Fri 27 Apr 2012

5 Tips for Eating Healthy While Traveling

Posted by Danielle under Food and Nutrition, Other Health
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I love vacations and traveling. I love exploring new places, visiting family and friends that live a distance away and simply changing scenery. Eating, however, is not always easy. My family and I have a fairly strict diet. Grabbing a quick bite at the local fast food place or even  the local restaurant is not a possibility. Without a little bit of planning and forethought, we would be forced to stay home. Thankfully though, there is plenty we can do so we can go on vacation, maintain our diet, and have a great time. Here are some of the things that work for us: (more…)

 

Sat 17 Mar 2012

How to sprout grains, seeds, and nuts

Posted by Danielle under Food and Nutrition
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Sprouts are very easy to make! They are great to add to salads, smoothies or just about any dish. They add life and vitality to your meal and the seeds are usually very inexpensive. I urge you to give it a try! And yes, if you have kids, they love watching the sprouts grow… and of course their interest inspires them to indulge in eating them too.

  • You need either a sprouting kit or just use a large glass jar (which is what I use) with a piece of cheese cloth and a rubberband to cover the jar
  • A handful of seeds (try alfalfa, broccoli, lentils, mung beans, quinoa, radish, sunflower, clover, chickpeas, etc
  • Water
  1. Place the seeds in a jar (or your sprouter)
  2. Fill the jar with water and allow the seed to soak overnight on the counter
  3. Rinse and drain seeds
  4. Allow them to remain on the counter and begin the sprouting process (some seeds sprout more quickly than others; the pictures shows lentils that have been sprouting for 1 day)
  5. Rinse and drain the seeds each day until you are satisfied with their growth (some seeds will take 3 – 4 days).
  6. Store your sprouts in the refrigerator to slow growth.
  7. SIMPLY ENJOY!!

 

Sat 17 Mar 2012

Green PolkaDot Box Membership Giveaway Contest

Posted by Danielle under Food and Nutrition, Reviews
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St. Patrick’s Day is very fun!

One of the reasons I love it is for the GREEN.

Green is definitely one of my favorite colors! So, as I celebrate the day with green salad and lots of yummy greens, I am also thankful for the Green PolkaDot Box. AND…. I am giving away 1 Rewards Membership for the Green PolkaDot Box ($125 value).

If you are new to the Get Naturally Healthy community, or missed an email, the Green PolkaDot Box is a new online buying club for natural and organic foods. They just opened a few months ago and I have to tell you, my whole family anxiously anticipates the arrival of your order. I think its is the green polka-dotted box that really gets us (hehe).

Since we got our membership there are a lot of staples we have been getting from them like grains, seeds, nuts, specialty things like Artisana nut butter and raw food snack bars, and even toiletries. We have also become big SunWarrior protein users. Their prices are fantastic.

Here is a video to show you what I got in my last order:

My Green PolkaDot Box Order
My Green PolkaDot Box Order

OK.. so, here is how the contest works:
1. “Like” the Get Naturally Healthy Facebook page: www.facebook.com/GetNaturallyHealthy

2. Leave a comment sharing with the community why health is important to you.

On March 24th, I will randomly select one winner of a $125 Green PolkaDot Box rewards membership!

By the way, if you already signed up for a free basic membership, this will upgrade your current membership.

Have fun! And Happy St. Patrick’s Day!

 

Fri 13 Jan 2012

Take those shoes off in the house!

Posted by Danielle under Other Health, Tips and Tricks
[5] Comments

disgustingscience

Although I have generally been in the habit of taking off my shoes in the house, the habit really stuck with me when I lived in Japan where taking off your shoes inside was a must. Now, I know exactly why!

My kids and I did a “Disgusting Science” experiment. I thought you definitely might be interested in the results.

We set up petri dishes and added some disgusting specimens to them. The specimens included dirt from the bottom of a shoe, armpit sweat, saliva, and a snot. These were kept in a cool, dark place and allowed to grow. (more…)

 

Fri 13 Jan 2012

Weight loss: Counterintuitive tips

Posted by Danielle under Food and Nutrition, Tips and Tricks, Weight loss
[2] Comments

scale

It is a new year and many people have added weight loss to their list of resolutions. Now, wouldn’t it be good to have it on the list this year and not have to put it on the list next year because you don’t have any more weight to lose? Of course that would be WONDERFUL! Unfortunately, for many people this resolution is on their list year in and year out.

Einstein said that insanity is doing the same thing over and over again expecting different results. Let’s put an end to the insanity and do things different this year. Here are some counterintuitive tips to make weight loss drop from your list of resolutions next year: (more…)

 

Tue 10 Jan 2012

Glycemic load and glycemic index: What’s the difference?

Posted by Danielle under Food and Nutrition
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question

Glycemic load and glycemic index are measurements used to gain a better understanding of the effects of carbohydrates on blood sugar. The glycemic index gives a number for each food that demonstrates the increase in blood glucose levels when the food is ingested. In general, the more processed a food is, the higher its glycemic index. Very often, people use the glycemic index to help diabetics understand their food choices. Low glycemic index foods are recommended for people with diabetes and people wishing to prevent diabetes. While some popular diets recommend avoiding all carbohydrates, it is more advisable to consume carbohydrates with low glycemic index ratings. This may include most vegetables, lentils, nuts, and seeds.

The glycemic load is another rating that allows us to understand a food’s impact on our blood sugar levels. It is different from the glycemic index (more…)

 

Mon 9 Jan 2012

5 Tips for Parents with Picky Eaters

Posted by Danielle under Food and Nutrition, For Parents and Families, Tips and Tricks
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Depressed woman tired of preparing meals.

Do you ever feel like the woman in the picture? Completely frustrated with trying to get your kids to eat healthy? Don’t despair.

Believe it or not, picky eating is a part of childhood. Yes, the whole picky-eating-thing is a developmental stage that young children go through. The good news is, you are not alone. Many parents are experiencing the exact same issue. Truth is, if you focus on healthy eating, your children do not have to be destined to be junk-food-a-holics. So, as they go through this developmental phase of their lives what can you do? (more…)

 

Mon 9 Jan 2012

What is the “Dirty Dozen”?

Posted by Danielle under Food and Nutrition
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apple

The “Dirty Dozen” and the “Clean 15″ are the names of lists of fruits and veggies that have been ranked according to their pesticide levels. These lists, put out by the Environmental Working Group indicate those fruits and veggies that should ideally be eaten organic and those that do not always have to be. According to the Environmental Working Group, if people consumed their five servings of fruits and vegetables each day from the “Clean 15″ list instead of the “Dirty Dozen”, they would reduce their exposure to pesticides by 92%.

So, what are on the lists? Here they are:

    The Dirty Dozen
  • Apples
  • Celery
  • Strawberries
  • Peaches
  • Spinach
  • Nectarines– imported
  • Grapes – imported
  • Red Pepper – Sweet bell peppers
  • Potatoes
  • Blueberries– domestic
  • Lettuce
  • Kale/collard greens

The Clean Fifteen

  • Onions
  • Sweet Corn
  • Pineapples
  • Avocado
  • Asparagus
  • Sweet peas
  • Mangoes
  • Eggplant
  • Cantaloupe – domestic
  • Kiwi
  • Cabbage
  • Watermelon
  • Sweet potatoes
  • Grapefruit
  • Mushrooms

To learn more about these lists and the methodologies used to create them, please visit the Environmental Working Group’s Shopper’s Guide.

 

Sat 24 Dec 2011

Recipe: Curried White and Sweet Potato Pancakes with Fresh Fruit Chutney

Posted by Danielle under Recipes
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VeggieQueenBook

Here is another yummy AND healthy recipe. It is sure to be one your family will love. This recipe comes from  The Veggie Queen, Jill Nussinow. I, personally, have a copy of her book, The Veggie Queen: Vegetables Get The Royal Treatment. It has over a 100 recipes divided into the 4 different seasons. The recipes are delightfully delicious and clever. This recipe not only looks festive, but it is also a crowd pleaser.

I made two substitutions though. I used coconut oil in place of canola oil (it is the only oil I cook with). In place of the flour, I ground up quinoa (I try to avoid gluten as often as possible). (more…)

 

Wed 21 Dec 2011

Recipe: Peanut Butter Treats from Mrs. Owl

Posted by Danielle under Recipes
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HAZELNUTS

Need a quick and delicious snack. Mrs. Owl has a great recipe for peanut butter treats. Mrs. Owl, also known as Arla Caraboolad, is the author of a fabulous children’s book, Tommy Tortoise Gets The Sugar Blues. In the book, Tommy learns about the effects of overindulging in sugar the hard way. This recipe, however, will not leave you with the sugar blues.

Although the recipe below uses carob chips or chocolate chips, I prefer to make my own chocolate (combine 2 tablespoons of melted cacao butter with 2 tablespoons of coconut nectar, and 2 tablespoons of raw cacao powder). (more…)

 

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