Oil Pulling

I heard about oil pulling sometime in 2012 but I never really researched it. It wasn't until last month when Fran from HeyFranHey posted a vlog on the benefits of oil pulling that I decided to really look into it and give it a try.

Brief description of oil pulling: "Oil pulling is Ayurveda technique of swishing oil in your mouth for 10-20 minutes daily to kill bacteria and prevent plaque"

I started oil pulling with coconut oil last month and immediately saw an improvement on my gums. I have also stopped getting tooth aches UNTIL I ran out of coconut oil. I went a week without coconut oil and then the gum area by my back left wisdom tooth started to bother me. My dentist called in a antibody to help decrease the inflammation and I got some more coconut oil. I noticed in the morning I would wake up with a tingle but as soon as I finished oil pulling it stopped. Hopefully, with the antibodies and the oil pulling the swelling will go down soon.

I wish I would have learned about oil pulling yearssss ago then maybe I would not have had to go through so many dental issues. If you are not oil pulling, I highly suggest you look it up and give it a try.

My routine:

• on an empty stomach, oil pull with coconut oil for 20 minutes
• rinse mouth with warm salt water
• rinse with warm water brush teeth (Due to my new dental health issue, I have also started oil pulling before going to bed)

Here are some sites reviewing oil pulling:

Wellness Mama

Clutch Magazine

Trina Holden

Also check out this video from Fran:

Black Girls Workout Too

Before summer started I wanted to find a home work out program for days when I just can't make it to the gym. On InstaGram, I kept seeing people post their results from Black Girls Workout Too. Now these were amazing transformations from real people, so I decided I wanted to check this program out.  I went on Amazon to see how much the DVD would cost, it was $29.99. Now to some that's nothing but to someone as cheap as me that is a lot.  Then I read the reviews and most were saying the quality was not work 30 bucks so I decided not to get it. 

Months later I got the DVD from my sister-in-law. I have to say the quality is very low BUT the workout is GREAT!!! I was sweating harder than when I am in the gym. I have decided that I will use the DVD three times a week and go to the gym three times a week. I am determined to get this body tight and toned!  I'll keep you all posted on the results.

If you've never heard of Black Girls Workout Too check out the mother/daughter duo on InstamGram @VitaminEllen and @lanagem. You can also get more information from their website.

End of the green smoothie challenge

Yay! I not only stuck with it but I finished the 30-day green smoothie challenge!!!  Some of the changes I have noticed are: my face looks slimmer, my stomach is getting smaller and I am actually craving raw vegetables.  Last week I went on a sugar binge.  I made and ate chocolate cake, rice krispie treats and biscoff cookies with nutella.  I noticed after 3 days of eating all that sugar, I started to feel real sluggish again and I had this pain in my stomach.  I also gained 1.6 pounds :(

Now I know I really have to pay special attention to what and how much I eat.  I can still have sugar but not to the excess.  I'm still drinking my green smoothies daily and eating more vegetables and fish.  I have really changed my water intake.  I still drink a lot of water.

I am not going to post the smoothies online anymore but I will post my progress.  Here are the last of my smoothies from the challenge:





Day 23 - Spinach, mango, banana, kiwi, strawberries, pineapple juice and agave nectar

Day 24 - spinach, avocado, pineapple, mango, banana, green tea and flaxseeds

Day 25 - Spinach, flaxseeds, peaches, mixed berries, apples, banana, ginger and green tea

Day 26 - Spinach, apple, mango, mixed berries, coconut oil, green tea and almond milk

Day 27 (my husband made this one) - Spinach, kale, mint, strawberries, kiwi, pineapple, mango and almond milk

Day 28 - Kale, spinach, coconut oil, coconut water, flaxseeds, strawberries, mango, banana and pineapple

Day 29  (on the go) - Spinach, kale, strawberries, apples, pineapple, mango, banana, cherries, avocado, flaxseeds, coconut oil, coconut water and orange juice

Day 30 - Spinach, baby kale, peaches, plum, cherries, pineapple, mango, banana, avocado, flaxseeds, coconut water and coconut oil.

Green Smoothie Challenge - Week 3

I've completed week 3 of the 30 day green smoothie challenge!  I was supposed to add chai seeds, cacao powder, and chard to my smoothies this  week.  As you can tell from below, I didn't.  I went to purchase these ingredients and was shocked by how expensive they were.  I found the chai seeds at Trader Joe's for $4.99, I should have gotten them then but I though I could find them cheaper somewhere else.  WRONG!!!  I didn't see the cacao powder at Trader Joe's but MOMs and Wegmans had it for $15.99.  I've never had it before so I did not want to spend that type of money and then find out I didn't like it.  As far as the chard, I left it off my restock list and completely forgot about it.

This week (week 4) I plan on experimenting more with my smoothies. 

Day 15 - Spinach, kale, pineapple, mango, banana, strawberries, flaxseeds, coconut oil and almond milk

Day 16 - Spinach, coconut water, kiwi, strawberries, mango, banana, avocado and agave nectar

                Lunch - Spinach, coconut milk, 1/2 orange, pineapple, blueberries and bananas

Day 17 - (no picture) Spinach, kale, avocado, pineapple, orange, mango, banana, coconut water and coconut oil

            Lunch - Spinach, almond butter, peaches, strawberries, mango, pineapple, banana and almond milk.

 

Day 18 - Spinach, mixed berries, green apple, peaches, banana, flaxseeds and pomegranate juice

         Dinner - Spinach, pineapple, mango, peaches, kale, avocado, banana, coconut oil and coconut milk

Day 19 - Kale, kiwi, mango, pineapple, coconut water and coconut oil

Day 20 - Spinach, kale, 1/2 orange, pineapple, green apple, mixed berries, strawberries, flaxseeds, coconut oil and orange juice.  Don't let the color of this smoothie fool you, it has a great taste.

Green Smoothie Challenge - Week 2

I started my second week of the green smoothie challenge last Tuesday.  I admit I have had a few slip ups (I'm only human)  I've been drinking the green smoothies daily but I have been snacking a little. I had a chocolate chip brownie with whipped cream Saturday evening and Sunday afternoon.  I've also made rice krispie treats and caramel popcorn.  I was snacking on those during the evening mostly after eating dinner.

I have notice that my dinner portions have gotten smaller and I lost 2 pounds.  This week I added kale and avocado to my smoothies.  The kale has a strong taste so you have to use really sweet fruits to cut it.  You can not taste the avocado at all but it makes the smoothies really creamy.

Hopefully, as I continue with this challenge my need for sugar will decrease.

Here are my smoothies for week 2:



Day 8 - kale, spinach, ginger, vanilla greek yogurt, coconut water, pineapple, banana, and strawberries 















Day 9 - kale, spinach, green apple, cilantro, ginger, banana, lemon and almond milk

I only drunk half of this smoothie as I did not care for it too much.  The taste was good but the texture was too mushy for me.  I think what made the texture unappealing was that I put fresh lemon juice with the almond milk.  I plan on making this smoothie substituting the almond milk for orange juice or maybe water.














Day 9 lunch - pomegranate juice, vanilla greek yogurt, 1/4 orange, strawberries, banana, spinach and flaxseeds














 Day 10 - spinach, blueberries, strawberries, mango and water














Day 10 lunch on the go - kale, spinach, coconut oil, pineapple, mango and coconut water (MY FAVORITE)













Day 11 - spinach, kale, flaxseeds, 1/2 orange, apple, pineapple, mango, banana and almond milk












 
Day 12 - Spinach, 1/2 avocado, ginger, green apple, green grapes, coconut oil and coconut water













 
Day 13 - spinach, kale, blackberries, strawberries, kiwi, peaches, banana, 1/2 avocado, 1 cup water, 1/4 cup coconut water and agave nectar













Day 14 - spinach, 1/2 avocado, orange juice, coconut water, coconut oil, pineapple, banana and flaxseeds














For week 3, I will add cacao powder, chard and chai seeds to my smoothies.



TIP:  A good way to store the other half of the avocado so it does not brown is to put fresh lemon juice on it, wrap it in plastic wrap really tight then store the avocado in an air tight container in the fridge.