I grew up with parents who, themselves, grew up during the Great Depression. Summers in the middle of the drought-y, dusty prairies in a heat wave afforded few thrills. My mom worked in her father's general store, my father worked the fields (to this day he likes the memory of how he could spend hours on the back of a tractor in the blazing heat, totally in his glory-- I didn't inherit that attitude). The greatest of pleasures was the rare chance for ice cream. We would humor them as kids when they asked, their eyes all aglow with excitement, if we would like to have an ice cream (sort of pronounced like eyesh-cream) cone? We grew up in a more affluent time and ice cream was not the treat for us that it remained for them, but--heck-- it was still pretty decent. My favorites were Neopolitan, and one year at the lake, something called "Grape Bubblegum". As an adult I've found something that is 'cooler' than ice cream and I'd like to share that information with you... Here are some clues:

• It involves a high speed blender (like a VitaMix)
• It involves fruit and greens (preferably organic, fresh, ripe, juicy or tender)
• It involves the fruity, high antioxidant elixir, NingXia Red
• It involves ice cubes

Yeah! You guessed! Cooler than ice cream is an ICED RED GREEN SMOOTHIE! Here are some of the reasons that IRGS (iced red green smoothies) are "cooler" than ice cream:

• With IRGS you will get the optimum nutrition in your day-- if you are using 60% fruit to 40% greens and putting away 1 1/2 quarts to 2 quarts of IRGS a day, you are getting pretty much everything you need for the day nutritionally! There are also things you WILL not get in your IRGS. If you eat 1 1/2 quarts of ice cream a day you will may meet your RDA for calcium but you won't get much else of any benefit to your health. In many brands of ice cream you will also get Propylene glycol, known also by the systematic name propane-1,2-diol. Read more about this interesting food additive and decide if you want to check labels next time you buy ice cream.
• The IRGS are easy to digest. When they are whirred up into a smoothy consistency, all the teeny-tiny particles of nutrition begin to be absorbed right in the mouth... ice cream is also very creamy, so the chief components of its creaminess-- fats, corn syrups and sugar, propane-1,2-diol-- will also be absorbed.
• IRGS are complete foods because they have fibre. Ice cream, unless it includes a high proportion of fresh fruit and nuts, does NOT have fibre.
• IRGS are among the most palatable foods on the summer menu (if you put them there!). The sweetness and the zest of the fruits you choose to add to your recipe will dominate over the greens. The greens will balance the sweetness with a fresh flavor of their own (think of how fresh celery is, or cilantro or romaine lettuce!) Surprise and delight your taste buds with IRGS-- see what you think!
• Did you know that the molecule of chlorophyll (the green in the green) has only one atom that makes it different from a molecule of human blood? Some say that consuming chlorophyll is like getting a healthy blood transfusion! Only two or three tall glasses of Red Green Smoothies and/or Iced Red Green Smoothies will provide enough greens for you to nourish your body each day! There is no chlorophyll in ice cream, just liquid cow... some protein and calcium, hardly what one might see as "quality" forms of these minerals, and certainly offset by the sugar and fats.
• IRGS are easy to make and easy to clean up after. Just put some warm water into the food processor and whirr and dump. Certainly a lot easier to clean up after than a juicer is.
• IRGS are the perfect treat for children of all ages, including babies of six months old when introducing them to new food after their mother's milk. To avoid allergies, be careful to slowly introduce and increase the amount of smoothies you give your baby. Whereas you don't want to be eating frozen treats all the time (the best temperature to eat foods is close to body temperature-- iced treats are just that-- treats), Red Green Smoothies are the perfect food.
• After you eat a couple of bowls of IRGS you will experience a feeling of well-being, even joy. The phytonutrients in the fruits and greens will ensure this-- the fresh, refreshing cool and flavour will add to the pleasure and relief during hot spells. Your body will respond to your nourishing it by nourishing your spirit. Ice Cream may be pleasant in its initial eating, but after you have eaten a bowl-full you may feel bloated and have a coated tongue. Lactose-intolerance is one of the most common answers to the question "Do you have any allergies or sensitivities to foods?" Instead of feeling refreshed, you might feel like you need to drink a quart of pop to be refreshed. Your body wants something nourishing (fruits and greens) and will take whatever it can get that provides a similar sort of zing.
• IRGS will clear up your complexion and help you to sleep at night. Ice Cream may cause an outbreak of pimples, and may well keep you awake with indigestion.
• IRGS and red green smoothies are tasty, sweet, yummy ways to introduce your family to eating more greens and healthier foods in general. Ice cream just continues the old habits of over-consumption of processed sugars and fats with little nutritive value (junk foods).

I'm not saying that you will be struck dead if you eat a little ice cream or frozen yogurt here and there, but, knowing that you have a choice that is just as sweet and twice as nutritious... what is your choice going to be? How cool is that? Freeze enough water to equal 3 Cups of ice cubes (filtered water). In the container of your blender/food processor, put the following: 1 Cup of Filtered Water 4 Large fruits, or about 2 C. of fruit segments/pieces (apples, peaches, fresh or frozen-- your favourites) 1 Lg. handful of greens of choice (or 3 stalks of celery) 1-2 Frozen Bananas (peeled) for added sweetness (peel and freeze ripe bananas in baggies) 2 oz. of NingXia Red, the Highest Antioxidant Fruit Infusion 2 C. ice cubes Place water into the container first, and follow with various fruits, greens, and the NingXia Red. Put the ice in last. Place the lid on securely and you may need to use the tamper to keep the ingredients stable, pressing the fruits into the blades as the IRGS processes. Within about 30 seconds you should test to see how stiff the confection is... If it will stand up in a cup like soft ice cream, it is ready to eat right away. If, after a few more seconds of processing, if it has not reached that stage, you may need to add another cup of ice cubes. And, in the spirit of the summer, here is a fun video that celebrates us Big Girls! Enjoy! ------------------------------------------------------------ For a free subscription to HealthiaCynthia's "Smoothie Moves" visit here You are also warmly invited to join the Smoothie Moves group on http://facebook.com ------------------------------------------------------------ *Thanks to Victoria Boutenko of http://rawfamily.com for launching the Green Smoothie revolution. Information in this article is derived from her research and writing in the book "Green for Life". **If you want to see demonstrations of green smoothies on video go to the July posts in DiffusingLife2 blog. If you want to live a longer, healthier life starting RIGHT NOW, meet the machine that could help save your life: VITA-MIX SUPER 5200

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I'm sitting here at the computer with a little smile on my face.  (well something like that).  I have recently joined up with the Internet's answer to the flesh-pressing schmoozy Networking clubs... Facebook.com  I had received a few invitations over time and originally had thought that it would be one of those frustrating experiences where you go to join up and then find that no one you know is using the service, and it costs $9.99 a month.  Not so!  It's a free service AND I know quite a few people who are drifting and meandering on through the ether-- actually, I have 74 Facebook "Friends" and many more to come. hehehehe.

I have had a couple of really outstanding Facebook experiences.  For a few years I have been trying to track down a friend of mine who used to live in Vancouver's Lower Mainland when we did.  Then we fell out of connection....maybe, thirty years ago, when we moved to Saskatchewan.  Well, I looked up their surname on Facebook, and while I didn't actually find my friend, herself, I DID find her daughter.  And she hooked us up.  It turns out that my friend moved to England in 1999.  Our phone chat today seemed like the years hadn't even happened.... you know.  My other great thrill is in having all my family's "faces", along with my good friends', children of friends', and even RICK MERCER, all on my page at the same time.

I know that Facebook is really designed for the 20- and 30-somethings, but gosh, I'm enjoying it too!  Thanks kids!

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Since 2004, over 4 Million people have decorated their walls with fabulous posters like the "Friends" poster above... you can too!  Go here to find out how. 

Go here to watch the making of a Canteloupe-Blueberry Green Smoothie.  Using a Vitamix container, add:

• 2 Tbsp. Organic Flaxseed (put in container first)
• 1 Cup of Fresh, Organic Blueberries
• Flesh & Juice of one Fresh Canteloupe (very ripe)
• Large, compacted handful of Fresh Lettuce & Kale
• 2 Cups of Filtered Water

To get 35 delicious, nutritious Green Smoothie recipes each year simply sign up at Smoothie Moves "Get Started on the Raw Food Diet With the Most Complete Kit of Resources Available Anywhere!"  Click here  

When I was growing up (in the 50s and 60s)my mother had a massive tome she referred to as "the Doctor Book".  In it you could find all the necessary photos and illustrations to totally freak you out about that rash on the side of your leg, or about having sex... ever.  The word "graphic" was coined to describe this Doctor Book.

Besides the pictures of people with advanced syphilitic lesions and giant facial tumors, there were photos of women with in sauna boxes, or something like that-- only their heads showed, the rest of the box encasing them like a body coffin.  I recall that these were examples of "hydrotherapy".

So, years later when I attended an Adventist Church-sponsored lecture on "hydrotherapy" I flashed in my mind back to the rather weird illustrations in my mother's Doctor Book.  I was amazed to find out that "hydrotherapy" simply meant using water-- as fluid or ice-- as a treatment for a variety of conditions or maladies. 

For example:

For Pain: Freeze water in a styrofoam cup and peel the cup down so that you have a handheld block of ice that you apply in small, circular motions for 7 minutes (keep the ice going to prevent 'freezer burn') over the affected area.  After the 7 minutes, warm up the area by massaging gently with a couple of drops of pure essential oil (don't use anything that might create problems and don't put essential oils on sensitive tissues such as the eyes or genitals)in a carrier of virgin coconut oil (the kind you would cook with).  If the pain persists, then do another 7 minutes of icing and warm-up.  This is simple and amazingly effective... even for chronic pain, such as comes with fibromyalgia.

For Swelling/Sore Feet/Ankles: Have two basins of water, one very cold and one hot .  Neither should be so hot or cold that you can't stand it when you put your feet in (be kind to yourself!). Alternate putting both feet in each basin for about three minutes at a time.  Start with the hot bath and do 3-5- or 7 immersions, starting with the hot water and ending with the hot water.  Combined with good nutrition, using a slantboard, dry brushing , and rebounding (see below), swollen or sore ankles will soon return to normal.  Again, amazingly simple to do.  And accessible to most people. 

 To learn more about the Cellerciser that I bounce on, click above.

I looked down on my little front wildflower garden early this morning (around 6 am) and it looked brown and tangled... didn't one of our neighbors just comment a couple of days ago that it was "looking cheery"? I guess 2 or 3 days of temperatures over 30 degrees C. makes a difference. Too much heat. You probably know where I'm going with this.... Evidently we are like the wildflowers.... subjected to too much heat we just wither and dry up. So, when we eat raw, fresh, juicy, ripe fruits and veggies, we are refreshed and rejuvenated. I need to remember that-- we have been lapsing big-time around here. We picked strawberries a couple of days ago and bought ice cream and angel food cake to go with the berries. Everyday we eat lots of bread. How do I feel? Kind of lethargic. It is fortunate that today is Friday, because tomorrow is Sabbath and I will be getting out from behind the computer for the day.... certainly something that needs to happen to start feeling more lively. I think I am going to order the ebook, Waking Up to More Energy. **picture is of Courtenay's Wednesday morning Farmer's Market where we buy up most of our greens for our green smoothies ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

I well remember when I saw the first cell phone being used in public-- it struck me as quite hilarious.... a person walking through a mall jabbering away with a glazed looked in their eyes, totally in their heads, seemingly oblivious to the crowds of strangers around them eavesdropping on their private conversation.  And then there was the trip in '04 to an underdeveloped country where everyone seemed to be talking to and texting each other, from the mature matron being helped into her chauffeured limo to the wise young kids who spent most of their out-of-school time in the air-con internet cafes in the malls to avoid the intense afternoon heat.  The place was a cacaphony of jazzy ring tones and text buzz. 

Now we're finding out that there are any number of dangerous red flags where cell phone use is concerned:

• Children, under 8, have thin skulls and should not use cellphones at all, except in dire emergencies, according to studies showing of possible side effects from radio frequency radiation.  Read: brain tumors.  A review of several Swedish studies suggests that a particular brain tumor-- acoustic neuroma-- is on the rise and that anyone who spends 10 or more years using a cell phone.  Children are more vulnerable, of course, not only because of their more delicate physiology, but also because they have been conditioned from an early age to begin to use the mobile phones that weren't even around when most of their parents were their ages.  Their use is projected to be greater and of a longer duration, making them 'sitting ducks' for this cancer that affects the ear-brain connector points.

• It would appear that there are even greater and more profound health issues-- that radio wave interference is widespread and that none of us, save perhaps a hermit on some far-flung mountain top (or maybe valley?) is safe.  It would appear that the reason that the largest study, yet, to be undertaken, the INTERPHONE PROJECTinvolving scientists in 13 countries studying epidemics of cancers thought to be related to cell phone-use, is snagged-up with in-fighting: quarrels around the definitions of "safe" and "unsafe" dominating, apparently. 

• Journalist R. Douglas Fields reports in this month's Scientific American Mind that using a cell phone just before bed can result in insomnia-- that cell phone signals can alter brain waves and keep you up at night.  120 men and women in Australia took part in a study where cell phones were strapped to their heads while their brain waves were monitored.  There was evidence that the brain's alpha waves, the waves used to lull us to sleep, are overcome in a battle with the electrical interference caused by the pulsed microwave radiation from cell phones.

• A different study in England showed that when people were exposed to as little as 30 minutes exposure to their phone signals in 'talk mode' (meaning that they weren't actually ON the phone-- just around it, intercepting the pulsed microwave radiation)-- they had twice as much trouble falling to sleep as those who had their phones off or in standby mode.  The scientists believe that it takes the brain twice as long to relax after being jazzed by the phone's electrical field.

What can we do? Personally, I am going to take a very conservative course of actions around the use of cell (and cordless, wireless technology in general).  I know that this technology is already pervasive and that if it is harming anyone, I'm probably also on the target.  Nonetheless, I know that I am NOT committed to using a cell phone.  Like an eight-year-old, I can get away with using one only during an emergency.  When I use my cordless, I pledge to use a head phone that will interfere with some of the interference.  

I am concerned about the younger generations, though-- my children and tender little grandchildren are quite inured to any warnings about their beloved convenient cellphone communication.  It's here, folks. The toy companies have jumped on the bandwagon and there are a pile of cell phone replicas for babies, to get them used to the concept... a little like candy cigarettes for my generation, I fear.  WiFi is everywhere, so there is no where to run and hide.  

What suggestions do YOU have? 

A number of years ago in Saskatoon I attended a demonstration of "reboundology" with a woman named Linda Brooks.  I was impressed that this older woman (I believe she was around 70 at the time) looked about my age and had such flexibility and well...just jumpability....on the small rebounder that she was demonstrating on.  She talked about how rebounding is one of the best possible all-round exercises-- that every cell in the body is bathed and strengthened with bouncing on a small trampoline.

I'm always looking for ways to get fit with a minimum of actual exercise.  It sounded good to me.  In fact, it looked like fun!  I remembered that as a child we had gone to a lake in the summers where there were pay-to-bounce trampolines and we kids had had a fantastic time on them.  

Linda had talked about how important it was to have a proper small trampoline to jump on.  The cheap units that you can usually pick up at a garage sale for a song are generally too firm and give a jarring effect like you would experience jogging along a paved road.  Jogging on "the best" rebounders will provide as much as 85 per cent less trauma to weight-bearing joints (like hips, ankles and knees).  

I quickly did some research on line and sent away for a pretty deluxe rebounder with "all the bells and whistles": a solid frame made of tubular steel, six legs that sat firmly on the floor, polypropylene covering with polyester reinforcement threads, nickel-plated grommets, good quality springs, a warranty and even a bar I could hold on to when I was 'learning' to rebound (for balance).  

My new rebounder even folded up for portability and went into a neat over-the-shoulder sports bag.

Because I was enthused, and because the thing cost so much, I happily conformed to a "suggested" progressive routine.  I began with the "health bounce" (where the feet don't leave the mat)for a minute, and worked up to a place where I was doing a variety of jumps and jogging routines anywhere from 20 minutes to a half-hour, sometimes three times a day.

I felt swell.  I slept well.  I had lots of energy and went for a couple of walks before/after work each day as well as rebounding.

Then, as sometimes happens, I stopped rebounding.  Maybe we went on a long trip and I just never got back at it?  I can't recall.

A couple of months ago I did a 16-day fast.  At the completion of the fast I was very weak and lacking in energy.  I had not expected this since in the past I 'bounced back' from other fasts with increased vim.  I found that walking upstairs to the bedroom almost drained me of any reserves.  Then I remembered the rebounder and some of the benefits I had read about using it...

I did a quick read of the slim book on rebounding by Karol Kuhn Truman called Looking Good Feeling Great (she also wrote Feelings Buried Alive Never Die ). 

I got inspired!  

Truman covers every possible question around rebounding from "How Does Rebound Exercise Work-- and Why?" to examples and testimonials of how rebounding has made a difference for everything from weight loss to sports conditioning to calming a crying baby.  

So, how does it work?  In a nutshell, when we rebound we increase the pull of gravity on our bodies-- these gravitational forces "condition, tone, and strengthen each body cell." 

I began with the Health Bounce, feeling a little like I was "slacking off".  Truman clearly states that it is important not to do too much at once... to build up to about fifteen to twenty minutes of rebounding each day.  

I bounce first thing in the morning.  Bouncing wakes ALL my cells up.  Then I go for a walk with my husband and our dog.  Then I have a Red Green Smoothie.  Life is great!  I actually feel much better, and I sleep well.  My husband also is back to bouncing.  We have the rebounder right across the room from our bed.

This past weekend I went on a four-hour hike in a rather remote area near the beautiful Sproat Lake on Vancouver Island.  I was thrilled to walk through the rain forest and invigorated by the activity.  I crossed a bridge of logs over a gorge, and a little later on, a board-covered suspension bridge.  After about three hours on the hiking trail, we forded a small rushing stream.  I peeled off my shoes and socks and savoured the ice cold water on my hot feet.

I am not a regular mountain hiker, so three hours of this activity was beginning to tell on my lack of experience.  I started to feel quite tired and was more than a little alarmed by the prospects of climbing up a rock-laden incline that had been ravaged during the storms of this past winter.  But there was no way around it... I wanted to get home before dark, as I know my fitter, younger, more fleet-of-foot companions did.

Partway up the hill I had to step up on a ledge a little higher than was comfortable and secure-feeling.  In that peculiar slow-motion awareness of a fast-occuring event, I was aware that I had crumpled and was falling hard, onto large, sharp rocks, downhill.  I said a prayer asking that I wouldn't be incapacitated, that I wouldn't need my comrades to carry me out.  God answered.  I was tenderly ministered to by my climbing partner and a couple of young adults who were just happening by at the time of my fall (interesting really, because they were the only other people we came across during the hike).  I was able to gingerly 'walk' by myself, with more than one good hand to hold on to at points on the upward trail.  I have a bruise on my left flank the size of a baseball, and a bigger one on my lower back, but thank God, not on my spine!  

Going back to my former vigorous bouncing right away is out of the question, but I have been doing the "health bounce" for fifteen minutes this week.  I notice that I have much less pain, and we figure that the bruises and pain will be gone by the end of this coming week.  I have used a combination of essential oils (Panaway and Relieve It ) in rotation with Arnica Montana homeopathic drops.  I sleep well and am now able to get out of bed with no excruciating sharp and searing pain.  Ed thinks that this is a great testimony to the combination of 'complementary' treatments, particularly the Rebounding.

In case anyone is interested in seeing what the Health Bounce looks like, I have made a short (and very dorky-- sorry) video that you might want to watch.  Just click here to go to it.  I am attempting to put it on youtube and will change the link when I have done that.

 To learn more about the Cellerciser that I bounce on, click above.

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"The Perfect Health Program covered all the questions I had about eating a raw vegan diet."