Coconut 101

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Coconut 101

For centuries, island cultures have exclusively used coconut and coconut oil as a staple in their diet, and according to a study conducted in the early ’80s on Polynesian populations and published by the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, these people showed favorable heart and circulatory health.

And while conventional medical sources still condemn coconut oil as being unhealthy due to its high content of saturated fat, most experts in the natural health world agree that coconut is an uber-beneficial addition to your diet. Here’s why:

  • It’s high in lauric acid. Lauric acid is a medium-chain fatty acid found in virtually one other naturally occurring place—mother’s milk! Lauric acid converts to monolaurin in the body, which is known for its anti-bacterial, anti-viral, and anti-protozoa properties. Due to this, coconut oil can help with dozens of conditions that would normally require prescription treatment like ulcers to infections and even HIV!
  • It contributes to weight loss. Even though coconut oil contains saturated fat, 48% of its saturated fat is made up of the superstar medium-chain fatty acid. This means that it’s easily digestible and easily processed and put back into the bloodstream unlike the long-chain fatty acid found in traditional saturated fats, which take more energy to digest and literally stick around in the form of visible fat. Medium-chain fatty acids stimulate your body’s metabolism, which can lead to weight loss. They also have an anti-inflammatory effect on your body.
  • It acts like a carbohydrate—without messing with your blood sugar. Because medium-chain fatty acids are delivered directly to your liver to be processed, they provide quick energy, without the insulin spike you get when eating carbohydrates. This is extremely beneficial for diabetics!
  • It stands up to high-heat cooking. Unlike other liquid oils that turn rancid and become oxidized when cooked at high temperatures, coconut oil remains stable, making it the ideal oil for baking and cooking.
  • It conditions your skin—and your mouth! When applied topically, coconut oil can help protect skin from the elements that speed up aging as well as heal such conditions as psoriasis and eczema due to its anti-fungal and anti-inflammatory properties. For the same reason, when it comes to oral hygiene, a study by the Journal of Oral Health and Community Dentistry confirms a spoonful of coconut oil can clean your mouth more thoroughly than brushing, flossing, and rinsing with mouthwash.

By incorporating coconut oil into your daily diet (all it takes is eating one to three tablespoons per day), you can reap the many benefits of this tropical wonder without leaving the comfort of your home.

Author’s content used under license, © 2013 Sprouted Content, LLC

Healthy Foods That Travel Well

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road-trip-snacks“Would you like fries with that?” This statement is part of the “soundtrack” of any typical road trip, and it is something that often signifies bad food choices. Unfortunately, there are many times when you cannot travel without also enduring very limited food options. Luckily, there are some incredibly good foods that also travel well.

The key to the list of foods below is that most do not need constant refrigeration to remain safe, they are packed with the kinds of vitamins and nutrients that will keep you feeling your best, and they are easy to prepare and package for any sort of trip.

  • Almond and Goji Berry Blast – just measure equal parts dried goji berries and raw almonds into snack-sized containers (a few ounces is more than enough) and you have one of the most amazing snacks imaginable. Almonds are packed with protein and “good fat” that will give you plenty of energy to burn, and goji berries are considered one of the world’s top “super foods” due to their antioxidant and nutrient properties.
  • Chia beverage – if you have already had a chia smoothie in the past, you know that they make a gelatinous “goo” around themselves when moistened. This is a reaction that you really want because it is the protein and omega-3 fatty acids in the seeds thickening in the fluid. Use an easy to clean water container and place 16 ounces of water along with 2 tsp of chia seeds into it. Shake well and drink when you need it.
  • Fruits – apples, oranges, mangos, cherries, and dried fruits will all travel just fine without any refrigeration. Just rinse them and bring them along for the journey.
  • Vegetables – cherry tomatoes, avocadoes, carrots, celery, broccoli, and many other veggies are also ideal when washed and packed in travel pouches.
  • Oddball items – a small jar of coconut oil will work great to soften lips and skin, but you can also take a spoonful of it to ward off hunger and boost the metabolism. All seeds and nuts travel well, but should be mixed with dried fruits to get a good balance. Small packets of tuna are healthy and safe, and a small jar of nut butter is a good dip for fruits and vegetables too.

See just how easy it is to bring healthy food on the road? Now, go get a map and plan your next road trip!

Desk Job Stretches

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business and work

An article in the “New York Times” in January of 2013 mentioned that remaining in any one position for too long is not good for you – even if you exercise all of the time too. For example, the physician who wrote the piece indicated that “standing” desks are great, but standing too long is not healthy. The normal sitting desks are not conducive to optimal health either, and so a basic approach to remaining healthy while desk bound was suggested.

What was it: Get up and move or stretch on a regular basis throughout the day. This means that working for around 30 to 40 minutes and then stretching or walking for another 10 to 15 minutes is an ideal way to remain healthy.

What sort of stretching works? Below is a series of seven different moves that are desk stretches and which will really work the kinks out.

  1. Chin to Chest – Tucking in the chin forces the spine into alignment. It is done when you just sit up tall and slowly drop your chin as far towards the chest as possible. Roll the head gently from side to side to loosen the entire neck and upper back.
  2. Looking Hard – While still holding good posture, turn the head as far as possible to the left and to the right. Don’t tilt the head backward and don’t overdo it!
  3. Pull Across – Sitting up tall, put one hand on the elbow of the other arm (this means crossing the arm over your chest) and pull lightly to stretch.
  4. Chest Lift – Sit up tall and place both hands on the back of your head. Be sure that your elbows are high and pointing outward. Press the elbows as far back as you can and pull the shoulder blades together to really open the chest.
  5. Lower Back Lift – Sitting in your chair, carefully pull one knee toward your chest, without slouching toward the leg. Hold this and continue to apply pressure to pull the leg closer. Repeat several times on both sides.
  6. Rib Stretch – Stand up and put your hands on the top of your head. With your chin held high, slowly stretch as far as you can to one side. Repeat several times for each side.
  7. Spine Stretch – Sit back in your chair and put the feet on the floor. Put the hands behind the back and lace the fingers. Tuck in the tummy as you bring the hands over the back of your head and rest your chin or chest on your lap. Breathe into this and repeat four times.

These stretches will get the blood flowing and help you stay sharp even if you are stuck at the desk all day.

Drug Free Alternatives to Help Insomnia

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If you don’t sleep properly you don’t think clearly, function well, or enjoy optimal health. Problems with sleep can lead to things like weight gain, lethargy, and disease. This is why it is imperative to overcome insomnia, but the problem is that many people rely on drugs to “sleep”. This, however, is not true sleep and it may be a sort of sedation that does not actually provide all of the essential phases of totally effective sleep.

Thus, you want to identify drug free alternatives to insomnia, and we have four very effective options from which to choose.

  1. Deep Breathing – Focused breathing is similar to meditation because you are trying to focus the mind on just one thing – the slow and intentional inhalations and exhalations that are occurring. Nothing else. You can lay in bed or sit on the floor with your back against the wall and legs folded (this helps with posture). You then slowly inhale through the nose for a count of three to five. Be aware of your diaphragm as you inhale and try to take in a “lungful” of breath. Just as slowly, allow the air to exit through parted lips. Repeat five to ten times.
  2. Muscle Relaxation – One of the best ways to relax the muscles is to do small and focused stretching. Be aware that any overly vigorous exercise is going to result in stimulation, and that is something to be avoided. Instead, try the following yoga pose as it will stretch the body and stimulate thyroid function (which helps with sleep). It is the “Plow Pose” and is done by laying flat on the floor with arms at the side and palms facing down. You bend the knees and use the abdomen to pull the legs over the head. If possible, straighten the legs and rest the toes on the ground. Then lace the fingers together and gently shift the weight from side to side in order to bring the shoulder blades closer. Hold this for ten breaths and then release.
  3. Visualization – Counting sheep is a classic attempt to make one bored enough to sleep. If that works, great, but if not you can still use self-guided visualization to encourage relaxation and sleep. A stroll through the woods, a sail along a river, a walk in the clouds…whatever opens the door to dream land!
  4. Chamomile tea – This is the classic natural compound for creating relaxation and triggering the drinker to easily fall soundly asleep.

There you have it, four good tactics to use if you just cannot get to sleep.

Benefits of Bringing Your Lunch to Work

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Lunch box

The famous brown bag…it is a sight that is familiar to many and which is truly dreaded by some. That is because the brown bag lunch is not considered all that sexy, exciting, or appealing. This is a horrible mislabeling because a brown bag lunch, or a lunch made at home is almost always going to be far more healthy, delicious, and cost effective than anything purchased from a store or restaurant.

Just consider the financial aspect: If the average “takeout” lunch is around $7 – $12 per day, then that can mean an expense of $35 to $60 per week on lunches alone. Over the course of a single month, that could add up to more than week of groceries!

Additionally, even when you get a “healthy” option from a restaurant, it is likely to be higher in sodium than anything you might make at home, in a portion or serving size that is unnecessarily large, and a serious waste of resources such as plastic containers and wrappings.

Finally, when you opt to buy food out instead of “brown bagging it” from home, you don’t get to control the quality of the food. After all, how easy can it be to find a totally organic sandwich, fruit, and beverage? What if you have some food concerns such as lactose or gluten intolerance?

Clearly, there are both health and financial benefits from opting to bring your own lunch. However, even when you can cut costs and control quality you may not make the best choices. For example, many people will choose a pre-packaged solution (such as cup or can of microwaveable soup) that is just as costly and unhealthy as something that can be purchased from a store or restaurant.

So, this tells us that we enjoy the greatest benefits from bringing our own lunch when we make a point of creating a meal that we might make or choose if we were still at home in our own kitchens. Below are our top tips for simplifying the lunch creation process to ensure good results:

  1. You don’t have to use the brown bag – buy a good lunch box or cooler and use that to tote your homemade foods.
  2. Make meals over the weekend and divide into easy to grab servings – keep old deli containers or buy reusable containers to package your lunches ahead of time, and then it is a “grab and go” scenario.
  3. Bring snacks too – you are a lot less likely to succumb to an offer for takeout if you have snacks from home too.

The benefits of bringing food from home are many, and it will make for much more enjoyable workday meals.

Check out our Pinterest Page for some great ideas for a healthy and tasty lunch.

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Attack Allergies Before they Attack

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Allergy sneeze

If you equate the coming of spring with red, itchy eyes; sneezing marathons; a runny nose; scratchy throat; and fatigue, you’re not alone. According to the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology, up to 30% of American adults suffer from seasonal allergies.

Fortunately, there are ways to survive the season without resorting to heavy-duty prescription meds or staying cooped up indoors. Here are 10 natural remedies, many of which help solve underlying issues that cause allergies—and deliver swift relief!

  1. Inside Out – Clean your sheets, vacuum, and dust frequently. Use a HEPA air filter in your bedroom, and minimize opening the windows to keep pollen from entering your home.
  2. Wash Hair and Pets Frequently – Because pollen can travel into your home on your clothes, in your hair, and in the hair of your pets, you’ll want to wash frequently. You may also want to consider giving your pet a haircut during pollen season to make grooming easier!
  3. Nose, Meet the Neti – Using this simple device in the morning and the evening can ease sinus congestion and gently sweep allergens from your nasal passages. Fill your neti pot with lukewarm distilled water (this is important!) and ¼ teaspoon of pure sea salt, run the solution through both sides of your nostrils, and gently blow your nose. Relief should be almost instant.
  4. Helpful Herbs - Three herbs that have shown to be beneficial in fighting allergies are butterbur (found in tablet form), nettle, and goldenseal. In fact, a study published in the British Medical Journal found that butterbur’s effectiveness rivals that of antihistamine drugs, but without the sleepy side effects.
  5. Supplement with NAC – The antioxidant NAC (n-acetyl-cysteine) works to thin mucus and has valuable expectorant as well as anti-inflammatory properties.
  6. Raw Local Honey – This works much like allergy shots because the honey contains pollen that is present in your area. By exposing yourself to small doses of this pollen, via a daily spoonful of raw, local honey, you have a delicious way to build your immunity.
  7. Eliminate Offending Foods – If you have food intolerances, your immune system will be compromised as you head into allergy season and your body will have fewer defenses to deploy against allergies. By eliminating these offending foods, you can minimize your allergy symptoms considerably.
  8. Introduce Healing Foods – According to Chinese medicine, seasonal allergies are a result of a liver or gallbladder imbalance. To strengthen these organs, consume lots of leafy green vegetables (kale, chard, arugula, cilantro, parsley) as well as broccoli, cabbage, and Brussels sprouts. Also introduce such sour foods as apple cider vinegar and fermented foods (miso, sauerkraut).
  9. Try Acupuncture – With very high success rates and no reported side effects, acupuncture can help soothe an overactive immune system and reduce inflammation associated with allergies.
  10. Hydrate, Hydrate, Hydrate – Dehydration activates histamine production, which can exacerbate allergy symptoms. Therefore, one of the simplest things you can do to minimize these effects is drink plenty of filtered water during allergy season.

 

Author’s content used under license, © 2013 Sprouted Content, LLC

 

Four Most Common Therapeutic Uses of Aromatherapy

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flower essence

Aromatherapy is all about scent. The scents of the various compounds used in aromatherapy are meant to create specific results. From stress relief to immune function improvement, aromatic plants and their essential oils have a huge array of therapeutic uses. Let’s look at four of the most common ways that aromatherapy is used therapeutically.

  • Energy enhancer – You are sitting at your desk or driving in the car and feeling the usual 2-3 PM fatigue. What do you do about it? Rather than heading for your fifth cup of coffee, or even worse, a candy bar, why not take out a vial of your preferred aromatherapy oil? Yes, it will be able to keep you alert during any sort of repetitive or routine tasks because it will stimulate certain areas of the brain. Use oils such as Orange, Grapefruit, Peppermint, Basil, Ginger to boost your energy.
  • Mood booster – Feeling grouchy? Maybe a bit of the post-holiday blues have got you down? Are you anxious about something? Believe it or not, there are aromatic oils that will help you get back to normal. For example, it is known that the scent of Bergamot, Melissa (Lemon Balm), Geranium, Peppermint, Orange, Jasmine, and Sandalwood are all “uplifting” and greatly improve the mood of those who inhale their aromas.
  • Stress reducer – Scent is meant to stimulate but also to calm, and that is why one of the most common ways that aromatherapy is used therapeutically is for stress relief. It is also why so many practitioners will tell you that aromatherapy works for headache, a racing or accelerated heartbeat, and even indigestion because they are viewing the stress relieving properties of the compounds used. Lavender, Chamomile, Ylang Ylang, Sandalwood, and Bergamot are great resources for stress.
  • Memory – Did you know that a huge amount of our memory is tied directly to sound and scent? In fact, studies have been done to see if recall is improved when associated with smell, and the evidence points to it being a valid theory. Thus far, the scents most often used to trigger improved memory are Rosemary, Lemon, and Clary Sage, though Basil and Bay Laurel show good results too.

Don’t think that these are the only ways that aromatherapy are being put to use. You will find practitioners at Apothecary Wellness who use it to treat PMS, burns, arthritis, acne, eye issues, and much more. If you have a health condition, visit our Aromatherapy Blending Bar to see if aromatherapy is a good solution or remedy for you.

Why you should definitely be waxing your underarms

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During warm-weather months, it’s natural to want to show off more skin with spaghetti straps, sleeveless dresses and bathing suits. Therefore, underarms are considered an area that women are likely to shave every single day in the shower. Which is why switching to underarm waxing might be a great way to take care of unwanted hair without extra effort. Here are four great reasons to switch to waxing your underarms.

1. Save time – stop shaving every day. You can cut back on your shower time when you don’t have to reach for the razor on a daily basis. While most women shave their legs every few days, underarms are one area that typically gets shaved every day. But taking this step out of your shower time, you’re free to worry about one less thing each day—and spend those extra minutes (they add up, you know!) on more important things.

2. Reduce underarm skin discoloration. When you shave, you only remove the tops of hair strands. Meanwhile, hair roots stay beneath the skin’s surface. Not only does this mean that hairs grow back immediately (often showing above the skin again within one day), but it also means that the skin under your arms appears dark or discolored. When you wax, the entire hair is removed, leaving no trace behind. The appearance of your underarms looks natural to your own skin color.

3. Conditions the skin under your arms. Regular waxing means that the skin cells in the area where hair is removed is regularly conditioned. This is because dead skin cells from the surface of your skin are routinely removed, providing a more youthful and healthier appearance. Plus, when you visit Apothecary Wellness, our waxing services are always followed by a soothing treatment with vitamins and nutrients that are great for your skin and help inhibit hair re-growth. While daily shaving can be abrasive to the skin and result in ingrown hairs, waxing gets the job done without skin stress–for much softer and smoother underarms!

4. Never worry about throwing on a sleeveless outfit. In warmer months, women should have the freedom to throw on arm-baring apparel without worrying about whether they remembered to shave. With a regular waxing schedule, you’re always free to flaunt your underarms. Instead of worrying about it on a daily basis, you can wait weeks to think about your underarms again—then simply stop by for a quick and easy visit to your esthetician at Apothecary Wellness.

Click here to request an appointment with your esthetician

Click here to request an appointment with your esthetician

Foods for Fertility

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“Don’t eat sulfites”

“Avoid caffeine”

“Cut down on artificial ingredients”

Fertility

 

When you are seeking to improve your chances at becoming pregnant you often hear a lot of “don’ts”. It can be a bit overwhelming to those who also struggle with fertility issues, and so we are going to provide five foods that you can and must try to eat each day in order to really boost your fertility. Most of them are really delicious, and it should be good news to those who are tired of hearing the “don’t do this or that”.

  • Dark ChocolateFoods high in zinc – This is a mineral that is known for boosting fertility in both menand women alike. It can be found in chicken, turkey, beef, oysters, toasted wheat germ, dark chocolate, and roasted pumpkin seeds.
  • Dairy with full fat – If Harvard University says that high fat dairy foods are good at promoting healthy and productive ovulation, you can believe it to be true. Of course, you can have too much of any good thing, so just try to limit yourself to one serving per day…and yes, a cup of ice cream is okay!
  • Complex carbohydrates – Whole grains are really the way to go here, and if you are someone with gluten intolerance or celiac, you can still use brown rice, stone-ground cornmeal, and beans.
  • Good fat – Avoiding Trans Fats is just something everyone should do. When trying to boost fertility with the diet, however, you do want to be sure you are getting the best of the “good fats”. These are the Omega-3 fatty acids, the best monounsaturated, and the polyunsaturated fats. These are found in avocados, nuts, fatty fish like salmon or sardines, pumpkin seeds, sesame seeds, and lean protein sources.
  • FoodheartFruits and vegetables – Though this seems like a “no brainer”, a lot of people donot up their daily intake of the most beneficial foods as they seek optimal fertility. Go for choices that are naturally high in folate and folic acid as these are great for fertility and for preventing birth defects. Choices include all of the dark green leafy vegetables, any citrus fruits, strawberries, bananas, berries, and wild yams.

Now that you know five food groups from which to build a fertility diet, you can begin making meals for yourself and your partner that are sure to really improve your chances at conceiving.

Four Benefits of Eating Glorious Kale

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Let’s say that you are walking through the market and you spot a pile of remarkably brilliant green leaves. You stop to take a closer look and see that they are very sturdy, heavily crinkled, and packed in an enormous clump. What are these huge and ample greens? It is likely that you have picked up a bunch of kale, or more appropriately, glorious kale!

Why glorious? It is a truly “super” food that comes with a long list of benefits. We are going to review for of the key benefits of kale, and explain why you should include it in your daily diet.

  1. Low calorie, high fiber, zero fat – very few foods can claim such innocence as kale. A full cup has less than 40 calories and more than five grams of fiber. It also has absolutely no fat and is packed with flavor and nutrients.
  2. It is loaded with nutritional benefits – while the ample amount of insoluble fiber available in a cup of raw or steamed kale is enough to make it a dietary “must have,” it is the vitamin and nutrient content that puts it over the proverbial top. For example, a serving of kale has a tremendous amount of calcium (more than milk on a per calorie basis!), vitamin C, vitamin A, antioxidants, and more.
  3. It is a major source of iron – if you have never had to take iron supplements you may not know that they can make you feel very ill. Kale is a safe way to supplement the diet (or simply supply it) with ample amounts of all natural iron. It is more iron rich than beef, and yet has no fat and none of the harmful compounds that appear in red meat.
  4. It is unique for its vitamin K content – there are not a lot of foods that contain high amounts of vitamin K, but kale is simply loaded with it. This is a vitamin only now earning regard for its ability to fight Alzheimer’s and to ensure bone health.

Kale is a veritable super food, and whether you steam it and serve it with a splash of vinegar, chop it and add it to hot soup, use it to “wrap” sandwich fillings, or as the main ingredient of a green smoothie, it is going to pack a lot of bang for the buck. Give it a try…you’ll find it to be surprisingly delicious.

 

Hearty Kale Salad from Eating Well Magazine

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Kale and White Bean Soup from Real Simple Magazine

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