Big News!!! I am a student...AGAIN!

So after many months of research and a recommendation from someone with the same name, I have officially enrolled and been accepted into the Diploma for Holistic Health Practice program through the American College of Health and Sciences. I will continue to work full-time while enrolled in the program but am super psyched about taking the next step toward my "passion business." My goal is to first receive my Certification in Holistic Nutrition Consulting and then continue working toward my Diploma over the next two years and when that is complete, my final goal is to become Board Certified in Holistic Nutrition and have my own consulting practice. While Florida is a little weird about the Holistic Health Industry, I think it is detrimental in filling a gap for American's health and I am so excited to be part of such an innovative and important branch of the Health and Wellness industry. YAY ME!!

Here is a description of the program:

Program Description:

The Diploma in Holistic Health Practice is a professional training program for people seeking to earn a comprehensive and recognized credential to establish a holistic health practice or to add to an existing health care practice.

Graduates will be able to recommend complementary wellness protocols using aromatherapy, flower essences, herbal medicine, homeopathy, iridology, holistic nutrition, and reflexology. Graduates will also be able to discuss nutrition as a foundation for health, including the biochemistry of nutrition, vitamins, minerals, dietary supplements, juice therapy, elimination therapy, fasting, and acid alkaline balance. In addition, graduates will have the training to legally and successfully establish a holistic health consultancy, including case taking, case studies, clinic management, legal issues, ethics, and informed consent.

What this also means is that I will be able to continue this blog and give my readers EVEN more valuable and practical information as you all work toward a healthy, happy life! YAY YOU!

I start the program in September so get excited!

Garden Update

Muscadine Grapes

As mentioned in a previous post, it has been almost unbearably hot and humid here in South Florida but not wet at all. It is very tough, though not impossible, to grow things here this time of year but these dry conditions make it even worse. This does not stop me from trying. Here is a little update on the things that are still doing well right now:

somehow I have planted okra and squash in same bed. Going to leave it and see what happens.

Yard Long Bean

Blanche

Supposed to be a dwarf but not looking like it.

Sophia

This is a stink bug!

Front Garden Ideas

Despite soaring temperatures, no rain in weeks and a small stink bug infestation, we are still getting loads of delicious cherry tomatoes from the soil bag garden in the front,  We also have at least four volleyball sized watermelons and the peppers are struggling to produce. It is quite clear that a garden in the front will work just fine and I am excited to hopefully have it up and producing in the Fall. We are still trying to decide what we want to use to create the raised beds. If you recall this "Florida Mountain" in our front yard is, in fact, a septic field and therefore we will want to provide our own soil for the beds. I popped over to the Gardeners Supply website this morning and am really liking these:

This one was the least expensive. It is made from cedar and comes in a kit that you put together.

This is my favorite because it is so elevated that it would make it so you could see them from the windows inside the house and it could provide a little extra privacy. Plus this may be helpful for rodent/cat/pest control. I just love the idea of a little bistro set too. The added height to the bed is easier to maintain because there is less bending over involved. This one is also made of cedar.

This is new and its called a "grow camp". The idea behind it is that you have your garden, greenhouse and pest control all in one. This is the least aesthetically pleasing but could make for some easier gardening and would be a great beginners garden or perfect for a patio gardener. This one is NOT cheap ladies and gents!

Calcium for your teeth and bones

So the dentist didn't have horrible news for me but I also did not walk away carefree. Turns out my fillings from some years ago need to be redone.This is quite frustrating. Also, I have two additional spots that they are going to watch. This was a new dentist and there is no possible way that she could have known my lifestyle but amusingly the following questions were asked:

1. Do you drink lots of sports drinks and soda? NONE

2. Do you eat a sugary diet? NO

3. Do you brush and floss on a daily basis? HELL YES
4. What kind of toothbrush do you use? Only the best...a Sonicare.
5. Do you drink milk? Not if I don't have to.

The milk question caught me off guard. But then it lead to discussion about calcium and how I needed more calcium in order for my teeth to be stronger. Ok, yes I understand but I still do not plan to drink milk(I was the little girl who put apple juice on her cheerios, not milk). So I looked into other forms of calcium because despite the American notion that milk is the best form of calcium, it turns out it is NOT the ONLY form.

Other non-dairy forms of calcium include:

• dark leafy greens (except spinach and chard, who's calcium is hard to absorb)
• beans/legumes
• Blackstrap Molasses
• calcium supplements (look for ones combined with Vit D for good absorption)

Calcium is not the only nutrient we need for health teeth. Vitamin K (also found in leafy greens) plays an important role and bone and tooth health.

When we have too little calcium in our blood, our body tends to borrow it from our bones, ultimately planning to return what it has borrowed, Vitamin A helps in this exchange. Be wary though, too much Vitamin A can lead to bone fractures.

The Glass Straw Craze

So tomorrow I will be visiting a new dentist. I usually try to avoid this experience but while on vaca last week I realized that a former filling had not held by the excruciating pain I felt while sipping a rum punch. Unfortunately, I have a history of weak teeth and cavities despite my rigid routine of flossing, using a sonicare and my low sugar, healthy diet. I also have had a "permanent" retainer on my front bottom teeth that I am OVER and ready to have removed. That said, I took the leap and made the appointment. My Mom also recently visited the dentist and while she had no major issues the dentist did ask if she drank tea and coffee regularly to which her response was that she drank a good amount of green tea on a daily basis. The dentist warned her that this is not good for her teeth. Yikes. So one minute we are told to drink copious amounts of green tea for good health and the next we are told its bad for our teeth. Ho Hum! There is always something. I too drink a ton of teas and therefore did some research on what a good solution to this dilemma could be. The solution I found was:

A GLASS STRAW
Yes,  a glass straw. Now at first this is rather intimidating. What if it breaks in my mouth? What if it hurts my front teeth? How do I clean it? All valid concerns I would say but that is why I looked into it a little more. The benefits FAR out way the risks, if there even are risks.

• Glass straws are made from the same glass as Pyrex containers. They are dishwasher and microwave safe. (soak in vinegar for a sparkly straw)
• Glass straws can make any drink "look" prettier and taste better.
• Glass straws are super "green" in that they replace hundreds of thousands of petroleum made plastic straws used worldwide each day.
• Using a glass straw as opposed to a plastic one helps to avoid exposure to the harmful effects of some common plastics.
• Using a glass straw push the liquids beyond the teeth, to the tongue and then down the throat, therefore your teeth get a break from being coated with liquids that contain sugar, acid, and natural dyes that can break down the enamel and make your chompers more susceptible to cavities, decay and discoloration.
• These can be used with any temperature liquid (be careful not to burn yourself though)

These are all very good reasons for me. I do not yet posses my own glass straw but rest assured I will be purchasing one very soon and hopefully it will come with its own cool carrying case.

Weekly Menu

***My apologies for the length between posts. Busy-ness at the day job and a vacation got in the way of the blog. Hoping to get on a consistent schedule again, at least until I start Holistic Health Practitioner school in the Fall.

Monday: Lentils w/button mushrooms, basmati rice and turmeric spiced brussel sprouts.
Tuesday: Eggplant casserole and garden salad.
Wednesday:Spicy black bean and cauliflower salad over quinoa.
Thursday: Gluten-free penne with pesto, green peas and walnuts.
Friday: Thinking dinner out. :)

Had to share...

...this amazing affirmation. So much about our eating and nourishment is controlled mentally. As I explore the American diet, I realize the obesity, weight, and health issues we carry cannot be controlled or healed by going "on a diet" or by taking a pill. Instead we must go to our core and focus on how much power we individually have over our weight, our health, and our mental sanity. Patricia Moreno focuses on a long term lifestyle health routine. This is from her post today on CrazySexyLife:

Every day in every way
I co-create my reality

As above so is below
This is what I know

Today I choose to see
What is right about me

When I ask it is given
What I believe I receive

I am preparing for success
I am available for guidance
I have the power to choose
What I think, eat and do

Where fear has blocked me
Love now surrounds me
Everything is right about me.
And so it is!

Check out her book on Amazon.com:

http://www.amazon.com/IntenSati-Method-Secret-Principles-Thinner/dp/B004L2KMXI/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1307373734&sr=8-1#_

Perfect Health by Deepak Chopra

http://www.amazon.com/Perfect-Health-Complete-Revised-Updated/dp/0609806947



 So last night I started "Perfect Health" by Deepak and I so far it is a great read especially for someone interested in holistic health. Right now the focus is on the fact that our bodies are not ever stable and that we are constantly in a state of change and movement yet we seem to think of ourselves as rigid and aging skin and bones. I was amazed at the following mind boggling points brought up in Chopra's book:

• Adipose tissues (fat cells) fill up and empty out constantly, so that all of it is exchanged every three weeks.
• You acquire a new stomach lining every five days.
• Your skin is new every five weeks.
• Your skeleton is entirely new every three months.
• The flow of oxygen, nitrogen, carbon, hydrogen and nitrogen is so rapid that you could be renewed in a matter of weeks.

Yikes. This is both scary and exciting! If this is true then we have the opportunity to be a new and healthier person all of the time. This does not mean that you should mistreat your body just so you can renew it next week. This means that we really do have so much more control of how we feel on a regular basis and that it is NEVER too late to work toward a more vibrant you!
This book was written over a decade ago but has recently been updated to include way more info as discovered through time, experience and research.

Blackstrap Molasses

The coolest part about this post could be the name. I love that it needed no catchy introduction because it's catchy just by what it is. No, it is not a new character on Pirates of the Caribbean (although it could be)!
This viscous dark syrup replaced the honey in my Chai this morning and I am very excited about the results. It tasted sweet and yummy and happens to be great source of healthy promoting minerals such as iron, calcium, manganese, potassium and copper. So for those of us that don't indulge in regular steak consumption, molasses is a wonderful way to supplement the iron in your diet. Those of you on a dairy free diet, get your calcium on with this stuff.
With just two teaspoons of blackstrap molasses a day you get 18% of daily manganese, 14% of your daily copper, 13% of your daily iron and 11% of your daily calcium all for just 32 calories and you can say goodbye to the refined white sugars and/or artificial sweeteners you are putting in your coffee and tea. Use blackstrap in your coffee, tea, on cereal or oatmeal, in baked beans, gingerbread cookies, Asian sweet and sour sauce or BBQ sauces.
Unsulphured Blackstrap is the by-product resulting from turning sugar cane into table sugar. By-products are considered "waste" in many situations but in this case all the nutrition that is being lost in order to achieve that white sugar we are so accustomed to is going toward making nutritionally rich molasses. The term unsulphured means that the sun was used to ripen the sugar cane and not sulphur.
I was able to find blackstrap in my local grocery but it is a new item on the shelf there in the health food section. If you have no luck at your conventional grocery, give a health food store a try or ask your grocery customer service if they are able to order.