Tea Is Amazing When Done Right

I want to talk about this. Yes, going organic makes a HUGE difference. Not a little one.

1. Yes, conventional tea bags are filled with plastic and bleach that do in fact break down into the hot water. Microplastic consumption is not well studied yet, but there are some concerns that are obvious and others perhaps not so obvious. We have been finding microplastics in our organs, including our hearts. Plastic may be a post for another day, but I will point out that it is a source of xenoestrogens, which can make hormonal problems much worse. (If you're like me, this is seriously bad for endometriosis.)

2. Conventional tea has a serious pesticide problem. It's heavily sprayed, and cannot be properly washed without losing the oils that make it flavorful. You end up steeping plastic-lined leaves coated in pesticides in hot water, then drinking it. 

3. Fresh loose leaf organic tea is the highest quality, yes, but not necessarily the best thing for everyone. It takes more education, time, and equipment to make it well. It's messy if you don't have the right equipment. And... paper bags are actually better than stainless steel tea balls. I know I know, that sounds absurd, but the reason is because metals can deactivate properties of herbs. Brewing tea in metal can weaken the strength of the herbs. If all you care about is the flavor and caffeine, then this isn't an issue. If you drink tea for the benefits, such as trying to relieve cold symptoms, then metal is not the best way to brew tea. 

4. There are brands that use certified organic or wildcrafted leaves and herbs (meaning you don't need to worry about the pesticides and the natural oils will still be in the leaves), and they do not use plastics or bleach in their bags. I want to share some of my favorites with you!

5. Pay attention to the bag, even in organic brands. Some use paper, some use hemp, and some use a nylon-like substance made from corn. The corn-based "plastic" bags are difficult to distinguish from synthetic plastic, so I wouldn't trust a brand that doesn't prove it or certify it.

(Disclaimer: I make a small percentage off any product you buy through my link. I would show these products on other websites or encourage you to shop at your local health food store, but I'm showing you on Amazon because they offer this marketing program. Also, Amazon can be a life-saver for many of us who live in remote areas and are too disabled to go shopping regularly.)

Numi Tea

Numi is one of my favorites! Their teas are full of rich flavor, and they use tea leaf and herb combinations that are really interesting. They're creative, and they source from the best areas in the world. You really will taste the flavor difference. If you are someone who doesn't like black tea because it tastes weak, then you really ought to try Numi's breakfast blend because it's not weak at all. 

The Sampler:
This is an awesome place to start. Try a good variety of their teas! 

Favorite Numi Tea:

Breakfast Blend! This is so full and rich, with complex flavors that mingle perfectly. There are bitter elements, but it's so smooth! I drink this on days when I need a little extra caffeine (caffeine helps my POTS, not hurt it like it does for many.) I'm linking to a 3-pack because that's simply how it's sold on Amazon, but the price is actually really good. You would probably pay about $7-8 for one box in a retail store. 

Honorable mentions:

Japanese Green Tea Variety Pack. I love green tea more than any other type. The issue is, I tend to drink Matcha every morning. So I don't drink bagged green teas as often. They're so good, but I shouldn't drink that much caffeine in a day! Ha! 

Rooibos Chai. No caffeine, but has more of the dark bitter taste I enjoy in tea vs other naturally caffeine-free tea. It's earthy, warming, soothing, and flavorful. Rooibos can be helpful in relieving stomach pressure and cramping, and the spices can help warm your digestive tract up to help with flow. 

Organic India

This brand is not for everyone, but it will be amazing for some. The reason is because they include Tuli (Holy Basil) in all of their teas. Holy Basil is quite amazing in its ability to lower cortisol levels. Feeling stressed? Holy Basil will calm you down. If you have high cortisol in the mornings, you will probably feel better drinking their green tea. If you're like me and have low morning cortisol, then you'll feel a lot worse in the morning if you drink it. (I made this mistake when I was a church secretary. I bought the tea thinking it would wake me up, but my eyes were crossing so bad that day. I learned about Holy Basil after.)

If you're like me and have high night time cortisol, then I HIGHLY recommend their Tulsi Sleep. This one is a staple for me each evening: 

Choice Organics

This brand is awesome. They offer a really pleasant full-bodied cup of tea without any worry. They are certified in many areas, including using compostable paper tea bags. The brand is trustworthy, good quality, and offers a good variety. Choice Tea is not quite as rich as Numi, but I think many will prefer that anyway. 

My personal favorite from their is their decaf black tea, for days when I don't want more caffeine, but I want to warm up in the afternoon. I may add some coconut milk and peppermint to it occasionally too. 🤤 



Who is a fan of Darjeeling and Oolong tea!? ME! Haha! They offer it - fully organic, kosher, non-GMO, compostable... it's one of the primary reasons I love Choice so much. They offer the best Chinese Teas at high standards! That's not easy to find in other brands.

Stay tuned for more posts about tea! I drink A LOT of tea, and I do have more great recommendations. 

I'd love to hear from you - what kind of tea do you like best? If you don't like tea, why not?

(Hahahaha - I'm not saying the song is good, I'm just saying it's appropriate. 😆) 

Fitness and Conditioning

I wish I could go to a gym and work out for an hour. I often day dream about lifting weights like I used to. I loved the feeling of being sore and tight in my muscles, feeling a natural tiredness from actually using my body well. I loved seeing muscles forming on my arms and legs. I loved shaping my body by staying toned. It felt really good. Now when I look at women in great shape it's a little hard for me. I'm really happy for them, but it makes me want to join them at the gym and get back into shape.

I really do my best to work out, but it's really challenging with chronic illness, and often ineffective or harmful. Let me break this down:

- Fatigue. I often have the mental willpower to sit at the machine and start pumping weights, so I'll go for it. And then I can't even finish a set before I run out of energy. This isn't a de-conditioning issue. If it was then my diet, supplements, and regular practice with the weights would mean I could do more every time. If it's de-conditioning, then I can actually improve. No, this is a problem of my body deflating with every pump of the weights until I have nothing left to stand up with. Every time I try I can do a different amount of weight lifting until the fatigue wins. No, it's not a de-conditioning issue, because if it was, I would be able to consistently do more with practice.

- Pain. I don't mean the normal wear and tear on muscles from working out. You know, the "it hurts so good!" pain that I love to feel. I mean joints on fire. I mean feeling ripping in my ovary from pushing or stretching. I mean chest pain from my HR going really high after just a minute of working hard. I mean throbbing in my head from blood not knowing how to circulate correctly while I'm working out. I mean an abnormal constriction in my neck and shoulder muscles that makes them super tight and in pain for a day or two after, like a cramp that doesn't want to be massaged out.

- Post Exertional Malaise. This is the fatigue that is the result of spending energy. For a healthy person, they might experience it for an hour or two after. They can still get stuff done if they have to, but they'll be tired and lose some motivation and focus. Their body needs to recover and they'll be fine. In my case, and the case of many people with various chronic illnesses, it's much worse. When I spend the limit of my energy or more than I have, it might take a day or two of recovery time to get back to my normal fatigued self. This means a lot more time in bed with brain fog, jello for muscles, disrupted metabolism and bathroom needs, mood issues, high heart rate with a sore achy chest, inflammation and swelling, and an inability to properly care for myself. When this is a normal response from my body, how am I supposed to work out regularly and have the ability to get stuff done? Like, having energy left to spend at my job? I have to pick and choose where my energy goes, as if my energy is money in my bank and the balance is always low.


So I do my best. What can I do?

- Walks. I feel the best results from going on walks, but the distance I can go depends greatly on how I'm feeling. 1 mile is my typical cut off point, but I have been able to go 2 miles on good days. Walking is the least taxing and most gentle way for me to move. I can move longer before my body gives out. The problem is that I live in North Dakota, so I can't be outside for half the year without a lot of weather gear on. Treadmill? I'm not getting a gym membership just to walk on the treadmill near stinky perfume-ridden people. I'm so reactive to perfume that I'll have to leave from feeling sick before I get much benefit from the gym. I've already gone this route with a YMCA membership. I also spend too much energy just getting to the gym. I'd rather just buy a treadmill for at home, but they're expensive!

- Stretching. I was in ballet and gymnastics for my entire childhood. I learned great stretches that I've continued to do my whole life. Stretching actually drains my energy rapidly. I can feel my battery depleting as I do it. But I feel like it gives me the most benefits with the least work.

- Doing short quick sets with lighter weights. I have a weight machine at home that I use, and if I do a little bit of everything over 3 to 4 minutes I can manage. It's not enough to build muscle or tone, but it allows me to use my muscles before triggering too many problems. I can feel my arms tightening up, but I can't find the energy to do enough to make them burn from building muscle.

- Tai Chi... to a certain point. I can't keep my arms lifted up long enough to stay in the poses. I like it because it works me out a lot with little effort, and it keeps me calm in the process. It isn't adrenaline-inducing. But it's physically taxing and I normally cannot make it through a sesson.

- Working on my feet for 4 hour shifts, 3 days a week. To me, going to work is my work out. I spend 3/4ths (or more) of my weekly energy at my job. I'm on my feet walking around, carrying stuff, cleaning, talking, squatting down and standing up, and just plain moving. Work leaves me feeling worn out and exhausted. I have had many many shifts where my heart physically hurts by the end. I almost always have post exertional malaise from shifts, so I'm often scheduled with a day or two between my shifts.


I want to make a special point to say that Yoga is not helpful. Why? I have POTS. Positional changes can be hard for me. Every time I try Yoga I get super dizzy, sometimes it gives me vertigo. It doesn't keep me stable while using my body.


The problem is that I still spend the majority of my time sitting or laying on my butt. It's not by choice, but by necessity. So I have a big flabby butt. The rest of my body doesn't reveal my lack of exercise that much, but my butt screams "I sit and lay too much!" I don't like it.

And that leads me to my next related issue: Clothes.

Notice how fitness and yoga clothes are the norm for women these days? Even jeans are skinny to show off our figures. Now, think of yourself as someone with chemical sensitivities that is reactive to synthetic fabrics, so you can only wear natural fibers and dyes without issues. Okay, now I want you to go shopping. Look for organic and natural clothing companies: Tasc Performance, Pact, Adventura, Synergy Organic, Toad and Co, Fisher's Finery, PrAna, Ten Tree, Groceries Apparel, Green Apple, LA Relaxed, etc. Find me some pants without added polyester that won't showcase how big my butt is. Please. And leave it in the comments when you find a pair. ;) Organic companies tend to make clothes for people who love fitness and have good bodies. Yes, they'll make sizes up to XL, but their pants (aka leggings) still tend to be tight. Almost all of these brands tailor their pants for women who do not have a curvy butt and wider hips. Maybe the problem is that I'm a size 8-10, I'm not overweight.

So I buy the pants and wear them, but I'm not happy about showing off just how out-of-shape my butt really is. I'd rather that my pants had enough thickness and structure to flatter my butt. But that's too much to ask, apparently. Carve Designs made a pair of jeans that fits my curvy figure and they're awesome, but I don't like the short inseam with the frizzy cut off bottoms. If they were full length pants I would hem them, but they're 29" - the perfect inseam length for me, so there's no room to hem.



I'm typing this post thinking about how badly I want to tone up. My mental energy wants me to go work out. My body is dizzy, feels like a brick, is sweating just sitting still in the cool air, with weak jello muscles, freezing icy cold toes, and keeps forgetting to breathe because it wants to stay still. I worked yesterday, and it was a physically demanding shift. Post exertional malaise.

Grocery Shopping

Grocery shopping.

First a history lesson.

I live in a city where the natural and organic food options went from slim options to moderate options over the course of a few years. At first we had to go to one of two grocery stores for organic foods. One only had a few vegetables and some organic shelf-stable options were mixed in with all the other non-organic food. The other store has its own Natural Foods section, which has always been a decent little corner in the store, and had more organic produce options than the other store. Or you could go to Walmart, which had a lawsuit several years ago about putting organic labels on conventional produce to make a higher profit. I have major trust issues with Walmart. Basically, we had slim pickings. The produce was rarely ever fresh. It had to be shipping in from so far away. The only way to get fresh produce was to go to farmers markets. The type of produce sold there was limited, and there were only a couple of vendors. I also have a super rough time with mornings, and that's when they're happening.

Then a few years ago our city opened a Community Food Co-op. Finally! A place to get local organic/ non-sprayed produce with greater options for other organic groceries! They also offered locally sourced grass fed beef and lamb that never ate grains! It was a miracle! I was really excited about this. The problem is that this co-op has had a really rocky few years since opening. The meat department started out fantastic. They had a choice of local cuts, they made their own smoked meats, made their own sausages, and kept a variety. They slowly stopped carrying any fresh (non-frozen) local meat. That deteriorated into no fresh non-packaged meat. Now their meat cooler only has prepackaged options from regional brands, and then a freezer with local beef, pork, and lamb. They have always carried Smart Chicken, which I like, but they used to carry local whole chickens. I haven't seen those in years. Their produce section didn't have it quite as rough as the meat department, but there were some rough patches. Overall they have still had the best selection of fresh organic foods in town, and most of the time I'm happy with my produce from them. Local means fresh! But not always - not when people don't buy it fast enough and it sits there too long. It's not their fault.

I work a health products store (Terry's Health Products) that sells frozen and shelf-stable foods. We have made a strong effort to make our food section good, and I can get a lot of my regular staples there. We don't carry any fresh foods, but there's plenty else we carry. I'm not being biased by saying that the store I work at has been a saving grace for my city for many many years. It has always filled in gaps in the local market, thankfully! If you live near me then I strongly encourage you to consider us as part of your grocery shopping stops, because we have things no one else in town has.

So then Natural Grocers decided to come to town. They just opened last month. I can't tell you how many people were really excited that they were coming - acting like it was an answer to all the grocery problems in this city. Having shopped there when I lived in Boise, I knew what to expect, and the store turned out to be exactly what I expected. It's probably a miracle store for some types of shoppers. But I am not the kind of shopper the store is targeted to. Their produce is not local, and has the same problem as the other stores: it's not as fresh as I want because of the shipping time. Their produce section also focuses heavily on fruits and potatoes... starches and sugars, just like what most shelf-stable foods focus on. The typical American diet. They do not have a meat department, just some pre-packaged options that they have been mostly or entirely sold out of the 3 times I've been there. The one thing they carry that I can't get anywhere else in town is organic turkey deli meat without any sugar, carrageenan, starches, flavors, or other additives. It's just turkey and salt. Unlike Applegate, who just cannot seem to ever get it right (potato starch - seriously!?) I was hoping that their frozen vegetable selection would offer some variety. Nope, not really. It's just more of what every other store carries, plus some frozen mushrooms and okra (I can't have either.) So... do I really have much reason to shop there except to stock up on deli meat? An entire natural foods store, and as an organic health foodie I can't find much there that fits my standards. This is a normal problem for me.

Now that you have my history lesson, I want to explain how I shop. I get asked this often, so I'll enlighten you.

I do not eat any sugars, starches, dairy, grains, fruits, nightshades, pork, most fish, sulfurous foods, carrageenan, enriched foods, artificial ingredients, or anything with added vitamins. I also avoid most non-sugar sweeteners and natural and artificial flavors. This is not about preference, it's about my health. I don't have much choice - my body will make that clear if I try and cheat.

I eat pasture raised organic meats, certain vegetables, certain nuts and seeds, and certain oils. That's it.

Basically, I don't eat 95% of what is offered in any grocery store. Just because it's organic and "clean" doesn't mean it's good for me, but these stores like Whole Foods, Natural Grocers, Kroger, and Trader Joe's and the like will try to make you think it is good for you. There are a lot of people out there who just care that their food is natural and organic, and they'll still buy the typical cereals, sauces, pastas, energy bars... you know, the same foods they would buy at Walmart, just the organic version. If that's the type of shopper you are then these stores are perfect for you! That is not the type of shopper I am. Anymore. I used to be that type of shopper, and I was like a kid in a candy store in these types of stores. But my health doesn't allow me to eat any organic food I want to (that I'm not allergic to) anymore. 

What these stores don't do very well is cater to people like me, who are on restricted diets. There is some effort to cater to the Keto and Paleo diets, but I haven't been impressed with most of those efforts. Paleo granola still has bananas, honey, or maple syrup. How is that Paleo? Why is it a fundamental requirement that all pre-packaged foods have a sweetener in them? Where are the Paleo granolas without starchy nuts (cashews) and without sweeteners added? I can find Keto friendly breads without the grains and sugars, but then they're full of tapioca starch. Ummm... that's not Keto. Sorry, nice try, but starches will pull you out of ketosis. Especially when people eat those Keto-friendly processed foods on a regular basis. If you're not trying to stay in Ketosis and you can tolerate some starches then these breads are AMAZING. Seriously. They're very good. But they do not work for me... can you tell I tried? My gut told me to stop eating them. My actual gut, not my intuition.

So.

My main food is meat. I need to eat protein every two hours. I need a lot of protein to be stable. I order a quarter cow at a time directly from a local farm. It's certified organic and grass-fed, and they never eat grains (except some of their cows will be fed organic oats in the winter.) I pay around $800-1,000 for my quarter cow, and I buy a quarter 2-3 times a year. I have to buy my free-range chicken and lamb from the local co-op, and I probably buy $25 of chicken per week from them. You might think this is crazy expensive! Keep in mind that I'm not spending my money on other groceries - I put my budget into these quality meats and don't buy tons of other foods.

My second main food are vegetables. Non-starchy, non-nightshade, non-sulfurous vegetables. My options are fairly limited, but cheating and eating other veggies hurts. A lot. Sorry, broccoli is not good for me at all, which royally sucks because it's delicious and has great texture. Because I'm so restricted, I can't sign up for a program through one of the local organic farms where they send me a box a week. I'll get too many vegetables I can't eat, but I love those programs for other people so much. I can't get to the farmer's markets due to the times they are at, sadly. But this is where the local food co-op is a huge blessing for me. They have fresh local organic produce. They don't have every thing I want, but I am happy with what they do have. I stop there on the way home from work (it's on the way) and load up on veggies and Smart Chicken and lamb a couple times per week.

The store I work at has the nuts and seeds I can eat. Sprouted pumpkin seeds, sprouted sunflower seeds, pine nuts, and occasional sprouted almonds. All organic. I also get my jerky, vinegar, coconut aminos, coconut wraps, paleo avocado oil mayo without yolks (sulfur in the yolks), frozen veggies, collagen creamer for my tea, tea, and my spices there. I probably spend a lot of my paycheck on groceries there, ha!

Now I'm adding in Natural Grocers as a 3rd store, but really just for my deli meat. I went there today and wandered around a lot, not seeing anything else for me. That doesn't make them a bad store. They're just not catering to me.

I also shop on Vitacost.com as needed. They used to carry a lot that I couldn't find in town, but this year I've been able to find more of what I need in town. Sometimes it's way cheaper to buy from them and I'll choose them anyway.



Is the issue here me, or is it an issue with the industry? Both.

There are brands doing it right. I love those brands, I support them, and I encourage others to eat them. There are brands that are doing it right who I recommend, even though I can't eat their products due to certain ingredients.

But there are a lot of brands who just want their food to be the best tasting option. They don't care if that means they have to add sugar and starches. They don't care if that means they have to use a less healthy oil or cooking method. The ingredients might be organic, but that doesn't mean it's healthy or of the highest quality. Foods like this make up most of the industry. If you're like my husband, then this is a very good thing. He wants to only eat delicious foods and just prefers that they're organic. He loves the convenience of a can of hearty soup full of cream and potatoes and with lots of thickeners. :) I cannot be like my husband, even if I want to be, because I'll get sick eating that way. I'm far from the only one with my types of restrictions too. There should be a much bigger market for people like me.

I would probably eat a lot more packaged foods if only they followed my rules. Broth in glass without nightshades, yeast, or sugar. Paleo crackers without starches or too much vinegar (vinegar is sulfurous). Jerky without nightshades. Olives in glass without red wine vinegar. Frozen mixed vegetables without corn or nightshades and preferably in waxed paper packaging . Sunflower seed butter without sugar and with salt (I need the salt!) Paleo bread without egg yolks and starches, and maybe using a mix of nut flours beyond just almond flour (I can tolerate some, just not often.) Paleo protein powder bars without erythritol and cashews (I'm looking at you, Bulletproof - get rid of those cashews please!) You get the idea. There are a lot of products that are almost right for me.

Maybe now you understand why I don't get too excited about the organic industry. I love that the industry exists and I'm passionate about food. This industry is very very important. But I don't trust it. I find companies within the industry that are trustworthy and I stick with them. Most organic brands don't make anything for me. I am extremely judgemental and critical of foods, but I think that protects me and is a healthy thing.

But as you can see, I'm able to eat well. I'm able to find what I need. I'm able to not settle for less than what is right for me. I just had to have the determination to figure out how to shop and the willpower to stick to it. It's been working for me!

Dear Organic Clothing Brands,

Coupon codes
Satva: FRIEND-W5NKDQS (Good until May 15th, 2019)
Pact: http://fbuy.me/iAufr



Dear organic and natural clothing companies,

First of all, recycled polyester is not organic or natural. It's not even sustainable. Plastic sustains until the end of time, but it breaks down to forms we can't use anymore, washes out of our clothes as micro plastics and gets into the water, then ends up in the fish we eat, so then it ends up in us and causes estrogen hormone disruption. Please stop treating recycled polyester as an organic fabric addition - it isn't!

Should I even get into the problem how many us with sensitivities cannot tolerate polyester on our skin? The reason I wear organic is to get away from the added chemicals and synthetic fabrics that my skin doesn't like. Polyester gives me horrendously awful body odor with a rash. It's so bad I gag myself on the body odor. My skin gets super tender and uncomfortable to touch, and then slimy too. My skin does its best to get polyester away from it.

Pact, I'm looking at you more than any other brand I'm frustrated with, mostly because I've loved you for years. You used to never use polyester at all, now you have way too many options with polyester. Most of your men's line contains polyester. Why? Why would you exclude men from having 100% organic cotton options like you do in your women's line? There are natural textile alternatives you should be using, especially considering your slogan, "Make organic an unnecessary adjective." Polyester doesn't fit that slogan at all.

Second, stop assuming all of your customers do yoga or are athletic. Some of us don't have the bodies we want for whatever perfectly valid and politically correct reason, and we don't really want to show off our butts and stomachs in overly fitted clothes. I have endometriosis, which causes me to bloat badly. I'd rather not call attention to my bloat with tight or overly fitted clothes. Some brands have gone the opposite extreme of making oversized baggy options. I don't want to look like a potato sack either! I have no problem with you offering plenty of athletic skin tight options for those with the bodies or desire to wear it, but please remember the average person wants their clothes to flatter them, not show off their flaws. Would it be possible to buy a pair of sweat pants with a bootcut and a thick enough and just loose enough fabric that doesn't show off every dimple in the butt? A pair of pants without any of that recycled polyester crap? Why not replace it with hemp or tencel or bamboo? Because I've been actively looking for that pair of pants for years. Maggie's has done the best job so far with this pant (due to the thickness, and can be sized up for a more relaxed and just as secure fit), but the length is too long and the hem is very difficult redo myself.

Third, I'm all for being fashionable... but why does that have to mean making so many options that show cleavage? Do you know how hard it is to find an organic cotton short sleeve tunic/ shirt tail cut that actually covers my butt (from the tight yoga pants your forced me to buy because there are not other options) without a super low cut neck line? Well you should know since you make the clothes! Maybe the super low necklines don't matter so much for the A and B cup ladies who can find an organic fabric sports bra to fit them, like on your models. But for the rest of us with average or large busts... could we please have modesty?

Let me take this point even further. We all have different bodies, but every band seems to be catering to the same body type. Most tunic center back lengths are around 27". (I know because I've spent hours researching the length on every organic tunic I can find.) I have a long torso and short legs, so I need a 30" center back length for the tunic to actually look like a tunic on me. 31" would be awesome too. I would wear tunics/ high-low hems if only I could find one that's long enough!

Speaking of men's issues, please stop with this snug shoulder width problem. If XL fits everywhere else just right, why are the shoulders always too tight? Because of the "modern fit" and "slim fit" issue. I don't need it to be slim in the shoulders! It's nice not have to excess fabric hanging off in the back, but why does that automatically mean as tight as possible in the shoulders?

Fourth, bras. Seriously, why in the world hasn't any brand filled this need!? I'm ready to fundraise money so I can start making brass myself. MANY women are 29 DD+ in size. I'm a 34DDD. It's impossible to find any sports bra made from natural fibers that actually fits us larger busted women. I've settled on this t-shirt Natori bra made from modal. There is no polyester that gives me skin irritation, and it fits well. But it's seriously the ONLY bra I've been able to find that works for me... and it's not a natural or organic fiber bra. Modal is borderline natural and my skin tolerates it, so good enough. But what about sports bras? Nope. Can't find any options. There are brands making great options if you're humble-size chested. Tasc, Boody, and Pact make great bras without polyester added. But none of them are designed for anyone over a D cup. Please, for the love of comfort and dignity, one of you brands cater to the rest of us ladies!

Fifth, stop making most of your pants as short ankle pants or long 32" inseams. In fact, can we move towards the way men's pants are sized (well, in conventional fabric pants)? I would love to be able to choose my waste size and inseam. If I'm going to spend $80 on a pair of pants, I shouldn't have to hem it or limit what shoes and socks I wear with it due to being short. Women come in all shapes and sizes, and the S, M, L, XL sizes with no choice of inseam is awful. Even the petite, regular, and long choices have too big of a difference between them! I was looking at pants that came in 28", 31", and 34". Um... too short and too long! Where is my 29.5 to 30" option?

My husband has a couple fit issues too. He has short legs, and needs a 29" inseam. 30" is too long and requires hemming or rolling up, but there are no organic pant options in a 29" inseam! In fact, men's organic pants have a *major* issue with not actually offering different inseam lengths. Most brands only offer their pants in 32" inseam lengths... way too long!

Lastly, color choices and patterns... are rare! If I wanted all of my shirts, pants, and dresses to be solid black then I'd be happy. Black looks bad on me. My skin is pale and my hair is brown - black washes me out. I want color! I want green, purple, blue, salmon, magenta, dark orange, violet... and I want them in prints or patterns! Almost all of the tops I own are solid colors because that's all that was offered, and they're mostly blue, because blue is the main color being offered (that isn't black or white.) Sigh. Try looking for a green 100% organic cotton t-shirt. Last I checked, Pact was the only brand offering it - and they didn't offer it for a long time. Try finding a green 100% organic 3/4th sleeve high-low/ shirt tail hem with a modest boat neck. It doesn't exist anywhere, I looked. All I'm asking for are options, please. Stop trying to be so basic all the time.



I want to commend some brands that are getting it right. Sometimes. Or mostly. Or good enough. Better than everyone else, at least?

Toad and Co's Earthworks Pants. Organic cotton with tencel, under $100 SRP, and you can find it at clearance prices. Tencel (from the eucalyptus tree) does what polyester does: prevents the wrinkles and helps with drape. Without destroying our water or hormones. Awesome! I know there have been some concern about the chemicals required to turn it into a textile, but I'm sensitive and have had no issues with the tencel in this brand. They have a bit of issue with size consistency. I own three of these pants and they fit differently. One is a skinny ankle pant, the other is full length and straight cut, and the other is full length and practically boot cut. I ordered the exact same style each time, I didn't go for the skinny or wide leg options. Hmm.

Toad and Co is also the best company for finding organic options with prints and designs. They do offer a lot of synthetic options too, so you have to be careful and read the fabric composition. They tend to be a little too expensive, but their clothes often end up on liquidation sites likes Sierra Trading Post and Camp Saver. Amazon sells many of their clothes, but not all, and often not at the lowest clearance price.

Pact Organic (in general). They have gone through too many big changes over the years, but I can usually (not always) rely on them for affordable enough well made basics. They make clothes the right way: small batches. When they come out with a new style, you better buy it quickly if you like it. They do offer amazing clearance sales, but that one shirt you loved may sell out before it reaches clearance. I normally just shop their sales, but I have occasionally splurged on a full price item just to make sure I get it.

They have done a really good job with the cut and fit of their clothes, and I'm never guessing about which size to order. Their underwear is all I wear - it's the best! It fits my wide hip size, doesn't ride up, doesn't sag, doesn't curl, doesn't wear out quickly... it's just perfect. Ironically, they offer lots of prints and patterns for underwear, but no longer do on their t-shirts. (Pact, if you read this, I miss your prints on your outerwear clothes!)

Gramicci's hemp and cotton mix tops. Simply awesome. The fabric is very lightweight and breathable, but not sheer or flimsy. It holds shape very well. I do have one hemp/cotton long sleeve shirt from them that is thicker than their summer options. Hemp is an amazing textile, much sturdier and less stretchy than cotton, also tends to be more breathable. My complaint with the brand is that their medium tends to be a little too snug, and their large tends to be a little too large. You will need to be careful with sizing.

I've tried several of Gramicci's pants, and I've returned most of them. They're very well made, but they are all cut for the same body shape that I don't have. They tend to be straight from the waist all the way down, and that doesn't work for me. I'm too curvy. I kept one of their pants that's a super skinny ankle pant that built in room for my wide hips, and they're a deep purple color. I paid $10 for them on clearance, so it's ok that I won't wear them too often.

PrAna's organic cotton tops. PrAna is a sustainable, fair trade brand (they are B Corp), but their focus is not on avoiding synthetic fibers. All of the cotton they use is organic, but most of the time it is mixed with polyester. This is because they're an athletic brand and they're focusing on moisture wicking properties. That said, their non-synthetic options tend to be fantastic. They are a very high quality brand, and their clearance prices are reasonable. I can't link to any specific shirt on their website because they update very frequently, but you can search by the fabric content. Such an amazing search feature! Check out their sale section - it tends to be full of a wide variety of options.

I have a hard time recommending PrAna's pants, though. I'm always between sizes, so they're either too big or too small. Some of the ones that have fit me have been too stiff. The quality is so high that it's hard to move in them. Recently most of their pants have moved towards being a cotton and polyester mix, or nylon. They occasionally come out with a natural fabric pant. I have their Avril Hiking Pant, which is all organic cotton with a little spandex. The band is stretchy, not a button close, so they're actually comfortable for most situations. The inseam was incredibly long and I had to hem them, which took some skill to do because the bottom has an elastic draw cord. The problem is that they are hiking pants, meaning they look like outdoor adventure gear and not normal casual pants. I tried on their new Soledad pant last week - I was so excited by the drawcord waist and the non-synethic fabric. I ended up hating it - billowy around the thighs, too tight at the ankle. They advertise it as if you should roll up the cuffs as a style choice, and I was able to, but it was tight.

Tasc Performance. Careful, some of their older styles use polyester and nylon. But they have a big line of a blend of organic viscose (bamboo) with organic cotton. Bamboo is the best anti-odor moisture wicking fabric - it can be made naturally (Tasc does it the best possible way), and it's superior to polyester's abilities.

Look at their St. Charle's collection. It's all made from this fabric, and they have a wide variety of options. Yes, it's all athletic gear, but much of it can be worn in any situation. Their goal is to eliminate the problem of needing different clothes for different situations. It's very high quality, so it might be out of your price range, and their sale prices are not always good enough.

I wear their TFFN sports bra. It's too small, but it fits better than any other organic sports bra on the market. I sweat a lot and this bra is amazing at keeping my skin breathing.



Honorable mentions:

Maggie's Organics. They have a few good options, but overall their sizing is really difficult to work with. Their colors tend to be bland too. They're worth giving a try to see if their clothes will work for you. You'll have the best luck if you're slender. The few articles of clothing I own from them have lasted for years and still look new, so the price is worth it. These are not fast fashion clothes designed to be thrown out after a season.

Fisher's Finery. Like Tasc, they use a mix of organic cotton and organic bamboo, as well as some silk options. The quality is very high, and their clothes are very comfortable. The problem is that they stick to skin-tight pants. They are all essentially leggings and yoga pants, even their business dress pants. This style does not flatter my butt and thighs, so I avoid it in public or without a tunic or dress. The pants and leggings are ridiculously overly comfortable though - it's better than not wearing pants at all. They compress slightly, have a silky texture, thick enough for warmth and modesty, and are not tight anywhere.

Satva. They occasionally have a really good option, but most of the time they're just not for me. They're mostly yoga clothes.

They make organic cotton work out tops with built in bras that I want so badly to like, but they just don't fit. I bought one in large (I'm typically a medium, but I have a large bust). The top is very tight around my stomach, but too big in the bust. It makes zero sense! The shelf bra band is only in the front, sewn into the sides. There is no supporting for the band from the back. The band is too big, so I get zero support whatsoever... but meanwhile you can see the shape of my belly button because it's so tight.


Other brands worth looking at, but I don't have enough luck with:
Woolrich - clothes tend to be boxy and stiff, only some organic options.

Patagonia - I have a lot of respect for the brand paying to research how polyester fibers wash away into our water! They do offer some organic options, but they still focus way too much on polyester... despite the results of their study. They try to educate on how to be responsible with polyester, but I don't think that's the responsible answer. Polyester is the problem, just stop using it. That's my opinion.

Columbia - just like Patagonia, they're an outdoor company that offers some organic cotton and hemp options. When they do offer it, the options tend to be really attractive and unique (a good unique.)

Latex Mattress Review Part 2: The Bed and Bedding Review (Updated!)

If you read part one of my review on my new latex mattress, you will have learned the need for choosing a natural non-toxic mattress. I encourage you to at least skim that post before reading this view, because this review is based on my need for a natural bed.In this review I'll cover 4 bedding items I bought from Sleep On Mattress: The Pillow, Foundation, Mattress, and Mattress Pad. In the upcoming Part 3 I'll discuss other pillows, sheets, and blankets. Bedding should not be as complicated as it, but because it is, this review deserves 3 parts to cover it all!

The Pillow: Malouf Convoluted Contour Latex Pillow
(Click the link to see the pillow on the company's website)
Yep, the name is a mouthful, as my husband was quick to point out, but bear with me! After too many dollars and too much neck pain from buying several different pillows online, I decided to try something novel: going into an actual store and trying out pillows before I bought them! The problem is that I can't step foot into most stores without getting sick. Thankfully for me, Sleep On Mattress is a store in Bismarck, ND, where I live, that caters to people like me. They offer natural synthetic-free bedding, and they're located in a mall that isn't heavily scented (like most malls are - I normally would never dare step foot into a mall.) I learned about them because they advertised their organic latex beds through the health products store I work at, Terry's Health Products. Amazingly, the very first contoured latex pillow I tried in the store ended up being a winner! It's a Malouf pillow, but done right (I tried others of this brand first, which I'll get into in Part 3.) It is made from natural talalay latex in a polyester case, so I removed the polyester case and replaced it with an organic cotton zippered case:

I love this pillow. So. Much. One side has a higher loft than the other and it's contoured, so it supports my neck if I'm on my back or side and it doesn't put too much pressure on my ears. It's soft and supportive without being hard and firm, meaning that it keeps my head at the right height and angle all night, whereas other latex pillows I tried let my head sink down to the mattress or didn't let my head sink in at all.

The latex on the pillow falls apart very easily, and that is my only complaint. It needs to be treated gently. Sorry folks, this will not work in a pillow fight. In simply switching out the cases I lost lots of small chunks of latex. You can see in the photo that some of the points are missing. I haven't had any problems with losing latex since then, and it hasn't affected how comfortable and supportive the pillow has been for me.


The FoundationI do not have a brand name on this foundation, my apologies. This was the hardest part of purchasing the new bed. Let me back up a bit. My husband was willing to try a new mattress if it meant improving my health, but he did not want to lose the frame we already owned. It's an upholstered queen size frame with a built-in head board that looks very nice. I also like it, so I agreed we could keep it (even though it's all synthetic and probably has plenty of flame retardants, it's old enough where it has off-gassed, the mattress doesn't actually touch the frame at any point, and we hardly ever lean up against it.) That meant we needed to buy a traditional foundation to support the mattress, because the frame is meant to hold a foundation.

(Latex and Memory Foam mattresses cannot use a box spring. They need to be supported by a foundation with no more than 3-4" between each slat. The mattress will wear out too quickly on the wrong type of foundation or on a box spring, because they'll allow the mattress to sink in when it should never sink in at any point.)

I looked into a couple of different options: a Savvy Rest Insert without any synthetic material concerns (sold by Sleep On Mattress), a much cheaper basic wooden foundation with a removable synthetic cover that had flame retardants (I don't have a brand name on this) (also sold by Sleep On Mattress), and a solid wooden Amish foundation that was on sale on Amazon.com. If money were not a barrier, I would have chosen the Savvy Rest Insert without question. It really was the right choice for us, but our finances said otherwise. The basic affordable wooden foundation with the removable cover made me a bit nervous - did the wood absorb some of the flame retardants? For someone without MCS it would have been a great option. The Amish foundation on Amazon looked like it would fit my needs very well, but there were just enough reviews cautioning me against buying it. Then we were presented with a new option: Sleep On Mattress had one metal and wood collapsible foundation for sale. The price was right at $130, it appeared to be right for our needs, and it was easy to transport because of the collapsible frame. My husband chose to go with it. Sleep On Mattress does not normally carry it, but I bet they can order it for you if you're interested.

The foundation has been working just fine, but if I were to make the decision over again, I probably would have tried to convince my husband to get the Savvy Rest Insert instead.


Setting this foundation up was not at all as easy as it was supposed to be. This photo shows the foundation after we opened it up from the collapsed form. We then attempted to put the two horizontal support bars on. The idea is that the end of the bars go into holes - they should slide right in. The reality is that the fit was very tight and they required a cloth and a hammer to force in.



Then we inserted the wooden boards across the top. The ends of the boards have plastic caps with two little pegs in them. The pegs go into holes in the metal frame to support the boards. 3 of these pegs were broken off. The construction was fairy poor on these pegs, and I wouldn't be surprised if most of them break off in tearing down the foundation - if we ever do that.





We then put an old sheet over the top of it as the cover. It came with a synthetic flame retardant infested cover, but the cover came separately so we simply didn't put it on.

Even though the wooden slats are flexible and look thin, the foundation has worked well. It is supporting our 150 lb latex mattress.

...But it's also a bit squeaky. This was my greatest concern when buying a metal foundation, and it proved to be a bit of an issue. The squeaking is only on my side of the bed, and I only hear it when I get in and out of bed. Thankfully it never squeaks once I'm already on the mattress. A wooden foundation can squeak too, but squeaky metal tends to be higher pitched and it echos through the rest of the foundation.


The Mattress: Sleep On Mattress's own Latex Mattress

The mattress we chose to go with is Sleep On Mattress's own brand of a 9" Dunlop Latex mattress with an organic cotton and wool casing. The wool is the fireproofing that brings it up to industry standard, so they didn't have to add synthetic flame retardants. They have it manufactured for their own store. They explained to me that they were searching for a natural latex mattress comparable to Savvy Rest (an organic latex mattress company that's top tier), but with a lower price tag. Making their own ended up being the most economical, and the mattress is therefore more affordable than the Savvy Rest. It is normally $2,000 for the queen size, but in exchange for this review I was given a reduced price. If you are interested in this mattress, but are not from Bismarck, don't despair! They will ship!

I was told that they are in the process of making different models of their own store brand of latex mattress, some with gel and foam added in, and with different heights. So if the mattress we bought from them doesn't sound right for you, ask about their other models. The owners are interested in working with you to find what you need instead of pushing their agenda on you. They'll help you find what you need, and they do understand the issues between natural and synthetic mattresses!

When we purchased the mattress I expected this review was going to be very easy to write. I expected within a week I'd be able to write all about it with ease, but that hasn't been the case. 3 weeks later and we're still trying to make a decision on the mattress! This isn't a bad thing, and I'll explain:

First and foremost, is the mattress solving my MCS problem? Was it worth purchasing a natural mattress to better my health? YES! On the old memory foam mattress I regularly fought a rising heart rate every night I went to bed, and if I couldn't fall asleep before my heart rate skyrocketed, I'd be doomed to toss and turn and take even more herbal sleeping pills to try to knock myself out. I regularly had stress dreams and nightmares. I would often feel high anxiety as I was trying to fall asleep and again when I woke up. I experienced more fibromyaliga pain in that bed than anywhere else. I also had more skin rashes when I slept in that bed.

I haven't had a single nightmare or stress dream since sleeping on this new latex mattress. I have not experienced the skyrocketing heart rate on most nights (but I had the problem on a few nights after a food reaction or being in a public place where I was reacting.) I'm waking up feeling peaceful, not on high alert. The fibromyaliga pain has been greatly reduced, and I'm feeling it more after eating the wrong foods and not so much in bed. My skin rashes are reduced, but not gone (but there are other causes, such as the mycotoxins in my body.) Yes, I feel SO MUCH BETTER on this mattress, and my sleep is higher quality.

Secondly, is it comfortable? Yes... The floor model of this mattress was softer than the one we received. The floor model was about right for us, in that it was firm enough to give support, but comfortably soft around pressure points. My hips and shoulder sank in the right amount. The mattress we received was definitely more firm. It didn't let our pressure points sink in much, and my husband and I both woke up stiff and sore for the first week. The longer we sleep on it, however, the softer it gets. We've had it for 3 weeks and both of us are less stiff and sore, and I'm feeling my hips and shoulders sink in further. At first we were seriously discussing buying a topper to soften it up. Sleep On Mattress offers a soft dunlop latex topper in 2" or 3" that is of the same quality as the mattress itself. We chose not to purchase the topper because the mattress continued to soften up. It's still not as soft as the store model. I went back into the store and tried it out and I could immediately feel the difference. It is, however, finally feeling comfortable for me. If my husband decides it needs a topper then we'll go with a 2", not 3", because we both like a slightly firm mattress. 3" would probably soften it up too much. All we would want from the topper is softer pressure points.  (Update: we bought the 3" topper, and it's so so so so much better than expected: please see my review of it below.) If you're the type of person who needs a firm, but comfortable and cozy, this mattress will probably be perfect for you. It's not nearly as firm at the floor, thankfully, but if you feel best sleeping on the floor then you're probably not shopping for a mattress anyway.

One adjustment I had to make to reduce my shoulder pain on the new mattress was lift my pillow up a bit. I'm a side sleeper, so a little more loft was all it took. I did this by adding a homemade organic cotton pillow under my latex pillow. I made it a while back to try to add loft to other pillows I was trying to make work for me, but that failed because the pillows I was trying to make work were simply wrong for me. I made the pillow very flat, so it only adds about half an inch, but that was enough in this case. I'm noticing that as the mattress softens up with use the pillow is starting to feel a little unnecessarily high, so it might continue to soften up enough that I no longer need to use the second pillow.

Third, how easy was it to set up? Well, let me be clear: this is a 150 lb mattress that comes compressed and rolled up into a tube. It's not easy to transport due to the weight and awkward length. Once it's unrolled, it's like trying to move a queen sized piece of Jello that weighs 150 lbs. Once the mattress is set up, leave it set up. Don't plan to move it. My husband and I were able to carry it out of my truck, up the stairs, down the hallway, and into the bedroom. By "carry" I mean slide on the carpet as much as possible. We were able to unroll it, get a full encasement allergy cover on it, and then get it in place on the bed. Nether of us are that strong. Neither of us want to do it again. But it was well worth it, and we quickly forgot about the hassle after a few nights of sleeping on it. And if setting it up yourself really bothers you, have the guys at the store do it for you. ;)

It came in an awkward box:



It was plastic wrapped to keep it rolled up and compressed:




Removing the plastic made it quickly decompress and unroll, before we could control the process. First thing we did was slide this allergy protector on it, which was the biggest pain of all. I'll explain which allergy cover I got in Part 3. We had to lift the mattress and pull up the cover an inch at a time, which was very tedious and difficult. I forgot to get a photo of the mattress before the cover was put on, so I pulled back the cover for this photo so that you can see the organic cotton and wool casing. Notice how the mattress falls like jello off the end of the foundation to the floor:

Set up and made our bed (forgive all the clutter, we had to push our stuff out of the way to set up this bed). As you can see, it's thinner than most mattresses. Our former mattress was 12" thick, and this is 9" thick. Big difference! We're closer to the floor, we don't have to jump up onto the bed to sit on it, and best of all, we're not stretching out our sheets! We have deep mattress sheets, but even they would come untucked on our old mattress. Our blankets hang further off the sides of this bed, which means we no longer have cold air attacking our legs in the middle of the night!

Final verdict (which I will update in another few weeks to see if it softens up more):

The mattress was worth it! While I would prefer it to be a bit softer, it is comfortable now that it's had time to soften up. I love that we have the option to add a latex topper of the same quality if we choose to soften it up more. The latex feels better than the memory foam in that I can adjust my sleeping position on it easily, whereas the memory foam mattress wrapped around my shape a bit too much to make it easy to move. I love that I'm getting better, deeper, more restful sleep on it! I'm not reacting to the mattress at all, so my body can actually relax at night!

If you're intrigued by all the benefits of this mattress, but the firmness worries you a bit, Sleep On Mattress does sell other latex mattress options. They carry a Talalay line that has some synthetics, but is mostly natural. They also carry the top-of-the-line Savvy Rest mattresses, which are certified organic latex mattresses. They had a couple options in the store to try in this line, and they have different feels. Again, this store is awesome because they will work with you. And they do ship! You don't have to live in Bismarck to buy from them!

UPDATE 12/22/16 - Latex Topper:The mattress continued to soften up and my body began to adjust to it. I actually found it to be comfortable and would have been happy with it as it was. My husband, however, still found it to be too firm, so we ordered the 3" soft topper. He decided against the 2" because he wanted to make sure we bought the best topper and not take a chance on a thinner model that might not have been enough for him.

I'm being sincere when I say that the mattresses was comfortable before the topper. But I'm also being sincere when I say that the topper is an AMAZING addition! I was worried it was going to soften it up too much, but this latex is amazing in that it softened it up a lot for my husband (who is obviously heavier than I am) and didn't soften it up much for me. The topper is very supportive, but lets pressure points sink in easily. I was worried about losing support by going softer, but I didn't lose any support while gaining pressure point relief! I stated in the original post that I needed to prop up my pillow so that my shoulder wasn't squished on the original mattress. I do not need to prop it up now. This topper lets my shoulder sink in the perfect amount and my head rests perfectly on the pillow. My husband went to the chiropractor, finally, and got rid of his back pain (for now - he needs go to regularly.) So he can say for sure that this mattresses and topper is not giving him back pain. He's sleeping very well, waking up feeling good (not stiff and achy like on the mattress before the topper), and is actually starting to compliment the bed!

This topper is normally about $400. Don't fear the price tag: it's worth it. Remember that latex can last 15-20 years if you take care of it. Most mattresses only last about 5-8 before you really should look into replacing them. So investing an additional $400 into a bed that is safe, healthy, won't make you sick, very supportive and comfortable, and very long-lasting is an excellent deal.

The ONLY thing I'm a bit sad about it is that we now have a 12" mattress + topper. Many of you might think this is better - it all comes down to preference. My husband likes the height better. For me it just makes it a tiny bit more challenging to put my sheets on. They are now a snug fit. I'm only 5'5", so I have to jump up a bit to crawl into bed.

I, of course, have photos to share:

It came in a much less awkward box. They were able to fold the topper in half before compressing it and rolling it up, so the box was actually very manageable. I could carry it up the stairs into the bedroom myself.


I was able to unroll it on the bed because because it wasn't awkward, unlike the mattress. The mattress was difficult to set up, but this was very easy.


It unrolled folded in half. What you can see in this photo (which I forget to get a good photo of for the mattress itself) is the organic cotton cover. This is the exact same cover (and type of latex) as the mattress has.



It does add some height, as you can see. You can also see how much padding it gives in order to soften up the mattress. Thinner versions are available (they're also cheaper), but I think it's good to see what the full size looks like when making a decision.

  (Sorry, excuse all my pill bottles in the background. I meant to clean up the bedroom before taking photos, but I only had enough energy to set up the topper.)



The Savvy Rest Cotton Mattress Pad:

I didn't purchase this with the mattress. I understood the benefits of it, but I thought the allergen cover might be enough for my needs. What changed my mind was reading up on how to care for a latex mattress, and I kept seeing that body sweat and heat can slowly deteriorate latex over time. I want this mattress to last me as long as possible (I've read 15-20 years when cared for correctly,) and I decided that I really don't want to have to wash the allergen any more often than necessary because it is such a pain to get on. The mattress pad is very easy to take off and wash, and it will collect any body fluids that get through the sheets. What really put me over the edge and made me buy the pad is when someone told me that they had a latex mattresses that molded. This really confused me, because latex is naturally mold resistant, and that was one of my biggest reasons for choosing latex over another natural mattress. She was not using a mattress pad. I wouldn't be surprised if the latex wasn't molding, but body fluid that got into the mattress was molding. She had mold toxicity in the past, and mycotoxins do sweat out of out of people with mold in their bodies. Either way, this made me decide to buy the topper. I do have a mycotoxin issue in my body, and I don't want mold to grow in my new safe mattress.

The topper is very nice: it's 100% undyed organic cotton with a stitching pattern to keep it from bunching. It is made slightly over sized so that it has room to shrink after washing. I washed mine in cold water with plant-based non-toxic detergent, and then I dried it by draping it over two dining room chairs and placing my air purifier under it. The air purifier creates quite the breeze on the high setting. Even after washing it properly, it did shrink to exactly the same size as the mattress. So that wasn't a problem, and it was very easy to care for.

I thought it might add a soft layer to the mattress, but it did not. At first it actually made the mattress more firm, but that was because I tied it too tight. After loosening the grip of the ties the mattress felt the same as it did without the pad.





Thank you for reading my review! Comment with any questions, and I'll be happy to answer them. You can look forward to Part 3, which will be on the bedding (blankets, sheets, etc) in a week or so. Let me get past Thanksgiving first. :) (Update - that might come after Christmas. This month is too stressful for me!)

Thank you so very much to Robert and Mike at Sleep On Mattress for this amazingly healthy mattress and for your wonderful high quality service! I've really enjoyed working with you both, and I cannot recommend your store enough!

Synergy Organic Clothing Reivew

I discovered Synergy Organic Clothing a few months ago, and when I discovered them my first thought was, "Why hasn't anyone told me about them!?" This is an organic cotton clothing company that is GOTS certifed. They have stylish unique clothing unlike other organic brands on the market. They're not your basic t-shirt and yoga pant company, which many organic brands tend to be. They have actual retail stores in California, but also sell on their website and through Amazon. Ethos Collection has also featured some of their clothing.

To be clear, I can't afford their clothes. I can't work much due to my illness and sensitivities, and my husband teaches at a state college. We're not rich, and our budget is limited. I won't be able to buy any of their clothing at normal price. They have had some incredible sales, though, making their clothing very affordable. When it comes to clothing, I'm very opportunistic. I only buy organic, so I only buy when it's on sale or clearance. I've been able to slowly build up a decent wardrobe that is *safe* for me to wear this way.

A few months ago Synergy had a special in which you paid $20 + shipping for one last-season article of clothing, but you didn't know what they would send you. I took the bait. They sent me this adorable summer dress (please excuse the poor lighting - it's the only full length mirror in the house and it's in the room with the worst lighting):

The dress is super cute and it's so me! The only problem is that I ordered it in a medium and it's about as tight as possible. Normally I'm between a small and medium, but after this experience I read some reviews and I learned that Synergy tends to run small.

I'm 5'5", between 135-140 lbs (I fluctuate a lot), and tend to be a size medium or size 8 in American sizes. According to their website size chart, I will fit a medium very snugly or a large a bit loosely. I'm right in between sizes, which is quite irritating to work with.

So this month they're having a fantastically massive sale. Except my sale was even better: until October 11th they took an extra 50% off the sale prices with a special promo code. It was the best organic sale I've ever seen. I'm sure they were losing money on it. I'm sure they're going to offer this type of sale again, so it might be worth signing up for their emails. I took the bait again, only I ordered everything in size large. I'm less impressed with the company after this recent purchase. Let me show you through pictures...

I thought I was buying this top:


I ended up with this:



I didn't think I was getting a dolman top. In fact, the model photo makes it appear that the cut is entirely different from what I got. I nearly returned this because I'm not a fan of dolman cut sleeves, but I decided to make it work for me since it was so inexpensive. It's a bit loose in some areas and a bit snug in others. I'm not sure how this would actually fit on someone carrying more weight than me - I'm very confused by the sizing. It looks a bit too big on me, but then when I reach my arms forward the cut of the sleeves pulls the back so much that it feels a bit snug. This was a disappointing buy. I would be curious to see how much different the medium would have been on me.



I thought I was buying this dress:


I ended up with this:




This dress is interesting. It did shrink in the wash. When I first pulled it out of the packaging and put it up next to me the length was down to my mid calf. Not exaggerating. This was LONG. After washing it shrunk to just under my knees. I have a long torso with short legs, generally wear a petite pant, so I expect dresses and skirts to be longer on my legs than intended. The skirt portion of the dress fits about right. I have large hips, so I tend to need roomy skirts and pants. The top portion of the dress is a little large, but not too big. It does not fit the way it does on the model. The edges of the long collar curls under itself all the way to the seam at my waist. It's not a flat edge as shown on the model. The shoulders are a little too roomy, but not so large it looks bad. I think I needed a medium top with a large bottom to this dress. Sigh. Part of that is my body is weird, but I think the company needs to alter its sizing.


I thought I was buying this tunic:


And I did get it:


Yay, this one has no issues! It's as expected! It is a little too large in the shoulders, but just barely. My only complaint was that it didn't come in green. I have a dress code at work of either solid green or solid black shirts. I've been looking for a green tunic, but oh well. I really love this top. A lot. It's super comfortable, is the right length to cover my generous hips for modesty sake, is a cute color, and is safe for my chemically sensitive body!

The pants:

The bootcut yoga pants I'm wearing in these photos are from Fisher's Finery. Click the link to go to the pants I bought. They're made from bamboo with organic cotton. They won't work for many of you because they do have spandex in them. They don't seem to bother me, thankfully. In this case I thought I was buying their charcoal color, but they sent me black. I typically don't wear black due to my light skin color - I just don't like black on me. Black dyes also tend to be the most irritating to people with sensitive skin. I wasn't happy about them sending me the wrong color, but I haven't reacted to them and they're incredibly comfortable, so I just kept them. I ordered a size up purposefully so that they wouldn't be skin tight. I didn't want them to show off my butt. As it turns out, the large is still form fitting and shows off my butt, but they don't feel tight against my skin. There is some give to them, which I like. They work perfectly with my new Synergy tunic. ;)  You can read my review on Amazon. 


So... in conclusion...
Overall I really like Synergy Organic Clothing. I think they're doing a wonderful thing by making GOTS certified organic cotton clothing in stylish feminine designs. They're countering the fast fashion industry with well-made clothing designed to last. The fabric should hold up, and the style will look good as time goes on. As someone with MCS I really appreciate this company making safe stylish clothing that is more affordable (even at full price) than many other organic clothing brands.

My only complaint is their sizing. Ideally, check them out at their California retail locations so that you can try on the clothes before you buy. I will hesitate to buy from them again simply due to the odd sizing, but if I can manage to loose another 10 lbs then I think all of their mediums will fit me (when losing 10 lbs would mean going down to a small in other brands, like PACT.)

I do recommend. Check them out! Just take careful measurements of your body before placing an order. :)


(Thank you, Mom, for taking the photos!) ;)

The Coconut Milk Solution

Coconut milk is a constant problem, but I use it every single day for my protein shakes. I'm living in a place where I cannot buy fresh coconuts, so making my own coconut milk is out of the question. For a while I was buying SO's Unsweetened coconut milk. It was really easy to use, had no sugar or carrageenan, and was inexpensive enough. The problems outweighed the good, though. It is so watered down that there's hardly any nutrition left, there were just enough additives and stabilizers to question how healthy it really was, and I was throwing away the non-recyclable packaging. So I turned to buying canned coconut milk, which is much more expensive. It was organic full fat coconut milk, though, so I thought it was worth it. I loved how thick it made my protein shakes, and how it kept me full longer, but... there's a lot of inconsistencies with canned coconut milk.

I've bought two brands: Native Forest and Natural Value. (If you're looking at the prices, be aware that the prices fluxuate within $10 fairly often. I pay attention and buy when it's cheap, and it can end up being 50 cents per can cheaper than in stores when buying this way. That's several dollars in savings.) Both brands have their goods and bads. Native Forest uses guar gum to keep the milk thick and stable, and that's not necessarily a good thing because the gum can irritate the gut. Their packaging is lined with BPA-free paper so the aluminum might be less of an issue. Natural Value does not use guar gum and it's the most pure I've found, but each can is a different consistency and it tends to form and inedible thick gross layer on the top of the milk.

The problem with both brands is that I never know if the milk will be usable right out of the can or not. Both brands have presented a problem with occasionally having great ready-to-drink milk that pours well, and other times the milk is a solid clump. This is very annoying.

But I have a solution!

What you need is:
- A good blender
- A can or two of coconut milk
- Filtered water (I have an RO filter on my sink)
- Mason jars or a tall pitcher that seals

I have a Ninja blender that works really well for this task.

1. Pour half the can of coconut milk into the blender.
2. Fill the blender about half way with filtered water
3. Blend for a minute, past the milk looking like it's ready. You want to get all the clumps out.
4. Pour it in to mason jars
5. Enjoy!





This method reduces the cost of the coconut milk, works out all the clumps to make it smooth, and thinks out the milk enough to where it's easier to shake a protein shake. It doesn't taste any different, just has a thinner texture. It tastes and feels thicker than SO's coconut milk, so that just shows how watered down their milk actually is.

I typically get one can of coconut milk to fill two mason jars. I could easily think it out more than that and still have good quality milk, but I choose not to because I do want enough of the fat from the coconut milk in each protein shake.