Chyawanprash - Boosts Energy and Immunity

About six months ago, my nutritionist introduced me to Chyanwanprash, a 2500 year old Ayurvedic formula which is a powerful combination of herbs and plant extracts in a base of Amla fruit pulp. Imagine my surprise when I saw Deepak Chopra recommend Chyanwanprash on the Dr. Oz Show. It's such an odd name that I didn't think anyone outside my nutritionist had ever heard of it!

Chyanwanprash is a mixture of herbs, spices and other ingredients, made into a jam-like consistency almost like molasses. You can eat it from a spoon or put into tea or a smoothie. My husband and I just eat a spoonful each morning and evening. This Ayurvedic formula is widely used in India as a longevity tonic.

The primary ingredient to Chyanwanprash is amla, a type of gooseberry which is very high in vitamin C.

Deepak Chopra recommends Chyanwanprash as part of a four step plan to reduce stress but other things that this powerful formula is good for are:

• Improved digestion - Ayurvedic tradition believes that all disease stems from digestive problems and Chyanwanprash improves digestion so that disease and health troubles don't arise. With proper digestion, we can assimilate nutrients better from the food we eat so it makes sense that any health program should address digestion first.
• Longevity-Good digestion enhances tissue regeneration, brings the body back into balance and helps us to live longer, healthier lives
• Increased memory and brain function
• Improved immunity
• Improved energy

How much Chyanwanprash should you eat? Most recommend 1-3 teaspoons per day but it would be hard to consume too much and there are no known side effects.

One important thing I learned about Chyanwanprash from Dr. Oz's show is that the cost is only about $10 a bottle. I was paying three times that for the brand I was using at the time. After doing some research, I found Dabur Chyawanprash, 2.2-Pound Bottles (Pack of 2) Amazon.com for about this price. And the bottle is much bigger than the one I was paying $30 for as well.

If you're looking for an inexpensive remedy which will improve overall health and energy and help you to live longer, Chyanwanprash is certainly something you should add to your health program. Since I've started taking it twice a day, I have seen a reduction in stress and improved energy. I used to have a hard time waking up in the mornings but now I wake up before the alarm feeling refreshed.

If you decide to try Chyanwanprash, let me know what you think!

Get a Glass Pitcher to Replace Plastic

Glass pitchers in various sizes aren't easy to find, but I decided some time ago to replace my old plastic pitchers with glass for health and safety reasons. Unless you get a BPA free plastic pitcher, this toxic chemical can leach into the liquids you put into a plastic pitcher, plus after years of throwing this plastic into the dishwasher, even more chemicals leach out.

It's been several months since I threw out all my old plastic containers and bought glass ones for food storage but it was only recently that I decided my plasitc pitchers would have to go. Each morning I make a pitcher of healthful Calli tea and was putting it into a plastic container. The tea is warm to hot, which is probably even worse for leaching chemicals from the plastic.

I use pitchers for various other things besides my Calli Tea too-such as keeping green tea or Fortune Delight on hand in frig, for instance. Since glass is a healthier option than plastic, I purchased 3 one quart glass pitchers and one half gallon glass pitcher. This Frigoverre Glass Pitcher, One Liter, which is pictured, comes with a lid that screws down tightly to keep contents fresh and it's one that I can recommend highly for price and convenience. This Frigoverre glass pitcher is available from Amazon.com.

I love these little glass pitchers because they are nice heavy glass and the handle is sturdy and makes it easy to handle. The spout pours nicely and doesn't slop and spill.

As a 2 quart pitcher, I bought the Luminarc Quadro 2-Liter Glass Pitcher with Lid, which I like ok but not as much as the one liter Frigoverre. The indented handle isn't as easy to manage as the Frigoverre's handle and the lid doesn't screw in tightly, although it seems to be airtight as well. Two quart glass pitchers are more difficult to find than one quart.

With all the talk about how bad BPA is for our bodies, I think replacing plastic pitchers with glass pitchers is a smart move. It gets expensive to throw out all your plastic at once but purchase a little as you go and it's more affordable.

For my glass food storage containers, I purchased this  Rubbermaid 8-Piece Glass Food Storage Container Set with Easy Find Lid, which Amazon also carries and it's filled all my container needs. I prefer glass pitchers and food storage containers because they are easy to clean and are much healthier than plastic. Replacing plastic in your food and beverage storage containers and pitchers would make a wonderful health resolution for the new year!

Start the New Year with Calli Tea and Save!

Save money on Calli Tea and start the New Year Right

If you've never tried Calli Tea before, or if you've used Calli to assist with a gentle cleansing program in the past, the New Year is a great time to sweep away the cobwebs of winter and get ready for spring. Send for my free Calli Tea report and I'll provide ordering information for a special Calli Sale which is good through February, 2012.

Send for my Free Calli Tea Report and find out what this healthy Sunrider Tea can do for your health and fitness programs.

If you'd like to purchase Calli Tea securely through pay pal, click below:

60 teabags

Regular Flavor$57.70 USD Mint Flavor$57.70 USD Request flavor in comments$57.70 USD

I've been drinking Calli Tea for many years and I personally attribute my exceptionally good health at the age of 60 in part to my continued use of this tea by Sunrider. I've written several articles in this blog, including my Calli Tea Review.

Here is my recipe too for a delicious Calli Tea smoothie. You can even make it with spinach or kale and have a healthy green smoothie.

Is it your New Year's resolution to look and feel better in the coming months? Start your day with a Calli Tea smoothie and enjoy the benefits of Calli throughout the day and see what a difference it makes.

Sunrider® products are not intended for use in the diagnosis, cure, mitigation, prevention, or treatment of any medical condition.

Brown Seaweed for Weightloss and Health

My favorite brown seaweed

I've written about the benefits of brown seaweed before but I recently learned it's also good for weigh loss. I pick up many weight loss tips from Dr. Oz and the other day he recommended brown seaweed.

Brown Seaweed and Weight Loss

Brown seaweed and weight loss were studied in Japan in 2006. Science Daily reports on the seaweed nutrient, fucoxanthin, which appears to reduce fat accumulation.

Health Benefits of Brown Seaweed

Besides aiding weight loss, brown seaweed is being researched for it's anti-cancer and anti-inflammatory abilities. Brown seaweed nourishes the thyroid so is important for those with thyroid conditions, like my husband.

Brown seaweed also improves the hair and nails. My husband was just noticing the other day that his nails were much stronger than they had been. One symptom of thyroid condition is brittle nails so if his nails are getting stronger, then his thryroid is being nourished as well.

Brown seaweed also boosts the immune system and helps lower cholesterol. Since cholesterol is another issue my husband is working on at present, we'll see how the brown seaweed affects his results on the next blood test.

Radioactivity exposure has been in the news since Japan's tsunami and brown seaweed contains Alginate, which naturally absorbs radioactive material, as well as other heavy metals we may be exposed to in our daily life. Brown seaweed also absorbs the free radicals in our body which age us and cause health issues as we get older.

One thing you have to be careful of when buying brown seaweed supplements is their purity. Since seaweed comes from the ocean, there is a chance of heavy metal contamination, unless it is taken from pure ocean waters.

I've researched several brands of brown seaweed and the two I recommend as being the most pure are Body Ecology's Ocean Plant Extract, available on the Body Ecology website and Mo
and Modiflan, 100% pure kombu extract, which is available on Amazon.com.

Both of these brands of brown seaweed contain an ocean vegetable called  Laminaria japonica and they come from a very pure source.

If you decide to try brown seaweed for weight loss and health, check the bottle for instructions. Most advise 3-6 capsules first thing in the morning with a glass of water. Be sure and check your source for purity. This is one place you don't want to skimp on quality. Dr. Oz recommended at least 500mg per day of brown seaweed to reduce belly fat and promote weight loss.

If you are trying to reduce belly fat or lose weight, brown seaweed might be worth a try, especially since it also offers many other health benefits as well.

Learn where you can buy edible seaweed.to use in recipes.

Want to Lose Belly Fat? Give Safslim a Try

Like many of you, I saw the Safslim Diet on Dr. Oz's show with Montel Williams. Montel was so impressed with his results in getting rid of belly fat, he offered to become a spokesperson for the safflower oil product. Safslim is available on Amazon and other health food outlets. I ordered 2 bottles so my husband and I could try it for a month.

What I got from reviews is that Safslim works wonderfully to reduce belly fat for many people but some do get a digestive upset from it or don't like the taste so they quit taking it after one or two doses. I personally felt Safslim was worth a try after hearing what Montel Williams and Dr. Oz had to say. So far, my husband and I have liked the taste of the berry flavor and have had no upsets in our digestion.

Dr. Oz does not endorse Safslim but he did have his experts look at the product, as well as the idea that safflower oil can help reduce belly fat. The jury is out on safflower oil, however some of his experts did think it could work.

The directions say to use Safslim for one month for best results that's what we're doing and I'll report back on one month on my results. Safslim is made from non-GMO, expeller pressed, high-linoleic safflower oil.

Other ways to get Safflower oil are in sunflower seeds, which we've started eating as a snack and on salads, and safflower oil. I don't want to give up my coconut oil and olive oil so haven't purchased any safflower oil but that's an alternative to Safslim also.

Belly fat, also known as visceral fat, wraps around your internal organs and increases your chances of heart attack and stroke, cancer, diabetes and other major illnesses. If Safslim works, then it is well worth the money to reduce this belly fat.