organic

How To Make Your Own Natural Sunscreen

Taya / Tips / , , , , , / 2 Comments

If you’ve been practicing a lot of yoga outdoors recently, either on sandy beaches or on lush green fields, then you’ve been most likely layering on the sunscreen. The problem with store bought sunscreen is it can get expensive, and depending on the brand, its additives and chemicals could be unwanted ingredients soaking into your body’s largest organ.

The solution? Make your own natural sunblock! It’s cheap, easy to make, waterproof, high SPF, and you know exactly what ingredients (buy organic, if available) you’re slathering on your skin.

You will need:

– tea tree oil (or your favourite essential oil…almond oil’s good for calming itchy skin)

– coconut oil (soothes and conditions skin)

– zinc oxide (sunblocking agent)

– bee’s oil/ bee’s wax (waterproofing agent)

– empty can

– pot of boiling water

Watch the following video to see how’s it’s created:

Be Thin-Skinned When It Comes to Organic

Be Thin-Skinned When It Comes to Organic

Sophie Legrand / Food / , , / 2 Comments

You might sometimes become a bit confused when shopping for fresh fruits and vegetables. I know I can be. Do I need to buy everything organic? Can I really afford it? What is the safest choice?

Furthermore, the organic option is not always available. There are a few things that I always buy organic: carrots, celery, apples and garlic. The main reason is that I eat those practically every day in one form or the other: raw, cooked, peeled, unpeeled. Also good garlic is hard to find, and the slightly better one is organic. Generally the garlic sold in shops comes from China and is old and malodourous.

The Environmental Working Group has drawn a very useful list, which identifies the fruit and vegetables most exposed to pesticides in traditional farming, also sometimes known as the Dirty Dozen.  On the other side of the spectrum you will find the clean dozen, the least likely contaminated.

This is a good indicator of which fruits and vegetables to buy organic and which traditionally farmed products are safer to buy as such.

[source: http://thestar.blogs.com]

THE DIRTY DOZEN

  • Peaches
  • Apples
  • Sweet Bell Peppers
  • Celery
  • Blueberries
  • Strawberries
  • Cherries
  • Kale/Lettuce
  • Grapes
  • Spinach
  • Nectarines
  • Potatoes

THE CLEAN DOZEN

  • Onions
  • Avocado
  • Sweet Corn (Frozen)
  • Pineapples
  • Mango
  • Asparagus
  • Sweet Peas (Frozen)
  • Asparagus
  • Kiwi
  • Cabbage
  • Eggplant
  • Cantaloupe

One simple rule you could apply, and it’s quite common sense, is thick skin versus thin skin. The thinner the skin of fruits and vegetables the more vulnerable they are to pesticides. It’s not as clear-cut as this when you look at the full list, but it is definitely a factor that can help you in your choices.

Moreover, apples, carrots, and celery do taste so much better when they are organic!

Yoga Coffee In Vancouver

Taya / Food / , , , , , , / 0 Comment

Yoga coffee, sounds like an oxymoron doesn’t it?! The thought of being jacked up on caffeine and then proceeding to a Yin Yoga class, just seems counter-intuitive.

Searching for a new morning brew, I purchased a bag of Ethical Bean ‘Mellow’ at London Drugs – it was on sale for only $7.99! (Broadway & Yew location has lots in stock.) The packaging includes a picture of a woman in sukhasana:

Mellow Medium Roast
Ommm. Serenity Now. Medium body, nutty aroma and a sweet brightness. Stirring memories of hazelnuts and caramelized sugar.

It actually IS very mellow, and has low acid. Their new bags have a zip-lock seal for freshness. Love this.

Have an iPhone? Download their free app and scan the emark to receive information about the specific beans in the bag you purchased.

The first time I tasted Ethical Bean was at the downtown Costco while they were offering samples of their ‘Lush’ coffee.  I was sold. Ethical Bean roasts their beans right here in Vancouver, BC. Anytime I have a chance to make my purchase Fair Trade, organic and local – I jump on it. This company creates environmental initiatives to help out in our local community and those of their coffee growing partners.

Namaste to Ethical Bean 🙂

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...