©iStockphoto.com - William Mahar

Summer is iced tea season. Think beyond green and black tea to herbal iced teas for a change of pace with many potential caffeine-free variations. Aside from tasting great, many herbal teas have health benefits. To make herbal iced tea, pour 1 cup nearly-boiling water over 3-4 tablespoons of fresh herb (about 1 tablespoon dried herb) and let steep 10 minutes before pouring over ice to serve. Vary the amount of herb to achieve the desired strength.

Infuse these individually or combine herbs that smell nice together for an interesting flavor. Sweeten to taste with honey, cane juice, agave or your sweetener of choice. A shot of fruit juice lends sweetness and another layer of flavor. Some juice and herb combinations to try include apple with chamomile and orange with lemon balm. (continue reading…)

©iStockphoto.com - DivaNir4a

Young children are particularly susceptible to heat injury. Heatstroke and heat exhaustion can set in rapidly as the temperatures climb, and, left unattended, can lead to brain or organ damage.

Water and light are two keys for preventing heat injury. As temperatures climb, think light clothes, light activity and light meals, and drink more water than you think you need. Make sure kids are getting enough to drink, too, since children’s smaller bodies dehydrate faster than adults’.

(continue reading…)

©iStockphoto.com - borchee

A lot of information is available today about superfoods and specifically about wheatgrass. However, supplements can be expensive, and I know that I am not the only one who would rather feel that they are eating a food rather than swallowing a supplement. It is possible to buy trays with the wheatgrass already grown, but it is cheaper to do it yourself.

I decided that even though I was not the world’s best gardener, I would try growing my own. I was amazed how cheap and easy it is to grow. Within 10 days I had a good crop ready for the juicer. Admittedly the juice itself wasn’t particularly appetizing, but I juiced with a couple of carrots which made the juicing easier and the drink more palatable. A 500g bag of organic wheat grain cost me about the same amount as a bar of chocolate. Other grains can be used such as spelt wheat or barley; however I found these a bit harder to grow.

(continue reading…)

©iStockphoto.com - Liliboas

Fresh juices are a safe and inexpensive form of preventive medicine. A few glasses of juice each day increase nutrient density of our diet. There are very few people who can have a pound of raw carrots a day, but anyone can squeeze in an 8-ounce glass of carrot juice, which is rich in important vitamins A and C.

Juice’s main drawback is that it removes fiber, which is essential for healthy digestion and may even help in preventing certain type of cancer. An adult needs 20-35 grams of fiber everyday. A glass of eight ounce of carrot contains only 2 grams of fiber as compared to 14 grams in a pound of carrots. Thus, it is advisable to have raw and fresh vegetables and fruits in addition to juices. Most people do not have either juice or raw vegetables and fruits. Thus, adding a few glasses of fresh juices each day can do a lot to improve the average person’s diet. (continue reading…)

ⓒiStockPhoto - BVDC

Maybe you’re looking through the plant and seed catalogs and you’re intrigued by the medicinal herbs, or maybe you’re looking for natural alternatives to costly over-the-counter medicines. Maybe you’re just tired of paying an awful lot of money for a box of twenty tea bags. Many people these days want to tap into the ancient wisdom of herbalism, but find it overwhelming. There are so many different herbs, it’s hard to know where to start and what to do first.

There are a couple of good ways to test the waters without drowning. First, start simple. Literally. Simpling is the age old procedure of using only one herb at a time. Don’t worry about mixing special tea brews or finding the elixir of life. Pick one herb, such as chamomile, and make a tea out of it. You’d be surprised how new of an experience it is just to purchase a bulk bag of chamomile flowers and brew your own loose tea. Opening the bag and smelling the first puff of scent, feeling the crushed flowers between your fingers, and straining away the spent herb will give you a familiarity with the herb that store-bought tea bags won’t. Teas are a very easy way to experiment with a single herb, and there are many herbs that lend themselves well to this use; oatstraw, nettle, peppermint. Brewing and drinking a tea made from only one herb regularly will give you a chance to see how that herb affects your body. It can be interesting, after you’ve experimented with several teas, to see when your body craves which tea. (continue reading…)

ⓒ iStockPhoto - OlgaMiltsova

After a long day, nothing hits the spot quite like a cup of chamomile tea. Many people are familiar with the cheery yellow flowers with their uplifting aroma whether they buy it as good old plain chamomile tea or as a component of blends such as Celestial Seasonings Sleepytime tea. Both German and Roman chamomile provide the same effects. The main difference is which one is more accessible to you, or cheaper to buy.

Chamomile has many uses other than just as a relaxing tea, however, and a long history. It’s been used medicinally as far back as the time of the ancient Egyptians. The Egyptians used it to cure fever, and people in the middle ages used it as an air freshener and a bittering ingredient for beer. There are so many uses for chamomile that it is much more economical to buy the herb in bulk rather than in boxes of individually packaged tea bags. Below are some of the main uses for Chamomile. (continue reading…)

©iStockphoto.com - LilliDay

If  you’ve tried green smoothies, consider taking the green content up a notch with a blended salad. While green smoothies are more fruit than greens, a blended salad is primarily greens, combined with other vegetables such as tomatoes, cucumbers, peppers, zucchini, carrots, broccoli and cauliflower and enough water to facilitate blending. Depending on the vegetables and the amount of added water, a blended salad may have a consistency anywhere between babyfood and a creamy soup. For the smoothest consistency with the least added water, blend the additional vegetables into a puree before adding the greens to the blender.

Blended salads have many of the same health benefits as green smoothies. In fact, with more greens and less naturally sweet fruit in them, blended salads may be even better for those watching their sugar intake from naturally occurring sources and additives. A small amount of healthy fat aids in the absorption of vitamins and minerals from the greens, so many blended salads include avocado or a small amount of cold-pressed olive or flax oil. Here are a few of our favorite blended salad recipes. (continue reading…)