Guiding you toward raw and organic food with Chocolate Crunch Salad

When food is cooked above 119 degrees Fahrenheit (48 celsius), all enzymes in the food are killed. This makes it more difficult for your body to digest whatever it is you're eating, and you lose out on some of the amazing, life-giving nutrients that nature has made available for you.

Your body can begin to feel overworked and stressed based on the kinds of food that you put into it, so choose that which is good for you. You have the same opportunity every single day to choose what kind of fuel to run your body on. Cooked and/or processed foods are more equal to fillers or additives in gasoline than they are to actual fuel itself, but if you choose a mostly-raw diet, you're filling up on premium.

Some of the difficulties with healthy eating are cost and convenience. Indeed, these are the direct factors that guide people to choose convenient, fast- or processed- food in the first place? Why spend a half hour preparing breakfast in the morning when you can pick up a quick bite for a couple bucks on the way?  Well, as most of the diligent students of raw and/or organic foods will be able to tell you, any cost you save now by eating cheaply are simply deferred until you get older. Those payments even come back with interest due in the form of surgeries and expensive drugs.

There are hidden bonuses for choosing healthy options now as well - you will probably find by eating raw and organic foods that you have more energy throughout the day. Your skin will look and feel younger, getting to sleep will probably be easier, and you even may have natural weight loss by making the switch.

You should make the effort now, today, without waiting - and as you try, be sure to take every available shortcut that isn't a cheat, so that it's easier for your body to break into these new habits. Once you've reached the mecca of true healthy food, you will be surprised and proud to be able to announce your freedom from things like sugary pop and fried foods.

To help you along your way, here is an adaptation of a raw recipe for chocolate salad from Freedom's Raw Recipes. It's been changed so that it's easier to make, having more common ingredients, and is a wonderful recipe that combines a rich, tropical essence with a natural crunch.  It's natural, raw, and combines sweet with bitter in a way that shouldn't be possible. However not only is this possible, it's delicious.

Chocolate Crunch Salad

Ingredients

• 5 bananas
• 5 hearts celery
• 2 tablespoons organic cocoa powder
• 2 medjool dates
• 1/2 cup almond milk ¹
• 1 1/2 teaspoons peanut butter ²

Directions

1. To create the salad itself, slice the bananas and celery and combine in a bowl.
2. Combine the remaining ingredients in a blender at high speed until smooth and pour over salad in individual portions, on plates.

1  You could substitute any milk of your choice, or as the original recipe calls for, orange juice
2  Peanut butter is the common choice, but coconut cream concentrate is recommended. It's organic and has lauric acid your body needs that the peanut butter does not. You can order this online from Tropical Traditions; please refer Psychic Lunch if you do!  #3408055 If you're a first-time customer and you use this referral code, you'll also get a free Virgin Coconut Oil book that has 85+ recipes :)


This post is part of Real Food Wednesday, this week hosted by Kelly the Kitchen Kop.

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Hospital Nutrition and Cleanliness

Hospital Nutrition - an oxymoron?

Our family has not had much experience with hospitals, for which we count our blessings. We've luckily never gotten in any accident that required surgery and we've always followed fairly to very good guidelines when it comes to food and exercise. Fear, I suppose, drove us to have our children at the hospital. That "what if" question really got a hold of us. I hear tell now that the homebirth trend is growing, especially with experienced midwives. But the point of this story is that we were there in the hospital and were able to witness firsthand the healthiness, or lack thereof, of the food served to patients in the hospital.

This was a while ago now since our youngest was two, but it sticks in my memory as if it were yesterday. As I think about what they served us (for they did bring enough for the husband) I have terrible flashbacks to lunchtime at school. The processing and overcooking at hospitals is bad enough that it seemed they were shouting out that they knew nothing about nutrients and organic, natural foods.  I recall there being chicken for some of the main courses, but odds are very, very high that they were as processed as chicken breasts can get. That was probably the healthiest of the food selection. There were green beans that were either canned or cooked so much there could not have been any valuable nutrients left. There were apple sauce- and pudding-cups. Skim milk and coffee. Overall, you may as well have been getting prison food - except that prisoners probably eat healthier than that.

Thankfully there was an organic deli and grocery a couple of blocks away from the hospital, so that I could actually go buy some real food. When I returned I met with the nutritionist at the hospital to complain, but it turns out that regardless of her knowledge, she was actually unable to change much in what they served to patients; the decisions were based on contracts and thus mostly out of her hands.  It all comes back to that, doesn't it? It's all driven by how much profit can be made for the business, regardless of the end-user's best interest.

A Hospital Lacking in Cleanliness

I also recently talked to my cousin (whom I will call Alice for this article) whose husband had broken his leg and therefore had to go in. She was appalled by the lack of cleanliness she found there, and shocked beyond all human belief at the lack of care on the part of the nurses in the ER. They dropped several syringes, the tourniquet, and various pain medications - and then picked them up and proceeded to apply them to her husband. They ignored required disinfectant prep work until reminded of it, whereupon they did it gruffly and quickly.

Medications were not given on time and her husband was in constant pain as it turned out that he was having an allergic reaction to what they were giving him. The doctor and nurse were aware of this reaction, but decided to go ahead with their planned medication rather than attempt any different ones. Only upon Alice's demanding did the nurse call to change the treatment.

The doctor never came to see her husband before he was released, and Alice found, upon asking about it, that the nurse rudely - to the point of being nasty about it - stated that the doctor had indeed been in twice to see him. Alice's husband hadn't slept a wink the whole time he was there, and would have remembered the doctor's visit.

I'm sure there must be good hospital experiences that people have had out there, and in fact I'd hope there are. But from what I've seen, when a person goes to a hospital, they become a number, placed in a soulless room, fed under-nourishing food, and sent home with a bill that's too embarrassingly large to even think about.  This is not the description of a place where one feels safe and well, and are sent home with drugs and stress-laden bills.

A friend of mine says that it depends on the hospital, and the doctors and nurses within it. I can understand that like life you're going to find a lot of good and a lot of bad together in a lot of places. Naturally, stories related to hospital experiences are going to be filled with hope, frustration, caring, anger, love, sadness, and a whole host of other emotions.  I write about this topic knowing I have little real-world direct knowledge to base a judgement on, but my experiences all lead me to distrust practitioners who have been taught that their way is the only way to do something, who refuse to open their minds to learn new things, or display a learned ignorance toward things that to me are common sense.

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Oregano oil afterthought: keeping kids from getting sick

I'm more impressed with oregano oil every time I learn about it, and each time I use it. It gives a kick that feels as strong as chewing raw garlic does. I found a site which I'd bookmarked while researching oregano oil, Herbal Remedies Info, and the comment at the top of the page about treating children with it - and this gives me pause for thought.

How do you keep your children healthy when some of the best natural remedies can be a little strong for even an adult who is ready for it? The author's solution for treating them with oregano oil is to place a few drops in a gel capsule first, so they can swallow it whole. This would work of course, providing the children don't object to swallowing pills. I can see other downsides to it; you'll have to always have some gelcaps on hand, and there are some who object to using gelcaps.

It has been said before that you should never put something on your skin that you wouldn't put in your mouth, because your body absorbs nutrients and chemicals through your skin almost as easily as eating it.  Using this bit of knowledge you can boost your kids' immune system while they sleep by applying the proper oil mixture to their feet and other sensitive skin areas. Naturally, the same goes for any other healthy oil you might want to slip into their system unnoticed.

Try to keep them away from situations in which they'll have a higher chance of getting sick. Indoor playgrounds are a prime example, especially during the colder months. These things are not always cleaned as often as they should be - how can they be? The pipes and platforms can't be sterilized as the children play on them, and that's the time when germs are getting exchanged. Fast food restaurants that still have playgrounds are especially noted for their toys' uncleanliness.

Speaking of fast food restaurants, that's another thing to keep your children away from - and of course, yourself as well. They're cheap in every sense of the word; plenty of low-cost, unhealthy food and plenty of customers to pass on more germs. While you might think yourself frugal for saving a buck and some time by eating out, you'll wind up paying for it in the end.  You'll get sick now from germs, or sick later from a lifetime of non-nutritious food.

Be smart, and pro-active. Running to clean their hands after they've already wiped their noses with hands that just touched an aquarium glass is probably not the way of keeping them safe. Encourage them to eat the right foods, and guide them by example.

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Keep Colds and Flu away with Oregano Oil

Overall, oregano oil was particularly powerful -- it consistently inhibited the growth of all three foodborne-illness causing germs (E. coli, Salmonella and Listeria) tested. - Natural News

Oil of oregano? The spice that makes spaghetti tasty also makes you healthy? Bring on the pasta!

Okay, it's not really like that. It is the same family of plants, but the healthy oil extracted from oregano comes from a different kind than that which is used for cooking. The kind extracted from the origanum vulgare contains carvacrol, and has all kinds of good-health-supporting properties which is why it can keep you healthy by strengthening your immune system during cold and flu season.

This is one of those things that you should start or increase when or if you feel a cold coming on. This oil is good at killing the bugs that cause colds, sore throats, and so on. You don't need to be in the habit of taking it daily; it may make iron more difficult for your body to absorb. Alternatively, if you feel the need to be covered at all times, a drop or two each day under the tongue coupled with some good iron supplements will keep your defenses up.

There are other reasons to have oregano oil as part of your diet besides fighting off colds.  It's good for digestion, flexibility, skin, and more. Just remember to use very small doses - no more than three drops at a time, probably no more than three drops per day. To take it internally either place the drops underneath your tongue or mix it with a glass of juice.  The latter method is probably easier for most people because the pure oil - even a couple of drops - can be spicy enough to make you cough.  If you apply it to your skin, be sure to  thoroughly dilute it with olive or coconut oil.

The keys to your health are all around you. You just have to clear away the man-made junk to find it. Oil of oregano is very easy to use. What's stopping you from being healthy?

Here is my Amazon Affiliate link for the oregano oil I actually use: N.American Herb Spice - Oreganol (Oil Of Oregano).


resources:

• Lew Rockwell
  
• Wikipedia
  
• Oil of Oregano.com
  
• Home Remedies Web
  

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Plastic wrapped NOTHING

Not unlike the Photoshopped toy box for The Invisible Man that depicted an empty plastic container for an action figure that you couldn't see, T-Mobile is selling empty cases in their brick-and-mortar stores of cell phone shells that you design online.

Although it might be hard to tell from the picture, what you're seeing is literally an empty case around a cardboard cutout which tells you that you can build your own protective case online and have it shipped to you. Hopefully this is never actually purchased by the customer, since it would make sense not to create hundreds of thousands of empty plastic cases, but who knows? In a world that creates "All Natural" plastic pick-up sticks, anything is possible.

There were four of these empty boxes on the hangar, so at best there were probably only several thousand of these wastes of space created. Way to think about the environment, T-Mobile.

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Plastic-wrapped STRAW

Welcome to America, where we sell miniature, plastic-wrapped bales of straw to people who want to pretend that they've been hard at work harvesting the crops.

These tiny bales cost a whopping $20.00. They're really only about as big as a medium-sized dog, so the consumer is obviously going to have to buy more than one - probably at least three - if they intend to have any kind of realistic, faux display of the harvest season. On top of all that, they've wrapped these tiny bales completely in plastic simply for the sake of convenience. God forbid if straw gets scattered about the shipping trucks or the store while these miniscule bales packaged theft get shipped about and stacked for display.

At least this is a step up from the giant, plastic, inflated Santa Clauses that were soon to be seeing. This doesn't waste energy when you plop it out on your lawn and it promotes the economy since you'll need to buy more next year.

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Big Agriculture is Not Happy

Food Renegade brings us this news during this week's Link Love.  Marion Nestle of Food Politics describes how big agribusiness is starting to move against sustainable farming.

It is shocking, and yet highly encouraging, to see Big Agricultural leaders responding to the increasing awareness of how consolidated and/or conventional farming practices are bad for our health and the environment.

In October, there was a planned lecture to be given by Michael Pollan at Cal Poly university. It was to be a one hour lecture and naturally it would be about the emerging viewpoint that corporate food manufacturing is neither healthy nor tenable. When David Wood, chairman of the Harris Ranch Beef Company, heard about it, he threatened to withdraw his planned $500,000 donation to the university which would be used to further industrial beef processing education. The university complied with Wood's demands, and changed the format of the event to a panel, bringing in industry members who would offer conventional viewpoints.

Chairman Wood objects to the opinions held by Pollan (and other organic/local/small farm producers) which lead one to believe that if someone were to see how industrial-produced food was made, that person would not want to eat such food anymore. This is not something to simply object to; if the chairman believes his manufacturing process is worthy of scrutinization, he should be going out of his way to show it and thus prove these contrary opinions wrong. However, that's not what he's doing; he's using his accumulated power and money to simply squash the competition by hiding it where no one can see. That alone should cause the average consumer to stop buying, immediately.

When people everywhere realize how Big Ag is hurting them, then we will start to see real change. The average person probably doesn't wish destruction or bankruptcy on companies such as Mr Wood's, but probably does demand ethical and moral business practices be followed. It is high time for corporations to take responsibility for their behavior.

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Staying Healthy: Fight the Flu with Thieves Oil

Thieves oil. Historically, this mixture of essential oils was used by a group of thieves during the plague. They were said to have robbed the bodies of the dead and not contracted the disease due to this concoction. Whether that's actually true or not doesn't matter so much as the ingredients of this mixture and whether it really helps. It typically has cinnamon, lemon, and eucalyptus oils, but may also have clove and rosemary oils as well.

All together, this combination of oils is a strong antibacterial, antifungal, antimicrobial, antiviral, anti-inflammatory, and is a good antioxidant as well.  Wow!  Not only that but can improve circulation in the body while stimulating your white blood cells.  Among other things.  But best of all, it smells delicious so you can really enjoy using it.  You can apply it topically or take it interally - or both, of course.

I use Young Living's Thieves Essential Oil (http://www.youngliving.com/thieves-essential-oil/Thieves-Oil).  It's expensive for such a tiny bottle, but it lasts a good long while, too, since you only use a couple of drops per day. I melt a tiny bit of coconut oil in my palm, add 2-3 drops of thieves oil, and then rub it on my face and neck.  I've also been told that applying it to the soles of your feet before donning socks is a good way to absorb its properties as well. This might also be helpful when applying it to children who might otherwise fuss.

As an aside, I've also tried testing this coconut oil-thieves oil mixture as a deodorant, and it works, although it's not as strong as a mineral-based or otherwise commercially prepared deodorant. If you're sitting at a desk all day, it would probably be just fine, but it wouldn't cut it for outdoor or heavy work.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cinnamon#Uses
http://www.organicfacts.net/organic-oils/natural-essential-oils/health-benefits-of-eucalyptus-essential-oil.html
http://www.organicfacts.net/organic-oils/natural-essential-oils/health-benefits-of-lemon-oil.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lemon

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