ⓒ 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…)

©iStockphoto.com - VELEZGREENE

While chocolate, particularly dark chocolate, can be part of a healthy diet in moderation, the fats and sugars (not to mention caramel and nougat) add unneeded calories to what is otherwise a powerhouse of antioxidants with potential cardiovascular benefits. Cocoa powder and cacao nibs provide chocolate’s health benefits without the drawbacks of the fats and sugars in chocolate candy.

While you can eat unsweetened baking chocolate out of hand like a candy bar, it doesn’t have the flavor or mouthfeel most people have come to expect from bar chocolate, and packs quite a bit of fat, though the types of fats in cocoa butter (the solid fat in pure chocolate) may not be all bad. Half of the fat is a monounsaturated fat also found in olive oil. The remainder is two saturated fats, stearic acid and palmitic acid; stearic acid doesn’t appear to have any effect on cholesterol, though palmitic acid, comprising a third of the fat calories in cocoa butter, does have some negative effects on the “good” LDL cholesterol. These five serving ideas provide an alternative to munching on baking chocolate regularly to get the benefits of chocolate without sugar. (continue reading…)

ⓒ iStockPhoto - arlindo71

Recipe provided by Cindy Thomas

This is a wonderful easy recipe to start the day with.  Choosing a good source super food powder is vital. Since I personally use BOKU, I highly recommend it. Your body will thank you, too!

1 cup raw milk or organic orange juice

1/4 cup unsweetened coconut milk

1 Tablespoon organic coconut oil

2 fresh bananas

1 cup frozen strawberries

2 Tablespoons raw honey

1 Tablespoon bee pollen

1 scoop Super Food powder (I like BOKU)

Blend until smooth. Enjoy! (continue reading…)

ⓒ iStockPhoto - JLGutierrez

I’m committed to drinking more water, but don’t want to drink phthalates or bisphenol-a while I keep hydrated. What should I look for when choosing a reusable water bottle?

Proper hydration is one of the most important steps you can take to maintain overall wellness, and individual disposable bottles of water waste both natural resources and money compared to a reusable bottle. At home, glass is the safest choice, since as an inert substance glass doesn’t leach any plasticizers into the liquid. Around small children who may not be ready for heavier and breakable dishes, polypropylene is a safe material. (continue reading…)

ⓒ iStockPhoto - qbanczyk

When shopping for juice boxes for my child’s lunch, I notice most of the juices contain 100% of the RDA of Vitamin C, but aren’t fortified with other vitamins. What’s with all the Vitamin C in juices I buy from the store?

Aside from fruit sugars, the main nutrient in many commercially available juices is Vitamin C, which is generally added to juice on top of whatever natural Vitamin C survives the processing. Humans are among the few animals who don’t make our own Vitamin C. Bats, guinea pigs, songbirds and the rest of the haplorrhini suborder of primates (which includes humans) don’t synthesize Vitamin C and must get it from dietary sources. Vitamin C deficiency results in scurvy, which is fatal if untreated but is rarely seen in modern times, since adequate Vitamin C intake is fairly easy with a moderate intake of fruits and vegetables. (continue reading…)

©iStockphoto.com - loooby

Start the New Year off on a healthy note with the Green Smoothie Challenge. Suzanne from The Enchanted Chameleon is hosting a New Year’s Green Smoothie Challenge at her blog. You can also join the Green Smoothie Challenge on Facebook. The challenge is simple: drink a green smoothie once a day for a week, starting January 2. A week is enough time to start feeling some of the benefits of drinking green smoothies, like reduced sugar cravings and more energy. If you’ve made a resolution to eat more wholesome, nutritious foods or to lose weight, the Green Smoothie Challenge is a great way to kick off your efforts.

Green smoothies are just like regular fruit smoothies, but with the addition of leafy green vegetables like spinach, kale or collards. The greens give them a nutritional boost that all-fruit smoothies just can’t provide. With a heavy mix of fruits, the greens flavor is almost imperceptible. If you really like the flavor of greens with fruit, like in a spinach and strawberry salad, you can add more greens to make the fresh leafy flavor come through. For some ideas for the flavor varieties you can get with green smoothies, check out Green Diva Mom’s 12 Great-Tasting Green Smoothie Recipes. (continue reading…)