DIY Cleansers that Work2

I know, people ask me why I write about things like "Do It Yourself" cleaning products, food preparation, cleansing, gardening, etc. Well, bottom line is I want to share all I know about taking care of your body, your mind your spirit, your home, your family and the planet.

I love finding new ideas and tweaking them so that they do the work I want them to. Have you ever taken a look at the labels on your household cleansers? It hard to recognize most of the ingredients. Now some of the ingredients you may know, but since they are using the scientific name, you may not recognize it. I have and I have a Master's Degree in Science and I have trouble knowing what many of the ingredients are.

It's just as important to pay attention to what goes into our bodies as to what we put on it and the chemicals we inhale.

Many naturally occurring substances can be harmful in large quantities, if exposed to the skin or if swallowed. Just because something says "natural" does not make it safe. Some of you may not have time to investigate or test things out. I'm happy to do that for you. 

I am presenting about DIY natural cleansers that work on February 26, at 6:30 pm at REAL Foods in SugarHouse, SLC, UT. It's free to attend and $7 if you'd like to take home the products that we make. (That mostly covers the cost of the containers.) 

Below I have my favorite granite and marble cleaner. I used to pay $10 for a 12 oz. spray bottle of cleanser. Now it barely costs anything to clean and disinfect my countertops!

You need to know that VINEGAR and LEMON JUICE (both acids) will corrode and breakdown your natural stone. DO NOT use them on your counter's.

GRANITE CLEANER

1/4 c alcohol (rubbing or cheap vodka)

10 drops essential oil of your choice (for smell)

3-5 drops of liquid Castile soap

Place all ingredients in 16 oz spray bottle. Fill the rest of the bottle with water. Shake and spray.

Enjoy and let me know how it works! #DIYNaturalCleansers

What does it mean to eat Clean?

 What does it mean to eat clean? 
There's a lot of talk these days about "eating clean." 6 different things come to mind (This is not an all-inclusive list) that we can consider when choosing our food:

1. Where and how is the food handled?
How far away did the food travel from? How was it caught or grown?

2. Was the food prepared with love?
Happy cook = Happy food

3. Is it food that supports my needs (nutrients, allergies, etc.)?
Is my body cannot digest milk, it is not good for me. If your body can digest milk, then you want to choose milk from cows that have been treated well, without the use of hormones and drugs.

4. How processed is the food? 
Potatoes contain more nutrients than potato chips. Remember though that not all processing is bad.

5. Does it have additives? Hormones, GMOs, artificial sweeteners, colors or flavors, preservatives.

6. Is the packaging safe and environmentally friendly? Is it stored in a plastic that seeps into the food?

What are cleaner foods we can eat?
Fresh, local and in season fruits and vegetables
Nuts, seeds, beans, cold-pressed organic oils
Unrefined grains, 
wild-caught fish, hormone-free dairy and meats

Why is eating clean important? There is a lot of controversy over what we should and should eat. Most of the research supports eating as close to nature as possible with lots of vegetables, some fruit and grain, and healthy protein and fat.

If you've been eating a lot of processed food as well as putting toxic things (think cleansers, air pollution, drugs, items used on your skin) into, around, and on your body, maybe it's time to do a whole foods cleanse. I will be leading one for the month of March. Register Here.
What are some of the benefits of regular cleansing with whole foods? Sleep better, feel better, brighter, clearer skin, lose weight, think more clearly and so much more.

What makes mine a bit different from some of the others? You have access to me through email, you'll receive daily tips and encouragement, lots of yummy recipes, a self-care and how to cleanse guide, an accountability buddy and more.
I'd love to hear about your experiences with eating clean and/or cleansing.

Cleansing Karma: 10 Healthy Fall Foods

Butternut squash soup with Roasted Eggplant

As we move into and through Fall cleansing season, know that cleansing is a nourishing process not a depleting one.

Some abundant Fall foods if you're in North America (maybe those of you who read from around the globe can share others) are:

• Pumpkin, butternut squash, winter squashes, served cooked alone or in yummy soup (add a little coconut milk)
• Beets, carrots (raw, juiced, cooked, roasted in a salad)
• Potatoes-sweet, white- rutabagas, turnipsroasted, mashed, baked
• Zucchini-raw or cooked, I add it to just about anything
• Tomatoes, eggplants, peppers, roasted, in sauces, soups
• Apples, pears, raw, cooked, juiced
• Arugula, kale, chard, spinach, raw, juiced, cooked,in soups, salads
• Brussels sprouts, cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower, kolrabi
• Fennel, celery-I love these raw, juiced and in soups and salads
• Onions, leeks, shallots, scallions, in everything...almost

So I cheated by grouping some together, and it wasn't the scientist in me doing the grouping so go easy on the criticisms. Fall is one of the best times of the year to get healthy and delicious. It's good for you with amazing nutrients, easy to prepare, and affordable especially when you buy from locals or grow your own.
PS-I'm throwing in my new favorite recipe  altered from Yummy Tummy

Fast and Easy Potato Tomato Curry

Potato Tomato Curry

Olive Oil - 1 T
Onion - 1 large sliced thinly
Green Chilli - 2 slit
Turmeric - 1 t
Salt to taste
Tomatoes – 2 c 3 chopped
Chilli Powder - 1 t
Potatoes - 4 c cubed
Water 1-2 c as needed

Curry powder- 1 t
Cilantro for garnishing

Boil potatoes till they are tender. Strain. Heat oil. Saute onions for a min. Add in salt, turmeric, chili and curry powders and cook till they are golden. Now add in tomatoes and green chilli. Cook this for 6 mins till they turn mushy. Pour in water and mix well. Bring this to a boil. Now add in the potatoes and simmer for 5 mins. Throw in a handful of chopped cilantro.

Feel Free to share any other recipes, fall foods tips, etc. Enjoy!!

 

Neti Washing: Free Your Breath, Free Your Mind

by Guest Author: Charlotte Bell

In yoga classes, we talk a whole lot about the importance of the breath. We exhort our students to breathe deeply as they move into, hold and move out of asanas. Some types of yoga, such as Ashtanga and other forms of vinyasa, instruct practitioners how and when to move with each inhalation and exhalation. It’s arguable that this coordination of breath and movement is one of the most important factors that sets asana apart from other physical practices. The yoga poses many of us practice are not intended to be gymnastic feats to perform. They were developed as vehicles for expanding the breath and therefore, calming the nervous system

In the Eight Limbs of Yoga, the framework for practicing the whole system of Yoga, pranayama—expansion of the breath—lies between the physical and mental/spiritual practices. The breath is the gateway between the body and mind. That is why traditional Hatha Yoga emphasizes breathing more than accomplishing poses. It is the slowing and steadying of the breath that allows the body and mind to settle.

We breathe an average of 20,000 times a day. It happens all day long without our having to give it a single thought. But, unlike any other automatic physiological process, we can also control the breath. We can extend it or shorten it or speed it up or slow it down, all of which affect the nervous system in many ways.

But sometimes we don’t have a lot of control over how we breathe. Allergies, sinus infections and environmental pollutants can sometimes cause our breathing passes to be blocked, making it impossible to take in a full inhalation. When this happens, we can feel less energetic and sometimes even suffer a bit of brain fog.

Neti Washing to the Rescue

Of course, eating healthy foods and exercising regularly can help ward off these symptoms, but sometimes our environment gets the best of us. That’s when neti washing can save the day.

Neti washing is a form of nasal irrigation that employs a small pot and a solution of warm salt water. The warm water soothes nasal passages as it gently clears excess mucus so that the cilia inside your nostrils can more efficiently trap bacteria and other toxins.

You can buy a pot at most pharmacies and many larger grocery stores. You must use specially formulated neti salt—non-iodized—for the solution. We offer two choices for getting started: Eco Neti Pot Starter Kit that includes a lightweight, unbreakable pot (great for travel!), neti salt, a zinc and herbal solution, and instructions on how to get started. We also carry the Essential Neti Pot, a lead-free ceramic pot minus the salt and herbal solutions.

Get Started

There’s lots of good info online about how to use your pot, but here are a few tips:

1. Use boiled, distilled or filtered water. Even though neti washing has been practiced safely for centuries, there have been a few recently recorded cases of life-threatening infections from using straight tap water.

1. Add 1/4 teaspoon of neti salt to your pot and pour water over the salt. Stir to distribute the salt.

1. Test the temperature of your water before you irrigate. It should be warm, but not hot. Hot water will burn delicate nasal passages. Cold water isn’t as effective and doesn’t feel all that great either. When the water is running through your nostrils it should feel slightly warm.

1. Position yourself over a sink and have some tissues handy.

1. You may need to experiment with the tilt of your head. It took me a few tries to find the tilt that would allow free flow between my nostrils. It’s a good idea to start neti washing at a time when your sinuses aren’t blocked, just to get the hang of it when your passages are relatively open.

1. Gradually pour one full pot of salt water through each nostril, blowing your nose at the end of each washing.

1. Wash your pot thoroughly and let it air dry completely.

I was hesitant to try neti washing for years. It just seemed too weird—running water through one nostril and having it flow out the other one. But about five years ago, in the throes of a sinus infection, I decided to try it. I’ve been doing it almost daily ever since. Even if my sinuses are pretty clear, it just feels good for my sinuses and nasal passages to feel so open and expansive. And this is purely anecdotal, but after my morning neti washing, my brain feels a lot more clear too.

Clarity and De-Cluttering our Lives

photo by Ethan Eng-Tow

So much has been talked and written about in regards to our relationship with food, drugs, and things (clothing, shoes, etc.).  As we come to the end of the month, I'm curious how many of you have kept up with your resolutions.  Previously, I stated I was choosing a word for the year instead of a resolution. I'm happy to say that I have continued my focus on my word, which is CLARITY.

In reality there is a lot more to clarity than just figuring who I am and where I am going.  Looking around my studio, my house, my desk drawers, I realized that part of being clear for me was going to be about clearing out the things I don't need in my space, my body and my life. In my home I started with my closets; with my body, I started with a healthy cleanse; and with my life, I started with my livelihood.

Thinking back a bit further, clearing out started when I resigned from my teaching job this summer and continued through November when I completed my most successful food cleanse with a friend. I had started the process of clarifying way before I labeled it or was aware that it was happening. I credit my practice and the universe for leading me to where I need to be.

According to Candice Braun Davison we can start by getting rid of particular items. When we head to the trash can or eBay, there are certain things we forget to include. Here are the sneaky extras that clutter up the corners of our homes. Read more: http://www.oprah.com/home/Items-Every-Woman-Should-Get-Rid-Of#ixzz2rcwzk600

So I invite you, no matter where you are in your resolutions, to clean up your space. If you want to continue with the process, save the date and you can join me starting on September 1st in a group food cleanse.  More information.