This year why not try some that tastes great, and comes without added processed sugars and hydrogenated oils. Not to mention that it uses coconut oil which is a great source of fat and has actually been proven to help with weight loss.

Fantastic…a holiday treat that wont go straight to your hips!

Ingredients

• 1 jar of coconut butter
• 1/3 cup of honey or maple syrup
• ½ cup of a holiday nut (I chose pistachios)
• ½ cup of berries (goji, dried blueberries, cranberries)
• 1 bar of dark chocolate

Directions

• Place the jar of coconut butter in a pot of boiling water on the stove until soft enough to get out of the jar (usually 5min)
• Mix the coconut butter with the honey, nuts and berries.
• Place on a cookie sheet, and flatten with a rolling pin
• Melt chocolate in a double boiler
• Drizzle chocolate over the raw chocolate
• Place in the freezer for 30min, break into pieces and enjoy!

Let us know how it turned out for you in the comments below.

Relief For Jet Lag

For relief of the symptoms of jet lag due to time change or too many hours on a cramped plane with little oxygen be sure to drink plenty of water before, during and after your flight and once at your new location expose yourself to as much daylight as possible each day.

ARNICA MONTANTA (DONT LEAVE HOME WITHOUT IT)

• primary remedy for jet lag
• person feels ‘beat up’, achy and sore from travel
• sleeplessness from exertion; too tired to sleep
• also a great remedy for injury and trauma, bumps and bruises of any kind, soreness and muscle aches from overexertion
• can be taken as a preventative: two or three doses within twelve hours of departure- repeat only as needed thereafter, up to three times daily for no more than three days.

COCCULUS

Symptoms treated include:

• feeling of confusion, spaciness, or dizziness
• also a great remedy for motion sickness – severe nausea, vomiting with dizziness and increased salivation

Relief For Motion Sickness

Remedies can greatly relieve symptoms once they occur but can also be taken as a preventative before traveling. Give two or three doses of the remedy on the day before travel and once again an hour before the trip begins. Repeat every two to three hours only as needed.

TABACUM

Symptoms treated include:

• severe nausea with vomiting
• pallor and coldness with sweat
• need for cool, fresh air
• faintness or a tight sensation around head, like a band

NUX VOMICA

Symptoms treated include:

• nausea with headache and faintness
• painful gagging and retching
• chilly and constipated
• also a great remedy for food poisoning and general stomach upset – nausea, cramps, and painful vomiting with irritability and frequent ineffectual attempts to vomit
• great remedy for hangover or overindulgence in food and drink
• also a great remedy for sleeplessness from overwork or mental strain or overindulgence in food or drink with irritability and waking at 3 or 4 AM unable to fall back asleep

Help Treating Food Poisoning

ARSENICUM ALBUM

Symptoms treated include:

• primary remedy for food poisoning, especially from bad water, meat or fish
• burning and cramping pains in stomach
• burning diarrhea
• nausea with vomiting that burns throat
• chilly, weak, anxious and restless
• also a great remedy for sleeplessness-sleepless between 12 and 2 AM with much restlessness and anxiety, driving the person out of bed

Help For Heat Exhaustion And Sunstroke

Heat exhaustion symptoms usually develop gradually with weakness, dizziness, and confusion, and the skin becomes pale, cold, and sweaty. Sunstroke or heatstroke is a more serious condition, in which the body’s cooling abilities stop functioning because of overheating. Sunstroke may develop more rapidly and the skin is hot, dry and red with a fever and throbbing headache. Seek emergency care at once if sunstroke if suspected and give the appropriate remedy while waiting for help.

Select one of the remedies, and give one dose every fifteen minutes, depending on the severity of symptoms. Repeat until improvement is noted, then less often as needed.

BELLADONNA

Symptoms treated include:

• dry, hot, burning skin; fever
• severe throbbing headache, red face
• dilated pupils
• stupor or delirium
• a great remedy to use in the early stages of illness like cold, flu or headache especially in children when there is a fever- dose every hour for up to 3 doses then as needed as long as there is improvement

CARBO VEGETABILIS

Symptoms treated include:

• weakness, fainting or collapse
• cold, clammy skin
• nausea and diarrhea
• wanting cool, fanned air
• also a great remedy for stomach complaints from overeating with lots of gassiness and bloating which is better for belching or passing gas

What’s In My Carry-On?

Typically my little one is a good traveller but traveling can get the best of us at times. Since I am traveling with a little one who is going to be off his schedule and overstimulated with all the new and exciting scenery and adventures I will also include in my kit:

1. COFFEA CRUDA
   1. treats insomnia due to overstimulation and mental excitement with oversensitivity to noise, waking from the slightest sound
2. CHAMOMILLA
   1. helps when they are extremely irritable, and angry with oversensitivity to pain or stimulus
   2. if your child wants to be carried and cries when put down, kicks and screams • great remedy for ear pain during flight or due to infection or teething
   3. great remedy for pain in teething infants and toddlers

I will also bring along his constitutional remedy (the remedy most well indicated for him generally as assessed by a professional homeopath) to help support him throughout the journey and keep his vitality balanced throughout the trip.

In Conclusion

You can include all of the above or a select few you feel are most applicable to your typical ailments while traveling. Remedies can be either 12CH or 30CH potencies with the exception of Arnica which can be 30CH or 200CH.

Always choose the remedy that best matches your individual symptoms and dose with the remedy until improvement is noted and only as needed thereafter. A little remedy can go a long way homeopathically.

When traveling through airports, wrap your remedies in aluminum foil and carry in your hand luggage to protect them from radiation devices and ensure their viability.

I have never been questioned about carrying remedies, so you can feel comfortable traveling with them as long as they are in their original container. Keep remedies away from direct sunlight and avoid temperature extremes if possible.

Happy travels this summer everyone!

Excessive sodium intake can lead to potential harmful effects on the developing kidneys and blood pressure later in life. Data was collected on over 1000 8mo old infants using a 3 day diet diary. The majority of infants were introduced food between 3-4 months, with plain rice rusks and other cereals being the first foods consumed. Seventy percent of infants consumed more than 400mg of sodium per day with the upper limit at over 1000mg/day. Infants in this large sodium intake group were consuming large amounts of cows milk and eating 3x the amount of bread as the lowest sodium intake group. They were also eating food that contains salty flavourings such as gravy and yeast extract. The yeast extract actually contains 6-12% MSG (or free glutamate). We all know to avoid MSG, so now it is also important to read labels and see what kind of foods your children are eating that contain these unnatural extracts. MSG has been shown to contribute to things like hyperactivity and headaches.

When dealing with little ones, we all know how easy it can be to whip out a mum mums, fishy crackers or bread in moments of need. Don’t get me wrong, I am guilty of this myself at time!! I also agree that you cannot keep your child in a bubble. Even though I hate to admit it, and I will never be taking her there myself I am sure that at some point my daughter will consume the dreaded McDonalds Happy Meal!

How We Got Here

The point of this is we are the nation of convenience, and in turn we are feeding our children seemingly healthy snacks that in the end are contributing to health problems long term if consumed in excess. Who would have thought that whole wheat bread would be a problem for the 8month old, but the average piece of bread can contain upwards of 150mg of sodium. Add a couple of rice rusks and some fishy crackers and your little one is consuming an awful lot of salt.

To make matters worse, despite popular belief grains in general are not the best food for your baby. Traditional cultures didn’t feed their young infants grains, and those that did would wait to feed their babies gruel until over 12 months.

The truth is that babies cant digest grains until after 12 months, if not 2 years. Your newborn does not produce any amylase, which is the enzyme required to split starches. Salivary amylase makes a small appearance at 6mo, but the pancreatic amylase that you need to actually fully digest grains is not produced until the molar teeth are fully formed. First molars will usually appear between 13-19months

Undigested grains can wreak havoc on the infants developing intestinal lining. If this balance is thrown off, it can contribute to food allergies, allergies, behavioural problems, immune disturbances, skin problems and much more.

What To Feed your Baby Instead

• Fruits
• Vegetables – pureed
• Fats – Avocado, Egg Yolk, Bone Broth

Check out our blog for more helpful tips on feeding your baby and if you have any favourite healthy snacks you feed your baby, please leave a comment below and share them!

Lentils are something that everyone should add to their diet. They are high in protein and fibre and have been shown to help regulate blood sugars and cholesterol. The latest research is also saying that lentils are great brain foods and may help to prevent Alzheimer’s due to their high glucose content.

Lentil Soup Recipe

Ingredients:

• 1 tsp vegetable oil
• 1 onion, diced
• 1 carrot sliced
• 4 cups vegetable broth
• 1 cup dry lentils
• 1/4 tsp pepper
• 1/4 tsp dried thyme
• 2 bay leaves
• dash salt
• 1 tbsp lemon juice

Preparation:

1. In a large pot, sauté the onions and carrot in the vegetable oil for 3-5 minutes until onions turn clear.
2. Add the vegetable broth, lentils, pepper, thyme, bay leaves and salt.
3. Reduce heat to a simmer.
4. Cover and cook until lentils are soft, about 45 minutes.
5. Remove bay leaves and stir in lemon juice before serving.

Book You May Enjoy:

A Beautiful Bowl of Soup: The Best Vegetarian Recipes

It’s that time of year again – Spring! The snow has melted, the sun is growing stronger each day, and the rain is moving in to wash away all the rubbish that has been hiding under the snow for months.

We’re all familiar with the idea of “spring cleaning” as it relates to our homes, closets, and garages, but how about spring cleaning our bodies? The change of seasons is the BEST time to cleanse our bodies and get ride of the toxins that have accumulated over the winter.

You know how good you feel after your home has gone through a spring cleanse; now imagine how good your body will feel it if you did the same for it!

Everyone is in need of a full body spring cleanse. It doesn’t matter how well behaved we were this winter we are all exposed to hundreds of toxins everyday, and it’s important that we aid our bodies in an annual cleanse to help rid these toxins.

While the body is normally an efficient detoxification machine on its own, the world we live in can put a strain on even the healthiest of us. The build-up of these toxins in the body can lead to a variety of seemingly unrelated symptoms, such as, fatigue, headaches, malaise, irritability, mood swings, bloating, insomnia, and muscle and joint aches or pains.

While we may have limited control over our environment, we have a great deal of control over our bodies. There is enormous value for your body in a spring cleaning.

In recognition of this important practice Vibrant Living has paired up with two other health conscious organizations from the community - Moksha Yoga Waterloo and Seven Shores Urban Market and Café – to deliver a well- planned and organized two week 3nd Annual Community Wide Spring Cleanse in the K-W area.

You know you need it!

We know this isn’t the first time you’re heard about cleansing or detoxifying. So, if it’s your first cleanse or if it’s a part of your regular lifestyle, please join us in the exciting event.

Everyone is welcome, and you do not have to be a patient of ours to participate in this free event so invite your family and friends along!   Please visit our web site, at:

http://waterloocleanse.com

to learn more about and to register for KW’s 3nd Annual Community Wide Cleanse.

We look forward to having you participate in this exciting event!

Ingredients:

• 4 large tortillas shell/wraps (or lettuce leaf/collard green if you are trying to reduce your grains)
• 12 Tbsp of mixed beans (canned or soaked and drained)
• ¼ cup carrots, grated
• 1 cup alfalfa sprouts
• 4 tbsp of vinaigrette dressing (your choice)

Then Add some Flavour

• 2-4 Tbsp of mashed avocado (add some sea salt, pepper and lemon juice)
• 2-4 Tbsp of hummus, edamame dip or baba ghanosh
• 4 chopped olives

***we suggest that you add at least one of these options for a complete lunch

You Can Add

• ½ cup cheese (soy, rice, goat or cow depending on your personal needs)

Preparation Instructions:

• Lay out 4 Tortilla Shells/wraps or lettuce leafs on a cutting board
• Spread the wrap with your flavour (hummus, avocado etc)
• Add 3tbsp of mixed beans to each wrap
• Sprinkle with cheese (if using)
• Sprinkle with carrot, alfalfa sprouts
• Drizzle 1tbsp of dressing on top
• Fold the bottom of the wrap first (horizontally) then roll the sides vertically so that they over lap
• If available warm in an over or toaster oven and serve