fbpx

Soy Curl Pot Pie

SoyCurlPotPie

Looking for comfort food for the Fall season?

INGREDIENTS:

  • 1/2 bag of Butler Soy Curls

Re-hydrate the Soy Curls using the following:

Salt or liquid aminos
Poultry seasoning
Garlic powder
Onion powder

  • 1/2 cup of onions
  • 2-3 cloves of garlic
  • 1 tsp cornstarch
  • 1/2 bag of frozen vegetables
  • 1 pie crust or cornbread mix
  • Creamy Cashew Soup Base:

1/2 cup raw cashews (soaked if not using a high-speed blender)
1/2 cup water or broth or nut milk
1/2 tsp dried thyme
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp fresh lemon juice
1 tsp corn starch

  • Pie crust –  Cornbread mix can be prepared and used to top the pie in place of a pie crust.

DIRECTIONS:

  1. Rehydrate soy curls and if you’d like you can fry in an air-fryer for 2 minutes or bake in the oven for 10 minutes to get some crispiness on those edges.
  2. Stir-steam 1/2 cup of onions adding seasoning/flavor along the way.
  3. Prepare the “Creamy Cashew Soup Base” by placing all of its ingredients into a blender. Add about 1 tsp of cornstarch at the end so that it will thicken as it cooks in the pan.
  4. Add vegetables, soy curls and soup base to the pan with the onions. Stir until thickened.
  5. Add the pot pie mixture to your baking pan. You may want to add a dab of oil to the baking dish before adding pot pie mixture.
  6. Bake in the oven for 20 – 30 minutes at 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
  7. Serve with a simple side salad.  One possibility may be spinach, carrots, nuts/seeds and an oil-free dressing.
  8. ENJOY!

Watch the video:

 

https://youtu.be/aN_TRsi-xHA

Potato and Broccoli Bowl with Ranch Dressing

Potato And Broccoli Bowl

INGREDIENTS

  • Roasted Potatoes
  • Steamed Broccoli
  • Any additional Veggies
  • Chopped avocado
  • Favorite Dressing

Here is a ranch dressing recipe:

This recipe is from NutritionFacts.org here:

INGREDIENTS:⁠⠀
1/2 cup raw cashews (If not using a high-speed blender, it’s important to soak for 3 hours and drain – which is a good practice anyway)⁠⠀
2 cloves Roasted Garlic
1/2 tablespoon smooth raw almond butter⁠⠀(You can also use sunflower seed butter.)
1/2 cup water⁠⠀
2 tablespoons rice vinegar⁠⠀
2 teaspoons blended peeled lemon⁠⠀
1 tablespoon red onion chopped⁠⠀
2 teaspoons Savory Spice Blend (Recipe on nutritionfacts.org)
1 teaspoon white miso paste⁠⠀
3/4 teaspoon date sugar (or 1 pitted date, chopped)⁠⠀
1 tablespoon minced fresh parsley⁠⠀
1 teaspoon chopped fresh dill or 1/2 teaspoon dried⁠⠀
⁠⠀
Directions to make the dressing:
1) In a blender, combine all the ingredients except the parsley and dill, and blend until smooth. Transfer the dressing to a bowl and stir in the parsley and dill. Taste and adjust the seasonings, if needed.

2) Cover and refrigerate for at least an hour to allow the flavors to develop. Stir or shake before serving.⁠⠀
⁠⠀

Instagram for Inspiration (Bowl June 8, 2021)

Always remember, meals can be very simple, but still full of flavor. Link to Instagram Post

Make a bowl/platter of grains, legumes, and vegetables. Try to always include raw veggies too. Then top with a tasty oil-free sauce/dressing.

Ingredients for the featured “bowl” recipe on this page:

Millet
Corn
Power greens
Green onions
Tomatoes
Almonds
Sunflower seeds
Pumpkins seeds
Cranberries
15 Bean soup (prepared) – or a can of your favorite beans
Avocado
Cucumbers
Add a sauce/dressing

Podcast Episode 51 – Announcements: Updates & Winners

Planning Notebook

Today we have a few announcements: (1) The winners selected from among those who sent emails or posted comments on the YouTube videos. (2) A new schedule for podcasts and videos

Thanks for your support and encouragement!

OTHER WAYS TO SUBSCRIBE AND LISTEN:
iTunes Logo Breaker Logo Google Podcasts Logo OverCast Podcasts Logo Pocket Casts Logo Radio Public Podcasts Logo Spotify Logo RSS Feed Logo Anchor

CONTACT US:

We invite you to listen and share your perspectives with us too. Send us a recorded message through Speakpipe. We may use your message in an upcoming episode, therefore, please leave your name if you would like it to be noted during the podcast. Leave an email address if you would like a personal response or feel free to use the contact form.

SHOW NOTES:

Habits for a Healthier Lifestyle

About Stress

Got Stress? Let’s Deal with It

The Need for Exercise

Real Food and Drinks Resources Page

Thank you to All Sounds for the “crowd cheering” sound effect: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6L14tasP_jc

Also available on YouTube:

https://youtu.be/HO08GCvGVr4

Transcript:

[00:00:00] Hi, this is Shonda. Today's the day we reveal our winners that were picked from those who made comments on videos or sent an email to real food and drinks in the month of September.
[00:00:14] Well, we had two participants and those winners are Dawn - The Singing Nurse and Bill Dube.Yay, Dawn and Bill. Thank you for your support and encouragement. I'll be contacting you directly regarding your prize options. So be on the lookout for an email or direct message.
Here's another important note. I'd also like to take this time to say that.
[00:00:46] Well, I know we just transitioned to the monthly podcast from having been weekly for about 50 episodes prior, yet it's time that we make another minor adjust. So for now the podcast and any recipe videos will not be following any particular schedule. Personally, I simply want to be motivated to share based on inspiration. Inspiration by daily living. Inspiration about new things that I'm learning from others or figuring out for myself.
[00:01:25] I personally need some time to take a step back to assess things in my life. And so, yes, it's time I take some time to rest and put into practice all the things that we've been sharing with you about the real food and drinks lifestyle. When things get overwhelming, we must take some time to adjust properly and make changes if needed.
[00:01:50] This is a definite must. If we're going to live in ways that sustain us and keep us healthy. So as you likely know, if you've listened to any of the previous podcasts, a healthy lifestyle is not just about the food we eat, but also includes how we live our lives and reduce stress whenever possible. There will be some helpful links below to webpages and previous podcasts to help you discover the area in your life where you may need to give the most attention to sustain any healthy lifestyle for you.
[00:02:27] But we'll still be here, just not on any particular schedule. So please stay tuned and hit the subscribe button so that you will be notified when Patryce and I have content available to share with you via podcasts or recipe videos. And perhaps even live events.
And we want you to keep in touch with us.
[00:02:51] You can reply to the weekly emails if you're a subscribed to our email list or see the show notes below for more ways to contact us.
Thank you all for your support and encouragement, and we'll be popping in as we have new content and new inspiration to share with you.

powered by

General Tso’s Soy Curls and Veggies

Here is a great way to enjoy dehydrated soy curls. The texture was very similar to chicken.  I was so surprised and pleased at the outcome of this dish. I’ve made it two weeks in a row, so far. Take a look below at this easy, delicious, and satisfying recipe. (Video below.)

I’m looking forward to trying dehydrated soy curls in another dish in the near future and I will be sure to share it with you if it’s as successful as this one.

Ingredients

Dehydrated Soy Curls (See notes below.)

Rice or noodles (for serving)

Vegetables of your choice, I used:

    • 2 cloves of garlic
    • 2 green onions
    • 1/2 yellow bell pepper
    • 1/2 red bell pepper
    • 8 ounces of frozen broccoli
    • Extra spices (optional)

For the marinade:

    • 3/4 cup warm water /veggie broth
    • 3 to 4 tbsp sweetener (agave, honey, date paste, etc.)
    • 1/4 cup low-sodium soy sauce (I used a gluten-free tamari sauce.)
    • 2 tsp sambal oelek chile paste  or sriracha or pepper flakes to taste (optional)
    • 2 tsp mirin rice wine (or any cooking wine)
    • 2 to 3 tbsp rice vinegar
    • 1.5 tsp toasted sesame oil
    • 2 tsp grated fresh ginger
    • 3 cloves minced garlic

1 TBS thickening agent such as cornstarch (look for NON-GMO), tapioca, or flour of your choice.

Directions

    1. Mix the marinade ingredients, add the soy curls, and mix to coat.
    2. Soak for 19 – 15 minutes, and stir 1/2 way through soaking time to make sure all the soy curls are covered.
    3. Options:  (1) You can remove the soy curls from the marinade and air-fry the soy curls at this point as recorded in the YouTube video below.  Or, (2) Pan-fry the soy curls using a small amount (1 tsp) of oil. Or, (3) Add the soy curls at the end just before serving.
    4. Remove the soy curls from the pan if you used the pan to brown them a bit.
    5. Stir-steam the garlic and onions until softened.
    6. Add bell peppers and cook for about 2 minutes.
    7. Add the frozen broccoli and cook until tender.
    8. Add thickening agent of your choice to the left-over marinade, add the soy curls and mix well to incorporate all of the flavors for about 2 minutes.
    9. This dish is now ready to serve.

Notes

  1.  I used Butler’s Dehydrated Soy Curls that I found on AMAZON (this is an affiliate link).
  2. If you don’t have any fresh vegetables on hand, you might enjoy a bag of frozen stir-fry vegetables.
  3. Looking for NON-GMO cornstarch? I do know that SPROUT’S carries their own brand. Otherwise, you might try this RUMFORD NON-GMO CornStarch on AMAZON (affiliate link).
  4. Try serving over brown rice or brown rice noodles.

 

https://youtu.be/V6iHvYBWfLY

Podcast Episode 50 – Be Intentional, Simplify, and Love

Let's get healthy in a good way

In today’s episode, let’s be intentional about putting to practice all the things we’ve learned and discussed during these last 50 episodes. Let focus on being intentional about what we are doing and how we are doing it, by simplifying things and doing them with love.

OTHER WAYS TO SUBSCRIBE AND LISTEN:
iTunes Logo Breaker Logo Google Podcasts Logo OverCast Podcasts Logo Pocket Casts Logo Radio Public Podcasts Logo Spotify Logo RSS Feed Logo Anchor

CONTACT US:

We invite you to listen and share your perspectives with us too. Send us a recorded message through Speakpipe. We may use your message in an upcoming episode, therefore, please leave your name if you would like it to be noted during the podcast. Leave an email address if you would like a personal response or feel free to use the contact form.

SHOW NOTES:

Office/Desk Stretches

Make Room for Growth (Chanty Bloom creates wonderful, encouraging videos to prepare yourself for success. )

David’s Harp and Psalms for Peace and Healing (Music to help calm you and relieve stress.)

Young At Any Age (80+ Year-olds share their secrets to healthy aging.)

Also available on YouTube:

https://youtu.be/QeTrwGjTUyo

Transcript:

[00:00:00] I want people to see my shirt, but you can't. It's the inhale exhale. We need to do this or that.
[00:00:06] That's a good way to start. Let's exhale. Wow. We made it to episode 50, right? Wow. Wow. Is right. 50 episodes. I'm excited. Yeah. So this is kind of like our celebration episode. So we welcome you all to today. Uh, this has been a wonderful journey for me and I hope you too, Patryce? It has, it's been enlightening.
[00:00:39] And even through the challenges, this has been something I've looked forward to every week and actually a lot of good feedback from my own family. So, they've been able to tune in even my young adults so that I think it's good for our family too. So that's good. Great. I mean, I think I've learned a lot.
[00:00:57] I mean, there are things we're learning right along the way. Yeah. So, uh, you never know at all, you just continue to learn and continue to try and improve and, and just build up on your knowledge and, you know, try to implement new things and one step at a time, right? One step at a time. So that's another reason this has been encouraging because it encourages me to keep going.
[00:01:24] And sharing, . Okay. So what are we doing today? What are we talking about? Wow. Well, I think we decided to talk about how do we just summarize or hone in on some takeaways. And so I think we, we settled on three takeaways. I-S-L. So intentionality isthe "I", and simplifyis the "S", and "L" is for love.
[00:01:54] So we can start by talking about what do we mean about being intentional? What should we be intentional about? And, um, well, let's start with how we think, how we eat. And how we move, which really means exercise . So let's be more intentional about these three things in particular. And regarding how we think, uh, listeners can tune in to our last podcast podcast, 49 to get more detailed about just how important our thought life is. And to be intentional, to be disciplined about our thought life, especially when we have toxic thoughts. So they can tune into that to get more detailed about our thought life and, and how , doing things like, um practicing affirmations, positive affirmations, prayer, and journaling. These are just a couple of things that we talk about more and episode number 49. And then also we talked about eating in many of our episodes because we are all about encouraging more of a plant-based diet.
[00:03:07] And so one thing I'm always bringing up. You're right there with me I think the importance of reading our labels. Be intentional when we're purchasing food or just whatever we're putting into our bodies. Let us read the labels. Label reading it's a good start, a good start. And I think to that end, we can read labels, but when you're making food yourself or preparing your own food, you don't have to read as much, you know, more about what you're putting into your body in some ways. And maybe you can talk to that more.
[00:03:44] I think the most important thing to do is to eat the colorful fruits and vegetables. So the most important thing to do is just to eat them. You know, go shopping for them, pick something that looks fresh and pretty, um, fresh is the goal.
[00:04:07] That's key. That's something that I think that a lot of people miss out on their diet is fruits and vegetables and especially vegetables and probably especially like leafy greens and maybe like, um, like, uh, Bell peppers, you know, the bright pops of color. We just need a rainbow of colors on our plate or throughout the day, you know, that's the big thing.
[00:04:36] If you're not preparing any now just start with preparing some meals right now. That's a really good way to begin. Um, I know that for me, most of the label reading involves like maybe pasta. You want whole grain, pasta, that's the goal. Also whole grain rices . When I'm thinking about reading labels, I'm thinking about is this a whole grain product?
[00:05:03] I guess, nuts seeds, things like that. We want them to just be nuts, seeds, and basic ingredients. No added oils, no added sugar, things like that. So those are the kinds of things that I buy that may have labels on them. But other than that, I'm really. Focusing on the produce section where I'm just buying fresh food.
[00:05:27] You know, sometimes it's organic. Sometimes it's not. Our recent episodes, we have links there about the clean 15 and the dirty dozen, you know, maybe those that you may want to avoid. Uh, if they're not organic, but remember organic is not always possible. There's lots of foods still available that you can buy that don't have to be organic, but can really boost up your, um, your nutrient levels.
[00:05:56] So, yeah. The goal is to prepare more foods at home. Okay. Start with basic ingredients and you will just be amazed at the flavors that you can get out of basic ingredients. Sometimes we take little shortcuts using a sauce or whatever. On the website, there's also many dressing recipes that are oil-free and just tasty recipes that you can do by adding, you know, your own spices, such as ginger and garlic and, you know, salt, pepper, fresh garlic, you know, or powdered or whatever.
[00:06:37] We're going to switch over to once a month podcasts so that we can bring more, um, recipes to you. Okay, that's fun. That's going to be a lot of fun.
[00:06:49] I love that you talked about just preparing at home, how we can be intentional about that. And we understand people are very busy and there are times when you do buy packaged foods. And that's why we did start with a reminder to read the labels and as long as you can pronounce all the words, that's a good start too, on these labels.
[00:07:08] But to ultimately just start with whole foods, whole foods. Start in the produce section and stay there and do the outer edges maybe not as much. And because you're in the produce section, like you've said, Shonda, we're preparing at home foods that should reflect the rainbow. Because the more colors, the more nutrient dense our meals will be. And I'm just, as you were speaking, I was just thinking about the fact that we have orange potatoes and yellow, white potatoes. We have dark green leafy vegetables, spinach and kale. But then we also have the carrots which are orange, and then we have the bell peppers, green, yellow, orange, and the list goes on with how many colors of the rainbow that we can find in our produce section of the grocery store.
[00:08:01] Were also, you know, reminded that, uh, moving, just moving. We need to be intentional about that. And I can just be, I'm just gonna put it out there.
[00:08:11] I'm not one of those people. Who's like, oh, I'm looking forward to working out today. And I'm an hour at the gym. No, I'm just not. And there are people like that where they are looking forward to their run or jog. More power to you. That's awesome. But if you're not that way, that's okay. That's okay. Just start from where you are.
[00:08:31] Maybe it's just walking on a regular basis or stretching. You've talked about that so often. How simply stretching is a plus that's very important and, um, just so many things we can do to move. And I think we've talked about also, uh, just being more active in your day. Making sure that whether you work outside the home or, or don't, you can be intentional and take breaks.
[00:09:00] I know people who work at a desk, there is nothing wrong with once an hour, you get up, you stretch your legs, you go walk around or you meet some of the people that you might just make a phone call to in your office. Just go say, Hey, can I meet you at your desk? Or. What have you, uh, and if you're at home, there's certainly opportunities in and outside of our homes doing some work around there. Cooking, preparing these wonderful meals we're just talking about and then being in our gardens or just being outside.
[00:09:29] Yeah. Yeah. Those are all really good reminders. And I thought about, you know, the purpose of stretching is kind of like to relieve muscle tension. It really relieves muscle tension, especially if you're sitting at a desk , it's really important to stretch those shoulders and things like that.
[00:09:49] So, you know, just Google it and see what the best exercises are and just do a few. And another thing you talked about yard work. Yeah. I like to do exercises that produce something. So I do like walking, walking is relaxing, so that produces relaxation. Right. But also I like to cut the grass, you know?
[00:10:12] Um, I have a push mower. And if it doesn't get too high, it's pretty easy to use. And I'm not calling it, you know, my exercise thing, but it is exercise. Yeah. Do you know? So that's just something don't, don't discount your yard work and things like that.
[00:10:31] That is your exercise. So keep doing it. So true. I've been pulling weeds lately with all the rain. We have plenty of weeds. I felt some muscle aches because I think you use different muscles when you're doing the weed pulling than I do, maybe when I'm walking. So that's a great, great reminder, Shonda that we shouldn't discount the exercise we received by doing yard work.
[00:10:55] Yeah. Awesome. so I get the big message is to be intentional about how we're living out our daily lives. And those are just some of the things we wanted to hone in on. And then we also wanted to talk about simplifying life.
[00:11:13] That's important too, right? That can release stress. It means, for example, just let's keep it simple as much as we can and, and start doing it today. Don't delay at looking at opportunities on how to simplify our daily lives.
[00:11:30] There was a TV show. I think it is called unplugged nation. It may not be going on anymore, but anyway, it was a reality TV show where families felt that their lives were too busy actually. And often they had children, um, different ages, but they wanted to unplug.
[00:11:48] So whether they were living in a city or not, they had the computers going on. They had the cell phones going on. They had working all the time and they, they said they wanted to unplug from technology. So the reality show would have these families check out a couple of properties and pick one.
[00:12:06] And sometimes it was a whole farm that they would have to run and other things. And although they may not have ended up living that way every day after that, they always said they learned so much about how their quality of life could be better if they slow down some. Simplify.
[00:12:27] I remember it was a while back. We didn't have power due to a hurricane and, uh, it was like 12 days. I so enjoyed that. But just being able to be with your own thoughts, I think is important in a person's day, you know, we do so many things and we have a quick thought here, but we don't really take time to process our thoughts. So I think taking time in the day, and I think it's good in the middle of the day. You know, you can do this in the beginning. You can do this at the end of the day, but there's like part of your time out in the middle of the day just like taking a stretch or a walk, you know, to process your thoughts.
[00:13:12] Hmm, to not just wait to do it at the end of the day or just when we begin our day, that way, but throughout the day, to be intentional, to process our thoughts to be present. To be present in the moment. That I think lends itself to simplifying our lives. That's great. And yeah, I think you also had some other tips here about maybe incorporating routines.
[00:13:38] Uh, that's another way to simplify our lives. Right? And going back to how you shared about planning or making our own food at home or meals. Well, let's simplify that process by planning. If we plan it, it won't seem so overwhelming, you know, to, to do that. Right um, so yeah, if you have something that must be a part of your routine, ask yourself, how can I simplify this? You know, what steps can I make to make this an easier task on myself? And so what can I do in my kitchen to make cooking easier? You know, it may be, uh, you have to declutter the kitchen, you know, maybe there's just, maybe you have too many pots and pans.
[00:14:27] You know, just sitting out and you just, you need, you need a focus space. I think, you know, being more intentional about being focused, you know, for what you're doing. So you're not distracted, you know, maybe put the phone down or turn it on some music, you know, while you're cooking or something, you know, what can you do to put yourself in a more relaxed state when you're cooking?
[00:14:52] You know, um, give love to your food, you know, and it'll taste better than a rushed meal, you know? Um, Um, I like that tip about de-cluttering and just organizing your kitchen in a way that works well for you. If you're the main person preparing these meals, how does that look for you? And if that means organizing the refrigerator and the pantry once a month, or just have a system to lend itself to you, not being stressed about preparing these meals.
[00:15:24] And again, um, I'm not as good as you use Shonda. I do buy more things, but even, yeah. Like I'll buy vegetables for example. And especially during holidays, instead of going to the beauty shop or whatever, I will spend that money on getting chopped vegetables already. Especially when I'm going to have a large group of people and I have so much going on already. There's just three or so vegetables that take a little more time .So I can decide, well, those are the things I'm going to have already chopped up for me. Uh, just whatever it takes to simplify your life and help to minimize stress.
[00:16:03] Yeah. Sometimes you have a lot of time to cut vegetables. Sometimes you don't. It can be relaxing, it can be stressful. It depends on where we are in our life or each day changes. Each day changes and allow it to change and just go with the flow and work with what you have.
[00:16:24] Right. So, yeah. And so decluttering still is in my mind, you know, about the kitchen, maybe the stacks of paper, you know, maybe in the kitchen, you know, cover them up, move them to the side where you can't see them while you cooking. So you can focus on what you're doing. Um, we talked about the mind being decluttered, you know, uh, thinking about that and, and, um, I did have to put in the finance part.
[00:16:53] I know we don't talk about that much here. But that's just part of simplifying our life. So we're wanting to talk about the real food and drinks lifestyle, you know, we want to encompass every part of living. That may be something that's that's causing issues.
[00:17:10] , if finances get in the way of eating a healthy diet, we need to create a video on how to eat on a budget. How's that? I think that's a great idea. Seriously. Yeah. We have to put that on the to-do list. You because I hear so many people say, oh, it's too expensive to eat healthy.
[00:17:31] And my husband who is into finance he even suggested that we do that. Because that would be yet another thing he can incorporate when he's talking to people about their financial planning. So, yeah, we just don't want you to not think about your finances when you're simplifying your life.
[00:17:47] That's you know. Major impact on who we are, how we live our life. I think you mentioned was taking inventory of how we spend our time. So that can mean a lot of things, but let's just be honest. We have a lot of distractions in 2021, and I don't think that those distractions are just going to go away with each coming year.
[00:18:12] We have phones, we have the TV, we have the radio. We have our own thoughts. And I liked what you said earlier about not just doing something in the beginning and the end of the day, those are fine time to do things, but to take inventory of even how we're spending our time throughout the day, that's a healthy, healthy exercise too.
[00:18:31] Yeah. To ask ourselves, is there something more important than I should be doing right now? . Yeah. Focus, prioritize. Make a list. A simple list, but just make a list. Yeah, I like it. I like it.
[00:18:45] And then what was the, oh, the third thing we were going to focus on is love. Right?
[00:18:52] And, uh, let's start with let's love more. Okay. Starting with ourselves. I think we take that for granted that it's understood that we should love ourselves. But honestly, I don't think everyone's there. So that's okay. If that's something you need to work on then work on it. And the reason why it's so important is if we learn to love ourselves, well, we'll be able to love others better. Yeah. So what does that really look like? Learning to love ourselves. What are some ideas? So, yeah. Um, some things that I thought about when you were talking about it is there's two different things. There's like, maybe we're not loving ourselves in our mind.
[00:19:45] Like we talked about the negative thoughts back in episode 49, you know. We're talking down to ourselves, you know? So that is something that we can think about. So go back to episode 49, if you need a reminder there. We can love ourselves better through our thoughts. I thought of that too.
[00:20:04] When you just asked that good question. It starting with our own positive thought life, hopefully versus having negative self-talking thought. Right. That's good. And then I thought about like, Taking time for relaxation, like give yourself a foot rub, you know, if you need it, or, hands or shoulders or whatever.
[00:20:29] I mean, those are just some areas that tend to hold tension and we can, you know, love ourselves by giving ourselves some massages. Take time out to to help your body. To take care of, of ourselves. And that just quickly reminds me of on the airplane when they say in case of emergency, even if you have a child next to you, make sure you put the mask over your own face before you try to help your child. And it's the same thing we need to take time. I love the idea though, of massaging ourselves or even I'm like rubbing my own back or the pat my back, these little things. Or just tell yourself," I love you." There's nothing wrong with that. Standing in front of the mirror and saying, "I love you."
[00:21:20] And just reciting positive affirmations can be very uplifting. And like you said, I think you mentioned music earlier, different things that, you know, might bring you joy or do bring you joy. Practice them. So, yeah, so that allows us to pour love out to others when we're recharged. Right?
[00:21:41] And we're feeling great and relaxed. So then we're not all frazzled and worried about this, worried about that. We're in a better state and we can love on others. Yes, we're more accessible and we're in a better mood. I honestly, and I, I hate to say it. One thing I can work on is loving myself by getting proper sleep because if we get enough sleep, then we'll be more patient. Hopefully we'll be more patient so that we can love other people.
[00:22:12] Which leads me into something you brought up... how can we show other people love? And one way is through volunteering. Yeah, that's a great way.
[00:22:21] I've even known, um, friends or family where maybe it's been a really hard time in their lives. They've lost a job or, or there's just different situations that can happen. But then even in the midst of those challenging times, that's when they were intentional about volunteering. And they said they were so blessed by that.
[00:22:40] I mean, I, I love that you brought up volunteering and, and there's no shortage of where to volunteer. You just have to be intentional to seek out opportunities. Yeah, there's always an opportunity to volunteer. Right. And it's so good like we said, take care of yourself, but you know, to sometimes take the focus off yourself, especially, you know, when something is not going your way or whatever to switch over into serving someone else is a good way to get over
[00:23:11] whatever you think may not be going well for you that day. So you're serving yourself and serving others at the same time. Win, Win! Yes. Excellent. Thank you. That's good.
[00:23:25] Is there anything else? Um, the last one was to, uh, encourage others to love themselves. You know, like we're hoping to encourage everyone to, love yourself
[00:23:37] you know, by doing all these things and implementing these ideas. And then in turn you get filled up and then it pours out. Yes, it's so good. And well, I can't help but bring up, but we're loving ourselves also by looking at what we're putting in our bodies...Being intentional.
[00:23:58] And that's why we're all about our plant based suggested to empower our bodies. To fuel them up in the best way we can. Yeah. No, that's all good stuff. What else did we have for today?
[00:24:14] Well, today was just like a summary. You know, we just wanted to celebrate, this is our celebration episode for episode 50. And now we just want to remind you of some changes that are coming. You know, I think we've mentioned it a couple of times, but, that we're going to start re releasing it once a month only, which will be the first Wednesday of each month.
[00:24:41] Right. And the other weeks, and Patryce I'm hoping you're doing me in some of these, we want to bring, helpful recipes to you and food prep ideas on the YouTube channel. So it's not going to be like you don't hear from us for another month. They're going to be other ways that you'll be hearing from us.
[00:25:06] So stay tuned. The best way to be in touch is to become a subscriber on the YouTube channel. Yeah. In the show notes, there's a link. If you're not already watching through YouTube, there's a link to become a subscriber. Please subscribe to the YouTube channel.
[00:25:27] When we reach 1000 subscribers, we'll get a community tab and that's going to allow us to communicate more easily with you and we can chat back and forth on that community tab. So we need you to tell everyone, you know, to become a subscriber to The Real Food and Drinks YouTube channel. And that will just put more things in motion for us.
[00:25:55] Yeah. Yes. We thought it would be fun to put out there a challenge for everyone listening to us. And, and of course we hope that you will tell other people about us. But the challenge is that you share any comment or feedback about any of the subjects that we've touched on, or even a comment that, Hey, I've enjoyed some of your podcasts, but I really wish he had talked about this too. Or just somewhere you felt like this helped, or this is something I'd like to hear more about, or just any communication we get from you we want to put into a drawing. And then we're going to draw, three names and we will be sending a surprise gift to encourage you on your journey of living your best life. , Hopefully more of a plant-based incorporated life, but living your best life. So we hope that our gifts will just be an incentive to continue making changes in a healthy way.
[00:26:53] So we're challenging everyone to just communicate with us, send us a form of communication and we'll put you in the drawing for that fun gift. Yeah. I think we'll do one per week for the, for the month of September. Yep. Once per week. So get the word out there everyone. Get the word out. Anything you wanted to add to that? No, that's all good. Okay. Sounds good. I'm excited. I'm looking forward to all the comments and input and feedback that we get and I'm sending out these fun prizes
[00:27:32] . So have a good day, everyone. Good week we look forward to hearing from you. Go to the show notes. Yes. Everything Shonda said. Bye.

powered by

Podcast Episode 49 – Top 5 Toxins – Negative Thoughts & Self-Defeating Beliefs (Part 5 of 5)

Negative Thoughts

Have you considered how our thought life affects our physical and mental health? Our thoughts mold how we see ourselves and the world. Negative thoughts and self-defeating beliefs negatively impact our mental and physical health as well as our relationships. It can lead to moodiness, anxious thoughts, or even anxiety disorders.

Today, in Episode 49, Shonda shares some personal areas in her life concerning stress-producing thoughts while Patryce encourages some helpful tips and promises to hold Shonda accountable. Yes, stress is real in all of our lives, let’s tackle our thought-life that can add to the stressful load. Let’s learn how to overcome stress and create a sense of peace.

Here is the list of the top 5 toxins:

CONTACT US: We want to come alongside you, as well, as we all continue moving toward a positive direction to support our healthy lifestyles. If there are any specific ways that we can be of assistance, please contact us through our contact form or send a verbal message through Speakpipe.

OTHER WAYS TO SUBSCRIBE AND LISTEN:
iTunes Logo Breaker Logo Google Podcasts Logo OverCast Podcasts Logo Pocket Casts Logo Radio Public Podcasts Logo Spotify Logo RSS Feed Logo Anchor

We invite you to listen and share your perspectives with us too. Send us a recorded message through Speakpipe. We may use your message in an upcoming episode, therefore, please leave your name if you would like it to be noted during the podcast. Leave an email address if you would like a personal response or feel free to use the contact form.

SHOW NOTES:

The Article that prompted these discussions about toxins.

Previous Articles and Episodes About Stress

Matthew 12:43 – 45 (NIV): (A symbolic reminder that we cannot clean up our thoughts and then hope they remain clean on their own. We must replace them with good thoughts.)

43 “When an impure spirit comes out of a person, it goes through arid places seeking rest and does not find it. 44 Then it says, ‘I will return to the house I left.’ When it arrives, it finds the house unoccupied, swept clean, and put in order. 45 Then it goes and takes with it seven other spirits more wicked than itself, and they go in and live there. And the final condition of that person is worse than the first. That is how it will be with this wicked generation.”

The Dirty Dozen and The Clean Fifteen (Vegetables and Fruits):

The Dirty Dozen
The Clean Fifteen

Also available on YouTube:

Transcript:

[00:00:00] Okay. Hi, Patryce. How are you? Well, thank you. I'm hanging in there too. Yeah, me too. Yeah, I'm hanging in here. Talk about stress, right? Yes. We all have it. We all have it. So that's why this is a great topic. You want to get us started on it,Shonda.
[00:00:18] Yeah. Cause I've been thinking about, you know, last week you talked about external stresses in our life.
[00:00:24] Right? And so one that comes to mind for me that is, are my dogs. They require so much. I have four of them. My husband brought home a pregnant dog and it just happened. But yes, the, the feeding, the care, the washing, the teeth, the, bathing the cleaning up after them.
[00:00:45] I mean, they're like little kids. So it's like, I really just can't get away from it. But you know, then, you know, I've been trying to work along the years on refining the process of taking care of them. And I guess if I think about it, it has gotten a little better.
[00:01:02] And so with today's topic about toxic stress, like our thoughts, I think there's still probably some thoughts I could clean up about the dogs that would help me better deal with them.
[00:01:18] That's a great, that's a great segue into negative thoughts, thoughts, and then self-defeating beliefs really can add stress to our lives and the negative thoughts, for example, like with your dogs.
[00:01:31] And for me, you know, I have stressors too. Or even just the whole COVID climate. Not that I'm constantly in stress or anxious, but you know what, that's why I limit my amount of news I'd take in because it seems to change daily.
[00:01:47] And does anyone really know the whole truth and nothing but the truth? So I, again like your, your external stressors, we have to learn ways to manage them. And instead of me having negative thoughts, I take away the source of those negative thoughts. For me, not overindulging in the news or social media, but instead, just focusing more on things that bring me peace.
[00:02:16] Right. Yeah. That's a really good idea. Cause I'm just thinking about a lot of the things that we watch. So those thoughts, the things that we see, right? They like make a real imprint on our brain and we play them over and over again.
[00:02:33] Yeah. That's a very good point. And that leads me to touch on self-defeating beliefs. Like you said, these thoughts can be ingrained. So self-defeating beliefs are with us all the time because they are things that we allow to penetrate our belief system. And so those have to be recognized and then we have to change a self-defeating belief system to non self-defeating, you know, positive.
[00:03:05] So it's, again, I think for negative thoughts and self-defeating beliefs, both situations we have to be intentional about recognizing where they are in our lives. And then addressing them head on and with, I want to change this. I'm going to change my thought process. This self-defeating belief that I've had forever.
[00:03:23] It's not true. That's number one, like check yourself. I'm stupid because maybe you are at work or maybe it's a hard, yeah. And things aren't working according to plan, and you can find yourself saying things like negative self-talk - "I'm stupid. Why do I always," - do we always do anything?
[00:03:41] No. But self, , self defeating beliefs and negative thoughts are things that we should start intentionally identifying in our lives and then we should be intentional about changing them.
[00:03:54] Yeah, I don't know if I'm skipping ahead, but I just had a thought what about this perfectionism? I usually have a positive outlook on things like, okay, I can do this, but at what point is it enough for me? You know what I mean? Maybe my perfectionism is holding me back because I never make it to the place that I want. I want perfection, you know, instead of accepting the little progress that I've made, which I have, I know with these dogs, I have made a lot of progress, you know, but it's like, I just want, I want. the ultimate thing. And it's not about anybody else. It's just about me. It's what I, what I want from, from me. And it just not practical.
[00:04:43] That's a very good way of describing it. And I'm glad you brought up perfectionism. A lot of times we don't even identify in our own selves, but I think what you just described is something common among all ages, all people that at the end of the day we're not able to be content with where we are.
[00:05:02] Not that we shouldn't strive to do better, but always beating ourselves up by doing more and more instead of saying, look, look how far I've come. Like you said, with the dogs. And if everyone who's listening actually knew the whole story about Shonda and the dogs and how they saved one of them at birth.
[00:05:21] That's another whole podcast. But, I think what you just said was so on the money that we sometimes embrace perfectionism. And honestly, I think even as a child, we sometimes have parents who may be practicing perfectionism, unbeknownst to us and them, for sure. And without us realizing it becomes a self-defeating belief because we start trying to achieve perfectionism because our parents may have encouraged it subconsciously.
[00:05:53] So again, I really love that explanation you gave and hey, you already have identified something that's probably adding stress. And so now you can see how you can change it.
[00:06:05] Yeah, that's true. Yeah. Hold me to that. I will.
[00:06:11] So Shonda, do we want to talk about what these negative thoughts and self-defeating beliefs can lead to? Well, it can contribute to you. , self-esteem issues, even depression, even, , anxiety disorders, poor appetite. You know, a lot of kids in college. I think they have that going on the poor appetite or the digestive system being negatively impacted all of these things and more can be a result of just continuing to have negative thinking and self-defeating beliefs. So, gosh that doesn't sound that intense, but over time, there are people who have gone to doctor after doctor taking test after test and the tests come back negative.
[00:07:01] Oh, that was me. For the IVs that I had so many years I had it for at least five years. I was trying to figure it out. I mean, all kinds of stuff, but yeah, I did. It was really 2018 that I was like, this has got to stop this, this, this is, you know, and so I did recognize some anxious thoughts that I was having and I had to stop.
[00:07:24] I had to stop speaking those anxious thoughts that I had, and even when my stomach was still giving all the upsets and the bloating and the pain, I stopped talking about it, I was like, I'm not going to give life to this anymore. And like within months I'm telling you that went away and I have not had it since.
[00:07:46] I mean, every now and then, I'll have like, you know, maybe a day, a moment, you know, but, oh man it was meal after meal, you know, with IBS issues. And it was all, I was just, in this anxious place at one at that gone. I wanted other stuff changed, so, yeah.
[00:08:08] I love what you just described. Well, not that you had to go through that, but when we have those negative thoughts, it's powerful to just identify I'm having this negative thought. Let me stop having it. The next part, which I think sometimes we forget is to replace that negative thought with a positive. If, for example, I know the Bible is where I find peace and because I practice, what God says in his word. That when I say things like I'm stupid or something like that, I can say I'm a child of God I'm fearfully and wonderfully made. Or, I am loved a lot of people just have positive affirmations, whether they're Christian or not, they put things like, I love.
[00:08:50] Patryce. I, you know, I'm, I am able to do things and just, I guess I'm thinking about positive affirmation. So, not only stopping these negative thoughts, but replacing them with good thoughts and the truth. And that whole thing I read in an article is so powerful. And we're in the midst of these, negative thoughts and self-defeating beliefs, just check ourselves and say, is this true?
[00:09:17] What I'm saying, is it really true? And if that's not enough for you go to your friend or your family member and say, you know, I'm thinking these things, can you help me here? Is this true about me? Would you say this, you know, get help. And that leads me to, we can also get, you know, like you said, we have these thoughts, we identify it and then we can, stop them and then change them. And we can always seek counseling.
[00:09:42] Hmm. Okay. Yeah. That's all good. I think about, replacing those thoughts. That's important. You don't want to leave it empty, right. So other bad thoughts can go, come in the place. And there's a scripture that goes with that too. We need to put that scripture on there, you know about sweeping out the house.
[00:09:59] I've never been a journaler, but I think it does help some people and it probably would help me, you know, so maybe I'll try, like on a piece of paper, you know, above my computer, I can write better thoughts, you know, turn those thoughts that I know I'm repeating. Write a better outcome.
[00:10:25] I love it. It sounds like positive affirmations. I do them on stickies. I put them on my mirror. I used to have on the refrigerator. Those are helpful ways to combat our thoughts because we're constantly having thoughts. So why not have good thoughts and not the bad.
[00:10:43] Yeah. And the good ones feel so good. They, they affect us so positively. Right? I know, because, along my health journey I was like, why am I not getting better? I'm doing all these things. And I remember the time that I was the most relaxed, like when it kind of all came together when I was enjoying the process of taking care of myself, You know, not like, oh, I gotta do this.
[00:11:07] I gotta do that. I gotta, you know, whatever, but taking time to be thankful that I can do it taking time to enjoy it, you know, and maybe share it . But being at peace does a lot for your body. And we're talking about these toxic things take a toll on our health. So we want to take out these toxic thoughts and we want to move towards peace.
[00:11:33] Yes. I love that. Move towards peace and remove those toxic thoughts. And then we're able to spread out to others and just be a more uplifting part of society. I think we all could use peace in this world, and it's not about the peace from the outside. It's from peace from within. And what you just described is something I think we should all be trying to work towards.
[00:11:58] And I love the fact that I may be saying it not like you did, but that when you got to the point where you were enjoying the process, moving into a new habit or moving along. Instead of I'm so not into this process. Just let me get to the end. Let me get to my success instead of just like embracing that process, I guess that's what people mean when they say like take things one day at a time. And I think in our society, we rush rush, rush. So. Maybe that's another thing we can do is to not be so rushed and to practice just taking your time and gratefulness.
[00:12:37] I think I heard you speak about gratefulness. And I have not done that lately to be intentional. I mean, I actually have an app where each day at the end of the day or beginning, I would write what I'm grateful for. And that was just another way to renew my mind and change my thinking. I I'm glad you reminded me of that. I'm going to try to do that again. It's like journaling but on your phone.
[00:12:59] Okay. Yeah, that's really good. That's really great.
[00:13:00] So Shonda. Why don't we pose this question to our audience or anyone out there listening? Um, if you were to ask yourself the question, do I see the glass half-empty or half-full when it comes to how my life is? And if it's that you see it's half-empty. Reconsider thinking of life as a glass half-full. So that's the challenge we want to present to everyone out there, including ourselves.
[00:13:28] Yeah. That's a good challenge. Cause if it's half-full, you just keep filling it up, right. You're on your way. Yeah. Okay. We'll do that. That's a good challenge.
[00:13:39] And let's just be encouraged that it's day by day that we can be more intentional and that we can then feel more empowered.
[00:13:49] Yeah. See y'all later. Bye-bye.

powered by

Podcast Episode 48 A Quick Reminder About Stress

Just Breathe

Hi. We just want to remind you to take some time out to just breathe (and relax). Taking some time out to just breathe is exactly what we are doing this week. Thus, today’s mini-episode. And come to think of it, we should probably focus an entire episode on ‘just breathing’ and so we probably will.

We’ve been working on a series of the top 5 toxins that impact our health. Stress plays a huge role in our health. Stress can be from outside sources such as our environment, various life situations, and even from other people. We definitely need to learn how to deal with these types of stress. We discussed many of these in Episode 1 (Covid-19 and stress) and in Episode 25 (Got Stress? Let’s Deal With It).

Yet, another source of stress is the type WE CAUSE through negative thinking and self-defeating beliefs. This type we have control over. We will focus our discussion on these concepts in next week’s Episode 49. In today’s episode, Patryce gives us a brief introduction and reminder for what’s coming your way next week.

Here is the list of the top 5 toxins:

We want to come alongside you, as well, as we all continue moving toward a positive direction to support our healthy lifestyles. If there are any specific ways that we can be of assistance, please contact us through our contact form or send a verbal message through Speakpipe.

OTHER WAYS TO SUBSCRIBE AND LISTEN:
iTunes Logo Breaker Logo Google Podcasts Logo OverCast Podcasts Logo Pocket Casts Logo Radio Public Podcasts Logo Spotify Logo RSS Feed Logo Anchor

We invite you to listen and share your perspectives with us too. Send us a recorded message through Speakpipe. We may use your message in an upcoming episode, therefore, please leave your name if you would like it to be noted during the podcast. Leave an email address if you would like a personal response or feel free to use the contact form.

SHOW NOTES:

The Article that prompted these discussions about toxins

The Dirty Dozen and The Clean Fifteen (Vegetables and Fruits):

The Dirty Dozen
The Clean Fifteen

Also available on YouTube:

https://youtu.be/EdrNe7LC8wk

Transcript:

[00:00:00] Hello everyone. This is Patryce. Over the last few weeks, Shonda and I have talked about toxins. Toxins in food, our water, our overall environment, as well as in body and personal care products. And to see and hear more detail about what we discussed, you can check out episodes 43 to 47. Today, we wanted to remind you that stress is also toxic. Stress can be very toxic.
[00:00:34] So stress can come from outside sources and we need to learn how to deal with these. We discussed many of them in Episodes 1 and 25. So you can check those out on the real food and drinks website or YouTube. Yet, there's another source of stress and this type we can control more. And it is caused by negative thinking and self-defeating beliefs.
[00:01:09] And we want to share more about this type of stress and how we can manage it, minimize it, identify it. In our upcoming episode 48. So until then we encourage you to send in any, um, specific things that you want to discuss regarding stress and any questions you might have so we can discuss that during episode 48.
[00:01:41] I don't want to forget to remind you guys that we'll have a new podcast schedule starting September 1st. We will be releasing just one podcast a month, but it'll be the first Wednesday of every month. So you can look forward to a new podcast the first Wednesday of every month starting the month of September.
[00:02:05] Until then everyone have a wonderful day. Bye-bye.

powered by

Podcast Episode 47 – Top 5 Toxins – Body and Personal Care Products (Part 4 of 5)

Body Care

In podcast episode 47 we discuss specific toxins that are found in our body and personal care products. Yes, we can get a great deal of exposure to toxins in the products that we put on our bodies. Therefore, it’s just as important to take care in choosing these products so that we aren’t overloading our immune systems.

Here is the list of the top 5 toxins:

We want to come alongside you, as well, as we all continue moving toward a positive direction to support our healthy lifestyles. If there are any specific ways that we can be of assistance, please contact us through our contact form or send a verbal message through Speakpipe.

OTHER WAYS TO SUBSCRIBE AND LISTEN:
iTunes Logo Breaker Logo Google Podcasts Logo OverCast Podcasts Logo Pocket Casts Logo Radio Public Podcasts Logo Spotify Logo RSS Feed Logo Anchor

We invite you to listen and share your perspectives with us too. Send us a recorded message through Speakpipe. We may use your message in an upcoming episode, therefore, please leave your name if you would like it to be noted during the podcast. Leave an email address if you would like a personal response or feel free to use the contact form.

SHOW NOTES:

The Article that prompted these discussions about toxins

EWGs Skin Deep Database to search for body and personal care products.

Twelve Toxic Chemicals and Contaminants in Cosmetics

Sunscreen (Zinc Oxide is the main ingredient)

Browse EWG Products By Category on AMAZON

Homemade Product Recipes:

DIY Spray Deodorant (You can simply swap out the essential oils used in this recipe with those that you prefer – just make sure they are for use on the skin. You could also replace some of the witch hazel with water.)

Whipped Body Butter (I also mix this with a little baking soda and use it as a deodorant.)

Simple Ingredient Foaming Hand Soap or Multi-Ingredient Foaming Hand Soap

The Dirty Dozen and The Clean Fifteen (Vegetables and Fruits):

The Dirty Dozen
The Clean Fifteen

Also available on YouTube:

Transcript:

[00:00:00] Okay, so welcome back, right? Yes. Our part is it for now? Yeah. We're talking about part four, which we want to talk about body care products and personal care products and all those things, because we may not think, you know, we may think that we're go to the store and we pick out these different products that we want to use.
[00:00:23] And, but we don't think about how they can contain toxins, you know, and unfortunately, um, there are many toxins that probably get inside of us from these products, maybe even more than the environment, because we're applying them directly to our skin, you know . So that's just something to think about.
[00:00:48] Right. It is, it is so let's get right into it. Uh, I think we talked about, uh, body care products such as lotions and moisturizers and wow. When you talk about sunscreen, right away. I think about that, I know were advised to put on sunscreen to block the harmful rays, but at the same time, we need to be mindful we're not putting harmful product on.
[00:01:21] Right? Yeah. I know, like in, um, sunscreens and body care moisturizers, is this what we're talking about now? Like parabens were high on the list of ingredients that are considered toxins. And I think they're mostly considered hormone disruptors and things like that.
[00:01:38] So, you know, uh, if you go to EWG's website and we have some links below this podcast, and they describe all these things that we may talk about in detail cause there's like reproductive toxicity, there's, uh, you know, our respiratory toxicity and. What did I say? Did I, I just said reproductive didn't I, there was something else, but there is out there and we'll definitely put the link out there.
[00:02:11] I was trying to remember all of them, all the different, uh, categories that they hit on, but, uh, yeah. Parabens are high in sunscreen. Sunscreens are very toxic. The basic ones that, I mean, there are so many out there. Um, But, you know, I think just a little sun exposure of day, is this as healthy for us?
[00:02:33] Right. So, oh, I definitely agree. A little exposure is good, but there is the overdoing it part. So we're not discouraging you from using a sunscreen. We're just saying, be aware of the ingredients in the sunscreen you choose. And it's been a long time, but I used to, I, is it sunscreen? That's like zinc or it's like white.
[00:02:56] It was supposed to be without a lot of extra stuff. And I may, it may not look as pretty, but it was protecting you from the sun because I know when the kids did track, they would be out there for hours. So at that point, it's a good time, especially around the face to have, um, just well-researched or just some sunscreen you feel is healthier. Okay. Yeah. And when you said zinc, that reminded me of, uh, like zinc oxide. I don't know what the brand is, but it's like for baby bottoms, like for diaper rash. So zinc oxide is good for the skin. Zinc is good for the skin, so yeah, you just brought that to my attention.
[00:03:42] You know, I heard that eating your vegetables is good for your skin and to protect you against the sun's rays, the more vegetables and fruits because of the antioxidants. So they you know help protect against cancer. And most people wear sunscreens to protect their skin against cancer. Well if you're getting lots of fruits and vegetables, you're getting your antioxidants, which is going to protect your skin. So I just wanted to throw that in there. We're not talking about food today, but you know, um, that is one way to protect your skin also.
[00:04:18] Are about the importance of a plant base or the benefits of a plant based diet.
[00:04:24] Yeah, so baby products, um, wow. I mean, we don't want to start putting toxins on our babies, right? I mean, and many of us, I know I have done so without knowing I was not aware of this. And I mean, the top products, when I Googled, you know, baby products and I looked at them at the EWG website, They were very high in toxins, unfortunately, some of the most popular brands.
[00:04:54] Exactly. So it is unfortunate. I I'm like most people, uh, when the kids were young, I was getting, we're not going to name names, but certain brands that are very well known and you even know their scent. And those very scents are indication of the, um, toxicity. There's toxins in there. A lot of extra ingredients.
[00:05:16] I'm thinking about the children because there's just, they're so little, but the diapers. And I understand that it's convenient to have the disposable diapers. I'm not saying this is for everyone, but there are people who have chosen to for at least the first few months go to the cloth diapers that we wash the old fashioned way. And even if you can't do that, maybe you're a busy single mother. You work a lot of hours. There are different kinds of disposable diapers. Because they will say some are chlorine free, or I don't remember exactly what they're free of, but that saying, you know, traditional diapers, the disposable have perfumes.
[00:05:54] They have, they have chemicals in them. Where, if you're doing the cloth diapers, you're not having to deal with that. And other brands of the disposal diapers will limit that. Yeah. Good point.
[00:06:05] Again, we're not focusing on food, but just like reading labels for our food. We need to read the labels for the products, especially for our young ones. Yeah. Yeah. Because some of those fragrances I did see on EWG website that they do, um, disrupt many organs of the body, you know, organ system toxicity and, and your eyes and your lungs and skin.
[00:06:32] So fragrance, when you see fragrance, it's. it's probably not good. When you see fragrance listed on a label, um, we can have natural fragrances, like essential oils and things, which we'll touch on a little bit later, and there are some links that I'm going to provide to make your own products that include some essential oils as fragrances. But, when you see that on just a commercial brand you probably want to avoid that item because they can be highly toxic. Fragrances can.
[00:07:10] Definitely. And getting back to the babies, um, even like you mentioned, uh, or we will, there are lotions, bath bombs or bubble bath.
[00:07:23] I know growing up, we used to love those, but especially for young ladies, it can be an irritant. So we, we want to just be mindful and read those labels. If you're having a time with pronouncing the words, then maybe that's not the product that you want to use. And then there's also the we'll talk about later, but you can make your own products.
[00:07:42] That's a very good point. Like you said, if you can't pronounce it, you probably don't want it and look at the labels. And so then it was still on baby care and then, you know, children, you know, toothpaste. So, and then they add all these colors to make it pleasing to the eye. And these colors are toxic. If you see like FD&C, I think is yellow and blue, those are toxic.
[00:08:06] You can find more information on EWG's website by just putting those in the link that we're going to provide here, but you can read all about you know, the different things and why it's toxic there. So. Thank goodness for these links, because we are not an expert and it's an exhaustive list that EWG has done all the work for us.
[00:08:30] So it's a great reference for everyone. Yeah. EWG's Skin-deep website. So that link is below. We're going to keep reminding you about it cause it's really important and really helpful. So, um, so that kind of talked, we talked, you talked a little bit about bath soaps and hand soaps and antibacterial sprays again, you know, fragrances and other things in there that you know, contain toxins.
[00:08:59] Um, but you know, alternatives there are Castile soaps, which are easily found. It's just a basic soap and sometimes they have essential oils added to them. Or you can add your own essential oils to them. And you mentioned earlier about like going to farmer's markets. Farmer's markets are a popular place to find a handmade soaps, right?
[00:09:29] Talk to the vendor there and ask them what's in this soap, how is it made? And you know, why is this good for me? Are there toxins in here? You know, so. You're right. They're excited to share how they make their products and what they're made of. They're not trying to shy away from that. So that's a great resource.
[00:09:46] Yes. Yeah, I think so. Okay. So let's move on to deodorant and body sprays. Yeah. Wow. The body sprays and well, deodorants, let's start there. That's a simpler one for me. I was able to, you know, make a change. There are our alternatives because it's mainly not just deodorant, but when it's deodorant, I believe anti-perspirants.
[00:10:10] Yes, those have, uh, aluminum. So you can find the, the aluminum free options. And, um, there's a lot of, if you Google, I think it's milk of magnesia. There are other alternatives to the traditional, um, aluminum, heavy, uh, deodorant, and aluminum is not good for us. And so, yeah, two things aluminum has been found to be a link to Alzheimer's and dementia. And I believe it's the antiperspirants that block the lymph nodes and the sweat glands. And so all those toxins back up and to your glands and cause breast cancer. Yeah, good to know. That's why we want to look at some alternatives and we can start changing to those.
[00:11:00] So when we're talking about body sprays, we're just. Um, I'm taken back to the idea of fragrances. What are those fragrances? You know, recently I was at a, um, store it's a sprout store and it's a grocery store, but in their essential oil section, they have some body sprays that are made using those essential oils. You know, those options are there if you like it. but yeah, again, avoid fragrances.
[00:11:29] Yes. If you cannot read half the ingredients.. Yeah. And you know what I'm reminded of deodorants especially, and body sprays that are aerosol. You know, like the cans, those are so toxic and they stick around in the air forever. They don't leave, you know? And so you're constantly breathing those in and you're getting you know, things into your respiratory system.
[00:11:57] Yes, you're right. And they, I thought they were outlawed for the deodorant at one point. They're not good for the environment either. Yeah. Okay, so we want to avoid those. So I do have a link, to some, deodorant sprays and this was mostly women, links to deodorant sprays and like the alternative and the things that I use.
[00:12:18] So it's, it's, it's out there. So you can just go out there and go to the links and find what you need or what you're looking for. So, and I don't know about this one. I was just, I just, just trying to list everything. The thing about like shaving creams and things. Cause I know a lot of people use shaving creams.
[00:12:37] I thought maybe just, soaps and, um, a moisturizer after you shave Dave would suffice. I'm not sure I know men need, after the shaving cream, they use something to like close the pores.
[00:12:53] So I think like maybe like witch Hazel or something on a cotton ball would probably do like a, like a toner or something. I think, like, to make sure you close up any cuts or nicks. Yeah. I did not research that, but I'm sure that would suffice. Sounds like what I would try if I had to shave.
[00:13:12] Well, that's a good point. I don't shave often, but, um, now that you're mentioning it, I could just shave with just some basic soap and water, and then use shea butter afterwards. And speaking of Shea butter is also a nice thing, even on your child's skin. I mean the 100% Shea butter with nothing added, you can get that.
[00:13:30] And then also for moisturizing the hair too. It's like a head-to-toe type of a product that you can use. Yeah, I've never tried Shea butter for hair because I've the one, the shea butter that I buy is really, really thick and dense. So I'm not sure. (You just have to rub-rub-rub-rub-rub.) Okay. Well, the whipped body butter recipe that I put out there uses Shea butter and coconut oil and essential oils.
[00:13:57] And I mean, if you do it properly, It is light and fluffy, so. Wow. That's probably good for shaving. Probably is. So, okay . You, you mentioned hair, so I find that a lot of hair products now advertise paraben-free sulfate-free, you know, and things like that. So it's, it's a little bit easier to find it, but still, when I'm at the store looking at it, I still put it in the EWG. Database, just to see if I'm going to buy something.
[00:14:34] So. But shampoos conditioners... hair products let's talk about other things that I think women may not use this much as many women may not, but permanent relaxers or permanent curls, you know, and things like that. I know growing up, I don't know. Maybe it's just because I'm a different age now, but back growing up, I mean, that was a very popular. And those things...
[00:15:01] I think that's probably the most toxic thing we could ever put on our, on our body are permanent hair curls and relaxers and things. I mean, those smelled, I mean, they burned immediately. I mean, you know, it was just such a bad thing. And so. Yes, thank goodness a lot of people have just chosen not to do those, not to apply them anymore.
[00:15:29] And many beauticians have said, I, I can't keep applying these, I don't service people who want that because they were taking it in and it found it was impacting their health in a negative way. So that's a very good point that if people are still doing that because a lot of people aren't, but if they are be aware of what is the product you're using, uh, and see if there is alternatives to what you're using. And I have to mention permanent color too, because there's a lot of coloring of hair. Um, and there are other options instead of the permanent and the perms and permanent color and perm, just all these things where, like you said, you can smell them and they don't smell good.
[00:16:09] They're not good for you. Right. Okay. So, Yeah, use the website, find an alternative that is lower in toxicity. That's a good one. And we did talk about toothpaste a little bit, and I'm just reminded of fluoride.
[00:16:30] You know, I know many may not agree, but. The great debate still Shonda. I know it is, but I have chosen not to use fluoride. I think many dentists don't use fluoride in the polish for adults, but they still use it for children. So I found that odd. So that was a real surprise. But, you know, and then, so when we're talking about toothpaste, you know, there's colors again, the blue, the yellow, the whatever red, I mean, they're all, you know, toxic and, uh, we want to avoid those.
[00:17:05] So just get plain toothpaste, fluoride-free toothpaste using natural ingredients. And you can, if you're desperate and you just really want to avoid it, baking soda. Wow, my father grew up in a family of 11 baking soda and lemon juice was their toothpaste. They couldn't afford anything else.
[00:17:24] And that's great whitening, right? Baking soda and yeah maybe throw a little coconut oil in there or something, and we've got some good toothpaste. And I know there are a lot of brands out there that have changed their formula. So, just look for it through EWG or like, like I said, EWG now has, those, , certified friendly products on Amazon. So there's a link there in the show notes too.
[00:17:56] Um, so now, but here's the big one. Here is a big one. So hair products are high on women's lists, but what about cosmetics? Yeah, especially in the younger group and maybe the older group, I think work on in the middle where, well, I don't know, are we in the middle? Where we're just like, Hmm, not you really using that many or ? I don't really use cosmetics, but I've had relatives and friends where they did use them and they moved to more response simply made cosmetics. So there are options out there. I know for the younger ladies, though, if they're wearing makeup often, it's a cost issue, honestly, um, to get the better products with less toxic toxins, unfortunately they're more expensive. So maybe you look at how much or how frequently I wear makeup, because there is a lot of toxicity there.
[00:18:55] Yeah. And I think those are some of the popular brands. I don't know what makes them popular or not, but like Burt bees products are usually low on the toxicity level. If you look at the EWG website, but I think their products are kind of in line with some of the more popular. Brands, you know, that are just as expensive.
[00:19:17] I think their, their price is comparable. I agree with you. They just don't have as much of an offer. I'm thinking about the persons who are really into makeup with the contrasting the bases. Yeah, I went and listed all these things and I'm like, wow, that is a lot. I mean, you know, concealers foundation, mascara, eyeliners, powders, lipsticks, nail polishes, which I haven't even used.
[00:19:43] And you know, it was funny because I saw, uh, someone posts about this nail Polish is vegan. I'm like, I never even thought about that. Nail Polish not being vegan. That was just something that caught my attention. So, I mean, there are just so many ingredients that can go on a product. That's just, you know, that's just the point.
[00:20:03] There's so many ingredients that, you know, it's like, Ooh, wow. So yeah. I have not used nail Polish in a few years now. But, I'm sure there are some none toxic things out there. And, I know some grocery stores like the Sprouts and like Whole Foods and things carry some makeups.
[00:20:24] I mean, it's not like, yeah, it's not like the high style stuff is just the basic stuff, but you know, if you want just a little enhancement, that's one place you can look or back on Amazon's certified EWG product list. So, wow. I mean, yeah. I mean, and think about it. You're putting them near your eyes.
[00:20:44] You're putting them near your mouth, your nose. So we just want to be careful. Yeah, research, do your research, and we're not telling you how to live your life. We're just encouraging you to be aware about what you're putting on and in your body and to be more intentional and, and maybe you just make some different choices.
[00:21:06] Maybe choose not to wear makeup seven days a week. Um, and then fewer days a week, uh, things like that, but just do your research. Yeah. That's really good advice. Yeah. Yeah. Not every day if you're going to use it. Not every day. Definitely. Okay. So I think that was it. You know, I may put a link to some of these other things.
[00:21:30] Uh, I know. So let's re-track just one instance. What about the, is it talcum powder? That was highly you babies. Remember it was in baby powder, but I think now the message is out.
[00:21:46] And it had a high risk for cancer. Sure. So we want to make sure we're avoiding that we don't want to, say, well, this is old school and whatever, but we have high incidence of cancers now. So, you know, we want to avoid that.
[00:22:01] That's a good point. I remember myself in the day, it was the thing to do you feel fresh, you smell fresh, but then now I see those commercials.
[00:22:10] If you're suffering from female cancers that are specific to females and then respiratory, so you're right. That's a good heads up. If anyone is still doing that, there's other things to keep yourself fresh. Yeah. So be sure to check the show notes, go to the EWG website database.
[00:22:29] The link is there and a few products. Uh, recipes using essential oils and just basic things that you can find in your home that you would use, like baking soda, coconut oils, or different skin oils and, and things like that, to prepare these products.
[00:22:48] That's exciting.
[00:22:49] So, I think that's all we have for sharing today.
[00:22:54] And if anyone listening has anything they want to share with us in the community send it to us. Send us the information. We love to share information and have information shared with us.
[00:23:05] Yeah. Yeah. That'll be really good. Thanks everyone. Thank you.

powered by

Whipped Body Butter

whipped body butter

Ingredients:

  • 12 ounces organic shea butter
  • 3 ounces coconut oil
  • 12 drops essential oils (such as lavender, orange, peppermint, chamomile, etc)

Instructions:

  1. Weigh and place shea butter and coconut oil in a medium-sized bowl. (I suggest using a ceramic or stainless steel bowl. I use the mixing bowl from my stand mixer.)
  2. Melt in a double boiler and stir with a wooden or silicone spoon.  (I prefer to use my instant pot. I put a cup of water in the bottom of the pot and use the keep warm button. I leave the top off so no moisture collects inside of the bowl.)
  3. Refrigerate until hardened. (This usually takes 2 to 3 hours.)
  4. Whip using a stand mixer, occasionally scraping down the sides. (This takes 10 to 15 minutes. You can use a hand-mixer, but you may feel like quitting before the process has truly whipped to perfection.)
  5. When the mixture is fully whipped to your desired feel (light and fluffy), whip in essential oil(s).
  6. Scoop into jar(s). (Mason jars work well.)

NOTE: I also scoop out a dime-size bit and mix with baking soda to use as a daily deodorant.