Green cleaning doesn’t have to be expensive. In fact, it can be very inexpensive if you have a few non-toxic products on hand. You can find some of the basics listed below. These are some of the things our great-grandmothers probably used to keep their homes clean for their families.

• Baking Soda can be used in place of harsh and toxic cleansers. It also deodorizes and softens water. You can use it to clean your oven by sprinkling it on the oven floor, spraying with water until damp and letting sit overnight. Scrub in the morning and you’ve got a clean oven!
• Castile Soap is great for disinfecting, cutting grease and it is a great all-around cleaner. The term castile tells you that the soap is vegetable, rather than animal-based.
• Lemon Juice is effective for bleaching, deodorizing, cutting grease and removing stains.
• Olive Oil is a great furniture polish.
• White Vinegar actually kills bacteria, as well as deodorizing and cutting grease and wax buildup. It also removes mildew and dissolves hard water lime buildup on the inside of teapots. Just add four ounces of vinegar to a pot of water and boil. Rinse well.
• Cornstarch will clean windows and pick up spills on your carpet, especially the ones from juice, coffee and wine.

If you would like to create your own safe cleaning solutions, here are some ‘recipes’ for you (I also like to add disinfecting essential oils to my cleaning recipes, tea tree, eucalyptus, lemon, lavendar and many others are great for cleaning):

A Safe Softscrub

Mix ½ cup of baking soda with enough vegetable-based liquid soap to create a frosting-like mixture. Use with a sponge to wash your surfaces. Doesn’t leave any grit and rinses easily.
You can make this as you need it, or store it in a covered glass jar with 1 teaspoon of vegetable glycerin, which will help keep it moist.

Non-Toxic Widow Cleaner

1/4-1/2 teaspoon natural liquid detergent
3 tablespoons vinegar
2 cups water
Spray bottle
Mix all of the above ingredients in a spray bottle and shake it up. The soap in this recipe cuts the wax residue from the commercial brands you might have used in the past.

Oven Cleaner

1 cup or more baking soda
Water
A squirt or two of natural liquid detergent
Wet the bottom of your oven generously and then cover all the grime with baking soda. The surface should be totally white. Spray some more water over the top and let the mixture sit overnight. Wipe up the grease the next morning. When the worst is cleaned up, go ahead and wipe up the rest with a sponge and a little castile soap. Using enough baking soda and water is the key – no skimping.

All-Around Cleaner

1/2 teaspoon washing soda
A dab of natural liquid soap
2 cups hot tap water
Mix the ingredients in a spray bottle until the washing soda is dissolved. Spray and clean!

Furniture Polish

1/2 teaspoon oil, such as olive (or jojoba, a liquid wax)
1/4 cup vinegar or fresh lemon juice
After mixing the ingredients in a glass jar you can use on a soft rag to wipe onto wood surfaces. Keep covered when not in use and store indefinitely.

Vinegar Deodorizer

Straight 5 percent vinegar in a spray bottle is a great deodorizer to use on your cutting board, on the counters and in the bathroom. You can let the vinegar sit on the cutting board overnight without wiping. The smell will dissipate. It is also great for getting the toilet rim clean.

Mold Cleaner

Combine 2 teaspoons of tea tree oil and 2 cups of water in a spray bottle. Shake well and spray on moldy areas. Do not rinse. Vinegar also works well to kill a lot of mold. Just spray at full strength and let sit.

Both of these homemade products have strong odors, but they dissipate and they are much safer than the majority of mold products on the market.

Written by Angelle Batten M.A., H.H.C.
Source – http://www.nourishmd.com

Eating healthy on the cheap can be tough, but if you stock your kitchen with the healthy cheap essentials it should save a great deal in the long run.

I buy certain staples like organic cheese and organic butter when they are on sale and keep them in the freezer.

Consider buying your organic meats, eggs, and fish in bulk and store in a larger freezer out in the garage.

Remember we have to pay for our health one way or another. Prevention is key. The food that graces your kitchen table is the best disease prevention money can buy. President Obama thinks that we will never fix the National Deficit until we fix the Health Care Crisis, I think we will never fix the Health Care Crisis until we fix the crisis at our kitchen tables.

Here are my favorite cheap health foods:

Flax seeds
Oatmeal
Brown Rice
Apples
Yams/Sweet potatoes
Broccoli
Spinach
Canned tomatoes
Carrots
Bananas

Tips I have learned from the Whole Foods School of Hard Knocks:

-Avoid buying a bunch of healthy stuff you don’t know how to prepare. Nothing is more wasteful than a bunch of rotting random veggies in your fridge. Instead, commit to making one new healthy recipe per week, experiment with new ingredients and recipes gradually to avoid wasting valuable grocery dollars. Don’t get overwhelmed by all the different grain options, make friends with them one recipe at a time.

-Drink a smoothie in place of one meal each day. You can easily get two servings of fruits out of the way by doing so. Buy frozen fruit when it is on sale, or save money each summer by picking and freezing your own.

-Shop at Farmer’s Markets for produce once weekly when possible. Plan meals around the foods that are in season, rely heavily on fresh herbs, pepper, garlic, and onions to season your food in lieu of organic sea salt.

-Buy frozen chicken breasts and fish on sale.

-Shop organic when possible, buy “The Dirty Dozen” organic, and save your organic dollars on the “Foods Least Likely to Contain Pesticides”.

-Avoid canned foods and opt for frozen. Always keep a little frozen broccoli, spincach, cauliflower, and mixed veggies in the freezer. You can quickly dress up any recipe by adding some steamed frozen veggies. Add one cup of frozen veggies to every frozen meal you prepare, most veggies will mix in nicely with the sauce. The fiber in the vegetables will keep you feeling full longer.

Remember that eating healthy is an investment in your current and long term health.

By Dr. Nicole Sundene

Thanks to MSN Health & Fitness contributor Jean Weiss, a list of the most medically questionable and harmful additives in everyday foods has been compiled to educate the masses. There are several that may be recognizable due to news reports and popular opinion, but others may be new to some and worthy of notation.

1. Sodium nitrite
2. BHA & BHT
3. Propyl gallate
4. Monosodium glutamate
5. Trans fats
6. Aspartame
7. Acesulfame-K
8. Food colorings (Blue & , Red , Green , Yellow )
9. Olestra
10. Potassium bromate
11. White sugar
12. Sodium chloride

There are many reasons that some people choose to shop and eat a completely organic range of foods, but the primary reason seems to center around the additives in various non-organic food items. Those additives have been studied and linked to various diseases, and instead of taking the chance that unhealthy preservatives and flavorings might be integrated into grocery store items, people often opt for the strictly organic route so as to avoid them altogether.

But everyone cannot afford the prices of organic foods or the time it takes to shop at specialty markets for them. Thus, becoming informed about the additives in everyday food items can make for an easier shopping experience and healthier items being ingested by everyone. In addition, a mass boycott of foods that contain such additives could prompt food manufacturers to remove such harmful ingredients from their products in the future.

HealthNews Dozen
Top 12 Food Additives to Remove From Your Diet
By Jennifer Newell
Health News, June 29, 2009
Straight to the Source

OK, first of all I will cut to the most asked question- will your kids and family be receiving either the H1N1 shots or a seasonal flu shot? the answer to both is a confidant no.

We have never had seasonal flu shots and we won’t be starting to do so this year despite the fear tactics employed by so many. The key is in building a very strong immune system and knowing your natural means of fighting bugs should you happen to bring any home.

I have seen many articles come across my e-mail based on this topic so I figured I would offer some of them here for your own educational process. I do admit most everything you read here will support my own views, hey, it’s my blog! If you want to read about opposing views, there are many out there and it isn’t hard to find them. I hope this helps you process of deciding where you will stand…

What I know:

• You don’t want to take the chances of getting Guillain-Barre syndrome, a reaction of the body’s immune system from receiving vaccinations. My husband has had it after multiple vaccinations in his early 20’s,  and I was afraid I would loose my fiance at the time, or best case we would have to find a new first apartment with handicap access. Not a good time! Guillain-Barre rates were out of control after the last H1N1 vaccination fiasco in the early 70’s.
• avoid sugar (kills your immune system), get enough rest (elementary children need 10-11 hours a night!), wash your hands (don’t use anti-microbial soaps),  Have positive thoughts (negativity decreases your immune system), manage your stress (stress lowers your immune system), excercise, take vitamin D, take probiotics, cover your mouth with the hollow of your elbow, not your hands that you will then touch things with and spread germs (teach this to your children!), if you are sick or have sick kids STAY HOME!, avoid touching your eyes, nose and mouth as much as possible, avoid artificial colorings and flavorings, eat whole, organic foods, avoid processed, packaged, boxed, canned foods, drink lots of pure, non-tap water
• take a good quality multi vitamin, probiotic, vitamin D and multi mineral to boost your immune system. Costco, walgreens, grocery stores and walmart, will not carry quality products!

Info on the H1N1:

Dr. Mercola on the H1N1

SixWise on H1N1

Jon Barron on H1N1

Is the H1N1 vaccine safe:

H1N1 vaccination for children

Info on flu vaccines:

Dr. Mercola on flu vaccines

Jon Barron on the flu

There are too many article out there to list here, these above sites also have other articles on similar topics.

Children should not be treated routinely with flu drugs such as Tamiflu because there is no clear evidence that they prevent complications and the medicines may do more harm than good, British researchers said on Monday.

They called for a reconsideration of the widespread use of antivirals among those under 12 in light of an analysis of clinical data from previous seasonal flu outbreaks showing scant benefits and potentially harmful side effects.

Governments around the world have built up large stockpiles of Roche’s Tamiflu and GlaxoSmithKline’s Relenza to deal with the H1N1 swine flu pandemic.

In Britain, hundreds of thousands of doses of Tamiflu have been handed out to people with the disease, around half of whom are children.

But Dr. Matthew Thompson from the University of Oxford said that, while antivirals shortened the duration of flu in children by around a day, they didn’t reduce asthma flare-ups or the likelihood of children’s needing antibiotics.

Tamiflu also was linked to an increased risk of vomiting, which can be serious in children because it can result in dehydration.

The analysis was based on a systematic review of seven clinical studies looking at use of Tamiflu and Relenza in seasonal flu outbreaks in 2,629 children aged 1 to 12 years.

There is no reason to think that the conclusions would not apply to the present relatively mild outbreak of swine flu, Thompson said.

Fellow Oxford researcher Dr. Carl Heneghan told reporters, “The strategy of giving out this treatment in a mild infection is inappropriate.”

The researchers also found that 13 people need to be treated to prevent one additional case, meaning that antivirals reduce transmission by a modest 8 percent.

“While morbidity and mortality in the current pandemic remain low, a more conservative strategy might be considered prudent, given the limited data, side effects such as vomiting, and the potential for developing resistant strains of influenza,” they wrote in the British Medical Journal.

Copyright Reuters

“We demand the systematic publication of the results of these tests, which we could only obtain on a case by case basis by taking legal action… It [the study] brings to light a significant underestimation of the initial signs of diseases like cancer and diseases of the hormonal, immune, nervous and reproductive systems, among others… The health crises may be more important than the international financial crisis because of the lack of transparency of the regulators.”

Source: An alarming study published in the Journal of Biological Science this week points toward serious health hazards from genetically engineered foods and pesticides. The research, conducted by scientists from France, Italy, New Zealand, U.K. and U.S., corroborates the decade-long criticism by public interest organizations such as the Organic Consumers Association, Greenpeace, and Friends of the Earth that European Food Safety bureaucrats and the U.S. FDA have used unreliable tests to assess the safety of food and products containing genetically modified organisms (GMOs). GMOs are now found in more than 80% of (non-organic) foods sold in conventional grocery stores in the U.S., as well as the majority of animal feed in the EU.

Learn more

Summer means strawberry season throughout the northern United States. Fresh, juicy and sweet berries can be readily found in markets and farm stands. They make excellent snacks and desserts.
Strawberries are rich sources of phenolic antioxidants that can help:
1. reverse inflammation
2. aid in weight loss
3. reduce the risk of chronic disease.

Strawberry extracts may have direct anti-inflammatory effects, helping to inhibit the activation of genes and enzymes that promote inflammation.
Most of this benefit is due to another group of phenolic antioxidants called anthocyanins, which give ripe strawberries their lush red color. Anthocyanins may decrease the risk of heart disease and stroke by protecting blood vessels from the effects of wear and tear.
The ellagic acid and anthocyanins found in strawberries may aid weight loss in at least three ways:
1. Chronic inflammation blocks the hormones involved in keeping you lean. Foods like strawberries help restore normal function to weight-reducing hormones.
2. Anthocyanins can actually increase the body’s production of a hormone called adiponectin, which stimulates your metabolism and suppresses your appetite.

3. Both ellagic acid and anthocyanins can slow the rate of digestion of starchy foods, controlling the rise in blood sugar that follows a starchy meal. This effect can help control blood sugar in people with adult-onset (Type 2) diabetes.
You can eat fresh or frozen strawberries as a snack or dessert anytime. Add plain, fat-free organic yogurt for a creamy topping and chopped walnuts or ground flax seed for crunchiness.
I recommend organically grown strawberries, besides the fact that conventional strawberries have one of the highest amounts of herbicides and pesticides, organic strawberries have been shown to have higher levels of vitamin C.

Microwaves seriously deplete the nutrients in your food. This is no surprise as all heating methods have a similar effect. However, microwave heating appears to produce the greatest losses.

Microwaves are high frequency electromagnetic waves that alternate in positive and negative directions, causing vibration of molecules up to 2.5 billion times per second. This creates friction and heat that can destroy the fragile structure of vitamins and enzymes.

Consuming microwaved foods may also cause pathological changes in your body. Once a food’s structure is altered, it cannot perform the desired function in your body. Clinical studies show that microwave heating of milk or cooking of vegetables is associated with a decline in hemoglobin levels. These reductions may contribute to anemia, rheumatism, fever, and thyroid deficiency.

To learn more, read The Hidden Hazards of Microwave Cooking.

Here is another good article about using microwaves

Teflon is one of the most popular bakeware materials in America. Teflon and other non-stick brand names comprise up to 77% of the entire bakeware market.

So what’s wrong with it?

Well, for starters, Teflon is made from perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA), a synthetic chemical used in production that creates the soap-like slipperiness and non-stick finish.

Once heated, Teflon and other non-stick bakeware will quickly reach temperatures at which toxic fumes release into the air. And it doesn’t take much heat to do this – the coating begins to break down and release toxins at a temperature of only 446° F.

PFOA has become very controversial because of potential health dangers…

In animal studies, PFOA posed health hazards like:

• Serious changes in organs including the brain, prostate, liver, thymus, and kidneys, showing toxicity.
• Death of several rat pups due to PFOA exposure.
• Changes in the pituitary in female rats, at all doses. Changes in the size of the pituitary indicate toxicity.
• PFOA contributed to tumor growth in at least four different organs in animal tests, and indicated in an increase in prostate cancer in PFOA plant workers.

Now the various PFOA doses used in these animal experiments weren’t necessarily the same exposure levels you might get from Teflon. But they clearly show the potential danger from PFOA.

And there’s more evidence:

• In a study conducted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), close to 98% of the population returned detected PFOA levels. While PFOA can come from sources other than Teflon, that’s startling information.
• A study reported in 2007, conducted by the John Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, showed alarming evidence indicating newborn infants face exposure to PFOA while in the womb.
• Though not necessarily related to Teflon, PFOA has already been implicated in increased instances of cancer in the pancreas, liver, testicles, and mammary glands, as well as miscarriages, thyroid problems, weakened immune systems, and low organ weights.

So, from a health and safety standpoint, Teflon bakeware is not a good choice.

Also, there are many other non-stick brand names that contain this toxic PFOA coating, including: Silverstone, Fluron, Supra, Excalibur, Greblon, Xylon, Duracote, Resistal, Autograph and T-Fal, to name just a few. So, avoid these as well.

In fact, if you have any bakeware made from this non-stick material, I would recommend you throw it out and replace it immediately.

Why You Should Avoid Aluminum

So, what are some of your other choices for baking appliances?

What about aluminum – it’s also very popular and lightweight? In fact, consumers choose metal bakeware products 73% of the time.

But I would not recommend aluminum pans for baking if you want to enjoy your golden years. Aluminum is a causal factor suspect in Alzheimer’s disease.

In my experience, people dread Alzheimer’s disease more than cancer and heart disease, for good reason.

Aluminum is a “reactive” metal, meaning that it reacts with salty or acidic foods to release itself into your food. Sources of aluminum include any size cookware or bakeware containers, foil, and utensils.

And many if not most aluminum bakeware manufacturers choose to coat their products with Teflon or other non-stick materials. So, you could face the same hazards detailed above from Teflon.

In addition, you can also face exposure to aluminum when Teflon chips off your coated aluminum baking dish or pan.

So, aluminum might satisfy one of our selection criteria by being lightweight – but I feel the safety risks are too high. Plus, I’m convinced there is a better alternative available for you.

Article taken from various articles on Mercola.com

The Pesticide Action Network has launched a new online searchable database designed to make the public problem of pesticide exposure visible and more understandable. Whether you want to find out what’s in your apple juice, milk, peanut butter, or bottled water, this innovative tool links pesticide food residue data with the toxicology for each chemical, making this information easily searchable for the first time.

Bookmark this link! and share it with everyone you know!