Vol. 3, Issue 3, April 15, 2009

From the Desk of the Diva

Spring is here and the season is ripe for cleansing and renewal.  Hats off to our Green Smoothie Detoxers who are bonding with their blenders this week and making some exciting changes to their diets and working hard to put new healthy habits in place before bikini season hits! You're too late to register for the 21-Day Green Smoothie Detox, but if you hurry, you can sign up for the next version of our 6-Week Deep Tissue Detox which starts up on May 17th. No matter which detox program you're doing this spring, Tracy Neely's article on Top 10 Detox Foods is going to help you adapt your menu to get the best results possible from your detox!

To help us prepare for the season of short skirts and bare skin is our Raw Diva fashion consultant and image consultant, Ginger Burr. In a world of pesitcide-soaked by-products and hydrogentated, emulsified, mechanically separated "food products," by the time you find yourself reading an issue of Health in High Heels, you've learned a thing or two about what's on your plate and the consequences of eating it. So how about the clothes you wear?

Where did they come? How were they treated along the way? While I'm not suggesting you go out and donate all your leather to charity, today's article about compassionate fashion will be the inspiration you need as you start thinking about a new spring wardrobe.

Speaking of wardrobes, our 30-Day Spring Clutter Busting program will be starting up on May 16th. Register now because this is the perfect time to clear out your old junk and make way for something better! This program can easily be taken in conjunction with our 6-Week Deep Tissue Detox, in fact, we recommend it! (Talk to us if you're thinking of doing both these programs and we'll give you a special discount!)

If you scroll all the way to the end of this week's Health in High Heels, you'll see there are quite a few things going on that I'm excited about. We have a whole, new series of live events and workshops happening here in Montreal, but this is just the beginning. For now, I trust this week's issue has enough to tie you over.

Enjoy this issue of Health in High Heels and thank you so much for your support and enthusiasm about what we do!

Off for a bike ride in the spring rain,

Tera

In this Issue:

Beauty Feature: Compassionate Fasion Tips for Your Spring Wardrobe by Ginger Burr

Health Feature: Top 10 Foods to Support a Spring Detox by Tracy Neely

Recipes of The Week: Garlic & Sea Butter Spaghetti by Joanna Stevens

Upcoming Events: See What's Shakin' LIVE in Montreal

Retail Therapy and more...

Compassionate Fashion Tips for Your Spring Wardrobe

Most of the spring trends (whether good, bad and just plain weird) are vegan-friendly.  Dresses, pretty prints, ruffles… can all be found in cruelty-free fabrics.  Even the gladiator sandals or high-heeled clogs, if you are so inclined, have non-leather options available.  Being in style (or even outrageously trendy) and dressing with compassion are not mutually exclusive.  I mean, just look at this stunning shoe from Charmone.

There are, however, a few hot trends this season that are, sadly, created by way of a lot of animal suffering.

•    Everything Leather.

This is not typically a warm weather trend, but this season leather is everywhere – tank tops, jackets, and even shorts (why!?) are available in leather options.  The production of leather is equally as horrifying as fur, but the fact that leather is more"processed" can be dyed, shopped and zipperized much more easily, makes the fact that it is still the skin of an animal, less obvious. Leather and Fur production are indistinguishable in their imposed cruelty and suffering.  (When they describe the leather as "super soft" or "soft as butter" they are often referring to the skin of babies newly born and even unborn.)

The good news?  There are plenty of wonderful options out there made out of other fabrics like cotton, linen, rayon and microfiber jersey.  Love the look of leather?  Vote for fabulous faux options instead and here's a cool place to start.

•    Feathers.

They seem light and innocent enough, but are they? We tickle with them and blow them in the wind, but when was the last time you considered where they come from or how they got to be in your bedding, your coats and your boas?

I'd like to think there is a friendly feather-gatherer who lives in the woods. He just follows birds around, gathers up the feathers when they fall, then stuffs them into blankets, coats and on frilly skirts. I'd like to be able to believe that, but I can't. Procuring feathers for fashion and bedding is brutal business.  Whether the bird is dead or alive before the feathers are plucked doesn't really matter.  Either way, their lives are filled with constant suffering. (Just as a quick aside…if you have a pair of ostrich shoes, take a look at the round markings.  Guess what those are?  They are evidence of the scarring that occurs when the feathers are ripped from the skin while the bird is still alive.)

So, go for frills instead of feathers.

Go for organic cotton yoga pants instead of tight leather slacks.

Go for long, flowing dresses instead of fur coats.

No one expects you to throw away everything you have tomorrow, but if you don't buy feathers and leather, these trends will fizzle out.  In the meantime, you can make a fabulous statement for compassionate fashion this spring by avoiding those items and adding more cruelty-free choices to your repertoire.

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Go From Clutter to Cleanliness in Only 30 Days!

Sign up for our Spring Clutter Busting Event TODAY!

Top 10 Detox Foods to Eat for Better Health and Beautiful Skin

by Tracy Neely

The body is continuously working to stay in an alkaline state and the body’s acid-alkaline balance adjusts throughout the day depending on the types of foods you consume.  In today’s fast paced society, we consume high amounts of refined foods that contain sugar, cow’s milk products, excess salt, alcohol, wheat as well as meats that contain high amounts of saturated fat. Over time these foods can cause increased inflammation in the body and can wreak havoc on the skin causing acne, psoriasis and eczema.  Adding more detoxifying foods to your diet will not only keep your body in an alkaline state, but depending on which detox foods you include in your diet, will help to eliminate toxins that have accumulated over time.

Adding the following foods to your diet, will allow your body to detox naturally and improve your skin and overall health and energy:

*Apple contains pectin which helps to excrete heavy metals and is cleansing for the liver and the kidneys

*Artichoke increases bile production and purifies and protects the liver and has a diuretic effect on the kidneys.

*Asparagus is a great diuretic that helps to support and maintain restorative properties that promote good bacteria in the intestines.

*Cruciferous Vegetables (Broccoli, Sprouts, Cabbage and Cauliflower) increase levels of glutathione, a powerful antioxidant that supports the liver in releasing toxins.

*Fennel has strong diuretic properties that help eliminate fats from the body.

*Garlic known as nature’s pharmacy has powerful antioxidants properties that convert to sulphur based compounds which bind to mercury as well as food additives.  It also activates liver enzymes that help to filter out refined foods.

*Ginger for some, is known as a panacea that relieves bloating and nausea, but also helps to stimulate digestive enzymes which supports healthy digestion.

*Lemon stimulates the release of enzymes and helps convert toxins into a water-soluble form that's easily excreted from the body. Drinking lemon water, which is alkaline- forming first thing in the morning, will help to balance out the acidity from the acid forming foods we’ve consumed.

*Parsley contains powerful phytonutrients and is a diuretic and helps the kidneys to release toxins.  As a side note, parsley will help to reduce the flavor after eating raw garlic.

*Leafy Greens (Kale, Chard, Dandelion and Spinach) are considered a powerhouse of nutrients that are probably the number one food missing from the American diet.  They are a rich source of minerals and provide a variety of phytonutrients.  They are super antioxidants that support cleansing of the digestive tract.

*Sea Vegetables, often called seaweeds are powerful antioxidants that help to alkalize the blood and strengthen the digestive tract.  The algin in seaweeds absorbs toxins from the digestive tract in much the same way that a water softener removes the hardness from tap water.  Sea vegetables offer the broadest range of minerals of any food, containing virtually all the minerals found in the ocean-the same minerals that are found in human blood.

*Watercress a natural diuretic purifies the blood and encourages enzyme production.

Adding these detox superfoods to your diet will help to reduce the toxic load on your organs and will also help to reduce the amount of acidity and inflammation in the body.

*** Tracy Neely is the founder and owner of  Nourish & Flourish Healthy Living, a holistic nutrition and wellness consulting business located in Orlando Florida. Tracy's love for raw foods led her to implement raw food cooking demonstrations within her consulting business.Tracy is a mother of a wonderful little boy and a wife to an amazing man and enjoys doing yoga, juicing and creating green smoothie recipes, reading books and going for walks with her family.

What if Green Smoothies are not Enough?

If you're struggling with low energy and chronic conditions

you just can't kick, it's time to take your detox deeper.

The 6-Week Deep Tissue Detox.

Register Today for The Ultimate

Whole Body Cleansing & Rejuvenation Program.

Next Session Starts on May 17th!

Recipe of the Week: Tagliatelle Al Pesto

When soaked, sea spaghetti becomes large and soft like tagliatelle noodles, and when coated in a delicious raw pesto sauce, it is so similar to real pasta you won’t believe your taste buds!

Ingredients:

Directions:

Garlic & Butter Sea Spaghetti

A quick and easy meal which can be ready in seconds if you have pre-soaked sea spaghetti.

Ingredients

• 1 cup soaked sea spaghetti
• 1 clove garlic, mashed until creamy
• 1 t- 1 T olive oil (or less, just to coat the spaghetti)
• Ground black pepper, to taste
• Chopped fresh parsley, or a few pinches dried
• 1 T pine nuts
• 1 T hemp seeds

Directions

• Mix the garlic, olive oil, pepper and parsley together.
• Toss with the sea spaghetti, and arrange on a plate.
• Sprinkle the pine nuts and hemp seeds on top, and serve.

To learn more about sea spaghetti you can check out this article on the Diva Blog. You can order sea spaghetti from Sirova Raw Foods in the US. To purchase sea spaghetti in the UK, please visit www.rawliving.eu.

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Upcoming Workshops in Montreal: Join Us for an Adventure!

It's great to have all these online programs, but nothing can replace the value of real, live Sisterhood. Hugs don't transmit well across the 1s and 0s, and so we've started to offer a series of local community events to offer you more chances to get connected. If you're in the area, we'd love to see you in our community kitchen. April events are already sold out, but check out what's coming for May and reserve your spot today!

Introduction to Green Smoothies

Our April workshops are full, but on May 5th and 16th (en français) and May 6th (in English) you're welcome to join us for an unforgettable everning of green smoothie adventures. This class is perfect for people of all levels of experience and interest in raw food or healthy living. This playful, hands-on workshop will inspire you to simplify your food for and feel confident about the choices you make for your health and well-being. Call 514 833 3482 to reserve your spot  and get the address. Admission is $20, but you can bring a friend for FREE! Doors open at 6:30 and the class starts precisely at 7:00 p.m..

How to do a Gentle Spring Detox

May 16th at Naada Yoga Studio. From 2:30 - 4:30 pm.

This is a free community lecture offered in association with Naada Yoga, and participants will be invited to join our full-support 14-Day Spring Detox complete with menu planner and detox-specific yoga program included. To learn more about this event and reserve your place for our free community lecture, please contact Naada Yoga studio at (514) 510-3274.

21-Day Green Smoothie Detox (LIVE)

We'll be offering out 21-Day Green Smoothie Detox LIVE for a small group of 15-20 participants here in Montreal. Sheryl-Anne of Crudivas and myself will be hosting this event that takes place over 4 weeks. We'll be having live workshops, teleseminars and a complete menu planner, green jug, e-book and other treats will be provided. Registrations are extremely limited. Please call to reserve your place for this event. 514 833-3482.

Raw Food Kitchen Adventures for Kids

Get out of the way, mom. This is a kid-directed class where they make the rules and play the game their way. With 3 different stations and loads of foods to choose from this class is the perfect opportunity to get your kids excited about making healthy snacks and eating more fruits and vegetables. Class fee is $15 per child. Parents can come for free. This is a nut-free class and all recipes provided will be gluten-free, nut-free and dairy free with plenty of ideas for healthy school lunchbox snacks. May 22nd from 1:30 until 4:30pm. 2620 Frontenac, Suite 1. Please call to reserv your place, spaces are VERY limited. 514 833 3482.

NEW! Discover the Power of Effective Communication

You can eat all the healthy food you want, but if you have relationships that drag you down, if you struggle to communicate what you think and find yourself in arguements with the people you care about, you will not thrive or have good health. You don't have to spend 10 years in therapy to improve your relationships and your life. I'm organizing this event with two of the most well-respected communication experts in the world. Darrel Schereth and Yves Fiset. The event will be conducted in French. Admission $20/person and you can invite someone to attend for free. Takes place on Thursday, May 13th from 6:30 pm to 9:30 pm. Call  for more info andto reserve your place. 514 833 3482.

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