Processed Meat and Cancer

This weekend was very busy.  I was babysitting a nephew of mine while my brother and sister-in law moved.  I was a little tired on Saturday night so I sent my husband to the grocery store with the 2 boys.  I made a little list for him, but I knew he would take this shopping freedom and deviate from my organic items.  He came home with a frozen pizza, bacon, roast beef, and some deli turkey.  He also snuck in a bag of Doritos.  After he ate the pizza and Doritos he had to go into work.  He said that he felt terrible and couldn't focus.  I felt bad for him, but I was not surprised.  I had a bite of the pizza and my throat started hurting within a few minutes.  I also had a headache the rest of the afternoon.  No amount of Suero Viv could undo the damage :)  Lately we have really cut back on deli meat consumption.  It is not really healthy.  Of course, a turkey sandwich is better than McDonald's, but we are trying to eat more whole foods for lunch.  I think this is the hardest meal to not take shortcuts on.  I love sandwiches!!  We do still eat sandwiches when I make homemade chicken salad or a raw cheddar cheese melt.  These are some great alternatives to deli meat.  Here is an article that associates the consumption of processed meats with pancreatic cancer.  Go check it out.  This is serious stuff.

Buy Organic Whole Foods here.

Best Flu Remedies

If you want to try some more natural flu remedies this year- keep reading.  People with the flu complain of fever, chills, headache, fatigue, aching muscles and joints, sore throat, and cough.  There is less nasal secretion and more fatigue than with the common cold.  Flu sufferers often feel "wiped out" and just want to stay in bed.  Some influenza has a gastrointestinal component with nausea, diarrhea, and vomiting.  
Gelsemium is the # 1 remedy to think of with the typical flu symptoms: tremendous aching, no thirst, a low grade fever (100/101) with chills running up and down the back and clamminess rather than sweating, tremendous lethargy and sleepiness, no energy to talk or open the eyes.
Baptisia looks like Gelsemium but it's much worse--people look and feel very sick. The temperature is higher, the face is a flushed - typically is a dark red (not pale), the pains are severe, there's an intense thirst with profuse sweating, typically the breath and sweat smell bad. The lethargy and sleepiness are so extreme people will fall asleep in the middle of a sentence.
If extreme chilliness predominates then think of Arsenicum or Nux vomica.
Bryonia- if a painful cough develops.
If a low grade fever goes on for longer than 2 or 3 days think of Ferrum phosphoric.
These homeopathic suggestions come from Miranda Castro.  She is a very popular homeopathic doctor that practices in Florida.  

One remedy that is not mentioned that I like to have on hand also, is Eupatorium.  This remedy is given when there is deep aching in the muscles and bones- feels like the bones are broken.  If you can believe it this flu bug went through our family last year.  I remember laying in bed feeling like my legs were broken.  I had never felt such intense leg pain before in my life.  It was horrible.  I will never forget to pick up this remedy during the flu season!  You can pick up all these remedies at your local health food store.  Stay safe and healthy this season.

Why whey?

Click to read the full article here.

The Healing Properties of Whey

Whey has numerous healing properties. It's healing action works in multiple fashions. It acts on the intestines, liver, and kidneys, while encouraging assimilatory and eliminatory functions.

• Whey is a quite gentle laxative. It is effective in the case of intestinal sluggishness as well for both occasional and chronic constipation. It has even sometimes provided excellent results in cases where the intestines have been exhausted by overuse of purges and harsh chemical laxatives.

• By helping the intestinal flora regenerate, whey has a beneficial effect on the digestive process. When intestinal flora is partially destroyed or imbalanced, the transformation of food is poorly achieved, which can cause a number of chronic digestive disorders. Taking whey regularly can cure these problems and restore normal digestive function.  Lactose is the nourishment of choice for the beneficial bacteria of intestinal floras, because it allows them to reproduce and multiply much more easily. It is therefore particularly useful to consume whey at times when the microorganisms of the intestinal flora have been destroyed, for example when antibiotics have been taken.

• Bodily tissues hold a certain amount of fluids that are retained there by, among other things, the presence of salt. Consequently, there is a physiologically beneficial salt content in the body. In certain pathological situations, however, this content can increase, which naturally results in an increase of the amount of fluid that is held. Edemas will appear, often in the legs (particularly around the ankles), the hands (making it difficult to remove rings), and the eyelids. Because this additional water content has caused the tissues that make up the various organs to swell, numerous health problems can result, including high blood pressure, blood or lymphatic stasis, and organ congestion.
  Taking whey, which is rich in potassium, is quite useful in these situations because potassium is the natural enemy of salt and expels it from the body along with the water it has retained. .
  A large fluid elimination is one of he more visible and spectacular effects of the whey cure. The quantities of urine that are eliminated are clearly higher than the quantities of water ingested, especially when the individual has been retaining water.

• The kidneys are among the main organs for the elimination of wastes and metabolic residues. They filter wastes out of the blood and eliminate them in a diluted form as urine. The kidneys are constantly working to maintain the composition of the blood as close to its ideal as possible.  For various reasons however, this elimination can take place in an insufficient manner. Unable to exit the blood, the wastes collect in the body where they can cause various disorders. Gout, for example, is a disease caused by the presence of too much uric acid in the body, acid the kidneys should be eliminating. This disease is displayed by very painful crisis of acute arthritis, generally located in the big toe.
  Other diseases caused by poor renal elimination include rheumatism, osteoarthritis, and some forms of eczema.
  Blood analysis after whey cures confirms that the blood has rid itself of numerous wastes. This is also evident by the fact that the symptoms of diseases will diminish in intensity or disappear altogether.

This article is full of amazing facts.  If only I had this information during both my pregnancies! I had the worst swelling right before labor and right after.  I just hope that more and more people learn about the healing properties of whey.  It is never to late to benefit from the healing properties of whey!

Check out Beyond Organic's Whey sports drink here.

Cooking vs Baking

I must confess that I am not the best baker.  I am great at cooking, but when it comes to baking I have not mastered it yet.   I am always a little nervous when watching the oven timer go down.  Some of these thoughts cross my mind- Did I get it right this time?  Am I going to have to start over again? Is my husband going to like it?  My husband is not easy to impress when it comes to baking.  He comes from a long line of mastered bakers.  His father is a great baker and so are most of his 8 sisters.  For me, when it comes to baking it is still 50/50.  Fifty percent of the time it will work out and fifty percent of the time it won't.  I guess even when the outcome is not great- I can usually talk my four year old into eating some!  He is is a great sport.  One reason I love the Nourishing Traditions cookbook is that it keeps baking simple.  Simple recipes.  Simple healthy ingredients.  Lots of room for improvement.  The bread recipes are awesome and the dessert recipes are lower on sugar than what you may be used to, but very healthy and good.
Speaking of baking and sugar, this week I read an article about Girl Scout cookies being highly processed and unhealthy.  Not a big surprise of course.  This article highlighted the unhealthy ingredient list and really focused on the unhealthy hydrogenated fats that are used, which are terrible for your health and your brain.  Nothing new.  These are cookies coming from a box with many of the same ingredients you would find in Chips Ahoy or Oreos.  You get what you see.  What I did come across that was cool was the Original Girl Scout cookie recipe.  I loved checking out this out!  Here is the link.  If you like thin mints then click here for a homemade thin mint recipe.  Which was my all time favorite growing up.  I remember being a girl scout for many years and eating Thin Mint cookies by the boxes.  They were so addicting then and I bet they still are now!  I think the original girl scouts had the right idea.  They went around selling homemade cookies door to door.  It is too bad that any idea (in the food industry) that starts out healthy or semi- healthy (they are cookies I guess) and makes it "BIG" ends up loosing it's healthy ingredients and replacing them for cheap highly processed ingredients.  It is all about profits.  Food can be made better and healthier, it just take more time and money.  I guess that is not great for corporate America.  This year make your own version of Girl Scout cookies and just donate money to the troop if you feel inclined.  They will make more and your health will thank you!

Amasai 101

Just in case you are still on the fence about Beyond Organic's powerful probiotic drink- here is a little review: Amasai 101.  What makes Amasai powerful?  How powerful is it?  How is Amasai made?  Where does it come from?  I love details. I need to know the facts about the healthy products I am consuming.  Here are some of the facts about Amasai.

"Improved absorption of vitamins and minerals.  Reduced cellular-level inflammation.  Improved digestion.  Better recovery after the use of antibiotics.  Reduced rates of diarrhea.  Improved immune response.  Many Strains Of Amasi.  Across Africa, people consume “amasi,” but the exact strain of the ferment varies from community to community. If you have made your own kefir you may realize that the specific kefir grains you are using have adapted over time and may even acquire some bacteria from your own kitchen, creating a unique cultured drink.  This is basically what happens with amasi.  Different micro-environments across Africa and different procedures for making and storing amasi lead to different strains of amass.  There is no one dairy culture called “amasi” for this reason.  However, amasi is recognized as being loaded with beneficial strains of lactobaccillus that have not only helped traditional African people maintain their health, it has also protected their milk from the growth of harmful bacteria.  Many Names For Amasi.  Many cultures in Africa call their fermented milk “amasi,’ though in Afrikaans it is apparently “maas.”  Many Americans are generations past fermenting their milk in a gourd in their home. Some of us have embraced the practice once again and have counter tops full of fermenting foods. For those who are too busy or otherwise not interested in becoming a food fermenter, you still need rich probiotic foods to support your healthy.  Beyond Organic Amasai And Beneficial Fats Omega 3 And CLA.  One key benefit of Beyond Organic Amasai is that the cows themselves are essentially grass-fed. Beyond Organic has trademarked a term “Green-Fed” its focus is on feeding cows a diet that they were naturally designed to consume. The cows are on pasture but will likely also receive a diet of stored alfalfa and other feed as they weather the Missouri winters.  Grass fed dairy products contain higher levels of the beneficial Omega 3 fatty acids and of conjugated linoleic acid (CLA).  A cow on a diet with no pasture produces some CLA — about 50 milligrams in a tablespoon of butter, a cup of milk, or a tablespoon of cream. A cow on an exclusive diet of grass will produce about 250 milligrams of CLA in one tablespoon of butter, 200 milligrams in one cup of whole milk, and just under 150 milligrams in one tablespoon of cream.  As a result, Beyond Organic Amasai is a powerful probiotic food, but it will also provide you with important beneficial fats."

Amasai has helped our family in so many ways.  It is something great to grab when you are in a hurry.  We use them for smoothies and other recipes often.  My husband can easily take the bottles to work.  He will be at work for 15 hours some days and knowing that he can still drink a strong cultured dairy beverage is comforting to me and very helpful to his digestive system.  He does a lot of sitting and needs something very strong to keep his system regular.  He has "bowels of steel", so if it helps him- it is a strong culture!  Amasai has been awesome for our family so far!  Try some today.  

Bye Bye Sugar!

Is it possible to fight the sugar fight today? It seems sugar is everywhere and in everything! If you have young children this can be a frustrating battle.  Sugar haunts my family everyday....sugar at school, sugar in EVERY check out line, sugary sweets at Grandma's, sugar at church.  It does make me a little crazy!  Food that is processed and convenient is full of sugar.  I do not have the standard pantry full of sweet snacks and cookies.  If my kids eat cookies, muffins, or cake...we make them.  We use organic cane sugar as a sweetener along with a more natural whole organic sugar that is unrefined and unbleached.  It is called Rapunzel and you can buy it at your local health food store.  It is still sweet, but much less than regular sugar.  My goal is to decrease my family's sugar intake.  When you increase healthy saturated fats (like raw milk, raw cheese, raw butter, coconut oil, grass-fed meat, etc) the sugar cravings decrease.  I have noticed this with my kids.  After I fill them up with a homemade dinner full of healthy fats they can not finish the cookie they were begging for before dinner.  Their appetite it full thanks to the healthy fats and their sugar cravings lessen or disappear.  This is not easy work.  My four year old can eat A LOT of food some days.  The most important step in this whole process is to make sure you stay ahead of the hunger.  A child begging for a cookie is a child hungry and looking for a quick fix.  Fill their little bellies with healthy fats and they will not grow up to be the standard american sugar addict. 
Is sugar really that bad? Here are some sugar facts from the Weston A. Price Foundation:
~Sugar feeds cancer cells and has been connected with the development of cancer of the breast, ovaries, prostate, rectum, pancreas, lung, gallbladder and stomach.

~Sugar can increase fasting levels of glucose and can cause reactive hypoglycemia.

~Sugar can cause many problems with the gastrointestinal tract, including an acidic digestive tract, indigestion, malabsorption in patients with functional bowel disease, increased risk of Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis.

~Sugar can interfere with your absorption of protein.

~Sugar can cause food allergies.

~Sugar contributes to obesity.

You can read the article on Zapping Sugar Cravings here.  It is a great article that can help you get started.

  If you want more information on healthy organic fats check out this link.
 

Sick Husband

My husband did a little too much activity around the house over the weekend.  He took on a huge garage renovation project and ended up flaring up his asthma and allergies.  He hardly has any asthma issues in Florida, luckily.  But when he does get his typical upper respiratory issues I have two awesome remedies on hand always - Apo Pulm and Bronchi Pertu.  But this time I am out!!! I am so upset, I went ahead and ordered them but they will take a few days to get here.  So until then I have been using an Upper Respiratory Remedy from here.  It is working pretty good, but the others are amazing and work fast!  I guess I just have to wait it out.  Other things I am using for now: lots of Vitamin C, Fermented Cod liver oil, homemade chicken broth, Gelsemium, Belladona, and a random Night time Homeopathic cough syrup.  He is doing very well.

Here is a picture of his lunch- rice/ chicken broth.  Luckily I had some ready to go.  Sick husbands are never fun!

My update- He is almost 100% percent better today. Looks like my 2nd choice remedies helped him after all!