No Sugar and No Processed Food Update- Over a Year Later!

Hello everyone!

Wow, has the time flown over here!  I hope your area of the woods has been sunny!  So many things have happened this past year and so many things have changed for me (many of them good).

Let’s start with how I am doing on the No Sugar and No Processed Foods lifestyle I was doing so well on, back in 2011….I have still been eating very little to no sugar!  (I will occasionally have chocolate, but it’s so infrequent).

I must confess though, that when it comes to how much professed food I am eating, it is more than what I ate back in 2011.  I am still pretty much eating the way I did in 2011, but I have been eating some Amy’s frozen macaroni and cheese, and also eating some homemade organic white bread (made with honey, not sugar).

I have also changed what rice I am eating- I no longer eat brown rice, but rather have chosen to eat basmati rice, and I love basmati rice! (Lundberg rice is awesome!)  I have also been cutting down the amount of wheat I eat in general.

It is a daily challenge to continually eat no processed food, and it is easier to just take the processed food route.  It is.  However, I do still eat mostly no processed food.  I just am not nearly as strict about it as I once was (for better or for worse).  Since I am no longer being as strict about it, I have gained back 20 lbs, (I had gone down to 120 lbs. while eating no processed food), which leaves me still weighing less than I did in high school.

I have been focusing more on trying to make sure that all food I eat is either certified organic, or locally grown/raised.

I had four goals for my No Sugar and No Processed Food Challenge, back on April 23, 2011.  They were:

1. More Energy

2. Help clear up my acne.

3. Maybe lose a couple pounds (though this was not a major goal of mine)

4. Just feel overall healthy.

So how am I feeling?  Well, I have more energy, my face is essentially clear (except for an occasional pimple), I did gain some weight back (but that is not an issue for me), and, right now, I do feel overall more healthy than I have in years!

So did this challenge help my lack of energy?  Not really (for me anyway).  Cutting out sugar and processed foods for many people will help them with their lack of energy.

What I found for myself though, was that two major things were causing my energy to be constantly depleted- a relationship (that I broke off a year ago), and a job (that I stopped back in September).  It is a reminder that how we feel is not just affected by the foods we eat, or the products we use on our skin.  We are also affected by people that are in our lives, and by our environment.  And for me, since I do have some multiple chemical sensitivity, I found that I needed to let go of these two things to allow my health to become better.

How is my acne?  It’s essentially non-existent!  I found that as long as I have kept cutting out sugar from my diet, that my skin is essentially clear.  I still wash my face daily with local pure honey, and only use lime as an occasional nighttime treatment if I do have a pimple or two, or when I have an acne scar.

How is my weight?  I’ve gained some weight back, but I am still a healthy weight 🙂  I truly believe it is less about how much I weigh, and more about whether or not I am healthy.

How do I feel?  I am feeling pretty healthy right now.  I am eating pretty well (though not as perfect as before).  I am still making sure that the products I use on my body and in my environment are healthy for me to be around.  I am in a healthy relationship with a man that I love.

Please feel free to leave comments and/or questions, and I will get back to you as soon as possible!

I hope you have a wonderfully sunny day!

~Kim

Please note:  Please check with your doctor or a nutrionist/dietician before starting any new diet/lifestyle.

Yes! I Conquered a Sunburn Naturally~ And You Can Too!

A random goal of mine this summer was that I did not want to get a tan… or a sunburn for that matter.  I’m extremely fair (aka pale) and just decided that I wanted to embrace my fair-skinned complexion instead of attempting to get that summer-glow (this is what normally happens~I burn, then I tan.)

This goal was halted about a week ago though, when I ended up in the sun during peak sunlight hours, for several hours.  Of course that was one of the only days this summer that I did not wear sunscreen.  Oh well.

This landed me with a sunburn on my chest, shoulders, back, as well as on my nose and forehead.  At first it didn’t seem really bad, especially compared to some sunburns I have had.  However, as it turned into that night, I began to really feel the radiating heat.  I knew I had only a little time to decide what to use before I possibly ended up peeling.

I wasn’t at home, so I had limited options~ try a “normal” sunburn lotion~ full of harmful chemicals as ingredients, or try something that I’ve never tried on my sunburn before~ but that would be a natural, organic way to heal my sunburn.

I picked the latter option:

I tried Argan oil. 

I normally use organic Argan oil as my overall body moisturizer anyway, and I had heard that it could be used to heal sunburns.  So, I was curious to try it.

This stuff works!  I’ve rarely had a sunburn (even minor ones) that did not peel.  Since I used Argan oil on my sunburn though, I did not peel~  Even a little!  And it healed in two days~ unheard of for my fair skin.

What I did was simple:

1) Slightly dampen the skin (where you’re planning to put the Argan oil)

2) Lightly rub about 3-5 drops of Argan oil into the skin

3) Repeat until all sunburned areas are covered

4) Wait about 3-5 minutes for the oil to soak into the skin

5) Repeat Steps 1-4 at least once in the morning and once before going to sleep until sunburn is gone; or, as many times as needed throughout the day

That’s it!  You really don’t need a lot of Argan oil on your skin either, a little bit goes a long way.  You don’t want your skin to be extremely oily~ just feeling moisturized.

The reason why you want your skin to be slightly damp when you apply the Argan oil is because this allows your skin to soak in the oil easier and quicker.  If your skin is dry, then not only will you need to use more oil, but your skin won’t soak it in as much.

I hope your remaining summer days are sunny and sunburn-free!  And if a sunburn sneaks in, use some organic Argan oil to conquer it!

~Kim