New Normal & Shopping Online (Resources)

 So.

Even being a hermit by nature did not prepare me for this "new normal" situation of being locked down. Not only am I shopping online for the usual things I always ordered but now I am having to find resources for extras.

With my health danger level currently set to Defcon2 - or whatever is a step before it gets kinda bad - I am trying to eat better. Whole foods, high-fiber foods, fully-seeded and good-grained foods. Less red meat - bye-bye weekly smoked neckbones, hello fish, chicken, and tofu.

I don't care that Trader Joe's hasn't come online. I have been forced to search out and find other places and products that I can get online.

Now here's the deal: I only have searched these out and not examined them. I'm sharing with you but just know that you will need to do your own homework to discover the details. The list is focused mainly on "healthy"(er) type choices, but there are some general options included.

I will make very minor comments because, well, that's what I do. Here we go:

• Thrive Market. I don't know how I feel about this one. I'm not big on memberships. (If you want a peek without logging in, try this link.)
• Farmbox Direct is another service I probably won't use. I live in the Midwest. I'm good for veggies.
• Natural Food Shop - I am linking to the FAQs because I think that's more helpful.
• I am going to link to the About Us page for Bubble. I found this most interesting, even if I don't need their products. 
• Natural Zing has a narrow inventory but is all about "superfoods" so I think it belongs here.
• I want to love Boxed and I kind of do. It reminds me of a local co-op grocer that would get good stuff sometimes but wasn't the place to go looking for everything. Biggest Plus is that it's like a membership-free warehouse. Of sorts. I'm not immediately impressed by the prices on, say, sparkling water.
• I think vitamins-only when I hear Vitacost so I am linking to their Food section.
• GoPuff is the service I would use if I wanted a bottle of Jack and some smokes at midnight because I can't sleep. That's not what they are limited to, of course, but their delivery area is narrow. Check the very bottom of the linked page to see if your area is covered.
• Amazon Fresh is something I would LOVE to have access to. Alas, my zip code is too hick for them.
• Bob's Red Mill sells mostly in bulk (I can't even afford a handful of his products) but the site has recipes for bread I looked at.
• Grain Place Foods just looked interesting to me.
• Pleasant Hill Grain covers grains, seeds, and even bakeware.

Now, for those of you who missed so many of my other posts,  I will direct you to search back for links to these standard online shopping options:

• Target is on Instacart in most areas or you can use their on-site choice of Shipt.
• Walmart delivers, has curbside, in-store pickup, shipping options, and might even have options specific to your area.
• Instacart is awesome. Even in my small and limited zip code, I have options of Target, Staples, Petco, Hyvee, and Aldis. Choices depend on your deliver-to zip code. My niece in Alaska has Costco as an option. Meanwhile, I can order regular ground delivery from Costco - if I still had my membership.

Check if there are any smaller, local services providing delivery. My best friend and I joked how, back in the day, you could have a taxi pick up cigarettes and bread from the local mart and bring it to you. I kind of wish that was a joke.

Let me know if any of you hear about other places.

To summarize:

Shopping online might be the new normal. Saving while shopping is smart. You can make shopping easier and cheaper. Use the online resource. Use online groceries. Buy in bulk when you can. Get a food sealer or other food-saving process. Health and wellness is more important than ever. 

Peace

--Free

Trying Sumac For Antioxidants

**UPDATE**

 As a CKD stage 3b patient, I cannot eat a lot of sumac. While it's highly antioxidant and a diuretic, I found some information that will keep my use of it at a minimum. As always, you should talk with your doctors before trying anything new in your diet. Just because something is healthy that doesn't mean it is healthy for you!

 Have any of you ever heard of Sumac? Have you ever used it?

I had never in my life heard of Sumac until the other day. It was mentioned in a chat among other sarcoidosis folks as being very high in anti-oxidants. It's been about 4 years since I blogged about ORAC numbers (ORAC = Oxygen Radical Absorbance Capacity) and measurements of antioxidants in foods and other things. Sumac is on one of the lists I posted but... I guess because I had no idea what it is, I just spaced it out.

Anyway.

Let's talk about Sumac. When it was mentioned as being such a healthy spice, my American brain immediately thought salty/savory or spicy hot. What a surprise to learn that it is more sour/lemony/tangy.

When I heard about the flavor makeup, I realized that I probably would not use Sumac on meats. I started Googling for more info on the spice, looking for other ways I could use it. I started seeing all these recipes for "Sumac Lemonade" and I got so excited at the description "Think hibiscus-tea-meets-pink-lemonade!" on this page.

I have been drinking so much water the past few months, there are days when I feel I could float away. I occasionally drink calorie-free sparkling water but I always want something with a little oomph to it. Maybe this could be it?

Other than wanting the supposed health benefits, I would also like to forgo any sodium. I have ordered a sodium-free powder and today is the day. I wrote all of this so that I could take some photos and do a taste-test before I give you my opinion. Kind of an on-the-spot/in-the-moment blogging thing. So, give me one minute...

Okay. Here is what I think after trying it right out of the bag, then on a small piece of baked salmon, as a hot tea, and as a cold "lemonade".

Right out of the bag, this was such an interesting flavor. It's weird because it's new but kind of familiar somehow. (Keep in mind that this brand has sodium and I will be testing a salt-free one soon.)

It's salty-tart with a taste of hibiscus. Interesting. I knew right away that, yes, I would be able to eat this on savory foods. So, why not?

On the salmon - a leftover bite of some I had baked with a little butter and nothing else (I like seasoning the salmon on my plate). The sumac I have is dry so I moistened the fish with a few drops of water and warmed it in the microwave. I lightly sprinkled it with sumac and, man... That is tasty. It's almost like I used a blend of seasonings instead of just the sumac. The piece of fish was way too small so I'm going to have to make some more so I can use a little more butter with the sumac. But, yes, yes, yes, the sumac is definitely a "go" with the fish. This particular brand is salty to me so maybe that's why it was good on the fish?

As a hot tea, this was better than I expected but way too salty. I had to add a little bit of sugar. It was pretty yummy but I will wait until I get a brand that is totally salt-free.

The "lemonade" is just what I threw together by making a larger glass of the tea, adding a bit of sugar, and letting set all morning in the fridge. I think I like this salty brand better cold than hot. Still...

I have contacted the seller about the salt in this. They mark the label as "no added sugars" and there is zero sugar shown. However, they don't label it as "no added salt" and the sodium shows as being 77mg per tablespoon. When you say "no added" whatever, I take that the whatever is naturally occurring. When you just show an amount, then I think it's added. That's not a lot of sodium and, as I said, it worked on the fish. The thing is, I have since seen the label of another brand showing zero sodium. 

Bottom line, this is a yummy spice with a lot of seasoning possibilities. I can tell that I would not need to add any salt to the salmon. However, there is no way that I would add this brand to non-savory drinks and smoothies. I am hoping to return this one and get a salt-free version. I really wanted this to use as a tea and lemonade.

To summarize:

Antioxidants are important. Do your research. Talk with your medical care team or health care providers. Ask questions about antioxidants found naturally in foods and beverages.

Peace

--Free

UPDATED **SIFO**Humidity, AC, and Health

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**UPDATE**

Just to let you know how it's been temp-wise in this apartment since I got the dehumidifier. For one thing, I can actually sleep through the night without having full-on sweats. I do still run both the ceiling and floor fans but I get the full effect of their cooling. I have not had to run my AC as much. I do turn it on if I have the curtains open (so the plants can get some sun) or if I am running the stove. I would estimate that before this, I ran my AC on the timer for around 4 to 5 hours a day. Since I got the dehumidifiers (I have more than one now), I have run the AC on the timer for about 3 hours total in the past 2 weeks. Of course, there were times before that I didn't run the AC but I was a hot, sweaty mess while I saved money. I can go without the AC now and it's very comfortable.

The reason I now have 3 devices is that the seller,  (who I can HIGHLY recommend because of their customer service) responded to a concern I had with the quality of the 2nd model (the MD303). I love the first model (the MD300) and I let them know that, while the MD303 worked, I didn't feel it was better or as good. What I wanted was to return the MD303 and replace it with another MD300. The seller was so responsive that they immediately shipped out a replacement and told me to just keep the MD303.  That is service. So I have 3 devices.

I keep the MD303 in a spot between the living room and kitchen and I don't check it as often. I emptied and turned the ones in the bedroom on at about the same time in the evening. This is where the AC covers when it runs so the dehumidifier doesn't have to work as hard. This is what it looks like after about running for about 16 hours:

MD303

This is what the device next to the bed looks like at 10 hours:

MD300

This is how much the device that is nearest the bedroom window collected in about 10 hours.

MD300
Maybe I should put
2 by the window!

So, yes this is working better than I expected. If I had been smart (or able), I would have gotten a mid-to-large size device. That's not feasible for my living space arrangement though. I wouldn't be able to place it out of the way or deal with draining it as needed.

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Sorry about that title. I wasn't quite sure how to get my point over in a few words. This post is about is my experience using a dehumidifier to cool the air inside my apartment.

The summer climate here is humid and hot. We get temps up to 95 degrees (sometimes more). Add in our humidity - currently 85 degrees with 44% humidity - and you get to experience living life in a constant sauna.**

By the way, I found some useful information about the effects of humidity on this website along with this useful graphic:

WebMD has an old article about high humidity potentially slowing the spread of flu. I have to wonder what effect it has on COVID. In the end, I decided that being able to breathe at all with less humidity is worth whatever the risk. And I knew that I needed to get myself a dehumidifier.

I hate shopping for appliances. They are pricier than most other household purchases and there are usually so many brands and types to choose from. I spent a couple of days searching for something affordable and with good ratings - you know, as I do with everything. I chose this one:

My plan - as always when I spend over 20 bucks - was to try it out for a couple of days to see if it was going to be a keeper. Thankfully, I got some birthday money to use on the purchase. I was supposed to get something "fun". Oh, well.

Man, this thing is working much better than I expected. First of all, I wasn't sure that it would actually affect the temps in the apartment. I read a lot of reviews for a lot of devices and more than a few customers complained that they noticed no difference at all. Of course, this particular device got a high percentage of positive reviews - which is why I chose it. It's not a well-known brand so...

I chose a spot on the bedside table because it's near where I use my computer during the day. Also, my main reason for getting this thing is because sleeping in all this humidity reminds me of my menopausal night sweats. Not fun.

I turned on the machine at around 11:40 in the morning and within half an hour or so I noticed that my room did feel more comfortable. I checked to see if the device had accumulated any moisture at around 2:30 pm. There was slightly over 1 tablespoon of water in the reservoir. That seemed high in my opinion. When I went back and looked at the instructions, I realized I was supposed to close the windows and doors. I closed my window but left the door open as I always do. (I slept with the window and door closed and the machine only collected about twice the amount overnight. Seems legit.)

Kind of hard to see

The room became much more comfortable. As I usually do, I had the ceiling and floor fans going but that's never helped as much as I like. With the dehumidifier running, I was able to feel the cool air from the fans. My room has never felt that comfortable on a hot day even with the AC running. The AC unit is in the living room and the only time I feel really cool is when I am sitting directly in the path of the airflow. I don't think that's how it's supposed to work.

Let me back up and mention that this whole thing started when I was Googling information about my air conditioner. I was trying to find out if I should be contacting maintenance. The AC has always been iffy. It's moody and works better on some days than others. Ever since the temps heated up this summer, all the tenants have been complaining. I figured it might be because we are seeing higher temps and because everyone is locked down and using theirs.

Every troubleshooting checklist looked much the same. They suggested checking the filter (mine is new and clean) and making sure the ducts are clean (I'm not sure what 'ducts' they mean but I just had my AC unit serviced).  The last remedy was to check the level of humidity in the space. Apparently, high humidity basically cancels out the cooling effect of air conditioning.

Who knew? Not me. Never thought about it after all my years of living in Alaska. We never had a home there with air conditioning.

So that's how this all started.

The one problem I had was trying to figure out what type of machine I needed for the space in my apartment. You have to factor in things like your square footage (yeah, me doing math) and placement. You can see the size of my room for yourself. It's a mess but at least you can see what size place this particular machine works so well for.

I have not had to use my AC since I got this machine. I can really appreciate the effects at night. I can shut the window and turn on the fans and... Listen, I had zero night sweats and I've only slept so good here in the winter.

Because this worked out so well and is saving my using the AC, I have chosen a second one for the front of the apartment. My kitchen and living room can get sweltering without the AC. I have more and bigger windows in the living room and get almost direct sunlight. I have to keep my bread and other such things in the fridge so they don't mold.

So, yep. If you ever wondered whether a dehumidifier would help with cooling your living space, I can tell you how well this one is working for me. The cost of the first one was just slightly less than my summer utility bill and the one I just ordered is only a few dollars more than the first (I got a housewares protection plan for a few dollars more, just in case.)

I won't link here to the brand I got. I think that everyone really needs to read the reviews and find one on their own. If you really want to know, you can reverse search or zoom on the photo.

To summarize:

Health and wellness are important. Balancing air humidity is essential. Dehumidifiers and humidifiers are important tools for the air in a home. Do your research. Talk with your medical care team. 

Peace
--Free

P.S.: I checked the temp again just now before bedtime and before scheduling this post. It's midnight and the temp is 68 degrees with 88% humidity. No joke:

**REVIEW** Organic Black Seed Oil

Here I go, trying another oil for my health.

From Sun Essential Oils

That right there, folks, is Black Seed Oil. Another of the remedies that's supposed to be good as an anti-oxidant and anti-inflammatory because of the Thymoquinone in it.

(Believe it or not, I actually take most of the oils and other natural remedies I talk about here; I just stagger their use and try not to overdo it.)

I have managed to gag down a dose of this for a few days. It's tough though. If my sister were here, she'd say that this oil could "gag a maggot". I can barely get it down and I only take a little less than the teaspoon recommended.

Looks harmless. 

First off, the smell is off-putting. Black Seed Oil smells like what I imagine crude oil to smell like if you threw in a couple drops of car-ready gasoline. I am very serious. I have to plug my nose every time I bring the spoon anywhere near my face.

Next up, this oil has one of the weirdest textures ever. And I use lots of oils - face oil, hair oil, skin oil, foot oil. If there is an oil out there on the general market, I have probably tried it. Just like with the smell, the texture of this reminds me of the stuff I see being drained out of car engines.

This is the streaky, stinking, residue in a little bit of orange juice I used to mask the taste. (The orange juice did nothing to mask the smell or taste, by the way.) Notice how it sort of clings to the sides of the cup? Yeah. That's the way the taste clings to the tastebuds.

By the way, I was so concerned about the taste that I Googled it, and apparently, lots of people use words like oil, turpentine, gasoline, and motor oil to describe it. I have a tribe.

As I said, I wanted this oil for the anti-blah blah blah properties. When I was reading up on it, I learned that it's possibly good for weight loss. That's no wonder. For about two hours after I take this oil, I can't eat or drink anything else without that nasty taste echoing back into my mouth. I really can taste this stuff for the longest time. However, I do think there is something to the weight loss thing. For some reason (and not just the gag factor), my appetite goes way down after taking this first thing in the morning. Not sure what that's about because I haven't done much more research.

I didn't realize how small the bottle was going to be with that 9 dollar price. I just wanted to get one that had the best reviews and feedback at a decent price. At first, I was a little annoyed that the bottle is so teensy -

- but after tasting this stuff, I am glad I will quickly finish it off. I like what it's doing to relieve some of my general fatigue so I will probably buy more - in a pill form. though.

As far as using this on my skin or hair, that is a big old nope. This smells as strong and awful as Neem oil does - just in a different way. I don't want to walk around smelling like I work at Jiffy Lube. I have enough issues.

Some benefits (it is claimed) of using this oil on the hair and skin:

• Anti-Bacterial In Nature. The oil is anti-bacterial in nature and when applied on the skin may prevent acne by fighting off skin infections
• Packed With Antioxidants
• Fights Hair Fall
• Improve Hair And Scalp Health
• Fights Skin Infections

The smell of it could run off any kind of infection, I am sure. Still, I am tempted to use it when I know that I won't have to get within 50 feet of another human being. If you want people to keep their distance during this COVID thing, just wear some of this oil or some Neem oil. Yuck.

If you do decide to try this orally, I suggest just taking it straight. Swallow it down fast and then take a sip of lemon or lime juice. If I try any on my hair and skin, I will certainly let you know how that goes.

To Summarize:

There are natural remedies for health and wellness. Do your research. Talk with your medical care team. Ask questions. Find out what other people are using to solve problems/issues similar to your own.

Peace
--Free