“I believe one of my strengths is my ability to keep negative thoughts out. I am an optimist.” ~ John Wooden
WhatIf Foods and Their Planet-Positive Mindset: In Our Spotlight for Vegan Month!
WhatIF Plant Milk
I’d like to share the press release below with you in honor of November being World Vegan Month! While I am not a vegan or vegetarian, I am very, very interested in sustainability and healthy eating. For these reasons, I find myself drawn to many of the same delicious products my vegan/vegetarian friends (and my beautiful daughter Brittany) are drawn to.
I have not, yet, tried WhatIF Foods, but when I do I will add reviews to the self help blog and let you know all about them! Although the press release says they are available on Amazon, I’ve been unable (personally) to find them. They are absolutely on the WhatIF Website and Cergular (linked to below). ~ Joi (“Joy“)
WhatIF Foods and Their Planet-Positive Mission
Press Release and image used with permission.
WhatIF Foods is a “planet-positive” food and beverage company like no other. Their brand philosophy centers around a simple query: “What if sustainability is not enough?”. WhatIF Foods seeks to transform the agri-food industry by advocating the practice of regenerative agriculture and lifestyle principles and practices to revive nature, restore lands and provide for the community. WhatIF Food’s planet-positive approach is a call to everyone to adopt a way of life that’s regenerative instead of simply being sustainable.
WhatIF Foods has completely integrated regenerative practices into its entire manufacturing and supply chain to replenish and restore natural resources — all while seeking to deliver balanced and healthy diets to everyone through their various natural, plant-based products.
The brand specializes in the production of noodles and plant milk products from a unique and underutilized West African crop known as Bambara groundnut or BamNut. Their products are available on their website, Amazon.com and select online retailers such as Cerqular.
WhatIF Foods is the only company in the world to utilize the Bambara groundnut in convenient food formats for the mass market. Their plant-based instant noodles are sold at $12.50 a pack which contains 5 noodles, oil and sauce sachets and seasoning packets, all of which are free of palm oil, artificial coloring and flavoring. WhatIF Foods’ BamNut Milk is offered in retail at $5.49 a carton and comes in three variants — BamNut Milk Airy, Barista and Everyday.
The Bambara groundnut was found to have special regenerative properties that allow it to rejuvenate depleted soils, essentially allowing the planet to recover itself. This low-maintenance, yet highly nutritious crop is central to everything that WhatIF Foods stands for in light of its advocacy to promote a healthy diet while transforming the agri-food industry and promoting regenerative business and agriculture.
Their many initiatives and innovations in regenerative agricultural practices haven’t gone unnoticed. WhatIF Foods is a finalist in the 2020 Liveability Challenge and part of the 2020 MIT Solve Class.
WhatIF Foods operates beyond being a food and beverage purveyor. The brand’s ultimate goal is to create a generation of regeneration advocates — passionately inviting people from all walks of life to join the #REgeneration. Learn more about their work and join the movement through their website and Amazon.
Quotes of the Day: Because We Could All Use A Little Dose of Inspiration and Motivation…
“Nothing Great was Ever Achieved Without Enthusiasm.” ~ Ralph Waldo Emerson
A while back I had a feature on the self help blog called “Quotes of the Day.” I’d post a great inspirational or motivational quote, along with a graphic (almost always starring an animal or two… what can I say… I’m a modern day Snow White, completely obsessed with animals).
Life gets pretty busy sometimes, causing us to often pull away from certain routines. Unfortunately, I dropped this one and simply never picked it back up.
Until now!
I was sitting and spending time with my beloved journal/planner this morning and was in the process of writing down my daily morning entries…
- Bible verse of the day
- Vocabulary word of the day (sign up at Dictionary.com!)
- Quote of the day (one I pull from daily reading that inspires or motivates me)
It occurred to me just how much I enjoy having a particularly inspiring or motivating quote to carry around with me throughout the day and I thought of you.
Yes, you!
I want to make sure you have one each day for your pocket, to pull out whenever you need a little company. I will post them as often as possible on Mondays – Fridays, beginning today with a wonderful quote above from Ralph Waldo Emerson. My life is beautifully busy, so I doubt there will EVER be a whole week with “Quotes of the Day,” but I’ll try to get as many done as possible.
Have a wonderful, enthusiastic rest of the week! ~ Joi (“Joy“)
The Health Benefits of Green Tea (Time to Pour Another Cup!)
If you read a great deal about health and nutrition, you’re familiar with phrases such as “…..could help reduce….,” “….has the potential to….,” “…might decrease your risk for…” Writers and researchers have to pull out fence-riding words to protect themselves as well as their readers.
I perfectly understand that. I keep a bag of fence-riding words by my desk.
Being familiar with the terminology makes me pay extra attention to the words used in health reports. When a particular research produces data with clear cut facts, I sit up and take notice.
You may already know that my drinks of choice are coffee and tea. I drink at least 6 glasses of iced tea daily (a delicious assortment of raspberry, raspberry-peach, black, green tea..) as well as a mug of hot tea in the evening.
I believe strongly in the benefits of tea, so I feel even better about being such a fanatic.
I really love it when my love of health and nutritional information collides with my love for green tea. And if you’ll notice in the information that follows, the words DO NOT ride a fence.
Green tea is known for being loaded with antioxidants and, of course, antioxidants are (in turn) are known for being loaded with many health benefits….
- Lower your risk of heart disease
- Help you lose fat
- Protection against cancer
- Improve your brain health
Green Tea Lowers Your Risk of Heart Disease
In an issue of the European Journal of Cardiovascular Prevention and Rehabilitation, researchers reported that people who drink green tea have better blood vessel function just 30 minutes later. Inside of an hour, your heart is already enjoying benefits.
For the study, researchers gave either green tea, hot water, or a beverage containing the same caffeine as green tea to a group of volunteers. The researchers measured the volunteer’s blood flow 30, 90, and 120 minutes after drinking their beverages.
After drinking green tea, the volunteers experienced significantly increased artery widening. The widening was evident after just 30 minutes. The other beverages (the caffeinated beverage and hot water did not produce any significant changes in the same individuals).
Read more about the health benefits of green tea on WebMD.
If you haven’t, yet, fallen in love with green tea, please give it another shot.
A Few Ideas to Help You Fall in Love with Green Tea:
- Brew it yourself, then sweeten it with honey and lemon.
- Add a little unsweetened fruit juice.
- My favorite way to fix green tea: Combine your green tea bag(s) with bags of raspberry, peach, strawberry, or other berry teas. This combo is outstanding: Green tea, raspberry tea, AND peach tee. Trust me… it’s addictive.
- Two words: Flavored Syrups (read about some of the absolute best flavored syrups for tea here)
- Use the best bags of green tea – experiment until you find one you love (which means you’ll drink it!). My personal favorite is Tazo (Amazon link).
While on the subject of healthy eating (it couldn’t be more vital, you know), I’d like to share a few links with you:
- How Much Protein Do You Actually Need Per Day?
- A GREAT New Favorite Healthy Snack
- Top 10 Benefits of Green Tea
Benefits of Acupuncture in Treating Stress & Chronic Pain
Acupuncture continues to gain popularity as more studies find it effective in treating different illnesses. From chronic pain to stress, acupuncture has shown that it can provide relief and successfully deliver desired results.
It features fine needles inserted in the skin at specific points along the energy lines also known as meridians. In traditional Chinese medicine, acupuncture has been successfully used for years.
The best part is that it not only addresses physical health issues but also impacts the mental body. It can improve your anxiety and stress levels to help control them and relieve the constant pressure.
How Acupuncture Works to Treat Anxiety and Stress
You may be wondering how acupuncture relates to treating anxiety and how it actually works. Let’s explore a bit deeper to understand how and why acupuncture for anxiety is effective.
In Chinese medicine, the energy that flows through the body is called Qi (Chi). It moves through the energy lines known as meridians through the whole body. When your body is uneasy due to stress and anxiety, the flow of energy is disrupted.
Acupuncture helps to restore balance and facilitate an easier flow of energy through the meridians. Professional acupuncturists insert fine needles in specific energy points to help bring your energy back to its normal flow.
Modern science explains that the fine needles are inserted away from your nerves to a certain depth stimulating feel-good hormones like endorphins. These hormones help reduce stress-inducing hormones like cortisol to help treat anxiety and stress.
Benefits of Acupuncture in Treating Stress and Anxiety
Studies show that acupuncture is an effective treatment for anxiety disorders with fewer side effects compared to taking medication. If you are looking for alternative treatment options, acupuncture is worth consideration.
Working with licensed NYC acupuncturists gives you the confidence you need to explore a different approach to relieve anxiety and stress. Acupuncture remains one of the best alternative treatments with incredible benefits. These benefits include;
Improves Mood
Acupuncture helps improve overall mood and emotional regulation to help you process and react to different situations better. Improved moods help reduce anxiety and stress ensuring that you are calmer to deal with things that come up.
Going for your acupuncture appointments will leave you feeling happier which will help reduce feelings of anxiety and help you manage your stress responses.
Enhance Mental Clarity
Brain fog may affect your mental clarity and tamper with your decision-making skills. This may leave you feeling stuck or stagnant. These feelings can lead to stress and feelings of anxiety.
Studies have shown that acupuncture can help improve cognitive function which can in turn help clear out brain fog. This will help enhance your mental clarity, allowing you to make better decisions while relieving stress and anxiety.
Promotes Better Sleep
Sleep deprivation is a major cause of stress and anxiety. It throws off your circadian rhythm and leaves you feeling exhausted. This later affects your work and health leading to a more stressful situation.
Acupuncture is effective in treating insomnia and will help promote better sleep to ensure that you get enough rest. Doing this will help reduce stress and anxiety.
Boosts Your Energy
After your acupuncture sessions, you’ll often find that you are more energetic and excited to get things done. This boost in your energy helps you get things done and relieve stress and anxiety about incomplete tasks.
Relieves Body Pains
Pain can cause stress to the body leaving you feeling worse. However, acupuncture has been shown to be effective for chronic pain to help give you relief and reduce the stress on your body.