One thing I love, love, LOVE about my relationship with my husband is how we are constantly making each other laugh.
Laughter is medicine. My best friend is a lymphoma survivor, God bless her. She would watch "I Love Lucy" often when she was sick because she knew that it was helpful. We often call each other on our worst days because we know that the other will listen, but also because we can make each other laugh over our worst times. Looking at pictures of us brings me so much happiness because all I do is giggle over some of the silliest things that we would do together.
If you don't get a good laugh from the following two minute clip, I challenge you to find something that will. Jeff Allen is a comedian that my husband and I enjoy watching very much. Here is one of our favorite clips:
Monday, January 31, 2011
Sugar II
There are natural sugars and natural sugarless sweeteners available. I find that honey, real maple syrup (not the Mrs. Butterworth junk for example) and coconut palm sugar do the job and they don’t make me ill. For some, like those with Candida or any other yeast infection, there shouldn't be any such sweetener your diet, at least until you heal. Anyone who has problems with obesity also needs to cut sugars to a minimum. Stevia and xylitol are ways to sweeten foods and avoid sugar. I fully admit that stevia is an acquired taste. I also confess I don’t possess that acquired taste yet. There are some things I enjoy stevia with. For example, there is a rice protein shake that I'll drink before a workout; I sweeten this with stevia. I also make kettle corn without sugar, I actually enjoy popcorn with stevia very much. Xylitol is something that I use very rarely. I've used it mostly for baking. Because xylitol is something that can't be eaten generously, I tend to use some xylitol with some other natural sweetener.
In any case, the processed white junk is just something to be avoided...ALWAYS. My chiropractor actually refers to it as white death because all that it has to offer is illness. Cane sugar isn’t necessarily bad, although it may not be for everyone. Some shouldn’t ingest cane sugar at all; but for the people who can, there is quality raw sugar available. Just be sure to purchase it from a market or store with integrity and standards. There are products disguised as raw sugar but they are basically molasses mixed with other processed junk which isn't better than white sugar.
With the many problems with obesity in this country, I can see why so many try to demonize sugar. Sugar itself isn't bad. There is natural sugar in many nutrient rich foods, the refined white junk that we know of comes from natural sources; either sugar beet or sugar cane. Sugar isn't the problem or the enemy, the problem is what happens to the sugar during processing. By the time it is ready to be sold, it is then our enemy.
In any case, the processed white junk is just something to be avoided...ALWAYS. My chiropractor actually refers to it as white death because all that it has to offer is illness. Cane sugar isn’t necessarily bad, although it may not be for everyone. Some shouldn’t ingest cane sugar at all; but for the people who can, there is quality raw sugar available. Just be sure to purchase it from a market or store with integrity and standards. There are products disguised as raw sugar but they are basically molasses mixed with other processed junk which isn't better than white sugar.
With the many problems with obesity in this country, I can see why so many try to demonize sugar. Sugar itself isn't bad. There is natural sugar in many nutrient rich foods, the refined white junk that we know of comes from natural sources; either sugar beet or sugar cane. Sugar isn't the problem or the enemy, the problem is what happens to the sugar during processing. By the time it is ready to be sold, it is then our enemy.
Sunday, January 30, 2011
Sugar
In a normal American diet sugar is one of the most difficult ingredients to avoid. It is in just about everything. The foods you least expect to have sugar, often have sugar.
According to Natural Health magazine there are many reasons why you need to address and remedy a sugar addiction. Sugar can tamper with the nervous system and promote anxiety. Addictions to sugar can lead to vitamin B deficiencies ending in depression or the exacerbation of depression. Excess sugar creates a greater demand for insulin which can lead to insulin resistance which can end in weight gain and type II diabetes. If you get migraines, have fibromyalgia or any kind of learning disability one of the worst things that you can do for yourself is maintain a diet high in sugar. Vaginal yeast infections and Candida both LOVE bodies that are filled with sugar because yeast feeds on it.
What are some ways to wean yourself off of sugar?
According to Natural Health magazine there are many reasons why you need to address and remedy a sugar addiction. Sugar can tamper with the nervous system and promote anxiety. Addictions to sugar can lead to vitamin B deficiencies ending in depression or the exacerbation of depression. Excess sugar creates a greater demand for insulin which can lead to insulin resistance which can end in weight gain and type II diabetes. If you get migraines, have fibromyalgia or any kind of learning disability one of the worst things that you can do for yourself is maintain a diet high in sugar. Vaginal yeast infections and Candida both LOVE bodies that are filled with sugar because yeast feeds on it.
What are some ways to wean yourself off of sugar?
Cosmetics/ Make-up
I’m very careful about what I put on my skin. If I apply it to my skin, it may be absorbed into my bloodstream. Over the past two or three years, I’ve been finding more cosmetics in their natural form.
My favorite cosmetics are made by Ecco Bella. Their make-up is made up of natural ingredients. They admit that other than their Shampoo, Conditioner, Mascara and Natural Foundation all of their products are preservative free. They also mention that their mascara contains paraben. Now, even though I wish that the mentioned products were as natural as their other products are, because they warn their consumers that the mentioned items aren’t quite where they would like them to be, I trust them more. At least I know where they are and they aren’t hiding information that I would need to know. I use their eye shadow, blush and eye pencil.
I don’t wear make-up very often, however, it’s good to know that when I want to, there are wonderful products available.
Saturday, January 29, 2011
Berky
We have "Big Berky" which is the smallest container in the line up to the left. The picture makes it seem very small, but it holds about a gallon of water. With all the steaming of veggies and tea that we drink, it's amazing how that gallon of water goes a long way.
There are a couple of filters to choose from. There is white Berky and black Berky; although I haven't seen white Berky on the market lately and I'm wondering if it was discontinued. Each has it's own advantage. The black Berky takes more junk out of the water so we use that one. After every 15,000 gallons you need to change the filters. If I remember correctly, the white Berky can be cleaned and reused indefinitely.
Although black Berky is amazing and it removes so much, there are some things it doesn't remove enough of. There are attachments that remove heavy metal, fluoride and more. These you must change more frequently; about every 1000 gallons. We use this to greatly reduce the fluoride in our drinking water. The shown filters reduce it by 95%.
So fear not. There is a way to reduce the poisons in our water. We don't have to live with the nasty toxins. As one of my readers said, if they want poison in their water they can keep it in their own glass and leave the rest of us out of it.
Lactose Intolerance/ Probiotics
One nutrient that lactose intolerant people may be missing is probiotics. If you're like me and you were on antibiotics a lot as a child, this may be something necessary to keep from getting ill. Candida was like this vile, sneaky serial attacker in my early adulthood. I would get a black scaly rash somewhere on my skin, then I would have an outbreak of this rash. Of course when I went to an MD, he gave me a cream for the rash. When I went to another doctor who was more naturalistic, he put me on a yeast free diet for three months and the rash went away. To avoid ever having to go through this diet again, I made sure that I ingested ample probiotics.
Yogurt is an excellent source of probiotics. Now, I find that yogurt doesn’t have enough lactose to hurt me unless I eat a lot of it. But there are ways around it in case you are that sensitive. Goat’s milk has less lactose than cow’s milk. I have a relative who has more severe symptoms when he drinks milk; he will get arthritis. Goat’s milk doesn’t do this to him, but cow’s milk will. Therefore, one way to get around the lactose intake is by drinking goat yogurt. If you find that you are sensitive to even that, you may have to resort to supplements. I’ve written about a product called Inner Eco, it’s a coconut kefir that I love. I drink a shot glass of this stuff every day. New Chapter is a reputable vitamin company who has a probiotic product as well.
Allergies can be a real drag, especially in cases like lactose intolerance when it deprives us of nutrients. Remember, however, there is often a healthy way around it. You just have to find it, and go for it. I hope this post was helpful.
Yogurt is an excellent source of probiotics. Now, I find that yogurt doesn’t have enough lactose to hurt me unless I eat a lot of it. But there are ways around it in case you are that sensitive. Goat’s milk has less lactose than cow’s milk. I have a relative who has more severe symptoms when he drinks milk; he will get arthritis. Goat’s milk doesn’t do this to him, but cow’s milk will. Therefore, one way to get around the lactose intake is by drinking goat yogurt. If you find that you are sensitive to even that, you may have to resort to supplements. I’ve written about a product called Inner Eco, it’s a coconut kefir that I love. I drink a shot glass of this stuff every day. New Chapter is a reputable vitamin company who has a probiotic product as well.
Allergies can be a real drag, especially in cases like lactose intolerance when it deprives us of nutrients. Remember, however, there is often a healthy way around it. You just have to find it, and go for it. I hope this post was helpful.
Lactose Intolerance and Calcium
“Drink your milk for strong healthy bones!” is yet another buzz in America. I shake my head every time I hear it now. The number of people that I know with lactose intolerance is high. I myself can’t drink milk. I can eat cheese and butter; however, unless I want a chronic cough, I must eat it sparingly. For those who can drink milk, enjoy it! It’s good stuff. It just isn’t for everyone.
Dr. Connett talked about how a lack of calcium in a fluoridated community can raise the chances of dental fluorosis. He also stated that many black people are lactose intolerant. Because they aren’t getting enough calcium, black communities run a higher risk of dental fluorosis. What’s sad is, many professionals like him unknowingly imply that it is the only source of calcium. Well, good news! Milk isn’t the only source of calcium. In fact, it may not even be the best source of calcium. I posted about Chia/ Salba seeds a while back. They offer an abundance of calcium. In fact, Salba seeds contain even more calcium than milk. Dark, leafy green vegetables are a fabulous source of calcium. The beauty of dark leafy greens is that they offer an abundance of many other nutrients as well. If you feel that this isn’t enough, there are always whole food vitamin supplements. Garden of Life produces a vitamin supplement that is a blend of dark leafy greens; it comes as a powder or a tablet.
So for all of my lactose intolerant friends out there, don't despair. Yes, milk does a body good as the American dairy farmers tell us on TV, however, there are many other things that do our body good that we shouldn't rule out even if we can drink milk. If you're going after nutrients, it comes from a variety of good things, milk just happens to be one of them. I've been very consistent with putting salba in my food in the morning, and I've been very careful about getting my raw food intake on a daily basis. If what you eat as a whole is good, there isn't a need to worry about not getting enough milk.
Dr. Connett talked about how a lack of calcium in a fluoridated community can raise the chances of dental fluorosis. He also stated that many black people are lactose intolerant. Because they aren’t getting enough calcium, black communities run a higher risk of dental fluorosis. What’s sad is, many professionals like him unknowingly imply that it is the only source of calcium. Well, good news! Milk isn’t the only source of calcium. In fact, it may not even be the best source of calcium. I posted about Chia/ Salba seeds a while back. They offer an abundance of calcium. In fact, Salba seeds contain even more calcium than milk. Dark, leafy green vegetables are a fabulous source of calcium. The beauty of dark leafy greens is that they offer an abundance of many other nutrients as well. If you feel that this isn’t enough, there are always whole food vitamin supplements. Garden of Life produces a vitamin supplement that is a blend of dark leafy greens; it comes as a powder or a tablet.
So for all of my lactose intolerant friends out there, don't despair. Yes, milk does a body good as the American dairy farmers tell us on TV, however, there are many other things that do our body good that we shouldn't rule out even if we can drink milk. If you're going after nutrients, it comes from a variety of good things, milk just happens to be one of them. I've been very consistent with putting salba in my food in the morning, and I've been very careful about getting my raw food intake on a daily basis. If what you eat as a whole is good, there isn't a need to worry about not getting enough milk.
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