Consider a Quarterly, Three Week, Low-Carb Fast

**NOTE**  A weeks worth of menus with recipes are found below!

What's all this about a low carb fast. Typically a 'fast' is a way to cleanse, rest, heal your body and a low carb fast is no different. What we are trying to accomplish is to remove sugar and high glycemic carbs from your diet to give your body a rest from the on slot of all that insulin rushing through your body which makes your body turn insulin resistant just to survive.



When a fellow blogger suggested this proposition I was very curious. As a Type 2 diabetic I do not like taking pills and getting the side effects from them. I wondered..........was it possible to reduce the carbs enough to stabilize my blood sugars? What I found out was amazing.

First I want to say that I am not a Physician and what I have to say in this article should not be construed as me taking the place of your Physician. Please see your Dr before making any dietary changes.

I discovered several things about this type of fast. First of all, after several days on the diet I did see a huge change for the better in my blood sugar control. It was amazing. I haven't made it through a complete 21 day fast but I'm going to do some additional research and go for it.

It is important to remember that while weight loss might be a great side effect of this fast, it is not the goal. The goal of this fast is to cleanse, heal and rest your body systems. Great care should be used when beginning this fast, during the fast and in ending the fast. If you are diabetic remember to watch your blood sugars carefully.

Some Things I've Learned

Fermented Foods?

Just what is a condiment?  Historically condiments on the table were some type of pickled or fermented food..........




There are a variety of different fermented foods available to supplement our daily diet. Why should we seek to supplement our daily diet with fermented foods?

 

Simply speaking,  supplementing our diet with fermented foods can help to reduce high cholesterol levels in our blood, it strengthens and supports our digestive by adding pre and probiotics plus fermented foods enhance our immune systems---by helping our bodies to fight off and prevent diseases.

 

Some of the most familiar fermented foods are pickles, sauerkraut and yogurt.  The basic problem is that all of these products when mass produced are woefully lacking in all the the above benefits of the very foods you think will be helping.  They cannot be made the same and have the same benefits when they are mass produced with extra ingredients to rush the process and/or loaded with sugar or sugar products.  All are heated to the point that the pre and probiotics have all but disappeared.

 

What Is a Fermented Food?

Avoid Colds and Flu



 

1. Eat 2 cloves pickled garlic per day.
2. Reduce your sugar intake.
3. If you feel the flu or a cold coming on drink our  Cold and Flu Tea or Herbal Immune Builder Tea twice a day.
4. Wash your hands throughout the day.
5. Every time you shake someone's hand, wash yours.
6. When you go to the store wipe the cart with sanitizer wipes.
7. When you use a public bathroom do not touch anything with your hands or skin. When you flush....RUN! The germs are spewing through the air. Use sanitizer wipes throughout process. 80% of people who use public restrooms don't wash their hands. That means there is probably urine and fecal materials on all public surfaces including toilet seats, stall handles, toilet handles, sink knobs and exit handles. Use a towel to touch these objects.
8. Avoid touching your face with your hands. A cold or flu virus can easily be transmitted through your eyes or nose.
9. Dip your toothbrush in hydrogen peroxide regularly. This will kill potential germs plus if you have a cold or flu, it will helpyou not to re-infect yourself. Remember to rinse your toothbrush in water before thouching any fabric. The hydrogen peroxide will bleach out your towels.
10. Wipe your cell phone, computer key board, doors and door knobs/handles with damp sanitizer cloth inside your home and vehicles.
11. Increase your vitamin C to 2000 mg daily for adults and 500 mg a day for children. I use Vitamin C Ascorbate.
12. Take 1-2,000 units of Vitamin D daily, especially in the winter.
13. Increase your Vitamin B complex by adding it in addition to your whole food Multi-vitamin

ATTENTION: Information given herein is for informational purposes only. We do not pretend to be physicians. Please see your physician for a medical condition your may have.

Pickled Garlic

Now here's a great way to preserve your garlic for the season.  Stored properly your garlic should last awhile.  If they start to get small little green tails it means they are starting to grow and the garlic will begin to taste bitter.  Then it's time to get it preserved in a different way or used up!

Pickled Garlic

Ingredients:

12 large heads garlic

2 teaspoons dried oregano

2 teaspoons sea salt

2-4 tablespoons whey

**The quickest way to get whey is to place a cup of plain yogurt in a cheese cloth and hang in a jar. Let the whey drip from the yogurt overnight in the frig. You should have about 1/4-1/2 cup of whey and what remains is yogurt cheese which is a low fat version of cream cheese with all the goodies (probotics and enzymes).

 

Stop The Cold and Flu Bugs In Their Tracks!

Wow it's cold and flu season and the little ladies with the needles are out everywhere trying to give you a flu shot. Good news is that there is a better way to get through the cold and flu season without invaiding your body with toxins.

Germs are everywhere. The key is to build up your immune system to fight them off so today we are going to share with you 10 strageties that can help build that immune system in to a big mean fighting machine.

One site said, "Eat Like Peter Rabbit". I like that. Bad, unwholesome food impairs immune function. This includes avoiding French fries, soft drinks and most importantly SUGAR.

The best way to build and increase the action of those action warriors, your white blood cells, is to enhance your intake of fruits, vegetables, and nuts. It's also important to get an adequate amount of good protein.

If you are a new mother and worried about your infant getting the cold or the flu. Breast milk is your babies first defense against sickness and disease.

A great way to add fruits and vegetables to your or your child's diet is smoothies. Who doesn't like a smoothie?

Pumpkin Smoothie (adapted from and picture by Healthful Pursuit)