Mardell Hill

The large Intestines, otherwise known as the Colon, is designed, among other things, to dehydrate the food traveling towards the anus for elimination. As the food matter dehydrates, it turns to “stool”. Without adequate daily water intake, stool turns hard too soon and may not eliminate properly, resulting in constipation.

In addition to consuming plenty of water content foods such as fruits and vegetables, measuring your daily water intake is the best defense to avoiding constipation. Divide your body weight in half, then add 3oz for each ounce of caffeinated beverage you consume, higher elevation, and exercise, then measure and drink.

Keep in mind that you are already dehydrated after sleeping and drinking 20-30oz upon rising is the best start to your day. Wrinkling skin….drink water, headache…drink water, puffy or bloated…drink water, hard poop…drink water, etc…

Eat pumpkin seeds ~ they not only taste good, are good for you, but also kill parasites!

As my book, Intestinal Health mentions, parasites may enter the body through many different avenues:

• Ingesting contaminated water or food OR improperly cleaned raw foods
• Poor hygiene
• Fecal to oral contact – always wash hands after changing diapers or picking up pet feces
• Mosquitoes bites and in some cases, other insect, reptile, or animal bites
• Intimate contact (exchanging bodily fluids)
• Through the nose, mouth, or eyes (be sure to wash your hands before touching these parts of your body)
• Handling an infected animal or letting the animal lick you in the mouth
• Touching contaminated surfaces
• Breathing dust filled air
• Walking barefoot in dirt or sand
• Swimming in contaminated water or swimming with open wounds
• Cleaning dishes or clothing in contaminated waters

Staying in homeostasis (balance) is our best defense. In fact, the intestinal tract is our best immune defense. When our immunity is low (digestive system is functioning poorly), fungus, bacteria’s, and parasites may attack our bodies. Or, perhaps something is lurking in low profile and, due to a weakened immune system (stress, illness, surgery, etc.), an existing “bad” bacteria, fungus, or parasite, is allowed to grow and proliferate in our systems.

Annual preventative cleanses are the best measure for intestinal upkeep and balance plus implementing a re-balancing program immediately after a potentially depleting event. Some of the daily and annual “tools” you might want to use for intestinal support and/or cleansing include:

• Garlic – more specifically Allicin
• Papaya seeds –have anti-helminthic and anti-amoebic properties (more on papaya seeds in another blog…)
• Pumpkin seeds – ground up
• Probiotics – high doses such as 100 billion or more per day for corrective dose
• Chlorella or other algae based foods and powder drinks
• Daily fiber rich foods such as fruits and vegetables – be sure to clean them properly
• Omega Oils are essential for cellular and nerve functions
• Diet rich in “Super Foods” (lists available online – or in my soon-to-be published book)
• Cheyanne pepper, turmeric, etc.

Since symptoms may be caused by any number of internal or external sources, seeing a medical practitioner to narrow the potential issue is always advised. But, in the case of many parasites, bacteria, or fungi, it may be dismissed as “nothing is wrong” yet, you feel like “something is not right” inside your system. Once all potential problems have been dismissed, you may consider a parasite cleanse ~ this is where pumpkin seeds and many other ingredients may be used.

Pumpkin Seeds act as a substance to “kill or expel intestinal parasitic worms” due to the “toxic, tetracyclic triterpenes” contained within the seeds that are released upon chewing or grinding them up. This substance is known to “dumb-out, paralyze, or intoxicate” the worms causing them to release their grip from the intestinal walls (ceasing the blood sucking activity). While this is good news, the second part is that you will need to be active in moving them “out” of your body with the use of fiber, natural laxatives, enemas, or colonics to reduce the reabsorption of their toxic waste (i.e. urination, defecation, decay, and reproduction – yuck!) or worse yet, “waking up” and re-attaching to the intestinal wall.

Since this blog is specific to Pumpkin Seeds, below are some of the ways to consume them successfully:

• Due to fungi that grows on the moist pumpkin seeds, it is always a good idea to toast them on the stove or in the oven prior to eating.
• Chew them into small bits in your mouth prior to swallowing.
• Blend or grind them and add to cereal, sauces, smoothies, coconut, rice, or almond milk, or “live” yogurt.
• Puree them with olive oil, garlic, salt, cilantro, and lemon to make a pesto
• Chop them up and add to a salad
• Add the ground seeds to your morning porridge with apple, cinnamon, nutmeg, coriander, and a sweetener of your choice for the most powerful start to your day!

It’s always good to ease into a cleansing item like pumpkin seeds or similar stimulating fibrous cleansing substances, so start with a small daily amount like 1 Tbs. and work up to as much as 4-7oz a day during your cleanse.

As always, drink plenty of water, but in this case, be sure to drink 10-12oz an hour afterwards and abstain from eating anything else for two hours after eating the pumpkin seeds.

During this “cleanse” be sure to eat a high water-content diet rich in fruits, vegetables, squashes, potatoes, yams, greens, etc. and add a natural laxative to ensure bowel movements (ask at your local health food store for a recommendation).

Wa-La! Feeling better was never any easier than in your own kitchen… And, when in doubt, consult with your medical practitioner prior, during, or afterwards, should you have any concerns.

The other day, I retrieved a box of fresh apples off a local tree. No pesticides – all organic – so wonderful and natural, Right???? Well, of course the worms think so too!

So I took my wonderful box of worm filled apples into the kitchen, poured them gently into the sink, put a stopper in and filled the sink with about 1 gallon of tap water. Next I placed ¼ cup of white vinegar and ¼ cup of lemon juice into the gallon of water. I swished the apples around a few times to ensure all sides were well covered with the vinegar, lemon water solution and let it sit for 15 minutes. Every few minutes, I returned to swish the apples again.

When my 15 minutes was up, I saw lots and lots of black specs and small “s” shaped “things” in the bottom of the sink – LOTS! I showed my son who exclaimed, “Ooooh, mom, worms!” and I explained the black dots were the worms poop.

Next it took out my cutting board and knife, then washed the apples 3 times in fresh, clean, filtered water. Placing them onto the cutting board, I cut around all the worm holes and black debris within the apples, carefully separating the worm portions into a separate bag to tie tightly and dispose of. Since the cutting board had black specs on it, I did one final rinse of the worm-free apple pieces in fresh, clean water, then placed them in a bowl for juicing.

Once I completed my soaking, washing, cutting, and final wash of my amazing apple harvest, I placed them (delightfully) into the juicer resulting in fresh, enzymatic apple juice – YUM! Some of it I placed into the VitaMix, added a banana, peach, and figs to a tongue tantalizing smoothie. My tummy was so very happy with me…

So you say, I won’t pick worm-filled apples. Well, guess what? Worms live on ALL fresh produce, especially berries and greens. They even lay their eggs to ensure a food source upon hatching. So what is the best way to treat all our produce prior to eating? If you don’t want to purchase “fruit and vegetable wash”, then the next best thing is the white vinegar and lemon soak. For 2 cups of water, add 1 Tbsp. of each, for one gallon of water soak, add up to ¼ cup of each and so on, proportional to the amount of water used for soaking. Final note: recently, I was eating at a local organic, farm fresh restaurant and looked down to see a worm crawling through my salad! I told the staff and all they had to say was that it was farm fresh produce… Ugggg…someone didn’t tell them about the “farm fresh produce wash”! OMG… it is so easy and works every time and keep your tummy happy 🙂

Figs are full of nutritional value, essential nutrients, and might just be called a “super food”!

One serving is considered six small figs. These six small figs provide you with:

• Lots of carbohydrates for energy
• Two full grams of protein to building lean mass
• Rich in fiber to make you poop
• Plenty of copper to activate enzymes that support connective tissue, brain cell communication, aids in energy production, AND assists with iron absorption
• Provide vitamin K which helps with blood clotting and fresh figs provide vitamin A for cellular reproduction and eye health

If you eat dried figs, yum… be sure to increase your water intake – just like you would for any dried fruit.

Enjoy your figs:

• As a snack
• Chopped up in a green salad
• Added to chicken salad
• Blended in a smoothie
• On top of cheese slices
• Pureed with olive oil and balsamic or apple cider vinegar for salad dressing
• Or, sliced in a sandwich!

Food poisoning or the Stomach flu are known as either bacterial or viral gastroenteritis. Either way, it is the same symptoms and discomfort. What you’re really want to do is prevent and minimize your exposure!

Here are some of the simple, day-to-day habits you can apply to avoid contracting “gastroenteritis”:

• Avoid preparing food when infected and experiencing diarrhea or vomiting.
• Practice good personal hygiene and safe food handling.
• Wash your hands frequently, especially after being in a public place, and ALWAYS before touching your eyes, nose, mouth, or food.
• Avoid direct contact, such as hugging and kissing an infected person.
• Avoid sharing food, drinks, clothes, towels, or eating utensils with an infected person.
• Avoid food and water that may be contaminated.
• Avoid eating foods that have been left out for more than two hours.

In addition, follow these simple rules and daily habits:

• Drink only filtered, purified, or treated water.
• Separate raw foods from cooked foods.
• Wash produce thoroughly.
• Cook eggs, meat, and poultry all the way through.
• Wash hands, utensils, and all surfaces that have been used for raw meat or poultry.
• Wash hands prior to touching your eyes, nose, or mouth, or food
• Cook and maintain cooked foods at 140 degrees Fahrenheit or higher.
• Reheat leftovers to 165 degrees Fahrenheit or higher.
• Store foods in shallow dishes for quick cooling to minimize bacteria growth.
• Put food away within two hours and refrigerate below 40 degrees Fahrenheit.
• When shopping for food, purchase perishables last and refrigerate them within two hours of purchasing.
• Observe expiration dates on refrigerated packages and frozen foods.
• Avoid eating foods from damaged cans.