Wake up and smell the keto and paleo friendly coffee! Grass-fed ghee, coconut oil and MCT oil are combined to create a nutrient dense, delicious morning cup of coffee. Simply blend up a fresh cup of coffee with one drop for a smooth and creamy treat to fuel your day.
Keto Coffee Drops
Ingredients:
1/4 cup MCT Oil
1/2 cup Grass-fed Ghee
1/2 cup Coconut Oil
1/2 tsp. Ground cinnamon, optional
1/2 tsp. Vanilla extract, optional
1 pinch Salt, optional
Directions:
To make the drops: Add MCT oil, ghee and coconut oil to a small pot and melt over medium heat. Add ground cinnamon, vanilla and salt. Whisk until well combined. Pour melted mixture into ice cube molds and freeze until solid. Store in an air-tight container in the refrigerator.
To make the coffee: Brew a fresh cup of coffee and place in one drop. Blend with an immersion blender until drop has completely melted. If you do not have an immersion blender, pour coffee into a blender, place in one drop and blend until melted.
One of the benefits of choosing organic produce, is knowing it was grown without synthetic pesticides or herbicides which are used in conventional farming to reduce or eliminate the detrimental effects of pests, whether they’re of the plant or insect variety. Additionally, anything organic is also free of GMOs, or genetically modified organisms. If you’re looking to avoid pesticides in your diet, read on!
Every year, the Environmental Working Group tests over 35,000 samples of produce in order to discover how much pesticide residue is present on certain fruits and vegetables. They create a list of the produce that has the most and least pesticide residues on them.
Conventional Produce
When conventionally grown, these fruits and veggies have the least amount of pesticides on them:
Avocados
Sweet corn
Pineapples
Cabbages
Onions
Sweet peas
Papayas
Asparagus
Mangoes
Eggplants
Honeydews
Kiwis
Cantaloupes
Cauliflower
Broccoli
Organic Produce
Avoiding pesticides? These fruits and veggies are great organic options. Their conventionally grown counterparts had the highest amounts of pesticides on them. Start with these options:
Strawberries
Spinach
Nectarines
Apples
Grapes
Peaches
Cherries
Pears
Tomatoes
Celery
Potatoes
Sweet Bell Peppers
Did you know?
We think of the organic food movement as something recent, but really, it began in the 1940s as a response to the introduction of high-yield varieties and the use of pesticides.
Before you make any changes to your diet, be sure to consult your physician because every body needs something different!
The Paleo diet is pretty simple—eat like early humans from the Paleolithic period. Grains are omitted because humans didn’t start cultivating them until about 10,000 years ago, significantly more recent than the Paleolithic era. Vegetables, fruits, nuts and seeds, as well as lean meat, poultry, fish and seafood are all a part of the basic Paleo diet.
What Not to Eat on a Paleo Diet
Besides grains, like wheat, barley, oats, etc., what else will you want to avoid while eating Paleo? Beans and potatoes are out for similar reasons to grains. Although, many people include sweet potatoes but not white potatoes in the Paleo diet. Similarly, dairy and processed sugars are not a part of the Paleo diet either. Of course, processed foods aren’t permissible. But don’t worry, this still leaves lots of delicious foods for you to enjoy!
Paleo Diet Benefits
One of the great benefits of the Paleo diet is boosting the amount and variety of your daily fruit and veggie intake which naturally increases the amount of nutrients and anti-oxidants you’re getting. Sugar has been linked to many health issues, eliminating it from your diet is another plus of going Paleo.
Ready to delve deeper?
We have more paleo-related resources on our website!
Written by blogger Cheryl Malik at 40 aprons.com, the article How to Go Paleo touches on topics like creating a Paleo recipe bank, getting support while starting your new routine and stocking your pantry for your new Paleo endeavor. In Stocking a Paleo Pantry, Cheryl hands you your Paleo shopping list for those must-have in Paleo planning. She even wrote about her Top Paleo Products at Sprouts.
In the article What is Paleo? you’ll learn more about the nutritional value of the fruits and veggies, as well as great snacks and a recipe for grilled lamb chops!
Another great resource for planning your Paleo shopping list is Top Five Paleo Substitutions by our blogger friend, Emily Sunwell-Vidarri, at RecipesToNourish.com. She explores substitutions for fats, baking ingredients, non-dairy milks, natural sweeteners and even rice on the Paleo diet plan.
Did you know? Despite the fact that the Paleo diet is trending now, it was actually developed by a gastroenterologist named Walter Voegtlin in the 1970s!
Simply put, the keto diet is a low-carb diet similar to the Atkins diet. Also known as a ketogenic diet, the keto diet works on the concept that your body loses weight more efficiently when it burns fat for fuel instead of carbs or sugar. To better understand the process, we’ll need to explore ketones and ketosis.
What are ketones and ketosis?
Ketones, also called ketone bodies, are chemicals produced in the liver. A product of your body breaking down fat for energy, ketones are produced when there is a limited amount of glucose (used for energy) available for your body to use. Ketosis is a result of the body using ketones in the blood for energy rather than the body using glucose as an energy source—the usual method of fueling your body.
The Keto Diet Plan
The key to the keto diet is jumpstarting ketosis by limiting carbs and eating good-for-you fats to burn instead—putting your body in a state of ketosis. Naturally, burning fat for fuel allows you to lose weight.
Fats
Over the last few years, the taboo on fat has been lifted. The keto diet focuses on healthy fats from oils, nuts and seeds, cooking fats and dairy products. Examples of ketogenic fats and oils include butter or ghee (a clarified butter), sesame oil, olive oil and MCT oil, among others. Nuts and seeds with lower net carb counts include almonds, walnuts and pumpkin seeds (also known as pepitas). Macadamia nuts and pecans are the two with the lowest carb counts, making them a great choice for your keto menu.
Dairy
Dairy is another acceptable form of fat allowed on the keto diet. Like the oils, nuts and seeds, you’ll want to keep an eye on the net carbohydrate count of the dairy you choose. Swiss, Brie, goat and cream cheeses are great sources of dairy fat to consider in your keto meal plan, as is sour cream for toppings.
Proteins
Where possible, opt for grass-fed and organic proteins. Grain-fed meats and dairy are higher in nutrients than those that are conventionally farmed. When choosing beef, look for cuts with a higher fat content, like ground beef, steak and roast. Similarly, look for fish with a high healthy-fat content like salmon and mackerel. Proteins to avoid on keto include processed meats like deli meat and hot dogs.
Carbohydrates
You’ll want to limit your carbohydrates while eating keto. Instead of getting carbs from grains, rice and starches like potatoes, you’ll incorporate lower-carb veggies and fruits. Think of leafy greens and those vegetables that grow above ground, like broccoli, cauliflower and asparagus.
What Not to Eat on a Keto Diet
There are some things you’ll need to avoid eating, in order to keep your body in ketosis. Processed carbs, sugars and fried food are good to avoid in any healthy diet. For keto, you’ll also omit grains, sugar, legumes (like beans and lentils), starchy vegetables and certain high-carb fruits.
Before you make any changes to your diet, be sure to consult your physician because everybody needs something different!Did you know? Popular in the 1920s and ‘30s, the ketogenic diet was originally developed to help treat epilepsy.
It’s okay if FODMAP sounds like an unusual made-up word to you—it is. An acronym, FODMAP stands for Fermentable Oligosaccharides, Disaccharides, Monosaccharides and Polyols. What do all those fermentable substances have in common? They’re all short-chain carbohydrates.
Found in many common foods, FODMAPS can be a problem for some people because they are not well-absorbed by their small intestine. When a person, who has this intolerance, eats a food high in FODMAPs, the food that was poorly absorbed in the small intestine travels into the large intestine where it becomes an extra food source for the gut bacteria there. For some people, these short-chain FODMAP carbs can cause digestive disorders.
A Low-FODMAP Diet
A low-FODMAP diet is often recommended by a health professional who recognizes their patient may be experiencing symptoms caused by eating these FODMAPs. On a low-FODMAP diet, you avoid those foods that contain the fermentable carbohydrates. To make it easy, we’ll break it down by letters!
The O in FODMAP refers to oligosaccharides which can be found in high amounts in the following foods:
Artichokes
Asparagus
Broccoli
Brussels sprouts
Dried fruit
Garlic
Onion
Inulin
Lentils
Beans
Soy beans
Split peas
Cashews
Pistachios
Barley
Rye
Wheat
The D in FODMAP refers to disaccharides, or lactose, which can be found in high amounts in the following foods:
Milk (cow, goat and sheep)
Buttermilk
Custard
Ice cream
Yogurt
Evaporated milk
Milk powder
The M in FODMAP refers to monosaccharides which can be found in high amounts in the following foods:
Apples
Figs
Peaches
Pears
Watermelon
The P in FODMAP refers to polyols which can be found in in high amounts in the following foods:
Apples
Apricots
Cherries
Nectarines
Pears
Peaches
Prunes
Watermelon
Avocado
Cauliflower
Mushrooms
Snow peas
Sorbitol
Mannitol
Xylitol
Isomalt
High-fructose corn syrup
Low-FODMAP vs. Gluten-Free
At first glance, it may seem like a low-FODMAP diet is similar to a gluten-free diet because they both avoid wheat, barley and rye. Gluten is the protein present in those three grains which is why they’re avoided on a gluten-free diet. Wheat, barley and rye also contain fructans, a source of the oligosaccharides carbs that are to be avoided in a low-FODMAP diet.
Need a thoughtful and creative holiday gift? Look no further than these DIY gift baskets that your friends and family will love!
It can be hard to pick out the perfect gift during the holiday rush. A gift basket made by you is a thoughtful, practical and personalized gift that any friend or family member will cherish. Follow this gift guide for easy, DIY bundle ideas created by our friends at A Baker’s House, Fit Foodie Le, Jason Sani, One Lovely Life, and Zen & Spice!
Sometimes, it’s hard to shop for that special man in your life. This present falls just under $100 and is filled with necessities he’ll be using all year.
Ingredients:
Kal Stevia
Lakanto Monk Fruit Sweetener
EO Deodorant Spray
Nutrasumma Growth Hormone Balance
Emerald Men’s Multivitamin
Gaiam Strength and Flexibility Bands (in-store only)
What do you give someone who always seems to give you their all? Emily from One Lovely Life makes sure she gifts something that makes holiday hosting and entertaining even easier!
Supplies:
Assortment of chocolate bars
Assortment of holiday teas
Vineyard Naturals Wassail Candle (in-store only)
Sillycow Farms Hot Chocolate Mix
Mrs. Meyer’s Hand Soap
Pistachios, from the Bulk Department, place in a bag
Like eating, drinking and breathing, sleeping is a basic human need. When put in those terms, the importance of sleep takes on new meaning, becoming part of the foundation of good health. After all, most of us assume missing some shut eye is no big deal. From time to time, that may true, but ongoing poor sleep can take its toll on your health.
Good vs. Bad: How Sleep Affects Health
Sleeping provides your body an opportunity to restore balance to many of its systems. For example, your body works to repair your heart and blood vessels while you sleep. That’s why chronic sleep deficiency can be linked to stroke, high blood pressure and heart disease.
Sleep also helps to maintain balance of the hormone insulin and the hormones that regulate appetite. Missing out on dreamtime can affect your body’s ability to maintain healthy blood sugar levels, which is why it’s linked to an increased risk for diabetes. Likewise, those not getting enough sleep may struggle with their appetite and put on weight.
Good sleep also helps to maximize problem-solving skills and enhance memory. That’s because while you sleep, your brain is forming new neural pathways to help you learn and remember information. The opposite is true if you’re not getting enough quality sleep. You may have trouble remembering things, problem solving or controlling your emotions.
Here are some tips for getting a good night’s sleep:
Avoid caffeine late in the day
Maintain a regular sleep schedule
Create a daily exercise regime
Start winding down an hour before bed
Strive for an ideal sleep environment: dark (try a blackout shade) and cool (ideal is 65°—though your ideal may differ)
Routine! Try a hot shower or bath before bed (discover the reason this works in our article The Science of Serenity)
Sometimes, even with good sleep habits, you might need help getting better sleep. Check out our article Getting a Good Night’s Sleep where you’ll learn about valerian root, essential oils and other supplements to help you sleep.
Sleep is as important to our health as eating, drinking and breathing (check out The Importance of Sleep to find out more). So, when you’re having trouble getting enough, you might turn to a supplement for help. Here are some of the herbs you’ll want to look for in your natural sleep aid.
Valerian Root
Valerian, or Valeriana officinalis, is a tall, flowering grassland plant. It’s been used for its mild sedative effect since the time of ancient Greece and Rome. Because of its ability to help you fall asleep more quickly and sleep better once you’re there, you’ll find valerian root in many sleep supplements.
GABA
Gamma-aminobutyric acid is a neurotransmitter that’s naturally produced in the brain. Its job is to reduce the activity of neurons in the brain and central nervous system. The effects of GABA include increased relaxation, a calming and balancing effect on mood, as well as reduce stress. So, for those of us with an overactive bedtime brain, GABA quiets our minds for better rest.
5-HTP
An amino acid, 5-HTP stands for 5-Hydroxytryptophan. Like GABA, 5-HTP is something that your body makes naturally. It’s used in the production of serotonin which is also a precursor to melatonin. Imbalances in both melatonin and serotonin are linked to sleep disorders.
Melatonin
A hormone produced mainly in the pineal gland, melatonin is an important player in the regulation of your sleep-wake cycle. Usually, your body makes more melatonin at night and levels drop off when you wake. This is why some sleep formulas will have small amounts of Melatonin to support a restful night’s sleep.
Try these supplements for a better night’s sleep:
Sleep Rejuvenation™ from Source Naturals
Rescue Plus Sleep Gummy with Melatonin from Nelson Bach
Tranquil Sleep from Natural Factors
Sleep from Youtheory
Deep Sleep® from Herbs, etc.
Essential Oils for Sleep
Aromatherapy is a type of alternative medicine that relies on your powerful sense of smell. When inhaled, essential oils stimulate the olfactory senses and also interact with the respiratory system and brain, especially that part of the brain called the limbic system. Certain essential oils help to promote rest and relaxation, making them a great addition to your good-night’s-rest tool kit.
Sleep by Everyone Essential Oils
Peaceful Sleep from Now® Essential Oils
Pillow Potion by Aura Cacia
Homeopathics for Sleep
Homeopathy is based on the concept that “like cures like” and that your body is designed to cure itself. Homeopathic remedies are designed to help stimulate that healing process. Here are some products specifically formulated to help you get a better night’s sleep:
The basics of the Paleo diet are pretty simple, but having some tried-and-true recipes in your back pocket help ensure your success at staying on track with your healthy choices. We’ve gathered some of our faves that are sure to become some of yours!
Breakfast
Always a plus, both of these breakfasts can be made ahead. The Ham-n-Egg cups are an easy traditional take on breakfast. The chia pudding is packed with nutrients, plus the MCT oil will help keep you going!
Ham-n-Egg CupsPaleo Chia Seed Pudding with MCT Oil
Paired with greens of your choice, these three recipes make for easy weeknight dinners. The salmon cakes can be made ahead and reheated making them a good choice for planned-overs. Leftover steak could be added to a dinner-sized salad tomorrow. Endless, easy possibilities!
Oven Roasted ChickenJalapeño Grilled New York SteakPaleo Salmon Cakes
Get inspired and gift tasty treats everyone will love this season!
Gluten-Free Christmas Cracker Candy
A deliciously addictive holiday treat made with chocolate covered crackers and a variety of festive toppings.
Recipe provided by Mary Ellen at MilkandHoneyNutrition.com
Perfectly spiced cookies with cloves, cinnamon, ginger and cardamom. These are perfect for gifts, parties or simply enjoyed as an afternoon treat.
Recipe provided by Shashi at SavorySpin.com
Vegan treats are easy with these thumbprint cookies filled with pear-ginger jam and decorated with a dried piece of ginger.
Recipe provided by Haley at BrewingHappiness.com
You can’t go wrong with peanut butter dipped in chocolate. Perfect for anyone who is keto, gluten-free, or vegetarian.
Recipe provided by Cheryl at 40Aprons.com
Buttery shortbread cookies with crunchy peppermint and almonds dipped in chocolate. What more do you need in a dessert?
Recipe provided by Andrea at BeautifulEatsandThings.com
Create your new favorite holiday treat. Chocolate sandwich cookies are filled with a naturally-colored peppermint frosting.
Recipe provided by Kaylee at LemonsandBasil.com