Are you nutty for coconut oil?

If this isn't a staple in your house then I'm sorry to tell you that you are missing out! My love affair with coconut oil, like most things, began when we had our first kiddo. I've always had sensitive skin and babies of course do. Around that same time the world was finding out (with horror) that Johnson & Johnson was owning up to some not so safe chemicals in their products .. like formaldehyde in their "no more tears" shampoo. You can read more about that and the effort to change thanks to consumer pressure here. 

So - in looking for alternatives that were non-toxic I stumbled across many articles, posts, and references to coconut oil. For a long time I assumed it was good to keep around for a healthier stir-fry and had no idea of all the ways I could use it. 

Currently, I use it to wash my face, as a facial moisturizer, eye cream, as lotion for my kids (age 2 and 2 months), and at every diaper change in place of other creams. I also use it as a carrier oil. Remember my previous post this month on Thieves oil? (If you don't well shame on you! Go read it!) I digress though, I mix a drop or two of thieves in with a tablespoon of coconut oil and use as a chest rub for the kids and even myself. Since moms don't ever get sick this rarely is needed on me though ;)

So, go ahead and pick up a jar next time you go grocery shopping. A little goes a long way and you can really use it for a LOT of things. I'm just touching on the few things I always use mine for but there are so many many more! 

For instance, here are 21 Recipes for Skin Care Products using coconut oil. 

And from Wellness Mama .. Here are 101 Ways to Use Coconut Oil

Go nuts!

How much arsenic do YOU eat?

They look good don't they? Who doesn't love rice as a side dish? Think about it - for most of us it was probably the first food we were introduced to. Well, buckle up loyal readers because I've got to be the bearer of bad news. It has been confirmed in lab tests on hundreds of foods, including hot cereals and rice pasta, that there is a disturbing amount of inorganic arsenic in the rice we are eating. Maybe it goes without saying but eating arsenic probably isn't the healthiest thing you should be doing seeing as arsenic shares a lovely link with several types of cancer. 

Find more about the study recently done by Consumer Reports HERE.

Scary stuff but fear not! All is not lost and there are some alternatives that can leave you not missing the rice in your life quite as much. 

I had actually come across this information when the monster, I mean my perfectly angelic son, was an infant. We hadn't yet gotten to the cereal stage yet but when I read this I was at a loss. I was reading reports stating not to feed your children more than 1/4 cup a MONTH. If you have kids you probably already know that rice cereal is a major staple multiple times each day ... in a month!!!

(It's okay, Elliette! We know what to do!)

With our first child, Caleb, we made sure to buy organic cereal as our first step. But, just to be safe we went ahead and skipped rice cereal all together and waited until Caleb was 6 months old to introduce cereal. When we did - we started with oatmeal cereal or ground up and cooked quinoa with some of Caleb's milk and fruit. 

Now, if you don't have kids and you eat rice quinoa could also be a good option to take the place of arsenic rice. The cooking process is similar and quinoa is also a grain BUT it is also extremely healthy. You can read about some of the many health benefits HERE. There are plenty of recipes floating around the world wide web for quinoa and once you get the hang of cooking it and the smaller, grainier texture I think there is a good chance you won't even miss the rice!

Another option is couscous. This is a mediterranean food and cooks up incredibly fast! I'm not going to lie - I buy the already seasoned in a box variety sometimes because - let's face it - easy wins some days. You can also buy couscous in bulk. It literally takes 5 minutes to cook and you can season with whatever suits your fancy. I sometimes throw in beans or sautéed veggies. There are a lot of recipes out there for couscous as well but for me it is a fun side dish item to experiment with. And it is fast ... without arsenic!

The Legend of Thieves

THIEVES! No not that kind .. well, not anymore! Thieves is another essential oil that you may want to consider adding to your medicine cabinet. As you know, I'm not HUGE into using oils (yet!) but I have a few that I've had handy for a few years now and Thieves is one of them. 

Thieves is a blend of lemon, rosemary, cloves, eucalyptus, and cinnamon. The legend goes that during the time in history when the feared Black Plague (Bubonic Plague) was decimating populations in Europe there was a merry band of four thieves who managed to plunder the riches of the dead and dying without ever getting sick. Upon their capture in France they were offered a lighter sentence in exchange for the secret in avoiding illness. The recipe for thieves is based on historical accounts and records of the story. So .. being plagued by illness in our house this past week it was time to break out my bottle and put it to use. 

Like most essential oils, Thieves is antimicrobial, anti fungal, antiviral, and anti parasitic. When illness darkens our door I have three ways that I use it.

1. Drop 10-15 drops into a diffuser or vaporizer in the unhealthy family member's room. This is usually my son but my husband seems to get sick every time he comes in contact with a germ. Luckily, having our room smell spicy and remind me of holidays and Christmas trees isn't such a bad thing!
2. Mix a few drops into coconut oil and use as a chest rub.
3. 1 drop in with a tablespoon of water, gargle, and swallow to attack a sore throat.

If it worked for the BLACK PLAGUE it has to be worth a try, right! I've found it to work well in the ways I use it but not surprisingly a little research pulled up even more ways to use this versatile oil around the house, in the air, and topically. 

You can find some here: https://aromatherapy4u.wordpress.com/2012/02/22/50-ways-to-use-thieves-essential-oil/

And to give you some ideas on the types of use: