Building a healthy lifestyle
Building a healthy lifestyle
Hello, Justine here. Each month I offer FREE hormone inspiration to “help you build a healthy lifestyle” using my Creation Fertility guidance cards.
Each new moon (which represents the beginning of a new cycle) my hormone inspiration group meet via zoom and I introduce 2-3 healthy lifestyle tools for you to focus on throughout the month. All you need to do is start right where you are and then add each month’s recommendations throughout the year!
To maintain hormone balance there are many aspects to consider. Food alone will not bring natural balance – we also need to consider our emotional and mental health which includes our philosophy to life and what makes our heart sing. Our physical ability to absorb and utilise nutrients plus our ability to detoxify. What about our genetics/organ weakness/ or medication?. Then we need to consider the quality of foods we eat, where they are from, how they are grown and how we prepare them. Of course this isn’t the end because we also need to consider lifestyle and our personal stress response plus movement and exercise.
I recommend you join my hormone inspiration group or follow me on instagram because I include much more information than I can cover here to help you build a healthy lifestyle
Anyway – here is my video for this month to help you build a healthy lifestyle!
for more details on Lakshmi and Tulsi please visit my sister site creationfertility.com
Let’s focus on building a healthy lifestyle using organic foods.
I am all about eating seasonally so here is a list of foods for you to consider eating during the Autumn
Root vegetables: carrots, squash, pumpkin and sweet potato, onions, garlic, shallots
Whole grains: brown rice, quinoa, oats and millet
Legumes: beans, chickpeas, lentils, soybeans.
Green vegetables: broccoli, spinach, kale, celery, rocket and artichokes; leeks; chicory and savoy cabbage, pak choi or in fact any form of cabbage
Fruit: apples, pomegranates, citrus fruits and pears
Fish: sea bass, cod, sole and haddock
Herbs: ginger, turmeric, cinnamon, rosemary, thyme, basil and dill.
Although all of these foods have wonderful attributes I thought this month we would focus on pre-biotic foods to help you build a healthy lifestyle, support your immunity, balance your digestion and calm your hormones.
How can prebiotic foods help you build a healthy lifestyle and what exactly is a prebiotic food?
Well, a prebiotic food must resist gastric acidity, be fermented by the probiotics in your gut and stimulate the growth and/or activity of intestinal bacteria.
We need both prebiotics and probiotics to maintain a healthy gut microbiome. Prebiotics are the food for probiotics! Probiotics are living microorganisms, so they need to eat and flourish in our gut but they can’t without a good colony of prebiotics which you may know as fibre.
Let’s focus on Leeks, garlic, onions, savoy cabbage, shallot and chicory
Leeks, garlic, onions and shallots are all members of the allium family and are all prebiotics. A recent study published by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) suggests that a high intake of alliums reduce the risk of cardiovascular disorders by up to 64%. Wow. And they are also associated with reduced risk of miscarriage and believed to reduce the risk of developing cancer. They contain kaempferol which is a powerful antioxidant.
Garlic: A natural antibiotic and antiviral. To build a healthy lifestyle and immune system you need 6-12 cloves per day.
Onions, shallots: The Amish whose traditions date back to the 16th century placed onions in their homes during winter flu season to absorb bacteria and mould. The onions need to be peeled if left around the home. Many people do this during flu season and find that no one gets sick, whereas in previous years with no onions, they had several members of the family fall ill. If placed around the home for prevention, the onions should be replaced every 3 months. Use peeled onions cut in half. Place in a bowl in the room of an ill person to relieve their symptoms quickly and naturally. It is said that white onions work better than red onions.
Chicory: another great prebiotic. Approximately 68% of chicory root fibre comes from the prebiotic fibre inulin which improves digestion and bowel function, and helps relieve constipation. You can even drink chicory root coffee or tea.
Savoy cabbage: Cabbage has been known to help treat lung and chest disorders for a very long time. Boiled cabbage remains a staple to soothe inflammatory digestive tract disease and regulate digestive tract functions because it contain pre-biotics. It is often used to support heartburn, hiatal hernia, reflux, and GERD. Did you know it can even help soothe gastric pain caused by ulcers, duodenal ulcers, and gastritis? Cabbage is a great high fibre food, helps weight loss, contains loads of antioxidant properties, trace elements and high in vitamin C in addition to its prebiotic benefits. You can even use raw cabbage topically to help heal wounds and reduce pain caused by rheumatism, headaches, sciatic pain and painful joints.
Things to do this month to build a healthy lifestyle:
Peel and chew three cloves of raw garlic and chew daily (up to 4 times per day). Yes, I know this sounds horrendous but it’s really good for you!
Try to cook with as many prebiotic foods as much as possible. Eat plenty of pre-biotic seasonal foods, leeks, garlic, onions, savoy cabbage, shallots and chicory to support your immune system and maintain a healthy gut microbiome
Use garlic syrup, fire vinegar or garlic or onion milk or place onions in your house if you feel unwell or want to boost your immune system
Make your own fermented kimchi with cabbage and chilli for healthy and happy digestives
Use foods in the traditional way to build a healthy lifestyle
Garlic Syrup: Peel and chop 6-8 cloves of fresh garlic. Place in a jar and cover with 8 tablespoons of honey. Let it stand for several days and then strain. You can use this by the teaspoon (2 for children 4 for adults) to boost your immune system and treat infections.
Garlic or Onion Milk – Put onion or 3 cloves of garlic thinly sliced into a pan with 2 cups of milk. Simmer over a low heat for 20 minutes. Strain. (can be stored in fridge for up to a week) Dosage: 1 teaspoon up to 6 times per day
Fire cider: chop up a selection of onions, garlic, cayenne pepper, horseradish, turmeric, chilli, ginger and black pepper. Cover with Mother apple cyder vinegar and leave in a kiln jar for around 4 weeks (some people leave it for 2 weeks others 6 weeks). Strain and then add some honey or maple syrup dependent on how you like it. Bottle it up and take 1 teaspoon per day. A pungent and wonderful immune boosting elixir
Alternatively: chop the ingredients up without the cyder vinegar. Add honey and gently warm until all the ingredients are very soft. Eat daily to support your immunity.
If you have enjoyed this article you may also be interested in these other articles to help you build a healthy lifestyle
On line Hormone MOT & Lifestyle Consultation
Balancing hormones using herbs
Home remedies to boost immunity
womb ecology and nutrition on line workshop
Lakshmi and Tulsi for reproductive wellbeing
Download my printable format of this article – building a healthy lifestyle
References
Christiansen, S. (March 2020). The Health Benefits of Holy Basil. https://www.verywellhealth.com/holy-basil-4766587
Evolutionaryherbalism – Sajah Popham
Holy Basil / Tulsi (Sheng Lou Le). https://www.whiterabbitinstituteofhealing.com/herbs/holy-basil-tulsi/
School of Health Herbal webinar – 3rd November 2021