Oil Pulling for Detox & Health

Oil Pulling

I recently got back into Oil Pulling or swishing as my children like to call it….and it is making such a difference to my well being (again!), even after only a few days. I did a few days fasting last week and included oil pulling each day – to such a difference.

In case you are not entirely certain what oil pulling is; this is a technique using about a teaspoon or two of coconut or sesame oil (usually, but other oils can work) and swishing it around in your mouth for 20 minutes or so.

After the time is up, you just spit it all out and rinse your mouth. Voila – refreshed and ready to go. 

It sounds and is, so utterly simple. But with some incredible and wonderful side effects - I often find significant results from oil pulling in as little as 1 day! Of course I add some healing benefits into my coconut oil as well…essential oils of cinnamon, tea tree, lemon, lemon grass, peppermint, clove, oregano and so forth, a different combination every couple of days.

The oils all work together and ‘pulls’ the toxins out from the general mouth area while the essential oils go and do all the things herbs and spices are meant to do. I have experienced many different results from oil pulling – which I would not have seen otherwise along my healing journey.

Some of these are a clarity in thinking, fresher breath, whiter teeth, healthy gums and tongue while others are more the results of deeper cleansing. I always feel as if my sinuses and the glands in my face and neck are benefiting from this too with less severe symptoms of glandular fever a few years ago.

I often also feel a clearing in my ears….as if whatever has been sitting around there for ever so long, starts to move or be pulled out. This can only be a good thing as far as I am concerned – I am all for taking out the rubbish in the most gentle way possible. 

However, I often have other indicators of detox taking place such as a little achy in my joints or rash in the beginning, but then my knees and skin becoming very clear. Mostly though, it’s when any brain fog clears and I feel more of a mind/body connection that I know this technique really does some good for my health.

Because this is all about controlling and perhaps eliminating some of the nasty bacteria living and growing in our teeth and mouth, I often follow up an oil pulling session with a mouthful of my lovely West Cork made Apple Cider Vinegar or some of my Rebel Juice probiotic drinks…..which adds the good guys back into your system. 

So, if you think your mouth, head, brain and body might benefit from some oil pulling – it’s so easy to get started on it and all you need is 20 minutes!

April

Raw Unrefined Coconut Oil mixed with essential oils - on my stand at the market

Nothing to Waste….

I was reading something a couple of weeks ago about some major supermarket and the enormous amount of waste created each week when they dumped all that out of date processed, over packaged, sterile food.  

It’s a shame it was created in the first place – that is perhaps the biggest waste – of raw materials. But, alas it exists and then it goes to landfill one way or the other. Because lets face it, lots of times this food might be bought and taken home only to end up in the rubbish bin there.

Which leads me to another issue – what is it with needing a rubbish bin? We haven’t had one in years and don’t need one. Because we go out of our way to not create waste. Everything is used, nothing is thrown out and certainly everything is eaten.

So, this week we are fasting. Actually, today is day 8 of our before Christmas detox and of course I have been steadily clearing out the supplies of food in case anything might be ready to go off, but I also enjoy cooking ahead at this time of year.

Yesterday I made a huge pot of Nightshade free pasta sauce with pumpkins, courgettes, sweet potatoes, onions, garlic, carrots, seaweed, beetroot, spices and so forth. Then from that sauce I made large trays of lasagna, long grain brown rice cooked in the vegetable juice, and extra sauce for other meals. 

Next, some over ripe bananas and left over coconut balls went into a lovely winter spice banana bread. All of this went into the freezer for when we are done our fasting. These meals also used up any cheese left over in the fridge so it too wasn’t wasted. 

I do remember those days when anything that wasn’t eaten quickly enough or was forgotten in the fridge went out into the bin. It was never a warm and fuzzy feeling.

Now, with the animals to be fed along with ourselves – there is a use for everything. Our goats love the pumpkin seeds and vegetable peelings, the turkeys enjoy left over nettles and herbs from tea, the ducks and chickens fight over any bread and the dogs eat everything else.

Seeing how this all works gives me hope that perhaps inside our guts it’s all working just as well – It’s kind of like a little ecosystem!

April

Honey Cinnamon Oat Crunch & Toasted Muesli now available at Rebel Foods Stall

Spring Nettle & Vegetable Detox Soup - Strengthen Body & Energy Field

This is the time of year when the baby nettles are in full growth – but not yet gone into flower. These lovely herbs are one of natures gifts to us during our spring time detox to cleanse the blood, boost our iron and minerals as well as strengthen the energy field.

I have long used this herb in conjunction with a few others to help myself and clients bring back a damaged or broken energy field as well as to enable energy blocks and stuck areas to move up to re-pattern.

Nettle is a versatile, healthy, natural and energetic marvel of the Universe when it comes to healing herbs. I use it for everything from feeding my goats their mash, in soups and stews, herbal teas, vegetarian rennet for cheese making, herbal medicine – have I left anything out?

The growing tips and stems can easily be harvested by simply taking a pair of scissors and cutting about 10 cm off the top of each plant in a nettle patch. This way, they will regrow quickly and you get the best leaves for cooking and eating.

I like my nettle mixed in with vegetables when I make a light detox soup – I usually only have a few ingredients in this type of meal but it also depends on what I have on hand to be used up. So, you can be very creative here....

Most vegetables are healthy and healing so throw in what you have! LOL

Today I started out by washing my nettles, removing any leaves that had brown or black edges on them and then letting them sit in water to clear out any bugs or dirt. These are to be added to the soup only for the final 10 minutes of cooking.

Then I sautéd some onions, fresh baby leeks from the garden, garlic and spices (I used ground coriander, cumin, turmeric, salt and pepper) in a little water and olive oil. I like the flavour they give to any soup or stew.

Next I chopped, sliced and diced a few vegetables I had on hand – today I had pumpkin, fennel and carrots – these were all added into a small pot with some water and a few pieces of seaweed.

I let the vegetables cook until softened and then added the sautéd onion mixture (top up a little more water if needed). This cooked for another 10 minutes and then the nettles were added.

I like to leave the soup to cook only long enough to soften and take away the sting from the nettles. Cooking too long would also destroy some of their health benefits –so 7 to 10 minutes more is long enough.

Once the soup was done – I turned it off and let cool for a while - I blended it a little for our taste tester. This soup is nice on it’s own or with something light like couscous and a piece of crusty bread.

April

Nettle tops from the garden

Make Up Your Own Mind, BUT.....

I have been keeping a bit of an eye on the articles that come out this time of year - you know the ones - 'how to lose 10 pounds by next week' or 'how to detox completely by cutting back on wine 2 nights a week' or the old standards 'Don't detox, don't exercise, take this pill'....

So, you may have already guessed what I think and feel about some of this total load of rubbish being sent around the internet. There is one new one these last couple of years though, which completely dismisses water fasting as a form of detox.

And that one sends me into a bit of a rant...LOL

Yesterday I was reading a not very insightful article written by someone who talked with 2 dietitians to gather information for their report. Of course, one recommendation for a New Years detox was to cut back on alcohol to only drinking 5 nights a week (I am so not kidding) - leaving me wondering if she was thinking how low were her expectations of the people reading the post.

The other piece of sage advice was to keep things in moderation - but to include everything. Right. Well, I can tell you from a lot of personal experience that is how most people set themselves up to fail in the first place.

I don't know many people who can eat one square of chocolate or one cookie or one crisp - walk away and not hear the bag calling their name for the rest of the day.... And, what about the fact that this is the problem - these 'foods' and their poisonous ingredients (sugar, caffeine, alcohol) are addictive?

Of course, then there is the dismissal of fasting and using water to cleanse your body. Imagine! How could anyone do such a thing - what on earth does water have to do with cleaning, clearing and removing the built up debris from the inside of our cells?

Just because it is the universal solvent, has a somewhat neutral pH and we use it to clean everything else, doesn't mean anything....Perhaps you can tell, these so-called experts have never done a detox, altered their diets and at least one of them is an alcoholic....

Nuff said

If you are ready to do a fast, change your diet and get your life back - here's a great place to start

To Detox or Not to Detox...

So, you spent another Solstice/Christmas/Yule/New Year's laying about, over indulging in sugar, alcohol, chocolate - just fueling some bad habits and feeding the mold, yeast and other nasty critters in your gut. You wake up 2 days after the new year feeling heavy, yukky and wondering how and if you can ever feel 'good' about yourself again.

But right now you feel like a bag of sh** and you are seriously considering doing something about it. Perhaps a change in diet or a detox, or some exercise....

For the life of me, I can't understand why this is such a dilemma! I mean, what on earth holds you back, keeps you stuck in that place and won't let you go? We can read about it, talk about it, cry over it - and yes there are many energetic, spiritual, emotional, fear based reasons that you are still doing all the same things; over and over again.

Ultimately, it is up to you and only you to break these patterns. You are the only one who can stand up (get off your arse) and place one foot in front of the other one and take those first steps towards making the most important decision of your year and perhaps your entire life.

If you are still addicted to anything, you need to detox. If you do not exercise, you must detox. When you spend days, weeks and months over eating the wrong types of foods - your body needs a break, you need to take some time to clean and support your internal digestive functions. 

If you are sick, unwell, have taken anti-biotics (or drugs) of any sort over the last little while - you need to rebuild your system from the beginning using clean water and real food. And you must find a way to exercise, get out side and follow your dreams.

Now, for those of you who are wanting to follow a higher path, pursue your own spirituality and embark on the single most important journey of your life - there is no time like this moment. And no better way to begin then to clean up your diet, start a detox (water fast) and change your life.

What you need, is here

April

The Pagan Diet - a great place to start... also available on Gumroad in pdf 

Detox -- Have a Plan

To detox means something very specific, it is the removal process of years of built up toxins, grime and chemical residues from the tissues and organs of the body. This is not a quick fix, nor is it something to be entered into lightly- yet this is the most important health choice you will probably ever make.

Your body has been inundated with poisons from every place imaginable, and non worse then the very food you are eating – while believing that it is nourishing you; body, mind and soul. This is no longer the case as the foods we are eating, what has been made available on the supermarket shelves are no longer clean, wholesome or handled with care.

All together this has left our bodies in a sorry state and this is just from the food! The other aspects of eating the way we have been encouraged to eat, is that we are making very wrong choices for our spiritual and conscious selves. There is no way that you can follow a nutritionally depleted diet and expect to grow and develop in any spiritual manner. 

Healing and detoxing also takes time- usually a lot of time as your bodies tissues when fed properly will only release discreet amounts of toxins that are easily broken down and handled by the organs involved. By detoxing as you eat and taking your time with it, your liver and kidneys are not stressed and burdened further and your body is repaired and rebuilt at the same time.

The quick fixes and 10 day food/supplement detoxes on the market are pretty much a scam- your body cannot possibly detox in such a short space of time. Nor is this a safe way to approach health and healing. 

During the first few months eating, fasting or making lifestyle changes, energy will be spent on healing, replenishing, absorbing and stabilizing body tissues- only after this is done will the body start to detox and then one component at a time; again as your body is ready and the conditions are right.

If all you want to do is heal your health condition and reclaim your life- this is still the way to do it. By following a balanced and healthy lifestyle regimen you will recondition your body and uplift your spirit- whatever your intention. Once toxins are safely removed from your plate the work begins in earnest and changes will take place.

To detox and cleanse was my early intention- then as my own body healed itself of cancer, arthritis and inflammation, I watched so many things shift in my daily life because of the way that I was eating- I no longer considered it a cleanse- it is a way of life. One that has continued to unfold more deeply into myself and lead me into a greater awareness of what it means to move to higher ground.

Whatever your plan and no matter what your state of health, this is the way for you and your family- heal your body, mind and soul and change the things that are no longer working in your life. 

April

Here's what I am 'eating' right now during my cleanse...

A few of you have been asking, exactly what am I eating or drinking during a Master Cleanse - what gets taken in and how much. Well, today I thought that I would post this for you, here is my recipe and an explanation of why it is different. 

Today and for 9 days during a Master Cleanse, I drink a tea mixture with lemon juice, maple syrup and a tiny bit of black pepper. I mention drinking it only 9 days because the first full 24 hours I only take in water or straight herbal tea.

Starting with day 2 - I make litres of water, herbal tea, juice of 1 lemon, 2 tablespoons of maple syrup and a pinch of ground black pepper. Throughout the day I might drink over 2 litres of this but not usually much more than that. 

April's Master Cleanse ingredients

I also drink water with this and late at night some herbal tea, lots of liquid coming in but not overdoing it either. I also sip this during the day, I don't drink large amounts in one go, unless I am outside in the sun and working etc.

These particular ingredients I have found over the years since I have been regularly detoxing, are important for a couple of reasons. First, the water must be natural well or spring water, not stored in plastic bottles or treated in any way. You are gently flushing your tissues to remove toxins, this is not the time to introduce more of them.

Secondly, lemon is a natural cleaner, it is alkaline once in the body and has a host of positive benefits on internal organs. Lemon promotes and enhances;

• immune system health
• cleaning of internal gut tissue
• stimulates the liver 
• aids digestion
• contains Vitamin C, folic acid, potassium and phosphorus 
• aid weight loss

And much more. I use organic lemons to remove toxic debris, keep my tea/juice as clean as possible and not slow down my detox in any way. 

The single biggest difference in my methods of detoxing and what I recommend for people is to use herbs in the recipe. Herbal teas (which can be a few of many that are gentle) are a natural way to balance, regulate and improve body function while you do your cleanse.

I have always used herbs and it was a natural follow on for me to include them in my Master Cleanse formula. Of course, I also grow, harvest and make many of my own herbs for the teas - so I know exactly how they are handled and of course they are pesticide free. 

Lastly, I include a small pinch of black pepper as opposed to the cayenne in the traditional recipe mainly because I know the detrimental effects of Night Shades on health and spirit, but also because I do not particularly feel that cayenne pepper is particularly healing. Many people have problems with it.

Black pepper has several beneficial properties such as working as a mild diuretic, encourages the body to sweat (helps eliminate toxins), digestive aid, breaks up congestion and cleans the taste buds in the mouth. I like it because it has a nice energy and use an organic whole peppercorn which we grind. 

During a Master Cleanse such as I am doing right now, this is what I drink every day until I am finished. Each day that I do this I feel more and more like myself, I love my fasting days nearly as much as my food days and my life has dramatically changed for the better as a direct result of following The Pagan Diet - Food, Fast & Feast.

Remove the toxins, free yourself

April

Sunlight shining through the Master Cleanse juice - Juice Angel!! 

Water is Life

I don't know if I could ever say enough about water - it is everything for us here as humans and I have changed my life as a result of it. Today is the start of my 10 day Master Cleanse for August, the last one that I committed to doing and of course, I am thinking a lot about water.

In the last few years I have gone to great lengths to find clean sources of water for drinking and cooking whenever we have not had access to a well in our house. Where ever we go, we bring our own water and I think that I started a trend (amongst Nutrition students) years ago by using only glass jars for my drinking water. 

When I completed my masters thesis, the only topic that interested me and I wanted to study, was water - so I ended up undertaking a research project on the bottled water industry. At the time it had reached a peak and was then in decline because of the ban on plastic products in some areas. 

My interest in water has not waned, but has only gotten stronger over the years since. Now with following and living The Pagan Diet, water is a huge component of detox and cleansing, while real water makes an enormous difference to the taste of your cooking and the nutrition in food.  

Of course, I make a distinction between tap water (or any other form of treated, bottled and commercial water) and water that comes directly out of the ground, which to me is real. There is simply no substitute for clean untreated water in your diet and for your body in general.

Water has many interesting properties as well and I believe makes our food taste far better when we use water that is living. Even the bible mentions 'living water' - which to me has come to mean alive with minerals and nutrients from the earth and not processed in the manner of tap water. 

So, why is water so important? First of all, we can live perfectly well for quite some time without food, however we cannot live without water. It makes up more than 66% of our body cells and perhaps as much as 73% of brain tissue. 

Athletes (remember the recent Olympics?) build up muscle cells which store even greater amounts of water necessary for hydration during training and competition. Breast milk for human babies is also nearly 88% water - showing us how much of a vital substance this is for all growth and development. 

Water is the Universal Solvent (for those of us doing regular detoxes and Master Cleanses) this fact tells the story of all that water means for us. More substances are dissolved in water then any other. This is why we take showers with water and not any other liquid! LOL 

Water cleans our bodies inside and out - loosening up embedded debris, toxins and pulling out built up by-products of digestion and metabolism. I would never even consider drinking anything other then the cleanest water, right out of the ground. 

So, for the next 10 days, I will be drinking my Master Cleanse juice, which is mostly water, while I allow my body to empty out another layer of toxins, clean up, balance and heal. 

Following a 'processed food free' lifestyle also includes removing sources of manufactured water which is full of chemicals, medications, pollutants and other contaminants. All sources of toxins must be considered here if we want to do this properly and clean up our bodies. 

Perhaps it's time to take action where water is concerned in your life?

April

Water droplets collect on Lady's Mantle in my garden