Name: Natural Awakenings Houston
Address: 448 W. 19th Street #419, Houston, TX, 77008, US
Telephone: 713-927-6540
Price range: Call for pricing options

August 2021

Welcome to Natural Awakenings,

Houston's only lifestyle of sustainability and health publication.

YogaPoolooza! Coming October 2nd.
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INSIDE THIS MONTH'S ISSUE

Letter from the Publishers

Greetings!

Well, it’s definitely summer. After the Great Snowpacolypse this winter and the weeks of rain this spring, temperatures are in the high 90s every day. When we were kids, summer seems to stretch out forever with time to swim in the public pool, go on picnics, and hang out with friends where the conversation might go something like “What do you want to do? I don’t know, what do you want to do? I don’t know…” They were indeed the lazy, crazy days of summer. . . READ MORE

affirming naturally:

I live a life of variety.

by Doyle Ward

You have more than 55,000 thoughts each day. Many are the same thoughts over and over again. Every single one is an affirmation; this also includes everything that you say. By reducing your negative thoughts and words and increasing the positive ones, you can reshape your life. Expecting a better day helps to create a better life. The only place we have to take action or make changes is the present. . READ MORE

fitness tip:Accountability will make or break your training

by JoeyDiego Nobile

You only have this one life and the question is, how are you going to live it? Are you going to look young and healthy or sick and old? Are you going to let high blood pressure or type 2 diabetes take you before your time or are you going to do something about it? Regardless of whether you are interested in competitive bodybuilding or just getting fit so you can play with your children or grandchildren, it is never too late to start. READ MORE

eco tip

Composting Made Easy: Turn Food Waste into ‘Black Gold’

Just 3 percent of uneaten food in the U.S. is composted, reported the Natural Resources Defense Council in 2012. The remaining food scraps rotting in landfills account for 23 percent of U.S. methane emissions, a greenhouse gas at least 25 times more powerful than carbon monoxide in global warming. With minimal planning and effort, however, food scraps can be recycled through composting into an organic, high-nutrient fertilizer.

Compost is called “black gold” for its high value in gardening, but it’s simply decayed organic material. Consider all the organic materials that fall to the forest floor, break down and return to the earth. This process can be easily recreated at home. READ MORE

Food as MedicineThe Healing Power of Nutrition

by Julie Peterson

Eating is a basic need, but many Americans are not filling this need with healthful choices. Among the more than 700,000 Americans that die each year from heart disease, stroke or Type 2 diabetes, about 45 percent eat meals heavy in salt, processed meat and sugary drinks, and low in fruits, vegetables, fish and nuts, according to a March 2017 study in the Journal of the American Medical Association

“I fully understand and empathize with people in the public,” says T. Colin Campbell, Ph.D., author of the groundbreaking The China Study and founder of the T. Colin Campbell Center for Nutrition Studies, in Ithaca, New York. Campbell has often stressed that public and professional understanding of nutrition is lacking.

The problems with the Standard American Diet (SAD) start with the very ground it is grown in. Large-scale farming in the U.S. has depleted the soil, producing lower nutrient foods. In addition, many foods are processed by manufacturers to improve shelf life, which further destroys nutrients and requires toxic additives. READ MORE

Sizzling on the GrillHealthy, Sustainable Summer Fare

by Laura Paisley Beck

For most Americans, summer smells like fresh-cut grass and barbecue sizzling in the backyard. Approximately 64 percent of U.S. adults own a grill or smoker, but common practices are bad for the environment. Fortunately, many great chefs have the problem covered with delicious alternatives to traditional, carbon-emitting methods. READ MORE

Doggy DelightsHealthy Homemade Cookie Treats

by Amy Coyle

One morning, Randy Roach awoke to a delicious aroma wafting from the kitchen of his Philadelphia home. Mouth watering, he peeked in the oven to find a dozen bone-shaped cookies —meant not for him, but for Woods, the family dog. “Such is life when you live with a dog lover,” laughs Randy’s wife Kate, who had peanut butter, oat and flax seed cookies baking for their rescued Labrador mix, a picky eater.

Cooking treats for canine family members is a smart move, as they are eco-friendly, cost less and are healthier than company-made ones, say veterinarians. READ MORE

Soulful Strides

Running as a Spiritual Practice

by Marlaina Donato

Lacing up sneakers and going out for a run helps to manage weight, high blood pressure, depression and addictions, but pressing our feet upon the Earth can be much more than a form of health-promoting exercise. Runners often refer to the “runner’s high”—attaining a profound sense of well-being after a good jog. According to David Linden, a professor of neuroscience at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, this boost in mood is due to endocannabinoids, the body’s natural chemicals that are similar to the molecules in marijuana that promote relaxation. READ MORE

Growing Food Security The Benefits of Urban Gardening

by Laura Paisley Beck

For a lot of Americans, healthy food is scarce. According to FeedingAmerica.org, more than 35 million Americans faced food insecurity in 2019. That number is expected to increase substantially due to the pandemic, which disrupted the food supply chain in ways that most Americans have never seen. READ MORE

Juicy Ideas to Quench Your Summer Thirst

by Cindy & Mike Hart

The hot Houston summer calls for a cool refreshing summer beverage and juices seem like the healthy alternative to soda. However, if you read the labels of most of the bottles of juice found in the supermarket, the first ingredient is sugar. Even without added refined sugar, most fruit juices are high in natural fruit sugar, fructose, which is even worse. There are three simple solutions to the too sugary juice dilemma. Buy a commercially produced juice that is not high in sugar such as Karuna Beverages and may have other healthy ingredients that are difficult to find locally. Buy cold pressed juice from a local juice bar. Or make your own juice at home. Let’s look at a couple of things you can do when making your own juice to cut down on the fructose overload and a few recipes you can use when making your own refreshing summer juice drink. READ MORE

HEALTH BRIEF