The Paleo Mama

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DIY Remineralizing Toothpaste

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Six months ago I went to the dentist and found out that I had six cavities. I could not believe it. It didn’t make sense because I eat a very clean, Paleo diet. I pinpointed some of the things that caused my cavities in this post that I wrote, “How I’m Healing My Cavities Without Dentistry.” This post has received a lot of attention and I’ve received many emails and messages about various things that I’m doing to heal my cavities. Well, good news…I went for a 6 month check-up at this dentist a few days ago to see how my cavities looked and to see if the remineralizing process was working…AND…I HAVE ZERO CAVITIES!!! I healed my teeth naturally with proper diet and nutrition and I did not have to pay a hefty dentist bill to have my teeth drilled and filled!

I mention in that post that I use a homemade toothpaste and because I have received so many emails about what that recipe is, I thought I would share my DIY Remineralizing Toothpaste recipe. I was having a hard time finding a toothpaste that did not have certain ingredients in them. When you are trying to remineralizing your teeth, you need to make sure you are not using a toothpaste with glycerin or xylitol in it. Glycerin coats your teeth and counteracts the remineralization process and this article explains why we don’t use xylitol. Our family avoids toothpaste with fluoride and preservatives, as well.

This recipe is great for remineralizing your teeth if you are following the Cure Tooth Decay protocol and have some cavities you are trying to reverse but it’s, also, a wonderful recipe to use just to maintain optimal oral health for your day-to-day life.

DIY Remineralizing Toothpaste:

INGREDIENTS: 

  • 1/3 cup of Bentonite Clay (where to buy)- this comes from pure sources of undisturbed deposits in the ground. What is special about bentonite clay is that it draws toxins out of the body.
  • 1/4 cup of boiling water
  • 1 Tablespoon of coconut Oil (where to buy) – coconut oil is amazing for oral health. It is highly effective with getting rid of viruses and bacteria in the mouth
  • 1/4 teaspoon of Real Salt (where to buy) – real salt is unrefined and full of natural minerals.
  • 1/2 teaspoon of REAL stevia  (where to buy)- this is the dry herb that is green and unprocessed in it’s natural form.
  • 15 Drops of Protective blend Essential oil (where to buy) 
  • 10 Drops of Peppermint Essential oil (where to buy) 

DIRECTIONS:

  • Step One: Put your bentonite clay in a bowl. Heat the water on the stove and then stir in the coconut oil till it is melted.
  • Step Two: With a hand mixer, mix on medium speed the bentonite clay and the water/oil mixture till blended through.
  • Step Three: Add the salt, stevia, and essential oils and continue to blend until it is completely blended.
  • Step Four: Keep in a covered jar!
  • *The mixture will harden a little bit as it sits because of the coconut oil. This makes it easier to add a bit to your toothbrush when you brush.

For more information on healing your cavities naturally, read this post and check out Cure Tooth Decay!

Want a kid-friendly version of this recipe? Check out my DIY Remineralizing Tooth Powder for KIDS! 

 

DIY Toothpaste

Bacon Pancakes

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We often eat bacon. We often eat pancakes. So, I thought, “Hmm, how can I put these two delicious things together?” And this is what I came up with. Bacon in between the pancakes!!! And let me tell you, it’s like a bacon-y BOOM when you bite into them! I hope you love these Bacon Pancakes as much as I do.

Bacon Pancakes 

INGREDIENTS:

DIRECTIONS:

1. Cook the bacon on a cast iron pan or griddle (could not live without my griddle!).

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2. Remove the bacon and cut the strips in half. Scoop off some of the bacon fat and reserve it to make one of these 20 recipes using bacon fat. Repeat: DO NOT throw the bacon fat away. It’s good stuff! Leave a little bacon fat on the pan or griddle to coat the pancake batter. You could leave it all on if you want!

3. Pour a little pancake batter onto the pan or griddle. Push a piece of bacon into the batter. Cover the bacon with more pancake batter.

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4. Flip when the bottom is lightly browned. Then cook the other side.

5. THAT’S IT! This is the easiest recipes every! Top with butter/or ghee and maple syrup!

5 Foods to Avoid this Holiday Season

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The season – the month – has begun, and people from all over are cooking, baking and stuffing their faces with holiday foods. Did you know that the average person consumes an extra 600 calories a day during the Holidays?! No matter where you live or where you go, you can’t miss it. The Holiday foods will find their way into your belly and when January comes, you are going to be googling Detox diets, Whole 30, The 21 Day Sugar Detox, Weight Watchers, Insanity…you get the picture. But it’s all fun and it’s only once a year. I hear you, I really do. I never claim to be 100% Paleo, in fact I’ve declared that I never will be 100% Paleo. However, when you are splurging this Holiday season and indulging in “junkier” foods, remember what these 5 most terrible foods are and try to avoid them for your health.

5 Foods to Avoid this Holiday Season: 

1. Store-bought Egg Nog 

There’s nothing like a Holiday drink that is loaded with seaweed extract, high fructose corn syrup, and just a little egg. Yes, that is the ingredients of store-bought Egg Nog. You really didn’t think you were going to get a high quality traditional drink from a carton, did ya? The only thing healthy about this drink is the possibility that there are some of the traditional spices in it. However, this picture I snapped didn’t even have spices in it.

eggnog

Make Your Own: 

2. Store-bought Cookies, Pies and Holiday Treats 

Bottom line, these will all contain vegetable oils or vegetable shortening. Not sure why this is bad? I mean it’s made from a vegetable, right? First off, it is loaded with trans fats (found in partially hydrogenated oils) which the FDA has recently declared unsafe for human consumption. GASP! They did something right! And, second, they have nothing to do with vegetables, but are loaded with weird stuff like soy, rapeseed(WTH!) and processed in really unnatural ways.

Make Your Own: 

3. Gift Sausages and Other Processed Meats 

I’ve never trusted any meat that require no refrigeration. That’s just plain wacko. Makes me question how they are able last so long. SODIUM NITRATE. Sodium nitrate is a preservative found in many packaged meats that keep the meat fresh and pretty. Rotting meat doesn’t look or taste too good. Sodium nitrate has, also, been linked to cancer. These pretty cancer packages can be found in shopping malls during the Holiday season and inside pretty, little gift baskets. I’m not sure why these make a good Christmas gift…why not try giving something a little less “poisoning” and a little more homemade?

What to give instead: 

4. Those Giant Tubs of Caramel Popcorn 

I know they are sooooo good. Trust me, this is my biggest weakness during the Holiday season. Just one bite turns into 20 bites. But listen, corn is the number one food that is genetically modified. Read this for all the ways generically modified food is dangerous for you. And these tubs of popcorn, aren’t just popcorn. They are saturated with “carmel” sauce that includes ingredients like high fructose corn syrup and artificial flavorings.

Make Your Own: 

5. Stuffing in a Box

The problem with store bought stuffing is that they contain questionable ingredients like high-fructose corn syrup and monosodium glutamate, or MSG. MSG has a whole long list of dangerous side effects and is one of the most dangerous additives to food.

Make Your Own: 

 

I hope you all have a fantastic Holiday season and make the best decisions that you can for your health!

 

Jackie

(Photo Credit: WebMd)

 

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DIY Cooling Cucumber Mask

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I started my natural living experience nearly 5 years ago! I remember how daunting it was to get rid of all the chemicals in my house and how overwhelming it was learning about toxins in my skin care products. I was so happy to follow so many wonderful bloggers who generously shared their home remedies and recipes. After 5 years, I still feel like an amateur when it comes to creating DIY beauty products for myself or my blog! I love the learning experience, but when someone like Jenni from Jenni Raincloud comes along and offers to do a guest post for a DIY Cooling Cucumber Mask…I am thrilled to allow it! So, please welcome Jenni!  – Jackie 

Hi everyone!  I’m Jenni, from Jenni Raincloud Homebody Extraordinaire!  I am an aesthetician and have been in the skin care industry for over a decade!  After taking a break from my career to start a family I started realizing how my favorite skin care products were full of false promises and CHEMICALS!  I started to search for alternatives to my favorite lines and came up with very few choices of skin care companies that were charging an arm and a leg for organic, pure products.  So, I decided to take control and make my own!  I immediately fell in love with the wonders of nature in skin care.  My blog is all about my adventures in do it yourself skin care!  Thanks for having me and I hope you enjoy today’s post!
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Anyone have issues with dark circles, crows feet, and puffy bags under your eyes?  My hand is up.  Let’s just get real for a second-Sometimes drinking 10 tons of water a day just doesn’t happen.  Sometimes you just don’t get a full night’s sleep-baby is screaming, 5 year old had a bad dream, husband snores, dog is trying to get underneath you, bladder is shot (thanks Sofie and Heidi for that) weird noises outside, cell phone mysteriously vibrates-you get the picture, the older you get the less you sleep through stuff, but that’s a whole other post, huh?!  More often then not, stress is a daily annoyance-that breeds and multiplies itself while reeking havoc on our bodies.  These annoying issues all contribute to worn out, tired eyes.  So, let’s fix it.  Let’s take 10 minutes to do something for ourselves?  It’s easy and relaxing-You in?

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I always love to use food on my face.  Seriously-nature is full of remedies.  This is an easy way to relax those tired eyes with out adding chemicals to your body or breaking the bank!  All you need is a cucumber, coconut oil and aloe vera gel!  If you really want to get fancy, Carrot Seed Oil is my go to essential oil for the eyes.  It regenerates and renews-I talk more about it in my DIY Anti Wrinkle Eye Stick post. Now, I like to not waste.  So, I use a whole cucumber, 2 TBSP of coconut oil and 1/4 cup of aloe vera gel.  I put it in an ice cube tray and freeze (hence the cooling part).  This will give you many applications without wasting your cucumber and will also save time and effort in the long run!

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 Cooling Cucumber Mask

Blend all ingredients together until all ingredients form a smooth cream.  Transfer to ice cube tray and freeze.  You might hold a bit back and pop it in the fridge so you can use your mask now!

Apply all around the eyes.  Leave on for 10-15 minutes.  It feels HEAVENLY!  So refreshing-you can just feel the puffiness disappearing!  If you are using the Carrot Seed oil be very careful-if it gets in your eyes it will burn.  If the oil gets in your eyes, rinse out your eye with cool water immediately.

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So there you have it!  A fast and easy remedy for those pesky tired, puffy eyes!

Cucumbers rock!

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Jennifer lives in Edmond Oklahoma with her husband and 2 daughters. She has been in the skin care world for over a decade. She believes beautiful skin comes from the inside out. In order to achieve youthful skin a healthy lifestyle must be in place. If you can’t eat it, don’t put it on your skin are her words to live by! She sells her skin care products on Etsy, runs her “at home spa” for close clients and blogs full time. She is happiest staying home with her family and cooking up healthy skin care products in the kitchen! You can follow Jenni Raincloud on Facebook, Pinterest and Twitter!

Sushi at Home: Tuna Kobachi

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Tuna Kobachi is my favorite dish to get at a Sushi restaurant. Unfortunately, it’s really hard to find and many Sushi chefs don’t know how to make it. If you like Sashimi, you are going to love this dish! It usually comes as an appetizer on a bed of sliced cucumbers or avocados. I love avocados with it cause it just compliments the flavor.

For the tuna, you want to look for wild-caught tuna. I buy mine at Fresh Market and it comes labeled, “Sashimi Tuna” or “Sushi-Grade“. Just make sure it’s wild-caught and you should be good to go!

The Asian spice that goes with this, I found at a local Asian store. It’s called shichimi togarashi and the ingredients include red chili pepper, orange peel, sesame seeds, Japanese pepper, ginger and seaweed. If you don’t have a Asian store near you, you can order it for pretty cheap on Amazon (click here to see it).

You are going to love this dish! For more awesome Paleo-friendly recipes, checkout these Spicy Tuna Rolls by Yuppie Farm Girl and these Salmon Salad Handrolls by Primally Inspired!

Tuna Kobachi

Ingredients: 

  • 3 Tuna Steaks (wild-caught from a local source)
  • 2 TB of Sesame Oil (if you like spicy, you can do a blend of regular sesame oil and HOT Sesame Oil)
  • 1 teaspoon of Togarashi spice 
  • Sprinkle of Sesame Seeds (Black or Natural) – I do a little of both.
  • One bunch of green onions, cut to the white part.
  • Coconut Aminos (Paleo soy sauce) to dip.
  • Squeeze of lemon juice
  • OPTIONAL: Fish Roe/Caviar

**I find most these ingredients for cheap at a local Asian store**

Directions: 

  1. With a really sharp knife, cut the tuna into small chunks. Toss in a bowl.
  2. Add the green tips of the onions, sesame oil, togarashi spice, and sesame seeds.
  3. Taste and adjust seasonings. If you like it spicy, add more togarashi spice.
  4. Squeeze a little lemon juice over the Tuna.
  5. Enjoy sliced cucumbers or avocados on the side and dip in coconut aminos!

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How I’m Healing My Cavities Naturally

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Six months ago I walked into a routine cleaning at the dentist and walked out with a hefty quote for dental work to be done on SIX cavities they found in my teeth. It seems pregnancy does this to a lot of women. 

I started reading and researching natural ways to heal your teeth. I read the book, Cure Tooth Decay: Remineralize Cavities & Repair Your Teeth Naturally With Good Food  and my mind was blown. I can remineralize my teeth without having thousands of dollars of dental work done? I can heal my cavities with proper diet? I’m in! This post is about a holistic protocol I used to remineralize my teeth. However, to fully understand how to heal your cavities, we must take a look at what is the root cause of tooth decay.

Root of Tooth Decay = Lack of Nutrition

A prominent dentist, Dr. Weston A. Price,  and author of Nutrition and Physical Degeneration, set out in 1915 to discover the cure for tooth decay. He studied groups of people from different parts of the world. His field studies took place in many indigenous areas (where modern toothbrushes and floss are nonexistent) and the discoveries he found in these countries are astounding. His conclusion:

“All groups having a liberal supply of minerals particularly phosphorus, and a liberal supply of fat-soluble activators, had 100 per cent immunity to dental caries.”

Dr. Price determined that tooth decay was a result of a lack of nutrients in the modern diet and modern diet does not even meet the MINIMUM standards for proper nutrient intake (1).

The Two Major Suspects of Tooth Decay: 

1. Lack of Adequate Fat-Soluble Vitamins in the Diet– Fat-soluble vitamins: A, D, E, and K are found in fat and let’s face it, with the low-fat lifestyles that most of us believe in, we are deprived in these vitamins. Dr. Price discovered that all the indigenous groups he studied had the highest immunity to tooth decay. Why? Because they, liberally, ate foods that are high in fat. Their diets consisted of organs and meat from land animals, fish, and shellfish…all containing generous amounts of fat-soluble vitamins.

2. Lack of Activator X in the Diet – Dr. Price discovered that Activator X, a hormone similar to vitamin D, is the missing nutrient in modern diets. Activator X is found in the grassfed dairy of animals that are grazing on rapidly growing green grass (grass grown from May through September). Butter that has a deep yellow or orange color, has more Activator X in it is produced from grassfed milk that is from cows that are grazing on rapidly growing grass.

Other Notable Suspects: 

  1. Lack of Proper Minerals in the Diet – Calcium and Phosporus are vital in tooth remineralization and their levels in the blood need to be balanced (2).
  2. Hormones are Out of Balance – When our endocrine glands are out of balance, we are more susceptible to tooth decay. Common influencers of hormone issues are prescription drugs, birth control pills, and other toxic/or stress factors.
  3. Too Much Phytic Acid from Grains in the Diet – Prior to the cultivation of grains, corn, and rice, human fossil records show that tooth decay was virtually unheard of (1). Phytic acid is significantly shown in grains, nuts, corn, rice, beans, legumes and seeds.

The Missing Link in Our Diet:

The absence of fat-soluble vitamins is THE PRIMARY cause of tooth decay. You need Activator X and liberal amounts of vitamin A and D to properly reverse tooth decay. The simplest and most effective way to add fat-soluble vitamins to your diet is by adding in extra-virgin cod liver oil and extra-virgin butter oil (1).

Extra-Virgin Cod Liver Oil (EVCLO) – Extra-virgin cod liver oil  real Norwegian cod liver oil that is fresh, raw & handcrafted from wild livers using a very rare ancient extraction technique which uses nature to separate the oil from its liver. EVCLO has a pale/golden color and a very mild, fishy taste (unlike fermented cod liver oil.

Extra-Virgin Cod Liver Oil is fresh and a rich source of vitamins A, D and Omega fats. Cod liver oil tops the food chain with the highest levels of Vitamin D AND Vitamin A. Following closely behind for Vitamin A is liver; and for Vitamin D is high vitamin butter oil.

Extra-Virgin Butter Oil (EVBO) – Extra-virgin butter oil is is one of the most stable, flavorful nutritional oils produced today – although it has an old world traditional feel and taste. It comes from grassfed cows that are grazing on rich pasture grass. It takes 26 days of grazing on rich pastures for the milk to test out at its peak and only then is the milk considered ‘high vitamin’ for use in Extra-Virgin Butter Oil. 

Unlike many brands of Ghee and clarified butter that use high heat to extract the oil from the milk solids, destroying the lower fatty acid chains, EVBO is processed minimally to preserve all of the nutrients, freshness, aroma and color. Many lactose-intolerant people find no difficulty digesting EVBO.

EVBO is a natural source of vitamin A, E, K2 (MK-4), Butyric Acid, Wultzen Factor and Conjugated Linoleic Acid (CLA). It is extremely potent it its levels of Activator X and Vitamin K2. Foods that are also high in Activator X are the innards of crab and lobster, skate liver oil, bone marrow, and animal glands. Yea…those foods aren’t on my menu, so I choose to supplement with extra-virgin butter oil. Butter is one of the top 10 foods with the highest amounts of K2. There are no solid sources that know the ratio of butter to extra-virgin butter oil when it comes to figuring out the K2 content, but most believe that it’s a 1:8 -1:10 ratio. This would make high vitamin butter oil top the list with Natto, goose liver paste, and hard cheeses like Gouda (3).

Since that day at the dentist when I was told I had 6 cavities, I have been diligent in pursuing the complete healing of my cavities. I cancelled my appointment to have my teeth all drilled and filled, and I began my journey into curing tooth decay with proper nutrition. And my journey has been successful!

Why Did I Have Cavities?

  1. My diet was missing the fat-soluble vitamins found in extra-virgin cod liver oil and extra-virgin butter oil. I have since started taking this powerful duo, as well as the rest of my family for added nutrition.
  2. I had been dairy-free for over a year and did not focus on my intake of calcium and phosphorus. Since discovering my tooth decay, I have since added back raw milk from grassfed cows and goats into my diet as well as many homemade cheeses.
  3. I, most likely, had been consuming high amounts of phytic acid in nuts and seeds. Since learning of my cavities, I have minimized my intake of nuts and seeds, and have become diligent about properly soaking them to help neutralize phytic acid. 

 What Have I Been Doing to Heal My Tooth Decay? 

  • I take extra-virgin cod liver oil daily.  I take 1 teaspoon a day. The kids prefer their’s with a dash of raw honey mixed in.
  • I take 1 teaspoon of high-vitamin butter oil daily.
  • I take Skate Liver oil daily.
  • I drink 3-4 cups a day of raw goats (or cow) milk per day.
  • I drink 1 cup a day of homemade bone stock and use collagen (tasteless and odorless) to cook with and add to beverages.
  • I eat liver once a week. If this grosses you out, you can take desiccated liver tablets.
  • I use liberal amounts of grassfed butter and ghee in my foods and recipes. As mentioned in the post, this is NOT a substitute for extra-virgin butter oil. 
  • I oil pull with coconut oil. Not sure what oil pulling is? CLICK here to learn more.  
  • I avoid any toothpaste with glycerin, as it counteracts remineralization. I make my own toothpaste using bentonite clay or I buy this one. 
  • I, normally, don’t eat any many grains or foods high in phytic acid. I make sure my nut butters come from a trustworthy source and are soaked. If you are not willing to give up your grains, look into supplementing with Vitamin C to help neutralize phytic acid.

Where to get the best fermented cod liver oil and high vitamin butter oil: 

Perfect Supplements carries the most trusted brands of extra-virgin cod liver oil and extra-virgin  butter oil on the market. They are a One Stop Shop for products and resources for optimal oral health and more! They, also, carry skate liver oil, grassfed beef gelatin, ghee, desiccated liver capsules, and the coconut oil I use in my remineralization protocol. Cure Tooth Decay was the book that changed my life and showed me I could take healing my cavities into my own hands!

Sources:

  • (1) Nagel, Ramiel. Cure Tooth Decay
  • (2) Page, M. Abrams, L. Your Body is the Your Best Doctor.
  •  (3) https://www.westonaprice.org/fat-soluble-activators/x-factor-is-vitamin-k2#interactions