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Volume 1, Issue 2

• Personal Note from Dr. Ritamarie
• Teleclasses and Events
• Tips for Cleansing and Detoxification:  Why It’s Vital to Vibrant Health and Energy
• Dr. Ritamarie’s Transition From Toxic to Vibrant
• Featured Food : Daikon Radish
• Recipes: Daikon Broccoli  Latkes and Sour Cream Onion Daikon Curls
• About Dr. Ritamarie
• Energy Enhancing Resources Dr. Ritamarie Recommends

My travel schedule for September and October was intense, and left me little time to compile and create the articles, recipes and resources I’m sharing with you today.  It’s such a joy to finally be able to put this resource all together for you.

My most recent trip, and the last until Thanksgiving or so was long and packed with a variety of  business and personal experiences.  Living  in Austin and having created both a local and online community of health minded people,  it’s easy to forget what the “real world” is actually like.

I was pretty much a gypsy for about 10 days.  I stayed at the homes of a variety of friends and family members and pretty much lived out of my suitcase and grocery bag.  I got to witness first hand the contents of the average American refrigerator.  It was scary.  Not surprisingly, there was a distinct correlation between the amount of junk in the refrigerator and pantry and the number of drugs or health conditions experienced by the “owners”.

I did a talk in New Jersey for Karen Ranzi’s Meetup group.  Karen is the author of the soon to be published book, “Creating Healthy Children” . (http://www.superhealthychildren.com) Karen was gracious enough to host me at her home.  Her refrigerator was stocked with with local wild greens, sprouts, organic nuts and seeds, organic greens from the store and lots of fresh fruit.   For  dinner she served a huge salad with both wild and garden grown greens, sprouts and a sundried tomato and almond pate.  For breakfast we had green smoothies with purslane.  I slept on organic bedding.  It was lovely.  Karen and her family experience vibrant health and lots of energy.

I also stayed with long-time friends and family members.   Their refrigerators were stocked with bottled and packaged foods and a little bit of fruit.  They served white flour, meat and cheesy meals with a small amount of salad.  Most of them are constantly struggling with excess body weight, inflammatory health conditions and they and take a laundry list of medications.

Part of my time in NY was spent sorting through old family photos and belongings that had been stored in my sister Cathy’s garage after our parents died.  We lost Cathy last summer to lymphoma, so we needed to distribute the photos before selling her house.  As I looked at old photos I was struck by how slim and trim everyone looked back in their teen years.  I’m the only one that still looks that way and it’s no mystery why.

I firmly believe that Cathy would still be with us if she had adopted the same diet and lifestyle I did almost 25 years ago.  Going back in time helped to reaffirm my comittment to providing the inspiration, information and support that can help you to save your family and yourself from the fate of mine.

Today I’m strong, energetic and vibrant.  It wasn’t always that way.  I’ve shared some of my story with you below so that I may inspire you to take stock of your goals and values and affirm your commitment to unlocking your unlimited potential for health, energy and joy.

With Love and commitment to your Healthy Life,

Dr. Ritamarie Loscalzo

• October 17, 2009  4:00 PM Central Time – Teleconference with Dr. Ritamarie to ask your cleansing questions and determine the best cleansing approach for you.  Email drrloscalzo-468697@autocontactor.com to register.

• October 18 – October 25, 2009 – Green Cleanse Week
  • Periodic cleansing is something that we do for our pets, cars, and homes. You shower to cleanse the outside of your body. Find out more…

• October 23rd, 2009 – Green for Life with Victoria and Sergei Boutenko
  • Victoria and Sergei Boutenko Popular authors of several best-selling books on raw and living foods will present their inspiring new lecture, packed with revolutionary information.  You can attend the lecture in person, as an internet broadcast, or as an online replay after the event completes.  For Details and Registration, go HERE.

• October 24th, 2009 – Living & Raw Foods Vegan Potluck & Information Exchange
  • Each month, usually on the 4th Saturday evening, Austin raw food enthusiasts meet for an evening of socialization, support and information exchange. For Guidelines about what to bring go to www.DrRitamarie.com/potluck. Sign up at www.DrRitamarie.com/meetup to get location and directions.

• October 25th, 2009 – Holiday Dessert Class taught by Virginia Morgan, owner of Borboleta cafe in Austin, Texas  www.borboletagourmet.com,  512-828-7404

Simple Strategies for Restoring Your Energy and Vitality through the Ancient Practice of Cleansing

I’m always asked questions like, “What’s the best way to cure Chronic Fatigue”
or  “How can I get my hormones in balance?”  The strategies for both are amazingly similar.  In fact, when it comes right down to it, adrenal exhaustion, irritable bowel, eczema, chronic fatigue, fibromyalgia, thyroid problems, arthritis , depression and just about any condition you can name all have at least one thing in common.  All of these conditions can be traced back to inflammation and a body overloaded by toxicity.

In our modern world with its modern conveniences, we are constantly inundated by “modern” toxins.  There are chemicals in the air, plastics in the food, pesticides and drugs in the water and toxic emotions spurred by watching the news.  Then there’s all the processing that takes what once was a real food and leaves it filled with empty calories, oxidized fats and enough  free radicals to cause a revolution!

I recorded a video clip on cleansing to  answer the questions I get all the time.  Cleansing is something your body knows how to do, as long as it doesn’t get overloaded.  And when it does, it’s time to take a break and allow healing and cleansing to take place.  Watch this short clip for some tips and tricks.

Watch Dr. Ritamarie Discuss Cleansing and Detoxification Strategies here…

As I was thinking about how to describe what happens when you’re exposed to more toxins than your liver can handle, I remembered a very funny I love Lucy segment that I loved when I was a kid (ok, I’m dating myself).  I found it on youtube.  Watch this after you watch my cleansing video and you’ll understand how it applies.

Watch the I Love Lucy video here…

Lucy and Ethel did a great job of demonstrating what happens when your liver gets overloaded with toxins. Your liver gets a chance to catch up up when you do a cleansing program.   You can support your liver in cleansing in a number of ways. Simply eating all low fat raw foods for a while can be very cleansing.  Fasting is another way to cleanse.  You can learn more in my fasting video.  I packed a lot of information into less than 5 minutes.

Watch my video about fasting here…

When I first learned about toxins and how to eat, breath, think and feel to eliminate them, (almost 25 years ago) I did my very first cleanse.  It changed my life.  I now do mini cleanses at least 4 times a year.  My favorite way to cleanse is using green smoothies because I can continue with my active lifestyle.  Plus it takes very little time.  In fact I usually save time during a green smoothie cleanse –less cleanup and food prep time.  Juicing is great but takes a lot of time and fasting is hard to do while continuing your busy lifestyle…plus there are certain health conditions for which fasting is not indicated.

Give cleansing a try.  It will change your life.

I’m leading my next Green Smoothie Cleanse beginning Sunday evening, October 18.  Part of the reason I lead these Green Smoothie Cleanses every 2-3 months is so that I have the accountability of the group in doing my own cleanse.  When I try to do it on my own, I often give up part of the way through, as soon as a good meal invitation comes my way.

Find out more about my fully supported program at www.GreenSmoothieCleanse.com

If you have questions about whether or not this is appropriate for you, I’ll be answering questions during  a 1 hour teleconference on Saturday October 17 at 4PM Central time.  Email me at drrloscalzo-468697@autocontactor.com  and I’ll send you the phone number and access code.

My Journey from Bloated and Exhausted to Vibrant and Energized

by Dr. Ritamarie Loscalzo

Today, at age 53, I’m healthy, vibrant and strong.  I lift weights, hike, swim, participate in marathons and triathlons and keep up with my sons,  I feel like the energizer bunny…always full of vim and vigor and ready for the next challenge.  But it wasn’t always like this.

I won’t bore you with the details of my early childhood surgeries, antibiotic use and hormone imbalances, or the long list of processed foods I ate, or the binge eating I did throughout my teen years.  Suffice it to say, all of these contributed to how I felt in my twenties – awful!

I used to BATTLE with my body to get out of bed in the morning.
It was the greatest effort to get my feet out of the bed. Then I would flop down on my pillow and fall back asleep. I was only 20 years old.

I was fueling myself on caffeine and sugar and burning the candle at
both ends. I was plagued by nagging symptoms like sinus congestion, heartburn, headaches and fatigue. I couldn’t have normal relationships with people. It felt like I was talking through a fog. My fuzziness didn’t allow me to fully connect with them. I was desperate for help, but I kept hitting dead ends with the medical system. One drug after another, even surgical procedures …all led me back to the same place.

This battle with my body went on for 8 years, until I discovered the secrets that would give me back my life.  I remember one day, while at a particularly frustrating doctor’s appointment, I asked the question that would forever change my life. I’d just had a workup to determine the cause of the riveting burning pain I felt every time I ate. He gave me the good news. “You don’t have an ulcer.” I breathed a sigh of relief. That was good news.

“So what’s causing the burning? “ I asked, expecting to get THE answer that would explain how to get rid of the pain. “We don’t know, but since the ulcer medication gives you temporary relief, we’ll write you another prescription and you can just keep taking it.“

I was crushed. He had no answers, just a drug to treat a condition that I didn’t even have! It made no sense to me.

I must have been divinely guided, because then I asked the million dollar question. “Could it be my diet?” At that time, I lived on chips, ice cream, bagels, diet soda and candy bars. I yo-yo dieted all the time. After my binges would expand my waistline further than I was comfortable with, I’d do a crash diet or a starvation regime until the pounds dropped away and then I’d start again. I’ll never forget the answer the doctor gave me on that fateful day. “Of course not. Diet doesn’t have anything to do with how you feel.”

For some reason, I didn’t believe him, and thus began the quest that would give me back my life.  I began to read and experiment. I looked for someone who could help me, guide me, teach me, but back in the 1980’s there were not a lot of alternative practitioners, so I was left to find my own way.

I began to experiment with special diets, exercise routines and supplements. I eliminated this food and that, hoping for a solution. After a while, I did start to see some changes. Yet nothing helped for more than a few days at a time. I was lost and confused. It was overwhelming.

Until one day, when I met a man at a gas station who recommended a book that introduced to me the concept of detoxification. He also referred me to a retreat center where I went to do a 28 day water fast, followed by a raw foods diet.  The results were astonishing. Symptoms that had been plaguing me for most of my life disappeared as if by magic.

I felt phenomenal. My skin was glowing, and my energy was thru the roof…without all the stimulants. The brain fog cleared and and I was able to connect to people more deeply than I’d
ever dreamed possible.

I left my career in the computer industry and embarked on an educational path that would last a lifetime.   I got my degrees in chiropractic and nutrition.  I got certified in acupuncture, herbal medicine and the Heart Math stress transformation system.

I knew how much benefit I’d received from fasting, yet I also knew that very few people would be able to do exactly what I did. SO I had to find a more realistic approach to detoxification that could be done at home.

Over the years I’ve experimented, studied and observed and developed a variety of programs to help others to get the results I did.  It’s pretty amazing to me when a situation that seemed like a curse at the time turns out to be such a blessing.  I am thankful every day that my body broke down when it did, and lead me to find a path of healing for myself and others.

The Power of the Daikon  Radish

Contributed By Valerie Kliewer

The daikon radish is one of the best vegetables in the arsenal against the many ailments of excess.  It has the amazing ability to help cut through and clean out mucus conditions brought on by the over consumption of animal products.

Though often passed over for more familiar roots such as carrots or beets, this powerful tuber should not be overlooked. Originating in East Asia and shaped like a very large white carrot or in some varieties like a large round turnip, the daikon radish is a smart choice for fall dining.

During the flu season, it is wise to include immune boasting, mucus busting radishes to your daily diet. Laryngitis and sinusitis are both eased by the juice of radishes.

With a cooling thermal nature and a milder flavor than smaller radishes, the detoxing and fat grabbing capability of these long white tubers can’t be beat.  Soothe headaches and encourage digestion by adding
alkalizing radishes to your diet.  Chinese medicine uses radishes to nourish the gallbladder and the liver.

Paul Pitchford in his book Healing with Whole Foods suggests using a tablespoon of radishes daily for several weeks for gallstones and kidney and bladder stones. He cautions against the use of radishes for those who have deficient or cold conditions.

Consume radishes by juicing, grating onto salads, or by trying the delicious raw recipes that follow.

Valerie Kliewer is a food writer passionate about the healing power of foods. She specializes in helping those with vitiligo find healing. She can often be found in the produce department of Whole Foods replacing Paul Simon’s lyrics “I got a Nikon camera” with “I got a daikon radish.”   Listen for her and buy a bunch of daikons today.

Daikon Broccoli Latkes

by Dr. Ritamarie Loscalzo

Equipment Needed: Dehydrator and Blender

Ingredients

• 2 ½ pounds of a combination of shredded daikon radish and broccoli stems
• 1 medium onion
• 1/4 cup (60 ml) tahini
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1/4 – 1/2 cup water

Directions

1. Shred daikon and broccoli stems and place in a large bowl.
2. Shred or thinly slice the onion and add to bowl with the daikon and broccoli.
3. Blend the tahini, pepper and salt and add to bowl with vegetables. Mix well with your hands.
4. Form into patties and place on the mesh tray of your dehydrator. Dehydrate overnight, up to 12 hours.

Sour Cream and Onion Daikon Curls

contributed by Gretchen Burk, Austin Texas

Equipment Needed: Dehydrator, Spiralizer or Vegetable Peeler and Blender

Ingredients

• 2-3 large daikon radishes
• 1 small or 1/2 medium onion
• 1 tablespoon flat leaf parsley
• 7-8 cloves garlic
• 1 whole green onions 4 inches of the greens from another green onion
• 3/4 cup cashews, soaked overnight and rinsed
• 1 1/2 teaspoons Ume Plum Vinegar (Oshawa brand, available at most natural grocers)
• 3 1/2 tablesooons lemon juice
• 1/2 – 1 teaspoon real salt or pink salt
• 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1/4 – 1/2 cup water

Directions

1. Put all ingredients except daikon and the extra green onion tops in blender and blend until smooth and creamy. Add extra water if needed.
2. Pulse the extra green onion tops in to just break them up.
3. Use the spiralizer on the ribbon setting to create long curls from the daikon.
4. Add the onion sour “cream” mixture to the daikon to just coat. If you have extra, use it as a dip.
5. Place the coated daikon on the mesh dehydrator trays and dehydrate for 12-24 hours to desired texture. They stay chewy.

Gretchen Burk is a gifted healer and a whiz in the kitchen.  I’ve personally sampled her body work sessions and her food, and I’m hooked.  Gretchen’s practice as a healing arts professional includes Swedish, Sports and Deep Massage, Structural Bodywork, Shiatsu  and  energy healing, including Reiki and Jin Shin Jyutsu.  Gretchen’s advanced body awareness and knowledge of anatomy & physiology significantly enhance her ability to help restore her clients’ health. I always feel great after a session with Gretchen.  She can be reached at 512-971-4543

I know you’re dedicated to doing the best for your kids. You want them to be healthy, strong and successful. That’s what every parent wishes for their children. But the more you learn about diet and nutrition and the role it plays in your kids’ resistance to disease, ability to focus at school and overall mood and behavior, the more scared you become about how to handle Halloween, the “candy” holiday. All that sugar, chocolate and artificial colors and flavors can’t possibly be good for them. Find out about healthy alternatives here…

Thanksgiving is just around the corner, and if you’re a vegan, vegetarian, raw food enthusiast, food allergy sufferer or just someone who wants to eat more healthfully and manage your weight, this is a challenging time of year.

Food temptations abound, as does pressure from often well meaning friends and family members who want to be sure you’re enjoying the bounty. Find out how to create your own bounty here…

If you’re like many people I know, every year you make the decision that this time’s going to be different. You’ll go easy on the holiday cookies and pie, keep up your exercise, and just not get stressed out like everyone else does, with holiday shopping, wrapping, cards and decorations. You’ll be “good” at the parties and avoid over indulgence. Read more here…

Periodic cleansing and resting your digestive track is essential for vibrant health and boundless energy.  While going away to a retreat center and fasting on green juices is probably the best way to do this, let’s get real.  Who has the time?  And cleansing on your own is just not as effective as having a support group and a mentor with over two decades experience to back you up and cheer you on. Green Smoothies are a great way to cleanse because you’re not hungry all the time.  Find out more about how you can feel more energetic, less bloated and stronger andleaner than ever.

If you love your carbs but hate what they do to your body, we have some really good news for you. By learning the ancient art of dehydration, which is, in essence,  “low temperature baking”, you’ll be able to eat guilt-free breads, loaded with veggie goodness, and have them taste similar to your old favorites.  Gluten free raw foods like pizza, enchiladas and tacos will become your favorite staple foods once you discover how easily you can make them at home.  Read More…