Author Archives: Becky Hastings

About Becky Hastings

I am a wife, a mom, a grandmother. I am passionate about Jesus and health - the two are intricately woven - and I am passionate about helping others who desire to learn more about both.

Detox for Beginners

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drinking waterOne of the easiest things you can do to assist your body in the detox process is to drink a large glass of water immediately upon rising in the morning.  It is important to drink the best quality water available. I do not have the definitive answer about which water is best, as I have read about reverse osmosis, alkaline, various filters, spring water, etc.  One simple idea that might be the most effective and economical is treating your own water with lemon or wheat grass.

So, begin to make it a habit.  Every morning make it easy for yourself to access a large glass of water and drink it down – and then wait at least 20 minutes before eating anything!

Water and food.  This is a simple practice which most people are completely unaware of. It becomes critically important for anyone who struggles with chronic heartburn and takes antacids.  Try this practice for three weeks and see if you notice any difference.  Of course, the quality and quantity of food you ingest will also play a significant role, but this is something easy to start experimenting with.  You are a scientist and your body and your intake are your testing ground.

As we get older we need to facilitate our digestion and nutrient absorption in every way possible.  One important way to do this is to avoid drinking with meals.  Drink water 20 minutes before a meal and wait at least 20 minutes after your meal to quench any thirst you might have.

I realize this is quite counter cultural.  In restaurants the first thing they take is your drinks order.  When you are invited to a meal at a friend’s house, everyone shares drinks before the meal.  Every time I ask for nothing I receive at least two more questions and some strange looks: ‘you’re not going to have anything?’  Now in restaurants it is probably also about the size of the bill and the anticipated tip.  Every waitron knows that the drinks portion of the bill can push the total much higher and they look forward to a correspondingly higher tip!  For me it’s not about the money, it’s about how to facilitate my digestion and get the most out of my food.  My aim is to live vibrantly throughout my whole life!  I do not take for granted my current health, but seek to daily invest in my future health!

So sometimes I will ask for a glass of water and enjoy the pre-dinner conversation while my glass remains full!

Detox or Not? 

Great Ways to Detoxify

Rationing Onions

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I never thought I would be so careful with my onion usage!

I caught myself thinking, ‘I’ll use ¼ of an onion in hash browns so that I can still have a lot left for another dish.’

onionWhat is happening to me???

Eating organic in the USA is changing the way I prepare food, and the way I think about vegetables!  Since one organic onion costs approximately $1 from my local grocery store, I have learned to use as many layers as possible and think about how to share it among meals!

Another way of stretching organic value is to use every part of every organic vegetable that I purchase.  No throwing away the broccoli stalks anymore! Broccoli stalks and cauliflower stalks can be cut up and lightly sautéed with coconut oil or saved to go in the morning green smoothie!  No peeling ginger, why waste any part?  Cauliflower leaves? Chop em up!  Outside leaves of the organic cabbage that was a cool $4??  Chop it fine, no more waste from this girl!

Brown spot on bananas?  Into the frozen fruit tub for smoothies… Mushy bits of strawberries? The same.  In fact sometimes I even freeze strawberries whole with the green bits still on!

“Don’t throw anything away!”  Is my new battle cry to my family!

I even eat organic apple cores, as long as there is no fungus, and while other members of the family might not take my new ideas this far, when they leave a cut out apple core on the cutting board – it goes into the frozen fruit tub for smoothies!

Don’t tell me you can’t afford organic – think about ways to prioritize organic and don’t waste any!  Reduce expenses in other areas by making your own and by organic so you send a financial message – LOUD AND CLEAR – to retailers and big agro that you won’t buy non-organic! Another reason to choose organic produce is because in nutrient analysis organic fruit and vegetables score significantly higher than their non-organic counterparts.  Buying organic is about what you AREN’T getting – pesticides and herbicides – but it is also about what you ARE getting – more bio available nutrients for you money!  You also have the added satisfaction of supporting a local brave farmer!

If finances are really tight, buy the clean fifteen, but always buy organic of the dirty dozen!  Thanks to the Environment Working Group for keeping on top of this information.

 

Diets Don’t Work

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apple in waterMost of us have come to the realization that diets and self-deprivation don’t work, therefore it is important to create a relationship with food that is nourishing and pleasurable!

Experts estimate that 75% of overeating is caused by emotions!

However, not all overweight people are necessarily overeating right now.  Many have developed yo-yo dieting patterns and even when they strictly control their intake, their body refuses to let go of the fat they are desperate to lose.

Most times we have no idea about the emotions behind our eating choices.

Stress is another significant factor that can sabotage your best attempts in pursuing healthy eating habits and other healthy disciplines.

Personalized Coaching can help you explore the many facets that keep you stuck in a place you recognize as unhealthy.  Exploring factors that limit us can be a frustrating and sometimes scary journey.  As a Coach, I can work with you as you make discoveries that can dramatically change your relationship to your emotions, stress and food.

As a Coach, I do not hold my own idea of success or hold one particular ‘formula’ for healthy eating and then hold you accountable for following it.  A Coach does not beat you up when you are not making the kind of progress they want you to make.  A Coach listens to the desires of your heart for freedom, health and joy and holds those values for you.  A Coach believes in your ability to achieve the desires of your heart and walks along with you, which allows you to get there much faster and with great confidence.

I have found using the Emotional Freedom Technique as a tool allows clients to quickly navigate their health journey because they can: discover and clear negative emotions that have been sabotaging their attempts at success; identify awareness of their personal stress response and its impact on their body; and target the physical cravings as well as the emotional impulse to eat.

If you would like to schedule your free 30 minute inquiry call, we can discuss how hiring a Life Coach can help you take steps on your personal journey.

You have the capacity to make incredible progress and I am excited about the possibility of working with you!

 

An Answer for the Vaccine Question

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kids shoesA friend asked, and I thought you all might also like the answer.

I was talking to my older brother, who is a strong Christian and father of three children, about vaccines and he said that there could be a very small risk of vaccine damage, but most children are fine, so it is probably a good idea to just go along with the government recommendations.

What would you have said to him?

I would say:

Based on the research of Dr Andrew Moulden, and many others, there is damage to every single receiver of a vaccine – it just isn’t always immediately apparent. Every vaccine initiates a stroke-like response in the brain of the one receiving it. Moulden described it as mass ischemia. Some of us see no evidence and experience no immediate problem. The damage may show up later in auto-immune challenges, diabetes, other health challenges, Alzheimer’s or Dimentia. The injury may result in slight brain damage – I know I want all my brain cells to work at their highest level. I have read that some research indicates that children receiving vaccines have IQs 5-10 points lower than those not receiving them. Teens and adults getting vaccines have also reported serious brain fogginess, memory loss, and some times much more severe reactions.

The combined impact of getting all the vaccines recommended has NEVER been scientifically tested. So, again, all the above mentioned health challenges showing up later in life can be connected to the combined vaccinations. We have a lot of toxic exposure in our industrialized world and it makes sense to limit unnecessary exposure of toxins in the vaccines, such as mercury, aluminum, formaldehyde, and more.

I also don’t believe the science supports the effectiveness of vaccines, i.e.. I don’t believe vaccines do what they are proclaimed to do. Most cases today of measles and WC, for instance, occur in those who have received vaccines. They are now seeing cases of NPFP (Non Polio Flacid Paralysis) in kids in California (I think it is up to about 30, there are also thousands of cases in India after the recent polio vaccination drive there). NPFP is just like polio, but because the kids were vaccinated they don’t want to call it polio, or maybe they don’t actually have the same blood results – but the physical paralysis is the same. Polio outbreaks have always been associated with pesticides, When DDT use was banned the polio rates went down. Yes, there is a polio virus. But it has always been around and can still be found. Polio only causes problems when connected to the toxic ingredients in pesticides and herbicides. In fact, the mercury, aluminum and other toxic ingredients in vaccines may be making kids MORE susceptible to the very illnesses they are supposed to resolve.

And finally, as a Christian I believe God created our body with what we need. Yes, there is sin and sickness, but I don’t think God left us at the mercy of ‘vaccinologists’ for our ‘cure.’ When I first learned about the powerful immunological protection offered by breastfeeding it led me to question the practice of injecting exclusively breastfed babies in such an unnatural means – via a needle into the muscle to end up in the blood stream – with a cocktail of serious ingredients many of which are toxic. I do not have enough faith in human men who stand to profit from my choice to give me confidence in this practice. I am not alone.  Our immune system is incredible and new information is coming to light which makes many question traditional vaccine ‘science.’

Since when has God called us to be like the majority? I did a little too much of following the majority during my teens. That has led me to question EVERYTHING! I thank Jesus for saving me from the majority life!

Of course, I would never say all of that in response to one question! But f I had the opportunity and my audience was open to listening, I would GENTLY try to share along these lines.  Because people need to know.  They need to think and thoroughly research before they submit their precious children to this dangerous medical practice.

More thoughts from a mother and grandmother especially for my children…

IMG_0423Author: Becky Hastings, wife, mother, grandmother, passionate follower of Jesus Christ and truth seeker, especially in the areas of health and children. Facing a world quite different from the one in which I grew up, I seek to research and understand the true route to health, freedom and joyful family living!

 

More blogs by the same author:

30 Ways in 30 Days to Explore Vaccines.

Making Kefir

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I’m assuming you know all the benefits of adding probiotics to your diet.  You’ve bought your own plain yogurt, bought plain kefir, even bought pro-biotic supplements and now you are looking for a more economical way to keep a regular supply of probiotics in your life.

IMG_0843You are now ready to begin this new adventure of making your own kefir.  The first step you need is to find a friend who is currently making their own kefir and let them know you would love to have some kefir grains whenever they have an abundance.

The word ‘grain’ is a bit of a misnomer because they are not ‘grains’ but more like cottage cheese curds that provide the positive bacteria to turn your milk into kefir.  You might not have to wait too long, so watch this video and prepare yourself.  You will need a couple of glass jars 16 – 32 ounces.

My friend gave me kefir grains in a ziplock bag with water to keep them hydrated. I wasn’t quite ready, so I put them in the refrigerator for a couple of days.  It turns out kefir grains are pretty hearty creatures and didn’t mind my neglectfulness!

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I started by draining the water off of the kefir grains and putting them into a clean jar.  I added about 2 cups of 2% organic milk, covered it with some tissue paper and a rubber band, and left it to sit on the counter for 24 hours.

The first batch took a bit longer than 24 hours (more like 36) and never seemed to get as thick as I thought it should.  The second batch was much better.  I started to get a bit overwhelmed with the amount of kefir I was producing, so for the next batch I only added one cup of milk.

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I have used raw milk and organic 2% milk from Kroger.  When I added only 1 cup, the kefir turned out a lot thicker – which I liked.

After sitting on the counter for about 24 hours it is time to strain the kefir, keeping the grains for your next batch.  I used a funnel (left) topped with a plastic strainer (below).  As the video mentions, it is preferable to strain it with plastic, or at least stainless steel.

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Pour the kefir into the strainer, and use a spatula to help push the kefir through.  Take the grains and put them in a clean jar to start all over again!

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It wasn’t too long before my grains had multiplied significantly and I had some to share with a friend!

Making kefir is a LOT EASIER than making plain yogurt.  It might not taste exactly the same, but to me, it is delivering all the good pro-biotics with very little effort.  It’s all about just keeping it going every day.

Many times I put the kefir into the refrigerator before I strain it. It can actually stay like that for many days. You can also strain and keep the grains in a small amount of milk in the refrigerator if you will be away from home for an extended time. To make the next batch, rinse the grains in pure water and start over.

Now my challenge is finding ways to use the kefir and trying to convert my girls from plain yogurt to kefir!  I’ve made kefir ice cubes for my morning smoothie, added as liquid to a smoothie snack and I even drank a whole glass just by itself!

I’d love to hear about your adventures with kefir!

More posts about kefir here, and here.

Author Becky Hastings, wife, mother, grandmother, health seeker and reporter. Becky shares health information especially to help parents raise healthy children. She loves sharing healthy recipes and kefir grains!

Chocolate Bar in a Jar

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My hope is that this simple recipe will be made and enjoyed by my grandchildren for years and years!

Start with an empty jar.                                              Put in a big scoop of coconut oil.

 2 coconut oil1 jar

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Add 2 spoons of all natural peanut butter.  Add two heaped spoons of raw cacao powder.

3 peanut butter

4 cacao powder

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Add a generous spoon of honey.                                Add a pinch (or twist) of salt.

5 honey6 salt

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Mix it all together.                                                       Enjoy.

7 mixing8 eating

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Other wonderful ingredients you can add:

  • raisins or other dried fruit (or even fresh berries)
  • seeds or nuts (pumpkin seeds and walnuts are what I chose this time)
  • cacao nibs (for a nice crunch)
  • hemp seeds/hearts (provides sustaining energy)
  • cinnamon (helps with blood sugar metabolism)

You can eat it right away, or you can put it into the fridge to get a little harder.  You can eat it out of the jar with a spoon, or scoop it into a flatter container and cut it into squares when it gets hard.  Whatever choices you make, enjoy it!

Let me know what your favorite version is.  How do you experiment with Chocolate Bar in a Jar?

 

Natural Headache Remedy

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headache

Fortunately I don’t often suffer with headaches. Headaches, like all symptoms we experience in our body, is a signal that our body is trying to tell us something.  When anyone tells me of an approaching headache (not migraine) I have a standard 3 part remedy.  The sooner you learn to respond to the signals, the sooner you will feel better.

  1. Drink a big glass of spring water (dehydration is often involved);
  2. Lie down and take 10 deep breaths, exhaling slowly. It should take several minutes – longer than you thought! Seriously deep breaths, very controlled. Loooooooong breath in followed by a loooooooong breath out.  Usually the headache is gone before they get to 10. If you still have pain, then…
  3. Walk around outside on the earth barefoot. The edge of the sea is good, or wet grass, but any connection with the earth. The negative electrons are flowing out of the earth and are a great pain reliever.

I know it might seem quite odd – but I would rather do these three things than swallow any chemical concoction produced in a laboratory!

Sometimes people who struggle with migraines have an offending food that triggers it. I am definitely not experienced with migraines, but maybe these tips can help you if you catch it early enough. Let me know.

A friend recently shared this headache remedy:

Got a pretty bad headache this evening, which was a good thing, because I finally got to test out Turmeric mixed with coconut oil as a remedy. Totally worked! I was headache free in 20 minutes.

So maybe I should add it after the water and before the deep breaths.  I don’t think it could hurt and we can all use more coconut oil to enhance our brain function!

Let me know if any of these tips help reduce or relieve your headaches.  The really important part is to REMEMBER what you need to do as soon as you start feeling it coming on!

Smoothie for Children

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Girl Cook

One of my favorite activities as a child was “cooking” in my Easy Bake Oven.  I loved independently creating things to eat! Later I received a child’s recipe book with recipes aimed just at me.  I loved reading and following the recipes and sharing my creations with others.

I hope this recipe will be one children will find easy and delicious to make themselves!

 

Ask an adult to help you get these things ready.

Bananas

  • 1 Frozen banana
  • 1 Cup Kefir, plain yogurt or spring water
  • 5 big ice cubes, frozen Kefir cubes, or frozen pineapple chunks
  • 2 Tablespoons Raw Cacao Powder
  • 2 Tablespoons Coconut Oil
  • 2 Tablespoons Hemp Seeds
  • 1 Tablespoon Honey

Put them all into a blender.  Put the top on and start it and put it up to high speed. If your blender gets ‘stuck’ add a little more of your liquid.

Optional:  berries, fruit (frozen or fresh), Cacao nibs or beans, coconut

 

And then we had Sauerkraut!

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Sauerkraut Jar

It all started on January 31.  First I chopped up some organic cabbage.

Sauerkraut start

The recipe I used was very helpful.  It also motivated and inspired me to get started and just do it! I’d been reading and hearing about the benefits of sauerkraut for a long time, but reading how simple it was with this method, got me excited and started!

Basically, you chop the cabbage and then layer with salt in the bowl. Once you’ve added it all, the recipe said to “punch” the cabbage with your fist to get the cabbage/salt mixture to create the brine.  Punching the cabbage was not working for me, so I looked around and found the Vitamix tamper and started pounding the cabbage with that.  It worked much better.

Sauerkraut JohnFortunately I even got some help with this stage, as the recipe did not quite explain the effort that was required!  The tamper is in one hand and an orange spatula in the other to help slide the cabbage back down from the side of the bowl.  Did I mention how happy I was to get some help?

The process produces brine and the aim is to get enough brine to cover the cabbage.  After the liquid covers the cabbage you find a way to seal it that still allows the gas to escape. And Voila! The fermentation process just happens!

Sauerkraut set

 

The recipe suggested putting a smaller bowl on top of the cabbage and then putting a large ziplock bag of water on top of the small bowl to keep it weighted down so the cabbage stays below the brine.  This is what I came up with and let it sit for five days or so.

When I checked it, there was a lot of mold (as expected) around the edges and not much fermentation. In the meantime I think I read a few more blogs and as I was about to put the washed small bowl back on top of the cabbage, I suddenly thought ‘why not just put the plastic bag straight on top of the cabbage and leave the small bowl out completely,’ which is what I did.  I then put a kitchen cloth on top of the bowl to give it some darkness and left it on the kitchen counter until today, February 15.

Sauerkraut bagThe whole process is really an illustration of faith! You do each step and trust that the instructions you’ve been given will give you the result you want!  And it worked!

I tentatively removed the towel, lifted off the bag of water, and found the cabbage looking quite a bit different.  I tasted it and it was sauerkraut!

I’m assuming you know all about the excellent pro-biotic benefits of fermented foods.  Learning more about fermented foods has given me a great desire to consume more – and it turns out sauerkraut is easy to make!

Sauerkraut JarSo the plan is to start eating a little bit 15 minutes before a meal and gradually work up to about 2 tablespoons.

Let me know when you make your first sauerkraut attempt!  Also, if you have any ideas on how to get my daughters (13 and 20) to love eating sauerkraut – let me know!