Easy Fall Applesauce

Here is a great fall recipe that takes very little prep or cook time.  It makes your house smell so yummy too! 

Ingredients:

10 large apples, peeled, cored and chopped

1/2 cup water

1 teaspoon cinnamon (or less)

1 cup organic cane sugar

Preparation:

Combine all ingredients in slow cooker. Cover and cook on low for 8-10 hours

To make this a well rounded snack or mini-meal, add some feta cheese, walnuts, or almonds.  Enjoy!

Flu Season Essentials: Probiotic Flush

I'm seeing signs pop up all over encouraging the community to get their flu vaccines.  This can only mean that the dreaded flu season is right around the corner.  I want to do a few posts in the next few weeks to give you some tools to help fight flu season naturally.  One of my favorites in the Probiotic Flush.  This is very simple and straightforward - we all know that probiotics increase our gut immunity, thus helping us fight off and prevent colds and flu.  If you find yourself coming down with a cold or flu, this Probiotic Flush will help decrease your time sick.  I recommend doing this flush quarterly as a preventative measure and to boost overall gut health.  

Probiotic Flush

A probiotic is a beneficial microbe - bacteria, yeast or fungus that helps in some way.  According to most estimates there are approximately 10 times more probiotic organisms living in our bodies than actual cells in the human body.  It stands to reason then that when the balance of probiotics falters - illness occurs.  Here is an interesting list of all the jobs these little organisms are responsible for. 

• Improve digestion and nutrient absorption
• Dramatically improve human immune function
• Protect against invasion of foreign pathogens
• Provide a source of Vitamin K
• Lower cholesterol by metabolizing it
• Control bowel toxicity and decrease the risk of bowel cancer
• Reduce gas production by non-disease producing microorganisms
• Produce short chain fatty acids that are converted into energy
• Help absorb important vitamins and minerals
• Slow or stop tooth decay and periodontal disease

Our bodies need a good balance of "good" probiotics (85%) and "bad" bacteria (15%).  Many things can throw this balance off including:

• Standard American Diet (SAD)
• Exposure to toxic chemicals through our food supply and surrounding environment
• Overuse of alcohol and certain prescription medications
• Stressful lifestyles
• Antibiotic medications
• Highly processed foods and those with sugar and sugar substitutes 

Doing a Probiotic Flush infrequently will do wonders to replenish the healthy gut probiotics that we need.  I recommend doing this flush 4 times a year to maintain gut health.  It can also be done at the start of a cold/flu or when beginning any type of healing protocol to help the body recover faster. 

The flush is very simple.  You take 3 probiotic capsules 8 times in a day.  Continue this for 3 days and then discontinue the flush and return to your normal probiotic regimen.  (Don't worry about the amount of probiotics - I've done this many times myself.)  

Remember - this is a flush, so make sure to drink lots of water while doing it!  

There are many probiotics on the market that work great.  I recommend Energetix Flora Synergy or Flora chewable.  Visit my Products I Love page for more information.