Is there more to the vitamin story?

Good morning!

I felt the need to shout to the world this morning about this article I just read, and so I am!

There has been so much media coverage lately about the studies on the vitamins we take. Most media coverage is talking about how the vitamins that many of us take do nothing! They prevent no disease and may be even harming us! Well, I totally jumped on this bandwagon because I have been reading about this for years in the annals of nutrition websites and blogs.

But, there is more to the story! This article made me think in a different way, and I hope it does for you too! As usual, there seems to be an agenda in the bastardizing of vitamins! But there is good news. There are AMAZING things you can do to supplement your diet with whole food types of vitamins. Not isolated vitamins (which are what the studies, studied!). Quality matters! Doing your homework matters! Not just laying down and taking the information that is spoon fed to us matters!

If you care at all about nutrition, you need the facts before you can make decisions about what you put into your body. This article has a great way of making you THINK! Imagine that.

Please read:
Mainstream Media Has Got It Wrong When It Comes To The Power Of Vitamins 

More on my thoughts later.

Be well and go eat some veggies!!
Mandy

Toothpaste?

Yes, toothpaste!

On my quest for finding non toxic products for our family, I found it very hard to find toothpaste! Was there a toothpaste without a warning label? Without fluoride? With natural ingredients I could read? That didn't taste like baking soda (bleck!), and actually had a refreshing quality about it? Not too pasty, not a bad aftertaste, not fruity!

All of these things were issues I had encountered with all the toothpastes I had tried. I even tried to make my own for awhile! Some are so keen on making their own and love it! I have no desire (anymore) to  make or use homemade toothpaste. It really wasn't to my liking and no one else wanted to use it!

Anyhow - in the past few months, I have come across two toothpastes that live up to their promises (so it seemed) and here are my thoughts!

The first is from The Honest Company

It is fluoride free (which is another topic all on its own), and states there are no artificial sweeteners (yes those are usually in your paste), no artificial flavors, gluten, or dyes. 

It does include aloe, green tea, ginger, baking soda, and many other natural ingredients. 

THERE IS NO WARNING LABEL.

All good so far! The one drawback is the flavor. It is not bad, but there is not much of it! It's minty, but very subtly. We are so used to overwhelming minty power when it comes to toothpaste! This one  is not overwhelming, and not too baking soda-y either. I really like how it made my mouth feel as opposed to some other natural toothpastes. I feel perfectly safe letting my 4-year old use it.

Here is what it looks like! It sells for $5.95.

The second brand I got for Christmas from my mother! Which is quite a surprise and WAS my favorite toothpaste thus far until I did a little research.
This is what it says on the label, which made me like it right away! But...buyer beware...

"...contains no flouride and is "kid safe". It is not harmful if swallowed."

What it does contain is Sodium Benzoate. This ingredient has been banned in other countries, but not ours. It is an additive that seems to promote cancer and kill healthy cells. Awesome. It is so disappointing when you think you find something great and there is an ingredient in it that is NO GOOD! The less of this in our diet, the better. It's all a compound effect. One product wouldn't be bad, but if you are getting it in your food, in your toothpaste, and who knows what else, NO GOOD!

Information on this additive:
Sodium Benzoate

Anyhow. Very disappointing. I will probably finish the tube so there will not be waste, but I won't buy it again. The BIGGEST bummer is that it had such fantastic flavor!! So minty. Just like toothpaste should.

Well. Until I find another on my search, I think I am going to stick with The Honest Company! Even though the flavor is subtle, it works and I seem to be able to trust all of the ingredients. Which is important! Toothpaste is a toughy in the non-toxic search!

If you have found a toothpaste that you enjoy, is flouride free, is kid friendly and still tastes great, let me know!!!

Until then, thanks for reading my review!

Be Well,

Mandy

Raw Gatorade? Electrolytes at least.

So I just made this little number in my Vitamix! I found this juice on Pinterest but decided to make the whole food version. Because I can!

So if you have a Vitamix, know that Gatorade is NO GOOD, and want to try a raw, whole food version of a fantastic recovery/electrolyte drink, try this! 

A little article on whether or our kids (or any of us!) really NEED sports drinks:
Sports Drinks?


Here is the recipe.

3 Oranges peeled an cut in half

1/4 if a lemon

1/2 cup of coconut water (I added more to dilute the smoothie a bit!)

Have you read about the natural electrolytes and benefits in coconut water? I was listening to a podcast the other day about Vegan Triathletes. Those that compete in Ironmen Triathlons and such. One couple was stating that the ONLY electrolyte replenishing drink they take is coconut water. So many go to chocolate milk, or synthetic drinks these days that they were trying to convert even non-vegan triathletes into drinking coconut water. So much better for you!

Coconut Water Benefits!

ON TO THE RECIPE!!
Blend on super speed! Mine came out a little warm so I guess I blended a bit long. It turned out SO CRAZY GOOD! And is so refreshing because I had just done a Bikram yoga class.

Love trying new things and actually liking them!!

Now...I wouldn't make this every day. It's obviously a lot of sugar, but because I didn't juice it, the fiber is still in there, so that sugar won't go STRAIGHT into my bloodstream. I sipped this over the course of an evening - didn't need dessert after dinner - and felt great. I actually had energy and didn't want to go to bed, which probably isn't that great for sleeping.

 

Try and enjoy!

Be well,
Mandy

Get the stink outta here!

Deodorant! A natural one that REALLY WORKS! I swear.

First of all: Happy New Year!!!

I hope that we all find our happiness this year. Live a little happier, healthier, and fitter! I want to be one of your resources for just those things.

Now here we go.

Story time:

After my mom was diagnosed with breast cancer the 2nd time I was out of college and just starting to think about my own health and mortality. I started drinking more soy milk ( now soy is considered bad! Although new research is coming out that debunks non GMO soy being bad), I ate less meat, looked at alternatives for dairy cheese, and started considering that deodorant may be a villain in this cancer game.

I had heard a news report discussing the fact that anti perspirant messes with nature in that it didn't allow our body's natural process of letting us sweat to take place. It suggested that because of this, toxins build up under our under arms which happen to be super close to our breast tissue. In my mind the link the breast cancer made sense. Block our body from sweating, toxins build up! Cancer can ensue.

It's obviously not that simple. And now that I am a bit more educated, it comes down to a) I don't want to block my body from sweating, (it just doesn't sit right with me) and b) I don't want to put toxic substances on my body that I may absorb!
Do you know how much of what we put on our body we absorb? Well, it depends on what it is and the molecular makeup. This blog post does a great job of describing the process: Absorption of beauty products
I, for one, just don't want to take many chances. We use so many products each day, that it is a compound effect. If I only used toothpaste, or only used hairspray, or only used mascara, I probably wouldn't think too much of it. But have you ever made a list of all the products you use to get ready in the morning? Especially if you use makeup?
*toothpaste
*face soap
*face moisturizer
*that stuff on your razor that makes your shave "oh so smooth"
*soap
*shampoo
*conditioner
*styling gel
*hairspray
*handsoap
*foundation
*blush
*eye makeup
*masacara
*eyeliner
*powder
*bronzer
*mattifier
*lipstick
*lip gloss
*lip balm
*lotion
*perfume


I could go on! And I don't feel like I use that much! But I do. And that is only what I put on my body. What about what I use to clean? It gets overwhelming when I think about all of the chemicals and ingredients that I use on a daily basis. So how much of that am I breathing in or absorbing into my body?

Anyway! I digress.
Doing some research for this post, I found this article from the American Cancer Society. It's purpose was to try to debunk this myth that anti-antiperspirants had any role in breast cancer formation, but it did not do that for me, especially knowing about the chemicals put in our beauty products and how our skin absorbs them: American Cancer Society

About 1 year ago, I found a company called Ava Anderson Non-Toxic that sells only non-toxic products. It was started by a teenager who became hyper aware of the toxins in our products during a unit in her science class and could not find one thing on the store shelves that she felt safe buying. I like that she offers a variety of products and no matter what you buy, you can be rest assured that it is absolutely NON-TOXIC. This link to her website has a host of articles and excerpts that can really help to educate: Ava Anderson

Also, a good resource for investigating the products that you do use is: EWG Skin Deep

I do not like EVERY product that she sells, and I am starting to use The Honest Company and True Goods to find more products that I like and want to review for you, but I do like a lot of them. And she comes out  with new products all of the time.

This post started out talking about deodorant! So this is where I am going to review the deodorant that I LOVE the most!!!

Here are the ingredients:
Ingredients: organic coconut oil, organic beeswax, organic shea butter, organic cocoa butter, aluminum free baking soda, organic arrowroot powder, organic tea tree essential oil, organic peppermint essential oil

That is it. I know what you are saying. I don't want to sweat! I don't want to stink! Natural deodorants don't work! Well...let me tell you. I do sweat, a little bit. But if I need a little extra protection for an event or something, I'll go with conventional deodorant/antiperspirant, if I must! But, for everyday, this is what I use. I don't stink. It is not sticky. It smells like chocolate mint ice cream. Ask me questions about it and I will be honest. I really didn't like it at first because I thought it made me smell funny, but I wanted to give it a real go because I wanted it to work! I had heard so many great reviews. And you know what? I've been using it for a year now and I LOVE it. That smell went away. I think it was just my sniffer. Day to day, I NEVER use anything else. No matter what. And I feel good knowing that it is one less beauty product that I have to worry about.

It may seem a little pricey at $24.95 for two! But the other amazing thing is that I have had this same deodorant for 1 YEAR! You read that right. I have not bought deodorant for 1 year. How 'bout them apples?

Anyway. I've tried many, many natural deodorants. But the only one that I am using, and have used for 1 year now, is this one. You can only get it through a distributor and you can find one online. Or, if you'd like to try it out, I can hook you up with someone I know or you can just go to the website and shop. Check out their other products too. And if you have questions, let me know. I've tried a TON of their stuff.

www.avaandersonnontoxic.com


Moral of the story:

Beware of the deodorant that you use no matter what you believe about it's link with breast cancer. Do your research, don't just settle for what we are given. I have no doubt that big companies do NOT have our best interests at heart. So be your own advocate for you and your family. Educate yourself. The information is out there! My goal is to educate as much as possible without boring you to death. But my hope is that I just give you a taste, and then you keep going with it. Keep learning, doing your own research, talking to your family and friends. Let's do what WE CAN to limit our exposure to toxins.


Be well!
And Happy New Year!

Mandy

Kobocha squash soup!

Because of our overindulgence this past holiday, I have decided to keep our meals as simple as possible these next few weeks before we indulge all over again! I try my darnedest, but I just can never resist the homemade cookies and pies during the holidays! Then, afterward, I pay for it with cravings and a rough time getting back to our normal fare. 

Anyhow! This recipe idea came from Alicia Silverstone's book "The Kind Diet", which I've used as a resource for vegan meals for about 3 years now! I love it. So many veggies in her recipes. Things I've never tried she has gotten me to try! Easy recipes, no crazy ingredients (well...not crazy to me anymore), and though not every recipe is my taste, I know whatever I make is nutritious and animal friendly. All good in creating a diet for prevention of chronic diseases and for making lighter, easily digestible meals.

I decided to make Kobocha squash soup. I had a hankering for a warm, nourishing, colorful, seasonal soup and I chose Kobocha squash because she uses it quite a bit in her book, but I've never really tried it in this soup! I usually opt for butternut in this kind of soup, but I thought I would try the Kobocha. Butternut is usually pretty readily available at the grocery store, and Kobocha is a bit harder to find, but I was determined! I found an organic one in the second store I tried!

It's actually a pretty hard squash to find because many times it is not labeled. I'm not sure if the store doesn't know what kind it is or what! But it's a beautiful squash and interesting to look at. It is also REALLY hard to chop up! So if you try it, be careful and make sure you have a sharp knife.

Slice the squash in half and then in half moons to skin and chop up. There are a lot of seeds so be sure to scoop them out! I chopped an onion right after the squash. I only used 1/2 of an onion instead of a whole because we are not a big onion loving family!

I varied Alicia's recipe quite a bit because I wanted a bit more hardiness. I used some coconut oil to sauté the onions, and used half veggie broth, half water, instead of no veggie broth, no onion, and no oil! It's starting to sound like I didn't use her recipe at all. But her recipe and book inspired me (it is even in the background there!).

I chopped up the onion and the squash, melted the oil in the pan, and then sauteed. After sauteing the onion in the oil, you add the veggie broth/water and the cut up squash.

I boiled until tender  (which did not take much time at all) and then scooped out the squash and blended it up in my blender (you can also use a food processor and it would probably work better. Unless you have a Vitamix, and then you are loving life!). Then it just goes back into the pot to warm again when it needs to be ready for the meal. I always try the food I make. I don't understand those who say "I never try what I make. It's either good, or it's not!". I don't get it! I always try it so that if it needs a little something, I can add it right then! But this is your soup. You do what you want. I found that it needed a little sea salt and pepper.

This recipe turned out really great! It was such a beautiful golden color in the white bowls that I have. I should have taken a picture because it was a striking color. I've learned that in order to pick out a nice sweet squash you must look for a rich dark green color with an orange spot on one side where the squash was laying on the ground. Also, you want it to be on the heavy side. If picking between two, choose the heaviest one! 

Here is the easy, peasy recipe:

1 Kobocha squash skinned and cut into chunks. However you know how to best do this! (butternut works nice too)

1/2 to 1 onion chopped (depending on your preference)

3 1/2 cups veggie broth (or chicken). I also used 1/2 broth 1/2 water because the original recipe called for water only

1 Tblsp coconut oil

Salt and pepper to taste 

See above for steps to cook.

Please try it! It would probably be wonderful with some coconut milk mixed in to make it a bit more creamy, and using all broth and no water would also give it a bit more Umph! But we enjoyed this version for sure. The only side we had was a nice green salad (again no picture! I'm still learning.) To the salad we added sugar snap peas, tomatoes, raisins, sunflower seeds, and celery! I love some sweetness in my salads. It went really well with the soup.

I also LOVE toast so I made myself some for the side. I'm not eating wheat so it was a rye bread with some earth balance butter and honey. YUM!

If you do choose to make this soup, I hope you look for organic ingredients! It seems to me the organic produce just has a bit more flavor, and it does my heart good to know I'm serving my family a few less pesticides with their dinner.

I also hope this post leads to some great meals for you! Here is what the day looked like when I cooked ours: 

Brrrrrrrrrr!!!!!
It was just a soup kinda day! Now go make some soup!

Be well,

Mandy

We don't trust tea drinkers!

My friend Kolleen and I have a funny inside joke about people who don't drink coffee: WE DON'T TRUST THEM.
Who wouldn't like coffee? It's so warm! Coffee flavor is yummy! We live in a coffee mecca! And, who doesn't want a little boost in the morning? So those who don't drink coffee are CRAZY! And we don't trust them.

But now I don't drink coffee in the morning.Uh oh.

Since I am trying to figure out the culprit behind my headaches, I had to give up my beloved morning coffee. Coffee is, like, my only vice. I hardly drink, I eat healthy, I don't eat much sugar, but I love my morning coffee! Anytime anyone has suggested I give it up for every day use, I scoff. "Not my coffee! I refuse! That is my one vice in life!" Let me tell you...it was one of the hardest things I have had to do. Which was actually also troubling to me! I only drink 1 cup of coffee in the morning, so I should be able to give it up without to much of a physical (mental is another story) problem. Right? Wrong!

I was so tired and irritable and blah! For about almost a week! I was worried about myself. I didn't think it was the caffeine.

Anyway, the whole point is that I was told I could have green tea. I don't like green tea! It makes me feel funny in my head. I know. What doesn't these days?

But one of my coworkers was talking about how she was going to get a Matcha Green Tea Latte one afternoon. What the heck was that? She was RAVING about them and how she makes them at home. She was describing all of the benefits of Matcha green tea and how she just craved them sometimes! So, she went to Starbucks and I did some research. Turns out, she knows what she is talking about! Here's are a couple of tidbits:

8 Wonders of Match Green Tea
Benefits of Matcha Green Tea - Dr. Weil

Now before you go to Starbucks, or your local coffee cart to buy a Green Tea Latte, know what you are buying. Many places only have traces of matcha in their drinks, have additives, LOTS of sugar, and tout it as good for you. These drinks are not what I am talking about. Real Matcha Green Tea is used in Japanese tea ceremonies and gives you many more benefits than the Green Tea Lattes that are being made for us. Educate yourself before you jump on the bandwagon!

So I found some at Whole Foods and started making my own (after I got over the sticker shock!). Oh...my...goodness...Did my outlook improve! Holy Cow. I had my energy back but in a very different way.

This is not the green tea I had been having in tea bags. This was a creamy, lovely, much richer version and I did not get the caffeine rush, or the dehydration (I found later), or the stiffness during yoga! (Which I found later as well). At the time, all I knew was that I felt great! My energy was back! And I had something better than watered down clear tea to greet me in the mornings.I had added almond milk to it as well as hot water, shook it up in my mason jar from my smoothie that morning, and drank it. THIS WAS MY NEW FAVORITE THING!

If I was Oprah, everyone would be drinking this by now! It would be on "Oprah's Favorite Things Christmas Show" and everyone would get a free tin!!

And then I remembered this article. This article threw me for a loop a few weeks back about how most of the tea we are drinking is full of pesticides because of the way tea is grown, processed, and bagged:

The Truth About Tea

Which makes total sense to me. If we are conscious of the fruits and veggies we put in our body because of the pesticide use in our country, why would we not be conscious of any plants/herbs we put in our body? Why would our growing of tea be any different?

So I am in search of a reasonably priced, respectively sourced, ORGANIC Matcha Green Tea. So far I've tried "Got Matcha". I'm impressed with the quality, but the price has a bit to be desired. If you become a member, it is 1/2 price, but I haven't done that yet. I like that it is organic, I like where it is sourced, and I like the company.

So now that I can start having coffee again, I am only having it on the weekends! I do not want to be reliant on coffee to get my day started. Green tea has less caffeine and makes me feel WAY better throughout the day than my coffee did. I feel like I can have another cup in the afternoon, if I like as well! So many more benefits. So many less consequences for me. Green tea is actually alkaline in the body, rather than creating an acidic environment, which, we are learning, creates and atmosphere for disease to thrive. This is something I am trying to avoid!

More questions and answers about Matcha!

That is my spiel about Tea! Please read the article on the tea we drink. Choose wisely. We are all voting with our money and our choices! The more we purchase responsibly produced, healthier for us items, the more we will create demand.

Thanks for reading! Now go drink some Matcha Green Tea!

Be well,
Mandy

Is my food making me sick?

I've been struggling, which is one reason I haven't written in a couple of weeks.

I’m hurting. And I feel like I’m never going to figure out why.

I write this not for sympathy, or to complain. I write this for anyone who is going through something similar, or worse, and needs to know they are not alone, needs additional resources, wants to ask questions, or just needs to know that someone else out there is listening (or writing!).

I've also been afraid to write about this, because I have friends and family who have gone through/are going through so much more, that I feel that what I am going through is small potatoes, or that no one would care!

I decided to write anyway. If for nothing else, to serve as a journal for myself, to remind me where I started, came from, and how far I have come (because I plan to go very far away from this!!)

I think I eat pretty healthy, I exercise, do yoga, don’t drink much alcohol or eat too much sugar. I sometimes make people uncomfortable with my food choices, I drink Shakeology, and I don’t eat dairy or much meat. I go to a chiropractor, acupuncturist, and naturopath, and am pretty in tune with my body. I get made fun of for it! And now... I feel like crap much of the time. Headaches, body aches, skin aches, upset stomach, strange nausea, fatigue. All this seems to have no rhyme or reason to it, except for after I eat rich meals, sugar, or drink alcohol, I feel like crap. Am I alone in this? Is any food I eat actually good for me anymore? Can I ever indulge and enjoy what I love again? Is all my "healthiness" for nothing? Or has it just ruined me? Can I never process a processed food again? Am I not as healthy as I think I am?

Thinking about preventing cancer and other diseases and trying to figure out what foods best fuel my body and what philosophies I believe in (vegan, wheat free, paleo, etc.), and sticking to it is hard enough! Right? I read too much, I know too much. And now, I have to figure out what is causing my body the symptoms I have been having. As if it isn't hard enough to eat well! As if it isn't expensive enough!

This has been quite a journey these past few years. I’ve dealt with headaches since before my son was born and it was attributed to stress and tension. I got massages. Then they found vertebrae out of alignment in my neck and dehydration could be culprits. I went to the chiropractor. I went to an acupuncturist. And now, those things, plus some food sensitivities seem to be making me feel yucky. And worse than ever. I feel like I just keep adding to the list! And I also feel like this journey just started over!

Lately the headaches have gotten worse (a brain tumor has been ruled out because of my symptoms). I can’t drink any alcohol for fear of a ridiculous debilitating headache the next day. In bed until 3:00pm kind of headache. Puking. And that is from one drink of Grey Goose Vodka and soda. I can’t eat much sugar, especially refined. Natural sweeteners don’t seem to bother me too much. I can eat Coconut Bliss ice cream! Yay!

AND THEN! Yes, there is more! All of a sudden I started getting these crazy skin sensitivities! Like, I couldn't touch my skin because it hurt. And it kept moving around my body! One day it was on my left arm and my sleeve was hurting my arm. The next day it was on the sides of both my hips and it hurt to pull my pants on and off! Next, it was my back. Arghhhhh...when will it end?

All of this has lead me to be on a food elimation diet (with the guidance of my naturopath). Fancy, huh? Something is causing these crazy symptoms! But what?? Basically one eliminates all typical foods that cause allergies or sensitivities: wheat, dairy, corn, sugar, eggs, coffee, tea…you get the idea. 2 weeks of this and then one adds those foods back in, one at a time, to see what happens. Yay.

I’m on week two. Aside from a few annoying small "headaches", some body aches (detoxing??), irritability, fatigue, introspection and antisocialness, I'm doing pretty great. Surprisingly sticking with it! I've broken a habit! I'm following the diet! It finally got bad enough and this is what is making me stick to it. I'm TIRED of feeling like crap and I want to figure it out.

By the way, Matcha green tea is saving my life right now. How did I not know about this stuff?? Way better than the green tea bags. More of a kick. More robust (is that a word when you talk about tea?). And with some almond milk? Really helped with giving up coffee.

This whole experience has me reading more (Oh no!) about the food I am eating. I just picked up “Wheat Belly” by Dr. William Davis. It has really opened my eyes, so far, about how genetically modified ALL of our wheat is! This is not the same wheat our grandmothers ate and made homemade breads with.

It has also made me look differently at all the food around me. The processed, not real, sugar/fat/salt packed everything. I can’t have it right now, but it also makes me look at it at a new angle. What am I really putting into my body? Does my body need it? Is it giving me fuel? Is it going to make me feel like crap in the next hour? It probably sounds like a very boring way to live. But shouldn’t we all be thinking this way for optimum health?

Sooooo...out of all of this chaos, some good things are emerging:

*My yoga practice is improving. Not sure why, but I am more flexible and have more stamina in my super hot Bikram yoga class
*My skin irritations have gone away! Which means some sort of food is causing it. But what? I'll find out later when I add things back in.
*I don't need coffee. In fact, I think it was making me feel worse than I thought. I do need some caffeine though and I found a new way! Matcha!
*I don't know as much as I thought I did!
*Things taste better when you don't eat as much sugar.

I've discovered some new things! I love discovering new things! Especially when they are healthy :)

*Match Green Tea - Why has no one told me about this? Powdered green tea, not in a tea bag, which can be mixed with any sort alternative milk for a nice caffeine kick in the morning! So much better for me.Currently looking for an organic version that doesn't cost an arm and a leg.
*Go Macro Bars - awesomeness that I can eat - Gluten Free!
*Kit's Organic Fruit and Nut bars - second choice awesomeness that I can eat - by Clif bar. Gluten Free!


All of this brings me to so many questions:
Why is my food making me sick? If I am getting sick, how many other people out there are sick from their food too and just dealing with it? How good could we/should we feel? Why are they putting so much junk in our food? Why is it so intensely complicated and expensive to eat well? And so hard for so many people?

How can I help others?????

I feel like I've been forced, in a good way, for good reasons to eat a very strict, healthy diet. I have big reasons WHY: I don't want my symptoms anymore, and I don't want them to get worse.

So that is my story so far. There is more to come and I hope I find out some definite information when I start adding food back in. Maybe we will all learn something!

Until then, please write. I'd love to hear about your experiences! Let's all share and help each other!

Be Well,
Mandy