High Protein Peanut Butter Chocolate Smoothie, No protein powder

This smoothie recipe has NO protein Powder.  Protein powders contain very high amounts of free glutamate (MSG) and they make a lot of people have headaches, sweats, fatigue and other symptoms.  Plus they are not a whole food and highly processed. Here is a recipe that contains 21 grams of protein and stays around 300 calories. It's not a decadent smoothie, but it is tasty and healthy for you if you need to watch calories, carbs and increase protein and fiber.

1/2 cup Milk, (cow milk has most protein)
1/2 banana
1 or 2 tablespoons cocoa
1 tablespoon natural peanut butter
2 cups frozen greens (kale, Spinach, Chard)
1 envelope unflavored gelatin or 1 tablespoon.
1 tablespoon chia seeds
4 packets stevia  (sweeten to taste)
1 cup water
1 cup ice cubes (optional if you like your smoothies frosty)

Put in a high powered blender and blend.

~300 Calories
13 g fat
8.9 g fiber
29 g carbs
21 g protein

Cloth Diapering, Can Save You MONEY!

You can do it a couple ways, you can buy disposables, ruin the environment and spend a TON of money, or you can buy compostable disposables and spend even more money or you can spend a little less money and do cloth diapers OR you can spend way less and do cloth diapers.

Some cloth diapers are just ridiculously priced.  I searched high and low for a diapering solution that was environmentally friendly, healthy for baby, easy for me, and cheap.

If you are not sure if you are a cloth diapering person, there is only one question you need to ask yourself.  Do you have a problem keeping up with laundry? If they answer is yes, definitely or what is laundry? then you will either need to change some things in your life or know that cloth diapering is not for you. 

What I've spent on cloth diapering ...
$225!
And what I've bought will last me until this babe is out of diapers. I may need to add a new set of liners here or there, but even then we are talking $20-$50 more  The average family spends $600 per year on diapers. If you are diapering for 3 years... or more... That really adds. up.

Here's what I use:

Imagine Newborn Diaper cover. Only if you have very small babies. My 6 month old is still in these, she is very small. About $9-10 each. I ordered 4. That was enough for the first couple months. You can dump out the liner and reuse the cover all day or until soiled.

Alva Baby Bamboo Diaper Liners.  About $36-40 for 12. I ordered 24.  They wash up really nicely and are really absorbent and stackable. 

  Planet wise wet bag. A place to put dirty diaper liners when you are on the road. $11.95  You could just use a ziplock bag actually, but these are washable and reusable and come in bigger sizes too. 

A waterproof, reusable, diaper pail liner.  You take the whole thing out of the pail and dump it and the diapers in the wash. You will want 2, so you have one to use while the other is washing and drying.  $17-$20

Imagine diaper cover.  You'll need bigger diaper liners eventually if you go with the newborn size at first.  Both are adjustable to fit many different sizes but the newborn gets very small.  The regular size can accommodate many newborns or after the first month. $10-$12

  

We decided to try a new brand Bumkins. They are great quality and way more adjustable but I kinda like the simplicity of the Imagine covers.  These have way to many snaps and they have a flap inside to "hold in the liner" better. I find it just gets dirty faster and doesn't stop leaks any better than the Imagine brand, without flaps and is cheaper.  They also have double gusseting, that means 2 elastics around the leg. the imagine brand has this too.  I have 2 Flip diaper covers also, that were the most expensive. You can tell when you look at the quality stitching. Other than that they are not better than the Imagine diapers. They do not have double gusseting but it doesn't really seem to make much of a difference in terms of containment. They also have those inner flaps that do nothing but get dirty faster.

  

For wipes, I bought a roll of these bamboo towels. I cut them into fourths.  They get washed with everything else and reused.  They are way better than regular wipes. They are thicker, and better at cleaning and keeping your hands clean with a much smaller wipe. $15-20 

You need a place to stash diapers until you can wash them.  This Safety 1st pail is perfect because it seals the smells out well and my liners fit it well. It is small and compact but holds plenty. $20.

I have 10 diaper covers and 24 absorbent diaper liners,  It is best to put a fleece liner over the diaper liner for a stay dry feel. I simply bought fleece at the store for $2 a yard and cut about 24 that fit my absorbent liners.  You can double up on liners for more absorbency or buy microfiber liners to place under the bamboo liners. You can also use triple folds.  I've even seen people make their own absorbent liners with terry cloth, cotton, microfiber, bamboo, hemp, and other things.    

At each change, dump the liners in the diaper pail, if the cover is clean then you can reuse it. If not put it in the pail too and any wipes used. If baby is eating solids, dump them into the toilet as much as possible, then put liners in the pail.  If baby is exclusively breast feeding, then you do not need to do anything but put it all in the pail.  

To wash I use tide and have soft water in my home.  I have a front loader machine and have no problems with it getting them clean. 

I dump the diapers, liners, wipes, wet bags, pail liners, all into the washer, then I run it on cold rinse and spin. Then I add 1/4 the amount of soap the box recommends for a load, and wash it all on hot wash. When that is done, if my diapers have been getting a little smelly after baby wears them, like uric acid is building up, which is an ammonia smell, then I do one last rinse and spin. This always solves that problem. Remove all of the diaper covers, diaper pail liners and wet bags (do not dry in dryer, it will ruin your covers) and allow to air dry. Put the wipes, and liners and fleece in the dryer and dry on hot. 

If you have stains on your liners, hang them in the sun for 1 day. The sun bleaches away the stains.

  

When you leave the house pack a wet bag, 2 covers, equivalent liners, plus one or two extra liners and some wipes.

If your baby has a rash problem, try washing with a cup of vinegar in the second hot cycle. 

Do not use any diaper creams against your absorbent liners or they won't absorb anymore. Use your fleece liners to protect your absorbent liner and then just make new liners when you need to.

If you are not sure if you are a cloth diapering person, there is only one question you need to ask yourself.  Do you have a problem keeping up with laundry? If they answer is yes, definitely or what is laundry? then you will either need to change some things in your life or know that cloth diapering is not for you.  

If you are ok with laundry, then know that you only have to wash diapers once every 2 days or so and you are doing tons of laundry anyway with a little baby.       

Get your Fall on! Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies

It's not enough to have a pumpkin flavored cookie. There must also be spice to engage in the fullness of fall. That's why there's a lot of "fall" in my cookie recipe. This is my tried and true recipe I have been using for many years.

Preheat oven 375 F

just throw it all in a mixer:
1 C pumpkin
3/4 C sugar
1/2 C oil ( coconut of course!)
1 egg, from your own chickens (ok, from the store the fine.)
2 C whole wheat flour, That you just ground yourself. (or white whatever you have)
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
and 1 tsp vanilla,
then add
1 tsp cinnamon
and
2 cloves, whole (~1/16th tsp ground)
2 allspice whole (1/16th Ground)
1 tsp ginger
1/16 nutmeg
OR
1 tsp pumpkin pie spice.
and 1 cup of chocolate chips. Semi sweet is best.
Drop on cookie sheet and bake 10-12 minutes per sheet

Home made Seasoning Salt

I was checking my Seasoning Salt Label for MSG, like I do all my prepackaged foods, when it occurred to me how easy it would be to make it myself.  The ingredients are basic, and simple, minus a few unnecessary ingredients like anti caking silicon and coloring.  I love using seasoning salt because it ads a little extra flavor to dishes without a lot of complication.  Most likely you would be adding the spices contained within it to your dish anyway.  You will need a mortar and pestle or a high powered blender like a Blend Tec, or a vita-mix or a coffee/spice grinder, or use finely ground salts and spices to start with. To prevent settling, it's best to have all of the ingredient particles roughly the same size.

1. Salt
I like to use Redmonds Real Salt, it is minimally processed sea salt.  It maintains many beneficial minerals, that is why it is pinkish in color.
2. Chili Powder
I love a good chili powder,  Get one that is a nice bright red and smells like fresh chili's for best flavor.
3.  Pepper
I used fresh ground black peppercorn blend,  If you do not have a grinder or blender I would recommend white pepper.  the hard shell has been removed and it is very finely ground. Go easy on it though! Use roughly half what you would regular pepper.
4.Celery Seed
Celery seed is so savory and fragrant! If you are not already using this to season dishes, you should!
5. Onion
Use dry onion powder, or flakes if you are using a blender or mortar
6. Paprika
Ads more of that classic red seasoned salt color, plus a gentle heat.
7. Garlic
Use dry garlic powder.
Without the coloring added to this mix, the color will be more pink in the bottle, than red like commercial seasoned salt, a small price to pay...  It tastes just like it and this recipe will make enough to fill your old 8 oz seasoned salt container!



1/2 Cup Salt
2 Tablespoons Chili Powder
1/2 Tablespoon White pepper
1 Tablespoon ground Celery seed
2 Tablespoons Onion powder
1/2 Tablespoon Garlic

Grind any whole spices or flakes, or put the whole shebang in your blender.  It's that simple!
Happy Cooking!
-Valerie

6 Minute Hard Boiled Egg

I love a good fried egg but they can be tricky to get them just right. I do not like any part of my whites brown or chewy, and I don't like it runny either, but I prefer my yolks slightly runny, but not watery and never hard. If you agree with me, then what you are looking for is not a fried egg, but a six minute boiled egg.  

 Start a pot of boiling water with about 1 teaspoon of salt. Once it begins to rapidly boil, carefully place the eggs in the pot.  Immediately set your timer for 6 minutes and walk away.  As soon as the timer goes off, place your pot under cold running water and allow it to overflow into the sink until the water is all cool.

 Then you can break and peel your eggs. If you did it just right it will peel easily and will not break the whites.

 When you cut into your egg it will be creamy and just right.

 Not too runny or too hard. All of the whites will be cooked firm but not rubbery.

 MM, delicious! Put it on top of toast, or a biscuit and enjoy!

Successful Gardening in a Tiny Back Yard

Before we moved into our townhouse we lived in a rental house that had a huge garden in it.  I was very successful at growing giant sunflowers, tomatoes and carrots, I even grew delicious giant ears of corn and had zucchini taking over my life. Well, we bought our townhouse, which I love, but the garden is lacking. It has a small 30' x 15' back yard that is half patio.   

 

There are of course, pros and cons to not having a massive yard and garden to take care of, like more time to do everything else, smaller water bills and less sun burns and heat stroke in the Utah summers.  

 The first year in our townhouse, I tried raised garden beds. They were a huge flop.  They didn't drain properly and the soil in them was such junk that nothing would grow very fast.  By the end of the season we had not one tomato.

The next year I tried container gardening as you can see in the picture below.  It was slightly more successful.  By the end of the season I had 4 green tomatoes which my son picked before they could ripen and I didn't even get one squash.  I know this method works for some... but it certainly didn't work for me. I thought long and hard about what made my garden successful for those two years in the rental house.  One, the landlord dumped amazing black topsoil AND compost from the waste processing facility into the garden. Amazing soil, very important. It got almost full sun. My backyard gets less than 6 hours a day of direct sunlight. But that year I tried container gardening something funny happened. A stray tomato from some kitchen waste got thrown into the back under a tree. It got maybe 3 or 4 hours of sun a day and it grew better than anything else I had planted that year. So I knew that sunlight in my yard should be less of an issue than I thought.  

Container gardening, not very successful. Grass area of 15'x15' before beds were put in. 

I decided I would get rid of the grass and use the soil available. I used the cardboard method.  I covered the spots I wanted to be dirt in cardboard and covered it with top soil. I left it all fall and all winter and all spring.  When the ground thawed I pulled up what cardboard had not composted and threw it out.  Then I turned it all in with a hand tiller.  Back breaking! But good exercise. All winter long we threw all of our kitchen scraps out into the soil.  I smashed every egg shell we used and threw it out there, knowing that the dirt in this area is often lacking calcium, which the tomatoes especially need but it benefits all plants.  

In the process of composting the grass for garden beds.

As you can see in the picture below, come June I had thriving tomatoes on the right (started from seeds inside), a zucchini that is now 3 times that size (started right in soil from seed), and some various squash and pumpkins, all stated in the soil from seed. I also have some peppers near the tomatoes, and have already harvested peas and a full crop of lettuce.  

squash vines after a month of growing. They grow so rapidly!  We went away for 4 days and when we got back the vines had doubled in size prompting us to build the permanent arbor.  

 Since my vines have gotten out of control, and I just don't have the heart to get rid of some of them I convinced the husband we needed to build this arbor out of scrap wood.

Simple arbor I designed and the husband helped build.  All out of scrap wood. 

 You can see below that the vines have already climbed over the arbor, with some coaching by me.  I have a small push mower that takes about 90 seconds to clean up the horseshoe shape of grass path.  I have a drip system tied into my hose and each section of the garden has one sprinkler.  This has seemed to be enough.  I have a simple timer that I just have to manually set to the time I want it to run each day.  I spend about 15 minutes a week weeding.  I expect by the end of August I will have plenty of food coming out of my garden. I only wish it was bigger so I could spend more time gardening!

Aerial view of tiny yard.  You can fit a lot of plants in a small space, they just need some sunlight, not full sun, some water and GOOD soil is the key.

Now we have almost an acre to tackle.  But I wanted to share how you can have a successful garden in a small space, soil is really the most important part of any garden.

Breast feeding mystery pain: Thrush, get rid of it for good!

My third child, you would think I would be a breastfeeding pro, right? My midwives and lactation consultants kept telling me it was just my latch that was the problem. What else could it be?  So I reeducated myself on a proper latch and persevered but the pain was getting worse each day. I researched for hours a day and cried with each feeding. Sure the first couple weeks are always rough but I had 2 successful breastfed babies before this.  What was I doing wrong this time? I came across vasospasm.  Yes! This was it! This had to be the problem. No, the symptoms fit with one exception, vasospasms cause an intense pain to cold.  Cold actually helped my pain.

Like I said the first couple weeks can be rough to breast feed, no matter how experienced you are. It takes time for the nipples to toughen up.  But on week 4 and 5, I knew something was seriously wrong.  I had to take my percocet pain killers to make it through a feeding.  

Here were my symptoms.  My entire breast burned through most of a feeding, tapering off towards the end. Then stabbing burning pain inside the breast began and continued for hours, usually tapering off just in time to feed again.  That was it. I looked over the common list of breast feeding problems. I thought for sure it was not thrush (Candida) because baby had no symptoms of it and thrush was not supposed to hurt when you were nursing. That is a FREAKING lie. I finally found an article on Kelly Mom that was helpful. There's a protocol by a Doctor. Google it, if you want specifics. I did follow the protocol but was only temporarily relieved.  

This is what I tried:  Grapefruit seed extract. Its sounds like a natural solution but it's really not. Tried this for one week. No noticeable change at all. Still in searing, "punch your face in" pain.

Gentian violet. I had to run all over creation to find it and ended up paying $21 for the bottle. It made no difference and made my babies mouth purple for a week. It is also not really natural solution either.

I also tried prescription Nystatin, coconut oil and even probiotics.  

Then I made all purpose nipple ointment (or have your doctor prescribe it through a compounding pharmacy. Hear it costs over $80 for one.)  Make your own with Lotramin, Hydrocortizone and Polysporin, equal parts of each. Finally some relief! Within 12 hours the pain was majorly reduced and I could nurse without crying. I thought YAY! I can get through this! Well, in 2 weeks the pain was back, not as bad as before but enough that I wanted to hit the wall with my fist a few times an hour. 

Well, I went through a cycle of reinfection for about 2 months. NO, for real 2 months. I would be cured for 2 days and reinfected for 3 over and over again. It was bearable but come on. Some days it was too much and I wanted to cry  cried all day.  I had been sterilizing binkis and even bought 6 new bras so I could wear a clean one everyday. Still the cycle continued. Finally I prayed! "Please, there has to be a way to cure this for good!" I was immediately told what to do.  I had done so much research I guess I just needed the guidance to put it in the proper order and proper protocol.  I was prompted to go ahead and use the essential oils that I was avoiding because they can have unintended consequences on things like milk production and are very strong, and intimidating to use on or near a new baby.  But at this point my last option was either essential oils or get an prescription for Diflucan oral which has lots of nasty side effects. I went ahead and used Tea Tree, which is a great anti fungal. I was also prompted to use the All Purpose Nipple ointment for pain and to heal the scab that would form every three days.  Also to microwave all pacifiers in water for 5 minutes and to launder anything that came in contact with baby's mouth or my breast, to be washed in hot water and one cup of vinegar. I'm not kidding it was that specific.  A flood of clear and precise thoughts and I knew just what to do after all of these months of suffering, and in 3 days I was thrush free and it has not come back! 

Here is a more precise breakdown or what I did. 

• Use Tea tree oil, straight, one drop for both sides after every feeding and shower.  Do not wash it off before feeding. (may make baby a little colicky but its worth it to kill thrush) 
• Use one cup of plain white vinegar with every load of wash.  Wash anything that touches baby's mouth or your bare breast. Including clothes that get spit up on, burp cloths, sheets, blankets, shirts bras, pajamas etc. 
• Microwave (boiling for 15 minutes would work too) in a glass bowl of water, anything that comes in contact with babies mouth. Including pacifiers, binki's, bottle parts or toys. If baby is a finger sucker, put socks on babies hands at all times and wash them with the vinegar load of laundry. 
• If you are still sore and have actual scabbing and open wounds from the thrush, use the all purpose nipple ointment after the tea tree oil.  The hydrocortizone does help with the pain and the polysporin helps heal the wounds faster.  It can take 3 days for the symptoms to subside so do not give up if it doesn't work the first day.  Continue the treatment for 2 weeks no matter what! No matter how good you feel keep it up to prevent it from coming back.

You have to do all of it at the same time because it is so easy to reinfect yourself.  Your baby can also carry it without symptoms and reinfect you, so it is so important to sanitize everything and it is so simple by just adding vinegar to your laundry. I had been doing this the whole time but with grapefruit seed extract and it clearly wasn't working. I hope all my pain and suffering can bless the lives of others who are struggling with this same problem. If you are not sure you have thrush, they can do a culture for it to know for sure.  Just ask your doctor or midwife. You don't have to suffer and breastfeeding doesn't have to be so hard and you don't have to quit to get rid of the pain!  
   

The Juicy Truth

I'm going to tell you something that is a big secret, that no one seems to know...

Juice is just SUGAR water.

It's true.  All this time you thought you were doing your body good by drinking a glass of apple juice, or giving your kids loads of "fruit punch".  I am in fact even referring to 100% fruit juice, it is still just flavored sugar water.  Here are some facts.

Fresh squeezed juice is much healthier than juice from concentrate because it does retain the minerals and vitamins from the fruit.  Before you drink down the juice from 5 oranges, please think about it... could you eat 5 oranges all at once?

Juice from concentrate has been cooked down so much there is really not much left but the flavor and sugar.  Plus it is usually highly filtered removing any chance of any fiber being left and sometimes has preservatives in it.

According to livestrong.com, one cup of Apple juice has 31 grams (7.38 teaspoons) of sugar and virtually no protein or fiber.One  cup or orange juice has 17.8 grams (4.2 teaspoons) of sugar, and grape juice has 28 grams (6.66 teaspoons)  of sugar.  In comparison, a Fuji apple has 17 grams of sugar, but it also has 5 grams of fiber.  When the sugar is bound inside the apple to the fiber it digests more slowly, thus reducing the impact of the carbohydrate on your blood sugar, and digesting it more slowly so your body gets a nice even supply of sugar rather than a huge spike.  When your blood sugar is high, your body converts the excess to fat and then stores it because it can't use it all immediately for energy.  So, basically your morning apple juice is going straight to your butt.  Even though the calories in a cup of juice is relatively low, around 140 calories, most people cannot use 7.38 teaspoons worth of sugar energy right away and so you will gain weight.  

This same principle goes towards eating refined flours (white flour) and things like soda.  It doesn't even matter what you call it, corn syrup, table sugar, agave, honey, if it is more sugar than your body can use right away it will store it, and if it keeps getting more and more high carbohydrate foods it keeps storing more and doesn't need to use the stored fat as energy so you just keep getting fatter and fatter.

So, for all intents and purposes I say: Juice. Is. Sugar. Water.  I am trying to get you people off of the massive amounts of sugar you consume, and fruit juice is definitely one way to get too much nutrition-less sugar.  Drink it for a treat, and in a small glass.  Stop pretending like it is healthy. It's not. 

Get out your juicer machine and make it fresh with some vegetables mixed in and then we'll debate the health of juice.  

-Val

DIY, Natural Deodorant Recipe

There are several health concerns with store bought deodorant. The main concern is that the antiperspirant kind contain aluminum which may cause, mostly likely, cancer and dementia.   Deodorant is relatively expensive as well, considering what you are buying, which is about .5 ounce of mineral salts, fillers, oils and artificial scents.  I used to buy a popular brand of antiperspirant because it would help prevent razor rash, but this simple recipe has been more effective at doing so.  It works simply by the arrow root absorbing excess moisture and wicking it away from the body and the baking soda kills the bacteria that create the odors.  The essential oils are mostly for scent but depending on which you choose, may offer additional benefit such as additional bacterial control.  I have been very impressed with the results from this easy recipe and I think you will be too.     

It's so easy to make healthful, natural and effective deodorant. There are simply 2-3 ingredients and it will take you only minutes.


Take 3 Tablespoons Extra Virgin Coconut oil and melt it in a double boiler with 2 Tablespoons of Shea Butter. 
Add 3 Table Spoons of Baking Soda
Then 2 Table Spoons finely ground (in a mortar and pestle or blender etc) Magnesium salts. You can use epsom salts or ancient minerals.   It should be pretty glopy.  You can put it in a small tupperware or a push up container, and place it in the fridge to set. 

Have you tried this healthy, delicious, sugar free drink?

Have you tried this? Crystal Light Pure.  It's not your average Crystal Light which is usually made with Aspartame.  These are made with Stevia, which is an all natural herb not a man made and known cancer causer.  

http://www.kraftbrands.com/crystallight/Pages/default.aspx#/pure/tropical-blend

They taste great and are in a box of individual servings so you can just throw one in a water bottle or glass of water and are good to go where ever you are. Imagine being at a restaurant and pulling one of these out of your purse and mixing it into your water.  Now you don't have to drink plain water, gross diet soda or sugary, regular soda or juice.

My favorite flavor is the Tropical blend.  I have never seen the mixed berry at the store before, so I don't know what that tastes like.  My least favorite is the kiwi strawberry.  It's just kinda bland and unexciting to me.  

You can also get the brand, True Lemon, which is cheaper but is only in citrus flavors and harder to find. In my local stores I find them mixed in with the regular Crystal Light and other juice mixers.   Walmart now has several flavors in their Great Value brand but they are not as good in the quality of the flavors in my opinion.  Skinny Girl has a few flavors that are my favorite and these come in squirt bottles instead of powder. We like to use them with our Soda Stream for great homemade diet soda, without the aspartame or splenda.
 

https://skinnygirlsweeteners.com/products/

Either way, they are all a great way to get in enough water in your diet as well as a little sweet treat. Minus the diabetes or cancer...

-Val

Pinterest is bad for your health

It's not Pinterest's fault that your friends are pinning junk foods constantly.

Yeah, I know its fun and all, but some people constantly pin some horribly unhealthy food and then you are just sitting there, not moving, looking at it, re pinning it and wanting to eat it.  I would suggest removing all of your friends that will not stop posting things like "rolo cake bars" and "homemade twix".  What kinds of friends are these anyway?  There is a reason I pick on Pinterest Compulsive Dessert Pinners.  I have one simple diet secret for you.  If you want to lose weight, decrease cravings, depression, low blood sugar, bloating, PMS, increase energy, decrease inflammation and all of those things diet plans and pills claim they will do, you must do this one thing.  I know, I sound like one of those really bad internet adds.  "Decrease Belly FAT: do this one weird, old tip."  I've never clicked on one of those but I am pretty sure they want you to buy some book or PDF that probably tells you this one thing I am about to tell you.

STOP  EATING  SUGAR  AND  FLOUR.

It's actually two things, but we can call it one because your body turns all flour into sugar anyway and that sugar turns in to fat.      

It's the Carbohydrates people!  You need carbs, but you do not need 200-300 grams of them a day!  Especially those that are simple and refined carbohydrates.  If you eat under 100 grams of Carbs a day you will lose weight.  

Junky, Junky food, all over pinterest.

Now, here is where it gets complicated, because this is real life and real life is never as easy as finding just one miracle cure that works.   

You cannot eat a lb of bacon a day instead of carbs.  You cannot eat miracle carb free, calorie free noodles all the time and expect to be satisfied and healthy.   You must eat healthy foods which are:

Lots of unlimited vegetables

Fruits

Protein sources, (i'm not going to tell you to not eat meat or to eat meat, just eat some good protein)

Seeds and nuts 

Healthy modest amounts of fats, NOT including Trans-fats and other fabricated oils like canola or vegetable.  Eat Coconut, Extra Virgin Olive Oil, Flax, Oils from seeds.   

Low amounts of grains and Starchy foods like white potatoes

No white flours or sugars.   

This is not the Atkins diet, you are not counting carbs.  This is not a DIET AT ALL.  This is a lifestyle change you can make to feel great and lose some extra weight.  You will feel great, and you will lose weight and you may even be able to get off of some medications.  There is one last little trick.  You have to actually do it, and do it longer than 6 hours.

It may be low fat, but it's high in naughty sugar.

Most people will have a hard time eating their usual 2500 + calories a day that got them into their extra large pants in the first place.  So naturally you will lose weight off of the lower caloric intake as well.  You will also increase the amount of micro nutrients you eat like vitamins and minerals.  

So next time you see a friend pin a meal with lots of sugar or flour in it, and they put LOW CALORIE or LOW FAT, think twice.  It's the sugar that is killing us all softly, not the fat and not always the calories.  

Fat and Sugar are an even more dangerous combination.  The sugar amps up your blood sugar, increasing your insulin, which tells your body to start storing all of those extra calories.  It also tells your fat cells not to release any of their stores.  Hence the lack of energy and the accumulation of fat around your body regions.

A lot of people ask me how to lose weight and then say SCREW YOU when I tell them what they will have to give up.  It is possible to keep the weight down and keep your other body systems in check while still enjoying your breads and sweets.  It goes like this.  Eat 1200 Calories a day.  Be starving all of the time.  Enjoy the shakes, anger and depression when your blood sugar bottoms out after a sweet/ starchy meal.  Exercise for hours a day so you can eat more sweets and starches.  Still end up with high cholesterol.  Stop eating fat.  Now you are limited to non fat desserts like fat free pudding, made from chemicals instead of milk.  Cholesterol is still high, go on medication.  Cholesterol medication causes side effects, take a medication for those as well. Repeat.  

You don't need to be some western medical experiment for the rest of your life.  Just eat wholesome balanced foods that are grown from the earth, not a lab.  Your taste buds will change, you will crave sweets and junk less, you will lose weight and you will be satisfied for once.  

Many people try to get off of sugar by replacing it with chemicals.  WRONG.  Eat food, not science experiments.  If you want to sweeten your tea, try an herbal sweetener, like stevia.   If you are craving sweets, try a banana, or a lara bar.  Eat like a human, not a lab rat.               

HIIT training, work out less, burn more fat

This High Intensity Interval Training workout should burn as many calories as a 60 minute cardio session. The initial workout burns less calories, but your body continues burning calories throughout the day, for up to 48 hours at an increased rate, to replenish your cells oxygen levels.  WIN!
As a warning, you need to be somewhat in shape for this type of exercise. You will be sweating and your heart rate will be at its max most of the time, so make sure you are in good health, or consult a doctor if necessary.

The main advantage of this kind of exercise routine is that instead of burning muscle tissue, like is possible for a slow long cardio workout, your body burns fat stores.  This happens after the workout, so even though you are done working out, you are still burning fat.  To further increase the fat burn of this exercise, do it in the morning first thing before breakfast.  Once you eat breakfast your cells will consume the carbohydrates you ate instead of continuing to use the fat stores it was using throughout the night.

If you are not fit enough for this kind of routine, I suggest walking hills or jumping rope alternating legs, or some sort of cardio workout to increase the strength of your cardiovascular system endurance.  Most importantly do lots of weight lifting and calisthenics like lunges and squats. (women, push yourself, you will not bulk up. I lift 15 lbs when doing bicep curls and I look no where near bulky).  Make sure you have good form!
  

Chap Split?

  
    I have been meaning to post on this through the whole winter but kept forgetting.  Here is a super awesome tip for those of you (if you are like me) that get those awful splits on your fingers and hands in the winter.  (No that is not my finger thank goodness.)  You know, the really deep ones that hurt like crazy and always seem to find their way on the places of your hands you bend, move or use the most?  This tip is awesome.  I discovered it this year and have been amazed by how well it truly works.  When I used to get one of these splits, sometimes multiple at at time, they would hurt for days, sometimes a week or more!  They seem to kind of start healing and then get worse again a few times over the whole healing process.  I have even had them "heal" for the most part only to re-open in the exact same spot again a few weeks later.  The remedy of the past was to glue them shut with crazy glue.  Don't do that.  First of all it seals in any germs you might have and can cause infection.  Second, it doesn't allow any air into the cut.   And third, why would you want to put that stuff into your body...gross!  Lotions and creams don't cut it for me, even the most expensive kinds that are meant for super dry skin.  When it comes to winter, my hands are dry, dry, dry no matter what I do.
So here is what you do next time one of these rears its ugly head.  Take some Natural Ice Original chap stick, another brand would probably work but I swear by this one and it is great for lips too.  Rub it on and into the crack.  That is it!  Usually, after only one application it quits hurting and heels in a day or two, no joke.  I most always never have to apply it more than once, maybe twice.  It works IMMEDIATELY with the pain and heels it right up.  Even if the split is still open and still there, it won't hurt anymore and it will heal super fast.  I figured if it worked on cracked lips, why not cracked fingers or hands and boy did it.  So give it a try if you have a split or two.  Cheers!


-Liz-          

A Practical Lesson of Evolutionary Nutrition:

Imagine a small, early history, hunting gathering village of people; our earliest known ancestors.  They gathered nuts, seeds, roots, berries, grasses, greens and herbs on a daily basis.  Often they had a small amount of game meat to eat.  They didn't salt their food, they didn't sweeten their food, they didn't add oil to their food.  They ate the food as it came out of the earth.  Raw, fresh and the truest sense of organic.  They worked hard gathering, walking and hunting their game, then cooking and making camp.  Now imagine centuries later, a small faming village.  They still gather what they can but they also cultivate their own vegetables and raise animals, like goats for milk and meat.  The goats eat their natural diet of grass and herbs.  They walk everywhere they go.  They are all strong and healthy, even the old.  When a villager is deficient or has a disease they increase a certain food, or add certain herbs to increase health and wellness.  No one craves sugar, or salty snacks.  They eat to live.  They eat moderately and mindfully of what will be available in the future.  This is how our bodies evolved and were meant to survive.
  Imagine many, many centuries later, people spend much of the day sitting.  They need food so they go to a grocery store where they can buy endless possibilities. The food is processed to the point where it's origins are uncertain.  They purchase nothing that is in the same form it grew in. Meat is from farms where the animals don't ever see the light of day, are sickly and given high doses of medication and they eat grain and feces of other animals.  Then they purchase milk from equally sick, medicated and undernourished animals.  They are fat but lack the proper nutrition to produce quality milk.   The isle of sweets is filled with the high calorie, nutrient deficient cakes, cookies and candies.  Each single serving containing an entire day or weeks worth of sugars to our early ancestors.  People trying to avoid the high calories go for the artificially sweetened products. These are products produced to allow people to eat endless amounts of sweet satiating, nutrient deficient delicacies.  With out even knowing where the food came from or what it contains the carts are filled to the brim with food that is high in calories, fats and chemicals and is practically void of any real nutrients that your body needs for energy on a cellular level.  An occasional few make it to the produce section where they buy genetically modified vegetables and fruits, that are twice the size they are meant to be and half as ripe.  They are laden with unnatural chemicals to increase shelf life and destroy diseases proliferated by under nourishing the soil and thereby causing disease in the plants.  They have absorbed the chemical pesticides or have a layer coating the outside that is not water soluble and cannot simply be washed away.  They go home and eat the sweets first and let the vegetables sit in the refrigerator until what little nutrition was contained in them  is destroyed.  They can't figure out why they don't have energy to make it through the day and they can't figure out why they are so overweight or suffer from headaches or chronic diseases.  It may not be obvious to all, but people were not meant to eat the modern day diet.  If you go to the source of our food it is clear that our animals and crops are just as vitamin and mineral deficient as  we are.  Our ancestors did not count calories.  They did not watch their carbohydrates or worry about how much protein they were getting.  They may not have been as lucky to have the sanitary and comfortable conditions we have now but they certainly had more energy to work harder and did not get the cancers and chronic conditions we face today.  If we are not feeding our cells with energy to repair and replicate we will feel very run down and unenergized.  Our cells are not looking for calories in and calories out.  They are looking for vitamins and minerals that are from plant sources, making it easy for our bodies to digest and use them.  Feed your body what it has cleverly evolved and been created to eat.  Not Wonder Bread...  Not Chips Ahoy...  Not Dunkin Donuts...  Not baked potato covered in sour cream, bacon bits and cheddar cheese...
-V

Micro Recipe: Brownie Pudding

There are a few reasons I came up with micro recipes.  For one, it's  great way to have portion control.  For another it can be cooked in the microwave, but the namesake really comes from how small the recipe is in terms of volume.  This recipe is an adapted version of my mom's 9x13 pan size.  This one can be done in the microwave in literally 1 minute!  It can also be cooked in the oven the good ole' fashioned way.  If you have ramekins you can make lots of little individual servings. I just cook mine in the microwave in a really big mug.  If you only have small mugs, I would recommend using 2 mugs or you run the risk of it boiling over the sides.  Put a plate under it, if you are unsure. 

4 TBL all purpose flour

3 TBL white sugar or splenda

1 tsp cocoa powder

1/2 tsp baking powder

pinch of salt

Mix above dry ingredients

add to above

2 TBL milk, almond milk, soy milk or water

stir into a nice batter, and divide into 3 ramekins 2 regular mugs or 1 large mug

Then mix

 3 TBL brown sugar

1 TBL cocoa powder 

7 TBL hot water 

pour over the batter mix equally.  

For the microwave, microwave each mug 1 minute or until it bubbles to the top of the mug about to spill over.  Bake in a 350 degree oven for 15-20 minutes, until the batter rises to the top and has fully cooked.  Eat it warm and gooey.  It is easy and yummy, yummy delicious.  I have made this recipe a million times in the oven and you cannot tell the difference from the oven to the microwave in terms of taste and texture.  No, it's not healthy but sometimes it's mentally healthy to have a treat!   

-Val

     

Kicking Against the Pricks

I honestly don't even know what a prick is, but it sounds uncomfortable to kick.  This discomfort is something I have been experiencing most of my life.  I am very impatient, especially when it comes to life moving along.  I don't like transition periods and I don't like that stagnant period between transitions. I suppose the only period I tolerate is when things are on the up and up.  Enjoying the journey, as they say, is something I've only recently adopted.  It certainly doesn't come naturally to me to enjoy waiting for the next exciting and new thing in life to come along.  But alas, at least I have learned it, as infrequently as I follow it.  There are 3 things in my adult life that have been consistent and ever present that I enjoy.  In no particular order they are cooking, silversmithing and natural health studies.  I am almost 30 and I stay at home with my kids.  I know that my kids wont be home forever and therefore I do not intend to be a house wife forever either.  I feel it is very important to stay home with my kids and raise them.  I certainly don't want to miss any important moments.  Yet sometimes it is hard.  I find myself getting down in the dumps, depressed, BORED.  I try to keep myself busy and my mind active with activities here and there.  Crafting, learning, watching hours of BBC classical period dramas...  
The outside world on the tv is continually telling me to get a career and be successful.  Oh do I ever want to be successful.  Here's the thing about being successful.  It is like being skinny, it is all relative.  Relative to whom you ask, whom you live by and where you live.  To a 500 lb woman struggling to loose weight, I bet 350 lbs sounds sweet.  To that 350 lb woman I imagine 180 lbs would be fantastic.  To that 180 lb woman 145 would be great!  To me 145 lbs is fat and I'm sick of it!  So it goes success.

When I look at my mother though, I see success.  She never had a fabulous career or made a lot of money or was super skinny and fashionable.  She raised 7 kids!  She is still married to the same man after 4 decades!  She reads every book before I even know it exists.  She helps everyone around her and is always charitable.  She is smart and sturdy little lady who just keeps on going and learning and doing.  I know that according to "the world" she is not much of a fantastic success, but if I could just be half the woman she is by the time I am her age I would feel successful.  There is no denying she is a successful human being.  Yet here I am "kicking against the pricks" trying to accomplish things I know will largely make me successful in others eyes and not my own.
My sister and I had a conversation this morning about how I am frustrated that I cannot find a decent school and degree combo that I want.  One school has the program I want but is not accredited, the other school may have the accreditation but does not have the kind of program that I can believe in.  I have been searching for the right school and the right program for years.  I didn't even know what I wanted to do exactly until very recently.  Still I am not completely certain how it will all pan out.  My sister implored me to stop kicking against the pricks.  Just enjoy what I am doing right now and when it's time to go to school the stars will align.   Sometimes I want to kick the pricks to spite my foot. I suppose I will always have the personality that will kick the pricks occasionally to make sure they are really there.   Then I will look at my sore foot and remember that life was much better before I started kicking said pricks.  Thank you sister for reminding me that I have to enjoy the journey and work toward my goals at a more patient pace.  That I cannot want something and receive it at the same time; there is little to learn if there is not some adversity along the way.  Thank you mother for your shining example of a well adjusted, successful mother who tells "society" what for instead of letting society determine your worth.
-Val

Taco Soup

This taco soup is healthy and delicious.  It was a recipe i just threw together one day with what I had in the house, and now we eat it regularly.

First sautee a small or medium onion in 1 tbl of vegetable oil, and 2 large cloves of minced or pressed garlic.
Add 1 box of Pacific, free range Chicken Broth
1 can of black beans, rinsed
2 cans of water from the bean can
1 can of diced tomatoes, or 2 cups fresh chopped
1/2 cup of frozen corn
Optional 1-2 grilled and chopped chicken
Your favorite taco spices, I like
1 tsp chili powder
1/2 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp lime basil
bring all ingredients to a nice boil then reduce the heat and add
2 mashed avocados, I use a fork and rake it then scoop it out
lime juice, about 4-5 limes worth

Once all ingredients are added stir it up and serve. Do not cook the avocados or they will get mushy and brown. They simply need to be heated.  I like to serve it with fresh cilantro, crushed corn chips and plain yogurt or sour cream.  Enjoy!

Why this recipe is great

Beans: Beans are high in fiber and protein
Chicken Broth: Pacific chicken broth has no MSG, I highly recommend this brand for that reason
Avocados: High in healthy fats
Limes: Limes are alkalizing to the body and key to the great taste of this soup.

BEWARE: Hidden Sugar Everywhere

There are sugars hidden in plain sight in a majority of prepackaged foods.  Even those you wouldn't suspect, like whole wheat bread, or chips or pasta sauces.  You may be getting a lot more refined sugar in your diet than you would have ever imagined.  You don't have to eat a candy bar to get a large helping of sugar. Our bodies were not made to use the massive amounts of refined carbohydrate that this generation consumes.  This is largely the reason for the unusual type 2 diabetes (adult onset) in children and young adults.  
I watch in horror as other parents give their kids a "homemade" and "nutritious" lunch that is mostly sugar.  They think they are being such responsible parents when in reality they are just ignorant to what is really in that food.  It's not their fault entirely, they have been mislead by food companies. 
Big fast food restaurants claim to have better choices, but I see hidden sugar and fat, like in the huge packages of salad dressing, or the caramel dip for apple slices.  Ignorance is not bliss when it comes to your health and preventing disease.  Be aware of what you eat and what you are feeding your children and family.  Read labels and know what you are looking for.  Here are some of the basics in sugar-ology.


There are about 4.2 grams per teaspoon of sugar
There is one gram of carbohydrate in one gram of sugar
To maintain healthy blood glucose levels for the average person, you should not eat more than 30-45 grams of carbohydrates in a meal.


A popular fast food restaurant serves apples and milk on the side of a hamburger as a more healthy alternative to fries and soda.  The apples come with a caramel dip and the milk is chocolate.  The entire meal consists of 43 grams of sugar...  that is over 10 teaspoons of sugar and over 80 grams of carbohydrates.


Lets compare this to the diligent mom who sent a lunch to school-

Peanut butter and Jelly sandwich, juice box, chips and fruit roll up.  55 Grams of sugar.  That is over 12.6 teaspoons of sugar. That is over 2.6 times the amount of carbohydrate an adult should eat in one meal, 118 grams!


When we are children all of our organs work very well.  Our bodies have no problems tackling the high amounts of sugar we feed our kids. But as we age, we wear out our organs and our cells don't repair quite as fast.  The super high amounts of sugar we eat can break down our pancreas, which handles blood sugar levels. The body needs sugar but not huge surges of refined sugars.  We are creating a diabetic atmosphere in a person that does not have diabetes.  People with diabetes cannot create enough insulin for their body to handle all of the sugar they eat, their blood sugar can get very high and stay very high.  Having constantly high blood sugar causes heart disease, vision loss, nerve damage, kidney damage and more.

The best way to avoid a lot of sugar is to make your own meals, and stay away from prepackaged foods.  They are always loaded up with excess sugar.  Stay away from refined flours as well.  Refined flours may not taste like sugar but they might as well be since they are quickly converted to sugar in our bodies.  Also stay away from white rice, and other high carbohydrate foods, that are not also full of protein or fiber.   When carbohydrates and sugars are bound in natural form to the fiber in fruits and vegetables they take our body much longer to convert them to sugars.  This slow process keeps our bodies from receiving a huge surge of sugar in the blood.  Read labels and be aware of what you are feeding your children and putting in your own mouth!



Oh, and please DONT replace sugar with chemical sweeteners!  Replace them with fruit!

 Just for fun: Frightening ad by sugar companies, when artificial sugars first came on the market.  


-V    
      

Colostrum? WARNING! IF YOU READ THIS YOU WILL BE INTRIGUED

WARNING! IF YOU READ THIS YOU WILL BE INTRIGUED AND IT WILL CHANGE YOUR LIFE IF YOU TRY THIS SUPPLEMENT FOR YOURSELF!

Colostrum: Milk secreted for a few days after parturition and characterized by high protein and antibody content.

Transfer Factor: A substance that is produced and secreted by a lymphocyte functioning in cell-mediated immunity and that upon incorporation into a lymphocyte which has not been sensitized confers on it the same immunological specificity as the sensitized cell.

In this case the "substance" being transferred is the "antibody content".

I have suffered health problems since I was very young. About 13 years old. Some of them are personal. As of a few years back, if doctors had their way, I would be medicated now for anxiety, insomnia, infertility, panic attacks, fibromyalgia and poly-cystic ovarian syndrome. I decided I didn't want to be reliant on a bunch of medications that had serious side affects and that I wanted to heal my body from the inside out through natural means. Might sound "hippy-ish" but it has worked for me. I started this "journey" about 5 years ago and as of today do not take a single medication for any of the above problems (though I am not 100% symptom free) and have two children without any fertility intervention. With that said, I have become addicted to health research in the pursuit of a new idea or fact that may in someway bring me or a loved one greater health. When I find a subject that interests me I literally read up on it until I am blue in the face, usually over a course of days to weeks. NO breaks! Just kidding. Some breaks. This includes reading about it from EVERY angle. Those who are for and those who oppose, coming to my own conclusion based on my findings. If I find I am for, I TRY what I have researched so I can come to a true conclusion based on personal experience. With that said, sit back and enjoy this post. I have done all the leg work for you on this one. Then, in the end, if you find this interests you I suggest you research it for yourself and then for heaven's sake! TRY IT! LOL. No, I am not getting paid for this by any one company and I am not crazy. If you know me at all, trust me on this and if you don't know me at all...still trust me on this.

A few months back I stumbled across an article about the "transfer factor". In short it spoke about how new research has shed light on a long running mystery, how the immunity of a mammal mother was transferred to its young through colostrum. Colostrum is a yellowy, milk that a female mammal secretes the first few days after birth. It is full of antibodies and protein rich! It literally transfers the immunity of the mother that took a lifetime to build to the new offspring, who at present has no real immunity of its own. The newest findings are no less than very interesting. The actual "transfer" is done through very small protein particles that bypass the digestive system and are absorbed into the blood stream of the offspring. Even more interesting was found that supplementing adults with bovine colostrum not only transfers perfectly from cow to human but that it gives to us that same immunity transfer...per say. What it actually seems to do is almost provide you with a secondary immune system, making yours more than its own strength maybe by double if not more.

What I read also spoke about how many people have benefited from this supplement. I was more than intrigued. So began the hours of reading. For weeks on this one. LOL. I wanted to know how humans could take bovine colostrum and it be useful? What happens if you have milk allergies? What is the best brand? Is it free of hormones and steroids and antibiotics? How much should you take? What do most people find relief from? Do you take it forever? Once? Twice? How are the cattle kept and cared for?

I found answers to all of these questions and more. Sometimes they were contradictory and sometimes they were in agreement from site to site. I read through hundreds of forums to get the input from others who have actually tried the supplement.

Through all my research I learned the following facts:

Bovine colostrum is transferable to any species. You can give it to your dog, horse, self, child or whoever.

Most people have had very good to amazing results taking colostrum.

The number one reason colostrum is taken by people is to boost their immune system.

Colostrum has actually been taken by body builders for its great protein content for years. And yes, they did reap the other benefits such as better immunity while taking it for muscle power.

Colostrum that is collected from cattle in your home country will probably have better immunity to things you are most likely to be in contact with so look for USA colostrum if you live in the USA etc.

Calves are fed the first milking which has more than enough of what they need to be on the road to great health from mothers immunity so don't worry for the calves!

Most colostrum on the market is hormone, steroid and antibiotic free. In fact I don't remember looking into any brands that weren't.

There is such a huge margin of opinion on the topic of "organic" from farm to farm that I felt "organic" colostrum wasn't necessary for my needs. It is harder to find and more expensive.

Colostrum isn't cheap. I wouldn't say it is a terribly expensive supplement either.

There are many brands and types from capsules to powder to chewables.

You want to be sure to buy a brand that says it is made from the first one to two milkings. Anything after is transitional milk and won't have the same benefits.

If your colostrum is not yellow, it isn't good. If it is white that means it is more milk than colostrum.

Some brands have the fat removed, others do not. They both claim to have the "best" results...so I am personally trying multiple brands and types to see.

The lactose from the colostrum is removed so there are no allergy concerns.

You can not really overdose on colostrum.

You may experience a few days of feeling flu-ish when you begin taking colostrum. You may even develop a rash. This is just the bodies reaction to excreting toxins when your immunity is strengthened.

Here are a few things I learned AFTER taking colostrum:

Colostrum should be taken on an empty stomach with a glass of water for best absorption. Wait about a half hour before you eat.

Colostrum tastes like powdered milk. I do not find it gross in any way.

Colostrum works best when taken multiple times a day.

Colostrum WORKS!

Here is my personal experience:

I started with a brand that had all the things I was looking for. De-fatted, no steroids/chemicals/hormones/antibiotics, no fillers added, first milking, USA cattle. I began with four pills in the morning. The first few days I did feel a little under the weather. Mostly my throat ached. Then I would say about a week into taking it I suddenly noticed I had SO much more energy than I usually do. I have chronic fatigue quite often and so something like that would be very noticeable to me...and it was. I felt like I could go and go and go and that little ordinary things weren't so daunting mentally...like exercising and getting the house in order. I feel like it brought strength to my body as well as my mind. At this time I have been suffering from very bad allergies. I was really hoping the colostrum would help as so many others I had read about said it did. The first week or so I always felt some allergies there. Not enough to merit medications but still annoying. Especially at night. Then I ran out. I had a full day without colostrum. And that day I had the WORST allergies. I was SO miserable. So my thoughts were...coincidence? Or was it holding my allergies off more than I realized? Well, the next day when I got my new bottle and started taking them again...that very day...allergies were SO much better. Not coincidence. About this time I learned that you really should take it more than once a day. It does build up your system over time but it also has a lifespan so you will want to replenish it in your system through out the day for best results. So I decided to take two pills in the morning and two in the late afternoon to see what happened. WHA-LA! NO allergies...during the day. But some mild ones at night. I had read not to take colostrum past 5pm because the energy factor in it might give you insomnia...but I decided to try anyhow. So I took two pills in the morning, two in the mid afternoon and a 1/2 tsp of powder around 5pm and DOUBLE WHA-LA! No allergies during the day or night!...Okay...very mild ones...almost undetectable. So I had read to take colostrum in the amount it takes to rid your symptoms. So I decided to try THREE pills in the morning, two in the afternoon and a 1/2 tsp in the evening. AND YES, TRIPLE WHA-LA! NO...NO ALLERGIES DAY OR NIGHT. I am literally amazed. I am even around my horses everyday. Around their hay (my biggest allergy nemesis) and loads of dry dust and not a sneeze or sniff.

I have been taking colostrum about 5-6 weeks now. Between the energy boost, eradicated allergies AND I have not gotten two separate illnesses that my kids and husband have...I am sold. I have tried two brands myself and have a sister trying a third for results. I have tried two de-fatted brands that I felt had the same results and my sister is trying a brand with the fat left in (which many claim is the best). Maybe she will leave a response of her experience thus far.

I seriously recommend to EVERYONE to try this. Just try one months worth. Whether you have arthritis, chronic sinus issues, allergies, fatigue, poor immunity, chronic pain or ANYTHING...try it. As we age our immune systems do too and slow down as well. You may not even realize how much better you might feel unless you give it a go! I will attach links to sites with further information and the brands I felt were superior.

I will continue to use it myself to see what results I continue to see as it builds my system back up. That is all for now! Cheers!

Articles:

http://colostrumplus.com/

http://www.hamovhotov.com/health/?p=147

http://www.best-natural-health-supplements.com/benefits-of-colostrum.html

http://www.healingdaily.com/conditions/colostrum.htm

(For more, do a general web search on "colostrum".)


Brands:

http://symbiotics.com/

http://www.marysgarden.com/colostrum/mhg_30_capsules.htm

http://www.tbrlabs.com/

(For more, do a general web search on "colostrum supplements".)

-Liz-