A lot of doctors prescribe synthetic hormones for hormone related problems.  After researching various sources through the years, I decided I would never use synthetic hormones myself.  I do use a natural hormone cream, though, natural  compounded progesterone to be exact.  My doctor gave me a prescription for it last year to help correct estrogen dominance that was causing me a lot of problems.  She had been through a lot of the same things I was experiencing and so she prescribed for me what she used herself.  And it made a huge difference and really helped to alleviate my problems.

I wish I had known about natural progesterone cream back when I was having PMS for one week or longer every month during perimenopause.    There are a lot of problems caused by estrogen dominance and natural progesterone helps to correct that imbalance in hormones.

If you’ve ever had a problem with PMS, then you can relate to feeling miserable during that time.  Some people refer to it as “pretty mean syndrome,” but I prefer “pretty miserable syndrome.”  True, irritabilty is often a symptom of it.  But a girl can feel miserable from PMS and not be mean.   The symptoms include but are not limited to the following:  backache, headache, bloating and weight gain,  anxiety, depression, food cravings such as chocolate (yum), cramps, fatigue, insomnia, water retention, mood swings, and the already mentioned irritability…sometimes major irritability.  I’m sure our family members can attest to these!  LOL   But for the poor gal experiencing a multiplicity of these symptoms, relief is sometimes hard to find and it’s just a matter of enduring until the symptoms pass.  There are some natural helps out there, though.  I’ve received some natural PMS relief samples that I plan to use which I think will be very helpful from what I’ve read.

The number of people in our country who are allergic to peanuts is increasing.  There are 1 1/2 million people in the U.S. who are highly allergic to peanuts.  Often when people are allergic to peanuts they are allergic to other legumes as well, including soy.

One thing that may be adding to the rise in numbers of allergic people is the fact that roasting peanuts changes the protein structure and causes them to be harder to digest.  Food allergies can result in hives or breathing problems, can cause a person to be sick at their stomach or have stomach pain, or can cause severe problems.

I’m not allergic to peanuts, but I have had an allergic reaction to soy nuts in the past which caused a terrible case of hives.  So if you even slightly suspect an allergy, stay away from whatever you think is causing the reaction and see if that helps.

Green drinks (and dark green veggies too) are so healthy for people. And a lot of people do enjoy them. We have a fantastic grocery store called Central Market that concentrates on organics and healthy foods a lot more than the average grocery store. (and it’s actually fun to shop there) I always get fresh-made juice there every time I go. One of my favorites is spinach, carrot, celery and apple. I feel better after I drink it and my stomach feels good because of the PH balance the juice created and also because of the fresh enzymes. I was just visiting Jude’s site, The Beauty Denominator, and read a great article on “The PH Miracle Diet and Green Drinks.” Click here if you’d like to know more about green drinks.

I’ve been reading about a disease called “popcorn lung” recently. It has been the subject of lawsuits by hundreds of workers at food factories where they use chemicals for the butter flavoring on microwave popcorn. The Flavor and Extract Manufacturers Association even issued a statement this week recommending reduction of diacetyl “to the extent possible” in flavorings they make. Diacetyl is approved for use in flavors by the federal Food and Drug Administration. But I don’t care what they say, if hundreds of workers are having problems then that sends up a red flag. Even though companies are planning to discontinue using it over the next year, I’m concerned about all the workers and all the consumers. We like air popped popcorn with extra virgin olive oil the best, so we rarely eat microwave popcorn. Maybe more people will start using air poppers again.  Click here to read more.

There are several different lists of healthy foods. This is one of them:

1) Blueberries – brain food, helps lower cholestrol, rich in fiber, highest antioxidant rating of any fruit

2) Guava – high fiber, 2nd to blueberries in antioxidants, contains cancer fighting lycopene

3) Kale – contains potent cancer fighting indoles, Vitamin K (great for bones), highest antioxidant of any veggie

4) Sardines – rich in omega-3 fats, least contaminated of any seafood

5) Apples – one of best sources of boron (great for bones), contains pectin (great fiber)

6) Virgin Coconut Oil – no trans fat, provides energy, contains natural anti-viral & anti-microbal properties

7) Green Tea – helps fight cancer, helps weight loss

8) Flaxseed Oil – contains omega-3 fats, has anti-cancer properties

Click here to read more.

This 100% whole-food vitamin is enzymatically active and contains the following ingredients:

*Barley Grass (excellent source of vitamins B12, E, C & minerals)

*Wheat Grass (contains virtually every nutrient known)

*Amla (great source of whole vitamin C)

*Green Tea Catechins (well known antioxidant)

*Spiruline (vegetarian protein, richest source of vitamin B-12 found in nature)

*Chorella (rich in minerals, chlorophyll, antioxidents, & carotenoids)

*Blue Green Algae (high in vitamin B & amino acids)

*Broccoli (source of vitamins, minerals, fatty acids & amino acids)

*Kamut Grass (source of amino acids, fatty acids, vitamins & minerals)

*Carrot Juice (“almost the perfect food,” containing vitamins, minerals, fatty acids, amino acids & antioxidants)

*Sea Kelp Powder (excellent source of minerals)

*Betatene (isolated from sea algae, rich in the 5 carotenoids found in fruits and also in yellow & dark green leafy vegetables)

(This is not a paid ad.)

Extra Virgin Olive Oil (EVOO) is a must in my kitchen.  I use it every day.  We first started using it several years ago to help lower my husband’s borderline cholesterol, which by the way is doing great.  I use it to cook, to saute, to season vegetables, as a salad dressing, or to drizzle on garlic toast.  I pour some in a dipping dish, top with freshly ground pepper and it’s great for bread.

It also tastes really good to drizzle it on air popped popcorn and add a little sea salt.  In fact, we miss it if we eat popcorn without it.  The olive oil gives the popcorn a different kind of buttery taste that is delicious!

I recently bought a can of Organic Black Beans.  The can had the seal “USDA Organic” on the front of it, so I assumed the beans were grown here in the US.   When I looked at the date on the bottom of the can to check the shelf life of the beans, I noticed the words “Product of China.”  I was greatly surprised.   From reading some articles I learned that we really don’t know where a lot of our food comes from.   Most cans do not give that information.  Instead, they’ll say, “Distributed by…”   After hearing about food, toothpaste, defective tires, etc, coming from China that are not safe, I find myself wanting to avoid things from China.  I’m still reading and researching, though, to find out more information.