Getting kids to eat veggies

By //  by 

We have become quite removed from our food chain in today’s world.  Drive-thru windows, convenience foods, and ready-made meals make it easy to forget where our food comes from.

It’s also easy to forget what fresh food tastes like.  Fresh as is as nature intended.  Farmer’s markets are making a comeback as is the eating local movement.

 

Mommy has to get the strawberry stains out after a successful pick your own berries day :)
Mommy has to get the strawberry stains out after a successful pick your own berries day 🙂

 

We have taken the approach with our kids to immerse them in fresh food.  To connect them with what they eat.  Here are a few ways to engage your kids with food:

  • Plant some food.  Kids are more eager to try foods that they had a hand in growing.  Let them pick some seeds, plant them, and care for them.  You only need a small area of your yard, or use planters on your deck or porch.
  • Take them to the farm.  Sign up for a CSA and pick up your food weekly.  It’s a great way for them to see how a farm operates.
  • Go to the ‘pick your own’ farms.  Berries in early summer, pumpkins in the fall.  Help them understand that food grows from the ground not in the store.
  • Let them get dirty!  Watering the garden and picking weeds can be made to be fun.
  • Check out the farmers market.  Your kids can often try different foods right there and the farmer’s can tell them some cool stuff about what they are eating.
Salads all around!
Our little gardner

 

Getting kids to eat veggiesRead More

Do This, Not That – Spring Tips

By //  by 

We are exposed to so many chemicals in our modern society so the small things you can do to reduce your exposure will go a long way to keeping you and your family as healthy as possible. Here’s a little list of things you can slowly do or change at home for a healthier environment.

Do This Not That
Wear slippers or have indoor shoes Avoid wearing your shoes indoors – they pick up lots of chemicals, pesticides, and germs from outside
Air your dry-leaning out in your garage or car trunk for a week Don’t bring your dry-cleaning into the house right away
Use essential oils, soy or beeswax candles, use baking soda to deodorize Avoid using air fresheners or most commercial scented candles
Use plain soap and water for cleaning when possible, use watered-down vinegar instead of anti-microbial products Avoid scented cleaning supplies and laundry detergent
Use zero- or low-VOC paints Avoid paint that isn’t labeled zero- or low-VOC
Heat food on the stove in a stainless steel or glass pot or cast-iron pan Avoid Teflon-coated pans or re-heating food in plastic in the microwave

 

Do This, Not That – Spring TipsRead More

Does Christmas visiting cause you Heartburn, Gastritis, Stomach Ulcers, Diverticulitis, Crohn’s Disease, Ulcerative Colitis, Chronic Constipation, acid reflux or Diarrhea.

By //  by 

Does Christmas visiting cause you Heartburn, Gastritis, Stomach Ulcers, Diverticulitis, Crohn’s Disease, Ulcerative Colitis, Chronic Constipation, acid reflux or Diarrhea.

Do you have to live with this, or a life time of Tums? Well, no not really. While it may be that fatty foods, or too much turkey, wine or plum pudding has caused you distress in the past it may help you to know that the digestive system stores neuropeptides – the same molecules that make up your brain – except we have ten times more of them in the body than in the brain! By using a technique called Active Memory, Body Talk is especially successful at retrieving and neutralizing the thoughts and emotions from the gut that have become pathologies.I’m not saying your pain is psychosomatic, I am saying it may not be food allergies alone causing your stomach upsets, and yes our emotions affect our hormones, our absorption and assimilation of food.
The consciousness of the large intestine relates to the idea of letting go of the past, e.g., old resentments, trauma, or former relationships. Environmental factors affect the internal chemistry of your digestive system. Stress relating to your boss, mother, son, husband, or finances al directly affects the intestinal lining of your digestive tract, minimizing the absorption of vital nutrients. So-o-o….what can you do about that?
Jessy uses Body Talk to teach the body to produce its own digestive enzymes and regulate its stomach acids in order to assimilate foods within the small intestine that previously caused harm or discomfort.

Body Talk is a holistic form of therapy that recognizes the interrelationships within the body/mind and works to achieve balance and healthy communication among all body systems.

“All disease has psychological, nutritional, emotional, spiritual, & physical dimensions each of which plays a distinct role” – Christiane Northrup, M.D.

Wouldn’t you like to enjoy this holiday season without a “tummy ache”? Call Jess to reduce that stress. Book a 20 minute FREE consultation to see if Body Talk is indeed for you. You will be surprised at the results.

Does Christmas visiting cause you Heartburn, Gastritis, Stomach Ulcers, Diverticulitis, Crohn’s Disease, Ulcerative Colitis, Chronic Constipation, acid reflux or Diarrhea.Read More

Back to School Lunch Dilemma

By //  by 

Yes, I saw the first back-to-school commercial on TV as soon as August hit. The summer is going way too fast but let’s squeeze as many more memories out of this one as possible.
However, we can’t deny that school is upon us. I got a recent email newsletter from EWG – the Environmental Working Group – which I subscribe to. http://www.ewg.org/
Many Moms and Dads are becoming increasingly aware of the environmental impact on our health and their children’s health. What can parents do to lessen the environmental toxic burden on their kids? Here are a few tips I found in that newsletter:

1. LUNCH BOXES
These hold food, so it is especially important that lunch boxes contain fewer toxic materials. Look for boxes with NO lead paint, PVC, BPA and antimicrobial chemicals. Some options are
– Cotton lunch bags
– BPA-free plastic
– Unpainted stainless steel boxes
Try reusing utensils from home and pack food in reusable, rather than disposable, containers.
– lightweight stainless steel
– #1, 2, 4, or 5 plastics
Buy a safer lunch box on Amazon and you will donate money to EWG by going to http://www.ewg.org/ website and click through to Amazon.
For more tips on lunch ideas read our past posts as well as check The Healing Oasis out on facebook.

Back to School Lunch DilemmaRead More

Green Tip – Coconut oil…and then some!!

By //  by 

I have been experimenting off and on with consuming more of a raw diet for the last few months now. I will admit some weeks are more raw than others, but even just getting more fruits and veggies into my diet has made me feel much better.

One of the main oils used in the raw culture is Coconut oil because it is not processed and completely natural. In one of the books I found the author noted that she uses coconut oil, not only as a moisturizing natural alternative to shaving cream or gel, but also that she uses it as an eye makeup remover!! So of course, I had to try it…and yes it works, extremely well actually. It’s also used as a good carrier oil for massage. So instead of buying a bottle of shaving cream and a tube of makeup remover – you can save all that packaging and just buy a large tub of coconut oil and use it for many different purposes. A nice environmentally friendly natural resource!

I shared my new found information with a girlfriend a few weeks ago and she just sent me a really great article on coconut oil and some health benefits of using it…including help with weight loss, immunity, and skin irritations. I thought I would share the link for the article as well…it makes for some very interesting reading and potentially a few more naturally healthy people!

http://www.organicfacts.net/organic-oils/organic-coconut-oil/health-benefits-of-coconut-oil.html

Green Tip – Coconut oil…and then some!!Read More

Going Green Tip #2

By //  by 

For a natural and environmentally friendly alternative to cleaning your teeth, skip your regular toothpaste and avoid the packaging waste. Instead try making your own.
Here’s a recipe I found on http://www.howstuffworks.com/

Toothpaste: Mix 3 parts baking soda with 1 part salt. Add 3 teaspoons of glycerin. Add 10 to 20 drops of flavoring (peppermint, wintergreen, anise, or cinnamon) and enough water to make a paste. Spoon into a small, refillable squeeze bottle.

Going Green Tip #2Read More