The demands of our everyday life can leave us drained. Fatigue, weakness and even depression have become routine consequences of a fast-paced lifestyle. All these symptoms can led to stress, which can complicate our health. So, if you want to stay healthy, combating stress and increasing energy is a must. Turns out, there are herbs that boost energy that might be able to help. Make sure to check with your doctor before adding herbal supplements into your daily routine.

Herbs To Aid Digestive Health

The digestive system processes the essential nutrients and energy in food and releases it into the bloodstream. So, if you want to raise your energy levels, you need to take care of your digestive system, making sure that it’s working at full capacity.

There are herbal energy boosters that aid in digestion. These herbs include ginger and turmeric, among others. Ginger root has been used for centuries in China as an herbal remedy, to treat  nausea and other digestive disorders. As an herbal energy booster, ginger is effective at helping release energy from foods during digestion.

Herbs Can Combat Fatigue

There are several herbs that are purported to have a stimulating effect. These stimulating herbal energy boosters work on the body when energy levels are down or at the onset of fatigue and weakness. Siberian ginseng is a known herbal energy booster. It is frequently used by athletes and exercisers to increase vigor and well-being. It increases the body’s stamina by helping it adapt to external stress.

Herbs Promote Thermogenesis (Converting Fat into Energy)

Some herbs work directly on the body by promoting thermogenesis. Samples of herbal energy boosters that help in thermogenesis are green tea, oolong tea, and black tea.

For years, scientists have placed herbs under the microscope in the hopes of finding one or more to help low energy levels and stress. The more that people discover herbal benefits the more they can find new ways to utilize herbs in their daily lives.

Let me start by saying I love breakfast. And you should too.

Depending on where the day may take you, it could be the only time you’ll have total control over what you’re eating.

But why limit yourself to traditional breakfast fare when there’s so much more to start the day with?

Now fellow blogger Sebrina, obviously feels the same way. Her post “Would you eat salad for breakfast?” is exactly what I’m talking about.

And Sebrina’s salad idea is a great one.

But I want to take that idea a step further, into the land of what your family and friends might call “weird.” But follow along with me here, because these “weird” or “crazy” breakfast ideas won’t seem so strange once you give them a try:

• The peanut butter and blueberry breakfast sandwich. Easy to make, gives you the benefit of fruit and whole grains, and, hey, who doesn’t like peanut butter in the morning?
  (But be sure and use a good quality whole wheat or multi-grain bread, and to keep the blueberries from rolling off, squish them down with your palm onto the peanut-buttered bread.)
• Soup – yes, soup. In cooler weather there’s nothing wrong with a nice bowl of soup for breakfast. And if you’re a bread lover, a delicious piece of toasted or warmed bread goes along great with it.
• Leftovers from last night’s dinner –unless it’s cold pizza! Trust me, there’s no law saying that dinner leftovers are only for the next day’s dinner. What you ate the night before can make a quick and nutritious breakfast.
• Beans, most any kind, can make for a great breakfast meal. My favorites are Mexican-style bean breakfasts such as a bean burrito, beans in a taco or the more traditional huevo ranchero. That’s a delicious dish of fried eggs and avocado over salsa and refried or black beans, served up on a corn tortilla.
• Potatoes — and I’m not just talking about the traditional breakfast home fries. If you have leftover mashed potatoes from the night before, heat them up and serve with some scrambled eggs.
• Cold quinoa and some veggies tossed with olive oil. While you might not care for cold rice (although I think it’s quite tasty), quinoa is quite different and very delicious cold.
• Hummus. Your basic hummus is made from “whipped” chickpeas, lime juice, garlic and lots of tahini, which is another way of saying ground sesame seeds. It’s easy to make yourself, and there are lots of ready-to-eat organic varieties in the supermarket these days. Hummus can be served on most any kind of bread, cracker or even as a veggie dip. It’s my absolute favorite “alternative” breakfast idea!
• Any kind of sandwich. Why eat junk for breakfast and save the good stuff for lunch? I often have a cheese, tuna or salmon sandwich with peppers and veggies for breakfast.

Think about it – why make the most important meal of the day out of foods that need to be fortified with fake vitamins and minerals (like cereal), when you can have all those nutrients in their natural form, just as nature intended.

Tamanu Oil, with its regenerative healing powers is something everyone should consider having in their medicine cabinet. Containing antimicrobial, antibacterial, and anti-fungal qualities, it can be used topically to treat everything from sunburn and ringworm – to acne. Indigenous to Southeast Asia especially the Melanesian Islands of Vanuatu, it is widely used in Polynesia, parts of Africa and Europe. Research done in the early 1900s in France noted its unique ability to treat and cure difficult wounds, gangrene, and even leprosy.

Featured on Dr Oz with heralded “Medicine Hunter” Chris Kilhalm, Tamanu has been steadily gaining credibility for its ability to repair and preserve damaged and aging skin.

Carol Alt, proclaimed “The Most Beautiful Woman in the World” by Playboy Magazine and “The Next Million Dollar Face” by Life Magazine, touts Tamanu as her secret her for a beautiful, healthy complexion.

In addition to healing topical and subcutaneous conditions, Tamanu – known by Fiji islanders as oil dolno, or “no pain,” can relieve discomfort from arthritis, sciatica, shingles, and even rheumatism.

Its main compounds:

• Calophyllic acid (a fatty acid unique to Tamanu)
• An anti-inflammatory called calophyllolide
• And an antibiotic called lactone
• Along with coumarins, which increase blood flow and capillary permeability, provide anti-HIV, anti-tumor, anti-hypertension, anti-arrhythmia, anti-osteoporosis, antisepsis and pain relief, – can even help prevent asthma; making Tamanu a uniquely powerful and effective healer.

Having been used for centuries for any kind of skin problem, Tamanu is generally considered safe to use topically, but as with any medicinal, you should consult your physician before using. Itching, redness, irritation, or other adverse effects are possible in sensitive individuals.

Sources:

Underground Health Reporter – skin regenerator-tamanu-oil

Medicine Hunter – Tamanu

Annies Remedy – Tamanu

Are you tired? Gaining weight? It could be your thyroid. An estimated 27 million Americans have thyroid disease, and more than half are undiagnosed. Frequently misunderstood, often overlooked or even misdiagnosed, thyroid disease can have a devastating effect on almost every aspect of health. Good nutrition is a smart first step in taking care of your thyroid. Here are some ideas on how to choose superfoods for a superior thyroid.

Coconut Oil — Unlike saturated animal fats found in meats and dairy products, coconut oil is a raw, saturated fat containing fatty acids which the body can metabolize efficiently and convert to energy quickly. Research also shows it helps to regulate thyroid function.

Kelp — A nutrient-dense sea vegetable, also known as Laminaria, kelp contains a natural substance that works as a blood purifier and promotes adrenal, pituitary and thyroid health. Its natural iodine may help normalize thyroid-related disorders, like obesity and lymph system congestion.

Turkey —  One of the leanest protein foods, turkey is also very low in calories, making it an excellent healthy food choice. Turkey also contains selenium, which has been shown to inhibit cancer development, improve the immune system, and aid in the metabolism of the thyroid hormone.

Copper And Iron — These minerals are both important for thyroid function. Foods such as organ meats, oysters, clams, crabs, cashews, sunflower seeds, wheat bran cereals, whole-grains, and cocoa are all rich in copper.  Foods like leafy green vegetables, beans, shellfish, red meat, and poultry are all high in iron.  It’s also a good idea to complement your iron intake with adequate amounts of vitamin C from foods such as citrus fruits, red berries, tomatoes, potatoes, and bell peppers. Vitamin C helps to maximize iron absorption.

Even if you don’t think you have a thyroid problem, it’s always a good idea to take care of your body, including your thyroid. So make room in your diet for these thyroid superfoods, your thyroid will surely thank you.

By now you’ve seen the latest thing in instant salads. It’s called a “salad kit.”

These ready-to-fork veggie-kits are flying off the shelves, as salad lovers – and even newbies to the salad set – delight in having a designer combo contained within a single package.

A kit contains mixed, chopped and goodied-up salads-in-waiting in clear plastic bags, displaying assorted veggies and, most uniquely, small bags of extras that can include dried fruits, nuts, cheeses, and chips. Oh, and that obligatory packet of salad dressing.

But why rely on someone else’s idea of what makes a great salad kit and spend more on it? The truth is that it’s a breeze to hack this now trendy and healthy idea.  What’s more, it lends itself to going far further than many of the mass-produced versions. You can easily make your own with fresher, organic ingredients that exactly fit your lunch-time mood on any given day…and save money doing so.

To start, it’s essential to go big on greens, which make up at least 80 percent of a kit. The main leafy players are iceberg lettuce, various cabbages, broccoli greens (not the flowerets), red and green romaine lettuce and kale.

The principal greens can be accompanied by the richer-flavored likes of collards, turnip greens, chard, spinach, mustard green, arugula, radicchio, watercress, chicory or endive – just to name a few. The trick with the more tangy greens is to use them sparingly. They’re meant to lightly compliment the flavor of the primary greens.

Tip: Wash greens before chopping, then pat dry or spin dry. Washing greens after chopping leaves too much residual moisture, even after a decent drying effort. Moisture is a kit’s worst enemy.

After cutting the greens to perfection, place in large bowl and tenderly toss with hands or forks. This is when you determine just how much salad you’ve chopped – and chopped salad can bulk up. It’s all good. One of the benefits of salad kits is their ability to stay fresh for a goodly amount of time when bagged and fridged.

Now, using a larger resealable plastic bag, jam in the chopped leafy greens. Fill bags fairly full — but remember, there’s more to come.

Now come the “fixins,” the extras that make this your own unique blend.

You can use virtually any and all dried fruits, mixed nuts, veggie slivers, shredded or crumbled cheeses (especially feta or goat cheese if you like the taste), crushed chips, dry spices, and smaller fresh fruits.

Important: Make sure to use a singular package for each of the fixins. Combining the likes of goat cheese and dried cranberries makes for a messing pour-out when a kit is being served.

Reclosable “snack bags” — those downsized bags that always seem a tad too small for most uses — are perfect.

It’s in the fixins bags that a kit’s health factor can be ramped up. Adding Wild Oats organic flax seed (ground or whole seeds home ground) and Wild Oats organic chia seeds enhances a salad’s flavor while adding astounding nutritional value. Such ultra-healthy add-ins can be included in a spice bag, along with the likes of ground pepper, sea salt and even celery seed.

The spice bag is where exotic touches enter the taste picture, via Cajun, Asian, Tex-Mex, or Mediterranean seasonings.

A fresh herb packet also bring uniqueness to a salad kit. Some perfect minced herbs are basil, lemon herbs (like lemon thyme), chives, dill, fennel, savory, chervil and tarragon.  Herbs can also be placed in a single bag.

It then comes down to the salad dressing. Many a creative kit can be eaten with a bare minimum of dressing assistance. At the same time, a kit lends itself to homemade dressing blends. Just make sure the reclosable seal on the dressing bag is tight. Store-bought salad dressing packets also work well.

Finally, serving a kit is just a few pours away; transferring the greens to a bowl, followed by your own special extras.

And no doubt, you’ll be the envy of your plain sandwich-toting colleagues!