My passion for living healthier and happier began years ago in pursuit of spiritual and emotional well-being. However, years later after having my third child who developed peanut allergies, asthma, digestive issues and not to mention frequent colds led me to dig deep into researching the cause and affects of his physical health. Because of this journey, it has become one of my life’s mission: “Empower people to live healthier and happier in spirit, soul and body.”
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My desire to see my son overcome his health problems has resulted in less colds, virtually no more digestive issues and the last asthma attack that rushed him to the Emergency Room for breathing treatments and steroids was five years ago. There’s nothing more fulfilling than to see your child be in good health.
Thank God for medical intervention, the awesome hands of the doctors and we love them, but what’s better…is not needing one if we can prevent it!
In the age of technology, we were blessed to have resources that were available to us from the internet and of course I found a lot of information via traditional means-such as good old books and health encyclopedias.
As a mom who was not tech savvy and didn’t even have my own email address when all of my friends had one at the time, found myself on the internet until whee hours in the morning reading, researching, and recording all of the incredible revelations that has helped us through this health journey…one in which our entire family has benefited from.
Book stores were also filled with new and upcoming alternative health experts which sparked my interest for natural health. I was eager to learn about this alternative medicine that focuses on the whole body, which eventually led me to receiving my Biblical Health certificate as a Health Coach. I will be completing my degree in Natural Health in the near future (working on getting back into classes).
If you are a mother, father, educator, health advocate, or a living soul, please take a few seconds and watch this video and join the movement to create a healthier lifestyle and environment for you, your family, and your future generation.
A few years ago one of my college course assignments was to write an Informative research paper on Digestive Health. As I was collecting data from various sources, ei: internet, health books, medical journals, I was shocked to discover how many people are afflicted with digestive disease.
The Royal Society of Medicine reports that over 90% of diseases are a result of an infected digestive tract. A lot of those issues can be traced to the foods that we consume. You’ve heard the saying, “you are what you eat,” and if you want to achieve optimal digestive health, then cabbage may be your colon’s best friend!
Cabbage is considered a part of the cruciferous family of vegetables such as: broccoli, cauliflower & Brussels sprouts. The root word of cruciferous is “crucify” (to kill); therefore, cruciferous vegetables are known to crucify or inhibit cells that potentially cause disease or cancer. Chemicals found in other cruciferous vegetables and cabbage are considered anticancer. But cabbage works like a sweep and broom effect along your intestine to remove waste. See why cabbage may be your colon’s best friend?
Cabbage has one of the least amounts of calories and fat compared to the many other vegetables and a 1/2 cup is approximately only 16 calories. I’m more conscious about fat intake then calories, but for those of you who are calorie counters, this must be great news!
Hippocrates, the Father of Medicine once said, “Let your food be your medicine and your medicine be your food.” That man had some wisdom and we all know how food affects our health in a positive or negative way. Now, I love food and I’m not in bondage to the dietary laws of the Old Testament; however, I do believe that the principles for health are the same yesterday, today, and always.
I have shared my family’s favorite Cabbage Chicken Salad recipe before and have even recommended it for foods to eat while on a cleanse. My mother frequently prepared this growing up and still does when I go home to visit. Although I make this now in my own kitchen, there’s nothing like mom’s cooking! It was one of the easiest recipes passed down to me as a new wife learning to cook years ago.
Of course I always serve my cabbage salad on fancy plates
Today, I made a big batch of this Cabbage Chicken Salad for lunch and the rest made for great leftovers for the kids’ lunch or an after school snack. I’ve posted the recipe before as you may find on one of my other posts, but for your convenience…I’ve included the recipe below. Enjoy!
Cabbage Chicken Salad
1 whole green cabbage
1 chicken breast
1 bunch of cilantro
4 stalks of green onions
1 to 1 1/2 whole lime
Boil chicken breast let cool and then shred or cut in small thin slices
Cut cabbage in quarters and finely cut each quarter
Cut up cilantro & onions finely
1/4 tsp of Celtic sea salt
dash of pepper
a few dashes of soy sauce or fish sauce (optional)
Directions:
In a large bowl, combine cabbage, chicken, cilantro, onions, salt and pepper, soy sauce. Squeeze lime juice over the salad mix and toss really well before serving.
Note: By the way, if you have a Thyroid issue, you may want to limit your intake (do some research on this…another post for another day). Another key food source for obtaining digestive health, is getting the required amounts of fiber. I’ll be writing about this in an upcoming post, but fiber is vital in its ability to trap and remove toxins from our colon as well as promote regularity. As a women, we need approximately 25-30 grams of fiber a day. Unfortunately, not many of us are getting it in our daily diets.
Disclosure: The contents in this post are for educational purpose only and is not intended to diagnose or treat illnesses. Please always consult with your physician.
It’s hard to believe that I gave up the lattes and calories for something that sounds like a drink from Mars. I love going to the health food store and often times a quick run for one or two items can turn into a new adventure lasting longer than my schedule allows, checking out the latest in natural health. A few years ago, I stumbled upon a new beverage – Kombucha Synergy.
Bye-Bye latte and Hello Kombucha! I’ve traded in the weekly, sometimes bi-weekly lattes at 180-220 calories, depending whether or not I opt for whole or non-fat milk for something healthier, with a lot less calories, and delectable to my tastes buds.
Don’t get me wrong, I love Starbucks and Caribou; and still make frequent stops at whichever is within my route but for their coffee of the day rather than the usual complicated order that probably made the Barista’s heads spin (tall, skim latte with no foam and one pump of vanilla).
One of my best girlfriends and I used to work together and at least twice a week we would have our coffee break during lunch and catch up. Neither of us are with the same employer; she moved away and I’ve found a new love.
Let me mention that around the holidays when Pumpkin Spice and Eggnog lattes are rolled out, I may have one or two during the season, OK… maybe three to satisfy my craving as it gets me into the holiday mood. After all, I might just become the mayor at a Starbucks on Foursquare very soon! Maybe I’ll get some perks.
But you may wondering, “What the heck is Kombucha?” Kombucha is a live culture of microorganisms often known as either a mushroom or tea. Kombucha has been around since 221 BC and was popular in Eastern China and spread to Russia and Japan because of its health benefits. It’s reported to promote liver health, digestion, detoxifies and decrease appetite in addition to building a strong immune system. This discovery was a “love at first sight!”
Kombucha Synergy comes in a variety of flavors; my favorites are mango and raspberry. However, if I feel a need to detox or promote cleansing, I’ll opt for Green Super-food or to sooth a tummy ache, I’ll go for the Gingerade. Kombucha Synergy is raw, natural, organic, and full of antioxidants, non- caffeinated, no artificial flavors or preservatives. Although it’s not a carbonated drink, there’s a slight fizz for those who like a little carbonation. Don’t be alarmed by the slimy enzymes that are floating at the bottom. It’s actually what you want to drink Kombucha for; it’s loaded with health properties.
You can find Kombucha Synergy at Whole Foods Market and various health stores across the country; a few conventional grocery stores such as Jewel are even carrying it. The price ranges between $2.79-3.50 per bottle.
Have you tried Kombucha Synergy? Let me know what you think!
Disclosure: I have no material connections to any of the brands, products, or topics mentioned herein. The opinions are purely my own. Any posts containing health mentions are for educational purpose only and is not intended to treat or diagnose.
My sixteen year old daughter recently joined our health club. She has been persistent in asking for a gym membership for the past couple of years and we felt it was the right time for her to join. I’m proud of her for desiring to be healthier; but I must mention it wasn’t always that way for M.Thuy or any of my kids.
When I started our family on a new health journey eight years ago, it came with resistance at times. We switched to organic foods and natural health, earth friendly products and my kids were guinea pigs to all of the things that I discovered for them to try. From berry flavored leather fruit strips (aka healthier version of fruit roll ups, but without the artificial flavor, colors & sugars), organic lollipops to soy hot dogs and soy ice cream. The soy hot dogs were gross! Poor kids!
Anyway…Sundays after church is usually a day of rest and I typically don’t like planning anything. With a new membership, my daughter M. Thuy wanted to go to the gym and because I didn’t make it the last two days, I thought maybe I should join her. So… off to the gym we went. It was the first time we worked out together. Boy, that girl can run on the treadmill, while I walk a steady pace because I like to read (well, speed read).
I’ve been a member at our health club for a few years but I never noticed the vending machines. As we exited the Women’s Only work out room, my daughter points to the vending machine and says, “Mom, what irony…having a vending machine with junk in our health club!” She’s absolutely right! And the one next to it was a soda machine.
It’s not what I expect to see in a State of the Art heath facility promoting well-being. I would like to see health clubs put in vending machines that offered a healthier selection, such as protein bars, protein shakes, organic iced teas and more water. But if they’re going to sell chips and candy bars, why not at least include baked or pita chips as appose to the ones seen in this photo? Maybe I should start a new business offering healthy vending snacks. Just. A. Thought.
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