Artichokes & Liver Health March 11, 2010

Filed under: Natural Favorites, Natural Health — allnaturalannie @ 7:54 am
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I was reading up on the liver today and some of the foods that are excellent for liver health/detoxification. I’m happy to say that one of my ultimate favorites are on the list - artichokes! These prickly green, flower-like veggies act as blood purifiers and contain both liver-protective and liver-restorative properties. Clinical studies have also proven that they lower cholesterol and triglyceride levels. And let’s not leave out that they are great source of fiber, Vitamin C, magnesium, folate, copper, and potassium.

Trying steaming some whole artichokes with dinner tonight or add some marinated artichoke hearts to a salad — your liver will surely thank you! ;)

Photo Credit: maddieaboutfood.wordpress.com

 

Quote of the Day March 10, 2010

Filed under: Naturally Uplifting — allnaturalannie @ 7:59 am
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“To live a creative life, we must lose our fear of being wrong.” -Joseph Chilton Pearce

 

Love it! March 5, 2010

Filed under: Natural Health, Natural Home — allnaturalannie @ 7:03 am
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I so want one of these BalanceBall® Chairs ! According to Gaiam, this chair was developed with chiropractic pioneer Dr. Randy Weinzoff, as an effective tool for improving spinal alignment and strengthening core muscles. The ball can also be removed and used for exercise off the chair. A truly versatile piece of furniture – I love it!

Photo Credit: Gaiam, Inc.

 

Recently Added to the Lineup March 3, 2010

A product that’s in CVS and has the word “organics” easily sparked my interest this past weekend. I was in the market for a new conditioner and this Renpure Organics was talking pure, organic, green tea, chamomile, soy protein and that was all before I even got to the ingredients list. I also somewhat enjoyed the positive self-affirmation (“i love my hair!”) on the front of the bottle, but would I really “love my hair!” after my next shower?

Well in regards to the “organics” – it turns out that the conditioner has 3 organic ingredients (total ingredients = over 15). But wait, did I forget to mention this product of interest was $4.99, but would be $0.40 (cost of a stamp) after the mail-in rebate. Yes, I’ve done this before and they really give you back whatever you paid. I like this.

But my “free” conditioner went out the window, or more like into the garbage can, when I deposited the receipt there in my very immediate and habitual manner. I try to keep the clutter low! And would I really return said conditioner and/or super expensive razors? Not likely, but no receipt = no freebie. So, oh well, I’m happy to say it was $4.99 well spent for one of CVS’ more natural choices. My hair definitely felt super soft and smelled noticeably fresh and sweet after I dried it. And yes, I was kind of loving my hair (!).

Photo Credit: Renpure Organics

 

My Next Bath Mat March 3, 2010

Filed under: Natural Home — allnaturalannie @ 7:30 am
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Photo Credit: Gaiam, Inc.

Gaiam’s Cork Bath Mat is naturally anti-fungal, nonslip, and dries quickly. What more can you ask for from a bath mat? Maybe that it feels nice when you’re standing on it…I won’t make any judgments about that until those are my 2 (much girlier) feet!

 

A Natural Beauty Must-Have March 2, 2010

For a while, I didn’t have jojoba oil on hand and I really missed it! It’s definitely my favorite oil when it comes to natural beauty. Jojoba oil is just such a great, versatile natural beauty product to keep on hand. Chemically, jojoba oil is perfect for us humans because its molecular structure is identical to our skin and hair sebum. Jojoba oil has a wide range of uses, but some of my favorites include using it as a makeup remover and facial moisturizer, and also on split ends. These are just a few of its many uses (there are at least 15). My favorite 100% Pure Jojoba Oil costs around $12 and is made by Desert Essence. For a little under $3 more, Desert Essence also makes a 100% Pure Certified Organic Jojoba Oil. Either way you go, you’ll find so many uses for this natural beauty aide, and a little goes a long way so it should last you quite a while!

Photo Credit: DesertEssence.com, LLC

 

Naturity’s Sugar Scrubs February 24, 2010

Naturity’s sugar scrubs are all 99.5% certified organic. I recently tried the Lavender Sugar Scrub, which has only 5 ingredients (Demerara Sugar, sunflower seed oil, coconut oil, lavender essential oil, and non-GMO vitamin E oil) Of course, I say the simpler the better when it comes to beauty products. This scrub has all of the ingredients it needs to be exfoliating, moisturizing, and fragrant. Personally (both with what I usually buy or make), I’m used to a scrub that has finer grains than this one, which definitely has a significantly larger yet smooth grain (see picture below). If this looks/sounds up your alley then this is your scrub! To me, the best thing about this scrub is its ultra pure and relaxing scent of lavender (I couldn’t differentiate between smelling this scrub and my bottle of 100% lavender essential oil!).

Photo Credit: Naturity LLC

 

Mixin’ It Up February 24, 2010

For anyone who is into aromatherapy, here are some pretty simple and therapeutic aromatherapy mixtures from Tisserand. Each mix is geared towards a particular situation/ailment ranging from travel to dry skin!

 

On my “To Read” List… February 24, 2010

Filed under: Natural Beauty, Natural Health, Natural Home, Naturally Uplifting — allnaturalannie @ 6:22 am
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Excerpt from the book on GAIAMlife – sounds like a lot of really great, stress-reducing, fun-filled, doable ideas!

 

My Current (Shower) Lineup February 23, 2010

Filed under: Natural Beauty, Natural Beauty Companies — allnaturalannie @ 7:05 am
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Photo Credit: AllNaturalAnnie.com