The turning point in my life was when I purchased a Vitamix Total Nutrition Centre in 1994.  I had wanted a high powered blender for some time, as I inherently knew that I needed to include more raw food into my diet.  I could see the advantage of blending a whole pile of fruit, leaves, etc and just chugging it down.  At that stage I was 40 years old and suffering from various maladies.  These ranged from horrible PMS that lasted at least 2 weeks of every month, drinking too much alcohol and popping sleeping pills every night.  I was a mess.

I purchased my Vitamix from my daughter’s friend’s mother, Colleen Thornhill.  Meeting Colleen and her husband Mike, and purchasing the Vitamix changed my life almost immediately.

I became a vegetarian within two weeks of purchasing the machine and increased my raw intake by at least 70%. I blended smoothies every morning for myself and the rest of the family.  I took a flask of the stuff to work and basically just had fruit all day.  Supper was a big salad.  I lost weight, strangely enough, even though I was already very slim.  I dropped from 50kgs to around 44kgs, and kept this low weight for about 3 years – slowly stabilising and creeping back up to around 47kgs, which is my current weight.

For the next three years I still drank alcohol, but less so and still took sleeping pills, sadly, but I felt much better all round and I no longer experienced PMS, which was a huge relief.

In 1997 we left South Africa, and this was another turning point in my life.  My husband and I both gave up alcohol.  Two years later we moved to Saudi Arabia, and it was there that I decided to give up sleeping pills.  This was exceedingly difficult, but since I was not working, it seemed like the right time. Within 6 months I was able to sleep without any chemical aid.

A year later we moved to Dubai.  Here I increased my raw intake to around 95-100%, exercised every day on my rebounder (a gift from Colleen and Mike) and felt like I had evolved into the me I was meant to be.

At this point I purchased a distiller and a dehydrator. I wanted to be sure the water I was drinking was as clean and pure as possible. The dehydrator was to add other textures and flavours into the raw diet.  Dried fruit is my passion! I eat far too much of it.

I am now 56, and incredibly happy and well.  I have amazing energy and never get depressed, even if things do go wrong!

I highly recommend to anyone embarking on a ‘health crusade’ to seriously consider going ‘raw’.  Somehow raw food vitalises the body.  Every cell seems nourished, content and happy. If all the parts of the whole are well, it stands to reason that the whole being will be well too.    The easy way to do it is with a blender, particularly initially.  It is so easy to blend and chug.  Purchasing a juicer is also a good idea, but I have not yet done so.  I tend to only juice oranges and have a cheap little juicer for this purpose.

I also highly recommend exercising on a rebounder (or mini trampoline).  I bounce/aeorobicise on my trampoline every morning for 30 minutes to very upbeat, trendy music.  It is a great way to start the day and excellent for encouraging elimination, and of course keeping fit and trim.  The other benefit I have noticed is that I now have really good balance.

Do you do Raw and miss yoghurt or perhaps you just do not do dairy. Young coconuts make an amazing smoothie, and then if you like you can go one step further, and make some raw, non dairy yoghurt.

South Africans from western descent are not that familiar with young coconuts as these are truly tropical fruits. This was the situation until recently where you can now even find young coconuts in Cape Town to satisfy the needs of raw fooders and others that have fallen in love with this delicious fruit.

So exactly what do you do with the young coconut to make a smoothie or yoghurt.
First you need to open the coconut. Now this does involve you investing in an inexpensive machette Be sure that you know what you are doing cause this is a really lethal weapon. I have seen Mozambican guys that make opening them look like childs play. It takes a certain knack.

Then, scrape the coconut ‘meat’ out (see video) and place the meat into a super blender such as a Vitamix or Hi-Blend Multi Speed, together

The recipe reads
2 cups young coconut meat (2-4 coconuts)

1/4 – 1/2 cup coconut water, (you might need more coconut water to thin the mixture down)

Directions

• Place the coconut meat and coconut water in a super blender and blend until smooth. Add extra coconut water if necessary.
• Add the pro-biotic powder and blend lightly ( just enough to mix the powder in)

You now have a stunning coconut smoothie. If the coconut milk and meat was not refrigerated then cool the smoothie off in the fridge before serving.

To make the Raw Coconut Yogurt 

Take the

Place the coconut cream in a glass jar with a lid and allow to sit at room temperature for 8-12 hours. Stored in the refrigerator will keep up to 1 week.

Equipment: Oscar or Greenpower Kempo Juicer and a Super Blender = Vitamix or Hi-Blend

Highlighted Fruit – Kiwi Fruit

This tasty fruit is high in antioxidants containing high levels of Vitamin C and as much potassium as a banana. Remember that one of the issues we have with our modern diet is that we consume too much sodium and too little potassium. The Kiwi also has notable quantities of vitamin E and A. There are not that many sources of Omega 3 which is an essential fatty acid but the Kiwi seeds when crushed in a masticating juicer like the Oscar or the Kempo will release the alfa-linoleic acid.
As a footnote about this remarkable fruit, it is also high in fibre.

Recipe Juice

• 1/2 Pineapple
• 4 Apples

Blend

• 1 Mango – peeled
• 2 Kiwi fruits
• A handful of strawberries (fresh or frozen)
• Add the extracted juice and blend gently together

P.S. It is important to use the blended fruit to include the fibre to assist in the slow release of sugars.
Enjoy!

These multi nationals never fail to amaze me. The Mafia were like a nursery school party next to the likes of Monsanto and the sad part is that the general public actually live in ignorance and allow themselves to be manipulated.  GMO (Genetically Modified Organisms) is really more frightening that you can imagine. This  playing God in the worst possible way. I mean mixing a grapefruit and a tangerine (kinda like a seedless naartjie) to get a Mineola is one thing, but when you start putting fish DNA into a tomato that is something else.

Where do you think GMO will take us?  Let your imagination run free!

What we are talking about is transgenic plants that have had genes inserted into them that are derived from another species. Most of the trans genetics is between plants and micro-organisms. Can you imagine creating this cross plant/animal freak that produces not one or two children but thousands. Just to equate with a lettuce with a count of  up to 1200 seeds in a single gram. So how do you reverse this in nature when you find they messed up? Surely if God thought it a good idea to mix species to ensure that there was enough money to feed the world it would have been done and Monsanto would not have to get involved. Is their motivation really an interest in feeding the world. Mmm, I think not. Perhaps pure financial greed is the motivation since there is evidence that there are no fewer starving people since the introduction of GMO.

Most people that I have spoken to think that hybridisation is Genetic Modification. Hybridised seed is where they cross plant seed and that is unnatural enough but not as horrific as genetic modification. To understand more about GMO watch this video.

So if the money hungry manipulators want to mess up the earth and create all these freak tomatoes, soya beans, maize, Cotton,
Did you know that GMO tomatoes were actually taken off the market due to commercial failure which means there was not enough money to be made. Alfalfa was banned but has been deregulated in the USA since 2011. While we happily move on with our busy lives focusing on paying the rent, educating our children, negotiating the traffic, deciding what to eat for dinner and all that modern life demands of us, we are not aware that the Monsantos of the world are changing our world an before we know it we are ignorantly eating their genetically modified creations. So what is being genetically modified and how is it affecting our lives. Well the most popular GMO products are soya and maize that are used in the manufacture of so many other products. About 9% of beetroot worldwide is GMO and rice is set for release in the USA in 2013. The moral of the story is that GMO is alive, well and growing. The best we can do is to DEMAND is to know whether what we are buying contains GMO products. This is currently being denied.

With so many concerns about the safety of GMO food the questions are:
1. Do you think that it is fair to sell Iwiza mielie meal Africans without them even knowing that the Maize Meal is Genetically Modified because the information is not on the label and the risks involved in consuming GMO food?
2. Do you think that it is fair for parents to innocently feed their children GMO foods because they are not labelled and because they do not understand the possible risks?

The African Centre for Biosafety sent samples to a Commercial Laboratory and this is the information that was reported;
FOOD PRODUCT Cerelac Infant Cereal contains 77.65% of GM maize (AND IS NOT LABELLED)
FOOD PRODUCT Bokomo Wheatfree Pronutro contains 90.36% GM maize and 71.42% GM Soya (AND IS NOT LABELLED)
FOOD PRODUCT Iwisa Maize Meal contains 66.18% GM Maize (AND IS NOT LABELLED)

For more information on ‘GM labelling in SA: the law demystified’ which you can download from the African Centre for Biosafety website www.acbio.org.za
I you feel strongly about this then act immediately by sending an official complaint to the National Consumer Commissioner (NCC). You are within your rights to and are encouraged to send in official complaints of the three companies that are not complying with labelling. The Commissioner needs to get the message loud and clear from consumers that we know our rights and we will not be backing down.

Download the complains form that has mostly been completed on your behalf.

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FORM

Complete and email the complaint form to m.mohlala@thencc.org.za.

REMEMBER THAT IF YOU DONT STAND UP FOR YOUR RIGHTS

YOUR RIGHTS WILL BE TAKEN AWAY FROM YOU.

Vita-Mix have featured their 5200 super blender on a number of popular TV programs. They featured on the Martha Stewart show ”The Martha Stewart Show” is an hour long daily series that informs and inspires viewers on subjects from cooking and entertaining to crafting and gardening, hosted by Martha Stewart.

And then, Vita-Mix featured on the Ellen Degeneres show ’12 Days of Giveaways’ and actually gave away over 300 of their 5200 Super Blenders on the show.  This episode will no doubt flight in South Africa, but who knows when so here is a photo clip of the Viamix giveaway.

And then, Vita-Mix Corporation gave Colleen and Michael of Healthmakers one of the new Brushed Stainless Model 5200.

Now this is a Super Blender that you could REALLY get passionate about. Between looks and performance i’m not sure what the world has to offer that could beat it.

Go and check this beauty out at www.healthmakers.co.za. Just search for brushed stainless.

Another Healthmakers approved product that will be in stock mid August 2011.

On Special is about the only time you get a whiff of lower prices these days and tomorrow they bounce back to where they were and sometimes even higher.

What Healthmakers has done is unprecedented in these times.

Yes Fallen Prices is true!

And No, these are not Special Prices that will bounce back tomorrow.

BUT, with no control over the Rand/$ exchange rate these prices are always vulnerable to external conditions. So, if you were considering improving the health of yourself and your family by enjoying real wholefood smoothies, extracted veg/fruit juices, rawfood dehydrated delights, nutritious healing sprouts, clean,safe filtered water and the chance to breath air that has been processed to remove allergy and disease causing bacteria, virus and other pollutants…..don’t delay… go to www.healthmakers.co.za, sign-up for a Free downloadable Catalogue of all the products that will offer health, easy of use, excellent guarantees and most important the Healthmakers Approved Label. Invest in your health today rather than paying for disease tomorrow.

Take a look today prices have literally Fallen and remember that ‘Health is for Everyone’

The unusually bitter cold in Utrecht this 2011 winter finally crescendoed into snow last night. We expected this morning to offer little more than some cold slush but were pleasantly surprised to see huge flakes floating quietly and gently down from the light grey sky.
Since the taxi’s were not running, half our employees never made it to work and missed the fun an hilarity of building the snowman and the usual snowball fights.

It is quite some years since we have seen good snow in Utrecht and I had forgotten just how extraordinarily beautiful everything looks when it is covered in a thick layer of fresh snow. The stillness is almost erie. The flakes continue to fall 14 hours later.

]]> http://lifestyle4health.co.za/healthmakers-snow/feed/ 1 http://lifestyle4health.co.za/winter-illness/ http://lifestyle4health.co.za/winter-illness/#comments Sat, 09 Jul 2011 18:18:02 +0000 Administrator http://lifestyle4health.co.za/?p=1701 Share/Bookmark

Winter colds and flu – the choice we have and the choices we make.

With so many employees off work over the past month as we hit the winter of winters I started thinking of the choices people have when a cold or flu sets in.

The ones with medical aid often run themselves and their family off to the doctor at the first sign of a cough, cold, temperature, vomiting. Once the prescription has be obtained everybody feels safe and happy to invade the body with all manner of chemical substances that frankly are foreign toxins that suppress the symptoms until the body heals itself anyway.

I have noticed that when people do not have medical aid they hit the pharmacy or supermarket to self medicate with the most popular TV ad recommendation for the season. Remember the ad that said “you can’t take every cough to a doctor”? Mmm can’t remember the product and, well I wouldn’t personally like to give them air time on this blog anyway.

When will people realize that the doctor does not heal you and neither does the medication? The doctor usually allays fears of death and dreaded disease (in the case of the coughs, colds etc and that for some is an essential part of their healing. Your immune system is what you need to rely on to get over the short-term misery of the cold/flu. When you are feeling fine, which for some includes the more than occasional headache, indigestion, constipation, heartburn etc etc you might not be aware that this is the time to give your body the best nutrition so that when the chips are down your body has the resources to get above it.

Someone once told me that if you get the flu and go to a GP it will take 14 days before you feel better. If you go to a Homeopath it will take two weeks and if you do nothing it will take a fortnight.

When the occasional cold / cough etc hits me or Michael I have my favorite standby ‘medications’ that seem to motivate the immune system to get on with the job. My top of the list favorites are Tissue Salts. No 5 and No 9 or the Coughs and Colds Combin. (More info on Tissue Salts in another post). Then there is Echinacea which I don’t always do – I usually ask my body if it want it and only if I get a resounding yes do I use that. Another big-time favorite is Olive Leaf Extract. I have been told by devotees of this substance that if you take this before winter you seldom ever come down with the winter blues. Now, if a cough is the problem then this old fashioned home remedy has been a winner, Grate an onion and sprinkle with brown sugar and leave until the sugar forms a syrup. Sip on the liquid in between those wracking coughing attacks for absolute relief.

My message.

• Look after your immune system on a daily basis with good nutrition and by learn to cope with the stresses of life
• Realize that your body’s magic is what will heal you and not the doctor or his poisonous chemical drugs or the supermarket offerings for coughs, colds and cauliflower ears
• Be in touch with your body – repeated bouts of bronchitis, colds etc indicate that the body needs better care – take stock of how much raw living food you are consuming
• Consider how much of your diet includes coffee, tea, sugar, fast foods, white rice, bread, pasta, MSG (found in Aramat, packet soups and sauces, and loads of other products) P.S. These foods do not build a healthy immune system
• Be positive, laugh a lot (mostly at yourself and at life), find solutions not problems and most of all be grateful!

Healthmakers receives numerous enquiries regarding the difference in power between the Super Blenders that we sell. The Vitamix blender has always had a 2 Hp motor that in my opinion has always performed above expectations. Competitor products such as the Hi-Blend / Omniblend and Blendtec have endeavoured to outsmart Vita-Mix by manufacturing their blenders with a 3Hp motor. And since the numbers go 1,2,3, we all seem to think that 3 is bigger than 2 so it must therefore be better.

Well, Vita-Mix had obviously had enough of this, and proceeded to do some extensive testing that proved conclusively that it is much more than input horsepower to create a great performing Super Blender.

Read the Statement by Vita-Mix Corp. here and form your own opinion.

Message from Colleen

(Managing Partner at Healthmakers)

I went from a standard blender to the powerful might of the Vitamix Total Nutrition Center in 1995. Healthmakers became the agent for Vita-Mix Corp. in that same year and traded with the TNC (Total Nutrition Center) as the sole product of the Company, giving demonstrations all over the country. In 1999 we visited Vita-Mix Corp in the USA and learnt anything else that we perhaps did not know about what a Vitamix could do. I can confidently say that Michael and I became experts in regard to the use, operation, capabilities and repair of the Vitamix Super Blender.

Colleen and Michael Demonstrating the Vitamix in 1999

Finally in 2010, 15 years later, after pounding the machine at demos, making juice at fairs and at home, we donated the machine to a worthy friend to make place for the Vitamix 5200, confident in the knowledge that the Vita-Mix is truly a remarkable machine that stands head and shoulders above any other Super Blender that we have tested.