Sweets From the Earth



We were happy when Sweets From the Earth asked us to guest blog for them because we looOOoooOOve their desserts!  Their vegan (read:  egg/dairy free and not to mention gluten, wheat and nut free) Chocolate Cheescake and Flourless Cashew cookies are our two top faves and have been there for us through several happy celebrations!

Check out our blog entry at http://www.sweetsfromtheearth.com/blog/!

Happy Spring!
:)
Aileen Lim-Trotter

Weird Health Fads Review #4: The Master Cleanse

Often called "The Lemonade Diet" or "Maple Syrup Cleanse" the Master Cleanse became popular (as most health fads do) as a result of the Hollywooders. Although created with the intention of being a cleanse or detox, it is most often misused as a crash weight loss program.

Originally concocted in 1941 by Stanley Burroughs, an alternative health practitioner, it has increased exponentially in popularity in the last decade. It is quite a simple program as there is only the "lemonade" solution consumed during the detox period. The length of time suggested ranges from 10 to 40 days...this is without any food, only the lemonade.

The solution is a mixture of fresh-squeezed lemon juice, dark unrefined maple syrup, cayenne pepper and water. Taste-wise, the Master Cleanse solution is actually not bad - goes down like a natural tangy lemonade.

The theory with this cleanse, as with other fasts, is that the lack of food gives the body a break to recuperate and repair its tissues. Lemon juice provides vitamin C and electrolytes, maple syrup provides natural sugar and minerals, and cayenne pepper increases circulation and sweating.

The composition of the lemonade provides basics to sustain the body during a fast, but unsupervised, this can be quiet dangerous particularly with underlying health conditions and/or medication. The other problem is that fasting, although targeted to eliminate toxins from the body as a result of nothing else being consumed by the body, can actually do the opposite.

Metabolic detoxification pathways in the liver require many nutrient co-factors that can be depleted during a fast. Because of this, toxic metabolite intermediates may actually back up in the body or be prevented from being properly eliminated. Proper foods and nutrients should be supplemented with to support the detoxification process. Without this support, it actually defeats the purpose of cleansing.

Short-term, under medical supervision, The Master Cleanse can have benefits for some people, but I would not recommend doing this for longer than a 2-3 day period without food. And to reiterate, this is only after a thorough medical assessment and under supervision.

Many people use this cleanse as a quick weight loss program, which will absolutely work in the short-term, but as most diets that put the body in a state of ketosis (or starvation) will have a rebound effect as you reintroduce food. You will quickly regain the weight you lost, and often more than previous, as your body wants to protect itself from starvation again.

I think the cleanse lemonade solution is a great adjunct to a normal healthy diet, taken first thing in the morning, or even as a natural homemade Gatorade replacement (with a pinch of salt and baking soda added), but would not recommend it for extended periods of time.

REVIEW (out of 10):
Weird Factor: 5

Safety Rating: 3

Health Benefit: 4

Ending Our Detox - aka. Weekend Niagara Winery Tour

Well, our midsummer detox came to an end last weekend thanks to a tour of the Niagara wineries. The detox went quite smoothly, and we felt great in terms of energy, no cravings and fantastic internal plumbing, but it definitely was nice to end it with some wine tastings in the company of good friends.

We took the Niagara Wine Route to try out a few wineries, including Frog Pond Farm, which is small, but is the only certified organic winery in Ontario and uses green electricity. They have a selection of organic reds and whites, a Riesling icewine, as well as pure organic grape juices.

Two other amazing wineries we visited used a gravity-fed process, which, as far as I understand, prevents oxygen from being introduced during the more conventional pumping, leading to a better quality wine. Flat Rock Cellars was incredible as was Tawse Winery. Flat Rock had amazing Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Gewurztraminer. Tawse wines have a higher price point, but many of them are not only organic, but also biodynamic wines, such that they are chemical-free and incorporate sustainable farming methods. Definitely worth mentioning the very nice Sketches Chardonnay and the full-bodied Meritage from Tawse.

I am definitely no sommelier (but am a seasoned beerelier) but I think almost everyone leaves Niagara with a renewed appreciation for wines and the uncanny ability to pick up notes of tobacco, mushrooms, and butter in their next glass of wine.

Mini Detox Check-in... (and sample detox menu)

So Aileen and I are on Day 7 of our midsummer detox...and this is my breakfast (recipe is a variation of the one listed on my protein powder post). We are surviving it better than we were expecting; I think we were both in the right mindset to take a little break from typical summer indulgences.

I incorporate my favourite Thorne Mediclear cleanse powder containing 30g of organic brown rice protein, along with liver, digestion supportive nutrients, and supe it up with L-glutamine (to strengthen the lining of the digestive tract and lean muscle mass) and Organika Spirulina. Aileen prefers her hemp protein powder, and adds a shot of pomegranate juice in her shake...adds a nice bit of flavour.

We are both feeling 'digestively strengthened' (I'll keep it at that to avoid sharing too many details of our bowel improvements), with no cravings for wine (Aileen), beer (me), sweets or dairy, which were our biggest vices in the early part of the summer.

Energy has been fantastic, having great sleeps, and just feeling overall cleaner and less congested. We both agree that this was well-needed and surprisingly easy to incorporate. A bonus is that it is pretty easy to structure meals and menus for the week.

Midsummer Detox - How to successfully complete a mini cleanse

Do you ever get to a point where you actually start to crave healthy food instead of "bad" food?  This is where Makoto and I found ourselves this weekend.


We have been very happily indulging in summer BBQs, amazing local summer fruit pies, pitchers of sangrias, mini kegs of beer (how can you resist that mini keg of Heineken at LCBO?!?!) and endless wine and cheese summer parties.  We've also been slacking on going to the gym as we somehow convinced ourselves that walking and sweating back and forth to work in the sweltering heat counts as a workout.  So we decided that it's time for a much needed week long mini detox.


Detox doesn't have to be complicated.  Just think of it as a rest for your digestive tract and resetting your system.  Makoto opted for his favorite Thorne MediClear Detox using a whole foods and brown rice diet.  I decided to go on a detox heavy on fruits and vegetables with juicing as it's backbone.  Both of us are going vegan this week and also keeping away from common allergens (dairy, wheat, corn and eggs), caffeine and alcohol (whaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!).


Here are some of our must-haves and tips to get us through our mini-detox: