I love the spring. I have started to rebuild my garden.  Last year hurricane Sandy washed it away completely.  I say fine, now I get to build it better than ever.  It is still quite cold here in New York  but I have already planted kale, lettuce and swiss chard.  I get excited thinking about picking fresh greens. Looking forward to see the sprouts peeking up through the soil, I find it magical, a new life. 

Many people have written to me asking if they can still get the FREE Webinar  Balance Your pH for Fabulous Health.  

If you missed it you can now get the replay and all the bonuses.  The information I shared will help balance your pH and make a difference in your health.  The bonus reports are something you will come back to again and again.  Here is the link.   

Many of us are still doing the Nourishing Foods Cleanse - Spring Renewal which started last week.  It is going great.  We have cleansers from New York to California, Canada, Germany and Israel.  What a great group!

Doing a cleanse like the Nourishing Foods -Spring Renewal is a great way to remove toxins from your system.  We are exposed to toxins every day from our food, the air, cleaning products, the water even skin and hair products. 

 

Even though cleanses are useful, preventing toxins from entering our system is even better.  When you have fewer toxins in your system it functions more efficiently.  What I mean by this is instead of your liver having to remove the toxins coming in it can work on breaking down fat and other nutrients into forms that are easier to use for the rest of the body. This is only one of many systems which function better when they don't have to deal with so many toxins.

 

Here are a few simple strategies to reduce your toxic exposure.  Don't worry if you can't do them all at once.  Start with one and honor yourself for your progress.  Your body appreciates every step you take.   

These are listed in the order of how much impact they have on your body.

   

Studies at the Center for Disease Control and Prevention show our bodies now contain hormone disrupting phthalates and bisphenol-A (BPA) found in plastics and cans. The good news is you can get rid of these within a few days when you limit your exposure to them.  If you buy canned foods look for cans that say BPA free.  Avoid warm fatty foods like roast chicken packaged in plastic.  Liquids and acidic products absorb more toxins from plastics.  Store your water in glass bottles.  According to a 2008 study in Toxicology Letters, when you run your plastic containers through the dishwasher you can accelerate toxin leakage by 55%. You especially don't want to put hot food into a plastic container.  You also never want to microwave anything in plastic.  Heat causes the BPA found in plastics to break down and potentially contaminate your food.   Choose glass, ceramic or stainless steel.  I often buy raw sauerkraut or kim chi which always come in glass. I keep those to store left over foods. 

Some fruits and vegetables have more pesticides than others. Did you know apples have the most amounts of pesticides followed by strawberries, grape and celery.  This is where you want to buy organic.  The vegetables with the least amount of pesticides are asparagus, avocados, cabbage.  You can go to the list below to help you make an educated decision. 

Sprouts are considered a wonder food. They rank as the freshest and most nutritious of all vegetables available to the human diet. They are a very alkaline living food full of nutrients.  

 

This salad is has lots of vegetable protein making it a great main course.  A perfect spring meal.  

 

2 servings

 

1 lb organic sweet potatoes (1 large) cut into 2" by ½" sticks (peel if not  

  organic)

6 Tb extra virgin olive oil

2 Tb lemon juice

2 Tb apple cider vinegar

1 Tb tamari

1 tsp raw honey or pinch of stevia

Celtic sea salt

1 ½ cups lentil, mung, pea or adzuki bean sprouts

3 cups romaine coarsely chopped

½ seedless cucumber cut into ½" dice

2 cups baby lettuce

2 scallions thinly sliced

8 oil cured olives pitted and chopped

¼ cup raw sauerkraut, drained

1 firm ripe avocado cut into large chunks

• Preheat oven to 450. Heat a large rimmed baking sheet.
• In a large bowl, toss the sweet potatoes with 2 Tb olive oil. Season with salt and pepper.
• Remove the baking sheet from the oven and spread the potatoes in an even layer.
• Bake 20- 30 minutes turning once so they brown evenly. Remove from the oven when they are just tender and brown.
• In a small bowl, combine the lemon juice and vinegar, tamari and honey with the remaining ¼ cup of oil. Season the dressing with salt.
• In a small bowl, toss the sprouts with 2 Tb of the dressing and let stand for 10 minutes tossing a few times
• In a large bowl, combine the romaine, cucumber, lettuce, scallions, olives, sauerkraut and avocado
• Add the remaining dressing and toss well.
• Transfer the salad to 2 plates and top with the roasted sweet potatoes around the outside, finish with marinated sprouts in the middle.