Superpowers

SUPERPOWERS!

Baking Soda POWERS

You can use it to: calm indigestion, treat insect bites, keep mouth healthy, control odors, help chemotherapy work, treat kidney disease......

That box of baking soda, also known as bicarbonate of soda (or sodium bicarbonate), can do some major things.

Its superpowers come from a two-letter term: pH. That stands for “potential (or power) of hydrogen” to make something either an acid or a base (alkaline). Baking soda is an alkaline substance. When it mixes with an acid, it alters the pH level. That’s why it can quickly soothe an upset stomach or cover a bad smell.

Calm indigestion: Add 1/4 teaspoon of baking soda to a glass of water to zap acid in your stomach. But acid doesn’t cause all kinds of indigestion, so if your symptoms don’t improve after 2 weeks, call your doctor.

Don’t take baking soda within 2 hours of other medications. When the baking soda lowers stomach acid, it can slow the rate at which your body absorbs some medicines and change the way others work. Don’t give it to a child under 6 unless your pediatrician tells you to.

Treat insect bites and stings: While it isn’t good for everyday use on your skin, it can soothe the redness, itching, and stinging that are signs of a mild reaction to an insect bite. Many over-the-counter creams contain baking soda. You can also make your own paste of one part baking soda to three parts water. This also works for poison ivy and rashes. 

Keep your mouth healthy: Brushing your teeth with toothpaste that has baking soda can hold off tooth decay and keep your gums and mouth in good shape. A half-teaspoon of baking soda mixed in a glass of water can also freshen your breath.

Control odors: Most bad smells come from either strong acids (think sour milk) or bases (like spoiled fish). When you add baking soda and change the pH balance, the odors in your fridge or your carpet come into a neutral state. Try it for yourself. Put an open box of baking soda in your fridge. Sprinkle it over the layers of garbage in your trash can or toss it into the bottom of your dishwasher.

Help chemotherapy work: While no scientific studies have found that baking soda cures cancer, research does show that it can help some cancer treatments work better. Some chemotherapy drugs need alkaline conditions. Others become more toxic in an acid environment. That’s why some doctors suggest using some form of sodium bicarbonate for best treatment results. Your oncologist can tell you if your drugs will get a boost from baking soda. 

Mouth and throat changes are common chemo side effects. If this happens to you, rinse your mouth three times daily with a mixture of 1 cup warm water, 1/4 teaspoon baking soda, and 1/8 teaspoon salt, followed by a rinse with plain water.

Treat kidney disease: A daily dose of sodium bicarbonate can help people whose kidneys can no longer remove enough acid from their blood.

YOU MAY ALREADY BE SUPER HUMAN WITH POWERS UNKNOWN OR WELL ADVERTISED, BUT WE ALL NEED SOME HELP FROM TIME TO TIME.  BAKING SODA IS JUST WHAT THE DOCTOR ORDERED.

Blessings to you,

d

Baking Soda Story Continues

THE STORY CONTINUES...Baking soda is a versatile ingredient that has many uses besides cooking.

This household staple can help remove tough stains, eliminate foul odors and help clean difficult areas like the oven, microwave and even tile grout.

Baking soda has a variety of health benefits.  For example, it can help treat heartburn, soothe canker sores and even whiten your teeth.

Baking soda is inexpensive and widely available. You can grab a container of baking soda from your local grocery store.  It shines when it comes to neutralizing odors and cleaning.

Kitchen and Dining HELPS

Kitchen Cleaner To use baking soda in your kitchen, make a paste by mixing baking soda with a small amount of water. Apply the paste to the desired surface with a sponge or cloth and scrub thoroughly.  You can clean with baking soda:

• Oven
• Stained coffee cups
• Stained marble
• Grease stains
• Kitchen tiles
• Clogged drains
• Tarnished silver
• Microwaves

Neutralize Fridge Odors Fill a cup with baking soda and place it in the back of your fridge to neutralize bad odors.
Eliminates Garbage Odor In fact, scientists found that spreading baking soda at the bottom of waste bins can help neutralize garbage odor by 70%.

Polish Silverware Add the baking soda to the aluminum baking pan and slowly pour in the vinegar.  Next, pour in the boiling water and then place the silver in the baking pan.

• An aluminum baking pan or a baking dish lined with aluminum foil
• 1 cup of boiling water
• 1 tablespoon of baking soda
• 1/2 cup of white vinegar

Save a Scorched Pot  Sprinkle a generous amount of baking soda over the bottom of the pot and add enough water to cover the burnt areas. Bring the mixture to a boil and empty the pan as usual.  If stubborn stains remain, grab a scourer, add a small amount of washing liquid and gently remove the remaining burnt bits.

Extinguish Oil and Grease Fires They are known as dry chemical fire extinguishers and are used to extinguish oil, grease and electrical fires. Baking soda can be used to extinguish small oil and grease fires.

Clean Fruits and Veggies One study found that soaking fruit in a solution of baking soda and water for 12–15 minutes removed nearly all of the pesticides.

Bathroom and Grooming Tips

Multipurpose Bathroom Here are a few surfaces you can clean with baking soda:

• Bathroom tiles
• Toilets
• Showers
• Bathtubs
• Bathroom sinks

Make a paste using baking soda and a bit of water. Using a sponge or a cloth, rub the mixture thoroughly onto the surface you want to clean.  Wipe down the surface 15–20 minutes later with a damp cloth.

Whiten Your Teeth It has antibacterial and antimicrobial properties that can help fight harmful bacteria.  Baking soda is a popular home remedy for whitening teeth.

Mouthwash Add half a teaspoon of baking soda to half a glass of warm water, and then swish as usual.

Deodorant Try patting baking soda onto your armpits and you may notice the difference.

Household CARE

May Whiten Your Laundry Add half a cup of baking soda to your regular amount of laundry detergent. It also helps soften the water, which means you may need less detergent than usual.

Remove Stubborn Carpet Stains Eliminate stubborn carpet stains with just baking soda and vinegar:

1. First, cover the carpet stain with a thin layer of baking soda.
2. Fill an empty spray bottle with a 1:1 mixture of vinegar and water and spray over the stained area.
3. Wait up to an hour or until the surface becomes dry.
4. Scrub the baking soda loose with a brush and vacuum residue.
5. The stain should be completely removed.  If there is some baking soda residue left on the carpet, wipe it up with a damp towel.

Air Freshener To create a baking soda air freshener, you will need:

• A small jar
• 1/3 cup baking soda
• 10–15 drops of your favorite essential oils
• A piece of cloth or paper
• String or ribbon

Add the baking soda and essential oils to the jar. Cover it with the cloth or paper, and then secure it in place with the string. When the scent starts to fade, give the jar a shake.

Health 

Treat Heartburn Baking soda can help treat heartburn by neutralizing stomach acid.  Dissolve a teaspoon of baking soda in a glass of cold water and drink the mixture slowly.

Soothe Canker Sores You can make baking soda mouthwash using the recipe in the previous chapter. Rinse your mouth with this mixture once a day until the canker sore heals.

Relieve Itchy Skin and Sunburns To make a baking soda bath, add 1–2 cups of baking soda to a lukewarm bath. For more specific areas, you can create a paste with baking soda and a bit of water. Apply a thick layer of paste to the affected area.

May Treat Calluses Studies have found that soaking calluses in a baking soda bath may help soften them, remove any scales and reduce discomfort.

May Slow the Progression of Chronic Kidney Disease People with chronic kidney disease (CKD) slowly lose function of their kidneys. In a study including 134 adults with CKD, it was found that those taking sodium bicarbonate (baking soda) supplements were 36% less likely to rapidly develop kidney failure than people who did not take the supplements.

May Improve Certain Cancer Treatments It is often treated with chemotherapy, which works by slowing or stopping the growth of cancer cells. Normally, cancer cells grow and divide at a rapid rate. Some research shows that baking soda could help chemotherapy medicines work more effectively. Baking soda may make the environment for tumors less acidic, which benefits chemotherapy treatments.

Homemade Weed Killer Sprinkle a few handfuls of baking soda over weeds that are growing in the cracks of your sidewalk, driveways and other weed-infested areas.  Avoid using baking soda to kill weeds in your flowerbeds and gardens, as it may kill your other plants as well.

Shoe Deodorizer Pour two tablespoons of baking soda into two cheesecloths or thin pieces of fabric. Secure the cloths with a rubber band or string and place one in each shoe.

May Improve Exercise Performance During high-intensity exercise, your muscle cells start producing lactic acid, which is responsible for the burning feeling you get during exercise. Lactic acid also lowers the pH inside your cells, which may cause your muscles to tire.  Baking soda has a high pH, which may help delay fatigue, allowing you to exercise at your peak for longer.

MORE TO FOLLOW.  

This stuff is awesome.

BLESSINGS,

d

A Tad Bit of Baking Soda

THINGS I NEVER KNEW @ BAKING SODA!!!


Today I learned that if you add a pinch of baking soda to water while green beans are cooking that the soda will help keep the beautiful green beans a nicer shade of GREEN.  

I went humf.  That's interesting.  I didn't know that this was a great trick to making a vegetable stay greener when cooked.



Watching a video where baking soda was added I questioned, what did they put in the water?  Then questioned, WHY would you do this?  

Looked this up on the net which said:

By adding baking soda, you make the water slightly alkaline (the opposite of acidic). 
This preserves a compound called chlorophyll, which gives vegetables like green beans, asparagus, Brussels sprouts and broccoli their vibrant, green color.

THEN I READ elsewhere:
But adding baking soda to vegetables as they cook has two important negative effects – it adds sodium to them (the harmful component of salt) and it destroys much of their vitamin C and thiamine (also known as vitamin B1). Clearly, sacrificing the goodness of the vegetables for the sake of retaining their colour is NOT ideal.

So one will have to pick or choose if you want beautiful brighter GREEN COLOUR Green Beans with less nutritional value OR not as green veggies with a powerful punch more of nutrition.

Solution....eat raw if possible or steam them.

Baking soda, also known as sodium bicarbonate, is widely used in baking. This is because it has leavening properties, meaning it causes dough to rise by producing carbon dioxide. Aside from cooking, baking soda has a variety of additional household uses and health benefits. 

OH BEANS...I knew about adding baking soda to beans to help combat gaseous issues to the humans consuming the beans.  

Read this:  
Soaking beans in plain water and then changing the water before cooking is just as likely to help. There is evidence that adding baking soda reduces some nutrients, particularly vitamin B. Baking soda also can make the beans taste saltier or even soapy, so they should be rinsed very well if you use it.

MORE INSIGHT ABOUT BAKING SODA:  History

French chemist Nicolas Leblanc invented the process of manufacturing sodium bicarbonate. Baking soda was used in Europe, and the English imported it to the American colonies. In 1846, a Connecticut doctor joined with a farmer from Massachusetts to establish the first factory in America to make baking soda.   Dr. Austin Church and John White continued to produce the product under the company that is now known as Arm & Hammer.

Benefits

The ability to safely add baking soda to food products is demonstrated by the other uses of the product within the air you breathe and the water you drink. Baking soda is used to help control air pollution since it can absorb sulfur dioxide and other gas emissions. Sodium bicarbonate is even used in water treatment. It can make water taste better since it reduces levels of heavy metals like lead.

Sodium

If you are on a low-sodium diet, you should use caution when adding baking soda to food. A half teaspoon of sodium bicarbonate has 616 milligrams of sodium. That is not a lot if you are adding it into a whole loaf of bread that you are going to eat one-tenth of, but keep this in mind when cooking with baking soda. The American Heart Association links high-sodium diets to a higher risk for stroke, heart attack and high blood pressure.

Mechanism

Baking soda is used to thicken sauces or make baked goods rise. When you combine it with lemon juice or another acidic agent, carbon dioxide will be released and absorbed into the food's cells. The gas will expand during the baking, expanding the cell walls as a leavening agent. Adding sodium bicarbonate to items such as cookies or muffins will make them rise to a taller and wider finished product.

Vinegar

The one item in your cupboard you want to be careful with when mixing with baking soda is vinegar. Arm & Hammer issued a warning that baking soda should not be mixed with an acid. Acids – such as vinegar – create an inert gas when put with sodium bicarbonate. While this is harmless in general, it can be extremely dangerous when the mixture is put in a container, or anything enclosed. The result can be a dangerous explosion.

To BE CONTINUED

One of the many wonders of the world...

Baking Soda.

BLESSINGS,

d