How To Whiten Teeth Naturally

Yesterday, the unthinkable happened to me. It’s every high-maintenanced girl’s nightmare: I accidentally left the house without makeup! Let me explain.

Some people consider it taboo for a woman to do her makeup on-the-go or in public. I consider it a necessity. Because I am chauffeured around everywhere I go (the elegant way of saying that public transportation – or my boyfriend – are my primary means of transit), this is a prime opportunity to do my makeup as I tend to wake up late and hurry out the door on most mornings. To my horror, when I reached in my bag yesterday morning in the car for my Lancome cheetah print makeup tote, it was MIA! Fortunately, there was stray lip gloss in my bag. It was my only resource. My bare eyes made me look tired the whole day, despite the fact that I was awake and cheerful for the most part.

I now contend that the bare minimum a girl could need on an occassion like this are lip gloss, eyeliner or mascara (which I WILL keep spares of in my purse from now on)…and pearly whites to distract attention away from dark circles.

Which brings to me to this fabulous, all-natural teeth whitening remedy.

How To Whiten Your Teeth Naturally

We will be using strawberries! Not only are they fabulous and tasty in smoothies, the malic acid in them helps to whiten your teeth. Combine one strawberry (crushed to a pulp) with a 1/2 teaspoon of baking soda and spread across your teeth with your finger or a clean toothbrush. Leave on for 5 minutes and then rinse well. Your teeth will be sparkling in no time.

NY-based Adina Carrel, DMD contends, “This is a fast, cheap way to brighten your smile. Be careful not to use this too often, though, as the acid could damage the enamel on your teeth.”

Loves it! It sure beats peroxide teeth whitening. Maintain your pearly whites with a white-enhancing toothpaste: GoSMILE Lemonade Smile Whitening Protection Fluoride Toothpaste. I love lemon flavored toothpastes!

Fitness Bit: Caffeinated Workouts

Did you know that incorporating a bit of caffeine into your pre-workout routine might just help you burn a few extra calories?

A small amount of caffeine – such as a cup of iced tea or your favorite diet caffeinated beverage – will help alleviate muscle aches and give you an added jolt of energy. Just what you need to keep you going longer and stronger at the gym! Don’t forget to hydrate during and post-workout with plain h2o – naturally.

Side note: Contrary to popular belief, caffeine does not cause dehydration. According to FitSugar:

“Lawrence Armstrong, of the Human Performance Laboratory, concluded that moderate caffeine consumption (up to about 500 milligrams a day) did not adversely impact exercise. While caffeine is a mild diuretic, meaning it briefly increases urine production, moderate amounts are not enough to interfere with a workout by causing excessive fluid loss. Dehydration is about the balance of fluid intake and fluid loss.”

So skip the decaf before the gym and add a little pep to your step! My choice faves are Peach Ooh-La-Long Honest Tea (an organic lightly sweetened black tea) or a Diet Rockstar energy drink if I’m feeling sassy.

Dilemma: PMS

Ahh, the luxuries of being female…including an all-inclusive monthly ticket to Pre-Menstrual Syndrome land! But wait, we didn’t sign up for this! Alas, it’s free. And we must go through with it.

But not without a fight. In addition to donning my incognito sunglasses, unruly hair, terry tube dresses, and flip flops for this special event, I’ve also got a survival kit to get me through the week.

Dilemma: Yucky skin
Solution: When our skin becomes an oil slick (and breeding ground for zits), it’s always helpful to have Clean & Clear Oil Absorbing Sheets at our disposal. They’re the perfect size to carry around in your pocket or handbag, and after a few blots your skin is shine-free. To keep the shine at bay, I love Burt’s Bees Complexion Mist for oily skin. It’s infused with all-natural mattifying ingredients including purified water, lemon & lime oil, and rosemary oil: perfect for clarifying yucky skin.

Dilemma: Bloat and discomfort
Solution: I have an array of Traditional Medicinals teas stockpiled in my cupboard. These aren’t your average teas; the herbal, organic formulas found in TM teas are excellent remedies for things like colds, stress, and even PMS symptoms. Traditional Medicinals PMS Tea is a perfect caffeine-free formula to alleviate bloat and soothe the body – much-needed relief!

Dilemma: Moodiness
Solution: This one doesn’t need an explanation. Pop some Vitamin B-Complex pills (for stress and anxiety), take a warm bath, drink some aforementioned tea – spiked with a teaspoon of whiskey if we’re that bad – and relax. Now is not the time to lash out on our boyfriend, mom, or coworker! We’re not in any position to be saying things that we don’t mean.

Chill, girlfriends! We’ll get through this.

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Recipe: Strawberry-Banana Flax Protein Smoothie

My grocery shopping for the week is complete. I’ve stocked up on my organic basics, and added a few new items to my cupboard, including:

» Ginger spice (perfect for my favorite Japanese-inspired dishes!)
» Stevia (a sweetener that comes in fiber-based packets, that is chemical free, zero-glycemic index, and zero calories!)
» Flax seeds (fiber-rich, heart-healthy seeds that contain lots of omega-3s, with added beauty and weight-loss benefits!)

I think that I am most excited about the stevia and flax seeds, as I as trying to get my bod in tip-top shape and I can use these to mix in my protein smoothies! For those of you that don’t know, flax seed is similar to fish oil in that it contains omega-3 essential fatty acids. These ‘good’ fatty acids actually benefit your health, by aiding in weight loss, improving your mood, and adding a glowing luster to your skin and hair. More on these benefits, and other beauty supplements, can be found in the Health section of this site (coming soon)!

Here is one of my favorite smoothie recipes. You will need strawberries, bananas, flax seeds, protein powder, and milk of your choice (I use soy milk).

Strawberry-Banana Flax Protein Smoothie

Ingredients
1/2 banana
3 large strawberries
1-2 tsps flax seeds (adds a nutty flavor)
1 scoop whey protein powder (I use a vanilla flavor)
1/2 cup milk (skim or soy is best)
1/2 cup ice

Preparation
Add the ice, milk, banana, protein powder, and flax seeds first to your favorite blender. Blend to a desired consistency. Add the strawberries. Blend.
Yields: 16 ounces

This smoothie contains plenty of vitamins, protein (up to 40 grams), fiber, and mood-boosting omega-3s, a perfect start to your day or work out plans!

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Green tea for health

We all know that green tea has excellent health benefits. These include – but are not limited to – antioxidant benefits, stimulating the metabolism, increasing energy levels, improving brain function, and even easing hangovers. But if you’re like me, you happen to despise the taste of plain hot (or cold) herbal green tea.

Introducing newer, better tasting green tea beverages. Wandering through my local health food market, I came across two suitable alternatives to those bitter-tasting tea bags. Glaceau has formulated a Vitamin Water that contains green tea extract, and is infused with many other vitamins and minerals (hence the name). The taste is clearly green tea, but is sweetened by crystalline fructose syrup, which creates a much more pleasant flavor. Secondly, Steaz has what they call a Green Tea Ginger Ale soda. Sounds weird, but tastes exactly as described – green tea, ginger ale, and that cool zing of soda bubbles. Omitting high fructose corn syrup (a very unhealthy sweetener) but sweetened by natural cane sugar instead, this is a healthy choice for your green tea cravings.

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