Did
you know that milk and vinegar can nix stains,
butter can save your precious baubles, and common
starch gets you and your kids out of knotty problems?
Flu
Fighters
Garlic
Chopping garlic releases allicin, a sulfer-containing compound that
houses a potent antioxidant. Antioxidants protect cells from free
radicals that can damage them, making it harder for cells to fight
disease. Suggestions: add fresh garlic to sautéed vegetables
or chop raw garlic and add it to buttered toast. Garlic is a great
flu fighter along with a few of the following items. See Sopa
Seca recipe.
Embracing certain kinds of bacteria can actually help your immune
system. Yogurt (look for cartons that say they contain "live,
active cultures") and kefir, a fermented milk drink made with
kefir grains, all have probiotics or "good" bacteria.
In a recent study, probiotic bacteria was actually found to increase
the body's immune response to viruses that cause common infections
like colds and flus by boosting T-cell production. Yogurt is also
high in vitamin D. A separate study found low levels of vitamin D
to be associated with a heightened risk for respiratory infections
like the flu.
Brazil Nuts
These large nuts are rich in zinc, a mineral known to improve the
number of infection-fighting T-cells that also has antioxidant properties.
Zinc deficiency has been linked to decreased response to vaccination
and impaired immune cell function, especially in the elderly. But
don't overdo it. A few of these provide enough zinc for the day.
Tea
Tea is rich in polyphenols, chemicals found in plant foods that act
like antioxidants to protect cells. And while green and white teas
are particularly potent, all teas will have some benefit. See Yogi
Tea.
Lean Protein
Protein is important for tissue repair, proteins like white meat chicken,
low-fat cheese, cottage cheese or bean-grain combinations like beans
and rice. Low amounts of protein have been found to impair the
immune system and have negative effects on T-cells. See
recipes.
Citrus Fruits
Recommendations: pink grapefruits, oranges and mangoes, which are
all rich in the antioxidant vitamin C, something our bodies don't
produce or store on their own. Studies have shown it can decrease
the duration of a cold or flu-like symptoms. See Inner
Clean diet.
Household
Aids
Aspartame
Some
consumers report that they use this artificial sweetener, obtained
at restaurants for free, i.e., 'Splenda,' 'Nutra Sweet,' 'Equal,'
'Spoonful,' etc., as cheap insecticides around their homes. Bugs eat
it and die. We've used it and it works! See Aspartame.
Peanut
Butter
To
get gum out of a carpet, scrape up what you can, using an ice cub
to stiffen it if necessary. Then rub a small glob of peanut butter
into the fibers, and wipe up the whole mess with a cloth. To get rid
of any left-behind PB, just dab it up with a mixture of 1 tsp of dishwashing
liquid in 1 cup of lukewarm water. It's also great to get gum out
of your hair.
Corn Starch
If your tiny tot has diaper rash, sprinkle the area with corn starch
-- it's a tushy saver!
Your child just learned how to tie their shoes and the knots are impossible
to undo. Stay calm and sprinkle a little cornstarch on the laces to
help you work out the knot.
Vanilla Bean
Don't just throw out the whole bean after you've scraped out the inside
-- it's still fragrant with vanilla flavor. Stick it in the filter
of the coffeemaker and enjoy the vanilla-flavor of your next brew.
Vinegar
Most people know that vinegar is a great way to clean a coffee pot.
What to do with the hot vinegar afterward? Pour it on weeds. White
vinegar is an herbicide, while boiling water also kills weeds.
Worcestershire Sauce
Use a soft cloth to rub Worcestershire sauce on silverware (or any
silver for that matter), then rinse and dry. They will look brand
new!
Bread
Put slices of bread in the bags and jars of cookies and other baked
goods to keep the goodies fresh. Great for holiday baking and shipping.
Next time you drop a wine glass or break a plate, grab a slice of
bread to help you clean up. After you pick up the larger pieces, press
the bread over the area and it will pick up all the itty bitty pieces
you can't see. Bread can also help clean fingerprints off walls and
wallpaper. Just rub and voila!
Beer
Soak your hair in beer, and go lay out in the sun to pull out some
great highlights. Make sure to shampoo afterwards, or you'll end up
smelling like a brewery!
Garlic
If you get a splinter, rub some garlic on it -- the splinter will
almost jump out for you! In the old days, carpenters used to always
carry garlic in their pouches for this reason.
Bay Leaf
The fragrant leaves can be spread around in garden beds to deter insects,
including those cute but pesky ladybugs.
Coca-Cola
Pour Coca-Cola over corrosion on car battery and it will eat right
through it.
Grits
Uncooked grits are an excellent and inexpensive way to get rid of
ants. Cover a mound of ants outside or sprinkle inside along shelves
or walls where ants are a problem. Grits are environmentally safe
and are not harmful to pets or children like other insecticides.
Lemons
Lemon is also great as a hair lightener. Just squeeze it in your hair
and lie out in the sun. It's better than using artificial hair dyes!
Dandruff can be an embarrassing health problem, but the special shampoo
often smells yucky. Try massaging 2 tablespoons of lemon juice into
your scalp and rinsing with warm water. Follow with a leave-in rinse
of 1 teaspoon lemon juice in 1 cup of warm water. Use this daily until
your scalp is healed.
Milk
Oh no! You forgot to put the cap on your pen and now there is ink
seeping into your shirt. No worries -- just grab some milk and soak
the area. Depending on the type of ink, this process can take anywhere
from 30 minutes to 24 hours. Patience is a virtue.
Pepper
Everyone knows Clorox's catchy ditty about keeping clothes bright,
but all you need is pepper. Add a teaspoon of pepper to the wash before
you add in your clothes and it will keep the colors from fading.
Sugar
At your next BBQ don't spend money on anti-pest candles that never
work. Simmer 2 cups of milk, a 1/4 pound of sugar and 2 oz. of ground
black pepper for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Pour the mixture
into bowls and put them where the flies will be attracted to them
and then drown. You can also place around the house. No more buzzzzzing
at the windows. See Sugar
Is A Four Letter Word.
Soda
Next time your drain is clogged and you don't have time to run to
the store for some Drain-O just look in your fridge! A 2-liter bottle
of soda will do the trick. Just pour it down to clobber the clog.
Shortening
For a natural solution to diaper rash, try coating the area with a
thin layer of shortening. It will act as a moisturizer.
Salt
Grease stains can be a huge pain when it comes to doing laundry. Before
you wash, work a generous amount of table salt into the stain and
then launder as usual.
Potatoes
Too much to drink last night and now you have puffy eyes? Apply a
thin slice of cold potato to your eyes and leave on for five minutes.
Then splash with cool water, put on your makeup (or just some moisturizer
-- this means you, too, guys!) and head to work!
Oranges
Don't you hate it when you have to start a fire and little bits of
newspaper are flying everywhere? Next time, air-dry orange peels,
which contain flammable oils that burn longer, and use those instead
of the paper. The delicious smell is a bonus.
Olive Oil
Does it seem like nothing is working for your bad skin? Use 4 tablespoons
of salt and 3 tablespoons of olive oil to create a paste. Leave it
on your face for 2 minutes and rinse with warm water. Then wash your
face as normal. Use every day for a week and then cut back to 3 days
a week and you should notice an improvement.
Mustard
It may make you smell like a hot dog, but rubbing a thin layer of
mustard over your chest and covering with a hot towel can relieve
a stuffy head and chest.
Mayonnaise
It's one thing when your child draws on the wall with crayons, it's
quite another when it comes to your wood furniture. Rub some mayonnaise
on the crayon mark and let it soak for ten minutes. Then take a damp
cloth and wipeaway the mayo AND the crayon!
Flour
You have an ant problem but are worried about the poisonous ant traps
around your pets. Just sprinkle flour wherever you see ants entering
the house and along the pantry shelves, since they are most likely
after your food.
Eggs
No time to hit the salon before your big event? Get your hair super
shiny and conditioned with eggs! Take two beaten egg yolks and massage
into hair. Start at the scalp and work in small sections. Then gather
all of the hair in a shower cap, wrap in a warm towel and wait 30
minutes (you could cook the kids' dinner). Rinse with cool water and
shampoo as usual.
Club Soda
There's no more worrying about drinking red wine on white carpet.
Soak up as much wine as possible and then pour club soda over the
area, making sure to blot and not rub. Repeat the process until the
wine is no longer visible. You can also do the same for urine stains.
Castor Oil
While most of us associate castor oil with constipation or childbirth,
did you know it can also help get rid of pesky moles in your yard?
Just mix a 1/2 cup of castor oil with two gallons of water and pour
the mixture down the mole(s) hole(s). Don't worry, the solution is
animal friendly and they will likely relocate.
Butter
A jewelry box can help you organize, but sometimes those thin-chained
necklaces just want to get tangled and you can't stop them! Rub some
butter into the knot and lay on a flat surface. Then take a sewing
needle to untangle. When finished just run under hot water to rinse
off the butter.
Bananas
Before you throw your banana peel in the compost pile, remove any
stringy pulp and use the peel as a buffer. This works with silverware
as well as leather shoes and leather furniture. Just rub the peel
over the object and buffwith a soft cloth. Be sure to test a small
section of your furniture first!
Apples
Sick of waiting for your green tomatoes to ripen on the windowsill?
Stick up to five tomatoes in a brown paper bag with a ripe apple and
seal for a few days. This will speed up the ripening process.
*Consultation
with a health care professional should occur before applying
adjustments or treatments to the body, consuming medications
or nutritional supplements and before dieting, fasting or exercising.
None of these activities are herein presented as substitutes
for competent medical treatment. See
Disclaimer.
EqualsHappiness.com
*Consultation
with a health care professional should occur before applying
adjustments or treatments to the body, consuming medications
or nutritional supplements and before dieting, fasting or exercising.
None of these activities are herein presented as substitutes
for competent medical treatment.