Integrative Health Blog

Water cleans, purifies, enlivens, refreshes, and quenches thirst. It splashes, rains, runs and makes everything grow…water is this unique substance that seems to contain the essence of life itself. Water, like food, is a study into itself.

Water is critical for health because of the many benefits:

•Increases immune function (significant increase in white blood cells)

•Boosts energy metabolism

•Enhances weight loss

•Superior hydration of body and blood

•Cardiovascular health benefits and blood pressure regulation

•Cellular detoxification

•Improves skin elasticity

•Detoxifies the bowel and relieves constipation

Water is as much a nutrient as food

Read More

Whole Foods Market has unveiled its new rating system called Responsibly Grown for fruits, vegetables and flowers. This system rates produce as “Good” “Better” or “Best”. You would think that fruits and vegetables with the “best” rating would mean just that…..the highest quality.

That was not the case, this spring, at a Whole Foods Market store in California. Organic asparagus, grown in California, carried the green “good” label while conventionally grown asparagus from Mexico received the gold “best” label in these photos below from The Cornucopia Institute article:

Mark Kastel, co-founder and Senior Farm Policy Analyst at Cornucopia asks, “Why would a customer pay three dollars more per pound for the Certified Organic asparagus when they could buy what a trusted retailer has labeled ‘Best’?”

Read More

 

I’m about to change your life. Ready?

Raw brownies.

Who knew brownies could be packed with protein, omega 3 fatty acids, fiber, and antioxidants? These raw brownies are made with wholesome ingredients. Best of all, they are made without an oven! Unless you don’t have a dehydrator…then you’ll need your oven. But make sure to keep the oven temperature under 115 degrees, to keep these brownies alive and raw.

You will be totally surprised at how incredibly rich and satisfying these are with just six ingredients.

I don’t buy dessert or sweet things. It makes it a lot more fun when I’m in the mood for chocolate because it makes me get creative with it. I use to have a sweet tooth, but ever since I started drinking kombucha my sugar cravings have pretty much disappeared. But let’s face it- sometimes I want some chocolate! I use to just mix cacao, coconut oil and honey in a bowl, and that would completely satisfy my need. But now, I have really upped my game with raw brownies!

Raw Brownie Ingredients

Read More

Hormones play an important role in your life every day.

They are your body’s chemical messengers, traveling in your bloodstream to tissues and organs. They play a role in your growth, metabolism, sexual function, reproduction and mood. If you doubt the power of hormones and their ability to affect everything from mood, to weight, to bowel health – ask the nearest pregnant woman if she’s noticed any difference in these areas. Or, just for fun, ask the nearest 13 year old girl!

Endocrine glands, which are special groups of cells, make hormones. The major endocrine glands are the pituitary, pineal, thymus, thyroid, adrenal glands, and pancreas. In addition, men produce hormones in their testes and women produce them in their ovaries. 

Read More

Calories in, calories out. A calorie is a calorie is a calorie....

As long as you expend the same amount of calories that you take in then you can be healthy, not gain weight and feel good, right?

This has been taught - and still is being taught - by health professionals around the country and the world.

But is it sound advice?

Read More