going nuts over soap

As biochemistry comes to an end, I'm gearing up for our next course: Nutrition and the Environment.  And, I'm wondering whether by the end of it, I'll be camping in our backyard, wearing burlap and eating grass.  Stay tuned.

It can be really tough (and even upsetting) to find out that some of our favourite products, be it house cleaning, laundry detergents or personal hygiene products are not only harming our bodies, they're also harming the environment.  Recently I downloaded an App called "Think Dirty" (available on iTunes) and it allows you to scan the bar code on different hygiene products and then it spits out its toxicity levels.  It rates the product on a scale of neutral to dirty, considering its carcinogenicity, developmental & reproductive toxicity, and allergies and immunotoxicities.   It also lists the ingredients as well as suggests "cleaner options".  I had some fun with it today in Whole Foods, sourcing out a new deodorant.    Both the Tom's and Kiss My Face brands rated 10 out of 10 and 9 out of 10 respectively for toxicity.  I was so surprised!  Both are just as toxic as the Dove brand.  So I settled on Desert Essence, which only rated 3, which is the higher end on the neutral scale.  Green Beaver deodorant also had a rating of 3.  There are lots of products not in the App's database yet, and it gives you the option to add it yourself.  

I've been a huge fan of Aveda and MAC cosmetics for years, and both company's products contain highly toxic ingredients.  It just goes to show you how marketing can be misleading: Aveda markets itself as 'plant science' brand.  When I used the Think Dirty App to scan the barcode, I learned that my cleanser, tonic and lotion all rated 9 or 10 for toxicity.  Sad face!! 

Recently I learned from my sister-in-law about a company called NaturOli, an online retailer and developer of soap nuts. Soap nuts?  Soap nuts.  So, what are they and why do we care?  Their website has plenty of information which I'll attempt to briefly summarize.  Basically, in a nutshell (sorry, couldn't resist), soap nuts are the dried husks/shells from the soap berry nut.  Soap berries are the fruit from a unique tree species and the shells contain saponin, a substance that produces a soaping effect. Saponin is a 100% natural alternative to chemical laundry detergent and cleansers.  Soap nuts have been used for centuries throughout numerous countries in the Eastern hemisphere (especially in India and Europe) as a laundry detergent, soap for personal hygiene, and as a multi-purpose cleanser.  Soap berries are a sustainable agriculture and forest product, the highest quality of which grow in areas of northern India and Nepal.  At harvest, the seed is removed from the shell and the shells are dried in the sun using absolutely no chemical processing. No commercial manufacturing processes are required in any way for the soap nut to become effective. The soap nut shell is not altered in any way. Therefore, soap nuts are 100% natural and unmodified.

How do they work: the shell contains and releases the saponins (soap) when it comes in contact with water.  Agitation further releases these saponins. The saponins then circulate as a natural surfactant (surface active ingredient). They break down the surface tension between water and oil in the wash water reducing the surface tension of the water which assists it in freeing dirt and oils. And it does all of this, sans chemicals.  Huge benefit!  A few other benefits of using soapnuts: they have antimicrobial and natural anti-fungal properties, they are hypoallergenic (most allergic reactions to detergents are caused the chemicals and fragrances in them), they are mild and gentle on fabric and colors, they are low sudsing, which is especially great for high efficiency (HE) washers.

So, I purchased a trial kit online of their liquid soap nut 18X concentrate which can be used as a laundry detergent or general house cleaner.  The amount you see in the mason jar should get us 60 loads!  I also got a few trial sized shampoos to try.  My sister-in-law recommends boosting with Borax, which I will play around with depending on dirt levels.  There's a lot of mixed opinions out there about the pro's and con's of Borax; I'm hoping to learn more about it in our next course.

The Soap Dispensary in Vancouver is a wonderful spot for all your natural soap needs.  They also carry soap nuts sourced from India and distributed by a company called Eaternal. Unfortunately, they don't carry it in the convenient liquid form but you can buy the nuts or a powdered form (which is a great alternative to Comet cleanser).  I'm curious to give the actual nuts a try, check out the instructions here.

It can be overwhelming to realize that the products we know and love might be causing harm to our bodies and the planet.  The good news is, once we have the information, we have a choice in whether we want to make the changes or not, as well as how quickly we want to make them.  I encourage you to stay really curious about the products you're using and what kind of carbon footprint they're leaving behind.  Exercise your right to critically think.  I'm excited for the course (and admittedly a little nervous about learning all the 'bad' news!) and I am looking forward to making some more changes around our home, over time.

go nuts,
xo

I can be a unicorn, too

I've been experiencing a case of the 'never enough's' lately.  never enough time, never enough sleep, never enough energy.  I catch myself several times a day, stopping, and refocusing on what I am grateful for and cultivating compassion for myself, in order come back to a place of self-acceptance.  And, well, as it turns out, I need some extra help with all of it.

Shawn Anchor's TEDx Talk on "The Happiness Advantage" is hilarious and awesome.  Plus, in his opening, he talks about a time when he was seven years old and his little sister fell off the bunk bed and broke her leg while under his supervision.  Running the risk of getting in big trouble from his parents, he told his little sister that there was no way that a human could fall of a bed that way.  So, she must in fact be a baby unicorn. Duh!  Anyway, Shawn believes our brains function significantly better when we experience positivity in the present as opposed to a neutral, negative or stressed state.  He challenges his listeners to rewire the patterns in their brain by practising gratitude for 21 days and recommends writing down three things a day that they are grateful for, in order to do this.  I don't know about you, but I'm buying it!  Plus if it gets me closer to being an actual unicorn... ; )

I happen to think that practising gratitude and acceptance of self go hand in hand.  Really, how can we be truly grateful if we believe we are not enough, just as we are?

Brené Brown is one of my favourite researchers and I had the privilege of attending one of her talks a couple of years ago.  I also recently finished reading her book, The Gifts of Imperfection, which I loved.  If you're not familiar with her, Dr. Brown researches human connection.  She has two particularly famous TedTalks on the power of shame and vulnerability and I encourage you to watch them, if you're interested.  In her research, Dr. Brown finds that those of us who experience a strong sense of love and belonging, experience it because we believe we are worthy of it.  Similarly, it's the fear of not being worthy of love and belonging that keeps us from experiencing it.  It's that simple.  Right?  Anyway, I think she's pretty rad.

So, how do we experience worthiness?  We have to believe we are enough, just as we are.  Enter, compassion.  I believe compassion for self plays a huge role in all of this, as well.

In my work with Shivani Wells, I spent a lot of time sitting with compassion.  Particularly, the idea that there is not one of us without hurt, or suffering, or pain.  In fact, I would go so far as to say suffering is what connects us all.  Once we heal our own pain, we can begin to heal others.  And I believe this lives in compassion.  We must be kind to ourselves, first.

So, how am I going to practise all of this?  A while back, I saw a great DIY on one of my favourite blogs that I follow Mind Body Green about making a gratitude jar.  I remember thinking at the time that this sounded like a really cool idea, and then I kind of forgot about it.  It came up again this week, and this time I decided to get crafty and make myself one.  I grabbed a mason jar (bien sûr!), some pretty stationery, a pair of scissors, some ribbon, a label maker, and got to work.

There aren't any rules other than the jar should be glass, so you can see all that you're grateful for :) The idea is that every day, or even several times a day, you write down something you are grateful for on a pretty piece of paper, and drop it in the glass jar.  Put it somewhere where you can see it, and when you're experiencing a case of the 'never enough's', you've got a crystal clear reminder that you have everything you could possibly ever need, right now.

you are missing nothing,
xo

one day, I will be a morning person

Hi friends, it's been a while since my last post.  Life's been really busy, juggling work and school, and a world going on around me that doesn't stop.   My days are full of lists: must do's, should do's.  I'm not a fan of the 'should's'.  I try to keep those to a minimum, but they still creep on my lists.   I'm guessing this all sounds familiar?  We are ALL busy living life.  And I learned a long time ago that balance is not a destination; it's a lifestyle. Being on a schedule and having less time to 'play' means being really efficient and organized.  As busy as I might be, it's a huge priority for me to create the time and space to eat well, exercise and have some down time.   I've been having a lot of opportunities to practice this lately.

As you've probably (cleverly) gleaned from the title of this post, I'm not much of a morning person (which my Mom can attest to). Basically I like to wake up at the last possible second: whether it's to get out the door to a fitness class, to go to work, or even to meet a friend for brunch, I truthfully don't really enjoy getting out of bed. I'm not depressed and I'm not lacking in motivation; it's just really comfy and cozy and one of my most favourite places to be. Most especially, when it's still dark outside. I am always so envious when I hear friends talk about sitting and eating breakfast and reading the paper and doing all these lovely cozy things to start their day, and I immediately tell myself: "Tomorrow, I'm going to wake up an hour early!" and then watch myself hit the snooze button 14 times before getting out of bed. As I sit and eat my breakfast at my desk at work, I think to myself: one day, I will be a morning person. For now, I accept that I'm not, and that what works best for this gal, is getting organized and packing up at night.  

These days I'm packing breakfast and lunch, as well as some dinners. It's mason jar mania. I'm packing school books, workout gear, a change of clothes, shower toiletries, a bunch of supplements, and oh ya, must not forget: my sanity.  Honestly, it's an awesome day if I've made it out the door without forgetting something. Last week I forgot my pants. Ya. True story. It's pretty much a revolving door of packing and unpacking, day in and day out. Truthfully, some days, particularly a few times last week, I loathe the packing and unpacking. On other days, packing reminds me how grateful I am for a body that's able to exercise, for delicious and nourishing food to eat, a job that I am happy to go to every day, and the opportunity to go to school to learn about things I'm really excited about.  

Anyhow, I digress. The intention for this blog post was actually to share a quick and easy recipe for stewed spiced apple 'instant oatmeal' :) I hope that having a recipe like this on hand helps when you've slept in or you're feeling like you're too busy to eat well, and like it'd just be easier to grab a baked good on the run.  

Over the past couple of weeks I’ve seen a ton of recipes posted about different renditions of oatmeal and grains for breakfast, which makes me think that now that we're in to fall, we're all collectively looking for something warm (and convenient!) for breakfast.  This ‘instant’ oatmeal recipe is inspired by the lovely Kristin Price, friend and fellow IHN classmate.  It's apple season at the local farmer's markets (hooray for Honey Crisps!) and they make for a great fruit option, now that the berry season has come to an end.

So, the night before (#obvi), start by making your stewed spiced apples:

start by rough chopping some apples:  I usually do about 5 at a time, depending on the size. Granny smiths are most popular for stewing, but I don’t think it really matters.  Skin on or off is fine; I’m sure you learned as a kid, the skin’s got the good stuff in it ;) If skin is on, place skin side down in a pot, drizzle some maple syrup (optional and nice with the more tart apples), and add cinnamon, nutmeg, one clove, and a couple of cardamom pods.  Add water to the pot, just enough that the bottom of the pot is covered. Cook on low heat and as apples begin to soften, just mash them with a wooden spoon. The time it takes will vary based on the type of apple you use. If you’re having to cook for longer, you’ll likely need to keep adding water as you go.

Next up, your oat groats! You can prepare these in the morning, or even the night before if you want. I use raw steel cut oats because they are unprocessed. You could also use raw buckwheat groats if you'd prefer.

Combine 1 cup of raw steel cut oats with three cups of water, bring to a rolling boil, take off heat, and cover with a lid and let stand for 5-10 minutes.  Grab a mason jar (again, #obvi), scoop some of your oats in the bottom, and top with your favourite oatmeal toppings.  I use shredded unsweetened coconut, chopped pecans and hazelnuts and chia seeds.  Any other chopped nuts or goji berries or dried cranberries would also be delicious!  Then, add a scoop or two of your stewed spiced apples.  Put a lid on it (the jar, I mean) and off you go! When you get to work, add some hot water to the jar to reheat, and enjoy. Convenience can be nourishing, too.  

you're worthy of it,

xo