2 tablespoons chi seed
6 oz grapefruit juice
2 oz sparkling water
Take an 8 oz glass and fill it ¾ of the way full with Grapefruit juice. Fill up the rest of the way with sparkling water and 2 tablespoons of chi seed. Wait 5 minutes, stir and drink.
Halloween has become one of the most popular holidays of the year. But it’s also a time that leaves our little ones vulnerable to all types of injuries.
We want to keep you and your family in good health so watch for these Halloween hazards!
Candles
Candles create that perfect spooky environment but they also create the perfect opportunity for burns. Consider switching to battery-operated candles. You can now find them in all colors and sizes to suit your décor. Before you take your little ones out, make sure that their costumes are fire retardant and that they know and have practiced, “Stop, drop and roll”!
Candy
Razor blades in apples are more of an urban legend than a reality but it’s still important to check your child’s treats. Throw out anything not securely wrapped. Even better, let your trick-or-treater choose a dozen pieces of candy and then trade the rest in for a special outing or treat. This will prevent the Halloween overconsumption that hurts the tummy and the scale (what parent can overlook their favorite childhood candy bar?)!
Cars
Children are four times more likely to be hit on Halloween eve than at any other time of year. Half of these incidents occur at non-intersections when kids dart out between cars. It’s always best to go out with your children to ensure that they stay on sidewalks and cross the street only at cross walks. Using reflective tape on costumes, wear light-stick as jewelry and carry flashlights will make your goblins more visible to drivers.
Pumpkin Carving
Nothing screams Halloween more than a carved jack ‘o lantern. Knives are not child friendly and it’s not really much fun for kids to be only observers. Instead, grab some poster paints or markers and let the kids at it! No cuts and no soggy pumpkin rotting on your front porch with a painted pumpkin.
Dogs
Animals don’t share our enthusiasm for Halloween costumes. Really. And the constant ringing of the doorbell and children yelling “Trick or Treat” can make even the friendliest pup a bit sassy. Do everyone a favor and leave Rover at home in a quiet room with a special treat. He won’t be disappointed.
Costumes
Costumes should be safe first, and cute/scary second. Falls are a leading cause of Halloween injury. Little ones can take a tumble when they, or someone else, step on a long costume. Over-sized or high-heeled shoes create instability compounding that risk. Masks can block vision. Aerosol sprays for hair color or décor can be toxic and give you a headache. Halloween make-up isn’t the same quality as what women typically wear. Make sure to test make-up in a small spot well before Halloween to check for allergic reactions. Then, no matter how tired you both are at the end of the night, make sure your child is clean-faced before heading to bed. For the older kids, set expectations early and draw a line at colored contact lenses which can damage eyes if not prescribed by an eye-care professional.
If your kids are beyond trick or treating age, you can still contribute to a happy and healthy Halloween for your neighbors. Be a trick or treat friendly home by clearing your yard of hazards like hoses and slippery wet leaves and turn on your lights to give kids a big welcome!
Summer is here and our Farmers’ Markets are overflowing with the best organic produce. Eating organic means avoiding the nasty pesticide residue that can be left on our food. Pesticide residue isn’t healthful for anyone but is of greatest concern to pregnant women and young children. Unfortunately eating organic can be challenging to your food budget. Here are a few tips to make healthful eating a little easier on your pocketbook.
Shop at one of our many beautiful Bay Area farmers’ markets. If you are particularly happy with a vendor ask about seconds, discounts for bulk purchasing or how to buy their produce when the market is closed.
Consider joining a CAS (community supported agriculture program). Your money goes toward a local farms operating expense and in turn you’ll get weekly boxes of freshly harvested fruits and vegetables
Grow your own fruits and vegetables. Gardening is a great family activity and you may find that your kids become more adventuresome in their food choices. There is something exciting about eating the fruits of your labor!
Become an expert freezer or canner to get great organic taste in the winter months. Take advantage of summer’s bounty and buy in bulk at a cheaper price.
Buy organic where it really counts. The Environmental Working Group’s (EWG) annual list of the “Dirty Dozen” foods can help you decide where to go organic. It estimates that you can decrease your pesticide exposure by 80 percent by switching to organic when buying these 12 foods. For more information check out http://www.ewg.org/foodnews/summary/
The Dirty Dozen:
The following foods have been determined to be so clean that the added expense of organic isn’t worth stretching your weekly food budget:
It’s that time of year when ladies love to pull out the cute strappy sandals and flip flops of spring and summer and flaunt lacquered toes and beautifully sculpted calves.
At the end of a long day of work, running errands or having fun with friends, our feet can be downright painful, a symptom NOT to be ignored. Prevention Magazine recently conducted a study to see exactly what our favorite fashionable shoes did to our posture, muscles and joints. Here is what they found.
Flip-Flops
Did you ever realize that the way we keep flip-flops on our feet is by gripping our toes? This constant gripping keeps arches from flexing normally and sets off a chain of events requiring more work for your hips and knees and less for the back of your legs and butt where the action should be! The end result is a shortening of your stride that can fatigue your lower body.
There are alternatives that can look deceptively similar! Look for something with support and a structured arch. Podiatrists often recommend Chaco, Reef, Orthaheel and Dansko for supportive yet fashionable footwear.
High Heels
We all love the way heels give our legs a lovely, sexy and elongated look but you won’t love what they can do to your body like increasing your risk of osteoarthritis six fold! In order to compensate for the tipped forward position heels put you in, it’s natural to bend your knees and arch your back. Not only does this tighten the quads, but the bent knee position puts 200% more stress on your kneecaps which can wear away cartilage and inflame existing arthritis. Add shin splints and shortened calf muscles (13% shorter than non-heel wearers!) and wearing heel doesn’t feel quite so pretty.
If you just have to wear those Jimmy Choos, then make sure to stretch out your calves and rub down those shins before and after wearing. You can also pretend you live in city -City-dwelling women often grab a low-heeled commuter shoe, saving the high heels for short stints. If your fashion sense can tolerate it, choosing a 2-inch heel over a 3-inch which will reduce stress by 29%.
Ballet Flats and Canvas Casuals
Unfortunately flats can be as problematic as other shoes if you fail to choose a supportive variety. Most flats lack arch support and without it, ligaments and tendons along the bottom of your foot can overstretch and collapse leading to plantar fasciitis. Additionally, choosing a shoe with less interior padding can trigger pain in the heel or ball of your foot, especially if you have high arches.
If you just have to have those cute jute espadrilles make sure that you exercise your feet by doing toe lifts—yes, really. Lift just your big toe and this will work the muscles that support your arches. Do 20 toe lifts on each foot! Another great answer is to buy insoles or over the counter orthotics for your shoes. When you’re shopping for flats, look for a supportive pair that only bends easily at the ball of the foot. If the shoe bends in the middle or rolls up easily, put it back on the shelf and keep looking. There are plenty of great fashionable foot friendly shoes out there.
Rocker Shoes
Rocker soles were marketed as a great work out for your legs and butt. Unfortunately the Consumer Product Safety Commission’s website is full of complaints about injuries from tendinitis to broken bones. Instead, hit the gym for your leg and butt workout and buy a great pair of well fitting and supportive athletic shoes.
In Health’s advice? Your shoes are an investment in your health, not just in your fashion quotient. Instead of buying three pairs of fun and fashionable shoes, buy one pair that is comfortable, cute and foot-friendly; the kind that you’ll look forward to wearing. Your feet, ankles, calves, knees, thighs, butt, hips and back will thank you!
The buzz has been al about Quinoa and Rice, but there are a whole host of grains that we would like to recommend you try. They vary in healthy ingredients with some having more fiber and other’s having more protein. But all will give you a healthy boost and are less harsh than their wheat counterpart. We are going to share just a few, to get a complete list stop by our office and pick on up in the waiting room. All the grains can be cooked in a rice cooker for easy and efficiency.
Barley non hulled is a great breakfast or dinner dish and is helpful for modulating blood sugar levels. Barley is below a 55 on the Glycemic index without much of a bitter taste to it. It also does contain Fiber and is a great source. Not only does is have fiber but it contains vitamin’s B1, B3, minerals selenium, iron, antioxidants and phytochemicals. One negative is that Barley does contain Gluten at 5-8% so people with extreme intolerance to gluten should consult their doctor before eating it.
1 cup Barley pearled
3 cups of water
Cook time 50-60 min
Yield 3 ½ cups
Amaranth is an herb as well as a grain and is from South America it is been used by many people for their belief in its supernatural powers. We like it for it’s super vitamins (A,B6, C), Minerals (Calcium, potassium and manganese), protein (30% higher than wheat), Fiber. Also it is gluten free so a great option for gluten intolerant people.
1 cup Amaranth dry
2 ½ cups water
Cook Time 20-25 min
Yields 2 ½ cups
Millet is a less used grain but a great one that our ancestors used frequently it’s origin’s are from China and it is packed with nutrients. It looks like a small version of quinoa and a little like birdseed. It is great cause it not only has packed with vitamin’s ( B) and minerals (magnesium, calcium, phosphorus) it also; acts as a prebiotic for your micro flora nourishing and feeding them, provides serotonin to make you feel calm, hydrates the colon, is alkaline and contains no gluten.
1 cup Millet dry
2-4 cups water
Cook Time 20-25 min
Yield 3 ½ cups
It’s estimated that up to 60 percent of cancers are diet related. Being obese or overweight increases the death rate from several conditions including heart disease, hypertension, type 2 diabetes, stroke, osteoarthritis, sleep apnea and several types of cancer.
That old adage, “You are what you eat,” isn’t far from the truth! Time and time again, studies show that choosing healthy foods can reduce the risk of heart disease, cancer or other diseases. But we can take that one steep further. While a good diet is great preventative care we are finding that many foods can also help certain conditions. Here are some great foods that will get you on the road to feeling better!
Tired of the aches pains of arthritis? Think berries, ginger, pumpkin and red bell pepper.
PMS and cramps have you down and out? Think dairy with cheese, pineapple, almonds and flaxseed.
Want to help control your Type 2 diabetes through diet? Think beans, egg whites and nuts.
Want to ensure a good night’s sleep? Think tryptophan-rich foods and carbs.
Worried about osteoporosis? Think broccoli, skim milk and yogurt.
Does heart disease run in your family? Think oatmeal, sweet potatoes and wild salmon.
Do migraines take time away from your life? Think quinoa, ground flaxseed and spinach.
For more information on foods that treat, check out this great book “Joy Bauer’s Food Cures”.
Dates don’t have to be in the evening! Make a day of it. Start the morning with a latte and then head out on one of our beautiful Bay Area back roads. Stop for a romantic lunch at a fine restaurant. It will cost less than dinner and be less crowded. On the drive home you can stop at another restaurant to watch the sunset and enjoy happy hour before you head home for some romancing.
Do you and your sweetie have special memories of a great date or other romantic moment? Have fun re enacting it!
Always dreamed of travelling abroad but have lacked the time or funds to do so? Rent a movie filmed in a country you’ve always wanted to visit~ Italy for instance. Grab a bottle of Chianti and make an authentic pasta dish while listening to beautiful Italian music. After dinner, plan your dream trip with a pile of travel brochures and tour books. Then cuddle up for your romantic film.
Grab a sexy “how-to” book and start studying! A less lusty and more romantic how-to guide is “The Art of Kissing: Book of Questions & Answers by William Cane.
Start, instead of end, your date in the bedroom. When you’ve already made the physical connection, the emotional connection is heightened and you’re in less of a hurry to get home. P.S. Your man is less likely to fall asleep if he hasn’t had dinner yet!
Looking for a way to get to know the new love in your life a bit better? Make each other a playlist of your favorite music. Make sure to include music from your high school and college years. Then grab a bottle of wine and turn up the tunes. You’ll learn so much about each other, as music is so often associated with life’s memories.
Play tourist in your own backyard. Visit the local tourist spots, like the Winchester Mystery House. Don’t forget to take plenty of photos!
Enjoy a little role-playing and fantasy. Get dressed separately, meet in a local restaurant bar and pretend you don’t know one another. Always wanted to have that slightly trashy one night encounter? Go for it without any guilt or second thoughts!
Channel the fun and frivolity of being a carefree child. Head to the zoo or playground and leave life’s cares behind for a few hours.
Seed sprouts, like alfalfa or red clover are 1” (2.5 cm) to 2” (5cm) long when ready. Bean sprouts, like lentils or peas are ¼” (.5cm) to ½” (1 cm) long when ready. These are more tender when small. Mung beans are 1” (2.5cm) to 2” (5cm) long when ready. They are best grown in the dark to prevent bitterness. They should be rinsed 3 to 4 times a day. Taste the sprouts as they are growing to see when you like them best.
Drain well. Cover the jar with a lid, or transfer to a covered container. Refrigerate to store.
| Food | Hours to Soak | Days of Sprouting |
| All Beans | 9-12 | 2-3 |
| Alfalfa | 5-10 | 3-5 |
| Almond | 8-10 | 2-3 |
| Buckwheat | 10-12 | 2-3 |
| Clover | 8-10 | 3-4 |
| Corn | 10-15 | 3-5 |
| Fenugreek | 10-12 | 4-5 |
| Lentils | 10-12 | 2-3 |
| Millet | 8-11 | 1-2 |
| Oat Groats | 8-10 | 1-2 |
| Peas | 9-12 | 2-3 |
| Quinoa | 8-10 | 2-3 |
| Rice | 9-12 | 3-4 |
| Rye | 9-12 | 2-4 |
| Sesame Seeds | 8-11 | 3-4 |
| Spelt | 6-12 | 3-4 |
| Sunflower Seeds | 6-8 | 2-3 |
| Triticale | 9-12 | 2-4 |
| Wheatgrass | 10-12 | 7-10 |
There seems to bit of a panic over the dangers of the bacteria that could be lurking in your reusable shopping bags. However, a University of Arizona study says that most of the bacteria that is found in bags is typically quite harmless. In fact, San Francisco banned plastic shopping bags more than three years ago and hasn’t seen a rise in E.coli infections!
Still concerned. Follow these tips:
Don’t relax yet! Reusable grocery bags are the least of our worries! Here are some surprising places that bacteria lurk from a list of the top 30 from the CDC.
Throw that sponge and dishtowel into your washer on a regular basis and use a good cleaning solution on some these easily forgotten locations!
This is the time of year when the doldrums often surface. The excitement of the holiday season is over and those well-intentioned New Year’s resolutions might be waning. A great way to get back on track is to boot the toxins from your body with a detox or cleanse.
A detox or cleanse will:
These diets fall into two general categories; ones that allow you to eat and ones that don’t!
A typical seven day cleansing diet that includes food will often cut out all meat, fish, dairy products, processed foods and simple carbohydrates. Raw, organic fruits and vegetables and whole unprocessed foods like grains and nuts will make up most of the diet along with freshly squeezed juices. Numerous cleansing diets can be found online so you can look for the one that will work best for you.
For the diet that doesn’t include food -one of the most popular detox diets is the Lemonade Diet, also known as the Master Cleanse. The program was written by the late Stanley Burroughs in 1940 and was entitled “The Master Cleanser”. Today’s version was published in 1976 and is a small booklet that outlines the diet.
Master Cleanse is not for everyone because of the lack of food. Daily “food” consumption is 60 ounces of water, 12 tablespoons each of maple syrup and freshly squeezed lemon juice, and half a teaspoon of cayenne pepper along with a laxative tea and a salt water flush.
It should be considered strictly a cleansing plan. While weight loss occurs, the majority is water and at least half of the weight returns after weaning off the plan.
If you are interested in a detox or cleanse program, contact us and we will be happy to guide you in choosing a program that is right for you.