10 Foods that Naturally Cleanse and Detox your Body!

1. Fruits Fruits are extremely high in liquid-content, helping the body wash out toxins. They are also very easy to digest and are high in antioxidants, nutrients, fiber and many important vitamins like vitamin C. 2. Green Foods When you are ready to detox your body, fill your refrigerator with blue green algae, barley, wheatgrass, kale, spinach, spirulina, alfalfa, chard, arugula or other organic leafy greens. These plants will help give a chlorophyll-boost to your digestive tract. Chlorophyll rids the body of harmful environmental toxins from smog, heavy metals, herbicides, cleaning products and pesticides. They also aid the liver in detoxification. 3. Lemons, Oranges & Limes These citrus-wonders aid the body in flushing out toxins, as well as jump-start the digestive tract with enzymatic processes. They also aid the liver in its cleansing processes. To increase detoxification, start each morning with a warm glass of lemon water. Remember, vitamin C is one of the best detox vitamins around, as it transforms toxins into digestible material. 4. Garlic This pungent bulb stimulates the liver in producing detoxification enzymes that help filter out toxic residues in the digestive system. Adding sliced or cooked garlic to any dish, will help aid any detox diet. 5. Broccoli Sprouts Extremely high in antioxidants, broccoli sprouts can help stimulate the detoxification enzymes in the digestive tract like none-other. The sprouts are actually more effective than the fully-grown vegetable, despite the picture on the right. 6. Green Tea Packed full of antioxidants, green tea not only washes toxins out of the system through its liquid content, but also contains a special type of antioxidant called catechins, known to increase liver function. 7. Mung Beans The mighty mung bean has been used by Ayurvedic doctors for thousands of years. It is incredibly easy to digest, and absorbs toxic residue on the sides of the intestinal walls. 8. Raw Vegetables Best for juicing detox regimens or eaten raw: Onions, carrots, artichoke, asparagus, broccoli, cabbage, kale, brussel sprouts, cauliflower, garlic, beet, turmeric, and oregano. The combination of these foods will help your liver purge toxins during the cleansing process. These are high in naturally occurring sulphur and glutathione. Sulphur helps the liver detoxify harmful chemicals. 9. Seeds & Nuts Incorporate more of the easily digestible seeds and nuts into your diet. This include flaxseed, pumpkin seeds, almonds, walnuts, hemp seeds, sesame seeds, chia seeds, Siberian cedar nuts and sunflower seeds. While detoxing, avoid nut butters. 10. Omega-3 Oils Use hemp, flax-seed, avocado or olive oils while detoxing. This will help lubricate the intestinal walls, allowing the toxins to be absorbed by the oil, and eliminated by the body. You can purchase vitamins and supplements that are 100% organic from Pebbles Wellness,   Go to http://www.pebbleswellness.com and shop online! *This information was supplied from Dr. Group's website.

When to Keep your Child Home from School!

Flu season is fast approaching.  It becomes difficult to make a judgement call when you know that you have to get to work.  After all, the company is downsizing, the mortgage or rent is due soon, and you don't want to join the scores of the underemployed or unemployed.  However, keep in mind that even wheny our child doesn't feel well, there is an etiquette that most schools would like you to follow:
1)  Don't send a child to school with a fever over 99.5 degrees
2)  Please don't send your child to school if there is cloudy. murky, dripping slime coming from his or her nose
3)  Don't send your child to school when they have the measles, mumps or head lice... (yes I am talking to you...)
4)  Don't send your child to school with diarrhea and then be bothered when you are called in the middle of the day.
5)  Don't send your child to school just because you don't want him or her at home!
And a wonderful child shared this poem with me during a "tell all" moment about how, sometimes, they just want to stay home.  Either way, it's a judgement call.  So use good judgement.  Enjoy!

I don't want to go to school.l today, 
Said little Peggy Ann McKay.
'I have the measles and the mumps, 
A gash, a rash and purple bumps.
My mouth is wet, my throat is dry, 
I'm going blind in my right eye.
My tonsils are as big as rocks, 
I've counted sixteen chicken pox
And there's one more-that's seventeen, 
And don't you think my face looks green? 
My leg is cut-my eyes are blue-
It might be instamatic flu.
I cough and sneeze and gasp and choke, 
I'm sure that my left leg is broke-
My hip hurts when I move my chin, 
My belly button's caving in, 
My back is wrenched, my ankle's sprained, 
My 'pendix pains each time it rains.
My nose is cold, my toes are numb.
I have a sliver in my thumb.
My neck is stiff, my voice is weak, 
I hardly whisper when I speak.
My tongue is filling up my mouth, 
I think my hair is falling out.
My elbow's bent, my spine ain't straight, 
My temperature is one-o-eight.
My brain is shrunk, I cannot hear, 
There is a hole inside my ear.
I have a hangnail, and my heart is-what? 
What's that? What's that you say? 
You say today is...Saturday? 
G'bye, I'm going out to play! ' 

How to Know if Your Love is Healthy

Love is something that everyone wants.  The question is: what are you willing to do to have it?  More questions:  Are you willing to frame for yourself what healthy love looks like and make a stand to fight for it?  Are you willing to listen to your own needs and the needs of your loved one or loved ones?  Are you willing to walk away from people, beliefs and behaviors that take you AWAY from the things you say you want? 

Are you quick to add that you really want love and feel lost without it, and so you scour the earth, search the internet and become a philosopher like Plato in order to win the heart of a total stranger on a dating site? Are you really in pursuit of a happy healthy lifestyle that lends itself to loving and being loved?  What are you doing to achieve that?  Are you choosing people around you who respect you?  Are you respecting yourself and your own needs?  Are you leaving yourself open for other situations that will create discord at home?  Do you share your feelings with your partner, even the wonderful ones?  Do you truly think that you are worthy of being loved -- or do you find yourself sabotaging your relationships with drama and unnecessary criticism?  You really have more power than you think to create a happy healthy and fulfilling relationship with the person or people you love.

The next time you ask yourself if someone is the right person for you, stop for a minute and ask yourself who you are being in that relationship. Ask yourself if you are being true to yourself or giving too much or even expecting too little? Yes, there is a delicate balance to loving and being loved… but only you know where that balance is.  Here is a good rule of thumb to how to know if your love is healthy:

If your relationships make you feel vulnerable instead of strong, if you feel put down instead of lifted up, if you feel that the easiest thing to do is to have no voice instead of use your voice, if you feel isolated and alone instead of supported, and you feel mostly sad instead of hopeful and happy, then your relationships or relationship is not allowing you the health or wealth you deserve in your spirit.  And perhaps, you should stop for a moment and listen to your own voice ... long enough to answer this question:  what do you think you really deserve out of love?  Now go out and get that.  Anything less will make you less.   

SIGNS OF AN ABUSIVE PARTNER

1. Unemployed or Underemployment. Underemployment is not necessarily an objective phenomenon; it may be the subjective response to the man's failing to meet his own expectations. Educational and occupational attainment frequently is less than wife's, such status discrepancies are painful even should the husband bring home a higher salary.
2. Emotional Dependency. Emotional dependency on the spouse is usually not recognized or understood, but is expressed through demands for constant reassurance and gratification. This may explain in part why spouse abuse often begins during wife's pregnancy.
3. High Investment in Marriage. Wants to preserve marriage at any cost and will go to great lengths to do so. In the event of separation or divorce, tends to immediately replace lost spouse with a new partner.
4. Boundaries. Violates your personal space. Intimidates you by getting too close. Touches, pinches, grabs you against your will.
5. Quick Involvement. Sweeps you off your feet. Love at first sight. "You're the only one for me." Desperately pressures you for a commitment so you're engaged or living together in less than 6 months.
6. Controlling Behavior. Controls where you go, what you do, with whom and for how long. Controls money and money decisions, won't allow you to share expenses or refuses to work and won't share expenses. Protective to the point of controlling. Says he's angry when you're "late" because he "cares." Takes your car keys, won't let you go to church, work, or school.
7. Jealousy. Angry about your relationship with other men, women, even children and family. This insecurity and possessiveness causes him to accuse you of flirting or having affairs, to call frequently or drop by to check up on you, even check your car mileage or have you followed.
8. Abusive Family of Origin. Was physically, sexually or emotionally abused as a child or witnessed spouse abuse. He sees violence as normal behavior, a natural part of family life.
9. Low Self-Esteem. Guards his fragile sense of self by acting tough and macho. Imagines you threaten his manhood. Damages your self-esteem, demeans you growth, demands your silence.
10. Alcohol/Drug Abuse. Abuses alcohol/drugs, tries to get you drunk, berates you if you won't get high. He may deny his drug problem and refuse to get help. Don't think you can change him or that alcohol/drug abuse causes violent behavior. They are two separate problems.
11. Difficulty Expressing Emotions. Unable to identify feelings and express them directly and appropriately. He may say he's "hurt" and sulk when he's really angry. He displaces anger at his boss or himself onto you.
12. Blames Others for His Feelings or Problems. Believes others are out to get him and he's the victim. Blames you for everything that goes wrong. Will say "You make me mad," "You make me happy," "I can't help getting angry" to manipulate you. Holds you responsible for his suicidal or self-abusive behavior.
13. Hypersensitivity. Quick temper, unable to handle frustration without getting angry, easily insulted. Will "rant and rave" about minor things like traffic tickets or request to do chores.
14. Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde. Seems like two different people with mood swings from nice to explosive. May change his behavior around the guys. May be very sociable around others and only abusive with you.
15. Unrealistic Expectations. Very dependent on you for all his physical and emotional needs ("You're all I need"). Expects you to live up to his ideals of a perfect partner, mother, lover, friend.
16. Rigid Gender Roles. Expects a woman to stay at home, serve and obey him. Gets angry if you don't fulfill his wishes and anticipate his needs. Speaks for you. He thinks it's OK for men to keep women "in line" by force or intimidation.
17. Rigid Religious Beliefs. Justifies rigid sex roles and the physical/emotional/sexual domination of women and children with strict or distorted interpretations of scripture.
18. Disrespect for Women in General. Ridicules and insults women, sees women as stupid and inferior to men, tells sexist jokes ("dumb blond", "PMS" jokes). Refers to women in derogatory or non-human terms ("babe", "chick", "fox", "bitch") or as specific parts of anatomy, de-values women's accomplishments and work, acts like women are second-class citizens.
19. Emotional Abuse. He may ignore your feelings, continually criticize you and call you names like "fat, ugly, stupid" curse and yell at you, belittle your accomplishments, manipulate you with lies, contradictions, and crazy-making tactics, humiliate you in private or public, regularly threaten to leave or tell you to leave, keep you awake or wake you up to argue or verbally abuse you.
20. Isolation. An acquaintance rapist will try to separate you from others to a secluded spot. Batterers will try to keep you from working or attending school, move you to a rural area, restrict your use of the phone or car. He'll try to cut you off from men, women, family and children by saying "You're a whore," "You're a lesbian," "You're tied to your parent's apron strings," or "You're spoiling the kids."
21. Reliance on Pornography. Rapists, child molesters and men who sexually abuse or rape their wives often have an abundance of pornographic literature, photographs, magazines, or videos. They may want to involve you in their interest by photographing you or taking you to pornographic movies or shops.
22. Sexual Abuse. Refuses platonic relationship if dating, uses "playful" force in sex, uses sulking or anger to manipulate you into having sex, coerces or forces you to have sex or hurts you during sex, demands sex when you're scared, ill, tired or starts to have sex when you're asleep, drunk, or unable to give consent.
23. Cruelty to Animals, Children, or Others. Teases, bullies, abuses or harshly punishes animals, children, elderly, weaker people or other women. Is insensitive to other's pan. Tortures or kills pets to feel powerful or hurt you. Threatens to kidnap the children if you leave. Punishes or deprives the children when angry at you. Punishes the children for behavior they're incapable of (whipping a 2 year-old for wet diapers).
24. Past Violence. Any history of violence to "solve" problems. Justifies hitting or abusing women in the past, but "they made me do it." Friends, relatives or ex-partners say he's abusive (Batterers beat any woman they're with. You didn't cause it and you can't control it or cure it).
25. Fascination with Weapons. Plays with guns, knives, or other lethal weapons, threatening to "get even" with you or others.
26. Threats of Violence. Any threats of physical force to control you or make you do something should be taken seriously. He may threaten to hurt you or your family. Non-batterers do not say things like "I'll kill you" or "I'll break your neck."
27. Breaking or Striking Objects. Punishes you by breaking loved objects, terrorizes you into submission (If he doesn't want you to be a student, he may destroy school books or break lamps). Non-batterers do not beat on tables, punch holes in walls, destroy furniture, throw objects at you to threaten you. The message is "You're next! You're just an object I can control and I can break you like our china."
28. Any Force During an Argument. Hurts you in anger or in "play", pushing , shoving, pulling, grabbing you by the collar, holding you down, restraining you from leaving the room, slapping, punching, hitting, kicking, or burning. This cycle of violence is followed by a "honeymoon" period, then an escalation of tension and more violence. The episodes of violence will get more frequent, more intense. and will not stop on their own.


My wish for you:  That you enjoy peaceful relationships and recognize that you are worthy of good healthy, productive love!