T is for Thanksgiving Real Food Recipes

ABCs for healthy living are quick takes on simple strategies for creating a healthier life.

Thanksgiving is next week. I created strategies for healthy living that helped me recover from fibromyalgia and keep me healthy every day. They include eliminating most processed food because it contains harmful additives and eating real food full of antioxidants and anti-inflammatory nutrients.The holiday season that stretches from Thanksgiving to New Year's Day has the potential to wreck healthy living strategies. I'm not worried about counting calories or carbs. I'm concerned about counting chemicals and avoiding as many as possible, even during food-centered celebrations.

Dealing with my personal food needs is not the only obstacle I face in planning our Thanksgiving dinner. I'm looking forward to having four generations of my extended family gathered around my table.There will be smiles, hugs, long talks, games, and laughter. But there will also be enough of us in the dining room that have food allergies that we could do group Public Service Announcements for the National Allergy Board. One or more people in my family has a food allergy or food intolerance to dairy products, gluten, beef, nuts, corn, bananas,shellfish, pork, citrus fruits, kiwi, avocados, chocolate, tomatoes, soy, and peanuts. It's a good thing I relish a challenge.

If I can prepare a delicious real food Thanksgiving meal for my food allergy bunch, I know that anyone can. If you are cooking for a crowd that has food sensitivities, have one entree that everyone can eat and plenty of side dishes so that everyone can choose at least two additional foods. If I tried to make every single dish something that every single person could eat, we would have nothing but a lonely turkey on our table.

To keep your holiday meal free of processed food that contains harmful chemicals and toxic additives, plan simple recipes that use real food instead of food that comes out of a box or package. Real food is always a healthy and delicious choice.

Real Food Thanksgiving Menu

Roasted Turkey. I fill the cavity with apple slices, onion, garlic and spices and baste with olive oil and everyone can eat it. You can also add slices of oranges, lemons and limes to ramp up the zesty flavor.

Slow Cooker Macaroni and Cheese. The lactose intolerant folks have to pass on this one but all of my grandchildren adore it. Slow Cooker Macaroni and Cheese Recipe

Portuguese Country Bread. My mother got this recipe on a trip to Portugal. Portuguese Country Bread Recipe

Baked Sweet Potatoes. I serve them plain with a choice of toppings that include butter, soy- free dairy-free butter substitute, brown sugar, ground cinnamon, and ginger.  

Roasted Vegetables can be made with just about any vegetables you like. Simply place cut up vegetables on a large rimmed cookie sheet, brush with olive oil, sprinkle with sea salt and your favorite spices. Roast in the oven at 400 degrees for about an hour or until vegetables start to brown around the edges.

Fruit Plate with enough choices that everyone can eat at least one of the fruits.If you are feeling artistic, check out this cute turkey made from fruit that I found on Pinterest. My grandchildren had a great time helping me create a Festive Turkey Fruit Platter
 
Salad Greens with kale, carrots, mushrooms, tomatoes, and homemade balsamic vinaigrette dressing. I put the greens in a large bowl and arrange the other ingredients on a tray so that everyone can make their own.

Apple Pear Crisp Apple Pear Crisp Recipe

Chocolate Almond Pie that is dairy free, soy free, and gluten free. Chocolate Almond Pie Recipe

And there you have it: a real food Thanksgiving feast for the allergy crowd. Oh, and by the way, my family will be here from Wednesday until Sunday so I have to round up food choices for breakfast, lunch, and dinner for five days. And that's a chore I"m grateful to have. Because spending time with people I love is a gift. And Thanksgiving is the perfect time of year to smile and count my blessings.

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S is for Sleep Hacks for Insomnia

ABCs for healthy living are quick takes on simple strategies for creating a healthier life.

I just want to catch a few Zs

Before I was diagnosed with fibromyalgia, I was an extremely sound sleeper. I have slept through tornadoes, blaring car alarms, and a bomb exploding in a house down the street. So it came as quite a shock to my system when one of my fibromyalgia symptoms was insomnia which is often a collateral problem with autoimmune diseases.I had difficulty falling asleep and staying asleep. When I managed to catch a few fitful hours at night, I never felt rested in the morning.

Sleep disturbances in chronic illness often are related to the larger problem of the inflammation and cellular damage that results from exposure to chemicals in our food and environment. Too many people count calories and carbs without every considering how important it is to count chemicals. I didn't give a single thought to how many chemicals I was exposed to on a daily basis until I got sick. While searching for ways to feel better, I learned I needed to detoxify my body by limiting my exposure to harmful substances. I found safer alternatives to cleaning products, cosmetics, and personal care items. I stopped eating highly processed food full of toxic chemical ingredients. I started eating lots of real food with 
antioxidants and anti-inflammatory nutrients.

My severe pain and fatigue symptoms dramatically improved. But my sleep pattern had been disrupted by this horrible disease for such a long time that I still had a problem with insomnia. I had to do some things to reset my natural sleep cycle clock. Be sure to check with your doctor before trying any plan that involves medications or supplements. Here is what I did. And it worked.

I stopped taking prescription sleep medication which I had been using to try to get at least a few hours of sleep each night.This type of drug is intended for only short-term use. It is not designed to be used for longer than a few weeks. Sleep induced by medication does not follow a natural sleep cycle pattern.

I took the over-the-counter supplement Melatonin for eight weeks. Melatonin has been shown to be effective in restoring the natural sleep cycle. It should never be taken for more than six to eight weeks.That is sufficient for resetting your natural biorhythms. Taking it for longer than that compromises your body's ability to produce natural Melatonin. Talk to your physician before taking Melatonin or any other supplement.

During the eight weeks I was on Melatonin, I created a bedtime ritual I could follow every night. After supper, I did not do any work related activities. I watched television, checked my Facebook page, and did other just-for-fun things until 11:00 p.m. I took a hot bath or shower before getting into bed. This helped me relax. I grabbed a book and read until I started feeling a little sleepy and then turned off the lights.In the beginning, I often read until 2:00 or 3:00 in the morning. After a couple of weeks, I was turning out the lights by 12:00 and sleeping until 7:00 or 8:00 the next day.

After eight weeks, I stopped the Melatonin, and continued the bedtime ritual I had established. I was worried the first night about how I would react without taking the Melatonin. But, I started reading at 11:00, turned out the lights at 11:30 and slept all night.I have been sleeping soundly ever since.

Before you attempt to reset your sleep pattern, it is important to detoxify your body first by eliminating chemicals from your environment and diet.You need to build up your body’s immune system and ability to take care of itself by eating natural whole healthy foods. If you are just beginning this process, hold on to hope. You can recover from fibromyalgia and a multitude of other autoimmune diseases by making lifestyle changes to get rid of chemicals. You can even sleep and dream again.  

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R is for Read Labels to Avoid Chemicals

ABCs for healthy living are quick takes on simple strategies for creating a healthier life.

Commercially manufactured bread contains chemical additives.

I used to think that choosing healthy foods meant counting calories, fat grams, and carbs so that I could lose weight. I gave no thought at all to the ingredients used to create highly processed low calorie foods. I compromised my health every single time I ate something that came out of a box or carton no matter how low the calorie count was.

And then I was diagnosed with fibromyalgia. While searching for ways to improve my symptoms, I learned that chemicals we are exposed to every day in common household products, cosmetics, and processed food make us sick. Exposure to these chemicals has been identified a a causal factor in almost all autoimmune illnesses, including fibromyalgia, as well as Alzheimer's Disease, cardiovascular disease, asthma, and many types of cancer.

Our bodies are designed to break down and utilize real food for energy, stamina, and to maintain health. Our bodies are not designed to deal with artificial chemical ingredients used by big food manufacturing companies to increase the shelf life of packaged products. Most food conglomerates are interested in profit margins, not health.

The label in the above picture is from a typical commercially manufactured loaf of whole wheat bread. When I make wheat bread, I use just a few real food ingredients: flour, wheat, salt, yeast, milk, butter, and a little sugar to activate the yeast.

Look at what has been added to the commercially manufactured loaf. And this is a brand that contains fewer added ingredients than many of the others sitting on the supermarket shelves. Consider just one of the added chemical ingredients. Monoglycerides are additives used as an emulsifier to keep oil and fat from separating. Monoglycerides (and diglycerides) often contain trace amounts of trans fats which have been banned for use in food production but don't have to be listed as a trans fat because of the level per serving calculations.They have been linked to an increased risk of developing type 2 diabetes, heart disease, and raising bad cholesterol levels.The CDC (Centers for Disease Control) has correlated consuming trans fats to increased rates of death.There is no safe level of them to eat.

I don't always have time to make my own bread. So I have become an avid label reader. When I buy a commercially produced loaf of bread, I read the ingredients labels, understand what each ingredient is, and make an informed decision about the purchase. My goal is to eat real food 90% of the time.That leaves 10% leeway for eating some processed food.

I also reduced my exposure to toxic chemicals by eliminating household cleaners that contain harmful ingredients and switching to safer cosmetics. For more info on how to reduce your exposure to toxic chemicals, check out these five ideas.

Eliminate These 3 Toxic Things Now

How to Clean Your Entire Bathroom Without Toxic Chemicals

How to Find Less Toxic Cosmetics

Why Fragrances are Harmful to Our Health

3 Nontoxic Household Cleaner Recipes

I was so debilitated from the pain and fatigue of fibromyalgia that there were many days I could barely function. I stopped eating most processed food, started eating real food with a lot of antioxidants and anti-inflammatory nutrients, and switched to cleaning products and personal care items with fewer chemicals.It takes time and energy to make lifestyle changes but it is certainly worth the effort. Next month, I will celebrate four years of being completely symptom free.

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3 Great Nontoxic Household Cleaners You Can Make 'Today

White vinegar and baking soda are great nontoxic cleaning ingredients

Eliminating toxic substances from my home is the core of my healthy living plan. Processed food, household cleaners, and personal care items contain tons of harmful chemical ingredients including formaldehyde, preservatives, petroleum derivatives, BHA, parabens, phthalates, chemicals in fragrance, VOCs,and artificial colors. Exposure to these chemicals has been linked to a wide variety of autoimmune illnesses, fibromyalgia, lupus, Alzheimer's disease, heart disease, diabetes, and several types of cancer.

Changing my lifestyle truly changed my life. I recovered from fibromyalgia and have stayed healthy since I started eating real food instead of processed food and switched to safer 
household products,

Cleaning products are especially problematical because we spread them on surfaces all over our homes, get them on our skin, and breathe the toxic ingredients into our lungs where they circulate throughout the body with the potential to damage every organ in the body.

You can buy nontoxic laundry detergent, dish washing liquid, automatic dishwasher tabs, all-purpose spray cleaners, and liquid hand soap at Target and Walmart from companies like Seventh Generation and Method.

You can also make your own cleaning products from inexpensive ingredients like plain white vinegar and baking soda. Here are three of my favorites:

All-Purpose Cleaner

All Purpose Cleaner

Mix equal parts of plain white vinegar and water in a spray bottle.That's it!

Use this mixture to clean countertops, mirrors, appliances, chrome, faucets, and anything else you would normally clean with a commercial all-purpose cleaner. Spray the solution on the surface you want to clean. Wipe it off with paper towels or a micro fiber cloth. No rinsing needed. Be sure to use a micro fiber cloth when cleaning mirrors, glass, and chrome. It will leave them clean and shiny without leaving behind paper residue. You can buy large jugs of inexpensive vinegar at any big box store or supermarket.  

Interesting factoid: Vinegar contains 5 % acetic acid which kills bacteria and viruses. Vinegar is such an effective germ killer that it is used in many hospital high risk neonatal units to protect vulnerable newborns from exposure to both germs and harsh chemicals.

Tile Floor Cleaner

Tile Floor Cleaner

I have quarry tile floors in my kitchen, den, sunroom, and foyer. I love the natural swirly look of the tile that makes me feel like I'm walking across stones on a creek bed. I don't love that the floors need heavy duty cleaning because this area gets a lot of foot traffic.I experimented with various combinations of ingredients and the one I settled on keeps my floors cleaner than any commercial product I have ever used.

Buy an inexpensive one gallon pitcher with a lid.Fill it half full with warm water. Add 1 Tbs of mild nontoxic dish detergent and 1/2 c baking soda and stir. Add 1/2 c of plain white vinegar. Warning: fizzing will occur! I put my pitcher in the laundry room sink while I'm making this so if it bubbles over, no problem. Go do something else while you wait for it to quit fizzing. After the bubbling subsides,slowly add more warm water to finish filling the pitcher. Stir as you add the rest of the water. You can use your favorite mop and just pour a little of the solution on the floor and mop away. I use a mop that has a pump sprayer, a reservoir to add the cleaning solution, and a micro fiber cleaning pad that can be tossed in the washing machine after each use. It is easy to fill the mop reservoir with the solution since my pitcher has a nice pouring spout. Put the lid on the pitcher when you are done and store any leftover solution for your next mopping task. After you mop the floor with this solution, go over the floor again with a clean damp mop using plain water.Your floors will be sparkling clean and fresh. 

Wood Cleaner

This mixture is great for cleaning and restoring scratched wooden surfaces.Use it on tabletops, furniture, doors, or any wooden object in need of a little TLC. I have used it to make 30 year old rocking chairs look brand new and to erase all the scratches on a dining table I purchased at a huge discount because it had been a floor sample. I used some on the scratched closet door pictured below. The scratches disappeared as soon as I put the solution on the door.

To make the wood cleaner: Mix 3/4 of a cup of canola oil with 1/4 of a cup of white vinegar. Apply to the marred wooden surface with a clean rag, micro fiber cloth, or a paper towel. Leave the mixture on for at least an hour. You can leave it on overnight if you want. Buff with a clean dry cloth.The wood usually soaks up most of the mixture so there may be little or no residue of the oil to wipe off as you buff. If you are unsure about using this on a specific type of wood or a treasured family antique, do a test run first. Apply some of the mixture to an inconspicuous spot on the back or underside of the piece of furniture and leave overnight to see if you like the results before doing the entire piece of furniture.

Before using wood cleaner

After using wood cleaner

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3 Great Nontoxic Household Cleaner Recipes

White vinegar and baking soda are great nontoxic cleaning ingredients

Eliminating toxic substances from my home is the core of my healthy living plan. Processed food, household cleaners, and personal care items contain tons of harmful chemical ingredients including formaldehyde, preservatives, petroleum derivatives, BHA, parabens, phthalates, chemicals in fragrance, VOCs,and artificial colors. Exposure to these chemicals has been linked to a wide variety of autoimmune illnesses, Alzheimer's disease, heart disease, diabetes, and several types of cancer.

Changing my lifestyle truly changed my life. I recovered from fibromyalgia and have stayed healthy since I started eating real food instead of processed food and switched to safer 
household products,

Cleaning products are especially problematical because we spread them on surfaces all over our homes, get them on our skin, and breathe the toxic ingredients into our lungs where they circulate throughout the body with the potential to damage every organ in the body.

You can buy nontoxic laundry detergent, dish washing liquid, automatic dishwasher tabs, all-purpose spray cleaners, and liquid hand soap at Target and Walmart from companies like Seventh Generation and Method.

You can also make your own cleaning products from inexpensive ingredients like vinegar and baking soda. Here are three of my favorites:

All-Purpose Cleaner

All Purpose Cleaner

Mix equal parts of plain white vinegar and water in a spray bottle. That's it!

Use this mixture to clean countertops, mirrors, appliances, chrome, faucets, and anything else you would normally clean with a commercial all-purpose cleaner. Spray the solution on the surface you want to clean. Wipe it off with paper towels or a micro fiber cloth. No rinsing needed. Be sure to use a micro fiber cloth when cleaning mirrors and chrome. It will leave them clean and shiny without leaving behind paper residue. You can buy large jugs of inexpensive vinegar at any big box store or supermarket.  

Interesting factoid:  Vinegar contains 5 % acetic acid which kills bacteria and viruses. Vinegar is such an effective germ killer that it is used in many hospital high risk neonatal units to protect vulnerable newborns from exposure to both germs and harsh chemicals.

Tile Floor Cleaner

Tile Floor Cleaner

I have quarry tile floors in my kitchen, den, sunroom, and foyer. I love the natural swirly look of the tile that makes me feel like I'm walking across stones on a creek bed. I don't love that the floors need heavy duty cleaning because this area gets a lot of foot traffic. I experimented with various combinations of ingredients and the one I settled on keeps my floors cleaner than any commercial product I have ever used.

Buy an inexpensive one gallon pitcher with a lid. Fill it half full with warm water. Add 1 Tbs of mild nontoxic dish detergent and 1/2 c baking soda and stir. Add 1/2 c of plain white vinegar. Warning: fizzing will occur! After the bubbling subsides, slowly add more warm water to finish filling the pitcher. Stir as you add the rest of the water. You can use your favorite mop and just pour a little of the solution on the floor and mop away. I use a mop that has a pump sprayer, a reservoir to add your own cleaning solution, and a micro fiber cleaning pad that can be tossed in the washing machine after each use. It is easy to fill the mop reservoir with the solution since my pitcher has a nice pouring spout. Put the lid on the pitcher when you are done and store any leftover solution for your next mopping task. After you mop the floor with this solution, go over the floor again with a clean damp mop using only water.Your floors will be sparkling clean and fresh. 

Wood Cleaner

This mixture is great for cleaning and restoring scratched wooden surfaces. Use it on tabletops, furniture, doors, or any wooden object in need of a little TLC. I have used it to make 30 year old rocking chairs look brand new and to erase all the scratches on a dining table I purchased at a huge discount because it had been a floor sample. I used some on the scratched closet door pictured below. The scratches disappeared as soon as I put the solution on the door.

To make the wood cleaner: Mix 3/4 of a cup of canola oil with 1/4 of a cup of white vinegar. Apply to the marred wooden surface with a clean rag, micro fiber cloth, or a paper towel. Leave the mixture on for at least an hour. You can leave it on overnight. Buff with a clean dry cloth.The wood usually soaks up most of the mixture so there may be little or no residue of the oil to wipe off as you buff. If you are unsure about using this on a specific type of wood or a treasured family antique, do a test run first. Apply some to an inconspicuous spot on the back or underside of the piece of furniture and leave overnight to see if you like the results before doing the entire piece of furniture.

Before using wood cleaner

After using wood cleaner

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P is for Perfume

ABCs for healthy living are quick takes on simple strategies for creating a healthier life.

Do you know what is in your favorite fragrance?

When you see the word fragrance or perfume listed on the ingredient label for a cleaning product, personal care item, or cosmetic this means the product may contain up to 300 chemical ingredients which do not have to be listed individually, but can be covered by using just one word: perfume or fragrance. The fragrance industry gets away with this by calling the ingredients a trade secret. Manufactures can add anything under the heading trade secret and keep consumers in the dark about what they use.

Researchers have found that these secret ingredients include synthetic substances manufactured from petroleum derivatives and coal tar, benzene, phthalates, and volatile organic chemicals (VOCs).These chemicals are so bad that the U.S. National Academy of Science has grouped them with pesticides, heavy metals, and solvents as chemicals that need priority study as causal agents of neurotoxicity.

Every time you use a product that contains the word fragrance you inhale toxic particles into your lungs and they end up in the bloodstream where they have the potential to damage every organ in your body on a cellular level.

Studies show that, even at low levels,the harmful ingredients in fragrance cause fatigue, headaches, skin irritation, eye irritation, migraines, nausea, tingling and numbness in the arms and legs, dizziness, increased asthma symptoms, respiratory distress,central nervous system damage, and have been inked to liver and breast cancer.

Fragrance is harmful to the health of both users and their families. Its toxic effects linger in the air hours after use. It has the potential to compromise your health, the health of your children, and the health of anyone around you.

Fragrance has been called the new second-hand smoke because it is harmful to both users and bystanders.The response of public awareness to the dangers of fragrance lags behind public awareness of cigarette smoke. Researchers hope that will change quickly as more people become aware of how hazardous fragrance is to human health.

When I decided to move toward healthy living, I got rid of all the products in my home that contain the word fragrance. Some products are obvious: perfume, cologne, scented candles, and air fresheners. Some are not so obvious, So I read labels on everything I used and found fragrance listed as an ingredient in makeup, cosmetics, laundry detergent, toilet tissue, hairspray, household cleaners, soap, and many other household products I used every day.I ditched everything I found that had fragrance listed as an ingredient. I never use perfume, artificial air fresheners, and scented candles.I have found fragrance free versions of products I use every day like household cleaners and personal care items.

If you want to create a healthier life for yourself and your family, stop using products that contain the word fragrance.

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M is for Makeup

ABCs for healthy living are quick takes on simple strategies for creating a healthier life.

Do you know what is in your makeup?

I use makeup and personal care items every day. When I was creating strategies for healthy living, I was shocked to learn what was in products I slather on my skin.There is no one oversight board to regulate the cosmetic industry. The word "natural" can be used by anyone on any item and companies can say a product is made with "organic" ingredients if it is composed of at least 70% organically certified ingredients, even if the remaining 30 % is full of ingredients known to be toxic.

Makeup may contain BHA preservatives, coal tar, petroleum derivatives, phthalates, parabens, formaldehyde, mercury, lead, and a lot of other toxic ingredients that have been linked to the onset of autoimmune diseases, disruption of the endocrine system, and some types of cancer.

Many types of makeup contain fragrance as an added ingredient. Fragrance is dangerous not because of the smell, but because volatile organic chemicals (VOCs) are used to bind the fragrance to the product. VOCs damage the body on a cellular level causing a variety of symptoms including fatigue, headaches, neurological disruptions, dizziness, and irritation of the skin and eyes.

Because the cosmetics industry regulates itself, consumers need to understand how to choose safer makeup options. A good resource is The Skin Deep Database where you can look up the ingredients in your favorite cosmetics and get a numerical rating on how safe or toxic it is.

To make smart safer choices:

Read the ingredients labels.
Avoid products that contain dangerous ingredients like the ones listed above.
Choose products that contain fewer harmful ingredients.
Avoid any product with the word fragrance on the ingredient list.
When in doubt, check it out here The Skin Deep Database

Few makeup brands are completely chemical free. Safer brands include: Alima Pure,Bare Minerals, Ecco Bella, Physicians Formula, Pure and True, Zuii Organic. If you love to paint your nails, read this: Safer Nail Polish

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Safer Nail Polish

Strategies for healthy living often focus on food. And that's a good thing. We detoxify our bodies when we eliminate processed food full of harmful chemicals from our diet and eat real food instead.This was one of the primary changes I made that helped me recover from fibromyalgia and continues to help me maintain a healthy lifestyle.

Processed food is not the only thing that can be toxic.Household products are full of potentially harmful ingredients. I was shocked to learn how many dangerous substances are added to makeup, hair spray, deodorant, and other personal grooming products I use every day. I guess I could just ditch all that stuff but deodorant, toothpaste, and soap are quite necessary for maintaining good hygiene and I like to use makeup,hairspray, and other personal grooming products to look my best. (At my age I need all the help I can get!) 

Let's look at nail polish.

Safe Nail Polish in Mixed Berries

I love painting my toenails a rainbow of colors during the summer sandal season. But there are a lot of potentially toxic ingredients in many popular brands of nail polish. Four of the scariest are formaldehyde (which is used in embalming fluid and can cause cancer), toluene (which is used in gasoline, affects the nervous system, and can cause headaches, dizziness, nausea, and eye irritation), dibutyl-pthalate (DBP) (has been linked to reproductive problems), and triphenyl phosphate (TPHP) (which is used as a fire retardant and has been linked to disruptions in the endocrine system.) A recent study by researchers at Duke University found measurable TPHP inside the bodies of women just 10-14 hours after they applied nail polish that contained that ingredient.Duke University TPHP Study 

Making practical choices for healthy living required me to change my routine in realistic ways that I could follow for the rest of my life.My plan for limiting exposure to toxic chemicals in processed food is to eat real food at least 90% of the time. (That gives me a 10% margin for eating out, having cake at my grandchild's birthday party, and other occasions when it is unrealistic to eat real food I make myself.) I've also made practical changes to limit my exposure to harmful chemicals in household products.

Here's what I do to limit my exposure to toxic ingredients and still have fun using nail polish.

• I do not paint my fingernails. 
• I only paint my toenails in the summer during sandal season.
• I use one of the safer nail polish brands.

I don't paint my fingernails because I use my hands to prepare food, comb my hair, scratch an itch, and other activities where I want to minimize contamination from polish. I only use nail polish in the summer which limits the amount of time it is on my body to just a few months of the year.I use a safer nail polish brand that does not contain as many harmful chemicals as traditional brands.You can smell the difference. Polish that contains harmful chemicals emits fumes that have a strong, distinctive odor. Safer brands have little or no smell.

If you want to create a healthy lifestyle and still enjoy nail polish, use it in moderation, and consider trying one of the safer brands that don't contain as many toxic ingredients, such as: Benecos,Honey Bee Gardens,Nubar, Piggy Paint, and Safe Nail Polish.

I like Safe Nail Polish.It is water based, nontoxic,odorless,hypoallergenic, and made in America. Most of the safer brands of nail polish are more expensive than traditional brands. Safe Nail Polish is $10.95 a bottle. It is cost effective because it will last two to three years.I have used a bottle three summers with no change in texture.Two coats is all you need. It dries hard in five minutes and is water repellent after two hours. Safe Nail Polish 

Skies the Limit, Dew on a Rose, Mystic Silver, Pink Pearl

Being mindful of what I put on my body as well as what I put into it, is an essential part of my healthy living plan. Changing my lifestyle truly changed my life. I have had no more fibromyalgia symptoms since December of 2012. I maintain my health and well-being by continuing to use practical strategies for healthy living.

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