Special Fertilizer !?

for my intestinal flora : )

since the antibiotic swept away friendly bacteria in my guts, ill have to re-cultivate my intestinal flora all over again....

here are my super probiotic fertilizer.

(from top left)

natto--fermented soy bean

soy sauce --2 year fermented

umeboshi pickled plum

miso -- fermented soy and rice paste

tempeh --fermented beans/grains

and those are the basic macrobiotic foods.

and with these, no need for supplement or pills.

after all, this is the time to start gardening.

im so looking forward to having a new "garden" : )

**choose organic, naturally/traditionally fermented ones.

many of them added additives and alcohol for easy/mass production and do not contain real probiotics.

Jin's Spring Sprouts Salad

enjoy what the new season has to offer!

all kinds of sprouts are available at green markets now.

these young, green, a bit tangy stuff help cleanse the liver, which is overloaded---and overworked-- during winter.
isn't it amazing that the nature just offers us what is best at the right time?

i made this "spring salad" with sprouts, seaweed, soba noodle,and quinoa with ginger/sesame dressing.
yum yum yum!

*recipe
cook soba noodle, drain
soak sea weed mix, and drain
cut sprouts
(if you add quinoa or beans, cook and drain, too)

for dressing
grate fresh ginger
1 to 2 tbs of soy sauce
1/2 tsp of sesame oil
squeeze a bit of lemon or lime (or brown rice vinegar)
toss everything, and done. so easy!

Spring, and the next New Moon

spring has officially come!
cherry brunch i got from union square green market has started to bloom!!

26th, thursday is the New Moon.
so im planning to cook azuki bean this week, and do "mini fasting" on thursday night.
my little new moon ritual to be in harmony with the moon : )

also, the new moon is the start of another moon cycle.
good time to make wishes or plans.
how about writing down a list on a notebook?

and Love......

and having someone who takes care of you when you are sick with TLC....
that's the best medicine and treatment.
and i was so lucky...... : )

thank you xoxo

After Thought ---- Thank you, flu !?

Ancient Asian medical philosophy, such as Yin Yang (Macrobiotics) or Ayurveda, say that colds/flu is a healing crisis as well as a self-cleansing process.

When your blood gets too dirty and your body system gets overloaded, your body naturally starts to cleanse itself with a help of viruses from outside.
And after colds/flu, your body is purified, and immune system is stronger.
You are a whole new person.

The best is to avoid this uncomfortable “cleansing experience” by keeping your body clean and healthy.
But if it happens, instead of “attacking” the viruses with antibiotics, it’s better to let them do their job and wait till it’s gone. --- of course, sometimes it’s not that easy…..

And of course, I don’t want this to happen again.
---I was really miserable!
And as much as I want to hate the flu that made me suffer, maybe I should “thank” or at least “appreciate” their job.

I was listening to some songs right after the flu, and I started to cry for no apparent reason.
And It felt like some suppressed emotion was released. --- I don’t know what yet, though.

Maybe I needed this experience now.
To release “toxin” on physical and emotional level.
To be a whole new person.

And when could be a better time than spring : )

flu and my way of quick recovery 4

Monday morning, when I woke up, I had a bit of headache, but it was gone once I had my usual morning drink "umesho tea" ---umeboshi, ginger and soy sauce with mugwart tea--, and brown rice breakfast.

Still feeling not perfect, but went to the gym and did moderate exercise.
By noon, my appetite was back to normal, so I had usual macrobiotic lunch, and drank strong green tea. ---organic green tea leaf from Japan.

Almost there!
To finish up my treatment, I had an acupuncture treatment, focused especially on immune and digestive system.

By evening, I felt almost normal.
48-hour flu experience was closed…..

flu and my way of quick recovery 3

By early evening, I felt a need to get some fresh air, so I went outside, walked around the corner, then went to receive a quick massage.

For dinner, I made simple macrobiotic meal, ---soba noodle soup with carrot, daikon, kabocha, tofu, and of course, brown rice.
Soba noodle is easy to digest yet contains lots of nutrient, especially protein.
So this is a great meal when you are sick with no big appetite.

At night, I did mugwart moxa on my body---hot herbal cautery.
Mugwart has a big sterilizing power and has been used in Asian countries for centuries.
And went to bed…..

flu and my way of quick recovery 2

By the next morning, the fever dropped significantly and body ache was almost gone.

Now I need some “fuel” to continue to fight, and also digestive system is active during the day, so I ate brown rice porridge with wakame seaweed and carrot tops with umebishi, with miso soup with tofu, carrot and daikon. ---lots of protein, vitamins and minerals yet easy to digest.
That really helped and I felt much better now.

By the way, when you have virus in your body, sugar or eggs are big no-no.
Viruses LOVE those stuff, so they survive long!
in fact, in some labs, flu viruses are clutivated on egg yolks.
funny thing is, you crave sugary, oily, heavy food when you are sick. that's because "they" want it! so don't be deceived!!

And of course, rest.
Actually, I was still extremely tired, so I slept on and off until late afternoon.

flu and my way of quick recovery

Luckily, I recovered at an amazing speed.
I do not recommend my strategy to everybody, since people are different and also, flu or flu-like symptom can be very dangerous.

But here is my story.

First, I skipped dinner on the night when I got this symptom.
Like I mentioned before, 80% of our enzyme is used for digestion and the rest for detoxification and restoration.
So I wanted all my energy to focus on “fighting” against virus.
---I just wanted to feel better asap! They say that flu symptom could last up to one week!

I got flu!!

So I got flu last weekend.
It happened so suddenly.
First I felt chill.
Then fever spiked up to, I don’t know, 103 or so.
And muscle ache spread all over the body.
and extremely tired.
But no runny nose, or sneezing ---cold symptoms.
i was miserable : (
i don't remember the last time --or have i ever?--i got flu.

Why this happened to me?
Here is my analysis.

First, I have been eating sugary foods.... my bad!
--doesn't matter if its organic or not! sugar is sugar!!--
and bugs, viruses and bacteria, all LOVE sugar. So do we!
So I might have had developed a body that attracts bugs…..

Seconds, antibiotics.
I’m basically anti- antibiotics.
but I had to take a huge dose of antibiotics before the dental care because of my heart problem, the past two weeks.

Antibiotics kill all the bacteria in our body system, friendly or bad, without discrimination.
And my friendly bacteria was swept away and my defense/immune system probably became weakened….

That was when I came across the virus!
if only i could see them......

These are what i use instead....

sit on the toilet seat and put these yoga blocks underneath your feet.
it makes your position similar to the one when you are using the miracle step or you are doing your thing in some Asian countries.....

Life Changing Experience!

I went to DUMBO neighborhood, brooklyn, the other day.

There was a indoor flea market going on, where I came across a booth that sells this little, wooden, strange shaped thing(pic above).

Is it a furniture?

I asked the guy what it was.

He said, “it’s miracle step.”
And it was for “complete elimination” !

Here is what it is (excerpt)

“The modern toilet does not position the body properly for elimination. The natural and anatomically correct position for humans is to squat.”

“With this, you are now in a simulated squatting position, knees above your abdomen, muscles relaxed. In this position, the abdominal wall and the bowels are fully supported for a complete, natural and healthy elimination.”

In fact, when I was a kid, most of the households, including my house, were using this squatting toilet.
And at that time in Japan, constipation was rare. --- of course, diet has also changed since then, though….

And when I travel to other Asian countries, some of them are still using this style.

But I have never appreciated –or even liked—it….

But now, I’m very curious.
The step is a bit too expensive for me($150), so I decided to use two yoga blocks($10 each) underneath my feet instead, and tried.
Result?
OMG!
The moment I sit on the toilet seat and put my feet on the block, I feel this natural “urge” to eliminate.
And without too much energy, naturally ---ok, I should stop here.

But really, I have never realized that I was working so hard and using so much energy for “elimination”!

This surely is a life changing experience!

(excerpt/results of miracle step)
"Less bloating, relief from constipation, hemorrhoids,diarrhea, and IBS"

A Trip to A Dentist

i went to a dentisit this morning.
i had been avoiding it for the last 4 years ----i'm just scared!!---, so, just this teeth cleaning was such a hard work, and took almost 1 hour today, just for the left side. ---- i did upper right side last week, and will have to do the lower right side the following week.... : (
anyway, it really consumed my energy --- so did the dentist's, im sure.

for my body to recover fast, i ate less today.

it's said that there are thousands of enzyme in our body system.
and about 80% are used for digestion!
the rest are for detoxification and restoration of the body.

by eating less, or even fasting, our body can use more enzyme for restoration.
in fact, animals, for example, stop eating when they are injured or get sick so they can heal on their own. ---obviously, they have no doctors or medicine.

and if we eat too much--or eat something hard to digest-- when we are sick or injured, more than 80%, maybe 90 or 95 % of enzyme are used for digestion and it takes much longer to heal.

anyway, it seems better to be easy on your stomach when you want to recover fast.

Pickled Veggie

Something you can keep in the fridge and eat with brown rice, when you are too busy to cook or not very hungry, or maybe when you want to do "mini fasting".

Pickle some vegetables!

from left.
1 chinese(napa) cabbage with kombu and ginger with sea salt and brown rice vinegar.

2 gobo with brown rice vinegar and apple cider vinegar

3 daikon radish and umeboshi plum vinegar.

of course, no additive, preservative or sugar.

easy to make and delicious!
they add nice variety to your everday meal : )

The Full Moon -- in Virgo

from tonight, 3/10 to tomorrow, it's the full moon.
the moon is up in the sky, so the moon gravity is from the above.

the body fluid tends to go up to the head, so your head may not be very clear.
your feet may feel cold, so please keep them warm.

our body's elimination power is not strong when the moon is full and above.
especially from the lower parts of the body, so you may be experiencing mild constipation.
---- i am!

the full moon's gravity is not just physical.
they say that the full moon encourages your suppressed feeling to come out to the surface.
it may be a good time to face your inner self.

unfortunately, the weather here is not very good tonight or tomorrow.
but i'm planning to "feel" and appreciate the moon, eating azuki bean and maybe spending more time on meditation....

Toward the Full Moon

did you notice the beautiful crescent moon?
now, the moon is in waxing phrase, toward the full moon.

how it affects us?
our body has more "absorption" power during this period.
---remember that during the new moon phrase, we are in more "elimination" mode?

so if you want to lose weight, it's time to eat less.
also, stay away from "bad guys"!
chemicals, additives, drugs, and other pollutants or toxins, all tend to be absorbed and stored more when the moon is in waxing phrase than usual.
i would say that we eat less fish or meat, too, considering the risk of heavy metals, hormons, and antibiotics.
not just from mouth, but from skin, too.
soap, shampoo, lotion, washing soap, etc etc.....

if you are sensitive, maybe a good idea to minimize alcohol and caffeines, too.
(im not saying that i will give up wines for 2 weeks!)

but don't be too neurotic.
take some time to enjoy the moon!

When to Eat, When Not to Eat

so now, im really getting into it.
i admit that ive been talking about "healthy eating" all the time like everybody else.
but aren't we a bit too obsessed with "eating" to be healthy?
how about "not eating" as an alternative?
or at least "eat less" ?
im not talking about "weight loss" stuff, by the way.

From “yin and yang” point of view, for example, it’s good to eat less or even skip meal in the evening.
According to this philosophy, day time is yang(the sun, active), and night is yin(the moon, still).
Stomach, which is yin(empty), is more active during the yang time.
So it’s good to eat during the day.
Especially breakfast, in order to gain the energy for the day.
If you skip breakfast, already low blood sugar level won’t go up well, so you would feel tired, have less energy, head not very clear, and even overeat and oversnack(tend to be junk!) later in the day to catch up.

If you eat too much late at night(yin), however, when the stomach is supposed to be resting, the food you took won’t be able to be digested well, resulted in fatigue or digestive problems in the morning. ----can you imagine working all night when you want to sleep? Your stomach feels the same!

Also, liver and kidneys(yang) are more active during yin time(night), so skipping evening meal can give some rest to those hard working organs and re-energize them, too.

The best strategy?
Eat breakfast.
Eat less ---or skip from time to time---in the evening. And do not eat after 9p.m.
Also, chewing well is a very kind and thoughtful gesture for your digestive system : )

Follow Up

After the ionic foot bath and “mini fasting”, I really felt better for a while.

Woke up earlier, feeling refreshed, and more energized during the day.
Another good and enexpected “side effect” was the skin on my legs.
During the cold and dry season, my legs are so dry and almost cracked since I was a kid.
I knew that that was partly because of my weak and sensitive digestive system.
In fact, when I overeat, especially oily food, it gets worse.
But after this mini fasting, my legs became smoother and shinier!!
I was really surprised and so happy : )
--except, i indulged myself over the weekend.....so now my legs are dry again..... : (

but maybe, my digestive system IS getting stronger.
I’m thinking of doing “mini fasting” again, maybe once a month or so and see how my body changes.
Would you like to join me on the next new moon?