Andy's Idea Factory

Kidney stones are no joke; they're painful, sometimes nauseating, and rarely dangerous. These hard mineral deposits form in the urinary tract and can be excruciating to pass. It's better to prevent them than to try and break them up or pass them, so if you know you have the genetic predisposition, or have had them once before, let's start with prevention tips before moving into recovery and pain management.  First, kidney stones can be a sign of dehydration and not enough liquids in the diet. Our bodies are 70-80% water, so we should be replenishing that day, especially in the summer when we are sweating more than urinating the water out. If you can start by drinking half your body weight in ounces per day, that can not only help the body replenish, but reduce inflammation, flush toxins of all kinds, and keep the body's immune system functioning at peak.  In addition, supplement that water intake with watery vegetables, tea, and other helpful liquids.  For vegetables, I...

I have been amateurely studying the benefits of herbs on health for over 25 years now and I've recently been adding Cats Claw into my regime, along with what I always and forever will take  –  whole food concentrates & plant based protein . In addition to that I rotate in a few things for my thyroid, inflammation, and gut health (selenium, magnesium, D, homeopathy, CBD) and in recent months, thanks to what I've been reading from The Medical Medium, Cats Claw is one of them. I've really noticed my body craves it now, if I skip it, I feel my physical being seeking it out. I travel a lot, more so this month, and I think that's why- it's extra immune support, which we need when we are on the road even more. This infographic from Dr. Axe sums it all up perfectly. Learn more here . I'm a firm believer that plants heal, and this her specifically is one of the ancient ones, used in Peru since the early days of herbal healing. If you are clearing out...

Recently I went to an educational talk with Dr. Tamara Sachs, a long time general practitioner who is very passionate about living healthy, and a National Marketing Director with the Juice Plus Company. Her talk was "Living on a Toxic Planet," and while it's depressing to think that we are indeed surrounded by toxins, her talk reminded me that the way I've been living, and the choices I make, mostly keep my body safe from those toxins.  From choosing to live in the mountains of Colorado twenty years ago, to reading every label of every item I buy, it may take a little more effort, but the way my body feels and the longevity that results from living a pure clean life is worth it. For nearly three decades, I have been very proactive about what I put in and on by body; lotions, hair products, household cleaners, and food  –  all of the labels of the items I buy, I read. If you're curious as to why, read my article on Read the Label . It's important to be sure ...

Traveling gives me such joy  –  to be out exploring the world and it's many cultures, people, vistas- makes my heart sing. But as someone who has struggled for over a decade with food sensitivities, weight fluctuation due to a thyroid condition, and committed to eating a healthy, plant-based diet, traveling can indeed be a challenge. Whether there is a language barrier or not, often what I'm looking for simply isn't on the menu  –  vine ripe, organic, plant-based food. So if you're new to this way of life and type of eating, you may say "oh screw it," when you're on the road.  But if you're wise to why you're eating this way  –  for mind, body and spirit  –  then you may notice that you're more tired, touchy, emotional, sore, restless, and overall just not yourself. Or you may even suffer from physical symptoms, which are perhaps the root of why you're eating this way (IBS, gas, bloating, pain, inflammation, etc.) The day that I shif...

Living without sugar is still a daily challenge for me. I've covered this topic often because going sugar free helps me so much, but it SO isn't easy, so I hope these posts help you, too. Especially around Valentine's Day. But let's face it, every month of the year has at least one holiday that's infused with sugar. A February free of...  - 2/1/17 Raw, vegan lifestyle isn't just for crazies anymore  - 3/11/16 30 days of "no" sugar - successes and challenges, and moving forward  - 2/9/16 30 days of sugar free: Kicking the Addiction  - 1/28/16 30 days Sugar Free: Switching date sugar  - 1/11/16 Committing to 30 days without sugar - YOU will hold me to it  - 1/10/16 Partying with a restrictive diet - yes, it can be done!  - 3/24/12 Healthy Living 2: Healthy Eating  - 8/5/10 Healthy Living 1 - Read the Label  - 7/28/10 Bottom line, I know I feel exponentially better without it  –  sugar gives me headaches, tummy ache...

Welcome February! I am embarking on a month with the theme of free . I have tried gluten free . Dairy free. Grain free . Sugar free . Alcohol free . Caffeine free. But I rarely try them all at once - I like the old adage "everything in moderation," although there are times when I do adopt all of that. At once. For months. I know, that's crazy talk. But I felt amazing. I was pain free. Insomnia free. Worry free. So now is that time again. After the holidays, and then another month of "I'm kind of being good" with my diet (not the weight loss kind of diet, but my clean eating regime) while on the road, I figured February was a good (short) month to get back on track. I am committing to cutting all of those things out, while adding in a daily workout of any kind (from just walking to cross country skiing), a morning and midday smoothie with my Complete protein Today's smoothie: Pumpkin, cranberry, soymilk, flax, hemp seeds, and Complete powder,...

Over 5 years ago I made the choice to give up alcohol for good. It was no longer serving me. I'd had a long journey to this decision, mind you. I'd taken as much as a year off from drinking here and there, and often times, even throughout my long bartending career, I'd go days, even weeks, without a drink. It wasn't something that called to me, beckoned me, taunted me. I wasn't addicted. So my disclaimer here is if you feel that alcohol is something that has a hold on you, seek professional help for that, because you deserve it, you'll need it, and it's out there for you. But if you're one of those people who like me wondered why you bothered after you had a few - especially the next day when your body was angry - then I urge you to take a look at whether it serves you, your health, your vitality, your relationships, your mind. Even if you're one of those people who drinks "just a glass" of wine per night because you like the taste of ...

In my past, rarely did I answer a phone number I don't know. It felt invasive. However, now that I get client and customer direct phone calls from varying area codes for both of my businesses, I tend to answer them more. (If I hear either word "mortgage" or "interest" in the first sentence, I hang up!) Today, I'm glad I answered today's "random" call, because it was the Colorado Department of Health on behalf of the Center for Disease Control and Prevention calling with a health survey, which I was happy to fill out - not only because health is my new career and in hopes to somehow impact the health and statistics on American health, but also for selfish pride that I live in one of the healthiest states in the country and I wanted my healthy body and mind included in the results.  Today I wasn't asked about my nutrition, and so at the end of the survey, I asked why. She knew I worked in the industry of health and nutrition because one ...

This was too good not to share! From Dr.Popper's Wellness Forum update Triglycerides are fats in the blood stream. Both dietary fat and carbohydrates can contribute to high triglyceride levels. Carbohydrate can be converted into fat in the liver through a process called de novo lipogensis. This takes place under certain circumstances, such as when people eat a diet that contains a lot of refined foods, juices, and soft drinks; and/or when people overeat. Both are common practices in Westernized countries. The reason why the body converts excess carbohydrate into lipids is because fat is more energy-dense and a more efficient storage form of excess calories. Unfortunately, the relationship between carbohydrate intake and triglyceride levels has been misrepresented by some health professionals, who tell people that the cause of high triglycerides is a high-carbohydrate diet. They conveniently omit the fact that the relationship is between refined carbohydrates, juices, soft...

DAY 30 is here! When I tell people I'm doing 30 days without sugar, their response is usually "I could never do that." And I'll admit it's had its challenges. But looking back on 30 days, I can say with ease that there are harder things to let go of, you just have to have the right mindset and be up for the challenge. And read a LOT of labels. First, I must include my disclaimer. Because I'm a loyal customer, distributor, and advocate for the products of the Juice Plus Company  for many health reasons, I have trace amounts of organic cane sugar in my morning (and occasional lunch) smoothies (11g), my protein bars (8g), and the occasional pack of veggie chews (2g). I am mostly vegan, and I wasn't about to give up the protein that's in these products, an all-too easy addition to my diet and a staple part of my routine. Moving on. Other than that, I have put a teaspoon of honey in my tea (6g)(about 3-4 times per week I think), and I weaned myself ...

I'm halfway through my 30 days without sugar, and feeling the benefits. My psoriasis is clearing up, the inflammation in my palms is noticeably reduced, and the cravings are next to nothing. I had one breakdown and it was on the day trip to Denver last weekend. Something about being in a car for 6 hours makes an old reflex kick in. I will confess. I ate a doughnut. I'm putting it behind me. I have always had an addiction to sugar, and I'm not alone. During the past 100 years, the average American's intake of sugar and other natural sweeteners doubled- from 80 pounds a year to over 130 pounds a year. In a lifetime, that equals enough to fill a dumpster. And knowing what sugar does to us, it's no wonder why our health has decreased over that time as well. We have the technology and the knowledge to be healthy, but we're not. Sugar suppresses the immune system, leads to chronic inflammation (next blog post), and if you're craving sugar, you're probably...

Every year at this time we commit to something new; changes for the better that we hope will stick. I've found that publicly committing to something and having a buddy in doing so is exponentially more successful than just writing some wishes in my journal, especially when the new plan is a big one. Last year I spent a month of summer sugar-free. It wasn't my first attempt, I've spent the last 7 years on one elimination diet or another in attempts to take better control of my health and the auto-immune and inflammation symptoms my body's been displaying. I've been gluten-free for those 7 years, dairy-free off and on for 30+ years, and even meat free for a portion of my life as well. So I know that cutting out foods is never easy, and for each of us, there's always one vice that's the hardest. Dairy, wheat, starches, sugar, alcohol, salt, it doesn't matter; if it's our crutch, eliminating it feels like we're depriving ourselves of the pleasur...

Great recipe from Lauren Toyota, from Clean Eating !

Updated: Fall 2019 When I wrote this post in 2014, I had recently joined a new community of health-minded individuals, and after five years with Juice Plus, I went back and updated, shorted, and revised this post so you can all see and hear how powerful a consistent practice can be of adding more plant matter to your body.   Our Story – The Kennedys and Juice Plus In 2007, Craig broke his femur waterskiing. Craig is a T-12 paraplegic, meaning his spinal cord was severed at the Thoracic #12 vertebrae, just above his hips. Craig was injured skiing in March 1996 in Steamboat Springs, 2 years after moving to Colorado, just before his 25 th birthday, and has used a wheelchair ever since. It doesn’t slow him down. It didn’t affect his love for skiing.  And it didn’t affect his soulshine. Craig and I met in 1998, at a bar in Steamboat, and we started dating in August 2000. I fell in love with Craig because of his Can-Do contagious attitude, and immediately we start...

My lesson learned in the last four years is that only YOU will advocate the most for your health. Only YOU know your body best. Know when something is wrong, despite negative tests, medical brush-offs, and a lot of "yeah I have that too, nothing helps." Keep searching for the answer, because healing is within your power, and starts from within. Hypothyroidism  30 million women and 15 million men are affected by a low thyroid - known as hypothyroidism - caused by toxic environments, stress, and a poor food system. Four or five years ago (lost track) my the symptoms started with swollen, painful joints, which lead to the discovery of a gluten intolerance, so I cut out wheat, but the symptoms eventually returned about a year later. So then I cut out all grains, then sugar, then caffeine. Nothing made me feel better, just deprived. I was put on Vitamin D. Vitamin B. Nettles. Apple Cider Vinegar. Probiotics. Nothing made me feel better, just over medicated. I tried more e...

Yesterday was my first  Magic of Henna workshop with a great group of women in Moab, hosted by the Moonflower Market and Henna Sooq , and what an exciting afternoon it was!  I was thrilled that over half of the women who attended wanted to jump right in and try it then and there (I had planned on just doing a strand of hair with them)!  All of the participants had similar stories - either they dyed their hair with chemicals and wanted to switch to something natural for various reasons such as burning scalp, or they were sick of the gray and wanted to try something natural. Either way, they were all very eager and willing subjects - so awesome! All had brown hair and wanted to keep their brown color so we used a lot of indigo yesterday - more than I had anticipated - so some of them with longer, thicker hair were going to have to likely do a second round soon, but were ok with doing the top part of their hair. I started out with all my research - the history, the Ayu...

As you know from many blog posts about it , I am ecstatic about henna and what it's done for me, in order of importance: the overall health of my hair and scalp, the all-natural solution, the compliments-attracting color, the independence, the low cost... so of course, for all those reasons I am forever talking it up to my girlfriends - whether they already dye their hair or not, but especially if they do.  So far I have three friends who have gone with henna after my encouragement and all of them have gorgeous, lustrous, vibrant hair of various colors now! To continue to add validity to this topic, here's the story from the latest convert:  (Thanks Alicia for sharing!!) My henna experience…. Alicia Wright of Bella Sol Spa   I have to say first and foremost, I love henna! At first, I was nervous about my hair turning red, and I was not ready to take the plunge.  The grey hair that crept up on my head as my roots grew out had me frantic about solutions. Not ha...

View previous posts on Henna: 1- About Henna and my process 2- The first dying 3- Other products from Henna Sooq 4- Cleansing and Independence It's been almost a year since my last Henna post and I realized I have a few things to report that might be useful! If you've read the other posts, you'll know I'm a meticulous person. I like researching something until I know it fully, and then I like developing my own process and adapting it. I was made for an R&D department, unfortunately I'm not in that career, oh well. Accordingly, I've studied Henna until I'm blue in the face. I've found an awesome provider at Henna Sooq (my only complaint is that they run out of the good stuff so you have to plan ahead, a funny story on that to follow). And I've tried several new hair products now so that I'm proud to say there are no chemicals on my head any more. After two years, I feel I have this process honed. Here's what I continue to learn a...

I've found some amazing blogs out there that I thought to share, as I've found some great recipes here after 6 months on the SCD diet and getting bored with the few staple things I make weekly (granola, muffins, yogurt and smoothies, cottage cheese), salads, and restrictions.  I am craving bread again. And due to my latest class and needing to lead by example, I am losing my interest in meat's low vibrational energy.  So I went on the hunt for recipes that were grain free and meat free. I know, I know, what the heck does that leave? Well, I found some excellent options. I have found kindred spirits out there in these blogs, and know if you're reading this, you are one too. Enjoy! http://www.againstallgrain.com Love this girl! Fish tacos! Meringue Cookies! Bread! Pizza! Yes. There's a lot there to love. http://www.nourishingmeals.com Grain free, sugar free, and vegan chocolate brownie cupcakes. OMG. http://www.grainfreeliving.com Educational too - a list...