Because of the natural fermentation process, kimchi is a fantastic probiotic that helps to promote healthy gut bacteria. Additional microorganisms, which help the digestive process, also develop during fermentation. The best part about making your own kimchi is that you can customize the flavor!

SHARE:

The news is making it seem like we will never be able to eat salad ever again. With the recent E. coli outbreak tied to romaine lettuce and a previous egg recall due to a salmonella warning, food poisoning is scaring shoppers out of buying certain food items. People need not fear about never eating salad again; rather, they just need to pay more attention to foods they are buying and explore other options.

The outbreak, which has affected at least 64 people across 16 states, pinpointed the source to be romaine lettuce from the Yuma, Arizona region. The suppliers and distributors, from which the contaminated lettuce came, have not been named. The Center for Disease Control (CDC) originally said to recall all precut and bagged romaine lettuce, but it later reported to recall all romaine lettuce from the Yuma region.

After coming in contact with E. coli, it can take three or four days to experience the symptoms. Millions of Americans are affected by food poisoning every year, and the cases are typically resolved on their own. A person can get over food poisoning within few days or a week tops. The E. coli outbreak, however, has hospitalized 31 people, inciting fear in people across the nation.

Here’s A Great Tip:

It is always best to avoid precut, prewashed, and packaged fruits and vegetables. While the convenience may be alluring to the consumer, these foods are not worth the risk. There is more processing and more people handling ingredients, and that increases the risk of contamination. According to a 2010 study from Consumer Reports, “unacceptable” levels of bacteria, which commonly cause food poisoning, were found in about one third of the 208 salad bags that were tested.

According to the CDC, people have been advised to avoid all romaine lettuce because it is unrealistic to know where the lettuce was grown. While it can depend on the state and city in which you live, many locally grown lettuce varieties are available at grocery stores, health food stores, and farmer’s markets alike. Vons or Safeway, for instance, typically has an “I’m Local” section for their produce that states what farm each item came from.

While there may be a current romaine lettuce scare, you can still consume other types of leafy greens. Don’t be afraid of grocery shopping; rather, it is just important to be aware of where your food comes from. To help you explore other salad options, here are a few salad recipes you can try right now. Let us know how you like them.

Tropical Arugula Salad With Mango & Avocado:

The arugula asserts itself as a strong base for this salad. The peppery flavor forms a harmonious marriage with the sweetness of the mango and the acidity of the dressing. You will also get a lot of healthy fats from the avocado!

Click here to make the recipe.

A Super Easy Kale Salad:

This salad takes absolutely no time to make. It gives you a healthy dose of protein and vitamin K. If you want to add a few other ingredients like apples, tomatoes, or carrots, go ahead!

Click here to make the recipe.

Spinach, Chickpea, & Quinoa Salad:

This salad packs a nutritional, flavorful punch, so don’t hesitate to make extra! If you find that you really enjoy the dressing, you can always make more, stow it in a glass, jar, and refrigerate it for up to 5 days.

Click here to make the recipe.

Shredded Kale & Broccoli Slaw Salad:

The stem of the broccoli is often discarded and not used. This recipe calls for that nutritional stem, so save the florets for another day. Make sure to peel the stem before shredding it.

Click here to make the recipe.

Raw Brussels Sprout Salad With An Avocado Dressing:

This is a different yet tasty approach to eating Brussels sprouts, which are loaded with vitamin K, potassium, manganese, copper and B-complex vitamins. The potassium content is great for those with high blood pressure.

Click here to make the recipe.

Sources:

https://www.nytimes.com/2018/04/19/well/eat/romaine-lettuce-salad-food-poisoning-e-coli.html

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/e-coli-outbreak-cdc-romaine-lettuce/

http://www.businessinsider.com/romaine-e-coli-food-poisoning-expert-refuses-to-eat-these-foods-2018-4#unpasteurized-milk-and-juices-8

SHARE:

Things are going to heat up when you make this hot sauce, which should be used sparingly. While this is flavorful, you don’t want to douse your food with it and have the whole meal taste like this hot sauce.

SHARE:

Spring is a time for cleaning and an even better time for cleansing the body. “Out with the old and in with the new,” we say. If you need a little help cleansing your body and making a transition to a healthier lifestyle, look no further because Round 2 of The Dherbs 180 Challenge has arrived. This challenge is exactly what you need to help you slim down for summer while creating a healthier future.

The Dherbs 180 Challenge was such as success and many people were able to turn their lives around. Challenge participants lost a combined weight of over 1,000 pounds, their lives were changed, and self-confidence was restored amongst the group.  The Dherbs 180 Challenge is about diving head first into cleansing and most challengers from Round 1 saw results within the first week.* Oh, did we mention that entering the challenge gives you a shot at winning a grand prize of $5,000? There will be a total of two grand prize winners, one male and one female!

There are some awesome perks that you get when you sign up for the 180 Challenge. Not only do you get ideas for meal plans and raw recipes, but you also get frequent tips, workout tutorials, an eBook, and access to the 180 Challenge’s exclusive Facebook group. You can always reach out to Dherbs for support or advice, but the Facebook group will serve as a community of Challenge participants to share experiences, recipes, and helpful tips.

Spots are filling up quickly for Round 2 of the 180 Challenge and the first start date is April 30th, so make sure to get your challenge kit while you still can. Slim down for summer with a plan that has been proven to work! Click here to purchase the product.

*Weight loss will depend on the participant’s body and whether or not he or she has any underlying health conditions.

SHARE:

Get tropical when you sip on this refreshing smoothie, which is great for your digestive system. Both papaya and pineapple contain beneficial enzymes that aid the digestive process. Get to sipping!

SHARE:

There is more time in the day and the temperatures are just right for a picnic! April 23^rd is National Picnic Day, which means that it is the perfect day to enjoy an outdoor lunch. You don’t have to wander into the wilderness and be amongst the trees, although you absolutely can do this, but you should try to have lunch in the sun for some extra vitamin D.

What we have come to know as a picnic evolved from medieval hunting feasts and Victorian garden parties, which were often times very aristocratic events. These garden parties were much more elegant and involved multiple courses of food. In the 19^th century, a group of wealthy citizens in London formed what became known as “The Picnic Society.” This group encouraged social gatherings via potluck picnics. Those wealthy folks drank out of crystal goblets and sipped tea with extended pinky fingers…much more elegant than a salad or sandwich on a checkered blanket in the park.

Picnics can be informal affairs or romantic dates; the way you decide to picnic is entirely up to you. Grab some coworkers or friends and meet up for an outdoor lunch, weather permitting. Prep some food so that you are prepared. Enjoy one or more of the following recipes at your picnic. If you make them, tag us on social media and use #NationalPicnicDay2018.

Mint Kiwi Lemonade:

Kiwis are loaded with vitamin C and the mint and lemons work to promote healthy digestion. We used raw agave for this recipe, but you can use stevia if you want to; you’ll just have to use a different measurement because stevia can be powerful. A little goes a long way.

Click here to make the recipe.

Homemade Zucchini Chips:

Zucchini is one of the best veggies to use because it is so versatile. You can make noodles, chips, or add slices to stir-fries. Enjoy these homemade chips that you can eat guilt-free!

Click here to make the recipe.

Melon Ball Salad:

Sometimes you just need to change up the salads that you eat. The lemon mint dressing complements the natural sweetness of the melon. If you want to add other fruit, feel free to experiment with different ingredients.

Click here to make the recipe.

Mediterranean Chickpea Salad:

This is a great low-calorie salad with a bunch of refreshing flavors. There are lots of antioxidants, healthy fats, and plant-based proteins in this salad, so eat up as long as you are not cleansing.

Click here to make the recipe.

Make sure to tag us on social media if you have a picnic.

Instagram: @dherbs

Facebook: @dherbsfamily

Twitter: @dherbs

Sources:

https://www.punchbowl.com/holidays/national-picnic-day

https://nationaldaycalendar.com/days-2/national-picnic-day-april-23/

SHARE:

The Dherbs social media team attended an Earth Day event in Los Angeles this past Thursday, April 19^th, 2018. Grand Park was replete with children on school field trips and the booths were never empty. Adults and children alike came to learn how we impact the environment and what sustainable steps we can take to be more eco-friendly.

People around the world could be more conscious about their impact on the environment. These Earth Day events help to shine a light on how careless people are, when it comes to giving back to a planet that has given us so much life. We thoroughly enjoyed the plethora of booths, but a couple ideas stood out to us, which we have detailed below.

Vermiculture:

If you are familiar with the idea of composting, you will probably recognize this word. Vermiculture is the practice of using worms to decompose organic food waste, thereby turning it into nutrient-rich material that benefits the growth of plants. Think of vermiculture as nature’s way of recycling. Instead of sending food scraps down the garbage disposal, where it will end up in a landfill, bury them in the earth to create healthier soil structure.

To start off, get an airtight container to store your kitchen scraps. If you are burying these in the ground, you can add apple cores, banana peels, broccoli stems, wilted leaves, carrot tops, crushed eggshells, citrus peels, melon rinds, or celery butts, among many other fruit/vegetables scraps. Once your container fills up, dig a little hole in the dirt and bury the scraps. Make sure you cover the scraps with dirt and pack it down. Worms will come and work their magic! 

WARNING: Do not compost meat, dairy products, or processed foods.

If you don’t have a yard or an area where you can compost your scraps, you can make a very simple worm farm, which you can keep in your house or apartment. You should get red worms and try to avoid adding citrus peels to the containers; otherwise you will attract fruit flies. You’ll collect liquid in the bottom and it is probably the most beneficial liquid, with which you can nurture your plants. See the video below to learn how to make your own worm farm.

Harvesting Rainwater:

We don’t know about people in other states, but California needs all the water it can get. We came across a rainwater-harvesting booth, which we absolutely fell in love with. Rain is not only free, but it also a salt-free water source containing beneficial microorganisms for plants.

Harvesting rainwater can be done easily. Rather than letting the water run from your gutter into the street, you can funnel the gutter into a large bucket for collection. You can water your plants at will with this water. If you don’t want to do this option, you can create a channel system that leads to your plants or yard. When you do this, it helps to replenish ground water. Remember that gravity is your friend when you are creating this channel system.

When rain falls it seeps underground to become ground water, whereby it feeds rivers or lakes. The construction of cities has stopped this natural cycle, meaning the ground can no longer store water as it should. The groundwater works to improve the earth, so there’s no reason not to harvest rainwater!

We hope that you take some steps to be more eco-friendly or employ one of these simple ideas in your daily lives. If these seem too drastic or out of reach, try carrying a reusable straw with you at all times and abstain from using plastic straws. You can also stop buying plastic water bottles and start using a Berkey filter, which is a great product to naturally filter out heavy metals and other toxins from tap water. Happy Earth Day! Let’s treat the planet like we want it to be around for a while!

Sources:

https://wateruseitwisely.com/top-five-reasons-collect-rainwater-landscape/

http://www.wormpoop.com/composting/composting.htm

SHARE:

Get into some easy baking with these 4-ingredient vegan muffins. They are tasty, gluten-free, and great for breakfast or mid-morning snacks. You can make them for you kids and see if they like them!

SHARE:

The idea that an overly acidic body leads to a variety of illnesses is not a new concept. In his 1933 publication of A New Health Era, Dr. William Howard Hay argued that all diseases are caused by “self-poisoning,” due to the accumulation of acid in the body.

The presence of too much acid weakens the body and it can become dangerous for your organs and systems. The blood needs to have a 7.4 pH because a change in blood pH of 0.2 could be lethal. Now, the body doesn’t want to drop dead; therefore, it borrows essential minerals like magnesium, calcium and potassium from other organs and bones to neutralize the acidity. This is why people may not realize that they have highly acidic bodies for years.

Too much acidity is caused by poor nutrition. Americans typically consume acidifying foods like meats, processed ingredients, dairy products, refined carbs, and oily foods with saturated fats. Habits like drinking caffeine, smoking cigarettes, or consuming alcohol also contribute to acidifying the body.

How Do You Make The Body More Alkaline?

Let’s clear this up: drinking alkaline water and consuming a Standard American Diet is not going to make the body more alkaline. Since the body is 80% alkaline and 20% acidic, it is recommended to balance your diet according to those percentages. The acid/alkaline balance is integral to maintain healthy tissues, cells, and fluids. There are some foods like citrus fruits, all of which are considered acidic. When ingested, however, they supply the body with alkaline minerals. The diet is the most efficient way to balance your pH levels, which is why we are giving you some of the best alkaline foods!

Spinach:

From a nutritional standpoint, spinach is one of the most complete foods out there. It is rich in vitamins A, C B2, B9, E, & K, manganese, potassium, calcium, iron, and dietary fiber. These minerals help the body to complete its primary functions. Additionally, spinach is rich in chlorophyll, which is incredibly alkaline and beneficial for the blood.

Chestnuts:

Chestnuts are number one when it comes to alkaline-forming nuts. Their alkalizing effect on the body is primarily due to the high water content (about 52%). Chestnuts are also rich in vitamin C, which is a powerful antioxidant. You can also consume chestnuts to increase your intake of manganese, copper, magnesium, folate, and vitamins B1, B2, and B6.

Cucumbers:

Cucumbers are about 95% water, which is where most of the benefits come from. They are also low in calories and high in antioxidants like lignans, which have been associated with inhibiting chronic diseases. Cucumbers can be used in various ways and contain selenium, copper, potassium, iron, zinc, and vitamins A, C, K, and B-complex.

Lemons:

Even though these are acidic outside the body, lemons deliver alkaline minerals when you ingest them. Each lemon has a pH of 9.0, which helps to alkalize the blood during digestion. They are also rich in potassium, iron, zinc, magnesium, dietary fiber, and the mighty vitamin C! Remember: lemons are not acidic in the body, even though they have the citric acid taste.

Broccoli:

Broccoli is a great source of plant-based protein and contains tons of chlorophyll, which can help with cell production. The dietary fiber in broccoli also aids with the reduction of blood acidity. Broccoli is commonly recommended for cardiovascular health because it boosts the immune system and supports the metabolic process. The potassium in broccoli works to remove excess sodium from the body, which is beneficial for people who are trying to lower their blood pressure.

It is beneficial to start eating a lot of plant-based foods to help alkalize the body. Continually eating acidic foods with minimal fruit & vegetable intake is a surefire way to maintain an acidic body. Focus on legumes, vegetables, fruits, nuts, seeds, and whole grains.

Other Alkaline Foods Include:

• Celery
• Avocado
• Kale
• Bell Peppers
• Basil
• Lima Beans
• Sunflower Seeds
• Cauliflower
• Ginger
• Lentils
• Asparagus
• Cabbage
• Garlic
• Tomato
• Sweet Potato
• Zucchini
• Beet Greens

Sources:

https://steptohealth.com/6-best-alkaline-foods-planet/

https://www.care2.com/greenliving/10-benefits-of-a-properly-alkalized-body.html

http://efm.net.au/best-alkaline-foods/

SHARE:

This is a great recipe to help you change up your beverage selection while you are cleansing, but you can drink it outside of the cleanse as well. You may want to hang on to this recipe, now that the warmer days are on the horizon.

SHARE: