Learning how to manage emotional stress effectively. (Part I)

I am convinced that no other factor has more influence over your health. If you ask someone that has just been diagnosed with cancer, for instance, if they’ve been under stress recently they will more than likely say, “why as a matter of fact, yes!”. It's important to keep in mind cancer does not appear overnight, it is always with us, it just manifests itself from constant stress.

You may be wondering, why is emotional stress one of the most significant causes of all chronic health challenges? Well simply put, because your body cannot defend itself against the damage that emotional stress creates quietly over time. Your body pays a heavy physiological price for every single moment that you feel anxious, tense, frustrated, and angry.

I'm not suggesting that you should strive to never feel these emotions. Anxiety, tension, frustration, and anger all serve important purposes when they first arise. The danger is in experiencing these emotions on a chronic basis.

Emotional stress sets off a series of reactions in your body that involve your sympathetic nervous system, the portion of your nervous system that would increase your chance of surviving if you were to run into a mountain lion during a hike. In such a situation, your sympathetic nervous system would:
· Speed up and intensify your heart and breathing rates, so that you could have more oxygen and nutrients available to your muscles to run or fight.
· Divert the bulk of your blood supply to your large muscles groups to run or fight.
· Slow or even shut down your digestive system so as to not waste blood, nutrients, and oxygen that could be used to run or fight.
· Stimulate the release of extra glucose into your blood to give you a burst of energy, just as a cheetah's spleen gushes extra blood into its circulation when it needs a burst of acceleration.
· Cause your adrenal glands to release epinephrine and norepinephrine into your system to increase cardiac output and increase blood sugar.
· Stimulate the release of cortisol from your adrenal glands to increase blood sugar and energy.
· Increase the diameter of your pupils to allow for more light to enter your eyes and more acute vision for fighting and running quickly on any type of terrain.

Clearly, it is to your advantage to have a healthy sympathetic nervous system, one that is capable of providing all of the functions listed above during physical emergencies.

What you don't want is for your body to experience all of the above on a continuous, low-grade level because of emotional stress.

And this is exactly what many of us are suffering from in today's hectic world.

Sake Colada

The happy colada!

2 cups chopped pineapple
1/2 cup coconut meat (use baby coconut meat for a smoother flavor)
1/2 cup coconut water (of course from the baby coconut)
1/4 cup agave nectar
1 tbs lime juice
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 cups ice
3/4 cup sake (think quality, not quantity)
pinch of sea salt

In a blender, puree all the ingredients and serve immediately.

Plum-Passion Fruit Long Island Ice Tea

This is a great summer soother, instead of the old traditional favorite Long Island Ice Tea with the 5 types of alcohol and splash of coke, we have a fruit-tea sake inspired beverage that is just downright sinful!

Here's how to make it.

1 1/2 cups steeped and chilled plum-passion fruit tea
1 cup sake (think quality, not quantity)
1/2 cup lime juice
1/4 cup agave nectar
Lemon or lime wedges for garnish

In a large pitcher, combine the tea, sake, lime juice and agave nectar and stir well. Pour into cocktail glasses or tall glasses full of ice and garnish with lemon or lime wedges.

Carrot Soup, nummies!

Today, I'll show you how to make a lovely summer chilled, raw, creamy carrot soup. If you've never tried a chilled soup before, I really recommend you try at least one of them. It's so easy to make, much easier than regular, hot soup, and much better for you!

INGREDIENTS:
3 large organic tomatoes, chopped
2 Tablespoons green onions, chopped
Small handful fresh basil, chopped
1 avocado, peeled, pit removed
Juice from 1/2 a lemon
Approx 1 1/2 cups freshly-juiced carrots
Approx 1/3 teaspoon cumin

PREPARATION:
Place tomatoes, green onions, basil and avocado into large mixing bowl if using immersion blender (or large blender or food processor).
Pour in carrot juice.
Add cumin.
Add lemon juice.
Whiz up with immersion blender (or blend in blender or food processor) until smooth.

You may think it's a funny color, but fear not. The taste is superb! If you'd like, you can strain it before serving, but I like mine a bit chunky, with the veggies left in.

A fantastic, chilled, raw, summer soup that's really good for you and your family. I'm sure you'll all love it! Nummies!

Renee in Wonderland....

I'm sitting here wondering, wondering why people don't pay attention to their health until it's too late! Even then they don't.

Every day I get a phone call of someone telling me that "so and so" has just been diagnosed with cancer. This cancer, that cancer. It's such a commonplace these days it's incredible. Usually it's third stage, whatever cancer it happens to be. How is this possible? How can so many people be so completely unaware of what is happening in their body? Are they so tied up with daily living? Too afraid to go to the doctor early on? If they go to the doctor early on, does the doctor dismiss their concerns as "stress" related?

What amazes me is even after someone has been diagnosed with cancer, goes in for surgery, even has to decide if they want chemotherapy or not in some cases, the person still trys to eat the same way they ate before.

Nutrition plays such an important role in our health. Do salads really taste that bad? I suppose if your taste buds have become so coated that you cannot experience the taste of "real" food, it really doesn't matter. Except for the fact that the fried food you just ate is creating a mucoid plaque in your intestines that will cause you harm down the road. Maybe because you cannot see it, it's not like it's really there? Well, you can't see gravity but we all know it's there. I guess that's what keeps us from jumping off of bridges and things like that!

It may seem difficult or expensive to begin a natural healthy eating lifestyle and taste "funky" at first. But believe you me the benefits will be great in the near and distant future. What will be difficult is not being able to sleep and have to pay for expensive operations and medicines! and have to have your relatives take care of you. How much fun can that be?

It's time to wake up and smell the wheat grass juice! Take responsibility for your health and let the government take care of the others that just can't seem to get past their aspartame riddled diet cokes and trans fat laden french fries.

It's a known fact there will not be enough heart surgeons to facilitate all the heart bypass surgery's that are going to be needed in the next 10 years!

The aging population is actually living longer, yet with ill health...just more medication. When you suppress an illness with medication the illness actually reverts inward towards your internal organs. This is the philosopy and knowlege of Homeopathic Medicine.

When the TV commercials are telling you to "ask your doctor" for this or that medication, it's gotta make you wonder once again, "who's agenda is it anyways?" I really don't think it's yours. Unless you really pay attention to the dislaimer "may cause heart disease, stroke, kidney failure, etc." ...so your cholesterol is under control, but your kidney's are failing?

You be the judge.

Book Review: The Balanced Plate, by Renee Loux

This book is chock full of recipes and ingredients the author has wonderfully combined in such a way that encourages people to make healthier choices in food and meal decisions.

Interestingly enough, her use of seemingly unusual ingredients really aren’t that unusual as it turns out. They can all be found at your local grocery or health food store. More than likely you just didn’t know what it was called or what the heck to do with it! Take for instance a “Daikon radish”. Most people have never heard of what that is, let alone know what to do with it. Renee has a tea recipe that incorporates this truly amazing vegetable to help dissolve fat! She also has little explanations throughout the book on why something is good for you, that information can have a lot of merit in deciding what to or not to eat.

She reviews different styles of eating from Ayureveda, to Macrobiotics to Raw, with a few in between. Discussing the merits of each. There is detailed information of the seasonings and spices a lot of her recipes call for that identify the origin, benefit, uses, and much more. It really is a complete novel for the cook looking to bring in some new ideas to the table and delight their culinary taste buds for themselves, their family and/or their friends.

In conclusion, I was impressed in the food and recipe variations she has put together. I imagine largely due to her experience being in the field of nutrition and culinary arts for the past 12 years. Considering she is also a teacher of incorporating whole foods into a balanced lifestyle, she has a way that comes across to the reader that is informative enough that gets you to try recipes with ingredients you may normally not have tried like the wild rice with carmelized onion broth. Especially if you’re not a big onion fan! Note: I left out the brussel sprouts and leeks, but everyone loved it anyways.

Coconut Macaroon Recipe

These little guys are the bomb! bet you can't eat just one...

3 cups dried coconut
2 tbs raw almond butter
2 tbs coconut butter
4 tbs agave nectar
2 tbs raw honey
2 tbs maple syrup
1 tsp vanilla
1 tsp ground cinnamon
pinch of sea salt

In a food processor, grind 1 cup of the coconut into a powder.

Add the almond butter, coconut butter, agave, honey, maple syrup, vanilla, cinnamon and salt and blend until well mixed.

Fold in the remaining coconut by hand.

Roll 2 tbs of the dough into a ball and flatten on one side with the palm of your hand. Continue until you've used all the dough.

Freeze until firm. Transfer to a sealable containger and stor in the freezer for up to 2 months.

Noninvasive methods for treating heart disease

Dr. Dean Ornish found that heart disease could be relieved and in some cases reversed when patients made significant changes in diet and exercise and used meditation and support groups to help relieve stress. In his latest book, Love and Survival, Ornish concluded that it was the love that heart patients felt through intimately opening their hearts in support groups that had the greatest stress relief and healing benefit.

Why I love Baby Coconut Water, read on....

It's a natural isotonic beverage, with the same level of electrolytic balance as we have in our blood. It's the fluid of life, so to speak." In fact, during the Pacific War of 1941-45, both sides in the conflict regularly used coconut water - siphoned directly from the nut - to give emergency plasma trasfusions to wounded soldiers.

Milk vs. Water

Coconut milk is the liquid obtained by pressing grated coconut meat. The term 'milk' was erroneously given to the fluid found inside the cavity of the coconut fruit. This fluid is properly called 'water'. Coconut water from mature nuts (not all mature nuts will have water) is opalescent or cloudy causing many to refer to it as 'milk'.

Coconut water from immature nuts (Young Coconut Water), technically the liquid endosperm, is perhaps one of the most pure, nutritious, and wholesome natural beverages that nature supplies. The water is found in the central, almost spherical hollow of the coconut fruit. Enclosing this body of water of between 200-750ml is the hard shell, well lined inside with an 8-10mm layer of coconut meat.

The Bite:
Natural coconut water offers the same electrolytes and potassium as conventional sports drinks, with fewer calories and none of the artificial additives.

The Benefits
Delicious, refreshing alternative to the neon-colored sports drinks.
No artificial colors or preservatives (such as cancer-linked benzene).
Fewer calories. 8 oz of Gatorade has 63 calories; the same serving of coconut water has just 46.

Leg cramps bothering you?

Stay Hydrated! It is not well known exactly how dehydration and muscle cramping are related, but it is known that dehydration can predispose to leg cramps. Drink at least three full glasses of water each day, including one before bedtime. Also drink plenty of fluid before, during, and after exercise.

Certain drugs, such as diuretics have also been cited as a cause of leg cramps.

Stretching your calves regularly during the day and at night will help. You can often prevent night cramps by exhausting the stretch reflex before you go to bed by stretching your calf muscles with wall pushups and applying a heating pad for 10 minutes before going to bed. Keeping blankets loose at the foot of the bed will help prevent unnatural positioning of your feet and toes which can cause night time cramping.

There is some information suggesting that milk may make leg cramps worse due to an underlying calcium deficiency. Milk does not make a good calcium replacement source because of the amount of phosphorus it contains.

It's also worth noting that vitamin D is required in order for calcium to be absorbed into bone. We make our own vitamin D in response to bright sunlight passing through the skin ... minimum of one hour a day is required. This is fine in the summer, but if you're indoors a lot in winter, or there's little sunshine ... you might consider taking a supplement, such as cod liver oil. Vitamin D is added to liquid milk products, and dry skim milk powder, but milk is too high in carbs for a sufficient amount of the vitamin to be consumed. And cheese, cream, yogurt ... other dairy products ... do NOT have vit. D added. Adults up to age 50 need 200 units per day; over 50 yrs, the recommendation is 400 units.

POTASSIUM BROTH:

This is a GREAT tasting addition to your Cleansing Program. It will FLUSH your Body of TOXINS, Poisons and UNWANTED Salts and Acids, while giving you a CONCENTRATED amount of Vitamins and Minerals.

1. Fill a LARGE pot with 25% Potato peelings, 25% Carrot peelings and WHOLE chopped Beets, 25% chopped Onions, including 50 cloves of Garlic, 25% Celery and DARK Greens.

2. Add HOT Peppers to taste.

3. Add enough Distilled Water to cover the Vegetables and simmer on very LOW temperature for 1-2 hours.

4. Strain, or just dip your mug in, and drink ONLY the Broth.

5. Make enough for 2 days, refrigerating the leftover Broth.

NOTE:
It is IMPORTANT, that you use ORGANIC Vegetables, because you do NOT want to consume ANY Toxic Insecticides, Pesticides or Inorganic Chemical Fertilizers, while you're doing a Cleansing and Detoxification Program!

NOTE: Since the Potassium Broth is a POWERFUL Electrolyte BALANCER, it must to be taken by SICK People ONLY, otherwise the Electrolytes, but especially Potassium, will QUICKLY become OUT-OF-BALANCE in the Body!

MSG- The Slow Poisoning Of America, by Robban Sica, MD

THIS IS VERY IMPORTANT!

MSG Hides Behind 25+ Names, Such As "Natural Flavoring". MSG Is Also In Your Favorite Coffee Shops And Drive-Ups. I wondered if there could be an actual chemical causing the massive obesity epidemic, so did a friend of mine, John Erb. He was a research assistant at the University of Waterloo in Ontario, Canada, and spent years working for the government. He made an amazing discovery while going through scientific journals for a book he was writing called "The Slow Poisoning of America". In hundreds of studies around the world, scientists were creating obese mice and rats to use in diet or diabetes test studies. No strain of rat or mice is naturally obese, so the scientists have to create them. They make these morbidly obese creatures by injecting them with MSG when they are first born. The MSG triples the amount of insulin the pancreas creates; causing rats (and humans?) to become obese. They even have a title for the fat rodents they create: "MSG-Treated Rats". I was shocked too. I went to my kitchen, checking the cupboards and the fridge. MSG was in everything: The Campbell's soups, the Hostess Doritos, the Lays flavored potato chips, Top Ramen, Betty Crocker Hamburger Helper, Heinz canned gravy, Swanson frozen prepared meals, Kraft salad dressings, especially the 'healthy low fat' ones. The items that didn't have MSG marked on the product label had something called ''Hydrolyzed Vegetable Protein'', which is just another name for Monosodium Glutamate. It was shocking to see just how many of the foods we feed our children everyday are filled with this stuff. They hide MSG under many different names in order to fool those who carefully read the ingredient list, so they don't catch on. (Other names for MSG: 'Accent' - 'Agino moto' - 'Natural Meet Tenderizer', etc) But it didn't stop there. When our family went out to eat, we started asking at the restaurants what menu items had MSG. Many employees, even the managers, swore they didn't use MSG. But when we ask for the ingredient list, which they grudgingly provided, sure enough MSG and Hydrolyzed Vegetable Protein were everywhere: Burger King McDonalds Wendy's Taco Bell And every restaurant like: TGIF, Chili's, Applebee's and Denny's use MSG in abundance. Kentucky Fried Chicken seemed to be the WORST offender: MSG was in EVERY chicken dish, salad dressing and gravy. No wonder I loved to eat that coating on the skin, their secret spice was MSG. So, why is MSG in so many of the foods we eat? Is it a preservative or a vitamin?? Not according to my friend John. In the book he wrote, an expose of the food additive industry called "The Slow Poisoning of America" he said that MSG is added to food for the addictive effect it has on the human body. http://www.spofamerica.com Even the propaganda website sponsored by the food manufacturers lobby group supporting MSG at: http://www.msgfactscom/facts/msgfact12.html explains that the reason they add it to food is to make people EAT MORE OF THEIR PRODUCTS.

A study of the elderly showed that people eat more of the foods it is added to. The Glutamate Association lobby group says eating more benefits the elderly, but what does it do to the rest of us? 'Betcha can't eat just one', takes on a whole new meaning where MSG is concerned! And we wonder why the nation is overweight?

The MSG manufacturers themselves admit that it addicts people to their products. It makes people choose their product over others, and makes people eat more of it than they would if MSG wasn't added.

Not only is MSG scientifically proven to cause obesity, it is an addictive substance! Since its introduction into the American food supply fifty years ago, MSG has been added in larger and larger doses to the pre-packaged meals, soups, snacks and fast foods we are tempted to eat everyday.

The FDA has set no limits on how much of it can be added to food. They claim it's safe to eat in any amount. How can they claim it safe when there are hundreds of scientific studies with titles like these? :- 'The monosodium glutamate (MSG) obese rat as a model for the study of exercise in obesity'. GobattoCA, Mello MA, Souza CT, Ribeiro IA.ResCommun Mol Pathol Pharmacol. 2002. 'Adrenalectomy abolishes the food-induced hypothalamic serotonin release in both normal and monosodium glutamate-obese rats'. Guimaraes RB, Telles MM, Coelho VB, Mori C, Nascimento CM, Ribeiro Brain Res Bull. 2002 Aug. 'Obesity induced by neonatal monosodium glutamate treatment in spontaneously hypertensive rats: an animal model of multiple risk factors'. Iwase M, Yamamoto M, Iino K, IchikawaK, Shino hara N, Yoshinari Fujishima Hypertens Res. 1998 Mar. 'Hypothalamic lesion induced by injection of monosodium glutamate in suckling period and subsequent development of obesity'. Tanaka K, Shimada M, Nakao K, Kusunoki Exp Neurol. 1978 Oct. Yes, that last study was not a typo, it WAS written in 1978. Both the "medical research community" and "food manufacturers" have known about MSG's side effects for decades! Many more studies mentioned in John Erb's book link MSG to Diabetes, Migraines and headaches, Autism, ADHD and even Alzheimer's.

But what can we do to stop the food manufactures from dumping fattening and addictive MSG into our food supply and causing the obesity epidemic we now see? Even as you read this, G. W. Bush and his corporate supporters are pushing a Bill through Congress called the "Personal Responsibility in Food Consumption Act" also known as the "Cheeseburger Bill", this sweeping law bans anyone from suing food manufacturers, sellers and distributors. Even if it comes out that they purposely added an addictive chemical to their foods.

Read about it for yourself at:http://www.yahoo.com. The Bill has already been rushed through the House of Representatives, and is due for the same rubber stamp at Senate level. It is important that Bush and his corporate supporters get it through before the media lets everyone know about 'MSG, the intentional Nicotine for food'. Several months ago, John Erb took his book and his concerns to one of the highest government health officials in Canada. While sitting in the Government office, the official told him "Sure, I know how bad MSG is, I wouldn't touch the stuff." But this top level government official refused to tell the public what he knew. The big media doesn't want to tell the public either, fearing legal issues with their advertisers. It seems that the fallout on fast food industry may hurt their profit margin. The food producers and restaurants have been addicting us to their products for years, and now we are paying the price for it. Our children should not be cursed with obesity caused by an addictive food additive. But what can I do about it?... I'm just one voice.

What can I do to stop the poisoning of our children, while our governments are insuring financial protection for the industry that is poisoning us. This e-mail is going out to everyone I know in an attempt to tell you the truth that the corporate owned politicians and media won't tell you .

The best way you can help to save yourself and your children from this drug-induced epidemic, is to forward this email to everyone. With any luck, it will circle the globe before politicians can pass the legislation protecting those who are poisoning us. The food industry learned a lot from the tobacco industry. Imagine if big tobacco had a bill like this in place before someone blew the whistle on Nicotine? If you are one of the few who can still believe that MSG is good for us, and you don't believe what John Erb has to say, see for yourself. Go to the National Library of Medicine, at http://www.pubmed.com. Type in the words "MSG Obese" and read a few of the 115 medical studies that appear.

We the public, do not want to be rats in one giant experiment and we do not approve of food that makes us into a nation of obese, lethargic, addicted sheep, feeding the food industry's bottom line, while waiting for the heart transplant, diabetic induced amputation, blindness or other obesity induced, life threatening disorders. With your help we can put an end to this poison. Do your part in sending this message out by word of mouth, e-mail or by distribution of this print-out to all your friends all over the world and stop this 'Slow Poisoning of Mankind' by the packaged food industry.

Blowing the whistle on MSG is our responsibility, get the word out.

A Quote from Albert Einstein:

"Although I have been prevented by outward circumstances from observing a strictly vegetarian diet, I have long been an adherent to the cause in principle. Besides agreeing with the aims of vegetarianism for aesthetic and moral reasons, it is my view that a vegetarian manner of living by its purely physical effect on the human temperament would most beneficially influence the lot of mankind." Translation of letter to Hermann Huth, December 27, 1930. Einstein Archive 46-756

Hay is for horses, but cereal grass is for humans!

Nutritional grass, or cereal grass as it is also known, is the young green plant that soon grows into a cereal grain. It is important to note, however, that grasses are not a grain. If you are avoiding barley grass or wheat grass because you are avoiding the protein called gluten, these grasses are safe. They are totally gluten-free!

You've heard of them - barley grass, wheatgrass, oat grass, alfalfa. They're all part of the "healthy grass" family and have scores of vital nutrients.

In fact, the nutrient profile of cereal grass is similar to those of the most nutritious dark green vegetables.

Cereal grass has been used as a food supplement since the 1930's when it was observed that nutritional levels of milk took a dip when cows weren't munching away on young, green leaves. From that point on, the light bulb was lit and systematic research began on the benefits of nutritional grass.

What is it that Makes Nutritional Grass so Nutritious?
-Every single vitamin, amino acid, enzyme or mineral needed to support animal life is in grass.
-It is a total food in itself and needs no other food to complement or complete it.
-Very self-sufficient, don't you think?

If we check in with our innate wisdom, our bodies will tell us that nutritional grass and greens is just what we need for survival. Haven't you ever wondered why dogs and cats love chomping on a good field of healthy grass…especially when they don't feel well and need energy to heal?

For centuries, animals lived on nothing but this complete food.

It used to be that only your "strange" neighbor (that would be me!) who spent too much time at the health food store would grow and juice his own nutritional grass, but now everybody's doing it! Take a look some of the benefits and you'll see why juice from green grass and plants has become so popular:

Barley Grass -
Contains 11 times the calcium in cows' milk
Has nearly 5 times the iron in spinach
Holds 7 times the vitamin C in oranges
Packs 80mg of vitamin B12 per hundred grams
WOW!

Wheat Grass -
Can improve the digestive system
Helps relieve constipation
Detoxifies the blood
Cleanses the liver

Oat Grass -
Has up to 30% protein
Loaded with vitamins, calcium, iron, lecithin, magnesium, pantothenic acid, phosphorus and potassium
Illuminated with rich chlorophyll - nature's blood cleanser

Alfalfa -
Rich in minerals and nutrients
Has 8 essential amino acids
Alkalizes and detoxifies the body (especially the liver!)
A natural anti-fungal

All it takes to grow your own green food is a small container, fresh water and healthy soil, a little sunshine and anywhere from 7-15 days before it's ready for juicing. A good juicer with blades specifically for cereal grass is the only tool you need to have fresh green juice every day!

Don't let your friends make fun of you! You'll be the only one not in the nursing home here soon!

Can olive oil be used to replace butter and margarine in recipes?

Yes! Butter and margarine have a pleasant taste, and there are certain uses of butter and margarine for which there is no satisfactory replacement in the American Diet--buttered toast at breakfast comes to mind. Extra Virgin Olive Oil has been described as "buttery" by many consumers in taste tests. Extra Virgin Olive Oil can be used in place of butter or margarine in many recipes, such as on vegetables, rice, potatoes, and--yes--even corn on the cob!

Raw Sauerkraut Recipe - a lacto-fermented food

If I had only known when ate all those chili-cheese dogs at Der Wienershnitzel 25 years ago, I would've ordered the Kraut Dog with ketchup instead....however, I doubt it really would've made a difference since it was canned sauerkraut and canned ketchup! Hardly "lacto-fermented" in any way shape or form.

Interestingly enough, ketchup actually provides us with an excellent example of a condiment that was formerly fermented and therefore health promoting, but whose benefits where lost with large scale canning methods and a reliance on sugar rather than lactic acid as a preservative.

Studies have shown that lacto-fermented foods normalize the acidity in the stomach. If stomach acidity in insufficient, it stimulates the acid producing glands of the stomach, and in cases where acidity is too high it has the inverse effect. Lactic acid helps break down proteins and thus aids in their assimilation by the body.

Additionally, lactic acid activates the secretions of the pancreas, which is particularly important for diabetics...Sauerkraut contains large quantities of choline, a substance that lowers blood pressure and regulates the passage of nutrients in to the blood... choline has another interesting property in that it aids the body in the metabolsim of fats. If choline is lacking, fats accumulate in the liver.

Sauerkraut also contains acetylcholine which has a powerful effect on the parasympathetic nervous system. It helps reduce blood pressure, slows down the rate of heartbeat, and promotes calmness and sleep. It is important to be aware that Acetylcholin is destroyed by cooking, raw sauerkraut and its juice is preferable to cooked.

See below for the recipe.

Raw Sauerkraut Recipe:
1 medium cabbage, cored and shredded
1 tablespooon caraway seeds
2 tablespoons sea salt

In a bowl, mix cabbage, with caraway seeds and sea salt. Pound with a wooden pounder or a meat hammer for about 10 minutes to release juices. Place in a quart-sized, wide-mouth mason jar and press down firmly with a pound or meat hammer until juices come to the top of the cabbage. The top of the cabbage should be at least 1 inch below the top of the jar. Cover tightly and keep at room temperature for about 3 days before transferring to cold storage. The sauerkraut may be eaten immediately, but it improves with age.

And for all of you daring enough to make your own ketchup, here's the recipe:

KETCHUP
3 cups canned tomato paste, preferably organic
1/4 cup whey (strained yogurt, whey is the liquid that drains in to the bowl)
1 tablespoon sea salt
1/2 cup maple syrup
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
3 cloves garlic, peeled and mashed
1/2 cup commercial fish sauce (I don't recommend making this at home.)

Mix all ingredients until well blended. Place in a quart sized , wide-mouth mason jar. The top of the ketchup should be at least 1 inch below the top of the jar. Leave at room temperature for about 2 days before transferring to refrigerator.

The Digestive Process

The digestive process has two distinct features: one is the breaking down of ingested foods; the other is the building up of nutrients needed by the body. If the breaking down is incomplete, the building up cannot proceed correctly. In reality we nourish ourselves not by what we eat but by what we are capable of breaking down and transforming into nutrients the body can use.

Health Innovations

The fast-food industry is racing to deliver the first "better-for-you" french fry. The company who deserves to win is Wendy's. Wendy's, Americas No. 3 fast-food chain restaurant announced in August 2006 that the company is dumping its present cooking oil for a blend of non-hydrogenated corn and soy oil containing next-to-no artery-clogging Trans Fats. Well done Wendy's, it is indeed a small step in the right direction.