One way to reduce our environmental footprint is to eat less processed foods. This includes boxed crackers, pre-packaged snacks, and junk food.Attending the first Central Wisconsin Raw Food Meetup potluck
February 10, 2010, was a culinary explosion to the palate and a gift to the soul.
I’m the first one to dish up some amazing raw eats. Mmmm…
Check out more photos from the potluck below
and learn why Angela Cook 
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Q&A with
Angela Cook,
Organizer of the Central Wisconsin Raw Food Meetup
Celeste: Angela, congratulations on a successful first potluck! What inspired you to start the Central Wisconsin Raw Food Meetup group?
Angela: Thank you Celeste and I’m so glad that you were able to join me! My inspiration came from my own need. I have been interested in Raw Food for about a decade. I began by juicing and eating more fruits and veggies. Then, as I learned more about it, I decided to eat around 90% Raw, as an experiment really. I’d been reading all of these amazing stories of weight loss and healing that people had experienced. I wanted to see it for myself.
For two years I stayed between 75% and 90% Raw. It was amazing. I looked and felt my very best consuming mostly Living Foods.
Then I moved up here to the Northwoods! With limited restaurant choices and cold long winters….I slipped into ‘SAD’ as it’s called (Standard American Diet). I gained weight, suffered from seasonal depression, fatigue, and developed high blood pressure. Initially, I went along with the typical protocol ~ medication, cut out the salt, exercise etc…but it didn’t work. So, I’ve tried to eat whole and organic over the last year, but it’s just not enough for me. I knew in my heart what I needed to do and that is eat mostly LIVING FOOD! I’m inspired by others and I love the camaraderie of like minded people (accountability is good too!) So, I decided to start the Pot Luck!
Celeste: What are the steps to becoming part of your ever expanding raw food group?
Angela: Click here to sign up and RSVP to the upcoming potluck.
Note: Click on “Calendar” (left hand side) on Angela’s profile to see when the next potluck will be (March 19).
Celeste: If I know nothing about raw foods, can I still attend your potlucks and if so, how do I prepare for one?
Angela: Everything you read about health encourages you to up your intake of fruits and veggies. For some this can seem boring…same pieces of fruit….same salads etc. Joining this potluck will help you learn all of the amazing ways you can use living foods to create delicious dishes! If you know nothing about preparing raw dishes, you can google “Raw Recipes” and there are LOTS! If it seems like too much information…just bring a bowl of organic fruit, raw nuts or dates.
Celeste: How can being a part of your raw food group tremendously impact my life?
Angela: Hearing stories of how eating Raw has helped people, being inspired to think out of the box when it comes to eating and preparing foods, experiencing how good you feel after eating there, as opposed to that heavy cooked meal at your last get together! As you eat less processed food and more raw, you will see the weight come off and the brain fog lift ~ what’s not to love about that!
Celeste: Share something about yourself that would surprise us.
Angela: I just registered to become a Certified Zumba Instructor! I’m 42, mother of 6 and a Grandma of 2…what am I doing!!! I’ll tell you ~ I am finally getting off my duff and striving for those things that are in my heart to do!
Celeste: Would you like to add anything else?
Angela: Two things: 1) It’s never too late to be all that God has created you to be! 2) Thank you Celeste, you are an amazing woman and you inspire me!
Don’t miss out on the March potluck.
Be sure to sign up here to attend!
Milk you find on your supermarket shelf is flawed for many reasons. One reason is the big commercial dairies do not feed their cows grass and hay which is what they are supposed to eat, but rather their cows exist in small feedlots being fed large amounts of grain which is actually not something a cow was meant to eat.
As a result, these cows must be fed antibiotics which in turn are going into your milk. Bleach is also often added to make sure your carton of milk is as white as can be. Scary, isn't it?
But even if this were not the case, commercially available milk is pasteurized (heated) and homogenized (process that breaks down butterfat), and you can be sure that all those beneficial enzymes and healthy bacteria are long gone by the time it reaches the grocery shelf. What you have left is simply dead liquid which can possibly cause more harm than good due to the growth hormones and antibiotics (among other things) given to the unhealthy commercial-dairy cow.
Many people will argue that drinking milk straight from the cow is not healthy, and that pasteurization is necessary to kill off things like E coli. The fact is that milk collected hygienically from a healthy grass-fed cow on a small family-owned farm is very healthy, and the benefits far outweigh the risks. You'd be statistically much more likely to contract E coli from your local produce department than from that farmer's cow.
The source of the majority of our commercial milk is the modern Holstein dairy cow which has been bred specifically for quantity in order to produce large amounts of milk far beyond what a cow was ever meant to produce. Since she is fed so much grain (remember this is unhealthy for a cow), she requires antibiotics to keep her healthy. Growth hormones also end up in that milk you're pouring over your breakfast cereal every morning.
The most healthy and best-tasting raw milk will come from the "old" breeds of dairy cows such as the Jersey, Guernsey, Ayrshire, or Brown Swiss, or the older lines of Holstein which were not bred to produce obscene amounts of milk. The average butterfat of these old breeds of cows back at the turn of the century was 4%. Today's butterfat normally comprises less than 3%. There is also the misleading notion that skim and low-fat milk is good for you. Full-fat milk is awesomely healthy as the butterfat contains the vitamins A and D which are needed for the absorption of calcium, and is also rich in the short- and medium-chain fatty acids that protect us against disease. You get no health benefit at all from drinking low-fat or no-fat milk, and you might as well just have a glass of water instead. That would actually be far more healthy.
Many are jumping on the raw milk bandwagon, and many more will climb on board in the coming years as people educate themselves about what is actually going into our food through the commercial processes.
If you have a small dairy farm near you, drop by and sample some real milk and see what you have been missing.
Body creams and other cosmetic products should not contain possibly harmful ingredients, but they do. It should be mandatory by law that the cosmetics companies stop using chemicals in the products that we put on our bodies. These chemicals enter our bodies through our skin, and can then cause a myriad of problems.
The same chemicals found in body lotion and creams have been found in breast milk, and in the children who ingested the milk. Some of these chemicals have been linked to birth defects, and even cancer. If nothing else, there should be some kind of moral obligation on the part of the manufacturers to not include ingredients that could be harmful to their loyal customer’s health.The Environmental Protection Agency and the state of California list Phthalates, Formaldehyde, Ethylene Oxide, and Acrylamide as both known carcinogens and as reproductive toxins. These problems are sharply on the rise in the human population. These poisons have been seen to have an effect on animal and aquatic life as well.
All of these ingredients can be found in most of the body creams found on the cosmetics shelves today. You can also find Mercury in mascara, and Lead in lipstick. There are also Dioxins, which are chlorinated chemical derivatives known to increase the likelihood of cancer.Since the use of chemicals is such a prevalent part of our daily lives, it would be next to impossible not to receive at least a measure of exposure. You shouldn’t have to expect that contact to come from your body lotion and creams though.
One way to be sure of the purity of the ingredients found in your body creams is to find a cosmetics company that has signed the “Compact for Safe Cosmetics”. This is an agreement brought about by the European Union as a way to guarantee the quality of cosmetic products. Europe’s regulations on chemical use in body creams are far stricter than those in the United States.Some other ingredients that are not advisable for body lotion and creams are liquid Petrolatum (Mineral oil) and alcohol. Petrolatum will make your skin feel moister initially, but it is not absorbable by the skin and will result in clogged pores. You should avoid products containing alcohol simply because of the drying effect.
Instead, you should look for body lotion and creams containing organic ingredients such as jojoba wax, olive oil, and grape seed oil. These ingredients all are high in antioxidant properties, and contain vitamins like B5. These qualities will offer you protection from free radical damage, and will help to protect your skin from the damaging rays of the sun.If you look hard enough for your body creams, you can find the health and purity that you deserve.
Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/skin-care-articles/are-body-creams-healthy-515674.html
Soy Candle- New kid on the candle/gift block
Have you discovered soy candles?
Natural candles handmade from a renewable resource sound good – just wait until you hear the benefits of soy wax and you’ll be truly converted by this new kid on the block in the candle market.
Q. Where are soy candles sourced from?
A. Soy candles are made from soy wax which is made from hydrogenated soy bean oil.
Q. Why are soy candles said to be environmentally friendly
A. Soy candles can be said to be environmentally friendly because it is made from soy wax which is derived from soya bean a natural, renewable and biodegradable resource it also does not produce toxins when lit.
Q. What does soy wax burning cooler and longer mean?
A. Soy wax burning cooler lessens the risk of serious burns from melted wax, this is particularly important for users with children and pets where accidental spillages may happen.
Soy wax burns 50% longer than paraffin wax candles which makes them more economical.
Q. I have a love: hate relationship with my candles, I love my candles, but I hate the stains they leave, is there any solution?
A. Switch over to soy candles, they are clean-burning, that is they do not produce soot that stain your walls and interiors.
Q. I like re-using my candle glass holder but it takes so long to clean is there a solution for that?
A. Yes, one of the advantages of using soy wax candles is that they are easier to clean. Soy wax is water soluble which makes cleaning almost effortless.
Q. Aren’t all natural wax candles, such as beeswax, the same? What makes candles made from soy wax different?
A. Unlike beeswax, soy wax doesn’t have a powerful fragrance of its own, so it is a better “blank” base for all fragrances and essential oils. You can also buy soy wax candles in lots of colours and shapes.
Q. Soy wax is described as having a “wonderful scent throw”. What does this mean?
A. This means that scented soy wax candles fill the room with a strong, lasting fragrance. Candles made from soy are also natural and clean burning and have a purer fragrance than say paraffin wax candles, which contain added chemicals and have been known to give people headaches.
Q. Paraffin wax scented candles are so much cheaper than soy wax scented candles – why should I pay more for soy?
A. In a nutshell, the atmospheric and sensual benefit of scented soy candles is far greater than any other type of candle. To start with, they are made from a natural base that doesn’t conflict with the fragrance. By comparison, paraffin wax scented candles are derived from petrol, which blots out the fragrance just an hour after lighting the candle. Soy wax candles also last 50% longer than paraffin wax candles. So, if you’re looking for a quality, long lasting candle with a great fragrance, soy candles are the best choice.
Q. I have heard that inhaling the fumes from paraffin wax candles is just as bad for your health as breathing second hand cigarette smoke. Is this true?
A. Nothing has been proven on the health front, but it is true that the smoke from paraffin wax candles contains 11 toxins, two of which are carcinogenic. Soy wax candles, by comparison, don’t produce any toxins – so you can be assured you are not breathing toxins as you relax in your candlelit bath.
Q. But surely any candle that contains essential oils will have a positive effect on my health and wellbeing?
A. Not if it contains paraffin wax. Aside from the toxins, paraffin wax candles produce soot, which pollutes the air you breathe and leaves nasty black smears on walls and furnishings. It’s true that essential oils have therapeutic effects, but using a paraffin candle as the carrier is a contradiction. If you are going to pay a premium for aromatherapy candles and wish to enjoy the benefits, choose candles made from 100% natural products.
Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/gifts-articles/natural-soy-candles-the-clear-natural-candle-choice-865374.html
About the Author:After spending 10 years in the research and development departments of top companies in the cosmetic industry working with skincare, colour cosmetics and fragrances I founded Sentelle. Sentelle is a London based Lifestyle company that specializes in unique soy candles.
To see our range of scents and candle types please visit http://www.sentelle.co.uk/soy-candles.asp
To sign up for our newsletter which comes to you loaded with articles and special offers exclusive to newsletter subscribers please visit http://www.sentelle.co.uk/newslettersignup.asp
Black eyed peas on a bed of brown rice garnished with
Step 1) Rinse, sort and wash peas.
Step 2) Soak peas overnight in cold water. I soaked these for 12 hours.Step 3) Rinse and wash peas again after overnight soak.
Step 4) Set crockpot on HIGH and add peas with mixture of fresh water & 1 can of beef broth.
Step 6) Use food chopper to mince 1 onion and 4-5 garlic cloves. Add to crock.
Step 7) Add rest of ingredients to crock. Sprinkle of chili powder, Adobo seasoning, and cumin.
RICE: I use Lundberg Organic Long Grain Brown Rice.
It's never too late to incorporate beans into your daily diet.
PERFUME: Did you know most perfumes are filled with toxic chemicals? Did you know these toxic chemicals can be a health risk to those who wear it, the air around them, and those in their household? YES! Read this article to learn more.
| New Chapter, Organics, Every Woman's One Daily, 90 Tablets |
I whip up this quick liquid breakfast almost daily. It packs a powerful punch to start the day! Normally, it's a banana blueberry smoothie but since the raspberries were ripe on our bushes in our yard, I picked them fresh and made a banana raspberry drink. YUM! Harvest Eating, created by Chef Keith Snow, is not a fad diet. Rather a lifestyle of cooking and eating seasonal foods, a method that has been practiced for centuries all over the globe. The approach is simple: Buy foods that are fresh and in-season; then prepare them using whole, natural ingredients produced by farmers not chemists. We like to say "If your second-grader can't read it, you definitely don't want to eat it".
SOURCE: Harvest Eating
Get ready to experience a volume of information of the healthiest foods in the world. Here is a list of the top ten super foods that most health experts agree on. You should tell everyone you know about these foods and enjoy them at your next meal. From fruits and vegetables, to whole grains, nuts, beans and legumes, this power-packed nutritional inventory will take you into the best years of your life and beyond.
FruitsCantaloupe
Only a quarter of cantaloupe provides almost all the vitamin A needed in one day. Since the beta-carotene in a cantaloupe converts to vitamin A, you get both nutrients at once. These vision-strengthening nutrients may help reduce the risk of developing cataracts. Like an orange, cantaloupe is also an excellent source of vitamin C, which helps our immune system. It is also is a good source of vitamin B6, dietary fiber, folate, niacin, and potassium, which helps maintain good blood sugar levels and metabolism. This pale orange power fruit may help reduce our risk of heart disease, stroke, and cancer.
Blueberries
These mildly sweet (and sometimes tangy) berries offer a high capacity to destroy free radicals that can cause cancer. Low in calories, they offer antioxidant phytonutrients called anthocyanidins, which enhance the effects of vitamin C. These antioxidants may help prevent cataracts, glaucoma, varicose veins, hemorrhoids, peptic ulcers, heart disease and cancer.
3: Tomatoes
Tomatoes help us fight against heart disease and cancers such as colorectal, prostate, breast, endometrial, lung, and cancer of the pancreas. Tomatoes are also good sources of vitamin C, A, and K. In a 2004 study, it was found that tomato juice alone can help reduce blood clotting.
Fresh, organic tomatoes deliver three times as much of the cancer-fighting carotenoid lycopene. Even organic ketchup is better for you than regular ketchup! Look for tomato pastes and sauces that contain the whole tomato (including peels) because you will absorb 75% more lycopene and almost two times the amount of beta-carotene.
4: Sweet Potatoes
As an excellent source of vitamin A, C, and manganese, sweet potatoes are also a good source of copper, dietary fiber, vitamin B6, potassium and iron. Those who are smokers or prone to second-hand smoke may benefit greatly from this root vegetable that helps protect us against emphysema.
For a unique dessert, cube a cooked sweet potato and slice a banana. Then lightly pour maple syrup over the top and add a dash or two of cinnamon. Add chopped walnuts for an even healthier kick.
5: Spinach and KaleWhole Grains
6: Whole Grain Bread, Pasta and Brown Rice
Whether it's bread or pasta, the first thing to check for when purchasing whole grain bread and pasta is to make sure it is 100% whole grain. Remember to check the list of ingredients on the package. For example, look for the exact phrase "whole wheat flour" as one of the first ingredients listed in whole wheat bread. If it's not listed as such, then it's not whole grain. Wheat bran is a cancer-fighting grain that also helps us regulate our bowel movements.
Brown rice is also a better choice than refined grain (white rice) for the same reason as choosing whole wheat bread. Whole wheat flour or brown rice that turns into white flour or white rice actually destroys between 50-90% of vitamin B3, vitamin B1, vitamin B6, manganese, phosphorus, iron, and all of the dietary fiber and essential fatty acids we need. Even when processed white flour or white rice is "enriched," it is not in the same form as the original unprocessed kind. In fact, 11 nutrients are actually lost and are not replaced during the "enrichment" process!Nuts
7: Walnuts
Beans and Legumes
8: Black Beans and LentilsWhile black beans are a good source of fiber that can lower cholesterol, so are lentils. The high fiber content in both black beans and lentils helps to maintain blood sugar levels. Also a fat-free, high quality protein with additional minerals and B-vitamins, black beans and lentils fill you up and don't expand your waistline.
A complete, one-stop source of using a variety of beans and lentils comes easy when you can find a bag of 15-bean mix (includes black beans, lentils, navy, pinto, red, kidney, etc.) at the grocery store. Consider making a delicious soup with the addition of tomatoes, onions, garlic and your favorite spices with this bean mixture.Dairy
9: Skim Milk and YogurtSkim milk (or low-fat) helps to promote strong bones, offering an excellent source of calcium, vitamin D, and vitamin K. These nutrients help protect colon cells from cancer-causing chemicals, bone loss, migraine headaches, premenstrual symptoms, and childhood obesity. Recent studies also show that overweight adults lose weight, especially around the midsection, when consuming low-fat dairy such as skim milk and yogurt.
Yogurt also includes the essential nutrients such as phosphorous and vitamin B2, vitamin B12, vitamin B5, zinc, potassium, and protein. Yogurt's live bacterial cultures also provide a wealth of health benefits that may help us live longer and strengthen our immune system.Seafood
10: SalmonSalmon is high in protein, low in saturated fat and high in omega-3 fats (the essential fatty acids that are also found in those walnuts mentioned earlier). Salmon is a heart-healthy food and is recommended to eat at least twice a week. When choosing salmon, it's best to stay away from farm raised and select wild instead. Research studies show that farmed salmon may cause cancer because it may carry high levels of carcinogenic chemicals known as polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs).
Other
Green Tea and "Power" WaterAlthough not food per say, the health benefits of these beverages are worthy of mentioning.
Green tea has beneficial phytonutrients and lower levels of caffeine than all other teas. The more research studying green tea, the more health benefits are found. A cancer fighter as well, green tea has antioxidant effects that lower risks of bacterial or viral infections to cardiovascular disease, cancer, stroke, periodontal disease, and osteoporosis.Water packed with vitamins and/or naturally sweetened fruit are also the newest trend. Some offer a full day's supply of vitamin C while others promise no artificial sweeteners with a full, fruity taste.
As you can see, the top ten super foods are worth every bite (or sip). Now that you know which foods can help save your life, what's more important than investing in your health?Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/nutrition-articles/nutrition-the-super-foods-that-keep-you-healthy-25861.html
Beans actually contain a wider variety of healthy nutrients than most foods. These include calcium, potassium, vitamin B6, magnesium, folate, and alpha-linolenic acid. These nutrients work together on several key areas of the body promoting total health. Beans also happen to be good sources of complete proteins, which is rare in plants. Plants, while having many different nutrients, often lack complete proteins of any kind. This is unfortunate, as protein is a vital ingredient to the healthy and normal functioning of the human body, and the most readily available sources of protein have negative effects on the heart. Beans, however, are plentiful in protein.
More important than their simple nutrition, beans are generating a lot of talk because they offer protection from many illnesses found in America today. Extensive studies have shown that regularly consuming beans can help you significantly lower your risk for heart disease, diabetes, obesity, and even cancer. How much? A study done at Michigan State University found that people eating beans regularly had as much as a 22% reduction in their likelihood to suffer from a cardiovascular disease, and the powerful energy-providing nutrients in beans can help the body more effectively manage its energy sources, aiding in weight-loss. This also can help boost your energy levels throughout the day, making you more active.
Also contributing to beans increasing popularity with the health-conscious is their high amounts of antioxidants. Antioxidants, of course, are nutrients that guard the body against free radicals. Free radicals are agents that attack and damage the body, causing many undesired illnesses and effects. The most extreme of these, of course, are premature aging, and cancer. This means that beans, while protecting you from the development of cancer, may also help you both look younger and feel younger with increased energy and the benefits of antioxidants.
So which beans are the best for you? Studies done at Michigan State University have concluded that "dry" beans are the best. Overall, though most all beans contain similar nutrients and benefits, some of the best are considered to be Lima beans, Navy beans, Kidney beans, and Pinto beans. Ideally, it is recommended that you get about 3 cups of beans per week in order to maximize their wonderful health benefits, but scientists have shown that as little as 1 cup of beans consumed each week will yield impressive results.
Beans are wonderful sources of nutrition that haven't truly been recognized until now. Once thought of as a fattening food that gives you gas, beans are now being correctly hailed as nutritional giants that pack a lot of benefits in a tiny package. New science and extensive research has done a lot to increase our understanding of the bean, and fortunately for us, beans come in limitless varieties. This makes it easy to get them in your diet, and you can find them anywhere.
Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/health-articles/beans-and-their-great-health-benefits-290576.html
About the Author:
My breakfast.
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I've never been a bean eater. Until today!
