Happiness comes in many forms, and I don’t know about you, but cooking (and eating and drinking) does contribute a lot!
[Read more…] about Cook, Drink, and Be Happy [Book Alert]
6 Essential Oils for Sore Muscles
If you’ve been going hard at your workouts, then you might be experiencing muscle pain, tension, and soreness. Luckily, there are a number of oils that you can apply topically to help provide you with much needed relief. Below are 6 essential oils for sore muscles.
[Read more…] about 6 Essential Oils for Sore Muscles
Can Activated Charcoal Boost Your Immune System?
Taking activated charcoal has a plethora of benefits. Because of its potent detoxification properties, it helps flush toxins, heavy metals, and other unwanted substances out of the body. In other words, it helps cleanse your gut, reset your internal organs, and boost your immune system.
There are several ways you can incorporate activated charcoal in your daily life. Read on, below.
1. As a remedy for gas and bloating
If you feel that your digestion is off, activated charcoal may help soothe pain associated with mild indigestion.
It’s available in ready-to-drink capsules but can also be taken in powder form. Try mixing a teaspoon of activated charcoal powder in your water or even breakfast smoothie.
2. As a teeth whitener
For yellowing teeth, try using toothpaste infused with activated charcoal. Much like toxins in your body, it binds onto and effectively remove plaque, food debris, and other surface stains. As a result, you get visibly whiter and cleaner looking teeth.
Activated charcoal also helps restore the natural pH balance in your mouth, thereby preventing cavities and bad breath.
3. As a facial mask
There are many skincare products and clay masks infused with activated charcoal, although you can easily DIY it at home. For oily or acne-prone skin, it helps decongest sebum-clogged pores, slough away dead skin cells, and eliminate harmful bacteria.
Incorporating activated charcoal in your skincare routine can help give you visibly radiant, even-toned skin and a smoother complexion.
4. As water filtration
Tap water may contain harmful chemicals and toxins. Using an activated charcoal water filter can help purify the water in your home, making it safe to drink.
Studies also show that activated charcoal filters removes some fluoride in water. Avoiding fluoride may lead to better immune functioning and improved internal organ health.
As with all other supplements, do consult with your physician or healthcare professional as to how much and how often you should take activated charcoal. Moreover, always listen to your body and see if this is something you do need in your daily life.
3 Easy Dinner Meals That Help Sleep
Common wisdom was that breakfast was the most important meal of the day. That has been questioned in recent times and challenged in a lot of ways. Today, many people are more interested in the last meal of the day and how it might impact their sleep. Sleep has taken center stage with a lot of people who are finally starting to realize just how important it is and how much it plays a role in restoring our health and making us more productive. A great meal, a sleep routine, and a quality mattress may be the perfect recipe for a food night’s sleep. [Read more…] about 3 Easy Dinner Meals That Help Sleep
15 Best Free Apps For Healthy Eating On A Budget
Moms and dads are notorious for pestering their children to eat their greens and vegetables before they leave the dinner table. Yes, they want their children to be as strong and healthy as they can be, but children find that eating their greens and vegetables to be a waste of time. Instead, they would rather fill their bellies with meatloaf, steak, chicken strips, or anything else that was delicious but not nearly as nutritious.
[Read more…] about 15 Best Free Apps For Healthy Eating On A Budget
5 Healthy Herbs And Spices To Include In Your Diet
With the thousands of plants growing on our lands, each with its own medicinal and health benefits, it becomes confusing which of these healthy herbs and spices you ought to include in your diet. The dilemma is understandable since it is only in the last few decades that the western world has accepted what advocates of Ayurveda and Traditional Chinese Medicine have known for centuries – herbs, spices and other botanical ingredients help keep the human body healthy and disease-free.
Herbs and spices are rich in antioxidants, vitamins and minerals that give them their own unique protective and curative functions. Researchers have studied and recommended them to add to your food to maintain the balance our bodies need to stay healthy. Here are their recommendations. Some plant-derived natural products that are not strictly herbal are included because they are just too good to be left out.
Healthy Herbs and Spices to Include in the Daily Diet
Coconut Oil
The once scorned coconut oil is now touted to be a superfood. The fatty acids found in this tropical fruit can help lessen the symptoms of brain conditions like Alzheimer’s and epilepsy. It also helps fight obesity by hastening the burning of fat.
Scientific studies have shown that coconut oil in various forms kills bacteria, viruses, fungi and parasites that cause influenza, throat infections, skin diseases, fungal infections, gum diseases and many others. Oral ingestion of coconut oil helps reduces cholesterol levels and keeps blood sugar level normal.
Coconut oil can be added to vegetable dishes or take one tablespoon of extra virgin coconut oil orally for a healthy heart.
Turmeric
Also known as Indian saffron, turmeric is a yellow-orange perennial plant that is native to Asia. It grows underground and sends its shoots upwards. Turmeric contains curcumin, the spice that gives curry its yellow color. It has been proven to ease the pain of osteoarthritis and may also help heal eye inflammation, reduce the risk for diabetes, colorectal cancer, dyspepsia, gum inflammation, heart attack following bypass surgery, skin rashes and stomach ulcers.
Add it to your cooking as much as possible.
Cayenne Pepper
Or what we know as red hot chili pepper, has capsaicin as its active ingredient along with vitamins A, B6, C, E and a host of minerals. Aside from adding spice to your meals, it aids in weight loss by suppressing the appetite, gives relief from muscle and post-surgical pain and helps in treating psoriasis, migraine, allergies, and colds.
Cayenne pepper can be added to any dish if you want it spicy.
Cloves
Cloves are the bright red to brown flower buds of the clove tree that grows abundantly in many Asian countries. It is popularly used to treat toothache by direct application to the gums. Cloves are added as spice in meat, fish, chicken and vegetable dishes and used regularly, it can improve digestion and enhance libido. As tea, it acts as an expectorant to cough up phlegm and kill the germs that cause sore throat.
Cloves are used whole or in powder form to enhance the flavor in food.
Cinnamon
This is the spice that comes from the bark of the Cinnamomum tree. Taken routinely, it improves brain function and prevents Parkinson’s disease and Alzheimer’s or delays its onset. Cinnamon also regulates blood sugar levels to protect against diabetes, lowers cholesterol levels and has high anti-inflammatory properties that protect the body against infections.
Cinnamon in powder form can be added to coffee, fruits, oatmeal and other snack foods.
