Tag: organic food

What to Expect During a Philosophie Cleanse

With the approaching season change from Summer to Autumn, it's especially important to physically, emotionally and spiritually shed the skin of the past few months and move into a new phase. A wonderful way to facilitate this change is to do a Philosophie cleanse. 

 

What can I expect during a Philosophie cleanse?

During the cleanse duration (either 5 days or 14 days) you can expect to experience a challenging first 2-3 days. Most of our Philosophie cleansers get headaches between days 1-3. Some only experience them for 1 day and then it goes away. Others may feel it in their body or feel overly lethargic as the toxins are moving out of the system. I call Day 3 the *Magic Day* because this is when you really feel an energetic and physical shift. You feel more energy, more excitement, more focus and notice your skin is glowing and your body feels overall much lighter. Clothes feel looser. If you can get past day 3, you will fly to through the rest.

 

What if I get hungry in between the meals and snacks on the cleanse menu?

No problem! This cleanse is NOT a fast. It's not a deprivation but instead, a SATURATION of nutrients. It's much more important to snack on foods from the cleanse (have another helping of soup/smoothie/salad or have an additional smoothie) rather than feel hungry. That's not the point. We encourage you to eat as much as you want to feel satisfied and to allow the body to recalibrate. By the 3rd day your body will be regulated and only crave what it's truly hungry for nutritionally. 

 

A few extra tips for the Philosophie Cleanse:

  • try and plan your cleanse when you don't have evening plans (i.e. dinner plans, social events)
  • if you do have social events, eat your Philosophie cleanse food/meal BEFORE going and BRING your snack of juice, smoothie or trail mix in your bag so you a can nosh while you're there. If there's a veggie platter or fresh fruit, you can snack on that, too!
  • Make sure you get EXTRA sleep. Go back to sleep in the morning if you have the ability to. Call in sick to work. Take a vacation day if you need it. Take a nap. Your body will be working extremely hard to cleanse the system, so be sure to nurture yourself. 
  • drink half your body weight in ounces EVERY day. This helps accelerate the cleansing process and speeds up the painful first few days ;) 
  • find a friend and do the cleanse together. If you live with someone else, have them do it too or give up something that's difficult for you to watch or be around. If your husband/girlfriend/mom won't do the cleanse with you, have them give up coffee and processed food and sugar for the duration of your cleanse. If you gather 3 friends to do the cleanse with you (co-workers, friends, family, neighbors) you not only get a really amazing discount but you can cook together, have get togethers, support each other!  
  •  
  • join the facebook Philosophie Cleanse group! email us for the invite. 
  • Journal. Stream of consciousness. Do art. anything to let whats going on inside come out. Although eating food appears to mostly be a physical act, it's actually very tied in to our emotional and psychology. Work through what's going on within your heart and mind. Let go of what isn't serving you to allow space for what WILL work. 

Cacao Magic Fiber Breakfast Cookies! Gluten-free & vegan

Fiber breakfast cookies with Cacao Magic

You know how you’ve heard people say “eat dark chocolate” for antioxidants and abundant health? Yeah, that’s because of UNPROCESSED, RAW, VEGAN Chocolate… CACAOCacao powder is chocolate in it’s most raw and nutritious form. The Philosophie Cacao Magic has Cacao nibs, Cacao powder, Tocos (Vitamin E- good for skin and nails), Mesquite (high in iron & protein), Maca (good for energy & balancing mood) and 3 medicinal mushrooms that are excellent for anti-aging, preventing cancer* and healing the body.

WET INGREDIENTS

  • 1/2 cup chopped prunes or prune puree*
  • 1/4 cup sweetener (such as maple, brown rice or agave syrups)
  • 1/4 cup apple sauce
  • 1/4 cup nut butter (such as almond, pumpkin seed or tahini)
  • 1 Tbsp olive oil
  • 1 egg or 1/2 ripe banana
  • 1 tsp vanilla

DRY INGREDIENTS

  • 1 cup whole grain flour (or gluten-free flour)
  • 1/2 cup psyllium
  • 1/2 cup ground flax
  • 2 tsp cinnamon
  • 1/2 tsp sea salt
  • 1 tsp baking powder
  • 1/2 tsp baking soda
  • 1/2 cup or more of nuts, seeds, trail mix, or chopped dried fruit
  • 2 TBL or more of Philosophie Cacao Magic

 

*to give them a sweeter taste, you could add chocolate chips!

INSTRUCTIONS:

  1. Place chopped prunes in a blender and just cover with boiling water. Let soak while you prepare the dry ingredients. Also, lightly oil a large baking sheet and preheat oven to 350.
  2. Measure all dry ingredients into a large bowl and mix well. Measure all wet ingredients into the blender with the soaked prunes (do not drain), then liquify and stir into dry ingredients, combining well. Drop batter by the heaping tablespoon onto the greased cookie sheet and flatten just a bit with wet fingers or the back of a wet spoon. Bake for 15 minutes. Make sure you have a glass of water or cup of tea with each cookie. Makes about 20 cookies.

This recipe makes the cookies slightly crunchy on the outside. For a softer cookie double the amount of prune puree and apple sauce. This will make them almost muffin-like.

Enjoy!


This amazing recipe was contributed and created by Julie Collier–THANK YOU, JULIE! Please keep sharing your delicious, creative recipes, Philosophie lovahs! I’ll keep posting them as you send them in!

Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Juices-what's the health benefit?

Other than the fact that juices can take an enormous amount of fruit and vegetables--an entire counter-full(!)--and be consolidated into one beautiful glass, they have incredible health benefits as well.

If you're curious about drinking a fresh juice, go to a juice bar and pick up one of the below combination's! If you're ready to commit, buy your own juicer and get your own produce from the farmers market. Always make sure to get as many items as you can organic.

You should have at least one fresh juice a day to maintain the proper nutrients and vitamins your body needs and craves. If your body begins running slower or you eat badly for a period of time, juicing can help cleanse the system very quickly. Just replace a few snacks and meals with a juice and in no time you'll be feeling great again.

Here's just a few of the powerful combination's, full of health advantages:

  • Carrot, Ginger & Apple: Boosts and cleanses our entire system
  • (green) Apple, Cucumber & Celery: Prevent cancer, reduces cholesterol, and eliminates stomach upset and headaches.
  • Cucumber, Celery, Spinach, Kale, Parsley, Lime: alkaline entire system, cleanse and detoxify organs
  • Tomato, Carrot & Apple: Improves skin complexion and eliminates bad breath.
  • Orange, Ginger & Cucumber: Improves skin texture, moisture and reduces internal body heat.
  • Pineapple, Watermelon & Apple: To dispel excess salts, nourishes the bladder and kidneys.
  • Apple, Cucumber & Kiwi: To improve skin complexion.
  • Carrot, Apple, Pear & Mango: Clear body heat, counteracts toxicity, decreased blood pressure and fight oxidation.
  • Papaya, Pineapple and Milk/Almond Milk: Rich in vitamin C, E and Iron. Improves skin complexion and metabolism.

Once you start exploring on your own, share your favorite combination's and recipes here!!! Have a BEAUTIFUL, HEALTHY DAY!!! :)

Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Juices-what's the health benefit?

Other than the fact that juices can take an enormous amount of fruit and vegetables--an entire counter-full(!)--and be consolidated into one beautiful glass, they have incredible health benefits as well. 

If you're curious about drinking a fresh juice, go to a juice bar and pick up one of the below combination's! If you're ready to commit, buy your own juicer and get your own produce from the farmers market. Always make sure to get as many items as you can organic.

You should have at least one fresh juice a day to maintain the proper nutrients and vitamins your body needs and craves. If your body begins running slower or you eat badly for a period of time, juicing can help cleanse the system very quickly. Just replace a few snacks and meals with a juice and in no time you'll be feeling great again.

Here's just a few of the powerful combination's, full of health advantages:

  • Carrot, Ginger & Apple: Boosts and cleanses our entire system
  • (green) Apple, Cucumber & Celery: Prevent cancer, reduces cholesterol, and eliminates stomach upset and headaches.
  • Cucumber, Celery, Spinach, Kale, Parsley, Lime: alkaline entire system, cleanse and detoxify organs
  • Tomato, Carrot & Apple: Improves skin complexion and eliminates bad breath.
  • Orange, Ginger & Cucumber: Improves skin texture, moisture and reduces internal body heat.
  • Pineapple, Watermelon & Apple: To dispel excess salts, nourishes the bladder and kidneys.
  • Apple, Cucumber & Kiwi: To improve skin complexion.
  • Carrot, Apple, Pear & Mango: Clear body heat, counteracts toxicity, decreased blood pressure and fight oxidation.
  • Papaya, Pineapple and Milk/Almond Milk: Rich in vitamin C, E and Iron. Improves skin complexion and metabolism.

Once you start exploring on your own, share your favorite combination's and recipes here!!! Have a BEAUTIFUL, HEALTHY DAY!!! :)

Natural Organic food explained - Healthy food for a healthy body

Natural Organic Food

Consuming natural organic food is incredibly important, but the reason why isn’t always understood or clear. I’m writing this post to take a more in-depth look at some of the issues surrounding organic food and to help dispel common assumptions and bring a dose of reality to the table. One reality for me is that organic food really does TASTE BETTER. I am shocked just about every time I bite into an organic kiwi when compared to a regular one. Why? What makes it taste so much better? and what does it take for something to earn an "organic" sticker? Read on to answer these questions!

1. Why does Organic Food taste so much better??

Flavor in organic foods is so much better because of the healthy, well-balanced soil it grows in. This is why so many top chefs insist on using organic food in their recipes. Obviously, tastes and flavors are a personal matter, so see for yourself!

2. What does it take for the USDA to approve a food as "organic"?

  • “Organic agriculture is an ecological production management system that promotes and enhances biodiversity, biological cycles and soil biological activity. It is based on minimal use of off-farm inputs and on management practices that restore, maintain and enhance ecological harmony.
  • “‘Organic’ is a labeling term that denotes products produced under the authority of the Organic Foods Production Act. The principal guidelines for organic production are to use materials and practices that enhance the ecological balance of natural systems and that integrate the parts of the farming system into an ecological whole.
  • “Organic agriculture practices cannot ensure that products are completely free of residues; however, methods are used to minimize pollution from air, soil and water.
  • “Organic food handlers, processors and retailers adhere to standards that maintain the integrity of organic agricultural products. The primary goal of organic agriculture is to optimize the health and productivity of interdependent communities of soil life, plants, animals and people.

Okay... so what is organic food? summary please! Organic produce stand

Though organic food can be produced with certain synthetic ingredients, it must adhere to specific standards regulated by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). Crops are generally grown without synthetic pesticides, artificial fertilizers, irradiation (a form of radiation used to kill bacteria), or biotechnology. Animals on organic farms eat organically grown feed, aren't confined 100 percent of the time (as they sometimes are on conventional farms), and are raised without antibiotics or synthetic growth hormones.

A few more terms for piece of mind:

  • Organic: A USDA-regulated label that says no pesticides, synthetic fertilizers, antibiotics, or growth hormones were used. Produce, meats, and dairy with a USDA Organic seal are 100% organic, while other foods may use the designation if 95% of their ingredients are organic.

  • Natural: This label, regulated only for meat and poultry, signals that no artificial ingredients have been added. Don't confuse the term with nutritious when, say, reaching for the Cheetos Natural Cheese Puffs.

  • No hormones administered: An unverified certification that a cow was never given hormones in its lifetime. A "no hormones" stamp on pork and poultry is entirely irrelevant since, by federal law, chickens and pigs may not be given hormone injections.

  • Cage-free: This egg carton label means nothing nutritionally and not much ethically. Cage-free hens can still be packed wing-to-wing in a windowless indoor space.

  • Free-range: This USDA- defined, but unregulated, term means that a bird has outdoor access for more than half its life. Still, many free-range chickens live in crowded barns, with access only to a cramped yard.

  • Grass-fed: Indicates only that a cow ate grass at some point in its life—always true, even of animals raised on big commercial farms. Look for "grass-finished" beef (the animal ate only grass in its final weeks) or "100% grass-fed."

  • Pastured or pasture-raised: Though unregulated, this term usually means that an animal has roamed grassy fields throughout its life.

Healthy food - Healthy Body

Bottom line: eat as many healthy, organic foods as you can for a healthy body and mind.

Organic foods may have higher nutritional value than conventional food, according to some research. The reason: In the absence of pesticides and fertilizers, plants boost their production of the phytochemicals (vitamins and antioxidants) that strengthen their resistance to bugs and weeds. Some studies have linked pesticides in our food to everything from headaches to cancer to birth defects — but many experts maintain that the levels in conventional food are safe for most healthy adults. Even low-level pesticide exposure, however, can be significantly more toxic for fetuses and children (due to their less-developed immune systems) and for pregnant women (it puts added strain on their already taxed organs), according to a report by the National Academy of Sciences.

Pesticide contamination isn't as much of a concern in meats and dairy products (animals may consume some pesticides, depending on their diet), but many scientists are concerned about the antibiotics being given to most farm animals: Many are the same antibiotics humans rely on, and overuse of these drugs has already enabled bacteria to develop resistance to them, rendering them less effective in fighting infection, says Chuck Benbrook, Ph.D., chief scientist at the Organic Center, a nonprofit research organization.

Is buying organic better for the environment?
Organic farming reduces pollutants in groundwater and creates richer soil that aids plant growth while reducing erosion, according to the Organic Trade Association. It also decreases pesticides that can end up in your drinking glass; in some cities, pesticides in tap water have been measured at unsafe levels for weeks at a time, according to an analysis performed by the Environmental Working Group (EWG). (To find out about the safety of your tap water, visit the EWG website at ewg.org/tapwater/yourwater.) Plus, organic farming used 50 percent less energy than conventional farming methods in one 15-year study.

When is it worth the extra $ dough $?
If you can afford it, buy local and organic. Farmers' markets carry reasonably priced locally grown organic and conventional food; to find one in your area, go to localharvest.org. If you can't always afford organic, do spend the extra money when it comes to what the EWG calls the "dirty dozen": peaches, strawberries, nectarines, apples, spinach, celery, pears, sweet bell peppers, cherries, potatoes, lettuce, and imported grapes. These fragile fruits and vegetables often require more pesticides to fight off bugs compared to hardier produce, such as asparagus and broccoli. Download a list of produce ranked by pesticide contamination at foodnews.org, an EWG website.

When shopping for organic foods, always look for the USDA seal on any kind of packaged food. For meat and dairy, this seal ensures you're getting antibiotic- and hormone-free products. When buying meat or produce that isn't packaged, look for a sign stating that it's organic, or ask someone that works there!


http://www.nal.usda.gov/afsic/pubs/ofp/ofp.shtml

http://localharvest.org

http://foodnews.org

In-Fighting in the Organic Movement: www.thedailygreen.com/2007/07/18/in-fighting-in-the-organic-movement/4075/

When It Pays to Buy Organic: www.consumerreports.org/cro/food/diet-nutrition/organic-products/organic-products-206/overview/index.htm<

Good source of organic information and news: www.organicconsumers.org

Visit eatwild.com for farms that sell pastured products

Read more: http://www.thedailygreen.com/living-green/definitions/Organics#ixzz0UeFN4nKa

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