Yesterday I posted a link to the American Dietetic Associations new recommendations on Vegetarian and Vegan Diets. Someone from one of my raw food forums uploaded the full report for veiwing. There is some really great information on the studies that have been done on Vegetarian and Vegan Diets.
ADA Report on Vegetarian Diets
Wednesday, July 8, 2009
Monday, July 6, 2009
A step in the right direction
The American Dietetic Association has changed it's position on Vegetarian Diets. Below is the Abstract version of their report.
http://www.adajournal.org/article/S0002-8223(09)00700-7/abstract
"Volume 109, Issue 7, Pages 1266-1282 (July 2009)
Position of the American Dietetic Association: Vegetarian Diets
Abstract
It is the position of the American Dietetic Association that appropriately planned vegetarian diets, including total vegetarian or vegan diets, are healthful, nutritionally adequate, and may provide health benefits in the prevention and treatment of certain diseases. Well-planned vegetarian diets are appropriate for individuals during all stages of the life cycle, including pregnancy, lactation, infancy, childhood, and adolescence, and for athletes. A vegetarian diet is defined as one that does not include meat (including fowl) or seafood, or products containing those foods. This article reviews the current data related to key nutrients for vegetarians including protein, n-3 fatty acids, iron, zinc, iodine, calcium, and vitamins D and B-12. A vegetarian diet can meet current recommendations for all of these nutrients. In some cases, supplements or fortified foods can provide useful amounts of important nutrients. An evidence-based review showed that vegetarian diets can be nutritionally adequate in pregnancy and result in positive maternal and infant health outcomes. The results of an evidence-based review showed that a vegetarian diet is associated with a lower risk of death from ischemic heart disease. Vegetarians also appear to have lower low-density lipoprotein cholesterol levels, lower blood pressure, and lower rates of hypertension and type 2 diabetes than nonvegetarians. Furthermore, vegetarians tend to have a lower body mass index and lower overall cancer rates. Features of a vegetarian diet that may reduce risk of chronic disease include lower intakes of saturated fat and cholesterol and higher intakes of fruits, vegetables, whole grains, nuts, soy products, fiber, and phytochemicals. The variability of dietary practices among vegetarians makes individual assessment of dietary adequacy essential. In addition to assessing dietary adequacy, food and nutrition professionals can also play key roles in educating vegetarians about sources of specific nutrients, food purchase and preparation, and dietary modifications to meet their needs."
http://www.adajournal.org/article/S0002-8223(09)00700-7/abstract
"Volume 109, Issue 7, Pages 1266-1282 (July 2009)
Position of the American Dietetic Association: Vegetarian Diets
Abstract
It is the position of the American Dietetic Association that appropriately planned vegetarian diets, including total vegetarian or vegan diets, are healthful, nutritionally adequate, and may provide health benefits in the prevention and treatment of certain diseases. Well-planned vegetarian diets are appropriate for individuals during all stages of the life cycle, including pregnancy, lactation, infancy, childhood, and adolescence, and for athletes. A vegetarian diet is defined as one that does not include meat (including fowl) or seafood, or products containing those foods. This article reviews the current data related to key nutrients for vegetarians including protein, n-3 fatty acids, iron, zinc, iodine, calcium, and vitamins D and B-12. A vegetarian diet can meet current recommendations for all of these nutrients. In some cases, supplements or fortified foods can provide useful amounts of important nutrients. An evidence-based review showed that vegetarian diets can be nutritionally adequate in pregnancy and result in positive maternal and infant health outcomes. The results of an evidence-based review showed that a vegetarian diet is associated with a lower risk of death from ischemic heart disease. Vegetarians also appear to have lower low-density lipoprotein cholesterol levels, lower blood pressure, and lower rates of hypertension and type 2 diabetes than nonvegetarians. Furthermore, vegetarians tend to have a lower body mass index and lower overall cancer rates. Features of a vegetarian diet that may reduce risk of chronic disease include lower intakes of saturated fat and cholesterol and higher intakes of fruits, vegetables, whole grains, nuts, soy products, fiber, and phytochemicals. The variability of dietary practices among vegetarians makes individual assessment of dietary adequacy essential. In addition to assessing dietary adequacy, food and nutrition professionals can also play key roles in educating vegetarians about sources of specific nutrients, food purchase and preparation, and dietary modifications to meet their needs."
Monday, April 6, 2009
The Beautiful Truth
Jeremiah 33:6 "Behold, I will bring you health and cure, and I will cure you, and will reveal unto you the abundance of peace and truth."
Prayer: “Lord, help me to appreciate and nourish my body as your temple. Help me to put you first in my life, above all other things.”
Genesis 1:29 “I give you every seed-bearing plant on the face of the whole earth and every tree that has fruit with seed in it. They will be yours for food.”
A couple of weeks ago someone in one of the raw foods groups left a note about a movie they recently watched that they they say changed their life. I felt compelled to watch the movie and must say that I was left in awe. I had already known much of the information shared in this documentary and clips of other mercury vapor tests similar to those that were seen and discussed at the Autism Conference I attended a couple of years ago here is Laffy. The movie I watched is called "The Beautiful Truth" and it follows the story of a home schooled teen in Alaska researching a book written 50 years ago by Dr. Max Gerson and his developments on treating cancer nutritionally. Dr. Gerson was poisoned twice with arsenic and his manuscript, "A Cancer Therapy: Results of 50 cases" was stolen and had to be rewritten and was completed shortly before he passed away due to arsenic poisoning. Watching this movie has inspired me to research more about Dr. Gerson and his writings. I was especially touched seeing the portion of the movie interviewing a survivor of a rare form of ovarian cancer. She was treated through the Mayo Clinic which eventually sent her home to die saying there was no more they could do. Now several years later and cancer free she returned to Mayo at the amazement of her treating physician at Mayo. He was asked to make a statement but declined, unfortunately, saying that he is "owned by the Mayo Clinic" and they would never allow him to say that a patient recovered without chemotherapy! In addition, anything he said would have to be approved by the Mayo public relations department. They then decided leave the Mayo campus, and film in a public park across the street. In the meantime, the Mayo powers that be alerted the police that "there is a group of terrorists across the street who are casing the place in order to blow it up!" To this day she and that doctor from Mayo have remained friends and he acknowledged that she was the only known survivor of that rare form of cancer.
Here is an article I googled which was written by the woman mentioned above. http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_6818/is_1_23/ai_n31163082?tag=untagged
The movie website is http://www.thebeautifultruthmovie.com and if you have Netflix you can watch it online. It is a really good documentary. The main subject is the focus on Dr. Gerson's cancer therapies but it also backs up the importance of diet in our overall health and just how strong natural healing can be. Just search The Beautiful Truth and you can watch through the Netflix player. I am interested to learn more about Dr. Gerson's findings and research from others who have gone on to continue his legacy.
Prayer: “Lord, help me to appreciate and nourish my body as your temple. Help me to put you first in my life, above all other things.”
Genesis 1:29 “I give you every seed-bearing plant on the face of the whole earth and every tree that has fruit with seed in it. They will be yours for food.”
A couple of weeks ago someone in one of the raw foods groups left a note about a movie they recently watched that they they say changed their life. I felt compelled to watch the movie and must say that I was left in awe. I had already known much of the information shared in this documentary and clips of other mercury vapor tests similar to those that were seen and discussed at the Autism Conference I attended a couple of years ago here is Laffy. The movie I watched is called "The Beautiful Truth" and it follows the story of a home schooled teen in Alaska researching a book written 50 years ago by Dr. Max Gerson and his developments on treating cancer nutritionally. Dr. Gerson was poisoned twice with arsenic and his manuscript, "A Cancer Therapy: Results of 50 cases" was stolen and had to be rewritten and was completed shortly before he passed away due to arsenic poisoning. Watching this movie has inspired me to research more about Dr. Gerson and his writings. I was especially touched seeing the portion of the movie interviewing a survivor of a rare form of ovarian cancer. She was treated through the Mayo Clinic which eventually sent her home to die saying there was no more they could do. Now several years later and cancer free she returned to Mayo at the amazement of her treating physician at Mayo. He was asked to make a statement but declined, unfortunately, saying that he is "owned by the Mayo Clinic" and they would never allow him to say that a patient recovered without chemotherapy! In addition, anything he said would have to be approved by the Mayo public relations department. They then decided leave the Mayo campus, and film in a public park across the street. In the meantime, the Mayo powers that be alerted the police that "there is a group of terrorists across the street who are casing the place in order to blow it up!" To this day she and that doctor from Mayo have remained friends and he acknowledged that she was the only known survivor of that rare form of cancer.
Here is an article I googled which was written by the woman mentioned above. http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_6818/is_1_23/ai_n31163082?tag=untagged
The movie website is http://www.thebeautifultruthmovie.com and if you have Netflix you can watch it online. It is a really good documentary. The main subject is the focus on Dr. Gerson's cancer therapies but it also backs up the importance of diet in our overall health and just how strong natural healing can be. Just search The Beautiful Truth and you can watch through the Netflix player. I am interested to learn more about Dr. Gerson's findings and research from others who have gone on to continue his legacy.
My new websites
A good quality of life is what we all desire. Overall well being is achieved through clean air and water, fitness, good nutrition, health and personal hygiene. Just wanted to give a quick update on a few things I have been working on. I have recently started updating one of my older websites called The Herbal Directory which is basically a directory of herbal books and information covering various topics of natural healing.
Secondly, I just opened a new website The Herbal Library where you can purchase natural remedies,herbs, vitamins and more.
If you visit either website you can take the free health analyzer test to help you get started on your way to better health.
Also if you join my team you get a free one-year membership ($40 value) and FREE shipping on your second order when you purchase at least $40 products directly from The Herbal Library .
Tuesday, March 24, 2009
Gods Pharmacy
Someone just posted this on Acadiana Moms and I wanted to share.
It's been said that God first separated the salt water from the fresh, made dry land, planted a garden, made animals and fish... all before making a human. He made and provided what we'd need before we were born. These are best & more powerful when eaten raw. We're such slow learners, you know...
God left us great clues as to what foods help what part of our body!
God's Pharmacy! Amazing!
A sliced Carrot looks like the human eye. The pupil,iris and radiating lines look just like the human eye... and YES, science now shows carrots greatly enhance blood flow to and function of the eyes.
A Tomato has four chambers and is red. The heart has four chambers and is red. All of the research shows tomatoes are loaded with lycopene and are indeed pure heart and blood food.
Grapes hang in a cluster that has the shape of the heart.. Each grape looks like a blood cell and all of the research today shows grapes are also profound heart and blood vitalizing food.
A Walnut looks like a little brain, a left and right hemisphere, upper cerebrums and lower cerebellums. Even the wrinkles or folds on the nut are just like the neo-cortex. We now know walnuts help develop more than three (3) dozen neuron-transmitters for proper brain function.
Kidney Beans actually heal and help maintain kidney function, and yes, they look exactly like the human kidneys.
Celery, Bok Choy, Rhubarb and many more look just like bones. These foods specifically target bone strength. Bones are 23% sodium and these foods are 23% sodium. If you don't have enough sodium in your diet, the body pulls it from the bones, thus making them weak. These foods replenish the skeletal needs of the body.
Avocadoes, Eggplant and Pears target the health and function of the womb and cervix of the female - they look just like these organs. Today's research shows that when a woman eats one avocado a week, it balances hormones, sheds unwanted birth weight, and prevents cervical cancers. And how profound is this? It takes exactly nine (9) months to grow an avocado from blossom to ripened fruit. There are over 14,000 photolytic chemical constituents of nutrition in each one of these foods (modern science has only studied and named about 141 of them).
Figs are full of seeds and hang in twos when they grow. Figs increase the mobility of male sperm and increase the numbers of Sperm as well to overcome male sterility.
Sweet Potatoes look like the pancreas and actually balance the glycemic index of diabetics.
Olives assist the health and function of the ovaries.
Oranges, Grapefruits, and other Citrus fruits look just like the mammary glands of the female and actually assist the health of the breasts and the movement of lymph in and out of the breasts.
Onions look like the body's cells. Today's research shows onions help clear waste materials from all of the body cells.. They even produce tears which wash the epithelial layers of the eyes. A working companion, Garlic, also helps eliminate waste materials and dangerous free radicals from the body..
It's been said that God first separated the salt water from the fresh, made dry land, planted a garden, made animals and fish... all before making a human. He made and provided what we'd need before we were born. These are best & more powerful when eaten raw. We're such slow learners, you know...
God left us great clues as to what foods help what part of our body!
God's Pharmacy! Amazing!
A sliced Carrot looks like the human eye. The pupil,iris and radiating lines look just like the human eye... and YES, science now shows carrots greatly enhance blood flow to and function of the eyes.
A Tomato has four chambers and is red. The heart has four chambers and is red. All of the research shows tomatoes are loaded with lycopene and are indeed pure heart and blood food.
Grapes hang in a cluster that has the shape of the heart.. Each grape looks like a blood cell and all of the research today shows grapes are also profound heart and blood vitalizing food.
A Walnut looks like a little brain, a left and right hemisphere, upper cerebrums and lower cerebellums. Even the wrinkles or folds on the nut are just like the neo-cortex. We now know walnuts help develop more than three (3) dozen neuron-transmitters for proper brain function.
Kidney Beans actually heal and help maintain kidney function, and yes, they look exactly like the human kidneys.
Celery, Bok Choy, Rhubarb and many more look just like bones. These foods specifically target bone strength. Bones are 23% sodium and these foods are 23% sodium. If you don't have enough sodium in your diet, the body pulls it from the bones, thus making them weak. These foods replenish the skeletal needs of the body.
Avocadoes, Eggplant and Pears target the health and function of the womb and cervix of the female - they look just like these organs. Today's research shows that when a woman eats one avocado a week, it balances hormones, sheds unwanted birth weight, and prevents cervical cancers. And how profound is this? It takes exactly nine (9) months to grow an avocado from blossom to ripened fruit. There are over 14,000 photolytic chemical constituents of nutrition in each one of these foods (modern science has only studied and named about 141 of them).
Figs are full of seeds and hang in twos when they grow. Figs increase the mobility of male sperm and increase the numbers of Sperm as well to overcome male sterility.
Sweet Potatoes look like the pancreas and actually balance the glycemic index of diabetics.
Olives assist the health and function of the ovaries.
Oranges, Grapefruits, and other Citrus fruits look just like the mammary glands of the female and actually assist the health of the breasts and the movement of lymph in and out of the breasts.
Onions look like the body's cells. Today's research shows onions help clear waste materials from all of the body cells.. They even produce tears which wash the epithelial layers of the eyes. A working companion, Garlic, also helps eliminate waste materials and dangerous free radicals from the body..
Why are so many Christians in the dark about nutritian? (growing your own)
TOP 15 VEGETABLES IN ECONOMIC VALUE
Tomatoes
Beets
Green bunching onions
Carrots
Leaf lettuce
Cucumbers
Turnip (greens + roots)
Peppers
Summer squash
Broccoli
Edible podded peas
Head lettuce
Onion storage bulbs
Swiss chard
Beans (pole, bush)
Growing your own:
10 steps to getting started if you have no gardening experience. The three key elements you must have are some sun, soil and water. Minimum tools needed. Gloves and a shovel work fine.
* 1. Stop applying all pesticides and weed killers to the soil in and around
your entire garden. No exceptions. *
*2. Start small, 50 square feet for example. Even better start in your flower garden or use containers on your patio. Find the spot that ideally has sun all year in your yard.
*3. Remove whatever debris is covering the dirt including rocks larger than
a fingernail. If plants already grow there dig them out with the shovel and
save them off to the side for potting or planting elsewhere*
*4. Cover your gardening area with organic material such as leaves, dried
grass clippings and fine plant material.*
*5. Get a bucketful of good compost. You can actually get free compost locally from the compost facility. Making your own is easy and can be done with a purchased compost bin or make your own using a drum or old trashcan. Spread this thinly all over your garden. You will be filling your soil with all manner of organisms, little bugs, worms and other beneficial life forms that are going
to do most of the work for you if you give them the chance. *
*6. Use a rake or shovel to mix the top 3 inches of soil and organic
material. Burying the organic material any deeper just kills the critters
and wastes your energy.*
*7. Keep the soil damp like a wrung out sponge, not soggy.*
*8. Never walk on your soil. Make a kneeling board to avoid compacting it
and use an old cushion to save your knees. *
*9. Obtain vegetables in pots or start your own from seed in seed starters. Dig a hole slightly larger than the pot, squeeze the sides to remove the plant, fluff it's roots lightly and
plant it. Mulch around it with organic material to keep the soil moist. *
(We like going to the local plant shows at Blackhum which is normally in April. The vendors there are usually very knowledgeable and you can actually find some really unique varieties. LSU agriculture department is one of our preferred sellers. Browse and speak with the herb vendors as well; they can share some great advice and usually have unique varieties.)
There is also a lady in town known as the plant lady. She is located near Congress and sells from her home. She has been one of the most knowledgeable people we have met concerning plants. Check the quick quarter in garage sales she usually posts her sales there. But, typically it is every Saturday although I know she had a lot of damage from the hurricane so I am not certain she is selling this year. Her prices are usually very good and can answer any question you may have. If anyone knows who I am speaking of and knows if she is selling this year post a comment to update and pass along that information.
*10. Start your own compost heap in a corner of the garden. Just heap up all
the clean organic material that you can get and mix it up occasionally.
Apply the compost periodically to the soil around your plants or use it to
start your own seeds. Starting a your own compost is great for the environment. It cuts down on what ends up in landfills and why buy fertilizer when you can make it just as easy for free.*
More information on composting http://planetgreen.discovery.com/composting-tips/
Try planting an edible landscaping. When planning your landscaping and flowerbeds consider incorporating edible plants, herbs and trees.
Herb Gardening
The most popular use for herbs is in cooking, and nearly every recipe uses at least one herb. Herbs have many other uses as well. Types such as lemon balm, chamomile and mint make wonderful tea, used either individually or combined. Chamomile makes a soothing tea for relaxing after a stressful day and mint teas help aid in digestion or soothing to an upset tummy.
Many herbs are also believed to have medicinal properties. The echinacea has become popular remedy for colds as well as lemon balm for sore throats, ginger, mint and the purple cone flower are used in herbal cold medicines. Lavender is common for healing wounds and aiding in sleep and aloe applied on the skin to relieve sunburns.
Even those with a so called black thumb like me can usually do well growing herbs. Many herbs also produce attractive flowers such as bee balm and chamomile. According to the 2006 National Gardening Survey, more than 14 million households in the United States grow herbs.
Types of Herbs
Like all plants, herbs can be categorized as annual, perennial, or biennial. Annual plants grow for only one season and so must be planted each spring. Perennials can live for several years. Their foliage die back in the fall, but will resume growth in the spring. And biennials grow for two years, growing foliage the first season, overwintering, then forming seeds and dying back at the end of the second season.
Here are some examples of each type of herb.
Annual Herbs
* basil (I love basil and can eat it off the plant. It is so easy to grow just be sure to waiter daily and pinch back the flowering buds before they flower. Once basil flowers it turns bitter and peppery. Grows fast)
* chamomile
* cilantro/coriander (I assume these are similar to those in the parsley family. this is my first year planting cilantro. The parsley family is easy to grow and worked best for us planted directly in the ground. A neat variation though the name slips me at the moment was one that tasted like cucumbers.)
* cumin
* dill (supposed to be one of the easiest. I tried in the pot and in the ground. The plant in pots failed miserably for me though thrived in the ground.) This year I planted mind in the planter I purchased along side my other herbs. We will see how it fares.
* fennel
Herbs can provide important habitat for beneficial insects. Dill and fennel are two herbs beneficial insects particularly like. So if you can plant these along side those flower that tend to be more problematic (aphids) to attract ladybugs and other beneficial insects. I may try planting another dill near my butterfly (milk) weed. Milkweed is notorious for attracting aphids and mine is no exception. We recently cut it back to try and get rid of as many aphids as possible because they are difficult to control. Ladybugs love aphids so planting dill nearby may help keep the problem under control. You can also purchase live ladybugs to release into your garden, this is another possibility once we get further alon gin the season. I believe Home Depot gets in a shipment of ladybugs, Marshall may as well though I have not been to their new location.
Perennial Herbs*
* chives (We lost almost everything after the hurricane. We had moved most of our herbs and plants to the barns and just being forgetful I didn't water them as often as I should. I thought everything was lost because it looked dead. I decided to water anyway just in case I could salvage anything. My chive which looks the worst actually came back from nothing.
* lavender (I haven't has much luck with lavender but was able to keep some for about a little over a year in a north facing window in the kitchen. This year I planted culinary lavender in with my other herbs. I am curious to see how these will do and what I can so with them.)
* lemon balm (I love lemon balm! It makes great tea and works well with poultry. I have it planted right in my flowerbed and have let it take over. It is thriving even with little to no watering. I love that it is blocking out weeds. Some people do not like how these varieties such as mint takes over but if you love mint and tea herbs as much as I do and use them often then by all means find a spot to let it thrive. Another option to keep it under control is taking a gallon sized can, cutting open both ends and sinking it deep into the ground leaving about an inch above ground and planting your aggressive herbs in the boundaries of the can. this helps prevent or slow the root system from taking over the area and makes it easier to dig up if you decide to move it.)
* lovage
* lemongrass
* marjoram
* mint (mints are some of the easiest to grow and are great for many recipes, teas and salads. Miints makes a wonderful addition to fresh raw fruit. Cut you favorite fruits add some lemon juice, honey and chopped mint makes a refreshing dessert.)
Perennial mints, including spearmint, applemint, and peppermint, are very vigorous and can become invasive. Rather than planting them directly in the garden, grow the plants in containers, then sink the containers into the garden or use the can trick as I mentioned with lemon balm. This will contain the roots and limit spreading.
* oregano (We did well growing these in a window box, either on the ground or on the window.)
* rosemary (I have a hard time with rosemary but other gardeners I know have rosemary that thrive.)
* sage
* tarragon
* thyme (Thyme is another easy to grow herb, planted in pots it did well for us. I may consider in the ground next time.)
*These may not be hardy in all regions of the country. Check zone ratings for which do well for your area.
Parsley is one of the few common herbs that is a biennial. However, unless you want to harvest the seed, you can treat it like an annual and plant new plants each season which is what I do. Perennial herbs that are not hardy in your region can be overwintered indoors, then brought back outdoors in the spring.
Where to Plant
Plant herbs where you can get to them easily for frequent harvesting, especially if you plan to use them in cooking. Consider planting your culinary herbs near the house or in a window box near on indoors in the kitchen. You can even purchase one of those indoor herb boxes that has a sunlamp attached and grow them on our counter top.
Flowerbeds are easily converted into an herb garden. This is what I have done with mine. Plant edible flowers and herbs. Window boxes are great for herbs such as oregano, basil, chives.Mints do well in the ground or in hanging baskets. When planting in the ground keep in mind that those herbs in the mint family are aggressive. The mint family is some of the easiest to grow and can tolerate a lot of abuse yet still thrive. I find that they do best in the ground though and take little time to care for. You can prevent or slow take over by using a large coffee can or gallon sized can to contain it in the soil as mentioned above.
Square foot gardens (Sams Club has a really near garden system with self irrigation that would work well for someone wanting to try this. If you are crafty you can make your own there are plans avaible online, just google square foot gardening and you are sure to pull up a lot of information and various plans.)
Earth boxes - another option for small spaces. You can purchase online or find plans to make your own using a few Rubbermaid containers.
Upside down gardens this is my new thing. The patio box we purchased has the capability to grow tomatoes or other vine plants upside down and allows you to plant herbs on top. Mine was planted over the weekend and an excited to see the results. We have excess tomato plants and I am taking some older hanging baskets and drilling a one inch hole in the bottom to plant the rest of the tomatoes. This will still allow me to plant another herbs on top such as chives and keep them off the ground to deter pest from getting after my tomatoes before they are ripe.
Patio gardening- there are various miniature varieties of trees and vegetable plants that are great for container growing. There is even a variety of bell peppers that grows best in hanging baskets. Out of all our tomatoes from last year grape tomatoes grown in a large terracotta pot snuggled in the flower bed thrived. We had more tomatoes than we could eat off that plant.
Vertical Gardening is gardening using trellises, nets, strings, cages, or poles to support growing plants. This technique is especially suited, but not limited, to small garden spaces. Vining and sprawling plants, such as cucumbers, grapes, tomatoes, melons, and pole beans are good options for this type of gardening. Some plants entwine themselves onto the support, while others may need to be tied. Remember that a vertical planting will cast a shadows onto anything planted near it. Beware of shading sun-loving plants, but feel free to plant shade-tolerant crops near the trellises and take advantage of the shade. Plants grown vertically occupy much less space on the ground, and though the yield per plant may be low, the yield per square foot of garden space is high. Because vertically growing plants are more exposed than non-staked plants, they dry out quickly and may need to be watered frequently. Many gardeners choose to use sprinklers or timed irrigation systems for this. A really neat variety that I planted last year was edible spinach vine. This is not spinach like what you think of at the super market. Purple Spinach vine has a purple vine and dark green heart shaped leaves that look similar to ivy. Spinach vine will cling to anything it can and works well growing even on poles.
Inter or Coplanting - Growing two or more types of vegetables in the same place at the same time. You can accomplish inter planting by alternating rows within a bed (plant a row of peppers next to a row of onions), by mixing plants within a row, or by distributing various species throughout the bed. For the beginner, alternating rows may be the easiest to manage. Inter planting can help keep insect and disease problems under control.Such as dill near plants which can attract aphids. Pests are fairly crop-specific; that is, they prefer vegetables of one type or family. Mixing families of plants avoids large expanses of the pest-preferred crop, helping to contain early pest damage within a small area, giving you a little more time to deal with the problem.
Long-season (slow-maturing) and short-season (quick maturing) plants like carrots and radishes, can be planted at the same time. The radishes are harvested before they begin to crowd the carrots. An example of combining growth patterns is planting smaller plants close to larger plants, (radishes at the base of beans or broccoli). Shade tolerant species like lettuce, spinach, and celery may be planted in the shadow of taller crops. Heavy feeders, such as cabbage family crops, should be mixed with less gluttonous plants. Root, leaf, and soil-building crops (legumes) may be mixed to take advantage of available nutrients.
3 main factors of a successful/productive garden:
1. Soil - probably the most important factor assuming ample water and sun. The soil is the "food" of plants and just like people, they have dietary requirements. Macro nutrients are Nitrogen, Phosphorus, and Potassium. You can get a soil test kit at Home Depot for about $5 and easily determine the levels. If you are deficient your plants will seriously suffer. You can get a lot of this into the soil by adding compost (decayed kitchen scraps and yard waste), but it may be advisable to supplement if you are really low, with other sources. Composting also adds organic matter to the soil which is important for holding moisture and attracting beneficial insects and micro flora that help breakdown soil nutrients. It also aids in soil water retention / permeability and root growth). To aid root growth, it is very advisable to break up soil to a depth of 24 inches prior to planting. After planting, it is very beneficial to add a layer of "mulch" such as grass clippings or shredded leaves around the plants. This holds in moisture, keeps down weeds, and as it breaks down feeds the plants. You can get micro nutrients from various sources, but desalinized seawater and seaweed are some of the best. Lots of people report amazing results from these.
2. Water. The amount will very depending on location and individual plant needs. Drip irrigation systems will conserve water and give a steady supply making less work for you. Hand watering is fine, but some plants such as tomatoes don't like the water on their leaves. Watering just after the heat of the day, such as 2 hours before sundown is ideal. This allows plants to absorb water all night long before the heat of the day dries the soil. Leaving 5 gallon buckets out to catch rain fall is a great idea. Rain water contains more nutrients than tap and many plants will thrive better using natural rainwater over chemically processed tap water.
3. Sun - Most plants like a lot of sun. The exception would be cucumber which likes a little shade and lettuce and chard which can tolerate shade. Full sun means at least six hours of direct light a day.
Try to plant in areas that are shaded from wind (and frost), pick plants that grow well for your planting zone and time of year (LSU agriculture has a good listing with planting dates you can download), and learn the nuances of each plant as they all have various likes and dislikes. Companion planting can strengthen plants (ie:tomato and basil), attract beneficial insects (Dill), and ward off unwanted bugs.
Recycle and Reuse
Composting - Make (with and old trash can, drum or purchase your own compost bin. Instead of throwing vegetable scraps out with the trash or down the disposal get a few brown paper bags from the market and put your scraps in that. Keep it in your kitchen and after a couple days toss the entire bag into your compost pile and it will break down. Keep raked leaves from your yard and grass clippings to add to the compost pile. The farmers almanac website has easy suggestions for starting a compost pile. If you are in need of a large amount of compost Lafayette has its owns compost facility which is free for those wanting to pick up a load of compost and a small fee for dropping off materials such as downed trees etc. Just come in your truck or bring a trailer and you can fill it with what you need. They are only open on certain days and times so you may need to call to find out hours.
http://www.farmersalmanac.com/home_garden/a/easy_ways_to_compost
Unique Ideas for planting
Old tires- rather than fill landfills with worn tires. Take the tires with you and use then for planting. Tires are great for planting things like tomatoes and potatoes.
One of the easiest root crops to grow is potatoes. One of the bonuses of growing potatoes is that you can eat them at various stages of growth. A small area can provide a nice yield and early spring is the best time to plant them. So here are a few hints on how to grow potatoes in the garden:
SOIL PREPARATION - potatoes grow in just average soil, so a great deal of soil preparation is not really needed. However the addition of some compost or a little peat moss is beneficial. Avoid using fresh manure or lime in the soil where potatoes are to be grown, as it tends to cause scab on the potatoes. The addition of either 5-10-10 or 10-20-20 fertilizer is beneficial (purchased fertilizer has this on the package). Mix the fertilizer into the planting soil, prior to planting. Till or spade the soil to a depth of ten or twelve inches.
CUTTING POTATOES - if the seed potatoes are small to medium sized, plant the whole potato. If they are large sized, you can cut them in half, or quarter them. Each section should have two or three 'eyes'. After cutting, let the cut surface callus-over before planting them.
Tires: There are two different methods of growing potatoes in tires. One way is to stack three or four tires, fill them with soil and plant two to three seed pieces about 1 or 2 inches deep in the top tire. The black of the tire absorbs and radiates heat, and there usually is a heavy yield.
Another method is to put a tire on the ground, fill it with soil and plant the potatoes within the tire. Plant two seed potatoes, whole or halved, about 2 inches deep. Once the potatoes have developed 3 or 4 inches of foliage growth, a second tire can be put on top of the first, Fill in with more soil, always leaving at least 2 inches of leaf growth above the soil level. Continue to fill as the plants grow. Once you've filled in the center of the second tire, continue the stack to a height of three or four tires. Keep in mind you must always leave about 2 inches of foliage showing.
WATERING - Black or hollow centers on potatoes is often caused by over-watering. Irregular watering causes irregular shaped or knobby potatoes. As a guideline, water potatoes (thoroughly) weekly during warmer summer weather.
HARVESTING - New young potatoes are harvested when peas are ripe (when growing simultaneously) or as the potato plants begin to flower. For storage of full sized potatoes harvest them when the vines turn yellow or have died-back.
Cleaning Produce
Hydrogen Peroxide is good for cleaning produce.Hydrogen peroxide is simply water with an extra oxygen molecule (H2O2) and breaks down into oxygen and water. It's certainly kinder on the environment and can be used for other house hold cleaning as well. Cleaning with Peroxide was actually mentioned in the movie "The Beautiful Truth". Hydrogen peroxide should be diluted down to 3% as a base for most applications. It's also readily available in 3% solution from your local pharmacy or drugstore (brown bottles)
Keep two spray bottles in your kitchen, one filled with regular 5% vinegar, and one filled with hydrogen peroxide (make sure it is a dark bottle -not see through or it will begin to break down into oxygen and water; rendering it ineffective. Store it in a dark bottle and remember to keep it out of reach of children.). The brown bottle of hydrogen peroxide that you can buy at the drugstore or discount mart is exactly what you need. The vinegar can be white distilled vinegar or apple cider vinegar; whatever you have on the shelf is fine.
To help kill bacteria such as E. Coli on fruits and vegetables, add a quarter cup of 3% hydrogen peroxide to a sink full of cold water. immerse, rinse with cold water and drain. By killing bacteria this will also help keep fruit and vegetables fresher for longer. You can also use a spray bottle containing a 50/50 mix of 3% hydrogen peroxide and water - just spray and rinse.
First spray the produce with the vinegar, then follow with a spray of the hydrogen peroxide. Rinse the fruits and vegetables under cold running water. That's it. It's simple and quick, and very inexpensive. There will not be any vinegar taste left on the fruits and vegetables. The acidic vinegar actually breaks down chemicals from the field and waxes or other shipping and storage enhancers that may have been used on the produce, and the residues can be rinsed away. The hydrogen peroxide will sanitize the surface of the food.
With some foods you will need to use extra care. For example, with grapes, try snipping apart a large bunch into smaller bunches. The grapes keep fresher longer when left on the stem, so leaving them in small bunches makes it easier to clean all surfaces while retaining freshness. If you have non-bruising produce like green beans or edible pod peas, put them in a lidded container and add a little vinegar. Then gently tip and roll the container to coat each piece, and pour out the vinegar. Repeat with a little hydrogen peroxide. Then dump them into a colander and rinse well under running water.
Any time you can buy fresh produce that was raised organically, you will begin with food that has had no pesticides or other chemicals used on it. But, even organic foods need to be sanitized before you eat them because they have been handled in the store. If you have a household with children, try to use this method of washing produce as soon as you bring it into your kitchen. This way you have fresh fruit clean and ready to eat anytime.
Other uses for hydrogen peroxide
- Dip your toothbrush in a 3% solution of hydrogen peroxide solution to kill bacteria on the brush.
- A tablespoon of 3% hydrogen peroxide solution in a cup of water can be used as a mouthwash - swish for up to 60 seconds once a day; but don't swallow and be sure to rinse your mouth out afterward. This can also help whiten teeth.
- Hydrogen peroxide in a 3% solution applied to a rag can be used to clean kitchen counters and cutting boards to kill salmonella and other bacteria
- Half fill a spray bottle with a 3% solution and then top it up with water for use as a bathroom and toilet disinfectant and cleaner. This is especially useful if you have a septic, grey water or black water treatment system as it won't harm the bacteria in the treatment systems that break down waste.
- Mix a 3% hydrogen peroxide solution with two parts water in a spray bottle and use on areas affected by mold. You can try a neat 3% solution for areas like bathroom tiles, but be careful around painted areas too stong a mix may bleach them.
- Make a whitening toothpaste by mixing baking soda and 3% Hydrogen Peroxide to form a paste. You can add a few drops of peppermint oil for flavor and breath freshening.
- Use 3% hydrogen peroxide to sterilize cuts and abrasions - the fizzing you'll see occur is normal.
- Add a cup of 3% hydrogen peroxide to your whites wash in place of bleaches
- Remove bloodstains from clothing by blotting stain with 3% hydrogen peroxide, then rinse promptly with cold water to avoid bleaching of the fabric.
- To remove yellowing from lace curtains or tablecloths, fill a sink with cold water and a 2 cups of 3% hydrogen peroxide. Soak for at least an hour, rinse in cold water and air dry.
Tomatoes
Beets
Green bunching onions
Carrots
Leaf lettuce
Cucumbers
Turnip (greens + roots)
Peppers
Summer squash
Broccoli
Edible podded peas
Head lettuce
Onion storage bulbs
Swiss chard
Beans (pole, bush)
Growing your own:
10 steps to getting started if you have no gardening experience. The three key elements you must have are some sun, soil and water. Minimum tools needed. Gloves and a shovel work fine.
* 1. Stop applying all pesticides and weed killers to the soil in and around
your entire garden. No exceptions. *
*2. Start small, 50 square feet for example. Even better start in your flower garden or use containers on your patio. Find the spot that ideally has sun all year in your yard.
*3. Remove whatever debris is covering the dirt including rocks larger than
a fingernail. If plants already grow there dig them out with the shovel and
save them off to the side for potting or planting elsewhere*
*4. Cover your gardening area with organic material such as leaves, dried
grass clippings and fine plant material.*
*5. Get a bucketful of good compost. You can actually get free compost locally from the compost facility. Making your own is easy and can be done with a purchased compost bin or make your own using a drum or old trashcan. Spread this thinly all over your garden. You will be filling your soil with all manner of organisms, little bugs, worms and other beneficial life forms that are going
to do most of the work for you if you give them the chance. *
*6. Use a rake or shovel to mix the top 3 inches of soil and organic
material. Burying the organic material any deeper just kills the critters
and wastes your energy.*
*7. Keep the soil damp like a wrung out sponge, not soggy.*
*8. Never walk on your soil. Make a kneeling board to avoid compacting it
and use an old cushion to save your knees. *
*9. Obtain vegetables in pots or start your own from seed in seed starters. Dig a hole slightly larger than the pot, squeeze the sides to remove the plant, fluff it's roots lightly and
plant it. Mulch around it with organic material to keep the soil moist. *
(We like going to the local plant shows at Blackhum which is normally in April. The vendors there are usually very knowledgeable and you can actually find some really unique varieties. LSU agriculture department is one of our preferred sellers. Browse and speak with the herb vendors as well; they can share some great advice and usually have unique varieties.)
There is also a lady in town known as the plant lady. She is located near Congress and sells from her home. She has been one of the most knowledgeable people we have met concerning plants. Check the quick quarter in garage sales she usually posts her sales there. But, typically it is every Saturday although I know she had a lot of damage from the hurricane so I am not certain she is selling this year. Her prices are usually very good and can answer any question you may have. If anyone knows who I am speaking of and knows if she is selling this year post a comment to update and pass along that information.
*10. Start your own compost heap in a corner of the garden. Just heap up all
the clean organic material that you can get and mix it up occasionally.
Apply the compost periodically to the soil around your plants or use it to
start your own seeds. Starting a your own compost is great for the environment. It cuts down on what ends up in landfills and why buy fertilizer when you can make it just as easy for free.*
More information on composting http://planetgreen.discovery.com/composting-tips/
Try planting an edible landscaping. When planning your landscaping and flowerbeds consider incorporating edible plants, herbs and trees.
Herb Gardening
The most popular use for herbs is in cooking, and nearly every recipe uses at least one herb. Herbs have many other uses as well. Types such as lemon balm, chamomile and mint make wonderful tea, used either individually or combined. Chamomile makes a soothing tea for relaxing after a stressful day and mint teas help aid in digestion or soothing to an upset tummy.
Many herbs are also believed to have medicinal properties. The echinacea has become popular remedy for colds as well as lemon balm for sore throats, ginger, mint and the purple cone flower are used in herbal cold medicines. Lavender is common for healing wounds and aiding in sleep and aloe applied on the skin to relieve sunburns.
Even those with a so called black thumb like me can usually do well growing herbs. Many herbs also produce attractive flowers such as bee balm and chamomile. According to the 2006 National Gardening Survey, more than 14 million households in the United States grow herbs.
Types of Herbs
Like all plants, herbs can be categorized as annual, perennial, or biennial. Annual plants grow for only one season and so must be planted each spring. Perennials can live for several years. Their foliage die back in the fall, but will resume growth in the spring. And biennials grow for two years, growing foliage the first season, overwintering, then forming seeds and dying back at the end of the second season.
Here are some examples of each type of herb.
Annual Herbs
* basil (I love basil and can eat it off the plant. It is so easy to grow just be sure to waiter daily and pinch back the flowering buds before they flower. Once basil flowers it turns bitter and peppery. Grows fast)
* chamomile
* cilantro/coriander (I assume these are similar to those in the parsley family. this is my first year planting cilantro. The parsley family is easy to grow and worked best for us planted directly in the ground. A neat variation though the name slips me at the moment was one that tasted like cucumbers.)
* cumin
* dill (supposed to be one of the easiest. I tried in the pot and in the ground. The plant in pots failed miserably for me though thrived in the ground.) This year I planted mind in the planter I purchased along side my other herbs. We will see how it fares.
* fennel
Herbs can provide important habitat for beneficial insects. Dill and fennel are two herbs beneficial insects particularly like. So if you can plant these along side those flower that tend to be more problematic (aphids) to attract ladybugs and other beneficial insects. I may try planting another dill near my butterfly (milk) weed. Milkweed is notorious for attracting aphids and mine is no exception. We recently cut it back to try and get rid of as many aphids as possible because they are difficult to control. Ladybugs love aphids so planting dill nearby may help keep the problem under control. You can also purchase live ladybugs to release into your garden, this is another possibility once we get further alon gin the season. I believe Home Depot gets in a shipment of ladybugs, Marshall may as well though I have not been to their new location.
Perennial Herbs*
* chives (We lost almost everything after the hurricane. We had moved most of our herbs and plants to the barns and just being forgetful I didn't water them as often as I should. I thought everything was lost because it looked dead. I decided to water anyway just in case I could salvage anything. My chive which looks the worst actually came back from nothing.
* lavender (I haven't has much luck with lavender but was able to keep some for about a little over a year in a north facing window in the kitchen. This year I planted culinary lavender in with my other herbs. I am curious to see how these will do and what I can so with them.)
* lemon balm (I love lemon balm! It makes great tea and works well with poultry. I have it planted right in my flowerbed and have let it take over. It is thriving even with little to no watering. I love that it is blocking out weeds. Some people do not like how these varieties such as mint takes over but if you love mint and tea herbs as much as I do and use them often then by all means find a spot to let it thrive. Another option to keep it under control is taking a gallon sized can, cutting open both ends and sinking it deep into the ground leaving about an inch above ground and planting your aggressive herbs in the boundaries of the can. this helps prevent or slow the root system from taking over the area and makes it easier to dig up if you decide to move it.)
* lovage
* lemongrass
* marjoram
* mint (mints are some of the easiest to grow and are great for many recipes, teas and salads. Miints makes a wonderful addition to fresh raw fruit. Cut you favorite fruits add some lemon juice, honey and chopped mint makes a refreshing dessert.)
Perennial mints, including spearmint, applemint, and peppermint, are very vigorous and can become invasive. Rather than planting them directly in the garden, grow the plants in containers, then sink the containers into the garden or use the can trick as I mentioned with lemon balm. This will contain the roots and limit spreading.
* oregano (We did well growing these in a window box, either on the ground or on the window.)
* rosemary (I have a hard time with rosemary but other gardeners I know have rosemary that thrive.)
* sage
* tarragon
* thyme (Thyme is another easy to grow herb, planted in pots it did well for us. I may consider in the ground next time.)
*These may not be hardy in all regions of the country. Check zone ratings for which do well for your area.
Parsley is one of the few common herbs that is a biennial. However, unless you want to harvest the seed, you can treat it like an annual and plant new plants each season which is what I do. Perennial herbs that are not hardy in your region can be overwintered indoors, then brought back outdoors in the spring.
Where to Plant
Plant herbs where you can get to them easily for frequent harvesting, especially if you plan to use them in cooking. Consider planting your culinary herbs near the house or in a window box near on indoors in the kitchen. You can even purchase one of those indoor herb boxes that has a sunlamp attached and grow them on our counter top.
Flowerbeds are easily converted into an herb garden. This is what I have done with mine. Plant edible flowers and herbs. Window boxes are great for herbs such as oregano, basil, chives.Mints do well in the ground or in hanging baskets. When planting in the ground keep in mind that those herbs in the mint family are aggressive. The mint family is some of the easiest to grow and can tolerate a lot of abuse yet still thrive. I find that they do best in the ground though and take little time to care for. You can prevent or slow take over by using a large coffee can or gallon sized can to contain it in the soil as mentioned above.
Square foot gardens (Sams Club has a really near garden system with self irrigation that would work well for someone wanting to try this. If you are crafty you can make your own there are plans avaible online, just google square foot gardening and you are sure to pull up a lot of information and various plans.)
Earth boxes - another option for small spaces. You can purchase online or find plans to make your own using a few Rubbermaid containers.
Upside down gardens this is my new thing. The patio box we purchased has the capability to grow tomatoes or other vine plants upside down and allows you to plant herbs on top. Mine was planted over the weekend and an excited to see the results. We have excess tomato plants and I am taking some older hanging baskets and drilling a one inch hole in the bottom to plant the rest of the tomatoes. This will still allow me to plant another herbs on top such as chives and keep them off the ground to deter pest from getting after my tomatoes before they are ripe.
Patio gardening- there are various miniature varieties of trees and vegetable plants that are great for container growing. There is even a variety of bell peppers that grows best in hanging baskets. Out of all our tomatoes from last year grape tomatoes grown in a large terracotta pot snuggled in the flower bed thrived. We had more tomatoes than we could eat off that plant.
Vertical Gardening is gardening using trellises, nets, strings, cages, or poles to support growing plants. This technique is especially suited, but not limited, to small garden spaces. Vining and sprawling plants, such as cucumbers, grapes, tomatoes, melons, and pole beans are good options for this type of gardening. Some plants entwine themselves onto the support, while others may need to be tied. Remember that a vertical planting will cast a shadows onto anything planted near it. Beware of shading sun-loving plants, but feel free to plant shade-tolerant crops near the trellises and take advantage of the shade. Plants grown vertically occupy much less space on the ground, and though the yield per plant may be low, the yield per square foot of garden space is high. Because vertically growing plants are more exposed than non-staked plants, they dry out quickly and may need to be watered frequently. Many gardeners choose to use sprinklers or timed irrigation systems for this. A really neat variety that I planted last year was edible spinach vine. This is not spinach like what you think of at the super market. Purple Spinach vine has a purple vine and dark green heart shaped leaves that look similar to ivy. Spinach vine will cling to anything it can and works well growing even on poles.
Inter or Coplanting - Growing two or more types of vegetables in the same place at the same time. You can accomplish inter planting by alternating rows within a bed (plant a row of peppers next to a row of onions), by mixing plants within a row, or by distributing various species throughout the bed. For the beginner, alternating rows may be the easiest to manage. Inter planting can help keep insect and disease problems under control.Such as dill near plants which can attract aphids. Pests are fairly crop-specific; that is, they prefer vegetables of one type or family. Mixing families of plants avoids large expanses of the pest-preferred crop, helping to contain early pest damage within a small area, giving you a little more time to deal with the problem.
Long-season (slow-maturing) and short-season (quick maturing) plants like carrots and radishes, can be planted at the same time. The radishes are harvested before they begin to crowd the carrots. An example of combining growth patterns is planting smaller plants close to larger plants, (radishes at the base of beans or broccoli). Shade tolerant species like lettuce, spinach, and celery may be planted in the shadow of taller crops. Heavy feeders, such as cabbage family crops, should be mixed with less gluttonous plants. Root, leaf, and soil-building crops (legumes) may be mixed to take advantage of available nutrients.
3 main factors of a successful/productive garden:
1. Soil - probably the most important factor assuming ample water and sun. The soil is the "food" of plants and just like people, they have dietary requirements. Macro nutrients are Nitrogen, Phosphorus, and Potassium. You can get a soil test kit at Home Depot for about $5 and easily determine the levels. If you are deficient your plants will seriously suffer. You can get a lot of this into the soil by adding compost (decayed kitchen scraps and yard waste), but it may be advisable to supplement if you are really low, with other sources. Composting also adds organic matter to the soil which is important for holding moisture and attracting beneficial insects and micro flora that help breakdown soil nutrients. It also aids in soil water retention / permeability and root growth). To aid root growth, it is very advisable to break up soil to a depth of 24 inches prior to planting. After planting, it is very beneficial to add a layer of "mulch" such as grass clippings or shredded leaves around the plants. This holds in moisture, keeps down weeds, and as it breaks down feeds the plants. You can get micro nutrients from various sources, but desalinized seawater and seaweed are some of the best. Lots of people report amazing results from these.
2. Water. The amount will very depending on location and individual plant needs. Drip irrigation systems will conserve water and give a steady supply making less work for you. Hand watering is fine, but some plants such as tomatoes don't like the water on their leaves. Watering just after the heat of the day, such as 2 hours before sundown is ideal. This allows plants to absorb water all night long before the heat of the day dries the soil. Leaving 5 gallon buckets out to catch rain fall is a great idea. Rain water contains more nutrients than tap and many plants will thrive better using natural rainwater over chemically processed tap water.
3. Sun - Most plants like a lot of sun. The exception would be cucumber which likes a little shade and lettuce and chard which can tolerate shade. Full sun means at least six hours of direct light a day.
Try to plant in areas that are shaded from wind (and frost), pick plants that grow well for your planting zone and time of year (LSU agriculture has a good listing with planting dates you can download), and learn the nuances of each plant as they all have various likes and dislikes. Companion planting can strengthen plants (ie:tomato and basil), attract beneficial insects (Dill), and ward off unwanted bugs.
Recycle and Reuse
Composting - Make (with and old trash can, drum or purchase your own compost bin. Instead of throwing vegetable scraps out with the trash or down the disposal get a few brown paper bags from the market and put your scraps in that. Keep it in your kitchen and after a couple days toss the entire bag into your compost pile and it will break down. Keep raked leaves from your yard and grass clippings to add to the compost pile. The farmers almanac website has easy suggestions for starting a compost pile. If you are in need of a large amount of compost Lafayette has its owns compost facility which is free for those wanting to pick up a load of compost and a small fee for dropping off materials such as downed trees etc. Just come in your truck or bring a trailer and you can fill it with what you need. They are only open on certain days and times so you may need to call to find out hours.
http://www.farmersalmanac.com/home_garden/a/easy_ways_to_compost
Unique Ideas for planting
Old tires- rather than fill landfills with worn tires. Take the tires with you and use then for planting. Tires are great for planting things like tomatoes and potatoes.
One of the easiest root crops to grow is potatoes. One of the bonuses of growing potatoes is that you can eat them at various stages of growth. A small area can provide a nice yield and early spring is the best time to plant them. So here are a few hints on how to grow potatoes in the garden:
SOIL PREPARATION - potatoes grow in just average soil, so a great deal of soil preparation is not really needed. However the addition of some compost or a little peat moss is beneficial. Avoid using fresh manure or lime in the soil where potatoes are to be grown, as it tends to cause scab on the potatoes. The addition of either 5-10-10 or 10-20-20 fertilizer is beneficial (purchased fertilizer has this on the package). Mix the fertilizer into the planting soil, prior to planting. Till or spade the soil to a depth of ten or twelve inches.
CUTTING POTATOES - if the seed potatoes are small to medium sized, plant the whole potato. If they are large sized, you can cut them in half, or quarter them. Each section should have two or three 'eyes'. After cutting, let the cut surface callus-over before planting them.
Tires: There are two different methods of growing potatoes in tires. One way is to stack three or four tires, fill them with soil and plant two to three seed pieces about 1 or 2 inches deep in the top tire. The black of the tire absorbs and radiates heat, and there usually is a heavy yield.
Another method is to put a tire on the ground, fill it with soil and plant the potatoes within the tire. Plant two seed potatoes, whole or halved, about 2 inches deep. Once the potatoes have developed 3 or 4 inches of foliage growth, a second tire can be put on top of the first, Fill in with more soil, always leaving at least 2 inches of leaf growth above the soil level. Continue to fill as the plants grow. Once you've filled in the center of the second tire, continue the stack to a height of three or four tires. Keep in mind you must always leave about 2 inches of foliage showing.
WATERING - Black or hollow centers on potatoes is often caused by over-watering. Irregular watering causes irregular shaped or knobby potatoes. As a guideline, water potatoes (thoroughly) weekly during warmer summer weather.
HARVESTING - New young potatoes are harvested when peas are ripe (when growing simultaneously) or as the potato plants begin to flower. For storage of full sized potatoes harvest them when the vines turn yellow or have died-back.
Cleaning Produce
Hydrogen Peroxide is good for cleaning produce.Hydrogen peroxide is simply water with an extra oxygen molecule (H2O2) and breaks down into oxygen and water. It's certainly kinder on the environment and can be used for other house hold cleaning as well. Cleaning with Peroxide was actually mentioned in the movie "The Beautiful Truth". Hydrogen peroxide should be diluted down to 3% as a base for most applications. It's also readily available in 3% solution from your local pharmacy or drugstore (brown bottles)
Keep two spray bottles in your kitchen, one filled with regular 5% vinegar, and one filled with hydrogen peroxide (make sure it is a dark bottle -not see through or it will begin to break down into oxygen and water; rendering it ineffective. Store it in a dark bottle and remember to keep it out of reach of children.). The brown bottle of hydrogen peroxide that you can buy at the drugstore or discount mart is exactly what you need. The vinegar can be white distilled vinegar or apple cider vinegar; whatever you have on the shelf is fine.
To help kill bacteria such as E. Coli on fruits and vegetables, add a quarter cup of 3% hydrogen peroxide to a sink full of cold water. immerse, rinse with cold water and drain. By killing bacteria this will also help keep fruit and vegetables fresher for longer. You can also use a spray bottle containing a 50/50 mix of 3% hydrogen peroxide and water - just spray and rinse.
First spray the produce with the vinegar, then follow with a spray of the hydrogen peroxide. Rinse the fruits and vegetables under cold running water. That's it. It's simple and quick, and very inexpensive. There will not be any vinegar taste left on the fruits and vegetables. The acidic vinegar actually breaks down chemicals from the field and waxes or other shipping and storage enhancers that may have been used on the produce, and the residues can be rinsed away. The hydrogen peroxide will sanitize the surface of the food.
With some foods you will need to use extra care. For example, with grapes, try snipping apart a large bunch into smaller bunches. The grapes keep fresher longer when left on the stem, so leaving them in small bunches makes it easier to clean all surfaces while retaining freshness. If you have non-bruising produce like green beans or edible pod peas, put them in a lidded container and add a little vinegar. Then gently tip and roll the container to coat each piece, and pour out the vinegar. Repeat with a little hydrogen peroxide. Then dump them into a colander and rinse well under running water.
Any time you can buy fresh produce that was raised organically, you will begin with food that has had no pesticides or other chemicals used on it. But, even organic foods need to be sanitized before you eat them because they have been handled in the store. If you have a household with children, try to use this method of washing produce as soon as you bring it into your kitchen. This way you have fresh fruit clean and ready to eat anytime.
Other uses for hydrogen peroxide
- Dip your toothbrush in a 3% solution of hydrogen peroxide solution to kill bacteria on the brush.
- A tablespoon of 3% hydrogen peroxide solution in a cup of water can be used as a mouthwash - swish for up to 60 seconds once a day; but don't swallow and be sure to rinse your mouth out afterward. This can also help whiten teeth.
- Hydrogen peroxide in a 3% solution applied to a rag can be used to clean kitchen counters and cutting boards to kill salmonella and other bacteria
- Half fill a spray bottle with a 3% solution and then top it up with water for use as a bathroom and toilet disinfectant and cleaner. This is especially useful if you have a septic, grey water or black water treatment system as it won't harm the bacteria in the treatment systems that break down waste.
- Mix a 3% hydrogen peroxide solution with two parts water in a spray bottle and use on areas affected by mold. You can try a neat 3% solution for areas like bathroom tiles, but be careful around painted areas too stong a mix may bleach them.
- Make a whitening toothpaste by mixing baking soda and 3% Hydrogen Peroxide to form a paste. You can add a few drops of peppermint oil for flavor and breath freshening.
- Use 3% hydrogen peroxide to sterilize cuts and abrasions - the fizzing you'll see occur is normal.
- Add a cup of 3% hydrogen peroxide to your whites wash in place of bleaches
- Remove bloodstains from clothing by blotting stain with 3% hydrogen peroxide, then rinse promptly with cold water to avoid bleaching of the fabric.
- To remove yellowing from lace curtains or tablecloths, fill a sink with cold water and a 2 cups of 3% hydrogen peroxide. Soak for at least an hour, rinse in cold water and air dry.
Tuesday, February 24, 2009
Why are so many Christians in the dark (continuation)
Jeremiah 33:6 "Behold, I will bring you health and cure, and I will cure you, and will reveal unto you the abundance of peace and truth."
Prayer: “Lord, help me to appreciate and nourish my body as your temple. Help me to put you first in my life, above all other things.”
Genesis 1:29 “I give you every seed-bearing plant on the face of the whole earth and every tree that has fruit with seed in it. They will be yours for food.”
I know it has been a couple of weeks since I last posted on this topic. The last few weeks have been rather crazy with a few unforeseen circumstances that arose and left me drained both mentally and physically. Thank you to those who saw my unspoken prayer request and have kept us in your thoughts. I know God will see us through and provide. I promise this week to update with more information mainly on the topic of growing your own. I have my files on our desktop pc. Unfortunatly, it has been taken over by Charlie this weekend in his quest for SillyCow to hit lvl 80 on WOW so I am limited to working on the laptop.
A little bit of what I did over the weekend. I finally got my planting started. We bought one of those patio garden planters that is allowing me to try growing upside down tomatoes and more herbs. I had planned on ordering some heirlooms but settled on some creoles purchased from Lowes. I also bought more herbs (sweet basil, cinnamon basil, lemon basil, oregano, rosemary, culinary lavender, several mints, parsley, cilantro and dill.) We have never done well with tomatoes due to the stinkbugs so I am hoping this season will be better with them off the ground. We also have a few pepper plants and several extra tomato plants since it was cheaper to buy in a 9 pack than singles. I plan on cutting a hole in the bottom of several hanging baskets and trying a few more upside down tomatoes. Once the Plant Show at Blackham comes around this April I will try to get some unique chives and odd parsley varieties. LSU usually has some good deals as well as some of the herb vendors. Last year we found one that tasted similar to cucumber which was interesting.
We came across this really neat gardening system at Sam's Club. If you live in Lafayette and are interested in square foot or box gardening go check this out. This would be great for someone living in a small area or little time to commit to a full garden yet still allow you to grow your own. They have one set up in the store right now. It is made of cedar, is raised and has a self irrigation system.
http://www.samsclub.com/shopping/navigate.do?dest=5&item=426003
Today someone in one of the raw foods groups here on facebook left a note about a movie they recently watched that they they say changed their life. I felt compelled to watch the movie and must say that I was left in awe. I had already known much of the information shared in this documentary and clips of other mercury vapor tests similar to those that were seen and discussed at the Autism Conference I attended a couple of years ago here is Laffy. The movie I watched is called "The Beautiful Truth" and it follows the story of a home schooled teen in Alaska researching a book written 50 years ago by Dr. Max Gerson and his developments on treating cancer nutritionally. Dr. Gerson was poisoned twice with arsenic and his manuscript, "A Cancer Therapy: Results of 50 cases" was stolen and had to be rewritten and was completed shortly before he passed away due to arsenic poisioning. Watching this movie has inspired me to research more about Dr. Gerson and his writings. I was especially touched seeing the portion of the movie interviewing a survivor of a rare form of ovarian cancer. She was treated through the Mayo Clinic which eventually sent her home to die saying there was no more they could do. Now several years later and cancer free she returned to Mayo at the amazement of her treating physician at Mayo. He was asked to make a statement but declined, unfortunately, saying that he is "owned by the Mayo Clinic" and they would never allow him to say that a patient recovered without chemotherapy! In addition, anything he said would have to be approved by the Mayo public relations department. They then decided leave the Mayo campus, and film in a public park across the street. In the meantime, the Mayo powers that be alerted the police that "there is a group of terrorists across the street who are casing the place in order to blow it up!" To this day she and that doctor from Mayo have remained friends and he acknowledged that she was the only known survivor of that rare form of cancer.
Here is an article I googled which was written by the woman mentioned above. http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_6818/is_1_23/ai_n31163082?tag=untagged
The movie website is http://www.thebeautifultruthmovie.com and if you have Netflix you can watch it online. It is a really good documentary. The main subject is the focus on Dr. Gerson's cancer therapies but it also backs up the importance of diet in our overall health and just how strong natural healing can be. Just search The Beautiful Truth and you can watch through the Netflix player. I am interested to learn more about Dr. Gerson's findings and research from others who have gone on to continue his legacy.
Prayer: “Lord, help me to appreciate and nourish my body as your temple. Help me to put you first in my life, above all other things.”
Genesis 1:29 “I give you every seed-bearing plant on the face of the whole earth and every tree that has fruit with seed in it. They will be yours for food.”
I know it has been a couple of weeks since I last posted on this topic. The last few weeks have been rather crazy with a few unforeseen circumstances that arose and left me drained both mentally and physically. Thank you to those who saw my unspoken prayer request and have kept us in your thoughts. I know God will see us through and provide. I promise this week to update with more information mainly on the topic of growing your own. I have my files on our desktop pc. Unfortunatly, it has been taken over by Charlie this weekend in his quest for SillyCow to hit lvl 80 on WOW so I am limited to working on the laptop.
A little bit of what I did over the weekend. I finally got my planting started. We bought one of those patio garden planters that is allowing me to try growing upside down tomatoes and more herbs. I had planned on ordering some heirlooms but settled on some creoles purchased from Lowes. I also bought more herbs (sweet basil, cinnamon basil, lemon basil, oregano, rosemary, culinary lavender, several mints, parsley, cilantro and dill.) We have never done well with tomatoes due to the stinkbugs so I am hoping this season will be better with them off the ground. We also have a few pepper plants and several extra tomato plants since it was cheaper to buy in a 9 pack than singles. I plan on cutting a hole in the bottom of several hanging baskets and trying a few more upside down tomatoes. Once the Plant Show at Blackham comes around this April I will try to get some unique chives and odd parsley varieties. LSU usually has some good deals as well as some of the herb vendors. Last year we found one that tasted similar to cucumber which was interesting.
We came across this really neat gardening system at Sam's Club. If you live in Lafayette and are interested in square foot or box gardening go check this out. This would be great for someone living in a small area or little time to commit to a full garden yet still allow you to grow your own. They have one set up in the store right now. It is made of cedar, is raised and has a self irrigation system.
http://www.samsclub.com/shopping/navigate.do?dest=5&item=426003
Today someone in one of the raw foods groups here on facebook left a note about a movie they recently watched that they they say changed their life. I felt compelled to watch the movie and must say that I was left in awe. I had already known much of the information shared in this documentary and clips of other mercury vapor tests similar to those that were seen and discussed at the Autism Conference I attended a couple of years ago here is Laffy. The movie I watched is called "The Beautiful Truth" and it follows the story of a home schooled teen in Alaska researching a book written 50 years ago by Dr. Max Gerson and his developments on treating cancer nutritionally. Dr. Gerson was poisoned twice with arsenic and his manuscript, "A Cancer Therapy: Results of 50 cases" was stolen and had to be rewritten and was completed shortly before he passed away due to arsenic poisioning. Watching this movie has inspired me to research more about Dr. Gerson and his writings. I was especially touched seeing the portion of the movie interviewing a survivor of a rare form of ovarian cancer. She was treated through the Mayo Clinic which eventually sent her home to die saying there was no more they could do. Now several years later and cancer free she returned to Mayo at the amazement of her treating physician at Mayo. He was asked to make a statement but declined, unfortunately, saying that he is "owned by the Mayo Clinic" and they would never allow him to say that a patient recovered without chemotherapy! In addition, anything he said would have to be approved by the Mayo public relations department. They then decided leave the Mayo campus, and film in a public park across the street. In the meantime, the Mayo powers that be alerted the police that "there is a group of terrorists across the street who are casing the place in order to blow it up!" To this day she and that doctor from Mayo have remained friends and he acknowledged that she was the only known survivor of that rare form of cancer.
Here is an article I googled which was written by the woman mentioned above. http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_6818/is_1_23/ai_n31163082?tag=untagged
The movie website is http://www.thebeautifultruthmovie.com and if you have Netflix you can watch it online. It is a really good documentary. The main subject is the focus on Dr. Gerson's cancer therapies but it also backs up the importance of diet in our overall health and just how strong natural healing can be. Just search The Beautiful Truth and you can watch through the Netflix player. I am interested to learn more about Dr. Gerson's findings and research from others who have gone on to continue his legacy.
Monday, February 23, 2009
Why are so many Christians are in the dark about nutrition? (part 2)
I had planned on this next segment to share information on steps to become more self sufficient and growing your own. I have decided to hold off on this section for a few more weeks to give some time for me to get started with my own planting for this season. this way i can incorporate what is happening with our own garden. A few weeks ago I contemplated how cool it would be if we could have a community garden of sorts on our property and everyone pitch in a share the harvest. How ironic that over the weekend a close friend suggested our family circle of friends get together and do just that. We will see what happens and if that comes to pass. I can remember not too long ago we shared a garden with a former neighbor. Both families took turns planting and caring for our little patch of earth. It was our most successful vegetable garden to date and fun too.
Last year was a struggle for us with injury, hurricanes and most of what we attempted to plant did not fare well through the storms. Although my herbs thrived all way way through and beyond. The beans and tomatoes struggled with only a handful of green beans and no large tomatoes (other than a grape tomato plant grown in a large terracotta pot that produced more fruit than could be consumed) survived. This year I decided to purchase one of those upside down planters with the herb container on top to give it a try. I am hoping it will help prevent stinkbugs from invading as well as opportunity to relocated the planter if any storms loom on the horizon.
Anyway, today I have decided to share an article that was recently shared with me. If any of you are attending the same class that we are at Crossroads, then you will see points that fall in line with our last class discussing the 4 major causes of disease.
JOHNS HOPKINS - LATEST FINDINGS ON CANCER, AFTER YEARS OF TELLING PEOPLE CHEMOTHERAPY IS THE ONLY WAY TO TRY AND ELIMINATE CANCER, JOHNS HOPKINS IS FINALLY STAR TING TO TELL YOU THERE IS AN ALTERNATIVE WAY.
1. Every person has cancer cells in the body. These cancer cells do not show up in the standard tests until they have multiplied to a few billion. When doctors tell cancer patients that there are no more cancer cells in their bodies after treatment it just means the tests are unable to detect the cancer cells because they have not reached the detectable size.
2. Cancer cells occur between 6 to more than 10 times in a person’s lifetime.
3. When the person’s immune system is strong the cancer cells will be destroyed and prevented from multiplying and forming tumors.
4. When a person has cancer it indicates the person has multiple nutritional deficiencies. These could be due to genetic, environmental, food and lifestyle factors.
5 To overcome the multiple nutritional deficiencies, changing diet and including supplements will strengthen the immune system.
6. Chemotherapy involves p oisoning the rapidly-growing cancer cells and also destroys rapidly-growing healthy cells in the bone marrow, gastrointestinal tract etc, and can cause organ damage, like liver, kidneys, heart, lungs etc.
7. Radiation while destroying cancer cells also burns, scars and damages healthy cells, tissues and organs.
8. Initial treatment with chemotherapy and radiation will often reduce tumor size, However prolonged use of chemotherapy and radiation do not result in more tumor destruction.
9. When the body has too much toxic burden from chemotherapy and radiation the immune system is either compromised or destroyed, hence the person can succumb to various kinds of infections and complications.
10. Chemotherapy and radiation can cause cancer cells to mutate and become resistant and difficult to destroy. Surgery can also cause cancer cells to spread to other sites.
11. An effective way to battle cancer is to starve the cancer cells by not feeding it with the foods it needs to multiply.
CANCER CELLS FEED ON:
A-Sugar is a cancer-feeder. By cutting off sugar it cuts off one
important food supply to the cancer cells. Sugar substitutes like
NutraSweet, Equal, Spoonful, etc are made with Aspartame and it is harmful. A better natural substitute would be Manuka honey or molasses but only in very small amounts. Table salt has a chemical added to make it white in color. Better alternative is Bragg’s Aminos or sea salt.
B. Milk causes the body to produce mucus, especially in the
gastrointestinal tract. Cancer feeds on mucus. By cutting off milk and substituting with unsweetened soy milk cancer cells are being starved.
C. Cancer cells thrive in an acid environment. A meat-based diet is acidic and it is best to eat fish, and a little chicken rather than beef or pork. Meat also contains livestock antibiotics, growth hormones and parasites, which are all harmful, especially to people with cancer.
< BR>D. A diet made of 80% fresh vegetables and juice, whole grains, seeds, nuts and a little fruit help put the body into an alkaline environment. About 20% can be from cooked food including beans. Fresh vegetable juices provide live enzymes that are easily absorbed and reach down to cellular levels within 15 minutes to nourish and enhance growth of healthy cells. To obtain live enzymes for building healthy cells try and drink fresh vegetable juice (most vegetables including bean sprouts) and eat some raw vegetables 2 or 3 times a day. Enzymes are destroyed at temperatures of 104 degrees F (40 degrees C).
E. Avoid coffee, tea, and chocolate, which have high caffeine. Green tea is a better alternative and has cancer-fighting properties. Water-best to drink purified water, or filtered, to avoid known toxins and heavy metals in tap water. Distilled water is acidic, avoid it.
12. Meat protein is difficult to digest and requires a lot of digestive
enzymes. Undigested meat remaining in the intestines become putrefied and leads to more toxic build-up.
13. Cancer cell walls have a tough protein covering. By refraining from or eating less meat it frees more enzymes to attack the protein walls of cancer cells and allows the body’s killer cells to destroy the cancer cells.
14. Some supplements build up the immune system (IP6, Flor-ssence, Essiac, anti-oxidants, vitamins, minerals, EFAs etc.) to enable the body’s own killer cells to destroy cancer cells. Other supplements like vitamin E are known to cause apoptosis, or programmed cell death, the body’s normal method of disposing of damaged, unwanted, or unneeded cells.
15. Cancer is a disease of the mind, body, and spirit. A proactive and positive spirit will help the cancer warrior be a survivor. Anger, resentment, and bitterness put the body into a stressful and acidic environment. Learn to have a loving and forgiving spirit. Learn to relax and enjoy life.
16. Cancer cells cannot thrive in an oxygenated environment. Exercising daily, and deep breathing help to get more oxygen down to the cellular level. Oxygen therapy is another means employed to destroy cancer cells.
CANCER UPDATE FROM JOHNS HOPKINS HOSPITAL
1. No plastic containers in micro.
2. No water bottles in freezer.
3. No plastic wrap in microwave.
Johns Hopkins has recently sent this out in its newsletters. This
information is being circulated at Walter Reed Army Medical Center as well. Dioxin chemicals cause cancer, especially breast cancer. Dioxins are highly poisonous to the cells of our bodies.
Don’t freeze your plastic bottles with water in them as this releases
dioxins from the plastic. Recently, Dr. Edward Fujimoto, Wellness
Program Manager at Castle Hospital, was on a TV program to explain this health hazard. He talked about dioxins and how bad they are for us.
He said that we should not be heating our food in the micro wave using plastic containers. This especially applies to foods that contain fat. He said that the combination of fat, high heat, and plastics releases dioxin into the food and ultimately into the cells of the body. Instead, he recommends using glass, such as Corning Ware, Pyrex or ceramic containers for heating food. You get the same results, only without the dioxin. So such things as TV dinners, instant ramen and soups, etc., should be removed from the container and heated in something else.
Paper isn’t bad but you don’t know what is in the paper. It’s just
safer to use tempered glass, Corning Ware, etc. He reminded us that awhile ago some of the fast food restaurants moved away from the foam containers to paper. The dioxin problem is one of the reasons.
Also, he pointed out that plastic wrap, such as Saran, is just as
dangerous when placed over foods to be cooked in the microwave. As the food is nuked, the high heat causes poisonous toxins to actually mel t out of the plastic wrap and drip into the food. Cover food with a paper towel instead.
This is an article that should be sent to anyone important in your life.
Last year was a struggle for us with injury, hurricanes and most of what we attempted to plant did not fare well through the storms. Although my herbs thrived all way way through and beyond. The beans and tomatoes struggled with only a handful of green beans and no large tomatoes (other than a grape tomato plant grown in a large terracotta pot that produced more fruit than could be consumed) survived. This year I decided to purchase one of those upside down planters with the herb container on top to give it a try. I am hoping it will help prevent stinkbugs from invading as well as opportunity to relocated the planter if any storms loom on the horizon.
Anyway, today I have decided to share an article that was recently shared with me. If any of you are attending the same class that we are at Crossroads, then you will see points that fall in line with our last class discussing the 4 major causes of disease.
JOHNS HOPKINS - LATEST FINDINGS ON CANCER, AFTER YEARS OF TELLING PEOPLE CHEMOTHERAPY IS THE ONLY WAY TO TRY AND ELIMINATE CANCER, JOHNS HOPKINS IS FINALLY STAR TING TO TELL YOU THERE IS AN ALTERNATIVE WAY.
1. Every person has cancer cells in the body. These cancer cells do not show up in the standard tests until they have multiplied to a few billion. When doctors tell cancer patients that there are no more cancer cells in their bodies after treatment it just means the tests are unable to detect the cancer cells because they have not reached the detectable size.
2. Cancer cells occur between 6 to more than 10 times in a person’s lifetime.
3. When the person’s immune system is strong the cancer cells will be destroyed and prevented from multiplying and forming tumors.
4. When a person has cancer it indicates the person has multiple nutritional deficiencies. These could be due to genetic, environmental, food and lifestyle factors.
5 To overcome the multiple nutritional deficiencies, changing diet and including supplements will strengthen the immune system.
6. Chemotherapy involves p oisoning the rapidly-growing cancer cells and also destroys rapidly-growing healthy cells in the bone marrow, gastrointestinal tract etc, and can cause organ damage, like liver, kidneys, heart, lungs etc.
7. Radiation while destroying cancer cells also burns, scars and damages healthy cells, tissues and organs.
8. Initial treatment with chemotherapy and radiation will often reduce tumor size, However prolonged use of chemotherapy and radiation do not result in more tumor destruction.
9. When the body has too much toxic burden from chemotherapy and radiation the immune system is either compromised or destroyed, hence the person can succumb to various kinds of infections and complications.
10. Chemotherapy and radiation can cause cancer cells to mutate and become resistant and difficult to destroy. Surgery can also cause cancer cells to spread to other sites.
11. An effective way to battle cancer is to starve the cancer cells by not feeding it with the foods it needs to multiply.
CANCER CELLS FEED ON:
A-Sugar is a cancer-feeder. By cutting off sugar it cuts off one
important food supply to the cancer cells. Sugar substitutes like
NutraSweet, Equal, Spoonful, etc are made with Aspartame and it is harmful. A better natural substitute would be Manuka honey or molasses but only in very small amounts. Table salt has a chemical added to make it white in color. Better alternative is Bragg’s Aminos or sea salt.
B. Milk causes the body to produce mucus, especially in the
gastrointestinal tract. Cancer feeds on mucus. By cutting off milk and substituting with unsweetened soy milk cancer cells are being starved.
C. Cancer cells thrive in an acid environment. A meat-based diet is acidic and it is best to eat fish, and a little chicken rather than beef or pork. Meat also contains livestock antibiotics, growth hormones and parasites, which are all harmful, especially to people with cancer.
< BR>D. A diet made of 80% fresh vegetables and juice, whole grains, seeds, nuts and a little fruit help put the body into an alkaline environment. About 20% can be from cooked food including beans. Fresh vegetable juices provide live enzymes that are easily absorbed and reach down to cellular levels within 15 minutes to nourish and enhance growth of healthy cells. To obtain live enzymes for building healthy cells try and drink fresh vegetable juice (most vegetables including bean sprouts) and eat some raw vegetables 2 or 3 times a day. Enzymes are destroyed at temperatures of 104 degrees F (40 degrees C).
E. Avoid coffee, tea, and chocolate, which have high caffeine. Green tea is a better alternative and has cancer-fighting properties. Water-best to drink purified water, or filtered, to avoid known toxins and heavy metals in tap water. Distilled water is acidic, avoid it.
12. Meat protein is difficult to digest and requires a lot of digestive
enzymes. Undigested meat remaining in the intestines become putrefied and leads to more toxic build-up.
13. Cancer cell walls have a tough protein covering. By refraining from or eating less meat it frees more enzymes to attack the protein walls of cancer cells and allows the body’s killer cells to destroy the cancer cells.
14. Some supplements build up the immune system (IP6, Flor-ssence, Essiac, anti-oxidants, vitamins, minerals, EFAs etc.) to enable the body’s own killer cells to destroy cancer cells. Other supplements like vitamin E are known to cause apoptosis, or programmed cell death, the body’s normal method of disposing of damaged, unwanted, or unneeded cells.
15. Cancer is a disease of the mind, body, and spirit. A proactive and positive spirit will help the cancer warrior be a survivor. Anger, resentment, and bitterness put the body into a stressful and acidic environment. Learn to have a loving and forgiving spirit. Learn to relax and enjoy life.
16. Cancer cells cannot thrive in an oxygenated environment. Exercising daily, and deep breathing help to get more oxygen down to the cellular level. Oxygen therapy is another means employed to destroy cancer cells.
CANCER UPDATE FROM JOHNS HOPKINS HOSPITAL
1. No plastic containers in micro.
2. No water bottles in freezer.
3. No plastic wrap in microwave.
Johns Hopkins has recently sent this out in its newsletters. This
information is being circulated at Walter Reed Army Medical Center as well. Dioxin chemicals cause cancer, especially breast cancer. Dioxins are highly poisonous to the cells of our bodies.
Don’t freeze your plastic bottles with water in them as this releases
dioxins from the plastic. Recently, Dr. Edward Fujimoto, Wellness
Program Manager at Castle Hospital, was on a TV program to explain this health hazard. He talked about dioxins and how bad they are for us.
He said that we should not be heating our food in the micro wave using plastic containers. This especially applies to foods that contain fat. He said that the combination of fat, high heat, and plastics releases dioxin into the food and ultimately into the cells of the body. Instead, he recommends using glass, such as Corning Ware, Pyrex or ceramic containers for heating food. You get the same results, only without the dioxin. So such things as TV dinners, instant ramen and soups, etc., should be removed from the container and heated in something else.
Paper isn’t bad but you don’t know what is in the paper. It’s just
safer to use tempered glass, Corning Ware, etc. He reminded us that awhile ago some of the fast food restaurants moved away from the foam containers to paper. The dioxin problem is one of the reasons.
Also, he pointed out that plastic wrap, such as Saran, is just as
dangerous when placed over foods to be cooked in the microwave. As the food is nuked, the high heat causes poisonous toxins to actually mel t out of the plastic wrap and drip into the food. Cover food with a paper towel instead.
This is an article that should be sent to anyone important in your life.
Friday, February 20, 2009
Why are so many Christians in the dark about nutrition? (part 1)
I just started going a small group at our church on natural healing. Tonight was the second night and it has gotten me really pumped up and not to give up (something I have been struggling with lately) even with all the walls and valleys I have been faced with over the last couple of years that set me back. If you want to read my nutritional testimony then head over to http://www.giveittomeraw.com/profile/RainEdayWoman and read my blog there.
Anyway, I just sent this to Julie who is heading the class and decided I would share it here as well. This is something I have been writing off and on for the last few months to post on my blog at giveittomeraw but the topic has been heavy on my heart as of late.
Basically it deals with the question, "Why are so many Christians in the dark about nutrition?" Now keep in mind this is a work in progress and as you get through it I do have quotes and segments for several articles and sources that I am still reading and working through. Some are my thoughts, portions are notes, quotes and other that I saved for my own reference. Over time I will probably come back and update it as I get further along. I felt like I needed to put this out there in case it may help or encourage someone.
Let me also add, I many not agree with absolutely everything (referring to the response you will see towards the end of this, which I will note again later) but everything here does provoke thought and hopefully encourage more desire to educate oneself.
(Genesis 1:29)
Then God said, Behold, I have given you every herb [plant] bearing seed, which is upon the face of all the earth, and every tree, in the which is the fruit of a tree yielding seed; to you it shall be for meat [food].
Eze 47:12 And by the edge of the river, on this side and on that, will come up every tree used for food, whose leaves will ever be green and its fruit will not come to an end: it will have new fruit every month, because its waters come out from the holy place: the fruit will be for food and the leaf will make well those who are ill.
Scripture says "My people perish for lack of knowledge." I know that I, and many, many others are sick of seeing their loved ones perish for lack of specifically nutritional knowledge, and to see themselves on the same road. When individuals live (eat) according to what is laid out in scripture and see their body's healed of cancer, diabetes, obesity, arthritis, fungus, and other ailments and that message started getting out, there were so many Christians who heaved a huge sigh of relief, thinking "Yeah, I always thought there was something to that verse, but was afraid to do anything about it, it seemed too radical...but now I see that God in His wisdom always has benefits for us when we obey even the oddest sorts of principles and commandments."
Why are Christian in the Dark about nutrition and natural healing?
The idea that "God will take care of it". No need to take responsibility for your health or think about where you food comes from, God gave it and God will take care of our health if he feels like it. It's a sort of religious passivity particulary endemic to the western world.
Scripture that says in the last days "...their God will be their bellies."
~ Phil 3:17-19
"Brethren, be followers together of me, and mark them which walk so as ye have us for an exsample. (For many walk, of whom I have told you often, and now tell you even weeping, [that they are] the enemies of the cross of Christ: Whose end [is] destruction, whose God [is their] belly, and [whose] glory [is] in their shame, who mind earthly things.)"
I found a great quote from a person in one of my message boards. (I will post the response in its entirety towards the end."
"God said food would be their (unbelievers) gods. I don't believe that applies to believers, nor to GOOD FOOD (unadulterated fresh raw fruits, herbs and vegetables)...I believe that means all the junk food, processed foods, and genetically modified produce we have substituted for fresh unmodified foods will fog our thoughts...addictions and being unwilling to die to our fleshly preferences will take over good sense. This is a revelation JUST THIS MOMENT for me!!!! I have worried about that Scripture for a couple of years now, knowing how much I think of food for my family. But I am created to seek out good food for my family...in fact to GROW IT (eg tend the garden w/ a husband). Its the junk foods, boxed foods, fast/quick fix foods that are becoming gods for the world at large. What we have grown accustomed to and prefer in the flesh (in food and lifestyle) which is poison to the human body. Its PART of whats leading people down a path of lethargy, complacency and depression. NOT fruits of the Spirit of God."
Then scripture goes on to talk about how proud they are of themselves....basically look at the scientists that think they can make artificial ingredients and market it to society as FOOD. Im not sure they are proud of what they've created or if they are proud of how they can kill us off...either way, lots of pride involved for certain.
PRIDE GOETH BEFORE A FALL AND A HAUGHTY SPIRIT BEFORE DESTRUCTION!!!
Mat 10:16 Behold, I send you forth as sheep in the midst of wolves: be ye therefore wise as serpents, and harmless as doves.
Questions:
Why should I care about being healthy? It's in the Bible,
I Corinthians 6:19-20, TLB. "Haven't you yet learned that your body is the home of the Holy Spirit God gave you, and that He lives within you? Your own body does not belong to you. For God has bought you with a great price. So use every part of your body to give glory back to God, because He owns it."
What is God's desire for us? It's in the Bible,
3 John 2, NIV. "I pray that you may enjoy good health and that all may go well with you."
On what conditions was freedom from disease promised to God's people? It's in the Bible,
Exodus 15:26, NIV. "He said, 'If you listen carefully to the voice of the Lord your God and do what is right in his eyes, if you pay attention to His commands and keep all His decrees, I will not bring on you any of the diseases I brought on the Egyptians, for I am the Lord who heals you."
What did God promise His people anciently? It's in the Bible,
Exodus 23:25, NIV. "Worship the Lord your God, and His blessing will be on your food and water. I will take away sickness from among you."
Who is able to heal? It's in the Bible,
Psalm 103:2-3, NIV. "Praise the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all His benefits. He forgives all my sins and heals all my diseases."
To enjoy a healthy life we must balance work and rest. It's in the Bible,
Exodus 20:8-10, NIV. "Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy. Six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the Lord your God. On it you shall not do any work."
Does attitude affect my health? It's in the Bible,
Proverbs 17:22, TLB. "A cheerful heart does good like medicine, but a broken spirit makes one sick."
Stress on the outside need not mean stress on the inside. It's in the Bible,
Philippians 4:6-7, TLB. "Don't worry about anything; instead, pray about everything; tell God your needs, and don't forget to thank Him for his answers. If you do this, you will experience God's peace, which is far more wonderful than the human mind can understand. His peace will keep your thoughts and your hearts quiet and at rest as you trust in Christ Jesus."
What was the original diet recommended for men and women? Fruits, grains, nuts, and legumes. It's in the Bible,
Genesis 1:29 NIV. "Then God said, 'I give you every seed-bearing plant on the face of the whole earth and every tree that has fruit with seed in it. They will be yours for food."
Immediately after the flood, when little if any vegetation remained, what did God say about diet? It's in the Bible,
Genesis 9:2-4, TLB. "All wild animals and birds and fish will be afraid of you, God told him; 'for I have placed them in your power, and they are yours to use for food, in addition to grain and vegetables. But never eat animals unless their life-blood has been drained off."
What example did Daniel set in the importance of proper diet? It's in the Bible,
Daniel 1:8, NIV. "But Daniel resolved not to defile himself with the royal food and wine, and he asked the chief official for permission not to defile himself this way."
What did he eat instead? It's in the Bible, Daniel 1:12, NIV. "Please test your servants for ten days: Give us nothing but vegetables to eat and water to drink."
Why should we exercise self-control in our dietary habits? It's in the Bible,
I Corinthians 10:31, TLB. "It is because you must do everything for the glory of God, even your eating and drinking."
Midway through I decided to break this up into several segments since it is such a lengthy read. Next time I will continue this topic with posting on growing your own, planting, cleaning fresh foods and possibly conclude with easy several recipes. I am not sure what will become of this or if it is something I will chose to continue blogging on once I post everything.
Below is the message board post I mentioned in it's entirety. As I stated earlier I may not agree 100% with everything this poster touched on but there are a lot of really good points made that got me thinking and researching more on the subject. Let me add I am so thankful that my church decided on adding the natural healing class to it's small groups as well as Julie teaching the class. She is wonderful and has shared some really interesting information, her knowledge on supplements and diet. Thank you Julie!!!!
"Why are so many Christians in the dark about nutrition?"
It occurred to me that American Christians, especially, have a long cultural tradition of associated food with fellowship. It started with the "First Thanksgiving," perhaps, and maybe evolved out of the need in communities to share food for survival anywhere and everywhere that new communities were established. That pretty much includes the whole country, doesn't it? Offering food is also a part of the "offer hospitality" and "Feed the Hungry" admonitions. When a pioneer Christian read the Bible during the winter in a sod house under 5 feet of snow, which verse jumped out? To eat things that seemed patently unavailable to them at the time, or to feed,comfort and shelter the stranger/fellow pioneer that showed up at their door looking for shelter? And they probably fed him with the same things they had to eat, cooking meat from wherever they had it stored outside, with onions from the cellar and grinding up some grain for bread. They might have had some canned preserves and vegetables, maybe even lacto-fermented cabbage. I'm referring to a rather well-off pioneer, here, of course. As we know from other pioneer accounts, people had to figure out how to survive on much, much less. None of them came from a culture that espoused raw eating, so why should it occur to them when they had worked so hard just to get through the day, and it wasn't much of an option anyway? They ate what was available, and they ate in the way that they had been taught be their parents and the people they encountered, all of whom came from cultures with traditional cooking styles.
I also agree that when our nutritional knowledge began to advance along with worldwide communication, people could see how opposite the New Age/Eastern philosophies were to Christianity and hesitated to associate themselves with any part of it.
Scripture says "My people perish for lack of knowledge." I know that I, and many, many others are sick of seeing their loved ones perish for lack of specifically nutritional knowledge, and to see themselves on the same road. When George Malkmus ate according to Genesis 1:29 and saw that his body healed itself of cancer, and when he started to get the message out, there were so many Christians who heaved a huge sigh of relief, thinking "Yeah, I always thought there was something to that verse, but was afraid to do anything about it, it seemed too radical...but now I see that God in His wisdom always has benefits for us when we obey even the oddest sorts of principles and commandments."
Of course other people, just as in non-Christian circles, look on raw food miracles as either flukes or as dire, painful interventions that they hope that they themselves will never have to endure. The change would cost them too much. One of my girlfriends is constantly asking "How do you DO it, how do you have a LIFE and DO it?" I think most people, Christian or not, who embrace even part of the raw food lifestyle, have realized that there ARE social consequences, and haven't figured out how to handle them gracefully.
It is hard to feel "ok" about bringing nut-pate nori rolls to a potluck for teenagers when you are supposed to bring an "entree/casserole." The idea is to bring things that people will enjoy eating, right? And what about doughnuts? Can't stop serving those, everyone expects them, right? It's part of our hospitality! And what about handling big church-wide dinners? Gotta serve what people want, right? When we host missionaries and people from all around the world, we have another arena of having to figure out "what's for dinner that most people will eat."
Then there is evangelism and being connected to the world around us. It is amazing how much food seems to be involved in evangelism as well. We bring meals to needy families. We provide canned food to the hungry. We bring food to school and sporting and other events in our communities as a way of connecting with others that might need the gospel. We might host informal breakfasts each week at church so the teens have somewhere welcoming to bring their friends to, to introduce them to their life at church. I think that when Christians think through the implications of being raw, they have a hard time getting past how much food affects every part of their life, including the way they've been doing their faith walk in community with others. Changing to a raw lifestyle can be daunting enough when it only affects you and your family. Oh yes, family. Christians are like everyone else with families that may or may not be supportive of going raw. They need to be fed, too....
If the social barrier feels too overwhelming to climb, there is another barrier to climb: no one else in most churches is doing it. There's no support from the church leadership. Their hearts and minds are engaged with the gospel and sharing it. When they are ill and I have suggested that they look into raw foods, their immediate reaction seems to be that God and their doctors have things in hand. The message of diet and lifestyle isn't one that is likely to be delivered in the pulpit. Remember the bit where Peter has the dream about unclean foods in the book of Acts, and Paul's attempts to keep the Jews in Jerusalem from imposing heavy, pharisee-influenced rules onto new gentile believers. The Jews, of course, had been eating cooked foods since after the flood, when there was basically only mud on the ground and God gave them permission to eat meat. Any message on eating that I have ever received in church or at home (so far as the spiritual implications of our eating goes) is that the food we ate was not a matter of sin, but rather a matter of moderation and respect for our bodies, which Paul described as the temple of the Holy Spirit. I think we tuned out Genesis 1:29 for the most part as "old covenant" but acknowledged that those things were good for us in a more general way. We focus more on our "freedom in Christ," than being bound by food rules.
As to Christians I know, in general, they are beginning to understand the importance of diet, mainly through their own life experiences, usually involving their children. But others are discontented with their own health, and have been hearing from me, and no doubt others, that there is more to nutrition than they realized before. For me, going raw 100% for three weeks almost did me in...I was dangerously dehydrated despite drinking plenty of water, had some bizarre neuro symptoms, and I had to modify my doctor-suggested 6-week raw retreat in order to survive. When I returned home, I was tested for heavy metal poisoning with a big POSITIVE result. Yes, it can be dangerous to go 100% raw. I am no longer supposed to eat 100% raw all the time. I have a long road ahead of me to get to the heart of my various imbalances in a way that doesn't poison me in the process. So I haven't exactly been the poster-child to get everyone onto the raw bandwagon, either. I'm sure that throughout the country, there are 'failed" raw fooders in churches for one reason or another. But as more and more of us try new things and talk about them, it gives people around us permission to consider other ways besides their doctor's advice to address their health problems. I'm seeing much more interest in alternatives among my friends. At our church, a number of members have changed their diets using herbs and supplements from a local wellness company, and have experienced some great results...so going raw still seems too extreme when they can get results in other ways. I think that response is pretty natural and human, whether you are Christian or not. After all, we don't usually change unless we perceive more pain in the status quo than in making a change.
My last thoughts on why Christians are in the dark about diet and health is because most Christians don't read their Bibles, and take them seriously. Granted, it takes some study and the Holy Spirit to understand it, and understanding Greek, Hebrew and Aramaic (which is really useful for clarifiying a few things that people call "inconsistencies) is really useful. But if people would just read it they would see the holistic advice it contains....
I don't have the references or the exact wording at the tip of my tongue, but scripture tells us really helpful things....
Meditate on the law day and night and you will become like a tree planted by a river--meditation is good, especially if God is your topic!
Don't sin (guilt isn't good for you)
Don't fornicate or have adultery (good for your mental, emotional and physical health)
Don't disrespect your parents or provoke your children-ditto
don't let the sun go down on your wrath - go to bed with restored relationships
eat growing things a la Genesis 1:29
if eating meat, avoid bottom feeders, carnivorous predators and carrion-eaters and foods likely to hold nasty pathogens
a cheerful heart is good medicine - an all-around holistic healing approach
as a man thinks in his heart, so is he - ditto
give thanks to the Lord, for He is good - cultivating a heart of gratitude
Don't covet - feel peace inside instead - ditto
don't bear false witness - guilt/bad relationships aren't good for you
eat in moderation - don't burn off all your enzymes in one sitting!
some kinds of prayer is more efficacious with fasting
Fasting modeled as part of the lives of those who walked close to God
work 6 days and rest on the 7th (France tried to go to a 10 day workweek during one of their anti-God campaigns. Didn't last. The horses couldn't handle that schedule and began dying.)
The "Daniel Diet" of vegetarian fare gave Daniel and his buddies a superior glow and physique that impressed the king.
John survived just fine on locusts and wild honey. While not strictly vegan, it was raw.
wash your hands and clothing and houses according to guidelines of different sorts, including those to prevent the spread of leprosy.
Be transformed by the renewing of your mind - another mind-body connection as well as great spiritual advice
Give to others, care for widows, orphans, the sick, the imprisoned, the destitute.
Let those in debt to you have the option of working for you (slavery) but give them the choice of either staying with you (security) or being free after their debt is paid or when a Jubilee Year comes around.
Don't take advantage of your neighbor or charge interest, and restore land to original families every Jubilee year so everyone can have a chance to start over again. -- practicing charity results in better health and well-being for everyone.
Rotate your crops and let fields lie fallow every seventh year.
So lets see, we are implored to Meditate. I will suggest that it is hard NOT to breathe deeply and restfully when doing this, even though it isn't specified. The Holy Spirit is referred to as a breath, too.
We are implored to have a peaceful, stress-free, cheerful, forgiving, thankful and trusting mindset.
We are to eat in moderation, eat clean and periodically give our bodies a rest with fasting
we are given both a command to eat a vegetarian way, which, though rescinded out of necessity of survival, is confirmed as a great way to eat in the book of Daniel. Raw and natural eating is demonstrated by John the Baptist.
Practice good hygiene for personal and public health in both specific ways (like not spreading leprosy), but also having social rules to take care of the needy and give people a second chance. The "slavery" they practiced was never supposed to be anything more than a way to keep a roof over the debtor's head and food in his tummy while the lender got something in return for what he loaned, and it was to be temporary unless the debtor liked his new home well enough to stay there permanently. No homelessness giving rise to increased rates of AIDs, hepatitis (like today), or whatever scourges were common back in those days.
God's sustainable agricultural practices would have ensured a high quality of nutrients and health in their crops, too. I forget now, but there were rules about wells and water, too.
The Bible shows us how to be healthy both in our own bodies and in relationship to both our families and our communities and our land.
Those are all pretty holistic to me. But if Christians aren't reading their Bibles, they don't know that this stuff is there. Christians, as a group, are so ignorant of the Bible anymore that when the President of the United States misquotes Scripture on a national news network, they don't know that he misquoted it, and misapplied it, and you barely hear a peep about it. The other thing is that Christians aren't believing that their Bibles are relevant. When other non-Christian groups figure out that washing hands before surgery or that organic methods of gardening are key for our health, with no mention of Scripture having a similar plan or principle, it is very, very telling. The fact that Christians don't even seem to realize that there was already a command or principle in the Scriptures about it is very, very telling.
It tells me that we, as a culture, are totally ignoring what God has to say to us in His Word. It is fascinating to me that scientists and clergy alike created doubt in God's work in previous centuries...and that all the supposed "proof" was false, and that a lot of the missing "proof" that let the clergy toss out parts of the bible has now been found. Yet we blindly continue to believe, in fact seminaries continue to teach, that the Bible is a nice story with spiritual implications, not the Word of God. It "contains" the Word of God, and you and I get to pick and choose which parts are "real." (now them are fightin' words, sorry if I'm stepping on toes! I feel about this cover-up the way I feel about the AMA and big pharma trying to coverup natural remedies and true nutrition information!)
As a side note on a couple of other holistic practices...
While the Bible doesn't specify deep breathing, I think that quietly meditating and praying usually brings this sort of breathing on, naturally.The Bible also doesn't mention specific physical exercises like Yoga, nor techniques like sun-gazing. Since the Jews left Egypt behind, it is easy to see why God didn't particularly want them worshiping the Sun so I imagine that is why he left out that particular technique. Kind of like his rule about avoiding cooking meat in milk...one of the religious rituals of other tribes was to boil a kid in its mothers milk. God's commands to the Jews were to make them peculiar and different from the cultures around them.
As for Yoga in particular, I know that some Christians have heard the argument that when practicing some forms of meditation, you are to empty your mind and open it to bad influences. God's command in meditation isn't to empty your mind, but to think on Him and His word. Anyway, those are my thoughts on why Christians are in the dark when it comes to nutrition and holistic health."
Anyway, I just sent this to Julie who is heading the class and decided I would share it here as well. This is something I have been writing off and on for the last few months to post on my blog at giveittomeraw but the topic has been heavy on my heart as of late.
Basically it deals with the question, "Why are so many Christians in the dark about nutrition?" Now keep in mind this is a work in progress and as you get through it I do have quotes and segments for several articles and sources that I am still reading and working through. Some are my thoughts, portions are notes, quotes and other that I saved for my own reference. Over time I will probably come back and update it as I get further along. I felt like I needed to put this out there in case it may help or encourage someone.
Let me also add, I many not agree with absolutely everything (referring to the response you will see towards the end of this, which I will note again later) but everything here does provoke thought and hopefully encourage more desire to educate oneself.
(Genesis 1:29)
Then God said, Behold, I have given you every herb [plant] bearing seed, which is upon the face of all the earth, and every tree, in the which is the fruit of a tree yielding seed; to you it shall be for meat [food].
Eze 47:12 And by the edge of the river, on this side and on that, will come up every tree used for food, whose leaves will ever be green and its fruit will not come to an end: it will have new fruit every month, because its waters come out from the holy place: the fruit will be for food and the leaf will make well those who are ill.
Scripture says "My people perish for lack of knowledge." I know that I, and many, many others are sick of seeing their loved ones perish for lack of specifically nutritional knowledge, and to see themselves on the same road. When individuals live (eat) according to what is laid out in scripture and see their body's healed of cancer, diabetes, obesity, arthritis, fungus, and other ailments and that message started getting out, there were so many Christians who heaved a huge sigh of relief, thinking "Yeah, I always thought there was something to that verse, but was afraid to do anything about it, it seemed too radical...but now I see that God in His wisdom always has benefits for us when we obey even the oddest sorts of principles and commandments."
Why are Christian in the Dark about nutrition and natural healing?
The idea that "God will take care of it". No need to take responsibility for your health or think about where you food comes from, God gave it and God will take care of our health if he feels like it. It's a sort of religious passivity particulary endemic to the western world.
Scripture that says in the last days "...their God will be their bellies."
~ Phil 3:17-19
"Brethren, be followers together of me, and mark them which walk so as ye have us for an exsample. (For many walk, of whom I have told you often, and now tell you even weeping, [that they are] the enemies of the cross of Christ: Whose end [is] destruction, whose God [is their] belly, and [whose] glory [is] in their shame, who mind earthly things.)"
I found a great quote from a person in one of my message boards. (I will post the response in its entirety towards the end."
"God said food would be their (unbelievers) gods. I don't believe that applies to believers, nor to GOOD FOOD (unadulterated fresh raw fruits, herbs and vegetables)...I believe that means all the junk food, processed foods, and genetically modified produce we have substituted for fresh unmodified foods will fog our thoughts...addictions and being unwilling to die to our fleshly preferences will take over good sense. This is a revelation JUST THIS MOMENT for me!!!! I have worried about that Scripture for a couple of years now, knowing how much I think of food for my family. But I am created to seek out good food for my family...in fact to GROW IT (eg tend the garden w/ a husband). Its the junk foods, boxed foods, fast/quick fix foods that are becoming gods for the world at large. What we have grown accustomed to and prefer in the flesh (in food and lifestyle) which is poison to the human body. Its PART of whats leading people down a path of lethargy, complacency and depression. NOT fruits of the Spirit of God."
Then scripture goes on to talk about how proud they are of themselves....basically look at the scientists that think they can make artificial ingredients and market it to society as FOOD. Im not sure they are proud of what they've created or if they are proud of how they can kill us off...either way, lots of pride involved for certain.
PRIDE GOETH BEFORE A FALL AND A HAUGHTY SPIRIT BEFORE DESTRUCTION!!!
Mat 10:16 Behold, I send you forth as sheep in the midst of wolves: be ye therefore wise as serpents, and harmless as doves.
Questions:
Why should I care about being healthy? It's in the Bible,
I Corinthians 6:19-20, TLB. "Haven't you yet learned that your body is the home of the Holy Spirit God gave you, and that He lives within you? Your own body does not belong to you. For God has bought you with a great price. So use every part of your body to give glory back to God, because He owns it."
What is God's desire for us? It's in the Bible,
3 John 2, NIV. "I pray that you may enjoy good health and that all may go well with you."
On what conditions was freedom from disease promised to God's people? It's in the Bible,
Exodus 15:26, NIV. "He said, 'If you listen carefully to the voice of the Lord your God and do what is right in his eyes, if you pay attention to His commands and keep all His decrees, I will not bring on you any of the diseases I brought on the Egyptians, for I am the Lord who heals you."
What did God promise His people anciently? It's in the Bible,
Exodus 23:25, NIV. "Worship the Lord your God, and His blessing will be on your food and water. I will take away sickness from among you."
Who is able to heal? It's in the Bible,
Psalm 103:2-3, NIV. "Praise the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all His benefits. He forgives all my sins and heals all my diseases."
To enjoy a healthy life we must balance work and rest. It's in the Bible,
Exodus 20:8-10, NIV. "Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy. Six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the Lord your God. On it you shall not do any work."
Does attitude affect my health? It's in the Bible,
Proverbs 17:22, TLB. "A cheerful heart does good like medicine, but a broken spirit makes one sick."
Stress on the outside need not mean stress on the inside. It's in the Bible,
Philippians 4:6-7, TLB. "Don't worry about anything; instead, pray about everything; tell God your needs, and don't forget to thank Him for his answers. If you do this, you will experience God's peace, which is far more wonderful than the human mind can understand. His peace will keep your thoughts and your hearts quiet and at rest as you trust in Christ Jesus."
What was the original diet recommended for men and women? Fruits, grains, nuts, and legumes. It's in the Bible,
Genesis 1:29 NIV. "Then God said, 'I give you every seed-bearing plant on the face of the whole earth and every tree that has fruit with seed in it. They will be yours for food."
Immediately after the flood, when little if any vegetation remained, what did God say about diet? It's in the Bible,
Genesis 9:2-4, TLB. "All wild animals and birds and fish will be afraid of you, God told him; 'for I have placed them in your power, and they are yours to use for food, in addition to grain and vegetables. But never eat animals unless their life-blood has been drained off."
What example did Daniel set in the importance of proper diet? It's in the Bible,
Daniel 1:8, NIV. "But Daniel resolved not to defile himself with the royal food and wine, and he asked the chief official for permission not to defile himself this way."
What did he eat instead? It's in the Bible, Daniel 1:12, NIV. "Please test your servants for ten days: Give us nothing but vegetables to eat and water to drink."
Why should we exercise self-control in our dietary habits? It's in the Bible,
I Corinthians 10:31, TLB. "It is because you must do everything for the glory of God, even your eating and drinking."
Midway through I decided to break this up into several segments since it is such a lengthy read. Next time I will continue this topic with posting on growing your own, planting, cleaning fresh foods and possibly conclude with easy several recipes. I am not sure what will become of this or if it is something I will chose to continue blogging on once I post everything.
Below is the message board post I mentioned in it's entirety. As I stated earlier I may not agree 100% with everything this poster touched on but there are a lot of really good points made that got me thinking and researching more on the subject. Let me add I am so thankful that my church decided on adding the natural healing class to it's small groups as well as Julie teaching the class. She is wonderful and has shared some really interesting information, her knowledge on supplements and diet. Thank you Julie!!!!
"Why are so many Christians in the dark about nutrition?"
It occurred to me that American Christians, especially, have a long cultural tradition of associated food with fellowship. It started with the "First Thanksgiving," perhaps, and maybe evolved out of the need in communities to share food for survival anywhere and everywhere that new communities were established. That pretty much includes the whole country, doesn't it? Offering food is also a part of the "offer hospitality" and "Feed the Hungry" admonitions. When a pioneer Christian read the Bible during the winter in a sod house under 5 feet of snow, which verse jumped out? To eat things that seemed patently unavailable to them at the time, or to feed,comfort and shelter the stranger/fellow pioneer that showed up at their door looking for shelter? And they probably fed him with the same things they had to eat, cooking meat from wherever they had it stored outside, with onions from the cellar and grinding up some grain for bread. They might have had some canned preserves and vegetables, maybe even lacto-fermented cabbage. I'm referring to a rather well-off pioneer, here, of course. As we know from other pioneer accounts, people had to figure out how to survive on much, much less. None of them came from a culture that espoused raw eating, so why should it occur to them when they had worked so hard just to get through the day, and it wasn't much of an option anyway? They ate what was available, and they ate in the way that they had been taught be their parents and the people they encountered, all of whom came from cultures with traditional cooking styles.
I also agree that when our nutritional knowledge began to advance along with worldwide communication, people could see how opposite the New Age/Eastern philosophies were to Christianity and hesitated to associate themselves with any part of it.
Scripture says "My people perish for lack of knowledge." I know that I, and many, many others are sick of seeing their loved ones perish for lack of specifically nutritional knowledge, and to see themselves on the same road. When George Malkmus ate according to Genesis 1:29 and saw that his body healed itself of cancer, and when he started to get the message out, there were so many Christians who heaved a huge sigh of relief, thinking "Yeah, I always thought there was something to that verse, but was afraid to do anything about it, it seemed too radical...but now I see that God in His wisdom always has benefits for us when we obey even the oddest sorts of principles and commandments."
Of course other people, just as in non-Christian circles, look on raw food miracles as either flukes or as dire, painful interventions that they hope that they themselves will never have to endure. The change would cost them too much. One of my girlfriends is constantly asking "How do you DO it, how do you have a LIFE and DO it?" I think most people, Christian or not, who embrace even part of the raw food lifestyle, have realized that there ARE social consequences, and haven't figured out how to handle them gracefully.
It is hard to feel "ok" about bringing nut-pate nori rolls to a potluck for teenagers when you are supposed to bring an "entree/casserole." The idea is to bring things that people will enjoy eating, right? And what about doughnuts? Can't stop serving those, everyone expects them, right? It's part of our hospitality! And what about handling big church-wide dinners? Gotta serve what people want, right? When we host missionaries and people from all around the world, we have another arena of having to figure out "what's for dinner that most people will eat."
Then there is evangelism and being connected to the world around us. It is amazing how much food seems to be involved in evangelism as well. We bring meals to needy families. We provide canned food to the hungry. We bring food to school and sporting and other events in our communities as a way of connecting with others that might need the gospel. We might host informal breakfasts each week at church so the teens have somewhere welcoming to bring their friends to, to introduce them to their life at church. I think that when Christians think through the implications of being raw, they have a hard time getting past how much food affects every part of their life, including the way they've been doing their faith walk in community with others. Changing to a raw lifestyle can be daunting enough when it only affects you and your family. Oh yes, family. Christians are like everyone else with families that may or may not be supportive of going raw. They need to be fed, too....
If the social barrier feels too overwhelming to climb, there is another barrier to climb: no one else in most churches is doing it. There's no support from the church leadership. Their hearts and minds are engaged with the gospel and sharing it. When they are ill and I have suggested that they look into raw foods, their immediate reaction seems to be that God and their doctors have things in hand. The message of diet and lifestyle isn't one that is likely to be delivered in the pulpit. Remember the bit where Peter has the dream about unclean foods in the book of Acts, and Paul's attempts to keep the Jews in Jerusalem from imposing heavy, pharisee-influenced rules onto new gentile believers. The Jews, of course, had been eating cooked foods since after the flood, when there was basically only mud on the ground and God gave them permission to eat meat. Any message on eating that I have ever received in church or at home (so far as the spiritual implications of our eating goes) is that the food we ate was not a matter of sin, but rather a matter of moderation and respect for our bodies, which Paul described as the temple of the Holy Spirit. I think we tuned out Genesis 1:29 for the most part as "old covenant" but acknowledged that those things were good for us in a more general way. We focus more on our "freedom in Christ," than being bound by food rules.
As to Christians I know, in general, they are beginning to understand the importance of diet, mainly through their own life experiences, usually involving their children. But others are discontented with their own health, and have been hearing from me, and no doubt others, that there is more to nutrition than they realized before. For me, going raw 100% for three weeks almost did me in...I was dangerously dehydrated despite drinking plenty of water, had some bizarre neuro symptoms, and I had to modify my doctor-suggested 6-week raw retreat in order to survive. When I returned home, I was tested for heavy metal poisoning with a big POSITIVE result. Yes, it can be dangerous to go 100% raw. I am no longer supposed to eat 100% raw all the time. I have a long road ahead of me to get to the heart of my various imbalances in a way that doesn't poison me in the process. So I haven't exactly been the poster-child to get everyone onto the raw bandwagon, either. I'm sure that throughout the country, there are 'failed" raw fooders in churches for one reason or another. But as more and more of us try new things and talk about them, it gives people around us permission to consider other ways besides their doctor's advice to address their health problems. I'm seeing much more interest in alternatives among my friends. At our church, a number of members have changed their diets using herbs and supplements from a local wellness company, and have experienced some great results...so going raw still seems too extreme when they can get results in other ways. I think that response is pretty natural and human, whether you are Christian or not. After all, we don't usually change unless we perceive more pain in the status quo than in making a change.
My last thoughts on why Christians are in the dark about diet and health is because most Christians don't read their Bibles, and take them seriously. Granted, it takes some study and the Holy Spirit to understand it, and understanding Greek, Hebrew and Aramaic (which is really useful for clarifiying a few things that people call "inconsistencies) is really useful. But if people would just read it they would see the holistic advice it contains....
I don't have the references or the exact wording at the tip of my tongue, but scripture tells us really helpful things....
Meditate on the law day and night and you will become like a tree planted by a river--meditation is good, especially if God is your topic!
Don't sin (guilt isn't good for you)
Don't fornicate or have adultery (good for your mental, emotional and physical health)
Don't disrespect your parents or provoke your children-ditto
don't let the sun go down on your wrath - go to bed with restored relationships
eat growing things a la Genesis 1:29
if eating meat, avoid bottom feeders, carnivorous predators and carrion-eaters and foods likely to hold nasty pathogens
a cheerful heart is good medicine - an all-around holistic healing approach
as a man thinks in his heart, so is he - ditto
give thanks to the Lord, for He is good - cultivating a heart of gratitude
Don't covet - feel peace inside instead - ditto
don't bear false witness - guilt/bad relationships aren't good for you
eat in moderation - don't burn off all your enzymes in one sitting!
some kinds of prayer is more efficacious with fasting
Fasting modeled as part of the lives of those who walked close to God
work 6 days and rest on the 7th (France tried to go to a 10 day workweek during one of their anti-God campaigns. Didn't last. The horses couldn't handle that schedule and began dying.)
The "Daniel Diet" of vegetarian fare gave Daniel and his buddies a superior glow and physique that impressed the king.
John survived just fine on locusts and wild honey. While not strictly vegan, it was raw.
wash your hands and clothing and houses according to guidelines of different sorts, including those to prevent the spread of leprosy.
Be transformed by the renewing of your mind - another mind-body connection as well as great spiritual advice
Give to others, care for widows, orphans, the sick, the imprisoned, the destitute.
Let those in debt to you have the option of working for you (slavery) but give them the choice of either staying with you (security) or being free after their debt is paid or when a Jubilee Year comes around.
Don't take advantage of your neighbor or charge interest, and restore land to original families every Jubilee year so everyone can have a chance to start over again. -- practicing charity results in better health and well-being for everyone.
Rotate your crops and let fields lie fallow every seventh year.
So lets see, we are implored to Meditate. I will suggest that it is hard NOT to breathe deeply and restfully when doing this, even though it isn't specified. The Holy Spirit is referred to as a breath, too.
We are implored to have a peaceful, stress-free, cheerful, forgiving, thankful and trusting mindset.
We are to eat in moderation, eat clean and periodically give our bodies a rest with fasting
we are given both a command to eat a vegetarian way, which, though rescinded out of necessity of survival, is confirmed as a great way to eat in the book of Daniel. Raw and natural eating is demonstrated by John the Baptist.
Practice good hygiene for personal and public health in both specific ways (like not spreading leprosy), but also having social rules to take care of the needy and give people a second chance. The "slavery" they practiced was never supposed to be anything more than a way to keep a roof over the debtor's head and food in his tummy while the lender got something in return for what he loaned, and it was to be temporary unless the debtor liked his new home well enough to stay there permanently. No homelessness giving rise to increased rates of AIDs, hepatitis (like today), or whatever scourges were common back in those days.
God's sustainable agricultural practices would have ensured a high quality of nutrients and health in their crops, too. I forget now, but there were rules about wells and water, too.
The Bible shows us how to be healthy both in our own bodies and in relationship to both our families and our communities and our land.
Those are all pretty holistic to me. But if Christians aren't reading their Bibles, they don't know that this stuff is there. Christians, as a group, are so ignorant of the Bible anymore that when the President of the United States misquotes Scripture on a national news network, they don't know that he misquoted it, and misapplied it, and you barely hear a peep about it. The other thing is that Christians aren't believing that their Bibles are relevant. When other non-Christian groups figure out that washing hands before surgery or that organic methods of gardening are key for our health, with no mention of Scripture having a similar plan or principle, it is very, very telling. The fact that Christians don't even seem to realize that there was already a command or principle in the Scriptures about it is very, very telling.
It tells me that we, as a culture, are totally ignoring what God has to say to us in His Word. It is fascinating to me that scientists and clergy alike created doubt in God's work in previous centuries...and that all the supposed "proof" was false, and that a lot of the missing "proof" that let the clergy toss out parts of the bible has now been found. Yet we blindly continue to believe, in fact seminaries continue to teach, that the Bible is a nice story with spiritual implications, not the Word of God. It "contains" the Word of God, and you and I get to pick and choose which parts are "real." (now them are fightin' words, sorry if I'm stepping on toes! I feel about this cover-up the way I feel about the AMA and big pharma trying to coverup natural remedies and true nutrition information!)
As a side note on a couple of other holistic practices...
While the Bible doesn't specify deep breathing, I think that quietly meditating and praying usually brings this sort of breathing on, naturally.The Bible also doesn't mention specific physical exercises like Yoga, nor techniques like sun-gazing. Since the Jews left Egypt behind, it is easy to see why God didn't particularly want them worshiping the Sun so I imagine that is why he left out that particular technique. Kind of like his rule about avoiding cooking meat in milk...one of the religious rituals of other tribes was to boil a kid in its mothers milk. God's commands to the Jews were to make them peculiar and different from the cultures around them.
As for Yoga in particular, I know that some Christians have heard the argument that when practicing some forms of meditation, you are to empty your mind and open it to bad influences. God's command in meditation isn't to empty your mind, but to think on Him and His word. Anyway, those are my thoughts on why Christians are in the dark when it comes to nutrition and holistic health."
Sunday, January 18, 2009
Wow, it has been a long time since I wrote anything here! Why? Because I forgot my log in information until tonight. Now that I have access back to my blog, I hope to start using this space for some good.
Kissing Moons Update
I have been working a lot lately on my soap crafting trying to get ready for a show in April. I am praying to hear some sort of confirmation real soon from my application for this show. I hope that I am not wasting time and finances on creating stock for it. I have spoken to a couple other friends who are also participating who have also stated they have not heard anything back. We really need for this to go smoothly and hopefully get a lot of sales since DH is expected to have back surgery at some point this year. The extra my soap business has the potential to bring in will really help during this tough time for us. I have also branched off and am adding handcrafted gift items to my line. I have been working on creating some retro box purses, Japanese Knot Bags, rockabilly inspired flowered hair clips, and resin jewery. I am not certain how much I will have ready for this showin addition to my soap but hope to be able to offer a few test items to see how much intrest they will generate.
Planting
I lost almost all my trees and herbs from last season. When the hurricane came through it wiped out nearly everything. Several trees that were not planted I am praying will be able to pull through. I was only able to get a couple oranges and a pear in the ground before winter and the rest are either dead or struggling. I am so disappointed that I was unable to get them all planted. I just had too much on my plate last year and just could not do it all. As for my herbs, the lemon balm is still thriving in my flower bed which is leading me to just plant my mint varieties in the ground and let them take over. Though many people do not like how they take over we love the mints and the thick fragrant ground cover they create. I just love mint, there is nothing better added to fresh fruit salad than chopped fresh mint and a twist of lemon. And, lemon balm tea with honey is wonderful to sooth a sore throat.
Kissing Moons Update
I have been working a lot lately on my soap crafting trying to get ready for a show in April. I am praying to hear some sort of confirmation real soon from my application for this show. I hope that I am not wasting time and finances on creating stock for it. I have spoken to a couple other friends who are also participating who have also stated they have not heard anything back. We really need for this to go smoothly and hopefully get a lot of sales since DH is expected to have back surgery at some point this year. The extra my soap business has the potential to bring in will really help during this tough time for us. I have also branched off and am adding handcrafted gift items to my line. I have been working on creating some retro box purses, Japanese Knot Bags, rockabilly inspired flowered hair clips, and resin jewery. I am not certain how much I will have ready for this showin addition to my soap but hope to be able to offer a few test items to see how much intrest they will generate.
Planting
I lost almost all my trees and herbs from last season. When the hurricane came through it wiped out nearly everything. Several trees that were not planted I am praying will be able to pull through. I was only able to get a couple oranges and a pear in the ground before winter and the rest are either dead or struggling. I am so disappointed that I was unable to get them all planted. I just had too much on my plate last year and just could not do it all. As for my herbs, the lemon balm is still thriving in my flower bed which is leading me to just plant my mint varieties in the ground and let them take over. Though many people do not like how they take over we love the mints and the thick fragrant ground cover they create. I just love mint, there is nothing better added to fresh fruit salad than chopped fresh mint and a twist of lemon. And, lemon balm tea with honey is wonderful to sooth a sore throat.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
