Detox - Naturally

The picture above was posted and made me wonder about detoxing.  This article: Why Do We Need to Detox gives some information, and then I found this article: Why Detox.

Perusing along...for natural stuff, I found this article: 10 Food That Detox Naturally which had the following:

"There are many techniques you can follow and supplements you can take to detox your body. One in particular is to eat detoxifying foods.

Here is a list of detox foodsthat are a great addition to everybody’s diet.


1. Fruits

Fruits are high in liquid-content, helping the body wash out toxins. They are also very easy to digest and are high in antioxidants, nutrients, fiber and important vitamins.

2. Green Foods


Fill your refrigerator withblue green algae, barley, wheatgrass, kale, spinach, spirulina, alfalfa, chard, arugula or other organic leafy greens. These plants will help give a chlorophyll-boost to your digestive tract.

Chlorophyll rids the body of harmful environmental toxins from smog, heavy metals, herbicides, cleaning products and pesticides. They also aid the liver in detoxification.

3. Lemons, Oranges, and Limes


Citrus fruit aids the body in flushing out toxins and jump starts the digestive tract with enzymatic processes. Lemon juice aids the liver in its cleansing processes. To increase detoxification, start each morning with a warm glass of lemon water.

Remember, vitamin C is one of the best detox vitamins around, as it transforms toxins into digestible material. Eat vitamin c foods often to help get more of these benefits.


4. Garlic

This pungent little bulb is one of the best detoxing foods out there. It helps stimulate the liver into producing detoxification enzymes that help filter toxic residues from the digestive system. I recommend adding sliced or cooked garlic to a suitable dish, as this will help aid any detox diet.


5. Broccoli Sprouts

Extremely high in antioxidants, the ability for broccoli sprouts to stimulate the detoxification enzymes in the digestive tract is unparalleled. The sprouts are actually more effective than the fully-grown vegetable.

6. Green Tea

Packed full of antioxidants, green tea washes toxins from the system via its liquid content, but also contains a special type of antioxidant called catechins, which are known to increase liver function.

7. Mung Beans


The mighty mung bean has been used by Ayurvedic doctors for thousands of years. It is incredibly easy to digest, and absorbs toxic residue on the sides of the intestinal walls.

8. Raw Vegetables

Best for juicing or eaten raw: Onions, carrots, artichokes, asparagus, broccoli, cabbage, kale, brussel sprouts, cauliflower, garlic, beet, turmeric, and oregano. The combination of these foods will help your liver purge toxins during the cleansing process. These are high in naturally occurring sulphur and glutathione. Sulphur helps the liver detoxify harmful chemicals.

9. Seeds and Nuts

Incorporate more of the easily digestible seeds and nuts into your diet. Flax seed, pumpkin seeds, almonds, walnuts, hemp seeds, sesame seeds, chia seeds, Siberian cedar nuts and sunflower seeds are all excellent options. While detoxing, avoid nut butters.

10. Omega-3 Oils

Use hemp, avocado, olive oils or flax seed oil while detoxing. This will help lubricate the intestinal walls, allowing the toxins to be absorbed by the oil, and eliminated by the body.

Performing a periodic body cleanse may also be beneficial.

Baking Soda - 75 Uses

Health Uses

1. Use it as an antacid.

2. Use it as underarm deodorant by applying it with a powder puff.

3. Mix half a teaspoon with peroxide paste and use it as toothpaste.

4. Use it as a face and body scrub.

5. Add a cup to bathwater to soften your skin.

6. Relieve skin itch from insect bites and pain from sunburn.

7. Remove strong odors from your hands by rubbing them with baking soda and water.

8. Put two tablespoons in your baby’s bathwater to help relieve diaper rash.

9. Apply it on rashes, insect bites, and poison ivy irritations.

10. Take a baking soda bath to relieve skin irritations.

11. Heartburn? Take a teaspoon of baking soda mixed with one-half glass of water.

12. Freshen your mouth by gargling half a teaspoon of baking soda mixed water.

13. Relieve canker sore pain by using it as mouthwash.

14. Use it to relieve bee stings.

15. Use it to relieve windburns.

16. Apply it on jellyfish sting to draw out the venom.

17. Unblock stuffy nose by adding a teaspoon of baking soda to your vaporizer.

In the Home

18. Keep cut flowers fresh longer by adding a teaspoon to the water in the vase.

19. Put out small fires on rugs, upholstery, clothing, and wood.

20. Put an open container of baking soda in the fridge to absorb the odors.

21. Sprinkle it on your ashtrays to reduce bad odor and prevent smoldering.

22. Sprinkle it on your slippers, boots, shoes, and socks to eliminate foul odor.

23. Turn baking soda into modeling clay by combining it with one and 1/4 cups of water and one cup of cornstarch.

24. After feeding your baby, wipe his shirt with a moist cloth sprinkled with baking soda to remove the odor.

25. Wipe your windshield with it to repel rain.

26. Improve the smell of dishrags by soaking them in baking soda and water.

27. Suck it in with your vacuum cleaner to remove the odor.

28. Freshen the air by mixing baking soda with your favorite perfumed bath salts. Put the mixture in small sachet bags.

29. Restore stiff brushes by boiling them in a solution of 1/2 gallon of water, 1/4 cup of vinegar, and a cup of baking soda.

30. Put it under sinks and along basement windows to repel cockroaches and ants.

31. Scatter baking soda around flowerbeds to prevent rabbits from eating your veggies.

32. Sweeten your tomatoes by sprinkling baking soda on the soil around your tomato plants.

33. Sprinkle it onto your cat’s litter box to absorb the bad odor.

34. Sprinkle it on your pet’s comb or brush to deodorize their fur and skin.

In Cooking

35. Use it as a substitute for baking powder by mixing with it with cream of tartar or vinegar.

36. Wash fruits and vegetables with it.

37. When boiling a chicken, add a teaspoon of baking soda to the water. Feathers will come off easier, and the flesh will be clean and white.

38. Soak dried beans to a baking soda solution to make them more digestible.

39. Remove the distinctive taste of wild game by soaking it in a baking soda solution.

40. Make a sports drink by mixing it with boiled water, salt, and Kool-Aid.

41. Remove the fishy smell from your fillets by soaking the raw fish in a baking soda solution for an hour inside the fridge.

42. Make fluffier omelets by adding half a teaspoon of baking soda for every three eggs used.

43. Reduce the acid content of your tomato-based recipes by sprinkling them with a pinch of baking soda.

Cleaning Purposes

44. Add a cup to the toilet, leave it for an hour, and then flush. It will clean the toilet and absorb the odor.

45. Use it to scrub sinks, showers, plastic and porcelain tubs

46. Spray it on walls, mirrors, and countertops.

47. Add a spoonful to your dishwasher to make scrubbing dishes easier.

48. Remove grease from pots and pans.

49. Dry clean carpets and upholstered furniture by sprinkling baking soda over the fabric and gently brushing it. Leave it for an hour or overnight, then vacuum.

50. Boost your laundry detergent’s cleaning power by sprinkling a handful on dirty clothes.

51. Combine it with water to make a paste for polishing stainless steel and chrome.

52. Remove scratches and crayon marks from vinyl floors and walls.

53. Clean your shoes with it.

54. Clean garbage cans with it.

55. Use it to wash diapers.

56. Clean the fridge with it.

57. Soak brushes and combs in a baking soda solution.

58. Mix it with water to wash food and drink containers.

59. Put three tablespoons of baking soda to a quart of warm water, then use the mixture to wash marble-topped furniture.

60. Absorb it with a damp sponge, then clean Formica countertops with the sponge.

61. Use it to get rid of stale odors from cooling containers and thermos bottles.

62. Run your coffee maker with a baking soda solution, then rinse.

63. Combine with hot water to clean baby bottles.

64. Sprinkle it on barbecue grills, then rinse it off.

65. Scatter it on your greasy garage floor, scrub the floor, and rinse.

66. Remove burned-on food from a pan by soaking it in a baking soda solution for 10 minutes before washing.

67. Clean your ashtrays with a baking soda solution.

68. Keep your drains clean by putting four tablespoons of baking soda in them each week. Flush it down with hot water.

69. Clean your shower curtains by soaking them in baking soda and water.

70. Put it on a small brush to rub canvas handbags clean.

71. Use it to remove melted plastic bread wrapper from a toaster. Sprinkle baking soda on a damp rug, then use the rug to clean the toaster.

72. Use it to clean your retainers and dentures.

73. Make a thick paste of baking soda and water, and used it to scrub enameled cast iron and stainless steel.

74. Mix four tablespoons of baking soda with a quart of warm water, and use it to clean the inside part of an oven.

75. Use it to unclog gas stoves.


Source: http://lifehackery.com/2008/07/22/home-4/

12 Astonishing Natural Beauty Remedies

Courtesy of Picklee

Happy Friday fellow Pickleer’s! I am SO looking forward to a nice relaxing (warm weather!) weekend. I think I shall begin my Friday night with a lovely Skinny Espresso Martini, and then squeeze in a few quick beauty treatments before heading out for the night. Now, I’m no beauty expert by any stretch but I do know one thing, if there’s a natural solution to remedy a beauty conundrum, I’m going to opt for it before heading out to the drug store. In the past, I’ve always found that natural home beauty remedies tend to be more effective than their man made counterparts, plus I feel better about using them (and they cost way less-bonus!) I’ve put together a quick reference guide of 12 of my favorite DIY Natural Home Beauty Remedies for all of the beautiful Pickleer’s out there!

Ready, set, BEAUTIFY…

1: Cellulite Be Gone Solution: Home Remedy

Why it works? Coffee grounds and olive oil for cellulite removal works wonders because of the stimulants in the caffeine. Caffeine dilates blood vessels and increases blood flow which can lend the skin a more firm, toned appearance.

Read more --> HERE.

 

21 Uses for Wax Paper

Posted by Alexandra on May 11, 2011 in Money Saving Idea, Unusual Uses |

Subscribe

If you’re like me, you probably have wax paper in your kitchen.  Here are some uses for wax paper you might not have thought of:

• Use wax paper to help re-cork a bottle of wine.  Ever had trouble re-corking a bottle of wine?  When a bottle of wine is opened, the cork can expand when exposed to air making re-corking the bottle difficult.  Wrap some wax paper around the cork before reinserting into the bottle. Wax paper provides lubrication, thereby making it easier remove the next time and the wax paper will help keep little bits of the cork from getting into the wine.

• Place a piece of wax paper between the gears of your can opener, (as you would a can) and run through.  The wax paper will loosen any food debris and the wax will coat the wheels helping them run smoothly.
• To keep bathroom fixtures temporarily spotless, rub them with a sheet of wax paper after cleaning them. The wax that transfers will deflect water droplets like magic — at least until the next cleaning.
• Wax paper makes great funnels for filling spice jars.  Roll the wax paper into a funnel shape and pour spices into decorative jars.
• Use wax paper to make placemats.  Pick a picture or a drawing and place it between several pieces of wax paper cut in placemat size. Then place that between several paper towels. Cover with a dishtowel and iron with a warm iron to ‘laminate’ the placemat.  Remove the paper towels before use.
• Help keep your garden tools rust free by rubbing a piece of wax paper over the entire surface.  The roughness of the wax paper will loosen the dirt and grime buildup while the wax lubricants the tools to prevent rust.
• Use wax paper to decorator cakes like a professional. Cut a piece of wax paper the same size as your cake, using the cake pan as a guide.  Write directly on the paper instead of the cake and freeze it.  Gently peel the frozen letters and words off the paper and place them on the cake.

• To prevent rust from forming on your cast iron skillets, rub a sheet of wax paper over your skillet after washing, while it’s still warm.  Then place a sheet of wax paper between the skillet and the lid to store.
• To store colored candles wrap in wax paper and twist ends to seal.  This will keep the colored candles from rubbing off on linens and keep them from getting nicked up or scuffed when placed in drawers.
• If your kitchen cabinets don’t fully extend to the ceiling, place a layer of wax paper on top of the cabinet to catch dust and grease particles.  Once a month, just toss and put down a fresh layer.
• Use wax paper to store delicate fabrics.  Place a sheet of wax paper between each fabric piece to help block extraneous light and prevent the transfer of dyes without trapping moisture.
• Use wax paper as a liner. For easy cleanup, line kitchen drawers, vegetable and meat bins, cabinets, the top of the fridge with wax paper. Every few months instead of having to scrub these surfaces, you can just replace the wax paper.

• To keep meat juices from getting into the pores of your cutting board, cover the cutting board with three layers of wax paper before slicing raw meat and throw the paper out immediately.
• Use wax paper to line cookie sheets when making chocolate covered pretzels or candies.  Any chocolate that drips onto the wax paper can be re-melted.
• Wax paper keeps foods from sticking when stored in the refrigerator or in a plastic container.Use wax paper to separate layers of food like cheese, hamburger patties, cookies, fudge, brownies, etc.
• Use wax paper to prevent splattering when cooking foods in the microwave: e.g. bacon, burgers, etc.
• Rub wax paper over the bottom of round plastic sleds to make them go faster in the snow.
• Helps release waffles from the waffle iron.  Place a piece of wax paper between the plates of your waffle iron for the few minutes it takes to heat the waffle iron up.  The wax will be transferred to the plates, temporarily helping waffles to pop out.
• Keep cheese fresher longer. When you open a new wedge of cheese, immediately remove the plastic wrap. Wrap the cheese in wax paper, which keeps it moist without ever letting it get sweaty. Then wrap it in tin foil and stick it in the fridge.
• Rub the edge of your snow shovels with pieces of wax paper. The wax coating will keep the snow from sticking.
• Use wax paper to unstick pages.  Insert wax paper between wet pages of a book.  When they dry, they’ll be good as new.

If you know of other uses for wax paper, please share them with us.