Small changes make a big difference

I have been on this healthier lifestyle for a while now. I know in the beginning it seems overwhelming and I want to encourage you to start somewhere. Visit www.naturalteacher.com to see the many areas that you can make small changes in that can make a BIG difference in your health and in the health of your children.

Here are some goals that I met to date. I did not do these all at once. It was more of a gradual process. I also listed areas that I would still like to make changes in. Remember baby steps!!

1. Switched to organic dairy products- mainly milk and butter

2. Started buying free range eggs (now getting Amish eggs, they are awesome)

3. Took out all coloring dyes from my children’s diets (they even sell candy now without the harmful colorings)

4. Started looking for ways to make baked goods from scratch instead of buying them (example: muffins) – for one they are more expensive and second, they are usually full of chemicals, artificial flavorings, and other harmful ingredients.

5. Started using only natural skin care products for my family- lotions, soaps, e.t.c. This was an easy switch as there is an abundance to choose from.

6. Started juicing to get extra nutrition in

7. Got air purifiers in the home to filter out harmful impurities in the air

8. Bought organic cotton sheets for the kids

9. Purchased a reverse osmosis system for out home to make sure we have pure, fresh clean water (never drink tap water)

10. Got rid of aluminum containing deodorant (JASON tea tree is what I need use now)

11. Started buying natural and safe cleaners and making my own (so much cheaper)

12. Started avoiding MSG (still working on this as it is tricky because they hide it under so many names)

13. Switched to stainless steel (Sigg) water bottles instead of plastic

14. Got rid of Teflon cookware and purchased stainless steel instead

15. Started using natural remedies for general health and also when sickness would arise (I did a lot of research on this)

16. Started storing food in glass instead of plastic

Goals for this year

1. Become more diligent on buying food that is non-gmo (genetically modified). Don’t know what that means? Visit here www.thefutureoffood.com

2. Get free range/organic chicken from a local farmer

3. Cloth diapers for next baby (no, I am not pregnant,lol)

4. Recycle

5. Learn how to garden and plant vegetables (in the process now)

6. Learn more about the importance of soaking grains and start doing it

7. Experiment with different grains in baking

8. Learn how to can and preserve food

9. Get a nutrimill and start grinding my own flour

10. Experiment more with different sweeteners such as rapunzel and agave nectar

I’d love to hear about changes you started to make! E-mail me:
heather@naturalteacher.com

Mark your calandars!

I am so excited that a movie called “Food,Inc.” is coming out on June 12th!

From website:
How much do we really know about the food we buy at our local supermarkets and serve to our families? Food, Inc. lifts the veil on our nation’s food industry, exposing the highly mechanized underbelly that’s been hidden from the American consumer.

Visit website here and watch the three minute trailer! Americans are going to get a wake up call… the truth is going to be revealed!!

Kentucky Fried Chicken

Since there is so much hype about the current KFC free meal offer, I did a little digging and came across this website exploiting the conditions that these chickens are in.
Warning: it’s hard to watch but people must wake up to this cruelty going around. What you will witness is an environment that is pretty typical in a “factory farm”.

While I don’t eat KFC, I do ask that you consider to eat meat that is hormone and toxin free.
Please watch the video here:

Swine Flu

I’m sure you are hearing lots of swine flu news… just keep things in perspective. While it does appear to be spreading, the numbers are still very low. I was e-mailed about a webinar from a doctor’s perspective who is going to discuss natural ways we can protect ourselves and our families.

I hope to learn more and I hope you can make the webinar. Here are the topics to be discussed from Dr. Eisenstein and Dr. Tenpenny:

1. Mexico Swine Flu Epidemic Worries World
(Dr. Tenpenny just returned from Mexico…she will share first hand information.)
2. The CDC Response
3. The Swine Flu Vaccine Fiasco of 1976
4. Lower your probability of Flu without vaccines
5. Treat infections without antibiotics
6. Low Vitamin D Levels Linked to Viral Infections
7. Probiotics for Prevention
8. Chicken Soup to the Rescue

Click here to register

10 steps to a greener life

In celebration of Earth Day, I would like to share 10 steps that you can take to live a greener life. Remember: Baby Steps!!

1.Tote your own grocery bag
You can bring your own cloth bags instead. Many grocery stores have them available for a buck each. Think of all the plastic bags you can save from going into the landfills!
www.reusablebags.com

2. Buy water efficient shower heads.
With low flow models, a family of four can cut water usage by as much as 280 gallons a month and not even notice the difference. (www.kohler.com)

3.Add plants to your home
Many plants help remove indoor air pollutants like formaldehyde and benzene. Plants that remove toxins are:

Chinese Evergreens
Chrysanthemum
Dragon tree
English Ivy
Gerbera Daisy
Peace Lily
Bamboo palm
Corn stalk plant
Ficus trees
Snake plant
Spider plants

4. Recycle Electronics
Instead of throwing away electronic and leaching dangerous chemical in our environment, you can now recycle them through many programs
Check out: http://www.epa.gov/epawaste/conserve/materials/ecycling/donate.htm

5.Choose Natural Fibers
Switch to organic cotton and towels to avoid exposure to pesticides. Swap out the vinyl shower curtains for cotton ones. A 2008 study showed that vinyl curtains emit volatile organic compounds, lead, phthalates, and other toxic materials.

6. Filter your drinking water
Use a filter to minimize the amount of chemicals in your tap water. The preferred method is the reverse osmosis system, which cleans out pesticides, chlorine, and other toxins.

7.Store Food in Glass Containers
Some plastic containers contain bisphenol A (BPA) which is a chemical linked with behavioral and neurological problems. Pyrex is a popular brand.

8. Choose paints that are water based

Many paints give off dangerous volatile organic compounds (VOC) that are harmful to breathe. Sherwin Williams and Olympic have developed lines of no VOC paints. Learn more:
http://www.sherwin-williams.com/pro/green/

9.Clean without chemicals
Avoid dangerous chemicals by making your own cleaners. Stock up on vinegar and baking soda! Refer to my cleaning article for homemade cleaner recipes.

10.Buy a bagless vacuum
Make sure you get a vacuum with a HEPA feature for extra protection against common allergens.

Have a great day everyone!

Part 2- what’s keeping some fat?

This is a continuation post of the reasons why people have trouble losing weight:

Factor #4
Excess Insulin/Excess Inflammation
Some carbs quickly convert to glucose, causing an increase in insulin and triggering a sequence of events such as:

•Insulin levels remain high
•Insulin struggles to convert glucose for storage and your weight increases
•Cells no longer respond to insulin and refuse to store all the fat
•Glucose that can’t be converted to fat remains circulating in your bloodstream, wreaking havoc in your heart, kidneys, and blood vessels.

To prevent excess insulin, avoid high glycemic foods, which break down quickly in the bloodstream. These foods include white bread, bagels, and white potatoes.

Instead opt for low-glycemic foods which include apples, cherries, lentils, chickpeas, and yogurt. Those foods will also keep you satisfied longer!
They also burn more body fat and less muscle tissue.

Factor Number 5:
Stress and cortisol

Did you know that stress makes you gain weight??

Here is what happens when our body goes under stress:
•The adrenal glands send out high levels of coritisol, which release glucose and fatty acids so muscles have energy.
•After the stress has passed, cortisol levels can remain high, stimulating your appetite to replenish the fuel your body has burned.
•A high consumption of sugary foods prompts more cortisol production, causing your body to store more fat than needed.

Avoid cortisol boosters such as sugar, alcohol, and caffeine.
Eat protein at every meal to enhance fat burning.
Don’t forget to take your omegas! Studies show that they also blunt the production of cortisol.

Start making some of these small changes and see the pounds start to disappear!

Toxins can make or keep you fat!

Have you ever thought you were doing everything you could to lose weight but still could not seem to lose those last 5-10 pounds? Did you know that the reason could be from exposure to toxins? Sounds crazy but read some of these contributing factors that could be the reason why people can’t seem to lose weight:

Factor #1 Environmental Toxins

Scientists are now indicating that pesticides, fungicides, food and cosmetic preservatives are linked to obesity. In addition, bisohenol A, an ingredient in plastics are linked to obesity and insulin resistance.
There are ways to increase your toxin load:
-Limit your consumption of animal fats (oil soluble toxins accumulate in fatty tissue)
-Choose organic meats and poultry whenever possible.
- Start buying organic fruits and vegetables. I would recommend getting to know the dirty dozen list here:

Factor #2 Choose the right Fats

It’s a misconception that fat makes you fat! You need to choose the right kind of fat. Everyone should be consuming essential fatty acids (EFA’s/fish oil) and you will find that you will lose weight and enjoy better health.
I have read that over 80 percent of Americans are deficient in EFAS. Don’t be one of them! This is an easy change to make.
EFA’s carry fat soluble vitamins through the blood stream, activate the flow of bile, slow absorption of carbs, and balance blood sugar.
Fish oil has been proven to reduce the number of fat cells and improve insulin resistance.
Nordic Naturals has my favorite brand of fish oil. Click here to learn more.

Environmental Factor #3 Avoid “diet products”

Diet coke or anything with no calories or sugar is not going to help you lose weight.
Synthetic chemicals like aspartame affect your hormone levels, slow down your metabolism (the opposite of what we want), and increase your appetite.
Not only is that but aspartame considered an excitotoxin, which means it stimulates brain cells to death! I think we all agree we need every brain cell we can get!
Aspartame also upsets hormone balances in the body, leaving you more susceptible to developing cancer (the FDA could not even approve it for YEARS because it kept creating tumors in animals!)
I tell people you are better off with a tiny bit of real sugar or try to start experimenting with alternative sweeteners that won’t ruin your health such as honey, stevia, or agave nectar.

This post is getting really long so next time, I will finish up with part 2!

To your health!
Heather

Great website

A wonderful website to check out is www.naturalnews.com

There are lots of great articles and podcasts to download e.t.c
I am loading many interviews/programs to my MP3 player. It sure makes the mundane tasks in life (dishes, laundry) more enjoyable!

Eat right to feel good!

Did you know it’s not normal to be in a lousy mood most of the time? I have had those days that the dark cloud deems to loom and I know one aspect that I can fight the blues is with nutrition!

Our bad moods can be caused from many factors but I want to focus on the nutritional side. I found a study that researches found that 80 percent of people with food disorders knew that the foods they ate affected how they felt!

!

Feed your brain!

Nutrients provide the biological building blocks for brain chemicals, called neurotransmitters, which affect how you think and feel. When you don’t eat enough high quality neuronutrients, your body literally can’t make adequate amounts of mood enhancing neurotransmitters.. hence the bad mood!

Here are some tips to develop mood enhancing eating habits:

1. Eat a little protein at each meal. It also provides molecules that your body NEEDS to make neurotransmitters. Choose: fish, chicken, turkey, eggs, cheese, and yogurt.

2. Eat high fiber, no starchy fruits and vehicles. Fiber helps stabilize blood sugar, which will protect you from severe mood swings. Choose dark lettuces, tomatoes, cucumbers, bell peppers berries, apples, e.t.c

3. Cook with olive oil or macadamia nut oil. Both are rich is oleic acid, which is anti-inflammatory. Stress triggers anti-inflammatory responses (which create havoc in the body) and these oils will protect you. Choose extra virgin oil for the greatest nutritional value.

4. Limit sugars and grain based carbs: Eating food that contains sugars (such as sucrose and high fructose corn syrup) destabilizes blood sugar levels, increases the risk of diabetes, and contributes to mood and behavior problems.

Hopefully, starting with those simple steps will help with mood stability. I also recommend getting a copy of the book called “The Mood Cure”.
As stated in a previous post, great supplements to take for mood enhancers are:
B vitamins
Omega 3 Fish Oils
5THP
Gaba
L theanine

Not all at once of course! Get a copy of “The Mood Cure” to determine which could be the right match for you!

Heather
www.naturalteacher.com

What’s in your bottled water??

I am not a fan of bottled water at all. They are a waste of money, clog up landfills, and now we are learning that the water is downright harmful. You’ve seen the pictures of the sparkling water on the bottles and think surely you are drinking pure, fresh water..right??

In many cases…wrong!!
The Environmental Working Group (EWG) released a report that found 38 different contaminants in 19 brands of drinking water including bacteria, acetaminophen, fertilizer, plastic making chemicals, and the radioactive strontium. Think of that before you plunk money to buy one! I guarantee you will put it back on the shelf!

While public water supplies are regulated by government, the bottled water industry is not. The International Bottled Water association does not require bottles to reveal what’s in their water, where it comes from, or how and if it’s purified. We are guinea pigs!!

Jane Houlihan, Vice President for research at EWG, stated that many popular brands match the levels found in some of the nation’s most polluted city water systems. Consumers can’t trust what’s in the bottle anymore.

My recommendation?? Get a filtration system in your home (I prefer reverse osmosis). This will remove several drugs, chemicals, and other heavy metals from your water. If you are going out, fill up a stainless steel bottle (we love Sigg) and you are good to go!

To view the whole report by the EWG, visit here

Note: if you are not familiar with EWG, bookmark this site and start reading! It’s a wealth of information

Heather
www.naturalteacher.com