Amped up mashed potatoes

1 medium potatoes, peeled and quartered

1 cup cauliflower

2 tsp olive oil

2 cups cooked white beans or 1 can (19 0z) rinsed and drained

¼ cup water

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 tbsp tahini

1 tsp sea salt and ¼ tsp black pepper

Boil potatoes and cauliflower for 15 minutes or until soft. Drain. In a bowl, mash potato and cauliflower with oil. In a food processor, puree beans, water, garlic, tahini, salt and pepper to form thick paste. Transfer mixture to mashed potato and cauliflower bowl and mix until well combined. Serve hot or at room temperature.

Probiotics

What are probiotics?

Probiotics are live microorganisms, and in most cases bacteria, similar to beneficial microorganisms found in the human gut. Also called friendly bacteria or good bacteria, the good bacteria exist in contrast to bad bacteria in the body that can harm health.

What causes imbalances between good and bad bacteria?

The balance between good and bad bacteria can be compromised for many reasons.

• Long-term use of antibiotics and other medications, including oral contraceptives and hormone therapy
• Weakened immune system
• High sugar and starch diet
• Lack of anti-fungal foods such as garlic, coconut, cinnamon, turmeric, and foods with probiotics
• Unfriendly microorganisms such as disease-causing bacteria, yeasts, fungi, and parasites
• Elevated heavy metals

What are some types of probiotics?

Probiotics are available in foods and dietary supplements such as capsules, tablets, and powders. Foods containing probiotics include yogurt, fermented and unfermented milk, miso, tempeh, as well as some juices and soy beverages. In probiotic foods and supplements, the bacteria may have been present originally or added during preparation. Effects found from one species or strain of probiotics do not necessarily hold true for others, or even for different preparations of the same species or strain.

The bacteria often come from two groups: Lactobacillus or Bifidobacterium. Within each group, different species are present such as Lactobacillus acidophilus and Bifidobacterium bifidus. Within each species, different strains or varieties exist. A few common probiotics, such as Saccharomyces boulardii, are yeasts, which are different from bacteria.

What are the potential benefits of probiotics?

Probiotic are used to prevent and treat certain illnesses while supporting general wellness.

• Supports the immune system
• Protects against unhealthy intestinal bacteria associated with cancer
• Aids digestion and absorption of food and nutrients
• Releases enzymes to help alleviate symptoms of intestinal malabsorption
• Supports deroxification
• Helps elicit anti-tumor effects¹

What is the history of probiotics?

Some probiotic foods date back to ancient times, such as fermented foods and cultured milk products.

Probiotics and Antibiotics

I always recommend that my patients take a high quality form of acidophilus during and after a dose of any antibiotic. Antibiotics are a useful tool for eliminating a severe infection, but they also bring with them some side effects that the acidophilus can help to counter. When we take antibiotics, they kill all bacteria in our intestines – the harmful bacteria that is infecting the body, but also the good bacteria that live there naturally. The problem with clearing all bacteria from the intestine is that this leaves you open to yeast, or other bacteria moving in.

How to choose a probiotic

When choosing your probiotics, it is important to get a high quality brand that has been continually refrigerated and is within its expiration date. Taking probiotics to repopulate your intestine is like choosing a healthy seedling for your garden. A baby plant needs to be given water and sun while in the store in order to take root properly in your garden. Probiotics are live bacteria, so they need to be refrigerated or they will die in the bottle. Many probiotic supplements have been sitting on the shelf too long and so they no longer contain live bacteria that can be “transplanted” to your intestines. Also, make sure to use probiotics at a different time of day than your antibiotic pills so that the antibiotic will not kill the good bacteria. You should also continue taking probiotics for 10-30 days after a course of antibiotics to really make sure everything gets back to normal.

Probiotics and Kids

Probiotics are useful for other health conditions in children as well. According to a systematic review of every study done on probiotics for children, probiotics have been proven to be effective in treating childhood diarrhea and eczema. In one or more of these studies, probiotics have also been successful in preventing eczema, colic, and respiratory tract infections in children. There is even evidence that probiotics may also be useful in children with Crohn’s disease, cystic fibrosis, juvenile chronic arthritis, leukemia, milk intolerance, recurrent urinary tract infections and can also be used to treat premature babies.

For More Information

• Life Over Cancer by Keith Block, MD
• Anticancer by David Servan-Schreiber MD, PhD
• The Definitive Guide to Cancer, 3rd Edition: An Integrative Approach to Prevention, Treatment, and Healing by Lise Alschuler, ND and Karolyn A. Gazella

10 Daily Tips for Healthier Living

1. Start the day with positive thoughts as soon as you open your eyes. Don’t put negative energy into your day before you even get out of bed. Always believe that you will persevere. For example say: Today, I will treat myself well.

 

Before you shower try:

2. Dry skin brushing: Using a natural bristle brush or loofah, make small light circles starting at your feet working towards heart. Continue from your fingertips to your heart area. Do this on bare skin, without water, and quickly. Dry skin brushing will take one minute once you make this a habit. The benefit of this practice is its ability to remove dead skin, allows for better gas exchange, increase venous return to the heart which helps varicose veins and most importantly, this increases lymph circulation which removes infections and boosts the immune system.

 

After washing in the shower try:

3. Contrast shower: End your shower with 1minute of water as hot as can handle followed by 30 seconds of as cold as you can handle. Repeat this 3 times. It’s the difference in temperature that has the therapeutic benefit. Contract showers increase circulation, help remove toxins, stimulates lymphatic circulation which improves your immune system and it wakes you up!

 

4. Good Food:

• Start your day with a glass of room temperature water with 1 tbsp of lemon juice in it upon rising. Lemon, a great source of Vitamin C, is a natural antimicrobial so it cleans and disinfects the inside of your body. Additionally, it stimulates the production of bile which is an important part of detoxification.

• Eat breakfast every morning. If time is sparse then bring it in the car if you have to. Try a smoothie, nuts and seeds, or organic protein bars. Try to keep healthy snacks in your brief case, the glove box, or desk drawer so when things get hectic you can still eat well.
• There is no perfect diet and you need to discover what works best for you.  Remember, you are what you eat. Everything you put in your mouth is broken down to make up the cells of you body. Food can be your best medicine or your greatest poison: you decide. Diet is also about cultural expectations, financial constraints, emotional well-being, and social activities. It is a gradual and life-time experimentation. Consider seeking help from your Naturopathic Doctor to find the eating plan that works best for you.

 

5. Move

Try to get up every hour throughout the day even if only for 30 seconds to prevent blood and lymph from stagnating. Try walking, stretching, jogging on the spot, yoga, or Tai Chi. While you’re at it try deep breathing through the nose. Make one of those movement breaks intense enough to bring on a good sweat for at least 15 minutes. This doesn’t need to be “exercise”. Chasing toddlers, moving furniture, cleaning windows…it all counts.

 

While reading or watching TV, try:

6. Castor Oil packs: Obtain a 9 by 9 inch piece of flannel, soak the flannel in castor oil and apply it over the liver area which is the upper right quadrant of abdomen. Place a plastic bag over top the flannel and a hot water bottle on top of that. Leave it on for at least 30 minutes and up to 2 hours. This procedure promotes detoxification which increases energy, balances hormones and improves digestion.

 

7. Health Journal: Every day briefly write down entries under the following headings:

• Diet: Be aware of the food and drinks you choose each day by keeping a diet diary. You can’t make changes until know what you’re choosing now.
• Symptoms: Headache, fatigue, constipation etc.
• Emotions: Irritable, content, weepy etc.
• Dreams: Writing down your dreams improves your memory and gives you insight into your subconscious. You may want to write them down first thing in the morning when they are still fresh in your mind.
• Weather: You may find your symptoms improve or get worse when it rains or that you feel better in the sun. This is significant information and can give insight into your condition.
• This habit teaches you to become more aware of yourself and helps you identify patterns and changes in your well being. Realize the more information you have about your health the more accurate a diagnosis you will get so bring this health journal to your doctor’s appointments. Keep one for your children until they are old enough to do so themselves.

 

8. Prepare your bedroom for sleep. Good sleep is as important to your health as what you eat.

• Discard of clutter around your bed—hide it if necessary.
• Use bed only for sleeping and intimacy—no reading in bed.
• If you use your bedroom as an office or for studying, separate that part of room from the sleeping area use hanging dividers, sheets, or open shelves.

• Sleep in complete darkness. Studies have shown that women who sleep in completely dark rooms have better hormone balance. Darkness increases the release of melatonin to promote better sleep and more alert wake cycles. This means no light through the window, no night lights, and no alarm clock shining into your eyes.

 

Once in bed try:

9. Alternate nostril breathing:

• Plug the right nostril and take a deep breath lasting 4 seconds through the left nostril
• Hold for 16 seconds, or as long as you can without straining
• Unplug the right nostril and release for 8 seconds. Take another breath through the right nostril for the count of 4, hold for 16 seconds and release on the left for 8 seconds. Repeat 10 times.
• This will encourage nasal breathing which is important for respiratory health. Through this breathing exercise you can increase the secretion of melatonin, which is protective against cancer, reduces anxiety, promotes hormone balance and regulates day and night cycles.

 

10. End your day with gratitude

• Take at least 3 seconds to find one thing in your day to be thankful for. This is a great time to congratulate yourself on incorporating these new techniques into your routine.       
  

I recently came across a study which showed the inefficacy of ionic foot baths as a method of “cleansing”. I have reposted it below for those interested.

My advice: Skip the foot baths, supplements and gimmicks and save your cash for organic produce instead.

Objective assessment of an ionic foot bath (IonCleanse®): Testing its ability to remove toxic elements from the body

Journal of Complementary and Integrative Medicine, Vol 7 (2010), Iss.1, Art. 44

Deborah A. Kennedy, Kieran Cooley, Thomas R. Einarson, Dugald Seely

Objectives

Phase 1 Establishment of baseline &confounders

• A baseline measurement of the contribution of the ionic footbath machine to any toxic element release when both distilled and tap water were used with no feet present.

Phase 2 Assessment of the effectiveness of the removal of toxic elements

1. To determine the effectiveness of the ionic footbath’s ability to remove toxic elements through the feet of each participant;

2. To determine whether ionic footbath sessions would increase toxic element release through the urine;

3. To determine whether the ionic footbath would reduce the overall toxic burden of heavy metals, as measured through hair mineral analysis

Methods

Study Design

• A proof of principle, non-randomized, non-blinded comparative, no feet versus feet, trial.

• Ethics approval was given by Research Ethics Board of the Canadian College of Naturopathic Medicine (CCNM)

• All participants enrolled gave written informed consent to participate in the study.

Study Duration: 12 weeks

• Clinical Trial registration no: NCT01125592

Analyses

• Independent laboratory analysis was performed by CanAlt Health Laboratory Inc. Concord ON.

• Microsoft Office Excel 2007 was used for all data manipulations and descriptive statistics.

• StatsDirect version 2.7.7 was used for the non-parametric statistics.

Discussion

• Toxic elements were present with and without feet.

• Source of the toxic elements is unknown – there are many components.

• Material testing was not performed on all the components of the footbath.

Strengths & Limitations

Strengths

• Rigorous methodology

• Multiple routes of elimination evaluated

• Independent laboratory analysis using industry accepted standards

Limitations

• Small sample size, n=6

• No materials testing performed

Conclusion

• There is no evidence to suggest that ionic footbaths promote the elimination of toxic elements from the body through the feet, urine, or hair.

Acknowledgments

• We thank all of our study participants for their time and dedication to this project.

• This research was supported by a grant from the Holistic Health Research Foundation.

• Deborah Kennedy is supported by a career development grant from the Sickkids Foundation.

• A Major Difference Inc. provided the use of an IonCleanse® SOLO™ device and all related supplies for this study but had no other involvement in the project.

• CanAlt Health Laboratory Inc. provided the water and urine analysis testing at a reduced cost, enabling us to increase the number of participants in the study.

Fresh Food 3 Day Challenge

Summer is a great time to eat fresh food. This is an easy 3 day challenge that will leave you feeling lighter and re-energized. Enjoy!

In support of the Yoga 4 Hope event on August 27th, 2011 in Essex County, CLEANSE 2011 is offering a Fresh Food 3 Day Challenge leading into the event, starting Wednesday August 24th. As always you can do this anytime and anywhere. If you are from the area, come to this event and take a class with one of the many skilled yoga teachers that participated in Cleanse 2011. Cleanse 2011 will also be catering from 8am-5pm and offering Compassionate Cuisine to help you get the most from your yoga practice.

Stay tuned for our fall challenge.

	Before Breakfast	Breakfast	Snack	Lunch	Snack	Dinner	Beverages
Wednesday, August 24th	Drink 8 oz of Lemon Water ( ½ lemon and room temperature water; this starts the cleansing process for the day	Pina Colada Smoothie	No Bake Cookies Fruit,Raw nuts Lara bar, Vega bars, Kind bars	Thai Soup	Banana Ice Cream	Garden Rice Salad Fruity Spinach Salad	2 L of water Virgin Mojito
Thursday, August 25th	Drink 8 oz of Lemon Water ( ½ lemon and room temperature water; this starts the cleansing process for the day	Summer Love Smoothie	No Bake Cookies Fruit,Raw nuts Lara bar, Vega bars, Kind bars	Cucumber Dill-icious Soup	Banana Ice Cream	Southern Summer Salad Fresh salad with Iron Goddess dressing	2 L of water Virgin Mojito
Friday, August 26th	Drink 8 oz of Lemon Water ( ½ lemon and room temperature water; this starts the cleansing process for the day	“Perfect Pair” Smoothie	No Bake Cookies Fruit,Raw nuts Lara bar, Vega bars, Kind bars	“Hot”  Gazpacho	Banana Ice Cream	Tofu Bake Fresh Salad with Iron Goddess dressing	2 L of water Virgin Mojito

Your Fresh Food Challenge Recipes

Pina Colada Smoothie

250 ml (1 cup) pineapple chunks

2 frozen bananas

250 ml (1 cup) soy, rice or almond milk

250 ml (1 cup) coconut milk

5 ml (1 teaspoon) flax seed oil, optional

• On high speed, process all ingredients till thick and creamy. Serve in chilled glasses.

Summer Splendor Smoothie

4 leaves chard, stems removed

3 stalks celery

1 head fresh parsley

6 apricots

3 peaches

½ vanilla bean or ½ tsp of vanilla extract

• On high speed, process all ingredients till thick and creamy. Serve in chilled glasses.

“Perfect Pair” Smoothie

Ingredients

2 cups coconut milk  or almond milk

1 banana

2 ripe pears

1 tbsp lime juice

1 handful of spinach

1 tbsp raw honey or agave syrup

¼ tsp of cinnamon

½ cup ice cubes

• Place all the ingredients into a high-powered blender and blend until smooth. Serves two lucky people.

Thai Soup

2 cucumbers

1 large avocado

1 lime, juiced

3 cloves garlic

6 leaves curly kale, stems removed

½ teaspoon dried turmeric powder

½ inch fresh ginger root

2 cups water

• Blend in high speed blender and serve chilled

Cucumber Dill-icious Soup

2 cucumbers

½ bunch dill

1 large avocado

5 leaves kale, stems removed

2 stalks celery

1 lime, juiced

3 cloves garlic

• Blend in high speed blender and serve cold

“Hot” Gazpacho

4 medium sized tomatoes, skinned and diced. Seed them or not, as you prefer.

1 cucumber, skinned, seeded, and diced

3 or 4 good sized chopped scallions

1 red and 1 green pepper, seeded and diced

6 cups of organic tomato juice

1 habanero pepper (optional)

1/3 cup good quality olive oil

2/3 to 1 cup vinegar to taste (apple cider, balsamic or red wine will work)

Salt and pepper to taste

• Combine ingredients (except oil, vinegar, habanero and salt and pepper) in a large mixing bowl.
  Remove two or three cups of juice and veggies to a blender/food processor and add chili according to your taste; we recommend a single habanero, minus the stem.
  Blend until the pepper is thoroughly minced, then add back to the bowl. If you don’t like spicy, ski[ the habernero. Combine the mixture with the olive oil, vinegar and salt and pepper to taste.
  Chill briefly and serve over chopped avocado.

Garden Rice Salad

1 1/2 cups long grain brown rice

3 cups cold water

1/2 tsp salt

2 Tbsp fresh squeezed lemon juice

2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil

1 Tbsp. minced fresh oregano or 1 tsp dried oregano

3 Tbsp. minced fresh basil

1/4 tsp. black pepper

2 cups spinach leaves, washed, stemmed, and chopped (To save time you can use prewashed organic baby spinach)

1 medium red bell pepper, finely chopped

1 small cucumber, peeled, and finely chopped

1/2 cup chopped green onions

1/2 cup chopped Kalamata or regular black olives

1/2 cup pumpkin and sunflower seeds

1/2 cup cooked black beans

• Make rice several hours ahead of time or the make night before and refrigerate. Rinse rice until water runs clear. Place rice and water in a pot and bring to a boil. Add 1/2 tsp of salt, cover, and turn rice down to medium low. Cook rice until done, about 45-60 minutes. Fluff rice gently with a fork and set aside to cool to room temperature. Setting the pan in a sink full of cold water will help it cool quickly. Mix lemon juice, olive oil, oregano, basil, 1 tsp of salt, and pepper in a large bowl. Toss the rice with the olive oil mixture. Stir in spinach, bell pepper, cucumber, green onions, olives, and seeds. Serve chilled or at room temperature

Southern Summer Salad

2 of 15 ounce cans black beans, well drained

1 1/2 cups organic corn

1 red or yellow bell pepper, diced

1 avocado, diced (optional)

3 tomatoes, chopped

4 green onions, chopped

1/3 cup fresh cilantro, chopped

1/3 cup lime juice

1/3 cup olive oil

1/2 tsp salt, or to taste

1/8 tsp cayenne pepper

• In a large mixing bowl, combine the beans, corn, bell pepper, avocado, tomatoes, onion and cilantro and gently toss. Whisk together the remaining ingredients, then pour over the beans mixture and gently stir to combine. Chill for at least an hour to allow flavors to mingle.

Tofu Bake

2 tbsp olive oil

1 (14oz) block extra-firm tofu

1 clove garlic (minced)

3 tbsp organic tomato paste

1 tbsp Dijon mustard

1 tbsp Bragg’s soy sauce

1 cup kale (finely chopped)

1/4 tsp black pepper

1 tbsp almond butter

1 cup carrots (thinly sliced)

• Preheat oven to 350*F (175*C). Oil a 9 inch loaf pan with the olive oil (leaving some excess in the pan) and set aside. Rinse and drain the tofu, squeeze with a few paper towels to remove excess water. Crumble it (with a food processor, your fingers, a big wooden spoon, your choice). Place the crumbled tofu into a large mixing bowl. Toss the rest of the ingredients into the bowl and mix well. Pour into the loaf pan, pressing firmly and evenly. Bake for 55-60 minutes, let cool for 10 minutes before serving. Yum!

Fruity Spinach Salad

1 lb. fresh spinach, washed, dried, torn into pieces

1 pint fresh organic strawberries or raspberries, washed

½ cup chopped walnuts or sliced almonds

Dressing:

2 Tbsp. sesame seeds

1 Tbsp. poppy seeds

2 scallions, chopped

¼ cup flax seed oil

¼ cup olive oil

¼ cup balsamic vinegar

• Cut berries in half and arrange over spinach in serving bowl. Combine dressing ingredients in blender or food processor and process until smooth. Just before serving, pour over salad and toss. Garnish with nuts.

Iron Goddess Dressing

½ cup of pumpkin seeds

½ cup of water

¼ lemon juice

1 garlic clove

2 tbsp of cilantro or parsley

1 tsp of cumin

1 tsp of sea salt

• Serve over any veggies from your garden or your favourite grocery store.

No Bake Cookies

2 cups of organic quick oats

½ cup of tahini

½ cup of your nut butter of choice

¼ cup of agave syrup

Optional and recommended ingredients:

¼ cup of organic shredded coconut

¼ cup of protein powder of your choice

3 tbsp of cocao or carob powder for a chocolate flavour

• Mix ingredients in a big bowl with your hands. If the mixture seems to wet add more quick oats. If the mixture seems to dry add 1-2 tbsp of water. Roll into balls and flatten into cookie shape. Chill and serve. They keep well for at least a week.

Banana Ice Cream

1/2 cup raw cashews

2 raw bananas, very ripe

1/2 cup finely chopped Medjool Dates

1/4 cup fresh orange juice

2 T. agave nectar, plus more if desired

1/4 t. sea salt

1/4 cup raw walnuts, for serving

• In a blender, process the cashews until very fine, resembling a powder. Add the remaining ingredients except for the walnuts and process until the mixture is very creamy. Add agave nectar and salt to taste. Spread the mixture in a shallow pan and place in the freezer for 1 hour. Return the mixture to the blender, process until very creamy, and return the ice cream to the freezer to chill for 30 minutes to an hour longer. Serve very cold with the raw walnuts.

Virgin Mojito

1 glass of mineral water

1 tbsp of crushed fresh mint

½ tsp of agave syrup

Juice of ½ lime

• Mix and serve on ice. This is excellent for digestion.

Your Fresh Food Challenge Ingredients

VEGETABLES

Avocado

Baby Spinach

Carrots

Celery

Corn, organic (can be canned)

Crimini mushrooms (mini Portobello)

Cucumber

Garlic

Ginger Root

Green onions

Green Pepper

Habernero Pepper

Kale

Mixed Organic Greens

Red Pepper

Swiss Chard

Tomatoes

Tomato Juice, organic

Tomato Paste, organic

Scallions

Yellow Pepper

FRESH HERBS

Basil

Dill

Cilantro

Mint

Oregano

Parsley

FRUIT

Apricots

Banana

Dates, preferably Medjool

Lemon

Lime

Peaches

Pears

Pineapple

Raspberries

Strawberries, preferably organic

BEANS

If buying canned beans try the Eden Organics brand. It does not contain Bisphenol A in the can liner)

Black Beans

NUTS AND SEEDS

Almond butter

Almonds, sliced

Cashew nut butter

Cashews, raw

Hempseeds (hemp hearts or hempseed protein powder)

Poppy seeds

Pumpkin Seeds

Sunflower seeds, raw

Sesame seeds

Walnuts

GRAINS

Brown long grain rice

Oats, organic quick

Quinoa

BEVERAGES

Almond milk, unsweetened

Apple juice, organic

Coconut Milk

Mineral Water, like San Pellegrino or San Benedetto

Orange juice, organic

Rice Milk, optional

Soy Milk, optional

INGREDIENTS

Agave Nectar/ Syrup

Apple Cider vinegar (or Balsamic)

Bragg’s Soy Sauce

Cacao powder or Carob powder, optional

Cinnamon powder

Dijon mustard, (organic Simply Natural or PC)

Dried, unsweetened coconut

Flaxseed Oil

Honey (from health food section)

Kalamata olives or black olives

Tahini

Tofu, extra firm organic

Vanilla Extract or Vanilla Bean

SEASONINGS

Black Pepper

Cayenne Pepper

Oregano, dried

Turmeric

Sea Salt (Herbamare is great)

OIL

Coconut Oil/Butter

Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Flaxseed oil

Sesame oil

 

 

 

 

Melon Salsa…Great Summer Food

1 small watermelon, seeded and diced

1 small cantalope, seeded and diced

1 pint of cherry tomatoes, halved

1 bunch of arugula, washed and finely chopped

1 small red onion, minced

1 small jalapeno, seeded and minced

2 Tbsp fresh mint, finely chopped

2 Tbsp fresh basil, finely chopped

1 lime, juiced

Sea salt, to taste

 

 

 

Combine all the ingredients in a large bowl and salt to taste. Sere immediately.

Note: If you have leftovers, store in the refrigerator, and pour off any liquid the fruit may have given up.

Serve over grilled or bake tofu, with Brown Rice Tortilla Chips or next to yor favorite veggie burger as a refreshing
alternative to coleslaw.

Summer Health Tips

Summer’s long days, warmth and sunshine mean days at the pool, picnics and outdoor adventures. Stay safe this summer by choosing safe sunscreens, bug repellants and deodorants. And while you’re packing that beach bag, check your water bottles and picnicking gear, too.

Sunscreens

When choosing sunscreens, select products free of UV filters that can mimic estrogen such as:

• 3-(4-methylbenzylidene)-camphor (4-MBC)
• octyl-methoxycinnamate (OMC)
• octyl-dimethyl-PABA (OD-PABA)
• bexophenome-3 (Bp-3)
• homosalate (HMS)

In addition, choose sunscreens that are free from synthetic fragrance, nanoparticles and parabens. Better still, wear a hat!

Insect Repellants

Choose products that are free of synthetic pesticides and fragrance (typically just labeled “fragrance”). Instead, use herbally-based and natural insect repellants, and consider lightweight long pants and long sleeves as a physical barrier.

Deodorant

By now you’ve probably guessed that parabens and fragrance should be on your “avoid” list. For deodorant, add aluminum to that list, too.

Food and Drink

Pack your picnic and on-the-go drinks in containers free of BPA (found in canned goods and hard plastics) and DEHP (a phthalate found in soft plastics), since food containers can be a key source of exposure to these chemicals. The best choices are stainless steel and glass.

Lisa Archer
National Coordinator of the Campaign for Safe Cosmetics
Breast Cancer Fund

 

“No Nut” Butter: Safe for school

Ingredients:

2 cups of raw unsalted sunflower seeds, ground (use a coffee grinder or food processor)

1 tsp of pure vanilla extract

1/3 cup of agave syrup

1 tbsp of fresh lemon juice

3 pinches of sea salt

Optional: 2 tbsp of carob powder or cacao powder for a chocolate flavor

Combine all ingredients together. To make creamier add warm water to achieve desired consistency. Toast Ezekiel bread. Use cookie cutter to cut out shape of Ezekiel bread. Spread No Nut Butter onto the bread and top with cut up banana. You can also use sliced apples, strawberries or peaches.

Healthy BBQ

Now that BBQ season is here, choose your meat and fish wisely.

If you are going to eat beef then choose:

• Organic Grass Fed Beef and wild game because it has beneficial Omega 3’s and are is treated with antibiotics.
• If you can’t get organic, search for grass fed. Grain (corn) fed beef has a lot of Arachadonic acid which puts the body into an inflammatory state.
• The antibiotics given to animals could create abnormal gut flora leading to digestive disturbance.

 If you are going to eat fish then choose:

Low mercury containing fish which includes: Clam, Ocean perch, Alaskan salmon, tilapia, flounder, sole, catfish, sardines, herring, and anchovies.

The following are high-mercury fish and should be avoided: shark, swordfish, king mackerel, tuna, orange roughy, marlin, Chilean bass, lobster, halibut, and snapper.

• Do not eat Farmed or Atlantic salmon. It is the least healthy of all fish.
• Never eat fish from the Great Lakes. They contain many known carcinogens.

If you are going to eat chicken choose:

If possible, purchase chicken that has been organically raised or that is “free-range” since these methods of poultry raising are both more humane and produce chickens that are both tastier and better for your health. Organically grown chickens have been fed an organically grown diet and have been raised without the use of hormones or antibiotics. Free-range chickens are allowed access to the outdoors as opposed to being confined to the henhouse.

PMS got you down?

Xenoestrogens are chemicals that come from the environment with a molecular structure similar to estrogen. Once inside your body they are able to behave like estrogen, leading to a hormonal imbalance.

They have been associated with conditions like breast cancer, PMS, endometriosis, PCOS, fibroids, ovarian cysts, infertility, weight gain, early puberty, decreased sperm count, prostate problems and low libido.

You can reduce your exposure by implementing the following steps:

 
· Eat organic as often as you can afford. Throw away all pesticides, herbicides, and fungicides. Wash your food.

Use a vegetable peeler to remove skin from commercial varieties of apples, pears, nectarines and potatoes.

For bell peppers, apples, and celery use an acid wash

• Fill a large glass bowl with water
•   Add 1 cup of distilled vinegar
•   Let the produce sit in the bowl for 10-25 minutes, then use a vegetable scrub brush on each vegetable

For grapes and cherries, let them soak for 1 hour.

· Use safe cosmetics. Don’t know what to avoid? Click here. Don’t know what to buy? Click here.

· Throw away nail polish and nail polish remover.

· Use organic soap and toothpaste.

· Don’t use fabric softeners as it puts petrochemical right on your skin

· Use only naturally based perfume like those made of essential oils. Most perfumes are petrochemically based.

· Have a good reverse osmosis water filter for your drinking water.

· Most plastic mimics estrogen. This includes intrauterine device (IUD).

· Avoid surfactants found in many condoms and diaphragm gels.

· New carpet can give off noxious fumes. Beware. Air out rooms thoroughly.

· Do not microwave food in plastic container, and especially avoid the use of plastic wrap to cover food for microwaving.