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Issue 19 summer 2018
In This Edition 6 FACTORS THAT CAN CONTRIBUTE TO A FUNGAL INFECTION
4
DR. MELINA ROBERTS
HIGH-VIBE HEALTH RECIPES
8
NOURISHING THE PEOPLE
REFRESHING RECIPES FOR SUMMER
16
LIGHT CELLAR SUPER FOODS
CONDITIONER IS BETTA!
24
LOWEN’S NATURAL SKIN CARE PRODUCTS
AMBER APPROVED RECIPES
28
SUMMER RECIPES WHEATFREE MOM
@AmberApproved www.AmberApproved.ca
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Cover Shot: Moments Marketing Photography Graphic Design: Fierce Web Designs Stock Photos from ShutterStock and DepositPhotos
Happy June! I hope you are enjoying the green leaves on the trees, the summer air is on its way. This is the best season for fresh produce coming up including berries and seasonal fruits and vegetables. Really a time to enjoy the long day, warm air and outdoors. Enjoy all the new refreshing recipes and wonderful health articles to help you navigate the beautiful summer of 2018!
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Copyright Š 2018 Amber Approved
Fungi are naturally present in the body; it is a normal part of a healthy microbiome in the digestive tract. The fungi naturally occur in low levels, which helps with proper digestion and supports the function of the immune system. These fungal spores require a specific internal environment, if that internal environment is “off” then this enables them to reproduce quickly and leads to their overgrowth. Here are SIX factors can affect the conditions of the internal environment and contribute to a fungal infection:
CONSUMING CERTAIN FOODS Sugar and starchy carbohydrate foods can feed the unhealthy fungi and lead to fungal overgrowths. Acidic foods, such as wheat and cow’s dairy, creates a more acidic environment that allows fungi to grow.
WEAKENED IMMUNE SYSTEM The immune system is essential for combatting different infections, therefore any weakness can lead to invading pathogens. Chronic, lowgrade infections such as viral, bacterial, parasites can wear down the immune system, making it more challenging for the immune system to keep the overgrowths of fungi under control.
ENVIRONMENTAL TOXINS These environmental toxins such as pesticides, food additives, and food preservatives are more acidic in nature and creates an environment that allows the fungal overgrowths to occur.
HEAVY METAL TOXICITY Heavy metals have a symbiotic relationship with fungi. Heavy metals bind to fungi, specifically candida, as a protective mechanism to bring heavy metals out of circulation. Therefore if you are struggling with fungal overgrowths, the root cause may be heavy metal toxicity.
ANTIBIOTIC USE Antibiotics will kill off the infectious agent, but it will also kill off the healthy bacteria that resides in the digestive tract. The growth of fungi are kept in balance by the amount of healthy bacteria in the digestive tract, the fungi and bacteria need to be in a nice, symbiotic balance. Antibiotic use will throw off the symbiotic balance of the healthy bacteria and fungi of the microbiome. Often fungal overgrowths will ensue due to the symbiotic imbalance of the microbiome following antibiotic use.
MENTAL-EMOTIONAL STRESS Stress stimulates the sympathetic nervous system, which is designed to help aid you in a dangerous situation; it increases blood flow, shifts nutrients to your heart and lungs, and increases your blood sugar. With the increase in blood sugar, this is food for the unhealthy bacteria and fungus and leads to overgrowths of the unhealthy bacteria and fungi in the gut. Stress can weaken the immune system and create a more acidic environment in the body, thus setting up an environment whereby a fungal overgrowth can occur. Chronic stress has been shown in studies to lower the vaginal pH leaving females more susceptible to yeast infections.
Since fungi is a natural, normal part of the microbiome, anti-fungal medications, which disrupts the microbiome and kill off high amounts of the fungal populations in the body while throwing off the natural microbiome, hence this is not an ideal treatment approach to treating fungal infections. We use remedies that can specifically target the fungal reproduction while not disrupting the natural levels of fungi in the body.
Dr. Melina Roberts (@drmelinaroberts) is a Naturopathic Doctor, Author of Building a Healthy Child and Clinic Director of Advanced Naturopathic Medical Centre in Calgary. She is a leading authority in the field of naturopathic medicine specializing in European Biological Medicine effectively treating digestive issues, chronic disease and cancer.
Chrystal Chau Owner, Operator and Nourisher at High-Vibe Health
Chrystal Chau is a registered holistic nutritionist, and founder of High-Vibe Health, a certified organic bone broth company in Calgary, Alberta. Her passion is people, and the health and well-being of all humans is the driving force behind her nourishing bone broth business. After bearing witness to multiple family illnesses, including cancer, heart disease, and chronic inflammation disorders, Chrystal made a heart conscious decision to use the high-vibrational power of vibrant whole foods, traditional foods, and plant medicine to help nourish herself, her family, and the local community. Through High-Vibe Health, Chrystal continues to honor this traditional, mineralrich food medicine by creating nutrient-dense, collagen and protein-rich, slowsimmered bone broth products, made with integrity, and the intention to help educate and nourish the people.
5-Min Mason Jar Soup! Eating healthy during the work week doesn’t have to be difficult; especially with these super quick, fresh (and oh so cute) mason jar take-alongs! Some fresh veg, noodles, and High-Vibe bone broth and you’ve got yourself a highly nourishing lunch or snack that you can stack up in the fridge for the week! We’ve put together an Asian-inspired mason jar soup recipe for you to give a try, but feel free to get creative, use what you’ve got in the fridge, and come up with your own fun, mouth-watering concoctions! Ingredients 1/2 tsp. sesame oil 1/2 tsp. tamari sauce 1/4 cup red cabbage 1 cup green of choice (spinach, kale, chard etc...) 1/4 cup corn 1/4 cup peas 1 diced scallion 1 cup rice noodles 2 cups your favourite High-Vibe Broth (have you tried our NEW Pho bone broth?!) Directions Chop all veggies thin and pile into mason jar with sauce first, followed by noodles, then crunchy veggies and spinach. Tote a thermos filled with 2 cups of your favourite High-Vibe broth to work. When ready to eat, add hot broth to mason jar and let ‘cook’ for 5 minutes before consuming. Enjoy!
Bone Broth Chocolate “Mocha” Smoothie Love chocolate? Who doesn’t! This grounding food is something to be honoured. No longer does it have to be put into the “guilty” category, but it can shine in a “heck yes, I eat chocolate every day ” kind of way! This nourishing Bone Broth Chocolate “Mocha” smoothie recipe is smooth, rich, decadent and chalked full of goodness that you can feel proud to fuel the whole fam with! What you’ll need 1 Banana- frozen works best 1/3 cup Raw Cashews 5 dates 2 Tbsp Raw Cacao powder 1.5 tsp Dandy Blend coffee substitute* 1 cup High-Vibe Beef or Bison bone broth 1 cup of your fav milk substitute (almond, coconut, organic soy, cashew, rice etc.) 1 cup of Ice (or about 6 cubes) Directions Throw everything into your high-powered blender and blend until rich, smooth & creamy, enjoy! !
• Banana & dates naturally sweeten this smoothie, providing potassium and fibre for healthy digestion • Cashews add protein and healthy fats for sustained energy • Cacao is rich in iron, magnesium, antioxidants, and help to produce moodboosting neurotransmitters • Dandy Blend is the “mocha” component of this drink, and is my favourite coffee substitute for an adult taste without the caffeine, made with dandelion root for liver detoxing properties and chicory root to help manage stress • High-Vibe bone broth naturally contains L-glutamine, the most important amino acid to help heal, seal and protect the lining of your gut, improving digestion, absorption and assimilation of nutrients, while reducing inflammation. The health of your gut affects the health of all of your body’s other systems • Milk substitutes- Please make sure to buy organic, unsweetened, and carrageenan-free to stay with that gut-friendly goodness!
Introducing High-Vibe Organic PHO! The complete goodness of 48-hour simmered bone broth, combined with wholesome, authentic spices come together to create our rich, nourishing, MSG-free High-Vibe Pho! Simply thaw, add your favourite gluten-free noodles, veggies, herbs like cilantro, basil or mint, a dash of hot sauce and a squeeze of lime and you’ve got yourself a gut-friendly, nutritious and delicious Pho!
Make it Iced... As the Summer weather brings peaks of hot days and warm nights we will all be reaching for iced cold drinks and treats to cool and refresh ourselves. Adding ice cubes to any drink definitely brings a sense of cool relief to help us beat the summer heat. However, in the pursuit of being truly refreshed, did you know that you can cool down on a much deeper level by utilizing the many different foods and herbs that will actually cool you from the inside out? Two of my favourite go to summer herbs are hibiscus flowers and mint leaves. Hibiscus is wonderfully cooling and helps to bring the overall body temperature down. It’s also thirst-quenching and energizing, much like citrus, and will keep you hydrated even as you’re sweating away in the summer heat. Hibiscus has a wonderfully refreshing taste with the perfect amount of tartness and can be made into a warm or cold tea as well as combined with lemon for a hibiscus lemonade. To make hibiscus tea, add 1 Tbsp dried hibiscus flowers per 1 litre of hot or cold water. Let steep, strain and enjoy. Mint’s refrigerant properties have long been known and used throughout the world both internally as well as topically. The natural chemical responsible for this action is menthol which is found in many varieties of mint, most commonly peppermint and spearmint. There are other compounds found in other plants that can produce cooling effects but are not nearly as pleasant or desirable to consume as mint. Though one can buy fresh mint from the store, I love to pick wild mint that can be easily found within our local ecosystem or grown in the garden. One only needs a sprig of fresh mint in water, fresh or dried mint leaf tea (served warm or cold) or mint essential oil added to recipes for full flavour and benefits.
This is a very simple recipe: just add the Light Cellar’s Hibiscus Rose water kefir soda or any other home-made or store-bought kombucha or water kefir beverage into popsicles moulds and freeze. This is a great idea for kids both young and old alike. Everyone loves a refreshing frozen treat and of course popsicles can be made from juice or tea but when they are made from a cultured kombucha or water kefir beverage you are getting wonderful probiotics at the same time.
This is a name my partner Laura and I came up with when we first started making our version of superfood ice creams at the Light Cellar. They are not quite enough like ice cream to call them such, plus there are regulations as to what is technically an ice cream—for instance ‘ice cream’ must contain at least 10% milk fat and 20% milk solids. Iced Alchemy is a whole new level above and a creative twist on a cold softserve delight. Each Iced Alchemy will take you just a couple of minutes to make, which is pretty impressive for a frozen treat made from scratch. We know you will enjoy these Iced Alchemies as much as we do, and see them as more than a treat, rather a meal with powerful herbal and superfood benefits.
Green Spring: Uplifting, raw chocolate chip, and greens. 1 Tablespoon Barley Grass powder or Wheat Grass juice powder 1 teaspoon Chlorella or Spirulina powder 2 Tablespoons Lucuma 1 Tablespoon Coconut butter 2 Tablespoons Whey powder 1 Tablespoon Honey 1 Tablespoon Olive oil ¼ teaspoon Himalayan salt 2 drops each of Peppermint oil and Spearmint oil 1 teaspoon Cacao nibs 4 ounces of any cold tea (Gynostemma, Mint, Nettle, Reishi or Chaga...) 12 ounce container of ice Vegan Green Spring: 1 Tablespoon Coconut butter 2 Tablespoons of Lucuma 1 Tablespoon Maca 1 Tablespoon Barley Grass or Wheat Grass juice powder 2 teaspoons Chlorella or Spirulina powder 1½ Tablespoons Cane or Palm sugar 1 Tablespoon Olive oil 2 drops each of Peppermint oil and Spearmint Oil 1 Tablespoon Cacao paste ½ teaspoon Vanilla powder 1 Tablespoon Lucuma ½ teaspoon Sunflower or non-GMO Soy lecithin 2 Tablespoons Brown Rice protein powder 4 ounces of any cold tea (Gynostemma, Mint, Nettle, Reishi or Chaga...) 12 ounce container of ice
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Method: Use a Vitamix blender. Place and combine all dry ingredients except cacao nibs into the blender. Add cold tea and blend until smooth. Add ice and blend again until smooth. Pour into serving vessel. Top with cacao nibs. Enjoy.
All the ingredients mentioned can be found at the Light Cellar located at 6326 Bowness Rd NW Calgary, AB. You can find us online at thelightcellar.ca and our Easy Upgrades recipe show on YouTube. Malcolm Saunders is the author of the book Elixir Life: Modern Nutrition Meets Ancient Herbal Wisdom and has worked in the field of food and nutrition for close to 20 years.
I am extremely happy to have a spot in this edition of the Amber Approved Magazine and I’m really stoked to write about some new developments for us at Lowen’s. We’ve had our popular Vegan Conditioning Shampoo, called Shampoo is Betta! on the market, for some time. When I created this product, I made it as conditioning as possible, thinking that this was enough to effectively deal with tangles and frizz. For the most part, I was right but for those with particularly thick and full hair (like my wife and daughters), while Shampoo is Betta! cleans like a hot damn, it just wasn’t conditioning enough… So I set to create a “Betta” conditioner to pair with our shampoo. Yeah, this was a while ago and admittedly, this proved to be one of the most challenging products for me to make. However, I have finally
achieved the seal of approval of my family - I recall Lowen telling me, “You’re a genius!” so I knew it was ready. With that, we’re excited to announce that Conditioner is Betta! is out now! Our cruelty free conditioning rinse which, like our Shampoo draws its name from the Billy Maddison movie, will kick back at frizz and tangles with the combined action of honey, panthenol (AKA Provitamin B5), virgin/fair trade cocoa butter and coconut oil while strengthening your lovely locks with quinoa protein. For those of you with a little scratchiness, we also include oat kernel oil to calm that beast and, like in Shampoo is Betta!, we added in a little peppermint oil for tingle effect and it doesn’t hurt that it kinds smells nice.
Since most of our products are EWG Verified™, the plan is to also have Conditioner is Betta! Verified™ as well. What does being EWG Verified™ mean and why should you care? Click here to read more on that but suffice it to say that the EWG is an impartial 3rd party nongovernment organization that, among other things, evaluates the safety of the ingredients contained personal care products. As we usually don’t use this space to blatantly self-promote, you may be wondering, what gives? Well, here comes the health awareness section of the article. Not all conditioners are made equal – many contain silicone and/or silicone derivatives which are not biodegradable and end up in our water supply, harsh sulfates that can irritate and sensitize (and also end up in our water supply), endocrine disruptors like oxybenzone, questionable synthetic fragrances and finally may actually in fact damage your hair (remember the WEN “cleansing” conditioner infomercials?).
While you may not be swayed to buy our product, I sincerely hope that you are at least motivated to take a good look at your personal care products on hand and question whether they are actually good for you, are safe for the environment and hopefully they are both. If they aren’t, we just happen to know a little family run company that makes some incredible evidence informed products that might just fit the bill.
Strawberry Ombre Parfait
Ingredients: Strawberry layer 1 (bottom) 2 fresh strawberries sliced 2 tbsp Yoso coconut yogurt 1 tsp Pitaya powder Strawberry Layer 2 2 fresh strawberries 2 tbsp Yoso coconut yogurt ½ tsp pitaya powder Strawberry layer 3 2 fresh strawberries 2 tbsp Yoso coconut yogurt ⅓ tsp pitaya powder Strawberry layer 4 1 fresh strawberry 2 tbsp Yoso coconut yogurt ¼ tsp pitaya powder 5th layer is a tbsp of Yoso coconut yogurt
Method: Blend layer 1 and add to the bottom of a jar or stemless wine glass. Repeat this process with layer 2, 3,4 and top it off with layer 5. Enjoy! Serves 2. Special Thanks to Yoso (www.yoso.ca) for their amazing unsweetened coconut yogurt. Photos by Lisa San Filippo Moments Marketing provides photography for social media, websites and corporate events as well as offers marketing consulting services. It’s also a sister company to Moments Photography, a portrait photography company. Lisa is the owner, creative visionary and chief photographer of Moments Marketing and owner and photographer of Moments Photography. www.momentscalgary.com
Gluten-Free Herb Flatbread Ingredients: 2 cups gluten-free Bob Red Mills All Purpose Flour 1.5 cups water 2 tbsp maple syrup 1 tbsp olive oil 1 tsp sea salt 2 tsp baking powder 2 eggs
Olive oil mixture: 4 tbsp olive oil 3 tsp garlic powder 1 tsp sea salt 1 tsp basil flakes 1 tsp oregano flakes
Method Preheat oven to 450 degrees Fahrenheit Add all flatbread ingredients in a bowl and mix well. Add a piece of parchment paper to a cookie sheet Spread the mixture evenly on the parchment (roughly half inch thick) Mix oil and spices in a bowl Top with oil/spice mixture and bake 22 minutes, flip pan around after 10 minutes to evenly bake. Let cool slightly, slice and enjoy!
Special Thanks to Yoso (www.yoso.ca) for their amazing unsweetened coconut yogurt. Photos by Lisa San Filippo Moments Marketing provides photography for social media, websites and corporate events as well as offers marketing consulting services. It’s also a sister company to Moments Photography, a portrait photography company. Lisa is the owner, creative visionary and chief photographer of Moments Marketing and owner and photographer of Moments Photography. www.momentscalgary.com
Strawberry Blueberry Loaf Ingredients: 2 cups gluten-free flour (Bobs 1-2-1 Flour) 1 tsp baking powder ½ tsp baking soda 1 tsp cinnamon 4 free range eggs ¾ cup Yoso coconut yogurt 1.5 cups fresh strawberries sliced 1 cup fresh blueberries ¾ cup coconut sugar 1 tsp vanilla powder Pinch of sea salt
Method Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit Grease a baking pan with coconut oil. In a large bowl, combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, salt, vanilla powder, coconut sugar and mix well. Add eggs, olive oil and coconut yogurt and whisk well. Add the blueberries and strawberries and mix well. Add mixture to loaf pan and top with additional berries. Bake for 55 minutes and let cool, slice and serve. Enjoy! Special Thanks to Yoso (www.yoso.ca) for their amazing unsweetened coconut yogurt. Photos by Lisa San Filippo Moments Marketing provides photography for social media, websites and corporate events as well as offers marketing consulting services. It’s also a sister company to Moments Photography, a portrait photography company. Lisa is the owner, creative visionary and chief photographer of Moments Marketing and owner and photographer of Moments Photography. www.momentscalgary.com
Grilled Chicken and Vermicelli Noodle Salad
serves 2
You will need: 2 grilled chicken breasts, thinly sliced 1/2 cup cooked and cooled rice vermicelli noodles per person 1/2 cup cucumber, spiralized 1/2 cup fresh cilantro, finely chopped 1/2 red and green pepper, thinly sliced 3 radishes, sliced thinly 1 cup green leaf lettuce per person Optional (1/2 red chilli, sliced)
Dressing: 5 Tbsp olive oil 2 tsp white wine vinegar 2 tsp Dijon mustard 3 Tbsp honey
How to prepare: To make the dressing combine all ingredients in a small canning jar. Put lid on and shake very well.
To assemble salad Line bottom of each bowl with the leaf lettuce. Divide chicken breasts, vermicelli noodles, spiralized cucumber, peppers and radishes over the lettuce. Sprinkle the cilantro on each salad. Drizzle the dressing over each salad. Enjoy!
Grilled Chicken, Peppers and Rice Bowl
serves 2
You will need:
How to prepare:
1 grilled chicken breast, sliced thinly 1 cup cooked jasmine or basmati rice 1/2 avocado, cubed Fresh lime juice 1/4 cup fresh cilantro, finely chopped lime wedges 1 cup green leaf lettuce per person 1 red pepper, sliced very thin 1 green pepper, sliced very thin 1 onion, sliced very thin 1 Tbsp avocado or olive oil
Heat a grill pan to medium and grease with avocado oil.
Dressing: 1 small ripe avocado 1/4 cup chives Juice of 1 lime 1 Tbsp chopped Jalapeno 1/2 cup fresh cilantro 1/2 cup fresh parsley 2 Tbsp avocado oil
Add the thinly sliced peppers and onion and sautĂŠ until soft. Remove and set aside
To make the dressing Add all ingredients except the avocado oil and process until smooth. Add the avocado oil and process again This makes a good amount of dressing so pour into a canning jar and keep in the refrigerator. It will last 3-4 days
To assemble salad Line bottom of the bowls with the leaf lettuce. Divide the rice between the 2 bowls. Add the grilled peppers and onions plus avocado and chicken to each bowl. Squeeze lime over the bowls. Sprinkle each bowl with the cilantro. Add generous dollop of the dressing in the middle of each bowl. Enjoy!
Quinoa and grilled Zucchini Salad
serves 2
You will need:
Dressing:
1 cup cooked quinoa 2 grilled chicken breasts, thinly sliced 2 Tbsp pomegranate seeds 2 Tbsp toasted pistachios 1/4 cup fresh mint, finely chopped 1 Zucchini, sliced very thin lengthwise 1 Tbsp avocado or olive oil
1 cup frozen or fresh mango chunks 1 Tbsp white wine vinegar 1-2 Tbsp water
How to prepare: Heat a grill pan to medium. Grease pan with the avocado oil. Lay slices of the zucchini on the hot grill. The Zucchini does not take very long to cook so watch closely. Flip each slice over when lightly brown. Once the other side is grilled, remove and continue with all the rest of the zucchini slices. Set aside
To make the dressing
Add the ingredients to small blender like a magic bullet and process until smooth. Pour dressing into small jar and set aside.
To serve salad
Divide quinoa among two plates. Top with chicken breasts, grilled zucchini, pistachios, pomegranate seeds and fresh mint. Pour dressing over all. Enjoy!