We started off talking about different ways of boosting our immune systems. We need to make a purposeful effort to ward off germs that cause illness. A good immune system is not a super strong one, it is a BALANCED one. Eat a variety of foods, don't over indulge, maintain your weight, limit stressful situations, sleep more and enjoy your favorite things whenever you can! This episode ended with some SELF LOVE. This is no laughing matter even though it sounds silly. I listed a ton of things to do to help yourself feel happier. Simple ideas like leaving upbeat messages on the mirror. Treating yourself to a fave food or drink that you haven't had in ages. Buying fragrant flowers or a pretty houseplant to clean your breathing air. Read a book, paint a picture or go take some photographs. Draw the line on excuses and start doing! Now, give yourself a big hug!

All sorts of invisible toxins are lurking in our air fresheners. Whether they are aerosol, plug ins, wax melts, diffusers or incense, they could be, & more than like are, potentially dangerous to your family. Most of these air fresheners are very dangerous to our pets if they eat them, roll in them or breathe them in. The Pet Poison Control # 800.213.6680 because it is becoming more common for household pets to be poisoned. Luckily, there are all sorts of natural options to make your house smell better so we can all stop using poisonous cleaners, air fresheners & deodorizers. There are a bunch of companies selling products that are legit healthy alternatives. Wild Earth & Plant Therapy both offer pet friendly essential oils. Aura Cacia, J.R. Watkins, Clean Air Room Spray, Zeofresh, OmniZorb, Woodlore, Desert Essence just to name a few. Remember, just because they may come in a small bottle, a little goes a long way. Just because they may cost more than the common brand it doesn't mean you & your family's health, including Fido & Mittens, aren't worthy. Just as we eat healthy foods we should be breathing healthy air.

We discuss some tips on how lessen the calories in our traditional, holiday foods. Ways to aid in digestion so we're not all sitting on the couch with our pants unbuttoned, moaning, "no more pie!" Tips on accepting holiday stress and how to make it less stressful by planning ahead. Start working on your playlist to keep you singing & dancing all season long & burning calories along the way. Remember, Christmas is about PEACE not buying tons of crap online. Let's stay home, stay safe & live to enjoy another year.

This episode on motivation was over 2 weeks in the making because I wasn't motivated. I've got to say, now that its recorded, I have a sense of relief & pride. I shouldn't have procrastinated but at least I'm not alone. We all need motivation for various reasons. We make resolutions or set goals so continue to grow & better ourselves but be sure to set reasonable goals & also reward yourself when you achieve them. Surround yourself with positive, supportive people & also practice some self love. Leave yourself inspirational sticky notes & buy some flowers if thats what you love. You deserve it!

How to get your kids to eat their veggies. Well, you can be sneaky or obvious. Or...maybe a little of both. Research showed me that the for & against were about 50/50 so I'm thinking sneak those veggie purees into the food but also put some of your child's fave veggies on the side. Maybe make an alien out of the veggie sticks & mashed potato pile?! Let's not forget to make a fancy vegetable tray for our family just like we do for company. They're worth it! Let the kids choose their own veggies whether that be from a farmers market or the grocery store. As an easy, alternative snack, try making protein balls. The internet has lots of recipes including vegan protein balls & kid energy balls. Let's get our health on! blog.potterybarn.com/baked-veggie-fries taste-of-japan.blogspot.com/2014/03/easter-salad.html gimmesomeoven.com/rainbow-flatbread-pizza-veggie-pizza-recipe modernparentsmessykids.com/veggie-tray-holidays jerryjamesstone.com/recipe/beets-berries-popsicles sheknows.com/food-and-recipes/articles/986621\veggie-people mykidslickthebowl.com/carrot-oat-energy-bites

In this episode we talk about risk factors for heart disease, our #1 killer. Diabetes, high blood pressure, high blood cholesterol, being over weight & inactivity are all contributors but the good news is...it can be avoided &/or reversed by switching to a plant based (vegan) diet! Remember, cholesterol is ONLY in ANIMAL products. Add aerobics, yoga, dancing, resistance training to your daily routine & you WILL see results. Sometimes it takes longer than you'd like but hang in there, you aren't alone. We all have challenges to overcome. Be well. Keep the beet going!

We discuss the importance of not only being vegan for your health & the health of animals but for the world! We define a few buzz words like Social Responsibility which means "individuals & companies have a DUTY to act in the best interest of society as a whole." Sustainable is also an important goal defined as "meeting the needs of the present without compromising the needs of the future generation." Alternate energy sources that are renewable like wind, solar, hydro instead. There are a few vegan, food companies mentioned that deserve our business & support. Not only are they ethical & conscientious but support responsible packaging of their product. Is your toilet paper vegan? Tune in to find out! :D

This episode has a lot more music beats & was more of a free flow. I'm OCD enough to write my episodes old school, with pen on paper, so I share all of my research facts but I got out of character today & winged it! We talked about our family's fave meals that we make every week. Because we work, have children, homes, pets, etc. not all of us have time to prep. I am jealous of those Sunday "preppers" that make the rest of the week easier but its just not me. We spent our Sunday weeding, cutting down a crazed bush, cleaning the work van & recording this Beets By Jennz episode. We focused on easy, dinners that taste great and didn't have to be slaved over. Do you best & don't "beet" yourself up if you fall down. You're not alone!

What sneaky ingredients are lurking in your booze? lol. Not just in our alcoholic drinks but in our candy & chocolate as well! Even experienced label readers won't know what is lurking in their beer or wine. Alcohol labels are exempt from including their list of ingredients, like what is required for food products. We discuss all sorts of boozey drinks, gummy candies & chocolate, including Fairtrade. Don't forget to look around & be grateful for our lives, especially in these trying times. Compared to A LOT of others, we're living pretty sweet if we can treat ourselves to an ethical glass of wine with Fairtrade quality chocolate. A tall glass of craft, vegan beer and a handful of carcass-free chewy candy. Stay healthy, be happy!

Debunking the MYTHS of veganism! All vegetarians/vegans get asked "how do you get your protein?" Non veg heads believe we need to eat meat to get protein but there are LOTS of vegetables, beans, nuts/seeds & variations like tofu, tempeh & seitan for protein. "Its too expensive to eat vegan." There are countless resources to save money shopping like, coupons, club savings cards or buying only on sale produce. Grow you own if you can & thrive in the moments from seed to sprout, plant to harvest time. "I will feel deprived or left out" is not the case at all. If you feel sorry for yourself & can't think of different ways to enjoy this new lifestyle, search google. Even the images are inspiring! "Your workouts will suffer" is another myth. The worlds strongest man & the Olympic gold medal winners would disagree. The marathon runner & NFL defense player will also prove otherwise. We do NOT need milk for strong bones, that's just commercialism. We DO need calcium, Vitamin D & protein for bone health. All of these can be found in a variety of vegetables or fortified foods! We discussed reading tricky food labels & trying to decipher ingredients when the government approves changing terms like GMO to Bio Fortified. High fructose corns syrup to corn sugars or fructose. Lastly we talked about positive tips for new vegans & some negative ones like gas & poop! lol. Stay healthy, stay strong. Thanks for listening to Beetz By Jennz Co hosted & DJ'd by Frank of Rock Phoenix Live!