Take time today to tell someone you love them, take a walk out side and feel the sun, take a deep breath and know that this is a very abundant planet. We all have much with which to be grateful.

Have a blessed day!
Love,

Charlotte

PS  My recipes are on the page “Some of My Favorite Things”

1. Drink good water. Tap water frequently is “made safe” using chemicals like chlorine, Chloramine, and fluoride. These chemicals are difficult for our liver, kidneys and brains to handle. Spring and uncontaminated well water are the best containing natural minerals and no toxic items. Reverse osmosis is a great way to get the chemicals out but strips necessary minerals so add minerals back to keep balanced. Many bottled waters are very pure and easy to obtain even in remote places. I bought good bottled water on the Great Wall of China! The best container to carry water is glass as it does not leach contaminates into your good water.

2. Stop microwaving anything you or those you love ingest. http://naturalsociety.com/microwaves/ You will hear a lot of miss-information regarding the use of micro-wave ovens, however I believe they alter the nutritional value of everything they heat and can inversely impact the nutritional value of the food. Using a simple steamer or convection oven is almost as fast the much safer.

3. Keep your teeth and mouth safe by stopping all products with fluoride and removing amalgam fillings. Fluoride and mercury are not safe for human bodies. Read the book the Fluoride Deception to understand the history and use of fluoride. And as for mercury – it is a hazardous material that requires special handling and masks for dental workers but it is fine in our mouth! Rubbish! It is still toxic. To remove these fillings you need to work with a dentist who uses special equipment so the residue is well contained. Biological or Holistic dentists will have mercury-free offices and be skilled at removing these items.

4. Look for organic and local whole foods and decrease your consumption of “prepared foods.”
 Everyone knows organic is more expensive – but in the long run, you stay healthier and probably have less medical costs. Farmers markets and natural food stores do their best to provide fresh, local, organic foods. By local – keep the money at home! Prepared foods are packed with chemicals to keep them on the shelf a loooong time. Unfortunately they do not help us to live a long time as they stress the bodies liver and kidneys and digestive tract so that we become toxic and have less energy.

5. Use natural laundry and personal care products. The highly scented products so popular today are actually neuro-toxins. These items can disrupt the neurotransmitters in our brain which could have many effects such as depression, manic behavior, brain fog, weight gain, and more. Clean clothes should have no scent – just not smell bad! Natural personal care products will help your kidney and liver not have to filter out toxic chemicals applied to our skin and hair. There are many natural products in all categories of personal care including hair dye!

Have a natural, safe, healthy and happy fall!

Take care,

Charlotte

Watch this amazing video on “You Tube” where an MD with secondary progressive MS took her health into her own hands and went from a wheel chair to mountain biking 8 miles a day by changing her diet.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KLjgBLwH3Wc

Summer is just around the corner and the Farmers Markets are really ramping up. I recently purchased a Vita Mix and have been making glorious breakfasts and other dishes utilizing fresh fruits and vegetables in ways never before possible! This is the perfect fix for a mom with picky eaters – throw that vegetable they won’t eat (cabbage, broccoli, peas etc.) into a smoothie with fruits, juice and ice and you have a healthy sorbet that tastes great! This is the perfect quick breakfast or meal to take in the car or bike that is full of plant fiber and antioxidants. Your digestive and cardiovascular system will rejoice! I add some whey protein, flax or chia seeds, goji berries, coconut, and you have enough protein to keep you going for hours! A regular blender works well if you don’t have a Vita Mix – the Vita Mix actually blends the tiny seeds of raspberries to nothing and you don’t have to chop the fruits and veggies into small pieces because the industrial strength engine can plow through most anything. It also can cook soups and there is so much friction the foods heat up and steam comes off the top! Amazing! Perfect for a summer dinner of soup and salad – all fresh from your garden and farmers market!

And last for those who are not convinced that the “Western Diet” is all that harmful, I suggest watching the movie “Forks Over Knives” (http://movies.netflix.com/WiMovie/Forks_Over_Knives/70185045?trkid=2361638) as they explore the reality that with all our modern advances in science, medicine and food production, diabetes, obesity and cancer are modern day epidemics.

The weather is great these days so get out there and soak up some sunshine and enjoy your fruits and veggies!

Take care,

Charlottet

New Leaf has opened a new store in San Jose! They are a Santa Cruz based health food store with very good standards for meats and vegetables. They always buy local and organic when possible and do not import “organic” food from China to sell in their stores. They work with local farmers to bring us the freshest and healthiest food possible. Please check out their website: http://www.newleaf.com for the store closest to you!

Another favorite store for me is Nob Hill on Grant Road in Mountain View. Nob Hill has a large organic produce section and sells orgainc eggs, dairy, and meats. Their produce is fresh and wonderful. They also have a large natural foods and vitamin section. The staff in this store are very helpful and friendly!

Do check “My Favorite Things” section as I have added more recipes. My best easy dinner recently was Tilapia breaded with cornmeal and fried in coconut oil, mashed sweetpotato with ginger and coconut, steamed artichokes with garlic and basil and a large salad.

The GMO petitions are almost ready for signatures. Please sign and support keeping engineered foods labeled so you know what you are eating. Engineered foods have herbicides and pesticides spliced into their DNA – it cannot be washed off and can combine with your intestinal flora to create herbicides and pesticides in your intestines. It is a HUGE health issue – not to mention it poisons the planet and kills insects.

Enjoy the fabulous light winter – we would love rain but always love sun!

Have a fabulous February!

Charlotte

I am also cautioning clients regarding the PG&E SmartMeter. It is not turning out to be as smart as we had hoped! This meter is constantly sending information to PG&E regarding our electric usage via radio waves. This is similar to having a cell tower on your house! They claim it is as harmless as many home appliances. But I can choose how often my microwave operates (never for food!) and whether I hold my cell phone and use speaker phone or not. I have no choice about my dumb SmartMeter. I have seen several people have serious immune challenges after these meters were installed. Consumers beware! Not all technology is biologically friendly! These machines send radiation all around the neighborhood and cities where they are installed.

We are having warmer weather than normal which means my garden still has a few green things growing! We are hoping for rain – it must be coming soon! Meanwhile, the Farmers Markets are still doing well.

My favorite markets are Cupertino on Fridays, Campbell and Menlo Park on Sundays. Cupertino and Campbell both have Orgainc Pastures Raw Dairy products. They are the best ever! Menlo Park has fantastic mushrooms, herbs, and so many organic vegetables! If you don’t know these markets, please check them out soon. You will be glad you did!

Happy organic eating!

Charlotte

My healing work is at the top with numbers to keep them together and the easiest to find.

Farmers Markets are the best food on earth! Don’t you just love walking down the isles of all that beautiful fresh produce? Many vendors have signs stating Organic, while others do not. I have found if you ask the vendor if they have any produce without herbicides or pesticides, many of them do not use these things on all their food. The certification for organic costs MEGA bucks and small farmers cannot afford to go through that process.

Also, the best deals at the market are in the last half hour. Most vendors do not want to take food home and some will discount their prices for you if you ask.

October means lots of people buy pumpkins for jack-o-lanterns. Save those seeds as you scrape out the center. They are very nutritious and easy to make. Pull off as much of the slimy orange stringy stuff as possible but do not wash the seeds, a little orange stuff adds a great flavor. Place them in a skillet – preferably cast iron – with olive oil or butter and slowly saute/roast until seed are toasted. Salt to taste!

Pumpkin seeds are full of protein, minerals and fiber and taste fantastic!

I love feedback so please let me know what else you would like to see on my site!

Have a fabulous fall!

Take care,

Charlotte