You Have Saved My Life

Thank you for saving my life. Since my health consultation with you, my eyes have been wide open. I have never before been exposed to the educational material you sent me in my programme. It's mind-blowing. I have already lost 20lbs - I am off my medications and on the path to renewed health from the many diseases I have had for years. Gastritis, hiatus hernia, obesity, pre-diabetic and more. My energy levels are soaring and I feel re-born. My consciousness is like never before. Thank you for the amazing work you do. With gratitude, Justine Aubrey, U.K.

 

The Anatomy of Eating

One of the most controversial and curious subjects in modern nutrition is the place of animal protein in a healthy diet. The evidence has been building over the past twenty years that our reliance of meat and dairy foods are a mistake. Most epidemiological studies indicate that excessive consumption of meat and dairy is a primary factor in most degenerative disease. These studies, coupled with the fact that the economic and environmental damage of the modern meat and dairy industry far outweighs its social and nutritional value, do not seem to shake the public belief that animal fats and protein are essential for a healthy diet. That more and more people reject these foods on ethical grounds related to the animal abuse sets the stage for a food fight of epic proportions.

There is a certain romance in visions of the past. The idea of following tradition has a powerful pull. The problem with traditions is that while they may be interesting and informative they often do not present solutions to problems in the present or even reflect the truth of the past. Many traditions make sense and some don’t. If your ancestors used to poke their finger in their eye every day, would you not feel obliged to follow that action simply because it was tradition? I respect my ancestors but also know that they did many things and had many ideas I do not wish to replicate.

The anatomy of eating

In this video you can study body pscychology.

One of the most interesting arguments supporting the eating of meat is that we are omnivorous. I would never argue with that. Early humans ate a varied diet that probably included insects, small game, fruits and plants. There are many things that I 'can' do that I choose not to. There are many things I have done that I don’t wish to do again. Isn’t that how we learn?

A carnivore is an animal that has a diet mainly or exclusively of animal meat. This meat can be obtained through either hunting and killing or scavenging the left-overs from what other animals kill.The academic arguments continue regarding the dietary details of our evolution but certain compelling facts emerge that challenge our cultural mythologies.

The most accurate indications of early diet are to be found in our own mouth and intestinal tract. This is where the history of any animal’s dietary past is reflected most dramatically. Indications of the earliest human remains show that man was never a true carnivore. In fact, meat (other than insects) was probably a rather small part of dietary consumption. The proofs of this lie in both human structure and function.

Starting with the most obvious, our so-called canine teeth don’t qualify us as carnivores. They are placed back toward the outer corners of the mouth. They are not long enough, large enough or strong enough to grip, hold and tear flesh. They most certainly are teeth designed for holding food. There is no evidence in the fossil record that we have ever had the sharp, developed teeth to tear meat, or the jaw joints to hold or grind bones with any effectiveness - let alone the claws that are essential tools for the capture and kill. Most people can barely open plastic packets with their fingernails, let alone puncture the hide of an animal.

The issue of cheeks often brings a laugh. Carnivores don’t have cheeks. They don’t need them. You don’t keep meat in your mouth; you only have cheeks when you keep food in your mouth to aid digestion and to masticate. Humans have digestive enzymes to digest complex carbohydrates (not needed for carnivores); we do not develop these capacities unless they fit our existence. The same indications exist in the human intestinal tract.

Carnivores have very short intestines with fairly smooth walls. Meat fiber is not beneficial to intestinal health in any animal, so when the surface nutrients are released from meat the intestines need to be flushed. Herbivores and humans have a longer (two to three times as long) more complex digestive tract that holds vegetable fibre for significantly more time to achieve maximum efficiency and support the growth of beneficial microorganisms. All of these features take us back over a hundred thousand years, far before the development of tools or practical use of fire.

In good health

 

BBC Radio 3 Interview with Nana Akua

Long Life & Prosper

There was no better way for Bill and I to spend a glorious Easter Monday than be given the opportunity to share our message for a vegan world. The fabulous Nana Akua from BBC Radio 3 Counties shares our passion for a healthy world in the one hour long chat. 

We discussed the way forward, the ONLY way forward for our species to survive and that my friends is to adopt a vegan diet. All we require for health and longevity is to eat what grows from the ground or what we can pick from the trees. It really is that simple.

Here is a link to the interview: please share with all your friends, family and colleagues and join us in service for a healthy world.

The Secret to Ageing Well

If you are feeling stuck in life like so many are, rest assured there is a solution. There is always a solution and  I have made it my life's work to help you tap into the incredible power of how easy it is to adopt a vegan way of life. Calorie restriction is the key to living a long healthy life and adopting a wholefood plant-based diet is the way forward to being a healthy life-long vegan.

4 Weeks To Vegan

Please download and share my free 4 weeks to vegan dietary plan and share with family, friends and colleagues. 

One of the biggest challenges that people face in changing to a healthy way of eating is simply knowing what to eat, and how to make delicious meals for themselves and their families. 4 Weeks to Vegan is the solution. This is an actual course that we created as a RESET for those wishing to adopt a vegan lifestyle but didn’t know where to start.

We have had huge success with this and are thrilled to see it growing. The course features a weekly rotation of Saturday classes, each focused on a basic element of cooking. Students will learn 4 Breakfasts, 4 Lunches, 4 Mains, 4 Sides and 4 Desserts.

At the end of four weeks they have experienced the preparation of 20 dishes that they can use to start a new way of eating and living. The recipes are so easy to make and the feed-back has been immense.

Many who come on this course have no initial interest in veganism. They come because they are sick with so many diseases from eating a typical meat and dairy based diet. However, by the end of the course we are absolutely thrilled because the success rate has been just fabulous (and that even includes farmers who went vegan). Why? Because not only do the clients feel amazing but their minds have been opened, and once you look behind the curtain there is no turning back.

Throughout the course, the clients are exposed to presentations from both Bill and I about health, our animals and the environment. They are also introduced to the work of Gary L. Francione, the father of Animal Rights: The Abolitionist Approach. Each client receives a copy of Eat Like You Care, an incredible book by Gary and Anna. The book covers every question that client’s will be asked about veganism. It’s a win-win situation for humans and non-humans alike.

Our desire to assist as many people as we can to #govegan prompted us to put together this short e book. All the recipes that the clients learn are here for you to enjoy in the comfort of your own home.

Our world is in crisis, our animal kingdoms suffering grows every day. Please do all you can to share this short course by emailing it to friends, families and colleagues.

In good health

 

 

 

 

 

 

Happy Easter Vegan Cake

Vegan Easter Treat

Easter should be a time of joy and celebration for our world for all who live here, humans and non-humans alike. Treat yourself and family to my delicious lemon tart.

Lemon Tart

This lemon tart is a lovely conclusion to an elegant dinner! I spent quite a bit of time trying every sort of lemon tart imaginable. Creating the right texture and taste was my goal. I came up with this version. A rich buttery crust with just the right amount of filling. The crust is the same as in the black and white chocolate cake.

Can What You Eat Improve Your Relationship?

Living In Harmony

When two people are attracted to each other we often say that they have “good chemistry”. What if that’s really true? What we think is a clever metaphor may actually be the case. There is a great case to be made that our basic body chemistry influences our attraction to others and that this “chemical attraction” is a helpful tool in creating healthy relationships. It has long been observed that families that eat together generally have a stronger bond but what is the mechanism of this bonding?

In my teachings the first thing I express to all my clients and students is as follows:

Food makes the blood

Blood makes the cells

Cells make the tissue

Tissue makes the organs

And here we be!

Our body is being physically regenerated every day. In 21 days 50% of your red blood cells are renewed. Every four months, you have a fresh army of red blood cells. Over 90% of your body’s cells undergoes renewal on a regular basis. Even parts of the peripheral nervous system regenerate. It is our blood that delivers the basic material for our restructuring and as we all know it is our food that supplies the nutrients for this process.

Can similar food consumption spark a sense of closeness and trust between love interests, friends or colleagues? I believe so. There are countless strategies as to what makes a relationship work, but physical health is often overlooked. Researchers have discovered there are profound influences on our moods according to the foods we eat. Important nutrients such as neurotransmitters can tilt us toward a positive or negative way of seeing the world. Our nutrition also affects our senses.

In Traditional Chinese medicine the connection between the senses and our health is clearly described. Since intimacy often relates to sensory and emotional pleasure our sense of “oneness” with our partners is clearly related to the pleasure or agreeableness of their presence. This does not even address the issue of our pheromones, those chemical substances that we all excrete, are unconsciously detected, yet play a part in the attractiveness of another person. These hormones are dependent on our nutrition, as are all the hormones in the body. The bottom line is that healthier people tend to have healthier relationships.

Avoiding Food Fights

Sometimes, different food preferences and habits can be a source of stress in a relationship. To help build intimacy and trust, talk to your partner about issues surrounding your relationship with food. Sources of potential conflicts include:

• tension between a vegan and a meat eater
• tension between a picky and adventurous eater
• If either of you have a history of eating disorders or chronic dieting, that can also influence your relationships with food and each other

As with any relationship issue the first line of resolution is communication. It is important to understand where the middle ground is. We have found that in our health counselling that when partners are willing to try the plant-based diets we recommend (usually a three-week programme) they usually make the switch themselves. This shift is simply because of the improvement in health and not a “conversion” to a new way of thinking.

Eating together for Intimacy

• Blood chemistry has the strongest effect on sensitivities, so eating the same quality of food creates more harmonious sensitivities
• In some sense, your brain is the most important sex organ. Sex begins with affection, intimacy, and desire. Mealtime is a great time to unwind with your partner and build intimacy in a relaxed and pleasurable setting. If there is already conflict there with the different foods being eaten, tension is imminent. 

I see many couples for health counselling who have this issue that threatens to end their marriage/relationship or friendship. Ultimately one of them is a meat eater and the other is like myself, a vegan. 80% of the time it is the man who is the meat eater. The woman is the one, who in a sense, is the driver of the shopping cart and the cooking in the home. 

However, many men are now taking responsibility and joining my ‘men’s cooking classes, which is a joy to behold and music to my ears. I have so much fun with these workshops. At the last cooking class, they invite their respective partners to dine with us. It seriously is one of the most energized events I created. The partners cannot believe how their cooking skills have developed over the four sessions and are in awe when they are served their meal. 

So, my advice to any who are struggling with their relationship would be to start at the very source of who we are and remind you all that food makes the blood and the chemistry of each living together should be in harmony. Happiness and joy will flow for sure. 

In good health,

 

 

The Perplexity of the Vegan Ecologist

What is known is - the world is disintegrating before our eyes. I am not speaking about societies they come and go. I am referring to the actual world, what we usually refer to as the environment – nature. When nature goes it doesn’t come back. Damage can sometimes be reversed but the extinction of a plant, an insect, a fish, a mammal or a bird is a final act. It is gone forever. With it goes the function that it served, a thread in the vast tapestry of life.  Who would do such a monstrously stupid thing? Who indeed?

Now some, but not all, realize that the existential threat of our actions is rebounding on us. As ice melts, oceans rise, insects disappear, and climate driven fires burn down the forests we consider action. We need action.  Sign a petition, march in the streets, change the lightbulbs, buy a bike – all good stuff. Maybe we can elect green politicians that can sort it out, maybe we can force the oil and coal industries to “leave it in the ground”. Maybe someone else can undo the damage we all contribute to every day.

Our default setting is to look for someone to blame and there are plenty of villains out there, both real and imagined. Greedy business bosses, crooked politicians, industrial polluters, gods will, the position of the stars or our position on the Aztec calendar. But what about us? Are we victims of a cruel world?

I have noticed, you may have too, that the act that every person can do to slow and even reverse climate change is often left as an afterthought. What is known is – eating animals and using them as food is the number one cause of environmental destruction. Yes, there are other causes but animal agriculture, the production of animals for meat, dairy, eggs and even fish farms are an environmental tragedy. What is known is – if we stopped eating animals and using animal product the world would be a better and healthier place for ourselves and future generations. The question is why don’t we just do that?

DO YOU HAVE SKIN IN THE GAME?

Great little saying that I understand comes to us from the wonderful world of investment finance. Having Skin in the Game means that you actually put in some of your own money before advising others to invest. It means that you share personal risk in a project. You are not on the sidelines cheering, you are not an observer you are a participant. Being a vegan means you have “skin in the game” of ecological renewal, you are serious.

When I hear that someone is 80% vegan or vegan on Fridays or vegan with some fish added my first thought is that it is like saying you are a little bit pregnant. My second thought is that they are not serious, they have no skin in the game. Environmentalists who suggest we “reduce” the amount of meat and dairy have no skin in the game, they are unwilling to make the issue of environmental health and justice personal. It seems they do not want to upset anyone with actual personal action.

Living a vegan life reinforces your commitment to the living planet every day in a very intimate way. The most common social action, eating with others becomes a statement of purpose. This is not about shouting at people about their habits, that is childish. This is not about showing snuff pictures of animal farming. This is about you, living a violence free life.

If we need further motivation past the reversal of climate change there is always human health, the saving of non-human life and many other “benefits” from turning our backs on animal slaughter as a cultural norm. If we don’t do it, we have simply not thought about it, and we have no skin in the game.

 

 

Vegan Lasagne

Lasagne noodles come in many sizes, choose ones to fit the dish or casserole you are using to bake your lasagne. Serve with a bowl of fresh salad greens.

Sauce

4 Cups Marlene’s Basic Tomato Sauce

Vegetable Filling:

1 pack silken tofu

½ tsp. turmeric

2 tsp. umeboshi paste

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 cup spring onions, sliced

3 cups fresh button or chestnut mushrooms, thinly sliced

Pinch sea salt

½ tsp. onion granules 

2 tbsp. shoyu or tamari

2 cups courgette, thinly sliced

1 tsp. oregano 

1 tsp. basil

3 cups spinach

2 tbsp. nutritional yeast

Topping: 

Vegan cheese or nutrition yeast

Preheat oven to 180/360°. Drain the tofu of excess water, crumble into a bowl and stir in the turmeric and umeboshi paste. Set aside. Place the courgette slices on a parchment lined baking sheet. Sprinkle with some sea salt and drizzle a little balsamic vinegar over. Roast for 20 minutes turning over half way. Remove and set aside. Warm a splash or two of water in a heavy based sauté pan, add the garlic, spring onions, mushrooms, sea salt, onion granules, and shoyu or tamari. Sauté over a medium heat for 5 minutes; cover between stirring. Add a little water to keep the mixture from drying out. Stir in the oregano, basil and spinach.Place the lid back on the pan and continue cooking for a few more minutes until the spinach is wilted.Remove from the heat and season with some ground black pepper if desired. Set aside and let cool.Transfer the vegetable mixture to the tofu bowl and mix well. Stir in the roasted courgette slices.

Assembling 

Spread a thin layer of sauce in the bottom of the baking dish. Place a layer of noodles over the sauce, spread more sauce and some filling. Cover with another layer of noodles. Again, top with some more sauce and the remainder of the filling. Add a final layer of noodles, and cover with the remaining sauce. Sprinkle with grated vegan cheese. Cover the dish tightly with a lid. Bake for 25 minutes.  Remove the lid and bake for another 20 minutes. Leave to cool for 10 minutes, cut into 6 portions. Freezes well also.

Marlene’s Basic Tomato Sauce

This basic tomato sauce goes with just about everything.  It’s fantastic for pizza bases adding to pastas and is a delicious sauce for lasagne. I make batches and freeze in portion sizes. Note: for quickness purchase an organic tomato-based sauce.

Ingredients

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 onion, diced

Pinch sea salt

12 large organic tomatoes, diced

1 carrot, diced

1 tsp. dried basil

1 tsp. dried oregano

2 bay leaves

3 tbsp. nutritional yeast

1 tbsp. barley miso

2 bay leaves

4 sprigs fresh basil, leaves removed and minced

In a heavy based pan, warm a splash or two of water and sauté the garlic and onion for 5 minutes, adding a pinch of salt to help bring out the sweetness of the onions. Add the tomatoes, carrot, basil, oregano and bay leaves. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to low and simmer, covered for 40 minutes. Remove the bay leaves, stir in the fresh basil and cook, uncovered for a further 10 minutes. Stir in the miso and nutritional yeast. Using a stick blender, immerse into the pot and blend for a few minutes, leaving the sauce quite ‘chunky’. If the sauce is too thin (depending on water content of the tomatoes), cook uncovered until liquid reduces.

 

The Natural Woman Is Vegan

Nothing is as important as a sense of humour when it comes to ageing ‘naturally’.  I personally prefer to look at the process of ageing as a journey towards wholeness where all aspects of our being are cultivated and balanced.  Make no mistake women like to feel beautiful. The women’s beauty industry is a mega billion dollar empire.  Still, there is more to beauty than cosmetics, clothes, perfumes and accessories. Natural women hold the key to real womanly beauty.

What is a natural woman?

The definition is as wide and deep as the person themselves. Being comfortable in your own skin so to speak and feeling a deep connection with something bigger than yourself is how I define a natural woman.  For me, that has always been the deep connection I have felt with nature since I was a child.  You may have heard the expression or even categorized someone as, ‘she is so natural’. That describes women who are comfortable in who and what they are.

They can be versatile. They can be driven. They come from all walks of life but they know deep within who they are.  No matter what they are and do, natural women are always themselves. The most beautiful women always are. It’s also a woman who lives her life in a way that sees her take responsibility for her own health by adopting a lifestyle that creates good health and equilibrium in a natural way.

Natural women have an aura about them. It flows effortlessly from them. They are not afraid of their emotions. They prefer to be guided by Mother Nature’s remedies than succumb to various types of medication or hormonal treatments.

Women are unique!

Without a doubt, women have unique health issues to manage. Hormonal imbalance can contribute to a host of problems including weight gain, unstable mood or a stressful temperament. Hormones are a powerful force in both our physical and emotional life but they can be influenced by diet, exercise and state of mind. Now you can learn the secrets of “Happy Hormones” and how they affect our day to day life in this short article.  Or if you decide to enrol in my next ‘Natural Woman’ residential workshop you can experience a gentle and relaxing get-away at the same time.  Aretha Franklin (you make me feel like) a natural woman will be singing her heart out at our welcome dinner!  Not in person however!

The Natural Woman Course is a great way to have lots of fun, make new friends and learn how your body loves all that nature has to offer us. We will also cook together some delicious vegan nutrient dense specific dishes and make some super home remedies to keep our hormones balanced. You will receive my book Go Vegan along with a goodie bag containing all sorts of wonderful things we will use during the retreat. You will leave feeling like you have been re-born.

What are hormones?

A hormone is a chemical released by a cell or a gland in one part of the body that sends out messages that affect cells in other parts of the organism.  Only a small amount of hormone is required to alter cell metabolism.  In essence, it is a chemical messenger that transports a signal from one cell to another. All multicellular organisms produce hormones; plant hormones are also called phytohormones

The reason why I love so much what I teach, is the fact that Traditional Chinese Medicine and Macrobiotics both recognise that good health is the key to long life. Rather than seeking an elusive ‘Fountain of Youth’, it combined various health practices to promote well-being, with both body and mind, into old age in a natural way.

The Jing, our original essence, is a core focus for health and longevity. I designed my Natural Woman Programme to explore ways to nourish and control …the Jing and create ‘happy hormones’.  Lifestyle habits and environmental influences can weaken and deplete this essence or vitality and create hormone imbalance, something all the more relevant in our modern times. There are so many practical approaches to learn for our personal wellness that can easily be adapted into our everyday life.  Key lifestyle and dietary guidelines should be our main focus.   Learning simple but special exercises and a powerful set of home remedies as well as cooking specific dishes to support adrenal exhaustion, which will help to preserve our Jing are of key importance. All of the fore-mentioned definitely work and will enrich your life.

Making decisions about your health takes on a whole new meaning when you know what you want to do with your life and who you want to be, doesn’t it?

Let’s talk about diet a little bit. I’ve studied eastern nutrition, plant-based nutrition, different diets from other cultures, and various other studies for 35 years.  You will probably know that eating a wholefoods plant based diet keeps your blood sugar from spiking. Rapid changes in blood sugar levels stimulate cravings, which lead to weight gain, and increase the likelihood of systemic inflammation, which leads to chronic degenerative diseases. You can also avoid the hormone disruptors by eating a wholefoods plant based diet and eating only foods that nature intended.

I’m sure you also know it’s almost impossible to stay fit, healthy and trim without exercise, and that even a little exercise goes a long way. Those who know me will testify that I have always been in love with exercise and have taught many different forms over the years.  From teaching aerobics and being the ‘Jane Fonda’ of the 70’s in Scotland with matching head band and leg warmers and a Farah Fawcett hairdo, lordy!!! The things we do!.  Ultimately, reaching and maintaining healthy body composition and vibrant health through the right food choices and exercise happens in both your mind and body.

Junk food messes with your hormones

What you eat—and when—affects your emotions and spirit as well. Ignoring the emotional component of weight gain (or loss) can sabotage you when you’re in the midst of the diet wars.  Bingeing on ‘junk’ food feels good in the moment, but man alive does it mess with your hormones!!! And it really doesn’t support the person you ultimately want to be—a happy, whole individual with a satisfying life. It is no secret that relationship crises are a common side effect of hormonal problems.  Usually this is attributed to the crazy-making effects of the hormonal shifts occurring in a woman’s body at a time of menstruation or transition to peri-menopause and menopause.  I am sure many of you will have experienced this familiar scenario at the ‘time’ of the month.

So how can we balance our hormones through food? 

Phytoestrogen (plant oestrogens) are a class of compounds found in plants that, in humans, have a similar effect to oestrogen.  Phytoestrogens include such compounds as isoflavones.  Phytoestrogen rich natural foods include soybeans, flaxseed, linseed, most wholegrains, mung beans, alfalfa sprouts, cabbage, broccoli, berries and seeds. Tofu, green leafy vegetables also help towards keeping our hormones balanced. Miso and tempeh provide enzymes and phytoestrogens. Sea vegetables build bones and provide vitamins and minerals in abundance. The list is extensive but most of us never learn how to be in control of our health destiny and live a long healthy life. We live in a society that believes that we protect our health with access to medical care and drugs; it doesn’t work. It has been made cheap and easy to eat poorly, and the ‘myth’ abounds that it is more difficult to eat healthfully but it’s not true. We can only win with our health if we look to what nature provides, not with more money put into medical interventions and drugs, but by unleashing the powerful tools found in our kitchens.

What makes us ‘tick’ in a simple and practical way?

I love to laugh and I hope you will see the humour in many of my messages. As women, it is not part of our biological makeup to value a specific ideal body shape or role as we age. These are definitely culturally determined as you will see in magazines. Everyone looks like a supermodel. As our perceptions shape our emotions they affect our physiological, psychological and spiritual well-being. Since what we think and feel about ourselves exert an energetic influence on both our psyche and soma, try and make these thoughts all wonderful. It’s good to remind ourselves at this point that the body is a community of cells – these cells are connected by body fluids and energy – the energy of the body (the chi) nourishes and connects all body functions.  Please make it a number one priority to love yourself no matter what so you have healthy chi flooding your body daily.

Are you a Plum or a Prune?

When you were a new born baby, you were at the height of your health.  Your arteries were clear, your skin perfect and everything in your body was operating at peak efficiency.  I like to use the analogy of a plum and a prune because it fits so perfectly and makes such sense to me. We are luscious little plums when we are born but dry out as we age which is a natural process of aging (but much earlier) than we should.  This is due to lack of hydration and eating a typical western diet that is filled with processed foods.  Our cells become starved. But, it’s not all bad news.

We can reduce and remove the dried out condition and acid overload that we suffer from which shows up as hormone imbalance, fatigue, sluggish metabolism, and an urge to eat all the time.  Just like the rust on a car, our bodies rust on the inside too.  Numerous studies have shown that a wholefoods plant based diet neutralizes acid overload bringing your alkalinity into perfect balance and paving the way for truly astonishing health improvements in your life. This way of eating also balances our hormones which are key to health and happiness.

Natural healing starts in the kitchen

It’s never fun being told what to eat – we all know that we should be eating more fruits and vegetables and cutting down on sweets and meats, reducing our intake of salt, sugar and saturated fat and boosting our consumption of fibre…..When your body is well nourished your appetite goes down, chronic hunger is often a sign your body is starved of nutrients!!!

There is lots of convincing scientific data testifying to that, but it doesn’t work unless the food is tasty and varied. That is why a big part of being a natural woman is focused on vegan cooking. Preparing and cooking delicious meals can be easy, fun as well as rewarding.

For superior health, natural wholefoods such as green vegetables, fresh fruits, seeds and nuts, whole grains and beans or legumes should all be consumed each day. To achieve adequate micronutrient density all animal products and heavily processed foods if you use them, should be removed. Without a doubt both cause hormonal imbalances.

The most amazing and satisfying aspect of promoting a natural high micronutrient diet-style and utilizing it as natural medical therapy is watching hormonal imbalance and many diseases melt away. People faced with health challenges can often improve and even obtain complete recoveries from autoimmune diseases, digestive disorders, type 2 diabetes, many cancers, headaches and heart disease to name a few, via nutritional excellence. The human body is a miraculous, self-healing machine when the optimal nutritional environment for healing is realized.

If we live and eat in perfect harmony with Mother Nature we live in a more enriched way of being. When we watch nature’s energy rising and falling through each season it should be a guideline to all of us how we can best cope with the food that becomes available, preferably grown locally.

In my natural woman home remedies menu in this article I have included something to nourish you from the inside and a delightful treat for the outside.  Enjoy both.

Rejuvenate Your Skin with a Simple Seaweed Facial Mask

This simple facial mask will leave your face feeling incredibly soft, smooth and looking absolutely radiant. This mask contains kelp, coconut oil, and aloe vera.

Seaweeds have been traditionally used to detoxify the body both internally and externally. They are rich in nutrients which help to both tone and nourish the skin. Seaweed contains mineral salts that can help the skin to hold its moisture better, which helps to smooth fine lines. Sea vegetables deliver incredible minerals and trace minerals; this creates an alkaline environment in the body which delivers good health.  You know there is collagen in the skin, right! And everyone is looking for great looking skin. It was recently reported that wakame, which is what I use in my daily diet and is one of the popular sea vegetables used in making miso soup has an inhibitor of the substance that breaks down the collagen. So, this food keeps the collagen strong, another of nature’s treasures for us to incorporate into our natural woman lifestyle.

Aloe Vera has been known for its amazing healing properties for centuries. It has been used to help heal burns, eczema, sores, acne, insect bites, and more. It’s an antiseptic, highly lubricant, and penetrates deep into the skin.

To benefit from these ingredients, create this simple mask:
1 tbsp. Kelp powder
½ tbsp. Rice syrup
½ tbsp. Aloe vera gel (99.9% pure)

Mix all ingredients in a bowl and apply to a clean face. Leave the mask on for 15 minutes and rinse with lukewarm water.  To enjoy glowing, healthy looking skin, use this mask twice a week. I promise you will enjoy this mask and make it a regular part of your beauty regime.

Let Food Inspire a New You

“Food is the most intimate thing you can buy…Unlike clothes and shoes that dress the outside, food goes into your body and builds who you become.”– Ani Phyo

Millet & Tofu Bake with Pressed Chicory, Radish & Cucumber Salad!

½ cup cooked millet

½ pack of tofu marinated overnight in a little fresh ginger juice/shoyu/garlic

1 onion finely sliced

2 medium carrots finely sliced half-moons

1 tbsp. sunflower seeds

2 tbsp. shoyu

1 tablespoon brown rice vinegar

2 tablespoons nutritional yeast

Preheat the oven to 180/360 deg. Sauté the onions and carrots in a splash or two of water for about 5 minutes or until soft.  Remove the tofu from the marinade and crumble with your hands into a bowl.  Add the onions, carrots, and millet and sunflower seeds.  Add the shoyu and brown rice vinegar.  Mix together and transfer to an oven proof dish. Sprinkle over the nutritional yeast. Bake for 20 minutes on a medium heat.

For the Pressed Salad;

Cucumber finely diced

Chicory finely sliced

Radishes sliced half-moon

½ tsp sea salt

1 tsp. umeboshi Vinegar

Combine the ingredients together in a salad press and close and press the salad for one hour.  If you don’t have a salad press simply place ingredients in a bowl, cover and place a heavy weight on top.  Serve the tofu bake in a small bowl garnished with the pressed salad and sprinkle with black toasted sesame seeds. (The bake is supposed to be crumbly)

A natural life, when all is said and done, really will achieve astonishing results that medicine cannot rival. Clean air and water, nutritious food, moderate activity, a little walk in the sunshine and a good night’s sleep is all you need.

‘Magic is believing in yourself’! If you can do that you can make anything happen!

Enjoy being a Natural Woman!

In good health

 

Cookbook author and Emmy Award winner – Cookbook author

I met Bill Tara 20 years ago when I was making a lifestyle change. Through his teaching and mentoring I became a teacher myself and through his continued counsel and friendship found my own voice and the way to speak my own truth. It has served me well in my life. Bill changed the way I see the world and for that I have the deepest love and gratitude for him. No one should miss the opportunity to experience study with him.
Christina Pirello

Successful Health & Wellness Business Owner

An impromptu meeting with Marlene in my hometown Perth, Australia, catalyzed a complete change in my career and lifestyle. With her infectious energy, her simple, clear and hard hitting message, she won my trust completely and I began living healthy ever since. I have built up a successful wellness business with her wonderful support across the miles. Marlene’s greatest testimonial is Marlene herself!
Peter Symons