Update on our Eating Habits

***better late then never-really old draft post finally being posted***

So it's a New Year! Hope you all had a lovely Thanksgiving and Christmas and that you are enjoying 2014 so far.

Our year started out quite and fun as we dove into a fun new show called New Girl. 

Jazzy recently turned another year older. She is now 7!

She had a very simple birthday at a local shop called Bead Works/ The Gem Den. Fun and simple. 

Well anyways...back to what this post is about. 

No meat November went rather well for us. We are pretty sure that red meat is what flares up Jazmine's eczema and also processed foods. 

(Read here for when and why it started http://threejs-y.blogspot.com/2013/11/no-meat-novemberhopefully.html?m=1)

We try to keep all her foods as closely linked to its natural source as possible. And just a lot of fresh berries and just fruit in general are her to go to food  for a sweet snack now, verses candy. 

Her eczema is clearing up an her skin is so soft now. Can't wait until the pigment of her skin starts coming back. 

I found a wonderful site and the lady of the site has been amazingly informative and helpful. 

http://www.eczema-natural-healing.com

I emailed her and she sent me a big list of questions and she helped me figure out the best way to care for Jazmine's eczema from the inside out through healthy food options.

She also suggested supplements that would help Jazmine heal quickly. I haven't purchased any yet. I am hoping to in the near future.

Our bodies can't break down certain food quickly enough. Those foods start to, in a sense, rot inside us. Our bodies attack them, in some cases, push it out through our biggest organ, the skin. Be it acne, eczema, psoriasis, or rashes, etc.

So our eating habits have changed a lot in the past three years.

Jazmine has had eczema since she was 3 or 4. It flared up like crazy when she turned 5. Before she was 5, I had tried creams, lotions, oatmeal bathes, which were quick fixes. Prescribed creams had steroids in it, bad toxin and chemical, that cleared it up, but once you stopped using it the eczema would come back 10 times worse. Or her body would get used to it and addicted to it and she would need a higher dose. Very scary and not good at all for her body.

Her skin got so bad once it got infected and she also got ring worm, its hard to keep kids from scratching and making stuff like this worse.

Yes! That is what got me into or change of what we consume. I was already on that path topically. Shampoo and cleaners I do a lot of DIY natural home recipes. And got more into researching foods.

So Fruits and Veggies are high in Alkaline and are easy for our bodies to break down. fresh and organic are best, but we don't do organic as much as we liked, we do keep with local produce since we live right around the corner from our central market. Acidic foods are meats and dairy from what I recall. Very hard for the body to breakdown.

So I have been looking into a vegetarian, vegan and juicing diets to help my daughter heal and help our family to become more healthy.

Having kids makes us go at a steady pace and introducing new methods and diets. Cost of organic and juicing machines and also preparing meals is a lot to take on for low income family. But something is better then nothing and as we get more used to it we can see what we can afford and how to work with what we have.

We were so used to boxed meals and fast prep. but it was not good for anyone. Shopping at our local market helped tremendously, since it was cheaper buy the pound there then in our grocery store.

We are hoping to start packing her school lunches and breakfast for her. A lot of her food is prepackage at school. It is free in our area but not as healthy as one would think.

It has been life changing and has been  a lot to learn and a big challenge, but it has been worth it.

Another wonderful site/blog I found was alkalinesister.com they have a wonderful food chart for alkaline foods and also some recipes on juicing alkaline foods.

Here are some photo of her arms and how bad it would get. I don't have any pictures of it when it was red and and overly scabby and sometimes open sores.

Here are a few picture of her skin now. She skin was ruff white and flaky and now its smooth and the color is coming back. 

Sorta healing. She was dressed up for spring school photos. So this is back in March 2014

This I today June 4th 2014

It is amazing see te photos side by side like this. How much she has healed since November 2013! Wow! 

This is proof that eating healthy can do loads of a difference. 

I could cry tears of joy knowing that her skin is finally healthy!

Do you have eczema or psoriasis?

What lengths have you gone to heal it?

Any healthy natural things you know of to help others get healthy?

Do you have a before and after story?

Bantu Knots and Healthy Hair!

So today I am talking about healthy hair and how I have been caring for my hair for the past 2 years. 

I have been trying to steer away from shampoo and conditioner and just over chemicalized body products. 

Most hair care and body products have chemicals in it that obsorb into our body. We maybe eating healthy and exercising to stay physically fit. But in the end after all that we are still putting harsh chemicals all over our bodies and it gets Into our blood stream and can cause hidden sickness and weakening our bodies over time. 

So I have been in the process of detoxing my body and things around me and as you may have read in my previous blog I am trying to eat even more healthy then before, not just for me but teaching my daughter as well to grow up healthy and eczema free. 

So my hair care routine started out about 2-2 1/2 years ago. My sister who has natural curly hair was looking up No poo shampoo product because most shampoo have sulfate in it. Which can unnaturally dry your hair out. So I started looking into as well and came across sites about using apple cider vinger and baking soda as hair care products. As well as sites about pureeing foods to wash hair with. 

Back before shampoo became a big hit, people washed their bodies and hair with bar soap. But when hard water and soft water issues caused soap to not wash out of hair properly, companies created shampoo and when shampoo dried out hair to much, they created conditioner. 

Our hair, after continued washes with shampoo and conditioner, becomes so used to not having to producer it's own natural oil, sebum. When we don't wash our hair for a few days our hair over produces it causing our hair to look oily and dirty. When it's actually just trying to figure out what the heck is going on. 

So I found an inexpensive, gentle and healthy way to care for my hair. 

Apple Cider Vinager and for a while I was also using Baking Soda. 

One part ACV and four parts water. I also bought some essential oils to mix in to make my hair smell all lovely. 

It's all about messaging and scrubbing the scalp to get your hair healthy and clean. You don't have bubbles and foam to work with when using ACV so it is awkward at first. 

At first I had a horrible transition. My hair was oily and ucky for a few weeks because the sebum had to re-calibrate itself so it was not over producing. 

When I was using baking soda it was drying out my hair a bit to much. So I just prefer not to use it unless I do a coconut oil hair treatment. 

Along with trimming your hair regularly your hair will be lovely and soft and healthy. 

Research it experiment and have fun. I do recommend weaning yourself off of shampoo by watering it down and using less and less of it as well as making sure you have shampoo and conditioner that does not have sulfate in it. A few times a week wash with ACV to get your hair on track. So your hair doesn't go through to much shock. 

I wash my hair every other day or less. My hair stays clean and soft, no overly oily look and no dandruff. I also suffer from psoriasis and I haven't had a case of this since I started!

So with all that said, I am also trying to find inexpensive healthy fast easy ways to style my hair. 

Braids, curls, straightening. 

I enjoy having curly hair and I am also trying to avoid cutting my hair. I get so bored and aggravated by my hair that cutting it makes me feel better but only for a month or so. 

When I was little my mom would do rags curls. Doing that on yourself is very hard. I have also tried pin curls. Also very hard and can come out bad if not done properly.

I am trying to avoid heat damage or adding chemicals to my hair to help it stay all nice and curly. So no perms or curling irons. 

Finally I found a video on cacoon curls and Bantu curls. 

Love both. As my hair gets longer cacoon curls will be easy and also comfy to sleep in. 

So I do Bantu curls for now.  All you need are small hair ties, a comb, brush and a spray bottle to keep hair damp. 

If you want right curls you take small sections at a time. If you want loose wavy curls take bigger sections of hair. 

So here is a video link

http://youtu.be/i1iD759oruA

And here is my Jazzy before and after I did her hair. I did not use two hair ties per Bantu just one. But her hair is longer so it wasn't needed. She slept fine in them. 

How do you do no heat curls?

Any site suggestions?

How do style your hair quick and easy?

Would you or have you tried using ACV or Baking Soda on your hair? If so how do/did you like it?

Do you do any other natural body care?

No Meat November...hopefully

So I have decide to try and go meatless this November until Thanksgiving. 

Why?

First off it can save some money. 

Second it if heathly. 

Third to see if it might help detox my daughter and help her eczema. 

I  also going to try keep proceed for out of her diet, keep up on local produce, since we live right next to Central Market. 

Dairy maybe a hard one. Since it is in everything. Even a hidden ingredient. 

Doing this will be a big step in my dinner plans and even more so for snacks and lunches. Especially on weekends. Because I am also trying to see if wheat are causing Jazmines eczema to flare up. 

So PB and J is a no, grilled cheese...double no...quick and easy...but a banana easy to! So just keeping fresh fruit in the house is my new challenge. 

So yesterday was my dirt attempt...it went ok. 

I made spaghetti squash and also tried to make fresh tomato sauce. But did end up using a pinch of canned tomato sauce. 

I didn't cook the squash long enough so it was kinda crunchy. So I hope to try again and get it right next time. 

*crosses fingers*

I also think I need to get the correct tomatoes...all in all it tasted pretty good. 

I have also purchased some quinoa. That is a interesting grain. 

Tonight I made risotto. Boy, that is a process. May not ever attempt it again. I did use beef broth. That's all I had *shame*

Also I do not a microwave (over 3months) so left overs are tuff and quick prep is even harder. But supposedly good for our health. 

Well that wraps it up for today. 

Wish me luck

Are you a vegetarian?

Have you ever tried to go meatless?

Do you have any websites for helping me in this process?

Any recipes for quinoa?

Just shot me post, I would be more then happy to learn more!