Chocolate makes everything better: a great movie, a bad day, a nasty breakup. Are you with me or are you with me? Dark chocolate with a high cacao content is also a nutritious treat since it’s jam-packed with healthy antioxidants. But finding pure dark chocolate without any unnecessary additives can be a real struggle. This is why I like to…
I’m just going to cut to the chase here: canola oil is NOT healthy. Yet it’s touted as one of the healthiest oils! Really, nothing makes me want to SCREAM like reading a “healthy” recipe that calls for canola oil. Nooooooooo! I instantly have to close the browser and walk away. Canola oil has especially been lauded as heart-healthy since it’s…
Most of us spend a lot of our lives at work. An estimated 10.3 total years, actually. That’s why it’s so important that we try to keep healthy while at work. This not only means making sure we don’t dig into the donuts in the staff kitchen too often, but also making sure we stay active and create a healthy workspace. 10 Simple Ways…
The holidays are a time for indulgence. And I’m not just talking about the big pile of presents. I’m talking cookies and cocktails and cocoa and LOTS of them! I believe that if you eat well the majority of the time — particularly at home and by bringing healthy, homemade meals to work — then you can most certainly indulge while out at a restaurant or…
The average 4-person American family does a whopping 80 pounds of laundry a week. Wowza, that’s a lot of laundry! It’s also a lot of laundry detergent. Unfortunately, most common, store-bought laundry detergents are filled with unhealthy chemicals. We and our families are exposed to the chemicals in laundry detergents both when they are made airborne during the laundry process,…
So you need a new mascara… You run to the local drugstore or big cosmetics store or department store beauty counter. You look for the product that will work the best because, well, no one wants mascara flaked under her eyes by noon! But most of us don’t ever consider the ingredients in our cosmetic products. I for one always thought that…
A real food diet is the cornerstone of good health. There’s no ifs, ands, or buts about it. So it breaks my heart when readers tell me how they struggle to balance buying the best quality food for their families with their budgets. And I totally get it — healthy, real food can definitely be more expensive (thanks to our country’s backwards, profit-before-people…
It’s ironic that home cleaning products are often a major source of indoor air pollution. After all, we buy them with the intention of making our homes healthier, safer places — not chemical dumping grounds! But many of the chemicals found in conventional cleaning products have health implications ranging from headaches and skin sensitivity to endocrine disruption and increased risk of…
Your liver is one hardworking hustler of an organ. It filters 1.4 liters of blood a minute, removing potentially toxic substances and pathogens It creates bile to break down fats, allowing the body to assimilate the fat-soluble vitamins A, D, E, and K It manages day-to-day blood sugar regulation It produces hormones and has the job of conjugating or deconjugating hormones…
Looking for a safe, natural deodorant that works? This DIY All-Natural Detoxifying Deodorant is a tried-and-true favorite among Body Unburdened readers. Not only does it stop odor naturally, but it contains an ingredient that actually helps to draw impurities from the skin. Plus, it’s so easy to make with just a few simple ingredients! I’m a multitasker… A check-my-email-while-brushing-my-teeth, cook-dinner-while-catching-up-on-Downton-Abbey type of…
A good night’s sleep is one of the most satisfying simple pleasures in life. Unfortunately, it’s a real rarity for so many of us! We toss and turn, our minds racing as we try to fall asleep. Or we wake up in the middle of the night, fully alert while the rest of the world continues to doze on. I don’t know about you, but…
If there’s one thing I really miss since adopting a non-toxic lifestyle… It’s perfume. (OK and if I’m being totally honest, junky “cheese” crackers too.) Nearly all perfumes on the market today contain a chemical cocktail of synthetic fragrance, most of which act as endocrine distuptors. This means that they interfere with the body’s natural hormones and can lead to a slew of health issues from…
“I need to catch up on my beauty sleep.” I’m sure we’ve all said it or heard it at one time or another, typically with a hint of sarcasm. But there’s no joke about it: beauty sleep is real! Remember: your skin isn’t just some “thing” that keeps all of your insides wrapped up and in place — the skin is…
This post is a special collaboration between Body Unburdened and Pharmaca. Thank you for supporting the brands that make it possible for me to continue providing free content to Body Unburdened readers! Imagine you walked into your local pharmacy, but everything was health-ified. The shelves leading up to the Rx counter are lined with herbal medicines, tinctures, and healing balms….
“I would send you a bouquet of newly-sharpened pencils if I knew your name and address.” (You’ve Got Mail, anyone?) Well, it’s upon us yet again: a new school year. I don’t know about you, but summer totally flew by. I literally had to do a double-take when I saw Thanksgiving decorations for sale at the mall last weekend. (Should we start a…
Not only are these popsicle recipes loaded with superfood goodness, they’re also incredibly delicious too. The perfect treat for a hot summer day! Note: This post is sponsored by iHerb though all thoughts and opinions are of course my own. I love partnering with this fantastic company – a longtime sponsor of Body Unburdened. Thank you for supporting the companies…
There’s a major problem with most typical American breakfasts. They’re absolutely loaded with sugar. Often times, more sugar than found in dessert! Now of course, this is probably obvious for certain breakfast options like pancakes and waffles. But what about the seemingly “healthier” options like yogurt and granola bars? Certainly those are healthy, right? Not necessarily… Even many breakfast foods marketed as “healthy” are packed…
Have you heard that lime can be used as a single ingredient, natural deodorant? Let’s put this rumor to the test and see if it works! So I recently embarked on a little week-long self-experiment: for a week straight, I used lime juice as a deodorant. Man oh man, this was a risky experiment to conduct in the mid-summer…
Smooth like a baby’s bottom. #SkincareGoals Just after face oils, my skincare and beauty must-have is a great exfoliant. And it’s a very close second. Because gently and regularly exfoliating the skin not only prevents blemishes by getting rid of dead skin cells (after all, a zit is just oil and dead skin cells coupled together in one sticky, pore-clogging mess!) but…
I’m a Type A East Coaster. Thus, I am often stressed. (Even though I’ve recently become a West Coast transplant, the laid-back California vibe has yet to rub off on me!) But stress is no fun! And it wreaks havoc on your health. In fact, I’ve been having a hormonal issue in recent months that I know is a direct result of my higher-than-average stress…
Have you ever heard of the “Master Cleanse”? It involves drinking warm lemon and cayenne pepper water for a few days to promote rapid detoxification and weight loss. I’m not going to lie: this doesn’t sound like much fun to me! At all. Not only that, but it’s actually quite a drastic cleanse for most people to undertake. Really only those individuals…
Your liver does SO MUCH. It is responsible for over 500 functions, including fighting off infection, manufacturing hormones, controlling blood sugar, helping blood to clot, and neutralizing toxins. (No biggie.) Some other fun facts: The liver is the human body’s second largest organ after the skin The liver is the only organ that can regenerate itself (this is why it’s possible for…
When you think of dietary fiber… I bet you think of two things: #1: processed diet and “health” food products like breakfast bars and cereals that scream “LOADED WITH FIBER” on the box (and typically aren’t very tasty) #2: yes, just that — a satisfying, solid, dependable number #2 And while fiber certainly does keep us regular and feeling full (which is why it’s…
Smooth like butta. That’s all that was running through my mind as I popped these DIY all-natural lotion bars out of their molds and rubbed them over my skin for the first time. Because they’re so silky smooth and… well, kind of look like butter. I’ve been meaning to make lotion bars for so long and am THRILLED I finally got…