Nutmeg

Nutmeg is certainly one of my favorite spices in the fall and winter, so I just had to check out what health benefits are associated with Nutmeg. I think you will be surprised and pleased with the many health and medicinal benefits of Nutmeg.

Benefits

•Anti-inflammatory properties

•May help with respiratory problems

•Helps with digestion; Soothe stomach aches and stops diarrhea

•Can help lower blood pressure

•Relieves stress

•May help increase blood circulation

•May help dissolve kidney stones

•Can help treat arthritis

Intake

Spice- Nutmeg is commonly found in the spice isle already grounded and ready to be added to your favorite recipes. Nutmeg is a great way to add flavor and health benefits to any dish. Nutmeg has a strong flavor, so you don’t need to add a lot to your recipe.

Oil- Nutmeg oil can be used to rub or massage onto your skin to help relieve muscle or joint pain. Nutmeg oil has also been known to help detoxify your kidneys (dissolve kidney stones and treat kidney infections).

Precautions

Too much nutmeg can be toxic. You shouldn’t consume more than 3 tablespoons a day, which is actually a lot considering how strong this spice is.

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Tags: arthritis, Health, Healthy, kidney stones, lower blood pressure, nutmeg, respiratory, spice, stomach ache, stomach aches

This is a must with every workout!

Whether you are swimming, running, or riding a bike…you should make sure that you do a proper warm up and cool down with your exercise routine. Unfortunately, a lot of people try to skip this essential workout “must”, without ever realizing that they are missing a very important piece to the puzzle.

I’ll give you some reasons why a proper warm up and cool down are important.

Warm up

Warm ups should be easy and short. Having a proper warm up helps provide blood flow to your heart and muscles. With the increased blood flow, the lactic acid in the muscles is minimized, which increases the overall performance of the workout. Synovial fluid is released into the joints which allows increased elasticity in the muscles and increased flexibility for the tendons and ligaments. A good warm up also helps activate the nervous system before your workout.

To prevent injury during your workout, be sure to properly stretch after your warm up. Do not stretch before your warm up, since this can cause injury.

Cool down

After your workout, it is very important to allow your heart rate to return back to a normal rate. You should do this by decreasing your pace, slowly by slowly until your heart rate has decreased. You should focus on breathing in slowly as you continue to decrease the intensity of your workout. This should take about 5 minutes, longer if you had a more intense workout.

Stretching after your cool down is important to prevent injury, help relax your muscles, and quite honestly – just feels great to stretch your muscles after you have had a good workout.

Sum it all up…

Here’s the bottom line when it comes to a warm up and cool down: Both help to prevent injury, and help maximize your exercise experience. What good is getting injured when you are trying to lose or maintain weight? It’s important to stay healthy, which includes staying injury-free.

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Tags: cool down, exercise, Fitness, flexibility, Healthy, injury, Stretching, Synovial fluid, warm up, Weight Loss

Banana Nut Bread

Do you have a bunch of old bananas in your kitchen? Why not try making Banana Nut Bread or Banana Nut Pancakes? This simple recipe is extremely delicious, and when you taste the bread (or pancakes) you’d be surprised to find out that you’re eating something that is Gluten-Free, Lactose-Free, and has no processed sugars or additives.

Healthy food can taste great, and this recipe proves it. 

Ingredients:

2 1/2 cups Brown Rice Flour

1/2 teaspoon Baking Soda

1/4 teaspoon Sea Salt

1 1/2 teaspoon Baking Powder

1/2 teaspoon Cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon ground Nutmeg

1/2 cup chopped Pecans

2 Eggs, beaten

6 ripe Bananas, mashed

1/3 cup Raw Honey

1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract

1/2 cup melted Coconut Oil

Instructions:

Step 1) Preheat oven to 350 degrees and spray bread pan with coconut oil spray.

Step 2) Mix rice flour, baking soda, sea salt, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg and chopped pecans together.

Step 3) In separate bowl, mix the eggs, mashed bananas, honey, vanilla, and melted coconut oil cream.

Step 4) Add banana mixture to dry mix.

Step 5) Pour batter into your bread pan.

Step 6) Bake for 50 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean.

Notes:

Depending on the size of your bread pan, you may have enough batter for two bread loaves or one loaf with extra batter to make some muffins or banana nut bread pancakes!

For banana nut pancakes, just pour some batter on a pan, and slowly cook the batter on a low heat until thoroughly cooked. Serve with maple syrup.

Enjoy!

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Tags: baking soda, banana, banana bread, bread, cinnamon, coconut oil cream, gluten free, healthy recipe, honey, no sugar, nutmeg, pecan, Raw Honey, rice flour, sea salt, sugar free, Vanilla

Skinny Tip #4

Skinny Tip #4

Want a dessert? Try fresh Organic strawberries! Put Organic whipped cream on top if you are feeling naughty ; )

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Tags: Dessert, Healthy, Organic, organic strawberries, organic whipped cream, skinny tip, stawberry

Solutions for Postpartum Depression

What is Postpartum Depression?

Postpartum Depression is much more than feeling a little sad or tired.

Postpartum Depression can effect woman usually for the first several months after giving birth, and can even last up to a year. Some of the symptoms include sadness, anxiety, irritability, fatigue,  changes in eating and/or sleeping patterns, and uncontrollable crying.

Of course, talking about the symptoms is much easier said than actually going through it yourself. Many woman who have gone through Postpartum Depression have the guilt of feeling like they just aren’t happy being a mom. For many woman, that’s only the beginning.

Causes of Postpartum Depression

Many Doctors believe that Postpartum Depression is caused from a lack of vitamins and minerals in your diet, hormonal changes, lack of sleep, and sometimes a combination of all three.

Solutions for Postpartum Depression

•Sleep, Sleep, and more Sleep. Anyone who is facing Postpartum Depression is likely sleep deprived and desperately needs some shut-eye. Many new moms probably wonder how this is even possible. This is the time to ask for help (or maybe before you reach this point). Ask your spouse, parent, or a trusted friend to watch your baby for a couple of hours so you can get some much needed sleep.

•Nutrients is vital. Your brain needs docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), which is an Omega 3 fatty acid. When woman are in their last trimester, many of her DHA is used up for her baby’s brain and nervous system development. Having low DHA levels have been linked to depression, suicide, and violence. It is important to have appropriate amounts of DHA while woman are pregnant and even afterwards (since breast milk naturally has DHA). Be sure to eat foods rich in Omega 3′s such as fish, eggs (yolk), flaxseed oil – just to name a few.

It’s would also be a good idea to keep taking Prenatal Vitamins after giving birth. The folic acid also has an important role in brain function and has been shown to help reduce the chances of getting Postpartum Depression.

Continue to eat healthy and drink lots of water! You should stay away from sugary, fried, and processed foods.

•Exercise. Once your Doctor clears you for exercise, its time to exercise! I know that you probably don’t feel like exercising, and that’s exactly why you need to start exercising again. It’s not always about losing the weight – it’s more about doing something healthy for your body and feeling good afterwards. Exercise gives you endorphins, which is a natural way to feel happy!

•Talk with someone. Call someone you trust and talk about it. I don’t believe in dwelling on the negative in life, but I do feel that sometimes it’s good to just get it off your chest and hear that you aren’t the only one who has been through this! Once you have talked it through, you and your friend might want to go watch a funny movie and get ready to laugh again.

Now it’s time to go and enjoy your beautiful baby!

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Tags: anxiety, crying, depressed, Depression, DHA, eggs, exercise, fatigue, fish, flaxseed oil, Folic acid, irritability, Nutrition, Omega 3, omega 3 fatty acids, Postpartum depression, prenatal vitamins, rest, sad, sleep, water