Summer Feasting

Zucchini and summer squash display such rapid middle of summer growth that some gardeners sneak out at night and gift their surplus on local doorsteps. If you discovered a mountain of summer squash in your garden or on your doorstep, steaming, sautéing, baking, grating raw in salads, slicing and dipping, dehydrating, and making noodle shapes for sauce are some of the many ways squash can be devoured.

Unlike the sweet fruits of summer, zucchini and summer squash are actually non-sweet fruits that tend to be easy to digest and very balancing to the body. So feel free to indulge and find new ways to eat these tender fruits. You’ll reap the health benefits these squash offer.

Recent studies have shown, zucchini and other summer squash rank in the top three foods high in antioxidant rich carotenoids like alpha-carotene, zeaxanthin, and lutein. Summer squash are also high in potassium, vitamin C, manganese, and vision preserving vitamin A, as well as B-1 and B-6. These nutrients support bone health including the health of the teeth, heart health, healthy weight, cancer prevention, collagen production (think beautiful skin) and eye health. Beyond eating them raw, steaming them with the skin intact (as opposed to boiling or microwaving), has been shown to be the best way to preserve those nutrients.

Summer squashes are members of the Cucurbitaceae family and are relatives of both the melon and the cucumber. All parts of summer squash are edible, including the flesh, seeds, and skin. For Native Americans, squashes were so prized they were coined as one of the “Three Sisters” along with corn (maize) and beans.

Zucchini can have a yellow skin, green skin, or striped and speckled skin. Black Beauty, Golden, Caserta, Cocozelle, Round, and Dark Green are some of the popular varieties and as one more bonus, zucchini is one of the summer squash types that produces edible flowers.

Golden Summer Crookneck and Early Prolific Straightneck are the varieties many of us refer to as summer squash and they are most often yellow in color – although they can also be pale green.

Scallop Squash, also called Patty Pan, can be white, pale yellow, or light green in color and are the shape of a thick sand dollar or saucer. Scallop Squash often have a sweeter flesh than other summer squash.

The trick to harvesting fresh zucchini and summer squash all summer is to plant in succession in late spring, sowing a few seeds every two weeks. This way if your neighbor doesn’t leave you a basket of these beauties, you’ll still be enjoying squash in salads or warmed up with fresh garden tomatoes, basil, and onions. Instead of high carb noodles, make spirals or ribbons with your squash and then indulge in pasta sauces over nutrient rich, hydrating (95% water), low-calorie summer squash.

Feeling adventurous? Find novel ways to make zucchini bread and zucchini chips. Your search engine will lead you to many recipes, both raw and cooked, that you will be proud to present at parties or for just you and your clan.

The price of organic kale, collards, and broccoli are likely to continue to increase. So even if you have room for just a few containers on your deck or balcony, if you act quickly, you still have time to grow some gorgeous winter greens.

Most garden centers and nurseries have potted starts of kale, broccoli, and collards available during the month of September. This is a good thing, because it’s a bit late to start winter greens from seed in most zones after Labor Day.

Kale and collards are easy to grow and are the best bets for greens that will winter over. Spinach and chard, if you have the space, make for tasty fall feasts, yet once winter comes, the delicate leaves of chard, spinach, and lettuce are likely to wither away.

If you have gardened in containers before, you might have a designated space and a few supplies on hand – potting soil and some two, three, or five gallon containers with drainage holes. For container gardening, choose a potting soil that has vermiculite or perlite added, and if you anticipate heavy rains, consider adding a bit extra to help with drainage. A small amount of coarse sand can be mixed into the potting soil either with, or in lieu of, the vermiculite or perlite.

Minerals have a magic all their own. By adding a balanced fertilizer to the potting soil on the day you transplant, you’ll be giving the winter greens an extra boost. And – no surprise – when you eat these greens, the living minerals from the healthy vibrant plant will enter all the hungry cells of your body.

If you are growing on a deck or balcony, you will want to choose smaller containers that are spread evenly so they don’t put too much weight on your given foundation.

With a yard or patio you have more options when choosing containers. A creative gardener can make use of dozens of objects — anything that will drain — and turn them into growing containers. Some may be quite unique and some purely functional and practical.

A five gallon bucket with holes pierced in the bottom is a classic example of a functional, practical, garden container. With two gallon containers, plant just one or two kale or collard plants. A five gallon container can hold two to four and, as you continue to harvest the outer leaves, these plants will produce for months.

If you find yourself inspired to start a fall container garden, have fun with it!   Maybe a few garage sales or thrift stores will help you to gather some outrageously shaped non-toxic gadgets that can be transformed into growing pots. .

The sooner you can get to the nursery or garden center in September, the better your chances of getting some starts. So cheers to you and happy gardening!

Carpet Cleaning is one of the most toxic things you can do in your home, both for the environment, and your own health. Here are some good alternatives to conventional carpet cleaning.

Steam cleaning your carpet is the number one way to get rid of stains and germs, but standard carpet cleaning solutions contain a lot of harsh chemicals that can be dangerous for human health and the planet. Fortunately, there are a few substitutes you can use that may be better for your family and the environment.

Why are Standard Carpet Cleaners Dangerous?

Most people have never looked at what is in the standard carpet cleaning solutions. Most cleaning solutions for use in steam carpet cleaners contain perchloroethylene, which makes people feel dizzy and sick if it is breathed in. Opening the windows when you steam clean your carpet is a must, but even with good ventilation your family will still be breathing in harmful chemicals during the cleaning process.

Even more worryingly, the chemicals you use on your carpet hang around in the fibers, potentially causing a health hazard for young children who play on the floor. As perchloroethylene is a known carcinogen, it is a good idea to keep it out of your home, particularly if you have a young family. Using a natural carpet cleaning solution in your steam cleaner protects your loved ones and stops harmful chemicals from being released into the atmosphere and the water supply.

How to Naturally Steam Clean Your Carpet

To make your own non-hazardous carpet cleaner that won’t destroy the planet, mix equal amounts of white vinegar and warm water. You can use this solution in a steam cleaner to gently lift out stains and sanitize your carpet. Vinegar is a natural anti-bacterial agent and the mild acidity of the solution helps to lift stains from the carpet fibers. For stubborn stains, use a higher ratio of vinegar to water in the steam cleaner.

To make the carpet smell delicious, add a few drops of eucalyptus or lemongrass essential oil to the cleaning solution. These harmless oils are released into the air when you clean the carpet, filling your home with natural fragrance.

To make a foaming carpet cleaning solution, you can mix natural dish soap or laundry soap with equal parts baking soda. Apply the foaming solution to stained areas before steam cleaning with warm water and vinegar. The vinegar helps to break down and remove the soap residue to leave your carpet looking clean and stain free.

Steam Cleaning Your Carpet

Choose a warm, dry day with low humidity to steam clean your carpet. Open the windows to allow air to flow through the house, helping the carpet to dry as quickly as possible.

Post contributed by Lucy Massey for Empire flooring.

Enzymes and Digestion, Enzymes and Health, and a List of Enzyme-rich foods

The human body produces two categories of enzymes- metabolic and digestive. Metabolic enzymes are intra-cellular (in the cell), and are used for reproduction and replenishment of the cells as well as to maintain and rebuild the organs, tissues, and blood. Digestive enzymes are used to break down food for the proper assimilation of nutrients.

The Role of Digestive Enzymes

The importance of digestive enzymes resides in the fact that the human body cannot absorb nutrients found in food unless you have an adequate supply of enzymes available in order to break them down. In the book, Micro Miracles, Ellen W. Cutler writes about the important role that enzymes play in the digestive process.  “Digestive enzymes assist with the digestion of food, the absorption of nutrients, and the delivery of those nutrients throughout the body. The most commonly known digestive enzymes are secreted from the pancreas into the small intestine, where each is responsible for breaking down a specific compound.”

Digestive enzymes are classified based on their target substrates, the three main are:

• Protease- which split proteins into small peptides and amino acids.
• Lipase- which split fats into three fatty acids and a glycerol molecule.
• Amylase – for the digestion of carbohydrates.

As food is digested, it gets broken down for absorption, and then transported by the blood through the power of enzymatic activity, with nutrients and enzymes working synergistically with each other, functioning as catalysts in countless biological reactions within the body.

Enzymes From the Food We Eat

The final category of enzymes comes from the foods we eat. When foods contain sufficient amounts of their own enzymes, digestion can begin at the very first bite. The act of chewing your food thoroughly and mixing it with saliva will activate some of the enzymes naturally found in food.  However, research indicates that when food is cooked above 118 degrees, the heat will kill most of the enzymes resulting in diminished nutritional values. This deficit in enzymes is one of the major problems facing our modern-day society, which dines almost exclusively on cooked, fast, or processed foods.

The Work of Dr Edward Howell

Dr. Edward Howell, an early pioneer in the field, spent his entire professional life studying enzymes. He believed that people were born with limited enzyme-producing capabilities and that life expectancy depended on how well this “enzyme potential”was preserved.  He believed that when we eat enzyme-depleted foods, our bodies must work harder to manufacture all of the enzymes necessary to support the digestive and assimilation processes.

Enzyme production related to digestion already consumes large amounts of energy, and the lack of enzymes from food will only curtail the availability of enzymatic activity to the rest of the body. For example, tissues such as the brain, heart, lungs, kidneys, liver, and muscles won’t get all the enzymes they need in order repair and function properly. Dr. Howell believed that this resulting metabolic enzyme deficit was the root cause of most illnesses such as heart disease, cancer, diabetes, and other chronic health problems.

Enzymes and Aging

As we age, our bodies progressively lose the ability to produce enzymes, with major drops occurring every ten years of life. At the early stages of this process, you may not notice any differences, but as it continues, you may discover that you can no longer tolerate certain foods that you may have previously enjoyed. This intolerance may also be accompanied by feelings of fatigue, allergies, and digestive discomforts including heartburn, gas, constipation, bloating, and ulcers.

By incorporating some simple dietary strategies we can begin to make deposits into our enzyme stores instead of the constant withdrawals which have become the norm for many people.

Increase enzyme activity by soaking and sprouting seeds, legumes, and nuts

Read How to Sprout Seeds and Legumes in a Jar and Soaking Nuts and Seeds to Increase Enzyme Potential.

Enzyme-rich foods to include in your diet:

• Papaya
• Pineapple
• Melons
• Mango
• Kiwi
• Grapes
• Avocado
• Raw honey (the enzymes actually come from the bee’s saliva)
• Bee pollen
• Raw dairy products
• Water kefir
• Dairy kefir
• Wheat grass juice
• Coconut water
• Eat a diet rich in raw foods
• Take a quality digestive enzyme with meals
• Fermented vegetables (check out this video: Fermenting Vegetables)

Recommended Supplements:

• Systemic Enzymes
• Digestive Enzymes

8 Reasons Why Laughter is the Best Medicine

“I don’t trust anyone who doesn’t laugh.”
~Maya Angelou

Along with every notorious saying rides a bundle of truth.

I adore a good chuckle…not just any variety of chuckle, a hearty one.  The kind that leaves you gasping for air, clutching your mid-section, and complaining about how much your face hurts for minutes after. The variety of laughter that arrives when all inhibitions are released, when there is no worry about what’s right, what’s acceptable, what’s proper, or how or what others are seeing.  Laughter that urges you to reach out to someone, if only to avoid falling. 😉  Laughter that instantaneously invites others to this special place…even, or especially if they have no idea what you’re even laughing about.

I love that laughter is such an innate, unlearned response.  Infants begin to smile during the first few weeks of life and begin to laugh only months into their journey.  It is awe-stirring that we are all born with this intrinsic affinity towards smiling and making noise out of pure delight for…errr…whatever we find funny.  For anyone (that would be all of us?) who simply feels really incredible after a hearty laugh, laughter having “measurable” benefits won’t come as a surprise…or even, really, an interest.  Still, I thought it was interesting enough to intermingle the whole beautiful, riotous mess with a smidgen of organization in written form. So, here ’tis:
8 of likely many quality reasons we all should lean into a good belly laugh (or twenty) every day.

Laughter relaxes the whole body.

A good, body-involving laugh evaporates stress and relieves physical tension, relaxing muscles for a stretch of up to an hour after.

Laughter releases endorphins.

Merriam- Webster’s definition of endorphins: any of a group of endogenous peptides found especially in the brain that bind chiefly to opiate receptors and produce some pharmacological effects (as pain relief) like those of opiates.
{ahem?!}
My definition of endorphins:  feel-so-good, feel-so-happy chemicals.
The more we laugh, the better we’ll feel…so let’s heartily chortle at every meal! 😉

Laughter boosts your immune system.

I’ve come across several studies that suggest that laughter helps to boost your immune system through decreasing stress hormones and increasing immune cells/infection-fighting abilities, improving the body’s overall resistance to disease.

Laughter protects your heart.

Laughter improves the function of blood vessels and increases blood flow, decreasing high blood pressure, which can help protect against a heart attack and other cardiovascular complications.

Laughter dissolves distressing emotions.

Go ahead.  Enjoy a good laugh the next time you and your spouse are ‘spiritedly’  processing through a difference!  It’s so very difficult to feel nervous, angry, or sad while you’re deep in authentic laughter.

Good humor shifts perspective.

It allows us to see situations in a less menacing light.  Just as I was beginning to write this, my 7 year old daughter–already in a questionable mood–stepped it up a notch or three on the voice decibel meter.  Out of seemingly nowhere, I told her that she was acting like a pirate.  She followed up with announcing that I was acting like a recycling can.  We went back and forth, eventually wrapping up our obscure fest with “acting like a smurf’s knee.”  We were both, by that time, laughing so hard that we could barely understand each other.  The moment was entirely transformed.  Neither of us could recall what she was upset about to begin with.  The ability to laugh, play, and have fun with others not only makes life more enjoyable, it also helps to revamp problems and strengthen connections with others.  People who incorporate playful humor into their daily lives discover that it renews not only themselves, but has a ripple effect, reaching many of the people surrounding them.

{On third thought, that “connection” bit should be a point all its own…}

Laughter helps us connect with others.

Simply written: it feels good to laugh with someone.  It feels great to laugh with someone.  It feels great to laugh with anyone.  hella~great.  Laughter is a sort of bonding cement, deepening the bonds that we experience with people we’re already close with and forging bonds with people we’ve only recently met. And feeling connected, is (in general) one of the most important foundations of good health.

“Laughter is the shortest distance between two people.”
~Victor Borge

{and my personal favorite….}

Laughter holds us in the present moment.

When we’re laughing, we’re focused on whatever is funny in the moment.  We’re not replaying the past or worrying about the future.  We’re simply enjoying what is here. What is *now.*

Regardless of how badly we might feel or how tough things may (momentarily) seem, laughter has the ability to immediately transform us and, often, our surrounding circumstances.  It has the ability to bring us into a cozy space, to a place of pure joy and bliss, to a new and more balanced perspective, to happiness– over and over again.  There’s really nothing quite like a really good, from-the-gut, tears-streaming-down-the-face, nose-wiping, can’t-quite-breathe, where-did-the-seat-go?!, belly-aching guffaw.

There’s only one downside to laughter:  it happens far too infrequently.  While I don’t feel like writing about them here, I can think of a whole slew of, mostly culturally based, reasons why laughter seems to occasionally, if not often, get placed on the back burner.

To steal a dear friend’s one word response that is quickly becoming a “go to” staple when “thangs” become too intense or weighty: *burp!*

Just laugh!  Laugh heartily!  Laugh often!  Laugh while you’re rolling out of bed.  Laugh while you’re making breakfast.  Laugh while you’re making love. Laugh, solo-style.  Laugh in large crowds.  Laugh while you’re crying. Laugh until you’re crying.  Laugh when your heart hurts. Laugh when your heart is happy.  Laugh when it feels appropriate. Laugh when it feels inappropriate.  Laugh until you have no idea what you’re laughing about…and then laugh some more.

Cheers to consistently finding ourselves amidst a hearty concoction of unrestrained “medicine.”
No doctor or therapist required.

“Man is the only animal that laughs and weeps; for he is the only animal that is struck with the difference between what things are, and what they ought to be.”
~William Hazlitt

“Laugh as much as you breathe and love as long as you live”
~Andrea Levy

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Good food is essential to good health. A healthy diet is dense in nutrients, providing the building blocks for every metabolic process in the body, including the chemical processes involving neurotransmitters in the brain.

There are 4 types of foods that increase your risk of depression or worsen depression:

• Fast Foods—particularly fried foods
• Commercial baked goods
• Soda and other sweetened drinks
• Alcohol

Fast Foods and Trans Fats

It comes as no surprise that multiple studies have concluded there is a definite link between fast food and depression. We have known for some time that physical health suffers from the typical junk food or fast food diet. Is it any wonder that brain function would suffer as well?

Fast foods are full of trans fats that pollute the body and are known to alter the normal electrical activity in the brain.

Commercial Baked Goods

Donuts, cakes, cookies, and breads often contain trans fats. But trans fats aren’t the only culprit with a strong correlation to depression in the typical junk food/processed food diet. High fructose corn syrup should be avoided as well.

High fructose corn syrup is a common ingredient in processed foods found on nearly every label. Studies are finding that there is a significant percentage of the population that suffers from carbohydrate malabsorption. For women, a combination of fructose malabsorption and lactose malabsorption results in a high correlation of depression due to decreased levels of tryptophan.

Sodas

Sodas and other sweetened drinks (check out the label on that cranberry or ruby red grapefruit bottle, and Gatorade) contain fructose corn syrup. (see above).

Alcohol

Alcohol is a depressant. Obviously, if you are depressed, ingesting a depressant is not a great idea. Enough said.

To decrease your risk of depression, avoid all trans fats and high fructose corn syrup and limit your alcohol intake.  Remember, what you eat directly affects how you feel, both physically and emotionally. Eat a healthy diet of 80% raw, organic vegetables and fruits.Your body and your brain will thank you.

Sources for this Article:

• http://www.procarespine.com/junk-food-may-increase-the-risk-of-depression/
• http://www.naturalnews.com/035772_fast_food_depression_nutrition.html
• http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/evolutionary-psychiatry/201105/could-soda-and-sugar-be-causing-your-depression

Our good friend, Jason Taylor of  The Source Project, is here in the US and he is traveling with Human Revolution.

Jason uses his video camera to document the truths behind our food supply. His work takes him from his home in the UK to the palm fields of Uganda and the shores of Goa. He tells the story of the farmers, the fishermen, and the real people who are being affected by corporate greed, environmental destruction and industrialized agriculture.

Human Revolution is a political rocker who is using music as a medium to spread the word about the unjust, unhealthy, and unlawful practices behind GMOs. His latest tour is titled, GMO Right 2 Know Yes on Labeling Tour!  The goal of the tour is to raise awareness and  educate people about the dangers GMO’s pose to both consumer health and to farmers and get the word out to voters in California to vote YES on labeling this November!  Human’s California tour is sponsored by Dr. Bronners Magic Soap.

We’re going to be following The Human Revolution here on OLM through Jason’s lens. Keep an eye on our blog and facebook page to see what The Human Revolution is up to and help spread the word by sharing the videos, photos, and blog posts with your friends! Let’s help Jason and Human get GMOs labeled in the state of California and throughout the world.

Click here for The Human Revolution tour schedule. 

Visit Jason Taylor’s website to see all of his work.

Recommended Supplements (These supplements help detoxify GMOs):

• Shillington’s Total Nutrition Formula
• FloraMend Prime Probiotic – Thorne Research
• Fundamental Sulfur Powder (MSM Powder) – Douglas Labs
• Shillington’s Intestinal Cleanse Formula
• Shillington’s Intestinal Detox

Further Reading:

• How to Avoid GMOs
• Foods That Are GMO
• The Difference Between Heirlooms, Hybrids, and GMOs
• The Unspoken Link Between GM-Foods and Cancer
• GMO-Bananas are Going Into Human Trials