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Weekly WON Tip

8/24/2016

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Pet Escentuals & More!
Essential oils provide powerful healing benefits to your pet on a cellular level, helping them to respond better to all treatments and recover more quickly.  They can also be an effective tool for supporting anxieties, fears, aggression or any other behavioral issues. However, it is critical that pet owners understand that the physiology of cats, dogs, horses, birds, or whatever your animals may be, is very different and they will each metabolize essential oils in their own unique way.  Here are some tips to remember:
  • Take precautions with the types of essential oils you use on your pets and how they are diluted. 
  • Like humans, each of your animals will respond differently or be more sensitive to each essential oil. 
  • Be aware and present when introducing new oils to your pets and make adjustments as needed. 
  • The best carrier oil for your pet is fractionated coconut oil or MCT oil.  It combines well with essential oils, it slows down absorption into the tissues helping to prevent sensitivities, it prevents the oils from dissipating too quickly, it does not go rancid, and it is nourishing to the skin.

Rules & Warnings
  • Do NOT apply essential oils in your pet’s eyes or nose, or on their genitals. If it gets in their eyes or nose use milk to rinse it out. Always use care when using oils topically around the face as it easily becomes too overwhelming.
  • Do NOT use water as a carrier for topical use because it drives oils deeper and faster into tissues.
  • Do NOT drop essential oils into ears.
  • Do NOT apply essential oils to the tips of long eared dogs as the oils could get into their eyes or nose when they shake their head.
  • Do NOT use any essential oil products in beadlet form or any products containing xylitol.  They can cause serious liver damage and are toxic to dogs and cats. 

So, now that you know the "do's" and "don'ts", which essential oil should you try?  Lavender is always a good choice.  Lavender essential oil helps to reduce stress, fear and sadness in cats and dogs.  It supports healthy tissue regeneration and reduces skin irritations, ear infections, and boosts the immune system.  Lavender essential oil is something everyone should have in their toolbox of health for both pets and humans!


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Weekly WON Tip

8/17/2016

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Back to School Essentials:

The best way to support your child as they head back to school is by ensuring they get enough sleep.  During sleep, the body is able to:
  • Heal & repair 
  • Adrenal system relaxes & restores itself
  • Brain catalogs what it has learned during the day

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You may be asking yourself, how much sleep should my child have each night?  The following are sleep recommendations per night based on age:
  • 3-5 yrs  - 10 to 13 hrs
  • 6-13 yrs  -  9 to 11 hrs
  • 14-17 yrs  -  8 to 10 hrs

Your kids will benefit from a nightly routine preparing their body for sleep at a consistent bedtime.  This can include a light snack, taking a bath, brushing their teeth, and then reading in bed.  Some children will unwind better through a bedtime yoga practice, guided meditation, or light massage.  Let you children be a part of creating this process and they will be more willing to embrace the structure and their bedtime.

If your child is still struggling to get enough sleep and stick to a bedtime, you might consider one of these products:
  1. Natural Calm - an effervescent drink that can help restore low levels of magnesium that are needed for sleep, energy, and a stable mood.  It can also help relieve the muscle cramps and aches associated with growing pains in children.
  2. Sleep & Relax by Gaia Herbs - a delicious tasting syrup which uses an herbal blend of chamomile, lemon balm and passion flower that acts synergistically to help calm the body and mind of your child.  This blend prepares them for sleep and they will wake up feeling re-energized.  You can use this syrup for the week before school as you implement an earlier bedtime from summer or as needed.
  3. Tulsi Tea - If your child likes to drink tea, give Tulsi tea a try.  Tulsi is commonly known as Holy Basil.  It acts as an adaptogen to help protect the body from harmful side effects of stress by promoting relaxation and a sense of relief from every day stressors.  Drinking a cup of Tulsi tea will help clam your child's body and mind and encourage deep, restorative sleep.
  4. Lavender - clinically shown to help children fall asleep faster, and enter a state of restorative sleep more quickly and for longer periods of time.  You can diffuse the essential oil in their room, massage it into their feet, or spray it onto their pillow and blanket.

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Natural Calm
Sleep & Relax
Tulsi Tea
Lavender Essential Oil
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Weekly WON Tip

8/10/2016

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Pickling WON "0" WON:
Pickling fruits and vegetables is a delicious way to utilize all the beautiful produce from your garden or the farmers market.  You can pickle just about anything, which means you won’t see an abundance of uneaten produce go to waste.  Remember these tips when pickling your favorite garden fruit or vegetable:
  • Pickling is about the vinegar and salt, not the sweetness so watch for recipes that call for more than ¼ cup of sugar. 
  • You never want to substitute table salt for Kosher or Himalayan salt. 
  • Balance out your vinegar with water to keep flavors from being too harsh and biting. Your vinegar should have at least 4-6% acetic acid.
  • Red wine vinegar will turn all your fruits and vegetables pink! 
  • Don’t be afraid to use fresh herbs and to try new combinations.
  • Pickle your produce separately, as certain fruits and vegetables will be ready to eat at different rates.

After your next BBQ, save those watermelon rinds and give this recipe a try!

Watermelon Rind Kickers (refrigerator pickles only)

Ingredients:
  • 1 cup Organic Apple Cider Vinegar
  • 1 cup distilled water
  • 4 Tsp. fine grain Himalayan Sea Salt
  • 3/4 cup Coconut Sugar or Raw Cane Sugar
  • 1/4 cup Organic Ginger-cut into chunks
  • 1/2 teaspoon Chili Pepper Flakes
  • 1 Tsp. Allspice Berries
  • 1 Star Anise Pod
  • 1 Organic Lemon-slice thin
  • 2 lbs Organic Watermelon Rind (about a 5 lb watermelon)

Directions:
Scoop melon from rinds, leaving ¼-1/2 inch of red flesh.  Using a vegetable peeler take off the tough outer green layer of rind and then cut into cubes one inch in size.  Bring all other ingredients to a boil over medium heat and hold boil for 60 seconds.  Carefully add the watermelon rind and return to a boil before taking the pan off the heat.  Let cool for 30 minutes. Place the watermelon rinds into jars and pour as much of the pickling juices as possible over them.  Cover the jar and leave at room temperature for an additional 1 ½ hours.  Place them in the refrigerator for 8 hours and enjoy!  Consume within one month and always keep them refrigerated. These are delicious in a salad, with anything off the grill, or as a side dish with crumbled cheese of your choice.


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Weekly WON Tip

8/3/2016

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Ask Kris Anything:

One of the things I get asked the most is "what do you eat?"  One of my favorite things to eat are sprouts.  You might be asking, what exactly are sprouts?  Sprouts are germinated seeds of legumes or grains.  Well, there are a lot of different types - almost as many as there are edible plants.  Bean sprouts, sunflower sprouts, rye sprouts...every plan-based food started with a sprout and free from there.  Grains, seeds, and legumes can all be sprouted and are considered a wonder-food because of their high nutritional value. In Naturopathy, sprouts are referred to as a medicine.   

Health Benefits of Sprouts:
The sprouts contain a greater concentration of nutrients like Vitamin E, potassium, iron, phytochemicals, antioxidants, bioflavonoids, chemoprotectants and protein. They also contain other nutrients like folic acid, zinc, niacin, riboflavin, copper and magnesium which are very good for hair.  The most fascinating thing to me about sprouts is their high protein content.  I have been moving towards a raw vegan diet and I love finding sources of protein while avoiding beans (because I don't digest them well).  Most varieties of sprouts contain as much as 35% protein.  

Here is a breakdown of protein content for the following varieties of sprouts:
  • Alfalfa - 35% Protein
  • Broccoli - 35% Protein
  • Garbanzo Beans (aka Chickpeas) - 20% Protein
  • Pea - 26% Protein
  • Lentil - 26% Protein
  • Mung Beans - 20% Protein
  • Radish - 26% Protein
  • Red Clover - 26% Protein

Growing Sprouts:
Sprouts are very easy to prepare and require little or no maintenance. You can easily grow these seeds on your windowsill. To start, add 2 TBSP to a sprouted or mason jar with a special sprout lid, soak for 4-6 hours, rinse and leave it in a well-lit location, rinse twice daily with filtered water, drain and lay the jar on its side.  Germination time will vary between three to eight days, according to your room temperature. Harvest it early for a sweet taste. You can use the sprouts immediately without cooking or freeze them for future use.

Selection & Storage:
  • Sprouting is the easiest and the most cost effective process to get maximum nutritional boost. If you are purchasing loose sprouts, then examine the sprouts properly and discard the sprouts that are in a bad condition.
  • Do not wash or trim sprouts before storing, but you can remove yellow or wilted outer leaves. Place loose sprouts in a perforated plastic bag and refrigerate. Fresh sprouts last for 15 days in refrigerator.

Sprout Safety:
Sprouts are safe for everyone when handled properly. Those related to salmonella outbreaks were commercially grown. Organic seeds have never been implicated in a single case of salmonella poisoning. Certified organic seeds are handled in a manner that minimizes any possibility of contamination. Choosing only organically grown sprouting seeds and growing your own sprouts will give you one of the safest, healthiest, most nutritious foods available anywhere.  

We carry a variety of sprouts, books on sprouting and sprout supplies at World of Nutrition.  I am an avid sprout grower and currently have 3 jars going in a rotation.  Next time you are making a salad, add some sprouts!

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