Lemon Water

5 Benefits of Lemon Water

For such a simple drink, the benefits of lemon water are impressive. Even if you’re not a big H2O drinker, you might find yourself reaching for a glass when you check out how awesome it is for your body and mind!

1. Aids in digestion and detoxification

Because lemon juice’s atomic structure is similar to the digestive juices found in the stomach, it tricks the liver into producing bile, which helps keep food moving through your body and gastrointestinal tract smoothly. Lemon water also helps relieve indigestion or ease an upset stomach.

The acids found in lemon juice also encourage your body to process the good stuff in foods more slowly. This drawn-out absorption means insulin levels remain steady and you get more nutrients out of the foods you consume. Better nutrient absorption means less bloating. Lemon water also enhances the enzyme functions in your body, stimulating the liver and flushing out toxins. Because it’s a mild diuretic, you might find yourself using the bathroom more often, helping the urinary tract get rid of any unwanted elements.

2. Bumps up the vitamin C quotient

Since your body doesn’t make vitamin C on its own, it’s important to get enough of it from the foods and drinks you ingest. Luckily, lemons are chock-full of the vitamin.

What are the benefits of getting enough vitamin C? It stimulates white blood cell production, vital for your immune system to function properly. As an antioxidant, vitamin C also protects cells from oxidative damage. Plus, getting enough vitamin C helps the immune system keep colds and flu at bay. Drinking lemon water daily ensures your body gets a sizable amount of vitamin C daily.

3. Rejuvenates skin and heals the body

The antioxidants found in vitamin C do double duty in lemon water. They fight damage caused by free radicals, keeping your skin looking fresh. Getting enough vitamin C from your lemon water also keeps the body producing collagen, essential in smoothing out lines in the face. And, in one recent study published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, regularly consuming vitamin C led to younger-looking skin and less wrinkles.

4. Helps shed pounds

Regularly sipping on lemon water can help you lose those last pounds. That’s because lemons contain pectin, a type of fiber commonly found in fruits. Pectin helps you feel full longer; that satiated feeling means you’ll chow down less throughout the day. Plus, did you know that when you’re even mildly dehydrated, you’re more prone to things like headaches, fatigue and an overall bad mood? Chugging down lemon water helps your body stay hydrated and feeling happy.

5. Boosts energy and mood

Skip the morning cup of coffee — lemon water can boost energy levels without the caffeine crash. Here’s how it works: Our bodies get energy from the atoms and molecules in foods. When negative-charged ions, like those found in lemons, enter your digestive tract, the result is an increase in energy levels naturally.

Additionally, just the scent of a lemon has been found to reduce stress levels and improve moods. Don’t forget to offer a glass to grumpy co-workers or family members.

You get the benefits of lemon water whenever you drink it, but sipping on it in the morning will kick-start your day. Try a glass about a half hour before breakfast; the lemon juice in your belly will help your body absorb your breakfast nutrients better.

If at all possible, use organic lemons. One easy way to get the lemon in your water is too fill an ice cube tray with lemon juice and freeze it. Then, just pop a couple of lemon ice cubes into you water and enjoy!

The Power of Breath

Wonderful insights on breathing from my teacher, Master Chunyi Lin:

Not only does breathing give us life, but also the quality of our breathing affects the quality of our lives. It is the major source of the energy that allows our body to function.
The better we breathe the better the energy is that we take in and process to help our body function. And obviously, breathing is what keeps us alive. After three days of going without food we may feel hungry, but we are not dying; however, if we go without breathing for twenty minutes, we will die.
This is how Chinese medicine understands breathing: When you inhale, the lungs get energy that is divided into three parts. The first part goes directly to the kidneys to help strengthen the life force. The second part goes to help digest the food we take in. The third part goes to help purify the blood. If the lungs get good energy, it means every part of the body gets good energy too.
Western medicine understands that the oxygen that is taken in through the lungs goes into the blood stream and then is dispersed throughout the body to help the entire body function. The organs need a certain amount of oxygen to function well; the brain needs its own oxygen to think best. The more oxygen in the body the better it functions.
Both East and West know that healthy breathing helps prevent stress or helps you to stop feeling stressed. All ancient traditions of the East have known that healthy breathing is the foundation of a healthy person, and the West now understands that also. Any way you look at it, healthy breathing leads to a healthy body and that affects your whole life and that is why it’s so important. 

Love Qi to all,
Tom
 

The Five Flavors and your Health

Hello, my friends,
Today's post has information from TCM (Traditional Chinese Medicine) as it relates to foods, more specifically, flavors.
The five flavors of food include sweet, sour, pungent, bitter and salty.

Sweet foods, such as sugar and honey, will neutralize the toxic effects of other foods; however, they also affect the stomach and spleen, and they can cause digestive disturbances and lead to weight gain.

Sour foods,  such as pears and plums, can prevent diarrhea or excessive perspiration within the body, and they affect the gallbladder and liver.

Pungent foods, such as parsley and chives, affect the large intestine and lungs and promote the circulation of energy within the body.

Bitter foods, such as lettuce and hops are important for the small intestine and heart and are recommended to reduce body heat.

Salty foods, such as kelp and seaweed are know to affect the bladder and kidneys, and they can prevent hardening of glands and muscles and are used to treat conditions such as tuberculosis.

There are also 4 directions related to the energy of food as it affects the body.
Inward moving foods are typically good in the Winter and include kelp, hops, and lettuce.
Outward moving foods are great for the Summer and include dried ginger and cinnamon bark.
Downward moving foods are good for the Fall which include barley, eggplant, and cucumber.
Upward moving foods are usually eaten in the Spring and include cabbage, celery, sunflower seeds and sweet potato.

 All of this information is not exclusive, that is, don't feel that these are the only foods that you can eat during the seasons. What you can do, however, is include some of them in your diet to facilitate how your body uses its energy to improve your immune system and to help it run with less effort.

Happy Qi to all of you!

Tom

Happy Chinese New Year!

Hello, my friends,
This is a little late, but Happy Chinese New Year!  Here is my annual letter which contains advice and predictions from my Chinese Masters. Enjoy!

Happy New Year of the Goat (or Ram or Sheep)!

2015 is the year of the goat, but you may see it referred to as the “Year of the Sheep” or ‘Ram” too. The confusion stems from the Chinese character “yang”, which means ‘horned animal’.

The Chinese zodiac calendar is based on the lunar calendar, and in 2015 the New Year officially began on February 19th. When we look in the rear view mirror, most will breathe a sigh of relief to leave behind the hectic pace and confrontations characterized by the horse year.

Based on the ancient wisdom of the I-Ching, the Year of Ram, in 2015, represents Wood and Earth Elements. Each Element possesses unique characteristics. Wood and Earth elements are oppositional energetically, leading to continued conflicts, earthshaking disasters and dry weather. Additionally, the year of the Ram symbolizes the authoritative nature and determination of the ram; therefore expect this year to be filled with disagreements, oppositions and even wars. Witness the rise of nationalism and anti-immigration sentiments across Europe and the evolving Middle East conflicts.

However, these sentiments may be tempered by a desire for peace due to the wisdom and adaptability of the goat and the peaceful and easygoing nature of the sheep. Overall, the cautious optimism of the Ram year will positively affect the business and economic climates.

Industries related to the Wood Element such as forestry, wood and paper products, textiles, fashion, media, furnishing and housing development will benefit, while Earth Element associated industries like agriculture, fertilizer, cement and infrastructure projects will begin to stabilize and rebound. Industries that express the Earth Element attribute of "caring" such as healthcare, pharmaceuticals and biotech will continue to thrive. This also includes the "internet of health" as the convergence of health, wearable technology, and connected data and analysis create a whole new paradigm and industry.

Physical Health
On the health front, the Wood Element relates to the nervous system, and the Earth Element relates to the digestive system. Therefore, you should be on the lookout for conditions such as depression, anxiety, high blood pressure, headaches, heart disease, stroke, liver and gallbladder inflammation, and sleep problems. Other ailments include low energy, muscle injuries, weight gain, anorexia, diabetes, gastro-esophageal reflux disorder (GERD), irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) and colitis.

"Prevention", as the Yellow Emperor wrote in the classic on medicine bearing his name, "is worth a hundred ounces of gold!" It is always the preferred way, rather than treating an illness after it has started. My advice is to lower the toxic burden to your liver by cleansing and detoxifying with fresh leafy green vegetables, hot water with lemon, and herbal teas.
Take care of your digestive system by eating small and more frequent meals. Eat gratefully, joyfully and peacefully and chew your food properly. Avoid fatty, rich, and hard to digest foods such as deep fried food, red meat, and cheeses. Cut back on your sugar and alcohol intake to stop feeding the bad bacteria and yeast in your gut that is often the root of your abdominal bloating and gas.

Emotional Health
As anger is the prevailing emotion of the Wood Element, it is important that you manage your emotions carefully and keep your nervous system from becoming hyperactive. When under stress, your "survival" mechanism is activated and your body releases large quantities of cortisol (the same corticosteroid drug prescribed by doctors). If sustained at high levels, cortisol can damage your heart, weaken your immune system and lead to diabetes. Lower your tension and uplift your spirit with daily meditation practice.

Why Popeye wasn't fat...

Hello everyone,
By now you have started your New Years resolutions. The hard part of sticking to any diet plan is craving sweets. As I'm sure you are aware, cravings for comfort foods like ice cream or chips can endanger your waistline. But researchers in Sweden say that a common vegetable contains natural compounds that can ease your unreasonable hunger.
A study at Lund University in Sweden shows that spinach contains green leaf membranes called thylakoids that can lower the risk of cravings and binge eating by 95 percent.
In the 3-month study, the thylakoids increased weight loss among overweight women by 43 percent.
Scientists call food cravings “hedonic hunger” because these desires are for unhealthy foods that are overly sweet and salty like cookies, ice cream and fast food.
 These cravings, warn the researchers, often lead to obesity and poor eating habits.
The Swedish study demonstrates that the thylakoids in spinach support the production of hormones that make you feel full and may eliminate hedonic hunger. That helps you control your appetite more effectively and focus on eating healthier foods. It can also help you lose weight.

So, follow Popeye's example and eat your spinach! And don't worry if you have failed your New Years resolutions already - Make a new one on the Chinese New Year which starts Feb. 19!!

Happy Qi,

Tom