Nourish Your Skin! Your skin is your largest organ. It protects you and it helps you remove toxins. Healthy skin is not a given and during the winter we need to take extra care to support it.  The hands down best skin-care nutrients are vitamins A, C, D, and E + selenium and zinc. And don’t forge...

At-Home Spa Time Winter is the perfect season for a Magnesium foot bath. Here at VitaClay we use the time we gain from quick, cooking in clay to take care of ourselves and you should too. A quick, easy way to reduce tension and set yourself up for a restful night’s sleep is to give yourself the g...

Wild yam roots simmered in rich sauce, meat or meatless! Cozy, healing and comforting! Wild yams are know as a beauty food to nourish your skin! According to TCM, wild yams enhance energy “chi”, balance “yin” and “yang”, helps heal gut, nourish lungs & ease coughing, aids in digestion! It’s a...

Plants are the best for our air and our health. Houseplants help clean our indoor air, making it better for us. Cleaner air, happy lungs! Eating plant foods is also good for our general health – consider it a lung-friendly habit. Plant foods (think lentils, beans, vegetables, seeds, grains) are f...

The saying goes, “you are what you eat” but it really should be “you are what you absorb”. These days many people suffer for poor gut health which causes all sorts of issues from allergies and indigestion to arthritis and joint pain. If your gut is unhealthy you are not absorbing all of the nutri...

  Have you heard of the Blue Zones? These are places around the world where people live very long lives. Studies show that genetics plays less than a 50% role in longevity. A common factor amongst all of these long-living groups is that they have a diet rich on vegetables, legumes, whole grains, ...

The end of this year will be very different than years past for most of us: no holiday parties, no office party (sigh of relief?), no big family and friend gatherings, no sports events, no concerts. And, if you are like many, you have already cleaned out the closets and fixed all sorts of things ...

I bought a full packet of garlic so I decided to pickle some of them. The pickled garlic can be a powerful “medicine” preventing from many unwanted chronic conditions with its antiviral, antibacterial immunity support properties! According to seriouseats.com , “Use pickled garlic in salad dressi...

Hello Fall and all of your goodness. This may sound odd but when I think of the winter squashes I think of fall. This may be because pumpkins are used for Jack-O-Lanterns in October and pies in November. But winter squashes are so much more than decorations and sweet treat. Think of what the corn...

Does anyone know this?  It's American ginseng root! It grows wild in Eastern and Central parts of the United States, particularly in the Appalachian and Ozark mountains. Research suggests that compounds found in American ginseng called ginsenosides may stimulate the immune system, improve ...

The root vegetable category is vast: turnip, yucca (cassava), radish, daikon, Jerusalem artichoke, yam, beet, radish, onion and shallot, carrot, white and sweet potato, rutabaga, horseradish, and parsnip. And this is just a few. Roots are eaten in every culture and on every continent. Why? Becaus...

Now, it’s a season for root veggies to shine! Improves your mood with jicama! Don’t get caught up with this pandemic uncertainty chaos...My 80+ year old mom loves to eat jicama! She grew up with this and eats this like a fruit! I was always wondering why...Jicama fuels your muscles, brain, heart ...

Ahhh, Fall! What a wonderful season: apple picking, pumpkin carving, leaves turning to beautiful shades of orange, rust and copper.   Fall is the season of harvest, a time to reap what we have sewed. And if you have been busy building your immunity this summer, you should be reaping good health a...

Herbs can be like friends – they can support and comfort us, make a meal more fun and teach us new things. But just as important: Herbs are another tool in our immune building kit. Below are four vignettes on the power of herbs.   Oregano Oregano is a member of the mint family and has a very lon...

What’s in your food pantry in the end of summer season? These rainbow-color veggies are my seasonal foods from local farmers market. Ginger may reduce muscle pain and soreness.  It has many medicinal properties such as, anti-depressant, anti-inflammatory, anti-microbial, cardiovascular protective...

We round out our immune-building series today with Selenium and Zinc: Selenium (the quiet mineral you never hear about is top notch for nutrition) Where to find it: Brazil nuts are one of the best + fish & meats, eggs, brown rice, sunflower seeds, oats, dairy, lentils, cashews, bananas Stora...

More Summer Goodness A few weeks back you talked about the goodness of Vitamin C and Lycopene. Today we are continuing on our summer goodness theme with Vitamins A and E: Vitamin A Where to find it:  eggs, liver, fish oils, milk fat, carrots, apricots, broccoli, collard greens, kale, sweet pot...

Now more than ever, neighborly kindness counts. There are so many people who are in need of food and even the smallest act of kindness can make the difference. If you can, look to your local food bank, homeless shelter and outreach centers to see what resources they need and give your time, shelf...

According to TCM, the kidneys are the fountain of youth, the foundation for a healthy, vital life and graceful longevity. In TCM, the kidney is the foundation for growth, development, and reproduction; for healthy bones and marrow; and for brain functions such as memory, concentration, and intell...

Long prized for its deeply purple, glossy beauty as well as its unique taste and texture, eggplants are now available in markets throughout the year, but they are at their very best from August through October when they are in season. Eggplant is a high-fiber, low-calorie food that is rich in nut...

Summer Goodness A few weeks back you talked about the goodness of Vitamin C and Lycopene. Today we are continuing on our summer goodness theme with Vitamins A and E: Vitamin A Where to find it:  eggs, liver, fish oils, milk fat, carrots, apricots, broccoli, collard greens, kale, sweet potatoes, p...

Every traditional culture has healing foods because these cultures understand that nature offers all we need for health. For example, Ayurveda, the ancient Indian medical system, has Kitchari, the healing and cleansing dish based on mung beans and spices. Judaism has magical chicken soup and Pho ...

Inflammation has a positive and negative effect on our bodies. On the one hand, inflammation in the body is a natural process to heal itself from infections, injuries, and toxins. This is the immune system’s defense mechanism against the body’s attackers. On the other hand, chronic inflammation, ...

8 SIGNS YOU NEED TO IMPROVE YOUR GUT HEALTH (AND HERE’S HOW!)-- click here >> We know how it is…you’re at work all day and you come home tired! You just can’t exert any more effort to create a beautiful, nutritious meal crafted from whole, organic ingredients for your family, no matter how ...

Hello & Happy July. I do hope you are well. To help us keep well, I thought I would take this month to talk about gut health. I know, exciting!People often say, “you are what you eat” but the truth is “you are what you digest and absorb.” You can have the healthiest diet of properly prepared,...

As a nation, we’re obsessed with celebrities. The fame, the money, the influence. They seem to have the world at their fingertips and lack for nothing. If you had all the money in the world, what would you want? Personally, I’d have a full-time housekeeper and a personal chef. Daily tasks around ...

Garden-Fresh fruits and veggies taste great, are easy to prep and perfect for lazy summer evenings and holiday celebrations alike. But did you know they have the added bonus of being immune-building foods as well? Checkout these two -  Vitamin C and Lycopene Vitamin C Where to find it:  all peppe...