What I ate in a day. Anti-inflammatory, antioxidant rich Liver & Kidney Flush Challenge

Good Morning Beauties,
I started a little challenge that I am excited to share with you in a few days. Its a 30 day morning liver and kidney flush. So first thing in the morning I made a power juice shot.

ORGANIC BEETS

CELERY, TURMERIC, CUCUMBER, BEETS, CILANTRO, ASPARAGUS, LEMON

YUMMY LIVER CLEANSE JUICE :)

TURMERIC JUICE

TURMERIC IS A GREAT ANTI-INFLAMMATORY FOR DOGS

GALANGAL

TURMERIC

TURMERIC & CARROTS

Today's teas were simple yet delicious and healing.
Orange peel tea made with the left over organic orange peels. Orange peel in Chinese medicine has been used for centuries to improve digestion, bloating, heartburn, GERD, HIGH CHOLESTEROL; also used as an anti-inflammatory, antibacterial and an immune system boosting herb. The essential oils contained in the peels is great for insomnia, depression, nervous tension and anxiety.

ORANGE PEEL STEEPING IN MY PAN

Later on I had some turmeric tea. Great for joint inflammation and a skin beautifier. Indian women have been traditionally using turmeric as a brightening face mask. I tried mixing turmeric and L ascorbic acid and resveratrol to make a turmeric Vitamin C treatment and I have to say that my hands turned yellow from handling it but my face did NOT. hehe :D

HEATING UP FRESH TURMERIC BLENDED WITH WATER AND ALMOND MILK

 A FEW HOURS LATER - BREAKFAST

 I mix cacao powder with coconut milk, mesquite powder and stevia and pour this over the frozen bananas. I had maybe 5-7 baby bananas.

Frozen Chocolate Bananas with Grated Coconut 

Some hours later I did a short but intense Interval Yoga Sequence. I had to run out of the house right after that. If I can, I make sure to eat within a few minutes of working out. Otherwise I feel it the next day.

Lunch
I went to one of the healthiest places in LA, Erehwon and picked up a salad.

GARLIC SPROUTS, PEA SHOOTS, GUACAMOLE SALAD

I put some green salsa on top, I think it was salsa verde and OH GOD! The heat got me! The top sprouts are garlic sprouts and they were more than delicious, underneath there are a bunch of pea greens and radish greens, mushrooms, lentils, guacamole, hemp seeds and chipotle dressing.

Later on I managed to make two stops at Whole foods and in Thai Town.

Driving through Hollywood.

SEVA MAPLE SAP WATER

This is the first time I have seen or heard of Maple Water from the Maple Tree Sap so I got a carton at Whole foods. It tastes pretty much like subtly sweet water with a slight maple aroma to it. Seva is a Canadian company that just started exporting it from what I can gather. It's said to be really healthy full of polyphenols, peptides, plant hormones, inulin (pre-biotics), amino acids. (BTW I am drinking it as I type this)


















I had a busy day and didn't get home till 5 which is Sofie's walk time. She practically kicked me out of the house with her leash in her mouth. ;)

DINNER TIME


2 CARTONS OF BLUEBERRIES BEFORE DINNER

MACRO CAM BLUEBERRY 

ORGANIC BLUEBERRIES

LEFT OVER FROM LUNCH SWEET POTATOES AND VEGGIES

ORGANIC ASPARAGUS AND CHERRY TOMATOES

ROASTED KABOCHA SQUASH WITH MUSTARD, SCALLIONS AND MINT.

I have also been loving raw brussel sprouts with dip. (no photo of the brussel sprouts- that's proof of how much I LOVE them :P )

This dip was a beautiful orange color. Made with tofu, coconut, aleppo peppers, carrots, turmeric, barberries.

Barberries are a new favorite superfood, super-herbal ingredient of mine. Very healing. Great for high cholesterol, epilepsy, high blood pressure; used as a liver cleanser, antibacterial, anti-hystamine (for allergies) and the list goes on and on. They are sweet and sour in flavor. Known as Zereshak in Persian cuisine. Persians use them to decorate and add sour flavor to rice dishes. It's also used in some Indian chutneys. Funny thing a lot of the indian chutneys remind me of my dip recipes haha :D

DRIED BARBERRIES 

For my Bulgarian readers I think the name in bulgarian is berberis (Berberis vulgaris)

 and it's been researched in Bulgaria as an effective treatment for rheumatism and inflammatory diseases. 

I think that was a lot of nourishing food for one day :D 

LOVE AND BLESSINGS 

How to naturally exfoliate and brighten your complexion, diminish inflammation and acne for only a few cents

by VESELA SAVOVA

A yogi friend and fellow health, fitness and beauty blogger from Luxembourg Vesela Savova's post on beautiful skin.  

A HOMEMADE SKIN BEAUTIFIER THAT DOES WONDERS

Lemon tree

Lemons are an excellent source of vitamin C, one of the most important antioxidants in nature. And while vitamin C is important for the immune system (remember the hot tea with lemon and honey?), it also fights free radicals and can help reduce the aging signs of your skin. Lemons also have the most protein of all fruits and are high in collagen, the protein that gives structure to your skin.  Hello healthy looking skin!

So what can lemon do for your skin?

• It diminishes scars and skin blemishes. The vitamin C can help the skin become more firm and strong.  Applying lemon juice on your skin can really reduce skin redness and pimples, as it brightens and lightens the skin. Its anti-fungal and anti-bacterial properties fight pimple build up.
• It can help win the acne battle. Skin experts believe that lemon juice can effectively remove blackheads and speed up the process of acne healing.
• Lemon juice helps reduce wrinkles. The moisturising and toning effect of lemon juice can help reduce the wrinkles on your skin.
• Exfoliate the skin naturally. The citric acid in lemons acts as a mild peel for the skin that removes the top layer of dead skin cells.

How to use lemon juice for skin care?   

VIEW FULL THE ARTICLE HERE

by Ali: In addition something I used to do is after juicing a lemon to rub the inside of the half of a lemon on the face and leave it for 5 minutes before rinsing your face. Stay out of the sun as lemons can increase your sensitivity to sunlight. 

ORANGE BLOSSOMS AND A BEE

Meyer Lemons that preserved in salt water for recipes

Mayer Lemons and Kumquats 

Ali's BIO

So many of you have asked me to write about "me" haha so here it goes- my short yoga bio:

 It is by no means complete, or detailed. Just an outline of my yoga journey. 

NAMASTE BEAUTIFUL SOULS, 
My name is Ali, short for Albena. I was born in Bulgaria, I grew up in Sofia. I practiced gymnastics and track and field as a child. I went to school in Sofia for Public Administration, part of the philosophy department in Sofia University. I moved to the United States at the age of 22. I've lived mostly in Los Angeles with the exception of a couple of years spent in Las Vegas. I discovered yoga while living in Las Vegas where I also became an avid rock climber. My journey into yoga is a continuation of a spiritual quest I have been on since I was a teenager, and maybe way before that. I was always very drawn to the spiritual in terms of trying to understand our purpose here on Earth and the evolution of our souls in the great scheme of things. And the search into the depths of my psyche has been a very natural and intuitive process. I started my yoga path by studying on my own. From the very first second I did yoga I felt an old familiarity with it. I felt like I "got it" from the very first second I started my practice, like an old lover who was long lost but I knew so well and so intimately. :) 
Then I studied to become a yoga teacher, and ended up getting my 500 hours RYT. After that when I came back to LA I was fortunate enough to meet and start working for my biggest yoga inspiration. A soul I highly value and a "guru" (who would never admit he is a guru hehe) who influenced my view on yoga the most. I started teaching at MARK BLANCHARD'S POWER YOGA studios. And Mark's influence was a bench mark (no pun intended) in my understanding of the subtleties, fluidity, freedom and creativity in yoga. I discovered freedom in yoga through his teachings; dance and flow was there all along but I was able to see it and feel it more clearly than I ever had before. I developed my own style based on dance, high intensity interval training, bodybuilding, athletics and power yoga... and INTERVAL YOGA was born. 
For years I was teaching up to 20 classes a week and when I was getting burned out and ready to quit I discovered YouTube. It has allowed me to capture the essence of my teachings and style and place the freedom and flexibility back into my students hands.

Thanks for all you warm messages and support.

 So lets write the next INTERVAL YOGA Chapter together!


THANK YOU FOR ALL YOUR LOVE AND ALL MY LOVE TO YOU! 

NAMASTE