Cleaning up all aspects of my life

About a month ago, after hearing about my goal to clean up my diet, my sister asked me if I had ever heard of Melaleuca.  This is a company that for 25 years has been selling green cleaning products, cleaner skin and hair care and nutritional supplements.  They sell direct to consumers (not in stores) so I imagined why I hadn't heard of it.  They had been trying the Melaleuca products to rid their house of the harsh chemicals in cleaning products.  Apparently my brother-in-law didn't like that he felt like he had to take his kids outside to avoid fumes just because he had cleaned the stove.

My husband and I heard their pitch and were intrigued so we signed up.  We too want to rid our house of nasty chemicals which can only be bad for us.  Now I don't mean this to sound like a commercial for Melaleuca (although we have been very happy with their products and would love to help anyone else become a preferred customer of Melaleuca)... I bring this up because one of the leaders above us in Melaleuca sent us a book called The Melaleuca Wellness Guide.  I just started reading the book this week.  What I'm reading is astounding.

I had long suspected that the environment was a huge contributor to increasing health problems.  When I first found out 17 years ago that I suffered from a condition which made it difficult if not impossible to have children, I had never heard of this disorder.  Now I'm shocked at how frequently I hear it mentioned.  In this book I am reading that conditions such as Alzheimers, Multiple Sclerosis, miscarriages, infertility, asthma and ADD increase each year.  The frequency with which people are diagnosed with cancer is astounding.  At this rate of growth, it seems every person in the world could eventually be diagnosed with some form of cancer.  Studies have been published of children ending up critically ill or even died from exposure to the chemicals in regular household cleaners.  Clearly this is something that needs attention.

I have been using organic hair products for years - and my hair has never been healthier.  We have tried adding more and more organic foods into our diet, as financially feasible and we are feeling better.  Now we are adding green cleaning products to our household.  I can clean the shower without my eyes burning.  I can eat off my dishes without wondering what chemical residue is left behind from our dishwashing soap.  I'm feeling very positive about the changes we are making and we still have a long way to go.  But hey - baby steps, right?

Oh, and I'm down another pound...1 more and I will have lost 20 pounds since January 8th!

A word about Kefir

Several of you have heard me talk about my new favorite beverage, Kefir.  Kefir is a cousin of yogurt and comes in the form of smoothie drinks.  It is packed full of probiotics and tastes exactly like a yogurt smoothie!  In fact we've even added fresh fruit to it and run it through the blender as our evening treat.  It is so good and so good for you!

I was introduced to Kefir when I read "Live Beyond Organic" by Jordan Rubin.  After suffering from severe weight loss and health issues that no Doctors could identify, he moved to California to work with a nutritionist.  This nutritionist introduced him to a whole new diet of eating raw and organic, including raw unpasteurized milk and cultured dairy such as kefir.  Products such as these are very helpful for the digestive tract and your immune system.

Since adding kefir to our diets, along with eating better quality foods and greatly reducing our sugar intake, my husband and I have felt so much better.  For me, gone are the days of my stomach not feeling quite right, hurting or even nauseous.  I feel like I'm processing my foods so much better.  I have more energy.  And the kefir helps me feel satisfied I'm getting a "dessert".  Even though I don't miss the sugar of my favorite ice cream treat, mentally I still feel like I need that dessert at night.  So instead we have a glass of Kefir, or run it through the blender with some fresh fruit for a great smoothie.   I have definitely become a huge fan of Kefir and probiotics in general!

Epiphanies and "No Duh" Moments

First the good news...I returned from Colorado having gained back 6 pounds of the 16 I had originally lost.  I'm happy to report this past week I lost those 6 pounds plus an extra for good measure.  So, since my 3 day cleanse Jan 8-10, I have lost 17 pounds.

I am continually amazed at overall, how little I crave the things I used to love.  I definitely have my days when the sugar demon rears its head, but I have found if I chew a piece of sugarless gum, or have a cup of coffee with cream I can avoid the temptation to run for the nearest bag of chocolate or pray for Dairy Queen to appear at my door.

I did have an epiphany earlier this week...or maybe it was just a "no duh" moment.  But I realized that since I started eating better I'm not snacking as much during the day.  So obviously the better quality food I'm giving my body is helping me to not need the extra calories in the afternoon.  Don't get me wrong, I still occasionally want to reach for that bag of chips or the piece of chocolate.  But not nearly as often.

Last night my epiphany was that fresh organic pineapple makes just as good of a dessert as ice cream.  I used to eat ice cream almost every evening.  It's one of the things I thought I would crave the worst, next to soda.  But if it isn't in the freezer you can't eat it.  So last night I told my husband we needed to eat the pineapple we bought on Saturday before it got too ripe.  It was SO good!  A perfect dessert!  Who knew?

So I encourage you to rid your house of your favorite snack food or dessert and replace it with a fresh fruit, veggie or nut.  You might be surprised to find you are equally satisfied with the new food and will even need less of it since your body can put it to better use than those refined sugars and processed foods!