TREAT OR TRICK?

I write this article as I’m anxiously awaiting little children, dressed in costume, to knock at my door asking for crack. Ok, so not crack exactly, but close enough. The sugar high they are about to experience will lift them up, let them down, and then leave them wanting more. Halloween is also a night where I go completely against my personal beliefs for the sake of the neighborhood. Giving children highly processed sugar is something I don’t normally support. Frankly, I’d rather pour pure maple syrup in their mouths than give them a snickers bar. Why so sensitive…because white sugar is truly the evil one on Halloween.

WHITE SUGAR IS…

Highly processed. White sugar comes from refining the sugar cane crystals to remove all the sugar cane juice flavor, and with that, all the nutrients. Your body knows what to do with food that is natural. Put something processed in it and it gets confused. I believe it goes something like this… “Hey, there aren’t any nutrients in this! What the heck am I suppose to do with it now?” This confusion creates an imbalance in your body that causes havoc. TRICK!

Leaches vitamins and minerals from your blood and bones. As mentioned above, your body recognizes that white sugar is missing vitamins, minerals, and fiber. This causes it to take vitamins and minerals from your body to process the sugar. In essence, white sugar is a thief that is stealing good things from your body. TRICK!

Makes you fat. Fat free candy surely can’t make you fat right? TRICK! Excess refined sugar is immediately converted to fat. Moment on your lips and lifetime on your hips is no

Suppresses your immune system. My sister-in-law would always tell me to lay off of the sugar in the cold and flu months because it decreases your immune system. Is it a coincidence that the cold and flu season coincide with the sugar seasons? Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Years, and Valentine’s Day. I didn’t know why, until recently. The shortest explanation I have found is in the book “The Kind Diet.” (1) Essentially, our pancreas releases a hormone called insulin to deal with the excess sugar. Once this has been metabolized, there is too much insulin left over. This causes an imbalance in your hormones and particularly affects your immune system. TRICK! Although I do believe sugar decreases your immune system, I’m still sticking with my previous recommendation… that it’s more important to concentrate on your ph balance than how much sugar you’re consuming. (See article Balancing Act)

My 3 ½ year old is now asking me for MORE treats with a sparkle in his eyes that is more scary than cute. I do give my kids processed sugar every once in a while. My thought is that the more I forbid something, the more enticing it is. Halloween night is one of those exceptions. Normally, if he sees candy at the store and wants some, I explain that it’s “bad” sugar and then offer him “good” sugar when we get home. He’s not being deprived of anything and is very happy eating his good sugar.

So what IS “good” sugar? In my opinion, “good” sugar is anything you can find that is closest to nature. Meaning barely processed if processed at all. Here are a few examples: Agave nector, honey, maple syrup, brown rice syrup, molasses, stevia, barley malt, and sugar in the raw. THESE ARE REAL TREATS! They are delicious and much healthier for your body. I haven’t had white sugar in my house for several months now. There have been no complaints in my house over the cookies, pies, cakes, and muffins I make. Honesty, I bet my husband has no idea he hasn’t had white sugar in months. Well, at least when he’s home.

When it comes to white sugar, the trick is on you. Start exchanging your white sugar with the examples listed above, and you’re treating your taste buds and your body. Now that isn’t so scary, is it?


(1) “The Kind Diet” By Alicia Silverstone. Published in 2009.

SHEDDING SOME LIGHT ON VITAMIN D

As I lay in my bed with my first cold of the season, I couldn’t help but regret not taking my vitamin D supplements before the beginning of the cold and flu season. When I say “lay in bed,” I mean at 6:00AM in the morning with two sick toddlers jumping on me. Their colds don’t seem to slow them down one bit. This of course wakes up the baby in my tummy who starts to kick me excessively. This gets me thinking, how much vitamin D should I be taking right now?


Research on this topic has changed doctor’s opinions dramatically over the last few years. I’ve read articles that say adults need 400 IU a day and others that say 4,000 IU for pregnant women. I’m not about to recommend to you how much vitamin D you should be taking, this is something you should talk to your doctor or naturopath about. (Although I’d be sure to mention the recent studies in the past couple of years just in case your doctor isn’t up on it.) Each person is different and your vitamin D consumption will depend on such factors as how much sun you get to how dark your skin is. What doctors seem to be in agreement on is how important getting the right about of vitamin D is.


Researchers have concluded that vitamin D deficiency is associated with a person’s poor immune system. This makes it more difficult to recover from infection and makes it more likely to develop autoimmune diseases. (1) Other health problems could include heart disease, chronic pain, Fibromyalgia, hypertension, arthritis, depression, inflammatory bowel disease, obesity, PMS, Crohns Disease, cancer, MS, and other autoimmune diseases. (2) It seems that every month there is new research being published on the dangers of being vitamin D deficient. Common sense would tell you that decreasing your immune system could contribute to numerous health problems.

You may be thinking, great Michelle, now that you have me paranoid that I may be vitamin D deficient, what do I do now? Like almost anything, you can get your vitamin D levels tested and truly find out where you stand. I personally wouldn’t make an appointment solely for that, but the next time you see your doctor it wouldn’t hurt to get tested. Previous recommendations included 200 IU for kids and 400 IU for adults. Some recent recommendations have stated 1,000 IU for kids and 2,000 IU for adults. During last year’s cold and flu season, I was taking 2,000 IU’s a day. Since I’m pregnant this year, I’ll be talking with my doctor about how much he thinks I should be taking. My little guys are getting 400 IU right now, but I’d like to increase that to 1000 IU after talking to their doctor. The brand I use is Nordic Naturals and I’ve been very happy with it. I highly recommend talking with your doctor or naturopath and find out what’s best for you.

Working in the court system with those who have been charged or convicted of crimes, is like bathing in a petri dish of cold and flu germs. I just might start handing out vitamin D supplements to the regulars. Throw two toddlers in the mix and I’m prime target for getting sick. This doesn’t mean I won’t go down with a fight.

(1) http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/64932.php

(2) http://www.fightingfatigue.org/?p=1220 I found this statement to be true from numerous other medical articles and used this one for concise purposes.

(3) http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/vitamin-d/NS_patient-vitamind (General information from Mayo clinic)

IS IGNORANCE BLISS?

Is ignorance bliss? Must be for the people who roll their eyes at me after asking why I do those “crazy” things. What’s so “crazy” about wanting to live a healthy lifestyle? So I don’t like my food to have chemicals in it. Is that so wrong? I am not writing this to criticizing others for their lack of knowledge or indifference. I'm also not writing this to vent, well, maybe to vent a little, but more to encourage you. If you’re reading this blog you’re probably not one of the scoffers, but rather someone who has been scoffed at. I’m here to say, keep up the good fight.


This fight doesn’t mean that you should think you’re better than your neighbor who still uses artificial sweeteners… but there’s also no reason to be embarrassed about your decision to live a healthier lifestyle. I have to admit, I do feel embarrassed when someone scoffs at the decisions I have made over the food or products I use in my home. According to Webster’s dictionary, embarrassment is “the shame you feel when your inadequacy or guilt is made public.” What is so shameful about preferring to eat grass fed cows rather than non-grass fed ones? Don’t get me wrong, I’ll down a Red Robin burger whether that cow ate grass or not, but when making burgers at home, I use beef from grass fed cows or buffalo.

What this lifestyle really comes down to, is putting some thought into the food and products that you buy. If you asked me five years ago why I had a certain kind of flour in my cupboard I would have said, “Because I needed flour and it said ‘flour’ on the package.” No thought whatsoever. Today is a different story. My flour is organic, not enriched, and not bleached. In fact, I’d say 90% of the food and products I have in my kitchen are there because I researched them. Sure, this thoughtfulness takes some research, but this is why I’m writing this blog. I want others to benefit from the research I have done and use it as a short cut. You of course don’t have to agree with me, but I do hope to provide you with useful information, or at least be thought provoking.

Please join me in consciously choosing the food and products that you use and consume. There is nothing shameful about this. For those scoffers out there that buy food and products because of commercials and fancy packaging… you can keep your bliss to yourself.

BALANCING ACT

The most important balancing act you are doing right now is not what you think it is. Its balance is so important that it’s actually keeping you alive! Your body is currently balancing your pH levels to fight off disease and keep you alive. I have to admit, until recently, I thought pH balance had something to do with my hair.  Let me explain what pH balance is, and why you should care so much about it. 


Unscientifically speaking, pH is the acid/alkaline balance in your body. The “p” stands for potential and the “H” stands for Hydrogen. Your body won’t let you become too unbalanced or you would die. Instead, it uses precious minerals in your body to keep your pH balanced. Imagine a scale from 0 (Acidic) to 14 (Alkaline). A person’s ideal blood pH should be between 7.35 and 7.45. The next question you’re probably asking is, “Why should I care?”

As mentioned earlier, your body will do whatever is necessary to keep you from being too unbalanced. The problem arises when you force your body to work harder than it should. Disease, thyroid problems, poor bone health, and a slow metabolism are just a few problems that arise due to this inbalance. For brevity sake, I’d like to focus on the issue of disease and weight gain.

A friend of mine recently suggested that I do research on germs and how harmful or beneficial they are. This quasi-germ-a-phobic gal didn’t think that was such a good idea. I was really afraid of turning my “quirky” behavior into a full blown obsession. Sure I refuse to touch public bathroom doors and use napkins to pour my ketchup in restaurants, but that just makes good sense to me. Germs, in general, can be good for your body. But there is a reason why we wash our hands after we go the bathroom and require doctors to do the same before working on us. It’s all to prevent disease and sickness. What I found through my pH research however, is that I had the wrong battleground. It’s not about avoiding as many germs as possible, but rather creating a battlefield that uses germs for good instead of evil. This battleground is your pH balance.

To explain how this works, I came across an excellent analogy from The Wolfe Clinic. They explained that if you unplugged a sealed freezer for two weeks you’d come back to the food being covered in mold, bacteria, and microscopic bugs. Nothing got into the freezer of course, it was sealed. The point is that those things were already there in the first place. The only difference is that the environment changed. According to The Wolfe Clinic, “Maintaining proper alkalinity is essential for life, health, and vitality. Simply put - an imbalance of alkalinity creates a condition favorable to the growth of bacteria, yeast and other unwanted organisms."  (1) They go on to say that pH balance is the first major line of defense against sickness and disease and a strong immune system acts as a clean-up service. The Wolfe Clinic also provides a more scientific explanation, “The more acidic we become, the harder it is for oxygen to be present, so our biological terrain also becomes more anaerobic. Without adequate oxygenation, unfriendly bacteria, viruses, molds, and fungus can live and prosper. Then our cells cannot carry on their life-giving functions in a very efficient manner because our biological chemical reactions need oxygen.” (2) This explanation seems to make the most sense to me. Work on having a good immune system but keep your pH balanced and you won’t have to worry so much about those germs turning into something more dangerous in your body.

In a previous article, I wrote on how aspartame in diet drinks can make you fat. What I didn’t realize was that those diet drinks can make you fat for a whole different reason. A friend of mine shared with me a video on YouTube entitled, “How Diet Soda Causes Weight Gain.” What it really explains is the importance of your pH balance and how its inbalance can make you fat. I recommend watching the video after reading this blog. You can find it by clicking on this link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hpoAtwVyzZI

The Wolfe Clinic has an article that explains it in a more scientific way. I thought about summarizing the paragraph for you but it really was packed with interesting information. “The human body is very intelligent. As we become more and more acidic the body starts to set up defense mechanisms to keep the damaging acid from entering our vital organs. It is known that acid gets stored in fat cells. After all, if the acid does come into contact with an organ the acid has a chance to eat holes in the tissue. This may cause the cells to mutate. The oxygen level drops in this acidic environment and calcium begins to be depleted. So as a defense mechanism, your body may actually make fat to protect you from your overly-acidic self. Those fat cells and cellulite deposits may actually be packing up the acid and trying to keep it a safe distance from your organs. The fat may be saving your vital organs from damage. Many people have found that a return to a healthy inner biological terrain helps them to lose excess fat.” (3)

Now that you know an unbalanced pH can make you fat and bring disease upon you, let’s talk about what to do next. The first thing I plan on doing is testing my pH. Don’t worry, you don’t have to go to the doctor and get poked with anything. You would have lost me there. For $6 you can get your own pH test kit to monitor your pH balance. I plan on doing this every once in a while to see where I’m at and whether I need to make any changes in my diet. The next step is as easy as 1-2-3.

(1) Eat alkalizing foods. I’ve attached a website that has an excellent chart that lists food on a pH balance scale. This isn’t a list of foods to avoid, but will assist you in what foods you need to eat more of and some to limit. http://www.trans4mind.com/nutrition/pH.html

(2) Another tool is to purchase pH balancing products. I’m not sure I need to go down this path yet, but if my diet doesn’t assist me in balancing my pH I do plan on looking into some supplements. There are some out there that are just drops you can put into your drinks. For now I’m adding lemon to the water I drink and increasing the amount of water I consume.

(3) Less stress. Some scientists suggest that your stress levels can contribute to an unbalanced pH. Take time for yourself. I know this is easier said than done. I for one need to do better at this. Start out with 15 minutes a day and try to move up to 30. Try to think of at least three things that make you more relaxed and implement them in your daily life.

Sure this was another article telling you to eat your fruits and veggies and limit your fried chicken, mashed potatoes and gravy. But I hope it gave you more of an incentive than just saying, “Because it’s good for you.” For those of you who read the food chart and notice that coffee is on the alkaline side, do not fret! There are healthy foods that are on that side of the chart. It’s not about staying away from those foods, it’s about balancing them with foods on the acidic side.

You still won’t see me use my bare hands to open public bathroom doors, but maybe I’ll grab that ketchup bottle without a napkin next time. Well, not until I get my pH balanced.

The Wolfe Clinic. http://www.thewolfeclinic.com/phbalancearticle.html (1)(2)(3)

SHOES OFF, PLEASE

Taking off your shoes when you enter your home has got to be the simplest thing you can do to live a healthier life. Not to mention that doesn’t cost you money or time. The Japanese were the first to introduce the “shoes off” policy and also happen to have the longest life expectancy. Coincidence? I think not.

Most people are concerned about toxins in their food, air or workplace, but don’t think twice about the ones they are carrying into their home. Parents want to take their children to safe playgrounds and yet have toxic playgrounds in their own home when they don’t take their shoes off. It’s the little ones who truly pay the price since they spend the majority of their time playing on the floor.

Shoes track in pesticides, fertilizers, lead and excrement. Yes, you read that correctly, excrement! We track in animal excrement which includes humans. Think of the last time you visited a public restroom and what you may have stepped in. Now think of bringing that into your home, having it turn into dust particles, and then inhaling it. The pesticides and fertilizers I mentioned earlier work the same way. They get trapped in your carpet and don’t break down as fast as they do outside in the sun. This leaves you with toxic dust particles that you inhale. In addition to taking your shoes off, it’s important to vacuum and wash your floors on a regular basis as well dust and clean those windows. These things aren’t about looking like you have a clean house, but about your own personal health.

Begin by making a commitment to yourself to take those shoes off. Some say that this can also be a good thing for your mental health. It’s a way to “take off” the outside and relax in your home. It can also be better for your back in the long run. Once you make it a habit, ask that your guests also take off their shoes. You can place a sign in your doorway simply stating, “Please take your shoes off.” If you’d like to be cheekier you could say, “You have two choices at my door. Take off your shoes or scrub the floors” or “Your soul is welcomed. Your shoes are not.” Do not, I repeat, DO NOT feel bad about asking people to take their shoes off. Your guests wouldn’t put their shoes on your kitchen table would they? If you have small children, that’s exactly what it would be like. My 1 ½ year old son will take his food, throw it on the floor, and then climb down and eat it. Doesn’t bother this germaphobe much since I know my floors are clean. Frankly, if that’s the only way he’ll eat his fruits and vegetables I might get rid of the kitchen table all together.

For those guests who do not feel comfortable taking their shoes off, you can offer them an alternative. Place shoe covers in a small basket and leave them by the door. This way your guests can choose whether to take their shoes off or use a slip cover. These covers are usually sold in the painting supply section of large stores. For guests that may be staying longer, you could purchase different sized slippers at a discount store.

Not to get all infomercial on you or anything, but one of my favorite household items is my carpet cleaner. It’s easy to use, cleans your carpet quickly, and pays for itself in one use. Not to mention it also prolongs the life of your carpet. I bought mine for under $200. You can use it once a year on the entire house and periodically for heavy traffic areas. No need to move all that furniture around when you can simply go over the areas that get the most traffic. We’ve also had disgusting accidents by dogs and kids where I was extremely thankful I had my carpet cleaner handy. Having a clean carpet will also make people less hesitant to take their shoes off. Who want to take their shoes off when the floor is dirty?

Now that you are in the know….begin your healthy lifestyle by kicking off those shoes. Before you know it, you’ll be doing yoga in your front room and drinking Kombucha. Hmmn… those are also Asian traditions.

HOW TO LOOK LIKE A DOMESTIC GODDESS WITHOUT WORKING LIKE ONE

On occasion, my friends have referred to me as a domestic goddess. Although I am always flattered by these comments, I feel a little bit dishonest. My dear friends, it is time that I finally came clean. Domestic goddess I am not. Overwhelmed wife, mother, and homemaker who finds the shortest cuts possible is more like it. These “short cuts,” are simple things that I have adopted over the years. I’d like to share a few of these with you so you too can appear to be a domestic goddess.


Cookies Anyone?
Nothing says homemaker better than a warm batch of cookies fresh from the oven. Who has time to put together the dough and watch over the oven after a long day of work? Work being a job that pays you, and/or the task of keeping your children from killing each other. (Not mine of course, they’re little angels) Solution…whenever you find yourself in the mood, make a large batch of cookie dough and roll them into small little balls. Spread them out on a cookie sheet and put them in the freezer until they are no longer sticky. Then throw them into a large ziplock bag or glass container and put back in the freezer. When you have unexpected visitors, or are just in the mood yourself, take a few out and bake at 350 degrees for 13 minutes or so. Sure I just spent an entire paragraph telling you about cookies, but you’ll love how this simple thing can make you look great.

Crockpot Paradox
When my husband and I first got married, we had the pleasure of using a scan gun to zap away at our department store wish list. As I approached the two gallon crock pot, gun ready to fire, my husband seemed to think we didn’t need such a large one. I explained that we could throw large parties or bathe our future children in it. Should have guessed then that marrying a 6’7 man would not provide me children that would fit. From this large crockpot a paradox occurs. It’s an appliance that allows you to throw food into it and then push a button that spends all day cooking for you. Brilliant! Yet with very little work, spouses and guests seem to be impressed by whatever comes out of the magic box. It’s a win-win really. So please, dust off that old crockpot and let it make you look like you’ve been slaving away over dinner all day.

Thank you. No, thank you!
I’d have to say that 90 % of my mail is recycled without ever being read. The other 10% are bills that are still sent to me via snail mail. However, every once in a while a bright star will appear. It doesn’t look like a bill, it has handwriting on it, and I sit with giddy anticipation on what it could be. Feverishly, I open the letter to find a sweet thank you card from a friend for something very small I did for her. None-the-less, this made me feel loved and admiration for someone who took the time out of their busy life to purchase a card, hand write me a note, rummage around for a stamp, and then manage to mail the darn thing. The phrase, “It’s the thought that counts” doesn’t apply when you just think about sending a card to someone. So here’s a simple way to get it done. Purchase numerous thank-you cards at one time. You can collect them when they are on sale or just pick up a pack of ten. Then write your return address on them, put on a stamp, and store them in your kitchen junk drawer. If one were to have such a thing. You are now three-fourths of the way there when wanting to thank someone for their kindness. It shows people love and makes you look like you really have your act together.

Just the way my mom’s mom made it.
Most of us did not grow up in a home where fresh baked bread was the norm. However, with modern technology we can bring this tradition back. I can’t begin to tell you how many compliments I have gotten over my homemade bread. The oohs and aahs are something I absolutely love to hear... especially since I’m not the best cook. I won’t go into great detail on my bread making journey since you can read all about it in a previous article entitled, Not By Bread Alone…Need Bread Maker. The point I want to share is that it’s not me people should be praising, but my bread maker. I simply throw a few ingredients in it and push a button, yet I am the one who gets to look like Martha Stewart. I’m seriously considering hiding my bread maker. I don’t want people to see the little woman standing behind a curtain pushing a button, but rather the Great Wizard of Bread.

Fake it.
The shortest cut of all…fake it. Some domestic goddesses seem to always have their stuff together. They appear to have everything under control. This is probably where the lawyer in me comes out. If you look confident and say things with confidence, people will have confidence in you. Whether any of that is true or not, is a different story. If you act like you have things together, people will believe it. Now I don’t mean having your hair and make-up done. For those of you who see my smiling face, you will surely not see make-up on it. In fact, you don’t want to see me with make-up on. If I’m wearing my war paint, it probably means I’m in court representing you on a criminal matter. Looking like you have things together really just means taking everything in stride. Your muffins got burnt on the bottom? Serve muffin tops! Your child throws a fit in the store? Simply speak softly and carry them out like they were just an item on your list. The longer you fake taking things in stride, the more likely you are actually to do it. Before you know it, you look like you have everything under control because you do! Being in control doesn’t mean planning everything that happens in your life, it means having a plan for how you’ll react to things that happen in your life.

WHY DID THE CHICKEN CROSS THE ROAD? To bring me tasty eggs of course

When I first told my husband I wanted a chicken coop in our backyard, he laughed and said, “Oh, I would love to see you take a chicken, cut off its head, and pluck its feathers.” I found this amusing since I don’t even like to prepare chicken for dinner. After explaining it wasn’t for the meat but rather the eggs, his eyebrows were still raised pretty high. Since my husband and I are both lawyers, I knew ahead of time I was going to have to present my case to “the court” and expect cross examination. Please let the record reflect, defense council is entering three exhibits.


EXHIBIT ONE: Better Tasting and Healthier Eggs

The chickens that reside in your backyard are organic, hormone free, and are not given food with antibiotics or animal by-products. They will have a diet of grain that contains flax seed and grass from your backyard. This combination gives you better tasting eggs that are healthier for you.

“You are what you eat eats too.” So says Michael Pollan in his book, In Defense of Food. He explains that these types of eggs contain higher levels of vitamins, antioxidants, and has more omega-3 and conjugated lineoleic acid than those you typically see in the grocery store. Studies have also shown that those who have an ample amount of omega-3 in their diet are less likely to have high blood pressure and may reduce their risk of cancer. (1) In his book, The Omnivore’s Dilemma, Pollan states that you can actually see a vibrant orange color of the yolk when the chicken was given a diet that had grass in it. Apparently this color indicates a high level of beta-carotene. Beta-carotene, also known as vitamin A, promotes a healthy immune system and as well as healthy skin. (2) These factors make a healthy egg, but are more importantly known to taste better.

EXHIBIT TWO: Happier Chickens

I am sure that most of you have been on a freeway and seen a large semi-truck barreling down the road with thousands of chickens crammed in wire cages that are so small they can’t even stand up. It saddens me to say that their normal living conditions are not much different. I do not want to go into detail about the practices that large egg manufacturing companies subscribe to, but I will say it is very disturbing. For more information on this subject, I recommend reading the Michael Pollan books that I referred to above. When you have chickens in your backyard, living quietly I might add, you know that they are happy and healthy. Happy chickens make healthy eggs.

EXHIBIT THREE: It’s Easier Then Owning a Dog

I was recently asked where I find the time to research and write this blog while keeping house and raising small children. My first response was that I’m not sure where I find the time to pee…but I do. That being said, becoming a farmer is not something I plan to add to my responsibilities. This is the great thing about urban chicken farming, it’s easier than caring for a dog or cat, except the chickens actually work for you. You feed them once a day, get rid of their pellet like poop every two weeks, and they make it so you don’t have to mow your grass as often. The dog I own right now takes up so much of my time that I have begged my husband to give her back to the breeder. (Oh, and I’m a dog lover). He says it provides home security. I say let’s spring for an alarm system and obtain more firearms. I’ve been overruled on that argument for a while now, but I digress. My point is, these chickens provide you a service, are low maintenance, and make great pets for kids. Pets that don’t need to be walked around the block in the pouring rain to do their business.


Although the judge hasn’t made his ruling in this house, if owning a small chicken coop is something you are interested in, it’s really easy to get started. Purchase a chicken coop, or build one yourself, and get some chickens. Personally, I wouldn’t want to spend the time researching the blueprints and painstakingly building it. EZCOOPS actually does all this for you at a really reasonable price. Their coop can be assembled with no tools and done under two minutes. I highly recommend watching their promo video at http://ezcoops.com. Mention this blog article and they will give you four free chickens. It’s important to have 3-4 chickens because they are a social bunch and would get lonely otherwise. After you’ve got your coop and chickens, sit back and collect your eggs. On average, chickens lay one egg a day. Times that by four chickens and you’ll have 28 eggs a week. That’s over two dozen eggs a week! You could sell those eggs to your neighbors and make a little extra cash. Cash I would use to pay for my coffee addiction. Ooooh, another argument I should present to the judge.

Whether or not you decide to get your own chickens, I hope you’ve learned a little more about them other than how they taste. Until I get a ruling on this from the husband, I will continue to buy my eggs from Organic Valley. Their chickens meet the criteria set forth above but are certainly not as cost effective has having your own coop. This young hen is “For the Birds” and hopes you are too, but in a good way.

(1) http://www.eatwild.com/healthbenefits.htm
(2) http://www.thedietchannel.com/beta-carotenes-your-health

PLASTIC REBELLION

Stick it to the man I yell with my fist thrown in the air. In this case “the man” is plastic and by “stick it” I mean get rid of it. Plastic is dominating our homes and bodies and it seems that there is nothing we can do about it. I’ve been very reluctant to research and write on this topic because I know I wasn’t going to like the answer. Ignorance is bliss I say. Oh wait, that’s not at all what I say. Guess I’m going to have to shed some light on this confusing topic whether I like it or not.


So what’s the big deal anyway? It’s convenient, doesn’t break, and is cheap. The problem is that it’s also toxic to make, use, and dispose of. As Homer Simpson would say, “Doh.” The explanation for why it’s so toxic can get really scientific. But hey, this isn’t a science blog so I’ll spare you, and myself, from the scientific explanations. Feel free to research that aspect on your own if you’re really interested in PCB, PAH, PCDD/F, and PVC. Generally speaking, the compounds that make up plastic are toxic and those chemicals can leach out of the plastic and into our food. The simplest explanation I found was from Wikipedia. (1) It also explains that the more plyable the plastic is the more toxic it can be. This is due to the level of toxins that are used to make that type of plastic. The Food and Drug Administration use to call the plastic that got into your food an “indirect food additive.” They are now calling it “Food Contact Substances.” What does the World Health Organization’s International Agency for Research on Cancer call it? A KNOWN HUMAN CARCINOGEN!

Hopefully at this point you are convinced that plastic isn’t good for you. What carcinogen is? But surely I’m not asking you to completely get rid of all the plastic in your lives, am I? What about your sandwich bags, milk jugs, cling wrap? Alas, do you really think I’d leave you without a reasonable solution? If you’re really on board to sticking it to the man, you could completely remove plastic from your life. Apparently it’s possible because one woman is doing it. I’ve attached her story below for those who are interested. (2) Now if you want to stick it to the man without completely upsetting your way of life, there’s another answer.

I knew from previous research I did that there are different levels of plastic and levels of toxicity. What I didn’t know was what those little numbers on the bottom of our plastic containers were. Interestingly enough, it tells you what level of toxicity it is. Unfortunately, it’s not a system where 1 is the best and 5 is the worst. The levels to AVOID are <1>, <3>, <6>, and <7>. Levels that have been deemed “Safer” are <2>, <4>, and <5>. See this link for more detailed information. (3).

ATTACK PLAN
• Buy and store food in glass containers whenever possible.
• Avoid levels <1>, <3>, <6>, and <7>.
• Never heat plastic. Includes putting it in dishwasher.
• Recycle.

EXECUTION
• Take inventory of the plastic in your kitchen and what level it is. Think of simple ways to switch to glass containers.

• Bring a cheat sheet with you when you get groceries. It will help remind you which plastics to avoid. Grab that glass jar of mayo instead of the plastic one.

• Use cloth bags when grocery shopping. They sell them now for your fruit and vegetables.

• Try to buy your food in bulk and then store them in glass when you get home.

• No more plastic water bottles. Use water filter and stainless steel bottles. My kids love theirs.

• Wrap your food in butcher paper, waxed paper, or cloth alternatives. A friend of mine provided me with two awesome websites that help you pack lunches and snacks without using plastic. (4)

MY KITCHEN
Take a peek into my kitchen and see what levels I found and what I plan to do about it.
• Coconut oil <1> = Purchase different producer that uses glass.
• Natural peanut butter <5> = Switch to glass jars when I get it home and then recycle container.
• Gallon milk jug <2> = I use to buy our milk in glass containers until our Metropolitan Market went out of businesses. Since it’s a level <2> I’m not going to change this habit.
• Kids apple juice <1> = Purchase from different producer that uses glass.
• Kids apple sauce <5> = Will switch to glass container while at home but still use the plastic ones for when we travel since it’s a level <5>.
• Raisins <7> = Buy in bulk or purchase smaller cardboard containers.
• Cheese. No number listed. This one is what perplexed me the most. Come to find out, wrapping your cheese with cling wrap is a double wammy. Not only does it leach toxins into the cheese, but it’s also not good for the taste. I learned this from some cheese connoisseur blogs. One science article recommended cutting away the cheese that touched the plastic, wrap it in wax paper, then put in a stronger level plastic container.(5) The cheese connoisseur’s seem to believe that you only need to wrap it in wax paper. The technique is shown at this website. http://www.chow.com/stories/10878

By reducing our use of plastics, we can decrease the amount of pollution that is contaminating the air we breath, the water we drink, and most importantly, the food we eat. Let’s get those toxins out of our body. So go ahead, stick it to the man!

(1) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plastic#Toxicity
(2) http://www.cnn.com/video/#/video/health/2010/06/01/gupta.life.without.plastic.cnn?iref=allsearch
(3) http://healthychild.org/5steps/5_steps_5/?gclid=COWS3Kzd-KICFQQtawodsElQig
(4) http://www.kidskonserve.com/ and http://www.etsy.com/shop/RosyUndPosy?section_id=6024786
(5) http://www.aerias.org/DesktopModules/ArticleDetail.aspx?articleId=60

CUTTING THE FAT RATHER THAN COUPONS: Ten Ways to Save Money Without Using Scissors

.

Let me begin with this disclaimer, I am not saying you shouldn’t cut coupons. If that saves your family money then by all means go for it. Here’s my issue, there usually aren’t coupons for whole organic foods. This means I spent fifteen minutes scavenging through a paper to find a coupon for $2 off razors. So began my quest for cost cutting without coupons.


REFINANCE
Whether it is your car, house, or any other kind of loan, take the time to see if refinancing is right for you. For example, I spent a little time finding a better car loan and reduced my loan by $50 a month! Same amount of loan time, just a better rate. That was time well spent.

GOOD COP BAD COP
When purchasing a large item or haggling over service price, I like to play good cop bad cop. It goes something like this. I’m usually the good cop when my husband isn’t around. I’ve done this with my cell phone service and cable company. I express how happy I am with our service but that my husband wants to leave because of cost. (All of which is true) Then there’s a little bit of “Help me help you” to the salesperson. At the end of the conversation I look like the good guy and get a lower rate. When my husband and I go to purchase a large item I get to play bad cop. That is, I express over and over how we don’t “need” it in the first place. (Which is also true) This also helps us get a lower price.

LIBRARY
There is this place where you can borrow books and movies for no money at all. All you need is photo ID and patience. It’s called a library and I am now a more frequent customer. I love books. In fact, I love books so much that I purchase them so I never have to let them go. With this economy, it’s time to save money and space and let go of the books. Even though I get a good price on Amazon, it’s still $6 bucks here, $15 bucks there. I’m finding that the library can get me the books I want to read for free! One of my friends is an avid movie renter from the library, something I’m not on board with yet since I don’t like watching movies that are 5 years old. But hey, it works for them and might for you too.

TRACK THOSE DOLLARS
Where exactly is your money going? I know one couple who began keeping track out of curiosity. They had no kids and both worked so had lots of money to burn apparently. They discovered they were spending $500 a month on restaurants and take-out. They put themselves on a budget of $200 a month for restaurants and put $300 more towards investments. I personally was shocked at how much I was spending on coffee, more on that later. Easy Envelope Budget Aid “EEBA” is a good way to help you track. You can use it on your computer and/or install app on your phone. It’s free on the web.

STOP SPENDING MONEY
Crazy idea I know. One idea I got from a friend was “No Money Mondays.” The idea is to not spend one penny on Mondays. I think this is very clever and sad at the same time. Clever in that it gives us a small goal that is obtainable, stop spending for one day a week. It also saddens me since there are so many people out there who would love the ability to spend money one day a week. Food for thought.

FIND FREE FUN
Who says the family needs to spend a lot of money to have fun. There are many free activities in your local area if you just search a little. Start Googling resources that can assist you. I subscribe to Parent Map and look at local park websites. Another trick is to pack your lunch when out and about. Free events are fun but they usually charge an arm and a leg for food.

MAKE IT YOURSELF
Take the time to sit down, look around your house, and think about what you could be making instead of paying full price for. Here are a few examples of things I do.

Make laundry detergent: I was spending $18 to wash 64 loads. Expensive because my family has skin allergies and I wanted environmentally friendly product as well. Now I spend $4 on 64 loads and that’s with me using an expensive bar of soap. Here’s the recipe: 2 Cups Borax, 2 Cups Washing Soda, and 1 bar of soap. Shave the soap into fine mixture, similar to parmesan texture. Mix all ingredients well and use 2 Tb. per load of laundry. For those nasty stains I throw a bit of Oxyclean into a load. Something I did with previous detergents too.

Make your own gifts: After tracking my spending a while back, I realized I was spending $50 to $100 a month on gifts. There are birthdays, weddings, showers, etc. Now I make my own gifts. It does require a little creativity, but hey, if this uncreative lawyer can do it, so can you. You’ll still need to be thoughtful in you’re giving. Although I usually give my homemade sugar scrubs as gifts, the men in my family won’t be getting them.

Bread and Jam: I started to make my own bread and jam. This saves me $3 on every loaf I make and $3 on every jar of jam I had purchased. That’s a $20 savings a month for us. You’ll want to see my previous article entitled, “Not by Bread Alone…Need Bread maker” for more information.

GROCERY DO’S/DON’T
The word loathe comes to my mind when I think of grocery shopping. It’s an evil necessity though since I don’t have a personal assistant. Here are a few suggestions on how to save.

• Don’t be fooled by the 3 for $5 bit. This past weekend I saw a sign for BBQ sauce that read 10 for $10. Seriously? Who needs 10 jars of BBQ sauce? I grabbed one for a dollar and moved on.

• Stock up, modestly, when there’s a good deal. Every time I see my organic frozen veggies go on sale I stock up. However, be careful not to buy something you normally wouldn’t just because it’s on sale.

• Leave the spouse at home. My husband was surprised while standing in the check-out line on what our bill was. Frankly, so was I. I turned to him and said when I go alone it’s around $25 less.

• Go less often. I swear you would see me at my local grocery store every day of the week. As you read earlier, I loathe the place, so why am I there so often? I decided to only go twice a week. I’d say one day a week but fresh fruit and vegetables will go bad towards the end. This will require you to plan meals ahead of time, another cost and time saver. Now when I say grocery shopping I mean picking up anything at the store. If you remembered you needed something on one of your non-shopping days, too bad. You’ll have to go without. Harsh I now, but couldn’t we all use a little lesson in doing without.

SUBSTITUTION
If you are able to make any substitutions for what you’re currently doing, go for it. One of my substitutions is my coffee run. I would spend around $4.50 on my favorite specialty drink at Starbucks. I’ve now switched to a tall latte with flavoring. Since I registered my Starbucks card online, I get free syrup. (.40 savings) Now I spend $2.50 on my delicious coffee, saving me $2.00 a drink. On hot days, iced coffee with cream and sweetener does the trick for about $2 less.

We also put our Netflix subscription on hold, and started using Redbox. This is saving us around $10 a month since we really don’t watch movies all that often.

PRINT COUPONS
Alright, so you’re probably wondering how coupons got in here since I said you wouldn’t have to cut anything. But hey, printing coupons is not cutting. Go find your favorite products online and check to see if they have any coupons. Almost our entire dairy comes from Organic Valley. This is because their cows are grass fed and pasture raised. The importance of this will be in another article. It is the most expensive dairy product out there, but a choice our family makes for our health. You will rarely find coupons for their products in the paper but can easily go online and print them off.


These ten ways to save might seem small… but that’s the point. They are not big life changes but can add up to a great deal of savings. Feel free to try one of these tips at a time or all at once. Any one of them will start you in the right direction.

TO GO ORGANIC, OR NOT GO ORGANIC? THAT IS THE QUESTION

As I devoir my spinach cheese enchilada casserole, I’m not considering whether my organic spinach tastes better than the non-organic kind. How could I tell anyway when it’s slathered with a delicious enchilada sauce? My body on the other hand is very thankful for my organic choice.

There continues to be debate on whether organic produce is better for you than non-organic. Not to get all conspiracy theory on you or anything…but let’s just say one side has more expensive lobbyists and the other has science and common sense on its side. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency states, “By their very nature, most pesticides create some risk of harm - - Pesticides can cause harm to humans, animals, or the environment because they are designed to kill or otherwise adversely affect living organisms.” * According to the Environmental Working Group, the top 12 pesticide-contaminated produce contain 47 to 67 different pesticides per serving. But if the government says it’s ok, it must be safe right? The EPA also states, “Laboratory studies show that pesticides can cause health problems, such as birth defects, nerve damage, cancer, and other effects that might occur over a long period of time. However, these effects depend on how toxic the pesticide is and how much of it is consumed.” ** Common sense makes the answer clear to me. Chemicals in my food are probably not good for me.

Organic produce has something else going for it other than being pesticide free, it’s more nutritious. There are numerous studies out there that confirm organic produce contains more nutrients and higher concentration of antioxidants. In fact, you’d have to eat three non-organic apples to get the same nutrients in one organic apple. When the produce doesn’t have pesticides to fight their battle against enemies, they are forced to be stronger. That strength translates to more protection for our bodies too.

There might be some of you out there who would like to go organic but get sticker shock when actually purchasing it. When my organic red peppers go for $5 each, I quickly push my cart right on by and revise my menu. Luckily for us, there is a middle ground. The Environmental Working Group compiled a list of produce that was safe to eat and those we should avoid. It was based on 96,000 studies done by the USDA and FDA between 2000 and 2008. The “Dirty Dozen” are produce that contained the most amounts of pesticides and the “Clean Fifteen” contained the fewest. The EWG has a handy dandy cheat sheet you can print out and hang on your fridge to help you remember.
http://static.foodnews.org/pdf/EWG-shoppers-guide.pdf

Health, environment, and finances are all things that one balances when deciding to purchase organic products or not. Hopefully the lists below will assist you in making those decisions. I would like to end this article on a funny note, but my morning sickness is preventing me from finding humor right now. When baby number three arrives and the sleep deprivation sets in, things might get more amusing. Either that or more confusing.

THE DIRTY DOZEN
Celery
Peaches
Strawberries
Apples
Blueberries – US Grown
Nectarines
Sweet Bell Peppers
Spinach
Kale and Collard Greens
Cherries
Potatoes
Grapes – Imported from outside US

THE CLEAN FIFTEEN
Onion
Avocado
Sweet Corn
Pineapple
Mango
Asparagus
Sweet Peas
Kiwi
Cabbage
Eggplant
Papaya
Watermelon
Broccoli
Tomato
Sweet Potato

* http://www.epa.gov/opp00001/about/#what_pesticide
** http://www.epa.gov/opp00001/food/risks.htm

LIBERATED THROUGH CLEANING SCHEDULE

Sure, this might sound like an oxymoron, but stick with me here and you will find freedom in a cleaning schedule. Have you ever looked around your house and felt tension over how much you needed to do to get it clean? Where to start? When to give up and hide under your bed covers? After reading this article, you will be armed with a strategy that will beat back those dust bunnies while keeping your cool.


So what exactly is a cleaning schedule? It’s a list of things that YOU create to do daily, weekly, bi-monthly, monthly, or quarterly. You then put them in a chart that directs you when to do what. This is something that is tailored to your schedule. For example, I’ll be combining a few of my chores into the days my son is in pre-school. You could choose to complete your list all in one day, what I use to do when I only had one child, or spread it out during the week so you’re really only doing one or two things a day. Currently, I do a combination of both.

If you’re still reading this… hang on. I did say this blog was about making your life healthier and less stressed. This one is a double whammy. Once you have this schedule in place, you no longer have to keep replaying the thought in your head, “Boy, I really need to clean that.” Instead, you know that it will get done on its scheduled day. This allows you to LET IT GO! No need to think twice about it because you know it will get done. This schedule will also end up saving you time. Since your house will be kept up frequently, the amount of time it actually takes to clean it will be reduced. Let the liberation begin!

To get started, take a piece of paper and make a list of all the “chores” that you can think of. Everything from dusting to cleaning your coffee pot.  Create your monthly chart by making seven columns across and five columns down.  On the top of the chart insert days of the week and on the left side of chart insert "week one", "week two", etc. until you have four weeks.  Then start to insert the tasks into the days you want to do them and how frequently you’d like them done.  I like to keep mine on a clipboard in the kitchen. I also put another column entitled "Projects" for my random "To-Do" list.  If I don't get those done by the end of the month I just put them on my list for next month.

Like any good thing, you can always use it for evil. Do not, I repeat, DO NOT treat this list as something you HAVE to do in order to keep a good house. Make it your assistant rather than becoming a slave to it. If you have gotten to the end of the week and nothing was done because your family was in town, cross off that week and start fresh on Monday. If you don’t get something done on a Monday, it’s ok to do it on Wednesday and cross it off then.
Depending on what shape your house is currently in, you may have to do a clean sweep. This is something I do twice a year regardless of what shape my house is in. Begin by going room to room and take out the clutter. Make your garage or a side room a staging area. One area needs to be for donations/garage sale and another for recycling/garbage. Start with an easy room and work your way up. If it’s a big project, only do one room a week. You will be amazed by how much stuff you have acquired. The less stuff you own means less stuff to clean. This will not only make your house look cleaner, even if it’s not, it will also put money back in your pocket via garage sale or tax write-off.

A distinction needs to be made on “clean” versus “picked up.” Sometimes my house is clean but not picked-up. Other times it’s picked-up but not clean. Both can come with a sense of satisfaction depending on how you view it. A clean carpet with toys spread across it is a good thing. A picked-up floor that is covered in dog fur and random bits of food the kids smuggled in is not. For those of you who have kids, go ahead and give up on having your house picked-up all the time. Now a clean house however, that is something you CAN have control over. We don’t want to stifle the creativity of our little ones in the name of a picked-up house. What I try to do is make sure at the end of the night everything goes back to where it belongs. This allows me to wake up feeling that my house/life is in order. Well, at least for the next 30 minutes until the kids wake up.

Now for a bit of strategy… I have found this three step method to save me the most amount of time.

Step One: Pick up and put away one room at a time. This allows you to be in a “pick-up mode” and can make the whole process go faster. Also, do each room in the same order each time. This might sound silly, but it really does save you time. I always start in my dinning room (usually because it’s the least used room in the house) and then work clockwise from room to room. Since I do it the same way every week, it becomes like second nature. I’m not sitting around thinking, ok, now what do I clean?

Step Two: Clean one room at a time and in the same order you did the picking up. Once you are finished cleaning one room move on to the next. This will save you from running from room to room. One exception should be made. I clean my bathrooms at the same time. We live in a small house so the bathrooms are pretty close to each other. I clean both windows, then both sinks, then counters, etc. This allows me to use the same rag and cleaning product which makes it go faster. However, if your bathrooms are not close together this wouldn’t work for you so go back to the original plan.

Step Three: Don’t look back! DO NOT clean something if it’s not scheduled to be clean. Sure, there might be a little dust on the table that you could get to on Wednesday…but if it’s not scheduled to be done until Friday, let it go. Sit down and read a magazine, or my blog, instead.

GOT MOTIVATION? If not, no worries, let me share some motivational ideas that worked for me.

Weight Loss: Do you know how many calories you can burn by cleaning your house? Apparently mine is 143 an hour according to this website. http://www.fitday.com/webfit/exerciseinfopage.html
Enter your own information and see how much you could be burning. You can also make it into a cardio routine. This was something I did pre-kids. I would turn the music up and follow steps One and Two as fast as I could go. Think of it as speed cleaning instead of speed walking. Trust me, you’ll be sweating by the end.

Entertaining:  You could schedule all of your cleaning on one day, say Saturday, and have someone over for dinner that night. Having guests can really motivate you to get your house in order. I remember one friend of mine who hadn’t entertained in a really long time because of the shape her house was in. She applied my advice and began entertaining more frequently. It’s a win-win for you and your friends.

Starbucks:  Good ol’ coffee. I use to do all of my cleaning on a Friday morning which would usually take me 1½ hrs to do. I would reward myself, before the cleaning started, with my favorite Starbucks drink. Coffee is always a motivator to me.

I’m not sure what motivates you, but find something. Keeping a clean house comes with health benefits and a peace of mind. You truly can be liberated by a cleaning schedule from the guilt we can place on ourselves for not keeping better house. For those of you who, after reading this blog, will never invite me over to your house in fear of judgment… fear not. The fact that you just read my long article on cleaning makes you a true friend, and true friends don’t care what shape your house is in.

MAKING THE SWITCH: Ten Simple Changes That Can Make A Big Impact on Your Health

Many of you have shared with me that you wanted to adopt a healthier way of eating but didn’t know where to start. It’s not a change that needs to be done overnight. Just change one simple thing at a time. This article will list ten truly simple things you can do to be healthier and not even taste the difference!


(1) ASPARTAME --> STEVIA OR SUGAR IN THE RAW
Aspartame is an artificial sweetener that is known as NutraSweet, Equal, Spoonful, and Equal-Measure. I’m really sorry to break this to you, but pretty much anything that says “sugar free” has bad stuff in it. This means no more Crystal Light, sugar free gum, and diet soda. Side note on Soda, make this 1.5… you really shouldn’t drink soda because not only does it contain aspartame but also high fructose corn syrup. For those of you who don’t know what soda is, it’s also known as pop. If you’re in the South it’s called Coke. (There’s a joke there but only the Southerners will get it.) The only time you’ll see me drink pop is if it has rum in it…but I digress.

Aspartame is made up of three chemicals: Aspartic acid, phenylalanine, and methanol. According to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), aspartame accounts for over 75 percent of the adverse reactions to food additives! These adverse reactions have included seizures and death. There are 88 other symptoms also listed by the Department of Health and Human Services. Here are a few: Headaches/migraines, dizziness, nausea, muscle spasms, weight gain, depression, fatigue, irritability, insomnia, vision problems, hearing loss, anxiety attacks, slurred speech, loss of taste, memory loss, and joint pain. I think I’ve made my point. Next time you’re out and about, grab the sugar in the raw or Stevia. Stevia is derived from the leafy green foliage of the stevia plant. It’s a natural sweetener and non-synthetic, so it’s a better choice. When at home, I use Agave Nectar to sweeten my drinks.

(2) REFINED SUGAR --> AGAVE NECTOR OR EVAPORATED CANE JUICE
Refined sugar undergoes high levels of chemical processing. Need I say more on why you shouldn’t use it? Instead, use agave sweetener or evaporated cane juice. Agave is a natural sweetener that comes from the agave plant. This plant is also a main ingredient in tequila so it must be good. It is slowly absorbed into the body preventing spikes in blood sugar and is 25% sweeter than sugar so you can use less of it. The makers of this product claim that it has been used by ancient civilizations for over 5,000 years. Another replacement for refined sugar is evaporated cane juice. I get the organic kind from Costco. This switch is one you will never notice.

(3) REFINED/ENRICHED WHITE FLOUR --> WHOLE GRAINS
Avoid any flour, or product made with flour, that is refined or enriched. White flour occurs when the bran and germ have been removed and then is bleached using potassium bromated or chlorine dioxide gas! This process removes all the vitamins and bleaches your food. Basically, you’re left with nothing but pure starch. Pure starch = fat. Fat = big butt/gut. According to Wikipedia, “By the time the United States joined World War I, the lack of vitamin content had led to an increase in the proportion of failures on basic entrance physical exam for draftees and military recruits. In response to this, the United States, by law, directed that white flour must be enriched with vitamins, replacing most of the major vitamins removed by bleaching…” Common sense will tell you, taking vitamins out and then putting “most” of them back in but in a different form, is not a good idea. Exchange your white rice for brown rice, white pasta with brown rice pasta or whole grain pasta, white bread to whole wheat that has not been processed or enriched.

(4) SHORTENING --> COCONUT OIL
I am not going to go into detail here on how great coconut oil is. Please refer back to my article, “Nutz Over Coconut.” Instead, I will share with you why NOT to use shortening. Shortening is fat or lard from an animal or vegetable. It’s a partially hydrogenated oil that contains Trans fat. Can you say coronary heart disease? Anything that calls for shortening can be substituted with coconut oil. I even use it in my homemade pie crusts.

(5) PEANUT BUTTER --> NATURAL PEANUT BUTTER
“Choosy Moms Choose JIF.” Really? Because this choosy mom avoids JIF like the plague. Ingredients: Roasted peanuts, sugar, molasses, fully hydrogenated vegetable oils (Rapeseed and Soybean), mono and diglycerides, salt. On my count, six out of seven ingredients aren’t the best for you. Instead, use the ground roasted peanuts you find at the store. Ingredients: Roasted Peanuts! They are ground right in front of your very own eyes. My husband, the ultimate peanut butter connoisseur, put his stamp of approval on it. I actually think it tastes better without the lard in it. I usually rotate fresh peanut butter with almond butter, also a healthy alternative.

(6) COFFEE CREAMER --> HOMEMADE CREAMER
I have to admit this was THE very last thing I gave up. I loved my Coffeemate creamer! But sticking to my lifestyle of checking ingredients in my food, I had to admit this was truly one of the worst things I was putting into my body. (INGREDIENTS: Water, soymilk, partially hydrogenated soybean and/or cottonseed oil, sugar, dipotassium phosphate, sodium tripolyphosphate, sodium stearoyl lactylate, pollysorbate 50, gellan gum, sodium citrate, natural and artificial flavor, beta-carotene color.) I don’t think I need to explain to anyone that these are terrible ingredients. I now make my own coffee creamer by taking a salad dressing jar and putting half-n-half and 2 tsp. of vanilla extract in it. When making my coffee, I put a little agave nector in my cup, add cream, and then coffee. (I will sometimes put coconut oil in there. See article “Nutz Over Coconut.”) I don’t know why I didn’t make the switch years ago since I really don’t miss the dipotassium phosphate.

(7) BEEF --> BUFFALO
I am not going to talk about how disgusting and depressing the practices of corporations/ “farmers” are. I will, however, recommend that you eat meat that is grass fed, is raised on pastured farms, and has no growth hormones or antibiotics. The simple solution is to switch to buffalo. It “meats” all of the standards above, is healthier, and tastes better. It has 70% to 90% less fat compared to beef, and on average it has 50% less cholesterol. It also is higher in protein, iron, and all the omega and amino acids. Buffalo, or Bison, is becoming so popular that you can find it in most of your local grocery stores. (I know Fred Myer sells it.) The other option would be to research online the nearest place you can order beef that meets the qualifications listed and have it shipped to you. This will probably be more expensive and labor intensive. It’s also a good idea to cut down on the amount of beef you have. We try to eat buffalo twice a month, chicken once a week, and fish once a week. The rest of the days are vegetarian meals. This change will make you healthier and actually save you money in the long run by reducing your beef intake.

(8) FISH --> BETTER FISH
Did you know that some farm raised fish are fed CORN! I’m pretty sure they don’t eat that in the ocean or lakes. One study I found said farm raised salmon were more contaminated than wild salmon because of what they were fed. Farm fish are fattier, provide less omega 3 fats, are doused with antibiotics, and are given salmon colored dye in their feed so their flesh won’t be grey when you eat it! But wait, there’s more. The Food and Drug Administration published the following statistics: The fat content of farmed salmon is excessively high--30-35% by weight; Wild salmon have a 20% higher protein content and a 20% lower fat content than farm-raised salmon; Farm-raised fish contain much higher amounts of pro-inflammatory omega 6 fats than wild fish.

It’s also a good idea to be choosy about the type of fish you buy. My marine biologist friend won’t be happy with this layman’s term but, “bottom feeding fish” should be avoided. There’s a reason they tell pregnant women not to eat bottom feeding fish during their pregnancy, it’s not healthy. Contaminants tend to build up in predators and bottom feeding fish. Examples include: halibut, flounder, sole, cod, carp, snapper, catfish, and shark. Oh, and let’s not forget the shellfish. Many cultures consider shellfish “unclean” and for good reason. They eat other rotting fish from the sea. There are so many other delicious choices of fish out there… go catch one of those.

(9) NON-ORGANIC --> ORGANIC
This is something that is getting easier and easier to do these days. A couple of years ago I would have to go to four different stores to get everything on my grocery list. Now I’m down to two and the second store is usually for 3-4 items. The large chains are waking up to the demand for organic and here’s why. It is healthier for you and better for the environment. I once read that you would have to eat three large non-organic apples to equal the same nutrients in one small organic apple. I will be going into much more detail in the upcoming weeks, on why it’s so important to go organic. Looks like you'll have that stimulating article to look forward to.

(10) BUTTER/VEGETABLE OIL/ OLIVE OIL --> FIRST COLD PRESSED OLIVE OIL
My sister-in-law, once again, shared with me an interesting “tidbit” about first cold pressed olive oil. “Tidbit” by the way, is legalese for interesting fact. OK, maybe not. None-the-less, I discovered that first cold pressed olive oil is better for you than regular olive oil. Cold pressed means that the oil wasn’t heated over a certain temperature and therefore retains more of its nutrients. Instead of cooking with butter, vegetable oil, or olive oil, switch to cold pressed olive oil. For even better health benefits, use it with a dash of balsamic vinegar for your salads instead of those fatty salad dressings.

CONCLUSION
In full disclosure, I have been known to eat a Krispy Kreme donut (Refined sugar) and partake in a Red Robin burger (Not buffalo).  Living a healthy lifestyle is just that, a lifestyle. It doesn’t mean being legalistic about everything you put into your body. Now that you are more knowledgeable on the aforementioned, (couldn’t resist) here’s how to apply what you learned. Try one new thing a month. If you are really inspired try one thing a week. Either way, there’s no need to feel overwhelmed because ANY change is one step in the right direction.

RUNNING AWAY

I considered entitling this article, “When Pigs Fly”, since that is when you’d have seen me running. Even then, the pigs would probably have to of been chasing me. Point is, I was never a runner, nor did I ever desire to be a runner. Before a year ago, I didn’t exercise at all, unless you count the occasional speed walking.

It was an overcast day, June 7th 2009 to be exact, that I had gone with my family to the Race for the Cure Walk/Run. It was a fundraiser for cancer research that my husband’s law firm participated in. We proudly wore our Stender|Zumwalt, PLLC T-shirts while lugging our kids in a double stroller. As we started, there was something in me saying, “You have to run this.” Sure, it would have been better to walk so people could actually read the T-shirt… but being a criminal defense firm, running away made sense too. I ran the entire three miles without stopping. Before that day, I couldn’t run half a block without my lungs burning. People ask me all the time what made me start running. At first, I thought it was the feeling of running away from my kids, house, grocery list, etc. The simple truth is, my heart just said, “You need to do this for yourself and for your family.”

After my race debut, I went to the shoe section at Fred Myer and bought a pair of shoes under the “running” sign. I was going to give this running thing a try. It was around this time that my friend Lisa said something like, “Next thing you know you’ll be doing a half-marathon.” I scoffed out loud at the thought and said, “I would never be able to do something like that.” Well, no one tells me I CAN’T do something, not even myself. Almost a year later, I have completed two 5K races, one 5 mile race, and one half-marathon (Picture shown). My last race was a personal best. I came in 8th place in my age division and ran a pace of 8:50 a mile.

Early on in my training, my knees really started to ache. It was brought to my attention that it may be my running shoes. I decided to go to a real running store and ask for a new pair of running shoes. The salesperson took one look at my shoes and said, “Those aren’t running shoes.” He examined me running and discovered I had a pronating foot. After finding the proper running shoes, there has been nothing in my way ever since. Well, not exactly.

One afternoon while going for a four mile run, my pants kept falling down. By falling down I mean, it took my underwear with it and soon enough I was mooning the cars passing by. I thought about stopping but was too determined to get this run in. My left hand was holding my pants and underware up and my right was being dragged by my dog for the entire run. It was quite a sight.

After running consistently four times a week for eight weeks, I went from a size 8 to a size 4. I have never felt more fit or healthy in my adult life. During one of my recent runs, I was thinking of how I should start doing squats since these buns weren’t getting any younger. As soon as the thought popped in my head, a man in his 20’s yelled out his window, “Nice Ass.” It was then and there that I decided to forgo the squats and pick up a peanut buster parfait for dessert. Running really does pay off.

For those of you who would like to join me on this running adventure, let’s begin with what you’ve learned so far. (1) Get a good pair of running shoes. (2) Buy some proper running clothes and (3) Don’t let anyone, including yourself, tell you that you can’t do this. There are so many free training programs out there, Google training schedules and pick the one that fits you best. Many of the beginning programs have you run a little and then walk a little. I preferred to cut to the chase and start running. One piece of advice I got from Runner’s World Magazine that I’d like to pass on, is that you can never run too slow.

As for my training advice, start out slow and begin running three to four times a week, adding a mile every week or every other week, depending on how it feels.  Keep doing this until you reach your training goal.You should also sign up for a race so you'll have a goal that will force you to get out of bed or off that couch. I’m already so proud of you for even considering taking on this challenge. If I can do it, so can you!

Not By Bread Alone...Need Breadmaker

My bread journey began when I started reading the ingredients in my food and found that my “healthy” bread had things in there I didn’t want. I don’t need soy processed five different ways. This began my search for natural bread with the fewest ingredients I could find. As with most food products, the less it’s processed the more it costs. Spending $5 on a loaf of bread was something I was not ok with. Now coffee on the other hand is another story… but let’s not go down that road.

The saga started when I decided to make my own bread, the old school way. After being covered in flour, stressed about it not rising properly, and not having time to wait around for it to rise, I sought a different method. I went online and researched “the one” bread maker that would solve all my problems. After its much anticipated arrival, I pulled it out of the box and gently washed it with warm soapy water, as suggested. Unfortunately, once I put the pan back in it wouldn’t come back out. At one point in my fit of rage, yes, this can happen to the best of us… I put both my feet on the darn thing and pulled the handle with all my might. After I composed myself, I called the 1-800 number where a woman over the phone calmly read a pamphlet that said I “just needed to pull it out gently.” Instead of using the harsh words that were going through my head, I thanked her and began another search. This time I picked a bread maker I thought was the prettiest. Luckily for me it’s a really great bread maker.

I wish I could take all the credit for my delicious bread, but honestly, a six year old could do this. In the morning, after my coffee so I don’t add coffee beans instead of flour, I toss the ingredients in the bread pan and hit a button. You can also throw them in the night before and put it on a timer. The aroma of the bread is absolutely intoxicating. Slicing that warm bread has never made it more exciting to eat a turkey sandwich. It’s not just the taste I love, it’s the health benefits and cost savings I get. Using the best organic ingredients, it costs me $2 a loaf, has fewer calories, and contains ingredients that your toddler can pronounce. Here’s a comparison.

Oroweat Whole Wheat Bread
Ingredients: Whole wheat flour, water, sugar, wheat gluten, honey, yeast, soybean oil, salt, butter (Milk), cream, calcium carbonate, monogycerides, sodium stearoyl lactylate, calcium sulfate, calcium propionate (preservative), artificial flavor, nonfat milk, ascorbic acid (dough conditioner), soy lecithin, azodicarbonamide.
Calories: 100 a slice.

Honey Whole Wheat Bread (Bread Maker)
Ingredients: Water, salt, butter, honey, bread flour, whole wheat flour, yeast.
Calories: 73 a slice

The comparison speaks for itself. But wait, there’s more....as if this blog didn’t sound like an infomercial enough, it also makes pizza dough, rolls, and JAM! I was buying the really expensive jam, again, fewer bad stuff equals more expensive. Now I take the left over fruit I have on hand turn it into jam.

Sure, you just read a really long blog about bread… but hey, it will all be worth it when that steamy loaf of bread makes you look like Martha Stewart (before incarceration), saves you money, and is healthier for you and your family.

NUTZ OVER COCONUTS

OK people, this is what you've been waiting for.  I was afraid that if I didn't share this coconut information soon you'd be throwing them at my house.  This immune building, weight loss, skin rejuvenating miracle food has been a well kept secret.  Well, not to the tribal people who have used it for thousands of years, but to the Western diet.  Many of you have been asking me what's so great about coconuts and coconut oil.  With a sigh I say, oh dear coconuts, how I love thee, let me count the ways...

IMMUNE BUILDER/COLD AND FLU FIGHTER
We are now seeing coconut oil being used to help fight AIDS.  Recent studies have confirmed that coconut oil has an anti-viral effect and can reduce the viral load of HIV patients.  For more information on this visit. http://www.www.lauric.org/. For those of us looking for a way to fight off or reduce cold and flu symptoms, ingesting coconut oil will help. If you get the flu/cold take 2-3 Tb. of coconut oil with every meal. Your sick time will be cut in half. People who use coconut oil regularly in their diets have made claims to be cold/flu free for 2-10 years.


WEIGHT LOSS
I think this is the one people are really interested in so let me say this… there was a study done on how farmers could make their pigs fatter. They fed one group of pigs soybean oil and one group coconut oil, then sat back to see which ones got fatter. To their surprise, the pigs that were fed coconut oil actually lost weight! Science is now figuring out how this is possible. When you eat coconut oil, your body uses it immediately to make energy rather than store it as body fat. Energy = good. Fat = bad. In essence, it boosts your metabolism even when you are not exercising and therefore burns calories. It can also help control your sugar cravings which could save you a few hundred calories a day.

ASSISTS IN FATIGUE
Instead of going for that extra cup of coffee or candy bar around 2:00, take one tablespoon of coconut oil. I really like eating it with a small bite of chocolate. It gives you a natural boost.

SKIN BENEFITS
My sister-in-law was visiting recently and I couldn’t help but stare at her skin. It was truly amazing. She chalks it up to her intake of coconut oil and lotion that she makes. (An all natural recipe that I LOVE and she sells. Let me know if anyone wants to try it and I can get you some.) Coconut oil can also reduce stretch marks, control dandruff, and be used as a conditioner. In full disclosure, I haven’t tried using it to reduce my stretch marks because I plan on getting pregnant again and figure what’s the point. My husband says they are my tiger stripes and I’m starting to wonder if that’s where all my mommy power is derived from.

ANTI-INFLAMMATORY
I have to admit I was really skeptical about this one. My sister-in-law said to rub it on the area that hurts with a couple of drops of peppermint oil. My knee was starting to act up so I begrudgingly tried it. At first I felt a warm sensation on my knee. Then it immediately felt better. I thought if felt nice at the time but surely wouldn't "fix" my knee pain.  I kid you not… I did this for three days in a row and my knee no longer hurts.

GOOD SOURCE OF PROTEIN/FIBER
Coconut oil has more protein than green beans, carrots and other vegetables. One cup of dried coconut is equal to 9 grams of fiber.

WHAT IS IT?
Nutritional scientists do not agree on what it is… fruit, nut, seed? Personally, I’m cheering for the fruit team so I can count it as one of my five-a-day. What scientists do agree on is how amazing it is. It’s actually a component in baby formula because it provides many of the same nutrients as human breast milk. I think we have all heard the recent findings of how amazing breast milk is for our children’s health…even in their adult lives. With that said, let’s get started!

RECOMMENDED CONSUMPTION
Start out by consuming 1-2 tsp of coconut oil a day. If you jump to 2 Tb. a day you will be in the bathroom more than you’d like. Although this can be another benefit, I really didn't want to make a whole section on how great your bowel movements will be.  After a few days, go ahead and move to 2Tb. a day. There are so many ways to do this that I’ll just list a few examples.

• Consume 2Tb. a Day
• 1 Tb. in your morning coffee
• 1 Tb. in the afternoon with small piece of chocolate
• 1 Tb. in orange juice
• Add to Your Vitamin Routine.  While researching more for this blog, I found coconut oil capsules!  I'm really excited to try them out and add them to my evening vitamin intake.
• Cook With It. There are so many delicious ways to add coconut to your diet. Use the unsweetened coconut flakes in all kinds of recipes. I recommend the book, Coconut Lovers Cookbook. I also use coconut oil instead of shortening. In fact, I haven’t used shortening in years. I even use it in my homemade pie crusts.

There are so many benefits and interesting studies done on coconut. I highly recommend reading “The Coconut Oil Miracle.” This is where a lot of my research came from. The author did a good job of citing his resources and they were credible.

DISCLAIMER
Like any good attorney, I’d like to provide a disclaimer. Contrary to the book, coconut oil does NOT cause miracles. After trying it, you will not wake up the next morning fitting into those skinny jeans of yours. However, I do believe it is a small change to make on our journey to live healthier lives.

My Secret Diet Revealed

This afternoon my neighbor commented on how different I looked with my weight loss. I have to admit that I hear this often. Instead of making me feel good, it makes me really defensive. It was only ten pounds people! It's not like I just got off the Biggest Loser. That's when I realized that no matter if it's ten or fifty pounds, weight loss can make you feel and look like a new person.

So, it's time to come clean with my "secret" diet. Don't worry, this won't cost you a penny. My secret... I just changed the ingredients in my food and added a little exercise. I'm enjoying my food more and have no guilt. In fact, as I write this I'm eating coconut ice cream.

SECRET REVEALED

(1) Get Informed. This will take a little time but is worth the "research." When I say research I mean look at the ingredients in the "food" that you eat. There's a quote from a Michael Pollen book that states, "Eat Food, Mostly Plants, Not Too Much." I equate food to mean what God created for us to eat. He did not create high fructose corn syrup. However, he did provide us with herb crusted halibut, garlic baked asparagus, mushroom risotto, and your favorite wine.

• You will see me referencing quotes from the book "Omnivores Dilemma" and "In Defense of Food" in future blogs. These books are written by Michael Pollen and I highly recommend them. Reading them is like the scene from the Matrix where Keanu swallows the pill and becomes aware of the world as it really is.
  

(2) Make the Switch. Switch to whole foods. Exchange your white rice with brown. I did this slowly over time because my husband didn't like brown rice. At first I used 3/4 white and 1/4 brown. Then added half and half. You get the idea. Now we only eat brown rice and instead of complaints I get yums. Turn in your bread for whole wheat that doesn't have high fructose corn syrup, processed soy, or other nasty stuff. Future blogs will focus on simple changes to make. One quick one is to eat more fruits and veggies.

(3) Add Exercise. It doesn't matter what you do...as NIKE says, just do it. I started running. (See future blog on the day when pigs flew). You should really try different things out. You might surprise yourself. There might be one thing you hated ten years ago that you might love now. (Hint....me running). After two months of running four times a week, I went from a size 8 to a size 4.

• For those of you who need to lose more than ten pounds, I would recommend one more simple step. Count those calories. A few years back I had gained 20 pounds. (Thanks to special legislative sessions). I decided to find out what was making me fat. I did one thing...counted calories. Back then I still didn't exercise. What I discovered was that there were days when I consumed 4,000 calories on what I thought was "healthy" food.

Now you know my secret. As I mentioned before, I'll be posting more on the little things that make big changes. Adding coconut to your diet is one of those fun things I'll share with you next time. For now, stop looking at those check-out stand magazines, pinching the fat that you may find around your body, (Still guilty of that one), and remember... God made you a beautiful woman . Whether you accept that or not doesn't make it not true.