Suffering from allergies? These foods can help ease the symptoms

Although Spring is known as the season of renewal, for those of us who suffer from allergies, it can feel like quite the opposite. Allergies, also known as hay fever, is the result of the immune system overreacting to allergens such as plant pollen, which leads to lots of congestion, sneezing, and itching.

While treatment usually involves over-the-counter medicines, adding certain foods to your diet can actually help relieve symptoms like the nose-dripping and eye-watering. From reducing inflammation to boosting the immune system, there a bunch of foods you can add to your diet to ease your Springtime woes. A great example is ginger, which has been used as a natural remedy for thousands of years. By adding ginger to your meals or to your cup of tea, you can naturally reduce swelling and irritation in the nasal passages, eyes, and throat.

Salmon and other oily fish have also been shown to keep the sneezing away. Apparently, there’s some evidence that the omega-3 fatty acids from fish could bolster your allergy resistance and even improve asthma. If you’re on the hunt for more allergy-fighting foods, look no further. READ MORE

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Forget coffee. Matcha is the perfect way to kick off your morning

Coffee is great and all, but the jitters you get with it are not. Matcha, on the other hand, gives you a wonderful mix of energy and relaxation, making it the perfect way to start your day. Matcha isn’t magical. It just has a high concentration of flavonoids and L-theanine, which increases the brain’s alpha frequency band and produces relaxing effects by raising serotonin, GABA, and dopamine levels.

Plus, matcha is rich in the antioxidant catechins, a plant compound found in tea. In fact, matcha has one of the highest amounts of antioxidants among superfoods according to the ORAC (Oxygen Radical Absorption Capacity) test. Now that you know a bit about the green goodness that is matcha, do you want to learn how to make it? If so, have a look right here. READ MORE

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These 3 simple habits will help you stress less about money

We know decision fatigue is an issue: Essentially it’s what happens when we are faced with too many choices, either over a period of time or all at once. And as studies have shown, when we are overwhelmed, we are unable to think through our decisions, and often act irrationally or impulsively.

This can lead to problems when it comes to how we deal with money. For instance, by stressing over all the little choices we make over money (say, like spending the extra $1 on guacamole), we’re actually exhausting ourselves in the long run. In the long run, this can result in a lot of anxiety when we have to make decisions that really matter. The good thing is there are ways to fix money-related decision fatigue. Here are 3 simple habits you can use to help you worry less about money.

First habit: start “front-loading.” It’s a simple concept: Every month or week, create a framework of how much you are comfortable spending—and on what. That last part is key as it will help ease decision making later. So, for example, if you know you are comfortable spending a bit more money on a workout class because it’s good for you and your mental health, then you won’t feel the stress when you actually have to put down the money for it.

Second habit: automate when possible. Whether it’s your rent or your phone bill, automate it if it’s possible. These things don’t need a decision, and you should save your financial mental space for things that you have control over such as how much you spend on vacations.

The third habit: don’t avoid decisions altogether. We should be clear: Limiting your decision making does not equal putting it off entirely. So, of course, you need to be self-aware about the choices you are making, and also the decisions you are not. When you are fully aware of how your money is being spent, you limit the need to worry. READ MORE

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Here’s why you should use cold water in your cleaning machines

At some point in your life, you were probably told that hot water cleans better than cold water when you’re using the dishwasher or washing machine. We’re here to tell you that’s not the case.

According to a senior scientist for sustainability at Seventh Generation (a cleaning company), hot water was useful years and years ago because it “sped up the cleaning process when detergents and machines were less efficient.” Nowadays, detergents have been formulated to be effective even in cold water. They no longer need to be “activated” with hot water, as earlier versions did, and contain enzymes that “literally cut up the soils and allow the surfactants to move the stains off the clothing.”

Cold water has additional benefits. It doesn’t fix stains in place the way hot water does, meaning you can actually get cleaner-looking clothes as a result; and it is gentler on fabrics, increasing their longevity. Not to mention turning down the heat on the washing machine and dishwasher can save you a boatload of energy. When it comes to laundry, three-quarters of emissions associated with a single load comes from heating the water itself, so a small tweak practiced over time can go a long way toward reducing your household’s impact. READ MORE

Aloe Cadabra – each tube is carefully filled over 95% Full of Organic Aloe Vera to moisturize and sooth.

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