From Asthma to the #1 Household Poisoning, Are Your Cleaners Making You SICK?

The Real Dirt on Clean~

When it comes to being your healthiest, what you use on and around your body is just as important as what you put in your body.

So you know that good, healthy feeling you get when you clean your home? Sorry to spoil it, but you may have made it dirtier :(

Think of it this way, you wouldn't let your kids play with toxic chemicals, so why would you let them play on the floor that’s just been cleaned with them?  

Let’s talk about the dangers:

How Dangerous? Just take a look:

*Over 90% of poison exposures happen at home

*Common chlorine bleach is the #1 household chemical involved in poisoning

*Studies now show using bleach may be making you sicker

*Of chemicals commonly found in homes, over 150 have been linked to allergies, birth defects, cancer, and psychological abnormalities

*Children are highly vulnerable to chemical toxicants. Pound for pound of body weight, children drink more water, eat more food, and breathe more air than adults. The implication of this is that children will have substantially heavier exposures than adults to any toxiciants that are present.

*Common cleaners give off fumes that can potentially increase the risk of kids developing asthma, the most common chronic childhood disease.

*If your home is anything like the average U.S.home, you generate more than 20 pounds of household hazardous waste each year. (The EPA designates toilet cleaners, tub and tile cleaners,oven cleaners, and bleach as hazardous waste)

Your home should be the safest, healthiest, cleanest place in the world!

Turns out, there are some pretty easy things we can do to make our family safer and our home healthier. As it turns out, what’s good for our home is also good for the earth and everyone else on it.

So let’s help to make everyone healthier and safer!

Here are some ways to get started:  

1. Get the dirt. Educate yourself about what you bring into your home at

www.householdproducts.nlm.nih.gov/products.htm

2. Have a clean-for-all. Put on the gloves and get rid of the nasty stuff in your home. Responsibly, of course. Local waste collection services have guidelines for proper household hazardous waste disposal, as well as collection sites for paint, batteries, cleaners, etc. Whatever you do, please don’t toss this stuff in the garbage, or dump down the drain or outside. Dispose properly.

3. Welcome healthy. Commit to carefully considering everything that crosses your doorstep.

Here are some safe, healthy things to have in your home:

• Cleaners that are truly safe and green. I have trusted and used Shaklee cleaners for over 25 years.

• Fresh air. Open your windows to reduce indoor air pollution.

• Essential oils. Use these instead of candles or air fresheners.

• Plants. Besides being nice to look at, they can absorb harmful gases and help clean the air.

• Organic cotton bedding. Avoid standard bedding treated with chemicals.

• Floors made of recycled and renewable resources.

• Healthier paint. That new paint smell can be as nasty as it smells. Choose low VOC paint.

4. Clean up our collective home. Make Earth healthier for all of us who call it home by using:

• Energy Star-rated appliances. Save money and energy.

• A low-flush toilet. Replace the largest user of water in your house!

• Low-flow shower-heads. Same pressure. Less water.

• Your flicker finger. Turn off lights and appliances when you’re not using them.

• Gray water system. Install one to recycle used household water for your lawn.

• Tankless water heater. Save money, energy, and space in the broom closet.
*Rain Barrel. Collect rain water to use for indoor/outdoor plants, filling bird baths, etc.

I hope you have found this information useful.  But mostly I hope that the information has intrigued you to review the products/chemicals/toxins you may have in your home and have been encouraged to REMOVE them!  If you have already made green changes to your home and cleaning regimen, Kudos to you!  Now, let’s go tell a friend-it just may improve their health or save a child or a pet from an unnecessary poisoning.

Be well,

Denise Gaskell                                       Gaskell Healthy Solutions  www.gaskell.myshaklee.com

Eco-Friendly Wrapping, Crafting & Gifting

    ~Have Fun, Save Money, Gift Kindly, Help the Planet~

I am by no means a crafting expert, but I do enjoy an easy and fun craft.  In addition, I am truly passionate about the environment and always looking for ways to up-cycle or reuse anything!  Including wine corks~which made this simple up-cycled cork Christmas tree ornament.

With, "going green" a huge movement, you might think more people would opt for greener gifting and wrapping. Turns out that our irresistible attraction to glistening wrapping paper and foil bows are filling landfills by the tons.  And would you believe that half of the paper America consumes is used to wrap and decorate gifts. Yikes!
Here are a few other details about the waste of wrapping and gifting:

• From Thanksgiving to New Year's Day, household waste increases by more than 25%. Added food waste, shopping bags, packaging, wrapping paper, bows and ribbons all adds up to an additional 1 million tons a week to our landfills. (Source: EPA)
  
  
• In the U.S., annual trash from gift-wrap and shopping bags totals 4 million tons. (Source: Use Less Stuff)
•  
  If every family reused just two feet of holiday ribbon, the 38,000 miles of ribbon saved could tie a bow around the entire planet. (Source: CalRecycle)

If you're like me, I find these numbers startling...which encourages me to do something different...and fun!

        ~A few enjoyable ways to reduce waste & add a personal touch to your gifts~

 

Re-Use packing paper, brown paper bags, the back of wrapping paper, old maps, etc., add your own message. Paint a greeting, use stamps, stickers, glue, markers, glitter, etc.  Kids (and adults) of all ages enjoy the fun of making their own wrapping paper, and I guarantee that their loved ones will enjoy receiving gifts wrapped in one-of-a-kind, made-with fun & love paper! (shhhh...My brother is receiving his gift wrapped in the paper shown here!) This is a great activity to do for birthdays and all occasions.

Re-Use last years Christmas Cards as a candy (cane) gram! Simply rip apart card at seam, (recycle the back side) and punch 2 holes along one side of the card. Slip the candy cane thru the holes. Write a personalized note on the back side of the card. I find these perfect to use as gift tags or for classroom, business networking, or when gifting large groups.  This is also a great way to reuse birthday and other holiday cards. Instead of a candy cane, use a pencil, glitter pen, tea stick, etc.
 

Re-Use candle holders, jam and jelly jars, decorative food tins, etc. Instead of tossing , why not upcycle? Candle, food, and holiday containers are typically beautiful and perfect for holding small gifts or home-made goodies.  Simply clean containers, jars, and tins with hot water to remove wax, food, etc., then fill with gift items.  Pictured here, I've used an old snowman candle, cleaned out the wax, and filled with Shaklee Pomegranate Energizing Tea Sticks.  Get creative! Fill containers with homemade granola, healthy snacks, lotions, plants, book mark, colored pencils, dried herbs, seasonings, office supplies, gift cards, etc.  These containers are great for gift giving of any occasion and for storage around the house, office, and garage as well. 

Re-Use small clay or other flower pots to make mini Christmas trees with pine cones. Another activity that looks adorable yet doesn't take a craft wizard to create!  Simply paint pine cones and/or decorate with dried berries, miscellaneous craft items, fabric scraps, mini-tree decorations, glitter, pipe cleaners, ribbons, etc. and hot glue cone onto a decorated clay or small flower pot.  These make great gifts, but be sure to keep some for yourself. We've had these mini pine cone trees for years; they have packed away well and by placing cinnamon sticks in their storage bin, they smell lovely too!

There are many ways for us to be thoughtful in gifting and at the same time be thoughtful to the Planet. 
 I hope these ideas have inspired you to think not only outside of the box, but also outside of  the traditional wrapping paper, and bows!  

I'd love to hear what eco-friendly ideas you've used to wrap & give gifts! Please share~

Merry Christmas, 

Denise Gaskell
Gaskell Healthy Solutions
gaskellwellness@comcast.net

(Guilt-Free!) Minty Green Smoothie

      Skip the sugar & fat overload~Make this minty shake instead!

Everything is a green buzz on St. Patrick's Day!  From Beer to Shamrock Shakes, we love to celebrate this event with everything green, including our drinks!

Indulging in your favorite thick & minty shake should truly be enjoyed as a very special treat. Unfortunately, highly sugared & high fat treats seem to be an every day event for many, especially as we are surrounded by the advertising that reminds us that this special McDonald's treat will only be available for a limited time-so get yours today, and tomorrow, and the next day, and next week!

If you are planning to indulge in this minty McDonald's McCafe Shamrock Shake to celebrate, there's a few things you might like to know.  There are many sizes available, but lets settle on the Medium.

medium, 16-ounce Shamrock Shake:

• 660 calories
• 19 grams of fat 
• 12 grams of saturated fat 
• 1 gram of trans fat
• 93 grams of sugar (See chart below on what that looks like!)
• 210 milligrams of sodium 

Thinking you may want to avoid the extra calories, overload of sugars, fats, and unhealthy ingredients?  Making your own minty shake at home is the perfect way to enjoy a healthier version of the overloaded Shamrock Shake!

                            A Healthy Shamrock Shake Recipe:
This nutritious & delicious green shake alternative gives you that smooth and minty taste, it will also provide you with over 24 grams of Protein, More than 6 grams of Fiber, it is packed with vitamins, minerals, offers NO questionable ingredients, and it will fill you up without filling you out!

Recipe:
2-Scoops Shaklee 180 Vanilla Shake Mix
1-Cup low-fat milk or milk alternative
Handful of spinach leaves
1/8 teaspoon peppermint extract
1 Cup frozen sliced banana OR 1 Cup ice cubes

Blend all ingredients and enjoy!  Each Recipe makes 1 complete meal replacement.

Want more green?  Add in one or more of the following & adjust liquid to taste.
1 whole peeled kiwi
1/2 peeled avocado
1/2 cup green kale or collard greens
Handful of mint leaves


For additional healthy smoothie recipes, click here:  Shaklee 180

~Wishing you a Happy, Healthy St. Patrick's Day and Beyond~

Denise Gaskell
Gaskell Healthy Solutions
Offering Tips & Tools for Optimal Health & Wealth
www.gaskell@myshaklee.com

Now that it's March, it's time to break out the green stuff for St. Patrick's Day! But if you're planning to do so by indulging in a cool, minty McDonald's McCafé Shamrock Shake to celebrate the Irish holiday, there's a few things you should know before hitting the drive-thru.  - See more at: http://www.shape.com/blogs/shape-your-life/shamrock-shake-what-you-should-know-you-sip-and-how-make-healthier-version#sthash.50OGriU7.dpuf

Now that it's March, it's time to break out the green stuff for St. Patrick's Day! But if you're planning to do so by indulging in a cool, minty McDonald's McCafé Shamrock Shake to celebrate the Irish holiday, there's a few things you should know before hitting the drive-thru.

Available for just a limited time, you probably already know that the Shamrock Shake isn't exactly healthy for you. But, let's go over the nutrition facts. A 16-ounce serving of the Shamrock Shake has 550 calories, 13 grams of fat, 8 grams of saturated fat, 1 gram of trans fat, 50 milligrams of cholesterol, 180 milligrams of sodium, no fiber, 82 grams of sugar and 13 grams of protein. The Shamrock Shake is made with McDonald's low-fat vanilla soft-serve ice cream and Shamrock Shake syrup, and then topped with whipped cream and a maraschino cherry.

Compared to other fast-food calorie-bombs, the Shamrock Shake isn't the worst thing out there, says Mary Hartley, registered dietitian and online nutritionist at AskMaryRD.com. For example, a 16-ounce Dairy Queen Blizzard has 1170 calories and 152 grams of sugar! But that doesn't mean the Shamrock Shake is a healthy choice.

"The 82 grams of sugar is the worst," Hartley says. "It’s like eating around six slices of bread all at once. The saturated fat is also high, at 40 percent of the daily limit (the goal is 10 percent). On the other hand, it is loaded with calcium (460 milligrams percent)." 

In fact, the 550 calories in a two-cup serving are about 28 percent of the average woman’s daily caloric requirement, so drinking this shake is more like eating lunch than having a treat, she says. A healthier option at the McDonald's drive-thru would be a McCafé large coffee, which has zero calories, fat and sugar. 

But, Hartley admits, if you're a true Shamrock Shake fan, you shouldn't be afraid to indulge a little. After all, you drink a Shamrock Shake for fun and camaraderie — not for health, she says. 

Making your own healthier version at home might be the perfect Shamrock Shake compromise. 

- See more at: http://www.shape.com/blogs/shape-your-life/shamrock-shake-what-you-should-know-you-sip-and-how-make-healthier-version#sthash.50OGriU7.dpuf

Now that it's March, it's time to break out the green stuff for St. Patrick's Day! But if you're planning to do so by indulging in a cool, minty McDonald's McCafé Shamrock Shake to celebrate the Irish holiday, there's a few things you should know before hitting the drive-thru.

Available for just a limited time, you probably already know that the Shamrock Shake isn't exactly healthy for you. But, let's go over the nutrition facts. A 16-ounce serving of the Shamrock Shake has 550 calories, 13 grams of fat, 8 grams of saturated fat, 1 gram of trans fat, 50 milligrams of cholesterol, 180 milligrams of sodium, no fiber, 82 grams of sugar and 13 grams of protein. The Shamrock Shake is made with McDonald's low-fat vanilla soft-serve ice cream and Shamrock Shake syrup, and then topped with whipped cream and a maraschino cherry.

Compared to other fast-food calorie-bombs, the Shamrock Shake isn't the worst thing out there, says Mary Hartley, registered dietitian and online nutritionist at AskMaryRD.com. For example, a 16-ounce Dairy Queen Blizzard has 1170 calories and 152 grams of sugar! But that doesn't mean the Shamrock Shake is a healthy choice.

"The 82 grams of sugar is the worst," Hartley says. "It’s like eating around six slices of bread all at once. The saturated fat is also high, at 40 percent of the daily limit (the goal is 10 percent). On the other hand, it is loaded with calcium (460 milligrams percent)." 

In fact, the 550 calories in a two-cup serving are about 28 percent of the average woman’s daily caloric requirement, so drinking this shake is more like eating lunch than having a treat, she says. A healthier option at the McDonald's drive-thru would be a McCafé large coffee, which has zero calories, fat and sugar. 

But, Hartley admits, if you're a true Shamrock Shake fan, you shouldn't be afraid to indulge a little. After all, you drink a Shamrock Shake for fun and camaraderie — not for health, she says. 

Making your own healthier version at home might be the perfect Shamrock Shake compromise. 

- See more at: http://www.shape.com/blogs/shape-your-life/shamrock-shake-what-you-should-know-you-sip-and-how-make-healthier-version#sthash.50OGriU7.dpuf

Now that it's March, it's time to break out the green stuff for St. Patrick's Day! But if you're planning to do so by indulging in a cool, minty McDonald's McCafé Shamrock Shake to celebrate the Irish holiday, there's a few things you should know before hitting the drive-thru.

Available for just a limited time, you probably already know that the Shamrock Shake isn't exactly healthy for you. But, let's go over the nutrition facts. A 16-ounce serving of the Shamrock Shake has 550 calories, 13 grams of fat, 8 grams of saturated fat, 1 gram of trans fat, 50 milligrams of cholesterol, 180 milligrams of sodium, no fiber, 82 grams of sugar and 13 grams of protein. The Shamrock Shake is made with McDonald's low-fat vanilla soft-serve ice cream and Shamrock Shake syrup, and then topped with whipped cream and a maraschino cherry.

Compared to other fast-food calorie-bombs, the Shamrock Shake isn't the worst thing out there, says Mary Hartley, registered dietitian and online nutritionist at AskMaryRD.com. For example, a 16-ounce Dairy Queen Blizzard has 1170 calories and 152 grams of sugar! But that doesn't mean the Shamrock Shake is a healthy choice.

"The 82 grams of sugar is the worst," Hartley says. "It’s like eating around six slices of bread all at once. The saturated fat is also high, at 40 percent of the daily limit (the goal is 10 percent). On the other hand, it is loaded with calcium (460 milligrams percent)." 

In fact, the 550 calories in a two-cup serving are about 28 percent of the average woman’s daily caloric requirement, so drinking this shake is more like eating lunch than having a treat, she says. A healthier option at the McDonald's drive-thru would be a McCafé large coffee, which has zero calories, fat and sugar. 

But, Hartley admits, if you're a true Shamrock Shake fan, you shouldn't be afraid to indulge a little. After all, you drink a Shamrock Shake for fun and camaraderie — not for health, she says. 

Making your own healthier version at home might be the perfect Shamrock Shake compromise. 

- See more at: http://www.shape.com/blogs/shape-your-life/shamrock-shake-what-you-should-know-you-sip-and-how-make-healthier-version#sthash.50OGriU7.dpuf

Are your cleaning products causing Asthma?

                               The real dirt on clean
 
You know that good, healthy feeling you get when you’ve just cleaned house? Sorry to spoil it, but you may have just made your home dirtier.
Think of it this way. You wouldn’t let your kids play with toxic chemicals, so why would you let the baby crawl over a floor that’s just been wiped with them? That’s much more dangerous than the
orange juice that was just there.
           

 How dangerous? Just take a look:
• Over 90% of poison exposures happen at home.
• Common chlorine bleach is the #1 household chemical involved in poisoning.
• Organic pollutants, found in many common cleaners & air fresheners, are      found at levels 2 to 5 times higher inside your home than out.
• A person who spends 15 minutes cleaning scale off shower walls could inhale three times the “acute one-hour exposure limit” for glycol ether-containing products set by the California Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment.
• Common cleaners give off fumes that can potentially increase the risk of kids developing asthma, the most common chronic childhood disease.
• 1 in 13 school-aged children has asthma. Rates in children under five have increased more than 160% from 1980 – 1994.

• Children are highly vulnerable to chemical toxicants. Pound for pound of body weight, children drink more water, eat more food, and breathe more air than adults. The implication of this is that children will have substantially heavier exposures than adults to any toxicants that are present in water, food, or air.

• If your home is anything like the average U.S. home, you generate more than 20 pounds of household hazardous waste each year (the EPA designates toilet cleaners, tub and tile cleaners, oven cleaners, and bleach as hazardous waste). 

Just a few common chemical ingredients to look out for:
Find out what's lurking on your shelves:  Read labels to discover what brands contain: • Sodium hydroxide
• Hydrochloric acid • Butyl cellosolve (2-Butoxyethanol) • Formaldehyde • Bleach (sodium hypochlorite)
• Ammonia • Sulfamic acid • Petroleum distillates • Sulfuric acid • Lye (potassium hydroxide) • Morpholine

4 simple ways to Get Clean
                     Your home should be the safest, healthiest, cleanest place in the whole world!
Here are some pretty easy things you can do to make your family safer and your home healthier. And, as it turns out, what’s good for your home is good for the earth and everyone else on it, too. So let’s make our homes healthy. Let’s clean our hearts out. Let’s Get Green Clean!

1. Get the dirt. Educate yourself about what you bring into your home at
www.householdproducts.nlm.nih.gov/products.htm

2. Have a clean-for-all. Put on the gloves and get rid of the nasty stuff in your home. Responsibly, of course. Local waste collection services have guidelines for proper household hazardous waste disposal, as well as collection sites for paint, batteries, cleaners, etc. Whatever you do, please don’t toss this stuff in the garbage.

3. Welcome healthy into your home. Commit to carefully considering everything that crosses your doorstep.
Here are some safe, healthy things to have in your home:
• Cleaners that are truly cleaner. Shaklee Get Clean offers product choices that are: nontoxic, natural, biodegradable,concentrated, and hypoallergenic. To learn more, please visit www.gaskell.myshaklee.com
• Fresh air. Open your windows to reduce indoor air pollution.
• Essential oils. Use these instead of air fresheners.
• Plants. Besides being nice to look at, they can absorb harmful gases and help clean the air.
• Organic cotton bedding. Avoid standard bedding treated with chemicals.
• Floors made of recycled and renewable resources.
• Healthier paint. That new paint smell can be as nasty as it smells. Choose low VOC paint instead.

4. Clean up our collective home. Make Earth healthier for all of us who call it home by using:
• Compact fluorescent lighting. They last a whole lot longer. (Recycle them properly when burned out)
• Energy Star-rated appliances. Save money and energy.
• A low-flush toilet. Replace the largest user of water in your house!
• Low-flow showerheads. Same pressure. Less water.
• Your flicker finger. Turn off lights and appliances when you’re not using them.
• Gray water system. Install one to recycle used household water for your lawn.
• Tankless water heater. Save money, energy, and space in the broom closet.

I hope you have found this information useful.  But mostly I hope that the information has encouraged you to review the products/chemicals/toxins you may have in your home-and moved you to REMOVE them!  If you have already made Green changes to your cleaning regimen-Kudos to you!  Now, go tell a friend-it just may improve their health or save a child from an unnecessary poisoning.