helpful in repairing the damage.

In fact the solution is absolutely free.

The answer is at the tip of your fork, your most powerful healing tool.

Drum roll please.

The solution is to stop eating gluten, which means no more bread, pie, cookies, crackers, bagels, croissants, breakfast cereal….

YIKES.   So, what’s left to eat?

Asian Salad on a Bed of Sprouted Lentils

Enter the wonderful world of raw foods.

You think all that processed CR_P is good, what until you taste the real thing.

And no, I don’t mean connect to the awesomeness of a carrot and make love with romaine lettuce – although eating food straight from nature is in fact the ideal.

What I mean is the magic that happens when someone who really had a knack for flavors and textures and bringing out the delicate essence of fresh whole food turns the ordinary into the extraordinaire.

Take for example the photos sprinkled throughout this article.  They are the foods we make in Eating for Hormone Balance.  Let’s face it! your hormones need and want lots of produce…cruciferous vegetables, sea vegetables, sprouts, high quality fats,   They’re thrown off by white flour, white sugar, processed fats, preservatives and hormones in your foods.

Happy Hormone Collard Wraps

We’ve figured out how to take the best of science in terms of hormone research and blend it with the best foods and herbs that nature has to offer.

By using all whole, raw and living foods, completely gluten and dairy free, we create masterful hormone boosting and balancing dishes that taste great.

We leave out all the top 5 allergens, so people with food allergies have a safe haven for clean food.

Here’s what we’re making

There’s still time to register for Eating for Hormone Balance.

Attend in person and get to eat the foods or attend online and get to watch real-time and get your questions answered.  In either case you get a video after class…fully indexed by recipe plus a recipe guide, all digital documents!

Learning to make delicious foods that nourish and protect is worth the investment at any price.

Register for Eating For Hormone Balance Live class or Web cast and get videos FREE

Dr. Lindsey Berkson, author of Safe Hormone, Smart Women  and 14 other books on hormones and health, believes that nutrition is the first line of defense in keeping your hormones safe and balanced.  Watch as she makes a hormone balancing green drink.

Creamy and Filling Green Drink with Dr. Lindsey Berkson

Learn a full range of delicious hormone balancing recipes from Dr. Ritamarie and Team

Eating for Hormone Balance

Chipolte Orange Mango Kale Chips

Raw Food Recipe: Hot Mama Green Drink

The more recipes you know for green smoothies, the more your tastebuds will learn to crave variation and variety.  Eating a variety of greens means you benefit from the unique mineral combinations in each type of green.  This particular green smoothie recipe contains a mix of greens you’ll find readily available in most large supermarkets in pre-packaged containers, making it easy for anyone with little time for shopping or seeking out a farmer’s market.

The recipe here is an adaptation of one in my Green Smoothie Cleanse.

 

Raw Food Recipe: Hot Mama Green Drink

Print

Recipe type: Beverage

Author: Dr. Ritamaire Loscalzo

Prep time: 5 mins

Total time: 5 mins

Serves: 1-2

The lemon and spices completely neutralize the bitterness of the arugula and other greens. The result is a delicious, high energy pick me up drink to enjoy anytime, except perhaps at bedtime!

Ingredients:

• 1/2 pound baby arugula
• 1/2 pound spinach and spring mix blend
• 3 – 4 cups water
• 1 large piece fresh ginger
• 1/8 teaspoon cayenne
• 1/4 teaspoon kelp powder

Instructions:

1. Place all ingredients in blender.
2. Blend until smooth. Thin with water if desired and blend again.

Notes:

Adapted from a recipe in my Green Cleanse Recipe Guide available at http://www.GreenSmoothieCleanse.com

Google Recipe View Microformatting by Easy Recipe

2.1.7

 

Flatten Your Belly with Simple and effective summer cleansing smoothie strategies

As I get ready for my quarterly Green Smoothie Cleanse, I’ve been pondering the concept of time.

Somehow it seems there is never quite enough time to complete all I would like to do.One way I buy back some time is by doing cleanses.  That may seem like a strange comment.

Let me explain

Have you ever calculated how much time it takes you to plan meals, make meals, eat meals and clean up after meals?  There is a bit of a time investment.  Even if you’re eating out a lot, thinking you don’t have the time to prepare your own meals, the time savings is not that as great as you think, considering you have to drive to a restaurant, order the food, wait for it to arrive, eat it, pay for it and drive home.  Even the fast food drive through concept takes time, and unless you eat while driving, there’s still the time it takes to chew your meal.

Some cleanses save time, some require additional time.

Water fasts require the least amount of time at all.  No prep, no cleanup.  The problem with water fasts is that your metabolism slows down and you can’t quite accomplish all that you might when you’re eating.  The good news about fasting is that your appetite goes away after about four days.

Juice cleanses are the most time consuming, especially if you’re dedicated to drinking the 3-4 quarts a day of juice generally recommended to cleanse effectively.  It takes me the better part of an hour per quart to prepare the foods for juicing, juice and cleanup.  Juicing is similar to water fasting in that your metabolism slows down and different in that you feel hungry all the time.  My experience is that my appetite doesn’t go away after four days as with fasting.  The lower energy makes me less productive.

Cleanses that require potions and powders, enemas and other cleansing rituals are very effective but it’s very time consuming to make all the potions, do the enemas and cleansing rituals, meditate  and rest in between as suggested.  I once read about a cleanse that sounded great, and I was all ready to begin.  Unfortunately it required several enemas a day, cleansing baths, skin brushing and other rituals, in addition to special teas, drinks and foods.  The only way I could have done it was to take time off.

Of course, the most effective cleansing occurs when you take a break from your day to day and dedicate your time to the cleansing process.  I did 28 day supervised water fast once. I was at a health center and all I did was drink water, rest, walk a bit and read.  It changed my life.  I highly recommend that everyone take a month to cleanse sometime.  It’s the best.

Unfortunately, not everyone has that opportunity, so we fit periodic cleansing into our day to day routine.

That’s why my current cleanse of choice is a green smoothie cleanse.  It may not be as deep a cleanse as a water or juice fast, but it certainly has amazing results.

Every 3 months, I take a 7 day break from chewing and fats and I drink green smoothies
morning, noon and night.  I have plenty of energy to work, exercise and enjoy my family.  I save precious hours of food prep, chewing and cleanup.  Smoothies are easy to make, quick to clean up after and take a lot less time to consume than the equivalent quantity of fresh produce would take to eat.

When you make them as I suggest, between 40 and 60% green and 40 – 60% fruit, they provide an abundance of minerals, amino acids and anti-oxidants.  Leaving out the fat gives you’re a liver a break and allows it to devote more cycles to cleansing.

I lead my very first online green smoothie cleanse about 4 years ago, informally with about 25 people.  It was so successful I created an official program with recipes, menu plans, shopping lists and lots of bonuses.

It’s evolved now to a full website with videos, audios, a support forum, bonuses, and daily journals and coaching questions.

I’m getting ready to lead another cleanse starting Monday, and I am so ready.

This cleanse will be a bit different for me in that I’ll be in Tucson, staying at my sister’s house.  She’s done my Green Cleanse before, and she’s excited that she’ll get to do it with me in person.

We kick off on Monday evening, with a teleseminar called:

“The Art of Cleansing with Greens- Putting Your Best Food First to Get Started “

Later in the week we’ll have a teleseminar called “Gut Healing Secrets” and I’ll do some Spotlight Coaching and answer your questions.

Our last teleseminar of the cleanse is “Eating Healthy in The Real World: Tips and Tricks for Taming Emotional and Social Eating and Living in a Body You Love”

The cleanse includes full access the calls and all the materials, coaching, recipes and guidance of for a full  7 days.

For a limited time, we’re including these extra bonuses:

Early Bonus 1: Eliminate the Gluten and Accelerate Your Health – a special report containing information and inspiration packed articles, recipes and foods to avoid lists for gluten free diets.

Early Bonus 2: Balancing Your Hormones Recording -  A 90 minute audio class in mp3 format containing diet and lifestyle tips for optimal weight, vibrant energy, strength, stamina, and joyful longevity.

Early Bonus 3: Balancing Your Hormones Power Point Presentation – A pdf file containing the slides that accompany the 90 minute audio class.

Early Bonus 4: Balancing Your Hormones e-book – Complete written transcripts of the entire 90 minute Balancing Your Hormones audio, as an e-book in PDF format.

Please comment below and answer these questions:

Have you ever cleansed?  If so, what’s your favorite way?

Love, Health and Joy,

Dr. Ritamarie

Lean Summer Body Strategies and Summer Cleansing Tips

It’s that time of year when the weather outside beckons you to enjoy outdoor activities, like swimming, gardening, lawn sports, cycling,  nature walks and picnics.  It’s especially  important this time of year  to put the healthy habits in place that nourish your tired  adrenals  and give you abundant energy so you can enjoy your favorite summer pastimes without feeling exhausted every time you exert yourself.

The sad truth is that over 50 % of people today experience fatigue so severe that even a trip to the grocery store exhausts their energy and requires a recovery nap afterward.  And 80% of women will experience adrenal fatigue at some time in their lives. That’s definitely not a pleasant condition to be in, especially if your friends and family members are encouraging you to join them in summer time fun. Unfortunately, the typical summertime celebration food served at picnics and barbecues zaps your energy and can lead to alll sorts of health consequences, like cancer, heart disease, diabetes and immune system dysfunction.  In my opinion, it’s just not worth the risk.  Yet you may be emotionally attached to your foods and the happy celebration memories that eating it stirs up. What if you could eat your favorite picnic foods and feel energized and comforted,  knowing that the ingredients  are not only safe, they are loaded with antioxidants, vitamins and minerals that energize and nourish you? It’s been a long time since I needed caffeine and sugar to energize me so I could enjoy summer activities.  I used to need stimulants to make it through the day and still crashed in the early evening.  Now I fuel myself on whole fresh food and everyone I meet comments on how energetic I am ALL the TIME! What would your life be like if you could say the same?

1) Spring Cleaning

I always do some sort of cleanse in the spring, to rid my body of any excess fat and toxins that come from spending so much time indoors during the cooler months.  I’ve done short water fasts of 5 -7 days, juice only regimes, powdered meal replacement shakes and even a modified version of the Master Cleanse, eliminating the maple syrup and using powdered greens to supplement the lemonade.  I’ve done all sorts of variations of many cleanses and even developed a few of my own. My all time favorite way to cleanse, owing to its high simplicity and satisfaction score is Green Smoothie Cleansing.  A few short years ago, I created a group Green Smoothie Cleanse and have guided hundreds of participants to increased energy, decreased brain fog and a reduction of belly fat.  I am amazed at the profound results most participants receive within just a few days.  Many are even able to reduce pain medications because their inflammation significantly decreases.  I’m leading a group cleanse in a couple of weeks and I can’t wait to experience the lightness and sense of renewal I always feel after a  7 day cleanse. The concept is quite simple, and you can can certainly do it on your own if you have the discipline and a variety of recipes.  I find that I personally need the accountability of the group experience, otherwise when those periods of desire for solid foods become strong, I crave in.  These periods don’t last long in general, so when I am accountable to the group and have regular check-ins scheduled, I sail through in spite of occasional temptations. I’ve set up the group Green Smoothie Cleanse experience so that there are 3 different options you can choose from, depending on your level of cleansing experience and your schedule.  There are daily check-in forms you can use to report your progress and get personalized feedback and this time you’ll also get extra support through a facebook chat session. To  join in the Spring 2011 Cleanse register at www.Greensmoothiecleanse.com

2) Make Delicious Nutritious Picnic and Barbeque Foods

Whenever I’m invited to summer parties, or am hosting my own, I make sure to create a few easy dishes to take along that are remakes of picnic and barbecue favorites, like mock hot dogs, burgers and potato salad and coleslaw made with a creamy nut or seed sauce instead of mayonnaise. I also cut up veggies and make delicious dip, usually including some sort of blended green vegetable and sea vegetable.For dessert, there’s the picnic tradition of watermelon and peaches, plus I add berries and cut up fruit with a yummy dipping sauce, usually made with chocolate or carob to please the kiddos. I’ll often make a seasonal fruit pie with a nut, seed or coconut based crust, like the ones in my book,  “Dessert Making it Rich Without Oil.”

The pie is simple to make.  For example, when I get lots of fresh peaches from a local farm, I slice the peaches and lay them inside the crust.  I’ll then make a sauce to hold it all together.  That can be as simple as blended peaches or possibly a different complimentary fruit like berries.  I sometimes add a couple of teaspoons of psyllium husk powder or coconut butter to thicken, and then pour the creamy sauce over the fruit and refrigerate until ready to eat.  This simple pie takes minutes to make and is usually the hit of the party. Burger substitutes can be made by putting sunflower seeds and almonds in the food processor along with vegetables.  My favorites are carrot, celery, onion and something dark green, like arugula or spinach.  Process until it begins to hold together and has the consistency of…I hate to say…chopped meat.  Season to taste and dehydrate or eat as is. Any of the bread recipes in my e-book Dried and Gone to Heaven can be formed into burger buns and even hot dog buns.  There are a few burger recipes in Dried and Gone to Heaven as well.

The bread recipes in our video course Amazing Gluten Free Living Bread can also be formed into burger and hot dog buns. And speaking of hot dogs, my dear friend, colleague and talented chef  Karen Osborne has created a hot dog recipe that has fooled many a kid.  It looks, tastes and cuts just like the real thing without all the nasty ingredients.  Now to me, eating something that tastes like a hot dog is not appealing, but for kids and kids at heart who love hot dogs, that’s great news. Karen will share her gluten free, raw food recipe for hot dogs and several others in our class “Picnic Foods and Barbeque for Gluten Free and Living Foods Diets” on May 22 .  Videos and live cast are available if you either live far away or can’t make the

I interviewed Karen on my Blog Talk Radio show and she shared the ingredients she uses and tips for making summer celebration foods.  The recording can be found at Dr Ritamarie Radio

3) Short Frequent Bursts of Exercise

My last strategy for getting and keeping in shape for summer is to incorporate short bursts of exercise throughout your day.   This can be in addition to your regular exercise program, or on busy days, in place of it.  Studies show that 30 seconds of all out intensity exercise several times a day can have the same or even better effects on your blood sugar balance as a 30 minute aerobic exercise session.  It also results in improved stress hormone balance.  Better blood sugar control and fewer cortisol spikes result in a flatter tummy.

Bonus Results of My Lean Summer Body Strategies and Summer Cleansing Tips

In addition to a flatter tummy and boundless energy, some of my favorite extra bonus results you’ll experience when you use these strategies for getting in shape for summer are:

• Happier mood
• Sharp focus and mental clarity so you can be more productive
• Decreased inflammation and more comfortable muscles and joints
• More efficient and painless digestion
• Improved blood lipid balance and reduced risk of heart attack

If you Have any favorite recipes to share for summer celebrations, please post them in the comment box below.  If you have a website where you offer recipes, feel free to post that too, and if your site is in alignment with mine, we’ll leave the link for all to see.

I wish you Love , health and a happy summer!!

Dr. Ritamarie

7 Simple Strategies for Correcting Hormone Imbalance and Harmonizing Your Life

When you hear the term “hormone imbalance” do you right way think about PMS or menopause?  If you’re not suffering from hot flashes or cyclic irritability, you may be tempted to dismiss information about hormone imbalance as “not applicable to me”.

What you may not realize is that your hormones are involved with just about every aspect of your day to day life, including:

- Your metabolic rate, which means how quickly you burn fuel for energy.  Imbalances can lead to hard to shed extra pounds and low energy.

- Your response to stress.  Hormone imbalance affects your ability to respond to stress without burning yourself out or getting sick.

- How much sugar is in your blood and how much reaches your brain, controlling your mood and your ability to think clearly.  Imbalances can lead to diabetes, hypoglycemia and insulin resistance.

- Your mood and attitude, due to the intimate relationship between hormones and neurotransmitters.  Hormone imbalance can lead to depression, anxiety and irritability.

- The efficiency of your digestion.  Imbalance can lead to ulcers, irritable bowel and chronic infection.

- Your sex drive and ability to enjoy intimacy.

- The quality of your skin and hair.

- Your short term memory and ability to think clearly and quickly.

- The quality of your sleep.

The list goes on and on.  This is just a sampling of the widespread and diverse effects of your hormones.

How Hormone Imbalance Effects your Health

Hormones are like members of your family.  When they’re in sync, everyone is communicating well, resulting in happy and harmonious relationships.  When they are out of sync, you’re sunk.  Communication gets disrupted and dysfunction results.

There are over a dozen major players in your hormone family, and your health relies on proper communication and balance between them.

The sooner you get them working in harmony, the happier and healthier you’ll be.

While hormone imbalance can result in unpleasant conditions like depression, dry skin, low energy, irritability, insomnia and hot flashes, what’s more important is that hormone imbalances underlie much more serious illnesses, like osteoporosis, diabetes, heart disease and cancer.

So getting your hormones in balance is not just about improving the quality of your life; it’s about actually saving your life.

So how do you get your hormones in balance?  Do you need the latest designer drug or exotic supplements?  Expensive medical procedures?

Natural Methods for Hormone Imbalance

Fortunately, in most cases, balance can be restored through the application of diet and lifestyle actions combined with targeted and specific supplementation of  nutrients and possibly bioidentical hormones, if your body can no longer make them on its own.

There are foods to avoid, foods to include, environmental factors to clean up, stressors to manage, and simple things like the amount and type of movement you do, how much sun you get and the balance between activity and rest.

Here’s a list of seven simple strategies you can get started on right away to get you started on hormone balance.  This is a handful taken from the dozens included
in brand new “The Secrets of Being Sexy and Vibrant at ANY Age” course.

7 Natural Approaches for Hormone Imbalance

1-Consume at least 32 ounces of green drink daily, made from at least a pound of green leafy vegetables.  This may sound like a lot but the greens are so important and drinking them rather than just eating them helps increase the quality you consume.  You can make delicious green smoothies,  juices or soups.  Greens are filled with antioxidants, minerals and the B vitamin folate, which  is very important for hormone balance.  Be sure to include  sprouts and cruciferous vegetables as they’re especially potent hormone balancers.

2- Break a sweat every day, even if just for 30 second bursts.  Exercising to exhaustion for 30 seconds at a time, for a total of 4 to 8 minutes is an amazing way to increase testosterone levels, balance adrenal hormones  and  the hormone insulin, support your thyroid hormone production and overall strengthen your immune system.

3- Get outside for at least 20 minutes, preferably in the middle of the day, for fresh air and sunshine.  This supports your body in making Vitamin D and excreting the chemicals you breathe from indoor air.

4- Open your windows, even if just a crack, for at least 15 minutes every day.  This brings fresh air in to replace the buildup of hormone disrupting chemicals found in indoor air.

5- Dump the sugar for whole fresh fruits.  Sugar disrupts your B vitamins which are essential for hormone regulation.  It also affects the balance between estrogen receptors that are protective and those that promote growth.  When these receptors get out of balance, your risk
of hormonally induced cancer increases.

6- Drink pure water from glass containers, rather than plastic.  Hydration is vital to production and circulation of hormones and chemicals in the plastic have been shown to  be hormone disruptors.

7- Take time each day to appreciate your gifts and the people you love.  Appreciation has profound effects on your immune system, the level of stress hormones in your system and your ability to cleanse and detoxify the toxic exposures that disrupt hormone balance.

You’ll most likely notice changes right away when you master these 7 simple strategies.

If you’re already suffering from symptoms of hormone imbalance, like depression, fatigue, sugar cravings, excess weight around your middle, menstrual irregularities or pain, hot flashes or other menopausal symptoms, or if you or a family member have had breast cancer, or if you’d just like to circumvent these problems and be vibrantly healthy, strong and sexy your whole life through, it’s worth it for you to invest the time to learn all you can about keeping your hormones safe and balanced.

To bring you the whole scoop on hormone balance,  I’ve teamed up with world renown hormone expert Dr. Lindsey Berkson, author of “Hormone Deception”,  “Safe Hormones, Smart Women”, “Natural Answers to Women’s Health Questions”, “Healthy Digestion the Natural Way”, and at least 8 other books on natural health.  We put together a groundbreaking 5 week course that’s filled with information about hormones that even most doctors don’t know.

We’re thrilled to bring you cutting edge information that will enhance your life and may even save your life.  It saved Dr. Lindsey’s!  Read her story for details.

It’s such a joy to have steady energy and mood, strength and stamina and the clarity of mind that balanced hormones brings.  We experience this daily and we teach our patients to do the same.   We’d like you to have the same experience.  For the first time ever, we have packaged this material in a way that we can share it with you in a convenient  and cost effective manner.

If you’re ready to take charge of your own hormones and create balance and vibrant health, we invite you to check out the course we’ve put together.

Love, Health and Joy,

Dr. Ritamarie

 http://www.drritamarie.com/go/vibranthormones