Getting Crunchier All the Time

I don’t consider myself a health nut. I don’t exercise religiously (or even regularly, if I’m being honest). I’m a sugar addict. I enjoy chocolate. A lot. I don’t get enough sleep. I push myself pretty hard to achieve.

I’ve written about being a little bit crunchy – not quite a hippy environmentalist, though I have my moments. I think I’ve gotten a little crunchier lately.

I do my best to be aware of my health, and what I put into, and onto, my body. And when something enters my consciousness repeatedly, I give it my attention.

Oil Pulling
Not the best selfie ever…

The latest thing that has surfaced several times is oil pulling. It’s an Ayurvedic method of cleaning your teeth, and it’s supposed to have some pretty amazing secondary benefits, from whiter teeth to improved heart health.

I first read about it a year ago, and I thought it sounded interesting. I wasn’t sure I could handle swishing oil in my mouth for 20 minutes every day, though. Several of my friends have done it in the past, and a few swear by it. Another friend just started doing it, so I thought I would give it a try.

After about 2 weeks, I’ve noticed that my mouth is definitely clean. I think my teeth are whiter – I didn’t take “before” pictures to compare. My allergies have dramatically decreased. I was at the “I’m ready to stab my eyes with a fork because the itching is driving me crazy” stage before I started. Right away, the itchy eyes disappeared. They are starting to come back a bit, but nowhere near the levels they had been. I’m getting used to the taste, and 20 minutes doesn’t seem quite as long as it used to.

The other thing I’m trying is oil cleansing. When I was looking (again) for the information on oil pulling, I also read about oil cleansing. Since I have the Costco size jar of coconut oil, I thought, “what the heck!” I mixed up some coconut oil and olive oil and gave it a try.

After about a week and a half, I haven’t noticed a huge difference. I didn’t get any major breakouts when I started. I also haven’t been completely acne-free. To be fair, it’s only been a week and a half! I haven’t used a chemical moisturizer at all during this time, and my face is super soft. It removes makeup really well. Now, if only I could figure out how to get my eyelids to stop overproducing oil…

I’m going to give it an honest shot – at least a month. It will be interesting to see if my dentist notices any difference in a few weeks. (I’m still brushing before bed. I’ve always been horrible about flossing, though.)

Next challenge: green smoothies. Am I up for this? I have to get myself a blender…

Blessings,

Mary

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