Please enjoy today’s article from Elaina Love, author of three recipe books and founder of Pure Joy Planet and Pure Joy Academy as the guest columnist every Friday in the Journey Back to Self Blog. ~ Chris
Food is many things to many people. It is a source of entertainment, a source of comfort, a source of energy, and something to help us get through times of stress.
Food is important to our physical, mental and emotional well being. Therefore, it affects our entire way of life when food sensitivities develop.
Sensitivities cause physical reactions to food and can be as mild as hot feet and as severe as depression or anaphylactic shock. Many times attempts are made to cover symptoms with a “band aid” such as pharmaceuticals, pills, herbs, and even surgery. This may temporarily “fix” the problem, but in the end, you can never be truly healthy unless you find out why your body is doing what it is doing.
By becoming more aware of what you eat and how it affects your body, you can find many clues to why you may be experiencing less than optimal results from your dietary choices.
Before discovering my own food allergies, I was cranky, had severe eczema, painful PMS that lasted for days, lower back pain, arthritis, gas, bloating, fatigue and depression. I thought it was just something I had to live with. I had no idea that I had the power to cure myself.
According to www.DrSears.com, some food allergy symptoms include: swelling in hands and feet, puffy eyelids, dark circles under eyes, tongue soreness and cracks, sneezing, runny nose, watery eyes, persistent cough, congestion, mucous, diarrhea, constipation, bloating, gassiness, fatigue, migraine headaches, irritability, anxiety and sore muscles and joints.
The top seven food allergies from which 90 percent of all food allergies can be attributed to are:
To find out if you are reacting to certain foods you can either get a blood test which may be convenient but can be expensive running $500 or more, or do your own research by eliminating the foods from your diet for a week, then reintroducing one food at a time and noticing any reactions.
After I determined which foods I was allergic to, I had some decisions to make. I could either choose to keep eating those foods and live with the symptoms, or decide my health and well-being were more important to me than anything else. The offending foods for me were wheat, eggs, dairy and soy. Because I was a vegetarian who ate meat substitutes which were made with wheat, dairy or soy, my food choices appeared to be severely limited. I began making recipes from allergy free cookbooks, and I looked for prepared and packaged foods that were allergy free. While meticulously reading the labels, looking for the offending ingredients, I found that wheat, eggs and dairy are in countless numbers of packaged foods. Even soy sauce and licorice contain wheat!
During this time I discovered a book on intestinal cleansing. It contained testimonials that inspired me to try an intestinal cleanse for myself. After a month, I had an amazing increase in my energy and many of my previous symptoms were gone. The biggest surprise though, was not what I expected. I thought that after I cleansed my body and got rid of the allergies, I would go back to my “normal” life. That is not what happened. During the cleanse, I discovered raw, living foods made from a base of fruits, vegetables, nuts and seeds. It was the answer to my prayers. Not only did these newly discovered recipes contain none of my reactive foods, they were also so satisfying that they quickly replaced the old comfort foods. I completely transformed my diet and discovered a whole new lifestyle. It is exciting to eat comforting foods that make me feel good and are highly nutritious.
After completing several cleanses and eating primarily raw, living foods, I am now able to eat foods I was previously allergic to and feel just fine. I will never go back to my previous eating habits though because grains and starches make me tired and slow me down, and dairy makes me feel bloated and stuffed-up when eaten on a regular basis. On a diet consisting of mostly raw, living foods, I have increased energy and I look and feel better than I did several years ago.
There are many wonderful resources for making changes for the better in your diet. Some of the resources are listed here.
Websites: For more information on food allergies, sensitivities and intolerances go to www.food-allergy.org, www.livingwithout.com and www.askdrsears.com. For more information on raw, living foods, go to www.purejoylivingfoods.com and www.rawfoodchef.com.
Books: Cleanse and Purify Thyself by Richard Anderson, The Food Allergy Cure by Ellen W. Cutler
Magazines: Living Without
This recipe is recommended for people with dairy sensitivities:
By Elaina Love
Almonds are packed with calcium, fiber, folic acid, magnesium, potassium, riboflavin and Vitamin E (source: The Food Lover’s Companion)
1 cup soaked almonds, sunflower and/or pumpkin seeds (1/2+ cup before soaking)
1 to 3 cups water (less for cream, more for milk)
2 -4 medium dates or 2-4 Tbsp. sweetener of choice (optional)
1 tsp.
Blend all ingredients on high until well blended.
Pour through The Amazing Nut Milk, Juice and Sprout Bag (available at www.purejoyplanet.com) or a clean nylon sock.
Squeeze the bag until all the liquid is released.
Pour the milk or cream over fresh fruit or cereal.
You may want to make extra so you have enough to last four days.
This recipe is recommended for people with wheat sensitivities:
By Elaina Love
4 cups soaked and dehydrated walnuts
3/4 cup or 9 oz. pitted dates
3/4 cup or 2.75 oz. carob powder
2 tsp. cherry extract or vanilla
1/2 cup coarsely chopped dried walnuts
1/2 cup or 4 oz. coarsely chopped dried cherries
Soak the walnuts for 8-12 hours.
Rinse them well and dry them with a towel.
Dehydrate the walnuts in a food dehydrator at 105 degrees for 12 hours. This is an optional step which will give the brownies a more cake-like texture.
Puree the nuts in a food processor until it becomes a flour.
Add the dates and continue to puree until well mixed.
Add carob powder and extract and puree again.
Mix in the cherries and chopped nuts by hand.
Press with very firm pressure into a brownie pan.
Refrigerate and slice into squares.
Double the recipe for a large pan.
These brownies will keep refrigerated for 2 weeks or more.
This recipe is not recommended for people with tree nut allergies.
This recipe is recommended for people with dairy and nut sensitivities:
By Elaina Love
Cilantro is a wonderfully fragrant herb that is high in chlorophyll and has been said to pull heavy metals from the body. Enjoy it in this rich and satisfying energy soup.
1 zucchini, chopped
1 large bunch cilantro, stems removed (about 2 cups)
1 red, yellow or orange bell pepper, chopped
½ apple, chopped
1 avocado, chopped (add later)
1 Tbs. tamari or Braggs Liquid Aminos
1 tsp. Celtic sea salt
½ tsp cumin (optional)
1 tsp. onion powder (optional)
1/8 tsp. cayenne
Blend all ingredients until smooth except avocado. Add the avocado and blend again. (The avocado is blended last to keep it from getting gelatinous).
Eat immediately or store in a glass jar in the refrigerator for 2 days maximum.
Optional Toppings:
Sprinkle with dulse flakes
Diced bell pepper
Fresh raw corn cut off the cob
Sunflower greens
Chopped Romaine (stir into the soup)
This recipe is recommended for people with dairy, nut and egg sensitivities:
½ cup Bariani or extra virgin olive oil
2 Tbs. lemon juice
¼-½ cup water
2 large dates or 2 Tbsp. maple syrup
1 Tbs. light miso
3 medium cloves garlic
¾ tsp. mustard powder or 1½ tsp. prepared Dijon mustard
2 tsp. dulse flakes
¼ tsp. Celtic sea salt
Blend all ingredients in a blender or hand mix, crushing the garlic first and using maple syrup instead of dates.
Store the dressing in a glass jar in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks.
Inspired by Blessing’s Alive and Radiant foods Caesar recipe.
Elaina Love is a professional chef and instructor. You can find her books, learn about her classes and view more of her recipes by going to www.purejoyplanet.com.
Bringing pure joy and gourmet bliss to the planet,
Elaina Love
Chris Sopa is founder and owner of Chris Sopa International, Inc. You can learn more about her at www.ChrisSopa.com. Find her at Facebook.com/ChrisSopaInternational, Twitter @ChrisSopa, LinkedIn, and Google+.
Is your food zapping your energy?Please enjoy today’s article from Elaina Love, author of three recipe books and founder of Pure Joy Planet and Pure Joy Academy as the guest columnist every Friday in the Journey Back to Self Blog. ~ Chris
What you eat and when you eat has a big influence on your energy levels throughout the day. Morning is when it can either start with a bang or a thud, but it doesn’t just end there. The choices you make throughout the day can have a huge influence on your physical, emotional and mental wellness in life.
If you begin your day with a heavy meal, such as pancakes or even milk and cereal, you may find yourself wanting to go straight back to bed. The other side effect you might get is a mild depression such as a feeling of doom or dread about your day. The reason this happens is that your body is working so hard to digest the food you just ate, that you have no energy left for normal functioning, and even your hormones get imbalanced by the sugar. And when it gets to be too much, your body just puts you to sleep so it can deal with the bombardment.
Another reason you may experience low energy after eating something is when our food choices create an insulin spike. When we eat foods such as white sugar, agave nectar, milk, white bread, pastries, or anything that creates an insulin overload for our pancreas (I had it happen from just eating cantaloupe recently), our hormones kick in to action to balance things in the body. Once your insulin level spikes too high from eating a sugary food, a roller coaster effect begins. As the body secretes hormones, our moods and energy levels move all over the place. This can also be the case if we go without food in the case of hypoglycemic, but usually that is still a case of imbalance. Isn’t food supposed to give us energy and help us function in life? The answer is Yes! We just need to make smart choices, cleanse our bodies of all the excess waste, and feed it the right food to help us stay feeling good.
Here is an example of some items you can exchange to make your energy soar instead of sink. Below are 2 lists. One is foods that make us sleepy, groggy or low energy, as well as moody and even depressed.The second is an alternative that will make you feel energized and good. Some people may at first experience withdrawal or even detox symptoms from some of your unhealthy habits being replaced, but very soon, maybe within a day, you will feel supercharged!
Instead of this:
1. Bananas, protein power and cow’s milk
2. Cereal and Milk
3. Toast with butter or jam
4. Pancakes
5. Sandwich
6. Ice Cream
This will give you something to get started with, and as time goes on, keep trying new recipes that are organic and healthy. You never know how great you can feel until you start putting nutrients in and getting the toxins out.
Bringing pure joy and gourmet bliss to the planet,
Elaina Love
Elaina Love is a plant-based chef, instructor, author and speaker.
Find out more about her recipes and classes at purejoyplanet.com.
Chris Sopa is founder and owner of Chris Sopa International, Inc. You can learn more about her at www.ChrisSopa.com. Find her at Facebook.com/ChrisSopaInternational, Twitter @ChrisSopa, LinkedIn, and Google+.
25 Things You Can Do To Alleviate StressI am about to make a bold statement…stress is the main and only cause of all illnesses! Everything we experience in our physical world is simply a projection of what we are allowing to run through our minds. Our thoughts create our reality. If your thoughts are “sick,” you will be sick.
We all know people who are wonderful individuals who are very positive and have great lives but still get ill. How can this be? Our conscious mind may be positive, but our subconscious mind runs 90% of our behaviors. We are not always aware what sits in that deep recess of the mind. One of the ways God gets our attention, if all else fails, is through our physical body. A physical ailment will stop you in your tracks every time and cause you to question your life, your thinking and your actions.
If you do nothing else for yourself in this lifetime, do this: learn how to manage stress in your life. Contrary to what you may now believe, stress is not caused by your ex, your boss, lack of money, lack of sex, having no job, etc. Stress is caused by your perception of those events in your life. Change your perception and you change the “movie.”
Here are 25 things off the top of my head I have done in the past to alleviate stress. Feel free to leave comments and add to the list. Let’s all help each other!
“Faith is the power to stand up to the madness and chaos of the physical world while holding the position that nothing external has any authority over what heaven has in mind for you.“ ~Caroline Myss
Desserts…desert…I always get confused! Lol!
Chris
Chris Sopa is founder and owner of Chris Sopa International, Inc. You can learn more about her at www.ChrisSopa.com. Find her at Facebook.com/ChrisSopaInternational, Twitter @ChrisSopa, LinkedIn, and Google+.
You want me to eat that?Please enjoy today’s article from Elaina Love, author of three recipe books and founder of Pure Joy Planet and Pure Joy Academy as the guest columnist every Friday in the Journey Back to Self Blog. ~ Chris
Many people I speak with say they find it hard to be in a relationship with a man or woman who is not eating the same as them. In this blog, I will share with you some ways I have found that you can stay happily partnered while enjoying your own autonomy around food.
Some of the obstacles you have shared with me:
Does any of this sound familiar?
Here are some solutions:
When all is said and done, the last thing we want is for food to come between us and the ones we love. Share your feelings and share your food. If you are persistent, like me, and continue to make super healthy foods and treats that are always on hand, your mate or roommate will love your food and be happy to eat it and maybe even start requesting it!
Bringing pure joy and gourmet bliss to the planet,
Elaina Love
Author, Director of Pure Academy and Public Speaker
Chris Sopa is founder and owner of Chris Sopa International, Inc. You can learn more about her at www.ChrisSopa.com. Find her at Facebook.com/ChrisSopaInternational, Twitter @ChrisSopa, LinkedIn, and Google+.