10 ways to lighten up in your own kitchen

Enjoy food again

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10 ways to lighten up in your own kitchen

1. Don’t drink your calories

Too much juice is too much sugar unless it’s homemade or vegetable juice. When you have juice make sure its 100% juice not a cocktail, blend, or drink that has added sugar. Stay far away from regular pop, a cola has 10-12 teaspoons of sugar. One glass of red wine or light beer actually has health benefits more then that and it’s just a depressant with extra calories.

2. Use Coconut Oil

For cooking and baking try coconut oil. It has medium chain triglycerides which are digested differently then other fats . It’s much easier on the digestive system and turns to energy more quickly. It is used to help heal injuries, and lose weight.

3. Eat at least 5-7 fruits and veggies a day

Fruits and vegetables are nutrient packed lower calorie fibre rich life savers. Eat as many veggies as you want and you will lighten up. Filling up on these valuable foods will leave you less room for other food and leave you feeling healthier.

4. Have the same lunch and breakfast

You eat less when you eat the same meal over time. With a set or go to breakfast and lunch you can choose something healthy that takes the temptation away from impulse or fast foods. It’s fairly easy to keep food in for one or two basic meals a day.

5. Loose the Mayo

Now mayonnaise has been an essential part of my life. A 90 calorie a teaspoonful part of my life. Well I haven’t been brave enough to let this go myself I have gotten rid of the 90 calorie a teaspoon salad dressings. Check out the fat and sugar content of your salad dressings before you buy.

6. Drink Water

Wonderful beautiful no calorie super good for you water. When you’re dehydrated you may feel hungry instead. Before you reach for the food have some water. I admit for some it may take longer then for others to start enjoying water again. Start having it when your really thirsty, then with meals then your on your way.

7. Slow it down

It takes 20 minutes before you feel full. You can eat a lot in that 20 minutes. In many places they eat till there partially or 80% full. They live longer and are healthier. If you slow down you can enjoy your food more, experience it instead of wondering where it has gone.

8. Indulge one day a week

So, you’re eating healthier or trying too that’s great but knowing you have a time to indulge will help prevent any binges or lapses. That one day have your usual breakfast and maybe lunch but then indulge. Let your metabolic rate reset. You don’t want your body to need less and less food each week.

9. Have snacks

Healthy snacks will help you stick to a healthy routine. ¼ cup of nuts, or many raw veggies can keep you feeling full and comfortable. It will help your blood sugar remain constant and stop your body from going into starvation mode if it’s five or more hours between meals. Keep snacks bagged and ready to go so you just need to grab them and enjoy.

10. Make it yourself

Fast food or pre-packaged meals often have a lot of what you don’t need and little of what you do. There are so many sites that have healthy quick and easy meals that will help your pocket book as well as your health. There are some meals that you can buy that are healthier then others. Baking can be fun and leave you with treats that are tasty to eat and healthy.

These are only some of the ways to lighten up in your own kitchen. There are many more.

Happiness Series #1 Forgiveness

Happiness Series episode 1

Source: By stockimages, published on 18 June 2013 Stock Photo - image ID: 100177381

Forgiveness

Happiness is an out look that needs to be cultivated. It is a way of living. It requires challenge and rest, time with others and solitude, play and dedicated work, helping others and learning new skills. Whether it’s laugh out loud fun, or quiet contentment we all deserve more of it.

Happiness is not transient or destructive. It may be immediate like playing at a water park, or quiet and gentle like sitting in your own lovingly put together home. We will look at what truly makes people happy and how you can be happier. This is to be a series of Hubs to help increase ones happiness.

How is it that forgiveness is one of the first chapters in a series about happiness? The first thing is to get rid of some of the things holding you back. Anger and resentment often crowd out happiness and joy. Not to say anger is bad. Anger can be very useful and has its place. It can be very empowering. Anger needs to be experienced before it can be released.

Anger often comes from fear, frustration and feeling helpless. If you can trace your anger to it’s orgin you can often find out what is really bothering you and why. The problems arise when your quick to anger, it becomes your “go to” emotion, or you hang on to it for too long. “Resentment is like taking poison and waiting for the other person to die.”― Malachy McCourt Resentment rarely has a place or need and is self punishing as the quote implies.

When we talk of forgiveness we are talking of how it will help the person doing the forgiveness. You do not need to give a care for the person you are forgiving. It certainly does not mean you will forget or trust them again if indeed you trusted them before.

The most important person you have to forgive is yourself. Try to learn and grow, change your behaviour if need be but forgive yourself. It seems women more then men will often feel guilty over things that are not even their fault. Children will often find a way to blame themselves if things go awry.

If the choice is to give responsibility to the perpetrator of an assault against you or to hold on to it yourself by all means give it away. Research shows that there are times when holding anger against others may be important for healing. These times would often include sexual abuse. In these cases hold it until it turns against you or as long as it helps you.

Tracing anger, fear, or even procrastination can be fun in an uncomfortable way. Write down what you are angry at (or fearful or procrastinating about). Then write down why that bothers you. Then write down what upsets you about that, until you follow it down to an ‘Ahaa’ moment when you see what you are really facing. This is the thing you must work through. This is what you want to argue or talk about with yourself or on paper.

It doesn’t matter how silly or irrational something seems sometimes our minds make strange connections without us consciously knowing about it. As Harv Eker has said “our minds are made to survive, not thrive but survive.” We want to thrive. We want to let go off any pent up negative emotions. They were here, they were useful, now it’s time to let them go. Hanging on to them is only us hurting ourselves and sometimes the people we care about.

Self forgiveness is even harder. We want to take responsibility for things because maybe then we can control them. Other times, let’s face it you messed up. You, me, all of us we mess up. When teaching my children to say sorry we also taught them to make amends if possible (and not harmful to anyone else), Then to not do it again.

Forgiveness recap:

1. When you feel a negative emotion feel it, and release it or feel it, use it, and release it. There is nothing wrong with being afraid, sad, frustrated or angry as long as you feel it, deal with it, and release it.

2. If you’re finding negative emotions are becoming your ‘go to’ emotions, or happening much to frequently try to find the corner stone or basis for that emotion. What is it that bothers you? Trace it backward and you may be surprised what the source of it is.

3. When you do make mistakes or mess up try to fix it or just sit with it but do not use it to beat yourself up. The most important person you need to forgive is yourself.

4. Forgiving others is not about them, it’s about you. Forgiving people is a good way to set yourself free.

Water, why do we need it?

One drop of Water

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Water

Water

There’s a joke; it talks about a substance found at the site of almost all atrocities, and tragedies, and whether we should ban this substance. The substance they are talking about is simply dihydrogen monoxide.  Which is the scientific name for water.

People contain about 60% water. Babies have more at 78%, men have a higher percent then women and lean people have more then fat people. The brain is 80% water and will not be at its full capacity when dehydrated. People can generally survive 2 to 3 days without water.

It is generally accepted and fairly well known that people need eight glasses of water a day. Not all of the water we consume comes directly from a glass of water. Fresh fruit and veggies provide as with some of our water intake as do other foods. Many different drinks will provide the water we need. The exceptions are heavily caffeinated drinks which will give us water but act as a diuretic and help us get rid of it as well.

Water is a great appetite suppressant and does not contain any calories. With a meal it can help you enjoy the tastes of your food more. Few things taste better then water when you’re truly thirsty like after or during a work out or when you first wake up.

When your skin is dehydrated it can appear well dry but also saggy and wrinkly. With water then moisturizer to hold the water in on the outside and water on the inside your skin appearance can improve dramatically. The same with your hair stay hydrated and  your all set. Ever hear ‘cleanliness is next to godliness’. How much cleaning could you do without water inside and out? Water helps eliminate toxins with sweat, and urine.

It nourishes the body helping the blood provide oxygen and nutrients throughout the body. Water is essential for the absorption of many nutrients. It also helps process fats and toxins through the kidneys while preventing kidney stones. Water helps you endure the extreme temperatures, it helps prevent sunstroke. It helps lower blood pressure and helps prevent the risk of heart disease.

If you wet your hair down with water before going into a pool it will help prevent chlorine from doing as much damage as it would otherwise. Why go in the pool at all? Other then fun, the water resistance in a pool (or lake or river) can help you get a great work out without damaging the joints. Whether you swim, aqua size, or just run in the water it’s a safe healthy way to exercise.

Listening to or watching water in a natural setting is considered very relaxing for most. A home with a view of the water is considered more valuable then one without. Just listening to and observing water in nature reduces anxiety as does the site and sound of a water fountain or waves.