Skip the Anti-bacterial Soap

According to the Environmental Working Group (EWG), the U.S. FDA Advisory Committee reports that washing hands with plain soap and water kills bacteria just as well as anti-bacterial soaps. I read about anti-bacterial soaps causing bacteria to be resistant to antibiotics several years ago.  We have not used these types of soaps since then.

Here are several good reasons not to use anti-bacterial soap:

  • The active ingredient is triclosan (and the related triclocarbon) which is linked to liver toxicity.
  • Low levels of the above active ingredient may disrupt thyroid function.
  • The American Medical Association recommended not to use triclosan at home because it may end up causing bacteria to be resistant to antibiotics.
  • This chemical ends up in our water sources because wastewater treatment does not remove all of the chemical.
  • Triclosan is very toxic to aquatic life.

So which soaps should we use?  The EWG recommends looking for soaps that do NOT contain these three things:

  1. Triclosan
  2. Triclocarbon
  3. “Fragrance” (which can open the door to all sorts of chemicals)

We do use the instant hand sanitizer which is alcohol based.  That is good to use when hand washing with plain soap and water is not available.

Washing Hands Removes More Than Sick Germs

When I think of cleaning a baby’s or toddler’s hands, I think of cleaning off dirt and germs that could make them sick with a cold or the flu.  But washing their hands cleans off more than that according to the Environmental Working Group.  It also prevents the transfer of toxic chemicals from their little hands to their mouths.  These toxins can be found many places such as some electronic equipment, older wooden swing sets, or some items with fire retardants.

IMPORTANT:  Hand sanitizers are convenient, but they do not remove dust and dirt which are how the chemicals are transferred.  Old-fashioned hand washing removes not only bacteria but also the grime.

A Busy Time

This is such a busy time with substitute teaching almost every school day, doing my private tutoring on Tuesdays and Thursdays, and then trying to keep up with my two blogs.   The weekends are busy, too, with a trip every now and then to see the kids & grandbabies, with our kids coming to visit every so often, church on Sundays plus activities, and with all of the other things we’re involved in.  I haven’t used bowtrol, but I make sure to eat healthy, get enough sleep, try to work in a little exercise (not enough, but some is better than none, right?), and take my vitamins and supplements.

Supplements

Supplements and vitamins are something I take every day plus allergy medicine during the fall.  Sometimes I get tired of taking vitamins and supplements every day, but I can tell a difference when I don’t take them.  I don’t take diet pills or other medicines, so I don’t have to take as many pills as some people do.  I just take what I feel like I need for each particular day.

Cancer Awareness

I’m seeing pink everywhere, in the Albertson’s grocery store ad, on products in the store, and other places.  This is a good thing because it brings to people’s attention the facts about breast cancer which has affected so many of our friends and relatives.  There are other cancers which people are becoming more aware of, too.   Early detection of cancer helps to save lives.  Encourage those you love to go for check-ups and mammograms.

Medical Equipment

Some families take care of a family member at home and might need medical equipment in order to take care of them. I know of a couple of different families who had hospital beds at home for their loved one.  There are supplies and equipment available for families that help make things easier.  And the great thing is that care can be given at home instead of a facility.

Chef Salad With Fried Turkey

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My husband loves it when I fix a chef salad and add Hormel Natural Choice Turkey that I have fried in extra virgin olive oil.  Frying the turkey makes it taste more like bacon.  I use a mix of salad greens and chop up whatever fresh veggies I have in the fridge plus add green olives.  We top it with either my mother-in-law’s homemade salad dressing or maybe low-fat ranch dressing.  Sometimes my husband uses Ken’s Caesar Dressing.  (There are COUPONS for Hormel Natural Choice meats available.)

Barilla Plus – Farfalle Pasta

blog-pictures-9-09-002When I’m cooking pasta, I prefer to use Barilla Plus because of the quality protein and all the health benefits it provides.  Barilla has come out with a new pasta called “Farfalle,” which I’m used to calling “bowtie pasta.”  I cooked some tonight and added our favorite jar of pasta sauce, some Parmesan cheese, and Turkey MeatballsMy husband had seconds, he liked it so much.

Stonyfield Organic Yogurt

blog-stoneyfield-yogurt-salad-etc-8-24-09-002This is a great organic yogurt that contains six probiotic cultures, making it one of the best yogurts on the market.  It’s made from pure organic milk which means not only does the milk not contain any synthetic growth hormones or antibiotics but also no toxic pesticides are used in the process of growing their grains which are fed to the cattle.

Just like the carton says, it’s very smooth and creamy.  Sweeten it with Stevia and add your favorite fresh fruit.  Delicious!

Keeping Healthy

Keeping ourselves healthy takes effort.  It doesn’t just happen by itself.  We have to make sure we eat healthy foods such as organic apples with the peeling, berries, avocados, peas, spinach, lentils, oatmeal, whole grains, brown rice, almonds, peanuts, walnuts, etc.  All of these foods help to keep our digestive system healthy.  But sometimes we need a colon cleanse review to make sure toxins are cleared out of our body.  Toxins from the environment collect in us and need to be cleaned out, but we don’t always eat healthy like we should and need to cleanse and rid ourselves of these toxins.

Healthier Lunch Meat – 100% Natural

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This is the only kind of lunch meat I eat on a regular basis.  It is all natural and does not have nitrates, nitrites, or any of those bad additives that aren’t good for us.  Did you know that nitrates and nitrites can affect women’s hormones?  We have enough trouble with hormones without additives in foods making them worse!

Hormel Natural Choice comes in three types of turkey (which is what we always eat), ham, and beef.  The great thing is that it’s delicious on sandwiches and chef salads!  And if you’re interested, here’s a link for Hormel Natural Choice coupons.

Blueberry Muffins Recipe

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Since my husband and I both bought blueberries on sale, not knowing that the other one had bought them too, we ended up with a lot of blueberries.   An online search at All Recipes.com came up with this recipe, which I modified here and there.  This recipe was such a hit that I made it one day and then made it again two days later.  We did have a house guest to help us eat them!  They were delicious served warm out of the oven and didn’t last very long at all.

INGREDIENTS:

  • 2 cups flour (I used 1 & 1/2 cups unbleached flour and 1/2 cup spelt)
  • 1/2 cup white sugar plus 4 small scoops of KAL Stevia    (or just 2/3 cup sugar)
  • 3 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/3 cup milk
  • Blueberry yogurt, 6 ounce carton
  • 1/3 cup oil
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla
  • 1 egg
  • 2 cups fresh blueberries

Heat oven to 400 degrees.  Line muffin pans with 15-16 baking cups or grease the bottoms of the muffin pans.  Combine the above ingredients and stir just until the dry ingredients are moistened.  Fill the muffin cups 2/3 full. Sprinkle the tops of the muffins with cinnamon and sugar before baking.

Bake for 20 minutes or until toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.  Serve warm.