WellnesSimply

for your new study that found “popcorn hulls contained surprisingly high levels of antioxidants called polyphenols, which have been found to reduce the risk of cancer and heart disease.”

now i, and you, can eat to your heart’s content. i am particularly fond of my Presto PopLite air-popper so i can add all my fat in the form of olive oil after it’s popped. my flavor of the month: olive oil, sea salt, smoked paprika, and brewer’s yeast.

yum!

do j-lo, halle berry, or sarah jessica parker really need more money?

and if they do, why does it have to be by selling us perfume?

and if they do need more money and it has to be by selling us some fragrance, why does it have to be so toxic?

well, there was the rant. but what this really turned into was the danger of fragrance, that broad term listed in everything from your glade plug-in or dryer sheets to your skin cream and facial wash.

you may know by now that i’m a big fan of the environmental working group, a non-profit dedicated to doing their best to keep us toxic free - not the easiest task these days. this is what ewg has to say about fragrances:

“it may help sell products from face cream to laundry detergent, but do you know what’s in it? fragrances are in everything from shampoo to deodorant to lotion. federal law doesn’t require companies to list on product labels any of the chemicals in their fragrance mixture. recent research from ewg and the campaign for safe cosmetics found an average of 14 chemicals in 17 name brand fragrance products, none of them listed on the label. fragrances can contain hormone disruptors and are among the top 5 allergens in the world. our advice? buy fragrance free.”

i’m not telling you to throw out your favorite bottle of perfume, face wash, or shampoo (at least today) but as always just be aware. be aware that there are many (upon many, upon many) body care and household products that are not good for us; that are nothing short of toxic. and it’s really up to us to be on top of what’s safe and what’s not. companies and apparently celebrities are around to MAKE MONEY, not to create a safe, healthy environment for you and your family.

be a conscious consumer, know your products, visit ewg.org often.

if you’re interested in my rant about celebrities check out the fragrances for women page (didn’t check the men’s), on ewg’s skin deep database and skip to the very last page, page 80, where you’ll find some well known celeb’s scent as some of the most toxic: “intimately beckham”, “vera wang, the fragrance”, “covet by sarah jessica parker”, and “halle, eau du parfum spray”.

i find it obnoxious in its obvious carelessness; carelessness from people who in my humble opinion have the ways and means to go above and beyond to sell and promote a way of living that says: “i care about my fellow humans, animals, and environment alike”.

personally, i just dab a little of my favorite essential oil on my wrist and neck, nothing fancy, simple as that. but if you’re interested in making your own perfume, check out the blog how to make your own fragrance and the article “how to make perfume with essential oils” from wikihow.com.

here’s to smelling toxic-free!

i can’t believe i haven’t posted about my favorite little super seed.

remember chia pets? yep, the same thing. little did we know that those tiny seeds in there are a superfood just waiting to be discovered.

or re-discovered i should say. 

the aztecs and mayans revered chia seeds (salvia hispanica), even using them in religious ceremonies. as this article states from superseeds.ca it’s believed “that ancient warriors would sustain themselves on long journeys with a single spoonful of the seeds daily” dubbing them “runner’s food”. some newer press says chia seeds can help you lose weight thanks to its ability to expand in the stomach and make you feel full.

whether or not they help you lose weight, their nutritional resume is so impressive you’ll want to incorporate these little guys (or gals) into your diet anyway. check out integradedhealth.com and superseeds.ca for their full benefit bio.

superseeds.ca informs us that…

chia contain 19 amino acids including all essential amino acids, they contain 7x more vitamin c than oranges, 34% of the seeds is high quality oil consisting mainly of omega 3, higher than fresh atlantic salmon or flax seeds, they have high levels of antioxidants, 3 x the antioxidant strength of blueberries, 5 grams of fiber per serving, and much, much more.

go out and get yourself some chia!

it’s easy to incorporate these super heroes into your diet: add a tablespoon to your cereal in the morning, sprinkle on your salad in the afternoon, blend them up in a smoothie, put them in baked goods, or just add them to your favorite drink and watch them gel up. i think they look like frog eggs but maybe you don’t want that image…tapioca pudding?   

reaching into the cabinet and pulling out a jar of honey, bottle of apple cider vinegar, or box of baking soda to use as part of my skincare regime.

maybe it’s just me but i feel rebellious… and i like it.  

here are some articles, one to scare you into using regular household items as part of your skincare routine because you know they’re not loaded with chemicals and sold to you at outrageous prices with claims of unceasing beauty and the other a short guide to using baking soda and apple cider vinegar as a part of your skincare routine.

try these baking soda and apple cider vinegar tips from skin md and when you’re feeling brave read “10 worst chemicals in cosmetics and personal care products” from natural news.

about a year ago. I’m a little late, but it’s inspiring none-the-less.

Sometimes I feel that I don’t know enough to help people change their lives. I feel like I need a PhD, an MD or at the very least to be a Certified Nutritionist. Then I hear a talk like this, read a headline, or see a statistic about how badly in need we are. The simple act of bringing real, whole food (back) into our diets can save lives. Then I know again that my passion is justified, more than justified, it’s desperately needed.