Little by Little

Eating healthy can seem overwhelming for some people when they are just starting at. If you look up healthy diets you will be shown a vast and colorful variety of diet plans to choose from. Which one do you choose. In my personal opinion, I find that introducing healthy eating a little at a time is a great way to go about it. In post about the importance of drinking water I talk about starting off with just drinking more water. Each day or each week if you want pick something healthy to add to your diet. Don’t start out by taking things away from your diet, instead get excited about the healthy foods you are about to start enjoying. Health starts in the mind and having a positive outlook on what you are about to do will go longer in keeping you on your dreams and goals for a healthy happy you. Here are some things you can start to incorporate into your daily life.

Eat more fruit in the warm weather. Cut up fruit and make fruit cups and you can quickly grab out of the refrigerator. You can eat these as they are or add yogurt and granola for a heavy snack or light breakfast. (Add bananas to fill you up and make a heavier meal.)

Drink fruit infused water  

Savory Dinner Treat yourself with a savory vegetable and meat dinner. Make a special lunch or dinner for yourself with these easy savory meat and veggie meals.

Healthy Snacking. You can add a healthy snack to your snacking options. Try adding a piece of fruit, or a handful of raw nuts to replace one of your usual snacks.

Try heavy salads. Don’t go with a boring side salad instead make a heavy salad as your main or only dish. I have had some amazing salads that were packed with more than just lettuce. Try adding protein to your salad, like salmon, chicken or shrimp. Here is a Spicy Sweet Chicken & Peach Salad with Honeyed Pecans you may enjoy from “Clean Eating” magazine. I recommend checking out their website for some really amazing recipes.

Take a walk. Get outside and enjoy some fresh air in your lungs. You can make it a rapid walk or just a leisurely stroll. The point of the walk is to clear your mind and refresh your body with oxygen. This is all part of developing a healthy mindset about living healthy.

Deal with stress in a healthy way. We all have stress, some of it is good and some is detrimental to you. Know there are some things you really have no control over. Talk to yourself and tell yourself to let these things go they are taking up valuable space in your mind that could be used to manage issues that you really do have control over. Take up a fun hobby. Taking up a hobby is another way to deal with stress, you are giving  your brain time to relax and decompress.

Meditation, prayer, stillness. Whatever your personal religious views or none religious views, take time to still your mind. Start with just 5 min a day. Still the noise in your mind each day and come to a feeling of peace and oneness with yourself. I recommend picking a pleasant thought to hold in your mind such as an image of something that makes you feel calm and happy. This may be the thought of a flower or a nature scene that you have seen before or a place you have been and found relaxing.

Remember take it a little at a time and don’t stress or overwhelm yourself, its a pleasant walk not a race. Enjoy

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Ginger and Lemon Tea (Hot/ Chilled)

Ingredients 

1 teaspoon fresh grated ginger

½ Squeezed lemon

1 cup hot water

2-3 teaspoons raw honey

How to Make

Boil 1 cup of water. When water is done pour into tea cup or mug. In a tea strainer add your freshly grated ginger root. Squeeze half of a lemon in and add 2-3 teaspoons on honey according to taste. You can also make a larger amount and chill your tea for a refreshing cool drink during hot weather.

Health Benefit breakdown

Lemon

•         A good source of vitamin C.
•         Helps supports weight loss
•         Clears skin by detoxing the body
•         Aids in digestion
•         Helps prevent kidney stones.
•         Breath Freshener

Ginger

•        Helps with nausea
•        Helps to reduce muscle pain
•        Soothes indigestion
•        Reduces cold and flu symptoms

Honey

•        Rich in nutrients and antioxidants
•        Soothes coughs and sore throats  
•        Good for digestion problems
•        Can help with seasonal allergies

 

Easy Sage Tea

Here is what you will need

• 1 tablespoon fresh sage leaves or 1 teaspoon dried sage
• 1 cup water
• Half a lemon (adjust to your taste)
• 2 teaspoons of honey (adjust to your taste)

1. Heat water to a boil
2. Remove water from heat
3. Drop sage leaves into water.
4. Allow to steep for three to five minutes.
5. Strain the leaves before pouring into your tea cup
6. Sip and enjoy

Health Benefits of Sage Tea

• Helps to detox the body
• Menopausal Symptoms -Hot flashes
• Anxiety
• Digestion
• Free radicals
• Helps To lower cholesterol

Cautions Sage is a herb that interacts with hormones in the body, this is why  you should avoid sage tea if you are pregnant or nursing or if you have allergies to sage or other plants like such as peppermint and oregano. If you have any type of  hormone-sensitive conditions do not use sage without talking to your doctor.  Over use of sage can cause nausea so use with caution.

Avoiding Health Imbalance

This week I was having a conversation with my Mom. We were talking about extremes in health and diet. Growing up in a very health aware family I was exposed to many ideas on health and sometimes opposing views on proper nutrition. I am fully convinced that there is no “one size fits all” when it comes to health. Our bodies, while sharing many similarities are not identical.  Everyone has a different makeup and body chemistry.

 No, One Size Fits All

Not everything that works for one person will work or is suited for everyone. I personally have struggled with depression and was advised to use St. John’s Wort, which has helped many with depression; however I cannot take it for that issue. You may ask why someone who so strongly promotes herbs and teas would admit that they do not always work the same for everyone, but I think it is important to make sure that we are fully informed about how natural medicine works.

Still Medicine

Treat your natural medicine as just that medicine. If you experience a negative reaction to natural form of treatment stop using it  and contact your doctor or health care provider. Don’t think that your doctor will not work with you either. Many doctors understand that people seeking to use alternative health methods. Often  your doctor can offer you advice on using natural remedies or point you in the right direction.

Don’t get locked in Fad Diets

If you find that a particular diet is not working for you examine how you feel and make adjustments to your diet. Do not lock yourself into a diet, a lifestyle or health mentality that keeps you from staying open and discovering your true health needs. You are unique and there is no one person just like you on this planet. Enjoy that thought and then find the joy and freedom of embracing a health plan that is right for your body. Your body will tell you when you are healthy or when you are ill. Trust it.

 

Drink More Water

In a recent post I mentioned that drinking water is in my opinion one of the first and best steps to take in clean eating. As I was writing I thought about how often we have a hard time drinking water. Most of the time I hear people give 4 reasons why they do not drink enough water. 1. Don’t like the taste. 2. Forgetting to drink. 3 Makes me feel bloated. 4 keep running to the bathroom.

 I don’t like the taste Reason number one is, “I don’t like the way water taste.” I think this is a valid point. Water really can have a wide range of taste and some of it really is yuck!

There are a few things that contribute to how water taste. Spring water (not bottled spring water) I mean right from a spring that is pure if often sweet and can leave a faint after taste like honey. Other water can have a soft texter to it, while water heavy with trace minerals can actually feel heavy in your mouth. If you have really bad tasting water go with an bottle water option or a water delivery service. If you want to use your tap water look into a water purification system. There is also boiling your water. Boiling water can actually improve its taste and texture.  

Fruit infused water This is one of my favorite ways to drink water. Cut up fresh fruit like strawberries, lemons, whole blueberries ect. Not only will it improve the taste, but its pretty too.

Forgetting To Drink Water You just have no idea how many options there are for reminding you to drink water. From apps to smart water bottles that connect to your phone. The Drinkup water bottle connects to your smart phone and prompts you to drink water by sending you reminders. You can even send reminders to friends and family if they have the water bottle as well.

Feeling Bloated or Running to the Bathroom These two reasons are related. As said before your body needs water to flush itself. When the body is starved of water the body will hold on to what little it has. When you first start drinking water you may feel sick and bloated because the body has not been able to throw the toxins out. As the body flushes it stirs up the toxins to get them up and out of you. The bloated feeling will go away if you keep at it. (Don’t drink too much in one setting) The running to the bathroom is about the same. The body has been holding on to wast without the power of water to push it out,now it has water and its going to flush you out. Once you are in the habit of drinking enough water you will not have to go as often once your body is adjusted.

9 Health Benefits of Drinking more Water

1. Improved Sleep
2. Alertness
3. Improved Energy
4. Healthy Appetite
5. Clear skin
6. Better circulation
7. Prevents Dehydration
8. Regulates body temperature
9. Weight Loss

 

 

Lilac Flower Tea

INGREDIENTS

• 2-3 cups (packed) lilac flowers (remove all leaves)
• 1 lemon
• 1-2 tsp maple syrup
• 3-4 cups boiling water

7 Health Benefits From Green Tea

1.Improve Brain Function

2. Green Tea Increases Fat Burning and Improves Physical Performance

3.Lower Your Risk of Some Types of Cancer

4.Protect Your Brain And Prevent Cognitive Decline

5 Lower Your Risk Of Type II Diabetes

6 Maintain A Healthy Cardiovascular System

7 Improve Your Dental Health

 

 Tiesta Green Tea

• + green tea
• + lemongrass
• + orange peel
• + lemon peel
• + bergamot oil
• + natural flavors

https://tiestatea.com

 

Passion flower Tea

Passion flowers (passiflora incarnata) are beautiful to look at, they are also wonderful for making a relaxing stress reducing tea. Passion flowers are native to the southeastern United States, and Central and South America. The plant has climbing vines and flowers that come in shades of purple, lavender, and reds.

The tea can be used to treat  insomnia, anxiety, adjustment disorder, attention deficit-hyperactivity disorder, pain, fibromyalgia, reduces  anxiety and nervousness

Do not take taken more than 3.5 grams of a specific extract (Sedacalm by Bioplus Healthcare) over a 2-day period. Do not give to children, nursing or pregnant mothers.

Passionflower  is a natural sedative and can cause sleepiness and drowsiness.  Do not Passion flowers with sedative medications as this may cause too much sleepiness.

Method of preparation

 1 tablespoon of dried passion flower in a cup of boiling water. Allow to Steep for 8-10 min. You can add sweeteners if you like. I recommend either local raw honey or raw sugar instead of white sugar. You can also add a squeeze of fresh lemon. Then set back and relax.

Cozy Christmas and Holiday Drinks

Homemade Hot Cocoa

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/4 cup baking cocoa
• Dash salt
• 1/3 cup hot water
• 4 cups milk
• 3/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
• Small marshmallows,
• Sweetened whipped cream or cinnamon sticks,

Directions

• In a saucepan, combine sugar, cocoa and salt. Add water; bring to a boil. Cook and stir for 2 minutes. Stir in milk; heat to serving temperature (do not boil). Remove from the heat; stir in vanilla. Whisk until frothy. If desired, garnish with marshmallows, cream or cinnamon sticks.

For Swiss Mocha Cocoa: Add 2 to 2-1/2 teaspoons instant coffee with vanilla. For Canadian Cocoa: Add 1/2 teaspoon imitation maple flavoring with vanilla. For Slim-Trim Cocoa: Omit sugar. Combine cocoa, salt and water. Substitute fat-free milk. Proceed as above. Stir in vanilla with artificial sweetener equivalent to 1/2 cup sugar.

Nutrition Facts

1 cup: 211 calories, 7g fat (4g saturated fat), 27mg cholesterol, 125mg sodium, 32g carbohydrate (28g sugars, 1g fiber), 7g protein.

Originally published as Homemade Hot Cocoa in Country Woman January/February 1997

Christmas Coffee

Prep Time

1 min

Author: Back To The Book Nutrition

Ingredients

• Water
• Grounds for 12 cups of coffee
• 15 whole cloves or a pinch of ground cloves
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• 2 Tbsp pure maple syrup can substitute brown sugar

Instructions

1. Fill the machine with water and place the grounds in the filter basket of the coffee machine as you normally would. Sprinkle the cloves and cinnamon on top of the grounds.
2. Place the maple syrup in the bottom of the empty carafe before seating in the machine.
3. Brew as usual.

Merry Christmas Tea

Ingredients

• 1/3 cup minced fresh gingerroot
• 2 cinnamon sticks (3 inches), crushed
• 8 cups pomegranate juice
• 2 cups water
• 12 individual Raspberry Zinger tea bags
• 1/3 cup honey

Directions

• Place ginger and cinnamon sticks on a double thickness of cheesecloth. Bring up corners of cloth; tie with a string to form a bag. Set aside.
• Place juice and water in a large saucepan. Bring to a boil. Remove from the heat. Add tea bags and spice bag; cover and steep for 8 minutes. Discard tea bags and spice bag; stir in honey. Serve warm.

Nutrition Facts

1 cup: 163 calories, 0 fat (0 saturated fat), 0 cholesterol, 27mg sodium, 41g carbohydrate (41g sugars, 0 fiber), 1g protein.

Originally published as Merry Christmas Tea in Country Woman Christmas 2011

Sweet Almond Oil Sugar Scrub with Frankincense

Ingredients

• 1 cup raw organic sugar
• 1/2 cup sweet almond oil
• 10 Drops of Frankincense essential oil
• 5 Drops of lavender essential oil

Recipe

1. Place sugar, almond oil and essential oil into a bowl and mix.
2. Add 10 Drops of Frankincense Essential oil
3. Add 5 drops of  lavender essential oil