From Culinary to Cancer: Kitchen Herbs

With the high-fat, sugar, and salt foods we encounter on a regular basis as part of our daily diets, it’s been a questions on people’s minds: how do we make healthy food taste good?

Enter herbs and spices, nature’s flavor enhancers! Many herbs and spices also have health benefits – from increasing beauty to cancer prevention! Check your herbal knowledge here:

Want to improve your score? Come to our class on Thursday, June 7th, we will cover quick and easy ways to get in the habit of adding a variety of herbs and spices to add a healthy kick to your menu. Various herbs & spices, as well as flavor combinations will be demonstrated and discussed.

Quiz: Body Mindfulness

*Telephone rings* You: “hello?”

Your body: “hey, I just wanted to let you know that we’re having some issues dealing with the amount of sugar coming in -it’s definitely more than we need. The pancreas is doing the best she can but I’m sure you’ve noticed some blood sugar and energy swings…

You: “yeah, I did notice and my lab results show being on the higher end of normal, but I’m really not having that much compared to my co-workers….besides, is it so wrong to have ice cream after a stressful day?

Your body: “well if you could…”

You: *hang up* “argh, as if I didn’t have enough going on…”

Your body: *experiences unanswered calls, slowly becomes pre-diabetic and then diabetic*

Often we are so stressed and busy in life that we fail to feed ourselves properly and sleep enough. We can end up driving our bodies into the ground, possibly leading to illness. The dark circles under our eyes, anxiety, poor digestion, and low energy levels are all telling a story, but are we listening?

Take a moment, a breath, and check-in with your body as you see which of the following symptoms apply to you:

1. Excess fat around the abdomen
2. Poor sleep
3. Salt cravings
4. Tendency towards hives, allergies, bronchitis, asthma, and arthritis
5. Digestive issues – bloating, gas, indigestion, heartburn, constipation, diarrhea
6. Poor circulation
7. Dark circles under the eyes
8. Low mood or depression, irritability
9. Sugar cravings
10. Headaches or migraines
11. Energy issues, fatigue
12. Skin conditions – breakouts, rashes

Add up your number of symptoms. The only acceptable answer is “0”; anything more shows there is at least one area of possible improvement. These symptoms are associated with adrenal health, blood sugar handling, stress over-load, digestion, liver function, and food sensitivities.

Does your result fit into the life of vitality and energy abundance you desire? Get clear on the areas of healing; an initial consultation with an integrative nutritionist will help you establish where to begin.

The key to an improved relationship with the body is to be open to the messages it is sending and moving towards healing.