Healthy New Stuff
Why You Need Avocado Chocolate Mousse in Your Life
If you’re new to the avocado dessert craze, brace yourself! There’s so much more available than you’ve ever dreamed of, and it’s all due to this deliciously smooth little green fruit (yep, the avocado is technically a fruit. Who knew?) We’ll start off the party with some nutritional facts on the subject, follow up with a few of our favorite tasty avocado chocolate mousse recipes, and then wrap up with some additional variations to fully blow your mind! Ready? Here we go! With avocados bringing in more than 20 nutrients themselves, paired with monounsaturated fats and the numerous benefits of cocoa powder…
Which Vegetables are Highest in Protein?
According to the Vegetarian Resource Group, “plant-based proteins are remarkably efficient at synthesizing amino acids and promoting cell growth and repair.” But while it’s easy to get sufficient protein into the diet from protein-rich plant sources like soy, quinoa, hemp seeds (or many other seeds), chia, nuts, chickpeas, jackfruit, oatmeal and brown rice, what can we say about purely vegetable sources? For those who wish to incorporate more of these items into their meals, we’ve searched around and found some of the top vegetable protein sources. For concerned vegetarians or worried new vegans, take heart and gaze on — it’s not hard…
The Many Amazing Uses of Lavender Oil
If you’re like me, you’ve mainly used lavender oil for relaxation in the form of aromatherapy — like pillow sachets or a couple of drops on a light bulb diffuser from time to time. But did you realize there are numerous benefits to this oil, including the treatment of skin, circulatory, and respiratory problems? Neither did I before today. Let’s get into some very interesting facts about this fragrant and truly miraculous essential oil. How many ways can we use it? According to Wellness Mama, lavender is widely loved for its scent — but the love doesn’t stop there. Mountain Rose…
What are the Symptoms of Parasites?
What are Parasites? According to the University of Maryland Medical Center, there are two primary forms of intestinal parasites — protozoa and helminths. Protozoa have only a single cell and can multiply once inside the body, possibly resulting in serious infections. The most commonly found protozoa include cryptosporidum and giardia. Helminths, which have multiple cells, cannot multiply once they reach their adult state. Parasites such as pinworms, roundworms and tapeworms are well-known helminths found in the U.S. How can someone get parasites? The transmission of parasites occurs primarily during contact with infected fecal matter, most likely in the soil, water or food…
Why People Stress Eat and How to Stop
According to Dr. Susan Albers, psychologist at the Cleveland Clinic Hospital, comfort eating (also referred to as “stress eating” or “emotional eating”) is not uncommon, nor necessarily unhealthy — unless it becomes a very frequent habit. And since stress eating can be tied to our own personal relationship with food, often going back to early childhood, it can be extremely difficult to avoid once started. Let’s consider first some of the biggest reasons we do it. What’s the science on it? Although there can be many reasons for our own personal comfort eating, Dr. Albers identifies a few of the main reasons…
Ayahuasca Ceremony: The Shaman-led Ceremony From the Amazon
Image: Ammit Jack / Shutterstock From the most remote regions of the Amazon rainforests, bringing with it remarkable health value as well as a dose of danger, comes the mysterious Ayahuasca ceremony. The Ayahuasca plant has been used traditionally by Amazonian shamans during rituals where it is consumed. The shamans are said to train for years before attempting to lead such ceremonies, learning to get to know the plant through a special diet of several months or longer, with the goal of understanding the language of the plant and its inherent spiritual applications. While current shamanistic adventures with the Ayahuasca ceremony tend…
Foot Reflexology: The Ancient and Mysterious Chinese Tradition
I recall an interesting moment during a regular, standard body massage (back before my son arrived, when I could afford such luxuries), when the masseuse happened to be working on my feet. She interrupted the silence to ask me, “You grind your teeth, don’t you?” I did, in fact, succumb to the habit (in my sleep), but I remember wondering how she knew that. She explained that she could tell by components related to foot reflexology what was happening in other areas of my body. I was floored — and intrigued. This marked the minute I began a journey to…
The Coffee Enema: How is it Done? And…Why?
An ancient form of hydrotherapy, enemas have been used for thousands of years to detoxify the colon. Although the technique was previously used in hospitals on a regular basis, it has become less popular in recent years. The coffee enema in particular was originally recommended as part of a cancer-fighting diet created by Dr. Max Gerson, founder of the Gerson Institute and Gerson Diet Therapy Program. It is Dr. Gerson’s method through which toxic bile is eliminated via the liver at increased rates. This procedure, tested endoscopically was found to almost immediately produce desired results. Unlike coffee drinking, coffee enemas’ dilation and…
Plant Based Diet: The Health and Environmental Benefits
The perks of adopting a plant based diet might just be too numerous to mention. From the many assorted health benefits it brings to the ceasing of an environmentally destructive lifestyle to the diminishing of cruelty to animals worldwide, it seems there’s no real negatives to the diet change. Although it may seem challenging, there is help along the way from free vegan recipe blogs to follow, to social media support groups for transitioning from meat-eater or vegetarian diets to plant based to nutritional guides abound. Let’s take a look at how people are doing it and why. If you’re ready to make the change, but aren’t sure quite how,…
White Sage Smudge: Clear out the Bad Humors With a White Sage Smudge
For many years, Native American traditions have included the use of sage and other herbs for ceremonies. Most often used for spiritual purification of the home or the clearing out of “bad vibes” or negative energy, burning sage sticks or sacred herbs, or “smudging”, as referred to by many, is very common among indigenous and religious/spiritual communities. To make a white sage smudge, white sage leaves must be dried and separated from seeds, buds and stems, then pulled and crushed into bundles or balls. Frequently bundled into thick, twine-bound “sticks,” use a white sage smudge by lighting one end of the stick,…
