By Health Coach Melanie Rathbun, FMCHC

This month, our expert-in-the-kitchen Health Coach, Melanie Rathbun, shares great fresh Smoothie recipes to cleanse your body! 

Whether you binged a little over the holidays, are interested in boosting your immune system, lose a little weight, or just want to eat healthier, smoothies are the easiest way to pack a ton of nutrition into your meals. You can make smoothies in less than 10 minutes and the best part is you don’t even need to turn on the oven.  Another added bonus is there is minimal clean up.

As we move into January, our thoughts may turn to what we can do to make 2021 a healthier year, with strong and resilient immune systems.  If we can first turn to what we are consuming and the food choices we are making, we’ve got a solid head start on our overall health and wellness.

Smoothies are an efficient way to significantly increase your intake of nutrients and antioxidants.  These are great for...

By Health Coach Deborah Cox FMCHC, NBHWC

This month (January, 2021), our expert gardener and Health Coach Deb Cox, shares the history for two outstanding winter vegetables, Kale, and Spinach!

Both kale and spinach have received their fair share of publicity over the years, some good some not so good.  From Popeye’s “anti-kryptonite” like portrayal of spinach and an almost cultlike following of kale to people’s remembrance of eating slimy cooked spinach as a kid and a stigma from growing kale in times of hardship and food scarcity (Victory Gardens of WWI and WWII eras), both vegetables have taken a prominent place in our modern culture.

Kale and Spinach have a long history of providing nourishment for people all over the world for more than 2000 years.  Interestingly, to the French kale has become part of the légume oublié (lost & forgotten) category of vegetables. Because of that, we do know that at some time it was grown...

By Cate Cummings APRN, FNP, IFMCP

I am betting that I have a good surprise for you! Yes, a good surprise! Hooray! And, once you learn about it, you will marvel about the intricacies of the human body!

This surprise has to do with how we can help optimize our Circulation! That is a super important topic as we all need good circulation in order to be healthy!

Ok, here we go.... I am going to discuss what is referred to as the Endothelial Glycocalyx! I know that is a mouthful, so we can call it the EGX, for short. 

The EGX is a micro-thin structure lining all of our blood vessels that has everything to do with our health. On the microscopic view it looks like a fine hairy shag rug (please see below). We want to protect our EGX so that we can stay strong and healthy! And, because the EGX has been found to be so important in human medicine, it is now being studied in equine veterinary medicine, as well!

What most of us do not know is that in a healthy state there is a...

By Health Coach Deb Cox, FMCHC, NBHWC

If you are familiar with Simon & Garfunkel’s song Scarborough Fair, you might think my title sounds familiar:

“Are you going to Scarborough Fair?

Parsley, sage, rosemary, and thyme

Remember me to one who lives there

For she once was a true love of mine…”

We are going to investigate three of the four herbs they spoke of in the song, I left out parsley since it is not of the Mint (Lamiaceae, formerly called Labiatae) Family and isn’t used in Melanie’s recipe for this month “Citrus Herb Roasted Turkey Breast”.

All three herbs Sage (Salvia officinalis), Rosemary (Rosmarinus officinalis), and Thyme (Thymus vulgaris) are native to the Mediterranean, and have histories steeped in folklore, legend, myth, medicine, and culinary uses.

History

Sage has long been believed to enhance health and longevity/immortality; a popular proverb from the Middle Ages gives insight into the strength of this belief:

...

By Health Coach Melanie Rathbun, FMCHC

This holiday season may look and feel a bit different this year, and there may be less people around the table, but that doesn’t mean we still can’t carry on with our traditions. The turkey is an iconic symbol of many holiday meals, so if you’re looking to simplify things with a smaller crowd, I’ve included a Citrus Herb Roasted Turkey Breast recipe to keep with the holiday flair. Smells of oranges and fresh herbs will waft through your kitchen and fill your loved ones with nourishment. 

Herbs and spices make everything nice which is why I’m always drawn to recipes that call for fresh herbs, such as this one. Herbs are easy to grow in most places and can be easily pulled from the garden. Fresh sage, thyme and rosemary all pair well with roasted poultry. Thyme complements most herbs and has the added benefit of generous amounts of vitamin C. An added benefit to using both rosemary and sage is that they have...

By Health Coach Melanie Rathbun, FMCHC

It’s Spaghetti Squash Time!

Squashes are mainly autumn and winter harvest vegetables. Many squashes can be cooked by baking, boiling or steaming, for a nutritious meal and they can be quite versatile for a variety of recipes.

Spaghetti squash are naturally low in carbohydrates and calories and are nutrient dense making it a great alternative to noodles and rice. It is packed with antioxidants which can help fight free radicals, thus preventing oxidative stress and reducing damage to your cells. Research shows that antioxidants from food sources may aid in preventing chronic conditions like heart disease, diabetes and cancer, and are recommended in the diet. They are also a good source of vitamin C, manganese, Vitamin A, folate, beta-carotene and vitamin B6.

Squashes are also high in fiber which can benefit several aspects of digestive health.  Fiber moves slowly through your digestive system, adding bulk to your stool, which promotes...

By Health Coach Melanie Rathbun, FMCHC

The nutritious eggplant, sometimes referred to as aubergine, is currently in season and abundant in gardens and markets. The most common eggplants are those with deep purple skin.

Eggplant is rich in the antioxidant anthocyanins which research suggests may help reduce the risk of heart disease. With their unique texture and mild flavor, they can be a wonderful addition to your meals. They can be prepared in a number of ways so feel free to get creative! Bake, sauté, grill, or mix it with vegetables in your favorite casserole.

It is typically used as a vegetable in cooking, but did you know (as Deb pointed out) that it is actually a berry by botanical definition? This is a fun fact and surprising to most! A fun way to use eggplant is with mini eggplant pizzas! Try it out and let us know what you think. We love seeing your tagged photos (#bwcforhorselovers).

30 minutes prep time (serves 4)

Ingredients

• 1 eggplant (medium)
• ¼ cup...

By Cate Cummings APRN, FNP, IFMCP

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It was time to get a new cutting board. Actually, I had not used a cutting board in a while as we had packed everything up to move to another state. But, we wound up not moving, and, in truth, I had a suspicion that the cutting boards I had been using in the past were not really health promoting because of how they were made.

So, I went searching online for a cutting board made of health promoting materials. I found out that there are a plethora of scary...

By Cate Cummings APRN, FNP, IFMCP

I have been on a big learning curve recently after a significant head trauma which happened while calmly standing next to one of my horses. I have no memory of the incident (which has its pros and cons!), but as a result I set about to understand what really has been going on inside that boney skull of mine!

Before I begin to share the exciting information about healing from brain trauma, I just want to say that I was extremely fortunate to have my husband, Ron, nearby to save my life and that my brain injury did not impact my frontal cortex (so that, as a result, I can still think clearly!). It did impact my cerebellar region which is at the back of the skull, so I have some balance issues that I am busy healing up. Five weeks after the injury, I rode one of my horses and that was very uplifting as I love being with them. The very process of riding my horse works toward healing my brain because riding requires the cerebellar neurons to get to work...