Aromatherapy and Essential Oils Blog - AromaTalk

Send a Free AromaGram eCard for Valentine's Day

During your visit to AromaTalk and AromaWeb this weekend, be sure that you visit AromaWeb's AromaGram area to send your friends and loved ones a free eCard for Valentine's Day. Birthday and other holiday oriented AromaGrams are also available.

Love is in the Air: Aromatherapy for Romance

If you have romantic plans in store for this Valentine's Day, be sure to check out AromaWeb's Aromatherapy for Romance collection of articles:

Aromatherapy for Romance
Aromatherapy, natural botanicals and natural fragrancing all tantalize our sense of smell. They play a significant role within romance, love and intimacy. Take a look within this article.

Setting the Mood
Preciously fragranced room sprays, body mists, bath oils, massage oils, and other natural aromatics can enhance a romantic evening or add variety and intrigue to your marriage. Read on for ideas.

Aromatherapy Aphrodisiacs
Learn about sensual essential oils and aphrodisiacs.

Wishing you and your loved ones a special Valentine's Day!

Part of My Morning Aromatherapy Ritual: Coffee!

Coffee Beans

Drinking coffee is not a ritual that I classify as aromatherapy by any means, but I love the aroma of freshly ground and brewed coffee beans. The aroma is rich, strong and enticing. In its own way, the aroma is soothing despite the stimulant properties of the beans. Until a few months ago, I had never considered the aroma of coffee beans as one befitting my usually strict definition of aromatherapy. Coffee beans, especially the organic ones that I buy, are natural, but of course they are roasted.

	Vial Depicting Coffee Absolute

The oil that is contained within the coffee bean is responsible for its distinctive flavor. Prior to roasting, the beans and the oil derived from them smells quite green and somewhat bitter. In fact, unroasted coffee beans are referred to as green coffee beans. Oil that is extracted from roasted beans possesses the familiar aroma of freshly ground coffee beans. I'm not familiar with the availability of a steam distilled coffee essential oil, but it is available as a CO2, absolute and as a cold pressed oil (AromaWeb advertisers Nature's Gift sells a Coffee CO2 and FromNatureWithLove.com sells both cold pressed roasted and green coffee oils and coffee bean butter).* View AromaWeb's Coffee Bean Oil Profile.

Converting to Black Coffee

Black coffee itself has no calories. Even if you steer clear of specialty coffee drinks and make your own coffee at home, the added calories can add up. Most Americans like to doctor up their coffee with creamers, half and half, flavored syrups, sugar, and so on. A few months ago, I became curious to the number of calories that I averaged per day in adding milk or creamer to my coffee. For me, I used to primarily use fat-free (skim) or 1% fat milk, plus calorie-free Stevia (a subject for a future post). But sometimes I would use sugar-free or fat-free creamers, and that's where the calories, for me, would skyrocket.

I started by taking a look at the actual quantity of milk or creamer I was adding to my coffee. Sitting at the very bottom of my generous mugs, it would look like I only added around a tablespoon but boy was I fooling myself. I discovered that I had been adding a whopping 2oz. per mug (that's the equivalent of 2 tablespoons/6 teaspoons). Yikes. Depending on what I'd add:

• 2 oz. Skim Milk: 22 calories
• 2 oz. 1% Milk: 28 calories
• 2 oz. Name Brand Fat-Free Flavored Creamers: 100-150 calories
• 2 oz. Name Brand Sugar-Free Flavored Creamers: 60 calories

That is one huge load of calories that I didn't realize I was consuming. Not to mention the added cholesterol, carbohydrates, fat or synthetic ingredients, depending on the option used. Fortunately I usually used organic skim or 1% milk, but that still adds up to a lot of unwanted calories and cholesterol. I'd rather get my calcium from my favorite smoothie (see recipe).

Here's an example of how you can do the math to calculate how many calories you'll save (and the corresponding weight!) by cutting out the high calorie additives.

Scenario:

Let's say that you drink 2 cups of coffee per day and that you add 2oz. of a sugar-free flavored creamer.

Calorie Calculation:

• 2 cups of coffee per day x 60 calories of creamer per cup = 120 calories a day.
• 120 calories per day x 365 days in a year = 43,800 calories consumed a year.
• 43,800 calories in a year/3500 calories in a pound = 12.5 pounds.
  (You gain 1 lb. for every 3500 calories that you consume and do not burn up.)

After I did that math, I couldn't help but convert to drinking my coffee, black. And I find that I savor the flavor more.

For Additional Information on Coffee

If you would like information on the history, varieties and other helpful tips on buying and brewing the perfect cup of coffee, the following book might be perfect for you. I have an older edition of it and learned quite a bit:

Coffee: A Guide to Buying, Brewing, and Enjoying, Fifth Edition

*If you are an AromaWeb advertiser that sells a natural coffee product, please let me know so I can update this post to mention your product.

 

150 Calorie Quick and Easy Smoothie

A lot of people think that having a smoothie is healthy (yes it is!) and low cal (most aren't!). A typical smoothie can contain milk, fruit, honey, protein powder or ccocoa powder, yogurt, and sometimes nuts, seeds, sprouts or green superfoods. It's easy to consume 400-500 or more calories in a few quick gulps.

Unless you need to gain weight or are one of those blessed with not worrying about calories or carb content, experiment with the following recipe that minimizes carbs, fat and calories. It even sneaks in some cranberries to give you added anti-oxidants during your day. No need to add sweetened cranberries as the natural sugars from the banana and the sweetened protein powder are more than adequate. If you can't stand cranberries, simply leave them out or substitute with a couple unsweetened frozen strawberries. I use frozen fruit instead of ice as it leads to a more flavorful smoothie, and I love the texture that frozen bananas give to a smoothie.

Ingredients:

• 4 oz. Skim Milk (I prefer organic. Soy will also work - chill it first)
  —40 calories
• 1/2 frozen banana cut in half or in thirds
  —50 calories
• 1 small handful of frozen, unsweetened cranberries (more than a handful will make your smoothie more tart)
  —10 calories
• 1/2 scoop Protein Powder (I use a sweetened, chocolate whey powder from a company that attests it is hormone and antibiotic free)
  —50 calories

Directions:

Add the milk and then the other ingredients to a powerful blender that can handle blending frozen fruit including a frozen banana (I use a Vitamix) and mix until well blended. Makes about 12 ounces.

With only four ingredients, this recipe is quick to prepare. If you want to indulge or add variety, add a tablespoon or two of lowfat yogurt or add an ounce of another frozen fruit like strawberries, cherries or blueberries and you'll still be under 200 calories. If you happen to grow peppermint or spearmint, try adding a mint leaf or two to the recipe. Mint leaves also make a lovely garnish.

Frozen Bananas Tips:

To keep frozen bananas on hand, simply peel ripe bananas (I stock up on organic bananas), put several together in a freezer bag, and freeze. They'll last for at least 2-3 weeks, and it's normal for them to become a little icy looking. Sometimes bananas can become too ripe before they all can be eaten. Freezing them for later use in smoothies is a great way to keep from throwing them out.

AromaWeb's Home Page Has a New Look!

	Screen shot collage of AromaWeb's new category layout (links in the above screen shot image don't work).

AromaWeb has been showing its age over the past couple years. I've finally had the chance to focus upon updating the layout and enhancing the organization of AromaWeb's home page. I want to keep the same overall "feel" that everyone has become used to, so you'll still notice some familiar elements in the new design. Designing for cross-browser functionality is a fun challenge, but I'm not able to test across older browsers and multiple platform combinations. Please let me know if you spot any oddities or broken/wrong links.

I look forward to diving into improving the Article Archive Index, Recipe Box Index, and all of the other main category pages as time permits during 2009.