The Nourishing Gourmet: My New Favorite Blog!

This is a fabulous blog with a basis around sacred foods and nourishing traditions. A lot of these recipes are Dairy Free and Wheat Free by default. Remember to look for the ingredients as always!

The following comes from Kim Harris, Author of The Nourishing Gourmet
I advise you to go to be adventerous and go surf around her blog. You'll find a plethora of information!

Welcome to The Nourishing Gourmet! My name is Kimberly Harris and I am passionate about nourishing, healthy (and frugal!) cooking, family, and supporting local farmers. I am married to a wonderful husband, with two children (a two year old girl, and my first girl in Heaven).

My interest in healthy eating began early because of a cancer scare at the age of 16. Although I ended up not having cancer, facing disease at an early age awoke in me an interest in having a healthy lifestyle. During that time period, low fat diets were the craze, and although I ate very “healthy,” according to the experts, I feel that there were bad effects on my health from my low fat, low meat diet.

About four years ago I was introduced to Nourishing Traditions by Sally Fallon, and it has been a freeing, wonderful experience of relearning to appreciate real food. I have never looked back! Since then I have been able to more fully incorporate Nourishing Tradition style cooking into my life, creating my own recipes, including many dairy- and gluten-free ones. We have enjoyed discovering that our food tastes good, as well as being good for us.

Since my husband is currently back in college, I have embarked on the exciting adventure of eating nourishing food on a budget. “Waste not, want not” is a key principle for me as I learn how to best use our resources.

Join me in learning how to appreciate real food, nourish the body, and love the family here at The Nourishing Gourmet!

The information you find here at The Nourishing Gourmet is meant to help you make better eating choices. However, this site is only for informational and educational purposes. Please discuss with your own, qualified health care provider before adding in supplements or making any changes in your diet. Thank you.~Kim Harris

The Nourishing Gourmet: My New Favorite Blog!

WE ARE ON THE VERGE OF LOSING THE CHIROPRACTIC BENEFIT FOR ALL N.C. TEACHERS & STATE EMPLOYEES.

I received this email from the NCCA leg. chair: Michael Estramonte, DC.

If you value your health rights please read and take action!

------------------

To: All North Carolina Chiropractors

From: NCCA Legislative Chairman, Michael Estramonte, DC

Re: State Health Plan

ACT NOW!

WE ARE ON THE VERGE OF LOSING THE CHIROPRACTIC BENEFIT FOR ALL N.C. TEACHERS & STATE EMPLOYEES.

www.ncleg.net to find your local house representative.

Numerous e-mails have already gone out, phone calls have been made, and meetings have occurred. It’s now the Eleventh Hour and our patients are about to be dealt a severe blow to their ability to afford chiropractic care.

The N.C. Senate just last night passed Senate Bill 287, which will raise specialty co-pays within the State Health Plan to $60-$70. Considering the average chiropractic visit costs less than the actual co-pay, if this bill becomes law it will virtually ELIMINATE the chiropractic benefit for all state employees.

Please do not confuse the State Health Plan bill with House Bill 14, which will equalize co-pays to that of a primary care physician. These bills focus on two similar but separate issues and we will notify you when the time arrives to demonstrate your support for HB 14.

RJ Weber, at the NCCA Headquarters, just this morning has e-mailed instructions along with template letters for you and your patients to sign to support the future of chiropractic. Please… Now is the time to e-mail, fax, call – do whatever is necessary to save the chiropractic benefits for our state teachers and employees.

If you don’t think your efforts will make a difference, take note of this: In the original wording for Senate Bill 287, there was a section that was unfavorable to pharmacists. Because pharmacists from all across the state barraged their legislators with phone calls, faxes and emails, an amendment that protected the pharmacists was included before the bill passed through the Senate for vote!

We must do the same to protect our patients and their rights to access affordable chiropractic care. Remember, this bill has already passed through the Senate, so please direct your calls, faxes, and e-mails to your House Representatives.

We have had a decent response from our profession thus far but we need to do better.

www.ncleg.net to find you local house representative. Click here to access the recent NCCA e-mail that has letter templates and instructions.

Let's get to work and rally together now to do what is best for our patients!

Sincerely,

Michael Estramonte, DC

NCCA Legislative Chairman

michael@echiros.com

704-405-7000

WE ARE ON THE VERGE OF LOSING THE CHIROPRACTIC BENEFIT FOR ALL N.C. TEACHERS & STATE EMPLOYEES.

Sustainable Food Movement Encroaching on Washington!

For the past few years we have all seen the rise of the movement towards organic foodstuffs in the United States. However, despite this movement there are still legal discrepancies surrounding labeling and processing that make it hard for American's to get a healthy diet even with the mission of staying true to organic foods. Some of these problems include the following:

• A product can be labeled as Organic whether it is or IS NOT actually organic as long as it does not contain the USDA Certified Organic label. Many newcomers to organic foods make the mistake of buying so called "organic" products that in all actuality have been grown and processed with conventional means.


• Products can be labeled trans fat free or have a label stating that the contain "0 grams transfat" and STILL contain up to 0.5 grams per serving.


• Genetically modified foods are not required to be labeled so Americans are consuming mass quantities of GM foods without the knowing the actual repercussions of such practices. When you mess with the DNA of our food, no one knows for sure what that does to our health...but then again Washington hasn't pushed for research on the subject either.

It has become more and more obvious, to those that are aware of the situation, that eating organic foods is not enough. In order to truly have the maximum amount of control over our diet and our health we need to go back to sustainable living practices. This means eating whole, non-processed foods...vegetables, fruits, non GM grains (sprouted if possible), meats, healthy fats and non-processed oils such as coconut oil, butter, flax seeds, and more. This means going back on the practices of the 20th-21st centuries and returning to the nutritive practices of our forebearers.

And hallelujah, Washington is slowly but surely starting to catch the drift as is shown in this NY Times Business Article...

The most vocal booster so far has been the first lady, Michelle
Obama, who has emphasized the need for fresh, unprocessed, locally grown
food and, last week, started work on a White House vegetable garden. More
surprising, perhaps, are the pronouncements out of the Department of
Agriculture, an agency with long and close ties to agribusiness.
In mid-February, Tom Vilsack, the new secretary of agriculture, took a jackhammer to a patch of pavement outside his headquarters to create his own organic “people’s garden.” Two weeks later, the Obama administration named Kathleen Merrigan, an assistant professor at Tufts University and a longtime champion of sustainable agriculture and healthy food, as Mr. Vilsack’s top deputy.

For more information on how to live sustainably visit http://www.slowfoodusa.org/

Sustainable Food Movement Encroaching on Washington!

Patient Appreciation Day

Samples, giveaways, demonstrations, refreshments, and 10% of proceeds go to Family Support Network of Wake County

Samples: glee gum, affordable mineral makeup, vermont bee balm, vitamyn toothpaste and mouthwash, wingsets organic bug repellant, econatura linen care and sunblock, bumble bars, raw revolution whole food bars, aubrey organics makeup, and more!

Demonstrations: massage, acupuncture, non-thermal laser

Rosie's Plate providing refreshments

Make Your Appointments Today by calling 919.845.3280

Patient Appreciation Day

Falls River Town Center Will be Home of New Farmer's Market

RALEIGH -- The Falls River Town Center on Durant Road will be the home of the North Raleigh Farmers Market. A newly formed advisory board, along with a group of about seven farmers who are interested in selling at the market, voted unanimously for the center at a meeting Thursday. The market is scheduled to open May 2.

Falls River Town Center Will be Home of New Farmer's Market

Close the Monsanto GMO/GE Loophole NOW!

I received the below email concerning the legislative loophole for genetically engineered crops today. I urge any and all readers to please take action. This is a very important national health issue. After all Europeans don't allow GE/GMO crops in there food supply, why should Americans? Don't let our intelligence be undermined by Monsanto and similar companies. We deserve to KNOW what we are feeding our bodies!

Friends,

If you care about the environment, human health and sustainable and organic farms:

It’s time to act!

Write to the USDA in these final 24 hours for the comment period to close the loopholes regulating genetically-engineered (GE) crops, also referred to as genetically modified organisms (GMOs).

Tell the USDA that the loopholes regarding GE crops must be closed and to suspend approval of additional GE crops until truly independent, peer-reviewed testing can be performed.

While supporters claim this technology is safe, thorough testing was never completed before GE crops/GMOs were introduced into our food chain. Already more than 60 percent of packaged foods sold in U.S. supermarkets contain genetically-engineered food that American consumers unknowingly eat everyday.

Not only is this a great concern for consumer health, but also for family farmers who must pay exorbitant technology fees for the GE seed, and for the environment and sustainable and organic farmers whose crops can become contaminated due to GE drift.

If you care about food safety, it’s time to make your concern about GE food known! The USDA is accepting public comments on a proposed rule about GE until the close of business March 17th.

Tell the USDA that it must ensure the safety of GE technology for eaters, farmers and the environment!

If you want to learn more about concerns regarding genetically engineered food, watch The Future of Food tonight and this week on DIRECTV Channel 375 and DISH Network Channel 9410. Visit LinkTV for schedule. http://www.linktv.org/programs/future

Please send in your comments now!

Best,
Dave

If you’d like to see Food Democracy Now! grassroots work continue, please consider donating as little as $10 or $25. We need all your support to be able to create the change that is needed at the USDA.

How to Submit Comments to the USDA:

Include “Docket Number APHIS-2008-0023” at the top of your correspondence or in the subject line of your email.

Online Instructions:

1. Click here to send your comments to the USDA electronically or go to:

http://www.regulations.gov/fdmspublic/component/main?main=DocumentDetail&o=0900006480903a8e

The result with Document ID number "APHIS-2008-0023" is the Interim Final Rule for comments on Importation, Interstate Movement, and Release into the Environment of Certain Genetically Engineered Organisms

2. Click on the “Add Comment” icon and follow the instructions on the next screen.

Tell USDA to: 1. Withdraw the proposed rule; 2. Release the EIS for public review and comment and to be used as a basis for further rule-making; and 3. Suspend all new GE crop approvals until the above has been satisfactorily completed and unless and until GE crops are proven safe.

SAMPLE LETTER (Please cut and paste)

To whom it may concern,
Docket No. APHIS-2008-0023
Regulatory Analysis and Development
PPD, APHIS, Station 3A-03.8
4700 River Road Unit 118
Riverdale, MD 20737-1238.

Re: Docket No. APHIS-2008-0023, Importation, Interstate Movement, and Release into the Environment of Certain Genetically Engineered Organisms.

I am very concerned about the risks posed by genetically engineered crops. They threaten human health, family farmers, and the environment. I urge USDA to withdraw the proposed rule, publish the Environmental Impact Statement for public review and comment, and suspend all new GE crop approvals in the interim.

After USDA releases the EIS, a comment period of at least 90 days is needed so the public has the opportunity to fully participate in a transparent process on this important issue. This will not only aid in the development of the final EIS but also in the drafting of a new proposed rule. The current proposed rule does little to close the loopholes in the regulations the rule is designed to replace and it creates more gaps than it fills.

Sincerely,

JANE/JOE DOE

Close the Monsanto GMO/GE Loophole NOW!

Hidden Sugar: Recognizing Sugar Sources

Below is a list of terms that you should recognize as meaning that sugar is in a certain food.

• Barley malt,
• beet sugar,
  
• brown sugar,
  
• buttered syrup,
• cane-juice crystals,
  
• cane sugar,
  
• caramel,
  
• carob,
  
• syrup,
  
• corn syrup,
  
• date sugar,
  
• dextran,
  
• dextrose,
  
• diastase,
  
• diastatic malt,
  
• ethyl maltol,
  
• fructose,
  
• fruit juice or fruit juice concentrate,
  
• glucose,
  
• glucose solid,
  
• golden sugar,
  
• golden syrup,
  
• grape sugar,
  
• high-fructose corn syrup,
  
• honey,
  
• invert sugar,
  
• lactose,
  
• malt syrup,
  
• maltodextrin,
  
• maltose,
  
• mannitol,
  
• molasses,
  
• raw sugar,
  
• refiner’s syrup,
  
• sorbitol,
  
• sorghum syrup,
  
• sucrose, sugar,
  
• turbinado sugar,
  
• xylitol,
  
• yellow sugar.

While some of these ARE natural sugars (carob, raw sugar, etc) they still need to be recognized. Why? Because excessive intake of sugar, natural -or- processed is contributing to rising disease, illness, and obesity. Lets stay on top of our wellness!

Hidden Sugar: Recognizing Sugar Sources

Save Your Chiropractic benefits!!!!

From: the North Carolina Chiropractic Association

IMMEDIATE ACTION REQUIRED!

Immediate Action is Required to help save the Chiropractic benefit for the N.C. State Teachers & Employees Plan.

There is a bill currently in the N.C. General Assembly to help bail out the failing State Health Plan. Part of the bill would make chiropractic co-pays for state employees, including teachers, upwards of $70 -- virtually eliminating chiropractic coverage for all state employees! This bill is moving through the Senate very quickly, so please I encourage all who are state employees to take the following action steps ASAP!

Action Steps:

• Determine who your local legislators are by visiting www.ncleg.net [http://rs6.net/tn.jsp?et=1102502385181&e=001hzokzZHxFRFa5fUb-n9o2GBqnMkz4SP2XDNEfSX2XYc4aNrizOLrryb8A_PDtx1Yo1oZt3TQjV-szVrihMj4a1mDzawl6qpaveByZ9sXd9I=] and entering their zip code in the bottom-right of the homepage.
• All teachers or state employee patients should call their legislator's Raleigh office.
• You should explain to them the following: A $70 co-pay for chiropractic is outrageous and that they value chiropractic highly. You should be sure to let them know the primary issue is the co-pay and high deductible for chiropractic.
• This bill is on the fast track and will be voted on next week. Therefore, immediate action is required to save the chiropractic benefit.

Save Your Chiropractic benefits!!!!

Turmeric / Curcumin: Natural Cure for Many Ills

Cultures across the globe have survived for years on sacred foods. These foods vary across continents, groups of people, and environments but one thing is consistent. These sacred foods hold a status in their specific culture because of their amazing natural health effects. A common sacred food found across Asia is Turmeric. Turmeric, also called curcumin, has been used in Asian cookery for thousands of years. Powder ground from the dried root is an ingredient in curry. Turmeric is one of the cheaper spices and makes a vivid splash of color, so it gets heaped into low-market curry blends as fill. Not such a bad idea. But Turmeric is used for more than just flavoring foods...it has many health benefits in ayurvedic medicine such as anti-inflammatory effects, detoxifying, and more. Below are some interesting articles on this amazing root...

Turmeric
"...Turmeric has long been used as a powerful anti-inflammatory in both the Chinese and Indian systems of medicine..."

Turmeric
"...Turmeric holds a high place in Ayurvedic medicine as a "cleanser of the body" and today science is finding a growing list of diseased conditions which turmeric's active ingredient heals. Broad interest in curcumin's antiinflammatory effects is increasing..."

Turmeric Appears to Block Rheumatoid Arthritis
"...researchers at the University of Arizona have discovered another possibility that may help in the fight against rheumatoid arthritis—turmeric..."

Curcumin Helps Clear Plaque Found in Alzheimer's Patients

"A curcumin complex extracted from turmeric helped the brain clear amyloid-beta plaque that could otherwise lead to development and progression of Alzheimer’s disease and other neurological problems, according to researchers at the UCLA School of Medicine and the Greater Los Angeles Veteran’s Administration Medical Center..."

Therapeutic potential of curcumin in human prostate cancer. III
"...Curcumin inhibits proliferation, induces apoptosis, and inhibits angiogenesis of LNCaP prostate cancer cells in vivo..."

Turmeric Recipes and Cooking Instructions

Turmeric / Curcumin: Natural Cure for Many Ills