Baking Soda as Shampoo?

So I was doing my usual online reading on shampoo substitutes, because as some of you know, I try to limit my exposure to the chemicals that you find in the sudsy shampoos.
Well this journey has been a lot harder than I thought it would be.  I though it would be easy to find a brand of shampoo that doesn't have a mile long list of chemicals, but this has not been the case.  So I do a lot of reading, and a lot of trial and error on some of the DIY shampoo recipes online.

Recently I read that you can use baking soda and water as a shampoo.  Comments on this article went along the lines of 'oh I have been doing this for years', and 'my hair is silky smooth.'  So naturally I tried it.  Why wouldn't I?  I have baking soda in my cupboard already!
So I jump in the shower and get my baking soda on.  Felt a bit weird in the shower, but the real results are when you're attempting to get a brush through, and when you are styling.
Results?  My hair felt like straw.  It was nearly impossible to brush (and yes, I used a conditioner).  Worst of all, when I styled it, it looked horribly dull.

So if anyone has any more crazy things for me to try, bring it on...

EWG's Skindeep Database project

Just finished a project at school where we had to make a Public Service Announcement slideshow for a non-profit of our choice.  I chose Ewg's Skin Deep database, which lets you rate cosmetics and learn about their ingredients and the effects those ingredients have on your body and the environment.  

The Milk Substitute Explosion

There has been an explosion of milk substitute products over that past decade in response to the amount of allergies and intolerances to dairy, as well as the information and misinformation online, and also partly due to consumer demand for animal /cruelty-free/ethically produced products.  

Vegweb.com offers a helpful guide to non-dairy milk products, and that's where I'm getting the majority of my info on different types of milk, and their properties.  

Soy Milk

for vanilla flavour.  Image source: nutritiondata.self.com

• high protein
• no cholesterol
• good for use as a creamer, or as a base in smoothies/shakes. 
• low in saturated fat, very low in Cholesterol
• Source of Magnesium, Copper, and Selenium
• Very good source of Manganese
• Soy contains phytoestrogens, which are estrogen mimicking compounds, which are linked to certain cancers.
• 91% of U.S grown soy is genetically modified. 

Almond Milk

Image source: caloriecount.about.com

• Loaded with antioxidants
• Low in calories
• Source of calcium, magnesium, and vitamin E
• Mild taste
• Store bought tends to contain sweeteners and artificial flavours.
• Can be easily made at home by blending almonds in a blender with water.  

Coconut Milk

 Image source: caloriecount.about.com

• Higher in fat compared to other milk substitutes, making it a suitable substitute for whole milk, or a good creamer substitute.  
• High in calcium
• No cholesterol
• Low in sodium
• High in vitamin A, and very high in vitamin B12
• Often contains additional additives, but can be made at home to avoid this. 

Hemp Milk

Image source: nutritiondata.self.com

• Low in Sodium
• Very low in Cholesterol
• Good source of Iron
• Contains all ten amino acids, providing a complete protein. 
• Can have an unpleasant aftertaste

Grain Milk (rice, oat, spelt, rye, quinoa, etc.)

For rice milk.  Image source: nutritiondata.self.com

• Very low in Saturated Fat
• Very low in Cholesterol
• Contains trans fat
• Grain milks tend to be higher in carbs and lower in calcium and protein than soy milk.
• thin texture, light in taste

Something to note:

There are often a variety of milk substitute brands in the refrigerated section, as well as on the shelf with non-refrigerated items. The non-refrigerated are more likely to contain more preservatives, but the best way to be certain, as always, is to check the label.  

Pesticides on more than just produce.

One of the main arguments for eating organically has to be that they contain less pesticides.  But even if your diet is completely organic, you are still being exposed to those pesticides that you are vigilantly trying to avoid.    

Did you know that over a quarter of Canadians rely on groundwater as their water source?

Water contamination from agricultural practices occurs in various methods, depending on the chemical.  The degree of water contamination also depends on the pesticide's physical and chemical properties, the quantity applied, the weather conditions surrounding the time of spraying, as well as the basin hydrology.

"Water quality guidelines are scientifically determined and indicate the maximum allowable concentration of substances for a particular water use such as livestock watering or swimming. These national guidelines serve as the targets for environmental protection." -Environment Canada

According to Environment Canada, exceeding quality criteria has potential consequences, such as:

• Damage to crops- Irrigation uses water from rivers and lakes to water crops.  When the water source exceeds the quality criteria, the water could damage the crop being irrigated.  
• Bioaccumulation in fish and algae- symptoms include lack of motor coordination, delayed maturation and growth, and reproductive impairment.  

I found out firsthand how pesticides can affect me when I played baseball next to a crop that was being sprayed.  I woke up swollen in hives, and stayed that way for the next three days. (I will note that the rest of my team, as far as I know, didn't react in the same manner, or have any reaction at all.)

Think farmers are all to blame?  Think again.  Golf courses use cocktails of chemicals to keep their greens green and weed/pest free.  Luxecoliving.com posted this article, Golf Courses, Polluting with Pesticides, which discusses the problems posed by pesticide use on golf courses.  It can have affects on golf course employees, as well as users of the course, and people living in the surrounding areas.  

"These pesticides are not only a health danger to workers of golf courses or golfers, but to any nearby areas as well. Runoff and airborne drift carry the pesticides to close by neighborhoods and water sources and “pose health risks, both acute and chronic, from common cold like symptoms, nausea, dizziness, headaches, rashes, to birth defects, learning disabilities, infertility, leukemia, various cancers including brain cancer, breast cancer, [and] non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma”, says Jay Feldman of Beyond Pesticides. “Asthma rates in the U.S. have skyrocketed, and there are studies linking asthma to pesticides that are widely used on golf courses.”- Golf Courses, Polluting with Pesticides.  Luxecoliving.com. 

Are there benefits to eating organic?

When the issue of organic food is raised, there are many differing opinions as to whether or not there are actual health benfits.  Some argue that organic foods are healthier because they aren't grown using pesticides.  Some argue that the nutritional value of organically grown foods are no different than non-organic foods.  I think it's easy to get lost in the hear say, and let your imagination go a little wild.  There has been a lot of contradiction with studies done on the topic of the health benefits of organic foods, and whether the studies were biased or flawed.
This article by Grinning Planet discusses whether there are actual health benefits to eating organic produce.

The main points for organic food:

1. Organic foods contain higher nutrient values
2. Organic produce contains lower pesticide residues
3. Organic foods have little to no additives
4. Organic foods provide better health outcomes (less time healing from injury/sickness, less sickness, etc)

Another article posted on mongabay.com discusses a study that suggests that organic tomatoes are sweeter and more nutritionally dense than tomatoes grown with pesticides.  

Before I started eating organic foods, I didn't particularly like oranges.  However, I devour the ones that come in my organic share every week pretty voraciously.  They are sweet and delicious.  Maybe there is some truth to the taste argument, but you should be the judge for yourself. 

Calorie Tally

Junk food is my vice.  Chips, licorice, chocolate, cookies, you name it.  If it's high in fat or calories, I want it, and I want it in mass quantities.  Living on my own, I get to control what I keep in my pantry, which is good.  So a year or so ago, I decided that it was just too dangerous to buy things like chips or cookies, for the sake of my lack of self discipline when it comes to portion control.   I try to snack on things that really aren't my first choice, but are more nutritious, and less calorie dense.  Trust me, the guilt is spared when you eat a pound of celery as opposed to 8 cookies (so much shame).

Calorie counting helps people who want to keep track of their daily calorie intakes.  You can download calorie counter apps on your smartphone, and some phones even let you scan the barcode of the food that you're eating.

Now I'm no doctor or nutritionist, and I am not one to go on crazy diets, but I found that keeping track of my calorie intake for a period of time to be really helpful.  I think a lot of people eat without really knowing the value of what they're putting into their bodies.  When I kept a log of my daily intake, and even planned my meals based on it, I became much more familiar with the amounts of calories in foods.   So now, even though I don't keep a record, I still use the knowledge I gained to make better decisions when it comes to snacks and meal time.  I know what I can eat endless amounts of, and what I should try to eliminate or limit.

So I definitely recommend trying to keep a tally of your calories for a week or so.
Now, if you don't feel like downloading an app, or just plain don't want to do it, I'm happy to give you a brief summary of my findings; Bread is the devil, and vegetables are your friend.  Enjoy!

Restaurants Throw Away More Than They Have To.

Depending on where you live, you likely have to sort your trash.  You separate it into what is recyclable, what is compostable, and what is trash.  You might live in an area where there are more ways things are separated, for example, my dad separates his plastic waste from his paper waste.  We do this to reuse what we can, and limit what ends up in a landfill.

Anyone who has ever been in a restaurant can imagine that a restaurant would garner a lot of waste.  Anyone who has ever worked in a restaurant knows that they do.  I have worked in a few restaurants, some privately owned, and some franchises part of huge national chains, and have always wondered why they are exempt from sorting their trash.
One giant chain I worked for was so bad at sorting trash, that the only thing they recycled were the beer bottles, and that was only because they got their deposit back for returning them.  Cans and bottles went straight into the garbage.  Same with every morcel of food left on plates, which could be composted.  Food waste decays in landfills, and creates methane, a potent greenhouse gas in the process.

I think one of the problems for restaurants, is that they tend to be very busy places.  Servers are clearing the plates, and during a dinner or lunch rush, to sort trash might seem time consuming.  I don't think it's a good enough reason.
Why should you and I be expected to sort our trash, when these giant restaurants are creating so much more waste, and sorting nothing?

Sham POO!

Over the past ten years, I have tried countless brands of shampoo.  I used to be happy with a bunch of different brands, until I did some research and learned about some nasty chemicals found in the vast majority of products on the shelves.

1. Sodium Laureth Sulphate-  You've likely heard of it by now.  It is used as a foaming agent, so is found in many face washes, soaps, shampoos, dish detergents, bubble bath, etc.  It may be contaminated with ingredients that are known/ possible human carcinogens, harm the nervous system, interfere with human development, and on top of all that, if the SLS hasn't been 'vaccuum stripped' to remove a certain chemical, it doesn't break down in the environment for a long time.  It is also a known irritant of the skin and eyes.

2. Sulphates- You've definitely heard of this one. It's used as a preservative in cosmetics,  and is the most widely used of all preservatives.  Sulphates interfere with hormone function, and have been detected in breast cancer tissues, associating them with cancer.   Studies also show that it can react with UVB, causing increased skin aging and DNA damage (so much for that anti-aging cream!).  Sulphates are also commonly used as an ingredient in fragrances, but you'll never know, because fragrances do not have to list their ingredients as they are 'trade secrets'.

3. Fragrance- fragrances are considered 'trade secrets', and so manufacturers aren't required to list the ingredients.  Fragrances are cocktails of chemicals, containing as much as 3000 ingredients.  Even products that are labeled 'fragrance-free' may still have fragrance, with a masking agent that tricks your brain into not detecting the scent.  Phthalates, used as an ingredient to make scent linger, has been linked to early puberty in girls, reduced sperm count in men, reproductive defects in the male fetus, obesity and insulin resistance.   It may also cause liver and kidney damage in children if ingested for extended periods.  Oh, and it is toxic to wildlife and the environment.

The list goes on, I'm afraid.  If you want to know more, please read  'Dirty Dozen' cosmetic chemicals to avoid, an article by the David Suzuki Foundation.

So let's be frank.  If you have ever tried a shampoo without SLS (the foaming agent), you may have been surprised by the results.  I have tried brand after brand of alternative shampoos and conditioners.  I find my hair (which is past shoulder length) gets really tangled.  It's also (currently,where I live) hard to find an alternative brand.  If you go into the grocery store, you may not have a SLS or sulphate free option.  +The Great Canadian Superstore has a good selection, and so does +Food Stuffs, a local natural and organic food store.

If you are looking for a product without certain ingredients, my advice to you would be to trust only the ingredients label.  Words like "natural",  "organic", "eco-friendly", "safe", are all terms used by marketers to sell a product.  Look on the ingredients label, yes it takes a minute, and a good bit of practice to get used to all the words you are looking for, but it's the only way to know what is in a product.

Source: The David Suzuki Foundation