Monday Mix up - Apathy: The deadliest weapon of mass destruction?

This post has been bouncing around inside my head for the last couple of weeks but, for some reason, it wasn't ready to come out. Last night we watched a movie called The East and it made me realise it was time. The movie was about a woman who infiltrated a group of anarchists called The East. They would target big corporations harming the environment, or exploiting people or animals, and give them a taste of their own medicine. Her job was to figure out their next move and then, ultimately, stop them to protect her clients, which were the big corporations.

Today is going to be entirely my own opinion! You can take what you want from it, or just leave it altogether. But I do hope that it strikes a chord somewhere, for someone.

The more time that passes, and the more experiences I have with people, the more I realise that our worlds have become completely insular. People are so caught up in their own, rather small worlds, that they can't seem to see further than that. Social networking has only compounded the problem. Life seems to revolve around what's next for dinner, paying bills, bathing the kids, the next birthday/anniversary, going to work/gym/the next party etc. Don't get me wrong, all of these are important in our lives and deserve our focus.

The problem is, people can't seem to see past all of that. We're all guilty of it, myself included. It's so easy to lose yourself in day-to-day chores and responsibilities and forget that there is a whole big world out there. But the general attitude these days is that, if it's not happening within my little world, why should I get involved. Most times it's not on purpose. Life just gets in the way and other things involve more effort than we want to put in. We don't mean to be so switched off, but we are. The word that springs to mind is apathy. There is a complete apathy about the way humans seem to live their lives these days.

I joined our complex committee about 4 months ago and one of the things I implemented was a monthly newsletter to create a sense of community and to keep everyone abreast of security updates, advertise services offered by various residents (for free), general complex news etc. In fact for the last 3 days, we have been doing a collection for one of our security guards birthdays today. Out of 60 residents, 5 have contributed something... The rest haven't even responded to say no thanks. Only 50% actually opened the newsletter on Friday and I have received less than 10 emails in total in response to queries or offers, since I started it 4 months ago. The last 4 months have taught me, more than anything, that even the offer of free advertising isn't enough to raise people out of their sense of apathy.

When I thought about the people that DO respond, it's usually the older age groups; which had me thinking. Have you noticed how your parents, or grandparents, never seem to throw stuff out? They still have that coffee machine/blender/toolbox that was a wedding/birthday/anniversary gift 20 or 30 years ago. The furniture is often stuck in the 70s or 80s as are the curtains and carpets.

Maybe it's because they like the stuff. I think there is more to it though. Our parents and grandparents were brought up believing that THINGS had more value. I don't mean that they were materialistic. I mean they valued the things they were given. If something broke, they didn't immediately throw it away and buy a new one. They fixed the broken one until it was beyond fixing. Clothes were worn until they outgrew them or wore them out. Things were handed down or passed on to family and friends rather than thrown away.

Let's face it, "They don't make them like they used to" isn't just a random saying. It's the truth. More effort was put into making things because people didn't buy at the drop of a hat. Our parents and grandparents didn't subscribe to our culture of "stuff". They didn't just want stuff simply because. They only purchased what they needed. Birthdays and christmas were a time when you got given stuff you didn't really need and then it was usually one or two gifts each, and they were thoughtful and meaningful.

Everything is so readily available these days, we have grown accustomed to the convenience of simply buying something new if the old one is no longer appealing. Or we buy something just because we like it, never mind need it. We seldom do. We want stuff simply because it's there and marketers convince us that we NEED them, so we believe it. We have more clothes, shoes and handbags in our closets than we know what to do with. Our kitchens are overflowing with gadgets the adverts said we "really need." We replace our cars every 2 to 3 years. How many of your parents or grandparents have been driving the same car for the last 15 years? It's probably got an immaculate service record too because it is a valued commodity that they are trying to preserve, perhaps for their kids or grandkids. The sad thing is, those kids would probably prefer the new mini cooper or equivalent.

Coming back to the beginning of the post, those big corporations are pandering to the whims and needs of people. They started off having to build this culture of stuff and, now that they have, they simply have to keep up with the demand no matter what the consequences. No-one gives a thought to what happens to that old coffee machine/blender/toolbox that they threw out because it wasn't as new fangled and technical as their new one. As I said at the beginning, most people's thoughts don't go much further than what's next for dinner, paying bills, bathing the kids, the next birthday/anniversary, going to work/gym/the next party etc. That blender is already out of their mind and somebody else's problem.

It's that kind of apathy that is getting us into trouble. While we focus on all the little things, big things are going wrong. We are running out of space to put all of that old stuff and our planet is getting infused with toxic plastics and chemicals and just far less space for nature. While we are wondering if we should buy that Guess handbag, someone we know may be at the end of their tether, suffering from depression, and wondering how to end it all. While we are contemplating a new lounge suite (because the other one is a bit out of fashion now) an entire species of animal is on the brink of extinction. Why should we worry about climate change and global warming when we have a birthday party with all our friends on Friday and we need to pick an outfit? Why should we worry about our health and the state of our environment? We're going to die one day anyway, right? Important things are slipping through the cracks because we are so busy living in our small worlds and refusing to look further. 

If you're thinking, "Well, why should it be ME who notices/responds/gives a damn", then you need to take a step back and re-evaluate things. The problem is, the majority of the world IS thinking that and that's why things get worse. I certainly have days where I think, "I really don't feel like washing up the recycling things. Washing normal dishes is enough, isn't it?!" If I did that every day, it would eventually become a habit and I'd stop caring because it'd be easier. So I don't let myself. It's not even an option.

It's tempting to just give up on things because it feels like you're getting nowhere, just as it's tempting to ignore things that aren't pertinent in your life, because it's less complicated. It's easier to buy something new instead of getting the old one fixed. It's easier to smoke that cigarette, buy conventional household cleaning products, eat conventional foods, buy, rather than grow, your own produce, take an antibiotic instead of allowing your body to heal naturally and live in a small, insular world, where nothing can touch you.

But that's not really true. Because it will touch you eventually. And if not you, then your kids, or someone close to you. We can't continue to be apathetic when so much is at stake. Sometimes you need to take a step back and look at the bigger picture. There is so much more to all of this then a new car/lounge suite/handbag. They are just tiny, largely unnecessary things. If you aren't sure about what I'm saying, watch the video below to put things into some kind of perspective. We are tiny and insignificant and we live in a massive universe where those "things" are so irrelevant it's actually scary. That fight you had with your best friend/mother/sister or son? Stew for a bit if you must, but then move on. In the whole scheme of things he said/she said is really not worth worrying about for the rest of your life. There is so much more.

We are here for such a small amount of time. Instead of the attitude that says, "So why should we care?" try and change it to "That's why we SHOULD care." Make the differences that will leave you feeling proud of the legacy you left behind. Just because "everyone doesn't think that way, doesn't mean you shouldn't.

Wellness Wednesday - Why we don't use conventional sunscreen

Everyone is complaining about the heat lately. You won't hear it from me though. I'll take it any day, over a Johannesburg winter! For a born and bred Durban girl, this heat is like heaven:) If there's one thing I absolutely can't stand, it's being cold. No matter how many blankets I throw over me, no matter how long the gas heater is on, no matter how hot the bath, my body just doesn't know what to do with the cold. I can't get warm. The heat I can MORE than handle!

One of my favourite things to do is lie in the sun and soak up some rays. I swear I am part feline because my cats also just love to lie in the sun for hours. They stretch out so that every inch of their little furry bodies can catch the warmth;) I totally relate except for the furry bit! That's why a honeymoon in the Seychelles was RIGHT up my alley! I can just hear the murmurs about sunscreen, melanoma and wrinkles as I'm saying this...

I am fully aware of the sun's effect on skin. I have been an advocate of sunscreen for many, many years. Ask anyone who knows me. I've always been terrified of going into the sun without some kind of protection. Even in the Seychelles we had several bottles of sunscreen and I never lay in the sun without being covered, head to toe, in the stuff.

However, once I went organic and cut all chemicals out of my life, it got a little complicated. It didn't make sense to me to use an organic body lotion from head to toe, and then, straight after that, go and smear my body with chemicals in the form of sunscreen SEVERAL TIMES a day as I soaked up the sun. It terrifies me just how much damage I must have done to my body over the years, and NOT from too much sun, but from too much sunscreen!

I did some research and discovered just how bad conventional sunscreen actually is for you. If you read my blog on conventional beauty products you'll realise that these are products you don't want in your life AT ALL. Well, sunscreen is no different.

According to the EWG (Environmental Working Group),  two-thirds of the sunscreens they analysed either offered inadequate protection, or contained ingredients that may be toxic. You know how I mentioned that your skin is like a big sponge? Well, that stuff doesn't just sit on top of your skin. It enters your bloodstream and sends all those toxins throughout your body. Here are just some of the ingredients you should be avoiding at all costs (Follow this link to find out about more chemicals to avoid):

• Retinyl Palmitate: You would think, as this is a Vitamin A derivative, that this would be good for us. It's very good for you in food form. Unfortunately, when this stuff is mixed in with sunscreen and exposed to the very hot rays of the sun, this ingredient actually ends up raising your risk of getting skin cancer. Avoid any sunscreens that tell you they contain Vitamin A or Retinol.
• Oxybenzone: This ingredient is meant to increase protection against dangerous UV rays. Also called methanone, 2-hydroxy 4 methoxydenzophenone and benzophenone-3, this stuff disrupts the human endocrine system and can negatively affect the cardiovascular system. It's a synthetic oestrogen and can disrupt the hormone system.
• Benzophenone-3 (B-3): This is a sunscreen preservative and UV ray deactivator that triggers DNA damage. What's really scary is that, two days after you've applied the sunscreen, it is still detectible in urine.
• Amino Benzoic Acid: Also known as para-aminobenzoic acid, PABA, Vitamin Bx or padimate O (a water-insoluble derivative), it's a UV filter in many, many sunscreen brands but research has found that it can amplify cellular damage.
• Insect repellant: if your sunscreen tries to sell itself to you by having a built in insect repellant, avoid it.

What's very scary is that the FDA will tell you that these ingredients are safe; proof that you can't believe everything that the powers-that-be tell you. Ultimately, the decisions rests in your hands. Do your research and know exactly what you are exposing yourself and your family to before you go ahead and trust them. They've been wrong MANY times before.

Here's an interesting mindbender: did you know that most people are actually suffering from a Vitamin D deficiency thanks to always wearing sunscreen? People are SO terrified of the sun these days. Let's face it, the doctors and scientists did their job well. We have all taken their warnings to heart and, because of that, we are all suffering from Vitamin D deficiencies. Your body actually needs about 20 minutes in the sun WITHOUT sunscreen, to produce Vitamin D. Ironically, a Vitamin D deficiency ALSO leads to cancer. Damned if you do, damned if you don't?

The reality is that the sun is not as scary as we have all been led to believe. I am NOT in any way downplaying the seriousness of skin cancer. But we can't blame the sun alone, for skin cancer. For starters, let your eyes wander back up to those ingredients that are so common in sunscreens. When we were in the Seychelles my body was PERMANENTLY covered in sunscreen because I spent all day, every day, lying in the sun. The only time it was free of sunscreen was after my evening shower. That meant that, for 12 days straight, I was bombarding my body with dangerous chemicals and allowing them access to my bloodstream day in and day out. That means days and days of free radicals having a party under my skin, while I THOUGHT I was doing what was best for me.

Let's move away from the sunscreen for a bit and consider every other beauty product I was also using during those 12 days. Between the body lotion, face cleanser, toner and moisturiser, deodorant, shampoo and conditioner, toothpaste, mouthwash, makeup and any other products I might have been using, that is a LOT of chemicals I was bombarding my body with JUST over those 12 days. In reality, I've been doing it every day of my life since my teenage years so that is about 20 years worth of chemical attack I have been putting my body through.

If you think about how long the sun has been around for, and how long cancer has been around for, it's not a stretch to consider that maybe there is more to skin cancer than just the sun's rays. People didn't have fancy sunscreens 100 years ago and yet cancer was so rare it almost never happened. Yes, there is a hole in the ozone layer... over Antarctica. While it's close-ish to us, it's not directly over our heads. Light travels in straight lines. It doesn't turn corners so I don't think that hole is affecting us directly although, no doubt, it can have devastating consequences where it's happening and, no doubt, it is affecting the general running of the planet.

But I digress. We are FAR more exposed to chemicals than we have ever been before. We are completely under-exposed to Vitamin D, to the point that people are having to take supplements. We live in South Africa where we have LOADS of sunlight so that shouldn't be happening, and yet it is. We are eating SO badly. Our diets are loaded with grains, and completely devoid of nourishing fats which mean we are effectively under-nourished, even though we are ballooning in terms of body fat. Even if we eat fruits and vegetables, they are so devoid of nutrition because they are grown in depleted soils which are ALSO loaded with chemicals. The meat we eat is loaded with hormones and antibiotics and, when we are sick, we load our bodies with yet MORE chemicals which makes it even weaker.

In all honesty, what defense are we actually giving our bodies against cancer? The answer is NOTHING. Our bodies are in a permanent state of sickness. Different levels of it, but sickness nonetheless. The sun is the last thing I'd blame for cancer. There are so many other possible culprits.

What's really interesting is that there seems to be a close link between diet and sun tolerance. Look at Mediterranean climates and people and their tolerance for the hot sun that they experience day in and day out. Then have a look at their diet. Loads of good, healthy fats, very few, if any, grains and no processed or refined foods. It's not just a coincidence. Have a look at this study.

I am fortunate to have a very healthy tolerance for the sun. Some of it possibly has to do with my Mauritian genes (My grandfather was Mauritian), some of it has to do with the fact that I allow my body time in the sun without sunscreen and so I have built up a resistance to it. But I guarantee that some of it is connected to my diet. 

Here are some natural things you can do, and eat, to build up a resistance to sun damage:

• Lycopene - This is a rather famous carotenoid found in cooked tomatoes, tomato paste and tomato sauces, that has been shown in a recent study, to protect humans against sun damage. In this study, healthy women, aged between 21-47, who ate 55 g of tomato paste containing 16 mg of lycopene every day for 12 weeks experienced significant protection against acute sun damage. 55 grams of tomato paste has just over 3 tablespoons worth of lycopene! I honestly LOVE tomatoes and I am a self-confessed tomato sauce addict. Thank goodness Woolies has an organic one but I also love to make my own and I add cooked tomatoes to my daily salad as well. Incidentally, lycopene is also great for prostate cancer.
• Astaxanthin - This is a super-antioxidant which is found in algae and the things that eat algae, and the things that eat the things that eat algae;) Examples are salmon, shrimp and prawns. It is actually considered an “internal sunscreen.” According to studies, it definitely protects against UVA damage. In fact, tests found it to be more effective than retinol. Either way, unless you have a seafood allergy, it can't hurt to eat more of it!
• Vitamin D - Isn't it ironic that the vitamin we are all deficient in, Vitamin D, actually increases sun tolerance and protection against sun damage! Vitamin D offers reduced sunburn and less risk of tumor development. So, in actual fact, getting sun gives you vitamin D, which in turn protects you from too much sun. And yet we are stopping nature in its tracks.
• More Omega 3s and less Omega 6s - When your skin is in danger of damage from the sun, p53 expression is upregulated to protect it, and high p53 immunoreactivity can lead to melanoma. Omega 3s actually prevent that from happening and so protect you against cancer. We all get far too many omega 6s in our diet and they will have an adverse effect so try and cut down on them and up your dosage of fatty fish.
• Eat Saturated Fat - In tests done on mice, a diet high in saturated fat meant lower incidence of melanomas developing. If you’re gonna be out in the sun, and you don't eat them already, best you add some butter and coconut oil to your diet.
• Drink Tea - Green tea gives you a whole arsenal of protective antioxidants which protect your skin and inhibits the development of tumors by controlling inflammation and preventing DNA damage. Even applied topically it offers protection.
• Proanthocyanidins - Sounds complicated but you're probably already getting them in your diet via wine, grape seeds, blueberries, hazelnuts, pistachios, and grains like sorghum and barley. Grape seed extract is a powerful protector against UV damage.
• Resveratrol - This is found in red wine, cocoa and dark chocolate, peanuts and peanut butter, mulberries and blueberries. It has strong anti-cancer, cardioprotective, and lifespan enhancing qualities and it's also becoming known as a photoprotective agent protecting skin against UV damage.

If we use a sunscreen, we use one of these three:

All of these contain zinc oxide which is a great skin protector that doesn't get absorbed by the skin BUT it can tend to make your skin a little whiter. I can live with that personally. They work really well and they won't make us sick. I can look a little ghostly if it means I can avoid cancer. The lovely tan I have after I've washed it off is totally worth it!

Some things to look for when shopping for sunscreen:

• Look for titanium dioxide and zinc oxide based mineral sunscreens, which don't penetrate the skin.
• Choose sunscreens that are unscented or use essential oils for fragrance.
• Choose lotion based sunscreens with water resistance, NOT spray sunscreens. That just means you are breathing in toxins as well as absorbing them through your skin, and you always miss a few spots anyway...
• Choose broad spectrum sunscreens that protect against UVA and UVB rays
• Choose sunscreen products that are rated 0-2 in the Environmental Working Group’s Sunscreen Guide. A lot of them aren't local but have a look and see if you recognise one or two.

There are also certain oils that work very well as sunscreen if you are not basking for hours in the sun. They have a natural spf and are very good protection for the skin:

• Coconut oil
• Shea butter 
• Jojoba oil, sunflower oil, or sesame oil 
• Eucalyptus and lavender essential oils 
• Vitamin E oil 

I'd recommend AGAINST making your own sunscreen though, if you are planning on hours upon hours of roasting yourself. I tried it once. We were in pain for DAYS! I've decided to leave it to the professionals;) But I am all for adding these to my daily moisturiser to give me SOME spf during the day while I go about my business.

That's it. Do your research carefully before choosing your sunscreen and consider giving your body some time to work its magic with Vitamin D for a bit of time each day. You'll feel so much better for it AND your body will begin to build up its own resistance to the sun which will mean less sunscreen anyway.

Happy tanning!

Monday Mix-up - Why you aren't losing body fat (not for lack of trying!)

Before I even get started on this post, please note the title of it. I specifically said "body fat" and not "weight" because body fat is what you are trying to lose. If you say "weight" then you are including every part of your body from muscles to water to organs etc. Your weight is not the issue. I am not a believer in scales unless you are pregnant or need to weigh your luggage at an airport.

A lot of people get despondent when they have been working out for a couple of months, because they get on the scale (despite being told not to) and they say the training is not working because they still weigh the same OR they are heavier than before. My immediate response is, "How do your jeans feel on you?" The response is always, "Well, they FEEL looser... but I WEIGH more!" This obsession with scales and weight goes back to the early Jane Fonda days where exercise was suddenly fashionable and everyone wanted to slim down as much as possible so that they could fit into their high cut leotards. They didn't give much thought to what it actually did to your body.

If you are exercising correctly then you are building muscle WHILE you are burning body fat. Muscle is actually heavier than body fat. THAT is why you will probably weigh more when you get on that scale. If I had my way I would banish all conventional scales. All they do is make you feel bad about yourself and distort things completely so that your personal trainer wants to tear their hair out and you feel like eating an entire litre of rocky road ice-cream all the while thinking, "What is the point?!"

A common problem when people first start training is that they use it as an excuse to eat more and specifically, to eat more of whatever they want. Tell me you haven't said this to yourself before, "I can eat this slice of chocolate cake/apple crumble/cheesecake as long as I go to gym tomorrow and run for 30 minutes." That's never going to work. A slice of chocolate cake probably has about 550 calories. It would take a run at full tilt for about an hour to work a portion of that off and you WOULDN'T be better off than when you started. You'd be right BACK where you started. So you've gained nothing really.

The key to losing body fat is that you need to be putting in less than you are using up. You will never achieve that as long as you are using exercise as an excuse to eat and drink whatever you want. So THAT is your starting point. You need to lower your caloric intake.

I've said before that each person has their own basal metabolic rate (BMR). That is how much energy your body uses when it's resting. You are burning energy even at rest because your body continues to function. Your cells are busy rebuilding themselves, or trying to keep you cool, or warm, or you're digesting food etc. Something is always going on. Your BMR depends on your size, shape, age, lean mass, body fat, exercise etc. If you are not exercising much but you are eating a 500 calorie slice of chocolate cake twice a day, you are going to gain body fat. That's not rocket science.

What about the person who is religiously gymming every day, running hell for leather for 30 minutes and then doing some intense weight training, and watching everything they eat, and NOT losing weight? When you first started gymming and dieting, the weight literally melted off you! You're doing all the same things, religiously, and yet it's all come to a screeching halt.

It's demoralising, isn't it? It makes you want to run out and try every fad diet on the planet, swallow diet pills and get major surgery because you are getting no joy out of doing things the right way. But what is the right way, really?

For DECADES, we have been told that, in order to lose weight (and here, weight HAS been the focus which is why I use that word) you need to add more grains to your diet and eat loads of fruit and vegetables and lean meat and skinny cappucinos and low fat this and skim milk that. Basically you need to cut all fat from your diet and pile on the grains and starches (read: sugar).

It's frightening how many people still subscribe to this way of eating. Even now, in 2015,  it's the common way of thinking: To lose body fat, you need to stop eating fat. Nothing could be more incorrect or more damaging to your body, than depriving it of fat. I did it for years and my body fat fluctuated all over the place, my energy levels were completely inconsistent and my health was a mess. I was permanently sick.

Did you know that the cells of your body are comprised mostly of fat? That doesn't make them "fat cells". The cells that CONTAIN fat are just that: fat cells. But the walls of the cells in your body are made of fat. If you think about it, it makes sense. Water and oil don't mix. The inside of a cell is made up of a lot of water. If the membrane is made of fats, that means nothing will be escaping that shouldn't be, and nothing is getting in that shouldn't be. The fat membrane protects the cell.

Considering that we are made up of hundreds of thousands of cells, which use fat to build themselves, it seems a bit dangerous to cut out a macronutrient that is so widely used, and needed, doesn't it? That's not all that fat is used for but it's a very good starting point. Without cells, we simply wouldn't exist. Don't you feel that you should be giving your body all the tools it needs to function properly?

Here's another kicker: you will NOT burn fat without eating fat. As long as you are following your low fat diet full of grains and fruits, your body will be forced to make it's OWN fat so that it can still function. Isn't that a slap in the face? You are cutting out fat and your body is using what you are forcing it to eat, to make more fat anyway.

Fat is a great source of energy. Most people have this idea that carbohydrates are the best source of energy. They may be a good source of IMMEDIATE energy and the only people who should really be utilising them for that are elite athletes who are running marathons or doing triathlons. They will use it to get them through the race but it should never be a long term solution.

Longterm, your diet should be a good combination of ALL the macronutrients. In case you aren't sure what those are, they are protein, fat and carbohydrates. You shouldn't be cutting out any ONE of those at all. If you are, you are causing your body some kind of damage and you are sabotaging your ability to maintain a healthy amount of body fat. Even vegetarians and vegans need to get protein in their diets and it takes some very careful balancing to make sure they get all the necessary amino acids which are so readily available in meat, and not so readily available in plants.

Fruit is another thing that has been given far too much credit. Yes, it's very good for you. You need all the vitamins and minerals it supplies you with. But fruit is full of sugar as well and people tend to forget that. At the end of the day, the only differences between a slab of chocolate and a piece of fruit is that the fruit has vitamins and, obviously, it's real food. Real food should always be first choice. But having a meal comprised ONLY of fruit is going to raise your sugar levels just as the chocolate would. Then it will encourage a release of insulin. You will crash and you will be starving within the next hour or so and probably more than a little grumpy.

Don't eat fruit on its own as a snack. Have it with something that will slow down the release of sugar into your bloodstream. For example, have a banana with some plain yogurt, or nibble on a piece of biltong after having the apple. And always include some fat in that meal as well. Eat full fat yogurt or nice fatty biltong. GASP! It's ok to do that. Stop subscribing to the masses. Make your decisions based on well informed, well thought out reasoning.

If you want to lose body fat, here's what to do:

• Include ALL three macronutrients in your diet: protein, fat and carbs
• Include ALL three marcronutrients in EVERY meal (even the snacks)
• Lower your caloric intake to less than the amount of energy you are actually burning. (most women only need about 1 200 calories a day unless they are exercising a lot. Make sure you eat less than that)
• It's hard to go wrong if you cut all processed foods out of your life. Eat only real food and makes sure that includes LOTS of vegetables. They are very low in calories so you can eat LOADS of them and they fill you up.
• Minimise the amount of fruit you eat. Stick to eating fruit in your morning smoothie (making sure it contains some vegetables, fat and protein as well) That's enough.
• Cut out grains OR make sure they are properly prepared before eating them. Remember that grains are heavy in calories. That means you need to cut down the amount you eat, considerably.
• Do everything in moderation. If you drink alcohol, don't over indulge, if you must have chocolate, only have a few blocks, if you have to have that slice of cheesecake then don't eat the potatoes or rice with dinner. That way you take in fewer calories and you don't have to deal with the guilt. Don't do it too often because cheese cake is not nutritious at all.
• Stop the fad dieting. They may work for a while, but your body will eventually be so out of balance that it will scramble to get some order back and it will start to hoard everything. That will end up as body fat. You will struggle to get rid of that fat.
• Move, move, move!

Live is all about balance. Stop making food and weight loss your focus. Eat when you need to, not because you feel you need to. If you know you have an emotional imbalance and food is your crutch, work to fix that or you will be dieting for the rest of you life and you will never be happy.

Happiness is the first step to sorting out your body issues. You'd be amazed how quickly everything will fall into place when you stop subscribing to the masses who tell you you should be thin. Listen to your body and it will treat you kindly in return.

Wellness Wednesday - Mercury Fillings: Ticking time bombs in your head?

Mercury vs porcelain.

In a previous post about dental health and nutrition, I briefly mentioned mercury or amalgam fillings. All I really said was that you should get them out but I didn't elaborate on the "why" of it. The "why" is really important and definitely deserved its own blog post.

Let's face it, mercury fillings are NOT aesthetically appealing... If I see an open mouth in front of me, filled with silver, it makes me cringe away bit, I can't lie. Most of us have fillings, but a mouth that is more silver than white messes with my head. It doesn't look terribly appealing, but it says something about a person's health because, as I mentioned in my dental health post, your health starts with your teeth. If your teeth are unhealthy, your body is definitely in even worse shape!

Mercury fillings are a constant, hot debate between conventional medicine and holistic medicine. Conventional medicine will tell you that mercury, in small doses ie. in fillings, is not bad for you at all. However, the next sentence after that is always "but it shouldn't be used for children under 6 or pregnant women."

I've never really understood that kind of thinking. To my mind, if it's harmful to a child under 6, or to a foetus, it's not exactly going to be GOOD for anyone, is it? Children under 6 are still developing. I get that. You don't want to affect their development. However, after the age of 6 our bodies are still going through constant changes. As I've mentioned before, in this post, you can lose anywhere from 200 000 to 3 000 000 cells per SECOND so your body needs to regenerate those cells and it actually goes through a complete turnover about once every 7 years. That doesn't mean you get a whole new body as you hit the 7 year mark. It means that, by the end of those 7 years, all the cells you started with at the beginning of that 7 year cycle, will have been replaced with new ones and those new ones are going to be built from the fuel you have been putting into your body.

Surely that means that you should be putting good stuff into your body as much as possible? Otherwise that 7 year turnover is going to make a huge difference from a wear and tear point of view! You know when someone says, "Wow, she literally aged overnight!" Yeah...

Mercury fillings are small. That's why most institutions say that there isn't enough of them to make much of a difference. But these things are IN YOUR MOUTH. Think about how young you probably were when you got them. Most people start getting fillings before the age of 10 (boggles the brain because kids just shouldn't be getting holes in their teeth) By the time they are 30, they've had over 20 years of exposure to the mercury. The problem with the mercury in your fillings is that it doesn't just lie dormant. Simple, everyday acts like eating, drinking, chewing and grinding up food against your mercury fillings increase the amount of mercury vapour released and absorbed into your body. If you are an incessant gum chewer, you are in an even worse situation because you are constantly activating that mercury to release vapour. Heat causes the mercury to release vapour in large amounts as well so if you are a big coffee and tea drinker, you are setting off the vapour with every cup.

If we're going to only take things at face value and believe that the FDA and the SABS are right and the dose is too small to really have any consequences, then that means that processed foods, GMOs, household cleaning products, beauty products and fluoride are also fine for us because they've ALSO approved those. And yet, there is NO question that heart disease and cancer are now as common as a cold. Diseases like Alzheimer's and Hyperthyroidism and many autoimmune diseases are becoming just as common. I do think that the body is fairly tough. If you are going to be exposed to stuff like that a handful of times in your life, but 90% of your life is filled with clean, organic, natural products, then you'll probably be ok, not taking genetics into account.

BUT...

Mercury fillings are in your body FOR LIFE. That means its not going to be just a small bit of exposure. It's going to be every second, of every minute, of every day for the rest of your earthly life. I wonder, when they ran their tests, if they let it run for 60 or 70 years to test just what mercury can do to a person's health in the longterm...

Mercury is a poison. That's a fact. Just like fluoride is a poison. So many countries have stopped adding fluoride to drinking water BECAUSE it's so toxic. Yet we are still allowing them to put mercury into our mouths.

The dental establishment claims that amalgam lets off very little to no mercury vapour, but, interestingly enough, they then turn around and blame mercury–free dentists for “unnecessarily exposing patients to excess mercury” when removing mercury fillings. So I have to wonder why they are contradicting themselves there. They have all but admitted that they release mercury vapour. There is NO DOUBT that mercury fillings DO release harmful mercury vapour. You can read these articles, The Scientific Case Against Mercury Amalgam and Understanding Risk Assessment for Mercury From Dental Amalgam.

So, what can you do about it? Well, the dental establishment IS right. Removing amalgam fillings can expose patients to unhealthy amounts of excess mercury. According to this website:

"Less well studied than mercury vapor is the problem of amalgam particulates. Taking out fillings with a high speed dental bur generates a cloud of particles, at least 65% of which are one micron or less in size. These are fully respirable, get deep into the lungs, where the microscopic particles are broken down and the mercury is systemically absorbed within a few days. This mercury exposure can be as much as a hundred times greater than that from the vapor."

Unfortunately, about 12 years ago, I visited a dentist for a check up and, without a word to me, he simply removed my mercury fillings. I'm grateful for it today, but I'm pretty sure that he didn't know the proper procedure back then and it must've sent a huge dose of poison into my body! However, NOT removing them is going to be worse in the longterm so today I'm grateful that they're gone.

A lot of dentists will tell you that the white fillings aren't as resilient. I CAN tell you that mine have been going for 12 years with no problems. I'm also confident that, since I am eating the right foods for my teeth, those childhood cavities are healing themselves under all that white stuff.

There are loads of dentists that are now mercury-free and, if you google mercury-free dentists, you will definitely find one. We have one just down the road from us which is handy. Even better if you can find a dentist that believes in holistic treatments rather than just shoving chemicals into your mouth.

Your health is paramount. If you are doing everything in your power to improve it, but you are still getting exposed to mercury on a daily basis, you are basically running to stand still. If you haven't given it a thought up until now, then now is the time. Start taking steps to get your fillings replaced and allow your body to remove the years of toxic build up of mercury in your system. There are any number of reasons a person might get cancer. This is a big one it's something that can be fixed quite easily.

Very few people actually like visiting dentists. I think I may dislike them more than anyone else;) But this is  a really, really good reason to do it. It may just save your life.

Monday Mix-up - Planning on starting a family in your 30s? Better chuck the makeup!

Women are bombarded from ALL sides with advertising telling them how to make themselves smell good, look younger, be skinnier, be more beautiful, less hairy etc etc. How ironic that all of that extra stuff they feel compelled to buy, and use, is the reason breast cancer, and plenty of other cancers, are becoming increasingly common, as well as infertility and the early onset of menopause.

Smelling good, looking young, being skinny, more attractive and less hairy actually have very little to do with being a woman in my opinion. If I think about what draws ME to a woman, it would have to be her confidence, strength of character, sense of humour and her respect for herself, for people, animals and the world in general. In my opinion, a woman that respects herself, looks after herself, which is also something I find appealing. I don't mean looking after yourself by using all the unhealthy, supposedly "good for you" products that advertisers try and sell to all of us, I simply mean that she needs to respect her body by eating right and exercising and basically treating her body like the temple that it is.

There are VERY few products out there for women that DON'T contain dangerous chemicals, like phthalates for example. I spoke about them at length in this blog. Phthalates are chemicals that are very commonly found in makeup, shampoo, body lotions, cleansers, perfume, nail polish, liquid soap and hair spray. You'll also find them in children’s toys (even toys for teething!), food packaging, air fresheners, paint, wax, print ink, and MANY other things. The reason that manufacturers use them is because they increase a product’s flexibility, transparency, and/or durability. In terms of beauty products, they are used because they keep the products smelling good for longer.

Here is the problem with phthalates when it comes to women being exposed to them as much as they are. An analysis was conducted by a team of scientists at Washington University, which involved examining the level of phthalates in the urine of 5,700 women. According to the study, women who had the highest levels of phthalates in their blood were found to start menopause a full 15 years before the other women. It's not the first time this has been researched either. Many other studies have been performed. It begs the question: Why has no-one been taken to task about it and why are they still being used!

The doctor in charge of this particular study, Dr Grindler, spoke at a medical conference in more detail about the study saying that some women might be going through menopause as early as their mid-thirties as a result of chemical overexposure.

Infertility has become a HUGE problem for women these days. Some might say it's because women are leaving it very late to start families, and that is true to an extent, but what's also very evident is that infertility is not just affecting women in their thirties. It is affecting women of all ages and those younger women are hitting menopause in their mid-thirties. That is just scary. Even more scary is how prevalent breast cancer has become and how often it is hitting women in their 20s and 30s when they are supposed to be low risk.

It's pretty evident, to me, that the level of toxins in our environment have reached critical amounts and age and genetics no longer have as much to do with getting cancer as they used to. What is making the difference is our constant over-exposure to toxic chemicals. Scientists can say what they want about how the levels are not high enough in beauty products to be toxic. The fact is that women are using SO MANY of these products, constantly and their systems are so over-exposed that their bodies are reacting in an entirely negative way. Never mind that, when we use these products, we wash them down the drain, sending them back into the environment thereby exposing others to the toxic chemicals. They don't just disappear. They stay for good. Remember that trickle-down effect I always speak about? What you use has a direct impact on your loved ones, your fellow human beings, the environment and wildlife.

However, this post is mostly about YOU and how you can stay healthy, cancer-free and fertile. So, what CAN you do to try and prevent early onset menopause and keep your body functioning the way all women expect it to function?

1. Stop using conventional makeup and beauty products - Your skin absorbs chemicals into the blood so easily. Did you know that the average women, who uses conventional makeup and other beauty products, absorbs over 1.8kgs of chemicals each and every year? That is entering your bloodstream and your body is using it to build cells and carry out normal bodily functions. It's no wonder we end up with cancer when our bodies are using fuel that is completely foreign to it. Your cells are being built out of chemicals and toxins. I find that frightening, I don't know about you.
2. Eat only fresh food and avoid anything that is processed and in packaging - Phthalates are used in the packaging of all processed foods, not to mention all sorts of other rubbish that goes into them. Give your body the proper fuel it needs to function. There really shouldn't even be a question about it.
3. Eat lots of homemade bone broth - Bone broth is very high in an amino acid called glycine which is essential to help the liver perform its detoxification duties. If there isn't enough glycine in your diet, your liver won't function at 100% of its ability which is going to have a serious effect on your body's ability to get rid of toxins. That's why it makes sense to get as much glycine into your body as possible and bone broth has glycine in a form that is very easily absorbed by the body.
4. Have a daily dose of true Vitamin A - true Vitamin A (retinol, NOT beta carotene), and vitamin A hormone (retinoic acid), are necessary for normal functioning of the immune system and for the protein synthesis processes involved in reproduction. Foods like cod liver oil (fermented), liver, cayenne pepper, sweet potatoes and dark leafy greens contain true Vitamin A. The problem with phthalates is that they interfere with the functioning of Vitamin A so you need to compensate by getting as much as possible into your system.
5. Avoid conventional air "fresheners" - I wrote a whole blog about these which you can read here. These are shockingly bad for you. If you want to know how to make your house smell good naturally, check out this blog post.

If you are not sure where to find yourself some natural makeup, check out Inthusiasm. They are a product of South Africa and totally natural. I use their products myself and I am more than happy with them. If you are not sure about beauty products, check out this blog. There are ALWAYS options.

If you think all of this sounds like too much hard work, consider possible early menopause, breast cancer or infertility. 

I'd imagine those would be pretty hard work.

Wellness Wednesday - Eating your way to good dental health

Today I decided to chat about teeth! Most of us have them, in various stages of health, and we all take them a little for granted until they start to give us grief. Then we pop a hundred pills to avoid having to go to the dreaded dentist because, who actually LIKES the dentist!?

I've always been irrationally terrified of dentists. I think a lot of people are. The thought of that sharp metal tool scraping away at my teeth has my teeth curling! It's like nails down a chalkboard which also sets my teeth on edge.

We've all always been told we need to go to the dentist at least every 6 months for kids, and once a year for adults. And let's not forget the dental hygienist, which needs to happen every 6 months as well. My wife is one of those people who sticks to her appointments. She prefers to leave the health up to someone else because her time is precious to her and she doesn't have time to brush each individual tooth for 5 seconds;) (she DOES brush her teeth! But she does it the normal way) I have to admit, when I learnt that the best way to brush my teeth was to hold my electric toothbrush over each tooth (front and back) for 5 seconds and let the toothbrush do the work, I had no idea how long that would actually take! It takes looooong...

I've never been one to back down in the face of a challenge so I do it, every day and every night, despite how time consuming it is. On the days that I honestly just don't have the time, I make sure I only brush "down", and I move gently, so that I don't mess up my gums. That's really the motivation behind the 5 second rule with electric toothbrushes. Most people brush their teeth sideways, back and forth, pressing hard, while the toothbrush head is also swivelling around. That's how you expose nerves and get receding gums and eventually this...

... a very horsey smile! I try to avoid looking like a horse;)

The upside to the 5 second rule is that it basically achieves what a dental hygienist would achieve because it focuses very specifically on each tooth. I find that my teeth ALWAYS feel smooth and clean since I started doing it. No plaque in sight:)

I'll tell you a secret... I don't believe in going to dentists or dental hygienists. I used to think it was a necessary part of life but, in my quest for knowledge about health and nutrition, I have come to realise that, like any other part of your body, if you look after it the way it should be looked after, not only will it will be with you for a long, long time, but it won't need tune ups now and then either! You don't need to go for regular stomach tune ups do you? Well, why should your teeth be any different? Some of you are saying, "Well, it's best to avoid a tooth problem by going for regular check ups, isn't it?" Again I'll say, do you do the same with your stomach?

I will agree with regular dentist visits IF you are eating a nutritionally deficient diet and not looking after your teeth properly. Your health is directly determined by the fuel you are putting into your body. If the fuel is low grade, then ALL the parts are slowly but surely going to start giving out, and it often starts with the teeth. In fact, if your teeth are suffering it's a very sure sign that your nutritional intake needs to be addressed and I would also start checking other body parts because something else is going to start giving out soon! The sad thing is that MOST people are eating a nutritionally deficient diet and they don't even know it.

I've spoken before about how to prepare grains properly. It's so important that you really pay attention to that post because grains are LARGELY to blame for the world's dental problems. How can that be, you ask?! All the magazines and books and experts tell us to eat whole grains, in excess. Surely they can't all be wrong? Sadly, they are. There has been a shift in thinking over the last couple of years. It is a slow shift, but it's there, and, one by one, people are waking up to the fact that there is something to all of this and that we need to cut down on grains and eat protein and fats instead. The banting diet has been a huge help in this area.

We ALL eat a lot of bread. If not bread, then other wheat-based foods like pasta, cereals, rice, wraps, cakes etc. And if you thought that going with whole grain, as opposed to refined grains, was better for you, I have bad news. In a weird way, it's actually worse! Which is a disaster because nutritionists EVERYWHERE keep telling us to eat as many whole grains as possible! Let me run through a quick explanation about phytic acid and phosphorus in case you haven't read that blog post yet.

When we consume whole grains we are consuming the bran and the germ part of the plant. The bran is the part of the grain that contains all the good nutrition, BUT it also contains phytic acid. Phytic acid is found in most plants. It is their built in self-defence mechanism and it protects them from germinating until conditions are optimal. Phytic acid is bad for us because it binds with all those important minerals found in the bran and makes it impossible for our bodies to absorb them. Most importantly, phytic acid binds with phosphorous and makes it nutritionally unavailable for our bodies to use. Phosphorous is one of the most important minerals in our diet as far as dental health is concerned. It's actually even more important than calcium when it comes to bone growth and the health of your teeth.

The only way for us to be able to absorb the phosphorous and other minerals from the bran in whole grains, is to properly prepare them by soaking, sprouting, or fermenting them. It breaks them down and makes the nutrients bio-available to our bodies. The problem is, phytic acid is not only limited to wheat. ALL grains contain it and so ALL grains need to be prepared properly. That means oats, rice, quinoa, millet, rye etc. If you want to know how to prepare them properly, here's that link again.

Personally, I think that one of the best ways to avoid this problem is simply to cut down on grains significantly unless you prepare them properly. Humans weren't designed to eat so many grains. The scary thing is that it's pretty much the biggest part of everyone's diet and it's the real reason that dentists are in such great demand these days.

I'm not going to tell you the foods to avoid to prevent tooth decay because it goes without saying that sugary, processed foods are a no-no, for everyone, but ESPECIALLY for kids. So, what can you do, nutritionally, to make your teeth healthier?

• If you aren't soaking, sprouting or fermenting your grains, start now. If you can't properly prepare them, don't eat them. In the longterm, they will make a mess of your digestive system and ultimately deprive you of much needed nutrients and ruin your teeth. This especially applies to your kids because the teeth they start out with will be the teeth they are stuck with for life. Give them a good start.
• Eat bone broth - Bone broth is so good for your teeth because it's rich in minerals. These days, our bodies are extremely starved for minerals because of our excessive intake of whole grains, our depleted soils and our use of chemicals with agriculture. When you make your bone broth, always include marrow bones from pasture-fed animals. If you find a marrow bone in your lamb stew, scoop out the marrow and eat it. It's very rich in minerals and an excellent source of healthy fat. 
• Raw Milk - Raw milk and other raw dairy products are an excellent source of calcium and phosphorus which are crucial to dental health. Raw dairy has many health benefits, one of which is that it contains more bio-available calcium than pasteurised dairy products, which actually contain little to none. Find a farmer near you who sells it. You will often find it at farmer's markets. Not only is it delicious, but it's a superfood of note.
• Organ Meats - Organ meats are some of the most nutrient-dense parts of an animal. Traditional cultures always highly prized the organ meats of the animals they hunted and it was the first thing they ate from it. They are so important for dental health because of their high vitamin and mineral content, which includes the all-important phosphorous. It is, however, essential that you get your organ meats from pasture-fed, free range animals because the liver is the organ that processes toxins in the body. You don't want to be eating toxins! If you don't like liver, try and make yourself like it! It's actually quite easy! I used to hate liver. I couldn't bear the texture and taste. It literally made me gag. But I'm one of those people that, if I know something is exceptionally good for me, I'll force myself to eat it until it becomes the norm for me . It's a true story that if you give yourself 10 days with anything, your mind and body can adjust to it. Now, I actually LOVE liver. Go figure! But I'm glad because it's incredibly good for me. Now if I could just get GLM to try that... ;)
• Butter - It took me a while to get my head around the fact that butter was actually GOOD. I truly struggled because of years of conditioning telling me that saturated fats were bad. I'm not ashamed to admit I was wrong. But it MUST be butter from grass-fed cows. Our bodies need the fat from things like butter in order to assimilate the fat-soluble vitamins A,D,E, and K. Grass-fed butter is an excellent source of vitamin K and something called the “Wulzen factor”. The “Wulzen factor” is a hormone-like substance that can only be found in raw butter and cream and basically assists the body in getting calcium to the bones instead of the joints. It’s also called the “anti stiffness factor” because of its ability to help prevent arthritis.

So, that's what you can eat to help your teeth stay strong and healthy. Needless to say, it will also keep your body strong and healthy because all of the above foods are superfoods in terms of nutrients. You want to be eating all of them, all of the time.

Something else that has helped my teeth and my health immensely is oil-pulling. Since I already wrote a whole blog post on it, I won't go into all the details again, but read the post and give it a try! One by one my friends and family are getting into it which I'm really impressed with;) It's done WONDERS for my teeth. Once a day is all it takes. You CAN do it;)

Needless to say, the toothpaste you are using is likely NOT doing you any favours. Toothpaste is full of nasties, the worst one being flouride. And just because a toothpaste says its for kids, doesn't mean it's good for them. Kids and adults should be able to use the same toothpaste. Read my blog post and please consider moving over to a natural toothpaste. If you are eating right, and you are oil-pulling, you really don't need anything fancy. Even without those things, your teeth are actually just fine without fluoride. You could brush them with bicarbonate of soda and it would actually be good enough as long as you are doing all of the above to look after them.

Try only going to the dentist if it's really necessary and then, if you do go, go to a holistic dentist. Google to find one near you. The chemicals that conventional dentists use are horribly bad for you. In case you wonder why you feel a bit ill or out of sorts for a few days after a visit to a dental hygienist or dentist, chances are it's because of all the chemicals they have put in your mouth. That machine doesn't suck out everything! You usually need a few days to detox after a visit to one of them. Don't subject your body to them if it's not necessary. Oh, and if you have mercury fillings, consider visiting a holistic dentist and GET THEM OUT!!! I will blog on this next week. They are slowly poisoning your body and need to be removed, CAREFULLY.

That's my two-cents worth on dental health. It's actually easy to look after your teeth and it's definitely worth it!

Monday Mix-up - Natural Air Fresheners for your home

Most of us aren't even aware of it, but each house has it's own unique smell. It's a combination of our day to day lives, which includes the food we cook, the beauty products we use, the cleaning products clean our houses with, the pets we have etc. That combination means the smell can be anything from a light, fresh smell, to a musty dog kind of smell. The problem is that we get so used to the smell of our own house that we don't even notice it when we walk in the door. Unfortunately, our guests do!

In last week's post I brought up the issue of commercial air fresheners and just how toxic they are for you and your family (that includes furry children too!) The problem is, a lot of us have pets, and some of you are smokers as well. (I hope I don't need to tell you the dangers of THAT but, just in case, I blogged about how it affects your loved ones a short while ago) Pets and smoke make for a potentially, odorously offensive house. You certainly DON'T want to make it worse by adding chemicals to the mix, so what can you do to make sure your guests aren't looking for an excuse to leave shortly after they arrive?

You have a few options actually, and they are all natural options. Ideally, you don't want to just mask a smell, you want it to disappear. That means you need some kind of odour absorber. Here are a few weird and wonderful ones:

• Diatomaceous earth - This stuff has many, many uses. Aside from being an effective, healthy and natural solution to de-fleaing and de-worming your pets, it also absorbs odours. Diatomaceous earth absorbs moisture in the air which often contains germs and pests and smells. You can place a small container of it in your fridge, or leave small bowls in unobtrusive places around the house. Replace them once a week. You can sprinkle it at the bottom of your rubbish bin and it will get rid of the smells in there. It even works for smelly shoes;) Place some in a old stocking and tie a knot to keep the Diatomaceous earth in. Place the stocking in the offending shoes and leave overnight. If you sprinkle it into your cat's litter box it will help a lot with offensive smells. With 6 cats in our house, we are constantly paranoid about that.
• Coffee grounds - There are few better smells than the smell of coffee brewing but I'm actually talking about the coffee grounds themselves absorbing odours, much like Diatomaceous earth does. Place small bowls around the house in unobtrusive places and let it do its work. Used coffee grounds works just as well once they're dry so, instead of chucking them away, put them to work around your house!
• Plain old elbow grease - Air pollutants actually get trapped in house dust so a good vacuum and dusting with a damp cloth will go a long way to getting rid of odours. To avoid adding more chemicals to the mix, stick with natural cleaners or make your own with white vinegar, lemon juice and bicarb, all of which are also natural odour removers.
• Palms trees - I don't mean the kind lining a beautiful beachfront (although that would be a good way to escape odours;) I mean the small palm plants that a lot of people have in their gardens and houses. Palms are very effective air purifiers. They remove formaldehyde, which you'll find in paints, furniture varnish, and the glues used to hold laminate flooring together. (bet you didn't even think of that kind of stuff did you?) If you don't like palms, try one of these:

Aloe Vera

Gerbera Daisy

Dragon Tree

English Ivy

Boston Fern

Peace Lily

The beauty of using plants is that, not only do they absorb toxic chemicals and smells in your house, but they also add an element of beauty and peace to a house. I love walking into a house full of plants. I immediately feel peaceful and it's not just because they are beautiful, it's because they emanate health and vitality.

A lot of homes have what I call "signature scents". The minute I walk in the door the familiar smell awakens memories and associations and, depending on how much I like the smell, I will either feel immediately comfortable, or I'll be planning my escape route. The same applies to people. Everyone has a signature scent too. That's why perfume companies make so much money. Scents are powerful. They can take you back in time in a flash and they can influence your moods and your thoughts and emotions. Most people find bad body odour offensive. Bad house odour is no less offensive and, like body odour, it can be avoided, naturally.

Here is one way to make your house smell good enough to eat if you are expecting guests:

• 3/4 fill a pot with water and place on the stove on high heat
• Add a sliced up orange, a sliced up apple, a sliced up lemon, a few cinnamon sticks, (or a teaspoon of ground cinnamon) some fresh rosemary and a vanilla pod if you have one on hand
• Bring to the boil then turn down to simmer
• Leave it there for as long as you need to send a beautiful spicy, fruity scent travelling through your house, topping up water now and then when necessary to avoid a burnt fruit smell!

When you are done, turn it off and leave to cool, then pour all of it into a large jar and refrigerate. You can re-use it several times during the course of a week and then throw it into your compost heap when the week is up. Uncooked jars will last for about 2 weeks in the fridge.

You can make these jars beforehand and keep them in the fridge so they're ready to go in an emergency. Don't they look yummy!

Some other examples of spices that you can use are:

• Peppercorns
• Nutmeg
• Whole cloves

And herbs:

• Thyme
• Lemongrass
• Mint leaves
• Fresh basil
• Earl grey teabags
• Bay leaves

And fruits (citrus fruits will keep for longer):

• Apples
• Limes
• Cranberries
• Ginger

If you love the smell of pine trees, like I do, you can even get really adventurous and add pine needles to the pot, or whatever tree smells you like! Keep it REALLY natural;) Play around with combinations until you find some that work for you. You don't have to cut up whole fruits either. You can use the off cuts from your morning smoothie. Skins of fruits will smell just as good:)

Another option is to use a slow cooker instead of a pot on the stove. That way you can leave it on all day without worrying about it running out of water or using lots of electricity.

Make your own room spray

If you live a busy life and prefer to just keep a bottle of room spray on hand for emergencies, it's very easy to make your own:

• Find a clean spray bottle
• Fill with 3 parts water and 1 part vodka (just the cheap, plain kind) It helps break down the oils a bit so they travel easier.
• Add 10-20 drops of your favourite essential oil (or a combination of your favourites like lavender, eucalyptus, geranium, tea tree oil, sweet almond, cinnamon or orange)
• Shake and spray

Sometimes people are so busy trying to mask smells that they forget there is often a very effective, simple way to get rid of them. Never underestimate the power of fresh air. Often all it takes to get rid of an offensive odour is a good through-draft! Open the doors and windows and let mother nature dissipate the smell for you. Then add some of your homemade room spray to make it smell even better!

If you own an oil burner you can add your favourite essential oil to a little water, light a tealight candle underneath it and put them in bedrooms to make them smell good. If you have a large enough one you can even put some of your fruit and spice mix in instead. The heat from the candle will be enough to spread the scent through a bedroom.

There you have it! Simple and easy, effective ways to make your home smell good, naturally!

Real Food Friday Feast - How to make your own coconut butter and coconut milk

I'm a huge fan of all things coconut. It's so incredibly good for you that I find every way possible to get it into my system. I use coconut oil for just about everything when cooking, I add some of it to my apple cider vinegar drink in the mornings. I eat the flakes like chips because they are just yummy and I add 2 tablespoons of coconut flakes to our morning smoothie as well. I also use coconut butter and coconut milk for cooking various things.

The problem with store bought coconut milk is that, by the time they are finished with it, it is so far removed from actual coconut milk that you might as well be drinking store bought pasteurised cow's milk. It's full of thickeners and preservatives and the cans are invariably lined with BPA. It's more carcinogenic than it is good for you. I like to add coconut milk to my soups and curries so having it on hand is, well, handy! Having NUTRITIOUS coconut milk on hand is even handier because, why go to all the trouble of making an organic, free-range, chemical free, nutritious meal, if you are going to go ahead and add a can of chemical-laden coconut milk?

The good news is that it's REALLY easy to make your own. All you need is a good blender and a bag of organic dehydrated coconut (which you can buy at most health stores)

Let's start with coconut butter because, once you have coconut butter, you will be able to make your coconut milk.

COCONUT BUTTER

6 cups dehydrated organic coconut flakes (yup, that's all you need! The amount is optional but it makes it easier if you use more rather than less)

NB: This won't work with desiccated, sweetened, reduced fat or fresh coconut

METHOD

• Place coconut into a blender and blend on high power.
• The flakes will eventually move up the sides of the blender and you will need to use a spatula to push them down again.
• Keep blending... and blending... aaaaaand blending!
• It may take about 10 minutes, some patience and a lot of scraping the sides of your blender down but eventually your coconut flakes will start to turn to cream.
• Stop blending when all of the flakes are gone and the coconut is liquid. (you may need to switch off the blender every minute or so to prevent burning out the motor)
• Place in a container to cool and harden

Voila! You have made coconut butter. Pretty easy huh? You should end up with between 2-3 cups of butter from this recipe. 

If you have a hand blender, I find that works even better, as long as you use the container it comes with because it usually fits the blender part perfectly so it prevents the coconut from escaping up the sides.

Depending on the climate, your coconut butter will either be rock hard or quite runny. Coconut tends to harden in lower temperatures and turn liquid in higher temperatures. I keep mine in the fridge and then just take it out a few hours before I need it, depending on the weather.

Why would you need coconut butter? Well, vegans would definitely prefer this to normal butter, for one thing! But honestly, once you taste it, you will wonder no more! It's delicious! It makes anything you bake with it, taste heavenly. And the wonderful bonus about coconut butter is that you can now make your own coconut milk from it.

Here's how:

• Fill a mug with boiling water
• Add a teaspoon of coconut butter
• Stir until dissolved
• Hey presto! You now have coconut milk!

Now don't be surprised at the consistency of your coconut milk. It's not thick and gooey like the canned stuff. But that's because it's THE REAL McCOY and it doesn't contain thickeners. It's delicious and so good for you and it costs you so little. Using only 1 teaspoon of butter per cup of coconut milk means it lasts a long time. If you think about what you pay for one can of coconut milk, you are saving lots of money by making your own!

That's it! Have a super, green, organic weekend;)

Wellness Wednesday - Air Fresheners: Slow, but effective poisoning of you and your family

I don't know anyone (besides us!) who doesn't have a can of toilet spray in their bathroom. Besides the toilet spray, you also get those wooden sticks that you put into fluid and leave scattered around your house? Another popular option these days are those battery operated air-fresheners that pump out supposed sanitisers every hour or so. I know people don't realise just how bad all of these are for you, but the reality is that they are TERRIBLY bad for you. I start feeling panicky and claustrophobic before I even go into those houses because I know, no matter how clean I keep our lives, we are going to be breathing in toxins every minute that we are there.

I have to wonder why having a floral scented home or car is more important not only than YOUR health, but also the health of your pets, your house guests and the environment in general. Those toxins don't just stay in your house or car. They head out the window and join the myriad of chemicals already in the air all around us. People even leave stasoft refills lying around their cars because it "makes it smell fresh". It may smell fresh, but that fresh smell is toxic to your system.

In NO way, shape or form does having these things in your house, office or car create "fresh air". In fact, the air couldn't be any less fresh THANKS to those chemicals. Believe me, it was cleaner before. Yet people are seduced into filling as many rooms as possible with these fresheners which circulate chemical, toxic scents throughout the house. Consumers are further duped into installing fresheners in their cars. Because of loopholes in the chemical perfume industry, companies aren't even required to list the ingredients of anything labeled as "fragrance." We breathe them in daily, every minute, even while we sleep at night and the damage is beyond anything you can imagine.

I remember taking a drive somewhere on holiday in a friend's car a few years back. Within a few minutes of being in the car I was feeling so ill and I had a raging headache and I was ready to pass out. I couldn't figure out the problem at first, but then we found an old air-freshener under one of the seats that had somehow been missed. You know those ones that are designed to attach to your air vent so the fumes can circulate? I have always reacted very badly to them and people told me I was making it up in my head. At least now I could prove it because I had no idea it was in the car or why I was feeling so bad. A few minutes after we threw it out I started heading back towards feeling normal again. Just because you don't react as badly as I do, doesn't mean it's not affecting you. You know those days when you have a headache that just "appears for no reason"? I'd start by looking at the air fresheners in your life, be it at work, in your car or at home.

Have you seen that the packaging of Glade Car Scented Oil warns you that "Irritation to nose, throat and respiratory tract" is a possible health hazard. Presumably, then, you're supposed to hold your breath as you drive while using this product...

Here's what you are breathing in while your home and your car are smelling "clean":

• Phthalates - These little nasties are possibly the WORST ingredient in air-fresheners. Phthalates are chemicals used to extend the length of time that a scented product maintains its fragrance. The problem with them, though is that regular exposure increases your risk of developing endocrine, reproductive, and developmental problems and yet some of the brands that test positive for phthalates don't even include phthalates on their lists of ingredients. They actually have the gall to say they are "all-natural" and "unscented". What's scary is that phthalates are also present in most beauty and household products as well. Check out this document to get an idea of what they are all about and also a list of products that you should avoid. To be honest, if they don't contain phthalates, they will still contain other toxic ingredients so I will never recommend commercial products. What's interesting is that, companies who make products containing phthalates, CAN actually make products WITHOUT using them, and they do, so why are they even using them if it's possible to leave them out? No-one can really answer that. The fact is, there are little to no regulations when it comes to any household or beauty products so they CAN simply omit an important ingredient like phthalates on the ingredients list you find on the packaging, and you'd have no recourse of any kind if you WERE to get sick.
• Acetone - A toxin that adversely affects the blood, heart, gastrointestinal system, liver, kidney, skin, respiratory system, brain and nervous system. In other words, it can damage just about any part of your body and have a wide range of negative effects on it.
• Butane and Isobutane - Yes, I'm talking about lighter fluid! It a serious toxin to our brain and nervous system and you are breathing it in daily...
• Liquified Petroleum Gas and Petroleum Distillate - I think it's fairly obvious why we wouldn’t want to add this to our air supply on a daily basis, or even on a annual basis! Your air-freshener contains the byproducts of petrol. Probably the parts that the oil industry can’t put into motor vehicles. Waste not, want not, right? Wrong. In this case I'd say it's better to waste it!
• Propane - Toxic to the cardiovascular system, blood, liver, kidney, respiratory system, skin, and nervous system. It's known to be EXTREMELY dangerous. That’s why we tend to keep gas canisters outdoors whenever possible; yet we’re spraying this stuff into our indoor air willingly, and breathing it in.
• Perfume or fragrance - This one ingredient contains up to 400 different toxic ingredients. 95% of those ingredients are derived from petroleum products. Clinical observation by doctors has found that exposure to fragrances can damage the central nervous system and cause depression, hyperactivity, irritability, inability to cope, behavioral damages, headaches, dizziness, rashes, hyper-pigmentation, vomiting, coughing, and skin irritation.
• Benzene - This stuff is known to cause leukemia in humans.
• Formaldehyde - This is linked to cancers of the upper airways and it is also used to preserve body parts in a lab... need I say more there?
• BHT—a known neurotoxin (a substance that is toxic to the brain and nervous system), a hormone disruptor, immune system toxin, and irritant to the skin, eyes, and lungs.
• Acetaldehyde - a known carcinogen (which means it causes cancer) that affects the reproductive systems and hampers normal development  (yes, that means it can damage a foetus) It's an immune system toxin, and an irritant to skin, eyes, and lungs.
• Propylene Glycol - a known carcinogen which is toxic to the immune system, causes allergies and accumulates in the body and irritates the skin, eyes, and lungs.
• 1,3-Dichloro-2-propanol - This causes cancer.
• Methyl pyrrolidone - Very toxic to the reproductive system. It's also been linked to birth defects,
  allergies, immune system disorders, and skin, eyes, and lung irritation.
• Ethyl acetate - another brain and nervous system toxin (or neurotoxin) which is also linked to developmental disorders and reproductive disorders.
• Amorphous Fumed Silica - This is present in Glade plug-ins. Overexposure can cause silicosis, which is a disabling, non reversible and fatal lung disease

If all that doesn't scare you enough, these things also come with warning labels that state “Deliberately…inhaling the vapour of the contents may be harmful or fatal” or “Avoid inhaling spray mist or vapour.” I find that so ironic. They are sold to us as "air fresheners". Which should mean we should be able to breathe them in, right? So how are we supposed to avoid inhaling something that is constantly being forced into our air space? Whether we stick our mouths right over them, or just breathe them in daily, we are still being poisoned, whether it's inch by inch, or in one foul swoop.

We’ve been duped into thinking that we need these products to protect us from harmful bacteria or viruses even though there is no evidence that they actually disinfect the air AT ALL. They only mask smells. They don't get rid of them. What there is evidence of, is that they harm us, sometimes irreparably. There are so many other alternatives to make your house smell good, while still keeping it safe and non-toxic for you and your family.

You don't need to have a smelly home. I understand how it can be with pets. We have 6 cats! But there are ways to avoid it using natural options that don't irreparably harm you and the environment. I will post a blog about this next week so watch this space!