Getting older

Have you ever wondered what makes you live longer? How do you get to be over a 100??  I sure hope that all of these babysteps at least help me live a long life.  The following is adapted from Dr. Mercola's article on living longer:

Bernando LaPallo, age 109, has written a book called Age Less, Live More. He offers proof that “living and eating the way nature intended is rewarded with a long life.” His father told him that “health should be your first priority, and in order to do that, you eat properly.” LaPallo says in order to do that “you have to eat properly—not a bunch of stirred up, boiled-to-death food.”

The oldest man in America, Walter Breunig, is 114 years old. His advice includes proper food choices, abstinence from alcohol, daily outdoor exercise, a spiritual and optimistic outlook on life, and “taking things in stride.” (Yes, honey, I need to work on that last one!).

His daily diet consists of:

Vegetables

Fruit (especially blueberries and cantaloupe)

Beans

Nuts

Soup



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Clean water

Cinnamon tea

Leafy green vegetables make up 2/3rd of his daily diet, and he does not touch processed foods. He takes one baby aspirin a day and no other medications. I love what he says about growing up: “When we were kids, we ate what was on the tables. Crusts of bread or whatever it was. You ate what they put on your plate, and that’s all you got.”

Babysteps: Cutting out more sugar

This is going to break my heart, and possibly the hearts of those that love me the most.  I have a very soft spot in my heart for Peeps and candy corn…and dark chocolate.  Now we all know dark chocolate is healthy for you so there’s no way I am giving it up, but I have to take another step.  This is not a babystep…this is a HUGE step.  I still cannot even believe that I am doing this…giving up my candy corn and peeps.  Not just peeps, but stale, chewy, yummy peeps.  No more chicks, bunnies, orange peeps, pink peeps.  To everyone that sends me peeps and candy corn for my birthday…and Easter…and Christmas—you have to stop. 

My  new goals is to cut out close to 90% of my processed sugar and candy intake, and the peeps and candy corn not only put me in a sugar slump but put me about 110% over my goal.  The week before Halloween is when I started this…NOT good timing…

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Babysteps: Calcium

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One of my goals is to increase my calcium intake. We know how important calcium is but for years I thought I was lactose intolerant and rarely if ever drank milk. Now I have switched to whole milk and can drink it without any problems whatsoever. It’s also non-homogenized, organic, hormone-free, antibiotic-free, and very easy to digest. I still have to work to make sure I get enough calcium. After two pregnancies and nursing, I’m sure my bones have taken a beating. I have even looked into calcium supplements, but I’m really only interested in whole food supplements (see previous post). The downside is that calcium is not easy to condense, and when you take whole food supplements, it’s even harder to condense it. I’m really not interested in take 5-6 pills a day of just calcium.


Here are some other ways you and I can both get our calcium:

Yogurt: one cup = 448 mg

Cow’s milk: one cup = 297 mg

Swiss cheese: one ounce = 270 mg

Spinach, cooked: one cup = 260 mg

Collard greens, cook: one cup = 226 mg

Mozzarella cheese, shredded: one cup = 184 mg

Almonds: two ounces = 150 mg

Black beans, cooked: one cup = 120 mg

Orange: one = 53 mg

Almond butter: 1 tablespoon = 43 mg

Babysteps: Fever

I work in a hospital. I am surrounded by conventional medicine. Have a headache? Take some Motrin. Congested? Take some Pseudophed. Have a runny nose and sore throat? Go to the doctor. Get a flu shot? Take some Tylenol. Have an infection? Take 3 antibiotics and 2 nasal sprays.

Well, I am a pretty unconventional pharmacist…and I am becoming even more unconventional sometimes by the day. I no longer treat every fever in my children. I hesitate to take them to the doctor unless I am pretty certain they have more than a virus. I do not let them get Tylenol with their shots anymore. I usually only opt for required vaccines. I only give dye-free pain medications with as few preservatives as possible. I only give whole food vitamins and supplements. (Have you looked at the ingredients in Mylicon? Grape Tylenol? Gummy Vitamins??).

Let’s talk about fevers first. Fever is actually our body’s backup defense mechanism. It is a healthy response to infection, and it serves to help kill invading organisms. Many microbes cannot live in elevated temperatures. It also stimulates our immune system to fight the infection. The best course of action is to let fever run its course.

I am not advocating to never treat a fever, but I am suggesting that you do no treat a fever immediately unless it rises very high, very fast. There are a few other times treatment is warranted:

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o Infants less than 1 month old—always seek care immediately for temperatures greater than 100.4 degrees.
o Infants 1 month to 3 months old—seek care for temperatures greater than 100.4 degrees
o Children 3 months to 36 months—seek care for temperatures greater than 102.2 degrees
o All ages—temperatures over 104.5 degrees

Usually I only treat fever over 101-103 if they appear ill or are obviously uncomfortable. With two children under the age of 3 around other children, in the church nursery, at mother’s morning out, with a mom that works in healthcare, we are bound to get infections. Most of them are viral and run their course in 5 days. There is a recent study that even suggested giving Tylenol before vaccines can interfere with immune response. Next time you have a fever, think about letting it last a little bit longer to do its job.

Babysteps: Wool dryer balls

Something else that I have gotten rid of in our house is fabric softener sheets. If you google fabric softener sheets you will see claims of everything from cancer-containing ingredients to disease-worsening fragrances to waxy buildup. One of the biggest reasons I could not use them is they can leave build-up and residue on cloth diapers even if used only on regular laundry. I don’t like the idea of anything leaving a film or residue on my clothes so I finally just threw the rest of the box away without even using it up.

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Instead, we have started using wool dyer balls. I love mine so much that I decided to start making and selling them. I’ll probably make a total of $6 of off them, but they are fun! I can tell the biggest difference in drying time with the cloth diapers, especially the thick inserts for Kai’s trainers. If I don’t put the dryer balls in, everything is still damp afterwards.

These can be used over and over again instead of dryer sheets, plastic PVC balls, or chemical additives. They are an excellent green alternative to chemical-laden fabric sheets! Best of all they are money saving!! Safe for cloth diapers. Will not bleed.

Wool absorbs moisture and cuts down on drying time, often cuts times in half. The bouncing around of the balls increases air circulation, softens laundry and reduces wrinkles, as well as static. Lint and pet hair sticks to the balls.

The more you add the shorter your drying time. It is recommended to use 2-6 balls for a normal-sized load. For synthetic fibers, at least 4 balls are recommended. For large loads, at least 6 balls are recommended. By using 4 or more, drying time is usually reduced 20-50%, depending on the size of the load. If dryer balls start to pill, you can use a sweater shaver or leave them natural. Pilling may actually help the balls work better.

Babysteps: Face wash

When I ran out of my Aveeno face wash, which I previously thought was so "healthy," I decided I was going to find a safer and more natural cleanser. I started hearing about other people using honey as a cleanser/face wash. I have always heard of honey having many health benefits, but I had never heard of topical uses.

Honey is antibacterial in nature and can even help heal skin burns. People with acne and other skin inflammation say it clears their skin up immediately. It has a semi-acidic pH and glycolic acid, which is also supposed to be good for your skin. You can add brown sugar or oat flour to use it as an exfoliant.

I have not been using it long but I already love this. My skin is not oily at oil, and it washes off very easily with warm water. I would recommend raw honey. It has not been filtered or pasteurized so it contains the most enzymes and nutrients.

20 small green steps

Here are a few steps I came across that can make a big difference:


1. Clean your refrigerator coils every 6 months to use less energy and save money (going home to do that tonight. Pretty sure they’ve never been cleaned, unless you count moving)

2. Unplug TVs, DVD players, and computers when not in use. Even when turned off their standby consumption is about equal to a light bulb left on continuously.

3. Switch to fluorescent bulbs. You can save up to $60 in energy bills over the lifetime of the bulb.

4. Reduce flush water waste by switching to a low-flow toilet or flush mechanism. Put a brick or milk jug filled with pebbles to reduce the amount of water needed. Approximately 40% of the water used in your home goes down the toilet!

5. Fix drips and leaks. A slow, steady drip can waste up to 20 gallons of water a day. Replacing faucets and showerheads with low-flow versions can help a family of 4 save 20,000 gallons of water in a year!

6. Use your dishwasher. Today’s dishwashers can save up to 20 gallons of water a day by waiting until it is full vs. washing by hand. You can save more by letting the dishes air dry. Most likely you don’t need to use the prerinse if you scrape off most of the food before loading (saves another 20 gallons!).

7. Washing clothes in cold water eliminates 500 pounds of carbon dioxide emissions (EcoMom Alliance).

8. Cleaning the lint trap before every load reduces energy use by 30%.

9. Turning the thermostat up 2 degrees saves a lot of energy and money. Recommended settings are 68 in winter and 72 in summer.

10. Keeping your tires properly inflated saves gasoline and reduces emissions.

11. Walk instead of drive whenever possible.

12. By avoiding sudden breaking and acceleration you can increase your fuel efficiency as much as 40%. The recommended highway cruising speed is 55-60 mph (oops!)

13. Use cloth baby wipes. Most baby wipes can take several hundred years to break down. Each baby needs about 5000 wipes. If you need disposable wipes, rip in half. Cloth wipes are much more efficient at cleaning up messes and make sense if you’re already cloth diapering.

14. Bring your own reusable shopping bag.

15. Use a BPA free, stainless steel, or glass water bottle. Bottled water is usually not any better. About ¼ of bottled water comes from the tap.

16. Buy recycled paper. Reuse and recycle.

17. Recycle. 69% of Americans still do not recycle.

18. Have a kid swap party. No, not the kids…the toys!!!

19. Grow a garden.

20. Write a letter about environmental issues to your senator or representative.

Adapted from:  1. http://www.babycenter.com/0_20-small-steps-that-make-a-big-difference_1682233.bc?page=3