Honey Lemons, Echinacea and Vicks Oh MY!

I had a head cold. Ok I still have a little cough but I can talk. A few days ago I had no voice. Was so much fun when I work with the public. It was kinda funny when I would talk and people would get this horrified look on their face as to say OH shit she is sick... and quickly back away.. But hey you won't be able to hear me... Plus if I had a dime for every-time some one told me "Hey you have Laryngitis!". Yep I do. Gee thanks Captain Obvious!

My adventure in trying to feel better was interesting....

OK You know this is not medical advice. That common sense will tell you if you are very sick go to the doctor not read my blog ....I am not a doctor or a nurse. disclaimer....... Just my adventure in laryngitis and cough my head off land..... 


 I quickly figured out that I have not started my winter echinacea regiment of 15 days on and 15 days off.  Seeing how it was like what 60 something last week I can see how I forgot to start taking it....

I started to drink a ton of tea cause the warm water did a great job on my throat. Crazy think is it didn't hurt most of the time (just when I weak up in the middle of the night). I would add honey (honey is suppose to be good for sore throats plus help fight infections) and lemon. (same thing with the lemons) I would take honey and lemon to work to add to my tea at work.  LOL I think I still have a little container of honey in my locker!!

    Didn't really feel like eating but knew I should. So I eat a lot of chicken and rice soup. You know the feed a cold thing that chicken soup is good for fighting a cold... but now I am so sick of chicken and rice soup... LOL

I made a cough medicine.

1 tablespoon of honey
1 tablespoon of lemon juice
1 tablespoon of warm water

tasted ok.  I didn't have cayenne. But then I wasn't really congested just coughing and had laryngitis.  I did once in a while just take a little honey and kinda suck on it to cover my throat.  I did that at work sometimes  after I drank all my tea... LOL  Cause honey is so gooooodddd. PLUS the most important part is I got the honey at the farmers market or the health food store not the big box shelves of the "sugar water" honey. They say that it helps with allergies because the bees work the flowers in your area. Helping you build up a resistance.  I know this is not proven to be a fact but it seems to help me (it works for me may not work for others.)
I wore vicks VapoRub on my feet with socks.  This is one of those things that has been circling the internet that helps night time cough. It did the first night then again maybe it was cause I got no sleep the night before because I kept waking up coughing.  Second night nope didn't work... BUT I also raised the top of my bed a little to help me breathe.  I lay down. I cough and get stuffed up... oh yea a head cold...

I now have a sports bottle of water by my bed and in my car. Great for the dry throat feeling. Stops the cough my head off cause I was over heated in that store.... Or cause I have been snoring half the night.
Water is good right? Guess a good habit came out of this fun.

OK You know this is not medical advice. That common sense will tell you if you are very sick go to the doctor not read my blog ....I am not a doctor or a nurse. disclaimer.......

Sneaky....

After reading an article on Care2 8 Healthy Swaps You haven't heard of  I tried the tip of using some shaved zucchini instead of pasta.  And to use spinach as pasta...Ok so my MO was to sneak it in the finished product and that way my family gets to try it but keep a little bit of it familiar.  I did this years ago when I was married.  When the reports kept saying we should stop drinking whole milk and drink 2%.  I slowly added 2% to whole milk so that family would get used to the taste. (oh yea I am that old...LOL) When Miss Animal Rights decided to become vegetarian I would sneak some TVP into our meat dishes to make them healthier...


Plus who am I kidding I think I have to train my taste buds too.  Cause you know you expect it to taste the way you think it will taste... LIKE pasta...  


I used to sneak spinach into stews and things.  Now that they are grown they do it too... but when they asked what is that green stuff I would say; umm I think it is parsley, oregano... maybe basil or something like that.  I used frozen spinach and put just a little in.  It looked like spices... ;) 


I have been  trying to eat less processed foods and I feel great less bloated.  I think I will keep this up!! 

So tonight I tried some sauce that I put in some shaved zucchini and some frozen spinach.  The zucchini seemed like tasteless... I thought it was onion most of the time so I guess I won't replace the pasta with either I will still do that: add some to the sauce and eat less pasta...  Boasting the veggie power to my pasta sauce.

Reduced Gluten Diet

So I am trying to eat healthier. I really thought that I was using my mindset to help me with both eating right and quitting smoking.... but I saw online somewhere (you know I can't find the article I read to give a link here) that they find if you eat more fruits and vegetables quitting is easier! Wow I thought I was just telling myself that to keep me on track..

 I had a problem after quitting that was so uncomfortable. I was bloated like there was NO tomorrow, in the morning it was better. Well most of the time. I have a few co-workers and a friend that has celiac disease. She teased me that she was reading in a magazine that more "old folks like us" are being diagnosed with celiac disease. That maybe I should try going gluten free. Of course one friend who was trying a carb restrictive diet suggested I go carb free. Then seeing a bunch of reports online and TV saying do we really need to eat gluten?  I thought maybe the universe is trying to tell me something!    Well the fact I am a poor single woman with pasta and other carbs that are gluten rich in my cupboard; I decided to cut the amount. I was getting a piece of toast for breakfast, a sandwich for lunch and dinner... maybe carb overload for my new improved metabolism. Not sure if it is true but I read somewhere in the materials I got from the quit smoking hot line that my metabolism was going to slow down due to the fact nicotine speeds it up. Ok I guess I have to deal.  But thought I was only gaining a little weigh not going to be painfully bloated.   I was going threw some painful bloating so I had to do something. I have to admit I did smoke a cigarette to "cure it". I felt horrible and said I have to figure this out. Cause I don't want to go back and have to wear the patches again.  Did I tell you that I got rashes really bad from them.  AND didn't sleep for over  3 months going thru withdraw....

So I have cut my wheat and gluten intake to my evening meal.  I eat oats or eggs for breakfast no more just a quick piece of buttered toast. I eat veggies and salads for lunch. Plus fruits and they make great snacks too.  And then I eat my dinner.  I have cut down the amount of pasta and up the amount of veggies.   Just like they say to do with beef products... Which I am craving some beef stew.... with some carrots, onions, green beans and potatoes.  Guess that isn't the worst thing to crave. Right? I eat beef a few times a month.  If that!

 I have learned a few things.  I like eggs without toast. Pouched eggs are good too.  I found a recipe for bolognese sauce. So I just skimmed it and thought wow vegetables in spaghetti sauce.  So I add some carrots and celery to my spaghetti sauce recipe and you can't even tell they are in there.  LOL PS I always have added onions to my sauce.  Oh and no meat.  One of those things I don't like meat with cause it was easier to cook one big pot of spaghetti sauce then two with the vegetarian daughters around.

Downside is I can't make a great pot of veggie soup!!!  I have tried tons of recipes and they tasted bad. I don't know what I am doing wrong...  I don't want to get a can and open it.  I want to make it.  Oh I can make some good soup with the beef stock but not a pure vegetable soup.  Maybe I will try a chicken stock veggie soup.  But I really want to make soup the girls can eat..... grrrrr

So I am happy to report no smoking and eating healthier.  Plus sleep very well thank-you.  Really got worried for awhile about that one.  Not bloated to the point of pain at night.  Guess I found my style of eating.

 

Grease is the word!!

So many time the green dish soaps are no the greatest at removing that greasy mess on my pans. My dressing bottle is the worst!  So I went to the internet to research.  The ideas I found:

Sprinkle salt on dish and use as a scrub
Add 1/2 cup of Vinegar to dish water
for glass soak with soap and microwaving for a minute or so

Wait if the vinegar was the answer won't my dressing bottle be easier to clean? It oil and vinegar...  I have been having fun using different vinegar favors so maybe only the white? Well it really didn't work....

Microwaving with the soapy water or without??? Didn't work for either...

The salt helped remove some of the grease.  The pans were the one where this worked the best.  I sprinkle the salt and let sit until I am ready to wash the dishes.  Maybe it help to put it in when the pan is still a little hot..

So the best method is all of them together!! While it is warm from cooking (no need for the microwave!!!) sprinkle with salt. Then before washing remove the salt with the dishcloth.  I don't wet down the towel. I add warm water with vinegar to soak it till I reach the pans....

That worked! So I found out that lemon also works well.  I like to clean with lemons cause they smell so good!!

Gluten Free?

I understand those who have Celiac Disease But it seems there is reports and sites that are telling us that the wheat is causing things like depression, diabetes, ADD/ADHD, and more. But it seems like the condition of the year .I am not saying if you have been diagnose with it; your condition is not real.  I am saying that it seems that it is been said that most of us have it and don't know we do type of warnings..Like good god this stuff is dangerous.  So I have been asked so many times at work if we have gluten free cake.....

 It make me wonder if people keep looking for the easy fix on weight loss.. Ok yea they do.  But moderation is the better choice... you know cake once in a while is ok.  I mean if you tell a child that they can't have something (or do something) they will be draw to it.  I was the type that didn't remove the "bad foods" I just said it was a treat.  My famous saying was "you have to eat the good food to get the treat"....

 Then I think of the real diet... that how and where did we decide that wheat flour is a basic? Let alone yeast? That most of our meal needs to be bread products.. That our bodies need this powder...Oh yea I think way to much... So  I decided to see if that maybe there could be a difference if I cut down on my wheat products.  Yea that isn't as easy as it sounds.  My inner child wants peanut butter and jelly sandwich.. every morning....

Local Heroes.

I find it very interesting that the "super foods" are foods that are usually shipped from foreign lands and cost more than the local stuff.  This is not helping the green energy movement for the energy that is used in shipping and flying the fruits and vegetables to different countries.  I mean have the time I forget what they are called let alone how to pronounce it... plus many of the items looked to much like the things I know and love.... that berry does look like a blueberry to me...

Having started to eat local produce and from farmers markets I wonder am I getting all that I can from my foods? We need that super fruit from a long distance island?  You know I am all for trying new foods but sometimes it seems like everything has to be the foreign not the homegrown!  What is wrong with the homegrown??  I started to research many of my favorite foods.  I found that indeed they are healthy and also help build healthy cells...   I thought gee my grandparents eat all these and why all of a sudden is our diet wrong?

The average  American diet is way off.  American eat (on a whole) too much sugar, fat and over processed foods.  I saw a site that had a piece on the Standard American Diet, and abbreviated the name to SAD.  Made me laugh, for a minute, but it is kinda true.  But if we do go back to the way (my) grandparents or even great grandparents ate we could live healthier.  I understand that many families are over worked and the drive threw makes things easier...  but at the cost of our families health we should try for a healthier way.  And I am not saying to give up the drive threw or the play ground lunch fun just not all the time.  I know too many parents rely on the happy kid  meals for more than once a day....

So yea the fruits that I love, raspberries,  blueberries and strawberries are antioxidants and healthy.  Any fruit that is bright in color is helpful.  Sugar but natural sugars. High in vitamins.  And so good!! 

That most vegetables are also helpful in aiding the body to fight disease.  The bright colored vegetables are full of powerful antioxidants that help the body fight free radicals. Not forgetting things like onions and garlic that are strong fighters for the diseases that attack our bodies.  Carrots are being praised for helping make good cholesterol and fighting bad cholesterol! Tomatoes also are our backyard champs... So salsa is something that can help fight the good fight... yummm 

So just Like Dr. Oz saying the bright colored fruits help fight cancers and are full of antioxidants. Basic foods like beans and grains are also helpful.  Full of fiber, minerals and vitamins.

You don't have to eat that food that you may never pronounce right or drink that drink you really don't like the bitter taste of.... You can just eat the stuff you know and are used to.  They are healthy for you too.  That way you can save your money for things you like or spurge on that one item you really like.  Eating real food that isn't prebaked,  frozen chemical laden over processed  open the box and pour meals.

I have fallen in love with my crock pot again!  ... I throw a ton of veggies and a piece of chicken. Turn on to low and go to work.  I come home to a wonderful smell and dinner is done.   Left over can be reheated quickly and frozen for work lunches....

Lucky Mistake

My dad is a extreme couponer...He will find deals and use coupons and get things for a quarter. Many times he will bring the items to me or Miss Animal Rights. But many things he gets on mark down and will pass on to me. So when he found some olive oil for a great price because it was a item that they only had a few left. So he got me some olive oil for a dollar. but then when he brought to my house, I noticed that it was sunflower oil and olive oil.......

So I had to check online to find out is sunflower oil good stuff like extra virgin olive oil???? I found this site: Benefits of Sunflower oil

Wow it has the some great qualities!! PLUS I have been making my own salad dressing but when I put it the refrigerator the olive oil will become solid! So I would have to let it sit out for a little while before I use it.... And having sunflower oil I use for beauty recipes, it doesn't turn solid in the cold.... one more plus for this oil.


So I have the best of all worlds!! Benefits from the extra virgin olive oil. Benefits of sunflower oil.  Plus saving money!  Can't beat that!

Thank-you Sweet Stuff

Yes Maple Syrup is good for us... ScienceDaily reported that University of Rhode Island researcher Navindra Seeram; who is famous for his research on plant healing! Working foods and flowers into the plan of healing the human conditions.  Helping us understand that adding some dark colors of food to our plate can help us fight cancer, diabetics and pain.

Maple syrup was used by the Native Americans to help them though the winter months. They used it as food and as medicine.  They would reduce the syrup by adding hot stones or letting it freeze and removing the frozen water layer. The settlers are the ones that would use the big  cast iron pots to boil down the liquid. For the sugar from the Indies was highly taxed so the maple sugar was a local item....

They found that maple syrup has anti-oxidant, anti-oxidant, anti-bacterial and anti-inflammatory properties, which have been shown to fight cancer, diabetes, heart disease,  Alzheimer's and bacterial illnesses. 54 beneficial compounds, anti-oxidant compounds, and a unique compound that they believe is created when the sap is boiled to the syrup............It contains  manganese. It is also a good source of zinc.0 trans fats, and 0 cholesterol, ok I am getting silly here but it is a great product that normally we wouldn't think that it is a super food!!

So remember it must be real maple syrup (you know the stuff that is more expensive...


Store in the refrigerator after opening, if you find a good price or stocking up for the months it is hard to get (getting from the farmer market??) You can freeze the wonderful liquid...  just make sure you defrost it before use,  like place in the refrigerator when running low... 

So pour that golden ymmness over your pancakes.....add that real maple syrup to your oatmeal, tea or whatever.  Thanks to Rachael Ray I also use it for a sweetener for a glaze or a marinate.. It is healthy for you... And I ran out!!

Turn Down for Weight Loss??

Cold house can help in weight loss yahoo report... Basically they believe if we turn our thermostats down to lower 60's, we will lose more weight.  That we stay  inside and just vegging out on our couches.  But if we turn down the thermostat we will not get the rush of OMG it is cold outside, not wanting to go out into the cold... that we will get use to being warm.....


hummm so why did I find this map showing the states of the north and the south about the same.... Colorado being the healthiest state and Mississippi being the most obese.  humm really looking at the map seems the "middle" of the country is the part that needs to work on their diets  The middle like the middle of our bodies where the belly fat is most dangerous place to have fat, for it can cause problems for all your organs!! 

It isn't just diet that causes obesity.  Then again we know that; don't we. That diet and exercise is what we need.  Yet the school system still feeds out kids junk and cuts down on gym classes and recess...
We keep the thermostat about 67 degrees because if I turn it down any more the girls would just hind under blankets and complain about it being freezing in here... At 67 it is cool enough to have a sweatshirt on and make you move a little to keep warm.... Now for their friends.... they like to show up in t-shirts and bitch how cold it is in my house... Well, they really have to learn that I conserve energy and they need to wear something heavier than a t-shirt here.... Or look in the living room closet there are large and ex=large sweatshirt for them to use while here... Oh yea we got them just for you... PS Tech wears t-shirt and it doesn't really bother him.... it like the man doesn't feel cold or warmth... he doesn't complain about the air not being up on high in the summer time either.......

You see I also goggled poverty in the USA... Guess what state is the number 1? It is Mississippi... the state with the large percent of obese people......It the prepackage foods that are higher in saturated fat, sodium and sugar... the cheap stuff in cardboard boxes, the fast food lane with the dollar menus... the fact that many of these states are the climate for fresh foods mostly all year long, but they have the highest poverty........ BUT I think from shows like Jamie Oliver's Food Revolution it shows that many Americans don't have the knowledge of how to cook tasty foods for themselves with time limits and

I did get off on the tangent..Did I? ... but I think that what you eat and how much you exercise not how cold you are......

Wind burn!

I wonder if it is true that once you get windburn you should be careful you will get it again...  Well that what my grandmother would tell me, that remember that so I would cover up better??? Yea I think that was the reason..... BUT I had the worst windburn, after the windchill of -10.... a couple of weeks ago.

I know it is not wind burn it is my skin being too dry.... maybe it isn't windburn because I didn't get blisters.... but it does look like someone dragged me  for miles.  That rug burn.... the nasty red rash... the burn from hell...  It really hurts.....

I have wind burn on both legs, mostly on the sides.  as well as my arms and lower back..... and to think I was out there scraping off my windows and helped scrape a co-worker windows (older lady who has a heart condition and was having trouble with the wind "taking her breath away"..) with another co-worker... it was one of those nights that it was bitter cold and the wind was going right threw you...

So the shower was a very painfully experience...That is when I found out my condition..  . first thing I thought of was a oatmeal bath.  I use a oatmeal and wheat germ scrub for my face so I just started a bath and dumped some it to the water.

Oh I have been putting coconut oil on my body every chance I get.  I put some in a old make-up container right by the potty.....  I put on some grape seed oil right before I jump in the shower....
It's getting better day by day.... I broke down and got some lotion from the health food section at the store for my hands because  the coconut oil  wasn't lasting very long.  Plus as much as I spend on making my own I could buy their lotion and it lasts longer..... 

Cleaning with hydrogen peroxide

You know you see the ads with claims of health from just one item....... well I saw a ad for hydrogen peroxide and had to research this myself. What wonderful things can hydrogen peroxide do that I don't know about.

I know you use to to remove blood from clothes... having a child that gets a bloody nose very easily I have a BIG bottle in the laundry area!! I was told that it breaks down the cells of blood, as to remove the blood...

To use it to spray on your bamboo cutting boards (ok any cutting boards)... to disinfect.
For sore throats use as a gargle.

But to cure things like cancers, common colds, arthritis and more.... Plus fertilize your garden and kill weeds... Sorry I don't buy it!!  and didn't find any where to back this claim... so sorry the closest thing is that colds can be contained by cleaning with hydrogen peroxide but not cured by putting some in your ear before the flu and cold season.  That you do to help remove water from your ear.  And if it works for you great but it is not been proven..

I learn that many of the oxygen  type laundry boosters are made with hydrogen peroxide! So you can use it in your laundry to help whiten but it can also help bleach your clothes....

Where if you do have some sore in your mouth like a canker sore it can be used to help heal that but not used as a preventive measure because it can wear down the teeth enamel. But haven't found anything about yea or nay with brushing with baking soda and peroxide...... Soaking toothbrush in peroxide may work but you don't have to soak for too long.  If it kills e-coli from surfaces why not some funky nasty bug from your brush???

But the most important thing I learn is that the reason that the peroxide is in a brown bottle is that light will destroy it's effectiveness.  SO yes cleaning your fruit and veggies, counter tops, cutting boards,  bath room surfaces and water damage mold is proven effective only when you have fresh hydrogen peroxide water mix:  using a 50/50 mix of hydrogen peroxide and filtered water. So keep that little spray bottle by your kitchen sink.  When you wash your fruits and vegetables, you can give a spray of the peroxide  before washing. Spray the cutting board after. Spray then wipe down the counter.  BUT don't plan on keeping any that you didn't use... it does help with water mold... pour that stuff down the drain....

You can clean your house just remember that it is also a bleach to watch colored fabrics....

Then after you clean the bathroom with your peroxide you can highlight your hair by spray your 50/50 hydrogen peroxide and water solution threw your hair........

 

Pink for what?

With October being Breast Cancer Awareness Month seems like many items are turning pick.  We have chips, cake mixes, make-up, cleaners, toilet paper, sponges, paper towels,  and more with the famous pink ribbon on it.  Of course we have more personal thing with the pink ribbon too,  we have t-shirt, sweatshirts, aprons, blankets, coffee cups, thermos bottles, water bottles and stickers.

I have no problem with the pink ribbon per say... just that some of the things that sport that beautiful pink ribbon are full of Chemicals that are know to help cause breast cancer. They are called endocrine disruptors because they mimic estrogen in the body. Plus the chemicals that  disrupt hormones... So we have heard the reports of the birth control pill and breast cancer, however they do only raise your chances a small percent.


Studies also have shown that Obesity can play a big part in breast cancer also. Fat cells increased estrogen secretion.

So when I see pink ribbon chips, cookies, cakes, mints, candy and muffin mix....... I have to shake my head.

I get it why this works......... we love to get something for nothing.  We buy some chips that have the pink ribbon, some of our money goes to help fight breast cancer... we get something we want and we get to help fight a horrible disease. It a win win deal!!

We get to fight like a girl.... save the tatas ..... save second base ....... Pray for a cure...

So I leave the food, as I am trying to make more from scratch. Ok once in a while I get a pink ribbon candy item or corn chips....
And I buy the pink ribbon reusable things for Miss Animal Rights who want to do her kitchen in all pink ribbon stuff .......  Yes she has those pink ribbon sponges!!

Right! Corn Sugar sounds so much better.....

The Corn Refiners Association (CRA) has petitioned the FDA to change the name of High Fructose Corn Syrup to Corn Sugar.  They want to clear up any misbelieves that the product isn't natural.  For it is made with corn hence the name corn sugar.  But the forget to tell you that it is chemically altered and zapped into the product. It isn't even 100% fructose it can be a high as 58% glucose..

  HRCS  (High Fructose Corn Syrup) sales are at a 20 year all time low....  Now the new ad campaign is to change the name and even more commercials on TV a brand new website  Sweet Surprise dot com.... Where they have some experts telling us that the sugar is natural and the body doesn't know the difference - even after studies show that it is. With links to diabetes in study from Rutgers University as well as obesity as a  Princeton Study shows.   Mercury in the product also according to the Ethicurean  The heavy metal blamed for autism and many brain disorders See they use caustic soda is to separate corn starch from the corn kernel. See the caustic soda is made in industrial chlorine plants that where the mercury becomes part of the HFCS. FDA and USDA knew about this and did NOTHING! But here is a site that has a list of the worst and the top of the list Oatmeal to go......

Yes, HFCS  is ok in moderation..  but truly look at your labels and you will see that many items have HFCS in them.  The diabetes study shows that just adding the compound found in tea can off set the effect  in diabetics.....  Many people also say the obesity study could be wrong due to the fact the subjects could be also eating high processed foods, with additives. preservatives and colorings. Yea that can't help the cause either, so that is more reason to cut down on all of them!!

Sales of items that have labels of Contains No High Fructose Corn Syrup are popping up all over the place. Log cabin syrups, ketchup's, both Heinz and Hunts, many things even the throw back  sodas! So I think that the public is catching on.....  I also hope if the FDA agrees with the name change that most consumers will  catch on to that too... Guess No corn sugar isn't as strong sounding as  No  High Fructose Corn Syrup! 

What do you think? A name change fair?  Have you cut back eating htings with HFCS?

Ok So Yell at me if you see me itching.....

Back to work from my few days of paid leave, I took some vacay days.... My last day I was sick as a dog, well I was sicker than the dog... who had to be my bodyguard. Poor thing would follow me into the bathroom and when I started to throw up would stand with his body across mine - the big dog hug.... AS to put himself between me and any harm that could be breaking down the bathroom door..LOL. The kids were gone and it was going to be my relax day... So I threw up, slept here and there, and watched Criminal Minds for hours... LOL I really didn't feel like finding the remote I know it was close, just didn't have the energy.

Miss Animal Rights brings the nicotine patch box in and  reads to me "signs of nicotine poisoning.... " "Check check and do you really want to know?......" Of course her eyes got huge and I had to stop her from dialing 911... I took the patch off.... So I have been smoke free for 5 days I can do it right??? She was like Heckies yea...

I have a rash from 2 of the patch sites.... the worst is the last one.... but I also did some yard work I think I got stung by a bee... so I am a itching mess... I told them at work to yell at me if they see me start to itch. You know I found some anti-itch medicine in our first aide kits. Sunscreen too.. Doesn't work.... Plus my body really doesn't like hydro-cortisone... it makes things worse.

So I came home and thought I try some home remedies.  The bee string is on my ankle and I put a baking soda mix on it because the black middle was looking like a stringer.  Ouch. Now it is still inching.  I got yelled at by Miss Animal Rights, I was crossing my legs and inching without really noticing...

So baking soda paste didn't do anything. Not even sting....My ex put alcohol on his... try it and it still itches . so what is next...

I could take a bath in oatmeal later.  Or a  peppermint tea bath.
Add vinegar to the bath tub too. Some people say only apple cider, other say White....  
I could place a slice of lemon on the bites... but a couple are open... ouch..
Vick vapor rub...  See reason above...
Aloe Vera  juice I think that is better for the dry skin rashes....
Rub on Flax seed oil....
Plaster on honey with cinnamon

Oh I got some honey at the Farmers Market this week-end.....

off to mix some honey and lather it on this bite... ARggg....
owww maybe eat a little too... not with a ton of cinnamon but some toast....


 

Reading a Nutrition Label

Many people I work with seem to think that it is too confusing to figure out the nutrition label.

First thing that is great about a nutrition label is at the bottom you will see a chart of the calories you should be eating per day.  Most women are in the 2000 to 1800 calories per day.  The older we get the less we should eat, but if you are a active or athletic type you need more to burn more calories when very active.  So I look at the first column the 2000 calorie counts.  


The sneaky thing about calories and food labels is the top part. That where you see the serving size.  Like on some convenient packs that you get from a machine the serving size may say 1 1/2 or even 2 or more.  Like some multi-grain crackers a co-worker asked me if it was a healthy snack.  She was asking how to read the label.  It was low in sodium and saturated fat.  It did have sugar but still had under 25% carbohydrates. Better than the candy we have in there.

Carbohydrates are not bad. Really they break down slower and help keep you going between meals.  But this is where many people think they should cut to low numbers.  The fact is if it is refined flour you should eat less of, adding more whole grains to your meals. This helps you keep going threw the day..

    Plus many things that are carbohydrates have natural sugars.   Fruit based foods will have more grams of  natural sugar like applesauce. We just get the no sugar added applesauce.  The label doesn't get to tell you either if it is natural sugars or added sugar. 

Potato chips for example. Serving size is 16 chips with 150 calories, 14% sodium, 2% saturated fat and 2 grams of sugar and protein.  Not bad but then really are potato chips healthy???

I do look at the label. Most of the time I look to talk myself out of the purchase. I talk myself out of things that are high in sodium. That wonderful bloating effect us women get is helped by high sodium foods. I try to keep it below 25% as I have heard is a good number to limit yourself on many of the nutrients items  listed.  Because I do snack during the day and try to have a fruit snack once a day, no fat;  no sodium to worry about. 

I also heard that looking for cereal you want more than 2 grams of fiber, less than 5 grams of added sugar, and less than 2 grams of fat. Many of the "healthy" breakfast cereals still have over 9 grams of sugar but claim to help you lose weight or keep you healthy.  But if it has added dried fruit it will be higher sugar because of the natural sugar in the berries. But then I eat oatmeal and try to keep away from prepared breakfast cereals.  

The truth is I read the ingredients the most.  I check for high fructose corn syrup, refined white flour (sometimes stated as enriched flour) and where the products are on the label. For the top of the ingredients list is the most used.  So if you see on a label list wheat flour, and then see sugar at the bottom of the list you know that a little sugar was added. AND as a baker I know that sometimes you need to add sugar to the batter or no one will eat it. 
I have cut high fructose corn syrup, refined and bleached flour from our foods.  I try to eat more natural things like fresh fruits and vegetables.  With getting some frozen for the vegetables and fruit when out of season. That have listed on the ingredients list: the fruit or vegetable and nothing else. 

Plus at the bottom of this list of ingredients is a list of allergic ingredients. So if you or your family has any allergies to food products they are listed at the bottom.  Many times will state if they are made in the same area as certain things. For those who are highly allergic  to certain things. The growing number of peanut allergies in children fall under that warning. If it is made in the same building or area the product was made  they note that as; may contain: XXX

The label on this blog is from a cup of soup. One of those heat and eat soups. Serving size is 1 cup but the cup holds 2 cups (serving per container:2) so if you eat this soup for lunch at work you have consumed 50% fat, 52% sodium and  560 calories for the day.  Not what you thought when first looking at the label right?

SO it is a good idea to read the labels but also the ingredient list.  

Let's play in the Dirt!

Playing in the dirt can help you keep from developing allergies and 
"hygiene hypothesis" was first published in the British Medical Journal by Dr. David P. Strachan in 1989 Where he found that the children exposed to more dirt and siblings had less allergies. The scientists are looking into the fact this could lead to autoimmune diseases like asthma, MS,  lupus and RA.

He believes that vaccines, anti-bacterial soaps that really don't work much better than plain old soap and warm water, and the over use of medications to prevent and quickly treat infections has weaken  our immune systems.

So we become stronger to infection after our bodies build anti-bodies to find this infection. That's what the idea behind vaccines are.  We get a small dose of the live infection and our bodies fight it off. That builds our immune system to keep us from catching the condition or infection.

Plus studies show that exposure to dirt and it's the natural bacteria Mycobacterium vaccae found in soil will help us become smarter!   When we spend outdoors in nature we breathe these helpful microbes. Stimulating neuron growth and that will  causes serotonin levels to rise. Serotonin is the neurotransmitter that helps us sleep, and helps regulate  mood, appetite,  muscle contraction, and some cognitive functions including memory and learning.  

Yes we might not like the clean up after our little girls make us mud pies but they could be really helping their bodies and minds become stronger........

I am not saying to give up your medicines if you do have one or more of the conditions named
here. Maybe it might not hurt to try to get out in nature...it's free.........

I have always thought kids should be outdoors as much as they can to use their imaginations and muscles..

 

Every Parent needs to know

I found a blog with over 3188 followers..... She needs 4000 more. This site is a teacher that is getting the school lunch for a year. Her blog  Fed Up With Lunch: The School Lunch Project shows what her schools serve everyday. It is a real eye opener. Many of the things that would be a special dinner at my house when I was growing up is on the school menu more  and more.

After reading her blog I was shocked to see the same thing over and over.  Ok not to shocked, seeing how the school I worked at was kinda like this... Day 29, 34, 38, and  41  was cheese pizza.  The other one like that was chili, followed by hot dog however  one day it was shaken up by the offer of a bagel dog...

I used to work at my girls school.  I know that most of the students got free or reduced lunches.  The school board would release reports to tell you the stats of each school in the distinct. The school my girls went to had 90% of the student body getting free or reduced lunches.  AND yes they got the reduced lunch price.  My girls are very picky eaters and hated the lunches.  So it was a special occasion or oh crap we slept in kinda of occasion that they use their tickets.  They liked the cheese  crescents the most.  But as I said many of the children there got free lunches, plus many more where waiting on  working single moms to come home before eating lunch.  So this lunch should be nutritious, filling and had to hold them til after 5. 

Plus one of her guess blogger an American teacher in Japan.   Mr. Ferguson (which is a statement right there - he can post his name and not fear losing his job...) who is sharing the wonderful meals that his students get.  Just the fact that they use table cloths, real plates, cups and utensils.  But the fresh foods and the way food is treated with a learning attitude, it is refreshing. Something the homeschooling moms can use to  get a bonus help in the kitchen!  I would love to become a cook teacher.  Teaching the students about food and preparing the food. I used cooking to teach the girls fractions. Halving a recipe was dividing fractions........... showing how 1/4 of a cup was smaller than 1/2 a cup.

Show the teachers  some love ................

Fed Up With Lunch: The School Lunch Project ; MRS. Q
Mr. Ferguson Classroom Mr. Ferguson

“Phth.”

Sounds like something that the kids might say when you announce that you are serving broccoli tonight. Phth. Phthalates are the phth we need to remove from our homes. Studies  have shown that they can cause reproductive and developmental disorders, cancer, and organ damage. Phthalates are found in soft plastic. BPA is found in hard plastics.

They many times are not listed.  So how is a green consumer going to know?  Watch the soft flexible plastic and vinyl products.  Phthalates are in children toys; shower curtains and personal care products. However the American Academy of Pediatrics has stated that anything that will go into a babies or toddlers mouth is no longer made with phthalates. One sign of relieve.

The one thing that shocked me was the study from Vermont Public Interest Research Group that found phthalates in those shape and bake clay. They contain 14% phthalates by weight. Dang.

Surprising report from CBS called The Disappearing Male reports study to show that phthalates cause more problems with our boys. Lower hormone caused deformities.

I am craving sweets

I have tried to cut out or down the amount of high-fructose corn syrup we eat. This has NOT been easy to do.... Because so many items have HFCS in them.  Things you never thought they would be in like ketchup, salad dressings, yogurts, breakfast cereals,  pancake syrups,  juices (even the one marked real juice)  cookies, gum, jams, jellies, baked goods and barbecue sauce. We have heard and know that things like soda and  bottled drinks have  HFCS in them.  So we have been reading the labels when shopping.... The girls are  help too.  They also noticed that some items have corn syrup listed.  But I tell them that it's the high-fructose part that worries me for the chemical process to make a fake syrup that our bodies don't know how to digest is the problem.  You know the eat only what your great-grandmother would recognize! My grandmother used corn syrup for candy making.  But we try to find a brand with corn syrup for the most part.  Karo has been around since 1903 so I guess that is in my great-grandmothers time..... 
  I have reading things including a few blog posts on thoughts of  high-fructose corn syrup and learning more then I thought i knew about it.  It cheap to make and is very sweet.  It is sweeter than sugar making it easy to produce because they can use less and have a very sweet taste. I also learned of lab test that use high-fructose corn syrup and cells.  The cell became fat cells after a diet of high-fructose corn syrup.  hummm.  Or the fact doctors noticing that it play a big role in accelerate bone loss,  high cholesterol,  hypertension, and type 2 diabetes.  It is also said that men are more at risk then women but we women also have the issue that HFCS will mess with our hormones.  Between the food we eat and the hormone we take to prevent pregnancy we really should be careful how we affect our hormones. In my opinion.
So just like a junkie needing a fix I have really have had a sweet tooth lately.  Can it be from the withdraw of high-fructose corn syrup? Well I am learning new ways to cure that craving.

We have found that Welch's juices are HFCS free, well not the frozen punch type.
Simply Fruit from Smuckers which at first the girl said it tasted different but now love the taste and think that regular jellies and jams are way to sweet.  But my beautiful cousin and wonderful aunt has made fresh jams and preserves for us too.  yummmy.   And more important to the vegetarian Jif peanut butter but still concerned about rapeseed oil..... might be looking for a different peanut butter...
But hey they got a sugar coated breakfast cereal and told me hey it doesn't have HFCS..... hey sugar was the second ingredient and had 11 grams of sugar, but hey it's  high-fructose corn syrup free! LOL Not sure I am pleased but it has only one bowl per girl gone..... so I guess that they had a taste.  Oatmeal is slowly replacing cereal... no HFCS  there. But more important better for us. They really ask is it ok to add a little brown sugar? How is that healthier?  I tell them that the sugar adds to the taste and is far less sugar then most  sugar coated breakfast cereal.  I know if I remove all the sweet items they would want more and eat the worst... oh the fun!

What items have you changed to remove the  high-fructose corn syrup from your table????

For our babies

A true reason to remove the toxins for your home, your children. EPA, carcinogens average 10 times more potent for children than adults. When many items in our homes contain toxins, like formaldehyde and 1,4-dioxane in their soaps, shampoos and bubble bath they are at a great risk. Adults will eat 1/40th of their weight where a child will eat 1/10 of their weight in carcinogens.  scary see how many manufacturers including Johnson and Johnson have know that formaldehyde and 1,4-dioxane cause cancer! And it still in their products.  Japan and Sweden have already ban these ingredients from personal care products, yet her in this country we still find them on sale at the local store.  On April 29, 2009, Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.) introduced the Safe Baby Products Act for the Food and Drug Administration to investigate and regulate hazardous contaminants in personal care products , yet the FDA has not done anything.........  Read more about this horror at Campaign for  Safe Cosmetics.   There is many anti-bacterial, anti-microbial or disinfectant cleaners, sprays and even toys. To see the commercials, we need these  anti-bacterial, anti-microbial or disinfectant cleaners to make everything clean.  These cleaners kill both beneficial and harmful bacteria.  The chemical Triclosan which give these products the anti-bacterial qualities  is be thought to weakening of the immune system,  decreased fertility,   altered sex hormones,  cause birth defects, and is a carcinogenic. Studies  have shown that these cleaners can help make super bacteria and germs.  Just like the anti-biotic resistant infections. 

33% of the personal-care products on sale in the USA are known to cause cancer and they keep them in our products.  The USA has banned only 10 ingredients,  in the European Union they have banned 1100+ products.   The European Union test most ingredients where the states have only tested 11%.
Many ingredients that are on sale here but ban in the European market are:   
 mercury(said to cause autism),  parabens  (has the prefixes methyl-, ethyl-, butyl-, or propyl.),
lead acetate (the stuff we use to remove finger nail polish),  formaldehyde (used in dead people),
petroleum distillates,  Paradichlorobenzene (a strong pesticide),  ethylacrylate,  coal tar, Phosphoric acid (used in fertilizers),  dibutyl phthalate, Turpentine (the strong smelling stuff that removes paint),  Fragrance (which can cause allergies and alergic reactions), Sodium Lauryl Sulfate, Toluene and Xylene