Nothing enlivens the Christmas season more than going into the store and seeing heaps of colorful ripe pomegranates. They are an elegant and beautiful reminder of Winter and make a wonderful addition to holiday centerpieces and a great alternative to common holiday fruit such as oranges. Not only are pomegranates fun to eat and taste great, they are an immensely healthy fruit to add to the diet, rich in vitamin C and antioxidants.
Pomegranates are native to Iran, India and the Mediterranean and have been cultivated there for thousands of years, both for their seeds and their juice. They have long been a symbol of winter–Most familiar is perhaps the Greek myth of Persephone, the goddess of the Underworld, also prominently features the pomegranate. In one version of Greek mythology, Persephone was kidnapped by Hades and taken off to live in the underworld as his wife. Her mother, Demeter (goddess of the Harvest), went into mourning for her lost daughter and thus all green things ceased to grow. Zeus, the highest ranking of the Greek gods, 
could not leave the Earth to die, so he commanded Hades to return Persephone. It was the rule of the Fates that anyone who consumed food or drink in the Underworld was doomed to spend eternity there. Persephone had no food, but Hades tricked her into eating four pomegranate seeds while she was still his prisoner and so, because of this, she was condemned to spend four months in the Underworld every year. During these four months, when Persephone is sitting on the throne of the Underworld next to her husband Hades, her mother Demeter mourns and no longer gives fertility to the earth. This became an ancient Greek explanation for the seasons. Dante Gabriel Rossetti’s painting Persephona depicts Persephone holding the fatal fruit.
In recent years, pomegranates have become popular in the West, both as a fruit and as juice. The health benefits of pomegranates are numerous and studies conducted in the last few years have shown pomegranates to be high in Vitamin C and rich in polyphenols, a group of potent antioxidants. Preliminary studies have shown pomegranates to reduce blood pressure, act as an antibacterial against dental plaque, reduce heart disease, and inhibit viral infections. Further studies are being conducted on the use of pomegranate as an inhibitor of prostate cancer. The fruit is also a good source of vitamin B5 and potassium.
Pomegranates are a fun fruit to eat but it is messy work picking the seeds out one by one. If you find you don’t have the time, energy, or inclination for the work, it is easy enough to find pomegranate juice in most grocery stores. It tastes great alone, like a slightly sweeter cranberry juice, and goes well in martinis and other mixed drinks. If you want to experiment with using pomegranates in your cooking, as many Middle Eastern cultures do, go here for some wonderful recipes ranging from salads, to relishes, to desserts.
“If we wait for the moment when everything, absolutely everything is ready, we shall never begin.â€
-Ivan Turgenev
Now is the time that many of us start thinking about making our New Year’s resolutions. In fact, between 40 and 45% of us make resolutions each year. The problem, however, is that only half of us keep our resolutions longer than six months. While making resolutions is still a good way to achieve our goals–people who make resolutions are ten times more likely to reach goals than people who don’t–there are many ways to increase the odds of sticking to our guns:
1. Think outside the Calendar– While New Year’s resolutions are a tradition dating back to Roman times, it might help increase your odds of keeping your resolutions if you put them off until Spring instead. Think about it–why do we make potentially life altering vows and goals in the middle of winter, when we have just gotten through the stress of the holidays and all we want to do is snuggle up and avoid any extracurricular work much less enact sweeping life changes? Instead, why don’t we wait until spring, when our energy is back, the sun is out, things are warming up and coming alive and we have the itch to clean everything and start fresh. Plus, since so many of our resolutions have to do with health, spring is a great time to focus on getting outside and exercising and eating fresh, wholesome food.
2. Keep it Simple: If you must make New Year’s resolutions, don’t overload yourself. It is tempting, in the spirit of change, to make many resolutions or to make grand, sweeping gestures. The problem with this is that we often overload ourselves and then can’t keep the promises we have made. This in turn is a huge blow to our motivation. So sit down, review the year and write down the things you would like to change. Then pick one item from that list that seems the most important. With that, don’t make a sweeping gesture but break it down into increments, small goals that seem more that feasible. For example, if your goal is to lose all extra weight, start by promising yourself that you will lose 5 or 10 pounds by April and then reassess then and make another small goal. By doing it this way, you keep motivation up and keep your goals in perspective.
3. Stay Positive: Research has shown that the attitude behind how we talk and think affect our ability to achieve our goals. So many resolutions fail because they start out negative–we make resolutions based on what we don’t want instead of the other way around. This creates a sense of negativity and often times feelings of denial or deprivation during the time when we are trying so hard to keep our resolutions. So instead of stating your resolutions in terms of what you don’t want, try to think about what it is you do want. For example, if you want to change your eating habits, instead of making a resolution to stop eating junk, cutting out fat etc. try to make a promise to eat healthier, eat more vegetables, nourish your body or find ways to begin loving food that is good for you. It sounds like a small difference, but it really works!
4. Plan: It is wishful thinking to make a resolution without a plan. A plan is the active ingredient in successfully reaching our goals. So sit down and create a list of how you are going to reach your goal and how long you think it will take. Write down every step you will take on the path to making your resolution a reality. Knowing how to achieve your goals is the most important part of any resolution. Remember to be flexible–all plans and goals change and being able to foresee pitfalls and changes that might occur increase the chances that you will deal successfully with any challenge that comes your way.
5. Reflect–New Years is also a time of reflection and it is helpful to sit down and review your year, what went right, what went wrong, what you are thankful for, what you want to focus on in the coming year. By making it all about resolutions, we sometimes lose sight of the importance of just acknowledging the year that has passed and giving thanks for what we have had. If we made resolutions last year and they weren’t quite fulfilled what got in the way and how can we do better. Remember, however, it’s not a time to beat ourselves up but a time to seize the day and realize that we can change our lives for the better and that it is never too late to do that.
photo credit: Noël Zia Lee
Winter is the perfect time to start enjoying one of the simplest and greates weight loss secrets–soup. Not
only are soups hydrating and filling, but they are often jam packed with hearty and nutritious vegetables, herbs, and great sources of protein. In addition, they are a great way to stay warm, keep your circulation and digestion in top shape, and build your immune system. Soups are easy to make from scratch, are a much healthier alternative to the canned soups that are full of sodium, and freeze well so that you can have quick and convenient meals. Investing in a crock pot is a great way to up the conveinence factor as well–simply throw in all your ingredients, let it cook all day, and come home to a hearty and healthy meal. Here are five great recipes, both for your health and waistline:
Ultimate Lentil Soup: Lentils are a great source of easily digestible, low calorie protein. In addition, the garlic and tomatoes in this recipe are great sources of immune boosting vitamins and minerals. This recipe, from the famous Moosewood restaurant is definitely one of my favorites as well as being super healthy.
Classic Chicken Noodle with Vegetables: The old wives tales are true–chicken soup is great for your immune system, and using chicken breast instead of whole chicken guarantees a low calorie meal. This recipe is a great twist on an old classic.
Vegetable Borscht: Beets are a great source of B vitamins and iron and the garlic in this recipe is great for the immune system, as garlic is a natural antibiotic. This recipe makes a hearty, sweet and savory soup that will warm you up quickly. My grandmother always fed me borscht when I was sick and it is truly an amazing cure for colds and flu. Add a bit of plain yogurt or low calorie sour cream to liven this soup up.
Tom Yum: This traditional thai soup is amazing for balancing your system as it includes all four flavors-
sweet, sour, spicy, and bitter. The ginger is a great warming herb as it increases circulation. Most of the ingredients can be found in a local supermarket, just omit the fish sauce from this recipe if you can’t find it. A great and unique twist on the classic soup scene.
Low Calorie French Onion Soup: Here is a great recipe if you want to feel indulgent without paying the consequences. This soup tastes just as sumptuous as its full calorie equivalents. The cheese is great source of calcium and the onions are chock full of vitamins B and C. In addition, onions contain the antioxidant quercetin, flavonoids, and several other micro-nutrients which are proven to reduce blood clotting and raise healthy cholesterol.
 
photo credit: Margaret Anne Clarke
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Whether you live in a part of the country where battling the cold is an unavoidable part of winter, or you are looking to stay warm while outside exercising or working, taking certain herbs is a great way to build both internal and external heat. Here are some great everyday herbs to try:
Ginger: Definitely the number one herbal warmth builder, it works mainly by improving digestion and circulation. Brewing ginger tea is easy and a really affective way of building internal heat so that you naturally stay warmer in the cold. Simply grate ginger root into water and simmer, depending on how spicy you like it, add as much as you can handle. Making a nice chai tea is also very warming–instead of water, simmer milk with the ginger and add a bit of honey, cardamon, anise, and cinnamon. If you find your feet are frozen, try a nice ginger footbath–just simmer the ginger like for tea and then add the tea water to a footbath of warm water. This will keep your feet warm for hours.
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Cayenne: Now cayenne is a fairly strong herb but it does wonders to warm you up. Adding a bit of it to soups, pizza, pasta sauce and beans is a great way to add heat without burning your palate. The more traditional way of using cayenne is to sprinkle a little bit in to your socks to warm your feet. Since cayenne can burn the skin, it’s always safer to wear this as a second layer over a thinner pair of socks. Cayenne has been applied topically for years in Japan as a cure for frost bite.
Cinnamon: Traditionally a cold and flu remedy, cinnamon gently stimulates the circulation to help warm cold hands and feet, and it treats digestive problems much the way ginger does. Cinnamon oil has antispasmodic, antifungal, antibacterial, and carminative properties. Even simmering the oil in water can make you feel warmer just by the smell.
Ginseng: Siberian ginseng is a great tonic herb for the kidneys. In Chinese Medicine, the kidneys are known as the ‘winter’ organ and control the level of life force or chi in the body. By taking ginseng, you not only increase your energy  but increase the performance of the kidneys and keep your body warmer. By the way, protecting your kidneys by keeping your lower back warm is another good tip to stay healthy through the winter.
Nettles: a good source of iron, nettles is a blood builder. It helps build and purify the blood, prevents anemia, and increases circulation. Taking it as a tea or tincture is a great way to build warmth. If you live in an area where nettles don’t die back in the winter, try stinging your hands or feet with them a bit–it helps circulation externally this way as well.
Most of us tend to know that relationships take work but a large body of research now shows that romantic partners have more influence on our health than anyone else and that they play a large part in our physical and emotional well-being. Since we tend to choose partners who are very like ourselves, many of our habits tend to be the same–both good and bad. And as the relationship grows, our habits grow even more alike. Researchers have found that spouses influence each others’ exercise habits, doctor visits, and use of alcohol, cigarettes, and marijuana.
Many people even develop the same afflictions over time—a condition in one spouse often places the other at increased risk for the same disorder. This may be true for cancer, stroke, arthritis, hypertension , asthma, depression, and peptic ulcer disease. One study shows that a person’s hypertension risk doubles when their spouse is diagnosed as hypertensive. Some of the reasons for this are that couples tend to eat the same food, exercise together, and take on each others stress patterns. “Individuals don’t live in a vacuum,” says Gregory Homish, an epidemiologist at the State University of New York at Buffalo, “Everyone who’s in a relationship should be aware that they’re making some physically relevant decisions based on their partner’s influence,” he says. Here are some ways that our partners affect our health:
A study of Korean women found significantly higher risks of lung cancer and breast cancer among those whose husbands smoked, most likely from the effects of secondhand smoke.
wives of men with heart disease are more likely than other women to have cardiac risk factors.
Women in marriages full of hostility have more coronary artery disease than those in warmer relationships, while men in more controlling relationships (whether they are the dominator or the one getting bossed around) have more coronary artery disease than those in egalitarian marriages. Both situations likely activate stress responses, which are known to contribute to, if not cause, an array of ailments.
marital conflict and strain are associated with heart disease and mortality risk. For example, women who “self-silence” during arguments with their spouses are four times more likely to die over a 10-year period than their peers who express themselves. These women (23 percent of the wives studied!) may be bottling up anger out of fear of the husband’s reaction.
Sleep patterns also affect our health, so if you are living with an insomniac you might tend to to sleep less as well. “Sleep problems can screw up a person’s physical and psychological well-being even more than eating and exercise,” says Barry McCarthy, a couples therapist and a psychology professor at American University in Washington, D.C.
And while couples who thrive or suffer together grow closer, those who experience a divergence in health might fall apart. Health-mismatched pairs are more likely to get divorced than couples whose health is similar, whether good or bad. The risk of divorce is greatest for those who were happiest before the disparity emerged. That’s why it’s so important to make health a togetherness issue. We can’t leave our partner behind if we suddenly get healthy and we can’t fall behind if our partners decide to pursue health. Building health and exercise into the relationship is a good way to become closer and healthier at the same time. Taking classes together or picking up a sport or hobby that neither of you has tried before, taking a healthy cooking class, or even walking the neighborhood together instead of watching tv at night are all ways to ensure that love doesn’t make you sick.
photo credit: riptheskull
If you are like me, the holiday season can leave you feeling exhausted, stressed, and worst of all, sick. While
it is supposed to be a time of celebration and togetherness, holidays can often be the time when we forget to take care of OURSELVES. So this year, give yourself the best gift of all–here are five ways to be better to yourself this holiday season:
Simplify: Between work, parties, shopping for gifts, and cooking, it seems like there is hardly time for anything else. So simplify this season. It’s a good year for it. People are in a thrifty frame of mind, so go along with it and bring back the spirit of the holidays and downplay the materialism:
Discuss a secret santa gift giving situation with friends and extended family or do something radical and instead of presents, agree to give instead to a wonderful organization.
Buy one big present for children and close family instead of a million little ones.
If you are hosting a holiday gathering, ask for it to be a potluck and stick to making just the main dish. Or instead of a big dinner, have a dessert party instead to celebrate the ’sweetness of the season’.
Limit decorating to just a tree and a few lights. Make them elegant and fun and you won’t miss all the baubles.
Sleep: It seems like the first thing to go when we are busy, but sleep is perhaps the best thing you can do for yourself this season. It is important. Look at your holiday party list and cut out anything non-essential. Leave parties a bit early (usually we tend to stay longer than we want anyway). That extra half hour of sleep can prove the difference between making it through the holidays and crashing–sleep improves our immunity, helps with stress, and improves mood.
Exercise: Often, we mistake business with being active. We think because we are running around so much that we are getting the exercise we need, but this isn’t the case. With the added calories and stress of the season, it is extra important to keep a regular exercise routine. If you find there are too many disruptions, build them into your season instead–make a point to find seasonal exercise opportunities–have an ice skating party instead of a traditional party, build snowmen, have snowball fights, go snowshoeing–all of these are great ways to burn calories, stay fit and stress–free and celebrate at the same time.
Cut down on Alcohol: Most of us imbibe too much during the holidays, but over-consumption of alcohol can really backfire. It lessens the quality of our sleep, adds unneeded calories, depresses our spirits, and can impede the way in which we handle family stress. We don’t have to be teetotalers, of course, but being conscious of how much we drink at parties and gatherings, switching between alcohol and water, hot chocolate, or cider, and sticking to drinks such as wine spritzers or hot toddies that include water are all great ways to cut alcohol while still feeling festive.
Stay Healthy: Stress, imbibing in too much sugar and fat, and lack of sleep can all lead to lowered immunity. Couple this with the increased amount of germs we come into contact with and the increased germs in the air and it is so much easier to get sick during the holidays. But there are easy ways to protect ourselves against colds and flu-
eat garlic–either raw if you (and your loved ones) can stomach it or in capsule form–it is a great natural antibiotic, as are ginger, cayenne, and lemon. A good way to get all of these is to introduce some thai food into your diet, which has all of these. Also increasing the amount of vegetables in the diet and staying away from cold foods can help with immunity.
Take astragalus–unlike echinacea, astragalus is meant to be a long-term tonic herb for our immune systems. Taking it for as little as two weeks can really help build immunity to fight illness
Cut back on sugar–if you know that you will be eating more sugar at parties, cut back in your daily life. Make a vow only to eat sugar while celebrating and not during routine times. Same goes for alcohol. Sugar will definitely increase your chances of getting sick as it also depresses immunity.
Use hand sanitizer when you are out shopping after any money transaction or touching doors. Also use it a few times during any party you go to. It is believed that we come into contact with 1/3 more germs during the holidays.
Eating at least one serving of oats a day acts as an amazing weight loss tool. This is because oats contain a high amount of both soluble and insoluble fiber. As the soluble fiber of oats is digested, it forms a gel, which causes the viscosity of the contents of the stomach and small intestine to be increased. The gel delays stomach emptying making you feel full longer which helps with weight loss. New research suggests that children between ages 2-18 years old who have a constant intake of oatmeal lowered their risk of obesity. The research found that the children who ate oatmeal were 50% less likely to become overweight, when compared to those children that did not eat it. The insoluble fiber, meanwhile, passes through the intestines without being broken down and therefore improves elimination, helping vitamins and minerals to be effectively utilized and keeping the body from craving food because it is nutrient deficient. Oats also keep blood sugar levels stable, ensuring that we don’t crash and then overeat to compensate. Oats do this by prolonging the absorption of carbohydrates into the bloodstream. Other benefits to eating oats every day are lowered cholesterol, immune stimulation, cancer fighting boosters, and a regulation in blood pressure. Oatmeal (steel cut is best) is a great way to start off the morning, but making nutritional oat bars with honey or mollasses as a sweetener can be much more conveinent. Just take 2 cups of oats, add dried fruit, peanut butter, or nuts to taste, add 1/3 cup honey, mollasses, or 1/4 cup agave nectar. Stir. Spread on a baking sheet and bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes. Voila! Also try oatstraw tea as a great nerve tonic and stress buster. This can be found at many health food stores or at shiningmountainherbs.com.
This week’s guest writer is Seth Braun, an amazing holistic health practictioner and all around nutrition expert. More can be found from Seth on his website. This week’s topic is the power of raw cocoa or cacao, from which all chocolate is made. In it’s natural raw state, cacao is an amazing health tool:
Raw Cacao: Also known as “cocoa†or theobroma cacao, the seed (often referred to as a bean) of a tropical fruit tree. All chocolate comes from processing cacao.
Who benefits from raw cacao?
Raw Cacao is the most nutrient dense seed in our food supply. While there are some concerns with occasional allergies or sensitivities to stimulants, raw cacao is great for almost everyone. Here are some of the remarkable properties of “raw chocolateâ€:
· Blood Sugar Issues~ wow! Cacao contains 10 times more chromium than whole wheat, this vital trace-mineral benefits blood sugar metabolism.
· Brain Boosting ~ flavanols. . . these plant compounds increase blood flow in the brain, according to research by Dr. Ian Macdonald at The University of Nottingham. Add in some theobromine, a mild stimulant and you have an inexpensive and very enjpyable breain tonic.
· Mood ~ Phenylethylamine. . . or PEA, is the famous, “love chemical†in chocolate. Basically, the body-mind gets really happy from PEA.
· Heart Health ~ compounds in cacao reduce blood pressure, increase flexibility in arteries, reduce bad cholesterol, and open up blood flow in all systems. Magnesium, which cacao has more of than any other food, is in highest concentration in the heart muscle.
· Sexual health ~ lots of things improve when you increase blood flow, add “the love chemical,†phenylethylamine, a big shot of magnesium to relax muscles and nourish the heart, and cocoa butter, which happens to melt at the same temperature as the tongue and you have the world’s best aphrodisiac. *Note: If you really want to know if cacao is an aphrodisiac, try eating 1 ounce of raw cacao or 70% or higher chocolate for two weeks. Yes, is what you will conclude!
· Less Sick Days ~ Well, you can use your sick days for whatever you want, but if you are eating cacao, it won’t be because you are shivering in bed. Cacao contains potent immune system boosting substances (called epicatechins)
WOW facts about cacao:
- Cacao has been consumed for over 4,000 years
- The highest food source of magnesium and chromium in our modern diet, which happen to be the number one mineral and trace mineral deficiencies, respectively.
- Raw Cacao is the number one source of antioxidants in the world. Higher than acai, goji, blueberry, aronia berry, and all of the antioxidant-rich berry drinks on the market!
- It is impossible to make good imitation chocolate flavor because cacao contains over 400 distinct chemical compounds, making it the most chemically complex food on the planet!
What to watch out for:
- Cacao is primarily grown in third world countries that may have low standards for the fermentation process. This could mean that you have a high count of nasty microbes in your raw cacao. Therefore, it is best to order from reputable sellers.
- Cacao (and chocolate by default) can be raised by child labor in Africa. Fair Trade is essential for chocolate. Organic of course.
Recipes for Raw Chocolate:
· Add raw cacao nibs (broken up nuts) to smoothies for all-natural super food chocolate drinks.
· Mix with nuts and dried fruit in a food processor to make raw chocolate bars.
· Toss them into trail mix, especially good with goji berries and pumpkin seeds
Where can I get them?
I order directly from Sunfood Nutrition. David Wolfe’s raw foods distribution company has an excellent reputation for quality and I have been pleased with the products that Sunfood Nutrition produces.
photo credit: clarameetsworld
So many of us manage to keep off weight and stay healthy all year long only to blow it in December. The culprit? Parties. We go, we drink, we graze…and while we could ask the hostess what’s in that amazing dip or in those desserts, most of us aren’t comfortable doing that. Instead we nibble a bit here and nibble a bit there. Next thing we know our pants are a bit tighter. It’s fun to indulge a bit around the holidays–after all they are there to celebrate. So instead of abstaining completely, here is a list of the calories in some of the most popular Christmas cookies around, from best to worst, so that you can eat smart this holiday season:
Meringue (25 calories, 0g fat)
Fortune cookie (30 calories, 0g fat)
Biscotti (65 calories, 2.5g fat)
Oatmeal raisin (95 calories, 3.5g fat)
Sugar (100 calories, 3g fat)
Macaroon (100 calories, 6g fat)
Chocolate chip (110 calories, 6g fat)
Gingerbread man (115 calories, 5g fat)
Gingersnap (120 calories, 3g fat)
Peanut butter (125 calories, 6.5g fat)
White chocolate macadamia nut (140 calories, 8g fat)
Peanut blossom (150 calories, 8g fat)
M&M cookie (200 calories, 8g fat)
photo credit: [puamelia]
We like to think that the best diet is one that is made up of whole, fresh foods–but many dietitions and nutritionists are now turning to a tradition that goes back thousands of years and incorporating it into the diets of many of their clients. What is this age old tradition? Rotten food. Of course, we like to call it fermented food, but let’s not mince words. Fermented foods are vegetables, grains, fruits, meats, and milk products that are left out deliberately to become infested with ‘good’ microbes. These microbes turn out to actually be extremely healthy for our bodies. Fermented foods are rich in nutrients, fiber and digestion-enhancing enzymes. They also help the intestinal tract maintain a healthy balance of flora by increasing beneficial bacteria. Of course, many of us are familiar with fermented foods and beverages–beer, wine, saurkraut, pickles, sour cream, yogurt, cheese, sourdough bread–to name just a few–but there are other fermented foods that make a great addition to a healthy diet, such as:
Miso–the popular soup found in sushi restaurants, miso is a broth made from fermented soybeans, rice, and barley. Miso can be salty but adding veggies and spices makes it a great warming soup for a cold night.
Kimchi–This Korean pickled salad is made from cabbage, carrots, ginger, and salt. It makes a great alternative to saurkraut and is wonderful served with meat.
Kombucha–this chinese fermented yeast tea is gaining in popularity in this country in recent years. Many people swear by its ability to help with weight loss, increase immune system function, improve digestion, and fight cancer. It is refreshing and naturally carbonated, though its vinegar like taste takes getting used to for some.
Kefir-- in turkish it means ‘feel good’. Like a drinkable yogurt, kefir contains all the probiotic goodness found in yogurt but with added healthy yeasts. It also contains the amino acid tryptophan which is good for the nervous system.
photo credit: andrewarchy
Just in time for the holidays! Buy Olympia is my all time favorite website to find unique and utterly magical gifts for everyone on my list. Buy Olympia is a small, online only business that started out of Olympia, Washington but now runs out of Portland Oregon. They feature artists and groups from all over the country and have a wide selection of one-of-a-kind, organic, handmade, and unique gifts for everyone–from babies to mamas to grandmas. So instead of buying from the big box stores, support artists and collectives and give gifts that are super stylish and completely unique! Here are some of my favorites:
queen bee creations: vegan vinyl handbags with simple elegant and fun designs. Last a lifetime, literally and completely hand-made by artisans in their Portland workshop.
Nikki McClure: a paper artist who creates beautiful cards, books, posters and bags out of exacto knife cuttings. Breathtaking stuff.
Ex-Libris Anonymous: These guys take old children’s books and make them into awesome recycled journals. Write all your deepest thoughts inside Cat in The Hat.
Elizabeth Cashdan, an anthropologist at the University of Utah in Salt Lake City, USA ( whose findings are published in the December issue of Current Anthropology) has concluded in a recent study of non-western and western women’s body shapes that the “perfect” hour-glass or pear shape supposedly favoured by men (where the waist to hip ratio is 0.7 or less) is rarely found among women who have to rely on their own resources, such as going out to work or to search for food, to support themselves and their families. They have more cylidrical body shapes because of androgen hormones that not only cause the waist to carry more fat, but also help them become physically stronger, more resilient against stress and more competitive|: what many might regard as a highly beneficial trade-off. More…
photo credit: Jo Jakeman
One of the best ways that we can improve and maintain health is through improving digestion and the immune system. Medicinal bitters are a great way to do this. Like traditional bitters, which are added to many alcoholic drinks, medicinal bitters consist of several bitter tasting herbs that stimulate various metabolic processes associated with the liver and digestion. Here are some of the actions of bitter herbs on the body:
*Â Bitters stimulate the appetite by triggering receptor sites on the tongue, which are taste buds that are designed especially to receive bitter flavors.
*Â Bitters stimulate the gastric mucosa (stomach lining) to secrete the digestive juices needed to digest food properly.
*Â Bitters strengthen poor digestion, which in turn helps the body better assimilate vitamins and minerals.
*Â Bitters help the body to assimilate fats by stimulating a release of bile into the intestines.
*Â Bitters stimulate the activity of the liver, which is a very important organ for detoxifying and filtering harmful substances from the body.
*Â Bitters regulate the secretion of insulin and glycogen by the pancreas, and therefore can be helpful in managing hypoglycemia and diabetes.
*Â Bitters stimulate repair of the stomach lining so can be useful in reversing ulcers.
Medicinal Bitters are taken as a tincture (where the herbs are extracted in alcohol or glycerin and administered by the dropperful) and can consist of one or several herbs including–orange peel, aspen bark, gentian root, wormwood, grapefruit seed extract, dandelion, milk thistle, and oregon grape root among many others. A great product is called Rocky Mountain Herbal Bitters. It can be found through Shining Mountain Herbs, a great organic medicinal herb farm high in the San Juan Mountains of Colorado.
photo credit: cloneofsnake
It seems we can all use as much help as we can get in building prosperity this year. Here is a quick and easy meditation that really works toward changing thought patterns and opening up the neural pathways and inviting prosperity into our lives. I have done it now everyday for a few minutes and the rewards are amazing. Try it and let me know what you think!
““Prosperity is all around us and within us. It is the ability to find, organize, and use the resources we need to fulfill our highest destiny and identity.â€
With the holiday travel season in full gear, researchers have announced that there is a new pill that helps cure jetlag. The drug, tasimelteon, works by mimicking the effects of the naturally occurring hormone melatonin, which has long been identified as the regulator of the body’s sleep and wake patterns. Researchers at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston found that the new drug restored near normal sleep the first night it was used. In one arm of the study, participants taking a high dose of the drug actually fell asleep more quickly than usual. Melatonin, which is available over the counter in pill form, is a known treatment for jet lag, but the substance can’t be patented, leading drug companies like Vanda Pharmaceuticals, the maker of tasimelteon, to rush to develop drugs that imitate it. Read more…
“Life has taught us that love does not consist in gazing at each other, but in looking outward together in the same directionâ€
Antoine de Saint-Exupery
photo credit: aussiegall
Want to avoid getting sick this winter? The answer might lie in meditation. Researchers have found that people with an active meditation practice have been found to have higher amounts of antibodies in their bodies, leading to improved immune response and giving them the edge when it comes to fighting off seasonal colds and flu. Along with ramping up the immune system, meditation has been found to balance mood, lose weight, increase the ability to handle pain, and even protect the brain against ageing. Here is a quick introduction to different kinds of meditation:
Zen Meditation: Also known as Zazen, or sitting meditation, is perhaps the most well known of all meditations and is practiced by Zen monks. It involves sitting in a cross–legged position with the hands in a mudra, or prayer gesture and a very straight spine. You breathe deeply from the belly and focus on the the breathing. When thoughts arise you acknowledge them but don’t fixate on them. Let them go and return to the breath. If you wander off into your thoughts come back to the breath. Sometimes it is helpful to have a mantra or special word to repeat or count numbers to keep from thinking. This is one of the simplest kinds of meditation and can be done anywhere.
Walking Meditation: Easier for many people than sitting meditation, walking meditation is just as simple and has the added benefit of exercise. It can be done outdoors or inside. It can involve walking in a pattern–a square or circle, walking a labrynth shape (which is found in many churches and meditation centers), or just free walking outside. It involves keeping the eyes open, focusing on the breath and the body, feeling the ground beneath your feet, and releasing thoughts instead of grabbing them.
Kundalini Yoga: Kundalini Yoga is a physical and meditative discipline, comprising a set of techniques that use the mind, senses and body to create a communication between “mind” and “body”. Kundalini yoga focuses on psycho-spiritual growth and the body’s potential for maturation, giving special consideration to the role of the spine and the endocrine system. It consists of kriyas, which are sets of exercises that help to balance the body and the mind, and different meditations that involve music, mantras, mudras, and visualization. These meditations range from ‘Meditation for Prosperity’ to ‘Meditations for Peace’. They can last anywhere from between 5 minutes to several hours and some have even been adopted by psychotherapists, after rigorous clinical trials, into the treatments of obsessive-compulsive disorder and chemical addictions. Here is a list of popular kriyas and meditations, though finding kundalini classes in your community is highly recommended.
Although these are tried and true ways of engaging in a healthy meditation program, don’t overlook other forms of meditation–running, singing, dancing, driving, even chopping vegetables–almost anything can be turned into a meditation practice if it involves attention, mindfullness, and paying attention to the breath and to disengaging our selves from our thoughts.
photo credit: geishaboy500
A wonderful way to start off every week is with a link to a great website. This week it is the EcoTimes, a cutting
edge newsletter/blog that is all about the environment, with wonderful articles ranging from why it is so important to ride a bicycle to more serious fare along the lines of why saving the environment may be harder than we think. Linked up to this is a great marketplace selling all sorts of organic, fair-trade and beautiful gifts that are perfect for the holiday season.
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