No-Poo update... and other uses for baking soda

Well, it's been several months... and no-poo is going well. Actually, I haven't been consistently using it for the past several months. Whenever I go into the salon they scrub me down with commercial sudsy stuff and I get into a slump for awhile...

Anyway, I'm back at it. I have to wash twice weekly because otherwise I feel the oil slick coming on and feel gross. One of the problems with using shampoo is that you wash all the natural oil out of your hair and your scalp then begins to over-produce oil to keep up. So, it can take 4-6 weeks for the oil production to slow down.

So, for those just starting out, I'd recommend:

• Patience with the process. It's going to take awhile for your scalp to re-adjust
• Baking soda in any easy-to-dispense container. I use an old spice container and shake it into my hand during my shower. I do two separate applications of baking soda - first into the front and sides of scalp, and then I shake more baking soda into the palm of my hand and go after the back of my head. I have long hair, so sometimes I flip my head over in the shower to make it easier.
• Don't use too much baking soda! You'll know when you have because you won't be able to get a comb through your hair afterwards!
• Keep a gallon of apple cider vinegar right in your bathroom if you have the room. Then you can dispense a couple ounces into a cup and have it ready to go for the rinse. Of course, you want to dilute the a.c.v. in at least 8 ounces of water, something like that.
• Keep a baseball cap around. :) There will be days that it's easier to duck under a cap than scrub your scalp. And, as much as possible, try to do this only 2-3 times per week. You want your scalp to get used to a regular pattern and to even out oil production. If you keep scrubbing it daily, it will taken longer to re-adjust. The ideal would be to use baking soda/cider once weekly and do water-only washes another time during the week. I haven't arrived yet...
• When you are feeling a bit oily, you can use a bit of corn starch on your scalp to absorb some of the oil so you will look presentable in public. Just don't dump it on or you'll look quite silly! (Some people recommend Baby Powder, but I do NOT because it has aluminum in it, among other things.)

And while we're talking about personal hygiene and aluminum, it's time to look at your deodorant! Most contain aluminum. Try instead a mixture of equal parts baking soda and olive oil, with a little tea tree or other essential oil added in for pleasantness. Most importantly, though, add in a few drops of grapeseed extract as a natural preservative to keep it fresh.

I never have odor problems when I apply this, and sometimes I can go every-other-day between applications. You will of course perspire, but that's what your pits are designed to do! My biggest complaint would be that you have to stir this mixture every time before application because the baking soda and oil tend to separate. Next round, I am going to use a tall container and put a tongue-depressor type instrument in it so that I can stir it easily before application.

I must give special thanks to my friend Joni for introducting me to both of these great uses for baking soda. Thanks, Joni!!

No-poo

Also wanna be chemical free...

So to this end, I am considering going "no-poo". OK, actually, I tried this yesterday and I'm ready to make a run for it.

Found some helpful tips at this web page:
http://www.naturalfamilyonline.com/go/index.php/389/why-you-should-go-no-poo/

The Perfect Pumpkin Shake, Really!

This morning's pumpkin-milk-based concoction was delightful. Here's how to duplicate this in your own home:

1/2 can pumpkin puree
3 eggs yolks
4 oz cream (frozen)
4 oz fermented dairy such as kefir
8 oz whole milk
1+ TB of coconut oil
1 tsp (or one cube) of crystallized ginger
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1/8 tsp allspice
1/8 tsp cloves
1/2 tsp cinnamon
~2 TB honey

Add all ingredients to blender and blend until smooth.

This is a protein-rich, blood-sugar-stabilizing beverage to get your day off to a great start!

The Perfect Pumpkin Shake

If you thought this post would direct you into the paths of pumpkin deliciousness, you are correct! However, if you thought you'd find the perfectly proportioned pumpkin shake, well... join me in the great experiment, because I haven't arrived yet!

Here are the ingredients I used:
organic pumpkin puree, canned ~ 4 oz maybe?
3 eggs yolks
cream - 4 oz frozen
milk - added after the above ingredients to bring the volume to 2 cups
honey - maybe a TB?
vanilla extract - perhaps 1/2 tsp
nutmeg and cinnamon to taste

So it was delicious. I think I need to increase the milk content slightly. The honey was barely adequate but I am also ready to wean down on sweets, so I don't think that will be increased next time. Ideas for future additions will be cloves and ginger, maybe some allspice. A local health food store makes theirs with a whole banana and a lot more pumpkin puree, but since I struggle with adrenal fatigue and I know bananas tank me due to their high potassium content (I need more sodium and they work opposite of each other ) I won't be trying that experiment.

Please post if you try this and come up with a great combo!

Miso Soup

For lunch today, adapted from NT p201

*Almost 1 quart home-made chicken stock (NT p124)
*Filtered water [less than 1 cup added since I was short on broth]
*1 TB fish sauce [purchased very cheaply at a local Asian market]
*3 heaping TB of miso [which is fermented soy, purchased at another local Asian market, MSG-free]
*2 TB Bragg's amino acids [but truly fermented soy sauce would be better if I had some]
*1 onion, sliced [thank you 30-year-old Cuisinart Food Processor]
*3/4 of small head of cabbage [again, thank you CFP]
*1 sprig of parsley [only for picture-taking, this was not consumed during the meal but would have been a nice addition]

Husband rating: OK. Ate 1 serving. I drank his leftover broth.

Toddler take: Veggies were ick, but enjoyed using his spoon twice for slurping broth

Cook's take: Delicious. Very quick and easy to make, very nourishing. Ate toddler's serving plus a second bowl, and will probably eat more throughout the evening. Original recipe called for fish broth, but chicken broth was outstanding. My only gripe is that the sandwiches we ate this with were made from store-bought bread. Kirkland brand, multi-grain and tasty, but not soaked, sprouted, or nutrient dense. Gotta get my rye berries and make sourdough bread. Oh, and a Bosch mixer. Good thing Christmas is almost here!

[Editor's note: Deborah's professional photog was on vacation this weekend so she was forced to take this picture on her cell phone and upload it from her email.]

So I wanna be nutrient dense...

So what exactly does that mean?

Let's flesh it out a bit...

- I don't want to eat stupid, empty calories
- I do want the food I put into my body to nourish it, not tear it down
- I don't want to merely survive, I want to thrive
- I don't want to lean heavily on dietary supplements to meet my nutritional needs
- The point isn't just to fill my belly, but to fuel my body

Why do I care?

- As Stephen Covey recommends, I want to "sharpen the saw" and keep my mind and body healthy so I can be effective in my other pursuits. I think this all starts with what I introduce into that giant tube traversing my body called the gut.
- I am told in Scripture that my body is the temple of the Holy Spirit, and that it is not my own. 1 Cor 6:19. Although the context of the scripture is in a passage exhorting readers to flee sexual immorality, I think I can use it to remind me of the holiness of this vessel God chooses to dwell in: my flesh.
- I enjoy feeling good.
- I do not enjoy popping pills or playing the patient. I have this idea that if I consume nutrient-dense foods, I'll actually save money in the short- and long-term. In the short-term I limit eating out and purchasing pricey processed foods; in the long-term I avoid chronic medical conditions that secure a seat for me in the doctor's office.

What do I want to accomplish?

- I want to learn how to consistently prepare food that nourishes my family... and that also tastes delicious!
- I want to explore living by the 80/20 rule: if 80% of what I consume is nourishing as defined by the WAPF, I can cheat (if I wish) on the other 20%, as long as my health allows. That way I can still enjoy meals others set before me on occasion without excessive internal conflict. All bets off if I'm not feeling well in mind or body.
- I want to have a central location for organizing my thoughts on food, detailing successes and failures in the kitchen, brainstorming notes for teaching nutrition to others, and listing references for all sorts of stuff related to eating a traditional diet.
- I want to be able to measure my progress. What better place than on a blog? I have multiple documented (or shall I say more appropriately undocumented) failures at keeping a paper journal. In contrast I find that often, as in this present moment, my fingers are in cahoots with my brain, eager to keep the rest of me up awake late into the night typing away a swirl of thoughts.
- I want some accountability in this food adventure. Perhaps if I expose my triumphs and failures here, knowing that someone else like G.S. is reading this, it will prod me on to keep up the effort.

There, so that shall end my first post...