Oil Pulling with Coconut Oil

I find it a little ironic that an old Indian practice dating back over a thousand years ago is making its way back around and becoming trendy again; and yet still there are many people who have never heard of it: oil pulling. 

If you stand with a group of friends and bring it up, maybe only one or two of them have heard about it or tried it. The benefits though, are rewarding enough to make you wonder why you haven't been doing it all along.

So what is oil pulling, exactly? The most common oil is coconut, but sesame and sunflower oil also work well. 

Step 1: On an empty stomach, take 2-3 teaspoons (I just grab a spoon from the drawer and eyeball it) of your oil (most grocery stores are carrying organic now, but if you can't find any, I love Tropical Traditions brand and you can order it online!) and start swishing it in your mouth. 

Step 2: Do not gargle and do not swallow any. When you have finished, there will be bacteria and toxins pulled into the oil and you will not want to swallow any of it! This should take you 15-20 minutes. If this is too hard for you, try doing it for a few minutes and work your way up. 

Step 3: Once you are finished, spit it all into the trash can. Rinse your mouth out and brush your teeth and gums really well. 

My favorite time to oil pull is when I'm showering, while no one is talking to me! 

To get even more out of your oil pulling, you can add essential oils. Here are some I've found to be great additions:

Peppermint: Known for its cool, minty flavor, this is great to combat bad breath. If you're doing it in the morning, it will also give you a little boost of energy to start your day.

Purification Essential Oil: This is a blend of citronella, lemongrass, rosemary, melaleuca, lavadin, and myrtle. This has many cleaning benefits. 

Melaleuca: Better known as the popular Tea Tree Oil. This oil is undoubtedly great for your teeth and mouth, as well as leaves your mouth feeling extra clean and fresh. 

Frankincense: Surprised? I guess the wisemen wanted baby Jesus to have great oral hygeine! haha! (ok, you don't have to laugh at that....sorry....) But seriously, this is great for keeping germs at bay and helps with any mouth discomfort (think dental work!). 

Thieves: This is a powerhouse oil made up of close, lemon, cinnamon bark, rosemary, and eucalyptus radiata. Theives has numerous attributes, among them relieving bad breath and ridding the mouth of germs. 

Lemon: Just like when you drink water with lemon, this is a great cleansing and detoxifying agent. 

Besides being able to cut out the dyes, flouride, SLS, triclosan, and artificial flavors of the common mouth wash, oil pulling has tremendous benefits.

• Helps with skin issues
• Migraines and headaches
• Sinus infections
• Hormone problems
• Arthritis pain
• Allergies
• Increased oral health
• Reduced plaque on teeth
• Reduced bad breath
• Decreased joint pain and suffering
• Chronic pain
• Increased mental awareness
• Acne
• Elevate Mood
• Energy
• Hangover cure (so I hear! Anyone want to test it?!)
• Reduced bacteria in mouth
• Reduced Sensitivity
• May help with gastro-enteritis
• Improved vision
• Reduce insomnia
• Reduced liver and kidney stress
• Reduced chemical load
• Reduced gum disease
• Whitens teeth
• Increased overall phyiscal health
• Immune health

After all this, how could you not want to try this? It's totally relaxing and the time seems to fly by. For those who are skeptical, just give it a shot. Comment below if you try it and let me know what changes you find for yourself! I highly recommend it! 

Vegan Protein

Recently, I have switched off of my whey protein to vegan. Am I totally vegan? Heck no! I love meat. This protein source is the bomb though! (are people still saying the bomb? ...hmm)

I switched to Arbonne Essentials Chocolate Protein Mix. 

At first I was a little skeptical how it was going to taste, and I'm not going to lie...it has a different taste to it. Its pretty dang good though! And way better than whatever beefhead crap my brother drinks after his workouts. 

So here's why I like it-

When it says vegan, it is actually a pea protein- made of pea, rice, and cranberry proteins. Sounds strange, I know, but it is highly absorbable and easily digestible. When the pea protein is combined with the cranberry and rice proteins, it provides a full amino acid score- very important! Pea protein provides essential amino acids and is a good source of the amino acids arginine and glutamine (those words sound familiar, my fitness enthusiasts?). It is also a good source of glutamic acid and branched chain amino acids (leucine + valine + isoleucine). Arginine participates in the supply of nitric acid and branched chain amino acids, which are essential amino acids that need to be supplied by the diet. 

In this protein, there are 20 grams of protein (which has been proven is the amount your body needs after a good workout!) and 21 essential vitamins and minerals and plenty of other beneficial nutrients. Also included in the ingredients are coenzyme 20 and ginseng. 

It contains no artificial sweeteners, colors or flavors; as well as no cholesterol. It is also forumulated with no gluten or fructose. That is awesome! I hate when all these big name whey proteins boast about all the good stuff in their product, but fail to mention all the chemicals they add. NO THANKS!

Here are some other sources you can find vegan protein-

• legumes
• nuts and seeds (almonds, cashews, filberts, hemp seeds, peanuts, pumpkin seeds, sesame seeds, sunflower seeds, walnuts-black)
• spirulina (nutrient-rich, blue-green algae)