Everyone wants to live longer, right? I not only want to live longer, but I want to have the energy to live the life that I've been given. I have learned recently that the big culprit behind all our ailments is toxins. We get toxins by the foods we eat, air we breathe, and things we touch. Plus, if we don't get exercise, toxins can build up in our bodies. So, little by little, I have been changing some of the things I am doing, and a lot of the products I am currently using. Here are some of the recent changes I am making:
1. Making homemade shampoo (commercial shampoo is really bad for you if you didn't know this already).
2. Cutting back on sugar and products containing sugar (sugar is really bad for you too).
3. Using natural sweeteners that are recommended by health officials (like stevia and xylitol)
4. Using peroxide with my toothpaste, or, making my own peroxide/baking soda toothpaste. (Fluoride can cause cancer).
5. Making my own laundry detergent (unsafe ingredients used in commercial detergents)
6. Using stainless steel glasses and straws (glass is good too).
7. Making my own soap (for more info on that go to Oma's Workshop)
8. Storing food in mason jars instead of plastic tub containers. (Plastics can contain BPA, which can leach out and act like the hormone estrogen).
9. Making my own cream cheese, butter, ricotta, yogurt, and whey. I try to use raw milk when possible. Greenwise milk is a good alternative as I don't think it is ultrapasteurized.
10. If it is not too hot out, I open the windows and doors and turn the fan on to air out the house. Also, it is good to have green plants inside (I don't have much of those, but would like to grow wheatgrass). Plants that are green provide oxygen that we so desperately need.
11. Create my own compost using worms. It is called 'vermicomposting'. It makes compost tea as well as rich compost.
Worm Composting
12. Grow my own sprouts. I have been doing this for awhile so it is not new. Just be careful with the water you use. Always use purified water on your plants and sprouts, not tap water.
What are some ways you have adapted to your lifestyle that will help to keep a healthy body and environment? I would love to hear about more ideas. Please post them here if you have something you really like and use. Thanks.
Cooking is Like Science
Cooking is Fun & Healthful!
Monday, May 21, 2012
Monday, May 14, 2012
Making My Home BPA Free
It's a goal. I want my home to be free of BPA which stands for bisphenol A which is an industrial chemical used to make some plastics and resins. There is a possibility that anything plastic, especially items used with food products, could contain BPA. What are the dangers of BPA?
When the body takes in BPA, it interprets the BPA as a hormone like estrogen. The elements that make up BPA seem similar to estrogen and can affect the body. There is still testing going on and if a person has a choice of having BPA or not, it is definitely better to not have it.
BPA is found in water bottles, the linings of tin cans, and cash register receipts to start with. Water and juice bottles have a number on them which is a code that reveals the safety of the bottle in relation to BPA. Here is a web page from the Mayo clinic on BPA: http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/bpa/AN01955
So, what kind of measures can you and I take to make our homes and environment as BPA free as possible? One thing is to stay away from plastics with food. This is easier said than done. Most of our processed food has some kind of contact with plastic. I am going to use stainless steel cups and straws. On the sidebar of this page is a picture of the stainless steel straws. Clicking the picture on will bring you to amazon.com which is where I ordered my set from.
Another good alternative is glass, although glass is fragile and does break. Amazon.com also has glass straws available. I am looking for BPA free ice cube trays too. Some of my cooking appliances are made of plastic. I am not sure that everything that is plastic has BPA though. BPA seems to become released in the heat, so don't leave water bottles in the hot car!
Also, be sure to wash your hands after handling a cash register receipt! Who would have thought that BPA would be on cash register receipts? I am not sure that all cash register receipts have BPA, but it is better to be safe than sorry!
Here is another web site on BPA with more information:
http://www.hhs.gov/safety/bpa/
When the body takes in BPA, it interprets the BPA as a hormone like estrogen. The elements that make up BPA seem similar to estrogen and can affect the body. There is still testing going on and if a person has a choice of having BPA or not, it is definitely better to not have it.
BPA is found in water bottles, the linings of tin cans, and cash register receipts to start with. Water and juice bottles have a number on them which is a code that reveals the safety of the bottle in relation to BPA. Here is a web page from the Mayo clinic on BPA: http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/bpa/AN01955
So, what kind of measures can you and I take to make our homes and environment as BPA free as possible? One thing is to stay away from plastics with food. This is easier said than done. Most of our processed food has some kind of contact with plastic. I am going to use stainless steel cups and straws. On the sidebar of this page is a picture of the stainless steel straws. Clicking the picture on will bring you to amazon.com which is where I ordered my set from.
Another good alternative is glass, although glass is fragile and does break. Amazon.com also has glass straws available. I am looking for BPA free ice cube trays too. Some of my cooking appliances are made of plastic. I am not sure that everything that is plastic has BPA though. BPA seems to become released in the heat, so don't leave water bottles in the hot car!
Also, be sure to wash your hands after handling a cash register receipt! Who would have thought that BPA would be on cash register receipts? I am not sure that all cash register receipts have BPA, but it is better to be safe than sorry!
Here is another web site on BPA with more information:
http://www.hhs.gov/safety/bpa/
Tuesday, May 8, 2012
Cooking With Cast Iron
I am so grateful for my cast iron skillets and Dutch oven. I have a few other cast iron pans as well. One of the best benefits of using cast iron is that you don't have to use Teflon! If you have been reading lately, Teflon is not the best type of cookware to cook with. Not only is Teflon not good for humans, but it is deadly for birds! If you have birds in the house, the heat from the Teflon could kill them.
The other benefit that I like is that it helps to provide iron that we need to have in our diets. Iron can end up in the food you are cooking if you are using cast iron.
There are different types of pans to cook with, and some of them are not necessarily good to use. When I first married, I received an aluminum set of pots and pans. Little did I know that aluminum was not good to cook your food with. When I stopped using aluminum, I went right over to Teflon. I thought it was great! So easy to clean and cook with! I definitely was not going to use something as difficult as my grandmother used, which was pots and pans of cast iron.
Well, years later, after many cooking experiences, I gave the cast iron skillet a try. It wasn't as hard as I thought it would be to use. One thing that bothered me at first was that you don't use soap on cast iron pans. But I got used to the idea, and learned the curve on cooking and cleaning up cast iron pans.
Cast iron pans have to be seasoned as well. That is what helps them to have a somewhat non-stick finish to them. There are probably a lot of web sites that have directions on how to care for them, and here is one I just found:
http://whatscookingamerica.net/Information/CastIronPans.htm
Our ancestors had it right when they used cast iron cookware. Plus, you can actually use the pots and pans over a fire as well as on the stove or in the oven. So, I know if you begin to use cast iron, you will end up enjoying it and it will benefit you in many ways.
The other benefit that I like is that it helps to provide iron that we need to have in our diets. Iron can end up in the food you are cooking if you are using cast iron.
There are different types of pans to cook with, and some of them are not necessarily good to use. When I first married, I received an aluminum set of pots and pans. Little did I know that aluminum was not good to cook your food with. When I stopped using aluminum, I went right over to Teflon. I thought it was great! So easy to clean and cook with! I definitely was not going to use something as difficult as my grandmother used, which was pots and pans of cast iron.
Well, years later, after many cooking experiences, I gave the cast iron skillet a try. It wasn't as hard as I thought it would be to use. One thing that bothered me at first was that you don't use soap on cast iron pans. But I got used to the idea, and learned the curve on cooking and cleaning up cast iron pans.
Cast iron pans have to be seasoned as well. That is what helps them to have a somewhat non-stick finish to them. There are probably a lot of web sites that have directions on how to care for them, and here is one I just found:
http://whatscookingamerica.net/Information/CastIronPans.htm
Our ancestors had it right when they used cast iron cookware. Plus, you can actually use the pots and pans over a fire as well as on the stove or in the oven. So, I know if you begin to use cast iron, you will end up enjoying it and it will benefit you in many ways.
Thursday, May 3, 2012
Beyond Organic Insider: Is Organic Overpriced?
Beyond Organic Insider: Is Organic Overpriced?: As I travel the country educating people about the short-comings of our modern food system and urging people to choose organically grown, su...
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)