How dare I tell you what you MUST do! Oh, but I’m doing it. Or at the very least, I’m making an *extremely* strong suggestion. Why? Because chlorine is not to be messed around with! Chlorinated water interacts with naturally occurring organic matter (like the organic matter found in our waste water) to form water disinfection byproducts, including trihalomethanes (THMs). Two primary…
Yummy yummy yummy, get in my tummy! I know, I sound like a 4-year-old. But this chocolate superfood mousse is just that good. So good, in fact, that I’m eating it for breakfast on this fine Saturday morning. I feel naughty and indulgent, like a kid who sneaks a spoonful of ice cream while her mom’s in the bathroom. Of…
Last weekend, we had a minor crisis on our hands… We woke up on Saturday morning to discover that my boyfriend got grease down the front of his all-time favorite college sweatshirt the night before. He immediately threw it in the wash but when he took it out of the dryer, the stain was still there. He was devastated. I,…
Crunch crunch crunch! Oh, that’s just me munching on a carrot as I write this post. It’s really hard to read about all of the wonderful benefits of this sweet veggie and not immediately rush to grab one! So I did. Before we jump to the fun stuff, let’s go over the basics. One medium carrot or ½ cup of…
You know how they say “never say never”? Well I’m saying it and I mean it: tomatoes should never come from a can. Most cans are lined with plastic to prevent them from rusting. Most of these linings contain BPA, a toxic chemical linked to reproductive abnormalities, neurological effects, heightened risk of breast and prostate cancers, diabetes, heart disease and…
I’ve got the winter itch… And no, I’m not just talking about being sick and tired of the winter and ready for the spring! I’m talking about my skin. Ooh the dry winter air is just so harsh and sometimes it feels like no amount of coconut oil can help! The worst for me has always been my hands. When I…
Mmm that instantly addictive smell of popcorn… You can always smell it before you hear the first pop! And oh, is it undeniably tempting. It permeates every corner of the house, calling all to enjoy its butter goodness. But don’t be fooled by its charms! Store-bought popcorn is absolutely loaded with nasties. From the bag to the contents, microwave popcorn…
Last week I got a case of the sniffles. So I took some shots… of ACV followed by a large mug of echinacea tea loaded with cinnamon, ginger, and raw honey three times a day. This is how I typically cure a cold naturally and quickly, often within a couple of days. So by day four I knew I had…
Well if you’re a soda or sports drink drinker, then the answer may very likely be “yes”. Enter brominated vegetable oil (BVO)… BVO is a synthetic chemical, created by binding vegetable oil (likely GMO) with atoms of the element bromine. It is patented as a flame retardant but is used widely by the soft drink industry to keep citrus-flavor oils…
2018 is here! (Even though for the next few weeks I will undoubtedly still be writing “2017” on checks and other memos. Do ya feel me or what?) Have you made a New Year’s resolution yet? Below are 10 simple healthy habits to adopt in the new year that you can actually see through all the way to 2019. 1….
Environmental Working Group Skin Deep mobile app: iPhone and Droid At long last, my absolute favorite website and beauty tool (yes a website is my favorite beauty tool!) has come out with a super-convenient, awesome app for both iPhone and Droid. You can search for personal care products by their name or by scanning their barcodes, which is great when…
I’ve said it before and I’ll say it until I’m blue in the face: I. HATE. PLASTIC. and really try to avoid it as much as possible. But it should be known that not all plastic is created equally. Some readily leech extremely harmful chemicals while others have slower leaching rates and (comparatively) more innocuous chemical compositions. The recycling codes…
Well chances are that if it’s one of those chocolate brands that can be purchased at the local drug store or gas station minimart, it only contains between 5-10% cocoa. The remaining 90-95% consists of sugar, artificial flavors, additives, fillers, and artificial coloring. These often include soy lecithin (very likely from GMO soy), vanillin (a synthetic vanilla flavor made from a…
Does this body lotion make me look fat? That’s not a question you hear very often! But if your lotion contains fragrance or parabens (a family of preservatives commonly found in body lotions, makeup, shampoos, and a ton of other personal care products) it may very well actually be making you fat. This is because these chemicals are obesogens. What…
Say what? You heard me. Coal tar and petroleum. In your CANDY. Not so tasty anymore, huh? The worst part is, it’s hiding in plain sight. In fact, it’s what we see when we look at candy – the coloring – since artificial food colorings are derived from coal tar and petroleum. Over the past 50 years, chemical dyes used…
A couple of years ago, I discovered that one of my favorite mineral facial powders was chock-full o’ nasties. Skin Deep gave it a “7” (how horrid!) rating, citing it as a moderate to high risk for cancer as well as developmental and reproductive toxicity. Needless to say, I felt utterly betrayed. We had worked so well together! And I…
Autumn is cinnamon’s time to shine. So I thought it only appropriate to cast a spotlight on the many health benefits of this awesome spice, if not only to make us feel a teensy bit less guilty on Thanksgiving day as we shove more spice-flavored desserts into our faces – Oh they have cinnamon! Yes, I’ll have another, thank you…
I’m something of a girly-girl. I don’t like to admit this and I feel rather silly writing it, but I think you should know that this is not coming from some hippie chick with armpit hair down to her knees and Birkenstock sandals permanently attached to her feet (not that I have anything against this type of woman – power…
Toothpaste is obviously a hygienic necessity for all of us (at least I would hope so!), but that dose of toxic chemicals we get with each brushing? Definitely unnecessary. The two most common active ingredients in toothpastes – sodium fluoride and triclosan – have been associated with a number of health risks. What’s more, they aren’t necessary to maintain proper…
One of the easiest ways to shave down your grocery bill is to prioritize which foods you need to buy organic. The following 25 foods should ALWAYS be purchased organic either because they contain a high level of trace pesticides or because they are common GMOs. Highest trace pesticides Every year, the Environmental Working Group updates their Shopper’s Guide to…
A couple of weeks ago, my mom gave me a big bag of those infamous chocolate peanut butter cups for my birthday. I had every intention of bringing the bag to work to let my coworkers devour its contents, but instead… I ripped it open and ate every last gosh darn cup. That’s right. I ATE THEM ALL. Thanks a…
There’s a chill in the air… And this means a number of things for me: (1) Boots and sweaters! By far my favorite articles of clothing. (2) Faking my way through football season like the good girlfriend I am (at least I get a lot of thinking done while staring at the TV). (3) Trying my darndest to stay healthy…
Oh, there is nothing I hate more than a cold! Those obnoxious sniffles… That uncomfortable, unrelenting tickle at the back of your throat… A red, chapped nose! So I try my best to avoid catching them in the first place. I avoid sick people like a Hollywood thief dodges laser-beams in a bank vault (no, seriously – if you’re sick,…
Have you noticed how just about everything is pumpkin-flavored nowadays? I decided I needed to finally jump on the bandwagon and am SO GLAD I did because this autumn pumpkin and sweet potato quiche is amazingly yummy! It is both savory and sweet, and extremely satiating. What you will need: 6 medium-sized organic potatoes (it is recommended to buy organic…