Kelly Bonanno

Your soulful coach for wellness, clean beauty & eco lifestyle Savvy | Sexy | Beautiful | Healthy | You

health

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10 Good Reasons You Should Be Using Organic Coconut Oil Everyday

I’ve been slathering coconut oil all over my body and cooking with it for years. To reap its many health and eco friendly beauty benefits, use high quality unrefined organic cold pressed virgin coconut oil.

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  • Coconut oil strengthens the immune system.
  • Coconut oil has a high smoke point so it’s ideal to cook with. Its antiviral and anti-fungal properties prevent it from oxidizing so it won’t go rancid at a high heat like other oils. Dr. Mercola says that although it is a saturated fat, the fats are small/medium chain fats so they diffuse and provide energy.
  • Coconut oil is an amazing natural moisturizer, it works wonders on dry skin and has been shown to firm skin and help prevent wrinkles. Apply it directly or mix it with your favorite facial and body moisturizers.
  • It has strong anti-fungal, antibacterial and anti-viral properties so it helps fight infections in the body and on the skin.
  • Dr. Oz says 1 tablespoon a day will boost your energy level. It goes directly to the brain so it’s quickly used as energy rather than being stored like most fats. Try it on toast and in recipes instead of butter.
  • Coconut oil has excellent anti-inflammatory properties, it’s high in lauric acid so it boosts metabolism and may help with weight loss.
  • It helps control blood sugar, aids thyroid function and helps the body absorb calcium and magnesium.
  • Coconut oil is a great conditioner for your hair. Massage it into your scalp, work it onto the ends of your hair, leave it in for about 30 minutes then wash and condition your hair as usual. I saw a friend at a party and thought her hair looked especially beautiful, she surprisingly attributed it to advice that I had given her a month earlier: coconut oil.
  • Its anti-fungal and anti-microbial properties make it fantastic for use on diaper rash and cradle cap in infants.
  • Countries whose diets include high amounts have been shown to have lower rates of heart disease. However, because it is saturated, it can raise cholesterol levels. This is the controversial aspect of coconut oil to keep in mind and talk to your doctor regarding concerns if you have cholesterol issues
  • Oil pulling with it whitens teeth and keeps your mouth healthy and kissable. Swish it around for 20 minutes first thing in the morning then rinse and brush your teeth.

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5 Reasons Sex Is Fabulous For Your Health

The most pleasurable activity on earth is also a vital component to a healthy lifestyle

Sex Is Good For Your Heart Studies show that this incredibly fun way to raise our heart rate cuts risk of heart attack and stroke by 50% when we get busy at least twice a week. Sex also helps balance testosterone and estrogen levels. Low levels of these hormones lead to health issues including heart disease and osteoporosis

Sex Relieves Stress & Anxiety This is an obvious one, we’re all familiar with that euphoric feeling good sex leaves us with. It does more than just make us feel good, our circulatory, respiratory and nervous systems relax right after sex. Even hugging and touching release our body’s feel good hormones

Tangling The Sheets Lowers Blood Pressure Studies reveal that sexual intercourse lowers both diastolic and systolic blood pressure

Suffer From Back Pain, Headaches, PMS? Get Busy. Oxytocin levels spike just before orgasm is reached which releases pain relieving endorphins. That will put an end to that age old excuse, “not tonight honey, I have a headache”

Sexual Activity Boosts Your Immune System Knocking boots 1 – 2 times a week is shown to increase the antibody immunoglobin by 30%

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Healthy Bites ~ 5 Things You Can Do To Improve Your Health

“It is health that is real wealth” -Mahatma Gandhi 

  • file1101281902715Swimsuit season is right around the corner so there is no time like the present to kick it into gear and get into shape. Looking hot in a bikini is good motivation but an even better reason? Staying in shape is good cancer prevention. Being sedentary and over weight causes just as many cancer deaths as cigarette smoking! Research strongly suggests that fat encourages tumors to grow so hop on that treadmill while you watch the next episode of The Real Housewives
  • Feeling a little sluggish during the day? You might not be drinking enough water. 75% of Americans are dehydrated and likely don’t realize. Dehydration can make you feel tired and it may slow your metabolism down. Stay hydrated and you’ll be more alert. Make it more palatable by adding a few slices of lemon, lime or orange
  • file3481310661998Go bananas. They’re full of potassium which has many health benefits including lowering blood pressure, stress and anxiety as well as reducing your risk of stroke. Bananas also have resistant starch, a type of fiber that is not absorbed so neither are as many calories and it’s been shown to improve insulin sensitivity
  • Germs Like hard surfaces such as light switches, door knobs and remote controls so wipe them of regularly, especially after someone in your family has been ill. Research has found that one third of the surfaces in hotel rooms were still covered in germs a day later, even after the room was cleaned. Eeeww. Good reason to pack some wipes.
  • Are you looking to add more fiber and omega-3 fatty acids to your diet? Sprinkle ground flax seeds on yogurt, cereal, smoothies, nut butters and add some to your pancake and cookie mixes

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Help EWG Defeat The Chemicals In Commerce Act

file0001999433332According to the Environmental Protection Agency, there are currently 1000 chemicals in use right now that should be tested for safety but have they? NO! This scary reality is compromising our safety and health. What's worse is that thousands more chemicals will be allowed in everyday products if the Chemicals in Commerce Act gets passed.

This act will NOT require companies to prove chemicals are safe before they are used in products we use everyday. It will allow more toxic chemicals in commerce with little or no safety testing. This is beyond absurd.

The House of Representatives will be voting on this as early as next week. We need to stop this so that thousands of untested chemicals don't hit the market. They should be taking measures to stop toxic chemicals from being used but instead are doing the opposite.

Please join me and help the Environmental Working Group convince the House of Representatives to oppose this act. Visit EWG, they have made it very easy for us to be heard.   

 

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iDoctor ~ Smartphones And the Future Of Medicine

The Smartphone could be the future of medicine changing healthcare in remarkable ways.  Renowned cardiologist, Dr. Eric Topal, says that medicine today is extremely wasteful and that anything that is done in a doctor’s office, and even some tests performed at hospitals and medical centers can be done remotely with our Smartphones. This cutting edge healthcare technology is fascinating and cost effective. A very encouraging look at what’s on the horizon for medicine…

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The Healthy Diet Detox Plan ~ 5 Things You Can Do To Cleanse Your System Naturally

A new year is a good time to start fresh by eating healthier and exercising more. A few weeks of very clean eating is a good way to get back on track, reverse some of the damage we did during the holiday feasts and maybe shed a few unwanted pounds. You don’t need to do anything extreme with severe detoxing and cleanses to feel and look better.  url

Nutritionist Kerri Glassman says that eating a healthy, balanced diet will enable your organs to work better so your liver, kidneys and GI tract will naturally aid in cleansing your system when you cut out the junk and stick with whole food.

1) Eat a healthy, balanced diet

Stock up on lots of antioxidant rich foods. Choose organic when possible. Glassman advises eating high water volume foods including grapefruit, oranges, cantaloupe and asparagus to help you feel full without taking in a lot of calories. Eat lean protein like eggs, fish and grilled chicken and good fiber like quinoa and brown rice. When preparing lunch and dinner, pile veggies on your plate. A couple of Glassman’s favorite snacks are celery with all natural almond butter (no added sugar or sodium and no trans fats), cucumber dipped in guacamole and sliced apples sprinkled with cinnamon.

2) Drink plenty of water

Water helps flush you out and green tea offers a good amount of antioxidants.  Dr. Oz recommends drinking dandelion root tea because it aids in cleansing the liver.

3) Get enough sleep

Our bodies rejuvenate and repair while we sleep and adequate amounts of sleep help the metabolism function properly. They don’t call it beauty sleep for nothin’.

4) Ditch the toxic chemicals

Give your body a fighting chance by avoiding toxins. Switch to household cleaners and personal care products that do not contain harmful chemicals. The ingredients in most of these products have serious harmful effect on your health. Some cause cancer and many disrupt your endocrine system. Choose products like Ava Anderson Non Toxic.

5) Avoid the bad stuff

The fun part: When you’re trying to cleanse and rid your body of toxins it’s important to avoid salt, sugar, alcohol and all packaged foods. A little strict but easier than some of these drastic detox plans out there. If you have a friend who is considering doing one of those, forward this to them and suggest they try it for a few weeks and I bet they’ll see results. A votre santé!

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6 Health Benefits Of Eating Apples

Have you been apple picking yet this fall? Apples are quite possibly the perfect food. Super healthy and absolutely delicious! I’m partial to fujis and pink ladies. While at a friend’s house, my son recently discovered how much he likes a baked apple. Just a fresh apple, baked – no sugar or anything added to make it unhealthy. I’ll have to do that for him.

One important note about apples: stay away from conventionally grown. They are on the Dirty Dozen list because they are heavily doused with pesticides. Go for organic and always give all fruits and vegetables a thorough washing before you eat them because they can have parasites that cause illness.

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An apple a day may actually keep the doctor away 😉

  • Quercetin found in red apples boost your immune system and may even help curb allergies
  • The flavonols in apples cut your risk of cancer
  • Apples have disease fighting antioxidants that help repair and prevent oxidation damage during cell activity
  • They are loaded with pectin, a soluble fiber. When in the intestine, soluble fiber binds with fat so it helps keep your weight and cholesterol in check
  • They are a good source of vitamins C & A and they contain a good amount of phytonutrients
  • According to the British Medical Journal, eating at least 2 servings each week helps slash your chance of developing type 2 diabetes by 23%

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The 80/20 Rule

My friend Jamie loves her Victoria’s Secret lotion, it smells so good she gets compliments when she wears it. She happens to be very health conscience and eco savvy so I asked if she was concerned about the parabens and chemicals in it. She had a great point. She said she’s so careful about most things she uses that she’s just not going to worry about it.

That’s my philosophy, my own little 80/20 rule: 80% of the time I live as clean and healthy as possible and about 20% of the time I let things slide a bit. Not to be confused with the original 80/20 Principal suggested by business-management consultant Joseph M. Juran based on Italian Economist Vilfredo Pareto’s theory that in business it’s usually 20 percent of what you do that produces 80 percent of the total result. I’ve often heard nutritionists talk about the 80/20 rule when it comes to diet: eat healthy 80% of the time and relax a little the rest of the time.

I can live with that. It’s doable and makes sense. I eat well but I gotta have some ice cream or frozen yogurt to give my sweet tooth a little satisfaction. Do I make sure my kids eat healthy balanced meals the majority of the time? Absolutely, but do I take them to McDonalds once in a while? Sure. How about you? Are you 80/20, 50/50, 100%?

You know how passionate I am about green, clean chemical free living; most of my personal care products are pure and earth friendly but my favorite perfume isn’t. I love the smell and get loads of compliments when I have it spritzed on, so until I find a suitable eco replacement, it falls under that 20%.

I also appreciate a couple of shots of a good tequila or vodka once in a while and I’m not going to feel guilty about enjoying my favorite gluten free chocolate chip cookies with a nice cup of coffee when the craving strikes! Hard core tree huggers might not be happy about this but you can only do what you can do and every little bit helps. About 20% of the time I’m more carefree, loosen up the ‘rules’ and live a little. Striving for perfection isn’t realistic. As my wise mom used to say, “everything in moderation.”

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BPA Is The New Nicotine

There has been more bad news about Bisphenol A (BPA) than just about any other substance over the last few years but some people still are unaware of just how hazardous it is. Several studies have sited the dangers of BPA and it’s harmful effects on our health even at low doses. It imitates estrogen so it disrupts our endocrine system and messes with our hormones. It’s been associated with breast and prostate cancer, heart disease, premature puberty, neurological problems in infants, male sexual dysfunction, miscarriage, fertility problems, obesity, liver abnormalities and diabetes.Recent Studies State Chemical In Plastic Liquid Containers Contain Tox

Even the American Medical Association (AMA) has reported that it officially recognizes BPA as an endocrine-disrupting agent and they are prompting manufacturers to warn consumers by clearly labeling products containing it. They were also quick to back the decision to ban the sale of products that contain BPA for babies.

It’s widely known that BPA is used in plastic but it might surprise you to find out that it is also in receipts and dollar bills among other things. Yep, just by touching those items your body is absorbing it. Lovely. It also leaches into food inside of cans because the inner lining of canned foods contains BPA. It gets into our food even without being heated.

It’s frustrating to believe you are making a healthy dinner for your family only to serve up the cancer causing compound. An interesting study was conducted last year by Silent Spring Institute and the Breast Cancer Fund. They found that when families ate fresh foods and avoided food in cans and food packaged in plastic for 3 days their BPA levels dropped on average by a whopping 60 percent! Canada no longer allows manufacturers to use it, it’s time for us to do the same.

193There are alternatives, Janelle Sorensen, freelance environmentalist and former CCO, Healthy Child, Healthy World says, “Eden Foods uses a safer material and has agreed to make their ‘trade secrets’ public. The key to successful change is finding feasible alternatives. We have those in hand so with sustained consumer pressure, it shouldn’t be too long before we see the end of BPA used in food and beverage products.” I buy Eden Foods almost exclusively when buying canned foods because of this. The Breast Cancer Fund launched their ‘Cans Not Cancer’ campaign to urge manufacturers to uses a safer alternative in the lining of canned foods. Eden Foods does it why can’t everyone else?!