How to Use Essential Oils for Allergies

Nothing is more frustrating than the unrelenting urge to sneeze, sniffle, and wheeze through a nose plugged up with pollen. Allergies are no fun, but the conventional allergy medications used to treat them can be even worse, often leaving you feeling amped up and groggy all at the same time. But you can find relief without nasty side effects by learning how to use essential oils for allergies.

How to Use Essential Oils

Essential oils are concentrated fragrant oils distilled from natural plant sources and used for aromatherapy and alternative wellness. Essential oils enter the body through two primary avenues, either topically or through inhalation. Ingestion should be avoided in most cases because of potency. Learning how to use essential oils can help you treat a range of ailments more naturally. Application methods include:

1. Diffuser

A diffuser disperses the essential oil by either exposing it to air, heat, or water.

2. Spray

After diluting essential oils in water you can use them in a spray bottle. For example, this lavender magnesium spray is great for relaxation just before bed.

3. Topically

Essential oils applied directly to the skin need to be diluted with a carrier oil (for example, a vegetable or nut oil). The essential oil should have a concentration of no greater than three to five percent. That means in one teaspoon of carrier oil, you would add three drops of pure essential oil. This would make a three percent solution that could be used on a portion of the body. If you’re using the oil for massage therapy over the entire body, it should be diluted to one percent.

[Tip: Use an organic and cold pressed carrier oil like almond, grapeseed, jojoba, or avocado oil. It can either be added using a compress or applied directly to the skin through massage.]

5 Scientifically Backed Essential Oils for Allergies

Allergies like hay-fever come with a host of symptoms from runny nose to sinus headache, sinus pressure, itchy eyes and throat, and the list goes on. But a number of essential oils may relieve those irritating symptoms. While essential oils do have some side effects, for example, they can be irritating to the skin as well as the mouth, nose, and eyes, they don’t cause side effects like allergy medications, which can make you feel amped up, groggy, and dehydrated. Essential oils are also controversial for pregnant women and children. You should talk to your doctor before using them.

Essential oils can be less expensive than over-the-counter or prescription medications when you consider that just a few drops go a long way. A one-ounce bottle of eucalyptus oil costs around $6, but it takes just a few drops added to a diffuser to have an impact on the respiratory system. Compare this to allergy medications like Claritin and Zyrtec, which range in price from around $15 to $40.

Science is behind the curveball when it comes to essential oils, but according to researchers at the University of Maryland Medical Center, some experts believe that olfactory smell receptors in the brain communicate to other parts of the brain like the amygdala and hippocampus, influencing physical, emotional, and mental health.

Add a few drops of essential oil to a diffuser to open up the airways and reduce inflammation. These essential oils for allergies are worth trying:

1. Eucalyptus

A study published in April 2010 issue of Alternative Medicine Review found that eucalyptus has antimicrobial effects. It can be used to treat colds and flu by opening the respiratory system and reducing inflammation.

2. Rosemary

Rosemary is slightly more mild than eucalyptus, but it also works to open up inflammation in the sinuses. According to a 2011 Penn State University Medical Center study, rosemary oil also has antimicrobial qualities and can neutralize some pathogens.

3. Clove

Clove oil has anti-inflammatory and antimicrobial characteristics, and can help to reduce allergy symptoms. Research published in an October 2012 issue of the Brazilian Journal of Microbiology found that clove oil can be used as an antimicrobial to kill internal and external pathogens.

4. Lavender

Lavender is a natural antihistamine and anti-inflammatory. It may help reduce irritation and relax your breathing. A study published in the July 2014 issue of the journal Life Sciences, found that lavender essential oil inhalation effectively suppressed inflammation in the airways.

5. Chamomile

Chamomile is another anti-inflammatory that relaxes and relieves sinus headaches. Working with chamomile essential oil months before your hay-fever sets in may boost your immune response and decrease your reaction. One study, published in the November 2010 issue of Molecular Medicine Reports, found that chamomile can be used to treat inflammation of the mucus membranes in the mouth and throat.

When it comes to naturally clearing up your respiratory system, eucalyptus and peppermint oil are both highly effective, according to certified nutrition specialist and natural medicine expert, Dr. Josh Axe. This homemade Vapor Rub by Dr. Axe uses both and helps to open up the airways.

Homemade Vapor Rub

Ingredients

1/4 cup olive oil
1/2 cup coconut oil
1/4 cup grated beeswax
20 drops peppermint essential oil
20 drops eucalyptus essential oil
Glass Jar

Directions

1. Place olive oil, coconut oil, and beeswax in a jar. Place a saucepan with 2 inches of water over medium low heat. Add jar to saucepan to melt oils.

2. Let cool before adding essential oils. Pour in a jar and allow to set up.

Essential Oil Allergies for Children

Essential oils are potent and even poisonous to children when they haven’t been properly diluted. Take precaution when it comes to the little ones. Here are a few tips:

• Keep essential oils out of reach for children.
• Never give them to children orally.
• Always dilute with a carrier oil.
• Keep them away from a child’s nose. Applying diluted essential oils to the feet are often best.
• Introduce them slowly and watch for any reaction.
• Avoid use on children less than three months old because of extreme skin sensitivity.
• Stick to really mild oils for babies like chamomile, dill, and lavender.
• Talk to your child’s pediatrician before use.

Where To Buy Essential Oils

Not sure where to buy essential oils? When it comes to choosing essential oils, look for brands that are made purely of the oil and not diluted with fillers like propylene glycol. Bonus if they’re wildcrafted and made from organic plants grown in their indigenous locations. Read labels, and if you can’t tell from the label, call the company. If it’s hard to get a response, choose another company. Mountain Rose Herbs and Plant Therapy are both smaller companies that produce pure, high quality oils.

[Note: Always consult with your primary care physician before using essential oils to treat any type of health concern.]

[via Organic Authority]

How to Use Essential Oils for Allergies

Nothing is more frustrating than the unrelenting urge to sneeze, sniffle, and wheeze through a nose plugged up with pollen. Allergies are no fun, but the conventional allergy medications used to treat them can be even worse, often leaving you feeling amped up and groggy all at the same time. But you can find relief without nasty side effects by learning how to use essential oils for allergies.

How to Use Essential Oils

Essential oils are concentrated fragrant oils distilled from natural plant sources and used for aromatherapy and alternative wellness. Essential oils enter the body through two primary avenues, either topically or through inhalation. Ingestion should be avoided in most cases because of potency. Learning how to use essential oils can help you treat a range of ailments more naturally. Application methods include:

1. Diffuser

A diffuser disperses the essential oil by either exposing it to air, heat, or water.

2. Spray

After diluting essential oils in water you can use them in a spray bottle. For example, this lavender magnesium spray is great for relaxation just before bed.

3. Topically

Essential oils applied directly to the skin need to be diluted with a carrier oil (for example, a vegetable or nut oil). The essential oil should have a concentration of no greater than three to five percent. That means in one teaspoon of carrier oil, you would add three drops of pure essential oil. This would make a three percent solution that could be used on a portion of the body. If you’re using the oil for massage therapy over the entire body, it should be diluted to one percent.

[Tip: Use an organic and cold pressed carrier oil like almond, grapeseed, jojoba, or avocado oil. It can either be added using a compress or applied directly to the skin through massage.]

5 Scientifically Backed Essential Oils for Allergies

Allergies like hay-fever come with a host of symptoms from runny nose to sinus headache, sinus pressure, itchy eyes and throat, and the list goes on. But a number of essential oils may relieve those irritating symptoms. While essential oils do have some side effects, for example, they can be irritating to the skin as well as the mouth, nose, and eyes, they don’t cause side effects like allergy medications, which can make you feel amped up, groggy, and dehydrated. Essential oils are also controversial for pregnant women and children. You should talk to your doctor before using them.

Essential oils can be less expensive than over-the-counter or prescription medications when you consider that just a few drops go a long way. A one-ounce bottle of eucalyptus oil costs around $6, but it takes just a few drops added to a diffuser to have an impact on the respiratory system. Compare this to allergy medications like Claritin and Zyrtec, which range in price from around $15 to $40.

Science is behind the curveball when it comes to essential oils, but according to researchers at the University of Maryland Medical Center, some experts believe that olfactory smell receptors in the brain communicate to other parts of the brain like the amygdala and hippocampus, influencing physical, emotional, and mental health.

Add a few drops of essential oil to a diffuser to open up the airways and reduce inflammation. These essential oils for allergies are worth trying:

1. Eucalyptus

A study published in April 2010 issue of Alternative Medicine Review found that eucalyptus has antimicrobial effects. It can be used to treat colds and flu by opening the respiratory system and reducing inflammation.

2. Rosemary

Rosemary is slightly more mild than eucalyptus, but it also works to open up inflammation in the sinuses. According to a 2011 Penn State University Medical Center study, rosemary oil also has antimicrobial qualities and can neutralize some pathogens.

3. Clove

Clove oil has anti-inflammatory and antimicrobial characteristics, and can help to reduce allergy symptoms. Research published in an October 2012 issue of the Brazilian Journal of Microbiology found that clove oil can be used as an antimicrobial to kill internal and external pathogens.

4. Lavender

Lavender is a natural antihistamine and anti-inflammatory. It may help reduce irritation and relax your breathing. A study published in the July 2014 issue of the journal Life Sciences, found that lavender essential oil inhalation effectively suppressed inflammation in the airways.

5. Chamomile

Chamomile is another anti-inflammatory that relaxes and relieves sinus headaches. Working with chamomile essential oil months before your hay-fever sets in may boost your immune response and decrease your reaction. One study, published in the November 2010 issue of Molecular Medicine Reports, found that chamomile can be used to treat inflammation of the mucus membranes in the mouth and throat.

When it comes to naturally clearing up your respiratory system, eucalyptus and peppermint oil are both highly effective, according to certified nutrition specialist and natural medicine expert, Dr. Josh Axe. This homemade Vapor Rub by Dr. Axe uses both and helps to open up the airways.

Homemade Vapor Rub

Ingredients

1/4 cup olive oil
1/2 cup coconut oil
1/4 cup grated beeswax
20 drops peppermint essential oil
20 drops eucalyptus essential oil
Glass Jar

Directions

1. Place olive oil, coconut oil, and beeswax in a jar. Place a saucepan with 2 inches of water over medium low heat. Add jar to saucepan to melt oils.

2. Let cool before adding essential oils. Pour in a jar and allow to set up.

Essential Oil Allergies for Children

Essential oils are potent and even poisonous to children when they haven’t been properly diluted. Take precaution when it comes to the little ones. Here are a few tips:

• Keep essential oils out of reach for children.
• Never give them to children orally.
• Always dilute with a carrier oil.
• Keep them away from a child’s nose. Applying diluted essential oils to the feet are often best.
• Introduce them slowly and watch for any reaction.
• Avoid use on children less than three months old because of extreme skin sensitivity.
• Stick to really mild oils for babies like chamomile, dill, and lavender.
• Talk to your child’s pediatrician before use.

Where To Buy Essential Oils

Not sure where to buy essential oils? When it comes to choosing essential oils, look for brands that are made purely of the oil and not diluted with fillers like propylene glycol. Bonus if they’re wildcrafted and made from organic plants grown in their indigenous locations. Read labels, and if you can’t tell from the label, call the company. If it’s hard to get a response, choose another company. Mountain Rose Herbs and Plant Therapy are both smaller companies that produce pure, high quality oils.

[Note: Always consult with your primary care physician before using essential oils to treat any type of health concern.]

[via Organic Authority]

Simple, All-Natural Homemade Toothpaste

We all know about eating healthy and as organically as we can, but now I am concerned about a new issue. It seems some studies claim fluoride, when taken daily, can be toxic. Since most of us receive fluoride unwillingly and unknowingly in our water supply, having it in our toothpastes can lead to overexposure. It is not a nutrient, therefore our bodies do not require it.  Dr. Joseph Mercola has found that too much fluoride affects children's IQ, causes thyroid issues, and can even cause cancer. Most of Europe -- 97% -- has banned it from their water supply, and the claims that it fights tooth decay are also being questioned.

These concerns led me to create my own toothpaste, which tastes just as good as the commercial brands. I make the paste with coconut oil, which is known to be antibacterial and helps guard against tooth decay. If you want more of a whitening paste, add a drop of hydrogen peroxide.

Here is the recipe. It's great fun to make with the sprites!

Ingredients:

• 3 tbs Organic Baking Soda
• 3 tbs Coconut Oil
• 20 drops of peppermint or cinnamon oil
• 2 tsp glycerin
• a few drops of stevia or one packet of xylitol (which also fights tooth decay)

[via Mind Body Green]

Aloe Vera: Natural Magic Bullet

Aloe Vera is one of the most famous plants in the world. It is considered as a miracle plant because of its amazing healing health benefits. The aloe vera leaf is filled with gel and it is rich in vitamins like B1,B2,B6,B12,A, C and E, Niacin, Folic Acid.The Aloe Vera plant is easy to grow even in cold climates and many people grow it as a house plant.

Health Benefits and uses of Aloe vera juice

Increase Immune system

Drinking aloe juice regularly replenishes the amino acid deficiency in your body. The high vitamin content in it boosts up your body’s immune system and self-defense mechanism.

Control Many Diseases

Drinking aloe vera juice help ease congestion, stomach ulcers, colitis, hemorrhoids, urinary tract infections and prostate problems.

Skin Care

Brighten skin. Aloe can decrease pigmentation and dark spots. Make skin new again with an exfoliating, organic sugar scrub by mixing together two tbsp. of aloe vera, 2 tbsp. of organic brown sugar and 1 tsp. of organic lemon juice.

Weight Loss

You must have taken slimming tablets or tried all the exercises and diets to lose weight. However, you didn’t get the desired results. Do you want to lose weight naturally? Aloe vera juice is the easy and natural weight loss solution. It reduces weight by stabilizing the metabolic rate, reducing lipid levels and helping burn fat.

Control Diabetes

Aloe Vera is good for diabetes patients because it helps to regulate the blood sugar levels when consumed regularly. However, consult your doctor before you start consuming the aloe juice.You need to have the dose prescribed by doctor so that it doesn’t interfere with the medicines you are having to curb blood sugar. Aloe vera plant is considered to be a miracle plant because of its too many curative and healing health benefits.

Hair Care

Speed up hair growth by massaging aloe into the scalp, letting it sit for 30 minutes, and rinsing. Reduce hair dandruff by mixing aloe vera juice with coconut milk and wheat germ oil. Massage into scalp and rinse.

Stimulates Metabolism

Aloe vera juice also increases energy level and helps to maintain a healthy body weight. Drinking aloe vera juice regularly stimulates the metabolism and helps the body to burn calories more quickly. So aloe vera keeps you slim naturally.

Help in Reproduction

Aloe vera tonic is wonderful for the female reproductive system. It helps to rejuvenate the uterus. It is very beneficial to drink aloe vera juice if you are experiencing painful menstrual cycle.

Use as Shaving Cream

In-the-know beauty buffs swear by pure aloe as the perfect shaving cream: It’s antibacterial, which is great for nicks; it’s slippery, allowing for a nice close shave; and it moisturizes, too. You can use it on its own, or combine with other nourishing ingredients for a more luxe (but still DIY) product.

As Face Wash

Mix 1 Tbsp aloe vera gel with 1 tsp almond milk, and 1 tsp lemon, wash and let sit for a few minutes before rinsing. Since some minerals found in aloe are antibacterial, this face wash is ideal for sensitive skin, breakouts, and rosacea, says Pekar. Need an anti-aging boost? Mix 1 Tbsp aloe with 1 tsp 100% raw organic coconut oil, massage into hands until the contents are warm, then wash and rinse.

Control Bad Breath

Come a little closer…no, actually—don’t. When bad breath hits, drink up to 1/4 cup pure aloe vera gel dissolved in a 1/2 cup of water or apple juice, suggests herbalist Letha Hadady, author of Healthy Beauty. Aloe vera contains an anti-inflammatory compound called B-sitosterol that soothes acid indigestion, a common cause of bad breath. But resist the urge to chug; in large doses, aloe vera can work like a laxative.

Wrinkle Repair

Skin loves Vitamins C and E which are present in Aloe, helping to improve skins firmness and keep it hydrated. Combining virgin coconut oil can make a creamier way to supplement nutrients, essential fats and moisture. Aloe Vera gel penetrates skin almost four times faster than water, and its super emollient qualities help it moisturize the under layers of skin.

Gastrointestinal Disorders

For gastrointestinal disorders like indigestion, heartburn, stomach ulcers, haemorrhoids, congestion, urinary infections, colitis, prostate problems, rheumatism pain and arthritis, aloe vera juice can be taken orally. It helps in comforting these disorders.

Detox

Aloe vera juice can be a great natural option for detoxing. Because of the way we live including stress, pollution and junk food, we need to occasionally cleanse our systems. Aloe vera juice is an ideal way to do this because it contains many trace elements, vitamins and minerals that can help the body deal with daily stresses and strains.

Cardiovascular Health

Some research has shown that when doctors inject aloe vera extract into the blood, it drastically multiplies the diffusion abilities of red blood cells as well as the oxygen transportation. It contains nutrients that can regulate blood pressure, improve blood oxidation and circulation, lower cholesterol and make blood less sticky.

Get Rid of Eczema

Aloe vera can be applied topically to minimize inflammation, puffiness, and also itching onto the skin by using a lotion, cream, gel or shampoo. It is also available in tablet form, as a juice and a few other forms for the patients who wish to consume it orally.

Repair Damaged Tissue

Minimize damaged tissues because of frostbite. Try natural aloe gel from a bottle or perhaps straight from a plant’s stem on to the infected place two times a day.

Vitamin and Mineral Source

Every day our body needs to ingest several vitamin and minerals and aloe vera juice contains a great deal of these. It includes vitamin A, vitamin B1, vitamin B2, vitamin B6, vitamin B12, vitamin C, vitamin E, niacin and folic acid. In addition to these, it also contains chromium, magnesium, manganese, zinc, copper, potassium, iron, sodium, calcium and others.

[via Natural News | sources: Style Craze, Prevention, The Beauty Pixie]

Five of the Healthiest and Most Affordable Foods Available

By Dr. Mercola

Processed foods may be convenient, but they will not necessarily save you money—especially not if you count the cost of added healthcare expenses down the road when poor diet starts catching up with you.

In terms of long-term disease-prevention, cooking from scratch using fresh unprocessed ingredients is perhaps your best guarantee.  Recent research 1, 2 on healthy eating suggests that home cooking tends to result in reduced calorie consumption. People who ate the most home-cooked meals wound up consuming about 130 fewer calories daily, on average.

The authors also noted that: “If a person—or someone in their household—cooks dinner frequently, regardless of whether or not they are trying to lose weight, diet quality improves.”

Contrary to popular belief, healthy unadulterated foods also do not necessarily have to cost you a lot more than processed fare. There are in fact many examples of exceptionally affordable health foods. Following are five examples that are frequently overlooked.

#1: Homemade Bone Broth

Homemade bone broth is a true staple that can go a long way toward improving your diet and health. It’s excellent for speeding healing and recuperation from illness, and it contains many valuable vitamins, minerals, and other nutrients that support your immune function.

These includes calcium, magnesium, phosphorus, silicon, sulfur, trace minerals, and compounds like chondroitin sulphates and glucosamine, which are sold as expensive supplements for arthritis and joint pain.

Other health benefits of good-old-fashioned bone broth include:

• Helps heal and seal your gut, and promotes healthy digestion: The gelatin found in bone broth is a hydrophilic colloid. It attracts and holds liquids, including digestive juices, thereby supporting proper digestion    
• Inhibits infection caused by cold and flu viruses, etc.: A study published over a decade ago found that chicken soup indeed has medicinal qualities, significantly mitigating infection
• Reduces joint pain and inflammation, courtesy of chondroitin sulphates, glucosamine, and other compounds extracted from the boiled down cartilage    
• Fights inflammation: Amino acids such as glycine, proline, and arginine all have anti-inflammatory effects. Arginine, for example, has been found to be particularly beneficial for the treatment of sepsis (whole-body inflammation).
• Glycine also has calming effects, which may help you sleep better
• Promotes strong, healthy bones: As mentioned above, bone broth contains high amounts of calcium, magnesium, and other nutrients that play an important role in healthy bone formation    
• Promotes healthy hair and nail growth, thanks to the gelatin in the broth

Making your own bone broth is extremely cost effective, as you can make use of leftover carcass bones that would otherwise be thrown away. And while the thought of making your own broth may seem intimidating at first, it's actually quite easy. For instructions and a sample bone broth recipe, please see this previous article.

#2: Homegrown Vegetables and Sprouts

Growing your own food is a great way to lower your food costs, improve your health, and help build a more sustainable food system. Homegrown vegetables are fresher, taste better, and are oftentimes more nutritious than store-bought food that has traveled thousands of miles—and you certainly cannot beat the price!

Whole, organically grown plants are a rich source of natural medicine. Even our DNA contains much of the same material found in the plant world, which gives new meaning to the idea of healing plants.

Even if you only have access to a patio, you can still grow some of your own veggies using containers. Tomatoes, herbs, cucumbers, lettuce, and peppers are examples of plants that thrive in containers. You can also use hanging baskets to utilize your lateral space.

To learn more, please see this article on creating edible gardens in small spaces. We’ve also written about how you can garden during the winter. This clearly requires a bit more dedication and planning, but it can be done if you have the will.

If, for whatever reason, you are unable to garden or prefer not to, then you can still access healthy vegetables grown locally by supporting local farmer's markets.

One of the easiest plants to grow at home, even if you’re new to gardening and have limited space is sprouts. It’s also an excellent choice during winter months, when outdoor gardening is limited or ruled out.

A concentrated source of enzymes, vitamins, minerals, and other phytochemicals, sprouted seeds are a true superfood that many overlook. In fact, the protein, vitamin, and mineral content of many sprouted seeds far surpass that of organic homegrown vegetables!

An added boon is that they grow really quickly. You can have homegrown sprouts ready to harvest in a matter of days, which you can then add to salads, soups, or fresh vegetable juice.

Some of my favorites include watercress, broccoli, and sunflower seeds. Sunflower seeds can provide you with 30 times the nutrient content of organic vegetables, and sprouts in general also contain up to 100 times more enzymes than raw fruits and vegetables. These enzymes are important as they allow your body to absorb and use the nutrients of other foods you eat as well.

Broccoli sprouts, specifically, have been shown to help detoxify a number of environmental pollutants, including carcinogens like benzene and acroleine. They’re also an excellent alternative if you don't like the taste or smell of broccoli, which has well-established anti-cancer properties.

Studies suggest that watercress may have cancer-suppressing activity resembling that of broccoli sprouts, and its overall nutritional profile surpasses most other sprouted seeds, including sunflower seeds.

I started sprouting seeds in Ball jars about 20 years ago. Now I grow them in them in trays using soil instead, as it’s far easier and produces more nutritious and abundant food. For directions, see my previous article, “How to Grow Your Own Food in Small Spaces.”

#3: Fermented Vegetables

Once you’re growing your own vegetables, fermenting them will allow you to eliminate waste and provide you with healthy food during the non-growing season. Fermented vegetables are teeming with essential enzymes and beneficial bacteria needed for optimal gut health and digestion, and they are easier to digest than raw or cooked vegetables.

When your gastrointestinal (GI) tract is not working well, a wide range of health problems can appear, including allergies and autoimmune diseases. If fermented with a special starter culture, they can also provide high levels of vitamin K2.

If you suffer from any major illness, it is important to “heal and seal" your gut in order to fully recuperate. Fermented foods are a cornerstone for maintaining a healthy gut.

Just one quarter to one half cup of fermented food, eaten with one to three meals per day, can have a dramatically beneficial impact on your health. Fermented vegetables and other cultured foods also offer a multitude of medicinal rewards by:

Strengthening immunity with increased antibodies that fight off infectious disease

• Helping pregnant and nursing mothers transfer beneficial bacteria to their infants
• Beneficially impacting the behavior of children with autism, ADD, and ADHD
• Regulating weight and appetite by reducing cravings for sugar, soft drinks, bread, and pasta -- all foods I strongly advise against
• Helping your body detoxify a variety of environmental toxins, including pesticides and heavy metals

Ideally, you'll want to include a variety of cultured and fermented foods in your diet, as each provides different beneficial bacteria. Besides fermented vegetables, other cultured foods include kefir and yogurt, ideally made from raw organic milk. To make it yourself, all you need is one-half packet of kefir starter granules in a quart of raw milk, which you leave at room temperature overnight. Leftovers can be stored in the fridge for a few days. 

#4: Canned Wild Alaskan Salmon

So far, we’ve talked mainly about home-grown foods. Avoiding processed and pre-packaged foods is key for optimal health, but there are a few exceptions. One canned food I do recommend is canned wild-caught Alaskan salmon. It’s inexpensive, selling for around a dollar or two in many places, and, in my view, the high amounts of healthy fats and lower contamination levels found in wild-caught salmon outweighs the risks of it being sold in a can. Some brands also offer BPA-free cans, which is well worth looking for. Rising pollution levels have contaminated most fish to the point of being potentially hazardous, especially for children and pregnant women, if eaten too frequently, or in too high amounts.

The key to eating fish these days is to choose fish that are high in healthy omega-3 fats, and low in hazardous contaminants. Wild-caught Alaskan salmon (NOT farmed salmon such as Atlantic salmon) fits this description, and is one of the few types of fish I still recommend eating. Fresh or frozen Alaskan salmon tend to be pricier, so canned salmon can be a thrifty alternative. Just make sure it's labeled "Alaskan Salmon," as it is not allowed to be farmed. Sockeye salmon is another healthy option that cannot be farmed. Sockeye salmon has the added advantage of having one of the highest concentrations of astaxanthin of any food. Other canned fish that are in the safer category (having lower contamination risk and higher nutritional value) are sardines, anchovies, and pickled herring—all of which also contain higher amounts of healthy fats such as omega-3.

#5: Organic, Free-Range or Pastured Eggs

Organically raised free-range or "pastured" eggs are another excellent source of high-quality nutrients, especially high-quality protein and fat. Proteins are essential to the building, maintenance, and repair of your body tissues. Proteins are also major components of your immune system and hormones. While found in many types of food, only foods from animal sources, such as meat and eggs, contain "complete proteins," meaning they contain all of the essential amino acids. Eggs also contain lutein and zeaxanthin for eye health, choline for your brain, nervous and cardiovascular systems, and naturally occurring B12.

The key to healthy eggs is making sure they come from chickens that have been allowed to range free on pasture. The nutritional differences between true free-ranging chicken eggs and commercially farmed eggs are a result of the different diets eaten by the two groups of chickens. You can tell the eggs are free range or pastured by the color of the egg yolk. Foraged hens produce eggs with bright orange yolks. Dull, pale yellow yolks are a sure sign you're getting eggs from caged hens that are not allowed to forage for their natural diet.

Your best source for fresh eggs is a local farmer that allows his hens to forage freely outdoors. The following organizations can also help you locate not only farm-fresh eggs but also other organic and locally produced foods, including many of those discussed above.

• Local Harvest -- This Web site will help you find farmers' markets, family farms, and other sources of sustainably grown food in your area where you can buy produce and grass-fed meats.
• Eat Wild: With more than 1,400 pasture-based farms, Eatwild's Directory of Farms is one of the most comprehensive sources for pastured foods in the United States and Canada.
• Farmers' Markets -- A national listing of farmers' markets.
• Eat Well Guide: Wholesome Food from Healthy Animals -- The Eat Well Guide is a free online directory of sustainably raised meat, poultry, dairy, and eggs from farms, stores, restaurants, inns, and hotels, and online outlets in the United States and Canada.
• FoodRoutes -- The FoodRoutes "Find Good Food" map can help you connect with local farmers to find the freshest, tastiest food possible. On their interactive map, you can find a listing for local farmers, CSAs, and markets near you.

[via Mercola]

How To Use Himalayan Salt Crystals For Healing

by Dr. Joseph Mercola

Your skin is an excretory organ that mirrors the condition of your intestines. When you take a salt water (brine) bath, the salt minerals penetrate your skin in form of ions. This stimulation will cause natural cell growth in your living cell layers. Bio-energetic weak points will be balanced and your body's energy flow will be activated. While anyone can benefit from a brine bath, it is particularly soothing for those with:

• Various skin diseases
• Rheumatism and joint diseases
• A post-operative care regimen
• Gynecological diseases
• Recurring infections
• Severe insect bites, blisters or wounds
• Skin irritations from poison oak, ivy or sumac

The detoxifying effect of a brine bath can be compared to a 3-day fast. Since salt is also a disinfectant, several people can safely use the same water. To get the full benefits of a therapeutic natural crystal salt bath, the right salt concentration is critical. The salt concentration has to be at least the same as the one of your body fluids (approximately 1%) to activate the osmotic exchange ratio. The formula for a 1% solution is 1.28 ounces of salt per gallon of water. Since a full tub normally takes from 100 to 120 liters (27 - 32 gallons) of water, at least 1.2 kg. (2.6 pounds) of natural salt is required. To avoid using body energy to balance the temperature, the water should be approximately 37° Celsius (97° Fahrenheit). Your bath will remain at a constant temperature because the biophysical composition of the salt is so strong - it causes the molecules to move in a constant rhythm.

Do not use any bath additives, soaps, or oils. Your bath should last 20 to 30 minutes. During this time, the temperature and the makeup of the brine bath is comparable to the amniotic fluid in which the embryo floats in the prenatal state. Do not shower off, simply dry off with a towel. After your brine bath, you should rest for at least 30 minutes.

WARNING: While brine baths have a positive effect on many ailments, they are also demanding on your circulatory system. If you suffer from weak or poor heart circulation, always consult your doctor first.

To use the Himalayan Bath Salt for therapies you can follow these steps:

• Loosely fill a closable glass container (Mason jar) with several crystal salt stones. Add natural spring water or purified water, completely filling the container.
• After approximately 24 hours, look to see if the salt crystals have completely dissolved. If so, add a few more crystals. When the water can no longer dissolve any more salt, the salt crystals will sit at the bottom of the jar without dissolving. At this point the solution will have become saturated at 26%, and is ready for use.
• The glass can be refilled again and again with water and salt, continuing this process. This brine solution is completely sterile and germ-free allowing it to be stored for years in a closed glass container without changing or decomposing.
• There are many ways to directly experience the natural medicinal potency of brine including drinking it and seasoning your favorite foods with it, bathing in the brine solution, and inhaling steam from brine. You can also use the Himalayan Crystal Salt to substitute for cooking salt, but it should not be heated over 42º Celsius.

While you will certainly find many other beneficial uses for sole (brine) made from Himalayan Crystal Salt, here are some common problems that the sole may help with:

• Acne - Try a brine face wash, or the Himalayan Crystal Salt mixed with fragrance free, natural soap as a face or body scrub.
• Ear Infections- Use the brine as eardrops for ear infection.
• Foot Fungus- Soothe your feet with a brine foot soak.
• Motion Sickness - Try wearing salt in a pouch around your neck for its energetic balancing properties.
• Nasal Congestion - Try a nasal wash with a few grains of crystal salt in ¼ cup of warm water.
• Psoriasis - Rub brine directly on the affected skin and let dry.
• Sore Throats - Gargle with warm brine solution, but don't swallow.

[via Food Matters]

Health Benefits of Raw Honey

Honey is one of nature’s premier superfoods. Not only does honey taste good in tea, yogurt, baked goods etc. but it has been a staple anti-bacterial and anti-inflammatory since ancient times. Even modern practitioners swear by its miraculous healing properties.

Top 5 Health Benefits of Raw Organic Honey 

1. Honey Kills Antibiotic-Resistant Bacteria 

In the world of medicine, few things can be scarier than bacteria that are resistant to antibiotics, but that’s exactly the problem that modern medicine faces. Over the past fifty years, over-use of anti-bacterial drugs, like Azithromycin, have encouraged harmful bacteria to evolve and become stronger. But there’s no bacterium anywhere that’s resistant to honey! That’s right, honey can kill even antibiotic-resistant bacteria. Ancient people applied it to wounds, infections, and abscesses to great effect. Just make sure you use raw organic honey, which doesn’t include high-fructose corn syrup or white sugar that lower its quality and beneficial effects.

2. Soothes Coughs 

In addition to killing bacteria, honey can reduce the severity of coughs and sore throats more safely than over-the-counter medications. This is another example of a traditional remedy that turns out to be more effective than mass-produced drugs by pharmaceutical companies. While adult cough medicines might be dangerous for children to take, raw honey helps lessen the frequency and intensity of a child’s cough, letting parents and kids alike get more sleep during cold season.

3. Boosts Wound and Burn Healing 

Believe it or not, honey sterilizes and heals burns in half the time than its over-the-counter antibiotic competitor silver sulfadiazine. It can disinfect wounds the same way, allowing your body to regenerate faster and with less risk of infection or scarring. If you receive an injury, smear honey on the affected area immediately. Don’t worry about using too much, because with honey, there’s no such thing. When you’re done, apply a bandage over your wound. Repeat this procedure at least once every 48 hours to make sure that you’re not getting an infection (though odds are good that you won’t.)

4. Provides Many Nutrients

Unsurprisingly, honey offers a staggering amount of nutritional value. (Remember, this is the stuff that bees build their entire colonies upon!) Aside from various nutrients, like riboflavin, folate, betaine, manganese, potassium, copper, zinc, calcium, magnesium, selenium, fluoride and phosphorus, honey is loaded with antioxidants, which can lessen the risk of cancer. It also lowers LDL cholesterol and triglycerides, and generally reduces inflammation. Of course, if you have a sweet tooth, one benefit trumps all the others on this list…

5. Raw Organic Honey is the Perfect Sugar Substitute 

As if the health benefits of honey weren’t enough on their own. Honey can play another important part in your well-being by sweetening your tea, cookies, pancakes and other baked goods you prepare. Though honey itself is made of fructose, it raises blood sugar far lesser than similar-tasting substances, like sucrose and dextrose. Honey has a healthy Glycemic Index, which means its sugars can be gradually absorbed into the blood stream to result in better digestion. Best of all, you can keep honey on the shelf forever, because it never spoils. Not to put too fine a point on it, but that’s pretty sweet.

Raw Honey Has Many Health Benefits 

There’s a lot that honey can do to improve your active life and diet. It’s a great pre-exercise food, for example, because it’ll give you the power you need and you won’t crash in the middle of your training session. The healing powers of honey don’t just apply to skin wounds – they can help heal painful stomach ulcers, too! Fans of probiotics love honey because it hosts good bacteria, including lactobacilli, which help us digest food. There’s even evidence that honey consumption boosts memory in menopausal women and increase the body’s ability to recover from drunkenness. Old time medical practitioners knew the secrets of honey before science discovered them. Today, there are many good reasons to add this incredible food to your diet!

[via Organic Power Foods]

10 Ways to Reduce Your Carbon Footprint This Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving is a favorite holiday for many. It's a time to eat, indulge and spend uninterrupted time with family. It's also a time for reflection. A time to think about what we're thankful for and a time to think about how the choices we make impact our families and the planet.

Although every day provides an opportunity for reflection and change, Thanksgiving stands out as the perfect day to kick off a few new habits that will effect the longevity of our planet. If each of us revamped our consumption and waste habits by slightly adjusting what's already in place, the overall impact could be huge.

Here are a few tips for the Thanksgiving holiday that will reduce our carbon footprint and help keep the planet healthy for generations to come.

1. Shop Local

Shop locally this Thanksgiving and lend your support to the little local business rather than the big box stores. Go for holiday supplies that don't need to travel far to get to your Thanksgiving table.

2. Buy Organic

Organic food typically requires 30-50 percent less energy during production than its conventional counterpart. Make the shift this Thanksgiving to a table with more organic food choices. Knowing that your food isn't sprayed with pesticides, chemicals or GMOs is enough reason to incorporate organic foods into your menu.

3. Turn the Heat Down

Watch your home heat up on its own as your Thanksgiving guests arrive and as the oven is turned on to warm the food. Rather than opening windows to cool off the space, remember to set the thermostat a few degrees lower before the celebration begins.

4. Don't Use Disposables

Make the switch to reusable napkins, skip the paper towels and pull out the good dishes this Thanksgiving. It's a bit more effort at the end of the evening, but it's worth it. Each person in the United States uses 749 pounds (340kg) of paper every year. According to the Natural Resources Defense Council, the pulp and paper industry may contribute to more global and local environmental problems than any other industry in the world. The industry is the third largest industrial emitter of global warming pollution.

5. Reduce the Amount You Buy

Reducing is the first of the 3 Rs: reduce, reuse and recycle. When planning your Thanksgiving celebration, try making some slight alterations to your shopping list. Give some extra thought as to whether or not you truly need those items on your list and reduce the amount of food and decorations if possible.

6. Compost Table Scraps

Did you know that a typical household throws away an estimated 474 pounds of food waste each year? That means about 1.5 lbs. per person a day in the United States. Food scraps generated by all households in the U.S. could be piled on a football field more than five miles (26,400 feet) high. Compost those vegetable scraps and watch your garden thrive.

7. Fill Your Dishwasher Before Running

Fill your dishwasher to capacity before running a cycle. You'll end up saving water, energy and detergent.

8. Green Your Turkey

A Cornell study shows it takes 14 units of fossil fuel to produce a serving of turkey. If you're planning to have turkey, try to make it a little greener by purchasing it from a local market or farm. If the turkey is traveling a long distance to get to your table, that's adding to your carbon footprint. Best option -- skip the turkey!

9. Clean with Non-Toxic Cleaners

Make the switch to non-toxic cleaning products. When making the switch to green cleaning products, replace products you're currently using as they run out with a safer version. Take the time to research safer, non-toxic products and then make the switch.

10. Stay Local

According to USA Today, it's predicted that 24.6 million passengers will fly on U.S. airlines domestically and internationally between November 21 and December 2 this year. That's a 1.5 percent increase from last year, or 31,000 more passengers on average a day. For many of us, traveling is a long-standing tradition and needed to visit with our family. Use this handy calculator from The Nature Conservancy to help you calculate the amount of carbon you emit and offer ways of offsetting those emissions.

If your plan is to drive, make sure your tires are fully inflated and your car has been properly serviced. This will help reduce your carbon emissions and improve your gas mileage.

[via Huffington Post | photo Benjamin Chun]

Natural Moisturizers for Winter Skin Care

Keep your skin glowing through the dry winter days. Try these natural moisturizers for winter skin care.

Plant-derived oils and naturally sourced fats and ingredients are better for your skin and body than chemical preservatives and stabilizers. Along with the rest of nature, our skin changes as the seasons turn. With winter comes low humidity, which strips skin of its natural moisture, leaving it dry and more susceptible to damage. To protect your skin from the cold, turn to natural moisturizers with healing natural ingredients.

Four Homemade Moisturizers

• Herbal Moisturizing Cream Recipe
• Light Moisturizer Recipe
• Aloe and Calendula Cleansing Cream Recipe
• Creamy Cocoa Butter Lotion for Face and Body

Moisturizing Basics for Winter Skin Care

When choosing a commercial moisturizer, your first consideration should be your skin type. For oily skin, use a light moisturizer; for normal to oily skin, use a moisturizing lotion; and for dry skin, use a moisturizing cream.

Next, analyze a product’s ingredient list: Nearly every moisturizer contains some combination of emollients, humectants, emulsifiers, “active ingredients” and penetration enhancers.

Emollients, such as phospholipids and lecithin, soften, heal and hydrate. Plant oils such as olive, castor, jojoba and coconut make great emollients because they mimic the soothing oils our own skin produces.

Humectants attract moisture to the skin. Look for moisturizers made with glycerin and sorbitol derived from natural sources. (To find out if the ingredients are from natural sources, consult the ingredients list or peruse the company’s website.)

Emulsifiers are used to keep the ingredients in a moisturizer from separating. Lanolin is an excellent natural emulsifier. Similar to the natural oil in human skin, lanolin, commonly called wool fat, is a fatty substance naturally produced in sheepskin. It coats wool, acting as a protective agent against cold and dampness, and is extracted from shorn wool by centrifugal separators. This cream, which can be found at any health-food store, is typically used in moisturizers as a water-absorbing emulsifier.

A product’s “active ingredients” are usually responsible for providing its advertised effects, such as soothing, treating blemishes or preventing signs of aging. For example, zinc oxide is a natural active ingredient that protects against sun damage. Be careful when choosing skin products purported to remove wrinkles, blemishes or dark spots: These often contain harsh chemicals. To find out more about natural active ingredients, see “The Best Active Ingredients in Moisturizers” further in this article.

Penetration enhancers help a product’s active ingredients absorb into the skin. Look for moisturizers with natural penetration enhancers such as essential oils (menthol or chamomile are common), vegetable squalene, linoleic acid and oleic acid rather than synthetic penetration enhancers such as propylene glycol and tetrasodium EDTA.

Avoid poor-quality ingredients such as mineral oils, harsh chemicals, and artificial colors and fragrances. Harsh chemicals such as parabens, formaldehyde and propylene glycol are often used to give moisturizers a longer shelf life and help them absorb into the skin, but they can have side effects ranging from skin irritation to potential reproductive disorders. You can find effective, safe natural moisturizers or make your own simple, inexpensive moisturizer using this Homemade Moisturizer Recipe. For more information on ingredients in personal-care products to avoid and extensive listings of safer options, read Come Clean: Natural Alternatives to Chemical-Laden Personal-Care Products.

5 Moisturizer Ingredients to Avoid

• Formaldehyde: A human carcinogen; watch for ingredients dimethyl-dimethyl (DMDM) hydantoin, imidazolidinyl urea, diazolidinyl urea, sodium hydroxymethylglycinate, and 2-bromo-2-nitropropane-1, 3-diol or bronopol
• Fragrance: Usually contains phthalates, linked to hormone disruption, possible birth defects, infertility and breast cancer
• Parabens: May cause reproductive disorders and has been detected in breast cancer tissue; watch for any ingredient ending in -paraben
• Propylene glycol: May cause hives, allergic reactions and other skin irritation in concentrations as low as 2 percent; synonyms include PPG, 1,2-dihydroxypropane, 2-hydroxypropanol, methylethyl glycol, 1,2-propanediol, and propane-1,2-diol
• Retinyl palmitate and retinol (vitamin A): Rich in antioxidants and anti-aging properties; may also speed up the development of cancerous skin tumors when exposed to the sun; excessive amounts may be toxic to a developing fetus if pregnant women are exposed

The Best Active Ingredients in Moisturizers

• Anti-aging: Boswellia serrata, CoQ10
• Antibacterial and antifungal: Tea tree oil
• Anti-irritants: Comfrey leaf and root, Aloe vera, licorice root, marshmallow root, chamomile, white willow bark, vitamin C
• Soothing: Aloe vera, licorice root, green tea, chamomile extract
• Sun protection: Zinc oxide, titanium dioxide

[via Mother Earth Living]

Home Remedies for Headache Treatment

Headaches, including migraines, are extremely common. Because headaches can stem from a variety of causes, some headache sufferers seek treatment on a near-daily basis. Fortunately, there are several home-remedy treatments that can help alleviate migraine pain and other types of headaches.

Lavender Oil

Not only does lavender smell great — it’s also a useful home remedy for headaches and migraine pain. Lavender oil can be either inhaled or applied topically. Two to four drops for every two to three cups of boiling water are recommended when inhaling lavender-oil vapors as a headache treatment. Unlike many medicinal oils, this home remedy can also be safely applied externally without the need to dilute it. Lavender oil should not be taken orally.

Peppermint Oil

Peppermint is a soothing home remedy that has been shown to benefit tension headaches. This fresh-smelling oil has vaso-constricting and vaso-dilating properties, which help control blood flow in the body. Headaches and migraine pain are often due to poor blood flow, and peppermint oil helps to open and close the vessels that promote flow. Peppermint home remedies also open up the sinuses so that more oxygen can get into the bloodstream.

Basil Oil

Basil, the strong-scented herb used as a topping for pizzas and pastas, certainly tastes and smells good. And for people in need of a natural headache treatment, the oil derived from basil plants can also be a useful home remedy. Basil works as a muscle relaxant, so it is especially helpful for headaches caused by tension and tight muscles.

Diet Fixes

One of the most useful home remedies for reducing headaches and migraine pain involves making changes to your diet. Certain foods have been shown to affect the frequency and severity of headaches and migraine pain, including dairy; chocolate; peanut butter; certain fruits, such as avocado, banana, and citrus; onions; meats with nitrates, such as bacon and hot dogs; foods containing monosodium glutamate (MSG); foods containing tyramine, an amino acid found in red wine; and foods that are fermented or pickled. Keep track of these trigger foods and your reaction to them with a food diary.

DIY Scalp Massage

Do-it-yourself scalp massages can be an effective way to alleviate migraine pain, and they feel great. Researchers in Brazil showed that massaging the greater occipital nerve — the area in the back of the head, at the base of the skull — reduces migraine pain. Massage in general has been identified as a useful home remedy for headaches, especially reflexology (massaging reflex points on the hands and feet).

Feverfew

Feverfew, as its name suggests, is used to treat fever, but it’s most commonly known as an herbal headache treatment. This home remedy became popular in the 1980s, when a landmark study in Great Britain showed that 70 percent of participants had less migraine pain after taking feverfew daily. Since then, more studies have demonstrated feverfew’s benefit in preventing and treating migraine pain. One study showed improvement in migraine pain among people who took daily feverfew in combination with white willow, another herbal home remedy, which contains properties similar to aspirin.

Flaxseed

Some headaches are caused by inflammation, which can be reduced by consuming omega-3 fatty acids. Flaxseed can help provide headache relief because it’s rich in omega-3s. Flaxseed can be used as a home remedy in several forms, including as an oil and ground or whole seeds.

Buckwheat

Buckwheat’s usefulness as a home remedy for headaches and migraine pain comes from a flavonoid known as rutin. Flavonoids are phytochemicals, which are found in plants, and have been shown to contain antioxidant properties, which counteract damage to cells. In addition, researchers in Taiwan have demonstrated the effects of flavonoids on inflammation, a common cause of headaches.

[via Everyday Health]

Meet Muesli, Oatmeal’s Cool Cousin

What the heck is muesli? The term “muesli” (pronounced “MEWS-lee,” as in rhymes with “loosely”) is derived from the Swiss-German word “mus” — meaning, appropriately enough, “mixture.” The mixture consists of rolled oats, nuts, seeds, fresh or dried fruit and other whole grains, like rye or barley. Admittedly, this makes muesli sound an awful lot like granola. Although both foods can be good sources of whole grains, fiber, fatty acids and protein, granola is often toasted in oil and sweetened with honey or a syrup, making it much higher in fat and sugar.

Muesli, alternatively, consists of raw ingredients either eaten like cereal, with milk, yogurt or even fruit juice added right before serving, or it can be soaked ahead of time. Soaking muesli creates a texture similar to chilled oatmeal, making it an attractive breakfast option during the dog days of summer. Of course, muesli also can be heated, if desired. Muesli Fusion, a cereal manufacturer, suggests cooking a half cup of muesli with a half cup of water or milk over medium heat until boiling, stirring frequently. Alternatively, microwave equal parts muesli and water or milk on high for two minutes, stopping every 30 seconds to stir. Cold, hot, raw, soaked — muesli is a choose-your-own-adventure type of cereal.

According to The Kitchn, soaking muesli also might provide greater nutritional benefits because a substance called phytic acid in unsoaked grains’ outer layer joins forces with such nutrients as calcium in your body to hinder absorption. You wouldn’t want all your healthy-eating hard work to go down the drain, would you? Personally, as muesli lacks the enjoyable crunch of traditional granola, I prefer the texture of soaked muesli — even adding the milk half an hour before breakfast makes the cereal much more palatable. The oats and grains drink up the milk, becoming tender and soft, while the dried fruit rehydrates and plumps up. Yum!

The invention of this nutritious breakfast is credited to the Swiss physician Maximilian Bircher-Benner in the early 20th century, developed as a means to help alleviate and prevent disease in his patients. The original recipe allegedly consisted of oats, raw apples, condensed milk and lemon juice. Eventually muesli was mass-produced, which led to the addition of dried fruits, a very concentrated source of sugar. Some packaged varieties of muesli boast of their 50% fruit content, luring unsuspecting dieters into consuming more sugar over breakfast than they would in a chocolate bar.

Alternatively, making your own muesli and adding fresh berries or fruit is a good way to get plenty of dietary fiber without the sugar high. One cup, or 85 g, of muesli provides 6.2 g of dietary fiber, according to the USDA Nutrient Database. The Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics recommends adults consume 25 g to 38 g of fiber each day. Although muesli is not a low-calorie food — a half-cup contains anywhere from 144 to 250 calories, depending on the brand and ingredients, and that does include the added calories from milk, yogurt or juice — the fiber and protein content of muesli creates a feeling of fullness to keep you going until lunchtime. The USDA reports that a half-cup of muesli contains 4 g of protein, providing 9% of women’s and 7% of men’s recommended dietary allowance. According to the Harvard School of Public Health, high-protein foods move more slowly from the stomach to the intestine, and the body uses more calories to digest protein than it does to digest fats or carbs. So, while muesli is not a light breakfast, per say, it can help end your mid-morning snack habit.

My favorite store-bought muesli is the German-made, all-natural Seitenbacher Muesli #2 (Berries Temptation), which contains no trans-fat, cholesterol, sugar or artificial colors and preservatives. Although fairly calorie-conscious, with 160 calories in a 2/3-cup serving, the inclusion of dried apples, dried raspberries and raisins does boost the sugar content to 11 g per serving — and I like to add fresh peach or banana slices to bulk it up a bit, meaning, well, more sugar. Those wanting to tame their sweet tooth and make their own nutrient-dense muesli in bulk can check out this gluten-free and vegan recipe from the food and nutrition blog Nutrition Stripped. This muesli version includes lots of good-tasting, good-for-you ingredients, like quinoa flakes, pumpkin seeds, unsweetened coconut flakes, goji berries and ground cinnamon.

Making muesli is pretty fool-proof, as you can throw in your favorite nuts and fruits into the mix and almost certainly create a tasting, satisfying breakfast. You’ll never go back to boring old oatmeal again.

[via HellaWella]

The Other Bees

There are thousands and thousands of bees that are not honeybees out there, pollinating our flowers and helping plants produce food. Who knew?

Hear that hum as a bumblebee settles onto a tomato blossom? It’s a faint but powerful sound: The bee is working hard. It’s grabbing the flower with its jaws, vibrating its flight muscles and producing a tone that’s close to middle C. That vibration causes the flower to release pollen – a process called sonication, or buzz pollination.

More than 85 percent of the world’s plants either require or benefit from animal-mediated pollination. Farmers know this and have panicked in the face of the colony collapse disorder that’s reducing populations of honeybees around the country. (Some were even flying in packaged bees from Australia at $200 a pop until the USDA halted the practice for fear of importing new diseases and parasites.)

But what most farmers don’t realize – and the rest of us, too, as we anxiously search our gardens and parks for honeybees – is that there are another 20,000 species of bees. Four thousand are native to North America – including 50 native bumblebees – and they are busily at work in our landscapes.

We rarely notice our wild native bees because most are small and solitary and gentle – they aren’t likely to draw our attention with a sting.

But their impact on flowering plants is huge, with studies suggesting that they’re twice as effective at pollination than honeybees.

“The value of honeybees is that you can truck mobile hives to a farm and release tens of thousands of bees into the landscape,” says Eric Maden, the Assistant Pollinator Program Director of the Xerces Society, an organization that advocates on behalf of invertebrates and their habitat. “And people are fascinated with their social structure and with honey production. But bee for bee, most of the wild ones are vastly more productive.”

We rarely notice our wild native bees because most are small and solitary and gentle – they aren’t likely to draw our attention with a sting.



For one thing, Maden says, not all honeybees are even interested in pollen. Some are pollen foragers, but most are nectar foragers that ignore the critical spot where the flowers display pollen, called anthers. For another, honeybees are exceptionally finicky about the weather. They won’t fly when it’s cool, cloudy or rainy, whereas our native wild bees are game for inclement days. And honeybees sleep late.

Maden points to squash bees, the same size and color as honeybees, which co-evolved with squashes and make their individual nests in the soil near the plants. Pumpkin farmers and other squash growers are often unaware of these wild bees and unnecessarily pay to have honeybees hives trucked in for the season. “The squash bees go out before sunrise and are finished foraging by noon,” Maden says. “Honeybees don’t even wake up until it’s sunny and bright and, by that time, the squash bees have already gotten the job done.”

Valuable as our native wild bees are, their populations are dropping – for instance, an analysis by the Xerces Society ‘s Rich Hatfield suggests that 30% of our native bumblebees are threatened by extinction.

But Maden says that this is one threatened species story that can easily have a happy ending: Just plant wildflowers.

The loss of native flowering plants from development and conventional agriculture – especially the vast stretches of Roundup-resistant GMO crops in which everything but that commercial plant has been blasted away – has eliminated habitat for wild bees. Quite simply, there isn’t enough food for wild bees when there is only one plant – the commercial plant – blooming for a few weeks. They need a flowery source of food spring, summer and fall.

“Pesticide use is also an issue, but the single most important factor is habitat loss,” Maden says. “The solution is not complicated, and everyone can have a role. If you’re a farmer, plant native wildflowers around your farm. If you live in the city and your only access to the outdoors is a fire escape, put a pot of wildflowers there. If every person planted one wildflower, conditions for bees in this country would be significantly better.”

Farmers who create habitat for wild bees are doing themselves a favor. Maden points to a study by biologists Lora Morandin and Mark Winston showing that canola growers who took 30 percent of their land out of production and let native plants flourish grew as much or more seed on their remaining land.* A soon-to-be published study by Michigan State University entomologist Rufus Isaacs and former student Brett Blaauw shows that blueberry farmers who put in wildflower borders had more wild bees per bush and up to 800 pounds more fruit per acre adjacent to the plantings.

Planting wildflowers not only helps our wild bees thrive. It also saves butterflies. They aren’t essential pollinators, but they provide food for birds and have a place in the ecosystem – and they’re so darned pretty. Butterfly scientists are alarmed at the rate of disappearance of several common species including the Monarch, whose numbers may be so low that they will be unable to manage a migration this year. Their favored plant, the milkweed, has been decimated by the use of Roundup in cornfields planted with GMO glyphosate-resistant corn.

“I remember when I was a kid in North Dakota and we’d drive a few hours – even if we were just going grocery shopping, we’d have to drive a few hours,” Maden says. “The front of the car would be a sticky mass of insects. Now I can drive across the US in July and not have as many dead insects on my car as we did from a two-hour drive in North Dakota.”

You get the point. He doesn’t want you to kill bees and butterflies with your car, but it would be great if there were once again so many of them that they’re hard to miss. Find some wildflower seeds native to your region, and go sow.

[via Modern Farmer]

6 Healthy Easy-to-Make Beverages At Home

In our ever busy days, eating and drinking something nutritious may not be on our top priority. Constraint of time and energy is probably one of the top reasons why we eat so much fast food and processed/frozen food and drinks. Even an extra step of transferring food onto a plate or washing the dishes become a painful chore, let alone cooking from scratch. The food industry has caught on to this and now they offer healthier versions of packaged foods and drinks, boasting that they are healthy with labels like "zero calorie," "low fat," "no MSG," etc. Just remember that as much as you think they are healthy, they can't be as healthy as they are fresh.

If cooking food is too much hassle, try making homemade beverages. It's much simpler, requires minimal cleaning, and a step further towards healthy living. Homemade food and drinks are best because we know exactly when we make it (freshness), how they are made (think about cross contamination), and what we put in it (no funny and harmful ingredients). So let's try one of these to start with:

1. Wheatgrass Juice

Early in the morning, increase our well being and boost our immune system by getting rid of toxins from our body with fresh Wheatgrass Juice. It's rich in chlorophyll, a pigment that helps to detoxify our body, treats bad breath, and has antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties that help fight infections.

2. Coconut-Chia Energy Drink

To boost energy and keep you hydrated, try this Coconut-Chia Energy Drink that is packed with protein, fiber, antioxidants, and electrolytes.

3. Almond Milk

For those who are on gluten-free diet and allergic to cow's milk but needs an extra dose of calcium, vitamin E, and minerals such as magnesium, potassium, zinc, and iron, try making homemade Almond Milk. This can keep in the fridge for up to five days, so you can make it ahead of time on your less busy days.

4. Water Kefir and Milk Kefir

A healthy gut is one of the cornerstones for a healthy body. Our body needs more probiotics (good bacteria) more than ever before because of all the processed food and drinks we consume and the overuse of antibiotics. This easy to make Water Kefir and Milk Kefir are natural probiotic beverages that can help you balance your gut flora and improve your digestion. It takes only a few minutes to put together, let them ferment for a day or two, and you can enjoy this probiotic-rich drinks anytime at home. Make one big batch and you are set for the week.

5. Fruits and Herbs-Infused Flavored Water

Throughout the day, keep a big bottle of Fruits and Herbs-Infused Flavored Water to keep you motivated to drink and your body hydrated, while reaping the benefits of the vitamins and minerals that are infused into your water from the fresh fruits and herbs.

6. Lemon, Garlic, Ginger, and Honey Tea

When you don't feel well or down with a flu, warm your body with homemade Lemon, Garlic, Ginger, and Honey Tea. Each ingredient provides unique power to fight off infections, balances the body's pH and, speeds up circulation, and boosts our immune system.

[via Pasture Living]