Better Nutrition August 2019

asktheNATUROPATH
Try cold-water walking: Begin
your day with a full 12-oz. glass of water.
Then in the bathroom, as you are brushing
your entire naked body with a longhandled
dry skin brush (always brushing
towards the heart from all directions), fill
the tub ankle-deep with cold water. If you
don’t have a tub, use a large plastic container
that you can easily stand in. Walk
in place for 60 seconds in the cold water.
This is wonderfully invigorating! Who
needs coffee after morning cold-water
walking? I like to brush my face with a
softer, smaller skin brush while enjoying
my cold-water tonic. Once you get used
to this, you can sit down in the water and
splash up under your armpits for a few
seconds before getting out.
Make the most of your meals:
Since 80 percent of your health is
determined by the food your choose
to eat, let’s think further about those
choices. I recommend planning at least
five days of food to start your cleanse, while
allowing for some adjustments, if needed,
for the second half of the program. The
first meal of your day should ideally be the
main meal, focusing on vegetables, clean
protein, and some good fats. If you’re an
appropriate weight or underweight, add
some healthy complex carbs such as
steel-cut oats, quinoa, brown rice, or a
baked sweet potato. If you wouldn’t mind
losing a few pounds, ditch the carbs.
Keep a glass container of chopped
veggies to add to an omelet, or if you’re
vegetarian, organic tofu for the first meal
scramble. Lightly oil a pan with olive
oil, coconut oil, or ghee, and sauté the
chopped onions, scallions, garlic, ginger,
and spices. Next add the mix of chopped
veggies: celery, red pepper, leeks, sliced
mushrooms, and grated beets. Avoid
nightshades (tomato, potato, eggplant).
Whip up 1–4 eggs, depending on your
appetite, with 1–2 Tbs. nut milk, yogurt,
or water. I love a dash of nutmeg with eggs.
Pour the eggs over the cooked veggies,
and add a handful of spinach. After
3–4 minutes on a medium-low flame,
flip the whole thing over so the spinach
wilts. Serve right away, and add toppings
as desired: nutritional yeast; toasted flax,
sunflower or pumpkin seeds; pulverized
kelp powder; a dash of turmeric; and
maybe some sprouts. Yum.
Your second meal should be lighter.
In the summer, there’s nothing like a
huge fresh salad. Start with local green,
if possible. Add sprouts, chopped veggies
(like the morning batch but add kimchee
or other pickled produce). Slice an
avocado. Add cucumbers. Consider
topping with a can of small fish. The
SMASH fish are the healthiest—salmon,
mackerel, anchovies, sardine, and herring.
These are small enough to have not
bioaccumulated heavy metals, which
is unfortunately a concern with larger
fish all over our small planet.
Move around: Try to get at least
45 minutes of exercise during the day.
Walking is terrific, especially up hills
or stairs. If you feel uninspired about
movement choices, try something new!
Flow yoga, Pure Barre, stand-up paddle,
spinning, ultimate frisbee—there are
hundreds of options out there. Explore!
The key is to do something every day.
And drink most of your water during
exercise, not with meals.
To start the school year in top shape,
you need to eat right, drink plenty of
water, and get enough sleep. It’s also
very helpful to poop every day. Don’t
hesitate to use a light, non-habit-forming
laxative at the end of the day if you
didn’t have a complete bowel movement.
I recommend magnesium (start with
250 mg, but you may need more,
especially women who lose a lot of
magnesium in menstrual blood), Senna,
or Swiss Kriss. Rehydrated prunes and
apricots are very effective for some
people. Try eating 2–4 at bedtime
before tooth brushing, or as dessert
after dinner.
Beyond your 10-day cleanse,
always remember to take time to
care for yourself. There is no
better use of your time.
Emily A. Kane, ND, LAc, has a
private naturopathic practice in
Juneau, Alaska, where she lives with
her husband and daughter. She is the
author of two books on natural health,
including Managing Menopause Naturally. Visit her
online at dremilykane.com.
Do you have a question for Dr. Kane? Email it to editorial@
betternutrition.com with “Ask the ND” in the subject line.