Natural Health and Wellness

Give kids a chance to like fresh, living foods. Beyond the regular finger foods of carrot and celery sticks, expose them to tasty salads. It's ok. Let them play with their food. The other night I served my 6-year-old some rice pasta and marinara sauce along with a small bowel of cabbage, carrot, and cilantro salad (no dressing). After only 2 bites of the pasta, she literally pushed her bowl aside and grabbed her bowl of salad. Gobbled it down and had 2 more helpings! This is now one of her favorites! "I could sing my mouth is so happy!" she told me. So how do you get kids to like more raw fruits, vegetables and salads? Expose them to the salad at high-hungry times (after physical activities, snack times, before meals). So what if they fill up before dinner... it's the best thing they can eat! Eat living salads yourself, and often (do as I do, not as I say) Make games of it: "Are you a rabbit?? Here's your munchy, crunchy meal!" Ask them intriguing quest...

There is a myth (and a circulating email) that states placing cut onions around your home helps ward off colds and flu. The myth has pretty much been debunked. However, you CAN help ward off and reduce your symptoms by EATING ONIONS. Onions are rich in antioxidants and have antiseptic and ant-inflammatory properties . It can dry your congested sinuses, reduce phlegm, and reduce your cough, among other healthful benefits. Eating onions raw is best, as it can quickly clear up some of that congestion. Mince the onion well, mix with honey, and eat a spoonful. You can also try making onion tea by adding a chopped onion to 3 cups of boiling water. (Feel free to add some honey to this as well). Allow the water...

Want or need to boost your energy? Besides... getting enough sleep (going to bed and getting up at consistent times), drinking plenty of water throughout the day (at least every two hours), maintaining a balanced, whole-food, plant-based diet with regular feedings - but not too much, avoiding excess stimulants (like caffeine and sugar) here are some other helpful energy boosters! (Whew, as if all the above wasn't enough, right?) Goji Berries High on my list of amazing super foods, goji berries pack a healthy punch as being one of the most nutritionally dense foods in the world, and they make a great snack! They contain a healthy balance and dose of both macro- and micro-nutrients, including a high-quality, plant-based complete protein content containing 18 amino acids (and all 8 essential amino acids) along with a rich source of antioxidants (including carotenes, beta-carotene, and zeaxanthin - great for eye health). Goji berries also contain up to 21 trace minerals, like zinc, ir...

One of my favorite, eye-opening movies on the impact of food and health. You can watch the entire video online!

Most of us live busy lives that leave us exhausted. We want more energy, but fail to develop the habits that will bring that energy to us. As Charles Nobel said: "First we make our habits, then our habits make us." Plug yourself into habits that make you energized! Here are some simple tips to a healthier and more energetic you! 1. Chew your food to liquid before you swallow This allows you to digest your food easier (saving your body's energy for other important tasks); gives you the most nutrients out of your food for fuel; and creates a healthier alkaline internal environment (promoting increased health and vitality). 2. Drink water at least every 1-2 (waking) hours Even when we “think” we are hydrated, we generally are not. This causes fatigue. By drinking every couple of hours we will not allow ourselves to become dehydrated. When you are thirsty, you are already dehydrated - and exhaustion is sure to follow. ...

Fruits and vegetables are good for you. We all know that. But they can be expensive. What can we do to save the cost and still get the best produce money can buy? To get the most out of your produce and your wallet buy fruits and vegetables that are grown locally and in season. Fruits and vegetables begin to lose their nutritional value immediately after being picked. The longer they are in transit, the more nutrients are lost. Even though organic foods are more expensive, you are receiving more nutrients and less harmful toxins (herbicides & pesticides) from them. In addition, you are supporting your local farmers, which in the end can also save you money by helping their business grow! The best way to buy local, organic produce is from local farmers and farmer’s markets. You not only get your fruits and vegetables closer to their harvest time (less time in transit and on the shelf means more nutrition and less cost), but you have less people handling your food, less transportatio...

It is hard enough to get adults to eat enough fruits and vegetables, especially high-quality, raw ones. But anyone with a child knows that the task is much more challenging. Many parents worry about their toddlers who seem to eat very little. When they do eat, the foods of choice are not usually naturally colorful, fresh produce in large variety. And getting a school-aged child or teenager who is always on the go (and pressured by peers and the giant food marketing industry) to eat well seems like a very uphill battle. None-the-less, the value of fresh, raw fruits and vegetables and other naturally raw, nutritional foods are vital for not only the body, but for those growing minds and spirits too. Here are a few basic steps to begin the transition: 1. Transition Slowly. Slowly remove the more toxic & processed foods from their diet; 2. Replace processed foods with organic fruits, vegetables, nuts, and seeds; 3. Put healthy snack trays out in an accessible place for your child. S...

Check out this Great Movie Trailer of "Raw for 30 Days". The feature movie is set to be released in Spring 2008!

Of all the species of life on earth throughout history, only one alters it from its original raw state. No wonder why our species experiences more diseases than all other species combined. The SAD diet includes on average about 5,000 artificial additives each year. Raw broccoli contains just about as much calcium as whole milk and is linked to lower cancer risks.

Simplicity can be easily be found in food, however complex our grocery stores, restaurants, food advertisements, and kitchens have become. All we need to do is look back to nature. We remind ourselves where we and our food came from, and it wasn't a brightly colored, shrink-wrapped container. Nature has provided humans and animals life as long as we've been here: before fire, farms, and factories. In it's raw form, food is more nutritious and life-giving than, obviously, its processed and cooked counterpart. Why eat Live Food? Because of the laws of nature that say: * Things produce after their own kind; * From Life only can Life be created; * We are what we eat The concept is simple. Live food creates a live body, dead food creates a dead body. Our bodies were designed to be fueled by live, organic foods. They are rich in nutrients, enzymes and life energy. When cooked, processed or altered in other ways, food nutrients, enzymes and constituents become damaged and our ...

Living Food (Raw Food) Why choose living foods? Live (Raw) contain more life (more enzymes your body needs to digest so it doesn't have to deplete other resources, more vitamins, minerals and nutrients, and more vital life energy to name a few). Is a Twinkie, sausage, or donut grow when you plant it in the ground? Can a cooked apple re-grow itself? Nope. But I have a whole seedling patio garden started from the seeds of the fresh, live food I eat. That is life force. (So I actually haven't tried to plant donut, but I would be amazed if a donut tree sprouted up!) There is a wealth of information on Raw and Living foods in books and on the internet. I hope to touch base just a bit more here, but if you are at all interested check out the other links and resources on the subject. I am not here to judge an eating, health or any lifestyle practice someone else has. I think it is important to enjoy, approve and be happy with our own individual lives . And if this lifestyle could be p...