Hothouse Bath and Body News

The next time you buy groceries, make sure to add some of these healthy ingredients to your shopping cart:

• Beets: High in antioxidants & phytonutrients, beets help to detoxify blood, combat anemia, stimulate liver function, and are high in beta-carotene and folate (guards against birth defects, osteoporosis, and colon cancer).
• Blueberries: Antioxidant rich and contain anthocyanins, which may have antidiabetic effects.
• Broccoli, brussel sprouts, cabbage, kale, cauliflower, turnips, kohrabi and bok choy: Hold high levels of phytochemicals and have anti-cancer properties.
• Cinnamon: Contains one of the highest antioxidant levels of all spices and herbs and helps with blood glucose levels.
• Coconut oil: High in lauric acid (with antibacterial properties).  Coconut oil helps to balance metabolism, repair the liver, and is used externally as an antihistamine and for its moisturizing properties.
• Ginger: Excellent for digestion, nausea, and motion sickness, stimulates circulation, boosts metabolism, is a natural decongestant, and anti-inflammatory.
• Miso: A fermented soybean paste, miso contains zinc, which helps the immune system to function well, and also is a source of  B12.
• Sweet Potatoes: An abundance of phytonutrients, which boost immunity, and promote eye and heart health.  Sweet potatoes also contain beta-carotene (believed to lower breast cancer risk) and vitamin A (which could reduce the effects of smoking).
• Turmeric: A primary ingredient in curry, turmeric is a digestive aid, a wound healer, and anti-inflammatory.
• Walnuts: High in antioxidants and Omega-3 Essential Fatty Acids (beneficial for the heart and inflammatory skin conditions including eczema and psoriasis).  Walnuts help to lower LDL cholesterol and are rich in vitamin E, magnesium, and selenium.
• Yogurt: Boosts immune response and contains probiotics, which are the good bacteria that your digestive system requires.