Attitude Toward Wellness: Part IV

The man in the story appeared to have a desire to be well, he just seemed fixated on how he was going to get well until the rabbi showed him another way.  Sometimes sick people do not want to become well though.  It may seem like I'm talking nonsense.  I know that it’s hard to understand why someone would choose illness over wellness, but it it does happen.

People sometimes find that their illnesses serve them in some way.  For example,  I have met a few high school kids who have used ADD as an excuse for why they can’t do something.  I personally have used depression as an excuse for why I wasn’t living the life that I desired.  I couldn't because I was too depressed.  I know of people who don’t want to take the steps toward healing because it is too overwhelming.  They would rather take a pill or stay sick.

It pays to be honest with yourself about your own attitude.  If you know that you aren't ready to journey toward wellness, then at least you hold the power to decide when you are ready to become well.  If you are not honest with yourself, then you are enslaved to your own fears and doubts.  They will toss you around like a paper cup in strong winds.  It is senseless to choose not to have choices, don't you think?
 
Do you have an illness?  Do you want to be well or do you want things to be easy?

Attitude Toward Wellness: Part III

Some people have a fixation on what it means to get well.  For example, in the story given in the first part of this series, when the rabbi asked the man if he wanted to get well, the man gave an excuse about why he isn't well.  Perhaps he thought that the rabbi would help him into the pool, but he didn't think outside the box realizing that there are probably other ways to get well.  If someone was sick for such a long time, then it wouldn't be surprising if they don't believe that there is more than one way to get well.

When I had depression, at some point in my adult life I started to believe in that something would heal me.  Once I started to believe, I held on to that belief until I found something that did.  Of course there were obstacles, but even with depression you don't allow anything to stand between you and your wellness if you could help it.  Like the man in the story, I had my moments when I would explain why I couldn't heal, but it was usually in the hopes that someone would help me. 

Are you fixated on a particular way to heal?  Is it possible that there are other ways (perhaps better ways) to heal your illness? 

Attitude Toward Wellness: Part II

I know what it is like to feel knocked over by illness.  When I had depression, when I used to get migraines or when I had attacks of dysmenorrhea I was knocked over.  The first thing we need to examine is if we want to get well. 

Most will assume that the sick want to get well, but this isn’t true.  Sometimes people don’t want to get well because their illness serves them in some way.  Their loved ones need to find a way to cope with that.  It is difficult to understand why someone would not want to get well.  Sometimes people are only interested in getting well if there is a quick fix available.  This makes me sad because usually that means that the person does not want to deal with life at all.  Depression can have the power to destroy your will, I know because I’ve experienced that.  Sometimes I didn’t want to get well because I was afraid of the world and depression was a reason for me to hide.  This is the way that I didn’t have to face the journey ahead of me.  It wasn’t until later in my adulthood when I was ready and willing to have a life when I was truly ready to get well.  This is when I discovered neurofeedback therapy.  From then on, I was ready for my new life and I lived it with all my heart.

My Apologies

I’m sure some of you are wondering why I haven’t been posting as consistently as normal.  I spent all of last week with relatives one of whom has been unwell (although I dare to believe that she will recover soon).  My husband and I drove out to the east coast the weekend before last and came back yesterday.  We came home to realize that we are experiencing internet issues that will take a few days to resolve so I may have difficulties posting this week although I hope I can still be more consistent than last week.  I will do what I have to to post daily as normal.

I see that many have come to do some reading regardless of my inconsistent posting and I want to thank you for that.  I hope you've found useful or enlightening information.

Be well my friends!

Attitude Toward Wellness: Part I

There was once a man who was crippled and practically confined to his mat for 25 years.   One day, while he was sitting on his mat by a healing pool, a rabbi approached him.  “Do you want to get well?” the rabbi asked. 
“Master, I want to get into the healing pool, but every time I try, someone goes in ahead of me.” the man replied.
“Get up, pick up your mat and walk.” the rabbi said.  The man did as the rabbi said; he rose from his mat, picked it up and walked home.


What is your attitude toward wellness?  Do you want to get well?  What is standing in your way of getting well?

Square Foot Gardening Part II

I've presented Patti Moreno's videos before.  I like her creative approach to gardening.  Here she teaches how to make raised beds that are characteristic of square foot gardening and the additions she made for her livestock:

Square Foot Gardening Part I

Mel Bartholomew is an engineer who created the concept of square foot gardening.  It is a very systematic approach to gardening that is quickly gaining popularity.  For more information  on his book, please click on the "buy from amazon.com" button below.

Worm Bin Ideas

As discussed in a prior post, coconuts have a variety of benefits.  The nutrients in coconut milk, water and oil have all been discussed.  I have just discovered that coconut fibers are useful in gardening.

For worm beds many advise using newspaper as cheap worm bedding.  Coconut fibers can also be used as a worm bed.  Using wet newspaper as a worm bed is a good way to recycle newspaper and put it to good use because the worms eat the newspaper and turn it into compost.  Personally, I like the idea of using a natural resource like coconut fibers instead of the newspapers. 

I will be posting videos that will give more ideas on how to make your own worm bin.

DIY Fragrance

If you would like a fragrance that doesn't contain parabens or other toxins, here are some DIY tips for you.  I am looking forward to trying this myself.

Enjoy!

Avoiding GMO

If you are trying to avoid GMO (genetically modified organisms) then unfortunately you will have difficulty unless the products that you buy are organic.  In this country, by law, companies do not have to label GMO products.  Not even health food stores can tell us what is real food and what is GMO.

There are three foods that are almost sure to be GMO.  At least 90% of all canola, corn, cotton (some foods are cooked with cotton seed oil) and soy are GMO.  I recently learned that if the ingredients say "sugar" as opposed to "cane sugar" you could also bet that is from GM sugar beets.  The only way that you could hope to eat these foods in a non-GMO form, is by eating these foods if and only if they are organic.  As far as cotton seed oil, I would just leave those foods on the shelf.

I've always played with the idea of gardening, however, the concept of GMO turned my inspiration to intent.  In this day and age greener is healthier.  This is why I decided that a book on organic gardening this month is appropriate and this is why I encourage gardening and constantly ask for help from people who are gardening experts.

I commend everyone who is in the fight with me to have our food labeled.  Hopefully some day, we won't have to make guesses about what is on our plates.

Sugar and Obesity

In the last post, we discussed the high content of sugar that Morgan from "Super Size Me" was ingesting.  The Big M** he ate contained about 9 grams of sugar.  The large french fries have 0 grams of sugar, but understand there is sugar in those fries.  (What Morgan actually had was the super sized fries and the nutrition content for that was unavailable.)  We also discussed the incredible 135 grams of sugar he drank in that super sized soda.

The following presentation explains what was happening in Morgan's body.  Essentially, the video explains why sugar can make one fat.  It will also explain food addictions.  Enjoy!

Sugar in Fast Food Part II

You may remember this scene from the "Super Size Me" movie; when Morgan was explaining what was happening to his body after 30 days of eating nothing but fast food.  I was fascinated by the depression that he experienced.  I remember when I was going through neurofeedback therapy for clinical depression, one of the first things the doctor told me was to eliminate white sugar from my diet.  I happened to have already eliminated it from my diet at that point just to improve my overall health anyway, but sugar actually created depression for Morgan in this case.  It was one of those things that make you go "Hmmm."

Dr. Oz talked about a number of reasons why sugar is so dangerous; sure enough, many of the things that he warned about happened to Morgan.  He not only warned against white sugar but all the processed white sugar foods like white flour, white pasta and white rice; they all have a similar toxic effect on the body.  For example, please observe the diagram below.  Morgan's "fat liver" demonstrates something else Dr. Oz warned about.  He warned about how sugar can turn the liver into a "toxic organ that comes alive" in our bodies.  Morgan's liver "turned into fat" according to what his doctor said. 

Morgan also doubled his chances of heart disease and heart failure IN ONE SHORT MONTH according to the movie and diagram.  According to the lipid hypothesis, a diet high in saturated fat is suppose to do this to you.  There is no doubt that McD***ld's food is high in saturated fat, however, in light of what Dr. Oz and Dr. Lutsig had to say, I feel that sugar is more the culprit in Morgan's case than saturated fat.

Sugar in Fast Food

One thing confused me about the Super Size Me movie:  Why did the doctors attribute Morgans sickly state to the high fat content in the food that he was eating?  What about all of the sugar and the toxins?  Did that have nothing to do with his state?  Just about everything that Morgan ate contained sugar, however, the soda that he drank probably had more sugar than all of his meals put together in a day!  He ate the super size meals which means the soda was approximately a 42 ounce cup.  Below I listed the ingredients and the sugar content (highlighted) in one of his dinners.

Big M**®:
100% Beef Patty, Big M** Bun, Pasteurized Process American Cheese, Big M** Sauce {Soybean oil, pickle relish [diced pickles, high fructose corn syrup, sugar, vinegar, corn syrup, salt, calcium chloride, xanthan gum, potassium sorbate (preservative),  spice extractives, polysorbate 80], distilled vinegar, water, egg yolks, high fructose corn syrup, onion powder, mustard seed, salt, spices, propylene glycol alginate, sodium benzoate (preservative), mustard bran, sugar, garlic powder, vegetable protein (hydrolyzed corn, soy and wheat), caramel color, extractives of paprika, soy lecithin, turmeric (color), calcium disodium EDTA (protect flavor).}, Lettuce, Pickle Slices, Onion.  

French Fries:
Potatoes, vegetable oil (canola oil, hydrogenated soybean oil, natural beef flavor [wheat and milk derivatives]*, citric acid [preservative]), dextrose, sodium acid pyrophosphate (maintain color), salt. Prepared in vegetable oil (Canola oil, corn oil, soybean oil, hydrogenated soybean oil with TBHQ and citric acid added to preserve freshness). Dimethylpolysiloxane added as an antifoaming agent.

C**a Cola:
Carbonated Water, High Fructose Corn Syrup, Caramel Color, Phosphoric Acid, Natural Flavors, Caffeine

The sugar is measured by grams.  The burger has about 9 grams of sugar.  Morgan had the super sized fries and the nutrition content for that wasn't available, however, the large french fries have 0 grams of sugar.  Don't be fooled though, there is sugar in the fries as you can clearly see above.  According to the C*ca C*la website, 8 ounces of their soda (the original) contains about 27 grams of sugar.  The large sodas in Super Size Me were 42 ounces which means he ingested about 135 grams of sugar (minus a few grams for ice) in that one sitting.  That is somewhere between 7 and 10 teaspoons of sugar in one large cup of soda.  Whoa!

Sustainable Living

Patti Moreno, also known as the "Garden Girl", created several video presentations on gardening (one of which I've posted a few days ago).  I've watched a few of her videos in a quest to learn more about gardening.  What I found was more inspiration.  I absolutely love her approach to gardening and the way that she set up her yard.  I really felt the need to post this video that she made about sustainable living because once I saw this video, it created a new vision for my own home in the future.

Here is Patti Moreno on Sustainable Living:

The Desire for Change

In my observation there are 3 categories of reactions to advice to change.  Let us use a common example like people who are advised to quit smoking.  The first group of smokers want to quit smoking.  These are the smokers who are likely to quit smoking.  They may have a few lapses soon after, but they are likely to be successful because they choose to be successful even if they fall into temptation in the beginning a few times.  The second group wants to want to quit smoking.  These people may or may not quit.  If they do quit, it may take them a very long time.  For example, they may try and then fall back into the habit as soon as there is a trigger like stress.  They may try again or they may make excuses so that it is "okay" to continue smoking at least for now.  People like this usually wait for a strong nudge or even for something to force them to stop.  The third group holds the people who have no intention of quitting.  These are people who may not quit even if there is a situation where they are all but forced to.  For example, a fatal illness associated with smoking like lung cancer may STILL not stop them from smoking.

What category do you fall in when it comes to living a healthy life?  Do you choose it; do want to choose it or do you choose against it?

Traveling Healthy: For Vegans

Cultured vegetables last a while (if you refrigerate it).  If your veggie mix contains cabbage, kale or cucumbers then they don't even need added cultures.  This is GREAT for me, especially if I'm traveling to a place where there aren't many health food stores.  Cultured vegetables will last me my entire time away from home if I make enough.

Fruit and nuts are always fabulous to take on a trip.  The only problem with fresh fruit is that it may not last the whole trip.  Fresh fruit is great for the beginning of your travels, but consider taking dried fruit as well.  Dried fruit has different benefits from it's fresher form, of course.  In this case, the great benefit is that it will last longer; therefore it would be great for travel.  If you have a dehydrator, you could make dried fruit yourself.  My only problem with dehydrators is that I can't find any with stainless steel trays.  Most, if not all, that I've seen so far have plastic trays.  

Again, your input is more than welcome.  Any other suggestions?

Gardening: Compost

Gardening is one area where I NEED help more than I'm producing help.  I'm not sharing what I've mastered as much as I'm sharing what I'm learning.  I am at the very beginning of a new hobby that I believe will help me on my journey toward a healthier life.  If you are an experienced organic gardener, your knowledge is as welcomed as it is craved.

The tip that was given this morning, offered me more ideas about composting.  To compost all of the grass clippings, twigs and leaves in my back yard I could use the idea given in the video presented in the last post.  Any vegan items from the kitchen I could throw into a worm bin.  This month's book gives some information about worm bins that I could use, however, I am doing research outside the book as well.

My main task this year is to improve my soil.  I have a lot of sandy soil which is dry and doesn't hold much water.  I do not nearly have enough clay soil which holds more water and is high in nutrients for gardening.  Composting is one recommended way of improving soil.  Worm compost is highly fertile and high in nutrients while the compost from outside may be dryer.  The two mixed together should really improve my sandy soil.

The added bonus to having a worm bin is that I can put far less kitchen scraps into landfill.  This is something that I've been wanting for a while.  I've always hated throwing away scraps that can be recycled for a garden.  This would be a great way to do that AND it will help my garden next year.  So I'm becoming more and more excited about starting my compost projects!

If you, the reader, are an experienced gardener, then I would love to hear from you (you may comment below).  Your help, advice and suggestions are very welcome and needed.

A Tip For Gardeners: Cheap Compost Bin

All you BeWell BookWorms have probably learned about ways to make your own compost bin from May’s book of the month Geoff Hamilton Organic Gardening.  The video below is another great tip that I’ve stumbled upon.  Enjoy:

Traveling Healthy: Jerky

My husband and I were on our way to San Diego on one of our road trips the first time I ever tried jerky.  I've wanted to try it sooner, but because jerky almost ALWAYS had sugar, I wouldn't touch it.  The ingredients in the jerky I had the opportunity to eat was beef and salt.  I enjoyed it very much.

Jerky is really good travel food.  To avoid the sugar in jerky, I'm learning how to make it myself.  It doesn't seem difficult, but because I don't have a dehydrator, it may take a very long time.  Using the same recipes or techniques I look forward to also trying to make salmon jerky.

I have loved ones who live in a place where there are NO health food stores in their neighborhood.  We have to travel at least an hour to find a health food store.  So when I go to visit them we usually go to the health food store FIRST to get enough water and food to last my whole trip.  Jerky is one of those foods that will last the whole trip and it doesn't even need refrigeration.  Because of this, I'm looking forward to our next road trip.

If you are a pesco vegetarian, the salmon jerky would work for you as well as the other travel foods that I will be discussing in future posts. If you are vegan, however, the next posts may be more beneficial to you.

Traveling Healthy

Eating well can be tricky when you are traveling especially via airplane.  Traveling by car has pros and cons, but it makes traveling healthy easier by far.  I'm learning about how to prepare food that has a long shelf life without the use of trans fats or anything toxic.

The following are a collection of tips that I have learned and that I am in the process of learning about. Two items I KNOW I will need to travel by car include:  1. a cooler (and the ice packs if your cooler isn't electric)  2. 1/2 quart glass jars.  I chose the 1/2 quart jars because that is a feasible size for one person to eat from.  The cooler will make things easy.  It would be GREAT if you have a cooler that plugs into a cigaret lighter in the car because it is both easier and less messy.  You wouldn't have to keep stopping for ice and to drain the cooler. 

There are several types of foods that are FABULOUS for travel.  Homemade jerky, for example, is good for every type of travel.  It will defiantly not violate the "no liquid, no gel" law, so it is good for plane travel as well as car travel.  If you are a strict vegan, nuts, fruit and cultured vegetables will all last in the car (as long as you use the cooler for your vegetables).  The cultured vegetables may be a problem for the plane.  If you drain them well, you may get away with it but sometimes it depends on the individual working in security too.  It may be better to stick with fresh vegetables for plane travel.  The problem with plane travel is keeping your fresh veggies cool, unless it is something that can spend some time in room temperature without spoiling.

Any other suggestions?  More than EVER, you questions, comments and furthermores are welcome; in fact, in this case they are requested.

Fat Head

For most of my adult life, I didn't believe in the low fat, calorie counting diets.  The food that I eat and serve is usually low in sugar.  If there is sugar, it isn't ever highly processed sugars like high fructose corn syrup. 

People tend to hold on to the low fat diet idea.  The following video helped me to understand where it came from.

Enjoy!

Blogger Problems

Dear Everyone,

I apologize for the problems with Blogger yesterday.  I couldn't get into my account and the one post I presented was deleted so I'm not sure anyone saw it.  I will post it again today plus I will be making a few more posts to try and make up for yesterday.  Thank you for your patience!

Be Well My Friends!

Motivation

Motivation is something that I don't write nearly enough about.  Why bother live a healthy life?  It can be a major hassle trying to avoid toxic foods.  You could forget about shopping in regular grocery stores; the food you buy may be significantly more expensive than the food you used to buy and your friends and family may complain because it isn't as easy for them to feed you when you come over and they may even try to talk you into eating poorly "just this one time" via begging, guilt tripping or both. 

I constantly try to challenge my husband to remind himself why he tries to live a healthy life because I don't want him to do it for me.  I told him that if he is doing it for me he may as well not do it at all because in that case he will never be successful.  I do the same for all of my loved ones.  If they haven't the desire to change, then I lead by example and I'll tell them what I know, but I will make no attempt to get them to change.

Do you want to get healthier?  What is your reason?

A Greener Home

A new home can be hard on the wallet with all of the repairs and adjustments that often need to be made.  Even with all of those little issues, my husband and I love our sweet home!  As much as we love it, I still look for ways that we could make it a greener home.

My high efficiency washing machine was a start, but it's definitely not a finish.  Since we purchased the house we've been keeping an eye out for cork floors and washable rugs.  We've also discussed getting some kind of whole house filter.  So far we have a filtration system for the shower.  I wanted to be sure the filter takes out chlorine and fluoride.  We happened to find a filter that does all of that and comes with a wonderful shower head as well.

As I always keep my eyes open for ways to decrease the toxicity of my home, I also try to keep in mind that good eating habits can make my body resistant to the effects of toxins in the meantime.  None of us can completely escape the toxins of the world without abandoning life completely.  The trick is to eat well, and try to decrease toxins in your home and body as much as possible.

What are some ways you have created a greener home on a tight budget?  As always, questions, comments and furthermores are welcome!

Fat and Calorie Confusion

There was something else in the last posted movie "Super Size Me" that bothered me.  I’m puzzled because the doctors and other health professionals seemed to associate Morgan’s evident illnesses to the high calorie and fat content in the food that he was eating.  While I'm sure that was a component, what about all the other junk in the food?

Didn't they even consider all of the additives in the food such as the preservatives like the trans fat and the TBHQ?  There are also antifoaming agents and artificial flavors and colors that may have had a hand in breaking his body down as well.  What about all of the GMO?  In studies, rats and mice had become ill under the influence of GMOs and if Morgan was eating such high levels of toxins including GMO, isn't it possible that he could have become sick from that as well?

It puzzled and surprised me that the doctors who looked after him didn't even consider this.

Food Addictions

The movie "Super Size Me" revealed that it is possible that people buy from certain fast food chains because of a food addition.  I've known that many of these toxic foods are willfully made to be addicting.  I did not realize, however, how quickly one can become addicted until I saw the movie.

Dr. Lustig gave in-depth explanations about sugar and showed in his video (that is approximately an hour long) that it is an addictive substance.  At the end of Super Size Me the massive amount of sugar Morgan consumed in just 30 days was revealed. 

During the movie, Morgan expressed how his feelings of depression (which resembles a "crash" that drug addicts say they feel when they come down from a high) quickly seemed to be remedied when he ate the toxic food (which resembles the "high" that drug addicts say they feel after taking a substance).  How fascinating!  So Ronald Mc Devil is not only telling children that he is the route to great fun, he is proving it to the kids every time they eat there!  So what this could mean is that there are thousands who are unknowingly addicted to this food which would explain why people would defend their desire to eat there to the very end.

Happy Mother's Day!!

Have a safe and wonderful Mother's Day!  Bless all you moms, for you have one of the toughest and yet one of the most beautiful jobs on earth. 

Please look for my newest post later today.  Thank you!

A Generous Donation to an Unworthy Cause

I just read yet another article about more wasted money.  The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation made a most generous donation to the one of worst possible causes.  The Gates donated ten billion dollars to research new vaccines.

This is the saddest, the most frustrating and disturbing thing I've learned about yet.  Bill Gates could have put all of that money into researching the dangers of thimerosal, the question about the rise in autism and learning disabilities or something that we could all benefit from.  But he gave it to an industry that has plenty of money to do research some of which they acquired by selling something like psychotropic drugs which are useless, ineffective and responsible for 40,000 deaths per year!  What a HORRIBLE waste of money!

The power of advertisement and media is amazing.  Some of the smartest people are fooled and there are even some scientists who won't see that there are holes in the stories that conglomerates like the pharmaceutical industry will put forth. 

This is the kind of information that makes me wish I didn’t know what I know.  I find it very overwhelming.

My Reaction To Super Size Me

I loved that Morgan went to several K-12 environments to make a point about what kids are eating.  He even addressed how students do better on a healthier diet according to a school that switched to a healthier menu and saw results.

I'm so inspired by what Morgan said about the food that schools sell to K -12 students.  I know that the food isn’t the only problem in education; however, it creates many preventable problems and exacerbates many other existing problems.  Different problems were demonstrated through Morgan's bodily response to the food he was eating.  He rapidly became ill (doctors urged him more than once to terminate the experiment for great concern that he could fatally hurt himself).  One of many problems was Morgan's weight gain.  In just one month, he gained 7% body fat.  Child and even infant obesity is quickly becoming an epidemic if it isn’t already.  Another  problem was depression, however, he temporarily suspended feelings of depression by eating more of the food.  This was evidence of yet another problem; a possible addiction.  Don't you think if Morgan was addicted that a child could more easily become addicted?  Morgan also admitted that he had very little energy.  Well if this very lean, full grown adult had so little energy on this food, how are kids suppose to have the energy to do schoolwork/ homework or focus in class?  Meanwhile Ronald Mc Devil parades around as a friend telling kids that he is the avenue to great fun!

It's very scary what people are unknowingly doing to themselves by eating these toxins.  Please think twice before you go to buy these foods for yourself and thrice before buying this for your children!

"Super Size Me" (the movie)

I just saw the movie "Super Size Me" and I am inspired, appalled, puzzled and many other things that I don’t have words for yet.  You may notice that I won’t be naming the restaurant where Morgan ate for fear that they may start advertising on this site.  You know the name of the restaurant and if not, you will know soon.

This is one of those presentations that will last an hour if not longer so get out your bunny slippers.  Here is the movie:

Detox and Exercise: May 14th Event

People have lost weight using many different methods, however, people tend to reap more health benefits from the detox and exercise.  My chiropractor (an the nutritionists in his network) constantly preaches to clients about the benefits of detox and exercise; he just calls it something different.  The detox program that he and his colleagues recommend is called the healing diet (but that is simply a type of detox program).  Often there were clients and friends who said that they feel lighter, experience more clarity in thought or vibrant energy once they have been detoxing for a while.

Maximized Living is an advocate of burst training.  They have an exercise program that lasts about 12 minutes per day.  That in conjunction with a detox diet can heal many.  There are people that talk about their experiences at the makeovers.  They are avid believers in their program because it WORKED for them.

People lost weight and healed from many different ailments on the healing diet.  Because of the small sugar intake, people find themselves quickly healing from both obesity and inflammation.  If you think this may be good for you, you should check out the Maximized Living makeover on May 14th.

Sugar Ban in Boston

Boston Mayor Thomas Menino has banned the sale and even the advertising of sugary drinks from buildings owned by the city and events sponsored by the city.  This motion was in response to the growing epidemic of obesity in Boston.

Nannyism is something that both my husband and I normally dislike.  In this case however, there is no law against these sugar infested drinks; but Menino just doesn’t want to be a part of the problem.  Sugar is a very addictive substance.  If he makes an addictive substance that is a major cause of an epidemic readily available to addicts, how is he helping matters?  There isn't a law against anyone bringing their own soft drinks, Menino simply doesn't want to be the one who puts it before them.

I feel that it’s wonderful that the many issues stemming from the nationwide mass consumption of refined sugars are finally being recognized by government.

Seriously? The Milk Police?

The government has once again crossed the line wasting tax dollars.  I can’t believe a whole year they have operated a sting in an attempt to catch and penalize an Amish farm who is selling unpasteurized milk to customers who were desirous of that very product.  Aren’t there missing children to find or murderers to catch?  Why waste all of this time and money on violating an American citizen’s freedom of choice?

I can understand that the FDA is put in place to protect us, however, given their gross neglect in areas such as fluoridation for example, what makes them think that we need them to make the decision for EVERYONE when it comes to nutrition now?  I know many think that raw milk contributes to disease, and it is perfectly understandable if they would prefer to purchase pasteurized milk, however, to deliberately PREVENT farms from selling raw milk to customers who know and desire what they are buying is absolutely ludicrous!  I want raw butter and I'm having the hardest time finding and purchasing raw butter and it’s no wonder why!  Raw butter was recommended by a doctor as one of the best sources of vitamin A.  Of course, leave it to the government to prevent us from even having a choice about that.

It makes NO sense:  Monsanto doesn’t even have to label what foods they have poisoned with their genetic nonsense but a dairy farmer gets penalized for selling desired products to informed and willing customers?  Does anyone else share my utter frustration and disgust?

Organic Gardening

You've probably started planting your vegetable garden or you may be about to. If you're like me, you need much help with getting started on it. Well, here is a book that is great for beginners. It gives all kinds of information about how to tend your soil, pest control and even how to build your own compost bin. So if you are dreaming about raising your own food and pretty flowers to be center pieces at dinner, why don't you get some tips from Geoff Hamilton's Organic Gardening!

(For more information on this item, please click the "Buy from amazon.com" button)

Detox and Exercise II

I remember a scene from The Matrix when Neo spoke with the Oracle for the very first time.  "Know thyself" is one of the first of many things that she advised him.  This is good advise for anyone.

Making lifestyle changes is rarely easy.  When you make changes, you deal with friends and loved ones dealing with your new life, you deal with your old life tempting you to go back, and you deal with discomforts of all kinds.  Detoxing doesn't always feel good at first.  I admitted to having a headache last Sunday when I was detoxing.  My body was getting rid of something, but it was having a hard time letting go.  I'm well aware of the excuses that I will make so that I can stay in the comfort of what I'm used to, and I've figured out a way to go against that nature so that I can make better decisions and achieve better health.

Do you know thyself?  It is easy to make excuses that sound great in the moment when we don't want to move forward; but can you admit to yourself that that is what you are doing?  If you aren't living a healthy lifestyle, what is stopping you?  Refer to the first three steps of my decreasing toxicity program; openness, education and acceptance.  One thing that I didn't talk about enough is a desire to change.  If there is no desire to change these first three steps mean nothing.  If you want to change because your spouse, mother or child wants for you to change, for example, there is more room for resistance.  When it is you who wants to make a change the capacity for resistance decreases significantly because you have an intrinsic need to break an unhealthy cycle.

Again, what is stopping you?  As always questions comments and furthermores are always welcome!

Detox and Exercise

April's book of the month talks mainly about detox, but also mentions the importance of exercise when detoxing.  I found that a detoxification program in conjunction with exercise can boost one's health in many more ways than weight loss.  By a detox program, that isn't specific to fasting or some intense cleanse although fasting and cleansing is a GREAT supplement in a detox program.  By a detox program, I simply mean decreasing the toxicity in your environment and in your body; cleansing or fasting just helps you body rid toxins that are already there and more quickly than the detox program will by itself.

In the US, there culturally tends to be an association between health and a slender body, however, having a slender body doesn't necessarily mean that you are healthy.  I've found that when detoxification is combined with exercise a world of possibilities opens up for one's health.  I have a friend who was overweight and constantly tired.  When she got a taste of my lifestyle she started asking many questions.  Once she switched to a detox and exercise program not only did she lose a lot of weight, but she had far more energy than she had ever had.  She has never looked back since.  My husband dropped a good 30 pounds and admitted that he felt much better when he started his detox and exercise program as well.

I myself have felt more energy since I started eliminating toxic foods from my diet years ago.  It may take a while for those of you who are just starting but everyone who has done this has said the same thing; eventually, you will not desire the toxic foods.  Foods that used to tempt me no longer tempt me.  In fact, my body rejects most toxic foods that I used to love.  So take comfort; with some patience, you'll get there. 

Killer At Large (the 20 minute version)

The following are excerpts from the film "Killer At Large" in the 20 minute "educational version" 

The only reason why I'm not entirely happy with this version of the video is because there is mention of the whole "low calorie/fat diet and exercise" song and dance, however, they make little mention of the elimination of toxins like high fructose corn syrup and no mention trans fats.