Here in Canada we have had our first week of fall. Although it doesn’t really feel like it yet. The nights have been a little cool but the days are still sunny and warm. However, I do see some trees starting to turn beautiful reds and yellows. And pumpkins and apples are in season. What are you favourite things about fall? For me, I love the food. I just posted an awesome warming soup of butternut squash, sweet potato and carrot, with just a hint of cinnamon and nutmeg. It will warm the cockles of your heart. It’s so good. Give it a try and let me know what you think.
Audible.com is offering you a free audiobook of your choice and a free 30-day trial membership. Just go to audibletrial.com/cutthecrap and choose from over 180,000 audio programs – download a title free and start listening. It’s that easy.
If you haven’t already done so, sign up for my free 7 day mini course to better digestion. It’s an easy way to start improving your digestion within one week. Let’s face it, we’ve all suffered from indigestion, or heartburn, or we feel bloated after week. These simple tips you’ll learn in this course will start you on the right path to improving your digestion and overall health.
In this episode we talk about
What are hormones and what are they used for
5 reasons our hormones are making us crazy
Why it’s important to listen to your body & stop ignoring the signals
Diet tips to help get your hormones back in balance
Freebie: Happy Hormones Quiz found at www.thehormonediva.com/quiz. This quiz is meant to help women determine the cause of their hormonal imbalance (low progesterone, high testosterone, etc) and provide them with some next steps to balance their health.
1 small to medium butternut squash, peeled seeded and cubed
3 to 4 carrots, peeled and diced
1 sweet potato, cubed
1 tablespoon grass-fed butter or coconut oil
1 medium sweet onion
1/2 tablespoon fresh ginger, minced
1/2 tablespoon garlic, minced
1 quart low sodium organic chicken broth or veggie
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
salt and pepper to taste
Instructions:
Step 1 – Cut butternut squash, carrots, and sweet potato into 1-inch even sized cubes.
Step 2 – Heat a large pot or dutch oven over medium heat. When hot add butter or coconut oil and once melted, add onions. Saute onions until tender.
Step 3 – Add in squash, carrots, sweet potatoes, ginger, garlic, and chicken stock and bring to a simmer, cooking until squash is tender (about 15 to 20 minutes).
Step 4 – Carefully add mixture to a blender or food processor and puree.
Step 5 – Once puréed, add content back to pot and stir in cinnamon, nutmeg, salt, and pepper.
They say laughter is the best medicine. I don’t know who ‘they’ is but I would agree with them. And here’s why.
It boosts your immune system
Our immune system has T-cells. These T-cells once activated help fight infection from cold, flus and sickness. Laughter has the power to activate these cells. So, next time you feel a cold or flu coming on, make sure to laugh and get those T-cells activated.
Reduces depression
Laughing has the ability to help reduce tension and stress, it can also boost your feel good hormones to help decrease depression and anxiety. After a good belly laugh it’s hard to feel in a lousy mood.
It’s a great core workout
If you want toned ab muscles, you should laughter part of your daily workout routine. A good belly laugh forces you to contract your abs and exercises your diaphragm. This is a much more enjoyable workout than doing a 100 crunches that’s for sure.
It improves your heart health
Not only is it a great ab workout, laughter is a fantastic cardio workout too. Laughing on a regular basis can help to lower blood pressure. It gets your heart pumping and burns roughly the same about of calories you would if you went for a moderate walk.
These are just some of the benefits laughter has to offer.
Maybe I can give you a good chuckle with this joke.
A woman gets on a bus with her baby. The bus driver says: ”Ugh, that’s the ugliest baby I’ve ever seen!” The woman walks to the rear of the bus and sits down, fuming. She says to a man next to her: ”The driver just insulted me!” The man says: ”You go up there and tell him off. Go on, I’ll hold your monkey for you.”
Celebrate good times come on! Yes. It’s Organic week. And this we’re talking all things organic. What is organic week? It’s annual celebration of organic food, farming and products. It’s a time to learn more about organic food and it’s impact on our health, organic farming and the impact on our environment. It’s a week to bring awareness to organics and their benefits. So, this week I challenge you to go organic. Just one week. Do it. See how you feel. But enjoy how it tastes. Because there are foods that just taste way better when their organic.
Sept 30, which next week is International Podcast Day. The international podcast day gratitude award is going to be given out and Cut the Crap is in the nomination, so I would love love love your help with this. If this show has changed your life in any way, if it has added value to your health, your outlook, your mind. I would greatly appreciate a review on iTunes. If you write a review on iTunes and include the hashtag gratitude it will help this show get one step closer to that award.
You’re review does have to be on iTunes by Sept 26. I’d love your help on this one.
Audible.com is offering you a free audiobook of your choice and a free 30-day trial membership. Just go to audibletrial.com/cutthecrap and choose from over 180,000 audio programs – download a title free and start listening. It’s that easy.
If you haven’t already done so, sign up for my free 7 day mini course to better digestion. It’s an easy way to start improving your digestion within one week. Let’s face it, we’ve all suffered from indigestion, or heartburn, or we feel bloated after week. These simple tips you’ll learn in this course will start you on the right path to improving your digestion and overall health.
Step 1 – Coarsely chop kale, discarding tough stems. Step 2 – Heat olive oil in large skillet until shimmering and add shallots. Saute over medium heat until softened. Step 3 – Add kale to pan, moving it around with tongs to wilt it evenly. Step 4 – When kale is wilted, add stock, tightly cover skillet and turn heat to low. Simmer until liquid is absorbed, about ten to fifteen minutes. If kale is not yet tender, add a few more tablespoons of liquid and continue to simmer gently. Step 5 – When kale is tender but still bright green, remove the lid and turn up the heat to cook off any remaining liquid. Step 6 – Add balsamic vinegar and salt and pepper, to taste.
Coconut oil is an incredible oil that you can use to benefit your health and body inside and out. Coconut oil is naturally anti-fungal, anti-bacterial, anti-microbial and anti-parasitic. While there are many uses for coconut oil, here are just a few to get you started to enjoy and reap the benefits.
Externally
1. Makeup remover – rub some coconut oil on your face, then wipe with a cotton ball or pad
2. Eye cream – dab under your eyes to help reduce puffiness, bags and reduce wrinkles
3. Hair conditioner – for deep conditioning rub about a tablespoon of oil into your scalp and gently work through to the ends. Put on a shower cap to prevent the oil from soiling your pillow case and leave on overnight. Wash out in the morning and it leaves your hair feeling silky smooth.
4. Coconut oil is known to have a small amount of SPF, but it can also be used for sun burn relief
5. Natural deodorant, mix a little coconut oil with aluminium free baking soda (so it makes a paste) and rub on. Also, try adding an essential oil such as lavender to add a beautiful scent.
6. When you apply the oil directly to a bug bite, it can help relieve the itching and burning sensation.
7. Coconut oil is great to relieving skin problems such as eczema, psoriasis and dermatitis
8. Mixing coconut oil with baking soda can also be a beneficial toothpaste, add some peppermint essential oil if you want minty fresh breath.
9. If you get a cut or scrape, dab some oil on your wound, it is great as a disinfectant.
10. Daily moisturizer.
11. Lubricant – YES! Coconut oil is all natural and perfectly safe to use…and it tastes good too!
Internally
12. Energy boost – coconut oil is not an oil that stores itself in the body it actually gets used as energy. Need little pick me up, or are preparing for and endurance workout, try a teaspoon of coconut oil.
13. It has been shown to help lower cholesterol and improve heart health
14. Keeps blood sugar and insulin stable and helps decease cravings.
15. Can help reduce inflammation in the body
16. Lose weight, because it can boost your energy it helps you burn more fat
17. It has been shown that coconut oil is improving brain function in patients with milder forms of Alzheimer’s.
18. During cold and flu season, be sure to increase your intake of coconut oil as it’s been shown to strengthen the immune system.
19. Suffering from Candida, because coconut oil’s anti-fungal properties it can be use internally and externally to help kill and prevent yeast overgrowth in the body.
20. Because of it’s fat balance (it’s high in healthy saturated fat), this can be nourishing to the thyroid and improve it function.
When purchasing coconut oil be sure to buy virgin organic coconut oil, preferably in a glass jar. You should store it in your cupboard, if you keep it in your fridge it will get too hard for use.
What are some of your favourite ways to use coconut oil? Share in the comments below.
Sept 30 is International Podcast Day and Cut the Crap is hoping to achieve the Gratitude Award. If this podcast has had any impact or added any value to your life at all I would be so grateful if you’d help me out. All you have to do is write a review on iTunes and include the #gratitude. Thank you!
Audible.com is offering you a free audiobook of your choice and a free 30-day trial membership. Just go to audibletrial.com/cutthecrap and choose from over 180,000 audio programs – download a title free and start listening. It’s that easy.
If you haven’t already done so, sign up for my free 7 day mini course to better digestion. It’s an easy way to start improving your digestion within one week. Let’s face it, we’ve all suffered from indigestion, or heartburn, or we feel bloated after week. These simple tips you’ll learn in this course will start you on the right path to improving your digestion and overall health.
It was held in high esteem by Henry VIII, Roman soldiers sucked on the leaves to quench their thirst and Thomas Jefferson attempted to grow it in his garden. Sorrel, native to North America, Europe and Asia means “sour” in French and goes by other names such as Bread and Cheese, Sour Leaves, Tom Thumbs and Sour Sauce. This powerful little herb can do wonders for your overall health but also has a dark side.
Digestion and Liver
Through out Europe, Sorrel has been used as a spring tonic to help stimulate the liver after a winter of eating rich foods. Consuming it as a soup is gentle on the liver and helps aid digestion. Sorrel, just like many other leafy greens is a good source of fibre, meaning when you add the leaves to salads it adds bulk to food therefore improving digestion and reducing constipation and diarrhea. Fibre, according to the American Heart Association helps reduce cholesterol and aids in weight reduction.
Immune System
Sorrel is rich in vitamin C which most know is great to keeping the immune system strong and healthy. Vitamin C is also an antioxidant and helps combat free radicals in the body. A cup of sorrel keeps the doctor away!
Skin Conditions
A leaf may be used as a poultice to help treat skin conditions such as acne, rashes and dry itchy skin. Because of its high vitamin C content it is also a great way to boost collagen production to keep skin looking and feeling good. The antioxidants prevent premature aging in the skin, helping you keep that youthful glow.
The Dark Side
Be mindful not to consume Sorrel in too great a quantity or too frequently. It contains oxalic acid and consuming too much may cause damage to your health. Very large doses can be poisonous. If you suffer from kidney stones, gallstones, or rheumatic type conditions you will want to limit your usage of Sorrel. However, in small quantities it can be a very powerful herb to your health.
Hello and Happy September! How’s this for a mind fuck…there’s just over 3 months left in 2015. Can you believe that? My mind is blown. Christmas is here in 107 days. Yes. Crazy right. I’ve already seen christmas stuff in stores. Which I think is absolutely ridiculous, let us get back to school, how about Halloween, and if you’re in Canada or the US how about Thanksgiving. Can we do that first please. It seems like we are always in a rush to get to the next thing instead of being in the moment and enjoying what’s in front of us. I don’t even think about Christmas until December, so feck off!! LOL
But I just want to go back to that thought for a second, living in the moment. We hear it all the time, but we don’t really take it to heart and because of that we let moments pass us by. And therefore we regret. And regrets are the worse thing to live with. Do you have regrets? Many of do. If you were to look back at those regrets, what would you do differently? You would probably, take a chance, seize a moment, you’d LIVE life. Right! Well, because you’re alive right now, and I know you are because you’re listening to me. So, you can’t get out of this one! haha. This week you’re going to do something for yourself. You are going to take the moments to live life when they are right there in front of you. I want you to dive right in, seize the moment, take a chance, LIVE life. Whatever it is, whether it’s finally putting on those running shoes you’ve been staring at all summer and getting off your arse and going for a run, or finally asking him or her on a date, or telling someone you love them, or saying no to something or someone. DO IT. Invest in your moment this week. You’re worth it.
Audible.com is offering you a free audiobook of your choice and a free 30-day trial membership. Just go to audibletrial.com/cutthecrap and choose from over 180,000 audio programs – download a title free and start listening. It’s that easy.
If you haven’t already done so, sign up for my free 7 day mini course to better digestion. It’s an easy way to start improving your digestion within one week. Let’s face it, we’ve all suffered from indigestion, or heartburn, or we feel bloated after week. These simple tips you’ll learn in this course will start you on the right path to improving your digestion and overall health.
In this episode we talk about
What is your immune system
What drains your immune system and what boosts it
My top 10 foods to keep your immune system strong
How exercise, sleep and stress affect your immunity
* by Lisa Borden
