Quick Tip:  Bye-Bye Dry Skin

Dry skin got you down?  No worries.  Once you get to the root of what could possibly be causing your dry skin, you’re halfway home.  I, too, was in your shoes at one point in my life.  I remember the heels on my feet used to get so dry that they would scratch my legs at night while I was sleeping.  Imagine waking up with scratches on your legs from your own feet!  It  was so frustrating.  No matter what I put on my feet, I always ended up with the same issue:  Alligator skin!

Once I learned that dry skin can be caused by a combination of environmental stress and poor nutrition, I was able to make some easy changes to my diet and lifestyle that resulted in soft and silky skin (yes, even on my previously-rough feet).  Unbelievably, today I don’t even use moisturizer on my body anymore (I do use high-quality oils on my face and occasionally use coconut oil and lavender essential oil on my feet while cleansing) and my skin is still soft and silky.

One thing that worked for me personally was adding “good fats” into my diet, fats like organic first cold-pressed extra virgin olive oil, ghee, coconut oil, avocado, chia seeds and flax seeds.  Not only did the condition of my skin improve, I found I wasn’t cold all the time anymore.  That in itself was a miracle to me!

If you know me from my Inspired Health & Happiness fan page on Facebook, you probably know that I am currently in the process of running my very first Back to Basics Whole Foods Group Cleanse with a group of amazing and inspiring cleansers.  While both facilitating and participating in my cleanse, I have had yet another “ah-ha” moment that reconfirms what I just shared with you about stress and diet.   I have been cleansing for a week, eating whole delicious foods and meditating more, and I noticed the other day that my skin is even softer and smoother than before!  What was unusual that I noticed is that the roof of my mouth is softer and smoother, too.  I keep feeling it with my tongue, as it is amazing to me.  That is the power of whole foods.  When you put good food into your body, it changes everything.  It definitely has for me.

Here are 4 tips to keep your skin moist and soft:

1. Keep hydrated with filtered/spring water. When our cells are dehydrated, they lose their plumpness and structure.  One school of thought is to drink half your body weight in ounces of water per day (e.g., if you weight 100 pounds, drink 50 ounces of water) and that will help keep you properly hydrated.
2. Eat foods rich in essential fatty acids (good fats), such as oily fish, nuts and seeds. Choose high-quality fats for cooking and using in your recipes, such as organic first cold-pressed extra virgin olive oil, ghee, coconut oil, avocado, chia seeds and flax seeds.
3. Cleanse.  Do a whole foods cleanse to safely and slowly remove unwanted toxins from your body.
4. Look into the health of your thyroid, as low thyroid hormone levels can cause many symptoms, including dry skin.

*Obviously there are medical conditions that can be the cause of dry skin.  If you suspect that you may have dry skin due to medical condition, please contact your health care provider.*

Here is a bonus tip:  Dry Skin Brushing!

According to NaturalNews.com:

The skin in the body’s largest organ, serving to protect the body from unwelcome outsiders and also to eliminate toxins through the pores. The skin is so important in the process of eliminating toxins it is often referred to as a third kidney. The skin’s ability to detox is severely compromised when pores become clogged from toxins in the air, in cosmetics and beauty products, or from the food we eat. By spending a few minutes each day dry brushing your skin, you can renew your skin’s ability to eliminate toxins from your body.

Dr. Denice Moffat, a naturopath who specializes in alternative medicine and holistic healing techniques, says dry skin brushing helps clear toxins from the lymphatic system. Since the lymph system is a vital part of detoxification, dry skin brushing is a key to helping the body purify itself naturally. Dr. Moffat adds that dry skin brushing improves the health of the liver and kidneys because the body is no longer concentrating the entire detoxification process on those organs. Skin brushing also stimulates the nervous system and improves its function.

Although dry brushing advantages are obviously not only skin deep, this technique does provide extraordinary cosmetic benefits. Dry brushing exfoliates the skin and removes the outer layer of dull, dry skin. The appearance of the skin is noticeably softer and brighter. Dry skin brushing keeps toxins from polluting the skin, which promotes a clear, supple complexion. People who use this technique regularly notice reduced cellulite and better muscle tone.

How do you actually dry skin brush?

1. Use a dry skin brush with firm bristles.
2. Gently begin to brush your skin, starting from your outer limbs and always moving towards your heart.  I usually brush with quick brisk strokes and do each area seven times.
3. Start with the bottom of your feet, then the top of your feet, move to your lower legs, then your upper legs.
4. Next move to your hands and then go up your arms.
5. Next brush your stomach in a clockwise motion then move to your sides, brushing up and down from your hip to your armpit.
6. Next brush under your chin, your neck and shoulders.
7. Finally finish by brushing your buttocks, groin and back.
8. Once you are finished brushing your entire body, you should feel invigorated (I always feel like I went for a brisk jog), take a shower to rinse any dead skin cells off of your body.

Please note:

• Remember to dry skin brush your skin while it is dry.
• Do not use the brush on sensitive areas, such as your face and breasts.
• Clean your dry skin brush often so that it does not accumulate dead skin cells.

Now what?

Choose one action from the 4 Tips above and/or the dry skin brushing and commit to doing it over the next week.  Notice how you feel and if there is any improvement in your skin.  Simple steps forward turn into healthy habits, which will make all the difference in your life.

To your health and happiness…

BREAK FREE from unhealthy eating habits with my

DIY Back to Basics Whole Foods Seasonal Cleanse today!

 Reduce inflammation, reduce toxins and release weight naturally in 7 days.

Are Your Teeth Toxic?

When I was a little girl, one of the highlights of my year, every year, were my family’s visits to our friendly dentist.  I know, it sounds like I’m a crazy person, right?  Most people loathe and are even scared to death of reclining in the dental chair and having their pearly whites checked up on.  Not me or my brother.  We would actually get into arguments before our dental appointments because we each wanted a chance to see the dentist first.  As far as I was concerned, who wouldn’t love the dentist?  Our dentist was the very same dentist that my dad went to when he was a boy, so for us it was like we were visiting a member of our family twice a year.  We had bubble-gum flavored polish spread all over our teeth, and we even got a prize and a hug on the way out the door.  Back then, that was a perfect day in my book.

Fast forward to the early 2000s when I was first learning about health and wellness.  I came across an article about mercury/amalgam (silver)  fillings in teeth and how toxic they can be to one’s health.  After I investigated what the mercury could be doing to my teeth and the health of my body, I decided my best course of action would be to contact a dentist and have these fillings removed.  The dentist that I hired to remove the fillings from my mouth claimed that he specialized in mercury filling removal.  Since he was the only dentist in my area that I could find that removed mercury fillings, I booked an appointment immediately to have the procedure performed.

Besides the fact that my mouth was open for so long that the corners of my mouth ripped and the dentist was telling me that the mercury fillings had cracked the teeth that they had been placed in for many years and that it was a normal occurrence, I don’t remember much from that day.  I remember being ecstatic and relieved that the mercury was gone and I didn’t have to worry about it anymore, or so I thought.

Fast forward, yet again, a few years later.  My ‘mercury removal’ dentist had relocated was no longer in the area, and I was very excited to have found a new guy to check out my chompers that I thought were in pristine shape.  I had brushed and flossed and rinsed and taken exceptional care of my teeth since undergoing the procedure years earlier, and I was sure my new dentist would be impressed with my care.  Well, things didn’t go exactly as I had planned, I’m sad to say.  Upon inspection of my teeth, I was told that the mercury filling removal procedure had been performed improperly and I had massive decay in the three teeth that the mercury fillings were removed from.  The decay was so bad that I would have to undergo three root canal procedures.  Well, that’s no so bad, I thought.  Root canals are safe, and once I have the procedures, then I won’t have to worry about my teeth again.  Oh, how naive I was.

To preface what happens next, I want to share with you that while people all around me seem to catch every nasty bug and flu under the sun, it is extremely rare for me to get so much as a cold or a sniffle.  If it does happen, I can usually knock it out within two days, and it never (knock on wood) turns into anything that has me vomiting or miserable and confined to my bed.

So let’s fast forward now to April 2012.  I was so dead tired that I decided to make an appointment to consult with my holistic medical doctor to find out what the heck was going on and what I could do about it.  Normally feeling a bit tired here and there was not an issue with me, as I am a big fan of taking an afternoon siesta.  But this tiredness seemed alarming, as I just wanted to nap, nap and nap again every day.  Common words out of my  mouth throughout the day were, “I’m so tired.”

After being examined by my beloved doctor, I was given some herbal and homeopathic remedies to boost my immune system and was told to take it easy and let them do their job.  A few days into my treatment, one of my root-canaled teeth began to hurt.  When I say hurt, I mean massive, massive pain.  It was time to go to a new dentist, yet again, as my regular dentist actually passed away in 2011.  I researched and found a dentist close to me that used digital x-rays, which I much preferred over the conventional ones.  Less radiation is better in my mind. That is when all the fun (not) began.  After several trips, many vials of novocaine and several painkillers later, it was determined that the root-canaled tooth had a fractured root and had become infected.  The root canal had failed.  My first reactions was, What?!?  I didn’t know that a root canal still had a root, and how can it fail?  Is that even possible?  It turns out that only the nerve is taken out when a root canal is performed.  The roots are actually left alone.  So mine was fractured and would have to come out to stop the pain.

So within one week of thinking I was ill to finding out I had a fractured root in a root-canaled tooth with an infection that was making me absolutely exhausted, I found myself sitting in a oral surgeon’s office saying, “Just get this out of my mouth.  I cannot take the pain for one more second.  Please.  Do it now.”  And then it was out.  I felt absolute relief and joy!   That ordeal was now over.  Bone graft material was placed in the socket where the roots were taken out of, and all I would have to do is wait for everything to heal before I could consider getting an implant to fill the big hole in my mouth.  That would be several months.  No worries.  I’m a patient person.  I can wait.

Fast forward to October 2012.  Pain, pain, pain in one of the other root-canaled teeth.  This time it was on my left side on the bottom.  Then there was another trip to the dentist.   After more x-rays, I was told that it looked as if conditions had changed around the roots of the root-canaled tooth.  It could possibly be an abscess.  I pointed out to the dentist that I had a lump on the gum outside of where that tooth was.  She said that unfortunately that root canal may have to come out, too.  I was horrified.  I didn’t tell you about all of the pain that I went through after the oral surgery in April.  My stitches kept ripping out, and it took literally months before I could eat solid food.  I didn’t want to go through that again.

It was just about that time when I found out that Tera Warner and Nadine Artemis would be holding an online Tooth Summit that contained interviews with biological and holistic dentists, doctors and health heros.  In the Tooth Summit, they would be discussing everything from the link between your teeth and your overall health, the dangers of mercury fillings and root canals, how to properly care for your mouth and teeth, products that promote and products that sabotage tooth health, and if you are in a situation like mine, they provided resources to help you to heal and feel better.  Instead of getting the root canal out immediately, I opted to wait for the Summit, and boy am I glad I did.  It literally changed my life, as you will soon find out.

Each of the 12 days of the Tooth Summit I excitedly listened to interviews from experts ranging from Dr. Hal Huggins to Ramiel Nagel, Nadine Artemis to Dr. Kate Rheaume-Bleue and from Dr. Victor Zeines to David Wolfe, who all passionately shared their knowledge with health seekers like me.

Some of the information that I learned from the Tooth Summit included:

* There is as much mercury in one mercury filling as there is in a thermometer, and if mercury leaked out of one small thermometer into a lake, then that lake would be prohibited for fishing and would be an environmental hazard.
* Why you do not want to have mercury fillings be removed by just any dentist.
* That almost 100% of root canals are toxic.
* What is missing in today’s processed foods that leads us to developing cavities.
* What the effects of fluoride are on our teeth, bones, and pineal gland.
* How taking calcium supplements might lead to an increased risk of heart attacks and strokes.
* A food regimen that can be used to treat dental cavities to avoid painful drilling and filling.
* An overlooked vitamin that comes from grass-fed or fermented foods that will protect your bones and teeth and heart and even from things like cancer.
* What are cavitations and what are the detrimental effects they have on the general health and the immune system.
* How does heart disease and breast cancer relate to root canals, are they safe, and what are alternative options to root canals and dental implants.
* How to identify signs in the mouth, like bleeding gums and cavities, and use them as a wakeup call to know what is going on with the rest of the body.
* How high blood sugar levels relate to gum and teeth problems.
* Why most toothpastes are toxic, healthy alternatives to toxic toothpaste and whybrushing and flossing your teeth is not enough to maintain your dental health.
* It is not the sugar that is sitting on your teeth that is a problem, but rather spikes in insulin and continual spikes in the blood sugar levels that cause the deep systemic decay in your teeth.
* What you can do on a day-to-day basis that to help prevent and heal tooth decay.

* * *

Because of the information I learned while participating in the Tooth Summit, I made the decision that I was going to see a biological dentist.  I called Dr. Hal Huggins‘ office, and they recommended an amazing practice in my area.  I cannot begin to tell you what a totally different experience it was being treated by a dental practice where the dentists know about health and nutrition.  We are talking about a totally different ballgame here.

Last fast forward to February 1st, 2013 when I had the remaining two root canals removed from my mouth.  What was different even from the root canal I had removed in April of 2012?  To begin with, I was given a blanket, a hot neck wrap and intravenous Vitamin C while the root canal removal process was going on in order to support my body and immune system, which was a wise choice when you hear what came next.  I was given supplements to take before and after the procedure that included herbal remedies to support my immune system and several homeopathic medications for pain and to promote bone growth of the graft sites.  I was told to drink plenty of water from a clean source (not tap water) and to make sure that I was eating a nutrient-dense diet so that I would be able to support my body while I healed.  That alone was music to my ears!  I had never heard those words pass through the lips of any dentist I went to in all of my life.  One other thing that I was advised not to do in the first few days was to use ice to keep the swelling down, as this would impede the blood flow and could disrupt proper healing.  I used ice constantly after my root canal removal last year.

When the root-canaled teeth came out, we were all speechless.  The bottom root canal, that we had suspected was infected had the biggest — I mean HUGE (and gross) — abscess on it (I was going to post a picture of it, and it is really, really disgusting to look at, so I decided not to).  As soon as it was out, the biological dentist said to me, “You have had a chronic infection in your body for a long time, most likely years.  It is no wonder you’ve been tired.  Lucky you take such good care of yourself or you would probably have been incapacitated.  You are going to feel so much better.  Seriously.”  Wow.  I couldn’t believe it.

The biological dentist has supported me from the second I came in until this present day by explaining things to me in as much detail as I wanted (I like details!) and I have felt so taken care of.  I have to say that with the first root canal that was removed last year, I couldn’t eat solid food for almost two months and I was very slow to heal.  This time I was literally almost healed within a month.  It was totally amazing to me the difference that proper care made for me.

So my decision to have my mercury fillings out over 10 years ago is still affecting my life today.  I am currently working with a master herbalist in order to correct imbalances in my body that were discovered after the root canals were removed and slowing cleansing my body with my Back to Basics Whole Foods Spring Cleanse to safely rid my body of toxins.  But that is a post for another time.  My hope is that by reading about what I’ve gone through, by reading the Tooth Summit book, by gathering further information for yourself before having any dental procedure performed, you can make an informed choice so that you do not have to go through what I have gone through.

Purchase your own copy of The Tooth Summit (I read mine right on my iPhone) to learn what I learned:    Tooth Summit.”

 5 Tips To Reduce Your Toxic Load

It seems like every time you turn around nowadays someone is talking about cleansing and detoxing and rebooting our bodies.  Why?  Because of toxins.  This subject is no doubt a hot topic, as it has made its way from the realm of the super-health-conscious to the mainstream individual almost overnight.   It’s no surprise that this trend has occurred, because the fact is, toxins affect all of us.  Did you know that everybody in this world has detectable levels of toxins in their bodies?  Although endless questions about toxins and chemicals are asked by concerned people every single day, the question to ask is not if we are toxic anymore. The real question to ask is, how toxic am I?

• Studies have shown that every organism on our planet contains some detectable levels of Teflon in their bodies;
• As a result of a 2005 investigation by the Environmental Working Group, 287 chemicals, which include pesticides, consumer product ingredients, waste materials from burning coal, gasoline and/or garbage, have been detected in the umbilical cord blood of newborns;
• Of the 287 chemicals that were found, 180 of these chemicals are known to cause cancer in humans and/or animals;
• 217 of the 287 chemicals are toxic to the brain and/or nervous system;
• In animal tests, 208 of those chemicals were shown to cause birth defects and/or abnormal development;
• Even before being exposed to these toxins, our babies are born with toxic substances in their bodies.

By making a few simple changes in your daily life, you can notice a dramatic difference in your health and well-being.  Reducing your toxic exposure can lead to a lot of health benefits, including:

• Weight loss
• A reduction in cravings
• Sharper mental acuity
• Stress reduction
• Clearer skin
• Better immune function
• Improved digestion
• Increased energy

Here are 5 tips to reduce your toxic load:

1.  Utilize herbs that support your liver, kidneys and colon, which are your detox organs.

• My two herbs of choice for detox are milk thistle and dandelion.  I like to make things easy in my life, and one of the ways I do that is to consume these herbs in the form of a nice cup of tea.  To my favorite mug I add a tea bag, hot water, a little bit of raw local honey, then sit back, relax and enjoy!

2.  Encourage elimination through your body’s largest organ of elimination, your skin.

• Sweating and dry skin brushing are two simple ways to reduce your toxic load.  Hopping in an infrared sauna, rotating hot and cold showers or using a dry skin brush are all amazing ways to accomplish this.

3.  Buy and eat organic, local and/or wildcrafted foods as much as possible.

• Be aware of the Dirty Dozen and Clean 15 lists of produce.  Check out the EWG’s Shoppers Guide to Pesticides, as it can help guide you as to what produce is the most and least contaminated with pesticides. Consider shopping at a farmers market or purchasing a share of a CSA (community-supported agriculture)  farm share, thus buying direct from your local farmer, where you can ask questions about your food and experiment by eating delicious local foods that are indigenous to your area.

4.  Reduce and/or eliminate processed and packaged foods, which are loaded with chemicals and possibly GMOs (genetically modified organisms).

• Choose whole, fresh foods; real food.  Whole foods are foods that do not come in a package and that can (and are supposed to) rot; these are the foods that our great grandmothers prepared for their families.  One trick that I have utilized for over a decade now in purchasing whole foods is to shop the outside aisles of my supermarket and/or health food store, as that’s where the whole foods live.  As I shared in Tip No. 3, farmers markets are also an amazing place to find whole, fresh foods.

5.  Replace household and personal care products that contain harmful chemicals with those made with natural and/or organic ingredients.

• There are healthier options today for you to choose from when it comes to household and/or personal care products.  Check out the Environmental Working Group‘s Skin Deep Cosmetics Database and Toxics and Human Health Feed to check the safety of the products that you are currently using.  You can also opt for hopping on the DIY (do it yourself) bandwagon and make your own safer products in the comfort of your own home.  It’s much easier than you would imagine!  Besides the fact that it is satisfying and fun to make your own products, the biggest benefit is that you can control what you put into your products and onto your body.

Remember that we all have to start somewhere.  The important thing is to begin the first place.  I recommend picking one of these 5 tips per week and implementing one of the suggestions from the tip you chose it into your daily routine.  Little by little, small steps turn into big changes when you keep moving forward on the road to health and wellness.  If I did it, I know that you absolutely can, too.

BREAK FREE from unhealthy eating habits with my

DIY Back to Basics Whole Foods Seasonal Cleanse today!

 Reduce inflammation, reduce toxins and release weight naturally in 7 days.

DIY Peppermint Powder Room Spray

Have you ever walked into a room, only to be metaphorically smacked in the face with a smell that you find offensive, or worse, one that makes you nauseous?  Well, I have.  Many times, in fact.  I know that I cannot be the only person on the planet that is very sensitive when it comes to smells of any kind.  Commercially-bought perfumes, cigarette smoke, those plug-in things you put into the wall and/or the stinky exhaust coming from a vehicle in front of me while I’m driving down the road all mean one thing to me:  Big-time HEADACHE.

Since I’m not partial to getting headaches, I like to have a Plan B if these situations arise.  What do I do?  If I am out and about, I obviously can’t control the air around me.  And that’s a bummer.  When I find myself in one of these unfortunate situations, the choices that I choose to make are to remove myself from the situation as quickly as possible (which usually involves holding my breath and walking fast) or to keep my car on recirc while driving, thus blocking out most of the stinkiness of the exhaust from the vehicle in front of me.  When I’m at home, though, it’s a totally different story.  Our home is a place that we keep chemical-free.  We choose to use environmentally-friendly cleaners that are sometimes scented with essential oils, unscented laundry detergent and there are no toxic dryer sheets lurking around in our dryer.  You won’t find any perfumes waiting to be sprayed all over me, as I opt for organic essential oils if I want to spice things up a bit.  We say no to chemical-laden air fresheners and toxic toilet bowl cleaners.  Fortunately, there are healthier choices when it comes to products used in our homes and on our bodies, many of which can even be homemade, and I thank goodness for that.

One of the easiest things that you can make for your home, if you are doing your best to move in the direction of a chemical-free and healthier lifestyle, is make your own air freshener.  No more inhaling chemicals sprayed out of a can, chemicals that are masquerading as healthy and sweet-smelling air.   I have to say that this is going to most likely be one of the easiest DIY posts that I ever post on this blog.  I seriously mean that.  Once you make my DIY Peppermint Power Room Spray, there will be literally no turning back.  I love it so much that I made it last year for my friends and family as part of a homemade Christmas gift.  And guess what?  They loved it, too.

Drum roll, please….

How To Make DIY Peppermint Powder Room Spray:

You Will Need:

• Empty spray bottle (do NOT use a bottle that has had chemicals in it previously)
• Peppermint essential oil
• Spring water (this is a chemical-free spray, so no tap water that contains chlorine, fluoride and other chemicals)

How To Prepare The Spray:

1. Pour enough water into the empty spray bottle to fill it to the neck where the sprayer connects to the bottle;
2. Depending on the size of your bottle, add between 10 and 20 drops of peppermint essential oil to the water in the bottle (use your own judgment);
3. Shake gently and get ready to spray, spray, spray!

See.  I told you it was going to be ridiculously easy.

Besides leaving a bottle of spray in the bathroom to be used for… well, you know what it’s used for…  I like to use the Peppermint Powder Room Spray if I need to wake up a bit in the morning.  I spray it all around my head and body then inhale deeply.  It helps to wake me right up.  Alternatively, if I want to relax, I have a Lavender Relaxation Spray that I use with the same ritual of spraying it around my head and body and inhaling deeply.  That particular spray calms me right down.

The amazing news is, if you don’t care for peppermint, all you have to do is pick an essential oil that you love the smell of and substitute it for the peppermint.  The picture above shows some possibilities from part of my own essential oil collection.  You could create Wintergreen Wonderland or Medieval Meditation or Joyful Jasmine Sprays by using your choice of essential oils!  The possibilities are absolutely endless.

 To your health and happiness!

Quick Tip:  6 Ways To

Say Bye-Bye To Bloat

Do you wake up some days and feel like your stomach is a bloated mess?  I know that I have certainly been there.  Many times people feel bloated in their bellies, and thankfully this is not because of fat, even though it may feel that way in the moment.  It is more likely that they are feeling bloated because of what’s going on in their stomachs. The good news is, by keeping our digestive systems happy we can avoid bloat, which can go a long way in helping us look and feel slimmer.

Here Are 6 Ways To Say Bye-Bye To Bloat:

1. Utilize Herbs.  Incorporate common herbs, such as basil, dill, ginger, fennel and mint into your diet.  You can add these delicious herbs into recipes, brew them into teas or eat them in their natural state. All of these herbs have gas-relieving properties.
2. Mind Your Fiber.  We all know that fiber is essential to a healthy diet.  If you are not used to a fiber-rich diet and suddenly eat a lot of fiber-rich foods, you may end up with a bloated stomach.  Be sure to introduce fiber-rich foods into your diet in a gradual manner.
3. Cook Your Beans.  If you consume beans, make sure they are prepared properly. Be certain to soak beans for at least 4 hours in spring water with a 1-inch piece of seaweed (kombu, kelp, laver) to improve the digestibility of beans.  Cook the beans for the proper amount of time necessary to ensure that the beans are fully cooked.  Undercooked beans equals gas, and that’s not fun for anyone.
4. Pay Attention When You Eat.  Notice how your body reacts to certain vegetables, such as broccoli, brussels sprouts and cabbage.  Moderate their intake, if necessary.  Some reactions to these vegetables can be avoided by properly combining your foods, by chewing your food thoroughly and possibly by drinking more water throughout the day.
5. Watch For Food Intolerances.  Always be mindful to look for potential food intolerances, e.g., lactose or gluten. If your body cannot digest and assimilate these substances properly, they can cause gas, bloating and a host of other issues.
6. Practice Yoga.  Yoga is not only good for the mind and for keeping your body in tip-top condition.  There are certain yoga poses that incorporate twisting postures that can help relieve gas and bloating, too. When you do these poses, they stimulate the movement of the smooth muscles of the intestinal walls and help “move things along.”

 To your health and happiness!

BREAK FREE from unhealthy eating habits with my

DIY Back to Basics Whole Foods Seasonal Cleanse today!

 Reduce inflammation, reduce toxins and release weight naturally in 7 days.

Super DIY Shaving Soap

Making your own DIY (do-it-yourself) beauty and personal cleansing products has been gaining popularity over the past couple of years. Besides the fact that making your own beauty products is fun, all you need to do is take a look at the Environmental Working Group’s Skin Deep Top Tips For Safer Products and you can see why some people are getting busy in the kitchen; to avoid unnecessary chemicals and toxins from being absorbed into their largest organ, their skin, thus affecting their health in an adverse way.

Last year I decided that I wanted to surprise my honey and make him some homemade shaving soap.  While I was thinking about creating an easy non-toxic recipe, I had visions of my dad shaving from when I was a little girl.  I remember he used to use a brush, a small bowl full of soap and a razor.  I remember watching him lather up the soap on his brush, apply it to his face and get down to business.  I always used to think that the whipped soap all over his face looked like whipped cream, which I though was the coolest thing on the planet back then.  Ahh, the memories…

This is the recipe that I finally came up with.  It is very easy to prepare and doesn’t take a lot of time.  So get ready, roll up your sleeves, and let’s make some Super DIY Shaving Soap.

To Make The Super DIY Shaving Soap You Need:

• 1 tsp of apricot oil
• 1 bar of glycerin soup (I like the Clearly Natural Unscented brand)
• Double boiler, a double boiler insert or glass cookware to melt the soap
• Essential oil/oils of your choice
• Men’s shaving brush
• Men’s shave soap bowl

 To Prepare The Soap:                                              

1. Chop up the glycerin soap into small chunks so that it is easily melted.
2. Melt the small chunks of the glycerin soap in the double boiler or glass cookware.
3. Once the chunks are melted, add in the apricot oil and 5 to 10 drops of your preferred essential oil and stir.
4. Pour the melted soap/oil mixture into the shave soap bowl and allow it time to set.  It sets up pretty fast as it cools.  I put mine in the refrigerator for a little while to help it set up faster.
5. Now you’re done.  So lather up and get to shaving!  Enjoy!

Variations:

• Other oils that would be great to use in this recipe are almond oil, jojoba oil, coconut oil or avocado oil.
• In this recipe I used orange and a medieval mixture of essential oils, as I know my honey likes those two oils.   You can choose whatever essential oil you think the man that you are making this for would love.
• If making this for a woman, you may think of using lavender, peppermint or rose essential oil.
• You can completely omit the essential oils altogether if you wish.

 To your health and happiness!

Top 10 Tips to Avoid Weight Gain

All you have to do is take a good look around these days and you don’t need a statistician to tell you that over a quarter of Americans are obese.  Unfortunately, obesity goes hand-in-hand with many weight-related health issues; such as, heart disease and stroke, high blood pressure, diabetes, cancer, gallbladder disease and gallstones, osteoarthritis, gout and/or breathing problems, which includes sleep apnea and asthma.  By implementing these 10 tips into your daily life, you will have the basic tools needed to free yourself from our nation’s fat trap and get yourself on the road to health and happiness.

Top 10 Tips To Avoid Weight Gain
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Top 10 Tips To Avoid Weight Gain

1. Avoid And/Or Eliminate Processed Foods.  Processed foods are cheap and convenient, but they are also full of sodium, sugar, chemicals (e.g., food dyes), GMOs and empty calories. When your body doesn’t get the nutrients it needs, it will crave more food; hence, weight gain.  Begin by cleaning out your pantry of processed foods and then shopping the outer aisles of the supermarket.  The outer aisles contain less processed foods and more fresh, whole foods.
2. Eat Fresh, Whole Foods.  Eat whole foods (e.g., local/organic/wild-crafted fresh and lacto-fermented fruits, vegetables, whole grains, healthy fats, and if you so choose, grass-fed meats, pastured eggs, raw dairy products). Whole foods are nutrient dense and actually provide your body with the nutrients that it needs to strengthen your immune system and create a healthy, balanced body.
3. Get Up And Get Moving.  Because many people live a sedentary lifestyle, they take in more calories than they burn.  Moderate exercise can produce HUGE results.  Exercise doesn’t have to mean spending hours pumping iron at the gym.  You could go for a walk with a friend or your dog, take a yoga or pilates class, work in the yard or garden and/or even dancing around the house while you are cleaning can be beneficial.  The point is, GET MOVING!
4. Eat Small.  Super-sized portions are all the rage, and super-sized portions come with super-sized bodies.  The larger the portion in front of us, the more we eat.  Opt for a small portion instead.  If you’re eating out, get an appetizer-sized portion or ask your server to immediately box up half your entree for you to take home where you can enjoy a second or even a third meal.
5. Use Smaller Dishware.  Super-sized dishware goes right along with the super-sized portions.  Our plates have become larger and larger and so have we.  Due to the large plates that we use, we feel we need more food to fill the plate. Our perception of portion size is affected by the size of the plate.  One solution is to use smaller plates while eating.  Instead of using a dinner plate, consider using an appetizer plate, then wait 15 minutes after you finish one plate of food before you go back for seconds. Close your eyes, take a deep breath, and ask yourself, “Am I truly still hungry?”  You just may find out that you are full.
6. Don’t be fooled by Advertising & Marketing.  Big corporations spend millions upon millions of dollars every year marketing processed foods and food-like products.  A rule that I have personally implemented for over 15 years now is, if it is advertised on television, I do not purchase it, period.  I believe that if a company is spending a boatload of money to get you to buy their food-like product, something is up.   Why should you need convincing to eat something that is good for you?  You don’t see commercial after commercial on television telling you to’ Eat kale, avocados and carrots; they are so good for you.’  These foods don’t have to be advertised because they are, in fact, healthy foods.
7. Be Informed.  These days there is much misinformation and disinformation with regard to food, and people are confused about what to eat. I always go back to Tip No. 2, Eat Fresh, Whole Foods.  If you are still in the process of weening yourself off of packaged ‘foods’, it’s time to roll up your sleeves and read labels.  I always recommend skipping down to the section on a food label that tells you what ingredients are in the package.  If there are more than 5 ingredients on a label and if it contains words that you cannot pronounce or have absolutely no idea what the word means, skip that product.  It’s likely full of  sodium, sugar, chemicals, empty calories, and possibly GMOs, unless it is a non-GMO-certified product (it would state this right on the label).  Unfortunately, you cannot trust the labels and claims that are made on processed and packaged foods, as they are not always telling the whole story.  Always remember this quote by Michael Pollan from his book In Defense of Food:  An Eater’s Manifesto: “If you’re concerned about your health, you should probably avoid products that make health claims. Why? Because a health claim on a food product is a strong indication it’s not really food and food is what you want to eat.”
8. Purchase Quality Over Quantity.  Ever wonder why processed, massed-produced food and food-like products made with subsidized crops are cheaper than fresh produce and other sustainably-grown whole foods? One of the reasons is that the ingredients are low quality and cheap, and when ingested can result in poor health and obesity.  Purchasing organic/local/wild-crafted foods is definitely more expensive.  There’s no question about that.  The health benefits far outweigh the cost in the long-run, though, as the nutrient content is higher in these foods and they are produced with no pesticides or GMOs, which is better for your body.  My motto is, “You pay now or pay later with your health.”  I believe it is preferable to pay a bit more for higher quality food while buying less of a quantity of food.  I remember listening to a lecture years ago, and one of the participants was voicing an objection to eating organic/local/wild-crafted foods because of the expense.  The lecturer asked what this person spent their extra money on.  Was it vacations? cars? clothing? going out to eat?  After the participant did not reply, the lecturer then said, It’s all about choice.  You can make your health your priority or put other ‘things’ in your life above your health.  I believe that to be true.  Choose quality over quantity when it comes to food, and you will be far better off.  Joel Salatin from Polyface Farm sums it up nicely:  ”If you think organic food is expensive, have you priced cancer lately?”
9. Eat At Home As Much As Possible.   These days people are all go, go, go, go, go.  They multitask and eat while they are doing other things, and this mindless eating often results in people overeating. Many people don’t cook at home and depend on fast food, takeout or dining out.  Unless you are going to a healthy-food restaurant, most of the time restaurant foods are loaded with fat, sugar, sodium, GMOs and hidden calories.  The foods are focused on tasting good and not necessarily your health.  The best option is to cook your own food at home and sit down and enjoy your meal.  Start with one meal a day and build up from there.  Many people take one day a week and prepare their meals for the week, freezing them in easy-to-heat portions.  One of my favorite things to do on a Sunday is to prepare a giant pot of soup for the week.  We have it for dinners for the first two nights and then begin bringing it to work for lunches until it is used up. After the first day, you can add things to your soup to make it different for every meal, e.g. spices, herbs, nutritional yeast, beans, nuts/seeds, vegetables.  It creates a different meal every day.  Do you need ideas on what is simple to prepare?  Hop on the computer and get on Google.  There are literally billions of recipes online to get you started. Just type in “healthy whole food recipes” or “healthy split pea soup recipes” or whatever you want to prepare.  If making recipes from online is not your thing, find a healthy cooking class in your area or take a healthy class online and learn what you need to get started.  You can search for them on Google as well.  Cooking at home makes a HUGE difference when it comes to your health, as we can control what we buy and how we prepare our food.
10. Learn to De-Stress.   Stress.  Even that word can make your chest tighten up, right?!?  When we are stressed, our bodies produce the stress hormone cortisol, which packs an unfortunate triple whammy to our bodies.  Cortisol slows metabolism, affects blood sugar levels, increases fat storage and promotes cravings for fatty, salty and sugary foods, which all can result in weight gain.  There are many solutions to help you de-stress.  You can indulge in extreme self-care activities, e.g., take a hot bath, go for a walk, read a book, etc.  You can adopt a meditation practice that can be as simple as closing your eyes and focusing on your breath for 5 to 10 minutes, or you can hop on YouTube, type in “guided meditations,” and utilize one of the millions of guided meditations from your computer or phone.  You can also get moving and get some exercise, which will help to reduce your stress levels pretty quickly.  Remember to take deep breathes throughout the day, breathing from your diaphragm (your shoulders should not move up and down when you breathe).  This simple technique can make you feel better almost instantly.

I suggest picking one to two of these 10 Tips To Avoid Weight Gain and implementing them into your life over the next several weeks.  Once you have mastered the first one to two, move on to one to two more.  Notice your positive results, even if they are small.  Celebrate and build on your successes.  Be easy with yourself.  Remember, Rome wasn’t built in a day, and it was eventually built.  You will get to where you want to go if you keep moving forward.

To your health and happiness!

Rethinking Restrictive Diets

Food Cravings

Many people are aware that most dieters gain back all of their “lost” weight.  But do you realize that depriving your body of what it needs can wreak havoc on the body far beyond the fact that you may be starving all day long?  While on a diet, if certain food groups are avoided, for example, carbs or fats, there can be gaps in nutrition, which can create deficiencies in the body.  Most dieters have experienced intense cravings for certain foods while on diets.  Nutrient deficiency is one of the main causes of food cravings, which, if a person is on diet, can lead to binging and ultimately weight gain.

What most people don’t realize is that food cravings can actually be used as a beneficial tool in your toolbox of health and wellness.  Because your body is speaking to you, letting you know exactly what it needs (a/k/a a food craving), cravings can be used as a road map to help the body get to a state of health.  As an example, if you are constantly craving sweets (food craving), it is beneficial to add sweet vegetables (such as, carrots, onions and sweet potatoes)  into your diet.  In many instances, the intense cravings for sweets will completely go away.  It’s all about finding out what works for you and your body.

Here is a chart to show you want your food cravings could mean for your body:

Calorie Restriction & Metabolism

When caloric intake is restricted, your body slows down its metabolism, as it is not getting the usual amount of food/fuel that it normally takes in on a daily basis.  Unfortunately for the unsuspecting dieter, when the diet program is over and their food intake is back to normal, the body is not burning as many calories, and the dieter will gain the weight back just by eating the normal amount of food s/he used to eat before the diet began.

Restrictive Diets Can Be Hazardous To Your Health

Did you know that it can also be hazardous to your health to engage in this practice of restrictive dieting?

According to Livestrong.com:

“Extreme dieting techniques such as fasting and extreme calorie restriction are associated with poor nutrient intake and reduced immune system function. According to research published in the Journal of the American Medical Association in 2007, people who severely restrict calories hold greater risk for inflammatory diseases such as heart disease, diabetes and, potentially, cancer. These findings are contrary to the claims of severe low-calorie dietary approaches geared toward longevity. Risk for osteoporosis also increases with extreme dieting, because risk factors for the disease include vitamin D and calcium deficiency, low body weight and eating disorders, which may follow extreme dieting.”

Another big bummer about restrictive diets is, because restricting your caloric intake affects metabolism, it can have an impact on thyroid function and can potentially lead to hypothyroidism, which I bet is not what anyone’s desired outcome would be if they simply want to lose a couple of pounds.  Another interesting tidbit:  For women, if body fat levels drop too low, it can lead to irregular periods or the absence of a period altogether, which is caused by a low estrogen levels.  This can lead to osteoporosis, which is, of course, no bargain either.

Finally, The Good News!

I hope that I’ve convinced you that restrictive diets don’t work, as anything that is based on deprivation usually doesn’t.  Life is truly about balance and giving your body what it needs, not withholding it and making yourself miserable in the process.

Well, I am sure you are thinking, is there any good news?  Oh, yes, there is.  It’s time to rethink restrictive diets and realize that living a healthy, balanced lifestyle that includes a variety of delicious whole foods (e.g., local/organic fresh fruits, vegetables, whole grains, healthy fats, and if you so choose, grass-fed meats, pastured eggs and raw dairy products) is sustainable and is the best way to shed those extra pounds.  A few dietary and lifestyle changes can lead to pleasurable and effortless weight loss that can bring you a lifetime of benefits.

     Remember to check out my “Top 10 Tips to Avoid Weight Gain“ to start your year off right.

To your health and happiness!

Diets DON’T Work.

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Inspired Health & Happiness

3 Tips For Making A Healthy & Delicious Green Smoothie

What is my favorite breakfast of all time and one that I thoroughly enjoy on most mornings?  It is a healthy and delicious green smoothie.  A green smoothie, you say?!  “It looks so, well, green,” is a comment that I often hear.  Then it’s followed by an, “Oh, I could never drink that,” until whomever uttered these famous last words actually tastes this delicious powerhouse breakfast.  Then not only are they eating their words, they’re also eating, yes, the very delicious green smoothie!  As you begin to realize that green equals health and green equals energy, the color won’t so much bother you, especially when it tastes like heaven in your mouth.

Because I’m a girl that loves to be in the kitchen and also loves simplicity, I like to make things as easy as possible on myself when it comes to preparing food.  Drum roll please…

Here are my 3 Tips for Making a Healthy & Delicious Green Smoothie:

1.  Being a simple type of girl, I like to get as much bang for my buck as I can when it comes to eating green.  Instead of adding in loads or organic leafy greens into my morning glass of health and heaven, a/k/a my Goddess Green Smoothie (I save those for eating or juicing), I love to use a high-quality non-GMO organic green superfood powder.  My absolute favorite is Vitamineral Green™ superfood powder by HealthForce Nutritionals.  It is a described as a “superior, nutritionally-dense, therapeutic green superfood powder, which nutritionally supports blood sugar, detoxification, the immune system, liver, kidneys, blood, bones, colon, pancreas, muscles, brain, regularity, circulation, and longevity.”  It packs a big punch nutritionally, and all I have to do is dip my spoon into the glass jar, fill it up and put into into my blender with the rest of the ingredients.  And BAM, that’s it:  Green and healthy all in one little spoonful.

2.  Have you ever created a delicious smoothie, drank every last drop because it is so delicious and then an hour later you were absolutely starving again?!?  Yeah, I know.  That was me when I first started creating and drinking delicious smoothies.  Once I learned my next tip, I was able to stay full and satisfied for hours.  I always, always, always add in a fat to my smoothies, whether it be a whole hass avocado or a Tablespoon of coconut oil.  Because most smoothies contain fruit, which is a sugar (albeit a natural one), it is burned off pretty quickly by your body.  When you add a fat to the smoothie, it slows down the burning of the sugar by your body, it makes you fuller and gives you sustained energy, instead of a sugar crash because all of the sugar is used up in a flash.  An added bonus is that your smoothie feels more substantive, which makes you feel like you ate a meal and not just a snack.

3.  Are you ready for Tip 3?  Here is it… When you are making a smoothie, a little cup is never enough.  I usually drink an entire Ball canning jar full of smoothie, which is 32 ounces or 4 cups.  After I drink this, I can make it to the next meal, whether it is four or five hours later, without hunger or snacking.  The bottom line is:  Make sure you drink enough to make you full in the first place.  It’s all good stuff in your green smoothie, so bottoms up and enjoy it… every last drop!

Now for an easy and basic recipe that you can play around with once you begin going green.  At the end of this post I have a list of suggested superfood additions in the Thoughts & Notes section that will elevate your smoothie to a new level.  You could also change up the fruit, nuts or fat and create a masterpiece of your own.

So pull up your sleeves, gather your ingredients, and let’s get ready to blend…

Goddess Green Smoothie

Equipment Needed:

Blender (preferably high-speed)

Knife

Ingredients:

1 large green apple

1 large pear

1 hass avocado

1 banana

1 handful of Brazil nuts, walnuts and/or almonds** or 2 Tbs nut butter

2 Tbs Vitamineral Green™ superfood powder or a superfood powder of your choice

Filtered/spring water or a nut milk of your choice (examples would be coconut, almond, Brazil nut, sesame seed) to fill your blender container

2 Tbs raw cacao powder  (OPTIONAL)

1 handful of berries of your choice (strawberries, blueberries, cherries, raspberries, goji berries) (OPTIONAL)

***Use local, organic and/or wildcrafted ingredients when available.***

 How to prepare the Goddess Green Smoothie:

1.  Wash apple and pear and optional berries with fruit and vegetable wash, chop up (no need to chop the berries… unless you cut strawberries… just toss them in) and place into blender;

2.  Pit and peel the avocado, peel the banana, break into chunks, and add to blender;

3.  Add the nuts and Vitamineral Green/superfood powder to blender;

4.  Add in the filtered/spring water, nut milk or a combination of the two into blender.  Begin with filling the blender container half-way full with the liquid (or at least covering all of the previous ingredients).  Blend until creamy smooth.  Test the consistency.  If you want your Goddess Green Smoothie more on the liquid side, add more liquid and reblend.  If it is has reached a consistency that you are happy with, you are ready to drink your healthy and delicious meal!  Enjoy!

Thoughts & Notes:

**Because nuts with a brown coating contain phytic acid, which is an enzyme inhibitor, they should be soaked for easier digestion and assimilation.  If you are going to make a smoothie in the morning and want to add almonds, put your almonds in a glass bowl and cover with some filtered water before you go to bed.  When you wake up and are ready to create your morning masterpiece, drain the water from the almonds, give them a rinse and they are ready to go!

I actually prefer a crunchy nut.  Because I use my Excalibur food dehydrator, I am able to soak large amounts of nuts at one time, drain and rinse them, then dehydrate them until they are crunchy again minus the enzyme inhibitors.

Additional or substitute fruits that you could add to your green smoothie could include peaches, plums, mangos, pomegranates, apricots, jackfruit, lychee, nectarines, mangosteen, durian, currants or kiwi.

I frequently add in other superfoods when preparing my morning Green Goddess Smoothie, that can and often do include maca, acai powder, MSM powder, local bee pollen, spirulina, chlorella, Sunwarrior natural protein powder, amla berry, camu camu powder, lucuma powder, and/or mullberries, which all make wonderful additions to any smoothie recipe.

“Green foods are perhaps the most healing foods on the planet, and the single most important addition to a diet you can make.  They are foundational.” ~ Dr. Jameth Sheridan (D.H.M)

To your health and happiness!

*Fancy Flower Ice Cubes*

Are you looking for a way to be inspired to drink more water throughout the day?  Would you love to impress your guests at a dinner party or afternoon cookout?  Do you just love to be surrounded by beautiful things, even while eating?  There is a simple way that you can answer all of these questions with a resounding, Yes!… Beautiful Fancy Flower Ice Cubes.

If right about now you’re thinking, you can’t eat flowers, Laurie, that’s simply crazy talk.  Well, you will be delighted to know that not only are many flowers edible, they are also nutritious and can add pizzazz and beauty to any otherwise plain meal or beverage.

Livestrong.com says…

The list of common edible flowers is lengthy, and you will be surprised how many you recognize. Among the more notable are lilacs, pansies, day lilies, chrysanthemums, lavender, sunflowers, dandelions, nasturtiums, roses and violets. Many of the blossoms from common vegetables, fruits and herbs are also edible.The nectar and pollen of flowers is packed with vitamins, minerals and macro-nutrients. Vitamins A and C and the minerals iron, calcium and phosphorous are commonly present in leaves and petals.

There truly are many edible flowers to choose from, and Ask.com provides a beautifully-articulated chart that describes common edible flowers as well as comments on characteristics and taste of each particular flower.

*Fancy Flower Ice Cubes*

Ingredients:

A handful of pesticide-free (preferably organic) edible flowers of your choice

Filtered/spring water

Ice cube tray

To Prepare the *Fancy Flower Ice Cubes*:

Step 1: Cut small, colorful pesticide-free edible flowers from your garden (that have not been sprayed with any kind of chemicals) or buy edible flowers at your local health food store and/or farmer’s market.

Step 2: Fill an ice cube tray half full of spring/filtered water. Place in the freezer until water freezes.

Step 3: Remove the tray from the freezer and place one flower in each of the individual ice cube cups. Top off with enough water to cover the flowers.

Step 4: Return the flower-filled ice cube trays to the freezer until the cubes are frozen.

Step 5: Remove the cubes from the trays and use in beverages.

Step 6: Enjoy!!

**Please note:  If you have allergies (food or seasonal), please make certain to research which edible flower you will be using before consuming to ensure that you will not have an allergic reaction.  If there is any question in your mind that you could possibly have an allergic reaction, do not prepare this recipe.**

**If you do have an allergy and are opting not to make the *Fancy Flower Ice Cubes*, you could substitute the flower with a piece of sliced fruit, such as a strawberry, cherry, grape, etc., and follow the directions as listed above.**

To Your Health & Happiness…