Diet and Health

written by Mitestarossa 

It is time to clean out your kitchen and make it healthy. It is very difficult to stay healthy with a kitchen filled with your favorite treats, no fruits and vegetables and unhealthy standards. Throw out the bad and start buying the good if you want to make any progress in your health.

THROW AWAY ANYTHING WITH (Partially or not) HYDROGENATED OILS - I am not a scientist so I can not even begin to tell you how terrible these oils are for your health and well being, but I will say that they contribute significantly to plaque building up in your arteries, obesity and heart disease.

THROW AWAY ANYTHING WITH HIGH FRUCTOSE CORN SYRUP - Recently I have seen ads on television claiming that HFCS is the same as sugar and has the same effects. Don’t be fooled by these lies. HFCS bypasses your body’s natural process through your pancreas and liver and goes straight to your blood stream. This is very bad for your system and contributes to weight gain, obesity and getting diabetes.  IT IS NOT THE SAME AS SUGAR, learn for yourself. Sugar is much healthier for your body.

DOCTORS WILL TELL YOU - DON’T BUY ON THE INNER ISLES OF THE GROCERY STORE - You know the places where all of the packaged foods are. Avoid these areas. The healthy areas are around the outer isles of the store, such as the meat and poultry department, bakery, produce, and dairy.

CUT OUT CEREALS - This is a tough one because cereal manufacturers want you to think that cereal is healthy.  Well, I guess if you compare them to donuts, they are healthier.  Cereals and instant oatmeals are very high in sugar. I am not sure if there is such as thing as a cereal that is healthy, which is what the manufacturers want you to believe. Any health benefits are lost with the high sugar content in cereals and instant oatmeal.

EAT STEEL CUT OATS or GROATS, NOT ROLLED OATS - Rolled oats (Quaker Oats) are processed over and over again, taking out most of the goodness of the wholegrain. I know that steel cut oats take much longer to cook, but they are worth it and you can prepare a large amount ahead of time to save yourself the trouble and then just heat it up each morning. If you are preparing your oats in less than 30 minutes, most likely they are not the healthy variety.

EAT WHOLE GRAIN WHEAT BREAD - Most of the breads on the shelves at the grocery store are not healthy, just look at the ingredients, I don’t care what they call themselves. Buy your bread in the healthfood section of the grocery store. Sprouted wheatberries are the healthiest. Isn’t it strange that there is only a small section of the grocery store called the healthfood section. The whole store should be healthy food, right?. Ironic isn’t it?

BUY WHOLEGRAIN BROWN RICE - Not white parboiled rice. Sorry, no more minute rice for the new healthy you. If your rice takes less than 50 minutes to cook, then it is not the healthy brown rice variety.

written by Mitestarossa 

Dryer sheets contain poisons and toxins that can irritate or cause allergies among individuals that are sensitive. Stop using dryer sheet immediately. The chemicals in dryer sheets are formulated to stay in the fabric of your clothing for as long as possible. Therefore the toxins they carry, stay with you and your family. They rub onto your skin and are inhaled into lungs continually all day. No one knows for sure how dangerous or safe they are. Individuals with allergies, eczema, asthma and other skin conditions are particularly susceptable to such toxins.

White vinegar can freshen clothing and remove static from laundry. Put 1/4 white vinegar in each wash load. DO NOT USE if you are using bleach in the same wash load. The smell of the white vinegar will dissipate and you will only smell the smell of your laundry detergent when your clothes are finished being laundered.

If you need to use bleach, then wash your clothes a second time using the 1/4 cup vinegar. DO NOT PUT bleach and vinegar in the same load. Vinegar and bleach can react poorly to each other.

Baking soda can also freshen laundry. Sprinkle some baking soda in each wash load for freshening. Baking soda will not help to eliminate static. Baking soda and vinegar can be used together in a wash load, but do not mix bleach with other items. DO NOT PUT bleach and baking soda in the same wash load.

If you have family members that have sensitivities, you can rinse your wash load an extra time. I definitely recommend it, especially if you used bleach in the load.

Before putting your clothes into the dryer remove any 100% synthetic fabric items out of your load. Hang them to dry. They will last longer and you will reduce any static in your load.