With type 2 Diabetes as one of our country’s largest health concerns and soft drinks being a huge contributing factor to the problem, there should be more done on promoting these concerns to the demographics that keep on buying them.  I feel we do need more campaigns on the effects of soft drinks/ energy drinks and particular processed/ highly refined foods to the same extent to that of tobacco campaigns with warning labels, graphic pictures, higher prices and limited advertising. For example Cocoa Cola runs consistent advertisements on television showing how drinking Coke can ‘open happiness’.

I do think everyone should be able to choose what they want to drink or eat, however, when it becomes National health crises with our taxes going towards people who are being hospitalised for Type 2 diet related Diabetes, obesity, obesity related surgery and illnesses then it does become my concern. We need to stop assuming people have ‘common sense’ and actual label these foods with health warnings.

Public health warning

Beautiful Sweet Potato

Did you know that the highest producer of kumara in the world is China!

Kumara or the more common name sweet potato (only New Zealand calls them kumara- this is their Maori name) is thought to originate in South America where remnants of the plant dating as far back as 8000 BC have been found. The sweet potato was also grown before western exploration in Polynesia Sweet potato has been radiocarbon-dated in the Cook Islands to 1000 AD, and current thinking is that it was brought to central Polynesia around 700 AD, possibly by Polynesians who had travelled to South America and back.

The good old kumara has some fantastic qualities. There are quite a few different varieties but we have 3 common ones that you have all probably seen in the supermarket- the golden kumara, purple kumara and a beige colour kumara.

What I love about kumara is not only has it got lovely sweetness to it but is it a great carbohydrate for the body high in many nutrients, here are my top 10 favourite qualities about it….

1.  They are high in vitamin B6.  The primary role of vitamin B₆ is to act as a coenzyme to many other enzymes in the body that are involved predominantly in metabolism, especially carbohydrate and fat metabolism. It plays an important role in the synthesis of  some essential neurotransmitters like serotonin and adrenalin

2. They are a good source of vitamin C.  While most people know that vitamin C is important to help ward off cold and flu viruses, few people are aware that this crucial vitamin plays an important role in bone and tooth formation, digestion, and blood cell formation. It helps accelerate wound healing, produces collagen which helps maintain skin’s youthful elasticity, and is essen­tial to helping us cope with stress. It even appears to help protect our body against toxins that may be linked to cancer.

3.  They contain Vitamin D which is critical for immune system and overall health at this time of year.  Both a vitamin and a hormone, vitamin D is primarily made in our bodies as a result of getting adequate sunlight. You may have heard about seasonal affective disorder (or SAD, as it is also called), which is linked to inadequate sunlight and therefore a vitamin D deficiency. Vitamin D plays an important role in our energy levels, moods, and helps to build healthy bones, heart, nerves, skin, and teeth, and it supports the thyroid gland.

4.  Sweet potatoes contain iron. Most people are aware that we need the mineral iron to have adequate energy, but iron plays other important roles in our body, including red and white blood cell production, resistance to stress, proper im­mune functioning, and the metabolizing of protein, among other things.

5.  Sweet potatoes are a good source of mag­nesium, which is the relaxation and anti-stress mineral. Magnesium is necessary for healthy artery, blood, bone, heart, muscle, and nerve function, yet experts estimate that approximately 80 percent of the popula­tion in North America may be deficient in this important mineral.

6.  They are a source of potassium, one of the important electrolytes that help regulate heartbeat and nerve signals. Like the other electrolytes, potassium performs many essential functions, some of which include relaxing muscle contractions, reducing swelling, and protecting and controlling the activity of the kidneys.

7. Sweet potatoes are naturally sweet-tasting but their natural sugars are slowly released into the bloodstream, helping to ensure a balanced and regular source of energy, without the blood sugar spikes linked to fatigue and weight gain.

8. Their rich orange colour indicates that they are high in carotenoids like beta carotene and other carotenoids, which is the precursor to vitamin A in your body.  Carotenoids help strengthen our eyesight and boost our immunity to disease, they are powerful antioxidants that help ward off cancer and protect against the effects of aging. Studies at Harvard University of more than 124,000 people showed a 32 percent reduction in risk of lung cancer in people who consumed a variety of carotenoid-rich foods as part of their regular diet. Another study of women who had completed treatment for early stage breast cancer conducted by researchers at Women’s Healthy Eating and Living (WHEL) found that women with the highest blood concentrations of carotenoids had the least likelihood of cancer recurrence.

9.  There are versatile. Try them roasted, puréed, steamed, baked, or grilled. You can add them to soups and stews, or grill and place on top of leafy greens for a delicious salad. I enjoy grilling them with onions and red peppers for amazing sandwich or wrap ingredients.  Puree them and add to smoothies and baked goods.

10. Compared to many grains kumara is lower in calories coming out at 360kJs or 86 calories per 100g compared to rice which is 1528kJs or 365calories. So you can certainly make it apart of any weightloss dietary plan.

Recipes with kumara…

I have made a lovely kumara loaf. It is low GI and Gluten Free

Healthy GF kumara loaf

450g of skinless roasted or steamed orange kumara
¼ cup rice flour
1.5tsp baking powder
100g chopped dates
80g crystallized ginger
1 cup raw almonds or chopped almonds
2 eggs
1Tb cinnamon
¼ cup pumpkin seeds

Preheat oven to 190-200 degrees on fan bake. Dice almonds into small pieces in a food processor ( add dates too if you need to chop them up too). Without removing the dates and almonds add to the same processor the kumara, cinnamon, ginger, pumpkin seeds and blend together until there are no lumps in the kumara. Remove mixture and put mixture in a bowl then add flour, baking powder and 2 beaten eggs and hand mix well.

Put into oiled slice/meat loaf dish (I used 22cm by 12cm dish). Put into oven and bake for 30mins or until knife comes out quite clean ( like to keep it a bit moist so normally there is a few crumbs on the knife test).

Healthy kumara loaf

You can also add cocoa powder and carob choc chips (or chocolate chips) to make it a chocolate cake. If you don’t like ginger you can take this out but replace it with ¼ cup honey as the ginger gives it an extra sweetness so will need to substitute for this.

Kumara fish cakes

Just peel and steam for 3mins in the microwave 1 large kumara or 2 medium sized. Then mash in a bowl and add 1 heaped tsp wholegrain mustard, 1tsp garlic and handful of diced parsely or coriander and a small diced onion. Also add 1 beaten egg and 3Tb flour. Then add 95g tin of samlon or tuna and mix well. Shape with your hand either balls or patties and then you can lightly pan fry them to make fish balls or fish cakes. Serve with a bit of sweet thai chilli sauce and a side salad

Kumara for lunch

To steam a kumara quickly just stick it in a bowl with a cm of water and cover then put into microwave for around 3-5mins. This keeps the moisture in and prevent the kumara from drying out. Alternatively you can stick it in a microwave plain for around 5mins.

Once cooked you can slice it open and add any number of toppings from cottage cheese to tin of salmon or tuna. For a balanced lunch serve with a side salad.

Stuffed kumara with hummus and side salad

I had the Raw Fuel station ready to go to provide healthy snacks like my famous easy-to- make oat balls (this time they were apple and cinnamon flavour- you can find this recipe on the website) as well as the the new Gluten Free chocolate brownies I developed last week. Lucky these did not blow away in the wind and there was plenty to go around with all the competitors.

The money we raised is to help pay for rent for the use of the rooms where mums and kids can get together and enjoy each others company and provide snacks and tea and coffee. If you would like to make a donation to help keep these groups running then here are the details:

Plunketmarathon@gmail.com

The Lifespark Team at the Plunket Marathon fundraiser

Back of the shirts

Kate at the refuel station with my goodies

The word “mousse” is a French word that means foam, so Mousse au Chocolat means chocolate foam. When mousse first hit the culinary scene in 1894 it was reserved for savory dishes like fish and vegetables. Then in the early 1900’s the famous French artist Toulouse Lautrec had the brilliant idea of mixing in chocolate to the graceful and airy invention. Thankfully the name that he first gave it, ‘mayonnaise de chocolat’, has been changed and it has been donned with the more appetizing moniker that we know it by today.

So I am getting back to its roots. I love chocolate mousse but I am not a fan of the rich cream-based versions, everyone likes a treat and by having this version means you don’t have to hit the gym for 2 hours the next day!

I have also broken the tradition of making ‘meringue’ mixture with castor sugar by instead using honey! Now I haven’t baked with it just yet as I was concentrating on my chocolate mousse- so will let you now how that goes baking the mixture with honey instead of sugar another time.

This recipe below is very simple and can be done quickly and simply delicious with manuka honey instead of sugar which gives it a richer texture and a much lower GI rating.

• I used..

  3 egg whites

  2 TB of manuka honey

  1tsp cocoa powder

  chopped nuts (for topping)

  shredded coconut (for topping)

  (crushed mint Aero chocolate to sprinkle also on top)

  Put cocktail classes in your freezer. Beat cold egg whites (from fridge) with an electric beater until soft- medium stiff peaks form. Then add one TB of honey and beat in for about 30 secs then add 2nd TB honey and beat for a further 30sec- mixture should be quite thick by this stage. Then shift in 1tsp coco powder and blend. Take out cocktail glasses (this mixture with make 2x full serves or 3 med serves) and spoon mixture in. Now you can get creative with toppings. I shifted cocoa powder over the top with sprinkle of nuts and coconut (1st pic) Or then I add crushed mint Aero and litte flake to the others. I put back into freezer again for 4-5mins to make it a colder edge again but you can eat straight away. Simply delicous!! and low calories (without the flake or Aero you are looking at 60calories per serve) . This is a great mixture to serve with puddings instead of cream e.g. you can keep it white (no adding coco powder) then just use this as a side to cake or pudding. Guilt free

  

  Healthy chocolate mousse with chopped nuts and coconut

  

  Healthy chocolate mousse with flake

  

  2x serves of healthy chocolate mousse

Checklist for healthy diet

Its a matter of knowing your schedule and preparing for it, be organized and you shall conquer! If you can organize yourself to get to work each morning then there is no reason why you can’t be organized with your meals and snacks and like getting ready, when it becomes a routine, then you won’t even have to think about it!

A few brands I would recommend:

Arnotts Vitaweat crackers both the rectangular and round cheese board varieties, PLUS the new Lunch Slices (which are a larger version to put toppings on instead of bread). I would choose the multigrain variety as they have a slightly higher fibre content than the other varieties like sesame or cracked pepper, however mixing them up is always nice too.

Vitaweat wholegrain crackers

Vitaweat Lunch Slices

Ryvita is great especially now that they have come out with more varieties compared to the original (so if you haven’t tried anymore since the original, I urge you to try some new choices). They have a lovely Pumpkin seed&Oat, Sunflower seed and for those with a sweet tooth then the Fruit &Seed Crunch is lovely. These are high in fibre and provide and will keep you fuller for longer than rice crackers or lightbread.

Ryvita varieties

Huntley &Palmers wholegrain varieties. This brand has gone through a product renovation and has now also got some great Multigrain varieties. I particularly like the Sunflower seed and Chia seed one.

Huntly &Palmers crackers

3 Tips to choosing a cracker:

1) Aim to choose a wholegrain variety so that when you look at the ingredients list it starts with wholegrain wheat flour and then has has extra seeds in it like sesame, chia, pumpkin or sunflower seed plus grains like rye, barkley, oats etc. You will get added nutrients from these grains/seeds.

Ingredients list for Huntly &Palmers crackers

2) Look at nutritional panel- look at fibre content (this will keep you fuller for longer and help with bowel transit time). Per 100g you want above 8g to be defined as ‘high fibre’

Huntley &Palmers nutrition panel

3) Sodium- generally crackers are going to have quite a high salt intake however you get your acceptable and then unacceptable products. Aim to keep below 450mg of sodium per 100g. This can make you abit thirsty or if you have high blood pressure, do stick to this. However if your diet is generally low sodium (limited processed foods) then having a few crackers slightly over this will be fine. Just keep up your water intake. Remember our general sodium intake is 2000mg per day.

There are many toppings you can get adventurous with from savoury like marmite and thin slice Edam or abit tuna, tomato, hummus, avocado, salsa, honey, peanut butter to doing something like this:

Shredded coconut with honey

Vitaweat cracker with smear of honey, coconut, pumpkin seeds and raisins

Vitaweat cracker with honey, coconut, pumpkin seeds and almonds

Heavensent Gourmet Jam

Nutritional information

Found a great jam on the weekend called Heavensent (company name)- the reason I liked it? It is made with honey not white sugar to preserve it. This means it has a lower sugar rating than traditional jams and therefore less of a spike in your blood sugar levels (honey naturally is lower in sugar than table sugar).

It is has no extras preservatives or flavourings in it. Very simple ingredients list-see pic. They also have a high fruit content which is great and a variety of different fruit jams. This is sweet product to check out. I have put it on toast, on a cracker, in my plain yoghurt and mixed it in stewed apple for a dessert (and a good substitute in baking instead of sugar. A good sweet all rounder.
The company also makes other products from vinaigrettes, relishes, savoury sauces. Check it out www.heavensentgourmet.co.nz. Can shop oline or find a retailer near you.

By Megan Jones

With air pollution, harmful pesticides and an unhealthy diet, your body is probably full of chemicals and poisons that you don’t even think about. If you want to detox your entire body, mind, spirit and life, turn to this list, which has over 100 ideas from medical professionals for removing the poison.

10 Goals for Every Day

Keep these 10 tips in mind each day for a regular detox session.

1. Watch less TV: Watch less TV, if any. Your mind will be freer to concentrate on more important things than annoying commercials, celebrity gossip and superficial materialism.
2. Limit your online activity: It’s pretty much impossible not to log on to your e-mail accounts everyday, but limit the rest of your online activity, including going to fluff sites and playing online games. You’ll be more productive and will probably end up using the time you would have wasted on something more important and fulfilling.
3. Stop gossiping: Always thinking and spreading nasty thoughts about others brings your own mood and self-confidence down.
4. Use non-toxic cleaners: Using non-toxic home cleaners helps rid your home of unnatural substances that can be harmful to your health.
5. Quit smoking: Cigarettes contain over 4,000 different chemicals, including nicotine, tar, hydrogen cyanide and even arsenic, all of which are poison to your body.
6. Exercise: Exercising helps purify your mind and your body by releasing aggressive emotions and endorphins. Exercise also helps your body take in more oxygen and pump your blood faster.
7. Sleep better and longer: Learn valuable techniques for getting a more relaxing, effective sleep each night in order to let your body fully recuperate from the previous day.
8. Introduce organic produce into your diet: Fresh, organic fruits and veggies are free of toxins that harm your body and interfere with great taste.
9. Limit the number of pills you pop each day: If you have a chronic health condition, we’re not asking you to stop taking pills. But if you pop several pills every time you have a teensy headache, you’re putting way too many kidney-damaging chemicals into your system.
10. Breathe deeply: Breathing deeply increases the flow of oxygen into your body and relax your mind.

Physical Poisons

From alcohol and drugs to chemicals in your beauty products, make a concerted effort to rid your body of these poisons.

1. Limit alcohol consumption: While researchers have found that moderate consumption of red wine does have health benefits, drinking too much damages your liver, weakens your heart, and can make you feel tired and worn out, since it interferes with your sleep.
2. Drugs: Drugs are incredibly toxic to your body and your life, weakening the immune system, causing rifts with family and friends, ruining your career and taking a major toll on your body.
3. Go easy on makeup and beauty products: Consider using natural makeup and beauty products that are free of chemicals that can be harmful to your skin. Or, take a look at these tips to limiting the amount of makeup you put on each day without compromising your looks.
4. Give your hair a break: Hair dyes contain a lot of unhealthy chemicals that are bad for your hair and scalp but can also be damaging when you breathe them in every couple of weeks.
5. Try skin brushing: This detox strategy involves stimulating your skin in order to increase “its rate of elimination of toxic waste products, which decreases the demands placed on the kidneys.”
6. Consider a colon cleansing: Colon cleansings are believed to remove the body of parasites and other toxins that can interfere with digestion and general health.
7. Have sex: Having sex can give you energy, help you sleep better, reduces cholesterol, reduces stress, increases the flow of oxygen to your brain, and can even be a natural pain reliever.
8. Do a juice fast: Juice fasting is controversial, but it’s also a popular way to detox. Juice fasts are done with the goal of reducing animal products and cooked food products from your system in order to cleanse your body.
9. Hydrotherapy: This alternative health practice can be done at a spa, sauna or even in your shower. By alternating the temperature of the water, you can reduce inflammation, stimulate your body’s circulation and remove waste from body tissue.
10. Take herbs: There are a number of natural herbs that can be used for internal and external detox, like yucca root and licorice root, which are laxatives; milk thistle seed and dandelion which support the liver; pumpkin seed which expels parasites; and cranberry and witch hazel, which are anti-inflammatory and antioxidant herbs.

Social Poisons

Give your social behavior and expectations a real makeover by considering these detox tips.

1. Close or increase privacy settings on your online dating profile: Online dating companies can be extremely beneficial to some individuals, but posting photos and information about yourself online can attract unsavory characters who badger you with inappropriate messages.
2. Volunteer: Increase your social circle by volunteering. Doing something for the good of others is also a selfless act that is good for your conscience.
3. Reconcile with family and friends: Don’t let a grudge or a fight with friends affect your conscience or your mood. Reconcile with estranged family members and friends to give your social life a detox.
4. Stay in: If you’re always going out with friends, take a night to yourself and stay in. You can give your mind and body a rest from all of the external stimulations and social pressures by relaxing at home.
5. Go out: On the other hand, if you’re always at home, try to go out every once in a while and be social with the community around you. Even if you aren’t out for an organized event with friends, opening yourself up to spending time with other human beings can help you feel more relaxed.
6. De-stress at work: For some people, going to work means feeling stressed out as soon as they sit down as their desks. Learn to de-stress at work by staying organized and tuning out annoying or over demanding co-workers.
7. Learn to tune out: Tuning out gossipy friends, media messages and moody strangers will keep your mood elevated and your mind free from worry about everything going around you that you can’t control anyway.
8. Separate yourself from the pack: Don’t go along with everything everyone else is doing just because they say so. Separate yourself from the pack by doing what makes you feel right and the things that honors your life choices and long term goals.
9. Be responsible: Take responsibility for yourself and your actions, and you’ll find that you end up taking much better care of yourself, physically, emotionally and socially.
10. Smile: Smiling can help you focus on the positive and forget about negative thoughts and feelings that plague you.

Productivity Drainers

Mass e-mails, violent video games and even telemarketing calls are a real drain to your productivity and fill up your mind with useless garbage. Rid yourself of these poisons by taking a look at our list below.

1. Improve your focus: By keeping track of your time and setting goals throughout the day, you’ll be able to stay focused on the things that matter.
2. Unsubscribe to blog feeds: Clean out your inbox by unsubscribing to all the RSS feeds and newsletters that keep you away from your work and focused on unimportant things.
3. Eliminate distractions: Distractions can be poisonous to your schedule and your mindset, so turn off the TV, block certain websites and unplug the phone until you complete your to-do list.
4. Stay nourished: Hunger drains productivity and can negatively affect your metabolism if it’s been too long since your last meal.
5. Ignore “nasty people”: The Random Hitz blog maintains that “nasty people drain productivity in the workplace,” so try to tune out competitive co-workers, backstabbers and the office gossip to stay focused and keep your energy high.
6. Turn off the instant messenger: Unless you do business over instant message, sign off your account or create a new one just for work. Chatting with friends will keep you from your work, making you feel anxious and unprepared at the end of the day.
7. Violent computer games and video games: Playing violent computer or video games is not just a productivity drain: it also fuels your mind with overly aggressive images that can affect your perspective on real life.
8. Exercise your brain: Keep your brain sharp by doing simple mind exercises that can keep Alzheimer’s and dementia at bay.
9. Get a spam filter: Get a spam filter for your e-mail account so you don’t have to look at crass junk mail messages all day long.
10. Get an unlisted phone number: Keep your phone number out of the phone book and off of telemarketing lists so that you don’t have to stress yourself out over prank calls, sales calls and other annoying phone calls.

Meditation Tips

Meditation is an effective technique for ridding your mind and body of poisonous thoughts and energy drainers.

1. Follow a specific program: Play one of these meditation guides to help you focus and relax.
2. Meditate alone: Being along is an important strategy for effective meditation.
3. Eliminate external discomforts: Make sure the room is a comfortable temperature and the lighting is just right for your meditation.
4. Be patient: This tip will prevent you from getting too overwhelmed if you feel like meditation isn’t working at first.

Emotional and Mental Health

De-stress by opening up and acknowledging your feelings. These tips are also meant to boost your self-esteem and remove toxic thoughts that sabotage your emotional health.

1. Counseling: Talk to a counselor or psychologist regularly so that you can hear yourself work through your problems. Setting aside an hour each week also ensures that you make you time to address your feelings, instead of burying them until they manifest in an unhealthy way.
2. Be social: Getting out with friends or even going to a coffee shop will make you feel more connected to the community around you and can distract you from your own problems for a while.
3. Open up: Share your thoughts, goals and feelings with a friend or family member to purge yourself of anxiety, self-doubt, or any other negative emotions.
4. Self confidence: Give your self-confidence a boost and get rid of negative thoughts that harm your spirit and prevent you from doing the things that make you happy.
5. Set realistic goals: By setting realistic goals, you’re more likely to feel a sense of achievement and triumph as you complete each one.
6. Understand your body: To prevent poisonous thoughts and mental disorders like depression or anorexia/bulimia, get to know your body and your mind. Appreciate yourself for who you are and understand what triggers can set you off so that you can avoid feeling down.

Organization Tips

Staying organized will elevate your mood and keep your surroundings clean and bacteria-free.

1. De-clutter: Clutter around your house and in your schedule can cause you to feel stressed, anxious and even unhealthy, if your clutter is really dirty.
2. Take out the trash frequently: This tip may seem like a given, but taking out the trash instantly removes poisons and waste from your surroundings.
3. Budget: Organize your budget to avoid overspending, debt, unpaid bills, unpaid taxes and other stress factors that could land you in serious trouble.
4. Schedule: Prevent scheduling conflicts, missed appointments, over bookings and running yourself ragged by maintaining a calendar or date book.
5. Get tech help: Use an online program like Tada Lists or Remember the Milk so that you don’t have to keep up with to-do lists floating around your car, office and home.

Simplify Your Life

By simplifying your life, you can have more time to concentrate on your health. From re-prioritizing your to-do lists to automating regular tasks like bill paying, consider downsizing in the following ways.

1. Just say no: Don’t agree to run every event, attend every meeting or go to every party. Saying no can free up valuable time for yourself and prevent you from over stimulating your mind.
2. Keep things perspective: Instead of overreacting to every setback, keep things in perspective. Ask yourself if the problem at hand will matter in six days’ or six months’ time. Most of the time it won’t, and you can save yourself a lot of toxic worry.
3. Automate regular tasks: Set up an automatic bill pay or savings action so that you don’t have to waste time writing checks each month, and so you won’t fall behind on payments.
4. Take time out: Slow down every once in a while to give your mind and body a rest by taking a long weekend, going on a relaxing vacation or just making room in your schedule for an extra nap.
5. Cut back on communication: Don’t isolate yourself, but minimize the different communication platforms like Twitter, e-mail, Facebook and VoIP that you check each day to eliminate extra junk mail, distractions on welcome pages and useless messages.

Food and Diet

If you aren’t ready to start a full-on detox diet, introduce fresh, organic produce, fiber and plenty of water into your diet as a gentle and healthy way to rid your body of chemicals.

1. Fiber: Fiber cleanses your body and your digestive tract, so opt for foods like whole wheat bread, brown rice, broccoli, bran cereal, corn and other raw vegetables and fruits.
2. Vitamin C: Vitamin C is a great detox agent for cleansing the liver, as it produces glutathione.
3. Water: Water is one of the easiest and most effective ways to flush out your system. It’s also a good substitute for soda, alcoholic beverages and sugary juices when you’re thirsty.
4. Garlic: Garlic is a great ingredient for promoting good health, especially detox, as it is rich in antioxidants.
5. Organic foods: Incorporate organic foods, especially fruits and vegetables into your diet, since they are free of harmful pesticides and chemicals.
6. Locally grown food: For a more socially conscious move, buy locally grown food to support your community in a green way.
7. Ethical food: Ease your conscience by making sure your food was produced in an ethical way, from conditions of slaughterhouses to Fair Trade coffee growers and harvesters.
8. Blueberries: Blueberries are extremely high in antioxidants and keep your brain sharp.
9. Say no to junk food: Processed junk food full of unnatural sweeteners and chemicals pumps poison into your body, can cause you to become overweight, and negatively affects your heart health. Even diet junk-food is processed and unhealthy.
10. Raw food: Whether you live a completely raw food and product lifestyle, or you’d like to try a raw food detox diet, raw food can be an effective way to cleanse your body of animal products and processed ingredients.

Exercise and Sleep

Getting enough of the right kind of exercise and sleep purifies both your mind and your body.

1. Cardio: Besides being a major calorie-busting workout, a cardio routine is also good for anger management.
2. Yoga: Yoga is one of the most popular exercises for a de-stress, detox lifestyle because it eases the mind, decreases blood pressure, increases your respiratory efficiency, helps digestion, improves focus and posture, and helps you sleep better.
3. Pilates: Like yoga, pilates can boost energy and your immune system without requiring a sweat-inducing cardio workout.
4. Reduce your body fat: Besides looking more in shape, reducing your body fat, which is where a lot of toxins in your body are stored.
5. Swimming: The website The Natural Path describes swimming as a good exercise for detox, as it works out your muscles and heart but also “increases your breathing and your body temperature, thus aiding in your internal cleansing.” Try to swim in a pool with as less chlorine as possible, or in a natural body of water.
6. Sweat: Pick an exercise that makes you sweat, which cleanses some toxins from the surface of your body.
7. Exercise the right way: Make sure you’re following the routine or fitness plan exactly; otherwise, you might injure yourself.
8. Keep a regular sleeping schedule: This schedule should include a routine for preparing for bed and making yourself sleepy, as well as waking up at around the same time each morning.
9. Exercise for sleep: Maintaining an active lifestyle can wear your body out just enough to ensure a restful sleep.
10. Protect your sleep environment: Polluting your bedroom with TV, artificial light from your computer and work materials can interfere with your sleep.

Good Lifestyle Choices and Links

Make good lifestyle choices, by avoiding promiscuity, maintaining proper hygiene and considering a holistic or even macrobiotic lifestyle.

1. Go organic: An organic lifestyle rids your body and environment of pesticides and may also mean that you support local growers and more ethically produced foods and products.
2. Promiscuity: This bad habit increases your chances of catching an STD and feeling emotionally dragged down.
3. Holistic lifestyle: A holistic lifestyle gives equal attention to your mind, body and spirit, so that you monitor the health and toxicity of every part of yourself.
4. Macrobiotic lifestyle: A macrobiotic lifestyle “is a way of life based upon living in harmony with nature through a balanced whole foods diet, an active lifestyle, and respect for the natural environment,” according to CrescentLife.com. Get tips for living this way by following the link.
5. Go vegan: There are a host of benefits associated with a vegan lifestyle, like good nutrition, disease prevention, avoiding harmful processed ingredients, helping the environment and more.
6. Oral hygiene: Your oral hygiene affects your overall health, so make sure your floss and brush a few times daily.
7. Bathing: Wash off the dirt, chemicals and other toxins on your skin by bathing regularly.
8. Wash hands frequently: Avoid getting sick by washing your hands frequently, which kills germs and washes off other harmful bacteria.
9. Feng shui: The purpose of practicing feng shui is to balance out your elements and promote the free flow of energy, greatly reducing the toxicity and stress of any environment. Get easy-to-follow tips here.
10. Pranayama: This yoga breathing exercise maximizes the amount of oxygen that goes to your brain, controlling “Prana, or the vital life energy.”
11. Strategic massage: Get a massage that stimulates your digestive system and increases your body’s ability to eliminate waste.

Purifying Your Environment

This list features different ways that you can purify your environment and ensure that your home, office and commute are free of all kinds of pollutants.

1. Drive an eco-friendly car: An electric car is good for the environment and your health, since you won’t have to breathe in toxic fumes at the gas station.
2. Walk or bike to work: Another way to prevent inhalation of gas fumes is to walk or bike to work, if you can find a route that doesn’t involve riding behind other gas guzzling vehicles.
3. Grow a garden: Grow your own vegetables to cut back on pesticides and environmentally harmful packaging and delivery methods.
4. Make your own household cleaning products: There are a lot of recipes online for concocting your own supply of household cleaning products, free of dangerous chemicals and chlorine.
5. Composting: Recycle your waste and feed your garden by composting.
6. Keep plants indoors: Having plants indoors increases oxygen production and zaps up extra carbon dioxide, purifying your air.
7. Aromatherapy: Natural aromatherapy can be a great help to simple ailments and colds, and it’s also a good stress reliever.
8. Throw away pet waste: Clean out the cat’s litter box and pick up after your dog, even in the backyard, to prevent the spread of bacteria that can make you and your family sick.
9. Air quality: Make sure the air quality in your home or office is healthy by ventilating the rooms, changing out your air filters and using natural home furnishings and carpet.
10. Sustainability: Sustainable living is an ethical and practical way to live, as it saves you money on energy costs and is good for the environment. Get tips for living a sustainable, poison-free lifestyle here.”

Alcohol is a toxin to the body- it interferes with the nutritional process by affecting digestion, storage, utilization, and excretion of nutrients (NIAAA Director Enoch Gordis, M.D.). We all need 50+ nutrients per day to enable normal bodily function; unfortunately alcohol inhibits the breakdown of nutrients into usable molecules by decreasing secretion of digestive enzymes from the pancreas. Furthermore, alcohol impairs nutrient absorption by damaging the cells lining the stomach and intestines and disabling transport of some nutrients into the blood. Even if nutrients are digested and absorbed, alcohol can prevent them from being fully utilized by altering their transport, storage, and excretion (NIAAA Director Enoch Gordis, M.D.).

Your body can process 1 standard drink per hour- aim to keep it to that otherwise you will overload your system and your budget if buying drinks! Drink water in between each alcoholic drink and count the number of drinks- just be aware! Alcohol is especially a killer if you are trying to lose weight, added calories with no benefit. A glass of wine or two per night may increase your weight by 1kg per month if you don’t burn those extra calories off. 1x standard 140ml glass of wine is approximately 130 calories which is a 20min brisk walk!

Alcohol is a toxin for the body