SERVES: 2-4
PREP TIME: 20 minutes **Prep can all be done ahead to make this a quick & easy breakfast
COOK TIME: 5-10 minutes
Ingredients:
Itchy skin, red, irritated hot spots and dirty, sometimes goopey (I may have made that word up) ears. These are all symptoms most often associated with pet allergies. This may not be the case though. What many mistake for seasonal or food allergies is often actually a yeast infection.
Seasonal and food allergies are not the only thing that can cause your dog’s skin irritations. Yeast may be the actual culprit. Yeast is a form of fungus that is naturally occurring on your dog’s skin and in their gut. It loves warm, moist environments such as paw pads, ears.
At normal levels, it coexists with the gut’s healthy bacteria as part of a balanced immune system. However, if your pet’s immune system becomes suppressed for one of many reasons, this yeast can begin to overpopulate and take over the gut entirely. Striving for balance, the dog’s body will attempt to get rid of the yeast. This is when symptoms become noticeable. Symptoms of a yeast overgrowth can be very similar to those of allergies, which is why it is so commonly misdiagnosed.
Anyone who has lived with me can vouch for the fact that cauliflower is one of my all time favorite veggies. Much to the chagrin of the noses of my lucky housemates, I could eat it with breakfast, lunch or dinner.
A member of the cruciferous family, cauliflower is likely more known for its less than pleasant aromatic qualities than it is for all its great health benefits. Once you get past the odor that seems to linger throughout the kitchen long after you have cooked and stowed away your meal, you will come to find that cauliflower is loaded with nutrients. It also adapts quite well to many meals as a low carb alternative to things like bread, rice, mashed potatoes and pizza crust. It, of course, can be eaten raw or just lightly steamed too.
Cauliflower is loaded with nutrients and adapts well to any meal as a guilt-free, low carb alternative!
SERVES: 1
PREP TIME: 5 MINUTES
COOK TIME: NONE!
We are constantly being reminded how toxic the world we live in is these days. With daily exposure to chemicals and toxins in everything from the air we breathe to the food we eat, it got me thinking- what about my pets? They are breathing the same air, drinking the same water and eating a similarly over-processed diet that most of us are. We are told the countless ways to combat these toxins and keep our immune systems working at their best- but what about our pets?
Our pets’ immune systems are being bombarded by the endless exposures to toxins, just like us humans. It is important to keep their immune system functioning at its best to avoid disease and illness. Here are some simple tips you can do at home to keep your pets’ immune systems strong.
Candida is a word that you may be hearing or reading about more and more frequently. But what is Candida? And do YOU have it?
Well, technically, we all have some Candida in our systems. Candida is a yeast, or type of fungus, that grows normally in our GI tract. It is there to help aid in digestion. It is only when this yeast begins to overpopulate and become invasive that we begin to have a rather big problem on our hands.
Candida overgrowth is becoming increasingly common. Given our antibiotic-happy doctors, our high-sugar diets, and our high-stress lifestyles, it’s not all that surprising.
Oil pulling is an age-old remedy to help remove bacteria from the teeth and gums. This practice originated in India thousands of years ago, but did not make it’s way to American until the 1990’s. Coconut and sesame oil are most commonly used. I, personally, have only used coconut oil. Documented benefits of oil pulling include everything from whiter and less sensitive teeth to things like clearer skin, reduced arthritis pain and more balanced hormones. Some people claim they have even healed cavities by oil pulling.
Bacteria can enter the blood stream through our mouth. This is why poor dental hygiene has been shown to increase the risk of heart disease. By simply swishing some naturally antibacterial coconut oil through your teeth, you can reduce the toxins entering your blood stream, reducing your risk for infection and disease. In my opinion, whiter teeth is just a bonus. The real benefits are much greater!
Benefits of oil pulling can range from better breath and overall dental hygiene to reduction in chronic pain and headaches.
Physical and emotional pain are linked to the same part of our brains, so it is no surprise that chronic physical pain can trigger things like depression and our emotional struggles can cause physical illness or prevent us from healing. This is where mind-body medicine comes in. While this concept is nothing new in Eastern medicine, having been practiced for thousands of years, it is just in recent years becoming more widely accepted and acknowledged in Western medicine.
Energy healing techniques like reiki and acupuncture have been staples in Eastern medicine for thousands of years. The Chinese discovered energy meridians that flow through our bodies over 5,000 years ago and have developed their healing practices to keep these energies in balance in order to achieve optimal health.
If you are not ready to fully embrace the ways of Eastern medicine just yet, there are still ways that you can help balance both your mind and your body to achieve wellness. Whether you are looking to reduce emotional stress or physical pain, these simple strategies below can help.
Disagree? I did too until I took a long, hard look at exactly what it was I was doing with my time. Have you ever audited your time? If not, it could change the way you look at your days entirely. Write down or track on your phone exactly what you are doing and how long it is taking you for 5-7 days. When you look back- if your days are anything like mine- you may find 20 minutes of non-work related FaceBooking you didn’t need on Wednesday or 90 minutes vegging in front of the TV Friday night.
Now, of course, a little down time here and there is okay, but if you start to see a pattern of wasted time, you can free it up for those last couple things always lingering at the bottom of your to-do list.
Making a monthly, weekly, and daily list of things you need or want to accomplish can also be very helpful. Yes, your head is probably full of things that you need to get done, but what can you accomplish this week? Or better yet, today? Take one thing on your list and go with it. Thinking of the 50 things that have to get done can be overwhelming. Take it one at a time.