Amazing Aloe – A Medicinal Plant Like No Other

Posted on May 23, 2013 by HolisticMel

There is a special plant I want to talk about today, that is astounding in medicinal benefits. I’m talking about Aloe Vera. The restorative properties that Aloe has is incomparable to any other plant so far. Basically, Aloe is magnificent for both external and internal use. It heals, nourishes, disinfects, detoxifies and helps deter many digestive diseases and problems.

Using Aloe Vera to help heal wounds or burns is ideal, as it’s known to immediately soothe the area and helps to heal. It’s just great for your skin in many different ways. It’s an amazing natural hydrator (Aloe is over 99% water), it moisturizes, nourishes and rejuvenates your skin! Most of you know Aloe Vera to be of great use for sunburns. You buy the Aloe gel and slather it on your freshly burnt skin, and it soothes and heals. However, Aloe also soothes and heals internally as well. The Aloe gel is highly alkaline, and when ingesting it, it helps to alkalize the body, bringing it back to a healthy PH environment. Many foods and dietary habits make our internal environment acidic, so Aloe helps to balance it out, all while providing our body with so many active components, including enzymes, vitamins, amino acids, fatty acids and more. The antioxidant content within Aloe helps to boost our immune system as well.

An interesting fact about Aloe Vera, is that it is a natural antibiotic. Aloe prevents the growth of various bacteria and infectious microorganisms from forming within our body. It’s potency works to eliminate both internal and external infections. As previously mentioned, Aloe is also a detoxifier. It helps our natural elimination process, through our bowels, since it’s gelatinous properties help to move through our intestinal tract, absorbing toxins and helps to get our bowels moving.

My family always keeps a bottle of pure Aloe Vera juice in the fridge on hand. Whenever I have an upset stomach, I turn to this juice. It’s a great natural remedy for relieving problems associated with indigestion, acid reflux, IBS, ulcers, colitis and the list goes on. It is known that having a poor functioning digestive tract leads to many health problems, so it’s important to get your digestive system working back on track. I find that the way Aloe externally soothes our skin, it also soothes the internal walls of our stomach and intestinal tract as it moves through our body.

Due to it’s high level of potency, Aloe Vera should be used with caution. Ingesting too much Aloe can lead to a loss of electrolytes, it can interact with certain medications and can cause cramping and other adverse effects. So with any medicinal herb, use with moderation. If you’re wondering how raw, pure Aloe Vera juice/gel tastes, well the taste can be rather unpleasant. It has an oddly bitter taste, which is why it is best disguised in smoothies or other juices, however I usually just chug a small glass and get it over with. The health benefits definitely outweigh the cons in this case!

…yup that’s me beside a field of Aloe Vera in Mexico.

Revitalizing and Detoxifying – Juicing with Beets

Posted on May 3, 2013 by HolisticMel

Juicing is incredibly stimulating and detoxifying, since you are able to ingest literally a bowls worth of fruits and vegetables in just one glass. The abundance of vitamins and phytonutrients that you are able to consume through one glass of juice is so beneficial for our bodies. Whether you are in need of a good detox, or just need a good healthful boost, juicing is ideal.

Beets contain an incredible amount of antioxidants, which is vital for cell detoxification and to help reverse any oxidative damage. One important group of antioxidants that gives beets their deep, blood-red pigment are the betalains. These betalains are known to significantly reduce various inflammations due to external and internal stresses, and also aid in overall detoxification. The nutrients within beets are so powerful that they even exhibit certain anti-cancer properties. Consuming more raw beets is also beneficial for your liver, as beets help to detox and help rid of any fatty build-ups. This super-root clearly contains many essential elements for our health, namely which include Vitamin C, iron, folic acid, phosphorus, vitamin B6 and magnesium just to name a few. By consuming more raw beets, you will be gaining an amazing amount of different vitamins and nutrients. Not only will this boost your immune system by helping to fight off infection, but it will help produce new blood cells by stimulating re-oxygenation of our cells. This is such a crucial aspect of vitality and longevity!

It’s important to mainly consume beets in their raw and purest form, since the powerful betalains are diminished during the cooking process. Like betalain, vitamin C is also water soluble, meaning it is dissolved in water, so by cooking foods that contain water soluble vitamins, like beets, the vitamins will literally seep out of the vegetable and into the water.

Beetroot juice is so powerful that it is used to heal serious conditions like cancer and heart disease. The juice is probably the most beneficial way of ingesting beets, since it’s in its raw state and you are able to consume a few beetroots in each glass! The taste of pure beetroot juice is rather strong so to lessen the intensity it’s great to juice other fruits and vegetables along with it.

My favourite juice recipe consists of:

4 small beets
2 inches ginger
Half of a lemon, skinned
1 – 2 apples (natural sweetener)
5 whole kale leaves

This juice is spicy (from the ginger) and very intense in flavour, which is why I dilute it with water. For less spiciness, I highly suggest using only 1 inch of ginger.

Feel refreshed and revitalized after drinking this amazing detoxifying juice!

Hello Again…

Posted on March 31, 2013 by HolisticMel

I realized I haven’t posted for well over a month now, so I apologize for the absence of new content, but I can attribute that to a good reason. I’m inclined to share that I have been studying holistic nutrition with the Canadian School of Natural Nutrition and that has surely consumed most of my free time. You know you’re passionate about something when you are entirely consumed with what you’re reading that it doesn’t even feel like school. I find myself completely absorbed in the material that is natural health. During my first few lessons I already learned so much about vitamins, minerals, supplements, toxins, water, and natural remedies (just to name a few). So I’m excited to share some of this information on my website to help educate others. Reading about nutrients and how exactly they are needed by our bodies is incredibly illuminating. We only have one body, so it’s imperative that we take care of it to the fullest of our ability.

“Staying Healthy with Nutrition,” one of the books in the above picture, teaches the fundamentals of nutrition and how various vitamins and minerals from food play a vital role in maintaining health. It’s important to use nutrition as a means of staying healthy and preventing future illnesses or conditions from developing. Preventative nutrition is key to living a long and healthy life. I am excited to learn and understand how our body functions and what it needs in order to heal.