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Saturday, January 2, 2016
For Our Health
We thought we would give you an update on some of the ways we have tried to improve our health in the last year or so. We have intentionally eliminated a number of things from our bodies and feel we are much healthier because of those choices.
In March, 2014, I decided to stop using commercial hair care products. I am happy to report that I am still very satisfied with my routine of baking soda and water for shampoo, with apple cider vinegar and water for a rinse and conditioner 17 months later.
We still use baking soda for toothpaste, and make our own simple lotion and lip balm. By the way, that small batch of lip balm we made one year ago today is not gone yet. We would have used many tubes of commercial lip balm by this time. It truly is amazing.
Lip balm
I still use the same reusable food wraps and panty liners we wrote about last year. There are so many simple things we can make for ourselves that are less expensive, last longer and eliminate more chemicals from our bodies. We told you about Frank's difficulty getting off of Zyrtec, and recently we weaned ourselves off of low dose aspirin as well. The more we learn about how synthetically made ingredients affect our bodies, the less likely we are to consume them.
We have added fermented vegetables like sauerkraut and peppers to our diet. We continue to make sourdough bread with our fresh ground whole wheat flour, but we have eliminated all white flour and sugar. Our diet consists of foods high in nutrients, low in carbohydrates along with quality protein and fats. We continue to
make and consume kefir everyday, even though Frank would tell you he could go the rest of his life without kefir. We feel the probiotics we get from the fermentation process in making sauerkraut, sourdough and kefir help our bodies absorb and use nutrients in a much more efficient and effective way.
A little over a year ago, Frank and I chose to change our lives by changing the way we eat. In doing so, we have now each lost over 50 pounds. We are definitely healthier and accomplish much more than we ever did while carrying around the equivalent of a sack of animal feed all the time.
Something we have not done yet, but will someday, hopefully soon, is make lye soap. We have everything we need, but have yet to carve out the time to do it. Our friend, Grace has made her first batch of soap, so now it is our turn. The older we get, the more we learn about natural ways to care for our bodies. Our modern world has much to offer in the way of conveniences and comfort, but what it has to offer is not always the best thing for our health, in fact, some of what it has to offer is down right deadly. A new year has dawned, make the most of it. Take care of your health, for you will need it to be ready for what is coming. Until next time - Fern
Congratulation on making meaningful changes in your lifestyle. It's always amazing how such simple, relatively speaking, changes can be so powerful.
This is my month for my 6 mo. checkups. For my primary care my questions are going to be about getting off the statin and the aspirin and for my dermatologist what chemicals to avoid in personal care products. He, by the way, is a proponent of eating organic whole foods.
I realize time is a precious commodity but you might be interested in http://www.therealtruthabouthealth.com/2015-conference-replays or at least the speakers who, I believe, all have posts on Youtube and many also have written books. Plus Dr. Robert Lustig, about sugar's role in poor health, also on Youtube and Dr. Michael Greger of Nutritionfacts.org. Granted, many of these speakers advocate a meat,dairy,egg free diet but they also advocate not using chemicals, pesticides, drugs, and a host of other non-natural additives.
The best to you and yours in the coming new year. May it be filled with love & peace.
It is amazing what you have done. Congrats on the weight loss, too. You know, soap making is not hard and you can also make shampoo bars like we do. Sometimes I still do crave a bag of potato chips,lol.
Congratulation on all you've done! I really need to try the no shampoo thing. And the lip balm, I go through so much of it too. Maybe things for the new year for US!
Congrats on all of your accomplishments :) One nice thing about starting a new year is looking back on the last one and seeing what we have accomplished! Happy New Year!
After reading this I went back and read your post on soap making and thought I should bring two things to your attention. First, the reason for using a stick blender is because it is fully immersed in the soap while mixing and does not splatter. Splattering lye would not be a good thing so be careful if you choose to use the whisk. Second, there are two types of lye. Sodium Hydroxide (NaOH)is the lye crystals that you link to and what is most commonly used in making a bar of soap. Potassium hydroxide (KOH)is made from wood ash. Although I have not used it yet, I have read that it makes a soft or liquid soap. It would take a different recipe than using sodium hydroxide. Here is the soap calculator that I use. It give you the option of NaOH or KOH. http://soapcalc.net/calc/SoapCalcWP.asp
Dear Frank and Fern, Congratulation on your weight loss. I to have chosen to eat healthy. I watched my sister-in-law die of colon cancer. it was awful. I feel good, no health problems. I have eaten whole foods, organic when I can. I have been trying to make homemade cleaning products, personal care and food. I tried the baking soda shampoo, It made my hair break off. I tried it for a couple months, unfortunately I couldn't use it. Thanks for all you do. I am trying to prepare as best I can. The price keeps going up on clothes, food, health care products etc. I plan on doing more research on making as much as I can. Most people don't listen and when I try to talk about improving their health, they don't listen. I get ridiculed. I am committed to keep at it. God bless you.
The older we get, the more we learn about natural ways to care for our bodies. Our modern world has much to offer in the way of conveniences and comfort, but what it has to offer is not always the best thing for our health, in fact, some of what it has to offer is down right deadly. A new year has dawned, make the most of it. Take care of your health, for you will need it to be ready for what is coming.
wow on the weight loss.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Deb. Sometimes it still doesn't seem real, but it sure does feel better.
DeleteFern
Congratulation on making meaningful changes in your lifestyle. It's always amazing how such simple, relatively speaking, changes can be so powerful.
ReplyDeleteThis is my month for my 6 mo. checkups. For my primary care my questions are going to be about getting off the statin and the aspirin and for my dermatologist what chemicals to avoid in personal care products. He, by the way, is a proponent of eating organic whole foods.
I realize time is a precious commodity but you might be interested in http://www.therealtruthabouthealth.com/2015-conference-replays or at least the speakers who, I believe, all have posts on Youtube and many also have written books. Plus Dr. Robert Lustig, about sugar's role in poor health, also on Youtube and Dr. Michael Greger of Nutritionfacts.org. Granted, many of these speakers advocate a meat,dairy,egg free diet but they also advocate not using chemicals, pesticides, drugs, and a host of other non-natural additives.
The best to you and yours in the coming new year. May it be filled with love & peace.
Try water kefir instead of milk kefir. It can be made to be self-carbonating and flavored with a small amount of fruit or vegetable.
ReplyDeleteIt is amazing what you have done. Congrats on the weight loss, too. You know, soap making is not hard and you can also make shampoo bars like we do. Sometimes I still do crave a bag of potato chips,lol.
ReplyDeleteCongratulation on all you've done! I really need to try the no shampoo thing. And the lip balm, I go through so much of it too. Maybe things for the new year for US!
ReplyDeleteCongrats on all of your accomplishments :)
ReplyDeleteOne nice thing about starting a new year is looking back on the last one and seeing what we have accomplished!
Happy New Year!
After reading this I went back and read your post on soap making and thought I should bring two things to your attention. First, the reason for using a stick blender is because it is fully immersed in the soap while mixing and does not splatter. Splattering lye would not be a good thing so be careful if you choose to use the whisk. Second, there are two types of lye. Sodium Hydroxide (NaOH)is the lye crystals that you link to and what is most commonly used in making a bar of soap. Potassium hydroxide (KOH)is made from wood ash. Although I have not used it yet, I have read that it makes a soft or liquid soap. It would take a different recipe than using sodium hydroxide. Here is the soap calculator that I use. It give you the option of NaOH or KOH. http://soapcalc.net/calc/SoapCalcWP.asp
ReplyDeleteDear Frank and Fern,
ReplyDeleteCongratulation on your weight loss. I to have chosen to eat healthy. I watched my sister-in-law die of colon cancer. it was awful. I feel good, no health problems. I have eaten whole foods, organic when I can. I have been trying to make homemade cleaning products, personal care and food. I tried the baking soda shampoo, It made my hair break off. I tried it for a couple months, unfortunately I couldn't use it. Thanks for all you do. I am trying to prepare as best I can. The price keeps going up on clothes, food, health care products etc. I plan on doing more research on making as much as I can. Most people don't listen and when I try to talk about improving their health, they don't listen. I get ridiculed. I am committed to keep at it. God bless you.