Soccer, Stringed Bikinis, The Samba, The Amazon, Passion

When most people think of  Brazil,  images of soccer, scanty bikinis, passion, the samba,and the Amazon may be dancing in their heads. Food rarely springs to mind when I think of Brazil, but all that changed today and I decided to write about it.

I walked into my 6:00 AM yoga class this morning to see one of my nicest yoga teachers, Dana, back from his two-week trip to Brazil.  What I noticed immediately was a change in his face: less ruddy and less puffy.  Gone was the inflammation apparent before he left.  I had been trying to come up with a way to explain why it's so important to eat organic foods that are living, local, and sustainably grown.   Dana's face was a walking poster ad that summed it all up with no words needed.

When  I asked him how his trip was, he did not mention soccer or bikinis, nor the samba or the Amazon.  He described vistas of sugarcane as far as he could see with chickens, goats, lamb, steer, cows and llamas all freely grazing.  He talked about breakfasts consisting of fresh, succulent fruits, eggs with vibrant colored yolks and salads of fresh lettuce and tomato with olive oil, fresh lemon juice and salt.  All the meals were sumptuously and simply prepared from foods gathered and bought from the family farm where he was staying and surrounding farms.

Dana had experienced a detox just by eating real food: clean, fresh, and organic and it changed him.  It changed the way he looked and I may be wrong, but I think it changed something inside of him too. He rediscovered the powerful connection between humans and the source of our sustenance that is missing from our modern industrial food system.  Manufactured food that so often comes to us looking shiny and perfect and similar to real food lacks flavor, nutrient value and the intrinsic value that connects us with the land and each other.

I'll save going into the biochemical reasons of why it's so important to eat organic and locally grown for another post, but I invite you to eat real food like Dana did for 30 days.
 For 30 days try eating only foods that are fresh, organic, grass fed, and wild caught.  Eat foods that your ancestors would have eaten.  That means no:
     bottled dressings
     no preservatives
     no artificial anything
     minimize packaged foods.
To save money and time frozen organic vegetables and fruit, are okay.

Take a picture of yourself before and after the 30 days.  Write down all the things that are bothering you now. Then see if they are still bothering you at the end of the 30 days.   Some examples of this might dry skin, itchy eyes, digestive issues, fatigue, a foggy brain, puffiness, etc. Whatever is bothering you or you are taking medication for, write it down!

Just do it!  You will feel refreshed and rejuvenated, and everyone around you will see it in your face!

Leave your questions below in the comments and I will respond.  If you want to brag, send me your before and after photos to inspire us all!

To your health and well being,
Cindy

For a little extra help and guidance making this kind of leap, I will be leading an exciting and eye opening, webinar based, 30 day detox starting July 9th. Stay tuned for more information about this event.