The one thing that I am known for is taking something that might be negative and turning it into a positive so what if we did that with some of our favorite treats.  I love chia seeds and they are packed with nutrition and you could easily add them to many recipes without effecting the taste but you would be adding fiber and those inflammatory fighting omega 3’s which we don’t get enough of.  Stay with the real thing when it comes to butter or margarine I would try to go with the real butter and grass fed makes it even better.  When it comes to sugars why not switch out your traditional brown sugar for coconut (palm) sugar which  you can find almost anywhere these days.  It will not decrease your calories but the coconut sugar has a glycemic index of 35 versus brown sugar which has a glycemic index of 100 which means it won’t cause those big spikes in blood sugar levels which means we will all feel a whole lot better.  I also like to use the sweet leaf brand baking stevia to decrease sugar and calories.  Almond flour is easy to work with and can be used in most recipes to replace your white flours in most recipes without any adverse effects.  I think it gives things a richer flavor when put in your baked products.  It is important that the food we eat have as much nutrition as it possibly can in order for it to not have a negative impact on our health.  Try some of the simple changes in order to make those sweet treats not quite as harmful this holiday season.

I have been away from my blog for a while because my life has gone through many changes and I have not taken the time to write.  I feel at this point it is time to get back to writing my blog not only for myself but for people that might stumble across this site that might find some beneficial information.  I have spent the last 3 months working on learning how to be healthy both mentally and physically.  I also had an amazing opportunity to work on my spiritual growth through a pilgrimage to Israel.  I believe that  in order to get back to health we must find balance and that comes from connecting with our creator.  God has given us everything that we need to be healthy we just have to get back to the basics and learn to eat real food again.  Learn how to eat nutrient dense foods that will allow you heal  from the inside out.  In the extra time I have had I have been working on plenty of new recipes that I plan on sharing with my readers so that I can give you ideas on how to increase the nutrients that you are taking in on a daily basis.  I am embracing the changes in my life in order to learn not only how to help myself but also the people that are taking the time to read my blog.  I am glad to be back. God give me the ability to accept the things I can not change, the strength to change the things that I can and the wisdom to know the difference.

I am going to share with you a new recipe that I tried this morning that makes a great way to start your day with whole grains and loaded with Omega 3 fatty acids that we must take into our bodies through our diet. You  can change it up with different fruits it you like.

 

Baked Oatmeal Casserole

2 cups rolled oats ( I used have rolled oats and have steel cut oats)

1/3 cup Coconut sugar

1 tsp baking powder

1 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp salt

1 cup walnut pieces

1 cup berries (your choice) 1/2cup blueberries ½ cup sweet cherries

1/8 cup ground flaxseeds

1/8 cup chia seeds

2 cups Coconut Almond milk unsweetened

1 large egg

3 tbsp coconut oil melted

1 tsp vanilla extract

1/8 cup maple syrup

1 ripe banana, peeled, 1/2 -inch slices

½ cup coconut unsweetened organic

 

INSTRUCTIONS

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Generously spray a 2-qt pan with cooking spray.

In a large bowl, mix together oats, sugar, baking powder, cinnamon, salt, chia seeds, flaxseeds, half of the walnuts, and half the berries.

In another large bowl, mix together milk, egg, coconut oil, syrup, and vanilla extract.

Add the oat mixture to the baking dish. Add the remaining walnuts, coconut, and berries. Add the banana slices in a single layer on top.

Pour the milk mixture over the whole thing and shake the pan a bit to make sure all the oats get soaked. Bake it for 30-40 minutes or until the top is a golden brown and the milk has set.

How many times have you said the phrase there is no way?  What about the saying if there is a will there is a way but maybe we should clarify that statement and say when it is God’s will there is a way.  Nothing is impossible with God.  I would like to share with you my story of a time when I thought there was no way.  I was working to finish my Doctorate in Natural Health when I was notified that my school was closing and I had 6  months to finish  my program or  I would need to find a program to transfer to.  I had 9 classes to complete and I was working full time so I could not see how I could possibly do this, but I forgot that even if I could  not do it. If this was truly God’s will He would help me complete it through the Holy Spirit.  I surrender this task to God and promised to do my part that is how I found peace in this journey.  I started completing a class a week.  I was writing papers and taking test like I have never done before and continuing to work full time.  I have always been a good student but never a straight A student.  I not only completed all of my classes but I got straight A’s.  This is a Holy Spirit experience like I have never had but would be willing to experience again.  I pray that God’s will be done in my life and sometimes we have to get our attitudes out of the way so that He can do the driving.

Happy Health Hearts

 

One in 2 people will experience in their lifetime heart and blood vessel disease. This includes heart attacks, strokes and peripheral artery disease.

It is the number one killer of women

What can you do to prevent it or control it if you already have it?

Risk Factor associated with the disease:

Sex (men usually start earlier than women)

Family history

Age

Race

Modifiable risk factors

Smoking

Cholesterol

Weight

Hypertension

Diabetes

Obesity (especially if you carry the weight in your belly)

Nutrition and exercise can impact most of the modifiable risk factors

Signs and symptoms of a heart attack

Chest discomfort radiating up from the abdomen to the jaw or maybe down one or both arms associated with nausea, sweating, shortness of breath and weakness.  If you or anyone you know has these symptoms and they last longer than 15 minutes please call 911.

Congestive Heart Failure is another disease of the heart that can be life threatening.  This can start slowly with increase swelling in the legs and weight gain over a period of time or it can come on very suddenly and the fluid can go into the lungs because the heart is weakened and not pumping correctly.  Sudden onset of shortness of breath at rest is another 911 call.  Keep the person calm and they usually breathe better if they can be at least partially upright.

Making changes that last

Pick 5 things that you are willing to change that you think will improve your health.

1)________________________________________________________

2)________________________________________________________

3)________________________________________________________

4)________________________________________________________

5)________________________________________________________

Select the one that you think will be easiest for you to do and make that change for 30 days.  Then work on the next one until you have made the 5 changes.  By the time you get to the last one you will know and have the confidence that you can be successful at making changes.

We  hear the term detoxification a lot these days but what does that really mean?  Our bodies  are constantly filter and clearing toxins and waste from our bodies so that they do not cause problems.  The normal ways the body has to get rid of toxins is to sweat, urination, defecation and in acute case we will puke them out.  Our bodies know when something is not good for us and they try as much as possible to clear these substance from within so that they can not cause us problems.  In todays world we are bombarded with toxic substances everyday from the air we breath, the food we eat, the water we drink and the things that we put into our minds.  Today we will discuss the physical toxins and how to deal with them and later we will tackle the mental toxins and how they affect our health.  The modifications of foods, the pesticides and chemicals used to produce our foods and the hormones and additives given to our animals all must be filtered out of our bodies or they can become toxic to us.  My philosophy on choices always make the best choice of the choices that you are given.  You may not always be able to raise your own food or buy organic but you can choose to buy fruits and vegetables over processed chemicals when you go to the grocery store.  When you go to a restaurant you may not be able to get bottled water but tap water or unsweetened iced tea would be a better choice than a soft drink.  When we want to aid our body in detoxify we must first decrease the amount of toxins we are putting into our bodies so lets work on the diet.  Make a commitment for 7-10 days to eat only real food.  Which would include fruits, vegetables, nuts, legumes and whole grains but no wheat, rye or barley preferably make your grains come from brow rice or quinoa.  Try to eliminate meat protein and obtain your protein from nuts and beans.  No dairy because many people have hidden sensitivities to these products and a lot of them are loaded with hormones to increase production of milk from the cattle.  Make sure that your  are drinking plenty of clean water that will aid the body in getting rid of toxic build up from years of eating processed foods. I also  like to give a warning when you detox you will probably feel really bad day 2-3 because your body has to dump the toxins back into your system in order to eliminate them for your system.  When you get to the end of your 10 days then you can slowly start to add things back in every 3 days.  You  might start with adding back in dairy and  see if any symptoms arise, then add back in the gluten grains and then meat products.  As you add things back into your diet pay close attention to return of symptoms such as aches and pains and sinus congestion.  This allow you to find out what foods you may be sensitive to and eliminate them from you diet.  I did this many years ago and found that gluten was a trigger for me and have completely eliminated it from my diet.  I also know that eating large quantities of meat can be a problem for me but I just limit the amount of animal protein in my diet.  I would encourage you to keep a journal during your detox so that you can track how you feel and what foods that your are eating.  This a great way to really know what works for you and your body.

Inflammation is being linked to most chronic disease states such as diabetes, heart disease, arthritis and even depression.  What on earth is fueling all of this inflammation in our bodies?  What about all of the wrong foods in our daily diets such as soft drinks, white flour, white sugar, and most of the common vegetable oils and trans fats.  What on earth can we do to combat this disease producing inflammation?   Why not try real food diets that includes lots of fresh fruits and vegetables especially green leafy vegetables and lots of pure clean water.  Good fats should also be included and can actually decrease inflammation such as using coconut oil and eating salmon and fish that are high in omega 3 fatty acids.  The Standard American Diet is  SAD and we need to reevaluate what we are eating and how it is impacting our health.  I know that none of us have perfect diets but lets aim for an 80-20 ratio making 80% of our diet things that are actually nutrient dense and the other 20% can be special treats.  Let food be our medicine and medicine be our food.  If we have this kind of attitude that food is meant to improve our health we will do our research and find the foods that will add to our health instead of subtracting.  This is how we will conquer the great beast inflammation and improve our quality of life.

This is a perfect time of year to reevaluate your own personal priorities.  How do you know what you have made a priority?  What is it that you spend the most time thinking about and doing?  Hopefully your family and your job are at the top of your list and hopefully they are in that order.  What about God where does He fit into your day.  God says in His commandments to us that we are to put no other gods be for Him.  What are you turning into your gods?  Anything that we turn to for comfort or when we are stressed instead of turning to the one that can truly give us comfort and peace can be our substitute gods.  Why are we so foolish to not use what is readily available for us and we look for a substitute when the genuine article is there for the asking.  Maybe we should start our day with God and develop a habit of finding his guidance at the beginning of our day so that when we get stressed we are in the habit of turning to him rather than some other source of comfort.  In God’s word He ask for the first 10% for a tithe and often we think of only money but what if we started tithing of our and spent the first 10% with him.  I know that might be difficult but maybe on your way to work you could listen to a Christian radio station instead of the secular stations.  I promise you that you will find a positive message on those stations so that you can start you day on a much brighter note than before.   I listen to Life Today and Joyce Meyer on television while I am getting ready for work and I listen to Christian music while I am exercising in the morning and turn my morning into a time of worship for God.  I believe that if I spend that time in the morning with Him that He will bless my day and watch over me as I try to do His will for my life.  Let me issue you a challenge to spend more time developing a personal relationship with God.  That is why we were created and you will find a whole new peace that the world or anything of the world will never be able to give you.

We all say on a daily basis that we are stressed out.  Even children at a young age will use this statement which means they must hear it a lot.  Chronic unresolved stress can contribute to death and disease.  Our Adrenal glands are where the major stress hormone is produced.  When we were in cave man day the fight or flight hormone is how we use to stay alive so that when approached by a predator we would be able to think fast and move faster than what was chasing us.  In this day and age everything sends us into fight or flight mode and most people live there life chronically producing these hormones that use to save our lives.  This constant increase in stress hormones cause people to gain weight in the mid section which increases our risk for developing heart disease and diabetes.  People often think that they can reduce their stress level and maybe if you make some major changes in your life you can.  Most of us just need to learn to react to our stress differently.  The one question that I teach people to ask, is this situation worth dying for and if the answer is no it is time to learn to let it go.  Stress itself will not cause a problem but our reaction to it can kill us.  We must learn to respond to stress and not react and then we can choose healthy responses that will protect us.

What a person can believe a person can achieve.  This means the first key to success is believing  that you can complete whatever goal that you set for yourself.  Remember if you think you can or you think you can’t you will be right.  Believe in your own ability and the ability of the  Holy Spirit to work through you to complete the job that the God has brought you to.  His plan is to bless you and to prosper you .  He will work even the most difficult situation for good in your life.  Sometimes the fires are what we need to humble us and makes us into what  we need to be.  Remember to speak positive words to yourself because we believe more of what we hear ourselves say than anyone else.  After all you are a child of God and should honor that position.  Change your thoughts and your world will change