It's getting pretty hot here. Summer has definitely arrived! But I'm not going to let that stop me from soaking up the sunshine, in more ways than one!
Today I had a followup appointment with my health practitioner. (You can read about it here). What's new about my regimen? Sunshine!! Yep, that's right. Twice a day, for 20 minutes, I am to "soak up the sunshine." Why? Other than the natural source of Vitamin D, it also has a sauna effect (go figure...in Oklahoma?!). That means that it also helps with those nasty aches and pains. So, even though it's in the upper 90's, I'll be getting me some sunshine.
But, that's not the only reason. I'll also be tending to the garden as it starts to produce it's fruits (or veggies!). I'm a firm believer that any time you can grow/harvest/eat your own food, you are just that much better off. Not only do you get to be the one in charge of how it's cared for (in my case it's non-GMO, no pesticides, no yuck), you also get an upper hand in what you are putting into your body. There are so many things in this world that we can't control. And, believe it or not, it all has an affect on our bodies. So, this is one thing I can do to help my family.
Now for a moment of truth. I actually am not the one doing the gardening. I leave that task up to my guys. But, I certainly enjoy harvesting it and prepping or preserving it when the time comes.
Then again, I actually am doing a bit of gardening. It's just not in the "traditional" sense of the word. I recently bought an indoor tower garden that allows me to grow lots of goodies, right in my kitchen! I'm currently growing a variety of herbs, lettuces, and whatever else I decide to experiment with. I'll be doing another post on this soon! For now, you can check out some info on it here.
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If you've known me or followed me for long, you know that I have dealt a lot with special dietary needs in my family. We are talking 12+ years of personal experience!
To sum it up, my daughter (now 17) was diagnosed with hyperoxaluria when she was just 5 years old. Sadly, no one (not even a dietician) could help me figure out what to feed my daughter. I would go shopping and would literally have tears in my eyes because I didn't know what foods to buy for my child. I was left to do my own research. Sadly, at the time, there really wasn't a lot on the internet about it. It was quite the task! Eventually I was able to pull it all together and had a pretty good idea of what exactly she could and couldn't eat.
Fast forward a few more years and we also found out that she had a lot of food allergies on top of it all. A few years later we found out my husband has MTHFR, then I also tested positive for several food allergies. And that's still just the beginning!
Just this year I found out that I'm also dealing with Lyme Disease, which also comes with it's own special dietary needs. But wait...there's one more thing to really top it all off! My oldest (19 years old) just found out that he is having a hard time with his cells producing the energy his body needs (ATP). Along with this is his lack of being able to process/digest certain proteins, including beef, milk, and egg yolk.
As you can see, I have already had a lot of experience dealing with special dietary needs. And not just one at a time, I have had to learn how to adjust ALL of our needs so that I'm not making 4-5 different meals ever single night. Tricky? Yes! Doable? Absolutely!! Now, my goal is to help you do the same.
I am now a certified health and nutrition life coach. I am ready to take my 12+ years of experience and use them to make this path much easier for you to walk.
What exactly can I do to help?
- suggest ways to incorporate the right fruits a & vegetables into a healthy diet
- offer recipes
- tips for making food from scratch
- how to read labels
- tips for preserving food to cut down on cost and time in the kitchen
- offer support as you navigate your family's special dietary needs
My specialties are:
- Hyperoxaluria
- MTHFR
- Lyme Disease
- Various food allergies (dairy, gluten, sugar, etc)
- as well as learning exactly what it means to support the production of cellular energy (a current work in progress!)
What I offer:
- Basic guidelines for different dietary needs
- Recipes
- Tips for buying in bulk, preserving, & saving money on your grocery bill
- Time saving kitchen tips
- Tips on cooking/baking from scratch
Ready to get started? Just send an email to hello@amandarog.com with the subject "nutrition coaching" and let me know how I can help and I'll give you a layout of what it looks like and the cost involved.
I look forward to helping you walk this path to better health and nutrition for you and your family!
Join our HomeGrown Homestead community—a place where we learn, grow, and share our homesteading journey together, fostering a bond of shared wisdom and experience. (everyone is welcome!)
Step into Lavender & Coffee: A Sip of Serenity, a haven for moms seeking support and community on their journey to fulfilling their roles as wives and mothers with grace and purpose.(for moms only)
If you have followed me for very long, you'll know that I like to focus on nutrition. This is something I've had to do for 12+ years now due to some special dietary needs in my family (more on this later). Today I want to talk a little bit about the importance of aloe vera juice. I recently added it to my daily routine and I absolutely love it!
Just look at all the amazing benefits a good, quality aloe juice can have:
- Antioxidant rich
- Aid and support for digestion
- Helps with body alkalinity
- Hydration for skin
- Liver function
- and potentially so much more!
The particular one I use is formulated with a variety of antioxidant supporting phytonutrients and is made from pure organic Aloe Vera.* It's also made with natural ingredients that aid and support digestion and contains naturally-occuring electrolytes to support cellular function*. It has natural honey that aids to help soothe the stomach and also has natural pear juice to help support energy.* Now that's a great ounce of juice right there! Not to mention that it tastes amazing and is light & sweet. It seriously makes taking care of your gastrointestinal health something you want to do.
One thing I'm learning more and more on my path to natural healing is that if the digestive tract is messed up, the whole body will eventually follow suit. A heathy gut is sooooo important! It allows the body to absorb the nutrients it needs and expel those it doesn't. Aloe Vera is just one of the things I've added to my daily protocol. You can read about my full regimen in "my health journal" on my website.
As with any dietary product, please keep in mind: *These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease.
Join our HomeGrown Homestead community—a place where we learn, grow, and share our homesteading journey together, fostering a bond of shared wisdom and experience. (everyone is welcome!)
Step into Lavender & Coffee: A Sip of Serenity, a haven for moms seeking support and community on their journey to fulfilling their roles as wives and mothers with grace and purpose.(for moms only)
Originally today's post was going to be all about mindset and why it matters. But the truth is, things have been super crazy lately and that means things get a little off balance. That's all okay, because in all reality, the wheel is never fully balanced. It rotates and there will be times one area needs a bit more help than others. For me right now, that area is health.
A week or so ago I was told by a friend about a holistic practitioner in the area. I didn't really think I had anything major to go in for but wanted to get my foot in the door and knew it had been a while since I'd had a good checkup. So I scheduled an appointment. That appointment was today. The news wasn't quite as I expected. I fully thought she'd agree that I'm premenopausal (which she did) and that I have a few gut issues going on. My thought was that it was just "normal" things that a good cleanse could take care of. No biggie.
Though these are all areas that came up, it wasn't necessarily for the reasons I expected. So, what exactly is going on? Lyme Disease. The funny thing is that, though it hadn't really crossed my mind that I had it, I also wasn't super surprised. I live in central Oklahoma and the ticks can be thick at times. So, yes, I've had tick bites before. However, it's been a while so I was surprised that it's something that is just now coming up (which I also found out isn't so uncommon).
What now? Thankfully, since I'm already health-conscious and try to give my body what it needs, this process should go a little faster than the projected 11+ months that it can take.
Step #1 is to open up the drainage system.
Step #2 is to kill off all parasites. Thankfully she said I really don't have a lot to deal with here. That's a big plus!
Step #3 is a series of steps to actually kill off the Lyme Disease.
I'm feeling pretty confident about the action steps we are taking and I can't wait to heal my body from the inside out. It's so important to listen to you bodies and find ways to treat the core issues, not just the symptoms. Like I said above, I felt I needed to go in but not for anything major. But I was also relieved to have the appointment set just to know what all is going on. And you better believe I'm happy that I didn't put it off any longer. Now we can head things off quickly and get my body back to where it needs to be.
As for mindset, well, it plays a part here too...having a positive attitude when healing the body is a must! The results will be so much better when you face things with a positive outlook. Stay tuned for my original blog on why mindset matters...and having a healthy body is just one reason why!
Join our HomeGrown Homestead community—a place where we learn, grow, and share our homesteading journey together, fostering a bond of shared wisdom and experience. (everyone is welcome!)
Step into Lavender & Coffee: A Sip of Serenity, a haven for moms seeking support and community on their journey to fulfilling their roles as wives and mothers with grace and purpose.(for moms only)
In today's society, it seems almost impossible to always be happy...truly happy. There is so much negativity around us, often even within our own homes, that happiness seems to be fleeting and hard to find. I want to take a moment to encourage you to find your path to happiness. But first, let's define happiness according to Merriam Webster Dictionary:
Now, let's take a look at some terrific reasons to be happy:
- Happy people attract happy people. Have you ever noticed that just one bad mood can ruin it for everyone else in the room? The same applies to happiness. One person with a cheerful attitude can help all those around to feel happier. Go ahead, try it and you'll see!
- It can improve your health. There are several studies done on this, and though it is hard to prove, the results clearly show that happiness can improve your overall health. I don't know about you, but I'll take it!
- Lower stress levels. Positive emotions can help to broaden your perspective and encourages new ideas. This can help you keep the stress at bay when you are confronted with, well, anything! Business, home, life...
- More productivity. Those who are happy tend to have better focus and motivation, therefore making them more productive in their tasks, which also means they are more likely to reach their goals.
- Happier people tend to take care of their bodies better, which could also be why they are happier! Nutrition, exercise, mental health...it all works together. If you have a healthy diet and exercise regularly, it helps to produce endorphins, which aid in happiness. Did you know that this is one reason we often crave chocolate? Yep, eating chocolate can help produce those feel-good endorphins. More chocolate please!!
- Better relationships. This takes us back to #1, people enjoy being around happy people. Therefore, it stands to reason that you will have better, healthier relationships with others. We need each other. Being with others is part of what makes us tick (even if you're an introvert like me). So, here's to better relationships and spreading happiness all around
There are many different studies done on this topic and though it isn't fully understood, it's fairly evident that happiness can improve your overall quality of life!
Want some more tips on learning to choose happiness? Check out this link for info on a 21 day happiness challenge.
Join our HomeGrown Homestead community—a place where we learn, grow, and share our homesteading journey together, fostering a bond of shared wisdom and experience. (everyone is welcome!)
Step into Lavender & Coffee: A Sip of Serenity, a haven for moms seeking support and community on their journey to fulfilling their roles as wives and mothers with grace and purpose.(for moms only)
