Vaccines

So here is a topic I have not really talked about with you guys. Honestly, there is so much information to give that I have not known where to start. So I thought I would break the ice with this website: http://www.nvic.org/

I have a lot more sites to refer you to, but I thought this was a good place to start. My theory is that whatever you decide to do, vaccinate, don't vaccinate, partially vaccinate, you MUST be informed! To me, the risk of getting the vaccines FAR outweighed the risk of the diseases they were "protecting" against. But that was my informed choice. I did a lot of research before coming to this conclusion. So just start looking around at some information before you take "doctor's orders". Sometimes people forget that doctors are people too and no one is perfect and all knowing.

Did Everyone Sign up for My Wordpress Blog?

I just wanted to send a reminder to my followers here to sign up on my wordpress version of this blog. I would love to hear from you over there!!! Here is the link...

http://naturaldivasblog.wordpress.com/

Switching to Wordpress, Come Follow Me!

Hello everyone! I am sorry my posts have been so few and far between :o( I am making a switch to wordpress though because it seems to be an easier format to follow. Check it out and let me know what you think! I am still tweaking it so bear with me please. I hope everyone is staying healthy! With love, Morgan

http://naturaldivasblog.wordpress.com/

V8 Energy Shot

"Powered Naturally. Ingredients You Know" this is the tagline they choose to use. Oh they are ingredients I know, that's for sure. Although the last time I checked, sucralose does NOT occur in nature!

I am weaning my husband off of energy drinks and saw this and thought to myself "oh fruits, veggies, green tea extracts that seems harmless". I turned it around and read, or at least attempted to read the ingredients list. I did unfortunately forget to wear my magnifying glasses that day....touche!! From my quick read in the isle I didn't see anything horrible so I bought it. They came two to the package so while I was working with my husband we tried it out. First off, it tasted like a Flinstone vitamin, yuck!! After I gulped it down I read it closer, sucralose..dammit!! I hate bleach sugar...

Now I don't typically partake in any sort of energy drinks, not for lack of wanting energy but for the fact that all they do is give me anxiety and shortness of breath. Well, I can drink green tea with no issues and the bottle of the V8 shot said as much caffeine as a regular cup of coffee but after about an hour I was all jacked up ready to puke! I don't know why anyone in their right mind would want that feeling, or the bleached sugar. I swear why did they even put sucralose in it other then to poison everyone. It had 10 grams of sugar so all the sugar free people won't touch it. Sorry, I am venting here cause I feel like I was hoodwinked into getting this product and that doesn't typically happen to me. Lesson learned...

http://v8energyshots.com/

Goodbye Detox, Hello Lifestyle Changes

So...I am not going to finish my 30 days... There, I said it!

I was having reservations about stopping but then I couldn't stop obsessing about it, still! Although I am stopping early, I have learned a bunch. (no, not that I am a quitter!! LOL feeling slightly guilty can you tell) What I am going to do now, in lieu of the detox is make a lifestyle change with my diet. My diet is better then most peoples', however, there were some serious pitfalls. I had a habit of eating empty carbs and sugary treats more often then I should have. By empty carbs I mean pasta, bread (not white, but not homemade), crackers, etc. I am definitely going to be conscious of how much sugar is in things I am eating as well. For example, I looked at a Greek yogurt I have gotten in the past. It is fat free apple cinnamon. Sounds harmless right? Well it has 14g of sugar!! Sheesh. Overall, I did not feel any different from my 2 weeks of detox, nor did I lose any weight, however, I have a whole new perspective on what I was really eating/craving. Also, I did allow my body to do some healing because 2 weeks is better then nothing!! Thanks for all your comments and support and I urge all of you to look real closely to what you think you are eating, it may surprise you like it did me!

Week 2 Detox

I'm nearing the end of week 2 and it has been going much better. I have allowed myself 1 cheat a day, but they aren't bad ones...well, no cookies or bread or candy lol. One day I took the kids out for frozen yogurt and I had a vanilla one myself. Last night I went to eat at Bonefish and did have their potatoes au gratin and they have a little bit of bread crumbs so I cheated there. See, not too bad right? Well, not compared to what I would usually treat myself to anyway. If I wasn't so busy maybe I would be able to tell if I felt any different. Although even if I didn't feel the difference I still know I am doing my body good so I will march on regardless. This journey has let me realize how often I would run to a easy option to feed myself when I was hungry. Don't get stuck in that rut like I was. I like to check myself by asking how much "real food" I have eaten. By real food I mean fruits, veggies, non processed garbage. If you really think about it I bet there are days where you haven't eaten any!

Detox Week 2 - Revised

This is me...waving the white flag on my 30 day detox. Ok, it's not really me and I am not really giving up, but after my first week, things are going to change. I had a lovely talk with Beth today, whom I miss terribly, and she put some things in perspective for me. First of all she was very proud of what I had accomplished thus far. She said that I probably should have weaned myself off of gluten and sugar rather then quitting cold turkey! So I decided that I am going to give myself some grace here. When I start to have a intense craving for something, I will allow myself to enjoy it. Now I am not talking about a bag of jellybeans, although they do sound yummy (he he). The whole purpose of me doing this was to detox, however, I have been counterproductive in my detox because I have been stressed/obsessed about what I am or are not eating. When it starts consuming you like that there is a problem!! I have to create balance in my life you know?! So the new journey begins. Week 2 Revised detox ;o)

Week 1 of Detox

I have made it through the first week. I have to say, this has been an interesting journey thus far. Like I said before, going gluten free has been the easy part, it's the sugar free that has been the challenge. Sugar is in everything it seems. I have been on a bunch of different websites trying to find homemade snacks I can make to curb my sweet desires and it either has gluten or sugar in it's recipe...Grrr. I tried to make pancakes this morning using rice and coconut flours and they turned out more like biscuits then pancakes, but they ate! I have to admit, part of me really wants to shorten this 30 venture to say, 14 days or so. Humans are such creatures of habit. I just don't like the fact that I can't have what I want even though I know I don't need it. Well, I will move forward for now and we will see how far I get.

Day 3 Detox

I survived day 3 and it was easier then yesterday. I found this awesome recipe for chocolate mousse (or frosting) that is amazing and it has no sugar!! http://chocolatecoveredkatie.com/2012/01/16/chocolate-frosting-shots/

Just to show you that you can survive eating out on this detox, my husband wanted to stop at our favorite pizza place for dinner. I reminded him that I can't eat gluten or sugar and a pizza place wasn't the right option for me. Well, they had red snapper tacos and they served me the fish over roasted spinach, tomatoes and onions!!! Then I had a caesar salad. Not too bad right? Guess I didn't need to throw the fit I did before we got there after all (he he).

Oh, here is a recipe for gluten sugar free muffins that I made too...
http://friskylemon.com/2012/02/14/coconut-flour-morning-glory-muffins/

Day 2 of Detox

Hmmm, today was a little challenging for me...yeah yeah, I realize it's only day 2! I am glad I have some friends doing this with me cause they helped me not succumb to my sugar cravings. Now granted, I don't eat a lot of sugar and what little bit I do eat is healthier than what most people would eat but I do enjoy my sweets. Apparently so much so that I was obsessing over it all day. I decided the grocery store was the devil cause every time I turned around there was something else I couldn't eat. I think at one point my mouth was watering...ok, more than once. I did come to the conclusion that I didn't eat enough so that is probably what caused these cravings. I took my spin class and at one point thought I might die so I definitely need to fuel myself better tomorrow. I have been told there are some yummy gluten and sugar free sweets at a local health food store so I am gonna check it out tomorrow!