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What's the Deal With Raw Milk

The 15 Things that Pasteurization Kills in Milk

http://healthimpactnews.com/2011/the-15-things-that-pasteurization-kills-in-milk/

Learn to Love Cabbage

It wasn't until fairly recently that I have learned to appreciate cabbage. It had always reminded me of iceberg lettuce, which has little to no nutritional value, so I've never made the effort to eat much of it. What I've come to learn is that it's actually a very important food.

In particular, it decreases the effects of estrogen that we're being bombarded with through foods (in particular soy), and chemically-made estrogens (known as xenoestrogens) like plastics and parabens in our cosmetics and body products. Even if you're making an effort to avoid these you may still need to do some "detoxing" from these harmful substances.

Here's what you need to know:

• Excellent source of vitamin C
  

• Has wonderful anti-inflammatory properties

• Contains a chemical which blocks cancer cell growth

• Great source of riboflavin (plays a key role in energy metabolism)

• Vitamin K - helps with strong bones and blood clotting

• Should be eaten COOKED, otherwise it can block iodine absorption which can lead to problems with thyroid function and production of sex hormones.

• Highly therapeutic for ulcers

• Traditionally, Irish girls drank cabbage water for complexion

So, get to eating cabbage. It can be baked, steamed, boiled, and stir-fried, soups, and stews. Not to mention serving it as a side with your corned beef and cabbage on St Patrick's Day. And, don't underestimate the even more beneficial properties of fermented cabbage - sauerkraut!

Or, give these recipes a try:

Cabbage, Dutch Style
(Nourishing Traditions, Sally Fallon)

Rinse and shred a head of RED or GREEN cabbage and place in a heavy pan.

In a small pan mix:
1 bay leaf
1/2 teaspoon cloves
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1 tsp raw honey
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1 cup water

Bring to a boil and pour over the cabbage and cook gently about 20 minutes.

Add 2 apples, peeled and quartered and cook another 10 min. Remove with a slotted spoon and toss with butter and vinegar.

Note: I think I was missing the bay leaf, but it still turned out very good and the whole family liked it as a side dish.

Greek Stuffed Cabbage

1 large head green cabbage
1 recipe for stuffing (see below)
1/2 cup olive oil
1 8-ounce can tomato sauce
1 bay leaf, crushed
2 cups beef boullion

Stuffing:

1 pound of ground meat or a combo (beef, turkey, lamb)
1 egg
1 medium onion, chopped
1/2 teaspoon oregano
1/2 teaspoon mint
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon (optional)
Salt and pepper to taste
3/4 cup raw white rice
2 tablespoons tomato sauce
3 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 cup dry white wine

Core cabbage and separate leaves. Parboil leaves in salted water for 5 minutes. Combine all stuffing ingredients and mix well. Place stuffing in individual cabbage leaves. Fold two opposite sides of each leaf inward and roll, starting at the short end. Place rolls in layers in large pot. Sprinkle each layer with olive oil, tomato sauce, and bay leaf. Add bouillon to the pot, adding enough water to cover the rolls. Cover and simmer over low heat for one hour. Serves 6 to 8.

Read more: http://www.motherearthnews.com/Organic-Gardening/1986-11-01/About-Cabbage.aspx?page=5#ixzz1EKxpGy7J

Cabbage Rice Soup

3 tablespoons butter
1 pound shredded cabbage
1 cup thinly sliced onions
6 cups homemade chicken broth
1 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon pepper
1/8 teaspoon nutmeg
1/2 cup rice
1 cup shredded Gruyere cheese

Melt margarine in a 4-quart kettle. Rinse cabbage and add to butter along with onions. Cook over medium heat for about 10 minutes. Add broth, salt, pepper, and nutmeg. Simmer, covered, for 10 minutes. Add rice and cook 20 minutes or until rice is tender. Ladle into bowls and garnish with cheese. Serves 8.

Read more: http://www.motherearthnews.com/Organic-Gardening/1986-11-01/About-Cabbage.aspx?page=5#ixzz1EL4GQ2Rk

Have you heard of Astaxanthin?

I'd never heard of Astaxanthin until about 3 weeks ago. Since then I've done a lot of reading on it and have been amazed by it's tremendous potential. It's a fairly "new" supplement and I understand the research on it has only been underway for only 10 years. It may be awhile before you hear about this in mainstream medicine, but I think it's worth knowing about sooner rather than later.

Recent research has documented its ability to increase cellular energy, protect against and treat cancer, protect against damage to the brain and nervous system, and halt the progression of complications from diabetes.

Here's what you need to know:

Astaxanthin is a member of the carotenoid family. The supplement is commonly derived from a specific algae. Carotenoids (think carrots) are pigments that occur in the parts of the plant that capture light and energy. By helping the color of a plant (like flower petals) they can increase the ability of the plant to harvest the light energy from the sun.

**Wiki - "Carotenoids in general absorb blue light. They serve two key roles in plants and algae: they absorb light energy for use in photosynthesis, and they protect chlorophyll from photodamage. In humans, four carotenoids have vitamin A activity, and these and other carotenoids can also act as antioxidants. In the eye, certain other carotenoids apparently act directly to absorb damaging blue and near-ultraviolet light, in order to protect the macula lutea (from sun damage and some types of macular degeneration). People consuming diets rich in carotenoids from natural foods, such as fruits and vegetables, are healthier and have lower mortality from a number of chronic illnesses."

Astaxanthin has 100-500 times the antioxidant capacity of Vitamin E and 10 times the antioxidant capacity of beta-carotene. Many laboratory studies also indicate astaxanthin is a stronger antioxidant than lutein, lycopene and tocotrienols.

How it can be useful to humans:

• Increases strength and endurance (2.8 times greater increase over baseline versus placebo in human study).*

• Protects cell and mitochondrial membranes from oxidative damage, thus protecting the cell from oxidative damage.**

• Boosts immune system by increasing the number of antibody-producing cells.**

• Prevents the initiation of cancer cells in the tongue, oral cavity, large bowel, bladder, uterus, and breast.**

• Inhibits lipid peroxidation that causes plaque formation, thus reducing risk of cardiovascular disease.**

• Alleviates oxidative stress** and crosses the blood brain barrier.** Therefore, may assist in neurodegenerative conditions such as AMD**, Alzheimer's, Parkinson's, ALS and MS.

• Protects the eyes and skin from UV A and B damage by quenching singlet and triplet oxygen.**

• Reduces the number of new and abnormal cells in the liver.**

* Confirmed in human clinical study.
** Confirmed in preclinical studies.

(http://www.beta-glucan-info.com/astaxanthin-questions-answers.htm)

And there's more:

1. Interferes with proinflammatory substances (to decrease inflammation)

2. Blocks nitric oxide enzyme activity (helps reduce high blood pressure)

3. Is a powerful antioxidant (antioxidants treat strokes and degenerative brain problems as well as prevents cancer and coronary heart disease


4. Has been referred to as nature's sunscreen

5. Protects beta-cell function in diabetes


6. Reduces glucose toxicity (which can lead to type 2 diabetes)


7. Limits exercise-induced cardiac and skeletal damage in mice


8. Protects against DNA damage from UVA rays

9. Reduces stress-induced lipid peroxidation

10. Helps prevent atherosclerosis

11. Slows growth of H pylori infection

12. Inhibits tumor growth

13. Controls cancer cell proliferation in colon cancer

14. Controls cancer cell proliferation in bladder cancer

Conclusion:

So, for most of us this product is very helpful to the eyes, can increase our endurance and reaction times, prevent sunburns and sun damage (remember we SHOULD be getting plenty of sun for it's Vitamin D content), Recent research has documented its ability to increase cellular energy, protect against and treat cancer, protect against damage to the brain and nervous system, and halt the progression of complications from diabetes.


Learn more: http://www.naturalnews.com/026309_astaxanthin_cancer_disease.html#ixzz1E9HxMxNI

KOMBUCHA DAY!

Home Brewed Kombucha

In an effort to get more fermented and cultured products in our diet I've chosen start with three specific things: yogurt, kombucha and kefir.

The local kombucha maker was getting rid of several of their gallon glass jars, so I decided kombucha would be my first venture.

The first time I'd ever heard of kombucha was from my daughter who thought it was helping her to get over the winter flu rather quickly. After picking her up from school one day she opened a bottle in the car and I got a quick whiff of something rotting. Turns out it was kombucha, which makes sense because it's fermented! I gave it a try and it quickly grew on me. Now it's something I often "crave".

Kombucha is actually a fermented Russian tea that has a slightly sweet, slightly vinegary taste with plenty of natural carbonation. The store bought varieties come in many flavors and it can really be a nice replacement for soda or even an alcoholic beverage, yet with far more benefits than either.

First and foremost, this will introduce your gut to all kinds of beneficial enzymes. You need these enzymes to properly digest food and to absorb their nutrients as well as clear out toxins that like to hang around and reabsorb into your system. Other beneficial claims include:

• Balancing the bacteria in your gut so there is far more "good guys" than "bad guys" (probiotics). This can result in clearing up a variety of health problems.
• Increase in energy (something I have personally experienced from drinking it)
• Reduce or eliminates the symptoms of fibromyalgia, depression, anxiety, etc
  
• Liver detoxifier
• Prevents and fights cancer
• Enhances the immune system
• Weight management
  
• Antioxidents
• B Vitamins

So, if I've convinced you that kombucha might be worth a shot here's how you can make it for as little as 50 cents a gallon (after the first batch). You won't need the store bought kombucha for further batches which can run around $4 for a 20 oz bottle.

Brewed Kombucha without a "mother"

6 black tea bags
1 cup sugar
1 - 1 1/2 bottles of commercial kombucha
gallon of distilled or spring water

large cooking pot
wooden spoon
muslin cloth to cover jar
1 gallon, large mouth glass jar

Pour 1/2 of your water in the large pot. Add tea bags and bring to a boil for several minutes. Turn off heat and allow to cool down to room temp.

Pour this into your very clean gallon jar. Add sugar and commercial kombutcha (this has enzymes that will help the "mother" to grow). Stir and add the remaining water - leaving room for the "mother" to grow. Now cover with the cloth and seal with a rubber band. Allow this to sit for about 3 weeks.

I'll update this when my batch is done and show the finishing steps. For further instructions and tips, YouTube is a wonderful source. And for further reading and sources this is a good place to start: http://www.foodrenegade.com/kombucha-health-benefits/