The Healing Power of Pineapple

Those of you who know me know that I swear by pineapple - lol. I have some every morning and if I feel a cold coming on I've been known to eat a whole one in a day for a few days. Since I started doing this I haven't been sick near as often. I'm not sure if it is the pineapple, but hey -- it's good for you anyway and it tastes sooooo good!

Here's the info from the website I first read about the healing power of pineapple:

Want to give your body a boost in health and healing? Then you may want to add some fresh pineapple and pineapple juice to your diet. Pineapples are nutritionally packed members of the bromeliad family. This delightful tropical fruit is high in the enzyme bromelain and the antioxidant vitamin C, both of which plays a major role in the body's healing process.

Bromelain is a natural anti-inflammatory that has many health benefits and encourages healing. According to Dr. Andrew Weil, bromelain is very effective in treating bruises, sprains and strains by reducing swelling, tenderness and pain. This powerful anti-inflammatory effect can also help relieve rheumatoid arthritis symptoms and reduce postoperative swelling. Additionally, the bromelain contained in fresh pineapple can relieve indigestion. This enzyme helps break down the amino acid bonds in proteins, which promotes good digestion.

Pineapples provide an ample supply of vitamin C too, a commonly known antioxidant that protects the body from free radical damage and boosts the immune system. Vitamin C helps build and repair bodily tissue and promotes wound healing. The body uses vitamin C to help metabolize fats and cholesterol, absorb iron, and synthesize amino acids and collagen. Collagen is one of the primary building blocks of skin, cartilage and bones. Vitamin C also decreases the severity of colds and infections.

Furthermore, due to its high vitamin C content, pineapples are good for your oral health as well. A study conducted at the State University of New York at Buffalo found that vitamin C can reduce your risk of gingivitis and periodontal disease. Besides increasing the ability of connective tissue to repair itself, vitamin C also increases the body's ability to fight invading bacteria and other toxins that contribute to gum disease. Periodontal disease, which destroys gum tissue and underlying jaw bones, has been linked to heart disease, stroke and type 2 diabetes.

So if you want a natural way to enhance your body's healing mechanisms, promote overall good health and tantalize your taste buds, pineapples are the way to go. Choose the fresh fruit because it has the most healing properties. Unfortunately, most of the bromelain in canned pineapple is destroyed due to the heat used in the canning process.

Biofreeze - Therapy for your sore muscles

This is the BEST stuff!! Check it out at www.biofreeze.com. I always think that if I'm sore then I did a good job pushing myself to give 100% during a workout. But it's no fun to be moaning and groaning all day because you're sore - lol. I use the roll on one. It doesn't stink, or at least I haven't noticed that it does, but it does help your muscles to not hurt so bad.

Shakeology

Breakfast in the Watson household has become super easy, quick and healthy since we started using Shakeology. Our favorite is definitely the Chocolate/Peanut Butter recipe. All you do is add milk, peanut butter, a scoop of Shakeology and some ice in the blender, mix, pour into a togo cup and we're out the door ready for our day.

Shakeology doesn't taste like your normal healthy shake - it taste more like a treat....a dessert. Even my husband who's not always keen on trying my health foods loves getting his shake for breakfast. There is a ton of information I could go into about how good this shake is for you and how you can benefit from drinking it but I will limit my commentary only to how tasty this shake is and let the doctors in the following video explain more for you. Check out my website for more information and to purchase Shakeology for yourself. Enjoy!!!

A more colorful breakfast - How to get enjoy getting more nutrients in the morning

I have been having the exact same thing for breakfast for years -- old fashioned oatmeal, pineapple, flax seed meal and a little cinnamon. I know, boring, and probably kinda yucky to those of you who don't like oatmeal, but it's easy, quick and I don't have to think about it much since it's become routine.

But since I'm working on "Expanding my horizons" I figured it's time for a change -- so a more colorful breakfast is a start. So this is what I came up with and "Wow!!" it turned out really good!!! All I did was put some Organic Pumpkin Flax Plus Granola in a bowl, cut up some fresh strawberries, raspberries, blueberries and blackberries and pour on some almond milk.

It does take a little more time, but not much and it gives you a wider variety of nutrients and of course the best part is you're not hungry and it tastes GOOD!!! I like using the almond milk cause it's a little thicker than soy or skim milk and it mixes with the fruit juice to be yummy!

Try it and let me know what you think! Enjoy and have a great day!!!

My First Blog

I'm a fairly quiet and reserved person, so when my friend suggested I start a blog to share my experiences and the information I've learned as I work to achieve my goals of health and fitness my first reaction was "Ha!". But the more I thought about it the more the idea intrigued me, so here goes my new adventure. Thank you for joining me on this adventure and please feel free to ask me any questions or give me feedback on my posts or ideas/topics you'd like to hear more on.