Health & Beauty Archives - Page 3 of 4

The 5 Best All-Natural Oils For Your Face

March 9, 2016 by Jillian Leave a Comment

I don’t know about you, but I get really excited talking about oils 🙌 🌟

In a day and age when companies market their over processed, chemical-ridden skincare products as “all natural,” “moisturizing,” “anti-aging,” and so on, it’s nice to know I can depend on plants to save the day 🌿 As a vegan, I depend on plants for food and they provide all the nourishment I need. But they’re also the safest and most effective choice when it comes to skincare as well. For thousands of years, people used plants as medicine – and it worked. But today, consumers want eye catching packaging, famous spokespeople, and great marketing. It’s all smoke and mirrors. Do your research and you’ll realize that none of those products are actually good for your skin, in fact, some of them are terrible for your skin and your whole body.

If you go to my Health & Beauty page, you can read my Be Beautiful Inside and Out series that discusses what ingredients to stay away from and why, as well as the importance of picking humane beauty products that are not animal tested, and how chemicals infiltrate every part of our lives.

Kind of overwhelming to realize how much junk is in the products you may have been purchasing and using for years. I’m guilty of it myself. I now use all natural oils on my face each morning and night as my moisturizer and my face feels like a baby 👶

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7 Terrifying Facts About Everyday Chemicals

January 28, 2016 by Jillian 1 Comment

I’m quite aware that chemicals lurk everywhere in our daily lives, whether we want them to or not. We live in a day and age where our most commonly used products contain a plethora of man made chemicals. What’s even worse is that many of these chemicals are toxic and not regulated by the agencies that are supposed to keep us safe, and certainly not by the companies themselves. The good news is, there’s a simple solution. But first, here are a few facts I learned from watching The Human Experiment, a documentary that explores the chemicals we use in our everyday lives.

1. In 1999, 1 in 500 kids had autism. Today it’s 1 in 88.

Other increases over the past 45 years:
Childhood brain cancer 38%
Asthma 80%
Leukemia in children 74%
Early onset puberty 55%
ADHD 53%
Genital deformities in baby boys 122%
Life threatening birth defects >100%

Not to mention, breast cancer rates have gone up more than 30% in women and men since 1975. It’s increasingly occurring in very young women who have no family history of cancer, don’t smoke, drink, or eat meat, and have active lifestyles.

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10 Reasons Why GMOs Suck

August 14, 2015 by Jillian Leave a Comment

This week has been super crazy for me. I’ve been cooking and baking nonstop for the blog while also juggling outside job opportunities and you know, figuring out the general direction of my life. No big deal. Despite my busy schedule, me and Netflix just have a bond that I can’t ignore. GMO OMG has been on my queue for weeks because well, I knew it was going to be good, and I wanted to give it the full attention it deserved.

It’s a documentary that follows director Jeremy Seifert as he looks for answers to how GMOs affect our health, our planet, and our freedom of choice. It’s fascinating, informative, funny, terrifying, and will really make you think about your food choices. I decided to focus on a few of the facts that I find most interesting from this film, but I highly recommend you watch it for yourself to get the full effect.

Before I begin, what exactly is a GMO (aka genetically modified organism)?

“Organisms in which the genetic material (DNA) has been altered in a way that does not occur naturally. “

-World Health Organization

There’s 2 types of GMOs:

Pesticide Producers kill insects. Example – Monsanto’s BT Corn, where a gene from a naturally occurring bacterium is inserted into the DNA of corn. The modified corn produces a toxin that’s lethal to insects.
Herbicide Resisters are weed killer immune. Example – Roundup Ready Soy, where the DNA is altered with a soil bacterium’s genes to make the plant immune to the weed killer called Roundup. Farmers douse their fields with Roundup to kill every weed and unwanted plant, but even when coated in herbicide, the soy plant remains unharmed.

The European Union first established labeling of GMOs in 1997. Several states in the U.S. have tried to make GMO labeling mandatory in the past, but Monsanto has threatened to sue them or has spent millions of dollars to defeat them. And now the Dark Act has passed, which blocks the USDA from implementing mandatory GMO labeling on foods. That means we as consumers will be in the dark about what’s in our food and how it’s grown.

Here’s 10 more reasons why GMOs suck and what you can do about it…

1. Haiti Knows What’s Up

Haiti is the poorest country in the western hemisphere and suffers from poverty, hunger, and malnutrition. Their devastating 2010 earthquake didn’t help things, and yet when Monsanto offered the country 475 tons of GMO seeds, Haiti said thanks but no thanks. They lovingly refer to Monsanto seeds as “poison.” In one Haitian town that actually accepted some of the seeds, it ruined their crop and cost them money so they stopped using them. Protestors went as far as burning the seeds to show their disgust for Monsanto.

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10 Essential Facts To Gaining Happiness

June 19, 2015 by Jillian Leave a Comment

Do you ever look at your dog (or a friend’s dog, or a dog at the park) and think He looks so happy. I want to come back as a content dog in my next life! With all the research and studies being done on the science of happiness lately, you don’t need to wait until you’re next life. You can be happy right now.

Today I watched a documentary titled, simply enough, Happy. This 2011 film is directed by Roko Belic and follows happy people all over the world to find out what makes them so gosh darn happy. It’s an inspiring, feel good watch and I’ve jotted down the 10 key points of this film to help you get started.

1. 50% of our happiness levels are determined by our genes. This is called our genetic setpoint.

“Most of us are born with a certain range of happiness that we fall in most of the time.” -Sonja Lyubamirsky, PhD. Professor of Psychology at UC Riverside

The rest of the pie has to do with circumstances (job, social status, age, etc.) and intentional activity (aka what you do). The great part about the intentional activity is that you get to choose what that is. You can change your actions.

2. From your teenage years onward, you’re slowly losing dopamine synapses and dopamine neurons.

So you better use it or lose it – in this way, the brain is similar to any muscle in your body. Find experiences that release dopamine, the neurotransmitter in the brain that is responsible for feelings of pleasure and happiness. The best way to do that is through physical activity. Studies show that aerobic exercise is the best releaser of dopamine, especially if you do it in novel ways. Examples: exploring outdoors, playing sports, or just playing in general.

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My List of Yummy Vegan Lip Balm

May 8, 2015 by Jillian Leave a Comment

I loooove lip balm. It’s a necessity in my life, like coffee and chocolate and slobbery dog kisses. I’m the kind of girl that goes on shopping sprees for 3 things – books, the bulk foods section of the grocery store, and lip balm. There’s nothing like trying to peel off that annoying seal from a brand new lip balm, finally succeeding, and using it for the first time while it’s all smooth and perfect…

Unfortunately, the ingredients you find in popular brands are full of chemicals and things that actually dry your lips out. In my opinion, lip balm (and most beauty products) shouldn’t have more than a handful of ingredients. So I decided to tempt you (yes, you) with a list of vegan lip balms that contain outrageously yummy flavors that are all-natural, organic, and free from animal testing. And if you’re anything like me, you’ll get more excited than the average person.

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