So I know I jump around here a lot! BUT I am going to something that I have wondered about for a while now... deodorant. Yes sillies I do wear it. I wear Dove ultimate and I do love it. But I had a friend's mom who would not let her wear the store bought kind of deodorant because she said it would give her cancer. So every time she was over at my house I would sneak her some of our extra deodorant... she didn't want to use the stuff she had because it didn't work well. Yup this is an awkward post. But I have always wanted to research this, and I think this is a perfect topic to talk about because this week we are actually learning about cancer!

Aluminum Zirconium Tetrachlorohydrex GLY, Cyclopentasiioxane, Stearyl Alcohol, C12-15 Alkyl Benzoate, PPG-14 Butyl Ether, Hydrogenated Castor Oil, Dimethicone, Fragrance (Parfum), Polyethylene, Helianthus, Annuus (Sunflower) Seed Oil, BHT.

Now what is this myth? Going to cancer.gov I found that most antiperspirants contain aluminum which temporary plug up the sweat ducts in the underarm. Deodorant is applied frequently and is believed to get through the skin by absorbing and through nicks (by shaving) of the skin. Since it is applied by the breast, many fear it causes breast cancer. It is also said to promote estrogen like effects, this allows the growth of breast cancer cells, and some scientists believe that the aluminum- based compounds in deodorants can contribute to breast cancer development.
So is this a correlation? Scientists found that it is not conclusive. They are still running tests and researching but the FDA has not found anything that would cause cancer in deodorant, as well as the NCI has not either.
(http://www.cancer.gov/cancertopics/factsheet/Risk/AP-Deo)

I looked for a natural aluminum free deodorant. This Tom's stuff is out of Maine (EAST COAST :))

Name	Purpose	Source
Propylene glycol	Consistency	Natural gas from the earth
Water	Consistency	Maine aquifer
Sodium stearate	Consistency	Coconut (Cocos nucifera) and palm (Elaeis guineensis) oils
Aloe barbadensis leaf juice (Organic)	Soothing feel	Organic aloe (Aloe barbadensis) plant
Cymbopogon flexuosus oil (Organic)	Deodorancy	Organic lemongrass (Cymbopogon flexuosus) plant
Helianthus annuus (sunflower) seed oil (organic)	Consistency	Organic sunflower (Helianthus annuus) seeds
Zinc ricinoleate	Deodorancy	Zinc oxide and castor bean (Ricinus communis) plant
Glyceryl laurate	Deodorancy	Vegetable oils
Natural Fragrance	Pleasant smell	Natural plant oils
Humulus lupulus (hops) [CO2] extract	Deodorancy	Hops (Humulus lupulus) cones
Ascorbic acid	Antioxidant	Corn (Zea mays)

Now I looked at the ingredients and they know their stuff. It's all organic and good. UNFORTUNATELY all the reviews online were horrid about the product. Saying it burned their skin, and did not keep the stink away.




After looking into the deodorant situation I have decided that I will take the risk of using actual deodorant with aluminum in it because I don't want to smell, and the breast cancer theory has not been proven to be connected with deodorant. 

In my DNA class we are learning about GMOs, or genetically modified organisms. In America we use many different processes to increase our food production. This kind of got me thinking of our preservation methods and how we try to keep it fresh for as long as possible. What kind of  foods do we eat? Recently I have become more mindful of the things I have been putting into my mouth. Like I am not going to go out and buy a twinkie, because

a. they are gross

b. i heard they have a 100 year shelf life??????? magic???

Now I am talking about processed foods here. What chemicals are put into our bodies that affect our health so much. Sticking with the twinkies, I will tell you some of the ingredients in them

Polysorbate 60, Red 40, mono and diglycerides and calcium sulfate (Calcium sulfate is a food-grade equivalent of plaster of Paris.)

MMMMM duglycerides... just like my mom would make! 

Well I am no nutritionist but I am going to make an assumption that we are not suppose to eat those kind of chemicals. Definitely not in the 5 food groups.  

http://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/38869408/ns/today-food/t/gulp-take-gander-twinkies-or-so-ingredients/#.T9jmX7UV27c

As  a college student I honestly don't have the time/ energy to make real food. So I ended up looked at the things that I am eating, what I am putting into my body, and what it all is!

GOLDFISH. are delicious, and my second favorite snacking food! (first are Chez- its but they are too expensive!) here are the ingredients to the originals
Made with Smiles and Unbleached Enriched Wheat Flour [Flour, Niacin, Reduced Iron, Thiamin Mononitrate (Vitamin B1), Riboflavin (Vitamin B2), Folic Acid], Vegetable Oils (Canola, Sunflower and/or Soybean), Nonfat Milk (Adds a Trivial Amount of Cholesterol), Salt, Contains 2 Percent or Less of: Yeast, Leavening (Ammonium Bicarbonate, Baking Soda, Monocalcium Phosphate), Sugar, Spices and Onion Powder.


Now, who know all this was in 1 little goldfish?? NOT ME! I would think it wouldn't be hard to make little goldfish...  SO I found this super simple recipe that only calls for shredded cheese, butter, flour, salt and cold water! See that's what I am talking about! None of this extra 21 ingredients!! 

TOMATO PUREE (WATER, TOMATO PASTE), DICED TOMATOES IN TOMATO JUICE, SUGAR, CANOLA OIL, SALT, DEHYDRATED ONIONS, SPICE, DEHYDRATED GARLIC, CITRIC ACID, NATURAL FLAVORING.


Last I want to go over prego sauce, seriously a staple in my diet mostly consisting of wheat noodles. All this dehydrated stuff is not very appealing to me.. I wish I could have a garden of fresh ingredients to make my sauce from! I may have to be on the lookout for a more natural sauce!


Now that we basically dissected my food staples, and now I am aware of everything (good and bad) going into my body! 

The first

This is my first post about livin' the clean life. My hope for this blog is to help myself, as well as others be aware of the products around them that can affect their lives negatively. There are so many products out there that we use in our daily lives that cause us health problems, like cancer, lung conditions, etc..
Firstly I would like to investigate the harmful affects of soda. Now I must admit I am a HUGE fan of dr. pepper,diet coke, and root beer. Would drink at least 2 diet cokes a day last year. Even though it gave me a nice kick, I often got headaches if I didn't have at least on coke a day. I would say I was a but addicted, and that is someone I don't want to be addicted too. Now last year I heard that there are many health risks to drinking sodas. This includes obesity, kidney damage, and high blood pressure. Diet sodas are even linked to certain cancers. Through several studies of the affects of drinking soda, not everything is conclusive. One study showed that it increased heart attack by 48% of those who drank diet sodas daily.
Sorry I do not want this to be a research paper, but I find stuff like this to be interesting and informative. The one thing I am concerned about is cancer in diet soda. Since diet soda has artificial sweeteners which has not been totally linked to bladder cancer, but some studies on mice do suggest it may increase the probability of getting it while drinking soda. Aspertame is another sweetener linked with cancer.

Now whether or not soda does cause these health problems I still don't want to drink something with

all this stuff in it.

So for my new years resolution I have stopped drinking soda. I am 6 months clean of it now.
Now do I feel like I have more energy, do I feel healthier, lost weight? Honestly no. I get tired around 1 or 2 pm. BUT I do feel healthier, a lot less draggy, and I haven't lost a significant amount of weight, but I am lighter.
Keeping with my goals I walk about 1.5 hours a day, and I go on a 30 min. 3-4 times a week.
I am hoping to keep up with this a couple of times a week.
PS: GO CELTICS!! Game 7 is tonight and I am hoping for the best! :)