MythBusting... Coffee and Tea Is Bad For You?

Okay, so, I'm always hearing that coffee and tea are bad for you and that the caffeine is bad for you and stuff. As a coffee and tea lover myself, I decided to do some research to find the facts.

Tea
Did you know that UK citizens drink around 165 million cups of tea a year? Boom. It's not surprising. The question, though, is is this even healthy?
Truth is, yes it is. Studies show that drinking at least four cups of tea a day can prevent health problems!! Teas (green and black), come from the same plant, Camellia sinensis. Yeah, when I read that I had no idea what it was either. On the website I got this information from, said that this came out of the mouth of dietitian and nutritionist Dr. Carrie Ruxton, " ...They contain active plant compounds called polyphenols (antioxidants), which have heart health and possibly anti cancer benefits, too."

Green Tea For Weight-loss?
Yes, you heard it right. Green tea actually helps you lose weight.
Green tea is known to be the healthiest beverage on the planet. I actually love green tea. Each tea bag is loaded with antioxidants! Many studies have shown that that green tea can increase fat burning and help you lose weight!! WHAT!? For real, though.. I've noticed for myself !!


Coffee
The caffeine in coffee (along with tea and other caffeinated drinks), is a stimulant. That's the substance that perks us up and makes us functional for the day. But, there is also evidence that coffee can boost physical performance and may even reduce the risk of depression. That's pretty cool, honestly. A lot like tea, coffee is also a great source of polyphenol antioxidants. These clean up the free radicals in our blood, which happen to cause damage to our bodies. The answers found so far indicate that moderate consumption of coffee (3-5 cups per day), is fine for most people and may bring health benefits.

Coffee Does More Than Wake You Up
Yes. Coffee isn't just a good pick-me-up for early mornings and late night studies.
A study that was published in February of 2009 has linked coffee drinking with a reduced risk of stroke in women! WHAT. I don't even know how, but this research is still in its early stages.
Scientists have also found evidence that people who drink 3-5 cups of coffee a day decrease their risk of developing Parkinson's disease by up to 25%. This website says that Kieran Breen, Director of Research and Development at the Parkinson's Disease Society, said, "These results represent the strongest evidence so far that caffeine may have some effects against developing Parkinson's." That's awesome.


Caffeine
Caffeine is awesome, don't get me wrong. But, too much of it can be bad.. just like to much of anything can be harmful to our bodies. Too much caffeine can cause restlessness, insomnia, and anxiety so be careful with how much you drink! Caffeine is easily addictive, as you probably already know. If you find that you are dependent on it to get through your day, maybe that's a sign that you should cut back. Now, I know that sounds crazy... but it's completely doable. I don't know about you... but I have had my addictions to caffeine and when I couldn't have it... gosh, I was not fun to be around. Little by little I decreased the amount of caffeine I was in-taking. Our bodies can only effectively handle so much caffeine a day. Everyone's different, but for the most part, there is a healthy guideline we should follow to keep from depending so much of caffeine.

Click here for more information on how much caffeine we should have a day!


Well, I hope this post was informative for you! I just really love coffee and tea and needed to write something for English today!
I hope and pray you have a very blessed day!

xx,
Kristin







References
http://www.saga.co.uk/health/healthy-eating/tea-and-coffee-drink-to-your-health.aspx
http://authoritynutrition.com/green-tea-and-weight-loss/
http://greatist.com/health/why-coffee-tea-are-amazing-you-infographic

Why I'm Becoming Vegan

Yes, it's true. I am becoming vegan. Not completely vegan, but for the most part.
I know that I will get a lot of different opinions about this, so I'm just going to put my opinion out there.

 I am becoming vegan for health reasons. Now, before you tell me that it's against God's will for me to do this, or that God put animals on this planet for me to eat... hear me out. I have done a lot of researching, praying, and experimenting with and about the vegan diet for the past ten days. I have come to the conclusion that this lifestyle is best for me. The goal here isn't to get you to become vegan, but for you to have a bit more understanding about why I'm doing it. 
 There is a HUGE misconception that all vegans are hippies that only eat fruits and vegetables because they want to become one with the earth or because they hate animal cruelty. Let me just be one of the many people that know the truth about this to say NO. That's not true. Sure there are many people that have embraced the hippy culture and are vegans as well. But, that's not what vegan means. Being vegan means that you stay away from meat and dairy and anything that comes from an animal (along with wool and leather). Even though I, personally, don't see anything wrong with the clothing part, I do agree with staying away from meat and dairy. Some of you that are reading probably think I have been brainwashed into doing this by some documentary. lol no. I've tried this for myself. There is something real to this concept that has truly been helping my body inside and out just within the past ten days.
 Lately, I have been researching vegans. I wanted to see how many people really did this and what their reasons behind it were. To my surprise, a good number of the people that I have seen embrace this, do it for health reasons. Some have been vegan for years, and some for only months. But both have seen drastic changes in their body inside and out. I will get more into this at another time once I've had more time to study about this. For me, just in the past ten days I have seen and felt drastic changes. As a girl with no gallbladder, since my surgery I have experienced irregular bowl movements and pains in my abdominal area. After praying and not eating meat or dairy for ten days, I have felt little to no pain at all and regular bowl movements. My skin, on another note, has been clearing up. My energy levels are much higher even without caffeine. Even though I haven't stepped on the scale in awhile, I have actually lost two whole inches from my waist! There is something to this.
 No, I have not been restricting myself or going hungry. Yes, I have been getting plenty of nutrients. A lot of people think that you need meat and dairy in order to get your protein and calcium in. That's actually not true at all. There are more healthy proteins in dark greens, nuts, and beans than anything. The more you research and experiment for yourself, the more you see how good this actually is for you.
 The #1 cause of death in the United States is heart disease. The United States also eats more meat than anywhere in the world. There is something to that... don't you think?
 So, this is why I'm doing this. Maybe I won't even call it vegan. Maybe.... I'll just stay away from meat and dairy and call it "I eat what I eat." Haha.. I'm not quite sure. But let this be a sign to you that not all vegans do this for the same reason. And God's cool with me doing it. So don't worry ;) I'm doing this for my overall health... and for Him. I'm definitely not saying that everyone needs to do this.. just that this is what I'm doing.

"Whether therefore ye eat, or drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God." 
1 Corinthians 10:31

Love y'all,
Kristin



Veganism: The Silent Healer

Vegan?

Wow.

That right there seems to be the word-of-the-day for me. I woke up this morning with a text from a very close friend, "Sooo, I think I'm gonna go vegan..." Wow. I got excited and wasn't sure why. I mean.. the word vegan or vegetarian has always sounded slightly scary to me. In the past couple of years, that has seemed to change. I've come to the realization that it scared me because I didn't understand it; like in my head I thought it was some kind of religion or something. I'm not the only one, though. People have told me that going vegan or vegetarian is against the Bible and against God's will. Their reasoning is usually that "God put animals on this earth for us to eat." I'm not saying no to that, but I am saying that in Genesis it seems like God prescribed a vegetarian-based diet to us.

My friend told me that she decided she was going to go vegan after watching a documentary on Netflix called Vegucated. It was created in 2011 by Marisa Miller Wolfson. She was also like me at one point; uneducated about the vegan diet. She, too, thought that being vegan was some kind of religion or movement. One day, she decided to get educated about the matter to really see what it was about. As you may guess, she changed her thinking and became vegan herself. Her idea for this documentary was to interview people who might be interested in being vegan for just six weeks to see what they thought about the matter and if it made them change their thinking and ideas about it. She then chooses three people to do the trial. Together, they all learn the benefits and what it truly means to be vegan. It's a very informative documentary that has honestly changed my thinking as well. I feel as if I have been "vegucated."

As for my research, I am not done yet. I want to learn more. This is the first of many blog posts about this matter; I would just like to know what your opinions are about being vegan and vegetarian. Be completely honest in the comments below, but also be respectful. I would appreciate it greatly!!

If you would like to learn more about being vegan and vegetarian, I recommend watching Vegucated. It has helped me understand a lot more and I am greatly considering being vegan. I don't think anything negative about people that do enjoy eating meat and dairy, I just think that this may be a good decision for my overall health.

Here is a link to their website: http://www.getvegucated.com/


Blessings,
Kristin

Getting Out of the Cycle of Distraction

 I walked today. I walked all the way to the side of our apartments where a small patch of wooded area is. It felt good to be away from driving cars and man-made buildings. There's something about getting away in places like that. I think a part of our nature craves that.

So, on this walk I was forced to be alone with my own thoughts.. Without my cell phone or any one around me. I came to the realization that we lose sight of true beauty. We get in a rush of dealing with ourselves and our lives; so desperately trying to make everything okay. This causes a domino effect. After losing sight of the true beauty of stillness and the soul within ourselves... We lose sight of God. And losing sight of God means we are losing sight of what true love looks like. 

It's like this cycle of knowing the beauty, being destracted, and forgetting the beauty. 

I lose sight all the time, and I don't want to any longer. I'm thinking that writing, reading, running, and spending time away from business will help that. 

Granted, I won't always have time for that. But, I have purposed within myself to find that peaceful remembrance of God's love and beauty, so that when I cannot get alone in the physical, I can still be alone with Him.

Now, I bet some of you are thinking, "I don't even know if God is real," or, "You're one of those bible-thumpers." 

Either or, this is my journey. I will do my best to show you the God I know, and just how amazing and real He is. But, realize this... That you can experience Him for yourself. Yes, you. Not just a belief system based on philosophy and the traditions of our fathers... But a REAL ENCOUNTER. This is for you.

And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance. 

(Acts 2:4 NKJV)

Now when they heard this, they were cut to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, “Men and brethren, what shall we do?” Then Peter said to them, “Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. For the promise is to you and to your children, and to all who are afar off, as many as the Lord our God will call.” 

(Acts 2:37-39 NKJV)

Blessings ♥

The Pursuit of My Happiness

Maybe, I don't have it all together.
That used to bother me so much. I would stress out about the mere fact that yes, I am a human. 

Being mortal is something we all deal with. Sure, there are plenty of sucky things about that fact but really, maybe the beautiful outweighs the bad. I know that I am a mess, and I like that. Maybe, I'm just beginning to see my mess as a masterpiece. As a child of God, I am learning to boast in my weakness. I have been won over by God because of His amazing loving-kindness to me, but I am not perfect and that is okay.

This blog is a way for me to release my feels, at times, in hopes of reminding myself this it is completely okay to be imperfect. I am letting go of the stress that has pinned me down for so long.

I know this post is all over the place, but it's 11:50 pm and I'm tired.. and I just.. need to get this off my chest.

You are not perfect and you never will be.
Phew. Now that we have that established, we can go on with our lives and learn to be truly happy.

Blessings ♥