Why do I need to detox my house?
⚠️ ENDOCRINE DISRUPTORS ⚠️
What is endocrine system, what is its role and how does it work?
Endocrine system consists of glands and receptors. Glands produce and secrete hormones in response to environmental stimuli. Hormones are chemical messengers that travel across our bodies through the bloodstream to tissues and organs and control most of bodily functions such as respiration, reproduction or emotions. Hormones only binds with adequate receptors and target cells to cause a biological response within that cell. Hormones bind with receptors, like a lock and key mechanism.
What are endocrine disruptors and how do they act?
Endocrine disruptors are toxins in our household products that act as hormones in our body. Endocrine disruptors act like artificial keys; they imitate the hormones and bind with receptors and disrupt functioning of the cells. They consequently can cause cancers, auto-immune diseases, fetus developmental issues, reduce fertility, menstrual problems, cognitive and brain development complications.
They can get into our bodies through inhalation, ingestion and absorption.
Ingestion: Because endocrine disruptors are fat soluble, they accumulate in fatty tissue of animals. We can ingest them by consuming fatty meats and fish such as salmon from all over the world. It doesn’t even matter whether it is a wild or farmed salmon. We can ingest them through our diet from pesticides on fresh fruit and vegetables, drinking water and if the food we eat has been in contact with plastic containers or plastic wraps.
Inhalation: We inhale the endocrine disruptors through our indoor air, especially when the quality of indoor ventilation systems isn’t the highest. Pollutants in the air come from fragrances of household products, house dust, furniture that have been treated with chemical preservatives, lead based paints, some wood finish products, foam mattresses, flame resistance clothing and water resistance coatings.
Absorption: Our skin absorbs huge amounts of chemicals, as it is the largest organ in our body. A vast majority of skin care products, cosmetics, laundry and household cleaning products contain harmful endocrine disruptors.
How to spot some endocrine disruptors: triclosan, parabens, phthalates usually covert as “fragrance”, “parfum”, dibutyl phtalate, diethyl phthalate.
How to avoid them?
Live as close to a nature as possible, get rid of unnecessary cleaning products and start using harmless, simplest stuff such as white vinegar, baking soda and essential oils. Bear in mind that essential oils not only smell beautifully, but they also have antibacterial properties. Swap for organics, natural and synthetics free skin care cosmetics.
Just remember that your detox starts with your thoughts, healthy relationships and balance! Take one step at the time and without an unnecessary hype! Unfortunately, we can only do as much as today’s world and life styles let us. We should do our best to make this world a better place by taking care of its natural heritage and by respecting our bodies’ needs.
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Gluten and Lactose Free pancakes
Today is a PANCAKE DAY!
Ingredients for about 3-4 pancakes:
2 eggs
1 cup of millet flour
1 banana
1 1/2 – 2 glasses of water
coconut oil for frying
Method:
Place all ingredients in a blender and mix until smooth.
You might add a bit of water or flour for a proper consistency. The pancakes mix shouldn’t be too thick or too runny.
Melt coconut oil in the pan and put about 1/4 of your pancake mixture. Fry until your pancake is quite firm and throw it on the other side. Enjoy your pancakes with your favourite fruit, yoghurts or home-made nuttella!
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Leaky business? No, thank you.
“An apple a day keeps a doctor away”- says the proverb!
“Let food be thy medicine and medicine be thy food”- Hippocrates was saying.
It is obvious that we all need food to stay alive. It is no secret that we also need adequate levels of nutrients to maintain a good health. We can use food as our medicine or we can make ourselves sick by not eating properly.
We can ease colds and coughs with ginger, turmeric and honey. We are lucky to be able to buy all sorts of herbs from all over the world that can help us with endocrine system, digestion, menopause and even cancer. We eat chocolate when we are feeling low or anxious. We drink coffee when we want to feel more energetic. We drink water to avoid skin dryness. It belongs to a general knowledge that we can use food to improve our concentration, appearance and mood, but people still eat junk food, deep fried meals, gluten and drink hectolitres of pop. They are still alive, happy and quite often healthy. So, do we really need to eat healthily?
We get from our bodies what we give them. They always, sooner or later, will pay off how we treated them and what we fed them with.
However, we can eat organically grown vegetables, drink filtered water and wear protective face masks when we go outside and still get sick. So what the hell is wrong with us?
It’s all about the immune system.
And our immune system begins in our gut.
Our mood is being created in our gut. Chronic illnesses starts in our Gut. It is all about our gut. And our gut is all about the food.
How the food is absorbed and how all the nutrients travel to our cells depend on our digestive system. Even newborn babies have damaged gut flora these days, because of poor diet of their mothers and being fed formula milk (I am not judgemental here, my kids were fed formula, too!). Our stomachs aren’t acidic enough to break down all the fats and protein. If our gastrointestinal microbiota is not rich enough, as a result undigested fats, carbs and protein get into the bloodstream and are toxic to our immune system causing inflammation. It is known as a leaky gut syndrome and it’s caused when the lining of our intestines have been damaged and became porous. Who the hell wants leaky intestines?
The fact is that if we have healthy microbiome, we might get enough nutrients even from junk and still maintain a strong immunity and not experience any problems.
Well, at least for some time.
If we have bad acidity and microbiota levels, we might live on spinach, beetroot and cabbage and still be nutrients deficient and have a war of free radicals in every cell. Another side of the story is that there are other factors that still don’t work for you despite your healthy diet, such as resilience to stress, relationships, medical history, etc.
I feel gratitude for the life and health I have received and I am not going to disrespect it, so I am choosing to take the best care of it. My life is not only mine, it’s for my children too.
Our immune system fights the toxins and if the inflammation continues for a long period of time, your body is at risk of developing auto immune diseases, cancers, depression, IBS and other unwanted circumstances. The happy truth is that we can reverse the leaky business by taking our health in our hands and treat it as a priority. You say, I have no time to eat healthily, I work full time. Well, without a good health, high energy levels you won’t be able to perform well in any arena for a long time. I mean with a leaky gut you can only go so far that your body will let you.
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DO YOU WASH YOUR PEACHES AND CUCUMBERS?
Washing fruit is as important as brushing your teeth.
For some of you this topic might be too simplistic or obvious, but I hope that for some of you it is something new and maybe even an eye-opening subject.
We all eat fruit and vegetables. They are considered to be healthy and nutritious, rich in vitamins and minerals. They are recommended by dieticians and healthcare professionals.
They advise us to eat at least 5 different portions of fruit and veg every day. Some argue it should be even 7 portions. Others say it should be at least 10! Let’s say you eat very healthily for most of the time; you buy loads of fruit and eat your produce daily, because it’s healthy, tasty or maybe you want to lose some weight and reduce other sugary products.
But…are you sure you eat them correctly??? Are you preparing your fruit properly before you consume it?
Do you know that most fruit and vegetables are sprayed with pesticides? Pesticides are usually chemical compounds that are used to protect produce from insects, weeds, fungi, larvae, bacteria and rodents.
Do you actually believe that so called safe chemicals are actually suitable for human health? Do you think that because they have been allowed by government, it means that they are safe and neutral for your health? Even our skin can absorb up to 60% of substances from the environment, such as creams, laundry liquids and powders. You might say, we all will die sooner or later, so there is no point to be bothered. Of course, we will die one day and it’s impossible to avoid all the diseases, illnesses and accidents, but we can significantly reduce intake of harmful substances and live in good health for longer. Unfortunately, we can’t avoid all the hazards and have to accept the fact that we still drink polluted water and breathe not so clear air.
Do you wash your melons and your carrots?
Can you imagine how many people touched your watermelon before it landed on your kitchen top? Dirt? Dust? Fungi? Bacteria? You cut it in pieces on a nice, clean cutting board. It’s juice spreads over the melon’s skin and gets into the fruit flesh. It’s not appetizing at all and definitely is not doing you any favours. Eating grapes or strawberries straight from the package? I am just aware that people who were picking them might not have had the greatest hygiene habits. You can get e-coli bacteria from the soil attached to fruit or veg and according to the NHS website, it’s enough to use just water to get rid of it. Moreover, frozen strawberries can be contaminated with hepatitis A. Fruit with rough skin such as cantaloupe melons or avocados are serious sources of Listeria and other bacteria. That’s why soaking your fruit and veg in a bowl of water with added hydrogen peroxide or vinegar can help reduce the risks of food poisoning. Vinegar can kill E.coli and other gram-negative bacteria. Washing fresh produce can also remove residues of pesticides from their surface. Of course it will not take all the risks away completely, but eating clean fruit and vegetables will have more sense if you want to eat healthily.
What I really want to highlight it is the fact that we should always do our best to stay healthy for longer and take care of ourselves. If you think that using vinegar or hydrogen peroxide is unnecessary, just properly rinse all your fruit and veg under running water and give them a good scrub with a fruit brush. Just be careful with berries as they are quite soft, so I wouldn’t scrub them at all, unless you aim for a homemade strawberry jam!
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CHLORELLA- A POWERFUL ALGAE
Chlorella- Why could it be beneficial for our health?
Chlorella is a single celled algae with powerful properties. I love it because of its detoxifying superpowers and nutritious value.
Chlorella is extremely rich in protein (3 times the amount of protein in beef), however, you wouldn’t like to use it as a protein supplement.
Chlorella is one of the most potent food sources of dietary iron, it contains large amounts of chlorophyll, actually more than any other food source. This green is also rich in calcium and incredibly, the chlorella plant also reduces total cholesterol levels.
Chlorella protects the lining of the stomach from drugs and irritants, detoxifies the liver and helps wounds to heal. What I really find amazing about this powerful plant, is that it binds heavy metals and pesticides, such as lead, cadmium and arsenic; it also reduces levels of Mercury in the body. Chlorella has been used to help people get rid of the effects of radiation on their bodies. Some medicines in Japan are also using Chlorella!
Chlorella helps boost immune system function and supports a healthy microbiome in our digestive system. Micro flora of our gut is responsible for production of the happiness hormone. Actually, 90% of serotonin is produced in our gut and only 10% in our brains.
Powdered chlorella can be a great addition to smoothies, juices or sprinkled over food. Some shops sell it in tablet form too. I add a tea spoon of this super green powder into my smoothies because of it’s incredible health benefits.
My favourite smoothie mix is a handful of spinach, half of a banana, a piece of honeymelon, and orange, half of an avocado or 2 or 3 tablespoons of chia seeds, but I usually throw in to the mixing cup what I’ve got by hand or in the fridge. As long as it’s high in fibre, it’s good for you. 🙂
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Happi
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