The Benefits of Shopping the Bulk Aisle

The bulk aisle in the grocery store might seem a bit overwhelming or confusing at first, or perhaps you might misinterpret what it actually offers. Shopping in the bulk aisle is a great way to save money and the environment, and the quality, is sometimes better than the packaged alternatives! 

Here are a few of my favorite reasons to take a stroll down the bulk aisle: 

It’s More Environmentally Friendly 

If you have a goal to reduce single-use plastics and be more environmentally friendly this year, the bulk aisle is a great place to start. Shopping in the bulk aisle uses much less waste compared to buying the pre-packaged alternatives. All you need to store your bulk items is a bag or container. Most bulk aisles offer plastic bags, but the best practice is to bring your own instead. Bring some mason jars or other reusable containers to the store and put your bulk foods there. This way, you aren’t using single-use plastic packaging. Additionally, you only take however much of the ingredient you need, so you’ll be reducing your food waste as well. 

You’ll Save Money 

In the bulk aisle, you’re only paying for the weight that you decide to buy. This means that you can take only what you need; therefore, you’ll be paying much less than purchasing a standard package size. Additionally, advertising and packaging items cost businesses quite a lot of money, so bulk items tend to cost much less per unit compared to the same things in a package. Many foods in the bulk aisle are no-brand alternatives and while you may have a preference for a specific cereal or trail mix brand, other items such as beans, nuts, and seeds don’t differ much. You’ll be paying much less for the no-brand version than the same food with a fancy brand attached to it. If you’re using your own container, make sure to weigh it before putting in any items, or you may get charged for the extra weight. However, you will want to check with the store first.

You Can Test Out New Foods 

Taking as little as you need means that you can experiment with foods that you’ve never tried before. You can buy a sample of some new ingredients without having to commit to an entire package of an item that you may not end up liking. For example, you can get a small scoop of some flavored nuts or try out a different type of flour. You can also get yourself a few treats without having to go overboard. 

The Ingredients are Clean 

Bulk items sell out fast, so the supermarkets are continually replenishing their stock. You can be assured that the food you’re buying in the bulk aisle is fresh. Not only this, but you can see the ingredient list and nutritional value clearly on the bins so you know exactly what you’re eating. Items like spices and coffee are much fresher than their packaged equivalents, which contain many additives and preservatives to increase their shelf life. In some cases, you can clearly taste the difference in quality. 

Which items do you get from the bulk aisle? I prefer buying my nuts, oats, and seeds from the bulk aisle. 

Foods That Help with Everyday Overwhelm

We often put a lot of thought into doing things regularly to boost our immune systems. We know the necessary items that need to be present in our diet and lives to achieve this, and we boost them even more during cold and flu season. There's another issue we all deal with that can be combated with proactive habits -- anxiety and overwhelm. I first want to be clear that I am not speaking of clinical anxiety. If you are struggling beyond basic daily life overwhelm, please consult your doctor.  

For the overwhelm that comes with daily life, I like to look to ancient traditions. In Traditional Chinese Medicine, our kidneys are the body's central source of yin and yang. When our kidneys aren't functioning optimally, other health problems, including anxiety, arise. The world we live in today takes a significant toll on our kidneys, whether we know it or not. These issues can be small enough to go undiagnosed by physicians but can have a substantial impact on the rest of our bodies.  

Factors such as stress, poor sleep quality, environmental toxins, and alcohol can be extremely taxing on the kidneys. The adrenal glands and the kidneys can be viewed as the same organ. The adrenals are two glands that are located on top of your kidneys. They are responsible for the production and regulation of essential hormones, including those involved in the stress response. When the adrenal glands become overworked, through too much stress, lack of sleep, or those other factors, they are unable to function normally, resulting in adrenal fatigue. This leads to numerous symptoms, including insomnia, sadness, digestive problems, weak immune functioning, and especially anxiety.  

Thus, by treating the kidneys through specific foods and restoring the functioning of the adrenal glands, you can help ease some symptoms of overwhelm. To feed your kidneys optimally, you should eat tangerines, plums, grapes, grains such as amaranth, rye, oats, and barley, celery, asparagus, cabbage, and black beans. However, it is beneficial to know whether your kidneys are deficient in the yin or yang and treat them accordingly. The yin is responsible for cooling and hydrating the body. If they are yin deficient, you might experience symptoms such as insomnia, night sweats, dry skin, eyes, and mouth, and brittle hair. Chlorella is exceptionally beneficial for increasing the kidneys' yin.  

Spirulina, another type of algae, also works great. It would be best if you also were eating carrots, grapefruit, celery, cucumber, blueberries, soybeans, kidney beans, and watermelon. These are considered 'cold' foods that will help increase your yin.  

Yang, on the other hand, is responsible for stimulating and warming up your body. If your kidneys are deficient in yang, you might experience diarrhea, lower back pain, fatigue, and feeling cold. Generally, symptoms are worse in the morning. If this is your case, eat "warming" foods such as cinnamon, ginger, cloves, walnuts, quinoa, and black beans. Avoid any iced drinks and raw foods and try to limit your fruit intake as these are all considered 'cooling' foods that will only worsen your yin-yang imbalance. 

Aside from foods to help stimulate healthy kidney function, meditation apps can help tremendously with combating daily overwhelm.  Apps such as Headspace or Calm can help you fit meditation into your schedule in just a few minutes per day, and this time to clear your mind can transform your entire day. 

What are your favorite mind-clearing practices that help you stay calm? 

Hit reply and let me know, I'd love to hear how you handle this. 

Keep These Natural Items on Hand for First Aid

Having a first aid kit on hand can help to bandage up accidents quickly and efficiently. Keeping one in your home is a priority, and having one to keep in the trunk of your car can come in handy, too.  

Just to be clear -- these tips are for minor cuts and bruises. If someone has been injured, don't delay getting proper medical attention.  For other common occurrences that aren't severe, you can keep your natural first aid kit on hand to use at a moment's notice.  

- Soothe burns 

For those occasions you accidentally touch the edge of your baking sheet after you pull it out of the oven, resulting in a minor burn. Aloe vera gel is a great and natural solution to soothe burns of this type. You can also use calendula or an oil with St. John's wort, though aloe vera gel (the real stuff) is extremely easy to find and keep stashed for these purposes.  You could even keep an aloe plant in your home, for decoration and purpose.  

- Calm seasonal allergies 

When that pollen gets in the air, you might feel pretty miserable. If you want to rely on something more natural, stinging nettle and echinacea can help you. Each of these calms seasonal allergies by reducing inflammatory symptoms so you can get through your day without sneezing up a storm.  

- Quell the common cold 

When a cold comes on, if you have lemons or limes around, you're halfway to feeling better. Mixing those with raw organic honey, a touch of ground cayenne pepper, and a little warm water can do you better. 

- Relieve a pounding headache 

If you're tired of taking too many pain relievers to stop your head from aching, considering stocking up on essential oils instead. Specifically, lavender and peppermint are wonderful when diffused into your air space or even applied to your temples. Be sure to use a high-quality third-party tested oil, so you're sure it's not full of yucky chemicals.   

- Stop bug bites from itching 

Bug bites from ants or mosquitoes are bothersome. They're hard to avoid in the spring and summer months.  Fortunately, if you have that lavender essential oil around, you can apply it directly to the source and relieve that itching pronto.   

- Fix tummy troubles 

For anyone that's always had trouble stomaching over the counter medicines, try candied ginger or ginger extract when you feel a bit queasy or have an upset stomach. Ginger is naturally good at helping with digestion and is even safe for pregnant and nursing women.  

When you go more natural with your wellness routines, you'll start feeling better overall. Keeping these natural essentials around gives you a safer alternative to calming your ailments. Do you have a natural remedy you use and swear by? I would love to hear about it! Just remember, if you have a serious illness or injury, always see your health care professional.

How to Bounce Back When You’ve Gone Off Track

You may have started the year off with lofty goals and dreams for the new year ahead. No matter how enthusiastic we are on January 1st, things often don't work out quite as planned when it comes to Resolutions. That's to be expected and totally okay! I want to share with you some ways to help you bounce back, instead of ditching your plan altogether. 

1. Allow yourself to process your emotions 

If you feel like you've let yourself or others down, give yourself some time to really process how you're feeling. If you're angry, sad, or frustrated, allow yourself to feel those emotions and try to understand precisely what is causing you to feel this way. Take time to think about why you might be feeling so upset with yourself. Write your feelings in a journal or self-reflect in whatever way works for you. Have you made these mistakes time and time again, or have you felt disappointed in somebody else for making a similar mistake? There might be an underlying reason for your emotions and they're worth digging into. 

2. Talk to someone about how you're feeling 

Call a friend or a loved one and tell them your situation and how you're feeling. This can be extremely therapeutic and can often leave you feeling like a huge weight is lifted off your shoulders. We all make mistakes. A loved one can remind you of this and help you realize that the situation is probably not as bad or permanent as you may think it is. Even if they don't offer any advice, it can be helpful just to tell someone what's going on. 

3. Don't allow this situation to define you 

We really are our own harshest critics. Nobody is perfect. Do not let your mistakes define who you are. Try to be kinder to yourself while you process your emotions and try not to speak negatively about yourself as a person. While you might be searching for forgiveness from others, try to work on forgiving yourself as well. 

4. Learn from your mistakes 

The best thing you can do from any negative situation is to take a lesson from it. Learn what went wrong and try to understand why you did (or didn't do) something. This way, the same mistake doesn't have to happen again and leave you feeling so disappointed in yourself. If you learned something from it, then the situation is not all bad. 

5. Allow this situation to make you a stronger and better person 

If you can learn from your slips, you can grow as a person. Often the most difficult and challenging times are the ones that shape us and help us improve. It doesn't matter whether you are disappointed in yourself because of finances, relationships, work, or failing at personal goals— if you can find a way to improve, you will come out better. Your situation might even help you see the world differently. Perhaps you can learn to become more compassionate or forgiving of other people in your life who make mistakes. 

All of that to say, there's still plenty of time to reach your goals for 2020. If you slip off track, take a deep breath, forgive yourself, and re-adjust.   

What your goals are for 2020? I'd love to hear what you're striving for! I'd also love to hear what your strategies are for when you get sidetracked from your goals.