Saturday, August 11, 2012

Using Food like Medicine

Ok ok, before I blog, a great big fat disclaimer: This blog is not intended as medical advice. Any ideas or products or foods discussed in this blog should not be considered as medical advice.  This blog and it's author Carla Omoruyi are not liable for any ideas discussed or presented in this blog. For medical advice seek out the services of a licensed medical practitioner.

So now that that's taken care of .....
What I want to discuss is the simple use of two raw foods which have been touted as both great and powerful "natural" healing foods.
They are simply this: raw ginger and raw garlic.
So Carla, what kind of things can these two items do in a human body besides cause garlic breath or to be used to make homemade gingerale?

Raw garlic has been associated with a host of benefits when consumed in a raw state.
It has been said that raw garlic has natural antibiotic properties and therefore helps your body resist and fight off many viruses and bacteria that could potentially cause illness.
So one could potentially use raw garlic to gradually strengthen the human immune system without the high financial cost and potential side effects of traditional medicines/drugs.
What other benefits have people experienced with consuming raw garlic? Some people have noticed
an improvement in their body's capacity to process sugar, increasing the effectiveness of the pancreas and the proper balance of insulin naturally used by the body. Raw garlic has helped prevent the worsening of symptoms involved in the common cold and flu. Raw garlic has been considered a "blood purifier". So garlic apparently detoxes the blood to a certain degree and releases some kind of mysterious substance in the blood that strengthens the blood's immunity to illness.

What is the nature of garlic and how do you consume it raw? Well, the nature of garlic is a rather warming savoury food item and is better suited to night time consumption than during the day. Consuming garlic raw can be done very simply in at least two ways. First, one can simply peel one small clove of garlic, and chop off any ends or bumps on it, and then cut it into a size that they could easily swallow with a glass of water or other beverage.
Secondly, if you find it too difficult to swallow a raw piece of garlic, you can buy clear and empty gelatin capsules at most health food stores and fill them with little pieces of raw garlic that you have chopped yourself. Once you have filled one gelatin capsule with little bits of raw garlic you can swallow it
the same as you would any other supplement with your favourite beverage.
I have been told that one can chase the consumption of raw garlic with a bit of olive oil or lemon juice and that you will radically reduce the chance of having "garlic breath".
Carla, do you need to use any special garlic for using it as a nutritional supplement? No. You can use any fresh garlic that you can buy whole in the store with the peel still on. You want to buy it as fresh as possible and if you have access to organic garlic, that would be even better.  The rather inexpensive cost of fresh garlic in Canada makes it an ideal recommendation for those who want to try something affordable with the great potential for good results.

Raw Ginger. Ginger has a very different nature than garlic. It has a cooling nature and can be taken during the day. Ginger has a bedazzling effect on the palate. The substance in natural garlic seems to rev up the digestive system and start detoxing the gut. It is believed that raw ginger can help to eliminate bad bacteria from the gut and cleanse the skin.
How do you eat raw ginger? Simply buy a lump of fresh ginger root at the grocery store. Make sure it is a whole piece and that the skin is covering the whole lump. When you are ready to try to take some raw ginger, just peel a chunk of the ginger ( even a small piece one inch in length will suffice) Then from the freshly peeled ginger carve out a piece that you personally are capable of swallowing with a bit of water or your favouriet beverage. The ginger will quickly start to do its thing on your digestive system. You may feel like you have just swallowed something very spicey. Just drink more water to dilute that spicey feeling.Therefore, don't swallow a very large piece. Take only small bits until you have had some experience in how your body will react to the raw ginger.

Some people experince a loosening of the bowels after consuming raw ginger, but that may just be the body's reaction to ginger's detoxification process. Ginger has a sweet and cool and daytime nature whereas garlic has a dark savoury and night time nature.

Once you have managed to consume small bits of either raw ginger or raw garlic, take personal note of it's effect on your body. Do you feel more energy? Does your bowel feel more active? Or is this raw food too strong for your body to handle comfortably?
Remember that when your body starts to detox it can produce unwelcome indications in your body, such as acne, loose stools, and fatigue. Sometimes our bodies carry around huge amounts of clutter in our guts, and
these raw foods can activate a long overdue personal digestive cleanse.

The nice thing about both ginger and garlic is that they are inexpensive and readily available in most grocery stores. They are strong and yet you can experiment with their effect on your body to achieve your best
feeling of wholeness.

Remember, that foods in their natural state can not at this point in time be
"patented" and therefore the drug companies don't promote their use in healing our bodies. Doctors are taught to promote the use of pharmaceuticals being created by the big drug companies. Doctors are often not taught to use "folk remedies" to help us heal ourselves. Sometimes the best remedies are the most simple.....

Simple folk remedies like:
1/ drinking more water
2/ eating raw foods like garlic or ginger upon occasion.
3/ using foods like parsely to cleanse and renew .
4/ eating raw apples to stimulate metabolism.

I believe that God is going to help many of his people to take better care of their bodies using natural and inexpensive means in the coming years. With the economic  challenges so many christians have been experiencing in North America and abroad, it only serves as an encouragement to experiment and spread the news about natural foods and simple remedies that we can prepare in our homes.

Remember that medical advice should always be obtained from a licensed professional. The above commentary is intended for conversational purposes only.
God bless you with long life and wellness.

Thursday, July 26, 2012

Functional Gluten Free Snacking

Ok, so you're trying to stick to a gluten free lifestyle but you got the munchies....big time. What to do, what to do.
Fruit, ya, tons of it....apples, baby carrots and as many berries in season as time and money can afford.
What else do you snack on ? If you are a celiac or just a wee bit sensitive to gluten in foods, how do you deal with the munchies?
I was chatting with a gluten intolerant lady who works in a restaurant. She said she eats eggs at least twice a day..... hmmmm. So am I stuck with eggs and apple sauce for meal upon meal?
Is it just me, or do you find gluten free breads to be horrible tasting and ridiculously expensive?
How do you cope easily with the gluten free lifestyle? What are your tips to keeping it EASY and STRESS FREE?!!!!
Leave your ideas and comments please, I am eager to hear what you have to say.
Best In Christ,
Carla

Monday, July 23, 2012

Gluten Free At Country Style

I contacted Country Style ( which is a fast food coffee and donut chain in Canada) and asked them if any of their items are considered gluten free. They advised me, that as of current information from their soup suppliers ( as of July 2012)
the following soups are considered gluten free:
cream of mushroom, cream of broccoli, broccoli and cheddar, french onion and garden vegetable are gluten free.

For more up to date information about their menu and it's ingredients, contact Country Style's corporate head office by looking at their corporate website. The contact info is listed near the bottom of the first home webpage.
http://www.countrystyle.com/

Best of Health to you and your families in Christ.

(Note that any of the above information is not considered health or medical advice and any up to date 
information about potential allergens should be confirmed with professional medical advice. This blog and it's author accepts no liability for any ideas discussed in this blog. Medical advice should be obtained from a licensed medical professional.)