JUST WHAT DOES YOUR BODY EAT?

by Sis Nilajah


We are generally very conscious about what we put in our mouths but what about what we put on our bodies. Everyday we are using a variety of body products often just as much as we are eating. So I would say with that kind of frequency we better start caring about its content. Are you still using tallow (animal based) soaps like Irish Spring and fluoride toothpastes like Crest and others? What about lotion? how many ingredients does your lotion have?

So maybe you buy your products at the health food store, do you? Well, even then you will find LESS harmful ingredients but harmful nonetheless. Remember you are using these ingredients everyday and sometimes more than once in a day so we have to look at the cumulative effects of these substances. Even when they tell you a preservative is less than 0.1% does that mean it will not harm you over time? I don't think so! Unfortunately we can not count on health food stores to do all the work for us, but then again why should they? We have to start taking charge in this arena being that OUR health is at stake here and if we don't care then they won't respond.

Initially, my frustration with finding quality body products lead me into the kitchen to make my own, but this was not so practical due to time constraints as I am sure some of you can relate. I will admit that Aubrey's products (sold in most health food stores) did pass my rigid standards and were found to be 100% natural even down to the preservatives (not always vegan though). Burt's Bee's did somewhat OK but again it's preservative system is not vegan based; hence the majority of their products are not vegan at all unlike Aubrey.

I can sympathize with these manufacturers (to a point) because I know from experience that it is not easy to respond to all the demands of society. The main problem with these products is that it is almost impossible to have a water-based product that does not utilize some serious preservatives if it to sit on the shelf for an extended period of time. Water-based products tend to be the perfect medium for bacterial growth. This pretty much includes many of your most basic products, like shampoo, body wash and lotion to name a few! I have seen only one lotion in my day that did not have water in it, but it is indeed a rare occasion though not a bad idea (expensive alternative though). Many homemade body butters (found in local farmer's market or one person operations) can be found without water but commercial body butters do not follow that trend. However, the water content is one of many challenges to creating a natural product since all ingredients have a natural cycle of degradation. Many companies have attempted to counter this with preservatives, dyes, and fragrances, many of which are very toxic to our bodies and merely hide the fact that decay has taken place.

Ok so what can be done about it? Well these are my suggestions:

1) Make your own - get a book, look online and get in the kitchen. Still be mindful of decay which is a natural occurrence (ie, use it up within 6 months to a year as a general rule)

2) Find your local farmers market to see what kind of products they offer and scrutinize the ingredients. You can often find someone at this type of outlet that makes the products and can give valuable insight on the product at hand.

3) Cultural stores and smaller health food stores generally have alternative products that won’t be found in mainstream health food stores and are often made locally in small batches and tend to use a smaller number of ingredients. This reduces shelf life time since these products are often purchased in small quantities as well. Still read the ingredients!!!

4) Find a trusted, reputable online source for purchasing your body products and if need be ask for full disclosure of the ingredients before purchasing

5) As a general rule, don’t stock up on certain body products, buy as you use unless you can use them up within a years time tops (up to 3 months even better)

6) READ the ingredients and simply stay away from things that sound too complicated and have just too many ingredients! I mean how many ingredients do you have to put into say a body butter or a deodorant? I mean sometimes it just gets ridiculous.

7) Never take anything for granted, scrutinize the ingredients before purchasing


I realize that these that natural products carry a much heavier price tag in most cases but you just gotta do it! Some things you just can’t cut corners on! Please check out the next section for the sister article on just what ingredients to avoid and why!


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THE TOP 10 CHEMICALS TO AVOID IN BODY PRODUCTS

By Sis Nilajah


1. Parabens
2. Fragrance
3. Dyes
4. BHA & BHT
5. Sodium Laureth Sulfate/ Sodium Lauryl Sulfate
6. Mineral Oil / Petrolatum
7. Potassium Sorbate & Sodium Benzoate
8. Aluminun
9. Propylene Glycol
10. Alcohol


Do realize that this is only a partial list just to give you a heads up on what to look out for and avoid. Many of these have trade names and many variations but are all toxic just the same. Try to keep it simple… to things that you can recognize but always, always read labels!!!

Parabens – part of a class of phenolic compounds used as a preservative, these class of compounds have been found to be potentially harmful. Hexachlorophene (G-11) is also a part of this group but its use has been restricted (not banned!) due to cases of infant death and brain damage. Keep in mind that it was considered to be safe because it was tested on animals. Parabens are also considered safe, but you be the judge!!!

Fragrance – you never really know how many chemicals are part of a fragrance or perfume, a single perfume could be more than 100 chemicals that are hazardous and toxic. Even that small word fragrance at the end of your lotion could be a ton of chemicals. Look for products that are made with essentials oils as a natural fragrance.

Dyes – these are known to be suspected carcinogens (cancer-causing)!!!There purpose being to HIDE the fact things don’t sit on the shelf forever and will spoil despite the dye. There are too many to name, but here are a few, D&C Yellow#8 or 10; Red # 40; Green # 3 and so on. Avoid them at all costs! If you indulge in makeup, beware, they really pour in the synthetic chemicals.

BHA & BHT – phenolic compounds used commonly as a preservative (see parabens)

Sodium Laureth Sulfate/ Sodium Lauryl Sulfate– this is a harsh synthetic detergent found mostly in shampoos and other cleansing agents like soap and toothpaste. This is much too strong for general body cleansing purposes unless you are as dirty as a garage floor. It is extremely hazardous and causes carcinogenic (cancer-causing) nitrates by reaction with other product ingredients, is a skin irritant and drying to the skin, retards healing and causes cataracts in adults. Look for gentle cleansers like saponified olive, coconut or palm oils.

Mineral Oil / Petrolatum – these substances absorb very little into the skin and clogs your pores suffocating your skin. This inhibits the skins own moisture-producing ability and results in very dry and unhealthy skin. Remember, your skin must fight everyday against many toxins so we want it to be functioning at its optimal capacity. Look for natural butters like shea, coconut, and mango or natural oils like almond, jojoba and olive oil.

Potassium Sorbate & Sodium Benzoate (or methyl, butyl and propyl benzoic acid) – more common useless preservatives, also irritants and toxic

Aluminun – a metallic element commonly found in deodorants (particularly anti-perspirants), lipstick, face powder, etc., very clogging to the lymph nodes and implicated in breast cancer and Alzheimer’s disease. Your lymph nodes can’t do its job of removing waste if they are all clogged and battling your deodorants. If you are vegan or raw, lemon or lime may do just fine.

Propylene Glycol – a petrochemical (petroleum product) used as a synthetic replacement for the natural humectant glycerine. It is strong skin irritant and can cause liver abnormalities and kidney damage.

Alcohol – a common ingredient in mouthwashes like Scope and Listerine and all those other guys that may seem to be your friend in times of need. It breaks down the body tissues and makes them more vulnerable to cancers of the mouth, tongue and throat. Liquid Chlorophyll can be used to combat bad breath.


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A CALL FOR RECONCILIATION WITH THE NATURAL ORDER OF LIFE
By Mama Nande

“If health fails, all teaching, knowledge, wisdom, and life itself fails…”
QADAMAWI HAILE SELASSIE.

What good is I and I livity if I and I cannot live to enjoy it? I and I Incients and ‘not so’ incient bredren and sistren are passing away at a rapid rate. Could one reason for this be because I and I have forsaken the Natural Laws of Iration and have adopted ‘foreign’ habits and “lifestyles”? Some of these habits include lust, gluttony, idleness, selfishness, and self-destruction. In a quest for (unnatural) gratification, I and I have contributed to I and I own degeneration and demise. Not to say that there aren’t others responsible for these conditions. Many of I and I are consciously and subconsciously promoting cellular degeneration by defiling I and I temples with dead non-foods. Much of today’s food was created (and tampered with) in factories and laboratories strictly for profit and I and I destruction (genocide). These foods were not made with I and I health in mind. Don’t eat it! Leave the soy chunks on the shelf!

It is TIME for I and I to reclaim I and I Ancient Livity by reconciling with the Natural Order of Life. To live according to Natural Law, I and I have to put away many things and one of these things is the eating of cooked, non-living, dead food. I and I have to till the earth and partake of her delicious fruits. One seed can bear many, many fruits but if you cook that same seed and plant it, it will never bear any fruits. Life begets Life and death begets death! The trees of life shall nourish and sustain I and I. Fire is capable of purifying many things but food is not one of them! Fire is also for destruction.

The eating of cooked, roasted, processed, chemically altered, pesticide grown, mucus-forming, indigestible, so called ‘food’ is EXTREMELY HAZARDOUS to I and I health! Every minute 300 million of the body cells die. All of these cells would die in about 230 days if they were not replenished. Replenishment should come from pure truly ital food. If ital means natural, then cooked food, no matter what it is, is not ital! Ital food is fresh organically grown fruits and vegetables and their seeds.

Man and Womankind are the only fools to cook their foods before eating it. You will never see a lioness or a lion roasting the prey before eating it. And you will never see a cow steaming her grass before eating it. The enzymes present in the lions’ raw meat and the cow’s living, green grass help the digestive process tremendously. Enzymes are the atomic life force of all living things. Enzymes are responsible for many specific functions in the human body such as digesting food, building protein in the skin and bones, aiding detoxification, storing sugar in the liver and muscles, turning fat into fatty tissue, helping attach iron to red blood cells and much more. Enzymes start deteriorating at temperatures above 102 degrees and are completely destroyed when heated at temperatures in excess of 129 degrees. When I and I eat cooked foods I and I have to rely on the body’s natural enzyme reserve, which eventually gets depleted after extensive use. This enzyme depletion is felt by a feeling of heaviness and drowsiness after eating a cooked meal. The depletion also results in the inability for foods to be properly digested and therefore gets stuck in the intestinal tract in the form of sticky then hard mucoid plaque. This mucoid plaque is the result of old starch and protein residue layering (meal after meal) throughout the lining of the intestines until there is no more than 15% of nutrient absorption taking place. The small intestines (which is about 25 feet long) are supposed to absorb 85% of the nutrients from food eaten and the colon is responsible for the remaining 15%. The colon (large intestine) is about 5 feet long and 2 ½ inches in diameter. More times than not, these internal nutrient absorbers and sewage pipes are encrusted and clogged with old hard decayed fecal waste (plaque), which prevent nutrient absorption and cause malnourishment. This toxic old waste also poisons I and I blood stream, causing toxemia (dirty blood). Toxemia is the only disease; anything else is just a symptom. Toxemia and malnourishment causes rapid cellular death. Stop over-eating!!!

Elimination and Assimilation are two basic necessities of life. If the elimination organs are clogged up and not functioning correctly putrefying waste will back up into all vital cells and organ tissue resulting in deterioration and death! If the body is not properly nourished with organic (enzymatic) living foods, assimilation, cellular replenishment, and regeneration will be kept at a minimum and early death will result!

I and I have to reverse the years and decades of damage that has already been done by first focusing all attention on detoxification with the use of plenty water, cleansing herbs, healing living foods, physical activity and regular practice of deep breathing in fresh air (if possible). “In order to experience the ‘bless-I’ of the grace of the Almighty, We must put ourselves in line with them by cleansing Our mind and heart and life, and by doing the will of the Father, thus keeping the ‘Ivine’ Law”.

Thembeka Nande Mbonisi, (aka Mama Nande) is a certified Colon Therapist and living foods artist operating out of babywrong. Mama Nande has designed a very effective herbal program for deep cleaning and detoxification and is available for lectures, living foods demonstrations and consultations. For more information please email mamanande@yahoo.com.