Daily Health Bits

A couple of weeks ago, I attempted to clean my oven; a task that I approach with disgust and a little bit of fear.  It seems like every time I use traditional oven cleaners, I ingest the fumes (even though I AM careful!) and end up feeling dizzy and not being able to get the scent out of my nose hairs.  I often wonder if the leftover residue gets in our food too.  Well, this month in First magazine, they offer a natural oven cleaner which is safer, and doesn't smell bad at all!

 Traditional cleaners often contain Sodium hydroxide (lye), methylene chloride, 2-butoxyethanol and ammonia which are just a few of the potentially toxic ingredients on their list.  Besides their noxious smell, the harsh chemicals have been know to cause liver, kidney or respiratory damage, according to Karyn Siegel-Maier, author of The Naturally Clean Home.

Here is her suggestion for a natural oven cleaner which can actually be used in many areas of the kitchen.  Combine 2 TBSP each of baking soda and liquid castile soap (like Dr. Bronner) and 1/2 cup of hot water in a spray bottle.  Preheat your oven to 250 degrees, then turn it off and spritz the interior.  Let sit for 20 minutes then wipe with a clean damp sponge.  The alkaline baking soda dissolves grease and neutralizes odors, while the soap molecules trap the grime so it can easily be rinsed away!  It works and I didn't have to lie down after completing this chore!

Posted by Cindy Burreson at 12:22 PM | Permalink

My husband thinks I'm sort of a freak because I am really quite concerned with skin cancer and how my lifestyle thus far, has not been very preventative.  I love the sun.  Always have...I have gotten numerous bad sunburns, and gone back for more.  I've used tanning beds for extended periods of time. I have laid out with baby oil.  I do not wear hats.  I STILL don't always use sunscreen.  And it makes me crazy.  I have freckles and moles and live in fear of "what if".  So, I want to share information from skincancer.org on how to prevent sunburns.  I wish I had heeded my mom's advice with regard to lying in the sun.  Hopefully, I will be able to take action now to prevent premature aging, and worse.  I have purchased some sunscreen for my face and I will start putting it on every day.  And I will make an effort to limit my tanning.

Here is  a scary statistic:

Skin cancer is the most common form of cancer in the United States. More than 1 million skin cancers are diagnosed annually according to The National Cancer Institute, 2007 SEER Database.

So, how can YOU (and I) prevent sunburn in the first place?  Here is advice from www.skincancer.org.

So, if you've been a little complacent with regard to the sun and it's affects on your skin, heed some of this advice.  It's never too late to start.

Posted by Cindy Burreson at 09:00 AM | Permalink

As a concerned pet owner, I contacted the Animal Poison Control Center to find out what "people foods" are dangerous for our dog.  Of course, you're not really supposed to feed them scraps at all, but the following is a list of foods that you may want to print out and keep on your refrigerator or in a place where you'll see it.  Also, it is a good idea to keep your veterinarian's number in a place that is easy to find, and the number for the Animal Poison Control Center, in case of accidental ingestion. 

Here is the list of DANGEROUS foods:

Foods to Avoid Feeding Your Pet
- Alcoholic beverages
- Avocado
- Chocolate (all forms)
- Coffee (all forms)
- Fatty foods
- Macadamia nuts
- Moldy or spoiled foods
- Onions, onion powder
- Raisins and grapes
- Salt
- Yeast dough
- Garlic
- Products sweetened with xylitol

For more information, please refer to the Animal Poison Control website.

Posted by Cindy Burreson at 04:32 PM | Permalink

Drinking vegetable juice can provide you with two servings of veggies in one cup.  However, store-bought, packaged juice is often packed with sodium.  One of the most popular veggie juices contains 500mg of sodium, nearly a quarter of the RDA. 

So, what are the advantages of juicing at home?  Juicing at home allows you to make a concoction that is favorable to your taste buds.  Adding fruits to the juice like pineapple, apple or lemon juice can sweeten the flavor even more and supplement your daily fruit intake.  Juicers are a little pricey, but are worth the investment if you think you will use it regularly.  There is a website that sells juicers inexpensively at www.discountjuicers.com. This company has been so kind as to offer my readers an additional $5 discount on any order.  Simply type 5CRASH in the coupon code upon checkout to activate your coupon. 

Freshly juiced vegetables yield the most nutrients and you can make your drink and consume it immediately.  Plus, since juicing removes the indigestible fiber, these nutrients are available to the body in much larger quantities than if the piece of fruit or vegetable was eaten whole.  If you are still not consuming the RDA of fruits and vegetables, a Phytofood fruit and vegetable blend is another way to help supplement your intake in a convenient capsule form.

There are several books on juicing that contain recipes and the nutritional values of fruits and vegetables.  Some of the best titles I've found are The Juicing Book: A Complete Guide to the Juicing of Fruits and Vegetables for Maximum Health by Stephen Blauer and Complete Book of Juicing: Your Delicious Guide to Youthful Vitality by Michael T. Murray.  Both are available at Amazon.com.

Posted by Cindy Burreson at 10:36 AM | Permalink