October Unprocessed Day 25: Vegan Ramen

I have been craving Wagamama's Moyashi Ramen for weeks.  Sadly they no longer deliver this awesome soup and I haven't had to go there and order it.  So tonight I decided to try to make my own version which came out pretty delicious.

Vegan Ramen
Ingredients:
3 button mushrooms, sliced thin
1 small red onion, sliced into thin strips
1/2 red pepper, sliced into thin strips
3 stalks of asparagus, sliced into 1 inch pieces
1/4 cup of shelled edamame
a handful of mung bean sprouts
2 cloves of garlic, chopped
1 tablespoon of Sriracha
1/2 package of soba boodles
1 teaspoon of thyme
1 teaspoon of oregano
1 tablespoon of tamari
1 tablespoon of sesame oil
black pepper to taste
1 quart of vegetable broth
2 bay leafs
sesame seeds

Slice all of your veggies thin.  Toss them with the sesame oil in a pot and stir fry.  When the veggies start to brown and then add your broth, spices and Sriracha.  Cook on low heat covered for about 15 minutes.

Add your soba noodles and bring to a boil again.  Cover and cook for another 7 minutes.  Place ramen into serving bowl and add the mung beans, sesame seeds and tamari (evenly distribute).  And voila yummy dinner in no time.  

October Unprocessed Day 24: Polenta Pizza, Apple themed parties, Plus I suck and can't do daily blog postings

Lesson learned.  I tried to post daily, but man that is a lot of commitment and I just can't do it.  Sorry ladies and gentleman. In the 13 days since I last posted, I have been able to stick to the October Unprocessed Challenge with only a few minor slip ups.  I have significantly decreased my coffee intake, but have not been as strong on the less salt and more water goals.  I will keep trying.


Instead of trying to recap what I have eaten for every meal (these are the times I wish I kept a food journal), I figured I would just highlight a few things and a couple of worthwhile recipes.

Polenta Pizza
Ingredients:
2 cups veggie broth
1 teaspoon  Italian seasonings (I used oregano, thyme, rosemary, parsley)
1 1/2 teaspoon EVOO
Pinch kosher salt
Fresh ground pepper to taste
3/4 cup cornmeal 
1 small white onion
4 baby bella mushrooms, sliced
1 portabello mushroom, sliced
2 whole cloves of garlic sliced thin
1 cup of kale, cut into strips
1 tablespoon of pine nuts
2 medium roma tomatoes, diced
1 1/2 teaspoons of EVOO
1 teaspoon of Nutritional Yeast (optional)
Jazzed up Jar Sauce

Bring the vegetable broth up to a boil. Add in the seasonings and EVOO.

Whisking constantly, pour cornmeal into water in a steady stream. Continue whisking for 5 – 7 minutes or until the polenta is creamy and thick.

Evenly distribute polenta into a 9″ cake pans. Using a spatula, spread out to about an even thickness. Let polenta cool slightly, then stick the pan  in the fridge for 30 minutes to allow the polenta to solidify.

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Place your cake pan in the oven and cook for about 40-45 minutes and remove. When your polenta starts browning, remove it from the oven and set aside.

In the meantime, toast the pine nuts in a frying pan until fragrant and remove from the heat. Heat up the remaining EVOO in the same frying pan. Saute the the onion until it is translucent and then add the mushrooms and sauté until cooked. Add the kale and sauté until bright green. Then add the tomatoes and thinly sliced garlic.  Continue you to saute on low heat.  Your mixture will become very bright and fragrant.

Jazz up your sauce and spread tomato it onto polenta crusts leaving 1/2″ uncovered around the edges. Add any spices you want to- I used my typical Italian seasonings.

Arrange the vegetables on the crust, distributing evenly.  Sprinkle the pine nuts and nutritional yeast evenly on top.  Cook pizza in oven for and additional 15-20 minutes or until the kale starts toasting.

Let cool for 10 minutes before serving.

Kissy Fish....
This fish on the bathroom wall in a restaurant made me really sad. So I tried to kiss him.  I don't think it helped :(

Apple Themed Party
On Saturday, Melissa and I went to Smolak Farms to pick apples.  I heart this place like WHOA!  We picked apples, then tomatoes (of the mini colorful heirloom variety), went in the cutest barn ever, bought the most awesome soy candle at the country store.  A day of total perfection.

To use some of our apples, last night I hosted an apple themed potluck.  Holy yum!  Here is what we served:

Mini-Colorful Heirloom Tomato Salsa with jalapenos, corn and red onions

Singapore Spiced Pumpkin Apple Soup (a la Melissa) 
Ingredients:
1/2 tbsp olive oil
1/2 medium onion, chopped
1 stick of celery, diced
3 small apples, peeled and diced
1/2 tsp white pepper
pinch of salt
2 tsp Singapore seasoning from Penzey's Spices (has tellicherry black pepper, lemon peel powder, citric acid, garlic, onion, turmeric, coriander, cumin, ginger, nutmeg, fennel, cinnamon, fenugreek, white pepper, cardamom, cloves and cayenne red pepper)
1 can organic pumpkin puree
2-4 cups veggie stock (depends on what consistency you want)

Sautee onion, celery, apples in the olive oil until soft.  add in white pepper, salt, and seasonings.  stir in pumpkin puree and veggie stock.  Simmer for a bit (~10 minutes) and then puree with immersion blender. 

So easy and delicious.  Melissa served this with crunch baked spicy chickpeas. 

Cider Apple Mushroom Cream Sauce
Ingredients:
2 tablespoons of Earth Balance
1 leek, thinly sliced
1/4 cup apple cider vinegar (I used Braggs)
6 button mushrooms
2 portobello mushrooms, diced
1 head of cauliflower, boiled and pureed
1 Golden Delicious apple
1 tablespoon of Grapeseed oil
1 teaspoon of nutritional yeast
2 gloves of garlic, chopped fine
A small handful of chopped fresh parsley
Salt & black pepper
1.5 cups of white wine (I used Savignon Blanc)
Pasta- I used vegan tofu, apricot and spinach ravioli from DePasquale's
I also did a gluten free pasta for Melissa that was fro DePasquale's

Slice all your mushrooms and leeks and set aside- keep them separated.

Place 1 tablespoon of the Earth Balance in a skillet and melt it.  Add your mushrooms and saute for 4 minutes, covered. Add a bit of white wine here as well. Check occasionally to make sure the mushrooms do not stick and burn on the side which touches the pot. Set aside including the cooking juices.

Add the remaining Earth Balance and saute the leek until softened and not brown.  Add the mushrooms and cider vinegar, cover and cook for 10 minutes.
In the meantime, boil your breakdown your cauliflower and boil in water until tender. In your food processor, add the cauliflower, about 1/2 cup of the water you boiled it in, garlic and nutritional yeast.  Process it until you have a smooth, creamy like consistency, gradually adding the Grapeseed oil to thin it out.

Add the cauliflower mixture and 1 cup of the white wine to the mushroom, cider and leek mixture and stir well.  Simmer on very low heat for about 10 minutes.

Turn off the heat and keep warm by covering the pot with a lid. Core and peal your apples and cut across into thin slices. Fry in a little Earth Balance until golden brown on both sides.

Place the pasta on a serving dish and spoon the sauce and mushrooms and garnish with slices of butter-fried apple and parsley. Voila!

Waldorf Salad
Ingredients:
2 cucumbers unpeeled, seeds removed and diced
3 celery ribs, peeled and diced
1 small red onion, diced
Handful of colorful mini-heirloom tomatoes, diced
2 red delicious apples, peeled and diced
1 cup of walnuts, diced
1/2 lbs of baby arugula, cleaned well
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup tahini paste (in the peanut butter aisle)
1/3 cup apple cider vinegar
3 teaspoon gluten-free tamari
2 teaspoon of dijon mustard
1 clove of garlic, minced

Clean and dice your cucumbers and place them in a colander with some salt.  This helps bring out their awesome flavor. 

Dice your celery, onions, and tomatoes and add them to colander. Toss all of the ingredients together with some fresh ground pepper.

Chop up your apple and walnuts and set aside, while you make your dressing.  Combine the water, tahini, apple cider vinegar, tamari, Dijon mustard and garlic in a mason jar and shake it like a Polaroid picture. Refrigerate for about 15 minutes.

Clean your arugula and place it on your serving plate.  Combine your veggies, apples and walnuts in a bowl and toss with the dressing, coating everything well.  Put the mixture over the arugula and serve.  This was righteous!

Vegan, Gluten Free Apple Crisp
Ingredients:
1/2 cup of gluten free quick oats
1/2 of of light brown sugar (do not pack it!)
1/4 cup of chickpea flour
1 teaspoon of cinnamon
1 teaspoon of nutmeg
1 teaspoon of all spice
1/4 cup of Earth Balance, melted
5 Granny Smith Apples, peeled and diced
2 teaspoons of turbinado sugar

Spray your 9" cake pan with cooking spray and set aside.  Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.

Combine all your dry ingredients and mix well.  Add the melted Earth Balance and mix until you have a chunky mixture.  I used my hands to make sure it was all mixed well.  Set aside.

Dice your apples and place them in the cake pan.  Sprinkle with the turbinado sugar and some cinnamon.  Put your crumble mixture on top evenly and bake for 45 minutes until the top starts to brown.

All together it was a yummy night.  I hope you like these recipes.

**Photography by Melissa V.

October Unprocessed Day 11: Kale Salad & Puttanesca

Today was a good day.  I planned well and was able to eat really delicious well-balanced meals.  I never felt hungry.  I drank a lot of water and felt really great all day!

Breakfast:  Peanut butter, oatmeal, banana breakfast cookie

Lunch: Kale Salad with Tahini Dressing
Ingredients:
1 cup of kale, cut into thin pieces and rinsed well
1/2 red pepper, chopped
1 small vine ripe tomato, chopped
1/2 avocado, chopped
2 teaspoons of lemon juice

So I used to hate kale salad.  It is bitter and gross.  Then my friend Tommy told me the secret, you've got to massage that shit!  Massage my kale? Yep, you heard that ride.  Holy smokes, it makes a world of difference.

In large serving bowl, add the kale, lemon juice, and a little kosher salt. Massage until the kale starts to soften and wilt, 2 to 3 minutes. Your kale will go from looking luscious and leafy (aka bitter) to more like cooked spinach (aka bliss).  Set aside while you make the dressing.

Tahini Dressing 1/2 cup water
1/2 cup tahini paste
1/3 cup apple cider vinegar
3 tbsp tamari
2 tsp dijon mustard
1 clove of garlic, minced
a generous squeeze of Sriracha hot sauce (YUM!)

Combine ingredients in a glass mason jar and shake it like a Polaroid picture.  Chill until it thickens.

Combine your dressing, kale and add the peppers, tomatoes and avocado.  Enjoy!

Snack: Fresh Strawberries

Dinner: Chickpea Puttanesca over Polenta
Ingredients:
2 medium vine ripe tomatoes, chopped
1 tablespoon EVOO
3 garlic cloves, minced
2 tablespoons of capers
1 shallot, diced small
1/2 of a yellow onion, diced
4-5 button mushrooms chopped
1 tablespoon of red pepper flakes
About 10 kalamata olives, halved2 tablespoons capers
14 ounces of chickpeas, you can use canned (I made my own)
Salt to taste
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
1 teaspoon of thyme
1 teaspoon of oregano
1 teaspoon of rosemary
1 teaspoon of black pepper
1/2 jar of your favorite tomato sauce (I used Classico Tomato & Basil)

I fully admit that this one could have been hit or miss.  Boy am I sure pleased that this was AWESOME!  So awesome, in fact, that I can wait for left overs at lunch.

Place the olive oil in a saute pan over medium heat. Add the garlic while the oil is still at room temperature and swirl it around a bit in the oil. When the garlic starts to sizzle, add the shallot, oinion, mushrooms and red pepper flakes, and a pinch of salt and saute for about 2 minutes, taking care not to let the garlic burn.

Add the tomatoes, olives, capers, and a pinch of salt and cook for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. I added some more red and black pepper here and added the rest of the Italian seasonings.

Add the chickpeas, season with salt (about 1/4 teaspoon if not more), and cook for 2-3 more minutes.
Polenta
Ingredients:
2 cup vegetable broth
1 tablespoon of Italian seasonings (oregano, thyme, parley, rosemary)
1 teaspoon of EVOO
Dash kosher salt
fresh pepper
3/4 cup cornmeal

Bring the veggie broth up to a boil. Add in the seasonings and olive oil.

Whisking constantly, pour cornmeal into water in a steady stream. Continue whisking for 5 – 7 minutes or until the polenta is creamy and thick.

Plate your polenta and put the puttanesca over it.  Yum, Yumm, Yummy.  This recipe was spicy, delicious and filling.  Perfect end to my night.

October Unprocessed Day 10: Apple Picking and Peanut Butter, Oatmeal and Banana Breakfast Cookies

Today I went apple picking with my nieces  and it was a blast.  I ate a few fresh apples while we were out and they were so delicious!  Foodwise, I had a pretty balanced day!

Breakfast: Peanut Butter, Oatmeal and Banana Breakfast Cookies
Ingredients:1/3 cup peanut butter (I used the fresh kind that you grind at Whole Foods)
2 ripe bananas (overripe is fine)
1 tsp vanilla
2 tbsp almond milk (I made my own!  It was scary and didn't yield much, but I followed this recipe)
2 tbsp maple syrup
2 ½ cups quick cooking or rolled oatmeal
dash cinnamon (optional)
1/4 cup chickpea flour
1/4 cup of almonds, chopped
1/4 cup of cranberries


In a large bowl, mash bananas with a fork until smooth. Add peanut butter, almond milk, vanilla and maple syrup and mix well. Add remaining ingredients and stir until well combined.


Drop spoonfuls of dough onto an ungreased cookie sheet and bake 16-20 minutes at 350 degrees, or until done.

Lunch: Lots of Apples
           Calzone with no cheese and spinach, garlic, peppers and eggplant


Dinner: Veggie Stir-Fry with Brown Rice

October Unprocessed Day 9: Chopped Tusanesque Salad & Christopher Columbus

Today was another rushed day as it was the Christopher Columbus Day parade at the park where I volunteer.  I did have coffee and some processed food today, but pretty minimal given the circumstances.

Breakfast: Banana & Coffee (iced and black)

Lunch: Chopped Tuscanesue Salad
Ingredients:
1/4 can cannellini beans, rinsed and drained well
1 cup chopped vine ripe tomatoes
1 cup chopped cucumber
1 small red pepper, chopped
1 avocado, peeled and roughly chopped
1/2 yellow onion, finely chopped
1 tablespoon EVOO
pinch sea salt and pepper
1 tablespoon of lemon juice

Combine the drained beans, chopped tomatoes, cucumber, and red pepper in a bowl.

In a smaller bowl, mix together the chopped avocado with the onion, lemon juice and olive oil and toss well. This is to ensure the avocado gets coated by the acid in the lemon juice, and won’t turn brown. Add a pinch of salt to the dressing, to taste.

Just before you’re ready to serve avocado mixture over the veggies and toss together well. Sprinkle with fresh black pepper.

Dinner: Snack LOL

I get an F hear.  Mostly because I was rushed.  I went to a post-parade party and ate some guacamole and salsa with chips and some hummus.  Not the most nutritious, but oh well.

October Unprocessed Day 8: Oy Vey Medieval Manor

So today was a bit tougher to stick to this plan.  first, I was slammed all day and running around like a crazy person.  Again, poor planning on my part.  However, I did manage, I think, to stay unprocessed!


Breakfast: Cucumber Salad
Ingredients:
1/2 of an English cucumber
1 medium vine ripe tomato
1 small yellow onion
1 tablespoon of EVOO
1 tablespoon of Balsamic vinegar

Chop everything up and toss together.  Quick, easy and yum!

Lunch: None (BOOOOO!)
Dinner: Medieval Manor (oy vey)


It was my friend Amy's birthday and so she wanted to head to Medieval Manor, which -let's face it- not exactly veg friendly.  When they said they could accommodate a vegan, I was skeptical.


Accommodate they did, though it was pretty much what I expected.  I started with a veggie soup that actually was not bad, but things went downhill from there.  Next there was a hummus platter.  I didn't eat the pita because it looked pretty dense and likely processed.  The veggies were ok, but not really much.  This was followed up by a salad.  And by salad I mean a bowl of iceberg lettuce with two cherry tomatoes.  Did I mention that there was no silverware? Oh yeah, so I got to eat it all with my hands.   How classy.


We went all over town after that and had a night cap at Chau Chow City.  It's as bad as it sounds and I was afraid to eat anything other than some white rice.  Not a great option and probably processed but better then eating something way worse.  Oh and check out my amazing fortune:

October Unprocessed Day 7: Oatmeal & Tuscan White Bean Spaghetti

Today I am feeling great and I dropped about 3 pounds on the Revitalive Cleanse, but I am pretty sure this was all water weight since my close fit exactly the same.  Still, I feel really good today and I am also 6 days without coffee.  While my plan isn't to give up coffee completely, it is to cut down drastically.  I have lowered my salt intake a little, but I would like to cut it down even a little more.  I have also been drinking more water which feels great and, I suspect, partially the reason for the loss in water weight.

I made my lunch/dinner last night so that I wouldn't be rushed and eat something quick and easy.

Breakfast:

Oatmeal with 1 teaspoon of agave and 2 tablespoons of gRAWnola and 1 tablespoon of flax seeds

Lunch:

Tuscan White Bean Spaghetti

Snack:

1/2 cup of Almonds and Cashews

Dinner:

Tuscan White Bean Spaghetti

Tuscan White Bean Spaghetti

Ingredients:

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1/4 cup diced onion
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
• 1 cup of spinach, chopped
• 1 roma tomato, diced
• Salt and black pepper
• 1/2 cup canned white beans, rinsed
• 1/4 pound pasta

Pour the oil into a skillet set over medium-high heat. Add the onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until soft. Then add the garlic, pepper flakes, and tomato. Cook for an additional 2 minutes.

Dump in the spinach and season with a pinch of salt. Cover the skillet and reduce heat to medium, and cook for 15 minutes, stirring frequently. Add the beans and cook until warmed.

Meanwhile, bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add the pasta and cook for one minute less than the directions on the packaging. When done, drain the pasta and toss it into the pan with the kale. Turn the heat to high and cook for an additional minute.  Add salt and pepper to taste.

October Unprocessed Day 7: Oatmeal & Tuscan White Bean Spaghetti

Today I am feeling great and I dropped about 3 pounds on the Revitalive Cleanse, but I am pretty sure this was all water weight since my close fit exactly the same.  Still, I feel really good today and I am also 6 days without coffee.  While my plan isn't to give up coffee completely, it is to cut down drastically.  I have lowered my salt intake a little, but I would like to cut it down even a little more.  I have also been drinking more water which feels great and, I suspect, partially the reason for the loss in water weight.

I made my lunch/dinner last night so that I wouldn't be rushed and eat something quick and easy.

Breakfast:

Oatmeal with 1 teaspoon of agave and 2 tablespoons of gRAWnola

Lunch:

Tuscan White Bean Spaghetti

Snack:

1/2 cup of Almonds and Cashews

Dinner:

Tuscan White Bean Spaghetti

Tuscan White Bean Spaghetti

Ingredients:

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1/4 cup diced onion
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
• 1 cup of spinach, chopped
• 1 roma tomato, diced
• Salt and black pepper
• 1/2 cup canned white beans, rinsed
• 1/4 pound pasta

Pour the oil into a skillet set over medium-high heat. Add the onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until soft. Then add the garlic, pepper flakes, and tomato. Cook for an additional 2 minutes.

Dump in the spinach and season with a pinch of salt. Cover the skillet and reduce heat to medium, and cook for 15 minutes, stirring frequently. Add the beans and cook until warmed.

Meanwhile, bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add the pasta and cook for one minute less than the directions on the packaging. When done, drain the pasta and toss it into the pan with the kale. Turn the heat to high and cook for an additional minute.  Add salt and pepper to taste.

October Unprocessed Day 6: Revatlive Cleanse Day Three

Today is the final day of my 3-day Revitalive Cleanse and I am feeling really good about where I am.  Throughout the cleanse, I found it really easy to stick to the program and having everything prepared and delivered made a huge difference.  Additionally, the support from Anna in form of emails and check-ins has been really helpful as well. 

Breakfast!

As I mentioned before starting the cleanse, my goal was to jump start my progress for the October Unprocessed Challenge.  I sought to jump start a healthier diet and attain 5 servings of fruit and veggies each day.  The Revitalive program allows for the consumption of 12-15 pounds of fruit and vegetables per day because of their juice based program.  Additionally, I never once felt hungry on the program.  I love the fact that while this is primarily a liquid cleanse, there are solid food eliminates which make it very satisfying.  You can also add fresh fruit and veggies and herbal tea to help if you get hungry.


Today was pretty much the same menu you as yesterday except for the soup.  Today's soup was tomato and it had delicious quinoa in it.

Tonight I went to pilates fusion at North End Yoga.  This is for real the hardest class I have taken and I love it.  Tonight was maybe the hardest one ever and it was so very hot in the room.  I sweat so much and was exhausted when class was over, but felt amazing.  I went to bed again early, per the cleanse instructions.

He was today's quote was meaningful:

"A journey of a thousand miles starts starts with a single step"

Today's affirmation:

"I am accept where I am today.  I am embrace the positive".

This has been a lovely and cleansing journey.  I feel thankful to have had the ability to do this detox program and think that it will help me fulfill the October Unprocessed Challenge.

October Unprocessed Day 5: Revitalive Cleanse Take 2

So the menu today was pretty much the same as yesterday.  The soup was different- split pea- and so was the salad- kale curry.  They rocked. 

I am loving these kale chips and I am going to have to learn how to make them because seriously, they are addictive.  It is like that Lays commercial, you can't eat just one.

I am loving the Lean Green juice and still struggling with the Pribiotic Punch.  I do like the Bunny Boost which has a nice carrot taste to it.  It goes down easy for sure.


I worked out at with my trainer at the gym today and I was afraid my energy might be low.  Surprisingly, it wasn't at all and the workout Sarah gave me was pretty tough.  Tonight I have a work event so going to bed early isn't really an option.  Tomorrow, the final day of the cleanse, I will do more normal Pilates Fusion class and head to bed early.
 More to come on final thoughts about the cleanse, but for now, here is today's email:


Set Yourself Up for Success


Welcome to Day 2 of your cleansing program! By now you are oriented to the program. You may be surprised at how satiated you feel OR your taste buds may be struggling to adjust to the new tastes of juices and unprocessed foods. You may notice you are feeling lighter, clearer, more focused and ready to start your day.

It's common to dislike the green juice initially, but by day 3 your body adjusts and actually starts to crave it. Generally, the less you like the taste of green juice, the more acidic you may be. Don't be discouraged if you feel a little queasy. These are the times to get a massage, take a nap, take a warm bath with epsom salt. If you have access to a Far Infrared Sauna or any sauna, use it!

Take a few moments now to review the goals you wrote in your journal, especially the obstacles you may have noted.

Like any obstacle, the obstacles which have crept up in the past that have kept you from embracing change can be overcome. You can walk around an obstacle. You can smash through it. Or you can even leap over it. There are many ways to overcome obstacles!

One great way to overcome obstacles is to plan ahead. Set yourself up for success by thinking about your day and week ahead. What food you need to keep in the house to continue your detoxification program? How can you arrange your schedule so that you have time for journaling, reflection and releasing emotions that arise during detoxification?

Success doesn't happen by accident. Success happens by doing the steps you need to do, no matter how uncomfortable or unpleasant they may be. We know that detoxification and cleansing can be uncomfortable, but if you truly want success, we urge you to follow our instructions to the letter. We recommend what we know and learned over the years for best results.

Key Points to Remember

• Obstacles can be overcome with the right mindset.
• Obstacles that feel like they cannot be removed can be leaped over, walked around, or plowed through, depending on your personality.
• Planning ahead is an important part of success. Take time for yourself. What do you need to do to plan ahead and build on your success?

Follow the detoxification program at Revitalive Health and Wellness to the letter....it's built on years of experience and education. You'll be more successful if you adhere to the program instead of improvising your own or trying to take short cuts.

We are here to help you - ask any questions you may have!

Your Daily Affirmation

Affirmations are phrases to repeat to yourself throughout the day. They program the subconscious mind for success.

Today's affirmation is...

"I take the steps I need to take to be successful"

The information contained in this email is for education only and is not meant to diagnose, prescribe, or treat illness. It is valuable to seek the advice of an alternative health care professional before making any major lifestyle changes.