Day 17

Do you know that the skin is the largest organ in the body? Did you know that everything you put on your skin seeps into the bloodstream and then flows throughout your body?  The skin is the body’s detoxification pathway where toxins push up through its 3 million sweat glands. Toxins manifest as skin conditions that can be blotchy, rough, painful, discolored, inflamed, dry and wrinkly and make us self-conscious about our appearance.  Most skin issues begin at the cellular level, from psoriasis, acne, eczema, dry skin, to the natural signs of aging, No matter how these issues outwardly express themselves, in most natural healing systems they are all looked at as internal toxicity problems.

Here is a great article about the skin:
http://www.earthiemama.com/your-skin-is-amazing.html

Many of the commercial body care products out there have loads of toxic chemicals in them.  These chemicals inevitably go through your skin and into your body. I stopped using commercial body care products many years ago for this reason.  However, organic body care products can be very expensive.  When I lived in Costa Rica, I couldn’t find all natural body care products anywhere so I began to make my own.  Instead of buying commercially produced toothpaste, I would mix baking soda, coconut oil and Himalayan pink salt or sea salt. When I use this combination my teeth feel cleaner and they are definitely whiter. These simple ingredients are easy to find and inexpensive and NON-TOXIC!

If you are planning on continuing to live a holistic life of wellness after this cleanse, I highly recommend you becoming aware of the products that you are letting soak into your body through your skin.

Also, here is my best morning body care routine straight from the kitchen : http://www.earthiemama.com/1/post/2013/11/body-care-from-your-kitchen.html

Meal Ideas:
Breakfast: Oatmeal with berries
Lunch: Veggie Burger wrapped in lettuce
Dinner: Meatless Lettuce Wraps side of potato salad
Dessert: Banana Ice Cream

Recipes:
Meatless Lettuce Wrap
Ground Walnut Meat:

• 1 cup raw walnuts
• 1 1/2 tsp. ground cumin
• 1 tsp. ground coriander
• 1/2 tsp. Braggs Amino Acids
• pinch of salt
• Romaine lettuce
• Salsa
• Avocado, pitted and sliced

Cilantro-Cashew Cheese

• 2 garlic cloves, crushed
• 1/2 tsp. Himalayan salt
• 1 cup raw cashews
• 2 1/2 tsp. lemon juice
• 1/4 cup Cilantro
• 1/4 cup water

Directions:
To make walnut meat:

1. Place all ingredients (walnuts, cumin, coriander, aminos and salt) into a food processor
2. Process mixture into small pieces until it looks like ground meat.

To make cheese:

1. Place garlic and salt in food processor, process into small pieces
2. Add cashews and process until consistency is like a paste
3. Add lemon juice , cilantro and water
4. Continue to process until smooth texture
5. Layer cheese mixture and meat down the inside one romaine leaf.
6. Add salsa and avocado slices. Wrap and serve.

Potato Salad:
Ingredients:

• Potatoes
• Veganaise
• Mustard
• Celery
• Green Onions
• Pickles
• Salt and Pepper

Directions:

1. Boil Potatoes until soft, drain and cool in refrigerator
2. Chop celery, pickles, green onions
3. Cube potatoes
4. Mix veganaise and mustard
5. Add remaining ingredients
6. Add salt an pepper

Banana Ice Cream    
Bananas are so high in potassium and rich in fiber that they are great for elimination.

•   3 Bananas
•   2 Tbsp agave
•   1 cup Almond milk, Rice Milk, Coconut Milk, etc
•   3 cups of ice

Place all ingredients in a blender and process for 60 seconds on high or until smooth.