Natural homemade health care remedies are less expensive and healthier than many commercial products. Let's take a look at some nifty recipes:

Oatmeal Bath
After a day in the sun, soothe your sunburnt skin in a warm bath with a cotton satchel filled with old-fashioned oats.

Hot Oil Treatment
Before washing your hair, place several tablespoons of olive oil or jojoba oil to your dry hair, comb your hair, put on a shower cap to allow the oils to penetrate the hair shaft and jump in the shower. After several minutes, remove the cap and give your hair a shampoo wash.

Sugar Exfoliate
Mix together olive oil, almond or jojoba oil and white sugar, creating a thick paste, and then add a few drops of your favorite scented oil. Afterwards, apply to dry parts of your skin and exfoliate, leaving your body smooth and moisturized.

Yogurt Mask
Plain, whole milk yogurt is a wonderful facial cleanser, leaving your face with a glow.

Chamomile Eye Beautifier
Get rid of your puffy eyes by placing chilled steeped chamomile tea bags on your eyes.

Go refresh and pamper your being with one or all of these homemade remedies. Enjoy!

Have you ever considered how much corn we consume and how fattening it is? Did you know that carbon in our body actually originates from corn or that corn is an ingredient in many food and industrial products? In "King Corn", a 2007 documentary, two recent college graduates plant corn and follow it's way through the supply chain right to your dinner plate. Government subsidies, corn crops are genetically modified and glazed with pesticides, resulting in harrowing outcomes for all consumers, including obesity, diabetes and other health related diseases.

Losing any nutritional value corn once had, corn is now harvested for high fructose corn syrup, used in lieu of table sugar and found in breads, spaghetti sauce, cookies, juices, gum, beer, and so much more. Although table sugar consumption has fallen, sweeteners have increased by 30%, largely due to corn syrup. Indeed, cheaper food is also unhealthy food, leading to obesity, diabetes and other health related diseases.

In addition, unlike years past, most cattle eat a corn based diet on huge feedlots, instead of having the freedom and ability to roam land and graze. As a result, the American people now eat corn based meat, a fattening starch alternative to grass based meat.

So what is the fat truth of modern day corn in America? Unfortunately, corporations financially benefit greatly from corn, while the rest of us contend with the pounds around the middle. Is it any wonder why diabetes has become a crisis in America? Let's stop the corporate insanity and boycott all food and drinks made with corn. There is a supply because there is a demand. Let's just stop demanding corn so the cattle and our bodies fare better.

Ready?

“If you’re standing in a field in Iowa, there’s an immense amount of food being grown, none of it edible. The commodity corn, nobody can eat. It must be processed before we can eat it. It’s a raw material—it’s a feedstock for all these other processes. And the irony is that an Iowa farmer can no longer feed himself.” —Michael Pollan, author of The Omnivore's Dilemma

Let's take a closer look at every day products made with corn:

Corn Starches
Industrial uses: Adhesives, Cardboard, Construction Materials, Detergents, Paper, Textiles, Plasterboard
Food and drug uses: Antibiotics, Aspirin, Baked Goods, Candies, Condiments, Mixes & Instant Preparations, Processed Meats, Puddings
Corn Syrup
Industrial uses: Adhesives, Animal Feed, Bookbinding, Laminated Building Products, Enzymes, Leather Tanning, Lubricating Agents, Metal Plating
Food and drug uses: Baby Food, Bologna and Hot Dogs, Chewing Gum, Cookies & Crackers, Dessert Mixes, Fruit Drinks, Canned Foods, Cereals, Medicinal Syrups, Pickles, Salad Dressings, Seasoning Mixes
High Fructose Corn Syrup: Carbonated Beverages, Fruit Fillings, Cereals, Frostings, Ice Cream & Frozen Desserts, Pancakes, Pastries, Relishes & Sauces, Syrups & Dessert Toppings
Dextrose
Industrial use: Antibiotics, Enzymes, Coatings, Insecticides, Organic Solvents, Plasticizers, Shampoo
Food and drug uses: Brownies & Baked Goods, Canned Fruits, Cheese Spreads, Cured Meats (such as bacon), Dessert Mixes, Intravenous Solutions, Jams & Jellies, Soda Fountain Preparations, Marshmallows, Soups
Fermentation and other chemical products: Ethanol, Citric Acid, Lactic Acid, Essential Amino Acids, Sugar Alcohols

Links:
http://www.iowacorn.org/index.html
http://www.corn.org/
http://www.acga.org/
http://www.soyatech.com/corn_facts.htm
http://goefuel.com/cornfacts/index.html

Recently, I listened to an interview with Montreal-based writer Adam Leith Gollner about his new book, The Fruit Hunters: A Story of Nature, Adventure, Commerce, and Obsession. Goliner traveled around the world in pursuit of the history of fruit, leading him to discover "the miracle berry", a cranberry-like fruit that turns sour into sweet. When you eat the the miracle berry, you can eat an entire lime, for example, and it will literally be sweet. That's right. Imagine, no more mouth watering response when you think about biting into a lime as it becomes as juicy and sweet as an orange! Imagine! Not surprisingly, due to possible corporate interests, this amazing fruit has yet to reach consumers. In fact, this miracle berry was banned by the FDA in early 1970's, even though it could easily be an easy and all-healthy alternative to sugar. See the interview with Amy Goodman on Democracy Now!

Tree tea oil (melaleuca alternifolia) is a natural remedy and wonder, healthy and green, and a powerful antibiotic. I am crazy about tea tree oil! A mere couple of drops with lots of water can soothe and heal your body, or clean your home. Here's how your body and home can benefit from tea tree oil:

• Cuts
• Scratches
• Mouth sores
• Nail fungus
• Stinky feet
• Acne
• Athlete's foot
• Deodorizer
• Bug Bites
• Eczema
• Household cleaning
• Lice
• Yeast infections
• MRSA

Indeed, crunches and sit-ups are always a great way to tone and flatten your stomach, but did you know you can also speed up the process of by eating certain types of food? Five food groups, when also combined with water, will help to burn off belly fat. God has given us a natural and healthy food supply chain. Let's go back to the source of healthy living and stop the insanity and addiction to man-made and processed food.

Let's take a look at five natural food wonders:

1. Vegetables: Your mom always told you to eat all your veggies and now you can be grateful she encouraged you to do so. Vegetable are incredibly healthy for you! Because they are fiber-rich, veggies fills your tummy, while also reducing the amount of sugar flowing in your your bloodstream and decreasing insulin. On top of these benefits, some veggies are also loaded with anti-oxidants and lower the chance for cancer. Stick with dark green and leafy vegetables, and let God's delicious vegetables perform its wonders.

2. Nuts: Many of us grew up hearing that nuts were so fattening and therefore a weight gainer. Yet, research has proven that nuts contain healthy fatty acids, fiber and protein, all controlling appetite and reducing belly fat. Next time you are hungry, grab some fiber-rich almonds, filling your hunger while burning belly fat.

3. Avocados: Yup, it is true, your beloved guacamole is healthy for you! Loaded with monounsaturated fatty acids, avocados help to lose excess belly fat. So, the next time you make a sandwich, consider using avocados as a spread instead of the real fattening one, mayo. Hold the mayo, but load the avocado. By the way, try avocado, monterey jack cheese and alfalfa sprouts on whole wheat bread. Yum!

4. Yogurt: Research tell us that calcium-rich foods, like low-fat milk and yogurt, expedite the metabolism process, helping to burn off the dreaded belly fat. It is thought that calcium-rich foods reduces the amount of fat absorbed by food. One of my favorite meals is a bowl of Trader Joes non-fat vanilla yogurt with frozen cherries. Yummy!

5. Wholegrains: Stop buying and consuming fattening white breads and pasta, and load up on whole-grain breads, rice, cereals and pasta. You'll lose belly fat and reduce your chance of heart disease. When I was a child, my father always spouted the benefits of wheat bread, while my mom bought white bread. One day, my father was so fed up with it, he grabbed the white bread and squished it like an accordion, calling it a dough ball as he did so. We giggled, but from that day on, we only consumed whole wheat bread.

Let today be a new beginning for you. Start burning belly fat by incorporating these delicious fat fighting foods into your diet. Before you know it, you'll be reducing belly fat and be belly flat, easily and without great effort. In addition, you can stop the corporate greed that not only makes millions off processed food, but contributes to the rising rate of cancer and other health maladies.

Eat off God's natural creation and be healthy, in more ways than one.

Thank you, God, for your creation and healthy, organic food!

Awhile ago I did a post titled, "Green and Natural Health Care Products" and at the time, I confess, I was not using natural make-up. I decided to finish off my existing foundation and powder before investing in all new organic make-up. Well, this morning I finally ran out of both, so I ran out to Sephora and bought my first ever, long desired, mineral based make-up. Bare Escentuals is a fantastic, non-chemical line of make-up products that wear naturally, benefiting one's beauty and health.

Funny, I feel a bit like I did when I knew I was going to wear make-up to school the first time; I'm going to wear my new make-up to church tomorrow! Silly me, I know!

Isn't it about time you went natural with your make-up? Buy some here and see a video about Bare Escentuals here.

The other day, I told my brother I wanted to get a beach (road) bike to toodle around town and shop, while getting exercise. He told me about Xtracycle, this awesome SUV bike, created and designed for such a need. Not only can you carry groceries, but camping gear, a surf board, a guitar, and so forth! Save money, boycott gas when you can, and get your body in better health.

Buy one here and check out this video below: