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5 Eco-Friendly Ways To Care For Your Garden

November 9, 2022 0

Gardening is a great way to get outside, enjoy fresh air, and dirty your hands. But it’s also important to be mindful of the impact that gardening can have on the environment. There are a lot of small things that you can do to make sure that your gardening practices are eco-friendly. Here are five easy tips to get you started.

1. Use Organic Fertilizer

One of the best things you can do for your garden is to use organic fertilizer. This means avoiding synthetic fertilizers that can contain harmful chemicals. Instead, opt for natural options like compost or manure. If you’re unsure of the best organic fertilizers, you can contact your local lawn service company to attend to your garden. This way, you can be sure that whatever is being used in your garden is safe for the environment and your plants. 

2. Use Native Plants

Another easy way to make your garden more eco-friendly is to use native plants. These are plants that are naturally found in your area or country and don’t need to be imported from somewhere else. They’re also more likely to be resistant to local pests and diseases, which means that you’ll need to use fewer pesticides and herbicides. Native plants also support local wildlife, as they provide food and shelter for birds, bees, and other animals.

3. Mulch Your Garden Beds

Mulching is a great way to reduce weeds, conserve water, and insulate your plants. There are many eco-friendly mulches that you can purchase to use in your gardens, such as wood chips or straws. You can also try using biodegradable options like grass clippings or fallen leaves. Just make sure that whatever you use is biodegradable so that it doesn’t end up in a landfill. You also need to ensure that you don’t over-mulch your garden, as this can lead to the suffocation of plants and other issues.

4. Collect Rainwater

Rainwater is one of the best things for your plants! It’s free and naturally soft, so that it won’t harm delicate plants like flowers or vegetables. Plus, it’s really easy to collect; all you need is a rain barrel. Set one up near your downspout and watch as the water collects over time. Then, when you’re ready to water your garden, just hook up a hose and let the rainwater do its magic. Collecting rainwater is also great for saving on your monthly water bill and conserving overall water usage.

5. Avoid Plastic Gardening Tools

Just like with anything else in life, it’s important to avoid using unnecessary plastic whenever possible. This includes the garden. There are all sorts of eco-friendly options for gardening tools these days, so there’s no need to buy those cheap plastic ones from the hardware store. Instead, invest in some good quality metal tools; they’ll last longer and won’t end up in a landfill when you’re done with them.

Gardening is a great way to enjoy some time outside while also doing something good for the environment. By following these simple tips, you can ensure that your garden is as eco-friendly as possible!

5 Tips For Improving Mental Wellness Through Diet

October 26, 2022 2

Mental wellness is something that matters a lot, and more and more people are now focusing their attention on it. So if you want to aid their mental wellness and start doing more to improve your mental health, your diet will need to play a part in that. As strange as it might sound, there are lots of ways in which your diet can impact your mental well-being, and that’s what we’re going to explore today, so read on.

#1: Share Food Around the Table with Friends and Family

First of all, you should think about the way in which you generally consume food. When you sit down and eat alone, you don’t have the interactions or the social aspects of dining with family or friends. So that’s why you should try to eat together with others as often as you can, especially if you live in a household with other people. Make it a shared experience.

#2: Try to Keep Your Blood Sugar Balanced

When you eat a lot of foods that are high in sugar, you’ll experience a sharp rise in your blood sugar levels when you first eat those foods. The problem with that is that your blood sugar level will rise and then crash, which can impact your mood and mental health. So eating a more balanced diet with fewer high-sugar foods is definitely a good idea.

#3: Get More Organic Broccoli Into Your Diet

If you don’t currently have much broccoli in your diet, that’s something you should certainly think about changing. Broccoli offers a lot of nutrients you want as part of your diet, and on top of that, it has lots of helpful anti-inflammatory properties as well. Simply adding some broccoli to the dishes you eat already will help your body and your mind function better.

#4: Try Using Organic CBD Gummies

It might be a good idea to try using some CBD gummies if you feel like stress is a part of your life and it stubbornly lingers over you. There are lots of good options out there, such as Delta 8 Gummies, that can offer the stress-relieving properties that you’re looking for. Integrate them into your routines and diet to feel the benefits. And start slowly if you’ve not used them before.

#5: Eat Plenty of Salmon for Omega-3

Omega-3 is very important for the health of your brain, and as such, is important for your mental health as well. So if you want to get more omega-3 into your diet, you just need to eat more foods such as fish and salmon in particular into your diet. They contain omega-3 fatty acids that your brain and body need.

As you can see, there are plenty of ways in which you can aid your mental health through your diet. The ideas above will help you to do that. Just a few simple changes in the right areas can make a real difference to your life and your mental health outcomes going forward.

What Is The “Healthiest” Form Of Exercise?

October 14, 2022 0

Achieving good health goes beyond watching what you put in your mouth. Sure, you can follow a brilliant diet full of superfoods, anti-inflammatories, and antioxidants, but that doesn’t guarantee you’ll actually be healthy. Alongside a good diet, you need to exercise! 

Regular exercise is amazing for your body, though there is one question that might play on your mind a lot. What form of exercise is the best – or “healthiest” for you? When we define “healthiest” we’re talking about exercises that provide you with the most benefits and have the least side effects. 

So, which ones should you be aware of? 

Swimming

Swimming has always been seen as the ultimate form of exercise. You’re immersed in water, so there’s plenty of resistance for your body to fight against. As such, you pretty much work your entire body. The best thing is, you don’t have any heavy impacts on your joints. This is why swimming has been used for decades to treat a lot of injuries – it’s also highly recommended for older people as it keeps them fit without harming their joints or aggravating back pain. 

Nowadays, a lot of people are installing swimming pools in their gardens, which could give you easy access to one of the healthiest forms of exercise out there. If you already live somewhere with a pool, perhaps it’s time to give this a go. 

Walking

That’s right, good old-fashioned walking is a very healthy way to exercise your body. This is why we are often encouraged to walk 10,000 steps a day. Walking burns a lot of calories while toning your legs at the same time. It does a good job of building leg strength, which is super important as you get older. 

Much like swimming, walking is a low-impact activity. As such, it’s included here instead of running, which can have a high impact on your joints and cause all sorts of pain and injuries. Try to aim for 10k steps a day and it will improve your health. 

Yoga

Lastly, you have yoga. This is a form of exercise that has been around for generations and largely focuses on stretching your muscles and holding different poses. Consequently, it is fantastic at keeping your body in a state of balance. Stretching helps to prevent injuries and alleviate muscle soreness. At the same time, holding yoga poses requires strength, so this exercise is great for building your strength naturally. 

Once more, it isn’t overly impactful on your joints and has a low degree of risk involved. Yoga is suitable for just about anyone of any age, so give it a go. 

So, what is the healthiest form of exercise? The three mentioned here are wonderful for your health & well-being. They provide a range of benefits, improving your fitness and strength at the same time. But, the key thing with each form of exercise is that they don’t present any long-term concerns. Things like running or weight lifting are definitely good as well, but they may cause injuries and problems in the future if you’re not careful. 

6 Healthy Back To School Lunchtime Snacks

August 15, 2022 0

 

Fall is right around the corner, and that means it’s back to school for children, teens, and young adults across the country. For parents, that means it’s time to handle getting lunches packed, balanced breakfasts on the table, and sleepyheads out of bed!

I always get a wonderful nostalgic feeling from the end of summer, back-to-school time. It always reinvigorates me and makes me excited to try new things and make changes in my life, even though my own schooldays are long past. I think part of this has definitely been from raising Eben! 

Watching him go through the process of starting a new grade each year has been so rewarding and inspiring (and now, he’s applying to Graduate School, can you believe it!) I always want to support him and his efforts at school, and part of that means making sure he’s well fed and properly fueled so his brain can do all that learning each day (at least until he leaves us!)

One of the things I like to try and do each year is come up with new types of healthy snacks. Kids always seem drawn to any kind of single-serving snacks and fun foods—just think about those awful packaged varieties that your kids have probably begged you to buy while shopping. Packing the same things all the time gets boring and doesn’t offer much variety in terms of vitamins and minerals, which only eating a broad diet can do.

If you’re stumped for new ideas when packing lunches, here are some of our favorites, which I’m sure your kids will love, too:

  • Fruit Skewers: Use whatever fruits you have on hand (melons, apples, clementines, grapes, etc.) and stick bite-sized chunks onto wooden skewers or reusable plastic or metal skewers if you want to be extra eco-conscious. These colorful snacks are fun to eat and easy to share with friends at school!

  • Justin’s Chocolate Hazelnut Butter & Pretzels: This fun, dippable snacks make eating healthy nut butter a breeze. Eben loves these so much he had already gone through the package of them before school started! Like a healthier version of Nutella, these snacks feel like an indulgence, but they’re made from high-quality, all-natural ingredients with a focus on sustainability. Definitely a winner!

  • Fruit and Vegetable Chips: Whether you choose to make these in the oven, dehydrator, or buy them from your local health food store (such a variety is available these days!), fruit or vegetable chips are a great way of making healthy eating fun and delicious for kids. The possibilities are endless: apples, sweet potatoes, kale, zucchini, eggplant, all with any combination of flavored salts, herbs, and spices.

  • Stonyfield Organics YoKids Squeezers: This squeezable yogurt is both healthy and tasty. Eben loves the Cherry and Berry flavor pack, and they never come home uneaten when I pack them in his lunch! As with all of the Stonyfield products, they are organic certified by the USDA and made with pasture-raised milk.

  • Nuts and Seeds: I buy organic nuts and seeds in bulk at Costco and pack them in Eben’s lunch every day. They are the perfect snack to grab right before a big test or for an after-lunch pick-me-up!

  • Homemade Granola Bars: Unlike their store-bought counterparts, when you make granola bars at home, you don’t need to add any processed sugars and can control exactly what goes into them. There are endless healthy granola bar recipes online, and I guarantee at least one of them can be made with whatever you have in your cupboards right now!

What about you? Do you have any favorite back-to-school snack ideas that your kids devour? Or any packing secrets or life-changing products you can’t do without? I’d love to hear about them—the more inspiration, the better!

Green Treatments for Common Health Conditions

July 28, 2022 0

Many families struggle with common health conditions they can handle without going to the hospital. While prescription medications are important, their costs can increase in the long run. It’s important to consider the alternative in this case: embracing “green” treatments. Understand that these treatments use natural approaches to address common health conditions you may have. This guide explains which natural treatments and ingredients could help set you up for a healthy life.

Aloe Vera

Aloe vera is among the plants with effective medicinal properties you can use to treat common health conditions. In alternative medicine, aloe vera can treat skin abrasion and alleviate joint pain. The anti-inflammatory properties in the plant are also vital in treating arthritis pain. Aloe vera is also important to people struggling with osteoporosis and low bone density. More than 52 million people are struggling with osteoporosis and low bone density in the United States alone. With aloe vera as an alternative treatment, addressing health conditions and enabling healing can be easy.

Chamomile

Addressing common health conditions naturally goes beyond the physical symptoms you see. It is possible to address your mental health issues in this way as well. Chamomile is a common medicinal plant used to treat anxiety and enable relaxation. The plant is also effective in reducing inflammation and swelling and treating wounds. When added to tea, it helps soothe the mind, making it possible for you to relax and concentrate more. Chamomile is a plant you can grow in your home and enjoy the related benefits. Use the flowers to get the expected medicinal results faster.

Traditional Diet

Besides breastfeeding, you effectively address dental health issues in your child by embracing and encouraging a traditional diet. A meal with plenty of fat-soluble vitamins and healthy fats is crucial to dental health. Did you know that one out of every three orthodontic patients in a dental care clinic is an adult? It is important to consider traditional diets as they help address dental health issues in adults and children. As a parent and homeowner, encouraging your family to eat avocados, pasture butter, fermented foods, and fish is important for their dental health. Reach out to nutritionists and dieticians to know more about vegetables such as broccoli, kale, and collard greens that contain high calcium content to add to your traditional diet and address your dental health issues.

Garlic and Ginger

As you look for ways to get the best natural treatment, know that adding garlic and ginger to your diet is beneficial. While garlic is widely used for cooking, the medicinal benefits are great. You can use the compounds found in garlic for antimicrobial, anticancer, and anti-inflammatory needs. Know that garlic is effective in lowering cholesterol and blood pressure. Ginger is effective in easing motion sickness and nausea. Like garlic, you can effectively use ginger as an anti-inflammatory and anti-oxidant. Understand that you reduce medical needs and costs by embracing and encouraging natural health in your family.

Perilla or Stinging Nettle

The little-known perilla plant is effective in the treatment of people struggling with allergies. Note that this plant has antidepressant properties you can effectively use to alleviate asthma or allergic rhinitis symptoms. You can also use the plant to treat different skin conditions, helping you avoid costly prescription medications. While it is the belief that allergic rhinitis or asthma can spontaneously go away, medical reports and statistics show that the likelihood of positive results is only 1% per year. For this reason, embracing alternative medicine remains beneficial. You can conveniently use stinging nettle leaves as an alternative treatment to alleviate allergies or asthma. Studies show that you can benefit from stinging nettle’s antioxidant, astringent, and anti-inflammatory properties.

Embracing “green” treatment is an effective way to achieve your health objectives without spending much. You can grow most of the plants, vegetables, and herbs in the garden in your home and enjoy the benefits. By learning more about natural treatments, you easily address common health conditions and care for your family.

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