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The Healing Powers of Aloe Vera & How to Use it at Home

August 26, 2013 by Jackie Ritz 69 Comments

aloevera

Aloe Vera has more healing properties than most any other plants or herbs on the planet! It is a disinfectant, antibiotic, antimicrobial, germicidal, antibacterial, antiseptic, anti fungal, and antiviral! 

My husband and I have lived in 6 different places, in 6 six years of marriage (thank you Army), and everywhere we have lived, we have kept an Aloe Vera plant in the yard or in a pot. You may see a lot of Aloe Vera products pop up in the stores as people are becoming more aware of it’s benefits; but the best way to use it is to grow it yourself.

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This underrated power plant is one of the best things you can carry in your home remedy arsenal. It comes from the lily family, the same family that garlic and onions belong to. And another incredible thing about this plant is that it can be used both internally and externally:

Here’s How it Helps Our Body: 

• Halts the growth of cancer tumors.
• Lowers high cholesterol.
• Repairs “sludge blood” and reverses “sticky blood”.
• Boosts the oxygenation of your blood.
• Eases inflammation and soothes arthritis pain.
• Protects the body from oxidative stress.
• Prevents kidney stones and protects the body from oxalates in coffee and tea.
• Alkalizes the body, helping to balance overly acidic dietary habits.
• Cures ulcers, IBS, Crohn’s disease and other digestive disorders.
• Reduces high blood pressure natural, by treating the cause, not just the symptoms.
• Nourishes the body with minerals, vitamins, enzymes and glyconutrients.
• Accelerates healing from physical burns and radiation burns.
• Replaces dozens of first aid products, makes bandages and antibacterial sprays obsolete.
• Halts colon cancer, heals the intestines and lubricates the digestive tract.
• Ends constipation.
• Stabilizes blood sugar and reduces triglycerides in diabetics.
• Prevents and treats candida infections.
• Protects the kidneys from disease.
• Functions as nature’s own “sports drink” for electrolyte balance, making common sports drinks obsolete.
• Boosts cardiovascular performance and physical endurance.
• Speeds recovery from injury or physical exertion.
• Hydrates the skin, accelerates skin repair.

Aloe Vera contains over 200 active components including vitamins, minerals, amino acids, enzymes, polysaccharide, and fatty acids. This explains why there are so many uses and remedies for the Aloe Vera plant.

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FIVE Ways to Use Aloe Vera at Home:

1) Aloe Vera is amazing for your skin. The clear fluid of the aloe vera plant is 99% water, so it’s no wonder why it’s great for your skin. It hydrates, moisturizes, and nourish our largest organ – the skin.

  • Acne – Aloe Vera has antimicrobial properties that kill bacteria and anti-inflammatory properties with minimal scarring. Rub it directly on acne.
  • Moisturizer – Aloe is not greasy and perfect for someone with oily skin or looking a for natural regime. Place a small amount on fingertips and smooth over face
  • Aging – there is vitamin C and E present in aloe which can improve our skin`s natural firmness and keep our skin hydrated. Many of the TOP anti-aging products have aloe vera. Why not save the money and get the product directly from the source – the earth. Dot on wrinkles and under eyes morning and night.
  • Stretch marks – rub aloe vera on your pregnancy stretch marks to keep them at bay.
  • Sunburn – this is the most widely known use. Aloe vera gel can reduce the pain and swelling you experience during sunburn, act as a protective layer on the skin, and help replenish moisture.

2) Lowers High Cholesterol – when taken internally, aloe vera rebalances the blood chemistry in a way that lowers cholesterol and total triglycerides.

How to Take: People who suffer from high cholesterol can achieve optimal results by taking 1-2 TB of Aloe Vera juice a day (source).

3) Aloe vera boosts immune function and destroys cancer tumors – 

Scientific research shows strong immunomodulatory and antitumour properties for aloe vera polysaccharides. That means the gel helps boosts immune system function while destroying cancer tumors. One study published in International Immunopharmacology (1995) showed that aloe vera polysaccharides exhibited potent macrophage-activating activities including producing increased volumes of nitric oxide, which has antitumor potential.
How to take: Work with a naturopathic physician to learn how to add Aloe Vera into your treatment plan.

4) Aloe Helps Reduce Inflammation – Aloe Vera contains 12 substances, including B-sisterole, which can help to slow down or inhibit inflammation.

How to take: rub the gel onto any areas of pain. For rhumatoid arthritis, take internally by drinking 2 to 3 oz. of aloe juice once per day, and work up to 3 times per day.

5) Disinfectant, Anti-biotic, Anti-microbial, Germicidal, Anti-bacterial, Anti-septic, Anti-fungal & Anti-viral – Aloe Vera’s active ingredients are sulphur, lupeol, salicylic acid, cinnamic acid, urea nitrogen and phenol which are substances that prevent the growth of disease-causing microorganisms and act as a team to provide antimicrobial activity thus eliminating many internal and external infections, also active against bacteria. It also helps to treat fungal and viral infections.

How to take: rub on burns, cuts, bruises, and take internally during times of sickness or just to boost the immune system.

How I Harvest and Use Aloe Vera:

There are many ways to actually “harvest” aloe. You can just cut off a piece of the plant when needed, or you can make a batch of the gel and store in the fridge. I like to make large batches at at time. Here’s my method:

Step 1: Cut off large pieces of the plant near the stem. I usually cut 5-10 at a time.

Step 2: Rinse the cut pieces under water.

Step 3: Cut off the top of the shell.

Step 4: Grab a spoon and scoop out all the gel.

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Step 5: Pour the gel into a food processor or blender and process it for a few seconds.

Step 6: Freeze in small ice cube trays and use as needed! I leave a little in the fridge, as well.

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A Few Things I do With My Aloe:

Face Mask – I add 2 TB of aloe, 1 TB sugar or salt, and 2 TB of raw milk or coconut milk to a jar and stir. Once the sugar/salt is dissolved, I rub it all over my face and leave it on for up to 10 minutes! Then I grab a hot towel and wipe off. Baby butt soft!

facemask

I add 1-2 TB to my smoothies.

I put them on my kids dry skin.

I put them on cuts and burns.

I rub it onto my sore muscles after an intense workout.

I hope you now believe in the incredible healing properties of the Aloe Vera plant. Remember “fresh is best”, so pick up a plant, and start benefiting from it!

Sources:

  • https://www.naturalnews.com/021858_aloe_vera_gel.html#ixzz2d08K2ftE
  • https://www.aloeplant.info/harvest-fresh-aloe-gel/
  • https://sacredsourcenutrition.com/top-12-benefits-of-aloe-vera/#
  • https://www.aloelf.com/wp-content/uploads/aloe-vera/aloebook.pdf

Shared at: Homegrown & Healthy, Small Footprint Family, and Happy Roots, Happy Soul

Filed Under: Natural Living Tagged With: acne, aloe vera, anti-aging, benefits of aloe vera, cancer, Food is Medicine, inflammation, natural moisturizer, natural remedies, sunburns

MythBusters: Protein Powder

August 22, 2013 by Jackie Ritz 12 Comments

proteincancer

I’m kicking off a series today titled, “MythBusters“; a copy-cat to the popular show on the Discovery Channel, but I’ll be adding in my own real food twist. MythBusters is a science fiction show that uncovers the truth behind popular myths and legends. If you’ve never seen the show, go watch it!

In this new series of mine, I’m going to be taking a real food look at some of the popular “myths” in today’s society. And today I’m going to talk about…

Protein: The Good, The(Not-So) Bad, The Ugly

Before we look at protein powder, I think it’s important to take a look at how much protein our body actually needs.

How Much Protein Do I Need?

Here’s 3 opposing schools of thought for you to chew on:

  1. Protein recommendations from the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) – according to their website, I should only be eating 5 ounces of protein PER DAY!!! One chicken breast is roughly 6 ounces. Excuse me while I LOL at this one.
  2. Protein Recommendations from The American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM): this site is pretty reliable, especially for athletes and endurance runners. Protein should be 15-20% of the diet, and the recommended daily allowance (RDA) is 0.8 grams of protein per kilograms of body weight.
  3. Protein Recommendation from Ph.D. Paul Jaminet, author of The Perfect Health Diet: the micronutrients ratio he recommends is 20% carb, 65% fat, and 15% protein. He bases these recommendations off of these things:
  • Observations of our ancestors – a look into the hunter-gatherer diet shows us that our ancestors’ diets were very close to this ratio. They also did not favor lean meats except for periods of starvation and scarcity.
  • Composition of human breast milk – Human breast milk is 39% carbohydrates, 54% fat and 7% protein.
  • Composition of our own tissues – an average male is 60% fat and 20% protein. It makes sense to eat foods in the ratio that composes our body.
  • Preference for omnivorous animals for high-fat diets – all choose to eat an high-fat, low to moderate protein and moderate carbohydrate diet.

15% Protein Looks Like This…

A moderately active 5’10 male of 180lbs should eat 15% protein, which equates to almost 122 grams of protein. His workout day should look like this…

Screen Shot 2013-08-21 at 9.57.01 PM

(Click here to figure out your macronutrients.)

Now that you have an idea of how much protein your body, truly, needs, let’s take a look at the different kinds of protein that we can use to fill our body’s 15% needs.

Protein Powder: The Ugly

What is protein powder? Protein powder is a “nutritional” drink that is packed with protein and can be consumed in a number of ways. Protein powder is not only consumed as a drink now, but many people are building recipes around this “nutritional” supplement. Whether you are trying to lose weight, enhance your athletic performance, or a busy mom with no time to make a real meal, protein powder seems very convenient.

Three Kinds of Protein Powder:

  1. Soy – plant-based source of protein
  2. Whey – a protein found in milk and is fast absorbing
  3. Casein – the main protein in milk and is slow absorbing

What’s in Protein Powder?

Let’s take a look at the top-selling brand on the popular Bodybuilder website.

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Questionable Ingredients:

Natural & Artificial Flavors – I could not find the specifics on what these are exactly. However, experience tells me to stay away from artificial flavors.

Lecithin (soy) – read here about all the dangers of soy

Cocoa (Processed With Alkali) – Alkali is simply a base, the opposite of an acid. Natural cocoa powder is lightly colored and has a somewhat sharp acidic flavor. Processing it with alkali neutralizes the acidity and makes the taste milder and the color darker. This treatment is called the Dutch process. Doing this makes it sweeter and helps it to mix easier with liquids, however, The Dutch process reduces the amount of natural flavonols, or antioxidants, in the cocoa powder.

Acesulfame Potassium Sucralose – the two most alarming things about this ingredient is:

  • According to Cancer.gov it causes cancer (source).
  • It contains methylene chloride, a known carcinogen (read source).

Sucralose (aka Splenda)– causes all sorts of issues (source)

  • Gastrointestinal problems
  • Seizures, dizziness and migraines
  • Blurred vision
  • Allergic reactions
  • Blood sugar increases and weight gain

That is a lot of harmful side-effects to America’s top best-selling protein powder. Sure, there might be some protein powders that are less harmful. If you’ve been around the real food world for a while, you will see that this is often a question that is asked.

Protein Powder: The (Not-So) Bad

“Which protein powder is Paleo?” 

Well, none, really. Paleo is about eating WHOLE, unprocessed foods. However, canned coconut milk and almond butter are not whole, yet are accepted as real food. Also, the answer to this question depends on how Paleo you would like to be. I prefer to be 80% Paleo and leave the 20% to other non-Paleo indulgences. Maybe you prefer the same, and this 20% could consist of a decent protein powder.

Here’s a few recommendations:

PaleoPro – a new powder on the block consisting of eggs, beef, and sweetened with stevia.

Great Lake Beef Gelatin – this gelatin powder comes from grass-fed beef. We use it to add to shakes, smoothies, and coffee for added nutrition.

Hemp Protein Powder – it boosts 11g of protein and only ingredient is organic hemp seeds

Egg Protein Powder – this is from egg whites…if you could find one from whole eggs it would be better. Better yet, throw a few pastured, raw eggs in a smoothie.

Protein: The Good

Best Sources of Protein: 

Beef

  • Hamburger patty, 4 oz – 28 grams protein
  • Steak, 6 oz – 42 grams
  • Most cuts of beef – 7 grams of protein per ounce

Chicken

  • Chicken breast, 3.5 oz – 30 grams protein
  • Chicken thigh – 10 grams (for average size)
  • Drumstick – 11 grams
  • Wing – 6 grams
  • Chicken meat, cooked, 4 oz – 35 grams

Fish

  • Most fish fillets or steaks are about 22 grams of protein for 3 ½ oz (100 grams) of cooked fish, or 6 grams per ounce
  • Tuna, 6 oz can – 40 grams of protein

Pork

  • Pork chop, average – 22 grams protein
  • Pork loin or tenderloin, 4 oz – 29 grams
  • Ham, 3 oz serving – 19 grams
  • Ground pork, 1 oz raw – 5 grams; 3 oz cooked – 22 grams
  • Bacon, 1 slice – 3 grams
  • Canadian-style bacon (back bacon), slice – 5 – 6 grams

Eggs and Dairy

  • Egg, large – 6 grams protein
  • Milk, 1 cup – 8 grams
  • Cottage cheese, ½ cup – 15 grams
  • Yogurt, 1 cup – usually 8-12 grams, check label
  • Soft cheeses (Mozzarella, Brie, Camembert) – 6 grams per oz
  • Medium cheeses (Cheddar, Swiss) – 7 or 8 grams per oz
  • Hard cheeses (Parmesan) – 10 grams per oz

Nuts and Seeds

  • Peanut butter, 2 Tablespoons – 8 grams protein
  • Almonds, ¼ cup – 8 grams
  • Peanuts, ¼ cup – 9 grams
  • Cashews, ¼ cup – 5 grams
  • Pecans, ¼ cup – 2.5 grams
  • Sunflower seeds, ¼ cup – 6 grams
  • Pumpkin seeds, ¼ cup – 8 grams
  • Flax seeds – ¼ cup – 8 grams

I hope this gives you an understanding of what your protein needs are and the proper sources for nourishment. Would love to hear what your favorite protein sources are and if you choose to use protein powder, which ones?

This post is linked to Party Wave Wednesday at Holistic Squid.

 

Filed Under: Paleo Education Tagged With: cancer, paleo, paleo protein powder, primal, protein powder, whey

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Hi, I'm Jackie Ritz and welcome to The Paleo Mama! I'm a published author, certified herbalist, and voracious researcher of natural medicine and nutrition. I'm glad you're here and I hope you stick around for awhile!

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