Spring, early summer and fall welcome us with fresh pollens that affect so many of us and if you’re a lover of being outdoors as I am,  it can truly put a damper on your fun.

A few things that you can do to help boost your lung function is of course drink plenty of water to flush your system regularly; many of us decrease water consumption when the weather isn’t hot, however, it’s important to drink plenty every day of the year. Some of the following healthy lung foods will help as well:

Vitamin A foods
kale, romaine, broccoli, carrots, watercress.
Vitamin C foods
guava, rosehips, red, green and yellow peppers, broccoli, cauliflower, Brussels sprouts, dark leafy greens, tomatoes, strawberries & citrus.
Fresh herbs
garlic, onion, shallot, oregano, dill, thyme, ginger, mint and parsley.

By adding these simple foods in your everyday meals you will get great benefits throughout your body as well as your lungs. You don’t need mega doses, every small amount helps. You can add lemon, mint and ginger to your water, sprinkle parsley on almost every dish and nibble on leafs of it throughout the day.

My Chinese practitioner/chiropractor shared a soothing remedy with me so I will pass it on to you. You’ll need:

1 green Bartlet type pear, seeded and cut into chunks

1 cup of water

and a sauce pan

Add the chunks of pear to the pan on water and poach for 15 minutes. Drink the ‘tea’ and eat the pear. It nourishes the lungs and helps to open the air passages. It’s also soothing for asthma, bronchitis and dry cough.

Healthy eating is healing; healthy eating is living!

I am fortunate to have a great friend who sent me an entire pound of organic cinnamon and a wonderful aunt who shared with me her bounty of saffron given to her from her friend from Tehran, Iran. Due to these two powerfully healing, widely useful spices, I thought I would share!

Cinnamon has been used for centuries for treatment of such things as fever, diarrhea, bronchitis, colds, sinus congestion, sluggish digestion, poor circulation, intestinal infection and the list goes on! Cinnamon can help regulate blood sugar and cholesterol levels, It has also been used topically for scrapes and cuts.

Cinnamon scent can help lift depression, mental fatigue, nervous exhaustion, and improve concentration.

Cinnamon can be used in countless ways! I use it every day. I add it to my coffee grounds before brewing or dripping through the Keurig using my refillable pods. I also add it to tea, yogurt, cereal, fruit, cottage cheese, smoothies; it sweetens a veggie smoothie perfectly spaghetti sauce especially when making lasagna, other sauces, chicken, various bean dishes and of dessert dishes whenever I make them.

In order to let you to decide how to use your cinnamon here’s a link with many recipes instead of a single one:

http://www.eatingwell.com/recipes_menus/recipe_slideshows/cinnamon_recipes?slide=1#leaderboardad

Saffron

You may already be aware that saffron is an expensive little spice at roughly $40/oz., this is due to the labor in harvesting it. It takes about 3 acres of the flower, crocus by the way, to produce 1 lb. of saffron. It is cultivated in many places but primarily in France, Spain, Sicily and Iran.

When using saffron it’s important to use only a tiny pinch; it’s flavorful and potent. Saffron contains a poison that acts on the central nervous system and damages the kidneys, large doses can have severe effects; one-half ounce (10-12 grams) is a fatal dose for humans; But don’t let that halt you from using it.

Saffron can be used in rice dishes, seafood dishes, chicken and stews. Here’s a recipe to get you started.

Saffron Chicken w/ White Wine

2 chicken breast halves cut into thirds
1 medium onion, sliced thin lengthwise
1 Tablespoon olive oil
1 Tablespoon butter
½ cup chicken broth
Pinch of saffron (roughly ¼ tsp.)
Juice of half a lemon

Heat the olive oil and butter, add chicken and sear on all sides. Add onion, wine and stock. Simmer 15 minutes until chicken is cooked and liquid is cooked down. Add Lemon juice and saffron, simmer 5 minutes more. Season with parsley and serve alongside rice seasoned with olive oil, pink Himalayan salt, freshly ground pepper and a pinch of saffron if desired.

Most of us declare a New Year Resolution and we start off full throttle but soon find that we lost steam making our resolution something of the past. We’re halfway through the year, ugh, I can’t believe it either! Revive your resolution. Set your intention and remind yourself daily what it is, why you set it and how you can accomplish it; also remind yourself of why you set it in the first place.

Remember:

Healthy has no size.

Healthy is what you put into your body to feed your cells.

Healthy is what type of physical activity you do on a regular basis.

Healthy is mental stability. Healthy is a choice.

Don’t look back…put your foot forward and focus on your goal.

I’ve had cilantro on my mind and on my plate for the past month, I’m not sure what has caused this craze but I won’t complain. Cilantro is good for you. Cilantro is also known as coriander and Chinese parsley. It is beneficial to cleansing your blood, it lowers your blood sugar and your bad cholesterol levels; it also has antibiotic properties.

You can use cilantro in many dishes and many ways. It’s best not to cook it so be sure to add it last if you’re using it with a hot dish. It’s a main herb in homemade salsa which makes your own salsa so much fresher tasting! I like adding it to tabbouli, and my black bean & corn salad.

Cilantro, Lime Avocado Dressing/Sauce

1 lg. handful cilantro, rinsed
½ a Haas avocado
Juice of half of a lime or 1 Tbs. lime juice
½ tsp. pink salt
¼ cup olive oil
¼ cup plain Greek yogurt

Mix in blender or food processor until smooth and creamy. Add water to thin to desired consistency if using as a dressing.

Serve over fish, poultry, eggs, or cooked or raw vegetables; or use as salad dressing.

Cilantro, Lime Avocado Dressing/Sauce

Bonus Recipe: Black Bean & Corn Salad

1 can black beans, rinsed well and drained
1 can corn, 2 cups frozen, thawed corn or fresh corn from the cob
1 can petite diced tomatoes with green chiles or freshly chopped tomatoes & jalapenos
1 lg. handful cilantro chopped
half of a small onion chopped or 2-3 stems green onion or handful chives, chopped
1 stalk celery, chopped – you can add chopped carrot also if you wish
Dash olive oil and apple cider vinegar

Mix all and chill.

You look in the mirror and  you don’t see yourself anymore. You see a stranger who needs help. She (or he) is a mess, they’re overweight (or maybe underweight), they look tired, bloated, dulled complexion, sad, lost, and defeated.

Sometimes it takes hitting a brick wall in the hypothetical sense in order for us to make changes. We get to a point where we just can’t take it anymore, we get sad, mad, then determined and that determination can drive us back to the person we know and love.

It’s very easy to get caught up in the whirlwind of new fads, a different way of thinking every two weeks, or the latest train of thought in someone else’s opinion of what is good for the body such as gluten-free living, Paleo dieting, raw foods diet, vegan, vegetarian, supplemental dieting, etc. etc. etc. – the storm of latest-greatest just keeps flowing until POP! You feel like you hit a brick wall. You might hit so hard that it throws you backward onto your butt leaving you staring at the blank wall, speechless. My suggestion is to thank that brick wall for stopping you in your tracks giving you time to re-assess your situation and intentions and to decide if you want to continue or to change course.

Each of us is different and that is a beautiful thing. I’ve learned in my health coach training that what works for one person doesn’t necessarily work for the next and I know by practicing it that it’s absolutely true. Step back, take a deep breath and reset your goal. When you are at a complete stop and want to make changes in your life is when you will be able to find what works for you best. A good start would be to begin eliminating processed foods and sugary snacks even if they say healthy, fit, dietary, low-fat…processed foods have high salt, sugars and chemicals which all cause inflammation throughout your entire body. Make a move to whole foods as often as possible. Another great way to start over is to let go of your past that doesn’t serve you and hold tightly to that in your life that has or still does serve you. Freedom is a clean start!

I would LOVE to help you reach your ultimate-self. It doesn’t matter how far away you are, we can work together from any distance. Want to know what foods help you best? Want to process and discard any past pain? Want to find out what lifestyle improvements fit you? Let me know why you’re fed up, what you would like to change, what is holding you back or anything else that;s on your mind; begin your change now…why wait? Email me, it’s always confidential: Dawn@initiatewellness.com

Too often I see people buying and consuming so-called low-fat foods thinking that they’re doing their body or diet a favor. The truth is low-fat foods have added sugar or other ingredients that add calories and empty calories at that. I teach my clients to opt out of falling for what seems like the wise choice of low-fat foods except when it comes to dairy since most low-fat dairy is simply fat skimmed off adding nothing to compensate.

I recently wanted to purchase mayonnaise and saw Hellman’s brand made with olive oil and thought, “wow, great”; that was until I read the label.
Hellman’s Real Mayonnaise brand has 90 cals.-10g., Total fat- 1.5g., Sat. fat-5mg, chol.-90 mg. sodium, 0 carbs/sugars (though sugar is in the ingredients list)
Hellman’s Olive Oil version- 60 cals- 6 g., total fat- 1 g, sat. fat- 5mg, chol.- 120 mg., sodium, 0, carbs/sugars (yep, in the ingredients)
Hellman’s Low-Fat version- 15 cals., 1 g. total fat- 0, sat. fat- 0, chol- 0, carbs/sugars ( you guessed it, on the list too!) a whopping 130mg. Sodium and the first ingredient is Modified Corn Starch and continue reading and you’ll find other ingredients that are difficult to say.
You can see for yourself at Hellmanns.com 

I’ve decided to buy mayonnaise with the least amount of ingredients and organic when I can find it.

This is not limited to mayonnaise, when you read labels you will find that this is true with the majority of so-called healthy low-fat choices.

The bottom line is just eat the most natural version you can find, less ingredients equals a better product and opt for organic versions before the general commercial versions and eat only sparingly; less is more.

When you make your own salad dressing from olive or nut oils with a choice of herb infused vinegar and adding your own choices of herbs versus the store-bought “low-fat’ version you know it’s fresh and complete and you consume fewer calories, less sugar, less chemicals, and less dressing overall.

We all have cravings at one time or another and some people have cravings every day and give in to them. What they’re not paying attention to is what their body really wants so they keep foraging for something to satisfy that urge to eat. This habit grows and most often gets out of control.

Common cravings are sweet and salty foods, sugary snacks like candy, cake, other pastries, ice cream, cookies, chips, bread, pasta, French fries, batter-dipped foods, deep-fried, gooey cheesy and doughy types of food. The list can go on but these are the common things most people crave.

I have found that when I haven’t eaten many vegetables I start digging around for things like chips, bread and pasta. A typical day for me includes 5-7 and sometimes more servings of vegetables, mostly leafy or other dark greens. I love vegetables! My body loves vegetables!

I recently tried to increase my animal and vegetable protein intake to probably double what I generally eat in order to drop a few pounds. I did this for personal experience and experimentation and through advise of a fellow health coach. While I felt full longer I found that I also felt tired, slow and unfocused; a little bit in a fog. While I’m glad I tried this approach I don’t think a high protein diet is helpful for my particular body.

Back to eating more veggies… my body functions best on more vegetables and an adequate amount of proteins, both animal and vegetable; though I err on the side of vegetable proteins as I enjoy them more and feel more alive when I eat them – just as I do when I eat plenty of greens. When I eat plenty of berries, a little bit of fruit and a hefty amount of steamed or raw vegetables, I feel energized and renewed…every day.

It’s simple to learn what your cravings are telling you. You may want the help of a health coach such as myself – but never give up on your beautiful self. Make a commitment to learn what your body in particular needs, and promise yourself a healthy, happy new future!

Contact me: if you would like to work together on finding out what your cravings are telling you and to finally break that habit.