Amazing Artichokes

Artichokes deserve their very own post!  Simply because artichokes are the detox powerhouse.  However, many people, including myself don't *really* like to buy them because they look at the vegetable and think, how would I eat this thing????  Don't worry, I used to think that way too...and here is my attempt to debunk your hesitations.

First, let me talk about the incredible properties of artichokes.  They are a liver-cleansing food, in other words detoxification.  Detoxification is important for battling diseases and keeping a healthy body.  Artichokes are a good source of silymarin, which helps protect and nourish the liver.

According to herbal experts Joe and Teresa Graydon, Ph.D. (authors of The People's Pharmacy), patients with chronic gastrointestinal (GI) upset who were given artichoke extract showed incredible improvement.  Another study showed patients experience relief from stomach pain, nausea and vomiting.  [Remember, findingfoodorlove.com does not provide medical advice, please consult your physician--but what awesome results!]

Second, how to consume whole artichokes.  After you buy a artichoke from the store, you will want to peel the outside layers by the stem, remove any fibers or small leaves at the bottom of the artichoke.  Next, cut the spikey tips of the artichoke leaves.  After you go around cutting all of them, cut off the top where all the leaves start to bunch up so you end up with something that looks like my picture.

Steam the artichokes for about 15-20 minutes.

That's it!  Now eat.  Just pull the leaves off and scrape the base of the leaf with your teeth.  When you get down to the heart of the artichoke, remove the hairy 'choke' (inedible fuzzy part).

I can eat with no dip.  It's really healthy.  It does take some work to eat, but in my opinion, when we have to work for our food, I think we eat better portions.

Source: The 150 Healthiest Foods on Earth by Jonny Bowden

Planning for a Detox Diet

Ok, I am going to take a step back.  Let me explain detox and how I understand detox.  Detox is removing toxins in your body via the bloodstream.  Check.  Detox is eating certain foods and avoiding other foods.  Check.  Detox is a balanced diet, not extreme.  Please Check.

I say this because although people do a "detox" diet for a few days, it is not a quick fix or a way to lose weight.  After my detox diet for 6 days, I was the same weight, but the weight felt different and my energy level was different.  I have not read this entire site, but here is one easy way to understand how the liver works with detoxification: 'The liver attempts to keep the body clean as it denies other toxins from entering the blood stream, however, over time, this body detox process is exposed to so many toxins that this natural fight mechanism can wear down – so learning how to detox your body can bring substantial benefits to your health and well being." http://www.healthydetoxtips.com/

Detox is about boosting, rejuvenating and loving your liver.  Most people don't think about or appreciate the functions of the liver.  The liver is your powerhouse - difference between energy and lack of energy.  Your bloodflow enables your liver to be healthy or not.  So, if you don't have a lot of blood, it is not circulating, or your body is having trouble making quality blood, the ensuing results are sickness, weakness and poor organ health.  Please note: this is a Chinese medicine concept.  Given my previous Detox the USA post, this is why detox diets coincide with Chinese medicine principles.


If you have a medical condition, you may need to consult your doctor before implementing any of these tips.

How to start:

1) Plan.  If you don't plan, you basically won't be able to keep up with it.  If this is your first time, don't overdo it.  Start with 3 days.  See how your lifestyle changes, then go on to longer stints.  Think about what you want to eat, write it out, then grocery shop/restaurant find.  You don't have to go on a "detox diet."  You can just incorporate the different foods, and you will be detoxifying everyday!  Diets give you an idea of what if feels like, but ultimate goal is to eat a balanced, detoxifying everyday diet.

2) Create a base.  You need to be hydrated on water.  Detox includes drinking water (I recommend room temperature).  Green tea can be added if you desire.  Cut alcohol, sugary drinks, sugar in general.

3) Listen to your body.  Don't over do something (like cut out all fats or something to that effect).  Detox diet is not a crash and burn diet.  You should feel lighter and stronger, gradually.  However, if your blood flow is not good to start, be extra careful.  The detox diet will actually help you, but you need to regulate your blood sugar levels, and you might want to skip the smoothie phase.

4) More bowel movements.  Don't be surprised if your bowel movements increase to 3 times per day after day three.  This IS SUPER HEALTHY.  It means way less toxins in your body, it smells less (or doesn't really), everything flows more, better health.  I know it's kind of gross to discuss, but quite frankly, three times a day should be a goal.  Reflects hydration, fiber and nutrition.  However, please make the distinction between this and diarrhea.  Not the same.

5) Eat foods to help your liver and kidneys.  Just keep this in mind.  Foods help all sorts of functions, but be on the look out for foods with detoxifying, antioxidative, anti-inflammatory properties.

More about what to eat in my other blog posts.

Detox the USA

I think I have come to the conclusion for now that the detox diet is a way of life, and every person in the USA needs to learn to detox his/her diet.  Why such a bold statement?  Well, for one, I am in agreement with an author, David Servan-Schreiber who wrote the book Anticancer: A New Way of Life.  He is a dedicated scientist and doctor and was diagnosed with brain cancer.  As I told a friend last night, this book is a top read, especially if you want to learn about caring for your health and do all that you can to prevent cancer.  One study said that much of the disease is caused by external, environmental factors rather than genetics.  And, interestingly, the increase of cancer since the 1940s (WWII) is very alarming. 

That leads me to the next question for myself and you, what are you doing to prevent the possibility of cancer?  To ignore would be devastating.

Therefore, this leads me to why I think detox is so important - by definition it is getting rid of toxins in your body, and cancer develops as we toxify our bodies.

Please refer to my previous post called Detox and Cleanse for other ideas on detox.  Here are more:

1) Broccoli.  A cruciferous vegetable, and versatile.  Restaurants serve it, and can be extremely tasty if you cook it right.  Again, please don't boil!  Saute with garlic, maybe some onions, olive oil, salt, pepper.  It just tastes so much better.  And, if you want some nutty flavor, finish it with some sesame oil.  Broccoli rabe has become a staple of mine.  Less processing because the stems are softer.  It is usually a darker color, and the flavor is deeper.  When I go to dinner parties, many people like to serve raw broccoli, dipped in ranch or some dressing.  Not bad, just note that you really should wash vegetables before eating to reduce the pesticides and whatever they spray to keep it from going bad.  But, I have to say, broccoli with ranch ain't my favorite.

2) Kale.  If you are not a fan, I will share with you in my next post of one great recipe for this wonderous vegetable.  Kale has risk-lowering benefits for cancer, including bladder, breast, colon, ovary, and prostate.   There are 45 different flavenoids in kale, and is loaded with vitamins K, A, C (you can throw out your emergen-c).  This amazing vegetable is known for its antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and anticancer properties.  Really try to seek out this vegetable, it will do wonders for your health.

Also, another friend (who is also a subscriber) asked how to find a nutritionist to do a detox diet.  I asked my nutritionist friend who is a registered dietitian and getting his PhD in nutrition.  His experience and advice is that many nutritionists "do not know what a detox diet should be. Most likely, they will tell you to stay away from alcohol, red meat and eat more whole grains, fruits and vegetables."  So, there you go.  A generalization of course, but it is important to find out a potential professional's philosophy on eating and healing.  Chinese medicine and holistic doctors believe in the philosophy of healing through food.  So, it is better to start with them if you are adamant about finding professional help.  Otherwise, keep learning and researching for what makes sense (and plug: keep visiting my blog!)

On kale: http://www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?tname=foodspice&dbid=38

Detox and Cleanse

What about those detox and cleansing diets?  I think detox is important because it means helping, reviving and feeding your liver.  The liver is at the center of good health.  Detoxification of the body is absolutely necessary, and the liver produces biochemicals necessary for digestion.  Also, the liver is our powerhouse.  Our liver gives us energy.  Take too much energy and don't give the liver what it needs to regenerate, that person will age, be prone to disease, and feel tired all the time.  If you feel tired all the time, it isn't "normal."  Yes, most people in this country feel tired all the time, which is not indicative of a healthy life.  Stress, lack of sleep, dehydration, alcohol, terrible diet, etc. may be causes, but at the end of the day, the person's liver is taking the hit.

For the last few years, my poor liver has taken a hit.  Dehydration was a problem, stress, injury, diet were also contributing factors.  I have been doing lots of research on how to rebuild my liver.  I will share here and in future posts about what I have learned.

For one, diet.  I did a detox diet for 6 days a few years ago.  I was feeling tired and just not well before it, and after six days of eating mostly detoxifying food, I could tell a huge difference.  Not until you do one, will you see and become a believer that what you eat really makes a difference.  If you attempt, do research before you start.

Here are a few foods that help the liver, that is aid detoxification:

1) Water.  Number one factor that will help revive and sustain your liver health.  Proper hydration is ABSOLUTELY key.  Every body requires different water amounts, but 2 liters a day is pretty average.  Drinking room temperature water is best; cold water takes energy from your body in order to warm it up.

1) Artichokes.  This green vegetable is amazing when it comes to detoxification.  Even a few bites of artichoke can significantly increase bile production.  From what I found, it is one of the top foods that increases bile production.  Bile helps digestion of fat, elimination of toxins, and bowel movement.  Get the toxins out!

2) Garlic and onions.  These babies solve so many problems for us!  Garlic contains allicin that helps the liver for detoxification.  
 
3) Brussel sprouts.  Really great for the liver.  You can roast brussel sprouts or saute them with onions and garlic.  With proper amounts of salt and pepper, these are really yummy.  Takes a few tries when cooking before you get the hang of it, but well worth the trial and error.

4) Cabbage.  Personally, I never knew or quite understood the properties of cabbage.  Cabbage is really good for the liver and has anti-inflammatory properties.  Please don't boil!  Saute, please. :)

The Incredible Seaweed Hulk

Busy people.  No time to cook, clean.  You're probably stressed, sick.  Sound familiar?  Or at least have experienced it more than you would like?  Seaweed can help.  Yeah, you read it, I am saying seaweed can help your life.  You're probably thinking and now reading, Whaaa?

Vegetables in the typical western diet are pretty much missing.  And, seaweed is a vegetable with tons of nutrients.  For one, it has anti-inflammatory properties.  It lowers blood pressure, improves blood circulation (vital to good health), a natural detoxifier (awesome for you liver, worked well when I tried a detox diet a few years ago), good source of magnesium, iodine (good for thyroid), phytochemicals (anti-aging), and good for your number 2 (seriously, if you are constipated, start eating this stuff at your meals and it will make you a believer).  I could go on, but overall, seaweed will make you beautiful - nails, hair, skin, organ health, energy...

How should you get a hold of seaweed?  Well, if you eat sushi, that is one way - but the amount is not that significant given all the rice you end up consuming.  So, I recommend buying dried seaweed algue (ito-wakame).  I find it at the Korean grocery store (H-Mart for all you fans).  Maybe if you ask for the Korean seaweed that they use in soup, that is one way to find it.  Or, just look for a package of dried seaweed with Korean words and a picture of soup with thicker cut seaweed floating, that might get you there too.  The one that I show here is made by Wang.

You also need Miso (they come in bags or containers, it will take some trial to find the right one for you (I like the darker color)) and sesame oil.

My seaweed preparation goes like this (Tina's seaweed recipe).  Take the seaweed, cut with scissors how much you want to eat (it expands like 3x).  Add some water (maybe a cup, you don't want too much water), then put in miso and breakup miso.  Let it sit for ½ hour (or longer is fine, you can study, go cook other things or take a nap), then boil for about 15 minutes until tender.  Add lots of sesame oil.  The more the tastier.  You can make enough for the day or for multiple meals over 2 days.  It is good hot, warm or cold.


Super easy.  And super good for you.