The Crunch

We had lots of healthy happenings over the summer.  Not only did I complete the Standard Process cleanse to get to my fighting weight, but I also did a clean sweep of my medicine cabinet.  Turns out that I had a lot of beauty products (not cheap ones, either), that were chock full of nasty little things called parabens.  Parabens are found in everything from your shampoo to your shaving cream.  They are so common because they act as a preservative for these products.  Unfortunately, they also mimic estrogen, which unless this hormone is in balance, can wreak all kinds of havoc on your body. 

The good news is that more and more products are being produced “paraben-free” and you don’t have to go very far to find them.  One great site is www.cosmeticsdatabase.com.  At this site you can sort products by category (skin care, sunscreen, etc).  You can then read a list of the ingredients and comments on what others thought of the product.  It also ranks the product on a scale from 0-10 ( 0 being great, 10, not so good).   

I have also had a lot of personal trial and error over the summer testing products.  Some I love, some I don’t.  I know what you’re thinking.  I bet this paraben-free kick costs a lot of money- not true. Some of my favorite products are available at your local drug store.  St. Ives (www.stives.com) has a paraben and phthalate free body lotion that is creamy and moisturizing for $4.99 !  They also carry some” p-free” face washes and scrubs in the $2.99- 4.99 range.  Nature’s Gate (www.natures-gate.com) has yummy smelling shampoos and conditioners, both for about $6.50 each.  You can find these at Whole Foods or www.amazon.com.   I also like Avalon Organic (www.avalonorganics.com) products.  They have a peppermint shaving cream that leaves your legs so smooth, you don’t need lotion afterwards.  All of that minty good-for your-skin for $4.99 for 8 fl. Oz. at Whole Foods.  A little goes a long way with this product.

So as you can see, you don’t have to spend a lot or do a ton of research to find the products that are best for your body.  I will continue to post more products as I self-test!  Let me know what you come up with.

Happy paraben-free end of summer!

Heather

Earth Day 2010
Earth Day is Forty years old!
On Earth Day I like to take a minute to reflect on all of the green, green-ish and not so green things that I have incorporated into my life over the past year. I should be doing this every day, I realize, but sometimes a special day is what it takes to really make you think. So, this past year I have totally separated myself from all toxic cleaning products. I’m a cleaner at heart, so this has been a tough one for me. But honestly? Baking soda, vinegar and lemons do the job just as well. I have also started to buy more products in bulk online at Amazon.com. This cuts back on packaging and trips to the market (now if only we could get Amazon to green up their shipping materials- so I guess this qualifies as green-ish). No more printing! Unless a customer specifies otherwise, Crunchy G does not print a receipt or packing slip with purchase. One is automatically generated online, so we don’t see the need. I personally ask stores to not print receipts when I shop. I usually use my debit/ charge anyway, so I can keep track of those purchases online as well. My goal for this year; finally plant a vegetable garden (well, one that will live). I have dabbled in herbs, tomatoes, etc., in the past, with minimal results. This year, I’m going whole hog with garlic, cucumbers, zucchini, squash, tomatoes (yes, I WILL try again), and every herb I can think of. I have always been a big supporter of local farmers markets and vegetable stands, and will continue to be, but sometimes, you don’t need to look any further than your own backyard.
How are you celebrating Earth Day?