The Next Health Food Trend: Millet!

Lately, millet has been popping up everywhere – baked into artisan breads, featured in cookbook authors’ award-winning dishes, even making a splash on the menus of the hottest international restaurants. So we are beginning to wonder, is millet the next big food trend?

We think the answer is yes. Here’s why:

5 Reasons Millet may be the Next Health Food Trend

1. Naturally Gluten-Free – Riding the wave of the gluten-free movement, millet has begun to rise in popularity.
2. Nutritious Whole Grain – Comparable to quinoa in protein (both contain about 4 grams of protein per 3.5 ounce serving), millet is also a good source of magnesium, copper, and phosphorus.
3. Quick to Cook – Millet cooks using the same method as quinoa (which is about half the cook time compared to brown rice) and shares a similar taste and texture.
4. Affordable – At about one-fourth the cost of quinoa (less than $2/pound for millet  compared to about $8/pound for quinoa), millet is a more affordable whole grain that has the ability to reach consumers who have been priced out of the quinoa superfood trend.
5. Versatile – Browse Pinterest and you’ll see there is no shortage of recipes with millet, whether it’s served hot or cold or for breakfast, lunch or dinner… it’s even popping up in recipes for dessert! Millet has begun to replace oatmeal as the next hot cereal for breakfast. It is being used in place of rice for pilafs and stirfrys, folded into pastry crusts, incorporated into veggie patties, and baked into muffins, cookies, granola, and more.

Whole grains, especially those that are naturally gluten-free, continue to be a hot topic in the health and food world – so we think it’s about time you got in on the action! Introduce millet to your family & friends as a tasty, delicious, and affordable alternative to rice, oats, or quinoa.  They'll be happy to discover this incredible whole grain and will quickly see that it makes the perfect pairing for their next picnic, potluck, or dinner party.

~Thanks to Mollie Dickson

Use Yoga to Combat Depression

“Happy begins here.” I love that saying. I try to remind myself daily that happiness comes from within me. All the while, we seem to be surrounded by anxiety and depression - we are all human and we all have emotions. Anxiety usually stems from worrying too much about the future and your “to do” list. Depression, on the other hand is when we get stuck in the past.  Depression is a real thing and it’s difficult to be in the depth of it and feel somewhat helpless. Everyone’s case of depression or anxiety stems from different sources and it’s ideal to be able to find someone to talk to when things get really overwhelming. I do believe that moving the body and connecting the breath and mind and spirit is extremely beneficial as well. Practicing yoga helps ground ourselves in the present moment so we can feel truly happy.

Stand up, and rock forward to the front of your feet (or sit bones, if you’re seated) and notice how it produces anxiety, moving in to the future too fast. Now, lean back in your seat or to the heels of your feet; notice how you slump your shoulders forward and feel a little down. Finally, feel yourself anchored right in the middle of your seat or your feet and feel grounded and present. Try this exercise whenever you find yourself a little too anxious or a bit depressed.

Because depression stems from harboring past emotions or feeling stuck with unresolved anger, it’s important to focus on future moving postures and heart opening. If you look at a depressed person, their shoulders are rounded forward and their heads hang down. Backbends open our chest, force us to lift our heart center and raise our heads high. It’s like the expression “fake it till you make it”.  Often times, we just have to physically change our bodies, and our spirits and minds will follow. Even just making yourself smile (it will feel unnatural at first) can help us shift our outlook and attitude. Others may notice and smile back! And certainly, exercise is the best natural medicine I know of. Take a walk in nature, go for a jog or bike ride, hit the slopes or the tennis courts and practice yoga. I promise you it will make a huge difference. 

Here are some of my favorite yoga poses for combatting depression:

Camel–This is an awesome posture for lifting the chest and opening the shoulders. Start on your knees and place your hands on your lower back. Squeeze your shoulder blades together and raise your chest up to the ceiling. Stay here or reach back for you heels. Hold position, and breathe 5 breaths. Come up and repeat one more time. 

Dancer’s Pose–It’s almost impossible to do this pose and not feel some sort of joy! Start standing and bend your right knee back as you grab hold of the top of your right foot. Extend your left arm forward and join the thumb and forefinger to touch. Lengthen your right leg back behind you as you backbend your chest towards the ceiling and look up to your left hand. Hold position for 5 breaths then repeat on the opposite side. 

Inclined Plank–I love this posture for really opening up the shoulders and elevating my mood. Start seated with your legs stretched out straight in front of you; place your hands about 10 inches behind your hips with fingers facing forward. Press in to your hands and feet and lift your entire body off the floor. Hold position for 5 breaths then lower down - you will notice the opening in your heart center. 

~Thanks to Kristin McGee

Hold Onto Your Summer Bliss

Yes, the sun is setting on the sweet, blissful months of summer. But that doesn’t mean we have to submit to the frenzy of fall. Here's how to continue to channel summer’s relaxing vibe long after Labor Day.

1. Go—with no destination in mind.  Day or night, go for aimless walks or drives, listening to Lucinda Williams or Jason Isbell, and letting the wind blow our hair. 

2. Bring your home with you.   Keep checking into that home that is deep inside you, especially when you’re getting tugged into intense winds of drama and business.

3. Just get on your mat every day and be honest. Whenever you think about it, scan your body and notice where there’s tension. That alone will release the tension. Know that summer will come again, and enjoy all of the deliciousness that each season brings.

~Thanks to Colleen Saidman Yee

Whiten Your Teeth Naturally

8 Benefits of Activated Charcoal

Not the charcoal to fuel your BBQ!! Activated charcoal is a supplement used to soak up toxins from your body and improve intestinal health, among other uses.

The history of activated charcoal, also known as activated carbon. For over 10,000 years, healers all over the world have been using this natural element for a variety of different purposes. In ancient times it was used to cure intestinal ailments, preserve the dead, purify water and treat vertigo. In later centuries, charcoal was the preferred method for decoloring sugar. This may not seem like a big deal in 2014, but in the late 1700's, the discovery of making sugar more white and appealing revolutionized the sugar industry. 

It wasn't until the 19th century when the charcoal became "activated", which is when charcoal is treated with oxygen to open up millions of tiny pores between the carbon atoms. And It was during this time that it was used in medicine to naturally heal people, mainly to counteract poison. The charcoal actually absorbs harmful chemicals in your body.

Today, it is used everywhere for many different things. And since it is odorless and tasteless, it makes it easy and safe for humans to consume. Here are 8 ways to use activated charcoal:

• Hospitals and doctors use it as an antidote for drugs and poison.
• Also used by doctors as a remedy to detox.
• Many people take it for digestion issues – gas, bloating, etc.
• Doctors prescribe it to help lower cholesterol.
• Still used to purify water.
• Some women use it in their beauty routine - as a face mask, teeth whitener, and even eyeliner.
• For the removal poisonous substances from snake venom or spider bites.
• It can also be taken orally in the case of food poisoning. 

Activated charcoal can cause constipation as it soaks up toxins in your digestive system so be sure to drink a lot of water.

Personally, I use it as a teeth whitener and a heavy metal detox.  For whitening, I open the capsule and pour it on my toothbrush, being careful to hold it over the sink so I don't get black powder everywhere.  For detoxing from heavy metals (which is highly recommended if you have or had mercury fillings), taking activated charcoal helps remove the dangerous heavy metal from your body by taking it orally.  

So where can you buy this miracle stuff? It is available without a prescription and can be found as a tablet or capsule in most health stores.  Happy Healing!

~Thanks to Leann Forst

Water: How Much Should I Really Drink?

Coconut Sugar: Healthier Sweetener or Pretty Name for Sugar?

"It's the new it sweetener," my friend said somewhat facetiously, pulling out a small bag of organic raw coconut sugar during a recent catch-up over green tea at our favorite coffee place. "Besides, you love coconut."

True: I love unsweetened coconut milk in my protein shakes, and coconut oil remains a staple in stir-frys and other high-heat cooking.

According to Dr. Jonny Bowden in his The 150 Healthiest Foods on Earth, coconut provides healthy fats, including lauric acid, which are antiviral, antimicrobial, immune-boosting, and even help fight some cancers. Your body uses the easier-to-metabolize medium-chain triglycerides (MCTs) in coconut to burn as fuel rather than store as fat.

Electrolyte-rich coconut water doesn't offer those healthy fats, and many commercial brands contain added sugar. Athletes who need to rehydrate post-workout should be fine with no-sugar-added coconut water, but you'll only get those healthy fats in coconut oil, coconut butter, coconut milk, and coconut meat.

Determined to milk (no pun intended) the coconut-is-healthy buzz, manufacturers position coconut sugar as a better alternative as customers understandably grow wary about high-fructose corn syrup and other sweeteners. But is coconut sugar really better or just the latest hype?

Compared with table and brown sugars, coconut sugar has impressive amounts ofnutrients like zinc and iron as well as antioxidants.

Coconut sugar also contains good amounts of inulin, a type of dietary fiber you don't digest in your upper gastrointestinal tract. Instead, inulin acts as a prebiotic, feeding your intestinal bifidobacteria (a probiotic).

Among its benefits, clinical research finds prebiotics like inulin support gut health, colon cancer prevention, blood sugar balance, lipid (fat) metabolism, bone mineralization, fatty liver disease, obesity, and immunity.

One study in the Diabetes & Metabolism Journal found inulin could improve glycemic control and antioxidant status in women with Type 2 diabetes.

Nutrients and inulin aside, let's not forget coconut sugar is a sweetener. Like table sugar, coconut sugar contains about equal amounts of fructose and glucose.

More specifically, a study in the ASEAN Food Journal found coconut sugar has about71 percent sucrose, or table sugar, as well as 3 percent pure glucose and 3 percent pure fructose.

In other words, about 78 percent -- over three-fourths -- of coconut sugar is actually sugar, compared with 100 percent of table sugar. (Nutrients, inulin, and antioxidants constitute coconut sugar's other 22 percent.)

Inulin and nutrients likely lower coconut sugar's blood sugar impact. One study in the journal Nutrition Research and Practice gave participants either 50 grams of table sugar or coconut sugar (as coconut-derived D-xylose) and took seven blood samples up to two hours after ingestion. 

Coconut sugar had a lower glycemic index, a measure of how quickly a food raises your blood sugar levels, on every one of those seven samples. Researchers here determined coconut sugar had a glycemic index of about 35, officially ranking it a low-glycemic sweetener.

But not so fast: The glycemic index only measures glucose, not fructose. Whereas nearly every cell can use glucose, fructose goes straight to your liver to metabolize.

According to Dr. Joseph Mercola, excessive amounts of fructose elevate blood pressure, triglycerides, and LDL; deplete vitamins and minerals; raise insulin resistance and obesity; and contribute to cardiovascular disease, liver disease, cancer, arthritis and even gout.

Some whole foods contain this sweetener, but fruit juices and added sweeteners are where fructose really becomes a problem.

"If you received your fructose only from vegetables and fruits (where it originates) as most people did a century ago, you'd consume about 15 grams per day -- a far cry from the 73 grams per day the typical adolescent gets from sweetened drinks," writes Mercola.

Considering fructose constitutes about 39 percent of coconut sugar, you wouldn't need much to rack up your quota and overwhelm your liver.

Simply put, coconut sugar isn't the no-guilt free-for-all some manufacturers might have you believe you can liberally spoon into your coffee, baked goods, and anywhere else you require sweetener.

Instead, a lower glycemic index coupled with slightly lower amounts of fructose makes coconut sugar, like honey, a slightly better alternative to table sugar and an acceptable occasional "proceed with caution" sweetener. Nutrients aside, it's still mostly sugar and can create similar problems with your liver and blood sugar.

If you need a healthy sweetener for your coffee or homemade salad dressing, opt fornatural alternatives like stevia, monk fruit, and erythritol, which don't raise your blood sugar, don't stress out your liver, and even provide some health benefits.

What's your go-to sweetener for beverages, baking, and any other place that demand sugar?

Additional References
Jonny Bowden, The 150 Healthiest Foods on Earth (Massachusetts: Fair Wind, 2007).

~Thanks to JJ Virgin

Practicing Self-Love

The process of self-awareness includes loving ourselves enough to live out our dreams and create our own reality. We are “pure love” when we are born. Early conditioning and life experiences cause us to believe we are unlovable - "there is something wrong with me". The more we work on integrating past experiences and improving our self-esteem, the stronger our self-concept becomes. The more we love ourselves, the more enthusiastic we become about life. We develop the courage to be authentic and true to our ideals.

And yet, self love is one of our biggest challenges. Loving ourselves has negative connotations because people often confuse it with selfishness, self-absorption and egocentric behavior. It is often easier to love another person than our self. We don’t realize that, when we take care of ourselves and treat ourselves in a loving manner, we have more love to give. The biblical expression “my cup runneth over,” means I have more than enough for my needs.

We love our self in some of the following ways:

Accept and own all parts of ourselves.
Being true to ourselves, and living our lives authentically, includes recognizing our strengths and weaknesses; our good qualities and faults; our suffering and joy; our fears and courageous acts; etc. These dualities coexist in all of us. Recognizing and accepting them helps us integrate them into the totality of who we are.

Believe we have the ability to change any aspect of ourselves.
Self awareness means taking an inventory of our personalities, behaviors, attitudes and principles we live our lives by. We have the ability to change any aspect which does not conform to our self image. We empower ourselves by making the commitment to do so, having patience for our process, and looking at ourselves with the eyes of understanding and love.

Make peace with childhood wounds and traumatic life experiences.
The memory of a past traumatic experience may cause you psychic pain and/or make you feel wounded and scarred. Moving this memory from your direct vision, where you relive it regularly, into your peripheral vision will help you heal. You know the memory is there, but it no longer has its hold on you; you have learned so much from it. Some wounds cannot be completely healed and may resurface during stressful times. When we release the emotional pain from these experiences, space in our psyche is freed up for vitality and joy.

Identify and assert our needs, and ensure they are met.
Many of us go through life unaware of our needs, or too afraid to express them to others. As children, many of us gave our power away to well-meaning, and sometimes not well-meaning, adults. We were told how to behave, act, and feel. Most of us were not encouraged to discover our interests and preferences. Decisions were made for us, and our needs and desires were not taken into account. Many of us still have those helpless children locked inside our psyches. Becoming an adult includes taking conscious control of our lives through actions such as expressing our needs, finding solutions, meeting our own needs, etc. It is important to claim our power and not feel helpless.

Establish boundaries.
Individuals who establish emotional, physical, and sexual boundaries respect themselves enough and prevent others from crossing them. A sense of self requires physical boundaries to protect our bodies, and emotional boundaries to indicate where our emotions end and other people’s emotions begin. Emotional boundaries are necessary to separate our own feelings from those of others. Without strong boundaries we have trouble saying no and we lose touch with our needs and wants. Setting boundaries empowers us to decide what we are willing to put up with. And in so doing, we teach others how to treat us.

Have the strength to decide, on our own, what is good for us.
When faced with important decisions, do your homework. Consult with family members, friends and colleagues. Empower yourself with as much information as possible. Then spend some quiet time listening to your intuitive voice; it is always communicating with us and letting us know which is the best direction to take.

Engage in relationships with people who are supportive, respectful, loving and kind. 
Your external environment reflects your inner world. If you want to assess your sense of self, look to your outer reality. Do you surround yourself with angry, disrespectful and critical people who are toxic and drain your energy? People cannot take advantage of us without our permission. The better we feel about ourselves, the more we engage in relationships with people who treat us with kindness and respect. We feel worthy and deserving of this type of treatment, and we will not put up with disrespectful behaviors.

Give up the need for approval and to be liked by everyone; tolerate criticism. 
With low levels of self-esteem, we look for outside approval and suffer from the “disease to please.” The better we feel about ourselves, the more we can tolerate criticism and people’s disappointment in us. We no longer need to do things to please others because we want them to like us.

Create a living environment that nourishes us.
Your external environment is also a reflection of your inner process. A messy living environment (home, workplace, car) may be a reflection of the inner chaos of your psyche. As you get in touch with unresolved issues, bring them to consciousness, and heal them, your external environment will become more organized. Clutter impacts on our health by blocking energy in our bodies and minds. People often comment how much lighter they feel when they give away clothes they no longer wear. The same is true when outdated magazines are passed on to others. Do you love the things in your home? Are they pleasing to your senses? Do they reflect who you are today? When you enter your home, do you experience feelings of well-being, or is your energy drained? Answer these questions honestly. Then take action to create a living space which nourishes and replenishes you.

Honor ourselves with acts of loving kindness and respect.
Do something special for yourself on a regular basis. In so doing, you give yourself a message in which you are deserving of this special effort, and are important enough to take the time to do it. It can be as simple as preparing a quiet bath, watching a favorite movie, cooking a special meal, etc. The key is scheduling adequate time with no interruption. The message is: “I am important enough to do this for myself.”

Participate in pleasurable activities that give joy and meaning to your life. Ask yourself the question “What makes me happy?” Answer, then go out and do it!

~Thanks to Myra Giberovitch