FUN/DIY Archives • Page 17 of 50 • New Nostalgia

Books/ Cancer Journey/ GF, Vegan & Raw/ HEALTH/ Healthy Eating/ How-Tos/ RECIPES

Nutritarian – A High Nutrient Way Of Eating

{image inspired by Dr. Joel Furhman’s Food Pyrimad}

I have been on a journey of health since my cancer diagnosis in 2010. I big part of pursing health has been in what I choose to eat. I strongly believe what we choose to put into our bodies can play a big part in our overall health. After much reading and many small changes in my diet, I have embraced Nutritarianism.

What is a Nutritarian?

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A nutritarian is a person who has a preference for foods that are high in micronutrients.

The term “nutritarian” was coined by Dr. Joel Fuhrman. In his book, Eat to Live, he offers this health equation while describing the nutritarian approach to health:

Health = Nutrients/Calories (or H= N/C for short).

In other words: the more nutrients you consume per calorie, the healthier you will be.

Nutrients in the numerator (top part of the equation) include vitamins, minerals, and phytochemicals. Since these are found in small quantities in food, they are considered to be micronutrients. Caloric sources in the denominator include the macronutrients: fat, carbohydrate, and protein. We need to meet our caloric needs without consuming excessive calories.

A high N/C diet is also called “nutrient-dense” or “nutrient-rich.”

In the Standard American Diet (SAD), about 6% of the total caloric intake comes from nutrient-rich foods.

Nutritarians eat a diet rich in fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds, onions, mushrooms, whole grains, beans, and berries, and particularly consume leafy greens, which are the most nutrient-dense foods. A nutritarian strives to consume at least 90% of their diet from these foods.

A nutritarian diet will lower the risk of heart disease, cancer, diabetes, and even such conditions as Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s.

Nutritarians do not necessarily exclude animal products. Many nutritarians do choose to be vegan (excluding all animal products). Many vegetarians, however, are not nutritarian, if they frequently consume products containing processed grains, oils, sugars, or salt.

It takes a bit of education to become a nutritarian. One must learn the relative nutrient density of various foods. For instance, many people are surprised to learn that bok choy has more calcium per calorie than whole milk, and even than “2% fat” milk. The same is true for many other leaf greens.

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{Dr. Fuhrman’s Website}

I love the idea of getting “more nutrient bang for caloric buck.” I love thinking about food in terms of nutrients, and it feels good to know I am doing something positibe for my health by simply being mindful of the nutrients my food contains.

I have been eating this way for almost 3 years now. It was a gradual change, but especially over the last 2 years, I have been pretty close to being a vegetarian/vegan. I never knew what to call myself until reading Dr. Fuhrman’s Book– Eat To Live. I HIGHLY recommend this book. Dr. Fuhrman has so much knowledge and his words are easy to read and absorb.

Most of the recipes I now feature at the blog reflect the change in our eating habits. My whole family is now eating this way, which happened slowly and over time. With my kids, it truly was educating them as to why I eat the way I do, and they have slowly adapted the changes themselves. When we are home, we eat Nutritarian. When we go to others homes or out to eat as a family we eat more “normal.” When Todd and I go out on dates, we prefer places that allow us to eat Nutritarian. It it crazy how tastes buds change– we have found that we prefer whole, natural, high-nutrient foods.

Other resources that have highly influenced my way of eating:

Forks Over Knives by Gene Stone
The China Study by T. Colin Campbell
Prevent and Reverse Heart Disease by Caldwell B. Esselstyn
The Engine2 Diet by Rip Esselstyn

So…again…what is a Nutritarian?
~They eat lots of high-nutrient, natural plan foods. Vegetables, fruits, beans, nuts & seeds.
~They eat fewer animal products and choose healthier versions of these foods.
~They eat much less or almost no foods that are empty of nutrients: sugar, sweeteners, white flour, processed foods & greasy fast foods.

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Got questions for me regarding the Nutritarian lifestyle? Ask away! It may spur on more posts in this series.

Beauty/ HEALTH/ Natural Products

10 Must See Beauty Treatments To Do At Home That Are Inexpensive And Natural

I have had much fun gathering a few fun DIY beauty tips. I love how most of them are natural, inexpensive and use ingredients you already have at home.

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10 Must See Beauty Treatments To Do AT Home

The Aspirin Mask via Breaking Down Beauty

“Works wonders on your face. Salicylic acid helps clean out pores and battle acne. All you need is water & 3 aspirin tablets. You can also add honey if you want a binding agent.”

My Favorite 2 Ingredient Homemade Lemon Facial Scrub via New Nostalgia

“Lightens sun damaged areas, exfoliates, helps with blackheads and breakouts. Leaves skin super smooth and soft.”

Oatmeal & Baking Soda Exfoliante via Our Best Bites
“Try this baking soda exfoliant for super soft skin.”

Black-head Remover via Stylebees
“Use half lemon from the fridge (doesn’t matter if some juice is already squeezed from it) and put 3-4 drops of honey on it. Rub the lemon on your face, emphasizing trouble areas. Leave the lemon and honey mixture on your face for 5 minutes and then wash it with cold water. You will be able to see the results immediately. Additionally, lemon juice will also fade other marks/spots on the face and honey will moisturize.”

Lavender Facial Toner via New Nostalgia
“Most commercial toners have alcohol and chemicals in them and are too harsh.”

Whiten Stained Nails via Shape

“How to get white nails after so much nail polish — make a paste using 1 tbsp peroxide and 2 1/4 tbsp baking soda. Let this paste sit on your nails for 5 minutes and voila! White nails! REMEMBER THIS AFTER USING Dark NAIL POLISH!”

Best Moisturizing Hair Treatment– Coconut Oil! via New Nostalgia
“20 minute pre-shampoo coconut oil treatment REALLY helps dry or brittle hair.”

Minimizing Pore Baking Soda Mask via ehow
“After you’ve washed your face, place 2 tbsp. baking soda in the palm of your hand and add just enough water to form a thick paste. Massage the paste into your face, resisting the urge to scrub, for about 30 seconds. Rinse the paste away with cool water. You should notice that your pores are smaller almost immediately. After a week of this regime you’ll see visible results as your skin becomes clearer and less prone to breakouts.”

Vingar Soak for Feet via Buzzle

“Soaking feet in vinegar (apple cider being best) for the softest feet ever! Also great for tired feet, toe nail fungus, foot fungus & athletes foot.”

Whiten Teeth For Cheap via New Nostalgia (not natural, but inexpensive!)
“I’ve used this for years and love it. I usually use it while I am in the shower. It seems like it is the only place I get away with not talking for 10 minutes!”

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Love/ Music Renews/ Spiritual

YOU ARE LOVED.

{source}

I have few words today, but I cannot get the below song out of my head and had to share it with you.

I want you to know that I believe that God loves you right here, right now, JUST AS YOU ARE, no matter what.

As the song says, HIS AFFECTIONS FOR US ARE GREAT.

Just wanted you to know that today!

If grace is an ocean then we are all sinking

{source}

Counting Gifts/ Easter/ FAMILY/ Kids/Family

Our Easter Sunday & A Powerful Video

I didn’t know what to expect this Easter, as I have not been feeling well and our usual family extended family plans didn’t happen this year. I did have a sense of relief that I could rest if I needed to, but I wanted the day to feel important…because it is.

The Easter bunny usually is on top of things at our house and has the baskets ready and waiting when our girls wake up. This year I woke up in a panic, realizing I had completely forgotten to get their baskets ready. I made an announcement that they would receive their baskets after they got ready for church to buy myself some time!

Our baskets contained jelly beans, some chocolate, & a golden egg with a few bucks in it. Our girls are getting older and prefer cash instead of junk food or gifts, so that makes things easy.

Church this morning was amazing. Our 2 older girls sat in with us this week. I loved having them next to me. We also got there early enough (miracle) to say hello to my in-laws. I love them so much and it was good to see them on such a special day. The service was beautiful & a highlight for me was a video that they showed, which I will share below.

Another highlight for me was listening to my sister-in-law play the violin. She played through the whole service, but her part in the song “In Christ Alone” was my favorite. It gave me chills.

I felt a bit lightheaded during the service and had to hold on to my Todd or sit down for a few of the songs. I didn’t like that and hoped that food would help.

We went to the early service, so we were out of church by 10:30. We planned to go out for brunch. My goal is to only cook hard boiled eggs for coloring later this afternoon, so going out to eat was perfect.

I enjoyed my veggie omelet. My little one loved her silly face pancake. I definitely felt better after eating and continue to feel better this afternoon than I have in days. Maybe eating all this high-potassium food is working?!

My middle girl was not too into having her picture taken, so I had to be sneaky. Isn’t she cute?

We got home and it has been a beautiful, super chill afternoon. We have the windows open and everyone is just hanging out. I put some eggs on to boil and my girls are dipping them as I type. I plan on using the extra eggs to make egg salad sandwiches for tonight’s dinner, which we plan on eating while watching recorded episodes of The Bible. Seems appropriate for the day, don’t you think?

I’m sitting by an open window and I hear my Todd busy outside. One of my girls just told me he is getting our bikes all pumped up and ready to ride. This makes me very happy and eager to get my energy back up!!

Oops..got girl drama at the Easter egg table so I need to sign off. It is a good reminder of how broken we all are, especially me, as my blood pressure starts to go up at the first sign of bickering.

I’m also reminded of this beautiful video that was shown this morning at our church service. It shows how broken is made whole in such a beautiful way. I’d love if you took the time to watch it.

I would love to know what you think of the video.

I’d also love to know what you are up to this Easter day!

Beauty/ DIY/Crafts/ FUN/DIY

DIY Layered Necklace

by Laurie Cosgrove
Arts & Crafts Contributor

Happy Saturday! I love getting crafty on the weekends and today I have a really fun funky necklace craft for you to try. I recently got inspired when I saw this necklace and this necklace on pinterest. I think layering up accessories can make the most basic outfit trendy and cute. You could just pile on three or four pieces to achieve this look but if you’re like me, there isn’t always time for that. I usually throw on an accessory as I’m running out the door, so untangling and fastening several necklaces probably isn’t going to happen often. Since I made this necklace last week, I’ve worn it with three different outfits and it seemed to transform each one of them. I loved that I could just grab it and go.

Here’s how to make one of your own…

You’ll need:

>A set of pliers

>Three or more necklace chains

>A variety of charms

>An extra link (optional)

For my chains, I just recycled a couple from old necklaces I never wear and then purchased the last one from Walmart for $2. The charms and extra links were also found at Walmart . I really like the look of round discs and found these with Chinese symbols in the dollar bin. I’m not really sure what they say but hope it’s nothing too crazy;) I also love keys so I grabbed a set of those as well.

Step 1 | String a charm onto the longest chain. This will probably be the main focal point of your necklace so you might want to choose this to be the largest charm as well. On the second longest chain, string another charm (I chose the key).

Step 2 | Decide where you want the second charm to lay on the finished product. I wanted the key to be attached to the first necklace a few inches above the disc. To do this, use your pliers and pry open an extra link, slide it through the chain and the charm where you want it. Then close the link with your pliers.

Step 3 | Combine the two necklaces together. Using your pliers again, open the links closest to the clasps on your longest necklace and slide them through the ends of your second longest necklace. Then you can remove any extra clasps or extra length of chain so that only one clasp is holding the two chains together.

Step 4 | Take a third chain (probably the smallest) and slide on any last charms. Then decide where you want this one to lay. Combine the third chain with the other two like we did in Step 3 with your pliers. You should end up with three necklaces connected by one clasp.

Finished!

Note: If you’re unsure about where the necklace should lay, a good rule of thumb is to measure in face lengths. For example, measure one face length from your chin to the top of your necklace (the first charms) and then another face length to the bottom of your necklace.

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This post was written by

Laurie Cosgrove

Art & DIY Contributer

Laurie is a graphic artist and the author of Beauty Divine Design where she posts on everything from design trends and tutorials to her random daily life. She has such a way with beauty, and her taste is divine!

Laurie also is the founder of Beauty Divine Design company which focuses on providing photographers with design templates. Click here to visit her shop.

You can follow Beauty Divine Design here: {Facebook} {Twitter} {Pinterest}

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More posts written by Laurie at New Nostalgia:

~Simple Decorative Vases

~DIY Ampersand Pillow

Books/ Spiritual/ Sponsored

The Repurposed & Upcycled Life + A Giveaway

The Repurposed & Upcycled Life

by Michelle Rayburn

{Website} {Twitter} {Facebook}

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“Through inspiration from God’s Word, a generous dose of humor, and everyday examples, discover the joy-filled, hope-rich way of viewing the past, present, and future.”

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If you have read my cancer story, you will know that something I talked about often with my 3 young girls was how we were going to search for “treasure” while I was in treatment to get better. I so wanted them to have eyes to see when God would show Himself and give us treasures in the middle of a very hard diagnosis and fight. And boy OH BOY, did He ever reveal Himself and give us many tangible treasures, so many that even my little ones could recognize them very easily.

When I saw the title of Michelle Rayburns book, The Repurposed & Upcycled Life, I knew right away that I needed to read this book, and was so grateful for the opportunity to do just that. I knew just from the language of the title that we would jive, for we were already speaking the same trash to treasure language. But OH, how I love, LOVED how she weaved in the idea of repurposing & upcycling. What clear analogies of what God does! I also knew the timing of this book was perfect for me, for it was time to be reminded of just how faithful God is in turning our “trash” into treasure.

It’s funny how being in the middle of a big whole heap of trash (cancer) that I was more clear- eyed to see the treasure, and even trust that God would bring good & beauty out of it. What I have found recently is the trash- whether mine or others or just what this life brings-has been slowing me down. I found that I was losing my focus and my trust would waiver, and my reactions to things showed that I was questioning that there would come something beautiful out of all the yuck.

As Michelle shares her own stories of the repurposing & upcycling process, she is refreshingly real and very funny. She helped me to see that just a little bit of whining & complaining is all it takes to lose my focus & be distracted from the amazing reality that God is IN this with us. That He is busy at work in us, making us beautiful, shiny and new. Restoring, remaking, upcycling. Doing the amazing redeeming work that He does when we present ourselves to Him.

Life is heavy in many areas around me right now. Being in the cancer world, I know of several people who are in their final stages of life on this earth. I watch and my heart breaks. I watch and fear of recurrence creeps in. I recently had the flu and it emotionally it created quite a bit of debris as it brought back painful memories of chemo. Just tonight I chatted with my younger sister whose heart is breaking as she walks through a dear friends last days on this earth. So. Very. Hard. Today I hugged two little girls who’s Daddy was recently taken jail for beating their Mommy, and whose world was turned upside down. LIFE IS HARD. It is dirty, ugly, and downright stinkin’ HARD.

But. As I was reminded in this beautiful book, we have hope. We have One who is nothing but Good, nothing but Love, our Creator God, who is busy restoring, repurposing, & renewing. Those 2 little girls? You should see the beautiful work God has done and is doing in their Mommy. She is being all shined up and loved on by God. She has run into His arms for refuge and strength and boy oh BOY how FAITHFUL our God is. She has so many beautiful treasures raining down upon her right now, and she is this shining, dear one who is delighting in all that He has for her. Is it hard? HECK yeah. Would she say it is worth it and that God is faithful? I know that she would.

Please take a minute and click the video below. It is only one minute, but it gave me chills. If you relate to what it says, then CLICK HERE and buy this book!Also, use the form below and sign up to win a free copy of The Repurposed & Upcycled Life.

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a Rafflecopter giveaway

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Michelle is also having a fun Giveaway!

One reader from each blog will be entered into a grand prize drawing held on April 14. Bloggers will draw the name of one commenter and send that info to Michelle by April 14. On April 15, she will draw a name using Random Number for the grand prize gift drawing which includes: a copy of The Repurposed and Upcycled Life, a journal made by Michelle, a repurposed and upcycled olive oil jar turned kitchen night light, a framed inspirational photo, chocolate, and all natural skin crème.

A photo of the basket is available here.

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About Michelle, the Author of The Repurposed & Upcycled Life

Michelle Rayburn wants to help you connect the dots between faith, creativity, and everyday life and discover the joy of finding God in the most unexpected places. Years ago, she left her career as a registered nurse to raise her family, and along the way, she discovered her true passion for writing, speaking, and singing.

Along that path of discovery, she tried many side ventures, including: a wedding coordinator, rubber stamp demonstrator, custom painter and decorator, craft instructor, craft seller, and web designer. Pile on her hobbies as a quilter, scrapbooker, and avid reader, and that’s a lot of dots to connect! For the sake of sanity, she has exchanged most of those roles for the thrill of putting words on paper.

Michelle has written over 100 articles for publication, and this is her first book. She writes a monthly column for Wisconsin Christian News called “Simply Faith.” Her writing has also appeared in Christian Communicator, Focus on the Family, Chicken Soup for the Soul, Vista, and more. She has also written several Bible studies for ChristianBibleStudies.com.

Michelle has been a speaker and worship leader at women’s events, MOPS meetings, conferences and retreats, and writing seminars. She has her MA in Ministry Leadership with a counseling emphasis from Crown College. She has been married to her husband Phil for 23 years and they have two young adult sons. Their family serves in ministry at a Bible camp in north central Wisconsin.

{Website} {Twitter} {Facebook}

FAMILY/ Leaving A Legacy/ Music Renews/ Parenting/ Spiritual

Leaving A Legacy For My 3 Girls – A Plea & A Prayer

As a 2-time cancer survivor, I look at life with tangible knowledge that life could end at any given moment. None of us know how long we have here on this earth. This legacy series to my 3 girls…my lovelies… is my way of attempting to leave a legacy for them. To speak of what is most important for them to know from me, their forever Mom.

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Dear Lovelies,

I don’t have many words of my own for you today, just a verse which is also a plea, and a prayer. I may even go find a song for you if your lucky. 🙂

My Plea for you, my 3 lovelies:

Ephesians 4:1 I…beg you to lead a life worthy of your calling. For you have been called by God.

How I pray for you:

Every time I pray I think of you and thank God for you! I ask Him to make you intelligent and discerning in knowing Him personally, your eyes focused and clear, so that you can see exactly what He is calling you to do, grasp the immensity of this glorious way of life he has for Christians. Oh the utter extravagance of His work in us who trust him– endless, boundless strength!

Be assured from day one I have not stopped praying for you, asking God to give you wise minds & spirits attuned to his will and so acquire a thorough understanding of the ways in which God works. I pray that you live well for the Master, making Him proud of you as you work hard in His orchard. As you learn how God works you will learn how to do your work.

I pray you will have the strength to stick it out over the long haul, not a grim strength of gritting your teeth, but glory-strength that God gives. It is strength that endures the unendurable and spills over into joy, thanking the Father who makes us strong enough to take part in everything bright and beautiful He has for us!

By giving Himself completely at the cross, actually dying for you, Christ brought you over to God’s side & put your lives together, whole & holy in His presence. Don’t walk away from a gift like that! Stay grounded and steady in that bond of trust, constantly tuned into the message, careful not to be distracted or diverted.

I Love you More’n,

MOM

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The above are Paul’s prayers, so wonderful to pray over your children. They are taken from:

Colossians 1:9

Ephesians 1:15-23

Ephesians 3:14-19

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