On my quest to an all natural life, I found coconut oil

"Everything gives you cancer, so why bother?"

This is a phrase I hear by many including myself. Deodorant, pesticides, GMO foods, margarine, makeup, processed foods, soda, soap, shampoo, household cleaners....the list never ends.  If everything has toxins or can attribute to some kind of disease why should I even bother right?

WHAT?? Think about this guys, we have become so used to the idea that products we use daily by ingesting, putting on the most porous spots on our body, or even inhaling are KILLING US!!!  These products are killing us and we are ok with it! Please tell me you see what's wrong with this picture.

I had this realization and started replacing some of my daily products. I began by replacing my deodorant. I first must give credit to Shawn, he has been using non-aluminum deodorant for over a year now and finally I gave in. If he is going to try and keep his mental health for me then It's only fair to do the same for him.

My first step was searching the internet for answers. The best answer I came up with was lemons. Yes lemons. You cut open a lemon and simply apply it to your underarms. Verdict? It does work. But only for about 4 hours and if you have just shaved....ouch! Lucky for me I came across an article on facebook about the uses of coconut oil. One of the uses is deodorant. I will explain below the process but if you haven't checked her out it's a must wellnessmama.com.

This blog led me to all the uses of coconut oil. My friend Kyle had already boosted about coconut oil and its benefits. With his advice I had bought some to begin baking with but with this blog it opened up my eyes to the benefits and uses my new favorite ingredient can be used for.  The URL below is a great example of all the amazing uses of coconut oils.

http://wellnessmama.com/5734/101-uses-for-coconut-oil/

So to keep this blog from being too long and tedious I will list out a few things I have began to replace in my life with coconut oil and how I did it! Cheers to living forever!

 Deodoant

We have all heard for a few years now have dangerous regular deodorant can be. The aluminum is not only bad on the environment it is absolutely horrible for us. The use of deodorant by some reports been linked to breast cancer, azlhimers,  and other possible diseases. So I have began by using a recipe I stated above by wellnessmama.com. There are 2 recipes; one which only has 4 ingredients but unfortuantely in the summer it will melt and the second recipe has beeswax in it which allows it to be more solid when room temperature in your home is not an option.

Overall with my first batch (using the simple recipe) I have found that the deodorant smells wonderful (like coconuts), lasts for about 4 hours for sweating and about 6 until I'm not smelling so coconutty anymore.... The second recipe calls for probiotics which are said to help fight the bad bacteria and will increase the longevity of the deodorant. I am planning on making another batch here in the next week and will keep you updated. Also if you want a sample I can send you one to try as well!

2nd recipe:

• 1/2 cup coconut oil
• 1/2 cup shea butter, cocoa butter or mango butter (or a mix of all three equal to 1 part)
• 1/2 cup + 1 tsp  beeswax
• optional: Vitamin E oil to preserve. I added 1 tsp vitamin E oil for  this recipe)
• 3 tablespoons baking soda (Omit this if you have sensitive skin and just use extra arrowroot)
• 1/2 cup organic arrowroot powder
• 2-3 capsules of high quality probiotics that don’t need to be refrigerated (I love Bio Kult brand)
• optional: Essential oils of choice – I used about 20 drops of lavender essential oil

Butter/margarine

I know, butter is delicious and we use it for almost everything. On toast, when I make eggs, when baking etc. However margarine especially is made of preservatives and tons of Genetically processed oils. So I have found for grilling on the stove, baking, or simply for adding it to to your morning toast coconut oil is an amazing substitute.  For my calorie counting friends by looking directly at the labels you may actually find coconut oil has around 10 more calories per serving and has a high amount of saturated fats. However if you do some research other than the fact that coconut oil is all natural you will find the ingredients are more beneficial and it has been thought that coocount oil can actually help you loose weight.

How does coconut help keep weight balanced?
Coconut fats have special fats called medium chain triglycerides (MCTs). It has been shown that breaking down these types of healthy fats in the liver leads to efficient burning of energy. One 2009 study found that women who consumed 30 milliliters (about 2 tablespoons) of coconut oil daily for 12 weeks not only did not gain more weight, but actually had lowered amounts of abdominal fat, a type of fat that is difficult to lose, and contributes to more heart problems.

Check out this url for more info on the benefits of coconut oil  http://www.doctoroz.com/videos/surprising-health-benefits-coconut-oil


Energy booster

In the mornings I have found myself pretty sluggish and tired. However most days I do not want to have coffee since I will simply get super hyper and then crash. So I have began by again listening to the advice of wellnessmama and trying coconut oil and chia seeds. Since I think chia seeds are absolutely disgusting I used the advice of my friend Andie and put the concoction in my oatmeal every morning.

I have found that I do feel much more alert and I do not become hungry quite as quickly as I normally would on just oatmeal.  

Some benefits of coconut oil and chia seeds:

Over 10x the amount of Lipids than most grains or seeds.
• More Omega 3 than any other known crop or fish oil.
• High Antioxidant content.
• 2x the protein of any other seed or grain.
• 5x the calcium of milk, plus boron which is a trace mineral that helps transfer calcium into your bones.
• 2x the amount of potassium as bananas.
• 3x more iron than spinach.
• Enzymes!

 

Next steps

These are only a few of the things I have slowly began to implement into my life of becoming as natural and self sustaining as I can. My next exciting steps will be making homemade toothpaste (also made with coconut oil) and makeup......I will keep you updated on my journey. 

I don't really miss you Mr. Cow

In January I posted that I would be cutting out red meat and pork out of my diet by only in taking fish, chicken or turkey. After about 6 months I must say,  it has been incredibly easy! Not only do I not miss it but living in Seattle there are so many alternative options I don't ever feel deprived of anything.

A few ways I have gotten away with it......


Tacos 

I absolutely LOVE tacos. Shawn and I cook tacos about once a week and usually the leftovers last us about 3 days. In Seattle replacing hamburger meat was a breeze. I tried turkey, however I found the flavor bland and lacking. So once I moved here my Seattle friends Kassie and Jerome introduced us to ground chicken. Let me tell you guys not only is ground chicken a great substitute for ground beef but it is BETTER! Ground chicken has this amazing ZING that adds to the spices and makes taco night my favorite night of the week.

Tip: Add brown rice and beans to make the tacos last longer


Hamburgers

Mmmm just thinking about grilling out makes my mouth water. So how could I ever deny myself a mouth watering, cheesy, red meat concoction? In Seattle, it's super easy. Just a block away from our house our favorite hamburger joint has several options to keep me more than happy. I have tried the vegetarian options (So many different sauces that you don't have time to miss ground beef), chicken sandwiches which let me tell you are not like any you have had in the midwest, and there is even a lamb option which I haven't decided if I want to try but received the thumbs up from my grandfather. (I'm open to thoughts on if eating lamb is bad? I can't help but think of little lamb chop from my childhood with her red gloves begging me not to eat her....)

Bacon

So this one is easy. Try turkey bacon. If cooked correctly it's super crunchy and perfectly delicious. Although pointed out my friend Kit it mostly has the same amount of fats and calories. So why deny myself? Well I hardly ever eat bacon anymore as it is and I felt that I had made a promise to myself so pork bacon is out for now.


Overall my transition to healthier living has been pretty easy. I must attribute this to my home in Seattle. Seattle has so many different options and heavily supports vegetarian, gluten-free, all natural and an overall healthy lifestyle. My trick has been that if I truly want something I'm going to eat it. My favorite sandwich is a super unhealthy but amazingly delicious sandwich from Paseo. It has roast and tons of sauces that probably equal out to more than enough calories for the day, but If I really want it I eat it. Being healthy isn't about denying yourself the things you love, it's amount limiting them.  

My challenge for you is what are you eating or using that could easily be replaced with something healthier?
 

Money Management...You've either got the gene or don't

I have found in my life that most of my friends either are fantasically good with their money, so good that it makes you sick or they (like me) like to blow any money they have like they are the richest people on earth without a care in the world.  I have began to attribute this one to one thing...

A Money Gene

Now stay with me as I realize this sounds ridiculous. Start thinking of friends you have that are fantastic with money, what is their background? I have friends that were dirt poor and their parents were horrible with money and I have friends that were never concerned with their parents finances and both types of people are fantastic with money. This being said I have seen this case happen and they are horrible with money. So my conclusion? It's born into you.

So my story goes that I grew up pretty poor. My parents were living on a teachers salary for most of my childhood but since I wasn't old enough to be aware of money issues I won't attribute this to my case.  I skip ahead to living with my grandfather. We were pretty broke living off of my social security and my grandfathers. Let me tell ya 1600 bucks a month does not get you far. Luckily we didn't have rent and my grandfather had a machining business on the side. I was always allowed to see the check book and understand what bills had to be paid first. I think mostly he did this so I would understand why we couldn't go out to eat that week and of course because he figured the Social Security money was in a way mine.  I can still remember one summer where my grandfather's business was booming. We were living, let me tell ya. I got extra toys and we ate out almost every night. Not to blame my grandfather but I believe this trend has stuck with me most of my life. When I have money, I live it up. Whenever I'm broke, well that's easy you just eat what's in the cabinet and survive until pay day. 

Now back to the gene theory, with me in tow not a single one of my siblings is good with money. At all.  I am not saying we are all living paycheck to paycheck but none of us have really mastered the art of having 10k in savings and a 401k on the side. I am determined to stop this cycle.

Now before I explain how I will untrain myself of years of bad habits I must give credit where credit is due. There are 2 people in my life that are a big influence on me and why I want to be able to save money. First my friend Andie. While I visited her we talked about money and finances. I love that like me she is very open about how her and Kit save their money and how far they have come in their progress. She showed me the system she uses (dave ramsey) and gave me some tips on how I could also start to work on my money management skills. My second influence is my friend Kyle. Let me tell you this kid is amazing with his money, he follows a strict budget and does not stray from it. He has been able to show me several times a budget spreadsheet and apps that he uses on his phone to keep himself in line. Anytime he spends money he goes into his app and allocates it to a certain expense and keeps himself from over spending.

On to me.Two things happened that made me snap and realized I had to make a change. First was my new car. I know buying new is not always smart but it was a decision Shawn and I made together for many reasons that pertained to my job and things we needed out of a car. This being said after taxes and a few add ons it put us into 26k in debt. Being in that much debt will start kick your survival skills. I decided the only way to pay off that much debt in my goal time line (3 years) was a complete change in the way I use my money. Since I know myself I started up a completely seperate checking account where my mileage (money I get from my job) goes into. This money is untouchable to me for anything but my car payment. Beforehand I had used this money for various things including gas money and I never noticed how much I was gaining each month and not using properly. I have found that over 3 months I have been able to make $600-800 car payments. That means that for a year I have had an extra income I wasn't taking full advantage of! The sad part is, I don't even notice that it's gone from my disposable income.

The second decision that made me realize I had to make a change was a plan for a Eurotrip. My friends Andie, Kit, Shawn and I decided we wanted to go on a Eurotrip next Summer. This trip will cost each of us around $4000. I figured that Shawn and I both needed to save around $300 a month to have the right amount by next may. So how was I going to save money? This is the girl who hasn't had more than $500 in savings at one given time, and let me tell you it didn't stay there very long. How could I keep myself from touching that money when I was broke and HAD to have something? Well pairing with my car payment I used that account to attach a saving account onto it. This enabled me to have two bank accounts. One account (where my paycheck is deposited) and another which I only use to deposit money or make a car payment! Not spend! Ever!

Seeing my savings account grow has prompted me to save even more money. Usually when I receive a bonus from work, I see it as spending money to buy things I have been dying to have and probably do not need. This Bonus I will be compromising with myself and saving most of it and only using $300 to accomplish one of my life goals; paragliding.

So if you find yourself like me and feel that you born without that money management gene, do not stress. It is possible to stop your addictive spending habits and see your saving account grow into something to be proud of.