June 1, 2012

Did You Know...

If you flush baby doo-doo instead of throwing away with the diaper, less methane production because it's not sitting in a landfill.  Thanks Whole Living Mag for the rad info.

Nutrition  

Smart Eating Tips

A study at the University of Southern California recently found that eating with your non-dominant hand shows about a 30% decrease in how much you eat.  Some other great tips for paying attention and being an intuitive eater. 

Look at your food, smell it, picture what it will taste like.

Put your fork down between bites.  Enjoy the food before trying to force in the next bite.

Before eating, pay attention to hunger cues.  Are you actually hungry? Could it be dehydration or fatigue?

Only eat sitting down, not standing with the fridge door open.

Stop eating when you are not hungry anymore, don't wait until you pop a buttom. (I know we've all done it)

Add Spicy foods like jalapenos & cayenne, they act as natural appetite suppressants & help pump the brakes.

Don't go shopping hungry. You've heard this a million times, but it IS a big game changer.

When snacking, put your portion on a plate and walk away.  Avoid hand-in-bag, eyes-on-tv syndrome.

Put healthier foods in the front of fridge/cabinets & snacky foods up high, and behind.  Be surprised what you may eat. 

Natural Health 

How about help on getting rid of morning sickness, motion sickness and stomach aches. Boy do I have a quick little fixer (well I just carry them, big ups to herbalist Lynn Murdock for growing & producing).   Ginger Root tincture...organic ginger root turned liquid.  A few drops in some liquid and bye-bye sickies.  I grew up thanking the ginger god for curing my motion sickness so it happens to be one of my favorite remedies. 

Ginger root is much safer than any over the counter anti-nausea med, plus comes in a tiny little bottle and so is quite portable.  Best part is this is safe for pregnant women, no need to dread mornings anymore.  Great gift for your new prego friend. 

Lynn can be reached at herbalady@sbcglobal.net.  I will be making an herb pick-up at her farm this weekend, so feel free to shoot me a message for an order. 

Exercise

Exercise is constantly given praise for results of aesthetic improvements, we sometimes forget benefits sre just as therapeutic.  Arthritis is one condition that can be greatly improved with consistent workouts.  Research has shown decreased stiffness, pain and inflammation.  Joints are more flexible and balance is improved, as well as self confidence from improved health status, muscle tone, weight loss and mobility.

For thos suffering from arthritis, there are some components that can be combined to give you even greater results.  When putting together an exercise routine, it can be helpful to include flexibility & range of motion exercises, resistance training/weights, and aerobic.  Swimming and yoga are also great for anyone with arthritis, trick those joints into thinking they're spring chickens again.

If exercise is difficult for you, start off slow.  Even moderate activity can show improvement.  In time you should be able to handle more, bearing even further improvements.

It is important to avoid inflammation causing foods such as white flour, sugars, processed foods, artificial sweeteners and saturated fats.  Include fresh produce, lean meats and healthy fats such as avocado, walnuts and flax.  This combo with your activity should be a big help in reducing that pesky arthritic pain.