Do you have the six hidden hazards in YOUR home?

June 2012 issue of Consumer Reports Canada lists six hidden hazards in your home as:

• household cleaners
• old lead-based paint
• invisible killers: carbon monoxide and radon
• combustion of particles or gases
• interior mold
• air fresheners, candles and incense
  

Here are some of the highlights I got from the article.

Most cleaning products are not safe, including some “green” labels. For your own DIY cleaner, mix 1 tbsp of vinegar or lemon juice with 1 quart of water. Clean toilets with baking soda or vinegar and a brush. Baking soda can help get rid of odors on rugs or carpets. Sprinkle it on, wait 15 minutes and then vacuum.

Lead-based paint is the most significant source of lead poisoning in the US, found in older homes. Have a paint chip analysis done by a professional to be sure. Lead paint is extremely dangerous for children. Have an EPA-certified painter remove it.

Radon and carbon monoxide cannot be seen, smelled or seen, but both are deadly. Radon comes from the earth beneath your home, and is the leading cause of lung cancer. The only way to know you have them is to test for them. Install a carbon monoxide sensor, and make sure it has new batteries. Test for Radon. (Note:  I’m not sure exactly how you test for Radon.  If someone knows, let us know.)

Don’t let anybody smoke in your home. Clean your chimneys each year.

To me, this next one is one of the worst and insidious items on the list.  Mold and bacteria can spread from a home humidifier, bathroom exhaust fans, and even clogged gutters where the water seeps into the house. (Note:  Although Consumer Reports suggest treating small areas with a solution of 1 part bleach with 16 parts water, eye mask and respirator, we suggest that an Ozone generator is very safe, effective, and more efficient for larger areas.)

Air Fresheners are extremely dangerous because they contain phthalates which are linked to cancer and reproductive problems plus tons more. Even though manufacturers are cleaning up their products, we still can’t trust them, so get rid of all air fresheners in your home. Scented candles can trigger asthma attacks and allergies. Get rid of them too and watch your health improve.

Don’t wait, clean up the Six hazards asap!

Lyn

 

Easy Coconut Chocolate Squares

This recipe is easy, healthy, gluten-free, dairy-free, uncooked, and very yummy!  Even the kids can make these squares.  There are lots of options.  Let us know how yours turn out.

Ingredients: 

½ cup maple syrup (or honey, or ¼ of each)

¼ cup coconut butter (room temperature so it is soft)

¼ cup cocoa powder (can use carob powder but cocoa tastes best)

1 tsp cinnamon

½ cup natural peanut butter (or almond butter but peanut butter tastes best)

1 cup quick oats (or 1 cup dried coconut to make it gluten-free – or even add some ground flax seeds)

1 tsp vanilla extract

1/3 cup sesame seeds (or hemp hearts)

½ cup unsweetened coconut

½ cup walnuts or pecans (or pine nuts)

 

Mix all ingredients together.

Spread the batter into an 8 x 8” pan lined with paper or plastic and place in the refrigerator to harden.

When it is hard, remove from the pan. Cut into squares and store in the freezer.

Our family likes to eat these as a treat directly from the freezer. They taste amazing.

Have fun in the kitchen!

 

 

 

 

Use a Chemical Roach Killer?

I was cleaning out the cupboards of our rental home the other day, and among the toxic household chemicals I threw out was a spray can of Baygon Roach Killer.  See the other items I threw out here.

I looked at it, and knowing what a problem roaches are here in Central America, the fleeting thought came to me that this stuff could really be useful. Being pest-free sounded nice.

BUT ….. this can boasts that it kills instantly (mata al instante), and is more powerful than ever! It is for scorpions and cockroaches. On a closer look, here is what you really need to know.

This is an aerosol insecticide made in Mexico and the ingredient list on the back is so small you can hardly read it without magnification.  The active ingredient is “cipermetrina” or cypermethrin. It warns to cover all food and to keep it away from your eyes and flame. You need good ventilation for the treated area for 30 minutes. Warning: this affects the central nervous system, causes irritation, dermatitis and paralysis.

In reading the MSDS for cypermethrin, it says “Exposure may cause irritation to eyes, mucous membranes, upper respiratory tract and skin;  Exposure may also cause the following: effect fertility and/or unborn and breastfed babies; somnolence; convulsions, seizures or tremor; salivary gland changes; motor activity changes muscle contraction; urine volume increase; immuneresponse decrease; proteinuria; hypoglycemia; blood clotting factor changes.”

If this roach spray can cause this list of conditions, is it really worth using in your house?  Would you want to put your kids or animals, and especially yourself at risk?  Infertility and hormonal disruptors are becoming alarmingly more common, and chemicals like this are contributors to the problem.  You never know the longer term effects of this chemical in the body.

Bugs and ants in the house are a terrible nuisance and it does take persistence to get rid of the problem.  They often have a route that they enter the house – through the wall or a crack somewhere.  I recommend making a custom natural killer for any kind of bug you might be faced with.

The EPA of the United States recommends natural approaches to keeping critters out of your house.  You must clean up spills and crumbs immediately.  Close up all bags of food and don’t leave them open lying around. Eat at the table so you keep food crumbs in one place. Do not leave dirty dishes in the sink, and always cover the trash, being careful to empty if often.  You must be meticulous and consistent in order to starve them away.

Here are some natural recipes that I will be using if I need them here at this house.

Recipe 1  Ingredients:  Baking Soda, icing sugar and water.  Mix equal parts together into a paste, so the roaches can feed on this and also take back to their nest.  This will make them bloat up and die.

Recipe 2 Diatomaceous earth, which you can buy in the hardware store or garden store.  When the roach eats this, it will destroy their shell/skeleton and cause them to shrivel and die.

If we find we need roach killer, I’m planning on following the EPA’s kitchen cleansing protocol first, and then using one of the above recipes if necessary.  Until that time comes, the Baygon roach killer is gone, never to return.  By the way, if you friends find a better solution, please let me know. 

Getting healthy together! 

Lyn

 

 

 

 

 

Beet-Lovers Easy Yummy Salad

Beets are a very healthy superfood for the whole family.  In my kitchen, they are especially useful because they store so well, and don’t go rotten on you before you have had a chance to eat them.  But wait till you hear the best part, just in case you need convincing. 

Beets are a good purifier and cleansing vegetable which helps to detox the liver, gallbladder and kidneys.  Juicing beets helps with lowering blood pressure.  Beets contain Vitamin C, as well as lutein and zeaxanthin which are good for keeping your eyes healthy. Beets help with purifying the blood, and also help with anemia and constipation.  Whenever I juice vegetables, I always add a few beets because of the overall health benefits.  After all, whole foods contain so many nutrients that the the whole is greater than the sum of the parts.  Every organ of the body can benefit from a really nutrient-dense and tasty food like beets. 

1.  Here’s my recipe for my favorite raw beet salad:

Grate 1 large beet (peeled) and grate 2-3 apples.   The beets you must grate, but the apples you could chop very finely.  Sprinkle with the juice of a lemon.  Mix together and serve. Optional: Add 2 tbsp chopped red onion.

2.  Here’s my recipe that is sure to make Beet-Lovers of your whole family!

Preparation:  Boil up a pot of beets, skin them and put them in the refrigerator for eating withing within the next 3 days. 

Ingredients:

4 smaller or 3 larger cooked Beets – chopped in cubes

3 ripe tomatoes – chopped.  I usually use Roma Tomatoes with this recipe.

1 avocado – cubed

1/2 cup parsley leaves – chopped finely

1-2 clove garlic – chopped finely

Mix all 5 ingredients.  Add a dressing made from juice of 1 lime, 2 tbsp honey, ¼ cup olive oil, 2 tbsp plain natural yogurt, s & p to taste.  Note:  You might have to add a little more honey if it is too tart for your family. 

Yours, for nutrient-dense foods.  Lyn

I’m Detoxing this Place Today!

We just arrived at a new rental house and this place is TOXIC!!!

Even though I’ve thrown out most of the leftovers from the last tenant’s cleaning supplies, there’s more to go.  And it just occurred to me that you would like to see what I’m throwing out today.  This assortment came from the bathroom and under the kitchen sink.

With limited Spanish to read the labels, here’s how I’m making decisions.  This goes left to right.

• Suavitel – it has a precaution section on the back label, plus it lists perfume as an ingredient. It’s going into the garbage.
• Vanish Max 2X laundry soap – looks not too bad, but the fragrance is so nauseating, it’s going.
• Kitchen Mate Oven and Grill Cleaner – commercial strength. Warning is Keep out of Reach of Children and Danger: Corrosive. Causes skin burns. Use adequate ventilation and avoid inhaling. Here’s list from the label: (potassium hydroxide 1310-58-3) and diethylene glycol monoethyl ether (111-90-0) I don’t know how to dispose of this – I’m going to leave it outside for now.
• Alcohol bottle – has a skull and crossbones on it, plus a warning about children.  I feel it’s safe to pour down the toilet, so it’s gone now.
• Clorox – Dr. Hulda Clark has already declared this to be unsafe, so it will be stored outside until we need it for occasionally cleaning toilets.
  
• Protex Deo 12 soap (not pictured) – stating that it eliminates 99.9% of bacteria, and the ingredient list says:  Sodium Palmitate or Sodium Oleate or Sodium Laurate, PEG 12, parfume, Triclocarbon, citric acid, titanium dioxide, Green 3, Ext D & C Violet 2.  All 4 bars are going into the garbage also.
• Citrodex bottle with approx. 1 inch of a greenish murky liquid.  I don’t know what it is and it has no warnings or instructions on the label.  It will be going into the garbage.
  
• Baygon Roach killer – This one looks really scary and hubby tells me it looks like the worst of the collection!  There’s got to be a natural bug killer recipe out there somewhere.  This one will be the subject of another post on this site.
  
• Axion and Pril cleaners – can’t tell if they clean dishes or laundry.  I cannot read the ingredient lists if they have one because the writing is behind the liquid.  They have strong fragrances, so they are going in the garbage.
  

One question I have is:  Is the labeling here in Central America similar to the North American labeling system where they are ‘supposed’ to list all ingredients?  Also, do they put symbols on all hazardous products?  I’m not taking chances, and am starting from scratch.

I hope you go through your cupboards regularly to clean out toxic items that have crept into your cupboards some way or other.  Here are some tips:  Look for symbols of skull and crossbones, a corroded hand, Caution section or Warnings.  Avoid these items.  For simple cleaning, stick to known items like vinegar and baking soda.  Every country that I have traveled to, vinegar and baking soda are common ingredients that you can find easily. 

If you are cleaning up chemicals in your home for the first time, see “How to Detoxify Your Home” where I walk you through the steps that I took in cleaning up our home.

Yours for getting rid of poisons in the home!

Lyn

 

Foods that Hinder Your Detox

There are certain foods that actually hinder a detox.  Identify the killers and you will be more successful. 

Here is a list of common detox killers to avoid while trying to detox:

• dairy or GMO soy
• sugar (for most detox’s you can still have limited fruit)
• caffeine (or pop)
• meat
• gluten
• peanuts or corn (common allergen)
• alcohol, tobacco, over the counter drugs.

This looks like a nasty list, but there are a LOT of great foods you can enjoy and still feel satisfied.  If you are going on a raw food detox, then that’s another story, but if you are still going for some cooked food, I have some ideas for you below.

Detox seasons are good, so be intentional about them, take time out of your usual schedule of meal plans, and even spend money to make sure you get the best nutrition possible. Eating at home where you can control what you eat is important.   Have fun planning for your detox and making it happen.

Breakfast:  Fresh juiced vegetables, Green smoothies, oatmeal with almond milk, buckwheat or other non-gluten pancakes.

Lunch:  Fresh raw green salad with avocado, grated carrot, grated beet, cucumbers, alfalfa sprouts,  tomatoes, sprinkled with ground flax, and/or sesame/hemp/sunflower seeds.  Sprinkle fresh berries on top for fun.  Hearty dressing can be cilantro dressing, or avocado/lime dressing or olive oil with garlic/herb vinaigrette.  Fresh juiced vegetables.

Supper:  Here are some ideas of what I would serve.  Rice/lentil pilaf, Quinoa dish with curried stir-fry vegetables or curried chickpeas and lentils, Curried squash soup,  Dal or black bean sauce with rice,  Baked potato with steamed veggies.  Top with a dab of coconut butter.

During your detox, drink plenty of juiced vegetables.  For the following recipes you need to experiment and make it how you like it.  The outcome also depends on the kind of blender or juicer you have.

Vegetable Juice:  1 handful parsley, 1/2 inch fresh ginger, 6-8 carrots, 3 stalks celery, 2 apples, 1/2 lemon, and any other vegetables you have around such as a beet, zucchini,romaine lettuce, kale, beet tops, few dandelion leaves, etc. I usually juice once a day and store it in mason jars in the refrigerator to drink during the day.

Green Smoothie:  Blend up a handful of spinach or kale, 1 apple, 1 banana, 1/2 squeezed lemon, water to make blending easy.  Add 1/2 cup frozen blueberries or mango if you have them. I even add avocado in my green smoothies.

Green Smoothie #2:  1 1/2 cups of washed kale, chopped, 1 orange, 1 lemon, 1 banana, 1 cup green grapes, 1 pear, 1/4 inch ginger peeled, 1 cup water.  Blend until smooth.

Avocado Salad Dressing:  3/4 cup water, 1 large avocado with the pit removed, 3 tbsp squeezed lime juice, 1 tsp lime zest, 1 garlic clove, optional dash of cumin, s & p to taste.  Add 2 tbsp of honey if needed.  Blend & serve as a dressing, or as a dip for vegetables.

Berry Dressing:  1 cup fruit, 1/2 cup water, 2-3 tbp honey, 2 tbsp olive oil, few tbsp. apple cider vinegar, s & p to taste.  Blend and serve. I usually “blend & taste” to get the right consistency and flavor!  Blackberry dressing is our favorite.

Enjoy the Detox!

Lyn

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