Healthier Holiday Cookies
December 15, 2011
For many of us, the holiday season means time spent in the kitchen, baking goodies to share with our friends and neighbors. While it’s a joy to bake and decorate, the sweet treats can add up – and add inches to our waistlines! This year, try incorporating a few healthier recipes into your cookie repertoire. Here are two that we like from Bastyr University.
Blackstrap Molasses Cookies
Chewy and delicious, these cookies use nutrient-rich blackstrap molasses for flavor and a bit of sweetness. Recipe makes about 2 ½ dozen cookies.
1 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup whole wheat pastry flour or white whole wheat flour
2 teaspoons ginger
1 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
dash of salt
3/4 cup coconut oil
1 cup white sugar
1 egg
1 tablespoon water
1/4 cup molasses
2 tablespoons white sugar
2 tablespoons sesame seeds
Instructions:
1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Combine flours, ginger, baking soda, cinnamon, cloves and salt. Set aside.
2. If coconut oil is solid, warm the jar in a warm water bath until liquefied. Combine oil and sugar in a large bowl and mix with whisk or electric mixer. Add in egg, water and blackstrap molasses. Mix together.
3. Gradually stir in the dry ingredients until the dough takes in all the flour. It will be sticky compared to the typical chocolate chip cookie dough, but proceed with delicately rolling out tablespoon sized balls by hand. If it sticks to your hands try chilling the bowl in the fridge for a few minutes.
4. Roll the balls in sugar. Place on ungreased cookie sheet about 2 inches apart. Gently flatten and sprinkle with sesame seeds. Bake at 350 degrees for 8 minutes.
Recipe reprinted from Bastyr Student Nutrition Association.
Chocolate-Covered Coconut Macaroons
These are a tasty alternative for those who are avoiding wheat in their diets but still want to indulge in a holiday treat. You can watch a video on how to make them on Cookus Interruptus. Makes about a dozen cookies.
2 1/2 cups finely shredded unsweetened coconut
1/2 cup honey or brown rice syrup
2 egg whites
1/2 teaspoon almond extract
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
4 oz. semisweet or dark chocolate (baking chocolate)
Instructions:
1. Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.
2. Lightly oil a glass measuring cup to measure honey or rice syrup. Place sweetener in a pan over low heat until it begins to loosen. The brown rice syrup will yield a slightly less sweet macaroon. Add coconut and egg white. Heat the mixture over low heat, stirring constantly until it begins to collect (about 2-3 minutes). Remove from heat, stir in extracts. Let mixture rest until cool enough to touch.
3. With moist hands, make small rounded mounds and place them side by side on the cookie sheet (they will not spread). Bake about 20 minutes, or until lightly golden. Allow to cool to room temperature on cookie sheet.
4. Chop up the chocolate into small pieces. Put 3/4 of the chocolate in the top of a double boiler and heat, stirring occasionally, until chocolate is at about 110 degrees F (just barely too hot to touch). Remove from heat. Stir in remaining chocolate. This will temper the chocolate. Pour chocolate over the top of each macaroon. Let chocolate set until firm before serving. This will take about 1 hour at room temperature. Refrigeration will hasten this process.
Recipe reprinted from Cynthia Lair’s cookbook Feeding the Whole Family.
Give Good Health: Holiday Gift Ideas
December 8, 2011
This year, instead of fighting traffic or jostling through the crowds at the mall, get creative with your gift-giving! Choosing gifts that encourage a healthy lifestyle is a wonderful way to show you truly care. And you never know – your gift might just be the one that kicks off a fresh start for someone who has been struggling with their health! Here are a few suggestions for healthy gifts your loved ones are sure to appreciate this year:
- Gym membership – buy a 3-month, 6-month or even a full year pass to the local fitness center.
- Good walking shoes – or a gift certificate to the local athletic shoe store.
- Heart monitor – a great way to keep track of exertion!
- Yoga classes – you can find yoga classes for all fitness levels. Sign yourself up for a class as well, and you can enjoy getting fit together.
- Organic food – try a gift card to an organic grocery store or a 3-month CSA share.
- Cookbooks – inspire healthy eating with new, delicious recipes.
- Massage certificate – everyone can benefit from regular massage. Give one, or a series.
- Chiropractic services – show your loved ones how beneficial chiropractic care is by giving a gift certificate.
Don’t give a gift that will end up sitting on a shelf or be relegated to the back of the closet. The gift of good health is always just the right size!
To inquire about gift certificates for massage or chiropractic care at Rozenhart Family Chiropractic, call Kristina at 408-979-9999.
The Healing Power Within You
December 6, 2011
If you are in pain or suffering from a health problem this holiday season, then the greatest gift you can receive is to discover and release the healing power within you. This healing power is the same vitalistic energy that grew you from one cell at the moment of conception to over 80 quadrillion cells that are perfectly placed, organized and orchestrated in you as an adult.
Chiropractic works with this innate healing power, your Innate Intelligence, to help you recover quickly from injuries and enjoy the quality lifestyle you deserve throughout your life.
How does this happen?
Your nervous system is the master control system of your body and healing energy flows over this network. With over 45 miles of nerves delivering over 3 million messages per second between your brain and every one of your cells, this pathway between your brain and body must be healthy for you to function properly. This pathway must also be clear for you to heal if you have been injured or you are sick.
Unfortunately, this communication pathway can experience interference. Nerve Interference that occurs in the spine is called a vertebral subluxation. Research out of the University of Colorado has shown that the weight of a dime can reduce nerve transmission. “Only five to ten millimeters of pressure can interfere with the nutrition of a nerve, starving it of nutrients,” reports the Journal of Manipulative and Physiological Therapeutics. “Deterioration can occur within two weeks,” according to Dr. Videman’s research out of Finland.
Lifestyle Interference results from poor health habits such as overeating, poor nutrition, excessive drinking, taking prescription or non-prescription drugs, or sitting too much. Environmental Interference can be caused by toxicity from air, food, water, or chemicals, as well as accidents or natural disasters. All three types of interference can cause pressure in your spine and nervous system and affect your health on every level.
Rather than releasing the healing power within them, too many people treat their symptoms with over the counter and prescription drugs while the underlying cause, the interference, remains in their system and accumulates damage for decades. This has short and long term consequences.
The great thing is that as long as you are alive and breathing, and there is life flowing over your nervous system, this healing power stays within you, just waiting for you to get the interference out of the way. When you do, it goes to work and does its job! With consistency, not only can your body heal to the point where you feel better, your health can stabilize and your body can also regenerate.
How many holidays have you or your loved ones spent where you are waiting, hoping and praying for health problems to go away. Rather than receive another superficial gift and continue to suffer, why not ask your family and friends to deliver a gift that releases the healing power within you? Better yet, take responsibility and give that healthy gift to yourself.
Everyone deserves to be healthy and express their full potential from the time they are born through their last breath of life. This includes you. Release the healing power within you and make this holiday season the one you remember for a lifetime.
Reprinted with permission from The Family Practice
Enjoy the Healthiest Holidays Ever
December 6, 2011
If you, your family and friends are healthy, consider it a blessing. The opportunity to gather and enjoy each other’s company without the worry or burden of suffering loved ones contributes greatly to a healthier holiday season.
If you and your loved ones fall into this category, consider taking your health to new levels. When faced with choices between healthy foods and unhealthy foods, choose the healthy ones. Make exercise your first priority by exercising first thing in the morning so that you do not get swept away by holiday activities and miss out on your workout. Schedule your chiropractic adjustments in advance so your nervous system stays healthy and your body is more resistant to stress.
When you are making plans to gather with family and friends, do not just make appointments to gather around food and drink. Gather around going for walks in the woods or hikes in the mountains or on the trails. Gather around fresh air and sunshine. If the sun is not out or the weather is bad in your area, take a fitness class together. If you have young children, this will help them to build healthy habits and values that can last a lifetime. Encourage house guests to pack clothing and shoes for these kinds of activities.
When planning your holiday meals, experiment with healthier recipes. Look for dishes that call for fresh ingredients. Download five or six recipes from your favorite cooking website and have the people you will be gathering with do the same. Talk about them and decide which ones would be fun to experiment with. Mix in a new, fresh, healthy recipe with the other foods that you like to eat and bring balance to your holiday meals, making them less destructive to your body. Each year you can experiment with new recipes. Before you know it, your holiday meals will become both delicious and healthy while helping you get off the weight loss, weight gain rollercoaster ride that has been a plague for so many people. You will leave your holiday table guilt-free and empowered.
Healthy gift giving can change a life. Many people are turning to healthy gift giving as a way to say, “I love you, I care about you, your health is important to me.” Your willingness to invest in the well-being of those that you love can go a long way to inspiring them to choose to invest in it. This action on your part can even act as an intervention to someone who is really in trouble and in denial about their health.
Healthy gifts can include a gym membership, exercise shoes, a heart monitor, a chiropractic examination or a series of chiropractic adjustments. While so many gifts are forgotten within 30 days, healthy gifts can be life changing and may be remembered for a lifetime.
If you or any of your friends or family members are experiencing pain or ill health of any kind this holiday season, this is all the more reason to make healthy choices a priority. By following these guidelines and removing pressure from the spine and nervous system with chiropractic care, this holiday season can become an opportunity to embrace a healing path and a healthier New Year.
Everyone deserves to be healthy and express their full potential from the time they are born through their last breath of life. This includes you and your loved ones. We hope that you enjoy the healthiest, happiest holiday season ever.
Reprinted with permission from The Family Practice
Six Tips for Healthy Holiday Travel
December 1, 2011
The holidays are stressful enough – but you can double that stress when you throw holiday travel into the mix! Add that stress to the usual challenges to your immune system at this time of year and you have a recipe for illness. Luckily, we have a few tried-and-true tips to keep you feeling strong and well when you’re on the road this year so you can enjoy your holiday gatherings in good health!
- Stay well hydrated. Every cell in your body needs water to function at its best, but airports, planes and hotel rooms dry us out, so drink up! An added bonus: if you’re drinking enough water you’ll be up and going to the bathroom regularly, and our bodies love motion!
- Visualize positive family encounters! Stress about family time can have a negative impact on our health. Visualize things going well with family members and prepare yourself as best you can for those encounters.
- Get moving. Build in exercise whenever and wherever you can. Take a stroll through the airport on layovers, do some triceps dips while waiting to board or do some calf raises while waiting in line. And don’t forget to stretch!
- Bring healthy snacks. You know the food choices on the airplane will be limited at best (and full of fat and sodium), so pack your carry-on bag with fruit, nuts and veggies. They are all easy to pack and full of nutrients.
- Relieve neck strain. Try this easy stretch: bring one ear over to one shoulder, hold for 20 seconds. For a deeper stretch, bring that ear over and provide resistance from the opposite hand while bringing your head back to original position. Repeat 3 times on each side.
- Relieve back irritation. To avoid and relieve back stress, get up from your seat frequently and move around. There are no magical stretches to relieve hours of sitting, we must get up and move for our spines to be happy and healthy!
All of us at Rozenhart Family Chiropractic wish you safe, happy and healthy travels this holiday season!
6 Healthy Habits for a Strong Immune System
November 10, 2011
It’s the time of year when viruses are making the rounds through offices and schools, but coming down with the cold that’s going around isn’t inevitable! Making healthy choices a habit leads to a strong immune system that can fight off even the nastiest germs. Why suffer and resort to treating symptoms with medication when you can stay healthy the first place? Here are a few tips to help you feel your best this winter – and all year round!
- Schedule regular adjustments. Regular chiropractic care contributes to your overall wellness and removes spinal interference that can impair your immune response.
- Eat well. You know it’s important to include whole grains and a variety of fruits and vegetables in your diet, and that’s especially true during cold and flu season. Look for citrus fruits loaded with vitamin C, and keep eating your greens!
- Avoid stress. Easier said than done, right? But stress is known to weaken immunity, so do what you can to eliminate unnecessary stressors from your life.
- Get adequate rest. Sleep is essential to your body’s well-being, especially when you are trying to stay healthy. Make a habit of going to bed and waking at the same time each day.
- Exercise daily. Go outside and get some fresh air if possible. Research consistently shows that moderate exercise boosts immunity, so be sure to get out for a brisk walk or a bike ride regularly.
- Get a massage. Even just a single massage session has been found to boost immunity, so imagine how healthy you would be if you incorporated massage into your regular healthcare routine!
Take care of yourself this winter so you’re not dragged down by lingering colds and viruses. Schedule an appointment at Rozenhart Family Chiropractic today by calling Kristina at 408-979-9999 or schedule online now!
Stop Chasing Symptoms – They Can Hide the Real CAUSE
November 9, 2011
Isn’t it time you stopped chasing symptoms? These signals that you get from your body are frequently misunderstood. More importantly, treating symptoms without getting to the cause of a problem can lead to mismanagement of your health and more severe health problems as you age.
When you get sick, for example, and your temperature goes up, your body is naturally fighting off the infection. Bacteria thrive in a climate that is 98.6 degrees so your body’s Innate Intelligence raises your temperature to help fight off the infection on its own. The symptoms of this elevated temperature can be muscle aches, fatigue, weakness and general malaise. At the first sign or symptom of a fever, many people will immediately panic and try to bring the temperature down with medication, treating the symptoms rather than letting the body do its job and heal itself.
The medications that are used to treat these symptoms can lead to side effects and even weaken the body’s natural immunity. In recent years, the overuse of antibiotics has created an epidemic of superbugs within individuals that are untreatable and pose a serious threat to our long term health.
The CDC states, “If antibiotics are used too often for things they can’t treat—like colds or other viral infections—they can stop working effectively. Antibiotic resistance has been a concern for years and is considered one of the world’s most critical public health threats. Widespread overuse and inappropriate use of antibiotics is fueling an increase in antibiotic-resistant bacteria.
In the U.S., antibiotic-resistant infections are responsible for $20 billion in excess healthcare costs, $35 billion in societal costs and $8 million in additional hospital days.”(1)
A report commissioned by the Canadian Coordinating Committee on Antimicrobial Resistance estimated that infections caused by antibiotic-resistant organisms increased direct hospital costs in Canada by $15-25 million annually(2).
Many experts say that it is better to give the body a chance to heal itself with rest and fluids along with chiropractic adjustments that remove pressure from the nervous system. Unless there is an extreme elevation in body temperature, and depending on other symptoms, allowing your body to heal itself naturally helps your immune system build the resistance it needs to keep you healthy and fight infections more effectively.
Consider the case for “referred pain.” This means you can feel a symptom in one part of your body while the cause or the origin of that pain is somewhere else. For example, very often the cause of arm, hand or finger pain is in the neck. Leg and foot pain will often originate from a problem in the back. Problems with the gallbladder will often refer pain to the spinal nerve roots in the middle part of the spine and vice versa.
Because chiropractic works to restore health and vitality to the nervous system, we are always amazed at how the entire body often becomes free of symptoms through our work with the spine. Since nerves control every cell, tissue and organ of your body, problems in the nervous system can cause or mimic nearly any and every symptom imaginable.
It is very common to hear our practice members say things like “I know I came because my neck hurt, and my allergies and headaches are gone too.” or “I didn’t even tell you about my menstrual cramping but since I’ve been getting adjusted, my cramps have been reduced dramatically.” or “I sleep so much better since beginning my care.”
The list goes on and on. Isn’t it time you stop chasing symptoms and get to the cause? You will enjoy a much healthier life when you do.
1 Centers for Disease Control http://www.cdc.gov/features/getsmartGet Smart: Know When Antibiotics Work: Dangers of Antibiotic Resistance
2 Birnbaum D, Canadian Committee on Antibiotic Resistance. Antimicrobial resistance: A deadly burden no country can afford to ignore. Can Commun Dis Rep. 2003 Sep 15;29(18):157-64.
Reprinted with permission from The Family Practice.
Performance Based Care
November 9, 2011
Photo Credit: tableatny
Many of the top athletes and performers in the world think, train, and use chiropractic care differently. Let’s begin with their thinking.
Top athletes and performers believe that they are capable of accomplishing higher levels of success in business or athletic endeavors and they organize their life around these thoughts. They make eating decisions, training decisions and health care decisions around performing at very high levels rather than around mediocrity. Because they are committed to higher levels of performance, it is easier for them to draw a line in the sand and say no to things that reduce their potential while also saying yes to the things that help them reach their goals. They make these thoughts their lifestyle.
High achievers and performers also train differently than most people. They train for personal bests and record setting performances. They do not study to pass or get a C grade on a test. They get A+ ready through training, study, and whatever else is necessary for them to achieve higher levels.
This high performance training, which is built upon high performance thinking, is what separates high achievers from the pack. Average performers consider the sacrifice that top performers make too much to bear. High performers look at things differently. They believe that performing at less than your best is the unfortunate sacrifice.
When it comes to chiropractic care, the top athletes and performers take their Lifestyle Care to another level with Performance Based Care.
If you look at the Lifestyle Care Continuum, you will notice that, to the right under Lifestyle Care, the dots representing the frequency of visits get closer together. This is Performance Based Care. The goal is to never allow nerve interference to settle into your body for even a day. This type of care fine tunes your nervous system to fire at optimum efficiency at all times, to optimize the fluidity of muscle contractions and joint movements and to improve recovery time during extensive training.
In The 100 Year Lifestyle Workout book, there are numerous stories of professional, Olympic and youth sports champions who, through Performance Based Care, outperformed and outlasted the competition to win their medals and reach their goals.
NFL Super Bowl Champion, Roger Craig, credits regular chiropractic care for his professional athletic success. He believes the principle of Getting his ESS in Shape, Endurance, Strength and Structure, enabled him to reach the level of achievement he desired when he played for the San Francisco ‘49ers and it still keeps him active and performing at high levels today.
One of the top youth soccer coaches in the nation, David Eristavi, understands that the emphasis on the principles of the ESS, including chiropractic care, plays a key role in the health and recovery time of his players. As a former professional player whose team focused on endurance and strength training along with chiropractic care, he knows the importance of these principles to optimize the performance and longevity of his players.
You, too, are capable of higher levels of health and performance. Talk to your 100 Year Lifestyle Licensed Affiliate chiropractor and take your Lifestyle Care to the next level with Performance Based Care.
Reprinted with permission from The Family Practice.
Rozenhart Family Chiropractic Now Offers Massage!
November 3, 2011
Rozenhart Family Chiropractic welcomes Dionne Wilson, Certified Massage Therapist and Reiki Practitioner to our family! Dionne graduated with honors from National Holistic Institute’s massage therapy program and is a second degree Reiki practitioner. She brings a passion for helping people get their lives back by using a variety of gentle techniques customized to each individual’s needs. Dionne employs traditional myofascial and trigger point therapies and Swedish techniques as well as weaving in positional release, acupressure, energy healing (Reiki) and reflexology.
Dionne Wilson
We are excited to be able to offer massage therapy to our clients, as it is beneficial for a broad spectrum of physical and emotional ailments and an important facet of holistic care. And while a massage can be deeply soothing, the benefits go beyond relaxation. Research shows that in addition to relieving tension and anxiety, massage can:
- Reduce heart rate and lower blood pressure
- Improve circulation
- Improve range of motion and stimulate muscles
- Increase endorphins
- Relieve tension and migraine headaches
- Speed healing
- Ease chronic pain
- Strengthen the immune system
Find out for yourself how adding massage therapy to your care can improve your overall well-being. Schedule an appointment with Dionne today by calling Kristina at 408-979-9999 or schedule online now!
Here’s to a Healthier Halloween
October 27, 2011
Trick or Treat?
Trick or Treat? These days it seems like it’s really all about the treats – between school parties and cruising the neighborhood for candy handouts, Halloween is a holiday that kids love. But let’s face it, kids really don’t need any more sugar. Many kids collect more candy on one night than they need to eat all year, and it is really damaging to their health. We always think of teeth, but the ENTIRE body is affected by consuming large amounts of processed sugar. Not to mention, their taste buds get used to the taste of refined sugar that naturally sweet fruits don’t taste as appealing.
If we want to keep our kids from forming habits that can take a lifetime to break, it’s a good idea to set some boundaries around sugar. I want my son to be able to participate in the whole trick-or-treat experience and he goes around and collects candy like everyone else. When we get home, he gets to pick 5 items from his bag to eat however he wants. He can eat them all right away, or over the next few days- it’s his choice. If he chooses to eat them all at once, he usually doesn’t feel very good and we have an opportunity to talk about how what we eat dramatically affects how we feel and we have a lesson about listening to what your body is telling you. My son trades the rest of his candy in with me for a new toy of his choosing. In the past we have also exchanged for an outing of his choosing- something special. I think that is a real “prize” for both your kids and you!
