Resolution

So one of my many weaknesses is that I have a hard time getting the motivation to work out. I am sure I am not alone in this. Thanks to Pinterest I have come across of few exercise plans that are quick and easy and that I can easily fit into my busy life of being a mom. One of my favorites that I came across that I tried this morning was Jillian Michael's 16 minute workout. It was fantastic and kicked my butt! Try it out and let me know what you think!

Banana Spelt Scones

Maybe it's because I am in the UK right now but I had a craving for some scones and had some ripe bananas so here is the latest recipe!

Banana Spelt Scones
2 1/4 cups Spelt flour
1/2 cup old fashioned oats
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tbsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
6 tbsp butter or earth balance

3 ripe bananas
2 tbsp coconut milk (or any milk)
1 tsp vanilla
1 tbsp honey

Preheat the oven to 425ºC
Grease a large cookie sheet.
Mix the dry ingredients in a large bowl then cut in the butter until it is crumbly
Mash the bananas with the milk, vanilla and honey
Add the banana mixture to the dry ingredients and stir until blended.
You may need to add more flour depending on how moist your mixture is, place in lightly floured surface and pat into a 3/4" thick circle. Cut into 12 wedges.
Bake for 14-16 mins

To Vaccinate or Not?

I decided before having my first baby that I was not going to Vaccinate my children. It was an EXTREMELY difficult decision that took many months to come to. There is a documentary that I just discovered called "The Greater Good" that is about vaccinations. I encourage everyone to watch and do their own research on the topic. It is important for every parent to know all the facts about vaccinations so that if they decide to vaccinate or not, they feel like they made an educated decision.
"The Greater Good looks behind the fear, hype and politics that polarize people into emotionally charged pro-vaccine or anti-vaccine camps with no room for middle ground. Exploring the cultural intersection where parenting meets modern medicine and individual rights collide with politics, this character driven documentary weaves together the stories of three families whose lives have been forever changed by vaccination. By reframing the vaccine debate and offering, for the first time, the opportunity to have a rational and scientific discussion on how to create a safer and more effective vaccine program in America today, The Greater Good challenges viewers to think again."
Here is the link! The Greater Good

The Importance of Vitamin D

It is no wonder that we see a deficiency in vitamin D amongst the population when everyone is lathering up in sunblock and staying indoors to avoid the sun. There are 30,000 genes in the body and vitamin D has been shown to influence over 2,000 of them. Which explains why a lack of this important vitamin influences so many diseases:

Cancer  Hypertension  Heart disease  Autism  Obesity  Rheumatoid arthritis  Diabetes 1 and 2  Multiple Sclerosis  Crohn"s disease  Flu  Colds  Tuberculosis  Septicemia  Aging  Psoriasis  Eczema  Insomnia  Hearing loss  Muscle pain  Cavities  Periodontal disease  Athletic performance  Macular degeneration  Myopia  Pre eclampsia  Seizures  Fertility  Asthma  Cystic fibrosis  Migraines  Depression  Alzheimer"s disease  Schizophrenia

Vitamin D and Cancer

Cancer, Heart Disease and Diabetes are among the top 3 killers of the United States so we need to make vitamin D more of a priority in our lives. 

Vitamin D has a protective effect against Cancer in many ways, here are a few:

• Increasing the self-destruction of mutated cells (which, if allowed to replicate, could lead to cancer) • Reducing the spread and reproduction of cancer cells • Reducing the growth of new blood vessels from pre-existing ones, which is a step in the transition of dormant tumors turning cancerous

Researchers have shown that increasing levels of D3 can prevent diseases that claim nearly 1 million people each year. Other studies have shown that you can decrease your risk of cancer by more than half, simply by optimizing your your level of vitamin D exposure.

Vitamin D levels in your blood fall to their lowest point during flu seasons. If you have low vitamin D, you will not be protected by your body’s own antibiotics (antimicrobial peptides), which are released by vitamin D. This means that a person with a low vitamin D level is more vulnerable to contracting colds, influenza, and other respiratory infections. Unfortunately, conventional medicine’s answer to preventing the flu is the flu shot. What they don’t tell you is that flu shots don’t work. Aside from not working, flu shots contain dangerous additives, like mercury-containing thimerosal, formaldehyde, aluminum, phenol and detergents. The idea that nearly every man, woman and child in the United States should voluntarily line up to be injected with this concoction, as the CDC strongly recommends, is illogical, pointless and dangerous.- Dr. Diane Spindler

A better and safer way to prevent the flu is increase your vitamin D intake. Some foods that are high in vitamin D are:
Collard Greens
Blackstrap Molasses
Kale
Tahini
Almonds
Broccoli 
Bok Choy


Children need 2.000 IU a day of vitamin D and Adults need 5,000-10,000 IU a day. Vitamin D3 can be taken in pill, capsule, liquid drops, or as a skin cream. Different people need different forms for optimum absorption. 

Strep Throat Remedy

One of my passions in healing through foods, so when I come across an amazing all natural remedy for a common ailment I get really excited! I learned of this remedy while I was taking my Herbology course through The School of Natural Healing. It is targeted towards strep or sore throats. 

The Formula:

- 1 Tbsp Pure Raw Honey

- 4 Minced Garlic Cloves

- 1/4 Tsp Cayenne Pepper

Just mix all together and take 1/2-1 tsp every hour. You will need to make about 4 batches over a 24 hour period. Do not wash down the mixture because you want it to coat your throat, the cayenne brings blood to the area and the garlic stimulates your immune system. If you follow the procedure you can get rid of your sore throat in 24 hours! That beats having to take antibiotics for 10 days.

Garlic is antibacterial, antiviral and anti-fungal so you are covered. Three cloves of garlic is actually equivalent to taking one dose of penicillin! You also want to use pure raw honey because the bees were not given sugar and antibiotics while producing the honey, and the honey will have maintained all its goodness because it wasn't heated above 70+ degrees celsius. 

Why shouldn't I just take antibiotics? Antibiotics definitely have a time and a place but they are over used. The problem with antibiotics is that they kill ALL bacteria, good or bad. You have good bacteria in you intestines called "flora" that is needed to fight bacterial infections, help digest, and keep the intestines healthy. When antibiotics are over used you can run into problems such as yeast infections and irritable bowel syndrome. 

Cold coming on?

It's that time of the year where the colds come on! I hate it when my kids are sick, it makes me a little crazy but I have a few tricks up my sleeve that help a ton. I learned a bit about essential oils about a year ago and they have saved my life a couple times so now I CAN NOT be without them. I also have some herbal remedies that I use as well. 
If I am feeling a little off then I take about 5000mg+ of Vitamin C through out the day as well as take  Grapefruit Seed Extract. GSE is absolutely amazing and is not just good for colds. Grapefruit seed extract or GSE has many medicinal properties that have been proven very effective in fighting various infections, viruses, and harmful germs.  You can use it to wash vegetables, fruits, meat, and poultry. You can also clean cutting boards, toothbrushes and all kinds of utensils with it as well. And the best part is it can be used by people of all ages and there are no side effects if used properly. 
I take my essential oils orally as well as put them on the bottom of my feet. I use the brands DoTerra as well as Young Living Oils. It is VERY important that you use THERAPEUTIC grade oils. My must haves are OnGuard* or Thieves* (depending on brand), Oregano*, Melaleuca*, Lemon*, Lavender* and Peppermint*. I put a couple of drops of OnGuard, Oregano and Melaleuca in a capsule and take with water and some food. I will also dilute the oils with olive oil and put on my feet before I go to bed.  
I do most of the above for my kids as well. I make sure they get lots of vitamin C and I put the oils on their feet (make sure you have socks ready to put on after, the oils may damage your carpet or furniture).
I also give my kids GSE, I buy the tablet form so they just chew them up with their other vitamins. Wasn't easy at first but they are used to it now.
There are SO many other remedies out there but I will just leave it here for now!

OnGuard or Thieves- The oils in these blends have been studied for their strong abilities to kill harmful bacteria, mold and viruses.

Oregano- Antibacterial, anti-fungal, anti-parasitic,antiviral and an immune stimulant

Melaleuca- Analgesic (painkiller), antibacterial, ant-ifungal, anti-infectious, anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, etc.

Lemon- Anti-cancer, antidepressant, antiseptic, anti-fungal, antioxidant, antiviral, etc.

Lavender- Analgesic, antidepressant, antif-ungal, antimicrobial, etc.

Peppermint- Analgesic, Antibacterial, antiviral, antiseptic, anti-carcinogenic, etc.

Food Matters

I received an email from my sister-in-law letting me know that the producers from the documentary "Food Matters" is allowing a free and full preview of their film for everyone until October 8th, so take advantage!

You can find the link to the video here

The following is from the Dr. Mercola website:

What You Will Learn from this Film

As summarized on the Food Matters' website, by watching this film you will get answers to the following questions, and straight facts on:

• How you can use food as medicine
• Who needs vitamins?
• Is organic really better?
• How safe is your food?
• Foods that fight anxiety and depression
• Natural therapies for cancer
• Which drugs might do more harm than good?
• The best ways to detox, lose weight and keep it off! 

LOVE this quote:

First they ignore you,
then they laugh at you,
then they fight you,
then you win.
Mohandas Gandhi