Bi-Carb: The Unsung Hero of Everyday Life

Imagine this: something so cheap it’s practically “cheap as chips” (okay, maybe not chips anymore in this economy!) — but still, you can grab a small tub for around £1 in Coventry, and it’ll easily last you a month or more.

Now, imagine that this one product can:✨ Clean your teeth, remove stains, freshen your breath, and help rebalance your mouth’s microbiome.✨ Work as a natural deodorant (yes, even on the smelliest people — lasting up to two days!).✨ Soothe trapped wind, heartburn, and digestive discomfort.✨ Double up as a kitchen and bathroom cleaner.

Wow. What more can I say? This has officially become one of my absolute favourite household essentials.

Ta-daaaa… NaHCO₃Or, as we all know it, bicarbonate of soda.

I honestly can’t get over how powerful, versatile, and accessible this simple little compound is.

My Bi-Carb Story

The first time I really appreciated this suspicious-looking white powder was back in my teens. My diet was… let’s just say, far from ideal. Looking back, I’m surprised I didn’t end up with a laundry list of health problems. At the time, I didn’t know much about ultra-processed foods (UPFs), and to be honest, I didn’t care — until my body started sending me signals.

I kept getting horrific stomach pains after eating anything with wheat. Sometimes the pain was so intense I’d be doubled over on the floor or kept awake all night. I convinced myself I had a gluten intolerance — maybe even coeliac disease.

Fast-forward to about a year ago, I realised the truth: I wasn’t gluten intolerant… I was sht food intolerant*. Once I cut out UPFs, the bloating stopped, the irregular digestion stopped, the pain stopped. And guess what? I can eat wheat just fine — as long as it’s not ultra-processed.

Now, you might be wondering: how could I mistake that for years? Simple. Unless you really pay attention to food labels, supermarkets make it hard to tell what’s truly in your food. (But that’s a whole other rant — if you want more on that, check out my UPF blog!).

The Bi-Carb “Aha!” Moment

During those painful years, I tried countless remedies. The only thing that consistently worked? Two tablespoons of bi-carb mixed into a glass of water. Down the hatch — and BOOM. Relief. Like magic.

Bi-Carb for Teeth

For the past three months, I’ve ditched commercial toothpaste and brushed only with bi-carb and water. Honestly, I’m so impressed.

Here’s why I made the switch:

• My wisdom tooth had been giving me grief.

• I’d had a cavity that ended in an extraction.

• And I realised I was paying £7 for toothpaste (hi, Oral B 👋) filled with ingredients I couldn’t even pronounce.

Someone suggested trying bi-carb to reduce the daily chemical load. I thought, why not? And the results? No new oral issues, fresher breath, and my stains have disappeared. For £1 a tub. Fantastic!

👉 Bi-carb isn’t glamorous. It doesn’t come in shiny packaging. But it works — and it’s earned a permanent place in my home (and my heart).