Detox Not Botox!

We hear a lot about detoxifying… its kind of a buzzword really, but do we know why and how we should detoxify?

Well for starters, toxins surround us in urban environments: the air we breathe (pollution, smoke), water we drink (lead from pipes, chemicals from water sources), and food we eat (pesticides, chemically enhanced). Add the toxic effects of stress (cortisol) and you have a recipe for disaster!

So in essence, detoxification is basically a cleansing routine to reduce the body’s toxic load. Instead of calling Tyrone to deal with all this toxic baggage we have a better approach to healing and riding our bodies of excess built up toxins.

If you have complaints such as fatigue that you notice is in excess of what you regularly feel, or skin rashes like eczema, or even excess weight, its your bodies way of saying, “Yo, clean me out!”.

Here is a basic chart that everyone can follow to keep the body clean throughout the year:

Daily use: - Detox tea I recommend Triple Leaf Tea (A traditional Chinese Medicinal tea blend) has burdock and dandelion to cleanse blood.

-Fiber (adheres to fat and carries it out of colon, lowers cholesterol, bowel health)

-Probiotics (displaces harmful microbes, regulates immunity, enhances digestion)

-Green Foods (Sea moss, spirulina, chlorella all have concentrated nutrients and promote purification and rejuvenation)

-Red Foods (antioxidants, also fights infection and inflammation)

Also, consider an annual fast to really cleanse and eliminate. This site has great information on detoxification on every level: http://www.womentowomen.com/detoxification/naturalbodydetoxification.aspx

Two Moms in the Raw

Starved and in between meetings armed with a Starbucks gift certificate and no cash, I found the nearest Starbucks for a soy latte and quite possibly any non-dairy snack I could find. I got the feeling the 'Buck (as I like to call it) wouldn't have a large and delicious selection of vegan fair. I was right, they really didn't. BUT one amazing option available was a blueberry granola from TWO MOMS IN THE RAW. Zoinks!!!! I had a perfect little snack - gluten-free and dairy-free. Be on the look out.

The company has a great story - Shari, the owner/founder was diagnosed with MS and decided to spread the love and healing foods by creating good, healthy snacks for the buck-head masses.

Check it out online: http://2momsintheraw.com/index.html

Urban Farming On The Rise

Image by Huffington Post

One of the latest additions to New York's ever growing urban atmosphere is Roof Top Farms offering rural charm to the industrial area of Greenpoint, Brooklyn.
Over looking Manhattan's skyline this 6,000 square organic roof top farm includes 30 varieties of vegetables,fruits, flowers and herbs, farmers market, farming courses and volunteer opportunities.

Roof Top Farm embodies the spirit of Brooklyn by taking advantage of the community and local restaurants Marlow & Sons, Anella and Vesta Trattoria are all buying from the farm.
By volunteering or visit the farmers market you can help growing this wonderful Greenpoint green space.
Read more here and visit their website

http://rooftopfarms.org/

Thou Shalt Covet This

Form plus function; times eco-consciousness equals Tara St. James' line, Covet. Bamboo, organic cotton, soybean rayon and natural dyes are just a few of the elements that make Covet stand out in a world filled with unpronounceable frankenfabrics. Tara has been described as "a beacon of light in the dark, jagged landscape of the fashion industry (Discerning Brute)."

Covet's got more fashion and eco cred than you can shake a stick at so you'll want to get your hands on these two offerings from Ladies Lotto's Charity Water benefit auction.

Covet this line, not clean water.


Photo: Cepolina