Amino Acids! Why Take them? Do you need them?

From cardio health to loosing weight, from the lack there of in infant formula to the importance of understanding that these are the building blocks of proteins...you cannot achieve the amount of amino acids you need with basic diet alone, this is one thing you need to supplement.

Essential Free Form Amino Acids To aid Healing of Systemic Diseases
You can heal many discomforts & diseases, eliminate heavy metal toxicity, and repair damaged tissue.
This formula provides free form amino acids to break down your dietary protein from long chain proteins, into individual amino acids.
You may eat large amounts of protein, but this does not ensure its digestion and delivery to your cells. Platinum Plus Amino Acids addresses the primary protein problem that started some of your deficiencies in the first place. It increases the free form amino acids a minimum of 2500% in a diet of only 50 grams of protein.
Your body starts to rebuild and refurbish it's 80,000 enzyme systems. With Platinum Plus it's not necessary to take digestive enzymes, papain, bromelain etc., most of which are inefficient and/or ineffective. Your body makes its own.
This formula provides the perfect balance of free form amino acids, because some other formulas are out of balance, and may not work.

***For more information or to order these amino acids please click the bottle link below.

***"I wanted to let you know that since I have been taking these amino acids that I can now remember things, where I was once so forgetful and it was dreadful since I am only 27. Thank you for helping me regain my memory. As a side note, I feel stronger and have the energy to exercise and I have noticed that I am loosing the baby-weight easier. Thank you!" ---Elana C., Mother of two, Portland, OR.

Where is your farm?

A few years ago, most customers at farmers’ markets would ask how vegetables and herbs were grown. Customers were concerned about organic growing habits and pesticide use on farms, and inquired about the methods used to grow the produce they were purchasing.Today, the question is asked more rarely. Consumer priorities and the main farm-production question that growers hear is related to place: "Where is your farm?"Customers used to worry about how food was produced; now they worry about where it is from. The power of one captivating idea -- local -- has quickly eclipsed the power of another -- organic.But the organic movement confronted industrial agriculture's use of pesticides, herbicides, and fertilizers that devastated local ecosystems. It addressed the health of migrant farm workers and the health of people who ate foods with pesticide residues or milk with growth hormones.The local-oriented movement may be avoiding engagement with many of the problems associated with the industrial food system that organic as a movement specifically sought to address.
Grist August 11, 2008

Buying local is now being called the new organic...sadly it is being misused just as much as the organics and natural, free range labels are. It is intended to stand for and help we the consumers:

Fresher, tastier and healthier food
Supporting small, local farmers from your community
Knowing where your food comes from
Increasing food safety

As this above article segment shows that buying local DOES NOT mean that you are buying organic, the fruits and vegetables that you purchase at your local farmers market can still be covered in pesticides and fertilizers, even if grown but two blocks away from you. You have to still be very aware of what your local farmers are doing with their land.

At the same time, the organic certification process established by the federal government is expensive, and some small farmers cannot afford it. This means that some locally grown foods are grown according to organic standards but are not “certified organic.” The only way to know for sure is to confirm it with the farmer.

I shop locally here in Dallas at a large Asian market and have spoken with the manager and even some of the local growers who market to this retail location. Being small farmers, many of them are backyard farmers, they cannot afford to jump all the hoops and red tap to get the label of organic even though they are. Spending a few hours researching your growers and farm land will help you to gain all you need to know and feel good about where you get your goods. I also recommend that you explore http://www.realmilk.com/ to find local organic farmers who raise healthy cattle for meat and milk/cheese.

The Non-Honesty of the Organics Label

Dishes advertised as local and organic at restaurants are not infrequently frauds. They may not be all-natural, as your menu promised, and may come from a huge national vendor like Sysco rather than a family-owned farm.

As the Slow Food movement gains popularity across America, terms like "sustainable" and "artisan" are showing up on more menus. But there are no actual "truth-in-menu" laws, and even the word organic is used loosely. There's a vast difference between the term "organic," which may mean food raised without pesticides or antibiotics, and the more intensive "certified organic," which is legally regulated by the U.S. Department of Agriculture. The phrase "all-natural," only means "minimally processed" with no artificial ingredients or colors.

A restaurant can call its ingredients organic whether they're factory-farmed Chilean products grabbed from the shelves of Wal-Mart or hand delivered by a small farm after being picked that morning.

Ultimately, diners need to be aware, self-educate, and ask questions. Diners also should pay attention to their taste buds. Organic generally tastes better -- produce is more earthy and pungent, and tomatoes have higher sugar and acidity.
AZCentral.com August 13, 2008

Organic means good business. Everyone is buying something organic these days, as consumers we all are facing the realism of the toxic overload on our bodies and our world and many are wanting to do whatever they can to help. However with our expanding knowledge on pesticides and chemicals in general, we are also opening the door to big business and the mis-use of the lable. As is already been seen by large outlets such as Walmart and Costco, Safeway or as it is known here in Texas Tom Thumb. All proudly displaying thier Organic lables. Over recent years the demand for organics has grown by a t least 20%, it is a $18 billion dollar business as of last years numbers. But is all organic, truly organic?

Truth-In-Menu Laws: If You Say It, Serve It

"Although the author of this AZCentral article claims that there are no Truth-In-Menu laws, this is not entirely correct. In fact, there is a so-called “Truth-in-Menu law,” which is meant for, and used by, restaurateurs to ensure that the information provided about menu items is accurate, and conforms to the federal regulations set forth by the Nutrition Labeling and Education Act (NLEA). However, it seems to do little to ensure compliance when it comes to stating the truth and nothing but the truth about what’s really on your plate.
In an article written by Stephen Bart -- attorney and associate professor of law and leadership at the Conrad N. Hilton College of Hotel & Restaurant Management at the University of Houston -- hospitality managers have the right to advertise their food and beverage products in a way that casts them in their best light, but may not misrepresent their wares.
These “accuracy in menu” laws are relatively straightforward, and their chief aim is to ensure honesty in menu claims, both in regard to the price charged and the food that is served. Part of this includes being careful when describing food attributes, including the preparation style, ingredients, origin, portion sizes, and health benefits. However, it’s a complex area, and becoming increasingly so due to greater demands from customers to know more about their food, especially as it relates to the origin of the food being served.
The word organic is used as loosely on restaurant menus as it is on other labels. And, the phrase “all-natural” means next to nothing, although the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) defines the term as “minimally processed with no artificial ingredients or colors.”
As Mr. Bart points out, a good motto to help restaurants stay out of trouble would be: If you say it, serve it!" ---Mercola

Are Drugs the Answer to ADHD Children?

Research has shown that treating children who have Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) with drugs is not effective in the long-term. After three years of treatment, drugs such as Ritalin and Concerta work no better than therapy.
Long-term use of the drugs can also stunt children‘s growth, and the benefits of the drugs have been exaggerated.
An influential 1999 study seemed to find that medication worked better than behavioral therapy for ADHD after one year of use. This finding caused a vast increase in prescriptions.
But now, after longer-term analysis, the report‘s co-author, Professor William Pelham of the University of Buffalo, has stated, "I think that we exaggerated the beneficial impact of medication in the first study. We had thought that children medicated longer would have better outcomes. That didn‘t happen to be the case. There‘s no indication that medication is better than nothing in the long run."
Pelham said that medication had "no beneficial effects" and that in fact, the drugs had a negative impact in terms of growth rate.
The National Institute for Clinical Excellence in England is currently revising their treatment guidelines for ADHD to include strategies that will likely involve training for parents as well as "behavioral interventions".
"The important thing is that we have an approach which doesn‘t focus just on one type of treatment," Dr. Tim Kendall, chair for the working group, said.
Sources:
BBC News November 12, 2007 Department of Health Statement
BBC News November 12, 2007

Related blog posts in One Bite at a Time
Foods to Avoid with Your ADHD Child

"The University of Adelaide in Australia confirmed that fish oil improves the symptoms of ADHD without any of the side effects of drugs like Ritalin and Concerta -- and more effectively at that!" --Dr. Mercola

Study facts as follows:
They gave 130 children, between the ages of 7 and 12 with ADHD, daily fish oil capsules. The children’s behavior improved dramatically within three months. They also found that:
After seven months, the children were not as restless and showed improvements at school
Improvements in concentration and attention improved by one-third
After 15 weeks, 30-40 percent of the children taking fish oil had improvements
After 30 weeks, 40-50 percent improved
Children taking placebo capsules were later switched to fish oil and subsequently also experienced improved behavior
Improvements were still being seen after the study ended, which suggests that fish oils may have long-term effects.

Your best source of fish oil comes from krill. Yes krill oil, the same small fish that whales survive on. This is the most potent source of Omegas. Out weighing salmon and flax oil.

My focus throughout The Elephant in the Kitchen and this blog is that the fact that today's children are suffering from beyond a poor diet. Most children live on refined grains, processed foods that are loaded with chemicals, additives such as MSG, Red dye 40 and artificial sweeteners. Our children also live on a diet of sugar, juices, and sodas in place of water. With diets like this how can we expect them to not be hyperactive?

It is estimated that almost ten percent of today's school age children are being diagnosed with ADHD. Schools are getting kick backs from pharmaceutical companies for referring parents of these children to medical 'experts' who prescribe....drugs. These drugs are dangerous!

When you look further into the average diet plan of children and adults today you will see that we don't consume enough vegetables and fruits, we eat far to much Omega-6 and barely any Omega-3....it is the 3 that helps with behavior issues, such as ADHD, autism, and others.

Dr. Lendon Smith shares a simple solution to drugs for a natural cure that REALLY works, not just masks the issue.

Eliminate grains and sugars from your diet
Replace soft drinks, fruit juices and pasteurized milk with clean water
Increase your omega-3 fats by taking an effective form of omega-3 oil like krill oil
It will also be important to minimize the use of nearly all vegetable oils -- they are loaded with omega-6 fats, which distort the powerful omega-6:3 ratio
Eliminate all juices and sodas and replace with pure water

Resources:
mercoal.com

Please post your comments on this topic!

Splenda and Aspartame linked to neurological and immunological disorders. Whats Your Story?

A few blog posts ago I talked about some serious chemical and amino acids that cause damage to the body. I would like to leave with you today that those same chemical compounds lead to not only many neurological and immunological disorders but also cause the reverse effect that they are sold for. They cause weight gain!

What am I talking about?

Artificial sweeteners. Aspartame and sucralose. (Nutra sweet and Splenda)

Do you have any stories about these chemical sweeteners? Please share your thoughts, questions and stories in a comment.

Do you know someone suffering from the toxic effects of aspartame? Learn how to detox from this excitotoxin.

Unsure about the safety of Splenda ?

So many of us out there don't realize the danger of these fake sugars. I have watched parents sit their little ones down with fresh fruit and a small bowl of splenda to dip their berries in. I use to be a big Diet Dr. Pepper drinker and was having blurred vision and migraines, then heard about a study done at the University of Washington that linked aspartame to lesions on the brain. I quite drinking my fav soda! One of my strongest testimony stories comes from a friend that I had helped. She was suffering from severe migraine's and had to go to the doctor at least once a day for shots to help with the pain. What was she to do, being the mother of three active children she needed to survive the day and be present for her kids. Never did she link that the diet Pepsi she was drinking everyday was the cause of these migraines! I knew I had the answer, I knew I had to speak out and share with her the research on these diet drinks. In a few short weeks her migraines subsided. No more migraine shots needed. Today her and her lovely family are aspartame free today and migraine free!

There are so many stories. What's yours.

Read Aspertame's Not So Sweet News

Scaring Your Kids Away From Fast Foods

According to a study by the British Heart Foundation (BHF), roughly a third of children polled didn't know the main ingredient in French fries.
And, about 10 percent of them thought fries were mostly made of oil; others suggested eggs, flour, and even apples. This may be part of the reason that an estimated half-million children in the UK will become obese or overweight over the next two years.

Food4Thought

In hopes of scaring kids away from fast food, the foundation launched Food4Thought yesterday, a national campaign including billboards and posters of hamburgers, hot dogs and chicken nuggets as they would appear before their common ingredients are melded and processed into the food you see at the grocery store -- gristle, bones, and connective tissue.
The campaign is primarily an attempt to engage children on the subject of why certain foods are less healthy than others, and encourage them to become interested in what they are eating.
Targeting Children, Parents, and Society
But the BHF is also targeting the government, food industry, local authorities, schools and parents to get involved. The BHF has identified three critical areas for change:
Stop the marketing of unhealthy food and drink products to children
Ensure that nutritious food is affordable, accessible and appealing for children and parents
Provide children with opportunities to learn practical cooking skills

Sources:
British Heart Foundation November 7, 2005
BBC News November 7, 2005

Everyone knows that our family is very health focused. But I will admit that all of my children do know a fast food location. We do on the rare occasion make use of such a place. My husband and I try and make it on a few date nights each month and on these nights we may ask the children,"what would you like for dinner?, Its treat night!"

It is the everyday use of the fast food industry that becomes a health concern. I was happy to hear when recently reported in a documentary on TV that places such as McDonald's have seen a decrease of almost a quarter in their profits/customers per year. This is good news for the American populations health. It is about time that we start to wake up and realize on a global scale how dangerous these pseudo foods can be. For any of you who watched Super Size Me you have a firm understanding of this epidemic and crisis.

READ ON REAL FOOD

Home Remedy: Nasal Congestion

Home Remedy: Nasal Congestion

With Spring comes pollen. With Pollen comes stuffy noses, here are some safe and effective ways to help with the stuffiness in your home. Irrigate the nose with contact lens saline solution, using a Neti Pot. Or try: putting a few drops of Eucalytus oil on the florr of a hot, running shower and inhaling the steam that accumulates. (Note: watch temperature with young children) The expert: Benjamin Kligler, MD, MPH, research director at the Continuum Center for Health and Healing in New York City

Continuation on A Sweet Note....

How many sodas do you drink in a day?
How many does your child drink in a day?
How many teaspoons of sugar are in the juice your child had for breakfast?
In the energy drink after the game?
In the lollipop treat after the dental visit?

Maybe you have already started to eliminate the sugar in the house and jumped on the no sugar bandwagon and started using such products as nutra-sweet and splenda. We have learned more about these items in previous newsletters and there will be more in the future, but what I will say here is that you might want to reconsider those attempts of replacing sugar with these above named sugar substitutes.

As sweet as it is, sugar can be a very dangerous substance. One that we as parents are all guilty of taking too lightly. Sugar might give us that immediate high, that sudden burst of energy that we think we would not have gotten else where, but it is an unhealthy high. After the sugar causes its immediate nervous energy in our blood stream it throws our bodies into a state of crisis, our bodies begin to waste energy instead of burning energy in a useful form. The wastes cause drainage on our systems, which in return causes sleepiness, fatigue, anger, and weeping. That’s why your child after a double scoop of ice cream at 7pm finds himself outside running all over hyper and active and not wanting to get ready for bed and then throwing a tantrum at 7:15 about the ball rolling too far down the street, then another fit to try and stay out longer and finally another about getting to bed, but once in bed at 8pm finds himself passed out by 8:04pm. Is this just a child being a child or did the sugar he had before going out have anything to do with the meltdowns and the sudden passing out?

What I look for and do.

When I first learned about sugar I went crazy. I walked out to the garage got the dumpster and sat it in the middle of my kitchen. Opened the refrigerator and my pantry cabinets. I then proceeded to pick up each item and read the ingredients. At first I was only looking for High Fructose Corn Syrup (HFCS). I did not think that there would be that much of this bad product in my home.

To my surprise, I was wrong! Very wrong.

HFCS was in everything. The salad dressing, the mustard, the ketchup, apple sauce, peanut butter and of course the jelly. I even found it in the deli meat. The freezer, well you guessed right, the ice cream, the juice, and the frozen bread products. The pantry was not much better. I discovered HFCS in cereals (some that I thought were healthy), pancake syrups, sauces, canned goods and easy bake packages. My dumpster was bulging at the seams and my kitchen was 80% empty!

Now, I am not suggesting that you do as I did here. But what I am suggesting is for you to get familiar with the products in you kitchen and then don’t re-purchase anything that has granulated sugar, corn syrup, brown sugar, powdered sugar, or HFCS in it again.

I found that the best products in the bread, pasta, cereal and grain section do not have any sugars, not even honey or molasses. I now only buy organic raw peanut butter, jellies made with natural fruit juices to sweeten, yogurts that are plain or have evaporated cane juice or maple syrup, and unsweetened natural organic apple sauce.

Some of my favorite products are:

· Organic Agave Syrup (made from the agave cactus plant, a sweetener for yogurt, granola, oat meal, tea, coffee, on toast, etc.)
· Organic Molasses, unsulphered (great on oats, toast, marinades and dressings/sauces, and baking with it, etc.)
· Local organic raw unfiltered Honey (local is important with honey, it will help reduce allergies and boost your immune system)
· Organic Maple syrup (top pancakes or waffles, yogurt or cottage cheese, makes yummy sauces and much more.)
· Organic Evaporated Cane Juice (use in place of granulated sugar)
· Stevia (great in teas and even some baking)
· Bionature organic Fruit Spreads (great on toast or for PB&J’s)
· Crofters organic Fruit Spreads
· Vegenaise (in place of mayo)
· R.W.Knudsen Juices plain or mixed with pure sugarless seltzer water to create a healthy option to soda other wise known in our home as soda juice.

To review more health alternitives to processed sugar and sugar substitutes, please visit A Sweet Note.

Read Part One

On A Sweet Note. Is it possible?

Real quick. While preparing this, a story popped in my head. Not that long ago we had my brother-in-law and his youngest daughter over for dinner. We had cooked a yummy dinner and were enjoying it when my niece walked into the kitchen and noticed a plastic bag sitting on the counter. She picked it up and read what it said, ”Organic Raw Evaporated Cane Juice.” She looked over at her dad and asked him what this stuff was. He said, “I guess that’s suppose to be healthy sugar, if there is anything of the sort.” Sugar in its natural state is healthy. It is a complete food, one we want to eat. It is only through processing that sugar becomes unhealthy. I guess the next logical question here, as a parent especially would have to be, what does refined sugar do to the body? How does it harm the body? A little hyperactiveness followed by my child getting tons of exercise and then passing out with a good nights sleep, is not that bad a thing. Right? You know the answer I am sure.


According to Tim O’Shea author of Sugar The Sweet Thief of Life and his expansive research refined sugar does a whole list of negatory things to the human body. To our children’s bodies.

· Suppresses the immune system
· Causes hyperactivity
· Kidney damage
· Mineral deficiencies, especially calcium, magnesium, chromium and copper
· Makes the blood acidic
· Tooth decay
· Advances aging
· Digestive disorders
· Arthritis
· Asthma
· Candida albicans
· Decreased blood flow to the heart
· Cause osteoporosis
· Causes food allergies
· Causes eczema
· Atherosclerosis
· Free radical formation
· Loss of enzyme function
· Increases liver and kidney size
· Brittle tendons · Migraines · Blood clots
· Depression

Can all of this really be possible? Can sugar really cause our children’s bodies to suffer from such things? The answer to both these questions is, Yes! Studies have been done. The research is out there. The scarier thing about sugar and the above list of health consequences is that all of those consequences have consequences.

If the average adult person consumes about 150 pounds of sugar a year and that adds up to about 20% of the calories of the average American diet, making 20% of what we as Americans eat have NO nutritional value whatsoever, then how much sugar do we really need to consume?

FACT: A DOUBLE BIG GULP (1/2 GALLON) OF SODA EQUALS 48 TSP. OF SUGAR

This actually is not a hard answer. We need not consume any white sugar (refined that is) absolutely NO high fructose corn syrup. In a normal bloodstream, which is about 5 liters, only about 2 teaspoons of glucose should be circulating at any one time. What does this look like in the soda world? Well, one 12-ounce soda is about 10 teaspoons of sugar. May not look like a lot of sugar but it raises the glucose in the bloodstream by 5x for four hours. That’s one soda!

Read Part Two

The Forgotten Nutrient Part Two

What You Can Do

Replace your white bread with sprouted whole wheat bread
Leave the sugary cereals on the shelves
Pass the beans, please (as in, eat more beans)
Sweeten with fruit; add volume with vegetables (eat lots of fresh fruits and veggies every day!)
Supplement, but as a last resort
Choose fresh fruit and/or vegetables over juice.
To get more fiber and nutrients, eat the skin of cleaned fruits and vegetables.
Include bran and whole grain breads daily.
Drink more water to accommodate your increased fiber intake to reduce indigestion.
Eat less processed foods and more whole foods.
Try to meet your fiber requirements with foods rather than supplements. A large increase in fiber over a short period of time could result in bloating, diarrhea, gas, and all-around discomfort. It is better to add fiber to your diet gradually over a recommended period of about three weeks, to avoid abdominal problems.
For more information and health and nutritional tips, affiliates I recommend and use please visit Here

READ PART ONE

The Forgotten Nutrient Part One

Fiber

“You will be quit surprised that most foods, even those famous for fiber, have vanishingly little fiber in them.”

–Dr. Bob Arnot, Author of The Breast Cancer Prevention Diet



Each day, as parents we find ourselves concerned about what is going into our children's bodies. Are they getting enough vitamin C, enough D or Calcium? Did they drink some water today? Have they gotten enough outside time, fresh air and exercise? But when was the last time you found yourself thinking over breakfast or lunch, "Is my child getting enough fiber today?"

Why do we need to focus on fiber?

Isn't fiber what you need to think about when your body is sluggish? It is only needed to keep you regular, right?

Fiber is responsible for many things in the body. It helps to dispose of waste, keeps intestinal tract and colon clean. Helps the body in absorption of nutrients (vitamins and minerals), help to maintain a healthy weight, removes toxins to keep immune system at an optimum level, and much more!
. In recent studies, it has been shown that fiber is also a benefit in reducing cancers and fighting fatty buildup in the bloodstream. In other words fiber keeps the arteries clean. The best places to get fiber are found in vegetables, fruits and whole grains. I suggest not settling for less than 8 grams of fiber in a serving of cereal, or 3 grams in a slice of bread. The closer to 35 grams of fiber a day you get as an adult the better for your entire bodies health. A simple rule for children’s fiber intake is the age plus 5 rule (take the child’s age and add 5 grams of fiber to it) this will give you a good starting point as shown in the Journal of the American Dietetic 1998.

READ PART TWO

Natures Unspoken Law Part Two by David Wolfe

The basis of human nourishment is obvious: it is raw plant foods. And Nature presents this to us in abundance. Raw plant foods are simple, easy to find, fun to eat, enjoyable, contain thousands of health-giving nutrients, and conform to the biological design of the human digestive system. The sun is the source of all life and raw plant foods represent the purest form of transformed sun energy.

When one eats an orange, the wrapper (peel) becomes compost. When one follows a raw-plant-food lifestyle, the amount of trash produced by that individual decreases to almost nothing. Test for yourself and see. An individual who eats the typical foods found in so-called "civilized society" who then changes to a raw-plant-food diet can discover energy they have never known. Eating a balanced mix of raw plant foods restores the body on a molecular level, building strong cells, radically naturalizing the body, raising alkalinity, and grounding the person in the natural world. Of course, the body resists shocking changes and everyone should ease into the raw-food approach at an appropriate pace. Also, everyone should educate themselves on this amazing subject (by further exploring this website, reading raw-food books, chatting on-line with other raw-foodists, and attending lectures), so that the common mistakes are avoided.

As the months and years pass, a person switching to a raw-plant-food approach may notice a greater awareness of the spiritual world, become more intuitive, and feel natural powers they have never experienced (or did not know they had). One will find oneself having more fun in a garden than a movie theatre. A profound new connection will arise with plants and animals. Every person is a work of art in progress. Either one can become progressively more beautiful, or one can follow the fate civilization has set out (miseducation, wage slavery, decay, illness, and an untimely death). Each action one takes determines which of these two destinies will be achieved.

What we eat helps to guide our path. Eating determines what level of health our body will experience. Every bite of food put into the body should add to our strength, spirituality, and beauty. Each meal becomes part of who we are at the deepest level.

READ PART ONE

READ ON RAW FOOD

Natures Unspoken Law Part One by David Wolfe

Natures Unspoken Law

"...All animals living in the wild eat their food raw and, almost always, fresh. Raw is one of nature's most basic laws. Only humans and domesticated animals eat cooked and processed foods.

The cooking and processing of foods has become so common that most of us do not even question it. The assumption that cooked and processed foods are as good as raw foods is just an assumption. Most people do not know for sure, because they have never tried a balanced raw-food approach. Einstein once said: "The essential is to get rid of deeply rooted prejudices, which we often repeat without examining them."

Here is a visual experiment to consider: Feed a tribe of gorillas a diet of coffee, donuts, and other processed human foods for a few years. Let us watch what happens. Or consider, a herd of deer who, instead of eating their grass raw, decide to collect it and boil it in a giant cauldron. Picture what would happen in that situation!

What is it that constitutes the basis of human nourishment? Is it refined sugar flowing out of the roaring jaws of factories? Is it the flesh of animals being churned out by combinations of torturous factory farms and horrific slaughterhouses? Is it the milk of factory-farmed cows naturally intended for baby calves? Is it cooked and processed foods containing dyes, flavors, and preservatives?

No.

READ PART TWO

READ ON RAW FOOD

The Importance of Raw Food

"You are what you eat" is a cosmic law. Everybody knows that saying ‹ everybody! It is a concept that has been known in every culture and civilization throughout history. It is written into the fabric of the universe. It is a simple law of Nature that should be remembered each day, and at each meal. Those who wish to heal themselves and the planet, should eat the most healing foods.

"Healing foods" means quality, organic, homegrown, or wild foods and/or superfoods in their raw natural state. Following this principle is not only the simplest way to choose what to eat, but is simply the best way to bring about good health and spiritual transformation." ---David Wolfe

Let's face it. We are busy people who do not like to prepare food. We generally eat out - a lot! If you want to eat raw foods but do not want to prepare them yourself, then your likely to subsist on fresh raw fruit and frequent your local salad bars. If you're lucky, you'll live near a raw restaurant. However, there are many easy ways to enjoy more variety while eating raw foods.I have discovered some valuable, cost effect ways and I would like to share them with you today.

Raw Food Snacks

READ ON NATURES LAWS

READ ON SCARING YOUR KIDS FROM FAST FOOD

Notes from April and Maui

April is a time of rebirth and refocus on health, activity, gardening and life. It has found our family in a state of transition. Freshly back from a beautiful holiday to the island of Maui where we witnessed God manifest in nature around every corner of the Hana highway to the coral reefs just off the sandy shores of Kihei. Humpback whales measuring about 45 to 53 feet long and weighing up to 80,000 pounds were some of the most fascinating island visitors with us. While sitting on our lani I was witness to a mother whale and her large baby. The baby propelled itself out of the water, clearing the surface by what seemed a whole whale of a tale or more. Turning in the air and landing back in the ocean waters with a huge slpash! The night skies in Maui are ever so dark and crystal clear as the Trade Winds blow through in the evenings, distancing any clouds that were there shortly before. Warm, yet cool we sat beneath the greatest creation and stared up at the brilliant stars gleaming and twinkling their distant lights back at us. It was on one such night that we were blessed to see a small meteor come blazing through the atmosphere and burn up in the heavens above the ocean surface. It was brilliant in colors and as it came to the end of its life, it split into two pieces. Truely a beautiful experience! As was all of Maui.

Yours in health and spirit,

Rene Schooler

More on IBS (Some things you can do)

Science Daily September 04

Researchers may have gotten good results with antibiotics but you don't need them to solve IBS. In fact, a drug-based solution makes no sense. During study on this topic and research done by leading experts I suggest that you find a source of raw milk and then produce kefir out of it or by some orgainic kefir. For those of you who don't know what kefir is, it is similar to yogurt and is very similar to make. All you do is stir in a kefir packet and room temperature raw milk and let it sit on the counter overnight and when you wake up in the morning the bacteria have reproduced and converted the milk into an many hundreds of billions of healthy bacteria.

If you want to try raw milk for yourself, look for a farm in your state by going to Real Milk

To battle IBS, you need to focus on what you are eating and how you are living. A few steps could get you and your intestines back on track:

Make better food choices. Pay careful attention to removing grains and sugars as they typically feed bad bacteria and gluten in particular can cause serious intestinal inflammation in many individuals. Focus on complex verse simple.

If you have problems with the frequency of your bowel movements please consider purchasing some organic flax seeds and grind 2 to 6 tablespoons fresh in a coffee grinder and consume it. It is full of alpha linolenic acid which will balance the omega 3 oils in cod liver or fish oil, but more importantly flax has water soluble fibers like lignans that will decrease diarrhea or improve constipation as these types of fibers are bowel movement normalize. Freshly ground flax seed is a far better option then most fiber supplements on the market.

Add coconut oil to your diet. Coconut oil has been shown to play a role in soothing inflammation and healing injury in the digestive tract. Its antimicrobial properties also promote intestinal health by killing troublesome microorganisms that may cause chronic inflammation.

Add Aloe Vera Juice to your diet. This has also been shown to help inflammation and sooth the intestinal tract to help speed the healing process.

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For more information and product help please view Bowtrol, probiotics, sensitive cleanse for intestines, colon and parasites.

IBS

IBS

Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) affects some 36 million people in the United States. It has puzzled medical professionals and researchers who have posed several theories about its origin. However, research now indicates it is caused by an overgrowth of bacteria in the small intestine.
After eating, IBS patients usually experience a combination of bloating, gas, abdominal pain, constipation or diarrhea. These problems trigger an immune response causing flu-like symptoms -- headaches, joint pain, muscle aches and chronic fatigue. Investigators suggest that in IBS sufferers, normal bacteria from the large intestine move into the small intestine, prompting the initial bowel problems.
Bacteria, up to 100 trillion, are commonly found in the intestines; they play several important roles in the large intestine.
Common medical tests would not detect an increase of bacteria in the small intestine, so investigators took an indirect approach. Patients ingested a lactulose syrup and within three hours their breath was measured for gaseous products of bacterial fermentation.
Results indicated that 84 percent of IBS patients tested registered abnormal breath tests that suggested an overgrowth of bacteria in the small intestine.
Following double blind and placebo-controlled guidelines, researchers gave patients either antibiotic therapy or a sugar pill. Those with high bacteria levels who took antibiotics reported a 75 percent improvement in symptoms.
Researchers concluded that small intestinal bacterial overgrowth allows gut bacteria to penetrate the intestinal lining and enter the body.

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More on Excitotoxins

Yesterday, I was sent an informative email regarding this very topic and I would like to share a piece of it with you.

"...you will discover, within 6 months after Aspartame came out on the market in 1984 there was a 10 % increase of brain tumors and 30% increase in diabetes. Medical research showed the increase in brain tumors was not related to better detection methods and there was a definite increase in sheer numbers of new patients. This has been the case ever since Aspartame came out on the market in 1983. Aspartame mainly is toxic to nerve cells and has the potential to cause fibromyalgia, MS, lupus, ADD, diabetes, Alzheimer's, chronic fatigue, and depression., retardation, seizures and MS. Aspartic acid (an ingredient of Aspartame) also causes holes in the brain in mice as does MSG. It also effects neurotransmitter resulting in mental disorders as well. Aspartame are listed as a cytotoxin and has a direct effect on brain function. Unfortunately the FDA has taken a position of rubber stamping this product as safe, no matter what evidence is presented as to the danger of this product. Consumer education is the only way to stop the production of this toxic substance. Write your congressperson and ask them to start an investigation into the poisoning of the American people with Aspartame."

(adapted from Why are Dr. Blake and Dr. Louie so upset? -C. Burrett Cox)

Please take the time to view the link to this insightful video on this dangerous drug!
Documentary on Aspartame

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Read Part One

March News 2008 and Apartame's Not So Sweet News

It is March and the storm clouds blow through the heaven's with moments between of golden rays shining down on our earth.

March find's my family preparing to move from our Emerald City of Seattle to the Lone Star state. We will be making our journey across the lands of the western United States toward the end of this month. However, first we have been blessed with the opportunity to have a short holiday in Maui. All are looking forward to the warm waters and sun filled skies. Sitting on the beach and soaking in the beauty of paradise!

Aspertame's Not So Sweet News

It is time to wake up about this toxin!

Aspertame (Equal, nutrasweet, etc.) the sweetener that so many of us choose to use for dieting purposes or because we are diabetic. If it is not this "fake" sugar, we then choose sucralose (splenda). I was made aware of the dangerous effects of this cytotoxin back in 1996, when I was an avid diet soda drinker myself. We had recenly moved to Seattle with our first born who was not two years of age yet. I had been experiencing severe headaches and dizziness, but never linked these symptoms to my beloved diet soda. One evening while listening to a news report, I overheard that the University of Washington had linked aspertame to brain lesions and possibly tumors and cancer. That's all it took for me! I was done with the diet soda.

Read Part Two

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