Healthy 4 Life

Happy Earth Day!

How does your spice collection look?
Do you have them organized in a spice rack?
Or perhaps they're in disarray, with several duplicates taking up space.

While you're tidying up your spice collection, here are a few ways to keep them in tip-top shape so you can enjoy your fresh herbs and spices for as long as possible.

Make sure you store them in air-tight containers out of the light.

There are loads of spice jar sets you can peruse on Amazon to organize your spices properly. Make sure you pick air-tight containers that will keep your spices safe from air.

For fun, what are the top spices you use the most?
Mine are garlic powder, cumin, cinnamon & Italian seasoning.

How long do you spend in the kitchen every day? Okay, right now you’re probably making most meals, but what I’m curious about is how often do you eat at home if we are not staying at home due to a worldwide pandemic?

Do you usually grab breakfast at the coffee shop, eat lunch out, or are you a brown-bagger?

A study by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, between 2013 and 2016, showed that 36% of adult Americans consumed fast food on any given day. I was shocked by how high that number was, so I'm curious -- how many of your meals are home-cooked per week?

In my house, we eat out once per week just to give us a break from cooking. We also budget our monthly expenses to only eat out once per week. Believe me it only eating out once per week really saves us money in the long run.

Happy Monday!

Happy Friday!

Tips on Easing Your Spring Allergies.

If your car isn't already covered in a layer of pollen, it's only a matter of time. Spring is here, along with the sneezing and watery eyes that accompany it. It's a small price to pay for warmer weather and gorgeous blooms everywhere -- but it can still be quite the annoyance if you don't keep your allergy symptoms under control.

Thankfully, there are natural ways to ease your spring allergies that are simple to find and can bring you the relief you seek.

- Try apple cider vinegar
It's a remedy as old as time, one that really works. Apple Cider Vinegar with The Mother can assist with a host of issues, and by helping to lower inflammation in the body, it can help to quell some spring allergy symptoms that are nagging at you.

- Make nettle leaf tea
As a natural antihistamine, nettle leaf is quite effective in blocking your histamine production. You can mix it with other herbs, like peppermint leaf, for added benefits. Take a stroll down the tea aisle next time you visit your supermarket and find a nettle leaf tea to try out.

- Restore the good bacteria in your gut
The gut has been shown to have a link to your immunity. Allergies often come about when there's a lack of balance in your gut microbiome. It could be that your good gut bacteria population is dwindling and needs a boost. Choose probiotic-rich foods such as high-quality yogurt, kimchi, sauerkraut, or drink kefir or kombucha daily to get your probiotics on and restore order in your gut. Aside from eating probiotic-rich foods, find a high-quality probiotic supplement that can help you restore your microbiome.

- Use local honey
When you buy honey that is made locally, the bees are taking pollen from the native plants in your area. That means your body starts adapting to those same allergens that have you sneeze when you see that thick blanket of pollen on your car. Make sure the honey is raw and unprocessed. You'll find local stuff at your farmer's market or health food store. Take a teaspoon of it twice a day, ideally a month before allergy season getting into full swing.

- Seek out anti-inflammatory foods
Often, the answer lies in the foods we eat. Put more fresh herbs and spices into your meals, like ginger, for example, and you'll help soothe inflammation before it has you sneezing. Green tea is another effective option, plus it gives you plenty of antioxidants which boost your health all around.

With these natural ways to ease spring allergies, you'll hopefully be able to stop and smell the roses more often. Do you generally struggle with spring allergies? If so, what do you typically do to kick your symptoms? Hit reply and let me know. I'd love to hear what works for you!

It's not too late to join my latest L.E.A.N 4 Life Online Group Health Coaching. Reply below and let me know if you want to join the group.

Happy Friday!

Happy World Health Day!

I would LOVE to help you achieve optimum health. As a reminder, my next L.E.A.N. 4 Life Online Group Health Coaching program begins in less than a week on Monday, March 11th. You can sign up for either a 3-month or 6-month program for only $37 per month. Message me below if you want to be included in the 1st session beginning April 11th.

Have you heard of ANDI Scoring? Dr. Joel Furhman created a system of scoring foods with a number from 1-1000 based on how nutrient dense the foods are. This will help you determine which foods give you the most nutritional value and can help you plan your meals to be packed full of beneficial nutrients.

For example, kale ranks at 1000.
Soda ranks at 1.
A few in between items that hover in the 300-500s include broccoli, carrots, brussels sprouts, and cabbage.

Take a look at the ANDI Score chart you can find online with a quick google search, and even consider printing it off and hanging it on your refrigerator to keep it fresh in your mind while making grocery lists.

Where's your tension?

Do you have a specific area of your body you tend to hold your tension? Check-in with yourself right now. Relax your shoulders, unclench your jaw, and take a long, deep breath.

Shoulders/neck, jaw, and chest are the most common places we tense up.

Most of the time, we don't even realize we are doing it.
Doing regular check-ins with yourself will help you realize where you hold your stress will help you be proactive about combating it.

For me, I hold my stress in my jaw and shoulders.

What about you?