Pure Sleep – 11 Tips for Better Sleep

When we say pure sleep, we mean deep, peaceful, quality sleep without the use of drugs. Lack of quality deep sleep is linked to a host of problems including depression, obesity, poor nutrient absorption and assimilation, and overall poor health. If your quality of sleep improves, you will wake up more easily feeling more refreshed, have more stamina and energy during the day, and quite likely need less sleep at night. We need deep, quality, pure sleep. On the next page we give you ten tips for getting a better night’s sleep.

1. Don’t go to sleep on a full stomach

Your body needs energy to digest food. Going to sleep on a full stomach is bad for your digestion and can lower your quality of sleep. And you shouldn’t be eating enough to have a “full” stomach anyway.

2. Cut out alcohol and cut out caffeine and other artificial stimulants

While alcohol may decrease the time it takes you to fall asleep, it actually increases the number of times you awaken in the latter half of the night. If your sleep isn’t restful, alcohol (beer, wine, or hard liquor) may be the cause.

Artificial stimulants can affect your adrenal glands, which can affect your energy levels during the day and your sleep at night.

3. Exercise

Exercise during the day can help you sleep more soundly at night.

4. Eat a healthy diet

There are many ways an unhealthy diet can affect your quality of sleep. Eating healthy can give you more energy and a better night’s sleep.

5. Get more sunlight

Whether you sleep at night like most people or sleep during the day, you need sunlight. Your body needs sunlight to produce vitamin D (which is actually a hormone). Getting some sun on your bare skin can increase your energy and elevate your mood. Most people do not get enough sunlight. Lack of sunlight contributes to irritability, depression, low energy levels, and a desire for more sleep.

6. Make sure you are sleeping in the dark

If you work at night and sleep during the day you need to take the steps to block light out of your room. Make your room as dark as possible. Invest in blackout shades or blackout curtains.

7. Make your bed comfortable

High quality sheets with a high thread count feel good on your skin and make sleeping easier. Or maybe you prefer the touch of flannel. Comfort is important. Comfort decreases needless tossing and turning.

You also need comfortable, quality pillows that cradle your head rather than raise it. Your spine should lie straight.

A poor mattress will make it more difficult to get a good night’s sleep. Make sure your mattress is well supported with no lumps or dips.

8. Make your bed organic

Sleep with all natural (not synthetic) materials. Better yet, sleep with only organic, toxin free materials. Your skin needs to breathe. Synthetic fibers do not facilitate air circulation.

9. Stop snoring

Breath Right ® can help. If you are overweight, you are more likely to snore, too. Snoring can cause you to wake, and it certainly decreases your air flow.

10. Try a humidifier

If you are running your air conditioner or your heater, the air in your house may be dry. If you wake with a sore throat, a dry nose, or have nose bleeds, you might benefit from more humidity. Be sure to change the water daily.

11. Eat a grapefruit before bed

Don’t skip that white bitter skin of the fruit. And get a little bit of rind from the peel too. It’ll help you sleep soundly.

Sweet Dreams.

Also check out 10 Things You Can Do To Have More Energy.

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Homemade Papaya Enzyme Supplement

Our contributor, Dr. Shillington, tells us there are more enzymes in one papaya seed than in a whole store-bought enzyme capsule. The papaya seed also has all the nutrients necessary for almost instant assimilation.

Spread the seeds of an organic papaya (must be organic) on a wax paper covered plate or cookie sheet. Let them dry out for atleast a week. (If you have a food dehydrator it will take a few days). Then put them in a salt or pepper mill (or crush with a mortar pestle). Just grind them over your food as you would fresh pepper. In fact, papaya seeds are a bit spicy and taste similar to pepper, so they are an excellent substitute.

Fresh pineapple is another great source for enzymes. Buy one and eat it. Your body will thank you for days.

Enzymes in Food

Did you know your body is converting enzymes into other different enzymes all the time? By eating fresh, organic pineapple and organic papaya seeds, you’ll get all the enzymes you need, and your body will know how to convert
these enzymes into the ones it needs most.

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Tips to Look Younger, Feel Younger, Be Younger, and Live Longer

Of all of these tips for looking, feeling—really, just being younger -the most important thing you should remember is this: don’t eat junk, don’t inhale junk, don’t drink junk, and don’t put junk on your skin.

Allow yourself to have beautiful, young looking, vibrant skin, a full head of hair with no or very little gray, perfect teeth without cavities, and clear eyes. You’ll feel sharp, alert, and young. This is how we at OLM enjoy life.

Eat Right

That means eating a lot of fresh raw fruits and vegetables. A wide variety of organic raw vegetables should be your staple. There is no vitamin tablet, green smoothie, or serum that results in better health than a diet primarily consisting of fresh raw produce. If you can find a local farm that practices crop rotation, buy as many of their vegetables as you can. You will notice a huge difference in your health almost immediately. Eating right is the best way to get phytonutrients, micro minerals, antioxidants, enzymes, and other nutrients we don’t even know about. If you want tips on incorporating more raw foods into your diet, check out our Raw Food Diet article in this issue.

Eliminate Toxins

Obviously, don’t smoke. And don’t eat refined sugar or drink alcohol, and do everything you can to reduce your body’s toxic
load. Looking younger and feeling younger is all about health, and health is primarily about your body’s nutrition to toxins ratio.

Take Care of Your Skin

This is where most ‘experts” tell you to moisturize and use sunscreen. Not us. Healthy skin comes from within. If you are eating well and exercising and you still have bad skin, you need to detox. Collagen and enzymes can help give you healthy skin as well (see below). We don’t recommend makeup, we don’t recommend moisturizers, and we don’t recommend washing your face on a regular basis. But if you do need to have a face regimen you can do no better than Terressentials (click to read our review). We are in love with this skin care company. They are absolutely phenomenal.

Conventional skin products, including those that entice you because they claim to include a few organic ingredients, make your skin feel tight, refreshed, clean, and invigorated. But they also toxify your skin as they strip important oils. A day later your skin feels worse than before. You use the product again and it feels a bit better. The addiction cycle begins, though many people don’t realize their skin was actually better off before they tried the product.

Take Care of You Hair

Losing your hair and/ or going gray certainly make you look older. The best way to slow this process is to be as healthy as possible. Gray hair is a sign of mineral deficiency (copper and possibly others). Hair loss is a sign of an overall toxic lifestyle. If your diet is unhealthy (and/or you smoke or use other drugs) your blood is too thick. This is what causes high blood pressure. Your heart beats harder to get your blood where it needs to go. It doesn’t get to do its job at the hair follicles.

Don’t use conventional shampoos and conditioners on your head. The best hair care products we have tried so far are from Morrocco Method (click to read our review).

Workout the Right Way

Don’t just lift heavy weights, or run, or do the same aerobics class every time you go to the gym. Mix it up. Practice developing real world fitness with lots of different exercises and routines. Recovery time is vital. Mixing up your routine and eating right can allow you to exercise every day and still allow your body to recover and not become over worked. A good exercise program simulates an active lifestyle and develops “real world” strength.

Our chief editor lifts weights, practices yoga and martial arts, does lots of body weight exercises, rides bicycles, and uses different cardio equipment at the gym. He also works out anywhere between 1 and 3 times a day 4 to 7 days a week. “I listen to my body, but I also push it hard,” says Michael. Some of his workouts consist of as many pushups and body weight squats as he can do as fast as he can do them. Other workouts consist of a 60 mile bike ride or a 90 minute routine at the gym.

Hot and Cold Hydro Therapy

Second to eating a healthy diet, hot-cold hydrotherapy is the best thing you can do to clean your blood and restore vitality. It can cure so many ailments. See our article in issue 3 and read why this is so important and how to do this regime.

Enzymes

The best way to get lots of enzymes in your diet is to follow the first
tip, eat fresh and raw. Also, eat pineapple and papaya to get lots of enzymes (both have to be fresh and raw or there will be no enzymes). You can also take a systemic enzyme such as Vitalzym which will help your body rid itself of foreign proteins. Keep digestive enzymes handy for when you aren’t eating so healthy.

For more on enzymes, checkout our enzyme articles in this issue.

Collagen

Dr. Tim O’Shea, one of our contributors, offers a collagen supplement at his website that he assures us is of the highest quality. We are told by some doctors that if you are taking a systemic enzyme such as Vitalzym you should alternate between the enzyme supplement and collagen on a weekly basis as the enzymes would consider the collagen a foreign protein and render the collagen useless. We’re not sure if this is true, but it seems plausible.

Calm Down

Don’t let little issues bring you down or get you riled up. Don’t even let big things upset you too much. If you have a bad temper, learn to let things roll off of you. If someone is trying to “get to you” then don’t let them win. If someone unintentionally upsets you, why be upset? Rage is very bad for us. Hate is very bad for us. Life is too short.

Relax

Learn to stop and smell the roses. Enjoy and appreciate life. Relax. Meditate. Contemplate. Even if this doesn’t help you live longer, what’s the point of living a long and healthy life if you don’t enjoy it?

Do What Makes You Happy

Again, life is too short.



80% Raw Food Diet

One of the most commonly asked questions we receive at OLM is, “What one thing can I do to be healthier?” A diet of primarily raw fresh vegetables and fruits is the foundation for good health. If you are not as healthy as you would like to be, there is nothing more important. Even if you smoke, or don’t eat organic, and/or don’t exercise, adopting a raw food diet is still our first recommendation. We even recommend eating a raw food diet before we recommend supplements.

This takes people by surprise, especially since I own a supplement store. I have plenty of supplements on hand for acute health issues and first aid, but I only take Total Nutrition Formula, SF722, and systemic enzymes regularly.

There is a lot of controversy as to whether or not eating 100% raw is healthy. We do believe that a 100% raw food diet can be very healthy if done right with enough variety. If you are interested in eating 100% raw this article can help you get started. We also recommend you get to know Raw Chef Dan (see next article). But we recommend going at least 80% raw for practical reasons. And, if you cut out junk food completely (this includes “organic” junk food) and make sure that two of your three daily meals as well as any and all snacks are raw fresh fruits and vegetables (1:4 ratio), you will achieve a significantly higher level of health. For many people, eating this way rids the body of disease and ailments. For individuals who have led a toxic lifestyle for too long, more help is needed to restore the body to health.

People often point to the fact that there is not enough variety in a raw food diet to maintain good health. If a raw food diet to you means carrot sticks, celery and apples, then you’re right. My daily routine consists of a salad for breakfast and sometimes for lunch and/or dinner. On the days I do not have two salads, I have a smoothie. How do I get variety if I eat almost the same thing every day? Each of my salads contains at least 10 different kinds of vegetables. I get more nutrition in one salad than most people get in a whole week, maybe a month. My smoothies are nothing to scoff at, either. One salad and/or smoothie and I know I am set for the day. I must admit I do still love to eat, so I actually eat too much. Though I also work out pretty heavily on a regular basis, I imagine I could do better with about half the calories I consume.

My Daily Salad

Want to know how to make an incredible salad? Here are the main ingredients for my salad:

  • Spinach
  • Arugula
  • Collard Greens
  • Spring mix
  • Dandelion
  • Leeks
  • Red onions
  • Red cabbage
  • Red bell pepper
  • Rainbow chard
  • Beet greens
  • Grated beet root
  • Graded carrots
  • Graded zucchini
  • Cucumbers
  • Cilantro
  • Pomegranate (seed)
  • Raisins
  • Sesame seeds
  • Ground papaya seeds
  • Avocado

I also throw in chick peas, a three bean salad combination, and/or some raw sheep cheese I get at my local farmers’ market. I always put two to three soft boiled eggs in my salad. Obviously I am not a vegan, but if you are, this salad is good enough without the cheese and eggs. The salad is also great with chicken or steak.

Update: Now I don’t do the cheese. I don’t do meat either. I still eat eggs, but am very considerate of where and how they are sourced. The avocado makes it so I don’t miss the cheese. But, for those who are not vegan, and concerned about getting enough calories, add what you want. Just please make sure all animal products were as humanely treated and healthy as possible.

There are tons of recipes for raw and healthy salad dressings. I love my own creation.

My Balsamic Salad Dressing Recipe

To make my salad dressing, I start with equal parts oil and vinegar (keep in mind that both olive oil and balsamic vinegar have a lot of imitators).

  • 3/4 cup of flax seed oil
  • 1/4 cup of coconut oil
  • 1/2 cup of balsamic vinegar
  • 1/2 cup of apple cider vinegar
  • 6 tablespoons turmeric
  • 1 table spoon basil
  • Two teaspoons unrefined sea salt
  • Two teaspoons fresh ground pepper
  • Two tablespoons Dijon mustard

Do it all to taste if you want, but stay heavy on the turmeric; it’s very good for you, and it’s the most important ingredient to this recipe.

This salad dressing will have even the pickiest kids eating vegetables. It’s very versatile. Use it as a dip, a marinade, or whatever. It’s amazing.

Obviously this is not a 100% raw salad. But it’s mostly raw and very healthy. If you want to adopt a 100% raw food diet then find a great raw salad dressing and skip the peas, beans, eggs, and cheese. It’ll be healthier that way too.

Super Antioxidant Smoothie

I don’t have a smoothie every day. For health, nothing beats a great salad. But I do crave smoothies a few times a week.

  • 1 cup apple juice
  • 1 cup fresh berries
  • ½ pomegranate (seeds)
  • 1 raw egg (organic only!)
  • ½ banana
  • 1 large kale leaf
  • 2 tablespoons nutrition powder (see below)
  • 1 tablespoon Udo’s Oil with DHA

Nutrition Powder

Total Nutrition Formula, is the best nutritional support available. You can also make your own.  I don’t do smoothies everyday (salads are better), but when ever I do, I add my nutrition powder.

Conclusion

It takes time to adapt to a healthy lifestyle. I don’t spend much on groceries, but that’s because I’ve learned where and how to shop for the best deals. Local organic farmers’ markets are the best places to get the healthiest produce for a fraction of the cost you would spend at a conventional grocery store. It used to take me a lot of time to make smoothies and salads but I’ve learned to make them very quickly. I still spend more time than most preparing food, but health is my priority, my hobby, my most important investment. I’ll take the time.



Lentils

There is no doubt that lentils are one of the most versatile of all the legume family. Indeed it is not only their culinary usefulness that they are well known for.

In Egyptian times they were used as bubble packing for ancient artefacts and sculptures for shipping. The word lens is the Latin for lentil and derives its name from the shape of these little nutrition packed wonders.

The cultivation of lentils as a food goes back to well before the Egyptians, to Neolithic times (roughly 10.000 years ago). It was during this time that farming came about and lentils were one of the earliest crops to be cultivated, originating in the Middle East. It is no surprise then that there are so many references to the lentil in the Bible. The French dish Esau potage is a lentil broth named after Esau. In the Old Testament, Jacob bought the birthright from Esau with a dish of stewed lentils. Then there is the arguable notion that Lent was named after the lentil as the majority of people were too poor to be able to afford fish at this religious time and therefore had to rely on lentils for sustenance.

But it is for their culinary uniqueness that we are looking to this humble legume. There are few foods that are so versatile. They can be made into anything from pates, dressings, soups, dhals, fritters and salads.

They are packed full of beneficial nutrients as well as being a very rich source of soluble fibre, and being the third richest vegetable source of protein there is.

A study of dietry patterns and risk of heart disease following 16,000 middle aged men in the U.S., Finland, Netherlands, Italy, former Yugoslavia, Greece and Japan over a period of 25 years, found that after analysing the data, diets with a high legume content were associated with a huge 82% reduction in risk of heart disease!

Another study published in the ‘Archives of Internal Medicine’ confirms that a diet high in soluble fibre, such as lentils, helps prevent heart disease. Out of 10,000 adults, those eating the most fibre (21 grams a
day or more) had a 12% reduction in coronary heart disease and 11% less cardiovascular disease. Those that ate the most water soluble fibre fared even better.

The fact that lentils are excellent for heart health is not only in the fibre content, but also the significant amounts of folate (folic acid) and magnesium they supply. Folate has long been associated with heart health as it helps to lower levels of homocysteine. This is an amino acid that damages artery walls and is a serious risk factor for heart disease. When folate is present it converts homocysteine into cysteine or methionine, both of which are benign. Folate is also a crucial nutrient for pregnant women. Up to 70% of birth defects such as, spina bifida and  neural tube defects have been shown to be due to a lack of folate in the diet. Most doctors advise women of child bearing age to increase their intake of folate as it is not just during pregnancy but also prior to conceiving that there is a great need for folate.

The magnesium content in lentils adds another heart helping dimension. Magnesium is known to help the arteries and veins ‘relax’ which lessens resistance and improves the flow of blood, oxygen and nutrients throughout the body. Studies have shown that not only are low levels of magnesium associated with heart disease, but that after a heart attack low levels promote free radical injury to the heart.

It doesn’t stop there either. Lentils are an important source of B vitamins, particularly B-3. They are also high in iron, zinc and calcium, which is why they are so popular as a substitute for red meat. The iron is better absorbed by the body when eaten with vitamin C rich foods such as dark green vegetables. One of my favourite dishes is Indian spiced lentils, or dhal, with spinach stirred in at the last minute. A bowl of that with a hot naan bread makes a substantial and very healthy lunch for about a $1.00 a portion! Frugal food needn’t be bland and boring. It is high in protein too, being as good a source as some cheaper cuts of meat. Whilst they are deficient in only two amino acids, this is not the case once they have sprouted. When sprouted they contain sufficient amounts of all amino acids. In addition to this, their nutritional value goes up in sprouted form too.

Apart from the fact that they get a bad rap as being boring ‘hippy’ food, there is not a lot that you can say bad about the humble lentil.

Packed with goodness, nutrition and incredibly versatile as you will see in the following recipes. As with the acorn and mighty oak parable, these little guys should not be underestimated……

Lentil Varieties

There are numerous varieties of lentils but some of the most common are:

RED SPLIT (CHIEF)

These are perhaps the most common of all. They are good for soups and purees as they tend to puree when cooked and don’t hold their shape. A good use for them is to thicken stews or casseroles. Instead of reaching for the gravy granules or artificial thickener, try adding a good handful towards the end of cooking when making your next casserole. You’ll find it absorbs the excess liquid and provides a good protein boost to your meal.

BROWN LENTIL

Again these break down and become mushy if over cooked, but if cooked carefully they will retain their shape. They are good added to sauces or broths.

YELLOW LENTILS

These are actually split mung beans and are very similar to red lentils except they are a bit firmer.

BELUGA LENTILS

These are an incredibly attractive lentil, so called because when they are cooked they glisten like caviar. They retain their shape and remain firm when cooked. Excellent as an accompaniment to meals and also in sauces or dressings.

PUY LENTILS (FRENCH GREEN)

These to my mind are the king of lentils. Small and robust, they too keep their shape after cooking and are adaptable to a whole host of uses from pates to stuffing’s for vegetables to sauces and dressings. Green and brown lentils are also higher in nutrients than their red and yellow cousins.

BKACK LENTILS (URAD DHAL)

Again these are actually a bean and if they are shelled and split they become white lentils. These are widely used in Indian cooking. It is no surprise that India is the biggest producer of lentils in the world. But it may come as a shock to know that Canada is the second highest producer!



Lentils and Wild Mushrooms In Savoy Leaves

Ingredients (serves 4):

  • 4 Big Green Outer Leaves Savoy Cabbage
  • 6 oz Puy Lentils (French Green Lentils)
  • 1 Small Onion or 3 Shallots Finely Diced
  • 1 Clove of Garlic Finely Chopped
  • 20 fl oz Mushroom or Vegetable Stock
  • 8 oz Finely Sliced Mixed Wild Mushrooms
  • Handful of Marjoram Leaves, Chopped
  • Truffle Oil (Optional)

Method:

  1. Take the central tough core out of the middle of the outer leaves and then plunge into boiling water for about a minute, and then remove and put into ice cold water to stop the cooking and preserve the bright green colour.
  2. Meanwhile heat a saucepan with a good shot of olive oil. Saute the onions and garlic until softened.
  3. Add the lentils and then the stock. Simmer (Not Boil) for 20-30 miunutes or until the lentils are softened, (you may have to add a little more stock). There should still be a little liquid left in the pan with the lentils.
  4. Blitz the lentils to a puree in a food processor.
  5. Saute the mushrooms in a little olive oil until softened. Add the marjoram and season with salt and pepper. Stir into the lentil mixture with a tablespoon of truffle oil, if using.
  6. Allow to cool and set for several hours.
  7. Take a 6 oz ladle and line with cling film.

Nutrition

The high fibre and folate content in lentils has been shown to be very beneficial in heart health. It is also rich in magnesium which helps the walls of arteries and veins to relax which helps with blood flow. Lentils are rich in iron which is better absorbed with Vitamin-C, dark green  vegetables such as savoy, are a rich source of Vitamin-C.

Mushrooms have long been associated with fighting cancer in Asia. In Japan lentinan, found in Shiitake mushrooms, has been shown to inhibit tumour growth. Mushrooms are also a good source of polysacharides , which help boost the immune system. Chinese black mushrooms (wood ear) contain an anti-coagulant substance which thins the blood and helps prevent clots. The effect has been likened to that of aspirin.

Chef’s Note:

These are an excellent, nutritious and very elegant way to cater for vegetarians or vegans at a dinner party. The fact that they can be made ahead of time and frozen is an added bonus. You can also make a wonderful meat version of this dish by very slowly roasting lamb shoulder with garlic and rosemary until the meat is falling off the bone. Shred it up and mix with a little of the fat and juices and use in the same way as you would for the lentil filling. Again it is superb with parsnip puree.

All ingredients should be organic whenever possible!



Lentil Burger Recipe

Ingredients (8-10 Burgers):

  • 1 cup dry lentils, well rinsed
  • 2½ cups water
  • ½ teaspoon unrefined sea salt
  • 1 tablespoon coconut oil
  • 1 medium onion, diced
  • 1 medium bell pepper, diced
  • 1 medium carrot, diced
  • 2 cloves garlic, diced
  • 1 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
  • 1 cup rolled oats, finely ground
  • 2 tablespoons soy sauce
  • 1 tablespoon turmeric
  • 1 cup bread crumbs (we recommend sprouted grain bread, stale, and torn into small pieces and ground in a food processer)

Method for Lentil Burger Recipe:

  1. In a saucepan place lentils, water, and salt, bring to a boil, lower heat, cover, and simmer until water is nearly gone and lentils are soft, with splitting skins (about 45 minutes).
  2. Sauté the onion, carrot, and bell pepper in oil until softer (about 3 minutes) then add garlic and continue for 30 seconds.
  3. Mix the lentils, onions, carrots, pepper, turmeric, and soy sauce in large bowl.
  4. Add the ground oats and bread crumbs, mix.
  5. Form the lentil mixture into patties (should still be warm), which can now be frozen, refrigerated for a few days, or cooked immediately.

Cooking (2 choices):

  1. Heat some oil in a frying pan at ,medium to medium-high heat and place a burger on top. Fry until brown (1-2 minutes). Repeat on other side and serve.
  2. In an oven at 400º bake on a greased baking sheet for about 15 minutes.
All ingredients should be organic whenever possible!
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