POTS and Hydration

A few weeks ago I was diagnosed with something called POTS. It stands for Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome. Basically, I have a relatively low blood pressure and when I stand up my heart rate increases by more than 30 beats per minute trying to adjust to the new position of my body. When I stand up I have a tendency of getting dizzy, and have fainted a few times. This has been going on for about 5 years, but got noticeably worse in the past two years. 

Natural Sunburn Remedies

For the past month Ollie and I have been taking or daily walks in the morning, around 6am, before the sun comes up. This morning it was pouring so we put our walk off until after my morning class. When we left the house it was cloudy and cooler compared to the weather we've been having. Halfway through our walk the sun came out, it started to get really hot, and I started to think about sunburn. I didn't put on sunscreen when I left the house because I knew I wouldn't be gone that long and I had on a big hat. 

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Food Combining Rules for Better Digestion

One of the biggest things I've learned from Ayurveda is about food combining. Until last year it never even occurred to me that there were some foods I shouldn't eat with other food, but it's changed so much for me.  

How to Become a Morning Person

When you get up in the morning do you feel exhausted and wish you could crawl back into bed even after you've been awake for more than 20 minutes? Do you dread having your alarm go off? Are mornings your least favorite time of day? 

Eat Taste Heal Cookbook Review

At the beginning of April I shared a recipe for Red Lentil Dhal from the cookbook Eat Taste Heal by Thomas Yarema, Daniel Rhoda, and Chef Johnny Brannigan. I love Eat Taste Heal so much that I want to give you a better idea of what the book covers and the types of recipes that are included. 

21 Days Of No Sugar

Well, I've made it! I have successfully not had sugar or added sweeteners for 21 days. I have to admit it was much easier than I expected it to be. I kept fruit in my diet because I wanted to get the nutrients and the natural sugar isn't bad for me. It also helped me in a few moments where I needed the taste of something sweet in my mouth. 

Article Round-Up: Toys, Beans, and Coconut Oil

First, I want to say my heart goes out to everyone in Boston and the victims of the bombings. 

I've encountered a lot of great articles on the internet over the past few weeks and want to share them with you. I hope you enjoy them as much as I have.

Food Rules: Part Three

In Food Rules: Part One Michael Pollan answers the question "What should I eat?" In Food Rules: Part Two he shares rules to answer "What kind of food should I eat?" The third part of his book focuses on answering the "How should I eat?" His simple answer is "Not too much" which he supports with a number of food rules.  

I've picked three of my favorite rules from the last part of Food Rules to share with you. 

Food Rules: Part Two

A few weeks ago I shared a few of my favorite Food Rules from the first part of Michael Pollan's book. The rules in the second part of his book are answers to the question "what kind of food should I eat?"

Spring Cleaning for 21 Days

When spring rolls around do you find yourself throwing out things in your pantry or closet that you haven't used in a while? Does the warmer weather make you want to scrub down the kitchen counters, dust the living room, and clean up your yard? I know some of you back east just got a few inches of snow but it's never too early to start dreaming of warmer weather. 

Food Rules: Part One

I just finished reading Michael Pollan's Food Rules. A lot of the rules are ones that I already incorporate in my life but it always nice hearing them again just to reiterate their importance. The first part of the book is titled "What should I eat?" where Pollan talks about how to decide what foods are best to eat.

Article Round-up

I've become a health article and blog post junkie. I follow a number of health focused blogs and health related news sources. These are a few of the most interesting articles I've run across. I hope you enjoy them as much as I did. 

Side Effects of Soda

I've never been a big fan of soda, I don't like the carbonation. When I was growing up we never had soda in the house but were allowed to get it as a special treat when we went out to restaurants.  As a kid I convinced myself that I liked soda because so many other people couldn't live without it. But when I got older I was finally able to admit to myself that I just didn't like it and there wasn't a reason to convince myself to. 

Naysa Oil: Allergy and Dryness Nose Remedy

Do you hate that feeling of waking up and not being able to breath deeply through your nose? When it is cold and dry does your nose hurt or bleed? 

Naysa is a great way to fix both of these problems!  Naysa is an herb infused oil that soothes the nasal passages and relieves congestion in the sinuses. Daily nasal lubrication releases tension in the head and reduces accumulated stress.  

Introduction to Ayurveda

When I first heard the word Ayurveda I thought to myself ayur-what? However, since it related to yoga I wanted to explore what it.  Over the past year and a half I've been immersing myself in everything relating to ayurveda and integrating it into my life.

First of all, ayurveda is a Sanskrit word that translated to "the science of life." It is the medical system from India that has very close ties to yoga. The system has been used in India for over 5000 years and is greatly respected in many cultures around the world.  

Quinoa Fun Facts

As you know I'm obsessed with quinoa! It's yummy, easy to make, and goes with just about everything.

I found this infographic and thought I would share it for people who don't know a lot about the grain.

One thing that isn't mentioned that I believe is very important is that you need to make sure to rinse off quinoa before you cook it. There is a build up of residue that makes the quinoa difficult to digest but water washes it away easily. 

The Dirty Dozen

Growing up my parents would regularly switch back and forth between buying organic and conventional produce.  When I went to college I bought conventional produce because of the cheaper price and also the lack of understanding the differences.  I've started to come up with a system (that is always evolving) as to what produce to buy in the organic form and which to buy in the conventional form.  If I could I would always get everything in organic but that isn't always possible because of availability and/or price. Our grocery store has a decent Organic Produce section but sometimes I can't convince myself to pay over $4 for a single red pepper. From what I've seen there isn't as much interest in organic produce as there is in other parts of the country.

So to get back to the system I use...The EWG, Environmental Working Group, has the mission of using the power of public information to protect public health and the environment.  Every year they publish a list called The Dirty Dozen, which is accompanied by The Clean Fifteen. 

Traveling Tips For Flying

I definitely haven't done as much traveling as many people I know but between living outside of the US and living in DC for four years and Albuquerque for one and now Texas I have spent a lot of time traveling back home for a number of years.  In the past year my travel experience has changed drastically. I have finally figured out what I can do to make the process more comfortable for myself instead of just being tired and grumpy.

Fall Detox: The Process and What I Learned

As I've mentioned in previous posts I've been doing an 18 day detox to help me transition from summer to colder temperatures.  The program is with my yoga teacher, Maria, and I am getting credit for doing the detox towards the next level of my yoga teacher training.  The detox is based on ayurvedic principles and works on many different levels of a person.