A Simple DIY Recipe For Elderberry Syrup

Hi Lovely readers,

I have heard how Elderberries are a good source of Vitamin C and full of antioxidants. Research has shown they may reduce cold and flu symptoms. Take a look at the pros and cons of elderberries of Healthline.com. I made this recipe from Nikisha Riley, who had a blog at the time. I would watch the Urbanbushbabes youtube videos. I’ve been making this recipe ever since I saw it. I was looking for a healthy alternative to a cough syrup that also may boost the immune system.

Elderberry Syrup
Ingredients:
1/2 cup dried 
elderberries
3 cups water
1 cup local or raw honey
2/3 cup organic raw apple cider vinegar

Directions:
Fill a pot with 3 cups of water and dried elderberries. Bring to a boil, and on low heat, let boil for 30 minutes. Take off heat and mash elderberries up well with a potato masher. Strain out the liquid into a separate bowl using a strainer, cheesecloth, coffee filter, or something similar.

Once strained, add honey to the elderberry liquid, stir well, and add the apple cider vinegar. Place in a glass jar with an airtight lid and place in the fridge. The syrup will last for up to 6 months.

To Use:
Adults 1 Tablespoon a day and 
children 1 teaspoon a day.
 If you are using it as flu and cold medicine, you can take the same dose every hour instead of just once a day.

Raw berries, stems, and leaves can have side effects of nausea, vomiting, and dizziness. Wellness Mama has her elderberry recipe, which is almost identical, except she uses additional added flavors like clove and cinnamon.

Disclaimer
This recipe has been provided for informational purposes only. Please check with your doctor first if you have medical questions, if you are pregnant, have allergies, or allergic reactions. 

How Does Your Lifestyle Affect Complications During Pregnancy?

Pregnancy takes a huge toll on your body, and there is always the chance of complications. In most cases, you will be absolutely fine, and even though you will notice a lot of changes to your body, you and your baby will be perfectly healthy. However, things can always go wrong, and your doctor will talk to you about the potential issues you may face. 

Image From Pixabay CCO License

You can’t always avoid these complications, but there are some simple ways that you can keep yourself healthy and reduce the chances of a difficult pregnancy and birth. These are some of the most effective ways to avoid pregnancy complications. 

Attend All Of Your Appointments
All of the appointments with your doctor during your pregnancy are scheduled for a reason. At these appointments, you will be checked over for any potential health problems, and scans will assess the health of your baby. If issues can be picked up early, they can be dealt with before they cause any complications. But they can only do that if you attend all of your appointments, so make sure that you keep on top of your schedule and don’t miss any. 

Maintain A Healthy Weight
Weight gain drastically increases the chances of pregnancy complications, so you must maintain a healthy weight. Naturally, you will gain weight when you are pregnant. Still, you must avoid eating lots of sugary foods because this increases the chances of developing preeclampsia. This high blood pressure condition can affect the baby’s oxygen levels in the womb. It can also lead to gestational diabetes. On the other hand, being underweight can lead to serious complications too. So, make sure that you eat a healthy, balanced diet and speak to your doctor if you are concerned about your weight while pregnant. Visit https://www.tommys.org for a guide on healthy eating during pregnancy.

Look After Your Oral Health 
Many people don’t realize it, but oral health can increase the risk of complications during pregnancy. Unfortunately, you have a higher risk of developing gum disease when you are pregnant, so you must take care of your oral health. Book an appointment with an experienced dentist (like this one at http://smilesbymia.com/) and regularly visit throughout the pregnancy. Keep on top of your oral hygiene routine at home too, and if you notice any small problems, get them checked out right away.

Get Plenty Of Sleep 
Studies show that lack of sleep can also increase your risk of preeclampsia and gestational diabetes, so make sure that you get plenty of sleep. This is often easier said than done because many women have insomnia during pregnancy—simple lifestyle changes like exercising during the day and finding ways to reduce stress can help. However, if it is becoming a serious problem, you should speak to your doctor about potential medical treatments. 

If you follow these steps, you can drastically reduce the chances of complications during pregnancy. However, you should always consult your doctor if you are worried about anything because complications are always possible.  

5 Ways To Improve Your Diet And Boost Your Health

Unsplash

A healthy diet is the key to feeling amazing in body and mind. The right foods can nourish our bodies, give us energy, boost our moods, and more. If you want to improve your diet but you’re not quite sure where to begin, check out these five ideas.

Set yourself goals
To improve your diet and boost your health, it’s a good idea to set some health goals. When you’re setting health goals, keep your goals achievable and realistic. A few example diet goals might be:

– Learn one new healthy recipe every week.
– Have at least three different vegetables in each meal.
– Eat more nutrient-rich food (including salmon, kale, and blueberries).
– Reduce your intake of sugar.
– Give up one non-healthy food item.

Grow your own vegetables
To improve your diet, it’s a great idea to grow your own vegetables. Before you get started, you’ll need to create a healthy compost pile. To make a compost pile, you’ll need green materials such as vegetable scraps, grass trimmings, and coffee grounds. You’ll also need brown materials such as cardboard and wood chippings. Use an equal amount of green materials and brown materials to make healthy compost. Make a start with easy-to-grow vegetables, including potatoes and tomatoes.

Learn new recipes
Challenge yourself to learn some new healthy recipes. Learning new recipes is a great way to motivate yourself to eat healthier. To find a few tasty ideas, try these recipe apps:

* Oh She Glows: This app has plenty of healthy recipes to inspire you. All of the recipes feature easy instructions and gorgeous photos. You can search using keywords and titles, so it’s easy to find exactly what you want.

* Green Kitchen: The Green Kitchen app is a great place to find tasty vegetarian recipes. There are lots of options, and all recipes contain minimal gluten, sugar, and dairy. To help you get more vegetables in your diet, this is a great app.

Focus on natural foods
To lead a healthy lifestyle, focus on eating natural foods and avoid junk foods and overly processed foods. Eat plenty of vegetables, fruits, meat, fish, and eggs. Avoid an excessive amount of carbs, cheese, and sugary foods. To help inspire you, there are plenty of healthy eating podcasts which can give you ideas.

Try a health program.
One of the best ways to improve your diet is to book an online health program. With the help of a wellness expert, you can learn how to improve your diet, physical health, and mental health. By following a structured health program, it’s easier to achieve the results you desire. There are many different wellness programs available, depending on which area you would like to focus on.

Once you make some good changes to your diet, you’ll notice that you feel better in body and mind. Set a few health goals today, using these five areas of inspiration.

Lipstick Hacks Every Lady Needs to Know

Lipstick is one of the best ways to lift your look and elevate your style, but so many women aren’t using it to their full potential. Let’s change that right now by looking at some of the best lipstick hacks I know…

Pexels – CCO Licence

Smooth your smile
If you want your smile to be as smooth and slick as possible, you should exfoliate your lips while they’re dry, using a clean mascara wand. Once you’ve removed the dead skin, apply a little lip balm, and slick on your favorite shade of lipstick for a smooth, flawless look.

Whiten your teeth
Although lipstick won’t permanently lighten your teeth – you’ll need the help of a good cosmetic dentist like Prince Dental Group for that – it can provide a temporary solution. If your teeth are looking less than perfectly pearly, apply a pinky-nude shade to your lips and your teeth will instantly look whiter and brighter. Dark shades just highlight the yellow of your teeth, while light pinky shades will detract from any imperfections and immediately brighten your style. It really is that simple.

Brighten your cheeks
So many women still don’t know that lipstick doesn’t just have to stay n the lips., Your favorite shade of pink lipstick can also be applied to your cheeks, and as long as you blend it carefully, it will give you a healthy colorful glow that’s just as good as any cream blush on the market.

Pexels – CCO Licence

Get precise with a concealer brush
If you want your lipstick to look as neat and natural as possible, instead of applying it with a lipstick brush, or directly from the lipstick container, use a concealer brush instead. This brilliant beauty hack will not only allow you to apply it far more accurately, but it will also enable you to create an opaque look that it would be difficult to achieve using other methods.

Make it last
If your sick of having to reapply your lipstick look every few hours, simply apply a thin layer of translucent powder over your lipstick once it has been fully applied, and then do a little blotting with a tissue to remove the excess, The powder will not only keep your lipstick in place all day, but it will help you achieve a more natural matte look without much effort.

Go a shade darker
If nude lipstick is your thing, but you can never seem to make it look as good as the models do, it’s not you – it’s your lipstick. So many women make the mistake of choosing a nude lipstick that is the same color as their skin, when actually., they should be choosing a nude that is one shade darker than they are. This will help to give the lips more definition, while still appearing to be nude and natural.

Now you know the secrets to better-looking lipstick, time to start practicing so next time you have a big night out, you can really blow everyone away with your luscious, long-lasting lips.

Tips for Setting Up a Minimalist Home Décor

Minimalism is a concept that has become more popular in many aspects of life, including home décor. Not only does it keep your home organized and more inviting, but it also improves your mood and well-being. According to psychology professor Tim Kasser, minimalist homes can increase your satisfaction levels, reduce stress and enhance your mental health. Besides, it has proven helpful in combating conditions such as anxiety and schizophrenia. Perhaps you’re considering this option for your next home make-over. You can follow these tips as a guide.

Image Credit 

Invest in multifunctional furniture
Multifunctional furniture items are ideal for perfecting the minimalist look in your home. Aside from their original purpose, you can use them for other functions such as storage. They also reduce clutter and maximize your home space. For instance, you can opt for a bed with additional storage space to keep your books and other items. You can also buy shelves that convert to tables or the murphy sofa. Thanks to convenient payment options such as international money transfers, you can buy these furniture items from any part of the world. There’s a wide variety to choose from, and you can purchase those that appeal to your taste.

Create a focal point
While a minimalist home design promotes baring down to the essentials, it doesn’t mean you can’t beautify your walls with art. However, it’s vital to reduce the number of art pieces in your home as it can create clutter and defeat the purpose of minimalism. It will help if you see art as a focal point that draws attention to your home. You can get a large art canvas or a small picture in a simple black frame. You can also choose a section of your wall with a vibrant color to serve as the focal point for your space.

Let nature into your home
Plants clean and beautify your home. They also come with health benefits such as reducing stress and anxiety levels. However, you need to know the plants to incorporate to produce the minimalistic feel you desire. You can opt for rubber plants, the chain of hearts, the dragon tree, and the weeping fig for a simple yet classy feel. You may want to avoid flowering plants as they can appear fuzzy and make your space feel crowded.

Embrace natural lighting
Lighting is a vital component of the minimalistic design. It can enhance your mood and create a welcoming space for your guests. Letting the sunlight in opens up your home space and makes it appear more prominent. You can leave your windows bare or use blinds or light curtains if you feel uncomfortable with open windows. You could even hire a custom window installer to help you optimize the natural light. Alternatively, you can also use artificial lighting or mirrors in rooms without access to sunlight.

Use neutral colors
Neutral colors can make your room brighter and more spacious, especially when combined with natural lighting. Additionally, they give your home a relaxed and elegant feel. You can choose colors such as white or beige. Fortunately, they come in different undertones; white comes in bluish and peachy shades, while beige has pink or gold hues. You can incorporate these into your home for a relaxing effect.

The minimalist home décor is excellent for creating space and comfort. Hopefully, these will guide you as you create the perfect look for your home.

What Should You Be Doing To Improve Your Finances?

Are your finances a sore point for you at the moment? We’ve all been in that situation at one point or another, so don’t feel embarrassed or worried. Know that you’re not alone, and that if other people have found their way out their situations, you can as well. It might be the case that you simply don’t know how to improve your financial situation, and that’s okay because we do. In this article, we’re going to be taking a look at some of the things that you can do to improve your financial situation, so keep reading if you would like to find out more.

Image Credit – CC0 Licence

Start A Side Hustle
The first thing that you should think about doing is starting a side hustle. While it might not seem possible right now, just keep in mind that side hustles are there to be flexible so that you can make extra money around your day job. For example, this could be doing something like dog walking as there is always time for this. Or, you could take up blogging if you like to write and want to share your thoughts with the world.

You might not make masses of money from a side hustle, but that’s okay because it’s just supposed to be a little top up. It will help to improve your finances by giving you some extra wiggle room each month.

Get Out Of Debt
Another thing that you’re going to need to do is get yourself out of debt. While it might feel like the hardest thing in the world to do, you simply need to be organized about it. Speak to anyone that you owe money to, and see if they will allow you to set up a payment plan. Keep in mind that as you have come to them, and they haven’t had to chase you, combined with the fact that they want their money back, they are more than likely to accept the plan you propose.

Go through your finances and ensure that you can afford to make the payments on the debt every month. Eventually, you will find your way out of debt and everything will be okay again.

Manage Your Money Better
Finally, you need to manage your money better. This means that you should be budgeting and updating the budget whenever your financial situation changes. When you do this though, you should always be planning for any unforeseen expenses such as HVAC repair so that you have some extra funds if the worst happens. Once you learn to manage your money better, you will find that your finances significantly improve.

We hope that you have found this article helpful, and now see some of the things that you should be doing in order to improve your finances. It might not seem like it’s possible right now, but we guarantee that if you put your mind to it, there is nothing that you won’t be able to achieve with your money. We wish you the very best of luck.

Verified by MonsterInsights