Think Plain Water is Just Too Boring?

Is drinking plain water just bland and boring? Since we all require lots of water every day, why not naturally enhance water so that it becomes fun, flavorful and more exciting?

Here are 7 ways to easily make drinking water more exciting right away:

#1 = Add cucumber slices

#2 = Add citrus fruits like lemons, oranges and limes

#3 = Add berries such as raspberries, goji berries, blueberries and strawberries

#4 = Add mint and lots of it

#5 = Add ice and/or carbonation

#6 = Make your own water based soup (both hot and cold)

#7 = Drink more tea

SOAK + SPROUT – The Most Nutritious Foods in the World! DIY Sprout Process

Great infographic about how to grow your own nutritious sprouts! SOAK + SPROUT Infographic shows you how long to soak and how long it takes to sprout various things.
 

Seeds, nuts, grains and beans are covered in chemicals called enzyme inhibitors which prevent premature germination and store nutrients for plant growth. When humans consume these chemicals, they reduce the absorption of important minerals and proteins causing nutrient deficiencies and other health issues. Soaking and sprouting bypasses this issue as it activates the seed and neutralises the inhibitors.
 

For more about the high nutritional content of sprouts, please read our previous blog post here.

SOAK + SPROUT INFOGRAPHIC > DIY SPROUTS

12 MENTAL Health Benefits of EXERCISE

Some of the overlooked benefits of exercise include the mental health benefits that accompany a healthy and active lifestyle.  Whether you run, walk, exercise, train, weight lift or play sports, the mental health benefits of being active are well documented.
 

The Fast Company recently published an article called: “3 Reasons Exercise Makes You Smarter” and explains that your brain is a part of your body. Your body works better with exercise–and, research suggests, so does your brain.  Scientific American’s Justin Rhodes (assistant professor of psychology at the University of Illinois) reports: “A growing body of evidence suggests we think and learn better when we walk, jog, or otherwise workout”.  According to these recent studies, exercise boosts your cognitive functioning and improves your memory.  The keys include blood flow, your hippocampus (memory and learning elements in your brain) and creative habit.

According to the Scientific American study:

“The results were, in certain aspects, a surprise. As expected, many of the volunteers who’d been exercising for the past month significantly improved their scores on the memory and mood tests. But not all of them did. In general, those volunteers who had exercised for the past month and who worked out on the day of retesting performed the best on the memory exam. They also tended to report less anxiety than other volunteers.

Those who had exercised during the preceding month but not on the day of testing generally did better on the memory test than those who had been sedentary, but did not perform nearly as well as those who had worked out that morning.”

We’ve tried to summarize the top 12 mental health benefits of exercise in this infographic.  Enjoy!

Exercise Will Make You Feel Better!

Exercising released endorphins, making you feel happy and positive about yourself.  Don’t we all want that?

Exercise is an Overall Mood Booster!

Exercising regularly will release tension.  This translates into solved problems with depression and stress.

Exercise Leads to Increased Confidence

When you exercise and relieve that tension while taking care of yourself, you can’t help but be proud of your accomplishments.  You feel like a brand new you, and you know you look good doing so.

Exercise Helps Your Body Increase Pain Tolerance

Exercise can make you sore many times.  At first it might be horrible, but after it happens a few times you learn to deal with it.  This leads to an overall increase in your pain threshold.

Exercising Works To Improve Your Brain Power!

Exercise causes your body to create more brain cells and connections.  This means your brain becomes more powerful and has a greater capacity for learning regardless of your age.

Exercise Improves Your Character

Sticking to an exercise routine will help you develop the qualities of discipline, dedication and determination.

Exercise Teaches Self Discipline

It also helps you develop the skills of compliance and adherence.  These absolutely necessary life skills will have a positive effect in all areas of your life.

Exercise Can Help With Addiction Recovery

As mentioned above, exercise can help you to developer discipline.  Overcoming addictions can become a lot easier when a workout routine is in place.

Exercise Also Combats Depression

Depression is caused by a chemical imbalance in your brain.  Exercises induce “happy chemicals” to be produced more abundantly.

Fitness Reduces Anxiety

Using your energy in an effective way helps you to relax better.

Exercise Gives You ‘Runner’s High’

That’s right!  Vigorous exercise can make you feel great!

Exercise Improves Concentration

Exercise can help boost your concentration and mental awareness.

I’M VEGAN… AND I’M GLUTEN-FREE!

 
It’s unbelievable how quickly time flies by. It’s now been close to 7 months since I went vegan and 4 months since I’ve gone gluten-free. I must admit that I am and feel healthier than ever and I’m so grateful for the incredible support from strangers, friends and family. It’s an experience that has changed my physical and mental health, diet, fitness and general well-being. Plus, it’s been a lot of FUN! This blog post is just an update on where I am in my quest for optimal health and well-being, some of the health benefits I’ve encountered, interesting things I’ve learned in the past six months and your most favourite Just Add Good Stuff Series posts. My May update on going vegan is located here.

My Vegan & Gluten-Free Experience > Revisiting the 10 Original Personal Benefits

 
In May, I updated my followers on 10 unexpected personal benefits since going vegan and I’m really happy to report that all of those things are getting even better.

1. I continue to sleep a lot better… sometimes up to 6-8 hours a night (compared with 1-2 hours before this year)
2. I’ve had only 1 migraine all year (and that was due to drinking too much the night before!)
3. Allergies to pollen, temperature and altitude change have gradually decreased.
4. My body weight has remained constant. The myths about the lack of plant based protein sources and complete amino acids in whole foods is really, just a myth.
5. My body fat content continues to drop. Still healthy though but seem more ripped.
6. I still haven’t had to take a nap in the afternoon. I don’t get the extreme tiredness at all nor the sugar spikes and troughs through the day.
7. My teeth are still white.
8. My digestion is consistent and healthy.
9. I’m more patient and a lot less anxious and it seems to be getting even better
10. My skin is still clear of acne and my hair is growing back. How’s that for a health benefit!

5 More Unexpected Health Benefits

 
In addition to the previous 10 unexpected personal benefits, I’ve also noticed a few more health benefits of note. They include:

1. I’m more focussed. I’ve always been efficient and focused when it comes to work and decision making, but since I’ve gone vegan, I find that I am less easily distracted and can focus for longer periods of time. Because of that, I’m more efficient and can get more work done within a shorter time frame.
2. I’m more positive and grateful for my health. Going both gluten-free and vegan has given me a more positive outlook on my health and well-being. By knowing that I’m doing everything possible to reduce my risk of disease and inflammation, I’m also focussing on being more positive throughout all facets of my life. This is a great mental health benefit.
3. My skin is smoother and healthier looking. I used to get really dry skin but since I’ve gone gluten free and vegan, it has a more natural hue and is more ‘radiant’. This is probably because I have a good balance of essential oils, minerals and vitamins in my diet that keeps my skin healthy and hydrated. Plus, I don’t even use any skin moisturizer.
4. My instances of bloating and cramps has diminished significantly. After decades of abusing my body through bad diet, I believe my body needed time to readjust and rid itself of all the toxins and build-up of bad cholesterol, fat and undigested or semi-digested food. After 5 months of veganism, I hardly get any bloating or stomach cramps. I believe my body has fully adjusted to this new whole foods plant based diet.
5. I feel as though I can conquer any challenge and face any adversity in my life now. The mental focus, discipline, constant action and commitment to health, diet and fitness has taught me a lot about what I am capable of doing and being. This has been one of the most important life lessons that I will never forget from my vegan experience.

My Vegan Experience > 5 Interesting Things I’ve Encountered and Learned Since Going Vegan

1. More people are asking me how long I’m staying vegan and gluten-free for. I don’t know if they are assuming that this is just a diet or fad… or something temporary. I just laugh because going vegan and gluten-free has been about a lifestyle change for me. It’s learning about nutrition and fitness and making sure that I do everything possible to live a healthy and prosperous life. The things I’ve learned will stay with me for life… so I often respond by saying: “This was a one year experiment, but the results and interest in veganism will stick with me for my entire life.” I should honestly respond by asking them: “So how long do you think you will continue killing yourself through an unhealthy diet. How long will you continue to eat processed or packaged foods? How long will you continue to eat fast food even when you know it’s unhealthy for you.” But I’m really not that mean…

 

2. My favourite SUPER FOODS now include the previous 10 as well as chaga, pomegranate, asparagus, turmeric, cumin, cilantro and parsley.

 

3. About 5 months into my vegan experience, I started ‘slowing down’. I became more lethargic and ‘slow’ in physical activities and focus. My dietician told me that I was probably deficient in Vitamin B-12 which is usually only found in meats and dairy products. So, I self diagnosed myself as being Vitamin B-12 deficient and started taking a Vitamin B supplement every morning. The difference was night and day. I will be publishing an article about Vitamin B-12 deficiencies and some common myth and misunderstandings about this very soon.

 

4. Just like my self-diagnosed deficiency in Vitamin B-12, I was probably also deficient in Vitamin D. Again, a vegan and gluten free diet doesn’t really bode well for adding these two essential vitamins into my body. Therefore, the most natural form of Vitamin D is through sunlight. I get out more often just to get 5-10 minutes of direct sunlight every day. It’s awesome.

 

5. My vegan and gluten-free diet actually does NOT cost any more than my previous unhealthy diet. I eat less but eat more nutritional food. So yes, by volume, I’m consuming more expensive foods, but I’m also eating and drinking a lot less. There are very few ‘empty calories’ in my diet now.

Great Response to our Just Add Good Stuff Series

When I first started Just Add Good Stuff, I wanted to present information in various ways that would touch people differently. From visual images to summarized nutritional info and from catchy/edgy quotes to helpful statistics, here are the highly successful Just Add Good Stuff Series that I’m so proud of:

• INFOGRAPHIC Series
• RECIPE Series
• QUOTE Series
• NOBODY ELSE CARES Series
• TIPS FOR A HEALTHY LIFE Series
• JUICE BOOST Series

The Excuses Pile On…

 
In the past 7 months, I’ve heard hundreds of excuses from strangers, friends and family as to why they’ve never tried eating healthier or going vegan or adopting a fitness/training program. Some of these excuses include:

I don’t have time / I’m too busy
I don’t believe in veganism / Veganism is stupid
There’s no difference between conventional and organic foods… it’s just marketing
I’ve survived this long, so why change
Other people who eat meat survive until they are 100, so why can’t I
Eating healthy means I don’t need to exercise
I have a family so it’s not possible
I’ve got a full time job so it’s not possible
Eating just greens and whole foods is unhealthy

 
For me, making an excuse is just an easy way out. Maybe it’s because I don’t want to change or I’m too lazy, but making excuses for myself is no longer something I do.

In every decision I make, I take a different perspective and ask myself:

“How do it do this?”
“How do I make this change?”
“How do I make time”

 
You should also try it sometime.
 
 

A Valuable Lesson …

 
One of the most important life lessons in this entire vegan/gluten-free experience has nothing to do with eating well, exercising or learning about nutrition. On the contrary, the most valuable life lessons are how this vegan/gluten-free experience has taught me about:

Discipline
Taking Action
Self-Awareness
Dealing with Change
Commitment

 
Mastering all 5 of these skills will help in EVERY FACET of my life … not just health and fitness. People who make excuses and oppose change will likely never learn how to master these 5 skills. Going vegan will teach you and push you to the limit when it comes to these life lessons. Try it and see how well you do…

Pantone Foods – What Color Was That?

For our followers who like creative design, marketing, colors, food and cool visuals, this one’s for you!

Pantone Food images … food in pantone colors:

Tip of the Day > Take Control Of Your Life…

Tip of the Day: Take control of your life by putting diet, nutrition and fitness at the top of your priority list because, simply put… nobody else cares!
 

PLEASE SHARE WITH YOUR FRIENDS & FAMILY! Thanks!

Safe Food Coloring Alternatives to Artificial Food Coloring

 
Artificial food coloring is in everything. From baked goods to packaged products, artificial food coloring has made its way into everything in our food supply chain. What’s scary is that artificial food coloring causes serious health problems in adults and children. The regulations around artificial food color labeling on foods is also very weak, which makes it difficult for any of us to decipher what is natural/safe and what’s unnatural/detrimental to our health.
 
Artificial food coloring (or artificial food dyes) is prevalent in many things that we eat and drink. The synthetic or unnatural ingredients used in food coloring is often unsafe for both children and adults. These artificial food dyes have been linked directly to multiple forms of cancer in adults in addition to behavioural problems and hyperactivity disorder in children.
 

 
In addition, the typical consumer, like you and I, are not properly educated on the health risks associated with artificial food coloring. In most cases, the names of the artificial dyes are meaningless (like yellow 5 which is derived for the tar of coal and blue 2). In other cases, packaged and processed foods just list colors without telling the consumer whether they are artificial or natural (in most cases, they are artificial). Blue 1 and 2 dyes are linked to cancer in many new studies and Red 3 dye causes thyroid tumors in rats. As well, it’s been proven that Green 3 dye causes bladder cancer and Yellow 6 dye causes kidney and adrenal gland tumors. All of these artificial food dyes are typical in both children and adult processed/packaged foods.
 

Artificial food coloring is found in so many things including:

Concentrated fruit juice
Condiments/sauces
Candy
Cheese
Fast food
Baked goods like bread, muffins, cookies
Gelatin esserts
Soft drinks
Low nutrient foods

How to make Natural Food Coloring Safe for Ourselves

 
We’ve got great news! If you are looking to ‘color’ your food, there are many natural alternatives to artificial dyes and artificial food coloring. All of these natural food colors come from plant based fruits and vegetables, so they are completely healthy, nutritious and organic (if possible). The natural food colors are safe for both children and adults, and likely, will not alter the taste of your food or dish (unless you want it to). The safe and natural food colors can be mixed to create new colors and in most cases, should not cause any allergies. These food coloring alternatives can be easily prepared at home too!
 

Here are some of the natural food colors from organic vegetables and fruits that you can experiment with:

Natural YELLOW Food Coloring > turmeric powder, yellow carrots, lemon zest, saffron flowers, bee pollen

Natural ORANGE Food Coloring > orange carrots, orange zest, carrot juice, pumpkin, papaya, cumin powder

Natural RED Food Coloring > red beets, chilli powder, strawberries and pomegranate

Natural PINK Food Coloring > beetroot, pomegranate powder and raspberries

Natural PURPLE Food Coloring > red grapes, organic red wine, red cabbage, purple carrots, purple potatoes, acai berry powder

Natural GREEN Food Coloring > spinach juice, wheatgrass, kale, swiss chard leaves, lime zest

Natural BLUE Food Coloring > blueberries and blackberries

 
* Images from Food Matters. Thank you!

HEALTH BENEFITS OF MINT > Nutritional Data, Interesting Facts & Recipes on our Just Add Mint Infographic!

The Just Add Good Stuff INFOGRAPHIC SERIES introduces our Mint Infographic. We hope you like it!

 

PLEASE SHARE WITH YOUR FRIENDS AND FAMILY!

Just Add Mint! Known from antiquity, mint is an aromatic herb with many curative properties. There’s a lot more to mint than fresheners, candy, tooth paste & inhalers! See below for more mint uses! Here is the Just Add Good Stuff Mint Infographic:

TOP 10 Health Benefits of Mint as described in the Just Add Good Stuff Mint Infographic:

1. effective pain reliever for headaches & migraines
2. mint alleviates gastrointestinal problems like indigestion
3. antiseptic & antibacterial properties used to treat cuts & burns
4. mint acts as a topical treatment of acne and acne scars
5. alleviates arthritis pain, insect sting irritation and eczema
6. mint improves bad breath and alleviates diarrhea and bloating
7. natural treatment of the common cold and flu
8. mint is used as a decongestant with antiviral properties
9. used in treatment of menstrual cramps
10. mint helps treat the hiccups

Mint Nutrition Facts as described on our Mint Infographic

• Serving Size = 2 tbps
• Calories = 2
• Calories from Fat = 0 g
• Total Fat = 0.03 g
• Cholesterol = 0 mg
• Sodium = 1 mg
• Potassium = 18 mg
• Total Carbohydrate = 0.48 g
• Dietary Fiber = 0.3 g
• Sugars = 0 g
• Protein = 0.12 g
• Vitamin A = 3% RDI
• Vitamin C = 2% RDI
• Calcium = 1% RDI
• Iron = 1% RDI

Healthy Mint Recipes on our Mint Infographic

1. Organic Mango Mint smoothie
2. Organic Mint Ice Cubes
3. Raw Cacao Mint cookies

* All of our recipes are gluten-free, dairy-free and vegan! Click here for more recipes!

Things You May Not Know About Mint as described on our Mint Infographic

• Mint gets its name from MENTHE, a Greek mythical character
• The mint herb is native to temperate areas of Europe, Asia & Africa
• Mint can be VERY INVASIVE, so grow in containers or buckets
• There are >30 TYPES & each smells/tastes different
• The US produces 70% of the world’s peppermint & spearmint
• Mint OIL is recovered by distilling using steam
• Mint has been found in Egyptian tombs from as far back as 1000 BC
• Rats & mice dislike the smell and taste of mint!
• Peppermint is the #1 selling flavor among non-chocolate hard candies

The Just Add Good Stuff Mint infographic (we also call it our dark chocolate infograph) talks about general facts and nutritional details. For more info about the health benefits and nutritional information, please contact us and we will find out more from licensed dieticians and medical science professionals. It is our goal to provide the best information possible and to help inspire you to become more healthy through diet, nutrition and fitness. The Mint infographic will be updated whenever necessary, as studies and clinical research provides us with more insight into the health benefits of Mint which would affect our Top 10 beets health benefits. In addition, we constantly experiment with uses of dark chocolate in various dishes, so our recipes will also reflect that. Lastly, if we find any more interesting facts and figures about beets in general, we will also update the ‘Did You Know?’ section of our Just Add Good Stuff Mint Infographic.

The information on this infographic is for informational purposes only.
It is not intended to nor should it be a substitute for advice, consultation or visits to your health care provider.
‘Nutrition Facts’ provided by FatSecret.com and verified by Just Add Good Stuff.

There is NO drug that can do for you what eating well…

PLEASE SHARE WITH YOUR FRIENDS & FAMILY!

There is NO drug that can do for you what eating well, moving your body, self-love & mindfulness can… – Bridget Jane quote

The Story About Our Toxic Food System > Farm to Fork Infographic

 
The conventional food system today is heavily dependent on synthetic/toxic chemicals and additives that negatively impact our health and well-being. It is no surprise to any of us that the process of producing food by food producers and manufacturers is about their bottom line and NOT the health of the consumer. Read about our scary and toxic food system in this incredible Healthy Child Healthy World farm to fork infographic, which is one of the best we have ever seen.
 
Today, our food manufacturers add over 6,000 toxic additives and chemicals into our conventional food system. Many of these chemicals and additives are used to preserve our food in addition to flavouring, coloring, texture and improving yield for cheap food. What is scary about our toxic food system is that many of us don’t even know what happens between the farm and our table, which is what this Farm to Fork Infographic tries to inform you about. Do you know where your food comes from? Or what is in our toxic food system? You may be quite surprised! Today’s conventional toxic food system depends on the use of unhealthy and synthetic chemicals that pose direct threats to our health, especially in our children and the elderly. For children, their developing bodies are more vulnerable to these toxins, but from the higher level, the toxic chemicals negatively impact everyone’s health and life. Here are a small but shocking snapshot of the food system.
 

At the Farm > It’s NOT Local, It’s Called Business

 
Today, 80% (eighty per cent) of all food in the United States is supplied by massive factory farms, associated with a myriad of both environmental and health risks. Do you know what our animals are being fed at the farm? According to the latest Union of Concerned Scientists study, animals at these business factories are fed the following: same species meats, manure and other animal waste, diseased animals, feathers, hair, skin, hooves, blood, drugs and chemicals in addition to plastic! In our toxic food system in the United States, nearly 900 million pounds of toxic pesticides are applied to farms each year. Since the 1990’s, millions of tons of potentially harmful and toxic sewage sludge have been applied to the US farmland as food crop fertilizer. Yum. In addition, an estimated 13.5 million pounds of antibiotics – the same classes of antibiotics used in our own medicine and health care system – are routinely added to animal feed or water.

Chemicals Rule at the Factory Too

 
Here are some of the chemicals and toxic chemical treatments that are applied in our food supply chain at the factory before they even get to the market. To become white flour, wheat flour undergoes bleaching with chemicals such as oxide of nitrogen, chlorine, chloride and nitrosyl. Whole soybeans are drenched in hexane, a byproduct of the gasoline refining industry, to separate the soybean oil from protein that is used in various processed and unhealthy foods. Chemicals used to make plastic packaging, like phthalates and BPA sometimes migrate and seap into our food supply system. The Food and Drug Administration considers these migrants ‘indirect food additives’. No kidding! But remember, they do NOTHING about it and don’t regulate it! Nearly 6,000 additives and toxic chemicals are used by food companies to process and produce our food. To produce orange juice, whole oranges are placed in processing machines and are sprayed with various acids to improve fruit peel quality and increase juice yield. As well, more than 70% of all processed foods include genetically modified ingredients or GMOs.

Stick a Fork in It at the Table > The Consumer

 
Over 70% of all calories consumed by the average American comes from highly processed foods! And this is increasing at an alarming rate. The average American child also consumes more than 5 servings of pesticides every day just from their food and water. The average child in the US consumes 150 mg of artificial food coloring every day, an increase of five times since the 1950s.

What are US Children Eating? Take a look at the health risks associated with a child’s favorite foods.

Cereal = linked to cancer, ADHD, neurological toxicity and obesity
Banana = linked to cancer and reproductive toxicity
Cheese Burger = cancer, hormone disruption and neurodevelopmental deficits
Milk = cancer, neurodevelopmental deficits, hormone disruption and developmental toxicity
Crackers = cancer
French Fries = cancer
Soda = cancer, hormone disruption, obesity and reproductive/behavioural problems
Chips = cancer
Macaroni and Cheese = reproductive toxicity, obesity, neurological toxicity and immune system impacts
Cookies = cancer, reproductive toxicity, obesity, neurological toxicity and immune system impacts

 
Luckily there are many simple, affordable actions you can take to reduce your exposure to harmful chemicals found in foods. For more in depth advice and statistics, we recommend the eBook “Easy Steps to Eating Healthy & Safe Foods” at www.healthychild.org.