Officially Kombucha Obsessed

I apologize for not posting in awhile due to the hurricane; I did not have access to the Internet! But I am back and so excited to share just another food obsession! For some reason this August I have just gone food crazy. Anyways my new obsession is Kombucha, a tea-based beverage known for it's health benefits.  Kombucha has been consumed for more than 2,000 years globally. The culture contains a symbiosis of acetic acid bacteria and one or more yeasts. The bacterial component of the Kombucha culture usually contains many species, but almost always has Gluconacetobacter xylinus which ferments the alcohol produced by the yeast into acetic acid. This then increases the acidity, but limits the alcohol content. I found there are some Kombucha for only 21 and older due to the alcohol content. (That's a just a bit of knowledge on the culture for you!) I am a big believer in Kombucha's power. Another big believer- German doctor Raudolph Sklenar is known for using Kombucha to treat cancer (and other diseases in early stages) with remarkable results! Kombucha is known to for the following; loaded with healthy bacteria, balance our internal pH, detoxify our liver (thus boosting our mood), increase metabolism, reduce blood pressure, rebuild connective tissue, prevent cancer, relieve headaches and migraines and much, much, more! It's also super easy to make, here's a recipe one reader suggested: http://www.kombuchakamp.com/kombucha-recipe! With all these benefits, how can you not be obsessed with Kombucha?

Something to Befriend...

Monday-Wednesday I attended the Teen Business Summit! I gathered more knowledge and courage in just three days then some might gather in a few years. One of the speakers', Roman Price founder of LifePulp, presentation was on overcoming obstacles and believing in ourselves. In today's post I wanted to share just two words of his fantastic letter that really empowered me and I hope does the same for you-"Befriend Failure." In my journey this has been one of the hardest things for me to accept. Luckily I now I realize that everything happens for a reason and just because I failed at something doesn't mean I won't succeed in life; I always end up learning from my mistakes. However when I was younger I felt I had to be the perfect student and nothing less. My teachers borrowed my notes to use as their own (fueling my perfection need) and I studied constantly; I was afraid of failure. If I didn't get the grade I wanted, I would fall apart. My mother tried to use reverse psychology and celebrated (by singing and dancing) when I felt I wasn't perfect and failed. This just left me wanting to be even more perfect, so I wouldn't get to hear her sing(I love you, mom). For years, I felt this way and those were the hardest and most painful years of my life. Finally, when I started to turn my life around and felt more grounded as a person, was I able to make friends with failure. I felt more grounded when I ate right and exercised daily. Balancing my life, allowed me to handle more fails emotionally. Now failure and I are best friends. We have gotten to know each other very well! I am able to laugh and learn from my mistakes, instead of wallow in them. I can honestly say that I am so happy in my life and feel so much more light-hearted, now that I've befriended failure.

Body Awareness

What's awareness? To me, awareness is having the knowledge of a cause and effect. Some may say awareness is just knowledge, but for me, when I am aware, I am noticing specifically all of the causes and effects. Being aware and observant has led me to understand my body and mind. My body-awareness stemmed from having such drastic changes in my mind, body, and physical appearance when I started to eat healthy and exercise. Once I became aware of the bigger picture of health food and physical activity, I began to notice little details. I began to tune into my body and notice how I felt when I ate certain foods. There I realized eating dairy made me more anxious. I was able to observe how I felt before and after I ate dairy. It's almost like experimenting. You can hypothesize that you will feel one way, but then in your observations you might realize you are completely wrong. Through listening to how my body felt and my emotions, I began to learn how I functioned best. I learned that I was in a better mindset and more energized when I exercised. Through exercising, I began to find what workouts had the most positive affects on my body. I learned that for me interval training is the best because it's non-stop and my mind is completely focused on the workout and not off in the clouds. Try to be aware of what makes you feel good and what makes you feel miserable. Now junk food may make you feel mentally satisfied, your body may equate eating terrible to being therapeutic during a rough time. But if you can notice your emotions and body image when you don't eat healthy, you'll become more aware of your body. I hope that you will be willing to see the affects of food and physical activity on your body. All I am asking is for you to be an observer and experiment with different foods and physical activity. Find what works best for you!

Lovin' the Sprouted Grains

Every so often I change food obsessions, currently it's sprouted grains. The health benefits of any grain depends on how it is eaten. Refined processed grains are rid of most of their valuable nutrients, as the brain and germ are removed. Eating refined grains has many negative health effects such as obesity, high cholesterol, diabetes, heart disease, and many more. Grains and seeds were originally always sprouted, but to preserve the grain longer now most are processed. When grains are germinated, their nutritional content changes, as they are usually not cooked, they hold onto their natural plant enzyme. Besides retaining the enzymes, sprouted grains also retain the nutrients that otherwise would have been destroyed by cooking.When wheat is cooked it can cause allergic reactions. But when wheat is sprouted, it's starch is converted into simple sugars, so many wheat intolerant people can eat sprouted wheat bread without any problems. Personally, I think all sprouted grain products are much more flavorful then processed wheat. Whole Food's has a delicious frozen sprouted grain bread that when toasted is great for sandwiches!

New Snack Obsession

Sorry I haven't posted in awhile! I feel like my schedule is slowly spinning out of control, but I am enjoying being super busy. I am also making sure I don't stress myself out with lack of downtime, but so far so good! This week I am working at my school's preschool/daycare. Sometimes I am there for nine hours or just three and then I have to do other business related things. With my schedule packed, I have to maintain my sanity by fueling every few hours, otherwise I will crash. So my favorite snack to munch on when I am looking after my four year olds is sugar snap peas. This snack has all sorts of goodness! Sugar snap peas are low in saturated fat, cholesterol, and sodium. It's a good source of riboflavin, vitamin B6, pantothenic acid, magnesium, phosphorus, and potassium. These peas are a very good source of dietary fiber, vitamin A, vitamin C, vitamin K, thiamin, folate, iron, and manganese. Vitamin C found in sugar snap peas protect DNA structures from damage and improve your immune system. To select the best peas make sure they are firm, bright green, and free from blemishes. I love snacking on these in the afternoon. They're crunchy, delicious, and good for you. My four year olds love when I break open the pod and see the little peas in side and I love the nutritional benefits. Go get snacking on some sugar snap peas!

My Dad Puts the World in SYNC

It's my dad's birthday, so I thought my post for today should be about how my dad makes the world healthier. My dad is a Doctor of Oriental Medicine and a master practitioner of Qigong. Simply said, he puts people "in sync". What is sync and why does it make you healthier, you ask? Sync is when everything works together in perfect harmony. It's the body's natural, optimal state! Sync is an energy healing and performance enhancement technique developed by my father. It's really quit brilliant (and I am not just saying that). I have watched athletes of all ages perform better when my dad teaches them to synchronize themselves'. I have witnessed a golfer, my own age, hit the golf ball twenty-yards further when my dad taught him the technique. When you are in sync, you are simply healthier because your body is effortless, everything is working together! Happy Birthday, Daddy! I love you loads and hope you have a wonderful day!

To learn more about my dad or to schedule an appointment, check out his website: http://www.jeffreyczimmerman.com/

What's for dinner?

I often am the one cooks dinner because I am so cautious as to what I put in my body. I am able to prepare dinner the healthiest way (which sometimes takes longer). It's also good because then my entire family is eating well, too. Today I made pasta primavera super healthy. I recently found Ezekiel Sprouted Grain Pasta. Sprouted grains are the best because sprouting is the only way to release all of the vital nutrients in whole grains. Not to mention it's got nine gram of protein, seven grams of fiber, and zero grams of sugar (per serving). You can find this awesome pasta in Stop and Shop and Whole Foods. I mixed this pasta with zucchini, squash, broccoli, and tomatoes from the local farmers market. Add a bit of olive oil, garlic, black pepper, and parmesan cheese. This is a great dinner for the entire family! Make your parents proud and cook dinner!

This picture is a bit blurry, but this was what I made for dinner!