Health

How Do You Make Time For Yourself?

November 9, 2012 By Joi 3 Comments

And Why You Should do It More Often!

Peace: I Guess You Have to Keep Creating It - Holy Mole Comic Strip by Rick Hotton

Day 9 of November’s National Health Blog Challenge Month!

Do you have a certain routine (daily preferably) or “escape” each day that’s for you and you alone? If you don’t, it may be the very thing missing from your life.

At least 5 days a week, I retreat to the bathroom for a little “girly” escape. I put on a facial mask soak my feet in the tub, then follow it up with a foot scrub treatment, finishing off with great smelling lotion. After I take off the facial mask, I do or re-do my nails if they need it. Then I’ll finish the retreat off with a chapter from the Agatha Christie novel I’m reading at the time.

One of the quirkiest of the quirky things about me is that I am ALWAYS in the middle of an Agatha Christie mystery. Even if it means going back and reading one I’d read years ago. What can I say, I’m obsessed with Agatha Christie.

It may sound crazy to some people (especially males!) but the mini-retreat does me a lot of good and I mean A LOT. Fortunately, I work from home, so when I’ve reached a certain point in my day when I could use a little relaxation, I minimize all of the windows on my computer, grab my coffee and iced tea (naturally I have both going at all times – another quirk or am I not alone in this one?), and off I head for the back of the house… followed immediately by my cat Alexa who enjoys a good retreat, herself.

More than anything, these precious few minutes I steal away from the day recharge me. No matter how I felt immediately before the mini retreat… when I return to my computer, work, and the real world, I feel (and smell!) a world better. I guess you could say it puts me in a better place. In fact, I find that my thinking is even clearer after I return to my work. My creativity flows more graciously and I’m able to get things done in no time at all.

Like I said, it recharges me!

A lot of times I’ll hear from people who say they feel as though they’re hanging on by a thread. Whether it’s stress, anxiety, or the blues – life appears to be serving them more than their plate can hold. Inevitably, I’ll ask them what they do to take time for themselves. Just one short “get away” each day could make all the difference in the world.

Before a recent foot injury, yoga was my great escape. I’m hoping it will be again soon – but as it is, right now a balancing move of any kind would end in disaster. For now, I soak.

How about you? What do you do each day to take a little time for yourself and recharge your own batteries?

See more wonderful Holy Mole Comic Strips!

Filed Under: Health, Holy Mole Comic Strip, How to Be Happy Tagged With: happiness, relaxation, self awareness

Ask Yourself: What Would a Vegetarian Eat?

November 6, 2012 By Joi 2 Comments

Why You Should Eat Less Meat and More Vegetables

My World Famous Bean Salad

I read a great deal about nutrition, heart health, diabetes, mental fitness, cancer prevention, and other health-related topics. A lot of nights, I’ll look back over the things I learned that day and feel somewhat like a college student… right down to the coffee breath.

After years of this healthy research, I still marvel at the simplicity of the common thread: Food. For better or worse, we actually are (to a very large degree) what we eat. The food we put into our mouths today will show up on, and in, tomorrow’s scale, blood work, scans, x-rays, and lab work.

Some people say it’s expensive to eat healthy, but it can actually be a little bit cheaper – IF you know what to cut out and what to substitute with. The same people who say it’s too expensive to eat a healthy diet will do so with a cart loaded down with ground beef, hot dogs, potatoes, and chips. A quick trip to the produce aisle, bean aisle (does a cheaper food exist than bags of beans?!), and/or frozen food aisle could easily replace each of these unhealthy choices with healthier choices. But why? Why should you eat less meat and more healthier foods such as beans, vegetables, fruits, and whole grains?

Health Benefits of Eating Less Meat

Heart Health. Even the most aggressive and ambitious meat eater would have to agree that eating less meat reduces your risk of heart disease. He or she may do it begrudgingly, but if they’re remotely reasonable and remotely well-read, they’ll have to admit it. Fatty red meats and processed meats are high in saturated fat, which raises LDL (bad) cholesterol and increases risk of coronary heart disease. Plus, this is kind of off the official health news grid… but, seriously, do we even KNOW everything that’s in all of the processed meats on the market?

Prevent Cancer. I’ve read, for years, about the meat and heart disease connection. We all have. But I’m also reading more and more (as in almost daily) about the link between cancer and meat. Cancer is one of the scariest health concerns of this or any time. It’s like a monster under the bed – a huge, scary monster that no one really likes to talk about or even think about. And yet, there are many proactive things we can do to keep the monster from ever moving in! Wouldn’t we be dimwits NOT to take advantage of the information we have? The British Journal of Cancer published a ground-breaking study involving 35,000 women. The women who ate the most red and processed meat were found to have the highest risk of breast cancer. What’s more, research has linked meat consumption to colon, prostate, pancreatic, and gastric cancers in addition to breast cancer. The Cancer Project, a non-profit group, explains it this way: Foods with high levels of fat artificially boost the hormones that promote cancer.

Weight Control. When we replace meat with vegetables and fruit, we take in fewer calories (assuming, of course, our vegetable of choice isn’t mashed potatoes loaded with so much cheese you attract the attention of mice from 8 counties). Even when we think we’re making healthy meat choices, we shoot ourselves in the foot by having the meat fried. No one can look at a pan filled with melted shortening and think that’s healthy. When we control our weight, we slash our risk of a whole plethora of diseases from diabetes to hypertension.

Brain Health. What’s good for the heart is good for the brain. So a heart-healthy diet is your first weapon against Alzheimer’s Disease, dementia, and memory loss. Your brain loves the healthy nutrients that are found in fruits and vegetables, while (like your heart) it is bruised by processed meat, fried foods, and fatty red meat. Brain health is something everyone should think about as much as heart health.

It has never been easier to eat more meatless meals than it is today. Boca Burgers, Morningstar Farms, and a host of other meat substitutes are actually downright delicious. Be sure to not go overboard, though, you’ll want to keep an eye on the sodium. Throw Boca Crumbles into spaghetti sauces, chili, homemade soup, sloppy joes, Manwiches, etc. No one will ever know… trust me. I use these meat substitutes regularly. They’re delicious! I’m especially wild about Morningstar Farms’ Black Bean Burgers. Heat them in a little olive oil and eat them on a wheat bun with picante sauce – absolutely out of this world.

One of the biggest health benefits (or opportunities) of eating less meat may be the fact that it’ll cause you to eat more of the foods that are beneficial to your health. If you aren’t filling up on fatty red meat or processed meats, you’ll eat more green vegetables, beans, whole grains, and fruits.

Something I’ve started doing is ridiculously simple: Before eating a particular food, I ask myself, “How will this benefit my health?” If a great answer doesn’t present itself, I skip it and find an option that does come with a great answer. For example, a few days ago I was out around lunchtime (shopping for one of my daughter’s birthday!). It was almost time to return home when I approached a favorite fast food restaurant. As if they weren’t tempting enough, the sign out front reminded me that one of their juiciest sandwiches was on sale right now. In the time it took me to drive past it, I realized the sandwich provided ZERO nutritional value to off set its calories. ZERO.

Some people visualize red meat or fried foods clogging their arteries. I’d have to admit that’d be pretty effective too!

I drove by the fast food restaurant and came home. I made myself a bowl of tomato soup (thank you Campbell’s) and a spinach, carrot, and red onion salad. I got JUST as full as I would have gotten with the big greasy sandwich but I didn’t have the “side” that comes with it. Not fries…… I’m talking about the distasteful side of guilt. The one that eats at you all day. As it was, after my heart healthy soup and salad, I FELT lighter and healthier.

It’s an absolutely addictive feeling.

My Bean Salad (pictured at the top): When I make bean salad, which is often because my husband loves it, I sneak in extra vegetables like celery, onion, artichoke hearts, carrots, and sometimes even chopped spinach. Heart healthy Olive Oil is also used in the salad, which only adds to its nutritional value. There’s something incredibly filling and satisfying about beans. When you’re trying to eat less meat, you’ll sometimes have that unexplainable craving where your brain says, “Buddy, give me some meat!” Beans will satisfy this craving. Without the unhealthy side side of guilt.

Filed Under: Health Tagged With: eat healthy, health, heart health, prevent Alzheimer's, prevent cancer, prevent diabetes, vegetarian diet

The Mysteries of Bone Health

November 3, 2012 By Joi 2 Comments

Calcium, Osteopenia, Stress Fractures, and Green Smoothies

Knowledge is Power. Power is Healing.

Continuing with the National Health Blog Post Month Challenge!

For today’s topic “prompt,” I chose “I Don’t Know About This, But I’d Like To.” I kind of figured this would be open-ended and fairly easy to do because, quite frankly, there’s so much I don’t know! Since it IS a Health Blog Challenge, I confined my choices to things I don’t know much about in the medical arena.

Again, so much to choose from.

My choice kind of chose itself because it hits close to home: Bone Health. A few years ago, I had a bone scan and was told that I had Osteopenia. Naturally, I immediately turned to WebMD and asked in, I’m paraphrasing here, “What in the bloody heck is Osteopenia?!”

Osteopenia: Osteopenia refers to bone mineral density (BMD) that is lower than normal peak BMD but not low enough to be classified as osteoporosis. – WebMd

I’m a “glass is half full kind of gal,” so after I read the definition, I threw a mini party in my head because I didn’t have osteoporosis. When the party was over, I returned to WebMd and said, “I don’t realize if you know this or not, but I’m not, like, in my 100′s or something. I’m only in my 40′s.”

I learned something as interesting as it is unsettling, All people begin losing bone mass after they reach peak BMD at about 30 years of age.

Further research also told me that certain factors can increase your chances of having Osteopenia or Osteoporosis:

Metabolic Problems
Thyroid Disease (guilty)
Not getting enough calcium in your diet (guilty)
Smoking (innocent)
Pre-Menopause or Menopause (guilty)
Steroid Medicine used to treat asthma (guilty)
Diet Soft Drinks (about as guilty as you can get)

I found that I was guilty on so many counts that I didn’t have the gaul to complain. I bought a bag of chewable calcium supplements and found that they caused my heart to race like I’d just ran a marathon or had a great fright – like seeing a zombie or a member of KISS today without makeup.

After a little more research, I basically found, ‘Yeah… they can cause a few people’s hearts to run amok.”

I don’t care for my heart running amok, so I stopped them altogether. It was a huge shame because…

It would have been a simple, fast way to increase my calcium.
They were delicious, so there’s no way I’d have missed a day.

The Osteopenia and Osteoporosis Prevention Research Ends

To be honest, I stopped researching calcium sources, Osteopenia, Osteoporosis, how to strengthen your bones, and how to prevent Osteoporosis. It’s not that I didn’t still care about my bones… but, they were MY bones. I tend to research topics to the end of the earth and back when they relate to my husband, daughters, and sons-in-law. I want them to see doctors, take supplements, and have perfect health. But like a lot of wives and mothers, I tend to put myself at the end of the “Care” list.

I realize that tendency is a whole other topic, and I won’t even begin to address that one right now! Suffice to say, I stopped reading about these conditions and I stopped researching foods that provide more calcium and things like that.

The Osteopenia and Osteoporosis Prevention Research Resumes

I’ve started reading more about bone health recently because of a couple of issues I ran – well, more like walked (literally) – into. I somehow managed to develop a very painful stress fracture on one of my feet. Now get this… the only exercise I do is walking. If my bones are so puny that walking makes them think they’ve been overtaxed, I have to start giving them more attention.

I also recently recently have a toe that’s giving me a lot of problems. The pain is similar to the stress fracture.

As I was putting ice on my toe last night, it kind of hit me… what if, Heaven forbid, I broke an arm or leg. UGLY PAIN! I’m allergic to ugly pain, I break out in whimpers.

Needless to say, I’ve stocked up on milk and plan to have smoothies and fortified cereal as often as “Jared” has Subway.

However, I want to be more proactive than that. I want to learn about foods that lead to better bone health. One of my favorite quotes is, “Let food be thy medicine and medicine be thy food.” – Hippocrates. I’m convinced THAT’S where healing is, so the research continues.

If your bone health is something you’re concerned about (and everyone should be!), Organic Authority.com has a super write-up about Calcium Rich Foods to Prevent Osteoporosis. A few of the foods named were:

Kale
Broccoli
Collard Greens

When I saw Kale and Collard Greens listed, I had to smile because I’m on the right track with my new-found love for Green Smoothies. If only I’d been drinking these beauties for years! I’ve read that Osteopenia is reversible and that there’s no reason in the world anyone who has it HAS to develop Osteoporosis. This sore-toed, smoothie drinker is determined that’s not going to happen!

What Are Your Own Health Concerns?

What health issues or topics are you curious about – whether for yourself or for a loved one? Are there diseases that tend to run in your family? If so, that’d be a great place to start! Research ways to prevent this particular disease or diseases. Find the foods that are associated with the disease’s prevention and even cure.

Remember: Knowledge is power. Power is healing.

Filed Under: Green Smoothies, Health Tagged With: Bone, bone health, Calcium, green smoothies, how to strengthen your bones, osteopenia, osteoporosis, Prevent, prevent osteoporosis, Preventing Osteoporosis, Research, Strengthen Your Bones

13 Ways the Internet Can Improve Your Health!

November 1, 2012 By Joi Leave a Comment

How Social Media, the Internet, and Online Health Communities Can Be Good for You

November is National Health Blog Post Month and I have been honored with an invitation to participate. Each day in November, I’ll post a health-related article or piece of information on Self Help Daily. I’m as excited as I am honored and the reason for the excitement ties in with the subject of today’s post: Top 10 Ways the Internet Can Improve Your Health: Things I Love About social media, the internet, and online health communities.

Why I Write So Much About Improving Your Health and Health-Related Topics

Before I get to the top 13 list, I thought I’d give a quick explanation of why I write so much about health topics such as preventing diabetes, heart health, green smoothies, and so on. There are several reasons, actually, and they each have to do with people I love.

A great number of people in my family (including the family I gained when I married my husband) have had diseases that most of us hope and pray we never experience. These diseases include diabetes, heart disease, breast cancer, uterine cancer, Alzheimer’s Disease, and Hypertension. Not only did I watch these diseases steal a lot of the quality of loved one’s lives, I saw these diseases take a great number of them far too soon.
Even if I didn’t write and/or run a web publishing business, I’d still research health-related topics for the sake of my husband and daughters. I’d read everything I could get my hands on that’d give me an edge in fighting off diseases that haunt our family. The information I find helps me decide what meals to cook, what activities to encourage and discourage, etc. Knowing what diseases your family is most prone to (and in our case, we seem to be open to just about anything!) gives you an edge – you know what to try your darnedest to fend off.
I not only want to protect my family, I want to help you protect your family. Yes, I am a bona fide people person. If, when it’s all said and done, I can help prevent just one person from losing a loved family member as early as we’ve lost some of ours – it has been more than worth it.
Not only would I like to help pass along information that could save lives, I want to find and pass along information that could help improve lives.

So. That’s why I write about Health-Related Topics. I’m trying to save the world here, okay?

13 Ways the Internet Can Improve Your Health

The internet gets a bad rap. Thanks to a lot of disgusting websites and a lot of ridiculous people on certain social media sites, the internet often comes across as a modern day Sodom and Gomorrah. However, there are a lot of ways the internet can improve your health, help you prevent diseases … and potentially save… your life. This very fact is the reason I chose the number 13 for this list. Like the internet, the number 13 gets a bad rap. It’s considered to be an unlucky number, so I wanted to take it and create something positive with it – the same way we can all take the internet and do something positive with it.

Medical Websites. You can go to WebMd.com and research symptoms and diseases any time of day or night. You’ll find things you can do to make yourself feel better and heal faster and find out when or if you need to see a doctor. There are also countless tips for preventing diseases, improving your health, feeling better, increasing your energy, and living healthy on this site as well as others such as Everyday Health and Mayo Clinic. When it comes to health advice and illnesses, I always advise people to stick with the sites mentioned here. Be very cautious where you take advice from for serious conditions. If you’re searching for ways to make a mouth ulcer feel better, by all means try whatever relief you can – but when it comes to more serious matters, never get your information from someone on a forum, for example, who goes by the handle IronMan5 or Gr8Grl. Know what I mean?!
Real Age.com. A website so vital, so cool, and so helpful that it gets its own place in the top 10. Real Age.com is more than a website, it’s a tool. When you (honestly!) fill out the questionnaire, you aren’t just given your “Real Age” (as opposed to the year determined by your birth date ). However, it doesn’t just leave it at that. You’re given TONS of great tips and advice to help you improve your real age and your health and, thereby, increase your chances for a longer life.
Apps. There are apps that count calories for your, apps that tell you how many calories you’re burning, and even an app that reminds you to take your prescriptions! When you search for specific apps, you’ll be amazed by what you find. If you have time, search for reviews of the apps you find. Do a little research and find the best ones out there.
Fitness. Prevention.com is one of the best places online for fitness articles and exercises.
YouTube Workouts! If you search YouTube for keywords such as Yoga, Zumba, Pilates, Cardio, Aerobics, exercise video, Kettle Bell Workout, etc.. you’ll find some really cool workout videos to increase your strength, stamina, and fitness level. If you aren’t careful, you may even burn some calories!
Healthy Recipes. You can find the most amazing healthy recipes online. If you’re on Pinterest, a lot of people even have boards devoted entirely to healthy eating. If you need heart-healthy recipes, gluten free recipes, or vegan recipes, they’re literally at your fingertips. No one with an internet has the excuse of not having healthy recipes.
Relax and Unwind. At the end of a hectic day, there’s something kind of relaxing about cruising Pinterest or catching up on Twitter. If you love cats like me, you’ll find that funny cat pictures and/or cat videos are fun ways to grab a smile or two at the end of the day. Here’s a little personal tip of mine when it comes to relaxation. After a long day writing and working online, when I get up from the computer, I want to leave all of that craziness behind and unwind. I’ll often go to You Tube and search for “Japanese Music” or “Classical Piano Music” and let it fill the house as I make supper, do laundry, or simply crash on the couch. I’m not sure anything in the world is as relaxing as piano music or Japanese music.
Speaking of Twitter… The world has never known a better place for staying on top of important, life-effecting news. If you “follow” your local weather stations, CNN, the Weather Channel, Fox News and other authoritative agencies, you’ll always know (almost immediately) what’s headed your way. Twitter is also the first place I usually learn about food recalls too.
Relationships. Social Media Sites don’t just help you relax – and they don’t just keep you informed. They’re also a great place for making new friends. Any time you build relationships (online or off), it’s good for you. Mental fitness experts tell us that the more relationships we have in our life, the better.
Official Health Groups and Agencies. What better place to get information about heart health than the American Heart Association, up to the minute information about diabetes from the American Diabetes Association, or information about preventing cancer from the American Cancer Society? Follow these groups on social media, check them regularly, and (when available) take part in their forums.
Newsletters. Just about every official health agency has a newsletter you can sign up for. They’ll deliver the latest research, tips, and medical advice right to your inbox!
Overcome Addictions and Find Support. Whatever your own personal monster under the porch is, you can find wonderful support groups online. People who know what you’re going through and can help you overcome, persevere, and take your life back.
Health Communities. I saved this one for last because, quite frankly, I think it’s huge. While doing research for my Self Help Daily, my food blog, and well as my mental fitness blog, I visit a lot of medial websites. Sometimes I read through their forums or I’ll read the personal stories of individuals who have either survived or are surviving a health issue. The advice these individuals have for one another is almost as vital as the support they provide for one another. Some of the strongest bonds in the world take place in these communities. Personal tips, stories, and simple words like, “I did this, you can too!” and “You’re going to make it!” can mean the absolute world to someone who needs it. Menopause, cancer, heart disease, asthma, addictions, diabetes – you name it, there’s a community for it and communities are all about strength.

Filed Under: Fitness, Health Tagged With: heart health, improve your health, Online Health Communities, prevent diabetes, preventing cancer

6 Reasons to Consider Veganism

October 3, 2012 By Joi 2 Comments

I Guarantee These Points will Make You Ponder

Below is a guest post by the ridiculously beautiful Koya Webb. I remember the first time I saw a picture of Koya Webb. The article was discussing healthy diets and promoting healthy lifestyles. When I saw Koya’s picture, I thought, “Just give me what she’s having.”

I hope you’ll just put aside your preconceived opinions about veganism and read the article with an open mind. It’s only when we have ALL the facts that we can make the healthiest decisions in life. – Joi

Unveiling the Vegan Lifestyle: 6 Points to Ponder

by Koya Webb

Dietary veganism—the practice of abstaining from eating animal products—is a lifestyle rife with mystery, myths and misconceptions, and is often erroneously regarded as a dietary regime for extremists. In fact, amid copious health and wellness benefits, the vegan diet is far more mainstream today. This is exemplified by the number of vegan restaurants, and vegan dishes at traditional restaurants, increasing exponentially as well as the high profile personalities that have adopted a vegan diet.

Perhaps the vegan diet officially “arrived” when Oprah Winfrey went on a vegan diet for 21 days in 2008, and in 2011 asked her 378 production staff to do the same for one week, as well reported*. Reports also note that Former U.S. president Bill Clinton adopted a vegan diet in 2010 after cardiac surgery, while his daughter Chelsea was already a vegan. In November 2010 Bloomberg Businessweek stated that a growing number of American CEOs were becoming vegan, such as Steve Wynn, Mortimer Zuckerman, and Russell Simmons. A list of other notable vegans can be found on Wikipedia.

[Read more...]

Filed Under: Conservation, Fitness, Health Tagged With: healthy eating, healthy foods, nutrition, veganism, weight loss

How Green Smoothies Saved My Life

September 20, 2012 By Joi 4 Comments

Another Book About Green Smoothies I'd Love for You to Read!

“Let food be thy medicine and medicine be thy food.” – Hippocrates

I recently wrote a review of The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Green Smoothies. I all but got on my knees and begged you to buy the book, read the book, and use the book. Well, I’m on my knees again.

I was sent a few books by an author who I think of as a breath of fresh air, Kim Caldwell. The first one I read and, subsequently, will review first is the one you see pictured above, How Green Smoothies Saved My Life: A Guide for Using Green Smoothies, Uplifted Thinking, and Live Food to Enhance Your Life.

I love fun books like this – books you know you’re going to get along famously with, just by looking at the cover. It was a joy to discover that the cover (bright, friendly, colorful, and fun) reflected the author beautifully.

My last article about green smoothies turned out to be somewhat of a novelette, so I won’t step back up on my green smoothie soap box. I’ll let Kim Caldwell have the honors today!

Book Description:

One of the first books of its kind to combine nutrition for the body with nutrition for the mind. Imagine vibrant health, great moods, and getting “that glow”.

In this book you will discover:

How to make quick and delicious nutrient packed green smoothies.
Simple foods at the grocery that will charge your body with energy and life.
Secrets to help you look and feel more attractive than ever before.
Power words you can use to feel better now.
How your thoughts affect your well-being.
A common drink that will rev up your metabolism, reduce your appetite, and protect your body with a large supply of antioxidants.
Tips to excellent colon health.
Tips for lifting your mood and attitude.
A technique that will make your skin look more youthful and radiant.
Inspiring testimonies from people just like you getting wonderful results.

This easy to follow guide will give you tips for:

More confidence
Increased Energy
Weight Loss if needed
Tips for making green smoothies
Adding more raw foods to your diet

There is no skin cream available on the market today that can compare to the beautifying effects of a regular supply of green smoothies. - page 11

This positive and informative book is one of those books that “read fast.” In this day and age, that’s always an asset. You’ll definitely mark certain pages to refer to as you begin (or continue) your green smoothie journey. The author includes 9 great green smoothie recipes that you’ll use again and again.

You’ll also love the many “Success Stories” in the book – testimonials for green smoothies from different individuals whose lives have been changed for the better with a mere 5 minutes of preparation each day. Trust me, after you’ve enjoyed green smoothies for a few weeks, you’ll wish with all your might that you’d been drinking green smoothies since childhood!

My favorite testimonial was by Kim’s own beloved grandmother, Evelyn. Evelyn (who sounds like a perfectly lovely woman to me) credits green smoothies with giving her more energy and making her feel better in every way. My favorite quote in the book (even though I loved many) is actually from Evelyn, herself. She had this to say about the effects of green smoothies: “I am finally felling like my true self.” If that doesn’t make you stop and smile, I’m not sure what would.

I think about those words often now.. “my true self.” When I find that I have more energy or when I see unwanted weight coming off – I, like Evelyn, sort of salute my “true self.”

Other success stories involved women raving about how much better their complexions are after beginning to drink green smoothies. As I mentioned in my own novelette, my hair is noticeably healthier and even thicker. When you think about it – it all makes sense, right? When we give our bodies the nutrients they need, in the manner in which they can break everything down and utilize all the “good stuff,” the inside and outside of our bodies will reward us with better health.

Health is a beautiful, beautiful thing!

I like the 80/20 rule. If you eat healthfully 80% of the time, you can get away with a little indulgence the other 20%. – page 37

How Green Smoothies Saved My Life – in addition to green smoothies – tells you the ins and outs of eating healthier across the board. The author explains the benefits of raw foods as well as another of my personal great passions – tea! The information is given in a simple to understand, clear manner that doesn’t leave you scratching your head or looking for the dictionary. When I read books or articles containing words that are longer than my right arm, I walk away without a lot of knowledge – plenty of aggravation, but not much knowledge.

Kim Caldwell is an author who puts everything within everyone’s reach.

As I made the segue from the first section of the book (Nutrition for the Body) to the second section (Nutrition for the Mind), I realized that this is truly the only way we should ever approach any course of self improvement or self growth – with our body and mind. Think about it – if one tries to go anywhere without the other, it won’t get very far!

If you are serious about beginning a healthy journey, physically, you have to be mentally ready for the trip.

When you are feeling inspiration, joy, love, and appreciation, you know you are on the right track. – Page 60

When you begin a healthy routine such as drinking green smoothies regularly, eating healthier foods, and eliminating junk food – you will only go as far as your mind will permit you to go. If you allow negativity to creep in, it will choke the life out of your best intentions. The second part of How Green Smoothies Saved My Life gives you wonderful, wonderful, wonderful tips and guidance on keeping your mind headed in the right direction as well.

A few tips include:

Discover what makes you happy and do it
Release anyone or anything that does not feel good
Start each day by listening to or reading something uplifting
Talk yourself into well being!
Take responsibility for your moods
Enjoy the age you are
Do not worry about what others think

Each of these tips (as well as others) are “fleshed out” and expounded upon. Great stuff… truly great stuff.

In a section of the book called, “Choose Your Words Wisely,” Kim Caldwell gives us a list of “Switchwords.” Here’s a little more about switchwords from page 81: “I discovered switchwords a few years back and have so much success with them that I cannot imagine life without their help. Switchwords were first presented by James Mangan during the 1960′s with his book The Secret to Perfect Living. Mangan spent more than 45 years of intensive study and conducted thousands of experiments with people in order to bring these life enhancing words and concepts to us. He had a passion for helping people live the perfect life. He knwe how to do this and wanted to share his knowledge. Your mind can only hold one thought at a time, so choosing a switchword can help you focus on what you want.”

In addition to more enlightening information about switchwords and the power of positive thought, the book lists a wonderful group of switchwords for use daily, along with the situations for each. Certain switchwords are used to attract and activate positive feelings and situations and certain switchwords are used to change or remove negative and destructive thoughts.

For example, one of my favorite switchwords is CLEAR. Simply say the word when your mind entertains a negative thought or seems to be on the brink of going down a negative and destructive emotional highway. CANCEL is another switchword that’s effective for this type of stinky thinking.

I can’t tell you how in love I am with these switchwords!

Frankly, I’m in love with the whole book. I’m passing it around each of my daughters and I know they’ll love it as well. I hope you’ll grab a copy right away. This one’s a life-changer.

See How Green Smoothies Saved My Life: A Guide for Using Green Smoothies, Uplifted Thinking, and Live Food to Enhance Your Life for more information right away.

Filed Under: Book Reviews, Green Smoothies, Positive Thought Tagged With: green smoothie book, green smoothie book review, green smoothies

Green Smoothies: My Personal Experience

September 19, 2012 By Joi 3 Comments

And Why You Should Start Drinking Green Smoothies TODAY

Nutri Bullet NBR-12 12-Piece Hi-Speed Blender/Mixer System

I recently wrote an article on Self Help Daily about Green Smoothies. I reviewed the book The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Green Smoothies and gave you a few links. I hope you checked them out and hope, with all my heart, that The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Green Smoothies is either in the mail or, better yet, lying right in front of you.

I’d been planning to write this follow-up article a few months down the road. Several members of my family and I recently began drinking green smoothies daily and I thought that an article, say 6 months down the road, would be an effective way of letting you know how it’s going, and what you can expect.

Problem is, I’m so excited by what I’ve already seen (and felt) that I couldn’t put a lid on it. I’d much rather tell you NOW so you can buy everything you need to start enjoying the benefits of green smoothies right away.

So what do you need to make green smoothies?

If your budget wouldn’t feel the pinch too badly, I personally think you should invest in the Nutri Bullet NBR-12 12-Piece Hi-Speed Blender/Mixer System. Why? Several reasons. For one thing, the system absolutely, positively mixes up and pulverizes greens, seeds, and vegetables better than a blender. I happen to have a very nice blender – when it comes to buying me things for the kitchen, my husband has never pinched pennies. Sometimes when shopping for a small appliance, I’ll pick one out that I think’s perfectly good, only to have him find one twice as much and hear him say, “But this one’s better.” It’s what happened when we picked out our current blender – so… know this… it’s a great blender.

However, when I made my first green smoothie, I noticed that it was a lot chunkier than I needed for it to be. My blender’s great for fruit smoothies, shakes, and things like that – but when it comes to green smoothies, it’s just not as good as the Nutri Bullet NBR-12 12-Piece Hi-Speed Blender/Mixer System. Can you make green smoothies in a traditional blender? Yes. Will they be better with the Nutri Bullet? My experience doesn’t just say yes, it screams it!

Another benefit of buying the Nutri Bullet NBR-12 12-Piece Hi-Speed Blender/Mixer System is the literature that comes with it. Invaluable. You get a “Pocket Nutritionist” booklet as well as a User Guide & Recipe Book. The Pocket Nutritionist lists a ton of fruits, vegetables, nuts, and seeds and tells you why you should add them to your green smoothies. For example, almonds can help reduce the risk of heart disease up to 30%. They’re also high in heart-healthy magnesium and blood pressure-regulating potassium. This same little booklet details the selection process for these healthy foods and… something I’ve really found beneficial… how to store the foods.

I’ll tell on myself, here. When I first read through the booklet, I just looked at the health benefits. I thought, “Gimme a break, I know how to store food and I certainly know how to pick them out.” Not so fast, blogger girl, not so fast. Turns out there were quite a few things I didn’t know.

Go figure!

Long Story Short: Yes a blender will do the job, but a Nutri Bullet NBR-12 12-Piece Hi-Speed Blender/Mixer System will perfect the job.

What foods go into a green smoothie?

It’s very important to switch up the greens you use. I try to keep at least three types of greens on hand all the time. You add about 2 handfuls of greens to each smoothie. The following are perfect to use in green smoothies:

spinach (my personal favorite)
kale
collard greens
romaine lettuce (a great one to start with – it’s very mild)
spring greens
Swiss chard (work up to this one!)
parsley

The following fruits and vegetables are all excellent in green smoothies, but you simply can’t beat a good old-fashioned banana. Bananas put the smooth green smoothies. They’re also excellent at concealing the flavors of the harsher greens (yes, Swiss Chard, I’m looking at you.). Experiment with the fruits and vegetables you use in your smoothies. That’s part of the fun! The best green smoothie recipes will be the ones you come up with yourself because they’ll be the ones that include your favorite flavors.

apples
avocados
bananas
blackberries
blueberries
broccoli
cantaloupe
carrots
celery (like bananas, they can dominate the flavor – so go easy, unless you’re WILD about celery)
cranberries
cucumbers
figs
grapes
honeydew melons
kiwifruit
mangoes
nectarines
oranges
papayas
peaches
pears
pineapples
plums
raspberries
strawberries
watermelon

Most people, in addition to the greens and fruits/veggies, add an extra nutritional “boost” called… are you ready for it… “boosts.” You can add about 1/4 cup of these flavor and health enhancers. Some of our favorites are:

almonds
cashews
chia seeds (I’m addicted to these nutritious little guys – sometimes I just pop 1/4 tsp in my mouth for kicks.)
flax seeds
Goji berries (dried)
hemp seed
pumpkin seeds
sesame seeds
sunflower seeds (awesome in green smoothies)
walnuts

How do you make a green smoothie?

It just takes a few minutes to throw together a green smoothie. I put a few handfuls of greens into my Nutri Bullet, followed by the fruit I’m in the mood for that day (usually a banana and pineapples, apple, grapes or berries). Then I add my “boosts” (some wicked cool combination of chia seeds, flax seeds, sunflower seeds, almonds…). If the greens are anything besides spinach or romaine lettuce, I’ll add about a teaspoon of Extra Virgin Olive Oil for extra creaminess and goodness. Then I add some purified water, juice, or green tea and blend it all together. It isn’t necessary, but I finish my smoothies off by adding a little ice to the smoothie and blending it again – I prefer my green smoothies not just cold, but shivering.

After I make mine, I prepare my husbands and put it in the refrigerator for him. He likes to enjoy his coffee, check his e-mail and sports news THEN have his green smoothie. Your’s truly goes for the Green right off the bat.

When I first heard about green smoothies, I thought, “I don’t really need these green guys because I eat lots of salads and snack on fruit.” I figured there HAD to be something special about putting everything together in a smoothie, so I did a little research. Turns out, by processing the food in the blender or Nutri Bullet, more nutrients and health benefits are extracted than would be if we just ate the foods raw.

I’ll let Kim Caldwell, author of How Green Smoothies Saved My Life: A Guide for Using Green Smoothies, Uplifted Thinking, and Live Food to Enhance Your Life explain it. The following is from page 22 of her wonderful book (which I’ll review on Self Help Daily tomorrow!):

Why can’t I just eat my green leafy vegetables in a salad? This is a commonly asked question. Some people explain that they eat several salads a day and therefore do not need to drink Green Smoothies.

There is a big difference in the consistency of a salad and a green smoothie. Green smoothies are blended into a liquid which breaks down the plant and releases the chlorophyll much more efficiently than normal chewing. Blending makes the liquid super easy for our bodies to digest and assimilate the nutrients.

Also, when we eat salads, we top them off with dressings and sometimes even croutons or bacon bits, whereas in green smoothies, they’ll be topped off with fruit and healthy boosts. Green smoothies for the win!

In the author’s quote above, you noticed the word “chlorophyll.” I thought you might like a little explanation of why this is important for our health as well as weight management. Chlorophyll – something green smoothies excel at like none other – is, quite simply, a blood and body cleanser. It gives your body what you need in order to operate at the highest level! When you drink green smoothies regularly, you’ll find that you visit the bathroom more regularly. When this happens, you’ll be able to truly appreciate the cleansing power of chlorophyll.

Green smoothies give your body what it needs for optimum health and fitness and eliminates the rest – toxins that’d like to stick around and lead to a dramatic sickness are sent packing.

My own experience with green smoothies.

Several members of my family are enjoying green smoothies and have fallen in love with the way they make them feel. I’ll briefly give you the highlights of their experiences and then I’ll share my own.

Emily – My beautiful oldest daughter works in the school system, in the school nurse’s office. She has to get up each morning around 6:00. NOT something she enjoys! A few weeks into the school year, she told me that she loved her job but HATED getting up so early. She said by the time she got off work, she just wanted to go to bed. She also said that she’d put on about 5 unwanted pounds. My husband and I gave her our Green Smoothies sermon and she went immediately to the store to load up. A few weeks later? The 5 pounds she gained have gone, and took a few extra pounds with them!

The biggest difference is the fact that she doesn’t get up at 6:00 am anymore… she gets up at 5:30! She tells me that she has more energy than ever before and doesn’t even experience that mid-day lull that most people trudge through.

She has also noticed something else I have noticed – the cravings for junk food and fast food have disappeared. Instead of wanting a burger and fries, she finds herself craving a smoothie, grilled shrimp, steamed broccoli, or a salad.

I can’t put my finger on it, but drinking at least one green smoothie a day all but eliminates the cravings for unhealthy food. It’s as though your body suddenly becomes a certified nutritionist and automatically knows what’s good for it. It begins craving healthy foods. Believe me, I was as shocked as anyone.

My Husband has lost over 10 pounds since we began having green smoothies each morning. He has more energy than before, just like Em. He recently had a back injury that almost always requires surgery, but his body was able to begin healing itself. It continues to do so and I’m certain the doctors are as amazed as we are delighted.

He has also noticed an improvement with his sinuses and seasonal allergies. Generally, around this time he’d be in agony, but so far not so much as one sneeze.

My youngest son-in-law, Rusty. Now this one’s a shocker. I’ve always called Rusty “Hamburglar” because he eats a wild amount of hamburgers. As for vegetables, green beans and potatoes are it. Fruit? Forget about it… unless you count Strawberry Kool-Aid. I made Rusty a green smoothie one night, kind of as a dare. Not only did he take a drink – he drank it all! This… from a guy who HATES green vegetables with all his heart and soul. He has had one each day since (I think it’s been like 5 days) and he has lost 4 pounds. Here’s something even more shocking – he hasn’t made any other changes at all and the green smoothie he drinks isn’t even as a meal. It’s in addition to his normal meals.

That’s the magic of green smoothies!

Rusty has also found that he doesn’t need Red Bulls or other energy drinks for energy. He gets his energy naturally now.

My own experiences with green smoothies are just as wonderful. I happen to have a couple of health issues – very mild compared to what some people live with – but they’re things that can make it almost impossible to lose weight or keep it off. I have asthma, seasonal allergies, low blood sugar, and a thyroid problem. My thyroid had to be destroyed years ago and I’ve been on Synthroid since. I don’t say all of these to brag (even though that’s pretty boast-worthy material right there), I simply want anyone with similar issues to know they have a kindred spirit.

Below are a few of the lovelies I”ve noticed with Green Smoothies:

Normally, this time of year would have my asthma in a tail-spin – it’s much, much better this year. I’m actually going to begin having 2 green smoothies each day instead of 1. I figure if my health is already this much better with 1, I can’t wait to see how it is with 2!
Like the others, I’ve noticed that I have more energy. In fact, I”ll let you in on a little secret – sometimes my “get up and go” gets up and I have to catch up. I simply find that I want to move more than ever before. My daily 30 minute walk is now more like a 45 minute walk and some days it’s 2 30 minute walks.
Emily and I both have low blood sugar which rears its ugly head when we’re even the slightest bit hungry. We’ll get kind of nauseous, light-headed, and have to dive for the nearest cracker or granola bar we can find. This is why I was kind of skeptical about either one of us replacing our breakfast with a green smoothie. I just knew I”d be dying of hunger an hour later. HOWEVER… green smoothies keep me full longer than my normal breakfasts did. Emily has noticed the same exact thing. Green Smoothies are extremely filling and satisfying. I’ve noticed that they eliminate the need for a mid-morning snack and they even allow you to eat a lighter lunch than normal.
Anyone who has thyroid disease knows that it’s almost impossible to lose weight. Your metabolism is so screwed up when you have thyroid disease – and Heaven help you if you happen to be in or near menopause (the killer of metabolisms everywhere). I’m thrilled to report that I am losing weight. Yay! I FEEL better than I have felt in a very long time and the funny thing is I never realized I didn’t feel fantastic. I thought I was fine and dandy… then I began drinking green smoothies and I was reminded of how great it feels to feel great.
Again, I can’t explain the “whys” but my hair is thicker and in better condition. The extra nutrients and vitamins are simply showing up in the most unexpected places. And I couldn’t be happier.

I realize this article has become almost a book – my word count right this minute is well over 2,000! I apologize for the length, but there’s just so much to say. Don’t worry, though, I’m almost through and you can go make yourself a green smoothie to celebrate. I’m certainly going to!

I’ve created a new category on Self Help Daily called Green Smoothies (found under the Health category). I’ll post updates about our experiences, recipes, tips, book reviews, and so forth. I’ll be reviewing Kim Caldwell’s How Green Smoothies Saved My Life: A Guide for Using Green Smoothies, Uplifted Thinking, and Live Food to Enhance Your Life tomorrow. It’s a great book and I’m in love with her writing style. In fact, I have another one of her books to review later this week!

A few last tips:

For optimum health, I (and I noticed Kim does as well) recommend you drink more tea. I drink green tea and black tea all day long and simply swear by them. They work beautifully along with green smoothies – riding your body of what it doesn’t need while loading you up with life-giving antioxidants.
Frozen fruit is great in smoothies.
Pineapples make any green smoothie even better.
Experiment with using juice in your smoothies. When cold and flu season get here, a little extra orange juice can keep you healthier.
Speaking of cold and flu season, why not start your green smoothie regime today – it’s just in time to give your body the extra strength it needs to fight off colds, bugs, and other miseries.
Think green smoothies are too expensive? Here’s what I’ve found – there is almost always some fruit, vegetable, and variety of greens on sale at all times. Check several stores and grab what each one has on sale. I ducked into a store in town that I never go in – a Save-A-Lot. They had cheaper frozen fruit than a few other stores and they’re produce section was pretty reasonable as well. Wal-Mart is another store with very inexpensive produce, seeds, and nuts.
If you try one green smoothie and don’t care for it, try another! I fell in love with green smoothies right off the bat (as did Emily and my husband), but some people have to try a few combinations before they find the one they like. With another beautiful daughter, Brittany, I hit pay dirt when I added pineapples and an apple to spinach along with a little pineapple juice. In her words, “That’s really, really good!“ Another day, another convert. Her boyfriend has also jumped on the bandwagon. He had some of one I made for Rusty a few nights ago and said, “I love it.” I’m the green smoothie piper. Might as well, I gotta do something with all this energy.

Thank you for sticking with me through these thousands of words – you are a champ. I hope you’re able to pick up on my excitement and I hope (with all my heart) that you’ll give green smoothies a chance. They could be the catalyst to take you to better health, weight loss, increased energy, better skin, and (man I love this part) thicker hair!

If you have any questions or thoughts to share, please leave them in the comments or e-mail me! – Joi

Filed Under: Fitness, Green Smoothies, Health, Must Reads Tagged With: green smoothies, more energy, weight loss

It’s Simple: Green Smoothies + A Healthier Diet = A Healthier YOU

August 29, 2012 By Joi 5 Comments

The Complete Idiot's Guide to Green Smoothies Review

I fancy myself the inquisitive type. The type of person who, upon hearing a particular name mentioned or an interesting new subject broached, has to research the dickens out of it until she can carry on an intelligent conversation about said person, place, thing, or idea. When teaching our three beautiful daughters in our home school, I always told them to latch onto anything that interested them and “study” it from all sides and angels until they could, literally, write an essay on the subject.

I wish I had a dollar for every essay they ever wrote over those years!

As a component of staying as mentally active as possible and as someone who writes (and reads) a great deal about brain fitness, I encourage everyone – in addition to my girls – to read and study as many subjects as you possibly can. Don’t just latch onto one and don’t limit yourself to one source – dissect a subject like an earthworm on a board. Look at it from every possible angle, while keeping an open mind and always, always, always think for yourself.

Don’t worry, I won’t ask you to write an essay.

I’ve been reading a lot the past few months about a couple of different subjects. Like my brain, these subjects are all over the place:

Green Smoothies
Preservatives in Food
Squirrels
Joan of Arc
Yoga

Did you know that, although we’ve always seen paintings of her as a fearless fighter, riding into battle armed and dangerous – the heroine of the Hundred Years’ War (between France and England), Joan of Arc, never actually fought in a single battle? She certainly never killed an opponent. (For 6 other cool facts about Joan of Arc, check out History.com.)

Green Smoothies and Raw Food

My fascination with Green Smoothies came about a while back when I was sent The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Green Smoothies to review. I was mesmerized immediately. The book is easy to read, simple to understand, and the first step you should take if you’re considering green smoothies.

From the Back Cover:

Blended from fresh, natural, whole foods and juices, green smoothies help burn fat, promote immune and digestive system health, and rid your body of toxins.

The next best thing to a personal smoothie chef, this superb guide gives you 150 taste-tempting recipes to amp up your nutrition, satisfy your cravings, and cleanse your body.

In it, you get:

Advice on combining ingredients and flavors into delicious green smoothies even kids will love.
Easy ideas for creating energizing green smoothies packed with protein to fuel the athlete in you.
Recipes for powerful superfood smoothies that increase your vitamin, mineral, and phytonutrient intake.
Tips for blending nutritionally dense, low-calorie weight loss smoothies that leave you feeling satisfied.
Healing green smoothie and tonic recipes that boost your immunity and purify your body from the inside out.

The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Green Smoothies is the perfect (ideal, ideal, ideal) introduction to Green Smoothies. The author, Bo Rinaldi, is a chef and co-owner of Blossoming Lotus Restaurant in Portland, Oregon. He’s also the co-owner of VeganFusion.com and HealthyLessons.com. He has written several great books for The Complete Idiot’s series.

What you eat empowers you. - Bo Rinaldi, The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Green Smoothies

In addition to the 150 Green Smoothies recipes, this great guide includes the following informative chapters:

Why Green Smoothies?
The Bountiful Benefits of Green Smoothies (fiber, nutrients, vitamins, anti-oxidants…).
Making the Perfect Green Smoothie.

Recipes in The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Green Smoothies include Everyday Smoothies, Powerful Superfood Smoothies, Smoothies for Weight Loss, Healing Smoothies, Green Smoothie Tonics, Smoothies for Athletes, Kid-Friendly Smoothies, Exotic Green Smoothies!

I’ll be writing more about nutrition, preventing diabetes. raw foods, and yoga in future posts but I wanted to share a few links with you. I’ve loved smoothies for a long time now. Strawberry, Banana, Peach… Never met a smoothie I didn’t love. I also am a huge fan of vegetables, so when the subject of Green Smoothies came up, how could I NOT be fascinated? Green Smoothies were, apparently “invented” by the late Dr. Ann Wigmore in 1988.

[Read more...]

Filed Under: Book Reviews, Books I Love, Fitness, Green Smoothies, Health Tagged With: green smoothies, healthy eating

The Scary Diabetes Epidemic

March 21, 2012 By Joi 1 Comment

Things We Can Do to Prevent Diabetes

Eating healthy is a huge step in diabetes prevention.

According to the World Health Organization, there are about 346 million people worldwide with diabetes. If you think that’s alarming (and it is), make sure you’re sitting down before you read this next line: The International Diabetes Federation predicts that at least one in 10 adults could have diabetes by 2030, an estimated 552 million people.

If you’ve ever seen diabetes up close and personal, you know that it’s one brutal disease. I know you’re as anxious as I am to keep this monster out of your closet. The good news is that there ARE things we can do to lessen our odds of getting diabetes. With the estimates we just talked about, I’d say the time to start doing all we can do is NOW and the time to stop doing all that we can is NEVER.

The American Diabetes Association Recommends the following steps to prevent diabetes:

Get active and stay active. Add more activity to your daily routine. If you have a sedentary job, make it a point to frequently stand and take walks. Stretch, lift weights, or just walk in place. Another great way to make sure you’re getting enough activity is to wear a pedometer. Aim for at least 10,000 steps a day. Being active doesn’t necessarily mean jogging or trips to the gym. It simply means getting that body moving – OFTEN!
Eat healthy foods. Lay off the sugar and fried foods. Eat more (as in a lot more!) fruits and vegetables. If choosing healthy meals is a problem for you, you might want to register for MyFoodAdvisor. This freeonline resource provides you with new recipes, cooking tips, and a meal plan each month.
Maintain a healthy weight. If your current weight isn’t within a healthy range, move Heaven and earth to get it there.

One of the best weapons against diabetes is common sense. We all know the foods that we should avoid and we know the foods we should eat more frequently. It’s time to stop messing around and get serious about this.

Before it’s too late.

More Dietary Guidelines for Eating Healthy:

Eat more meals at home.
Make fast food drive thrus a thing of the past.
Eat more salads – but lay off of the fattening dressings.
Make fruit your “go to” snack.
See Dr. Oz’s Anti-Diabetes Drink
Choose whole grains. Whole grains contain more fiber which not only help you feel fuller faster – they also keep blood sugar levels more stable. According to Bob Greene, “When you eat foods made with refined grain, like white bread or corn flake cereal, the glucose is absorbed into the bloodstream very quickly. On the other hand, whole grains take longer for the body to break down, so you get a much slower and less severe blood sugar spike. Start replacing your regular white bread and crackers with whole-grain versions, and trade in white rice for brown rice. Pasta is an exception; because of the way it’s made, even regular pasta promotes a relatively slow rise in blood sugar compared to other foods made with refined grains. Whole-wheat pasta is even easier on blood sugar. If you’re not a fan, try Barilla Whole Grain, which at 51 percent whole grain gives you some of the benefits but not the gritty taste, or Barilla PLUS, which has added fiber and protein. The meal plans in the book feature a number of tasty ways to incorporate more whole grains into your diet.“

See The American Diabetes Association for more information about preventing diabetes.

Filed Under: Fitness, Health Tagged With: prevent diabetes, preventing diabetes

MUST Do’s for Protecting Your Eyes

January 5, 2012 By Joi 1 Comment

Foods and Tips for Better Eye Health

Wear sunglasses (fashionably, like my daughter Stephany!) to protect your eyes – even in the winter.

It’s not even 10:00 am yet and my eyes have already given me a full day’s worth of enjoyment. I’ve seen my daughter Brittany, my husband, our cats, coffee, a piece of Dove Chocolate candy, blue jays, woodpeckers, more coffee, sparrows, cardinals, e-mail messages, tweets, more coffee… Stop for a second and think about all of the beautiful things your eyes have seen – just in the past 12 hours even! It may sound like the front of a Hallmark card, but our eyes really are our windows to the world.

The problem is, as we age, these windows can potentially become impaired. Fortunately, there are plenty of things we can do to keep that from happening – allowing us the beautiful, unobstructed view we have today for years and years and years to come.

Below are tips for eye health, including foods that are excellent for your eyes. Shouldn’t we be as mindful of our eyes as we are our waists and minds? Absolutely!

See an eye doctor regularly. If you haven’t been in awhile, make an appointment today. It doesn’t matter if you think you can see perfectly well or not. A professional can spot potential problems LONG before we know they’re there. Many eye problems (that could potentially cloud our windows to the world) can be fixed, but they have to be detected first. If you haven’t been in the past year, GO! Then, be certain to keep future appointments. Of all the doctors in the world, optometrists are the least painful. They don’t even make you step on a scale. Love them for that.
If you have corrective lenses, wear them religiously. When you squint or have to struggle to “make something out,” you’re straining your eyes.
If you work at a computer, like me, be sure to take frequent breaks. Experts suggest taking at least a ten minute break every two hours.
Don’t smoke. Smoking increases the risk of cataracts and glaucoma.
If you have high blood pressure, get it under control and keep it under control. Having high blood pressure seems to increase your risk of glaucoma.
Keep your diabetes under control. Diabetics are at risk for eye problems if their disease isn’t monitored. Be strict with your diet and exercise routines.
Get some form of exercise or activity each day. It’s as good for your eyes as the rest of you.
Frequently eat foods with eye-protecting nutrients and vitamins (see the list below).
Get at least 5 hours of sleep each night to allow your eyes to rejuvenate and recharge.
Wear sunglasses outside and protective eye wear when working with chemicals – or even when doing yard work.

Foods and Drinks that Help Protect Your Eyes

Carrots, of course! The beta-carotene found in carrots is wonderful for protecting your eyes from a host of problems.
As great as carrots are for your eyes, research shows that there is a food that’s EVEN better for protecting our vision: Spinach. The protective benefits come from lutein found in spinach.
Drink LOTS of water.
Corn, spinach, and other leafy green vegetables help maintain your sight and even improve the health of your eyes.
Vitamin C helps protect against cataracts. Foods and drinks rich in Vitamin C include citrus fruits, oranges, juices, tomatoes, and bell peppers.
Flavonoids also protect our eyes. Eat lots of these foods: Onions, oats, broccoli, tomatoes, apples, cranberries, strawberries, tea, cranberry juice, tomato juice, and grape juice.
Omega 3′s (which seem to be great for everything, actually!) are wonderful for your eyes. Eat lots of salmon and tuna and/or take supplements.
Aim for 3 servings of fruit daily.

Whenever I do research for a particular disease or situation, I’m always amazed at how many foods, drinks, and activities overlap. We’d be wise to simply EAT WHAT WE KNOW WE SHOULD EAT, DRINK MORE WATER THAN WE’RE DRINKING, MOVE MORE, GET PLENTY OF REST, and USE COMMON SENSE WHEN IT COMES TO SAFETY. I’m in. You?

Filed Under: Health Tagged With: eye health, healthy food, protect your eyes