Healthy, Beautiful Skin: What it Takes to Glow

We are constantly bombarded with messages about our skin. From healing embarrassing bouts of acne, to increasing collagen for more glow and elasticity, warnings to fight the aging process, beware of the sun, minimize your pores, and the list goes on and on.

These messages encourage you to "fix" your skin by using products and/or drugs that are laden with harmful ingredients and toxins. This mis-information can come from sources with less-than-altruistic motives: to sell products. It's important that we educate ourselves about skin from sources we can count on. At Healing Arts, we believe skin health starts from within, so we support your skin health from the inside out.

We find skin is truly incredible. It’s the largest organ in the body and has too many important functions to count. It regulates temperature, protects the internal organs, helps the body flush out toxins, turns sunlight into vital vitamin D, keeps us hydrated, and acts as a barrier against attacking micro-organisms. Most people look at the skin and believe it functions independently from the rest of the body. They assume it's more like a shield that protects us. That implies that damage comes from external sources, and therefore must be fixed from the outside. This, however, isn't the case. Our body works as a whole - like one intricate machine, and all the parts are interconnected. The skin is just as important to your health as your heart, liver, and brain, and what makes it extra special is its ability to show us when there is something off balance.

And that’s just where we find the typical issues with skin originate: some function or system in the body has been thrown off balance. Toxins and lifestyle are two factors that affect this balance. Harmful toxins activate the immune system where the white blood cells can attack these toxins and increase inflammation.

Here at Healing Arts, we see many toxins affecting the heath of the skin stemming from food, chemicals (that are most likely in your skin care products), heavy metals, bacterial infections, and viral infections. If your toxin intake is consistent, inflammation in the body will be constant and your skin will visibly react as a cry for help.

Our skin is the largest detox organ and these toxins have to go somewhere, as they don't belong in the body. So all these skin conditions (acne, psoriasis, dermatitis, eczema, rosacea, hyper-pigmentation) are simply a way for the body to tell us somethings off balance on the inside.

We see a lot of clients who feel stuck with there skin issues as they they feel that have tried everything else. Nutriton response testing picks up on a cellular level what's affecting the body form healthy function and causing these unwanted skin issues. We help the body to open its Natural detox pathways so this toxins can be elimanted and you start to heal.

With the detox pathways supported, the second contributor to skin health comes down to what we put in our body; we truly are what we eat. Food is our body’s way to feed, nourish and grow, so if we consume a diet high in sugar, highly processed foods, sodas, and poor quality meat, we create cells that are unable to function and throw the body out of balance.

So what can we eat to support skin health? Think back to a diet similar to that of our ancestors, eating whole food, organic produce, grass feed organic meats, and good quality fats and carbohydrates in moderation. Cut out the sugar and processed food and you'll likely start to see your skin come back to life.

Guidelines for healthy skin:
1. Incorporate greens - they are high in many micro nutrients as well as anti-inflammatory flavonoids that will help the skin heal.
2. Good quality fat - the fat you eat helps regulate energy, processes fat soluble vitamins, and is needed for every cell to function.
3. Increase water consumption - helps the body detox and keeps your cells hydrated so they can function correctly.
4. Include spices and herbs - they increase blood flow and circulation, are packed with vitamins and minerals, fight inflammation, and improve your body’s ability to fight free radicals.
5. Fermented foods - feed your body amazing probiotics to help balance the good and bad bacterias in the gut, and in turn aiding digestion and decreasing bad bacterial growth.

When it comes down to it, your skin is capable of regenerating itself and healing. You can get back that youthful glow and eradicate your skin issues. Detox support and a wholesome diet are the keys to healthy skin

Golden Sweetener of the Incas
by guest blogger & Healing Arts Practitioner, Addison Landry

Heralded as the ‘Gold of the Incas,’ and acting as a symbol of fertility and creation, Lucama’s creamy citrus and caramel flavors give us sweetness without the guilt, and introduce us to a fascinating superfood.

The lucuma fruit, native to Peru and its surrounding islands, is a cross between mango, nashi pear and avocado. With its distinct sweetness being described as creamy with a hint of maple and sweet potato,(not to mention its extensive health benefits) what's not to love? With sugar flowing from the super market aisle and that afternoon sweet spot to feed, lucuma has come to the rescue.

To make the powder, lucuma is dried at a low temperature to ensure the retention of all its vital nutrients. It is then milled into a superfine powder. As a sugar replacement, lucuma powder is quite low on the glycemic scale, and is a great substitution for diabetics. The best part? It wont give us that sugar crash that makes us crave more sugar. This powder is wonderful to use in baked goods, smoothies, and nuts butters, as it doesn't overpower the flavors, but rather enhances them.

Lucuma is usually grown sustainability in regions without pesticides, however it is important to make sure the product you're buying is organic, as pesticides are toxic to our bodies and will cause harm over long periods of time.

This vibrant yellow tropical fruit packs a punch! Here are 8 reasons why its beneficial to our diet:
1. RICH IN ANTIOXIDANTS - Lucuma’s rich antioxidant levels allow it to help fight and prevent disease, and slow the aging process.
2. ANTI-FUNGAL AND MICROBIAL- Used in South America as a healing medicine, it aids with protecting the body against infection.
3. NATURAL LOW GI SWEETENER- It is low GI in nature, and supports basic cell function. It also assists in stabilizing blood sugar levels when consumed. unlike other sweeteners that offer empty calories. This makes it a great sweetener not just for diabetics, but for the rest of us too. It can be substituted for other sweeteners in a 2:1 ratio, two tablespoons of lucuma for every one tablespoon of sugar.
4. HIGH IN VITAMINS AND MINERALS- Lucuma is packed full of calcium, plentiful amounts of beta carotene ( which helps protect the body from carcinogenic substances), high in zinc, iron, vitamin C and cottons 14 trace minerals.
5. SUPPORTS HEART HEALTH- It has been used for centuries to help support hypertension with is ACE inhibitory activities.
6. SKIN HEALTH- from ancient records, we know that lucuma was know for supporting health and digestion. In recent studies, it's shown that lucuma oil may be helpful in healing superficial wounds, as it encourages activation of healing factors in the skin. It significantly increases the speed of wound closure, and promotes tissue regeneration.
7. IMMUNITY- Lucuma is high in iron and is known to stimulate the immune system.

With such positive benefits for our bodies and a great taste, it's a well-rounded superfood worth trying. Lucuma is great in ice cream (number one flavor in Peru). You can also add it to your morning porridge,use it in a cookie recipe, add it to nut butters, and make your own caramel sauce. Here at Healing Arts, we love trying various healthy sweeteners, and this is one we love. Give it a try and let us know what you think- we are happy to test it with your programs if you would like to bring it in!

Enjoy all the wonderful benefits of this tropical fruit - now you can eat your cake too!

Below is a recipe you can try creating with lucama:


LUCUMA CARAMEL SAUCE
Serves: 4-5
Total time: 25 min not including soaking time

1 tablespoon lucuma powder
1 tablespoon mestique powder
3 tablespoon of coconut nectar
1/2 cup Cashews ( soaked overnight, or for at least 6 hrs, drained before use)
1/4 cup filtered water
1/4 teaspoon Himalayan salt
1/4 teaspoon of vanilla extract or 1/2 a vanilla been seeps scraped out

Place all Ingredients in a blender or food processor. I find that the best option is to use a Vita Mix- it creates the smoothest, creamiest sauce. Blend until all ingredients are combined and smooth, then taste for seasoning as it may need a touch more salt.Serve with ice cream, over fruit, or even on pancakes. Enjoy!

Spring Detox

Detoxing & Liver Support
by guest blogger & Healing Arts Practitioner, Raquel Reis



It’s out with the old and in with the new for springtime, and the same goes for toxin build up in your body. Just like good housekeeping, there is good body keeping! Cleansing at least once a year is especially helpful, and even more supportive one done as the seasons change. Just like the temperature, the foods we eat during each season change.  As we move from spring to summer, the body is working up towards some of the busiest months of the year.

Traditionally, cultures all around the world have practiced seasonal cleansing in different ways. The liver is one of the main organs to take toxins out of the body, and is also one of the hardest working organs in our body! The liver works with other organs to detox blood, produce bile, breakdown hormones, and acts as a storage facility for our vitamins and minerals. If the liver is not functioning properly, it can effect many other areas of our body.

Some things you may notice if your liver is not performing at its best include:
gas or bloating, constipation, heartburn, acid reflux, yellowish tint to skin and eyes, high blood pressure, difficulty losing weight, cognitive difficulties, dark urine, chronic fatigue, poor appetite, and chronic fatigue.

To help support your liver, there are certain foods we can focus on. These foods include beets, carrots, tomatoes, grapefruit, spinach, citrus fruits, cabbage, turmeric, avocados, apples, Brussel sprouts, garlic, dandelion root, leafy green vegetables, broccoli, cauliflower, asparagus, green tea, artichoke, olive oil, and alternative grains like quinoa, millet and buckwheat.

There are many diets, supplements, and programs available to cleanse your liver - an we encourage you need to find the one that is best for you. Consult your doctor or practitioner if you have concerns or questions. Below are some general tips for optimal liver support:

-       Hydrate
-       Eat clean and organic
-       Exercise regularly
-       Eat good fats (like extra virgin olive oil, coconut oil and avocados)
-       Eat veggies, preferably organic, a good rule of thumb is to eat many colors to get the most micronutrients
-       Take a probiotic
-       Get the proper amount of sleep
-       Avoid alcohol and tobacco products
-       Avoid processed foods and whole grains

Most people find that when they have completed a liver cleanse, they have much more energy, improved digestion, and younger and brighter looking skin. Many report more mental clarity and cognitive functioning, along with a boost to the immune system and more balanced blood sugar levels.

If you are looking for extra support and an easy plan to remove toxins naturally, join our workshop on March 9th at 6:00pm.