Fake Food

This week my 5 year old daughter attended her first summer camp. Since it was the week after school ended I was still in the mode of packing lunches and finding lost shoes or bathing suit bottoms. The paperwork with the list of what to pack and other camp details was lost in the mail. The night before some kind moms texted me pictures of their camp paperwork so I would be prepared. To my surprise, they were planning on feeding my daughter instead of me packing her a lunch. This is not ideal since we eat organic and healthy. As a result of eating this way, my daughter responds pretty bad to sugars and chemicals. The menu was full of junk and sugar but what shocked me even more was the health shaming that was written on the paper work:

“We eat a log of garbage. One week away from the “perfect diet” isn’t going to hurt anyone.” 

I couldn’t believe they wrote that. The first day, I picked up my daughter and she was almost in tears because her tummy hurt so bad and she was exhausted. Her water bottle was full, her extra lunch I packed was untouched and she said she didn’t like the tater tot casserole they served (who would?). Don’t worry. She didn't have an empty stomach for her 7 hours at camp. She had ice cream, cobbler and a snow cone! That night as my daughter watched the movie Leap, I was so angry. But I decided to take a line from her movie and use my anger for good.  

I realized that people who don’t take health seriously or shame others that do, don’t understand how their bodies work or how the consequences of what they eat are forming gradually inside. They don’t know what happens to the red dye and sugar after you swallow it. Even more so, they don’t know how hard it is to detoxify those elements out of your body so that they don’t become cancer, diabetes and heart disease. 

So, I dedicate this blog to those who lead this unnamed, nationwide camp in hopes that they think differently as they shape our girls this summer. 

First of all, we need to know the basics of how our digestive system works. Here is a short video that explains this better than I ever could. 

Our body works very intentionally to break down our food into usable parts to be absorbed into our blood stream and distributed to the areas of our bodies that need it. The vitamins, minerals and other nutrients feed our mitochondria which is where we get our energy from. 

Every time we eat, we really have 2 choices. Eat real food or fake food. Real food is anything that is organically grown or raised. Fake food generally consists of chemicals, plastics, refined sugars, genetically modified vegetables, grains and meats and even wood shavings. You’d be surprised how many foods contain modified cellulose. 

When it’s written like that, it seems pretty black and white. Why do we ever choose fake over real? There are many reasons but I believe a big reason is the instant world we live in. Let me explain. We are obviously living in an instant gratification society. We want fast food and a quick fix pill. We text instead of call and we want a response asap. We want two day free shipping or we reconsider. We fast forward through commercials and pre-buy tickets to skip the line. The faster we can consume the more we can consume. There is a flip side to this. If we consume something toxic and don’t drop dead instantly, then it must be fine. If we spray certain weed killers in our yard and don’t get the cancer tumor the next morning, it’s not biggy. 

Oddly enough, when we do get the cancer diagnosis, we think “how could this happen out of no where?” It’s not out of no where! We just pay attention to what is instant and disregard what is gradual. 

Now that you have seen the previous video on how your digestive system uses the food you give it, check out this short, 4 minutes video on how your body processes sugar. It’s fascinating! My hope is that when you are making your food choices, these are the facts that can help shape your decisions.

That 4 minutes explains our country quite well, doesn’t it. Sugar is usually the first focus when we talk about bad foods that cause disease. But there are so many other toxic, fake foods out there as well. In order to keep this blog post from being too long, and in honor of my daughters camp giving her a snow cone every day this week, (que the smoke coming out of my red ears) I’m going to also highlight artificial dyes. 

Americans are consuming 5 times more food dyes now than in 1955. Do you ever wonder what those dyes are made of? Red dye #40: petroleum distillates or coal tars. According to the center for science in the public interest, red #40 and other AFCs can cause allergic reactions in some people. Research shows they can also cause hyperactivity in children and immune system tumors in mice. Red 40 contains p-Cresidine, which the US Department of Health and Human Services says is “reasonably anticipated” to be a human carcinogen. An other study found that it lowers reproductive success and causes neurotoxicity in rats. 

The obvious places to find artificial dyes are in fake foods like slushies, snow cones, colored cakes etc. But here are a few places you may not have expected dyes to be. How about yogurts, pickles, oatmeals, popcorn, peanut butter, maples syrup. Eat This wrote a great article on unsuspecting products that contain dyes and other carcinogens. Click here to check it out. Most of this I already knew but they open their post explaining how many salmon farmers add pink#20 and orange-red#34 to their fish food to make the meat the color you’re expecting. What?!

We may think one slushy is not that big of a deal and maybe if you’re eating a purely healthy organic lifestyle and have truly 1 slushy, you’re probably going to live a long life. But if we aren’t realizing that there are carcinogens in our breakfast cereal with our genetically modified strawberries on top, followed by our peanut butter sandwich with added dyes with an orange juice full of sugar and orange#40 and frozen pizza for dinner full of the same, then we are kidding ourselves when we say “One week away from the “perfect diet” won’t hurt anyone.” It's more like one week of double the junk will hurt you.

I urge you to think twice about your sugar and dye intake. Read those labels! If you can’t pronounce and/or don’t know what it is, then don’t eat it. If it has colors listed in the ingredients, don't eat it.  If you need a treat, there are so many options out there there that are organic and some that are even healthy. 

Documentary Review of Fed Up

The past 2 months we have touched on a variety of topics to help you transition your life style to a healthier and more holistic one. We’ve covered cleaning products, eating more greens, breaking down detox and dairy. For more information on the premise of our blog and the holistic transition journey see our original post here. 

Part of making better choices is to be educated. This week I have decided to review one of the many documentaries on changing the way we think about food and our bodies. If you haven’t gotten on the documentary train, I highly recommend it. There are so many curious, inventive and creative people in this world who have profound questions about truth. A select few of those people make it a mission to harness truth and document it for us all to see. It’s raw education and a privilege to watch it. It was hard to choose which documentary would be the first one for me to write on but I think Fed Up is a good place to start.

The Synopsis

“Everything we’ve been told about food and exercise for the past 30 years is dead wrong. FED UP is the film the food industry doesn’t want you to see.From Katie Couric, Laurie David (Oscar winning producer of AN INCONVENIENT TRUTH) and director Stephanie Soechtig…”

 

As I mentioned, most documentaries come from someone’s curiosity. The movie begins with Katie Couric, a well known news anchor, sharing how she reported on the obesity epidemic for 30 years and it continually escalated. Asking “Why?”, was the conception of the documentary called Fed Up.

 

Think about that for a minute.

 

Fed Up presents us with the common translations of what healthy eating means to so many Americans. Majority of us truly believe that we are eating healthy or making healthy choices with what is presented to us. But in fact, we are filling our body with everything we shouldn’t. We have been misinformed. 

Throughout the movie you are able to follow various families on their journey to healthy eating and weight loss. You will see the “healthy” food choices they are making. Maybe you will relate. There may be items in their pantry that you have also purchased feeling like it’s the healthy option but it really isn’t. 

They break down the reality of label reading and words like “low fat” and what that really means. It is good for us to understand why there is so much processed food available and why it’s marketed the way that it is.

The food industry is incredibly powerful and I think you’ll be surprised how their power has infiltrated your household. The movie presents the facts very well. Politics do play into both sides of the food crisis and I think they present that factually and realistically. 

What I liked about this movie…

I really enjoy when documentaries show us visually how the body is working inside when I consume certain foods. It really is pretty basic but it’s not logical for those of us who haven’t studied the body and nutrition. One of the examples was sugar. It showed that sugar is processed in the liver.  When the liver is pushed to the max, the pancreas helps it by producing an excess hormone called insulin (the energy storage hormone). Insulin turns sugar into fat for storage. High levels of insulin block your brain from receiving the signal that you’re full. Having a visual like this pops into my brain when I am making food choices that may have sugar added. 

What I didn’t like about the movie…

Don’t get me wrong, everyone should see this movie so don’t take this as a reason not to. They showed a lot about what America is eating that’s wrong which is really valuable and a wake up call that is long overdue. But I do wish that they put a bit more time into what changes need to be made. They do offer a challenge to the viewers at the end which really does sum this up. But again, I am a visual person so for me there wasn’t enough visual for what the changes should be. For instance, when you follow these families, they are making horrible choices in the name of health. Because I’m educated on this I was shaking my head screaming “no you’ve got that all wrong!” But for those who are watching and purchasing the same items, I wish they would have had someone come in and clear the pantries right then and there. Maybe we’ll review some Jamie Oliver next time for that. 

At the end, Michael Pollan said it best “The most important thing you can do is cook real food.” If you’re in the kitchen and you’re cooking with real food, your family will be eating much better. Perhaps this is really the baseline America needs to accept to make better choices. 

I recommend you watch this movie to get some background knowledge about why you make the choices you do with food. You have been influenced and set up to make the wrong choices. That’s the reality but by gaining this knowledge you allow yourself to break out of that mold and take back ownership of your food choices and the food choices you make for your family. At the end of the movie, they give you the opportunity to join The Fed Up Challenge. Click the link to learn more and here how it has changed the lives of families. Let me know what you thought of the documentary. 

Unfriending Diary

As this blog helps you along your journey through the transition to healthy and holistic living, I will do my best to scatter out posts concerning purchase choices. Today is one of those posts. I’d like to tackle the topic of dairy. When I think of the legacy of diary, I think of an actor who used to be such a big deal. They made huge movies, cameos on TV shows, on every talk show and even cut an album that made it high on the charts. Somehow, over time they got old and people can’t  remember what the hype was all about. The next generations are born and they don’t even recognize that actor’s name. The dairy industries tombstone is being etched right now and for good reason. I know it’s hard to image how something that doctors, schools and society have encouraged as a dietary necessity for years is actually wrong, but here we are. So many people are trying to figure out their digestive demise and following outdated, poorly researched advise. Now don’t worry. I’m not going to tell you to cut diary out from your diet all together. I would however like to educate you on how to buy dairy responsibly and also encourage you to at least balance it out with some alternatives.  

Here are 4 things to consider regarding dairy consumption: 

1) Being mindful of what is going into the cows body

2) If its inhumane to poison an animal then its also inhumane to poison yourself. 

3) Understanding the relationship between dairy and the human body 

4) Understanding the large environmental impacts of “needing” cattle - you’ll be shocked. 

So, let’s break this down.

1) Being mindful of what is going into the cows body

If you have every been a breast feeding mother or the spouse of one, you may have had conversations about staying away from certain foods or medications because they would be transferred to the baby through breastfeeding. This is the same concept we need to be mindful about when it comes to our milk, cheese and other dairy products. There are many different injections given to our cows, but the most common is the genetically modified Recombinant Bovine Growth Hormone (rBGH). The purpose of this injection is to increase the milk production in the cow. Now, once again if you have any connection to breastfeeding you may remember that engorgement leads to a risk of mastitis. This is when the milk duct is clogged and many times becomes infected. It is incredibly painful. Enter in the antibiotics. Not only is the infection from the cow’s mastitis leaching into your milk but so is the hormone they were injected with and the antibiotics they needed after. The most common antibiotic used for the cows is penicillin which a large percentage of our population is allergic to. Antibiotics reek havoc on our immune system but in this formate, it also contributes to the rise in antibiotic resistance that is an epidemic in our country. rBGH is not the only thing cows are injected with but I think that's enough of a wake up call, don't you?

The other hormone factor to consider is the natural hormones that are passed through the cows milk that are specific to a baby calf. Just as humans are designed to consume our mother’s milk, so are calves designed to consume their mothers milk. A mother’s milk has very specific proteins, nutrients and a variety of natural hormones that are intended to be transferred to a new and developing baby. By drinking milk at all, we are receiving the hormones that were intended to develop a 80 lb calf into a bull into our human selves. That doesn’t feel right either. 

2) If its inhumane to poison an animal then its also inhumane to poison yourself. 

The main way that cows consume is obviously through what they eat. If the container for your dairy product doesn’t say grass fed then you can bet they are consuming a genetically modified corn and soy based diet. Many might be thinking, is that so bad? Cow’s bodies are designed to consume and process grass. Because it’s hard to maintain such a vast amount of grass land for the quantity of cows America requires, we give them government subsidized grains. It’s cheaper. Since they cannot process grains, their bodies go through a lot of trauma and the farmers have to manually help them through the digestion process. It’s like if you needed to drive your car from one side of town to the other but you are filling your tank with olive oil. As the car tries to make it, you have to shove tubes down the engine to make things flow properly and inject it with chemicals to just make the car fake it enough to get to where you need to be. Ok, I don’t really think that analogy would hold up in a scientific test but that visual is probably better than me explaining how it’s really done with the poor cows. This diet has changed the natural acid process that used to protect us from E. coli. Now E. coli is found in every farm and it withstands the human stomach acid causing infection. If you want more information on how this all goes down, see Michael Polan’s input on Food Revolution’s Truth About Grass Fed Beef. 

In 2017, a massive amount of red skittles covered the Dodge County Highway in Wisconsin. After a police report, they found that this truck was transporting these unusable skittles from the factory to feed cows. This is a practice that farmers have done for decades but hadn’t really been brought to light until this incident. When corn prices surged, this was a cheaper alternative to provide the cows with “cheap carbs”. 

3) Understanding the relationship between dairy and the human body

Ok, enough about the cows bodies. What about dairy in the human body? Human’s have been consuming dairy for only about a quarter of the time we’ve been on earth. We don’t need it, we want it. Our bodies were not made to digest dairy. So, when people make it a staple in their daily diet, their digestive systems are crying out for help either through indigestion, acne, asthma, and even cancer. In the Forks Over Knives documentary they break down the correlation between animal protein and cancer both practically and scientifically. Periodically, we will be doing documentary reviews and this one is on the list in case you want to get a head start. 

Being a person who values a holistic lifestyle, people open up to me about their body woes quite often. The most common thing I hear is stomach pains and digestive issues that the doctors can’t figure out. I’m not saying that all these people have a dairy issue. They might. But dairy is the cause of so much discomfort and yet it has’t really had the spotlight on it until recently. My generation and the generations before me were raised to think that this is an important part of a daily diet so to think that it could be the cause of discomfort and illness has not been on anyone’s radar. 

“Our bodies just weren’t made to digest milk on a regular basis. Instead, most scientists agree that it’s better for us to get calcium, potassium, protein, and fats from other food sources, like whole plant foods — vegetables, fruits, beans, whole grains, nuts, seeds, and seaweed.”

Dr. Hyman, the Medical Director at Cleveland Clinic’s Center for Functional Medicine 

Believe it or not but we actually stop producing the enzyme that digests lactose (the primary sugar in milk) between the ages of 2-5 years old. Without this enzyme, the undigested sugars end up in the colon, where they ferment, producing gas that can cause cramping, bloating, nausea, gas and diarrhea. Does this sound familiar? 

4) Understanding the large environmental impacts of “needing” cattle

The fun part about writing this blog posts is that I take a topic I already know about and get to research it further. Here is the part I was less familiar with but found fascinating. Did you know that The United Nations has deemed the livestock industry as a slightly higher producer of green house gas emissions than transportation? Because the cows are now grain fed, they produce substantially more methane. The largest dairy-producing state in America is California. California has been battling a drought rollercoaster for decades. One quarter of California’s water budget is spent on meat and dairy livestock. Aside from corn and soy, animal proteins are one of the most over consumed products.

Did you know?

In our society, we are taught that protein and calcium are primarily consumed through meats and dairy. There is a giant menu of options for protein and calcium. In fact, by choosing a plant based source for your proteins and calcium, you’re are also feeding your body many other vitamins, minerals and nutrients that will make your body thrive. 

Did you know that there are vegetables, nuts, legumes, seeds and other plant based sources of calcium, protein, potassium and healthy fats? Not only are they power packed with a variety of other nutrients that your body needs but they are high in protein and calcium as well. 

You can get approximately the same amount of calcium from a glass of milk as you can from 2 cups of kale or 2 tablespoons of chia seeds or even 2 tablespoons of Tahini? 1 cup of nonfat milk contains 8.26 g of protein. You can also find the same amount of protein in 2 tablespoons of peanut butter, or 1 cup of quinoa,  or maybe a quarter cup of hemp seeds or 1 cup of peas.

So, what should I do?

So what am I saying here? Do I think that we would all feel better and have healthier digestion by going diary free? Absolutely. Am I dairy free? Not completely. Here’s my opinion.

If you can ditch the milk, do it. It should not be your primary source of protein or calcium. It’s so much healthier to get those nutrients elsewhere. Use plant based milks for your cereal. If you have tried plant based milks and didn’t like them, you may want to ween off of the dairy. Start by having your cereal with half milk and half plant based milk for a week. Then continue to lessen the milk until you’re used to the change. If it’s too hard to go cold turkey off the cheese (trust me, I get it) then give yourself boundaries with cheese. Make cheese a supporting role and not the main act. Stay away from mac and cheese and pizza but allow some crumbles on a salad or soup. 

If you are going to consume dairy, make sure it’s at least organic if not organic and grass fed. Do not compromise on this. If this challenge is a strain on your already stressful food budget, think about it like a trade. If you replaced one cup of milk in your day with one alternative food I spoke of above, then you’ve lowered your milk budget to it’s original cost. One less Starbucks per week makes up for the price increase on a jug of organic, grass fed milk. Did I press a nerve there? Sorry. 

I would like to gift you with my favorite nut milk recipe. It’s easy, I promise! Unlike store bought nut milks, that strain out the actual nuts (protien), this one keeps them in which makes it extra creamy. Let me preface this by saying that not all nuts are created equal. My recipe for cashew milk is not the same as for almond milk. I prefer cashews because they are softer nuts which makes for a creamier milk. Almonds have a rigid, paper like shell that needs to be strained out or it’s unpleasant. There is a 2 hour soaking time in this process. I like to start it when I make the coffee in the morning and finish it before I pick up the kids from school. Otherwise, it really is so easy.

Creamy Cashew Milk Recipe

Ingredients:

1 cup Organic Cashews

4 cups of filter water for soaking

5 cups of filtered water for blending

4 Pitted Dates

1 tsp Vanilla or Almond Extract

1/2 Tbls Cinnamon

Method:

In a large bowl combine the cashews, pitted dates and soaking water. Let this sit for 4 hours.

Strain the water from the cashews and dates. Transfer them into the blender. Add the 5 cups of filtered water, vanilla or almond extract and cinnamon. 

Blend away! Make sure to really pulverize those nuts. You want this creamy, not with chunks. 

With a funnel, pour the milk into the jar you want to store it in. Glass is best.

Other options:

If it’s too thick for you, either reduce the amount of cashews you put in or strain the milk with a nut bag strainer. This will thin the milk out.

Out With The Old And In With The New

Let’s talk about Detox. When that word comes up in conversation, the first thing that comes to mind is a traumatic week of lemon and cayenne water for the sake of loosing a few pounds, right? Ok, toss that idea right out of your mind because that is not what you're body needs or how to loose weight. The actual definition of detoxifying is to rid the body of poison or the effects of poisons. You can rid the body of poison without depriving it of the nutrients it needs. In fact, during detoxification, you can be getting rid of toxins and replacing them with vital nutrients that your body has been craving. Out with the old toxins and in with the new nutrients.

Today, we put such high value on instant results that we disregard the long term effects of toxic build up in our bodies, until we get a diagnosis. Over time we accumulate toxins from chemicals in our foods, products on our skin or in the water we drink. At the moment of consuming these foods or products we may feel fine or have some indigestion that we power through, but we are actually adding chemicals to our body that are flowing through our blood stream and being stored in our cells and in our fat. 

I’d like to talk to you about what you can do about this and how it will effect your health and even weight loss goals. 

Whether you live a life that is extremely organic and health conscious or whether you don’t, there is a certain level of chemicals and synthetic substances that we cannot avoid coming in contact with. For this reason, we should all make an effort to cleans our bodies a few times a year to prevent future disease and keep our bodies running at their best. When you’re not cleansing, there are certain foods you can also be aware of that will promote detoxification along the way.

Ok, let’s do a brief summary of what toxins may be transients in your body. Don’t let this part scare you, but simply educate and inspire you. Also, know that after you read this paragraph, I will be offering solutions and hope. So fear not! Here’s the low down. Ready? 

When you don’t eat organic produce and grains, you are consuming poisons like Round Up weed killer, pesticides, synthetic fertilizers and other sprays which are known to causes cancer and disruption of hormones. Non organic meats and dairies contain antibiotics and growth hormones which wreak havoc on your gut and disrupt your hormones and endocrine system. Sugar, whether organic or not is a huge stress on our system and actually feeds live transients in our body. Fluoride is a product of the fertilizer companies that is then sold to be used in insecticides and has been proven to cause brain damage and even act as a transportation for aluminum to the brain resulting in ADHD and Alzhiemers. It has also been linked to decreased testosterone, sterility and fertility complications. Fluoride is most commonly in water and toothpastes. One of the biggest ways to increase our toxic load is through body products. You may think that our mouth is the only way that we consume but our skin consumes just as well through absorption. The list of chemicals in makeup, shower products, hair dye and hair care, nail products, skin care products, fabrics and fabric soap is so long, I’m not going to attempt it. Just know that it is absorbed through your skin, consuming it like food. The one way that you consume chemicals that you cannot avoid is through the air. Even if you do not work in a polluted industry, the air is sprayed with aluminum oxide and other contaminants. Ever wondered what those white stripes are in the sky? Whew! If you’re reading this, that means you made it through the dark side of this blog post. Congratulations! Let’s move on to some hope, shall we?

I know that was a lot but I hope it motivates you to not only watch what you put into your body but also that a cleanse here and there is pretty important. There are a few ways to address detox. I’m going to encourage you to pursue a particular plan but if you have been readying my blog from the beginning you know I have a rule. DO WHAT YOU CAN! 

There are many detox programs out there but there is one in particular that has earned my trust. It is the 21 Day Purification by Standard Process. I don’t sell this or gain any compensation by promoting it. I’m sharing it with you because this company has earned my trust and meets my personal standards. The 21 Day Purification is a combination of diet, supplements and a shake.

Here is why I trust the Standard Process Brand. All of Standard Processes products are organic. Supplements are processed only on glass and stainless steal and nothing is heated above 90 degrees to keep high levels of nutrients in the ingredients. I always have a bit of skepticism about organics because I know that our government allows a certain percentage of chemicals in them and you can still deem your product organic. I also know that many farmers function organically, but end up with harsh chemicals due to run off from neighboring farmers. Standard Process is the first company that not only follows pure organic standards but they have built barriers around their farms to prevent any run off penetrating their land. They truly value their product and what they stand for, not just the bottom line. My family has experienced great healing over the past decade due to Standard Process supplements so I am a first hand testament to their function. 

This program offers an amazing recourse guide and cook book as well as whole food supplements and shake bases in a variety of options to nurture your body along the way. The following information is taken straight from their website. The Standard Process Purification Program supports the whole body’s natural toxin-metabolism processes. Patients who have finished the purification program found

    •    Increased energy and vitality

    •    Better digestion

    •    Less bloating

    •    Improved weight management

    •    Clearer skin

    •    Shinier hair

    •    Better sleep

    •    Clearer thinking

    •    Better management of challenges related to natural toxin load in the body*

Before ordering your 21 Day Purification Kit, take their toxicity questionnaire. It is also found in the cookbook as pictured above. On the website, you will be directed to a wellness practitioner that will use your questionnaire to assess your potential need for the purification program or other Standard Process or MediHerb® products. Click here to see more about the 21 Day Purification. You will see all the details for the program, research behind it, webinars and videos and more.

Ok, so you know why you should detox and you know how to detox but lets talk about the elephant in the room. What happens after the detox? Post detox, you’ll probably be experiencing more energy, mental clarity, easier digestion, less pain and headaches and you don’t want to let that go, right?

Picture this: Like a small child, you chew up a plate of Oreo cookies. Every crevice of your mouth is caked up with black cookie and white lard. In this story, the Oreo is the toxins in your body. Then you brush your teeth (with fluoride free toothpaste of course) and they are sparkling clean. Would you walk from the bathroom back to the kitchen and shovel in some more Oreos? My guess is no. After a 21 day detox, think about going back to non organic foods and about the products you’re using. Before you freak out, know that I have not forgotten about the premise of this blog. I want to lead you one attainable step at a time through the process of changing to a holistic, healthy lifestyle. If it’s too overwhelming to change everything from the dreaded dark paragraph above, just do what you can and keep reading my blog as I lead you further. However, I do want you to be mindful of the choices you make before and after your detox. 

Along the way, there are some natural detoxification foods that are great to incorporate into your daily or weekly diet as well as when you’re sick. Lemon and Grapefruit are fantastic for this. Here are two ways to consume them each day. 

Not very many people are grapefruit eaters but if you like them, have 1/2 a grapefruit with your morning breakfast each day. Grapefruit aides digestion and helps rid the body of toxins including viruses like the flu. It regulates and expels sugar from the body. Some pharmaceutical drugs do not work well with grapefruit as your pharmacist may have mentioned. If you are on medications, you can always add a drop of grapefruit essential oil in a capsule as the essential oil doesn't not have the protein associated with bad medication interactions. 

Perhaps the best choice you can make for your day is to start it with a warm cup of lemon water. It’s ok to sweeten it with a little honey. If you can avoid it though, that would be better. Lemon and grapefruit are pretty similar in function. Starting your day with warm lemon water, wakes up your digestion and sets your body to work on healthy functions like detoxifying. Your body is working for you before you even get started on your day. Why warm water you ask? Drinking really cold or hot drinks is not necessarily bad. But by drinking liquids that are closer to your own body temperature of 98 degrees, allows for less stress for your body to regulate the temperature of the beverage and allows for a gentler digestion.

In the morning, your body has just woken from a mini fast and what you put into it first sets the tone for your day. Have you ever been jolted awake by an energy bomb otherwise known as your child? Before you were ready to receive all that the day had for you, you’re forced awake and into the days routines. This is how your body feels when you give it coffee first. Coffee is a stimulant and works against digestion adding harsh acids to our body. But what lemon water does for your body is like what happens when your kids sleep in. You wander into the kitchen at your own pace and prepare for your day. I heard a quote once that said “You want to wake up for your children not to your children”. Same goes for your body. Warm lemon water gently wakes up our digestion preparing it to function well for the day. The lemon promotes detoxification of junk in your body and feeds your immune system some vitamin A and C. Adding a drop of lemon essential oil to your water throughout the day will support your detoxification efforts as well. 

Traditional Medicinals makes a detox tea that is great as well. It has a variety of herbs that promote detox but it focuses on dandelion root as well. Your body can only handle so much citrus  so if you'd like to mix it up, consider any detox tea with dandelion root as it promotes gentle detox as well. You can find it here or at most grocery stores. 

An other great way to promote detoxification is through epsom salt soaks. Epsom encourages the body to detoxify through the feet while nurturing the body with magnesium. My kids have a cup of epsom salt in every bath they take. Most adults only take showers so if you can’t make time for a relaxing soak in your week, try soaking your feet in the evening while watching a movie or reading a book. Simply add a cup of epsom salt to hot water and soak for at least 20 minutes. Adding essential oils, herbs or medicinal flowers to the soak is great way to absorb their powerful functions as well.

If you're new to my blog, please check out my intro post to find out the unique premise of this blog and how together we can life healthier, holistic lives one step at a time. Thanks for taking the time to read this today.

Eat Your Greens

Our diet is a very personal and emotional topic. We use it for more than nourishment. Our meal times can be a form of comfort, routine, or even a social event. I am definitely not going to write a blog post selling you on a full diet change. That would actually go against the whole objective of my blog which is to give simple and attainable steps towards a healthy and holistic lifestyle. So, instead of taking something out of your diet I want you to try to add something.  This week I'd like to challenge you to add a portion of raw, dark, leafy greens to your existing diet. Not ready to take the challenge? Keep reading and let me convince you why this one small but powerful change will take you one step closer to a more healthy and energy filled lifestyle. 

Let me tell you a little bit about what raw greens do in your body. You may have heard the phrase “you are what you eat”. The reasoning behind this is that whatever you put into your body is absorbed through your digestive system to feed your functioning cells. It becomes apart of you. Each cell has a purpose to keep your body functioning, growing and fighting for you. Feeding your cells sugar and chemicals disturbs their growth and ability to function as you need them to. The combination of vitamins, minerals and other nutrients in dark leafy greens build your immune system by feeding your cells what they need to grow and strengthen. They also reduce the stress and inflammation that is a feeding ground for the risk and development of stroke, heart disease, cancer, digestive disorders, diabetes, high blood pressure and other diseases. When your cells are  strengthened, your body can now send the energy it was using to fight inflammation and stress and use it to increase your cognitive clarity and get you through the day. Other health benefits from leafy greens include improved hair and skin, detoxification, weight loss, improved gut health, immune booster, increased energy levels, and cognitive clarity. Remember, the darker the green, the more nutrients in the leaf. Let me just say right now that Iceberg Lettuce is not considered a dark leafy green. Sorry folks. Also, I implore you to buy organic. If you're trying to feed those cells nutrients, you don't want to give it to them genetically modified or with a side of pesticide. 

Why raw? Much of the nutrients are lost when vegetables are cooked. Boiling vegetables are especially not recommended because it leaches out the vitamins into the water that is then discarded down the drain. The higher the heat and the longer you cook them, the more nutrients are lost. You can’t go wrong with simple raw veggies. 

Shhh! We’re playing a little trick on your body. See, when you start to add anything to your diet consistently, your body begins to consider it as a functional part of your lifestyle. When you don’t eat it, you will crave it. Have you ever challenged yourself to drink more water because you should, not necessarily because you wanted to? You carry around an extra large water bottle and find yourself drinking all day. You’ve never made more visits to the bathroom in one day, right? After a day or two, if you forget that water bottle at home, you suddenly find yourself incredibly thirsty and miss that boosted liquid intake that you made your body accustomed to. You could apply this to carbs, sugar, water and yes even greens. While the idea of craving greens may sound odd to you, think about it this way. We've all had those sugar cravings, right? Think back to all those moments when you've craved sugar and grabbed the nearest cupcake and devoured it - that was your body craving a false boost because you trained your body to need sugar. Now imagine having that same craving feeling about greens as well as that satisfaction of eating your craving?! Only this time the boost is real. The energy you feel is accompanied by mental clarity and not followed by an exhaustive crash and head ache. Can you commit to adding a serving of dark leafy greens to your diet each day?

There are many ways to add in greens to your day and still maintain some variety. One rule that you can bring with you into your day is “The Brown for Green Rule”. Pick at least one brown item in your day and replace it with greens. For example, if you are ordering something with a tortilla (brown) order it onto a bed of greens instead. If your meal is on toast or rice, have it on greens.

Need some suggestions? Here is something for every meal.

If you want to give your morning a boost, you can start with adding a large handful of dark leafy greens to your smoothie or juicing recipe. Serving your eggs over a bed of greens is a great way to add them to a savory breakfast as well. 

A salad is an obvious choice for lunch time greens. Many restaurants serve some amazing organic salads but feel free to pack your favorite salad on the go and remember to keep the dressing on the side until you’re ready to eat or your salad will be pretty soggy. Not a salad lover? Add a pile of greens into your sandwich. 

The 3 o’clock crash is a great time for your greens since they truly boost energy and mental clarity. I like to take Lucinado (Dino) kale and dip it in hummus or a healthy dressing. Even if you’re battling a sugar craving, fight through it and take that first bite of kale. The sugar craving will dissipate. It will! Kale chips are a very popular snack these days as well. It’s not raw but it is better than chips from the vending machine for sure. 

One of my favorite dinners and ways to add in some greens is with a bowl. Add your greens on top of quinoa and then top your greens with roasted veggies and a healthy sauce or dressing. Sometimes on the weekend I will make a larger batch of quinoa with garlic and herbs. Then I will roast a batch of mixed root veggies. Throughout the week I will make these veggie bowls for dinner or on the go and it’s already cooked.

Occasionally, I will share people or cook books that have inspired me. My first inspiration is Andrea Bemis. She has a phenomenal cookbook called Dishing Up The Dirt. One of my favorite recipes in there is her Farmgirl Bowl. I’ve linked her recipe for you to try. If you like it, you should definitely get her book. The recipes are hardy, healthy and delicious. 

So, are you ready to take the green for brown challenge? Either swap out one brown item in your day for greens or just plain add in one serving of greens into one of your meals. Get ready for more energy and mental clarity.

Thanks for following me and don't forget to scroll down and subscribe so you don't miss out to the next week's step to a holistic life. 

Spring Cleaning Never Felt So Good.

Well, it’s time to start our one year transformation journey to a healthy and holistic lifestyle. There’s not exactly a specific order that this needs to go, but know that I will be choosing my posts according to three basic ideas: season, keeping the variety fresh and spacing out the bigger weeks so that it’s not overwhelming. Since it’s the beginning of spring I thought I would address what we’re all getting ready to do or let’s be honest, what we’re avoiding doing: Spring Cleaning. 

I am definitely not one who finds cleaning to be therapeutic but there is something very cathartic about a fresh environment. In the garden, the old and unused parts of the plant die in winter to make room for the new growth of spring. It also does this so that it doesn't waste it’s nutrients on the parts that are no longer lifegiving. Our lives are similar to that. Purge what is not life-giving and is using up wasted energy. Cleaning out the dust and giving your lungs something fresh to breath makes way for new, healthy growth in your body. 

What I am going to focus on in this post is more specifically our cleaning products. Mainstream cleaners are full of chemicals that are cancer causing, hormone disrupting, fertility disrupting and ignites allergies and athsma. Oddly enough, as we’re are trying to keep a clean and healthy home, we don’t realize we’re bringing in chemicals that are causing illness anyway. For the sake of keeping this post short and to the point, please see Dr.Axe’s post https://draxe.com/eco-cleaners/  The Dirty Side of Cleaning Products to read further into the actual chemicals in these products and what illnesses they are linked to.

There are three ways that you can address the toxic load in your cleaning supply closet. Remember, I always say “Do what you can”. So, see which one of these methods is going to work for you and stick with it.

For those of you who are busy and just want a recommendation of brands to buy. Here are some brands that I recommend. Greenshield Organic, Better Life, or Homesolv. 

Throwing out all of your cleaning supplies and buying new, may be to aggressive on your budget. With my “do what you can” method, try and commit to purchasing or making new cleaners as you run out of the ones you are currently using. In the meantime, make sure to safeguard yourself by wearing gloves to protect any skin absorption. You may even opt for a mask so that you don’t breath the chemicals in. This is especially important if you already battle allergies or other respiratory issues. I would like to encourage you to continue to read on to the next section which are some DIY recipes. Even if you do not consider yourself a DIY type of person, you will be surprised at how simple and inexpensive these recipes are.

My final recommendation is to make your own. I know, you may be thinking that this will take up a whole afternoon of laboring but fear not! One thing you will find as this holistic journey goes on is that natural options really are more simple. You don’t need a lot of ingredients and lab created chemicals just to be clean. It’s true! I have made it easy for you once again. Below you will see a small list of ingredients that will create all the cleaners you need. I bet most of these ingredients you probably already have.

           6 Ingredients For Your Cleaning Supplies

All these recipes contain vinegar. Most of them are orange oil infused and I'll explain that next. If castile soap is new to you, let me explain why that is the soap of choice. Castile Soap is a vegetable based soap that is free of harsh chemicals and gentle for sensitive skin. It is quite concentrated so no matter if you're using it to wash your counters or your body, it should always be diluted. I prefer Dr. Bronner's Pure Castile Soap. You will notice that it comes in many different natural scents. For the sake of cleaning supplies, it really doesn't matter which scent you choose. I enjoy the combination of the peppermint castile soap with the orange oil. Epsom salt is a wonderful healing agent for your body and you will hear more about it in future posts but for cleaning sake, it makes a great abrasive when scrubbing stubborn gunk. Baking soda is a great addition to some cleaners as a detoxifying micro-scrubber. All of the following cleaners are great as they are but I will also put suggested essential oils that you can add, should you already be an essential oil user or are interested in becoming one. These are optional to boost their effectiveness to kill germs but your cleaners will serve the purpose just as they are without them. If you do not use essential oils but would like to know more, click here to shop oils and connect with me. I'd be happy to introduce you to the power of essential oils. 

Vinegar is a fantastic cleaning agent. Germs cannot survive when they come in contact with it. While many people use just white vinegar, which you can absolutely do, I like to give mine an extra boost. By soaking my discarded orange peels in the white vinegar, I am extracting the antibacterial and antimicrobial oils from the peel and infusing them into my cleaning vinegar. It also give a nice scent to the stinky vinegar. Pretty cool right? Simply grab a cute jar (if you want it to sit out on the counter). Fill it 3/4 of the way with white vinegar and start consuming some vitamin C. Let it sit for two weeks and then use it in the recipes below. 

          Your Cleaning Line Up    

Here is a great All Purpose Cleaner. Combine your ingredients in an empty spray bottle for all surfaces including toilets. I have given you a basic mixture but feel free play with the dilution. If you want something that gives more suds, add an other tablespoon of Castile Soap. Remember, this cleaner is fine on it's own but if you want to give it an extra germ killing kick, you can add one of my recommended essential oils, Onguard or Purify by Doterra. 

If any place needs some extra power and exfoliation it's the toilet bowl. No need for a spray bottle here. Just pour in the orange oil vinegar (white vinegar is fine too), castile soap, baking soda and epsom salt and start scrubbing. The orange vinegar and baking soda will disinfect, the castile soap will lubricate and break down grime and the epsom salt will scrub. Germ killing essential oils like Onguard and Purify essential oils are great to drip straight into the toilet with the other ingredients as well. This is a recipe for sparkly, clean porcelain.

This is a simple glass cleaner but let me tell you why I especially like this mixture. I have kids and I have dogs. If it's not the sticky finger prints, it's my dog's nose prints dried on my sliding, glass doors. The vinegar has a great astringent quality that strips away all that gunk. You will notice that I use regular white vinegar without the orange. I find that event though there are minimal amounts of oil from the orange that it can leave a bit of a streak, especially if I have soaked a lot of orange peels for a long time. I like to add lemon essential oil to my mixture for a fresh lemon scent but this is optional as well. 

There are many methods to cleaning floors. If you don't have any pets or kids then you may just spray the floor and use a damp mop. Some people really need to lubricate some grime and you may use a bucket of solution. Either way this mixture is for you. If you need more than a spray bottle worth, just double or triple the recipe. For really stubborn, stuck bits, put one drop of your castile soap on the area and let is sit there for a few minutes. Then try and work at it. The castile soap is a great lubricant. Vinegar is fine on hardwood floors as long as it is diluted by at least 50% and is not left on for a long period of time. 

I hope all these ideas and recipes have inspired you. There really are options for any type of lifestyle. I'd love to hear how these diy cleaners have worked for you or if any of the recommended products ended up being a favorite. Thank you again for reading and stay tuned for the next step to healthy, toxic free, holistic living. 

Welcome to Forage & Feast

Welcome to Forage & Feast’s first blog post! My name is Shannon and I am so honored that you would take time out of your day to stop by. Before you look further and determine that this is just an other holistic, natural, lifestyle blog, stay with me! I’m eager to share the vision for this blog with you. If you would like to know more about me and my story please click the about tab and read that when you have a moment. As you can already tell, I respect your time and will strive to keep my blog posts short while giving you all that you need to pursue a more healthy and holistic lifestyle. 

While I love sharing my knowledge and experience of holistic living with everyone, I really have a passion for those who are new to it. There are so many of you who hear about natural alternatives and know that it’s probably a good choice to go that route but don’t know why or where to start. Some of you may have looked into it and felt really overwhelmed at all the potential changes and didn’t feel ready for a big life overhaul. I mean, who has time for an overhaul of anything, right? 

Well, we’re about to be best friends. I have personally designed this blog for those of you who are new, curious, busy yet stylish and don’t want to take on too much more. Let’s be honest, you might even be sick and desperate to find some answers. Each week, I will give you then next small step towards a toxin-free, natural lifestyle. An instant overhaul is just not realistic. So, let’s get real with ourselves and take this journey one step at a time. Could you commit to making one small change or trying one new idea per week? If so, then over the course of the next year you will have slowly transitioned your life and your family's life into a healthier lifestyle from the inside out and will be educated on why these are smart choices. Making a lifestyle change one small step at a time is not only attainable but will actually get you the results you desire.

We will cover food, household supplies, body products, herbal and food remedies, gut health, growing food and more. Remember, this blog is not just for those who are already living this lifestyle. It’s written for the newbies. Why am I doing this? I’ve seen too many people sick and not enough people healed. But let me tell you, watching people come out of illnesses or seeing people thrive has been a joy for me. It’s what has driven me to reach my arm out and help you up to the top of the mountain. I hope to bring you inspiration, education and practical steps and instructions that will fit into your existing life.

I'm going to give you one rule to cary with you as you follow my blog each week. My one and only rule is: Do What You Can! Changing your lifestyle to be toxin free, healthy and holistic is the most important lifestyle change you can make and you want it to be successful. If I post something that seems like too much for you, please write me and talk to me about it. I’d love to either encourage you on your journey or maybe even find an alternative that works specifically for you. We’re in this together friend! To receive your weekly tips, inspirations and how-tos, please sign up and we will deliver it right to your email.