**A Special Thank-You to Latara Ham-Ying for contributing this post to Dr. Mommy Health Tips.

Because raw foods have enzymes, which help our food to digest, they are important in the digestion process. The enzymes in raw foods break down particles so they can be utilized for energy.

Enzymes are proteins and they have a unique 3-dimensional structure. Once they are heated above 118 degrees, the unique structure begins to breakdown. Once they have been exposed to heat the enzymes no longer contribute to the process of digestion for which they were made.

Therefore eating a wide variety for raw foods is imperative for a thriving life. A daily diet should consist of at least 50% raw foods for a proper functioning body.

Just how does one get a good amount of raw foods in their system?

Here a few simple ways to add more raw foods to your daily diet:

• Eat a simple green salad with lunch and dinner. When you eat a salad before your main meal, it aids in proper digestion.

• Cut up raw vegetables like cucumbers, carrots, tomatoes, green onions, and celery to go with your dinner. You would be surprised how delicious a raw tomato is with beans and rice.

• Make a salad with just avocados, tomatoes, green and black olives. A good dressing for this salad is simply a little olive oil, garlic powder, and sea salt.

• Make a bruschetta spread with tomatoes, garlic, and green olives. Dice the vegetables; add olive oil, sea salt, and basil. Chill and eat over toast, crackers, on the side of any Italian dish, or by itself.

• Pop a piece of fruit in your mouth. Yes, they are raw foods too! And they are delicious

• Make a smoothie. All smoothies do not have to made with milk either. Just freeze the fruit, place in blender once it is frozen, add ice, sweetener of choice, some ground flax seeds, and blend.

• Juice it! Oh the benefits of having a juicer. Try a carrot, cucumber, and ginger blend for energy, focus, and clarity. Juicing is very beneficial to your over all health.

• Try sprouts. The most enzyme rich foods are sprouts. They are filled with some of the most potent sources of vitamin C, beta-carotene, and many B vitamins. Just about any vegetable or grain can be consumed from sprouts. Try alfalfa, broccoli, bean, or mung bean sprouts.

• Make a raw granola, trail mix, and raw fruit bars. My favorite homemade raw bar is made with oatmeal, cranberries, pecan, and honey with a little barley malt and flax. Now for those already prepared, try the Lara bars. It comes in a variety of flavors like pecan pie, apple pie, and banana bread and they are all natural with no preservatives.

• Eat raw nuts. No, not the salted ones you get in a can! Find raw nuts in health food stores and crunch away. You can even add them you your salads.

Unfortunately too many people neglect the importance of raw foods and cook everything to death…literally. By over cooking food you are risking serious health problems. Cooked foods are not always the healthiest. The body cannot properly digest foods that have been fried, pasteurized, barbecued, dried or other over-processed and over cooked foods. If you have to cook foods, the best way to do so is to lightly stem, stew, or use a crock pot.

Start out with one raw dish per day plus a few extra pieces of fruit. Your body will scream “Thank you” and you will feel the difference.

LaTara Ham-Ying and Rupert Ham-Ying are the owners of Vegan Family Living where they provide information on vegan living with a whole health approach. For more information on vegan and wholesome living visit them today at Vegan Family Living.

Stress is something many of us deal with on a daily basis. But it is not something we have to live with.

Unfortunately, stress can lead to anxiety disorders, heart attacks, strokes and many other life threatening conditions.

I will share some tips on how to live a stress free life.

There is no need to rely on medication, you can control the stresses in your life. Yes, you can!!

This report will show you ways to live a healthier lifestyle and reduce the stress you thought you would have to live with forever.

So, how do you gain access to this report??

That’s easy, I am sharing the link with you here. Be sure to share this link with your friends.

Don’t wait, click on this link today: Dr. Mommy’s Stress Less Report

A Special Thank You to Dr. Peter J. Pagano for writing this article for us.

“Dentistry is really engineering on a miniature scale,” says Dr. Peter J. Pagano, author of the upcoming book: Ageless Smile: What You Need to Know About Midlife Dentistry. Just a few millimeters of imbalance in the way your teeth fit together or jaw joints out of position can create discomfort, unnatural chewing function and head, neck and face pain. That’s why he recommends finding a dentist who takes a “whole body” or orthopedic approach to dentistry.

A whole-body approach is different from a holistic one. The whole body dentist takes an approach to your dental health that Dr. Pagano describes as “orthopedic.” This means that he/she understands the interrelationship between your mouth and head and the rest of your body. Over the years, he has helped hundreds of patients alleviate pain that they never considered was stemming from a dental condition.
Added to the problem of maintaining proper balance in the head, neck and jaw is the fact that sometimes cosmetic dental procedures can actually throw this delicate balance out of kilter. For example, when porcelain veneers are used to cover up crooked teeth that are a result of a bad bite, the problem can be made worse.

Dr. Pagano calls this approach to cosmetic dentistry “drive thru dentistry.” He explains that unlike bleaching, getting cosmetic dental work in a hurry is not right for many people. “A dentist’s primary role is to always maintain proper chewing function for the patient, as this has a dramatic effect on the patient’s long term health.” That’s why even immediate implants to replace missing teeth may not be right for you if you already have an existing imbalance causing pain.

Your teeth have more of an influence on your central nervous system than any other part of your body. Consider that fifty percent of the sensory input to your brain comes from your teeth, as compared with twenty percent from your hands. When your teeth and jaw come together correctly, this input is not interfered with. Also consider that each tooth is energetically connected to an internal organ and you can see just how much your dental health can affect how you feel every day.

An orthopedic approach to your dental care takes cosmetic dentistry a step further. It does more than restore your smile. It can affect your overall health. If you experience any of these symptoms immediately after dental treatment, be sure to call your doctor and get them corrected:

1. Uncomfortable chewing;
2. Teeth not coming together like they were before treatment;
3. Popping or clicking in your jaws;
4. Reduction in how wide you can open your mouth.

A simple bite adjustment will usually handle the problem.

Hi everyone!! I have been working diligently to get my new site launched before Christmas and I succeeded!!

Today Dr. Mommy Says Launched!!

Please be sure to visit and enter the giveaways.

Today’s giveaway is for your furry friends, sponsored by Paw Luxury.  There are several ways to enter the contest, but hurry because the first giveaway ends December, 4th at midnight.

Be sure to sign up for my ezine where you will get exciting news first, along with health tips and easy recipes and more.

Thanks to my loyal readers..couldn’t do this without you.

PS.  Don’t forget to visit me on Walmart and nominate me as well.

The Chronicles continue….

It’s not always possible to avoid colds and flus but there are methods you can take to help get over an illness should you suffer from one.

Aside from grandma’s remedies and the good ole chicken soup there are other ways to get over an illness quicker.

What you want to take into consideration is that the sooner you try to combat the illness, the quicker you will recover.

Here are some tips:

• Herbs work well - try taking echinacea in 1,000 mg doses, 3 times per day.  Another combination that works well to combat colds is echinacea with golden seal.  Both these herbs come in drops, tablets and tea form.  There are also varieties made for children with out the alcohol that is sometimes found in the adult forms.
• Vitamin C -  although vitamin C is not a preventative method of use it does seem to help with those suffering from cold symptoms.  It is best to take at 500mg 3 to 4 times per day, since it is usually flushed out of the system.
• Be patient - it is not fun when you are sick, but you must be patient in order to heal quicker.  Take the cues your body gives you and rest.  Giving you body the rest needed to heal will get you back on your feet a lot quicker.
• Fortify your body - it is important to strengthen your weakened immune system in order to recover from and illness quicker.  Be sure to get enough sleep, hydration and good nutrition.  It may be wise to add some ginseng into your diet, 200 mg per day, to help with the healing process as well.

Follow these simple tips and you will be amazed how quick you will recover from your illness.

Until next time,