Back to Vegan... mostly...

I am trying my best to get back towards a vegan diet. A few years ago, I did an all vegan diet for a whole week. I felt 10 years younger! It made a HUGE difference in the way I felt, my mental alertness, my sleeping, no joint pain or stiffness, my flexibility improved drastically. But it is so hard to stick to that diet, especially when everyone around you is eating meat and eggs and ice cream and all kinds of treats and goodies and things that smell so good. :(
But since my daughter wants to eat healthier now too, we have been trying to do better. But it's HARD. Especially when you let yourself get hungry, then you can't think clearly and you follow instinct to the old fatty foods you're used to. .... *thinks*.... We need to plan better and be prepared with healthy foods when hunger hits.
I think that eliminating all the processed foods and all animal products and as much cooked food as possible from our diet (I have those in order of importance) is the way to go.
'Processed food' includes most anything in a box or can. Refined sugar is the #1 thing to avoid at all costs! This stuff is POISON!
I highly recommend the movie (documentary) Super-size Me. I had been wanting to watch it for some time and we just watched it the other night. It really drives home just how bad a high sugar/ fat diet can be. Not only the making-you-fat part, but what it does to your liver, your mood, your mind, ...it's impressive.
We live in a processed world.
--Sandwich meat- chopped, pressed, water added, and then preserved with sodium nitrate.
http://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/16361276/
"During the cooking process, nitrites combine with amines naturally present in meat to form carcinogenic N-nitroso compounds. It is also suspected that nitrites can combine with amines in the human stomach to form N-nitroso compounds. These compounds are known carcinogens and have been associated with cancer of the oral cavity, urinary bladder, esophagus, stomach and brain."
--Boxed cereals- good luck finding a cereal that does not contain BHT
http://www.sweetpoison.com/food-additives-to-avoid.html
"added to oil-containing foods to prevent oxidation and retard rancidity. The International Agency for Research on Cancer, part of the World Health Organization, consider BHA to be possibly carcinogenic to humans, and the State of California has listed it as a carcinogen. Some studies show the same cancer causing possibilities for BHT"
http://www.sixwise.com/newsletters/06/04/05/12-dangerous-food-additives-the-dirty-dozen-food-additives-you-really-need-to-be-aware-of.htm
http://biorganic.ifrance.com/biorganic/additives.htm
--Nuts- healthy right? Wrong! Nuts from the store are cooked, usually way over-cooked and loaded with added unhealthy heavy processed and overheated oils. Olive oil, nut oils, sunflower and safflower oils, and other natural food oils start out as healthy, but once they are heated they become carcinogenic health nightmares! The oils break down and are no longer food but become poison!!The answer- RAW nuts.

Garbage in- disease out.
Healthy, real food in- healthy, strong body out.

To put it in a nut shell, it's really quite simple.WHOLE. RAW. REAL.
It's so obvious it's ridiculous, but so difficult it makes you wonder just how brainwashed we all really are. Why is it easier and less expensive to eat a hamburger than it is to eat an apple? WHY?!?! ...and is it really?
It is obvious. So obvious in fact that if you really look at the reality of the situation, why not skip the boxes and eat the food that looks like food!

Spring Fats/ Fall Fats

This is an extremely good article!
http://health.msn.com/nutrition/articlepage.aspx?cp-documentid=100245164
I'll quote part of it here:

"While researching a book on omega-3s, I realized that the essential fats—the omega-3s and their close cousins, the omega-6s—change with the seasons. It might sound like a small idea, but it may soon fundamentally change the way you think about food.
First, let's start with omega-3s, what I'll call the spring fats. These are likely the most abundant fats in the world, but they don't originate in fish, as many believe. Rather, they are found in the green leaves of plants. Fish are full of omega-3s because they eat phytoplankton (the microscopic green plants of the ocean) and seaweed. In plants, these special fatty acids help turn sunlight into sugars, the basis of life on Earth. The spring fats speed up metabolism. They are fats that animals (humans included) use to get ready for times of activity, like the mating season. They're found in the highest concentrations in all the most active tissues: brains, eyes, hearts, the tails of sperm, the flight muscles of hummingbirds. Because fish have so many of these fats in their diets, they can be active in cold, dark waters. These fats protect our brains from neurological disorders and enable our hearts to beat billions of times without incident. But they are vanishing from our diet, and you'll soon understand why.
Next up are the omega-6s, what I'll call the fall fats. They originate in plants as well, but in the seeds of plants rather than the leaves. The fall fats are simply storage fats for plants. Animals require both—omega-3s and omega-6s—in their diets and their tissues. But omega-6s are slower and stiffer than omega-3s. Plus, they promote blood clotting and inflammation, the underlying causes of many diseases, including heart disease and arthritis. Omega-3s, on the other hand, promote blood flow and very little inflammation, which may prevent things like heart disease. The proper mix of these two fats helps create tissue with the right amount of blood flow and inflammation. But because they're in constant competition to enter our cells, if your diet consists of too many omega-6s, your body will be deficient in omega-3s. And that is what's been happening to us as we've been eating more and more seed fats in the form of soybean, corn and other vegetable oils."

Continuing with this line of thought...
The notion of seasonal foods is certainly not new. Cycles and seasons have been celebrated and honored throughout the ages. It is only recently that we have forgotten why. Globalization has made any food available at any time, anywhere on Earth. Our modern heated houses mean our bodies are no longer stressed in the winter cold and so no longer burn winter fat. We have quite effectively removed the seasonal cycles from our lives and our bodies suffer the consequences. Artificial lighting has disrupted day/night cycles creating a sleeping disorder pandemic, lighting also interferes with lunar/menstrual cycles in women, and the seasonal lengthening and shortening of the days is obscured by modern artificial lighting. Chickens will lay eggs all year, cutting their life span in half as a result. In humans, it contributes to the growing (pun intended) obesity pandemic and high blood pressure, heart disease, cancer, diabetes, ...
How much healthier would we be if we simply brought our bodies back into the natural rhythms of nature?

Chia -- Superfood!

The famous Chia 'pets' grown on clay pots are a superfood known and cultivated by Aztecs over 5000 years ago. We need to stop playing with this plant and start EATING it!!

There are two varieties, the cultivated Mexican Chia, Salvia hispanica, which grows naturally on clay soils (hence chia pets), and the Golden Chia (Salvia Columbariae). This is our northern variety. It hasn't been cultivated, but was collected from the wild by the indigenous California people. It's a little annual sage that doesn't look like a sage. The leaves are deeply dissected and very crinkly. 2 or 3 neat flower globes grow on each square-stemmed stalk from a 1-2 foot plant. Highly variable, this native can be found in clean areas between the chaparral, on south slopes on rock, gravel, or disturbed soil. In the desert it grows only a few inches high.

Taste-wise, chia seeds have a nutty flavour, and are a healthful addition to the diet sprinkled on cereals, yogurt or salads. You can also eat them whole or mix them into flour when baking bread, muffins or other baked goods.

Chia (-hispanica) is an oil seed; two-thirds of Chia oil are Omega-3 essential fatty acids (polyunsaturated) with only 10% saturated fatty acids, making them a better source of omega 3 fatty acids than flax-seeds. In addition to its extremely high Omega-3 content, Chia has other nutritional qualities: antioxidants, fiber, vitamins B1, B2, B3, plus minerals such as phosphorus, calcium, potassium, iron, magnesium, manganese, zinc and copper.

A great benefit of the chia seed is its durability. Unlike flax-seeds, it can be stored for long periods without becoming rancid, and does not require grinding. Two tablespoons of chia - about 25 grams - provide about seven grams of fiber.

In a preliminary study from the University of Toronto (2006), researchers gave 21 diabetics either a supplement made from chia, or grains with similar fibre content. The results were interesting. After three months, blood pressure from the chia group dropped 10 points diastolic and 5 points systolic., while the blood pressure from the grain group remained steady.

Chia hispanica

Chia columbariae

More on Chia

and More on Chia

Cattails!

If you have never popped a cattail, releasing the millions of seeds into an autumn breeze, then you have missed one of the finer points of life! But who knew cattails were so versatile? I've read that cattails are highly nutritious and are a wonderful survival food. They are an excellent source of starch, containing ten times the amount of an equal number of potatoes. Virtually every part of cattails is edible, and they have a wide variety of uses. In spring, the new shoots can be eaten raw or cooked. The young flower heads can be boiled and eaten like corn on the cob. The pollen can be collected in the summer and mixed with flour to provide nutrients and protein. The winter rootstock can be boiled and mashed much like potatoes, or can be dried and ground into flour. I've never tried any of these folk remedies, but according to tradition, the fresh root of cattails can be pounded and used as a poultice for infections, blisters and stings. The sap from the green leaves can be used as a topical antiseptic, coagulant and mild pain reliever. The boiled leaves can be used as a wash for irritated skin. The root flour or young flowers can be eaten to relieve diarrhea. The fuzz from mature female flower heads can be used to relieve scalds, burns, diaper rash and weeping sores. The pollen is homeostatic and astringent. Take It internally for internal bleeding, menstrual pain, chest pains and blood stagnation. So the next time you're picking cattails, you might try taking a nibble!

Yikes! New Vaccine --Problems!

http://www.newswithviews.com/Tenpenny/sherri14.htm

"Problems with the cervical cancer vaccine starting to emerge.

"Five schoolgirls at Sacred Heart Girls' College in suburban Melbourne, Australia, were confirmed to have taken ill after receiving an injection of Gardasil, the newest vaccine to be mandated for young girls. Soon after the vaccination, twenty-six girls were seen at the campus medical clinic; five were admitted to the hospital after being injected. Two of the girls kept in overnight in observation for dizziness; one had temporary paralysis and loss of speech.[1]
*snip*

"Histidine, an amino acid, readily converts into another amino acid, histamine, when it enters the body. When released, histamine causes redness, swelling, itching and allergic reactions leading to widening of capillaries, decreased blood pressure… people can faint. The vaccine also contains Polysorbate 80, an agent used in creams, ointments, lotions, and multiple medical preparations including vitamin oils, and anticancer agents. Polysorbate 80 is a can cause potentially fatal reactions in including anaphylaxis, characterized by a sharp drop in blood pressure, hives, and breathing difficulties… people can faint."

There are better ways to prevent cancer than poisoning your body!

• eat a healthy diet of fresh RAW fruit, nuts, seeds, and vegetables
• exercise EVERY day for at least half an hour-- more is better
• do not smoke
• do not drink alcohol in excess (more than 6-8 oz per day- depending on body weight)
• get 10 to 30 minutes of sunshine on as much bare skin as possible EVERY day (unless it's raining!) double that in winter- triple for winter in northern climates
  
• drink filtered tap water or bottled water
• And this one may surprise you-- practice a religion or spirituality- The act of seeking God/Higher Power is VERY health-promoting!*

* Caution- Negative religious ideas such as unworthiness, self-sacrifice, fear, and death are detrimental to health. Avoid these pitfalls at all costs! Keep it positive! Ideas such as oneness, unity, love, abundance, sharing, life, and resurrection; these concepts are life-enriching and health-promoting.

Making Your Own Herbal Hair Shampoo
By Rudy Silva

Here is a natural shampoo that you can make. First collect the following items:

• 4 oz of castile soap with any scent is that available – plain, peppermint, eucalyptus.

• ½ oz of rosemary - stimulates the hair follicles and helps to prevent premature baldness

• ½ oz of sage – has antioxidants and keeps things from spoiling and is antibacterial

• ½ oz of nettles – acts as a blood purifier, blood stimulator, contains a large source of nutrients for hair growth

• ½ of lavender – controls the production of sebaceous gland oil and reduces itchy and flaky scalp conditions

• 2000 mg of MSM – provides organic sulfur to your scalp, which improves the health and strength of your hair. It also helps to drive herbal nutrient into the skin and follicles where they can do the most good.

• One empty 8 oz plastic bottle, or any other empty shampoo or soap bottle.

Mix the herbs in a mason jar, which has a lid. Boil 2 cups of distilled water. Add 3 heaping tablespoons of the mixed herbs into the boiling water. Pull the boiling water and herbs off the stove. Let the herb mixture sit for 30 – 40 minutes. Put the 2000mg of MSM into the herb mixture after 30 minutes of cooling. After 40 minutes and the MSM is melted, strain the herbal mixture into a bowl.

Pour 2 to 2 1/2 oz of strained herbal tea into the 8 oz plastic bottle. Now, pour the 4 oz of castile soap into the 8 oz plastic bottle. Cap the bottle and shake to mix the ingredients.

The shampoo is now finished and ready for use. Use this as a base for all of the shampoos you make. You can add different herbs as you learn what these herbs do and how they help your hair. You can vary the ingredients according to your taste. But now you have a shampoo that has no additives that can harm you.

We're gonna try this out! I'll report back after we've used it for a while.

(about the picture- translation- "frizzy head?" ... "enjoy the benefits of hair soft and manageable with no frizz")

Make Your Own Toothpaste!

From Oramedia: Dental Self-Sufficiency. This site is a MUST SEE! There are two e-books available there that everyone should read. I am searching for hard copies! Here's some info from the site on making your own toothpaste:
"Proctor and Gamble and Lever Brothers-and any number of other manufacturers-would like us to believe that the only proper way to care for our teeth is with expensive, highly flavored toothpastes that come in non-biodegradable, throwaway, zinc-and-lead (Now plastic -ed.) tubes.'Tain't so !".............
" MAKE YOUR OWN TOOTH POWDER. Thoroughly mix 3 parts baking soda (the cleanser and sweetener) with part salt (the abrasive) and funnel the compound into a short small-mouthed container such as a pop or beer bottle. You'll find that the creation has a satisfying, different taste and leaves your mouth feeling very fresh and soothed. If you'd like, add a few drops of peppermint or wintergreen oil to the concoction - or mix the home "brew" half-and-half with a commercial tooth powder - to give the dentifrice a more pleasant flavor.........
" MAKE YOUR OWN TOOTH PASTE. This formula is simply an extension of the tooth powder recipe: To each half cup of homemade powder, add 3 teaspoons of glycerin, 10-20 drops of flavoring (peppermint, wintergreen, anise, cinnamon or whatever) and 1 drop of food coloring. Mix the ingredients thoroughly in a bowl and add just enough water to make the concoction "tooth-pastey". Spoon the substance into a small refillable plastic squeeze bottle or any container that dispenses easily and won't leak. VoilÁ! Toothpaste!"
"... homemade creation won't be as smooth...but I know you'll find it more satisfying, less wasteful and - above all - less expensive. You'll be able to make a year's supply of toothpaste (for a family of four) at a total cost of around a buck and a half!"
Much more information at that site!