I’m guilty of this too, letting the little things consume me and take over my mental, emotional, and spiritual health. In the grand scheme of life, they don’t matter. There will always be someone who doesn’t like you, or disagrees with your opinion and beliefs.  Life’s way too short to dwell on them anymore. So hug your kids or grandkids a little tighter next time you see them, call your grandmother or grandfather if you’re lucky enough to still have them here, (mine get a phone call almost every week and she can’t wait to hear from me) tell your parents thank you for always believing in you, repair old friendships, (if they’re worth repairing) and most of all take time for YOU!

Give yourself the gift of a mental health day to do what you love to do most. You’ll be more appreciative, your mind, body, and spirit will thank you, and be grateful for your loved ones and everything you have to offer, live life passionately and chasing your dreams. ”Life is sweet, precious, and beautiful. Hold on tight to the ones you love so desperately. Soak in even the smallest moments and make them unforgettable.”

Reblogged from Enlightened Lotus Wellness:

These days the high concerns for what we're consuming and putting into our bodies are being linked to our chronic illness, excessive weight, constant pain, cancer, lack of sleep, the list goes on and on. But what about depression? Can depression be triggered by what we're eating? With depression on the rise more and more every year especially with our youth and women. 

Read more… 771 more words

   This comes just in time as I prepare for two trips in the upcoming weeks!! Love this post from guest blogger Cole Millen. Check out all his great ideas for staying healthy while you travel, which can sometimes be the hardest thing to do especially on vacation!

You may have worked hard to get into shape, and the last thing you want to do is blow it while on vacation. Traveling is rife with unhealthy temptations, but you do not have to give in to them. Keep your weight down and your health up by planning well.

Traveling There:

Before you leave for the airport, take time to eat a well-balanced meal. Load up on lean proteins and complex carbohydrates, such as oatmeal, to keep you satisfied for several hours. This will help you resist the temptation for high-calorie foods later. In addition, bring your own healthy snacks for the flight. Almonds are high in protein and omega 3 fatty acids. Dried fruits can help you satisfy an urge for sweets, without all of the sugar and fat.

Many airports are like miniature cities or shopping malls. They are full of tempting restaurants and places to buy candy and other types of junk food. When you have a layover, avoid settling yourself down at one of these places to eat a high calorie meal. Instead, look for places with light salads on the menu, fresh fruit, healthy smoothies and similar fare. This may mean traveling a ways away from your gate, but the walk will be a good workout.

Healthy Preparing:

Picking the right hotel can be the most important part of staying healthy on vacation. After all, it is your home for the time being. Doing a little research can go a long way. In my experience, reviews from other travelers provide the best forms of information. I recently took a trip out west and found a great site that listed hotels in Las Vegas along with all the amenities and offerings. With the help of these great reviews I was able to find a hotel with a list of amenities as well as a gluten-free restaurant in the lobby! As you plan your trip, look for a hotel that has on-site fitness equipment or that is near a park. This makes it easier to get exercise while you are away. Most hotel restaurants offer their menu for viewing online. Check out the menu to see if healthy food choices are offered. Most upscale hotels understand that many travelers want to stay on their diet and fitness program while traveling. These hotels will most likely have healthy options.

At Your Destination:

After you have checked in to your hotel room, seek the nearest supermarket or health food store. Load up on bottled water and healthy snacks to keep in your room. Eat these instead of high-calorie snacks from the mini-bar or the hotel cafe.

You should keep a bottle with you during any sightseeing trips. Drinking plenty of water will help curb your appetite in addition to keeping you hydrated.

Healthiest Menu Items:

Everyone enjoys having nice restaurant meals while on vacation. You do not need to avoid restaurants. You can still eat healthy by following some general rules. Avoid any course that is fried, battered, covered in creamy sauces or other high-calorie sauces or breading. Instead, choose menu items that are labeled heart-healthy, baked, or loaded with vegetables. Baked or grilled fish, especially salmon, with a few side vegetables is one example of a healthy and delicious meal.

Beverages:

You can let yourself enjoy a cocktail or two, but keep in mind the calories these contain. All alcoholic beverages contain calories, but some are higher-calorie than others. Avoid sweet, syrupy cocktails such a daiquiris and pina coladas. Instead, opt for light beer, white wine or simple mixed drinks such as vodka and cranberry juice, vodka and water or scotch on the rocks.

By keeping up your healthy lifestyle, you will have more energy and feel better while you are on vacation and after you come back home. Just plan it ahead to keep on track.

Related Articles:

• Stay Healthy While Traveling (www.healthytravelblog.com)
• Learn How to Stay Healthy While Traveling (www.summernanny.com)

Reblogged from Enlightened Lotus Wellness:

Anemia is a chronic disease that not only affects women but men and children as well. Anemia is usually associated with vegans and vegetarians but that's definitely not the case anymore. Even people who regularly eat meat can be iron deficient and anemic. Anemia is affecting more and more people today because of poor diet and unhealthy lifestyles.

Anemia is a decrease in the number of…

Read more… 207 more words

Reblogged from Enlightened Lotus Wellness:

YUCK! Ever wonder what's really hiding in your food? Ever thought to yourself did I just eat that? Well what if you really knew what was hiding in the food that you eat everyday? Would you still eat your favorite foods knowing the marketing world and FDA has been keeping secrets from you? Keep reading if you really want to know what's hiding in your shredded cheeses, jello, and even your tomatoes. 

Read more… 552 more words

Bt Corn (Photo credit: argonutter)

Attempts to increase nutritional benefits and productivity of food crops with genetic modification have been made, but in reality the two main traits that have had widespread use to date are herbicide tolerance and the ability of the plant to produce its own pesticide. Herbicide tolerance lets the farmer spray weed-killer directly on the crop without killing it. Crops such as Bt cotton produce pesticides inside the plant. This kills or deters insects, in hopes of saving the farmer from having to spray pesticides. The plants themselves are toxic, and not just to insects. Farmers in India, who let their sheep graze on Bt cotton plants after harvest, saw thousands in their sheep herds die. These crops have resulted in great economic benefit to the companies that have now been allowed to put a patent on nature while farmers and the environment have been put at a disadvantage.

With genetic engineering, scientists can breach species barriers set up by nature. The results are living organisms with traits that would be virtually impossible to obtain naturally, or by means of crossbreeding or grafting. Unlike proponents claim, genetic engineering is completely different from traditional breeding and carries unique risks. In traditional breeding it is possible to mate a pig with another pig to get a new variety, but is not possible to mate a pig with a tomato or a cow. In nature, when species that may seem to be closely related do succeed in breeding, the offspring are usually infertile.

According to the Institute for Responsible Technology, it is now possible for plants to be engineered with genes taken from bacteria, viruses, insects, animals or even humans. Scientists have worked on some interesting combinations when it comes to genetic engineering, spider genes have been inserted into goat DNA, hoping that the resulting goat milk would contain spider web protein for use in bulletproof vests. Arctic fish genes gave tomatoes and strawberries tolerance to frost. Human genes have even been inserted into corn to produce spermicide. Current trials underway include, corn engineered with human genes (Dow), sugarcane engineered with human genes (Hawaii Agriculture Research Center), corn engineered with jellyfish genes (Stanford University), tobacco engineered with lettuce genes (University of Hawaii), rice engineered with human genes (Applied Phytologics), and corn engineered with hepatitis virus genes (Prodigene).

Currently commercialized GM crops in the U.S. include soy (94%), cotton (90%), canola (90%), sugar beets (95%), corn (88%), Hawaiian papaya (more than 50%), zucchini and yellow squash. Other sources of GM ingredients include any products derived from GM crops, including, soy protein, soy lecithin, cornstarch, corn syrup and high fructose corn syrup. Additionally, other sources include, meat, eggs, and dairy products from animals that have eaten GM feed. In the USA, most of the GM corn and soy is used for feed. Food additives, enzymes, flavorings, and processing agents, including the sweetener aspartame (NutraSweet) and rennet used to make hard cheeses, may all include genetically modified ingredients.

1994, marks the start of widespread use of genetically modified plants in the USA, the FlavrSavr tomato begins to be sold. In 1995, a Bt (Bacillus thuringiensis) Potato was approved safe by the Environmental Protection Agency, making it the first pesticide producing crop to be approved in the USA. Shortly after, Bt corn, or corn modified with a bacterium gene to give it insect resistance, goes on the market. In 1996, Roundup Ready Soybeans, which are soy beans resistant to glyphosate herbicide (Roundup) were introduced. Genetic engineering is not a precise science and unintentional side effects are often encountered. When foreign genes are inserted, dormant genes may be activated or the functioning of genes altered, creating new or unknown proteins, or increasing or decreasing the output of existing proteins inside the plant. The effects of consuming these new combinations of proteins are unknown.

Since the introduction of GM crops in the nineties, autism rates and obesity rates have grown exponentially. While this may be a coincidence, evidence seems to point otherwise. A recent study reported that when compared with non-GMO corn the round-up ready variety still contained toxic levels of formaldehyde (200ppm) and glyphosate (13ppm). According to OSHA,  diverse damage to organ systems including the liver, kidney, spleen, pancreas, brain, and central nervous systems can occur from the ingestion of formaldehyde. Peer-reviewed studies have found glyphosate containing herbicides can cause genetic damage to DNA, even at low concentrations. And furthermore, scientists now believe that the amount of toxic chemicals children are consistently exposed to cause developmental and neurological damage which can be observed in the rise of physical and mental effects being found in children today.

So is ingesting GM foods a big deal? In a word, YES!

Related articles

• Should YOU be concerned about Monsanto? (ellicecampbell.wordpress.com)
• Analysis Finds Monsanto’s GM Corn Nutritionally Dead, Highly Toxic (naturalsociety.com)
• Genetically Modified Products Under Fire (prweb.com)
• Hungry Hungry Hippies: Why Genetically Modified Crops Aren’t The Problem (markravingmad.wordpress.com)
• Biotech lies exposed: Genetically-modified corn contains practically no nutrients but is loaded with chemical poisons (pakalertpress.com)
• Arctic GMO Apples Near Approval [W/VIDEO] (secretsofthefed.com)
• What I Learned About GMOs from 9 Farmers, a Monsanto Employee and a Whole Bunch of Reading (lazyhippiemama.wordpress.com)
• Even the NY Times is now rejecting Monsanto GMO science (oneworldchronicle.com)
• 10 reasons why we don’t need GM foods (usahitman.com)

This past year Mother Nature seems to have been pretty angry and giving us a taste our own medicine with lots of flooding, devastating hurricanes, and multiple dumpings of massive snow. Frigid winds and below freezing temperatures have wreaked havoc not only on this country but across the world. So why not for at least one day this year, give back and take care of our community, state, country, and planet. Otherwise I’m afraid she’ll continue to get more pissed off and we’ll be in serious trouble and it may be too late by then.

So this weekend, take sometime to get outside and do something to get back in touch with the soil, air, sun, tress, food, family, and community. It can be as simple as stopping on the side of the road to clean up the trash on a stretch of highway to as complex as starting a community garden.

Need some ideas?? Here’s a few!

• Plant a tree or beautify a public area with flowers and plants
• Reduce, reuse, recycle- start today!
• Avoid the grocery stores this weekend and shop at farmers markets/produce stands
• Buy local/ support your community
• Start a vegetable garden
• Donate your time to help your local zoo, park, church, or school (They always hold events for Earth Day)
• Go to a farm-to-table dinner
• Involve the Kids! Make crafts likes bird houses or bird feeders.
• Learn more about the environment visit local watersheds, coastal bays, national or state parks.
• Buy environmental friendly products
• Go organic!

Hope some of these ideas help you enjoy your day, start something new, learn something fun, make a change, and give back today! Happy Earth Day 2013!

Related Articles:

• Earth Day 2013 (www.earthdaynetwork.org)
• Earth Day 2013 in Washington DC (www.dc.about.com)

There are over 100′s of different kinds ranging in different textures and tastes. Salt is naturally formed in the earth and range in colors from pink, red, white, even black. They are high in mineral and iron content. Normal table salt usually has the iodine removed which we need for T3 and T4, which are your thyroid hormones. In turn your thyroid hormones effect every cell in your body! This includes giving your energy, stabilizing your body temperature, helps maintain a healthy body weight, brain development and function, emotional health, and keeps your hair, nail, and skin healthy! And because I am a foodie, you’ll never meet a chef that won’t praise a gourmet salt and how well they enhance their dishes or how much they truly love to cook with different kinds.

Here are some of my favorites along with some of the benefits of including gourmet salts into your cooking as well as your diets. Himalayan pink salts are the purest salt on earth. It is known to lower your blood pressure, (as long as you’re not eating it by the handful) improves circulation, and detoxes the body from heavy metals.

Hawaiian Algae Sea Salt- This salt is baked in Hawaiian clay and is red in color. The clay enriches the salt with iron oxide and is used the most in traditional Hawaiian dishes. My brother-in-law is the General Manager of Merriman’s in Waimea, on the big island and conveniently sent me pictures of all his tables stocked with Hawaiian sea salt to prove they use it as regular table salt or just to rub it in a little more that he lives in paradise.

Flake Sea Salt- This salt is evaporated sea water. Using sun and wind, it produces a brine, it’s then fed into an evaporating pan, when heated up, crystals of salt appear. This salt is great for fish and vegetable dishes!

Cyprus Black Lava Salt- From the island of Cyprus. A Mediterranean salt, mixed with activated charcoal gives its dark color. A natural detoxifier, the charcoal absorbs toxins in the body.

Smoked Sea Salt- This salt is smoked over wood fires and is great for roasts and grilling out. Giving your foods the great smokey flavoring. Perfect for summer!

The list is endless when it comes to the different tastes, colors, textures, and enhancements salt can bring to your cooking and dishes. I’ve had salts infused with black truffles from Italy and sea salts from the French coasts. I love them all and add them to my dishes daily. Just remember they are still high in sodium, so consuming large amounts of sodium can be detrimental to your health so choose some of your favorites and just add a pinch here and there. Enjoy and happy cooking and tasting!

Related Articles:

• Himalasalt-The Purest Salt On Earth (www.himalasalt.com)

So I was bounding with excitement this week to see the weather forecast say we were going to have unseasonably high temperatures this week and lots of sunshine! So skipping the trip to the doctors for a happy pill, I went out rubbed some dirt on myself and soaked up some serious Vitamin D. Now it’s the end of the week and it’s still 80+ degrees out and I’ve been planting, digging, weeding, and hoeing away. But with the ground still soaking wet after months of torrential down pours I decided to find alternative way to plant some potatoes.

I got some old, used coffee burlap sacks, (They actually still smell like coffee!) grabbed some compost and garden soil, and ordered some potato seed from my friends at the local organic farm. (They buy bulk so if you let them know when they’re ordering-they may be able to buy extra for you and save you a couple dollars!) I put them in a cool, dark place till they started to sprout, and then planted them inside the burlap bags.

So, if you want to save some room to try something new this year or you just don’t have room to grow potatoes, this is the perfect way to add some space your garden, grow your own food, and try something easy and new this year.

Materials:

• Find/Buy used burlap coffee sacks-(local coffee houses will have them)
• Make sure you have potato seed-organic is better (using the g-store bought ones are sprayed with a chemical to keep them from sprouting fast)
• Garden Soil
• Compost
• Water

Steps:

• Roll the sacks down till they’re 6-8 inches tall
• Add soil and compost into bags (**to save soil tuck the edges under)
• Place 4-6 sprouted potatoes into the bags (depending how large your bags are)
• Make sure sprouts are facing up
• Cover with a layer of soil and water well (don’t over water, your potatoes will mold with too much moisture)
• As the shoots start to grow-unroll the burlap to grow with the plants
• Add more compost, continue till plants have fully matured
• The stalks will turn brown and start to dry out, then you know it’s time to harvest!! (usually July for my growing region 7-B)
• Gently dig out the potatoes-store them in a cool, dark place.

***Remember to keep them watered well, burlap dries out quickly! Here’s to warmer days filled with sunshine, lots of gardening, and of course good food!

Related Articles:

• 7 Tips for Starting Your Own Vegetable Garden (www.getrichslowly.org)
• Reasons to Grow Your Own Vegetables (www.southernliving.com)
• Growing Potatoes (http://www.gardenorganic.org.uk/factsheets/gg9.php