Big ol' butts and boobs

This post is for those Sistas that don't naturally have all of the abundance that is often glorified in the Afrikan community. This is for those Sistas that are really cute, but have to arch their backs and hold their shoulders back in order to have the extra curves that are so desirable in our community. This is for those Sistas that are hate even spending $10 on a bra because we don't have enough boobs to feel like we are getting our money's worth in satin and lace.

I grew up in a time that was filled with songs written by Uncle Luke and a well know dance called "Da Butt" that I was ill equipped to do, but did anyway (because it had my name in it) . I was naturally a size 3. I was slim and slim wasn't in fashion. My face and attitude were my saving grace because lawd knows I didn't have the body. To add insult to injury people constantly felt the need to tell me how slim I was. More often than not these comments would come from overweight elders. What they didn't understand was that I wanted what they had. I wanted a big butt and boobs.  My mom is a chocolate brick house. I remember envying the way she could make her fish-tailed skirt work. That skirt looked like it was sweeping all the cares of the world off the path behind her. I wanted to be shaped like my Mama. Being slim was ugly in my eyes. I was surrounded by images that told me that being slim was unattractive. Damn you BET!!!

After giving birth to my second child, my son, I began to gain weight. For a while I was quite happy with my new found sexiness. I had some thickness. Of course now I had to hold my stomach in all the time to give my thickness some curves, but that was okay. I was fillin' out my jeans. I was in a DD bra. Guys had always looked at me, but now they were looking at me coming and going. Finally, I knew what those thick girls must feel like.

When my son was almost a year old I began to have aches and pains. My knees and hips were giving me trouble. I got on the scale one day out of curiosity while I was working at the nursing home. I was in shock. I was 180+lbs. WTH? How had this happened? I went from 110 lbs in high school, 120-130 lbs in the military, and now this?!?! I am not big boned, just like many other Afrikan women. Just like many Afrikan women I could tell because my fat was causing me to have aches, pains, and lethargy. I'm sorry, but if you are feeling this way, you are fat and your bones have nothing to do with it.

Soon after I realized that I was fat. I met my husband. He thought I was cute--sexy even. I convinced myself that I was sexy too. I could even hold my stomach in while napping if I didn't go into a deep sleep. lol Once we got married we continued to eat whatever the hell we wanted and considered sex to be enough exercise to keep us in shape. Well, to be honest, now that we are in better shape, I realize that it was lazy fat sex. Let's face it, there are some things that can prove difficult when you have too much excess meat in the way. All that still didn't matter. In the end my weight loss came as a result of my need to get rid of my constant headaches.

All that to say this. It is hard sometimes to grow up in a culture that would rather you be fat with a big butt and big boob than be your healthy natural size. I am down to about a size 10 and have little to no curves. I've had to explain to my husband that the curves are gone and that I am naturally slim. Bless his heart, because he didn't know. Now mind you, my husband couldn't care less about what I look like, but he thought the size he met me was the size I naturally was. Many Afrikan men are indoctrinated to think that all Afrikan women are naturally brick houses. That simply is not the case. I'm naturally slim. When I am at my healthiest at my age I will probably be somewhere between a size 6 and 8.

My name is Abena and I don't have a "rack" or a "donk" and I'm fine with that.

Day 11-Orange juice...

I made it through this day. It wasn't hard because I was SUPER busy and I still am. My soup is in the crockpot ready to be eaten tomorrow after my orange juice. I am drooling just thinking about it! YAY! A sun ji o!

Day 10-Starting off well...

Here I am. Day 10. I'm happy, but I am still dreading the last laxative tea during this fast. I am so excited to be able to buy my orange juice today! Yay!!! I am also looking forward to the delicious soup that I will be having on day 12! The recipe for the soup is in the Master Cleanse Book or PDF. Of course I will be adding some things and leaving some things out as needed. I am proud of myself regardless of how hard it was. I know it was good for my body. I will continue to do it for 10 days until I master 10 days and then I will go from there, but no need to worry about that. I am here. I am now. Day 10!!!

Day 9-Punk Wins---No sucha thang!

Iya Ajoke told me that there is no such thing as a punk win. It was cute at the time, but dammit now I understand! Here I am on day 9 and I am having a stand off with the freakin' sh!+ tea a.k.a. "Get Regular Tea". I would love to tell this tea where to go but alas I already dwell in the 7th circle of hell and don't want the tea to follow me!!!

I started off all serene this morning. I was all "divine feminine" and "one with the universe" and then my 7am client was late. GGGGRRRRRR!!!! I HATE WHEN PEOPLE ARE LATE! She said that she said 7ish. I missed that when we scheduled because I have to give permission for "ish" appointments. I let it ride and she said she would be here by 7:30. She was 3 minutes late for the 7:30, which would have been fine except that she was already late for the 7am. So that I am clear "ish" means that you are going to be a little late, 15 minutes max, 30 minutes meant that I could have stayed in the bed. I conveyed my feelings about my pet peeve being conjured and she told me the real story behind what was going on with her which, of course, I will not divulge.

Needless to say her story brought me back to earth because she is in a worse situation that I am and that quickly brought me back into focus. I will still say that day 9 is a beast. Day 10 will be like those little girls who stand there bouncing back and forth in front of the double dutch rope waiting to jump in. Day 11 is going to be a big ol' orange juice whosaaaaaa, Day 12 is gonna be a party!!!

Day 7-Sorry, I've been slack

Well, here I sit on day seven starting to feel my bratty-ness rearing it's head. Toward the end last time I didn't want to drink any of the lemonade at all. I got to the point that I just didn't want to be bothered with it and simply chose hunger. Spoiled right? Well, I am fighting against that now. I think I'm just bored. I love variety and this isn't getting it. Lemon and lime taste the same at this point and I don't care for either one. *chugs "lemonade" out of guilt*
I have to admit, however, that I feel fine physically. As a matter of fact I feel wonderful. All of my weird cravings are gone, though I can't wait to make vegan something with quinoa! OMG!!! I swear it is calling my name. Huh? Oh, I thought I hear something. Anyway, I just have 3 more days of , ugh, lemonade, then 2 more days of orange juice (maybe), and then 2 days of the recommended soup. No problem. Dang that soup sounds good right now. *salivating*
Okay so that's all for now. This is all about discipline and iwa pele and I am going to maintain both until the end. Ase.

Day 4-Headaches, soup, Master Cleanse PDF

I've had a headache today. Well, the headache isn't as bad as it was the last time, but it's here and has been here all day. I am able to deal with it because I am accustomed to full blown migraines. You have to count the little blessing I guess. I had enough energy to help paint my daughters room and do 2 clients so I am really happy about that.

Titus decided to come off of the cleanse a little early (sssshhhh don't tell him that I told you.) He did his day of orange juice today. I had to prepare his soup for tomorrow. I must admit that it was not made with love AT ALL!!! Nothing like cooking food when you can't even lick your fingers! The soup was so simple that he could have made it himself, but I make all the made-from-scratch-healthy-vegan-meals. I was really mad.

Last but not least. I sent my husband and others the MC PDF a long time ago before the fast began. He, like many people, didn't read it. He skimmed it tonight and learned a lot just from skimming. I cannot not emphasize this enough. READ THE PDF IN FULL!!!! This is a cleanse that needs to be done right or not at all.

What I miss most right now...

I know that you think that I am going to say that I miss some succulent delicacy. No. Strangely enough I miss my vinegar water and chlorophyll. I don't know what that's about, but that's what I miss. Of course I want to eat, but my life would be much more beautiful right now if I could chug some vinegar water and chlorophyll water. What is that about? lol

Day 3-UGH!

So yea...I woke up at 4 am. I mean wide awake. I said my prayers and such to prepare for my day. I went to the living room to drink my tea and watch Mandingo for the first time (OMG! That movie pissed me off! You gotta see it.) Around 6:30 my body remembered that we don't wake up at 4am and started to get sleepy, but I couldn't go to sleep because my niece and nephew were set to arrive at 7am. I am really tired, but I know that it will get better. I really wish that I had more time to lay down and really rest. Because Mr. Broom and I are doing the cleanse together it is really hard to just rest and relax because he doesn't know how to mix the lemonade. Usually because I mix it I also get his and mine. This has caused me to be a bit irritable. I have learned that I need to start the cleanse before he does the next time so that I can be into the good part by the time he starts.

I don't know if I mentioned this in the beginning, but I know I mentioned it the first time I did Master Cleanse because I read it on somebody else's blog. WARNING: If you are on MC please don't EVER assume that you just have gas. Your poop has been transformed to a liquid state that all the clenching in the world can't hold back. You WILL mess up your underwear if you assume you have gas. Now, because of this warning I have NEVER had a mishap, so consider yourself warned!


I really hope that you are able to try this cleanse and make it the entire journey. It is rewarding it two ways. You will feel a sense of achievement and you body will feel so much better!

The tea vs.The saltwater

First let me say that the right way to do the MC is to drink the saltwater in the morning. If you are truly unable to do this you are allowed to drink the laxative tea both morning and night. That being said there is a definite difference in the results and the speed at which you see results.

Saltwater-You will see/have almost immediate profound results. Once you have had said results you are pretty much done with bowel movements for the day in my experience.You are free to go where ever you like without having to preplanned the fastest routes to the cleanest restrooms.

Laxative tea-It takes longer to take affect. This is day two for me and I am just starting to have results that are the result of the tea. Btw, you will know if it is your regular poo or MC poo because the MC poo is more loose, a different color, and will have that cayenne tingle. lol If you are doing the tea morning and night I would suggest, as mentioned above, that you plot your routes according to clean accessible bathrooms if you plan on going out. After all you never know when it will kick in in the beginning.

I really hope this helps somebody. You can do this!

Day 2

Well, it's day two. Today, I am sore from my projectile vomiting yesterday. lol Other than that everything is fine. I still wish that I could tolerate the saltwater because it works so much better than the tea. :( I have to go to the homeschool co-op today so I'm hoping that I don't have any bowel issues. See, with the saltwater the bowel movements are much more predictable than with the tea and in actuality it makes it much easier. Mr. Broom did drink all of the saltwater and had excellent results.

The only thing that I messed up with is that I didn't drink enough lemonade before my tea last night and so I was really hungry. I just went to sleep.

Tomorrow is the day that my clients/friends will start the cleanse so hopefully since I will be on day 3 I will be of some assistance. I hope they call me for help because that actually helps me to cope a little better. Helping others helps the helper.

Day 1 Epic Fail

Yea so, the salt water? No go. It was worse than before. I don't know if it is mental or physical for me. At first I just couldn't get a decent amount of it down, then came the juicy mouth. You know how your mouth gets a drooly like a teething baby? Then you get the heevies? Yea. Running to the trashcan at 5:30ish in the morning just ain't cool. I learned something about myself though. I don't like to be alone and throwing up. It's really weird, because that's what I was thinking about the whole time--being alone and throwing up. Yes, the salt water tasted even worse coming back out, but all I could think about was being alone. Weird right? I just kept thinking, "Where is Titus?", but for once he wasn't there. :( The sadness was very strange. I've decided to go with prune juice although technically that isn't an option. I will probably chase it with tea and then on to the "lemonade". I'll let you all know how everything goes from there. So far, however, EPIC FAIL. I am just keeping in mind that throwing up is not the same as giving up. ;)

Round 2: Fall Equinox cleanse!

Well, I have th tea down and I'm ready to go for the morning. By the way, I am not using Smooth Move tea, I am using another brand. The brand is Yogi tea Get Regular. The last time I experienced major cramps, but this time everything is going well. My Iya told me that this brand has herbs that balance the senna that the other tea lacks. Once again, she is right. 


I am getting mentally prepared for the salt water. I am going to do this because it is good for my body.*I'm talking to myself*


This is a repost of the recipe for Master Cleanse:
2 quarts of distilled water
1 cup of freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 cup or less of B grade maple syrup
1 pinch (give or take) of cayenne pepper

The Salt Water Flush
2 Tbsp of deionized Sea Salt
1 quart of distilled water

Senna Tea
Senna based tea
Distilled water

I am really reposting this so that it will be easy for me to find later. ;) 

Master Cleanse Sept 22. Let's get it!

Okay, so I have to redeem myself because I didn't keep my word that last time I said I was going to do the Master Cleanse. I simply couldn't stomach the thought of drinking salt water and I won't say why so that it doesn't affect anyone else and the tea gave me MAJOR cramps. I am going to replace both with organic prune juice since I have about the same reaction to prune juice as I do to the salt water. I am actually really excited this time. I don't know if I will invite anyone to do it with me again as I was so disappointed not to have the support of all the people that said they wanted to detox, get healthy, and lose wait. I did have one of my favorite clients come and we hung out and I told her everything I know about healthy living. She brought a delicious treat and I ate almost all of them. I made vegan and raw food dishes that were really good. I don't think I'll be doing that again. If I do invite people and they want a lot of information I will charge about $5 just to make sure that they are going to show up, because I have learned that people don't value what you give them for free.

I will be getting up between 4:30am and 5am every morning to drink the juice (about 16oz) and go back to bed and wait for it to work. That is a lovely little tidbit of advice I picked up from Ajoke (my sista/teacher/guide). I am going to make all of my lemonade the night before so that I don't have any excuses the next day. I will try to keep a light schedule with my clients because the first few days can be kinda rough to say the least. I am doing a minimum of 10 days, but if my body says so I will do 15-20. We'll see.

An idea...

I'm thinking of going vegan for a year so that I can document the changes both good and bad in my body. I haven't decided yet, but I know it will begin with a MC.

That Damn Dairy!

I have one hold up preventing me from going vegan...DAIRY!!! It has already been proven to have addictive qualities which is why the calf keeps returning until they are weaned. It normally also has pus in it because the cows are over-milked which are a former breastfeeding mother I can imagine to be true. Nothing is made to be milked by machine all day. Knowing all this, WHY CAN'T I GIVE IT UP?!?!?! It's not the milk, by the way, it's the stuff that the milk is in like cheese, dressings, and sauces. They are so soothing. Maybe I will be never be anymore than a lacto-vegetarian...*sigh*

Getting healthy in small steps

Okay so I'm writing this because some of you have asking me about my lifestyle changes. Let me start at beginning and then I will give you some tips. At my heaviest I was 180+ pounds. I never had low self esteem, but I was too big for my height of 5'2". I had the very active job of being a second shift CNA so I was moving, but my body had become accustomed to that level of activity so I gained weight steadily to reach that 180+ that I mentioned earlier. I ate fast food all the time, I was an emotional eater, and a glutton. The only thing I didn't eat was pork. I didn't drink any water, mostly sweet tea. I was a staunch advocate for plate cleaning. LOL

I don't remember process that I went through step by step, but that doesn't matter, because you are going to take these tips and make them your own. You will be able to do any one of these and if done consistently and later increasingly, you will see results. Sidebar--I will tell you this. I tried slim fast and it does NOT work...at least not long term. Because of the fiber without enough water most people, including me, just get gas and want to eat real food anyway. These tips can be utilized in any combination or alone. I told someone last night that I think you should choose one, stick with it until it has become a habit, and then add something else.

1. Water- I have always hated water until recently. I am up to a gallon a day now. I didn't get there overnight though. The way I did it was to set measurable goals for myself. I started with about one 20oz bottle a day. Then I gradually increased it. Any extra water you can do will do you lots of good. For weight loss I have used this "equation". Take 1/2 of your body weight and drink that amount of water in ounces. It worked, and my skin and hair loved me for it. Make sure to drink plenty of water in the cold weather too, which can be hard to remember but it is still very necessary.

2. Move!!!-Any amount above what you normally would do is good. Take the stairs. Don't park so close to the building. If you are a television watcher, march in place during commercials. Dance! Drive to your local arts district and walk around and look. Walk the trails or Greenways at your local park. Sit on the floor to watch television and stretch while your down there. Need anymore ideas? Message me.

3. Reduce Portion Size-Okay this one was/is REALLY HARD for me. The only way I am able to do it consistently is to change my plate size. If I know we have some food from my Mama's house I have to reduce portion sizes. I will normally use on of the kid's plates. A lady even told me once that she doesn't let her food touch and of course that will keep portion sizes down. If you are still eating fast food don't biggie size, get the kids size, replace fries with salad or something, get water instead of soda, or drive past the drive through and go home and cook. LOL

4. Reduce Meat Portions-I don't eat chicken, pork, or beef, but I don't eat sea food once in a blue moon. I don't expect everyone to give up meat, although it would make your life much easier, but do reduce the amount. The suggested portion is a deck of cards, but I say even less. I would suggest that you even have a vegetarian day once a week at least. Try this website for some ideas. http://www.meatoutmondays.org/index.php

5. Reduce Unhealthy Oil Intake-okay so you know that commercial about the "Buttertons"? Okay, well I was Mrs. Butterton. I could easily use 2-3 sticks of butter in one dinner. First of all look for cold compressed oils that can be found at your local health food store. On the label it will tell you if they can be used at a high temperature or not. Try different oils because they all have different flavors. DO NOT COOK WITH OLIVE OIL!!! Apparently when it is heated to high temps it changes and is very unhealthy. I like to use coconut oil. I haven't heard anything bad about cooking with it yet.

6. Reduce Make Eating Decisions in Advance-So your on your way to a family dinner or restaurant to eat, what are you going to limit yourself to? This would be a good time to eat vegetarian so that you don't go overboard too much or you should use a kid's plate. Whatever decision you make should be made BEFORE walking in the door and smelling all the food. If you want a rich desert, eat a light meal. If you want to eat a heavy meal, drink water, and get a healthy desert. You can take these suggestions and make them your own of course.

7. Don't Overcook Your Veggies-One of my clients just bought me a steamer and I love it!!! If you don't have one you can still achieve similar results. Put just a little water in the pot, use fresh veggies when possible, and cook until just tender. You shouldn't see all the vegetable's color in the bottom of the pot. It shouldn't be floppy when you take it out. Things like cabbage and spinach can even be stir fried in coconut oil and balsamic vinegar and eaten. Also add as many raw veggies to your meal as possible.

8. Try New Veggies-Every week try a new vegetable. You can try it alone or mixed in with a familiar veggie, but either way just try it. Look for vegetable recipes. There are entire sites devoted to vegetarian recipes.

9. Try New Recipes-This will encourage you to eat at home more and in turn will help you eat healthier. Learn to substitute high fat ingredients for lower in fat and healthier ones. Now is a good time to make soup since it is cold out. Most times you can look around your kitchen and find stuff to make a quick healthy soup out of. You'd be surprised. LOL

10. Find Restaurants with Healthy Choices- Find out who has a healthy choice menu and try to go there. Even if they don't have a healthy choice menu, ask to make substitutes. Look their menu up online before you go so that you can make a clear decision about what you want to eat, before the sights and sounds lull you into a bad meal choice.

11. Fast-You should shoot to fast at least once a year for at least 7-10 days. The optimal fasting routine that I know of is 4 times a year during the solstices and equinoxes for 10+ days, which will give you 40+ days of fasting per year. Fasting is a way to give your body and digestive system a rest. There are all kinds of fasts as you may well know. My thought process is that you fast to improve your health, so when you come off you shouldn't go back to your normal diet. Your diet should improve every time in some way until you see no room for improvement. I used Master Cleanse to help me get started. I used it to get my body clean to get rid of headaches. Some people have used it for weight loss, but if you go back to your normal diet, you will also go back to your normal weight probably with a little extra. You can try juice fasts, green smoothie fasts, fruit and veggie fasts, or even water fasts.

I really hope this helps and give you a jump start for your healthy eating journey.

Let 'em hang!

This note is going to be about breast health or at least a small issue in breast health. I ran across a couple of sites some time ago that talked breast health as it pertains to bra wearing. http://www.all-natural.com/bras.html

Let me say this first of all I have always hated buying bras, because I have never been well endowed and so paying $10 for a bra was my limit and even that seemed like too much for the little bit of fabric required to make my bras. My reasons for wearing them are probably the same or similar to many of you.

1. rite of passage- getting your first bra is a BIG deal--even if your lil' nibblets weren't.
2. proper undergarments-you just plain old have to wear one cause your Mama told you to.
3. saggy boobs-at some point the girls start to hang. If you have breastfed this may be even more pronounced.
4. western ideals-in most "developed" countries we like to keep up the appearance of youth and so we fight anything that doesn't look youthful tooth and nail. This is the main reason that so many where underwires and pushups and have red marks and shoulder marks.

I have gotten to the point that I wear a bra maybe once a week for a couple of hours. I have been bracing myself for my husband to say something but I think he has thrown in the towel on many things and simply lets me be me, bless his heart. I mostly wear the tshirts with the tittie sling in it, but some days I literally let 'em hang. I understand that some of you still work outside the home and aren't able to do such things. Maybe you are just blessed abundantly in the area of boobage and don't feel comfortable with them being unleashed. Whatever the cause just try to cut back on some of your bra time. I learned from hanging with my cousin as she went through breast cancer that the lymphatic system in one of the first things they check after diagnosis. You can do your own research, but let's just say that your breast need to be able to be flushed out by this system regularly and underwires and pushups are too constricting to allow for good flow of lymph.

The normal movement of you body when you are sans bra will encourage lymph flow. When you unleash them after a long day massage is good to make up for the lack of flow all day. This can be done by you for you (bufu) or you can have your husband do it for you which will probably be more fun.

I have tried to make light of this subject, but breast health is really serious especially if you are in my matrilineal gene pool. Please take this seriously as a precaution and do your own research. We have been fooled into thinking that breast are only sexual objects, wombs are unimportant, and menstrual flow is unclean. We have to teach our daughters better than we were taught.

Here is one of the links and if you google you can find some others. By the way don't be naive enough to think that the medical field is going to back this one up. If you aren't sick they are broke.

Peace, light, love, & balance

Diva Cups

EcoStiletto's Rachel Breaks Down the Reusable Cup from EcoStiletto on Vimeo.

Forget this!!!

My stomach is still a train wreck! I still have cramps which I don't usually have when I am eating a vegan diet. I can take the MC symptoms and I can take menstrual symptoms but the two combined is too much. I am conceding defeat and just going on to my vegan diet. Not to mention that the MC headache has already started. It's not that I can't do this, but I am choosing not to torture myself unnecessarily.
Here are the lifestyle changes

1. Walk at least 9 miles per week
2. Eat a vegan diet, but may make vegetarian pescatarian exceptions for special occasions.
3. Continue with chlorophyll daily
4. 1 gallon of water minimum daily
5. Fruit/fruit juices and water before noon
6. Vegetables from noon prior to evening meal
7. Light vegetables, fruit, or smoothie for dinner

I'm going to listen to the Creator concerning listening to my body.

Senna is a beast!!!

The last time I did MC I swore that I would never use the saltwater again. I have to admit I tried a weaker version yesterday to no avail. Which is why I used the prune juice which did what it was supposed to do and did so naturally and painlessly. Now, last night I drank a different brand of laxative tea. Yogi brand. I was snatched out of a deep sleep by pain. I mean that pain that causes you to rock and moan. I couldn't lay down, my stomach was going crazy with cramps and bloating. It was horrible. I started feeling kind of weak and was about to tell my husband to call 911--suddenly came sweet relief. I burped and kept burping. Now, usually that much gas and bloating means that you have something in your body that your digestive system is having a hard time with. I kept hearing the Creator say, "Listen to your body". I heard it loud like someone was sitting there talking me through that situation. Anyway, it passed and I was able to sleep. Needless to say, I won't be doing that again. I'm not sure if I will even complete this cleanse. Not because it's hard, but because I've changed it so much to accommodate my body I'm not sure that there is even a purpose behind it. If I do, I will just be having prune juice, 1 gallon of water per day (as usual), and the lemonade. I also plan on beginning to shop according to Dr. Sebi's suggestions. I will post a list below of recommended foods.

NUTRTIONAL GUIDE

RECOMMENDED FOODS

VEGETABLES  - Dr. Sebi says, “Avoid using a microwave, it will kill your food”.

Amaranth greens – same as Callaloo, a variety of Spinach

Avocado

Asparagus

Bell Peppers

Burro Bananna

Chayote (Mexican Squash)

Cucumber

Dandelion greens

Garbanzo beans (chick peas)-optional

Izote – cactus flower/ cactus leaf- grows naturally in California

Jicama

Kale

Lettuce (all, except Iceberg)

Mushrooms  (all, except Shitake)

Mustard greens

Nopales – Mexican Cactus

Okra

Olives

Onions

Poke salad -greens

Sea Vegetables  (wakame/dulse/arame/hijiki/nori)

Squash

Spinach (use sparingly)

String beans

Tomato – cherry and plum only

Tomatillo

Turnip greens

Zucchini

NUTRTIONAL GUIDE

RECOMMENDED FOODS

FRUITS - Dr. Sebi says,” no canned or seedless fruits”.

Apples

Bananas – the smallest one or the Burro/mid-size (original banana)

Berries – all varieties- Elderberries in any form – no cranberries

Cantaloupe

Cherries

Currants

Dates

Figs

Grapes -seeded

Limes (key limes preferred with seeds)

Mango

Melons -seeded

Orange (Seville or sour preferred, difficult to find )

Papayas

Peaches

Pears

Plums

Prunes

Raisins -seeded

Soft Jelly Coconuts

Soursops –Latin or West Indian markets)

Sugar apples (chermoya)

ALL NATURAL HERBAL TEAS

Alvaca 

Anise

Chamomile

Cloves

Fennel

Ginger

Lemon grass

Red Raspberry

Sea Moss Tea 

NUTRITIONAL GUIDE

RECOMMENDED FOODS

SPICES & SEASONINGS

Mild Flavors

Basil

Bay leaf

Cilantro

Dill

Marjoram

Oregano

Sweet Basil

Tarragon

Thyme

Pungent & Spicy Flavors

Achiote

Cayenne

Cumin

Coriander

Onion Powder

Sage

Salty Flavors

Pure Sea Salt

Powdered Granulated Seaweed

(Kelp/Dulce/Nori – has “sea taste”)

Sweet Flavors

100% Pure Maple Syrup – Grade B recommended

Maple “Sugar” (from dried maple syrup)

Date “Sugar” (from dried dates)

100% Pure Agave Syrup – (from cactus)

NUTRITIONAL GUIDE

RECOMMENDED FOODS

NUTS & SEEDS -(includes Nut & Seed Butters)

Raw Almonds and Almond butter

Raw Sesame Seeds

Raw Sesame “Tahini” Butter

Walnuts/Hazelnut

Additional Resources 

Purityfoods.com

Wholefoods.com

Dr. Sebi has recommended the foods that are listed here for the reversal of disease for over 30 years.  If your favorite food is missing from the list, our research and results have proven that it has no nutritional value and may be detrimental to your health.   

 

GETTING STARTED

ALMOND MILK/WALNUT MILK AND HAZELNUT MILK

Whatever nut-milk you choose to make use the following ingredients.

Ingredients:

Whatever Recommended Nut you should choose. e,g Almond, Hazelnut or Walnut

Spring Water

Real Vanilla Extract

PUTTING IT ALL TOGETHER:

Blend ¼ lb of the recommended nut of your choice. (unsalted)

Add 2 ½ cups spring water

Blend for 5 minutes

Strain – this your milk replacement

*Tip: Add maple syrup if you need to “dress up” the taste.

JOYFUL DRESSING

Ingredients:

Limes

Cayenne pepper

Sea salt

Maple syrup

Dill weed

Olive oil

PUTTING IT ALL TOGETHER:

Add 2 tablespoons of olive oil to a bowl

Squeeze two limes into bowl

Add ½ tablespoon of maple syrup to bowl

Add a dash of dill weed, cayenne, and sea salt to bowl

     Mix and add to your favorite salad greens. Enjoy!

It is no surprise that many people have “wheat-allergies”, because wheat is not a natural grain;

it is a hybrid product created by science and it is acid-based.  Natural Growing Grains are alkaline-based; it is recommended that you consume the following instead of Wheat:

Amaranth

Black Rice

Kamut

Quinoa

Rye

Spelt

Tef

Wild Rice

These grains can be found at Whole Foods

Market (or any health food store) in the form

of breads, flours, pastas and cereals.

MC-Day 1 Year 2

So here I am again, up at 5am. We'll, to be honest my body wanted me up at 4:30, but I didn't get up until 4:44 exactly. Anyhoo, I'm here. Day one of the MC. I can't find a part to my citrus juicer which can be a problem if your 10 year old has taken over washing dishes and you haven't used it since last year. It's not a part that's essentials though...I don't think.
This year I am drinking prune juice in the mornings rather than salt water. Why? Because I feel like it. I hate the salt water flush and prune juice gives me the same explosive results. I haven't made my lemonade concoction yet, but I will in a minute. Just wanted to check in, before the bowel movement party gets started.

WARNING: TMI

Yesterday my cycle started, which for me means that my bowels are a little more active than usual. Then add to that I ate something last night that got the bowels really bumpin', and now prune juice this morning. This seemed at first to be such an injustice, it's better than having it in my body. Boy, this is going to be ugly!

Green Smoothie

Yesterday, I began drinking chlorophyll because it is supposed to be SUPER good for you. Well, I'll tell you this, I took some getting used to on my part. I drank another glass this morning and it wasn't near as bad so I think I'll add this to my diet permanently. I also made my first green smoothie this morning with zucchini, red bib lettuce, green apples, and a green pear. Gotta admit. It's pretty good. Not as delish as my banana almond milk smoothie, but still good. I think I made it too thick though, but whatever. I'm trying to get all my goodness in before my walk at 7am which is in about 30 minutes.
My hope is that the things that I am doing for the precleanse will be the changes after the cleanse. I am doing well so far. I would be doing even better if I could get in the bed on time.
Peace, love, and balance
Abena

Day 2 of my (pre)cleanse

I'm doing well. Although yesterday my daughter decided to cook fries and put ranch dressing on them. I think she did it on purpose. LOL
Yesterday I ate vegetable stir fry with rice, drank a smoothie (cantaloupe, strawberry, and banana), and drank LOTS of water. I would like to improve by doing green smoothies instead of just random smoothies. I am also trying to stay away from the starches. Well, not completely, but I am just trying to stop using them in EVERY meal. I am also looking into a "green" meal replacement. It is basically like having a green smoothie that I don't have to make myself. After I am done with my client I will be going to Home Economist to get my supplies for the MC. Until tomorrow...

Day 1 of my (pre)cleanse

This is day one of my (pre)cleanse. I am calling it that because I am eating pretty much like I always eat, but I am simply being more careful. I am doing vegan with just a little of the starches for 5 days and then I will be doing the MC for 10 days and then I am planning on being as vegan as possible for life. You know, I really wish that I had more of a conviction about not killing fish or something along those lines to help me stay on course. I don't eat anything but fish if I eat meat, but when I do eat it...watch out! I am seeking to be vegan not for any spiritual or moral reason, but simply because my body functions better when I only have vegetables.
I will be eating fruit and drinking lots of water until noon and from noon on vegetables and water.

So I had a meeting...

So I had a meeting that only one person came to. Some people gave me a courtesy call, some didn't call at all, and some called after the fact. Now that I have sufficiently whined about being let down, let's talk about what I am going to do for my spring equinox cleanse. I am going to do 15 day total rather than 10. I have a deep and abiding feeling that I am going to be sorry for this decision later. LOL I am going to do 5 days vegan (which is my lifetime goal) and I am going to do Master Cleanse for 10 days. My focus for the 5 days is to do as much raw as I can and I am going to do as little starch as possible. UGH! I love rice!!! I was going to do smoothies for the 5 days but I spent all of my money buying food for the meeting that never really was. LOL

I plan on reporting anything that is of interest on this blog so enjoy.

Permission to walk Sir? Permission granted.

A while back my husband asked me to stop walking my usual route for fear that it was safe. I have been more the miserable not to mention gaining weight ever since. I was going to barter a treadmill from one of my clients, but I know I won't use it a lot. It would just serve to keep me in shape when I can't walk outside which is only when it is in the 30 degree range. I then decided to walk at an area museum that has really good paths, but my budding greenness kicked in and the thought of driving to a place to walk seemed really stupid and wasteful. I just told him that I wasn't happy and all the ideas that I'd tried to conjure, he decided that my route was probably the safest and I agreed to take certain precautions. Now, the problem is getting my lazy behind up and getting going again. I can't even remember that last time I walked and that is quite sad. Since I am starting MC soon, I want to make sure that I am somewhat accustomed to walking again prior to the cleanse because I do want to walk during the cleanse to expedite the toxins exit from my body. I will walk my 3 mile route that I was walking before. I am not going to start with the one mile that I began with initially.

Master Cleanse Again...

I am going to do the Master Cleanse again. This will be my third time and I intended on doing it for 15 days and I would like to go vegan afterward. I really need to change my diet if I want to reach the ripe old age of 120 years old.

This year I will be doing this with a group of ladies that live in my area. Most of them are clients of mine. I am encouraging them to do some type of fast/cleanse for 10 days for a healthy change rather than weight loss. That might be a hard sale for some, because some are only in it for weight loss. I really hope that eventually I will be able to improve the health of my sisters by sharing the knowledge I have and continuing to share what I learn in the future. I am really excited about my change and I really hope that I can stick with it afterward.

I plan on doing the cleanse 4 times a year in line with the solstices and equinoxes. Wish me luck.

Dry Skin Brushing

A little more yoga

More Kemetic Yoga

Kemetic Yoga

Natural Born Healer

Tits, titties, jugs, knockers, breasts, boobs, boobies!

I was raised as many of you were to be a proper southern woman and that meant wearing all kinds of undergarments like slips (1/2 or full), girdles, bras, proper panties, and stockings with your dresses and skirts. Well, I never got into wearing slips and to this day I only own one 1/2 slip that I have owned since high school and only wear it when deemed completely necessary. I do, however, wear bras...well, sometimes. I ran across an article similar to the one found at this link sometime ago and though it made an impact I never shared the info as anything more than a joke. Well, now I am taking it more seriously. I come from a family of women that have female type cancers quite a bit. I have a cousin who had a double mastectomy done. I have taken the step of moving to natural deodorant and now for the most part I am bra-less too.

I am interested in knowing your thoughts about such subjects. We live in a place where it is improper to just let 'em hang and it is often viewed as unattractive to go bra-less post breastfeeding if your breast didn't quite bounce back like you thought they would.

Note I posted on FB
This note is going to be about breast health or at least a small issue in breast health. I ran across a couple of sites some time ago that talked breast health as it pertains to bra wearing. http://www.all-natural.com/bras.html

Let me say this first of all I have always hated buying bras, because I have never been well endowed and so paying $10 for a bra was my limit and even that seemed like too much for the little bit of fabric required to make my bras. My reasons for wearing them are probably the same or similar to many of you.

1. rite of passage- getting your first bra is a BIG deal--even if your lil' nibblets weren't.
2. proper undergarments-you just plain old have to wear one cause your Mama told you to.
3. saggy boobs-at some point the girls start to hang. If you have breastfed this may be even more pronounced.
4. western ideals-in most "developed" countries we like to keep up the appearance of youth and so we fight anything that doesn't look youthful tooth and nail. This is the main reason that so many where underwires and pushups and have red marks and shoulder marks.

I have gotten to the point that I wear a bra maybe once a week for a couple of hours. I have been bracing myself for my husband to say something but I think he has thrown in the towel on many things and simply lets me be me, bless his heart. I mostly wear the tshirts with the tittie sling in it, but some days I literally let 'em hang. I understand that some of you still work outside the home and aren't able to do such things. Maybe you are just blessed abundantly in the area of boobage and don't feel comfortable with them being unleashed. Whatever the cause just try to cut back on some of your bra time. I learned from hanging with my cousin as she went through breast cancer that the lymphatic system in one of the first things they check after diagnosis. You can do your own research, but let's just say that your breast need to be able to be flushed out by this system regularly and underwires and pushups are too constricting to allow for good flow of lymph.

The normal movement of you body when you are sans bra will encourage lymph flow. When you unleash them after a long day massage is good to make up for the lack of flow all day. This can be done by you for you (bufu) or you can have your husband do it for you which will probably be more fun.

I have tried to make light of this subject, but breast health is really serious especially if you are in my matrilineal gene pool. Please take this seriously as a precaution and do your own research. We have been fooled into thinking that breast are only sexual objects, wombs are unimportant, and menstrual flow is unclean. We have to teach our daughters better than we were taught.

Here is one of the links and if you google you can find some others. By the way don't be naive enough to think that the medical field is going to back this one up. If you aren't sick they are broke.

Peace, light, love, & balance

Michael Pollan

Natural Skin Care

Welcome

I just want to take a moment to welcome new faces, as well as those that may have followed me from my other blog. Travel with me as I learn to heal myself and my family with food and exercise.

Yogaish

I don't normally do yoga with shoes on, but I was checking my poses and posture so I can improve them. I just thought I'd share them with you all.

Pics to catch y'all up