Question from LM

I was going to start making my own salad dressing to be more healthy and use less artificial ingredients. However I read homemade dressings can lead to botulism? I am confused on what is safe to mix and for how long- I really don’t know anything about botulism. Why is it that store bought dressings if homemade are not safe? Are dressing mixes such as good seasonings or hidden valley safe? How long do dressings (homemade, store bought, and seasoning mix ones) last safely?

Debra’s Answer

I say, great idea to make your own salad dressings! In fact, check out my salad dressing recipes at Sweet Savvy: Condiments: Salad Dressing.

Now, about botulism, it would be highly unlikely that any salad dressing that contained an acid–such as lemon or vinegar–would cause botulism, because the acid prevents the growth of bacteria. There have been cases of unrefrigerated garlic-infused oil causing botulism, but in this case, the oil did not contain an acid.

Another problem can be mayonnaise-based dressings if they are not refrigerated. This happens when something like potato salad with mayonnaise is taken on a picnic and left out in the sun, or a mayo-based dressing is carried to lunch and left unrefrigerated.

There is no problem with making your own homemade salad dressing if you store it in the refrigerator. Personally, I make my salad dressing fresh for each salad. It only takes a few minutes and that eliminates any storage problems.

I love making salad dressing because there are so many flavors to use to make salad vegetables interesting and tasty.

So go ahead and make salad dressing with confidence!

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Question from Suzie Peppard

Dear Debra,

I had an experience with dizziness a few months ago, and it happened to be at a time when I used ALOT of stevia for sweetening. I made lemonade almost every day with it. Then a friend made a comment about stevia possibly causing dizziness. Have you heard or read anything on this subject?

I would like to use stevia again, because I am trying to lose weight, but I’m just not sure about it.

I’d appreciate any information you or your readers have about this.

Suzie

Debra’s Answer

I’ve never heard of this, and I used to drink a fair amount of lemonade made with stevia (I stopped after muscle testing showed it made my body weak).

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Question from STEPHANIE MILLS

Dear Debra,

We would like to know if you or readers could suggest the best air filters for a person with mcs. We live in northern California on an almond ranch which is sprayed with pesticides, herbicides, etc…Since I take care of my 90 year old father moving is not an option. We now have a Living Air ozone purifier, an Oreck professional air purifier, a uv light in the air conditioning unit, and a heavy duty Aprilaire filtering system in the return air duct. However, during the times they spray, and harvest time I still get sick. We would like any suggestions for better filters. And I really appreciate the comments that I have received in the past. They were very helpful. Thank you, Stephanie

hi…do you kinow a good auto air filter. thanks svw

Debra’s Answer

My recommendations are at Debra’s List: Air Filters.

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Question from LR

Hi Debra

In the section on sweetners in your book Home Safe Home you talk about thermogenic sweetners derived from Lo Han, but I haven’t seen Lo Han mentioned on Sweet Savvy. Can you tell me more about Lo Han? And how does it compare to Stevia?

I love your site and look forward to getting those recipes every week. Thanks so much!

Debra’s Answer

When I wrote about lo han in Home Safe Home, it was before I started experimenting with actually using the sweeteners, which turned into Sweet Savvy. So it was “theoretical”.

Using lo han turned out to be not very practical.

There are several commercial products made with lo han and other ingredients. One mixed it with corn fructose, which I didn’t want to use, another was mixed with a sugar I wasn’t sure of. The best one I’ve found is SweetFiber, which combines lo han with inulin, but I haven’t tried it. They promise three packets a day will help you lose weight.

Regardless, I later learned that the lo han in this type of product is very processed and uses solvents to extract only the sweet portion of the fruit. So this is not in a “whole fruit” form. [I just want to note, since you asked about stevia, that white stevia powder and liquid stevia are also highly processed and not whole foods. The best way to consume stevia is to eat the leaves off the bush or make tea from the dried leaves.]

In Asia, where lo han is more widely used, it is not in this refined form. Lo han fruit is sold fresh and as a dried fruit powder for medicinal purposes, and included in teas. So you may be able to get this whole dried lo han and try it in a beverage.

Here is a good article that has lots more info on lo han, if you wanted to use it for any of it’s medicinal purposes. I don’t see that it really is a viable sweetener for use beyond sweetening tea (but fine to use for that purpose).

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Question from LW

After using Pacific Organic Chicken Broth I started to have a reaction to the broth. Included in the ingredients are Natural Flavors, which the company described in response to my e mail, as Plant Extracts. Due to “proprietary reasons” they would not explain what ingredients they are. Instead they asked me to give a list of things I am sensitive to and they would check if it was in the broth.

Is there an easier way to find out all the ingredients? It may be something new that I am not aware of that has caused a problem.

Their website lists all things that are NOT in the broth but does not disclose what IS in it.

Here is the website.

www.pacificfoods.com/products-broths.php

Thank you.

Debra’s Answer

Unfortunately, the way the food labeling laws are written, flavors can be bundled together and all that needs to be specified is “natural” or “artificial.”

There’s nothing toxic in this broth, but obviously it contains something you are individually sensitive to.

I suggest making your own broth. In the wintertime, I make chicken broth every week.

Here’s how I do it.

1. Roast a whole chicken. Just take out any innards that may be in the cavity, wash it, and sprinkle with salt and pepper. I also sprinkle with crushed celery seeds, but this is optional. I roast it at 375 degrees until I can wiggle the legs easily. Also, if you poke it with a knife, the juice should run clear.

2. I let the bird cool and remove all the meat. Then I put all the bones and crispy skin into a big soup pot with 3 or 4 carrots, 3 or 4 ribs of celery (with tops), and 3 medium onions. You don’t need to clean them or remove skins, just chop roughly into big pieces. Cover with water and bring to a boil, then simmer for about an hour. Let it sit on the stove til cool. Strain and put it in the refrigerator.

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Question from Ronda

We are moving into a house that is 22 years old. We are taking out all the carpet and replacing it with prefinished hardwood.

Should we rip out all the plywood (maybe MDF) and glue the hardwood to the concrete or do you think it would have completely out gassed by now and is safe to leave in?

Also, the moisture barriers that I’ve seen today are in a liqued form that are brushed on the concrete. How do I know if the liquid moisture barrier is safe? Lumber Liquidators uses a brand called Mapei for their adhesives and liqued moisture barrier.

Thanks so much for all your wonderful help!!

Debra’s Answer

After 22 years, if you want to leave the plywood in place, I think it would be fine. It would offer more cushioning than applying the hardwood directly to cement. And if you are installing the wood with glue, the glue will form a barrier that would block any outgassing of the plywood (if you completely cover the plywood with glue).

I hope you are using a nontoxic, water-based “woodworking glue” to glue the wood down.

Re the moisture barrier, take a look at the MSDS sheet for hazardous ingredients. I have installed wood floors with wood glue over cement without using any moisture barrier of any kind and it was fine.

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Question from Sharon

Question

What should we replace plastic and paper bags with for our doggie walks outdoors and our home indoor garbage cans?

Debra’s Answer

BioBags!

These bioplastic bags are made from corn and are completely biodegradable.

They have kitchen bags, lawn and leaf bags, pet poo bags, shopping bags and more. If you don’t find them at your local natural food store, you can order them online.

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Question from Sherri

Thanks so much for your website. You and your readers always have so many good ideas!

I live in the desert southwest and am designing my own strawbale house. The temps here sometimes rise above 115 and I need ideas to minimize cooling costs. My goal is to go completely off the grid, but AC is a major issue here.

I would like to know of anyone’s experiences with geothermal heating and cooling. Or any other air conditioner alternatives. I’ve done basic research but need to know how it works in real life, not just in the books. Thanks for your help!

Sherri in Pinal Co., AZ

Debra’s Answer

Well, here’s a start. Take a look at what green architect Carol Venolia told me about cooling my home in Florida without air conditioning…At Home With Debra: Connecting My Home to Nature

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Question from wt

Hi,

I just discovered that in the midst of our home improvements, some bees have found a home through some holes in the walls into our attic. I see them flying in and out of the holes. (Yikes!) I’m assuming they have a hive forming in our attic.

What can we do to remove and inhibit them, in a non-toxic manner that will not be problematic for my MCS? I did a search, but couldn’t find anything specific regarding bees.

Additionally, I live in Southern CA, so if anybody knows a good integritous non-toxic pest company, I would also appreciate a referral.

Thank you very kindly.

Debra’s Answer

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Question from Christina

I am chemically sensitive and have a few botanical allergies, and I have not been able to find a shampoo that I can use without side effects. Has anyone found a plain shampoo without fragrance, without the laureth and lauryl sulfate, and without such herbal additives as chamomile, patchouli, lavender, or marigold? Thanks.

-Christina

Debra’s Answer

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