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Showing posts with label health. Show all posts
Showing posts with label health. Show all posts

Mar 16, 2012

Find constipation relief in coffee and tea

Since I've changed my diet to be slightly lower carb (cutting out grains) and higher on healthy fats, coupled with a bit more exercise, constipation is rarely a problem for me. But as I approach 30 I've noticed more and more people my age complaining about it, and often turning to harmful laxatives to get them through it. Like most things I wish more people would treat the cause and not the symptom of what is wrong.. but that's another story.

Sometimes, though, you end up with it either due to illness or from a side effect from another drug. Nobody likes being constipated, plus it can cause other problems like headaches and lethargy - in other words it can really ruin your day.


Some natural options for constipation relief you might consider are:

  • Exercise, like walking, swimming, rebounding (jumping on a mini trampoline - fun!)
  • Drinking enough fluids
  • Probiotics - These help by making sure you're digesting things properly
  • Prune Juice
  • Magnesium supplements, like Natural Calm
My personal favorite for mild constipation is good ole coffee. One cup after breakfast is usually enough to do it. Simple, right?

There are also herbal teas available to treat constipation, like:
I have read that people often recommend Senna and Aloe Juice, personally I feel that these might be too irritating and I would only try them if other methods weren't working.

If you have chronic constipation and you don't know why, I would definitely recommend going to a doctor and taking a look at your lifestyle and the health choices you're making. What does your diet look like? Do you have a possible food allergy or intolerance (lactose intolerance can cause constipation)? Are you getting enough sleep, drinking enough water, exercising enough, sleeping enough?

I hope this has been helpful for you. And now for some reason I am craving chocolate...

For more information on constipation, check out these links:


Mar 14, 2012

Fed up with nausea? Try ginger tea.

Everyone around me seems to either be getting sick, or just having gotten over a cold. Including myself. I was sick for about a week, though now it has lessened to an annoying infrequent cough.

Nausea is one of those symptoms that is oh-so annoying, yet I still procrastinate treating it. I guess because it's not painful? Anyway, the quickest and most delicious way I have found to kick nausea in the butt is ginger tea. It's really easy to make, and it tastes like you're drinking gingerbread!

All you need is some fresh ginger, available at most grocery stores. Peel it, and then with a small hand grater, grate maybe a tsp worth into a cup.  Add in some hot water, and I like to add a squirt of fresh lemon and some raw honey. Stir it up, and don't worry about the ginger bits, eventually they will sink to the bottom.

In addition to helping quell your nausea, ginger can help with motion sickness, inflammation, indigestion, and may protect against cancer.

We all know the fresh lemon is tasty and has loads of vitamin c. But, did you know that raw honey is anti-bacterial, anti-fungal, and anti-viral?
Honey, Wee Bee, 16oz/454g (Ultra-raw, pesticide-free)
Yum yum! 

Plus it tastes so good, much better than Mr. Teddy Bear.

Sorry teddy!



Poor Bear :(

Mar 13, 2012

Calm, naturally



Okay, so, this isn't technically coffee or tea.. but it IS something you can drink hot out of a nice big mug! It's Natural Calm and it's basically a Magnesium + Calcium supplement that has a slight lemony taste. What's important is that it actually does help me fall asleep. Plus, according to this article, 68% of Americans are magnesium deficient, so the extra supplementation certainly won't hurt! I like adding honey and a squirt of lemon to mine.

There's also some people saying that Magnesium may help aid weight loss. Hmm. Perhaps I should drinking this more regularly to see if it's true!