staying healthy Archives - Darling Darleen

Staying Healthy During the Cold and Flu Season

Staying Healthy During the Cold and Flu Season

Oh man! School is back in full swing and the temperatures are dropping along with the leaves. I love this time of season, but at the same time the germs are lurking and sick days are in the near future. It’s inevitable with school kids; they are going to get sick! The germs of the world are found in school. So, I like to take certain measures for staying healthy during the cold and flu season. I have found these basic measures to help reduce the chances of getting sick or shorten the duration of the illness. I try to do these often so my children are more responsive and cooperative.

Staying Healthy During the Cold and Flu Season

Hand Washing It’s basic. Everyone knows the importance of hand washing and how it can prevent sickness. Seventh Generation’s premium cleansing hand wash is a go-to in our family. Designed to release essential oils as you wash that kill germs, we also love the scent. I encourage my children to wash their hands right when they get off the bus and right before dinner, also teaching them the importance of washing hands after going to the bathroom, sneezing, coughing. It’s basic stuff, but can easily get ignored.
Sleep! You know that thing called hibernation? Well, just like many mammals, humans need to sleep more during the cold season. It’s natural. Daylight is less, night is more. Embrace sleep. It will keep you and your children from the blahs.

3. Drink Water…with Lemon. Lemon is the best way to boost your immune system and keep the Vitamin C levels high. Lemons have antiseptic, antioxidant and cleansing properties. It has an influence on the body against allergies, colds, flu, fever and strengthening the immune system. Use only real lemons. I make my kids drink lemon water anytime they have the snuffles. They actually love it because we make lemonade with our freshly squeezed organic lemons! I let them add raw honey to their cup, and they just think it is so fun making up their own homemade lemonade, when I’m actually trying to get them better. Check out some other healthy lemonade recipes that my kids love.

4. Keep your surfaces Clean. Make an extra effort to clean your tabletops on a daily basis. Also wipe down your devices, remotes, door handles and even your computer keyboard. How often we forget those items! This is a great way to not spread an illness when one of your family members is sick. I like to use Seventh Generation’s Botanical disinfectant spray because it effectively kills cold and flu viruses with no rinse required. I make sure to store my disinfectant spray in a convenient spot so it’s available to use everyday.

5. If you are sick, stay home! That goes the same with children. If my kids are feeling slightly sick, I really try and keep them home even when it’s inconvenient with my schedule. That gives the body a chance to get better quicker. When my children are home sick, I make an effort to keep their immune system up every hour with essential oils, herbs or lemons. You can read some of my previous posts here, here, here on remedies I use to ward off a sickness.

6. Avoid Touching Your Face. This is a hard one especially for me! I am always nail biting or resting my hand on my chin. During the cold and flu season, its best to try and avoid the constant touching of the face. I tell my children to avoid touching their friends or holding hands or even hugs. Children are the worse at carry germs.

Thank you Seventh Generation for Sponsoring this Post

Health Benefits of Chia Seeds + Favorite Recipes

Health Benefits of Chia Seeds + Favorite Recipes

I am so grateful for mother who taught me at a very young age how to live holistically–using natural healing and herbs and seeds, that we have been blessed so much with, for the benefit and health of our bodies. She was definitely onto something before everyone else was, which she learned from her mother. One of the things my mom did was give us kids chia seeds all the time when I was a child (we are talking in the 80s). She would throw it into tofu pancake batter (I wish she would remember that recipe. It was so good), fruit smoothies, bran muffins. We never knew they were in there! But chia seeds were always a staple in our kitchen. So as an adult, using chia seeds comes very natural. It’s something I take every day. I probably need to be better about sneaking it into my kids pancake batter, though. They need to also reap the health benefits of chia seeds, which are numerous.

One of the health benefits of chia seeds, and what it is most known by, is that it has the highest amount of omega-3’s than any other plant. It has even more omega-3’s than flax seed and salmon! From what my fitness sister tells me is that omega-3’s helps with weight loss and distributing the fat evenly in our bodies. Also omega-3’s is an essential fat that our body must have to help with cell membranes and hormones. So, chia seeds is right up there so make sure you take it every day! Remember to stay natural…it’s better to get your essential needs from real foods instead of a pill or vitamin. Chia seeds is also easier to digest then flax seeds, because they do not need to be ground up to get their full benefit and have a longer shelf life. They are also self sustaining, so that means no GMOs or pesticide. All organic! There are many more benefits to the seeds; protein, fiber, great for diabetics, energy and hydrating. I have an energy chia balls recipe below that are so good to eat in the afternoon when you need a little jump start to finish out the day.

So how should you incorporate chia seeds in your daily diet to reap the health benefits of chia seeds? It’s really quite easy! My mom actually soaks her chia seeds because they are hydrophilic. So she puts them in water for about 10 minutes before using. Or grind them up and put them in baked goods or pancake batter…no one will know! Or use as whole and throw into smoothies, yogurt, drinks, salads, even meat dishes to thicken up. I like to put a tablespoon of chia seeds when I make my overnight oats. You can find my overnight oats recipe over at HDS.

Make an energy drink by putting 2 tablespoons of chia seeds into coconut water or homemade lemonade and letting it sit for 10 minutes. It will become a gel consistency and an energy booster.

One of my favorite desserts is raw pudding it is SO good. I like to make a big batch and then eat it for dessert for the next couple days. Add fruit and you will be loving every bite without the guilty. And you will reap more health benefits of chia seeds.

Raw Chia Seed Pudding

1/4 cup of chia seeds

1 cup of coconut milk or almond milk

1/4 cup (or sweeten to taste) of honey or agave syrup

Add flavors like vanilla, cocoa powder, pureed fruit or citrus juices

Combined all together and stir. Refrigerate for at least 2-3 hours.

Need an afternoon booster? Or a healthy snack on the road? I like to make these chia energy balls and keep them on hand. When I head out the door and know I will be away for a few hours, I take a couple of these energy balls with me. So good, energy and healthy–all in a little ball.

No-Bake Healthy Chia Seed Energy Balls

1 cup oatmeal

2/3 cup unsweetened coconut flakes

1/2 cup almond butter

1 tablespoon of chia seeds

1/2 cup ground flax seed

1/4 cup of honey or agave

handful of cacao bites

Stir all the ingredients until mixed. Cover and chill in the refrigerator for about 20 minutes. Once chilled, roll into 1″ diameter balls. Store in an airtight container in refrigerator. Enjoy up to a week.

Here are chia seeds I recommend.

The Raw Food World

Navitas Natural

Want to see more?

Favorite Afternoon Snack: Apple Slices

Healthy Baking Substitutes

Staying Healthy During the Winter

Tips to Staying Healthy During the Winter

Tips to Staying Healthy During Winter: I am over at How Does She sharing tips on how to stay healthy during the winter. These are tips that come from basic food items that can be found in your kitchen or at your local grocery store. All natural items that have health and prevention benefits. If you know me I have a love for natural healing and have seen the how much it has blessed our house. Not to say we don’t get sick, but we when we are doing these tips we don’t get sick as often…or as long. Come check it out and try a few of the tips!

Check out these other tips:

Natural Remedies for Sick Children