Things That Make You Go Hmmm? Parabens

I have been noticing that most of my personal care products (lotions, soaps, shampoos, toothpaste, etc) say paraben-free. This made me wonder what a paraben was, and why everyone was broadcasting their emancipation from it.  So I put on my detective hat, and began to do research. Here's the nitty gritty on what I found:

• Parabens occur naturally in prunes, cinnamon and blueberries, however are made synthetically for commercial use. 
• They are used as a preservative in cosmetics and some foods. 
• They easily penetrate the skin and are in the bloodstream in a matter of minutes. 
• You can find them in toothpaste, deodorant, shampoo, face cream, personal lubricants, and lots of other everyday products. 
• The six parabens which are most commonly used are methylparaben, ethylparaben, propylparaben, isobutylparaben, butylparaben, and benzylparaben.
• Parabens  mimic estrogen in the body, and have been tied to BREAST CANCER. 
• They are a known carcinogen (cancer-causing agent) in the European Union, and have been banned there since 2003.

The skin is our largest organ, and it doesn't make sense be so concerned with eating healthily while taking in a known carcinogens through the skin. I will now be even more observant about labels, and ensure that ALL my products are paraben-free. 
~Riss

Herbal Remedy of the Week: Mullein

I love Dr. Weil, and his easy approach to healthier living. Check out this article on an herb that can help with coughs.

Herbal Remedy of the Week: Mullein - Dr. Weil's Weekend Tip

Small Steps: How to Spot Genetically Modified Produce

So I ran across an article that gives a simple way to see if your bananas (or any other produce item)  took a trip to the lab before ending in your local grocery store. GMO food is popping up everywhere (can't wait to see what happens with the GMO salmon) especially corn, soy, and tomatoes. In order to avoid them you can check the PLU code on those annoying little stickers that come on the produce. If there are 5 digits that begin with a 9, rejoice you have bought some good SAFE organic produce! If it has 4 digits it is conventionally grown, but is not GMO. If it has 5 digits, and begins with an 8 it can join the Xmen as part of the mutant family. Stay away from it! ~Riss

Would You Eat Genetically Altered Meat? - TIME NewsFeed

Check this out! It is from Time magazine.

Would You Eat Genetically Altered Meat? - TIME NewsFeed

On Children by Kahlil Gibran

As we head back to school. I thought this was a great poem to share about children.

"On Children" from The Prophet by Kahlil Gibran

Your children are not your children,
They are the sons and daughters of Life's longing for itself.
They come through you but are not from you,
And though they are with you yet they belong not to you.

You may give them your love but not your thoughts,
For they have their own thoughts.

You may house their bodies but not their souls,
For their souls dwell in the house of tomorrow,
which you cannot visit, not even in your dreams.
You may strive to be like them, but seek not to make them like you.
For life goes not backward nor tarries with yesterday.

You are the bows from which your children
as living arrows are sent forth.
The archer sees the mark upon the path of the infinite, and
He bends you with His might that His arrows may go swift and far
Let your bending in the archer's hand be for gladness;
For even as He loves the arrow that flies,
So he loves also the bow that is stable.

Drinking Your Deodorant.........Hmmmmmmm?!

For years I have heard about how bad aluminum in deodorant is, but have not really done much about it for fear of the FUNK. I am not one to be walking around Matthew McConaugheying it. In the back of my mind though I have really been wanting to make a change because I know the sweat just like urine is waste, and to keep it in the body (antiperspirant = blocking you from sweating) can't be a good thing. 


I bought a natural deodorant and have been using it, but definitely noticed a difference. I need to carry it around with me and reapply several times throughout the day. Conversely, when I was wearing Dove I smelled baby powder fresh from dusk 'til dawn.


The other night I was in a forum for natural hair, and began reading a discussion on chlorophyll. You all remember this from high school biology. Chlorophyll is the stuff in plants that makes them green, and helps them convert sunlight into food. Anyways, in this discussion a girl mentioned that she didn't wear deodorant she just drank liquid chlorophyll, and that she stayed fresh all over (she said EVERYWHERE, and that we could verify with her boyfriend *blush*).


A lightbulb went off in my head. My hubby and I were also taking chlorophyll when we did the raw food cleanse, maybe that was why the poop didn't stink. Hmmmm?! I digress. So back to the chlorophyll as deodorant. I was shocked to find that several people in the discussion also gave up deodorant for chlorophyll. Then I got an idea. I will try to combine the natural deodorant and use it with the chlorophyll, and see what happens.


I am starting a challenge/experiment to see if chlorophyll really is an internal deodorant. Wish me luck, and dry pits. LOL!!


I'll keep y'all posted! 
~Riss

Zesty Coleslaw inspired by Bake Sale Betty

This slaw is raw, vegan, really healthy, delicious and so versatile. It is inspired by the famous slaw served at Bake Sale Betty in Oakand.


After trying the slaw at Bake Sale Betty it was love at first bite, but the accompaning fried chicken breast they serve with it makes going there a treat I undertake sparingly. Plus it is so easy to do at home.


The first picture looks like it has a visible aura, and it is so delicious and nutritious it probably does! That dish was my first try at baked tofu. It was interesting, baking it gave it an almost chicken-like consistency. We really enjoyed it!


The second image is the same slaw, but topped with chicken. I love the versatility of this slaw because you can seriously pair it with any protein and it tastes yummy.


The original recipe uses only green cabbage, but I like to eat my colors, so I added the purple cabbage as well. Sometimes I add radishes to an extra kick, and I think carrots would also fit nicely in here.


This is a great recipe because you can make tons of it, then use it on sandwiches, in salads, or just eat it plainly.


Click here for the recipe

Health 101: Ms. V

How do you define healthy living?

To me, healthy living is a lifestyle and a way of approaching the world. It's more than what you eat, more than your activity level. Healthy living means respecting your body and developing the awareness to know what is right for you and your body, as well as recognizing your connection with others and with nature. It means trying to make decisions that are sustainable for you and the world (trying is key - because we make thousands of decisions every day, and sometimes these are not the "right" decisions but are right or necessary for us).
Was there a turning point in your life that made you decide to become healthier?
I grew up in an active, outdoorsy family. My mom is a nurse and she has always stressed the importance of living healthfully. When I was 11, I decided to become a vegetarian. I stuck with that, and at 18 went a step further to become vegan (no animal products at all). This lifestyle is not for everyone, but it works for me. Of course, being vegan by no means makes someone automatically healthy - during college, I was a horrible eater, surviving on lots of cereal with rice milk, pasta, and tofutti "ice cream". In the past 8 years I have come a long way with my veganism and I still find myself learning every day.
What piece of knowledge would you like to share with others?
I agree with J's thoughts - I think it is very important to recognize where food comes from and how our buying practices can shape the future of farming and environmental practices. By nurturing ourselves we are also able to nurture the natural world. Awareness can be ugly and some information will be hard to accept, but there are alternatives that won't break your bank or taste horrible.
What is the one natural product you can't live without?

I don't know if this counts as "natural" but I love nutritional yeast. It's a great source of protein and B vitamins, which are often missing from vegan diets. It's got a nutty/cheesy flavor and I use it on popcorn almost every day! In terms of non-food products, I really like Alba products (cosmetics and toiletries).
What advice would you give your 20 year old self?
Learn to ignore your sweet tooth!! & stop preaching about how veganism saves the world. Swim more. Take time to cook.
Anything else?

Be open, be present, be aware. 

Try It Tuesday: Ch-Ch-Chia - The Little Seed That Could! (updated)

Years ago, I did this post on chia. Since it is now commonplace on the shelves, I felt a remix was needed and probably highly anticipated. Many chia products have sprung up on the shelves, and I for one, am excited to see this little wonder seed get its 15 minutes of fame.

 Last week, I came up with a great chia drink recipe I was loving that had 3 simple ingredients: chia, water, and 100% cherry juice. It was so good. However, as I was touting this wonderfulness to my hubby I mentioned how sweet it was even without added sugar. This lead me to check the sugar content on that cherry juice, and lo and behold, it had hella sugar (50 grams per 8 oz.)  in it! So I decided to stop drinking that, and opted for just adding chia into my water. Boring maybe, healthy definitely! 

Chia seeds do much more than grow cute little houseplants, they are super-nutritious and are a powerful diet aid. I discovered them (in a Columbus sort of way) when I did the raw food cleanse. They are these tiny little seeds that are so powerful that they can absorb nine times their volume in water. Because they are such powerful absorbers you have to make sure you soak them before you eat them. Once you soak them they form a gel that is 90% soluble fiber which aids digestion and can help lower cholesterol more effectively than oatmeal. The fiber also helps you feel fuller longer. 

Chia seeds: 

• Have twice the protein of any other seed or grain
• Have 5 times the calcium of milk
• Contain omega-3 and omega-6 oils
• More magnesium than broccoli
• More iron than spinach
• And the list goes on and on...

Chia is a best kept secret. It is truly a super seed! No wonder it has been used for thousands of years for endurance. The word chia actually comes from the Mayan word chiabaan, meaning strengthening. 

So, Riss, How do You Eat Chia?

The easiest way to prepare chia is to make it into a gel. Chia seed gel is super easy to make. I mix a big batch when I make it because we use it in everything smoothies, yogurt, salads, we even eat it straight (it tastes a bit like flavorless Jello). All you have to do to make the gel is mix 1/3 cup of chia seeds with 2 cups of water. Let it sit for a few minutes shake it up, then let it sit for about 20 minutes. We use so much I usually use 1 cup of the chia to 6 cups of water. Then just store it in jar in the fridge where it keeps for up to two weeks. Be careful though, if it starts to grow sprouts it is no longer edible, and should be transferred to the nearest clay pottery cat you can find.

If you don't try anything else I share, TRY THIS! It is truly amazing.


*Remember never eat them without soaking or they can absorb your bodily fluids and cause digestive issues and dehydration.


XOXO,
Riss


Questions? Comments? Suggestions? Share them below.

Cleansing: Raw Food

This summer for about 10 days my husband and I did a raw food cleanse. We had planned on doing it for only 3 days, but extended it because it felt so great. For breakfast we mainly drank green smoothies, which were really delicious. Lunch consisted of a huge salad, and dinner was usually something really creative. It may seem that eating only raw food is boring, but it is so much fun.

There are many creative recipes out there that reconstruct traditional favorites out of raw food. My favorite is “Un-fried Rice” which is made out of ground cauliflower that really takes on the consistency and look of real rice. It was so delicious it shocked us!

Eating raw increased our energy, helped us lose weight and inches, and proved to be really fun.  Dinnertime was always an adventure (Did I mention the walnut “meat” tacos??) The downside was that food preparation was very time consuming, most likely because I had to cook separate meals for the children. Surprisingly this cleanse was also quite expensive. Commercial raw food products cost an arm and a leg, and I am not even going to mention our trip to a raw restaurant. How they can charge as much as they do is insane!

Would I do it again? Absolutely! I think it is a good seasonal cleanse. We’ll most likely do it again in the upcoming months.

Best quote from my hubby: “Did you notice that since we have been eating raw food, your poop doesn’t stink?” Gotta love him!!

~Riss

If you have fasted or cleansed tell us about it.

Why did you fast/cleanse?

What did you do (did you Master Cleanse, eat only fruit, drink only juice, etc.)?

What was the hardest part?

What was surprising about the experience?

Would you do it again?