7 Ways to Speed Up Your Metabolism Naturally

Understanding your metabolism is crucial for understanding your overall health. It can either be fast and efficient or slow and sluggish. Your daily choices and habits play a significant role in determining the speed of your metabolism. Keep reading to learn my 7 ways to speed up your metabolism naturally.

7 Ways to Speed Up Your Metabolism Naturally

Previously, I’ve shared how your metabolism can be slowed down by your actions and how you eat. Thankfully, your metabolism can also be revved up by some simple changes. In this blog post, I’m going to share 7 ways to speed up your metabolism naturally. read more

Frozen? Signs of a Slow Metabolism

When I started learning more about natural ways to boost my metabolism, I learned there are actually signs of a slow metabolism! It is good to know if you have a healthy metabolism or not by knowing these signs:

Angela of Grassfed Mama shares healthy tips for busy moms.
Angela of Grassfed Mama shares healthy tips for busy moms.

 

Are you always Freezing? What’s Your Metabolism Telling You?

I used to be cold All.The.Time. My hands and feet would be freezing and ice to the touch. I would have to carry a sweater around with me even in the summer because I couldn’t tolerate the cold in restaurants. This is not a healthy sign. What’s your metabolism telling you?

What is your metabolism?

Your metabolism is your inner fuel burner. It is a pretty smart mechanism that will adjust based on how much it needs to burn or if it needs to reserve energy.  When you are eating the right about of calories and nutrients, your metabolism will be a fire house. However, if you start to reduce your calories or eat low nutrient foods, your metabolism will dial back and slow down. Think about a bear going into hibernation. The bear’s metabolism slows way down to conserve all the energy to make it through the winter. We don’t want to be a bear in hibernation. read more

3 Ways to Whiten Your Teeth Naturally

3 Ways to Whiten Your Teeth Naturally

 

Most people would love to have a white and brighter smile. There are countless products at the pharmacy that guarantee a brighter smile in just a few weeks. Dentist are offering teeth whitening services and plans. Are there natural methods you can use at home to safely whiten your teeth and improve your dental health? Obviously brushing and flossing daily is a great start to a good dental hygiene regimen.

*** Always check with your doctor before changing your diet or lifestyle dramatically.

 

Here are 3 ways to whiten your teeth naturally and improve your smile that you may not know about:

 

Oil Pulling

I shared previously about how I started adding oil pulling into my daily routine of natural oral care. Oil pulling is a way to rid your mouth of bacteria and other toxins by using the natural properties of coconut oil to pull them out of your gums and crevices. This cleaning method can improve your over all gum health, decrease bad breath, and keep your teeth white. read more

Is your pH making you Fat?

Is your pH making you fat

Is Your body’s pH making You Fat?

 

Most people learned about pH in school. The difference between acids and bases can be shown on  Ph Test Strips (affiliate link). It was fun to discover where certain liquids would fall on the scale. What most people don’t learn is how important pH is to your health. Did you know your pH could be making if more difficult to lose weight?

The optimal pH level is between 7.2-7.4. “pH (potential of hydrogen) is a measure of the acidity or alkalinity of a solution. It is measured on a scale of 0 to 14—the lower the pH the more acidic the solution, the higher the pH the more alkaline (or base) the solution. When a solution is neither acid nor alkaline it has a pH of 7 which is neutral.” (Natural Health School)

Symptoms of poor pH balance

From the Center for Advanced Health:  read more

Healthy Low Carb Chicken a la King

This healthy low carb Chicken a la King recipe is great for a family comfort meal that is full of flavor and healthy ingredients too. With noodles make from squash, you can really keep the carbs low without giving up on taste!

Angela of Grassfed Mama shares healthy tips for busy moms.
Angela of Grassfed Mama shares healthy tips for busy moms.

Low Carb Comfort Meals

When I was first married, I would spend hours searching for recipes in my cookbooks that my family either bought for me or handed down so I would have endless meal ideas as a newlywed. After my personal health scare, we drastically changed our diets and most of the recipes in those cookbooks no longer fit into our eating plan. I love using some of my older recipes to give me inspiration to update them to make them not only healthier to eat, but low carb too. Enter in Healthy Low Carb Chicken a la King: read more

Why you should be Oil Pulling

We’re about to embark on a little morning ritual that could revolutionize your oral health game – oil pulling! Picture this: a simple, natural practice that not only kicks off your day with a burst of freshness but also pampers your pearly whites in ways you never thought possible. In this blog post, we’re unraveling the why behind oil pulling and how dedicating a few minutes each morning to this ancient oral tradition can leave you grinning from ear to ear. So, grab your favorite oil, cue the morning sunshine, and let’s explore the world of oil pulling for a happier, healthier smile! read more

What is a Balanced School Lunch?

what is a balanced lunch 1

What is a balanced school lunch?

School Forces Child To Eat Ritz Crackers to “Balance” lunch

Recently, there was an article about a Canadian school that charged a mom $5 per child, because she did not include a “grain” in her home packed school lunch. The school supplemented the children’s lunch with Ritz crackers to complete their “unbalanced” meal.

The children’s lunch included: meat, potatoes, carrot, milk, and an orange. Under the school’s “balanced” guidelines, a parent is supposed to pack: 1 milk, 1 meat, 1 grain, and 2 fruits and vegetables. This mom actually packed an extra vegetable – a starch (the potato) – which is by far better than a Ritz cracker.

 

adapted from http://www.flickr.com/photos/buzzymelibee/8696769797/

Adapted from http://www.flickr.com/photos/buzzymelibee/8696769797/

What is in a Ritz Cracker?

Ritz cracker ingredients: Wheat Flour, Vegetable Oil, Sugar, Raising Agents (Ammonium and Sodium Bicarbonates, Disodium Diphosphate), Salt, Glucose Syrup, barley Malt Flour. The crackers have more sugar than a potato and include vegetable oil (which is not a health food, read about healthy fats here). This doesn’t sound very healthy or balanced to me.  If the school plans to routinely supplement children’s meals with Ritz crackers for health and nutritional reasons… they may need to rethink their plan. 

 

So what is a balanced school lunch?

What are the foods all kids should eat? I wrote a previous post: 4 Food Groups all kids should eat. These food groups include: Saturated Fats Bone Broths Cultured foods (fermented foods) Seasonal, Local Produce

So in response

The school should widen it’s view of a “balanced” lunch. They possibly should eliminate the need to include grains entirely, because you can eat a balanced meal without eating grains. The school could offer one of the foods in the 4 food groups list to supplement a meal, if their goal is health. If the school continues to require grains to be included in the school lunch, parents could send my Almond flour Cheese Crackers (shhh they are grain free). These gluten free crackers are easy to make.  They are grain-free, gluten-free and have good healthy saturated fats (one of the 4 food groups all kids need).   gluten free almond flour cheese crackers

Here are some other recipes to try: 

Healthy Budget Friendly School Lunches from Five Spot Green Living

Toddler Lunch ideas from The Zest and Zeal

43 Kid Friendly Real Food Snack Ideas by Vicariously Vintage

Healthy and Eco-Friendly Back to School tips from O’Boy Organic

Healthy School Lunches read more

7 Reasons Why You Should be Drinking This

7 reasons you should be drinking Matcha Tea

7 Reasons Why You should be Drinking This

 

I just became familiar with the benefits of drinking green tea and Matcha green tea. I love Match green tea powder because it is very easy to add into recipes.

I started drinking tea after I visited Hong Kong for 2 weeks with my husband and my sister’s family. While we were there, we were able to visit an active monastery.

Po Lin Monastery and the Largest Outside Seated Bronze Buddha (Tian Tan Buddha) are located on Lan Tau Island. This experience was probably one of the highlights of the trip. We were able to see the importance of tea in the culture of the area.

Matcha is a traditional drink of the Monks in Japan. Although not the same area, thinking about how tea is used in ceremonies makes me want to go back to Hong Kong again and relive some of those memories.

Drinking tea can be a wonderful addition to your  health journey. I share on Whole New Mom the 7 Reasons Why You should be drinking Matcha Green Tea.

 

Continue Reading Here. 

 

 

P.S. Not of fan of Match Green Tea? Here is how I drink it every day: Click Here

P.S.S. Want more tea recipes? Check out my Calming Hot Chocolate

 
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How to keep Growing in Life

How to keep growing in life

How to keep growing and to have life among the growing.

Life Among the Growing…. What does that actually mean to me?

This phrase really speaks to me deeply in several ways.

First, I think about how I want to be continually growing into a better person with each day and opportunity I get. If you aren’t moving forward, you are moving backwards. If you aren’t growing, you are dying. 

This is in my personal life as a wife and mom. In my spiritual life, I want to continually study and grow in God’s words.

Secondly, I think about my little girls. I love life with them as I get to watch them grow. Time flies by so quickly and I’m blessed that I am able to stay home with them in this fleeting stage.

Thirdly, I like to think about life. What is happening in my life and around me. What am I learning these days?

What are some ways that we can continue to grow and not become stagnant? 

1) Try something new.

Visit a new town, a new restaurant, a new museum.

2) Read a book.

How many books have you read recently? I prefer nonfiction for sure, but last summer I got into some mystery novels that were fun to read as well.

3) Learn a new skill.

Always wanted to know how to fix something by yourself or understand how something works? Find out!

4) Be around others who are growing.

Proverbs 13:20 Whoever walks with the wise becomes wise, but the companion of fools will suffer harm. read more

Benefits of Drinking Hot Chocolate

Did you know that drinking hot chocolate could actually be good for you? Today I’m going over some of the benefits of drinking hot chocolate and my special recipe too!

Angela of Grassfed Mama shares healthy tips for busy moms.
Angela of Grassfed Mama shares healthy tips for busy moms.

Benefits of Drinking Hot Chocolate

Why you don’t have to feel guilty about pouring that second cup

I love drinking hot chocolate on a cold night, snuggled up on the couch with a blanket. I knew that cocoa powder was a great source of antioxidants, but I wanted to know just how healthy this hot chocolate really was. There are plenty of benefits of drinking hot chocolate to keep you pouring a cup all winter long.

I drink my hot chocolate sweetened with stevia, so it is sugar free. This also helps keep it guilt free too.
read more