Natural flu shot

I still didn’t *KNOCKS ON WOOD get the flu this year.
Everyone seems to have already gotten it here in The Netherlands.
Wonder how I’ve been battling it?

*Peel and grate some ginger, put in a teapot or cup
*Crush a chilli pepper and add to the pot or cup
*Add boiled water, cover with a lid or plate or tin foil
*After 5 minutes, add half a lemon, squeezed
*Add a spoon or 2 of honey
*Drink hot; a cup (or 2) in the morning and a cup (or 2) before going asleep.
This tea is also supertasty when drunk cold.

Good luck & stay healthy!

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Conscious colouring; natural and plant based hair colouring

I’ve always loved experimenting with different hair- styles and colours, but for a couple of years I’ve stuck to my own colour, ‘cause I had my doubts about the standard chemical ways of colouring. I recently met Dianne te Mebel, director and owner of the Instituut Haar & Gezondheid (Institute for Hair & Health) in Amsterdam. The Instituut Haar & Gezondheid is one of few salons in Amsterdam and even The Netherlands, which aims to use as much natural products as possible and integrate this in anything they do. Ever since Diane was young, she has a passion for nature, which she decided to incorporate into her profession. She developed herself as an expert in natural and plant based hair colouring.

I’ve always thought that to colour my dark hair,  the only way was de- colouring with ammoniac and then dying with chemical colours. Dianne dared me to test otherwise. She said that not only she could naturally add a hint of colour to my hair, but also promised to revitalise and regenerate my hair, to give it a “healing” treatment to prepare myself for winter. Perhaps, just like me, you don’t know too much about natural and plant based hair colouring? The ladies of the Instituut Haar & Gezondheid, definitely know their field of work and took their time to make me feel comfortable and inform me about anything I was interested in and more.

So.. well.. then what is natural and plant based hair colouring exactly?

The base is henna. Henna is a plant (a shrub actually, called Lawsonia Inermis, more info HERE ), with leaves that contain a tannin dye molecule. This molecule is called Lawson, and  is released when the leaves are pulverised, acidified and made into a paste. This paste can be applied to hair (or skin), to give it a deep, reddish brown stain, because it binds to keratin (that’s what the outer layer of our skin and hair is made of). The colours added to the henna, are extracted from parts of amongst others flowers, trees, and plants that are dried and pulvarised until powder. For example coffee, onion peel, blue wood, cinnamon, hazelnut, rhubarb, salvia, tea, marigold, grains, elderberries and birch bark  are commonly used. Before the colouring- process, the hair is first washed with a mild shampoo to open the hair scales (yes, just like the ones a fish has..), so the pigment can go in between. In my case the hair was washed with a shampoo of Pure Pact (Over HERE you can read my introduction to Pure Pact). When the hair is dried, the hair scales close and keep the pigment inside. The colour will stay in the hair for about 6 to 8 weeks. By washing the colouring, it will slowly get more vague, here for there  will not be any visible outgrow like with chemical hair colouring. Natural hair colouring does not change the colour of your hair, so being a brunette and becoming a blonde, is not possible (but if your hair is grey, you can become a blonde again with the help of marigold!). If you have some grey hairs, as effect of the colouring you’ll get highlights instead. Plant based hair colouring is transparent, it forms a layer around the hair instead of penetrating it. You will keep your own hair colour with a nuance in the colour. From solely natural resources, 40 nuances are possible. By repeating the process of colouring regularly, the colour will become deeper and more intense.

Dianne loves nature and the environment. While working in her hair salon, she realised that even if she was using natural products, in the process of colouring the hair was being packed with tin foil, which was trashed after use. It’s necessary to keep the hair warm after one applies the colouring, so it attaches better to the hair. This caused Dianne to think about a more sustainable way for this process, after which she invented and developed the sustainable heat cap for colouring. With this cap she got nominated for Duurzame Dinsdag 2011, where the countries’ best sustainable ideas are put in a suitcase and offered to the cabinet in order to create more awareness.

All over the world there are millions of women that colour their hair. Many of them do this themselves, at home. Natural and plant based hair colouring is completely safe and simple when you have the right ingredients and tools, so Dianne did a lot of research, imported products and developed a starting package to make it possible for you to create your own natural hair colouring and dye your hair in the comfort of your own home. The package comes in 15 different nuances, but you can also get in touch with her to create a colour combination of your choice, or pass by the Instituut Haar & Gezondheid to get advised, ask questions and pick up a personalised package. Over HERE you can order the package.  A starting package costs € 47.50,– (exclusive €2.30,– for delivery in The Netherlands) and consists of; a bag of colouring, a sustainable heat cap, and enamel bowl, a wide paintbrush, a twine of cotton wool and a manual. The package fits through your mailbox.

Check out a small introduction & explanation clip over here; 

When I visited the salon, the ladies made me a personalised mix of auburn, mahogany and henna colore. The nuances in my hair are mostly visible outside in daylight. Indoors, besides the exception of a very attentive individual, it’s only myself who notices the colour difference. BUT, even after having seriously neglected my split ends, a summer of sea and sun, living in a city with plenty of exhausts, as well as having often coloured my hair chemically in the past, my hair is obviously revitalised. It’s voluminous, it’s shiny, it feels soft and it looks healthy. I LOVE IT!  I’m already looking forward to my next treatment and curious to how my hair will be when the colouring gets more intense and deeper!

Have you ever coloured your hair? Are you conscious about what hair and beauty products you use? Are you aware that natural products are better for you than chemical based products?

Starting package natural hair colouring

Thx 2 Wiki.
For more info, personalised advise or to order the starting package; CLICK HERE
Questions on natural and plant based hair colouring? Ask them to experts on a specialised forum; HERE 
VERY SOON the brand new webshop of Instituut Haar en Gezondheid will be online, I’ll keep you updated of course. ‘Till then; http://www.instituuthaarengezondheid.nl

Health Benefits Of Juniper Berries

A juniper (genévrier/ jeneverbesstruik/ brinje) berry is the female seed cone produced by the various species of junipers. It is not a true berry but a cone with unusually fleshy and merged scales, which give it a berry-like appearance. The cones from a handful of species, especially Juniperus communis, are used as a spice, particularly in European cuisine, and also give gin its distinguishing flavour.

Juniper is also a symbol of longevity, strength, athleticism, and fertility.

Health Benefits Of Juniper Berries
American Indians have used juniper to treat diabetes; such treatments by the Navajo, for example, are under clinical study. Native Americans also used juniper berries as a female contraceptive. The 17th Century herbalist physician Nicholas Culpeper recommended the ripened berries for conditions such as asthma and sciatica, as well as to speed childbirth.

Even nowadays, due to the many juniper health benefits, these berries are used in treating a variety of ailments from rheumatism, arthritis, to cystitis and catarrh. The berries may also be crushed and applied topically to slow-healing wounds as they are a powerful antiseptic. Washing joints with a tea made of juniper berries helps to relieve pain and soreness from them. Juniper berries are steam distilled to produce an essential oil in aromatherapy. Some of its chemical components are alpha pinene, cadinene, camphene and terpineol.This essential oil has astringent properties and is helpful in treating toothaches and strengthening the gums. It can also be used to retard hair fall. Among the many juniper health benefits are its carminative properties which make it one of the best natural cures for flatulence and gas. Massaging with the essential oil of juniper is the best way to get rid of unwanted aches and pains and skin infections.

Not only are there many juniper berries health benefits, but they can also help you lose weight. This is because juniper is a diuretic (elevates the rate of urination) , depurative (depurative herbs are considered to have a purifying and detoxifying action) , and a sudorific (makes you produce sweat) . It not only helps to cleanse toxins from the blood, but also helps to increase the frequency of urination and perspiration. This can significantly aid in weight loss. Since juniper is also a stimulant, it also helps all the various organs of the body to function more efficiently.

The color of juniper berries vary from green to red, brown and black. The flavour for consumption is best when the berry is black.

Precautions: Although there are many health benefits of juniper, it may result in contraindications in case of pregnancy. It should be avoided by pregnant mothers, as well as by those with kidney problems.

Thx Wikipedia!; http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Juniper & http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Juniper_berry

I want it all. Inspired by Holland’s sexiest vegan.

After hearing an interview on Dutch radio 1 with Lisette Kreischer on June 30 (click) , I was impressed.
 

This woman seems to know her food.

In fact, she seems to LIVE FOOD too.

PLUS she has ideals and communicates these.

On top of all this she sounded very happy, intelligent and approachable and after listening to the interview a few questions arose to me.  On the radio they mentioned how sexy she is and that she participated in the “sexiest vegetarian of 2010 election”. Of course after hearing this I instantly googled her and wow.. I read some articles, checked her sites, her work, some clips….. from that moment on, she’s a total source of inspiration to me. I thought; why not just try to ask her the questions that came up to me? In the worst case she just doesn’t want to answer them…  

Unfortunately Lisette  didn’t win the sexiest-vegetarian-competition though (Re-run in 2011? Let’s all vote for her!),  the winner was Sanne Vogel. I had to look her up too.. doesn’t look bad, seems talented, but I’d still vote for Lisette because after speaking to her I figured out one can’t be more aware of food than she is! She was the only vegan (For the layman, check what that entails here on Wikipedia -click- ) entering the competition so let’s just call her Holland’s sexiest vegan. Initially I just wanted to ask her 3 foodie-Q’s, but after some research I figured out she has many passions and interests and that she found a way to professionally combine these. That is exactly my goal in life. I am currently trying to figure out how to shape this.

Anyway…
She indeed turned out to be as nice & communicative as I thought (and yes, I did honestly tell her I’m a meat- lover. I also told her that I try to eat meat -and anything else- consciously.) so here’s the result of my talk to her;

LISETTE:
…Funny! I just talked about this with a friend; Roos (click). She’s capable, brilliant, she can do so much, she wants a lot, and she asked me; Do I have to put aside everything I like to just focus on one thing? I told her that I think if you keep track yourself and have an overview, and keep 1 vision in mind in everything you do, even when expressed in different ways and shapes, those ways and the outcomes will be pure. As long as you have a clear image of what you want yourself.

DLCS:
I was one of the people with the prejudice that all vegetarians look unhealthy. You look healthy and even sexy! What is your secret? I mean…I’ve never met you, all I know of you could be photo-shopped or adapted, but I don’t get that impression..

LISETTE:
Everything you see, everything I present, is real-life. The pictures have not been photo-shopped, the food is real, there’s no hairspray over it, we just eat it after making pictures of it.

Humans are not meat-eaters, nor plant-eaters. Man can perfectly well live on any kind of diet. Shortages have often been discussed in the medical world: everyone is ill, allergic, sensitive.. I just see the possibility, the option of taking care of myself well. I’m just a human. I don’t eat healthy and balanced because I have knowledge, but because I listen. I didn’t study for this or anything like that. I listen to myself. To the signals my body gives. For example; what do proteins do to me? What gives me energy? What is the effect of certain nutrients? Is my stomach bothering me? You feel that. You listen to it. I’m vegan for 10 years, vegetarian for 20 years and I’m almost 30. Food is energy. I have no ailments, no illnesses… I do have to knock on wood now. I consume enough vitamins and feel good. I can enjoy everything. I am the human I am,  a phenomenon on earth, a creature, an animal.. I need energy and make sure I get it down. I’ve gotten stronger and more resilient in the past few years. I do Yoga, dance and in the most recent years even feel the desire to practise active sports such as surfing and kite-surfing. When I want some extra energy I have nuts, grains or extra Spirulina. If your diet is good and balanced you don’t miss out on anything else.

DLCS:
I do think you have much more awareness of what you eat than some others…

Lisette:
More aware.. well yeah it’s my profession. You have to think about what’s your mission on this earth. What is your dream? Who do you want to be? What would you like to do as a human? I think about these kind of things since I was little. I used to really think about the big questions-of-life; What is life? How does nature work? Many people are disconnected from what it’s really about. Food is very important. You put it in your mouth, so you have to know what it is.

DLCS:
I really love tasty, good and healthy food but do catch myself on sometimes being too lazy or undisciplined when it comes to food. You know; I work, I have a busy social life… Do you think that even the lazy-and-always-busy-youngsters-of-today could be vegetarian/vegan?

LISETTE:
5 years ago, my goal was to reach “The Mass”. Now I’ve reached everything but the mass. Of course I got through to the “cultural creatives” first. They are first in line for everything that’s hip AND they are aware. I also want to reach those crazy, busy sweet-tooth’s, hence my next upcoming cookingbook; “Ecofabulous, wat de pot schaft”. I was writing just now, today is my writing-day. This book will contain simple but tasty and healthy dishes such as the Dutch “Stamppot”. Many youngsters ARE interested in the background of food, but the background is not always clear nor easy to check. Here for I would like to reach a wider target-group, hence the stand on Mysteryland (Are You going to Mysteryland on August 27 (click) ? Visit Lisette in the Ecofabulous Area!) . There you find the “mainstream audience”, the “snelle Jelle” (Snelle is the Dutch word for quick and Jelle is a Dutch boy’s name. Dutch expression for person in a hurry). I would like to make them aware of what they eat. I DO understand why they are so busy, but I always did what I wanted. Never got “stuck” in a job. I don’t recognise being lazy related to food but when it comes to Yoga or sports I do. That is for me less natural than being aware of what I eat. I know it’s good for me. The easy way has less and less power for me. The escape of the easy way out doesn’t do it for me anymore then.

DLCS:
After my first question you have actually already answered my 3^rd one…

LISETTE:
Oh but I have more to say about this, ask me!

DLCS:
Ok. Why would you convince me to not eat meat anymore anyway?

LISETTE:
It’s just Win-Win. You spend less money, you can buy more products, you can keep your products longer. I buy a lot in bulk, for example big chunks, grains. I live by the seasons. Digesting meat and dairy costs a lot of energy. Plants are much easier to digest. 45 billion animals die a year because of meat and the bio-industry. The Meat Industry is responsible for 18% of the total CO2 emissions and 13% of the transport sector. Eating meat is also very environment-unfriendly! It creates a giant part of the climate change problem. If we would all consume plants it would matter so much! In 2050 we’ll have to feed 9 billion people and we are already low on food! If we would all only consume plants, there would be many more possibilities for use of the earth, we could for example feed 4 billion people extra.

There are many sensitive people like you, people who think about what they eat, who are aware of what they consume, if they would all quit eating meat to make a statement, it would still not be enough. Most people don’t know that because of animal-consumption we also waste a lot of water. If you really want to know what you eat as a consumer, you would have to study this 7 days a week. There is too little knowledge and information is tough to find. On top of this, the government already subsidies the dairy and meat industry. From being small and onwards, one hears that drinking milk is good, but IS milk suitable for human consumption? We could completely live on vegetable food; seaweed is the future. It is easy to produce on small scale. You just need water and sunlight! The protein-level in seaweed is very high and easier to take in by the body than proteins from meat. Calcium from milk is for example not easy taken in by the body. Calcium from broccoli on the other hand is. Are we meant to consume diaryproducts? Because of the surplus of milk, we even over-consume it. Does this have anything to do with all those allergies people have? I’m not a dietician so I don’t know this but I do wonder…  

DLCS:
Do you use supplements on top of your regular nutrition? How do you make sure you take on everything?

LISETTE:
I use Spirulina (click for Wiki) and eat a lot of seaweed. I also take vitamin B12 (click), because usually we take this on from animal consumption. It’s for example produced in the stomach of the cow. I could also retrieve it from cow-manure, but I doubt that it will be very tasty with some salt and pepper..

For more info on Lisette Kreischer, her activities & living Ecofabulous, CHECK; www.veggierose.nl 

   

  

 

 

 

 

 

 

Thanks Lisette for your time, info & pics

& Thx Wikipedia for making us wiser !