To keep me sane and help deal with all of the changes in my life I have started listening to guided meditations from Bodhipaksa, Guided Meditations: For Calmness, Awareness, and Love. I’m still only a few days in, but I was genuinely stunned at how effective and euphoric meditation is. I’ve always had a hard time turning my brain off at night, and I thought I lacked the discipline to make meditation worth trying, but listening to Bodhipaksa’s soothing voice and instructions made it so easy and relaxing. As a former skeptic (on my part, not on the practice overall) I just thought I’d share with you in case you were looking to feel centered.
[Available on iTunes and Amazon. Image via Amazon.]
I get a lot of questions about natural alternatives for skincare, and while I’m not a product junkie I have spent a lot of time researching natural remedies (with a lot of help from mom, too).
It doesn’t come in fancy packaging (although I do wish it was glass), and it doesn’t have a pretty French-sounding name, but Witch Hazel is one of my favorite products! It’s a cheap and easy way to add a natural alternative in place of conventional astringents and toners.
After cleansing, the purpose of a toner is to remove excess oil and dirt, but also to close the pores and restore pH balance. Witch Hazel is a natural antiseptic, so if you make sure the product you’re getting is alcohol free, it can perform all the functions of a conventional toner, but without the added preservatives and chemicals. To apply it I don’t even use a cotton ball (it’s just one other organic item to add to the list, and really it’s just not worth it), so I just pour a tiny bit into my cupped palm and splash it on my face. After that you’re free and clear to lotion it up.
Bottom line: it’s natural, it works, it’s cheap, and it will last you quite a long time.
Many different varieties here for about $6.
I love the thought of organizing first aid supplies in this retro-style tin box, especially since I often find myself yearning for days of old where tin and glass were the container standards. This little guy is wall mountable for ease-of-use, but really, it’s pretty darn stylish too. Available here for $23.
[images via ModCloth]
Dr. Bronner’s family of soaps
I adore my Dr. Bronner’s soaps, they make me happy. Yes, washing my hands with his soaps actually makes me happy. And reading the label is always interesting. All of the soaps are vegetable-based, completely biodegradable, made from organic and fair trade oils, and have no synthetics or preservatives. You can actually recognize all nine of the ingredients on the label, and checking in at the Cosmetics Database shows it’s ranking as a wonderful 1-2 (which is not always easy to find). The scents come only from the essential oils, so no fragrance has been added. I’ve admitted it before: I am a perfume/fragrance brat. I’ll have none of it, thankyouverymuch. I use almond in both the liquid and bar soaps and it smells heavenly; nothing artificial or overpowering, just a soft natural almond scent that reminds me of cookies for some strange reason.
Aside from the lovely smell and all the benefits of organic and natural ingredients, converting to a natural soap is an easy way to make the transition toward a cleaner house, and here’s why: last April the FDA announced that there may suddenly be a concern with the commonly used antibacterial chemical triclosan. Found in everything from toothpaste to deodorant and liquid soaps and hand sanitizers, the chemical is so prevalent that it is found in 75% of the population’s urine. Recent studies have found that triclosan disrupts normal endocrine functions (by mimicking hormones produced by the thyroid), while other studies have shown it to affect sea life, even preventing photosynthesis in diatom algae. In short: a chemical employed since the early seventies, presumed to be completely safe (by the FDA in spite of mounting evidence) until last spring, is currently being investigated, but still exists in nearly every health and cleaning product available.
Triclosan
Switching soaps is an easy and fairly inexpensive way to remove a few more chemicals from your home. Compared to many conventional soaps it may be more expensive, but seeing as how some countries and politicians domestically are asking that triclosan be banned from children’s products, it is definitely worth making the switch.
Very easy to find, and liquid soaps are often available in bulk-size. Check your local natural food store or buy online here.
At the end of this year there will meet and then exceed 7 billion people living on our planet. This three-minute, no nonsense typography video from National Geographic kick starts a seven part, year-long series on global population.
In this time of resolutions and crash diet beginnings it seems we often forget to think about the world outside of ourselves. If you take a second to think about it, I mean really think about it, the New Year is a very selfish time. Just on the heels of time when we’re all guilty of overindulging, it seems the meaning of resolutions has gone right out the window with the true holiday spirit. As much of a humbug as that makes me sound I really hope to use this time to think about my place in this world as 1 out of 7 billion and think about the message of balance.
Filed under: Clean, Farmer's Market, Food, Green, Health, Movies, Nature
As much as I love and often refer to Food Inc. it was a really heavy movie; all the things I had already suspected were not only confirmed but the stories and images, though not as gruesome I had anticipated, had resonated in a strong way. I was mad and angry and I sort of carried it with me for a while; it wasn’t a terrible thing, just not the kind of feeling I want to handle often.
On the flip side of Food Inc. there’s a new, seemingly more joyful and uplifting movie that’s out called Fresh. My awesome co-worker passed it along yesterday and I’m already trying to see if I can get into a screening next week. I can’t find much more info than what’s listed on their site, but it looks as if it’s been making the rounds at small screenings here and there (since 2009!). It would be great to see it go nation-wide.
My favorite farmer Joel Salatin is back from Food Inc. too!
My quest for living a clean life goes far beyond organic produce and filtered (plastic-free) water, and dives deep into the products I use in my daily skin and hair care routine. Think about it…how many health and beauty products do you use in a single day? Shampoo, cream rinse, soap, astringent, lotion, and that’s all before the make-up goes on.
Well, the fact of the matter is that make-up ingredients are not regulated, and the most accessible products for skin and hair contain an endless list of toxins:
“The average woman exposes herself to 167 different chemicals on her face and body during her daily beauty regime.”
“300 contaminants have been detected in the umbilical cord blood of newborns.”
These are just two of the facts that are featured in this quick and infinitely important message about health and beauty products and their effects on women, men, and babies. Please, if you do one thing today, watch this quick video to get an idea of what we’re all up against. Like the latest movement for food industry reform, this is another industry that is putting their product and dollar before the health of consumers.
Yes, it’s overwhemling, but for everyone and especially for us women of child-bearing age, it is essential for us to take charge of what we put in our bodies and on our skin and hair. We can change how these companies formulate their products.
Organic products DO help, you just have to make sure that the product you’re buying is actually what is says it is. It takes more work to figure it out, but that’s where the EWG’s Skin Deep Cosmetics Database is an essential tool for the arsenal. All of my make-up, shampoos, toothpastes, and lotions have a rating of 4 or below. If you do two things today, please poke around the database and learn a bit more about what you’re using at home.
My skin has never looked or felt better than the last few years that I’ve switched to organic and chemical-free products, while also taking my vitamins (all 9 of them!). I can’t believe the first picture I post of myself will be first thing in the morning without make-up, but my point is that you cannot buy healthy skin in a jar that promises fewer wrinkles or blemishes. It comes from so much more work and research, but ultimately from a clean lifestyle that anyone can have with some practice. Please, please know what your feeding your body!
GT Dave’s Mango Kombucha, and my traffic cone orange nails.
Hi, my name is Natira and I am a ‘buchaholic. It started casually enough; I’d have a sip here and there if it was around, but before I knew it I was sneaking off to buy a bottle for myself. Then pretty soon that wasn’t enough – I wanted one before lunch, then again pre work-out…but then there was also the post work-out craving. It’s euphoric: the thirst quenching effervescence, the gorgeous array of fruit flavors, the wonderfully clean feeling. Suddenly I was in need of a separate budget item just for this little elixir. I needed help and I knew it. Now I’m down to a bottle a day, but I’ll always want just one more sip….
Recently GT Dave has voluntarily recalled his Kombucha to re-evaluate the alcohol levels that are on the label. Since the drink is fermented it has slight levels (currently labeled at .5%), but that level may be higher since it may continue to ferment during shipping.
I’m DYING! I can’t find it anywhere. I haven’t had a soda in years, I can’t take all the sugar corn syrup, but I crave carbonation. More alcohol or not, Kombucha is an amazing drink to health and balance and I can’t do without it and its natural fizziness. I’ve tried four, count ‘em f-o-u-r different Kombucha brands this past week and they are all a joke. Excuse me, but why would you pasteurize your Kombucha? Oh yeah, and why would you add sweetener? No. Nice try, but that’s not what Komucha is and that is not a drink to health. Puh-leeeze hurry back GT Dave!
The benefits of GT Dave’s raw Kombucha are seemingly endless, and once you get past the strong taste you’ll start helping your body live a cleaner life. (I always feel like those little scrubby bubble guys from the commercial are washing through my body after every drink. You really do feel nice and clean afterward, and no it’s not a buzz from the alcohol.)
Some of my favorite facts about Kombucha:
- It’s a living culture of mico-organisms that’s fermented in order to produce a bevy of goodness for your body to restore a natural balance. Some of the goodies include amino acids, enzymes, probiotics, polyphenols, and antioxidants. Bottom line: good for the tummy, immune system, and skin!
- It’s a raw food. It hasn’t been heated or pasteurized, so it retains all of its nutrients.
- It’s organic! No icky preservatives or sprays on anything added to the bottle. In fact, the presence of the antioxidants in the body that comes from drinking Kombucha can help eliminate free-radicals that are present in the body (from pesticides and preservatives in the typical Western diet).
- It’s a glass bottle. No BPA leached here.
I strongly believe in the benefits of Kombucha, and the ability it has to help our bodies fight off the potential for cancerous growth. When we talk about cancer prevention this is one for the arsenal. If you’re new to Kombucha I recommend starting with the Multi-Green flavor. It’s not as intense as some other flavors, so once you get used to that you can move on to my favorites: Mango, Strawberry, and Gingerberry. Who knows, maybe I’ll be seeing you in ‘buchaholics anonymous.
Yesterday was World Water Day, and as I’ve written a lot about the importance water treatment reform and dirty water, I thought it was a good time to share my latest favorite kitchen accessory and finally focus on clean water.
I chose the Aquasana countertop filtration system since it was easy to install, filtered the most contaminants, and was also the most cost effective. It’s a funny feeling, but I’m actually able to drink water from the tap again. You just attach it to your faucet and pull a little nozzle to redirect the flow of water through the filters.I wasn’t expecting to notice a big difference, but I was actually stunned by the taste and texture of the filtered water. Somehow it’s silky and light…kind of hard to explain, but a welcomed difference none the less.
The unit itself was $100, but of course the filters are an on-going investment at $48 every six months, which works out to about $8 a month. It’s available through Amazon or directly from Aquasana.
Take a peek at this water filtration system comparison chart to see how each brand ranks. Sadly, I don’t have a standard shower head, so I can’t get the shower filter, but I’ve heard great things about it.
I’ve been posting quite a bit about water quality and sexy BPA-Free water bottles, and these Bobble Water’s look to be a great candidate to fulfill both criteria:
- BPA-free
- 1oo% recycled and recyclable
- Made in the USA
- Built-in filter (can handle 40 gallons/300 bottles of water)
I’m not sure which contaminants this filters, as even Brita and Pur (the most accessible filters) are pretty much a joke, but this is definitely better than plastic bottles and tap water. I’m sure we’ll be seeing them everywhere pretty soon, but if you can’t wait you can buy at the Bobble site.
