Make Your Own Toothpaste

A long time ago we learned that fluoride is not as safe as we have been led to believe by the American Dental Association. Upon being educated on fluoride's harmful effects, we have been purchasing our toothpaste from our local healthfood store.

Now, anyone who shops for healthy products knows that if a product claims that it's healthy, it's going to cost you twice as much! Today I stumbled upon this toothpaste recipe that I'm going to try. I'm hoping that our family will like it, and in the long run, find that it saves us money. I'll keep you posted as to how well it works for us.

1 cup baking soda
1/3 cup salt
3 teaspoons glycerin
Flavoring for taste (wintergreen or peppermint oil)

Mix baking soda and salt together. Add 3 teaspoons of glycerin and mix thoroughly. Add flavoring to taste; five to 10 drops usually works, but find out what is best for you. Put paste into a squeeze bottle. Use as you would commercial toothpaste.

You can add a drop of food coloring to add a little color. Add a little more glycerin for thicker toothpaste.

© ThriftyFun.com

For more flavor ideas in homemade toothpaste, click on the picture.

Choosing an Egg Free Diet

If you are avoiding the use of eggs in your diet, you might not know (as I didn't) that just because the food label doesn't say 'eggs' doesn't mean eggs aren't in the foods you are purchasing. This article has a list of ingredients to watch for if you desire an egg-free lifestyle.

Whether it is because of food allergies or merely a preference to eat a vegan diet, many people choose a diet that is free of eggs and egg products. When it is for health reasons, extreme caution must be taken to carefully read labels since many products contain eggs or egg byproducts.

Symptoms of Egg Allergy

Allergy to eggs, like most food allergies, causes a host of symptoms including gastrointestinal discomfort, skin rash, hives, and breathing difficulties. In extreme cases, allergy sufferers can experience a life threatening reaction called anaphylaxis. Those with severe allergies must be especially careful about what they eat.

Reading Labels

While food labels offer much valuable information, the most important part of the label just might be the list of ingredients. Parents must be alert for the presence of possible allergens in foods, which aren't always easy to identify. Sometimes, an egg is simply called an egg, or an easily recognized version, but there are other terms used, too, that can also indicate the presence of egg, or one of its components. Some to look out for:

• globulin
• livetin
• mayonnaise
• meringue
• lysozyme
• ovalbumin
• ovomucin
• ovomucoid
• ovovitellinor
• Simplesse

Dining Out

When eating at home, it can be fairly easy to avoid eggs and other egg products since you can control the offending ingredients. When dining in restaurants or in the homes of other people, it can be a bit trickier. Be sure to inform your hosts about your child's allergies and inquire about the ingredients in their recipes. Most people will be understanding and cooperative when they realize that your child's health is at stake. In restaurants, the menu may be a bit more complex, and since many restaurants do not cook completely from scratch, there may be eggs or egg based products used without the direct knowledge of the chef. If you are unsure, try to choose foods in their simplest form and avoid casseroles or foods served with sauces.

Eggs are Everywhere!

Sometimes, eggs or egg derivatives are found in unexpected places. Most baked goods contain eggs, sometimes even those that are baked without eggs. Breads and pastries with a shiny appearance usually contain eggs. In addition to bakery items, many other desserts contain at least some eggs. Ice cream, pudding, and even marshmallows all list eggs as an ingredient. Certain beverages, including root beer, coffee, and wine are sometimes clarified with egg, which can pose a problem for those with severe allergies. In general, it is best to make most meal selections from a list of whole foods. Not only is this the healthiest way to eat, but it is the only way to be completely certain of the contents.

Teaching Your Child About their Allergy

When they are very young, children eat only what is offered to them by mum and dad. As they grow, however, they will often be in a position to make their own selections, so kids with egg allergies need to be educated on making safe choices. Be sure to teach your child about avoiding eggs as well as products that may contain egg byproducts. Consulting with your child's allergist and a pediatric dietician can be very helpful in guiding them to choose wisely.

Source Used: Safe Kids.co.uk

Too Much Fiber? The Wrong Kind of Fiber?

I am always interested in bettering my health. Therefore, I try to educate myself as much as I can in that area.

I receive a few different health newsletters in my in-box from time to time , but don't always agree with every position they take. When reading them, I always try to determine if they are in harmony with the eight principles of health that God has laid out in scripture. I thought I might share with you some of the things I receive here on my blog, in hopes that you might benefit from the information too. If you see something that you feel goes against God's priciples, please email me privately so we can discuss it. It is not my intention to force anyone to believe one particular health method over another. I just thought it would be nice to share things that I have, and am still learning, over time. I like to keep in mind that over all, God is the Great Physician!

For my own protection I found in necessary to include a disclaimer at the bottom to the article. And now, without further ado, here is the first of a mulit-part series on the topic of fiber--
This article was written by: Dr. Leonard Smith for Body Ecolology

We hear a lot about how important fiber is, but what exactly is fiber and how do you get it in your diet? Can you get too much fiber?

In this multi-part series on fiber, I will be covering: what fiber is, how to make sure you are getting enough, how to tell if you are getting too much and finally, troubleshooting issues like healthy elimination, constipation and diarrhea.

Stay tuned over the next few weeks and get all of your fiber questions answered!

What Exactly is Fiber?

Fiber is a component of carbohydrates that cannot be digested, but does provide a key role in moving food residue through your digestive system. This is critical for elimination. In fact, lack of fiber can slow transit time of food in your digestive system, which can result in absorption of toxins into your body.

With today's Standard American Diet of processed foods, dry cereals and high sugar intake, many people are not getting enough fiber.

Health Benefits of Fiber

Fiber is not just important for moving food through your digestive tract. It has many health benefits, including reducing the risk of:

• Diabetes
  
• Heart disease
  
• Colon cancer
  
• Diverticular disease
  
• Constipation problems

Fruits and vegetables are fiber rich foods, but could you be getting too much fiber? In this first installment of our multipart series, find out what you need to know about fiber.

Clearly, fiber is a key nutrient to have in your healthy diet. So what are some good fiber rich foods?

Sources and Types of Fiber

You can find fiber in fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds and whole grains. While many Americans are eating processed foods that lack fiber, you can be confident that your Body Ecology program is full of fiber rich food.

In fact, the Body Ecology program recommends you have 80% of each meal as vegetables.This principle alone allows you to have a healthy intake of fiber in addition to fiber rich foods, like the grain-like seeds that Body Ecology recommends.

There are two types of fiber:

Soluble Fiber - Dissolves in water. Upon ingestion, some soluble fiber (pectins, beta-glucans, some gums like guar gum, and mucilages like psyllium) form viscous or gelatinous solutions in your stomach and intestines, which allows for the following:

• Slower emptying of the stomach
  
• Delayed absorption of some nutrients and sugars in the small intestine
  
• Lower serum cholesterol

A very important function of many soluble fibers is to be fermented by beneficial bacteria to make short chain fatty acids (SCFAs), namely butyrate, propionate, and acetate. Butyrate both serves as an anti-inflammatory and "fuel of choice" for the cells lining the colon.

Insoluble Fiber - Does not dissolve in water. Here are the benefits of insoluble fiber:

• Holds water you consume in the fiber/food bolus so that a portion of the water can be taken to the colon where it is absorbed. This water absorption takes place mainly in the right and transverse colon.
  
  In this process of absorption, your colon hydrates itself. It also sends the remainder of the water with minerals, nutrients, and some short chain fatty acids into the vascular system to be taken up and used by your body.
• Allows the bacteria and a variety of nutrients (especially the SCFAs) in the liquid fecal mass to be spread out over greater areas.

In this way, the bacteria can eat more and multiply, which increases stool bulk (over 50% of the stool volume is bacteria). The increased bulk promotes peristaltic action so that you can eliminate.

Instead of worrying about the type of fiber you are eating, make sure you get enough.

Experts suggest that adults consume 20-35 grams of dietary fiber from a variety of sources per day. Most vegetables, fruits, legumes, and grains have both soluble and insoluble fibers in varying ratios.

Unfortunately, when you eat a diet high in processed foods, you are likely getting only 14 - 15 grams of fiber per day, which is the average intake for Americans.

Processed Foods and Your Blood Sugar Levels

Carbohydrates break down into sugars in your system. Fiber rich foods like, vegetables, fruits, whole grains, nuts and seeds slow the absorption of sugar into your blood.

In essence, fiber rich food helps regulate your blood sugar levels.

Let's see what happens when you eat refined carbohydrates that have been stripped of fiber:

• You have a meal containing refined carbohydrates (cereal, for example).
  
• The carbohydrates are absorbed quickly and enzymes break them down. When you break carbohydrates down quickly, it increases the sugar going to your liver.
  
• If you have elevated blood sugar (glucose), it signals your pancreas to put out more insulin than it should be putting out. Insulin is a hormone that regulates carbohydrate metabolism.
• At lunchtime, you eat a piece of cake, which is a refined carbohydrate also high in sugar.
  
• This turns to sugar quickly and is absorbed into your gut lining, goes into your liver.
  
• Your liver sends signals to your pancreas that, if it could speak, would be saying, "Whoa, flooded with sugar!"
  
• Your pancreas sends out more insulin.

The problem with most processed foods is that they have low (or no) fiber and also contain sugar.

Insulin stays in your body for 5 hours and since you typically eat again before that 5 hours is up, you continue to keep your baseline insulin up and spike it higher with each meal.

This is important because the negative side of too much insulin is increased fat storage and increased inflammation. Eventually, the insulin receptors become resistant…it's like they are no longer listening when your cells and liver start screaming "let the sugar in the cells!"

They can shut down completely or work inefficiently.

Sugar can no longer be normally absorbed, so it goes back to the liver, which cries out to the pancreas again to put out more insulin.

This is a common cycle that can lead to obesity.

Frequently it occurs first in the abdomen (even in thin people) and is known as VAT (visceral adipose tissue) more commonly known as belly fat. This type of fat is definitely associated with heart disease, metabolic syndrome and diabetes.

Fiber to the Rescue

When you eat fiber rich foods, you take in complex carbohydrates, which are made up of sugars. However, these sugars are linked together in a way that allows them to break down much more slowly. They are therefore absorbed gradually into your system.

Eating whole plant foods, like a large salad, would not abnormally increase your blood sugar.

Many grains, like rice, barley, rye, and corn can increase your blood sugar, even though they are complex carbohydrates.

This can happen if a large serving is eaten quickly without having oils or proteins in your meal.

The Body Ecology program supports your fiber AND blood sugar levels because:

• True grains, like rice, barley and corn are not included in stage I of the program. Instead, Body Ecology recommends 4 high-protein, gluten-free "grain-like" seeds.
• Even if you do add true grains in stage 2 of Body Ecology, following the 80/20 rule and the guidelines for healthy fats goes a long way to keeping your blood sugar levels from spiking.
• You are less likely to increase candida activity in your intestines.
• Adding fermented foods and drinks to your meals, like cultured vegetables or probiotic liquids helps even more.

The healthy microflora in fermented foods and drinks "eat up" the sugars as food, helping your body deal with sugars that you do eat.

In addition, fermented foods and drinks, like CocoBiotic, help curb your desire for sugar, aiding in breaking the craving for processes foods.

Fiber and Weight Loss
Some experts suggest that for weight loss, you should eat 35 grams of fiber per day.

By itself, fiber does not help you lose weight, but does so in combination with good hydration (at least 64 ounces of water or more daily), exercise and good elimination, sleep and detoxification. However, fiber is an important part of the equation, as you saw in the example, above.

However, when you eat plenty of whole foods, improve your digestion and include healthy microflora from fermented foods and drinks, you have a recipe for weight loss or healthy weight maintenance.

This is why the Body Ecology program is a perfect solution for obesity and weight maintenance.

Body Ecology: The Right Mix of Fiber

Following the Body Ecology program allows you to get the right mix of soluble and insoluble fiber in your diet.

I believe that too much low fiber processed foods and animal foods are reason we are sick. Whether it's constipation problems, weight gain, type 2 diabetes or heart problems, increasing your fiber intake could be the key to improving your health. Following the Body Ecology program provides a roadmap to healthy foods in the right amounts for your body.

In part 2 of this series on fiber, I will cover what happens when you get too much fiber and what to do about it.

For more information on the Body Ecology system of health and healing, read The Body Ecology Diet, by Donna Gates. It's one of the most important things you can do to increase your fiber and your health.

Sources

1 Fiber: Start Roughing It! Harvard School of Public Health.
http://www.hsph.harvard.edu/nutritionsource/fiber.html

2 Tsang, Gloria, R.D. Fiber 101: Soluble Fiber vs Insoluble Fiber
http://www.healthcastle.com/fiber-solubleinsoluble.shtml

3 Fiber. UWSP University Health Service.
http://wellness.uwsp.edu/MedInfo/Handouts/LAs/Fiber.pdf

4 Fiber: Start Roughing It! Harvard School of Public Health.
http://www.hsph.harvard.edu/nutritionsource/fiber.html

***DISCLAIMER***

The contents of the above article are solely the opinions of Body Ecology, and should not be considered as a form of therapy nor advice. There is no guarantee of validity or accuracy. I, Debbie, assume no responsibility for injury and specifically disclaim any warranty, express or implied for any products or services mentioned. If expert assistance or counseling is needed, services of a competent professional should be sought.

The Benefits of Oats

I have recently begun a quest to lose weight. This is not easy for me and I'm not fooling myself that it will be. Although I know it's best to lose weight at a slow rate to keep it off in the long run, as with most people, I want to be reach my goal yesterday!

I have spent some of my time today doing a bit of research on grains. Oats, in particular. I've heard that they are very healthy and can help lower cholesterol and also assist with weight loss. Lucky for me I like oats! I am aware that if I consistently work toward replacing foods of convenience we will be healthier overall. For the most part, I have accomplished this, but realize that there is still more I can do.

One thing I enjoy doing is shopping at our local healthfood store. There you can buy oats in bulk. However, they have an assortment and I never quite knew the difference between each. Here's what I've learned today...

"Oats are considered a ‘cleansing grain.’ They not only cleanse your intestinal tract but your blood as well. Oats contain an excellent balance of amino acids. It’s proteins are almost in perfect proportion to the body’s needs. High in lysine which is often low in other cereal grains, oats bring a real balance to your protein needs without the need of mixing foods. Oats contain high levels of complex carbohydrates which have been linked to reducing the risk of cancer and the better control of diabetes. Oats are also rich in the B vitamins, contain the anti-oxidant vitamin E and oats are mineral rich as well.

In the grocery stores of North America, oats are most often found as either regular or quick rolled oats. However, if you have a flaker, you can produce your own rolled oats from our oat groats producing a fresher, tastier, and more nutritious cereal. You can also run oat groats through your grain grinder to get oat flour for baking or for use in other dishes. Using 25% oat flour, the natural vitamin E in oats will help keep your breads from going stale so quickly. Oat flour can also be used as a preservative for ice cream and other dairy products (it’s that vitamin E again). It’s also used as a talc replacer in skin care products.

Oat bran contains ß glucans, a cholesterol lowering chemical through a mechanism still unclear to the scientific community. This soluble fiber in oat bran may also aid in regulating blood sugar levels by forming gels that slow the absorption of glucose sugar in the intestinal tract. It only takes 2 minutes to cook oat bran in boiling water. It’s almost a convenience food when thinking of things to have for breakfast.

It takes about 10-15 minutes to cook regular rolled oats. Quick rolled oats, being thinner, cook much quicker in 2-3 minutes. And instant rolled oats, which have already been cooked then dehydrated, just need hot water added. As instant rolled oats are the least nutritious, you should seriously re-think about using them in your every day cooking habits, instead of using the slower cooking, quick oats. Instant oats certainly have their place, however, such as on camping trips and in your 72 hour kits.

Using rolled oats as a meat extender in meat loafs is a well known practice. And then there's oatmeal cookies. But aside from eating oatmeal for breakfast, oats aren't used too much in mainstream North America today. This is too bad as oats are so extremely healthy! The Scots and Irish base much of their cooking on oats, showing us Americans by good example that oats are a more versatile food than we seem to think. Oat flour makes rich thickeners for soups, gravies and stews. Oat flour will also add nutrition to your breads, muffins, crackers, beverages and desserts. And everybody knows oats are the main ingredient in granola.

Because of the antioxidants in oats, they are a good storing grain. However, for best storage conditions, pack them in airtight containers, use oxygen absorbers and store them in a cool place."

Now that I know more about oats I can utilizing them for their maximum nutrition, making them the most beneficial for my family. This makes me feel good! :)

~"She looketh well to the ways of her household, and eateth not the bread of idleness." Proverbs 31:27

Information on oats provided by: Walton Feed, Inc.
Other Sources: Everything Oats
Oat Recipes