How Do They Figure Out When to Have Easter?

Easter seems so early this year. How is the date determined?

Easter is a moveable feast, meaning it changes depending on several factors. The Church Council of Nicea 325 A.D., determined that it would occur after the full moon following the vernal (Spring) equinox (which means equal night and daylight hours) on the following Sunday. If that happened to be to close to the Jewish holiday Passover, the next Sunday is chosen. So, it can occur anytime between March 22 and April 25. Sources: history.com

The notion of an egg-laying bunny seems to have come to America with German immigrants who came to Pennsylvania during the 1700’s. Children made nests of colored straw for the eggs. www.history.com/topics/holidays/easter-symbols

The rest of the world practices Easter rituals in equally creative ways. In Hungary and Poland men throw water over women’s heads and then ask for a kiss. (I wonder how this would go over in New York!) This seems to relate to baptism rituals, mixed with Spring fertility rites.

In Bermuda, on Good Friday, locals fly kites, seemingly in honor of the Resurrection and Ascension of Christ into Heaven.

In Corfu it may be dangerous to stand on the street on Holy Saturday.  It is traditional to throw pots and pans out the window, possibly mirroring the ancient Venetian custom of getting rid of old items on New Year’s Day.

The French town of Haux prepares a giant omelet made of 4,500 eggs, a tradition started after Napoleon enjoyed an omelet there and ordered a giant omelette prepared for his army. The omelette pan large enough must fill the town square! http://www.newsweek.com/10-bunny-free-easter-traditions-around-world-439524

In the U.S., not only do we decorate eggs and hide them, we go into sugar shock doing it. 16 billion jelly beans are purchased and 90 billion chocolate bunnies are made. And, by the way, 76% of Americans say you should eat the ears first. https://www.google.com/search?q=how+much+chocolate+is+consumed+on+easter&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8

If you have sugar shock from Easter goodies, and you can’t fit into your Easter outfit the following week, or if you get sleepy in the afternoons or experience energy highs and lows, stop by for our Blood Sugar Balancing Cleanse Program. In two weeks you can conquer those sugar cravings, improve your energy and sleep, feel sharper and more stable, and even drop a few pounds.

Cleansing in the Springtime is a centuries old Health tradition. Spring fever hits when the trees are budding and you are feeling frisky, so regard this as a great time to get rid of the old toxins and give your body a healthy nutritional boost.

Happy Easter, Happy Passover, Happy Spring! May you feel renewed in body, mind and spirit.

What is Corned Beef and Why is it Good For You?

You may not think of Irish food as health food, but there are many healthy aspects to Irish cuisine. Irish butter is some of the best in the world. Kerrygold Irish salted butter is 80% fat and the unsalted version has added cultures to make it a fermented product with richer flavor and 82% fat. Kerry gold products are available in grocery stores and health food stores. http://tastebutter.com/about_kerrygold_butter.html

This is important because traditional foods, eaten by humans for thousands of years before we had epidemics of cancer, heart disease, obesity and Diabetes, are full of fats and natural probiotics from fermentation.

Corned beef is made the same way pickles are made. It is beef cured in salty brine, which creates healthy probiotics. “Corn” was the old English term for any grain, and the term “a corn of salt” was used prior to the American term “a grain of salt”. So, the corn in corned beef is referring to the salt, not corn that comes from a cob. Corning as a means of preserving beef was very popular during Word War II when fresh meat was not readily available. http://amazingribs.com/recipes/beef/home_made_corned_beef.html

You can click on the link above to learn how to make your own corned beef for a delicious St. Patrick’s Day dinner, with leftovers for Reuben sandwiches (on gluten-free bread, of course!) For more ideas about traditional Irish foods, like Lamb Stew or Bacon and Cabbage click here http://www.irishcentral.com/roots/the-ideal-irish-diet-eat-your-way-to-weight-loss-with-healthy-irish-recipes-136684608-237426341.html Cabbage is a great source of Vitamin C and is a cruciferous vegetable, which means it contains sulfur, vital for Phase II Liver detoxification.

Concerned about eating too many potatoes on a low carb diet? Chris Voigt, head of the Washington Potato Commission, lost 21 pounds in two months on a potatoes-only diet. His cholesterol also dropped dramatically. He did not add milk or butter, always ate the skin, and enjoyed potatoes morning, noon, and night, prepared in every possible way except fried. http://www.irishcentral.com/culture/food-drink/the-miracle-irish-potato-diet-drop-21-pounds-in-two-months-135400958-237743551.html

I don’t advocate the potato-only diet. It wasn’t all that healthy for our Irish ancestors and, with no added fat or protein, might plat havoc with your hormones. But potatoes are one of my personal favorite high-carb choices, weighing in at about 25% carbs. The potato is also a source of Vitamin C, and the skins contain many minerals. So, if you are at a normal weight, potatoes can add some delicious variety to your meals.

Irish cheese is some of the best in the world. When I lived in London I was able to shop at Fortnum and Mason’s world famous cheese department. I wish I could still buy some of the amazing Irish cheeses I found there, but they apparently don’t import the best. Some delicious varieties can be ordered online. Taste them and compare to the finest French cheeses and let me know what you think. http://www.epicurious.com/archive/holidays/stpatricks/irish_cheeses

If you have Irish roots and you would like to feel some extra Irish pride for St. Patrick’s Day, watch this lovely video. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9wmIZEl1nSo

Happy St. Patrick’s Day! If you forget to wear green tomorrow, and you get pinched, at least remember to use Arnica. And- wherever you go and whatever you do, may the luck of the Irish be there with you.

Need More Healthy Energy?

One of the number one reasons people visit their medical doctors is because they are tired or fatigued. When is being tired a risk to your health? When your fatigue makes it too difficult to carry on safely with the daily tasks of living or it causes too much of a strain on your organs or glands so that they are unable to function adequately. So, being tired can have consequences that go beyond falling asleep at your desk.

Fatigue can cause driving and operating machinery to be dangerous. An Australian study showed that going just eighteen hours without sleep caused a similar impairment to alcohol. Shift workers, parents of young children and young males are most at risk. http://drowsydriving.org/about/facts-and-stats/

Relationships can suffer because a tired person is not a patient, understanding person. When a person is sleep deprived, there are mood changes and memory impairment. Anxiety is more likely. These all put a burden on relationships with family and friends, and can even put jobs at risk. http://hr.uiowa.edu/uieap/10-reasons-well-rested

The physical stress puts more of a burden on the organs, especially adrenal glands, which compromises your immune system and may be a factor in the healthy function of your heart. Weight gain and difficulty losing weight is a common issue, and there is a higher cancer risk, as well.

There are many reasons why someone may be tired and unable to get sufficient restful sleep. If you are a high achiever, or in a demanding job situation, you may simply not be spending enough time in bed to get enough sleep. Emotional stress and worry may impact ability to fall sleep and/or stay asleep. Congested organs from toxins and processed foods, or a weakness in the hormonal system, can make it difficult for the body to relax enough to sleep. Eating a high sugar, high carbohydrate diet can play havoc with blood sugar, causing the body to wake up hungry when blood sugar drops too low after a sugar spike. Iron deficiency can cause tiredness and listlessness, because the red blood cells need the mineral iron.

Vitamin deficiencies may be a factor when fatigue becomes debilitating, as in Chronic Fatigue Syndrome. As a syndrome, and not an actual disease that can be measured or viewed under a microscope, Chronic Fatigue may have different causes or be a combination of factors.

The best course of action is to identify the factors that are involved in any type of fatigue. Often people crave a diagnosis, particularly when they are suffering and having a difficult time with their symptoms. But so many diseases today are lifestyle issues, and they need to be sorted out by someone who can evaluate diet and other factors, rather than simply diagnose a disease, and give it a label. The important factor is to find a way to help the body get well, and that takes more than medication.  Lab work may only offer part of the answer, or none at all.

Don’t ignore fatigue, especially if it lasts for more than a few weeks. You can push yourself, but push when your body is rested, if you do not want to make the problem worse.

B vitamins deficiencies, Adrenal-hypothalamus-pituitary function, liver congestion and blood sugar imbalances can all wreak havoc on sleep, mood and general health. If you know someone who is tired, urge them to get an evaluation and find help. There is no reason to go through life too tired to enjoy the special moments.

With Spring around the corner, it is a perfect time to do a Cleanse/Purification program, or a Blood Sugar Balance program, or a Liver Detox Program. Any of these will help sleep, as well as energy and weight loss. The programs can be tailored for your specific needs. Call us and find out how to Stop Being Tired, no matter the underlying cause. Coffee won’t fix it. Natural and Nutritional Medicine will.

The Skinny on Cooking With Oils

What kind of oils are you cooking with? If you are using Extra-Virgin Olive Oil, you are over-paying for oil that should only be consumed in its raw state. Heating oil changes it, altering and destroying the healthy compounds called phenols. Phenols are beneficial for liver detoxification and immune support.

There is a point where heated oils lose their health benefits. This is called the “smoke point.” The oils not only lose their benefits, they also become harmful to consume. 

There are some oils that can be safely heated to high heat for cooking and their rich flavor will hold up. Avocado, extra-light olive oil and ghee are good choices. Ghee is butter that has been simmered so the milk solids caramelize with the fat.

Medium high heat is used most often for cooking vegetables and browning meat. The best oils for medium heat are virgin (not extra-virgin) olive oil and nut oils, like macadamia, almond or hazelnut oils.

For cooking with medium heat, unrefined coconut and sesame oils work well.

Extra-virgin olive oil and flaxseed oil can be used for salad dressings. Flavorful oils like pistachio, sesame and walnut oils can be used to drizzle over salads and foods for extra flavor and nutrients.

If you have never experimented with nut Oils, like Walnut, Macadamia or Hazelnut,

you are in for a treat. These oils are wonderful for making unique salad dressings.  Try mixing with lemon juice, white balsamic vinegar, and adding a touch of aged or reduced balsamic vinegar, along with herbs you like. You can buy reduced balsamic vinegar at Trader Joe’s. I like to drizzle it on top of a salad for extra flavor.

Generally, it is better to go for unrefined, raw oils. Heat-treated, lose their health benefits. You can use heat treated oils like toasted sesame oil to add rich flavor to salads or Asian dishes, but be sure to eat plenty of unrefined oils for the benefits of the essential fatty acids. EFA’s are vital for heart, brain, skin and general nutrition. Processed oil such as Canola, Soy or Corn Oils should be avoided altogether.

Adding plenty of healthy oils to your diet can help with weight loss, because rich-tasting foods are more satisfying and will keep your blood sugar balanced, curbing appetite and giving you sustained energy.  Don’t settle for chemical bottled dressings-carry your own to work.

Here is a quick guide to cooking with oils:

High heat, 450-650°                         Avocado Oil, Grapeseed Oil, Pecan Oil, Ghee (or clarified        

                                                          butter, Extra-Light Olive Oil (not Extra-Virgin Olive Oil)

Medium-High Heat 375-449°         Virgin Olive Oil, Almond Oil, Hazelnut Oil, Macadamia Nut

                                                         Oil, Refined Coconut Oil

Medium Heat 324-374°                   Extra-Virgin Olive Oil, Lard, Butter, Unrefined Coconut Oil

Medium-Low Heat 250-324°          Unrefined Sesame Seed Oil, Unrefined Walnut Oil

Low Heat 225-249°                          Pistachio Oil

Now you can cook smart and delicious!