A Toxic truth: Topical Absorption PART 2

So last week in Part 1,  I made you aware of how products that you apply to your skin affect your health when their toxic ingredients get absorbed into your bloodstream. This week I am going to give you a little more detail on that, some links to back up my story, and a link to some personal care products that are safe for you and your family. I want to help as many people as I can live healthier lives... to be knowledgeable about what they put in and on their bodies because it's the only way we can fight against what we have shoved in our faces every day that make us sick. Why? because I GOT SICK. My thinking is that if enough people become educated, our country will be forced to find another way to make money and stop doing it at our expense. Call me crazy, I can take it. One person CAN change things but their is more power in numbers and when supply meets demand it forces decisions to be made.

 I would like to share some fantastic articles that I found in my own research when trying to find out why I got sick. We all know that there are food ingredients that cause cancer, but did you know that there are more carcinogenic ingredients in our topical products than in food? As I stated in part 1, these ingredients are getting sucked right into our bloodstream within seconds of hitting our skin. (Lovely huh? Argh... my blood boils when I talk about this stuff, DEEP BREATH.) Okay, whew, moving on. Here are some helpful and educational links. Look out for the ingredients that are listed in your everyday personal care, use the lists to then clean out your cabinets after finding these ingredients in your personal products, that is if you CARE about yourself "personally."

The top 24 list. Ingredients to avoid in your personal care:
http://cincovidas.com/toxic-truth/ingredients-to-avoid-in-personal-care-products/

Endocrine System issues?
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/06/28/opinion/28kristof.html?_r=3

Links to sites that I found to be both knowledgeable and interesting: (There are more to share)
http://www.preventcancer.com/consumers/cosmetics/diethanolamine.htm
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21425950
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Potential_health_risks_of_sunscreen
http://www.thedailygreen.com/environmental-news/latest/toxic-ingredients-in-cosmetics-new

Does your child have ADHD? My daughter was diagnosed by a neurologist at age 5 and I do NOT medicate her. I tried it for 15 days and I was dealing with a child that had a split personality. NO THANKS! I instead control her diet which relieved ALL of her symptoms.Want to know how? http://www.feingold.org/research.php

A link to the site that I personally use for pure, safe personal care, nutrition and wellness products:
http://www.beautynerdwellnessgeek.myarbonne.com/

I encourage you to do your own research as I have. It is because of what I have learned that I am more aware and less of a victim; I control what I put on my skin and in my body. I would much rather spend a few extra bucks now for things that will give me years of healthful life because to me... it's worth EVERY extra dollar. What price will you put on your health and vitality?

I am passionate, so I share with others. I want to help you fight cancer and sickness by teaching you what to stay away from. I have been absorbing and inhaling chemicals my entire cosmetic career, and hope it's not too late for me. I will share that last year when I had my gallbladder removed, my surgeon told me that I had the largest liver she had ever seen. It scared me... because a large liver often means cancer or some other liver disease. I have 4 children who count on me and at age 38 I did not want a death sentence. Luckily after tests were run, I was given a clean bill... no cancer and no liver dis-function or disease. They came to the conclusion it was because of my 21 years as a cosmetologist, I have absorbed and inhaled my share of garbage ingredients, but those days are over too. If it is unhealthy for my clients I don't use it, I don't want to harm people and I do not want to absorb it. This is serious people, it's no joke. At 38 I am now getting liver check-ups as part of my yearly physical, and it's not so that the doctor can put more in their pocket, nor is it because I am a raging alcoholic. Be aware, be concerned... but most of all, BE PROACTIVE!

Thanks for stopping by! Come back next Monday for more. If you like what you read, I encourage you to share with those that you care about, and even those you don't!

©Shelley Giard 2012

A Toxic truth: Topical Absorption PART 1 with a bonus recipe!

You buy organic veggies, milk, meats and snacks... you are very careful what you eat, eating healthy almost all of the time, however you still have bags under your eyes, you get sick more than you should, you are tired and lethargic, you can't lose that last 10, 15, 20 lbs and cannot combat that belly bulge that you have been battling forever! What in the WORLD is the problem? You are told that your metabolism has slowed down... you are over 30 and that is what happens to people over 30, so you give up and just accept it.

Well... I am here to share with you that there IS a problem, and it very well may be your metabolism, but it is NOT because that is what happens to people over 30. It has to do with the fact that for the past how ever many years old you are that you have been absorbing toxic chemicals directly into your bloodstream through the use of products that you apply topically. Yep... your shampoo, conditioner, hand soap, body washes, shaving creams, deodorants, cosmetics, skincare, perfumes, colognes, smelly-good lotions and sprays; the list goes on and on and on. How many things do you apply to your skin on a daily basis? I challenge you to wake up tomorrow and begin counting. Just counting how many times a day you wash your hands will be at least 10 or more (let's hope... if not please don't invite me over for dinner.) Everything that touches your skin gets absorbed into your largest organ; your skin. The body's first line of defense and your most important exit point for toxins.

Respiration through perspiration right? Right... so if you slather your body in petroleum, other occlusive oils and toxic ingredients how well do you think your skin is breathing? (cough- gag- spit) I know it's a tough one to swallow. Look, I am not trying to make you a worry wart, I am simply trying to educate you on some REALLY important stuff. With knowledge, you have power and with power in the way of your health, you will "live long time" and that is our goal right?  Okay maybe not yours... but it is one of my goals. I do NOT want to spend my golden years hooked up to machines, laying in a home to rot away with bed sores or swallowing a handful of pills each day to be able to have "quality" in my days. I am a horrible pill taker, I forget the one I am required to take every day now to replace the thyroid function I lost when they sizzled mine out with radiation. 


I pay VERY close attention to the ingredients of EVERYTHING that touches my skin. I would be more open to down an entire bag of nacho cheese Doritos with all of their MSG before I put petrolatum, mineral oil or toxic chemicals on my body to be absorbed into my bloodstream. I mean let's be honest... those Doritos would only last until my "natural waste" system kicked in, but once something is in your bloodstream it is wrecking havoc on every vital organ in your body. THAT is something you really need to process for a moment!

So... this is an intro to my ingredient nerdy world. And it will be continued... next Monday. I will dive in a little deeper, giving you lists of ingredients to run like hell from and the reasons why. I of course will also share with you what I use and recommend and you can do with that what you will. No matter what, the goal here is to help you BE INFORMED! I want you to know what you are exposing yourself to. When you can help it why would you not? When you can prolong your life and live it vivaciously and full of life why would you not choose to do that? Do you have kids? Do you want to watch them grow up and meet their kids one day? I do. 


Unfortunately, we live in a country that cares very little about our health, they care about their profits and their bottom line. With that being said, we have to be proactive and spend a little more money where it is necessary to protect it or one day you will be swallowing a handful of pills just to get through your day. 


To be continued! Come back on Monday!
Until then here is a fantastic gluten free dairy free recipe from my kitchen to yours!




Gluten Free & Healthy Fried Chicken
by: Shelley Giard

4 boneless, skinless, chicken breasts (I prefer organic, not genetically modified)
Safflower, Sunflower or Canola oil
Tones brand seasonings:
¼ cup each of Garlic and herb seasoning & Rosemary Garlic seasoning
2-3tbs Black pepper
2 cups Bob's Redmill Gluten Free All Purpose Flour
1 cup unsweetened almond milk (use rice milk if allergic to nuts)


In a bowl combine seasonings, pepper and flour
In another bowl pour in almond milk


Take chicken breasts and soak in milk being sure to cover completely for 2 minutes. Place chicken one piece at a time into bowl with flour and cover both sides. Place on a plate. Give each piece of chicken a second "dip and coat". Heat oil in large skillet on medium heat (pour in enough oil to just cover bottom ¼ of chicken breast) Place chicken breasts into oil and allow to cook for 2-3 minutes untouched. Flip chicken over and cook for another 3 minutes. flip to each side once again and cook until done. (165 degrees in fattest part of breast with a meat thermometer). 


Serve with brown rice or dairy free mashed potatoes (recipe to come) and your favorite steamed veggie! Enjoy!

What NOT to Eat List... and a Recipe From Me to You

Hey gang! I apologize for the day delay but sometimes life just steps right in and rains on your parade. Truth be known, I have been relocating my business over the past week and although my good intention was to blog as usual and post this yesterday, I was just too zonked to be coherent. Please forgive me.

In my last blog.... I filled you in on part 2 of why and how I became gluten/dairy free and I promised to share with you the "list" that my colon hydro-therapist Suzanne shared with me when I went to see her. I followed it religiously for about two months and continue to follow it almost verbatim on a daily basis. I have adjusted a few things simply because this was originally given to me to alleviate my "elimination problem", however I decided since it was working so well I would make a few minor adjustments and stick to it. I found it to be challenging at first because just like anything new... there is a learning curve and you may want to "cheat" a little. However now, after nearly five months I am really having fun creating my own recipes based on what I know I can and can't have and have learned the hard way that if I "cheat" even a little, it is like I have hit the Go-Go-Gadget NO NO button. My body has changed, and the few times I have veered off and had even a morsel of the foods I have eliminated my stomach goes nuts quickly reminding me why I did this in the first place.

 I LOVE to cook, so it comes easier to me than it may for some of you, especially if cooking is not your idea of fun. I know what flavors and spices taste good together and because of that everything I cook that is gluten and dairy free tastes GOOD. Who wants to eat food that is bland, boring, and reminds you of a cardboard box? Not me... and hopefully not you. If so, I am sure someone out there has those kinds of recipes but this girl likes FLAVOR!

I will first share with you the "Modified Elimination Diet" that I follow. It has forever changed my digestive system in a GOOD way!

MODIFIED ELIMINATION DIET

Meat - Poultry-Fish -Legumes          

ALLOWED:
Chicken,turkey, lamb, *eggs, all legumes, dried peas, lentils, & cold water fish 


AVOID: Red meats, cold cuts, frankfurters, sausage, canned meat


Dairy Products


ALLOWED:
*Unsweetened live-cultured yogurt, milk substitutes such as almond, rice and *soy milk, vegan cheeses

AVOID:
Cow's milk, goat's milk, dairy cheese, ice cream, non-dairy creamers

Starch

ALLOWED:
White or sweet potatoes, rice, tapioca, buckwheat, brown rice pastas and all gluten free products

AVOID:
All products containing gluten

Soups


ALLOWED:
Clear, vegetable broth based, vegetarian soups

AVOID:
Creamy or canned soups

Vegetables


ALLOWED:
All vegetables preferably fresh frozen or juiced


AVOID: 
Creamed or in casseroles


Beverages


ALLOWED:
Unsweetened fruit or vegetable juices, water, herbal tea, almond, *soy or rice milk

AVOID:
Cow and goat's milk, non-herbal tea, cocoa, alcoholic beverages, soda, sweetened beverages and citrus beverages

Breads & Cereals


ALLOWED:
Any made from rice, *corn, buckwheat, millet, *soy, potato, tapioca, quinoa, arrowroot,or gluten free flour based products.

AVOID:
All made from wheat, oat, spelt, kamut, rye, barley, amaranth, or those that contain gluten

Fruits


ALLOWED:
Fresh, unsweetened frozen/and or canned

AVOID:
Fruit drinks, ades, citrus, strawberries, and dried fruit

Fats,nuts,oils


ALLOWED:

Oils: Cold pressed, unrefined canola,sunflower, safflower flax and olive

Butters: ghee, sunflower, flax, pumpkin, squash seed, almond

Salad dressings: those made from allowed ingredients

Nuts: Raw, (Unroasted unsalted and unsweetened) almonds, cashews, pecans and walnuts.

AVOID:
Margarine, shortening, unclarified butter, refined oils, peanuts, creamy salad dressings and/or spreads made with ingredients to avoid.

* These foods may not be tolerated by everyone's tummy
*If you are on thyroid medication or if you have cancer in your family history avoid soy like the plague! I will get back to this in a later blog!
** Be aware! Not all rice is gluten free here is a great link regarding that! http://www.mahatmarice.com/products/full_allergy.aspx
___________________________________________________________________________

Whew... that was a lot to re-type. I received my list in a spread sheet form and it is obvious from this picture that it has accompanied me to the grocery store a time or two. I suppose I should recommend laminating a copy to carry if you are going to do this like me. Once you learn the brands that you prefer then it gets easier, however if you are serious about getting healthier you will carry this around like a little black book. 


This may sound like you are not going to be able to eat anything yummy or fun, and that is why for the next several weeks I am going to include recipes from my kitchen to yours to prove to you that you WILL, it just takes being a little creative and thinking ahead about what to make. (we should do that anyway)

I will finish off with this... just like anything in life that you may be hesitant to try, that you need to do but you may not want to do... think about what you CAN eat and avoid thinking about the things you can't eat. Focusing on the positive in all that you do will make life simple, happy and a little more care free.

See you next week! My blog topic will be "Veggie Tales!" The truth about fruits and veggies. :)

YUMMY RECIPE BELOW!

Recipe #1 from my new and improved Gluten/Diary Free Kitchen:

Grilled Chicken and Brown Rice:

Ingredients:
4 Boneless Skinless Hormone Free Chicken Breasts
1½ cup all natural Chicken Broth
1cups filtered water
½ cup chopped red bell pepper
½ cup chopped onion
1 tbs. minced garlic
1tsp "allowed" butter or oil (I use canola or safflower in this recipe)
1 cup Long grain brown rice (I use the 365 brand from whole foods)
Spices of your choice (I use spices made by Tones' because most are gluten free and all are MSG free. My favorite is the Rosemary Garlic blend which I often use in this recipe)

Put chicken broth, water, oil and rice into a saucepan, bring to a boil and then reduce heat and cover and simmer until water is almost absorbed (about 35 minutes.) Add pepper, garlic and onion to rice, cover and cook until all liquid is absorbed (approximately another 10 minutes) Different brands have different instructions so follow them accordingly.

When rice begins to boil, heat a large skillet on medium heat (best for browning) Do not overcrowd skillet or chicken will not brown. Add 2 tbs. safflower, sunflower or canola oil. Place chicken in skillet and allow to brown for 5 minutes. (Do not touch during browning) Flip and brown the other side for 5 minutes again... without touching. flip over again and cook for 5 min and flip again for 5 more. Reduce heat to medium/low and repeat this one more time. (total of 15 minutes on each side or 30 minutes total cook time)

*Tip: When you allow the chicken to cook without pressing or touching it, the juices get locked in and you won't end up with a dry yucky chicken breast.

Once rice is done and chicken is ready, dice chicken up on a cutting board and toss in with rice. Serve alone or with your favorite veggies and/or gluten free rolls.

Hope you enjoy!

How I Became Gluten and Dairy Free Part 2

  In the last blog, I left off right after having gallbladder surgery and shared that I have had digestive issues since. This is what led me to do more research in order to find out why and what I could do about it. It was something that I had in the foreground of my mind, however other things would often distract me from digging deeper; that was until I went four days without "eliminating" and it scared me to DEATH. All I could think of was the toxins invading me during this "problem". I freaked... and when I freak I am as serious as they come. I was eating tons of salads, raw veggies and fruits, I was taking my daily colon cleanser and even succumbed to sucking down sludge , aka"Psyllium fiber with juice"; nothing was helping.  My hot research topic switched gears and "eliminating" aka "pooping" became my subject for Google... yep completely south!

   I learned a lot, and this knowledge led me to call Suzanne Gray, a colon hydro-therapist in the Tampa area. After seeing her and receiving the treatments she offered, my thoughts on the link between digestion and illness were solidified. She is awesome, extremely knowledgeable and I am SO glad I had this "problem" because I got to meet her. I left that first treatment feeling amazingly better and knew I was finally getting to the "bottom" of my problems. (She did NOT pay me to say that... I have not even told her that I mentioned her yet.)

  In addition to my treatment, she handed me a list of what to eat and what not to eat; it was the "Modified Elimination Diet". Not a diet to lose weight... a diet to lose, well.. ya know the "dirty business". And guess what, I FOLLOWED IT! I did not care if I had to give up something I loved, I was going to do it anyway if it meant never having to go four days without " my paperwork"! Lucky for me I was already eating many of the things that the list had on it because I have typically been a healthy eater most of my life. My mom raised us that way, I hated it then but today am forever thankful. (thanks Mom) 

  The change this new eating lifestyle has given me could not be more positive and I will honestly share that my "machine" is working better than ever. At age 38, I am now the same weight I was in my mid twenties (that was 3 kids ago), I no longer need afternoon naps, instead? I feel like I could run a marathon.  It wasn't hard. I did not feel robbed or depressed, or deprived of something. I FELT GOOD! I will share with you this "secret list" of "what not to eat" (it's not really a secret but if you have never seen it then we can pretend ;) so, come back next Monday to get your copy of that "Elimination diet". Until then "happy trails" ;P

PS> NO... this is not my stomach. :)

How I Became Gluten & Dairy Free... Part 1

First things first, I want to say that I talk about things that I have experienced and personally do. I don't babble and act like I know what I am talking about when I don't. I share personal experiences or the experiences of people I actually know for the sake of validity. I figure the world has enough bozo's that talk the talk without walking the walk. Trust me, I not only walk the walk that I talk; I sprint.

I am one of the people that never catches the common cold, I have never had the flu and rarely come down with common communicable diseases that go around no matter how many people hack in my face when they are getting their hair or makeup done. My immune system is made of steel and I attribute that to the fact that I was raised in a home where my mom cooked 6 nights a week with vegetables she grew in our garden and made almost everything from scratch. Processed food was not a commodity back then and what was available we did not eat. I can remember going to friends' houses as a kid and when they would pull out the junk food I wondered why we did not have that at our house. Soda? Yeah... no. Candy? Umm... it was more like yogurt raisins and banana chips. Chocolate? We had Ovaltine and Carob. Our sweet indulgences consisted of getting take out Chinese from Debbie Wong's, Pizza from Theresa's, our occasional family outing to Ponderosa or simply when my dad would pop popcorn... and we are not talking about Jiffy pop with butter, we ate natural kernels popped over the fireplace in an old fashioned iron popcorn popper. I grew up in Massachusetts where we used the fireplace more months than not, and when it was in use we popped away. The only time I can actually recall getting candy was when I would go to my Memérè and Pepérè's house or to Harper's grocery just across from where they lived to buy 5¢ candy. My Memé always had glass dishes filled with ribbon candy; Pepè had butterscotch in a "secret" drawer and Charleston Chew's in the freezer. Grandparents are supposed to spoil you I suppose. ;) And they did... with CANDY! 


It wasn't until I got older that I truly discovered junk food and how yummy it tasted. Then when I moved out on my own at 17, I decided I would indulge and make it "easier and more convenient" to cook so, I added processed food and junkie snacks to my recipe list. I still cooked for myself most nights but being that boxed and frozen foods were the "thing" I cooked many things that came out of cardboard. It became sort of a fad to eat quick and "zap" everything... voila! It took me 14 years and nearly dying from a violently overactive thyroid to finally realize WHY my mom did not have this stuff in our house growing up; and with this discovery, I became knowledge hungry. I started disecting labels, scouring the internet and reading every pamphlet I could get my hands on. I learned what I was consuming and absorbing. I began to live healthier again. And it felt good.


In 2010 I began dating someone which led to eating out much more and I must admit that I was enjoying being wined and dined again; it had been a long time since I had "dated". After seven months of eating "different", in April of 2011 as I was sitting in my boyfriend's office one day waiting to go to lunch together, I had a random, completely out of the blue stabbing pain in my side. I immediately broke into sweats and felt faint and like I would throw up any second. Corey rushed me to an urgent care office where they discovered I had experienced a gall bladder attack. A few months later by the recommendation of the doctor, I had my gallbladder removed. Since then, I have had terrible issues with digestion and was on a mission to find out why. >>>> To be continued

Next Monday I will post part 2 of this story. 

Stay tuned ... see ya next week!

Until then Be Healthy!

 ~Shelley Giard~