A few months ago I started the raw food diet. I bought a book on recipes, but they were hard to make and the fruits and spices they called for were hard to find. So I stopped the diet because I was sick of eating the same things every day. Does any one have any recipies or know of any good websites that have good (and easy) recipes?

I must not eat any raw food for a few days before a medical test. I’d like to add wheat bran to my food but am not sure whether it’s considered a raw food.

Discover more about a homemade colon cleansing diet

I am going to eat raw and juice veges, for my health, I really hate eating meat and cheese/milk!!!!
And I wanna lose weight!
Also I am exercising daily , 1hour power walk/jog, 30 mins jump rope (twice) and 30 mins cross trainer

By doing this daily with the raw food/vege juices how much do y’all think i’ll lose?

Thanksssssss!

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The Basics of a Heart-Healthy Diet

As you know my family has been following a heart-healthy diet since discovering that my husband has high cholesterol. We’ve learned a lot in the last few months about what’s good for your heart and your cholesterol levels and what’s not.

Here are a few basics for following a heart-healthy diet:

Reduce saturated and trans fats in your diet. Use low-fat substitutes when possible, but be sure to check labels carefully – some products labeled as “reduced fat” may actually contain trans fats. Monounsaturated fats and polyunsaturated fats are good choices. Choose oils like olive and canola oil instead of vegetable oil to cook foods. Nuts and seeds are also a good source of polyunsaturated fats.

Avoid added sugars. For beverages, water is best. Avoid sugary drinks like sodas and fruit juices that contain added sugar. Cookies, cakes and other sweets should be avoided.

Choose whole grains and high-fiber foods. Personally, I can’t tell the difference between whole-grain and regular pasta. If anything, I think the whole-grain variety tastes a bit better. Foods high in fiber are great for your digestive system and for maintaining a healthy weight. They make you feel fuller longer, so you eat less.

Eat a diet rich in fresh fruits and vegetables. Fresh fruits and vegetables are naturally both low in calories and high in nutrient content. It’s a no-brainer: Get more nutrients with fewer calories. I don’t buy “I don’t like vegetables” as an excuse. There are tons of ways to cook vegetables, so everyone should be able to find something they like. Experiment. We’ll talk about some creative ways to make tasty vegetables in a later post.

Strive for Omega-3 fatty acids. Fish is a great source of Omega-3s, which are proven to help reduce bad cholesterol levels and raise good cholesterol levels.

Palming Works to Reduce Eye Strain!

In my last blog post related to eye exercises to improve vision, I discussed the palming technique. As you know, I’m as new to this as you are, so by reading this blog you’re literally joining me in this exercise and reading about things as I experience them.

You may or may not know that I’m a writer. Among other things, I write for a living, but nearly everything that I do to earn an income involves staring at a computer screen for many hours each day. It goes without saying that my eyes get very tired from time to time, they start to hurt, and a headache is soon to follow.

So the other day when I had been furiously working to finish a project, the dreaded eye strain made its appearance. Immediately I recalled the palming technique I wrote about just the other week (there ARE some benefits to writing for a living!) and so I forced myself to take a much-needed break and carefully cupped my palms over my eyes, taking care not to apply any pressure to my eyelids and not to allow even the tiniest bit of light to enter.

 I did this for a few seconds and found it quite refreshing, so I then tried it for a few minutes at a time. Not only did this exercise drastically reduce my eye strain, but it gave me a few minutes of quiet time to clear my head. I actually avoided a headache – and avoided having to take an over-the-counter remedy to alleviate my headache.

So has my vision improved? I doubt it. Eye exercises to improve vision require a variety of exercises done on a pretty consistent basis. But since I’ve been noticing much more lately that I’m in dire need of some new glasses, I’ll be trying out some different techniques over the next few days. Stay tuned for clockwise and counter-clockwise eye rotation exercises, upper eyelid pressure, and eye massaging exercises!

Mysterious Child Skin Rash? Solved!

As a mom of two young boys, one whom seems to have particularly sensitive skin, I’ve encountered my share of childhood rashes. Nothing is more frustrating than the sudden outbreak of an itchy-looking rash! A child skin rash can mean anything from a virus, to a bug bite rash, to an allergy. Because rashes are so difficult to distinguish, determining the cause of a child skin rash can be a parent’s worst nightmare.

We’ve had allergy rashes. We’ve had strep throat rashes. We’ve even had a bug bite rash. But last year, we had a terribly persistent child skin rash that got the best of us for months. It started out with just a few spots that looked like bug bites, but persisted and kept getting worse. We made several trips to the doctor, who thought it was a contact allergy.

So we began the long and trying process of eliminating possible allergens from the environment. We cut out fabric softener, we laundered all the clothing and bedding in our home several times, we even went so far as to set of bug bombs in our house (wondering if we had a flea infestation we didn’t know about) to no avail.

My two-year old continued to itch. Some days, he’d scratch his legs so badly that they would bleed. We tried over-the-counter creams, oatmeal baths, prescription creams and moisturizing lotions. Every night, my son would wake up crying because he was so itchy.

I searched the internet for hours daily scouring the web for information on mysterious childhood rashes. I looked at pictures. I interrogated family members about anything in their homes my son could have come into contact with. Still, my son continued to itch.

It wasn’t until two months later that I discovered, through an off-the-record tip from a worker at my child’s daycare, that my son probably had scabies, because there had been an outbreak in the facility. I had come across scabies on the internet, but had discounted it, because I never imagined that my son could have contracted this condition anywhere. To my surprise, within 24 hours of scabies treatment, the rash was virtually gone.

The reason I’m sharing my horrific story with you is in hopes that it will save other children a few weeks or even days of suffering. If you’re a frustrated parent searching desperately for answers to discover the cause of a mysterious child skin rash, do not discount the possibility of scabies. It’s more common than most people think, and your child’s daycare facility may not necessarily have made parents aware of the outbreak.

Heart-Healthy Vegetarian Spaghetti

Since we had a reader request, I thought I’d share one of my family’s favorite heart-healthy meals: vegetarian spaghetti. At first glance, it seems like a big pan full of vegetables. If that doesn’t appeal to you, let me assure you, it does NOT taste like a big salad. It’s delicious.

You can add or remove any ingredients from those found below to make this recipe your own.

Here’s what you need:

·         Low-fat (or fat free) shredded mozzarella cheese

·         1 can light red kidney beans

·         2 cans Italian diced tomatoes

·         5 stalks celery, chopped (including leaves)

·         6 scallions, chopped (including green stems)

·         Oregano

·         Basil

·         Parsley

·         1 teaspoon olive oil

·         4 cloves garlic, minced

·         1 cup water

·         Fresh ground pepper

·         2 medium bell peppers, chopped (any color – red, orange, yellow, green, or combination)

·         1 medium red or white onion, chopped

·         ½ cup dry red wine (optional)

This recipe is super easy to make, especially if you chop everything up in advance. Heat the olive oil in a large sauce pan, and sauté onions and garlic until soft. Add remaining ingredients and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer until vegetables are tender – about one hour.

We serve this over whole wheat pasta, sprinkled with mozzarella. Enjoy!

Eye Exercises to Improve Vision?

I’ve been wearing glasses or contacts since the first grade. It started when I was sitting in the classroom, focusing on a paper on my desk and then had to look up at the blackboard. I noticed that my vision was blurry for a few seconds until my eyes adjusted from looking at something close to me to looking at something further away.

I was prescribed a pair of reading glasses. Soon, I began to notice that objects across a large room were looking rather fuzzy and sure enough, the optometrist concluded that I should be wearing glasses all the time. I was officially “nearsighted.”

For the next few years, I was consistently prescribed a stronger lens prescription each year. It seemed as though my eyes were getting worse year by year! Upon entering the seventh grade, I started wearing contact lenses instead of eyeglasses. There was a big slowdown in the deterioration of my vision, and my prescription remained consistent for the next few years.

Now that I’ve entered adulthood, perhaps a few more years ago than I’d like to admit, I spend a lot of time in front of the computer. I get headaches frequently and notice that my eyes feel tired. In the past week I realized that my current lens prescription isn’t quite strong enough – some objects aren’t looking as crisp as they once did. I’m pretty depressed about this, because I’m blind as a bat without my contacts in as it is – I’d love nothing more than to wake up and be able to see clearly in the mornings without having to fumble around for my glasses, yet I’m scared off by stories I’ve heard about corrective vision surgery.

Within the past few days, I learned about a natural technique: eye exercises to improve vision! I’d never heard of such a thing, but I’m intrigued, to say the least. How amazing would it be if I were able to use a few simple exercises, alleviate my daily eye strain, and improve my own vision, without having to get stronger lenses?

I certainly think it’s worth a shot, and I’m inviting you to join me as I attempt to restore my own vision. I’ll keep you posted on the exercises I’ve used, how much time it takes me and the reduced effects of eye strain that I notice (which I hope are many!). In order to boost my chances, I’m going to use the Emotional Freedom Technique to keep my pessimistic thoughts at bay and make way for my tired eyes to be rejuvenated.

Fellow near-sighters, stick with me over the next few weeks as I test out the validity of using eye exercises to improve vision.

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