Healthy Inspiration

   ~Article of the month~

   ~ Does Your Drinking Water Contain Active Hydrogen?
                                 ~What is Ph, Alkaline and Ionized Water?

Water is the foundation of life. As 65 to 80 percent of the human body, water is essential to our health. Water flows through the blood, carrying oxygen and nutrients to cells and flushing wastes out of our bodies. It cushions our joints and soft tissues. Without water as a routine part of our intake, we cannot digest or absorb food. What if you could super charge your water so that your body receives not only the necessary components of water that are crucial to your health, but also experience the added benefits and power of active hydrogen.

We have all heard that free-radicals are the leading cause of aging, sickness and disease, but how do we combat them? Until now, consuming vast amounts of anti-oxidant rich foods and or purchasing expensive supplements was the only way to ensure we were even close to neutralizing the destructive, free-radical effects generated by our modern lifestyle. Packaged lifeless foods and chemicals in the food, water, and air we consume in addition to our over-stressed lives ALL contribute toward excess free-radical production.

Active Hydrogen – The oldest antioxidant on earth! Hydrogen-Rich Water – The Missing Key to Health and Vitality! #1 bio-available source of “active hydrogen” it penetrates tissues and cells to combine with damaging free radicals and protect cells including DNA and mitochondria. Relief from oxidative stress – a primary cause of disease – may aid restoration of cell function and inhibit aging processes. Heal yourself with the power of nature’s first element.

~ Alkaline Water

Disease is unable to survive in a human body that is alkaline. A healthy diet should consist of 80% alkaline foods (primarily green vegetables and some fruits) and beverages (alkaline water), but the average Canadian diet is only 3% alkaline. Fast foods, animal protein, sugars, white flour, carbonated soft drinks and coffee are all very acidic. Excess acids builds up over time and are stored in fat cells. Eventually, the excess acid will cause degenerative diseases such as arthritis, type2 diabetes, and cancer. Alkaline ionized water will assist your body to eliminate harmful acids and achieve the proper pH level… just as nature intended.

WHAT IS ALKALINE WATER?

Alkaline water has a pH level that is greater than 7.0.

WHAT IS PH?

pH is a measure of the availability of hydrogen in water. The pH scale is a logarithmic scale (each measurement of 1.0 is actually 10 times stronger) that ranges from 0 to 14. The lower the level of pH, the more acidic, while the higher the pH, the more alkaline. Pure water has a pH level of 7.0 which is neutral.

WHAT IS IONIZED WATER?

Water in its natural state exists in the form of H2O. Water can be split into H+ ions and OH- ions by the process of electrolysis (running water across charged metal plates). When the water is split, it can be separated into two streams. One stream contains H+ ions (acidic water), and the other contains OH- or hydroxyl ions (alkaline water).

Here are some other sources of information on Alkaline Waters, Ionizers and Hydrogen Water:

www.waterhealthcare.ca/alkaline-water/
www.kangencanada.com/
www.enagic.com

Recipe of the Month~ Ahhhh Probiotics
~ Rejuvelac ~

There is a lot of talk about enzymes, probiotics, Lactobacillus, and other "friendly" bacteria today:
and for good reason!!

Enzymes and friendly bacteria are necessary for a healthy digestive system which allows us to assimilate nutrients and eliminate toxins!!

"Toxicity - A healthy colon is the most important means for eliminating toxins. If your colon is not working, you are toxic. The healthy bacteria in Rejuvelac and other fermented foods enable the colon to function properly by introducing healthy lactobacteria into the colon.

Deficiency - The biggest deficiency we are now facing is the deficiency of enzymes.

Rejuvelac has a very high level of enzymes and replaces the missing enzymes in our bodies enabling the healing process to take place."

INGREDIENTS

Makes 2 litres Rejuvelac

1 cup of wheat grains, from a health food store.(spring wheat berries, kamut berries, spelt berries all work well)

2 litres of filtered water.

2 litre wide mouthed glass jar.

INSTRUCTIONS
METHOD 1

1. Rinse wheat in water to remove dust and debris.

2. Add the wheat to the glass jar. Fill with filtered water and cover with gauze held securely in place with an elastic band. (It is important to prevent the entry of insects.) Soak for 12 hours.

3. Leave the jar on a kitchen bench out of direct sunlight. Give the jar a gentle twirl, but not a shake, every 12 hours. Once a light foam develops the Rejuvelac should be ready for use. It may take anywhere from 2-5 days to ferment the Rejuvelac depending on the ambient temperature. In hot weather where it may ferment too quickly (around 24 hours) it is possible for the Rejuvelac go putrid. Rejuvelac should have a pleasant yeasty smell with a lemon like flavour. Pour off the soak water and refill.

4. Once the Rejuvelac is ready then decant the liquid from the top leaving the sediment behind. Refridgerate. Refill the jar with water and ferment for another 24-36 hours to make a second culture. Decant the Rejuvelac, refridgerate - discard the wheat grains and the sediment.

INSTRUCTIONS
METHOD 2

1. Rinse wheat in water to remove dust and debris.

2. Soak the grain over filtered night. Pour off the water and rinse. Cover the jar with muslin cloth held securely in place to prevent entry of insects, then lay the jar on its side to drain, allowing the wheat to sprout for 1-3 days or until the roots are 1-3 mm long. Rinse periodically to prevent the grains from drying out, and to remove any potentially harmful organisms. In hot weather you may need to rinse the sprouting wheat 4-5 times a day.

3. Fill the jar with water and ferment the culture for 1-2 days or until it has gone milky with a layer of froth on the surface.

4. Decant the liquid and refrigerate.

NOTE:

1. It is possible for Rejuvelac to bad (as it is for sprouts and probably any fermented culture). You can generally tell if the rejuvelac is okay by the smell and taste. It should be acidic with a pH less than pH 3.9. It is good practice to observe, smell and taste the rejuvelac periodically to become accustomed to the changes that occur (as it is for any fermented culture). Rejuvelac should keep in the fridge for a week or more, and will gradually sweeten with time.

2. All bacteria and yeasts have an optimum incubation temperature. Refrigeration will inhibit the growth of some organisms but may give an opportunity for others to flourish. Hot weather or high temperatures, may encourage the rapid growth of pathogenic organisms before the beneficial organisms get started, in which case the culture will smell putrid. If your Rejuvelac culture goes off then discard it, sterilise the jar and wait for cooler weather. In hot weather, it is feasible that a slight acidulation of the water with a little lemon juice at the start of the fermentation, may provide an environment less suited to pathogenic organisms.

Inspiring Links

~Shivarea.com               ~(Leading yoga innovator and Yoga Trance Dance creator)
~Semperviva.com           ~(Kitsilano Vancouver Yoga Studios)
~Yyoga.ca                       ~(Downtown Vancouver Yoga Studios)
~Opendoor.ca                 ~(Main Street Vancouver Yoga Studios)
~Innerhealthstudio.com ~(Guided Meditations for Stress Reduction and Relaxation)
~5rhythms.ca                   ~(Canadian Hub for ongoing 5 Rhythms dance classes)
~ care2.com     ~(Conscious web browser and global online community)
~ gaia.com     ~(Conscious global community)
~ living-foods.com           ~(Largest online educational community of living raw foods)
~Gorillafood.com           ~(Living Foods Restaurant, Educational Hub and Community Resource)
~riteofpassage.ca              ~(Canadian Doulas working to help women in pre and post birthing