Did you know that Mineral Oil is bad for your skin?

Petroleum by-product that coats the skin like plastic, clogging the pores. Interferes with skin's ability to eliminate toxins, promoting acne and other disorders. Slows down skin function and cell development, resulting in premature aging. Used in many products (baby oil is 100% mineral oil!) Any mineral oil derivative can be contaminated with cancer causing PAH's (Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons). Manufacturers use petrolatum because it is unbelievably cheap.

Mineral oil
Liquidum paraffinum (also known as posh mineral oil!)
Paraffin oil
Paraffin wax
Petrolatum Jelly (Vaseline)

Ten Synthetic Cosmetic Ingredients to Avoid
Toxic Skin Care Ingredients
Toxic Ingredients in Personal Care Products

Some good tips HERE.

Especially:

TIP #5- H20 IS YOUR FRIEND

Drink as much water as you can during the cleanse. I've read that it's good to drink up to 1/2 your body weight in ounces. (so if you weigh 150 pounds, drink at least 75 ounces of water.) I just know from past experience that the more water I drink the better the results. I also know that when I didn't drink water I had more severe detox symptoms the next day. In addition, drinking water helps / aids your body in removing the toxins. Remember the Maple Syrup is your nutrients, the salt water flush and laxative tea are the "scrubbers" and the lemon juice is the loosening agent. So it only makes sense that the more water you drink the more "stuff" you are removing.

I am still here. Still sticking to the raw foods. I am just eating 'basic'. I have yet to attempt any of those recipes that you make a lasagna out of zucchini and sunflower seeds.
There is really not much to report. I am actually pretty sick of talking about diets and eating. I would rather just do it and not dwell so much on it and to concentrate on other things. I started working out with weights a bit. The weather is finally getting nice, so I can take some long walks by the lake.
Thats all for now...

I am feeling really good. No stomach problems and I am really chowing down! I had a whole pineapple and some blueberries in the morning, a real big afternoon salad and then some macadamia nuts and more salad in the p.m.
I really wish it was spring though. There are some really good farmer's markets around here in the spring.

Raw Foods

I am officially sick of juice and lemonade!
Juice went fine. No stomach problems at all. I don't think I will have any problems with solid foods. I get to crunch today! The raw food phase begins. I am going to have a nice salad and a bowl of guacamole with raw veggies to dip in it. Maybe if I am really hungry some sunflower seeds.

Motivation: Some amazing Raw Food transformations

Audrey
Kristen
Gina
Britanie
Shannon
Angela

Grapefruit Juice Day 2

Feeling good! Juice is yummy! Took a whole bunch of probiotics also. I CAN'T WAIT TO EAT A DAMN SALAD!! Sounds crazy, but I just want to crunch something!!

So, have you seen the commercials for this show on A&E with Paul McKenna? I can't wait to watch it.

He has written a bunch of books (I Can Make You Rich, Quit Smoking Today Without Gaining Weight, Instant Confidence, I Can Make You Thin, Change Your Life in Seven Days, How to Mend Your Broken Heart). He has been on British TV and now his show "I Can Make You Thin" is going to air on A&E here in the states.

He uses hypnosis and NLP training to help break bad habits. The part around 5:00 below where you use acupressure points to absolve a craving is pretty cool.



Off to drink more juice!

Day 27

I am going to start the juice today. Drinking only juice is still "fasting" so I will still be liquid only until Day 28. Day 29 I want to start eating! I am craving things like salad or raw veggies with guacamole.

I decided to do grapefruit juice. I really hate orange juice. There are some great looking Ruby Red grapefruits in the store right now.

If your cable lineup has BBC America, there is a really good show on called "You Are What You Eat". It is on here at 10am and then again at 3.

The shows host, Dr. Gillian McKeith, puts people on a two month health food diet. Lots of veggies, fruit, nuts, beans and sometimes fish. The average weight loss for the two months seems to be around 27lbs. The most interesting thing is how much healthier they all look afterward. Skin and hair wise, and energy!

So anyway, if you get the channel, the show is definitely worth watching.

more, later.... Grapefruit juice, yum!

Day 25

Motivation to stay on the healthy path...

I think everyone knows that fast food is bad for you, but I came across an article that talked about some of the worst. Just knowing how really bad these things are makes me want to stick with my healthy regime, hopefully forever.

Things to keep in mind...

First of all, salt:
The current recommendation is to consume less than 2,400 milligrams (mg) of sodium a day. This is about 1 teaspoon of table salt per day. It includes ALL salt and sodium consumed, including sodium used in cooking and at the table.

Second, fat grams and calories:
I just took this short little quiz that told me that my recommended daily calories and grams of fat should be:

Total recommended calories per day: 1700 to 2000
Total grams of fat per day: Less than or equal to 55 g

If you are trying to lose weight, the recommendation is 1,200- 1,500 calories a day + exercise.

So keep those numbers in mind and look at some fast food.

Outback Steakhouse Aussie Cheese Fries with Ranch Dressing
2,900 calories
182 g fat
240 g carbs

Chili's Awesome Blossom
2,710 calories
203 g fat 194 g carbs
6,360 mg sodium

On the Border Grande Taco Salad with Taco Beef
1,450 calories
102 g fat
78 g carbs
2,410 mg sodium

Five different On the Border salads on the menu contain more than 1,100 calories each.

Chili's Honey Chipotle Crispers with Chipotle Sauce
2,040 calories
99 g fat
240 g carbs

On the Border Stacked Border Nachos
2,740 calories
166 g fat
191 g carbs
5,280 mg sodium

Ruby Tuesday Bella Turkey Burger
1,145 calories
71 g fat
56 g carbs

Chipotle Mexican Grilled Chicken Burrito
1,179 calories
7 g fat
125 g carbs
2,656 mg sodium

P.F. Chang's Pork Lo Mein
1,820 calories
127 g fat
95 g carbs

Quizno's Classic Italian Sandwich
1,510 calories
82 g fat
3,750 mg sodium
106 g carbs

Hardee’s Country Breakfast Burrito
920 calories
60 grams of saturated fat
2,000 milligrams of sodium

KFC Chicken & Biscuit Bowl
870 calories
44g of fat
60mg cholesterol
2,420mg sodium
88g carbs

Jamba Juice Chocolate Moo'd Power Smoothie (30 fl oz)
900 calories
10 g fat
183 g carbs
(166 g sugar)

Starbucks Double Chocolate Chip Frappuccino Blended Crème
The 24-ounce (that’s Venti-sized in Starbucks lingo)
670 calories
22g of total fat

Chili's Chocolate Chip Paradise Pie with Vanilla Ice Cream
1,600 calories
78 g fat
215 g carbs

Burger King French Fries

Burger King makes some of the worst french fries you can buy at a fast-food restaurant. Thanks to the salty coating that allows more oil to be absorbed, a King Size order of their fries packs
590 calories
30 grams of fat
That’s worse than McDonald’s Super Size Fries — and more than half the “bad” fat you should get in an entire day.

YUMMY!

And these are just one item in one meal! Can you imagine if you ate a couple of these things a day? The awesome Blossom is an appetizer. You would eat 2,710 calories, 203 g fat and 6,360 mg sodium BEFORE eating the rest of your meal!!

I got some of these from this article
but these are just a few.

more, later....