How To Get Over A Cold Quickly

Having a cold sucks!

Here are some strategies that have worked for me to recover quickly:

1. I drink 2 litres of lukewarm water a day.  It’s a lot of water but I force myself to do it as I find it really speeds up the recovery process.  It feels like it’s flushing out the virus.  Why lukewarm?  This is something my acupuncturist taught me, our inner body is warm so it’s a bit of a shock to the system to receive cold water. Warm water blends right in  and it also helps with digestion.
2. I double up on vitamin C to boost my immune system.
3. I listen to my body and give it the rest it needs. If my body is aching for a nap, I take it when possible.
4. If I’m really stuffed up and/or coughing and it’s preventing me from getting a good sleep I take a decongestant and/or cough suppressant. Getting a good nights sleep in essential for a quick recovery
5. If I have the energy, I make a big pot of organic vegetable and chicken soup. It’s packed with nutrients and is so comforting. I live on it for a few days. It’s important that the soup have a protein.
6. With a busy life it’s not always easy, but I try to do less and let myself be taken care of (doesn’t really happen – but I always hope, sometimes you have to ask).
7. I eat natural sources of vitamin C; my favorites are oranges and kiwis.
8. As always, don’t skip meals and eat healthy.
9. I make a strong Chai tea from scratch (will send out recipe soon).

Some natural remedies I like:

For congestion and cough:

I love the Chinese herbal expectorant Nin Jiom, it’s become so popular that it’s now sold at Shopper’s Drug Mart. It really clears the chest.

 

For a sore throat:

I love Echinaforce Throat Spray.  I actually use it year round because my throat can get sore from teaching. The bottle has a long nozzle that can reaches the back of the throat, it’s so soothing.

(warning: tastes horrible)

I also love Ricola throat drops.

 

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My Breakfast Smoothie

Finally, here is my first recipe!

(as some of you have been requesting)

While doing some research for a blog post, I realized I was not getting enough protein. So I decided to try the infamous breakfast protein shake.

It took me a while to find a protein powder that was gluten-free, dairy free, (mostly) organic and that also did not taste like cardboard, as some do.

Then it took some testing to find a combination that tasted good.

Now I love it!

It’s very filling and sets me up for the day. When I don’t have it for breakfast I find I am hungry all day. I find starting the day with protein and then having protein at every meal keeps me satiated. If you find that you are often hungry consider upping your protein intake.

I don’t know of any other way to get this much protein at breakfast – well maybe eggs and turkey bacon, but that feels so heavy and is a lot more cumbersome to prepare.

The smoothie is pretty big and filling so I have half and then I bring the other half to have after the first class I teach in the morning.

Ingredients

1 cup organic vanilla almond milk – 30 calories (Costco)

1/2 organic banana – 50 calories (Whole Foods)

1 tbsp organic hemp oil (for shiny hair)  – 120 calories (Whole Foods)

1 tbsp organic chia seeds gives it nice thick consistency – 50 calories/2 g protein (Costco)

1/3 cup organic frozen berries – 20 calories (Costco)

1 scoop Kaizen Vegan Chocolate Protein Powder – 160 calories/25 g protein (Whole Foods)

Total calories: 430

Total protein: 27 g

I put everything in my Bullet blender except the frozen berries and protein powder, I let it sit for about 15 minutes so the Chia seeds soften.

When I’m ready to have it I add the frozen berries and protein powder and blend for a bit longer than you would think (1 full minute) so it has a really smooth whippy dessert-like consistency.

I find it’s hard to digest the protein so I take a digestive enzyme capsule from Whole Foods with it.

Once in a blue moon if I don’t have time for a meal I will have it as a meal for lunch or dinner.

Let me know if you try it!

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What To Do With The Halloween Candy?!

Have you ever read the ingredients on a candy bar?

The main ingredient of concern (among many) is hydrogenated vegetable oil.

It’s oil that’s been treated with hydrogen, if you can believe it, to make it stronger. This way when items are shipped they do not break as easily. The problem is, this oil does not break down in our bodies. In fact, we are not able to digest it at all so it sticks to our arteries collecting dust until there’s enough of it there to to block the artery all together. The only way to remove it is surgically, that is if it doesn’t cause a heart attack first!

Hydrogenated oil is also known as “trans fats” and it’s become common to see food items marked “0 trans fats”. Unfortunately this cannot be trusted. Since I always read ingredient labels I was surprised to read “hydrogenated oil” on an ingredient list on a product that was labelled “0 trans fats”. “How strange”, I thought to myself, so I called Health Canada to get to the bottom of it. Turns out Health Canada allows companies to label an item “0 trans fats” when it has under certain amount of hydrogenated oil. Can you believe it!? So always read the ingredient list even if it says “0 trans fats” (be aware that this oil is sometimes listed as “modified oil”).

This time of year those evil little candy bars seem to be everywhere. We see them in a bowl at the reception desk or in the lunch room, tempting us to have one. After all, they’re so small and cute, they can’t do that much harm, we tell ourselves.

But really, think about it, do you really want to eat this thing that is packed with artificial flavours and hydrogenated oil?! Is it really worth it?!

Ask yourself:

Is It Crap?

What are the ingredients in that tasty morsel?
Is it actually tasty & delicious or am I eating it out of: boredom? something to do? unconsciousness? feeling uncomfortable? obligation?
Is it made with artificial flavour and hydrogenated oil? Or is it real made with natural ingredients?
What are natural ingredients you wonder? If you can’t pronounce it or don’t know what it means then it’s crap. Pretty simple, huh!?
Consider how you will feel after you eat it: Crap makes you feel like crap!

Be picky! Be choosy! Don’t eat crap! Trust me it’s not worth it.

You are an adult and you can go and buy yourself some candy whenever you want.

If you really are craving a treat go buy yourself something made with real wholesome ingredients. Go to a real chocolate store or Whole Foods, there are so many choices now. You can get chocolate made with real cocoa, cheesies made with real cheese, organic popcorn that is not packed with yellow dye, homemade cookies, there’s so much out there if you really want it. You will start to be able to tell the difference between real and fake food and pretty soon you’ll have hard time eating the “crap” because it tastes like, well, crap.

Don’t eat crap!

FOR KIDS:

After I had my son and he was old enough to participate in Halloween I got worried thinking about all the hydrogenated oil, artificial flavours, dyes and general crap that would be going into his body with all that Halloween candy.

So this is what I did:

I let him have all the candy he wanted on Halloween night and the day after.
I explained to him my concerns about the candy and how bad it was.
I offered to trade his candy bag for a toy (he LOVED the idea!).

If he was feeling really sad about giving up his candy then I’d get him a few treats made with wholesome ingredients.
Get the candy out of the house, out of sight, out of mind. If you stash it or you might eat it!

What to do with the candy? Leave it the alley, take it to your office, community centre, food bank or just throw it away, it’s garbage anyway.

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A Stool For Your Stool

A good bowel movement is incredibly satisfying!
But it’s not only satisfying, it’s very important for your health.  Watch & learn:

 

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Squatty Potty  $29.99

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

IKEA Stool  $4.99

                                                                                 

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How’s Your Headspace?

If meditation interests you but you don’t know where to start this is exactly what you need:

It’s a meditation program you can use on your phone or computer.  It starts with a free 10-day program, just 10 minutes a day, and then if you want to continue, it’s a monthly membership fee; it’s like a gym membership for your mind.

I’ve been using it for the last month and have found it very helpful. It gets you grounded, reduces stress and increases mindfulness throughout the day.  After you’ve done the basic training you can choose meditation packs that focused on specific areas like health, sports, relationships, performance, etc.

Let me know if you try it and how it goes. Would love to hear how you like it!

 

HEADSPACE WEBSITE HERE

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What Are You Really Eating?

You must know by now that I’m pretty passionate about eating organic.  In fact, I think it’s one of the most important things you can do for your health.

Here is yet another very compelling reason to eat organic:

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Come Away With Me!

It’s not too late to come on my RETREAT to Tulum, Mexico

just 9 weeks away!

November 8th to 15th, 2014

Know someone who would love to come?  Please share!

 

 

RATES    PHOTOS   REGISTER

Did you know?

Statistically, airfare is at it’s lowest 60 days prior to departure

Best time to buy is Tuesdays at noon PST

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