7 Simple Ways to Improve Lung Health

7 Simple Ways to Improve Lung Health

With viruses penetrating our bodies, seasonal allergies clogging our sinuses, and the normal colds circulating in our environment, keeping our lungs happy can be stressful. Our lungs give us energy and life. When we’re breathing well, our minds are clear, our sleeping is solid, and we don’t really think about breathing. Learn seven great ways to help your lungs.

7 ways to take care of your lungs

Viruses

The Coronavirus attacks our lungs. It takes a completely healthy human and preys on our breathing source. I understand this virus reacts differently in everyone depending on age and underlying conditions. We tend to think it’s out of our control. But we can be in control of how we are preparing our bodies for viruses or seasonal allergies.  

walking 6000 steps a day will improve health and 10000 steps a day will help lose weight

7 Lung Health Builders

Exercise

Simply walking every day is a great exercise for your lung health. If you start walking try increasing the speed or distance every once in a while to give your lungs a workout. A slow jog will also do the trick. Aim for at least 20 minutes. Try breathing in your nose and out your mouth.

Breathe clean air

We can clean our air. During allergy season it’s not a bad idea to try an air purifier. Here is an economical air purifier option. This is a great option to improve lung health.

**I’m not a doctor, nor am I trying to be. I share the information I have either experienced myself or am extremely interested in, and then I keep things simple and give you the nutshell version. This article is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Please consult your physician before jumping into new things. This article is for information purposes only.**

Humidify

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Humidify while we sleep. A morning bloody nose is usually what I had for breakfast at least twice a week when I was a kid. There were three causes to this: dry winter air, seasonal allergies, and me picking my nose. My fix was a humidifier.

A humidifier keeps nasal passageways moist. Meaning with viruses, when the surface is moist it has a harder time sticking and penetrating through our body. Similar to a sore throat regime; keep the throat moist to flush out the virus. Here’s my humidifier. I absolutely love it!

water

Drink Agua

Drink lots of water. Keep things slippery in your body. Remember that viruses like to stick to things. Don’t give them an opportunity. Get a good water filter. Water is the source of everything, so make sure it is clean water.

No smoking, please

Steer clear of smoking. There is no proof that smoking is good for your lungs. It may feel good for a little bit, but it’s not worth the long-term effects. I’m talking about cigarettes, vaping, marijuana, and cloves. I understand that pipe (as in tobacco) and cigar smoking is slightly different…, but those have problems of their own.  

Roll up the car windows

Roll up the windows on diesel. Some people love the smell, others despise it. If you’re behind a truck or diesel-driven vehicle your nose will tell you, especially if they don’t have Def in the line. Short-term exposure to diesel can cause people to feel dizzy, get a headache, or have irritation in the eyes, nose, and throat. Long-term exposure can result in cardiovascular and respiratory disease including lung cancer.

apples bananas leafy greens for healthy lungs

Eat for your lung health

Eat lung-healthy foods. Foods for your lungs? For healthy lungs you’re going to want to eat:

Apples. Apples might slow deteriorating lung function down over 10 years according to The European Respiratory Journal.

Bananas. These rich in potassium fruits help the lungs contract and expand, hence preventing breathing problems.

Leafy Greens. These delicious yet scary-looking plants are packed with vital nutrients to support the lungs. Studies show that consuming these leaves could be linked to a lower risk of COPD, adult asthma, and lung cancer. Choose kale, spinach, and arugula. Salad here we come! I’ve got a kale salad recipe you should check out!

Garlic and Ginger. These antibacterial powerhouses can lower the risk of developing lung cancer (garlic) and decrease lung damage (ginger).

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Salmon. This omega-3 fatty acid is a great lung-cleansing food. This fights inflammation and increases blood flow. Here’s a post all about omega oils. And check out my salmon in a skillet recipe!

Turmeric. Of course turmeric. This is one of the best foods for your lungs. It’s filled with curcumin, which is what makes it a bright color. Turmeric has anti-inflammatory properties that help with asthma, COPD, and lung injury. This is a great one I recommend. Turmeric.

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Wrapping up Lung Health

I hope that these simple quick lung health tips will make a big difference in your overall health and energy. May this help your body get ready to fight off viruses, improve allergy symptoms, and be a happy human.

Stay well.  

Before you go, check out these other great posts:

Omega Oil Benefits: Why I am picky

4 Amazing Tips for Weight Loss

Food Combining Does What? Manage stomach acid now!

How to Reduce Stress in Your Life: 10 Breakthrough Tips!

Hobby Ideas +13 Reasons Why You Need a Hobby NOW!

How to start Volunteering: 4 Tips to Succeed

Do More Than Exist Stay Connected

By CT Copyright © 2020 Simplify Firefly All Rights Reserved.

No More Money Problems: 9 Smart Must-Do Steps!

No More Money Problems: 9 Smart Must-Do Steps!

Want no more money problems? Listen up to these 9 must-do steps. There is no way to predict tragic storms, destructive earthquakes, virus pandemics, wars, house fires, the sudden death of a loved one, or unemployment. If we could tell our money ‘a tornado is coming, hang on tight’, life would be so much easier. We can tell our money to do that, but what if we weren’t ready? In knowing how to fix money problems you can do some simple steps. To get started, I’ve got 9 easy-to-do steps to help you manage money wisely starting today!

No More Money Problems

First things first

First and foremost, remember these times of despair are just that, a time. It’s not forever, it’s not the end of the world; it’s just a season that is visiting for a while. It may seem like an eternity but it will pass like all our other seasons IF you want it to. The hard part is getting through it without much pain. But you must get through it, keep moving forward! Want to know more about motivation? Check out How to Get Motivated: 4 Critical Tips to Start Anything.

Your 1st priority

Your priority is to take care of yourself and your family. If it’s a spreading sickness, do everything in your power to protect yourself and your family from getting sick. Did a storm hit your house? Then get your family to a safer shelter. If you lost your job, then start looking for a replacement job, even if it pays less than the work you had before, just get something going so you have a little income.

When the overall shock has faded, this is usually about a week to 10 days depending on the severity, you can start working on these 9 must-do steps to get your life back on track and put your money problems behind you.

9 Steps to Manage Money Wisely

1. Clean up the unnecessary subscriptions

Get rid of unnecessary subscriptions: magazines, the gym (unless you’re using it), weight loss programs, email subscriptions that you’re not using every week, and might I even say cable TV? When you add all these things up, you will be surprised at how quickly things add up! It will make you sick. Stop giving your money away to companies you’re not using! Again, look at the numbers and the amount of time you use these things. Is it worth it? Is it distracting you from accomplishing your goals?

2. Work on your budget

Having a budget is the BEST tool out there to manage money wisely. Money problems happen when a budget is not in place. What I love about a budget is that it can help you find the holes and see what holes need to be filled. For instance, my husband and I recently redid our budget and found that we were spending way more than we thought on eating out. Ouch! I like to think of a budget as a treasure hunt or a crime scene. It lays it all out so we can solve the case.

A budget doesn’t need to be restrictive, tedious, or confusing. Keep it simple. Paper and pencil work great. Or step it up to an Excel worksheet. I already created one for you that you can use for free. Go to Freebies to get yours.

If you want something beefier that has printable reports I highly recommend Quicken or Quickbooks. We use both for different accounts.

Budget tip

Start your budget out simply. Scale down and only focus on your necessities. This may be hard but look at it from a survival perspective. What can I, or we as a family, live without for two months? Do we have an emergency fund?

There’s another post about budgeting to checkout. #1 Cause of Money Problems, plus 4 tools to solve it

3. Make extra money

Wipe your money problems away by making extra money. There are some amazing side gigs out there that I’ve even done! For instance, you can grocery shop for others. This is a fun job if you like the grocery store. Numerous delivery services are desperate for people to work. I suggest searching online using keywords like “work-from-home jobs”, “part-time jobs”, and “best side hustle jobs”. There are a lot of opportunities.

Heads-up: Many bloggers say to start a blog. FYI – You’ll be spending more money on starting it than making any money on it. They are only telling you to start a blog to sell their blog-building tools or to exercise their affiliate programs. Building a profitable blog takes time and money, it’s not impossible, but it is a lot of hard work, especially starting from scratch. Just being honest here.

Simply look at what businesses are booming in tough times and then go there and inquire about opportunities. For instance, health care during a pandemic, delivery services, construction workers, or restaurants. Search with an open mind and ask yourself what you would enjoy and be willing to try.

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4. DIY (Do It Yourself)

Do things yourself. Ideas in this arena include selling your crafts and creations on Etsy, cleaning your own house, mowing your own yard, and for minor fixes around the home getting on YouTube to find ways to fix things yourself. Doing things yourself can help save you money and give you gratification and confidence!

5. Cut Costs

Cutting back on costs can be kind of fun to figure out yet still be content. Things to look at are the number of visits to: the hair salon, getting your nails done, trips to the grocery store, and the car wash. Other ways to cut back are to shop at a lower-priced grocery store, and to be mindful of your utilities: shower or bathe once a day instead of two, turn off the lights when not using that specific room, turn the thermostat down one or two notches, ‘when it’s yellow let it mellow when it’s brown flush it down’, turn the faucet off while scrubbing those pearly whites. Things like that. Here’s a great post on how to save money grocery shopping that you should check out.

6. Sell stuff

Sell stuff through Facebook Marketplace, Mercari, or other trustworthy platforms. This is a great time to declutter your home and ask yourself if you need certain things. Selling your things is a lot easier these days too. If you don’t want to hassle with a garage sale, sell things online. I have done well using both methods. In my last garage sale, I squashed a money problem using my profits. It felt so good!

7. Be smart

Make smarter buying decisions on the necessities. Okay, toilet paper baffles me, unless you have an underlying condition like Crohn’s, colitis, or cancer, cool your jets on the TP. Simply take what you need for two weeks then manage the toilet paper you have in the house.

Ask yourself if you NEED a particular item before buying it. Look for deals or coupons. Opt to never buy full price for anything! Always keep your receipt in case you have buyer’s remorse and want to return an item.

The solution to your money problems isn't more money; it's new habits. David Bach

8. Whoa-back on large money deals

It’s human to be uneasy during uncertain times, but only allow yourself one day to ‘freak out’. After that, get your battle face on and make adjustments. However, the one caveat to making change is to not make any major financial decisions in the first 7-14 days. For instance, don’t cash in your 401K buy a new car/house, or rank up your credit cards. Put your mind to work and figure out some ways to adjust in ways that help you and not hurt. Put together a budget and get a plan in place.

9. Emergency fund

When all is back up to speed, start to build your emergency fund for the next time something like a pandemic or war sucker punches us again. One way to do this is to put a little bit away every paycheck. Some people do 10%, others 5%, and so forth. You will be amazed at how quickly this adds up, especially if you put it in a savings account that accumulates interest.

In closing

I believe in you. You got this. Just remember your priority is to take care of yourself and your family with the necessities. Work together as a family. Working together will not only bring you all closer together and working as a team, but it will be a lasting memory and bring more happiness into your home.

Before you go, check out these great blog posts:

Stuck? 5 Essential Tools To Break Free

How to Teach Your Child to Use Their Head

5 Important Ways to Measure Success Without Numbers

Do More Than Exist Stay Connected

By CT Copyright © 2020 Simplify Firefly All Rights Reserved.

8 Amazing Children’s Books for 4-year-olds

8 Amazing Children’s Books for 4-year-olds

What are some of the best children’s books for 4-year-olds? Storytime gives us parents, neighbors, or grandparents an intimate time to share an adventure with children. Below you’ll find a list of happy healthy kid-approved children’s books for 4-year-olds or school-aged children. Reading picture books aloud with kids brings more to the story. There are numerous studies about the benefits of reading with kids. It’s a great time to love others, have a laugh, or ignite a conversation.

Best Children's books for 4 year olds

Benefits to storytime

PBS Kids recommends starting early with storytime. To read often, read the pictures, and to take a minute and talk about the story, to ask each other questions about it. They go on to say, “The more words that are in a child’s language world, the more words they will learn, and the stronger their language skills are when they reach kindergarten, the more prepared they are to be able to read, and the better they read, the more likely they will graduate from high school” 

From All4Kids.org they say reading also helps with cognitive development, improves language skills, serves as a platform for academic success, creates a special bond, improves imagination and creativity, plus increases concentration.

What to read?

Not all picture books are the same. I’ve read hundreds of books and some books made one eyebrow go up. Toddlers want to giggle, they want happy stories, and they want the reader to be goofy. Let’s face it, we all want that! The stories below are picked as the best based on four criteria: the story, ease of reading, how the words flow, and most importantly, PLOT! I’ve done the homework for you on the best picture books for kids.

These are some of my favorite books I’ve read aloud to my son when he was little. Snuggle up with your kiddos and grab a picture book that will make them smile and feel good.

8 Best Children’s Books for 4-year-olds

Ink by Christy Troy
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Ink

Ink by Christy Troy (that’s me). After reading hundreds of children’s picture books, I studied up and wrote one too. Ink, a retractable pen, wants to be the favorite pen that sits in the shirt pocket. He knows how to get there, but he has a serious problem…he can’t write. Will the pen pals help him? Will Ink become the favorite pen? Hold on to your pen caps as Ink takes you on a journey that brings you a giggle and a surprise ending. When you go to Ink’s page you get free activity pages, just download and play!

Goodnight, Goodnight, Construction Site

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Goodnight Goodnight Construction Site by Sherri Duskey Rinker and Tom Lichtenheld is one of my favorite books to read to kids. I love the cadence and beat of the rhymes. Sherri and Tom did a great job with the word choice and illustrations. It is clever and very cute. Any child will love the imagination of trucks needing to sleep too. I just had to have my copy. You can get it on Amazon here. It comes in glow-in-the-dark! This is also a great gift to any truck lover.

Salad Pie

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Salad Pie by Wendy BooydeGraaff is a fantastic book to ignite imagination for outside play. Wendy is a colleague of mine. She and I were in a children’s book-writing group together. She did a great job making you feel like a kid again playing on the playground. The illustrations by Bryan Langdo capture the beauty and emotion of playing outside. This adorable story makes me, as an adult, even go outside and make salad pie! Nice job Wendy and Bryan.

When a Dragon Moves In

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When a Dragon Moves In by Jodi Moore illustrated by Howard McWilliam brings me back to my days as a kid on the beach in Florida. My dad and I used to build amazing sandcastles, but we never thought a dragon would move in. I love this story. The humor is cute and the pictures are engaging. The dragon kind of reminds me of a dog…so funny. This is one for the library, especially if you want to escape to the beach!

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The Apple Pie Tree

The Apple Pie Tree by Zoe Hall illustrated by Shari Halpern is a classic. I read this book over and over with my son when he was a tot. It’s educational, it’s easy to read, and you learn how to make a pie! This is a great book to help our kiddos recognize words. And learn how an apple grows through the seasons. A keeper for the home library, and fun to read during apple season!

Lunchbox Note Jokes
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More rhyming books

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Dig Dogs Dig by James Horvath is a construction lover’s gem. My son loved to play with construction trucks in the sand and gravel patch we made him. He’d make the noises with his mouth and have them talk. So cute! This book has a great rhythmic cadence. It’s fun to read and has a fun story. Plus there are dogs in it! Great job James on writing and illustrating. A keeper in our house.

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Rumble in the Jungle by Giles Andreae illustrated by David Wojtowycz is a super fun book to read. We read it so many times that our book cover is getting tattered. We learn about all sorts of jungle animals and what their jungle job is. The pictures are colorful and cute. You feel good after reading the rhythm of this book. Bravo!

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My Truck is Stuck by Kevin Lewis and Daniel Kirk is a great book for entertainment. With its catchy rhymes and engaging pictures, you’re sure to get a laugh. Storytime has a whole new meaning…giggle time. This is another book of ours that has had a workout. Nice job guys!

Wrapping it up

Every year more and more picture books come into print. Not all picture books are the same, be sure to look for well-written stories, have a pivotal point, and have a happy ending. Remember, I have read hundreds of children’s books and there are a lot of bad ones…so take note of the good ones and purchase them for your library or baby shower gifts.

Before you go, check out these other great posts:

The Ultimate Scavenger Hunt (kids 8-13 yrs. old)

How to have a happy family: 3 Revolutionary Steps

Kid Activities at Home: 10 Things You Can Do Right Now!

7 Firefly Facts & How to Care for Fireflies

4 Planting Tree Tips + Earth Day & Arbor Day Activities

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The Best Fried Walleye Recipe!

The Best Fried Walleye Recipe!

This walleye recipe is a family favorite! Not all walleye recipes are the same. If you want a clean taste with no trans fats, you’re going to want to keep this great walleye recipe. Speaking of trans fats, if you missed my post about Omega, Oils, Why I’m Picky, you’re going to want to check it out.

Walleye has got to be one of the best fish to fry, well Crappies are good too. But walleye is a special treat. This white freshwater fish is a hot item for any restaurant. Once you’ve had a good walleye, you’ll be hooked! Did you see what I did there?

More about Walleye

The walleye fish got its name from its eye. The eyes on a walleye are very big and they’re pearlescent, which helps them see and feed at night. With that said they are a nocturnal fish. Walleye live in freshwater and are related to the perch family. They like cold deep waters…this is a fishing hint if you head out on the water. You can find walleye in the Great Lakes region, Canadian lakes, Northwest Territories, and the Mississippi River Basin.

Walleye is one of the healthiest fish. It’s a great source of protein and omega-3 fatty acids, which are good for our hearts and brains. Walleye is also a good source of vitamin D. The fish has white flesh and a clean, succulent taste, it’s mild and sweet perfect for frying or baking. Yum! My mouth is seriously watering now. I should mention to not eat ‘walleye sushi’ so to speak. Always cook walleye before eating.

Tools needed for this dish

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Fillet the fish without skin. No fish skin is allowed in this dish. You’ll need a good fillet knife to get a smooth cut. Watch those fingers, we don’t need any cuts.

After you have the fish filleted. My favorite tool for trying walleye is the good old cast-iron pan. Remember we’re pan-frying not deep-frying. A regular cast-iron pan will do. Cast iron is super easy to use. This historic cookware brings more depth to the food. Cast-iron pan cooking is a super healthy way to cook!

A little bit more about cast iron. Don’t be afraid of it. Always use a hot pad for your hand when cooking with a cast iron pan. Never touch the handle without anything protecting your hand. As for clean-up, it’s SUPER easy to clean, no soap is required. Seriously, no soap, you’ll ruin the ‘seasoning’ of the pan. You can find a variety of sizes on Amazon, even the small size works for this recipe.

Fried Walleye Ingredients

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As for other ingredients for this amazing fried walleye recipe, we use coconut oil. It has a high flash point, which is great for frying. It heats up quickly. Coconut oil is a clean oil. It doesn’t taste like coconut at all. Again, it doesn’t taste like coconut. And it’s good for you! All grocery stores should have it on their shelves, but we get our coconut oil through Costco because we go through quite a bit. If you don’t have a Costco Membership, no problem! You can get it on Amazon. I highly recommend this product and encourage the Virgin, Unrefined.

For the breading, since my family and I need to be gluten-free we use a gluten-free pancake mix. I personally like Trader Joe’s Gluten-Free Buttermilk Pancake Mix. We’ve tried Bisquick Gluten-Free too (that’s dairy-free). And I should mention we also tried Potato Starch. All work well! There are some mixes specifically for frying fish, and honestly, the gluten-free mixes are better than the regular. With this recipe we only want a dusting on the fish, we aren’t getting the pancake mix wet. Simply put the mix in a bowl and dust the fish with it, done!

Don’t want breading on the fish? That is totally okay! Simply heat up a tablespoon of coconut oil in your cast iron pan and pan-fry the fish. Cook until flaky, salt, and eat!

fishing activity pages
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Side dish for fried fish?

The star of this dish is the walleye, so keep the side dish simple. I have a great sweet potato hash recipe or go with a healthy coleslaw or kale salad. Fresh-cut green beans or even macaroni & cheese can bring the kids coming back for more. Our family favorite is the infamous broccoli/bacon salad. Please note: If you’re going to have fruit, eat it while cooking your meal. You can check out this post about food combining, very interesting I might add!

What about other fish to fry?

Our second favorite fish to fry is salmon, again with the cast iron pan. The cast iron will give the salmon a nice crunch on the outside of the fish and a tender center. My Salmon in a Skillet recipe is one to check out.

Other tips for a winning walleye dinner

Who doesn’t like to save money? When getting ready to fish for your walleye dinner, be sure to have your fishing license before you drop a line in the water. No one wants an expensive ticket for not having a license; you can get your fishing license at sporting goods stores or Walmart.

If you’re not going to fish, watch your meat counter at the grocery store. Ask them when they’ll have walleye and what day they usually get their fish deliveries. If the fish smells SUPER fishy or the package is bubbled up with air…don’t eat it. You want clean fresh fish. Check out these posts on how to save money at the grocery store.

7 Surefire Ways to Save Money Grocery Shopping

Quick Healthy Meals On a Budget? 5 Criteria

On to the recipe!

Walleye
Print

Fried Walleye

Walleye fried in coconut oil.
Course Main Course
Cuisine American
Keyword egg-free, fish, gluten-free, nut-free, panfry fish, soy-free, walleye
Prep Time 12 minutes
Cook Time 4 minutes
Servings 1 person
Calories 229kcal
Cost $3.00

Equipment

  • Cast Iron Pan
  • Tongs
  • Filet Knife
  • Cuttingboard
  • Bowl
  • Papertowel

Ingredients

  • 3 oz. Freshly caught walleye Go by size, not weight, 1 large filet or so will work.
  • 2 tbsp Coconut Oil Enough to coat the botton of the pan with a bit to spare.
  • 1/3 cup Pancake Mix I use Trader Joe's Gluten-free Buttermilk Pancake Mix.
  • 1 tsp Salt Salt to taste. This is optional.

Instructions

  • Wash fish off in cold water, pat dry with a paper towel. Carefully remove any skin from walleye with a filet knife. Please be careful.
  • Turn the stove on to medium heat and heat cast iron pan.
  • Put solid coconut oil in the pan. After it melts, you may need to adjust how much. You want about 1/4 inch of melted oil. Do not let the oil smoke…this is too hot!
  • While the pan is slowly heating up. Place fish into the pancake mix and dust all sides.
  • Slowly insert dusted fish into the hot cast iron pan. The oil should sizzle.
  • When you see the outer edges of fish start to brown, about 2 minutes; flip the fish with the tongs gently and cook for another 90 seconds to 2 minutes.
  • Turn off the stove and transfer cooked walleye to a plate covered with a paper towel.
    walleye recipe
  • Salt the fish to your liking.
  • Eat within a few minutes.
    walleye

Notes

Calories are an estimate. Walleye is 79 calories per 3 ounzes. Consuming raw or undercooked meats, poultry, seafood, shellfish, or eggs may increase your risk of foodborne illness.
This recipe is also great without the pancake mix. Feel free to fry without breading. 

Before you go

Good eats don’t stop at fried walleye. Check out my other delicious and surprisingly gluten-free recipes! Simple ingredients, lots of flavor, and nutrition. You’ll learn about the ingredients and how to prepare an amazing treat.

Brat n Bacon Stew Recipe

Simple Bacon-Wrapped Chicken Leg Recipe

Mark’s Spicy Shrimp Recipe

Warm Kale Salad Recipe

Better Belly Steak Recipe

No-bake Cookies with Coconut!

Christy’s Gluten-Free Chocolate Chip Cookies

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Do More Than Exist Stay Connected

By CT Copyright © 2020 Simplify Firefly. All Rights Reserved.

Food Combining Does What? Manage stomach acid now!

Food Combining Does What? Manage stomach acid now!

Tired, bloated, indigestion after you eat? Let me fill you in on a little secret, it probably has something to do with food combining. Our stomach is known for acid. Stomach acid, along with the help of enzymes, helps break down food. Not only that but it helps support the body in absorbing protein and vitamin B-12, which we only get from protein (meat). In this post, you’ll find tips on how to feel better and get more bang for your nutrition buck! How to reduce stomach acid, how to increase stomach acid, how to test which one you have, and why food combining has a lot to do with stomach acid is in this post. Plus! You can download my free easy to easy-to-understand food combining chart!

Food combining does what? woman holding smile ballon

Let’s jump into the stomach.

If you have high levels of stomach acid you’re probably experiencing one of these symptoms: acid reflux, burping, or you may even feel nauseated. If you have too little stomach acid you may feel bloated, experience diarrhea or constipation, have food intolerances, osteoporosis, leaky gut, malnutrition, and heartburn. It’s kind of confusing, eh?

If you have either too high or too low stomach acid it puts stress on the digestive system which can lead to further problems down the road, for instance, if you have heartburn (GERDS) and don’t pay attention to it, it can cause permanent damage to the esophagus and upping your chances of precancerous cells. If the stomach acid is too low and left untreated it can lead to hair loss, GI infections, anemia, lupus, allergies, chronic autoimmune disorders, and thyroid issues to name a few. Yikes!

How do you know if you have high or low stomach acid?

First off, I’m not a doctor, nor am I trying to be. I share the information I have either experienced myself or am extremely interested in. I keep things simple and give you a nutshell version of what I’ve learned. *Consult your physician before jumping into new things.*

There are several things you can do to figure this out:

1) You could visit your doctor and have them order a test. Most likely it will be a CBC (complete blood count) and CMP (comprehensive metabolic panel). From the test they’ll look at a variety of factors, including iron and phosphorous levels.

2) The other test is the Heidelberg Stomach Acid Test, this test requires fasting for 12 hours and swallowing a tiny electronic capsule. You will need to drink a baking soda solution and then the capsule will record how long it takes your stomach to restore normal acidity levels. Cool!

3) If you don’t like doctors or want to spend the extra cash, there is a simple at-home test is called the Baking Soda Acid Test. The accuracy of this test is not 100%, so it’s best to do this test regularly to get a better idea of where you are on stomach acid.

Here’s how to do it: Mix ¼ tsp of baking soda in four ounces of water. In the morning before you eat or drink anything else, drink the concoction. Next, start your timer on your phone and time how long it takes to burp. If it takes more than five minutes or you experience no burp at all, it’s a sign of low stomach acid.

IBD Triggers and what to do
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Tips on how to reduce gastric juice:

1) Understand what food combinations cause high acidity. See my chart on freebies.

2) Eat smaller meals. Overeating can put pressure on the esophageal sphincter, which causes it to open and leak acid into your esophagus.

3) Try a low-carb diet. When our system can’t digest carbs well, we get gassy and bloated, which then leads to GERD. Numerous studies support this idea. Looking into amylase, a digestive enzyme that helps break down carbs may significantly help you when you can’t say no.

4) Limit the guilty pleasures of caffeine and alcohol. The alcohol relaxes the esophageal sphincter and the caffeine weakens the sphincter. They basically have the same effects on the sphincter. Try decaf coffee instead, that’s what I do and my body has adjusted well after the caffeine withdrawal ended.

5) Chew gum. This helps increase saliva production and helps clear the esophagus of stomach acid. It helps with symptoms but doesn’t solve the root cause. No wonder my son loves gum!

6) Cut back on carbonated drinks and citrus juice. Again both of these kinds of beverages weaken the esophageal sphincter.

7) Mint is a no-go. Mint chocolate chip ice cream should take a backseat if you experience symptoms. This refreshing herb is so relaxing that it also relaxes the sphincter. Peppermint tea, peppermint chocolate or candies, and peppermint-flavored gum have the potential to fire back, literally up your esophagus.

Some other tips to help alleviate symptoms are not eating too close to bedtime, elevating your head while sleeping, and avoiding laying on your RIGHT side. These tactics help calm the acid and keep that pesky sphincter closed!

banana fact

4 little ways to increase low stomach acid at home

1) I wouldn’t hit the meat & potatoes to fix your low stomach acid, instead, take a shot of Apple Cider Vinegar that includes the Mother. This is an easy way to help your stomach acid get ready to work before a meal. Mix one tablespoon of the vinegar in water and drink before a meal. Make sure you get the right one. You can see it here.

2) Like honey? Try Manuka Honey. This honey comes from New Zealand and has amazing antimicrobial properties. It helps with IBS, indigestion, stomach ulcer prevention, and oral health, and like most honey, helps with wound healing and sore throats. Get more details on Manuka Honey here.

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3) Chew. “Chew, chew, chew.” When we’re hungry, we tend to eat fast and take big bites! It’s like a welcome mat for a stuck burp. Chew every bite so it turns into mush. There is no need to eat your food fast. Simply use a smaller fork to help with bite-size.

4) Digestive enzymes also do the trick. Unfortunately, the first time I tried these they gave me diarrhea. They can cause constipation in some people too. But don’t let this discourage you. Digestive enzymes play an important role in vitamin and nutrient absorption. As you age or if you have a digestive disorder, or have pancreas issues, your enzymes deplete and lead to uncomfortable symptoms. For instance, one sign is a change in bowels and/or seeing undigested food in your stool. Yes, you should look at your poop! So before I completely gave up on digestive enzymes, I gave them another try. This time I played with the dose. Instead of a whole pill before a meal, I only took a pinch and it worked a lot better. After your body gets used to them you can move forward from there.

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What are digestive enzymes?

In a nutshell, there are three main types of digestive enzymes: proteases, lipases, and amylases. Here is a list of the enzymes and what they do. Helpful Hint: Pancreatic enzyme names usually end in “-in” (like trypsin or pepsin), while other digestive enzymes usually end in “-ase” or “-ose” (like lactose, sucrose, fructose).

The trick for making digestive enzymes work for you is to first determine if you are a candidate for supplementation. Know your body, and pay attention to how it reacts after you eat. Are you burping, bloated, having to run to the bathroom, heartburn, stinky gas and a lot of it, or cramping?

The next step is to determine what kind of enzyme you need. Asking your doctor, a nutritionist, or a functional medicine doc for their recommendations is the way to go. Just note the FDA does not regulate digestive enzymes, so everyone will have their own opinion, but you know your body best. You want clear ingredients from a reputable manufacturer.

Third, you’ll have to experiment to find the right dose. Remember this post is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice. I’m not a doctor. Seek advice from a qualified health provider before trying something new. This post is to help you investigate how to help heal your body and ask the right questions to your healthcare provider.

Stress can increase stomach acid?

Does stress increase stomach acid? That’s a great question. The answer is debatable but most likely. Stress affects our muscles, our immune systems, and our minds. All of those things work together to keep our bodies functioning. When one is off, it affects the other. If your muscles are tight around the stomach, it might push your stomach contents around and increase pressure. It doesn’t hurt to manage stress. For managing stress you’ll want to check out this post: How to Reduce Stress in your Life: 10 Breakthrough Tips.

Food Combining 101

Back to Food Combining. Yes, combining food makes a difference with stomach acid. Food combining gives you a little bit of control. When certain foods are put together they can either wreak havoc on your stomach or can give you energy. For instance, the classic steak and potato with melted butter, well it’s going to spoil in your stomach. You will most likely have bloating, stinky ‘wind’, and indigestion. This combo could also contribute to weight gain. And the melon salad with grilled chicken, well that’s going to do the same thing. This is not to confuse you, it’s just the opposite.

Keeping a diet with a few simple rules will reap benefits in the short and long term. I made a simple, easy-to-understand food combining chart to help regulate your stomach acid. In my kitchen, I tape it to the inside of one of my cupboards. Don’t forget to head to Freebies to download yours today. All in all, remember to eat fruit alone on an empty stomach and only eat proteins with non-starchy vegetables. We’ve covered A LOT of information. Keep this post handy to reference for a quick guide.

Before you go, check out these other great posts:

Better Belly Steak Recipe

How to help your digestive system: 10 triggers to watch for

4 Amazing Tips for Weight Loss

How to Reduce Stress in Your Life: 10 Breakthrough Tips

9 Easy Ways to Learn More about Yourself

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