I will be out of town ( yippeee a well-deserved family holiday!) for the next few weeks so there will not be too many blog postings. I may do some twittering and messaging on HBD fan page so you may want to tune in there!
Here are the links!
twitter @drheathernd ~ Become a fan of HBD on facebook!
Happy Holidays and Be Well!
This time Pearl is in Lucy’s kitchen learning how to make a frittata! Absolutely adorable these girls are!
I recently had a glance at the new Healthy Kids recipe page and it is amazing. I beleive it will go live sometime in January but I will keep you all in the loop.
Hapy Holidays and Be Well,
PS We will be up in BC this holiday season and cooking in the cousins house!
I spent Thanksgiving week eating a lot of food I normally do not eat..mainly wheat. Lots of stuffing, gourmet breads, pumpkin pie and lots of yummy more. The payback was quite clear and apparent though. I immediately began blowing my nose like crazy and started to feel a little sluggish. I have been tested over and over for celiac disease but I always come out with normal labs, however, I know my body does not digest wheat/gluten properly.
There are 100s of fantastic gluten-free blogs and websites out there to help all or any of you to begin taking gluten products out of your diet. It really is not that difficult..it basically goes back to a whole foods diet - veggies, fruits, meats and legumes. Usually people do not believe me when I suggest that gluten may be affecting their health. I ask people to test it out by eliminating all grains ( except for rice) for at least 2 weeks ( 6 would be ideal) and then have a “party day” eating grains all day long and observing their bodies for 24 to 72 hours. Most people are very surprised to see the results.
Ok, back to gluten-free living during the holidays. Here is a wonderful blog, gluten-free girl and the chef, and they have recently posted a recipe for holiday cookies ( who can resist the holiday cookie!). Here is another blog for gluten-free recipes and one for raw foods.
Happy Holidays!
I am not a person who is drawn towards electronics and techno things. Anything that requires reading a manual or even a plug-in makes me somewhat nervous. I usually push forward on it but if there is another way to do it then I will find it.
There for, I am pro air filters - they are pretty simple to use. They are important aspects of keeping our homes’ air quality good and free from household toxins like plywood and particle board (woods found in furniture and in the building of most houses), and formaldehyde that floats around. I did own an air filter when I was living in Portland and I really liked having it until I needed a filter replacement, which was hard to track down.
I have now entered the world of using what nature has given us…houseplants. Not only do they bring both beauty and peace in our home and they are able to break down these toxins by breathing in carbon dioxide and churning out oxygen thus making indoor air quality much cleaner. Yes, I have to remember to water them but my kids like to help, and we manage to keep them alive.
Here are some suggestions (and they are quite easy to find at a nursery).
Be well,
PS this is a great healthy and green holiday gift!
This topic comes up a lot with my woman friends. And it is something I have been thinking about since my mid 30s. Sometime in our 40s ( yes, it is called perimenopause!) our ovaries diligent work begins to slow down but since our body works as an incredible team our courageous adrenal glands ( there are 2, located on top of each kidney) start picking up the slack. Usually this is not much of a problem, however, I do think helping out our adrenal glands as they journey into this added job description, could use some extra support. As women, we work our adrenals a lot - they are mostly likely on overtime, most of the time, especially in our 30s as we work on careers, relationships and with some, parenting.
I say, “love thy adrenals!”
The adrenals love vitamin C, licorice (Yoga Tea brand licorice-mint tea is the best) ( although please do not take if you have elevated blood pressure as licorice is known to raise it), find some ways to reduce stress (exercise and/or meditation - yoga is fantastic), eat well-balanced whole colourful food diet and get as much sleep as possible.
Be well,
Homeopathic nux vomica 30c could be your best friend during the holiday season. The most prominent indication to taking the remedy is overdoing it with food and alcohol. I am not giving permission for people to over eat and drink during the holiday season but if by chance you do, I suggest taking 3 pellets under the tongue before you go to bed and immediately when you get up.
Happy Holidays!
I have always loved chocolate but it wasn’t until my time working at a Swiss hotel in Boston in my late teens, that I truly found an appreciation for good quality dark chocolate.
Since my time working and spending summers in Switzerland, I only eat the good stuff, so yes I am a complete and true chocolate snob. And I have no problem being called that either. Over the years, I have been very happy to read about all the benefits of eating dark chocolate ( so now there were no excuses to my daily indulgences - it is good for me!) Dark chocolate ( with cocoa content of at least 65 or more %) is full of flavonids which may help in reducing blood pressure, antioxidants to fight off those free radicals and plus many more healthy benefits.
I am not giving you all permission to eat a pound of chocolate, but what I am suggesting is that you might want to indulge in a small piece of rich dark chocolate during the holidays ( and maybe carry it through the new year!). At the moment, I am quite enjoying the brand called, Chocolove. I go for the simple - no nuts or berries. Perfectly yummy!
Be well,
The Holiday Sale is now on!
It is a fantastic gift for all kids ( and adults too!)The t-shirts are 100% white organic and they are SOOOOO soft and cute.
1. HBD 1 book and “I heart HBD” t shirt $25.00
2. HBD 2 book and “I fought the bugs and I won” t- shirt $25.00
3. Both books for $30.00
4. T- shirt for $12.00
5. HBD 1 for $16.50
6. HBD 2 for $16.50
Happy Holidays!
Ok, I was browsing through some blogs and came across a blogger who posted this article. I love to spread good word, so here it is again. Also for a quick idea of the culprits, below is the list of foods that should never cross your lips.
What I truly love abut this article is that it gives you a great explanations with what the problem is, the solution and some budgeting tips.
Be well,
Fortunately I love the smell of rosemary . 
In school, I would have a little vase full of cut rosemary on my desk. Rumours be told, that it was the herb of remembrance and during finals ( and just plain studying times), I figured I would try anything.
Now my daughter is approaching her decade long plus of school tests and finals, I decided to tell her about rosemary helping with memory. She wasted no time but to get outside to pick some for herself. I loved watching her!
I decided to further my research on the benefits of rosemary and was surprised to read all of the symbolizms, traditions and medicinal uses associated with this wonderful herb.
Queen Elizabeth of Hungary used rosemary to ease her rheumatism and gout ( it is still used widely as a digestive tonic). She also mixed rosemary and lavender and it supposedly created such beauty that even despite her age of 72, she was ask for her hand in marriage with a 26 year old! The goddess of love and beauty, Aphrodite, was said to have given rosemary as a gift, so brides began wearing wreaths of rosemary as a symbol of their fidelity.
I enjoy cooking with it as well. I use when I am roasting a chicken, or with a potatoes and sea salt and a dribble of olive oil.
Be well,
My oldest daughter, Merrin, began to get headaches about a year ago. They are not very frequent and we have been good detectives and have pretty much figured out the triggers. Although, I thought I would write a little bit about headaches and kids and what we do as they can be pretty intense.
One of my very first child patients was a 7 year old girl. She was spending a lot of time in the school nurse’s office because she was having daily headaches. She was missing a great deal of school and her mom was concerned so they came to me for some help. There are 2 things that I initially ask with headaches…
1. eye sight ( straining etc)
2. diet
She had recently had an eye exam and her sight was fine so we dove into her diet. Her diet was pretty good except for the fact she drank a lot of juice so we decided to start there. I suggested that her mom switch the juice with herbal ice tea ( I believe I suggested the Tazo Sweet Orange) and she could add a little honey to it or just a splash of juice. I also encouraged her to give her daughter a water bottle for school.
The results were amazing! Almost immediately, she had no more headaches.
With Merrin, I am thinking her hormones are slowly emerging and she is growing. I encourage her to drink more water and to be aware of her body. If she feels a headache coming on, I have given her some ideas so she can be proactive with it right away. She carries a homeopathic remedy at school with her ( Belladonna 30c works well for her) and when she comes home she immediately does magic socks.
If your child is getting headaches, make sure their eyes are checked and then take a good look at their diet and lifestyle ( maybe they are a little stressed with friends or school work?). You never know, it could be a very simple solution!
Be well,
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