Ever Have a Yeast Infection? Win Yeast Arrest From Vitanica

March 9, 2011 By 22 Comments

I’m about to go into the “too-much-information” zone, but we’re all friends here, right?

Last summer I had a yeast infection. A minor bladder infection turned into a kidney infection while I was traveling, and I took a course of antibiotics. The antibiotics helped my kidneys, but did what they often do – they killed not only the infection but all the good, beneficial bacteria that was keeping my intestines and reproductive organs balanced. Hence, the yeast infection.

While strolling through the health food store looking for a product that would relieve the itching and discharge (I said this was TMI-zone!) I came upon one of the most amazing products I’ve ever tried. Vitanica’s Yeast Arrest was like a beacon of cooling, healing light at the end of a dark, itchy tunnel. Formulated by Dr. Tori Hudson, a naturopath, Vitanica contains tea tree oil, oregon grape root, boric acid, cocoa butter, and several homeopathic remedies.

These suppositories worked well and worked fast. What I also loved about the product was the box itself: Dr. Hudson makes dietary recommendations for avoiding sugar, yeast, alcohol, and fermented foods as well as several other ideas for decreasing the overgrowth of yeast. This may be the first time I’ve seen a product like this offer sound health advice necessary for helping customers truly heal.

The most popular over the counter product for yeast infections is Monistat. Monistat is applied in a similar fashion in that the medicine is inserted like a suppository. Unfortunately, the harsh anti-fungal chemicals contained in products like Monistat come with clear warnings and might cause:

Monistat may cause the following side effects:

  • Rash
  • Burning at the site of application
  • Itching
  • Irritation of the skin or vagina
  • Stomach pain
  • Fever
  • Foul-smelling vaginal discharge
  • Diarrhea
  • Vomiting
  • Loss of appetite
  • Hives
  • Chills

So if you’ve suffered from yeast infections and want to avoid the complications from using other over the counter products, enter my blog contest here and you could win yourself a box of Yeast Arrest! Enter a comment her by 3/16  ~ Want to order some Yeast Arrest today? Go here!

Filed Under: Hidden Sugars, Homeopathy, recommended brands, recommended natural products, Win Free Natural Health Care Products, Women's Health, women's sexual health Tagged With: , ,

Natural Soda Taste Test Challenge #2: Fizzy Lizzy

February 15, 2011 By 2 Comments

When I saw today’s headline that “energy drinks” are being linked to major health problems for adults and kids alike, I realized that this taste test challenge series is even more timely than I thought. Not only did a study released last week link diet sodas to higher risks of cardiovascular disease, energy drinks often contain four to five times more caffeine than soda, and some people drink several servings a day. The problems of overdosing has become so widespread that the American Association of Poison Control Centers “has adopted codes…to start tracking energy drink overdoses and side effects nationwide.”

What with all the hype about dangerous side effects from drinking regular soda, diet soda, and energy drinks (Did anyone really think it was ok to drink 4-5 times the regular amount of soda at once? Yikes!), I think it’s time people started exploring to the natural soda selection available in many grocery and health food stores. Last week I test drove Zevia’s stevia sweetened cans, and you can read my comments here.

This week I’m sharing my love for a local New York City soda:

Fizzy Lizzy!

natural soda taste test challenge series alexandra jamieson fizzy lizzy

Coming in several flavors including Grapefruit, Fuji Apple, Yakima Grape, Pineapple, Cranberry and Raspberry Lemon, Fizzy Lizzy comes in glass bottles and uses so few ingredients you might be tempted to recreate the recipes at home. (Which I often do, and I’ll show you my recipe at the bottom of this page!)

My personal favorites are the Pineapple and Fuji Apple. Pineapple has three – count ‘em 3! – ingredients: carbonated water, pineapple juice and vitamin C. The Fuji Apple contains carbonated water, apple juice, lemon juice concentrate, natural fuji apple flavor, and vitamin C. Again, there are few ingredients, they’re pronounceable, and I see no preservatives besides the vitamin C.

This line was created by New York Citer dweller Liz Marlin, who loved mixing her own low-sugar drinks at home, but couldn’t find anything available in the retail stores that offered good flavor and natural ingredients. These drinks are 70% juice and offer a light, refreshing taste for the “adult soda” market that offers a great option: maybe you don’t drink alcohol or have guests over for dinner who are designated drivers.

The flavors are hip, clean, and healthier than the traditional sodas of my youth. (sorry Dr. Pepper – I loved you so, but I can’t do the acidity anymore!)

You can find Fizzy Lizzy’s in many stores across the country, and you can even make your own version at home!

Here’s my recipe for homemade sodas, a la Fizzy Lizzy:

1 20 ounce glass (glass glass, of course – everything tastes better out of a glass glass, right?)

4-5 ice cubes

1 cup pineapple juice

1 cup soda or seltzer water (I used to love tonic water, but then I read the label and realized it has high fructose corn syrup – curses! Vodka and soda water just ain’t the same.)

DIRECTIONS: Mix all together in a glass, drink, AHHHH! Enjoy!

Filed Under: detox recipes, healthy recipes for kids, healthy summer cocktails, Natural Soda Comparison Taste Test, recommended brands, recommended natural products Tagged With: , , ,

Vegan Cheese Challenge Week 4: Follow Your Heart

October 12, 2010 By 5 Comments

Here we are at Week 4 of the Vegan Cheese Challenge. It’s a time and place for me to explore the every widening world of fake-cheese, homemade dairy-alternatives, and “wow! I didn’t know that was vegan!” products for those of us who can’t or won’t eat dairy products.

I admit it: I REALLY like Follow Your Heart’s vegan cheeses. They melt pretty well (not as fast or as completely as Daiya), and I like the milder flavor sometimes.  I also like that Follow Your Heart cheeses don’t have the almost-slimy texture of Daiya, which sometimes is a bit too much for me. Since it comes in blocks which you can grate or slice, it’s great for veggie burgers, toasted sandwiches, and macaroni and cheese.

These cheeses come in a wider variety of flavors than other brands, including mozzarella, jack, nacho, and cheddar.

Made from water, expeller pressed canola oil, tofu, soy protein, inulin (a natural extract of chicory), natural flavor (vegan), agar, sea salt, Brewer’s yeast, carrageenan, calcium lactate (vegan), lactic acid (vegan), and annatto, these cheeses are casein-free (which some dairy-free cheeses aren’t -go figure), gluten-free, non-GMO, and kosher to boot.

You can buy this and all kinds of dairy-free cheese replacements at Cosmo’s Vegan Shoppe.com

I like Follow Your Heart’s other dairy-free offerings as well, and overall the company makes high-quality products. I made a tempeh salad sandwich filling for my omnivorous family in Oregon this summer, and my younger sister, who doesn’t like mayo, really liked the Reduced Fat Veganaise. The flavor is great, and most people can’t tell the difference between this vegan version and the cholesterol heavy mayo sold in stores.

If you don’t have time to make your own tofu sour cream, I highly recommend the Follow Your Heart Vegan Gourmet Sour Cream. It’s perfect for mexican dishes.

My rating overall: A HUGE Vegan Gold Star for the entire line of Follow Your Heart dairy-free foods, and a Silver Star for Follow Your Heart Cheeses. Congratulations!

Filed Under: gluten free vegan recipe, recommended natural products, Vegan Cheese Challenge

Win The New Whole Foods Encyclopedia by Rebecca Wood! Comment here to enter

October 12, 2010 By 42 Comments

Best books about healthy food? Win one of my favorites!

My family is over-run with educators. My parents are both teachers, my step-mom is a teacher, my aunt is a (now retired) public school librarian, my grandmother taught art, and I’ve been known to lead a class or two on food, health, and cooking. I guess we just think we’re a bunch of smarty-pants!

Maybe all this love for education is where I picked up this habit of acquiring reference books. I can’t help myself when I see a cardboard box of books on the sidewalks of Brooklyn with a “FREE” sign written on the side. I’ve been known to head to the grocery store and come home with an armload of free books instead of kale and potatoes like I originally intended. I just love books. I grew up in Portland, Oregon, the home of Powell’s Bookstore, a mecca for readers and bibliophiles. (I can’t tell you how thrilled I am to have my first book signing scheduled for Powell’s this coming November 30th!)

All this being said, I love reference books. And one of my favorite food reference books is a well-known tome to those in the holistic health community. I actually had to buy the updated version recently because my old copy was falling apart from so much use!

Rebecca Wood’s The New Whole Foods Encyclopedia is a treasure of information on why whole foods are good for you, and exactly what they do for the body. Drawing on research from western science, Traditional Chinese Medicine and Ayurveda, Wood has compiled the end-all, be-all book for anyone who likes adding nutrient rich foods to their menus.

Need to create a menu to support liver or heart health? Simply turn to the well-organized, yet simple index in the back and find a whole list of foods used for those organs. Having inflammation problems, or been diagnosed with a damp condition? Look in the back and you’ll find anti-inflammatory food lists as well as drying foods.

Each whole food, including beans, grains, vegetables, fruits, herbs, spices, natural seasonings, sweeteners and more, is listed with a botanical description, medicinal benefits, use, and storage tips. In a word, it’s fabulous. No matter how many books I read and lovingly give-away over the years, I’ll never be without this book.

Since I recommend it so often to clients and readers, I contacted Rebecca who was kind enough to offer a free copy to one lucky reader of my blog! Simply leave a comment here by Friday, October 15th, and you could be randomly chosen to win this book! (P.S. Share this post on Facebook or Twitter, and you’ll be entered twice!

Just copy/paste & tweet this:

@alexnutrition: Enter to win The New Whole Foods Encyclopedia by R Wood on my blog! Great book for healthy meal plans: http://bit.ly/aO5AWi

If you can’t wait and want a copy now, go here and order it through my Amazon Store & save $6!

You’ll be so glad you did~

Be well, Alex

Filed Under: book review, recommended natural products, Win Free Natural Health Care Products

Healthy Kids: The 5 Most Dangerous Foods to Feed Your Child

October 4, 2010 By Leave a Comment

I’m always looking for great ideas on how to feed my son easily, healthfully and deliciously.

I also counsel families and clients on how to best feed their kids with Crohn’s, asthma, constipation, and food sensitivities.

Dr. Joel Fuhrman posted this great list up on his site and I wanted to send it out for all y’all:

The Five Most Dangerous Foods to Feed Your Child

1. Butter and Cheese – full of saturated fat and fat delivered chemical pollutants

2. Potato Chips and French Fries – rich in trans fat, salt, and carcinogenic acrylamides

3. Doughnuts and other trans fat – containing sweets – rich in trans fat, sugar, and other artificial substances

4. Sausages, hot dogs, and other luncheon meats – containg N-nitroso compounds that are potent carcinogens

5. Pickled, smoked, or barbequed meats – places you at risk of both stomach cancer and high blood pressure

Get your children hooked on healthy foods instead! Here’s my recipe for Baked Kale Chips that kids love to eat & make:

Thanks Dr. Fuhrman!

(Dr. Fuhrman’s supplements for healthy kids and pregnancy are the best, by the way!)

Filed Under: healthy recipes for kids, recommended brands, recommended natural products, school lunches

Daycare Dilemma: Food Coloring Crisis

June 15, 2010 By 11 Comments

My son Laken attends a wonderful daycare here in our Brooklyn neighborhood. The teachers are kind, fun, and attentive, the director is hands-on, creative, and energetic. I enjoy the other parents and kids, and I’ve even stopped by the 3/4′s classroom to give a little talk about healthy vegetables.

Sometimes our plant-based, natural food diet causes a wrinkle for the school, but I have found them to be very responsive and supportive of our food choices. (I guess I should say MY food choices – L would probably love to eat ice cream all day long!)

A few weeks ago the teachers posted a sign-up sheet for us parents to get involved in a fruit salad project. Parents signed up to bring in different fruits of different colors. Great! I thought – fruit salad! What a great cooking project!

And then I realized most of the foods on the list are on the Dirty Dozen list - the most sprayed, highest pesticide-residue foods available.

Gulp.

What’s a natural-leaning mom to do? I decided to take action. I printed off 30 copies of the Dirty Dozen/Clean 15 produce lists and put them in every kid’s mailbox so their parents would see which foods should be purchased organic. Then I posted one next to the sign-up sheet that parents saw as they reached the classroom.

The next issue at hand? The teachers also wanted a parent to bring in whipped cream and food coloring to top off the fruit salad! Ugh. My first thought was “why??!!!”

Why teach our kids to top off sweet fruit with sugary whipped cream, colored with man-made, possibly toxic food coloring?

Here’s my problem with artificial food colorings:

Many studies have determined a link between artificial food coloring and cancer, brain tumors, ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder), and other behavior disorders, especially in children. It’s probably the tar and hydrocarbon derivatives as well as petrochemicals used to manufacture artificial food coloring.

I decided to take the middle road. I put my name down on the line for “whipped cream/food coloring” and rushed to the phone. I called the good people at www.naturalcandystore.com and asked them to send me their           natural food coloring kit,

so I could give it to the school. Then I bought some

Soyatoo Rice Whip from www.veganessentials.com for the class to mix up with the food coloring – it’s not the healthiest thing on earth, but it’s a lot better than Cool Whip, and it’s dairy- and HFCS-free.

See…I can compromise! I thought it was better to bring in alternatives and show the other parents that there are alternative products for their families, too.

The coolest thing? The teachers loved what I brought in! Now they’re using the natural food coloring to make playdough with the kids, and the director is aware of the websites and alternative products. It’s all working out in the end.

We’ll eat extra broccoli to make up for the whipped rice-cream…

Filed Under: Online resources, recommended brands, recommended natural products, school lunches Tagged With: ,

Dairy-free, but miss the cheese? Try Daiya!

June 15, 2010 By 4 Comments

I’ll admit it – I sometimes miss the melty, gooey texture and taste of cheese. Still, I’m not interested in the cholesterol and heart-clogging ingredients found in animal cheese – and I know I don’t like how dairy makes my body feel: sluggish, pimply, and clogged.

So what’s a former cheese addict to do?

Until recently, dairy-free folks have been forced to go without, indulge in secret and then pay the price for the after-effects, or try enjoying the fake cheeses on the market. Sadly, those other cheeses didn’t melt or taste good, so what was the point?

Now, the game has changed. Now, there’s Daiya!

I’ve been testing recipes for my next book with this amazing, soy- and dairy-free stuff, and I’m pleased to say the results are killer: good taste, good melt.

Recently my local food co-op started selling the small bags of shredded Daiya, for which I am grateful. Before it was only available in huge 5 lb. blocks.

I recommended that my “detox divas” give it a try during my most recent detox group, and one member, a Canadian journalist, was so excited she wrote an article on this Canadian-made miracle food:

The take-away? It’s made in Canada, but hard to find there!
Read the article in MaClean’s here:

Can’t find Daiya in your local health food store yet? Order it here from www.veganessentials.com

Happy Nachos!
Alexandra

Filed Under: recommended brands, recommended natural products Tagged With: , ,

Does your laxative contain these cancer and mood-disorder causing ingredients?

May 4, 2010 By 1 Comment

I believe your gut is the seat of your health. Many of my clients come to me experiencing chronic constipation, causing them discomfort and digestive problems including decreased nutrient absorption.

So naturally, women turn to over the counter products like Metamucil, which brands itself as the “#1 Doctor Recommended” product to counteract constipation. This product is mainly psyllium husks, which come from plant husks.

Did you know that Metamucil products ALSO contain:

Gelatin (animal source), Polysorbate 80, Caramel Color, Red 40 Lake, Blue 1 Lake, Yellow 6 Lake, Titanium Dioxide, Polysorbate 80, Caramel Color, Red 40 Lake, Blue 1 Lake, Yellow 6 Lake, Natural and Artificial Orange Flavor, Aspartame, FD&C Yellow No. 6, Acesulfame Potassium, Aspartame, FD&C Red No. 40, FD&C Blue No. 1.

Many of these food colorings are directly linked with hyperactivity, learning disorders, digestive disorders, AND hide dangerous toxins.

These colorings are not safe, although they are approved by the FDA.

They are certified to contain no more than the amount of lead, mercury, arsenic, benzidine, and other contaminants that the Food & Drug Administration (FDA) considers acceptable.

In my opinion, none of these dangerous ingredients should be allowed in our food supply.

According to the good people at Feingold.org, a dye and additive free diet organization that counsels people on how to clear up disorders like IBS, ADD and ADHD:

“All the synthetic dyes are allowed to contain harmful contaminants like lead, mercury, arsenic, and benzidine (a carcinogen). Lead usually targets the oxygen-carrying protein in red blood cells first, eventually attacking your nervous system. The primary effects of mercury on infants and children are to damage neurological development. Arsenic can cause several kinds of cancer, as well as headaches and confusion. While it is true that colorings don’t have large amounts of any of these contaminants, there is no good reason to consume them…

Yellow #5 & Yellow #6 are each allowed to have 1 ppb (parts per billion) of benzidine. That is a really tiny amount; benzidine is known to cause cancer but it apparently can’t be easily removed from the dye, so the FDA decided to allow it at that amount…

One major characteristic that seems to apply to all chemically-sensitive people is that they get upset, anxious and agitated very easily. Whether the person is 3-years-old or 33, they have a short fuse.”

I know women who have been taking Metamucil almost daily – for years. Can we know how much lead, benzidine, and other toxic synthetics are lurking in their bodies because of the “healthy” product their doctor recommended?

The synthetic “D&C” colors are allowed to contain 10 ppm (parts per million) of lead.

According to the Mayo Clinic, “Lead poisoning occurs when lead builds up in the body, often over a period of months or years. Even small amounts of lead can cause serious health problems.”

Low-grade exposure to small amounts of lead may not show symptoms for years, but can increase the risk of high blood pressure and mental illness and decline in the future. Adult symptoms of lead poisoning can include:

  • Pain, numbness or tingling of the extremities
  • Muscular weakness
  • Headache
  • Abdominal pain
  • Memory loss
  • Mood disorders
  • Reduced sperm count, abnormal sperm
  • Miscarriage or premature birth in pregnant women
  • Fatigue

My recommendation for constipation issues is to stay away from any product that contains synthetic colors and preservatives. Instead, eat a diet of whole grains, beans and legumes, nuts, seeds, fruits and vegetables. Try my favorite Detox Drink recipe seen here.

To boost your elimination naturally with a toxin-free product, try:

-       Freshly ground flax seeds (on sale here)

-       100% Psyllium Husks (on sale here)

For more information on the Feingold Diet and how it has been used to help clear up ADD/ADHD symptoms:

http://www.feingold.org/

Filed Under: detox recipes, metamucil dangers, recommended natural products Tagged With: , ,

Lube Up Your Love Life, Naturally! Win Some Good Clean Love Goodies…

February 9, 2010 By 24 Comments

Valentine’s Day is a good excuse to try something new, dirty and clean in the boudoir. Exploring your sexual and sensual side is one of the best ways to feel good in your body now - a great night in the sheets is better then ice cream, right?

Sex toys and products are fun and spark the imagination wether your single, married or just playing the field. The only problem is that many of those products contain ingredients that should never be used in your most sensitive, sacred area. Call it your noni, vag, hoo-ha, or the old-school vulva, our female privates are porous places and shouldn’t be exposed to toxic ingredients like petrochemicals.

According to Good Clean Love’s founder Wendy Strgar “over 90% of the OTC [over the counter] lubes available are made with chemicals designed first for cars or oven cleaner.” Yikes! Don’t put that THERE!

Wendy is a sexual health expert and has been creating and promoting safer sex products from her base in Eugene, OR for years. As a special Valentine’s Day gift to my readers, Wendy has given 2 of her fabulous gift-sets to my blog readers! Leave your comment here about sexual health, exploration or what you plan on using these goodies for on Valentine’s, and you could win 1 of the 2 gift sets!

To see what the Cupid’s Travel Kit contains go here:  http://www.goodcleanlove.com/Cupids-Travel-Kit.html

Filed Under: healthy holiday tips, recommended natural products, Uncategorized, Win Free Natural Health Care Products, women's sexual health Tagged With: ,
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