Naturally Beautiful Skin

The skincare business is a multi-billion dollar industry, every week there seems to be a new product on the market to cure acne, or eliminate your wrinkles and shrink your pores - this is all well and good, but the question remains - what is it that you are actually feeding your skin, and eventually being absorbed into your bloodstream?

Your skin is the largest organ in the body and it has been estimated that the average women douses herself with 126 chemicals each day! What's more some believe that anywhere from 10 to 50 % of what you put on your skin may be absorbed into your bloodstream. So clearly what skincare product you choose is vitally important, which may be why so many new natural, organic, plant based products and natural preservatives are popping up on the market (Source: Go Vita).

This is a topic I am very interested in and passionate about - as I have battled eczema all my life - so always had to be careful what I put on my sensitive skin. After years and years of topical treatments, bathing in all sorts of lotions and taking supplement after suppliment - the bottom line is there are so many external and internal influences that can affect the skin condition - it really is to hard to pin-point just one. Merely walking through the Sydney CBD, you are exposed to so many chemicals and toxins that can affect overall health and as a consequence your skin. Some things are just out of our control, but there are some things you can do to take control of beautiful glowing skin, apart from of course diet.

Below is a list from Go Vita's monthly reference guide of not-so-good-for-you-chemicals to avoid in skincare products:

• BHA (butylated hydroxyl anisole)
• BHT (butylated hydroxyl tolulene
• DEA (diethanolamine)
• fomaldehyde (often claled formalin)
• ingredients prefixed by benzyl, butyl or isopropyl
• methylchloroisothiazolinone (this is the longest word I've ever seen)
• mineral oils
• paraben preservatives
• paraffin
• PEGs
• phthalate (often listed as fragrance)
• polyethylene glycol
• propylene glycol
• silicone oils
• SLES (sodium laureth sulfate)
• SLS (sodium lauryl sulfate)
• triethanolamine

Go through your products and see how many of these bad boys make a guest appearance. It is quite remarkable.

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Superfood of the Day - Purple Corn Extract

Purple Corn Extract

Hail the Super foods - these are foods that are very high in essential nutrients that can help us reach optimum levels of health by providing us with vitamins and minerals which are missing from our diets. Grown in South America and in particular Peru for thousands of years, Purple Corn is one of nature's richest sources of at least six different anthyocyanin antioxidants - even more than blueberries!!!


Purple corn has been extensively used as a staple food and a naturally colouring dye. Recently, anthocyanns have been studied and reported to have antimutagenic, antimicrobial and anticarcinogenic properties. There are very few purple plants to be found in nature - besides the common Purple Carrots. The purple corn extract is created by juicing the purple corn then slowly, at low temperatures, evaporating off the liquid in the juice until the pure powder re-mains. Loving Earth Chocolate, which I have blogged about recently feature one of their flavours 'Activated Almond and Purple Corn Dark Chocolate' YUMO!

Purple corn tastes like the essence of corn and is a wonderful addition to smoothies, cacao/chocolate, raw-food recipes and dressings. One teaspoon per day is a good dose of purple corn extract.

Enjoy

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Let's get Freekeh

Just when you thought you had all your grains covered, comes the new amazing Freekeh (pronounced free-ka). An ancient grain that can be used in the modern lifestyle.

Green wheat Freekeh is a delicious, highly nutritious grain made from roasted green grains. It is free from any chemicals or GMO. Freekeh grains are harvested while still young, and therefore contains more protein, vitamins, and minerals than the same mature grain and other grains. Good news is that it is low GI (slowly raises blood sugar levels), low carbohydrate, high in fibre (up to four times that of brown rice), and rich in prebiotic properties. 

Some interesting nutritional facts on the Freekeh wonder grain:


• Almost double the amount of Protein that is found in Brown Rice
• Four times the amount of Fibre than Brown Rice
• Contains 5 times the amount of Calcium found in Brown Rice
• Contains 4 times the amount of Potassium found in Brown Rice

Green wheat Freekeh is very versatile and with its delicious nutty flavour (similar to that of brown rice); can be used in a variety of ways:

• As a side dish or in stir fries
• As an ingredient in soups or salads
• As an ingredient in vegetable burger patties
• Any way rice/pasta can be used! Use your imagination.

I bought my first pack of Freekeh last week after hearing so much about it in Health circles and was definitely impressed. It may sound a bit 'Freekeh' but good news, the wonder grain is not out of reach, it can be found in most major supermarkets, in the health food aisle.

Time to get a bit Freekeh in the kitchen! :)

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Holy Spirooli !

Over the weekend I celebrated my birthday; and every year I treat myself to a gift I have been holding out for. This year I decided to buy myself a 'Spriooli' yes you heard correctly, a Spi-roo-li. Sounds like some crazy kitchen contraption, and indeed it is. If you have ever wondered how chefs get those cool curly carrots, perfectly sliced cucumber stacks and my favourite, zucchini pasta - drum roll please...from a SPIROOLI - ta da!

Last night I decided to take this bad boy for a test run - and yes all expectations were met. I made a green Zucchini 'Pasta' with garlic & sunflower seed salmon.

As you can see pictured the crazy swirly green stuff looks like pasta, but its actually zucchini that has been spirooled (not sure this is a word?). I spirooled a whole zucchini, half a carrot, steamed up some cabbage and pumpkin and threw in some cherry tomatoes. Seasoned it with some ground pepper & a dash of olive oil. I also added a salmon steak which was lightly grilled with some garlic & sunflower seeds on top.

Spirooli's can be bought from various health food stores and online raw food websites. I bought mine from Raw Power online (http://www.rawpower.com.au/). It cost $35; and took 3 days to get to me.

Happy spirooling spunks!!

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A Safer & Cleaner Home

Creating a greener and effectively safer home is just as important as what we eat, our beauty regimes and how we think. Our homes aren't safe and clean if the air we are breathing in are polluted with chemicals from common household cleaners. Below is a list adapted from the Environmental Working Group's website (www.ewg.org) - follow these and protect your health while you clean your home:

1. Less is More

Dilute your cleaning products according to instructions and use only what is needed.

2. Open the window

Clean with the windows and doors open so you don't trap air pollution inside your home. Yes even in winter, perhaps leave the house after you clean, go for a walk or the like, so you don't have to sit in an ice box.

3. Use gloves and other precautions

Cleaning chemicals may harm or penetrate the skin and eyes - so check the labels and wear rubber gloves as often as possible.

4. Avoid "Antibacterial"

If you are generally healthy, there is no need to use potentially toxic 'antibacterial' products. Wash your hands with plain soap and water.

5. Never mix bleach with ammonia, vinegar or other acids

These combinations can produce deadly gases!

6. Try Natural Alternatives

This is my favourite. Experiment with non-toxic options. Vinegar and Baking Soda are key stable natural ingredients that kill a wide range of nasties.

7. Take Care with pine and citrus oil cleaners

Avoid using these cleaners especially on smoggy days, when the ingredients can react with ozone to produce cancer-causing formaldehyde.

8. Skip the biggest hazards

Avoid air fresheners, use baking soda and water paste to clean the oven and tackle toilet stains, and use a mechanical snake to unclog the drain.

9. Beware of the Dark

Dark little hiding spots combined with moisture are perfect breeding grounds for bacteria and mould, so try keep rooms well ventilated and clean.

10. Don't be fooled by Labels

Always check the labels ingredients as many companies can trick us into believing they are eco-friendly, but in actual fact are not.

Here is for a happy safe and clean home :)

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Organic (Or-gan-ik)

Organic

(or-gan-ik)

-Adjective

1. Nothing or pertaining to a class of chemical compounds that formerly comprised only those existing in or derived from plants or animals, but that now includes all other compounds of carbon.

The Organic/Raw food era is taking the world by storm, as consumers are becoming more and more conscious of what they are putting on the dinner plate; and thus giving consumers a greater sense of buying power and most importantly, increased health. Organic food as explained in the trusty dictionary definition are foods that are produced to a set of standards and principles concerning such issues as chemical pesticides/herbicides/insecticides, food additives, animal welfare and sustainability. Organic growers aim to produce food as 'naturally' as possible.

Organic farmers aim to produce crop from a balanced, living soil - which is free from synthetic chemicals or genetically modified organisms. Which places a large emphasis on the holistic farm management approach; ultimately recognising that our health is directly connected to the health of the food we eat, and ultimately the health of the soil.

In the production of animal products, under the Australian Organic Standards cages are not permitted. Animal welfare is also considered, allowing only free-range animals. In addition, the use of growth hormones and such are refrained from use, by approaching parasite problems through regularly moving animals to fresh pasture.

Have you ever picked a piece of fruit from a tree and realised the limited time it stays ripe? Compare this with buying the same piece of fruit from your local supermarket which will stay ripe for up to a week if not more! Not a good sign! Every one's circumstance is different and longevity and cost always come into play especially for families feeding a few mouths. However by being conscious of these methods and trying to replace at least half usual non-organic items with organic will be beneficial for overall health. Who wants to eat chemicals? Not me!

If you can't always get to local growers markets on the weekends, never fear the big players have their little organic produce range (even though it is not as large as it could be). Also a good indicator to look out for is the little ACO (Australian Certified Organic) Bud - featured above. Products apply for organic certification, and an Organic Certifying group audits a business' methods to ensure they comply with national or international standards for organic farming and processing.

Enjoy, some food for thought (pun intended).

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