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Don’t Panic If You Can’t Buy Organic! How to Remove Pesticides From Your Produce.

When it comes to produce and meat I try to buy organic as much as possible. Because if I can reduce the amount of carcinogenic pesticides my family consumes, support small sustainable farms, and help the environment, why not right?

However, sometimes purchasing organic is just not possible! I live in Hawaii and certain varieties of produce aren’t always available in organic. Other times, organic is about three times the cost of non-organic, and the package is a LOT smaller too. Well the solution is simple, clean your produce with vinegar!

Studies have shown that washing your produce with water and vinegar can significantly lower the pesticide residue and remove harmful bacteria. Now theres no guarantee that ALL pesticide residue will be removed. But I feel better knowing I have removed as many pesticides as possible from my produce by using this wash.

How to Remove Pesticide Residue

Fill a large bowl with 4 parts water to 1 part vinegar.

soak produce in water vinegar to remove pesticide residue

If you’re doing a large batch of produce, you can also fill the sink with water and vinegar and let it soak. Just always make sure your sink is nice and clean first.

Soak the fruits or vegetables in the vinegar water for 20 minutes.

Thoroughly rinse the fruits or vegetables with water.

rinse fruits and vegetables well with water

After thoroughly rinsing your produce, you won’t taste the vinegar at all. Using this vinegar wash is a great solution for when you can’t afford to buy organic, or it’s just not available. Additionally, even if you have organic produce, you can still use this vinegar wash to remove natural pesticides that farmers use, and harmful bacteria that may make you sick.

I still choose to buy organic as much as possible, especially when it’s produce from the “dirty dozen.” You can check those out at 12 Foods You Should Buy Organic! Give this vinegar wash a try and tell me what you think by commenting below! =)

12 Foods You Should Buy Organic!

To buy organic or not to buy organic, that is the question. Buying organic is always preferred because it means your produce is pesticide free, and you support small sustainable farmers, which in turn is good for the environment.

However, buying organic can definitely get pricey and we don’t want to spend our entire food budget in the produce aisle. Just yesterday I chose to buy non-organic blueberries because they were almost $10 cheaper then the organic, not to mention the package of the organic was much smaller.

So which produce should we absolutely buy organic, and where can we save our money by buying non-organic? Well thanks to the men and women at the Environmental Working Group (EWG), they’ve compiled a list of what they call “the dirty dozen.” 12 foods that contain a ton of pesticide residue. Here they are:

Strawberries

Nothing better than some chocolate dipped strawberries, but if you’re not buying them organic you could be consuming more than 22 different pesticides! Shocking I know, but because strawberries have a porous skin, it was discovered that almost 99% of strawberries contained pesticide residue. Purchase organic strawberries!

Spinach

The EWG reported that spinach contains the most pesticides by weight, and a high concentration of permethrin, which is a neurotoxic pesticide. I eat spinach practically everyday in my smoothies, so it’s best to buy organic when it comes to this super leafy green.

Apples

An apple a day keeps the doctor away, but not if they’re covered in pesticides. The EWG reported that 90% of apples had detectable pesticide residue, and 80% tested for diphenylamine (a pesticide that has actually been banned in Europe for being carcinogenic).

Grapes

Now I love me some grapes, especially the crushed, aged and bottled grapes=wine. Grapes are the perfect snack and easy to grab, however, more than 96% of grapes contain pesticide residue, so it’s important to buy these babies organic, even the bottled ones.

Tomatoes

Tomatoes are one of my favorite fruits, full of flavor, vitamins and unfortunately pesticides. The EWG reported that one sample of tomatoes contained more than 15 different pesticides and breakdown products. WOW!

Peaches & Nectarines

I LOVE peaches, especially in a nice warm bowl of porridge. But peaches and nectarines contain over 90% pesticide residue, so buying them organic is extremely important.

Cherries

Organic cherries can be a bit pricey, but it’s worth your health to purchase organic. 30 Percent of cherries contain iprodione which is a pesticide believed to cause cancer, and is banned in European countries.

Pears

While pears aren’t the worst on this list, more than half of pears tested by the EWG contain pesticides. You are better off buying organic if you can afford it.

Celery

With the popular celery juice craze going on right now, it’s best to go organic. More than 95 percent of celery tested contained pesticides, including 13 actual different types of pesticides.

Potatoes

French fries, need I say more? Surprisingly, the potato might be the most important produce to buy organic. The EWG found that potatoes had more pesticide residue by weight than any other crop.

Bell Peppers & Hot Peppers

Bell peppers and hot peppers both contain a high amount of pesticide residue. However, even though they contain fewer amounts of pesticides than others on this list, the pesticides they contain are highly toxic, making it important to buy organic.

Foods That Don’t Need to be Organic

Avocados
Melons
Asparagus
Corn
Onions
Pineapple
Eggplant
Kiwi
Broccoli
Cauliflower
Peas
Mangoes
Papaya

Can’t find organic produce or just can’t afford it? Check out “Don’t Panic if you Can’t Buy Organic! How to remove pesticides from your produce“.

I would love to hear from you, please comment below =) and share this on Facebook, Instagram or Pinterest. Mahalo!

Your Tongue is Filthy!

Yes you heard me right, and I don’t mean filthy as in “potty mouth” filthy. Your tongue is covered in small bumps called papillae, which help you to taste and feel textures in your mouth, but it also carries toxins and bacteria. If we don’t scrape away these toxins they will get absorbed into the body and cause all kinds of issues.

Now my self-care routine is pretty minimal, I don’t use a bunch of products, and I try to keep it as simple as possible. With that being said last year I decided to try tongue scraping to see what all the hype was about, and I’m so glad I did. Tongue scraping is something that I will ALWAYS incorporate in my morning/nightly routine, it takes less than 30 seconds, and there are a ton of benefits.

5 Reasons why you HAVE to try scraping your tongue!

Bad Breath.

Even if you rock at oral hygiene, if your skipping the step of tongue scraping you may be suffering from bad breath. Most bad breath comes from the bacteria at the back of your tongue, and brushing your tongue just doesn’t cut it. However, studies have shown that scraping your tongue can significantly reduce the oral bacteria from the crevices of your tongue, resulting in clean fresh breath.

Boost Your Immunity.

Your tongue is the first line of defense when it comes to immunity, so regular tongue scraping prevents toxins from being absorbed in your body and boosts overall immune health.

While there isn’t a ton of research on this subject, I can personally vouch that I haven’t gotten sick since starting tongue scraping. Now whether this is all attributed to tongue scraping or other changes I’ve made over the last year, I can’t say. But this is just another perk to tongue scraping.

Fewer Visits to the Dentist.

Tongue scraping (especially the back part) removes bacteria and toxins that are responsible for plaque build up. Because of this you will have less build up of plaque on your teeth, which will prevent periodontal problems such as tooth decay, loss of teeth, cavities, and gum disease.

Get Rid of Aftertastes, and Really Taste Your Food.

You know that aftertaste you get prior to eating ice cream, or drinking beer or coffee, and brushing your tongue just doesn’t quite get rid of it? Well tongue scraping sure will! Your mouth feels so much cleaner after tongue scraping, and it actually enhances your taste buds. When your tongue is coated in a build up of bacteria, your taste buds are also coated, and you can’t quite experience the delicious taste of food.

Improve Gut Health.

Amazingly, the benefits of tongue scraping go deeper than just your oral hygiene. You may have heard me rant over gut health in the past; well tongue scraping also increases healthy digestion ensuring proper elimination of waste. Because tongue scraping enhances taste buds, and digestion begins with taste, this supports the entire digestive process.

If you have seen a functional medicine doctor or an acupuncturist in the past, you may have noticed they take a look at your tongue to examine your overall health. This is because different parts of the tongue are related to the heart, lungs, kidneys, liver, intestines and stomach. A buildup on your tongue will indicate a build up of toxins, which affects these organs including digestion.

Bonus Reason.

If this hasn’t been enough amazing reasons to scrape your tongue, remember it only takes a few seconds. When you see all the nasty gunk coming off your tongue and the clean fresh feeling of your mouth afterward, you will never go back!

There are a ton of different tongue scrapers available, and are inexpensive and can be found at your local drug store. However, stainless steal or copper is preferred over plastic because they are easier to clean. In a pinch, the side of a metal spoon is pretty effective also.

My favorite tongue scraper and the one I personally use is a pure copper tongue cleaner. Copper has been used for centuries because its anti-microbial and anti-bacterial, and it also provides different enzymes that are needed for healthy microbes in your mouth to survive (just another reason to tongue scrape).

Brushing Your Tongue Doesn’t Cut It.

Although cleaning your tongue with a toothbrush is better than not cleaning it at all, using a tongue scraper is WAY more effective. Tongue scrapers remove 30% more gunk from your tongue than the bristles from your toothbrush. A toothbrush is made to give and move around the crevices of your teeth, you need a scraper that’s solid against your spongy tongue.

How to Scrape Your Tongue.

Simply hold the two handles of the scraper, extend the tongue, and place the scraper on the tongue (as far back as comfortable). Gently pull the tongue scraper forward, removing all the gunk buildup. Rinse the scraper and repeat this 3-4 times (or more) till you feel you have removed all the coating.

If you have a sensitive gag reflex like me, remember to relax your tongue and exhale while scraping, it gets easier with practice. A tongue scraper should be used in the morning (preferably on an empty stomach) and before bed.

What are your thoughts on tongue scraping? I would love to hear from you, please comment below! =)

Active Recovery vs Passive Recovery!

Whether you spend your recovery day sitting on the couch or getting a massage, versus taking a yoga class or a walk on the beach, all depends on you. While everyone can agree that any type of recovery is better than none, there are differing opinions as to which is better.

Active Recovery.

Let’s be honest here, in an ideal world it would be nice to have all the money and time to go to unlimited yoga classes, cryotherapy sessions (all the rage in the celebrity world) and massage treatments, but our bank accounts just wont allow for that. Often times we only have one rest day and may be crunched for time, but the best kind of recovery is to get your body moving.

Instead of doing absolutely nothing, how about try a low intensity exercise that will help with muscle recovery by increasing the blood flow to your muscle tissue. Personally I love to do something less intense like walking my dogs on the beach, hiking, yoga (skip the pricey classes, and YouTube some recovery yoga), or take a long swim.

Working at a lower intensity as opposed to doing absolutely nothing totally helps your recovery time, and believe it or not you actually feel less sore then if you just sat around! Active recovery gets your circulation going, helping increase the amino acids and oxygen in your muscles so they can repair themselves.

Passive Recovery.

Remember that the whole reason for recovery is to allow your muscles to grow. When you workout you place a lot of stress on your muscles, which causes tiny muscle tears. The soreness you experience 1-3 days after a workout is due to all of those tiny muscle tears, and it’s during recovery that your muscles will heal and strengthen. In addition, amino acid supplementation is super important for muscle recovery.

One of the most important passive recoveries is sleep; it heals you from the inside out. The hormone Prolactin is released during deep sleep, and its anti-inflammatory properties are important for joint recovery. Also, during deep sleep your body will repair any muscle tears that occur during the day.

Listen to your body!

As you can see there is no right or wrong with recovery, neither active nor passive is better than the other. Rather, it depends on your body and what you need at the time. Personally I believe both active and passive recovery is important, I exercise 4 days a week and on my off days I often surf or hike.

Yet there are days that I’m just too pooped to do anything, and that’s when I listen to my body and take a break. I often spend these days binge watching my favorite show and being a couch potato, which is totally ok! The rules are pretty simple, listen to your body and do what’s best for it, and don’t neglect movement completely!

What is your favorite recovery method? Please comment below =)

What’s Really in Your Tap Water?

Water is one of the most important things in life, but if you’re still drinking straight from the tap, you’re seriously hurting your body! For YEARS I drank from the tap because it tastes pretty good in my neighborhood, and honestly I thought, “how bad can it be.” Boy was I in denial!

The problem is, most of us don’t have any idea how many chemicals and contaminants are in our water. Tap water and even spring water contains chlorine, fluorine compounds, pesticides, hormones, Trihalomethanes, and even prescription drugs just to name a few.

Seriously, your tap water is funky!

To protect us from illnesses, tap water is treated with carcinogens like chlorine, ammonia, and then fortified with fluorine. Then after being treated with a bunch of chemicals, your water has to travel miles to you in an underground pipeline, and along the way it’s picking up industrial runoff, contaminants, and pesticides.

In fact one study conducted by The Environmental Working Group found that around 85% of the American population consume tap water that is laced with over 300 contaminants!

Bad effects of tap water!

When the water is treated with chlorine it doesn’t only kill the pathogenic bacteria’s, it also kills our beneficial gut bacteria. Just like antibiotics, chlorine is very harsh on your gut flora, and can negatively impact your gut micro biome. In addition, regular consumption of chlorine can lead to health issues such as cancer.

In some states fluoride is added to water to promote dental health, but several studies have shown that it causes neurotoxicity and reduces IQ in children. It also encourages tumors and the rapid growth and spread of them. Arsenic poisoning causes a wide range of problems including skin issues, physical problems, cancer, and organ failure just to name a few.

Stay away from bottled water!

The world spends over 100 billion dollars on bottled water every year! That number is staggering! Personally, I’ve never believed in spending money on something that is free. Besides the fact that the bottles end up in landfills, pollute our oceans and kill wildlife, bottled water is practically unregulated.

In fact bottled water is less regulated than your own tap water! The FDA does not require bottled water companies to disclose where the water came from, how it was treated, and what contaminants it contains. Just another huge reason to avoid bottled water!

Bottom line!

With these results it’s a no-brainer that a water filtration system is the best way for you to prevent toxic chemicals and carcinogens from entering your body. If you still have doubts about the water where you live, check out The EWG’s Database. You can enter your zip code and it will list the different chemicals and carcinogens in your water.

3 Simple filter options!

Under counter filters are awesome because there tucked away and out of site, perfect for homes that are small with less storage. Once installed they’re easy to use, and you will always have an abundance of clean water at hand. Check out the Aquasana under counter filter, they claim a 96% reduction of contaminants including lead, mercury, asbestos, and so much more!

Counter top filters use water pressure to force water through the filtration process, removing more toxins than the standard water filter pitcher. Counter top filters require minimal installation and don’t take up much room on your counter. I personally love my Berkey water filter system, not only does it look great on my counter, but the water tastes so good! Check out my honest review of the Berkey System here!

berkey water filter — The Big Berkey Water Filter

Water pitchers work great for the space challenged because they’re portable, fit easily in the fridge, and are the most inexpensive option. Water pitchers do a pretty good job at filtering out the nasty stuff, but it’s not quite as good as the other two options. While the initial cost is low, the filters need frequent replacement, and I don’t know about you but we drink A LOT of water, and constantly filling the pitcher is kind of a pain. Nevertheless, Aquasana makes an amazing water pitcher option for those in need.

I hope this blog helps you understand what’s in your water, and the need for a good water filtration system. I love to hear from my followers, please comment below!

Category: Wellness