Friday, October 11, 2013

Trying to get Kids to Eat Healthy


Having a Hard Time Getting Your Child To Eat Fruits And Veggies?




Here are some fun cute ideas to get your child to eat their fruits and veggies. We know how important it is that they get the right nutrition, but trying to teach them that is another story. So if you can trick them into eating them, then at least the battle is half done!


Here's some ways to try to trick them into eating their veggies and fruits.


Carribean Breakfast  
Photo Courtesy of Jenny Rush

Ingredients

Mandarin or regular oranges
Bananas
Kiwi

Just slice up your fruits and arrange them on a plate in a cool pattern like picture above. Make any kind of beach scene.

Benefits:

Kiwi- Fiber, Phytonutrients, Folic Acid, Vitamin E, Calcium, Chromium, Copper, Iron, Magnesium Potassium, Zinc

Bananas- Iron, Fiber, Fructooligosaccharide, Potassium, Natural Antacid

Oranges- Fiber, Vitamin C, Vitamin A, B-complex vitamins, Narigenin

 


Banana Split

For Breakfast? Yep!

Ingredients:

Banana
Strawberries
Blueberries
Greek Yogurt
Pineapple

Just cut a banana in half, add a spoonful or two of Greek Yogurts, and top with your favorite ingredients.

Benefits

Bananas- Iron, Fiber, Fructooligosaccharide, Potassium, Natural Antacid

Blueberries- rich in anti oxidants like Anthocyanin, vitamin C, B complex, vitamin E, vitamin A, copper , selenium, zinc, iron

Strawberries- Anthocyanin, Vitamin C, Folate, Manganese, Potassium, Vitamin K

Greek Yogurt- Protein, Fiber, low in sodium, low in sugar


Greek Yogurt Dip






What Your Kids Don't Know- Will Help Them

I make this for myself all the time. You can't even tell there are vegetable in here at all. You will mostly just taste a sweet fruity taste. Just blend the following ingredients and chill.



Brocolli- v=Vitamin C, Vitamin A, f=Folic Acid, Calcium, and Fiber

Kale- Fiber, Vitamin A, Phytonutrients, Beta-carotene, antioxidants, beta-carotene, lutein and zeaxathin, calcium, Vitamin C, folic acid, vitamin B6, manganese, and potassium.

Spinach- Fiber, Phytonutrients, Neoxanthin and Violaxanthin (anti-inflammatorys) Vitamin C, vitamin E, beta-carotene, Manganese, Zinc, Selenium, Lutein and Zeaxanthin

Black Berries- Antioxidants, Polyphenols, Anthocyanins (antioxidants), Vitamin C, Vitamin A, Vitamin E, Vitamin K, Manganese and fiber.

Strawberries- Anthocyanin, Vitamin C, Folate, Manganese, Potassium, Vitamin K


Carrots- B1, vitamin B2, vitamin B6, vitamin K, biotin, fiber, potassium and thiamine

Greek Yogurt- Protein, Fiber, low in sodium, low in sugar

Lettuce- Folic acid, Vitamin C, potassium, and Fiber


Decorating Celery!

Benefits of Celery- Vitamins B1, B2, B6 and C with rich supplies of potassium, folic acid, calcium, magnesium, iron, phosphorus, sodium and plenty essential amino acids.

Suggested Toppings

Peanut Butter, Nutella or Cream Cheese
Raisins
Almonds
Diced Apples
Pecans
Diced Cucumbers
Cranberries
Mandarin Oranges
Diced Pear



Fruit and Yogurt Popsicles in Muffin Tins



All you need is to mix together some fruit and yogurt. Mix it together, then pour it into muffin tins. Cover with saran wrap or wax paper. Poke through with a popsicle stick. The paper will hold the stick upright until the dessert is frozen.



Tuesday, October 8, 2013

Benefits of Carrots


  • Beta-carotene protects against macular degeneration, cataracts and aids in night vision.
  • Falcarinol and Falcarindiol are anticancer properties.
  • Anti-Aging Beta-carotene acts as an antioxidant to cell damage done to the body through regular metabolism. It help slows down the aging of cells.
  • Carotenoids lower risk of heart disease.
  • Vitamin A assists the liver in flushing out the toxins from the body.
  •  Lowers risk of Stroke. Eating several carrots a day reduces your chances of having a stroke. Read more about reducing stroke risks here. 
Click on food to decide what you would like to juice.

Benefits of Green Apples



  • Fiber is good for digestion and relieves constipation.
  • Natural sugar stabilizes blood sugar.
  • Anti-oxidants such as polyphenol and flavonoid help reduce the risk of cancer by not allowing DNA damage to occur.
  • Vitamin A,B & C are good for the nourishment of skin.
  • Minerals help purify the blood.
  • Potassium is an essential nutrient used to maintain fluid and electrolyte balance in the body.
  • Manganese keeps your bones strong, maintain normal blood sugar levels, promotes optimal function of your thyroid gland, maintains the health of your nerves, and protects your cells from free-radical damage.


My Favorite Juice



Recipe
1 green apple (Vitamin C, A, Vitamin B6, Riboflavin, calcium, iron, magnesium, Manganese, Iron, Potassium, Copper, Zinc)
2 carrots (Vit A, antioxidants, anti aging)
2 celery stalks (Vit, A, K, Vitamin B Folate)
1 leaf kale (iron, Vit K, A, C, Calcium, anti oxidant, anti inflammatory)
1/2 cucumber (Vitamin A, B1, B6, C & D, Folate, Calcium, Magnesium, and Potassium, Silicon, hydrating)
1 green pepper
1 bunch of Romaine lettuc

This will make 1 tall glassful.

Optional Ingredients to add in 
swish chard
broccoli
spinach
romaine
cilantro
beets
cantaloupe
watermelon
berries
pineapple
ginger
dandelion greens

Any of these can be added also, but I start with the ingredients on the top no matter what then add in whatever else I have on hand. Folks who are trying to avoid sugar should not add carrots or fruits.

Click on food to decide what you would like to juice.

Saturday, October 5, 2013

A Year After Starting Juicing

Ok, it has been a little over a year now since I started juicing. I am still a work in progress. But I can say, out of every treatment I have done for Lyme Disease, out of all the meds and supplements I spent so much money on, that juicing has helped me more then anything else.

I still have Lyme Disease. I still have symptoms. I still have bad days and good days. But what I can say is that I have way better days then I used to. When I first started this blog, I almost never left my house. My kids helped me with shopping, and I would only shower about once a week.

My general routine is to juice once a day. I usually juice 1 green apple, 2 carrots, 2 stalks celery, cilantro, 1/2 cucumber, and any other green veggie I get that week such as spinach, broccoli, or romaine.

In this last year, I have traveled to Washington DC, Connecticut, Cape Cod and Martha's Vineyard. There
is no way I would of done all that before juicing. Noway. I believe it gives you energy and rejuvenates your cells to nutrients that we lose during chronic illness. Like I have posted throughout this blog, I am no professional, I am not a dietitian or anything like that, just a person with a chronic illness trying to find ways to cope each day, to feel better, to heal naturally.

When I juice, I have an affect about 20 minutes later. It is like a wave of energy comes over me. I can get out of bed, I can do the dishes, I can function. I might still have pain, but I have energy to do the dishes while having that pain. It's not perfect. I still have days where I can't get out of bed. I want to tell the full truth here because I am no way saying this is a cure all. I am just saying out of everything I have done, juicing has helped me the most.

I still suck at diet. I eat gluten, which is a no no. I still eat sugar although not much. I know these two things are very important to cut out of your diet as well. Like I said, I am a work in progress. I have slowly learned new healthy recipes throughout this last year. I intend to keep learning and keep trying out new ones until one day I just naturally eat healthy food. I am surrounded by friends who eat healthy and learn from them too. But truth be told, I'm the first one to buy a box of nutty butty bars and eat them in one sitting. :) Yes a work in progress.

So whoever else is out there trying to change their diet and routines, drop me a line and tell me how you are doing too. I would love to hear from you! Let's keep supporting each other in the things we know we need to do to heal. <3



Golden Turmeric Tonic

I found this today on a Facebook group called, "Juicing Vegetables." Looks Good!

Friday, July 5, 2013

Anti-Inflammatory Foods

Photo Credit: Raw For Beauty



Click here for Dr Weil's Anti-Inflammatory Diet 

Click here for Dr Weil's Anti-Inflammatory Food Pyramid Chart


Anti-Inflammation Charts for Dummies

Anti-Inflammatory Diets





Anti-Inflammatory Diet Tips from Dr Weil



7 Anti-Inflammatory Foods to Include in your Diet