A study in “Annals of Epidemiology” found that people who attend religious services tend to be healthier than those who do not.  And those we attend weekly have a lower risk of death than those who never attend a service at all.  There is much scientific evidence coming out that links spirituality and both mental and physical health.  The Journal of Affective Disorders reported lower suicide rates among people who regularly attend religious services.  There are many reasons for these findings.  Some say that people who are more religious take better care of themselves, they are less likely to smoke or drink, and they see their doctors on a regular basis.  Another reason is that people who attend a place of worship, whether it is a church, synagogue, mosque or temple, are more socially integrated.  They have a support system of friends and a community to help them cope with the stresses of life.  And of course, there is the whole mind, body, and spirit connection.  When we work on one, then the others improve as well.  Whether we spend time in prayer, meditation, or attending a religious service, these activities help us to feel better, and have a more positive outlook on life.

Ayurveda is the Science of Life from India, and it shows us many ways to use the mind-body-spirit connection to be our happiest and healthiest.  Check out my 8-week e-course with Daily Om. 

My friend Natalie works in a coffee shop in Monterey creating the most yummy vegan baked goods you can imagine!  Vegan means no dairy, and no eggs, which can be a challenge in baked goods.  But luckily for us, there are many alternatives, and these alternatives are not only good, they are good for us!  Soy milk, rice milk, or almond milk is most often used in place of regular milk, and the measurements are the same.  To replace eggs, here are some suggestions:

-Soy Yogurt.  ¼ cup soy yogurt = 1 egg.  Use plain yogurt, or for a sweeter taste, vanilla yogurt.  This substitution works best in breads, muffins, and cakes.

-Extra Firm Silken Tofu.  Use a blender to mix the tofu with a splash of soy milk until it is smooth and creamy.  ¼ cup blended tofu = 1 egg.  This works best with dense cakes and brownies.

-Bananas.  ½ well mashed banana = 1 egg.  Keeps your baked goods nice and moist, but does leave the banana flavor.  Works best in breads, muffins, cakes or pancakes.

-Egg Replacer.  There are some various brands, one is “Ener-G!”  1 ½ Tablespoon egg replacer well mixed with 2 Tablespoons water = 1 egg.  This works best in cookies, or items that you want to get crispy.

-Flaxseeds.  Finely grind the seeds, or have them pre-ground and keep them in the freezer as they are highly perishable.  Flaxseeds are a great source of omega-3s.  1 Tablespoon flaxseeds beaten together with 3 tablespoons water = 1 egg.  Flaxseeds have a very earthy taste, so they work best in whole grain items like oatmeal cookies.  

Vegan Cappuccino Cupcakes recipe:https://www.coffeytalk.com/vegan-cappuccino-cupcakes/

It wasn’t too long ago that when someone talked about Feng Shui most people would say “what?”  Now Feng Shui is a very familiar term that describes using the energy in our environment to create a feeling of health and well-being.  Here are some simple tips to bring good health into our households using the ancient art and science of Feng Shui:

-Clear the space.  The home needs to be both clean and organized to allow positive energy to flow.  Start with getting rid of clutter, giving the room a good cleaning, and opening up the windows to let in fresh air.

-Make sure everything in your space is in working order.  Repair or replace broken clocks, appliances, and gadgets.  Fix up peeling paint, or cracked walls.  Get rid of items that you don’t use.  Donate them to charity so that someone who needs these items can make use of them.

-The bedroom is important for good health because this is where we sleep, and we restore our own positive energy during this time.  Keep work out of the bedroom – no computers, cell phones, or exercise equipment should be in this space.  If you must have a television in the bedroom, keep it at least 6 feet away from the bed, and cover it up at night.

-Always keep toilets and bathrooms clean, and keep the lid on the toilet closed at all times when not in use.  Keep the bathroom door closed.  Don’t place your bed on a wall that has a toilet on the other side.

Tons of practical and easy tips you can use right now here:

Feng Shui for Everyday: Easy Ways to Bring Abundance into Your Home and Workplace e-book by Lissa Coffey

Want to feel better and live longer?  Research from the Center for Medical Humanities shows that there is a strong link between philanthropy and well-being.  It seems the more we give, the better we feel – not just mentally, but physically as well!  It’s time to start getting into some good habits and make philanthropy a regular part of our lives – for the benefit of ourselves and others!  Perhaps the most famous quote from Gandhi is: “Be the change you want to see in the world.”  Be the Change, Inc is a Massachusetts based non-profit organization dedicated to uniting citizens, social entrepreneurs, the service world and leaders from every sector of society.  Their first campaign is Service Nation, a campaign to inspire a new era of voluntary citizen service in the United States.  The idea is to increase service opportunities and elevate service as a core ideal and problem-solving strategy.  They’ll start with working to inspire a powerful culture of volunteerism through the promotion of national days of service.  And the hope is that a commonly asked question will soon be: “Where do you serve?”  If you’re interested in philanthropy and being of service in your community, we have posted some involvement opportunities on CoffeyTalk.

Involvement Opportunities: https://www.coffeytalk.com/community-involvement/

We hear a lot about vitamins A, B, C, D and E.  But a little further up the alphabet brings us to vitamin K.  This vitamin was discovered by a Danish scientist in 1934 and was given the “K” for “Koagulation,” the Danish spelling of the word coagulation.  Vitamin K helps the liver manufacture several proteins that control blood clotting.  And now researchers say that vitamin K also provides many other health benefits.  For example, it can help prevent osteoarthritis, and prevent calcium buildup in plaque-filled arteries. So how do we get more vitamin K in our diets?  Eat your veggies!  Green vegetables, especially leafy green ones, are a great source of vitamin K.  Broccoli and spinach are both super vitamin K packed, and when sautéed in olive or soybean oil, which are also good sources of Vitamin K, the fat helps the body with absorption

The Veggie Star Store

http://www.cafepress.com/coffey_talk/2321153

Resilience is a quality that can get us through many of life’s challenges with grace.  When my kids were young and I was active in CHADD (Children and Adults with Attention Deficit Disorders) I was lucky enough to meet Robert Brooks, PhD, a psychologist on the faculty of Harvard Medical School with a private practice near Boston.  Dr. Brooks defines resilience as “the ability to respond to tough situations with inner strength.”  Here are some tips on how we can start developing the ability to be resilient:

– Focus on what you have control over, not on what you have no control over.  It’s kind of like the serenity prayer – we need to learn the difference, and recognize it.  Some things we just have to let go of.

– Make connections.  We all have the need for community, for a support system.  We can find this in a club, a cause, a church, or any kind of a group where we can make friends.

-Be of service.  Volunteer.  Contributing to society gives us a feeling of purpose, and that helps us to build resilience.

-Stay fit.  Body, mind, and spirit.  Eat healthy foods, exercise both mentally and physically, and spend time in nature and in silence.  Get into good habits.

-Express gratitude.  Every day, count your blessings.  Keeping a gratitude journal is a good way to do this.  Gratitude helps us to keep things in perspective, and this is important with resilience.

-Pursue your passion.  We have the desires we have for a reason.  And we can use these to help us learn and grow.  Doing what we love brings joy, which boosts our resilience!

The Power of Resilience: Achieving Balance, Confidence, and Personal Strength in Your Life

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0071431985?ie=UTF8&tag=brightideaspr-20&linkCode=xm2&camp=1789&creativeASIN=0071431985

Coconut oil is popular in Ayurveda as a massage oil to balance pitta, and as a conditioner for hair.  I’ve come across some other uses for coconut oil that might surprise you – but how wonderful to be creative, and health conscious at the same time!

-While coconut oil is conditioning to the hair, it also can help cure dandruff.  Just massage a little bit onto the scalp.  This is a very gentle treatment that can even be used on children and babies.

-There are strong antifungal agents in coconut oil, so it can be used to treat athlete’s foot, ringworm, thrush and yeast infections. 

-The moisturizing properties of coconut oil make it good for helping many skin conditions like eczema.  It can also be used as a make-up remover, or as a lip balm.

-Because coconut oil also has antimicrobial and anti-inflammatory properties, it can be used as a cream for small cuts and scrapes, protecting against infection while helping the skin to heal.

-Mixed with baking soda, coconut oil can be used as a natural toothpaste.

Coconut Cures

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0941599604?ie=UTF8&tag=brightideaspr-20&linkCode=xm2&camp=1789&creativeASIN=0941599604

Let’s look at Numerology and the significance of the number NINE.  9 comes into play if you are born on the 9^th, the 18^th, or the 27^th, or if you are born in September, or if all the numbers in your birth date add up to a compound 9, or if all the letters in your name add up to a compound 9.  Each letter of the alphabet has a number, a=”1,” b=”2,” etc.  Indian Numerology says that the ruling planet for 9 is Mars.  The best day of the week is Tuesday, its color is red and its gemstone is coral.  Nine people are good organizers and managers, their karmic lesson is patience, and they are known to be humanitarians, with a big heart and solid work ethic.  The number 9 is a very spiritual number, made up of 3 groups of 3.  9 is related to intuition and clairvoyance, inspiration and unpredictability.  The number 9 brings with it recognition and fame.

Numbers and You – on amazon

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0345345932?ie=UTF8&tag=brightideaspr-20&linkCode=xm2&camp=1789&creativeASIN=0345345932

Maya Angelou writes: “If you don’t like something change it.  If you can’t change it, change your attitude.  Don’t complain.”  Now there’s an organization that is challenging us to go 21 days without a complaint!  Can we do it?  I’m certainly going to give it a shot.  What a great idea!  Why 21 days?  Scientists believe it takes 21 days to form a new habit and complaining is habitual for many of us.  A Complaint Free World has created purple bracelets to help us with this.  The idea is that when we catch ourselves complaining, gossiping or criticizing, we move the bracelet to the other arm and begin again.  So, it may take much longer than 21 days to get through the experience, but afterwards, we’ll find that life is happier, more loving, and more enjoyable.   Let’s track our progress on the CoffeyTalk group page on facebook.  Shall we call this Day 1?  Game on!

http://www.acomplaintfreeworld.org

A Complaint Free World: How to Stop Complaining and Enjoy the Life You Always Wanted

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0385524587?ie=UTF8&tag=brightideaspr-20&linkCode=xm2&camp=1789&creativeASIN=0385524587

Here in the U.S. we have a huge variety of cereal to choose from.  Go into any grocery store and cereal takes up a whole aisle of shelves!  On the TV show Seinfeld, Jerry was a fan, and cereal was often a part of the storyline.  As long as we read the labels and make good choices, cereal can be a very healthy food, and a great way to start our day.  One research study in Wales showed that eating breakfast cereal on a regular basis helped to lower stress and improve physical and mental health.  Cereal eaters had lower levels of cortisol, the hormone that rises with stress.  Cereal is also good for heart health.  Research shows that men who eat one serving of whole-grain cereal a day have a lower risk of heart disease.   One reason for this is that cereal helps to reduce homocysteine levels, an amino acid that is known to raise heart attack rates.  Soluble fiber, found in oats, helps to lower cholesterol.  Insoluble fiber, found in wheat and rice cereals, is good for reducing the risk of colon cancer. Look for cereals that have at least 5 grams of fiber per serving.  And choose cereals that say “bran” or “whole grain” on the label.  And be mindful of the portion size, which you’ll find on the label as well.  Most people serve themselves more than one portion of the cereal without realizing it.  While this gives us more fiber, it also gives us more calories.

The Breakfast Cereal Gourmet

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0740750291?ie=UTF8&tag=brightideaspr-20&linkCode=xm2&camp=1789&creativeASIN=0740750291