Archive | January, 2013

What the Health!?! Oil Pulling

29 Jan

ZoeSpoon

Warning: This post gets sort of gross….Recently I added oil pulling into my daily hygiene routine. It’s an Ayurvedic folk remedy that cleans your teeth and leaves you smelling sort of like a salad. All you have to do is gargle with oil for 15 minutes first thing in the morning.

Oil pulling first piqued my interest because I like my mouth hyper fresh. I floss everyday. But on top of oral cleanliness, Ayurvedic practitioners say the habit removes toxins from your body and cures just about everything shy of general insanity and psychotic jealousy.

This is because your tongue is supposedly mapped by organ locations, which means that each section of the tongue is connected to a different part of the body–heart, kidneys, lungs, spleen, liver, intestines, colon, etc, and by removing toxins from the tongue you are also detoxing the correlating body part. Continue reading 

The Lusty Vegan: Our Cultural Norms Are Killing the Pubic Lice

18 Jan

I originally wrote this for www.iEatGrass.com. Go there! Do it!

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Uhm, what? If you are confused by that title, don’t worry. I am too.

Recently, an article surfaced on  Tree Hugger talking about how pubic lice, aka crabs, are becoming extinct due to “lack of habitation.” The article notes briefly that a study showed 80 percent of US college students are trimming or fully removing all of their pubes, and as a result, crabs are dying out.

While not many of us are boohooing about the lack of crabs crawling around our fellow bar-goers panties or boxer-briefs, it’s still important to note how a small change in human behavior can impact organisms around us. (Cough. Veganism. Sorry, I had to!)

But that’s not what fascinated me about this pubey article. It was the study mentioned. I looked into this study, and was immediately enthralled. But first, let’s just talk about pube trends for a moment, shall we? Continue reading 

Stuff I Get Off On: Lush Handmade Cosmetics

16 Jan
Sweet, cosmetic heaven

Sweet, cosmetic heaven

You guys, I have a bit of a problem. I can’t stop buying Lush cosmetics. When I went vegan, I stopped wearing much make-up because I had no idea where to look for quality, cruelty-free products. I seriously did not wear lipstick for about 3 years. Tragedy. Blahblahblah, back to Lush!

The company has been around for a long time, and have become increasingly more awesome with every passing year. Unfortunately I did not find them until THIS year, thus the lack of lipstick in my life. Anyway, using organic ingredients, they produce hand-made cosmetics, soaps, face product and more. They don’t test on animals, are ethically awesome, use only vegetarian ingredients (some honey, so not all products are vegan), and have a great green policy. But that’s just their politics! Let’s talk products.

When you walk into a Lush store it feels like you’re walking into a candy store. It’s an absolutely edible experience that captivates and excites every one of your senses. Counters are littered with buckets of weigh-it-yourself products. Bins of water lay around so associates can assist you as you sample body and face washes on your skin. Vibrant colors pop on every shelf—electric shades of lipstick and eyeshadow stand out from their more neutral counterparts. You can try on everything. Small refrigerators showcase products that—containing no wonky preservatives—must be stored in a fridge for freshness. What I’m saying is, Lush doesn’t fuck around. So while you should certainly buy their stuff online if you have to, if there is a store anywhere near you, for the love of all things cosmetically wondrous, please go in. Continue reading 

The Lusty Vegan: 2013–The Year of the Foreplay

11 Jan
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Euphemism

This was originally published in my column for www.ieatgrass.com.

In my own sexcapades and all of the hours (and hours and hours) I have spent talking about sex, and writing about sex, I have found a common theme: Most of us don’t spend enough time on foreplay.

Foreplay involves (at least!) two people, so EVERYONE would probably appreciate some more pre-game TLC. But women take an average of 45 minutes to get fully aroused. Men take much, much less time. So when you rush right into penetrative sex, it’s usually the women who are getting stiffed. Continue reading 

Recipe Alert: Miso Pea Soup

8 Jan
Soup!

Green!

I was sick last week (boo!) so I decided to make some soup. I have been into miso lately. This fermented soybean paste is packed with enzymes thought to detoxify, aid digestion and energize the bod. While a simple miso soup can be very healing, it can also be very boring. So I fused together two good soups—miso and split pea–to make one amazing soup! Behold, miso pea soup. Honestly, 98.6 percent of the reason I made this soup was because it is SO fun to say. Miso pea soup!! Five times fast. Continue reading 

Jason Wrobel Premier a Hit: How to Live to 100

7 Jan

I wrote this for iEatGrass.com and am reposting here to spread all of the vegany love! If you don’t read iEatGrass, you should, because it’s fucking amazing.

History was made last night! Vegans, health freaks and foodies alike gathered around the TV to watch the first ever all vegan cooking show to make it to mainstream television—How to Live to 100 featuring celeb raw vegan chef Jason Wrobel.

Food Network aired the show on the Cooking Channel at 8 pm EST. The series focuses on incorporating super foods into your diet. I personally am stoked about the show because it is marketing itself not to vegans (you can already be assured we’re watching) but to omnivores. It portrays veganism in a way that doesn’t get much airtime—by focusing on what you CAN eat, instead of what you can’t. Instead of being aggressive or off putting with an intimidating super vegany title like “Be Vegan to Live Longer, You Idiot,” (which I think was the working title) the show draws in those omni-eyeballs with the simple promise of superior health. Because who doesn’t want to live until they’re old and looney? Continue reading 

My 6 New Year’s Intentions

3 Jan

Because “resolutions” are too harsh

This  photo has nothing to do with anyone I just like these fish.

This photo has nothing to do with anyone I just like these fish.

I know everyone is all about making new year’s resolutions, but I really dislike the word “resolution.” It removes all flexibility, and I like to keep it flexible. Instead, I like to set “intentions.” While both resolution and intention highlight a bit of forward-looking determination, intention just seems so much gentler.

More “no”

I say yes a lot. Yes to new plans when I know I’m already crazy busy. Yes to a second drink when I only wanted one. Yes to going out when I feel like staying in, or my bank account is begging me to stay in. I am not sure where this need to say yes all the time came from, but I guess I assumed successful people gained momentum from saying yes. I mean, saying yes to EVERYTHING is better than saying no to everything, right? And it’s good to get out of your comfort zone and say yes to a plan or adventure that seems a bit risky. But I often find myself in situations where I think, “ugh, why did I agree to do this?” Not this year. Continue reading 

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