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Xocai healthy chocolate is now Well-Beyond

Xocai healthy chocolate has changed names/owners, and is now called Well-Beyond. It is still the same healthy chocolate with all the health benefits as before. Here’s an exert from Well-Beyond about healthy chocolate and why this is the best chocolate to consume for good health:

Cacao: Nature’s Supreme Antioxidant Source

ICT ORAC6: A Seal of Superior Quality

“The ICT Certification Program ensures that Beyond Healthy Chocolate products are tested and meet specific criteria several times each year. This seal will appear on all Beyond Healthy Chocolate product packaging for complete customer confidence.”

Can chocolate truly be healthy?

YES! Let’s explain why:

Everyone has heard of free radicals. It’s well known that these rogue molecules damage healthy cells, which in turn results in unhealthy tissues, organs and eventually, an unhealthy body.

Fortunately, cacao, the nutritional source of Dark Chocolate, is nature’s top source of antioxidants. Antioxidants are nutrients that neutralize free radicals and slow their damage.

-Among the most important observations in the history of medicine “How important does that make [cacao antioxidants]? I would say very important.”

-Harvard physician and researcher Norman Hollenberg, MD, regarding the benefits of cacao’s antioxidants. Among cacao’s most impressive phytonutrients are several types of polyphenols, largely recognized as some of the most powerful antioxidant and anti-inflammatory compounds known today. The most powerful and prominent polyphenols in cacao are flavanols.

Hundreds of studies have found that flavanols possess distinct and powerful properties, including the ability to:

Minimize inflammation throughout the body
Slow free radicals
Protect the heart and blood vessels
Support the immune system
Promote antibacterial/antiviral activity in the body
Relax and dilate blood vessels
Modify blood sugar levels
Protect the brain
Preserve cellular integrity
Protect and repair the liver
Positively modify hormone activity
…and much more!

Did you know if you’re like the average person, you eat about 12 pounds of chocolate per year? The problem with that is that most people are eating the “regular” unhealthy chocolate that has been stripped of its antioxidants and other vital nutrients.

That’s what makes Well-Beyond Healthy Chocolate so different and so healthy!

So why are most chocolate products not really “healthy”? Primarily because of the way their content is processed. Traditional processing means that the chocolate is heated, alkalized and combined with artificial and unhealthy ingredients, all of which destroys the cacao’s powerful antioxidants and degrades it’s nutritional content.

What’s Wrong With “Normal” Chocolate?

Alkalizing (also called “dutching”) neutralizes its antioxidants
Heating further destroys its antioxidants and other vital nutrients
Addition of waxes, milk solids, hydrogenated oils and sugar further degrade the antioxidant firepower of cacao

Why is Beyond, Healthy Chocolate® Different?

Proprietary cold-processing preserves antioxidants and other crucial nutrients
Does not alkalize its chocolate
Uses only natural cacao butter, sweeteners and other natural ingredients
Contains no artificial ingredients
Category creator and leader of healthy chocolate industry

Well-Beyond is still my chocolate of choice! (www.ExcitedAboutHealthyChocolate.Well-Beyond.com)

Are allergies inherited?

I’m not a doctor or medical specialist to say for sure, but my own personal opinion is that some allergies are inherited. But having said that, I also tend to feel that some of the allergens are coming from how our food is being processed now with lots of additives, hormones, antibiotics and chemicals, and our bodies don’t know how to process them.

Both my husband and I have milk allergies now, but back when our little boy was severely allergic to milk, we were both doing okay with dairy products. Was it lying dormant in our bodies and not manifesting itself then, or did we just develop the allergy in recent years?

However, now our son has a cute little girl that when she was about 6 months old she broke out in hives when she had a milk based formula. So they kept her off all dairy just in case. She just turned 1 and the doctor said she could be allergy tested now. So last week she was tested, and even having the milk diluted for the allergy skin test, she had a severe reaction.

I’m so sad that she has to go through the same things her dad did, but I also feel that dairy isn’t really that great for any of us anyways. Sure it’s a pain to figure out alternatives, but once you have those figured out you can do it. I want to share a few ideas.

First: For severe allergies be sure and get an epi-pen (there are generic brands now by other names). Severe allergies can sometimes turn into anaphylatic shock, so you want to be prepared at all times. Have a few on hand to keep in different places. You’re childs diaper bag or back-pack, your purse, emergency kit, etc.

Second: Get a medical alert bracelet or necklace. On the back you can have them engrave what your childs allergies are. Wearing the bracelet or necklace also helps alert and remind everyone to help protect the child/person from their allergens. There are several options out there, but we used https://www.medicalert.org/.

Third: Study out all products and derivitives of the allergen. Because we’re talking about dairy today, I’m going to share other names and hidden dairy derivitives to watch for.

Click here to read and download the PDF file: Dairy Allergens

I hope this will be helpful. I’ll be posting more information on food allergies and other helpful ideas soon.

High Vibration!

What is High Vibration? Did you know everything in the universe is moving in vibration. The thoughts you have determine how much vibration you have. The foods you eat, whether high vibration or low, will determine how you feel and how healthy you are. You want to have a high vibration in all areas of your life!

I’m excited to share with you a new book being released the end of October called ‘Vibe’ by Robyn Openshaw. I’ve been listening to her podcast, and already it’s lifted my soul to more vibration and joy. I hope you’ll look into the great information listed below and pre-order your book today!Vibe Shopping List (200 high vibration foods): https://bd272.isrefer.com/go/vibefoods/a1073/

Vibe Free Book: https://bd272.isrefer.com/go/vibeo/a1073/

Vibe Quiz: https://bd272.isrefer.com/go/vibequiz/a1073/

*Affiliate Links

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Thermography vs Mammogram

A couple weeks ago I went in for a Breast Thermogram. It’s a very simple test to check for breast cancer. My doctor recommends this type of breast cancer screening. It’s safe and easy. There’s no radiation and absolutely no pain.

Here’s an excert from Utah Thermography, LLC about how Thermography works:

‘…Thermology is a passive and functional type of study, unlike radiology (X-ray). This means thermology does NOT use any form of ionizing radiation (such as does X-ray) as it evaluates the features of activity and operations of distinct areas of the body. The equipment we use (an infrared thermograph camera) makes tens-of-thousands detailed measurements of skin temperature at a distance of five to eight feet. The images produced are really electronic data of absolute temperature measurements that can be viewed as an electronic image presenting a spectrum of colors that indicate increased or decreased levels of infrared radiation (heat) being emitted from the body’s surface.

Currently, the most utilized breast cancer screening imaging techniques are ultrasound and mammography. Because they detect the presence of a physical mass, they are classified as anatomical tests. They are interpreted by radiologists.

Breast thermography detects patterns of heat produced from the increased circulation produced by abnormal metabolic activity in cancer cells. Thus, thermography is a physiological test that detects changes in the breast tissue that have been shown to correlate with the presence of cancer or pre-cancerous states.

Advantages of Breast Thermography:

• Safe, easy, and pain free
• No radiation exposure
• Differentiates between fibrocystic breast disease and tumor • No compression of breast tissue
• Detects changes in breast tissue that accompany the smallest of tumors
• Entire breast can be imaged
• Useful for evaluating chest wall after surgery
• Effective for breasts of all sizes
• Effectively and safely screens breasts with implants
• Creates opportunities for early intervention…’

I’ve had a good experience with this testing and believe it is a very good option to the traditional mammograms.

If you live in Utah and are close to the Wasatch front, I recommend Kelly Wobrock at Utah Termography, LLC. For more information and to contact her visit www.utahthermography.com.

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You Are What You Eat ~ Food for Thought

When I was a young child, I remember learning about the food pyramid in elementary school. One thing that stuck out to me was the old saying, “You are what you eat”. Being so young, the thing I remember from that was if I eat pork, I’m a pig. I didn’t really grasp what it really meant, and I’m not sure people now really think about what they’re eating and how it affects your health. Overall, it comes down to eating clean whole foods with high vibrations and avoiding processed foods with low vibrations.

Old Pyramid: Eat lots of breads, cereal, rice and pasta. Throw in some fruits and vegetables, then some dairy and meat (protein). Use fats, oils and sweets, sparingly.

New Pyramid: (They tried to balance it out a little more.) Grains – eat whole grains. Vary your vegetables and fruit -go easy on fruit juice. Dairy – low fat or no fat. Meat – lean cuts and seafood. Avoid frying. Notes made on chart – Most fat should be from fish and nuts. Limit fats. Keep consumption of saturated fats, transfats and sodium to a low. Choose foods low in sugar. They added exercise – physically active for at least 30 minutes a day. A very good thing to do!

I’ve learned a lot about food the last few years dealing with Hypothyroidism (low thyroid), Hashimoto’s Disease (antibodies attacking the immune system) and Heavy Metal Poisoning (and trying to detox). Our food isn’t what it used to be. GMO’s -genetically modified foods, pesticides -especially RoundUp, chemicals, preservatives, additives, hormones, antibiotics, etc. are ruining our food and in turn are making us sick. We really are what we eat.

It’s so important to eat non-GMO foods. Choose organic whenever possible. Don’t eat processed food. They’re laden with chemicals and preservatives. Eat clean whole nutritious foods. Vegetables and fruits have a high vibration of nutrition. Processed foods have a very low vibration. If you want to have energy and feel good, then it’s important to eat high vibration foods.

Use fats that are good for you (olive oil, coconut oil, avocado oil, etc). Never use vegetable oil. It’s highly processed, contains GMO’s and contains saturated and transfats (the bad fats).

Be careful about what dairy and meat you are consuming. Cows are fed GMO’s, given lots of hormones and antibiotics. Look for grass-fed animals. Eat fresh wild caught fish (never farmed).

Sugar – the most addictive food. It’s been chemically altered, and a very common ingredient in processed foods is corn syrup. Our bodies don’t know how to process it. Sugar feeds cancer cells. Try switching sugar intake to more natural sweetness like raw honey, stevia, and pure maple syrup.

Salt – use Himalayan Salt or Sea Salt. Never white salt that has been chemically altered.

Be grateful for the food you eat! Healthy nutritional food helps your entire body and gives you energy so you can be the best you can be.

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Coconut Snowball Bites

If you love coconut, and quick and easy treats, this recipe’s for you! We like them so much, I’ve made them 5 times in the last 2 weeks! We enjoy eating them frozen.

Coconut Snowball Bites

Course: Snack

Author: Butterflies and Lavender

Ingredients

2 cups unsweetened shredded coconut
1/2 cup raw honey or real maple syrup
1 Tblsp. coconut oil
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1/4 tsp. sea salt

Instructions

Add coconut, honey, coconut oil, vanilla and salt into a food processor and pulse until mixture comes together. Form into 1" balls and roll in shredded coconut. Place on greased cookie sheet and put in fridge for about an hour to cool and form. Remove. Put in a container or baggie and store in fridge. Can be frozen too.

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When Learning About Health and Wellness Really Began for me

In my health class in college, we learned that if you ate a well-balanced meal (the old food pyramid) that you didn’t need any supplements and should be healthy. So when I prepared meals for my family, I made sure we ate this way. We did eat processed foods, ate fast foods and just like everyone else, we loved treats. So we’d eat healthy balanced meals, but enjoyed our treats too.

Fast forward a few years later. Our little 2 1/2 month old son went into anaphylactic shock and we almost lost him. I was nursing him, but this was the second time I had given him formula because we were at a public pool and it was just easier at the time. As he was drinking the bottle, his lips started going purple, then his face. He started swelling and became lifeless. It was so scary and I panicked. We immediately took him to the small town hospital. The nurse in the emergency room casually said, “he must be having a reaction to something”. “Really, you think so!!!,” was our response. Duh! But unfortunately the doctor wouldn’t be there for several hours. So as she took him to lay him on a bed for observation, he violently began throwing up all over her. We picked him up and told her we were going somewhere else. Luckily, after throwing up, his color began returning and he became alert again. At our family doctors office, our pediatrician said our baby had an allergic reaction to the formula and had gone into anaphylactic shock. He said that it was a miracle that he threw up and got it out of his system. He said he’d never seen a baby come through anything like that without medical help. This little boy had a purpose for being here. After that, the doctor always called him ‘our miracle child’. We had him tested, and sure enough he was severely allergic to all milk proteins.

The road ahead looked and seemed overwhelming to me. He was so severe, that we could drink milk and kiss his forehead, and he would almost instantly have a hive that would welt up and spread across his face. The doctors didn’t have all the knowledge or time to tell me what to do for him for food nutrition. I went to the library and checked out every book I could find on allergies, anaphylactic shock and nutrition/recipes. At the time, anaphylactic shock and milk allergies were pretty new, so there wasn’t a lot of resources. Luckily, I was able to continue just strictly nurse him for several more months before we needed to start introducing foods to him. So that gave me a little time to research and learn more.

I learned about all the proteins in milk and made a long list of them. At the store, we’d spend hours shopping trying to find foods for him that didn’t have any type of milk in them. Even rootbeer has a caramel flavoring that is a milk derivative. The list became longer. Things you would never even think of would have a milk protein in them. It basically came down to eating whole foods; nothing processed. Our family started a new journey eating this way. It seemed like I lived in the kitchen, making everything from scratch. I also made bread every week and all of our treats.

My thoughts often went to how he was able to go to school, dates, pizza parties, birthday parties, etc. At the time, I would make up a batch of homemade cupcakes and put in the freezer to grab for birthday parties and other outings where I knew there’d be dessert. He was my buddy and went everywhere with me. He went on dates with my husband and I. Even our parents were nervous to watch him with all the foods we had to watch for, and make sure he was food safe. I had to be so careful with all the food he had or came in contact with. It was a matter of life or death.

Our pediatrician recommended a group called The Food Allergy Network. We joined them and they would send out monthly newsletters about food allergies. The network was all of us as parents of children with food allergies, and we would notify the network of new food additives, allergic reactions, etc. We also ordered a special medical alert bracelet for him to wear to notify every one of his allergies.

Interestingly, we had found that our son could have Bugles (little cornucopia shaped chips). He loved them and it was one of the few store bought things he could have. One day, when he was about 3 years old, he put a Bugle in his mouth and immediately spit it out, saying that it made his tongue feel weird. We called the manufacture to see if they knew if there was something different in the ingredients. Sure enough, they had added whey (a milk protein) to the Bugle ingredients, but hadn’t changed the information on the boxes yet, because they wanted to use the old boxes they had. So we told them of the problem with that, and they immediately changed. We called The Food Allergy Network and let them know so they could notify everyone else of the change. Now there is email, facebook, and other social media that gets the information out to everyone quicker. (Note: While writing this post, I looked up The Food Allergy Network online. It looks like they joined with another organization and are now found at www.FoodAllergy.org)

At the time, I would often say how I wish it was me going through this, not him. Now all these years later, it is me having to watch what kinds of foods I eat. Not necessarily for an allergic reaction like anaphylactic shock, but food sensitivities and foods that are toxic for autoimmune disease. Having to be so diligent with our son to keep him alive, started me on a journey of learning more about food and nutrition. Through the years, my husband has even mentioned that maybe I should become a nutritionist or find a way to help others. That is what got me thinking about starting this blog. I don’t know everything, and the things I share are only what I’m learning and trying myself. Please remember that you need to do research and do what you feel best about.

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Green Smoothie Girl Special Group Buy now thru November 30, 2016

Looking for an awesome deal on healthy foods? Green Smoothie Girl annual group buy is going on now!

We’ve been using Green Smoothie Girl products for a few years now. We use the protein powder every day. My husband likes to mix the chocolate flavor with water and fruit. I use a scoop of vanilla or chocolate in my smoothie that I make for lunch. We feel good about using this protein powder. There’s no dairy (whey), soy or fillers. It has organic pea protein, organic hemp seed protein, and organic maca. All super good for you! Right now through the end of November, if you use this link: http://greensmoothiegirl.com/shop/?affiliate=659 you’ll get the special Group Buy where the Protein Powder is ‘Buy 2 Get 1 Free!’ While you’re there, check out the other great deals!https://bd272.isrefer.com/go/gsg/a659/

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Three Quick and Easy Ways to Calm Anxiety and Stress

I don’t know about you, but Election Day brought on major anxiety for me! I really don’t like to get involved in political stuff, and kept telling myself that all my worrying wouldn’t change anything. But I could just feel it building…. anxiety, big time. So here’s a couple quick ideas I have found to take the edge off my anxiety and stress.

Take a deep breath through your nose counting to 10, then hold for 8-10 counts and then slowly release through your mouth (try for 10 counts). Repeat about 3 times. You can wait a couple minutes and do it again.

Next is lavender. Over the last couple years, I have found that lavender essential oil helps calm me. I put a drop on the bottom of each of my feet and put the bottle by my nose take a deep long breath. I also do this at night to help me sleep better.

Recently, my doctor recommended I take L-Theanine when I’m extremely stressed. L-Theanine may help relieve stress by inducing a relaxing effect without causing drowsiness. It helps to calm me down, and there are no known side effects.

After doing these three quick and easy things, I was feeling somewhat better and calmer. If you have more time, a nice long warm bath with some Epsom salts and lavender essential oil is heavenly. Oh, and of course a piece of healthy Xocai chocolate can never hurt.

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Is there really such a thing as Healthy Chocolate? – YES, there is!

This is how I found out about it and why it was such a great product for me.

Several years ago, I injured my back sliding down three steps on black ice and landing on cement. The pain it caused in my lower back was excruciating. I had never experienced chronic pain like that in my life, and couldn’t believe that someone could live through that kind of pain.

I had compressed (bulged) two discs in my lower back, with arthritis in the three vertebras around those discs. I had fractures all over in the sacrum and sacroiliac joints. There was tremendous nerve damage, so much that to even touch the skin on my lower back, it felt like thousands of hot burning needles.

Surgery was not an option, so we spent over thousands of dollars trying all kinds of therapies, treatments, alternative therapies, decompression, sacral cranial therapy, etc. with no relief. When I would go to therapy, the tears would just flow continuously from the pain and I couldn’t even get through five minutes of the simplest moves. I felt like my life was over. We have five boys, and it was a struggle to make it through the day to be there for them. I was pretty much living in bed because the pain was increased immensely the longer I stood, and I couldn’t sit without feeling like I was going to die.

After 2 1/2 years of living life like this, a close family friend introduced me to Xocai healthy chocolate. My first response was that I couldn’t eat chocolate because I’m allergic to caffeine and the sugars that are in chocolate. I would get migraines if I ate chocolate. She said I could eat this kind of chocolate because there is no caffeine in it and no add sugars. Pure unprocessed cacao is an anti-inflammatory, and it would most likely help my back pain. So I decided to try it for a while.

After about 2-3 weeks of eating Xocai, the inflammation in my back decrease significantly and I was finally able to start moving around easier. I went back to physical therapy and learned how to strengthen my back. The nerves began to repair and heal, and I started feeling better.

I’m so excited to finally be able to eat chocolate again! I can eat several pieces and day, and know that it is helping my body. No allergic reaction. I’m a firm believer that it helps with so many of our health problems.

You can learn more about Xocai healthy chocolate here: www.MyDailyChoice.com/shop?selected_brands=8&rep=excitedabouthealthyc

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