The Benefits of Honey, Ginseng, and Kombucha

Looking to enrich your life with healthier choices? Then it’s time to include three natural and essential ingredients in your life: honey, ginseng, and kombucha. The first you probably have in your cabinet, the second sounds like an entertaining alcoholic liquor, and the third probably makes you scratch your head while repeating its name.
 

Honey
Ok, let’s ease into these power ingredients nice and slowly with good, familiar honey. Honey is a natural sweet yet sticky food made from flower nectar. Fun fact, did you know that honey was used as an Egyptian medicine to treat wounds and the Greeks ate honey to live longer? While science didn’t influence their decisions back then, modern study of this natural ingredient has proved numerous benefits.
 ·       Natural First Aid. The Egyptians had it right! Honey has been used for thousands of years to help treat wounds. Honey works to stop the growth of certain bacteria and acts as a sealant to protect wounds from infection. It has also been known to reduce swelling, pain, and scarring.
·       Help With Hangovers. While it may not immediately take away the consequences of heavy drinking immediately, honey acts as a gentle but effective tool to help metabolize alcohol. Honey chaser anyone?
·       Great Energy Source. Honey has 17g of carbs per tablespoon! Ready to work out? Add some honey to your bottle of water for an extra boost of energy during your workouts. Rather eat it? Snack on some honey sticks before and after.
 

Ginseng
Looking to add some entertainment to your next party? Make sure to bring some Gin that Sings…. Just kidding! Bad pun I know. Ginseng is a very popular herbal and natural remedy derived from a plant root. The history of ginseng comes from China about five thousand years ago and was used for its “rejuvenating powers”. Chinese emperors used ginseng for medicinal purposes and also included it within soap, lotion and cream mixtures. Today, ginseng is used for a variety of purposes, including:
 ·       Energy Boost. Ginseng is believed to reduce fatigue and stimulate energy: physical and mental. Feeling tired? Take some ginseng herbal supplements to pep your step.
·       Lower Blood Sugar Content. Ginseng has been used to assist in type 2 diabetes. Those who have taken ginseng has seen an improvement in blood sugar control.
·       Annoying Menstrual Symptoms. Are your cramps pretty bad? Try some Ginseng Tea to help remedy annoying menstrual symptoms.
 

Kombucha
Say what? How do you even pronounce that? All you have to know is that it is full of probiotics, antioxidants, vitamins and more, making it a power ingredient for sure! Kombucha is actually a tea that is made with tea, water, sugar, and Scoby. I know, I know. I keep throwing more weird words at you. Scoby is a fermented culture that promotes good bacteria and yeast. Don’t get scared! It’s like yogurt…but better! And it’s been used since the Tsin dynasty with the nickname of “elixir of life”. Are you jumping in the bandwagon yet? No? Well here are some great reasons to sip on some kombucha:
 ·       Better Immunity. Allergies and colds bringing you down? Kombucha can help boost your immune system naturally. Bye bye, lab made pills! Why put something synthetic in your body if your can get the same if not better results with a natural remedy?
·       Detox, Detox, Detox. Have a bad habit of drinking and eating things that may not be good for your body? Drinking kombucha can help add good bacteria to your body, promoting detox.
·       Increase Metabolism. Add beneficial enzymes and bacteria that help your body function and absorb better!

Diet and Alternatives

 

 

 
        Hello again ladies, I hope you all got through all the weekly challenges, and may you all have a fantastic weekend. I'm certainly looking forward to this weekend. Anyways, for today's blog I want to focus on dieting and alternatives. I honestly can't say I diet, I love food, and I enjoy it to the fullest. And that ladies is how it should be, we should all be able to enjoy our food. It's just about making the right choices and keeping our portions in check. Let’s take a look at some things one can do to stay in line.
 
Work Out: Go to the gym, or go out for a run. Do some type of physical activity during the week. Not every work out has to be at the gym, especially on hot summer days. Go enjoy the trails and go swimming. Swimming is one of the best exercises you can do, it works on the entire body, and as a bonus you can even do some water work outs.
 
Juicing/ Milkshakes: Always make sure you have something in your stomach ladies, and try substituting a meal for some juice. Now I'm not talking about just any juice, I'm talking about natural homemade veggie and fruit juice; they are the bomb! If you’re hungry before bed, it's never good to go to sleep on empty stomach, so, make yourself a healthy milkshake. In doing this, you know your stomach will be happy throughout the night. Just give it a shot and let me know how it works.
 
Meals: Meals are an important part of the everyday life, and they form a huge part of your diet. In other words, they either make you or break you. So ladies, try eating things that are good for your body and things that you will benefit from. Avoid a lot of salt consumption; eating salt makes us retain a lot of water, which therefore makes us look a little more blown up and a little heavier. Besides avoiding salt consumption, what else can you do? Well ladies think about portions, eat a little bit of everything in a moderate amount. Avoid having huge meals, it’s best if you have little meals every couple of hours, and have some healthy snacks in between.
 
      Okay friends, there you have it, I hope you liked these suggestions. Remember the saying, "You are what you eat."  It has a lot of truth to it, so eat right and be active. You don't have to work out super hard to have big muscles and a ripped body; you just have to work out enough so you can maintain yourself in good shape and feel comfortable with your body. Having a cheat day, in where you can whatever you want is always a good idea. I’ll leave you with that final thought, have a lovely weekend. 

 Photo Citation: Fresh Healthy Vending.Try Healthy for a Diet Makeover.freshhealthyvending. 17 October 2010. 19 July 2013

Fitting In Fruits and Veggies Daily

Remember those days where your mom (or dad) always told you to finish your peas and broccoli? Oh the face you made as you were tortured and tried swallowing it whole so you didn't have to taste it! Or, if you were smart and lucky enough to have a dog, you slid the food under the table to feed good ol' Fido. Yes, a (wo)man's best friend for life!

Back then we thought it was a form of torture, stopping us from playing outside or actually enjoying life. Mom and dad had a point though. Those fruits and veggies actually do a body good. In the hustle and bustle of our life, we often choose to eat fast food that, unfortunately, do not supply our body with the healthy nutrients that fruits and vegetables provide. And even when we do have time to eat at home, we forget to include that side dish of fruits or veggies. Here are some recipes that will include a couple servings of fruits and veggies into your daily diet.

If you like to eat muffins, bagels or donuts in the morning, opt for the Banana Crumb Muffin. This muffin only takes 15 minutes to prepare, 20 minutes to bake, and provides 10 muffins in a single recipe. The nutrition for the Banana Crumb Muffin include: 263 calories, 40mg Cholesterol, 1.5g Fiber, 352mg Sodium, 46g Carbohydrates, 8.1g Fat, and 3.2g Protein.

Ingredients

1 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 bananas, mashed
3/4 cup white sugar
1 egg, lightly beaten
1/3 cup butter, melted
1/3 cup packed brown sugar
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 tablespoon butter

Preparation

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Lightly grease 10 muffin cups, or line with muffin papers.
2. In a large bowl, mix together 1 1/2 cups flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt. In another bowl, beat together bananas, sugar, egg and melted butter. Stir the banana mixture into the flour mixture just until moistened. Spoon batter into prepared muffin cups.
3. In a small bowl, mix together brown sugar, 2 tablespoons flour and cinnamon. Cut in 1 tablespoon butter until mixture resembles coarse cornmeal. Sprinkle topping over muffins.
4. Bake in preheated oven for 18 to 20 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into center of a muffin comes out clean.

Who says you can't have delicious and healthy? The Country Apple Dumplings recipe is just for you. This will take about 20 minutes to prepare, 45 minutes to bake and makes 16 dumplings. The nutritional value includes: 333 calories, 31mg of Cholesterol, 0.6g of Fiber, 350mg Sodium, 38.5g Carbohydrates, 19g Fat, and 2.7g Protein. To make this more waist friendly, opt to reduce the butter to 3/4 stick, 1/2 cup of Splenda, and use Diet Mountain Dew. Serve with light vanilla ice cream.

Ingredients

2 large Granny Smith apples, peeled and cored
2 (10 ounce) cans refrigerated crescent roll dough
1 cup butter (or 3/4 stick melted butter)
1 1/2 cups white sugar (or 1/2 cup Splenda)
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 (12 fluid ounce) can or bottle Mountain Dew (or Diet Mountain Dew)

Preparation

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease a 9x13 inch baking dish.
2. Cut each apple into 8 wedges and set aside. Separate the crescent roll dough into triangles. Roll each apple wedge in crescent roll dough starting at the smallest end. Pinch to seal and place in the baking dish.
3. Melt butter in a small saucepan and stir in the sugar and cinnamon. Pour over the apple dumplings. Pour Mountain Dew™ over the dumplings.
4. Bake for 35 to 45 minutes in the preheated oven, or until golden brown.

If you're a lover of soup or looking for a way to veggie up your soups, the Italian Sausage Soup is perfetto for you. This recipe takes 10 minutes to prepare, 40 minutes to cook, and provides 6 servings. The nutritional value for this buono recipe is 385 Calories, 58mg Cholesterol, 5.7g Fiber, 1259g Sodium, 22.5g Carbohydrates, 24.4g Fat, 18.8g Protein. The sausage can be removed to opt for a healthier choice.

Ingredients

1 pound Italian sausage
1 clove garlic, minced
2 (14 ounce) cans beef broth
1 (14.5 ounce) can Italian-style stewed tomatoes
1 cup sliced carrots
1 (14.5 ounce) can great Northern beans, undrained
2 small zucchini, cubed
2 cups spinach - packed, rinsed and torn
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon salt

Preparation

1. In a stockpot or Dutch oven, brown sausage with garlic. Stir in broth, tomatoes and carrots, and season with salt and pepper. Reduce heat, cover, and simmer 15 minutes.
2. Stir in beans with liquid and zucchini. Cover, and simmer another 15 minutes, or until zucchini is tender.
3. Remove from heat, and add spinach. Replace lid allowing the heat from the soup to cook the spinach leaves. Soup is ready to serve after 5 minutes.