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Eat the Rainbow: Powerful Health Benefits of Colorful Foods!

By: Friday, April 26, 2013 Diet and Foods, Healthy Beauty, Healthy Cooking, Healthy Eating, Holistic Health, Lifestyle, Nutrition, Organic Beauty , , , , Permalink 0

By: Stephanie Heino

Eat the Rainbow | The Organic Beauty

Did you know that the color of fruits and vegetables can actually give you specific information about the benefits of a specific fruit or vegetables. Take a look at how each color is associated with certain health benefits, and learn how to eat the rainbow!

The Yellow Power. Yellow foods such as pineapple, citrus, corn, yellow tomatoes, yellow grapefruit, papaya and yellow peppers all contain important nutrients to keep the body functioning properly. For example, pineapple contains bromelain which is an enzyme that contributes proper functioning of the digestive system. Did you know that citruses can inhibit the formation of cancerous cells, and therefore protecting against breast cancer, skin cancer, etc. In addition, it’s no secret that vitamin C and folic acid found in citrus fruits have an amazing effect on the immune system by strengthening it, while also reducing the negative effect of free radicals. You may not think of corn as a miracle vegetable but it actually is a significant source of lutein and zeaxanthin which are two remarkable substances that reduce the risk of cataracts and macular degeneration caused by aging. On top of this yellow foods are also rich in flavonoids and fitonutrients which plays a detoxifying role.
The Red Power. In fruits and vegetables like peppers, radishes, cherries, watermelon, red grapefruit, strawberries, red grapes, pomegranate, and red apples we find an important substance called lycopene which can significantly reduce the risk of prostate cancer up to 35%. This substance also has a significant role in preventing heart diseases, ovarian cancer and also for the recycling of glutathione, also called the protein of life. This is one of the most powerful antioxidants produced in our bodies and it plays an amazing role in eliminating toxins from our body. Red fruit and vegetables have so many benefits to your health, and what I found most amazing is that by eating only a half of cup of tomatoes you can reduce ovarian cancer up to 60%! Wow, I am having a salad full of tomatoes tonight, so many nutrients, super low in calories and  prevention of ovarian cancer. Score!
The Orange Power. This truly spectacular color is found in foods such as carrots, mangoes, peaches, nectarines, pumpkin, sweet potato, oranges, squash and melon, and gets its color from  beta-carotene, a terpenoid that is converted by the body into vitamin A. Vitamin A plays an important role in our body from helping to smooth the function of white blood cells to acting as an important beneficial antioxidant. This vitamin, along with two other types of carotenoids, lutein and zeaxanthin, is essential to strengthen the immune system and to give us good vision. Beta-carotene also has a huge effect on preventing the development of cancer cells in the stomach, as well as in preventing heart diseases by decreasing cholesterol levels.
The Green Power. Green is known to be the color of life, and I think many people associate the vibrant color with health and vibrancy. We have been told to eat our greens for as long as we can remember, and once and for all, we will tell you why your parents didn’t let you leave dinner before you had eaten your leafy greens. The green pigment is found in green apples, grapes, kiwi, avocado, pistachio nuts, broccoli, spinach, zucchini, lettuce, asparagus, celery, peas, cucumber and  so many more. In green plants we find chlorophyl,l which helps in lowering the risk of liver cancer. In addition to this substance we find nutrients like potassium, fiber, folic acid, vitamin A, vitamin E, vitamin C, iron, carotenoids and omega 3 fatty acids. As if this wasn’t enough of a reason to go make a green juice right now, we also find tryptophan in the green plants, which is a substance that helps strengthen bones and teeth, and gives us a good vision while defending our body against cancer! So go eat your greens!

How to Naturally Prevent the Flu… (Plus, Should You Get a Flu Shot?)

By: Saturday, January 12, 2013 Healthy Home, Holistic Health, Lifestyle, Wellness , , , , Permalink 0

How to Naturally Prevent the Flu… (Plus, Should You Get a Flu Shot?) | The Organic Beauty Blog

Seeing as we live in what CNN recently dubbed “Flu York,” where almost everyone we know is currently coming down with the flu virus, I thought I would share some natural flu prevention methods that will lower your risk of contracting this year’s rather severe flu bug.

But first, a word on flu shots…  Are you considering getting a flu shot? Read on to make sure it’s the right decision for you!

There is currently a 35 minute wait at all our neighborhood pharmacies to get the flu shot, obviously due to the pretty severe outbreak we are experiencing.  Now I know this is a bit controversial, but I am typically not a huge proponent of flu shots.  Due to the natural mutation of the virus, each year’s flu shot gives you only partial, if any, protection.  A review of 51 research studies involving 260,000 children ages 6 to 23 months found no evidence that the flu vaccine is any more effective than a placebo. Secondly, and perhaps even more importantly, the flu vaccine is chock full of harmful toxins like mercury, formaldehyde, and detergent.  These toxins lower immunity (ironically making you more susceptible to illness), and have been linked to an increased risk of Alzheimer’s disease. One report showed that people who received the flu vaccine each year for 3 to 5 years had a 10 times greater risk of developing Alzheimer’s than people who never received any flu shots.

As far as I’m concerned, this is reason enough to avoid the flu vaccine… the benefits just don’t outweigh the risks!  My husband, my family, and I have rarely gotten a flu shot, and have only come down with the flu a handful of times in our lives.  That said, the flu virus, especially particularly rough strains like 2013’s, can be really hazardous to people with already compromised immune systems.  Pregnant women, the elderly, and anyone with an immunity-compromising illness should consider the flu shot.  But again, make sure to weigh the risks for yourself and your family!  As I stated above, the flu shot can actually lower your immune response, and could potentially be harmful to a developing fetus.  Think carefully…

How to naturally prevent the flu!

There are many ways to naturally decrease your risk of getting the flu, and whether or not you get the flu shot this year, I strongly recommend making the tips below a part of your everyday routine for the remainder of the flu season!

  • Wash your hands.  When you get to the office, when you come home, and throughout the day, especially after coming in contact with particularly germy areas like the subway, schools, communal office supplies, and (duh!) people showing signs of illness, wash your hands with hot soapy water for at least 20 seconds.
  • Moisturize.  With all this hand washing, your hands will naturally be inclined to dryness and cracking, which gives germs a direct pathway into your body.  Keep a travel-size bottle of natural moisturizer in your bag (I love Burt’s Bees Farmer’s Friend Hand Salve, which comes in a cute and portable little tin!), and lube up after every hand-washing, or throughout the day as needed.
  • Clear out your nose.  Yes, yes, you’ve heard me tout all the benefits of the Neti Pot a million times before, but I’m telling you, it is a vital part of flu prevention!  Your nasal passages are full of mucous and tiny little hairs that are designed to trap germs and bugs to keep you from getting sick.  But they can only do so much!  You need to help your nose out by cleaning and lubricating it, and getting all those trapped bugs out of there!  There is no better way to do this than regularly using a neti pot.  It’s safe to use everyday, but if you feel like your nose is easily irritated, every other day will do the trick as well.  Make sure to follow each neti session with some sesame oil or olive oil in your nose, to moisturize and soothe everything!
  • Get plenty of sleep!  Flu season is no time to start partying and staying up until all hours of the night. Your body naturally needs more rest in the winter months, and when the flu bug is running rampant, getting at least 7-8 hours up’s your body’s first defense against illness.  You need to do whatever you can to boost your natural immunity!  If getting to bed early is hard for you, check out How to Sleep Better, Naturally!
  • Supplement smartly.  Even if you’re not big on supplementation, flu season is definitely a time to fortify your system with some strategic vitamins.  Vitamin C is of course a big one (opt for 500-1000 mg 2-3 times a day, and make sure to get a formula with rose hips for maximum absorption!).  Another immunity powerhouse is vitamin D, which we all need to be taking year-round, but especially in the winter months.  Opt for 2000-4000 IU of a liquid, sublingual vitamin D (like this one) every day.  Lastly, North American Ginseng (panax ginseng) has been shown to reduce incidence of the flu, as well as duration if you do become ill.
  • Stay warm.  Although being cold doesn’t actually make you sick, it can definitely lower your immune response, making you more susceptible to contracting the flu virus.  So bundle up, and make sure to drink lots of warm liquids throughout the day… Green or ginger tea with raw, organic honey actually does a lot to boost your body’s natural defenses against the flu, due to the honey’s anti-viral and anti-bacterial properties!
  • Eat for health.  Flu season is definitely the ideal time to get serious about healthy eating.  Shoot for having as much of your diet as possible being made up of dark leafy greens, brightly colored veggies, sea vegetables, mushrooms, plant proteins, and fish to boost your immunity and not give your body any other toxins to contend with!  Keep alcohol, which compromises your immunity, to a minimum, and drink tons of water!

If you do get sick, STAY HOME!!!  The biggest cause of the flue epidemic spreading so rapidly is sick people walking around infecting everyone!  Don’t take the risk, and stay home to rest, which will also help you to recover as quickly as possible!  Make sure to read my article, 5 Tips to Beat a Cold in Two Days Flat for some great self-care tips to help you get healthy fast!

Do you have any other natural flu prevention tactics or remedies that work for you? Share them in the comments below!

5 Tips to Beat a Cold in Two Days Flat!

By: Tuesday, November 20, 2012 Holistic Health, Wellness , , , , Permalink 0
By: Natasha Uspensky, CHHC

5 Tips to Beat a Cold in Two Days Flat! | The Organic Beauty BlogI don’t know about you, but my body has a wicked way of letting me get sick at precisely the worst possible times.  I got laryngitis smack dab in the middle of my first big orchestra gig singing in Cleveland; I got terribly sick about a week before my wedding;  I got a sinus infection right before going home for the holidays last year.  Just like clockwork, two days before we leave to spend Thanksgiving (and my birthday!) with my family in Minneapolis, I caught a cold!

But this year, I was determined to do everything I could to get better ASAP, before the plane and the festivities and the traditional Russian vodka and zakuski could turn a cold into something much more unpleasant.  And guess what?  It worked!  With the right mix of traditional and natural remedies, and a bit of rest, you too can beat a cold in just two days, so you’re not walking around coughing and sniffling for weeks!

Here are my top tips for killing that cold, fast.  Follow each and every one, and you’ll be right as rain!  But it’s important not to skimp, especially on the first recommendation.  To get better, you need to give your body the chance to get better, which is doing completely the opposite of what we’re taught in terms of “powering through” and medicating (and thereby ignoring) each of our bodies’ symptoms.  Give yourself a break, and shower some extra loving care on your system.   That’s the trick, and it works.

1.  Take a day off.  

The number one worst thing you can do for your body when you start to come down with something is “power through” and act like you’re not sick.  A cold or other virus is not in your head, and you can’t trick yourself into getting better.  By downing Dayquil and trudging off to work, you are not only exposing everyone around you to your bug, but you are pretty much ensuring that your cold will last much longer.  When you’re starting to get sick, you need to do everything you can to support your immune system and give your body a chance to heal up.  Stress at the office and germs on the subway all put added strain on your system, and don’t allow your immune system to do it’s job!  So take a sick day, stay home, catch up on your favorite shows, and leave yourself plenty of time to do all the great self-care below… One sick day now is better than a week later!

2.  Take care of your nose.

If you don’t already have and use a Neti pot, get one, and get one now.  This is your secret weapon for avoiding seasonal colds and allergies, and can also be a huge boost to your system once you’ve gotten sick.  A neti pot irrigates your nasal passages with salt water, which flushes out irritants and bacteria, loosens up mucous, and clears up a stuffy or runny nose.  Most neti pots come with a salt mixture but if yours doesn’t, you can just use 1/2 tsp of sea salt per 16 ounces of water in your neti.  I recommend using a neti pot every other day throughout the whole cold season, if you’re prone to getting stuffy, but when you start to get sick, it’s especially helpful.  Use your neti twice a day (morning and night) right from the onset of cold symptoms.  And always follow it with a couple drops of nasya oil or organic sesame oil in your nose, to lubricate things and keep your nose from drying out!

3. Drink up!  

When you’re starting to get sick, it is especially important to drink tons and tons of fluids… Like, way more than you think.  Basically, you should be drinking something pretty much all day long.  This flushes out your system, and supports your immune system in beating that bug!  When I’m starting to get sick, I like to alternate between a tall glass of water with Wellness Fizz or Emergen-C (to blast your system with vitamins — don’t exceed 3-4 times a day though!), ginger tea with lemon juice and raw organic honey (which act as an antibacterial tonic for your throat), water with lemon (super yummy, more interesting than plain water, and alkalizing for your system) , and water with apple cider vinegar (a magic, cold-fighting potion).  Make sure to avoid caffeine, and shoot for keeping your water intake at about half your body weight in ounces as a bare minimum.

4.  Make the 3 G’s (garlic, greens, and ginger) your very best friends!  

Yes supplements are all fine and good, and can help give your system a boost when you’re fighting a cold, but nothing does the job as effectively as cold-fighting super foods.  Bulking up on these foods also means you’re not eating terribly unhealthy “comfort” foods (cookies, crackers, mac n’ cheese, cereal, canned chicken noodle soup, etc) that we tend to turn to when we’re sick — which actually serve to weaken our immune systems and prolong illness!

Garlic has an antibacterial, antiviral, anti-fungal, immune boosting quality that is pretty much unparalleled… I’ll press about 2 cloves into pretty much anything I eat while I’m sick, and it definitely gets the job done.

Dark leafy greens, always a healthy powerhouse food, are absolutely loaded with vitamins and minerals your body needs to get better.  Kale and spinach are particularly amazing for this.. so make sure to have a garlicky kale or spinach salad at least once a day (but preferably more) while you’re sick.  Check out my Yummy Cold-Busting Salad recipe that packs a potent one-two punch to kill that cold!

Lastly, ginger is absolutely key for cold-fighting, due to it’s warming effect on the stomach, lungs, and entire system.  It does wonders for alleviating congestion, coughing, and a sore throat!  Make your own ginger tea by slicing up about an inch of raw, peeled ginger root and steeping it in boiling water.  Add fresh lemon and raw, organic honey (a super awesome antibacterial combo), and you’ve got yourself a potent remedy!  Drink this tea several times throughout the day for best results.  Here is my recipe for Honey Lemon Ginger Cough & Cold Busting Tea!

5.  Supplement smartly!  

Taking the right supplements right when you start to feel under the weather is actually the biggest secret to nipping colds in the bud.  The goal of these supplements (which are taken in these doses short-term, just while you’re getting rid of a cold!) is to supercharge your immunity.  Here’s what I take, right when I start to feel yucky or start to sniffle:

  • Vitamin C (1000 mg 2x a day)
  • Echinacea (400 mg 2-3x a day)
  • Vitamin D (4000-6000 IU 1x a day — this is 2-3 drops)
  • Zinc (20 mg 2x a day)
  • Elderberry — (1000 mg 2x a day) only if you’re sure it’s not COVID 

Your Natural Cold-Busting Essentials:

Do you find yourself getting sick more than 1-2 times a year?

There may a larger immunity or systemic issue at hand.  Schedule a free Consultation with me to find out what’s at the root of your frequent illnesses and what simple steps you can get to strengthen your immune system and improve your health!