Say NO to plastics!

What is BPA anyway?  Bisphenol A aka BPA. I believe the FDA just banned this chemical that has been used in plastic packaging and what not but I wanted to share this tad bit of information because most people might not be aware of this.  It has not yet been confirmed but BPA can have possible effects on the brain, hormones, heart problems, and increase risk of cancer.  We are said to have a lot of BPA in our bodies right now due to the accumulation of using plastic containers that we eat or drink from and even inhale!  If you think about it, almost everything includes the use of plastic, and this chemical! Although most companies are now stating their products are "BPA Free" the replacement of this chemical may still have the same affects as BPA if not worse. 

Here are some tips to combat this if you must use plastic:

- Don't heat your food in a plastic container
- Use less canned foods or package products
- Avoid plastic with number 3, 7, or 2, and 4 recycle codes

Last but not least avoid ALL plastics if you can of course, you will not be consuming BPA if you use glass, porcelain, or stainless steel.

Xo

Juice it or Blend it?!

That is the question! Ok so I had to get to the bottom of this since its such a trend right now and only because I am curious and would like to do things the right way if I'm going to do it.  I see this all the time, where juiced or blended fruits, and veggies are suppose to be of some health benefit to you.  Whether you want to lose weight cleanse your system or just get your nutrition in a bottle.  After much research, both are beneficial to the human body in their unique way! Juicing removes indigestible fiber from fruit and vegetables and extracts the vitamins, minerals and phytonutrients in juice form.  This helps absorb the nutrients faster into our bloodstream leaving the fiber out and helps cleanse our liver. Blending however includes all fiber and nutrients from the fruit and vegetables.  By preserving the fibers, blended drinks help the digestive track by pushing out toxins and leaving you with the good bacteria in our gut needed for a healthy and regular digestion.  There is still debate whether some blenders create too much heat and destroy the enzymes however some researchers have found that to be the opposite! Regardless, I invested in a cold press juicer and a good quality blender.  To get the most benefit out of this I juice on an empty stomach, usually in the mornings and blend when I need something hearty during meal time. (My book coming out soon will give details on how to prepare nutritional food to help shed pounds, get rid of toxins in your body and support a healthy digestion system)

 

Xo,

healthy living

M