Tag Archives: health

A Natural Health Kick

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Thinking back now, it is bizarre how life has led me to this point of valuing wellness in a new, more natural light.

Back in 2008, I randomly worked for a Health and Wellness company and saw some pretty incredible things. I was (and still am) completely convinced by how important healthy food and correct supplementation (if necessary) can be, along with rethinking simply jumping into medicine and how natural approaches can absolutely change lives. Not only did I see fairly sick people become well, but I saw healthy people flourish. I have the utmost respect for medical science and am constantly amazed by the breakthroughs happening in that realm, but when it comes down to what we mere non-doctors can do, I’ll opt for the natural until intelligently instructed otherwise.

So my boss back in the day had this magic potion he used to make when he started feeling sick. Recently I shared this little gem with a colleague of mine who was starting to feel under the weather and she bounced back almost instantaneously. I had forgotten how effective it could be, and now with winter upon us and new bugs coming home from play school, I’m stocking up on these 4 very simple and easy to find ingredients:

– honey (as local and natural as you can find)
– fresh garlic (crushed)
– fresh ginger (crushed, or cut up as finely)
– brandy (preferably not for kiddies)

Garlic & Ginger (foodathonindia.blogspot.com)

All you do is mix equal portions of the above together to make a paste. Yes, its gross, and yes, you will smell of garlic, and you do need to throw this towards the back of your mouth and try swallow it without gagging, but it works. I consider it a healthy dose of a natural antibiotic. Do this as often as you need to, when feeling a bit gross.

lemon hot water www.med-health.net

As far as drinks go, there’s always the good old HOT TODDY: Honey, ginger and lemon in a cup of hot water, or you can add crushed ginger to hot water for a sore throat. No brainer.

I keep all of the above at the office and at home. While I can easily consume a roll of cheery flavoured Halls lozenges in one go, it won’t do half the work that those 4 beautiful natural gifts can provide.

Wishing you a warm, safe and bug-free winter.

xxx

The Beauty of Seasons

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It has only taken me 26 of my 31 years to realize the awesomeness and deliciousness of seasonal fruit. Let this post be your reminder.

I’m sure most of you are like ‘duhhhh, is this not taught alongside ABC’s in primary school?’ but it’s not. And while I’m sure my mom and dad hinted at seasonal goodness, I’ll blame society who tries to persuade me I can have everything I want at every turn.

And so my folks just returned from a trip up the west coast of South Africa where homemade organic preserves and fresh off-the-orchard fruit is aplenty and small town markets are bursting with creativity, artisanal brilliance and imagination. Life in full colour.

But I almost forgot about the taste in full colour. Oh man, the pink lady apples are something to behold. Crunchy, juicy, pink (no food colouring added!), and all in all a taste sensation.

Our family eats SO much fruit and veg (we’re flexi Paleotarians – flexi in that we cheat and enjoy it) that Food Lovers Market is our best friend. And while the quality can at times be questionable (in that it can go bad fairly quickly) we eat it so fast it doesn’t really bother us. Ah, wait, except for that time my 3year old cherry tomato guzzler left all his tomatoes in his lunch box last week because they tasted suspicious. Agreed. They were totes suspicious. Gross. I don’t want to waste my time eating cherry tomatoes which aren’t sweet, juicy and plump and if they don’t burst in my mouth. So when you come across food where the flavour pops, and its deep, and rich, we all know that that’s how its supposed to be. Right?

I think it’s the same with life. Seasons. And it’s a beautiful thing really. And thank goodness for it because we need the change; we need ups and the downs, we need seasons of celebration, and seasons of difficulty. We need new things to start and we need others to end. In our personal summer seasons we can embrace the figurative warm sun on our skin (so to speak) and in the wintery seasons we need to trudge through thick mud in our wellies until spring breaks, the cherry blossoms bud, and the ground hardens beneath us.

So go out and grab yourself a juicy pink lady apple (in season). Bite into it, and think of your current season, and embrace the present – be it sweet and juicy or not. And know that winter, or autumn, or even next summer is approaching. And it will. And all will be well.

– for the benefit of your taste buds – I’ve added an inforgraphic of fruit and veggies in season. Yum. Enjoy.

Eat Out Magazine's Seasonal Guide

Banana, Peanut Butter & Yoghurt Smoothie

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Banana, Peanut Butter & Yoghurt Smoothie:

PB Honey Smoothie

This is a super delicious, super easy, no brainer smoothie I often make after school with the kids. Clay went through a blender phase and so smoothies became a regular afternoon treat. This is also a fave post workout drink. Give it a go!

INGREDIENTS:

2 ripe bananas
1.5 cups of double cream yoghurt (the less hormones and additives the better, or homemade yoghurt is even better!)
A big tablespoon of smooth peanut butter
A big teaspoon of honey
2 T chia seeds

Throw it all in the blender with a splash of milk or water to get it moving and let blend it for a couple minutes allowing the peanut butter and honey to mix throughout. YUM.

Why we cloth diaper our kids

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Oh heeeeyyyy nooooo – did you just say cloth diaper? Errmmm, well, yes I did.

A friend asked me the other day where all this green-stuff came from and specifically about what I did when the boys were small regarding natural products.

As a pseudo hippie living in Vancouver, I was encouraged by the West Coast air in my lungs, along with the doula, midwifery and placenta ‘encapsulator’ world around me to go the cloth diaper route. Being frugal students (and by the look of the bank balance, the consideration of the environment and the super-cute-and-trendy style of MANY of the cloth diaper products available on 4th Ave – I’m a marketers dream) it was a bit of a no brainer. I gave it some thought, and I liked the idea – not realizing just how important it would be once Clayden (my oldest) was born.

Back to where it all began…

I find myself at home after an incredible doula supported birth (…that’s a WHOLE different post). I’m in my cosy little Vancouver apartment, staring out my window at the beautiful spring-going-summer weather, sipping on a cup of tea, cradling my perfect 6 week old little human… with a bum rash SO BAD it is raw, blistering and bleeding. Not your typical ‘grab the Bennett’s Bum Cream’ rash – this was BAD. Break your heart bad.

I sought all the help I could. We tried a plethora of creams, oils, ointments, powders, both medicated and not. I had to eliminate all wet wipes (definitely no disposable nappies, and at times any form of nappy) and had to sit with him in our 1m by 1m back garden with his bum facing the sun. I did a LOT of laundry.

Eventually, a new product arrived at my midwives clinic called Clay Powder (ironic, I know) so I grabbed it, and used it in conjunction with a calendula based cream that was also new. With astonishment, after a day, Clay’s bum began to heal. And it inspired me to get on the Googles. As it turns out, what one thinks is just the norm in terms of baby buys, isn’t. Let us start rethinking this shall we?

What was with clay powder and calendula? I landed on a blog called Wellness Mama, and it changed my life. The word calendula popped up everywhere, as well as the dark side of disposable nappies, chemical ridden wipes and other fairly harmful baby products and, thanks to the Canadian system of a year’s maternity leave, I had time to read, research, rethink, play, and create.

I jumped online I bought $100 worth of natural goodies and I started from scratch. I made my own (natural, organic, chemical-free, toxic-free, perfume and scent-free) baby wipes, cloth diaper cream, baby powder and oils, moisturizers and safe eucalyptus rub. I had organic coconut oil, shea butter, arrowroot powder, bees wax, calendula and chamomile flowers. Together, armed with my essential oils, vitamin e and mason jars by the dozen, I created my own mini factory of natural goodness. Cloth diapering was a huge part of this healthy lifestyle and both my boys have thrived in cloth.

This is just our story, and as a disclaimer – I haven’t done my own personal research into all the evils of many of what are presumed to be perfectly acceptable baby-related purchases, and as always, I’m certainly not getting this 100% right (at all). I’m also not judgmental of people who use only disposables and off the shelf baby products – not at all. Our decision was very much weighted by health, a big concern regarding creation care and having seen the hardship Clay’s poor buttocks experienced.

But I would encourage you to read more of the scientific/hard core/fact based info here from my everything-natural inspiration, Wellness Mama. Small changes have a big impact.

And also, cloth diapers are really not that gross. Really. They’re stinking cute.

Also, have you seen pictures of landfills lately?