GreenChic™

Natural Relief for Spring Allergies

Have you noticed the thin layer of pollen blanketing everything outside?  Allergy season is in “full spring.”   But don’t think your only options for relief are over-the-counter or prescription drugs.  There are many natural ways to combat the stuffy noses and itchy eyes that come along with the blooming of trees, flowers and weeds.   

• Quercetin is an antioxidant, naturally found in apples, berries, grapefruit, onions, cabbage, capers, tea, and red wine.  It acts as a natural anti-histamine by preventing the release of histamines (inflammatory chemicals in our body) from cells.  It is better absorbed when taken with another natural substance, bromelain (found in pineapple).  Look for Activated Quercetin, which is a combo of quercetin, bromelain, and vitamin C.  If purchased individually, take 500 mg of quercetin and 100 mg of bromelain, twice daily. 
• Stinging Nettle is an herb that reduces inflammation and helps to prevent allergy attacks.  It’s a highly nutritious leafy green that gets its name from the spiny hairs that cover the stems.  The hairs will rub off on human skin and cause an itchy stinging reaction.  You can drink it in tea form or use an herbal extract. But the most effective method for treating allergies is taking freeze-dried nettle caps. Take 250 mg every 2-4 hours while symptoms last. 
• A teaspoon of honey… Consuming a daily dose of honey from producers local to your area is gaining recognition as a natural treatment for hay fever symptoms.  Hay fever is caused by pollen from local plants.  Bees collect some of this pollen along their travels and a small amount is transferred to the honey they produce.  The idea is that ingesting small amounts of the local pollen in the honey will work to build up your immunity to the allergen, and therefore decrease hay fever symptoms.  But those with bee allergies should be cautious with this method and talk to your doctor first.
• Some know Yerba Maté as a coffee alternative due to its pick-me-up effects.  But it is also loaded with antioxidants and minerals, and helps to reduce allergy symptoms.  Drink one to two cups daily instead of coffee or regular tea. 
• Avoid dairy, white sugar and white flour products as they are mucus-producing and can exacerbate allergy symptoms.
• Splurge on an air filter that uses the HEPA filter system which is fine enough to clean pollen, mold, and dust from the air in your home or office.

Sharing is Caring

If you don’t have the time or space to grow your own veggies but still want the ability to eat fresh, local produce, consider joining a local CSA.  Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) is a mutually beneficial relationship formed between the farmer and the public.  How it works is that we, the general public, pay upfront for to be CSA members of a particular farm and receive a “share” of that farms’ produce.  Essentially it’s a produce subscription which is received on a weekly or monthly basis.  Doing business this way provides the farmers with working capital to grow their crops along with some degree of financial security, versus trying to sell at markets.  In addition, it provides the public with a relatively reliable source of fresh, local, and often organic produce. 

Local Harvest (www.localharvest.org) lets you search for farms and CSA’s by state or zip.

Oriental Orange Spinach Salad

2 large bunches of fresh spinach
1/3 cup chicken broth
1 tablespoon low sodium soy sauce
½ teaspoon sugar
2 oranges, peeled and cut into bite-sized pieces
1 tablespoon toasted sesame seeds

Remove the stems and wash the spinach. Place the spinach in a large saucepot. Cook covered on medium-high heat for 4 - 5 minutes, stirring occasionally until leaves are just wilted; drain well. In the same pot, combine chicken broth, soy sauce and sugar - bring to boil. Stir in spinach and orange pieces and heat. Serve in individual bowls. Sprinkle sesame seeds over the top and serve with additional soy sauce. Makes 6 servings.

Recipe courtesy of Grant Family Farms in Colorado. www.grantfarms.com

Ask Jen

A Nutritionist Answers Your Questions

Q: What is the benefit of drinking fresh fruit and vegetable juices, if any?

A: Juicing is becoming quite the health-promoting rage these days.  But believe it or not, the first juicer was designed way back in the 1930’s by a nutritionist who reportedly lived to be over 110 years old.  Whether it was the juice, or the fact that his diet wasn’t loaded with hydrogenated fats, hormones, and pesticides, the fact remains that drinking fresh juices is a healthy addition to any diet.  Here’s why…

When you juice a fruit or vegetable you remove the insoluble fiber and are left with the water, vitamins, minerals, enzymes, and phytonutrients in a concentrated and easily digestible form.  In fact, it is said that the nutrients in fresh juices are in your blood stream within 30 minutes of drinking them!  Additionally, the nutrients can get trapped in the fiber making them less accessible to our bodies.  For instance, our body is only able to assimilate 1% of the beta carotene from a raw carrot.  However our body is able to assimilate almost 100% of the beta carotene from a freshly juiced carrot.

Because they are loaded with nutrients that are quickly and easily absorbed by our body, fresh juices have potent health benefits.  They can increase immunity, lower blood pressure, help with skin conditions and digestive problems, nourish and revitalized our internal organs, reduce weight, and help to detox our system.  Certain fruits and vegetables are known for their specific healing properties.  Cabbage juice heals peptic ulcers.  Cucumber juice cleans the kidneys and clears up skin conditions.  Beets cleanse the blood and strengthen the liver.  Carrots cleanse the liver and lower blood pressure.  Wheatgrass (and other green veggies, which are high in chlorophyll) help improve the efficiency of oxygen transport in the body.  Just to name a few.

Just about any fruit or vegetable can be juiced.  So experiment and see what combinations you like.  Santé!

Clean Up Your Diet: The pure food program to cleanse, energize, and revitalize 

    –Max Tomlinson

Mr. Tomlinson gives you recipes and detailed meal plans for a Detox, Digestive Tune-up or Energy-Boost diet.

The Complete Book of Juicing: Your Delicious Guide to Youthful Vitality

   -Michael T. Murray, N.D. 

Mr. Murray breaks down the nutritional benefits of a variety of fruits and vegetables.  He also gives recipes and suggestions for certain ailments.

Mother’s Day

Show your Mom you love her and Mother Earth by giving an eco-friendly Mother’s Day gift. 

Flowers are the usual suspect for Mother’s day.  But this year, opt for plantable versions.  Give bulbs or potted plants like a small tree, rosebush or other flowering plant.  And of course, offer to do the dirty work as well! 

And then there’s always jewelry… Energy Muse taps into the ancient and healing powers of crystals in their creations   (www.energymuse.com) while VerdeRocks, by designer Gwendolyn Davis, offers “sustainable chic” pieces (www.gwen-davis.com).

Another bright idea: give a gift that also supports women’s causes.  Global Girlfriend features eco-friendly and fair-trade goods made by women.  Purchasing items from them helps fund microgrants for the women behind the bazaar.  (www.globalgirlfriend.com)  Or make a contribution in your mom’s name. Check out Women for Women International, an organization that provides emotional and financial support to women survivors in war-torn countries such as Rwanda, Afghanistan, and the Congo.   www.womenforwomen.org

Trunk the Junk!

Did you know that junk mail in the United States accounts for one third of all the mail delivered in the world?  Or that it takes 100-million tress to produce the amount of junk mail that circulates in the U.S. each year, and that those trees often come from endangered forests?  Junk mail is a waste of resources and harmful to the environment.  Give Mother Earth a gift this Mother’s Day by trunking the junk. 

·         Go to www.donotmail.org to learn more environmental facts and put your name on a Do Not Mail List.

·         Go to www.abcus-us.com, a catalog-mailer website, and click on “Consumer Opt-Out” to take your name off their lists.

·         Call 888-5-OPTOUT to take your name off of lists that send junk mail fliers and envelopes. 

Apricots

Artichoke

Asparagus

Avocado

Baby Leeks

Carrots

Celeriac

Chives

Collards

Fennel

Fiddlehead Ferns

Garlic

Mango

Morels

Mustard Greens

New Potatoes

Pineapple

Radishes

Ramps

Rhubarb

Sorrel

Spinach

Spring Baby Lettuce

Strawberries

Snow Peas

Sugar Snap Peas

Vidalia Onions

Watercress

Zucchini

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Get Your Green On!

Jennifer Spaide, Nutritionist

GreenChic

(203) 803-2169

jennifer@thegreenchiclife.com