Health benefits of peaches

One of the main reasons I love the summer time is for the amazing juicy fruits like peaches. Not only do they taste amazing, but there are so many great benefits to them. There is a long list but here a just a few.

 

Weight Control
One large peach, about 2 3/4 inches in diameter, contains just 68 calories and no fat. Eating peaches instead of more fattening, processed snacks, such as chips, baked goods, cereal bars and cookies, can help you manage your weight. Peaches are naturally sweet and can replace some of the added sugars in your diet.

Vitamins

Peaches contain 10 different vitamins. Peaches contain vitamin A, important to healthy vision, vitamin C, an antioxidant and tissue-builder. Peaches provide lower levels of vitamins E and K. Vitamin E is another antioxidant, while vitamin K is essential to your body’s blood clotting capabilities. Peaches are also a source of thiamin, riboflavin, vitamin B-6, niacin, folate and pantothenic acid

Minerals

A peach provides potassium, which can help you maintain healthy blood pressure as well as prevent kidney stones and bone loss. Peaches provide some magnesium, phosphorus, zinc, copper, manganese, iron and calcium as well. These minerals work to support red blood cell, bone and nervous system health.

Antioxidants

One of the major antioxidants in peaches, chlorogenic acid, helps scavenge free radicals — compounds that your body acquires through exposure to pollutants, food and the environment — to reduce the effects of aging and deter chronic diseases. This antioxidant may also help ward off cancer and reduce body

Fiber

A large peach provides 17 g of carbohydrates, 3 g of which come from fiber. Fiber is essential to smooth and healthy digestion, preventing constipation and ensuring digestive health. Fiber may also play a role in regulating your cholesterol levels, helping to reduce your risk of developing heart disease. An adult woman should try to consume 25 g of fiber daily, and an adult man 38 g daily.

Peaches are a lot of great source of zinc, which has anti-aging properties. The consumption of zinc-rich foods such as peaches promotes the production of antibodies and inhibits the cellular damage caused by toxins. Peaches also interferes with the aging process of male reproductive organs by boosting the levels of the reproductive hormone testosterone in the body.

So next time you’re out grocery shopping, be sure to pick up a bag of peaches for yourself.

Wellness Wednesday: popcorn alternative

 

If you’ve been following me for any length of time you know I LOVE FOOD! During my transition from the American standard diet to a plant based diet, I learned more about so many different foods and spices that I never tried before. One of my favorite things to do is to snack throughout the day. My go to would always be popcorn. Just about everyday I would make stove top popcorn and season it with salt, turmeric, and cayenne pepper. Well also during my transition I learned more about the food industry and what they were really doing with our food. The chemicals used to grow our food, and the effects it was having on our bodies. About 95% of the corn grown in the United States is GMO. If you’re not hip to what GMO is, it’s basically the scientist the work in the food industry modify the structure of a plant/food to allow it to grow faster without spending less month. In turn its taking away the nutritional value of that plant as well as causing hormonal imbalance in our bodies. After finding this out, I cut back on my popcorn intake and eventually let it all go completely. Knowing that information didn’t take away my love for popcorn though, so I needed to find an alternative FAST! I started researching and found that amaranth was a great go to.

What is amaranth you say!? It is an ancient grain found in Mexico. It’s a little tiny seed whose plant can produce up to 60,000 seeds alone. It’s packed with a long list of vitamins and nutrients like iron, calcium, amino acids, and so much more. To read up on more about Amaranth, check out my last blog here.

So when I first tried amaranth, I fell in love. The taste is amazing and very similar to popcorn. The only draw back is they are so small, but it’s worth it. I still use the same seasons as before and I feel like I’ve never left. So if you’re a popcorn lover like I use to be, give amaranth a try. All you need is a hot pan and amaranth seeds (no oil required). Let me know what you think if you try it out. 😃

Plant based foods that fight inflammation

 

As promised in the video, I have listed a few more of my favorite foods that help with reducing and fighting inflammation. There are so many more foods but to no go on and on here are my absolute favorites that I consume on a regular basis. Listed are also their benefits and if consumed on a regular basis can bring much improvement to the body. Hope you enjoy. Be sure to like, share, and comment on whats your favorite.

• Clove

-It is a powerful fast-soluble antioxidant

-Fights fungal infections of skin, ears, and vagina

-maintains the bodies enzymes at normal levels.

• Ginger

-clears sinus channel

-eliminates nausea

-helps with aching muscles and joints

-removes throats and nose congestion

• Rosemary

-iron

-calcium

-phosphorus

-potassium

-zinc

-maintains blood pressure

-controls heart rate

Vitamins A, B, and C

-Protects from lung cancer

-prevents brain disorders like Alzheimers

• Turmeric

-improves eye health

-aids in weight loss

-lowers insulin resistance

-natural pain killer for joints and muscles

-Detoxifies liver

-Aids in better health

-Antibacterial

• Purple Potatoes

-lowers blood pressure

-No excess weight gain

-Increases antibacterial

• Flax seeds

-reduces insulin resistance

-contains Omega 3

-Prevents bone lose

-increases bone density

-Reduces risk of cardiovascular disease

-aids in brain development (especially in children)

-treats eczema, psoriasis, and other skin diseases

• Leafy greens

-contains calcium

-potassium

-Vitamin A,C, and K

-reduces swelling

-contains folate

• Walnuts

-Vitamin E

-Calcium

-Fiber

-contains Omega 3

• Sea plants (kelp, seamoss, and nori are my favs)

-prevents aging and chronic disease

-Lowers cholesterol

-solves mineral deficiencies

-Detoxifies the body

-balance thyroid function

• Peppers (red, yellow, green, orange)

-high Vitamin C levels

-beta-carotene

-anti-inflammatory

-antioxidants

-anti-cancer

-anti-fungi

• Onions (purple is my fav)

-heals infections

-vitamin C

-regulates blood sugar

-improves skin conditions

• Berries (raspberries, blueberries, Blackberries, etc)

-prevents aging

-prevents cardiovascular disease

-prevents arthritis

-fiber

-improves digestion

-reduces asthma and arthritis

• Avocado

-potassium

-aids in heart health

-high in fiber

-lower cholesterol

How to eliminate the generational curse

For so long we’ve all heard that sickness is hereditary.

Well what if I said it wasn’t!?

What If it’s just a collection of habits we’ve picked up over time from family and we ended up sick like them!?

It’s not their fault, it’s just what they knew. Especially in the black community, we eat so many things that ultimately are killing up slowly. We shouldn’t have children suffering from high blood pressure, diabetes, obesity, and arthritis. We’ve been programmed to believe that what we call “soul food” is good, but it’s only doing us harm. And don’t get me started on the fast food. Due to advertising, a large population of people are sick because of convenance and what’s shown on a daily basis. There are so many studies out there that show why meat, dairy, and other processed foods should not be consumed, especially with children.

What if we could break those habits with a simple mindset shift!?

Breaking the habits of bad eating, lack, and depression. It’s true that our foods dictate our lifestyle. If you’re constantly eating heavy processed foods, then you’ll eventually end up heavy, tired, and taking multiple medications to mask what’s really going on inside. If you’re tired, you don’t want to be productive, or find the time to actually take care of yourself. Continuing in this condition leads to depression and an unkept lifestyle.

Being someone who has battle some type of illness all my life, I know that the best person to take care of me is me. Doctors are great, but they can’t make money if you’re not sick. So it wasn’t until I truly changed my mind and seemed information for myself, is when I truly started to heal and become whole again.

It’s time we stop relying on others to take care of us and start taking care of ourselves. Be strong, be you, and take your life back. You only get one chance on this earth, and it shouldn’t be spent sick and tired.

What are your feet telling you

We’ve all experienced some sort of foot pain at some point and time in our lives. Like that time you bought those shoes that you just couldn’t live without, even though they were too tight.

There have also been times when we have had a nagging pain that just wouldn’t seem to go away. Something like a ball getting lodge in the bottom of your foot.
The foot is one of the most sensitive parts of the body. With each foot there is 26 bones, 33 joints, 107 ligaments, 19 muscles and tendons. Which makes up about 25% of the bones in the body. On each foot there are over 7,000 nerve endings called reflexes that correspond to every organ and system within your body. So when your experiencing foot discomfort, it could be something serious.

For instance, people who are diabetic can experience getting a foot or toes removed if symptoms become deadly. That’s why regular foot care is important.

Massaging the feet regularly can bring some very noticeable changes over time. The benefits of getting foot massage can be:

•Relaxation
•improves circulation
•Normalizes gland function
•pain management
•revitalizes enters
•promotes overall well-being
•strengthens immune system

Getting services like reflexology can began a turnaround in a persons overall health. Also it wouldn’t hurt to walk outside in the grass sometimes. Doing so allows to electrical energy from the earth to enter into the body, which allows for healing. Nature is the best medicine you know.

Be sure when getting any body work done that the products used are chemical free, and preferably food based. This is to insure no pathogens enter into the body through the skin, causing any damage the the organs or cells.

If you’re a “do it yourselfer” like myself, massaging with coconut oil is always a great route to go. Going through each toe and massaging top and bottom of the foot brings much relief and comfort from the long day. Also, try and wear the feet out as much as possible to avoid bacteria build up and fungus.
So next time you’re out getting your grooming work done, be sure to think of your feet as well. You’ll be glad you did.

Udemy course

Im so excited to announce my brand new Udemy course, “How to maintain and succeed with a plant-based diet.” I get questions all the time about how was I able to make the switch and the steps I took. In this course I share personal tips of mine that I’ve used for the last 3 years. The information is very simple and can be incorporated immediately. I hope you find this information helpful, and look forward to working with you soon. 🙂

Here is the link:

Taste The Rainbow

Ok, honesty time. So when I first decided to go vegan I didn’t know what I was doing. It was really hard for me because cheese and fish were the hardest foods for me to give up (I still kind of miss ice cream). As I started to do more research, I learned that eating a wide variety of colorful foods were all I needed in order to get the daily amount of nutrients into my body and to satisfy my cravings.

Since I have Lupus, I’ve always been concerned whether or not I was getting enough nutrients. Protein is one of the main concerns I had about switching to a vegan lifestyle. Once symptoms were eliminated, I knew then there was no need for those concerns. The difference in my skin, and overall health is very noticeable. AND I LOVED IT!!!

One thing I started doing more of was picking colorful peppers to cook with instead of just the green bell pepper. The red, orange, and yellow peppers are high in vitamins A, B6, C, and potassium. All these are very helpful factors to keeping Lupus symptoms to a minimum, and reducing medicine intake. Other colors like blue, purple, and deep red are high in antioxidants that aid in good heart health. With Lupus comes, pleurisy (inflammation of the heart and lungs) so eating plenty blueberries, red peppers, etc. will assist in eliminating those symptoms.

Following the color wheel of food has truly helped me with controlling my Lupus and keeping my weight balanced. Here are a few links that can explain more about “eating the rainbow.” Also two very helpful books By Any Greens Necessary by Tracye McQuieter http://byanygreensnecessary.com, and Food Cures (link below). There are many resources out there but these have really helped, hope you guys enjoy.

Resources:
http://www.hsph.harvard.edu/nutritionsource/vegetables-full-story/

http://www.fitnessmagazine.com/recipes/healthy-eating/superfoods/add-more-color-to-your-diet/?page=6

http://www.amazon.com/Food-Cures-Readers-Digest-

http://www.everydayhealth.com/health-report/diet-nutrition/eating-the-rainbow-for-good-nutrition.aspx

there are good days and there are bad days

One of the main reasons why Lupus is so mysterious and challenging to live with, is due to the fact I never know when I am going to experience a flair. I can go days, weeks, even months without having any symptoms from Lupus. Outside of the occasional fatigue, I never know when I am going to have a bad day. I can be just fine for weeks at a time, then here comes Lupus. Knocking me to my A@%!! My flairs range from as mild as a skin rash to swollen joints and inflamed organs. One episode happened in 2005 when I was hospitalized for almost two months for lung infection and bacteria on my lungs. I left that hospital about 30 pounds heavier and with a pick line in my arm. This was probably the scariest moment in my life, I didn’t know what was going on. There would be times throughout the day that i would not be able to breath. All I could do was cry and just wait for it to pass. I was on tons of steroids and other medications, and would constantly have random outbreaks on various parts of my body. It would be so weird to sit and watch my lip swell like the Nutty Professor (I can joke about it now, then not so much ha). The most recent episode happened in September 2013. I was going through my regular day of work and school, but that night ended up driving myself to the emergency room to find out my gallbladder needed to be removed. I was doing just fine that day, having no pain and with plenty of energy. I’ve had small masses to appear on my kidneys and my liver, along with a host of other issues. It’s crazy how Lupus works and the many effects it has on different individuals. Thankfully I have never been on dialysis or had any organ/tissue replacement. I’ve learned to be aware of my stress levels and the amount of work I put on myself (still learning to pace myself) because stress is a main contributor to Lupus flairs. There were semesters I would have to sit out because I would be too sick to attend classes. Working and being a full-time student took its tole on me sometimes but I never wanted to give up (Graduation coming soon….YAY). Over the years I have come to realize that I can’t fight my body. When it tells me to rest, I sit my butt down. I’ve learned when I am doing too much and need to take a break, my body will reward me graciously for it. I know the winter months are the worst for me, that’s when I take extra precautions. I have no problem with taking a nap in the middle of the day, or telling someone I can’t hang out with them because my body told me to rest. I know my limits (sometimes). I KNOW ME, this journey has taught me a lot about myself.