3 Easy Tips on how to be Healthier today

You can be skinny in a number of different ways. To narrow it down, you can become Skinny by doing unhealthy things to your body (diet pills, drugs, anorexic, etc), or you can become Skinny by being Healthy (excercise, eating healthy, etc).  I try to focus my efforts on being healthy, which in the end is what is going to help my body resist deseases, illness, fatigue, depression- and be “Skinny”.

From my own observations, here are a couple of things you can get in the habit of, to help you become more healthy.

1) Replace your Soda with Water

The average 12 oz can of regular Soda has about 150 calories in it. Multiply that by how many cans of soda you drink aday, and it adds up. Even if you are drinking “diet” soda with 0 calories, that doesn’t make it healthy for you. Swap the Soda and other sugary drinks like juice for water. Your body will thank you.

2) Park your car far away from the store

Get some more walking in your day! Europeans are known for walking a lot, and Americans need to get in this habit as well. Walking is easy on the knees and body, so if you are physically able to, try to make excuses to walk more. Make sure with your added walking, you are wearing comfortable shoes that support your feet. This will not only be better for your body and it’s posture, it will help prevent aches and pains with your added walking and will help encourage more walking.  Every extra step counts!

3) Eat out less or not at all

Practically all fast food and restraunts are breeding ground to loads of saturated fats, oils, excessive sugars, and unhealthy sized portions. When you prepare food at home, you get to have more control on what you are putting into your body. Try to use Coconut oil rather than Vegetable Oil, use Honey or Agave to sweeten your foods rather than using  Sugar or Aspartame, and try to eat plenty of vegetables and smaller portions of meat on your plate.

You can start small. Start with these 3 simple steps that can help you in a big way.

Tags: agave, coconut oil, drink water, Healthy, honey, Lose Weight, Skinny, soda, vegetables, veggies, walking, Weight Loss

Health Benefits of Honey

Honey is very good for you, but you must know that not all Honey is created equal. Before I go into the many Health Benefits of Honey, I want to first share with you several different types of Honey, so you can be sure you are only getting the best out there.

Different Types of Honey

Honey

Just because you are buying “Honey”, doesn’t mean it is truly “All Natural”. Most honey on today’s market is processed, leaving out all of the good stuff, which is the reason why you would want honey in the first place!

Commercial Honey (the typical Honey bear you see on store shelves) is treated with an intensive heating process that destroys the nutrients of Honey. Don’t always trust your Local Honey either, since many of them will use very little local honey, and then they will mix it with other commercial or off-shore (cheaper) brands of Honey- and yes, they can call it “Local”.

Raw Honey

Raw honey isn’t processed, but is minimally filtered. In it’s pure and raw state still in tact, you will be able to enjoy the maximum amount of honey’s natural antioxidants, vitamins, minerals, enzymes, and vital phytonutrients, where all the nutrients are still preserved.

With Raw Honey, you won’t get that perfect golden glow look of Honey, but you will get the enzymes that help you digest honey, which is something your body needs.

Raw Creamed Honey

If you want to buy Raw Creamed Honey (my favorite), just be sure that is is un-filtered and you will receive the same health benefits of regular Raw Honey.

Certified Organic Raw Honey

For Honey to be Certified Organic, the beehives must be miles away from dense population, industry, traffic congestion, and farm fieldstreated with chemicals and/or landfills. Bees have a natural 4 mile flying radius, so finding the land that can meet the strict requirements  for Certified Organic Raw Honey can prove to be quite difficult. Yet,  the Honey from the wild vegetation can create some of the best tasting Honey on the market.

Nutritional Benefits

Raw Honey is a source of simple carbohydrates, proteins, amino acids, vitamins, and minerals. Depending on which flowers the honeybees went to, the Honey itself may include…

Vitamins: Niacin, Riboflavin and Pantothenic Acid

Minerals: Calcium, Copper, Iron, Magnesium, Manganese, Phosphorus, Potassium and Zinc

Raw Honey has a polyphenols, which act as an antioxidant.

Healing properties of Honey

Raw Honey is an oral antibacterial (polyphenols). Raw Honey has been used as a natural treatment for many things, including coughs, sore throats, and even healing infections and burns.

Children with diarrhea are usually given some kind of sugar solution to help rehydrate them, but others have found that if you use Raw Honey instead, the Honey kills the bacteria in the intenstines, and stops the diarrhea altogether.

There is a Raw Honey that is indigenous to New Zealand, and people have found that the Raw Honey taken daily (4 tablespoons) was able to reduce the symptoms of the stomach Ulcer. The Honey helps because it is able to kill the bacteria that causes the stomach ulcers in the first place.

Now that you see the Many Health and Healing Benefits of Honey, you now have plenty of reason to replace your Sugar with it in no time!

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Buckwheat Wildberry Waffles (Organic) by Nature’s Path

I wasn’t the biggest fan of pre-made waffles, until I came across Nature Path’s Organic Buckwheat Waffles! With other waffles,  they are cheap tasting (bland) and unhealthy. Mainly it is the unhealthy part that concerns me.

I first got the Buckwheat Wildberry Waffles by Nature’s Path for my husband, who prefers gluten-free products. I decided I would try it one morning, and it wasn’t so bad. It was actually pretty good- Good enough you can eat it plain, which is the true test if it tastes good!

What’s great about these waffles is that they not only taste good plain, but they are Gluten-Free, Wheat Free, Vegetarian, and has No Trans Fat. For those of you who understand and know the value of Organic, this is also a USDA Organic product.

As far as preparation goes, you can add some butter or jam to it. If you usually like to put syrup on your waffles, you might want to try this with some warmed up honey for added flavor. It tastes great, sweet,  and it is a lot healthier for you than regular syrup.

Why not give these waffles a try!?

Serving: 2 Waffles

Calories: 180

Where to Buy: Health Food Stores, Grocery Stores, or visit http://www.naturespath.com/products/wheat-free/buckwheat-wildberry-frozen-waffles

Tags: Breakfast, gluten free, honey, pre made, syrup, tastes good, vegetarian, waffles, wheat free

Coconut Macaroons by Jennie’s

Taste

This coconut is absolutely delicious, and possible “addicting” because it tastes that great! You would almost never guess that this little cookie is all natural and eactually good for you when consumed in moderation.

Health Benefits

The main ingredient (of course) is unsweetened Coconut. Coconuts is a Good Source of Medium-Chain Triglyceride (MCT), which is helpful for those who are immune-compromised. Let me explain, Coconuts have huge amounts of lauric acid which is a fatty acid that allows for your digestive tract to convert the lauric acid into a  powerful and helpful anti-microbial monoglyceride called monolaurin. Monolaurin is a natural way for your body to protect itself from colds, flus, without actually being an antibiotic (which destroys good bacteria). It is a safe and natural way to build your immune system- not to mention a delicious way to do it too!

Good to know

There are only three (yup, only 3!) ingredients in this Coconut Macaroon! Unsweetened Coconut, Egg Whites, and Honey. That means this cookie is not only anti-microbial, anti-bacterial, anti-viral, but also Gluten-Free, Sulfite-Free, Wheat-Free and has No Trans Fats.

Keep in mind that when eating these cookies, eat in moderation! Calories can still add up, even if what you are eating is good for you.

Serving Size: 2 cookies

Calories: 130

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Creamed Wheat Cereal

Ingredients:

2 Cups Water

1/2 Cup Whole Wheat Farina by Bob’s Red Mill

2 Tablespoons Creamed Honey

2 Teaspoons Cinnamon

Instructions:

1) Boil the water in a saucepan.

2)Slowly add the Whole Wheat Farina while stirring the water. Once all of the Whole Wheat Farina has been added to the pan, remove from heat and continue stirring.

3) Add Creamed Honey and Cinnamon.

4) Divide the hot cereal between two bowls and serve.

Notes:

Cereal will be hot, so let stand for a little bit to cool down so it won’t be so hot. The amount of Creamed Honey and Cinnamon are really “to taste”, so the measurements provided are more of a guide of how much you may want to add.

Tags: Breakfast, cinnamon, creamed cereal, Creamed Honey, easy recipe, honey, quick recipe, Recipe, wheat farina, whole wheat, whole wheat farina