You know that our food supply is bankrupt at best, and tainted with chemicals and genetically modified organisms at worst. You already know you are worth nourishing and caring for, which is why you are either currently purchasing, or planning to purchase, Isagenix nutrient-dense super foods to form the foundation for your health. Unless you literally step outside and harvest organically grown vegetables and fruits on a daily basis and consume them raw, and raise your own cattle and poultry in a healthy and humane fashion and butcher them yourself, you really need this nutrition. Things are simply not as they used to be, and this is no longer an option for those who desire optimal heath - it's imperative. You must do something to improve the state of your nutrition. You must do something to cleanse your body of accumulated impurities. That said - sharing a home cooked meal is one of life's true pleasures. Here is a recipe for YOUR pleasure and your health. Wild-caught fish, with organic fresh vegetables, makes a wonderful meal on a winter's night. Enjoy!

Grilled Halibut with Pepper and Onion Relish
serves 4

1 large red bell pepper
1 large yellow bell pepper
1/2 medium yellow onion
1 tablespoon coconut oil
1 large clove garlic, chopped
1/4 teaspoon salt, plus extra
Four, six-ounce skinless wild-caught halibut fillets
1 tablespoon coconut oil, warmed (liquified)
1/2 cup white wine or rice vinegar

Cut peppers into 1/4 inch slices, then cut into 1-inch lengths. Cut onion into 1/4 inch slices. Heat 1 tablespoon coconut oil (or olive oil) in a heavy skillet over medium heat. Add pepppers, onions, and garlic and stir to coat with oil. Turn heat down to medium low and let cook gently, covered, for 15 minutes until soft, stirring occasionally. Season with 1/4 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. While cooking, prepare the fish.

Heat your grill or grill pan (for stovetop cooking) to medium high. Brush fish with liquified coconut oil (or use olive oil), the sprinke with salt and pepper. When grill is hot, add fish and cook on each side for 3-4 minutes, depending on the thickness, until fish flakes easily. While the fish is cooking, add 1/4 cup of white wine vinegar to the pepper-onion mixture. Let cook for 5 minutes, covered, stirring occasionally. Take cover off, add the remaining 1/4 cup vinegar, and let it cook for 3 more minutes, stirring occasionally, until most of the vinegar evaporates.

Place 1/4 of the pepper relish on a plate and top with a fish fillet. Add a drizzle of liquified coconut oil (or olive oil) and a sprig of your favorite herb to garnish. If you are concerned with fiber, you may sprinkle the fish with ground flax seed prior to adding drizzle of oil.

Per serving:
280 calories
7 g carb
1 g fiber
36 g protein

What foods make you shudder? What foods make you say "More, please!"? You can learn a lot about the state of a person's health by their answer to these questions. Is "good" food "bad" tasting? Some people would, reluctantly perhaps, say "yes" to this.

Good food: Cod liver oil
Good TASTING food: Farm-raised Cod deep fried in hydrogenated oil

Good food:  Raw, organic broccoli
Good TASTING food: raw broccoli dipped in commercially-promoted ranch dressing

Good food: Raw, organic red cabbage
Good TASTING food: Cabbage cole slaw with mayonnaise and sugar

You get my point, I'm sure. Some of the best tasting foods are the worst for you. Sadly, some of the absolute best foods for you, at least in the opinions of some people, taste the worst.

Below are the results from a recent survey I found online:

Even losing 1.5% of this can cause adverse effects in mood, energy level, and the ability to think clearly

You may have guessed it. It's loss of water volume in your body. In his book, 'Your Body's Many Cries For Water', Dr. Batmanghelidg emphasizes both the healing effects of water, and the damaging effects of dehydration. Losing 1.5% of your water volume isn't really that difficult.

Listen to Lawrence E. Armstrong, professor of physiology in UConn's Department of Kinesiology in the Neag School of Education. He is an international expert on hydration, and has conducted research in the field for more than 20 years. "Our thirst sensation doesn't really appear until we are 1 [percent] or 2 percent dehydrated. By then dehydration is already setting in and starting to impact how our mind and body perform. Dehydration affects all people, and staying properly hydrated is just as important for those who work all day at a computer as it is for marathon runners, who can lose up to 8 percent of their body weight as water when they compete."

You may enjoy raisins, but you don't want to be one. Same with prunes. Not a pretty thought. Now think of your brain turning into a raisin or prune.

As summer approaches (here in the Pacific Northwest) or is in full swing (nearly everywhere else), this becomes even more important. Studies have shown, for instance, that elderly people who are hospitalized for dehydration often die within that same year. Your body will attempt to rob moisture from vital organs to help your blood carry vital nutrients along.

In coaching people to health using the Isagenix system of foods and supplements, we recommend 100 ounces of clean water daily as a good place to start. Larger-bodied people will require more, possibly, to stay well hydrated. Here's a little test you can do at home. On a day when you have had an adequate amount of water, pinch the skin on the back of your hand, as you hold it out in front of you, palm down. The skin will quickly return and not stay in a "tent" shape. If you do this little test, and the skin does stay in a tent-like shape, it's a good indication you need more hydration.

Drink more water! Drink less of the dehydrating beverages like coffee and alcohol. One tool many of our team members use to help them consume enough water, is to use Want More Energy to make the water taste better, and to provide vitamins, minerals, and electrolytes their body needs. My personal favorite is orange, but the hibiscus is also not only delicious, but a sort of aroma-therapy experience as well. If you enjoy the taste of lemonade, citrus may be for you.

I'm so thankful that you've taken the very important step of getting in control of your health. My goal is to support you in achieving YOUR Isagenix goals. Since this system is designed primarily to assist the body in getting rid of poisons and impurities by flushing them out through the urinary system, it is absolutely imperative that you consume enough clean water. If you don't, you may experience some negative effects as the released impurities remain in your body. Now - go get a glass of water!

Successfully Yours,

Ruth Shapovalov
1 425 802 2763
ruthashapovalov@gmail.com

Are you Upside Down?

Being upside down in your health is worse than being upside down in your mortgage...

You don't "remember" the hunter-gatherer days, but you know of them. What hunter-gatherers consumed were foods with high nutrition and low calories. Today, most Americans, Canadians, and increasingly people in other countries around the world, are getting the reverse—high calories and low nutrition. Many are overfed, yet starving to death. Their bodies are accumulating fat and pollutants from intentional AND unintentional contaminants in our food supply, causing their biological systems to shut down and be vulnerable to a variety of chronic diseases.

Using Your Noodle - Or Not!

Let's talk salad. To noodle, or not to noodle; that is the question.

Whether 'tis nobler in the mind and body to suffer the slings and arrows of outrageous processed carbs or to take arms against a sea of troubles and by opposing avoid them...  ahhhhh that's as far as I got. 

Lately I have been really desiring salads as a meal, or in addition to a main dish, when I am not having a meal replacement shake. I know I get enough greens each day, but the smell, crunch, and fresh taste of greens is super appealing to me. (We won't go into how nutrient-deficient they probably are!) I'm going to post a delicious salad idea which also supports a cleansing lifestyle.  If you're avoiding processed carbs for any reason, you may choose to eliminate the noodles from the recipe. I believe you receive plenty of carbohydrates if you consume vegetables. You can also have some noodles, and increase the amount of fresh vegetables. 

Thai Noodle Salad

• 7 oz somen (or other rice) noodles
• 1 large carrot, cut into thin strips
• 6 oz asparagus, rimmed and cut into 1 1/2 inch lengths
• 4 oz snow peas
• 1 red bell pepper, seeded and thinly sliced
• 4 oz beansprouts 
• 4 oz can water chestnuts, drained and finely sliced (you may substitute with fresh jicama, cut into small slices
• 1/2 cup unsalted peanuts 
• 1 lime, cut into wedges
• fresh cilantro leaves 

The Dressing

• 2 tbsp roughly torn fresh basil
• 3 tbsp roughly chopped mint
• 2/3 cup coconut milk
• 1 tbsp sesame oil
• 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
• juice of 1 lime
• 2 green onions, finely chopped
• cayenne pepper

1. First make the dressing. Combine all ingredients in a bowl and mix well. season to taste with sea salt and cayenne pepper
2. Cook the noodles in a large pot of boiling water, following directions on the package, until just tender. Drain, rinse under cold running water, and drain again.
3. Steam the carrots, asparagus, and snow peas over a pan of boiling water for about 5 minutes if desired - they should remain crisp. If you choose to steam them, plunge them into iced water after steaming, and drain.
4. Toss the noodles and steamed vegetables together in a large bowl with the red pepper, beansprouts, and water chestnuts. Pour the dressing over and toss well to combine. Sprinkle each serving with peanuts and garnish with lime wedges and cilantro leaves. 

Mom Shap's easy-to-make eggs

David, my husband, is one of those amazingly fortunate people who have such a high metabolism they require more calories than normal just to avoid losing weight. For this reason, although he starts his day with a shake just like I do, he follows it with a "traditional" breakfast. This generally includes good-quality eggs. Here are two hints to making eggs which take little time and make little mess:

• Heat coconut oil in a stainless steel skillet. Break eggs into skillet, and sprinkle with seasonings. I use sea salt, and a general-purpose mixed seasoning. Cook until whites appear set, add about 1/4 cup of water, and put a lid on it. Steam for about one minute, until the yolks are covered with a white film. The eggs will slide out of the pan. 
• For boiled eggs (hard boiled), heat water and eggs to boiling. Water should be about an inch above eggs. Once boiling, put a lid on the pot and take off heat. Set timer for 20 minutes. At the 20  minute point, drain water, and immediately fill pot with cold water. Change water until it remains cold. Peel under a stream of running water. 

What if you don't have time to prepare even 4 minute eggs? What's your backup plan? And what if you're concerned about the state of the food we consume? Here's an option - complete with recipes. Check it out! Click here to see what we're doing.

Thank you for reading this blog. Comments are welcome. See you again soon!

Ruth Shapovalov

425-802-2763

http://momshap.isagenix.com/us/en/recipes.dhtml