Vegetarian Recipes

Well, the Fourth of July weekend starts cranking up soon, so we're winding down a bit here at Health & Beyond Online for the holiday.

But, before we turn off our computers and head for the beach (just kidding -- I haven't gone to the beach since watching the movie Jaws when it came out a zillion years ago) , we want to point you to our brand new recipe site:

VegetarianRecipes101.com

Yep, we now have 101 healthy, tasty, and easy-to-prepare vegetarian recipes online for you.

So surf on over there and see how many of these healthy dishes fit your tastes.

Oh, yeah, be sure to sign up for our free vegetarian recipe newsletter while you're there.

Have a great July 4th holiday.

Chet Day
Editor, The Health Circus
http://chetday.com

Insomnia Cure?

What you're about to read isn't an insomnia cure since it probably doesn't get to the root of why you aren't sleeping (stress, over-eating, hormonal imbalance, etc, etc, etc), but it is an all-natural tip to help on those nights when you can't get into dreamland.

As you probably know, serotonin initiates feelings of relaxation, well-being, and fullness.

Well, walnuts are one of the richest dietary source of serotonin.

In addition to helping you relax and nod off, walnuts also help lower cholesterol and improve mood.

So the next time you feel insomnia coming on, try eating a 1-ounce serving of walnuts just before going to bed.

Chet Day
Editor, The Health Circus
http://chetday.com

Natural Hair Conditioner

Let's start this week off with a great little tip on how you can make and use a natural hair conditioner at home.

There's really nothing much to it.

Simply mix a ripe, mashed banana with a tablespoon of your favorite honey until very creamy.

Then wet your hair with tepid water and use your fingers and massage the banana and honey mixture into your hair and scalp.

This next part might sound a little silly, but it's a necessary step... wrap your head (just the hair part) in a towel and leave that on for 20-30 minutes.

Almost done.

For the final step, rinse your hair thoroughly and then shampoo and condition as usual. Your hair should seem thicker. This technique can be used once or twice a week to attain thicker, lovelier locks.

I learned this natural hair conditioner method from Victoria, the creator of the hugely popular Tooth Soap and Perfect Prescription for Dental Health.

Chet Day
Editor, The Health Circus
http://chetday.com

Fat Loss Tips

I guess Thursday is as good a day as any to share some fat loss tips.

I mean, seriously, if you're lugging around extra weight, any day is as good as another for some simple ideas on how to achieve a little fat loss, right?

Well, to start shedding some pounds, start including the following in your health program...

Eat a calorie restrictive diet. In other words, eat no less than ten times and no more than fifteen times your lean bodyweight in calories. Example: if your lean bodyweight is 150 pounds, each day you should eat no less than 1500 calories and no more than 2250 calories.

Exercise for at least 30-45 minutes three or four times per week. Experts disagree about pace. Some say sweat up a storm; others say to be moderate. The important point is to get off your butt and exercise.

Weight training is great. I try to pump a little iron three days a week with a simple set of weights I bought at K-Mart for something like $25.

Add a quality super green food to your diet. Supplementing your diet with such a product will improve your health and help you with fat loss.

Be sure to eat adequate dietary fat, including high amounts of Essential Fatty Acids (Omega-6 and Omega-3). I use Carlson's Cod Liver Oil.

Following these simple tips will definitely help with fat loss.

Chet Day
Editor, The Health Circus
http://chetday.com

Raw Apple Pie

Hey, how about a simple and healthy recipe for raw apple pie?

Raw Apple Pie Recipe

Three Granny Smith apples cut into bite-sized chunks
1 Tbs honey
2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 cup raisins
1/4 cup apple or white grape juice

Mix everything together and serve.

Now that's almost the easiest recipe for healthy apple pie that I've ever seen.

Chet Day
Editor, The Health Circus
http://chetday.com

Carpal Tunnel Syndrome

Today I'd like to share some important tips you can use to avoid carpal tunnel syndrome when working with computers.

Thanks to Dr. Ben Kim for this information!

First, take a look at the keyboard that sits in front of you.

Is your keyboard on an angle causing your wrists to be an inch or two lower than the rest of your hands?

If your hands are extended in this lower position on a regular basis, you are at risk of developing carpal tunnel syndrome.

Here are two simple measures that you can take:

1. Don't lower the two clips under your keyboard on the side that is closer to your monitor. Lowering these clips will further extend your wrists as you type.
   
   
2. If you aren't already doing so, use a keyboard wrist pad, one that can sit in front of your keyboard so that your wrists and hands are about level. With the way that your wrist and finger bones are naturally aligned, it's normal to have your hands be slightly higher than your wrists. The key is that you don't feel any strain on the underside of your wrists.

For even more comfort, you can fold up hand towels and use them as keyboard wrist pads. Of course, this tip is most relevant to men and women who spend more than a few minutes typing away on their keyboards each day.

If you use a notebook computer, use however many towels you need to feel like your hands, wrists, and elbows are not under any strain.

Chet Day
Editor, The Health Circus
http://chetday.com

Fish Oil Supplement

Something Fishy

You know, when I was a boy, for a few days my mom tried to force a teaspoon of fish oil supplement down my throat because she read in some magazine that that was a good thing for a kid to have.

Even though this event occurred more than fifty years ago, I vividly recollect the memory of the utterly disgusting and rancid taste of that fish oil, a taste that turned me off to most things aquatic for a long, long time.

Well, a few months ago I decided to bite the bullet and add fish oil to my daily health routine because the articles I've read about it over the years had long ago convinced me that doing so was a smart thing for both physical and mental health.

So I ordered three bottles of Carlson's lemon-flavored cod liver oil.

I figured that maybe, just maybe, there would be enough lemon in there to at least partially mask the awful fish oil taste that haunted my memory banks.

So the bottles arrive.

After opening the package, I shake my head and tell my wife, "I hope I didn't just waste all that money on fish oil. If this stuff tastes as bad as I remember it tasting, I'm going to end up flushing this stuff."

"You should have ordered one bottle instead of three," she observed.

I bit my tongue and didn't go into my rap about saving postage and handling by ordering multiple bottles.

"Are you going to join me in trying this?" I asked.

Well, my wife has had a life-long allergy to anything fish-related, so she wasn't about to volunteer for this particular health experiment.

I opened the lime green bottle and cautiously nosed around the top, sniffing like a dog approaching fresh road kill.

Hmmm, no fishy smell.

I poured a big tablespoon and sniffed again.

Ahh, lemon fresh.

I opened my mouth and poured the stuff in.

Swirled the Carlson's fish oil between my teeth.

Amazing... a memory of munching lemon drops as a kid.

Absolutely no fish taste.

None whatsoever.

In fact, I was so blown away, my wife tried a tablespoon, liked the taste as much as I did, and had no adverse reaction.

So we're now each having a tablespoon every day of Carlson's cod liver fish oil

My recommended natural health professional, Dr. Ben Kim, reveals why a fish oil supplement like Carlson's f is good for you in an excellent article. Click here to read that article.

Chet Day
Editor, The Health Circus
http://chetday.com

Two Relaxing Meditations

I have two relaxing online meditation resources for you today.

You don't have to live on the coast to relax and unstress with an ocean meditation. Thanks to Linda who submitted this little wonder of the Internet, you can enjoy a delightful and relaxing experience right now.

And click here for my beautiful mountain and music meditation on Health & Beyond Online.

Bookmark both of these pages. That way, the next time you're feeling stressed, you'll have two good ways to flush that stress right down the old drain.

Chet Day
Editor, The Health Circus
http://chetday.com

How to Gain Weight

I don't get the "how to gain weight" question very often, but when I do, I have a terrific resource to refer people to, a man by the name of Anthony Ellis.

For today's blog, I'd like to share an excerpt from Anthony's article,

How to Bulk Up and Gain Weight

Below you'll find some basic tips you can use to help you bulk up and gain weight:

• First, to gain weight you must eat more calories than your body burns off, so EAT MORE! It's very simple -- you must eat to gain weight. You need to eat like you've never eaten before. (Staying away, of course, from junk food like donuts and chips or candy).
  
  
• You need to eat six meals a day (have something to eat every three hours). This is a weight gain diet used by body builders who know what they're doing.
  
  
• You should up your protein intake and cut back on simple carbohydrate intake. Your body must have protein to build new muscle.
  
  
• Your exercise routine should be short and intense. Not more than one hour.
  
  
• Focus on free weight exercises because they work the large muscle groups. The best weight training movements for adding weight are the simple ones. For mass, put your free weights to work with squats, bench presses, deadlifts, bar dips, pull ups and barbell rows.

For more weight gaining techniques, click here to read the entire article by Anthony Ellis.

Okay, that's all for this busy Monday morning.

Chet Day
Editor, The Health Circus
http://chetday.com

Carob Fudge Treat

I think of myself as a health nut, but I also have limits.

I mean, seriously, if I have to choose between rich dark chocolate fudge and some kind of healthy fudge, I'll take the real thing just about every time.

And the heck with guilt feelings.

With that said, I also appreciate a healthy carob fudge recipe, and today I'd like to share a good one for a carob treat that I got from Janet Cox many years ago.

Wonderful Carob Fudge

2 cups sweetened carob chips
1/2 cup natural peanut butter (smooth)
1 tsp vanilla
2 cups crispy rice cereal (opt)
1/2 cup chopped nuts (opt)
1/2 cup raisins (opt)

Melt carob chips, add peanut butter and flavoring, stir in ceral, nuts, raisins, etc. as you desire. Spread in coated dish until set.

Whoa, sounds pretty good, doesn't it?

Mix up and batch and give it a try this weekend.

Chet Day
Editor, The Health Circus
http://chetday.com