House of Verona

How Nutrition Affects Alcoholism

2012-01-26T23:04:47Z

I’m reading a book right now which is blowing the lid off my mind.

Bear with the hokey title:

“The Vitamin Cure for Alcoholism” by Dr Abram Hoffer Md Phd and Andrew W Saul PhD.

The authors claim with such certainty that alcoholism is a result of hypoglycaemia, nutritional deficiencies, allergies, aside from the obvious environmental issues.

In it, the authors make some bold claims:

“I tested over 300 alcoholics with a glucose tolerance test and did not find even one patient who had a normal result.
“The treatment was to avoid sugar, which is very difficult especially for alcoholics.
“Alcohol…is basically liquid sugar…and a slow-acting poison.
“When malnutrition or nutrient starvation is present, it is impossible to respond effectively to any medical treatment.

These statements are reminiscent of Dr Russell Blaylock’s lecture called “Nutrition and Behaviour” which details a study of alcoholic inmates.

95% of them were hypoglycaemic.

They separated them into two groups, fed one of them a healthy diet, and allowed the control group to continue eating their junk food diet.

Those who stayed on the healthy diet had a 71% success rate of sobriety – compare that to AA’s sobriety rate of 25%.

Back to Hoffer’s book:

“Alcoholism and drug addiction, so often portrayed as without cure, can indeed be ended with high-dose nutrient therapy.

It gets bolder:

“We are convinced that healthy people will not become alcoholics.
“Only people who are not healthy become alcoholics.
“We would go so far as to state it as a law: only the sick become alcoholic.”

They go on to describe the megadose or Orthomolecular treatment plan which has worked to help their patients, including Bill Wilson, the founder of Alcoholics Anonymous, use vitamins such as B3, B6, Vitamin C, and others, to effectively kill off any cravings for alcohol, even when one has achieved sobriety through AA, and also eliminate any negative side effects from long-term alcoholism such as depression, anxiety, fatigue, and so on.

Bear in mind that this book is written by two of the heavyweights of Orthomolecular Medicine.

Dr Hoffer pioneered the field and conducted psychiatry’s first randomly controlled double-blind placebo trial ever in the 1950s.

Andrew Saul was on the faculty of the State University of New York for nine years, and taught nutrition, health science and cell biology at the college level.

What do you think? Excitement or Quackery?

Raw Vegan Potluck Groups in Ontario

2011-08-23T17:25:39Z

Join a raw vegan potluck in your area!

These groups are not for profit and run on a recurring basis.

The goal is to bring together like-minded folks to create a supportive community.

Have fun!

Reversing Schizophrenia with Orthomolecular Medicine

2011-08-23T17:15:36Z

Abram Hoffer's book, Orthomolecular Medicine for Everyone

The late Canadian Doctor Abram Hoffer MD PhD helped almost 10,000 schizophrenics heal, improve and even be cured, yes cured, with something called Orthomolecular Therapy. That’s the practice of administering mega doses of vitamins to reverse disease.

His success rate was 85%.

Hoffer used niacin (b3). For example, someone would take 3g of B3, 3g of Vitamin C and eliminate food allergens (gluten, dairy, corn, etc).

Food Allergies & Reversing Schizophrenia

I recently met Dr Eric Paterson MD from Creston, BC who has been healing people of schizophrenia since 1973.

One of his first cases: a 14 year old boy had developed schizophrenic symptoms.

He wanted to see if he had allergies so he first put him on a water fast for 5 days and then slowly added food back into his diet to see if he had any reactions.

After the 6th day, the boy’s symptoms were inflamed and he found out that he had eaten a single red Smartie from his brother.

His parents said that before he developed symptoms, he ate many red freezies.

Dr Paterson found that he was allergic to red dye #A2.

He gave him 3g B3, 3g Vitamin C, a strict no sugar or refined carb diet, and told him to stay away from any artificially red food.

The student recovered, became captain of his rugby team and now is a lawyer with kids in BC.

This field is exceptionally exciting in terms of what can be done on top of a raw food diet – adding mega-doses of natural supplements can literally reverse disease.

This is the tip of the iceberg as far as Orthomolecular Therapy goes – find out more by visiting http://www.orthomed.org/

Wild Edibles in Southern Ontario

2011-06-01T22:22:23Z

Wild food is some of the most nutritious – even more than organic produce – because the soil hasn’t been tampered with compared to farming.

Here’s how to identify your local native plants, the health benefits, and how to consume them.

This season, we’ll have lots of wild harvested food on the House of Verona retreat menu.

We’ll also be offering wild edible walks in the Blue Mountain area for our guests to pick and discover their own wild, highly nutritious foods.

Book a customized retreat by emailing bookings@houseofverona.com or call 1-800-252-2826.

Disclaimer – NEVER eat anything unless you are 100% sure what it is – consult a field guide or herbalist expert if you are not sure.

Greens

Dandelions

Health benefits: High in vitamin A and protein; good to cleanse the liver.

To use: throw flowers in salads or dehydrate the roots to make an instant coffee substitute. Use the greens in smoothies or salads. Pick them in the spring so that they’re not as bitter.

Clovers

Health benefits: calcium, chromium, vitamin C, magnesium, potassium, niacin, thiamine and phosphorus, notes the University of Maryland Medical Center.

To use: the flowers and leaves are edible in salads, smoothies or teas.

Wood sorrel

This clover look-a-like tastes very lemony and has darling heart shaped leaves.

Health benefits: high in vitamin C; also used by Native Canadians to relieve thirst.

To use: Throw in salads or smoothies.

Wild garlic mustard

Health benefits: shown to reduce “bad” cholesterol and strengthen immunity

To use: add to salads, soups, or anything else you’d use garlic or mustard in.

Wild leeks

Found in forests particularly in damp conditions.

Health benefits: source of manganese, vitamin C, iron, folate, and B6.

To use: use the entire plant just like you would an onion or a clove of garlic. Best picked in late spring/early summer

Wild peppermint

You can tell it is mint because the stem is square-shaped. Some species have purple leaves.

Health benefits: has been shown to soothe stomach aches, and a source of vitamin C and A.

To use: in teas, smoothies, or salads

Burdock

Recognized by its broad leaves and red root, this sucker is all over downtown Toronto.

Health benefits: removes toxins from the bloodstream.

To use: Use the root to make a detoxifying tea, rub the root on hives from stinging nettles to act as an antidote, or use the root as you would any other root vegetable (potatoes, carrots, beets..)

Jewel-weed, aka Spotted Touch-me-not

Crack open the stem and juice oozes out which is the Canadian answer to aloe vera.

Health benefits: Soothing – it treats insect bites, burns and poison ivy.

To use: Cut open stem and apply topically.

Dog-toothed violet, aka Troutlilly

Found in forests under thick canopies.

Health benefits: shown to reduce “bad” cholesterol

To use: Great in salads or smoothies.

Goldenrod

This green has an anise or “root beer” fragrance.

Health benefits: helps to cleanse the digestive system.

To use: Make a tea out of the leaves and yellow flowers.

Wild carrot aka Queen Anne’s lace
This ubiquitous flower is actually a wild carrot

Health benefits: high in vitamins A, K and C.

To use: just as you would any carrot: salads, soups, mixed vegetable dishes.

Careful: There are poisonous lookalikes – only eat this if it actually smells like carrot!

Catnip

Also known as cat-mint, it’s identifiable by its square purplish-green stem and purplish leaves

Health benefits: getting your cat high.

To use: slip under Muffin’s nose and watch her go wild.

Burgamot

Part of the mint family, it’s what many earl gray teas are actually made from

Health benefits: it’s a diuretic, so it’ll clean you out

To use: steep into a tea

Plantain

This little guy is a very common “weed”.

Health benefits: an antidote to skin irritants.

To use: Crush it up and use it to soothe bee stings, insect bites, and poison ivy.

Cat Tails

Called the supermarket of the wilderness, every part can be eaten.

Health benefits: loaded with raw starch, nutrients and carbohydrates to keep you alive in the forest

To use: pull a live green tail out of the water, peel off a few leaves and eat it like celery. Open up the fuzzy brown top to reveal pollen, which can be used just as flour is used – mix into batters.

St John’s Wort

This grows wild but is native to Germany. The green sprouts beside the brown dried seeds are what is used to harvest the herb. The purple dots on the underside of the leaves are what contain the medicinal chemical.

Health benefits: a potent anti-depressant – but never to be used by pregnant women, as there are negative side effects

To use: Don’t. It’s not advised to experiment without knowing the real dosage level. Best to buy a natural supplement instead.

Wild rice (which is actually a grass) and wild asparagus can also be found in Ontario.

Trees

Willow trees

All willow trees are a source of ASA, or a natural source of aspirin

Health benefits: a reliable non-opiate painkiller found in the forest

To use: cut off a branch and steep slowly on medium or low heat for an hour in water. Strain & drink. Never boil.

White Cedar

Health benefits: very high in vitamin C; prevents insect bites when used topically.

To use: crush the greens between your hands and rub on your skin as a natural bug spray, or steep into a tea. Never boil.

All Evergreens

Any evergreen tree is high in vitamin C
Steep needles slowly to make a tea – never boil for a tea it unless you want to ingest a toxic syrup.

Fruit

Black Cherries

These come from the black cherry tree, identifiable by bark that resembles Corn Flakes.

Health benefits: high in antioxidants.

To use: gather the fruit which has fallen at the base of the tree.

Mulberries

Found all over Toronto, ripe mulberries are nature’s gummi bears.

Health benefits: high in antioxidants.

To use: shake the tree & eat. Careful: only eat if it’s ripe. Unripe mulberries and leaves are hallucinogenic!

Staghorn sumac tree

Her fuzzy antler-like branches are easy to spot.

Health benefits: very high in vitamin C.

To use: Steep red fruit & strain to make a tart tea. Chill to make sumac lemonade.

Tip: The berries are the best picked in the fall.

Juniper Berries

These tiny blue berries have a distinct cedar taste.

Health benefits: high in antioxidants, but an old wives’ tale says that too much can make you sterile.

To use: Add dried & crushed berries to sauces

Rosehip

Any rose flowers are edible, regardless of the species.

Health benefits: very high in vitamin C

To use: Rosehips are the fruit when the petals of the flower falls off. The leaves and flowers are also edible in salads or teas.

I wouldn’t eat roses grown for the “love industry” – not sure the dyes or pesticides sprayed on there.

Wild grapes, wild raspberries, and wild strawberry can also be found in Ontario.

Give me 6 mins/day and I’ll double the length & strength of your hair

2011-06-01T21:50:07Z

In Hawaii, after a couple months of green juicing

I grew up thinking that hair growth is something you can’t change.

Some people would say “my hair just grows so quickly!” and others would complain, “I don’t know, for some reason, mine just grows so slowly.”

I also believed that the thickness of your hair is something that can’t be changed.

That all changed when I started drinking green juices every day.

I went through a phase when I couldn’t even look at a green smoothie any more – I just was sick of them. (I probably wasn’t switching up the ingredients enough, but that’s a different story).

I stressed out for weeks wondering how I’d get in 2 bunches of raw leafy greens per day, to make sure I was getting enough nutrition.

I finally caved and bought a juicer. Not even the “proper” juicer like a twin-gear extractor. I bought the cheapest juicer I could find. $100. Sure, you’ll do.

I did this purely to make sure my sugar cravings would stay at bay, knowing that if I missed a few days of greens, they’d come back.

Here’s how it would go:

8:15am: open fridge, take out 1 bunch kale, 1 english cucumber, 1 lemon, and 1 apple
8:16am: assemble juicer and wash produce
8:17am: juice everything
8:18am: pour juice into water bottle and throw out the pulp
8:19am: run hot water and rinse the entire juicer. If you rinse immediately, there’s no need for soap (for 1 week) and it can be done in 90 seconds flat.
8:20am: Chug.

When I started drinking 1L of green juice per day, my hair doubled in length and strength. You can clearly measure something like this yourself – keep track of where your hair sits (chin, shoulder, back) and check back again in a couple weeks.

I personally went from growing 1 inch every 2 months to 1 inch every month.

Here’s what also helps:

MSM – natural form of sulfur, an element which helps hair be shiny and strong
Cutting out any unnatural chemicals (turn up your nose to packaged food)
Consistency. Do this every day for at least 4 week and see what happens.

Make sure you change up your juice frequently. Some recipes:

Spinach – celery – carrot – apple
Swiss chard – cucumber – grapefruit
Bok choy – cucumber – apple – lemon – mint – sprouts
Dinosaur kale – celery – watermelon – watermelon rind (tastes just like watermelon)
Parsley – halapeno – ginger – lemon – apple – cucumber

If you really want to take your hair (and health) to the next level, and can afford to give yourself the royal treatment, the one thing I’d recommend is to join a juice fast.

You clean out your system like you wouldn’t believe, your energy shoots through the roof, you lose weight, cellulite just vanishes, and you become more mindful. It’s also a very powerful hedge against negative emotions.

We’re so glad to be hosting a juice fast at the House of Verona in May 2011, lead by the one and only Philip McCluskey.

Learn more about this rare opportunity to connect with Philip and take back your health here.

To book a spot, call 1-800-252-2826 or email bookings@houseofverona.com.

An OceanGrown Heirloom CSA is coming to Toronto

2011-02-25T19:34:35Z

Photo: My Tartelette

We were so excited to hear that an OceanGrown Heirloom CSA is coming to the GTA in spring 2011!

What is a CSA?

Standing for Community Supported Agriculture, a CSA is an arrangement where a group of people purchase shares in a farmer’s yield. The farmer tends to it and then delivers the produce weekly.

The advantages of a CSA for farmers:

They are is paid upfront for the season (in deposits) and do not have to worry about sales – only on producing the best crop possible
They can obtain input from shareholders on what they want to eat, so it’s easy to modify supply based on demand

The advantages of a CSA for consumers:

They can meet the farmer and knows exactly where their food is coming from
They can influence what is grown since they are shareholders
They are supporting their local farming community
They are participating in a more sustainable way of eating

Photo: Cannelle et Vanille

New Wave Organics (+1-519-492-2990) is a Guelph-based CSA which will be growing heirloom produce with OceanSolution, which is a type of water that contains 90 trace minerals.

Food that is grown with OceanSolution is highly superior to even regular organic produce because it is packed with almost all of the possible trace minerals your body needs. The colour, texture, and flavour are also greatly enhanced.

Photo: Cannelle et Vanille

Below is the list that they will produce – if there are certain vegetables you want them to grow, let them know and they’ll do their best to grow it!

Beets – 3 varieties delivered with the tops
Beans – green, yellow, purple
Broccoli
Brussels sprouts
Cucumbers
Carrots – orange & purple
Herbs – dill, parsley, basil, oregano, mint
Lettuce – romaine, leaf, bib/butterhead
Garlic
Kale
Onions – bulb & green
Peas – snap & snow
Peppers – hot varieties
Potatoes – white & red
Radishes – delivered with tops on
Rhubarb
Spinach
Swiss Chard
Tomatoes – red & yellow
Turnip
Watermelon – mini
Cantaloupe
Zucchini
Winter Squash
Wheatgrass & Sprouts

Wild food:

Wild Elderberries
Wild Hops
Wild Lamb’s Quarters
Wild Pigweed
Wild Arugula
Wild Dandelion
Wild Mustard Greens
Wild Purslane
Wild Nettle
Wild Horsetail

Stewart, Farmer at New Wave Organics

Shares will go on sale next month. The House of Verona doesn’t take a commission – we just fully support what these fine folks are doing.

Upcoming Retreats

We’ve bought the first share of the CSA and will begin integrating their produce onto our spring & summertime menu.

Our spring retreats are filling up and early-bird deadlines for reduced rates are approaching:

Get Juicy! Juice Fast in May, 2011 (100% raw juice)
Spring Cleanse (100% vegan, 95% raw)
Fight Cancer with Food (100% vegan, 50% raw)

Call 1-800-252-2826 or email bookings@houseofverona.com to reserve a spot.

Growing your own superfoods

2011-02-08T22:50:20Z

We were thrilled to learn that model and blogger Anthony Anderson (also known as the “raw model”) has recently come out with a line of superfood seeds which can be grown even in a Canadian climate.

Here’s what he provides:

Astragalus (immunity, digestion, metabolism, heart health)
Burdock (vitamins A, Bs, and EFAs; cleans the blood)
Calendula (flavonoids, antiviral, anti-inflammatory)
Dandelion (almost all vitamins, minerals and aminos)
Goji Berry (all aminos, 5x vitamin C of oranges)
Holy Basil (antimicrobial, acne, antifungal, anticandida)
Lamb‘s Quarters (almost all vitamins, minerals & aminos)
Maca (libido, sexual dysfunction)
Nettles (urinary tract, anti-inflammatory, antiviral, prostate)
Stevia (only sweetener on earth which doesn’t raise insulin)
Wild Chamomile (flavonoids, diabetic symptoms, anti-inflammatory)
Wild Cherry Tomato (vitamin C, K, A, Bs, anti-oxidants)
Wild Mountain Spinach (almost all nutrients and aminos)

Most are easy enough to plant using basic gardening skills.

If you haven’t gardened before, call our friends at the Young Urban Farmers – they are the absolute experts on how to grow food in urban centres.

Growing with OceanSolution also boosts the minerals in your food.

Growing your own food is not only extremely rewarding, but so beautifully sustainable – even in a city, you can help local insects and birds thrive while improving your personal air quality, well-being and self esteem.

If you’re looking to jump-start your motivation to be healthy, join one of our spring retreats and eat fresh, local, wild & organic foods on our gourmet menu where many items are made with food we grow ourselves.

Coming up:

Philip McCluskey’s Juice Fast Retreat – May 5-8 or 5-11
Eva Sue Wah Sing’s Fight Cancer w/ Foods Retreat – June 3-5
Marni Wasserman’s Spring Cleanse Retreat – June 26-30

Or, customize your own private retreat for a group of 4-100.

Give us a ring at 1-800-252-2826 to book a spot.

How to grow new capillaries

2011-02-03T15:49:34Z

Capillaries are lovely little things.

They’re the smallest of our body’s blood vessels which are in charge of the exchange of oxygen and nutrients between blood and our tissues.

The healthier your capillaries are, the healthier your tissues will be.

For example, if you are trying to prevent wrinkles, having a high amount of functioning capillaries ensures that more nutrients are delivered to your tissues, such as Vitamin C, which is essential to creating new collagen.

The Copenhagen Muscle Research Centre at the University of Copenhagen found that high intensity intermittent endurance training actually induces capillary growth.

This form of exercise (with rests in between high intensity training) also lead to the proliferation of endothelial cells, which are the cells which line the the inner walls of blood vessels.

Endothelial cells reduce the turbulence of blood flow, which lets blood be pumped farther.

Bottom line: intense endurance training can lead to more & healthier capillaries, which leads to more nutrients being delivered to your tissues, keeping you younger, longer.

Join one of our spring retreats and get plenty of exercise outdoors in the fresh, warm Blue Mountain air.

Coming up:

Philip McCluskey’s Juice Fast Retreat – May 5-8 or 5-11
Eva Sue Wah Sing’s Fight Cancer w/ Foods Retreat – June 3-5
Marni Wasserman’s Spring Cleanse Retreat – June 26-30

Give us a call at 1-800-252-2826 to book a spot.

Hope you’re enjoying the winter!

Holiday Gift Cards Now Available

2010-12-01T21:24:53Z

In the spirit of the holidays, your favourite raw/vegan vacation property is giving away extra gifts with each purchase of a gift card for the holidays.

Gift cards can be put towards either:

an upcoming group retreat; or,
a private retreat for your family or group of friends

When you purchase your card, we’ll send you a personalized wooden gift card in the mail on the same day, with a personalized note for your recipient.

Here’s how to order a card:

Call 1-800-252-2826
Email bookings@houseofverona.com
Tweet at us @YafaSakkejha
Pay with PayPal

Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukah, and Happy Holidays!

How to naturally whiten eyes

2010-11-29T02:27:32Z

We all notice how young people have spectacularly white eyes, and how each passing year seems to make them a touch more yellow.

There is a chemical reason behind this, and “yellowing” of the eyes can be ameliorated.

Why our eyes change colour with age

A chemical reaction called The Maillard Reaction is responsible for this decolouration. This reaction happens when heat is applied to food, and glucose binds to proteins, forming abnormally tight complexes called advanced glycoxidation end products (AGEs).

This reaction is what gives food its flavour, colour, and texture. For example, the Maillard reaction is what is responsible for plain bread becoming golden-brown toast.

A build-up of AGEs leads to the lens crystallines (the lens situated behind the iris) to become progressively yellow-brown pigmented with age, a result of the Maillard reaction.1

The following foods need the Maillard reaction in order to become their edible forms:

Toasted bread
Malted barley as in malt whiskey or beer
Roasted or seared meat
Roasted coffee

So, eating too much food containing advanced glycoxinated end-products accelerates the process of our white eyes becoming yellow.

How to naturally whiten your eyes:

Cut back on refined carbs, and eat more whole grains.
Do not over-cook your food. Raw, steamed, and boiled is always better than fried and barbecued.
Choose whiskey and beer less often.
Cut back on coffee slowly.
Make sure that every meal has at least 50% raw vegetables and fruits.

Sources: