Vol. 3, Issue 47, March 26, 2009
From the Desk of the Diva
 I'm sitting here crunching away on a warm buckwheat cookie that I just pulled out of the dehydrator. Mmmmhmm... smells like banana bread in my house and I love it! The FREE 90-Day Detox is cruising right along and we are rapidly approaching the half-way mark. If you've been missing out on the inspiration, feel free to check out the Raw Diva Blog and load up on some inspiration for healthy living.
Don't you find it fascinating that for the amount of time we spend thinking, worrying and obsessing about what we put into our bodies, we certainly spend a disproportionate amount of time discussing what comes out the other end? We blush, or get embarrased when we talk about it, but there are some very important things to know about "POOP" and that is why this week we've decided to just get straight-up on the subject by inviting Special Guest, Michael Perrine, of Gravity East Village in New York City to join us for a teleseminar TONIGHT!
My date with Brian Johnson, The Philosopher himself, was rescheduled for tomorrow, and I definitely encourage you to check out that call, too! Inspiration unbridled! I'm going to keep it short today, Sunshine, with a little reminder to watch your inbox over the next few days because we have a V-E-R-Y exciting announcement coming down the tracks that we've been working on. Here's hoping this week's issue of Health in High Heels brightens your day.
Sparkly parsley kisses and goooood vibrations,
Tera
P.S. Ohhh, I almost forgot! Check out the latest Raw Diva vid, this time starring my daughter, Mika, as she experiments with a "Fuschia Smoothie"!
In This Issue:
Vital Vittle: Turnip Greens, by Maureen Lauder
Recipe of the Week: Diva Inspired Detox Salad by Karyn Collins
Feature Article: 5 Important Things To Consider Before You Pack Another School Lunch for Your Kids by Tera Warner and Shannon Leone
The Vital Vittle
Food of the Week: Turnip Greens
By Maureen Lauder
This just in: Turnip greens might be the king of greens. It would take a lot to end my love affair with kale, but I just got a load of the nutritional info on turnip greens and hoo boy!
Here's why they look so good:
- Turnip greens contain so much vitamin K (more than 600% (!!!) the recommended daily value) that "super-charged" is the only word I can think to describe it.
- Turnip greens are also a tremendous source of vitamins A, B6, C, and E, folate, manganese, calcium, and copper. Not to mention tryptophan, potassium, magnesium, iron, phosphorus, and vitamins B1, B2, B3, and B5.
- Turnip greens fight the good fight against rheumatoid arthritis. Vitamin A helps support the health of the synovial membrane that lines the joints, while vitamins C and E helps fight free radical damage that may deteriorate joints. And copper supports the production of connective tissue that is often damaged by arthritis.
- Prevent colon cancer with turnip greens. Turnip greens contain significant quantities of antioxidants, as well as calcium and fiber. All of which are associated with a lower risk of colon cancer.
- Vitamin E, vitamin C, and beta-carotene (which is converted to vitamin A in the body) are an amazing antioxidant combination that's super healthy for all your body parts. Among other things, these antioxidants can reduce platelet clumping and LDL oxidation-which means less chance of developing atherosclerosis. Plus B6 and folate help reduce homocysteine, a molecule that can damage the walls of the blood vessel.
- The vitamin E in turnip greens (and there's a good bunch of it) is associated with a decreased loss of mental function. Age-related cognitive decline slowed by as much as 40% in people who ate 3 servings a day of leafy greens.
So when you crack out that blender for your morning smoothie, drop in a bunch of turnip greens. They're usually sold with roots attached - just look for crisp, undamaged leaves with a dark green color.
Add to your smoothie and enjoy!
Or you can marinate the greens in lemon juice, olive oil, and add herbs and spices, garlic, salt, red or black pepper. This makes a great spicy dish...yum!
(Okay...I admit...it might not trump kale, but it's a serious contender!)
 Turn that Green Sludge into a
Frozen and Fruity (but still GREEN) Smoothie!
Learn how to love drinking your greens!
Diva Inspired Detox Salad
By Karyn Collins
 Ingredients:
Large handful of sunflower sprouts
Large handful of arugula
Small handful of dulse
2-3 stalks of bok choy
1-2 green apples (granny smith)
Sprinkling of raisins
Drizzle of cold pressed extra virgin olive oil
Lemon juice (I used a half slice cut maybe about 1/4″ thick)
Fresh ground pepper to taste
Directions:
Place the sprouts, arugula, dulse and bok choy leaves in a bowl & cut into small pieces. Dice the bok choy stalks and toss ‘em in. Chop/dice the green apples and toss ‘em in. Sprinkle on the raisins. Drizzle on the olive oil. Squeeze on the lemon juice. Grind on the pepper.
(Do a little dance while you're doing all this - so much fun!)
Toss and enjoy!
*Sorry about the lack of measurements...my food preparation tends to be more art than science.
Want it?
You can have it.
5 Important Things To Consider Before You Pack Another School Lunch for Your Kids
By Tera Warner and Shannon Leone
Getting kids to eat properly in today's fast-paced, fast-food world is a huge challenge for us moms. Add to that the school policies on no nuts and the fact that food has to stay unrefrigerated for 3 hours and you've got some real creativity that needs to be in order to get your kids on healthy lunches.
Yet so much hangs in the balance if we fall short. Food will affect their bio-chemistry, their energy level, their ability to focus, and even their sense of self. If blood sugar levels are unstable, or if meals aren't being digested, children will eventually be handicapped when it comes to reaching their potential. It is our privilege and responsibility as mothers to give our children the very best chances to succeed in life, and we do that by putting care and attention in the meals we serve.
Here are some clever tips for making more healthy lunches for kids:
1. Good Food Can Be Fast Food, Too
These days the most color kids get in their lunch box is on the logo of a "Twinkie" wrapper!
The excessive packaging is an environmental nightmare! Just because some people know how to market to busy, multitasking women, doesn't mean what they're selling is ethical. Juice boxes, "Lunchables", mini crackers and cheese and chocolate dips with cookies, all neatly packed and ready to send might be quick for you, but the long term consequences of these choices cannot be overlooked. The fastest food there is is an apple!
 2. Insist a bit and be prepared for "Withdrawal"
Understand that many of the foods kids eat these days are physiologically addictive. You can actually think of your children as mini drug addicts, hooked on the dope of refined sugars, salty meats, cheeses, crackers and many poor quality breads. You need to get them through withdrawal!
But be warned, Mother. You're going to need to get yourself through withdrawal, too, if these eating habits are reflective of your own unresolved patterns.
Once you've decided you're going to do it, prepare for war! War against every bit of nutritional indoctrination you've ever been fed! When you're children come to you protesting that they NEEEED those sausage links and cheese balls, when they tell you they HATE melon and celery and cucumber, then smile and tell them you understand and that this, too, shall pass!
They are in withdrawal! Persist and your children will be healthier, brighter, more calm and clearer eyed than you have ever seen. You will reap the rewards of transitioning your kids to a healthier diet soon. You'll have the assurance of knowing that you're giving them the very best start in life you can, and that they will be thriving in those little bodies of theirs.
3. Don't Overdo A Good Thing: Treat Reduction = Increased Appreciation
Remember when 'treats' were a rare and special thing growing up? I was talking to a lady who works in the grocery store where I shop- she calls me the GREEN QUEEN because they say my cart looks like a GARDEN. So I mentioned something to the effect of kids today get way too many treats. Her reply was "Kids today don't get any treats". I was confused and asked her what she meant. She responded "Kids today get whatever they want, whenever they want, so nothing is ever saved as a treat." Well said!
This is a double rip-off because it means kids are missing out in more ways than one. GONE is the satisfaction that comes from longing for something special, having to wait until the right occasion, then achieving it and feeling how much more wonderful it is after having waited. Today kids are missing out on this subtle pleasure, which is also the learned skill of waiting to delay gratification.
4. What To Put In Their Lunches?
Many schools have strict policies that packed lunches cannot include nuts. This means no garden burgers, pates or desserts with any nuts or nut butters. PLUS the food has to hold up for about three hours without a fridge. There go the avocados, too. Let's face it school lunches are tough, but here are a few helpful suggestions:
Things To Include:
- Loads of Fresh Fruit, Berries
- Freshly grind your sesame seeds and mix with a bit of honey.
- Manna Bread: Sprouted grain breads and loaves.
- Rice and sushi loaded with veggie strips
- All vegetable sticks.
- A cool pack with a smoothie.
- Bean salads (chick peas, sprouted lentils, etc.)
- Rice cakes
- Sunflower paté
 Don't feel guilty about keeping it simple. Let your kids be a beacon of color and include cute notes, loving messages and little surprises, too. Nothing is more beautiful than big slices of melon and fresh strawberries!
5. Slow Down, Mom! This One Counts!
I know how difficult it feels at times to keep all the plates spinning in the air with the busy lives we are living. If we don't have time to nurture our children by feeding them wholesome food, we set them up for all kinds of unnecessary, avoidable struggles and difficulties. It could then be considered that we have lost the plot; the purpose and privilege we have to be raising children. We need to bring ourselves back to basics and get this right. Of all the things on your to do list, Mom, this one really is worth taking the time and making it happen the right way!
While you might be putting out a bit more time to put together your ecologically conscious, healthy school lunch, and while you may also have a bit of protest to get through in order to pull it off, the results will speak for themselves with a child who is calm, concentrated, has natural hunger and whose body thrives on good food and mama's lovin'.
And if you found this article helpful, you'll want to check out our Raw Mom website and sign up for the Tid Bits to get advice, suggestions and easy, KID-FRIENDLY recipes!
Break free of those 4 Basic Food Groups!
Find out what SHOULD be missing from their lunch boxes!
No more mealtime battles! Just healthy, happy kids!
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Raw desserts that will end your cheesecake cravings!
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