Feel Good Friday: 5 Simple Things You Can Do Right Now For Your Health

1. Drink More Water – You should drink half your weight in ounces of water a day. For instance if you weigh 200 lbs., you should be drinking 100 oz. of water a day. 

One thing I do to get this accomplished, is fill up on water first thing in the am. To prevent nausea, and because it is awesome for your digestive system, I drink warm water. It may seem counterintuitive, but try you might be surprised. 

2. Eat Your Colors – Different colored foods provide different nutrients. Try to get as many colorful things on your plate as you can!

 Not friends with veggies, yet? Add them to a smoothie. I promise you, the benefits are amazing, and they are delicious. Don't be scared! 

                                                      [Source: Healthy Times Blog]

3. Shop the Perimeter of the Store – All of the fresh foods in the grocery stores are along the perimeter. Stay out of the aisles and you will be less tempted to get processed food.

Start by ditching boxed foods. These things are usually very high in sodium, and they are just not good for you. Plus, nothing from a box tastes as good as the real thing. I used to love boxed jambalaya, that was until I learned to cook it from scratch. There is no substitute for fresh food. You're saying, okay, but I don't have the time. Try using a crockpot. There is nothing better than coming home and having dinner already done and waiting for you!

4. Give Gratitude to Your Food- Saying grace or giving thanks honors your food. It has given you its energy (calories = energy) be grateful! 

My Blessing is: Creator thank you for the blessing of this food. I give thanks to all the living beings that gave their energy so to that I might use it. Also please bless anyone and everyone who had a hand in bringing it to my table. Let it nourish my body and my soul. Amen!

5. Cook!! – We all know home cooked is best!! You control the quality of ingredients. Processed foods always have more sodium and sugar than you would put in your food yourself.

Plan ahead so you know what you are cooking. Again pull out that crock pot, if you're short on time. Don't know how? The web is full of info on cooking.

Or you could try cooking with this guy:

Small Changes Count!!

XOXO, 
Riss

Soap or No Soap? How to Have a Healthy Happy Vagina

You've heard the saying "Happy Wife, Happy Life". Well my version of this is "Happy Vagina, Happy Life." Because nobody likes a sad vagina. Furthermore, a clean healthy vagina is what we should all aim for, and teach the other females in our lives about.

Many females have been taught to shame vaginas, that they are nasty, smelly, and should be covered in floral scents and baby powder. No bueno! Your vagina is a self cleaning oven. It is actually, wait for it...... Actually, a healthy vagina is one of the cleanest part of the body! The reasoning behind this is the rapid nature of skin rejuvenation, and the way it balances good and bad bacteria. Other important factors in vaginal health are your diet, and your hygiene routine.

So how do we go about creating a clean healthy happy vagina?

Read More......

Small Steps: Eating Organic Produce (Part 1)

The Environmental Working Group has done extensive research on organic produce and has come up with two vitally important lists: The Dirty Dozen and The Clean Fifteen. The Dirty Dozen are foods that contain so many harmful toxins that you should always buy them organic. The Clean Fifteen are foods that are low in pesticides, so you do not have to buy them organically.

The test were carried out on foods as they are typically eaten. This means a banana peeled, an apple washed, etc.That being said, just washing and peeling the items from the Dirty Dozen list is not enough.

DIRTY DOZEN (WORST-BEST)                    CLEAN 15 (BEST-WORST)
1. CELERY                                                             1. ONIONS
2. PEACHES                                                         2. AVOCADO
3. STRAWBERRIES                                             3 . SWEET CORN
4. APPLES                                                            4. PINEAPPLE
5. BLUEBERRIES                                                 5. MANGOS
6. NECTARINES                                                  6. SWEET PEAS
7. BELL PEPPERS                                                7. ASPARAGUS
8. SPINACH                                                          8. KIWI
9. CHERRIES                                                        9. CABBAGE
10. KALE/COLLARD GREENS                          10. EGGPLANT
11. POTATOES                                                     11. CANTALOUPE
12. GRAPES (IMPORTED)                                 12. WATERMELON
                                                                              13. GRAPEFRUIT
                                                                              14. SWEET POTATO
                                                                               15. HONEYDEW MELON

Why you should care: Pesticides are agents sprayed on crops to kill bugs, but they also can harm humans, especially during fetal development and early childhood. Scientist advise that we lower our consumption of these things.

That's good, but organic foods are too expensive. That is where balance and planning come in. You don't have to buy everything organic. For example, if you are cooking something that starts out with "the trinity"(onions, bell pepper, and celery), then buy the bell pepper and celery organic, but not the onions. Or if you usually eat fruit that is on the Dirty Dozen, then diversify and add some things from the Clean 15. If you shop wisely, and balance your produce between the lists, then eating organically doesn't have to break the bank.


*I just did a little detective work at my local chain grocer. I used their online delivery option to compare organic and regular produce items. I  found three products from the Dirty Dozen list in organic (their online organic list was very limited) and in the regular produce section. I chose the most inexpensive products on both lists, but made sure to compare the same products.

The results: Potatoes were $1.83/lb. organic and $0.66/lb for the regular. Blueberries were $3.99 a package for the organic, and $3.00 for the regular. Peaches were $0.67/lb. for the organic, and $0.68/lb for the regular. So you see that the price difference for organic produce varies. The potatoes were much more expensive organic while the organic peaches were a little less than the regular.


Please follow this link for the Environmental Working Group's Full List, which includes 49 fruits and veggies. 

Coming soon:  Part 2: I explore Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) groups. With CSAs you can get organic produce for really cheap, and support your local farmers at the same time!