4 Roots of Optimum Wellness

There are four essential parts to being healthy: Diet, Exercise, Sleep & Attitude.

Vitae Elixxir Healing Herbs

A proprietary combination of ten disease-fighting herbs used for more than 40 years and helping thousands of people with serious health issues.

Books by Author & Health Coach Chris Pedersen

In a world of adventure and imagination, kids’ books in print and digital that encourage a healthy lifestyle.

6 Tips to Lose Weight

Don’t count calories—take a serious look at the food you want to eat, then ask, ”Is this something that will give my body good health?”

Thursday, August 29, 2013

The Genesis of a Kid’s App for Eating Healthy

The Prisoner of Carrot Castle iPad App
A late-in-life discovery found me with cancer from a genetic condition. Believing that my healthy lifestyle had saved me from a more serious prognosis, I changed my diet even further (eliminating sugar, alcohol and meat except wild-caught fish), incorporated an herbal extract called Vitae Elixxir into my daily routine and beat the odds, returning to a healthful state.

Now I want to make others aware of healthy eating and the benefits of herbs, especially at a time when childhood obesity trends are increasing.

Since I love crafting stories for kids, I wrote a story and created an interactive app for the iPad, which offers a deeper reading experience. First book in the Veggie Chronicle series, The Prisoner of Carrot Castle is a fun and beautifully illustrated storybook following the adventures of Aiden in his imaginary world as he conquers his dislike for veggies. Children discover that eating vegetables is what real heroes do. That is, if they want to eat their way out of a wicked king’s clutches.

The subtle health message promoted by the book app offers vivid colors and playful music. Wiggly fingers can discover sound effects and make a mouse (or the hero himself) scamper through a hole. Children can dress (much like paper dolls) a few characters from the book if they patiently focus on small motor skills.

With the choice to have read to me on (or off), pages turned by pulling a carrot from the wall, interactivity with sounds and animations by tapping, sliding and tilting, iPad book apps are clearly the future of reading and learning. Forthcoming updates to the app include parent/teacher reading strategies with curriculum that supports Common Core Standards in education.

***Over 40,000 Downloads***
The Prisoner of Carrot Castle reached #1 in Top Free Book Apps during limited offer!
Purple Carrot Books, the publisher for these innovative iPad book apps, is focused on influencing young lives for a hopeful, healthy future. With more apps coming (Blondilocks, Ethan Blecher Braves a Bully, and The Slave of Peas Pyramid), parents may find their kids have a change in  healthy behaviors.


Follow us on Twitter @chrisathecafe and @prplcarrotbooks. Please Like our facebook pages at facebook.com/PurpleCarrotBooks and facebook.com/HealthyJourneyCafe. Get healthy and discover some great vegetarian recipes at healthyjourneycafe.com.

 

Friday, August 23, 2013

Breakfast Veggie Hash with Eggs

Breakfast Veggie Hash
I threw this together one morning and it turned out yummy-licious. So I thought you would like it too. As I've said before, I typically don't measure anything—grab a little of this and some of that as I cook. Then I'll remake the recipe using measurements so you get something reproducible.

For this one I'm giving you estimates. It'll turn out great... trust me. Better yet... try the non-measuring technique. You'll find it freeing.
Ingredients for Breakfast Veggie Hash

Wednesday, August 21, 2013

Georgia: A Cancer Story of Success

Fighting Cancer
Georgia ~ June 2013
"I just lost my dad and I wasn't about to lose my mom too," said Steve, Georgia's son. Doctors told him she had maybe 60 days to live. Six months later "CT scans and blood work confirm there is no more cancer," says Steve.

How was a frail 85-year-old able to battle and win against the odds? It's a story that inspires any cancer survivor especially those fortunate enough to have a champion like Georgia's son fighting for them every day.

Steve grew up in a family with "can-do" parents. His dad Bud was a self-made man with a big heart. One of many remarkable stories from Bud's life included making friends with a cowboy-oilman-entreprenuer from Wyoming who developed a product based on traditional native-American remedies that he believed cured him of cancer. He dubbed the product Vitae Elixxir.

Vitae Elixxir became a recommendation to family members and friends who wanted to try an effective natural product in their cancer battle. Over the years, word-of-mouth recommendations for Vitae Elixxir grew. Bud developed a passion to help those in health crisis and often spent hours talking with people in person or on the phone.

Georgia knew she was pretty ill even before Bud passed away at the respectable age of 89. She had put all of her energy into caring for him in his last year. Several months earlier, before he died, Georgia's doctors told Steve that his mom and dad would probably die within a few months of one another. Now her symptoms were too urgent to ignore. Steve vowed to put all of his energy into fighting the cancerhe was not going to lose his mom.

The doctors claimed Georgia had a very unique type of cancer, but cancer is always unique to each person because each of us is different. Georgia had stage 3 peritoneal cancer with two tumors (2.5 x 1.5 inches and 3 x 2 inches) in her abdomen. Not wanting to follow the traditional treatment of chemo, she began fighting the cancer using a foot soak of Vitae Elixxir herbs with a proprietary solution that carries the herbs into the tissues more rapidly. It must also be noted that she ate a healthy, fresh-food diet.

Steve poured through the research and contacted trusted family and friends familiar with other natural cancer-fighting solutions. "I was going to throw everything at the disease," said Steve. As a result, he had Georgia take a supplement called Oncolynanother herbal remedy, plus the prescription called Metformin normally used for diabetes, but found to also help reduce the size of tumors in many cancers. Steve had seen a segment on Dr. Oz that discussed the Metformin tumor reducing effects. They also began using the Vitae Elixxir herbs as a poultice applied to her abdomen for one hour every day.

At the same time Georgia agreed to the doctor's recommendation to start chemo, with the stipulation that they stop if she became more ill and weak. Fortunately for Georgia, there were few negative side-effects. "I'm sure the Vitae Elixxir helped to keep my body stronger while taking the chemo," she said in the middle of her treatment. "Vitae Elixxir has properties that kept my white cell count much higher than the doctors expected," she said.

When facing a life-threatening disease like cancer, each person should decide for themselves what choices to make in their treatment. "Self responsibility in treatment is a big part of the solution," said Georgia. Many people just want to do things part-way, like the smoker fighting lung cancer that won't give up smoking. Not going to work.

Although Georgia has no more cancer, she continues to apply the Vitae Elixxir poultice every day. All her friends remark how amazingly bright and healthy she looks. We hope you live a long and healthy life, Georgia.

Do you have a story using Vitae Elixxir? Please go the Facebook page: Cancer Success Stories Using Vitae Elixxir and tell your first-person story.

Friday, August 16, 2013

My Dog Had Skin Cancer

Skin Cancer on Dogs
Cancer is an ugly thing. It's bad when someone gets it on the inside, but when it shows up with a vengeance on the skin, you can see how destructive it is. Especially for our beloved, furry family members.

I was shocked one day when I discovered an ugly, bloody, gnarled and fleshy spot about the size of a quarter on the upper chest of our chocolate lab Brandy. It was clearly cancer. Only cancer looks that ugly. I suspect it was an aggressive mast cell tumor. Being covered in hair makes it difficult to find skin issues like ticks and skin cancer on dogs.

Wednesday, August 14, 2013

Wisdom Wednesday

health tips
You know lately I've been talking about getting good bacteria into your body and how important that is to health. Here are some links to further that end:
Thank you to Jennie for the links.

Friday, August 9, 2013

Healthy Kids' Snack ~ DIY Trail Mix

I've been making my own trail mix for about four years now. It's great as a healthy snack for the whole family and added to whole grain cereals (e.g., quinoa, steel-cut oatmeal or millet) for breakfast in the morning. Many pre-packaged trail mixes are full of sweetened ingredients like M&Ms, mini-yogurt chips, or chocolate chips. It's a shame to take something healthy (nuts & seeds with a little dried fruit) and add sugary stuff that renders it unhealthy.

This recipe uses organic raisons and dried baby pineapple as natural sweetenersa better alternative, making this a healthier snack that kids will love.

Other ingredients include a variety of nuts and seedsnutrient-rich super foodshigh in fiber, protein, antioxidants, vitamins, minerals and essential fats. Besides supporting overall wellness, they help curb appetite and are beneficial in maintaining or losing weight.

NOTE: I suggest you buy organic raisons and grapes because the Environmental Working Group (EWG) classifies grapes as one of The Dirty Dozen, which means unhealthy levels of pesticides are detected in the conventionally grown fruit.

Step 1
Gather the ingredients. I purchased all the ingredients listed here at Trader Joe's.

Raw Almonds
Raw Cashew Pieces
Organic Raisons
Raw Pecan Pieces
Dried Cranberries
Raw Sunflower Seeds
Raw Pumpkin Seeds
Dried Baby Pineapple slices

Step 2
Find an appropriate-sized container with a tight-fitting lid to make and store your trail mix. Add equal amounts of almonds, cashews, raisons, pecans and dried cranberries. Add a larger amount of the seeds.

Step 3
Cut the pineapple slices into strips with a scissors, then cut cross-wise to make small chunks. Add to mix, secure the lid and shake to distribute.

What's a healthy snack you enjoy?

Friday, August 2, 2013

Curry Roasted Cauliflower

Curry Roasted Cauliflower Recipe
I've never eaten much cauliflower, but since I've found some great recipes, I'm enjoying this nutrient-rich vegetable more often. Have you tried my Potato-Less Potato Salad? Most don't miss the potatoes in this delicious summer-time staple.

This Curry Roasted Cauliflower recipe is so good, it may even become your favorite side dish. Darya Rose of Summer Tomato created this recipe and despite how simple the recipe is, she claims it "completely transforms it from a vegetable people are pretty sure they don’t like into something they just can’t get enough of."

So there you have it... Don't miss out on adding cauliflower to your most wanted veggie list.