Ella's Kitchen

Ella's Kitchen is the coolest brand for kids right now. It was invented by a dad who wanted to provide his kids with nothing but the best; organic food with a great taste. In addition to being organic, their products contain no sugar, salt or nuts and of course there are no E-numbers or GM products.

There are a lot of different types of food to choose from, from fruits to full meals to desserts and snacks. The meals come adjusted for certain ages and also special diets like lactose or vegetarian.

And the containers are just the cutest! No glass that can break, they are completely chemical-free and can easily be re-sealed and finished later. If you stock up, they can even be put in the freezer. Perfect when you're on the run since they are so easy to bring and the kids can eat straight from the container. Good news for all parents I think.

Another great thing is that you can easily bring the products on the plane when travelling. British Airways has actually included Ella's Kitchens fruit-smoothies in their child breakfast meals. How cool is that?

Ella's won the Grocery brand of the year award in 2011 in Sweden and they have recieved several other awards for their products.

When the containers are empty, you can recycle and reuse them with TerraCycle. So far only in the U.K, Ireland and Sweden.

Neutral

Neutral is a Swedish brand approved by the Swedish Asthma and Allergy foundation. They have a lot of different products from skincare to laundry detergent. There are also special products for children and infants.

All products are free from perfume, synthetic dyes and unnecessary additives and some products are marked with Svanen ecolabel (the Swan).

On their web-page you can find good tips on how to prevent allergies.

You can find Neutral in your regular supermarket.

Kung Markatta

Kung Markatta is a Swedish brand that has been working with organic food since 1983.
They sell about about 2000 different articles and 150 of them are produced under their own name Kung Markatta. The articles range from olive oil to bread to tofu to sweets and everything in between.

On their homepage you can read the fun story about how the company started with the driving spirit of Lennart that did it all in his own apartment in the beginning. There is a full list of their products and also recipes where you can choose if you want products without for example gluten or milk.

Apart from providing us with healthy food they are active in their own industry trying to influence their competitors and cooperation partners to do more. They are affiliated to several different eco-labels and they compensate for all their emissions during transportation.

Kung Markattas products can be found in most of the supermarkets in Sweden and also in health food stores of course. It always feels good to support a local brand and being able to be healthy while doing so is even better.

Plastic Fantastic?

What does those marks on your waterbottles, childrens toys, food containers etc really mean? Can you tell what's harmful and what's not? Check those marks when shopping, and try to avoid 3, 6 and 7 which are the most dangerous ones.

There is a potential (low) risk for leakage of phthalates.

Often used in recyclable waterbottles

There are no known risks with this kind of plastic, but it should not be heated up.

This type of plastic is used in varoius things; from food packaging to toys

to building-materials. It's a hard plastic and to soften it phthalates is often added.

This kind of chemical leaks and it affects your hormones and your fertility.

There are also studies that shows a connection to childrens allergies.

This type is often used in plastic bags.

There are no know risks with this kind of plastic, but it should not be heated up.

This kind is often used in food containers that needs to be heat-resistant.

It contains substances that can be harmful.

This kind of plastic is used in a lot off different things; toys,

computers, kitchen appliances etc.

 It can be impregnated with flame retardants.

This is often used for food containers, feeding bottles and plastic kitchen utensils. This is a very common mark. The plastic may contain bisphenol A that affects your hormones.

Protein powder

There are so many different kinds of protein powders to use before or after working out, or as a snack, it's hard to know what to buy in this jungle. I got a really good tip from my PT. He is a strong believer in organic food and vitamins, and protein that is as pure as possible, without any added substances.

Holistic is a Swedish brand that sells high quality protein powders. Their powders are free from hormones and most of the whey used is from Swedish farms. They have protein with flavours of vanilla, chocolate and strawberry. There is also one hypoallergenic version that's developed for those suffering from food-allergies.

Ask for free samples at you local health food store and find your own favourite.

Read more here

Amalgam decontamination

Are you walking around with a ticking bomb in your mouth?

A lot of people walk around with fillings in their teeth that releases mercury and mercury vapors. Autopsies on human bodies indicate that the number, size and age of an idividual's amalgam fillings is directly related to the concentration of mercury in the body. The greater the size and number of fillings and the longer the fillings have been in the mouth the stronger the toxic effects of the amalgam.

There are several diseases that can be related to exposure to this toxic metal in your body. For example; alzheimer’s, IBS, multiple sclerosis, reproductive disorders, allergies, psoriasis, hair loss, headaches and acne.

In the USA the umbilical cords of newborns must be disposed of as hazardous waste due to their toxicity. The toxic effects of their mothers amalgam fillings accumulate in the uterus and are passed on from mother to child.

When you replace you amalgam fillings it will take approximately six weeks until mercury no longer will be detected in your blood. This does not mean that the mercury is no longer present in your body. In animal experiments, radioactive-markered mercury from amalgam fillings appeared in the kidneys, brain, bone marrow, ovaries or testicles within 24 hours. Since the mercury had incorporated itself into the internal organs, it was no longer traceable in the blood.

To get your fillings replaced you should make sure you go to a specialist that knows exactly what he or she is doing.

I replaced my fillings after I started to have migraines which is one of the many side-effects of mercury poisoning. No doctor told me this could be caused by my amalgam fillings, I had to look that up on the internet.  It was a very strict schedule to have them replaced. They used a special kind of oxygen supply that disposed of the mercury safely, being very cautious not to harm me, themselves or the environment.  I was only allowed to remove one filling a month becuse of the high risk of contamination. I had to eat a lot of antioxidants during the entire period the replacements took place to help my body sort out any toxic vapours.

It is bloody expensive since the Swedish government don't include this in the insurance for dental care (I think this is true in many countries). But, I assure you, it is worth every penny.  

Apart from amalgam, mercury can also be found in antiseptics, blood-pressure medicines, eye drops and in vaccines. So check out you medicine cabinet.

Read more about this here; Amalgamskadefonden (Swedish) or here; Hal Huggins (English)