- About -
- My Journal -
- This Week's Top Tips from Nature -
- Recipe of the Week -
- Food Facts -
- Good for the Soul -
- Steemit Voices -
- Posts from the Steemit Community -
- Image of the Week -
- Good Health Initiatives/Projects/Contests I Support -
- How YOU Can Get Involved -
- Previous Issues -
I'm a wife and mother (and cat mama), qualified Learning Disabilities Nurse, vegetarian, former host of the Steemit Culinary Challenge, and have been blogging about health on Steemit since Aug 2016. I care deeply about the health of my family and indeed the health of everyone! The thing I realised quite profoundly several years ago was: health is life... literally. If you don't have your health, what good is anything else?
The purpose of the Make It Healthy Project is to share truth, knowledge and good-health-inspiration with the Steemit community. The project takes a natural, balanced, and consistent approach to health and healing - avoiding toxic, artificial, processed, or refined ingredients in food, drink, cosmetics, and medication.
The project vies to inform and aid others how to achieve good health, through a collaborative effort involving all Steemians who wish to share their knowledge and expertise. Follow this link to find out how you can get involved.
Last week we enjoyed a visit from my parents, and had a lovely time out in the forest, down at the beach, out in the garden, or generally hanging out and catching up! Whilst they minded my little boy I took the opportunity to work on this MAGAZINE, creating all kinds of new graphics and categories to make it pretty and interesting (... so I do hope you enjoy it!)
I've also been doing my 'thing' in the kitchen to create some healthy recipes to inspire you (and to feed me of course). For my latest recipes, please click on the links below:
- Healthy Homemade CHOCOLATE - Only THREE Ingredients! (vegan, sugar free, gluten free, dairy free)
- Rich & Creamy Veggie Casserole - Sunday Comfort Food to Warm Your Belly
- Rustic Potato, Leek & Tomato Salad, with Garlic Coleslaw & Roast Butternut Squash
"The Lord hath created medicines out of the earth: and he that is wise will not abhor them" ~ Ecclesiastes 38:4-5
"As a general guide, take roots in the fall (folklore claims that roots taken in their growing season will shrink to nothing), bark in the late winter or early spring, leaves and herb stems when the plant is just short of bloom, flowers when they first open, and seeds when they first ripe. Dry the plant parts slowly in the shade and make sure they're thoroughly dry so they won't mold" ~ extract from Martha White 'Home Remedies'.
Feed a cold, starve a fever.
For bee stings mix a thick paste of baking soda + water.
For wasp stings apply vinegar.
For ant bites rub a slice of cucumber.
To relieve the sting of nettles, apply the juice from the stems of the same plant. Alternatively, spit on a dock leaf (usually found growing nearby) and rub it on the sting.
Lower blood pressure with daily garlic consumption.
For nasal congestion try putting a few drops of eucalyptus oil onto your pillow, or onto a handkerchief that you can sniff as needed.
Use aloe vera (directly from the leaves of the plant, or buy organic aloe vera gel) for sunburn, sore skin, itching and general external inflammations.
To remove unpleasant odour from a room, cut an onion in half and leave it in the room overnight.
Apply castor oil at night to encourage hair growth (eyebrows, eyelashes)
COMING SOON...
Make It Healthy "Open Dish" Contest!
- - - The winning recipe will be featured in this section - - -
but until the contest is launched, I will choose my favourite healthy recipe from the #makeithealthy category. Three cheers for this week's Recipe of the Week, not only does it speak to my belly but with its sentiment it speaks to my soul too...
by @paolapaopoly
Full recipe & directions here:
Peace & Love, Blackberry Cake (vegan, gluten free, sugar free)
SUGAR
The phrase "a little bit won't hurt" does NOT apply to processed sugar. Sugar is highly toxic and highly addictive. It depresses the immune system, causes and feeds diseases, affects behaviour, concentration and memory, encourages weight gain, causes energy highs and crashes, and many other adverse effects (source). "It creates a hormone cascade when consumed that starts a positive feedback loop in the body to encourage more consumption" (source). Naturally occurring sugars are different because they're balanced by the other properties of the plant, which slows digestion of the sugars. For a list of alternative natural sweetners, click here.
ORGANIC vs NON-ORGANIC
Buy ORGANIC wherever possible; conventional farming uses toxic chemicals that remain on the plants, and simply washing them before eating does not remove the residues! Beware of the main 'dirty dozen' fruits and vegetables to avoid, but try to buy everything organic if possible. Also be aware that other non-organic products such as flour, grains, baked goods, etc will contain chemical residues.
ARTIFICIAL FLAVOURINGS
Artificial flavour enhancers are found in MOST processed foods (commonly known as 'MSGs'). These are the chemicals added to make the 'food' item tasty and also addictive, so that you will buy the product again. They are very harmful for health, particularly in children whose bodies and immune systems are developing. For a list of these food additives to avoid, please click here. If you want to know how to remove all harmful ingredients from your diet, see my advice here.
Understand, I am always trying to figure out
what the soul is,
and where hidden,
and what shape...
I believe I will never quite know.
Though I play at the edges of knowing,
truly I know
our part is not knowing,
but looking, and touching, and loving,
which is the way I walked on,
softly,
through the pale-pink morning light.
~ Mary Oliver
Article - The Effects from Walking Barefoot 5 Minutes Every Day
"If a man is not in some way affected by the moon, he is the only thing on Earth that isn't" ~ Robert Millikan
Article - How to Befriend a Tree
"If you can't feed a hundred people, then feed just one" ~ Mother Teresa
Photos for a laugh - 19 Times The Irish Didn't Give A Single Feck
"Your beliefs don't make you a better person... Your behaviour does" ~ unknown
Rasta music - Peter Tosh - Come Together
"The wound is the place where the light enters you" ~ Rumi
Article - Carol Black: "On the Wildness of Children"
"Whatever's good for your soul... do that" ~ unknown
Steemit Voices is a new interview series I'm starting, seeking to extract valuable knowledge and expertise from our fellow Steemians to share with the community. A whole range of health-related topics will be discussed. I for one am very excited! The first interview will feature next week... watch this space.
If you have something to say about health that can benefit others, please contact me to arrange an interview, either in the comments thread below or privately on Steemit.Chat.
--- All posts appropriately tagged with #makeithealthy will feature here. If posting recipes, please remember not to use any processed, refined or artificial ingredients, as I only promote food good for our bodies. ---
Buddha Bowl with Garden Fresh Dressing by @plantstoplanks
Chocolate gem banana bread cake by @celestialcow
Vegan Minestrone Soup by @byebyehamburgers
Vegan Whole Wheat Pancakes by @maruharraca
WORKING OUT In The PARK With @JOORDANZZZ by @joalvarez
The Watermelon “La Patilla” by @paos
Five Books About Running That Changed My Life by @run.vince.run
Rice with Vegetables in Soy sauce by @gersson
Perk Yourself Up With Just Half A Paprika by @englishtchrivy
Eating vegan! My second and third day! How have I felt? by @paolapaopoly
Roasted Champignons with Pine Nut Crust by @street.yoga
Short in Iron? Take Some Winter Weed! by @englishtchrivy
10 Lies to Unlearn: #1 Meat Eating by @kinganima
THE ANEMIA AS A DESCELLANT FACTOR IN OUR BODY by @dannymorales
Peanut Butter & Fig Overnight Oats by @plantstoplanks
Lentils ~ Vegan Brunch Varieties by @pusteblume
Hot soup for a rainy spring day - A my way kind of Borscht by @pusteblume
RAMEN BUDDHA BOWL by @lenasveganliving
Stay healthy! Daily ice cream challenge: Self-made healthy mango banana fruit ice cream by @smallstepschange
Crispy Ribboned Carrots with Cranberries and Roasted Nuts Salad! by @cooknbake
Peace & Love, Blackberry Cake. Vegan / Gluten Free / Sugar Free by @paolapaopoly
Inventive Salad- Spring salad by @blackberryskunk
Stay healthy! Daily ice cream challenge. Today I was in banana land by @smallstepschange
Fast Facts On The Boston Marathon by @run.vince.run
Fresh, Organic Kohlrabi by @erikah
Broccoli stinging nettle spinach with fried potatoes by @proanima
Sunday Meal Prep Action by @plantstoplanks
Stay healthy! Daily ice cream challenge: One apple a day by @smallstepschange
(source)
"Fruits & Veggies Monday Competition" hosted by @lenasveganliving
"Vegan Wednesday Challenge" hosted by @heart-to-heart
"The Healing Foods Challenge" hosted by @celestialcow
Various Vegan Contests (new themes posted regularly) hosted by @deliciousplants
"The Steem Running Project" by @runningproject
MSP Waves Radio - The Alternative Lifestyle Show by @pennsif
* If you're interested in featuring on the show, you have an invitation from @pennsif! Either leave a comment below or contact @pennsif via his Steemit blog or Discord
To find out how you can get involved in the project, please see this post for full details. All good-quality, informative and original posts tagged with #makeithealthy will feature in this MAGAZINE.
