Most of us know we should be eating more leafy green vegetables.  In Chinese medicine, green foods are cooling and cleansing, excellent for nutrition during all stages of life, and beneficial for weight loss.  Green foods help calm a liver pattern and remove dampness. In other words, they can help mitigate the effects of stress on our bodies, thus having a rejuvenating effect on our skin and body tissues.

The best way to eat greens is freshly picked from our own organic gardens and gently steamed.... If that sounds too far removed from the reality of an average workday, try some of these quick and easy tips:

1.  Cook frozen greens from a bag. This only takes about 10 minutes on the stove. My favorite is "Leafy Greens Blend" that you can find at Whole Foods.  Good frozen greens are kale, turnip, collard and spinach.

2.  Season them up!  In the South we like to season greens with a splash of vinegar.  My favorite is rice vinegar because it is mild tasting.  

3.  Cook fresh or frozen greens with soy sauce (add about a tablespoon or so, seasoned to your taste) and a garlic clove.  It's one of my favorite ways to add flavor to greens.

Bonus tip for leftovers:  Make a cold salad the next day with your leftover greens and some oil and vinegar or your favorite salad dressing.  Delicious!

Besides being a surprisingly relaxing and enjoyable holistic treatment, here are 5 reasons why acupuncture can boost your fertility:

• Acupuncture treatments help regulate the menstrual cycle and balance hormones
  

• Acupuncture can help treat obstacles to fertility such as endometriosis and tubal blockages

• Acupuncture increases blood flow to the ovaries and uterus

• Acupuncture decreases the effects of daily stress on the body so that your body functions better

• Acupuncture can help improve the outcome of medically assisted reproduction such as IVF and IUI
  

Why not prepare your body naturally to function at its best with our acupuncture fertility treatments in Miami Beach?  You will feel better and know that you are doing everything you can to get ready for a healthy baby!

One thing I notice that my patients who want to lose weight have in common is that they do not eat breakfast! Breakfast jumpstarts the metabolism so that you will burn calories more efficiently the rest of the day.  A good breakfast can give you a steady supply of energy that will get your day off to a great start.  Starting the day off with breakfast will encourage you to make better food choices throughout the day.

If you are not in the habit of eating breakfast, start small.  Even a handful of nuts and raisins can be a small breakfast.  Then try adding that to some Greek yogurt, cottage cheese, or oatmeal.  Always include something warm such as a cup of tea.  Enjoy!