Remember that nourishing your body every 4-5 hours is super important especially in times of stress and working overtime. Focusing on eating even frequent, quick meals a day will help regulate your blood sugar and keep you burning through the fuel you put in your body. Try incorporating balanced meals of protein, healthy fat and carbohydrates and limiting sugar, this will keep you feeling fuller and more satisfied throughout the day and keep your metabolism humming.
Think: Lean meats, beans, whole grains, yogurt w/fruit, vegetables & hummus, nuts & avocado for good fat!
We like to stick to the Dirty Dozen & Clean 15 rule of thumb. Avoiding the most contaminated produce will substantially reduce dietary pesticide risks.
The Dirty Dozen aka 12 most contaminated fruits and vegetables to buy organic are peaches, strawberries, apples, nectarines, pears, cherries, raspberries, grapes, spinach, celery, potatoes, & bell peppers.
The Clean 15 aka commercial vegetables that appear to have the least amount of pesticides are sweet corn, avocado, cauliflower, asparagus, onions, peas, and broccoli. The fruits least likely to have pesticide residues on them are pineapples, mangoes, bananas, kiwi, and papaya.
]]>Something about this season bring on the need to make to get organized, set new goals and simplify. Here are a few ways to spring clean your health habits:
Get Goal Oriented. Take a few minutes to write down some personal goals you have this spring, whether physical, relational or work related it helps our mind process the steps to be made in order to improve an area of our lives that needs some cleaning up by seeing it visually on paper. Keep your list of goals in plain sight somewhere in your home so you get a frequent reminder of your intentions.
Bring on the sunshine. Aim to get 30 minutes of (noontime) sunshine Vitamin D daily if possible.
Move it. Try simple active strategies like taking the stairs, parking a little further away in the grocery store parking lot, take a walk around the block on your lunch hour. These extra steps will make a huge difference in your overall movement through the course of a day, keeps blood moving and energy levels up.
Eat the Rainbow. One of the best ways to improve your overall diet is to simply focus on adding a lot of color to your meals. Embrace the season by eating a fresh variety of produce that is bursting with flavor and nutrition.
Get your Zzzz’s. Shoot for 6-9 hours a night to restore energy levels and give you a great shot at your day. Start shutting down technology early and read a book an hour or 2 before bedtime and try to avoid the snooze button which only causes irritation to your mind and body before rising for the day.
]]>Natural salt is the element that helps to regulate water content in the body. The balance of water and salt in the body is critical. The elements sourced in salt is usually not found in food or supplements in a form that the body can utilize. To maximize the benefits of sea salt, be sure to keep your body hydrated by drinking half your body weight in ounces of filtered drinking water. Natural sea salt helps to balance the entire body so remember that the more you sweat and the more active you are day to day, the more water and salt your body loses. Always replenish both water and salt to prevent dehydration and restore electrolyte balance. Some of the incredible benefits include balancing blood sugar and electrolytes as well as alkalizing the body, help regulate blood pressure help prevent muscle cramping and aid in faster healing after injury and promotes restful sleep.
Refined white table salt won’t do so be sure to source good quality sea salt like Celtic sea salt or pink Himalayan sea salt to reap all the awesome goodness it provides!
]]>Meat stock is used to focus on healing the gut. The main difference is that the stock is not cooked as long as broth, (only between 1-2 hours as opposed to up to 24 hours for broth). Stock is rich in gelatin and amino acids which are super beneficial in healing connective tissue found in the lining of the gut. These nutrients are pulled out of the meat and tissue during the first several hours of cooking meaty fish, poultry, beef and lamb.
Bone Broth is made by cooking only the bones of the animal, simmering for up to 24 hours for poultry and fish or up to 48 hours for lamb and beef bones. (The longer the better!) Broth deal for consuming once gut ealing has taken place and is a far superior source of vitamins, minerals as opposed to stock. Broth is the most efficient and effective way to get amino acids and nutrients to your system for optimal health.
Say it ain't so! Trust me, I know the feeling. Not only do I find coffee delicious but the morning ritual has become a comforting habit I wallow at the thought of giving up. Between cutting back on caffeine consumption and getting a better night’s sleep, it is totally possible to ease up on caffeine with a torture-free plan that pays off and has you feeling better in no time!
Here are ways to cut down on your caffeine consumption:
Winter time can be a little harder to get your sunny Vitamin D but the benefits of some daily D are incredibly necessary to promote health and happiness. Studies recommend try to make it outside for 30 minutes of sunshine daily but Vitamins D can be found in foods that we eat such as wild fish, fish oils, high quality beef, pork and poultry as well as full fat dairy.
Some healthy benefits of Vitamin D include improving your body’s ability to:
Skin holds the second largest surface area of all the body’s organs, but did you know that all internal organs detoxify during a sauna while the body is in a rested rest? We eliminate more toxins while sweating in a sauna than we do working out! This is because the sympathetic nervous activity (stress) can stop toxin elimination.
Here are some tips to enhance your time getting sweaty in the sauna--
Adding Maca powder to your diet on a consistent and regular basis has been known to help in many cases. Some of the best benefits include, increase energy levels and help alleviate chronic fatigue. It can also help reduce stress and feelings of anxiety and even depression. In contrast, Maca can actually stimulate memory, focus and mental ability to learn at a faster rate. Maca root has as great affect on the reproductive system and can improve hormone function in those with irregularities and imbalances, as well as improve sexual function and enhance fertility in women. Try adding high quality Maca root powder to smoothies, yogurt, baked goods and oatmeal for a nutritional boost!
]]>No need to go on any crazy New Year Resolutions cleanses, these easy, natural detox solutions will have you feeling lighter and more energetic without starvation or any weird ingredients and scary side effects!
1. Drink double your weight in ounces of water per day.
Water is vital for maintaining energy levels and for flushing out toxins. For added cleansing help, add some lemon juice! Ditch the Junk
2. Ditch the Junk.
Try to incorporate fruit or veggies into every meal and snack. Meat and dairy should come from grass-fed, cows if possible & nourish your body with health fats from good sources like coconut oil, avocado's and wild caught salmon. Keep your grains whole forms and nix packaged food as much as possible.
3. Increase your fiber intake.
It’s important to get plenty of fiber so that things move along nicely. The last thing you want to do is go through the effort of eliminating only to get constipated and have these toxins sit in your body or get reabsorbed.
4. Sweat.
Moving your body is great for your health anyway, but it can also help you get rid of built-up toxins. But with the excess sweating, remember to drink lots of water to flush out toxins. Sitting in a steam room or sauna will also get you sweating out the bad stuff.
Here are seven ways to keep you feeling good on your way to 2018.
1. Don't skip breakfast
Making sure you have a breakfast routine fires up your metabolism and keeps day long cravings and overeating at bay, especially if it's a day of Christmas parties.
2. Drink water
And lots of it! Often we mistake thirst for hunger. Drink your water throughout the day and have a large glass before your meals and keep sipping throughout the day.
3. Check your plate
Fill half of your plate with salad and veggies then shoot for a quarter of it for your starch and the other quarter with your choice protein. Eye balling your plate proportions gives you lots of wiggle room to enjoy your favorite holiday treats.
4. Don't go overboard
Instead of that gigantic slice of pie, go for one just enough to satisfy your craving, cut your wine with club soda to make a festive holiday spritzer, cut down on putting cheese on every single thing, make your plate and walk away from the food table to really enjoy what’s in front of you instead of mindlessly nibbling while hovering and chatting and remember you don’t have to finish everything on your plate.
5. Get those steps in
Apart from your usual exercise regimen, use the opportunity to walk more while shopping!
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Your gut health is totally responsible in regulating emotions, energy, immunity and even skin health and chronic disease. The good and bad bacteria in your digestive tract is central to your health. When it’s out of whack, it can lead to lowered immunity, poor sleep and other factors that might contribute to exhaustion. Stock up on fermented foods and a wide variety of veggies — and watch out for processed stuff, especially sugar and refined carbs.
Too much time on electronic devicesOur friends at Local Roots Kombucha make hand-crafted kombucha with organic fresh-pressed juices. This fermented probiotic drink is delicious and a refreshing alternative to sugary sodas and juices. Now offering Apple Ginger Lime and Strawberry Lemonade, my two favorite flavors!
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