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.

Vitamin D Basics

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Light image croppedVitamin D, has been referred to as a fat soluble vitamin, but is actually more of a hormone than a vitamin.  Vitamin D is produced in our bodies when our skin is exposed to UV B rays from the sun.  UV B rays are health giving, but are only produced when the sun is above 50 degrees, which means in most places not during the winter months.

So, in the winter, most of us will benefit from taking Vitamin D3 supplements or cod liver oil. Your skin only produces Vitamin D when exposed to UVB sun rays, which only occurs when the sun in at or above 50 degrees in the sky.

This Navy Chart calculates the altitude of the sun all over the world for every day of the year.  I’ve included a sample portion of the chart that shows that where I live the sun will reach 50 degrees at 12:50 for the first time on March 1, 2014.  Each day after that the sun will spend more time at and above 50 degrees.  That is why it is important that you expose your skin close to the middle of the day.

  • Astronomical Applications Dept.
  • U.S. Naval Observatory
  • Washington, DC 20392-5420
  • WARNER ROBINS, GEORGIA
  • W 83 38, N32 37
  • Altitude and Azimuth of the Sun
  • Mar 1, 2014
  • Eastern Standard Time
  •           Altitude    Azimuth
  •                       (E of N)
  • 12:30       49.8       173.5
  • 12:40       49.9       177.4
  • 12:50       50.0       181.2
  • 13:00       49.9       185.1
  • 13:10       49.6       188.9

Another way to determine the height of the sun is to look at the length of the shadows around you. A short shadow is evidence that the sun is in a good position for UVB rays.  If the shadow is equal to or longer than the object (use a short stick to compare) than the sun is above 50 degrees and not good for vitamin D production.

The length of sun exposure required depends on the shade of your skin. Darker skin will require longer exposure. A light skinned person can probably get the Vitamin D production required with short exposures, say starting with 5 – 10 minutes (to avoid initial danger of burning). The more skin exposed, the more Vitamin D will be produced. Some say it is important to not to immediately wash the skin off, as the Vitamin D is produced in the skin as a response to the UVB rays, but doesn’t happen instantly, but others say it’s not a problem. I suggest if you do shower immediately after sun exposure, don’t vigorously rub and soap all over!

Widespread use of sunscreen has probably done a lot more harm than good, so I have abandoned the use of sunscreen products altogether. Caution should be used for babies, young children and long times of exposure in the sun.

If you would like to learn more about Vitamin D, how much sun exposure you need, etc. here is an informative post from the Vitamin D Council.  Dr Mercola and Dr Tenpenny have also written a lot about Vitamin D.

I’ve been enjoying learning about the sun and the health giving benefits it provides.  I enjoy helping others learn and achieve health!

Have you been surprised to learn something new about Vitamin D?  How do you enjoy getting your Vitamin D from the sunshine?

 

Stay Healthy Recipe

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With winter many people worry about catching a cold or flu.  It seems the media can’t stop reminding us that it is flu season, and everywhere we go we are bombarded by advertisements for flu vaccines, flu remedies, cough and cold treatments.  I guess everyone is just trying to do their job, market their wares – they probably need their paycheck and like to eat and live indoors just like the rest of us.

I wrote this card for my 13-year-old daughter so she could stay healthy and boost her immune system this winter!  I wish everyone would do these simple things so that they too can enjoy health and not live in fear of the flu!

However, with the intense focus on flu and sickness it’s no surprise that people are getting sick! I prefer to focus on health and how to stay healthy.  Stay Healthy Recipe

  • I like to keep my supplement-taking to a minimum.
  • I like to empower my children to take responsibility for their health.
  • It must be easy to remember, so I needed it on a card on the refrigerator!
  • I prefer to use natural substances and foods to heal.

Here is my brief recipe:

  • DAILY:
  • Water is our best detox help.  I’m trying to help my family form the habit of drinking a large glass of clean water first thing in the morning. We drink spring water only.
  • Vitamin D.  It is well-known and documented that the reason people are more prone to illness in winter is because they have reduced levels of this important factor. In the winter we need to take D3 supplements.
  • Probiotics are always beneficial to boost our gut flora since 85% of our immune system is in our gut!
  • Omega 3 boost with fish oil (or chia seeds, hemp, etc.)
  • Vitamin C in ascorbic acid form (non genetically modified) or sodium ascorbate
  • AT THE FIRST SIGN OF ANY COLD/FLU SYMPTOMS:
  • Colloidal Silver – a natural antibiotic, anti-viral and anti-fungal.  Very safe and effective.
  • Olive Leaf Extract – has an enormous ORAC score, full of antioxidants that will help boost all the important cells in your body to do their work of fighting infection.
  • Frequent Vitamin C
  • Extra D3 and Omega 3.
  • Thieves essential oil on feet, behind ears and throat.

Another very important aspect of health is we need to eliminate all sugar especially when we have any symptoms.  If we reduce or eliminate sugar ALL the time, that is a great boost to health, but when we eat sugar while our body is trying to fend off foreign bad guys, it’s like we are feeding the enemy army.  Avoiding milk and dairy products will also be a good idea.  These concepts might seem difficult to some people in the beginning, but as you begin to increase your awareness of improving your health, you will see the benefit!

I’m not saying these are the only things important to boost your immune system,  I’ve written and shared a great video about all the facets of the immune system and know that it is important to pay attention to many areas of life, but this is just a short winter prescription.

What are the essentials you use to keep your family healthy during the winter?

Experimenting with Raw Chocolate – Again!

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Raw Chocolate ExperimentThis version of my Raw Chocolate earned high praise from my daughter, “Mom, these are the best you’ve made!”

My friend asked me to share a recipe for raw chocolate.  One challenge I have with recipes is that you have to write down what you do in order to be able to do it again! Raw chocolate is something you can experiment with.  It is really good, and good for you.  Raw Cacao powder is loaded with minerals and has an outrageously high ORAC score.  Coconut oil is a healthy fat which provides more benefits than I can explain!

Just make it – and eat it and enjoy!

In a small saucepan combine, and melt slowly on the lowest heat possible (or you can use a double boiler). Quantities are just rough guidelines. Use what you have.

  • ±½ Cup peanut butter (organic ground peanuts)
  • ±¾ Cup coconut oil
  • ±¼ Cup or more raw local honey
  • ±¼ Cup cacao butter (if you can find any)

Blend in blender or finely chop and add to the above mixture when it is fully melted:

  • ¼ – ½  Cup  coconut flakes (unsweetened)
  • A handful of goji berries
  • 10 whole cacao beans, or cacao nibs
  • ±¼ – 1/2  Cup pecans, walnuts and/or cashews

Add:

  • A sprinkle of cinnamon
  • A pinch of salt
  • 2 Tablespoons hemp seed
  • ¼ – ½ Cup Raw Cacao powder
  • raw organic oats

Stir together and put into silicon chocolate molds, a glass dish or BPA free plastic containers.  Put into the refrigerator (or freezer if you need it quickly) until hard. You can keep the chocolate in the refrigerator or the freezer, cut into pieces as needed.  Raw chocolate melts easily, so don’t hold it in your hands for long!

If you don’t have any cacao butter, goji berries, cacao beans or hemp, just leave it out! Don’t let, “not having all the ingredients” keep you from experimenting with delicious Raw Chocolate.  I add these superfoods, when I have them, to boost the nutritional value.  If you do leave them out, you might need to add more cacao powder. You can vary the type and quantity of nuts depending on what you enjoy.  In fact, you can vary most everything! My daughter-in-law didn’t believe it when I told her that you can’t mess up this recipe.  She was thrilled with the chocolate she made and said “It’s so rare for a recipe to work for me!”

Happy Grandparents June 13Author: 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!

Superfood Rich, Guilt Free, Chocolate Ice Cream

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chocolate ice cream

I quickly need to write down my recipe so I don’t forget how to create this frozen deliciousness!  It was 100% an experiment with no outside input.  I did read about raw cacao last night from David Wolfe’s Superfoods – which is probably where I got the inspiration.  Or maybe I dreamed it up during the night.  Anyway, first thing this morning I just had to try mixing the following ingredients together in my Vitamix (like most of my recipes, everything is more or less – an approximation.  I apologize to those for whom this drives them crazy, i.e. Gary).

  • 1-2 Cups of raw milk with lots of cream included (don’t tell my microbiologist husband).  (I think it was actually 1 1/2 Cups, but I didn’t measure)
  • 1/2 Cup coconut* oil (I did not melt it, I might try melting it next time)
  • 1-2 Tablespoons flake coconut*
  • 1-2 Tablespoons goji berries*
  • 1-2 Tablespoons hempseed*
  • 1-2 Tablespoons honey*
  • 5 heaped teaspoons (Menchies plastic spoon) raw cacao powder
  • pinch Himalayan salt
  • 10 or so almonds (save till last)

I added everything to the Vitamix and blended for nearly a minute, then I dropped the almonds in last in the hope that some of them wouldn’t get too blended.  I was hoping for a bit of crunch.

If you don’t have a Vitamix you can either blend or grind or chop the chopable ingredients and then shake everything else together.  The hard part is distributing the coconut oil evenly throughout, which is why melting it might work better.

I then poured it into some empty Talenti gelato containers.  My plan was to put it in the freezer and shake it every so often on its way to getting frozen.  I only managed one shake before I had to go out.  It doesn’t have a genuine smooth creamy ice cream consistency, but it is GOOD!  Now my ‘reluctant to enjoy truly healthy foods’ thirteen year old daughter, was not quite as excited about this concoction as I was, so it may have more appeal to those already enjoying their journey towards health!  Truly, I think it was better than any chocolate ice cream around – because I know every ingredient is good for me and it wasn’t too sweet.  But we have to allow for differences of opinion and also growth!

* The ingredients marked thus are all listed as the top 10 Superfoods according to David Wolfe.  Count them – there are 5 different super nutritious foods in this unique frozen blend!  I tried to think of as many of them as I could that I had available and that would add to the flavor and nutritional content of this delightful dairy blend. Next time I hope to add Maca Powder.

Did you know?  Some of the benefits of raw cacao:

  • it is off the charts for its ORAC score (which means it is VERY HIGH in antioxidants –  about 100 times higher than blueberries)
  • it is a natural great source of magnesium – which is great for so many reasons
  • it is a natural appetite satisfier – which means you won’t feel so hungry
  • it has a lot of other good minerals too – in fact, it’s like taking a mineral supplement!
  • it makes you feel good!

That’s all I can tell you from memory, but I do recommend reading Superfoods.

Top 10 Superfoods:

  • Goji Berries
  • Raw Cacao
  • Maca
  • Bee products, including Honey
  • Coconut
  • Spirulina
  • Hempseed
  • Aloe
  • AFA Blue Green Algae
  • Marine Phytoplankton

Please experiment and let me know how yours turns out.  It really was super super easy and super super nutritious!  You can do this!  Let me know if you enjoy Superfood Rich, Guilt free, Chocolate Ice Dream!

 

Raw Chocolate Revisited

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2 piecesThis is a great way to eat coconut oil and cacao deliciously! Coconut oil is a great healthy fat. It will help you beat your cravings, with a lot of other benefits. Cacao has so many minerals that it is like having a mineral supplement!

The following quantities are approximate only!  More or less of anything doesn’t impact too much.  I don’t usually measure too fastidiously.

Melt together in a double boiler, or in a bowl placed into a pan of hot water over a low heat on the stove. Raw chocolate must not be heated too hot or the nutrients will be destroyed.  Just melt it so you can mix it well.

  • 2 Tbl organic coconut oil
  • 1 – 2 Tbl local organic honey

Optional, but highly recommended:

  • ground peanuts (i.e. peanut butter) or other nut butters

Optional:  Cacao butter or cacao paste, if you can find it or afford it.

Remove from the heat.  Add to the coconut oil mixture:

  • Himalayan salt, a couple of turns
  • 1/3 – ½ Cup cacao powder (the more, the higher the % dark chocolate)
  • 1/3 – ½ Cup pecan or almond nut flour (optional, when I have it)
  • ½ – 1 Cup unsweetened coconut (flakes or shredded, or both)

Stir thoroughly with wooden implement.

More options:

  • ± ½ Cup Cacao nibs,
  • cashews,
  • pecans,
  • goji berries,
  • cranberries,
  • raisins,
  • espresso bits,
  • fresh ginger finely chopped,
  • cinnamon,
  • orange or lemon peel,
  • chili.

Use your creativity to mix and match your personal favorite flavors. Look at combinations in some processed chocolate bars and experiment. If you want a great energy bar, add hemp.  But be sure to only eat the hemp bar early in the day or else you might not sleep too well!

Stir everything together and pour into a suitable dish (or chocolate molds), either glass or BPA free plastic.  If needed, press down into the corners. Allow to set in the refrigerator (or faster, in the freezer).  Cut into pieces and be careful not to eat too much!  You also might have to hide it from other family members – or else you might go looking for it and find an empty dish – it’s happened to me!

Also, raw chocolate will melt on your fingers – so warn people. It needs to be eaten with clean fingers so you can lick all the deliciousness off!

Let’s do a chocolate collaboration.  What are your favorite options?

Self-Talk

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Talk bubblesWhether we are conscious of it or not, we all use self-talk.  Sometimes we use it positively when facing fears or trying to increase our motivation.  But many times we are our own worst enemy and sabotage our best efforts through our self-talk.  This is an exercise that will help you to analyze your thoughts, your life and where your self-talk could be taking you.

What is your current self-talk?  You might not even be aware of it.  The thoughts or feelings (that don’t always make themselves into comprehensible words or sentences) you experience in your mind are powerful and you need to pay attention.  If you are stuck, if you are not making the kind of progress you desire, if you are not currently feeling the energy and joy you would like in your life, I suggest an exercise to pay more attention to your self-talk.  Over the next 10-30 days begin to note some of the things you say to yourself, or try to articulate some of the feelings you are experiencing.  Things like…

  • This pain is killing me.
  • The only thing that helps this pain is taking NSAIDs.
  • I’ve messed up.
  • It’s too late.
  • I can’t change.
  • This relationship can’t be fixed.
  • I’m so stuck.
  • I’m beyond redemption.
  • I catch every bug around.
  • My child is just clumsy.  (Not self-talk, but damaging ‘parent-talk’  whether it is stated or  just thought.)

Once you determine some of the tapes that are regularly playing in your brain and sometimes that slip out in conversation, write them down.

Now take each statement and ask yourself:

  1. Is this true?  Or is it a misinterpretation?  Define more exactly your situation.  Is this an actual fact?
  2. What do you become by believing this information?  How does it make you feel? How does it impact your experience of life?
  3. Realize that you are programming this thought into your brain.  What would life be like if this thought didn’t exist?
  4. Replace your old self-talk/thought with a newly framed look at your situation.

Old thought

New thought
This pain is killing me. My body is regenerating.
I’m never gonna get better. I get better everyday.
I don’t have any friends. I attract love and deep friendship.
This relationship is hopeless. This pain is part of my healing process.
This is a hopeless situation. God is at work in this situation.

This process will change your feelings.  You need to dial into a new brain channel.

Awareness of self-talk and deliberately challenging our automatic response is the first step towards changing in a very significant way.  Begin your conscious exploration of self-talk today.  Make a commitment to yourself to be more encouraging.  Look for information and ideas that help you see your life with all its potential.

What is the best new phrase you would like to repeat daily to yourself?

Homemade Salad Dressing

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Olive OilThis recipe is very flexible.  It is probably most like a vinaigrette dressing. I will give approximate quantities, but feel free to be creative.  The basic concept is that you use equal parts of oil and vinegar, a bit of sweetener (I prefer local raw honey), herbs, spices and flavorings of your choice.  I will give measurements below, but just know that I NEVER measure anything.  I use the highest quality ingredients I can afford at the time.

  • ½ Cup EVOO (extra virgin olive oil)
  • ½ Cup apple cider vinegar (or a mixture of ACV and balsamic vinegar, or just balsamic vinegar)
  • ±1 Tablespoon raw organic honey
  • 1-2 teaspoons plain yogurt (or homemade milk kefir)
  • 1-2 teaspoons prepared mustard with no HFCS
  • ±2 Tablespoons water (optional)
  • ½ teaspoon salt (Himalayan pink crystal preferred)
  • a few turns of ground mixed pepper (any pepper will do)
  • Choose some or all of the following options:  basil, cilantro, garlic clove, spring onions, baby tomatoes, avocado, etc. I only add tomatoes and avocados when I am blending it.

No blender version:  Add everything (chop garlic) into a suitable bottle and shake (like the EVOO bottle when it is finished).

Blender version: Add everything except the olive oil and blend until smooth. Add olive oil and blend minimally.

The salad dressing stores well in the refrigerator.  If it runs low, you can always just add a little bit of ACV and EVOO and give it a bit of a shake for a final round of goodness!

This has been a family favorite since 1980 when a Swiss couple shared it with us.  All of our kids love this salad dressing and make it themselves too.  It is a staple for the many different types of salads we make.  You can save yourself enormous amounts of money by making your own.  There is no salad dressing that will taste better or be better for you!  I just can’t see any reason why anyone would ever buy salad dressing when this is sooooo good and soooooo easy!

Boosting our Immune System

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apple in waterWhere do we get information on how to boost the immune system?

If you trust some ‘experts’ you will make sure to get every injection against any disease in order to protect yourself.

If you look into ‘alternative’ approaches, you might be overwhelmed with information and could spend a lot of money to purchase all the different supplements recommended.

Like most topics faced by parents, we need to follow our hearts and seek true wisdom.  I believe wisdom comes from God through Jesus Christ.  He created our bodies and understands exactly how they function.  We live in a fallen world with disease, food shortages and greed.  Navigating the reality of the world we live in seems to be getting more difficult.  Who do we actually trust?  Many people are quick to demand “scientific validation.”  However, there are so many reports of bad science, false science, and biased science on both sides of every argument, so a non-scientist simply has to decide whom they are going to believe.

One thing I’ve noticed through the years is that a lot of information is surfacing and confirmed by a huge variety of people from many different disciplines and locations.  It is as if a body of wisdom is arising that people are universally finding helpful and then sharing – almost a natural peer review process.

I don’t claim to know everything.  I am just a fellow traveler and learner.  I have taken various supplements over the years, but I like to keep them at a minimum.  Here are some things I have found on my journey to boosting the immune system:

Regularly:

  1. Water.  Drink lots of clean water, especially first thing in the morning.  I choose spring water.  Solarized water or water treated with wheat grass might be good economical options to explore if spring water is not available.
  2. High quality food.  Organic food might be expensive, but sickness is very expensive. Choose the cleanest meats, wild caught fish, organic eggs, and raw dairy.
  3. Meat broths with organic meats.
  4. Healthy fats: avocado, coconut oil, cacao butter, olive oil. I haven’t yet tried red palm oil, but it is on the radar.
  5. Reduce/Eliminate processed foods, trans fats, GMOs, sugar, carbs, wheat, prescription drugs and over the counter medications.
  6. Superfoods whenever possible.  Superfoods are foods supplying high density nutrition.  I find combining them into a morning smoothie of fruit and vegetables is a very effective, sustainable solution. Spirulina, hemp seeds, cacao powder and nibs, aloe, goji berries, maca powder, Moringa berry powder, Chia seeds, honey.
  7. Vitamin D from sunshine exposure or D3 supplements when sunshine is not available.
  8. Probiotics in therapeutic or prophylactic doses, depending on your need.
  9. Regular exercise, especially to work up a sweat.
  10. Sauna if/when available.
  11. Dry skin brushing to boost lymphatic drainage.
  12. Cold burst at the end of a warm shower for as long as you can stand.
  13. Chiropractic: regular adjustments.
  14. Positively promote positive thoughts – don’t worry.
  15. Prayer and meditation.
  16. Harmonious relationships.
  17. Grounding by walking barefoot on the earth (especially beneficial for pain).
  18. Apple Cider Vinegar in salad dressing, or straight first thing in am
  19. Garlic – eat it whenever possible!
  20. Avoid Wheat. My husband swears this is one of the biggest reasons he has stopped getting colds and allergy symptoms.

At any symptoms of illness (don’t have to do them all, use what you have):

  1. Vitamin C in high doses (1 gram per hour of  sodium ascorbate, see more by Dr Suzanne Humphries on the best form of Vitamin C).
  2. Colloidal silver hourly.
  3. Extra Vitamin D3.
  4. Olive leaf extract (very high source of anti-oxidants).
  5. Oregano Oil (in carrier oil on bottom of feet).
  6. Essential oils (such as Thieves) on bottom of feet or temple.
  7. Cayenne pepper.

Washing your hands could possibly be on the list, but a little bit of dirt is good for the immune system.  I usually try to wash my hands after handling money or doing a lot of hand-shaking. I usually avoid antibacterial soaps.

I haven’t included links, but you can find information about a lot of these topics.  I appreciate all the people who have generously shared their knowledge and information with me over the years on keeping healthy.

Have I left anything important off my list?  What are your favorite immune boosters?

Raymond and Olga Klein promote a proactive approach to understanding and working with our immune system.

Bias

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BibleWe all have bias; Some acknowledge their bias; some don’t; some choose to stay completely unaware; some are deceived; but we all have bias.

My personal bias is that Jesus Christ transformed my life. He is now the foundation I seek to build my life on. His word, given to us through the library we know as the Bible, is my foundation, my source, my filter.

There are many groups and individuals who claim something similar. I believe God has a plan and can transform anyone willing to rethink their life, turn to God, and gain a whole new life.  It is a process, so if you try to judge us, or any follower of Jesus Christ, you will still see flaws. I am not perfect. But God is guiding me daily.  He is transforming my thinking as I prioritize reading His word. He’s giving me a whole new life.

I love using a modified version of Prof Horner’s Bible Reading System that takes me through 10 different chapters from many different sections of this library. Jesus himself taught His followers the value of seeking God through the ancient Scriptures:

        How blessed are those who hear God’s voice
        And make God’s message their way of life. Jesus, Luke 11:28

For those of you who are new to some of these concepts, like the fact that you can have a personal relationship with God through Jesus, and that reading the Bible can provide a foundation for making all of life’s decisions, I can imagine two possible responses:

  1. Intrigue.  You want to learn more or want to experience this blessing personally.
  2. Scoff or dismiss. I can understand, but I would urge you to reconsider. Take some time to allow God to reveal Himself to you. What have you got to loose by opening a window to God?

I hope to write more about the energy and vitality I have gained through reading God’s Word and the special blessing I have received through using the 10 List System.

That is my bias. Are you aware of yours?

Have you tried reading the Bible for yourself?  Are you thinking of starting off 2014 with a new zeal for seeking God’s answers for your life?