Essential {Oils} to your Health

Let's talk about oils.
You are probably thinking "you are a RD, what do you know about essential oils?!"
You would be correct. I don't know much. However, I am learning a lot along the way.

I get sinus infections this time of year frequently. Actually, more like a little sniffle turns into a 2+ month long sinus infection that brings me to my knees before I finally break down for antibiotics {because I am--excuse the double negative--anti- antibiotics}. I think they are swell when truly needed and I am grateful for modern medicine. However, working in the medical world you see how people over-use and abuse meds. Everyone wants a quick fix and to feel better. I get that, but what if there was a quick fix and to feel better fast that didn't require a trip to the MD.

Back to my 2+ month long sinus infection that brings on laryngitis. {Did I mention I am a singer?...can't be having laryngitis all winter.} I was dying and decided looking into home remedies outside of the neti pot. Ugh. I hate that thing. Then I stumbled upon this post. {CLICK HERE} Healing your sinus infection with Tea Tree Oil. I tried it. Couldn't hurt. I went to my local health food store and got the NOW and Aura Cacia brands. Came home boiled some water, put in a few drops and inhaled.

O mercy. My pounding headache went from a 13 on a scale of 1-10 to a 2.5! A-MAZING!! That was just one treatment. As the afternoon wore on the sinus pressure crept in again, but at the first sign I boiled up the water solution {I saved it because I am frugal like that.} and breathed deep. Ah, sweet relief. I did it once more before bed. I then placed a few drops {10 ea--it's a large humidifier} of Eucalyptus, Lavender, and Rosemary oils in my humidifier.

When I woke this next morning I felt so much better. I ended up doing 1 more treatment of the tea tree oil by lunch and after that I was fine. FINE, I tell ya, FINE!!. Do you hear what I am telling you?! I am astounded.

My husband came home later complaining about sinus pressure and I hooked him up with the facial steam and he even noticed a huge difference. I think he did it 3x too and boom. All better!

He laughs at me about my essential oils, but he isn't laughing anymore. One thing I do know is most if not all of our pharmaceuticals come from understanding plant properties and how they "cure." Then they re-create it. SO...why not just go straight to the plant?! Again, I am truly thankful for modern medicine we need that, but sometimes we could put the cough syrup down and try a more natural approach to healing our bodies. I know I am turning all "crunchy" on you, I am just as surprised. What can I say I am becoming more of a hippy parent by the day. HA!

Now for KIDS!
So my beautiful daughter doesn't sleep. Ever. She will be 5 soon and there are maybe a handful of nights she has ever just gone to bed and stayed in bed and slept. EVER. Then I found this post {CLICK HERE} Again, couldn't hurt. So at bedtime I put a little lavender drop on the soles of their feet and rub the excess on their little wrists. {I do this to myself too!} And boom. They are asleep! ASLEEP!!!! Now, with my son who knows. He is a great sleeper. My daughter. Holy cow. This is what she said to me the next morning.
Lo: Mommy did this stuff [lavender oil] help you sleep?
Me: yes, it did. How did you sleep last night?
Lo: So good I just passed right out! I was reading my book and couldn't even finish it because I was like [she acts out passing out asleep].
Where was this when she was a newborn?!

And she is right when I put it on, I feel so sleepy within 10 minutes. If you know me you know I A) don't sleep well or fall asleep within 10 minutes of head hitting pillow and B) take Rx sleeping pills to even sleep. {that seems contradictory, but believe me I tried melatonin and other methods to NO avail.}

I have several more to try out as we enter cold and flu season and I shall keep you posted on how they work. If you use essential oils I would love to hear your experience with them. We are a relatively healthy family, so let's just keep it that way!!

Disclaimer - The information provided here is for educational purposes only and is not intended as diagnosis, treatment, or prescription for any disease. The decision to use, or not to use, any of this information is the sole responsibility of the reader.

Homemade Granola Bars

I may be an RD; but I am far from one of those "foodies."
Honestly, I don't particularly love cooking. I don't mind it, it just isn't a passion.
However, I am slowly starting to make more and more things from scratch in my kitchen. Now, we are not processed food eaters per say. I don't buy frozen meals ever, mostly because I know I can make it for cheaper, but I also can't claim to be a "clean" eater saying good-bye to all processed foods.

Sometimes that endeavor definitely intrigues me, but it also overwhelms me? Can I get an Amen?! I do the best I can with the budget we have and we provide delicious and healthy meals. Back to my main point I find the best way to tackle change is the same way you eat an elephant...one bite at a time.

My recent homemade items are salsa, black beans, white northern beans and now granola bars. As I get use to adding in a particular item into my cooking routine, I slowly pick another one to add.

My BFF gave me this recipe and it was delicious, but I have tweaked it a bit. After my 3rd attempt my family now loves them.

2 Cups rolled oats {old-fashion}
1/2C brown sugar
1/2 C wheat germ
3/4 tsp ground cinnamon
1 C white/wheat flour {50-50 mix}
3/4 C raisins {optional}
3/4 tsp salt
1/2 C honey
1 egg, beaten
1/2 C no sugar added applesauce OR pumpkin puree OR mashed sweet potato
2tsp vanilla extract
1/2 C of choc. chips {optional}


Mix up all the ingredients in a bowl. Spread in a 9x13 pan. It is very sticky and you have to work with it.
Bake at 350*F for 30ish minutes. It will still be soft to the touch. Let stand for a few minutes then cut into bars. Cut before completely cooled or they can become too hard to cut. You should be able to get 20ish bars/ pan. They aren't huge, but filling! Way more filling than my nutri-grain bars. :)

Now as you can see I don't use "clean" ingredients, but I made them at home which decreases preservation ingredients, which is a win in my book. Baby steps. :)

I put the recipe into My Fitness Pal app and it estimated
Calories at ~144 calories/ bar
Protein ~3.3g
Fiber 1.9
Not a bad little snack. And like I said it hits the spot and fills me up better than other store bought granola bars.

Is Obesity a Symptom of a Greater Problem?

Knock knock.
Who's There?
Remember ME?!
Yeah, didn't think so. Life sometimes has a way of getting in your way. {That makes no sense} But nonetheless I am back and going to try to post more regularly again.

But to ease myself back in; don't want to cause shell-shock I am going to link you to a fantastic blog article. Please read and let me know your thoughts!

What if Obesity IS the symptom... 

What did you think?

I found this completely eye opening. I have sort of had questions about this myself, but hearing about someone who seemed healthy to the naked eye live it, well, you can't deny his findings.

As a RD and someone who struggles with my own eating issues/disorder, as well as being part of the medical community we do need to approach individuals that are over AND under weight with care and respect. {Yes, that includes "skinny" people too!} Just because someone is deemed skinny doesn't mean there isn't something going on there or they are "so lucky they can eat a piece of cake." 

The bottom line is we as medical professionals need to determine the WHY. It could be due to insulin resistance, depression, an eating disorder or another deep seeded issue. It isn't fair to tell my patients or clients "do this, eat like this and exercise like that and boom you will be all fixed." There is no "right" size, and as a RD my main priority is make sure my patients and clients are healthy, number and lab wise, AND comfortable in their own skin. That is why I created Be-YOU-ti-Full nutrition consulting to help everyone achieve those goals.

If you are looking for a nutrition coach to help you in this area or other nutrition related areas contact me or visit my site for more information. Or leave me a comment telling me your thoughts on the article.