Sure that's fairly known about, right? I mean, really, there are some stuff that we know is hazardous like bleach and Windex. Well, my husband found this article that was really interesting about how some odd household items that may seem so harmless can actually make our hormones go a little crazy. Like I said, some things I already knew, but there are others I didn't....
The first one mentioned is receipts. Seriously, I never thought anything of them. Usually I just throw them away or put them in our green can. However, there are many times where I'll hold on to them in my purse or even sitting around on my desk or next to my bed on a table.
Dust is another one. Sure, I know many people are allergic and a lot of sneezing can happen when cleaning and what not. Apparently there's a fire retardant that is hazardous and can cling to the dust. Many fabrics have fire retardants these days for kids clothes and furniture's like couches and beds. For obvious reasons, right? Personally I know I don't always get under the beds and couch every time I vacuum. Makes me wonder what kind of dust bunnies are collecting under there! Yeah, I'll be taking more time to get under those places...
I guess those were the only two that I wasn't really aware of. Others that were in the article were cleaning products, BPA in cans, pesticides on fruits and veggies, non-stick pans, and animal products. Looks like I'm not doing so bad!
Here is a link to the article: http://bit.ly/1aLx18K It has more information as far as the chemicals and what not.
Happy Thursday!
Thursday, October 31, 2013
Thursday, October 24, 2013
Calcium on a Vegan Diet
Happy Thursday all!
Awhile back I was confronted about how I don't give my children cows milk anymore. For awhile I was giving them soy milk and have made a switch to almond milk. I was asked, "Well, how are they getting any calcium?" Here is my response...:
Calcium is in many foods, not just cows milk or any other dairy product. So what else has calcium in it? Dark leafy greens, soy milk, almond milk, tofu, some orange juice, herbs like thyme and oregano, nuts and seeds, and that's just a short generalized list. Here's a picture I found with even more choices:
That's a lot of choices! So, you see, if people are eating a wide variety of fruits and vegetables, and eat enough of them, there shouldn't be a worry about getting in enough calcium. It should really be pretty easy. If you're not sure about how much you're getting and want to double check, there are many sites out there to keep track of your food logs and will show you how much of each nutrient you're getting each day. Usually this is something that you have to find on the site and set up on your own, but it is there. Two examples of free sites are www.sparkpeople.com and www.cronometer.com.
I hope everyone is having a great Thursday and found this blog helpful!
Disclaimer: I am not affiliated with these site, I just have experience using them and enjoyed them.
Awhile back I was confronted about how I don't give my children cows milk anymore. For awhile I was giving them soy milk and have made a switch to almond milk. I was asked, "Well, how are they getting any calcium?" Here is my response...:
Calcium is in many foods, not just cows milk or any other dairy product. So what else has calcium in it? Dark leafy greens, soy milk, almond milk, tofu, some orange juice, herbs like thyme and oregano, nuts and seeds, and that's just a short generalized list. Here's a picture I found with even more choices:
That's a lot of choices! So, you see, if people are eating a wide variety of fruits and vegetables, and eat enough of them, there shouldn't be a worry about getting in enough calcium. It should really be pretty easy. If you're not sure about how much you're getting and want to double check, there are many sites out there to keep track of your food logs and will show you how much of each nutrient you're getting each day. Usually this is something that you have to find on the site and set up on your own, but it is there. Two examples of free sites are www.sparkpeople.com and www.cronometer.com.
I hope everyone is having a great Thursday and found this blog helpful!
Disclaimer: I am not affiliated with these site, I just have experience using them and enjoyed them.
Wednesday, October 23, 2013
Halloween
Hey there everyone! Happy Wednesday! I know that fall time has been around for a short bit around here, but I'm really excited about it still. It's my most favorite time of year! When I was a kid it was because my birthday was coming up and I had a good three birthday parties every year. Another reason was because of Halloween. These days, my birthday isn't such a big deal, but Halloween is! Especially since I have kids!
What a great day to be whatever you want! In my opinion, it should be scary, but I also love seeing all the little ones all dressed up in super cute stuff too! I tried convincing my daughter to be a ghost, but she wanted to be a princess. So I thought, what about a princess ghost?? She didn't like that idea much. What did she end up picking? A cute cat costume! She doesn't know what she wants and she wants it all! lol My son is going to be Spiderman this year. He decided on that because he already had a mask. I tried to tell him that he can be whatever he wants, but he insisted. My husband hasn't decided yet and still needs to get to the store to find something. He's been a pirate for at least 2 years now so he's ready for a change up. Me? I've only been a pirate once last year so I'm going to stick with that for now.
I'm still trying to figure out some sort of candy to hand out to the kids that come to our house. I'd hate to buy the regular stuff that's given out, but I also don't want to be known as the house that gives away "uncool" stuff! It's funny how I'm starting to understand why adults would give out fruit, veggies, or floss. I'm trying to be creative, but maybe I should be trying to keep it simple...
What do you give out to kids since you've been vegetarian or vegan? What are you going to be for Halloween?
What a great day to be whatever you want! In my opinion, it should be scary, but I also love seeing all the little ones all dressed up in super cute stuff too! I tried convincing my daughter to be a ghost, but she wanted to be a princess. So I thought, what about a princess ghost?? She didn't like that idea much. What did she end up picking? A cute cat costume! She doesn't know what she wants and she wants it all! lol My son is going to be Spiderman this year. He decided on that because he already had a mask. I tried to tell him that he can be whatever he wants, but he insisted. My husband hasn't decided yet and still needs to get to the store to find something. He's been a pirate for at least 2 years now so he's ready for a change up. Me? I've only been a pirate once last year so I'm going to stick with that for now.
I'm still trying to figure out some sort of candy to hand out to the kids that come to our house. I'd hate to buy the regular stuff that's given out, but I also don't want to be known as the house that gives away "uncool" stuff! It's funny how I'm starting to understand why adults would give out fruit, veggies, or floss. I'm trying to be creative, but maybe I should be trying to keep it simple...
What do you give out to kids since you've been vegetarian or vegan? What are you going to be for Halloween?
Thursday, October 17, 2013
I'm so Congested!!!
Hello there everyone! I hope you're having a great start to Thursday morning! To me, it feels like Friday for some reason...
The past couple of days I have noticed that I'm a bit congested, runny nose, sneezing a lot, voice changing... Yesterday I started to get a big pressure headache. Sometimes when I try to blow my nose to try to relieve the pressure nothing is relieved... I feel extra tired too.
I've been racking my brain trying to figure how this happened. After all, I drink smoothies all the time, I mainly eat fruit which has a ton of vitamin C. I've started exercising again and make sure to keep myself warm when I go outside.
There are a few things that I can think of that would contribute to all this head stuffiness... First would be stress. I'm always in a good mood and happy, but there are always things that are going on that I'm constantly thinking about. So even though I may not necessarily feel very stressed out I very well could be. In fact I know I am. Stress can be so hard on the body. And there are so many different kinds of stress, like physical, mental, emotional... I haven't been sleeping too well these days with my mind racing all the time with what I need to do all the time. Plus I have two kids! They alone keep me so busy!
Another trigger could be that maybe I'm not eating enough. Sometimes lunch time will go by and I don't even know it. I just keep busy with what I've been working on and next thing I know it's time to get the kids from the bus stop. Sometimes I snack with them, but it's usually not enough and most of the time I really don't snack with them. I'll just start dinner a little earlier or something and wait for that to finish.
On top of that, my son has been coughing a bit. I probably got it from him. He doesn't seem as bad off as I am though. Maybe because he doesn't have as many stresses as I do and gets to play more! And, of course, I make sure he eats good so he's a bit better off than me this time around.
All of those things put together could cause a head cold, right? I think so. With the daily stresses and the weather getting colder my immune system is going down. Then add to that not consuming enough vitamins and minerals to properly fight off any infections that could be starting and I've got myself a head issue! Even my ears feel plugged up :(
So I'm working on a plan to help me recover and hope that it doesn't turn in to anything infectious. First, I'm going to make sure that I drink lots of smoothies today that are filled with vitamin C and other things I need. Water is another one that is very important. I drank so much water yesterday, it was crazy...Today I'm going to keep track of how much I drink. Water is the best expectorant there is. Better than any meds out there! The extra water should help loosen up the yuckies so I can get it out better. And last, but not least, I'm going to try to take it easy today! I'm thinking video games for the rest of the day.
When you start to feel a sickness coming on what do you do to try to keep it from getting worse?
I hope everyone else is feeling great today!
The past couple of days I have noticed that I'm a bit congested, runny nose, sneezing a lot, voice changing... Yesterday I started to get a big pressure headache. Sometimes when I try to blow my nose to try to relieve the pressure nothing is relieved... I feel extra tired too.
I've been racking my brain trying to figure how this happened. After all, I drink smoothies all the time, I mainly eat fruit which has a ton of vitamin C. I've started exercising again and make sure to keep myself warm when I go outside.
There are a few things that I can think of that would contribute to all this head stuffiness... First would be stress. I'm always in a good mood and happy, but there are always things that are going on that I'm constantly thinking about. So even though I may not necessarily feel very stressed out I very well could be. In fact I know I am. Stress can be so hard on the body. And there are so many different kinds of stress, like physical, mental, emotional... I haven't been sleeping too well these days with my mind racing all the time with what I need to do all the time. Plus I have two kids! They alone keep me so busy!
Another trigger could be that maybe I'm not eating enough. Sometimes lunch time will go by and I don't even know it. I just keep busy with what I've been working on and next thing I know it's time to get the kids from the bus stop. Sometimes I snack with them, but it's usually not enough and most of the time I really don't snack with them. I'll just start dinner a little earlier or something and wait for that to finish.
On top of that, my son has been coughing a bit. I probably got it from him. He doesn't seem as bad off as I am though. Maybe because he doesn't have as many stresses as I do and gets to play more! And, of course, I make sure he eats good so he's a bit better off than me this time around.
All of those things put together could cause a head cold, right? I think so. With the daily stresses and the weather getting colder my immune system is going down. Then add to that not consuming enough vitamins and minerals to properly fight off any infections that could be starting and I've got myself a head issue! Even my ears feel plugged up :(
So I'm working on a plan to help me recover and hope that it doesn't turn in to anything infectious. First, I'm going to make sure that I drink lots of smoothies today that are filled with vitamin C and other things I need. Water is another one that is very important. I drank so much water yesterday, it was crazy...Today I'm going to keep track of how much I drink. Water is the best expectorant there is. Better than any meds out there! The extra water should help loosen up the yuckies so I can get it out better. And last, but not least, I'm going to try to take it easy today! I'm thinking video games for the rest of the day.
When you start to feel a sickness coming on what do you do to try to keep it from getting worse?
I hope everyone else is feeling great today!
Wednesday, October 16, 2013
Essential Oils
How many of you use essential oils? Awhile back I started getting into them because they are natural and they smell good too! At the time, though, for me it was more work than I was really ready for. But any small start is still a start, right?
I tried using them for my own toothpaste, in the bath, as a cleaner... There are so many more other uses for them too! That was just my beginning. The toothpaste thing just didn't work out. Plus, I was trying to avoid having to buy it altogether, but the rest of the family is not always on the same page as I am and my husband refused to even try it. That's when I started to get picky about what I buy.
My husband also didn't like it when I used it as a cleaner because he said it was smelly. What I did was put some tea tree oil in with vinegar. I might have used something else too like lavender, but I'm not 100% sure. The tea tree oil has so many great properties it's perfect for cleaning. I would also use the lavender and tea tree oils in the bath and just relax. It was so nice and I would always come out soft, relaxed, and just good all over.
Right now I've been using some tea tree oil for a cut I have on my lip. I've been having a battle with my lip for a good week or two now... I bit it once and it's been crazy since then. Everyday I would accidentally bite it over and over again... It has been hurting so bad! It's healing now, but it's been a long process since I kept biting it. To help it along I have been dabbing a little bit of tea tree oil on a q-tip and putting that on the sore part. It makes it tingle hehehe! It also helps me keep from playing with it making it more irritated. You ever get a bruise and poke at it even though it hurt? Ya it's like that.
Now that I'm working on getting better products for the home I'm thinking about getting into essential oils again. They smell good, don't really go bad, are cheap enough because it's concentrated, there are so many to choose from and so many more reasons to go this route! Along with adding them to vinegar for cleaning they could also be added to oils and used as a topical for various issues.
At one point I had a book about how to use essential oils. There were recipes in there for so many things including hair wash. Personally I think it would be easier to just use a good shampoo, but who knows when I'll move into that! One step at a time, right?
What do you use your essential oils for? What is your favorite essential oil and why?
My Kids and Food Additives
Another hump day! I hope it's going well for everyone so far!
I was thinking about how I am very particular about what I eat and what I give to my kids. Both of my kids are in soccer and we rotate with snacks at the games. It can be pretty tough, especially for my kids because I am so picky and don't want them having most things that most families allow in their diets.
One of the first things that come into mind is Gatorade. There are those fake colors that are added to it. When I researched the colors they are known to cause hyperactivity in children. And that's just the minimum! Then my thoughts start to wander onto other food items that have the same colors and the general fake ingredients... It's terrible. It's sad too that so many people don't even know what they are giving their families. And they all probably think I'm crazy if they all knew what was going on in my head about all this stuff! And that's just the colors! What about the high fructose corn syrup, BHT, MSG, and so many others that are out there. Oh and then the GMO's! Geez, it's like it never ends! In the end it's pretty basic stuff that's ok to eat. Fruits, veggies, some nuts and seeds... I like rice and quinoa too.
I wonder who thinks I'm extreme? Maybe extremely caring! I just want the best for my family. I want them to grow up knowing why we don't eat certain things. When they get old enough to make their own decisions, they will have the knowledge and can choose for themselves.
There are so many things that can be made with all the basic ingredients. Sure it doesn't last as long, but that's ok. Make just enough for the time being. Of course, there are many people out there who are so busy and don't have the time to do things like make their own bread. Thankfully, there are many stores and places online that offer great healthy foods without the additives.
What are some food ingredients that you look out for when feeding your family? Why is it important to you?
I hope you are all having a great Wednesday!
I was thinking about how I am very particular about what I eat and what I give to my kids. Both of my kids are in soccer and we rotate with snacks at the games. It can be pretty tough, especially for my kids because I am so picky and don't want them having most things that most families allow in their diets.
One of the first things that come into mind is Gatorade. There are those fake colors that are added to it. When I researched the colors they are known to cause hyperactivity in children. And that's just the minimum! Then my thoughts start to wander onto other food items that have the same colors and the general fake ingredients... It's terrible. It's sad too that so many people don't even know what they are giving their families. And they all probably think I'm crazy if they all knew what was going on in my head about all this stuff! And that's just the colors! What about the high fructose corn syrup, BHT, MSG, and so many others that are out there. Oh and then the GMO's! Geez, it's like it never ends! In the end it's pretty basic stuff that's ok to eat. Fruits, veggies, some nuts and seeds... I like rice and quinoa too.
I wonder who thinks I'm extreme? Maybe extremely caring! I just want the best for my family. I want them to grow up knowing why we don't eat certain things. When they get old enough to make their own decisions, they will have the knowledge and can choose for themselves.
There are so many things that can be made with all the basic ingredients. Sure it doesn't last as long, but that's ok. Make just enough for the time being. Of course, there are many people out there who are so busy and don't have the time to do things like make their own bread. Thankfully, there are many stores and places online that offer great healthy foods without the additives.
What are some food ingredients that you look out for when feeding your family? Why is it important to you?
I hope you are all having a great Wednesday!
Tuesday, October 15, 2013
Coupons and Cruelty-Free Products
Happy Tuesday everyone! Over the past few months I started couponing. It's been a lot of fun and I have saved so much money! Well over the past couple of months I haven't really had the need to use any coupons because we are so stocked up everything. Plus I ran out of color ink...
So I got myself some colored ink and I'm ready to print out some coupons! The thing is, I've gotten very particular about the products I buy these days. It's been kind of nice having the supplies so I can sort through and find things that I would rather buy. That would be those things that are cruelty-free, of course.
Unfortunately, pretty much everything I got from the coupons are not cruelty-free! It's a real bummer because many of those things I really enjoyed. Some I was really really hoping would be cruelty-free, but alas, they are not... I remember thinking, "Come on you're my favorite! You've gotta be cruelty-free!!" But no...
Of course my first place to look at to see what's cruelty-free or not was on the PETA website. I also look for the bunny on the back of products if I'm shopping and not sure about what is what. That little bunny sure is helpful!
These are my thoughts as I was starting to look around for coupons this morning. I saw one that looked interesting for a product made from Simple and saw a little icon next to it with the "U" for Unilever and thought I had better check that out. Sure enough, they are not a good one...
My next project after I finish this blog post is to find coupons for companies that are cruelty-free. Do you know of any that you would like to share? What are your favorite cruelty-free products to use?
I hope you are all having a great start to the week! I look forward to your comments!
So I got myself some colored ink and I'm ready to print out some coupons! The thing is, I've gotten very particular about the products I buy these days. It's been kind of nice having the supplies so I can sort through and find things that I would rather buy. That would be those things that are cruelty-free, of course.
Unfortunately, pretty much everything I got from the coupons are not cruelty-free! It's a real bummer because many of those things I really enjoyed. Some I was really really hoping would be cruelty-free, but alas, they are not... I remember thinking, "Come on you're my favorite! You've gotta be cruelty-free!!" But no...
Of course my first place to look at to see what's cruelty-free or not was on the PETA website. I also look for the bunny on the back of products if I'm shopping and not sure about what is what. That little bunny sure is helpful!
These are my thoughts as I was starting to look around for coupons this morning. I saw one that looked interesting for a product made from Simple and saw a little icon next to it with the "U" for Unilever and thought I had better check that out. Sure enough, they are not a good one...
My next project after I finish this blog post is to find coupons for companies that are cruelty-free. Do you know of any that you would like to share? What are your favorite cruelty-free products to use?
I hope you are all having a great start to the week! I look forward to your comments!
Thursday, October 10, 2013
Healthy Hemp Bread
Hi there everyone! Happy Thursday! For me, in beautiful California, it is going to be another fabulous Fall day! Autumn is my favorite time of year and October is my favorite month. Have I mentioned that before? :p
Lately I have been avoiding buying bread. It was so much more convenient to buy it, but lately I have been wanting to bake my own. Especially since I have a bread machine! Right now I'm trying to use up all the flour that I have had sitting in the cupboard. All I have left is all-purpose unbleached flour and wheat flour.
This recipe wasn't followed by a previous recipe. I just made it up on my own. I've made bread here and there before, but ALWAYS used a recipe. These days...eh...
I forgot to take a picture of the bread when it was whole so this is all I have, haha! The kids needed it for their lunches. Here is the picture:
It came out pretty dense and oh so good. I like to put a little bit of sugar in it just to add that little sweetness to it. One of these days I'll use a better sugar... (the refined kind is just not that great...)...
Here's the recipe:
1.5 cups unsweetened almond milk (that's just what I had. The other times I used the sweetened version).
1 mashed ripe banana
1.5 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
1.5 cups whole wheat flour
1/2 cup of sugar
1 tsp baking powder
maybe a tsp of salt
1.5 tsp quick rising yeast
2 Tbsp raw hemp seeds
First I mashed the banana. Then I put all of the ingredients in the machine in the order listed as that is the process for my bread machine. (Liquid first, then the flowers and yeast on top).
My machine can make up to a 2lb loaf. I didn't weigh this one, so I'm not sure how heavy it is...but it took up about half of the pan. I suppose since it's more dense it would make it shorter compared to a light and fluffy loaf which would probably be taller... Please, correct me if I'm wrong!
In Cron-o-meter I was able to write up the recipe and find out all the nutrient facts for the bread. I figured that the loaf made about 14 slices that are about 1/2 an inch thick. Per slice:
Calories: 144
Fat: 1g
Cholesterol: 0g
Sodium: 209mg
Total Carbohydrates: 30g
- Sugars: 9g
- Dietary Fiber: 2g
Protein: 4g
If you want any other detail information on the nutritional facts, let me know! Once I finish up with this flour I am going to start playing with gluten free. Other than the hemp seeds, I'm looking at vegan, gluten free, and fat free! Or at least super low fat :)
As far as for those looking at the 80/10/10 aspect, this bread is 81% carbs, 10.3% protein, and 8.5% fat. Yay me for making it in there!
If you try this recipe out let me know how it goes and post a picture with comments!! That would be exciting to hear :)
Have a great day everyone!
Lately I have been avoiding buying bread. It was so much more convenient to buy it, but lately I have been wanting to bake my own. Especially since I have a bread machine! Right now I'm trying to use up all the flour that I have had sitting in the cupboard. All I have left is all-purpose unbleached flour and wheat flour.
This recipe wasn't followed by a previous recipe. I just made it up on my own. I've made bread here and there before, but ALWAYS used a recipe. These days...eh...
I forgot to take a picture of the bread when it was whole so this is all I have, haha! The kids needed it for their lunches. Here is the picture:
It came out pretty dense and oh so good. I like to put a little bit of sugar in it just to add that little sweetness to it. One of these days I'll use a better sugar... (the refined kind is just not that great...)...
Here's the recipe:
1.5 cups unsweetened almond milk (that's just what I had. The other times I used the sweetened version).
1 mashed ripe banana
1.5 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
1.5 cups whole wheat flour
1/2 cup of sugar
1 tsp baking powder
maybe a tsp of salt
1.5 tsp quick rising yeast
2 Tbsp raw hemp seeds
First I mashed the banana. Then I put all of the ingredients in the machine in the order listed as that is the process for my bread machine. (Liquid first, then the flowers and yeast on top).
My machine can make up to a 2lb loaf. I didn't weigh this one, so I'm not sure how heavy it is...but it took up about half of the pan. I suppose since it's more dense it would make it shorter compared to a light and fluffy loaf which would probably be taller... Please, correct me if I'm wrong!
In Cron-o-meter I was able to write up the recipe and find out all the nutrient facts for the bread. I figured that the loaf made about 14 slices that are about 1/2 an inch thick. Per slice:
Calories: 144
Fat: 1g
Cholesterol: 0g
Sodium: 209mg
Total Carbohydrates: 30g
- Sugars: 9g
- Dietary Fiber: 2g
Protein: 4g
If you want any other detail information on the nutritional facts, let me know! Once I finish up with this flour I am going to start playing with gluten free. Other than the hemp seeds, I'm looking at vegan, gluten free, and fat free! Or at least super low fat :)
As far as for those looking at the 80/10/10 aspect, this bread is 81% carbs, 10.3% protein, and 8.5% fat. Yay me for making it in there!
If you try this recipe out let me know how it goes and post a picture with comments!! That would be exciting to hear :)
Have a great day everyone!
Tuesday, October 8, 2013
While I'm Job Hunting....
Happy Tuesday everyone! I hope you are all doing well!
I have been looking for a job since I received my bachelors degree in nutrition science and so far haven't had any luck... And I think I'm starting to go backwards in my job searching.
Let me explain. When I first started looking I was pretty much trying to find anything I can so I can get some experience in. That's normal, right? I also took up making sure to blog more often including making a Facebook page for the blog and a Twitter account and asked for volunteers for those wanting to lose weight and get healthier. Oh! And I started a YouTube account! Well, there weren't really many job openings for someone who is just out of college, lives in the area I live in, and who only has a bachelor's degree compared to being a registered dietitian. All jobs seem to require a registered dietitian! It's making life tough.
Well anyway...as I have been searching I ended up starting to get more picky. I don't want just any job. Sure I need the experience, but I want to be happy where I work at. Plus, it's hard to try to tell people what is healthy (like milk and what not) when I don't believe in telling people it's safe to eat those products. How can I do that? I only want to tell people about how they shouldn't be eating animal products and to eat more fruits and veggies! So I started looking at vegan jobs. There are probably less of those. In a way there are many! However, there aren't any where I live. Which is another reason why I wanted to make sure to focus on my blog more and volunteers.
It's tough being vegan. Can anyone else relate?
Oh, but I wanted to mention how I found an article about how at PCRM they have a vegan friendly office environment. How cool would that be? Who has worked at an office? I have. And I remember people microwaving fish, stinking up the whole office area... Not to mention the potlucks. I love potlucks, but when people only bring junk food, it's not that great. There's just those little things that add up. If it was a vegan environment, I would be in heaven! It just seems like it would be so much more fun! And to be able to work with people who are like-minded would be amazing. Something I strive for.
I know that eventually I will get the job that I dream of. Problem is, I need to start making money very very soon. The sooner the better of course. I'll get there! Just have to keep on keeping on.
Do you have any horror stories from a job? One time a woman gave me a fish head in my lunch... So incredibly rude. I wasn't even vegan then yet. And I was pregnant...
Have a great day everyone!
I have been looking for a job since I received my bachelors degree in nutrition science and so far haven't had any luck... And I think I'm starting to go backwards in my job searching.
Let me explain. When I first started looking I was pretty much trying to find anything I can so I can get some experience in. That's normal, right? I also took up making sure to blog more often including making a Facebook page for the blog and a Twitter account and asked for volunteers for those wanting to lose weight and get healthier. Oh! And I started a YouTube account! Well, there weren't really many job openings for someone who is just out of college, lives in the area I live in, and who only has a bachelor's degree compared to being a registered dietitian. All jobs seem to require a registered dietitian! It's making life tough.
Well anyway...as I have been searching I ended up starting to get more picky. I don't want just any job. Sure I need the experience, but I want to be happy where I work at. Plus, it's hard to try to tell people what is healthy (like milk and what not) when I don't believe in telling people it's safe to eat those products. How can I do that? I only want to tell people about how they shouldn't be eating animal products and to eat more fruits and veggies! So I started looking at vegan jobs. There are probably less of those. In a way there are many! However, there aren't any where I live. Which is another reason why I wanted to make sure to focus on my blog more and volunteers.
It's tough being vegan. Can anyone else relate?
Oh, but I wanted to mention how I found an article about how at PCRM they have a vegan friendly office environment. How cool would that be? Who has worked at an office? I have. And I remember people microwaving fish, stinking up the whole office area... Not to mention the potlucks. I love potlucks, but when people only bring junk food, it's not that great. There's just those little things that add up. If it was a vegan environment, I would be in heaven! It just seems like it would be so much more fun! And to be able to work with people who are like-minded would be amazing. Something I strive for.
I know that eventually I will get the job that I dream of. Problem is, I need to start making money very very soon. The sooner the better of course. I'll get there! Just have to keep on keeping on.
Do you have any horror stories from a job? One time a woman gave me a fish head in my lunch... So incredibly rude. I wasn't even vegan then yet. And I was pregnant...
Have a great day everyone!
Monday, October 7, 2013
Cauliflower Soup
Happy Monday everyone! Today I was in the mood to try making something new. I've been meaning to make mashed cauliflower for a long time. Just haven't gotten around to it. But today I was able to at least try! Problem is it came out more like a soup. Works for me!
What I did was steam a head of cauliflower on the stove until very soft. Then I put it all into the blender.
I added some of the water from the pot into it, a small tad of vegan margarine (just a little!), and a little bit of seasonings.
Here's how it came out:
Yum! My son are a bunch of it for lunch. He really liked it! That makes me a happy mom!
Has anyone else ever tried making mashed cauliflower? How do you make yours?
Thursday, October 3, 2013
Vegan Pets
Happy Thursday!!
I wanted to ask about having pets go vegan? Particularly dogs. I've heard it's just not a good idea for cats to go vegan. However, I have also heard about people having their dogs go vegan. Is that healthy for them?
From what I've seen online, yes it is. They are omnivores which mean they don't eat just meat. They like veggies too. And from what I have learned from my dog is they may enjoy many fruits too! My dog especially likes watermelon. I have seen both pick up veggies that have fallen on the floor and take them to another place in the house and gnaw at them. (Usually the carrots are gnawed and left behind).
I have been thinking about switching my pups to a vegan diet. The more I move out of going vegan for health reasons, the more I want to make a switch in everything. And if it's safe for my pups to be vegan, then I want them to be. I have a feeling they would lose a few pounds too! (Which they both could really use!!) And to think, if going vegan helps us humans out so well with things like more energy, sleeping better, wanting to exercise, better skin and so much more, what will it do for the dogs? Softer fur maybe? Sure why not!
So I looked around online and found a brand that sells vegan dog food. They are V-dog: For Pooch & Planet. Here is the link. They sell other stuff for the dogs too like breath bones. Personally I would need the 30lb bag which would cost $53 and the shipping is free. Not sure about taxes though. That would probably just depend on your location.
Other than buying the kibble, another option would be to make it myself. I haven't been able to look at a lot of recipes yet. As I mentioned earlier, I'm not exactly sure what it is that dogs need. I know what people need, but not dogs for the most part. If anyone has any good recipes for dog food post them in the comments! If I find anything too I will post about it. Ideally, for me, I would like to make something that I can make a lot of so I can freeze it and use it as necessary.
I hope everyone is having a great day! The week is almost over!
Did you work out today??
Friday, September 27, 2013
Happy Hug A Vegan Day!!
Yay!! I'm so excited! It's my first celebration like this since I've been a vegan. I didn't know that it even existed, but I suppose I should have known. There really are all kinds of things that go on in the vegan world and it's amazing. Just need to look out for it all. Sometimes it seems like there is nothing going on and at other times there are many things going on!
I know this is posted later in the day (sorry!), but I hope you received a hug and gave some out! Mine were all cyberhugs :) What about you? Happy....
I know this is posted later in the day (sorry!), but I hope you received a hug and gave some out! Mine were all cyberhugs :) What about you? Happy....
Thursday, September 26, 2013
The Importance of Water
I got really thirsty all of a sudden and thought, I'm going to make a blog post about it.
Water is so critically important for the body. Most of the body is made up of water which is one reason why we need to make sure we are very hydrated. There are in fact so many reasons why drinking water is so good that I don't even have to do any research on it. Everyone knows that it's important. But how many of you are actually drinking what you're supposed to?
How much water should we be drinking anyway? I believe the food pyramid says we should have eight 8 ounce cups per day. I think that's a severe minimum of what we should be having. In my opinion, three liters per day should be the minimum. That's about 12 cups of water. Almost a gallon! And that's not counting if you're getting exercise! If you are exercising you should be getting a lot more water. Coffee, energy drinks, soda, and any other liquids don't count!!!! Including tea! Just because you put water in to make your coffee or tea doesn't count as water being drunk...
In that pictures posted above is a good start for why everyone should drink enough water. It also helps with digestion and prevention of constipation. Gross, right? But hey, it is what it is. Don't want that crap (literally) inside you, right? Personally, I drink at least a liter of water every morning before I eat. I'm so thirsty anyway from not having anything to drink all night it's so easy to do!
Where should you get your water from? I suggest filtered tap water. NOT water bottles from the store! For more information on that watch the documentary called Tapped. It's very good. Plus, if you're not recycling they just end up in landfills and ruin the environment. And I believe that even though many people are recycling there are too many to recycle anyway and it all just ends up polluting our Earth anyway. Using a reusable water bottle is very helpful. I got my husband one that is made out of glass because he hates the plastic ones. Glass is much more able to be recycled too so if it breaks and we have to throw it away, I'll feel a lot better about recycling it than those other ones....
So with that......
It's so good for you! It's so incredibly important to have it!! Think you can't drink that much water? Give it a try! See how much water you can consume in a day. Keep track of how much and how you feel at the end of the day. Yes, you will pee a lot. That's because your body is flushing out all the yucky stuff that it doesn't need. Eventually it gets easier. Just keep at it. And eventually it will feel good to drink that much water.
You'll know you're drinking enough when your pee is clear every time you go. That doesn't mean you can stop for the day. It just means that you're doing good! Freelee from 30bananasaday.com suggests peeing about 10 times per day! That's a lot, right? It just seems that way because most people aren't used to that.
So give it a try! I dare you! And with that, have a great Thursday!
Water is so critically important for the body. Most of the body is made up of water which is one reason why we need to make sure we are very hydrated. There are in fact so many reasons why drinking water is so good that I don't even have to do any research on it. Everyone knows that it's important. But how many of you are actually drinking what you're supposed to?
How much water should we be drinking anyway? I believe the food pyramid says we should have eight 8 ounce cups per day. I think that's a severe minimum of what we should be having. In my opinion, three liters per day should be the minimum. That's about 12 cups of water. Almost a gallon! And that's not counting if you're getting exercise! If you are exercising you should be getting a lot more water. Coffee, energy drinks, soda, and any other liquids don't count!!!! Including tea! Just because you put water in to make your coffee or tea doesn't count as water being drunk...
In that pictures posted above is a good start for why everyone should drink enough water. It also helps with digestion and prevention of constipation. Gross, right? But hey, it is what it is. Don't want that crap (literally) inside you, right? Personally, I drink at least a liter of water every morning before I eat. I'm so thirsty anyway from not having anything to drink all night it's so easy to do!
Where should you get your water from? I suggest filtered tap water. NOT water bottles from the store! For more information on that watch the documentary called Tapped. It's very good. Plus, if you're not recycling they just end up in landfills and ruin the environment. And I believe that even though many people are recycling there are too many to recycle anyway and it all just ends up polluting our Earth anyway. Using a reusable water bottle is very helpful. I got my husband one that is made out of glass because he hates the plastic ones. Glass is much more able to be recycled too so if it breaks and we have to throw it away, I'll feel a lot better about recycling it than those other ones....
So with that......
It's so good for you! It's so incredibly important to have it!! Think you can't drink that much water? Give it a try! See how much water you can consume in a day. Keep track of how much and how you feel at the end of the day. Yes, you will pee a lot. That's because your body is flushing out all the yucky stuff that it doesn't need. Eventually it gets easier. Just keep at it. And eventually it will feel good to drink that much water.
You'll know you're drinking enough when your pee is clear every time you go. That doesn't mean you can stop for the day. It just means that you're doing good! Freelee from 30bananasaday.com suggests peeing about 10 times per day! That's a lot, right? It just seems that way because most people aren't used to that.
So give it a try! I dare you! And with that, have a great Thursday!
Wednesday, September 25, 2013
Why I Went Vegan
I couldn't wait another day to post this up since it's on my mind. And honestly, I don't have to wait if I don't want to, right? Pft! Heck no! lol
So my reasons for going vegan....Originally it was because I was severely overweight and wanted to change my diet to lose weight. In the past (before my switch) I had tried many different diets and I usually did them just because I thought they were crazy and I wanted to see if I would actually lose weight and see if I could even finish the week or whatever it was! They were usually just so crazy! There are many out there, however, that I wouldn't even give the time of day.
So there I was on my search for something real. I looked into the Mediterranean diet, an Asian diet, strictly following the food pyramid...I figured, these were supposed to be real and actually keep people healthy, right? And I should lose weight too, right?
Not really... I just couldn't follow and I always felt hungry and just some things didn't make sense to me. Then one day I found the gourmet raw vegan lifestyle. It's fruits, veggies, nuts, and seeds. All whole foods that are natural with all the nutrients the body needs. The hardest part was that it would be raw. I decided it was important to find out, "why raw"? Which was a great idea. It wasn't long later that I finally convinced my husband to throw the microwave away!
I lasted about 6 months eating a raw gourmet diet. In the beginning I ate bread and cheese, thinking I couldn't live without them. Eventually I weeded them out. I still drank a ton of alcohol. Eventually, we went camping and I didn't have enough variety of food. I think all I had was this "chocolate fudge" stuff I made. Sure it was delicious, but one can't live on that for long. Everyone else around me was feasting on all their camping foods. I was drinking and finally gave in to what they were eating. I had lost about 40 pounds during those 6 months and I was very excited about it.
I fell off the wagon and wasn't sure about going back. There was something about the diet, though, that was just so good and right. The idea of eating all whole foods, raw, to get the most out of them was just undeniably good. Of course, the gourmet way wasn't the right way, but it was definitely a good start.
For a long time I went back and forth with being a meat eater minus the dairy, vegan, raw....It was such a rollercoaster. Anytime I went anywhere to visit people would ask my husband, "now what is she eating?" It was embarrassing a lot of times because I just wanted it to work and I never could get it to work.
Last year I was doing well with being raw until around the holidays, (I think)... Somehow one bite turned into something else. I didn't tell anyone and tried to hide it, but many caught on. In January I FINALLY quit eating meat for good. I was just so done with it. I was still eating cheese until probably February. I was finally done with that one too. Thank goodness!!!!!!
So since February I have nutritionally been 100% vegan. That's how it happened. It started with trying to lose weight and was always the main goal. Once that wasn't the main goal and the animals and environment were it was a much easier change. It's gross, to say the least, how things are done in the meat and dairy industry. It's just so wrong.
That is my why. Did you catch all that? What is your why for going vegan, raw vegan, or at least vegetarian?
Veggie News
Happy Hump Day!! I love Wednesdays. I think it's mostly because my husband usually works from home (even though he isn't today), but I also think it's because the first half of the week is done and now I can look forward to getting ready for the weekend. Post people are working for the weekend. I suppose a Wednesday might be a bit different for those who don't get the weekends off.
Back to the point! So I was having a tough time figuring out what to write about today. I wanted it to be good, ya know? I decided to get into bed and rest my foot while I did some research on the internet using my Kindle. I got curious about how many people are at least vegetarians these days.
The first link I saw was at Vegetarian Times and their article is called Vegetarianism In America. It's a pretty cool study that was published by them and was done in 2008. Now, I know that was five years ago, so the numbers I would imagine are going to be bigger. Some fun facts that were noted:
Back to the point! So I was having a tough time figuring out what to write about today. I wanted it to be good, ya know? I decided to get into bed and rest my foot while I did some research on the internet using my Kindle. I got curious about how many people are at least vegetarians these days.
The first link I saw was at Vegetarian Times and their article is called Vegetarianism In America. It's a pretty cool study that was published by them and was done in 2008. Now, I know that was five years ago, so the numbers I would imagine are going to be bigger. Some fun facts that were noted:
- 11.9 million people are "definitely interested" in following a vegetarian based diet sometime in the future.
- 7.3 million people follow a vegetarian based diet.
- 1 million of those 7.3 million are vegans. (Woohoo! Go vegans!)
- 22.8 million people say they largely follow a vegetarian-inclined diet.
A vegetarian-inclined diet to me means they aren't the type of people who just focus on what meat they will have and possibly think of fruits and veggies first. Maybe.
Other fun facts was that the percentage of men or women who are vegetarian are about 50/50. It's pretty darn close! And 57% of these people have been vegetarian for at least 10 years! That's a long time! Next time I'll have to look for a study done on vegans.
One thing that this article made me think about was how people make the awesome decision to stop eating meat, but not any of the other products. Sure a lot of death is prevented and that's amazing. But with continuing with eating dairy products and usually eggs, there is still a lot of death that is happening. Not to mention the amount of yucky stuff that's in those products. I suppose I'll have to do a post about that too. But it also makes me wonder what their real "why" is to go vegetarian in the first place? Which is what the next blog post will definitely be about!
Have a great Wednesday!
Reference
Vegetarian Times. (2013). Vegetarianism In America. Retrieved on September 25, 2013 from: www.vegetariantimes.com/article/vegetarianism-in-america/
Tuesday, September 24, 2013
Woohoo! First video!
Hey everyone! I finally did it! I got my first video up on YouTube! It's just an intro, but it's a start, right? Gotta start somewhere! Go ahead and check it out!
http://youtu.be/ogAC3QF4tpI I'm really excited! Happy Tuesday!
http://youtu.be/ogAC3QF4tpI I'm really excited! Happy Tuesday!
Moving Things Forward
Good morning everyone! Yesterday I worked hard on all my projects. I have a lot going on lately! So I wanted make sure that you're all including on what's been going on.
Vegan to Raw is now on Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube! I don't have any video's up yet, but I will be doing that today. I'm so excited to be actually moving forward with everything!
So make sure you go check out all those places! It's all the same name - Vegan to Raw! Ya buddy!
Let me know what you would like to see more of around here on Vegan to Raw and I'll see what I can do to incorporate it.
I hope everyone is having a great day!
Vegan to Raw is now on Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube! I don't have any video's up yet, but I will be doing that today. I'm so excited to be actually moving forward with everything!
So make sure you go check out all those places! It's all the same name - Vegan to Raw! Ya buddy!
Let me know what you would like to see more of around here on Vegan to Raw and I'll see what I can do to incorporate it.
I hope everyone is having a great day!
Monday, September 23, 2013
Update: Sports drinks at my kids' school
I've contacted the principal of the school and she said that the foods in the vending machines are along the policies based on how much sugar is in them. I asked her who else I could talk to and she said she would send my emails to the superintendent and invited me to go to a safety meeting next month.
I'm really excited about the meeting! I plan to be there with information to prove that those drinks shouldn't be allowed at the school, even in the vending machines. There is so much more in the drink to consider besides sugar content!
I'll keep you updated!
I'm really excited about the meeting! I plan to be there with information to prove that those drinks shouldn't be allowed at the school, even in the vending machines. There is so much more in the drink to consider besides sugar content!
I'll keep you updated!
Exercising While Foot is Broken
Happy Monday everyone! Last week I make a post about how I hurt my foot. It's not getting much better very fast, so I've been down and out this whole time. It still hurts so much and is so bruised. And my "ring toe" keeps going numb. I've been having a hard time getting it to not do that....
Before I hurt myself I was starting to get back into an exercise routine. I'll admit, all last week I didn't exercise... I was emotionally and physically down and out. I can't be like that forever, though, right?! Heck no!! So this morning my husband and kids helped out by putting my weights next to my desk so I can easily get to them and do some upper body work while I'm sitting around. No reason not too, right? Heck no!!
It feels so good to be able to do something. The crutches are a workout though too. My arms and right leg are definitely stronger! But, to keep in the habit of exercising every day I have to do something and that is my plan. Some exercises I did this morning are some chest flies, shoulder press, bicep curls, and triceps extensions.
I just hope my foot heals up fast...I'm trying to take it easy so it can heal.
That's about it for now though. I hope everyone is having a great Monday! Gotta start it out right!
Before I hurt myself I was starting to get back into an exercise routine. I'll admit, all last week I didn't exercise... I was emotionally and physically down and out. I can't be like that forever, though, right?! Heck no!! So this morning my husband and kids helped out by putting my weights next to my desk so I can easily get to them and do some upper body work while I'm sitting around. No reason not too, right? Heck no!!
It feels so good to be able to do something. The crutches are a workout though too. My arms and right leg are definitely stronger! But, to keep in the habit of exercising every day I have to do something and that is my plan. Some exercises I did this morning are some chest flies, shoulder press, bicep curls, and triceps extensions.
I just hope my foot heals up fast...I'm trying to take it easy so it can heal.
That's about it for now though. I hope everyone is having a great Monday! Gotta start it out right!
Friday, September 20, 2013
I managed to hurt myself...again!
Happy Friday everyone! I've been down and out for a bit... A few weeks ago I hurt my back. I was in bed literally for days, couldn't hardly move...eventually it got better. I was good for about a week or so, started to feel comfortable with exercising... Even started to forget about my back! How exciting, right? Ya...well then last Sunday I was working my butt off outside in the side yard. Cleaning up, kicking butt, throwing stuff away...It was awesome.
I was only going to do so much, but the side yard was looking so good! I couldn't stop, I was almost done! So there were some boards that needed to get cut so we (husband and I) could just toss it in the garbage when the can wasn't so full. The boards were actually plywood. They were rotted, moldy...just plain nasty. They were tough to break on our own so my husband thought we should just cut it with a saw. Sure thing! Well, it wasn't working out so well... So he propped it up and said to just kick it. Sweet! That was so much fun. It really, really was. I got the board 2 times; doing great. But then the third try came...it was all bad...
I hurt my ankle. It hurt so bad. I was so scared to even try to use my foot right after I kicked that board. But I knew that I had to try so I did and it was hard. Had to sit right back down. In a matter of seconds my ankle was so so SO swollen. It looked so bad. I told my husband that I had to get to the doctor. My breath started to become short and I got super dizzy. I seriously thought I was going to pass out. I just made sure to take deep breaths and stay calm. When I got inside the car my head started to feel better and I was able to catch my breath.
To the emergency room I went. They took x-rays and gave me some ibuprofen. Thankfully, it wasn't broken! I was so happy about that. However, I still needed to use crutches and stay off my foot for a couple of weeks.
I haven't been able to do anything! Aside from video games anyway :) Yesterday I went to Costco and shopped for about an hour with out the crutches. My foot was good! I knew I shouldn't have done that, but at that moment it was necessary. Today, my ankle hurts a little extra bad. I know it's from walking around so much yesterday... I made sure to set myself up so I can work on my computer today :)
I'm really hoping it heals up fast. My whole foot and ankle are swollen and very much bruised. The bruising goes all the way up around my shins area. Seriously, from my toes to my shins...I'm super bruised up. It's gnarly!
I hope everyone is having a great Friday! "See" you soon!
I was only going to do so much, but the side yard was looking so good! I couldn't stop, I was almost done! So there were some boards that needed to get cut so we (husband and I) could just toss it in the garbage when the can wasn't so full. The boards were actually plywood. They were rotted, moldy...just plain nasty. They were tough to break on our own so my husband thought we should just cut it with a saw. Sure thing! Well, it wasn't working out so well... So he propped it up and said to just kick it. Sweet! That was so much fun. It really, really was. I got the board 2 times; doing great. But then the third try came...it was all bad...
I hurt my ankle. It hurt so bad. I was so scared to even try to use my foot right after I kicked that board. But I knew that I had to try so I did and it was hard. Had to sit right back down. In a matter of seconds my ankle was so so SO swollen. It looked so bad. I told my husband that I had to get to the doctor. My breath started to become short and I got super dizzy. I seriously thought I was going to pass out. I just made sure to take deep breaths and stay calm. When I got inside the car my head started to feel better and I was able to catch my breath.
To the emergency room I went. They took x-rays and gave me some ibuprofen. Thankfully, it wasn't broken! I was so happy about that. However, I still needed to use crutches and stay off my foot for a couple of weeks.
I haven't been able to do anything! Aside from video games anyway :) Yesterday I went to Costco and shopped for about an hour with out the crutches. My foot was good! I knew I shouldn't have done that, but at that moment it was necessary. Today, my ankle hurts a little extra bad. I know it's from walking around so much yesterday... I made sure to set myself up so I can work on my computer today :)
I'm really hoping it heals up fast. My whole foot and ankle are swollen and very much bruised. The bruising goes all the way up around my shins area. Seriously, from my toes to my shins...I'm super bruised up. It's gnarly!
I hope everyone is having a great Friday! "See" you soon!
Thursday, September 12, 2013
Banana Muffins and Banana Bread Madness!
Hello hello! So lately I have been baking like crazy! Here's how many bananas I was starting with and what they were looking like:
Something had to be done! There was no way I could make that many smoothies. I mean, sure I suppose I could have... But realistically, I knew it wasn't going to happen. And to be honest, I really didn't feel like freezing them. Sure it would have been quicker and easier, but I just didn't feel like it.
Here is what they looked like just before going in the oven:
Here is what the muffins looked like after the oven (drum roll please!):
They were so SO delicious! I sprinkled sugar on top. There are two missing from that top picture because I couldn't wait. The kids and I ate one :) Here is what the bread loaf looks like:
So so good!!! Oh and I have a picture of the muffin cut up :D
Sorry, It's a little blurry... But you can still see how thick and wonderful it looks. The banana flavor is amazing. Just darn right amazing. The texture is wonderful as well. Yum. Just, yum.
So far I have made over 5 loaves of the bread at about 5 or so dozen of the muffins. Right now, I currently have 2 more loaves in the oven and a batch of muffins just came out to cool down. Need to start getting ready for the next batch! I still have a good 3 more batches to do at least.
I will admit that this has been a lot of fun! I love baking, but it's like it is always unhealthy and I was usually the only one who would eat it. This time around it's vegan, making it a healthier option of baked goods, I used up bananas that may have gone to waste, and the kids LOVE them!
If you're interested in the recipe let me know. It is super easy!
Have a great Thursday everyone!
Something had to be done! There was no way I could make that many smoothies. I mean, sure I suppose I could have... But realistically, I knew it wasn't going to happen. And to be honest, I really didn't feel like freezing them. Sure it would have been quicker and easier, but I just didn't feel like it.
Here is what they looked like just before going in the oven:
Here is what the muffins looked like after the oven (drum roll please!):
They were so SO delicious! I sprinkled sugar on top. There are two missing from that top picture because I couldn't wait. The kids and I ate one :) Here is what the bread loaf looks like:
Sorry, It's a little blurry... But you can still see how thick and wonderful it looks. The banana flavor is amazing. Just darn right amazing. The texture is wonderful as well. Yum. Just, yum.
So far I have made over 5 loaves of the bread at about 5 or so dozen of the muffins. Right now, I currently have 2 more loaves in the oven and a batch of muffins just came out to cool down. Need to start getting ready for the next batch! I still have a good 3 more batches to do at least.
I will admit that this has been a lot of fun! I love baking, but it's like it is always unhealthy and I was usually the only one who would eat it. This time around it's vegan, making it a healthier option of baked goods, I used up bananas that may have gone to waste, and the kids LOVE them!
If you're interested in the recipe let me know. It is super easy!
Have a great Thursday everyone!
Wednesday, September 11, 2013
Phosphoric Acid
The other day I found a video that was posted up on Facebook by Natural News. Apparently they have a t.v. channel! The video is about how phosphoric acid effects teeth. Now, phosphoric acid is what is in most sodas. The video can be found here.
It's amazing how much the teeth get so eroded. It's gross really. And it's no wonder that people who drink a lot of soda can tend to have bad teeth. I always tell my kids that soda is liquid candy. With a bunch of other stuff in it too. Yuck!
And keep in mind, this is just the effect of phosphoric acid! This doesn't include all the other ingredients that are in soda. When my parents were truck drivers, they had to wear hazmat suits when transporting soda. That's hazardous materials! So many people put that stuff in their bodies daily! It's terrible.
It's amazing what the government will let go through in our foods and yet there are other things that are illegal that would be so helpful. Hemp is a great example. But now I'm just changing the subject!
Have a great Wednesday everyone!
It's amazing how much the teeth get so eroded. It's gross really. And it's no wonder that people who drink a lot of soda can tend to have bad teeth. I always tell my kids that soda is liquid candy. With a bunch of other stuff in it too. Yuck!
And keep in mind, this is just the effect of phosphoric acid! This doesn't include all the other ingredients that are in soda. When my parents were truck drivers, they had to wear hazmat suits when transporting soda. That's hazardous materials! So many people put that stuff in their bodies daily! It's terrible.
It's amazing what the government will let go through in our foods and yet there are other things that are illegal that would be so helpful. Hemp is a great example. But now I'm just changing the subject!
Have a great Wednesday everyone!
Thursday, September 5, 2013
GMO's
Hey there! So I was just looking through Facebook and saw some stuff about GMO's. I follow a good few groups that are anti-Monsanto and GMO. It has become one of those things that I can't stand and it makes me angry that it's even allowed. And it's crazy how it's outlawed in other countries! So, what the heck is America's problem? Well, I know one answer to that...money.
I'm not a political person or anything, but I do know that there is a lot of funny business going on and I don't like it. I'm thinking I need to start asserting myself a bit more and take some action! Does anyone have any ideas on how to start doing that?
I do know that I will start buying more organic produce. I know, I should be doing that anyway, but it is more expensive and whatnot. But really, it's so important to switch. Not only for my health, but my family's health too. Plus, the more I don't buy non-organic the more I'll be rebelling, right? Haha! Having our own garden makes a difference too.
Do you buy organic? What do you do to stay away from Monsanto and GMO's? Can you taste a difference in the foods? Write your comments down below!
I'm not a political person or anything, but I do know that there is a lot of funny business going on and I don't like it. I'm thinking I need to start asserting myself a bit more and take some action! Does anyone have any ideas on how to start doing that?
I do know that I will start buying more organic produce. I know, I should be doing that anyway, but it is more expensive and whatnot. But really, it's so important to switch. Not only for my health, but my family's health too. Plus, the more I don't buy non-organic the more I'll be rebelling, right? Haha! Having our own garden makes a difference too.
Do you buy organic? What do you do to stay away from Monsanto and GMO's? Can you taste a difference in the foods? Write your comments down below!
Wednesday, September 4, 2013
Earthlings
Hello everyone! I just finished watching the movie Earthlings. I have heard that it was a great movie and everyone should watch it, but for some reason I never did. It's probably because I don't like to sit at my computer terribly long and movies are usually just that. I found the video on YouTube.
To be honest, I'm surprised I finished it. At about 30 minutes in I was so ready to turn it off! Some of the stuff I have already seen as clips in other peoples videos. Even still, though, it was hard to watch. Really hard. My husband kept saying, "Why are you still watching that? Just turn it off". I was like, dude, I don't know. I couldn't even drink my smoothie. It's 11am and I'm just starting to work on breakfast!
If you haven't watched it, I highly suggest you do. It's hard to watch, but it is so informative and shows how things really are. This is how the animals are raised, treated, and "processed". It's so horrible and there isn't any reason for any of us to do these things. It's ridiculous and horrifically sad.
Has anyone else watched it? What did you think? What were your feelings? If you are watching it for the first time let me know what you think.
This is the actual video that I watched.
Warning: This video is graphic. Kids should not be around for this.
With that, remember to keep being fruity and raw! Have a great day everyone!
To be honest, I'm surprised I finished it. At about 30 minutes in I was so ready to turn it off! Some of the stuff I have already seen as clips in other peoples videos. Even still, though, it was hard to watch. Really hard. My husband kept saying, "Why are you still watching that? Just turn it off". I was like, dude, I don't know. I couldn't even drink my smoothie. It's 11am and I'm just starting to work on breakfast!
If you haven't watched it, I highly suggest you do. It's hard to watch, but it is so informative and shows how things really are. This is how the animals are raised, treated, and "processed". It's so horrible and there isn't any reason for any of us to do these things. It's ridiculous and horrifically sad.
Has anyone else watched it? What did you think? What were your feelings? If you are watching it for the first time let me know what you think.
This is the actual video that I watched.
Warning: This video is graphic. Kids should not be around for this.
With that, remember to keep being fruity and raw! Have a great day everyone!
Saturday, August 31, 2013
Fruit Loot!!
Or maybe I should call it "Fruit Loop"?
Here is what I picked up Friday morning:
And the cart was so full I had to put some bananas on the bottom of the basket!! I got about 57lbs of bananas, 2 big honeydews, 3 cantaloupes, 12 ears of corn, 2 heads green leaf lettuce, 2 heads red leaf lettuce, 2 heads cauliflower, broccoli, cilantro, spinach, avocados, 2lbs baby carrots, 5lbs nectarines, 3lbs red plums, @30lbs peaches, 7lbs Fuji apples, 6lbs pears, and a bag of red taters. Of course I had to have veggies too!
I was so excited when I went to the store. The past few days to a week I haven't hardly had any fruit. A few days I know I didn't have any fruit at all! And I sure was feeling a difference! When I was leaving the store I was getting a few funny looks because I was so giddy with excitement.
Has anything exciting happened to anyone else lately? Remember to eat lots of healthy foods this Labor Day weekend! After all, fruits and raw veggies are natures fast food.
Have a great weekend!
Here is what I picked up Friday morning:
And the cart was so full I had to put some bananas on the bottom of the basket!! I got about 57lbs of bananas, 2 big honeydews, 3 cantaloupes, 12 ears of corn, 2 heads green leaf lettuce, 2 heads red leaf lettuce, 2 heads cauliflower, broccoli, cilantro, spinach, avocados, 2lbs baby carrots, 5lbs nectarines, 3lbs red plums, @30lbs peaches, 7lbs Fuji apples, 6lbs pears, and a bag of red taters. Of course I had to have veggies too!
I was so excited when I went to the store. The past few days to a week I haven't hardly had any fruit. A few days I know I didn't have any fruit at all! And I sure was feeling a difference! When I was leaving the store I was getting a few funny looks because I was so giddy with excitement.
Has anything exciting happened to anyone else lately? Remember to eat lots of healthy foods this Labor Day weekend! After all, fruits and raw veggies are natures fast food.
Have a great weekend!
Thursday, August 29, 2013
Sports Drink at My Kids' School
So I have been learning through my kids that they have been drinking this:
I couldn't believe it. The first time, I told them, "That's not good for you, don't drink it". More or less anyway and in a way that they can (hopefully) understand. I thought all was well until my daughter came home yesterday with small pink marks above her upper lip like she was drinking something I didn't give her. She says big brother has been sharing his quarters so they can have these. That was very nice of him and all, but geez that's the wrong time to be sharing!
So this morning I found an empty bottle in my son's back pack (which is funny because yesterday he tried to claim that he didn't even have one...). I thought, "Great! Let's see what's inside!" :
It's a little hard to see, but the second ingredient is high fructose corn syrup!! There is also yellow #5 and it contains no fruit juice. There is one site that says yellow #5 should be avoided because it can trigger hyperactivity in children, there is an allergy reaction to primarily those who are aspirin sensitive, and is usually contaminated with cancer-causing ingredients or that the body will convert to. They are benzidine & 4-aminobiphenyl (http://www.cspinet.org/reports/chemcuisine.htm#yellow5, 2012).
Another ingredient I wanted to make mention is glyceryl abietate. I looked up a little bit about it and there really isn't a whole lot. One thing is that its purpose is to keep oils suspended in the liquid. The FDA considers it "generally recognized as safe". However, I don't buy it... I found this ingredient interesting because I have never seen it before. It is mainly used in citric flavored drinks.
The amount of sugars in this is insane from the high fructose corn syrup. Normally, for me personally, I don't mind the sugars if it is 100% juice. Because that means the sugar is naturally there from the fruit. Fruit sugars are good. And look at that sodium amount!
My kids thought that since it said it was a sports drink that it was ok and good for them. So we went over it all this morning and tried to make them realize that there isn't anything good about it and what we give them is good enough. They don't need to be spending money on this junk.
I have decided to take action. I understand that these bottles are coming from a vending machine and my kids are making a choice to use their money on this. However, my kids aren't old enough to make that decision in my opinion and these types of drinks shouldn't be in the school even in a vending machine. I'm going to go to the school with this empty bottle to ask questions and try to get this junk out of the school. I have a lot of respect for this school and how they generally try to keep kids healthy and junk food out. However, they are letting these kinds of things allowed. I will keep you all posted about what happens.
Have a great Thursday!
Reference
Center for Science in the Public Interest. (2012). Retrieved on August 29, 2013 from: http://www.cspinet.org/reports/chemcuisine.htm#yellow5
I couldn't believe it. The first time, I told them, "That's not good for you, don't drink it". More or less anyway and in a way that they can (hopefully) understand. I thought all was well until my daughter came home yesterday with small pink marks above her upper lip like she was drinking something I didn't give her. She says big brother has been sharing his quarters so they can have these. That was very nice of him and all, but geez that's the wrong time to be sharing!
So this morning I found an empty bottle in my son's back pack (which is funny because yesterday he tried to claim that he didn't even have one...). I thought, "Great! Let's see what's inside!" :
It's a little hard to see, but the second ingredient is high fructose corn syrup!! There is also yellow #5 and it contains no fruit juice. There is one site that says yellow #5 should be avoided because it can trigger hyperactivity in children, there is an allergy reaction to primarily those who are aspirin sensitive, and is usually contaminated with cancer-causing ingredients or that the body will convert to. They are benzidine & 4-aminobiphenyl (http://www.cspinet.org/reports/chemcuisine.htm#yellow5, 2012).
Another ingredient I wanted to make mention is glyceryl abietate. I looked up a little bit about it and there really isn't a whole lot. One thing is that its purpose is to keep oils suspended in the liquid. The FDA considers it "generally recognized as safe". However, I don't buy it... I found this ingredient interesting because I have never seen it before. It is mainly used in citric flavored drinks.
The amount of sugars in this is insane from the high fructose corn syrup. Normally, for me personally, I don't mind the sugars if it is 100% juice. Because that means the sugar is naturally there from the fruit. Fruit sugars are good. And look at that sodium amount!
My kids thought that since it said it was a sports drink that it was ok and good for them. So we went over it all this morning and tried to make them realize that there isn't anything good about it and what we give them is good enough. They don't need to be spending money on this junk.
I have decided to take action. I understand that these bottles are coming from a vending machine and my kids are making a choice to use their money on this. However, my kids aren't old enough to make that decision in my opinion and these types of drinks shouldn't be in the school even in a vending machine. I'm going to go to the school with this empty bottle to ask questions and try to get this junk out of the school. I have a lot of respect for this school and how they generally try to keep kids healthy and junk food out. However, they are letting these kinds of things allowed. I will keep you all posted about what happens.
Have a great Thursday!
Reference
Center for Science in the Public Interest. (2012). Retrieved on August 29, 2013 from: http://www.cspinet.org/reports/chemcuisine.htm#yellow5
Monday, August 26, 2013
Obsessive Compulsive Cosmetics
Hello everyone! I stumbled upon an article from the New York Times about a guy named David Klasfeld who is the creator of a makeup line called Obsessive Compulsive Cosmetics. This guy is pretty cool and he has a great line of colors! Apparently he came up with the name "obsessive compulsive" because he was diagnosed with it when he was 14 years old.
The make up is vegan/cruelty free and, of course, David is vegan as well. He even got a certificate from PETA that he has framed hanging on a wall in his store. It's great to see another make up artist create cruelty free make up.
I'm not sure if it's because I'm a vegan, but it seems that veganism is becoming more prevalent and people are respecting it more. Especially as more people are getting sick, many are turning to a plant based diet.
I'm really excited that I found this website and article and will be buying some of David's products shortly. When I get it and try it out I will let you know about it!
Happy Monday everyone!!
The article is here. And here is the link to the website.
The make up is vegan/cruelty free and, of course, David is vegan as well. He even got a certificate from PETA that he has framed hanging on a wall in his store. It's great to see another make up artist create cruelty free make up.
I'm not sure if it's because I'm a vegan, but it seems that veganism is becoming more prevalent and people are respecting it more. Especially as more people are getting sick, many are turning to a plant based diet.
I'm really excited that I found this website and article and will be buying some of David's products shortly. When I get it and try it out I will let you know about it!
Happy Monday everyone!!
The article is here. And here is the link to the website.
Thursday, August 22, 2013
New Adventures!
Now that summer is coming to an end things are starting to slow down a but. We did so much this summer and it seemed to have flown by so fast. The kids just recently started school too. I was not ready for that to happen!
Since it's been slowing down and we haven't been traveling nearly as much, I have been able to start focusing more on what I need to get done. First of all, I have started taking volunteers to help me get some experience under my belt while I look for a job. So far I have nine people willing to help out! It is so exciting! It is all so new to me as far as hands on experience goes so we'll see how it goes and what kind of tweaking I need to make in my programs. Each person is different too and a couple of people will be a challenge. Well, I suppose they will all be a challenge in the long run because everyone is different! Woohoo!
Second thing I have going on is I signed up as a brand partner with Nerium International. It is so exciting! One of my favorite parts is they are cruelty free. What it is, though, is a night cream that you put on and wash off in the morning. It helps to get rid of acne, skin blemishes, sun spots, deep wrinkles, light wrinkles, and more. The first night I used it I saw a significant difference! After 3 days, even more. With these great results I had to become a brand partner! If anyone is interested in more information let me know! You can also visit my website at www.cassiemitchell.nerium.com .
Has anything exciting happened to anyone else lately? How was your summer?
Since it's been slowing down and we haven't been traveling nearly as much, I have been able to start focusing more on what I need to get done. First of all, I have started taking volunteers to help me get some experience under my belt while I look for a job. So far I have nine people willing to help out! It is so exciting! It is all so new to me as far as hands on experience goes so we'll see how it goes and what kind of tweaking I need to make in my programs. Each person is different too and a couple of people will be a challenge. Well, I suppose they will all be a challenge in the long run because everyone is different! Woohoo!
Second thing I have going on is I signed up as a brand partner with Nerium International. It is so exciting! One of my favorite parts is they are cruelty free. What it is, though, is a night cream that you put on and wash off in the morning. It helps to get rid of acne, skin blemishes, sun spots, deep wrinkles, light wrinkles, and more. The first night I used it I saw a significant difference! After 3 days, even more. With these great results I had to become a brand partner! If anyone is interested in more information let me know! You can also visit my website at www.cassiemitchell.nerium.com .
Has anything exciting happened to anyone else lately? How was your summer?
Tuesday, August 13, 2013
Motivation
Hey there! I thought I would post about what I do to get myself motivated. Occasionally I'll get onto Facebook and print out some pictures or quotes that are motivating. For example, I follow a page called Ripped Goddess. They post a lot of pictures that are motivating and a lot of times there are quotes that I like to print out and put on my refrigerator. A page called Sun Gazing also puts up some great stuff I'll print out.
On Youtube I enjoy watching videos from Freelee and occasionally from Durianrider. I actually don't watch those enough and when I do I find myself spending a lot of time watching! They really are motivating though and really help me remember why I do the things that I do. Like have fruit for breakfast.
Sometimes I'll sit in bed a little extra longer and look at my vision board and visualize what I want in my future and thing of encouraging and motivating things to help me get pumped up and ready for the day.
Last night my husband was a huge motivator for me. On Sunday night we decided to hit the gym Monday night. So while I waited for him to get home I created a workout for every day this week. First day was leg day and it was somewhat brutal. He was such a trooper though and did everything I asked. I just feel bad now because he's sore at work! But it's a good thing and he's going to go back with me tonight.
Ever since I stopped having my trainer at the gym I have really lost my way with exercise. Just, fell of the wagon almost completely. But now I'm back on track and feeling so good and excited to get in there! It reminds me that I want to make it my life and living.
What's your favorite exercise? What do you like to work out the most? What is your least favorite exercise?
Kettle bell swings are probably my favorite exercise. I love to work out my legs, but my arms need it the most. My least favorite exercise is probably burpees. Which probably means I should do them more!
Make sure you eat fruit for breakfast!
On Youtube I enjoy watching videos from Freelee and occasionally from Durianrider. I actually don't watch those enough and when I do I find myself spending a lot of time watching! They really are motivating though and really help me remember why I do the things that I do. Like have fruit for breakfast.
Sometimes I'll sit in bed a little extra longer and look at my vision board and visualize what I want in my future and thing of encouraging and motivating things to help me get pumped up and ready for the day.
Last night my husband was a huge motivator for me. On Sunday night we decided to hit the gym Monday night. So while I waited for him to get home I created a workout for every day this week. First day was leg day and it was somewhat brutal. He was such a trooper though and did everything I asked. I just feel bad now because he's sore at work! But it's a good thing and he's going to go back with me tonight.
Ever since I stopped having my trainer at the gym I have really lost my way with exercise. Just, fell of the wagon almost completely. But now I'm back on track and feeling so good and excited to get in there! It reminds me that I want to make it my life and living.
What's your favorite exercise? What do you like to work out the most? What is your least favorite exercise?
Kettle bell swings are probably my favorite exercise. I love to work out my legs, but my arms need it the most. My least favorite exercise is probably burpees. Which probably means I should do them more!
Make sure you eat fruit for breakfast!
Friday, July 26, 2013
Epic Banana Smoothie
Good morning!
So, just about every morning I have a smoothie for breakfast. Every smoothie contains the use of many bananas whether it's just plain bananas, or mixed with other kinds of fruits. I wanted to make mention of one certain time I ate the most bananas at one time I have ever consumed. 15 bananas! Many people think it's crazy that I eat more than one a day. Well how about 15?! And one of the coolest parts about it was that I didn't feel that it took me a crazy amount of time to drink it and I didn't feel overly full from it. Not to mention how much energy I had afterwards. It was amazing!
The reason I had that many bananas at one time was because I buy a box of bananas at a time. That's 40 pounds of bananas! Well, they were all very ripe at the same time and I had to consume them all before they went bad. It seemed a lot easier than trying to freeze them. That requires peeling, stuffing in a bag, labeling, then putting them away. :p Way easier to just eat them! On the last day I only had 15 left so I figured I would just stuff them in the blender and be done with it. It was so amazing.
Since trying to work with the 80/10/10 lifestyle I always knew that I'm supposed to eat as much as I want. And I think, the more the better. However, it seems that what I was doing before wasn't working because even though I was full, I wasn't consuming enough. I believe that day with the banana smoothie I had over 4000 calories. And I felt the best that day. Where I used to strive for 2500 calories per day and got excited about getting up to 3000 or more I now am striving for 3500 and will get excited about having more than that.
That banana smoothie changed me. Sounds cheesy, right? (Or maybe I should say it sounds fruity?) It really did change me though. I am really looking forward to my next fruity meal and veggies at the end of the night.
What's the most banana's or other fruit you have eaten at one time? Have you ever had the same feeling I had? Leave me comments below! I want to hear about it!
Have a great Friday everyone!
So, just about every morning I have a smoothie for breakfast. Every smoothie contains the use of many bananas whether it's just plain bananas, or mixed with other kinds of fruits. I wanted to make mention of one certain time I ate the most bananas at one time I have ever consumed. 15 bananas! Many people think it's crazy that I eat more than one a day. Well how about 15?! And one of the coolest parts about it was that I didn't feel that it took me a crazy amount of time to drink it and I didn't feel overly full from it. Not to mention how much energy I had afterwards. It was amazing!
The reason I had that many bananas at one time was because I buy a box of bananas at a time. That's 40 pounds of bananas! Well, they were all very ripe at the same time and I had to consume them all before they went bad. It seemed a lot easier than trying to freeze them. That requires peeling, stuffing in a bag, labeling, then putting them away. :p Way easier to just eat them! On the last day I only had 15 left so I figured I would just stuff them in the blender and be done with it. It was so amazing.
Since trying to work with the 80/10/10 lifestyle I always knew that I'm supposed to eat as much as I want. And I think, the more the better. However, it seems that what I was doing before wasn't working because even though I was full, I wasn't consuming enough. I believe that day with the banana smoothie I had over 4000 calories. And I felt the best that day. Where I used to strive for 2500 calories per day and got excited about getting up to 3000 or more I now am striving for 3500 and will get excited about having more than that.
That banana smoothie changed me. Sounds cheesy, right? (Or maybe I should say it sounds fruity?) It really did change me though. I am really looking forward to my next fruity meal and veggies at the end of the night.
What's the most banana's or other fruit you have eaten at one time? Have you ever had the same feeling I had? Leave me comments below! I want to hear about it!
Have a great Friday everyone!
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