DIY Laundry Detergent

So, I've talked with a bunch of people who make their own laundry detergent and decided I would take a go at it! It's a much cheaper alternative to regular detergents found on the shelves of grocery stores. An average 1.5 gallon of Tide is somewhere around 18$ and you get around 110 loads. The cost of all the ingredients used for this do-it-yourself homemade laundry detergent was around 10$ and can get almost 375 loads.

Ingredients:

1 Cup Arm & Hammer Washing Soda

1/2 Cup Borax

1/2 Bar of grated Fels Naptha bar soap

3 Gallons of Water

A 5 Gallon Bucket

First add 4 to 5 cups of water to a pot and bring to a boil. Grate your soap.

Add the shredded soap to the boiling water and bring down temp to a gentle boil/simmer. Don't throw it all in once so it doesn't clump. Stir and allow the soap to dissolve.

After the soap has dissolved, leave on stove and fill your 5 gallon bucket up with 3 gallons of water (LUKEWARM). Now add your 1 cup of washing soda and 1/2 cup Borax and stir so it all dissolves. Then add your dissolved soapy water from your pot on the stove to the 5 gallon bucket and stir.

At this point, you are good to go! If you would like, you can add some essential oils for an added aroma. I added 15 drops of Lavender oil to my mix.

 Let your mix sit for 24hours. The consistency will be a somewhat jello-like substance the next day. Add 1 cup or less to your laundry load for clean and clean smelling cloths!! 

(Some people make the recipe a little different. Feel free to experiment with different types of bar soap. Some people do not add borax, and feel free to try different essential oils for aroma!) 

Paleolithic

So, many of you know I had a baby in May. I've never been more happy with my life, but, my body has certainly changed since being pregnant and giving birth. I know it will never go back to looking like it did when I was 18 years old, but, I wanted to try to change my diet and exercise a little more. When looking into diets, my husband came across the "Paleo Diet". At first, I just went with it because it sounded good, but I wanted to talk about it because it really isn't just about "dieting"; its about lifestyle and changing eating habits to become healthier.
Originally I started this diet to lose weight, but since reading more information about it, and being on it over the last three weeks, it's no longer become a weight loss issue-- its more of a lifestyle change.

So, what is this "Paleo" diet? Well, its called the Paleolithic Diet because it's a diet purely on what we think cavemen ate. This includes the following: Anything a caveman could hunt and kill, and anything a caveman could gather and collect:

Meats (especially game meats)

Fish

Fruits

Vegetables

Some nuts

This eating habit restricts all processed foods, most dairy (because the caveman didn't realize he could milk a cow right away), beans, potatoes, etc. Its a very LOW CARB, HIGH PROTEIN diet. I like it because it gets rid of all the crap that we as Americans have introduced into our bodies-- fast foods, processed foods, high sugar foods, etc.

Pros: Yes, you will experience weight loss because you are no longer ingesting processed foods and high carb items such as pasta, breads, etc. You will gain more energy because of the high protein in your diet. More nutrients from fresh green leafy foods (so, its really not just ice burg lettuce haha). A lot of these foods are available organically, so you are eliminating many chemicals from your body. Overall positive increases in general well being.

Cons: It can be very limiting and some what time consuming. In a society like today, where all we search for is quick fixes such as McDonalds or Subway (I wont lie, I have to fight the temptation to eat at places like these), eating like this is not just a diet, it becomes a lifestyle, where you must plan your meals, shop ahead of time, and YES, spend some time in your kitchen cooking!! May experience some bowel irregularities at first.

CBS Caveman diet article-- Great local news story in San Francisco

EJCN Article (Scientific study)-- This article is from the European Journal of Clinical Nutrition, where a study was performed on people who were eating paleolithic and experienced significant drops in their high blood pressure and cholesterol.

 Their conclusion was this: 

"

Conclusions: 

Even short-term consumption of a paleolithic type diet improves BP and glucose tolerance, decreases insulin secretion, increases insulin sensitivity and improves lipid profiles without weight loss in healthy sedentary humans."

My experiences: I've noticed an increase in energy, especially when I take in a lot of dark leafy vegetables (like Kale and Spinach). I've noticed some weight loss taking places (which I also attribute to the exercise I've been adding into my week). And, this might be TMI, but that's okay-- my bowel movements have changed-- I no longer go several times a day (due to my Ulcerative colitis), but am now only going once and it's much more consistent.

So, try it out, even if its an experiment for a couple days or a week! Let me know how it fares you!!