After all, nearly all the info we're gonna cover is about your covers and what's under them. You wouldn't think dust mites would make for excellent pillow talk, but you'd be wrong. 

Since I have your rapt attention and see you're snuggling your pillow in your arms, I got just the thing to get you warmed up (if ya know what I mean). What if I told you that your pillow weighs more now than it did when you bought it? That'd be pretty weird right? But I'm about to blow your socks off.

 After about three years, pillows weigh up to 10% more from (here's where it gets sexy) living dust mites, dead dust mites, and their excrement.

You're literally laying your face in poop and dead bodies night after night. Now some of you may be thinking that dust mites are teeny tiny bugs and doubt they could weigh that much. Sure, I dig that my little love bug, but about 100,000 dust mites are living in just 3 inches of space. How big is your pillow? Each dust mite produces about 20 fecal pellets a day. In case you're not a quick study, that's 20 million pieces of poop in just a space of 3 inches. 

Because you've sat up and thrown your pillow across the room in horror, let's take it to second base and talk dirty. 

Your mattress could have up 2 million dust mites in it, and I'm not going to do the math to tell you how many fecal pellets that is because I don't want you to get overexcited. But I will tantalize you with this fact:  Dust mites live for about ten weeks. If half the population is female, that means 1 million dust mites are laying 1-3 eggs a day. 

Third base in bed with a dust mite means something entirely different for him than it does to you. It's way more than Netflix and chill. Dust mites love to eat human skin. There's nothing tastier than soft, warm skin to a dust mite. They don't even need to come up for water, they pull it right outta the air and keep on chowing down on your skin flakes. It's one of the reasons they need humidity to survive, they literally drink from the air and eat from your epidermis. 

​But, I've teased you enough, it's time to get to the fourth base. If you're a typical reader, we've already been in bed together for over three minutes; and I don't wanna go beyond what you're already used to, so let's make this quick.  

Dust mites live everywhere (in 8 out of 10 homes) but prefer soft places like bedding, blankets, pillows and stuffed animals. But they also resemble spiders. Spiders. Remember that the next time you wanna have a sexy pillow fight; you're just slamming your partner in the face with itsy, bitsy spider-like dust mites...

 But they also live in carpeting, on fabric sofas, and even your clothes, so that pile of clothes you just threw on the floor probably has dust mites in them just waiting for your delicious skin sheddings. 

After all that stimulating talk about your skin flakes and mite excrement, you may fall asleep right where you lay and when you wake up, have unexpected symptoms.  You know what I'm talking about: congestion, stuffy nose, and the general sense of not being able to breathe. Although you may have had a fun time, you never feel as good the next day after sleeping with dust mites. Most people think they're allergic to dust, but they're really allergic to the mites. 

If you find yourself swearing off beds and pillows, you're going about it all wrong; just because 2 million dust mites want to feast on your fresh skin doesn't mean you have to swear off all bedding- especially if I'm in it. Want a sip of my green tea? 

1. Buy New Hypoallergenic Pillows 
2. Buy Dust-Mite Proof Pillow Covers 
3. Buy Dust Mite Proof Mattress Covers 

​After you've ordered your three new bed buddies, go ahead and wash the sheets you have now, your blanket, and any other fluffy things on your bed. Put Teddy in a freezer bag and leave him in the freezer for 24 hours to kill dust mites then tumble him in the dryer to knock out the dead bodies (like a hardened mite killer). 
Wash all your bedding in hot water (130 degrees) to kill every last little skin eater, and do so weekly to keep them away. 

​By the time the sheets are in the dryer, begin dusting your bedroom from the top down with a wet cloth. Dust collects on windowsills, behind your decorative figurines and picture frames. Don't just knock it around with a dry duster, use a damp rag or cleaning cloth to pick up all the dust. 

Lastly, vacuum the floors with a vacuum that has a HEPA air filter to catch all the allergens in your carpet and air. Doing all that cleaning may not feel very sexy, but in three hours when the dust (literally) settles, and your nose is free to pull air in and out, you'll think it's the hottest thing ever. 

If you want to keep living a life of dust mite celibacy, decluttering your house, dusting, and washing your bedding are the best first steps, then purchase new pillows and cover them (and your mattress) with Dust-Mite proof covers. It may not sound very sensual, but these small changes make a big difference to your overall enjoyment. A little to the left, a little to the right, and before you know it, you've hit a home run in the dust mite game. 

​It’s the early 2000s, I had a candy bar cell phone, still printed maps before driving, and two beautiful towers still stood in New York City. It was a simpler time compared to the woes of our current ecosystem. It was a time of bunny ears on your tv, written checks, and the world’s best infomercials at 3am.

If you were up at 3am, you’d have the pleasure of seeing Cleo the psychic, Suzanne Somers with her ThighMaster, SoloFlex, and my personal favorite, Chef Tony and the Miracle Blade kitchen knife wondershow (ok, maybe I made that last bit up…). 

I never called Cleo or her friends, but I do believe my mother bought a ThighMaster and let me tell you, that contraption will pull your groin muscle out before it ever tightens your thighs. We can’t all be Suzanne.

But Chef Tony was a man of his own making, the world’s best salesman and watching him do anything made you want it. Purposefully I would watch his show Sunday mornings, running to the kitchen to try and slice bread with my knife. I’d simultaneously be disappointed with my own useless blade and wowed by his.
He could throw pineapples in the air and slice them in half (a feat I've never been able to replicate), then cut an exhaust pipe from a car, and after wiping off the blade, smoothly cut a tomato or sliced bread. 

I was hooked and too broke to actually call the 1-800 number and order myself a set. But I watched every weekend like an old lady watches her soap opera shows. Maybe it was because I was a cook at the time, maybe it was the enthusiasm of Chef Tony’s cutting, slicing, and dicing skills. Whatever the reason, I fantasized about owning my own set of Miracle Blades. Oh, all the things I would cut, slice and dice…I’d have to start buying more pineapple and uncut bread. But wait, if I acted now, I could get a genuine wooden knife holder perfect for displaying these gleaming sharp beauties.

So I know you’re asking yourself, if I’m this excited about those knives nearly 20 years later, then I surely must of bought them, right?
No, my dearest reader, I did not. Some things are just better left as fantasies, like staying in Disney’s castle, owning your own pony, or yes, slicing pineapples in half like a ninja.
Alas, the days of spray on hair, Encyclopedia Britannica, and Chef Tony’s knives are past, as are my dreams of owning my own Pony named Bubblegum (what? I named her!).
So since we can’t sit down at 7am on a Sunday and be wowed by a man cutting a leather shoe in half​....
​

Smaller knife used to peel, trim and/or slice smaller produce or score meat.
Tip: Create a flat surface so  your food (or your fingers) don’t get away from you. 

It does what it says it does.
​ Tip: A bread knife is also good for cutting thin skinned produce like tomatoes or eggplant.

Even if you’ll never get to experience the glory of sawing an exhaust pipe in half, if you have these three knives- you’ll be a pro in the kitchen in no time.

Just like Chef Tony, make sure you have an organized work space and clean as you go (but don’t throw all the cut produce in the sink, why’d he do that?).
Never put your knives in the dishwasher, and instead, wash right after use and dry them! If you take care of them, your knives can last a lifetime, even if it’s not a lifetime guarantee by the Miracle Blade Master himself.

Besides the boxed dinners and jars of pickled beets, what’s in your pantry?
Most of us have some canola oil, salt, a bag of sugar and maybe a spray can of Pam. But right when you feel enthused about starting a recipe or trying to eat better, you realize that your pantry is woefully unprepared for your cooking expedition.
This article is going to cover the basics, while also teaching some old dogs as new tricks in the kitchen.  

​You need more than just Canola to get through. Everyone should have at least 2 types of oils on hand for various recipes. 

​All oils will get bitter as they age so toss out the old dusty bottles that’ve been there for over a year.

• ​White pepper is used more in Asian cuisine, is stronger and has more flavor.

Red Pepper Flakes (aka crushed red pepper)

• Typically made from many different types of chilies.
• If you want less of a bite, try Pimentos (Spanish for “smoked paprika”)

Cayenne Pepper

• Cayenne is great to use in cooking and should always be kept around. It’s also incredibly healthy for you.

Aleppo Pepper

• Love pepper? Love spicy? Then you gotta try Aleppo pepper with its sweet and hot flavor. 

Some grains to try:
Arborio Rice (for Risotta)
Barley (not for those with food sensitivities) Great in soups, beer, and meats, but not everyone’s body likes barley, so use with awareness.
Brown Rice
​Millet
Quinoa (Technically a fruit, but we eat it as a grain)
Basmati Rice (More flavorful and colorful)
Whole Steel-cut oats ​

​If you’ve read my articles “What is juicing” and “I bought a juicer, now what?” then you’re ready to go on your first shopping trip to pick up your first week of juicing ingredients! But where do we start? 

​If you are healing from disease or trying to lose weight, I recommend juicing 2x a day; once in the morning, and once in the evening. Sound extreme? The Gerson Therapy, which has been around for nearly 80 years, recommends patients drink between 15-20lbs of fresh raw juice a day, breaking it up to 1 cup every hour, for a maximum of 13 hours. With that being said, I think you can conquer two a day. 

​It’s hard enough learning where the ginger is in the produce section, let alone trying to remember 45 different recipes. You can surely make this a difficult lifestyle if you want; but I’m here to make it an easier one for you. Remember that juicing will not only provide your body with living nutrients, but help reverse or alleviate a lot of health issues and detoxify your body.
​
 Most of my Members prefer to start off with sweeter juices to acquire a taste, then slowly go greener as they can tolerate it. Assuming that you don’t have any allergies, there are two staple juices everyone should learn and use.
​If you’re not sure what to start shoving down your juicer shoot, these two recipes are perfect for beginners. 

​If you’re ready to go shopping for the week, then click below to print out your shopping list! This shopping list will cover you for two juices a day for 1 week using the Anytime and Mean Green juices. This list will also give you the expected weekly cost of juicing and let you tweak it to your needs. 

To learn how to put together juice containers, just click and print out above. The more you can prep at one time, the faster juicing will go on a daily basis helping to enrich your blood, promote energy and reduce symptoms from Fibromyalgia, CFS, and IBS (within as easily as a few days). ​

​Juicing won’t work for you if you only do it every now and again. It must be a part of your day to day life when you’re healing…unless you intend on eating all those veggies? Didn’t think so. 
Creating a juicing habit is about two things: time and discipline; well, so are most things when you think about it… Decide in advance what times of day will be easiest for you to juice, then stick with it! If you need more help creating your regimen, order Personal Reminders to receive full 24/7 juicing support. (ya, that’s a real thing, where have you been, under a rock?) 

​Once you’ve memorized these two juices and prioritized when you’d create them, it will be easier for you to explore new recipes to better meet your tastes or needs. Search Eat2Live2Love’s Juicing category online or ask Linda what she recommends you try next. There’s a plethora of juicing recipe books you can check into like Jason Vale’s Juice Master for more ideas. You can tailor our juices to your exact needs like speeding up your healing, fighting asthma, or reducing inflammation pain.  

​Juicing can literally save your life and I want to make it as easy for you as possible to get started! Everyone should be able to have quality of life and live pain free. As a Member you have 24/7 access to the Member Only Pages, and many services at your disposal like Meal Planning Sessions, Grocery Shopping Assistance  and more. So, who’s ready to get juicy and get healthy?