Posts Tagged ‘antioxidants’

 

Remember those chia pets that were all the rage in the 70s? How did that happen? I guess that’s what makes things a fad. Pet rocks, Mexican jumping beans, and the best- streaking. FADS from the 70s/early 80s were pretty weird. Well at least chia seeds actually serve a nutritional purpose.

 

Most people don’t realize how amazing these little seeds are.

 

Nutritional Content of Chia Seeds

 

*Iron.  3 times than spinach for strong healthy blood for improved energy

 

*Calcium. 5 times calcium of milk for strong bones and teeth.

 

*Potassium. 2 times potassium of bananas for building muscle.

 

*Protein. 2 times protein of any other seed or grain for muscle strength and energy.

 

*Antioxdants. 3 times antioxidant levels of blueberries for cancer prevention.

 

*Fiber. Twice as much as broccoli for lowering cholesterol, cardiovascular health, stabilizing blood sugar, and constipation.

 

*Omega 3s. Nearly 5 times the omega 3s found in salmon for brain health and balancing hormones.

 

*As an added bonus, chia seeds are considered in Chinese medicine to reduce anxiety, fear, and even panic attacks.

 

 

You can add chia seeds to your morning smoothie. But one of my favorite ways to eat them is my recipe recently featured on The Better Show.

 

Chia Seed Pudding

 

• 1/4 cup chia seeds
• 3/4 cup coconut milk (or rice or almond)
• 1/2 cup coconut water or apple juice
• 1/4 cup shredded unsweetened coconut
• 1 tsp pure vanilla extra
• 1/2 cup fresh raspberries, blueberries, and/or strawberries
• ¼ cup of thinly sliced almonds

 

Mix coconut, chia seeds, coconut milk, coconut water, vanilla in a bowl.

Place in the refrigerator for a minimum of 2 hours.

Top with fresh raspberries and almonds.

 

Dig in and enjoy!

 

Live natural. Live well.

 

Heather

Cancer prevention.  Maybe I should have titled the subject line “Illness Prevention.”  But the big C always gets people’s attention.  Especially when 1 in 3 women and 1 in 2 men are getting cancer now.  So why not change a few things to reduce your risk?

1 Eat more vegetables
Vegetables aren’t just delicious and filled with vitamins and nutrients; they also contain a lot of fiber, antioxidants, and beta-carotene.  All of these help reduce your risk. Eating vegetables makes your body more alkaline, which is also good for preventing any illness.
For more on why eating a more plant based diet is better for you and the environment, please read another great resource at GoVeg.

2 Go organic
Organic food not only tastes better, it doesn’t have all those pesticides, antibiotics, steroids and growth hormones that can make you very sick.  A lot of people say to me organic costs more.  One trick is to go to your local farmer’s market right before closing.  The vendors are practically giving their products away.  Plus, eating organic is much cheaper than getting sick, missing work, and having medical expenses.

3 Sweat more
Sweating releases toxins through the skin.  Fewer toxins in your body, the lower your risk of getting sick. Go for a hike, take a power yoga class, or sit in a sauna on a regular basis.

4 Do a liver cleanse on a regular basis
If you’ve been getting my newsletters for a while, you know I’m a fan of doing a SAFE cleanse at least once a year.  Along with sweating, a liver cleanse will flush out the bad stuff that’s stuck in your liver.

5 Taking care of your mental health
Stress can weaken your immune system.  Thus, making you more susceptible to getting sick.  So whether it’s meditating, therapy, a spiritual practice, exercise, or all of the above, please take care of you!

6 Avoid sugar, including sugar substitutes, and dairy
Sugar feeds cancer.  Eat some fruit instead. And dairy is mucous forming, since it’s mucous too.  Try milk alternatives, such as hemp, almond, or rice.  You can get really creative and make your own.

7 Deep breathing
Cancer cells won’t thrive in a highly oxygenated body.  So take out that yoga mat and breathe.

8  Don’t store or cook your food in plastic.
Highly heated plastics release dioxin (carcinogens) into your food and ultimately into the cells of the body.  In fact, avoid using plastic altogether.

See?  That wasn’t so hard, was it?  Knowing that you’ve taken the first steps to being disease free can be so liberating.

 

 

Live natural.  Live well.
Heather