Category Archives: healthy food choices

Healing Remedies from the Kitchen

Merry meet all,

Our health is vitally important. Lately I felt ill. I suffered heachaches, an earache, vomiting, and I believed I had a fever (which two doctors confirmed wasn’t true), and a sore throat- which I still have. I went and was tested for the Corona Virus which I don’t have thankfully. I was confirmed negative. I am fine and I happily bought groceries today.

However, I have excellent health remedies that are simple, affordable and available to all. I am happy to share them with you.

Herbal Teas

I know you all want to reach for a cup of joe/ mocha but hear me out. Caffeine can make you more alert and I drink it too. In fact, I just bought a new coffeemaker today. Limit your caffeine intake though. You have to add cream if you do take your coffee that way. That can exacerbate a cold or flu.

Herbal teas are powerful healing remedies. I have a sore throat and I always make sure I have Traditional Medicinals Herbal teas at hand. The Throat Coat variety is the best for truly soothing an aching throat. It is better than cheap lozenges. I am not trying to replace a medical practitioner though. These herbal teas are organic  and full of potent power to help soothe and heal you. Chamomile tea is good too.  Chamomile is anti-inflammatory, antioxidant and has astringent properties. Peppermint tea is healing too. which helps thin mucus and calm sore throats and coughs. Peppermint also has anti-inflammatory, antibacterial, and antiviral properties, which may encourage healing.

Honey is the next best thing to heal your body and soothe a sore throat. Honey is naturally antibacterial. The bees can’t be wrong.

If you are uber muchly into organic remedies. try licorice root for soothing a sore throat. You can try fenugreek and marshmallow root. For an added bonus, these herbs may be in the herbal teas I mentioned above. 

Gargle with salt water. This kills the bacteria present in your throat which can speed healing. 

Dilute 1 to 2 tablespoons of ACV in one cup of water and gargle with it. Then take a small sip of the mixture, and repeat the whole process one to two times per hour. Make sure to drink lots of water in between the gargling sessions.
There are many different ways of using ACV to treat sore throats, depending on the severity of the illness and also your body’s sensitivity to vinegar. It is best to first consult your doctor or healthcare practitioner.

Garlic
Garlic also has natural antibacterial properties. It contains allicin, an organosulfur compound known for its ability to fight off infections.

Studies have shown that taking a garlic supplement on a regular basis can help prevent the common cold virus. Adding fresh garlic to your diet is also a way of gaining its antimicrobial properties. Your grandmother might have told you to suck on a clove of garlic to sooth a sore throat. Because garlic has many healing actions, you might try this, though you may want to brush your teeth afterward to protect your teeth from enzymes and improve your breath.
Cayenne pepper or hot sauce
Often used as a pain reliever, cayenne pepper contains capsaicin, a natural compound known for blocking pain receptors.
Although not scientifically proven, ingesting cayenne mixed with warm water and honey can help with pain relief for sore throats. Remember that an initial burning sensation is common. Cayenne should not be taken if you have open sores in your mouth. Start with just a few drops of hot sauce or a light sprinkle of cayenne, as both can be very hot.

Sore throat remedies for infants and children
Sore throats in infants and young children definitely aren’t fun, but the good news is that they’re rarely the sign of a medical emergency on their own. Still, treating sore throats may be different for infants and children. Here are a few tips and remedies:
Add cool mist or a humidifier to your child’s room. Moisture in the air can help relieve pain from a sore throat.
Keep children hydrated by encouraging them to drink as much as possible. Avoid juices or popsicles with lots of citrus.
Children under 5 years should not be given hard candy cough drops or anything else that might pose a choking risk. Use caution when giving cough drops to children under 10 years.
Don’t give honey to children who are younger than 1 year.
Prevention
To prevent sore throat, stay away from people who are sick with an infectious illness like the flu or strep throat. Wash your hands frequently. Try to avoid spicy or acidic foods, and stay away from chemical fumes or smoke that could cause inflammation.
Over-the-counter treatments
When natural remedies just aren’t cutting it, there are several over-the-counter treatment options. Acetaminophen can be effective for sore throat, and it can be given to young children.
Over-the-counter options like lozenges or numbing sprays can also provide relief. Other potential sore throat soothers include eucalyptus, which you’ll likely find in natural throat lozenges and cough syrups.
Buyer beware
Herbs and supplements are not monitored by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for quality, packaging, dosage, or safety. Also, the batches may be different from container to container. Lack of regulation means that each supplement might give you a different medicinal dose. Be careful using these remedies, and be sure to buy from a reputable source.

Bacterial infections, such as strep throat, whooping cough, and diphtheria, are responsible for only a small percentage of sore throats. Most doctors recommend calling a doctor only in cases of severe sore throat, such as sore throat with a fever or when swollen tonsils block the throat.
Trying out some of these natural remedies may help you feel better more quickly and save you a trip to the doctor’s office. To feel your best, make sure you also drink lots of fluids and get plenty of rest.

There you have it, Hopefully these remedies prove helpful to you. Be well and stay safe!! 

Blessings, Spiderwitch

 

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Fast Food Bank

Merry Meet All,

I know I’m posting twice today but I have something on my mind. As most of you know, I, like many many others, live on a limited income and I am growing my own organic veggies. I know that organic food is more expensive than fast food. This is the problem. I will tell you about my recent trip to a Food Bank and why I cannot return.

It is not a matter of pride. It is, rather, a matter of choosing one food quality over another. I will explain a bit about my background. My Mom is a master of knowledge of organic food and sustainability. She wrote a Masters thesis and taught sustainability at two Universities at a Masters level. She talked on and on about the importance of organic food. I never understood till now. She had to do a food study as part of her studies in University. I have grown accustomed to eating organic food and now it is difficult for me to eat processed food, as I can taste all the chemicals in nonorganic food.

I went to the Food Bank recently and came home with a ton of food. That was great. On the other hand, none of it was even close to organic. Now many people love organic food. Many people skirt around it and turn to what they are already familiar with- processed food. I have not eaten white bread in years. I had to donate the white bread and I forced myself to eat the rest of the processed food. I get queasy when I remember it.

I have now promised myself to adhere to choosing and consuming organic food no matter what and as well as I can. My diet is not 100 % organic but it averages 95% organic. Organic food contains considerably more nutrients than processed food. Yet most people do not want organic food, for reasons I can’t understand. They may be choosing to stick with what they are familiar with. But more and more people want organic food. I know, I visit the local farmers market which is packed with so many people there is almost standing room only.

At the Food Bank, I watched people leave with food bags heavy with processed food. I know that like me, they live on a limited income. I am sure that organic food is offered to the food banks yet it is refused. I hope that one day only organic food is sold in the grocery markets, only grown in peoples’ gardens, and is offered in food banks. I felt so sorry for those people who chose the processed food. It is a shame that there is such a limit in what people can and can’t eat. There is no nutritional value in white bread.

I submitted a proposal to a magazine to write an article on the health benefits of apple cider vinegar. While I read the health and wellness magazine, I read an article about food banks. Yes Food Banks are great and most of the time, are the only choice people have. But the underlying problem is that that food is processed. And this was in a health and wellness magazine. I won’t mention the name of the magazine here. But it seems its focus is a little off.

I am not dissing Food Banks. They are trying to do the best they can. I am simply wishing that more options were available for the people to obtain healthier food. One day that may happen. I will keep hoping and I hope things change for people to be able to afford healthier food.

As long as people keep pushing the governments, local farmers markets and grocery stores to keep supplying organic food, it will continue to be available.

Blessed Be,
Lady Spiderwitch

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