Product Recommendation!

In my quest to transition to using organic products as much as is feasible, I discovered the line of Organix hair products, sold at Target. It is very reasonably priced - $6.99 for 13 oz.
My rave about these products, however, is that they smell DIVINE! So, its aromatherapy in addition to chemical-free cleaning! I have naturally crazy curly hair, and these products have done very well in keeping the mane tame this past week, even in the face of insane humidity during the apparent monsoon season we're going through. I can't wait to try out some of the other scents - Coconut Milk, Grapefruit Mango Butter, Pomegranate Green Tea, Vanilla Silk, Mocha Espresso, Citrus Mango, Mandarin Olive Oil....

Yes, I realize this is hair product, not food, but yumm......

TRY IT PEOPLE!!!! You'll love it! Girl Scout's Honor!

Imbalanced

Do any of these sound like you?

• A scale that doesn't budge, no matter much you exercise or how fervently you diet?
• You have low energy?
• Your skin is starting to wrinkle, and you're not old enough to have wrinkles?
• Your skin is breaking out?
• You suffer from mood swings?
• Your monthly cycle is irregular? (girls...)
• You feel tired no matter how much sleep you get?
• You keep losing and gaining the same weight?

Well, I gotta say, I was able to say yes to quite a few of these. And that is what gave me that "ah ha" moment that Jillian Michaels just might know what she's talking about in her new book, Master Your Metabolism!!!

These things used to describe Jillian too. Until she realized that her hormones were out of balance. And once she did something about it, things began to fall into place. She used to restrict her diet to 1200 calories per day and work out like a dog 6 days a week to struggle to maintain 120 lbs (she's 5'2'' - just like me!), and would instantly put on 15 lbs just from increasing her diet to 1500 calories per day (which is reasonable and appropriate). Once she was able to balance her hormones, she now maintains a sleek 115 lbs and eats 1800 to 2000 calories per day and only has to exercise 3-4 days a week (although, she really brings it when she does!).


So what is the secret you ask???? Well, you really ought to read the book to be able to appreciate the full spectrum of the problem and the solutions. Its an excellent book, and I burned through it in a matter of days. But in case you don't have time at the moment, I'll share the synopsis.

Basically, the chemicals, hormones, pesticides, additives, preservatives, etc. that are coating the food we consume, are throwing our hormones out of whack! Seriously, you gotta read the book to really understand it. But common sense will tell you that this crap can't possible be good for you, right??

Ok, so the synopsis I promised....

Rule 1 - Eat clean. Buy organic as much as resonably possible an avoid as much as you can any foods which have any additives or chemcials. Unprocessed, whole foods are best. What ever you do, avoid like the plague any foods that contain:

• hydrogentated fats (even partially hydrogenated)
• Refined grains (make sure the ingredient list says 100% whole grain!)
• high fructose corn syrup (this one is a toughie - its in SO much!)
• Artificial sweetners (sorry, the Diet Coke, even though 0 calories, is working against you!)
• Artificial coloring or preservatives
• Glutamates

Reduce starchy veggies (corn, potatoes), tropical, dried, or canned fruits, process soy, excess alcohol, canned foods, and sadly, caffeine.

Rule 2 - Fill up on lots of these foods!!!

• legumes (beans)
• alliums (onions, garlic, etc.)
• berries (organic, otherwise, they are sprayed heavily in pesitcides!)
• meat and eggs (she said eggs are nearly the perfect food, don't worry about the cholesterol)
• Colorful fruits and veggies
• Cruciferous veggies unless you are hypothyroid (broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage, etc.)
• Dark green leafy veggies
• Nuts and seeds
• Dairy (ALWAYS organic!)
  
• Whole grains (again, make sure its 100%. It only has to be 51% whole to be able to say its whole grain!)

Rule 3 - Focus on getting a balance of 40% carbs, 30% protein and 30% healthy fats. Additonally, make sure you eat breakfast, always. Eat every four hours, no exception. Don't eat after 9 p.m.; do not eat carbs at night! Only eat until you are full, but not stuffed.

Additionally, Jillian recommends you sleep at least 7, but no more than 9 hours a night. Use organic personal products inasmuch as you possibly can (your skin is afterall your largest organ, and we coat it with chemicals daily with non-organic shampoos, washes, etc.). Use glass food storage containers, and make sure you do not eat out of any plastics that contain BPA. Also, replace your chemical-based cleaners, with simple (and inexpensive) natural cleaners.

Ok, so I'm cheap. I can't just throw stuff out like Jillian urges me to. But, I do plan on buying organic and all-natural products from here on out. I have a known and previously diagnosed hormonal imbalances that made it difficult for me to become or stay pregnant. If these changes can help, well then, I'm all for that!!!!!

A Cleaner Way to Clean

I recently read that the air pollution in our homes is up to 75% greater than that outdoors! Insane! The biggest contributor to this is (drumroll please....) our cleaning products!!

Did you know that chlorine mixed with ammonia (present in many cleaning products) combines to create chloramide - a toxic gas used in WWI???? Yikes!

The easy solution is to use cleaning products that do not contain many of these harmful chemicals. Unfortunately, most of those all-natural products, albeit fabulous, are pricey.

Fear not! There is a much healthier and less-expensive way to clean your home!!!!

You will need a few very simple and very inexpensive items:

Hydrogen Peroxide (I just scored a 32 oz. bottle at Target for like $2!)
White Vinegar
Baking Soda
Lemon Juice

Vinegar can be used to clean just about anything - the counters, floors, windows, sinks, etc.

Want to sanitize your counters, toilets, sinks??? This simple method kills more germs than the popular sanitizing products that are on the market (remember my affection for Clorox Wipes???) - fill one spray bottle with vinegar, another with hydrogen peroxide. Spray the surface with the vinegar first, wipe dry (I love using those yellow car detailing cloths, especially for my granite countertops!). Then spray on the hydrogen peroxide and wipe dry. Ta dah!!! Could it get any easier than this????

Have a clogged drain? No problem! Its nothing a little hydrogen peroxide and baking soda can't conquer! Minus the dizzying fumes that Drain-O creates!

Use the baking soda anywhere you could use a dry-power scrub or where there are funky smells - bathtubs, toilets, sinks.

Use the vinegar anywhere you want shine.

Use the lemon juice anywhere you have stains (try it on clothes too!!).

And there you have it - a squeaky clean and sparkling home sans the harmful chemicals that pollute the environment and our air!!!

To further aid in cleaning your air in the home - keep a house plant for every 100 sq ft. of space you have. Unfortunately, I have a black thumb, so my plants live a total of 2 weeks before they turn to sticks.

Going GREEN (kinda)

Today, we went to the Howard County Green Fest. It was basically a bunch of vendors and interest groups all focused on being green. We saw all sorts of interesting things - solar panels, generators, organic and chemical free products... I think the most intriguing item I saw was this contraption that you hook up to your washing machine that makes it unnecessary to use detergents or hot water. Apparently, it uses silver ions (or something like that) to clean the clothes. And it "only" runs about $500.00. Interesting. Carter also got a dogwood seedling which he made us plop in the ground within minutes of arriving home. We'll see how long I can manage to keep that alive (I have a bit of a black thumb)!

Anyway, our outing today prompted the idea for this post. I am not exactly what you would call a tree hugger. In fact, a few short years ago I was classified among the skeptics that questioned whether global warming really exists. I dunno what "turned" me. Maybe it was more like a Pascal's Dilemma for me - even if global warming doesn't exist, we're still better off in trying to preserve the Earth than if we didn't, right? And if it does exist and we do nothing...well, then we're screwed. But I think the biggest factor in driving me to become more eco-conscious is becoming a mother. I just have this sense of responsibility for the state of the world I leave to my children and grandchildren, and feel the duty to pass that on to my kidlets as well. And I've become a bit of a pseudo-crunchy mom to boot (extended breast-feeding, semi-co-sleeping, baby-wearing, organic feeding...).

So, I've slowly, but sure started to implement gradual earth-friendly changes. A few months ago, our county implemented a really awesome recycling program - distributing larger trash-can sized recycling "bins" to every household where you can throw in without sorting any recyclable materials. We estimate that we've cut our trash output by 2/3 since we've started recycling!

All of the appliances we've purchased for our current home are in some way energy efficient - the washer/dryer, HVAC, dishwasher. I'm lusting for a tankless water heater and a dual zone HVAC sytem!!

A few years ago I started using some chemical-free cleaning products to reduce the amount of chemicals we are exposed to and put into the environment. My favorites are Method and Clorox's Green Works.

And for most of my cleaning, I use washable/reusable cleaning cloths rather than paper towels. But I also desire "germ-free" living (inasmuch as that is possible), particularly with an immuno-deficient child, so I can't bring myself to give up my Clorox disinfecting wipes!! I would imagine that Clorox would wise up soon and make a version that is biodegradable like their Green Works product line wipes. But earth-friendly cleaning products come at a premium price, unfortunately. So, I still buy some stuff from Costco in bulk (Windex, Toilet bowel cleaner, hardwood cleaner, and my beloved Clorox wipes!!!). So, while I'm trying, I can't seem to go all the way...

As a general rule, you we don't have bottled water in our house - just think about all the plastic you use up unnecesarily with bottled water!!! Even if you recycle at home, there aren't usually many places to dispose of recyclable materials like plastic bottles on the go. Rather, I carry around a Rubbermaid water bottle that I refill throughout the day and toss in the dishwasher at night. I also pack my and Carter's lunches in washable Rubbermaid containers rather than disposable packaging.

I've found that buying food in bulk often reduces the amount of packaging waste. This past Christmas, I discovered Amazon's "hassle-free packaging" - which is basically the product in the shipping box rather than in the retailer's packaging in addition to the inevitably larger shipping box - and I thought it was a FANTASTIC idea! It turns my stomach when I see the mound of cardboard and plastic that accumulates after Christmas or a birthday party! I would be ecstatic if retailers would begin to seriously cut down on the packaging of products - its so unnecessary!! And, who can live without those cute reusable grocery bags that everyone is selling these days?? I started by buying one each trip to the grosh until I accumulated enough to cover my usual-sized order. And at $1 each, I didn't even notice the cost impact!

Perhaps I could do the Earth a huge favor by cloth diapering; but yeah, I just can't bring myself to go there. Disposables are just entirely too convenient. As a busy mom, convenience sometimes has to trump the environment (although, I'm sure there are many who'll disagree). I also wonder if the use of water and energy and chemicals it takes to get those puppies clean really is all that much better???

So, I'm getting there. Trying. I'm always looking for other inexpesive and "easy" things I can do to help the green cause a little more. Ace has grandeur dreams of building a green home one day. And, I've found him trying to produce hydrogen in our kitchen, thinking he could develop some sort of hydrogen powered vehicle (neverminding the fact that he all but barely passed any science-related class he ever took!!). But for now, I'm looking for simple things I can do!

So give it to me - what are you doing, or hope to begin doing, to keep the world a clean and green place to live???