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Health

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Our bodies are two-thirds water. It’s even higher for babies and young people! But even though more of us is water than isn’t, many of us decline to drink water in lieu of sugary sodas, coffee and alcohol. But water is necessary for normal bodily function. Without it, our organs don’t work as well, we can gain weight, and just generally not be healthy people. So what are the signs to look for?

1. Eye inflammation.

If you have dark circles around your eyes, redness, or any other kind of inflammation, it could be a sign that you’re dehydrated. Your eyes should be moist. If they aren’t, you risk damage over time. Drink some water.

2. Chronic fatigue.

The first thing I do in the morning before my morning cup of coffee or breakfast is drink a big, 20 ounce glass of water. It helps boost your energy levels, wake you up, and keep you healthy. Dehydration can cause you to feel fatigued, especially in the morning.

3. Headache and disorientation.

If you get dizzy easily or find yourself with frequent headaches, it’s a sign you may be dehydrated and need to drink some water.

4. Skin dryness.

People usually address dry skin with lotions, but the key may be to drink enough water. Water helps improve recovery from injuries, remove dead skin cells, and improve blood circulation to the skin. Drink more water if your skin is dry.

5. Constipation.

When you’re dehydrated, water doesn’t effectively reach your bowel to soften your poops. If you’re experiencing constipation, it may be time to drink more water.

So how much water do I need to drink?

The rule of thumb I follow is an ounce of water per pound of body fat, though some people strive for half that amount. Just remember that you shouldn’t drink 100 ounces of water in an hour. Drink it slowly over the course of your entire day for the best results.

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In a lot of ways, our headline doesn’t do justice to the pain that migraines bring. They don’t just slow you down, but they bring your day to a grinding halt. But did you know that herbal tea can be used as a headache remedy? You just need a few ingredients to do it, and you can even grow it at home! Let’s get into it. You will need:

  • 1 part skullcap
  • 1 part feverfew
  • 1 part willow bark
  • 1 part california poppy
  • 1 part peppermint leaf
  • 1/2 part kava kava root powder
  • 1/2 part lavender flowers
  • 1/4 part rosemary leaf

Instructions:

  1. Measure out the herbs and mix in a large bowl until well combined.
  2. Fill your single serving tea carafe with the mix and brew a cup! If you suffer frequent migraines, have a carafe ready. You can make a larger batch if you feel the need.
  3. Keep the remainder of the tea stored in an air tight container stored in a cool, dark place. It’ll keep for about 6 months.

We hope you feel better soon!

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I imagine if asked, you’d probably tell us that you don’t want to eat fruits and vegetables that have been sprayed by pesticides. Sound right? It makes sense; we don’t either. Thankfully, the Environmental Working Group keeps track of which fruits and vegetables have the most pesticide contamination, and inversely which have the least.

If you can swing it, organic produce is the way to go, and the bottom line is that people need to eat more fruits and vegetables, even if they are contaminated with pesticides. For the full picture, check out their 2014 Shopper’s Guide to Pesticides.

And now, the “Dirty Dozen Plus”:

  1. Apples
  2. Strawberries
  3. Grapes
  4. Celery
  5. Peaches
  6. Spinach
  7. Sweet bell peppers
  8. Nectarines (imported)
  9. Cucumbers
  10. Cherry tomatoes
  11. Snap peas (imported)
  12. Potatoes

The “Dirty Dozen Plus” includes:

  1. Hot peppers
  2. Kale/collard greens

And the fruits and veggies with the least pesticides (the “Clean Fifteen”) are:

  1. Avocados
  2. Sweet corn
  3. Pineapples
  4. Cabbage
  5. Sweet peas (frozen)
  6. Onions
  7. Asparagus
  8. Mangos
  9. Papayas
  10. Kiwi
  11. Eggplant
  12. Grapefruit
  13. Cantaloupe
  14. Cauliflower
  15. Sweet potatoes

Image credit: heather_on3, Flickr

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Last week, McDonald’s Japan apologized to a customer after they found bits of blue plastic in an order of their Chicken McNuggets. As a result, McDonald’s has pulled a million McNuggets from the factory. Another customer found a piece of vinyl in their McNuggets.

“We deeply apologize for the trouble we have caused our customers and we are taking quick measures to analyze the cause of the contamination,” said company spokeswoman Takashi Hasegasa.

This isn’t even the worst thing found in McDonald’s food. Just last August, a customer in Osaka complained after finding a piece of a human tooth in their french fries order. Yuck!

McDonald’s has been having some poultry issues though. Last July, McDonald’s had to shut down its poultry supplier in China after the company began mixing fresh chicken with expired chicken meat, making it a potentially deadly health hazard for consumers.

Stories like these have led to a 10% drop in McDonald’s sales just in the last year, according to CNN. McDonald’s is trying to smooth it over with discounts, giveaways, and new nuggets made of tofu. Interesting.

One thing is for sure, as stories like this surface, people begin to realize the value of good, local, organic food.

Image credit: Brandon Wang, Flickr

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Ginger is a delightful spice that comes with a pretty hefty pricetag at the store, but did you know that you can grow endless amounts of it at home for free? Or practically free at least. There are many foods you can regrow from scraps, and ginger is one of them.

If you’re planting ginger though, bear in mind that you’re in it for the long haul. If you live in a cold climate, ginger can take up to 10 months to mature after planting! Of course, your ginger needs to stay indoors in the winter months.

Ginger likes wide, sheltered pots, warm weather, humidity and moist soil. Ginger would grow fantastically well in a small greenhouse in a sunny window.

When growing ginger, you can use pieces of ginger root picked up at a grocery store, but I highly encourage you to pick up seeds or roots from a local garden center. You’re more likely to see success.

Here’s how it’s done:

Step 1. Soak your ginger roots overnight in warm water to get it ready for planting.

Step 2. Fill a pot with rich, well draining soil.

Step 3. Stick the ginger root into the soil with the eye bud sticking up out of the soil. Cover it with 1-2 inches of soil and water well.

Step 4. Place the pot in an area of the house that gets bright light but not direct sunlight and stays warm.

Step 5. Keep the soil moist but not soggy. You can achieve this with a daily misting from a spray bottle.

Step 6. After a few weeks, you’ll notice some shoots popping out of the soil. Continue the watering regimen and keep it warm.

Harvesting:

Like I mentioned before, ginger root takes a while to harvest. 8-10 months typically. One thing you can do is simply cut off a piece of the root now and again as you need it and it’ll continually regenerate. That or you can simply harvest the whole root after about 10 months.

Enjoy!

Image credit: andresmh, Flickr

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We’re always scouring the Internet trying to find ways to help consumers, and ourselves, make better product choices. We’re not the only ones. Recently we stumbled upon an article that claimed you could tell what ingredients were in a tube of toothpaste based on the bars at the bottoms of the tubes. We saw claims that black bars meant chemical, red and blue bars meant natural and chemical, and green meant all natural.

Sadly, it’s not that easy to decipher the contents of your toothpaste. The squares on the bottoms of the toothpaste have nothing to do with what they contain. These squares are called eyemarks or color marks and are printed to be read by light beam sensors. They identify where the packaging needs to be cut or folded. They don’t tell you what the contents are.

Some tubes have no markings. Most of the time, they’re not visible on the final product.

The only way to know the contents of the products you buy from the store is to read the labels. Read. The. Labels.

Want to make your own coconut oil toothpaste that works better than the commercial stuff? Check out our recipe.

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This is an extremely simple drink recipe that I’ve been using for a few years now when I think I need a detox. It leaves me feeling refreshed and recharged. It enables your body to more easily flush toxic stuff out of you the way it does naturally. It also helps your body digest food and boosts immune strength.

  • 1 cup of filtered water. Never use bottled water!
  • 4 organic green apples
  • 1 inch piece of organic ginger root
  • 1 whole organic lemon with peel still on.

Only use  natural, organic ingredients. Never use bottled water, it’s almost always worse than tap water. Blend the lemon, apples, and ginger in your blender. Add the water if you prefer a less viscous drink. Drink every morning as early as possible on an empty stomach. Allow to digest for 45 mintues before breakfast.

Enjoy!

Image credit: Barb Dunn

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Eating lots of sugary foods like cakes and candies and forgetting to brush your teeth isn’t always the cause of cavities. The causes of tooth decay tend to vary from person to person. Tooth decay can be caused by not having enough minerals in your diet, not enough fat-soluble vitamins in your body, like A, D, E and K, and nutrients not being readily bioavailable, meaning your body isn’t soaking in the nutrients correctly.

Fortunately there is a solution! Eat the right foods for a healthy body! Foods like:

  • Coconut oil
  • Grassfed meats only
  • Organic vegetables
  • Whole grains
  • Bone broth

You may also want to try supplements like fermented cod liver oil. Of course, we’re not telling you not to avoid sweets and take good care of your teeth! But there are some alternatives to simply brushing and flossing three times a day. The video below gives us a rundown on how to heal those nasty little cavities.

Photo credit: Amancay Maahs, Flickr

Video by Healthy Holistic Living

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When my parents were kids, they didn’t have all of the health information that we do today. They drank soda, smoked, cooked with lard, and thought it was all safe. It wouldn’t be for another few decades before we figured out how bad all of these habits were for us.

These days, people are more fixated on their health and that’s a good thing! We’re taking care to eat the foods that will empower each of our organs and tissues to work at its best. One of the biggest organs in our bodies are the intestines, large and small.

Did you know that in just 70 years, your intestines pass 100 tons of food and 40,000 liters of fluid. Talk about a hard working organ! Every once in a while, it’s good to do a cleanse and make sure that your colon is clean and maintains a healthy flora of bacteria. This is an easy, two-ingredient recipe, that will help give you a good cleansing.

You will need:

  • Linseed flour
  • Kefir

What you’ll want to do is consume this instead of breakfast each morning for three weeks. During the first week, mix 1 tablespoon of linseed flour with 100 ml of kefir. During week two, mix 2 tablespoons of linseed flour in 100 ml of kefir. During the third week, mix 3 tablespoons of linseed flour in with 150 ml of kefir. When you make this mixture, take care not to make enough for more than two or three days. The flour spoils relatively quickly when mixed with kefir.

After three weeks, your colon should be in a healthier spot, and so will you!

Image credit: Claudio Brisighello, Flickr

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Skin cancer is a common form of cancer in the US, with nearly 5 million people treated for it every year. Each year there are more new cases of skin cancer diagnosed than instances of breast, prostate, lung and colon cancers combined. Pretty incredible when you consider how little attention is actually paid to this type of cancer.

There are things you can do to avoid skin cancer, like wearing natural sun screen and making sure your body is flushed of heavy metals. One in five Americans will develop skin cancer at some point in their lives. Knowing the signs of skin cancer is what could mean the difference between life and death.

Look for:

  1. Moles that have irregular, asymmetric shapes. Normal moles are round and symmetric.
  2. Moles that have unequal, interrupted or uneven borders.
  3. Moles that contain multiple colors, like black, brown, gray, and blue. Normal moles are one color.
  4. Moles that are larger than a quarter inch in diameter.
  5. Moles that change in color, shape, and size throughout life.

skin-cancer-chart

Of course, if you have any suspicions at all, see a physician. Can’t hurt to have it checked out.

Source:

SkinCaner.org – Do You Know Your ABCDEs

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