Since I have been sick and dealing with a sinus infection I have been eating certain foods. The best thing I was able to eat was this wild rice and veggie soup I created. Here is the recipe:

Ingredients:
1 bag of mixed frozen organic veggies
2 cups of veggie stock
2 cups of water
3 garlic cloves
1 small onion chopped
1 cup dry mixed brown and wild black rice
1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
pinch of oregano 
pinch of parsley
pinch of herbs de providence 
pinch of kosher salt
pinch of black pepper


Directions:
-In a small pot, put chopped onion & chopped garlic cloves in with a tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil. 
-Sautee about 3 minutes
-Add the vegetable stock & water
-Add the frozen veggies, cook on med-low
-While you are cooking the veggies and stock, cook the rice in a rice cooker
-When the rice is done cooking add the rice and spices
-Bring to a boil for a minute or two
-Enjoy with some hot sauce or just plain! 

Here are a few of my favorite recipes that are absolutely healthy for during the holiday season! If anyone has any questions about other foods- please feel free to comment below or email me and I will post one of my recipes for it!! Happy Thanksgiving!

Aging is something that is inevitable. We are born, we live, we grow old, we die. There are many ways to make sure that you live longer, don't get diseases, and be healthier overall. In the United States, life expectancy is at an all time high- 77 years of age! That is much higher than the 1900- 40 years of age life expectancy. So here is the breakdown:

One thing you have to be careful of is watching your brain function when you start getting older. There are many different vitamins and minerals that will help the overall function of your brain. Here are the nutrient-brain relationship:

• Short-term memory: Vitamin B12, C, and E
• Performance in problem solving tests: Riboflavin, Folate, Vitamin B12, and Vitamin C.
• Mental Health: Thaimin, Niacin, Zinc, and Folate
• Cognition: Folate, Vitamin B6, Vitamin B12, Iron, and Vitamin E
• Vision (avoid cataracts): essential fatty acids, Vitamin A
• Neurotransmitter synthesis: Tyrosine, Trypotphan, Choline

Taking these supplements or getting them through your food will help your brain function. Dementia and Alzhemier's are a prevalent problem when people start getting older.. are you wondering if you or someone you love is showing signs of dementia? Here is a set of symptoms to watch out for:

• Agitated behavior
• Becoming lost in familiar settings
• Confusion
• Delusions
• Loss of interest in daily activities
• Loss of memory
• Loss of problem-solving skills
• Unclear thinking

If you or someone you love is showing signs of dementia, make an appointment with your doctor quickly. Early detection is a very key factor in treatment.

So if you want to slow the aging process down here are some principals to live by:

1. Make healthy habits- this means regular and adequate amount of sleep every night, regular- well balanced meals, maintain a healthy body weight, regular physical activity, and NO SMOKING
2. Physical activity- having daily physical activity can bring awesome benefits such as better weight control, greater flexibility and endurance, better balance, better overall health, and longer life. Great activities include aerobic, strength training, balance, and flexibility- these can all be down weekly.
3. Restrict caloric intake- (if you usually have 2000 calories a day, drop down to about 1800 or 1500)

Once you reach about 45-50 make sure you are getting the adequate amount of vitamins, minerals, protein, carbohydrates, and fat. Here are the daily requirements:

1. Protein: The CDC recommends that a woman should have 46 grams of protein a day and a man should have 56 grams of protein.
2. Carbohydrates & Fiber: About 180 grams of carbohydrates should be consumed daily. Carbohydrates protect protein from being used as an energy source. Also the daily requirements for Fiber is 25-30 grams daily.
3. Fats: Stay away from trans fats all together. Have unsaturated fats as much as possible- sparingly.
4. Vitamin D: For the ages 51-70, 15 IU per day. For the ages 70 and up, 20 IU per day. This can be achieved by drinking fortified milk- this also gives a healthy dose of calcium.
5. Vitamin B12: 2.4 IU per day is recommended. 
6. Folate: 400 IU per day. 
7. Iron: 8 mg/day 
8. Zinc: Men need 11mg per day and women need 8 mg per day.
9. Calcium: Men need 1000 mg/day and women need 1200 mg/day
10. Water: Women need 8 cups of water per day in order to stay hydrated properly. Men need about 13 cups a day to stay properly hydrated.

Follow the above and you should grow older happy and healthy!

Do you love flavored water? Well making your own flavored water at home can be a really great way to get tons of vitamins and minerals! Here is one of my personal favorite recipes!





Apple & Clove infused water:

What you need:

• 1 Apple
• 2 Cinnamon Sticks
• 1/4 tsp Clove Powder
• 1 tsp of Ginger Root
• 32 oz water
• 1 Pitcher

What you do:

1. Slice you apple
2. Chop up some ginger
3. Fill your pitcher with the apple, cinnamon sticks, clove, and ginger root
4. Add the water on top
5. Put in the refrigerator for 12 hours 
6. Enjoy!!

Here is a short list of ways to deal with cravings. 

• Toss it (Go through your home and throw away or donate the foods you need to stay away from)
• Breath (Very deep breaths when you are craving the wrong foods)
• Bathe (Take relaxing bath or shower)
• Drink (Slowly sip water for about a half hour)
• Meditation (Think about peace, bliss, or healing)
• Visualize (Picture yourself happy and healthy)
• Pause (Before caving in, pause and relax)
• Switch it up (If you crave ice cream- try making your own ice cream at home)
• Get Active (If are having a bad craving- go for a run or a walk)

Good Luck!