How to Stay Healthy

Hello!  How have you been?  I hope marvelous!!  I have nothing to complain about.  Life is good and Jesus is awesome!  :-)

With the way sickness has been rampant this winter, I thought I would write an article on how to stay healthy.  Most of these points are pretty obvious, but still need to be stated.

Rest
How many of you do not get enough rest?  This is the foundation to a healthy body.  The way God made these bodies, is that they need rest in order to stay healthy.  How many hours of sleep are you getting?  If that number is below 7 or 8, you need to make some life changes.  Turn off that T.V., stop scrolling through Facebook, or put down that book.  You cannot function, your brain cannot function without sleep.  Think about this.  Please.

Food
Eat your fruits and vegetables.  Remember half of your meal needs to be fruits and vegetables in order for your body to properly digest the food you are eating.  Can we do this 3 meals a day?  Maybe not.  But strive.  Add more fruits and vegetables to your day.  If we ate more fruits and vegetables we wouldn't have room for all of that junk food.

Sugar
Sugar is POISON!!  No kidding.  I really believe Satan either created sugar or gave a human the idea to create sugar.  I hate sugar.  HATE.  If we could all eat it in moderation, that would be GREAT!  But most of us cannot.  If you haven't watched the documentary "FED Up", I highly recommend you buy it or rent it.  It outs the sugar industry and is one of the best documentaries I have watched.  Sugar compromises our immune system.  We really DO NOT need our immune systems compromised this winter with all of the sickness going around.  Stay away from sugar!

Hand washing
I know this sounds like your mom talking to you now.  But honestly, it's the simplest things that work.  When you leave the house and go to the grocery or go where ever, use the little cart cleaning station stores have to wipe down your cart before pushing it and don't touch your eyes, nose or mouth until after you wash your hands.  We keep wet wipes in the car and the kids know to get the wet wipes out or the essential oil hand spray as soon as we get back in the car.  Then when we get home, it's straight to the sink to wash our hands with soap and water.  And not anti-bacterial soap.

Probiotics
I saved my favorite for last.

Probiotics.  Oh, how I LOVE probiotics.  You can get them anywhere nowadays but that doesn't mean they are worth you spending money on them.  I have bought several different brands and my favorite brand comes from doTERRA.  I am a Wellness advocate for doTERRA.  Ain't gonna hide that.  I LOVE their products.  They sell a probiotic that is amazing.  It is double encapsulated.  Which means it doesn't dissolve in your stomach, it dissolves in your colon and intestines.  Which is where you want the probiotics to go.  Most probiotics are destroyed in the stomach by our stomach acid.  But not doTERRA's.  It's the only probiotic I use and highly recommend.

If you want to go another route, start buying or making Kombucha.  This effervescent drink is full of probiotics and tastes delicious too!  Here's a link on how to make it.  And here is a link to why I drink it.

Here's a link to PB Assist, if you are interested.  If you already know someone that is a Wellness Advocate for doTERRA, please contact them to get your bottle.  1 a day is recommended. 

And here is a link to my doTERRA webpage, if you want to check out other products.  Or go to my.doterra.com/itstimetogreen 

Here is a link to make your own homemade hand sanitizer.

Did I forgot anything?  If I did, leave me a message!!  Gosh, I am full of links aren't I?  :-)

Stay healthy and keep living GREEN!!

Blessings,

Why I Drink Kombucha?

I have a few friends asking questions about Kombucha, so I thought I would write a post about all the good things about it!  :-)

Why I Drink Kombucha

Kombucha is an effervescent fermentation of sweetened tea that is used as a functional food.  Kombucha is a healthy version of pop (without high fructose corn syrup, artificial coloring, artificial flavoring and aluminum).  It is loaded with probiotics, aids in digestion, helps detoxify bad stuff out of your body, is a dramatic immune system booster, can help prevent cancer, can help the body eliminate the chemotherapy from the bodies of chemotherapy patients.  You can make it yourself (very easy and inexpensive) and it tastes great!

Kombucha has been consumed for over 2000 years the world over. It has been extensively studied and applied for several medical uses in Russia, Germany, China and many other places.  It is naturally carbonated and is purported to have a host of healing properties that may include:

*Probiotics – healthy bacteria
*Alkalize the body – balances internal pH
*Detoxify the liver – happy liver = happy mood
*Increase metabolism – rev your internal engine
*Improve digestion – keep your system moving
*Rebuild connective tissue – helps with arthritis, gout, asthma, rheumatism
*Cancer prevention
*Alleviate constipation
*Boost energy – helps with chronic fatigue
*Reduce blood pressure
*Relieve headaches & migraines
*Reduce kidney stones
*High in antioxidants – destroy free-radicals that cause cancer
*High in polyphenols
*Improve eyesight
*Heal excema – can be applied topically to soften the skin
*Prevent artheriosclerosis
*Speed healing of ulcers – kills h.pylori on contact
*Help clear up candida & yeast infections
*Aid healthy cell regeneration
*Reduce gray hair
*Lower glucose levels – prevents spiking from eating

Simply put, Kombucha is an all natural health beverage chockfull of probiotics and other healthy amino acids. Probiotic literally means “for life”. Unlike antibiotics, which kill ALL of the bacteria in your body, even the good stuff, probiotics re-establish the natural ecology of the intestinal flora. Probiotics are said to boost immunity, enhance mood, fight allergies, detoxify the body and rid the body of disease. The Kombucha benefits you experience may vary.

However, Kombucha is NOT a panacea – it doesn’t cure ANYTHING! It brings the body back into balance so that it may heal itself naturally. That is how it is able to do so much – because it works with your body’s natural immune system.

From the label of a Ginger flavored GT’s Kombucha Bottle 16 fl oz. They recommend 2 servings per bottle.

Calories 30                                                                                       

Sodium 10mg                   

Total Carbs 7g

Sugars 2g

Additional Nutrients per bottle:                                                       

Folic Acid 25%                                                                                

Vitamin B2 20%

Vitamin B6 20%                                                                                  

Vitamin B1 20%

Vitamin B12 20%

Probiotic Organism Content"

Bacillus coagulan CGi-30 6086:  1 billion

S. Boulardil: 1 billion

Antioxidants and Organic Acids:

EGCG 100mg

Glucuronic Acid 10mg

L(+)Lactic Acid 25  mg

Acetic Acid 30mg

*****I have free s.c.o.b.y.s.  To learn how to make K’cha go to the home page of this blog and click on the green rectangle button labeled “Kombucha.”

Stay GREEN and healthy!!!

Kombucha-Part 2 Brewing

Ok, so with great delight I write that my "grow it yourself s.c.o.b.y." is GROWING!!!  Yay!  I just posted a picture to the Kombucha Part 1 blog post!  I am so excited!  

**Update...not only did he start to grow but he GREW into a beautiful healthy scoby that I am using for the 4th time today to brew a batch of Kombucha!  We looooove k'cha!!  :-)


Brewing Your Own Kombucha

What you need.....

-Glass jar preferable 2 gallon (has to be glass!)  Walmart has nice 2 gallon ones that I bought for $10.  **BIG NOTE here...glass container has to be big.  Measure the diameter (top of) your glass jar.  If if it 8 inches in diameter, then there has to be 8 inches of just air in the top of the jar.  There has to be adequate air flow in the jar.  You do not want your Kombucha to fill your glass jar to the top.

-4 organic tea bags or loose tea, not flavored (2 organic green and 2 organic black tea) or (2 tsp organic green and 2 tsp organic black.) (do not use decaf tea)

-1 1/4 cup organic cane sugar (I buy the big bag at Costco)
-12 cups (3 quarts) of Reverse osmosis water (filtered should work too)
-1 cup plain Kombucha or 1 bottle of GT's original(no flavor) Kombucha, room temperature
-Organic fruit, organic fruit juice or organic extracts (ginger, etc)
-Glass bottles (empty and cleaned with lids) NOT COLORED GLASS!!!  Clear only.*
-Wooden ladle (no metal can ever touch your s.c.o.b.y.!!)
-White cotton dish towel (never bleach these and never use colored towel)
-Large rubber band
-1 s.c.o.b.y. (if you live local to me, I will gladly give you one for free.  and your starter.)


*****Note:  DO NOT use antibacterial soap to wash the glass jar or any of the items you will use to make this Kombucha.****** (You shouldn't be using antibacterial soap either.)


What to do.....

Bring 12 cups (3 quarts) of your reverse osmosis water to a boil in a stainless steel sauce pan.  Once it is boiling stir in 1 1/4 cups of organic cane sugar.  Boil for 5 minutes to ensure all sugar is dissolved.  Remove pot from heat and turn stove off.  Place the 4 tea bags (or loose tea) in the hot, sugary water.  Let steep for 10 minutes with lid on.  (2 black and 2 green tea bags ONLY....no more.)

When the 10 minutes have passed, remove tea bags, squeezing gently to squeeze out remaining tea and place in your compost bin.  Then pour hot sugary tea into your glass jar and wait about 2 hours until the sugary tea is at body temperature ~98 degrees.  Cooler than 98 degrees is fine too.  

DO NOT EVER let your sugary tea cool overnight!!!  This is asking for mold.

(If this is not your first time brewing Kombucha, and you just left your s.c.o.b.y. in the glass brewing jar while you made a new batch of sugar tea, DO NOT pour the sugar tea over the s.c.o.b.y. until the sugar tea is cooled to body temperature or cooler.  Pouring HOT sugar tea over your s.c.o.b.y. could kill your s.c.o.b.y.)

Once your sugar tea has cooled to body temperature, you can now pour your 1c Kombucha starter or bottle of GT's original Kombucha into the sugar tea water.   

Now, with clean hands, gently lay your s.c.o.b.y. on top of the liquid.  It might sink, it might not, if it does sink it will float back to the top within 1 day.

Cover your glass jar with a clean (never been bleached) WHITE dish rag or towel and secure with a rubber band around the lip of the jar, holding the dish rag or towel in place (we don't want gnats or dust getting into our Kombucha).

Place glass jar in a safe location, that is not in direct sunlight, not in a closet, not in a kitchen where there are food particles flying around.  Somewhere that stays fairly warm and a room that does not have a ceiling fan.  76 degrees is preferable, but not a necessity.  The room needs to be a quiet room, not a room where there is a lot of chaos (which honestly is no where in my house and my Kombucha brews just fine :-) ).  Temperature affects how fast or slow your Kombucha brews.  We actually keep ours in our den.

In the hot months, check your Kombucha after 6 days, if it is starting to taste tart, bottle it now if you want a fizzy tasting Kombucha.  In the winter I let my first brew go 9-10 days before I bottle.  If you don't like fizzy, bottle and immediately place in your refrigerator.  

You will also see that your s.c.o.b.y. is growing, there should be a new layer on top.  If you ever see green mold growing on top, something has gone wrong.  There should not be blue or green mold.  Throw the batch out and start all over.  

This is what you want your Kombucha to look like when brewing.  Weird I know.

In the summer months, after about 6 days of brewing your Kombucha should be ready to bottle.  In the Winter 9-10 depending on the temperature of your house and how tart you like your Kombucha.  You are looking for a slightly sweet yet tart taste.  So, grab a utensil (NOT METAL, use a wood or plastic spoon) and taste your Kombucha brew.  You can gently press down on the top of the s.c.o.b.y. to retrieve some Kombucha on your spoon.  If you like it more sour tasting, brew for another couple of days, checking the flavor each day.

I bought this little baby on Amazon.

Temperature plays a huge roll on brewing time when it comes to Kombucha.  For example, where I live it is freezing cold right now, so I let my Kombucha brew in the brewing jar for 9-10 days, then bottle with fruit and brew another 2 days.  This is perfection for me in the winter.

In the summer, I brew for 5-7 days, then bottle with fruit and brew the bottles another 1-2 days, depending on the temperature in the house.

***When I first started brewing Kombucha I went with the shorter amount of days because I needed it sweeter.  Now that I have been drinking it for awhile I like it tarter.  And the longer you brew, the more good benefits in your Kombucha.  

When the Kombucha has reached a flavor you desire, and if you want to make it fizzy like a pop.  Follow the instructions below*.  If you do not want your Kombucha to have fizz stop here and use a kitchen funnel to slowly pour your Kombucha into your already cleaned and prepped glass bottles (do NOT use a metal ladle or spoon here).  I have been saving my GT's Kombucha glass bottles, Bionature strained tomato glass bottles and club soda bottles to use for my Kombucha, these are my favorite.  Anything glass will work with a top that you can screw on tightly. I am finding that the neck of the glass bottle determines how much fizz you get, if any from some bottles.  Don't fill you Kombucha to the top of the bottle.  Give it room to get fizzy.

*If you would like to add flavor to your Kombucha, now is the time.  And keep in mind, this is all personal preference.  You can do just about anything you want here....strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, mango, kiwi, cherries...my first batch I am going to juice organic pears and add some of the pear juice and organic ginger extract to the bottom of each of my bottles before I fill them with my Kombucha brew.  (*Update...I did not do this.  Organic pears were out of season.  So, I pureed organic strawberries.  I highly suggest juicing them, if you have a juicer, if not puree is fine but there will be pieces of strawberry when you drink this.)  You can add anywhere from 1 tsp to 4 tbsp depending on the flavor you are wanting to achieve and of course the size of the bottle.  For my GT's bottles I use 4 tbsp, for my club soda bottles I use 2 tbsp of pureed organic strawberries or strawberry juice.  (My friend Mackenzie uses blended blueberries with a small amount of grated ginger.  My friend Lisa adds Pom juice to create a cranberry flavor).  **My new favorite is thawed red raspberries.  Love!!!!

To create fizz in your batch of Kombucha.  
First, using the kitchen funnel, place funnel in the neck of your clean (recycled lol) glass bottle, pour your fruit juice, pureed fruit or cut fruit into the funnel (or bottle) and then slowly fill your bottle with your Kombucha brew, leaving an inch of room at the top.  Repeat this with your other empty glass bottles, until you have poured all but at least 1 cup of the Kombucha brew into your bottles.  Place lids on bottles.  And place bottles on your counter-top or in a cabinet but leave the door open.  You want to keep out at least 1 cup of your Kombucha brew and save it for your next batch of Kombucha you are going to brew. I just leave an inch or two in the bottom of my glass brew jar with the s.c.o.b.y. still floating in it.

Saving some Kombucha without the fruit it in saves you money.  You don't have to buy more starter Kombucha when you can use your own brew to start your next batch!  Cool huh'?  And you can save out more starter and give to a friend along with a s.c.o.b.y. baby when your s.c.o.b.y. gets too thick.  Then your friend can begin brewing Kombucha too!  We sometimes have problems getting our hands on Original GT's here, so sharing the brew and the s.c.o.b.y.'s is a must!  :-)

Let the bottles, with the fruit in them, sit for 1-2 days.  BUT remember that everyday you must burp each bottle!!  You burp the bottle by slowing twisting the cap until you hear the carbonation/pressure release from the bottle a small amount.  Then re-tighten the cap.  Repeat the next day, until you have reached the level of carbonation you like.  You can go more than 2 days but remember the longer you brew the more apple cider vinegary tasting your Kombucha will become.  Then refrigerate and enjoy!

Double this recipe to fill your 2 gallon glass jar.

Let me know when you experiment with different flavors.

Delicious.

As a recap, when you go to brew your next batch, leave at least 1 cup of your plain (no fruit added yet) Kombucha and your s.c.o.b.y. culture in your glass jar.  Slowly pour your body temperature or cooler sugar tea over the top of the s.c.o.b.y., cover, rubber band and check again in 6-7 days.

If you are not wanting to brew another batch right away, leave your s.c.o.b.y. in your glass brewing jar or place your s.c.o.b.y. culture in a large glass bowl with a lid (where the s.c.o.b.y. can lay flat), cover with plain/no fruit added Kombucha and sit in a dark cabinet or room.  I have only temporarily (2-4 days stopped brewing), so I just leave my s.c.o.b.y. on the counter top or in a kitchen cabinet.  When you go on vacation, you can (1)time it to where you bottle right before you leave, stick all of the bottles in the refrigerator and start a new batch to brew while you are gone or (2)leave s.c.o.b.y. sitting in 2 cups of plain/no fruit added Kombucha.

Double everything above to larger (double) batch.  :-)

Information from www.thehealthyhomeeconomist.com  One of my favorite blogs!!

***Some good questions that have came up from friends about k'cha.
1.  So, where should I put my glass jar if I can't use my kitchen?  Try putting it in your bedroom or den.  Some place higher up where the kids can't knock it over.  We have ours up on our desk in our den.  BUT DO NOT turn on the ceiling fan!
2.  Why can't I use colored towels?  You want the air around your Kombucha to be as clean as possible, dyed hand towels are not clean, chemically speaking.
3.  If my s.c.o.b.y. is already in the glass jar I am going to use, can I pour the sugar tea mixture on top of it?  Yes and no.  Lol  I do this all of the time but it can makes bubbles on top of my s.c.o.b.y.  So, carefully pour your body temperature or cooler sugar tea on the edge of your s.c.o.b.y.  Or just take the s.c.o.b.y. out and place it in another glass bowl, fill your glass jar with your sugar tea mixture and then gently lay your s.c.o.b.y. back on top of the sugar water.
4.  Does a kitchen cabinet make a good storage space for brewing my Kombucha?  NO.  Your Kombucha needs good air flow and moderate sunlight.  That is not available in a kitchen cabinet.
5.  Why can't I brew my Kombucha in my kitchen on the counter top?  A kitchen is a very busy place.  Food particles are flying around and you don't want to increase the chance of your Kombucha growing mold.  Which could happen if food particles would find there way into your glass jar.  It is just a precaution.  We work hard to make K'cha, we want to be as careful as possible to ensure it is safe for us to drink.

Kombucha--Part 1 Growing a scoby

This is what I am currently working on, thus blog worthy.  (and a good place to keep all of my notes.  :-)  )

With the help of my amazing, friend Mackenzie (check out her blog here) I am attempting to grow my own scoby to make Kombucha.

First, a little preview of Kombucha and what a s.c.o.b.y. is.....

Kombucha is an effervescent fermentation of sweetened tea that is used as a functional food.  In, short, Kombucha is a healthy version of pop (without high fructose corn syrup, artificial coloring, artificial flavoring and aluminum).  It is loaded with probiotics, aids in digestion, helps detoxify bad stuff out of your body, is a dramatic immune system booster, can help prevent cancer, can help the body eliminate the chemotherapy from the bodies of chemotherapy patients.  You can make it yourself (very easy and inexpensive) and it tastes great!  


A scoby is also known as a Kombucha culture.  S.C.O.B.Y. stands for Symbiotic Culture of Bacteria and Yeast.  They look sooo bizarre!  You might think they look a little gross, they do, but that's ok.




Buy a GOOD quality of Kombucha first.  Not the Wonder Drink brand.  I bought this and it must have been a old, watered down Kombucha because even after 1 month my scoby never grew.  I had two tiny ones about the size of a dime.  Instead of one large one that should have covered the top of the liquid.  I highly recommend the brand GT's Enlightened Organic Raw Kombucha Original.  Do not buy a flavored bottle, you want Original, no natural flavoring to grow your scoby.  Swirl the bottle around while you are in the store, you should see stringy stuff in the bottle.  If you do, buy that one.  There may be scoby's already starting to grow in your bottle!!  Merry Christmas...that is a REEEAlly good bottle!! See picture below. 

Look!!!  There is a start of a scoby in this one!!!!!  Soo cool!

Ok, so here we go...
1 16 fl oz bottle of GT's Organic Raw Kombucha, room temperature (Downtown Farm Stand, Whole Foods or online)
1 cup water (reverse osmosis or filtered is HIGHLY necessary)
1/3 cup organic sugar from sugar cane (not the bleached white sugar we grew up on)
3 tea bags (organic tea here.  black, green, oolong, anything you like here)
1 glass jar (small one, enough to hold 3-4 cups) (do NOT use antibacterial soap to clean this glass jar before use)
Dish rag/towel/scrap of material
Rubber-band
Thermometer, if you have one (I bought a little one from Wal-Mart a long time ago that also measure humidity)


Here is a pic of what I use.....

Let's begin!  Bring your 1 cup water to a boil, pour in your 1/3 cup of organic cane sugar.  Stir until dissolved.  Remove from heat.  Place 3 tea bags in hot water.  Set a time for 2 hours and walk away.  :-)  

After two hours, remove tea bags and add to your compost bin.  

Pour room temperature sweetened tea into your clean glass jar.  Gently roll your GT's Kombucha so you no longer see any sediment on the bottom (the bottle says not to shake, but I want all of the good stuff in the bottle in my glass jar, so gently roll).....BUT....be very careful as you open the bottle, fizz will have built up and you definitely do not want any of your precious GT's to go on the floor....turn the cap a little, wait for the fizz to settle down, twist a little more, wait, you get the picture, then pour all of the room temperature 16 fl oz of your GT's Kombucha into the glass jar with the sweetened tea.  Swirl the jar to combine the sweetened tea and the Kombucha.  

Cover with a cloth and place a rubber-band around the top.  Find a location that is consistently 76 degrees and place jar there.

Beautiful steeping tea.

Ready to grow a scoby!!! Yay!! (Picture taken July 9, 2012)

I am starting my scoby project today!  Let me know how your project goes!  I will post pictures along the way.  Keep checking back to this blog post. :-)


Look...look!!!!!

My scoby is growing!!  (Picture taken July 16, 2012)

Book/Websites/Blogs that I researched to find this info (and read frequently).....

Nourshishing Traditions by Sally Fallon
www.justtryingtolivebetter.blogspot.com
www.thehealthyhomeeconomist.com
www.foodrenegade.com
www.healthyfamilesforgod.com
www.rawmazing.com
www.rawified.blogspot.com/