New Age Organic

A flavorful heart healthy dish in the New Orleans tradition.

Servings: 8
Prep Time: 30 minutes
Bake Time: 1.5 hours

2 eggplants, cut into small chunks
2 onions, chopped
2 green peppers, chopped
2 cloves garlic, pressed
3 cups canned tomatoes
1 tbsp. low-sodium tamari
1/2 tsp. basil
1/2 tsp. thyme
1 cup whole wheat breadcrumbs
1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper

Saute onion, garlic, green pepper, and eggplant in 1/2 cup of water for 5 minutes. Add tomatoes, breaking them up with a fork. Stir in seasonings. Cook until eggplant is tender, about 20 minutes.  Place this mixture in a large baking dish. Sprinkle with bread crumbs and cayenne.  Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.

Sleep has many important functions, including overcoming stress, giving our bodies time to rejuvenate, and helping the brain commit new information to memory through the process of memory consolidation.  Poor sleep and sleep loss can result in irritability, impatience, inability to concentrate and severe moodiness. Often leaving you much too tired to do the things you enjoy. This diminishes your daily experience making life ever more stressful and unproductive. These seven steps can put you on a course to recovery from restlessness and insomnia.

1. If you are having trouble sleeping, avoid any spicy foods or alcohol for several hours before you go to bed. They could cause gastrointestinal reflux, or heartburn. Also overly sweet and fatty foods can cause bloating and indigestion. While alcohol may make you feel sleepy in the short term, it disrupts your sleep patterns later in the sleep cycle causing restlessness.
2. Meditation and visualization exercises can help calm an overactive brain. Even if you have never tried to meditate before you can start easily by simply focusing your concentration on relaxing your body one muscle at a time moving from the feet up to the legs and torso, then the chest and neck.
3. Strenuous physical exercise during the day will drastically improve your ability to sleep soundly as the brain compensates for physical stress by increasing deep sleep. Exercise also invigorates the nervous system, activates the endocrine system and will ease muscular tension. All of which work together to encourage healthy sleep patterns.
4. Avoid napping during the day to ensure you are tired at bed time. If you do need to take a nap, sleep for no more than 1 hour, before 3 pm.
5. Use the sunlight to reset your biological clock. As soon as you wake up in the morning go outside and face the sun for 10 to 15 minutes. Do this daily for several days and your body will respond with regular pattern fatigue in the evening preparing you for a good night sleep.
6. Take a hot bath 90 minutes before bed time. This will raise your body temperature, and the subsequent drop in temperature will make you feel sleepy.
7. Leave your worries behind you when you go to bed. Some people find it useful to assign a worry period during the day to deal with stressful issues, and then drop them from the forefront of their minds for the rest of the day.

The American diet though ever present on our televisions and throughout the fast food jungle is just plain unhealthy and just about the worst possible diet on earth. Compared to other countries where diet is limited by resources or just driven by local farms and fisheries we Americans long ago succumbed to the dairy farms and chicken factories for our mainstay diet. We can have it all and more whenever we desire.  This very unhealthy reality is in need of a major rethinking. Scientist have long thought the Mediterranean diet holds the best balance of nutrients and proteins for long life and youthful sustenance. So what does it mean for you?

Essential Fatty Acids
As the name suggests these are essential for the body. Also known as “Omega” oils 3, 6, and 9, they help moisturize the skin from within, as well as feed the heart and blood for optimal circulatory performance. Good sources of Omega oils include:

• Oily Fish
• Pumpkin Seeds
• Walnuts
• Olive Oil
• Leafy Green Vegetables
• Hemp Seeds

Antioxidants
These help protect your skin from premature aging, by wiping away free radicals that accelerate the degradation of cells all over the body. Good sources of antioxidants include:

• Grapes
• Avocados
• Parsley
• Oranges
• Carrots
• Blueberries

Nature’s Organic Cleansers
Clean your body for clear complexion and youthful energy. Good herbs to start with include:

• Milk Thistle – Take a dose before drinking alcohol to support your liver
• Red Beets – Flush the kidneys and enrich the blood
• Nettle – Helps support and cleanse the urinary tract
• Psyllium Husks – Support healthy bowel function and absorb toxins

Take note of what’s missing; beef and dairy products. While a lean steak once a month or a piece of cheese now and then wont be the end of you, the more you can minimize these heavy fat laden proteins in your diet the better off you will be.

See our Nutritious Recipes for more information

We all need to pamper our skin regularly to maintain a fresh and clean glow, but choosing the best products to put on your skin is only part of the solution. To truly look good and feel great you need to be taking good care of your body as well as your skin.

It is certainly nothing new, but a varied and balanced diet will do more than anything else to stay looking and feeling young. Choose fresh organic produce to make up for and correct shortages of key vitamins, minerals and nutrients. Combined with key supplements for vitality and energy you will have glowing skin and feel as young and beautiful as ever.

Top Tips for Glowing Skin

Go Natural with Organics
The ingredients in the products you put on your skin are as important as the ingredients in the food you eat.

Manage Your Stress Levels
Too much stress on a regular basis will starve the skin and leave it looking dull and wrinkled.

Moderate your drinking
Excessive amounts of alcohol lead to dilation of the capillaries and a permanent red flush on the face.

Drink Plenty of Water
Six to eight glasses of water per day is a good target. This helps you to hydrate from within and eliminate the toxins that cause a dull complexion.

Moisturize Regularly
Use Organic mixtures to nurture your skin and bring out the natural glow that only comes from well nourished pores.