Aphrodisiacs

It's the day of old love, new love. Valentine’s Day came to be by Saint Valentine in AD 269 who was persecuted for marrying soldiers who were forbidden to be wed.

Before Saint Valentine and much of Christianity came to be in BC mythology was a popular belief. Mythology contained stories of gods and supernatural heroes that all represented and controlled human actions or nature.

Aphrodite was the goddess of love, beauty, pleasure, and procreation. While Greek and Roman mythology is still studied today, it is rare to find true believers. However we have molded certain theories and words from the mythological times.

One such word is aphrodisiac which comes from the goddess, Aphrodite. Aphrodisiacs are any type of action, trait, or food that excites or creates a desire within the body.

According to Reader’s Digest the top ten aphrodisiacs foods are avocados, bananas, chili peppers, honey, pine nuts, figs, arugula, oysters, coffee and the number one is chocolate. While none of these foods have one specific chemical they all have been found to stimulate the production of hormones and positively affect our libidos.

Aphrodisiacs foods usually take on a “feel good” sensation such as chocolate or bananas, but they can also make the body feel hot which is why chili peppers makes it into the top ten. This “feel good” sensation leads to a more energized mood and leaves the body with an overall light feeling, without the constant stresses and anxiety that can plague our minds today. Most foods can become aphrodisiacs because of the way they symbolize procreation, love, or simply sexuality.

Miri Rotkovitz, who studied Nutrition and Food at NYU, comments on how ginger is not a commonly talked about aphrodisiac, but creates a “warm woodsy” aroma that stimulates the blood flow. Another rare aphrodisiac is saffron, a spice that has made its way from Cleopatra to relax and boost the mind.

All the way from the Incans came Maca root that is considered one of the most powerful aphrodisiacs. Maca root not only possesses high levels of vitamins, minerals, and iron, but also holds healing powers that the natives of the Peruvian Andes have found beneficial in their high elevation. Maca root helps to decrease anxiety and stress, while increasing energy and stamina.

A famous aphrodisiac that is warned against using for the cause of inflammation, convulsions, and even death is the Spanish fly. This beetle creates a juice called cantharidin. The Spanish fly was crushed and used to create a powder that was thought to arouse and bring on a sexual sensation that was later found out to be nothing more than a burning in the urinary tract. Although it was found to be toxic, this powder is still available today, most commonly sold in a form of pepper.

Although aphrodisiacs commonly are associated with foods, they can also be traits such as respect that creates a mutual bond or an action like getting in shape. These both are positive aphrodisiacs that help to decrease stress and increase healthy endorphin levels that create a feeling of well-being.

Enjoy the chocolate, add the maca root in a smoothie, respect those around you, go for a walk, and stay away from the Spanish fly. Don’t wait another day to love because life is too short to be filled with doubt and stress. Enjoy the sensations and experiences that come your way because at the end of the day, the greatest aphrodisiac is love and the breaths we are given each day to do so.

Warming Heart Soup

Organic Leeks, Garlic, Cabbage, Onions, Bok Choy

Organic Vegetable Broth, Hemp/Olive Oil

warming time: 30 minutes

The Soy Myth

“What kind of milk would you like?” The barista echoes as you weigh your options. You want to make a healthier choice than whole milk and less fat than 2%, so your first thought is soy. “Soy” you answer not knowing the detriment this substance can bring to your body.

Soy originated from Asian cultures from soybeans. It is a common ingredient in today’s culture. There is soymilk, soy proteins, and even soy burgers. Soy is “filler” for many cereals such as Kashi and is an ingredient that helps produce foods cheaper just like corn. America’s top leading ingredients for growing, adding into, or creating food are soy and corn.

Soy became popular in early 2000 as a health food and a beneficial alternative. This was a lot of marketing that allowed people to believe that soy could be beneficial when in fact soy is harmful.

According to Dr. Mercola, an alternative physician and author of health books soy can cause breast cancer, brain damage, thyroid diseases, kidney stones, infertility, and immune system failure. Just to name a few. Soy contains toxins that act as “anti-nutrients”. One of these toxins includes hemagglutin that causes your red blood cells to clump and create a blockage of oxygen to your tissues. Another toxin is goitrogens that break down your body’s ability for your thyroid to function. This harms the natural process of your metabolism.

So why if soy is so harmful is it in so many foods today? It’s cheap to grow and helps mass production in the food industry.

“The average American, of course, would not describe his or her diet as “soy based,” but soy ingredients are found in more than 60 percent of packaged and processed foods and nearly 100 percent of fast foods.   The plant-based diet fad has furthermore encouraged many health-conscious Americans to substitute soy products for both meat and dairy.   Although animal products would appear to be “soy free,” most commercial and health-food store eggs, milk and flesh foods contain residual isoflavones from soy-based feeds.” Dr. Kaayla Daniel's groundbreaking book, The Whole Soy Story: The Dark Side of America's Favorite Health Food is a great resource if you are more interested in the harms of soy.

Along with soy being a creation from chemists, it is also genetically modified in the United States. Genetically modified is the human manipulation of a substance to receive the outcome desired. Genetically modification began to impair resistance to herbicides such as Roundup when the crops such as soybeans were being grown. The only reason behind this creation is because of time and money efficiency.

Next time you’re at the coffee shop or grocery store choose an alternative to soy such as hemp, which comes from hemp seeds that are high in protein or almond, which is from the nut that is high in antioxidants.

Starbucks does not carry any alternatives to soy, but other local Seattle coffee shops such as The Flying Apron in Fremont or Café Fiore in Queen Anne carry alternatives such as almond, rice, and hemp milk. Talk about this and educate your friends so more alternatives can be started at larger chains and available in more grocery stores. 

Don’t Zap the Nutrients Out!

You went out last night for some amazing Thai food, but you couldn’t finish it all so you brought it home for the next day. When you’re ready to eat it, what’s your first thought of how to heat it up? Microwaves are the most common in today’s culture. Throw it in the microwaves for a couple minutes and let it heat up, or as your grandma might like to say “let me zap it real quick for you”, then enjoy your warm meal.

What could be the harm in this?

Microwaves were invented after World War II by Percy Spencer who took the idea from radar technology acquired from the War around the mid to late 1940’s. The first microwave weighed as much as a refrigerator now does. As time passes we notice how inventions evolve and improve.

Now microwaves can weigh as little as thirty pounds. Quite some progress, but even so we have to take a step back and look at our needs to have everything be so instant. Taking a step back isn’t always negative. 

            According to Mark Bunn, the bestseller author of, Ancient wisdom for modern health, wrote, “ microwaves don’t actually ‘cook’ your food at all. They basically just heat up the water content of the food and cause the food particles to resonate at very high frequencies.” You’re food than doesn’t even get cook, but instead is ‘raw’ with less nutrients from the levels of radiation caused by microwaves.

           

            Natural news, a respected health e-newsletter brings up all types of issues. They recently wrote an article specifically addressing the harmful effects of microwaves,  “A microwave oven creates radio waves at a frequency of about 2.45 GHz [2, 3]. All radio waves are electromagnetic radiation.” For all those left-brain chemist types this will make perfect sense, but for the right-brained let me translate. Basically the more extreme that something is microwaved and the quicker it takes the more nutrients that are unable to remain in what is being microwaved.

            What are some alternatives then?

How about the oven, usually found underneath a stove, turn the dial and heat up your food. How is this any different though? A microwave has a much stronger electronic field than an oven.

Also it is a well known fact that raw foods are much richer in nutrients than cooked foods of any sorts, so trying keeping your meal simple and go back to nature with a bag of raw carrots and some guacamole.

Sources: (History of Microwaves, general knowledge, but wanted to make sure to cite it) Thanks!

http://www.ideafinder.com/history/inventions/microwave.htm

Detox

Was your holiday filled with pumpkin pie, roasted turkey, cranberry sauce, a little bit of eggnog, and endless amounts of sweets? If not, then you’re already ahead of the crowd, if you are in this category, you may be thinking, “Help!” Not to worry, take a deep breath, and let’s discuss detox.

First off, detoxing is a way to cleanse and re-start the body. Think of your body like a battery, sometimes you just need to a kick-start to get back on track.

Twenty-one days is what is recommended to start new habits and release the addiction or routine of habits. Eating certain foods, especially sweets have a way of being addictive and allowing your body to feel drained without them, but then your body jumps on a roller coaster with them, and goes from a quick high to an inevitable low.

Kris Carr, the author of Crazy Sexy Diet, goes off the idea of “21 days” and personally creates an intense detox for the body. “Detoxification is as necessary for life as the beating of the heart. Our cells are constantly forming toxins as normal waste products of metabolism. The cells release the toxins into the blood; within a few heartbeats, the toxins are swept into the liver for detoxification.”

While being a Seattle Pacific University student, it’s hard to obtain the freshest of organic produce and the ability to take a lot of time out of your busy schedules to focus completely on your body. Don’t throw this article out just yet; there are a few easy, dorm-accessible ways to detox the body.

Start your mornings out with a glass of water, simple. Add a lemon and a dash of cayenne pepper, if you don’t have any cayenne pepper at hand, the lemon will do. Keep water as your weapon and always have a reusable BPA-free bottle at hand. Water helps to cleanse the body and release free radicals that basically just keep the body’s system from letting go.

According to Dr. John Dempster, a local naturopath, his top ten-detox foods include lemon. Along with the lemon Dempster talks about the high amounts of fiber in beets that help to eliminate the bodies’ toxic waste. Broccoli sprouts have twenty times the amounts of sulphorophanes than regular broccoli. Sulphorophanes has anti-cancer principles that help in the detox process. Garlic and Curcumin, also known as Turmeric, are the top powerful detoxifiers due to their high levels of sulphur.  Next time you are out for sushi, don’t hesitate to order the seaweed salad or stop at the store and grab some crunchy sea vegetables to help purify your blood. Dandelion leaves can be added to salads or as a snack that is full of antioxidants. Apples make sure to get USDA organic, have the ability to help your body release food additives that is a main factor in that holiday pie.

Pick and choose out of these options and try for a minimum of twenty-one days to start off 2013 right and give your body the TLC it needs and deserves.

Sources:

1. http://www.huffingtonpost.ca/2011/09/01/top-ten-detoxifying-foods_n_933388.html#s335801&title=Artichoke_

2. http://www.naturalhealthmag.com/health/crazy-sexy-detox?page=2