There is a saying that goes, “You have to get rid of the old to make way for the new.”  If you are feeling stuck or stagnant in your life, try spring-cleaning. Throw out some of that stuff, say goodbye to your past and welcome the new energy of your happy, healthy future. 

For good mental and physical health, we actually have two “houses” that need to be spring-cleaned: our physical homes and our physical bodies. Just as we accumulate “stuff” in the form of outgrown clothes, magazines and random keepsakes, so do our bodies accumulate old food residues and toxins that need to be cleaned out.
 
To spring clean your body, give it a break from rich and complicated foods by cleansing for a short period of time. Cleansing means paring down your food to just simple fruits and vegetables, lots of water and perhaps whole grains. Also, use a good colon cleanser during your cleanse such as Oxy-Powder.  Cleansing can sharpen your concentration, help you gain insight and promote spiritual awareness. It can also bring improved immune function and better digestion.
 
While you’re cleaning out your body and home, don’t forget to spring-clean your heart. Throw away negative thoughts and habits you’ve been harboring that no longer serve you. A clean, open heart will allow you to receive all the good that awaits you each and every day. If your heart and mind are cluttered, there is no room for life’s gifts and surprises to enter.

Food Focus: Greens

• Leafy greens are the vegetables most missing from the American diet.
• Types of greens: kale, collard greens, swiss chard, arugula, bok choy, spinach and broccoli.
• Greens are high in calcium, magnesium, iron, potassium, phosphorous and zinc.
• Contain vitamins A, C, E and K.
• They are crammed full of fiber, folic acid, chlorophyll and phytochemicals.
• Greens purify the blood, strengthen the immune system, fight depression and improve circulation.
• Try a new green each week and soon you’ll wonder how you ever lived without them!

RECIPE OF THE MONTH: SHIITAKE AND KALE
 
PREP TIME: 2 MINUTES
COOKING TIME: 10 MINUTES
YIELD: 4 SERVINGS
 
INGREDIENTS:
1/2 POUND SHIITAKE MUSHROOMS
1 TABLESPOON OLIVE OIL
1-2 CLOVES CRUSHED GARLIC
1 BUNCH KALE, CHOPPED
PINCH OF SALT
 
DIRECTIONS:
1. WARM OIL IN PAN ON MEDIUM HEAT WITH MINCED GARLIC FOR 2-3 MINUTES.
2. ADD CHOPPED SHIITAKE MUSHROOMS, STIR-FRY FOR 5 MINUTES.
3. ADD CHOPPED KALE, STIR-FRY FOR 2-3 MINUTES.
4. ADD A SPLASH OF WATER AND PINCH OF SALT TO PAN, COVER AND LET STEAM FOR 4 MINUTES.