Lymphatic System Health; Butterscotch Pudding
Health Tip:
I just want to give you a friendly reminder that we should be striving for improvement not perfection. If perfection is your goal for just about anything, you are more likely to give up if you cannot attain that perfection. And let’s face it, perfection is really hard to attain! Instead, concentrate on a little improvement here and there. Before you know it, you will have gone further than you thought!
Monthly Article:
Lymphatic System Health
You may have heard of the lymphatic system. Those lymph nodes that get swollen and tender at your neck when you are sick, etc. The lymphatic system is responsible for 3 major functions.
1. Draining tissue fluid to return it back to the venous system. I will often refer to this as “recycling”.
2. Absorption and transportation of fat
3. Immune response
These 3 functions make the lymphatic system really important for your overall health. If your lymph system is not functioning well you may have issues with swelling in your legs or other areas in your body and your immune system may also be compromised.
Here are 2 simple things you can do to help improve the health of your lymphatic system. In addition to what I go over here, I’ve also included a link to another article online that has other exercises if you’d like to learn even more.
Dry brushing. You may have heard of this already. It involves simply taking a soft brush and brushing lightly over your skin in the direction back to your heart. This will gently move lymph back into the vascular system. A great time to do this is just before your shower.
Get bouncing! While even walking can get your lymph moving, if you want to REALLY get it moving, start bouncing! A rebounder (trampoline) can work as a nice bouncy surface for you to lightly jog on. You can even use an exercise ball and bounce some while seated. Jump rope is a great exercise for getting lymph moving. You do not have to jump with both feet at the same time to still get benefits…do alternating feet if both feet feels like too much bounce to start with. Jump rope is a great exercise in general as well; I have read that 10 minutes of jump rope is equal to an 8 minute mile (please read below on time before attempting 10 minutes!). Don’t have room (or coordination)? Try a “cordless” jump rope with small weights on the end which you can purchase online. (This is what I use as I have such little space in our tiny house.) Start with only a little bit of time jumping as you will be very sore in your calves and feet if you try a lot all at once. I recommend starting with no more than one minute at one time if you are in decent shape. Don’t be afraid to start even lower if you feel it is straining to jump that long. We want progress, not perfection! Listen to your body and don’t overdo it. You have time to slowly work up to more time. If you try to attempt jumping 10 minutes on day one you are very likely to injure yourself and you will have to take time off to recover and have to wait even longer for benefits.
Again, as said before, here is another article you can read on ways to help your lymphatic system:
https://www.powerofpositivity.com/exercises-flush-lymphatic-system/
Recipe of the Month:
Butterscotch Pudding
Serves 8
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 10 minutes
Chill Time 30 minutes
Ingredients
2 ½ cup Full-fat coconut milk
3 Tbs Arrowroot Flour
½ cup Coconut Sugar
½ tsp Sea Salt
5 Tbs Unsalted butter
2 Tsp Vanilla Extract
Optional Toppings
Cacao Nips
Coconut Whipped Cream (recipe below)
Directions
1. Heat coconut milk to gentle simmer in medium saucepan.
2. Whisk coconut sugar, arrowroot flour, and salt together in large saucepan over low heat.
3. In steady stream, pour hot coconut milk into large saucepan, continuing to whisk.
4. Cook while whisking about 5 minutes or until pudding has thickened.
5. Turn off heat. Add butter and vanilla. Whisk until butter is well-incorporated and texture is silky.
6. Transfer mixture to serving cups of choice.
7. Garnish with cacao nibs or coconut whipped cream if desired.
Paleo Treats by Paleo Secret ©2017, pg 119
Coconut Whipped Cream
One 13.5 oz. can Coconut Cream
1 Tbs. Maple Syrup
½ tsp. Vanilla Extract
1. In large bowl, beat coconut cream (or use solidified portion of canned coconut milk after it has been chilled) until light and creamy.
2. Beat in maple syrup and vanilla. Refrigerate until ready to use.
Paleo Treats by Paleo Secret ©2017, pg 60
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