Review: Throat Rescue Spray

This is a really handy product to have in your medicine cabinet, particularly if , like me, you have children who have just gone back to school and already have encountered outbreaks of strep throat! I actually believe I have staved off strep throat in the past by liberally pouring this product down my throat at the onset of symptoms.
It is a not too bad tasting concoction of purified water, peppermint oil and ionic silver. Silver is well known for its anti-bacterial, anti-fungal and anti-viral properties and is as least as potent as antibiotics without the troubling side effects.
The spray is very soothing to aching throats and promotes a healthy environment to discourage the growth of germs. It has a useful dispenser whereby you can aim it towards the back of the throat which comes into its own when administering to a child's inflamed throat...
I have tried a lot of different alternative remedies for sore throats and this remains my favorite as it works quickly so long as you nip the symptoms in the bud, ie as soon as you feel tickles in the throat start spraying!

Review : Salting technique for steak and chicken

I came across this adventurous cooking technique via an interesting article that actually used cheaper cuts of steak but I tried it on a whole chicken. Essentially you douse the meat with good quality salt (recommended is Kosher salt or sea salt). Don't be shy at this stage of the proceedings, you literally cover the meat till it looks like snow has fallen and leave it there for one hour. Then , rinse the salt off and pat said meat very dry. I encourage you to check out the article where I got this info as it is very informative and has some interesting diagrams about the process of salt with meat!
It is such an easy way to prepare a tasty treat, all I did was stuff a bunch of home grown sage, rosemary and garlic into the cavity, smear butter and pepper over the bird and pop it into the oven.
Did it taste too salty? No , it was flavorsome, tender and seasoned to perfection. It was pretty hassle -free cooking too, no basting required and the skin, crispy perfection which I confess to eating!
I made sure the chicken was organic , as there is no way I am going to eat chemical chicken. That set me back $12 but it fed four people so I consider that pretty reasonable.
I plan to try this salting technique on some NY steaks next, will update on results.....

Review : Veggie Wash

All Natural Veggie Wash for your fruits and veg. This is a citrus based cleaner that has been lab tested to remove wax, soil, chemicals from your produce. Smells nice too! Reasonably priced at around $4.50 for a 16 fl.oz spray bottle , this should keep you going for a few months .
Why use a cleaner for your fruits and veggies versus plain old water rinsing? According to this products website " Pesticides and other agricultural chemicals are specifically engineered to be "waterproof" so that they are not washed off by rain and irrigation. Many fruits and vegetables (grapes, apples, cucumbers, etc.) are also coated in wax to preserve the quality and appearance of the produce from the fields to your kitchen table.

Studies suggest that some of these chemicals may be toxic to the human body. Specifically, pesticides have been linked to cancer, reproductive problems, and neurological disorders and can be especially harmful to children, the elderly, and anyone suffering from a deficient immune system. In addition to agricultural chemicals and other residues, 20 or more strangers may have handled your fruit or vegetable before you put it in your mouth."

Pretty compelling. I like this product , it doesn't have a chemically smell and rinses clean away. It makes a pretty good counter top cleaner too. Psychologically, I must confess , it gives me comfort to use a product such as this on the foods I am going to ingest that may have come into contact with God knows what....

Review - Safeways storebrand Organic extra virgin Olive Oil

Increasingly we are becoming aware of the healthful benefits of including olive oil in our diet. Sometimes referred to as The Mediterranean Diet, the attributes of olive oil are impressive.

Of course if we are going to eat something as part of a daily regime, it needs to taste good. Some extra virgin olive oils have a very overpowering taste , for my palette anyway. Not so with this offering from Safeways. I find it incredibly complimentary with all different foods, still allowing me to taste what it is I am eating without being overly oily.

I am really rather happy with this item and find it to be consistently good quality, and this from a person who buys quite a few bottles a month!

• Tastes good- mild , smooth texture
• Readily available from your local Safeways
• Cheaper than many other extra - virgin oils - especially when you use your Safeways Club card!
• Encourages Safeways in their Organic venture
• Has plenty of documented health benefits

There aren't really any negative points about this product, except I would like to be able to buy it in even bigger jars as we seem to guzzle it by the gallon in our house....

Hope you find this review helpful...Happy Eating....

"Eat drink and be merry...."

Review Simply Pure 5 Elements Shampoos from Anthony Morrocco

I hope you find the following review helpful to you on your journey to optimum health. This is my first post and I plan to review many more "natural" goods that purport to enhance our health, vitality, wellbeing, even Soul. It has become a Goliath industry in many ways and there is a huge array of choice when it comes to what we put in /on our bodies. Many products make BIG claims as to what their products can do for you. But do they work ? Are we getting our money's worth when we buy healthy products that promise to be the panacea we have all been waiting for ?

With this in mind I am going to start Healthy Living Reviews with shampoos, namely Morrocco Method Shampoos, a line of holistic haircare developed by Anthony Morrocco . I first came across this line a number of  years ago when surfing the web looking for healthy personal care products. I had recently become aware of the damage that SLS's (sodium laurel sulfates) could wreak on a person's health . Moreover, it seemed to be in many personal care products ...shampoos, conditioners, toothpaste, body washes, mouth washes....

Basically it is a sudsing agent that puts the lather into products. There is a lot of weight behind the thought that SLS is possibly the most dangerous ingredient a consumer can find in most shampoos. So potent is SLS, studies have linked it to serious skin and scalp irritation and disease, hair loss and damage and the ability of the chemical to create nitrate compounds which have been linked to cancer and cell damage. It was originally used as a degreaser for industrial parts! Seriously would you want to wash your hair/body/teeth with that?
What got me searching for products that were SLS free was a tenacious case of periodontal acne ( that's clusters of small painful bumps around the mouth). I just could not seem to heal from this ailment so I started researching on the internet. That was when I found out my ailment "could" be due to SLS in my toothpaste. Well I was willing to give it a shot so I started using toothpaste without SLS ( that will be another review!) and lo and behold the condition cleared up.

During the course of this research I came across a most interesting website  about healthy haircare that really piqued my interest

To cut a long story short , I ordered four of the travel size shampoos just to check it out. They were a little expensive ,but after due poring over their website I became quite excited about the claims Mr Morrocco made.

"Simply Pure 5 Elements Shampoos detoxify, nourish, stimulate, and cleanse hair and scalp in the most holistic way possible, leaving no harmful chemical residues. Good for the whole body. Nontoxic, gluten free, and non-allergenic. Safe for the whole family.

The safest, most naturally vital shampoo available in the marketplace today."

The exotic sounding ingredients include organic botanicals, trace minerals, and herbs, pure southwestern white healing clays natural, soapbark from Chile, Chinese green tea from Shanghai, cactus from Mexico aloe vera, apple cider vinegar, essential oils of eucalyptus, frankincense, myrrh, rosemary, safflower, sage, sesame, vetiver..... and more....
Sounds good enough to eat doesn't it , which when you think about is a pretty good barometer of how healthy something is when deciding if we should use it or not... food grade or not?

There are four shampoos in the line relating to the different elements. For best results it is recommended that one rotates each shampoo. Sea Essence is for Water, Pine Shale is for Air, Earth Essence is for Earth and Apple Cider Vinegar is for Fire. They smell great and make for a good face wash too!

Well I have been using the products pretty religiously for 4 years now and I love them, I really do. The few times when I have run out and had to resort to using other shampoos my scalp has felt itchy and the life seems to be washed out of my hair.
I have also noticed that my skin has remained pretty clear of acne which I would suffer with from time to time before. Also my asthma does not get triggered by the natural aromas in this product unlike many of the supermarket bought ones. My hair feels shiny and healthy and I feel good that I am not putting chemicals and toxins into my body,thereby taking some control over my health and being responsible about which companies I wish to support.

The hair regime seems quite pricey , but the way I look at it is this - it costs way more to be sick! I believe that by using wholesome products that are organic and thoughtfully prepared that I will remain as healthy as I can be . Also, because the products are super concentrated, you don't use as much, so overall they really don't end up costing too much more than your regular shampoo. Be warned though, there are no big bubbles in this product and it can take a little while to get used to shampooing with a product that has little lather. But it absolutely cleans the hair without stripping the guts from it . You may go through a period of de-tox where your hair looks a bit sorry, but that is just the purge of all the chemicals that have been on your scalp from other products containing SLS's and other toxins. A major plus about this company is that Mr Morrocco answers your hair care concerns via his question and answer forum..I consider that to be excellent customer service.
Stick with it and in my opinion you will be taking a big step towards great hair health!

Safe enough for kids!

Disclosure: I am an affiliate for Morrocco Method products. I only endorse those products I have tried and that have passed my test of using non toxic ingredients, good performance and great customer service. In my opinion and after a number of years testing the products out, Morrocco Method attains this criteria.