Got Turmeric?

  

I could go ALL day telling you the Amazing benefits of Turmeric and it's beautiful yellow/orange pigment called Curcumin. But it won't do a bit of good if you don't get it in you. So here is a yummy treat that will make every cell in your body sing...Golden Mylk.  Dr. Arjan Khalsa demonstrates in this video how to make it and below the video I have the recipe written out for you.

 

 

Golden Mylk

This is a 2 Part Recipe, Part one is the Turmeric Paste and Part 2 is the directions for the drink. Total prep time, Paste: 3 min, Mylk 2 min.

 

Part 1: Paste

 Ingredients:

1/4 Cup Organic Turmeric Powder

1/2 Teaspoon Organic Ground Pepper

1/2 Cup Purified or Distilled Water

Paste Directions:

Combine all ingredients into a sauce pan and mix well. Turn heat to medium high and stir constantly until it becomes a thick paste. This does not take long so watch close. Save in a small jar in refrigerator to combine with Mylk.

 

Part 2: Golden Mylk

Ingredients:

1 Cup Organic Almond, Coconut or Hemp Mylk

1 Teaspoon Organic Unrefined Coconut Oil

1/4 Teaspoon or more of Turmeric paste (due to it's detoxifying properties, I recommend trying it with  1/4 Tsp. for a few times, then increase to taste up to 1 Teaspoon)

Organic Honey to taste

Directions:

Combine all of the ingredients except honey into a sauce pan. Heat on medium high. Stir constantly , do not allow to boil. Pour contents into cup, add honey to taste.

 

Enjoy! Now, It's time for me to go make myself a cup of Golden Mylk.

 

I would love your feedback and if you would like more information about how to use Specific Phytochemical-Packed foods to help reverse Specific conditions check out Conquering ANY Disease , by Jeff Primack. Also, there are some great ideas for getting more Turmeric in your life in the Cooking with Qi Cookbook. It is loaded with delicious recipes, healing sauces and regenerative desserts formulated to accompany the Conquering ANY Disease System.

 

May Health and Happiness be Yours,

Truly,

Shannon Reissman

www.FiveRingsWellness.com





Part 1 of the Inflammation Connection.

 

This has become a daily conversation. As a Massage Therapist for almost 20 years, I increasingly work on people who struggle with weight loss, chronic pain, and other conditions who resign themselves to thinking that that is just how they are supposed to feel "at their age".


IT'S NOT OK TO JUST FEEL OK ALL OF THE TIME!


Inflammation is the root cause of many conditions. The proper balance of Omega-3 rich foods is a vital first step to reversing the harmful effects of inflammation overload throughout the body. Omega-3 fatty acids produce hormones that help reduce inflammation throughout the body. Omega-6 fatty acids produce hormones that help the body create inflammation for the very necessary healing response to injury or illness. Unfortunately, the typical modern diet is inundated with Omega-6 as it is found in almost every processed food on the grocery store shelf (and don't think that just because you bought your protein bar at the "health food store" that it must be healthy. We will get into that conversation another day.) This overload of Omega-6 in our diet alters the delicate balance of the essential fatty acids to the point we produce more inflammation than our bodies can handle.

The ratio of Omega-3 to Omega-6 in our diet (depending on the source of information) should be roughly 1:2. So, our daily intake of Anti-Inflammatory Omega-3 should be almost even with the Pro-Inflammatory Omega-6's. The modern Western diet has a ratio of Omega-3 to Omega-6 of nearly 1:20.  This has the devastating effects of creating metabolic syndromes and inflammatory diseases that are reaching epidemic levels in our modern society*.


We do not naturally produce Omega-3 in the body, so we need to add more to our diet, while reducing our intake of the pro-inflammatory Omega-6 foods. Although my friends with a more aggressive approach may disagree, I usually suggest that people start by removing one form of Omega-6 from their diet and adding one form of Omega-3. The goal is to create new habits that will stay with you for the rest of your life and not make you crazy in the process. The best place to start is with a high quality Omega-3 supplement. My favorite is Nordic Natural's Ultimate Omega, a fish oil based product for the omnivore. And for the vegetarian or vegan they have Algae Omega that has both DHA and EPA forms of Omega-3. The non-marine sources of Omega-3, like Walnuts, Chia and Flax, are great to get in your diet but it is very difficult to consume enough to effectively impact the inflammatory process. These foods contain the ALA form of Omega-3 which has to be converted in our body to DHA and EPA.


Adding Omega 3 to our diet is the easy part. The hard part will be whittling away at our Omega-6 intake. The main sources of Omega-6 (Linoleic Acid)  in our diet are vegetable oils. They are very prevalent in processed foods. Reading labels is key. Soybean oil and Canola oil are NOT your friends! The exception is the amazing coconut oil (we will definitely have a talk about this soon) and  the Omega-9 rich avocado oil and olive oil.


Please keep me posted on your progress!


For even more information about the connection of inflammation and the balance Omega fatty acids, check out Conquering ANY Disease: The Ultimate High-Phytochemical Food Healing System, written by Jeff Primack.


May Heath and Happiness be Yours,
Truly,
Shannon Reissman, LMT

Advanced Food-Based Healing Instructor

www.FiveRingsWellness.com
You can also find me on Facebook.

*Danaei G, et al. The Preventable Causes of Death in the United States: Comparative Risk Assessment of Dietary, Lifestyle, and Metabolic Risk Factors. PLoS Med 2009;6(4)

Grow your own Smoothie Garden

A great way to get more fruits and vegetables into our diet is to make Smoothies. To clarify, and possibly start a brawl, blending is FAR superior to juicing. When we blend we are able to break down and utilize the WHOLE food in a way that we can better absorb it and get the benefit of vitamins, minerals AND the Phytochemicals. Phytochemicals are plant-based compounds that have been found to assist functions in the human body and studies have shown that they have potential to reverse many diseases.  I will share more about the amazing Phytochemical on another day. 

Growing your own smoothie garden is a great way to offset the cost and have the peace if mind knowing how it was grown. Here is a great link I found the other day that will get you started.

http://www.bhg.com/gardening/vegetable/vegetables/grow-a-smoothie-garden/?sssdmh=dm17.731777&esrc=nwdi041914

In the  meantime, if you would like to dig deeper into what Phytochemicals are and how to use Specific foods to help reverse Specific conditions check out Conquering ANY Disease at

http://www.fiveringswellness.com/ecommerce/book-conquering-disease.html

Please post below what you are growing in your Smoothie Garden.

May Health and Happiness be yours,

Truly,

Shannon

Spring... Time to plant some seeds.

 

"Don't judge each day by the harvest you reap,

but by the seeds that you plant."

 -Robert Louis Stevenson

Finally! Spring is here and the air is filled with palpable buzz of energy as we move away from Winter's necessary time of resting and storing our energies. In these first days of Spring we are called to prepare the ground for the expansive growth that lies within. Over the next week take the time to plant some seeds both literally and figuratively.

The Wood (Tree) Phase of the Wu-Xing (Five Phases of Tradition Chinese Philosophy) governs the Creative Process.  Planning and visualizing energies are activated now and tasks that seemed daunting a few weeks ago, now seem possible. Our vision is clear and the possibilities are endless! So write it down... Now! I know that sounds harsh but it is very easy for the energy of the Tree (Wood) Phase to get carried off with all of these great ideas and not stay grounded enough to complete the task. Those of you with strong Tree (Wood Element) influences know who you are! Dreaming, planning, creating is your Nature, but organization, discipline and completing things...not so much, right?! So, for now, let those creative juices flow, get the ideas out of your head and out into the world where they can come to life.

It is important for Tree to bring in friends or colleagues that have tendencies toward the other Four Phases Energy to provide balance to your vision. At the very least, find ways to incorporate the other elements into the process. Allow Earth's energy to ground you and keep you in the present. Bring in the discipline of Metal Element to remain focused on what it is that you would like to see happen.  Water, the Mother of Wood, will feed your spirit and allow things to flow smoothly. Utilize Fire's energy to stoke the flames that keep you energized to see your plans to fruition. It is in the harmony of the Five Phases that makes things work, when any are out of balance and one is more prominent or weaker than the others is when things fall apart or plans become scattered.

Wu-Xing or Five Phases

"Spring is the time of plans and projects." - Leo Tolstoy

Regardless of what those plans and projects are, Now is the time to prepare the garden and plant the seeds that will grow in the coming months. If you have a project or business that has been a stagnant, utilize Wood's energy to bring new life and vision to your endeavor. Maybe it's time to let those in a position to assist in your vision know about the ideas you may have held quiet that are now ready to start germinating. Take the time now to let your creativity flow, plan, visualize, so you have clarity when the time comes to Spring into action.

I look forward to reading about your dreams and plans in the coming week. Please share and leave a comment, let's watch as the seed grows into a Tree. You can also follow us on Facebook or on our website FiveRingsWellness.com.

 

 Many Blessings,

 

  Shannon

 If you would like more information on how to utilize the Five Phases in your daily life, check out "Master the 5-Elements" by Prof. Tonya Storch and Qigong Practitioner Jeff Primack.