Shower yourself with Love with this easy, nourishing cleanse. Full instructions here!

Cleansing:  Strategies for Success

When we choose to cleanse our bodies, and then give up due to lack of willpower, we cheat ourselves out of a sense of self empowerment. 

Kind of like cleaning a closet, once we pull half the clutter out, we must finish or else residue will be piled on the floor.

When we follow through with a cleansing plan, after a few days, we feel triumphant!

I have found, for me, when I cleanse, I need a program that is thorough without being depleting.  The program that I have had the most luck with over the last year is The Health Force Level 2 Cleanse Kit.

The Level 2 Cleanse Kit is very effective and easy to use even in the midst of a busy life.

Here is a 7 Day Cleanse Protocol:

One to three days before the cleanse, begin backing off on heavier foods.  Enjoy more blended soups, blended or tossed salads, smoothies (preferably green) and any soft foods that appeal to you.  Set some intentions as to what foods you will take a 7 day break from. By taking a look at your diet you will see which foods are the heaviest. Consider taking a break from those.  Examples include dairy, fried foods, meat, pastries, nuts, and candies.

Open the box with The Healthforce Level 2 Cleanse Kit the day before cleansing. 

The eve of the cleanse eat an early dinner, open the bottles from the kit, and  take 2 to 4 Intestinal Movement Formula Capsules with dinner.   Two hours after dinner, take 12 Intestinal Drawing Formula Capsules with at least sixteen ounces of water.

This encourages the body to have a full bowel movement the next morning. 

Bowel Movements, poop, elimination, whatever you call it, one of your goals may be to improve the quality of this vital function.

When I am eating too heavily, even on a raw food diet, chomping on too many nuts, seeds, or heavy treats, I tend to get plugged up. 

When I get plugged up I have a very difficult time moving in the morning.  My thinking becomes clouded, and, all too often, I have tricked myself into believing that caffeine will gravitate me beyond the heaviness.  

The coffee will in fact produce a bowel movement initially, however, later in the day, due to the dehydrating component of the coffee, I will end up with dry, hard, stools.

The vicious cycle continues until I get thoroughly rehydrated and, twice yearly, cleaned out.

The Healthforce Level 2 Cleanse kit, embarked upon for 7 days, revitalizes me!

http://healthforce.com/shop?page=shop.browse&category_id=4&aff_id=342

The simple cleanse, which begins with dinner on the eve before (noted above), is outlined here:

Daily, upon rising:   Have something simple like some Vitamineral Green and Spirulina, also from Healthforce Nutritionals, with a natural Vitamin C powder like Camu Camu or Acerola berry powder.  Blend these powders with a little stevia or sweetener of choice as in honey, apple, more berry powders, or a few fresh berries.  Healthforce has a product called Truly Natural Vitamin C which is excellent!  http://healthforce.com/?aff_id=342

Ideally, this drink is one full quart.  With the morning elixir, have:

2 to 4 Healthforce Intestinal Movement Formula Capsules and

4 to 6 Healthforce Liver Rescue Capsules and, if you did not put Vitamineral Green powder in your morning elixir then have

12 Vitamineral Green capsules  

(the above three items all come with the kit, as does the item IDF, spoken of below)

One to two hours later have 12 Intestinal Drawing Formula Capsules (IDF) with water.

During this morning routine, you may enjoy stretching, yoga, a walk, or quiet time.

Many of us do chase out the door most days.  Be sure to pack your cleanse capsules, and, ideally, smoothies, teas, or broths, and plenty of water in advance.

The beauty of the Healthforce Level 2 Cleanse Kit is that it does come with the Vitamineral Green (VMG) in capsules so you can use the capsules and, hopefully, find high quality liquid meals at a smoothie or juice bar if you are on the go.  

Personally, I love VMG powder in smoothies or blended in broths, tea, and/or juice.

When ordering my cleanse kit, I always get one large 500 gram bottle of VMG and one large 500 gram bottle of Vitamineral Earth, aka, Earth.  http://healthforce.com/?aff_id=342

When I choose to be out in the world, I use the VMG capsules that come with the kit.

When I am home in the morning and evening, I use the VMG powder and Earth.

The trick to sailing through a cleanse is to stay well hydrated.  Smoothies, water, broths, herbal teas, and green juices are key.

On a very busy schedule, or if you feel cold, I suggest making a giant pot of vegetable broth, discarding the vegetables if you are a raw foodie, and, using this broth as your base.

If you enjoy a heartier soup and do not mind cooked vegetables, then you may choose to make a creamy puree out of the vegetable soup.

Alternately, herbal teas made from nettles, horsetail, or alfalfa provide much needed silica to the body.  Add VMG or Earth to the warm (not hot) teas with a dash of high quality salt or miso and a little squirt of hemp or olive oil.   Yummy, warming, easy!

Whatever you choose to consume on the cleanse, be it smoothies, broths with VMG and Earth, juices, or solid food, for best results, choose foods with a very high water content.

With three of your meals, even if you have six mini meals, please, only with three, have 2 to 4 Intestinal Movement Formula, 4 to 6 Liver Rescue, and 12 Vitamineral Green Capsules unless VMG powder is in your meal, then you may save the capsules.

One to two hours after the meal in which you had the capsules, again, this is only for three meals daily, take 12 Intestinal Drawing Formula Capsules with at least 16 oz. of water.

VMG is best added to water, juice, warm tea, or to a green or superfood smoothie.

Earth is best added to warm or hot vegetable broth or tea, with salt and/or oil added if that is what sounds good to your body.

VMG and Earth insure that we are fully nourished and mineralized and, for me, I feel a steady energy and very little to zero hunger if I have plenty of VMG and Earth.

Remember, you get to eat and drink what you like on this cleanse.   The triumphant feeling comes from sticking with whatever you chose to take a break from at the start.

If you chose to give up cookies or chocolates for 7 days, stick with that, however be kind to yourself if there are other aspects of the cleanse that you do alter along the way. 

Cleansing is a way to pamper your body, mind, and soul.  Hot baths, walking or relaxing in the sunshine, anointing your body with warm oil, getting a massage, getting plenty of rest and giving yourself enemas are good ways to express love for yourself.

Please feel free to post any comments or questions, and, cheers to a cleanse that produces feelings of exuberance to you!

Suzi

Queen of her own Palace, just as you are The Royal Highness of your Palace~~~

Exercise and Immunity

I love to stay fairly lean year round.  As the Queen of my own palace, I choose to stay fit because I other than enjoy counting calories, or, worse yet, buying new clothing just because my pants got tight.

This winter at Superfood Palace I have been experimenting with awakening near 3:00 a.m. and have been getting on either the Eliptical or Recumberant Bike by 3:45 a.m.

There are programs that suggest if we warm up for three minutes and then hammer with as much intensity as possible for 30 seconds we will massively increase our lung capacity as well as torch calories.

After the first 30 second stretch of going all out, we are to recover for 90 seconds and then continue this pattern of 30 seconds of hammering it out followed by 90 seconds of steadily striding or spinning.

The hot aspect of this is, for me, after 30 minutes and a total of 13 sprints, I am fully awake and have, even in a cold room, worked up a sweat.

The idea is to only challenge the body in this way two or three times weekly but I found myself quickly hooked on the feeling I was getting from these morning workouts.

On the days I did not add the high intensity, I continued to hop on to a piece of equipment for a moderate workout.  This routine continued for three weeks until I began feeling completely exhausted.

Having a previous history with over doing it, I backed off a bit.  I did not get sick.  I believe I stopped pushing too hard at the first signs of fatigue.

But this got me too wondering how many zealous fitness enthusiasts are aware that too much exercise can sometimes overtax the immune system?

According to Ayurveda and Traditional Chinese Medicine, winter time is the time when, energetically, our roots are sinking downward, and, even though our energy might feel dormant or stuck, we are actually serving ourselves by going inward and not expending too much physical energy.

It is important to stretch, to move, to keep the spine long, fluid, and flexible.  The entire body needs gentle movement year round.  Foam rollers, yoga, Qi Gong, and simple stretching are ways to nurture the body and nourish the tissues.

For those of us, like me, who love a strong workout, well, yes, we can have those too.  However, when the body and mind start feeling so fatigued that no amount of caffeine will overcome the lethargy, it is time to slow down.

Many people push too hard and compromise the health and well being of the immune system.  There are superfoods and superherbs that we can take to maintain a strong immune system, however, at the end of the day, a good nights sleep is the best way to stay incredibly healthy.

So please, fitness enthusiasts, yes, do your workouts.  And on the days your body says "no", then enjoy the rest.  Your immune system and your muscles will thank you and in return will become much stronger, quickly.

And then, when you do exercise, your fully recovered body will feel amazingly wonderful!!!!!

Suzi

Going to Bed Early

In order to wake up feeling majestic, we have chosen to go to bed as early as 7:00 p.m.  We now awaken at 3:00 a.m. and, most days, feel quite energetic at this dark hour.

To try this, one must begin eating a solid breakfast and/or brunch on the first day followed by a dinner that is completed by 4:00 p.m.  It is best to avoid bright lights after 6:00 p.m.  Consider winding down with a warm bath, stretching, dental hygiene, and/or any form of massage, (you can massage your own feet and also your entire body with a foam roller).

The hours of sleep before midnight are twice as powerful and deep as those post midnight.  This "old wives tale", according to many senior citizens that we quizzed, turns out to be the truest of the tales and the tale says that the hours of sleep before midnight count as two for one.

We shoot for bed by 7:00 p.m. and we are lucky to be dozing off by 8:00.  Sleeping from 8:00 to 3:00, with the hours before midnight counting as double, makes us feel as soothed and healed as if we received 11 hours of sleep.

In Ayurvedic terms, the hours between 2:00 and 6:00 a.m. are when the Vata Dosha is dominant.  Vata is ruled by air and ether.  Waking up at 3:00 a.m., we feel enthusiastic, light, inspired, and deeply tuned into our breathing.  The hours between 3:00 a.m. and 5:00 a.m. are wonderful for pranayama (yoga breathing exercises) Qi Gong or Tai Chi, meditation, tuning into the spirit world, and also for enhanced creativity.

In Kundalini Yoga, the hours before dawn are considered The Ambrosial Hours.  A sweet nectar is present and we can (due to the fact that the lung meridian has a natural peak of energy between 3:00 and 5:00 a.m.), capture this ambrosial nectar through yoga, Qi Gong, or any healing practice of our liking.

To experience feeling like a King or a Queen, start by going to bed 30 minutes earlier each night and work your way back.  If you have children, they will benefit greatly from more sleep and they will quickly adjust to the new routine.  Offer the children a reward as in some extra time to color or play in the morning with a cup of herbal tea.

Remember, it all starts with eating earlier during the day and discontinuing all chomping three hours before bedtime.  We begin preparing dinner no later than 3:00 p.m. each day so we can be complete near 4:00 p.m.

Sweetest of Dreams to you!

Suzi and Tallison

Superfood Soup Cleansing Feast

Superfood Soups are made with a vegetable broth as a base.  In a large pot take onions, leeks, celery, burdock root, kale, and or collards and simmer for one hour.  Strain the broth and compost the vegetables.  The broth, one quart or so at a time, gets placed in a blender (we like the Vitamix), and to that add 2 tbsp. Vitamineral Earth and 1 tbsp. your choice of seaweed.  Blend.  Then, when the mix is below 108 degrees add in 1 to 2 tbsp. Healthforce Nutritionals Vitamineral Green and up to 1 tbsp. Spirulina and one to two teaspoons South River Chickpea Miso.  Blend again.  (note:  if you do not have time or desire to make a broth, you can use spring water or an herbal tea made from nettles, alfalfa, oat straw, horsetail, and/or corn silk.  By using the tea your Superfood Soup can truly be 100% raw if that is your desire.

In the morning, have a cleansing elixir with green powders such as Blue Green Algae (AFA) and/or Spirulina and whole food Vitamin C powders such as Camu Camu and/or Acerola Cherry Powder.  Add MSM and, ideally Shilajit to this cleansing elixir.  You may choose to sweeten this with a little Stevia.  We like NOW brand Stevia extract powder and only a pinch is required.  Build up slowly until you are using 1 tbsp. of the MSM , 2 tsp. of the green powders, 1 tsp. of the Shilajit, and up to 1 tsp. of the Vitamin C powders.  Blend all these powders in 1 quart spring water, adding a little lemon juice if available.  Sole', a Himalayan Rock Salt Brine, may also be added, up to 1 tsp.

Take any herbal potions that you enjoy such as medicinal mushrooms with your morning elixir.

One hour or so later, have Healthforce Nutritionals Intestinal Drawing Formula (IDF).  Make a drink with up to 2 tbsp. of the powder and a pinch of stevia and cinnamon to make it more palatable.  Or, take 12 of the IDF capsules with one quart of water.

One hour or so after the IDF, you get to have Superfood Soup or a Superfood Smoothie.

If you like a sweet breakfast, the smoothie can be jazzed up with Stevia and/or Birch Xylitol.

The smoothie is made with a spicy super tonic herbal tea base.  Take any herbs that you like from ginger, cinnamon, fennel, cardamom, clove, pau d' arco, cat's claw, juniper berry, licorice root, etc., and simmer for one hour on a very low flame.  Strain.  Brew all the herbs again for one hour.  Mix both brews together and place in jars.  This will last up to one week in glass Mason jars in the refrigerator.

When making superfood smoothies, add your choice of Superfoods such as Sun Warrior Rice Protein Powder, Maca, Cacao, Spirulina, Vitamineral Green, and sweeten with stevia and/or xylitol.

With each meal, whether it be Superfood Soup or a Superfood Smoothie, take 2 - 4 of Healthforce Nutritionals Intestinal Movement Formula, 6 Liver Rescue Capsules, and up to 6 Digestive Enzymes, and, if desired, one meal per day, take Healthforce Nutritionals Internal Parasite Formula as directed on bottle.

In the late afternoon repeat the Intestinal Drawing Formula, either in a blend or by taking 12 capsules.

During the cleanse, do as much yoga, Qi Gong, barefoot walking in clean grass or on sand, as possible.  Find ways to sweat be it through exercise, saunas, hot baths, and/or by adding garlic and turmeric to the broth or tea for the Superfood Soup.

Continue with the Superfood Soups and Superfood Smoothies with the herbs for 7 days.  After 7 days, when adding vegetables, fruits, nuts, and seeds back into the diet, make a commitment to chew all food into a soupy and creamy consistency.

All of our food is a gift from the heavens.  Be sure that your smoothies and soups taste good to you and enjoy them with a smile and a heart full of gratitude.  Do whatever it takes to make the soups and smoothies taste exquisite so that you feel deeply nourished physically and emotionally.

In Joy!

The Palace is Within You

Superfood Palace is an inspirational and motivational site filled with personal experiences encountered by the authors.  At Superfood Palace, we are regularly reminded that the "treasures" in life are "free".

Some say "nothing in life is free".  Well, this is true.  One must take steps and reach out for that which is served up to us on the golden platter of the Universe.

We all get to breathe deeply however unless we make the effort, take advantage of this God given right, then it becomes worthless.  Superfood Palace reminds us that the We are The Palace.  Everything we take into our bodies, be it music, food, fresh air, clean water, or inspirations, these are the gems of life.

There are gems and treasures in every palace.  Superfood Palace is here to remind us to have gratitude for the gems and treasures that are part of our daily lives.  Simple Pleasures like enjoying a bit of sunshine, getting to bed by 10:00 p.m., relaxing deeply during and after stretching, these are a few of the gems and joys of life.

Almonds are now Golden Nuggets, Goji Berries are Rubies, Green Drinks and Vegetables are created from Emerald Crystals, and Raw Superfood Chocolates and other high anti-oxidant foods are Sapphires.

Beyond food, at Superfood Palace we are inspired to sit with better posture, practice more Yoga and/or Qi Gong, incorporate more herbs and teas into our lives, gently switch over to natural fiber clothing and bedding, and to increase our level of consciousness around how we eat, sleep, and entertain ourselves.

Our pages are here for you, written based on our personal experience, so that we shall all be reminded that we are The Palace of our Body, Soul, and Mind.