Smashed Cucumber Salad With Lemon Herb Dressing and Raw Sheep Milk Feta Recipe

Salads are a staple for people who wish to make positive changes to their health. You can have a salad during breakfast, lunch or dinner using your favorite crisp vegetables. Add in some high-quality protein, fruits, raw nuts and seeds plus a drizzle of flavorful salad dressing, and you’ve got a hearty and wholesome meal.

If you’re running out of ideas for your next salad, look no further than this Smashed Cucumber Salad With Lemon Herb Dressing and Raw Sheep Milk Feta from My Longevity Kitchen.

Now that summer is in full swing, the cool and refreshing taste of cucumbers will tickle your taste buds. The creamy feta cheese and tangy and rich lemon-olive oil dressing complement the cucumbers very well, too.

Ingredients:

• 1 English cucumber (seedless), peeled
• 3 ounces sheep milk feta cheese (raw)
• 1 small handful of fresh parsley, chopped
• 6 chives or 1 scallion, chopped
• 2 Tbsp. lemon juice (from organic lemon)
• Zest from ¼ organic lemon
• 1/4 cup olive oil 
• 1/4 tsp. Himalayan salt

Procedure:

1. Place the peeled cucumber on a large cutting board with a larger sheet of plastic wrap covering the cucumber on all sides. Get ready to smash: using a heavy-bottom pan, press down on one end of the cucumber until you feel it start to crack.
   
   
   
   
   

   
   
   Now, starting at the same end, give your cucumber a few whacks until it starts splitting and smashing all the way down the length of the cucumber.
2. After smashing, remove the plastic, and slice the cucumber into 1-inch slices, leaving the cucumber in its original shape.
   
   
   
   
3. Use a spatula to carefully transfer the cucumber onto a serving platter (it will take a few trips), recreating the shape of the smashed cucumber.
4. Mix together your dressing: parsley, chives, lemon juice, olive oil and sea salt.

Assembling the Salad

1. Right when it’s time to eat, scatter the feta cheese pieces all over the cucumber. Drizzle all of the dressing on the cucumber and feta, being sure to cover the outside pieces of cucumber too. Serve with a spoon. This salad will save well in the fridge; even though it gets watery, it’s still delicious.

Note: If you are unable to locate raw sheep feta, organic feta cheese may be substituted.

Say Hello to Health Boosts With This Smashed Cucumber Salad

Unlike traditional salads that use leafy greens, this Smashed Cucumber Salad With Lemon Herb Dressing and Raw Sheep Milk Feta Recipe uses “smashed” chunks of delicious cucumber as a base. Even better, the salad dressing isn’t store-bought and artificially flavored, but a homemade blend that is rich in healthy fats courtesy of the olive oil and nutrients from both the lemon juice and zest.

Be as Cool (and Healthy) as a Cucumber

Cucumber contains numerous health benefits, especially when they’re fresh and organic. For starters, these bright green vegetables are hydrating because they’re 95 percent water, and are rich in antioxidants but low in calories.

Cucumbers are also a very good source of fiber. The soluble fiber in these vegetables dissolves into a gel-like texture once it’s in your gut and aids in slowing down your digestion. This process enables you to feel full longer, which helps in maintaining a healthy weight. Cucumbers can also help boost your brain health because of an anti-inflammatory flavonol called fisetin, which could improve your memory and shield nerve cells from age-related decline.1

Aside from these health benefits, however, cucumbers could greatly help in reducing your risk of breast, uterine, ovarian and prostate cancers.2 This occurs because of the presence of both polyphenols called lignans and phytonutrients called cucurbitacins.

Raw Feta Cheese Is the Right Choice

If you’ve had Greek salad before, surely you’re familiar with feta cheese. This soft cheese made from either goat’s or sheep’s milk is known across the globe for its creamy and crumbly texture and salty and tangy flavor.3

Although this recipe calls for raw feta cheese made from sheep’s milk, you can use just about any type of raw cheese that you like. Don’t let so-called “health experts” fool you into thinking that raw, unpasteurized cheese is harmful. There are actually health benefits you can get from raw cheese, such as:

• High-quality proteins and amino acids
• High-quality saturated and omega-3 fats
• Minerals such as calcium, zinc and phosphorus
• Vitamins A, B2, B12, D and K2
• Conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) that can fight cancer and boost metabolism

Raw and unpasteurized cheese made from grass-fed animal milk is also better than pasteurized cheese created with milk from grain-fed animals, as the former has:

• An ideal omega-6 to omega-3 fat ratio of 2:1
• Five times more conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) compared to pasteurized cheese
• Higher amounts of calcium, magnesium, beta-carotene and vitamins A, C, D and E
• Zero traces of antibiotics and growth hormones
• Natural enzymes that have been preserved because the cheese is unpasteurized

Love Your Lemons

There’s more to this bright citrus fruit than just for making lemonade. Instead of buying salad dressing at the grocery store next time, try using lemon juice as a base, sprinkle in some lemon zest and mix with olive oil. Not only will your dressing taste great, but it will deliver health boosts as well.

Lemons have an impressive amount of vitamin C that can fight infections. They also contain citric acid that can assist with proper digestion and work toward dissolving kidney stones, as well as ascorbic acid (vitamin C) that may inhibit the onset of scurvy. Meanwhile, flavonoid glycosides called esperetin and naringenin that are present in lemons help get rid of harmful free radicals.

You can also find flavonoid antioxidants in lemons that can help combat heart disease, cancer and inflammation.4 Plus you can be assured of healthy mucous membranes, skin and vision because of beta-carotene, lutein, zeaxanthin and vitamin A, to name a few.

Throw in Some Coconut Oil for a Good Dose of Healthy Fats

I've written about the benefits of coconut oil before, and there's no shortage of praise for this amazing product. For one, it's a great source of high-quality healthy fats, most notably lauric acid. In fact, coconut oil contains the highest amount of lauric acid than any other food on Earth.

The benefits of lauric acid kick in once it becomes digested and converted into monolaurin. It's been found that monolaurin may help with fighting ailments such as influenza, measles, protozoa and even HIV and herpes. Coconut oil may also promote heart health and healthy brain function, and may give your immune system a boost.

Despite having only a handful of ingredients, this recipe brings a plethora of health benefits that your body will surely love. If you're not into spicy food, give this recipe a chance. Who knows, maybe you'll like it!

About the Author

Inspired by the ideas from the “Perfect Health Diet” and the Weston A. Price Foundation, Marisa Moon started her blogMy Longevity Kitchen so she can share with other people her whole food and gluten-free recipes that maximize nutrition and minimize toxins. Her blog has been nominated for Paleo Magazine’s 2015 Best New Blog Award. All of her recipes are gluten free and compliant with a variety of ancestral diets and real food lifestyles.

Apart from managing her blog, Marisa also teaches nutritional lifestyle workshops and develops recipes for HI-VIBE, an organic superfood juicery, all in Chicago, Illinois.

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Try a Massage to Reduce Your Pain

By Dr. Mercola

Pain is the reason behind about 80 percent of physician visits in the U.S. Not only does pain, especially persistent and chronic pain, take a physical toll but it also interferes with patients’ social, mental, emotional and spiritual sides.

A person struggling with pain may find it difficult to carry out daily activities and engage in social activities. Psychological health and quality of life also often suffer. Unfortunately, medication is the go-to pain treatment in the U.S.

As a result, we now have an epidemic of opioid overuse and misuse, with people quickly becoming hooked on the drugs, often after taking them for chronic pain, like back pain. Deaths from overdosing on opioid painkillers now far surpass those from illicit street drugs.

The point is, if you’re struggling with chronic pain, it makes sense to exhaust all other options before moving on to prescription drugs. And one option that’s definitely worth trying due to its effectiveness and excellent safety record is massage.

Massage Helps Relieve Pain

A systematic review and meta-analysis, published in the journal Pain Medicine, included 60 high-quality and seven low-quality studies that looked into the use of massage for various types of pain, including muscle and bone pain, headaches, deep internal pain, fibromyalgia pain and spinal cord pain.1

The review revealed that massage therapy relieves pain better than getting no treatment at all. When compared to other pain treatments like acupuncture and physical therapy, massage therapy still proved beneficial and had few side effects.

In addition to relieving pain, massage therapy also improved anxiety and health-related quality of life. It’s unknown how massage, which involves the manipulation of soft tissue, alleviates pain, but it’s likely that multiple mechanisms are at play. These include factors that are:

• Biomechanical
• Physiological
• Neurological
• Psychological

Massage is far from a new form of pain relief and was described by Hippocrates as an effective therapy for sports or war injuries.2 As noted in Pain Medicine in a call to action for massage therapy for pain, this age-old practice is desperately needed in our “pill for every ill” mentality:3

“ … [T]he ‘pill for every ill’ mentality of many Americans, including those investors in pharmaceutical stocks, has generated significant health and social issues for this country.

This issue is exemplified by the major public health crisis of chronic pain in America and has been highlighted recently by its most prominent symptom — opioid misuse and addiction.”

Massage Might Work By Reducing Local Inflammation and Providing Stress Relief

The benefits of massage therapy for pain relief are established enough that it’s commonly used during physical therapy and rehabilitation from injury. In one study, researchers took muscle biopsies from study participants who had received massage therapy or no treatment for exercise-induced muscle damage.

It turned out that massage therapy reduced inflammation and promoted mitochondrial biogenesis in the skeletal muscle.4

In addition, a review published in the journal Complementary Therapies in Clinical Practice revealed that moderate pressure massage reduced depression, anxiety, heart rate and cortisol levels and altered EEG patterns to indicate a relaxation response.5 According to the study:

“Moderate pressure massage has also led to increased vagal activity and decreased cortisol levels.

Functional magnetic resonance imaging data have suggested that moderate pressure massage was represented in several brain regions including the amygdala, the hypothalamus and the anterior cingulate cortex, all areas involved in stress and emotion regulation.”

Frequency and Dosage Matter for Certain Types of Pain

Some people experience immense relief from massage, anecdotally speaking, while others do not. The difference might come down to the dose. Researchers from the Group Health Research Institute in Seattle looked into the optimal massage dose for people with chronic neck pain.

Study participants received 30-minute massages two or three times a week, or 60-minute massages one, two or three times weekly (with a comparison group that received no massages).6

Compared with the no-massage group, those who got massages three times a week were nearly five times more likely to report a significant improvement in function and more than twice as likely to report a significant decrease in pain.

The best pain-relief results were obtained by those who received 60-minute massages two or three times a week. It appears that longer massages worked best for neck pain, as did multiple treatments a week, especially during the first four weeks.

If you try massage therapy and find you’re not getting relief, you therefore may benefit from altering the dose and frequency. There are other variables that impact massage effectiveness as well, such as the technique used and the skill level of the massage therapist.

When choosing a massage therapist, ask your holistic health care provider to recommend a certified massage therapist who is experienced in the type of pain relief you’re seeking.

More Than 80 Percent of Hospitals Now Offer Massage Therapy

A survey by the American Hospital Association (AHA) found that 82 percent of hospitals offering complementary and alternative therapies include massage therapy as an option.

Among them, more than 70 percent offer massage therapy for pain management and relief.7 The practice has a positive reputation among those who have tried it. According to the American Massage Therapy Association (AMTA):8

“In a recent consumer survey commissioned by AMTA, 91 percent of respondents agreed that massage can be effective in reducing pain, and nearly half of those polled (47 percent) have had a massage specifically for the purpose of relieving pain.”

AMTA notes that massage has a beneficial impact on pain just by the virtue of human touch, and may be especially effective for relieving low back pain, migraine pain and pain from carpal tunnel syndrome. AMTA points out several proven benefits of massage for pain relief:

• Massage therapy may alleviate the perception of pain and anxiety in cancer patients
• Massage therapy may reduce post-traumatic headaches better than cold packs
• Massage received in a hospital after heart bypass surgery reduces pain and muscle spasms
• Massage stimulates your brain to produce endorphins. According to AMTA, “Massage therapy benefits that are applicable to sufferers of any kind of pain include the stimulation of endorphin production in the brain and the encouragement of patient confidence in improving their condition.”

Stronger massage stimulates blood circulation to improve the supply of oxygen and nutrients to body tissues and helps your lymphatic system to flush away waste products. It also eases tense and knotted muscles and stiff joints, improving mobility, and flexibility. Massage is said to increase activity of the vagus nerve, 1 of 10 cranial nerves, that affects the secretion of food-absorption hormones, heart rate, and respiration.

19 Non-Drug Solutions for Pain Relief

Massage is only one non-drug option for pain relief. Below are 19 more that may be very effective in helping you become pain-free. I do understand there are times when pain is so severe that a prescription drug may be necessary. Even in those instances, the options that follow may be used in addition to such drugs, and may allow you to at least reduce your dosage. If you are in pain that is bearable, please try these first, before resorting to prescription painkillers of any kind.

1.Eliminate or radically reduce most grains and sugars from your diet: Avoiding grains and sugars will lower your insulin and leptin levels and decrease insulin and leptin resistance, which is one of the most important reasons why inflammatory prostaglandins are produced. That is why stopping sugar and sweets is so important to controlling your pain and other types of chronic illnesses.

2.Take a high-quality, animal-based omega-3 fat: My personal favorite is krill oil. Omega-3 fats are precursors to mediators of inflammation called prostaglandins. (In fact, that is how anti-inflammatory painkillers work, by manipulating prostaglandins.)

3.Optimize your production of vitamin D by getting regular, appropriate sun exposure, which will work through a variety of different mechanisms to reduce your pain.

4.Emotional Freedom Techniques (EFT) is a drug-free approach for pain management of all kinds. EFT borrows from the principles of acupuncture in that it helps you balance out your subtle energy system. It helps resolve underlying, often subconscious, and negative emotions that may be exacerbating your physical pain.

By stimulating (tapping) well-established acupuncture points with your fingertips, you rebalance your energy system, which tends to dissipate pain.

5.K-Laser Class 4 Laser Therapy: If you suffer pain from an injury, arthritis, or other inflammation-based pain, I’d strongly encourage you to try out K-Laser therapy. It can be an excellent choice for many painful conditions, including acute injuries.

By addressing the underlying cause of the pain, you will no longer need to rely on painkillers. K-Laser is a class 4 infrared laser therapy treatment that helps reduce pain, reduce inflammation, and enhance tissue healing — both in hard and soft tissues, including muscles, ligaments, or even bones.

The infrared wavelengths used in the K-Laser allow for targeting specific areas of your body and can penetrate deeply into the body to reach areas such as your spine and hip.

6.Chiropractic: Many studies have confirmed that chiropractic management is much safer and less expensive than allopathic medical treatments, especially when used for pain such as low back pain.

Qualified chiropractic, osteopathic, and naturopathic physicians are reliable, as they have received extensive training in the management of musculoskeletal disorders during their course of graduate healthcare training, which lasts between four to six years. These health experts have comprehensive training in musculoskeletal management.

7.Acupuncture can also effectively treat many kinds of pain. Research has discovered a "clear and robust" effect ofacupuncture in the treatment of back, neck and shoulder pain, osteoarthritis, and headaches.

8. Physical therapy has been shown to be as good as surgery for painful conditions such as torn cartilage and arthritis.

9.Astaxanthin is one of the most effective fat-soluble antioxidants known. It has very potent anti-inflammatory properties and in many cases works far more effectively than anti-inflammatory drugs. Higher doses are typically required and you may need 8 milligrams (mg) or more per day to achieve this benefit.

10.Ginger: This herb has potent anti-inflammatory activity and offers pain relief and stomach-settling properties. Fresh ginger works well steeped in boiling water as a tea or grated into vegetable juice.

11.Curcumin: In a study of osteoarthritis patients, those who added 200 mg of curcumin a day to their treatment plan had reduced pain and increased mobility. A past study also found that a turmeric extract composed of curcuminoids blocked inflammatory pathways, effectively preventing the overproduction of a protein that triggers swelling and pain.9

12.Boswellia: Also known as boswellin or "Indian frankincense," this herb contains specific active anti-inflammatory ingredients. This is one of my personal favorites as I have seen it work well with many rheumatoid arthritis patients.

13.Bromelain: This enzyme, found in pineapples, is a natural anti-inflammatory. It can be taken in supplement form but eating fresh pineapple, including some of the bromelain-rich stem, may also be helpful.

14.Cetyl Myristoleate (CMO): This oil, found in fish and dairy butter, acts as a "joint lubricant" and an anti-inflammatory. I have used this for myself to relieve ganglion cysts and a mildly annoying carpal tunnel syndrome that pops up when I type too much on non-ergonomic keyboards. I used a topical preparation for this.

15.Evening Primrose, Black Currant and Borage Oils: These contain the essential fatty acid gamma-linolenic acid (GLA), which is useful for treating arthritic pain.

16.Cayenne Cream: Also called capsaicin cream, this spice comes from dried hot peppers. It alleviates pain by depleting the body's supply of substance P, a chemical component of nerve cells that transmits pain signals to your brain.

17.Medical cannabis has a long history as a natural analgesic. Its medicinal qualities are due to high amounts (up to 20 percent) of cannabidiol (CBD), medicinal terpenes and flavonoids.

Varieties of cannabis exist that are very low in tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) — the psychoactive component of marijuana that makes you feel "stoned" — and high in medicinal CBD. The Journal of Pain (JOP),10 a publication by the American Pain Society (APS), has a long list of studies on the pain-relieving effects of cannabis.

18.Methods such as yoga, Foundation Training, acupuncture, exercise, meditation, hot and cold packs, and mind-body techniques can also result in astonishing pain relief without any drugs.

19.Grounding, or walking barefoot on the earth, may also provide a certain measure of pain relief by combating inflammation.

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What Your Penis Says About Your Life Expectancy

A limp penis isn’t just bad news for your sex life: Guys with erectile dysfunction have a 70 percent increased risk for premature death, a new study from The University of Mississippi finds. 

Poor cardiovascular health is the most common cause of ED, says Tobias Köhler, M.D., an associate professor of urology at the Southern Illinois University School of Medicine. So if you’re unable to get hard, it’s often an early sign that your heart is in trouble.

In fact, many guys whose ED is caused by poor cardiovascular health wind up having life-threatening heart problems like a heart attack in the next five years, says Dr. Köhler.

The vessels that carry blood to your penis are tiny, only one to two millimeters across, so they get clogged easily, says Dr. Köhler. 

If plaque starts to build up in your vessels—thanks to a poor diet, a lack of exercise, smoking, age, or genetics—the blood flow to your penis is the first thing that will get blocked off, Dr. Köhler says. 

That can make it impossible to get an erection.

Related: The Men’s Health Guide to Erectile Dysfunction—the Most Comprehensive Resource Out There For Your Most Pressing Penis Problem

If the plaque continues to build, it will start affecting larger arteries, like the ones that carry blood to and from your heart. That can cause a heart attack or sudden death, he says. 

That’s why it’s crucial to get your ED checked out by a doctor. If you heed the early warning sign, you may be able to fix your cardiovascular problems before they become fatal.

If you’ve been consistently unable to get it up, or keep it up, for three months, make an appointment with your primary physician, says Dr. Köhler.

Tell your doc about your erection problems—and make it the first thing you bring up, so your doctor has time to thoroughly check you out, he says.

(When your erection is up and running again, use this master course on How to Pleasure a Woman to have the best sex of your life!)

If blocked arteries turn out to be the culprit, an improved diet and exercise regimen may reverse the damage and get your penis back in working order, he says. Your physician may also give you an ED drug like Viagra to help your sex life in the meantime. 

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