Healthy LIfestyle and Foods
Nutrition
Have You Heard of Nopalea Juice?
Feb 14th
I’ve found a really great new drink from a cactus plant! This Nopal cactus juice has properties that native peoples have used for centuries for great health benefits from the fruit. The drink is called Nopalea (No-pah lay’uh) and is quite tasty.
The Nopalea juice has strong antioxidants in it. Antioxidants have been proven scientifically to help the body in reducing inflammation, as well as helping the body to cleanse out some of the toxins that we take in daily. Since inflammation causes all kinds of discomfort in the muscles, joints and, well, everywhere, drinking a juice that is rich with anti-inflammatory More >
The Difference Between Karo Syrup and High Fructose Corn Syrup
Mar 16th
Karo is a brand name for corn syrup. Back in the good ol’ days, well, in the old, old days, people got their corn syrup at the store from a barrel. The first company to put the syrup in a small bottle or individual purchase was the Corn Products Refining Co. of New York and Chicago, and they called it Karo, so “Karo” became the word we all associate with corn syrup, just like we associate “Kleenex” with tissue.
Corn syrup is mainly glucose suspended in water.
High-Fructose Corn Syrup came on the scene in 1957. It gets its higher fructose amount More >
Lemon Love
Mar 5th
Lemons are amazing things. Not only are they great with a little tequila and salt, but the rinds clean and refresh the garbage disposal when you put them in and grind them up!
Not to mention all the incredible nutrition in the lemon itself.
Did you know that if you put a lemon in water before you drink it, it may help relieve digestive problems?
Or, that you can use in on your face as an anti-aging remedy? It can help reduce the looks of wrinkles, and it gets rid of blackheads, too.
Lemons have so many other benefits as well, for instance, helping More >
Blueberry Pickin’
Feb 2nd
Last spring I went out blueberry picking for the first time ever. There is a farm near my house where they have planted row after row after row of blueberries. Some of the bushes are 30 years old, and the berries grow so thick you don’t even have to move- just stand there and fill your bucket! I never knew how easy it was to pick blueberries, and how absolutely delicious they are fresh off the bush. I went back 3 times before the season was over, and now I am eagerly waiting for this season’s berries to be ready.
Did More >
When Cooking With Fats and Oils
Jan 25th
Going down the baking aisle of the supermarket, one is greeted with a wide array of cooking oils, so how does one know which ones to use for what? Granted, many oils have multiple uses, but clearly, some are better suited for certain tasks than others. Here is a short breakdown of which oils might be best for certain uses.
Olive Oil- This is best used for very, very low temperatures. You can bake with it, no problem, and you can fry in it, but it does not like high heat, so be sure that whatever you are cooking can be More >
Yummm… Pickles as a Snack Food
Jan 13th
These days, eating healthy can be a real challenge. You have to watch every little thing so carefully. Many, nay, most foods available to us at the grocery stores and supermarkets have contents that are very unhealthy. It’s even worse when you go looking for snack food. Most snack foods are overly sweet, and have too many calories. Worse yet, they’re full of all kinds of artificial ingredients, colorants, preservatives, additives, etc. Looking for a good-for-you healthy snack is sometimes like looking for a needle in a haystack.
We all know fruits are a good snack food, however, sometimes they can More >
Exercise and Eats
Jan 7th
When we’re spending time regularly going to the gym, or on some other regular exercise program, it’s always s good idea to remember to pay just a little more attention to what we’re eating. Starving the body is never a good thing, and, of course, eating too much or at the wrong time can stress out the system as well.
Here are some real general guidelines for eating as it relates to your exercise program.
1- Eat large meals at least 3-4 hours before you exercise. This gives the body time to begin the digestive process, and to get the stomach fairly More >
How Much Formula Should Baby Have?
Dec 20th
Your baby is unique, and how much formula he needs can vary according to a number of different factors. These are his age, his weight, and what else he is eating, like breast milk, or solid food. Still, there are some basic guidelines.
First and formost, take your cue from your baby. Baby will eat when he’s hungry, and stop when he’s full. Fortunately, the little ones have not had time to pick up any bad hapbits in this area. His nutritional needs will vary from time to time also, so there are no hard and fast rules. He will eat More >
4 Healthy Snacks
Dec 5th
We all want a snack from time to time. Perhaps dinner is late, or we somehow missed lunch. For whatever reason, eating snacks between meals is not at all a bad thing. What you need to remember is to eat a good one, one low in fats and sugars, that will not make the day’s calorie count go way over the top.
Here are some good ideas for healthy snacking:
Frozen Grapes- these little wonders are super easy, just pop them in the freezer, and they are good fun to eat. Somehow, they never freeze too hard (not like little marbles) and More >
How Fresh is Fresh? A Case for Your Local Farmers’ Market
Oct 13th
Naturally when we think of wholesome, healthy foods, we think right away of fresh vegetables. And, it’s true, fresh vegetables are the highest in nutritional value. However, just because you bought vegetable from the produce section of your grocer, does not really guarantee that you are getting the freshness you expect.
Some vegetables have spent quite a bit of time in process and transit on their way from the farm to your nearby supermarket. From the pickers, the cleaners, the packers, the trucks, the distributors, and finally your local shop, each stage takes time. Often the vegetables you put in your More >