Juicing organic fruits and vegetables

Have you ever tried freshly squeezed juice? It is delicious and nutritious. You get a truckload of vitamins, enzymes, and minerals. The enzymes contained in vegetables and fruits help to digest your food so try drinking these natural cocktails with meals.

One important thing to remember is that you should always start with organic fruits or vegetables. Because most fruits and vegetables are sprayed with pesticides, using non-organic products means that you will be ingesting harmful pesticides too. Keep these toxic chemicals away from your cells in order to maintain their proper functioning.

Exercising regularly

Oxygen is vital to life. Incorporating exercise into your lifestyle brings this element into your body and skin. Studies at University of Wisconsin have shown that oxygen reduces effects of free radical damage and premature aging.

Sweating encourages release of toxins from skin. Working up a good sweat during your exercise program will help in detoxification process. You could also try saunas and steambaths to encourage excretion of toxins.

If you are not currently exercising choose something that you enjoy doing. Walking is a great way to increase your heart rate and pump oxygen through your lungs. Other ideas include yoga, swimming, cycling, and running. Whatever you do, choose an activity that you will be motivated to do on a regular basis.

Exfoliation

Shedding skin cells is a continual process. Dead skin cells sit on uppermost level of epidermis and they make skin look dull and less healthy. Our clothes play a big part in helping to remove cells on a daily basis. By sloughing off dead skin cells from time to time, you can stimulate skin renewal process. Try any of following methods once a week to naturally exfoliate your skin:

- briskly towel off after a shower - use an organic scrub during your shower - use a washcloth during your shower - use a loofah (Important: keep it dry when it’s not in use to minimize bacterial count)

Using organic products for personal hygiene

Decreasing number of synthetic chemicals entering your body through your food and personal products is yet another way to help detoxify. Modern research at Herb Research Foundation found that skin absorbs up to 60% of chemicals in products that it comes into contact with directly into bloodstream. This means that chemicals, some of which are known carcinogens, are entering your body and potentially causing unnecessary harm.

The next time you need to stock up on personal hygiene products, look for alternatives to chemically items offered in most stores. Using organic products decreases number of preservatives and chemical additives your skin comes into contact with and therefore, that may enter your body.

References:

- www.meriam-webster.com, accessed October 26, 2004. - www.detox.org/skin.aspl, accessed October 26, 2004 - www.saga.co.uk/health_news/article/D2164785-92E3-11D6-B8AC-00508BAEC55C.asp?bhcp=1, accessed Oct. 26, 2004. - Farley, Josephine. Organic beauty: look and feel gorgeous natural way. Dorling Kindersley, London, 2001, page 66.

For pregnant women, risk is not only for her body but also for developing fetus. If chemicals found in cosmetics readily enter bloodstream when applied to skin, then they will also reach developing baby. Researchers at Brunel University in England are looking closely at a family of preservatives called parabens. Their research has recently linked parabens to possibility that male babies will have lower sperm counts. These preservatives are derived from petroleum and help to maintain freshness and integrity of product. Currently, many manufacturers add parabens to cosmetics to allow a minimum of 3 years shelf life. Therefore, parabens kill any bacteria that could potentially enter product. If these chemical ingredients can kill bacterial cells, what are they doing to your skin cells? In most cases, there is no conclusive answer to this question. However, research mentioned strongly suggests that synthetic ingredients may have a significant impact on our bodies.

In many cases, long-term effects of many of chemical additives in our cosmetics are not known. However, other chemical additives are known carcinogens. These types of chemicals can cause cancer in humans. Such chemicals include some artificial colours in cosmetics. The effects of chemicals and other synthetic ingredients in cosmetics may lead to mild allergic reactions causing rashes and minor skin irritation to more significant problems such as lesions on skin.

What are your alternatives for cosmetics?

Luckily, there are alternatives to cosmetics filled with synthetically produced ingredients. Increasingly, cosmetic manufacturers are answering public’s demand for alternatives to chemically loaded beauty and grooming supplies. The Organic Make-up Company is one such company that is leading way in producing high-quality, organically manufactured cosmetics! As a consumer, you have ability to decrease number of preservatives and chemical additives your skin comes into contact with and therefore, that may enter your body. To avoid using synthetically derived fragrances, look for products containing essential oils. These are pure oils derived from flowers and other plants in nature.

All you have to do is make simple choice of purchasing cosmetic products with all-natural, organic ingredients. Whether you continue using cosmetics that contain petroleum-based ingredients or not is a personal choice. What is most important is to get facts and to know that you have a choice when it comes to buying organic or synthetic cosmetic products.

References:

- Fairley, Josephine. Organic beauty: look and feel gorgeous natural way. Dorling Kindersley : London, 2001. - http://www.hans.org/web_articles/h07drugschemicals/h0799whatisreallyinyourhbprods.aspl, accessed Oct. 3, 2004.