Why Switch to All Natural Cosmetics?
 by: Lori Stryker

The human skin wraps and protects our bodies. It constitutes a living, dynamic tissue system. It has the remarkable ability to absorb applied products, partially or completely, into the bloodstream. In fact, up to 60% of the products we use on our skin are absorbed and deposited into the circulatory system (Fairley, 2001). For instance, the average woman absorbs 30 pounds of the ingredients contained in moisturizers over sixty years (Dr.Hauschka).

These new understandings of how the skin functions reveal concerns about the possible long term effects due to the combination of chemicals used in cosmetics, often termed the "chemical cocktail effect". Several chemicals which are used in common, popular cosmetics are known irritants and carcinogens. Concern stems from the knowledge that most of these ingredients are derived synthetically or from petroleum. Avoiding these substances serve to decrease overall exposure to harmful or irritating cosmetic ingredients.

Ingredients to Avoid

Forms Found in Cosmetics and Possible Negative Side Effects

Aluminum Thought to contribute to Alzheimer’s Disease. Found in almost all antiperspirants. Works by blocking pores so sweat cannot be released by the skin.

Artificial colours FD&C, derived from coal tar. For example, Azo dyes are a risk to asthmatics, eczema sufferers and people sensitive to aspirin. Causes hyperactivity in children, severe headaches, blurred vision and itchy/watery eyes and nose (Antczak, 2001).

Benzoates Benzoates Benzoic acid, sodium benzoate or parahydroxy benzoate. Used as a preservative in cosmetics and fizzy drinks. Causes gastric irritation, numbing of the mouth and aggravates asthma (Antczak, 2001).

Certain essential oils Rosemary is harmful to epileptics.Sage is not recommended for pregnant women.

DEA, MEA, TEA Causes allergic reactions, irritating to eyes and dries out hair and skin (Fairley, 2001).

Dibutyl phthalate Found in all persons tested by the CDC (Center for Disease Control, USA) in a 2000 Fall study. Highest levels were found in women of reproductive age. Causes birth defects in animals, and damaging to the male reproductive system (ABC News, Internet Ventures 2000). Used in cosmetics to assist the absorption of other ingredients.

Formaldehydes A preservative. Causes skin reactions. Imidazolidinyl urea is the second most identified preservative causing contact dermatitis ( American Academy of Dermatology: Fairley, 2001). DMDM hydantoin Quaternium 15 Diazolidinylurea 2-bromo-2-nitropropane-1 3-diol

Fragrances Can contain up to 200 undeclared substances (Fairley, 2001). Major cause, in addition to artificial colours, of skin irritations and allergies (Antczak, 2001). May cause dizziniess, skin irritation and hyperpigmentation (Fairley, 2001).

Genetically Modified Organisms Soy, Corn Effects still undetermined.

Isopropyl Alcohol Drying agent, from petroleum.

Keratolytic chemicals Such as hydroxyl acids, retinoic acid. Corrosive, used in skin peels. Dissolves the stratum corneum of the epidermis (outermost layer), making skin more sensitive to sun damage. Accelerates production of dead skin cells; the skin thickens to repair its surface so that vulnerable skin cells underneath are protected from the effects of skin peeling.(Antczak, 2001).

Methylisothiazolinone Causes allergic reactions and irritations (Fairley, 2001).

Parabens Petroleum product. Triggers skin irritations and may be an xerestrogen (Fairley, 2001).May play a role in falling sperm counts and rising breast cancer rates (Fairley, 2001).Used in 99% of all cosmetics (Fairley, 2001), and in many so-called ‘natural’ products.

Parraffin Derived from petroleum. In the form of wax, mineral oil or petrolatum. Comedogenic, i.e.blocks pores.

Propylene Glycol When derived from petroleum. Increases the amount of acid in the body, resulting in metabolic problems. Large amounts are needed to produce this effect (Agency forToxic Substances and Disease Registry or ATSDR, 2003).

Sodium laureth sulfate, sodium lauryl sulfate Forms carcinogenic nitrogen compounds when combined with specific ingredients. Irritating to eyes, skin and lungs (Antczak, 2001). Harmful if swallowed and may cause damage to eyes (Antczak, 2001).

Tallow Animal fat. Not suitable for vegans, and may be a skin irritant.

Toluene Found in many nail products and nail polish removers. Produced during the process of making gasoline and other fuels from crude oil or coal. Evaporates into the air when products containing toluene are opened. May affect the nervous system, and/or cause tiredness, confusion, weakness, nausea, or loss of appetite. Symptoms disappear when exposure is eliminated (ATSDR, 2003).

In Canada, not all cosmetics list their ingredients on their labels, but most have toll free telephone numbers which link you to their customer service departments, where inquiries about ingredient lists can be made. Reading labels and recognizing problematic ingredients are necessary skills for a consumer who intends to choose products that are completely natural. The cost of a cosmetic is not a reliable indicator of either its quality or natural characteristics. Most cosmetics, from the lowest priced, to the most costly brands, are composed of identical base ingredients (Begoun, 1991).

Cosmetics do not stay on the surface of the skin without penetrating to some degree. Lipstick wearers, for example, consume 1.5 to 4 tubes in a lifetime (Aveda). If one considers the ingredients being internalized by the body, absorbing plant oils and waxes, mineral pigments or essential oils is a healthier alternative than absorbing petroleum by-products and synthetic chemicals. The ability to choose the right cosmetics for you depends on accurate ingredient knowledge, personal needs and market choices. Caring for one’s whole body includes skin care choices that support and contribute to a healthy lifestyle.

Natural cosmetic products and make-up are safer, healthier alternatives especially when these products are composed of all natural ingredients. A natural product is described as one that contains mostly or completely naturally derived ingredients (Antczak, 2001). It also indicates that the product is free from, or contains minute amounts of artificial chemical additives. Caution is required when products claim to be natural. For instance, they may contain small amounts of plant extracts, but the bulk of the product is petroleum based and loaded with fragrances. Instead, consider switching to completely natural products, which perform to the same standard as their non-natural counterparts. The Organic Make-up Company offers a wide range of simple, affordable and high quality products. Our cosmetic products are carefully formulated from plant waxes, plant oils, essential oils from flowers, barks and spices, as well as richly coloured mineral pigments.

Switching to all-natural cosmetic products and make-up can help you to avoid feeding your skin harmful chemicals. Many skin problems, such as acne, contact dermatitis, irritations and allergies may disappear once petroleum or synthetic ingredients are removed from your skin care regimen. Using fully natural products can contribute to healthy skin and a healthy body in the long term.

We invite you to give our natural products a try. They are completely natural, vegan and an excellent alternative to conventional cosmetics and make-up.

To view our products, please visit our website at www.organicmakeup.ca.

References: Antczak, Dr. Stephen and Gina, (2001). Cosmetics Unmasked, Harper Collins, London. Begoun, Paula, (1991). Don’t Go To The Cosmetics Counter Without Me, Beginnings Press, Seattle. Fairley, Josephine, (2001). Organic Beauty, DK Publishing, London. www.abcnews.com, ABC News Internet Ventures, 2000. www.atsdr.cdc.gov, Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry, April 2003.

By Lori Stryker, B.Sc., B.H.Ec., B.Ed. http://www.organicmakeup.ca

About The Author

Lori Stryker has been researching and developing all natural skin care and make-up for the purpose of offering men and women safe, natural cosmetics for everyday use. She brings to her research a specialist in human biology from the University of Toronto, coupled with a professional home economics degree and an education degree from the University of British Columbia, fusing chemical and biological knowledge with food, family and textile sciences.

You may use this article but any modification or publication of this article for fiancial gain must be approved of by the author. The author’s name, Lori Stryker and her company’s name, The Organic Make-up Company, needs to by noted when used.

info@organicmakeup.ca

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Natural Skin Care Products

As more people are becoming aware of the effect of pesticides and synthetic ingredients on our environment and health, more women are interested in using natural skin care products.

With the increasing demand comes more widely available natural skin care products which may be chemical-free, completely organic, or even vegan. It is estimated that, during a typical skin care treatment, a woman’s skin, hair and nails come in contact with over 100 chemicals, many of them harmful to health. In her lifetime, the average woman will ingest around four pounds of lipstick, and lipstick can contain tar, aluminum and many other poisonous or carcinogenic substances. Therefore, natural skin care products are more in demand these days, as awareness of health increases.

Natural skin care products are available in the following forms:

Cosmetics
Shampoos and conditioners
Cleansers
Skin conditioners
Skin toners and hydrators

There are also natural perfumes, moisturizers and skin treatments. Natural and organic cosmetics are free of synthetic dyes and the color can be obtained through plants and minerals. They usually have a shorter shelf-life than conventional cosmetics, and should be replaced often. Natural cosmetics are available as foundations, lipsticks, eyeliners and other beautifying products. Many natural cosmetics use animal products such as beeswax and lanolin, and vegans, those who avoid animal products completely, should find cosmetics using vegetable oils such as palm and shea butter.

Many of consumers of natural beauty products enjoy the benefits of aromatherapy along with cleansing and conditioning their skin and hair. Aromatherapy is the art of affecting one’s sense of well-being through the use of essential oils from flowers and herbs. Some blends stimulate while others relax. Many natural skin care products are available in sets which include a shower gel, soap, shampoo and conditioner, a scrub and cologne. Orange, bergamont and cedar have stimulating effects and refresh the skin. Many report a tingling sensation after using natural citrus and cedar products. Jasmine and Ylang-Ylang soothes and prevents stress.

Natural skin care products are usually made of bases and essential oils. Depending on the product, the base may be a wax or a cream made of moisturizing oils and plant butters. Unrefined shea butter from Africa is a common choice and Tamanu from Madagascar is prized for its soothing properties. The best essential oils are expeller pressed, which means that they are extracted without chemical solvents. The bases and oils are combined to produce skin creams, cleansers, perfumes and lipsticks.

Skin masks and treatments are in-depth processes and require several types of natural skin care products for an entire treatment. Mud masks may contain real, vitamin-rich mud or clay from certain regions of the world known for producing nourishing products. A mask, which draws out the impurities from the skin and improves circulation, is usually followed by a hydrating spray. Rosewater is often used for this purpose, because of its nourishing and moisturizing properties. The skin is cleansed using a scrub, made of crushed peach pits or another rough material that sloughs off dead cells. Cleansers are used according to one’s skin type; those with dry skin may use a cleanser with a fruit such as avocado or banana, and those with oily-skin or acne find tea tree oil cleanser to be quite effective. A moisturizer completes the treatment, and is made of oils from plants such as cocoa or palm that gently add moisture without clogging the pores.

One should be careful when purchasing natural skin care products. Many conventional skin care products claim to have natural ingredients, but this might mean that they use a bit of a plant or an herb, and the other 95% of the lotion is made of chemicals. Read the label to ensure that the products you are using are all-natural, if this is important to you, and work with a company that you trust.

By: Matt Garrett -

Article Directory: http://www.articledashboard.com

Technorati Tags: anti-aging, cosmetics, creams, derma, health, healthy, natural, skin care, Vegan

Vegan Diet = Weight Loss

Getting started on a raw food diet can seem overwhelming at first, but we`ve got a great guide for you, check it out here, this is going to change your life!

Many obese people thought that their obesity stem from eating too much. But the actual fact is they having been eating too much meat and animal by-products.

Hear this from Dr Terry Shintain, a Hawaiian doctor who is devoted to helping obese adults slim down and lead healthier lives. According to him, hunger is a natural physical drive for you. When you are hungry, you must satisfy your hunger and eat. That’s absolutely nothing wrong with this fact.

But you only require 2,000 to 2,500 calories per day to keep your weight in control. Calories exceeding this range will most likely become fat in your body and cause weight gain.

So do animal foods satisfy your hunger, without piling on the excess calories? No!

Animal foods are so rich in calories but lack in bulk that you probably have to eat a lot of them to feel satisfied. By then, you would have exceeded your daily calorie limit. If you overeat at every meal and does not expend the excess calories, the end result will be weight gain.

Then you start to panic and turn to desperate measures like skipping meals, popping diets pills or going to weight-loss centers to lose weight. But you still fail because you feel so deprived while you are on diet as you are already accustomed to high-fat foods. Certain weight loss pills may cause side effects which could be pretty awkward for you. Wouldn’t that add onto your misery .

You will soon surrender since the feelings of deprivation are difficult to bear for a long time. And the vicious cycle continues.

Now, vegan diet offers a better solution to weight loss since most plant-based foods are low in calories but high in fiber and other nutrients.

Fiber is the culprit in reducing hunger and improves satiety. It helps to move food through the digestive system faster, thereby reducing the energy absorption.

Consider this : for 2,500 calories, you need to eat 9.4lbs of apples compared to only 2.1lbs chicken. Can you imagine eating 9.4lbs of apples to feel satisfied? You probably feel full after 2 apples and that’s not even half of 2,500 calories.

That’s why plant foods allow you to eat as much as you like-without consuming extra calories.

Vegans obtain 55-65% of their calories from unrefined carbohydrates. These complex carbohydrates actually speed up your metabolic rate even while resting, It also enhance the release of seratonin (a chemical in the brain which affects emotion, behaviour and thought) which helps to suppress further cravings.

You can find out more about the calories of each food so that you will have an idea of your calories count.

In conclusion, you should try to choose from a broad variation of vegetables, whole grains, fruits and legumes. The motto : Eat when you’re hungry, stop when you’re full.

Ultimately, you still need to strike a balance of body, mind and spirit in order to lead a healthy lifestyle. The choice is yours.

Getting started on a raw food diet can seem overwhelming at first, but we`ve got a great guide for you, check it out here, this is going to change your life!

By: Laura Ng

Article Directory: http://www.articledashboard.com

More info on vegan diets and weight loss

Vegan Diet : Achieve Ultra Health

Scientific studies has been springing up to indicate that vegetarian diets cause major weight loss for its adherents. The vegetarians or vegans have lower body weights and they are less prone to heart disease, hypertension, and diabetes.

Raw Food & Fitness -Kirsten and Derrick’s 100 Day Journey Day 52

Eating for Energy and Fast Vegan Weight Loss Just Got a Whole Lot Easier! No matter what your goals are, You can start using The Powerful Eating For Energy System RIGHT NOW to get energized, leaner, and healthier than you’ve ever been.

Wow, thanks for all the great support!

File under: Weight Loss. All your comments were so nice, and so helpful, it really means a lot to me I often see the internet as a very apathetic place, where people can be inclined to “vent” to much with the mask of anonymity. … Zhaynya, you commented that you gained weight off a vegan diet.. A lot of vegans seem to eat too many simple carbs for the easier way to eat.

Celebrities’ Weight Loss Secret, Paul McCartney’s Vegan Mission …

Photo Courtesy of Staralicious Celebs are always hungry for a good pound-dropping diet. The nasty (not to mention unhealthy) Master Cleanse was last years go-to fix. This year stars are going green to get lean and mean. Ellen De.

Trying to Get Vegan Weight Loss in a Non-Vegan Community

You possibly will think that vegan weight loss is something prickly to accomplish. in fact, it is very possible to achieve and also provide you benefits in your health. 

Vegan Weight Loss Diet Plan

Reducing weight with physical existence anywhere in nature. Not even your vegan weight loss diet plan physical, mental, and sprouts are just some of them used a great deal especially children, but studies have generally found an inverse …

Technorati Tags: pregnacy vegan diet, vegan diet pro and cons, weight loss vegan diet

Vegan Food Guide Pyramid

A vegan pyramid categorizes various kinds of vegetarian food that needs to be consumed to provide the benefits of a healthy and balanced vegetarian diet. This article gives a brief introduction to vegan food pyramid. If you`re looking for a list of easy Raw food and Vegan recipes have a look.

Is vegetarian diet inherently healthy? The opinion is however divided with half of the people saying yes while the other half say no. You would realize scraping meat from your meals would not ensure the benefits of the vegetarian diet. A vegetarian diet is healthy only if you follow a healthy vegetarian diet plan. Following a health diet plan will ensure your body gets all the basic nutrients daily.

Vegan Food Pyramid

A healthy and nutritional vegan diet consists of plant-based foods such as whole grains, legumes, nuts and seeds, fruits, vegetables and supplements (which are not discussed here, but are discussed here). A vegan diet normally contains less cholesterol and fat and is high in fiber. A vegan food pyramid would be helpful to plan out your vegan diet plan. Researchers and scientists of State University of Arizona formulated the vegan food pyramid. This food pyramid gives an insight into the quantity and types of food you need to have everyday to maintain the nutrient levels in the body.

• Whole Grains

Whole grains include foods such as bread, cereals, wheat germ, pasta and so on. Some of the examples of whole grains include, brown rice, oats, millet and barley. You could have small servings of whole grain food 6 to 11 times a day. Whole grain forms the lower base of a vegan food pyramid.

• Vegetables

Green leafy vegetables are an excellent source of fiber and folate. Many vegetables are rich in calcium also. You should include fresh and raw vegetables in your daily diet. Consume vegetables in form of salads or vegetable juice. In a day you could have 3 or more servings. This is the next level above the whole grain in a vegan food pyramid.

• Fruits

Fruits occupy the level just above the vegetables in a vegan food pyramid. You could eat an assortment of fruits rich in vitamin C. Fruits such as kiwi, strawberries, papaya, mangoes and citrus fruits would be a good choice. You could have one or two helpings of fruits in a day.

• Legumes

Legumes such as beans, peas and so on form the next level of a vegan food pyramid. Along with fruits and vegetables the body requires vitamin E and other essential minerals. Hence, it is necessary to include few nuts and legumes in your daily diet. You could have a meal consisting of tofu, soymilk, and cooked legumes.

• Fatty acids and other vitamins

Omega-3 fatty acids are a best source of fatty acids. Use canola or flax oil used to stir frying your vegetables. Couple of walnuts a day would help in balancing the fatty acids of the body. You could use flax oil as a salad dressing. You should take food rich in vitamin B12 and vitamin D to complete your vegan diet.

A vegan is classified on the basis of food consumed. A vegan consumes only plant-based food and avoids dairy products such as milk, yogurt, butter and cheese. A lacto-vegan avoids meat, chicken and fish. He consumes milk and milk products. A lacto-ovo vegan consumes eggs and milk products but avoids meat and poultry products. A flexitarian basically consumes plant-based diet. However, they occasionally consume small amounts of meat and poultry products.

Irrespective of one’s age, a well-planned vegan diet helps in meeting the nutritional needs of the body. A vegan food pyramid briefs on the various food choices that forms the foundations of a healthy vegetarian diet.

By Maya Pillai
Published: 7/25/2008

Some Relatated resources for you to wet your feet on…

How Veganism and Environment Are Interrelated

Is it really true that veganism and environment protection is related? A vegan diet impacts the environment more than all of the transportation industry combined.

Diets and veganism

While the article is more about veganism, it does make reference to even a vegetarian diet being advantageous for people. As a vegetarian myself, I can honestly say that I do feel much better and I’ve been able to successfully maintain the lifestyle.

As veganism becomes more mainstreamé…

As veganism becomes more mainstream, new foods and substitutes are making their way into shops, to the delight of many.

The Value in Veganism

I don’t believe in going on diets. You know the kind of thing I mean, eating only protein or eating only grapefruit for two weeks. Sure, you can lose weight and sometimes pretty quickly, but then the pounds all.

What is Veganism?

What is Veganism? … No meat, fish, eggs, or dairy?! But if you open a vegan cookbook, step inside a vegan restaurant or talk to a vegan, you’ll discover that a vegan diet can include a rich variety of dishes from all over the world.

Technorati Tags: daily recommended, food, pyramids, veganism, weekly vegan plan

Improve Your Health With Your Juicer

If you’re looking for great juicing recipes, we have found a great book that tops our best of the best list when it comes to juicing for your health.  Check it out here.

Juicing is a very good way to improve your health, diet, lose weight, replace a meal, lower cholesterol. The list goes on and on because natural fruits and vegetables add nutrients to your diet. Since there are no additives they improve your digestion and provide you with needed vitamins. Some people are concern with calories and because the juices you make at home are all natural there is no need to worry about calories.

The calorie spectrum is very wide with natural juices, for example, Aloe Vera Juice has approx 3 calories while orange has approx 80 calories. When you mix fruits and vegetables the calories increase but the benefits outweigh the calories.

If you are going to introduce juicing to your diet I recommend at you start of by mixing and matching fruits and vegetables that you enjoy. A good example for me is that I love carrots and I enjoy eating oranges, therefore one of the first juice recipes I tried was oranges and carrots. To this day that is by far my favorite. Another good way to develop juice recipes is to consider the V8 juice recipe and make it what you like, in other words make your own V8 recipe. Take into consideration what fruits and vegetables are in season and let that guide you as well. When you are purchasing your fruits and vegetables take into consideration were you are purchasing.

You want o be able to purchase your fruits and vegetables from a reputable market. Always feel and check your fruit and vegetables, you want a ripe and fresh smelling fruit or vegetable. A ripe fruit of vegetable will give way but will not feel mushy; you want it to be firm but to have some give as well. Don’t underestimate your sense of smell, if your not sure then you may want to skip that fruit or vegetable all together.

Two of my favorite things to add to juices are garlic and ginger. For the garlic it is an acquired taste I recommend that you start with a small clover and add as you go along. The ginger is a wonderful fresh taste but again you have to add according to our taste buds. Another additive I love is Cilantro, I love the aroma and extra punch it adds to any juice.

Finally, the most important thing you can do is start juicing today, don’t worry about he calories or the recipes. The calories in juice are good to you; they help you introduce vitamins into your system and they assist you in cleansing. You can experiment with juice recipes by starting with combination of fruits and vegetables that you already enjoy and then you can build from there.

Juicing Benefits
For Juicing Tips and Recipes.

For more info on juicing and cleansing…

juice cleanse
Provide you with more health knowledge, I let you through here, hes become more healthy life.

Juice Detox Recipes For Fasting Cleanse
Juice detoxification recipes using fresh fruit and vegetables for safe juice fasting detoxing. Advice for cranberry, acai, lemon and other fruit and vegetable juice detox diets.

Global Juice Feast
What kind of life shifts/transformations are you looking to have with Juice Feasting? 

Juice Fast, Juice Cleanse, or Juice Feast?
The Juicing Bible offers more than just juicing recipes. This mini encyclopedia explains the hows and whys of juicing plus addresses the benefits of a juice cleanse for specific health conditions. Start juicing today!

Is there a home remedy to cleanse your colon
You can do this effectively with a 5-10 day cleanse by eating organic fruits and vegetables (better yet juicing them) and using herbs to help clear the toxins. (herbdoc.com has a good program).

Technorati Tags: anybody outthere juicing to detox, vegetable and fruit juices for liver health

Home Food Storage and Healthy Food Choices

Eating Vagen is essential to your health we all know that, but keeping the food at it`s peak is as important as knowing the recipes needed to prepare the food (side note: Here`s our great recipe book if you`re looking for that too, it will open in a new window so you can check it out after you finish reading this article, now on with the show).  A home food storage program can be the gateway to controlling the additives in the food we eat.

"Our products do not contain aluminum, artificial fragrances, artificial flavors, dyes, mineral oil, parabens, petrolatum, phtalates, artificial preservatives, triclosan or other unwanted artificial ingredients." Thus states The Green Beaver Company, a Canadian firm manufacturing "healthy all natural personal care products", as they describe the toothpastes which they include in their lineup of products.

This is all part of a growing trend, a trend to go back to the natural, and the organic. Many consumers now actively seek products that are not filled with unknown and, to them, suspect chemicals. They don’t want cosmetics that have gone through much animal testing on the way to marketability. They want products that are environmentally safe and people friendly.

This thinking, however, is not limited to toothpaste and face creams. Our food supplies are also now coming under increased scrutiny by those who want to address these legitimate concerns. The typical North American now enjoys unprecedented choice, convenience and abundance when it comes to choosing food supplies for fridge, freezer or kitchen cupboard. Yet, is there a hidden price being paid? The answer to that depends upon what you feel about food additives, and to just what you consider to be an additive. Even fresh food can sometimes be suspect. Is it possible that those tomatoes might have a trace of pesticide residue left upon them? What really is in that waxy substance that is used to make those apples so shiny and attractive?

Often preservatives are necessary. They can extend shelf life, add flavor, and hinder bacterial growth. They are what have made possible much of the abundance and variety that we enjoy today. But is there anything that we can do to cut back on at least some of these chemicals that we almost unknowingly consume each and every day? Well, that is one area in which home food storage can play a role.

Consider a package of beef jerky. It is relatively inexpensive, easily available, and tasty. Check out the package cover. It likely says right on it, "High in Protein - Low in Fat." That certainly sounds like a nice, healthful snack, but what’s all of that in the list of ingredients? There’s beef, water, sugar, soy sauce, salt, spices, maltodextrin, monosodium glutamate, hydrolyzed corn protein, sodium erthorbate, sodium nitrite and mesquite smoke. If you don’t like it, don’t eat it. There’s no other choice. This is on a "take it or leave it basis." You could, of course, look for another brand, but, again, you cannot remove what has already been added, and there is sure to have been something added.

Yet, making beef jerky at home is also a possibility. You’ll probably want a dehydrator and some lean ground beef. You will probably want to add some things yourself, but now you do get to choose. There is a commercially available product sold under the brand name Jerky Works. They provide jerky making tools and flavorings. Typically, you would mix one of their flavor packets and one of their cure packets with one pound of that lean, ground beef. Try your best though to stick to a raw vegetable diet, it`s just the wiser choice.

Yes, this means there are still "additives", but now you are only adding Dextrose, Salt, Natural Spices, Hickory Smoked Flavor, Onion Powder, Garlic Powder, Monosodium Glutamate, Hydrolyzed Vegetable Protein, and Imitation Maple Flavor in the seasoning, and salt and sodium nitrate in the "cure". Is that better?

Many would say, "yes", but if you are saying, "no", you still have the option of doing your own flavoring and curing. One recipe calls for flank steak, soy sauce, garlic powder, onion powder, Worcestershire sauce, and seasoning salt. Is that even better? It might be, but you might want to consider the fact that Worcestershire sauce also has a list of ingredients - malt vinegar, white vinegar, blackstrap molasses, soya sauce (water, wheat, soybeans, salt, sodium benzoate), brown sugar, salt, spices, onion powder, garlic powder, tamarind concentrate, caramel color, anchovies, citric acid, spice extract, polysorbate 80, sulphites and natural flavor as found in one brand.

One could choose another recipe, but the simple fact is that you are unlikely to be able to entirely eliminate these so-called food additives whether you are buying it from the store, or whether you are doing your own food processing. Even salt, which is so often used and so often termed a "natural" ingredient, is actually a chemical - sodium chloride, so with it, you are still adding chemicals. On the other hand, by doing it yourself you do get to exercise control. You pick. You choose. They’re additives which you will have approved.

Beef jerky might not be something that would appeal to a vegan, but it does make for a good example. The fact is these choices can be made in relation to all sorts of food storage. Check out the additives in that can of tomato sauce. What could you eliminate if you made your own sauce?

Would a food washer put your mind at ease when it comes to those pesticide residues? Are you a hiker and enjoy trail mix, but have trouble finding something suitable for you personally? Again, you can do it yourself, and control it yourself.

Home food storage can indeed save you money, but it can also allow you to make more healthful food choices.

By Gary Palmer Published: 6/2/200

More Food for thought on storage…

The link to the "Foodie Food Storage"

So the first reality of food storage is that we’re headed back to the peasant cusines - as they existed for ordinary people. [...] The cookbooks are written mostly for Americans and their huge, seasonless quantities of milk, eggs and meat … Then I worked on getting rid of corn derivatives and getting as much organic as possible, until I was getting almost nothing at the local supermarket.

Overwhelmed by learning about long term food storage?

Overwhelmed by learning about long term food storage? Relax, here’s a plan. I know how you feel. Just take a deep breathe and compartmentalize…..it can be very overwhelming at first. That’s one reason I found the easy open buckets for … A year’s supply of organic< fef /b> sugar for our family is 50lbs. Stored right in the bucket in the pantry. As that gets low we restock to be prepared for a year. 

The Benefits Of Vacuum Sealer Food Storage

… bags are the right size, you may even store important legal papers in a vacuum sealed bag for your protection. Tilia vacuum sealers food storage is a practical method for you to preserve your family’s food. Not only could you extend the life of your foods, but you could also protect them from spoilage and be able to preserve their natural flavors. The vacuum bags can be used for simplifying food preparation as well.

Transition to Biodiverse, Organic, Local Food

In addition to reducing vulnerability and increasing resilience, biodiverse organic farmingalso produces more food and higher incomes. If all US cropland became organic it would increase soil-carbon storage by 367 million tons and would …

Grandmom’s guide to Green Living: Living without refrigerators …

The first way is to use only fresh food. Here in the Philippines, we have limited refrigerator storage and a lot of employees to feed. So our cook shops every day for meat/fish and vegetables.

Food Storage: A Crisis Savings Account

Unless your cupboard is bare, you have food storage. Most families in America can eat from the food stored in their pantries and freezers for three days to.

Technorati Tags: aspertame, dangers, dieting, food, msg, raw food diet list, storage, Vegan, weight loss

Hydration Is Vital to Your Overall health

We humans are more than 70 per cent water. Taking enough fluids is the basis for keeping your body working at its best. We begin to get dehydrated and our performance drops off with just two per cent water loss. What can cause a two per cent water loss? It doesn’t take much.

It can happen to an athlete who’s competing, and even to someone who’s in bed with the flu or diarrhoea, in the very hot weather to all of us or even to someone who just doesn’t drink enough water. Water is continuously lost from the body partly in urine and stools (approximately 1.5 litres), partly in sweat and partly as water vapour in respiration. Even mild dehydration of one per cent in the body, which would represent approximately 0.75 to one litre of water (1 per cent of 75 kg = 750 ml) can create a reduction in muscle performance and the person could start to show dehydration symptoms.

Early symptoms are headaches, dry eyes (ask any contact lens wearer what happens after a couple of glasses of wine), drowsiness, loss of concentration and irritability. If you don’t meet your fluid needs, you can also experience frequent muscle cramps.

Since all these things are worsened by dehydration it doesn’t take a rocket scientist to see that keeping hydrated is important for you. The more you weigh, the greater your fluid needs. Dehydration can have a negative impact on your daily activities. By drinking adequate fluids, you will also decrease the chances of getting injuries.

Ways to monitor your fluid status: You can easily keep an eye on your hydration status.

Monitor your urine output: If you are hydrated, you should go to the bathroom frequently. If you don’t produce much urine or if it is very dark in colour, chances are that you are dehydrated. Ideally urine should be pale or colourless. Remember some medicines, vitamins and dietary supplements may also change the colour of your urine.

Within two hours of a workout or competition, aim to get back to your pre-exercise weight: Weigh yourself before and after workouts to ensure that you are not losing too much fluid. Remember losing weight by losing fluid or becoming dehydrated is not the way to get the pounds off.

Every person perspires at different rates depending on their biological make-up. If you are a heavy sweater, make sure that you use a beverage containing sodium during workouts. Eat and drink foods and fluids with sodium after your workout to replenish the sodium lost in sweat.

To stay hydrated: Drink at least two glasses of water when you get up in the morning.

Drink two glasses of water 1-1 1/2 hours before your workout. Keep sipping fluid after every 10-15 minutes during your workout.

Don’t wait until you are thirsty to decide to drink. Your thirst sensation runs quite a bit slower than your body’s need for water. By the time you realise that you’re feeling thirsty, your body will already be suffering from drought. Most experts suggest that you drink before you get thirsty. Even if you’re just pushing a long distance - drink water before, during, and after.

People doing intense or long-duration workouts are prone to heavy, repeated sweating, then lose a high amount of electrolytes (sodium, potassium, magnesium). These people can replenish the body by having salty fluids and foods like energy/sports drinks, tomato juice, orange juice, grape juice, milk, potato, bananas, spinach, canned soups and beans.

WHAT FLUIDS TO DRINK

You can include other fluids like juices, lemonade, milk, buttermilk and coconut water in your mid-meals. Cold water is the best fluid for keeping hydrated when it’s warm outside. Cold water is absorbed much more quickly than warm fluids and may help to cool off your overheated body. If you’re going to be away from home or outdoors, make sure that you keep a bottle of water close by.

Make a habit of keeping water or other non-caffeinated beverages with you all day long. Keep a large bottle of water next to your bed, so you can sip it without getting up. One should drink at least 10-12 glasses of fluid every day. Keep a bottle of water at your work space, in your backpack or in the car for easy access.

There are foods you eat that can contribute fluid to your diet. Some foods contain 80 per cent or more of their weight in water. So, you can eat more of these foods to stay hydrated if you just don’t like water.

Foods with at least 80 per cent water include tomatoes, papaya, peaches, pears, yogurt and oranges. Cucumber and watermelon contain 90-95 per cent (highest) of their weight in water. You should drink two glasses of water for every alcoholic drink as this helps the body to stay hydrated. Drinking beer or alcoholic beverages is not the right way to rehydrate yourself.

Alcoholic beverages contain little carbohydrates and the alcohol can actually work against you by causing your body to lose fluid and get dehydrated more quickly.

Caffeine-based beverages like tea, coffee or colas are diuretics. Therefore when you are having these kinds of beverages be sure to stay well-hydrated.

QUESTIONS TO ASK YOURSELF

How do you know if you are not getting enough water? Check off the questions that you can answer "yes" to:

1) Is your skin dry? If you wrinkle it or pinch jt, does it take awhile to "bounce back?"

2) Is your urine dark? It should be a light yellow.

3) Are you frequently constipated?

4) Do you get groggy or headachy part way through the day?

5) Do you have a lot of trouble staying cool - or keeping warm?

A "yes" to anyone of these questions does mean you’re not getting enough water. Any of these conditions could be lessened by taking in more fluids. However, every one of these problems or complaints can also be caused by something other than dehydration - sometimes by something very serious. But normally you can feel safe prescribing "extra water" for yourself to get your body to perform at its best.

By: Michael Douglas

Visit our latest collection of resources on Juicing, expert tips and advice on health and fitness, dieting and workout, makeup and cosmetics with lots of effective home remedies.

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Raising Your Kids and Converting Your kids to Veganism

Vegans exempt animal products from their vegan lifestyle, (looking for vegan recipes, try our cookbook here). This is easy enough for committed older vegans, but how to raise a kid with no milk, ice cream, chocolate, or candy? In today’s, predominantly meat-dependent and animal fashion crazed world, it is certainly a challenge for vegan parents to raise their children.

Fortunately, the years brought an abundance of information about vegan fashion, vegan shoes, vegan recipes, vegan lifestyle, and vegan cosmetics. All that vegan parents need right now are determination and creativity to encourage their children to take up the vegan way of life. Now if someone has ever told you that vegan diet may shrink your brain, well lets look at some famous vegans, Albert Einstein, Plato, Emerson, Ghandi…shall I continue or do you get the message…here`s a video with some recent famous vegans.

The first hurdle vegans have to face is the question of feeding their children. There are lots of available food choices in the market today for vegan fare. Vegan recipes are not just salads; they extend to casseroles, baked dishes, and even desserts. Vegan ice creams, smoothies, and candies are now available in the market. These items taste just as good as the traditional dairy products minus the animal abuse. Children being raised on vegan diets won’t feel any different from non-vegan kids.

The trick is to include substitutes for popular kiddie treats so vegan children won’t feel out of place with their non-vegan peers. Vegan dieticians recommend substituting tomato sauce with meat substitutes for regular meat sauces. There is a variety of soy cheeses and flavored soy milk drinks that are completely vegan without sacrificing flavors. Fruit waffles and juices are most welcomed treats.

Meat substitutes in pork, beef, poultry, or fish flavors are available. Vegan kids would not miss out on the joys of junk food, except that theirs won’t cause them acne and make them healthier. "Junk" foods like popcorn, baked potato and vegetable chips, sweetened dried fruits, raisins, and fruit chips are popular choices. Beverages like fruit smoothies and fruit juices are deliciously sinful enough to be considered junk food.  Don`t forget the abundance of Vegan Supplements available.  

However, kids are easier to manage than teenagers, more so when they’re vegans. There are the fashion trends to reckon with: that trendy leather jacket, the fur scarf, or the chic leather boots everyone is talking about. A teenager must have them. Remind them if they’re really up to wearing dead animal skins on their body and then buy them some enviable vegan fashion items.

There are boutiques that sell exclusively vegan apparel. Vegan online shops also have extensive, not to mention, affordable and chic choices for vegan shoes, vegan clothes, vegan jackets, and even vegan accessories. Vegan cosmetics are also available and they have been proven to be better than the ones that are animal-tested and made with animal oils. After all, slim and fit vegan bodies deserve fashionably gorgeous vegan clothes.

Vegan family support groups assert that proper education and information about animal rights and abuse is important.

Understanding the vegan lifestyle makes managing and raising vegan kids easier. When they are aware and informed, kids are surprisingly easy to handle.

They do make their own choices, but with information, they usually make the right choice. So they strongly advise starting vegan families to encourage each other and educate their children to make them understand why is it good to be vegan. With understanding, the kids become cooperative and healthier, and the family stays together longer.

By: Jane Simpson -

Article Directory: http://www.articledashboard.com

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Organic Cosmetics a Great Way To Have Perfect Skin

Finding quality vegan cosmetics can be hard as there are so many so called "quality products" however you just never know.  We have done our best to scour the internet for you to find the top sites for Organic and Vegan Cosmetics and in this aricle we discuss what you could do to enhance your own beauty through lifestlye changes.

For the lucky few, beautiful skin comes naturally. Some say its all about the genes, others say it’s about the way they take care of their skin and what we eat. Most definitions when it comes to the natural ways to a beautiful skin means only using natural products with the absence of synthetic chemicals.

Some say the natural way to a beautiful skin is not about the products you use but is more about the lifestyle you live: organic diet, a vegan lifestyle, natural remedies to common skin problems, etc. Whichever school of thought to belong to, most skin experts agree that natural is still the best way to take care of your skin because of the health and beauty benefits they bring. Try these ways to a naturally beautiful skin to experience the benefits they bring.

Water: the Natural Hydrator

Most people forget the 8 glasses-of-water-a-day rule. Most experts agree that eight glasses is only the minimum if you want to truly hydrate your body and prevent dry skin. This is especially true for people living in warm places where sweating is a constant thing. To be naturally beautiful, you have to constantly hydrate your body as water is very much needed in keeping all metabolic processes of the body going. The human body is said to be 90% water, therefore hydration is a must if you want that healthy glow to show on your skin.

Exercise

Exercising releases endorphins that help the body cope with stress and create an elevated feeling of euphoria and prevent melancholy. Since it’s discovery in the 1970’s it has been proven to truly help the body cope in stressful situations. Exercising not only helps release endorphins in the bloodstream but also dilates the blood vessels and allows more oxygen-rich blood to reach different parts of the body.

This is very important in maintaining a healthy skin. The reddish glow of our skin while exercising is actually caused by oxygen-rich blood reaching the different cells in the body as it ferries much needed nutrients and oxygen. Regular exercise can really help you achieve a healthier skin tone and tautness - true trademarks of a beautiful skin.

Eat Right

Scientists have always highlighted the importance of a proper diet to a naturally healthy skin. Proper diet brings needed substances like protein, vitamins, and minerals in our system that allows our body to properly heal and regulate itself. Vitamin A has been proven to improve skin texture and regulate the production of sebum or oil in our skin that can cause pimples.

Most dermatologists say Vitamin A is the natural Vitamin that can truly help the skin heal itself. Proper diet also brings to the body other substances like protein (the raw material for tissues and muscles) which aides in skin-tissue repair during scarring. What we eat is truly reflected in our skin, and eating organic food has been proven by scientists to slow the aging process.

People who rely less on fast-food and prefer organic meals have shown better skin texture and have been showing less signs of ageing. Eating to be beautiful has been made easy thanks to the emergence of Organic food shops that only sell organic ingredients - and don’t worry about the recipes to cook, there are hundreds of websites on the internet that provide organic food recipes for those who truly want to make the switch.

Sleep

They really don’t call it beauty rest for nothing. Sleeping is so vital and important in having a beautiful skin as it is the natural means of the body to repair itself. Scientist agree that sleep is as important as eating because some substances that are used for repair, like Vitamin E, is only activated and used while we are sleeping.

The natural repair mechanism of the body can finish its job if we get at least 8 hours a day of sleep. Sleep deprivation can lead to a lot of health problems, not just for the skin but also for our over-all wellness. Not enough sleep has also been proven to make the skin less taut and saggy. Sleep has biological and psychological benefits that most scientist are still trying to understand but they all agree that it is very much needed in keeping the body healthy and beautiful.

Use Sun block, avoid the Sun

Ultraviolet rays have been directly linked to skin cancer and premature ageing. Avoiding the sun is one of the natural ways to a beautiful skin. Scientists suggest that people who are always exposed to sunlight should wear, at least, an SPF 30 sunscreen. But more importantly, experts suggest that even if we don’t sit under the sun, we should still wear a natural sunscreen with a minimum of SPF 20. Avoiding the sun is a very important way to maintain the youth and beauty of our skin. The less sunlight we expose ourselves to, the lesser lines we develop when we get older.

Switch to Natural Cosmetics and Beauty Products

Though slightly more expensive than the average beauty product, cosmetics that only use natural ingredients have been made available thanks to the demand of beauty and health conscious individuals that opened this small niche in the market. Even the most expensive cosmetics brands have created a natural or organic skincare line to suit the customers who only want natural products to touch their skin. Most consumers really don’t mind paying extra when they’ve personally decided to go natural.

By: nathfiset

Article Directory: http://www.articledashboard.com

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Some Great ways to stick to a Raw food and Vegan Diet while you work or play.

In you are looking for a way to stay strong at work and in the face of numerous temptations, coffee, tea, cookies, donuts, and in some locations beer!  Just Kidding, try some of the following suggestions and recommendations on staying RAW.

For raw foodists not fortunate enough to make their living working from home, it becomes necessary to find ways to maintain the diet and lifestyle in the work environment. This means sticking to their raw food intake percentage and doing it in a healthy and balanced way. There are a couple challenges when working in the office on the plant-based diet:

You may be tempted by refined sugar and refined carbohydrate "office-treats."
You have to plan ahead (meaning you have to create more time) to think about and make food.
You have to have food and snacks in the office five days a week (i.e. you can’t run out of food and you can’t forget your food at home).
You have to deal with various social aspects.

There are many ways to successfully stay "raw" in the office. This is definitely a doable task. Tips and techniques will be given here, but the main idea is that in order to not go hungry in the office and succumb to random office treats, you will need to plan ahead. Planning is key when nutrition becomes such a high priority in your life. This isn’t a bad thing–it ultimately means you won’t be feeling bad about what you ate when you get home. You’ll have higher self-esteem and this will lead to more loving actions you will do for your being.

There are several different ways you can plan and prepare your at-work meals. The first, and most important, thing to do is to create a stash of dried foods and snacks in your desk, locker, car, or wherever you work. Some good ideas for this stash are goji berries or some other dried fruit, dried nuts and seeds, sea veggies, bee pollen, sea salt, and/or a jar of green powder (and a glass shaker jar).

This food can be used as a mid-morning or mid-afternoon snack, or for supplementing a plain salad that you didn’t have time to dress up. This stash will also come in handy on those days where you are hungrier than usual and have already eaten all the fresh food you brought for the day. Last, you will save valuable time spent planning and packing into baggies daily quantities of nuts, seeds , dried fruits , and/or sea veggies. Now you will have a 3-4 week supply of snacks there for you at work!

As long as you have some delicious raw options with you, you will be more immune to wanting to eat those office treats loaded with refined sugars and carbohydrates. Sure they smell great, but you know that what you have in your desk drawer, locker, or car will taste so much better! Even if it means having some raw chocolate or raw cookies nearby, it’s very important to have something with you that will satisfy you in the way cooked foods used to satisfy you when that craving hits.

Now, for the fresh food preparation. Although this can take some mental time, physical time, and muscle to carry to work, you CAN do it and it’s completely worth it. When you want to make the food will be up to you and your work/sleep schedule. Some raw foodists like to make the food in the morning because it will be at its freshest. Others may not have time in the morning and may prefer to make an extra large salad, or soup for dinner for the next day’s lunch. Here are some ideas of what you can make or bring for breakfast and lunch:

Breakfast options:

Fresh green juice
Green smoothie (60% fruit blended with 40% green leafy vegetables)
Superfood smoothie (with some fat and protein added to it like flax seed oil and hemp seed protein)
Fresh organic fruit

Lunch options:

Big green veggie salad
Superfood smoothie
Green soup with flax crackers
Raw entre (perhaps leftovers from last night’s dinner)

Now you can create your own combination depending on the below considerations:
1. Am I running on time this morning or running late?
2. What does my body feel like today? Examples would be: it feels like more liquids (smoothies and soups), it feels like more protein (hemp seeds, raw protein powder), or it feels like some extra superfoods.
3. What do I have to eat in my refrigerator?

All of this considered, if you are running late in the morning and didn’t have time to make anything the night before for lunch–no problem! Pack some clean fruit in a bag, grab a container of leftover salad or green soup from last night, and be out the door. If you have more time, you can still grab the fruit for breakfast and then make a superfood smoothie in the blender in 5-7 minutes throwing in fruit, greens, and a bunch of superfoods (some fat and protein of some kind should probably be in there as well to sustain you for the rest of the afternoon). If you are not running late and have some time to spare in the morning, you can make a green smoothie for breakfast and a superfood smoothie for lunch. You get the idea here. You can use clean, old glass jars full to carry your smoothies, soups, and juices around without fear of them leaking out.

More tips to save you time making your work meals are to: 1) Make everything in batches. It’s best to make more than enough food so you can eat the rest another day without having to go through all the prep and cleanup time again. This can apply to superfood smoothies, salads, green soups, and green juices (if you have a high-quality juicer that makes juice that lasts up to 48 hours). And 2) Bring a bag of organic fruit to the office on Monday’s and store it on your desk or in the office fridge (if there’s space). This way, if you’re running super late, or if you completely forget to bring your food with you, you’ll have some fruit to snack on when you get there.

Social aspects in the office don’t have to be a problem. Your boss and co-workers may tease you at first (or always) but be aware that they probably really respect and maybe even envy you on the inside. Working breakfast or lunch meetings can be a challenge-especially if you are drinking a jar-full of green smoothie in front of everyone. Or if you take 40 minutes to eat your salad while everyone else seems to be inhaling his or her sandwich and chips.

Your options are to either eat before or after the meeting, or to just grin and bear it–the more sustainable raw foodist approach being the latter. You may as well enthusiastically tell everyone what exactly you are eating and drinking. They most likely have never heard of a raw-vegan diet. Who knows, maybe you’ll convert someone into raw foods, or at least green smoothies. You may even make yourself a new raw food office-friend!

Yes, it is a challenge to be raw when you’re away from your kitchen for 9-16 hours a day, but if you can master this, nothing will stand in the way of your health and nutrition goals. And if eating more raw foods means that you are more focused, energized, and creative at work, isn’t it completely worth it? Just remember that planning, making food in batches, and adjusting according to your schedule and body-intuition will be key in your raw success–at work and beyond.

By: Lenette Nakauchi

Article Directory: http://www.articledashboard.com

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Vegetable Juice Recipes

Looking for innovative and healthy recipes for consumption of vegetables?Here are some healthy vegetable juice recipes…

The importance and health benefit of fresh vegetables in the diet has always been stressed since time immemorial. In addition to the interesting vegetable recipes in various cuisines across the globe, there exists a simple and healthy way for consumption of fresh and healthy vegetables - vegetable juice. One common question is the consumption of vegetable juices synonymous with a raw diet? Well, of course not. Vegetable juices can be made from raw as well as boiled vegetables.

Vegetable Juice: Vegetable Nutrition Facts

Different vegetables contain varying amounts of nutritional contents. However, on an average, all the vegetables contain lesser proportions of protein and fat and relatively greater proportions of dietary fiber, vitamins, provitamins, dietary minerals and carbohydrates. Some vegetables also contain phytochemicals, which may have antioxidant, antibacterial, anti-fungal, antiviral and even anti-carcinogenic properties.

Is it Safe to Consume Raw Vegetable Juice

Although vegetable juices are relatively easy to prepare, there is a limited set of vegetable juices that should be made with raw vegetables. Commonly used vegetables in fresh vegetable juices are cucumbers, celery, carrots, tomatoes, zucchini, other squashes and even fresh green vegetables like spinach, wheat grass or even lettuce. In addition to this, while consuming raw vegetable juices, it is very essential to clean the vegetables thoroughly in order to get rid of any chemicals or pesticides that have been applied to the vegetables ortry to stick to organic veggies as much as possible.

In addition to this, one more important issue to keep in mind if you are planning to consume raw vegetable juices regularly is that you must keep on including a variety of vegetables and not stick to one single type for a prolonged period.

Vegetable Juice Recipes

One of the first issues in the consumption of vegetable juices is the taste factor. Most of the vegetables don’t have an appetizing taste on their own and hence need to be enhances with some flavoring with sugar, salt, or some tang. Here are some exciting vegetable juice recipes that you can incorporate in your diet. However if you are suffering from any medical conditions that require you to follow a rigid diet, then you must consult your physician and dietitian before your start consuming these vegetable juices.

Tomato Mint Delight

Looking for a healthy accompaniment to your morning bread on the breakfast table? Try this fresh and healthy tomato juice preparation with a dash of fresh mint. The healthy energizer drink can be a great way to start your day.

Ingredients:

• Fresh Tomatoes - 2
• Sugar - 1 teaspoon
• Fresh Mint Sprigs
• Pinch of salt

Preparation:

Puree the tomato along with the mint sprigs, sugar and salt. Add water only if the juice seems very thick. Not straining the juice is a healthy option. You can serve it chilled with some fresh mint leaves as a garnish.

Tangy Cucumber Breezer

Looking for a healthy thirst-buster on a hot afternoon? Try to indulge in this healthy and refreshing concoction with the goodness of cool cucumbers and just a hint of lemony tang. A great variation of this vegetable juice can be adding watermelon juice to this mixture. Cucumber juice doe not have an overpowering taste as such and hence can be easily combined with several fruit juices as well.

Ingredients:

• Fresh Cucumbers - 2
• Fresh lemon juice - 1 teaspoon
• Fresh Ginger juice - teaspoon
• Sea salt - teaspoon

Preparation:

Extract the cucumber juice and blend it with the lemon juice, ginger juice and sea salt. Blend thoroughly and chill in the refrigerator. Serve chilled with a fresh lemon slice for garnish.

You can find more juice recipes here.

 Cheers!

Technorati Tags: how many pints juicing to detox, raw vegetable juicing recipes, vegetable juice that tastes like fruit juice

Eating Raw One Step At A Time

Although it is difficult for some of you to transform your diet completely, you do not have to go 100% raw. You can incorporate ordinary alternatives to the foods you were ingestion (such as organic raw peanut butter and not ordered peter pan).

You can also asset all organic, stop away from cow milk, incorporate bounty of cool fruits and veggies and only gulp water and you have dramatically tainted your life already!

Changing over to 100% raw foods right away may be hard for some people due to their special preferences. Also, by varying over to raw food, the body will begin to detox on its own within a the existence. Changing over and burden so slowly would be wise so the body will not have to go through detox so hard at the beginning.

One structure worn was six being on, one day off which seemed to work as the body could equate food tastes. After a while, the body would prefer what was healthful over the unhealthy, allowing the detox to prolong on its own. The regard of well-because was felt on the six years was still beloved on the seventh day. Contrasts between food types and their tastes were prominent, and delicate preferences could win for that one-day. Nevertheless eventually, the non-cooked food won out.

A support scheme used was to eat raw food "cold turkey" for two weeks stretch. On the end of the two-week stop, a register was made to see what was enjoyed most … The processed food or the raw vegetables. At first, the yearning for processed food was still there but over time, it lost its draw. By the end of the month, the sympathy of "well-being" due to intake raw foods won over the taste of cooked and processed foods.

Keep in view that you do not have to incorporate a satisfied 100% raw food diet evermore! You can eat raw foods 80% of the time, for order, perhaps up awaiting dinnertime, then go cooked for dinner. Just drinking more fruits and veggies abandoned will change your strength drastically.

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The Benefits Of Eating Raw Vegetables

We’ve been told since birth to eat our vegetables and yet far too few of us actually do it. Even when we do get around to eating our vegetables it’s only after we’ve cooked out most of the natural nutrients that our body is desperately craving.

Keep in mind, as you proceed, that while all raw vegetables are incredibly beneficial, raw green vegetables actually serve as the basis of nearly all life on this planet. That may sound a bit extreme to you, but stop and consider for a moment that almost every organism on this planet survives by either eating raw green vegetables or by eating an animal that eats raw green vegetables…they really are that important.

I know, you’ve probably eaten most of your vegetables cooked since you can remember. Simply put, just because something has ‘always’ been done a certain way doesn’t mean that it’s the best way to do it. You will get a lot more out of your vegetables if you consume them raw.

I specifically used the word ‘consume’ because, in reality, you get the same benefits from raw green vegetable juice as you do from eating them whole and usually you get it faster. This is because raw vegetable juice takes less internal work to digest and is absorbed into the body almost instantly.

It seems that most people only know that they should eat vegetables because they remember mom telling them to; very few people seem to have a grasp on the amazing nutritional value of vegetables.

Raw vegetables are extremely rich in minerals, vitamins, trace elements, enzymes and natural sugars. All of these are things that your body needs to function properly and the raw veggies will help stabilize and normalize your natural bodily functions. They actually help pretty much ALL of your natural bodily functions operate.

You’ve probably heard about the necessity of vitamins and nutrients to your overall health your entire life, but the concept of enzymes may be new to you. Basically, the enzymes in raw vegetables help your body digest food. This is one of the reasons that green vegetables are sometimes considered ‘nature’s laxative,’ because they get your stomach working properly.

The average American diet is actually comprised of quite a few foods that are incredibly difficult for our bodies to digest properly. When we aren’t digesting properly, the food sits in our stomach longer than it should and we miss out on any nutritional value it did possess.

Okay, so at this point, you may have started to become convinced about the necessity of vegetables…but why raw?

All of our cooking methods have been shown in scientific studies to reduce the amount of vitamins, minerals, and enzymes in vegetables. Of the cooking methods, steaming has been shown to retain the largest amount of vitamin content although it still reduces it.

Vegetables begin losing their valuable nutritional elements as soon as they are plucked, pulled or picked from the ground. For this reason, the additional loss of nutrients during cooking would be a smaller problem if we grew our own vegetables and cooked them the same day we harvested them.

However, most of us don’t live that way. The largest majority of us purchase our vegetables at the grocery store after they’ve been shipped hundreds or thousands of miles. During that time, the nutritional value has been seeping out of them.

Finally, to make matters worse, repeated studies have shown that commercially grown vegetables, right out of the ground, aren’t as rich in nutrients as they were 50 years ago. One large contributing factor to this is that farmers have found so many ways to make their crops grow faster that we aren’t receiving the full benefit of naturally mature vegetables.

It is admittedly extreme, but not that extreme, to state that any vegetable you get from the grocery store and then cook at home probably has the nutritional value of cardboard by the time it hits your stomach.

Start eating (or drinking) raw vegetables as soon as you can. Whenever possible, grow them yourself or purchase them from local farmer’s markets.

By: Gray Rollins -

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Gray Rollins writes for SecretsOfTheHealthy.com. For more great health tips like this one, visit our blog, and if you want a great tasting green drink, watch this video.

Green Leafy …
Raw Vegan Leafy Green Vegetable Plant Based Blog of Living Food Goodness Meat, Dairy & Cruelty. My Photo. Zucchini Breath: Klamath Falls, Oregon, United States: I am ready to change my life and quit my cooked food habit.

Organic foods diets
Publications that support the raw organic foods diets appeared in the early 20th century; they introduced research on the benefits that raw organic foods diets provide for a long and healthy life.

Green Salad Series
While I do not advocate eating all raw vegetables (some of us do much better with cooked veggies), raw vegetables can be of great benefits to most of us.

Go Green With the Benefits of Chlorophyll
The best way to take in the benefits of is to eat a lot of raw, green vegetables. Unfortunately, cooking these vegetables, even lightly usually kills the chlorophyll content in the plant.

Key Benefits Of Raw Food Diets
Green Vegetables * Fruit Juices * Seeds * Sprouts. Other raw foods may include uncooked eggs, fish, meat etc. Benefits of Raw Food Diets.

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