Garden Tea for Peaches

Mar14

peaches

Health Benefits of Peaches

Peaches, with their soft skin and sweet flesh, are a summertime staple. One of the largest fruit crops grown in the United States, peaches provide a great deal of nutrients with few calories and no fat. Peaches are a healthy way to fit in one of your daily servings of fruit.

Weight Control

One large peach, about 2 3/4 inches in diameter, contains just 68 calories and no fat. Eating peaches instead of more fattening, processed snacks, such as chips, baked goods, cereal bars and cookies, can help you manage your weight. Peaches are naturally sweet and can replace some of the added sugars in your diet. Use them to top unsweetened whole-grain cereal, plain yogurt or plain low-fat cottage cheese, instead of choosing versions of these foods sweetened with high-fructose corn syrup or cane sugar.

Vitamins

Peaches contain 10 different vitamins. A large peach provides 570 international units of vitamin A, important to healthy vision, and 11.6 mg of vitamin C, an antioxidant and tissue-builder. Peaches provide lower levels of vitamins E and K, with about 6 percent of the daily value based on a 2,000-calorie diet. Vitamin E is another antioxidant, while vitamin K is essential to your body’s blood clotting capabilities. Peaches are also a source of thiamin, riboflavin, vitamin B-6, niacin, folate and pantothenic acid.

Minerals

A large peach provides 333 mg of potassium. Potassium can help you maintain healthy blood pressure as well as prevent kidney stones and bone loss. You need about 2,000 mg of potassium daily. Peaches provide some magnesium, phosphorus, zinc, copper, manganese, iron and calcium as well. These minerals work to support red blood cell, bone and nervous system health.

Antioxidants

In the “Journal of Medicinal Food,” a study published in October 2009 reported that significant antioxidants are present in the flesh and skin of peaches. One of the major antioxidants in peaches, chlorogenic acid, helps scavenge free radicals — compounds that your body acquires through exposure to pollutants, food and the environment — to reduce the effects of aging and deter chronic diseases. This antioxidant may also help ward off cancer and reduce body inflammation.

Fiber

A large peach provides 17 g of carbohydrates, 3 g of which come from fiber. Fiber is essential to smooth and healthy digestion, preventing constipation and ensuring colon health. Fiber may also play a role in regulating your cholesterol levels, helping to reduce your risk of developing heart disease. An adult woman should try to consume 25 g of fiber daily, and an adult man 38 g daily.

(Information above, courtesy of Live Strong)

Garden Tea

Garden teas can help with preventative maintenance and act as medicine for your plants without the effects of pesticides.  When using the correct essential oil for the plant, it can help fight bacteria, viruses, mold and mildew.  It also helps increase the yield of the crop and allow for a more pungent flavor of its fruit.

For peach trees, melaleuca is the oil of choice, it also goes by the name of Tea Tree. I came across a conversation that included the chairmen of CRFG (California Rare Fruit Growers) who used Tea Tree effectively in eliminating leaf curl of his peach tree using this method. It excites me to see others taking a more natural approach to gardening.

Follow the recipe in the above photo and give it a try with your peach tree this year.

~Happy Gardening and Blessings to you this Harvest Season~

Garden Tea for Beets

Mar11

Beets

I was advised by our naturopath to eat plenty of beets, that they were an excellent blood cleanser and fantastic for the cardiovascular system. No problem because I love beets and have added them to my garden every year.  Check out what other benefits can be afforded you by eating beets, thanks to Real Food For Life for this wonderful information:

Health Benefits of Beets

  • Beets are high in iron, boost the immune system, and help guard against cancer.
  • They are high in healthy carbohydrates which make it great as an energy source for the body.
  • Beets contain sodium, magnesium, calcium, iron and phosperous!
  • They are also considered a fiber food and contain vitamins A and C as well as niacin!
  • Beets contain folic acid which is necessary for the production and maintenance of new cells. This is especially important for pregnant woman or anyone undergoing physical healing. Many people take folic acid in the form of herbal supplements, but if you eat beets, you won’t need to! It is always better for the body to receive it’s nutrients and vitamins through food over a supplement because it is like mainlining the natural source into your bloodstream. The benefits are far superior and faster with real food over powder mixes or pills.
  • Medical studies have also shown that including beets in your diet helps protect a body against heart disease.
  • Even the leaves of raw beets have been eaten and useful and beneficial to one’s health. The leaves have been known to counter “garlic” breath and in Roman times Hippocrates advocated the use of beet leaves as binding for healing wounds
  • Betacyanin is the pigment that gives beets their red color, this pigment is what is responsible for helping to fight cancer.
  • Beets have been shown to help cleanse the blood, cleanse the colon and strengthen the gall bladder and liver.
  • There is something called Beet Therapy. Doctors have used it to get rid of tumors and to help people with blood diseases and leukemia.
  • Some people have used beats to treat and cure boils, abscesses and even acne.

Garden Tea

Marjoram or celery essential oil are great in a garden tea for your beet plants. Follow the recipe above to make up your garden tea and store in an airtight container.  When you are ready to use, add 2 Tbsp. of the mixture to 1 gallon of water in a watering can and water by the base of the plant.

Essential oils act as preventative medicine for your garden and help to keep your plants healthy and strong, late to provide with an increased yield and a more pungent flavor.

Enjoy and happy gardening!

:-)

Garden Tea for Broccoli

Mar7

Broccoli

Broccoli, one of the vegetables I just knew I would have trouble getting my boys to eat.  I was wrong, they actually enjoy broccoli. Why grow broccoli in the garden?  Take a look at some of the health benefits below:

9 Health Benefits

1. Cancer Prevention

Broccoli contains glucoraphanin, which with the body processes into the anti-cancer compound sulforaphane. This compound rids the body H. pylori, a bacterium found to highly increase the risk of gastric cancer. Furthermore, broccoli contains indole-3-carbinol, a powerful antioxidant compound and anti-carcinogen found to not only hinder the growth of breast, cervical and prostate cancer, but also boosts liver function.

2. Reducing Cholesterol

Like many whole foods, broccoli is packed with soluble fiber that draws cholesterol out of your body.

3. Reducing Allergy Reaction and Inflammation

Broccoli is a particularly rich source of kaempferol and isothiocyanates, both anti-inflammatory phyto nutrients.  Research has shown the ability of kaempferol to lessen the impact of allergy-related substances on our body. Broccoli even has significant amount of omega 3 fatty acids which is well know as an anti-inflammatory.

4. Powerful Antioxidant:

Of all the cruciferous vegetables, broccoli stands out as the most concentrated source of a premiere antioxidant nutrient—vitamin C plus the flavonoids that allow the Vitamin C to recycle effectively. . Also concentrated in broccoli are the carotenoids lutein, zeaxanthin, and beta-carotene, other powerful anti-oxidants.

5. Bone Health
Broccoli contains high levels of both calcium and vitamin K, both of which are important for bone health and prevention of osteoporosis.

6. Heart Health

The anti-inflammatory properties of sulforaphane, one of the isothiocyanates (ITCs) in broccoli may be able to prevent (or even reverse) some of the damage to blood vessel linings that can be cause by inflammation caused by chronic blood sugar problems.

7. Detoxification:

Glucoraphanin, gluconasturtiian, and glucobrassicin are special phytonutrients that support all steps in the body’s detox process, including activation, neutralization, and elimination of unwanted contaminants. These three are in the perfect combination in broccoli.  Broccoli also contains isothiocyanates (which you read about in inflammation) which help control the detox process at a genetic level.

8. Diet Aid

Broccoli is smart carb, high in fibre, which aids in digestion, prevents constipation, maintains low blood sugar, and curbs overeating. Furthermore, a cup of broccoli has as much protein as a cup of rice or corn with half the calories.

9.  Alkalizes Your Body

Like many vegetables, broccoli helps keep your whole body less acidic, which has a host of health benefits.

Thank you to Real Food For Life for this information.  If you would like to read more, please visit them at http://www.realfoodforlife.com

Garden Tea

Basil and Thyme essential oils are a fantastic choice to complement this plant in the use of a Garden Tea.  If you are not familiar with garden teas, it is simply a must when it comes to gardening.

Think of essential oils as preventative medicine for your garden.  They help build strong plants that are able to fight off bacteria, viruses, mold and mildew.  Using essential oils in the form of a garden tea will help increase the yield and make the fragrance and flavor more pungent.

Give it a try and experience the difference for yourself.  I cannot wait to get started with gardening.

Happy Spring!

Garden Tea for Peas

Mar5

peas

Do you plant peas in the garden?  This has been one of the easiest plants for me to keep alive (I do not consider myself as having a green thumb).  Real Food For Life shares some wonderful benefits of eating peas, may it spark an interest for you to include in your gardening this year ;-)

1.  Weight Management:

Peas are low fat but high everything else.  A cup of peas has less than 100 calories but lots of protein, fiber and micronutrients.

2. Stomach cancer prevention:

Peas contain high amounts of a health-protective polyphenol called coumestrol. A study in Mexico City determined you only need 2 milligrams per day of this phytonutrient to prevent stomach cancer. A cup of peas has at least 10.

3. Anti-aging, strong immune system, and high energy:

This comes from the high levels of anti-oxidants including:

  • flavinoids: = catechin and epicatechin
  • carotenoid= alpha-carotene and beta-carotene
  • phenolic acids = ferulic and caffeic acid
  • polyphenols = coumestrol

4. Prevention of wrinkles, alzheimer’s, arthritis, bronchitis, osteoporosis and candida

These come from peas strong anti-inflammatory properties. Excess inflammation has also been linked to, heart disease, cancer, and aging in general. These properties include:

  • Pisumsaponins I and II and pisomosides A and B are anti-inflammatory phytonutrients found almost exclusively in peas.
  • vitamin C and vitamin E, and a good amount of the antioxidant mineral zinc
  • omega-3 fat in the form of alpha-linolenic acid (ALA).

5.  Blood sugar regulation:

High fibre slows and protein slows down how fast sugars are digested.
The anti-oxidants and anti-inflammatory prevent or reverse insulin resistance (type 2 diabetes)
All carbohydrates are natural sugars and starches with no white sugars or chemicals to worry about.

6. Heart disease prevention:

The many antioxidant and anti-inflammatory compounds support healthy blood vessels. The formation of plaque along our blood vessel walls starts with chronic, excessive oxidative stress and inflammation.

The generous amounts of vitamin B1 and folate, B2, B3, and B6 reduce homocysteine levels  which are  risk factor for heart disease.

7. Healthy for the environment:

  • Peas work with bacteria in the soil to ‘fix’ nitrogen from the air and deposit it in the soil. This reduces the need for artificial fertilizers since one of their main ingredients is nitrogen.
  • After peas have been harvested the remaining plant easily breaks down to create more organic fertilizer for the soil.
  • Peas are also able to grow on minimal moisture so they are a perfect crop in many areas not needing irrigation or using up valuable water supplies.

8.  Prevent constipation:

The high fiber content in peas improves bowel health and peristalsis.

9. Healthy bones

Just one cup of peas contain 44% of your Vitamin K which helps to anchor calcium inside the bones. It’s B vitamins also help to prevent osteoporosis.

10.  Reduces bad cholesterol:

The niacin in peas helps reduce, the production of triglycerides and VLDL (very low-density lipoprotein, which results in in less bad cholesterol, increased HDL (“good”) cholesterol, and lowered triglycerides.

Garden Tea

Garden teas are an excellent way to protect and strengthen your plants throughout the growing season.  We are entering Spring and many are beginning to think and plan for their upcoming gardens.

Did you know that by using essential oils in the form of a garden tea, it can help to increase the yield and make the fragrance and flavor of the flower/fruit more pungent?

For more information on garden teas, you can view my post from last year as well as see some before and after results of my tomato plants using this tea.

Carrot essential oil or Geranium essential oil are excellent choices to use with your peas this growing season, give garden teas a try this year and experience the results for yourself.

Happy Gardening!

Garden Tea for Carrots

Mar5

carrots

Garden teas are an excellent way to protect and strengthen your plants throughout the growing season.  We are entering Spring and many are beginning to think and plan for their upcoming gardens.

Did you know that by using essential oils in the form of a garden tea, it can help to increase the yield and make the fragrance and flavor of the flower/fruit more pungent?  Here are some of the health benefits of eating carrots from Real Food For Life.

Benefits of Carrots.

1.  Improved Vision:
Western culture’s  understanding of carrots being ‘good for the eyes’  is one of the few we got right. Carrots are rich in beta-carotene, which is converted into vitamin A in the liver. Vitamin A is transformed in the retina, to rhodopsin, a purple pigment necessary for night vision.
Beta-carotene has also been shown to protect against macular degeneration and senile cataracts. A study found that people who eat the most beta-carotene had 40 percent lower risk of macular degeneration than those who consumed little.

2.  Cancer Prevention:
Studies have shown carrots reduce the risk of lung cancer, breast cancer and colon cancer. Researchers have just discovered falcarinol and falcarindiol which they feel cause the anticancer properties.
Falcarinol is a natural pesticide produced by the carrot that protects its roots from fungal diseases. Carrots are one of the only common sources of this compound. A study showed 1/3 lower cancer risk by carrot eating mice.

3.  Anti-aging
The high levels beta-carotene act as an antioxidant to cell damage done to the body through regular metabolism.  It help slows down the aging of cells.

4.  Health Glowing Skin (from the inside)
Vitamin A and antioxidants protects the skin from sun damage. Deficiencies of vitamin A cause dryness to the skin, hair and nails. Vitamin prevents premature wrinkling, acne, dry skin, pigmentation, blemishes, uneven skin tone.

5.  A Powerful Antiseptic.
Known by herbalists to prevent infection. They can be used on cuts shredded raw or boiled and mashed.

6.  Beautiful Skin (from the outside)
Carrots are used as an inexpensive and very convenient facial mask.  Just mix grated carrot with a bit of honey.

7.  Prevent Heart Disease
Studies show that diets high in carotenoids are associated with a lower risk of heart disease.  Carrots have not only beta-carotene but also alpha-carotene and lutein.
The regular consumption of carrots also reduces cholesterol levels because the soluble fibers in carrots  binding with bile acids.

8.  Cleanse the Body
Vitamin A assists the liver in flushing out the toxins from the body. It reduces the bile and fat in the liver. The fibers present in carrots help clean out the colon and hasten waste movement.

9.  Healthy Teeth and Gums
It’s all in the crunch! Carrots clean your teeth and mouth. They scrape off plaque and food particles just like toothbrushes or tooth paste.  Carrots stimulate gums and  trigger a lot of saliva, which being alkaline, balances out the acid forming, cavity forming bacteria.  The minerals in carrots prevent tooth damage.

10.  Prevent Stroke:
From all the above benefits it is no surprise that a  Harvard University study, people who ate more than six carrots a week are less likely to suffer a stroke than those who ate only one carrot a month or more.

For more information on garden teas, you can view my post from last year as well as see some before and after results of my tomato plants using this tea.

Sage is an excellent essential oil to help with carrots, give garden teas a try this year and experience the results for yourself.

Happy Gardening!

Lavender for Allergies

Mar2

Lavender for Allergies

ALLERGY SEASON

Lavender is perfect for allergy season as it has natural antihistamine and anti-inflammatory properties.  Lavender essential oil can be used in many ways to help combat allergies, here are just a few ways that we use it in our home:

1.  Itchy Eyes:  we place a drop of lavender in our palms, rub them together and cup our hands over our eyes.  With eyes open, we roll our eyes around looking left to right, up and down which allows the molecules from the lavender in our palms to enter our eyes and allow for cooling, soothing and healing to take place.

2. Runny Nose: we place a drop of lavender essential oil on a cotton swab and run around the inside of our nasal passages.  This allows the lavender to enter through the mucous membranes and get the antihistamine response into the body right away, it also prevents the nasal passages from becoming inflamed and brings a halt to the runny nose, making it easier to breathe (great for sinuses too!).

3.  Scratchy/Itchy throat: my son loves this one.  We place a drop of lavender essential oil on 1 tsp. of honey and take by mouth.

More Options

We have not tried these methods as of yet but they are not ruled out either, many have had success with simply dropping 1-2 drops of lavender directly under the tongue, holding it for 30 seconds and than swallowing.

Another is the cheek swipe where you can place a drop of lavender on your finger or cotton swab and swipe the insides of the cheek.

Know Your Essential Oil

No matter which method we choose, Lavender essential oil is our “go to” oil for the upcoming allergy season.  Please remember that not all essential oils are created equal and that you want an excellent quality brand that you can trust.   Young Living is the only essential oil company in the world with the Seed to Seal process.  From the land that they own, to the seed that they plant to the distillation process and quality control, it is all done on the Young Living farms and ensures the highest quality essential oil without synthetics or artificial enhancers.  When Young Living states that their essential oils are 100% pure, you can put your trust in knowing that they mean exactly what they say.  I would never encourage you to put another brand of Lavender in your nasal passages or to ingest and will only speak on Young Living essential oils. This is  because of incidence experienced by myself and others which resulted in burnt nasal passages and chemicals being  ingested by other brands marked 100% pure.  Please be cautious when choosing a brand and make sure it is a brand you can trust, read ALL sides of the label before using.

~Scentsable Living~

Disclaimer: The information provided is for educational purposes only. It is not intended to prescribe, diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease. It is your responsibility to educate yourself and address any health or medical needs you may have with your physician. Please seek professional help when needed.

March Specials

Mar1

March Benefits

EXPANDED DETAILS

190 PV Reward

Place an order of at least 190 PV during March and receive a 5-ml bottle of ImmuPower and a 15-ml bottle of R.C. essential oil blend free! That is a retail value of more than $60!

2013_Mar_Triple_Promo_RC_marpromo_550x550.jpg_807993368ImmuPower: The cold and flu season is nearly over. Feel your best with ImmuPower, a potent blend of nine oils widely regarded for their ability to help support a healthy immune system. Combining frankincense, oregano, clove, ravintsara, and more, ImmuPower is perfect to diffuse in home and work spaces or to dilute and incorporate into a soothing, restorative massage.*

R.C.: Support healthy lung and sinus function during the transition from cold season to hay fever season. Combining three different varieties of eucalyptus with peppermint, lavender, pine, and other richly aromatic essential oils, R.C. is a soothing blend designed to promote a healthy respiratory system. Diffuse; dilute and apply to chest, neck, and sinus areas; or drop into a bowl of hot water and inhale the steam.*

OFFER DETAILS

 

  • Offer is valid from 12:01 a.m., MT, March 1, 2013, to 11:59 p.m., MT, March 31, 2013.
  • Limit of one free 5-ml ImmuPower and one free 15-ml R.C. per qualifying order.
  • Limit of five qualifying orders per month.
  • Single orders over 300 PV do not earn duplicate rewards.
  • PV minimum must be reached in a single order. Partial orders placed throughout the qualifying month cannot be combined in order to receive the promotional product(s). Offer is available to Young Living Independent Distributors and retail customers.
  • Offer does not apply to Essential Rewards point redemption orders.
  • Offer earned via phone, Essential Rewards, and web orders only.
  • PV is not earned on free product.
  • Member is responsible for shipping costs associated with ordered and free product.
  • Offer is valid in the U.S. and all NFR markets, except where restrictions prevent promotional product(s) from entering the country.

250 PV Reward
The free, transferable, $30 enrollment voucher is an ideal tool for sharing Young Living and bringing new energy to your organization. Look for a discount code on your qualifying 250 PV order invoice, which you may give to an enrolling distributor to help offset the cost of any Start Living kit. To redeem the code, the enrolling distributor must sign up online, select a Start Living kit, and enter the voucher code upon checkout, allowing him or her to join for as little as $10!

In addition to this unique benefit, a qualifying order also includes the 190 PV reward, making it more enticing than ever to join Young Living!

OFFER DETAILS

  • Offer is valid from 12:01 a.m., MT, March 1, 2013, to 11:59 p.m., MT, March 31, 2013.
  • Limit of one free 5-ml ImmuPower and one free 15-ml R.C. per qualifying order.
  • Voucher code may be used only once toward any Start Living kit for a new enrollee in the U.S. and all NFR markets, except where restrictions prevent promotional product(s) from entering the country.
  • Voucher code expires at 11:59 p.m., MT, July 31, 2013.
  • Exchanges or returns that reduce the PV below the minimum qualifying level will invalidate the voucher code.
  • Limit of one $30 enrollment voucher per new distributor.
  • Limit of five qualifying orders per month.
  • PV minimum must be reached in a single order. Partial orders placed throughout the qualifying months cannot be combined in order to receive the offer.
  • Single orders over 300 PV do not earn duplicate rewards.
  • PV is not earned on free product.
  • Offer does not apply to Essential Rewards point redemption orders.
  • Offer earned via phone, Essential Rewards, and online orders only.
  • Voucher code may be redeemed on online enrollment orders only and cannot be used on an Essential Rewards order.
  • Member is responsible for shipping costs associated with ordered and free product.
  • Offer is valid in the U.S. and all NFR markets, except where restrictions prevent promotional product(s) from entering the country.

2013_Mar_TYB_Promo_cebrity_solstice_ship_248x234300 PV Reward
When you order 300 PV or more during March, you will be 500 points closer to full qualification for the Global Leadership Cruise, the elite Young Living training event of the year! Work toward qualifying now for the exclusive opportunity to learn from Young Living founder and CEO D. Gary Young while enjoying the natural beauty of the Alaskan shore aboard a luxurious cruise ship. With limited space and only weeks left to earn your spot, this generous offer could be the final push you need to set sail to Alaska with other top Young Living leaders. Click here to learn more about the cruise.

Take advantage of this generous benefit now, which combines with the 190 PV and 250 PV rewards.

OFFER DETAILS

  • Offer is valid from 12:01 a.m., MT, March 1, 2013, to 11:59 p.m., MT, March 31, 2013.
  • PV minimum must be reached in a single order. Partial orders placed throughout the qualifying months cannot be combined in order to receive the offer.
  • Maximum qualifying order is 300 PV. Single orders over 300 PV do not earn duplicate rewards.
  • Please allow until the end of the month for points to appear on your account. To view your points, log in to Virtual Office and click on the Alaskan Cruise icon.
  • Global Leadership Cruise points have no cash value and do not count toward qualification for future Global Leadership Cruise events.
  • Limit of one free 5-ml ImmuPower and one free 15-ml R.C. per qualifying order.
  • Voucher code may only be used once toward any Start Living kit for a new enrollee in the U.S. and all NFR markets, except where restrictions prevent promotional product(s) from entering the country.
  • Voucher code expires 11:59 p.m., MT, July 31, 2013.
  • Limit of one $30 enrollment voucher per new distributor.
  • Limit of five qualifying orders per month.
  • Offer does not apply to Essential Rewards point redemption orders.
  • Offer earned via phone, Essential Rewards, and online orders only.
  • Member is responsible for shipping costs associated with ordered and free product.
  • Offer is valid in the U.S. and all NFR markets, except where restrictions prevent promotional product(s) from entering the country.

If you are currently not a part of Young Living and would like to learn more about this wonderful opportunity, please contact me