Product Review: Melaleuca's Diamond Brite Automatic Dishwasher Detergent

Ever since I started this quest for better health 3 years ago, I have been in search of the elusive non-scented, well-cleaning, no-residue-leaving dishwasher detergent.

I think I have finally found a product that comes mighty close to meeting my criteria: Diamond Brite Automatic Dishwasher Detergent.

I was a little bummed when I got it at first, because the bottle is smaller than the size bottle that I was used to buying--but then I read the instructions and you only fill half of your detergent cup per load of dishes! So I did that, and my dishes came out all clean and sparkly AND I was not hit in the face with strong fragrant stench when I walked into the kitchen when the dishwasher was running!

WooHoo!

I still balk a bit at the price(I am ever the price-cutter), but this detergent has many

Redeeming Qualities:
1. It doesn't STINK like almost every other dishwasher detergent out there that I have tried
2. It doesn't leave a filmy residue on the dishes--the kids/hubby aren't complaining that their drinks taste like soap
3. It actually gets the dishes clean and so far it has cleaned/kept my dishwasher clean of visible hard water(iron) residue (both problems I have had with more "natural" and homemade dishwasher detergents)
4. It uses less packaging than every other brand I have used, since I use less product per load

 I think I will keep getting this as long as it doesn't start bothering me in the future.

Recipe: GF Pizza Crust

Last night I tried this recipe for Perfect Primal Gluten Free Pizza Crust. It took basic ingredients(w/o "gums" and other additives--a definite plus in my book), and was easy and quick.

The original recipe is above. Here is what I actually did:

GF Pizza Crust

~4 eggs

~1/3 cup coconut flour, sifted (I used Bob's Red Mill --from the health food store in the refrigerated section)

~1/3 cup flax meal(I use 1/3 cup whole flax and ground it in my bella kitchen mixer

~1/2 cup milk (I used 2%, rbgh-free milk--just a smidge over 1/2 cup to make my batter flow better)

~Seasonings of choice(I used garlic, oregano, and basil)

Set oven to 350*.

Mix the above until well combined. It should look like pancake batter.

Pour onto parchment paper on a pan into desired shape and bake 10 minutes.

Flip, bake 10 minutes longer. 

REMOVE FROM PARCHMENT PAPER and return crust to pan.

Set broiler on High.

Put desired toppings on pizza and broil about 1 minute--check on it, as you don't want to burn your pizza!

Notes:

I think the original recipe said to broil it on the parchment paper. Bad idea--and good thing I was checking on my pizza, as the paper was actually charring and close to igniting! Hence my CAPITALS to let you know to take it off the parchment paper. ;-)

The guy in the video must have used a smaller pan than I used, as I was thinking this would make twice what it did. Turns out it worked ok for hubby and I--we actually had some left over for his lunch today! (and we didn't gorge ourselves last night like we might of had it made more)

Food Awareness: Carrageenan

As you all know, I am very aware of and have become pretty particular about what I eat.


I try to follow Michael Pollan's advice of only eating foods with ingredients you can pronounce and know where it came from. To avoid "edible food-like substances".  Just because you can eat it, doesn't mean you should, nor that it is good for you.

But it is extremely hard to truly avoid all that stuff! Exhausting even. I have to be alert at all times and remember hundreds (thousands?) of little details!  This is especially hard when I don't have control of what's to eat (restaurants, potlucks, etc).


I do definitely notice a positive difference when I am eating cleaner and usually notice when I try to sneak something in. (guinea pig that I am these days)

Last night, dh and I finished a tub of ice cream together since the kids were gone...and my throat itched all night! Ugh!  I also found it a little difficult to get a full breath, though I wouldn't call it wheezing.

Obviously, my guard was down. Especially since I have finally revived from the salad dressing incident on Monday.  How quickly one forgets.... *sigh*

I read the ice cream label this morning--there is carrageenan, locust bean gum and guar gum(soy) in the ice cream. Should have read it before I ate it, huh? (I so wish our local grocer carried the Haagen-Dazs 5...maybe I should request it.) I have suspected Carrageenan before and faithfully avoid it in half 'n half  and other dairy products(so hard to find half 'n half w/o it!) ...didn't think about it in the ice cream last night, as I've had small portions here and there w/o any noticeable problems. So, it's probably a proportional thing....I did have a full bowl last night...

I did a little research this morning and it turns out Carrageenan is pretty harsh on the gut. That same gut that I am going Gluten- and Nightshade-free to try to get some healing action going on.

Apparently, there are two types of Carrageenan. One type is undegraded (food grade) and the other is degraded (hydrolyzed with acid) and is not food grade. Although undegraded Carrageenan is GRAS(generally regarded as safe) by the FDA(who you all know I don't 100% trust...), according to this article, Joanne Tobacman, a teacher of clinical internal medicine at the University of Iowa College of Internal Medicine, has found evidence in human trials that may show that carrageenan is not as safe as we once thought.

Quoted from the above article:

Dr. Tobacman shared studies that demonstrate that digestive enzymes and bacterial action convert high weight carrageenans to dangerous low molecular weight carrageenans and poligeenans in the human gut. These carrageenans have been linked to various human cancers and digestive disorders. Again, Tobacman's evidence and conclusions are based upon human tissue samples, not animal studies.

 So, yeah, something good to note for those who have digestive issues.  And my digestive enzymes probably didn't do me any favors last night with the ice cream/Carrageenan.

One real bummer is that Carrageenan doesn't always have to be labeled if it is in foods/products. So it's hard to avoid it completely.


I actually took 2 Benadryl last night in hopes of sleeping through the itch that began within an hour of eating the ice cream...but it didn't help...which really leads me to believe that in this case it's not a histamine issue, it's a gut issue.  Or maybe it's just a LOT of histamine and the Benadryl couldn't suppress it all. Not sure...

I think it's really weird that I get these itchy throat reactions when things irritate my gut.

RECIPE: Venison-Stuffed Butternut Squash OR Make Somethin' Up to Use Up the Last Squash!

I have one lone Butternut Squash to use up. And it will have to be me eating it, 'cuz I'm the only one that eats it around here w/o it being disguised, hehe.

Tonight's the night!

Hence...

Venison-stuffed Butternut Squash

~1 butternut squash, washed, halved, cored and a few holes poked in bottom to allow for some drainage

~1 lb venison sausage(sub. your own safe sausage--ours has salt, pepper, and a touch of fennel)
~1 large onion, chopped

~2 cloves of garlic, minced
~1-2 ribs of celery, chopped

~Mushrooms, chopped--I used one small can

~Salt and pepper, to taste
~Cumin, to taste (because I'm craving spice and am not doing nightshades)
~Oregano

~1 1/2 cups or so of shredded cheese (I used cheddar)




Place prepped squash in a 9x13 baking dish. Salt and pepper it if desired. Set aside.


Brown venison and add remaining ingredients and cook well(I like my onions to get a little caramelized/browned).

Add cheese, stir until combined, and spoon into squash.

Cover and bake 350 for around an hour(check on it--you want your squash good and soft).

If desired, top with a bit more cheese and bake until browned on top.


I was in a hurry last night when I took this out of the oven, and dished it out before I went to take a pic---and then my batteries were dead! So up above is what you get until/unless I take a pic of my leftovers.

Looking back, I think the recipe would be improved by at least partially baking the squash before putting the stuffing in and baking.  Like I said, I was in a hurry last night. I had to put my portion in the microwave for a minute or two to sufficiently cook the squash. But it was good! :) And gluten-free!

Gluten-free, Nightshade-free Observations on Day 35

Main theme/rediscovery of the day: Processed foods are still not my friend.

I have had a really great week overall. I think part of it was completely stripping our bed and washing ALL bedding on HOT....and the other part of it has been diet.

I have had nearly a week of nights where I was able to - amazingly - not wake up with the itchy throat(like I've gotten accustomed to). It is an entirely new feeling to wake up, refreshed, having slept well! At the same time, I have noticed that my jaw is not nearly so tense either(less damage to the ol' teeth is a good thing). Makes me wonder at just how big an impact low-grade reactions can have on the body's system!

I have done really well with staying away from processed food with ingredients I can't pronounce.

Until last night.

I got brave(stupid?) in my feeling-goodness, and thought I would have some of my hubby's Kraft Roka Brand Blue Cheese Dressing & Dip (complete with the long words that require lots of research to determine where they come from--soy is at the top of the list, which should have raised a blazing red flag, but it also has sodium lactate, the ubiquitous natural flavor, xanthan gum, phosphoric acid, polysorbate 60, propylene glycol alginate, artificial color, vitamin E and Natamycin----what was I thinking?????? )....and last night I was itching again... Grrr.

*sigh*

Lesson learned(for now, until I get brave/stupid again). Stay away from the processed food-like substances, my dear. Only extra-virgin olive oil on the salad in the meantime...



Speculation:  last night's itching *could* have been from the rainstorm last night(more humidity--> more  mold), BUT it's been rainy off and on for the whole last week and I've been fine at night (great, actually) so it's most likely the dastardly salad dressing.

And now my lower GI is paying the price today. Maybe TMI, but it is what it is.


7 steps forward....3 steps back. 7 great days.....bad exposure.....3 days to get the symptoms of exposure back out of my system.

Live and Learn, eh?