The Healthy Journal

Wishing you a Merry Christmas and Bright New Year! As I reflect on 2014 and look ahead to next year, first let me say I appreciate each of you. If you learned something and perhaps incorporated a few new things into your lifestyle that made you healthier, I am thankful. I will be signing off until next year, but it won't mean I'm not thinking about you. Work has begun to redesign and re-orgainze the website. Once completed, you should find it easier to access what you're looking for—whether it's older posts, recipes, a product I've talked about or you're new and want to achieve optimum wellness. You'll discover health tips, information and recipes for your healthy journey. I'll also be telling you about my children's books and how they fit in to my message for a healthy lifestyle. What? You didn't know I'm an author of children's books? My bad... I've needed to bring together my two identities (health coach/blogger and children's

Give a warm welcome to special guest poster, my friend, Nancy Hill—a fellow traveler on the journey of eating clean, traditional foods. She has two of the sweetest boys, which she adopted as wee ones knowing they needed special care. Enjoy reading about her latest diet journey and a blessing. ~Chris Well, lots of changes going on around here…dietarily speaking! After 6 years, we’re officially no longer vegetarian. We’re now eating Paleo-style (although I dislike the label “Paleo!"), Specific Carbohydrate Diet (SCD) to be exact, recommended by our new functional-pediatrician doc to address Philip’s GI issues. It was not an easy decision, or transition, but based on weeks of research, we feel it’s the best move at this point to help heal Philip’s gut and resolve his dysbiosis / small intestinal bacterial overgrowth (SIBO) , as well as malabsorption and nutritional deficiencies. Funny thing is, the more research I did, the more I came to realize that I needed this change as much

I love whole cranberry sauce and found some  ready-made I really like. Trader Joe's makes a whole cranberry sauce with orange zest, but it's a bit sweeter than I prefer for my no-sugar diet. This year I made my own cranberry sauce following a recipe from PCRM  (Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine). PCRM promotes a personal responsibility approach to medicine starting with a plant-based diet. Although I don't agree with every detail of the PCRM recommended diet, I am behind their goal of dramatically changing the way doctors treat chronic diseases such as diabetes, heart disease, obesity, and cancer. PCRM puts prevention over pills and other medical interventions, encouraging doctors to empower their patients to take control of their own health. With a few tweaks from the original PCRM recipe, I made this cranberry sauce for Thanksgiving and will likely repeat it for Christmas dinner. I squeezed juice from the orange I grated for the zest rather than use orange j

Do you find yourself in a state of frenzy during the Christmas season, whether it's being bombarded by commercialization or feeling the stress of getting a gift for everyone on your list? Here are some tips for calming your heart and re-adjusting your  attitude  this season. #1 Approach the Season With a Sense of Gratitude Be grateful for what you have—friends and family who love you. They won't stop loving you if you don't get them a gift. The gift of  you  may be all that's needed. #2 Give a Gift With Meaning Make up a coupon to give something of yourself (babysitting for your girlfriend with small kids whose budget has no room for babysitting). The list is endless. #3 Take Time to Serve the Less Fortunate There are plenty who are homeless and hungry during the Christmas season. Take time to schedule several hours on a service project to help those in need. You'll never feel more blessed than when you serve others. #4 Keep Your Expectations In Check Don't assu

I finally got some cacao nibs so I could make something with this healthy superfood. I told you about cacao in a  Wisdom Wednesday post . It's the healthy form of chocolate. Raw chocolate (cacao) is "off the chart" the highest of any food in antioxidants. Rich in minerals magnesium, iron, manganese, chromium, vanadium, copper, zinc and phosphorus. Cacao's complex nature and chemical reaction in the body allows the arteries and intestines to absorb more nutrients. It increases dopamine and other mood altering chemicals in the brain creating a sense of euphoria or bliss. Yeah, Baby! You don't get that from chocolate you picked up at the check-out stand. The superfood nutrients are in the raw version of chocolate. Most are cooked away (except the minerals) when you heat cacao over 118° to make cocoa. Raw cacao nibs are simply raw beans cracked into smaller pieces. To get cacao powder, I have a coffee grinder I use exclusively to grind seeds like flax. It does a grea

When mentioning a wonderful smoothie I just blended using my Vitamix , I might hear a sigh from someone who doesn't have a  Vitamix  of their own. I've had one for about thirty years now. It's that good and well-built. I think everyone should have one. It's an investment in your health. The Vitamix makes it easy to mix up a fresh veggie and fruit smoothie chock full of nutrients (vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, enzymes and more). Now is a good time to get a Vitamix blender on your Christmas list. Wouldn't you like to wake up on Christmas Day, unwrap it then put it to work making a Pumpkin Pie Smoothie ? Yum! From December 2nd to December 31st 2014, when you purchase any model Vitamix , not only do you receive FREE shipping, but you also get a set of 3 spatulas specially designed to fit into every corner of the  Vitamix container. These spatulas are slim and lightweight for easy handling and removing thick mixtures from the blades. Click Here to Place Your Order