Monthly Archives: December 2013

One Word: Inspire

by Mirachange, habits, holidaysword of the year

It's that time of year...the time we arbitrarily close the cycle of days that has come before and look forward to a New Year. One filled. one hopes, with promises, joy, and many good things. As I've written about before, I'm not much of a one for resolutions, I prefer goals. Each year I do sit down and think about what I would like to accomplish for the upcoming months. To set out a roadmap that I can at least use as a guide to moving forward.

This year, a random post by my friend Trudy Scott posed the question what would you pick as your defining word for the upcoming year. She heard about it over at Intent.com. I was immediately struck by how powerful this could be. The idea of focusing in on just one word. One defining concept and trying to achieve the goals set by that word. After much thought, writing and crossing out, saying aloud, and defining, I've hit on a word. Inspire.

The dictionary defines this as:

inspire - verb (used with object)

1. to exert a stimulating or beneficial effect upon
2. to produce or arouse (a feeling, thought, etc)
3. to guide, influence, or impel
4. to take or draw (air, gas, etc), into the lungs; inhale
5. archaic to breathe into or upon

I find myself motivated by this one word. I see so many permutations of how it might be used as a focal point over the next 12 months.

As a nutrition educator and real food advocate I am always seeking to help those around me. To support them so they can make educated choices for themselves and their loved ones when it comes to their food and health. Through my work, my writings, lectures, and connections I hope to inspire people to make those choices for health.

I frequently 'shout out' about a wide range of topics all related to food, nutrition, and holistic health in an effort to motivate others. [An example is all those who are now aware (and disgusted) about the use of chicken poop as cow feed - if this bothers you please tell the FDA how you feel by signing this petition]. While it's often upsetting information, I am very sincere in my desire to share this not as a means of upsetting people but in the hopes that they will be, indeed, inspired to make different choices and to speak out in their turn, to have an impact.

Inhaling, breathing, is a good thing. I believe we all need to do more of that. Especially deep breathing. Taking a moment in time to draw air deeply into our lungs has a beneficial effect when it comes to lowering stress. We should all do more of that, myself included. Breathing in sharply can be a sign of surprise, of interest, an aha! moment. I hope to find, and share, more of those moments throughout the year ahead.

But inspire is a word that I chose not only because of how I hope to use it to connect with those around me, but because of what I hope that focus can mean for me. I want to be inspired. I want to find that surprise, those guiding, influencing moments that I know lie ahead. To do that means I need to be aware, open to the possibility, to the gifts that bring those moments of inspiration. I also need to be open to the opportunity to share, to give, to be inspired.

It turns out that other people are interested in the idea of a one word focus. You can connect with them through the OneWord365 website. You can find a word that speaks to you, connect with others who share your word, or just set your intention for the year. I'd love to hear your word and why you chose it, leave a comment below and share.

Wishing a healthy, happy, peaceful and joyous New Year to you all.

Be well.

Colonoscopy: What To Drink

by Miraadditives, artificial colors, ulcerative colitiscolonoscopy

I have ulcerative colitis (UC). It was diagnosed years ago, after 15 years of a misdiagnosis of IBS. I was finally diagnosed after I had my first ever colonoscopy. In the years since my diagnosis I've had five colonoscopies. The fifth one just recently. I'm one of the fortunate ones. I take no daily medications for my UC and have no major issues when I eat according to my nutritional plan. My primary triggers appear to be stress and sugar. I work hard to try to reduce both in my life as much as possible.

It had been five years since my previous colonoscopy and my doctor and I agreed that it was prudent to have a colonoscopy just to check things out. I'm fortunate enough to have found a GI doc who is amenable to my nutritional plan, supplemental routine, and the use of functional foods. His comment when we scheduled was, "I'm interested to see what's going on in there." My reply? "Me too!"

Prepping for a Colonoscopy

I'm not going to lie to you, the prep isn't fun. There's nothing like deliberately giving yourself the worst ever case of diarrhea to put a slight off-kilter aspect to your day. But it's a necessary part of the procedure so there's no help for that. Luckily over time it's gotten better as the medium used for the prep has gotten a little less disgusting to swallow.

But one thing that hasn't changed is the allowed foods. As a holistic health professional, I am not happy about the list of what you can have to "eat" during this time. Obviously solid foods are out as that's counter to the point. And you're not allowed red, blue or purple dyes. It can color the walls of the colon and look like inflamed tissue. (That's okay, anyone who reads this blog or my book knows that I am against artificial food dyes anyway.) But what is allowed, and what I don't like, are some of the other "foods." Jello, gatorade, soda, and popsicles. They all have artificial ingredients in them. Many of them have sugar.

If you're getting a colonoscopy because you have a condition which is sensitive to sugar it doesn't make sense to take in something with sugar which is going to promote inflammation and stress your system. Even if you don't have a condition which makes you sensitive to sugar, that's just not a good idea on an essentially empty stomach. It can spike your blood sugar and leave you feeling droopy and out of it. Plus all the other chemical nasties just are not a great health choice.

Healthy Colonoscopy Prep

What's on that list that I do like? Broth, tea, and juice. So here's what this holistic health professional had for my meals throughout the day of my prep.

Start with one large cup of warm water with the juice of a half a lemon to alkalize the system.

Throughout the morning I made fresh juices mostly consisting of cucumber, celery, romaine, and green apple. It was delicious, just juice, and because it was fresh it was full of nutrients. It's important to note that if you're going to drink juices they must be free of pulp. Buying over the counter juices may not be pulp free so read the label and think about what you're purchasing. Because I ran mine through my juicer all of the pulp was extracted (and went to the compost heap).

I made sure to continue to stay hydrated by drinking water and teas. Coffee is on the list but I don't drink it and even if I did I don't want the dehydrating effect. Decaf or herbal teas are perfect for this. Warm beverages are important, especially towards the end of your prep day.

Later in the day I switched from fresh juice to a nourishing broth. I had made this earlier in the week specifically for this prep day. It's delicious, provides a wonderful, gut-supportive beverage, and is a functional food. If you don't know how to make your own nourishing broth I've listed the recipe below. The beauty of this broth is that it's beneficial for gut health, provides vitamins, minerals, collagen, amino acids, and, most importantly, is warming. Anyone who has been through a colonoscopy will tell you that by the end of the day before your prep you are f-r-e-e-z-i-n-g. That's because deliberately emptying your system that way causes a drop in core temperature plus an imbalance in electrolytes and you may get very cold. Drinking this broth helped considerably and although I was definitely feeling colder I did not feel the deep bone-chilling, shivery cold that I had in the past.

I'd asked if I could have coconut water but was told no. This was mildly frustrating to me as it would have been a balanced electrolyte beverage which is something you really need to replace when you are prepping. This is why the doctor will usually recommend gatorade however I'm not a fan of gatorade due to the ingredients. When I asked if I could have coconut water the nurse was very specific and said no. The next morning when I arrived at the facility and discussed it with the staff I was told yet it would have been allowed. They think the nurse may have been confused and thought I meant coconut milk. Good to know for next time, I'll definitely be sure to add this in to my prep plan. Please note, when purchasing coconut water it's important to buy one with no unwanted additives.

The Plan

Here's the plan in a nutshell. Remember you can drink as much of these liquids as you like but if you are purchasing juices or any of the other items you'll need to read the label and avoid harmful artificial ingredients such as carrageenan, dyes, artificial sweeteners, flavorings, or preservatives.

Mira's Colonoscopy Plan

1 cup warm water with the juice of 1/2 lemon fresh green juice
1/2 cucumber,
2 ribs celery,
1/2 small head of romaine lettuce,
1 small green apple water,
decaf and herbal teas
nourishing broth
coconut water

Nourishing Broth

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Ingredients

1 whole chicken or 2 to 3 pounds of bones, such as necks, backs, breastbones and wings (organic, pastured chicken recommended)
gizzards from one chicken (optional but highly recommended)
2-4 chicken feet (optional but highly recommended)
4 quarts cold filtered water
2 tablespoons raw, unfiltered apple cider vinegar
1 large onion, coarsely chopped
2 carrots, peeled and coarsely chopped
3 celery stalks, coarsely chopped
1 bunch parsley

Instructions

If using a whole chicken, cut off the wings and remove the neck, fat glands and the gizzards from the cavity. Cut chicken parts into several pieces. Place chicken or chicken pieces in a large stainless steel pot with water, vinegar and all vegetables except parsley.
Let stand 30 minutes to 1 hour. Bring to a boil, and remove scum that rises to the top. Reduce heat, cover and simmer for 6 to 8 hours. The longer the stock cooks the richer and more flavorful it will be. About 10 minutes before finishing the stock, add parsley. This will impart additional mineral ions to the broth.
Remove whole chicken or pieces with a slotted spoon. If using a whole chicken, let cool and remove chicken meat from the carcass. Reserve for other uses, such as chicken salads, enchiladas, sandwiches or curries. Strain the stock into a large bowl and reserve in the refrigerator until the fat rises to the top and congeals. Skim off this fat and reserve the stock in covered containers in the refrigerator or freezer.

Results

I'm happy to report that all went well. My doctor doesn't want to see me again for several years and I was told to "keep doing what I'm doing." I'd also like to encourage anyone who is 50 or over who has not had a colonoscopy to consider having one. It can be a life-saving procedure as it is the only way to diagnose colon cancer and other GI conditions. As a preventative measure I believe it is worth doing.

Peaches – What’s In That Can

by Miraadditives, gmo, ingredients, labeling, thanksgiving, Uncategorized

Thanksgiving is a very special time. It's become one of my favorite holidays. After all, what's not to like about spending time with people you love, eating your favorite foods, and having a little downtime. Of course shopping for the holiday feast comes to mind as one of those less-than-fun activities. Mostly because the stores are crowded, and if you didn't plan well you're in the thick of the fray looking for what you need.

This year I wasn't cooking. We were invited to spend Thanksgiving with our daughter, her fiance and his family. Our responsibility was to bring mashed potatoes, braised carrots, and homemade cranberry sauce. I also wanted to bring canned peaches. It's a tradition in our family started by my father-in-law. He likes canned peaches and he always wants them at the Thanksgiving table. Even though we weren't spending the holiday with him it's been adopted as a permanent part of our family tradition. One which we wanted to share.

I haven't made canned peaches in a while so we had none on hand. This meant buying them at the grocery store. Something I haven't done in a very long time. I was stunned by the sheer number of canned peaches available at the store. I was amazed at the ingredients in them. I thought I'd share the results of my canned peaches shopping expedition so you can see what's really in that food.

It's important to note that peaches are one of the dirty dozen foods (those foods highly contaminated by pesticides). I did not find any organic canned peaches at my local grocery store. Also, the notes about these containers do not include the issue of BPA which is often found in plastic containers, the linings of cans, and the lids of glass jars. Therefore all these containers are equal in respect to those issues.

Note: If you want to read the labels you'll need to click on the images to enlarge them.

Above you have the information you need to make the right choice for you depending on what's important to you. For those who want to take it one step further it is possible to make your own canned peaches. There are many recipes out there on how to do this, one of my favorites is the Ball Blue Book Honey Spiced Peaches recipe substituting evaporated cane juice crystals instead of white sugar.