Greetings tea lovers, Naturalistas, and anyone who is ready to release and recharge. It’s Dr. Michelle here, your sister Super Wonder Woman and chief creator of FREEALITEA. This blog as well as EVERYTHING I do is about creating a stress-FREE reality. We can achieve that one cup at a time AND one cleanse at a time.
In the previous blog, we talked about 5 herbs to help destress and detox. If you’re like me and LOVE to make magic in the kitchen using the kitchen as a laboratory, then this blog is for you.
I have loved food for a long time. I started eating solid food at the age of 3 weeks old. Milk alone was not enough for me. I never concerned myself with what I ate. I could eat everything! But I always made sure I had some type of green vegetable every day. My grandmother drilled that into my head, “Michelle you have to eat your green vegetables everyday so you can be healthy and strong.”
For someone without a college degree, she sure knew what she was talking about.
It wasn’t until I developed uterine fibroids and felt that my uterus was fighting me that I really paid attention to the foods I was eating and how they made me feel both physically and emotionally. It’s amazing what our bodies communicate to us when we take the time to listen.
With continuous stress our minds and bodies respond with anxiety, excessive worry, fatigue, brain fog and issues with your sleep. Stress is a form of toxicity that we often self-medicate with comfort foods such as chips, cookies, cakes, candy, ice cream, and alcohol, leading to an even more toxic internal environment. No judgement! Been there done that and sometimes re-visit it But we can change the narrative. Not only can food be medicine, but also a source of happiness.
I want to share with you 5 foods that are staples for my detox and destress FREEALITEA.
Garlic
Helps to detoxify the gut by acting as a gentle laxative. It also helps enhance the immune system. An important note, if garlic is overcooked, it loses some of its beneficial properties. When cooking with garlic, it is best to add it to your pot towards the end and allow it to simmer. I really like using my garlic press so I can get the flavor and the benefit of the juice.
Leafy Greens
Raw green leafy veggies provide digestive enzymes that improve digestion, cleanse the colon, stimulate peristalsis (involuntary muscle movement in the intestine to pushes waste out) which improves regularity of bowel movements. They also have a mild diuretic effect (stimulate increased urine output) which helps release excess fluid. Green leafy vegetables are the foundation of your culinary cures for cleansing and calm. You cannot properly cleanse without dark leafy greens making up the majority of your food intake. Leafy greens are necessary to destress because they are a rich source of B vitamins and Magnesium. B vitamins calm and maintain a healthy nervous system. How many times have you said, “You are on my last nerve!” Girl, you better get some b vitamins in your life.
My favorite leafy greens are romaine, arugula, turnip greens, and lacinto kale.
Vitamin C
People who have high levels of vitamin C bounce back from stressful situations faster than people with low levels of Vitamin C. They do not show the expected mental and physical signs of stress when subjected to acute challenges. Some foods that are rich sources of Vitamin C are:
- Strawberries
- Kiwi
- Papayas
- Oranges
- Broccoli
Avocado
People often ask me, “What do you use on your skin?” I tell them it’s not what I put on it, but what I put in. I eat an avocado almost every day. It is a rich source of oils that keep this 50-year old skin soft, supple and glowing. Avocado helps the body produce glutathione, a compound that is necessary for the liver to cleanse harmful toxins. After all of the holiday cheers and toasts, our liver is begging for help. Avocado is also helpful for the destress focus because of its rich source of B vitamins. B vitamins are necessary for a healthy nervous system which doesn’t fire and work at its optimum when you have been stressed for a long time. If you desire to be healthier and have been choosing healthier food options, avocados can help because B –Vitamins are best taken with Vitamin C your body absorb and use the vitamins and nutrients more.
Zinc
Zinc Inhibits the secretion of the stress hormone cortisol. When you have been in stressful situations for a long time, cortisol is at an extremely high level with detrimental effects. One that is on everyone’s mind is the immune system. When chronically stressed, you are more susceptible to colds, flu, and other infections.
With ‘rona on people’s mind trying to stay safe, destressing and detoxing are key.
Some foods that are rich sources of zinc are:
- Legumes (beans, lentils, chickpeas)
- Pumpkin Seeds
- Sunflower Seeds
- Seafood
- Almonds
It takes deliberate effort every day to choose healthful foods, to choose wellness, to
choose better and to choose yourself. Destressing and detoxing are an expression of self-love.
What are you declaring today?
Yours in Health & Harmony,
