5 Simple Secrets to Healthy Families

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I feel like I have two full time jobs right now, but I’m having a blast doing it so I can’t really complain! I spent the weekend teaching a variety of classes, and every time I teach I learn so much. I spoke to the parents and teachers at my kid’s school about the 5 Simple Secrets to Raising Healthy Families. Then I hosted an entire day self-reliance meeting at my home on Saturday. I spoke about Life without Refrigeration and Winter Gardening to go along with a host of other phenomenal speakers.

I don’t want to leave you out so I thought I’d share some of what I taught.

 Secret #1: How to be healthy on a budget

• Meat is the side, not the main and not needed every day
• Beans and rice and other grains are great fillers
• Get a rice cooker and fill it at night so it’s ready to start in the morning
• Buy in bulk. Winco, Alpine Food Storage. 5 gallon buckets
• Get fruits and veggies in season – you can find them for free or cheap
• ksl.com, farmer’s markets, neighbors, friends
• Store when there is excess – a used freezer is $50-$100 on ksl.com
• Freeze fruit; can fruit, veggies and meat; dry fruits and veggies

Secret #2: When organic matters and when it doesn’t

The Environmental Working Group publishes a list every year of the most and least contaminated fresh fruits and veggies – I’m talking pesticides and herbicides. They are called the Dirty Dozen and the Clean Fifteen. If you can’t afford everything organic (and who can?!) choose organic for the things that are on the Dirty Dozen list and get conventional of the other things. But my rule is that a potato – organic or not – is always better (and probably even cheaper) than a bag of potato chips.

Dirty Dozen

1. Strawberries 2. Apples 3. Nectarines 4. Peaches 5. Celery 6. Grapes 7. Cherries 8. Spinach 9. Tomatoes 10. Sweet Bell peppers 11. Cherry tomatoes 12. Cucumbers

Clean Fifteen

1. Avocados 2. Sweet corn 3. Pineapples 4. Cabbage 5. Frozen sweet peas 6. Onions 7. Asparagus 8. Mangoes 9. Papayas 10. Kiwis 11. Eggplant 12. Honeydew melon 13. Grapefruit 14. Cantaloupe 15. Cauliflower

Secret #3: Easy and healthy kid friendly meals

I’ve already talked about this in a previous blog so I’ll shortcut this one

• Crockpot days. Make it at night, put it in the fridge overnight and start in the morning
• Everyone helps, especially in the morning
• Rotate through ethnic recipes – they taste better!
• We bought some giant soup bowls at an Asian market, so all you need for a lot of these meals is that big bowl for each person. Saves on dishes too!

Secret #4: Basic and essential homemade medical remedies

Have you looked at what you’re using now? Unpronounceable ingredients. Useless ingredients for preservation, potentially toxic, etc. You can make your own!
Sea Salt – Mineral replacement for dehydration. ½ t salt, 3 T honey to 1 quart water
Honey – antiseptic to put on wounds, insect bites, burns, sore throats (mixed with a little cayenne) and fatigue.
Apple Cider Vinegar – for yeast infections, warts, acne
Baking soda – Used to neutralize burns and insect bites.
Hydrogen Peroxide – Kills disease organisms by oxidation. Gargle with ½ water, ½ hydrogen peroxide for a sore throat. Good for ear infections and as a mouth wash.
Lavender essential oil – Good for reducing pain, anxiety, and helps digestion. Also great to sooth burns and insect bites.
Magnesium (my favorite is in a powder called Calm) – Helps with sleep and any muscle pain, including headaches. Helps skin problems like acne and eczema.
Oregano essential oil – Very strong anti-microbial. Great for colds and lung infections. Helps with athletes foot, yeast infections and other skin infections.
Vitamin C – powdered form- Will help you stay well during the sick season. Easier for kids to take dissolved in water.

Secret #5: How to avoid sick days all year long

1. Garlic– A powerhouse natural antibiotic, anti-fungal, and antibacterial. As soon as you feel symptoms, finely mince 1-2 cloves of garlic and float in a small glass of water. Drink quickly.
2. Hydrogen Peroxide– For colds, flu, sinus infection, or ear infection, put a dropper full of hydrogen peroxide into each ear. Do this on both sides. Repeat every few hours until infection is gone.
3. Hot Liquids–Load up on the hot herbal teas and hot lemon water at first sign of illness.
4. Cinnamon–Mix 1 T with 1 t honey, stir and add to water to help relieve cough and congestion and lower fever.
5. Remove White Foods– At the first sign of illness, completely remove all white foods from the diet. This includes grains, sugars, milk, cheese, dairy, sweeteners, soda, etc. These foods suppress immune function and slow the body’s healing ability.
6. Hydrate and Rest– If the body is running a fever (which means it is fighting the illness) the best support you can give is to stay well hydrated on water and herbal teas and to rest enough.

See the picture included for my favorite at home remedies for this cold-ish, flu-ish time of year! We have some sniffles at our house so we are pouring on the colloidal silver, the Vitamin C and the Elderberry Syrup.
I think learning about ways to help our families with their health is one of the most empowering things we can do. Don’t let every passing bug or health fad knock you over. You can do this!

Love,
Dr. Michelle Jorgensen