detox

1. Parfum (Fragrance)

Parfum sounds a lot like perfume, and while that may smell like a good thing, it isn’t. That’s because these synthetic fragrances can trigger allergies and asthma, and are even linked to cancer. Not convinced?

Tears welled up in my eyes as I watched the recent video of United States veterans kneeling in front of Native Indigenous Tribal Elders and begging forgiveness for the heinous acts perpetuated against them since white men first arrived in this country.

It’s almost cranberry season! I saw a package of fresh cranberries at the market and thought it was the “perfect juice experiment.”

Have you ever heard of bitter melon? This highly-medicinal fruit-vegetable hybrid is beneficial when eaten raw or juiced.

Bitter melon sure is pretty, but looks can be very deceiving. When eaten raw, bitter melon has a taste that can only be described as well, bitter — with a hint of cabbage. Doesn’t sound too appetizing, does it? Well, I was willing to look past the awful taste in order to get some of that bitter, bitter nectar in my body. It’s often the most awful tasting foods that end up being the best for you.

Tis the season for all things pumpkin. After trying some pumpkin-orange juice at a fancy-schmancy restaurant; I knew I had to try juicing this autumnal squash at home.

Panchakarma is a highly restorative and detoxifying therapeutic treatment used in Ayurvedic medicine. Deriving from the Sanskrit language, pancha meaning “five” and karma meaning “actions,” Panchakarma is a healing treatment that uses a variety of procedures to cleanse the body, revitalize the immune system and re-establish mental and physical balance. It is a completely unique experience for each person and is individualized based on the individual’s particular needs.

Water constitutes up to 55-60% of our body mass and is vital for most of the body's natural processes; these include flushing toxins, moistening oxygen for smooth breathing, transporting nutrients and maintaining the electrical charge of cells. Dehydration can occur when water content drops by as little as 2%; this causes fatigue, headaches, brain fog, digestive issues and more.

I love fruit. Any kind. However, the amount of fruit I’d like to eat does not match up with the amount of fruit that is healthy for anyone to consume on a daily basis. The same goes for drinking fruit juices, I’ve learned; drinking juices that are primarily fruit-based does not always bode well for the digestive system. My partner and I have gotten into a lovely routine of making our own juices, and it’s become an important part of most mornings for us.

Fasting is a recent trend that is gaining popularity, but is it really healthy to abstain from all or some particular foods and beverages for certain periods of time?

Fasting is often referred to when talking about various religions, but nowadays it is becoming a fad diet for the everyday layman. Is the hype all it is cut out to be, a quick fix to the bulging waistline or a scheme to detoxify the body?

I never thought I would juice radishes…but here I am, juicing radishes.

To me, radish is like the outcast of the vegetable family. You only really use it to garnish things. It’s not like we’re making radish soup or radish slaw…We sprinkle radishes in at the end because of their super strong and bitter taste. For this reason, I knew I could only put a few radishes into my juice; I didn’t want to blow my taste buds off.