Be.You.Tea

I love getting e-mails from Tera Warner. She has such a great personality and I love her webinars, articles and blogs.
Today I read an e-mail from her about what she called her Best Health Decision this past year! What a hook for an e-mail from a woman who loves health, raw foods, juicing and green smoothies! She talks to so many health, nutrition and beauty experts for her to offer what she thinks is her Best Health Decision - well, I was intrigued.
Rather than telling you myself, I will simply post her e-mail to me and the rest of us on her mailing list:


Morning, Happy Chick!


I've got some exciting news to share and have been holding 
back until I could tell you, but it looks like it's all 
coming together now, so YAY! 


Secret's gonna be out. 


But first... 


I thought I'd share with you the *one thing* that has made 
the biggest difference for me in improving my health, 
well-being and getting rid of my unbearable late night 
cravings for food in the last year! 


It has a lot to do with my special announcement, so here it is: 


We all know we're supposed to stay hydrated and eat a 
nutrient-rich diet. 


We all know juicing is great, but WHAT a pain in the butt to 
clean that machine! (And then there's all the leftover 
fiber to feel guilty about!) Honestly, I love juicing and I 
love juice, but it's messy, expensive and time-consuming, 
so most days, sadly, it just doesn't happen for me. 


I've always been passionate about plant and herbs and wild 
flowers and last summer I really started to experiment with 
herbal infusions. We call them herbal "teas" but there's 
not really any "tea" in there. 


It's just aromatic and medicinal plants that we steep in hot 
water. Doing so draws out the minerals and nutrients and 
makes a very nourishing cocktail that is loaded in 
health-boosting properties, hydrates like a son of a gun and 
doesn't burden your digestive system. 


It's so easy to do and cost pennies!


You can literally go into your backyard, or your local park 
and pluck some pine needles to make a great beauty tea.  


You can pick rose petals, dandelions, daisies, sunflowers, 
nettles, oatstraw, dried fruits and berries and put in a 
pinch of licorice root to sweeten it up! 


It's the easiest thing you'll ever do:


Add water. 
Wait. 
Sip. 
Smile.


No expensive equipment.
No messy clean up.
No waste! (In fact, you're going to be able to just gather 
some of the things in your backyard for FREE and you'll 
feel fabulous for doing it!)


Since we can't all go forage in the forest and pluck pine 
needles in our spare time, I took the liberty of ordering a small 
truckload of my favorite organic and wild-crafted herbal and 
medicinal plants and have put them together in an amazing 
combination for beauty. 


It's called "be.you.tea" and we are getting it ready to 
ship out soon!  


Since the details are still being finalized, we're offering 
a pre-release discount on our new "be.you.tea"!  


We've packaged them in 250g bags (enough for about a pot a 
day for an entire month!) If you pre-order it will only cost 
$14.97. (That's about 50 cents a day for one of the 
healthiest things you could do for yourself!) 


http://www.bodyenlightenment.me/shop
(scroll down! It's the second item on the list!) 


You will be SO amazed after only one month with the 
difference you notice in your hair, skin, eyes, energy and 
elimination. 


If you want to save money and get on the healthy, herbal,
hydration bandwagon then click this link:


http://www.bodyenlightenment.me/shop


There are no fancy pages.


No pretty pictures.


No long explanations. When those are up, the price will be
up, too! 


If all goes as planned we should be able to ship out 
in the next two weeks!! 


You can pre-order your be.you.tea here:


http://www.bodyenlightenment.me/shop


And for the first 20 people who place their order, I'll hook you up 
with some of my secret herbal detox recipes for spring!  


Love at tea time and all the time,


Tera


p.s.
The secret to health isn't really a secret at all, 


The more I learn the more I realize how simple solutions really are.


Breathe.
Smile.
Laugh a lot.
Celebrate life.
Sit around and sip tea.


That's a health protocol I can handle.


http://www.bodyenlightenment.me/shop
1017 Point Road #8
White Lake, ON
K0A 3L0
Canada


That's right! Her best health decision was TEA or, correctly, Tisanes/Infusions. Wow!
This coming from a Raw Foodist Celebrity, and its Herbal Infusions! How exciting is that! I' know I'm thrilled to hear such news that not only does she love teas she's also loving it so much she's offering her favorites to her public. How cool!

Another New Webinar

For those of you who did not see the webinar on Holy Basil, you can sign up to watch it again today! Kevin is lengthening the webinar so more people can watch ^_^

Also, Matt Monarch of The Raw Food World and David Rainoshek of Juice Feasting (and the fabulous B12 Webinar that I really love and you can sign up to watch it too!) is promoting another webinar - this one is on MicroAlgae, a superfood rich in chlorophyll.
Here's what Matt had to say about the webinar:

"MicroAlgae Superfoods and Healing ChronicFatigue Top Clinical Research on MicroAlgae Superfoods Which MicroAlgae has 30x as much Healing Chlorophyll as Wheatgrass The Superfood of Choice for Children Potent Anti-Radiat!on Secrets of MicroAlgaes MicroAlgaes: A Saving Grace for the Environment Three Most Potent Varieties of Micro Algae Superfoods
It is easy to make MicroAlgaes an integral part of your Nutritional Life Practices when you know how miraculous they are!"

Lots of learning going on ^_^

Gianni's Stress Reducing Herb

Hey Readers,

So I just finished the free webinar that I promoted today in my previous post. You can still sign up for it, I think they're featuring another one tonight at 9pm and at other times the rest of this week.
Kevin and Annmarie have been talking about Holy Basil for a while now in their videos on The Renegade Health Show on Youtube and their blog so I thought it might be the herb featured.

The webinar was very informative abut adrenal health, how cortisol effects aging and health, and what adaptogens are.
The only fault I found in the webinar information might not be an issue but I did read on WebMD (I'm still looking for other information to deny or agree with this) that Holy Basil should not be used with medication that slow blood clotting (like aspirin) as it might increase this ability. However, WebMD did say " But there isn't enough information to know if this is a big concern."
Another issue that WebMD stated was that Holy Basil interacts with Pentobarbitol but again it said " But there isn't enough information to know if this is a big concern."
Lastly, it said that Holy Basil has not be tested for its effects on pregnant or nursing women. As Annmarie is pregnant, I plan on e-mailing the Gianni's about this, if she's using it, if her midwife has said anything about it, has she noticed anything, etc.

I'll keep you all informed on my research.

Also, if you are interested in buying Holy Basil extract, the webinar does have a %12 discount on 3 bags of the extract that also comes with a free recipe guide.
The add for it did make me a lil uncomfortable as it felt like the whole webinar might be to sell the extract BUT Kevin does believe in this product and I rationalized the advert in that he simply wants to get Holy Basil into the hands of the people and it's not free to him so its not free to us either...

More of my research:

I am looking to see if I can grow Holy Basil in Alaska as it does seem like an herb that would do well to be put into my diet. It can be grown out of doors in tropic to mild areas so if I do grow it, it will have to be indoors at a windowsill or under a grow-lamp.

Food Documentaries

Here are 2 Food Documentaries that are available for Instant Viewing on Netflix that are inspiring and eye-opening (and gut wrenching).

The Future of Food gives a clear picture of the effects of Genetically Modified food on farmers, economy, government, and food culture.
I feel like we're setting ourselves up for disaster...for famine and pestilence. If these GM crops are all we have and there's a bug or weed or effect of some sort that wipes that type of plant out...we're lost.

When I first heard about the effect of GM crops on other countries I was in my Anthropology class. My professor told us about a group of farmers in India that had committed mass suicide by drinking the pesticide and herbicide Monsanto had sold them to use on the Monsanto crops...the same crops that had made the farmers impoverished (a situation that they could not stand with honor and that led to their suicide).
They became impoverished because of the Terminator technology (the suicide genes in the plant) that cause the plant to be sterile so every year the farmers must buy new seed from the company.

Food, Inc. is a look at the food industry and the effects on the people.
"This isn't about what we're eating. Its about what we're allowed to say; what we're allowed to know."
This movie differs from Future of Food in that it spoke about animals/meat a little more and directed its attention away from Monsanto as much and more on the companies that benefit from Monsanto.
There's a scene in the movie where a man interviewed open up a live cow with a 4-5 inch hole to access the first stomach! The cow squirms and bucks a lil but doesn't feel the cut as its been numbed but still...It squicked me out so I thought I would put a warning. 
There's also a slaughterhouse scene...so if you have a weak stomach...you may not want to watch.
I will say that this movie was emotionally jarring...it made me want to cry several times.

5 Ways to Go Organic

I have a new article up on Suite 101 about simple ways to live an organic lifestyle. This article is for those who have been green for some time and for people who are new to organic products and are a little overwhelmed by the whole array of green appliances, organic food and natural products.
I hope that my article, 10 Ways to Go Organic, is helpful, informative and enjoyable. I'd love to hear your comments.

Constipation

I've been drawn to write about constipation for some time now, due to my own struggle with it and my realization that so many people I care about also suffer from this issue.
Constipation is no little matter. It can lead to sever health problems that range form bad breath and acne to colon cancer. It can create toxicity in the body, which can't handle the build up of waste leaking into it's system. In order to rid itself of the toxins, the body will push them through the kidneys, liver, and skin creating all sorts of nasty health problems.
In my article, Constipation and the Perfect Bowel Movement on Suite 101, I explain exactly what constipation is and what to look for as far as whether or not your bowel movement is a healthy one.
I do warn that it is a bit graphic about such an icky subject but we're all grown ups and can handle a lil conversation about poo if it's important for our health can't we?

The Living Longer Argument

An argument against natural medicine, natural living, raw living, and other lifestyles that gravitate from the normal, conventional and allopathic that I hear frequently is that "humans are living longer now."
I question the validity of this argument. Yes, the average human lives longer, into their 70's and 80's, today rather than the average lifespan ending at 45 like it did not so long ago. However, are these 70 and 80 year old happy being that old?

I hear from people my own age (early twenties) about aches and pains and how they dread getting older for these aches and pains will only get worse. I see people dread their doctors visits, knowing that the doctor will see yet another problem, prescribe yet another pill. I have family members hitting the twilight years with doctor visits every other week!
Are you really happy putting yourself through all this misery because you felt modern lifestyles and modern medicine was good for you?

So why are people living longer if we are putting all this gunk in our bodies? 
My theory is the technology of communication and transportation. It is easier than ever for people to find out about medicine, superfoods, lifestyles, etc. There are blogs like mine all over the net, websites, videos, newsletters, and more. With the rise and transportation technology, superfoods can be shipped all over the world making broccoli, kale and cacao just as accessible for people in the UK as it is for people in Ecuador.
This unique ability to access in our time is what might be the cause for longer lifespans.
Another reason is affluence. People in modern, westernized countries tend to have more money and therefore more means to experiment with health, doctors, lifestyles, etc.

My other argument against the "humans are living longer now" statement is simply, are they?
Some people might argue that the people in biblical times lived to be hundreds and thousands of years old. Some were nomadic. Some, like Adam and Eve, lived off the fruit of the land, some were agrarian, yet they had huge lifespans living a natural life.

Then there are the people that live to be well over 100 in other countries, third world countries where there are few or no allopathic doctors at all. Some studies say its the superfoods like acai or goji berries that they eat that causes such a long, active, healthy lifespan. Others say its the combination of natural foods, natural medicine and living in an area where they don't have to deal with the physical, mental, spiritual, and emotional stresses that the modern and post-modern world bring.

I am sorry if this sounds a little like a rant.
I simply feel like the people who propose this as an argument to me do it in defense of the doctors who kill people every day with misdiagnosing illnesses or giving them "medicines" with side effects that make the patient worse. Or in defense of food companies that load "food" with MSG and other excitotoxins that literally make us addicted to their food even as they raise the prices of real food and outlaw healing herbs like hemp.
It is simply sad.

on a happier note...
The Monthly Herbal for October is...(drum roll here)
HEMP!
Look forward to strange, new and exciting information about this misunderstood herb including videos, recipes, and perhaps an interview?!?!?!

Easy ways to remove Toxins from your life!

Most people find it difficult to switch to an All-organic diet or change out all their chemical cleaners for lemon juice, white vinegar, and baking soda. Here are a few ways to make the first step towards healthy living without cutting out all inorganics and non-green cold turkey:

Use unbleached coffee filters.
Bleached coffee filters contain Dioxin from the bleaching process, which is a chemical that, among other nasty things, worsens ailments such as endometriosis. Your filter doesnt have to be bleached for you to use it (it turns coffee brown anyways) and unbleach filters can be found right next to the bleached ones in the coffee isle of your regular supermarket.

Drink filtered or bottled water.
Studies show that the chlorine in city water leads to cancer of the bladder and rectum. There are a lot of toxins in tap water (not the least of which is Flouride which enamels the pinneal gland). Drinking water in general aids the body in ridding itself of toxins, so make sure you're not adding toxins to your system instead of removing them.

Lower your Sugar and Caffiene intake.
Caffiene, accordin to Dr. Robert E. Svaboda, is a credit card that the body cannot pay. Caffiene is also one of the those excitotoxins in the media lately (akin to MSG and Apsartame). Caffiene also destroys good bacteria in the digestive system, allowing fungus and parasites to grow (like Candida).
After lowering or cutting out caffiene intake, the body balances itself out (yes there will be headaches at first but they will go away in a week or so). You will certianly find a change for the better in sleep, attitude, and energy.
Sugar is certainly not healthy for those with diabetes and other similair problems. There is a lot of literature out talking about the dangers of sugar's processsing including bleaching (so use raw sugar when you can!). Sugar is also food for Kapha (for those of you reading Prakriti by Svaboda) and bad bacteria (Candida), allowing its growth in the body.

Cut out the Aspartame!
Aspartame is poison, plain and simple.
The FDA alone counts 92 serious side-effects!
Check out DORway for more issues attributed to this chemical that creates formaldyhide in the body.
Apsartame is found in sweeteners, sodas, even yogurt! Just read the labels.
If you can't use sugar or honey but don't want aspartame poisoning and still desire that sweet taste in your tea, try Stevia. Its a safe herb thats been used for years.

My MILK Problem

I want to start out by saying I don't like Milk, never have so I in my research I am trying not to bias my facts by leaning towards studies showing that milk is unhealthy.

In Ayurveda, according to Dr. Robert E. Svaboda, Milk is the perfect food. Milk is the only food given willingly and with love (as it is a mother giving milk to a child, normally). In some Ayurvedic medicine, milk is the only substance given to someone suffering Vata-type illness. (Milk is not for those with a lot of Kapha in their system). Svaboda also recommends that Milk never be drunk cold (cold drinks and food slow the digestive process) and is best for those with strong digestive fire (Pitta).

However,
Gisella Hoffman, and many other people who study nutrition and health, do not recommend milk, indeed they believe that it is unhealthy for adult humans to drink milk at all!
Cow's milk is made for an animal with 4 stomachs (not 1 like humans).
In Nature, milk is not meant for adult use at all, only for babes who cannot find nourishment for themselves.

As for the nutritional value of processed milk?
Hormones given to cows are proven to not be that great for human consumption.
Many people advocate the use of organic, non-pasteurized milk (milk straight from the cow in other words). However, this form of the milk can cause other illnesses such as parasites in the body (i.e. tapeworms).

Milk in general is praised for its Calcium and Vitamin D, but what about other sources?

Calcium Sources:
Sesame seeds, seaweed, dulse, kelp, green/leafy vegetables, almond (I do like Almond Milk), filbert, brazilnut, citrus peel, and sunflower seeds.

Vitamin D:
SUNLIGHT!

What have you found in health and education lectures, magazines, documentaries, etc about Milk?
What is your opinion about milk, how its processed, its nutritional value?
Do you like milk?