It's Not Really Grass Clippings For Lunch

I'm trying to eat healthier these days and I'm still doing the green smoothie for lunch 3 or 4 days of the week.  I know it doesn't look very appetizing in that picture above, but I promise it is very refreshing and I have the recipe down now and it is actually very good.

Remember last year when I found out I had high levels of mercury and lead in my body (blog post Here ) and it was suggested that I use cilantro to help chelate it naturally out of my system.

Well, that's exactly what I've been doing and I already feel better.  No more "brain fog."  I haven't had my mercury levels tested lately because of the expense, but I am still adding plenty of cilantro to my green smoothies every week.

Ingredients for my favorite green smoothie are :  Kale, cilantro, banana, pear or apple, honey, flax seed, cinnamon, turmeric, protein powder, ginger or ginger root, almond milk, diet cranberry juice, herbs such as basil, mint, rosemary, honey, sometimes walnuts, fiber such as Benefiber (otherwise you'll be pooping like a rabbit after eating all that greenery).  Oh, and ice.  Add a couple of handfuls of ice.

I think I have covered just about all the food groups here.  I also add Diet Cranberry juice to the smoothie, but I thought I was out the day I took this picture.  The Murph pointed out that I had a back up bottle in the pantry.  I totally didn't see it and the smoothie wasn't as good.  I added too much almond milk to make up for the lack of cranberry juice and it just wasn't as good.  It only needs a splash of almond milk and about a cup (or less) of cranberry juice. I also add a splash of either lemon juice or lime juice.

I love to add fresh herbs if I have them.  Just a little, but it gives it a really good flavor and added antioxidants.

 I use to take a flaxseed pill every night, but now I add flaxseed to my smoothie.  I grind them up first in the coffee grinder before adding it to the blender.  A trick my husband taught me.

This is a very satisfying lunch and it keeps me from wanting to snack during the rest of the day.

Sort of.  But I have cookies stashed away if I need a snack.  Healthy cookies like Fig Newtons cause everybody knows that figs are good for you.  Right?

At the grocery store today, I was sure I needed a back up bottle of wine although the Murph said I already had a back up.  I said no, I opened the back up bottle last night.  He insisted that no, I had another back up in the pantry.  He was certain.  I said no.

To be on the safe side, I went ahead and got another bottle just in case.  Of course, when we got home, the Murph pointed out first thing that he was right and I had a back up bottle hidden in the back of the pantry.

Way in the very back, so how was I to know!

He was right about the cranberry juice and now he's right about the wine.

He loves being right!

Oh well, now I have a back up bottle of wine for my back up bottle of wine.

You can never be too prepared!

Toxic

Cilantro

                                                 My levels                High Levels

Lead Detected 1210 ug/kg   H 1000 ug/kg ICPMS

Mercury Detected                 1263 ug/kg   H 400 ug/kg  ICPMS

You might have read my post here last week about the chelating green smoothie I'm drinking to try to flush some of the high levels of mercury out of my body.  I have been consuming large amounts of cilantro and reading anything I can find on the internet on the process of heavy metal elimination and mercury poisoning.  For a health obsessed person like me, this hasn't been fun.

Seriously, see my levels of mercury above.  Not to mention lead!  Your body is suppose to natural flush these things out so apparently my body is not doing the job or either I'm doing something that is putting large amounts of mercury in my body.  I don't eat fish so that's not where it's coming from.  I have one silver filling left, but could that produce toxic levels of mercury?  I had a mouth full of silver amalgams when I was 12 years old.  The more I read about them and mercury, the angrier I get about it.

I received the NAC from Life Extensions the other day and have started taking them.  This should also help my asthma and lung issues.  I wonder if my lung issues have any connection with the high mercury levels in my body?   I took one of these for the first time ever before bed the other night and I swear I could feel it working.  My entire body hurt.  I was afraid it was causing some kind of liver damage so I did some research and it actually saves the liver from toxins in your body.  Guess I had LOTs of toxins that night cause every time I've taken it since then it has had less of a noticeable effect.

I'm taking Chorella as well because it helps remove the mercury that the cilantro has pulled from wherever it is being stored (the brain among other places) and get it out of your body.  Apparently, if you don't flush it from your body, it will sit in the small intestines and will just get reabsorbed back into your body.

Mercury isn't the only heavy metal I have in my body.  Here's the report as well as the reccomendations on how to remove some of it.  As you can see, Cilantro was mentioned.  I'm not making this crap up.  Who knew!

Substance Lab Result Test Value High Value Test Method

Arsenic Detected 28.12 ug/kg 80 ug/kg ICPMS

Cadmium Detected 88.98 ug/kg 100 ug/kg ICPMS
Chromium Detected 376.6 ug/kg 500 ug/kg ICPMS

Lead Detected 1210 ug/kg   H 1000 ug/kg ICPMS

Mercury Detected 1263 ug/kg   H 400 ug/kg ICPMS

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Comments 

The Lead detection was slightly elevated. The Mercury detection presented at a level three (3) times higher than reference high values. Please review the Chelation Therapy comment below.

Chelation Therapy - The Reduction of Heavy Metal Levels

If one or more of your heavy metal detection levels reported above substantially exceed the stated reference ranges for the provided test sample you may wish to consider starting a chelation treatment. Chelation is designed to reduce heavy metal levels over a period of time. There are two (2) ways to approach the use of chelation. Present your test report to either an M.D. who specializes in chelation treatments or your local health food store who can offer you effective, non-prescription, products designed for this purpose. Consider a product identified as NAC (N-Acetyl Cysteine- oral) or equivalent. Follow the suggestions of the store technician who should have adequate product knowledge. Follow the product dosage directions stated on the product and/ or packaging container. Of equal importance you need to examine your daily food and drink intake to try and establish a cause for your elevated heavy metals levels. Following chelation therapy of 90-120 days or so you should have another hair strand or urine toxicology test conducted to see if the heavy metals levels are being reduced.

For your information Cilantro, the leaves of the Coriander plant, also known as Chinese parsley, have been reported as being an effective natural herb remedy in the reduction of some excessive heavy metal levels.  HYPERLINK "http://www.google.com/" Learn more. Cilantro is a very popular herbal ingredient found in Mexican cuisine, particularly in the salsa.

I came across this while doing research on mercury toxicity and the health benefits of cilantro.   We are living in such a polluted environment that anyone with any kind of compromised immune system and low glutathione levels could be accumulating this stuff faster than they are able to get rid of it.  I don't know if the Boy has high mercury levels like I do, but he won't touch cilantro or green smoothies anyway.

This guy reminds me of the guys who use to white water kayak with us.  The guys with long hair pulled back in a pony tail that we called "Dude" who found all the best spots on the river to show off their advanced kayaking maneuvers.  The guys that could do a perfect ender and then go right into a pirouette in their kayaks and we would be on the sidelines all clapping and yelling, "DUDE!  YEAH!"

Read more on mercury poisoning here.