Did you know that the first supermarket in America was build probably around 1946? What did they have before that then? Farmer's markets? Outside markets? Small grocers? I don't know because I wasn't there, but I do know that my ancestors owned a small grocer that sold eggs and produce in the early 1900s.
What is the problem with our food today? Why is it that we go into a grocery store and find shelves filled with all kinds of boxes and cans of food? Is this normal, and if so, why do we have it?
After months of trying to study this problem, I am coming up with some answers. First, let's consider a few things. People in the olden days died, and many did not have good resistances to diseases like the flu. Many died of bronchitis, or other lung diseases. In spite of that, many did live long lives. What makes a person live a long life?
In the early American days, there was good soil. When the Pilgrims came over, Squanto taught them how to plant their gardens. They brought seed over here from Europe and already knew how to garden, but with Squanto's help, they grew a lot more than they imagined!
We had good soil here, and access to unpolluted water to catch fish with. As the population grew, people spread out over the land and build farms. They engaged in bartering, which was a system that worked well for them. For example, if one person had an abundance of eggs, but not much milk, she could trade her eggs with someone who had milk to trade (and remember, this was before homogenized, pasteurized milk). Trading would go on in the little communities. Everything was fresh and people were able to trade their abundance with others who had other items in abundance. People made their own soap and candles. There were no trucks around spraying for bugs. There was no trucks on these farms to kill the insects, and it was hard to deal with the destruction caused by insects, at times. There were no sprinkler systems, thus, no water tainted with chlorine and fluoride, as well as other undesirables. Everything was pretty much pure. Yet people still died. Why?
The death rate in NYC was great. Could it be though, that there were so many people living together in these crowded conditions that spreading germs was inevitable? People lived in buildings (in the 1800s) like apartments and it doesn't seem like there was any room for farming. NYC was so crowded (I did genealogy research because this is where some of my ancestors came in) and people from all over the world kept coming in. There was Little Italy and Chinatown. Many Irish came to NYC as well as German people. I can't imagine how these people lived or even what they had to eat or drink. Have you ever heard of Hell's Kitchen? It is near NYC.
But there were other parts of New York and surrounding states that had a lot of land. People started and built farms. You can still see some of these farms today. Unfortunately, with the increase in technology, many have sold their farms and gone into other businesses.
Today, farms are going extinct. The farms that are left have to survive. Why is this? Modern technology has provided a way to make larger farms which require less farming skills (which, to many, are considered 'primitive'). Instead of America being made up of tons of little farms, it is made up of a few large, huge, agricultural farms, owned by corporations. These corporations provide food for every grocery store in America. What is the trade-off though?
There are a couple of trade-offs. One is, that the animals on these farms have to be given anti-biotics on a regular basis, for fear that the animals will contract a disease and could contaminate the other animals as well as the food that the animal is supposed to supply. So, when you drink your glass of milk provided by a large corporation, it will have antibiotics in it. You might think that is good, but in reality it is bad for you. Antibiotics kill your gut flora, which is necessary for you to have a healthy gut and to digest your food properly. Antibiotics also kill good bacteria as well as bad, so if you are trying to build up your immune system with probiotics, the antibiotics will kill the good bacteria as well as the bad.
All this goes back to doing what is best to build our immunities. We could sterilize our houses inside and out, to get rid of the bad germs, but whenever we do that, we destroy good germs too, in fact, the ones that will fight off the bad germs. We could create an environment that is not as sterile, and that would help provide a good environment for the good germs to grow in. If we get sick with a disease like Scarlet Fever for example, during the time of our sickness, our bodies are building an army of good germs that will fight off the germs that cause Scarlet Fever, and when we are well, we have a built-in immunity to Scarlet Fever and probably will never catch it again during our lifetimes. (I am not saying that you should not take antibiotics if you have Scarlet Fever! They could save your life like they did mine.) As important as antibiotics are in killing germs that cause diseases, they should only be reserved for times of sickness, or life threatening diseases. On the other hand, we do not want to stay on antibiotics for no reason. But that is what we do when we eat meat and drink milk and use milk products because of the antibiotics that are in them from the agricultural farms.
Another reason that large agricultural farming is bad, is due to the use of growth hormones given to the animals. For example, chickens are given growth hormones that make them abnormally large and plump in just a short time. A chicken takes several months to grow big and large, but if it has been given growth hormones, it will be big in just three months. How's that for a nice Thanksgiving dinner entree? That big fat juicy turkey you ate for Thanksgiving last month probably was filled with growth hormones. Is it any wonder that girls begin puberty much earlier than their mothers and grandmothers did?
Here's another reason why big farms are bad: The animals have to be tied and can't roam around. That might not sound bad to you but think about a couple of things. The animals have to stand in the same place where they go to the bathroom. The animals are filthy. What does this do their minds? Chickens in chicken houses never see any light. They live in darkness until they are killed or if they die first. There is no room for the chickens to move around in these chicken houses. When animals are kept in horrible conditions like this, it could affect their minds. It could also affect hormones that go through their blood streams. And we eat the product of all this!
So, that problems really are not with the supermarkets, although they are the carriers of all these strangely produced foods. The problem lies with the farms. The problem lies with the government's support of large agricultural farms which are owned by large corporations. People used to get their food from local farms, with untainted growing methods, but today these farms are being discouraged. They are being pushed out of the way by the large corporations who own these large agricultural farms.
People today even make fun of farmers. They call them 'primitive' and try to communicate to others that they are outdated. These people tend to trust 'science' over years and years of proven methods. There is a kind of 'pride' that people have with associating with science and technology. We laugh at anything old fashioned, but we would be surprised at how much wisdom these old folks have!
Let me give one more example. This is kind of funny (if any of my friends who are guilty of doing this, please realize that I think it is kind of funny and I am not using it to make fun of you!), but I have been making soap for many years. For a while, I used Dial soap because I heard it was good in clearing up diaper rashes. I reasoned that it should be good for my face because I still have a problem with acne. Well, I had a skin sore on my body and asked the doctor about it. He told me to stop using Dial and recommended that I use something mild. That was when I decided to make more homemade soap and use it. The sore cleared up and never came back. The doctor explained that the soap you buy in the stores has chemicals in it. I had no idea. But I have given soap to my friends and family, and occasionally someone will laugh and ask me why I am making soap when I could just buy it at the store!
Large agricultural farms owned by corporations have to use antibiotics, growth hormones, and cannot allow their animals to roam. Local farms do not have to employ these means to grow good food. But we need local farms in every area to cover the people in all the places in our country.
The Grocery store sells whatever people will buy. So, if we continue to buy Smithfield bacon or Tyson's chicken, the store will continue to sell those items. But if we ask for organic, free-roaming meat that doesn't have growth hormones or antibiotics in them, then the stores will carry those items as well. The stores will be successful as they sell the items that people will buy. So, let's invest in the food that we eat and the food that we want our local supermarkets to carry.
Cooking is Like Science
Tuesday, December 30, 2014
Saturday, October 18, 2014
Safety Tips and Confession
I have a health tip and a concern today. Actually, I have a couple of tips and I will start with those.
* Make sure you remember to blow out all candles before going to bed.
* Take off the lint off the lint filter in the dryer.
* Open the windows and let fresh air into the house
* Try to minimize the use of the microwave.
Anyway, what I want to write is something I am concerned about. I am researching and studying how food affects the body and ultimately our health. I would love to be a food expert and would enjoy making the decisions of what foods are good for you and which ones are bad for you. This would serve my family, but I would love for whatever I learn, to be able to share it with others. But I also know there is a danger in doing this.
Some things are controversial, and knowledge of certain subjects requires change on the parts of the hearers. For example, the Gospel is a message that, when applied to one's life correctly, will change the person's destiny forever. But it will also require the person to be willing to change in many areas. This is hard, and this reason is why many resist the Gospel message. Not only is the message rejected, but the person who shares it is also perceived as some kind of angel or deity. All kinds of wrong assumptions are made, and people get angry at those who are ministering the Gospel and accuse them of being 'holier than thou'.
It is possible for the person sharing the Gospel to be proud, and to present the message in an insensitive way. That doesn't change the validity of the message. The message is separate from the person. The person sharing the message is not God. If anyone acts like they are God, that is pride. The person sharing the Gospel doesn't really understand the Gospel very well.
But when it comes to food, this same thing can happen. With knowledge, pride can set in. If knowledge does not get applied, it will result in pride. "Knowledge puffs up but love edifies."
I spend a lot of time learning about nourishment, how to cook properly, how to build a good immunity system, how to remove toxins (or minimize them), how to separate good food from bad food, etc. I think my heart wants to learn these things, not only for me and my family, but I want to share them with others. I want people to be able to prevent cancer. I want to see people live to be 105 and not be in a nursing home. Yet, I know because we live in a system that is ruled by people with an agenda, that it is not easy to incorporate principles that will help us.
What I want people to understand is, I am not at a level of this standard of health that I am promoting. What I realize, is that, everything in life is a process. It is not like you learn to eat right, and then all of the sudden you are eating perfectly well, and never get sick. That is not reality. I have ideas of what the standard of good health is, but I am nowhere near that level.
Please do not feel condemnation from me if you aren't living up to any kind of perceived standard. I am putting this information out for my benefit and yours, but it doesn't come overnight for any of us.
I have had friends with cancer, and I have wanted to help them with the things I have learned. I will ask their permission to share and help. If they don't want it, I will leave them alone. I care enough about my family and friends to learn what is best, but I am not going to condemn anyone who doesn't want help.
So, what I am trying to say is that, with knowledge, pride can come, and also misunderstandings about motives. If I know a lot about nourishment as it relates to food preparation, I don't want any of my friends to feel like I am a threat to them, if they do not want to change. Every day is an experiment day for me. I learn new things every day. Just because I know these things does not mean I have reached a standard of perfection that others haven't reached yet.
I love what Mark Cahill says about evangelism. He is a seasoned evangelist and is very skilled at what he does. But he will tell you that every day he practices evangelism. When we learn something new, we put it into practice. It doesn't make us better than anyone else. It doesn't put us at an unattainable level.
So, when I write all of these blogs, please remember that I am just a learner like everyone else. Please do not feel threatened when you are around me. If I come off in a prideful way, please tell me. I just 'practice' whatever I learn that is based upon truth. Each day I grow a little more in my understanding of life. Hopefully, I will be able to share with others what I learn. And I don't have to have a perfect grasp on something before I share it with others.
* Make sure you remember to blow out all candles before going to bed.
* Take off the lint off the lint filter in the dryer.
* Open the windows and let fresh air into the house
* Try to minimize the use of the microwave.
Anyway, what I want to write is something I am concerned about. I am researching and studying how food affects the body and ultimately our health. I would love to be a food expert and would enjoy making the decisions of what foods are good for you and which ones are bad for you. This would serve my family, but I would love for whatever I learn, to be able to share it with others. But I also know there is a danger in doing this.
Some things are controversial, and knowledge of certain subjects requires change on the parts of the hearers. For example, the Gospel is a message that, when applied to one's life correctly, will change the person's destiny forever. But it will also require the person to be willing to change in many areas. This is hard, and this reason is why many resist the Gospel message. Not only is the message rejected, but the person who shares it is also perceived as some kind of angel or deity. All kinds of wrong assumptions are made, and people get angry at those who are ministering the Gospel and accuse them of being 'holier than thou'.
It is possible for the person sharing the Gospel to be proud, and to present the message in an insensitive way. That doesn't change the validity of the message. The message is separate from the person. The person sharing the message is not God. If anyone acts like they are God, that is pride. The person sharing the Gospel doesn't really understand the Gospel very well.
But when it comes to food, this same thing can happen. With knowledge, pride can set in. If knowledge does not get applied, it will result in pride. "Knowledge puffs up but love edifies."
I spend a lot of time learning about nourishment, how to cook properly, how to build a good immunity system, how to remove toxins (or minimize them), how to separate good food from bad food, etc. I think my heart wants to learn these things, not only for me and my family, but I want to share them with others. I want people to be able to prevent cancer. I want to see people live to be 105 and not be in a nursing home. Yet, I know because we live in a system that is ruled by people with an agenda, that it is not easy to incorporate principles that will help us.
What I want people to understand is, I am not at a level of this standard of health that I am promoting. What I realize, is that, everything in life is a process. It is not like you learn to eat right, and then all of the sudden you are eating perfectly well, and never get sick. That is not reality. I have ideas of what the standard of good health is, but I am nowhere near that level.
Please do not feel condemnation from me if you aren't living up to any kind of perceived standard. I am putting this information out for my benefit and yours, but it doesn't come overnight for any of us.
I have had friends with cancer, and I have wanted to help them with the things I have learned. I will ask their permission to share and help. If they don't want it, I will leave them alone. I care enough about my family and friends to learn what is best, but I am not going to condemn anyone who doesn't want help.
So, what I am trying to say is that, with knowledge, pride can come, and also misunderstandings about motives. If I know a lot about nourishment as it relates to food preparation, I don't want any of my friends to feel like I am a threat to them, if they do not want to change. Every day is an experiment day for me. I learn new things every day. Just because I know these things does not mean I have reached a standard of perfection that others haven't reached yet.
I love what Mark Cahill says about evangelism. He is a seasoned evangelist and is very skilled at what he does. But he will tell you that every day he practices evangelism. When we learn something new, we put it into practice. It doesn't make us better than anyone else. It doesn't put us at an unattainable level.
So, when I write all of these blogs, please remember that I am just a learner like everyone else. Please do not feel threatened when you are around me. If I come off in a prideful way, please tell me. I just 'practice' whatever I learn that is based upon truth. Each day I grow a little more in my understanding of life. Hopefully, I will be able to share with others what I learn. And I don't have to have a perfect grasp on something before I share it with others.
Wednesday, September 10, 2014
I Want To Get Out Of The System
I wrote a note on this, a while back, on Facebook. I will attempt to communicate my heart on this matter, without sounding like I'm paranoid or a conspiracy theorist.
There are so many factors involved that this article could end up sounded jumbled up, but everyday I am seeing more evidence that brings about concern. It's not a concern based upon fear, so much, but rather a concern for being prepared for the future.
For the past 40 years of my Christian life, I have seen people respond to this in fear. Some move away to a remote place of safety. Others are storing food away for when this time comes. While I don't think these things are necessarily wrong in themselves, I believe there are two things God wants us to keep in mind.*
1. God wants His people to be prepared.
2. God does not want His people to be afraid.
So, what is the real problem at hand, and how can I explain it in such a way that it will not take pages for my readers to have to read through?
There are many problems in our environment and in our society, that seem to make us feel helpless, when it comes to living. There are threats to our economy, and there are threats to our safety. There are threats to our livelihoods and basically there our threats to the well being of our society. They are not just threats that some politician can come in and fix. I am ultimately talking about threats that, if left ignored, could wipe out human existence.
In this article, I can only cover a spectrum of this, so I will focus on the food and drug industry in America, more specifically.
The food and drug industry is bigger than we are. Let's go back to the days of Early America. Men and women boarded a ship and eventually came over here and settled our land. Yes, half of them died during the first winter due to sickness, but what they had was precious, and what they had, has been lost today.
They came over here with seeds from Europe. They also made friends with the Native Americans, and these Native Americans helped them to survive by teaching them how to successfully plant. Early Americans had a lot of land and grew everything they needed to have in order to eat and feed their families. They were also resourceful, and used different parts of an animal for things that they needed. Clothing, oil, eating utensils, and meat all came from one animal, in many cases.
As America grew and developed, people lived on farms. People used what was called the 'barter' system in which one person traded his goods with another person for the goods offered by the other person. At some point down the road, banking was set up. Now people could 'buy' the things they needed instead of having to 'barter' for them.
Factories were built, and the first supermarket came on the scene in 1946. The time came when you could buy your own soap instead of having to make it from scratch. Textile mills came about. You could buy your own clothing instead of having to have someone make it, or having to make it yourself.
The time came when people could buy several items and pay for them with a check or credit card. Today, you can go to other countries and use a credit card. Nothing in itself, is really wrong up to this point, but some things took place that could prove to be harmful, as our country progressed in development.
At some point within the past 50 years, the government took more and more responsibility over the food industry as well as over the medical industry. Unless we are inside the government, we do not know what takes place and all the decisions that are being made every day, under the guise of protecting the people.
As a result of this, the Food and Drug Administration was formed. The FDA, as we call it today, has a lot of power, and has taken away the power from the people. Also, governmental funds have helped establish industrialized farming and supports colleges which produce those who work in our present medical field.
I don't want to make this sound like a political article, but I want people to see what is going on in order for us to be prepared. So, please don't write this off as something political or tearing down of our government. We have to be prepared though, for what is coming.
Today, the FDA has the power to shut down farms, if they deem it necessary. If those in the FDA feel like consuming raw milk is dangerous, they have the right to penalize those who sell raw milk. If the FDA believes it is fine to put fluoride in toothpaste, even though fluoride is a known carcinogen, they have the legal authority to keep fluoride in the toothpaste, if they want to do so.
Some of the recent decisions made by those in the FDA have been harmful to people. One example is a farm which produced cheese made from raw milk that was shut down. The FDA came into a health food store, armed, and demanded all of the cheese to be removed. They removed all the cheese from any store that carried it, stating that they believed it was tainted. They tested the cheese over a period of months, and found that the cheese was not tainted, yet they refused to allow the farm to be reopened.
From the angle of the government, and the industrialized food department, we have today a corporation which owns much of the food industry. The name of this corporation is Monsanto. Monsanto has so much power in the decisions of food production and much of these decisions are unwise. They are not only over many food chains, but are also over many companies associated with agriculture. Like the FDA, their decisions aren't based upon what we know will be helpful for people, but their interests are in what brings in the most money. Anything that is a threat to their making money come in, is challenged by them.
Monsanto is the originator of the biological process of modifying food genetically. They are taking seeds and changing their genetical structure to make the plant have certain qualities. This is done to make food stretch so that the byproducts can be used in many other products. This way, food can be produced on a massive level. Instead of local farms producing normal, healthful food, now we have enormous farms producing tons of food products that can be used in prepared food products, and sold on our grocery stores shelves. The key thought in all of this is 'massive production'. Monsanto doesn't care if your food is nourishing. They only care that the food can be stretched and added to other food products they produce and put on shelves of every grocery store chain.
Today, your choices are (when it comes to food) to buy from a local farm (farmer's markets) or to buy from the grocery store, which is ultimately under Monsanto or some other large food industry corporation. Measures are being made today to try to do away with local farms. Can you see why? Do we see a problem here?
Everything is in this system now, and we are duped into assuming that this system is a normal part of our environment. After all, most of us were born after 1946, so we have no memories of our moms or grandmas making soap or apple cider. And those who do have those memories, welcomed the grocery stores when they came into being. After all, who really wants to sit there and stir a pot for making your weekly amount of soap when you could be doing other things?
I am not saying though, that grocery stores are bad. I use them all the time. The grocery store is really not the problem. It's the system that's the problem. It's the gigantic corporations that own all the food production that is causing the problem. They are the ones calling the shots and making the decisions of food safety and evaluation, and their decision making is not good.
So, what is the answer? I hope you now have some background information on what the problem is, so that we can come up with some answers.
The problem is simply that all of our modern, convenient food items are regulated and come out of large food corporations that care only about making money, and you and I are victims of their judgments on safety and nourishment of food products sold in stores. If there were Godly men and women running these corporations, such as Monsanto, then wisdom would be used and decisions would be made that would be good concerning food. But what we have is corporations run by greedy men and women, who don't give a rip about people. They do not have an eternal perspective, nor do they understand or care about cause and effect. If they want to add mercury to vaccines, they will do so. It might be the only way they can mass produce the vaccines and preserve the ingredients in the vaccines so they aren't lost. But wouldn't it be better to be healthy and not need a vaccine int he first place? The FDA will not go in that direction, for if people were healthy, they wouldn't need vaccines, nor would they need medicine (drugs) to make them well. They would lose money.
We can be somewhat free of this system, if we take action. Sadly, we might even have to take action in a political way in order to protect our freedoms from the government dictating what it thinks we should eat and what should be allowed to be put into our foods to make it the way it will sell best and not rot on the shelves in the meantime.
But the main things we can do are to support local farming, and grow our own food. Learn how to grow food without the use of chemicals (another subject for another time). This is really important because the government does see gardening as a threat to their corporations and there are some legal actions that are trying to be made to prevent people from gardening.
I remember a time when I was growing up, where farmers were actually made fun of. They were thought of as 'Old fashioned' or passe. The idea was for people to not become farmers. This whole action was a form of peer pressure and I believe the same source behind the large food corporations is the same one making fun of farmers.
Government is good, and God ordained government. The problem we have today, is not with the government itself. It is with the people we elected into government, and what was done behind our backs or without our knowledge that is causing all our difficulties. We can pull away from this system though, and form our own. We can also form our own communities and work together using our own standard of work ethics. Of course, this will be hard to do if our country turns communist or Muslim, but we would have to go underground if that is the case.
So, Early Americans grew their own food locally and shared their abundance with their neighbors. They bartered for the things they needed. They had fair laws and everyone was involved in the process of growing food. Today, most of our food is grown on Industrialized farms, lacking nourishment, and having additives put in to make them last a long time. Food is not only lacking in nourishment, but also dangerous to eat. Eating at McDonald's might be fun, but there is a trade off. The trade off will benefit the Food and Drug Administration when you get sick from eating food that is actually tainted and devoid of nourishment. The FDA doesn't want you to know this. You are being pulled into it by your taste buds and desire for convenience, and they know this. McDonald's will thrive as long as people keep pulling up in their drive through and entering their arched building. The choice is still yours and mine. How are we going to decide?
So the remaining questions are: How do I get out of the system and How can I survive outside the system? Those will be put on another blog sometime. In the mean time, study organic gardening. Learn to do hard things and don't be afraid of a lot of work. Find others who are interested in organic gardening. Support your local farms and join organic food clubs or co ops.
* We don't first make a case, then try to make connections to support it. We take what evidence we have, then build our case from that.
There are so many factors involved that this article could end up sounded jumbled up, but everyday I am seeing more evidence that brings about concern. It's not a concern based upon fear, so much, but rather a concern for being prepared for the future.
For the past 40 years of my Christian life, I have seen people respond to this in fear. Some move away to a remote place of safety. Others are storing food away for when this time comes. While I don't think these things are necessarily wrong in themselves, I believe there are two things God wants us to keep in mind.*
1. God wants His people to be prepared.
2. God does not want His people to be afraid.
So, what is the real problem at hand, and how can I explain it in such a way that it will not take pages for my readers to have to read through?
There are many problems in our environment and in our society, that seem to make us feel helpless, when it comes to living. There are threats to our economy, and there are threats to our safety. There are threats to our livelihoods and basically there our threats to the well being of our society. They are not just threats that some politician can come in and fix. I am ultimately talking about threats that, if left ignored, could wipe out human existence.
In this article, I can only cover a spectrum of this, so I will focus on the food and drug industry in America, more specifically.
The food and drug industry is bigger than we are. Let's go back to the days of Early America. Men and women boarded a ship and eventually came over here and settled our land. Yes, half of them died during the first winter due to sickness, but what they had was precious, and what they had, has been lost today.
They came over here with seeds from Europe. They also made friends with the Native Americans, and these Native Americans helped them to survive by teaching them how to successfully plant. Early Americans had a lot of land and grew everything they needed to have in order to eat and feed their families. They were also resourceful, and used different parts of an animal for things that they needed. Clothing, oil, eating utensils, and meat all came from one animal, in many cases.
As America grew and developed, people lived on farms. People used what was called the 'barter' system in which one person traded his goods with another person for the goods offered by the other person. At some point down the road, banking was set up. Now people could 'buy' the things they needed instead of having to 'barter' for them.
Factories were built, and the first supermarket came on the scene in 1946. The time came when you could buy your own soap instead of having to make it from scratch. Textile mills came about. You could buy your own clothing instead of having to have someone make it, or having to make it yourself.
The time came when people could buy several items and pay for them with a check or credit card. Today, you can go to other countries and use a credit card. Nothing in itself, is really wrong up to this point, but some things took place that could prove to be harmful, as our country progressed in development.
At some point within the past 50 years, the government took more and more responsibility over the food industry as well as over the medical industry. Unless we are inside the government, we do not know what takes place and all the decisions that are being made every day, under the guise of protecting the people.
As a result of this, the Food and Drug Administration was formed. The FDA, as we call it today, has a lot of power, and has taken away the power from the people. Also, governmental funds have helped establish industrialized farming and supports colleges which produce those who work in our present medical field.
I don't want to make this sound like a political article, but I want people to see what is going on in order for us to be prepared. So, please don't write this off as something political or tearing down of our government. We have to be prepared though, for what is coming.
Today, the FDA has the power to shut down farms, if they deem it necessary. If those in the FDA feel like consuming raw milk is dangerous, they have the right to penalize those who sell raw milk. If the FDA believes it is fine to put fluoride in toothpaste, even though fluoride is a known carcinogen, they have the legal authority to keep fluoride in the toothpaste, if they want to do so.
Some of the recent decisions made by those in the FDA have been harmful to people. One example is a farm which produced cheese made from raw milk that was shut down. The FDA came into a health food store, armed, and demanded all of the cheese to be removed. They removed all the cheese from any store that carried it, stating that they believed it was tainted. They tested the cheese over a period of months, and found that the cheese was not tainted, yet they refused to allow the farm to be reopened.
From the angle of the government, and the industrialized food department, we have today a corporation which owns much of the food industry. The name of this corporation is Monsanto. Monsanto has so much power in the decisions of food production and much of these decisions are unwise. They are not only over many food chains, but are also over many companies associated with agriculture. Like the FDA, their decisions aren't based upon what we know will be helpful for people, but their interests are in what brings in the most money. Anything that is a threat to their making money come in, is challenged by them.
Monsanto is the originator of the biological process of modifying food genetically. They are taking seeds and changing their genetical structure to make the plant have certain qualities. This is done to make food stretch so that the byproducts can be used in many other products. This way, food can be produced on a massive level. Instead of local farms producing normal, healthful food, now we have enormous farms producing tons of food products that can be used in prepared food products, and sold on our grocery stores shelves. The key thought in all of this is 'massive production'. Monsanto doesn't care if your food is nourishing. They only care that the food can be stretched and added to other food products they produce and put on shelves of every grocery store chain.
Today, your choices are (when it comes to food) to buy from a local farm (farmer's markets) or to buy from the grocery store, which is ultimately under Monsanto or some other large food industry corporation. Measures are being made today to try to do away with local farms. Can you see why? Do we see a problem here?
Everything is in this system now, and we are duped into assuming that this system is a normal part of our environment. After all, most of us were born after 1946, so we have no memories of our moms or grandmas making soap or apple cider. And those who do have those memories, welcomed the grocery stores when they came into being. After all, who really wants to sit there and stir a pot for making your weekly amount of soap when you could be doing other things?
I am not saying though, that grocery stores are bad. I use them all the time. The grocery store is really not the problem. It's the system that's the problem. It's the gigantic corporations that own all the food production that is causing the problem. They are the ones calling the shots and making the decisions of food safety and evaluation, and their decision making is not good.
So, what is the answer? I hope you now have some background information on what the problem is, so that we can come up with some answers.
The problem is simply that all of our modern, convenient food items are regulated and come out of large food corporations that care only about making money, and you and I are victims of their judgments on safety and nourishment of food products sold in stores. If there were Godly men and women running these corporations, such as Monsanto, then wisdom would be used and decisions would be made that would be good concerning food. But what we have is corporations run by greedy men and women, who don't give a rip about people. They do not have an eternal perspective, nor do they understand or care about cause and effect. If they want to add mercury to vaccines, they will do so. It might be the only way they can mass produce the vaccines and preserve the ingredients in the vaccines so they aren't lost. But wouldn't it be better to be healthy and not need a vaccine int he first place? The FDA will not go in that direction, for if people were healthy, they wouldn't need vaccines, nor would they need medicine (drugs) to make them well. They would lose money.
We can be somewhat free of this system, if we take action. Sadly, we might even have to take action in a political way in order to protect our freedoms from the government dictating what it thinks we should eat and what should be allowed to be put into our foods to make it the way it will sell best and not rot on the shelves in the meantime.
But the main things we can do are to support local farming, and grow our own food. Learn how to grow food without the use of chemicals (another subject for another time). This is really important because the government does see gardening as a threat to their corporations and there are some legal actions that are trying to be made to prevent people from gardening.
I remember a time when I was growing up, where farmers were actually made fun of. They were thought of as 'Old fashioned' or passe. The idea was for people to not become farmers. This whole action was a form of peer pressure and I believe the same source behind the large food corporations is the same one making fun of farmers.
Government is good, and God ordained government. The problem we have today, is not with the government itself. It is with the people we elected into government, and what was done behind our backs or without our knowledge that is causing all our difficulties. We can pull away from this system though, and form our own. We can also form our own communities and work together using our own standard of work ethics. Of course, this will be hard to do if our country turns communist or Muslim, but we would have to go underground if that is the case.
So, Early Americans grew their own food locally and shared their abundance with their neighbors. They bartered for the things they needed. They had fair laws and everyone was involved in the process of growing food. Today, most of our food is grown on Industrialized farms, lacking nourishment, and having additives put in to make them last a long time. Food is not only lacking in nourishment, but also dangerous to eat. Eating at McDonald's might be fun, but there is a trade off. The trade off will benefit the Food and Drug Administration when you get sick from eating food that is actually tainted and devoid of nourishment. The FDA doesn't want you to know this. You are being pulled into it by your taste buds and desire for convenience, and they know this. McDonald's will thrive as long as people keep pulling up in their drive through and entering their arched building. The choice is still yours and mine. How are we going to decide?
So the remaining questions are: How do I get out of the system and How can I survive outside the system? Those will be put on another blog sometime. In the mean time, study organic gardening. Learn to do hard things and don't be afraid of a lot of work. Find others who are interested in organic gardening. Support your local farms and join organic food clubs or co ops.
* We don't first make a case, then try to make connections to support it. We take what evidence we have, then build our case from that.
Sunday, September 7, 2014
Homemade Aspirin vs. Store Bought Aspirin
I know you probably think I am nuts for making many products from scratch instead of buying them from the store. I have to laugh at people who ask me why I go through all the trouble of making soap when you can just buy it at the store.
One time I had an irritated spot on my body and it wouldn't go away for anything. It was situated in a place where I could not see it, so when I was at the doctor's office one day, I asked him about. I had a really good gynecologist but then he retired and I had to find another one. He was old fashioned and not really into all the modern discoveries of natural healing, but he was a caring doctor. I was surprised at his answer concerning my skin irritation. He asked me what kind of soap I was using, and I told him 'Dial'. He told me to stop using it. He also said that store bought soaps have chemicals in them that are undesirable. So, I have been making my own soap and have no more skin irritation.
The companies that make aspirin are no different than the soap companies. They have to make a product that will work effectively, and they have to make a product that will be able to last for a long time on the shelves. So, in a sense, we have processed aspirins available at the store, as well as everything else that is processed.
My quest for natural aspirin came when I found out that tomatoes do well with a little bit of aspirin water. What I struggled with though, was that in order to follow the recipe for this aspirin water, I would have to buy a bottle of aspirins from the store. If I am doing organic gardening, then I really can't put anything in it that might have other ingredients, thus, my search for aspirin made from scratch went on.
I had learned that aspirin comes from a tree called a 'white willow' tree. The aspirin itself comes from the bark of this tree. Not every willow tree will have this kind of bark though. It has to be the white willow tree.
Of course, I found this product on amazon.com, put out by a company called 'Frontier'. Come to think of it, I have other products from Frontier as well. I have sassafras Root Bark in the same kind of bag as the white willow bark. I ordered the white willow bark and followed the directions on the package, which is pouring 1 cup of hot water over 2 teaspoons of white willow bark and letting it steep for a couple of minutes. Viola! Liquid aspirin made right in front of your eyes!
I let mine steep in a little glass teapot designed for steeping herbs in. In fact, mine looks very much like this one:
It has a glass insert that has holes in it, yet the holes are small enough to keep the herbs inside. You pull the insert out after it gets done steeping. I just take the two teaspoons of willow bark and place them inside the insert, then pour the water into the tea pot and place the cover on the top. I guess you steep it until the water turns into the color you want it to be.
I took the drink after it was cooled off. It really did take my headache away! I have to admit, I bought the willow bark capsules and took them when I had a headache, but they didn't seem to help. I am so glad to have a natural way to take aspirin again, and the tea seems so much better than taking it in capsule form.
The white willow bark comes in both organic and non-organic. The price difference is about $6, but I don't know what any other differences would be.
So, next time that headache comes around, here is a way to create a homemade aspirin product without the chemicals and additives that are in regular store bought aspirin. It's not difficult to make either.
The organic white willow bark is a little over $16 and the regular white willow bark is a little over $10. The size of the bag is one pound which should last for a while (unless your family has a lot of pain or needs to use aspirin on a continual basis.). Plus, you can use some on your tomato plants for good health. I could never figure out the measurements because they used a different measuring system than I am used to, but I would assume that it would be the equivalent of a capsule in a quart of water. Then it is sprayed onto the plants, but only once a month, according to the directions I found on the Internet.
Aspirin Recipe From Frontier
2 teaspoons white willow bark
1 cup boiling water
Put the willow bark into a tea bag, infuser, insert inside of glass tea pot, or cheesecloth. I personally think that using cheese cloth could be kind of messy. Pour the hot water over the bark and let it steep for a good couple of minutes. Then strain the tea so that all the willow bark is in the cheesecloth or tea pot insert. Sweeten as desired. Leftover bark can make a good compost ingredient!
One time I had an irritated spot on my body and it wouldn't go away for anything. It was situated in a place where I could not see it, so when I was at the doctor's office one day, I asked him about. I had a really good gynecologist but then he retired and I had to find another one. He was old fashioned and not really into all the modern discoveries of natural healing, but he was a caring doctor. I was surprised at his answer concerning my skin irritation. He asked me what kind of soap I was using, and I told him 'Dial'. He told me to stop using it. He also said that store bought soaps have chemicals in them that are undesirable. So, I have been making my own soap and have no more skin irritation.
The companies that make aspirin are no different than the soap companies. They have to make a product that will work effectively, and they have to make a product that will be able to last for a long time on the shelves. So, in a sense, we have processed aspirins available at the store, as well as everything else that is processed.
My quest for natural aspirin came when I found out that tomatoes do well with a little bit of aspirin water. What I struggled with though, was that in order to follow the recipe for this aspirin water, I would have to buy a bottle of aspirins from the store. If I am doing organic gardening, then I really can't put anything in it that might have other ingredients, thus, my search for aspirin made from scratch went on.
I had learned that aspirin comes from a tree called a 'white willow' tree. The aspirin itself comes from the bark of this tree. Not every willow tree will have this kind of bark though. It has to be the white willow tree.
Of course, I found this product on amazon.com, put out by a company called 'Frontier'. Come to think of it, I have other products from Frontier as well. I have sassafras Root Bark in the same kind of bag as the white willow bark. I ordered the white willow bark and followed the directions on the package, which is pouring 1 cup of hot water over 2 teaspoons of white willow bark and letting it steep for a couple of minutes. Viola! Liquid aspirin made right in front of your eyes!
I let mine steep in a little glass teapot designed for steeping herbs in. In fact, mine looks very much like this one:
It has a glass insert that has holes in it, yet the holes are small enough to keep the herbs inside. You pull the insert out after it gets done steeping. I just take the two teaspoons of willow bark and place them inside the insert, then pour the water into the tea pot and place the cover on the top. I guess you steep it until the water turns into the color you want it to be.
I took the drink after it was cooled off. It really did take my headache away! I have to admit, I bought the willow bark capsules and took them when I had a headache, but they didn't seem to help. I am so glad to have a natural way to take aspirin again, and the tea seems so much better than taking it in capsule form.
The white willow bark comes in both organic and non-organic. The price difference is about $6, but I don't know what any other differences would be.
So, next time that headache comes around, here is a way to create a homemade aspirin product without the chemicals and additives that are in regular store bought aspirin. It's not difficult to make either.
The organic white willow bark is a little over $16 and the regular white willow bark is a little over $10. The size of the bag is one pound which should last for a while (unless your family has a lot of pain or needs to use aspirin on a continual basis.). Plus, you can use some on your tomato plants for good health. I could never figure out the measurements because they used a different measuring system than I am used to, but I would assume that it would be the equivalent of a capsule in a quart of water. Then it is sprayed onto the plants, but only once a month, according to the directions I found on the Internet.
Aspirin Recipe From Frontier
2 teaspoons white willow bark
1 cup boiling water
Put the willow bark into a tea bag, infuser, insert inside of glass tea pot, or cheesecloth. I personally think that using cheese cloth could be kind of messy. Pour the hot water over the bark and let it steep for a good couple of minutes. Then strain the tea so that all the willow bark is in the cheesecloth or tea pot insert. Sweeten as desired. Leftover bark can make a good compost ingredient!
Thursday, August 21, 2014
A Fantastic Healthful Cookbook Recommendation
I don't know what it is about this cookbook, but every woman should have this in her home. Yes, men can benefit from it as well. Actually, this cookbook (if that is what you want to call it) should be in everyone's home, not just for the recipes, but for all the information and research that is printed in this book.
This book is chock full of information of other cultures and how different people ate in the past. For example, here is an excerpt from the section on Breads and Flour Products: "Mexican women had a custom taken from traditional Indian food preparation of soaking the corncobs in lime water before they made the tortillas." Of course, there are instructions on how to make 'lime water'.
The book covers a lot on fermentation and soaking grains, as well as a section called, 'Feeding Babies' (including safe recipes for milk-based and meat based formulas.). Lots of stuff on vegetables, salads, salad dressings, yogurt, kefir, meat, fish, poultry, condiments, cultured dairy products, and a host of many other things. The food is definitely not boring or tasteless, but it does require some work to prepare it, but every recipe in this book is nourishing and safe to eat.
In the back, there is a section on Superfoods. All kinds of goodies are in this book. You might wonder what this book is called. Here it is:
If you can check it out from a library, good for you. Just make sure you have lots of paper to take notes with and to copy recipes down. You can order it through amazon.com as well. Just click on the link and it will bring you to the page. Be sure to read the reviews as well.
This book is chock full of information of other cultures and how different people ate in the past. For example, here is an excerpt from the section on Breads and Flour Products: "Mexican women had a custom taken from traditional Indian food preparation of soaking the corncobs in lime water before they made the tortillas." Of course, there are instructions on how to make 'lime water'.
The book covers a lot on fermentation and soaking grains, as well as a section called, 'Feeding Babies' (including safe recipes for milk-based and meat based formulas.). Lots of stuff on vegetables, salads, salad dressings, yogurt, kefir, meat, fish, poultry, condiments, cultured dairy products, and a host of many other things. The food is definitely not boring or tasteless, but it does require some work to prepare it, but every recipe in this book is nourishing and safe to eat.
In the back, there is a section on Superfoods. All kinds of goodies are in this book. You might wonder what this book is called. Here it is:
If you can check it out from a library, good for you. Just make sure you have lots of paper to take notes with and to copy recipes down. You can order it through amazon.com as well. Just click on the link and it will bring you to the page. Be sure to read the reviews as well.
Thursday, August 7, 2014
Swimming Safety Tip Derived From A Life-Threatening Experience
I know this is a little late seeing that it is almost the end of summer vacation, but I figure, better late than never.
I think I could really like swimming, except for the fact that when I was around 8 years old, I almost drowned.
Once a person goes through the process of almost drowning, they will be much more cautious around water.
Here is how it happened: I was in a little pool, probably about two feet deep, at the most. My mom watched us like hawks around water, and rarely ever took her eyes off us, but this one time, she went into the house, possibly to answer the phone. I was folding up my legs inside a doughnut shaped float, and rolling around like a wheel on the water, only it wasn't working out very well. While my mom was in the house, the tire shaped float fell over and I was stuck inside it and couldn't get out. It was terrifying and I don't know how long I was under water, but it was longer than what it should have been.
My mom came out just in time and pulled me out. As a result, every time I see a doughnut shaped float it reminds me of that event.
Parents, please watch your children while they are in the water. It only takes a couple of minutes for them to drown. Even children have drown by putting their heads in a bucket of water. Even the best of swimmers can drown, if they get caught underwater.
I think I could really like swimming, except for the fact that when I was around 8 years old, I almost drowned.
Once a person goes through the process of almost drowning, they will be much more cautious around water.
Here is how it happened: I was in a little pool, probably about two feet deep, at the most. My mom watched us like hawks around water, and rarely ever took her eyes off us, but this one time, she went into the house, possibly to answer the phone. I was folding up my legs inside a doughnut shaped float, and rolling around like a wheel on the water, only it wasn't working out very well. While my mom was in the house, the tire shaped float fell over and I was stuck inside it and couldn't get out. It was terrifying and I don't know how long I was under water, but it was longer than what it should have been.
My mom came out just in time and pulled me out. As a result, every time I see a doughnut shaped float it reminds me of that event.
Parents, please watch your children while they are in the water. It only takes a couple of minutes for them to drown. Even children have drown by putting their heads in a bucket of water. Even the best of swimmers can drown, if they get caught underwater.
Saturday, August 2, 2014
Concerning Toothpaste - Isn't There Anything That Is Safe Anymore?
Every day we hear the latest news about what is bad for you to eat, drink, use on your skin or hair, and now we hear about how toothpaste is bad for you. Why? Is there any hope for anything safe out there?
Perhaps you never knew any danger about toothpaste. The most obvious problem with most toothpastes is that they contain fluoride. The American Dental Association approves of fluoride, unfortunately, but, in spite of that, more information is being made available about the harm in fluoride.
I've already written in articles prior to this one, about the connection between the FDA and groups like Monsanto. Monsanto works with genetic modification in plants, which is approved by the FDA. The FDA also approves of the use (I call it overuse) of fluoride in our products, despite the fact that fluoride is a known carcinogen. Also, we are the only country in the world where adding fluoride to our drinking water is mandatory. The same person who has been one of the lawyers for Monsanto, has also been the head of the FDA, and by making the connections, you might be able to see why there are problems with some of the standards allowed by the FDA which any normal person would consider dangerous.
Also, the AMA and the ADA unfortunately work hand in hand with the FDA.
Some of the other ingredients that are in our conventional toothpastes, that are considered unsafe are; FD&C blue color dye #2, Sodium Lauryl Sulfate, Triclosan, Saccharin, and Aspertame.
I have found some 'safer' toothpastes, so I thought, only to find sodium lauryl sulfate in them. Maybe toothpaste needs a complete renovation!
There is a toothpaste that is safe to use, and you can find it on amazon.com. It is called, 'Earthpaste' and at first, it might seem kind of strange because it is different looking and tasting than the average factory produced toothpaste. Here is a link to it. Keep in mind, it's not going to be cheap.
I actually really love this toothpaste. The first tube I bought was pretty expensive, but I have found it a little cheaper if you buy it in a 4-pack.
I think that as time goes on, more and more people will want to buy products that don't contain these dangerous ingredients that are put into our store bought toothpastes, and some adventurous young people will come up with their own toothpaste and will make a lot of money from selling their 'safe' toothpaste to the public. Of course, the FDA will step in and give their 2 cents as well, and we just have to take whatever they say with a grain of salt.
Perhaps you never knew any danger about toothpaste. The most obvious problem with most toothpastes is that they contain fluoride. The American Dental Association approves of fluoride, unfortunately, but, in spite of that, more information is being made available about the harm in fluoride.
I've already written in articles prior to this one, about the connection between the FDA and groups like Monsanto. Monsanto works with genetic modification in plants, which is approved by the FDA. The FDA also approves of the use (I call it overuse) of fluoride in our products, despite the fact that fluoride is a known carcinogen. Also, we are the only country in the world where adding fluoride to our drinking water is mandatory. The same person who has been one of the lawyers for Monsanto, has also been the head of the FDA, and by making the connections, you might be able to see why there are problems with some of the standards allowed by the FDA which any normal person would consider dangerous.
Also, the AMA and the ADA unfortunately work hand in hand with the FDA.
Some of the other ingredients that are in our conventional toothpastes, that are considered unsafe are; FD&C blue color dye #2, Sodium Lauryl Sulfate, Triclosan, Saccharin, and Aspertame.
I have found some 'safer' toothpastes, so I thought, only to find sodium lauryl sulfate in them. Maybe toothpaste needs a complete renovation!
There is a toothpaste that is safe to use, and you can find it on amazon.com. It is called, 'Earthpaste' and at first, it might seem kind of strange because it is different looking and tasting than the average factory produced toothpaste. Here is a link to it. Keep in mind, it's not going to be cheap.
I actually really love this toothpaste. The first tube I bought was pretty expensive, but I have found it a little cheaper if you buy it in a 4-pack.
I think that as time goes on, more and more people will want to buy products that don't contain these dangerous ingredients that are put into our store bought toothpastes, and some adventurous young people will come up with their own toothpaste and will make a lot of money from selling their 'safe' toothpaste to the public. Of course, the FDA will step in and give their 2 cents as well, and we just have to take whatever they say with a grain of salt.
Did you know that you can make your own toothpaste? There are a few links out there and I will post a few here:
http://www.foodrenegade.com/homemade-toothepaste-recipe-remineralizing/ (more complicated)
Do your own research on the use of glycerin. Some say it weakens the enamel on the teeth, so don't feel obligated to add it to your toothpaste mixture.
Tuesday, July 29, 2014
Is Being Nutritionally Minded A Form Of Idolatry?
You might be thinking, 'Why is this blogger so obsessed with being healthy?' I thought we were all supposed to be obsessed with God, not with food!"
That is exactly true! God is to be our focus in life, not food. But why does food have such a priority in our lives, and why am I focusing so much on nutrition and health on my blogs and on Facebook?
In a nutshell, here is the reason why; All my childhood years, and first years of marriage, I never felt good. In fact, I felt terrible most of the time. When I was an infant, I had colic for 7 months, and believe that set the stage for everything that happened during the following years. For one thing, I never slept right. As a child, I would fall asleep around midnight or one in the morning. I never ate anything. My parents and grandparents tried everything to get me to eat. As a teenager, I still didn't eat, but I discovered junk food, which tasted pretty good.
When I was first married, I had stomach problems. Every night, I would have a hard time sleeping because of my stomach. To cure this, I would go out to the kitchen and eat Debbie Cakes. I didn't realize what I was doing until I started a Good News Club, and one of the participants was a young man who lived next door. He lived much like I did, eating Debbie Cakes and skipping meals. I could see how this eating habit was affecting him physically.
A couple of years later, I started selling 'Shaklee' products and went to their weekly classes. That was the beginning of my learning about nutrition and the affects of nutrition on our bodies. But the knowledge was so limited that it wasn't very much, yet it was enough to stir up my interest in the subject.
Years later, I finally figured it out. If I could eat right and sleep right, I would feel better. That would involve cutting out sugar from my diet (which is the hardest thing I had to give up). I could buy local produce that hasn't been sprayed with pesticides, and I can eat grass-fed beef and drink raw milk for the nutritional benefits.
I actually feel good physically now. I write this to explain why this is so important. When I was in high school, I came to Christ and was converted. I now had a new life, and new goals and desires. Life suddenly became very meaningful. I was so happy and grateful to have been rescued that I wanted everyone to know. This was exciting, but I was not trained to do evangelism, and there were no opportunities to go out with people to practice, so eventually, I put evangelism aside, and focused on my family.
I did not feel good during the time period when my two older children were small. I homeschooled them and got pregnant with others, but I still didn't feel good. I did a lot of things wrong, and with the knowledge I gained about how to be healthy, I didn't put it into practice for me or for my family. I just didn't have time for that. And I think we all suffered, because I, as the manager of our home, could not do my job well, because I didn't feel good.
The kids are grown now, and I returned to evangelism, with vision and zeal. Evangelism became my life goal. But I can't do evangelism the way I would like, because I don't feel good. How can that be remedied?
I have visited many nursing homes. I have seen elderly people with dementia. I have seen people with Alzheimer's. I have watched many people die at a young age from cancer. I talked with people who have diabetes. I see people who can't do the things they dreamed of doing one day, because they are unable to, due to poor health.
When I am in my 90s, I don't want to be in a nursing home. I certainly don't want to be in the grave! I hope to not be confined to a wheel chair. I want to be out on the streets talking to people about the Gospel.
If you have a vision to do something for God, go for it! But if you are a typical American, you might be resigning yourself to a nursing home when you get older. You might be assuming that you will get Alzheimer's because your mom or dad had it.
God gave each one of us a little bit of time on earth. That is all we get. How will we use it? Will we use it by feeding ourselves junk food and by ending up in a nursing home when we are older? Will we spend our lives living for pleasure and convenience, and dying of cancer before we are 60? What is it that God has put into your heart to accomplish for Him during your short stay on earth?
God created us to worship Him, but instead we worship other things and live for ourselves. We don't take care of our bodies because we don't see the connection between what we eat and how it relates to our health. We, out of ignorance, live on junk food and processed food because that is the American way, yet, will we have strength to live for and serve the One who gave us life? Can we give up our Oreos and soda pop in order to have the strength to do the will of the One who created us?
"Whatever you do, do it heartily to the Lord." Can we do this if we don't feel good? If we could change this, how could we change it? I wonder if we really believe that we could feel good and have strength if we took care of our bodies? I wonder if we our really willing to pay the price in order to feel good?
That is exactly true! God is to be our focus in life, not food. But why does food have such a priority in our lives, and why am I focusing so much on nutrition and health on my blogs and on Facebook?
In a nutshell, here is the reason why; All my childhood years, and first years of marriage, I never felt good. In fact, I felt terrible most of the time. When I was an infant, I had colic for 7 months, and believe that set the stage for everything that happened during the following years. For one thing, I never slept right. As a child, I would fall asleep around midnight or one in the morning. I never ate anything. My parents and grandparents tried everything to get me to eat. As a teenager, I still didn't eat, but I discovered junk food, which tasted pretty good.
When I was first married, I had stomach problems. Every night, I would have a hard time sleeping because of my stomach. To cure this, I would go out to the kitchen and eat Debbie Cakes. I didn't realize what I was doing until I started a Good News Club, and one of the participants was a young man who lived next door. He lived much like I did, eating Debbie Cakes and skipping meals. I could see how this eating habit was affecting him physically.
A couple of years later, I started selling 'Shaklee' products and went to their weekly classes. That was the beginning of my learning about nutrition and the affects of nutrition on our bodies. But the knowledge was so limited that it wasn't very much, yet it was enough to stir up my interest in the subject.
Years later, I finally figured it out. If I could eat right and sleep right, I would feel better. That would involve cutting out sugar from my diet (which is the hardest thing I had to give up). I could buy local produce that hasn't been sprayed with pesticides, and I can eat grass-fed beef and drink raw milk for the nutritional benefits.
I actually feel good physically now. I write this to explain why this is so important. When I was in high school, I came to Christ and was converted. I now had a new life, and new goals and desires. Life suddenly became very meaningful. I was so happy and grateful to have been rescued that I wanted everyone to know. This was exciting, but I was not trained to do evangelism, and there were no opportunities to go out with people to practice, so eventually, I put evangelism aside, and focused on my family.
I did not feel good during the time period when my two older children were small. I homeschooled them and got pregnant with others, but I still didn't feel good. I did a lot of things wrong, and with the knowledge I gained about how to be healthy, I didn't put it into practice for me or for my family. I just didn't have time for that. And I think we all suffered, because I, as the manager of our home, could not do my job well, because I didn't feel good.
The kids are grown now, and I returned to evangelism, with vision and zeal. Evangelism became my life goal. But I can't do evangelism the way I would like, because I don't feel good. How can that be remedied?
I have visited many nursing homes. I have seen elderly people with dementia. I have seen people with Alzheimer's. I have watched many people die at a young age from cancer. I talked with people who have diabetes. I see people who can't do the things they dreamed of doing one day, because they are unable to, due to poor health.
When I am in my 90s, I don't want to be in a nursing home. I certainly don't want to be in the grave! I hope to not be confined to a wheel chair. I want to be out on the streets talking to people about the Gospel.
If you have a vision to do something for God, go for it! But if you are a typical American, you might be resigning yourself to a nursing home when you get older. You might be assuming that you will get Alzheimer's because your mom or dad had it.
God gave each one of us a little bit of time on earth. That is all we get. How will we use it? Will we use it by feeding ourselves junk food and by ending up in a nursing home when we are older? Will we spend our lives living for pleasure and convenience, and dying of cancer before we are 60? What is it that God has put into your heart to accomplish for Him during your short stay on earth?
God created us to worship Him, but instead we worship other things and live for ourselves. We don't take care of our bodies because we don't see the connection between what we eat and how it relates to our health. We, out of ignorance, live on junk food and processed food because that is the American way, yet, will we have strength to live for and serve the One who gave us life? Can we give up our Oreos and soda pop in order to have the strength to do the will of the One who created us?
"Whatever you do, do it heartily to the Lord." Can we do this if we don't feel good? If we could change this, how could we change it? I wonder if we really believe that we could feel good and have strength if we took care of our bodies? I wonder if we our really willing to pay the price in order to feel good?
How To Beat Cancer - What The FDA Doesn't Want You To Know
I am on a lot of 'health' type mailing lists on the internet, and I feel like I have gone to college by the time I get done reading the many articles that come to me, especially the ones on health and healing.
In 1985, my father died of cancer. We were not ready for this. It never entered any of our minds that my dad would go to a doctor in August, because of a pain in his shoulder (must have really been painful, for my dad would never have gone to a doctor), and that we would lose him in January. By the time we knew he had cancer, it was almost too late to do anything, because he had already lost his appetite.
In 1985, there was no known cure for liver cancer. If you were diagnosed with liver cancer, the doctors gave you no hope (outside of a miracle). People who got liver cancer, were either people who lived in an Asian country, worked with certain chemicals, or drank liquor. My dad didn't really have any of those qualifications, except that he went to Korea for the Korean War.
My dad and mom opted for the chemo treatments. There was no guarantee that chemo would cure my dad. There were no other options though, so he went on chemo and became very ill. I believe that the chemo made his death come earlier than it would have if he would not have had chemo.
During the time after we found out he had cancer, I began to do some research. The only place where you could get any holistic information, was at the health food store. I picked up a book that was about macrobiotics. The book told the story of an actor who was on the A-Team, who beat cancer by eating foods that were categorized as macrobiotic. I still can't remember what all that was about, but was always intrigued when I would hear a cancer story of a person who beat cancer.
The Internet came out when my son was 2. Of course, we couldn't figure out how to use it until years later. Now I sit hear and collect email everyday from health organizations, companies, groups, and emailing lists, which bare much information on health. I always wanted to be a dietitian, and maybe this is how it will come to pass.
I am posting a link to a story of a woman whose father had beaten cancer by eating certain foods which help combat cancer. On her page, there are links to other pages with recipes, and more information on how to beat cancer by eating properly.
Katie's dad had terminal cancer, and was given a series of chemo treatments. He survived the cancer and you can read the story for yourselves at this link : http://www.kitchenstewardship.com/2014/07/28/recipe-connection-cancer-fighting-vegetable-soup-with-an-asian-twist/
If you are on Facebook, you can join my page called, 'I Can Be Cancer Free' at https://www.facebook.com/groups/159145600961312/
Here is a book, which I have not personally read yet, but looks promising:
Another one is:
Should you or a loved one ever hear the terrible words from a doctor, saying, "I'm sorry. There's nothing more we can do", please don't feel doomed! I watched a video of 5 different people who had terminal cancer and all 5 were able to beat cancer. The first man had brain tumors. He was at the stage of his life where he wasn't even functioning. During this last stage of his life, he did much research and put what he learned into practice. He is now fully recovered and living a normal life. But how can a man who is in the last stage of cancer even survive?
The reason why we don't survive cancer is simply because we are all part of the 'system', which means basically, that today, in America, everything we do, the way we live, the food choices we make, the health choices we make, and even what we believe will work or won't work, are based out of a philosophy which causes us to believe that we are supposed to buy food from a grocery store, visit a doctor when we get sick, go to a hospital when we get cancer or pneumonia, and take certain medicines for certain illnesses. It's like a chain of disaster waiting to happen. The food we buy from the grocery store, we buy it because we don't know there are other options. We assume ever since time began, people went to grocery stores and bought their supplies to put together meals, but that is not what happened. Grocery stores are a fairly recent invention (1946), with the intention of making our lives easier, and for those in the upper management levels of the grocery chain, to make a lot of money. I am not saying here that it is wrong to go to a grocery store, or to a doctor when we are sick. But what Americans want today, will sell in the grocery stores. Grocery stores will sell items that people are buying. If people stopped buying certain things, the store would stop selling them.
Americans want food that is attractive, easy to prepare, cheap, and very tasty. The problem is, we can have that because those who work for the Big Ag industry are banking on this, and that is what is produced in our food factories and Industrialized farms. Problem is, there is very little nourishment in this kind of food, and many additives and chemicals are part of the food we eat that is processed and sold in grocery stores. Even in the produce section, it is dangerous because much of the produce is sprayed with toxins to protect from bug damage.
You might be thinking, 'What other methods can farmers use then, to protect their crops, and to make their food big and pretty?' There are other methods, but they take a lot of work, and work is something that Americans today avoid like the plague.
There was an article on the Internet explaining why organic gardening wasn't all that great. I don't even remember what the reasons were, but a friend who had read the article caught something the article said, that was interesting. The article pointed out the organic gardening was bad for us because it involved pulling weeds by hand, and the article continued saying that we should not subject our women to having to do such hard work.
Which is easier, do you think; Pulling weeds out of a garden on a regular basis, or, taking care of a spouse or loved one who is dying of cancer?
The answer to the food dilemma is simply to support our local farms. Many farmers today are moving toward organic gardening/farming. Farmers love their farms and their animals, and want to produce the best food for everyone they sell to. You won't find that in Industrialized farming though. Cows are tied to posts to stand in the same area every day. Chickens do not even see the light of day. Imagine, you are eating chickens who have never seen sunlight. Do you know what kind of mental affect happens when people do not ever see sunlight? Do you know the affect of what happens in a person's body because of his or her never seeing sunlight? And the chickens we buy at the store haven't seen sunlight (which provides vitamins), have been given antibiotics, and growth hormones.
Why do they give chickens growth hormones? Well, it makes the chicken a lot bigger, in a much shorter period of time. What does that reveal? That reveals the fact that we are not willing to take time to produce a good product. We are pragmatic. We want something, and we want it now! Plus, people will buy fat chickens and it puts lots and lots of money into the pocketbooks of those who work for Industrialized farms.
You could take some chickens and feed them the proper diet and let them grow the way they should. It would just take longer and it could only be done on local farms. But did you know that the FDA is not thrilled about local farms, and governmental authorities have shut down organic farms, especially those which sell raw milk (which, according to the 'authorities' is 'dangerous').
I know this involves politics, but if we don't see what is going on, eventually we will have no local farms. Farmers today are discouraged because of the pressure on them to comply with rules they don't agree with. But the farmers are beginning to fight back, and I believe if they continue, we will be ok and will still be able to have many local farms which are producing food that is fit for us to eat.
So, in short, we have produced a society which prizes convenience, taste, appearance, and cost, and have traded that in for the nutrition that we could have, if we were to have continued cutting out the Middlemen and just buying our food from tables at the farmer's markets. We have been cheated out of nutrition, and have placed additives, chemicals, growth hormones in our food instead, in order to have the luxuries of today.
The missing nutrition is the key reason why we are sick. The FDA knows this, and has come up with the answer in the pharmaceutical industry. You eat food lacking in nutrition. You get sick, You go to the doctor and get a prescription. You feel better. You recover and go out and buy more food that is lacking in nutrition. You get sick again. Do you see what is happening here? You are a product of the 'system' but the good news is, you don't have to stay there!
We are a very sick people, and it is not without reason. Don't let people tell you that cancer is genetic. All of us have cancer cells in our bodies, but we can keep them from becoming active by eating properly, moderate exercise, breathing in clean air, and building up our immunities.
Some steps we can begin to take; Buy food from local farms when possible, buy raw milk and dairy products made from raw milk, eliminate white sugar and white flour from our diets as much as possible, eat fruits and vegetables that have been grown organically and have not been sprayed with pesticides, take vitamin D-3, fish oil, COQ10, and DHEA for supplements (make sure they are from a pure company). Also, I highly recommend Juice Plus+ which helps a person get the nourishment from the recommended 13-17 servings of fruit and vegetables we need daily. Juice Plus+ and go to the tab 'Clinical Research' and find the results of many, many tests that have been done, showing the power of Juice Plus in keeping us healthy and building our immunities . Also, if possible, grow some of your own food. You can get a bean sprouting kit and grow your own sprouts to add to salads or recipes (Sprouting is really easy). Start a small garden. It can expand over time.
Yes, with all the chemicals and additives in our foods, it is no wonder we are a sick people. The cancer rate is one out of every two males will get cancer in their lifetimes. If this trend continues, cancer will be 100%. That is what everyone will die from. Do you want to die from cancer, or would you rather live a full life and die at a ripe old age from natural causes?
One more quick note: With all the recent knowledge of health issues, and all the articles being posted on the Internet, the FDA and other such groups are coming back with their versions of why the new health discoveries aren't working. They will tell people that GMOs are good for the world, and that vitamins and supplements are not necessary and are harmful. They will tell you that colloidal silver is bad for you, and they will promote the American Cancer Society, which they will never admit to the fact that the ACA had not come close to finding a cure for cancer. Problem is, they never will, for if they did, and people were actually cured from cancer, guess what? The pharmaceutical companies will take a big financial loss. Think about how much money comes in because of people needing chemo and pain killers. If that were gone, a lot of people would be layed off and would lose their jobs, but can you imagine how many other decent jobs could be created, if everyone were healthy and felt good enough to do whatever it is that they were designed to do?
In 1985, my father died of cancer. We were not ready for this. It never entered any of our minds that my dad would go to a doctor in August, because of a pain in his shoulder (must have really been painful, for my dad would never have gone to a doctor), and that we would lose him in January. By the time we knew he had cancer, it was almost too late to do anything, because he had already lost his appetite.
In 1985, there was no known cure for liver cancer. If you were diagnosed with liver cancer, the doctors gave you no hope (outside of a miracle). People who got liver cancer, were either people who lived in an Asian country, worked with certain chemicals, or drank liquor. My dad didn't really have any of those qualifications, except that he went to Korea for the Korean War.
My dad and mom opted for the chemo treatments. There was no guarantee that chemo would cure my dad. There were no other options though, so he went on chemo and became very ill. I believe that the chemo made his death come earlier than it would have if he would not have had chemo.
During the time after we found out he had cancer, I began to do some research. The only place where you could get any holistic information, was at the health food store. I picked up a book that was about macrobiotics. The book told the story of an actor who was on the A-Team, who beat cancer by eating foods that were categorized as macrobiotic. I still can't remember what all that was about, but was always intrigued when I would hear a cancer story of a person who beat cancer.
The Internet came out when my son was 2. Of course, we couldn't figure out how to use it until years later. Now I sit hear and collect email everyday from health organizations, companies, groups, and emailing lists, which bare much information on health. I always wanted to be a dietitian, and maybe this is how it will come to pass.
I am posting a link to a story of a woman whose father had beaten cancer by eating certain foods which help combat cancer. On her page, there are links to other pages with recipes, and more information on how to beat cancer by eating properly.
Katie's dad had terminal cancer, and was given a series of chemo treatments. He survived the cancer and you can read the story for yourselves at this link : http://www.kitchenstewardship.com/2014/07/28/recipe-connection-cancer-fighting-vegetable-soup-with-an-asian-twist/
If you are on Facebook, you can join my page called, 'I Can Be Cancer Free' at https://www.facebook.com/groups/159145600961312/
Here is a book, which I have not personally read yet, but looks promising:
Another one is:
Should you or a loved one ever hear the terrible words from a doctor, saying, "I'm sorry. There's nothing more we can do", please don't feel doomed! I watched a video of 5 different people who had terminal cancer and all 5 were able to beat cancer. The first man had brain tumors. He was at the stage of his life where he wasn't even functioning. During this last stage of his life, he did much research and put what he learned into practice. He is now fully recovered and living a normal life. But how can a man who is in the last stage of cancer even survive?
The reason why we don't survive cancer is simply because we are all part of the 'system', which means basically, that today, in America, everything we do, the way we live, the food choices we make, the health choices we make, and even what we believe will work or won't work, are based out of a philosophy which causes us to believe that we are supposed to buy food from a grocery store, visit a doctor when we get sick, go to a hospital when we get cancer or pneumonia, and take certain medicines for certain illnesses. It's like a chain of disaster waiting to happen. The food we buy from the grocery store, we buy it because we don't know there are other options. We assume ever since time began, people went to grocery stores and bought their supplies to put together meals, but that is not what happened. Grocery stores are a fairly recent invention (1946), with the intention of making our lives easier, and for those in the upper management levels of the grocery chain, to make a lot of money. I am not saying here that it is wrong to go to a grocery store, or to a doctor when we are sick. But what Americans want today, will sell in the grocery stores. Grocery stores will sell items that people are buying. If people stopped buying certain things, the store would stop selling them.
Americans want food that is attractive, easy to prepare, cheap, and very tasty. The problem is, we can have that because those who work for the Big Ag industry are banking on this, and that is what is produced in our food factories and Industrialized farms. Problem is, there is very little nourishment in this kind of food, and many additives and chemicals are part of the food we eat that is processed and sold in grocery stores. Even in the produce section, it is dangerous because much of the produce is sprayed with toxins to protect from bug damage.
You might be thinking, 'What other methods can farmers use then, to protect their crops, and to make their food big and pretty?' There are other methods, but they take a lot of work, and work is something that Americans today avoid like the plague.
There was an article on the Internet explaining why organic gardening wasn't all that great. I don't even remember what the reasons were, but a friend who had read the article caught something the article said, that was interesting. The article pointed out the organic gardening was bad for us because it involved pulling weeds by hand, and the article continued saying that we should not subject our women to having to do such hard work.
Which is easier, do you think; Pulling weeds out of a garden on a regular basis, or, taking care of a spouse or loved one who is dying of cancer?
The answer to the food dilemma is simply to support our local farms. Many farmers today are moving toward organic gardening/farming. Farmers love their farms and their animals, and want to produce the best food for everyone they sell to. You won't find that in Industrialized farming though. Cows are tied to posts to stand in the same area every day. Chickens do not even see the light of day. Imagine, you are eating chickens who have never seen sunlight. Do you know what kind of mental affect happens when people do not ever see sunlight? Do you know the affect of what happens in a person's body because of his or her never seeing sunlight? And the chickens we buy at the store haven't seen sunlight (which provides vitamins), have been given antibiotics, and growth hormones.
Why do they give chickens growth hormones? Well, it makes the chicken a lot bigger, in a much shorter period of time. What does that reveal? That reveals the fact that we are not willing to take time to produce a good product. We are pragmatic. We want something, and we want it now! Plus, people will buy fat chickens and it puts lots and lots of money into the pocketbooks of those who work for Industrialized farms.
You could take some chickens and feed them the proper diet and let them grow the way they should. It would just take longer and it could only be done on local farms. But did you know that the FDA is not thrilled about local farms, and governmental authorities have shut down organic farms, especially those which sell raw milk (which, according to the 'authorities' is 'dangerous').
I know this involves politics, but if we don't see what is going on, eventually we will have no local farms. Farmers today are discouraged because of the pressure on them to comply with rules they don't agree with. But the farmers are beginning to fight back, and I believe if they continue, we will be ok and will still be able to have many local farms which are producing food that is fit for us to eat.
So, in short, we have produced a society which prizes convenience, taste, appearance, and cost, and have traded that in for the nutrition that we could have, if we were to have continued cutting out the Middlemen and just buying our food from tables at the farmer's markets. We have been cheated out of nutrition, and have placed additives, chemicals, growth hormones in our food instead, in order to have the luxuries of today.
The missing nutrition is the key reason why we are sick. The FDA knows this, and has come up with the answer in the pharmaceutical industry. You eat food lacking in nutrition. You get sick, You go to the doctor and get a prescription. You feel better. You recover and go out and buy more food that is lacking in nutrition. You get sick again. Do you see what is happening here? You are a product of the 'system' but the good news is, you don't have to stay there!
We are a very sick people, and it is not without reason. Don't let people tell you that cancer is genetic. All of us have cancer cells in our bodies, but we can keep them from becoming active by eating properly, moderate exercise, breathing in clean air, and building up our immunities.
Some steps we can begin to take; Buy food from local farms when possible, buy raw milk and dairy products made from raw milk, eliminate white sugar and white flour from our diets as much as possible, eat fruits and vegetables that have been grown organically and have not been sprayed with pesticides, take vitamin D-3, fish oil, COQ10, and DHEA for supplements (make sure they are from a pure company). Also, I highly recommend Juice Plus+ which helps a person get the nourishment from the recommended 13-17 servings of fruit and vegetables we need daily. Juice Plus+ and go to the tab 'Clinical Research' and find the results of many, many tests that have been done, showing the power of Juice Plus in keeping us healthy and building our immunities . Also, if possible, grow some of your own food. You can get a bean sprouting kit and grow your own sprouts to add to salads or recipes (Sprouting is really easy). Start a small garden. It can expand over time.
Yes, with all the chemicals and additives in our foods, it is no wonder we are a sick people. The cancer rate is one out of every two males will get cancer in their lifetimes. If this trend continues, cancer will be 100%. That is what everyone will die from. Do you want to die from cancer, or would you rather live a full life and die at a ripe old age from natural causes?
One more quick note: With all the recent knowledge of health issues, and all the articles being posted on the Internet, the FDA and other such groups are coming back with their versions of why the new health discoveries aren't working. They will tell people that GMOs are good for the world, and that vitamins and supplements are not necessary and are harmful. They will tell you that colloidal silver is bad for you, and they will promote the American Cancer Society, which they will never admit to the fact that the ACA had not come close to finding a cure for cancer. Problem is, they never will, for if they did, and people were actually cured from cancer, guess what? The pharmaceutical companies will take a big financial loss. Think about how much money comes in because of people needing chemo and pain killers. If that were gone, a lot of people would be layed off and would lose their jobs, but can you imagine how many other decent jobs could be created, if everyone were healthy and felt good enough to do whatever it is that they were designed to do?
Nourishing Traditions - A Great Way To Learn How To Work With Food
I have all kinds of cook books and most of them are helpful. But if you really want to get back to basics, Sally Falon's cook book called Nourishing Traditions is the book you want to have.
Cooking properly is not as simple as opening a couple of boxes of prepared food and throwing something into the microwave! But in the olden days, people knew how to cook right. There were no other options, because grocery stores had not come on the scene until 1946.
There are a lot of footnotes in this book, as well as recipes. The recipes though, aren't your typical recipe. Some of them have a little work involved.
There are recipes to make cheese as well as fermented drinks. I especially like the recipe for 'Crispy Nuts' as following the recipes will help prevent digestive problems. Since I use nuts a lot, I make a batch up occasionally and will store the nuts in a container and use them as needed.
Cooking properly is not as simple as opening a couple of boxes of prepared food and throwing something into the microwave! But in the olden days, people knew how to cook right. There were no other options, because grocery stores had not come on the scene until 1946.
There are a lot of footnotes in this book, as well as recipes. The recipes though, aren't your typical recipe. Some of them have a little work involved.
There are recipes to make cheese as well as fermented drinks. I especially like the recipe for 'Crispy Nuts' as following the recipes will help prevent digestive problems. Since I use nuts a lot, I make a batch up occasionally and will store the nuts in a container and use them as needed.
Friday, July 25, 2014
The Results of the Homemade Root Beer Are In!
I followed the directions to make homemade root beer from 'Wellness Mama's recipe on her blog. This isn't the type of recipe where you just buy some root beer extract and add it to club soda, like I had been doing. This recipe ends up being a fermented drink, and the carbonation comes from the fermentation.
Of course, I am skeptical about how fermentation can lead to such great carbonation, but we will see, as this recipe unfolds in my kitchen.
I filled 2 bottles and a half of another bottle with this probiotic mixture which would lead to authentic root beer, and had it sit on the bottom of the pantry for 2 days. I opened only one bottle to check on the fermentation. I was definitely beginning to ferment, but not much carbonation was there yet. My husband and I tasted it, and he didn't care for the taste. Of course, he is used to the store bought kind, over ice, with a lot of sugar in it. I thought it tasted different, but had potential.
Two days later, I opened the other two bottles and was surprised at the amount of carbonation in them. It was a good thing I opened them then, because if I would have waited another couple of days, the bottles may have exploded!
It made a mess which I had to clean up (by the way, if you ever open fermenting bottles, you might want to take them outside). Root beer was everywhere in the area of the kitchen where I opened the bottles. Even the one I opened in the sink was surrounded by root beer covering the counter tops!
The verdict is in (if I am the judge of the final product!). The root beer tastes authentic, but it must be chilled before you can experience the real root beer test. After it was well chilled, it tasted good, with a lot of other flavors which enhanced the root beer flavor, but it was not very sweet. I cured that by adding some liquid Stevia to it. Now, I take a glass with ice in it, pour some liquid Stevia on the ice, then pour the root beer onto that. Now that is some drink!
Now, onto learning how to make Ginger Ale, or Ginger Beer. Stay tuned!
* For those interested in the recipe for homemade root beer, go to this site: http://wellnessmama.com/11392/homemade-root-beer/
* There is a problem with the link that goes to making the 'Ginger Bug' so here is the link for that: http://wellnessmama.com/8942/ginger-bug/
Note: You can find many of the ingredients on amazon.com and are listed on the right side of this page. Amazon.com also carries liquid Stevia, which doesn't contain the malto-dextrine or dextrose that the dry Stevia products contain.
Of course, I am skeptical about how fermentation can lead to such great carbonation, but we will see, as this recipe unfolds in my kitchen.
I filled 2 bottles and a half of another bottle with this probiotic mixture which would lead to authentic root beer, and had it sit on the bottom of the pantry for 2 days. I opened only one bottle to check on the fermentation. I was definitely beginning to ferment, but not much carbonation was there yet. My husband and I tasted it, and he didn't care for the taste. Of course, he is used to the store bought kind, over ice, with a lot of sugar in it. I thought it tasted different, but had potential.
Two days later, I opened the other two bottles and was surprised at the amount of carbonation in them. It was a good thing I opened them then, because if I would have waited another couple of days, the bottles may have exploded!
It made a mess which I had to clean up (by the way, if you ever open fermenting bottles, you might want to take them outside). Root beer was everywhere in the area of the kitchen where I opened the bottles. Even the one I opened in the sink was surrounded by root beer covering the counter tops!
The verdict is in (if I am the judge of the final product!). The root beer tastes authentic, but it must be chilled before you can experience the real root beer test. After it was well chilled, it tasted good, with a lot of other flavors which enhanced the root beer flavor, but it was not very sweet. I cured that by adding some liquid Stevia to it. Now, I take a glass with ice in it, pour some liquid Stevia on the ice, then pour the root beer onto that. Now that is some drink!
Now, onto learning how to make Ginger Ale, or Ginger Beer. Stay tuned!
* For those interested in the recipe for homemade root beer, go to this site: http://wellnessmama.com/11392/homemade-root-beer/
* There is a problem with the link that goes to making the 'Ginger Bug' so here is the link for that: http://wellnessmama.com/8942/ginger-bug/
Note: You can find many of the ingredients on amazon.com and are listed on the right side of this page. Amazon.com also carries liquid Stevia, which doesn't contain the malto-dextrine or dextrose that the dry Stevia products contain.
Homemade Root Beer. Recipe From 'Wellness Mama' |
Thursday, July 24, 2014
Broccoli With Cheese Sauce
I went to Whole Foods the other day and was delighted to find so many neat items. One item I found was Applegate Farms Emmentaler Swiss Cheese, so I bought some. I had not seen this cheese anywhere else, so far. I like the taste of it too.
Here is what I made with 2 small heads of broccoli that I had to use up. I actually put the heads of broccoli in a large slow cooker that was cooking a chicken and making chicken broth. I took the broccoli out and made a cheese sauce with it using the Emmentaler Swiss Cheese.
Broccoli With Cheese Sauce
1 large head broccoli or 2 small heads, steamed
1/2 cup milk
1 TBS. corn starch
2 slices Emmentaler Swiss Cheese
Salt, to taste
Butter
Steam the broccoli first. Add corn starch to milk, and heat until thickened, until it starts to boil. Stir until the cornstarch and milk are completely combined. Once the sauce is thick, add the cheese to it. Let the cheese melt and pour over broccoli. Add salt and butter, if desired. Serves 3-4.
Here is what I made with 2 small heads of broccoli that I had to use up. I actually put the heads of broccoli in a large slow cooker that was cooking a chicken and making chicken broth. I took the broccoli out and made a cheese sauce with it using the Emmentaler Swiss Cheese.
Broccoli With Cheese Sauce
1 large head broccoli or 2 small heads, steamed
1/2 cup milk
1 TBS. corn starch
2 slices Emmentaler Swiss Cheese
Salt, to taste
Butter
Steam the broccoli first. Add corn starch to milk, and heat until thickened, until it starts to boil. Stir until the cornstarch and milk are completely combined. Once the sauce is thick, add the cheese to it. Let the cheese melt and pour over broccoli. Add salt and butter, if desired. Serves 3-4.
Friday, July 18, 2014
Homemade Root Beer - A Fizzy Experiment!
I did it. After all these years, I made root beer from scratch! I found a good recipe from Wellness Mama, and followed the directions as given. Of course, we will not be able to find the complete results until late tomorrow night as you can start testing it two days after it has been bottled.
Will it be flat, or will it explode? I received a gift certificate for amazon.com and decided to invest in bottles and the ingredients, which were a little on the expensive side.
So, after boiling the mixture (which contained the sassafras bark, wintergreen leaf, allspice, and cinnamon chunks in filtered water) for 15 minutes or so, the water turned the right color! Then I added the other ingredients and strained the liquid and poured it into the bottles. I want to make another batch of this as I could drink root beer all day. Root beer goes great with Pizza, and even though I do not advocate drinking soda with a meal, I think there is something safe about drinking homemade root beer with a meal, occasionally.
This root beer recipe is a probiotic drink as well, which means it contains probiotics which can help put good microbes into your gut. The reason why it is probiotic is because of the 'Ginger Bug' I made to put into the root beer mixture. Grated ginger is placed in filtered water with sugar. Each day, a little more sugar and grated ginger is added to the mix. It should be bubbly in 5 days, and can be used, or, it can be refrigerated and brought out at another time to use. Wellness Mama has recipes for both the root beer and the 'Ginger Bug'.
http://wellnessmama.com/11392/homemade-root-beer/
http://wellnessmama.com/8942/how-to-make-a-ginger-bug/
Will it be flat, or will it explode? I received a gift certificate for amazon.com and decided to invest in bottles and the ingredients, which were a little on the expensive side.
So, after boiling the mixture (which contained the sassafras bark, wintergreen leaf, allspice, and cinnamon chunks in filtered water) for 15 minutes or so, the water turned the right color! Then I added the other ingredients and strained the liquid and poured it into the bottles. I want to make another batch of this as I could drink root beer all day. Root beer goes great with Pizza, and even though I do not advocate drinking soda with a meal, I think there is something safe about drinking homemade root beer with a meal, occasionally.
This root beer recipe is a probiotic drink as well, which means it contains probiotics which can help put good microbes into your gut. The reason why it is probiotic is because of the 'Ginger Bug' I made to put into the root beer mixture. Grated ginger is placed in filtered water with sugar. Each day, a little more sugar and grated ginger is added to the mix. It should be bubbly in 5 days, and can be used, or, it can be refrigerated and brought out at another time to use. Wellness Mama has recipes for both the root beer and the 'Ginger Bug'.
http://wellnessmama.com/11392/homemade-root-beer/
http://wellnessmama.com/8942/how-to-make-a-ginger-bug/
Homemade Root Beer as it Ferments |
Wednesday, July 16, 2014
Why We Need Fresh Air and Oxygen - Let The Fresh Air In!
When I was a kid, in the 1960s, I lived up North for a long time. Kids were always outside playing. I spent quite a bit of time outside, except when it was snowing. It was normal to see a group of people playing softball in the street, or riding bikes.
We moved down to Florida in 1965, and we were still outside much of the time. We definitely got our fresh air intake and exercise from riding bikes. But all that has changed.
My children were born in the 80s and 90s. They spent some time outside, but most of their activities were done indoors. Maybe it was because it was so hot outside. Perhaps watching television or playing video games was more fun than riding bikes.
I go to a clinic where were learn about the 5 M's of Maximized Living. They have to do with eating right, exercise, eliminating toxins, building muscles, and breathing clean air. But why is oxygen so important to us?
There are two things human beings cannot live without for very long. One is water, and the other is oxygen. Water is necessary for our bodies to make blood with. If we go without oxygen for even a short length of time, we could die or our kidneys could shut down. Plus, our cells need to breathe, and they need oxygen for respiration.
We need to have good, unpolluted oxygen in our lungs. With so much pollution in the air today, it is challenging to get clean air, but it can be done.
Human beings breathe in oxygen, and give off carbon dioxide. Plants take in carbon dioxide, and give off oxygen. It is good to live in an area where there are a lot of trees and plants, for this reason alone.
With our artistically perfect, artificial world we live in, we are being cheated out of getting the real thing. If there is a choice to have a real tree or plant, or an artificial one, pick the real one. No oxygen can come from a plastic tree!
There are ways we can even renovate our yards and homes, in order to make our ambience serve us. Edible landscaping is a way of gardening that not only produces food, but it makes the landscape look aesthetically acceptable. Plus, with all the green, lots of oxygen is being produced, which is beneficially to us as well as the produce.
Clean oxygen and lots of oxygen is what we need. Clean food and water is necessary too. So, the tip for today would be to plant lots of plants. Also, when the weather isn't so hot, open the windows and doors if possible, to let the fresh air in. Let the stale air out and the new air into the house. Let the wash dry in the sun, or let it freeze dry, like they did in the days of 'Little House'.
We moved down to Florida in 1965, and we were still outside much of the time. We definitely got our fresh air intake and exercise from riding bikes. But all that has changed.
My children were born in the 80s and 90s. They spent some time outside, but most of their activities were done indoors. Maybe it was because it was so hot outside. Perhaps watching television or playing video games was more fun than riding bikes.
I go to a clinic where were learn about the 5 M's of Maximized Living. They have to do with eating right, exercise, eliminating toxins, building muscles, and breathing clean air. But why is oxygen so important to us?
There are two things human beings cannot live without for very long. One is water, and the other is oxygen. Water is necessary for our bodies to make blood with. If we go without oxygen for even a short length of time, we could die or our kidneys could shut down. Plus, our cells need to breathe, and they need oxygen for respiration.
We need to have good, unpolluted oxygen in our lungs. With so much pollution in the air today, it is challenging to get clean air, but it can be done.
Human beings breathe in oxygen, and give off carbon dioxide. Plants take in carbon dioxide, and give off oxygen. It is good to live in an area where there are a lot of trees and plants, for this reason alone.
With our artistically perfect, artificial world we live in, we are being cheated out of getting the real thing. If there is a choice to have a real tree or plant, or an artificial one, pick the real one. No oxygen can come from a plastic tree!
There are ways we can even renovate our yards and homes, in order to make our ambience serve us. Edible landscaping is a way of gardening that not only produces food, but it makes the landscape look aesthetically acceptable. Plus, with all the green, lots of oxygen is being produced, which is beneficially to us as well as the produce.
Clean oxygen and lots of oxygen is what we need. Clean food and water is necessary too. So, the tip for today would be to plant lots of plants. Also, when the weather isn't so hot, open the windows and doors if possible, to let the fresh air in. Let the stale air out and the new air into the house. Let the wash dry in the sun, or let it freeze dry, like they did in the days of 'Little House'.
Plant a tree in order to get oxygen! |
Tuesday, July 15, 2014
How Can Americans Become Healthy Again?
Years ago, the word 'cancer' meant an automatic death sentence. Sadly, although many advances have been made, it is still a scary word. More people get cancer today, in America, than ever before. Many are prone to diabetes, and Lyme Disease is even becoming more widespread. Isn't there anything we can do to help us prevent sicknesses?
I believe there is an answer. I have heard, many times where people who are 'gluten intolerant' can go to another country and eat bread without any problem. People have come up with valid cures for cancer, but they go to prison. The point is, there is hope.
The best way to not get sick is to prevent the sickness in the first place. Modern medicinal thinking would lead us to believe that sickness is inevitable, and that we treat it whenever we get sick, but there really is a better way.
I have heard of people beating cancer by eliminating certain types of food items, such as sugar, from their diets. We have a friend who is beating Chron's Disease by this same type of diet. No preservatives, no sugar, no white flour products (in America today, we also include all grain products, possibly due to GMO or the wheat being sprayed with toxic chemicals).
I have a page on Facebook called, 'I Can Be Cancer Free' which discusses different ways people have beat cancer.
On the page, whenever I find articles of how someone beat cancer, I will post the article. I have read where people have been cured from cancer by using baking soda. I have heard other stories of different things people did to get rid of cancer. There is a science behind everything that happens in our bodies, and there are scientific ways of working with our bodies to prevent sickness.
I Can Be, Cancer Free
If you are a reader and read current health articles, you may find conflicting information. Sometimes, it is done intentionally, such as the modern American medical groups, who find natural advances to curing cancer disturbing. But there are other difficulties as well. For example, strawberries are very good for you to eat. So, while you are eating your strawberries, you might want to be aware of the fact that strawberries are heavily sprayed with insecticides. Years ago, while being on a bird email list, I read about a woman's parrot that died because it ate an apple. She explained that the bird ate the part of the apple closest to the core. I would have thought that the skin of the apple would have been worse, but as she explained how the chemical, whether it was an herbicide or pesticide, I don't know, was taken in by the tree's roots and the core of the apple was where the toxin settled. I think that if my bird is ever to get apples, I would make sure they are organic before she eats them. But, other than the spray, apples are excellent for nourishment.
You may have heard that milk is bad for you. You might have seen commercials where milk is good for you. Who is right? Actually, in a sense, both are. In the olden days, before milk was pasteurized and homogenized, it was very good to drink. Today though, most milk is pasteurized, homogenized, and has additives to it. Also, the cow from where the milk came from, has probably had growth hormones and antibiotics given to her. The farmers on large commercial dairies do that to protect the cow from getting diseases and also the growth hormones help the cow to be bigger, and also to produce more milk. But it isn't good for people to drink milk from such cows. Could this be a reason why girls begin puberty earlier than their grandmothers did?
Raw milk, on the other hand, is an excellent source of nourishment. The more cream it has, the more nourishing it is. Of course, too much of anything will put on weight! Also, it depends upon what the cow has eaten, and if the cow has been given antibiotics and growth hormones. Usually, the farmers who leave their milk raw, also do not give growth hormones or antibiotics to their cows, but it is wise to check anyway, just to make sure. Grass fed cows produce top-notch milk. Do not let any health articles scare you on the so called, 'dangers of raw milk'.
Yes, there are many things we can do to keep ourselves healthy. It is a matter of choice, and for some, it will be a hard choice. With all the information we have available to us on preventing sickness, it is amazing to see the lines at the fast food restaurants as I go to the chiropractor (health clinic). It's hard to give up junk food, and some would rather hold on to it, and die early. That is a choice we all have to make in America today. Do I want to live long, and die a natural death when my time comes, or do I want to die early of a horrible, painful disease at a younger age?
I believe there is an answer. I have heard, many times where people who are 'gluten intolerant' can go to another country and eat bread without any problem. People have come up with valid cures for cancer, but they go to prison. The point is, there is hope.
The best way to not get sick is to prevent the sickness in the first place. Modern medicinal thinking would lead us to believe that sickness is inevitable, and that we treat it whenever we get sick, but there really is a better way.
I have heard of people beating cancer by eliminating certain types of food items, such as sugar, from their diets. We have a friend who is beating Chron's Disease by this same type of diet. No preservatives, no sugar, no white flour products (in America today, we also include all grain products, possibly due to GMO or the wheat being sprayed with toxic chemicals).
I have a page on Facebook called, 'I Can Be Cancer Free' which discusses different ways people have beat cancer.
On the page, whenever I find articles of how someone beat cancer, I will post the article. I have read where people have been cured from cancer by using baking soda. I have heard other stories of different things people did to get rid of cancer. There is a science behind everything that happens in our bodies, and there are scientific ways of working with our bodies to prevent sickness.
I Can Be, Cancer Free
If you are a reader and read current health articles, you may find conflicting information. Sometimes, it is done intentionally, such as the modern American medical groups, who find natural advances to curing cancer disturbing. But there are other difficulties as well. For example, strawberries are very good for you to eat. So, while you are eating your strawberries, you might want to be aware of the fact that strawberries are heavily sprayed with insecticides. Years ago, while being on a bird email list, I read about a woman's parrot that died because it ate an apple. She explained that the bird ate the part of the apple closest to the core. I would have thought that the skin of the apple would have been worse, but as she explained how the chemical, whether it was an herbicide or pesticide, I don't know, was taken in by the tree's roots and the core of the apple was where the toxin settled. I think that if my bird is ever to get apples, I would make sure they are organic before she eats them. But, other than the spray, apples are excellent for nourishment.
You may have heard that milk is bad for you. You might have seen commercials where milk is good for you. Who is right? Actually, in a sense, both are. In the olden days, before milk was pasteurized and homogenized, it was very good to drink. Today though, most milk is pasteurized, homogenized, and has additives to it. Also, the cow from where the milk came from, has probably had growth hormones and antibiotics given to her. The farmers on large commercial dairies do that to protect the cow from getting diseases and also the growth hormones help the cow to be bigger, and also to produce more milk. But it isn't good for people to drink milk from such cows. Could this be a reason why girls begin puberty earlier than their grandmothers did?
Raw milk, on the other hand, is an excellent source of nourishment. The more cream it has, the more nourishing it is. Of course, too much of anything will put on weight! Also, it depends upon what the cow has eaten, and if the cow has been given antibiotics and growth hormones. Usually, the farmers who leave their milk raw, also do not give growth hormones or antibiotics to their cows, but it is wise to check anyway, just to make sure. Grass fed cows produce top-notch milk. Do not let any health articles scare you on the so called, 'dangers of raw milk'.
Yes, there are many things we can do to keep ourselves healthy. It is a matter of choice, and for some, it will be a hard choice. With all the information we have available to us on preventing sickness, it is amazing to see the lines at the fast food restaurants as I go to the chiropractor (health clinic). It's hard to give up junk food, and some would rather hold on to it, and die early. That is a choice we all have to make in America today. Do I want to live long, and die a natural death when my time comes, or do I want to die early of a horrible, painful disease at a younger age?
Saturday, July 12, 2014
Homemade Cereal - Much Better For You Than Boxed Cereal
There is a saying, and I don't remember the exact words, of course, but it goes something like this; The longer the shelf life of a product, the shorter the person's life is, who uses that product. I know, I completely rephrased this, but you get the point.
I want to buy less and less products that are on the shelves (conventional food), so, little by little, I am making my own. I use some items that are on the shelves, and some I make in my kitchen to remake typical cereal.
I was never a cereal eater. My mom was so desperate for me to eat breakfast, that she made it into a game. Some of our bowls had a little mark on the bottom of the bowl. We were to eat our cereal and see if we could find this mark that she was talking about. I wasn't impressed. I found the mark once or twice and went back to not wanting to eat breakfast again.
In case you haven't noticed the ingredient panel on cereal boxes, the main ingredient is sugar. The rest is processed with some additives to preserve, flavor, or color. There is very little nutrition in boxed cereal. Maybe it was a good thing after all, that I never ate my cereal when I was a kid.
I think if a food is genuine, I can eat it now. Here is a basic recipe for a nourishing cereal:
Arrowhead Mills Spelt flakes or sweetened rice flakes
Assorted dried fruit (I use dried cherries, dried peaches, dried dates, dehydrated bananas)
Soaked and dried nuts, chopped up
I just do everything to taste and don't measure. I like a lot of fruit, so I put (probably more than I should) a good amount of dried fruit on. The soaked and dried nuts are made from a recipe in 'Nourishing Traditions' cookbook. You soak the nuts for 12 hours and dry them for 8 hours (or the other way around!) They have to be soaked so they can be properly digested. I use mainly almonds for this, but walnuts are great too!
You can get Arrowhead Mills cereals through amazon.com. Costco has a good selection of nuts.
You can use oatmeal or other grains too, but they must be soaked for many hours if you want to use them in cooking or eating.
When it is all finished, I pour raw milk on it. Yummmmm!
I want to buy less and less products that are on the shelves (conventional food), so, little by little, I am making my own. I use some items that are on the shelves, and some I make in my kitchen to remake typical cereal.
I was never a cereal eater. My mom was so desperate for me to eat breakfast, that she made it into a game. Some of our bowls had a little mark on the bottom of the bowl. We were to eat our cereal and see if we could find this mark that she was talking about. I wasn't impressed. I found the mark once or twice and went back to not wanting to eat breakfast again.
In case you haven't noticed the ingredient panel on cereal boxes, the main ingredient is sugar. The rest is processed with some additives to preserve, flavor, or color. There is very little nutrition in boxed cereal. Maybe it was a good thing after all, that I never ate my cereal when I was a kid.
I think if a food is genuine, I can eat it now. Here is a basic recipe for a nourishing cereal:
Arrowhead Mills Spelt flakes or sweetened rice flakes
Assorted dried fruit (I use dried cherries, dried peaches, dried dates, dehydrated bananas)
Soaked and dried nuts, chopped up
I just do everything to taste and don't measure. I like a lot of fruit, so I put (probably more than I should) a good amount of dried fruit on. The soaked and dried nuts are made from a recipe in 'Nourishing Traditions' cookbook. You soak the nuts for 12 hours and dry them for 8 hours (or the other way around!) They have to be soaked so they can be properly digested. I use mainly almonds for this, but walnuts are great too!
You can get Arrowhead Mills cereals through amazon.com. Costco has a good selection of nuts.
You can use oatmeal or other grains too, but they must be soaked for many hours if you want to use them in cooking or eating.
When it is all finished, I pour raw milk on it. Yummmmm!
The new 'Breakfast of Champions'? |
Tuesday, July 8, 2014
The Slander of Coconut Oil and the Praise of Soy
I was reading a book written by Fran McCullough called, The Good Fat Cookbook, and in the book she explained an incident that took place, I believe in the 70s. I didn't want to go and skim the book to find the info on it, so I did a computer search using some key words, and found this article on it: http://medicalconsumers.org/2003/12/30/the-good-fat-cookbook-by-fran-mccullough/
I was thinking about this because of the promotion of a product called, 'Roundup' which is a product of Monsanto. It is touted to be very effective in getting rid of weeds. What the company doesn't tell you though, are the dangers and implications of this product.
Many years ago, there was a product called, 'Sevin' which was a powder that was used to kill bugs. It was supposed to be pet-safe, or at least that is what the bag said. I sprinkled some on my dog to get rid of the fleas. He got sick after I put it on him. Never again would I do that.
The makers of 'Roundup' will advertise their product and tell you the benefits. Not only is Roundup a chemical that is not good to ingest, but it also is a political ploy.
I am not a conspiracy theory believer, but, if you follow this thinking of Monsanto, and their tactics, you will see something interesting.
Because of our sinful, selfish, greedy hearts (which every person has), when we invent or create a product, and it takes off, we make a lot of money, but the money will never be enough. We raise our standard of living to match our growing income. We become more selfish, and less satisfied. Many who have received money or who have made lots of money end up in debt! Not surprisingly, because we start trusting in our money and it keeps us selfish if we are not careful. That is why the Bible says, 'The love of money is the root of all evil'. Not money itself, but loving it and wanting more of it is where we go wrong.
Monsanto is a big company and is gaining more power every day. Here is where the problem is; there are people who are on talk shows and who write articles saying that there is no danger in genetically modified food. What they don't tell you is that if Monsanto were able to have more control over the food industry, most, of not all, of our food would be genetically modified. If that isn't bad enough, the seeds would be patented, and, unless a farmer buys the license to plant the seed (from Monsanto), he will not be able to use the seed on his farm. You would think the alternative would be to use his own seed. That would be good, but, Monsanto created 'Roundup' which is a weed killer, and all of Monsanto's seeds are resistant to Roundup. The farmer's seeds aren't resistant to Roundup and will not be able to grow the way the genetically modified seeds grow.
If Monsanto gains enough control and governmental support, they could send airplanes to spray anywhere they choose. Any seeds that are genetically modified will survive. Any seeds that aren't genetically modified will die. Do you see what harm could come about if Monsanto gets their way?
Back to the coconut farms. The coconut farms were doing well until the soy farmers realized how well they were doing. The soy farmers decided to slander the coconut farms. The coconut farmers were taken by surprise and were not able to defend themselves, so, their business went way down, while people believed the lie that coconut oil was bad for you, but soy was now known to be good for you. But over time, the coconut industry rebounded and today, people are enjoying coconut products once more.
Here is a quote from Fran McCullough concerning this campaign: "Coconut oil used to be the predominant fat used in cookies, crackers, and most baked goods. In 1986, writes McCullough, the soy industry mounted a campaign to discredit coconut oil and warn the public of its dangers. The campaign was successful, according to McCullough, because “there is no Coconut Council to fund research and send out press kits, take journalists on junkets, and lobby Washington for favorable treatment in the way other elements in the agribusiness food industry cooked up the Dietary Guidelines.”
(I highly recommend Fran McCullough's book called, 'The Good Fat Cookbook")
I find it interesting because so many food items have been misrepresented, and I wonder why? There was a long period of time where people would not eat eggs. Eggs had cholesterol and were supposedly bad for the heart. Eating egg yolks could clog your arteries. I wonder what kind of school taught this?
I can see people's complaints about drinking milk and eating meat. On the one hand, drinking milk and eating meat is bad for you. The reason is, because there are growth hormones, antibiotics, and products fed to cows that aren't suited for them to eat. People have all kinds of reactions to drinking milk, and many cannot drink it. God never intended for people to eat food containing growth hormones and antibiotics. Could our reactions and allergies be due to the processing and all the additives the cows are taking in?
On the other hand, drinking milk and eating meat can be very good for your health. The qualifier is, that you have to drink raw milk from cows that haven't been treated with antibiotics and growth hormones, and have been fed grass instead of grains, for their diet. It is amazing that even today, there are articles out there on the dangers of drinking raw milk. There are no dangers in raw milk. If the cow is sick, then hopefully the farmer won't sell the milk from the cow.
Can you see how greediness is destroying our food system? It's kind of scary, but it has caused me to do a lot of research on food, what to eat, and why we should eat it, and what we should avoid eating. It has taught me how can we carefully work within the system, and how to create our own system.
I am grateful for the internet, where I can learn about almost any subject from many different angles. And I am glad that we have access to good food that is nourishing, and methods that we can produce our own food, safely.
I was thinking about this because of the promotion of a product called, 'Roundup' which is a product of Monsanto. It is touted to be very effective in getting rid of weeds. What the company doesn't tell you though, are the dangers and implications of this product.
Many years ago, there was a product called, 'Sevin' which was a powder that was used to kill bugs. It was supposed to be pet-safe, or at least that is what the bag said. I sprinkled some on my dog to get rid of the fleas. He got sick after I put it on him. Never again would I do that.
The makers of 'Roundup' will advertise their product and tell you the benefits. Not only is Roundup a chemical that is not good to ingest, but it also is a political ploy.
I am not a conspiracy theory believer, but, if you follow this thinking of Monsanto, and their tactics, you will see something interesting.
Because of our sinful, selfish, greedy hearts (which every person has), when we invent or create a product, and it takes off, we make a lot of money, but the money will never be enough. We raise our standard of living to match our growing income. We become more selfish, and less satisfied. Many who have received money or who have made lots of money end up in debt! Not surprisingly, because we start trusting in our money and it keeps us selfish if we are not careful. That is why the Bible says, 'The love of money is the root of all evil'. Not money itself, but loving it and wanting more of it is where we go wrong.
Monsanto is a big company and is gaining more power every day. Here is where the problem is; there are people who are on talk shows and who write articles saying that there is no danger in genetically modified food. What they don't tell you is that if Monsanto were able to have more control over the food industry, most, of not all, of our food would be genetically modified. If that isn't bad enough, the seeds would be patented, and, unless a farmer buys the license to plant the seed (from Monsanto), he will not be able to use the seed on his farm. You would think the alternative would be to use his own seed. That would be good, but, Monsanto created 'Roundup' which is a weed killer, and all of Monsanto's seeds are resistant to Roundup. The farmer's seeds aren't resistant to Roundup and will not be able to grow the way the genetically modified seeds grow.
If Monsanto gains enough control and governmental support, they could send airplanes to spray anywhere they choose. Any seeds that are genetically modified will survive. Any seeds that aren't genetically modified will die. Do you see what harm could come about if Monsanto gets their way?
Back to the coconut farms. The coconut farms were doing well until the soy farmers realized how well they were doing. The soy farmers decided to slander the coconut farms. The coconut farmers were taken by surprise and were not able to defend themselves, so, their business went way down, while people believed the lie that coconut oil was bad for you, but soy was now known to be good for you. But over time, the coconut industry rebounded and today, people are enjoying coconut products once more.
Here is a quote from Fran McCullough concerning this campaign: "Coconut oil used to be the predominant fat used in cookies, crackers, and most baked goods. In 1986, writes McCullough, the soy industry mounted a campaign to discredit coconut oil and warn the public of its dangers. The campaign was successful, according to McCullough, because “there is no Coconut Council to fund research and send out press kits, take journalists on junkets, and lobby Washington for favorable treatment in the way other elements in the agribusiness food industry cooked up the Dietary Guidelines.”
(I highly recommend Fran McCullough's book called, 'The Good Fat Cookbook")
I find it interesting because so many food items have been misrepresented, and I wonder why? There was a long period of time where people would not eat eggs. Eggs had cholesterol and were supposedly bad for the heart. Eating egg yolks could clog your arteries. I wonder what kind of school taught this?
I can see people's complaints about drinking milk and eating meat. On the one hand, drinking milk and eating meat is bad for you. The reason is, because there are growth hormones, antibiotics, and products fed to cows that aren't suited for them to eat. People have all kinds of reactions to drinking milk, and many cannot drink it. God never intended for people to eat food containing growth hormones and antibiotics. Could our reactions and allergies be due to the processing and all the additives the cows are taking in?
On the other hand, drinking milk and eating meat can be very good for your health. The qualifier is, that you have to drink raw milk from cows that haven't been treated with antibiotics and growth hormones, and have been fed grass instead of grains, for their diet. It is amazing that even today, there are articles out there on the dangers of drinking raw milk. There are no dangers in raw milk. If the cow is sick, then hopefully the farmer won't sell the milk from the cow.
Can you see how greediness is destroying our food system? It's kind of scary, but it has caused me to do a lot of research on food, what to eat, and why we should eat it, and what we should avoid eating. It has taught me how can we carefully work within the system, and how to create our own system.
I am grateful for the internet, where I can learn about almost any subject from many different angles. And I am glad that we have access to good food that is nourishing, and methods that we can produce our own food, safely.
Monday, July 7, 2014
A Very 'Cultural' Day
I don't know if I am hungry or if I am just in the mood to do cooking, but I have accomplished many things today in the kitchen.
I have been wanting to make soaked bread for a couple of days now. I am trying to not have to buy bread from the store any more, or just to buy it less often. Of course, that means I will have to make my own. I can't get behind on it either, because, well, when we need bread, we need bread (or, we knead bread!). If I don't plan ahead, I will either have to run out to the store and get some bread from the bakery department, or, I will have to make a loaf quickly using the bread machine. But that defeats the purpose of eating soaked bread. You just don't get the benefits from bread if the grains are not soaked first.
I have been wanting to make cheese for some time now, and I came across a recipe for Farmer's Cheese. It doesn't look too hard to make, but I have to have buttermilk made ahead of time in order to make the cheese. One more thing to prepare that I didn't plan on. Guess the cheese will have to wait another day now, so I can make the buttermilk tomorrow.
I can't make buttermilk tonight, because whenever you make a cultured product, you can have only one cultured product culturing in a room. If you have more than one culture in the same room, strains of the yeast will contaminate the other cultures. So, if I am making yogurt, which I did the other day, I should not have buttermilk culturing on the counter in the same room.
Tonight I am running out of room. I got all of the ingredients for the bread to soak, and I put that mixture in a big, glass measuring cup, and set it on a table in the back room.
One of the things I do when I get some raw cream, is to make cultured butter with it. I took some raw cream and sprinkled some mesophilic starter on top of the cream. It has to sit on the counter for 24 hours, then I will put it in the fridge for 6 hours before I whip it up into butter!
I found a can of nuts and decided to soak them in water with a little salt, then I will dry them for several hours in the dehydrator. Maybe I can make that into nut butter. I put the nuts that are soaking, on a chest in the hallway, so they can soak without being contaminated by the other cultures.
I would put things in the dining room, but that is where the kombucha is fermenting. That has to be separate from all the other cultures as well.
The most interesting thing I am culturing is called the 'ginger bug'. It is necessary to have when making homemade root beer, which I have just ordered the ingredients to make this root beer. I have to feed it for several days, and it should become bubbly at some point.
Here is the list of things that are fermenting or soaking:
1. Dough for the soaked bread
2. Nuts to dry
3. Cultured butter
4. kombucha
5. the Ginger Bug
Tomorrow, we possibly will make homemade cream cheese! By the time the cheese has to hang, everything else should be finished culturing, so I will have a place for the cheese to drain all night.
Guten Appetit!
I have been wanting to make soaked bread for a couple of days now. I am trying to not have to buy bread from the store any more, or just to buy it less often. Of course, that means I will have to make my own. I can't get behind on it either, because, well, when we need bread, we need bread (or, we knead bread!). If I don't plan ahead, I will either have to run out to the store and get some bread from the bakery department, or, I will have to make a loaf quickly using the bread machine. But that defeats the purpose of eating soaked bread. You just don't get the benefits from bread if the grains are not soaked first.
I have been wanting to make cheese for some time now, and I came across a recipe for Farmer's Cheese. It doesn't look too hard to make, but I have to have buttermilk made ahead of time in order to make the cheese. One more thing to prepare that I didn't plan on. Guess the cheese will have to wait another day now, so I can make the buttermilk tomorrow.
I can't make buttermilk tonight, because whenever you make a cultured product, you can have only one cultured product culturing in a room. If you have more than one culture in the same room, strains of the yeast will contaminate the other cultures. So, if I am making yogurt, which I did the other day, I should not have buttermilk culturing on the counter in the same room.
Tonight I am running out of room. I got all of the ingredients for the bread to soak, and I put that mixture in a big, glass measuring cup, and set it on a table in the back room.
One of the things I do when I get some raw cream, is to make cultured butter with it. I took some raw cream and sprinkled some mesophilic starter on top of the cream. It has to sit on the counter for 24 hours, then I will put it in the fridge for 6 hours before I whip it up into butter!
I found a can of nuts and decided to soak them in water with a little salt, then I will dry them for several hours in the dehydrator. Maybe I can make that into nut butter. I put the nuts that are soaking, on a chest in the hallway, so they can soak without being contaminated by the other cultures.
I would put things in the dining room, but that is where the kombucha is fermenting. That has to be separate from all the other cultures as well.
The most interesting thing I am culturing is called the 'ginger bug'. It is necessary to have when making homemade root beer, which I have just ordered the ingredients to make this root beer. I have to feed it for several days, and it should become bubbly at some point.
Here is the list of things that are fermenting or soaking:
1. Dough for the soaked bread
2. Nuts to dry
3. Cultured butter
4. kombucha
5. the Ginger Bug
Tomorrow, we possibly will make homemade cream cheese! By the time the cheese has to hang, everything else should be finished culturing, so I will have a place for the cheese to drain all night.
Guten Appetit!
Friday, June 27, 2014
Making Soaked Breads
Learning how to eat right and feed the family properly takes a lot of time. Step by step we will get there. I love bread, and making bread. I could make a lot of money from making bread. I just about stopped making bread though. Bread is bad for you. Look at how many people have gluten intolerance.
I don't know that much about gluten intolerance, but, I don't think I have it. Some people have it in a seriously bad way. But the interesting thing is that many who have a gluten intolerance can eat bread in a foreign country without having any side affects.
We know that Americans use a lot of pesticides and chemical fertilizers on their plants. Monsanto is making it harder for people to grow their own gardens or even owning a farm. Has it always been this way?
Wheat is not the same as it was in the olden days, but there are some ancient varieties that can still be grown today.
Organic wheat will not be sprayed with pesticides, nor will it be fed with chemical fertilizers. I have found some sources for organic wheat. I do not know if organic wheat is genetically modified, but I would assume that it isn't. I do not know if modern wheat is genetically modified either, but if it is, I wonder if there is a connection between that and the rise of gluten intolerant people.
All grains contain something called 'phytic acid' which hinders our intestines from digesting our food properly. Phytic acid can be neutralized by soaking the grains in an acidic liquid such as yogurt.
Here is a link to a page with more info on it about soaking grains:
http://www.thehealthyhomeeconomist.com/bread-machine-loaf-made-with-soaked-flour/
I am in the process of making the bread featured on that page. The grains must soak for at least 18 hours, so that means I will be ready to finish the bread sometime after 7 pm. The rest of the ingredients are put into a bread machine which is turned on to knead the dough, let it rise, and bake the bread. I'm going to use the bread machine, but only on the dough cycle.
Here is a picture of the dough, after I mixed it at 1:00 in the morning.
I don't know that much about gluten intolerance, but, I don't think I have it. Some people have it in a seriously bad way. But the interesting thing is that many who have a gluten intolerance can eat bread in a foreign country without having any side affects.
We know that Americans use a lot of pesticides and chemical fertilizers on their plants. Monsanto is making it harder for people to grow their own gardens or even owning a farm. Has it always been this way?
Wheat is not the same as it was in the olden days, but there are some ancient varieties that can still be grown today.
Organic wheat will not be sprayed with pesticides, nor will it be fed with chemical fertilizers. I have found some sources for organic wheat. I do not know if organic wheat is genetically modified, but I would assume that it isn't. I do not know if modern wheat is genetically modified either, but if it is, I wonder if there is a connection between that and the rise of gluten intolerant people.
All grains contain something called 'phytic acid' which hinders our intestines from digesting our food properly. Phytic acid can be neutralized by soaking the grains in an acidic liquid such as yogurt.
Here is a link to a page with more info on it about soaking grains:
http://www.thehealthyhomeeconomist.com/bread-machine-loaf-made-with-soaked-flour/
I am in the process of making the bread featured on that page. The grains must soak for at least 18 hours, so that means I will be ready to finish the bread sometime after 7 pm. The rest of the ingredients are put into a bread machine which is turned on to knead the dough, let it rise, and bake the bread. I'm going to use the bread machine, but only on the dough cycle.
Here is a picture of the dough, after I mixed it at 1:00 in the morning.
Flour and grains must be soaked for a long period of time in order to neutralize phytic acid. |
I wonder what its going to taste like! Won't know until late tonight!
Wednesday, June 25, 2014
The Best Natural Sports Drink Available Today
With the different choices out there of the sports drinks, you might wonder which one does the best job. To start with, if you want something to do a good job, when it comes to your health and food, eliminate anything with sugar, artificial colors, artificial flavors, and preservatives. That eliminates almost all of the types of sports drinks available today. So which one item is the best sports drink out there?
Drum roll............. It is, coconut water. Why is coconut water the best sports drink available? First, Natural unprocessed coconut water doesn't contain sugar (except sugar which occurs naturally in the coconut). Second, Coconut water contains lots of electrolytes and potassium. The only point that the commercially made sports drinks have over coconut water is that there is more sodium in the sports drinks than in the coconut water. Sodium is necessary in sports drinks. But, you must weigh the factors. Coconut water is a safe food, whereas store bought sports drinks contain many additives.
I originally studied this because I have to keep my cat hydrated. I thought one good way of doing this is by taking a syringe full of coconut water and squirting it into Precious' precious mouth. I squirted some in Frankie's mouth as well. Can't hurt, can it?
The coconut water doesn't last around here. I could easily drink a quart of it. But if I did that every day, I would have to get another job to pay for my habit.
Drum roll............. It is, coconut water. Why is coconut water the best sports drink available? First, Natural unprocessed coconut water doesn't contain sugar (except sugar which occurs naturally in the coconut). Second, Coconut water contains lots of electrolytes and potassium. The only point that the commercially made sports drinks have over coconut water is that there is more sodium in the sports drinks than in the coconut water. Sodium is necessary in sports drinks. But, you must weigh the factors. Coconut water is a safe food, whereas store bought sports drinks contain many additives.
I originally studied this because I have to keep my cat hydrated. I thought one good way of doing this is by taking a syringe full of coconut water and squirting it into Precious' precious mouth. I squirted some in Frankie's mouth as well. Can't hurt, can it?
The coconut water doesn't last around here. I could easily drink a quart of it. But if I did that every day, I would have to get another job to pay for my habit.
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