This dish is sure to please at any paleo or vegan covered dish event.

I’ve added a nut free option, too!

Each serving of this delicious salad contains heart healthy coconut oil, which is great for fighting yeast, bacteria and virus’ in the gut. It is also a great source of energy and super for thyroid health.  Also, sesame seeds are one of the foods which contains the highest amount of calcium. And they are high in fiber, minerals and anti-cancer compounds.

Chia seeds are one of the most popular super foods. Each serving contains 37% fiber, 20% omega 3, 20% protein and are high in antioxidants, calcium, magnesium and potassium. In the Mayan language, “chia” means strength; chia seeds give energy and endurance. Here’s a great article by Dr. Axe on the benefits of chia seeds.

The celery is optional, since a lot of folks really hate celery. But, if you’re like me, you’ll love the fresh, light feeling that celery adds to this dish. Beside that, celery is full of vitamin K, fiber, antioxidants, and enzymes. They are great for skin, liver, eye and cognitive health.

So add this dish to your breakfast menu and you’ll be all the better for it!

And did you know that kale is one of the most nutrient dense foods in the world?  Eating more kale is a great way to dramatically increase the total nutrient content of your diet.  One cup of raw kale contains 206% RDA for vitamin A, 684% RDA of vitamin K, 134% RDA of vitamin C, and high amounts of bone protecting minerals, like calcium, magnesium and potassium. It is also high in several age-fighting and cancer-fighting anti-oxidants like quercetin and kaempferol. There are many more benefits to eating kale that you can read about here.  All in all, I highly recommend adding kale to your diet regularly, for improved energy, digestion and sleep.

Every wonder why we wake up irritable? Ever wonder why your sweet child wakes up in a bad mood?

I have one that is super positive. She always sees the world through rose-colored glasses, literally and figuratively, but, after age 3, she kept waking up in a terrible mood! After much trial and error I came up with a plan that has completely changed our lives. She no longer wakes up crabby Kathy, she wakes up, hugs me, kisses my face off and says, “I love you, Mommy!” Every single day! Unless I miss one of these essential ingredients.

Here’s what I do: (this is for all ages, not just kids)
1. No Artificial ingredients!

This is not fun for a lot of people who love their artificial sweeteners and colored foods, but studies show that artificial ingredients can cause irritability and anger, among other behavioral issues like depression, insomnia and anxiety.

According to  this article in the UK’s Daily Mail, irritability, temper outbursts, oppositional defiance, restlessness and difficulty falling asleep are the main behavioral effects of additives. But parents rarely realize that food chemicals can be associated with many other effects including arguing with siblings, making silly noises, speech delay, anxiety, depression or difficulty concentrating. Additive-free children are generally calmer, happier and more cooperative.
I have found this to be 100% true with myself and my children. Eliminating these ingredients will bring peace to your home.

Which Additives Do We Need To Look Out For?

Artificial Colors (in sweets, drinks, takeaways, cereals and many processed foods)

• 102 tartrazine,
• 104 quinoline yellow,
• 107 yellow 2G,
• 110 sunset yellow,
• 122 azorubine,
• 123 amaranth,
• 124 ponceau red,
• 127 erythrosine,
• 128 red 2G,
• 129 allura red,
• 132 indigotine,
• 133 brilliant blue,
• 142 green S,
• 151 brilliant black,
• 155 chocolate brown Natural color,
• 160b annatto (in yoghurts, ice creams, popcorn etc, 160a is a safe alternative)

Preservatives

• Preservatives 200-203 sorbates (in margarine, dips, cakes, fruit products)
• 210-213 benzoates (in juices, soft drinks, cordials, syrups, medications)
• 220-228 sulphites (in dried fruit, fruit drinks, sausages, and many others)
• 280-283 propionates (in bread, crumpets, bakery products)
• 249-252 nitrates, nitrites (in processed meats like ham)
• Synthetic antioxidants (in margarines, vegetable oils, fried foods, snacks, biscuits, etc)
• 310-312 Gallates, 319-320 TBHQ, BHA, BHT (306-309 are safe alternatives)
• Flavor enhancers  (in flavored crackers, snacks, takeaways, instant noodles, soups) 621 MSG 627, 631, 635 disodium inosinate, disodium guanylate, ribonucleotides
• Table compiled by Sue Dengate, author of the bestselling book and film ‘Fed Up: Understanding how food affects your child and what you can do about it.’
• And about the artificial sweeteners…Scientists have repeatedly proven that excess phenylalanine in the brain blocks the normal production of serotonin, which leads to emotional disorders such as depression, PMS, insomnia and sexual dysfunction–all modern epidemics.
• ARTIFICIAL SWEETENERS CAN CAUSE INSOMNIA and depression which will lead to irritability quickly, not to mention that they actually cause weight gain! Read more on that here.

2. The next thing I do is probiotics.

This one is a must for bringing peace to an irritable countenance. Probiotics are truly amazing. Our health begins in our guts, as you know, and we all need to add probiotics to our routine for optimal health. In a nutshell, probiotics are a vital component in eliminating toxins. They help us to stay regular, which is one of the ways we eliminate toxins.

They also strengthen our immunity by building up our good gut flora and killing off the harmful gut flora, which builds up over time, especially after antibiotic use and sugar intake. Sugar and antibiotics feed the bad gut flora, which can cause inflammation in our joints, mood issues, insomnia, digestive problems, like gas, bloating diarrhea and /or constipation.

Probiotics bring balance to our health and help strengthen our neurotransmitters. The exciting thing about probiotics is that they produce Gaba, which is the neurotransmitter in our brains that causes us to chill out. Here’s a great article from Psychology Today exploring that in more detail. Beneficial psychological effects of probiotics include lowered depression, less anger and hostility, less anxiety, and better problem solving.  Finally, probiotics cause a reduction of substance P in your stomach.

Substance P is a neurotransmitter associated with pain and inflammation, and linked to anxious, depressive and aggressive behaviors. Our favorite probiotics are from Ultimate Flora. My 7 year old takes 15 billion per day. My teens use 30 billion and I use 90 billion.

When you begin probiotics, start out slowly with a 15 billion capsule. Initially you may feel more tired, gassy, constipated or have loose stools. These symptoms are the effects of detoxification. They will subside within a few days and you will begin to feel much better than ever after this phase. When increasing my dose I only add 15 billion, or less, at a time, 3 – 4 days apart until I reach the level that works best for me.

3. Another thing I do to keep crankiness at bay is to apply a mixture of chamomile essential oil and lavender essential oil onto our ankles or feet at bedtime. This remedy has been amazing at helping us all to wake up on the right side of the bed. I mixed 10 drops of each oil with 2 Tablespoons of avocado oil (grapeseed oil works well, too) into a dropper bottle or one with a roller ball. Apply a few drops each night. There are many good brands of essential oils, but please make sure you use organic. I like this brand.

4. One surprising thing that can cause behavioral issues is household chemicals, like bleach, ammonia, air fresheners and perfumes. I personally have a major chemical sensitivity to all of these. They all have caused me agitation, depression and insomnia, as well as anger, and tightness in the chest.

For household cleaning I use Eco Friendly dish soap from Seventh Generation and dishwasher soap from Seventh Generation. I use an essential oil blend of 15 drops tea tree oil and 15 drops lemon oil in a spray bottle of water for surfaces, and Bon Ami powder for scouring sinks, tubs and toilets. I also do not use traditional air fresheners, but instead I use an essential oil blend in a spray bottle to freshen up the room.

By adding these remedies to your life you will find a great peace will settle over you and your household.

Blessings to you and yours!

Katrina

Many women become more susceptible to UTI’s during menopause because of changes in estrogen. Other women who are more apt to get UTI’s are women who were born with an abnormality of the urinary tract, women who have kidney or bladder stones, diabetics, women who have a catheter, and women in a nursing home.

I’m sharing this blog post because I have a family member who began suffering with chronic UTI’s after age 60. She tried natural remedies that didn’t work, so was forced to use antibiotics over and over. Most people don’t realize that frequent use of antibiotics can cause a myriad of problems, and some are quite dangerous. For starters, new studies show that after two cycles of antibiotic use, breast cancer risk increases. Here’s a great article about that from Dr. Axe.

Over use of antibiotics also leads to antibiotic resistance, which means that the bacteria become resistant to the antibiotic.

According to www.kidshealth.org “Antibiotic resistance is a widespread problem, and one that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) calls “one of the world’s most pressing public health problems.” Bacteria that were once highly responsive to antibiotics have become more and more resistant. Among those that are becoming harder to treat are pneumococcal infections (which cause pneumonia, ear infections, sinus infections, and meningitis), skin infections, and tuberculosis.

In addition to antibiotic resistance, overusing antibiotics can lead to other problems. Antibiotics kill many different bacteria, even the good ones that help keep the body healthy. Sometimes taking antibiotics can cause a person to develop diarrhea due to a lack of good bacteria that help digest food properly. In some cases, bad bacteria, like Clostridium difficile (or C diff), may overgrow and cause infections.”

Antibiotic use also causes our gut flora to become imbalanced, which then damages the gut lining, which then leads to leaky gut syndrome, which can spiral into auto-immune issues and food sensitivities. Things like mood swings, irritability, insomnia, skin problems, gas, bloating, constipation, diarrhea, joint pain are just a few of the symptoms that can arise from over-use of antibiotics. According to the Center For Disease Control antibiotics increase fatal diarrhea cases in children,

In 2000, the U.S. lost $35 billion because of premature deaths, hospital stays, and lost wages related to antibiotic-resistant infections, Tufts researchers found.

Another interesting thing about UTI’s is that older adults may suffer from unexplained incontinence, vague fatigue or significant changes their behavior and mental status.

“Older people can get markedly confused, agitated, or sleepy,” says Dr. Smith. “Sometimes they can see things that aren’t there, like bugs crawling on the ceiling. They can have false beliefs and become paranoid.”

With all of the risks involved with over-use of antibiotics I wanted to help my loved one get off the antibiotic train. I consulted with my doctor about what to do. He suggested a protocol that works like a charm for his patients that suffer from UTI’s. When my family member began this protocol we were both skeptical. She was in the middle of one and had already finished a round of antibiotics that didn’t seem to clear it up. After one dose she felt her symptoms clear up. And now it’s been 3 months of being on this protocol with no symptoms of infection at all. This is the longest she’s gone without any symptoms of infection in almost 10 years!

So what is this protocol?

The first thing you need to do is build up your good gut flora with a large dose of probiotics.  Probiotics are one of the most important organisms for healing the body and boosting our immunity. They are extremely healing to any infection, inflammation, digestive issues, mental health illness, and neurological disorders. They also help replace and build the healthy flora that was killed off during antibiotic use.

In the acute phase of a UTI, we used a large dose of 90 billion for the first month of treatment. There are many good probiotics on the market, but this is the one we use from Ultimate Flora. Also, when you begin a probiotic, or increase your dose, you’ll notice some changes. There can be flu like symptoms due to detox and die off of bad bacteria in your body. There may be more gas, loose stools or harder stools for a short period of time. Don’t give up during this phase. It is extremely important that you use probiotics. If you want to try some Kevita (found in health food stores) or Kombucha (found in health food stores and WalMart) during the initial phase to help your elimination, those are great probiotic drinks that will give you even more benefits.

After the first month on a high dose of probiotics, we switched to a maintenance dose of 50 billion from Ultimate Flora. We use that dose daily from then on.

During acute infections:

• 1 teaspoon Cranberry concentrate
• 10 drops Unda 2
• 10 drops Unda 44
• 10 drops Unda 45
• Three times per day until symptoms are gone.

For daily maintenance:        

• 1 teaspoon Cranberry Concentrate (find it HERE)
• 5 drops Unda 2 (find it HERE)
• 5 drops Unda 44 (find it HERE)
• 5 drops Unda 45 (find it HERE)

Once per day.

If symptoms of infection return go back to the Acute protocol.

Also, Read this blog post about the 5 things I recommend to ward off infection and keep your immunity strong.

I hope you find this protocol to be as life changing as us and so many others have. Send me a note to tell me of your success with this.

Blessings!

Now that cold and flu season is in full swing, I thought I would let you in on some great measures to take to beef up your immunity. This will help you to  have fewer sick days and less doctor visits. If you do catch something, you’ll fight it quicker, too!

For the first 10 years of our marriage and parenthood, most of our family would get sick in December with some kind of serious cold, flu or stomach bug. It was miserable. Christmas was spent with illness year after year. I couldn’t figure out why we had this recurring problem, but I had to do something. Three years ago I made some changes that have kept us well during the holidays, and we have had much fewer illnesses throughout the year, with less healing time when we do catch something. Also, one of our daughters has mild asthma. She used to have a wet cough for 4 months during the winter.  These 5 things that I’ve added to our lives has beat that chronic cold for the past 2 winters!

Here is my protocol for keeping us well:

1. Vitamin D3  –  This one is crucial for staying well. It’s the first one we added (3 years ago) that made a huge improvement on our health. Vitamin D fights infections as it regulates the expression of genes that influence your immune system to attack and destroy bacteria and viruses. An article by Dr. Mercola states that [a study done in Japan, showed that schoolchildren taking 1,200 units of vitamin D per day during the winter time reduced their risk of getting influenza A infection by about 40 percent.

He goes on to say, “I believe it’s far more prudent, safer, less expensive, and most importantly, far more effective to optimize your vitamin D levels than to get vaccinated against the flu.”]  In our home, most of us take 4000 iu’s in the morning. Our 12 year old takes 3000 iu’s and our 6 year old takes 400 iu’s (here is a good one for little ones).  Here’s our favorite Vitamin D3. Make sure you get enough magnesium in your day to properly absorb the vitamin D3 without side effects.

We use Natural Calm at night, which you can find here.  Some of us had insomnia taking vitamin D3 until we added the magnesium at night. Here’s a great article about the possible side effects of Vitamin D3. And here’s another great article about how vitamin D3 helped us with colds and flu.

2. Beta-1, 3-D Glucan   –   I recently had the privilege of hearing A.J. Lanigan speak about the importance of Beta Glucan in boosting immunity. He is the immunologist that discovered Beta Gucan. I was fascinated by the many benefits of Beta Glucan, but in a nut shell, Beta Glucan increases our immunity by up to 30%. Our first experience with Beta Glucan was 6 years ago when the Swine flu swept our area.

My girls and I got the swine flu together and were down with it for days, while my husband was completely untouched by it. He was taking Beta Glucan and the rest of us weren’t. One of Beta Glucan’s uses is specifically for preventing the flu. Now we all use it and not only do I have more energy, but I also have fewer headaches. Apparently, Beta Glucan also regulates Corticosterone which helps with stress and pain, hence the improvement with headaches.

My husband takes 200-500mg per day.  My teens and I take 100mg, and my 6 year old takes 1/3 of a capsule mixed into nut butter. Here’s where we get our Beta Glucan.

3. Colloidal Silver  – Colloidal Silver is a flu preventative, antibacterial, antiviral, and anti-inflammatory. It is great for pink eye, sinusitis, pneumonia, wound care and skin health. This product is a staple in our house. We use it at the onset of cold and flu symptoms, and continue to use it until our symptoms are gone. It has truly helped us to get well much quicker with less symptoms.

We use it at the onset of cold and flu symptoms, and continue to use it until our symptoms are gone. It has truly helped us to get well much quicker with less symptoms.

Dr. Axe has a great article on the 8 Colloidal Silver Benefits and Uses. Check it out here.  Here’s one that I recommend using. You can also get it in nasal spray here.

4. Goldenseal  –  If you haven’t tried Goldenseal, it’s time! This powerful herb is essential for fighting off anything bacterial. Goldenseal has numerous uses that are attributed to its antibiotic, anti-inflammatory and astringent properties. It soothes irritated mucus membranes aiding the eyes, ears, nose and throat. Taken at the first signs of respiratory problems, colds or flu, Goldenseal  can help to prevent further symptoms from developing.  It has also been used to help reduce fevers, and relieve congestion and excess mucous.  I use this one in conjunction with Colloidal Silver if the symptoms seem to be getting worse. It really makes a cold or flu go away quicker and with less severity. It really cuts down on the use of antibiotics, which have been shown to increase cancer risk after just 2 doses! You can read more about that

It soothes irritated mucus membranes aiding the eyes, ears, nose and throat. Taken at the first signs of respiratory problems, colds or flu, Goldenseal  can help to prevent further symptoms from developing.  It has also been used to help reduce fevers, and relieve congestion and excess mucous.  I use this one in conjunction with Colloidal Silver if the symptoms seem to be getting worse. It really makes a cold or flu go away quicker and with less severity. It really cuts down on the use of antibiotics, which have been shown to increase cancer risk after just 2 doses! You can read more about that

It really makes a cold or flu go away quicker and with less severity. It really cuts down on the use of antibiotics, which have been shown to increase cancer risk after just 2 doses! You can read more about that here. It also destroys our bodies good gut flora, which is essential for optimal health and digestion. Here’s the one we use.

5. Coconut Oil  –  This is the oil that I use the most. It has so many health benefits that it’s astounding! For this article I’ll focus on the fact that coconut oil has anti-viral, anti-bacterial and anti-fungal properties.

It is a powerhouse for keeping our immune systems strong. I use it for sautéing, I put it on my steamed or roasted veggies, and I use it in my baking.  According to this article by Dr. Axe: Coconut has a special ingredient, which makes it excellent for fighting microbes, called lauric acid. In the body, lauric acid is converted into monolaurin, which has anti viral, anti protozoan and anti microbial properties. Monolaurin can help fight the following lipid coated viruses:•    Measles•    Influenza Virus•    Herpes•    Different kinds of infectious bacteria•    Parasites such as Giardia and Lamblia.

You can read more about the amazing benefits of coconut oil here. I highly recommend that you add these remedies to your routine to keep well and stay well. And, let me know what your favorite all natural remedies are. I’d love to hear from you!