Healthy Tip - Clean Truth

If you use any of the antibacterial soaps for hand washing or dish washing, I wish you would reconsider it. There are so many compelling reasons why people should chose natural soaps over antibacterial ones and here is just some of the most critical ones:
✓ Soap and water is the gold standard [for fighting cold and flu and other viral infections]. In a recent study in the journal Clinical Infectious Diseases, researchers in Australia doused the hands of 20 health-care workers with human H1N1 flu virus. Soap and water removed slightly more virus than three alcohol-based hand rubs. When volunteers didn't clean their hands, most of the virus was still present an hour after exposure. Source: Wall Street Journal.
✓ More scientific studies have found that simply washing your hands correctly may mean more to your health than using an antibacterial soap. Antibacterials can kill more germs for a longer time, which is why they're useful in hospitals, but they have no effect on viruses that couse colds or flus. Source: ABC News.
✓ Studies show that main chemicals of antibacterial soaps (triclosan and triclocarban) are building up in the environment at an alarming rate. Americans dump more than 1 million pounds of triclosan and triclocarban into the environment every year. Rolf Halden, PhD, a scientist at Arizona State University, published a study this month in Environmental Science and Technology showing that the chemicals don't quickly break down in the environment. He found these chemicals in sediment dating back 40-50 years. Source: WebMD.
✓ Antibacterial ingredients have become so popular, they’re literally in our blood. In addition to lead and pesticides, the CDC now periodically monitors levels of triclosan, the most common antibacterial agent, in randomly selected Americans. A recent CDC study detected triclosan in the urine of 75% of the people tested. Source: CDC website.
✓ Daily dose of triclosan can cause health problems in a long run. Experimental studies show that triclosan can cause bacteria to become resistant to antibiotics in test tubes. So far, no one knows whether that leads to the same result in hospitals or homes. Some researchers, though, believe resistant “superbugs” created by widespread antibacterial soap use could be a real possibility. Source: WebMD

So leather up one of our natural bar soaps and wash your hands thoroughly for not less than 20 seconds. Our natural, cold process soaps are the most gentle and skin loving soaps for your hands. Go ahead and wash your hands as often as you need without over drying or irritating your skin! Stay healthy and care for the environment!

Till next time,
Liana.

P.S. if you have missed our previous healthy tips you can find them here:
10 Foods that are healthier than you think.
Healthy Nails Tips.
Healthy Hair Tips.
When to buy Organic and when it's ok not to.
Benefits of Green Tea.
Beauty Sleep.
Fish Oil or Omega 3 & 6.
How to add years to your life.

Healthy Tip - 10 Foods That Are Healthier Than You Think

This is taken from the article that you can find at Healthy Eats. I wanted to add my personal touch to it and here is what I got:
1. Avocado
So it may seem weird for a fruit (yes, avocados are fruits) to contain fat, but avocados are one of the few produce items that do. Their heart-protecting monounsaturated fats are actually one of the things that make them so healthy. Eating these green guys can help lower your risk of heart disease and stroke — so have some of that guacamole!
In my house we like to make super easy sandwiches of fresh Italian bread, few slices of ripe avocados, kosher salt, freshly ground pepper and slice of our favorite cheese. Yum!
2. Spaghetti and Meatballs
Thanks to the iron and protein from the beef, lycopene from the tomato sauce and energy-producing carbs from the pasta, this dish a healthy trifecta. If you stick to modest portions and lean beef, you can enjoy its benefits without overdoing it. Limit yourself to three ounces of meat and a cup of cooked pasta per serving.
My extremely easy version of this dish is pasta with meat sauce! It is a crowd pleaser, my daughter would eat this any day and my one year old LOVES to smudge it all over his tray and his face... and sometimes hair. What you'll need: 1 box of spaghetti, 1 lb organic ground sirloin, 1 jar of RAOS Homemade Southern Italian Pasta Sauce with Italian peppers and mushrooms (it is absolutely my favorite brand, you can find it in health food market and sometimes in a regular grocery store for $8 or so for regular size jar). Boil your spaghetti, brown your ground beef on non-stick pan (no oil or spices required), add pasta sauce to the pan with browned ground beef, cover and simmer for 15 minutes on medium heat. BAM! Serve meat sauce over pasta.
3. Bananas
Often bashed for their high sugar and carb content, bananas are a ridiculously healthy fruit that everyone can enjoy. A small banana has the same calories, carbs and fiber as an apple. They also come packed with vitamins C and B6 and good-for-your-heart potassium.
My family is BANANAS over these happy yellow guys. Easy, not messy (big plus for mommies) and super healthy snack! Bananas are perfect over your favorite ice-cream or mixed in a plain yogurt.
4. Peanut Butter
I always hear “peanut butter is fattening!” Sure, it contains fat, but 30% of your daily calories should come from healthy fats, so why not add peanut butter in as an option? The nutty spread is also a great way to get protein, fiber and vitamin E. The same goes for whole peanuts or nuts such as almonds and walnuts — they’re a great way to get your daily dose of healthy fats.
YES! Love this stuff. When I first came to United States (11 years ago) I couldn't stand peanut butter, I just didn't get it. Now I can eat it with a spoon or (another one of my favorites) celery dipped in peanut butter! Try it, you'll love it! For extra fun try adding raisins on top and you get "ants on a log" for kids!
5. Eggs
Eggs do contain some cholesterol, but that doesn’t mean they’re a total no-no. According to the American Egg Board, healthy individuals can eat up to two eggs per day without significantly affecting blood cholesterol levels. Eggs are also full of vitamins A, D and the antioxidant lutein. Don’t skip the yolks; there’s just as much protein there as in the whites.
You can eat eggs in so many was but my new favorite is this one, I have stumbled upon it some time ago and would love to give it a try. It looks delicious! I can almost taste it!

Do you have any favorite snacks or dishes made with these yummy foods that you could share with me?

P.S. if you have missed our previous healthy tips you can find them here:
Clean Truth about Antibacterial Soap
10 Foods that are healthier than you think
Healthy Nails Tips
Healthy Hair Tips
When to buy Organic and when it's ok not to
Benefits of Green Tea
Beauty Sleep
Fish Oil or Omega 3 & 6
How to add years to your life

Healthy Nails Tip

From little girls to teenagers, young women to older age women, we all love to have beautiful, healthy looking nails. There are salons for the care and beautification of nails but the basic care has to start from home. Well maintained nails are a true reflection of good health and hygiene. Try some of these really easy, natural tips from www.SimpleHealth.com to make your nails stronger, less brittle, more shiny and even to grow them faster and longer.
1) Dip cotton swab in fresh lemon juice and rub for 5 to 7 minutes on the nails, doing each nail one by one. After the rub do not wash hands for 10 minutes. Thereafter, wash your hands with tepid water. Regular application of lemon juice will make your nails stronger and give them a natural shine.
2) To remove paleness from the nails try including beet root and Vitamin D into your diet.
3) Soak about handful of raisins in the night in water before going to bed. When you wake up in the morning, drink this water and eat soaked raisins. This will improve your iron content restoring the natural pinkish-reddish tinge on nails and palms and even add a glow to your face.
4) For growing nails, instead of rubbing lemon, keep the nails dipped in a bowl of tepid lemon water for 5 minutes. This helps to deep clean the nails also. Wash with cold water immediately after that.
5) Like for other parts of our body, the intake of 3 servings of dairy every day is beneficial to the nails as well. It will prevent the brittleness and weakness in the nails and will avoid the nails getting chipped every now and then.
6) If almond oil is available to you, massaging the nails with almond oil daily makes the nails beautiful, strong and cures the brittle nails problem.

This article was altered from the original version which you can find here

If Marmalade Hills' Body Oil is already your favorite product, you can utilize it for massaging it into your nails, as it is made of highly nutritious and moisturizing natural oils that will reduce brittle nails problem and improve elasticity of the skin (cuticles) around your nails.

P.S. if you have missed our previous healthy tips you can find them here:
Clean Truth about Antibacterial Soap
10 Foods that are healthier than you think
Healthy Nails Tips
Healthy Hair Tips
When to buy Organic and when it's ok not to
Benefits of Green Tea
Beauty Sleep
Fish Oil or Omega 3 & 6
How to add years to your life

Thrifty yet healthy tip

There are quite a few solid reasons to buy organic food. One of the fundamental reasons is that organic food doesn’t contain toxins like pesticides, synthetic fertilizers, sewage sludge, or ionizing radiation (see to www.organic.org). Do you want that stuff to be inside of the "precious" you? No way! But of course it can get a bit pricey to consume only organic food. As a caring parent and CFO of my family I do try to get the best deals around for good and healthy things. So I would like to share this simple guide that I have always been carrying around in my purse. It tells you which produce to buy organic and which conventionally-grown fruits and veggies are ok to buy when you shop on a budget or organic variations is not available. It is very easy to follow and after a few months you will have it imprinted in your brain. I have printed copies for all of the adults in my family and laminated them. If you don't feel like running to Kinkos to use their laminating services, just try using packaging clear tape and run few strips on top and on the bottom of the cut out guide. Feel safe to download this guide from here: http://www.foodnews.org/

P.S. if you have missed our previous healthy tips you can find them here:
Clean Truth about Antibacterial Soap
10 Foods that are healthier than you think
Healthy Nails Tips
Healthy Hair Tips
When to buy Organic and when it's ok not to
Benefits of Green Tea
Beauty Sleep
Fish Oil or Omega 3 & 6
How to add years to your life

Monthly Newsletter

Our first ever monthly newsletter is here! In it I was trying to summarize most important things that had happened in 2009 and what you can expect from Marmalade Hills in 2010! Our newsletter is a great way to keep in touch if you don't use your Facebook too often, or if you are not familiar with the blogging community. Sign up for our newsletter and never miss a beat! Latest news, special offers, healthy living and beauty tips will be delivered straight to your mailbox! To subscribe just follow this link or check out the link on the left of this post. Hoping to see you on the list!