Beginners Essential Oils!? What!? Who!? Why!?

 Essential oils seem to be the newest thaang going on or maybe its an old fad but new to me. Either way they are worth talking about! I recently purchased the doTERRA family physicians kit and have been using them for a while now. They are a daily in our home now and its so true when people say, "I don't know what I did before oils?" Seriously what did I do? Sometimes I think its all in my mind but other times seriously these oils are amazing. I AWAIT THE DAY I CAN GO TO MY FAMILY DOCTOR AND CAN LEAVE WITH A PRESCRIPTION FOR PEPPERMINT ESSENTIAL OIL!!!  Come on so called "modern medicine" lets get with the real program.

I just want to soak in on "modern medicine" for a minute. This term makes me giggle. There is nothing modern about medicine when most of the country with this so called "modern medicine" is sicker then most other developed nations!! Forget this modern stuff, I want that old time medicine, you know that stuff that actually brought healing without all the side effects.

On a side note, the technology today has helped many including myself and I am thankful for it when its used rightly.

What!? So back to essentials oils, what are they? Essential oils are as cited by Google: a natural oil typically obtained by distillation and having characteristic fragrance of the plant or other source from which it is extracted.

Here is a video to further explain from doTERRA.

Plants, herbs, flowers, weeds have been used for who knows how long to heal our body, provide relief from pain, and fight illness. Just by watching nature you can see that animals do this. I was watching a Wild Kratts show with my boys the other day and they were talking about a certain monkey that uses a plant to heal wounds. The animal took the plant, smashed it, ad used it saliva to create a balm of some kind to rub on the wound. It was so cool!

Who!? Personally I have experience with doTERRA essential oils. There are so many companies out that I am learning about. doTERRA is neat because they offer ways to become a wellness advocate and share these oils with others. They also have third party testing to make sure their oils are pure. You don't want to have oils that are diluting or have dangerous chemicals in them, especially if you plan to take them internally. I have heard good and bad about other companies but I will not go into any detail. My experience with doTERRA has been good and I will continue to utilize these oils and share them. I do plan on looking into other companies because any good investigator checks out what else is available and compares.

Why!? Why should I use essential oils? What currently are your biggest health concerns? Weight loss or gain, headaches, back pain, fevers, rashes, etc. I can list almost all problems we face as humans and say there's an oil for that! Personally I get headaches, and i refuse o take Tylenol or any over the counter. I'd rather suffer through it then take something that will mask my symptom and actually make it worse. So when I first used peppermint oil for my headache and within about 5 minutes of putting it on I felt relieve, I knew why I wanted to use essential oils. Some of you might be okay taking over the counter stuff but I would say why use chemical laden cleaning spray when you only needed water to clean it up. More simply don't use what you don't have to when you have a natural method of healing yourself. Less is more, and no side effects.

This is a basic post about essential oils, a beginners read. Remember not all oils are created equal, do your homework, and don't use more then you need to when you spill water :)

If you have questions, concerns, comments please let me know. If you are interested in purchasing oils please contact me so I can tell you about the ways you can save. You can go to this link to check out doTERRA and look at the oils, My doTERRA Store. For specific health concerns let me know so I can give you the information about recommended oils. Check back for future essential oil posts.

Have a wonderful night!

~Honest Motherhood

I am not a physician and am only speaking from personal experience and investigation.

Crock-pot Cranberry Orange Sauce! ~Only 4 Ingredients~

A simple recipe that's a great treat, snack, or tag a long to a meal. I honestly didn't know that this would turn out as amazing as it did. I thought this recipe would be a good substitute to the alternative, which is a can filled with who knows. But it turned out so filled with flavor and zest! I will honestly make this again just for a snack. My kids really enjoyed it as well. I can't wait to learn how to put recipe printouts on my blog. I love that about other blogs.

Crock-pot Cranberry Orange Sauce

2 bags fresh whole cranberries (12 ounce bags)
3/4 cup orange juice
1 tsp cinnamon
1 cup sweetener, I used xylitol. ( You can also use honey, coconut sugar or stevia)

1. Place all ingredients in crock-pot, stir to blend together.
2. Cook on whichever setting you choose, I used high for 3 hours
3. Serve warm or chilled


Enjoy!

~Honest Motherhood

Am I Eating GMO's Part 3

Happy Friday! I've had a pretty good week and I'm glad to have some time to write the LAST post. We have talked about what GMO stands for in PART One and as a recap it means Genetically Modified Organism. GM food is food that had been altered in its DNA. For more check outAm I Eating GMO's Part 1 . In PART Two, I talked about some of the dangers of GM foods. You can check that post out here: Am I Eating GMO's Part 2. Like I said earlier this week there is so much information about GM foods coming out its hard to compile it. There are tons of other sites and blogs that do a better job for sure. If my posts can bring awareness and curiosity to further investigate then I'll be a happy camper :) I hope you enjoy this last post!

Have you ever watched FOOD, Inc, or Fat, Sick & Nearly Dead?? I have watched both and I noticed at the beginning of the movie they have these horrific details of the problems we are facing with our food and health. They go into great detail with words and pictures of how gruesome our problem is. By the end of that part it seems like there is no turning back. AND then the last twenty minutes of the two hour documentary has cheery music with tons of hope and solutions. Well, I feel like that's how I want to end these blog posts. I want to give hope, solutions, and real life ways to make a difference. The truth is there are ways at this time that we can make a difference for ourselves and family's and communities. Thankfully we do have options and have the ability to choose.

Currently there is a ongoing battle between the people of this nation and the major food corporations of America. The food companies who produce genetically modified food are refusing and fighting labeling food that has been genetically engineered. Sad thing is, they introduced genetically modified foods into out food supply back in 1996 without ever telling us. Sure, they wrote it in some document that only a few number of agencies saw but the people didn't have a voice in it. That is not democracy at all. Also I would like to add that 26 other countries have already BANNED GMO's, so why hasn't the US. READ MORE HERE: 26 Countries Ban GMO's, Why not US

My first ray of hope against this monster food aka genetically modified foods is signing up to receive emails from Organic Consumers Associations. They provide a weekly email newsletter which provides info for petitions we can sign and also to stay aware of the bills in our own states. I would encourage you to join the mailing list if your interested in helping that way. Our food supply is a big issue, so please don't look at this as just another email sign up from another blog...lol. This is OUR FOOD!!!

Step 1: Go to the link, Here is the link: Organic Consumers Association

Step 2: On the right side of the blog there is a Subscribe tab, write in your email and submit.

I personally have signed up for there emails and enjoy the information this send. I have also signed petitions to fight for labeling of GM foods.

Next, I would like to talk about this AWESOME independent third party company that verifies food and tests it for GMO's. They have a specific logo that is placed on all products they test. Here are some pictures and I circled the logo in black. The website is here: Non GMO Project. I'm so thankful for this company because at least I can find food that have been tested and I do know if it has GMO's in it. This is also awesome since like I said above the food corporations that grow this tainted food is refusing to have it labeled. Check out this website for more food that has the #nongmo logo! 

Since everybody's situation is different I'd also like to recommend farmers markets, and buying from a local farmer. Our farmers work so hard and make so little. Most small farms are the ones producing this nutrient dense, non gmo food. We need to back them up. Here is a website to find a local farmers market: USDA Farmers Market Some farms have CSA's aka community supported agriculture. I am not part of one at the moment but would love to in the future. Its a system where you pay ahead for the season or year and receive a fresh box of produce weekly or biweekly. Check out more and find a farm near you at this site: Local Harvest

I hope I have given you enough information to get you started. This is where I began and I'm still learning so much. Of course we can't believe everything we see or read but there are a lot of people sharing personal experiences which can help us understand how to take control of our health. Eating food is life or death among us, so what we put in our bodies needs to be the right fuel.

Before I go I wanted to post a picture of a product that contains questionably ingredients. While I cannot assume this product has GMO's, since its not labeled I cannot not assume. Also this product contains three major ingredients in which is associated with being genetically modified.  You probably have this in your fridge, so go check your bottle now. If it contains these ingredients, most likely your eating GMO's. And honestly the GMO's is just the beginning. The eggs that are in here are probably from a chicken that ate GM corn feed. I taught myself how to read food labels a few years ago. At the grocery store it takes me forever because I'm always reading labels.

Possible GMO ingredients: Soybean oil, High fructose corn syrup, and cornstarch

I always encourage independent research. Someone can tell you all day long about GMO's, but its doesn't hit home until you check it out for yourself. Many documentaries have been made that you can watch on Netflix or rent. I will list some below. There are also sites that list problems associated with eating GM foods. Have you ever went to the doctor and they said your fine but you don't feel fine?? Your not crazy!

I would love any feedback! I also am excited to say that in January I will have had my blog for 1 year!! I'm so excited! Although life didn't allow me to write for all the months of the year, I have made a FB page and pinterest, and instagram. Have a wonderful GMO-free weekend, I'll try too :)

Here is a movie about GMO's: SEEDS OF DEATH

Here is the EWG's Shopping guide to avoid GM foods: EWG 2014 Shopping Guide to Avoid GM Foods

Am I Eating GMO's? PART 2

In PART 1 of, Am I eating GMOS's?, I talked mostly about what the letters GMO stand for. To recap it stands for genetically modified organisms. I also talked about what genetic modification is and the argument for its purpose. For a recap or if you didn't read PART 1 here is the link Am I eating GMO's? PART .

I have had a week to ponder on what my next post would be about. There is so much information that I'm having a hart time gathering my thoughts and organizing them to present it in simple terms. It almost feels like a report for school.

When I was in college, we had to present a persuasive speech. I love to talk but not necessarily in front of huge groups. BUT I do enjoy talking about things I'm passionate about. So I wrote about genetically modified foods. Most people had never heard of GM foods or any of the information I presented. I was thankful for the opportunity to use a simple class project to educate my college class on GM foods. There was however a young man in the class who happened to be a farmer, and was very familiar with GM foods. He wrote a speech opposing mine, which made for an interesting debate. After I poured my heart out about the dangers of GM foods I felt like I had reached some. Then the young man got up and talked about how GM foods will stop world hunger. Thankfully in my speech I addressed that argument. Nonetheless, everyone walked away with good information and the sides of both.

With that said, I decided to talk mainly about the dangers of genetically modified foods for today. Specifically the side effects in animals and humans. The list of dangers of GM foods is exhaustive, but this is a great beginning to understand. If we know the side effects, and the actual evidence against it we will be more educated to make decision for ourselves about it.

The first side affect of GM foods that I began reading about was tumors, specifically tumors in mice fed a diet of genetically modified corn. The scientists fed the rats genetically modified corn for a long term period. They found that even when exposed to the smallest amount of GM corn they

developed mammary tumors, severe liver damage and kidney damage in as little as four months for males and seven months for female rats. This was so disturbing for me because my first thought was, am I eating GMO and how long will it take to affect me.

The best part about the research I read was it was conducted by independent scientists. This is highly recommended because independent scientists have no bias towards the results.  Any company that is willing to use outside independent scientists to test or research their product is highly reputable in my eyes.

I would like to add that after this study came out there was a lot of controversy. Immediately the company that makes GM corn, Monsanto, was ready to sue. Monsanto discounted the research of course. The scientists that work for Monsanto have determined that GM foods are safe, but like I said these scientists work for and are paid for by the company. To me of course a red flag goes up.

After this research I began wondering what does this mean, and what can I do about it? I started to think about food differently and wondered if some of my health problems were because of gmo's. Or even just my diet. That opened a ton of doors for me and my health isn't exactly where I'd like it but its better because of the knowledge I've gained about our food and GM foods.

Personally, anytime I ate wheat I felt bloated, and sick. I stopped eating wheat for awhile until I found a brand that said GMO-Free, I tried it and the symptoms were less, but still there. Eventually I went to organic only and immediantley I noticed a huge difference. Not all organic food is equal BUT organic food is not allowed to contain GM food at all.

I'll leave you with that for now.  I hope I was able to clearly present this research and will continue to work on that. Not sure what the next post will be about but hopefully it will be up in a week or so. Have a great week!

Here are some articles from the study.
Natural News GMO Study
CBS News GMO Study

~Honestmotherhood

“Was the government to prescribe to us our medicine and diet, our bodies would be in such keeping as our souls are now.” (Often paraphrased as): “If people let the government decide what foods they eat and what medicines they take, their bodies will soon be in as sorry a state as are the souls of those who live under tyranny.” ~Thomas Jefferson, 1781