What Do I Do For Natural Healthy Vitality and Energy?

(Disclaimer: Nothing in this article is to be considered medical advice. It is purely for informational and educational purposes. Readers are responsible for their own decisions about their health and wellness, and are always encouraged to discuss regimen changes with their health care professional of their choice.) 

I think that is probably one of the most popular questions that I get asked. Life can be fast paced, I get it, and I need help as well as a busy wife, mother, and business owner.

Truth be told, I've never really been a die hard gotta have my coffee drinker, although I do love the taste and smell. If you do drink coffee daily, my first plea to you is to switch to organic if you haven't already. The reason for that is coffee is one of the highest sprayed crops with herbicides, fungicides, and pesticides. Those are all toxins that wreak havoc in our gut and cause unhealthy gene mutations. Next bring it down to one or two cups in the morning only, if you are doing more than that amount. Also for every cup of coffee you have then drink two cups of water.

You may not have thought of this, but drinking plenty of water is a huge contribution to energy. Many reach for that cup of coffee in the morning, sadly though caffeine is not sustainable energy. I’m thrilled that the Lord created the coffee plant, but it was not for nutritional daily purposes. Water contains minerals that hydrate us. Dehydration causes fatigue. The first thing I do is start my morning with warm lemon water. Be sure to consume enough water for your specific body type and activity levels. The basic equation for water consumption is your weight in half as ounces, so if you weigh 100 pounds, then you would drink a minimum of 50 ounces per day. There are a lot of considerations to take into account with personal water intake, but that's a good place to start with water.

Sleep is paramount. Natural, daily sleep each day is essential for real energy. I do not mean to sound condescending at all. We live in culture that simply doesn’t value rest. If you are not sleeping 7-10 hours each day, then something is wrong physically or emotionally. There have been a variety of times in my life where my sleep has been disrupted either for long or short periods of time. The important factor to recognize here is that not sleeping is not okay, at the same time do not beat yourself up over it. Sleep builds the foundation for our whole health profile. Proper sleep plays into normal hormone function, weight management, and brain development. Women, the ones who generally lack sleep, have been recorded in studies, here is one, to actually require more sleep than men. There are a variety of reasons why we don't sleep well. I will say that none of the reasons equivocate to us needing to take sleep medication or pharmaceuticals everyday. That is a dangerous road. It is important to get to root issue, sometimes it can be a combination factors. Be patient with yourself. Do not get me wrong, there is nothing wrong with utilizing natural means like diffusing lavender, a night time massage, or a cup of lemon balm to encourage healthy rest. However, from a healthy stand point when our bodies will not do the things they are supposed to naturally do, a red flag should go up. Here are some safe ways to encourage sleep.

While this is not a shocker, what we eat matters. Do the best you can to include quality nutrition. If we are not fueling our bodies with highly nourishing components, then we cannot expect it to have very much energy to expend. When I begin to feel consistently sluggish I don’t reach for a stimulant, but instead I recognize it’s time to support my colon, and eat more raw foods. Late spring and summer are excellent times to really dig into more of a raw foods eating regimen because that’s when fruits and vegetables are at their richest. I also consume chia seeds just about everyday in either chia pudding, a smoothie, or in my water like in the picture above. Chia seeds are packed with omega 3 fatty acids that are very energizing because they support the brain and heart. 

Chia Water Recipe

16oz filtered water
1 Tbsp Organic Chia Seeds
Pinch of Himalayan Salt (not visible in picture but added already)
1-2 Drops Young Living Grapefruit Vitality EO (optional)

Aside from nutrition and a really great nights sleep there are 3 nutritional supplements that I use daily that definitely support natural, sustainable energy. I will share what they are below and why I take them.

The first one I'll introduce is a Young Living Liquid Mineral Supplement called Mineral Essence. Oh my word this has become a game changer for me. I try hard to eat healthy as a health coach, but being a busy mom and wife I know I don't always feed myself well or enough, that's just the truth. Our foods today are not rich in vitamins and minerals like God intended due to over farming, so supplements are a must. That supplement really fills in the gaps for me and I feel the difference. I'd no idea how truly mineral deficient I was until after taking it. I feel like a different person. Mineral deficiency is a big problem as well as huge in our culture. Unfortunately, most doctors will not even consider it when patients come to them with a whole host of symptoms that scream mineral deficiency like irritability, fatigue, headaches, muscle weakness, depression, constipation, coldness, inability to concentrate, and more. Instead they will just write their patients a prescription for a pharmaceutical drug, when all they probably needed was good nutrition.

Another hitch that can come with mineral absorption from our food is many Americans walking around have gut issues. When we eat nutrient dense foods, but our digestive system is not in tact, that makes it difficult to ascertain good nutrition. Since this is a liquid, it's much easier for our bodies to acquire what they need versus fighting with a damaged digestive system. The best way to know what you need is to go to your local health care provider and ask for a vitamin and mineral panel then go from there. Just remember that you call the shots with your health, not anyone else. FYI, I'm tooting this supplement because it really, really has good stuff in there. I've taken other liquid minerals and they never made in a difference in how I felt. Sometimes it is what we don't have that is the problem.

I also find Super B by Young Living to be foundational as well. B vitamins are known to support brain health, cell growth and development, and even emotional health. Here is one study remarking on how much we underestimate the value and importance of B vitamins. They assist the brain in functioning properly with ATP (energy) production. When we become B deficient, you can see our body may become confused in what needs to happen in order for us operate well. So on a basic level the B vitamins do not give us energy directly, but they do direct the components necessary to utilize energy.

The third one is so...well it's one of those things that you don't realize how good it is until it's gone, following suit is another Young Living product, Ningxia Red. This delicious bottle of whole nutrition is a wolfberry/goji berry puree along with other whole fruits and citrus essential oils. The wolfberry is one of the few foods to boost HGH (the human growth hormone) which has been called the key to our youth and vitality as well as being the food rated highest over all other in antioxidants. I love Ningxia Red as well because unlike other antioxidant supplements we get the whole fruit, and not just the juice. In order to learn more visit the Ningxia Red website. Again this is a liquid supplement, so it's much easier for our bodies to absorb that needed nutrition. This is a great supplement for the whole family. Dr. Lindsey Elmore, one of Young Livings product ambassadors as well as holding a PharmD (degree in Pharmacy), recommends Ningxia Red for children once they are eating solid foods. If you have stubborn family members who are resistant to healthy changes, this is a simple, yummy addition for them that most will not rebel against just due to flavor. You only need 1-4oz daily depending on the person, most people only need an ounce or two. I've found I personally function best on 4oz. You want to serve it cold. It can even go in freezer pops. It comes in glass bottles or portable 2oz packets.

The best way to purchase the products I've shared with you is to open a family wholesale account through Young Living Essential Oils. If you don't already have a friend or family member who uses Young Living, you can feel free to sign up on my website and I will be that friend who referred you. As a wholesale member that will save you 24% off of the retail price of all Young Living products as well as giving you the access to earning free products and reduce shipping through the customer loyalty program, Essential Rewards. All you do is choose the starter kit that is right for your family. A starter kit is like your wholesale member's card. If you are on Facebook, my husband and I operate and education based group so you learn more about essential oils, and the rest of the products for our members only. If you are local to the Triangle area in NC then you as a wholesale member through Kingdom Health (that's us) are privy to our members only meetings every first Thursday of each calendar month.We have an education portion, share a healthy potluck meal together, and participate in a make & take. I encourage you to email me here if you have any questions.

*If you are not quite ready for a wholesale membership, but you'd to try at least one product I mentioned, you can purchase with a retail account as well, which doesn't require a starter kit. You would be paying 24% more than wholesale members though when paying retail. The choice is yours. Go on the website to learn more.

Everyone whether or not you are a Young Living member are able to join our Kingdom Health Road to Wellness Facebook Group. It's a wonderful education group for those who want to learn more about having a healthier lifestyle and how to make it simple. We cover topics like essential oils, healthy eating, switching to safer more natural products and how to do so, fitness, natural ways to reduce stress, healthy habits that can support your body, and more. It is a closed group, and you must be invited by a member of the group. Let us know in an email here if you are interested or if you know someone in the group, ask them to invite you.

I hope this blog post was helpful to you! What healthy tips do you have for energy? Post them in the comments below.

Beets, Oh How I Love Thee

When I was a child I can totally remember my Mom having beets on the table. She loved Harvard beets out of a jar. I didn't hate them, but I didn't love them either. As I grew older beets certainly weren't my first choice to go on my plate. Like most people when we are exposed to foods as a child, we tend to think they can only be prepared or offered one way. It's funny how our minds work. As I come across adults I see how close minded or stifled in a box we can be when it comes to food. My sweet husband loves my cooking, but I still see him get a nervous if a new dish or food graces his plate. I've for the most part always been an odd ball in that respect. I always loved trying new foods within reason, anything in the vegetable or plant category I've deemed as safe to try. When we get into the animal kingdom that's where I begin to get picky for various reasons. I'm still like that today for the most part. I can remember branching out into what I considered healthier foods as a teenager the more trendy or fancy it was the better, again, I'm not that different today, I was a foodie in the making. Dare I say how hip I thought I was eating that veggie patty from TGI Fridays in 1995. If smart phones, food shots, and blogging were in then I would've been doing this way sooner.

I don't think many people reach for beets on a standard American diet since most are concerned with what is fast and tastes good going down in our busy society. You just don't find beets in the American drive thru. I am grateful to Mom for exposing me to beets though because I had a base to start from and in 2009 when I adopted a plant based eating regimen to transform my health I knew I'd have to expand my horizons above the over cooked frozen broccoli that I grew up on as well as the jarred beets. I will say she scarred me from trying brussel sprouts because of the boiling. I thought brussel sprouts always had to smell like stinky feet, which is what happens when you boil them, so I didn't go near them. It wasn't until I learned about the power of roasting vegetables that brussel sprouts became acceptable.

So I don't eat beets from a jar today, but I do enjoy them a variety of ways. I love them raw in smoothies, juices (best raw juice ever with lots of ginger), or grated on salads. I adore them lacto-fermented, which I can do a blog post about if you'd like. Let me know. I might do it anyway. A favorite and simple way that opens up lots of doors to enjoying beets, which I'll share today is roasting them. When you roast beets, magic happens. They soften, caramelize, and turn into root veggie candy. They are wonderful as a dinner or breakfast side dish, on salads, a snack, in sandwiches or wraps, or whatever other food experience you may create.

Foodie Tip: Do not throw out those beets greens and stems! They are amazingly healthy and are great juiced, lightly sauteed in coconut oil, or chopped up for a salad.

Beets have a phenomenal nutritional profile packed with minerals like potassium and manganese, vitamin C, fiber, and anthocyanins (really wonderful antioixdants). They support healthy blood pressure.

You want to buy them organic because they are one of the top genetically modified foods.

Simple Roasted Beets 


You can roast as many as you want or get into your oven. I've not frozen them afterwards before, but I would think if you wanted to do so after chopping them, and then throw them into a stir fry later, that would be fine or directly into a smoothie.

I do not peel them, but I do wash them with my toxin free Thieves Fruit & Veggie Wash. We never know what our foods' path was before it got to us, so washing is highly recommended. I put them in a bowl of filtered water with a 1/2 to 1 tsp of the veggie wash or I spray each beet with the veggie spray and then put them in the water. Using a vegetable scrub brush I gently clean them. You can get the veggie wash or spray with a family wholesale account through Young Living Essential Oils, here. You'll receive a 24% discount along with other benefits as a member. Young Living is a wellness company with wide range of safe, toxin free products for the whole family and house. You can see the products here. Feel free to ask me questions about it. You can email me here.

After you wash them I cut the ends off with the stems, but not the tips. (In the picture some are cut off because I honestly got distracted by my toddler.)

Cover the beets in either avocado or coconut oil, then sprinkle with Himalayan salt. Avocado oil would be better due to the temperature.

I always like to use parchment paper to reduce clean up. So I place parchment on whatever pan or dish or sheet I'm using to roast the beets.

Roast them in the oven for 50 minutes on 400 degrees F.

Let me know how you like your beets! If you've never tried beets before, definitely try them this way first.

Oats & Chia Pudding Part 2

Okay so the other week I shared about the oats portion. This week I am going to get right to the good stuff and tell you all about the yummy goodness of the addition of chia pudding. I've never had a bowl of oatmeal taste this good ya'll, like for real, sooo good!

If you do not have chia seeds in your kitchen, you most definitely want to pick some up. You can do a variety of things with them in the kitchen. One thing I love to do (while it took me a moment to get used to the texture in my drink) is add a tablespoon to my water. I love to do this in the beginning of the afternoon. Chia seeds pack a powerful punch with fiber at 11 grams for an ounce of seeds, high in healthy omega 3 fatty acids (great for the brain, heart, and healthy energy) at 17.83 grams, 19% of the daily allowance for protein, along with a whole host of minerals.

I like to buy chia seeds at Costco due to the price, but a good place to get some to try is Trader Joes. You can also purchase them at Thrive Market.

One of my favorite things to make with chia seeds is pudding! In this post I'll share with you how to make chocolate chia pudding. There aren't any refined sugars in it, and due to the nutritional profile, it is a great quick breakfast, or at least part of one. As a busy mom, sometimes even a health coach who meal plans, needs something fast she can grab out of the fridge. Add some fruits and raw nuts and you'll be in heaven! As I talked about chia pudding in the last post, I added it to my oatmeal. I'd read other bloggers doing this before, but never made time until recently. I may never go back to non-chia pudding oats again.

In order to make chocolate chia pudding you'll need:

1/4 C Chia Seeds
1 Can Organic Whole Coconut Milk (I get mine at Thrive Market)
3 Tbsp Organic Raw Cacao Powder (I get mine at Thrive Market)
1 Pinch Himalayan Salt
4-5 Medjool Dates (remove the pit)
1 Drop Young Living Peppermint Vitality Essential Oil (optional)

Get a quart sized mason ( you can use a pint size, but you may have a bit that won't fit, so I prefer the quart) and put the chia seeds in the jar.

Blend the dates, coconut milk, peppermint oil, salt, and cacao powder.

Pour the chocolate blend over the chia seeds in the jar and mix them well.

Place the fridge overnight and in the morning you will have a lovely, healthy dessert.

You can now get really creative with how you serve your pudding. While it is totally worth of eating on it's own, feel free to mix it up and make a healthy parfait with it and some fresh fruit. You can also do what I like to do and occasionally add it to my oatmeal. It transforms my oats into absolute paradise. To inspire you and give you an idea, I'll put the picture of my oats and chia pudding below.