The Dissolved Mystery

I am reading an old classic by Professor Arnold Ehret "The Mucusless Diet Healing System" a scientific method of eating your way to health published in 1953. It is a book I recommed every lay person to read regardless of the "diet dogma" you subscribe to. Professor Ehret comments, in the course of forty years you consume 42,000 meals. Is it not possible that they may have some effect on the human organism? Diet is the basis of blood formation and the quality of blood is the river of life for your cells. Professor Ehret taught through his common sense reasoning the importance of diet in the cause of disease, its prevention and treatment in a standard far higher than believed today in traditional health medical science.

Ask yourself, what is the quality of goods you are putting in your stomach that filters into your blood to bath your cells. Do you read the labels of the food you eat or what you feed your children. If you cannot pronounce it do you think your cells want it? How are the food colorings, preservatives, chemicals, artificial flavorings, etc serving your body? Where do they go? Why use your body as a filter and inevitably store it in the tissues and fat in your body. Such inorganic waste does not serve you and its accumulation can be dangerous. We get into auto pilot when grocery shopping grabbing the boxes and packages of processed food stuff because it is quick and easy and believe it must be safe or it would not be on the shelf.

The reality is we have an outstanding epidemic of disease in our world today. Sure people are living longer, and we have early detection to diagnoses disease. However, our medical society treats symptomatically versus addressing the root cause of the imbalance in the body. I am not against western medicine when it can cure. We need our emergency rooms and I have gratitude for our medical community. However, Mother Nature in all her simplicity and majesty can bring the body back to balance when you fuel our body with her organic whole and unprocessed foods. It may not be as quick as a pill, it takes time, but it does work.

Through personal experience, I went through chemo, radiation and heavy drug therapy. At the time it felt like the right path for me. I would choose differently now knowing what I know. Post treatments, I detoxed my body and truly felt awful for several years after removing the drug residue and "ick" out of my body. It was a roller coaster ride and much ofthe time I felt worse then how I felt going through treatments. However, I stuck to it and today experience a sense of vitality and energy beyond what I felt in college.

When people choose to shift their diet to one of whole organic foods free from heavy meat and dairy, they feel great for some time. Then the body hits a layer of mucus and waste and releases it into the blood stream to usher it out of the body and we feel AWFUL. Many at this point draw the conclusion that their new "diet" is not working because they feel worse. This is unfortunate because the new "diet" or way of eating is loosening up the old stored waste in the body which is what we want, it just isn't a good time while it is on its way out and we may feel like we have the flu with headaches and respiratory issues. When you go back to your standard diet or take a pill, you suddenly feel better again only because you have halted the internal cleansing. If you stick it out, you will feel better soon. Remember you have spent a lifetime of eating unbeneficial foods, so it will take sometime to work it out. You don't house clean or clean once a year, it is an ongoing job.

I would like to wrap this "food for thought" message with a segment from the Mucusless Diet System subtitled "A Dissolved Mystery" to encourage all those out there that are moving towards a clean diet and are not feeling the greatest at the moment.

"The reason doctors in general, as well as the layman, do not believe in a mucusless diet, is simply this: Whoever experiments without experience with this diet of healing, whether sick or well, loses his faith immediately, as soon as he has a crisis, becomes what he believes to be "seriously ill", that is to say, a day(s) on which a great amount of dissolved waste, debris, mucus and other poisons are taken back into the circulation, a period of great elimination. This produces at the same time a strong, almost irresistible craving for wrong foods and , strange as this may seem, the patient most strongly craves for the wrong food, which was once his favorite. This is explained by the fact that Nature is eliminating thru the circulation the waste of these foods, and it is when they are in the circulation the craving and desire is naturally produced. This then is why it is of extreme importance that every meal of a diet of healing and cleansing must leave the body as soon as possible."

So as they say, things need to get worse before they get better. Stick to your guns when things get rough on the healing path. I encourage you to pick up this tiny $4.95 book and see what Professor Ehret has to say. He is highly opinionated and passionate but the information he has for us is intriguing. Here is a link to purchase the book on line. http://www.arnoldehret.org/healthclub/fasting_aol.html

Nutrition Tips!

You probably already know that at Hip Goddess, our desire is to deliver, “Pure and natural foods in a simple way every day”. We're spreading our wings and now you can catch us around the Chicago land area teaching Hip people how to create simple, nutrient dense and scrumptious treats and meals that are alive and kicking! Our desire is to rejuvenate, energize and beautify your body all according to Mom Nature. We don’t expect you to go all raw with us, but do join one of our many classes forming around the Chicago area and learn just how simple, quick and delicious raw/living food can be.

Join us on line at www.hipgoddess.com under “The Club” or “Events” for upcoming “cooking” class dates, to join the “Hip Goddess Club”, get recipes, and to sign up for our monthly informative newsletter. Also, coming soon, our sassy mini living foods cookbook, “The Goddess in the Kitchen”.

Here is nutritional information for some of the ingredients we use in many of our Hip Goddess desserts! You can find amazing recipes on our website under "The Club" section. Be careful....they are too good to be true and will get your energy flowing!

In Joy!

1. RAW CHOCOLATE: Called Cacao pronounced “ca-cow”
-Magnesium: Cacao seems to be the #1 source of magnesium of any food. Magnesium is one of the great alkaline minerals. It helps to support the heart, brain, and digestive system (it fights constipation). Magnesium is also important for building strong bones...
-Antioxidants: Cacao contains the highest concentration of antioxidants of any food in the world. These antioxidants include polyphenols, catechins, and epicatechins. By weight, Cacao has more antioxidants than red wine, blueberries, acai, pomegranates, goji

2. HEMP SEEDS
-Today, research is being done that will prove that hemp seeds are one of the most nutritious foods in the world. Hemp seeds are packed with omega-6, omega-3, and vitamin E oils and are rich in Iron and chlorophyll as well.
-Hemp seeds are made up of 65 percent of the protein Edestin and are very easily digested and absorbed. Hemp seed is a perfect alternative source of protein for vegetarians because it contains all 20 amino acids (including the 8 essential aminos that adult bodies cannot produce). A great alternative

3. GOJI BERRIES
-Chinese herbalists have prescribed Goji Berries to restore energy and strength, increase stamina and longevity, boost sexual libido and enhance fertility (explaining its name – matrimony vine), strengthen the immune system, treat insomnia, improve eyesight (it's the world's richest food source of carotenoids), and aid in digestion. The polysaccharides in Goji Berries have been found to stimulate anti-inflammatory responses in the body and induce immune system...

4. AGAVE NECTAR
-Our Agave Nectar is extracted from the Blue Agave Tequilana Weber variety. This particular plant has the highest concentrations of minerals as well as a high content of Inulin. Inulin in known to increase calcium absorption and possibly magnesium absorption, while encouraging beneficial probiotic flora.

5. COCONUT FLOUR
-Coconut flour is fiber from the coconut meat after most of the oil has been extracted to make Virgin Coconut Oil.. Coconut flour is high in dietary fiber and protein, gluten free.

Read your label!

Here is some guidance for you when reading your labels in the grocery store. Just putting this out there as it is new education for some! It is a good idea to check the round stickers on your produce. There will be a 4 or 5 digit PLU number on it - when it's 5 digits and begins with the number 9, it's organic. Four digits means it's conventionally grown, and 5 digits beginning with the number 8 means it's been genetically modified! Let's NOT genetically modify ourselves! YIKES!

Seedless Fruit, Seedless Person!

I just have to reflect with you as a result of a conversation I had yesterday in the produce section. I squealed with joy upon seeing organic globe grapes WITH SEEDS! A woman heard me and obviously saw my joy and asked, "Why do you want the grapes WITH the seeds? Isn't it a pain and too much work to spit them out?" Her question sort of stopped the clock for me and I realized how far away from Mother Nature the general consumer has gone or is going.

My question to her was, "Do you want to be a seedless person?" A human without seeds is infertile right? Do you really want that? When our kitchens become filled with genetically altered and hybridized fruits and vegetables, then we too become genetically altered, seedless and infertile. Let's think about the advice of the saying we all know, "You are what you eat". It is my belief we are only as healthy and vibrant as the food we fuel our body. How about you?

Ponder this. If you stuck a seedless grape or any seedless fruit or vegetable in the ground, would it grow? NOPE! The best food we can eat is food that is whole, alive, full of enzymes, and with SEEDS! It is the original God given food that grows freely according to Mom Nature.

I can remember as a little girl eating grapes and hearing my Mom and Grandmother tell me, "Susie you should chew the seeds, they are good for you!" So I did and little did I know how good they really were for me. Grape seeds are known as a powerful antioxidant and full of bioflavonoids. Antioxidants help protect the body from premature aging, decay and disease. Antioxidants are needed to neutralize free radicals. Bioflavonoids have the remarkable ability to strengthen blood vessel walls. I don't know about you, but couldn't we all use some of that? Think about how much people pay for grape seed extract for their anti aging properties in top shelf skin care! And we are spitting the seeds out, or buying the seedless grapes. Hmmmmm...

So, take a peak a roo in your kitchen and take inventory. Do you see packaged and processed foods that are full of preservatives and chemicals. Ooops if that is the case, but no worries here! Just begin to replace your previous choices with whole foods that are organic when possible, not genetically modified or SEEDLESS! Let's not use our body as a filter or our beautiful rejuvenating cells as the pantry to store the toxins that the body cannot shake off and send on its way. If this is happening in your body, it probably feels like things such as migraine headaches, fatigue, bloated feelings, cholesterol issues, constipation. or finally a diagnosis of some sort of imbalance.

Our goal at Hip Goddess is to teach people how to use pure and natural foods in a simple way, everyday. Add in one new thing a day or each week, and delete something that is simply not the best ever and you'll be on your way!

Wanna learn some quick and easy food prep ideas using whole foods in their raw state? Then join us on Thursday November 6th from 7 -9pm at the Whole Foods on Ashland Avenue in Chicago! To register call 773-244-4200. The class is $20 and please, come hungry!

Also, we'll be at LuLuLemon on Halsted in Chicago this Saturday September 27th from noon to 2pm mixing up and sampling our over the top decadent RAW Goddess Brownies! Come see us and give your taste buds a serious treat while you benefit from some serious nutrition, IN A BROWNIE! Oh stop!

Four Tips to REGENERATION

These days, many are asking me for what I have learned over the years in my quest to regenerate and heal my body from cancer. There is much to be said about the mind body connection to proactively taking care of your health and for healing. One thing I did learn is we must BE OUR OWN LIGHT. Question everything and make it your own. Nobody knows your body better then you. One can get lost in all the opinions, protocols, strategies, and "proven" ways to heal. Everyone has an angle. Just educate yourself and make a decision that feels good to you, not because someone tells you it is the right way.

If you do choose to follow nature, have patience and trust. It may have taken you years to put yourself in a state of dis-ease and imbalance, so it may take you some time to get back into balance. Sure a pill can make it all better at the moment. However, there are usually other consequences that will be knocking at your door in the future as a result of the imbalances that are created from taking that pill. Just planting a seed of thought!

I generally offer guidance to focus on 4 simple things to keep yourself healthy and for regenerating your body temple. You asked so here they are!

4 TIPS TO REGENERATION

DIET

1. Eat Whole Foods. Do your best to eliminate packaged goods with chemicals and preservatives. Our body is 70% water. Organic whole unheated foods are rich in vitamins, minerals and organic water full of energy from the sun that our body needs to stay clean and juicy.
2. Eat Organic. Set your body free from filtering and storing pesticides and chemicals that WILL catch up to you at some point under the title of headaches, colitis, sore joints, bloating, cholesterol imbalances, or some sort of diagnosed disease.
3. Enzymes Enzymes are the catalyst of life-force in your body. They digest your food and are responsible for every metabolic activity in your body. Enzymes are the spark of life! You find them in raw foods and foods not heated above 118 degrees. You certainly can benefit from PLANT based enzyme supplementation taken before a cooked meal to help absorb nutrients and to give your body a break from doing all the work of digesting foods that have lost their enzymes in the cooking process.
4. Acid/Alkaline PH balance. It has been proven, cancer and disease thrives in an acidic environment. Your blood must be alkaline. Sugar, meat, dairy, alcohol, soda, coffee, most grain based foods, and negative based thoughts create an acidic ph balance in your blood. Fruits, vegetables, joy, forgiveness and gratitude are alkaline. Turning your diet to one of a heavy fruit/vegetable based meal will add water and oxygen to create an alkaline state in your blood. The result will be vitality, healing and regeneration. For complete protein or the raw goods of amino acids so your body can create the “protein” it needs, consume soaked raw nuts and seeds, avocado, coconut meat and all green leafy vegetables. Think of all the large and STRONG animals that eats nothing but grass and greens which are loaded with minerals and protein. As the saying goes, "When you are green inside, you are clean inside."

DETOXING

House clean your body temple with the change of every season. You will deep clean your house, open windows and scrub away. Honor your body in the same fashion allowing your organs to shake like a wet doggie, breath and shed the layers of stored mucous and undigested matter that is flowing in your blood from consumed preservatives, additives and chemicals. Our body is 70 percent water. Cooked foods are void of water and most Americans do not drink enough water to give your body and internal shower. There are MANY detox methods available, choose wisely. Consult or seek guidance from a trusted source who glows with health. It can be as simple as fasting for 2 to 3 days consuming nothing but vegetable and fruit juices and consider colon therapy. If you are not comfortable fasting, simply give your body a break from meat, fish, chicken and dairy for a few days, drink plenty of water and get some exercise!!

.

HYGIENE

In addition to diet hygiene is of utmost importance!

Our skin is our largest organ and everything we put on our skin enters our body 60 times faster then what we put in our mouth. Read labels and use botanically based, paraben and mineral oil free cosmetics, soaps and lotions that contain MINIMAL preservatives. Consider salt bathing, dry body brushing and using a sauna to give your cells an opportunity to clean out and breath!

EXERCISE

GET MOVING please! Your lymphatic system needs to be moved and given the opportunity to clean out! Living a sedentary lifestyle creates stagnation at the cellular level. Any debris and toxins that are in your body are just nestling in for a permanent residence if you don’t get your lymph flowing and moving out like a well run machine.

Consider this….we put gas in our car, change the oil, rotate the tires, get it washed and drive around with the windows down on a warm sunny day. Do the same for your body! Remember, you cannot trade this one in!

Do you feel what I feel?

Feeling a bit off or sensitive lately? Well, this morning was a total solar eclipse so perhaps you are/were feeling its energies. I took time this morning to read a bit about it and would like to share it with you for your own personal insight.

“This solar eclipse is encouraging our moods to acquire a new outlook on our personal image...some of you may be strongly touched by the need to get a new lease on life. If low self esteem sets you back on the ecliptic new moon, remember that you aren't inherently a failure-that's just an old pattern of behavior. A new pattern of positive self image and dignity can be created and the old beastly pattern will have to be tempered and corrected. Take time to apply self worth, self respect and discipline!”

I am not sure about you, but now that I pay attention to what the planets are doing, I observe my mood and emotions to see what is coming up for me. When I take the time to read things just seem to make sense and I can move with much more grace and ease. I have become respectful of the benefits of taking time to tap my inner resources to make the most of my life and the experiences I am having. What do I mean by that? Well, sometimes things don’t turn out the way we planned, or we find ourselves in a pickle and need to evaluate what our next move will be. Often times we look for others for guidance or see a doctor to tell us what is “wrong” with us without first checking in with the one who knows best. YOU. But in our crazy fast paced world, who really is taking time in solitude to let what ever needs to come up, come up. To really listen and respond to that inner suggestion that keeps coming up. Things such as call this person…go here…don’t eat that, you know you’ll feel like crap. Or man I really do not want to spend time with this person because when I do I feel so drained.

There is so much primal wisdom within each of us, but generally as a society we seem to be so disconnected. I grew up in Iowa where we worked hard, but rested too. It was quiet, the sky was big, the air was fresh, the nights were quiet and the relationships were our free time when not at work. A social event was not going out to dinner, but having a potluck with one of my 5200 relatives….a few families getting together which meant about 21 children having a ball. Parents played cards and we ran around the farm swinging off the ropes into bails of hay or playing ghost in the grave yard which was always a LONG game considering it took forever to find someone on a farm! So simple…so lovely.

I can remember my grandmother just sitting outside rocking in her chair and we would pick an apple up from under her tree and watch the cows walk home over the field back to my Uncle Jim’s for the night. We would watch the sun set and Grandma would stick her finger up in the air and say, we have to close the windows tonight….it is going to rain. For the love of God….how did she know that. SOLITUDE. Being quiet in nature…breathing…relaxing and just knowing.

So that said, today I found myself in an ever deep appreciation of my Iowa heritage and family. The Farmers Almanac is set according to the celestial movement and my lineage lived their life accordingly. Paying attention to the planets and my emotions today, I also observed the nutso people run around hooking horns and not managing their elevated emotions because the planets are funky. Then I came home and the advertisement on TV of course was about a pill that could make it all go away, it would help you deal with your nutso life. But the price is you’ll never be able to poop normal again and you may have ongoing headaches or heart complications as a result. Sign me up for that please Doc! Perhaps if we would just stop and take some time to listen to what our body, mind and the quiet voice of our beautiful eternal soul is trying to tell us, the world would be a kinder place.

That said, I do believe there is a shift taking place…I can see it and feel it. There is a quiet vibration under all the noise of a bustling urban city. People are beginning to turn to the wonders of solitude. More and more are taking up yoga and meditation. They are seeing the beauty and explosive taste of fresh organic produce on their tongue and following it up with a smile. They are turning to the like of Deepak Chopra and lending an ear to his message. Even Oprah is calling her audience to stretch themselves and read Ekhart Tolle and reflect on thoughts that perhaps are bigger then what their conscious mind can really understand…but their heart is fully embracing. I have faith, and I believe a shift is happening.

I hope you have the opportunity to join one of our Hip Goddess monthly events if you are in the Chicago area. Every part of me is so delighted to host the event to help build a community where we have an awareness or perhaps desire to spend a couple of hours out of our month to connect with new people and learn about a few holistic things that could encourage us to take another step in the direction of doing something for ourselves according to mother nature.

On a final note….when I blog…I am truly “blogging” I turn off all worries of making this grammatically correct….I am stepping out of my own way and just writing my peaceful thoughts as they comes up and share them with you. Tomorrow I will share with you a list of ways you can embrace your God/Goddess stature! Sleep well! Or like my Mother and Grandma Tillie says, “Nighty Night”

Wisdom

I read this quote today from Christine Northrup which eloquently speaks to my personal mission in life...to take what I have learned along my personal path of self improvement and understanding of the universal priciples that govern life and pass it along. I have deep gratitude for every author, practitioner, and friend who has exposed me to the many things that have taken me one step higher...one step closer to my dreams along the path I am walking. I do listen to what everyone has to say, and if it feels right to me, I go forward. I am my own authority.

My heart is on fire at every Hip Goddess Club as each time new faces are walking through my door. I know they are present to deliver a message to someone, or to receive a piece of wisdom from something I or one of our guests are teaching. Either way, the community is becoming more and more powerful. I hope you will join us soon! Check out www.hipgoddess.com and go to "The Club" section of the site to see when our next monthly Goddess Club is meeting.

Here is the quote from Christine.

"Every woman who heals herself helps heal all the women who came before her, and all the women who come after her." -Christine Northrup, M.D.

By the authority vested in me!

Great words right! You betcha! I am reading a terrific book at the moment that I just must share to remind you, as it did me, that we are our own best doctor, teacher, leader, mentor and parent.

So often when things go amiss in our life we turn to someone with a white coat, a couch to unload our "problems" to, or perhaps some sort of a pill to stop us from feeling or to take the pain away. The word "doctor" means "teacher". In the best of all worlds the task of these helpers is to teach you to read your symptoms, to help you understand the workings of the remedies they offer, and to show you how to collaborate with the intelligence of your body so it can heal and rejuvenate. Really. their task is to encourage self trust. But let's be honest, in most situations, this is not the case. It is, "Here take this pill and you'll be fine".

My challenge is to quiet myself, listen to what my body is really wanting, and bow to the silent invisible teacher within me and follow that guidance. I find that when I do that, the less I suffer. Trusting the intangible knowingness inside of us is certainly not an easy thing. Lots of doubt comes into play, not to mention the opinions of others. When I hear, "By the power vested in me!" it gives me such a powerful and charged feeling that YES, I am my own authority....I can do it.

Next time you are walking the tight rope, stop in your tracks, put your hand on your heart, and ask yourself what would be the wisest choice or path for me at this moment. Then be still and listen. Perhaps the answer will not show up in a new york minute, but just trust, have faith, and stand by. Allow the authority that has been with you since the day you were born to propel you forward beyond your wildest of dreams!

AMEN!

"In every culture and in every medical tradition before ours, healing was accomplished by moving energy."

Albert Szent-Gyorgyi, Nobel Laureate in Medicine

May 5th Taurus New Moon

There are twelve two-week (new moon to full moon) cycles every year you can use to auspiciously develop intentions and initiate successful actions. We plant our seeds of intention on the new moon and "reap" them on the full moon. Here is your cosmic cycle tip for the month of May from Opulent Living's Astrologer Barbara Schermer. www.astrologyalive.com

New Moon in Earth Signs: Taurus. Use this auspicious 2 week period following today, Monday May 5th to focus on your physical life and health. Recommendations: Begin new health regimes (strengthen your body, start diets, and add nutritional support), organize and determine strategies, make systems more efficient, initiate your new business or start your new job. Perhaps this may be a good day to plant your Spring flowers. Plant your new moon intentions right into fertile mother earth!

Happy manifesting! May you reap your desires on the full moon May 19th!