Health Things I Do In Our Home

For a long time, I’ve had a list of “Things I Do” that I’ve wanted to write full-length articles about.  But since I know I probably won’t have time to write a whole article on each topic, I’m just going to briefly touch on this list instead.  This is my “Things I Do” list, showing you things I do/ use in my home.  Then soon I’ll post “Things I Don’t Do!”

This is a good beginner list just to inspire you and give you ideas!  But PLEASE, don’t go out and try all these at once because you’ll be overwhelmed and probably quit them all!  Choose one thing that sounds FUN and implement that first.  Then come back for the next thing!  It took me a solid two years to eliminate ‘regular’ American eating and incorporate many of the things listed below.

Things I Do:
-Coconut Oil- lots of it!  About 90% of my cooking is done with coconut oil as it’s pretty much one of the only oils that is not toxic at high temperatures.  I do use olive oil in salad dressings and baking bread/ other baking, but we go through coconut oil by the gallon!  We use zero butter at our house, coconut oil is our complete butter replacement.  We also use it on our skin as lotion/ moisturizer.  And to help with diaper rash!  If you do a search for “the benefits of coconut oil,” you will see just how awesome this super food is!  Go buy yourself a jug today!  And contrary to the old myth, it is not a bad fat, it’s the kind of fat that makes you lose weight!  Someone actually told my husband once (the guy was eating a fast food burger), ‘You know that coconut oil stuff is really fattening don’t you?’  My trim husband told the overweight hamburger eater to take a look around him.  🙂

Pure, Filtered Water- Reverse Osmosis- Tap water is a chemical cocktail loaded with so many carcinogens and toxins that if you truly knew what was in it, you’d never drink the stuff again.  Chlorine, fluoride and lead among other things.  We only drink and only cook with RO water.  Of course, spring mineral water would be fine too but we can easily and cheaply get RO, so we go with that.  If you buy a few big 5 gallon water jugs, you can take them to a Culligan (or other brand) machine inside of a grocery store (Wal-Mart, Kroger, Market Street, etc) and fill up your big jugs for about 35cents a gallon.  So for about $15 a month, your family can stop drinking a chemical cocktail!  Yah!  I know many people think they are doing well by having a Brita filter or other refrigerator filter, but these filters really do so little.  They don’t get rid of the big hitters in your water, they are basically carbon filters.  Go R.O!  This will give your family’s health a huge boost!  Oh, and make sure you’re drinking about half your body weight in ounces of water every single day.  So if you’re 140 pounds, you should be drinking 70 ounces of pure water every single day!  Simply being a good water drinker can help you lose weight and cure a number of annoying health problems!

Celtic Sea Salt- Mineral Sea Salt- Not only is regular table salt completely void of nutrition, but it’s bleached with chlorine and it contains aluminum (a huge neurotoxin that you shouldn’t touch with a 50 foot pole!)  On the contrary, mineral sea salt contains a wonderful blend of minerals that your body needs and craves!  I love the title of one book, “Salt Your Way to Health.”  Many people think salt is terrible for you, which, the regular table salt is, I agree.  But when it comes to Sea Salt that has been sun dried with the minerals still in it (check the label!), add as much salt as you want to your dishes!  It’s nourishing and healthful!  Pour on as much as you’d like and don’t feel guilty for a second!  (Drinking lots of water and eating lots of sea salt go hand-in-hand, don’t do one without the other).

Flax Seed– Fiber and Omega 3’s!  I previously wrote all about flax seed!

Vitamin D- Sunlight- Vitamin D from the sun is crucial.  Dr. Mercola has tons of articles on this topic, look them up!  He talks about how people that have adequate levels of Vitamin D rarely get sick, never get the flu, and avoid many other chronic diseases and health problems.  So ditch the sunscreen, and go get some sunlight!  Of course, you don’t ever want to burn.  So stay in the shade when you need to avoid burning.  But getting at least 15 minutes a day of sunlight can do wonders for you health!

Walking/ Rebounding/ Exercising/ Stretching- No health person is complete without a little daily exercise.  Walking is an incredible exercise, no expensive gym membership needed.  Grab a friend and a bottle of water and hit the pavement with a brisk walk.  There are studies that show just 30 minutes of walking a day can help you lose weight, or maintain your weight, strengthen, increase energy levels, and help you to feel so much better overall.  No more excuses, okay?  Go for a walk every single day!
-Rebounding (jumping on a trampoline) is incredible, probably the #1 health-expert advised activity.  Just by jumping up and down (even small bounces while keeping your feet on the mat, called the health bounce) increases lymph flow throughout your body and nourishes your cells.  Your body craves this fantastic exercise.  We have a mini rebounder/ trampoline in our living room so we can hop on anytime, even while watching tv or talking.
-Many people forget about stretching.  But your body spends all day working and tightening muscles.  Take a few minutes each night to wind down and extend all those muscles back out.  Breathe deeply and enjoy your stretching.  Stretches shouldn’t hurt and almost anything goes.  But get limber!  You’ll be glad you did come old age!

Rest/ Sleep- You just can’t be completely healthy if you’re not getting adequate sleep.  If you feel tired every day come mid-afternoon, you’re not getting enough sleep at night.  Turn off the electronics and go. to. bed.  Mom, especially you!  (I’m preaching to myself!)

Some Supplements/ Vitamins- There are a few things I take but each person has to decide what is best for them.
-For me… I’m convinced chlorophyll, spirulina and kelp are super foods so I take some of those.
–Cod liver oil is a fantastic source for Vitamin D and A as well as Omega 3’s that our body so desperately needs.  Look up “Benefits of Cod Liver Oil” and you’ll see the incredible benefit of taking this!  Buy lemon flavored, it’s easy and doesn’t taste bad, my children take it willingly.
-I treat raw garlic as a supplement.  When I chop up some to cook dinner, I’ll crush a little extra, put a squirt of local, raw honey on it (maybe a pinch of olive oil as well), and swallow it down like a vitamin with a drink of water.  Start small and build up but raw garlic is a POWERHOUSE of nutrition!  I do the same with raw ginger too!
-Bragg’s Raw Apple Cider Vinegar- Also a super-food and a powerhouse!  Sneak a little of this in your diet everyday!  If you put about a teaspoon of it in a small glass of warm water with some honey and a little lemon, it makes for a GREAT morning drink!  If you look up “Benefits of raw apple cider vinegar,” you’ll see how incredible this super food really is!!  Go get a bottle today!
-Many people are deficient in magnesium.  It’s probably the #1 most important mineral your body needs but so many of us (as high as 80% of us) don’t get enough.  I buy a high quality one (the cheap ones are no good, trust me).  Magnesium is especially wonderful if you have any issues with depression.
–Probiotics– Our gut flora (what’s in your gut, in your belly) determines how strong your immune system can be.  Antibiotics completely destroy healthy gut flora.  But probiotics will restore!  Fermented foods also contain probiotics.  Fermented foods are so incredibly good for you, sauerkraut anyone?!  You can ferment many a things yourself, look it up!
-Multi-Mineral/ Multi-Vitamin- Many people think they’re doing so good to take their Flinstone’s every day.  But cheap multi’s are probably doing no good, or even doing damage.  A good quality Multi will be not only a multi-vitamin, but a multi-mineral.  Minerals are super important to your nutrition, maybe even more so than vitamins.  Don’t forget the minerals!  (magnesium, potassium, calcium, phosphorus, sulfur, etc).
By the way, I don’t want to pick on Wal-Mart, but getting your Multi from a regular grocery store or big box store probably means you’re not getting a good one.  Sorry to be the bearer of bad news!!  But I’ve found that quality does make the difference.  You probably do get what you pay for.
-Food- Let food be your medicine!  Probably more important than any supplement is the food that you eat.  What goes into your body determines your health status- how good you’ll feel, how much you go to the doctor, how long you live, what diseases strike you.  Eating a fast food sandwich and saying ‘That’s okay, I took my Multi’ is no bueno.  If you’re going for total, whole body health, the food that goes into your body is of extreme importance.  Try to incorporate more raw veggies, raw fruits, nuts, avocados, greens, nutritional yeast (yellow flakes loaded with B vitamins, not the same as yeast in bread), and so many other great, natural foods God has given to us to enjoy!
—Two food documentaries that will change your world of eating (although I don’t agree with everything in these videos and there are parts that are definitely not in agreement with my Biblical- worldview) are Food Matters and Food Inc.  If you’re in my area, I’d be glad to let you borrow them.  They’ll definitely leave you thinking!!

This article is getting too long and I need to quit, but let me quickly mention…

-Have good posture every day!

-Do extended breastfeeding with your children (going past the age of 2 gives them an incredible nourishing start on life!!)  Breastfed babies are sick less and aren’t going to be contaminated with the latest recall.  Formula can’t even touch breastmilk, hands-down formula can’t even stack up.  Breast is best.  Get help from LaLecheLeague if you need it, but keep on breastfeeding until your toddler weans himself (might be age 4 even, but let him have it!)

–Stay home and cook from scratch.  Just making the decision to eat out automatically guarantees compromised nutrition.  Even if you aren’t a complete health nut yet, your food can be a lot healthier just because you cooked it fresh yourself!  You go, Mom!

-Lastly, and most importantly… Live a life of thankfulness.  Write down a few things each and every day that you’re thankful for.  Seek peace.  Be in the Word every day.  Sing with joy in your heart that overflows!  Live a fulfilling, purposeful life.  Do things that matter for all eternity.  Love big.