Tag Archives: natural skincare

Where’s My Vitamin D?? And Why “Fortified” Foods are Bogus!

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Hi Guys,

Hope you are having a lovely week!

Just when I was chirping about the sun’s grace a few blogs ago, it went and disappeared on us for these past few days here in LA! It is has been cloudy, a little bit misty, but still warm. Quite cozy actually… but definitely not sunny!

So where the heck is my Vitamin D?? Vitamin D is a very important nutrient that we must ensure we are getting in adequate levels. It helps our body’s uptake and absorption of calcium, helps build strong bones and teeth, can prevent rickets, and may be helpful in preventing such issues as heart disease, IBS and rheumatoid arthritis, among other things. Unfortunately, many Americans are deficient in this important nutrient.

I am definitely of the opinion that the best way to get Vitamin D is naturally through sunlight right on our skin for a few minutes every day, sans sunscreen. The food sources for Vitamin D are slim pickins.’ It exists is small amounts in the flesh of certain fish such as salmon and tuna (served up along with a portion of toxins like mercury and PCBs, or polychlorinated biphenyls, which are synthetic chemicals!), egg yolks and beef liver (nasty!!!). You can be sure I won’t be counting on any of those foods for my Vitamin D! But what I find extremely misleading and downright tricky is when we see foods such as milk saying they are “fortified with Vitamin D”. I’ve had some of my clients tell me they drink milk, and give it to their children, “for the Vitamin D.” Big business marketing at its finest!

Commercial milk is in fact fortified with synthetic Vitamin D, aka D2. Vitamin D2 is different from Vitamin D3, which is the natural form for us humans, by way of an unsaturated side-chain. D2 is derived from the irradiation of ergosterol, which is a vegetable sterol found in yeasts and ergot. D2 is not fully compatible with our bodies, and we should not believe that our nutritional needs are being met for Vitamin D by consuming “fortified” foods.

Yes back to my first thought- and the reason I was musing about this blog in the first place. Where’s my Vitamin D?? Cocky little me just last week was talking about how I make a point to get into the sun every day for a few minutes. Ha! You would think I lived in LA my whole life, right? :) Alas, I am actually a displaced New Yorker at the moment! How quickly we can forget that for many of us, sunlight is simply not available for much of the year.

If sunlight is not available every day, and especially for long stretches of time, you can consider supplementation. Be sure to purchase a form of Vitamin D supplement that is D3, and not the synthetic D2. Be sure to check with your doctor or get your blood levels tested to determine the right amount for you. You don’t want to overdose on supplementation! For more information on this, definitely check out my other blog: The Supplement We All Need. But if the sun does poke its bright head out, get thee to the light! Even my office friends can try to roll up your sleeves and sneak out for lunch and into the light for a few minutes!

Take care!

Lots of love,

Kimberly

 

The Balance of Nature and Hollywood in LA

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Hey loves!

Hope all is well with you.

LA to me is a combination of the wonderful nature all around (desert and all!) and of course the obvious and enormous entertainment aspect of the city. What is so interesting to me is that most people I meet here are either really into the natural elements and ocean, OR are highly involved in the entertainment world and sometimes seem to be oblivious or don’t really pay attention to some of the natural wonders around.

I enjoy the balance of both! I love the trees and flowers, and interesting plants. I love being able to pick scrunchy looking natural lemons from the local trees in all the various shapes and sizes nature created them in, and being able to go down to the ocean every evening to watch the sunset.

But I do enjoy aspects of the entertainment world here, of course, which is part of what I do. On Monday night I went to the premiere for the film Going the Distance. It comes out Sept. 3rd. It was great and you should go see it! Very relatable and real!! I loved it and thought it was adorable. Since a lot of the movie takes place in New York, seeing the scenery really made me miss it!

PS: If you scroll down you might notice I wore the same outfit to the Emmy’s party the night before. :) Oops! I just moved into a new apt. in Santa Monica and I couldn’t be bothered to go through all my stuff and find my dresses and other clothes. Hee hee….our secret!! :) Very NOT Hollywood I guess to be seen at two events in the same outfit!! (gasp!)

I have to say I thoroughly enjoy the drum circles down at Venice Beach. I love percussion of all types, especially since my long journey through Africa where I could hear drums everywhere I went!

Plus I love seeing people like this um Native American-eque (?) guy!! :)

Rock on my friends!

Life is so interesting! I am taking in my new surroundings, and I am starting to really love it here!! There are always positives and negatives to anywhere you go, but there is so much beauty around everywhere in creation if we pause to feel it.

Have a great rest of your week!! Keep seeing the beauty all around… and in each other- we are all the ONE.

Love,

Kimberly

Video: How to Store Your Sprouts!

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Hi Guys!

Hope you are well!!

I am here in Chicago, and it has been none-stop! If I haven’t been at set I’ve been making food at home to bring, and trying to squeeze in a little yoga here and there. It looks like I’ll be here for a few more weeks! I’m slowly finding my way around Chicago- well at least the multiple Wholefoods I’ve been sourcing groceries from. :)

Anyways, here is a quick video on the best way to store sprouts at home so they don’t get slimy, moldy and gross! They can if we leave them in plastic containers. Sprouts are incredibly how in enzymes and will help rebuild our bodies and supply us with beauty minerals, so we want to include them in our daily diet.

Enjoy, and I’ll post more soon!

Lots of love, Kimberly

A Dozen Ways on How to Eat Beautifying Food on Budget!

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Hi Guys!

Finally, I have made it to this topic! So many of you have written me requesting it, and here it is.

I know, I know-  it may seem that eating healthily is hugely expensive and that you can’t really afford it, but rest assured that that is not really true! It doesn’t have to be. Check out some of these tips that may help you along your path, ensuring that you can eat well, and maybe still even have money afterwards to get those hot new sandals you want for summer or save up for a beach trip somewhere!

1. Put your money into your food, not your beverages. We want to eat, not drink our way to beauty. If push comes to shove, you really and truly could get by on fresh water with lemon squeezed in. Expensive beverages like bottled Kombucha, or even coconut water, are far down on the list of priorities if we are in a bind. They are like the icing on the cake, but remember that the “cake” or as it holds here, our beauty, is built from organic greens, vegetables and fruits.

2. Along those lines, nix that bottled water! What a waste of money it is to buy bottled water day in and day out. And (and!) bottled water 1) Is often just  tap water that has been filtered, see my blog on water HERE and 2) All the plastic bottles add to so much waste on the planet, and energy even if it gets recycled! Get yourself a nice water filter and use your stainless steel reusable bottle. I still use the nice blue one I got from the movie Hall Pass!

3. Buy spices, nuts and condiments in bulk. That is clearly the way to go! There are so many websites on line that you can source them from. If I had to spend $6 for every tiny little cayenne pepper container or coriander container, I would be broke. Now I buy them by the pound or half pound since I use them so much!

4. ALWAYS support your local farmer friends! Oftentimes they are not labeled as organic, but they still use organic farming practices. It can cost them a lot of moola to get an organic certificate, so they might not always have the certificate or paperwork done. But often they aren’t using scary chemical pesticides, fungicides and herbicides, and are rotating crops. Not mass production! When possible, I always love to meet the people that are growing my food.

5. Buy or grow your own sprouts. Sprouts are pretty cheap, and they are a really abundant source of beauty enzymes and minerals. Rare is the salad I eat without some sprouts thrown in there. For my ambitious, green-thumbed friends, you can get a jar with some holes on top, or buy one of those sprout kits and grown your own! That would make the cost of your enzyme-filled treat a few cents a day!

6. You can actually get some organic, bulk food at Costco. Yes Costco! Check out their bagged organic baby spinach and their organic 5 pound bags of carrots. Great for families that really plow through huge amounts of produce.

7. When push comes to shove, stick to the most important foods to buy organic. They include (but are not limited to): celery, strawberries, bell peppers, pears, apples, spinach, apricots and tomatoes. Some that are not as important (they don’t attract as many bugs, don’t require as many fertilizers, etc.) include avocados, sweet potatoes, onions. Of course if we had unlimited funds we would but all organic…but sometimes choices are necessary. You can soak your inorganic vegetables in a diluted raw apple cider vinegar soak or some grapefruit seed extract. It won’t increase mineral content, but it will at least help remove some of the creepy chemicals! For more info on this see my feature in Life & Style HERE.

8. Join a food co-op, where you would work a certain amount of hours each month in exchange for really cheaply priced bulk foods and produce. In NYC there is a good one in the East Village, some in Brooklyn, and all around, really.

9. Join a Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) program. How does it work? You buy into a certain amount of “shares” of a local farm, and every week you get a box of vegetables or produce that is in season at the time, at a set pick up/drop off location that that farm establishes. It is a wonderful way to get a ton of organic produce at a great price. I would totally do it but I travel so much I would miss most of the drop-offs! Highly recommended though, and it helps out our friends the local farmers, who we must all support as much as possible in this increasingly commercial, genetically modified world.

Here is a great website to find a CSA near you! www.localharvest.org/csa/

 

10. Bring your lunch…or at least part of your lunch!! Check out the blog HERE I wrote on great lunch ideas, complete with a link to some beautiful lunch bags my friend Isolde makes. They are great. I have the blue and grey bag.

 

11. Skip all that dehydrated, expensive raw food. That is what makes food shopping expensive! You don’t really need it. Make your own smoothies, your own salads, your own simple nut pates or dishes. Those foods are really dense anyways. I don’t buy them myself!

12. Plan ahead so you don’t get stuck having to eat out or buy expensive food. I always try to keep something in my purse- like my chlorella tablets (more info HERE) or an apple or something so I don’t have to buy a $12 pre-made salad at Au Bon Pain (sorry, but it is mostly barf food anyway :) ). Also plan to meet your friends for tea, instead of going to spend $30 for a salad and some veggie sides you could easily make yourself for $7 at home. Allocate your funds wisely!

I think I’ll stop here because 12 is a good number. :)

Happy eating well, and without breaking the bank!

Lots of love, Kimberly

 

 

Belated Father’s Day Blog: On Making our Men Healthier!

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Hi Guys!

I hope you had a fabulous weekend and Happy Summer Solstice! We are officially in the summer flow (at least for my friends reading this in the Northern hemisphere!).

I wanted to post this yesterday on the actual Father’s Day but I had to work on something all weekend, so I am a day late! But it can still count, right? :)

I  love my father so much that when I really think about it, it makes my eyes well up in tears. You know that kind of love? He has always been such a support to me, even when I have been known to do a few wacky things here and there that a father might not like- such as, I don’t know, wander around the world for 3 years with a backpack?! He is super kind and mellow and easy to talk to, and probably the most non-judgmental person I know.

My dad grew up eating the SAD way (Standard America Diet). God bless my grandmother, but the standard fare in the house was pot roasts and meat loaf. Any vegetables to be found were mushy peas. She just didn’t have an in-depth knowledge of nutrition, like most people don’t, and she was busy. Again, no judgments! But what it does mean is that my father did pick up some certain dietary habits, and likes and dislikes, which he carries with him today.

My dad loves crackers and cheese, hamburgers, ice cream, and Cheerios, and he was not such a huge vegetable eater. That is, until recently! I am writing this because I want all you ladies out there that have fathers, brothers, boyfriends, spouses, etc. whose diets range in varying degrees from so-so to horrendous to know that things can improve! I don’t mean to single out the men… but well in this case today with this particular topic I guess I sort of am! :)

My dad always exercised and went to the gym, but over time, like most men, he started packing on some excess pounds, especially in his belly area. About two years ago, I realized it was time I had to intervene. My mother is amazing too and very health-conscious, but sometimes it takes a person outside the couple to peer in and make suggestions. That is probably why I do a lot of nutritional counseling for couples! Sometimes the other person is too close to the situation, and their well-meaning suggestions can be interpreted as “nagging.”

We certainly shouldn’t try to change everything all at once. And that’s what I want to emphasize. It is sort of like going into your kid’s room and throwing out all of his or her stuffed animals (which we know they have outgrown and need to get rid of) at once and packing them into a garbage bag. What would your kid do? He or she would throw a hissy fit! So what we do is start with one stuffed animal, and throw it out, then move on to the next, and then how about that huge old stuffed teddy bear in the corner that is leaking out stuffing everywhere?? Time for him to go!  The kid has a chance to see over time that he doesn’t really need all the old stuffed animals, and that it actually feels better to have them gone and he or she has more space to run around! We don’t shock though- we gently remove in stages.

 

Men can be like children sometimes. They want to cling to their “food comforts”, especially when they view them as treats because they work hard and “deserve a treat.” Getting them to see that food should not be viewed exclusively as “treats”, but rather that it is fuel for the body is a process. And that process becomes fueled by making small improvements that allow him to feel and experience the benefits for himself. Otherwise, it just seems like we are taking away all the “stuffed animals” at once, and being mean!! And that never sticks.

With my dad, we started introducing Green Drinks, which my mother faithfully makes for him. As long as it is front of him, he will drink it –though he would never make it for himself! At first he missed his beloved morning bagel with butter, but then the Green Smoothie crowded it out because he gets full from it, and discovered (gasp!) on his own that he feels better having that!!! So much more energy!!!

Coffee is his true comfort so I leave that alone right now as we focus on other things…. We’ve made vast improvements in the diet (including the very important elimination of most of all the dairy) and he has lost so much weight, especially in the last few months! He looks so young and healthy. I am so proud of him!

So remember ladies, no matter what foods your men might love, no matter how they grew up and with what foods, positive change is always possible. And the best first change might just be the Green Smoothie, and you can build from there.

All my love,

Kimberly

Update: Lessons on Body Image from High Schoolers

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Hi Guys! So back in February I got this sweet email from a 17-year old boy about girl issues and a girl he liked being offended when he said she looked “healthy.” Here’s the original post. I posted the initial back and forth, and over the last few months we’ve exchanged a few emails. Heck, I remember being 17, and being really self conscious and not really knowing who I was!! I would hide under ugly turtlenecks and baggy shorts and hated that my hair wasn’t straight! :)

BUT- happy ending!!! Last night I got a sweet email from the GIRL!! Their names are changed and I got their enthusiastic permission to retell their story of teenage love (ahhhhhhh, 16 Candles anyone??).

(Here’s the emails from Feb).

Dear Kimberly,

My name is Kyle and I’m 17 years old.  I know this might not be your particular area of expertise, but since you deal with beauty and self-image issues I thought you might have some good insight on an experience I recently had.  It involved a girl I had just met at a dance.  We talked for a good half hour and seemed to be hitting it off.  She was very pretty, smart and nice.  We even exchanged email addresses.  I was so excited!

Then, things suddenly went downhill.  I commented that she had a “really nice, hourglass figure”. I thought she would take it as a compliment but instead she became deeply offended.  I went into damage control mode and tried to clarify my comments but I think I only made things worse when I used the term “healthy”. With a look of complete disgust, WHAP!, she slapped my face and departed.

As I was standing there alone rubbing my cheek, with my friends nearby laughing at me, I was wondering why she was so offended.  She had a classic hourglass figure – very busty, narrow waist, shapely hips/legs. I guess she had interpreted “hourglass” as meaning big/overweight/full figured. Why can’t girls embrace their curves?

Btw, I do have her email address.  Do you think I should her an apology note or should I interpret the slap in the face as another way of saying she does not want to see me again?

–kyle

HERE’S MY REPLY BACK TO HIM:

Hi Kyle!

I usually take up to a few weeks to answer someone back, when I get swamped, but your email was to sweet and sincere to put off!

You are a fantastic writer and you should pursue something that involves writing as you go to college and eventually choose your career. I am impressed. Teenagers can have a very hard time expressing themselves adequately in words. You are lucky because you can do that through your writing, which not everyone can.

For this reason, I would highly recommend emailing her, and explain what you were really trying to communicate. Use the words “beautiful” and “attractive.” I am personally trying to change womens’ interpretations to view the word “healthy” is actually the body adjective we should strive for. Unfortunately, it does get interpreted differently. A girl that is even slightly self-conscious of her body, which is pretty much every teenage girl, and most women in the world (!), will interpret someone saying she is “healthy” as a nice way of saying fat.

Every girl wants to feel beautiful and attractive. So also tell her that you wouldn’t think she would be any more attractive if she was stick-skinny, and the reason you said she was “healthy” was because healthy is synonymous with “beautiful.” I think the world would be a much better place if women knew that guys like you thought that healthy was much more attractive, and if women thought the world “healthy” was a huge compliment. We do not all have to fit into one stereotype. It starts even earlier than 17, but especially at your age, if girls embraced their bodies it would save so much wasted energy and heartache down the road.

Keep in touch, and let me know it goes with your lady!
All my very best, Kimberly

FROM LAST NIGHT

Hi Kim.  This is Adriana, the girl that Kyle met at the dance a while back.  I don’t know how to thank you for giving him advice.  It turns out that he’s a really sweet guy and we have a great relationship.  Lots of guys my age are jerks and I guess I assumed the worst about him when he made the “hourglass” comment.  I’m happy with my body shape but it’s really frustrating to be judged for your bra size and not your brains.  I do remember that he looked ashamed rather than angry after I slapped him and I was hoping I was wrong about him.  I was thrilled when I saw and read his email!

 

We’re having a great time and can now laugh about the first time we met. Kyle is great guy and a true gentleman.  He’s also really tall too, at 6’6″, and I’m a short girl at 5’2″.  I really had to reach in order to connect with that slap, lol.  But I also assured him that I would never slap his handsome face ever again and planted a big kiss on his cheek :-)

 

Without your help, this might not have happened so you should feel great!

Adriana

Sooooooooooo sweeeeeeeeeeeeet!!! Who doesn’t love a happy ending?!! The heart of it was that he thought she was beautiful and great all along, but  we girls are really the complicated ones with body image and words, and boys mean well, but can sometimes be boneheads when it comes to the right words and communication. :) Glad it all worked out. The young uns’ are happy!! Yay!!

Alright, back to work now!

Oodles and oodles of love to you.

Kimberly

 

An Extension of Our Skin We Must Protect: Our Nails

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Hey Guys!

Hope you had a nice weekend. :) Friday afternoon, after a long but wonderful week, I decided to go out and buy this dark nail polish (pictured here). I painted it on, and felt instantly transformed! Isn’t it so great that us ladies can transform with something so simple as nail polish? I haven’t worn dark polish in ages- usually I trend towards red polish on my toes, and clear tones on my fingers. Why? Hmm…Well I try to keep my keep my feet looking decent because I am barefoot so much in teaching and practicing yoga. I really like classic red, or let them breathe with no polish at all (especially when I’m traveling). In warm months and when I do food demos, I like clear polish on my fingers or nothing because I like that light, clean look and  I don’t want my nails to be distracting to people or on TV.

By the way, our nails are a fantastic indicator of our overall health. Which we’ll talk about in another nail blog!

But what girl doesn’t like some dark polish in the cold winter months?? :) Again, like I said- very transformational and very satisfying, that we can just sit in our apt. and instantly (and not permanently- so no big commitment!) change our whole look!

Well this is all safe and good fun except that I want to remind us that our nails are part of our skin. They are very porous, and can absorb chemicals and compounds right into them. That is why acrylic nail add-ons are toxic, hideous inventions that should be banned. That is also why I haven’t stepped foot in a nail salon in years. Unless it is a “green” nail salon, which I hear about sometimes,though haven’t seen one- (has anyone seen one??). I haven’t exactly been seeking them out either though. But in most nail salons, you are almost 100% guaranteed to have to choose from toxic nail polishes. Nooo thanks!!!! I guess I could bring my own polish in there and have them use that- but I don’t bother. Plus I sort of like doing it myself, while watching TV or letting them dry while reading at home. :) Cozy!

Here are the 3 Big Nail Polish Toxins that we should avoid:

1. Toluene: This is a clear liquid also used paints, thinners, and inks. It makes nail polish smooth and makes it dry quicker. So beware of all those “quick dry” polishes!! Toxic to the liver and kidneys, and can cause headaches, dizziness and fatigue.

2. Formaldehyde: A carcinogenic preservative and is used in nail polish as a nail hardener and to keep it from chipping. Also toxic to the organs and can cause immune dysfunction (!).

3. Dibutyl phthalate (DBP): Also found in plastics, personal care products, paints, and pesticides. It’s used as a plasticizer that makes plastics soft and flexible. In nail polish it acts as a binder to make the nail polish last longer. Phthalates are also known carcinogens, are known to cause birth defects, and damage the reproductive organs. Particularly, it has shown to cause underdeveloped genitals in newborn boys and long-term fertility problems. It has also shown to be toxic to the liver, lungs, and kidneys. We can absorb phthalates through skin contact. Note: Many moisturizers and skin care products also contain phthalates!!!! Of course, The Solution, my moisturizer does not. Be sure yours doesn’t either!!

Ladies, this is not a time to cheap out and get crappy drugstore brands if you buy your own polish. Make sure you get polish that is of good quality. Your nails after all, are part of your skin. And if you DO go to nail salons regularly, I recommend bringing your own polish that is free of these Big 3 Toxins.

Some good non-toxic brands are Aquarella, Suncoat, and Honeybee gardens. I think they sell some of these brands at Wholefoods? If you know of more great color/quality/non-toxic brands or where they’re sold, please pass that along!

Have a beautiful day. :)  See you back here soon.

Lots of love,

Kimberly

Dry Winter Skin: How to keep your body and face moisturized in the cold months

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Hi Guys,

So 2 days ago that once-a-year occurrence happened, that really means the cold weather is a ‘comin: The heat turned on in my apartment. “What?! Big deal,” some of you non-New Yorkers are probably saying. But in NYC, guys, most of us have NO control over the heat in our apartments. It goes on when it goes on, and stays on at whatever temperature your landlord dictates. There are minimums it shouldn’t drop below, but I have friends in Brooklyn that would argue that that rule is not always enforced- and attest to it with the use of their multiple space heaters.

Fortunately for me, my apartment gets STEAMY HOT. I live on the ground floor, so I’m not sure if that is a factor, but my apartment gets nice and toasty, just the way I like it. :) So when the heat turned on the other day when I got home from being out all day, it was sort of like walking unexpectedly into a sauna!! Cozy but also wow….hot!!!

Well, whether we control our apartment heat or not we all have to deal with one thing: dry winter skin. It is already time to start warding it off and keeping our skin healthy!

One of your best weapons to fight dry, scaley skin is the mighty coconut oil. In Sanskrit, the translation for the word for coconut tree literally means “Tree of Life.” Coconuts indeed will give us life- and beauty- in different forms.

We’ve talked a lot about young coconuts that you can crack open and eat and drink fresh (I sort of recall a rather embarrassing video that took me WAY more cracks than usual to get open! I swear!! :) ). But today we’ll focus on coconut oil, which is made from the hardened white flesh. In countries like French Polynesia and the Philippines, I have seen coconut milk pressed out of the white flesh with hand-made tools from the local forest, which is always an amazing-looking process to witness.

But raw, unrefined coconut oil is made when the white flesh is shredded up, and then the oil is pressed out further to make the concentrated essence: the coconut oil. Because the pressing process doesn’t get hotter than 100 degrees Farenheit in raw coconut oil, the coconut oil can remain raw and unaltered, with its natural enzymes intact. (Around 116 degrees is generally accepted as the temperature when enzymes can start to become denatured, as well as vitamins and amino acids).

Consuming coconut oil is a great way to beautify and moisturize your skin from the inside out. It has a plumping and softening effect, which makes your skin look and feel more healthy and attractive (and so much nicer to the touch! :)  ).

Coconut oil is great in desserts. Check out the recipes for the cacao truffles, macaroons, and key lime pie bars that are in the Recipe section. I talk about coconut oil in the key lime pie bars dessert recipe post also. It is also great in certain smoothies- but not the Green Smoothie!! You want the greens and fruit alkalizing your system first, and not getting slowed up with any kind of fat, even this amazing one. Save it for later on in the day. Also, you can cook with it. It stays stable at higher temperatures, meaning it won’t oxidize and get rancid the way other oils become when heated, which includes even olive oil.

Coconut oil is a healthy saturated, cholesterol-free fat made of medium chain fatty acid that our bodies can break down and be emulsified easily, and without overburdening our livers, the way other fats can (like clogging animal fat- yuck. Sorry, I had to insert that!:) ). Coconut oil contains Lauric Acid, which supports the thyroid and can help increase our metabolic rate.

Well, not only can you eat coconut oil, you can put it all over your hands and body. It makes a great body moisturizer- and absorbs right into the skin. It can be used on your hair as a conditioner (leave in or rinse out, depending on the texture of your hair), and for massage as well. It will keep the skin tight and moisturized. There are natural anti-bacterial properties in coconut oil as well, due to its content of Capric Acid, which makes up about 6% of its fatty acids. It can even be great to alleviate stretch marks! Some of us may feel funny about using the same bottle for kitchen purposes, that we also use to slather on our bodies in the bathroom and bedroom. It just seems a little…gross? I personally keep separate jars in the kitchen and in my bedroom. Don’t worry if the coconut oil gets liquid or stays a white solid. In either case, it works great! You don’t have to refrigerate your coconut oil, by the way.

“What about putting it on my face?” Some of you are asking. Ah, the face. :)  The face, the face. The face is to me, is a whole separate territory. The thing with the face is, that it is especially important to all of us to keep our faces looking our best. And we do not live in a completely natural environment. Our faces are constantly exposed to environmental toxins and pollution, and we live stressful lives surrounding by radiation and electropollution. And yes, if we overdo it, just the way we can overdo anything, the sun can be harmful, and especially if we are toxic on the inside.

So no! I trust my elbows and calves to coconut oil, but not my face.

Make sure to get coconut oil brands that are raw and unrefined.

Take care, and let me know how you do with your skin!

xx Kimberly

Why I Will Not be Getting the Flu Vaccine OR the Swine Flu Vaccine

38 Replies

Hey Guys! So the last few days I’ve been skipping about New York, walking as I usually do across all different neighborhoods and listening to my iPod as I get from appointment to yoga class to appointment again. :)  On Sunday, I was in Grammercy, then had to pop up to the Upper East Side to visit some friends, then came back Downtown. I believe it was that day, when I passed a bunch of different Walgreens or Duane Reades, all with propped up signs outside their door announcing “Flu Shot, only $24.99!” Then today, the same thing happened! I kept seeing signs on the street and proudly bolstered in windows for the friggin’ flu vaccine!

My first thought was, “Oh no! Are they already starting to promote that??” Then I thought, “Damn big pharmaceutical advertising!” And theeeeen I thought, “Hmm…Well maybe people don’t always get to hear the other side-  why we shouldn’t get a flu vaccine.” Hence I felt the rather urgent need to write this blog.

There have been lots of studies that conclude that Flu Vaccines don’t work!! And in many cases actually can cause more harm.

We have to understand that these vaccines are promoted for commercial reasons. And oh boy, you better believe that there is a LOT of money to be made with vaccines. For this year’s flu season, five biopharmaceutical companies have been awarded massive contracts by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) for development and production of more than 195 million doses of swine flu vaccine, in addition to the seasonal flu vaccine. 

The companies — Novartis, GlaxoSmithKline, MedImmune, Australian drug maker CSL, and Sanofi-Pasteur — will likely make a great deal of money. 

CSL has contracts to supply $180 million worth of bulk antigen to the U.S.  MedImmune will supply 40 million doses of its live attenuated nasal spray swine flu vaccine for more than $450 million. And Sanofi-Pasteur is providing more than 100 million doses of monovalent swine flu vaccine, a $690 million order (Source of statatistics, Dr. Mercola).

Whew, that is a lot of money! Now let’s see why these vaccines may not be such a great idea after all…

First of all, there is mercury and aluminum in these vaccines, deemed to be “safe levels” by some upper echelon of government. But what does that mean? Mercury is a serious toxin, and has been linked to brain damage, and aluminum has been linked to serious illnesses as well. These vaccines are certainly not anything I would willingly inject into my body!!

There are serious adverse reactions and deaths from vaccines, but it is estimated that only 1 to 10% of side effects or deaths are ever reported. As there are currently no laws about following up and reporting side effect we really have no true picture about the negative effects of these vaccinations.

Second of all, an overwhelming amount of independent studies, not linked to the pharmaceutical industry, have reached the same conclusion—that flu shots simply do NOT work as advertised. I urge you strongly to do some independent research and see what you find if you are on the fence. Be sure that the information you are reading is not put forth by the big pharm. companies or even the US Health officials- I would look into independent sources.

With so much money at stake, there certainly is a lot of disinformation and fear being spread around. I know many people fearful about getting the dreaded flu! Vaccines support the notion of “germ theory,” first popularized by Louis Pasteur (who late in life admitted that he was wrong, by the way), which advocates that outside viruses and germs are solely responsible for us getting sick.

I believe, as many natural health care practitioners and doctors also believe, that these external germs can only “get us” if we have internal toxicity or an impaired immune system. Isn’t it the case when people are exposed to the same exact germs, that some people get sick and others don’t?? If you are healthy from the inside out, you can be exposed to these germs and not get sick. We DO have some control as far as these sicknesses are concerned, and we can do something to prevent it!

 

Well what should we do?

Well I won’t be getting the flu or the swine flu shot, and certainly don’t recommend it. Like I mentioned, if you are really interested in this topic you should educate yourself and really look into some info so you can make your own either way. I would definitely not rely on all the fancy TV ads and pop-up ads outside drugstores, painting a happy and safe picture of the vaccines, to sway my decision. Remember: Big business pharmaceuticals are looking out for their profits- not necessarily your health. So we have to all look out for ourselves and each other.

And of course, through our diet and lifestyle, we must work to strengthen our immune system as much as possible. We have to eat clean-digesting, natural and unprocessed foods as much as possible, and constantly cleanse out all the junk. That way, we will be much less susceptible to the “evil” germs of the world, and be healthy in a way that we control ourselves. Let’s focus on making ourselves as healthy and strong as possible, rather than getting a toxin-filled vaccine that has widely been shown not to work anyways!

I have noticed a huge difference since I started living this lifestyle. Although I get a little cough or cold maybe once every 2 years or so, I’m constantly (and I mean constantly!) exposed to sniffling, coughing fellow subway riders in enclosed spaces on trains, and by my yoga students. If the germ theory were 100% correct, that would mean that I should be sick about 50 times a year!

Take care of yourself loves. Hope you have a lovely evening and day tomorrow!!!

In health and love,

Kimberly