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Which Vitamins Should I Take? Is There a Difference? 

One day a friend came over to our house and was talking about how he had discovered that taking a multivitamin was super important to fill in the gaps of nutritional deficiencies in our diet. 

Okay. So far so good. 

Our soils are very depleted and no matter how good your diet is, there are probably fewer nutrients in it than there were in the food our grandparents ate. So taking additional nutrients in the form of a supplement makes sense for most people. 

Then he said, “I got a huge bottle of from the drugstore for like $10! It last me about 6 months!” 

Hold on. 

Stop right there. 

I told him, “Those vitamins will kill you” and he couldn’t pick his jaw up off the floor fast enough. I’m usually the “healthy advice” person in the room, so when I say things that contradict what people read in a magazine I get looks of shock. 

As is usually the case… supplementing our diets with vitamins is a bit more complicated than the standard mainstream advice. 

Aren’t All Vitamins the Same?

Almost all vitamin supplements on the market are synthetic. (If they are cheap: they are guaranteed to be synthetic). 

That means they are not from food: they are chemically created in a lab. You may think, as my friend did, that “everything is a chemical” so it doesn’t make a difference where we get these nutrients… but it does. 

Chemical, synthetic “vitamins” may share a chemical structure with their natural counterparts, but they are not recognized as nutrients by the body, and with long term use will cause disease.

In fact, even a nutrient isolated from a whole food is not the best thing to take, even if it came from a completely natural source. 

What’s the Difference?

Here’s the thing. 

Nature puts our nutrients into packages called food: fruits, vegetables, herbs, spices, plants, and even animals. 

Our bodies are part of nature and we have always assimilated nutrients through food. 

When we eat food, our body is not only absorbing one nutrient. It’s absorbing the whole food, which is a unique combination of micro and macro nutrients: vitamins, minerals, fiber, sugar, carbohydrates, protein, fat, amino acids, enzymes, and other components. Foods have a very complex makeup of symbiotic constituents that work together to provide nourishment to the human body. 

We often try to recreate this symbiosis (in a primitive way) by pairing vitamins and minerals together that we have discovered are “cofactors” of each other.

For example, iodine is a very important nutrient to our bodies, but it has been discovered that we don’t absorb iodine very well without selenium. So you may see supplements that have both selenium and iodine to ensure adequate absorption of both. 

But it’s much more complicated than that. And simply re-creating a vitamin in a lab with chemicals is not the same thing as getting that nutrient in its food packaging. 

How the Body Absorbs Nutrition

When we eat food the digestive system breaks it apart and begins assimilating and distributing nutrients to different areas of the body. 

The body has receptors for certain nutrients in all different places. For example there are iodine receptors all over the body, but there are a lot of iodine receptors specifically in the breasts and sexual organs of women. So when there is an iodine deficiency, dysfunction in these organs and systems can often result. 

This is Important

When there is a deficiency of a nutrient in the body, the body starts to crave the foods that contain those nutrients. That’s why sometimes, out of nowhere,  we really want to eat a burger or chocolate or something with tomato sauce… our body may be in need of iron or magnesium or lycopene, for example. 

Taking a multivitamin to fill in nutritional gaps is not a terrible idea, but synthetic vitamins are not a good solution. The body does not recognize these nutrients… but it will accept them as a substitute in the absence of real nutrition. 

Over time however this can cause all kinds of health problems, from disease to chronic ailments, pain or cancer. 

Disease is pretty much always a deficiency of nutrients, in combination with a high toxicity load. 

Synthetic vs Natural Nutrients

For example, this is how people die of radiation poisoning. Radioactive isotopes are simply unstable elements that are similar to nutrients our bodies need. 

At Fukushima there was an abundance of iodine-131 contaminating the oceans and environment. This can be dangerous to humans, but only if we are already deficient in the good, stable form of iodine. 

What is the way to prevent radiation poisoning from iodine-131? Get the whole stable form of iodine (an essential nutrient) 

This is how the body sees it: “I’m deficient in iodine (most people are). This “iodine” isn’t the best but it’s better than nothing so I’ll take it.”

Then this unstable iodine poisons the body and fills up the iodine receptors (there are a bunch in breasts, ovaries and other female reproductive organs). 

The way to prevent or remedy this is to take actual iodine…. the body says, “Oh! This is what I really want!”

So it dumps the toxic stuff and replaces it with the real stuff. 

This is also exactly how the body responds to synthetic nutrients: it will accept them in the absence of real nutrients… and you might feel better initially. But there is no healing, and these synthetic elements will eventually cause problems in the body because the nutrient deficiency was never adequately addressed. 

An Epidemic of Malnutrition

You may be surprised to learn that in the United States, a country with an abundance of overweight people, malnutrition is an epidemic. 

It would seem that these people are overfed, if anything, and that’s true: but they are undernourished, because we eat a scarcity of foods with real nutrition. 

Have you ever wondered how you can eat a whole meal and feel full but still feel hungry at the same time? 

It’s because your body is craving actual nutrition. You just ate a bunch of calories that the body doesn’t know what to do with, but it still needs nutrients. So the body stores those calories as fat to deal with later, and you are still hungry. 

This may come as a shock to you, but eating food is to fuel our bodies: not just because we like it. 

Don’t get me wrong: real food tastes really good. But in our over-processed society filled with fast junk food… we are overfed and undernourished. 

We have missed the point of eating entirely. 

Think about what you’ve eaten over the past 3 days. Write it out if you can remember. 

I’ve seen food diaries that look something like this:

  • Breakfast: bagel with cream cheese
  • Snack: Coffee powdered creamer and a doughnut 
  • Lunch: Subway sandwich with deli meat and condiments with a soda
  • Afternoon snack: Doritos and M&M’s
  • Dinner: Pizza with soda, ice cream as a dessert

Unfortunately, this “diet” is much more common than anyone wants to admit. Some even think this is fairly healthy! 

What I see is an entire day almost completely devoid of any nutrients whatsoever. 

The entire point of eating is nutrients, and we aren’t getting any! 

No wonder our bodies are starving as our weight tips the scale! 

So What Do We Do?

But if the multivitamins we buy at the store aren’t good either, what should we do?

The first thing to do is improve our diets. Even though it may not be possible to get all of the nutrients we need from today’s food, We need to do a better job of trying, because the best multi in the world is not going to give us all of the nutrition we need.

We also need to focus on gut health: eating for gut health, improving our gut health and ensuring that we are absorbing the nutrients from our food and supplements.

Think about it: if our digestive system is unhealthy and imbalanced, we will be unable to absorb the proper nutrients from our food or our supplements–so all of that effort and expense will be wasted.

Also, the latest research shows that gut health is literally the root of everything: so if your gut is unhealthy, you will be sick. And you won’t get better until you improve gut health. The issues you have may snowball into more issues and more issues. So why not just get to the root and be healthy and avoid all of that heartache?

Gut health is the root of: 

Literally everything.

Click here to read some inspiring stories of healing in each of these areas.

But How Do I Improve Gut Health? 

That’s a great question.

I spent about 10 years trying to figure this out.

I tried dozens and dozens of probiotics.

I created my own ferments (both food and drink) in my kitchen.

I made and consumed gallons of bone broth.

I ate organ meat and farm-fresh vegetables and any dairy I consumed was raw or cultured.

I avoided all the bad things like sugar and processed foods and read every label in sight.

But it wasn’t enough.

I knew gut health was the root, but HOW did I achieve it?

I stumbled upon a gut-brain axis healing protocol that changed everything. 

It’s research based, formulated with whole foods, herbs, probiotics and real nutrients, and it actually works.

Not only that, the company offers a money back guarantee. FOR A YEAR.

It’s literally guaranteed to work. So I figured I had nothing to lose.

And neither do you.

Nothing to lose except

  • pain
  • bloating
  • inflammation
  • indigestion
  • IBS
  • depression
  • anxiety
  • skin issues
  • allergies
  • high blood sugar
  • high blood pressure
  • brain fog
  • parasites
  • candida
  • mold toxicity
  • sensitivities

What are you waiting for? Get the gut-brain axis healing protocol here.

And when you get that, you can add this for half off: a whole food, fully methylated multivitamin for less than you are probably paying now.

Everything is guaranteed for a full year.

And today I can offer $10 off your first order: simply enter code 39519 in the coupon code box at checkout.

 

New to Freedom & Coffee? Start here.

 

Disclosures:

Many of the product links in this post are affiliate links, which means I will receive a small commission from any purchase. I only recommend products that I love and this is at no extra cost to you. Thank you for supporting our mission with your clicks!

 

Resources for Further Study

The Best Gut Healing Protocol I have found (Gut-Brain Axis Healing)

Need a Whole Food, Fully Methylated LEGIT Multivitamin? Here you go.

The Gut-Brain Axis: The Key to Mental Health From the Root

Natural Healing For Allergies

How to Reboot Your Gut and Kick Parasites to the Curb

Want Clear, Healthy Skin? Heal From the Root

Inspiring Stories of Root Cause Healing

Improve Your Gut and Improve Your Whole Life!

 

 

Medical Disclaimer:
Information found on the Freedom & Coffee website is created and published online for informational purposes only. This information is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, and is not intended to diagnose, treat or cure any medical condition.
If you have questions about your health or a medical condition, please seek the guidance of your doctor or qualified health professional with. Please don’t disregard the advice of a medical professional, or delay in seeking it because of something you have read on this website.
If you have a medical emergency, contact a doctor or call the emergency services immediately. If you choose to rely on any information provided by this website, it is solely at your own risk.
Under no circumstances is Freedom & Coffee responsible for the claims of third party websites or educational providers linked to from this website.

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Got Allergies? Your (Natural) Solution is Here

Allergies are more common (and more dangerous) than ever. 

Seasonal Allergies

Pet Allergies

Food Allergies

Environmental Allergies

Allergic reactions can result in anything from an itchy rash to digestive upset to upper respiratory congestion to anaphylaxis (death in rare cases)!

In Springtime, or any time of the year, allergies can be a real problem for a growing number of people. 

The list of things sensitive people need to avoid is growing longer by the day… animal dander? Grass or pollen? A certain type of food?

Lactose, gluten, corn, eggs, nuts… the list of allergens is endless these days!

Allergies used to be a temporary inconvenience but for many have become a way of life. Friends and family members are forced to plan their lives around the avoidance of these allergens, and restaurants and food manufacturers have responded by producing products that eliminate the most common allergens, and disclosing if a product contains potential allergens.

How did we get here?

The prevailing medical thought is that certain people “just have allergies,” and there isn’t much you can do about it, other than avoid the allergens or take allergy meds.

But I don’t believe that.

And fortunately it isn’t true.

It doesn’t even make sense, because many people develop allergies over time. For example, you may have not had allergies growing up but suddenly find yourself having seasonal allergies as an adult.

Or a food that you have always enjoyed may begin to bother you and now you can’t eat it any more.

It stands to reason: if you can develop an allergy, you can heal from it. You just need to get to the root of the issue and reverse the problem that caused it.

What Causes Allergies?

As with many of our “modern problems,” allergies have risen exponentially over the past few decades

But did you know ALLERGIES are a GUT issue? 

There is a growing body of research over the past few years linking histamine intolerance and allergies in general to gut health and the balance of the gut microbiome.

What does that mean?

It’s good news because…you guessed: healing your gut can heal more than just digestive issues. It can help reverse your allergies too! 

And as we have explored in other articles, healing your gut can do so much more: from resolving anxiety and depression to improving symptoms of autism spectrum (some have lost their diagnoses!) and beyond….even hormone balance and infertility! 

We’ve talked about ADHD, anxiety, depression, focus, brain fog, thyroid, blood pressure, IBS, detox…. We’ve learned that gut health is ROOT CAUSE. 

Now we know that gut health is also the root cause of allergies. And now we know that healing the gut can bring relief to all kinds of allergies as well!

Questions? Text “Allergies” to ‪(802) 227-7051‬

Break it Down

My dad had severe seasonal allergies for 60 years.

He spent his life avoiding flowers and trying to find ways to alleviate his misery every springtime when the blooms and pollen overwhelmed him.

His seasonal allergies were so bad he couldn’t put a single flower on his lapel at my wedding. 

He tried all of the natural advice:

  • Eating local honey
  • Bee Pollen
  • High Dose Vitamin C
  • Allergy meds
  • Antihistamines
  • Air Purifiers

All of these things helped some, but nothing resolved the issue completely, until….

He healed his gut.

Now he lives and works on a farm with no problem. 

His allergies plagued him his whole life. He could have resigned himself to it and said that he was born with it, or it was genetic, or there was nothing he could do.

But he didn’t do that. He didn’t give up. And he found a natural solution in the most unlikely place. He healed his gut and healed his lifelong allergies along with it.

Questions? Text “Allergies” to ‪(802) 227-7051‬

And how about me?

Do you suffer from seasonal allergies?

I grew up allergic to cats: my entire head would become congested within minutes of exposure to a cat or a house that had a cat living there. 

After healing my gut cats don’t affect me at all. 

It seems a little counter-intuitive that healing our guts can resolve something like allergies… but it does.

Why?

Because the gut is the root of everything. Read more about how the health and balance of the gut microbiome is foundational to everything. 

Food Allergies and Sensitivities

Food allergies can be really scary. In recent years we’ve all heard about peanut allergies and how some children who are even incidentally exposed to peanuts or something that touched a peanut product could react severely (some can even die!).

There are so many foods that induce allergies these days. I have met people who have a list of only 3-5 foods they can ever eat because they are allergic to everything else.

Most people with a food allergy spend their lives avoiding that food and regretting it when they make a mistake or accidentally eat something they didn’t know had an allergen.

Other people don’t even know they are sensitive or allergic to a food… so they have unexplained symptoms and have no idea why.

If you suspect a food allergy you may go to a doctor to get an allergy panel done… but here’s why I don’t believe that is the best idea.

Instead, try an elimination diet: they are easy and free to do, and give more accurate results than testing anyway. Here’s a great book on how to do an incredibly accurate elimination diet so you know what is triggering your symptoms.

Even if you test negative for food allergies, those same foods can still be causing problems if you have a food sensitivity. Here’s how to tell the difference. 

And the great news is: once you heal your gut, you can usually add back the offending food! That’s much better news than thinking you just have to avoid your favorite food for the rest of your life, isn’t it?

Questions? Text “Allergies” to ‪(802) 227-7051‬

How do I Improve Gut Health?

For a long time I was reading the research about gut health and knew it was the answer, but I didn’t know how to improve gut health!

I tried dozens of probiotics, most of which did nothing for me.

No matter how much I paid, they were a waste of money.

Then a few months ago I found a protocol that is simple, whole food based and didn’t break the bank.

It is based on all of the latest research, has nothing synthetic or GMO, and it WORKS. There are thousands of testimonies on Facebook to prove it.

And it has a 100% money back guarantee for a YEAR.

So I figured I’d try it. Why not?

Do you have a pet allergy? There is a natural solution.

This protocol has helped people heal from everything from allergies to food sensitivities to depression to IBS, thyroid issues, adrenal fatigue and blood pressure.

This protocol works. Guaranteed.

Don’t suffer–you don’t have to! Start healing your gut now before the pollen counts skyrocket. You’ll be glad you did.

To learn more about the protocol I use, click here.

Learn more about the science behind the gut-brain axis. 

To be invited to the group where people post their own experiences, text “invite me” to ‪(802) 227-7051‬.

There is a natural solution for allergies. Get it now. You are worth it.

Questions? Text “Allergies” to ‪(802) 227-7051‬

Resources for Further Study

Explore the many things gut healing can do: it is truly the root of our health! 

How the Gut-Brain Axis Can Resolve Depression, Anxiety, Brain Fog, Memory Issues and More… Naturally! 

See Stories of Healing: Autism, ADHD, Behavior, Mood, Anxiety, Mold, Digestive and More! 

What About Infertility? 

Are Allergies Actually a Gut Issue? (Study)

How (and why) to do an Elimination Diet

The Virgin Diet, by Dr. JJ Virgin

The Science Behind the Gut-Brain Axis Healing Protocol. 

The Natural Solution to Improve your Gut Health and target allergies. 

Heal Your Gut Now with This Simple Protocol 

 

Questions? Text “Allergies” to ‪(802) 227-7051‬

 

New to Freedom & Coffee? Start here.

 

Disclosures:

Many of the product links in this post are affiliate links, which means I will receive a small commission from any purchase. I only recommend products that I love and this is at no extra cost to you. Thank you for supporting our mission with your clicks!

 

 

 

Medical Disclaimer:
Information found on the Freedom & Coffee website is created and published online for informational purposes only. This information is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, and is not intended to diagnose, treat or cure any medical condition.
If you have questions about your health or a medical condition, please seek the guidance of your doctor or qualified health professional with. Please don’t disregard the advice of a medical professional, or delay in seeking it because of something you have read on this website.
If you have a medical emergency, contact a doctor or call the emergency services immediately. If you choose to rely on any information provided by this website, it is solely at your own risk.
Under no circumstances is Freedom & Coffee responsible for the claims of third party websites or educational providers linked to from this website.

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REAL FOOD Movie Theater Popcorn: Make it!

Who doesn’t love popcorn?

And there is just something about popcorn at the movie theater: it’s so buttery and delicious… home-made never quite measures up.

But I found the secret ingredient, and you’ll never guess what it is.

We all know we should be getting only GOOD fats in our diet… right?

If you’re like me, you may be realizing you need MORE (good) fats….

Well if you like popcorn, you’re in luck, because this Real Food Movie Theater Popcorn is full of them.

Who knew popcorn could be healthy? And this is not your mother’s dry, bland, tasteless air popper popcorn. This is buttery, delicious, salty popcorn just like at the movie theater, but without all the bad oils, artificial colors and chemical flavorings.

Here’s the misconception: most people think “healthy” food is gross, like eating cardboard or rice cakes.

But it’s not! Healthy, real food is what we were designed to eat! When real, whole food tastes good and we can’t get enough—that means we should eat more of it!

Our bodies have been conditioned to crave chemical additives, excitotoxins and fake flavors, instead of the nutrients that accompany naturally delicious and satisfying food.

Once you realize that, everything changes.

When most Americans want popcorn, they grab a bag of microwave popcorn from the pantry, tear off the plastic, and stick it in the microwave for 3 minutes.

It’s quick and easy, right? It can’t be THAT bad for me….

WRONG

There are dozens of dangerous chemicals in most microwave popcorns, from the artificial buttery flavoring to the coating on the bag that prevents the oil from leaking through the paper. Some of them even have teflon inside of the bag! You are exposed to all of these chemicals and absorb them by smelling, touching and eating microwave popcorn.

But who wants to make popcorn on the stove?

Isn’t it difficult? And messy? And not as good?

If you use an air popper, there isn’t any oil used and that popcorn can be bland. So I’ve never been a big fan of that, because if I’m going to eat popcorn I want it to taste good!

Plus popcorn is the perfect opportunity to get some good, nourishing, satiating fats into our diets.

And the fats I use are really good ones. One of them you may not have used before, but you can get it pretty much anywhere.

So let’s get onto the recipe.

For the past few years, I’ve used an old stainless steel pot I have and it worked just fine, so you don’t need any fancy equipment.

But….

I recently moved and I threw out that old pot so for Christmas my husband bought me this great stovetop whirlypop pot, and I’m in LOVE! If you want something specifically for your popcorn that will be perfect every time, definitely consider one of these. (Make sure to get the stainless steel and not the aluminum, because aluminum is bad for our brains).

Now that we have the tools out of the way, let’s get to the ingredients!

Coconut Oil

Coconut oil is very filling, very nourishing, and can even contribute to weight loss! It has so many benefits, and it tastes great. It can even help you to fight off or prevent illness!

Most people already have some of this in their pantries these days… but if you don’t, definitely get some!

 

Butter or Ghee

Butter is a very nourishing food, and it can be an important source of key vitamins like Vitamin D, Vitamin K2 and Vitamin A. If you can, get butter from grass-fed cows. Kerrygold is a very tasty one. I like to add butter because it (obviously) adds a rich, buttery flavor and boosts the nutritional content of your popcorn by a lot!

If you are sensitive to dairy, you can buy or make ghee. All the flavor and health benefits, none of the casein or other milk proteins!

And now… for the secret ingredient!

Red Palm Oil

Red palm oil is a very exceptional oil, because it contains forms of Vitamin E and other vitamins that aren’t found in any other food. That makes it great for skin, eyes, heart, and other organs.

Here are just a few of the proven health benefits of red palm oil:

Protects heart health

Protects against skin cancer

Alleviates joint pain

Increases milk production in lactating mothers

Controls blood glucose levels

Prevents Constipation

…and more!

This is one great oil you will want to have in your arsenal. I love it with popcorn (gives  it that unique movie theater flavor)… but so far I haven’t found anything else I like to eat it with.

Oh and by the way, red palm oil is not the same as palm kernel oil, which has been responsible for deforestation and killing of some wildlife. Red palm oil does not carry these concerns (Nutiva guarantees it!).

Real Salt

You may have heard that salt is BAD BAD BAD.

But like with most things… this is only partially true.

When salt is consumed in its whole, natural form, it is actually one of the best things you can eat.

The problem is when we process all of the nutrients out of it to get the snow-white iodized table salt you find most places. That’s when it can cause problems.

(The problems do not arise out of the food itself, but in the processing and types of foods we consume).  

Unrefined salt contains dozens of trace minerals, including magnesium.

You probably know that trace minerals (especially magnesium) are vital for overall health and wellness… and salt is the best, easiest way to get them.

But what type of salt? My favorites are Redmond Real Salt, Celtic sea salt, and Himalayan salt (in that order). There are a lot of types, and each type has varying profiles of trace minerals, so it’s probably a good idea to get a variety.

Additionally, low salt consumption has been shown in clinical studies to increase mortality in the population significantly.

Here are more benefits of consuming salt daily. 

Bonus Ingredient for Extra Credit: Nutritional Yeast Flakes

They don’t sound very appetizing, but nutritional yeast flakes actually add a cheesy flavor to popcorn that I really like.

(Just make sure the one you get isn’t “fortified” with synthetic vitamins like B-12 and folic acid. We want real, not fake, nutrition).

A few benefits of nutritional yeast:

  • Support the health of hair, skin & nails
  • Contribute to digestive health
  • Enhance immunity
  • Boost Energy

If you can’t eat dairy or just want a nutritional boost to your popcorn–it’s definitely worth trying!

The recipe is simple:

Ingredients

  • Organic Popcorn Kernels (enough to coat the bottom of the pan)
  • 1 T Coconut oil
  • 1 T Red Palm oil
  • 1 T Butter or Ghee
  • Real Salt
  • Nutritional Yeast flakes (optional, but it gives it a cheesy flavor I like and adds nutrition too!)

That’s it!

Directions

  • Add all 3 oils to the bottom of your pan and turn on the heat (medium-high)
  • Once the oils are melted, swirl the pan around until combined
  • Add the popcorn kernels (enough to coat the bottom of the pan)
  • Swirl the pan again to make sure the oil is evenly coating the kernels, which should be a thin layer at the bottom of the pan.
  • Once the kernels start popping, turn the whirly crank or shake the pan a bit to keep the popcorn from burning.
  • As soon as the popping slows, turn off the heat and allow the popcorn to finish popping.
  • Sprinkle with real salt and nutritional yeast flakes (optional) and enjoy!

I’d love to hear what you think–or if you have another secret ingredient I should know about–comment below!

 

 

New to Freedom & Coffee? Start here.

 

Disclosures:

Many of the product links in this post are affiliate links, which means I will receive a small commission from any purchase. I only recommend products that I love and this is at no extra cost to you. Thank you for supporting our mission with your clicks!

Resources

How I discovered processed food is the devil

Chemicals in Most Microwave Popcorn

What are “forever chemicals” and why are they in my popcorn???

Top 3 Dangers of Microwave Popcorn

Microwave Popcorn is Toxic

Health Benefits of Red Palm Oil

Health Benefits of Coconut Oil

Health Benefits of Butter

Health Benefits of Salt

Study: Low Salt Intake Increases Mortality 

Health benefits of Nutritional Yeast

 

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Heal Your Gut and Your Gut Will Heal You

I’ve spent the last decade of my life researching (and writing about) natural healing, food as medicine, and taking control of our own health. 

For most of that time I have advocated for changing our diets: eating “as close to the ground” as possible. And that is still the best advice. Food is foundational. It’s a constant input to our bodies, and what we eat affects everything. How can it not?


In my research and in my own health, however, there seemed to be a missing piece. As I researched deeper and deeper, the topic of gut health came up constantly. Everything pointed back to the health and the balance of the gut microbiome.

Gut health is literally the root of everything. 

And it actually makes sense. Here is how one doctor put it: 

Your gut makes up the ONE LINE that goes from the entrance of your body to the exit. Everything you put in your body passes through that one line… so how can the health and balance of that line NOT affect every other system in the body? 

 

When you add to that the fact that the brain controls all the functions of the body (both voluntary and involuntary–and how the organs function and work together), it becomes apparent that the gut-brain axis (also called The Vagus Nerve) is VERY important to every aspect of our health. 

For example… did you know that the gut microbiome is responsible for producing serotonin, dopamine, and almost ALL of the neurotransmitters the brain needs to function and keep us healthy? 

And those neurotransmitters are sent to the brain along The Vagus Nerve (gut-brain axis). 

So if there is an imbalance in the gut, OR a deficiency in the brain, OR an interruption in the connection between the gut and the brain, all kinds of issues start to appear. 

The organs start to work less efficiently and begin to malfunction because the signals are crossed. 

We also can’t absorb appropriate nutrients from food or supplements with an imbalanced gut… so the food and supplements we take will be less effective for healing. 

Our hormones are regulated by the gut microbiome as well… so an imbalanced gut can results in hormonal imbalances…and all of the accompanying issues. 

The gut also regulates our thyroid hormones… so balancing the gut can improve T3 and T4 numbers, as well as the symptoms of thyroid dysfunction.

If we are low in serotonin and dopamine because of an imbalance in the gut microbiome, we may suffer from 

The health of the gut affects the brain and mental health so much, the gut has now been commonly referred to as the “second brain.”

(Text “Heal My Gut!” to ‪(802) 227-7051‬ for more information or to chat about your specific situation and get a recommendation. )

Read real-life stories of healing from the root here. 

Allergies and Gut Health

Did you know the presence of allergies is ALWAYS a gut issue?

And it doesn’t matter the type of allergies, whether they are seasonal allergies, environmental allergies, pet allergies or food allergies: all allergies are rooted in gut health. 

My dad suffered from debilitating seasonal allergies his whole life (60 years!)… to the point he couldn’t wear a flower on his lapel at my wedding. 

Guess what happened when he healed his gut? Those allergies he had been struggling with his WHOLE LIFE disappeared. Now he works outside on a farm every day… amongst all of the trees and flowers and pollen he used to hide from. 

I used to be terribly allergic to cats. I would enter a house that had a cat and immediately get a terrible head cold: congestion in my nose, watery eyes, and trouble breathing. This would happen whether or not I was aware there was a cat in the house. When I would ask, the host would say, “Oh yes, we have a cat. We put her in the other room when people come over.”

Guess what happened when I healed my gut? No more cat allergy. Cats literally don’t affect me at all. It’s shocking! 

Food allergies are most commonly caused by leaky gut. Gut healing is imperative, because leaky gut can cause all kinds of issues, including an auto-immune response to eating food. 

There are, of course, some foods that we just shouldn’t ever eat, like highly processed foods, fast food, and junk food. The main reason we shouldn’t eat these things is because they aren’t actually even food. They provide no nutritional value to our bodies and they do more harm than good. So what is the point? Food is for our nourishment and to fuel our bodies, so if it is not providing that, why are we eating it? 

If you have an allergy to real food, however, there is a problem. I have a friend who is unable to eat almost any uncooked vegetables or fruits. This is a sign of severe leaky gut… and needs to be addressed immediately.

Simply avoiding all the food is not the answer: we need to find healing! 

If you are having severe symptoms of food allergies or just know something is wrong in your body but you don’t know what, the best way to find out what you are sensitive to is an elimination diet. 

Elimination diets are the ONLY sure way to determine exactly what you are sensitive to. Even allergy testing at the doctor is not as accurate as elimination diets (and they are often very expensive). 

I mentioned earlier that “simply avoiding” foods you are sensitive to is not the answer… so why am I telling you to do an elimination diet? 

Because those foods are causing a problem, so you definitely will need to cut them out of your life for awhile… UNTIL you heal your gut. After you heal your gut, in most cases you can add those (real, whole) foods back into your diet without issue. 

This is a great book on elimination diets and how exactly to do it from a highly respected physician who identified her food allergy, healed her gut, and then was able to add that food back into her diet. 

Read real-life stories of healing from the root here. 

 

Eczema, Rashes, Acne and other Skin Issues

Our skin is our largest organ. 

If all of our “regular” detox pathways are open and running smoothly, we are able to detox everything through those channels (liver, kidneys, lungs, blood and lymphatic system). But if even one of these detox pathways gets clogged or slowed down, we start seeing signs in our skin.

 

Bright, clear, healthy, vibrant skin is a sign of health: it shows that our bodies are working as they should and there is no toxic burden present.

This is why healthy people are beautiful: health literally shows on our faces! 

Instead of wearing makeup to cover “problem skin,” why not focus on the inside and get glowing, radiant, beautiful skin because you are healthy?

“But I don’t know how to do that!!”

Again, the answer lies in gut health. 

(Text “Heal My Gut!” to ‪(802) 227-7051‬ for more information or to chat about your specific situation and get a recommendation. )

 

Read real-life stories of healing from the root here. 

Food for Thought

Why are 80% of the pharmaceutical products sold in the US (both prescription and over-the-counter) for digestive complaints? 

Why do people who suffer from depression, anxiety, brain fog, mental health issues, autism spectrum disorder, skin problems and allergies virtually ALWAYS have an accompanying digestive complaint? 

Because all of it is rooted in gut health. 

Our bodies are whole units: one part affects every other part. And the gut is the most foundational of parts. 

One doctor I follow put it this way:

“Heal your gut and your gut will heal you.”

No matter what your issue: 

  • Digestive
  • Skin
  • Weight
  • Thyroid
  • Mental Health
  • Energy
  • Blood pressure
  • Detox
  • Mood 
  • Heart
  • Liver
  • Brain
  • Blood
  • Adrenals

Or a combination of several…. 

The root is always gut health. Start there. 

In most cases, healing your gut will begin a chain reaction of healing in your body. 

Our bodies are made to heal. We just need to give them what we need (and stop poisoning them). 

Begin by healing your gut, and then things will start to fall into place. If you need additional support after that, you can reevaluate. But you will be shocked how many things resolve themselves when the gut microbiome is balanced. 

Read real-life stories of healing from the root here. 

(Text “Heal My Gut!” to ‪(802) 227-7051‬ for more information or to chat about your specific situation and get a recommendation. )

How do our guts get imbalanced? 

You may think back to childhood, a time when you ate whatever you wanted and had no issues. 

It may lead you to believe that we are born with perfectly balanced gut microbiomes… but that is not so. 

We inherit our gut microbiomes from our parents: particularly our mothers at birth. As we pass through the birth canal we ingest billions of bacteria, which seeds our microbiome and sets the stage for the health we will experience throughout our lives. 

If our mothers (and to a lesser extent our fathers) have a gut imbalance, we will inherit that imbalance. This is also one reason things like addiction and depression can be “passed down” along generational lines: because we share a gut microbiome profile with the rest of our families. 

Other things can affect our gut microbiomes, both for good and bad. 

Antibiotics and other Pharmaceutical Meds

Most of us have had antibiotics in our lifetimes: some of us have had many, many rounds. 

Antibiotics can be life-saving, there is no doubt: but the rampant over-use of them in our society has not made us healthier. 

Antibiotics are not good at targeting exactly which bacteria to kill: they kill indiscriminately. Recent research shows that one round of antibiotics can kill 25% of the gut microbiome (both good and bad bacteria)! That is devastating to the balance of the microbiome. And just think.. If you take more than one round, how much of our gut balance is affected! 

Other factors influence gut health as well: diet is a huge one. The food we eat feeds either the good or the bad bacteria in our guts: creating balance or imbalance with every bite. 

Sugar, processed food, fast food and other junk feeds the “bad” bacteria, causing overgrowths of candida and parasites. This creates an imbalance favoring “bad” bacteria in the gut, which causes a host of health issues, from weight gain to cravings to blood sugar problems and hormonal imbalance. 

Whole, real food, including fermented food and probiotics, promote the growth of “good bacteria” and create a balanced microbiome, which promotes optimal health in the whole body.

Other environmental components can influence gut bacteria for the positive or negative as well: ambient radiation from Electromagnetic Frequencies (EMF from cell phones, radio waves, cell towers and electronics), as well as toxins in our water, air, personal products and food.    

When we learn all of these things and how foundational gut health is to every system in the body (and even to brain and mental health), our question should not be “What can gut healing do for me,” but

“What Can Gut Healing NOT Do For Me?”

If you have any health issue at all, start with the gut.

“Heal your gut and your gut will heal you.”

 

(Text “Heal My Gut!” to ‪(802) 227-7051‬ for more information or to chat about your specific situation and get a recommendation. )

Read real-life stories of healing from the root here. 

“But HOW Do I Improve Gut Health??”

Healing the gut may sound like a simple fix, but how is it done?

Most people know we should take probiotics and eat real food. But beyond that, things get confusing.

I’ve been researching this topic for years and it is still confusing, because labels don’t answer any of these questions.

And not all “probiotics” are the same. There are literally billions of strains.

So how do we know which ones to choose? 

I’ve tried dozens of probiotics, spending hundreds of dollars… and most of them didn’t do anything for me.

So if you are ready to heal your gut, how do you know where to go from here?

The research I have done shows that the gut-brain connection is key, because the brain controls all of the systems of the body, and the gut and brain communicate in real-time to do that.

If the gut is the “2nd brain” and it provides everything the brain needs to function, and the brain controls the whole body… this gut-brain connection is really important!

Until a few months ago I knew this was the key, but had no idea how to influence it.

How do we heal the gut-brain connection? 

Which probiotics do we take? 

What else do we need? 

So when in my research I came across a gut-brain axis healing protocol, I thought this could be the missing link I’d been looking for.

I’m always skeptical when looking at new products, because I have incredibly high standards for ingredients.

I won’t even consider a supplement if it has:

  • Synthetic vitamins
  • Artificial colors or flavors
  • Harmful additives (like maltodextrin)
  • GMO ingredients
  • Soy,  corn or wheat

This list eliminates almost every supplement I look at.

When this protocol checked every one of those boxes, AND I learned that it is whole-food based and synergistically combined with food, herb and prebiotic ingredients according to the latest research, I started to get excited.

And then I saw how it was working for people.

Over the past few months I’ve seen friends and family find healing in the areas of:

  • IBS
  • Constipation
  • Energy
  • Focus
  • Stomach Pain
  • Food Allergies
  • Eczema
  • Adult cystic acne
  • Hormone imbalance
  • Thyroid disorders
  • Depression
  • Anxiety
  • Brain Fog
  • ADHD
  • ASD symptoms (there is even a kids protocol that tastes amazing!)
  • Seasonal and Pet Allergies
  • Diabetes
  • Blood Pressure
  • Hormonal Imbalance
  • Weight issues

And reduce or eliminate meds for a variety of issues….

I knew I had to share this root cause healing protocol with the world.

There is a group on Facebook where people share their healing stories with this protocol regarding each of these issues and more: men, women and children! Text me at ‪(802) 227-7051‬ with your Facebook name so I can invite you to the group and you can see for yourself.

Want to check out this amazing protocol?

Click here for the adult version

Click here for the children’s version

(And an enhanced adult protocol that also addresses heart health)

And text me at ‪(802) 227-7051‬ if you want recommendations, or I can build you a cart and make sure you get wholesale pricing and the latest promotions included with your order.

And did I mention customers have a money back guarantee for a YEAR??

It’s literally guaranteed to change your life. Try it for a YEAR and if it doesn’t, return the empty bottles for a full refund!

There’s nothing to lose, except your pain, depression, stress, and discomfort!

There is healing.

There is hope.

Find it today.

Read real-life stories of healing from the root here. 

(Text “Heal My Gut!” to ‪(802) 227-7051‬ for more information or to chat about your specific situation and get a recommendation. )

 

 

 

 

New to Freedom & Coffee? Start here.

 

Disclosures:

Many of the product links in this post are affiliate links, which means I will receive a small commission from any purchase. I only recommend products that I love and this is at no extra cost to you. Thank you for supporting our mission with your clicks!

 

Resources

Serotonin is produced in the gut??

Allergies are a gut health issue

How to Heal the Gut-Brain Connection

Introduction to the Gut-Brain Axis Healing protocol (2 minute video by head Biochemist)

Nutritional Facts and Ingredients: Adult Protocol

The only gut healing protocol specifically designed for kids! 

Nutritional Facts and Ingredients: Kids Protocol

ABC News Special Report: Natural Remedy for ADHD that is more effective than Ritalin! 

Pixie Stick (Delicious, Natural and Sugar free) for focus, attention, behavior and mood! 

Read real-life stories of healing from the root here. 

 

 

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Eyeing that Instant Pot? Why Stainless Steel Isn’t as Safe as You Think (and What to Use Instead)

When I learned about the dangers of aluminum cookware and non-stick coatings, I was eager to find safe alternatives that I could use without the risk of exposing my family to dangerous heavy metals or toxic chemicals.

I began researching all the options: from stainless steel to glass, copper and ceramic. I made a lot of rice, so I wanted a rice cooker (they make the best rice!) but it was very difficult to find a rice cooker that was not non-stick-coated aluminum.

I first began looking for rice cookers with stainless steel inserts, because I knew that was safe. My research, however, led me to the facts, which are not always as simple as we think.

Stainless steel is safe… sometimes.

As with everything else, manufacturers eventually will cut corners and produce inferior products that save them money in production and increase their profits. Stainless steel is no different.

Instant Pots are all the craze right now–and why not? They make cooking easy, quick and fun again! They don’t heat up the house and they create delicious meals in minutes! They’re programmable and they come in huge sizes–perfect for any family! Most importantly, they are made of stainless steel, so they are completely safe!

Not so fast. 

With every material, there is some kind of trade-off…so it’s good to be informed as to the benefits and the risks associated with each material.

I’m teaming up with Kara at Deep South Crunchy Mom and Sarah at Clean Living With Kids to bring you a series on truly safe cookware.  We want you to have all of the information: risks and benefits, so you can decide for yourself what are the best materials for your family.

See Kara’s post about cast iron here,

And Sarah’s post about glass here.

What’s Wrong With Stainless Steel?

At first glance, stainless steel seems like the perfect solution: it’s hypo-allergenic, it doesn’t rust, it isn’t breakable, and it doesn’t have any heavy metal issues.

Upon closer examination, we will see that not all stainless steel is created equally.

Cheaper grades of stainless steel are not as pure as we have been led to believe, and they can leach nickel into our food. Nickel is a heavy metal, so this is not ideal. (Read more about nickel toxicity here).

How do I know if my stainless steel is safe?

It can be very difficult to determine what grade of stainless steel you are using…. and this is where it gets confusing. There are quite a few grades and classifications of stainless steel (read about them here), and each grade is a different combination of metal alloys.

Bottom of my one stainless steel pot (I use it for popcorn)

Manufacturers don’t often disclose what grade of stainless steel they are using in the cookware that we buy at the store, but a general rule of thumb is: the more expensive it is, the higher grade it is.

In general, stainless steel cookware is either of the 300 or 400 series, and often you can see the grade stamped on the bottom of the pot. Usually these numbers look something like 18/10 (most common), which indicates it is 18% chromium and 10% nickel.

To me, 10% is a lot…especially when it can leach into my food. So I try not to use this kind of stainless steel on a regular basis. I have one stainless pan (pictured) that I use just for popcorn or for steaming things in a separate bowl inside of it.

I’d be particularly wary of cooking anything acidic (tomato sauces, anything with citrus) in low-grade stainless steel, as it would more readily leach the harmful nickel into your food, especially with high pressure or long cooking times.

Check your stainless steel pots and pans for this mark to see what grade your pots and pans are. They are likely this 304 18/10 grade, as that is the most common and most affordable. If you didn’t pay $300 to $400 for each of your pans, it’s not likely they are a high enough grade that would eliminate the nickel (18/0).

If Stainless Steel isn’t Safe, What Can I Use?

I know this is frustrating. It seems like nothing is safe any more, so why even bother? What can I even use?

I have a few things that I use that are safe:

I’m also not a fan of glazed ceramic, like is used in slow cookers and other baking dishes, because it has been found that trace amounts of lead exist in all of those glazes. Now, trace amounts might not matter too much when it’s in your drinking glass… but I don’t want my hot food stewing in something that has any lead in it for hours on end.

So in my house, I primarily use these three materials, and my favorite is clay.

Unglazed clay is great for a lot of reasons, and my favorite way to cook with it is VitaClay.

  • Pure Zisha clay has no lead or heavy metals (3rd party lab verified)
  • No glaze means no added lead
  • Clay has excellent thermal heat retention properties
  • Clay has excellent nutrient retention properties
  • Clay preserves texture and flavor better than any other material
  • Clay employs infrared heat to cook the food faster and more safely than other methods

VitaClay is my favorite because it is a multi-cooker, and it makes cooking easy, quick, safe, and non-toxic! Plus it doesn’t heat up the house or run up the utility bills.

VitaClay is a slow cooker, rice cooker, yogurt maker, broth maker, steamer, and reheater in one. It can do almost all of my cooking tasks quickly and more easily than with other methods.

The food in VitaClay comes out tasting better than cooking with any other material I’ve used, including stainless steel, non-stick, glass and cast iron. For some reason, food just tastes better when cooked in clay.

VitaClay is the best of all worlds–delivering safe, delicious food, home-cooked without the hassles, the stress or the mess. Most meals can be put together in less than 10 minutes, then VitaClay takes over, and dinner is ready when I am. It even has a preset feature that allows me to have steel-cut oats ready when I wake up in the morning!

And if you’re still thinking that Instant Pot will cook your food faster and more easily, think again! We tested several dozen recipes in both VitaClay and Instant Pot, and in most cases, the meals were cooked faster (not to mention with better results) in VitaClay! Why? Because that “15 minute” recipe quickly becomes 55 minutes when you take into account the 20 minutes it takes to pressurize and the additional 20 minutes it takes to de-pressurize. VitaClay, not being a pressure cooker, has none of that extra time added on and still cooks 50-75% faster than other slow cookers and multi-cookers.

VitaClay is truly my favorite kitchen appliance: it has replaced my slow cooker, my rice cooker, my yogurt maker, my microwave, and my stock pot… just to name a few. And the results are always better in clay.

Right now you can get 10% off any VitaClay cooker on the website with code NOURISH10 at checkout. So start saving today! If you’d rather order from Amazon, check it out here.

 

And please, if you do decide to use the Instant Pot or other pressure cooker, always follow these safety tips to avoid explosions, burns or serious injury.

Resources:
Here is more information about Stainless Steel Cookware and the different grades that can be found.

Here is the 3rd party lab testing that has been done to ensure the unglazed clay used in VitaClay pots is free of lead and other heavy metals.

Check out Kara’s post at Deep South Crunchy Mom about the benefits of cast iron and why you should replace your non-stick pans STAT.

Check out the post from Sarah at Clean Living with Kids on glass bakeware and why glass is a great cookware option opposed to glazed ceramic, aluminum or other non-stick options.

New to Freedom & Coffee? Start here.

Disclosures:

Many of the product links in this post are affiliate links, which means I will receive a small commission from any purchase. I only recommend products that I love and this is at no extra cost to you. Thank you for supporting our mission with your clicks!

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Make Your Own Vanilla Extract: Quick, Simple, Economical!

Vanilla Extract is the BEST.

It adds so much depth of flavor to anything–without sweetening!

This moderately-priced vanilla extract on Amazon is $16 for 4 oz.

Vanilla extract is not just for baking–it’s also great for coffee, chai lattes, hot cereals, pancakes or waffles…pretty much anything that isn’t savory.

Vanilla extract can be purchased at any store, but there are a couple of problems I’ve found with it:

  1. It’s not cheap. A tiny bottle is several dollars, and it doesn’t last long. And if you want organic? It can be $10 for a couple of ounces!
  2. I have read that many vanilla extracts are fake (using artificial flavorings and colors), which is a huge no-no. The caramel color in these flavorings alone is a carcinogen, and the cloying, chemical flavors are even worse.

Like many things, I was intimidated to make my own.

It’s probably really hard, right?

Uh, no. It’s like the easiest thing. Ever.

Crazy, right? I just had to get past my own mental hurdle and look it up, and I found out it’s so simple.

Plus I can make a huge jar of it for a few dollars… and make it organic! Instead of paying $10 for 2oz.

This organic vanilla extract recipe is easy, affordable and it tastes great!

All you need is a glass jar, some vanilla beans, some hard alcohol (several types can be used: it’s fun to experiment!) and time.

Here’s how to make your quick, easy, home-made organic vanilla extract: 

Ingredients:

  • This jar of high-quality vanilla beans is $16 and will make several large jars of extract. (30-40oz). That makes it 10x cheaper than buying organic extract on Amazon!

    Glass Mason Jar

  • 1-3 organic vanilla beans (depending on the size of the jar)
  • High-quality unflavored alcohol (vodka, bourbon, rum, etc)

Directions:

  1. Cut the vanilla beans open long-ways and pull them open so the small seeds are all exposed.
  2. Using a spoon or knife, scrape the seeds out
  3. Put all of the vanilla bean pieces and seeds into the jar
  4. Fill the jar with the alcohol
  5. Cover and shake to incorporate the vanilla into the alcohol
  6. Write the batch date on the jar
  7. Put the jar in a cupboard or another cool, dark place for at least 6 weeks
  8. Strain and enjoy in your recipes, coffee, tea and other goodies!

Additionally, vanilla has some impressive health benefits, so feel free to use your new homemade vanilla extract in everything!

What is your favorite way to use vanilla extract?

 

New to Freedom & Coffee? Start here.

Disclosures:

Many of the product links in this post are affiliate links, which means I will receive a small commission from any purchase. I only recommend products that I love and this is at no extra cost to you. Thank you for supporting our mission with your clicks!

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Make 15 Non-Toxic Products with Essential Oils in Under a Minute (for less than $1!)

Perfume is everywhere: it’s an ingredient in laundry detergent, many body care and cleaning products, and it’s even a thing we pay big money for to spray on our bodies so we can smell it all day long!

We buy air fresheners for our cars and for our houses, and we love candles and room or linen freshening sprays to eliminate (or mask) unwanted odors and keep everything smelling fresh and clean.

But perfumes, when they are made with artificial fragrances, present a constant exposure to toxic fumes that can wreak havoc on our hormones and our health. (To learn more about this: watch the documentary STINK! on Netflix).

People who are allergic to perfumes may get migraines or feel dizzy or nauseous when confronted with an overpowering fragrance from any source. These people often have to avoid fragrances of any kind in every product, which can be difficult!

Luckily for us, nature has a solution: Essential Oils!

Essential oils are nature’s perfume, and unlike toxic artificial fragrances, are actually really good for us!

There are all kinds of benefits to smelling (and even topically using) essential oils, from boosting immunity and healing disease to balancing hormones, stress relief and help getting to sleep at night.

I love this article by Dr. Axe that expounds on the benefits and uses of essential oils. 

If you have never used essential oils, you’ve probably heard a lot about them and may even be intimidated.

Where do I start?

Do I need them?

Which ones do I use and how do I use them?

If that’s you, check out this great post from Clean Living with Kids that will help you decide on the BEST essential oils to start with, and why.

 

I stood on the sidelines for awhile before trying essential oils at all. Then finally, I decided to just dive in and try it!

Now, several years later, I have built up quite the collection of essential oils, and I recently bought a shelf just for them.

In this post I want to share my experience and a few easy recipes that have saved me hundreds (maybe even thousands) of dollars on products that I wanted to ditch anyway (because of toxic ingredients, including the dreaded fragrance).

I’m not recommending any specific brand, and I think there are a lot of great options out there, especially if you are using them in the recipes like the ones I’ll share below.

If you are applying them topically or diffusing them, it’s best to make sure they are organic or at the very least that they are pure.

Quick tip: Not all essential oils are created equal. If you see “essential oils” at the dollar store, they probably aren’t the real thing. There is no regulation in essential oils, and some manufacturers have been known to cut their oils with chemicals or not use essential oils at all—replacing them with chemical fragrances.

 

Well, that defeats the purpose, doesn’t it? So whichever brand you choose, be sure it’s from a trusted brand so you know for sure you are getting what you pay for.

Essential oils have all kinds of great uses, and a few limitations. Check out this great post from Deep South Crunchy Mom detailing the best ways to use essential oils topically, diffused and which ones are safe for kids.

Easy Ways to Use Essential Oils Every Day

I love to drip them into my Epsom Salt stash for a relaxing, aromatherapy experience every time I take a detox bath. Just a few drops of your favorite scent will make the whole batch smell great! I also use them in my home-made deodorant recipe. I make a different scent for my son, my mom, and myself…because we all have different favorite scents, of course! I even use them in my own skin-care recipe (I’ll share that recipe with you in a different post).

Here’s a list of all 15 recipes. If you want to jump down to one, click it here:

🌎
BODIES AND KIDS

In the summertime, it’s important to have a couple of things handy at all times: insect repellent and after-sun spray.

🌱

Insect Repellent

When I first started searching for a recipe for insect repellent, I was surprised to see that a wide variety of essential oils provide insect repelling benefits. So I usually just mix up whichever ones I have. The most important ones to include are citronella, peppermint, lavender, and lemon eucalyptus.

Here is a basic recipe that is super effective at repelling all the bugs! With just a few inexpensive bottles of essential oils you will be bug-free for years to come!

Ingredients

⠀
Directions:

  1. Add the witch hazel and essential oils to the bottle (it should be about half full)
  2. Fill the rest of the bottle with distilled water and shake well
  3. Shake well before use. Spray on skin or clothes before going outside!!!
    🌱
    Soothing After-Sun Spray

    I’m not a huge fan of sunscreen, so I usually wear hats or hang out in the shade, so on the rare occasions I get a little pink, this after-sun spray comes in very handy! It’s cooling and soothing, and brings immediate relief.

Ingredients:

Directions:

Mix Aloe and essential oil drops in the spray bottle then fill to the top with distilled water.

Shake well before each use and mist on sun-kissed skin as needed.

🌱

Anti-bacterial Hand Spray: Safe, Effective, Chemical Free!

Waterless hand cleaners are all the rage, but did you know the chemicals in them are dangerous and are absorbed into the bloodstream in less than 30 seconds? Also these harsh chemical anti-bacterial agents have contributed to the sharp rise in superbugs in recent years.

Essential oils are nature’s anti-bac. I love to use the immunity blend for mine (also called onGuard and Thieves with other brands). See the fascinating story behind this blend here.

This recipe is really easy!

Ingredients:

  • Reusable spray bottle
  • Distilled water
  • A few drops of vegetable glycerine (optional: for moisturizing)
  • 20-30 drops Immunity blend of your choice (including Clove, Cinnamon, Lemon, Rosemary, Eucalyptus Essential oils)

Directions:

  1. Combine all ingredients into the spray bottle and carry wherever you go.
  2. Shake well before using: spray liberally onto hands or surfaces that may harbor germs (such as door knobs, handles, purses, counter-tops, etc)

🌱

Go-to-Sleep Roll-on or Spray (for kids big & small!)

Insomnia plagues children and adults alike. There is nothing worse than laying in bed with your eyes wide open, hoping sleep will come.

You’ll be surprised how well this quick, easy, inexpensive trick works every time!

Ingredients:

  • Reusable spray bottle or roll-on bottle
  • Magnesium oil
  • 20-30 drops lavender essential oil

Directions:

  1. Fill container to the top with magnesium oil and essential oil drops. Shake well.
  2. Shake well before using and apply to the bottoms of the feet at night.
  3. The spray can also be used as a linen spray to lend a fresh, soothing scent to your pillow and bedding for better sleep as well.
  4. This gentle, fast-acting formula of magnesium and lavender absorbs into the bloodstream quickly and your child (or you!) will be in dreamland before you know it!

🌱

Fever Reducer Roll-On

 

Say goodbye to over-the-counter drugs! You probably heard about the Tylenol recall a couple years back. Despite being cheap and easily-obtained, over-the-counter drugs are not safe for anyone: especially children.  Each drug has its own dangers, and acetaminophen is particularly dangerous for children when they are sick: it blocks the production of glutathione in the body, which opens up detoxification pathways. Stopping detoxification is the last thing you want to do when you are sick–so here is a great recipe for a roll-on that can help reduce a fever if you are concerned.

(Also, see this post about why you may not want to reduce the fever at all, as well as some other easy, non-toxic fever reduction methods).

Ingredients:

  • Reusable Roll-on bottle
  • 4 drops peppermint essential oil
  • 2 drops lavender essential oil
  • Distilled water or Fractionated coconut oil

Directions:

  1. Fill the bottle with distilled water or fractionated coconut oil and top with essential oils
  2. Apply to the bottoms of the feet every 15-20 minutes as needed.

🌱

Migraine Roll-On

Headaches are the worst: when I feel one coming on there is nothing more I want to do than prevent it from becoming a full-blown, all-day affair. Headaches affect everything: productivity at work, ability to interact with people in social settings, and general ability to do anything at all.

I don’t get frequent headaches, but I had heard from a lot of people that headaches and even migraines can be relieved with essential oils. I’d heard simply putting peppermint on the back of the neck can make a big difference. The first time I tried it I was amazed how well it worked: my headache disappeared immediately!

I’ve also seen migraine blends that are mostly peppermint but have a few other ingredients as well. Here is a basic recipe that works for me, but feel free to play with the different oils and applying them different places to get relief.

Ingredients:

TIP: Because oil and water don’t mix, if you use water you will need to always shake before using. If you use fractionated coconut oil, the essential oils will incorporate into the oil and will have a smoother application.

Directions:

  1. Add all ingredients to the roller bottle and shake
  2. Shake before using. Apply to the temples, back of the neck or other areas

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Perfume!

We all love to smell good, and to have pleasant smells around us wherever we go. Since conventional perfumes are not an option (and we should all avoid these toxic synthetic fragrances anyway), why can’t we harness the power of essential oils to be able to use “perfume,” and also get the benefits of essential oils (relaxation, focus, stress relief, healing, etc) at the same time?

The great thing is that an essential oil perfume is so easy to make and to use:

Ingredients:

  • Reusable spray bottle
  • Distilled water
  • Essential oil or essential oil blend of your choice (play with the combinations until you create your perfect scent!)

Directions:

  1. Combine water and essential oils (use about 10 drops per ounce).
  2. Shake and spray!
  3. This can also be used as a room spray, linen spray, bathroom freshener, or in place of any other “perfume” you would normally use!
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Bathroom Stink Eliminator Spray

Have you seen the ads for Poo-Pourri?

Eliminate embarrassing smells in the bathroom with a simple spray.

Could it be possible?

Yes–actually it is! All with the power of essential oils.

And this two-ingredient recipe is so simple–just mix it up and leave the spray bottle in the bathroom or carry it wherever you go–and it costs just pennies and less than a minute to make!

Ingredients:

  • Reusable spray bottle
  • Distilled water
  • Your favorite essential oils (citrus ones like lemon, bergamot, grapefruit and lemongrass work great, but others work too!)

Directions:

  1. Mix up 10 drops of your chosen essential oil for each one ounce of water in the spray bottle and shake to mix
  2. Spray 4-5 times in the toilet on the water before you go. The essential oils sit on top of the water and trap odors in. It’s like magic!

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CLEANING RECIPES

 

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All-Purpose Cleaner for Counter tops, Stove tops, Windows and More!

Move over, chemicals: the cleaning power of lemon and vinegar has entered the building! You will be shocked how well this simple combination cleans everything in the house!

Ingredients:

  • 1 part distilled water
  • 1 part white vinegar
  • 10-30 drops lemon essential oil (depending on the size of the bottle)
  • Reusable spray bottle

Directions

Add ingredients to spray bottle and shake before using.

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Ceramic (White) Sink Cleaner

If you have a white ceramic sink like I do, you already know how difficult it is to keep those clean and shiny! Every little thing stains and marks that white surface!

Here is a quick, easy way to clean those ceramic white sink surfaces as white as new. I do it on a weekly basis.

Ingredients:

  • Vinegar in a spray bottle with lemon essential oil
  • Baking soda
  • Scrub brush

Directions:

  1. Sprinkle baking soda all over the sink, concentrating in areas with stains or marks
  2. Spray the baking soda with the lemon vinegar until it sizzles and looks wet
  3. Allow to sit until it dries, about 10 minutes
  4. Scrub out the sink with the brush.

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Oven cleaner

Commercial oven cleaners are highly toxic, caustic chemicals that can be dangerous to breathe, let alone use on something you use to cook your food. This easy recipe is similar to the sink cleaner above, and it really works well with no dangerous chemicals. Plus it’s a huge money saver, as all of the ingredients are incredibly cheap.

Ingredients:

  • Reusable spray bottle with white vinegar and orange essential oil
  • baking soda, it will fizz up
  • for tough stains, grab your orange essential oil bottle
  • small scrub brush

Directions:

  1. Spray entire surface of oven generously with the vinegar until it is very wet
  2. Sprinkle baking soda everywhere, concentrating on problem areas
  3. On stubborn stain areas, drop orange essential oil directly on top of the baking soda
  4. Allow to dry for at least 10 minutes, then scrub away

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Floor Cleaner

Floor cleaner is quick, easy and cheap: I throw a batch together every time I clean my floors: it’s just a matter of adding a couple ingredients to warm water!

Ingredients

  • 2 – 3 cups of warm water
  • 1-2 tablespoons of Castile soap
  • 10 drops of essential oil of your choice (citrus oils like lemon and orange work fantastic for hardwood floors!)

Directions

  1. Mix the ingredients and use your mop or microfiber floor cleaner with your cleaning solution.
  2. You’ll be amazed how clean and shiny the floors are!

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Cream Cleanser For the Bathroom Sinks and Showers

Similar to “Soft Scrub” this creamy cleanser can remove soap scum and other yuckies in the bathroom sink, tub and shower areas, including tile and grout.

It also makes an excellent non-toxic toilet cleaner, and leaves the whole bathroom smelling amazing!

Ingredients:

  • 1 mason jar
  • 1.5 cups baking soda
  • 1/2 cup liquid castille soap
  • 4 T water
  • 20-30 drops lemon and/or tea tree essential oil
  • scrub brush

Directions:

  1. Combine all ingredients into a creamy paste
  2. Apply to bathroom surfaces and scrub

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Non-Toxic Shower Spray that Smells Great!

If you want to avoid having to clean your shower or tub altogether, this after-shower spray is a great non-toxic option. Just spray it in your shower after every use, and it will greatly extend the time between scrubbings. An added bonus: it makes the bathroom smell amazing!

Ingredients:

Directions:

  1. Combine all ingredients in a refillable spray bottle and shake well before using
  2. Use as an after shower spray to prevent soap scum, mildew and mold

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Laundry Softener and Scent Boost

Two of the most toxic things in any household are fabric softener and dryer sheets.

Why?

The artificial fragrances used are strong and they are toxic. They also both put a film over clothing (for “softness”) that is very difficult to remove, even with multiple washings. This coating can irritate the skin and makes the harsh fragrances linger for a very long time.

I’ve personally never used fabric softener or dryer sheets, but one time a friend bought me a pair of leggings. We were going on a trip, so she washed them before we left and then gave them to me.

That was over a year ago, and I’ve washed those leggings multiple times, but I can still smell the strong fumes from the fabric softener on them.

Eliminating fabric softener and dryer sheets is easy: simply add vinegar to the fabric softener cup in your washer, and use these wool dryer balls in place of dryer sheets. You’ll save time and cut this major offender of toxins out of your life.

As an added bonus: vinegar is antibacterial and anti-fungal, and it neutralizes uric acid! So use vinegar if you have broadsheets or dog beds that have been urinated on!

Wool dryer balls also cut down drying time, which can save you on energy costs!

If you like your laundry to have a great scent, here’s a recipe for a natural, non-toxic laundry softener and scent boost.

Ingredients:

  • 2 cups baking soda
  • 2 cups Epsom Salt
  • 10-30 drops of your favorite essential oils (some good choices are lemon, lavender, lemongrass, or another scent you prefer)

Directions:

  1. Mix all ingredients together well, evenly distributing the essential oils
  2. Add 1/4 cup to each load of laundry
  3. You laundry will smell great, and the baking soda is a cleaning booster! The Epsom salt helps to soften the fabric.
🍋 BONUS! Non-Toxic Foaming Hand Wash

Conventional hand soap has a lot of toxins that absorb into our bloodstream within 30 seconds of washing our hands, and the artificial fragrance is a problem as well as the anti-bacterial chemicals used, such as triclosan, which has created the surge of antibiotic resistant superbugs we are experiencing today.

Want a cheap, easy, safe alternative to paying $4-$5 per bottle for toxin-loaded hand washes?

Try making this quick, simple foaming hand wash in less than a minute, for less than 25 cents per bottle.

 

🍋 🌱 🌎

What are your favorite essential oils and what do you use them for?

Do you have any other recipes using essential oils you like to use?

New to Freedom & Coffee? Start here.

Disclosures:

Many of the product links in this post are affiliate links, which means I will receive a small commission from any purchase. I only recommend products that I love and this is at no extra cost to you. Thank you for supporting our mission with your clicks!

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Grainless Blender Banana Bread that Actually Tastes Good! (Chocolate Optional)

Banana bread is one of my favorite things.

Also, I have trouble eating bananas before they get mushy… and I hate anything to go to waste! So a great banana bread recipe is definitely a must-have for me!

Recently I’ve been trying to eat less wheat, so I have been searching for alternative banana bread recipes: paleo, keto, grainless, whatever!

I found this one that uses Cassava Flour (the whole grain of the tapioca plant, as opposed to tapioca starch, which is white and processed), and I liked it, but it was a bit dense, so I tweaked it a little to make it lighter and fluffier.

Because of the Cassava/tapioca, it’s not keto, but it’s a great alternative if you are gluten intolerant or gluten sensitive, and it sure hits the spot!

Plus did you know that bananas that are turning brown have an anti-tumor factor? So your banana bread may just be preventing cancer as well!

 

This yummy grain-free paleo banana bread is:

  • Gluten Free
  • Dairy Free
  • Nut Free
  • Paleo
  • Bad fat free

    Grain free, gluten free, Paleo banana bread that tastes good!

Yummy Cassava Paleo Banana Bread 

Ingredients

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven (I love my counter-top convection oven and use it constantly) to 350 degrees.
  2. Prep a standard loaf pan with parchment paper (I usually rub a bit of coconut oil on it–parchment is super non-stick without any toxins!)
  3. Mash or blend the bananas, eggs and other ingredients well (I just throw everything in a blender) –mix until smooth and incorporated. (Don’t over-mix).
  4. Pour batter into the parchment-lined loaf pan. Add chocolate chips on the top if using.
  5. Smooth the top, bake in the middle of the oven for 1 hour – 75 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out mostly clean.
  6. Remove from oven and let it rest 5 minutes,  then transfer entire loaf to a wire rack to cool completely and serve!

 

New to Freedom & Coffee? Start here.

Disclosures:

Many of the product links in this post are affiliate links, which means I will receive a small commission from any purchase. I only recommend products that I love and this is at no extra cost to you. Thank you for supporting our mission with your clicks!

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This Common Kitchen Spice Could Cure Cancer!

There is a common (and easily obtainable) kitchen spice that has proven effective against disease, comparable with at least 14 popular pharmaceutical drugs.

It has…

  • No side effects.
  • Anti-oxidant properties
  • Great flavor
  • A bright color that can be used as a natural food color (dye Easter Eggs!)
  • Wide distribution to most supermarkets (and on Amazon!)
  • Convenient forms (powder, capsule, root)
  • Been used all over the world for thousands of years
  • Therapeutic healing properties for pain and inflammation
  • Antibacterial and skin wound healing properties

… there are even studies showing it could cure diseases like cancer!

Do you have this spice in your medicine cabinet?

What is this magical spice?

Turmeric.

Turmeric is the main ingredient in curries and gives them their bright colors and high antioxidant content. The main disease-fighting active ingredient is curcumin.

I constantly see studies popping up showing turmeric effective against cancer, high cholesterol, high blood sugar, inflammation, on and on and on.

And today I read an article that said turmeric has been confirmed to be as effective as 14 different pharmaceutical drugs (named in the article) against various health issues, ranging from diabetes to depression!

Handling images and media with the utmost care is a primary focus of the new editor. Hopefully, you’ll find aspects of adding captions or going full-width with your pictures much easier and robust than before.

Whenever I discuss the magical healing powers of one food or another, I am inevitably met with the question: “where are the scientific studies proving it?”

Well, in most cases, there is no motivation for a corporation to fund such a study, because their findings wouldn’t make them any money (and would probably work against them, since people would start popping cinnamon instead of blood sugar meds. Not much money in cinnamon these days).

But in the case of turmeric, there have been literally thousands of scientific studies conducted, proving its efficacy against hundreds of problems.

The best thing about turmeric is that it’s a delicious spice. I add it to everything:

  • Sprinkle it into soups, over stir fries and into smoothies
  • Add it to the liquid when making rice, quinoa or any other grain
  • sprinkle a bit into the batter of baked goods
  • sprinkle over eggs in the morning with fresh black pepper
  • Make a yummy turmeric drink from scratch or try this golden milk mix with heated coconut milk or other milk substitute as a nightcap

It can be added to almost anything. If you add too much, it is bitter–but a little here and a little there, and before you know it, you’re getting a good, healthy amount.

I like to buy the organic version, because like with everything else, its effectiveness is increased and there aren’t as many contaminants. If you are particularly adventurous, you can even buy the raw turmeric root, which can be added to dishes similarly to ginger (and it looks like an orange version of ginger root!).

I like to try to get a little bit of turmeric in every day, so i can experience constant benefits of the anti-inflammatory power of curcumin.

I always keep a bag of bulk turmeric on hand, and the most common way I use it is in my eggs for breakfast: I heat my cast iron skillet with a bit of oil, then I sprinkle turmeric and freshly ground black pepper into the oil before adding my eggs.

Studies have shown that the best way to unlock the healing potential of curcumin from turmeric is to add three things:

  • oil
  • heat
  • black pepper

Adding oil, heat and black pepper to turmeric whenever possible will boost the benefit and make it much more easily absorbed than just taking turmeric on its own.

So grab a jar of turmeric and see how easy it is to heal your body!

New to Freedom & Coffee? Start here.

Disclosures:

Many of the product links in this post are affiliate links, which means I will receive a small commission from any purchase. I only recommend products that I love and this is at no extra cost to you. Thank you for supporting our mission with your clicks!

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Step Away From the Can: Ditch Processed Food For Good

I grew up in the era of processed food.

  • Breakfast? Break out the milk, cereal and O.J.
  • Mid-morning snack? Grab a candy bar from the vending machine.
  • A little soup and sandwich for lunch: grab bread, American cheese slices, and a can of soup—all warmed in the microwave, of course.
  • Want cookies? Open a package in the cupboard. Grab some chips & canned salsa for an appetizer, and order pizza for dinner.
  • Dessert is ice cream from the store, or maybe a colorful pack of candy.

This was a way of life for my generation, and we didn’t know any other way.

If someone pointed out that everything I ate in a given day was processed in some way, I wouldn’t even care, much less know what that meant. Looking back, I cringe at the things I once ate, and I marvel that people still eat this way.

Whenever I venture into the grocery store there are inevitably people with carts loaded full of popular processed items: TV dinners, ice cream, packaged snacks, breakfast waffles and canned everything.

I remind myself that there was a time when I didn’t see anything wrong with these items either, and I realize how important  for us to educate ourselves about nutrition and the dangers of processed food.

My food education came in stages.

You could say I was privileged because my parents were very health-conscious. This gave me an interest in health and some knowledge that the food we eat does matter.

Still, I bought into the idea that food is food, and surely the government and food companies wouldn’t allow anything into the marketplace that was harmful for us.

…Right?…                                     ….Right?

Slowly, though, I started to see the world differently. I began to realize that huge billion-dollar food companies were just that: profit-centered businesses.

I began to realize that my health was my own responsibility.

Wake-Up Call

When I began this research, and became aware of the toxins and nutritional deficit in almost all of the “food” I was eating, I became disillusioned and depressed.

I felt betrayed by the system, abandoned in a world that didn’t care whether I lived or died, as long as they made some money from me while I was here.

I began to educate myself. I realized that all of the information I needed was out there; I just had to find it. And with the internet these days, if we have anything in abundance, it’s information. Knowledge is power, and I was about to empower myself to a whole new level.

Big Food is Not Our Friend

We’ve literally grown up on processed food, and most of us never thought twice about it. Cereal for breakfast, candy for snacks, and fast food burgers for dinner was just our way of life.

When I began to realize that the food industry was not in the business of keeping me healthy, I started to educate myself, and I discovered a lot of things that needed to change.

I was overwhelmed: so many things to change in my own diet, not to mention changing the mammoth food industry as a whole.

But all I could do was begin with myself and try to educate others so they could make their own intelligent choices. A friend introduced me to a book called Nourishing Traditions that totally changed the way I think about food, along with a few other books (like this one).

The first thing I began to eliminate from my diet was artificial sweeteners. The news was reporting studies that aspartame was definitively linked to cancer.

Wait, what?

I grew up drinking diet soda. Sugar is bad, right? But now the alternative is going to kill us.

Wonderful.

Next I saw studies of artificial colors linked to brain disorders such as autism and even tumors and cancer. I began studying the ingredients lists more carefully now, and started wondering what all of those other unpronounceable ingredients were.  Research into each ingredient resulted in some unsettling information.

Almost every ingredient was questionable at best.

This is where it began: my disillusionment with the food system in America.

Up until this point I trusted the food supply. I realized now that food corporations weren’t trustworthy: they were after the bottom line, no matter how many corners needed cutting. I realized that cheap food comes at a cost, but I still didn’t understand the extent of that cost.

After I began to see that virtually no processed foods were free of the dangerous ingredients I had learned about, I realized that getting rid of processed food altogether was really the only option. Like everyone else, I was used to the convenience of processed food, and frankly, I didn’t know how to cook food from scratch.

Could I do it?

Organic Food 101

Around the same time I had discovered organic food. At first I didn’t believe the hype: I thought it was just another way to mark up the price of the same food.

Then I tasted it.

Apples, chicken, milk, you name it! It was like I’d never had these foods before.

An apple tasted more like an apple, and chicken was more… flavorful! Rich! Delicious! Almost everything I tried tasted better and was more colorful and healthy-looking, and because of this I concluded that these types of food probably contained more nutrients as well.

After tasting the difference, I was convinced. So my first thought was to switch to organic processed food.

Genius, right?

Easy, awesome and healthy: win-win! And most of the offending ingredients I was trying to avoid were absent in the more expensive organic-certified packages. Score!

I also began following a number of health-living, organic-minded, do-it-yourself blogs; documenting various clever ways people have come up with to make their own versions of beloved, processed junk food.

After all, we grew up with it, and when you have a craving you can only resist it for so long. Fortunately, there are a lot of creative people out there who have already tested recipes for our favorite comfort and junk foods using real ingredients. Just try searching “paleo brownies,” “real food fudge,” or “grain free mac & cheese” to get the idea. If you want it, there is a healthy-substitution recipe out there that tastes good.

Enter Traditional Food

So here I am, fully committed to eating only organic food, and happily munching away on my organic crackers, cookies, pastas, breads, and cakes.

Enter Traditional Food.

I was introduced to a book called Nourishing Traditions by Sally Fallon, which documents and supports an earlier work by Weston A. Price called Nutrition and Physical Degeneration (both of these books are so good, and I highly recommend you read them).

These two books turned everything I knew on its head. They not only confirmed my unwilling belief that processed food (organic or not) was the devil, but they confirmed what I secretly knew instinctively, deep down: people have been thriving on their local, fresh, whole, traditional diets for millennia, and within a few years we industrialized the whole food system to make food cheaper, easier, and more convenient.

These “benefits” have a cost, however, and that cost is has become higher than anyone could have guessed. I started watching the growing number of documentaries showing the cover-ups in the industrial food system in America. Continue reading “Step Away From the Can: Ditch Processed Food For Good”