Easy, Digestion-Friendly Spiced Yogurt

Having had a lot of situational illness and stress-related problems over the past 15 years, I do whatever works for me to help smooth out the digestion. Digestive enzymes are a must, and I also eat digestion-friendly foods along with meals.

One new one that I've taken to lately is spiced organic yogurt. The spice I currently use is Trader Joe's Curry Powder, which is not expensive - a couple of bucks is all. Next month, I may be into some sort of fennel combo.

All you'll need:

• Your fave plain yogurt, preferably non-sweetened
• 3 grams or around a teaspoon of curry powder or other fave digestive-friendly spice or spice mixture

All you do is scoop out your serving of yogurt, then sprinkle your spices on it. This also works for plain kefir, labne (or kefir cheese) as well as all different yogurts (goat, sheep, cow, greek-style, regular, etc).

Recommended spices include those that are warming, soothing and anti-inflammatory:

• Turmeric (GREAT for inflammation from long-term frustration and other stress)
• Cumin (pungent and warming)
• Cinnamon (warming, great for blood sugar issues)
• Licorice and Fennel (soothing to digestion and good for hormonal changes that affect digestion)
• Peppermint (okay, this is a bit cooling, but it's great for digestion)
• Ginger (warming and one of the best for waking up the digestive fires)

Curry powder also contains a few others like cardamom and black pepper, but you can experiment to see which ones work best for you. I find that TJ's Curry is a great combination of spices for me personally and at this point in time.

I also recommend - STRONGLY - don't use anything with added sugars. Sugar creates an environment where the good critters in your gut are diminished and that never helps anyone's digestion. Plain and unsweetened is bitchin' for this recipe.

Blueberry-Avocado Protein Smoothie

This smoothie uses avocado as the thickener for those that don't care for starch-based thickeners, like wheat starch, guar gum, or other thickeners like psyllium.

The recipe is ass-kissingly simple, and the taste is that of "whatever you add to the avocado" since avocados add non-taste-corrupting texture, nutrients and good veggie fats, and nothing more:

• 1/2 ripe organic avocado, cut up
• Handful of organic blueberries, can be fresh or frozen
• Enough quality water to fill your blender to approximately 475 ml (16 oz)

Blend on high, using the pulse button, until the blueberries and avocado are evenly distributed. Mixture will thicken, you'll hear the blender's reaction as this happens.

Then add in:

• 35 g rice protein or other protein powder

Pulse slightly so protein is blended in, or pour your blueberry-avocado mixture into a glass, then stir in the protein. This is especially good when using whey protein, as the whey protein can be degraded by blending it too strenuously.

Optional - add a little of your fave sweetener (like agave, rice syrup, xylitol, etc.) depending on your taste, if desired.

Sinless Graviola Smoothie (aka Soursop, Guanabana, Custard Apple, others)

During my cancer experience, I researched the Internet and found many others using a tropical fruit called graviola in their regimens, before I started using it in my own. The therapeutic parts of the graviola fruit are many, with leaves and stems being great for those dealing with all different types of cancers, and the fruit known to be good for knocking down parasitic infections and more.

I've come across several graviola (also known as soursop, guanabana and several other names) formulas using it and other herbs for medicinal purposes, and also discovered that people from tropical places like Jamaica, the Dominican Republic and Brazil consume graviola regularly as a matter of course, since it literally grows in their back yards.

In the United States, the powers-that-we've-allowed-to-govern-us without much of a to-do at all make much adoo about this plant. But even so, I've ordered soursop smoothies at Chinese and Vietnamese restaurants in Los Angeles as well as in other cities, some in the form of tapioca smoothies and other incarnations.

Most Asian eateries that serve these add sugar to their recipes, due to graviola's--soursop's--being what its name implies: sour. I tend to keep sugar at a minimum in my diet after the whole cancer experience, so here I've compiled a recipe for a graviola smoothie that uses other sweeteners:

• 500 ml ice cubes - use artesian water for these where possible
• 250 ml graviola or soursop pulp - remove any seeds
• 200 ml mineral or seltzer water
• 50 ml rice milk - get the 365 unsweetened variety from Whole Foods
• *10 grams inulin

For graviola/soursop, scout out Asian markets that have exotic fruits, or ask your fave Chinese restaurateur if he or she can point you in the right direction.

*If you can't find inulin, start with a small amount of stevia powder (1/8th teaspoon, add more to taste), or add in one tablespoon of agave nectar. Or, use more of the unsweetened rice milk from Whole Foods, which has inulin in it. Experiment with what works best for you and your taste buds.

Blend all ingredients well in a blender. Decorate with cocktail umbrella and/or fruit on a stick to add panache. Serve immediately, preferably in the sun, near a beach looking out over the ocean.