Juice away to mend our health day by day.

As we re-introduce colors to our wardrobe for Spring, why not introduce some color to our diets? Michelle writes about how juicing fruits and vegetables can help us restore our bodies from bad health habits caused by addiction. Juice blends are quick, inexpensive and good on the go. Check out the benefits in juicing here

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Revive your Resolution!

When mid January rolls around, its hard to stick to the goals we set ourselves on the 1st. But this article might give us that motivating push we need! Food Babe lists seven Do’s and Don’ts for your New Years Resolution. To check them out click on the link below! Stick with your resolution; stay healthy!

  "Only 8% of People Keep New Year’s Resolutions – Here’s What To Do Instead"
                                                          By Food Babe
                

Reducing Allergies using Holistic Techniques

Post-labor day begins everyone's least favorite time of the year. No, it's not back to school. September brings with it the sneezing and coughing of allergy season due to the increases in airborne pollen. With that, CNN special correspondent Dr. Robert Reinhardt shared that combined with the allergens children are exposed to from returning to school, September has the highest incidents of hospitalization due to allergen-induced asthma attacks. Besides avoiding allergens and taking antihistamines, allergies can be treated through more holistic techniques. Maria of Maria's Farm Country Kitchen  suggests treating the inflammation caused by allergies through a healthy diet and by reducing external stress. The Mother Nature Network blog also suggests changing your external environment to lower susceptibility to allergens. Some of these suggestions include removing shoes before you walk into your house or apartment and showering before bed. Women's Day magazine contributes that acupuncture and homeopathic treatments such as those provided at The Center can help alleviate allergy symptoms. 

For more information and helpful tips from The Center for Integrative Practices, check out our website and facebook page. 

Style and Psychology: A Delicious Blend

Welcome back to The Center for Integrative Practices blog! It's been a while and we are excited to share some exciting news with you. It isn't often style and psychology are mixed, but the New York Times style section featured our very own Dr. Amanda Baten this past week! The article discusses beauty products that are created out of food and the possibility of wearing these food-scented products as a dietary technique.  If you didn't have a chance to read this article yet and see what Dr. Amanda Baten has to say on the subject, check out the online article here! For more information on The Center for Integrative Practices, follow our blog or follow us on Facebook. We'll see you back here soon!

A Diet focused on the Heart

To celebrate the end of American Heart Month, we wanted to share with you a great article posted on the New York Times website this week. The article talks about a diet that is solely focused on keeping your heart healthy. Referred to as "The Mediterranean Diet", this diet is not a new innovative concept but rather dictated by the foods people have access to in the Mediterranean. There is now overwhelming research that shows that while the Mediterranean diet may not help with weight loss, it can help prevent high risk individuals from stroke and heart disease. The best part? Mediterranean food is delicious and accessible. It even includes red wine! To find out more, check out the full NYTimes article and keep checking in with us for more health related news.

Dr. Amanda Baten's Top Juice Cravings

With so many fruits and vegetables to choose form,  it can be hard to decide what the best juice recipes are. To help you on your way to finding your personal favorite juice, we've asked Dr. Amanda Baten to share her favorite juice recipes. She has shared recipes that will not only make your mouth happy, but that will also relax you, settle your stomach and refresh you after a long day of work. Enjoy these amazing formulas:

Relaxation Juice = 4 carrots + 1/2 cucumber. Wash, cut into sections, juice. Relaxation made simple.

Stomach Soother = 5 1/2 heads of cabbage + 1 beet (with leaves) + 2 kiwis. Wash, cut into sections, juice.

Renewal Juice = 8 large carrots + 1/2 beet + 1/2 turnip + 1/2 parsnip + 5 celery stalks + 1/4 rutabaga + 1/8 head red cabbage + 5 radishes + 1 apple. Peel, wash, cut into sections, juice.

We hope these recipes have piqued your interest. Stay tuned for more updates from The Center!

Personalize your Juice!

It's the start of a new year! There are so many new years resolutions to uphold, and here at The Center, we hope to help keep you healthy in your body, mind and spirit. A fun way to do that? JUICE! The juice cleanse has become a popular part of the detox process, but along with detoxifying your systems, juice can provide you with many health benefits if incorporated into your daily diet.  To help you on your way to feeling great, try this website that let's you choose the ingredients that you love (or the ones you happen to have in the refrigerator at the moment) and concocts a juicy creation complete with detailed recipes, nutrition facts and information about each juices health benefits. Dr. Amanda Baten will be sharing her favorite juice recipes soon so stay tuned!

Detox with Dr. Amanda Baten

Detox December is underway! For the next couple of weeks,  Dr. Amanda Baten will be blogging  her knowledge and advice on detoxing.

And now, our guest blogger  Dr. Amanda Baten on the first steps to detoxification:

Cleansing can happen in several ways; fasting, juicing, or eliminating foods and drinks that build up in the system.  We recommend all three, but done in steps and supported by your physician or health practitioner.

Let’s start this week with an elimination diet:

1. Avoid the following: sugar, caffeine, wheat, gluten, dairy, alcohol, drugs
2. Transform to a diet rich in raw fruits and vegetables, with a significant reduction in the intake of processed foods.
3. Start the day with warm water and lemon.  Then have glass of filtered water with 1 tbsp of psyllium husks and a ½ tsp of chlorophyll.
4. Use a body brush (you can purchase this at whole foods) every morning for 10 mins.  Brush towards the trunk and up. This creates detoxification through the lymph nodes.  Remember that skin is an organ of elimination.
5. Switch to organic products.
6. Alter your animal intake. Try leaner meats that are organic, free range, and without hormones or antibiotics.
7. Reduce fish intake and avoid the big fish like tuna, large mackerel, swordfish, and shark.
8. Read labels carefully.  Avoid processed food, dyes, and chemicals.

Here are a list of foods that will promote the elimination diet and support cleansing:

1.     Beets – an excellent source of betaine, which supports detoxification in the intestines, blood, and liver. It is also a great anti-oxidant.

2.   Lemon and Orange Peels – these aid the liver in neutralizing carcinogens 

3.    Chicory, Endive, Radicchio – these greens promote discharge into the GI tract of bile,  a substance that assists in carrying away toxins. 

4.    Cruciferous Vegetables – cauliflower, broccoli, and brussel sprouts help the liver detoxify chemicals, drugs, pollutants. 

5.    Raisins – lessen the burden on the liver by stimulating the kidneys and clearing out poisons in the gut. 

6.    Oatmeal, Apples, Pears, Strawberries, Peas, and Beans – provide soluble fiber to soak up toxins in the intestines and escort them out of the body. 

7.    Asparagus, Avocados, Potatoes (boiled in their skins), Raw Spinach, Okra, Walnuts, and Chicken –  aid in the removal of fat soluble toxins. 

What are the outcomes of a detox diet? You will feel revitalized!  Expect radiance, vitality, and energy, as well as clear skin and better sleep.  Equally as important is increased immunity, better focus and concentration, decreased depression and anxiety, greater self regard by nuturing and taking care of yourself! The other benefits are combating depression, which is affected by a sluggish liver. Our body, mind, and emotions are all influenced by the foods we eat and the toxins that we take into our bodies.

Fall is Delicious

It's hard to remember that New York City is part of a state abound with farms, but it is, and fortunately all city dwellers can take advantage of it. Right now happens to be the best time of the year to do just that as the fall harvest reveals some of the healthiest and most versatile produce of the year:  beans, squash, apples, herbs, tomatoes, beets and greens. As the weather get's colder, as it inevitably does in New York, it is easy to start eating more comforting and less healthy foods. Fortunately, fall foods are so versatile, they can become your comfort food. Squash is a great example of this. Squash contains essential vitamins and minerals that maintain cellular structure to keep your bones and ligaments healthy. It also happens to be delicious baked with some olive oil, salt, pepper, and some rosemary. Take advantage of these foods while they are in season. The Center for Integrative Practices encourages everyone to find there local famers markets for the freshest produce  in New York City. There are markets all over Manhattan that you can find here.

Next week, we will be featuring our newest practitioner, Social worker and Psychotherapist Jennifer Warner. Have a happy and healthy week and stay tuned!

Interview with Dr. Amanda Baten

Website Updates: Dr. Amanda Baten talks about her Clinical and Nutritional Psychology practice and explains why it's important to approach health care from a holistic standpoint in this new interview posted on The Center for Integrative Practice's website:

"What Dr. Baten has created with The Center of Integrative Practices is an approach to holistic medicine that takes every aspect of a patient’s life into consideration to find a specialized combination of treatments that works for each individual visitor." Read more here. 

Dr. Baten will also be featured on "The Dr. Holly Show" on the Veria network this coming fall 2012. Check back for more updates soon!