I like to think I’m a pretty fastidious housekeeper, but apparently the Mold Monster made his way into my home anyway.

After seeing a big ol’ MUSHROOM suddenly growing out of the corner of a shower wall, through a crack in the grout (yes, you read that correctly), we learned the unpleasant truth that an undetected leak BEHIND the shower wall had caused irreparable damage . . . and further became food for the infamous “toxic black mold.”  It was kind of scary to find out, actually.

Apparently we now shared our bathroom with Stachybotrys chartarum—our new unwelcome guest, who was both an extremely health-threatening and costly, squatter in our home.

Giving it the boot meant having professional mold remediation specialists setting up plastic walls/tents, special fans, etc., completely tearing out our bathroom (even part of the nearby wood floor), wearing respirators and hazmat suits.  It was incredibly expensive, disruptive, and not pretty.

Fast-forwarding beyond all the work and the expenditure of several thousands of dollars (most homeowner’s insurance will not cover that damage, so beware), we finally have a lovely, safe bathroom.

Obviously, this blog post is not a do-it-yourself article about growing mushrooms in your shower for use in healthy recipes!  I am only reporting this sad little tale to make sure folks understand the need to find and take care of leaks.  AND, I can share one other important and useful discovery.

Having gotten bids from several remediation companies, I learned that some companies—including the one I chose to work here—use a non-toxic product/biocide that safely kills mold.  Other companies use toxic products that, while effective, are simply dangerous in and of themselves.  In fact, one company wanted us to leave our home for two days during the process, in part because they did not want the liability of potentially having someone react adversely to the chemicals.  Thanks anyway.

Being the obsessive researcher that I am, I called the company that manufactures the all-natural biocide to be sure it was going to be effective enough for black mold.  Apparently it was, and the EPA has approved it.  Better yet, another company makes and sells a residential version of that formulation.  YES! I WAS ABLE TO BUY THAT PRODUCT ON AMAZON, and I now use it around the house as a serious but completely safe DISINFECTANT . . .  and mold murdering substance.

Although the scent of the plants it is made from (the active ingredient is made in a proprietary way from thyme) is a little off-putting at first, it dissipates quickly and is well worth a couple of seconds of nose wrinkling.  The great thing about this stuff is you can use it in your kitchen, your bathroom, and everywhere; it’s safe near food!  (Try to say THAT about stinky and caustic beach!)

Note:  Did you know that bleach does not kill mold? Here’s what the EPA website states about bleach and mold remediation:

Should I use bleach?  Biocides are substances that can destroy living organisms. The use of a chemical or biocide that kills organisms such as mold (chlorine bleach, for example) is not recommended as a routine practice during mold cleanup. There may be instances, however, when professional judgment may indicate its use (for example, when immune-compromised individuals are present). In most cases, it is not possible or desirable to sterilize an area; a background level of mold spores will remain – these spores will not grow if the moisture problem has been resolved. If you choose to use disinfectants or biocides, always ventilate the area and exhaust the air to the outdoors.

Learn more about mold remediation on the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) website.

I talk up a storm about “natural” foods and products. But that word is somewhat misused more than we’d like to think it is, so here’s the 411 on the word NATURAL as seen on the products we buy today….

When a food label states “100% Natural,” this is supposed to indicate that it does not contain synthetic ingredients, preservatives, artificial flavors and artificial colors. Sounds good, but keep in mind that many products throw the word natural around very casually (and in a calculated way in terms of marketing)! Take a step further and look more closely at the amount of sugars and fats, for example, giving attention to the actual nutritional information provided. (I just read that 7Up once had “100% Natural” on their label, but now it says “100% Natural Flavors. Hmmmm.)

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) website has this to say about labels and the use of the word “natural” . . .

What is the meaning of ‘natural’ on the label of food?  From a food science perspective, it is difficult to define a food product that is ‘natural’ because the food has probably been processed and is no longer the product of the earth. That said, FDA has not developed a definition for use of the term natural or its derivatives. However, the agency has not objected to the use of the term if the food does not contain added color, artificial flavors, or synthetic substances.

As you can see, the parameters are not so obvious. Food makers seem to have a good deal of latitude in what is considered natural.

The point is simply this: Be a wise and aware consumer! Learn to read labels on prepared foods. Better yet, choose “certified organic” options, particularly whole foods that need no label at all.

Have you heard of Kiva? I think it’s pretty fantastic….

Here’s what Kiva says about who they are and what they do:

We are a non-profit organization with a mission to connect people through lending to alleviate poverty. Leveraging the internet and a worldwide network of microfinance institutions, Kiva lets individuals lend as little as $25 to help create opportunity around the world.

What an elegant and simple solution to such an enormous challenge. I hope you’ll look into it, as I have. You might want to start on this page, which will give you an idea of just how well-received this effort is: http://www.kiva.org/press/quotes Look around the site, and I think you’ll feel pretty inspired!

Having been on far more diets in my lifetime than I can count, including Jenny Craig and other such programs, I’ve learned some tough lessons. For the most part, I found many plans ridiculously temporary . . .  and even harmful, on many levels.

And with all apologies to Valerie Bertinelli, who obviously got her weight under control using the Jenny Craig program, I relate more to Kirstie Alley. Kirstie lost weight as their spokesperson, only to gain it back and then some. She later made critical comments about the processed foods and went on to develop her “organic” program. (She again lost the weight using her own system.)

As for my experience, I found the weight loss torturously slow, and I felt genuinely icky eating that mostly-packaged, very processed food. I couldn’t stick to it for too long, which made it a recipe for metabolic disaster.

I’d simply like to share the link to the eye-opening blog, written by a former weight loss counselor, that really hits the nail on the head for millions of us. . . .  I should write and thank her, as did many others.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/iris-higgins/an-open-apology-to-all-of_b_3762714.html?utm_hp_ref=tw

Not all that long ago, I did set up a weight loss blog.  I thought it might be sort of fun to chronicle the journey I was taking, primarily in terms of the visible results I hoped to see.   (I enjoy writing, what can I say?)  I called it “As The Fat Burns,” and I provided a bit of history concerning my baby boomer body and all the less-than-helpful habits (food/activity/thoughts) that led up to creating health issues for me.

Bad idea. Very bad idea.  It did not take long for unsolicited advice to come out of the woodwork; it over-emphasized our obnoxious and unhealthy national preoccupation with weight and appearance; it also invited unnecessary scrutiny and additional pressure….

On the other hand, the experience of it all ultimately encouraged me to re-focus upon my authentic desire. My deep wish was to feel as phenomenal as I could, even after a long history of bad habits and a pile of old, unpleasant health issues.  Weight loss was quite secondary to that desire. Bye-bye bloggy.

There was a time when I admired “flat abs” and slender looks.  I imagine that if I had those attributes, I’d probably enjoy them.  But the insane obsession with looks is NOT healthy for ANYONE!  Besides, a person’s self-esteem really doesn’t need to be tied to appearance—something that is very transparent in many weight loss blogs and magazine success stories. While I strongly admire the folks in those success stories, I also detect (often, not always) the attitude that the person feels more acceptable to others as a slender person than an overweight one.

In my early 20s, after experiencing a litany of annoying health problems, the doctor informed me that I was “dangerously close to being diabetic.”  She advised me to “never eat sugar again.”  For one year or so, I did eliminate desserts, sodas, etc.  (I wasn’t particularly overweight at the time, by the way, so this was a good example of how lousy eating habits create insulin issues in folks of any weight or size.)

The next year, I followed an incredibly stringent food and supplement program after seeing a well-known Los Angeles-area homeopathic physician.  (Raw fertile eggs for breakfast, anyone? Freshly soaked saw palmetto water with that?)  Boy, that was a looooong year of my life, but I felt incredible.  Problem was, that type of eating is not so easy to follow indefinitely in our culture, particularly not in the 1970s (prior to so-called health food going mainstream).  To keep eating the raw soaked oat groats and preparing daily herbal concoctions meant that I could kiss going out to lunch with friends goodbye; not even the glass of water would be safe to drink, let alone the pesticide drenched salad.)

I’m here to report that being slim is not necessarily equal to being healthy!  I’ve seen it all; in fact, at my slimmest, I felt pretty lousy.  Truth.

Feeling great is where it’s at, baby!  I stil have more work cut out for me, including some serious blubber removal, but a great part of the joy is in the journey, and I’m tasting more and more joy.  It’s pretty tasty.  Wanna come with me and see what it tastes and feels like?

I’m fairly certain, without much exaggeration, that I would be a millionaire today if I had a nickel for every time I said that to myself.

Between the heavy programming we all are bombarded with regarding watching our weight, and daily news about “good” vs. “bad” foods, it is far too easy to feel disheartened about eating.

Being hyper-alert to news relating to nutrition, I may have an extra challenge in this department.  Nonetheless, I am finally learning to be more at peace about it all.

Even though I write about food and health here, may I suggest that an equally important component of experiencing the satisfaction of good health surely includes feeling pleasure and serenity around the act of eating.

How can we adopt an attitude of “just enjoy food” when we are all wrapped up in our (tight) underpants about what is okay to be eating?  I believe it is about balance.  Not an “all things in moderation” philosophy, but the kind of balance that one feels INTUITIVELY about their bodies.

My comment abut “enjoying food” could easily be misinterpreted to suggest that I am advocating a screw-it-and-eat-whatever-you-like-then approach.   That isn’t it, either.

It has taken me years, but I have become much, much more in tune with what feels good to eat, and what my bod seems to be asking for.  Without a doubt, eating “clean,” less processed, whole foods very literally and plainly feels better to me.  That has become extreeeemely evident to me—a true no-brainer.  When I eat whole foods and the like, I don’t have heartburn, I don’t have heart palpitations, etc.  No gorgeous, delicious, gooey cake in the world has ever had that positive effect on me.

Yes, I still think birthday cake tastes REALLY good to me, and I will eat it now and then.  But by listening to my body and making my choices of what to eat THAT way, vs. what I’ve programmed myself to love over the years, takes away a huge amount of temptation to chant, “I shouldn’t eat that.”  (That worried, guilt stance just sucks the life out of ya.)

Instead, I am now simply choosing my foods by what truly feels good—–less judgment, less analyzing, less guilt.

My personal quest is to give my body, mind and spirit what it desires in order to enjoy good health and a good life.  It isn’t about looks, weight, deprivation, following orders, or doing the “right” things.  It’s about coming into a harmonious and rather peaceful place where food and health are pleasurable thoughts and a more joyful experience.   It’s a pleasant mindset where concerns like “right” and “wrong” are not clamoring for my attention at all….