Reduce, Reuse, Recycle

Over the weekend we made a butt ton of fruity things like Sangria (yes, I am aware that it's alcoholic and that most raw foodists don't drink but I am not fully raw and I at most drink 6-8 drinks a year and its usually at some sort of holiday), chopped fruit like watermelon (seen here) and lots of juice like the cucumber-watermelon-lemon juice in my cute Teavana glass.

What we did was use our fruit in the sangria, used juice from a half a lemon, I then took the left over lemon (with rind) and juiced it in with the my juice.  Since we didn't keep the rind on the melon I took the rind without skin and juiced that (it is the most healthy part of the watermelon) and used an entire english cucumber.  All the pulp got composted.

In our community they have a separate compost pickup where it is taken to the dump and thrown into a compost pile where it is available for a substantially lower cost than Lowe's and Home Depot to put back to use into our gardens.  I love this and think every county should have this kind of program, I would much rather compost from something local that is essentially a living organism that was not harmed to put life-force and energy back into me.  It's just another beautiful way to spread love back into our gardens and the food we eat.

I'm keeping today short but I just wanted to say the little things (food-wise) that we chuck into the trash can could most likely be repurposed in other ways and then be composted.  Even if your community doesn't compost you can do it all your own with mini pails like this or you could petition your community to start up compost pile to benefit the county/community/local gardens and lawns.

Love & Light,

Jessica

My Wonder Herb, Turmeric

Cystic Fibrosis presents inflammation all over the body, in vital organs such as the lungs, intestines and in the sinus cavities (to name a few).  Even if the patient is healthy inflammation will be present.  I have severe inflammation in my intestines and sinuses and a fair amount in my lungs this makes it very uncomfortable for me to digest my foods, breathe and wrecks havoc on my sinuses.  With anyone who has inflammation it creates a problem with allowing the body to function properly, puts the body additional pain, can inhibit bacteria growth, and causes disturbances in sleeping patterns.  I have been on a hunt to use a natural anti-inflammatory especially since my doctors have put the kibosh on my use of Motrin (the only anti-inflammatory that has ever been of help to me) because of future repercussions to other vital organs.

I brought my super hero herb turmeric into play, I have been adding it to my juice whenever I can find it at my natural grocer.  I need consistency by taking it daily so I went on a search in the herbal section of my natural grocer and came to my fave brands for herbs, Organic India and found a high quality, organic supplement that just so happens to be vegan friendly.  I have seen results in just a matter of days and I am honestly thrilled with how well my body is responding to the anti-inflammatory properties especially with the healing of my sinus infection.



Aside from supplements and juicing I also use organic turmeric powder (when I do not have the actual root and if I have the root the juice works just as well) to make a healing turmeric tea with lemon and ginger, it's fantastic for a sore throat and sinuses.  If you are you suffering this season please do not hesitate to give this a try, it's slightly spicy with a touch of acidity and it is highly alkalizing.  All the makings for a healing beverage if I do say so myself.

Turmeric can help your body in 13 major ways according to Mercola:

1. Boosts your antioxidant protection against free radicals*
2. Helps promote your healthy skin*
3. Supports your overall eye health*
4. Provides you immune system support*
5. Aids your skeletal system and joint health*
6. Encourages your healthy liver function*
7. Helps you maintain healthy cells with support against free radicals*
8. Balances the health of your digestive system*
9. Aids you in support of healthy blood and your circulatory system*
10. Helps you maintain normal cholesterol levels to support your cardiovascular system*
11. Assists your neurological system's healthy response to stress*
12. Promotes a healthy female reproductive system*
13. Helps you maintain blood sugar levels already within the normal range*