Compassionate Women - Page 31 of 34 -

Turmeric Milk

March 13, 2015 by Jillian Leave a Comment

I’m crazy about this drink! If you want a delicious and healthy alternative to coffee, hot cocoa, or tea, then turmeric milk is your drink. It’s packed full of cancer fighting antioxidants but you don’t even notice because you’re too busy enjoying the creamy taste and the rich yellow color. Make this warm drink in the morning for a coffee substitute, as an afternoon pick-me-up, or in the evening when you’re winding down. I like to drink it mid-morning as a light snack or before bed with a piece of dark chocolate. You will fall in love with this easy to make drink.

Before we get started, I want to quickly go over the health benefits of Turmeric:

It fights inflammation, and since inflammation leads to diseases like cancer, Alzheimer’s, heart disease, and other chronic diseases, that’s pretty awesome.
It’s a powerful antioxidant that neutralizes free radicals (which also cause cancer).
It’s linked to improved brain function.
Can lower the risk of heart disease, prevent and treat Alzheimer’s, and alleviate arthritis.
Studies show that it may treat depression.
Turmeric benefits anti-aging.

These are just a few of the many benefits of using turmeric. If you don’t already have some lying around in your kitchen, go out and buy some and get busy using it!

I originally found the recipe for turmeric milk at Nutrition Stripped, which is a blog I highly recommend. It contains some great plant based recipes and resources for healthy living. I decided to make my own simplified version of this vegan drink. Here goes!

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Veg Head In Vietnam – Part 2

March 10, 2015 by Jillian Leave a Comment

Hello my compassionate friends! A couple of weeks ago I wrote about my trip to Nha Trang, a beautiful and vibrant beach town on the southeast coast of Vietnam. I had such a great time exploring the culture, the food, and the natural beauty. But my adventure didn’t end there! From Nha Trang I traveled about an hour north to Doc Let Beach and spent three relaxing days swimming, reading, eating, and meeting other travelers. Let me tell you about my veggie vacation!

A FRUITY TRIP

My last morning in town I wanted to try out the breakfast at Lanterns, the awesome restaurant I went to a couple of days earlier for their vegetarian options. I chose the banana pancakes, coffee, and a fresh coconut. It was delicious! Their pancakes are more like crepes, very thin and light. It came with a small dish of honey rather than the traditional syrup I was used to. I personally don’t use honey because I’d rather leave bees to free roam the world and pollinate our food, rather than use them to manufacture products for us. Luckily, the pancakes were so tasty I didn’t need any honey.

After that I packed up all my things, checked out of the hotel, and took one last walk down the main beach road. I grabbed one last Vietnamese coffee and watched all the barbers set up their chairs and mirrors on the sidewalk to cut hair.

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Veg Head in Vietnam – Part 1

February 21, 2015 by Jillian Leave a Comment

You know all those beautiful, tropical places you see in professional photos where the lounge chair is placed perfectly under the umbrella in the sand, with a view of a turquoise ocean that sparkles and a sun that never stops shining? That’s where I am right now. I never expected to find it in Vietnam, though. I had never given Vietnam much thought; it’s one of those overlooked destinations that stays under the radar and therefore less touched by tourists, which is exactly what I was looking for. As a teacher in Beijing, I get about two weeks off for the Chinese New Year holiday. I needed to get out of the city and to someplace warm! At first, Thailand was at the top of my list, but the flight prices were expensive and rapidly rising each day. A couple of friends had mentioned Vietnam to me and I decided to look into it. I eventually found Nha Trang, a little beach town on the southeastern coast of the country. I chose to stay there for two nights, and then make my way about one hour north to secluded Doc Let Beach. Let me take you on a magical ride through my vegetarian journey through Vietnam…

First off, the air in Vietnam smells so good! Maybe just where I traveled, but it smelled like a cross between salt water and incense, or sometimes flowers. Not bad, huh? Nha Trang is a busy little town, especially around this time of year. A lot of tourists from China come down for the holiday, and it’s a huge tourist destination for Russians and expats living nearby. Plus, it’s also Vietnam’s Lunar New Year, year of the goat. What I like is that there are just as many locals, so I felt like I got the full, cultural experience of Vietnam.

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Sweet Potato Pudding

January 25, 2015 by Jillian Leave a Comment

Sweet potatoes are one of my new favorite foods here in Beijing (the other being pomelos). They are super cheap and readily available, plus sweet potatoes are easy to prepare and very filling. Not to mention the health benefits. I’ve always loved my mom’s sweet potato casserole at Thanksgiving, but I know the recipe included butter, sugar, and eggs – 3 ingredients that pretty much cancel out the good stuff in the sweet potato itself. Last year I attended an amazing vegan workshop held through PCRM (Physician’s Committee for Responsible Medicine) that focused on how anyone can help prevent and cure cancer through a vegan diet. I came home with some vegan recipes that were so delicious and simple to create, I was in a state of wild and utter happiness. One of those recipes was Sweet Potato Pudding. 5 ingredients, 5 minutes to make, and devoured in about 1 minute!

Before I wow you with this genius recipe, let’s take a quick look at the great health benefits of sweet potatoes:

They are a good source of vitamin C, which is necessary in warding off cold and flu viruses, instrumental in bone and tooth formation, digestion, and blood cell formation. It also accelerates wound healing and produces collagen, the substance that maintains skin’s youthful elasticity and helps us cope with stress. Vitamin C has been linked to fighting cancerous toxins as well.
They contain vitamin D, which is crucial to the immune system and linked to our energy levels and moods. Vitamin D is essential for building healthy bones, heart, nerves, skin, and teeth, as well as supporting the thyroid gland.
They contain iron, an essential mineral that is responsible for red and white blood cell production, resistance to stress, adequate energy levels, proper immune functioning, and other duties.
Sweet potatoes are a good source of magnesium and potassium. Magnesium plays an important role in healthy artery, blood, bone, heart, muscle, and nerve function. It’s also known as the relaxation and anti-stress mineral. Potassium is an electrolyte that regulates heartbeat and nerve signals, and protects and controls the kidneys.
Another perk is that the natural sugars in sweet potatoes are slowly released into the bloodstream, which creates a balanced and regular source of energy without the negative side effects associated with other types of sugar, such as weight gain and fatigue.
Finally, sweet potatoes are high in beta carotene and other carotenoids, as indicated by their beautiful orange color. Carotenoids are powerful antioxidants that fight cancer, strengthen our eyesight, and boost our immunity.

I’m impressed not only with the health benefits of sweet potatoes, but the flavor and versatility of them. Take your pick – grilled, baked, roasted, sauteed, pureed, steamed, in soups, stews, salads, or even sweet potato fries. It’s important to note something that I learned from the instructor at my PCRM vegan workshop; be careful not to cook sweet potatoes at ultra high temperatures because it diminishes the nutrients. (this is true of many other vegetables as well). My instructor suggested roasting sweet potatoes in the oven at about 200-250 degrees. It takes longer, but the nutrients remain intact and the natural sugars have more time to simmer and come out, making for an even sweeter sweet potato!

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Be Beautiful Inside & Out, Part 3

January 21, 2015 by Jillian Leave a Comment

Hello there all you lovely ladies! This is the last blog post of a three part series on finding cruelty-free beauty products that are void of dangerous ingredients. Check out Part 1 and Part 2 if you haven’t already. And if you want to know more about going cruelty free, I wrote this article about picking humane beauty products that describes why it’s important.

Okay, let’s get started! Here’s why it’s so important to actually read the ingredients lists before buying beauty products (or any product for that matter):

Moisturizer – Since skin is the biggest organ, it’s sort of a big deal what we put on it because it absorbs everything and enters our bloodstream – and eventually – our body tissues. If we’re using moisturizers with harmful chemicals in it, those chemicals essentially become a part of us. Yikes! Look for organic products, and definitely stay away from the 4 P’s: parabens (they mimic estrogen and disrupt hormonal processes, and have been linked to cancer), propylene glycol (causes skin irritation and kidney/liver abnormalities), phenol carbolic acid (suspected to cause respiratory failure and circulatory collapse), and petroleum products such as mineral oil, paraffin and petrolatum (they create a plastic coating over the skin that clogs pores and allows for the build up of toxins, and can result in early aging signs and cancer). Also be aware of acrylamide (linked to mammary tumors), dioxane (carcinogenic), sodium laurel sulfates (also called SLS or SLES, it breaks down the moisture barrier of the skin with possible cause of hair loss. Will sometimes be sneakily described on the label as “coconut derived” or “comes from coconut.” Don’t be fooled!)

Instead of using products with these ingredients, here are some suggestions. You’re best bet is to use organic oils that are safe for the skin. I personally use oil of oregano (mixed with a little organic sunflower oil) because it’s moisturizing but also helps with acne and dermatitis. I buy it off Etsy.com from Hippiecrap (technically it’s called Hippieshit but gotta keep it PG for Etsy lol); it’s handmade by a lovely woman who grows her own oregano. You can find oil of oregano in most health and natural food stores, just make sure it’s not 100% oil of oregano, it’s too potent to be put on the skin that way. It should be infused with another oil like sunflower or olive. If the directions specifically tell you how to use it externally, then you’re probably good. You can also use other oils as moisturizers, such as coconut oil or argan oil. Sea buckthorn berry is great for the face and chock full of anti-oxidants. Oils can be used in moderation, just a few drops is usually good.

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