Yes, You Can Have Your Cheeseburger And Keep Your Health Too!

I still get a kick out of the looks of disbelief I get when I tell people that as part of my healthy, meatless diet, I eat cheeseburgers every chance I get. They tell me, "that's ridiculous--if you eat cheeseburgers, of course you're eating meat". Wrong!

I had been a healthy eater for years, but when I took the next step and decided to go what I call "NMP" (no meat or poultry), I knew that if making that transition was going to work, I had to find a way to eat food I'd actually heard of and wanted to eat.
I didn't see myself regularly eating tofu. I didn't want to eat like a rabbit. I was a child when fast food franchising really came into its own, and today we live in a world where you can have four branches of the exact same fast food chain within six
miles, and twelve different places to buy a hamburger in one mile's distance! I also had my favorites from family dinners, restaurants and clipped magazine recipes.

It took some time, but I eventually came to realize that virtually anything I wanted to eat, had a more healthful non-meat/poultry version. Forget everything you've heard about going
meatless either full-time, or from time-to-time. I follow an "NMP" eating style full-time, and I regularly eat delicious food like cheeseburgers, chicken parmesan, tacos, BLTs and chicken caesar salad (in their non-meat/poultry versions of course).

I feel that one of the big reasons that most people will not consider going without meat and poultry, or that those who try it do not successfully stick with it, is because they try to make
themselves eat things they don't enjoy, and toss a lot of their old favorites out the window. This goes against many of their natural eating patterns, so it ends up being only a matter of time before they can't stand it anymore and go back to what was familiar and enjoyable. Add to that what I call "meat and poultry eaters peer pressure" from friends, family and co-
workers, and the "NMP" lifestyle becomes too difficult.

That's too bad, because eating more of a plant-based diet, is being pointed to more and more as a great way to maintain good health or lessen the severity of illness or disease when it does strike. It is in fact health reasons that are mentioned most often as why people either reduce their intake of, or give up, meat and poultry.

Please believe me when I say that you can go without meat and poultry either full-time, or from time-to-time, and still eat the foods you love--the foods you grew up on, and the foods you like
to eat out--you'll just find healthier ways to do so by making substitutions. Of course, in addition to the "fun foods" I've described, you should also be eating more of your favorite fruits, vegetables and other simple non-meat dishes, like whole-grain pasta, that are easy to prepare and that you'll love too. There's no tofu required, and the possibilities are delicious!

So remember, if your image of someone who goes meatless does not include eating your favorite foods, it's time for a change in mindset. You can have your cheeseburger and keep your health
too!

(c) Copyright 2001 By Melanie R. Jordan E-Publishing

Author's By-line:
"Have Your Cheeseburger And Keep Your Health Too!" by
Melanie Jordan can be downloaded at the following URL:
http://www.infopost.com/ItemDescription.asp?navtyp=SRH&ItemI=80058

Melanie is the author of "Have Your Cheeseburger And Keep Your Health Too!" and "Healthy Recipes For Comfort Foods You Love!" More healthy living resources and book purchase information is available at Melanie's web site at http://www.healthyeatingcoach.com. You can contact Melanie and subscribe to her free monthly healthy living e-zine by e-mail to healthyeatncoach@aol.com.

"Aromatherapy" What is it?Machelle Reaves

Aromatherapy is the art and science of treating illnesses through essential oils and/or inhaling herbal mixtures. The sense of smell or olfactory senses are the quickest path to the brain. Once the scent molecules pass the brain, it enters the bloodstream through the lining in our lungs. Once the molecules enter the bloodstream they influence the nervous systems, adrenal glands, stomach, intestines, heart rate, circulatory, and immune systems. Now the scent molecules also stimulate or relax emotions, attitude, energy level, sex drive, concentration, memory and other brain activity. All of that from smelling scents that we already know.

Essential oils used in ancient Egyptian times had many purposes. Burial, spiritual, medical and perfume are just some of their uses. The word perfume comes from the Latin phrase through the smoke. Egyptians closed themselves in small rooms and burnt herbs and oils to cover their body odor. This is where incense came from. The Egyptians also noticed that the scented smoke had medicinal purposes also.
Rene- Maurice Gattefosse was a French chemist who coined the phrase Aromatherapy. It was actually an accident; He burned his hand then confused a bowl of water with a bowl of Lavender oil. Instead of a bad chemical reaction, he learned that the lavender oil healed the burn quicker and left less scarring. This launched his research in Essential oils and Aromatherapy.

The process of distillation is used to extract essential oils from grasses, leaves, trees, roots, and flowers. Some oils require a lot of raw material to make a small amount of oil, and then other oils are easier and less expensive to produce. Therefore, if oil has a higher price, and a few are quite expensive, then that means that particular oil is difficult to harvest and distill.

A headache is relieved with essential oils such as Eucalyptus, Lavender, feverfew, chamomile and marjoram. You could place a few drops of any of these oils in a diffuser or aroma lamp to keep your home or workplace headache free. Many homeopathic doctors prescribe the herb feverfew for migraines. In addition, valerian root, hops and lavender, which are all sedatives and muscle relaxers for those tense stressed out, neck muscles. Yarrow is an anti-inflammatory, antispasmodic and helps control high blood pressure, common cause of migraines and headaches

Who has kids? Most huh well you will need to pay attention here. Take out the aroma lamp and diffuser; put 6 drops of lavender, four of chamomile, and three of sandlewood or cedar wood. Turn it on and watch your house hold calm down almost immediately. You can also place chamomile or lavender in a small pillow and place it in your childrens bed. It is safe, pleasant; the child gets a better, more rejuvenating sleep. Jasmine also has a sedative quality as well as Patchouli.
Cinnamon bark is neat oil. It is warm, calming, spicy and comforting. There have been surveys conducted about the effect that the scent of cinnamon has on men, for example. Most men stated that the smell of cinnamon reminds them of grandmas kitchen, thus bringing on a feeling of love. However, it also helps women with cramps, regulates menstrual cycle, and even gives us a little boost in our love lives. Cinnamon also can be used for insect bites, treat infections and is used in cough elixirs. Be careful, cinnamon can irritate your skin if not diluted properly. There are some oils (like lavender, tea tree, and patchouli) can be applied directly to the skin with no dilution. To be safe I would dilute 2-4 drops of essential oil to 1 tsp. (5ml) of carrier oil. Carrier oils allow safe absorption into the skin and calms some of the more potent oils.

Aromatherapy is the idea that through the senses of touch and smell the body can achieve harmony between mind, body, and spirit. Balance is important today due to the Contamination of chemicals in our world as shown in the ozone alerts. Todays stress, busy schedules, full houses and all of the everyday problems, which have become part of our hectic existence. Aromatherapy is a healthy, easy, inexpensive way to naturally heal your mind and body.
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