Shira Turkl-Rubin

I’ve got another incredible home remedy tip for you – get ready to be seriously wowed!

Last week while I was making homemade jam, the boiling water splattered up at me and nicked my pointer finger just above the nail. OUCH!

I immediately let the cold water run over it, got the ice pack and hoped for the best. As it continued to burn, I didn’t have fresh aloe so I bit the bullet and tried Neosporin with a Band Aid. Nope… nothing. I was still in pain.

Then, as I was continuously blowing on my finger I remembered that turmeric is really helpful when it comes to burns!

So I went over to the pantry and got out the turmeric powder. I wiped off the Neosporin, sprinkled the turmeric onto my burn and prayed for some sort of relief. Well my finger was still hurting quite a bit, so I decided to blow on it.

I’m telling you within 5 minutes the burning sensation was gone and I sat there shocked. The next day my burn, which had previously blistered started to de-flate.

Yes, just another incredible find right in your pantry.

Let your pantry be your pharmacy. You’d never know what your spices/herbs can do for you without the research.

Get interested – these remedies are most likely sitting in your house right now!

As the month of March progresses I am optimistic that Spring is slowly inching closer with each day. The best part about Spring is the cleanse that we all know we need after hibernating all Winter long. Well, for me, after a week of my stomach feeling a bit off with the usual bloating, pains and mucus I decided to take my cleanse now.

Why is it that after all I do for myself, I still have these flare-ups? I am constantly asking myself this question, but I’ve come to the conclusion that it is and always will be a work in progress. Today I feel better, but who knows what tomorrow will bring. I won’t worry about tomorrow today though – staying present and in the moment only helps my tummy feel better. Luckily I know the tools to get myself out of the funk and am grateful for that everyday.

As a yoga teacher, I have really stressed this topic of staying in the moment with all of my students. Snap into the now and focus on how your body is feeling right this second. Whatever you’re feeling, just notice it, breathe into it and live it.

I find that when my stomach bothers me, instead of obsessing constantly about why it’s like this, what I ate or stressed about to bring myself into this state – I close my eyes and take at least 2 rounds of a breathing exercise. Here’s the one I love, which always calms my mind/thoughts without fail every time.

It’s a 4-7-8 ratio breath. Breathe in for 4 counts, hold for 7 counts and exhale for 8 counts. Do between 1-5 rounds of this and wow will you feel lighter, more clear and alive all at the same time.

Try it! It can’t hurt.

Happy breathing 🙂

With the constant change in our bodies, it is always important to yes have a routine that works for you, but also find a way to change your routine to make it something new and exciting that fits with what your body needs right now, not yesterday.

Here’s how I’ve changed my morning smoothie to fit my body NOW and you should do the same. Tune in to what you need – not crave –  at this very moment and let yourself have it.

1 cup of coconut water

1/3 cup aloe vera juice (George’s brand – which doesn’t have a taste)

1/3 cup unsweetened almond milk

A splash of green chlorophyll (check the sodium content it shouldn’t be high)

1 organic banana

1 handful of fresh, organic strawberries

1 organic kiwi

1 organic, pitted date

1/2 an organic mango

1 leaf of organic kale

1 handful of organic spinach

1 handful sprouted almonds

1 handful goji berries

1 heaping tablespoon hemp seeds

1 teaspoon bee pollen

1 heaping tablespoon chia seeds

1 tablespoon maca powder

1 tablespoon lucuma powder

1 tablespoon wheatgrass powder

2-3 shakes of ground turmeric spice

5 shakes of ground cinnamon spice

Wow that was a huge list – but yes, I do this every morning and man I feel great! Once you’ve got this into your routine I promise it really doesn’t take long and it tastes amazing. You’ve got your morning protein, greens and delicious taste.

Even if you don’t follow my lead and use this recipe, whatever you do use in your smoothie, see if you can add some greens into it -You won’t taste it and you’ll be getting lots of incredible nutrients.

I hope you have an awesome day.

Kuzu Root

I have found another miracle given to us in plant form. Kuzu – or you may know it as kudzu root. This particular root has managed to grow all across the southern states of the U.S. causing lots of headaches for many. Well, maybe if they knew how to use the kudzu in a medicinal way, then they would no longer have the headache!

The Chinese and Japanese cultures have used this starchy root to aid in the healing of many illnesses including colitis :). It is also used:

– To relieve tiredness and restore vitality.

– To treat digestive and intestinal issues such as indigestion

– For colds, which are often related to intestinal weakness.

– As a drink to relieve over acidity, bacterial infection and excess water in the case of diarrhea.

– To bring quick relief from abdominal pain and intestinal irritation.

– To combat alcoholism

– For anxiety and insomnia or sleep deprivation***

In addition to medicinal use, it is also used to thicken foods instead of using cornstarch.

This list can go on, but I’ll stop there. I think you get the point that this root has incredible medicinal properties. For me, I take it at night to help me sleep and lower any anxiety that I may be having. Of course I use it for my colitis as well, but love the fact that it helps me sleep better. Amazing…

Here’s how I use it before bedtime.

Take one spoonful of the starchy chunks and mix them with about ¼ cup of apple juice or any juice that you have around the house. You only need a small amount of juice to dissolve the root so you can drink it down. It doesn’t have a taste so there’s nothing to worry about with that.

You can buy kuzu in the Asian section of your grocery store or health food store where they sell the seaweed, soy sauce etc…

I think this is some really important information to help heal any gastro problems you may be having – or any anxiety that you might be experiencing.

Take this advice and use it well! Share it with others.

Sleep well.

Wheatgrass in it's original state

Not only have I been on a green juice kick but I’ve also started getting into wheatgrass shots. Some people say EW… but to me – I’d rather take a tiny shot filled with incredible healing powers then let’s say take a shot of vodka… and you know we’ve all had our share of vodka shots… c’mon let’s be honest here.

You’ve gotta weigh your options. Health?? Or being drunk?? I know what I would choose but if you’re choosing the not so healthy option – then you might want to take a good look at yourself in the mirror and tell yourself that this is the only body you’ve got and you better start treating it properly or else…

So why am I that intrigued by wheatgrass? Well it’s been known to specifically heal ulcers, which is fantastic for my ulcerative colitis and for anyone else suffering from this too. Your energy level gets a nice boost as well as your immune system. It helps fight bad breath and it definitely keep the doctor away.

It’s said that 1 ounce of wheatgrass is equivalent to 2 1/2 pounds of leafy green vegetables! From one tiny shot! This stuff is pure magic…

My advice, get to a juice bar and give yourself that incredible boost you deserve. Since the shots are not super cheap, I’ve decided that instead of getting my daily cup of tea for $2 and change I will get the wheatgrass shot for $2-3 and call it a day.

Happy juicing!

Green Juice Deliciousness

I apologize for not writing sooner – besides the fact that I was traveling for the past week, I also haven’t been feeling my best.

I realize that the best time for me to write a blog post is while I’m not feeling well so that I can share what’s going on with me – In a perfect world I would definitely be doing that, but in reality it’s hard to motivate and feel inspired to write a post – it happens to everyone.

Moving right along, I think the reason I haven’t been feeling my best is because of stress – and we all know how stress ruins our gut.

While I was away, I made it my business to take wheat grass shots everyday, drink green juices, swim in the pool for some exercise, detox in the sauna and drink TONS of water.

I can finally say that I’m feeling better! Having a flare up is probably the worst feeling. I’ve already drastically changed my diet and therefore I shouldn’t be having flare-ups right?? Well… apparently stress outnumbers any type of holistic care/diet that I can give myself.

Besides working on my stress reduction, I am a big proponent in juicing and I’ve found a wonderful article from Dr. Mercola to explain why we should juice.

From Dr. Mercola’s website:

***Here are three main reasons why you will want to consider incorporating vegetable juicing into your optimal health program:

–  Juicing helps you absorb all the nutrients from the vegetables. This is important because most of us have impaired digestion as a result of making less-than-optimal food choices over many years. This limits your body’s ability to absorb all the nutrients from the vegetables. Juicing will help to “pre-digest” them for you, so you will receive most of the nutrition, rather than having it go down the toilet.

–  Juicing allows you to consume an optimal amount of vegetables in an efficient manner. If you are a carb type, you should eat one pound of raw vegetables per 50 pounds of body weight per day. Some people may find that eating many vegetables is difficult, but it can be easily accomplished with a quick glass of vegetable juice.

–   You can add a wider variety of vegetables in your diet. Many people eat the same vegetable salads every day. This violates the principle of regular food rotation and increases your chance of developing an allergy to a certain food. But with juicing, you can juice a wide variety of vegetables that you may not normally enjoy eating whole.

Vegetable Juice is Not a Complete Meal

It is important to note that vegetable juice has very little protein and virtually no fat so by itself it is not really a complete food. It really should be used in addition to your regular meals not in place of it.

So unless you are undergoing some special fasting or detoxification program it is probably unwise to use juicing as a meal replacement. Ideally it can be consumed with your meal or as a between meal snack.

Important to Listen to Your Body

This is partly because you should only start by juicing vegetables that you enjoy eating non-juiced. The juice should taste pleasant — not make you feel nauseous.

It is very important to listen to your body when juicing. Your stomach should feel good all morning long. If it is churning or growling or generally making its presence known, you probably juiced something you should not be eating. ***

Dr. Mercola has some really great tips on juicing and you can find them by clicking here.

If you have any other questions on juicing or why I am so in love with it, please message me.

Have you heard about sprouted almonds? Apparently they are much easier to digest then plain raw almonds. Hearing this info has obviously made my ears perk up and of course I’ve gotta try it!

I’ve learned that although raw almonds are one of the best complete proteins you can eat, they can take days to break down and digest in your body.

Sprouted almonds are considered to be a live food. After soaking the almonds they will be much easier to digest and will take about 2 hours instead of several days to break down. The nutrients from the live raw almonds will go directly to your blood stream and you will feel nourished after.

This sounds like a superfood to me!

Here’s how I sprouted my almonds:

I bought 1 pound of raw almonds, (unsalted, un-roasted)

1 large mason jar or 2 small ones

Place your almonds in a large pot and soak with filtered water overnight – cover the pot.

In the morning strain the almonds and rinse. The peels should come off easily but if you’re having a hard time put the almonds back in the pot and boil water for only 1 minute or so, this should speed up the peeling process.

Once peeled, rinse the almonds again and place them into a glass container. Cover with water and set in the fridge. You must rinse and change the water everyday. The almonds should keep for about 2 weeks.

Almond Shells

Sprouted Almonds

Almonds ready to eat!

Cinnamon hot cocoa has been my new winter drink!

YUMMY

It’s super simple to make and tastes absolutely divine. Personally, I enjoy making my own hot cocoa instead of buying it in the package – but that’s just me.

Here are the ingredients you will need to make this delicious concoction:

1 heaping tablespoon unsweetened cocoa powder

2 tablespoons agave nectar

1 ½ cups unsweetened almond milk or regular milk

1 cinnamon stick

In a saucepan over medium heat – pour the milk in and heat it up for 2 minutes before adding in the rest of the ingredients. Then add the cocoa stirring well to clear up the clumps, add the agave and cinnamon stick.

Keep it in the pan until nice and hot stirring occasionally to get all the flavors to blend well together.

Then carefully pour into your mug with the cinnamon stick so you can continue to get those delicious flavors – curl up on the couch with a comfy blanket and enjoy!

Being a lover of the kitchen, I’ve had one too many minor accidents including cuts and burns from knives and hot pots. Ouch! I’ve finally learned the key to taking care of a minor cooking burn – lavender oil. Yes, you heard right, lavender essential oil will really do the trick if applied everyday a few times a day.

The lavender helps dry out the burn allowing it to heal much faster then if you were just to use aloe and ice. It might hurt a pinch when you apply it, but that only means it’s working right?!

I’ve also found that it works for sun burns. After just returning from Puerto Rico this past Monday, Chad and I both had some peeling skin – but when I noticed some itchy bumps on my chest I started to worry that I had sun poisoning, shh don’t tell my Mom! (I hope she’s not reading this post! eeek… Love you Mom) – anyway, when I found the bumps I whipped out the lavender oil and I’d say it’s working quite nicely – the itching has stopped and the bumps are very minimal now.

What can I say: I’m loving these home remedies… Stay tuned for more to come!

Have you ever made hot sauce??

Me neither… but Chad, my husband, LOVES hot sauce and decided to buy every hot pepper available at Whole Foods for his recipe. As I sat in our living room the smells from the peppers started to make my eyes water. This wasn’t a problem because I knew all I had to do was open the window for some fresh air.

Then approximately 5 minutes later I heard a loud “OH NO” and saw Chad run to the bathroom to dab his eye with cold water. Oh boy… hot pepper in the eye.

I knew this would happen! Of course, me being the home remedy nerd, I began my search immediately.

Here’s what I found and let me tell you – it really worked!!

Take your salt shaker and sprinkle some sea salt directly onto your tongue – voila! – it should start working immediately. When sodium enters the body it helps the lacrimal of the eyes to flush acids and counteract the burning sensation really fast.

What a great tip to keep up your sleeve for the next time you accidentally touch your eyes while cooking with hot peppers!

Good luck!