Heal 4 Real Blog
Food Allergies
"Celiac disease is a disease that simply requires a change of diet. No medicines, no surgeries – just a change of diet and you’re on your way to improved health."
--- Celeste Clevenger author of Celeste's Best Gluten-Free, Allergen Free Recipes
Her advice to those diagnosed with Celiac disease or other food allergies: "Instead of focusing on the few foods you can’t eat, change your focus to all the foods you can eat and live a happy and healthy gluten-free, allergen-free life!"
Celeste was kind enough to share the reasons that she wrote this book, her experiences with Celiac disease, other food allergies and sensitivities as well as her recipe for gluten free Breadsticks!
How to Make Healthy Homemade Meals a Cinch
I often hear people say that they just don't have time to cook healthy meals. I understand that you are busy and cooking takes time.
Here are some tips to make eating homemade healthy meals a reality on a regular basis.
If you are pressed for time, there are some short cuts available at your local grocery store. These may include vegetables that you can steam in the microwave, pre-made pizza dough, rotisserie chicken and seasoned butter and olive oil saute starters. While these may be fast they may not necessarily be healthy.
These are my 3 Top Tips for making healthy meals.
1) When making any recipe, make double the amount you would normally cook for your family. Then freeze half of what you cook and plan to eat it in 2 weeks.
2) Use a Crock Pot. Crock pot meals require a small amount of prep time with a huge payoff - a home cooked meal when you arrive home.
3) Plan to Grill. Grilling is quick and easy. If your proteins need to marinate, place them in the marinade and store in the refrigerator until you are ready to grill. Make a salad to go with your grilled protein. And don't forget that while you are making that salad - make twice as much for another meal later in the week. Just omit the dressing.
With a bit of creativity it can be a cinch to make homemade healthy meals !
5 Tips for a Healthier Easter
1. Use Real Eggs
Using organic free range eggs will not only mean that you are getting all of the health benefits of eggs but that you are avoiding the sugar and unnecessary toxins associated with artificial and alternative sugars like mercury associated with high fructose corn syrup in chocolate eggs.
Eggs are high in protein & low in calories. They are high in choline which is important for brain function and health. Eggs are known to reduce inflammation, are good for hearth health and contrary to popular belief do not raise cholesterol levels.
Yoga: An Important Component of Well-Being
Yoga has a uniquely strong effect on personal well-being because it helps you come back to your center, every time you practice.
If you practice 1 minute of Yoga per day, correctly, you will notice your life improve. You don't have to get into Yoga, make time for Yoga, or become a Yogi to get the incredible benefits from Yoga. Practicing a lot of Yoga is for people who love to do Yoga, but if it's not your cup of tea then don't miss the opportunity entirely. One or two good Yoga poses can do a lot for you if they are smart poses, you learn them properly, and you . . . practice them . . . even just a minute a day.
Christian Leeby, who has been teaching Yoga for more than 20 years, shares some of the benefits of Yoga including stress relief and well-being.
Continue reading "Yoga: An Important Component of Well-Being"
March is Natural Nutrition Month
There are a lot of different diets out there from Adkins to Paleo and macrobiotic to vegan. Not to mention the South Beach, Pritikin and Zone diets to name a few.
Chances are you've tried one or more of these and they may or may not have worked for you.
The fact remains that these diets were not made specifically for you – for your specific metabolism, your energy needs, and your health concerns.
These diets are general guidelines that may or may not result in improving your health.
This year, as part of National Nutrition Month, you are encouraged to eat the foods you love as part of a healthful eating plan that is tailored for your lifestyle, traditions, health needs and tastes.
Do you know what you need to eat specifically for your health?
Your Health & Rubik's Cube
Regaining your health does not have to be complicated.
Consider this story about Rubik’s cube...
Imagine that you are blindfolded sitting in a chair with a Rubik's cube in your hand.
If you started moving the pieces of the cube randomly twisting each section this way and that way eventually you would likely get all of the colors to line up perfectly.
However this would take time. How much time? Scientists have estimated it could take up to 6 billion years!
If we modify the experiment a bit, blindfold you, sit you in chair, give you the Rubik’s cube and this time bring in an expert who knows Rubik's cube...
The expert won’t tell you what to do, instead he’ll just comment yes or no every time you make a move.
Do you think this will shorten the time it takes to get all of the colors lined up perfectly? Absolutely. This time it will take as few as 2 minutes!
Your health is a lot more like Rubik’s cube than you might imagine.
It’s not that your health is all that complicated, its just that at every turn you are faced with choices. How do you know whether to twist the block this way or that way ? Whether to have this test performed or follow the protocol in that book. Exactly what to do for this set of symptoms when different experts tout very different solutions for the same symptom set. Or what to modify in your approach when the approach you are using doesn't seem to be getting the results you hoped for. How do you know which element of the approach to change?
Making all of these decisions could take 6 billion years or it could take 2 minutes.
Top 5 Healthy Apps
Take advantage of these 5 apps that inspire a healthy lifestyle.
If your goal is to lose weight, start your healthy diet by shopping smarter.
After you shop for nutritious food, record how much you eat and exercise.
Then reduce the negative effects of stress, improve relaxation, and build resilience while you practice Yoga anywhere & at any time.
Case Study - No More Broken Bones
This 84 year old woman with osteoporosis fell in 2009 and fractured her collarbone. When I became acquainted with her in 2012 she was fearful of falling and breaking another bone. In July of 2012, I recommended she begin taking Bone Health Daily Fundamentals which are convenient packs of supplements that support bone health. Most people think of Calcium and Vitamin D for bone health. There are numerous other nutrients necessary to support healthy bones such as Vitamins A,C,& K, magnesium, phosphorus, manganese, amino acids and enzymes.
In January of this year, she had another severe fall and though she was bruised and very sore she did not break any bones. She attributes the lack of fractures to the supplements. She will have a subsequent bone density analysis later this year.