detox in Phuket Archives – Page 4 of 5

True Colors – How to put rainbows in your diet and feel better, everyday

May 23, 2015 | Healthy Eating

Santosa Detox Wellness Spa Phuket Mixed Fruits

What is “color”?

According to books, the definition of the word color is “a phenomenon of light (as red, brown, pink, or gray) or visual perception that enables one to differentiate otherwise identical objects”

In food color compounds can be natural, from the food itself or artificially added, in order to give food a better taste; scientists did many experiments and found out that if we serve a strawberry juice colored with green pigments, people had the tendency to not perceive the taste as much as when the juice kept its natural red color.

In this article I will write about the natural color present in food, thanks to enzymes and phytochemicals.

According to Susan Bowerman, MS, RD, CSSD, “We eat foods primarily based on their taste, their cost, and how convenient they are,” she notes. “The food manufacturers have done a great job of creating many foods that are easy to eat, inexpensive, and rich in sugar, fat, and salt so that they taste good. Starches, fats, and sweets are the least expensive foods in the diet, so it’s easy to see why we lean toward these ‘brown/beige’ foods. They fill us up for very little monetary cost, but there are significant health costs to a diet that is so high in refined carbohydrates and devoid of the vitamins, minerals, fiber, and phytochemicals that are so abundant in plant foods.”

So what does color have to do with diet anyway?

One word: photochemical. These substances occur naturally only in plants and may provide health benefits beyond those that only essential nutrients provide. Color, such as what makes a blueberry so blue, can indicate some of these substances, which are thought to work synergistically with vitamins, minerals, and fiber in whole plant foods to promote good health and lower disease risk. Acting as antioxidant they protect and regenerate essential nutrients and work to deactivate cancer-causing substances.

A rainbow diet can provide a variety of those nutrients and phytochemicals.

The golden rule here, from my chef-point-of-view is to use creativity and to play with food colors and food plating.

Also in our present culture the color of the food has so many symbolic meanings, like red and white are associated with important events like weddings or holidays, and green and brown are associated with everyday food or simple food: think for example to salads and whole bread or whole pasta.

According to the WHO we should eat all the colors, everyday, and as much as possible.

WHITE: it’s a symbol of purity and simplicity. Think about wedding cakes, or simple foods like rice and milk.

White foods, like almonds, apples, pears, onions, daikon, turnip, garlic, celery, fennel, cauliflower, banana, cashews, endive, coconut, lychees, and rambutans are rich in vitamins, minerals and fibers. They are helpful against cellular aging and circulatory pathologies. They are also bone-strengtheners.

ORANGE AND YELLOW: these two colors make us think about energy, about solar light, gold, saffron, vitality and happiness! In some traditions, like the Roman, yellow pigments were used to dye the clothes used in rituals and ceremonies.

Orange and yellow food contains beta-carotene, which is a precursor of Vitamin A and a powerful antioxidant. They are immunity boosters, help with eyesight and cell reconstruction.

Some foods of this group are: apricot, carrot, cantaloupe, pumpkin, orange, lemon (also rich in Vitamin C), bell pepper, mango, pineapple, etc.

GREEN: green is a symbol of birth, spring, rebirth, strength and Mother Nature. The most significant nutrients are chlorophyll and magnesium, both very helpful in cancer prevention and used as a metabolism booster.

Some examples: broccoli, courgettes, avocado, kale, parsley, spinach, kohlrabi, rocket, basil and other herbs, cucumber, all the varieties of salads (romaine, chard, iceberg, green oak, frisee, escarole) and fruits like grapes and kiwi, amongst many. All of them are very rich in Vitamin C, one of the most powerful antioxidant ever.

RED: it is the color of fire and blood which, on a symbolic level, represents energy and the power to generate it.

Think of watermelon, red beetroot, tomato, red radish, raspberry, cherry, strawberry, red papaya. Their use can help us reduce the risk of cancer and circulatory problems.

BLUE AND PURPLE: they are associated with relaxation, sleep and balance.

The blue and purple foods are used for blood circulation and for eyesight.

These color bombs can include blueberries, blackberries, plums, grapes, eggplants, red dragon fruit (which is more purple than red) and some varieties of figs. They are rich in potassium and are very helpful for general well-being and for the circulation.

So, put as much color on your plate as possible and pamper yourself with the rainbow diet!

Buon appetito!

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Santosa Detox & Wellness Center
Phuket, Thailand

+66 (0) 76 330 600
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3 Soi Plak Che2, Patak Road, Karon,
Amphoe Muang, Phuket, Thailand, 83130

Full Fast Program

Santosa Resort Detox Wellness Spa Yoga Retreat Kata Beach Phuket Thailand DETOX PROGRAMS Fullfast 600X600

Full fast is a full cleanse program specially designed to enable maximum results. You will have no food / no juice but only drink water with cleanses drinks and nutrition supplements. Participants of this program will be subjected to the most powerful, yet natural, body detoxification processes. This program is suitable for those who have detoxification experience and are determined to go deeper for cleanse. A thorough pre-cleanse is also important for the full fast.

JOIN OUR FULL FAST PROGRAM

Juice Fast Program

Santosa Resort Detox Wellness Spa Yoga Retreat Kata Beach Phuket Thailand DETOX PROGRAMS Juicefast 600X600

Juice fast is a cleanse program to nourish and detoxify the body by drinking fresh fruits and vegetable juice. The key is to hydrate and nourish your cells with the correct vitamins, enzymes, minerals and antioxidants. Guests participating in the Juice Fast Program have higher energy levels allowing them to take advantage of the various activities available at Santosa Detox & Wellness Center.

JOIN OUR JUICE FAST PROGRAM

Raw Fast Program

Santosa Resort Detox Wellness Spa Yoga Retreat Kata Beach Phuket Thailand DETOX PROGRAMS Rawfast 600X600

Raw food fast brings together nutritional science and holistic therapies. This program is recommended for guests looking for a long lasting and sustainable post program experience. With a balanced and nutritionally delicious set raw food menu in addition to the regular fasting supplements and a complete program of daily therapies, including regular cleansing sessions, this program is designed to optimize the detoxification process in every way. A raw food diet has shown to increase energy levels, which is great for taking part in many of Santosa’s activities.

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Fasting at home

May 15, 2015 | Detox & Wellness

In case you want to do a fast at home, you will need to do some preparation. The first and foremost is preparing your mind for the practice. Fasting requires discipline but also involves getting to know about yourself. One of the reasons it is part of numerous religious traditions is that fasting is a great way to discover things about yourself and your beliefs.

A normal human body can go for weeks without food. Nevertheless we are all unique. Two people can be subjected to the same conditions and their reactions can be quite different. If you have a serious illness or contraindications such as any kind of deficiency diseases you should not take up long term fasts.

Plan

Select a length of time to do your fast. While many regular fasters can do a fast from 3 to 30 days, beginners should experiment by trying several shorter fasts first to see how their bodies react.

Plan your fast for a period during which you will not be under a lot of stress or during which fasting might interfere with your daily routine.

Pre-cleanse

If your diet consists of a lot of meat, processed foods, and you drink coffee and smoke it may be quite a shock to cut any or all of these things out of your diet. Not drinking coffee, for example, can induce headaches if you are used to having caffeine every day. Cutting back and altering your diet several days before you fast can help your body’s detoxification process be less of a shock once you get into your fast.

Prepare mentally

You will need to begin to learn how you respond mentally to not eating. Sometimes the mind can throw up lots of pent up emotions from the past which are stored in the subconscious mind. The important thing is to understand that being emotional and more sensitive are normal reactions. Keep the mind as peaceful as possible. Maintain a witness attitude during this time. Practice slow deep breathing to make the mind steady and peaceful.

Society

There will also be external challenges. As you move through your day you will inevitably come across food. This is true whether you stay at home, go to work or are on vacation. Anyway, you will find yourself in different social situations. These may be interactions with your family, co-workers, and people that are part of the social communities that you have in your life. Interactions that you have with others can be a challenge because many social interactions involve food. It is good to have some idea of what you might want to say if you get into a situation where others are eating while you, conspicuously, are not. Besides a few people you trust and find supportive, you should consider limiting who you tell. People will ask or tell you all kinds of things about food, nutrition and religion when you mention you are fasting. Realize that there is nothing wrong with saying you do not feel like eating, rather than feeling like you need to tell everyone you are fasting.

Energy level and exercise

Get plenty of rest during your fast. You may experience a drop in stamina and energy during this time. Don’t overexert yourself. Maintain healthy sleep patterns. Fasting is all about rest – physical, emotional, sensory and physiological.

Avoid intense exercise during this time. Instead, try Yoga or Tai Chi. It must be a quieting restorative exercise. A calming way of stretching the body’s muscles is what a fasting body needs. You may also do light walking to keep your muscles strong and to aid in the detoxification process. And you can do resistance training. Working your muscles against a resisting force, helps flush out toxins and waste through the lymphatic system. Lymphatic fluid is only moved by muscle contractions.

Perform enemas

The body has a natural mechanism to throw out toxins from the body during the healing process. These toxins are mostly thrown out through digestive system into the intestines. At this time, one gets a thick white coating on the tongue. The coating may remain even after scrapping the tongue. This is a sign that the toxins are being eliminated.

Within a short period our body turns from burning the usual fuel of food and drink to metabolizing matter already present in our body. This process is called autolysis where a huge amount of morbid matter, fat cell debris, so-called ketone bodies, dead cells and diseased tissues are burned up; and the toxic waste which has accumulated in the tissues for years, causing disease and premature aging, are loosened and expelled from the system. The digestion and elimination systems are the main pathway by which these toxins are thrown out of the body.
As during fasting, the natural bowel movements cease to take place, the toxic wastes would have no way of leaving the system, except with the help of enemas… All this can cause headaches, weakness, dizziness, bad mood. Enemas during fasting will assist the body in its cleansing and detoxifying effort by washing out all the toxic wastes from the bowels.

The toxins may also get removed through the lungs. At that time one may get foul breath which may last for a day or two.

Breaking the fast

Breaking the fast is equally important as the fast itself. When the body goes without food for several days, it sort of gets used to it. The digestive fire goes down meaning the stomach lining is more sensitive and your body is not producing as many digestive enzymes. At that time, one cannot eat or digest large quantities of food. It will be like a shock to the system, if you consume solid food. So one has to gradually increase the digestive fire and bring it back to normal. Start with fresh juices and smoothies and then add soft raw fruits and veggies for the first few days. Begin with frequent small meals, every 2 hours or so. Then progress slowly toward larger meals with more time in between until you reach a ‘normal’ eating routine such as 3 meals a day. Wait at least 1-2 weeks before you consume any form of dairy, red meat, grains, beans or baked goods, coffee and black tea.

Enjoy your fasting at home! Or if you feel it’s too hard to detox at home by yourself, you are more than welcome to join one type of detox program in Santosa Detox & Wellness Center.

How to do a Liver Detox at Home

Apr 28, 2015 | Detox & Wellness

As we learnt in the last Blog Post how important the Liver is, today we will look at a home detox protocol for the liver.

There are many, many Liver detox out on the market and here at Santosa we incorporate a gentle Liver Flush on the 4^th day of your detox to assist your overall experience.

Yet the one I am about to describe is a detox that I have done consistently over the years and have seen amazing results from reduced muscle & joint pain, migraines disappearing, digestion improving and losing weight and improving skin – just to name a few.

Do you have a deeper interest in clearing out your liver of thousands of toxins?
Read on and do this Amazing Liver Cleanse.
This Cleanse helps you eliminate the toxins that are supposed to be transported out of your body through your bile but have turned into “stones” of various sizes.
If our Liver and Gallbladder are congested with these stones it can be very painful and these organs cannot perform their usual functions. And as we learnt in the last post they do a lot for your body!

The Amazing Liver Flush Protocol

The liver cleanse requires six days of preparation,

This is followed by 16-20 hours of actual cleansing.

Things you’ll need:

Apple juice 6 x 1-liter containers (fresh pressed is even better but for convenience organic store bought works well too)
Epsom salts – 4 tablespoons dissolved in three 250ml glasses of water
Virgin olive oil, cold-pressed One-half glass 125ml
Either fresh grapefruit (pink is best), or fresh lemon and orange combined
Enough to squeeze 2/3 glass of juice (160ml)
1 liter jar and a small (250ml) jar with a lid

*Look for oral Epsom salts – not bath flakes!
*Don’t worry if you can’t find grapefruit – the other citrus fruits have the same effect!

Six Days Preparation period

Drink 1 liter of apple juice per day for a period of six days. (You may drink more than that if it feels comfortable). The malic acid in the apple juice softens the gallstones and makes their passage through the bile ducts easy. Drink the apple juice slowly throughout the day, between meals (avoid drinking the juice during, just before and two hours after meals, and in the evening). This is in addition to your normal water intake.

Dietary recommendations: During the entire week of preparation and cleansing, avoid taking foods or beverages that are cold or chilled; they chill the liver and, thereby, reduce the effectiveness of the cleanse. All foods or beverages should be warm or at least room temperature. To help the liver prepare for the main flush go vegan so try to avoid foods from animal sources, dairy products and fried food items. Otherwise, eat normal meals, but avoid overeating.

Be good to yourself

Day 6 of drinking apple juice:

If you feel hungry in the morning, eat a light breakfast, such as a hot cereal or fruit.
Avoid sugar or other sweeteners, spices, milk, butter, oils, yogurt, cheese, ham, eggs, nuts, pastries, cold cereals – basically stay vegan and eat whole foods!
For lunch eat plain cooked or steamed vegetables with white rice and flavor it with a little unrefined sea or rock salt.
To repeat, do not eat any protein foods, butter or oil, or you might feel ill during the actual cleanse.
Do not eat or drink anything, except lots of water after 2PM, otherwise you may not flush out any stones!
Follow the exact timing given below to receive the maximum benefit from the liver flush.

The Actual Cleanse (day 6 of drinking apple juice) Evening

6:00PM: Add four tablespoons of Epsom salts (magnesium sulfate) to three 250ml glasses of filtered water in your 1 liter jar.
This makes four servings, ¾ glass each. Drink your first portion now.
You may take a few sips of water afterwards to get rid of the bitter taste in the mouth or add a little lemon juice to improve the taste.
Some people drink it with a large plastic straw to bypass the taste buds on the tongue. It is also helpful to brush your teeth afterwards or rinse out the mouth with baking soda. One of the main actions of Epsom salt is to dilate (widen) the bile ducts, making it easy for the stones to pass. Moreover, it clears out waste that may obstruct the release of the stones.

8:00PM: Drink your second serving (¾ glass) of Epsom salts.

9:30PM: If you have not had a bowel movement until now and not done a colon cleanse within 24 hours, take a water enema; this will trigger a series of bowel movements.

9:45PM: Thoroughly wash the grapefruits (or lemons and oranges). Squeeze them by hand and remove pulp. You will need ¾ glass of juice. Pour the juice and ½ glass of olive oil into the small jar.

Close the jar tightly and shake hard, about 20 times or until the solution is watery. Ideally, you should drink this mixture at 10:00PM, but if you feel you still need to visit the bathroom a few more times, you may delay this step for up to10 minutes.

10:00PM: Stand next to your bed (do not sit down) and drink the concoction, if possible, straight. Some people prefer to drink it through a large plastic straw. If necessary, take a little honey between sips, which helps chase down the mixture. Most people, though, have no problem drinking it straight. Do not take more than 5 minutes for this (only elderly or weak people may take longer).

LIE DOWN STRAIGHT AWAY! This is essential for helping to release the gallstones! Turn off the lights and lie flat on your back with 1-2 pillows propping you up. Your head should be higher than the abdomen. If this is uncomfortable lie on your right side with your knees pulled towards your head. Lie perfectly still for at least 20 minutes and try not to speak! Put your attention on your liver. You may even feel the stones traveling along the bile ducts like marbles. There won’t be any pain because the magnesium in the Epsom salts keeps the bile duct valves wide open and relaxed, and the bile that is excreted along with the stones keeps the bile ducts well lubricated (this is very different in the case of a gallbladder attack where magnesium and bile are not present). Go to sleep if you can.

If at any time during the night you feel the urge to have a bowel movement, do so. Check if there are already small gallstones (pea green or tan colored ones) floating in the toilet. You may feel nauseous during the night and/or in the early morning hours. This is mostly due to a strong, sudden outpouring of gallstones and toxins from the liver and gallbladder, pushing the oil mixture back into the stomach. The nausea will pass as the morning progresses.

The Following Morning

6:00-6:30AM: Upon awakening, but not before 6am, drink your third ¾ glass of Epsom salts (if you feel very thirsty drink a glass of warm water before taking the salts). Rest, read or meditate. If you are very sleepy, you may go back to bed, although it is best if the body stays in the upright position. Most people feel absolutely fine and prefer to do some light exercises, such as Yoga.

8:00-8:30AM: Drink your fourth and last ¾ glass of Epsom salts.

10:00-10:30AM: You may drink freshly pressed fruit juice at this time. One half-hour later you may eat one or two pieces of fresh fruit. One hour later you may eat regular (but light!) food.
By the evening or the next morning you should be back to normal, and feel the first signs of improvement. Continue to eat light meals during the following days. Remember, your liver and gallbladder underwent major surgery, albeit without harmful side effects.

If you want to know more – read the book ‘The amazing Liver Cleanse’ by Andreas Moritz where you can find more detailed information. This cleanse should be done every 3 months until no more stones appear. Then a bi-annual cleanse is recommended.

Simple Tips to detox your home

Mar 27, 2015 | Detox & Wellness

Rather than turning to harsh chemicals, such as bleach or borax, to banish mold and to clean your house, there are eco-friendly, natural ways at home that won’t hurt your family, pets or the environment.

And the ingredients are easy to find and very affordable.

detox your home shopping list:

Vinegar (either white vinegar or apple cider vinegar)
Tea tree oil solution
Citrus seed extract and water
Lemon juice
Hydrogen peroxide
Baking soda

Those ingredients are great for your house cleaning and they make the best detergent ever to detox your house.

So, without further ado, here are our suggestions for you:

Vinegar:

You can dilute it with water or you can spray it from a bottle onto the area and leave it for few hours, then scrub with a brush. It works miracles on limestone, mold and it kills bacteria as well as viruses. Vinegar also prevents mold if you spray it on surfaces and leave it to dry. You can add some drops of essential oil like mint, lemon or thyme. Thyme essential oil is a powerful antiseptic.

Tea tree oil solution:

Just two teaspoons of tea tree oil mixed with two/three cups of warm water can make a solution you can spray onto mold. It prevents the formation of mold spores and the strong scent keep pests away from your furniture

Citrus seed (or grapefruit seed) extract and water:

They are both very powerful against mold and bacteria and, unlike vinegar and tea tree oil, do not have an odor but their taste is very bitter. You can dilute 30 drops with three cups of water, mix in a bottle and spray where needed. Do not rinse.

Hydrogen peroxide:

With baking soda, this is my best choice when I want to clean my house. Both very cheap, they do miracles. I use them in the bathroom, in the kitchen and over all surfaces that need a deep cleaning.

Use three percent hydrogen peroxide from the bottle on the surface you want to clean and leave for 10-15 minutes. Keep the hydrogen peroxide into bottles in a dark area.

It is also a powerful disinfectant and it removes mold spores.

Baking soda:

Used with vinegar and water, or alone with water, baking soda is very effective at cleaning your house. Here are some suggestions:

– Mix baking soda with enough water to make a paste. Scrub the surface with the paste and leave it for 15 minutes, then rinse with water or vinegar.

– For cleaning oven, pans and baking trays: make a paste with baking soda and water and scrub the surface, as above. Leave it all night. Then rinse with hydrogen peroxide and then with water. This remedy removes all the oily stains and it is chemicals-free.

Do-it-yourself dishwasher soap! With four ingredients and in few minutes…

This is all you need:

8 lemons
800 ml of water
300 grams of salt
200 ml of vinegar

Put the lemon into a pot with water and boil them (like potatoes) until they become soft. Drain the water and cut the lemon in small pieces, discard the seeds and process them until you have a puree. You should have a very thick juice, with no pieces of lemons left in it. If there are still pieces, use a cloth and filter the pulp and keep the dense juice.

Now, mix the puree with 800 ml of water and add the vinegar and the salt. Place the mixture into a pot and bring it to the boil, stirring WITH A WOODEN SPOON, from time to time until the mixture reaches the right consistency…neither too thick nor too runny. It will take around half an hour.

You will get almost 500 ml. of an excellent detergent, 100% ecological!

Use one or two tablespoons of it into your dishwasher.

All-purpose cleaner:

100 ml of vinegar
400 ml of distilled water
8-10 drops of castile soap (or dish soap)
Essential oil, few drops (mint, lemon, thyme, rosemary, lavender, etc)

Place all the ingredients into a spray bottle and use it where needed.

Why Is Detox The Best Way To Reduce Cortisol

Sep 22, 2014 | Detox & Wellness

We have spoken about cortisol in a number of posts – but here is a quick refresher…

What is Cortisol?

Cortisol is one of the hormones released when we become stressed. Adrenaline and Cortisol help us to respond to situations with strength, pace, mental agility and clarity of thought. In small doses, both are very beneficial! The modern lifestyle and our ability to cope has greatly enhanced levels of stress over the years though, so now, we are releasing large quantities of hormones, and cortisol is mucking up the fine equilibrium between all of the others. Why? Because in order to create cortisol, we need pragnenalone, however, pragnenolone is already responsible for our sex hormones – estrogen, progesterone, testosterone, etc. When we rob from it too often, we create a serious imbalance. When leptin starts to get affected, then our metabolism suffers – weight gain occurs, particularly around the abdomen.

To make things even more complex, when we severely restrict calories during dieting, or take part in high intensity exercise – adrenal stress occurs. That’s right – the body treats physical stress in the same manner as emotional trauma, and we produce cortisol to deal with this too! We easily fall into a nasty cycle here – excess cortisol leads to fatty liver cells, and when this occurs – we have insulin resistance and estrogen dominance to contend with as well.

How To Reduce Cortisol?

Everything is starting to look very bleak now, isn’t it! Well, we do have one suggestion. To reduce the dangerous impact of cortisol on the liver and our overall health, one of the best ways to curb the excess levels is to detox. The emotional impact of slowing down, relaxing, taking rest and partaking in proven detox reduction methods, such as meditation and yoga helps to completely alter your mind and spirit. At Santosa we offer all this giving you the chance to carry your detox in Phuket with the help of our professionals.

The physical aspect is also of greatimportance! Clearing the liver helps to reduce the fatty liver cells which cortisol are proven to promote, and when the liver is purified, we are able to work on fat loss and our hormonal equilibrium again. Without a clean liver, these things are absolutely impossible.

The benefits that you can expect when your cortisol is reduced? Weight loss, lower blood pressure, an end to carbohydrate and sugar cravings, decreased mood swings, higher energy levels and of course, decreased feelings of stress!