http://www.thekitchn.com/feedburnermain
Edamame is a favorite snack or appetizer to nosh on, especially before a big sushi dinner. These green soybeans are a rich source of fiber, protein, vitamins, and minerals. They’re also delicious.
Now sushi-lovers need to be wary when eating the appetizer, as an edamame product from Advanced Fresh Concepts has been recalled in 33 states. A random quality testing analysis revealed a potential contamination of Listeria monocytogenes.
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A few years ago, I wrote a long post listing cosmetics, soaps, and other personal products made with healthy, non-toxic ingredients. It’s a sad thing when you basically have to assume the worst about the average product designed to be slathered all over the largest organ of your body—your skin. But that’s the situation in which we find ourselves now.
Today’s post is an update of sorts. What products am I using? Which ones have I used? And are there any others that I can safely recommend? It won’t be as comprehensive as the last one. It will be more personal.
In fact, let’s just go through an average day and week of personal product use. I’m pretty spartan, as you’ll see. I’ll also include other products I like (but might not always use) where applicable.
I wake up and brush my teeth. I don’t use toothpaste usually, just a swish of hydrogen peroxide while brushing. For guests and those times I do feel like toothpaste, I’ll use something like Squigle Tooth Builder or Claybrite. Squigle uses xylitol to discourage pathogens from setting up shop and adds minerals that presumably aid in re-mineralization. Claybrite also uses xylitol but throws in mineral-rich clay.
I take a shower. Most of my showers are water only. Maybe I’ll wash the armpits and other hidden regions if the situation calls for it, using AOBiome’s Mother Dirt Face and Body Cleanser (if I’m not very dirty) or Dr. Bronner’s Peppermint soap (if I am). Mother Dirt Face and Body Cleanser is a gentle cleanser that doesn’t destroy your precious skin biome. Dr. Bronner is that soap that comes in the crazy bottle featuring a veritable infographic. Both use inoffensive ingredients.
I spend so much time in the ocean or my saltwater pool and hot tub that I’m not ever really “filthy” enough to require a full-body scrub down. As long as you’re not just sitting in your own filth for days on end, you can get away with going easy on the soap.
About once a week I’ll shampoo my hair with AOBiome’s Mother Dirt Shampoo. Like the body wash, the stuff is designed to cleanse without negatively impacting the live surface bacteria living on your scalp. It actually supports your native skin bacteria, helps it do its job. Each ingredient was hand-picked and independently verified not to destroy the skin biome.
The next two bits will draw gasps of disbelief. That’s okay.
Next, I shave. Do I dip an oak-handled lathering brush into a mason jar of bespoke artisanal shaving cream? Do I slather on the Primal Kitchen avocado oil? Does it involve coconut? Pastured egg white meringue, perhaps?
Nope (although I do use the avocado oil for something which I’ll get to later). I use good ol’ Gillette Foamy, the same stuff I’ve used since I was 14 years old. Old habits die hard, and there’s nothing wrong with that. Don’t obsess over everything. Nothing—and no one—in this life is pristine.
Then I apply a little Bleu de Chanel deodorant under my arms. It provides enough fragrance that I never have to use cologne. I’ve also used Primal Pit Paste and Schmidt’s. Both work well and have great ingredients—and I have them both in my medicine cabinet—but i’m just so used to the Chanel. Once, when I was camping, forgot my deodorant, and really needed it, I mixed equal parts coconut oil and baking soda. Worked great, albeit messily.
And finally, a couple times a week I’ll spray myself all over with the Mother Dirt Mist and Live Probiotic Body Spray, which colonizes your body with the same ammonia-consuming bacteria abundant in soil and fresh water. Ammonia is the smelly byproduct of skin bacteria. It’s what makes us stink. Back when the product was just coming out, a NY Times writer tried it for a few weeks, foregoing soap, shampoo, and deodorant entirely. Her skin improved. Since she was no longer washing away natural oils, she was more moisturized than before. She had a smell, but not a bad one. Just a “natural” one.
Another benefit of using this spray is that the bacteria convert ammonia into nitric oxide, which our body uses for endothelial health and general vascular function. More nitric oxide, better blood flow. I’ve noticed a definite effect.
To style my hair, I don’t really do a whole lot. I find that the constant exposure to salt water really helps my hair stay manageable sans product (beach hair is best hair). If anything, I might tousle it with a little avocado oil and towel dry it. Once every few days I’ll use a tea tree oil gel.
Another “hair product” I do endorse is collagen powder. Ever since I started taking 20-40 grams of collagen every day to help heal my Achilles tendinitis, I noticed a strange but welcome side effect: stronger, thicker hair.
If I’m spending a long time in the sun and need sunblock, I use Epicurean. It contains zinc oxide, a physical barrier to UVB and UVA (for when you’ve had enough of each). If you’re going to use sunblock, just pick one that uses zinc. They don’t exactly rub in and disappear like typical sunblocks, which is why they’re so much safer.
At night, before bed and after my swim and sauna, I’ll rub some Primal Kitchen refined avocado oil on my skin. I swim and sauna (yep, that’s a verb) every night but rub the oil probably every other night.
I don’t wear makeup. From the women in my life who do, I’ve seen a lot of Dr. Hauschka and 100% Pure products. Both look so clean you could probably make salad dressing out of them.
I’ve also heard good things about Feather Eagle Sky skincare products and oils.
As you can see, I’m not big on personal care products. I use what I like, and I tend to use them sparingly. But I know many readers have been curious, and many of you are probably experts in your own right, so let’s hear it:
What do you use?
What do you endorse?
What’s missing from my list?
Thanks for reading, everyone. Take care!
The post 19 Personal Care Products I Use or Like appeared first on Mark’s Daily Apple.
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Have you ever been in a restaurant and watched a sizzling platter of fajitas whiz by your table, turning heads as it makes its way to its lucky recipient? That dinner is an attention grabber. Now imagine perfuming your house with the same enticing smells and enjoying fajitas that are full of rich tomato flavor and spiced with cumin and chipotle without having to turn on the stove. That is the joy of slow cooker chicken fajitas. They start with a few chicken breasts, canned tomatoes, and spices you probably already have, and are completely hands-off. Here’s how to make chicken fajitas in the slow cooker, a tempting alternative for Taco Tuesday.
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(Image credit: Hali Bey Ramdene)
On December 7, 2016, I fell madly in love with a slice of banana bread. Yes, a slice of banana bread! But not just any banana bread — this particular one was topped with a luxuriously creamy espresso mascarpone and crunchy buckwheat groats.
And it has haunted me ever since.
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The very best part of this dish might not be the actual pasta (although it’s garlicky and lemony and oh so good), but the crispy, crunchy breadcrumbs that are sprinkled with abandon over the top. They’re toasted with lemon zest and combined with Parmesan and chopped parsley to become a scene-stealing addition. The crumbs get caught in the nooks and crannies, waiting for you to discover their greatness when you gobble up a big forkful of noodles.
The pasta itself is extra tangy from the lemon and has a briny kick from the capers. It’s a dish that’s right for just about any moment, whether you have an almost-empty pantry and it’s late and you’re hungry on a Wednesday, or you’re cooking for a few friends over the weekend.
http://www.thekitchn.com/feedburnermain
The 365 by Whole Foods Market stores are billed as a lower-price version of the mother store, but how much will you really save? I decided to investigate. On the same day in February, I checked the prices of items in regular rotation on my grocery list at the 365 by Whole Foods in the Silver Lake neighborhood of Los Angeles and an old-school Whole Foods seven miles away in Glendale, CA.
Here’s what I found out.
http://www.thekitchn.com/feedburnermain
Sometimes our real-life grocery stores can prove to be a little limited in their offerings (why do we need so many brands of ketchup and so few types of whole grains?). And other times, certain things (we’re looking at you, five-pound bag of flour!) can just be too heavy to lug home in addition to everything else we’re already schlepping.
Luckily Amazon has a selection our editors have come to rely on. Add on the free two-day shipping for Prime members (you’re still not a Prime member? Sign up here!) and it’s a total no-brainer.
These are the 10 times we rely on Amazon to get us our grocery goodies.
http://www.thekitchn.com/feedburnermain
(Image credit: Lauren Volo)
This is one of those recipes that originated as an off-the-cuff concept while speedily scanning the grocery store aisles a mere hour before dinner. I see hummus, we’ve got veggies at home, I’ll grab some pita. The hummus bowls — basically a pile of juicy roasted veggies over creamy hummus — were so well-received that they now regularly appear on our meal planning list. This smoky, tangy edition is the version I love most.
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