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nik

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  1. I love it too! Esp. mid summer. That's when the produce is ready. Tomatoes in every color, fruits, berries, melons, cucumbers, peppers etc. It's going to be easy to eat much more raw when summer gets here. June/July etc.
  2. Sugar can be considered the substrate from which non-beneficial oral bacteria thrive (basically Streptococcus mutans). The sugar molecule, unlike the pentol structure of xylitol adheres easily to surfaces like tooth enamel. S. mutans thrive on sugar and the lactic acid they produce (this is where the "acidity" actually comes from) is what leads to dental caries. It's one area acidity comes from. But acidity can come directly too as well which eats at the enamal. I heard that soft drinks were acidic in addition to their sugar content. Of course we've got to eat, and there's nothing wrong with eating sugars and carbs or even acidic food. Like oranges, limes, lemons, pineapples, tomatoes, grapefruits, bananas, oatmeal etc. It's the length and frequency of the contact time that matters. Don't let sugars and/or acids sit on the teeth. Rinse and brush frequently. kollision, Check out this article http://www.laleva.cc/food/xylitol.html
  3. Kollision, You don't honestly believe it's that simple do you? Once you've orally introduced the high levels of sugar that sodas contain, you're setting the stage for an acidic environment which non-beneficial bacteria (s. mutans) thrive on. Your own saliva neutralizes better than water, which is still not saying much. It's not the sugar that's such a problem, but the acidity of it directly. The same goes for all acidic drinks including sugar free lemonaide, acid fruit juices, eating citrus etc. Rinsing with water does rinse out the residues of the drink or food, the sugars and acids, and it's far easier to do with a drink. The biggest problem with sugars are from sticky fermentable carbs like dried fruits and soft starches (cookies, cakes, breads etc.) because food particles get stuck in the teeth and the sugars ferment feeding the bacteria a feast. That's why it's good to brush often. But after an acidic meal or drink you should rinse your mouth out with water first before you brush or else you can wear out your enamal if the acid is still in your mouth when you brush. I keep a bottle of water mixed with a bit of baking soda around for a mouthwash after acidic meals. I love citrus and oranges, so the baking soda being so alkaline brings the ph back up in the mouth and the water rinses off the residues of the citrus juice. As far as soda, it is easy to make your own with some bubbly water and flavors sweetened with Xylitol which is actually good for teeth and helps reminerlize them.
  4. Amen! I've never felt like a bigger flake, flip floper until I started researching health information, Esp. on the net! You end up going in circles and chasing your own tail. One day swearing off some food, the next wanting to include it in large amounts, then the next limiting it with certain restrictions and qualifactions, and all over again. One day not concerned, the next, paranoid as *&%@!. All these alerts, articles and vegan doctors etc. made me decide to give it a try. Esp. since I was already starting to take other supplements and concentrates. The major advice is that once you have symptoms of it it is too late and you already have irreversible damage by that point. So I thought maybe I could be deficient and just not have any symptoms of it yet. Plus it is known to have a roll in other secondary type of health problems and deficiencies. I really did think I would feel differently afterwards though cause I was sure I was probably deficient. But maybe you don't feel anything from it? I don't know, but it's easy to take cause it's chewable and tastes good and I only need 1 a few times a week whenever I remember. I have some dried hydrilla powder that is an aquatic weed and it has tons of B-12 listed on it's nutritional facts. But I figured it is probably analog like the seaweed stuff. I think the only major source of B-12 might be fermented foods like fresh sauerkraut and stuff.
  5. It actually can lower excess estrogen levels. Phyto-estrogen's are like a 1000x weaker then real estrogen and they can attach to the estrogen receptors effectively competing with real estrogen, thus lowering real estrogen levels. The main sources of excess estrogen is from the environment and chemical toxins like plastics and paraben preservatives and from meat and dairy because of all the hormones in the meat. Phyto-estrogen's are also in like everything. Soy is ONE source. Flax seeds are an even more powerful source, lignin's. All beans, nuts, seeds, fruits etc. It is common throughout plant foods and herbs. Honeybush tea is also high in isoflavanoids etc.
  6. It's just a bunch of personal opinions and ideas thrown around. I don't see any evidence in it at all. Like the author claims that foods like onions and garlic etc. are "lethal" to intestinal flora. Yet onions and garlic have long been known as Pre-biotic foods that improve intestinal flora. They also claim that a healthy body will expel fermented substances and doesn't use fermented food. No evidence or proof or even logical theory for it, just unfounded claims out of the blue. They also claim that synthetic supplements are not usable by the body only discard unused. There are tons of evidence to the contrary. While isolated synthetic supplements might not be the best thing or could create imbalances in nutrients, and the body discards what it doesn't need of it for water soluble ones, they are used and usable by the body. Again the author provides no evidence, sound theory or studies that back up those claims that the body only discards supplements as quickly as possible and are unusable. B12 vitamins are made from bacteria, so I don't see how that is synthetic and not "naturally derived". The author also claims that if they made supplements from naturally derived ingredients, the pills would be too large to swallow. Again, another ludicrous claim. Many supplements are derived from natural ingredients. Many are just extracts from natural ingredients or concentrates. And they are not too large to swallow but really small. Like olive leaf extract, grape seed extract, and many vitamins and minerals are extracted from foods and concentrated. Some aren't even vegan and derived from animals. If they were all synthetic vegans wouldn't have to be concerned about the source of any of them. Funny that they mention Doug Graham too, since he found out that he had a B12 deficiency and then so supplemented with B12 pills to correct it. As far as B12 supplementation or not, I grew up lacto-veg and then went vegan for 10yrs before I even thought about the need to supplement with B12. I had stayed away from enriched foods too because I didn't trust them. I started taking the pills recently but so far I have not noticed any changes from it. It says it gives you more energy, but it hasn't. I haven't noticed any other changes either. I also didn't have any known symptoms of a deficiency. So I don't know. Maybe I was getting it just fine, or not, but how do you know?
  7. I don't really see why you would need or want to mix it with the oil? Just layer it as two steps. Put the serum on your face - just a few drops until it absorbs into the skin, about a minute. Then apply a layer of your oil as a moisterizer. Most serums are designed to be applied and absorbed by themselves after cleansing and toning, and prior to your moisterizer. I think you mean DMAE. DHEA is a hormone. You can buy DMAE supplements at the health food store. It's promoted as a smart nutrient for brain health and a skin firming agent. http://www.bodybuilding.com/store/dmae.html http://www.vitacost.com/science/hn/Supp/DMAE.htm Here are some studies on Rose Hip Oil. "The first major study on rosehip seed oil was performed in 1983 by a team of researchers at the University of Santiago, Chile. The study's participants included individuals with diverse forms of skin damage: deep wrinkles and other premature aging, UV damage, radiation damage, acne scarring, burn scarring, dermatitis, and other problems of this type. Rosehip seed oil was shown to have significant, noticeable effects in regenerating the skin, reducing wrinkles and scars, and helping the skin to regain its natural color and tone. Another later study was conducted on women ages 25-35 with extensive premature aging of their skin. Again, rosehip seed oil significantly reduced the appearance of wrinkles and sun spots after daily application for four months. Research has continued on the oil, with one study noting: "On some skin troubles like superficial wrinkles, chestnut spots and ephelides, good results have been obtained. After 16 weeks of treatment, wrinkles and spots become imperceptible." The oil has been used to successfully treat a long list of skin related conditions, including: age spots, wrinkles and premature aging, sun damage, scars from acne, burns, and surgery, eczema, psoriasis, dermatitis, hyper-pigmentation, brittle nails, and even dry and damaged hair."
  8. That's great it's all vegan. Is there a website for that company? I haven't seen it in the US. The ingredients look good. So often most companies besides for the beneficial ingredients include a ton on non-beneficial ingredients and preservatives. There are a lot of natural companies now though. There is also this one: http://www.devita.net/products/ProductView.mgi2?mgiToken=AGHU785CR2498D7&ID=DHA Vegan HA serum. They have a lot of other products that say they are vegan with no bad preservatives. There's also this organic company http://www.theorganicpharmacy.com/product2.php?product_group_ID=1 But it's really expensive. Too much to me after shipping and currency exchange. The zenbiotic line is not tested on animals. And the only non-vegan ingredients they have are a few products that have some bee ingredients like bee pollen, but those are listed on those products. On this page is says that it's never animal tested. http://www.zenbiotic.com/skinindex.htm As far as their products I tried I just had gotten some starter products so they didn't last that long. Like the cleanser, skin prep and moisturizer etc. I tried the synergy serum which had an orangish tint to it which gave my skin a nice glow, like a cosmetic bronzer. I also tried the MSM/Vitamin C but I didn't keep it in the fridge and it went bad pretty quickly. That's why I want to start making my own. I didn't use any of the stuff long enough to see any real results or anything cause I didn't reorder. I'm very impatient as well and I hate spending so much money on so many exp. products for like 6mo-1yr to see if they even will do anything. The only thing that lasted which I still use is the sun protector. I really like it because it instantly calms and cools my skin. So I use it even on days when I don't go anywhere and don't go outside, just as a moisturizer. Right now I'm just using rose hip oil and that. I don't really have a good cleanser at the moment. Just use castile soap and castor oil with some olive oil, since oil dissolves oil. It needs some good steaming and a washcloth though to get it off. As far as the vitamin C, that's what I heard to do as far as the L-Ascorbic acid because the water makes it soluble so it can penetrate into the skin better. It dissolves it. Or else I would think that it wouldn't fully dissolve into a liquid form and remain like a powder in the oil? I haven't tried it yet so I don't know. I'll try both methods and see how it goes. As far as internally, a lot of these products I would not take internally. Some of them can have a lot of side effects internally. Not all of them, they would have to be looked into individually, but I still don't think it's a great idea. HA also has negative studies of side effects etc. I think whole foods and concentrates are best internally. I know that some of it does absorb through the skin into the circulation systematically, but the amounts are very small compared to internal supplementation levels. Esp. since you only use a few drops of the serums on the skin. I'm not sure of what the long term results or effects are though for the skin health of these ingredients over time. I know that AHA's brake down the protective layer and cause easier damage from the sun. That's why I look at them for myself as short term correctives and not long term use to prevent overuse of them. Maybe it is the avocado oil I bought then. I don't know. But I don't like the smell or the taste and I love avocados. I tried using it straight as a body oil and did notice the greenish tint. I don't really notice after a while cause it blends in, but while I'm putting it on I notice it. I also had heard about how great macadamia nut oil is for the skin so I put that on my skin, but the smell of that is very powerful. It is a good smell but still it made me hungry and think of food all time and my neighbors cat would start licking my arm to eat it off. If you are looking to correct any scars or bruising look into Helichrysum Essential Oil to add to the rose hip seed oil. Here's a recipe for a vitamin C serum. It's supposed to last for a week in the fridge. Homemade Vitamin C Serum: • 1/4 teaspoon of Lysorbic Acid (Vit-C) powder or crysals • 5 ml distilled water • 5 ml of glycerin • small amber or dark blue glass bottle Put all of the ingredients in the little blue or amber bottle (need to wash it out thoroughly each time before mixing a new batch), replace cap/lid, and shake vigorously then let sit for a couple of hours, coming back to shake the bottle again every hour or so because it can take a little while for the Vit-C to solubulize.
  9. But you don't eat and swallow toothpaste. It is a topical application. And that's why I DON'T use fluoride toothepaste or drink the tap water in my fluoridated city and use a shower filter. I try to get as little fluoride as possible because it's a toxic heavy metal that stores up in the body and causes nerve damage too. I have heard also that people in China drinking tea are getting signs of fluoride poisoning as well as Tibet. http://www.ehponline.org/docs/1996/104-12/cao.html http://www.tzuchi.org/GLOBAL/news/articles/20020700.html http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&list_uids=12619286&dopt=Abstract As far as the tea drinking British and Asians and iron anemia, as a whole they are not VEGANS! These compounds only inhibit NON-HEME iron. In other words - PLANT sources of iron. The only type vegans get. The Brits and Asians get plently of iron from meat sources which are unaffected. This can be a concern for VEGANS, not everyone!
  10. Sounds like a bunch of bunk to me! If you cover all exposed areas, every single time you go outside, 365 days a week, you're getting ZERO vitamin D because sunscreen blocks the absorption of the rays needed to make vitamin D (UVB). So, as a vegan who consumes no dietary vitamin D, where would you get it if you followed that advice? Even for non-vegans it is bad advice. The sun is the primary source for vitamin D consumption and is needed. Most of the damage is from burns and tanning too quickly. Building up slowly and maintaining a tan is far less damaging. However I'm bad at that cause I'm such an indoor person. Too addicted to the glow of my computer screen to get the glow of the sun. If you are really concerned about wrinkles, only wear it on your face but get direct exposure on your arms etc. I would rather risk a little skin damage that can be reversed, then a chronic vitamin D deficiency. Also I think that diet is a better source for natural sun protection against free radicals and all. Lots of anti-oxidants and even topical anti-oxidants to correct the damage without blocking the healing UV rays. I also think the best sunscreen protector is this one: http://www.zenbiotic.com/BODY%20&%20GROOMING.htm Dr. H also has a natural one and if you wear mineral makeup it has it too. Hyaluronic Acid is not always from vegetarian sources, so I would check any product that lists it with the manufacture to make sure. You can just buy Hyaluronic Acid supplements and dissolve them in water like the vitamin C. Most of them mention if they are vegetarian formulas, Now brand is. Also, with the vitamin C, I'm going to start that but it's better to first dissolve it in a bit of water before adding anything else to it, since it is water soluble. Best to make a serum out of it. Just water, glycerin. I've had really bad skin habits. Not washing enough, always touching my face, resting my hand on it. I don't know why I like to touch it so much but I've got to stop. Facial exercises sound interesting, but boring. I hardly have the patients for a reg. skin care routine. Avocado oil is nice, but I don't know how people use it. It tints the skin GREEN and smells like a salad. LOL! I prefer things like jojoba, rose hip seed oil (very anti-aging), olive squaline, aloe vera and shea butter. I use rose hip around my eyes and shea butter on my lips. I've tried sleeping on my back but I can't. If I do manage to fall asleep that way I also wake up and am on my side. My body just feels most natural and comfortable that way. I'd like to get a natural buckwheat pillow though. Blueberries are exp. so I only eat frozen blueberries which are much less, but they do stain the teeth a lot. There are lots of anti-oxidants though. All berries, grape seed extract, pomegranate juice, acai, cocoa, olive leaf etc. Also, often overlooked is stress which ages the skin and body more then anything probably. Reducing stress goes a long way in anti-aging.
  11. I drink 0-3 cups a day of either rooibos, green, white, oolong or yerba mate. With the exception of yerba mate though, they are all high in fluoride (I don't know the levels for white tea though). This kind of concerns me. I've read a lot of bad things about the toxicity of fluoride, even from tea. And that the levels of it vary so much depending on the area it is grown, the soil and pollution levels in the area, which is what it is absorbing in the tea leaves. They also have aluminum in them, in the tea leaves as well. Which fluoride supposedly increases the absorption of. And then there is the problem of the inhibition of iron. It's not just the tannins, but the polyphenol anti-oxidants that inhibits the iron absorption. So even caffeine free beverages like cocoa, mint tea, chamomile, rooibos etc. all inhibit the absorption of iron. Maybe, as vegans we shouldn't drink anything but water with our meals? Drink other beverages between meals. Seems like every single substance out there sans vitamin C, INHIBITS iron absorption. It's so frustrating. Even Calcium inhibits iron absorption! What do you think about the fluoride levels in tea? Are you concerned at all? What bothers me the most about it is that there are no regulations on it and they don't even have to test or list the amount the way that bottled water does and the regulation on bottled water. So they can be way higher then the Max. allowed for any other source. The max for fluoridated water supplies is 1.2PPM, while some teas have been found to be over 6 or 8 PPM. I'm not trying to be alarmist, just bringing it to others attention. It might be a concern, esp. if you have any thyroid problems or anything. Instant tea is the worse culprit with the highest levels, as well as low quality brick tea. http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,145423,00.html http://www.webmd.com/content/article/99/105355.htm http://thyroid.about.com/cs/toxicchemicalsan/a/flouride.htm http://thyroid.about.com/cs/toxicchemicalsan/a/fluoridepr.htm http://lpi.oregonstate.edu/infocenter/phytochemicals/tea/index.html http://www.mercola.com/2000/sep/10/green_tea_fluoride_thyroid.htm The last article on mercola's site is alarming, yet I can't find anything that confirms it's wild claims about the levels found. Most sources say the levels are about 0.1-0.4 per cup of green tea. While that article claims "While in 1976 a Belgian analysis showed content of between 50 and 125 ppm fluoride in 15 varieties of tea (3), a Polish study in 1995 found fluoride content of up to 340 ppm in 16 varieties of black tea (5). A major Canadian study published in 1995 reports average fluoride content in tea to be 4.57 mg/l in the 1980's.(6) A website by a pro-fluoridation infant medical group lists a cup of black tea to contain 7.8 mgs of fluoride (7), which is roughly the same amount as if one were to drink 7.8 liters of water in an area fluoridated at 1ppm. It is well known that fluoride in tea gets absorbed by the body similarly as the fluoride in drinking water (1,." 7.8mgs in a cup (about 4-6oz) of tea. I don't believe that! The instant tea analysis found up to 6.5mg per Liter, how many cups are in a liter? Anyways, don't drink instant tea at least! "A study by researchers at the University of Mississippi suggests that very high doses of green tea extract may actually activate - rather than shut down - the genetic mechanisms that help certain tumors survive and grow." http://www.aphroditewomenshealth.com/news/20050208235233_health_news.shtml http://www.nutraingredients.com/news/ng.asp?n=65962-green-tea-egcg-breast-cancer http://www.fluoridealert.org/f-sources.htm#I
  12. That's not the brand I have. I bought Sweet Leaf brand Stevia Plus powder in the little packets. I used just one packet, so 1 gram of the powder. It is very strong though. I'll look for the Now brand, but I am skeptical. I just don't care for the licorice taste. It also leaves a lingering evaporating type of taste in the mouth that doesn't go away for a while. I like Agave. Only GI of 11. I usually was trying the vega in the small snack size packets in some water, but then I tried making a smoothie with a whole serving size of it. With fruit juice, banana, frozen berries and frozen mangos. And at that serving level it was so thick and powdery all I could taste was the powder in the drink. I think it needs a lot of liquid for the full serving to dilute the powder and texture of it. Those who drink full servings of it, how much water do you use for it? It says just to use 1 1/2 cups but that seems like WAY too little water for that much powder to dilute the texture enough. Thanks. I do like the bars. Some people say that all they taste is the hemp powder in the bars but I don't really notice that. Well at least with the berry. I don't really care for the chocolate or natural bars, but the berry one is great. A little dry, but all I taste is the sweet berry flavor. At least those are just sweetened with dates and agave. Normal, good tasting sweeteners. Too bad they are expensive though, $3 each.
  13. I can see the points of both sides and approaches. On one hand promoting free range and family farms is kind of giving up. Like I will participate in an effort with others to pressure Trader Joes to stop carrying factory farmed eggs and only carry "free range" eggs, because I don't think it would be possible at current mindsets to convince them to carry no eggs. However I will never be happy with it until they and everyone else carry no animal products. Some people just have the belief that the world will never go all vegan, so by not supporting the small organic farmers, is to support the factory farmers. Since without support they would go out of business or be so small in numbers that the factory farmers take over everything. If it is a losing battle then I would rather have small farms over factory farms. However I don't even think that it would be possible to meet the demand with small farm methods. It would be like stopping the import of goods and cheap labor from China and elsewhere, but still being able to stock the shelves at Walmart to meet the demand for cheap affordable products. It wouldn't be economically possible. It's the demand that has to cease. The Out-of-sight out-of-mind thinking has to stop. I do feel that with big markets and promotions of "organic" meat like at WholeFoods that often it just makes it an excuse for people not to give up animal foods, because they can instead justify that it must be "humane". I would rather people buy that instead, but it does make them complacent and gives them an excuse and justification not the stop all together. I don't support animal farming at all for that reason. I read about this woman who spent all her riches on starting this big natural organic farm with rare endangered species of animals etc. and how she was doing such a great and humane thing by breeding these animals and taking such great care of them. And really they seemed to be well taken care of and were pampered and all.. But I still didn't get it. I was still ed that she could take that great care of them and supposedly think so highly of them, and then just kill them and eat them. It's like killing your own pets. Yes you treated them nice, gave them toys and they bonded with you, then you kill and eat them? I can understand in situations of survival and that's it. But all it is is pure gluttony in our society. No need, not even for organic or pampered until slaughtered meat. It's just unnecessary. Unfortunately in our consumer and desire driven society it is not registered with people as any different then any other consumer indulgence or product, like new shoes, ice cream, wine, a new car, a good steak, fresh strawberries, a flatscreen tv, etc. It's all one and the same to everyone, just one big supermarket of available products with the only thought being what benefits and pleasures can it bring them and for what price for them personally to get it. Emu oil for $4, 90 cent burger, such a deal! How do we even change the mindset to even consider these things and have more consciousness as a whole of what the true cost of all these consumer products are and what people are supporting and where they came from? How do we get people to start thinking holistically and at the big picture beyond the current mindless, self-centered consumer thought pattern that's nurtured by all the manufactures and ad agencies? It totally reminds me of this article on recycling. Same points. "This relationship proclaims that "it's fine to consume because you are recycling, and while you are here why not buy some more?" What the revival of recycling has really done, like the myth of "ethical consumerism", is to give the impression that the environmental crisis presented by global capitalism can be indefinitely delayed if only we all do our bit. It places the blame for environmental problems not on those who make the profits, but on a faceless mass of "consumers". It prevents us asking the important question of capitalism: how much longer can this go on, and if it is to end then how?" http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/4877504.stm
  14. Thanks Robert. It is strange. My husband doesn't notice anything from it, gives him no problems at all. And he also doesn't taste the odd aftertaste and stevia either. Funny cause he doesn't like the bars and I love the bars. I have no reactions to the bars, just the powder. It's more like the type of side effects you get from overdosing on coffee or being sensitive to coffee, that kind of jitteryness. My diet's really good though so I don't know. As far as the stevia I have tried so far I don't like it. It just tastes like really weird chemical licorice or some thing. I bought some powder and put it in some tea and I couldn't even taste the flavor of the tea anymore. All I could taste was the flavor of the stevia. It is not sweet to me really, it's just a strong odd flavoring agent. Although I have heard that there are better stevia products out there and liquids that taste better, but I haven't tried them so I don't know. By itself it's not that bad, but it ruins the taste of anything it is added to because it overpowers it, to me anyways.
  15. I just started drinking Vega. It is ok except for the horrible Stevia taste. I hate Stevia! That's all I taste when I drink it. Like a weird artificial sweetner (diet coke) kind of flavor and aftertaste. But anyways, physically after I drink it I instantly feel really weird and have weird reactions. My heart starts racing really fast and I feel all sped up inside and start trembling like I'm all nervous or something. I'm wondering if this is normal when you first start taking it and what I could be reacting to? Reading the ingredients I don't understand what I could be reacting to in it. I already ate a lot of hemp and I'm fine with flax. I've also eaten Maca before and that did nothing to me like this. Could it be the Chlorella you think or the vitamin/minerals in it or the pro-biotics or something? I don't get it at all. It doesn't give me anymore energy. It just makes me shake and tremble and feel weird. It goes away eventually in like an hour or so but it's freaking me out. I need to know if it's a negative or positive. Thanks.
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