Food Matters

I share a lot of links on this blog, but please do not pass up the opportunity to watch these free videos.  If you want to live a healthy life, if you are confused by information on health food, if you want to feel better....If you want to know why you truly are what you eat, go to this link for amazing advice that you can apply to your life immediately: FOOD MATTERS!

World Vision Gifts Keep Giving and Giving!

Tonight as people are camped out overnight in anticipation of the biggest shopping event of the year, I am snuggled up on my couch, flipping through my World Vision gift catalog, trying to decide if I want a goat or ten chickens.  That's right.  You read it right.  You see, every year my husband's side of the family has a Secret Santa gift exchange for the adults, and we all submit a "wish list" ahead of time. Goat or chickens?  Either way, I am thrilled to ask for my gift to come from a catalog where gifts change lives.

I look around my living room as I relax against my fluffy pillows, tummy filled with the bounty of the Thanksgiving feast, and I am overflowing with thanks.  I feel truly rich.  How can I not when I see these lovely faces in the magazine and the joy that comes from providing the most basic necessities for their very livelihood.  Basic.  Food, shelter, clean water, education, protection.  Livelihood.

We live in a culture where the latest and greatest rule, yet we all sincerely want to make a difference.  Don't we?  This year when you are looking for a unique gift for your loved ones, consider a gift that will keep giving long after the season. It could save someone's life!  And THAT is the true joy of giving.

So please go to www.worldvisiongifts.org to shop the catalog.  Give a donation and receive a lovely bracelet or scarf for your mom, a Veggie Tales video for your kids, or stainless steel mug for yourself.  Your budget may be tight, but even the smallest gift goes a long way.

Here's to changing a life!

Great American Smokeout Day!

Do you have a loved one who smokes?  Are you a smoker but you want to be a non-smoker?  November 17th is the Great American Smokeout day.  Let's encourage our loved ones to quit smoking....not tomorrow, not the next day...right now!  Smoking is an incredibly powerful addiction.  I've watched more than one family member suffer from chronic illnesses related to cigarette smoking.  Chances are, you have seen the same.

For tips on how to quit smoking you can go to guidepost.org/smokeout

Here's to a smoke free world!

Healthy Sleep Habits

Where have I been?  Can I call myself a serious blogger if I haven't been here in months?  Was I ever a "serious" blogger?  LOL.

I'm nesting....still. Well, kind of.  Our son is now nine and a half months old, and truth be told, I thought I would be blogging more regularly by now.  The thing is, this baby time goes by so quickly.  I don't want to miss a thing.  And I really don't want to miss out on sleep! With a bouncing baby boy and a vibrant five-year-old girl who is home schooling, I'm ready to turn in quite early these days. This is a healthy living blog after all, and I have written about the importance of sleep before.  Sleep is vital to our health and so often we sacrifice sleep to stay up on our computers or watch T.V.  Or sometimes to get the laundry done!

Life is demanding.  Sleep is a necessary component for meeting those daily demands.  As parents, we can help instill good sleep habits in our children early on.  Many times parents aren't sure how many hours of sleep their kids need.  When I became a parent I was totally smitten with my new baby girl.  Weeks after her arrival, I was wishing she had come with a set of instructions.  I went with my instincts and watched for signs of hunger, but sleepy signs were a bit confusing to me.

Then a friend gave me a book called Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child by Dr. Mark Weissbluth.  Early on in my pregnancy I was told to beware of sleep-training books because they encourage parents to let a child "cry it out".  So I was a bit skeptical about the book.  But when I began to read it, everything just made sense.  The book gives parents information to help them understanding the importance of sleep, how sleep habits develop in young children, and a step-by-step guide to help children get the sleep they need for happy, healthy development.  And it offers methods that are simple to implement for both families who co-sleep or sleep in separate beds.

What really made a lasting impression on me was the research that shows a definite correlation between the sleep habits of an individual in childhood and then into their adult years.  In other words, helping a child learn healthy sleep habits is a gift that will last them their entire life.  Like any book, some tips may suit some parents more than others.  Every child is different and there are special circumstances to consider. That being said, I highly recommend this book. My daughter had reflux, which of course made sleep more difficult for her, but thanks to the book I had a better understanding of how to begin implementing a nap time and bed time routine, despite our struggles.  And having reviewed the book after my son was born, healthy habits were established early on.

I love the philosophy is this book about healthy sleep habits leading to healthy lives.  I couldn't agree more....Good night!

Here's to healthy sleep habits and here's to your health!

More Mellow Please

I'm a California girl...though I wasn't born there. I was born in Massachusetts, and my parents moved back to California when I was two. I lived there my whole life, up until our move to Hawaii four years ago. I grew up with no memory of my time in Massachusetts, but the gorgeous photos of the fall leaves, and one very yummy treat, the Fluffer Nutter.

The Fluffer Nutter was a brown-bag essential for us growing up. We didn't eat it every day for lunch, as it was a bit more like dessert than lunch. I always compared it to a candy bar called the Abazaba. Anyone remember that? The sandwich is basically peanut butter and marshmallow creme on white bread.

I cannot remember the last time I ate one of those. And since this blog is about healthy living, I am not about to recommend it...ha ha! But I did find a fun product in my local health food store the other day. It's called Ricemellow, and it's an alternative to marshmallow creme. When I saw it, I couldn't help but reminisce. I had to buy some so I could introduce my daughter to the healthier version of the Fluffer Nutter!

When I got Ricemellow home, we opened it up and took a bite. I was pleasantly surprised. It is quite yummy. Now, I am not going to call it healthy, however it is a great alternative to the typical marshmallow creme and it promises to be GMO free, gluten free, and FAT free. It contains no animal products, no cholesterol, no refined sugars, no corn sweeteners, no added salt, no preservatives, and no artificial additives!

Today my daughter and I took out our brown rice cereal puffs and made one of her favorites and one of my childhood favorites as well, rice crispy treats. She was all smiles, and so was I. YUM!

Flashback Friday

Last year around Easter, I shared the following post with you about dying your eggs naturally. My daughter and I had a fun-filled day with this one. Be sure to click on the link at the bottom of this post for important information about artificial dyes and the safety of our kids. Here's to your health!

If you're looking for a fun little science experiment to do with your kids, here is a truly natural way to dye eggs this Easter. I was reading Clementine Art's blog and found this recipe for natural egg coloring quite intriguing. I am always looking for interesting projects to do with my daughter. She would just love this! A while back I wrote a review for some of Clementine Art products. They are great quality, natural art products for kids. Check out their blog, Darling Clementine, for more creative art ideas, at www.clementineboulder.blogspot.com.

For the egg dying recipe, click HERE

Also, click this link to see why ARTIFICIAL DYES ARE TOXIC

Have a blessed Good Friday!!

Herbal Defense Against Radiation

If you have been keeping up with the latest on the effects of the disaster in Japan on radiation levels in our atmosphere, you might be a little confused by the information we have been given. Here in Hawaii, it was initially thought that we might be in danger of a radiation "cloud" heading our way. Then we were informed that we were in the clear. But a friend of mine did some research and found some alarming information on this LINK about the levels of radiation found in milk from cows on the Big Island of Hawaii. There have been elevated levels in California, New York, and other areas as well. This information made front-page news of our local newspaper, but I have to wonder just how much information the public will receive concerning this matter.

Government officials obviously don't want widespread panic, but should we be concerned? What measures can we take to protect ourselves. Taking potassium iodide prematurely is not a wise choice for our health and this is a measure that should only be considered with the guidance of a medical professional. Are there natural alternatives? Well, I have heard that kelp is one way to combat radiation exposure, but I have yet to find conclusive data to support this claim. (Kelp does offer many other health benefits though.) So what I have included here is a portion of a newsletter from one of my favorite online shops, Health Food Emporium. It has great info about combating the negative effects of radiation naturally.

Here's to your health!

Herbal protection from radiation poisoning? With the disaster in Japan, Health Food Emporium has been swamped with requests for Potassium Iodide to help protect against radiation poisoning effects. It seems that the whole world is out of Potassium Iodide, so we started to research other ideas for natural help against radiation. This is not intended to be any kind of expert analysis or FDA approved. I just went on the web and looked to see what was there, and here are my results:

Holy Basil: There is quite a bit of research online about some herbs that have properties thought to help protect against radiation poisoning. One such herb is Ocimum Tenuiflorum (common name Tulsi or Holy Basil). Wikipedia says: "Tulsi also shows some promise for protection from radiation poisoning and cataracts." A scientific study that I found says: "Antioxidant and radio protective properties of an Ocimum Sanctum Polysaccharide. OSP could prevent oxidative damage to liposomal lipids and plasmid DNA induced by various oxidants such as iron, AAPH and gamma-radiation....." another study I found says: "Radiation protection of human lymphocyte chromosomes in vitro by Orientin and vicenin. Orientin (Ot) and Vicenin (Vc), two water-soluble flavonoids isolated from the leaves of Indian Holy Basil Ocimum Sanctum have shown significant protection against radiation lethality and chromosomal aberrations in vivo." We carry Holy Basil by New Chapter.

Cordyceps: Wikipedia also says: "Some work has been published in which Cordyceps sinensis has been used to protect the bone marrow and digestive systems of mice from whole body irradiation." One study that I found says this: "Radiation Protective Effects of Cordyceps sinensis in Blood Cells. The in vivo experiment showed that CS was able to reduce the production of micronuclei induced by radiation. " We carry Lifeshield Cordyceps by New Chapter and Cordyceps by Host DefenseReishi: Wikipedia also says: "Animal studies have noted Ganoderma (Lingzhi or Reishi) may protect the liver and protect against radiation." We carry Lifeshield Reishi by New Chapter and Reishi by Host Defense

Dark Green Veggies:I also found that many sites suggest dark green vegetables like arugula, turnips, radishes, cauliflower, mustard greens, bok choy, Brussels sprouts, broccoli d'rappe, kale, collards, and of course broccoli - protect your cells from the damaging effects of radiation. In scientific studies, seaweed was able to neutralize radioactive isotopes in the human body. And, common black or green tea exhibited the same anti-radiation effects in several Japanese studies.Be safe, be healthy.Thank you for choosing us!At Health Food Emporium we strive to provide personal service on a Christian Website!

To shop at Health Food Emporium, you can visit their site at http://www.healthfoodemporium.com/ or call 888-244-8948.

Healthy Home Contest

Here is a great way to jump start your way to a healthier home and a healthier you. Ecomom's healthy home makeover! Enter to win and make sure you mention that you heard about it here! Here's to your healthy home!

Hooray for Nose Frida!

Hello? Is this thing on?? Well, I know I haven't been around much since our baby arrived and I'm not too sure how many followers I still have, but things have been kind of crazy...in the best possible way. We have a beautiful baby boy, Ezra James. He is perfect in every way, healthy and adorable! I have been a wee bit busy nursing round the clock, diapering, doing laundry, etc. You get it.

Now that baby has arrived, my posts are likely to include many more baby products. There are very few things I feel I truly need in addition to what we already have from the first time around. However, I saw this nifty little contraption in my pediatricians office the other day....and when I saw what it was for and how it was used? Well, I laughed at first. Then I bought one because I realized it was quite a useful, and clever invention.

What is it? The Nose Frida is a nose aspirator for babies and small children. The package describes it as the "snot sucker". If you have children, you know that the big round, green suction thing that comes home from the hospital with you is not exactly a fun tool to use. Not only is it uncomfortable for baby, it really isn't all that efficient.

The Nose Frida is great. I have to admit that I wasn't sure I believed it would work...but it absolutely works! My husband and I tried it the other day. Here is how it works-You put the tube against the baby's nostril to create a tight seal, but not up the nose. Then you put the other end in your mouth (yes, your mouth) and suck. Don't worry. There is a barrier to prevent gooey mucus from actually making it's way into your mouth. By sucking, you are creating a vacuum, and the result is a clear nasal passage for baby.

I highly recommend the Nose Frida for every parent of young children. We were fortunate that our first child learned to blow her nose quite early, but it usually takes quite a while to master this skill. Do your little ones a favor and clear it for them. I am not going to claim that it will be a pleasant experience for them, but it will be quick and easy for both of you, and your kiddo will breathe easier too.

Here's to this cool little invention and here's to baby's health!

*Check Amazon.com for the best prices*

Quick Tip

I could be hours away from having a baby! Yesterday was my "guess date", so really, any time now we will welcome our baby boy. Today I have time for a quick health tip.

You may have heard the term "probiotics" and not known just what they are. They are incredibly important to your health. Here is a definition: Probiotics are beneficial bacteria (sometimes referred to as "friendly germs") that help to maintain the health of the intestinal tract and aid in digestion. They also help keep potentially harmful organisms in the gut (harmful bacteria and yeasts) under control. Most probiotics come from food sources, especially cultured milk products. Probiotics can be consumed as capsules, tablets, beverages, powders, yogurts, and other foods. Click HERE for more scientific info.

You can find probiotics in food sources such as yogurt, Kiefer, kelp, and certain fermented preparations. Today's quick tip is one that I read recently in a health magazine. Did you know that your body needs prebiotics to properly use probiotics? If you are reaching for your favorite yogurt or other probiotic preparation, here is an easy way to insure you are getting the full benefits of that yummy cultured treat. Add a teaspoon of ground up flaxseed meal. Flax naturally contains prebiotics, so by pairing it with your favorite probiotic beverage or food, you can be sure the healthy bacteria will be at work in your belly.

Although many food sources contain probiotics, be sure to get enough of these helpful bacteria in your system on a daily basis. Even if you eat cultured foods, it is a good idea to pick up probiotic capsules at your local healthfood store and take them regularly.

Here's to a healthy gut, and here's to your health!