give aways!

Hi everyone!! Since I ve slacked on this blog Ill offer all my blog readers a free tiny initial sterling silver pendant necklace when you purchase $25 or more from my shop! Offer ends October 31st. To take advantage of this offer please put "bubnchunk" in the message box at checkout.

Heres the link to my shop:

Dark Chocolate & Tulips

Happy Christmas shopping! Start now.

aloha and be well

Ill admit from now until the new year I am busy making jewelry! My blog posts will be minimum but Ill be back soon! In the mean time please check out my hand stamped jewelry shop for cool custom items and an Antique Steampunk Collection to follow soon!

www.darckchocolatentulips.etsy.com


Aloha,


Jodi

not all SUGAR is the same.

Just recently read an article from Dr. Mercola about High Fructose Corn Syrup and how the Corn Refiners Association has allowed manufacturers to use the name "corn sugar" instead. So if you see that ingredient on any of your food packaging, its the same as HFCS. It's very pathetic now days how processed our food has become. Part of what makes HFCS such an unhealthy product is that it is metabolized to fat in your body far more rapidly than any other sugar. Please take the time to read all your ingredients and learn what things you should avoid. Unless you buy it organic, corn itself if a highly genetically modified ingredient. Look for and avoid any foods with corn syrup, corn sugar and HFCS. There are a lot of products out there that have good pure ingredients in them and of course you will pay a higher price but that price for you and your family's health are worth it. Here's a little insight on the sugar 'fructose'

How Fructose Wrecks Your Health

Contrary to industry claims, your body does NOT recognize and treat all sugars the same.
HFCS is a highly processed product that contains similar amounts of unbound fructose and glucose.
Fructose and glucose are metabolized in very different ways in your body.
Glucose is metabolized in every cell of your body and is converted to blood glucose, while all fructose is metabolized in your liver, where it’s quickly converted to fat and cholesterol. (When a diet includes a large amount of fructose, it can therefore create fatty liver, and even cirrhosis.)
Sucrose, on the other hand, is a larger sugar molecule that is metabolized into glucose and fructose in your intestine.
Fructose is metabolized to fat in your body far more rapidly than any other sugar, and, because most fructose is consumed in liquid form (soda), its negative metabolic effects are further magnified.
Why does it turn to fat more readily than other sugar?
Most fats are formed in your liver, and when sugar enters your liver, it decides whether to store it, burn it or turn it into fat. However, researchers have discovered that fructose bypasses this process and turns directly into fat.

One of the Simplest Ways to Improve Your Health NOW!

I recommend that you avoid sugar as much as possible, particularly fructose in all its forms.
This is especially important if you are overweight or have diabetes, high cholesterol, or high blood pressure as fructose will clearly worsen all of these conditions.
However, I also realize we don’t live in a perfect world, and following rigid dietary guidelines is not always practical or even possible.
If you want to use a sweetener occasionally, this is what I recommend:

1. Use the herb stevia. My favorites are the flavored liquid bottles.
2. Use organic cane sugar in moderation.
3. Use organic raw honey in moderation, but remember, honey is also very high in fructose so it is not an ideal replacement.
4. Avoid ALL artificial sweeteners, which can damage your health even more quickly than fructose.
5. Avoid agave syrup since it is a highly processed sap that is almost all fructose. Your blood sugar will spike just as it would if you were consuming regular sugar or HFCS. Agave’s meteoric rise in popularity is due to another great marketing campaign, but any health benefits present in the original agave plant are eliminated during processing.
6. Avoid so-called energy drinks, sports drinks, and vitamin-enriched waters because they are loaded with sugar, sodium and chemical additives. Rehydrating with pure, fresh water is your best choice.
   
   If you or your child is involved in athletics, I recommend you read my article Energy Rules for some great tips on how to optimize your child’s energy levels and physical performance through optimal nutrition.

As a last precaution, if you have high fasting insulin levels (anything above 3), high blood pressure, high cholesterol, diabetes, or if you’re overweight, I strongly recommend avoiding ALL sweeteners, including stevia, until you’ve normalized your condition.
This is because any sweetener can decrease your insulin sensitivity, which as I’ve mentioned before, which drives up your risk of nearly every disease there is, from diabetes to cancer.
 

KNOWLEDGE IS POWER, BE WELL!!
Please take the time to read this entire article:

High Fructose Corn Syrup

slacking

Sorry for slacking on the "health" posts. Ive been busy planning and having hand stamped jewelry parties. Its a great way to shop early for Christmas! If you want a cool custom gift that noone else will have check out my site: www.darkchocolatentulips.etsy.com for custom hand stamped sterling silver jewelry!!

be back soon with more posts!!

aloha

a conversation with Levi (Bub)

I jotted down a conversation of question and answers I had with my 4 yr old son, (Levi)ticus.  Although this has nothing to do with health or food, this blog was inspired by my two boys Levi(Bub) & Ezra(Chunk) so I thought you would have fun reading this! 

Mom: "Where do babies come from"

Levi: "Pray to Jesus and He makes magic and thy come in your tummy" "also from outer space, the mainland, Disneyland, the wild or even the ocean!"

Mom: "How do the babies grow?"

Levi: "in your tummy, it gets fatter and the baby gets bigger"

Mom: "How do babies come out?"

Levi: "push and they POP out!"

Mom: "What are mommies for?"

Levi: "to spank, love, have fun, play games"

Mom: "What are daddies for?"

Levi: "to spank, have fun, be nice, tell you if you have to go to bed or not."

Mom: "How do you get money?"

Levi: "Jesus gives you money, He lets the man drop money on the ground and you can use that to buy food or a toy."

Mom: " How old do you think you have to be to drive a car?"

Levi: "big"

Mom: " What is big?"

Levi: "tall and someone who can watch someone else."

Mom: "How would you take care of someone if you were alone?"

Levi: "be nice, if there is a bad guy call a policeman and when he is done fighting the bad guy hell tell you to get a mom."

Hope you enjoyed my conversation with Levi!! I sure did:)

I love you Levi,

MOM

gluten & dairy free choco chip cookies

we made some cookies today with what ingredients we did have in our kitchen! dont feel too bad about your kids having a little more than they usually get, the sugar is low and there is no dairy in them either! I guess the boys enjoyed them too!!

 

Here is the recipe I used:


2 ½ cups blanched almond flour -i used rice flour
½ teaspoon celtic sea salt
½ teaspoon baking soda
½ cup grapeseed oil-i used coconut oil
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
½ cup agave nectar or honey
1 cup dark chocolate chips 73% cacao
* I added some gluten free oats to it

1. Combine dry ingredients in a large bowl
2. Stir together wet ingredients in a smaller bowl
3. Mix wet ingredients into dry
4. Form ½ inch balls and press onto a parchment lined baking sheet
5. Bake at 350° for 7-10 minutes
6. Cool and serve

have a great day!
be well.

str-awesome!!! glass drinking straws.

 I discovered a great business started by a mom, what's so great about it, is that she is using her talents and love for what she does at the same time she contributes to saving the environment and also our health. Its called strawesome

Strawesome is a company that makes GLASS  drinking straws!! Yes you read right, they are made of glass!! The only straws I have ever seen or heard of are always made of plastic, whether it be hard plastic or soft plastic, ITS PLASTIC!! Although nowdays companies are more aware of the dangers of chemicals used to make plastic and are going the safer route, glass is still always the better choice.  I make smoothies almost everyday for my boys and straws that are used over and over get yucky, hard to wash and mangled!! They are so hard to clean I end up using them only once then throwing them away!! Plus, when plastic is tampered with there is more of a chance of chemicals leaching and it being hazardous for your health. 
I decided to email the owner of Strawesome and see if she wouldn't mind me doing a review of her products for my blog and she said OK!!  I just received my "Big Daddy" bent smoothie straw yesterday, my son and I used it this morning and LOVE it! They are so easy to wash and fun to use, plus when you purchase any product from them, their is a no break policy. If your straw breaks, it will be replaced!! You cannot go wrong with that!! Also look no further for corporate gifts or wedding favors, Strawesome does that also!!
Here is a pic of the bent smoothie straw that I get to use!

Here are some other things that are so great about strawesome:

"Strawesome is a Michigan-based green company(started and run by a mom) with a commitment to health and the environment. We offer fun, safe, and reusable glass drinking straws to people of all ages." ~strawesome.com

Why a Glass Straw?

• "Concern about plastic usage is at an all-time high. Glass drinking straws are one way to limit your exposure to toxins from plastics.
  
• If you use straws a lot think about how many plastic straws you throw in to a landfill every year.  Including the instances you dine out at restaurants this number can be astronomical!  Being green has never been so easy.  Replace your disposable plastic straw with a glass straw and you can help save our planet from destruction.
  
• Not only is it fun to drink from a glass straw but studies have shown that drinking from something more substantial than plastic may help you lose weight.  The feeling of glass on your lips will help you lose weight on your hips!
  
• Strive to consume more water? Make it fun with a glass straw. 
  
• Want to help your kids eat more fruits & vegetables? Make it fun with a green smoothie and a glass straw."  ~strawesome.com

She offers so many different styles to choose from like

                                                                         skinny straws

                   
                                                                  colored straws

                                                                 decorative straws

                                                             kids size ones

 and many more styles and colors to choose from!!

Along with me doing a review, the  owner has also offered a FREE GIVEAWAY of one of her lovely glass straws to one of my readers, here is what you need to do to qualify:

-go to her site: www.strawesome.com and check out all her different products
-come back to my blog and leave a comment on any two of her products that you love the best and why and what would you use your straw the most for.
-those of you who are not followers of my blog, no prob just click on "follow" and leave a comment
-tell at least one friend about Strawesome, or post a link on your Facebook page.
-for those of you who receive my blog via email, you need to go on my site: bubnchunks health bar and click "follow" and leave a comment on my blog page. If you do not have a google account its really quick to sign up.
-I will choose a winner in two weeks! Last day to comment will be September 28, 2010.

Good luck and I hope you enjoyed reading about Strawesome! Strawesome is Awesome!!

BE WELL