IIN

Three Things Part 2: Tongue Cleaner

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I hope you are enjoying this series! The second item is a tongue cleaner which you can find at most pharmacies and super stores.  I had always heard of brushing your tongue but I had never heard of or even seen a tongue scrapper until I started at IIN.  Once I started using one I found that my cravings were reduced and yes it really does improve kissing!

Tongue Cleaner

The tongue cleaner, an inexpensive yet transformative utensil, is a simple, thin, u-shaped piece of stainless steel. It consists of a blunted edge that removes plaque and build-up from the surface of the tongue. Dentists in America are recommending the tongue cleaner more and more because it helps to fight cavities by removing bacteria from the mouth. The tongue cleaner also prevents bad breath, especially for people who eat a lot of dairy and build up mucus in the mouth, nose, and throat.

The tongue cleaner comes from the tradition of Ayurveda, which asserts that people who use one are better at public speaking, express themselves more thoughtfully, and speak more sincerely and authoritatively. Some people ask if the same effect can be gained by brushing the tongue with a stiff toothbrush. Brushing the tongue moves stuff around and is helpful, but a tongue cleaner is more effective as it clears out the deep deposits and generally keeps the area cleaner, stimulated and alive.

Cravings can be reduced by cleaning the tongue of leftover food. When the mouth can still taste the food, you may experience cravings for previously eaten foods. A tongue cleaner reverses the process of desensitizing your taste buds, which has happened to everyone to a greater or lesser extent. It allows you to taste more subtle flavors in food so that you can eat vegetables, fruits and whole grains with greater joy. When old residue is removed from the tongue, you will be better able to taste your food and won’t need to eat as much since you will have gained greater satisfaction from your meal.

And finally, a big advantage is that it enhances kissing because it makes the tongue more sweet, fresh and sensitive. If you are in a relationship, we invite you to check this out with your partner. Make an agreement to scrape twice a day for one week, and notice the difference.

Directions:

  • Apply a few quick strokes, 2-3 times a day, or after brushing your teeth
  • Use the rounded cleaning edge to scrape gently down the tongue several times, while applying slight pressure
  • Rinse under running water and gently scrape again until no white residue is left
  • There should be no pain or gagging involved whatsoever—if you feel any discomfort, you are probably scraping too hard or starting too far back on the tongue. And if you are wondering what those bumps are at the back of your tongue, they are your salivary glands and they are supposed to be there. If you found them you’ve gone too far.
© 2010 Integrative Nutrition 5/10

To learn more about my health coaching visit my site http://gethealthywithlindsay.com/

 

Three Things Part 1: Hot Water Bottle

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Over the next three posts I am going to reveal three wonderful (inexpensive) things that are great for your health.  When I first heard about these three things during my program at IIN I was skeptical and couldn’t really understand how three simple things could really change your life and improve your health, but they really DO work.  It is amazing how small changes can have such a large impact on us.

The first of these three things is a hot water bottle.  Yes you know those big oddly shaped bags that you fill with hot water that you have probably seen in old movies and cartoons.  It sounded a little crazy to me too at first but the benefits are really wonderful and they are inexpensive too.

Fill it with hot water from the sink. The water bottle will stay warm for up to 2 hours.

Use it to:

  • Relax particular muscles or use for the entire body
  • Deliver nurturing comfort to enable a deep state of relaxation

Try using the hot water bottle on:

  • The feet for warmth
  • The back for strain
  • The lower abdomen for cramps
  • The abdomen for digestion and relaxation of body and mind

Additional Uses:

  • To combat illness: use as a warm, soothing companion to help you through flu, chills, and aches.
  • To ease menstrual cramps: a hot water bottle on the abdomen brings pain relief and soothing comfort.
  • As a bed warmer: a warm hot water bottle placed in your bed makes for a cozy sleep, especially on cold winter nights.
  • To ease arthritic pain: a natural, moist heat therapy for arthritic pain relief, especially great for hands.
  • To calm children: a warm cuddly companion to provide a calm secure feeling when children are ill or upset.
  • As a traveling companion: take it with you on trips to comfort you – no electricity needed.
  • To calm your pet: placed under a blanket, a warm hot water bottle soothes puppies in new surroundings — it provides warmth and security and calms them down.
  • To encourage restful sleep: to help you sleep after a high-stress day, lie down with a hot water bottle on your stomach, close your eyes and breathe deeply, so the bottle rises and falls. Many people carry a lot of tension there and the weighted heat releases it. Try it!
© 2010 Integrative Nutrition 5/10

To learn more about my health coaching visit my site http://gethealthywithlindsay.com/

 

 

Mastering The Art of Snacking

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There’s no denying that everyone, at one time or another, has had a snack attack. Views on snacking differ.
Some feel that snacking is bad and that eating between meals leads to weight gain. Others believe that eating
many small meals and snacks throughout the day is healthy for maintaining energy levels and optimal weight. If there were one way of snacking that was right for everyone, we would all be doing it!

To alleviate snack attack guilt, try to understand why you are snacking and what snacks work best for your body. Perhaps you snack because your daily diet is missing nutrition, or because you are eating too little at meals. You might be snacking to soothe jangled nerves when you are emotional, or to entertain yourself when you are bored. Whatever your reason, acknowledge it and start thinking about how to create a life that is nourishing and truly satisfying.

Although snacks are no substitute for loving your life, they can be great energy boosters. Many convenient snack foods are highly processed and full of chemicals, additives, damaging fats and refined sugars. When a snack attack hits you, try foods that are filling and satisfying, but also nutritious. Here are some tips:

  • Snack on things that don’t come in a plastic wrapper or a box, like fresh fruit, leftover vegetables or rice
  • cakes with almond butter and fruit spread.
  • Make your own signature trail mix, organic hot chocolate made with almond milk sweetened with agave nectar, or blue corn chips with hummus.

You can also try “upgrading”:

  • If you are craving something crunchy, upgrade from potato chips to raw carrots, apples or whole grain
  • crackers.
  • If you are craving a candy bar, upgrade to a handful of nuts and dried fruit.
  • Instead of a cup of coffee, upgrade to green tea.
  • Instead of ice cream, upgrade to applesauce with cinnamon.

Upgraded snacks are high in nutrition and give you a greater sense of satiety and satisfaction; you won’t feel
physically or psychologically deprived, and you’ll have plenty of energy to sustain your activities for hours.

Snacking is enjoyable and there is a wide variety of healthful goodies for whatever you’re craving, be it sweet,
crunchy, salty, creamy or spicy. Dive in, be creative and enjoy your snack attack.

© 2010 Integrative Nutrition 5/10

Wellness Wednesday…err Thursday

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Deconstructing Cravings

The body is an amazing source of intelligence. It is always there for you, pumping blood, never skipping a heartbeat, digesting whatever food you put in it and maintaining homeostasis. Is this reliable, intelligent bio- computer making a mistake by craving ice cream or a hamburger or chocolate? Are cravings due to lack of will- power or discipline? I’d like to suggest that cravings are not a problem. They are critical pieces of information that tell you what your body needs.

The important thing is to understand why you crave what you crave. Perhaps your diet is too restrictive or devoid of essential nutrients. Perhaps you are living a lifestyle that is too boring or stressful. Your body tries to
correct the imbalance by sending you a message: a craving. A craving for something sweet could mean you
need more protein, more exercise, more water or more love in your life. The key to stopping the sugar craving is to understand and deliver what your body really needs.

No book or theory can tell you what to eat. Only awareness of your body and its needs can tell you. Of all the
relationships in our lives, the one with our body is the most essential. It takes communication, love and time to
cultivate a relationship with your body. As you learn to decipher and respond to your body’s cravings, you will
create a deep and lasting level of health and balance.

The next time you have a craving, treat it as a loving message from your body instead of a weakness. Try these
tips to respond to your body:

  • Have a glass of water and wait 10 minutes.
  • Eat a healthier version of what you crave. For example, if you crave sweets, try eating more fruit and sweet or root vegetables.
  • What is out of balance in your life? Is there something you need to express, or is something being repressed? What happened in your life just before you had this craving?
  • When you eat the food you are craving, enjoy it, taste it, savor it; notice its effect. Then you will become more aware and free to decide if you really want it next time.

© 2010 Integrative Nutrition 5/10

It’s Official….

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I have finally completed my Holistic Health Counseling program at the Institute for Integrative Nutrition. I aced my final test, completed all my requirements and am officially Lindsay Ingalls, HHC, AADP (Board certified by the American Association of Drugless Practitioners). The day has been spent celebrating with wonderful friends and I am ready for bed! Goodnight!

Check out my Health Counseling Website!

Learning To Juggle

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Since the holidays I have been keeping busy working on a number of new projects for the blog and my health counseling; this, on top of attempting to have a social life and work my regular job as well. I am happy to say that after this Friday things should get back to their regular pace and I will have a number of really great blog posts coming at you. For now, here is a sneak peak into what I have been working on lately:

Health Counseling

I have been working hard at completing my modules as well as taking time to market myself.  I have contacted a number of businesses about doing nutrition and wellness workshops which I hope will start up in February/March.  I also have been working, rather the Hubz has been working on getting my website for my health counseling business (Health and Wellness with Lindsay) up and running

My health counseling brochure:

Vegan Cookbook Club

I am proud to say that the Vegan Cookbook Club is up and running and we have an number of participants for our first book Veganomicon. The start date for Book #1 is Jaunary 16th so if you are interested in participating please contact me.


Ebook #2

I have been working hard at creating recipes for my second ebook and with the help from my really amazing and dedicated testers it should be released the first week of February; one month ahead of schedule.  There will be 25-30 recipes in this e-book featuring brunch, lunch & dinner recipes for the whole family.

Cook.Vegan.Lover. Survey

I have been spending time (when I have it) to go over the results of the Cook.Vegan.Lover. Survey in preparation to write a blog post discussing the results and the improvements that you will see on Cook.Vegan.Lover.  You will not be seeing any huge changes but rather I will be attempting to improve what is already here.  I really appreciate the open and honest feedback from all of you because it helps me to be a better blogger.