Tag Archives: Detox

Bees Do It, So Why Shouldn’t We Do It?

Who of us hasn’t heard the phrase, “Busy as a Bee?” For the most part, if we keep busy, buzzing around like a Bee, it means we are productive, leading a full, meaningful life.
 

Well, as it turns out, Bees are very busy. They lead an industrious life filled with lots of responsibility. Yes, they are pests and some of us are allergic, but what they do is crucial to our existence. Their role is an essential ingredient needed in the development of our food chain. It’s safe to say, that without the Bee, we humans couldn’t survive.
 

Why?
 

Because without the Bee, we wouldn’t be able to pollinate our crops. Without the Bee we’d lose valuable foods that sustain our lives. You see, about one-third of the human diet comes from insect-pollinated plants, and the honeybee is responsible for 80 percent of that pollination.
 

So, to be honest, without the Bee…we are in deep doo-doo.
 

After 20 years of beekeeping, Tim Lovett, a public affairs director of the British Beekeepers Association, explains why bees are vital to our existence and why we need to care. “The more time you spend with bees, the more you get drawn into their amazing world: the way they organize themselves, control themselves, and what they’re responsible for.”
 

Just think. If there were no Bees, there wouldn’t be orange juice on our table. There’d be no jam, no honey. And that’s just for breakfast.
 

For the last several years, Beekeepers from around the world have noticed the dangers that Honeybees are facing. “I’ve been to China,” says Mr. Lovett, “where the bee population was wiped out, and you see men on ladders using paintbrushes to pollinate the fruit trees. Can you imagine the cost of our food if we had to do that ourselves? You’d only be able to afford half an olive on a pizza, and the mozzarella – which comes from cows raised on (bee-pollinated) alfalfa – would be absolutely prohibitive.”
 

Okay, I can do the math. No olives + No mozzarella = No pizza!
 

Say what? Ouch! That stings!
 

Here’s an interesting tidbit. Hubby and I were watching a documentary on the decline of the Bee population in the United States. It chronicled the typical life of a Bee and the business of Beekeeping. We watched as a Beekeeper traveled cross country from Georgia to central California to transport his hives where they’re needed to pollinate Almond groves, one of the largest crops grown in the state.
 

Then, after the bees finish doing what bees naturally do, they were brought back to the east coast in order to prepare them for their next job in Florida. But…they are not allowed to directly pollinate the next crop.
 

Why?
 

Apparently, as the Bee pollinates, they absorb the release of nectar to take back to the hive in order to produce honey. But…they’ve found that after the Bees have ingested the insecticide laden nectar from their last job, they need to detox the Bees before taking them to the next valuable food crop for pollination.
 

Detox the Bees? Have you ever?
 

Yes, I know. These poor little Bees cannot get rid of all the toxic insecticide they absorb from the heavily sprayed California Almond fields. The Beekeeper is forced to take them to another field to pollinate first, thus leaving behind the excess insecticide before being taken to the next job or else there’s a greater chance they will release the leftover toxins and pollute the next vital food crop.
 

Iy, yi, yi! Do you see a problem here? Or is it just me?
 

“It’s not a simple situation. If it were one factor we would have identified it by now,” President-elect Inouye, of the Ecological Society of America said. “The problems in Europe and United States may be slightly different. In America, bee hives are trucked from farm to farm to pollinate large tracts of land and that may help spread the parasites and disease, as well as add stress to the colonies, while in Europe they stay put so those issues may not be as big a factor.”
 

So, even though there are many factors that weigh in on the demise of our Bee population, I think there is something positive that we can all take away from this.
 

And that is…Detox.
 

Yes, detox.
 

Think about it. In order for the Bee to do its job well, it needs to rid itself of the toxins it’s ingested. I mean, if Bees do it, why shouldn’t we do it?
 

What? You thought this was going to be a Birds and the Bees post?
 

Ha, ha, ha, gotcha!
 
 

So what do you think? Are you concerned about the blight of the Bees? Have you been feeling a little bogged down lately? Feeling a little more tired than usual? Not producing like you think you should? Then perhaps it’s time for a detox. What is your favorite recipe for a great pick-me-up?
 
 

Thanks everyone for coming by and for all your wonderful comments!
Karen

 

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Sexy as a Rockstar!

Okay, today I’m either going blow this post out of the water or blow your mind! Whichever the case may be, I hope you can dig it!
 

During the last few weeks I have visited some amazing bloggers and for one reason or another I have noticed there is a theme. It seems that some of our blogger friends have health issues. Health concerns that have caused them to be very sick with headaches, food allergies, inflammation, acid reflux, and toxins—yeah you got it—nasty stuff.
 

So I thought, hmm…this isn’t always a pleasant subject, but I’d like to share something amazing with you all that I think will make you to sing. Sing? Well I don’t know about actual singing, but it will definitely help you feel better. Why? Because of the incredible results from this one simple ingredient. Now don’t be repulsed when I tell you what it is. It might not be on your list of favorites, but when I share with you some of its awesome benefits, you may just want to change your mind.
 
 

What am I talking about?
 
 

I’m talking about Kale.
 
 

Kale?
 
 

Yes Kale.
 
 
            
 
Okay, here’s the skinny on our new friend Kale.
 

Kale is the sexiest of all vegetables. Yeah I said sexy. Why? Because it provides a rich earthy succulent flavor and packs more nutritional value with fewer calories than almost any other food on earth. And the cool thing is, it can be found in markets throughout the year with its season reaching a peak from the middle of winter through the beginning of spring when it has a sweeter taste, especially the Tuscan variety and it’s more widely available.
 

Like its cousins the broccoli, cauliflower, and collards, kale is a descendent of the wild cabbage, a plant that is thought to have originated in Asia Minor and brought to Europe around 600 B.C. by a faction of crazy Celtics. Curly kale played an important role in early Europe, having been an important crop during ancient Rome and a popular vegetable eaten by peasants throughout the Middle Ages. It was English settlers who brought kale to North America in the 17th century.
 
 

So let’s take a look at the benefits of this sexy vegetable, shall we?
 
 

First of all, this bad boy Kale has some of the best cholesterol–lowering benefits of any vegetable around. It has recently been proven to lower the risk of certain types of malignancy such as cancer of the bladder, breast, colon, ovary, and prostate. It is now recognized as promoting comprehensive support for our body’s detoxification system, even helping to regulate detox at a genetic level, whoa…while playing a major dietary role as respects to both antioxidant and anti-inflammatory benefits.
 
 

Okay, now that I’ve convinced you, how do I eat it you say?
 
 

Well if you want to heat it up, I mean cook it; you will want to prepare it properly. To do this you want to ensure quick and even cooking by cutting the leaves into ½” slices and ¼” stems then let them sit for approximately 5 minutes to enhance its health promoting properties, then steam it for another 5. Voila, you’re done.
 

But one of the best ways to enjoy Kale is fresh in a salad. And the most desirable trick is to give it a massage. Yes, I mean you need to get in there and give that sexy green vegetable a deep tissue massage. You can feel it relax as the leaves darken and shrink to almost half its volume. The flavor changes as well. In fact the color and texture will change and soften with its pre-massaged bitterness replaced by a sweet green melodious flavor.
 
 
  
 

Your taste buds won’t lie people. They will sing because it really is the king of the salad. And because you’ve massaged its leaves, *shivers*, it will have an amazing texture and just the right amount of sweet and bitter flavor so you don’t need much salad dressing. It’s suggested that all you need is a little extra virgin olive oil along with a pinch of salt and vinegar or lemon juice and you have a perfectly composed salad.
 

Now if you really want to turn things up a notch, you can juice it! That’s right. Kale gets even sexier when it’s mixed in a juice with some beets and cucumber in a carrot base. Or perhaps you might prefer an apple base instead for an even sweeter experience. Whatever the case, you can always bank on its delicious flavor along with its awesome fresh nutritional benefits. And don’t let not having a juicer stop you. Most health markets now have juice bars which makes drinking down that bad boy that much easier and affordable.
 
 

Okay, so where am I going with all of this?
 
 

It is a known fact that if we don’t feel good, we won’t be able to produce an exceptional product. We want our minds and bodies to be in sync and be at our optimum. We can do all the exercise in the world, but if we don’t feed ourselves with the proper nutrients we could be wasting our precious time and voice energy.
 

So think about it the next time you shop at your local supermarket. Don’t just walk on by, but grab yourself some of that Kale. Because that bad boy is as Sexy as a Rockstar!
 
 

So what do you think? Have you been in a slump? Feeling a little funky and sluggish lately? Fighting a flu or cold? Or heaven forbid you have a more serious illness? Could you be using some of that sexy Kale?
 
 

As a sidenote: Kale is rich in vitamin K, so if you’re one that’s prone to blood clots, please eat in moderation and eat lots of garlic because it’s a natural blood thinner. 🙂
 
 

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Thank you for your many thoughts and fine comments everyone!
Karen

 
 
 

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