Clean Your Home Cheaply and Easily Without Toxic Chemicals – DIY
So, you’ve decided to get healthy. You’re going all the way. You’ve cleaned up your diet. You’re exercising regularly. What’s left to do? Detox. But first, you need to take a good hard look at the chemicals you use on a daily basis and get rid of them. Dump the toxic shampoo, conditioner, shaving cream, after-shave or perfume, soap, lotion, make-up – whatever it is you put on your body and pretend your skin doesn’t soak right up like a sponge. Come on; face it. Whatever we put on our skin is drawn right into our bloodstream.
Whatever we breathe is taken right into our system as well. As soon as you are through tossing out the toxic products you use on your body, toss the toxic solutions you use to clean your home. Here are some great replacements for the noxious, dangerous chemicals you have been using.
How to Clean Your Bathtub
For years I’ve leaned over the tub and scrubbed with any number of cleaners from conventional to green alternatives. There are a number of ways to clean a bathtub. Not one of them comes close to this method. It is by far the easiest, cheapest, simplest way to clean your tub.
After you are through washing your body, let out half of the water. Now soap up your washrag, scrubby mitt, or whatever it is you use to wash yourself. Use it to wash out the soap ring around the tub. That same soap ring you have struggled to clean with numerous sprays and powders immediately dissolves when faced with plain old (better be organic!) soap. Just rub in a circular motion and rinse. Do this every time you take a bath and your tub stays clean.
How to Clean Your Oven
The Healthy Food Team suggests this ingenious, easy method of cleaning your oven.
Apply a paste of baking soda and water to the surfaces in your oven. Let it sit for 12 hours. Use a wet towel to wipe out the oven the next day. Spray vinegar on any residue that is left. Again, wipe with a wet towel.
How To Clean Your Floors
Mop your tile, linoleum, and wooden floors with a mixture of water and vinegar. Just add ¼ cup of vinegar to 2 gallons of warm water. Or add a few drops of your favorite essential oils to warm water.
How To Freshen the Air
Boil citrus peels in a pot of water, spritz the air with water mixed with essential oils, or use a diffuser with essential oils. Better yet, open your windows and let in some fresh air.
How To Clean Your Carpets
Various sites suggest using cornmeal and/or baking soda for a dry clean of the carpet. No way I am putting cornmeal into the carpets. One of the reasons carpets are so hard to get really clean is that they trap dirt between the mesh that holds the carpet fibers together and the padding underneath the carpet. Why would you want to get edible bug attracting food caught there?
Baking soda? Now that’s the way to go. You not only can get carpets cleaner by sprinkling baking soda on the carpet and then vacuuming it up, the carpets will smell better as well.
You can use plain hot water to wash your carpets or you can add essential oils or vinegar to the water. For spot cleaning, try spraying with a vinegar solution of 1:1 vinegar to water.
Remember that the first thing to do when anything spills on the carpet is to blot, blot, blot. After dabbing, stand on that towel to soak up anything that is trapped under the fibers. Then pour a little bit of boiling hot water on the area and blot it again.
Other Cleaners
Make sure you purchase truly green cleaners for washing dishes and clothes. This is not just for the environment – it is also for you! Remember you will be ingesting any chemicals that come in contact with your dishes and your skin will soak in any chemicals that come in contact with your clothes!
As far as other cleaners, use baking soda, lemons, salt and vinegar as much as you can to replace those toxic chemical cleaners. If you do choose to purchase cleaners, read the labels well – beware of “greenwashing”. Just because it says natural, doesn’t mean it is.
Detox
Now that you’ve cleaned all of those toxic products off your shelves, it’s time to clean their residue out of your body. Many chemicals are endocrine disruptors; others erode our health in numerous ways, including gut inflammation that disturbs the proper balance of bacteria so essential to all processes of the body. For a complete detox, we recommend Doc Shillington’s Total Detox .
Eco-Friendly Toys: Tips for Keeping Kids and the Planet Safe
As parents, we always have our kids’ safety in mind. We rarely hand something over to our children without thinking of how it could potentially harm them. Will he be able to pull parts off that car, put them in his mouth, and choke? What happens if she eats that Playdough?
While we do take the time to analyze various aspects of a toy, we probably don’t put enough thought into it. Does the toy have hidden chemicals and toxins? Did its production harm the environment?
Let’s look at several factors parents should take into consideration before hitting the toy store.
1. Repurpose First
Before buying anything new, take a good look at what you have at home. Has your son been begging for a drum set? Maybe the pots and pans would be a satisfactory alternative. Is your daughter determined to have that hot pink playhouse? A refrigerator box with a custom paint job might do the trick.
Here are some great ideas. Otherwise, google phrases like “toys from trash.”
2. Broaden the Age Range
See if you can adapt toys to fit different age ranges. The longer you can use a toy, the longer it will stay out of the landfill.
For example, all you need to do to make “old kid” toys more age appropriate for a younger crowd is bend the rules a little. For example:
Move the foul line closer when playing cornhole and tossers so little arms can play, too.
Don’t worry about forming words with the Scrabble tiles; use them with preschoolers who want to learn their letters.
Use the Twister game board to help kids sort toys by color.
Rather than use a big, heavy soccer ball, let younger kids play with a balloon (by the way, this makes it a great inside game for rainy days).
3. Phase Out Dangerous Things
Sort through your kids’ toy box. Take a look at what is already in there. You probably have several things that are no longer safe—toys with broken or missing parts.
You might also have toys that are unsafe because of the products used for their construction.
Rather than throw these toys out and contribute to landfill waste, repurpose them. There are lots of creative ways to make use of discarded toys (you can find examples here and here).
4. Buy Natural When Possible
The best toy construction materials are all-natural. Look for toys made out of sustainably logged, solid wood. Toys sans finish are best; otherwise, look for options with a non-toxic finish (vegetable, water-based, or beeswax).
Avoid any toys made of pressed woods (plywood or particle board). These woods often have toxic chemicals in the glue.
Other natural materials that make great toys include felt, wool, silk, hemp, organic cotton, and bamboo.
5. Buy High Quality Items
You might have to spend a little more, but high quality toys are worth the investment. These toys are preferable for several reasons:
Quality toys are less likely to break, meaning sharp or dangerous parts won’t be an issue.
The better the toy, the longer it will last. Several children—sometimes multiple generations—can play with a single quality toy.
It is much easier to sell used toys if they are quality. Other parents won’t be interested in purchasing (repurposing) your second-hand toys if they aren’t in great shape. That means they could potentially end up in the landfill.
Higher quality toys are more likely to be made with safe products—sans unwanted chemicals.
6. Buy Local
Reduce greenhouse gas emissions by buying local. The shorter the distance the item needs to travel between manufacturer and consumer the better.
If there aren’t eco-friendly toy makers in your area, see if you can convince someone to give it a try. Ask a local carpenter to make wooden blocks. Ask someone crafty to make eco-friendly dolls and stuffed animals.
7. Be Smart about Imports
If you do buy an imported toy, make smart decisions. Not all countries abide by the same regulations when it comes to making consumer products. Therefore, the country of origin can greatly influence the chemicals included in the toy.
Buy safer toys from Japan, Canada, or European countries.
8. Encourage Creativity
Open-ended toys (ones that can be used in a variety of different settings) inspire the most creativity. Not only is this good for your child’s cognitive development, it also means a single toy can have more uses—meaning fewer toys will need to be purchased.
Great examples of open-ended toys include
A sand box (or sand and water table for inside play)
Art supplies
Wooden blocks
Dress up clothes
9. Avoid High Risk Toys
While many toys pose a low-level threat, other toys are extremely dangerous because of the chemicals they contain.
Cheap plastic jewelry and cosmetics specifically designed for kids are especially dangerous. These often have lead and known carcinogens. Avoid these at all costs!
While it is impossible to avoid plastic altogether, you can make smart decisions about which plastics make it into the shopping cart. A good way to tell if a plastic product is safe is to check the recycling label on the bottom. If it is safe (free of the most dangerous chemicals), the item will have a number 1, 2, 4, or 5 inside the arrow logo.
10. Get Recall Notifications
Subscribe to recall notifications and find out as soon as possible if a toy you purchased is labeled unsafe. The email alerts from the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission would be the best resource for toys.
You can also sign up for recalls from the Food and Drug Administration, the U.S. Department of Agriculture, and the National Highway Traffic Safety Authority (for safety information related to tires, child restraints, vehicles, and school buses).
11. Don’t Buy Anything!
In the end, your child probably doesn’t really need a new toy. Simplify your child’s toy box. Your youngster’s creativity, your wallet, and the environment will thank you!
What are your favorite eco-friendly toys?
Editor’s Note
We don’t really buy toys for our two year old son. Most of the time when people have given us toys for him, he was not interested. He likes to play with what we use. For instance, we prepare virtually all of our own food, so he loves to mimic us and pretend to cook. We give him pots and pans to play with. Add a few spatulas and a some water and he’s set for at least 30 minutes. Big cardboard boxes are always awesome, we cut them out and make forts. I am convinced that letting him play in this way helps boost his creativity, and it certainly saves us a lot of money!
Your Guide to Root Vegetables – Health Benefits, Recipes, and More
Root vegetables are exactly what the name implies – they are the root of the plant. The most common root vegetables have become family staples: potatoes, sweet potatoes, carrots, onions, beets, and radishes. Some are treasured spices: garlic, ginger, horseradish, and turmeric. And then there are the more adventurous root vegetables that you may or may not have cooked or eaten: daikon radishes, turnips, parsnips, rutabagas, Jerusalem artichokes, celeriac, kohlrabi, yuca, jicima, maca root, and more.
Due to their ability to absorb vitamins and minerals from the ground, root vegetables grown in rich soil are full of nutrients and are an excellent source of fiber. Many are high in vitamin C, B vitamins, and vitamin A. Many are antioxidants. Several have remarkable healing properties.
Unfortunately, root vegetables absorb toxins from the ground as well, making organic the best choice.
In choosing the best root vegetables, all should be firm, never soft, and blemish free. If the tops are still attached, you want to choose fresh leaves, not only as a means to choose the freshest vegetables, but the tops of many root vegetables are eaten as well as the root.
In the past, we stored root vegetables in the root cellar, a dark, cool, humid space. If you choose to store any root vegetables in the refrigerator, cover and seal them in plastic or paper and place them in a drawer or they will soon become soft. (Do not refrigerate regular onions or potatoes.)
Many root vegetables can be eaten raw, steamed, sautéed, baked, roasted, stir fried, or fried.
Potatoes
The number one food crop in the world, potatoes are a nutritious vegetable unless they are fried or loaded down with butter and sour cream. They are a good source of antioxidants, vitamin B6, vitamin C, potassium, manganese, phosphorus, niacin, copper, and pantothenic acid.
There are around 100 varieties of potatoes with varying skin colors (red, brown, yellow or purple-grey). The flesh is white, yellow, or purple. Potatoes also come in all shapes and sizes from the giant russets to tiny fingerlings.
Do not store potatoes in the refrigerator or in sunlight. A cool, dark place is best. Do not leave them in a plastic bag that will trap moisture. Store in paper bags or burlap. Do not eat potatoes that have turned green or sprouted.
Potatoes are one of the “dirty dozen” with the highest pesticide residues. Choose organic potatoes to avoid these toxins.
Potatoes can be baked, roasted, steamed, boiled, or fried. A common favorite way to cook baked potatoes is with rosemary.
Recipe: Rosemary Potatoes
Bake small potatoes (or 4 large potatoes) in the oven at 360 degrees until they are 3/4 of the way done. Remove from oven, cut in half (peel and dice large potatoes) and mix with the following:
2 tablespoons olive oil or coconut oil or ghee
1 tablespoon minced garlic
3 tablespoon chopped fresh rosemary
2 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley
1 teaspoon spicy red pepper flakes
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon of black pepper
1 teaspoon of turmeric
Return to the oven and continue cooking until done.
Carrots
Most of the time, the carrots we see in the grocery store or farmers market are a bright orange color, but carrots come in a variety of other colors: white, yellow, red, and purple.
Carrots are a well-known and proven aid to eye health, including glaucoma and cataract prevention. Newer studies reveal their ability to prevent colon cancer and cardiovascular disease. They are an excellent source of vitamin A, with one cup of carrots providing more than the daily requirement. They are also a good source of vitamin C, B vitamins, vitamin K, vitamin E, manganese, potassium, and more.
If the carrot tops are attached, cut them off before storing the carrots and the tops in the refrigerator. Tops can be eaten; try adding them to your salads.
Carrots can be eaten raw or cooked in a variety of ways; however, steaming is said to retain the most nutrients and provide the best taste. Cut in 1/2 inch slices and steam for 5 minutes.
Recipe: Carrot Slaw
A delicious carrot slaw can be made with three ingredients: carrots, pineapple, and raisins (or dried cranberries).
Cut one fresh pineapple into small pieces – retain juice.
Add shredded carrots. Judge the amount by the pineapple and pineapple juice. You want the juice to moisten all of the carrots. (You can always add a little extra juice.)
Add raisins or dried cranberries. Stir and eat immediately or cover and refrigerate a few hours to let the flavors mingle.
Sweet Potatoes
There are about 400 varieties of sweet potatoes. Their flesh may be nearly white, cream, yellow, orange, pink, or purple. They are anti-inflammatory, have antioxidant properties, and they help maintain blood sugar levels.
The leaves of the sweet potato plant have antioxidant properties and are often added to soups. Purple sweet potatoes contain an antioxidant ability more than 3 times that of blueberries. They are also a very good source of vitamin C, B vitamins, manganese, phosphorus, copper, potassium, and pantothenic acid.
Sweet potatoes can be baked, roasted, stir fried, fried, boiled, or steamed. Like carrots, steaming retains the greatest nutrients, though boiling retains plenty of beta-carotene. Baking or roasting doubles the glycemic index.
Recipe: Sweet Potato Pie
4 medium sized sweet potatoes. (The dark orange kind)
1 fresh pineapple, chopped into small pieces.
If you bake the sweet potatoes, bake them slowly in a 350 degree oven. If you slice and steam them, you may want to add a little honey after mixing all the ingredients.
Mash or whip cooked sweet potatoes with coconut oil or ghee
Add spices to taste: cinnamon, cumin, allspice, nutmeg, and salt.
Add fresh pineapple when the sweet potatoes have cooled enough to not kill the pineapple’s enzymes.
Onions
Onions support the cardiovascular system, benefitting both the heart and the blood vessels. They help increase bone density, support ligaments, and are an anti-inflammatory. Onions have also been shown to help prevent cancer and are antibacterial. Rat studies are showing onions help balance blood sugar. They are a very good source of biotin and a good source of vitamin C, copper, B6 and B1, phosphorous, potassium, and folate.
There are two important things to keep in mind when dealing with onions. 1. Do not over peel! The outer layers are more nutrient dense than the inner layers, so peel as little as possible. 2. Let onions sit for 5 minutes after chopping or slicing before cooking them. Again, this has to do with nutrients and the chemical process that takes place within the onion when it is cut.
Green onions can be stored in the refrigerator along with bagged scallions. Other onions should be stored at room temperatures, away from potatoes and bring sunlight. Wire baskets or other methods that allow for ventilation are good.
This amazing recipe comes to us from Julie Kinch and Debbie Fraser of Cooks With Cocktails (See link below).
Recipe: Gluten Free Crispy Baked Onion Rings
Ingredients
1 large Sweet Onion (I like Vidalia, but you can really use whatever)
Olive Oil Spray
For The Dry Mix
½ cup Arrowroot Powder
2 tsp Paprika
5 tsp Salt
1 tsp Onion Powder
1 tsp Garlic Powder
5 tsp Sugar (optional)
For The Wet Mix
½ cup Coconut Milk
1 Egg
Instructions
Heat your oven to 400 degrees.
Mix together all the dry ingredients in a medium sized bowl.
Mix together the two wet ingredients.
Slice the onion to make rings that are about ¾ of an inch wide. Peel the skin from each ring and carefully separate the rings from each other.
Line a baking tray with parchment paper.
One at a time, take each ring and dip it into the wet mix. Then drip it into the dry. Coat it well, but make sure to tap all the excess back into the bowl. Place the ring on the baking tray.
When all the rings are ready, spray the rings with olive oil spray. You want to coat them, but not get too much. Flip them over and spray the other side.
Pop them into the oven. Check them after 9 or 10 mins and flip them over. Cook for an additional 4 mins or so.
Take them out and serve them right away.
Leeks
Like onions and garlic, leeks are an allium vegetable. And like onions and garlic, they should be allowed to sit for 5 minutes or more after cutting before you cook with them in order to receive the greatest nutritional benefit. However, raw leeks are delicious with a milder taste than onions.
Leeks are an excellent source of vitamin K; a very good source of manganese, vitamin B6, copper, iron, and folate; and a good source of vitamin C, vitamin A, fiber, magnesium, vitamin E, calcium, and omega-3 fats.
Leeks provide support for the cardiovascular system due to their antioxidant qualities and their ability to lower homocysteine levels.
Store them in the refrigerator without cutting or washing them before use. To use them, cut off the root and peel the outer layer around the base. You can slice the lower part in whole slices, but as you near the greens you must slice it in half to wash out the dirt that always accumulates.
Cock-a-leekie soup is a delicious traditional Scottish recipe for those who eat chicken.
Add them to any recipe where you would add onions. You can stir fry or steam them, or add them to soups and salads.
Beets
Beets provide antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and detoxification support. They are especially good for the nervous system and eye health. They help prevent heart disease and cancer, and their fiber is especially healthy for the digestive tract. Beets contain folate, manganese, potassium, copper, magnesium, phosphorus, vitamin C, B6, and iron.
Beets can be eaten raw, baked, roasted, boiled, or steamed, but the most nutritious way to eat them is raw or lightly steamed. (If you cut them into quarters, they should steam within 15 minutes. Cooked beets can be easily peeled after cooking by rubbing the skin off with a paper towel. Nutritious beet greens can be eaten raw or cooked.
To store beets, cut off the tops, leaving 2 inches of stem. Place tops in one plastic bag, the roots in another, and store them both in the refrigerator.
Raw Beet Salad
Three medium to large beets.
2 limes
Honey to taste
Use a spiralizer to make beet ribbons. Juice the limes. Mix honey into the lime juice to taste. Pour over ribbons. (If you do not have a spiralizer, use a peeler or grate the beets.)
Yams
Yams are also root vegetables, distinctly different from sweet potatoes. Yams, which are native to Africa and Asia, are rarely found in U.S. grocery stores, though they may be found in an Asian market. The peels are brown and are not smooth–rather they look like they are covered in small roots.
There are two main types of sweet potatoes. The one with a deep orange colored flesh is often called a yam, just to differentiate the two.
True yams are a good source of potassium, vitamin C, and vitamin B6. As far as recipes go, you can cook yams like a sweet potato but know that they are drier and not as sweet. Try yams in place of the sweet potatoes for these fries:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yyVpipOmYpY
Radishes
The health benefits of radishes are truly impressive. They are said to be good for the liver and stomach, the kidneys and bladder, the lungs, the cardiovascular system and the immune system. They purify the blood and eliminate waste, detoxify and are an anti-congestive. They are used to treat cancer, jaundice, constipation, urinary tract and kidney infections, skin ailments, and more.
Radishes come in varying shapes and sizes from large to small, from long to round, and in colors that include white, black, yellow, green, pink, red, or purple. All are a great source of vitamin C.
Daikon radishes come in all shapes and sizes, though the ones sold in the U.S. market generally look like oversized white carrots. The tops are edible and have a peppery taste; they are often added to salads.
Smaller radishes are more nutritious because nutrition is pulled from the root to the tops as the vegetable matures.
Daikons are an excellent source of vitamin C. They also contain vitamin B6, magnesium, and calcium.
To store, wrap tightly in plastic and refrigerate.
Grate them raw and add to salads, slow cook, steam, roast, bake, or pickle them. You can frequently find a daikon radish salad made with rice vinegar in Asian buffets. But here is a recipe for a real treat:
Recipe: Spicy Radish Kimchi
From Reviving the Tradition of Fermented Foods (See link below)
Yield: 1 quart
Ingredients
1 large (12-16″ and 3″ diameter) daikon radish
2 baby leeks OR 4 scallions (green onions)
filtered water
sea salt
4-6 garlic cloves, peeled
2-inch piece of ginger
1 oz. red pepper powder (more=spicier)
1 Tbsp fish sauce (to taste); optional
1 Tbsp tamari or shoyu (soy) sauce
Instructions
Soak the Veg
Cut off greens from radish and peel outer layer off with a peeler. Use greens for another purpose.
Cut radish into 1 inch cubes, or slice into rings.
Dissolve 3 Tablespoons salt into 1 quart of water in a half-gallon (or larger) container. Avoid using a metal container.
Add radish cubes to brine and soak for up to 6 hours.
Drain the veggies through a colander. Reserve 1 pint of brine when draining.
Make Paste
Roughly chop the garlic and ginger. Add to bowl of a food processor bowl. If you don’t have a food processor, dice the ginger and garlic so it’s almost a paste, and add to a mixing bowl.
Slice leeks or scallions into ½” pieces and add to mix.
Add pepper powder, tamari and fish sauce to mixing bowl. Vegan variation: omit fish sauce.
Stir and mash contents (or pulse with food processor) together until a paste forms.
Wearing a latex or plastic glove to protect yourself from the heat of the pepper, mix the paste thoroughly with your hand into the drained radish cubes. You can mix everything directly in the fermenting container, or in a separate large mixing bowl. Mix until the cubes are coated nicely with the paste.
Ferment
Even out the cubes in the container. Next, right on top of the mixture, place the largest object (usually a plastic lid or plate) you can find which will fit inside the diameter of the container.
Add a weight (such as a wine bottle or other glass bottle) on top of the lid/cover.
Liquid will continue to create a brine while the veggies are weighed down.
Check the container in 1 day. If the contents are not sumberged in brine, add the reserved brine.
Cover with a cloth and rubber band to keep flies out. (If using airlock skip this step).
Place in a cool spot (out of direct light) for 14 days. The larger pieces take a little longer to ferment than smaller diced styles of kimchi. Note: Your house will smell like kimchi.
Move to refrigerator, where the taste will develop slowly. Will keep for up to 6 months
Turnips
Turnips are an ancient food for humans. Evidence shows they have been eaten since prehistoric times. They have also been used as fodder for animals for 600 years or more.
Turnips are a good source of vitamin C, while the greens (the tops) are a good source of vitamin C, vitamin K, vitamin A, folate, and calcium.
Some people find turnips too bitter to eat due to a genetic sensitivity to the cyanoglucosides they contain.
Turnips can be eaten raw – just grate them up and add them to salads. Generally, they are eaten in the many ways we eat potatoes. You can boil them, fry them, steam them, mash them up with milk and butter or add them to soups, stews, and other dishes.
Rutabagas
The origin of the rutabaga is an interesting one: they are a cross between the turnip and cabbage. In many countries they are called turnips, yellow turnips, or Swedish turnips along with other names such as neeps.
Rutabagas are an excellent source of vitamin C.
Like turnips, rutabagas contain cyanoglucosides. To those who have inherited 2 genes that detect a particular bitterness receptor, rutabagas are inedible due to their bitterness.
Rutabagas are eaten in a variety of ways. They can be baked or boiled and eaten alone or mashed and combined with other root vegetables such as potatoes and carrots. Rutabagas are also added to soups and stews.
Parsnips
Parsnips look like white carrots. Like turnips, they were once used as a regular staple before the popularity of potatoes took their place.
Parsnips are a good source of vitamin C, folate, and manganese. You can cook them any number of ways from grating them and adding them to salads raw to using them instead of carrots in a cake.
Below you will find two recipes; one is sweet, the other not. These recipes are from Seasonal Chef. (See link below).
Recipe: Orange-Glazed Parsnips
8-10 medium parsnips
1 tsp salt
2 tbl butter or margarine
2 tbl honey
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 cup orange juice
1/2 tsp grated orange peel
Instructions
Peel parsnips and cut into quarter-inch-thick sticks. Cover parsnips with water and simmer until just tender, about 15 minutes. Drain.
Meanwhile, in saucepan, melt butter, stir in honey, salt, orange juice and peel. Heat to boiling. Turn off heat, add drained parsnips and gently stir to coat pieces.
NOTE: For maple-glazed variation, try using ¼ cup maple syrup, ¼ tsp prepared mustard, salt and pepper to taste.
Recipe: Kale and Parsnips
Ingredients
1 cup sliced onions
1 cup halved and sliced parsnips
1 tbl corn oil
1 cup water
2 tbl ginger, minced
1 bunch kale, veins removed and cut into bite-sized pieces
Instructions
Saute the onions and parsnips in oil for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally to prevent burning. Add the water and ginger. Cover and simmer for 4 to 5 minutes.
Add the kale and continue cooking 4 to 5 minutes longer. Stir occasionally but otherwise keep the saucepan covered.
Jerusalem artichokes
Jerusalem artichokes, also known as sunchokes, are a plant native to North America that was cultivated by Native Americans. The plant is in the sunflower family, and it grows tall beautiful sunflowers. The root is similar to ginger root or fingerling potatoes.
The skin of the sunchoke root may be light brown to tan or pink to reddish in color. The inside may be white, cream colored, tan, or purple. They are high in fiber and a good source of iron, potassium, and thiamin.
There are many recipes, various kinds, for sunchokes, from soup to chips. As a matter of fact, there are many recipes on the web for chips. Just slice them thin and cook in oil. Sprinkle with herbs. But be careful, they’re apparently delicious. Don’t eat too many. Sunchokes have quite a reputation for flatulence when eaten in excess.
The following recipe is from The Fruit Guys. (See link below.)
Recipe: Pan-Fried Jerusalem Artichokes in Sage Butter
Ingredients
3 tablespoons butter, divided
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 pound Jerusalem artichokes, scrubbed and cut into 1/4-inch-thick rounds
3 tablespoons fresh sage leaves, coarsely torn and divided
2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
2 tablespoons fresh Italian parsley, chopped
Preparation
Melt 1 tablespoon butter with olive oil in large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat.
Add Jerusalem artichokes and half of the sage.
Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Sauté until brown and just beginning to soften, turning frequently, about 10 minutes.
Using slotted spoon, transfer Jerusalem artichokes to shallow serving bowl.
Add remaining 2 tablespoons butter and sage to skillet; fry until sage darkens and begins to crisp, about 30 seconds.
Add lemon juice; simmer 1 minute. Pour lemon-sage butter over Jerusalem artichokes in bowl, tossing to coat.
Season with salt and pepper. Sprinkle with parsley.
Serves 4–5. Prep time, 15 minutes; cook time, 15 minutes.
Celeriac
Also known as celery root, turnip rooted celery, or knob celery, is a variety of celery. Celeriac is an excellent source of vitamin K and a good source of vitamin C, Vitamin B6, and phosphorus. The big brown bulbous root is eaten raw or cooked and tastes similar to celery, or some say, celery and parsley combined.
The following recipe is from Sylvia Fountaine of Feasting at Home. (See link below.)
Recipe Celeriac Fennel Soup
Prep time, 15 mins. Cook time is about 20 mins. The recipe yields 8 Cups Soup
Ingredients
1 large fennel bulb, cored and diced ( about 1 ½ cups)
1 C white onion, diced
1-2 Tablespoons olive oil
2 grapefruit-sized celeriac- peeled and diced ( about 4-5 cups)
8 Cups Chicken or Veggie stock
¼ teaspoon white pepper
salt to taste
¼ cup creme fraise or sour cream for garnish ( optional)
Parsley oil (optional, for garnish – see recipe below)
Instructions
In a large heavy bottom pot, saute diced onion in 1-2 Tablespoons olive oil, over medium high heat until tender, about 5 minutes. Add fennel. Turn heat to medium-low and saute until fennel begins to caramelize, stirring occasionally about 12 minutes. Add celeriac, pepper and 8 cups chicken stock. Turn heat to high, bring to a simmer, lower heat, cover, and continue simmering until celeriac is very tender, about 15-20 minutes.
Using a blender, blend until smooth -in batches, only filling blender 1/2 full. (Remember when blending any hot liquid, cover the blender lid firmly with a kitchen town, and only fill blender 1/2 full, and start on the lowest speed, to prevent a blender explosion.)
Return to the pot. Taste for salt. When serving, garnish with a swirl of creme fraise, (or sour cream) and a little parsley oil.
Recipe Parsley Oil
1 Cup packed Italian parsley ( stems ok)
½ Cup olive oil
½ clove garlic
¼ teaspoon kosher salt
2 teaspoon lemon juice
Pulse all ingredients in a blender or food processor until combined.
1 white onion diced
Kohlrabi
You know how tomatoes are actually fruits? Kohlrabi isn’t actually a root vegetable. The bulb is actually a part of the stem that grows above ground. It is probably considered a root vegetable due to both its name and its appearance, as it looks like a cross between a turnip and celeriac, and its name is a German word that is literally a combination of cabbage and turnip.
Kohlrabi is a member of the cabbage family, though it is said that its mild taste is more like broccoli. This vegetable, once a favorite of European nobles, has never lost its popularity in Europe.
It is high in fiber, vitamin A, vitamin C, folic acid and calcium.
It can be eaten raw, as a matter of fact, it is eaten raw like a piece of fruit by many Germans. Choose small bulbs; large bulbs are woody, tough, and require peeling. Small bulbs can be eaten peel and all.
There are two varieties: one is purple, the other green. The purple one is sweeter.
Here is an interesting salad from Vegetarians in Paradise. (See link below.)
Kohlrabi Siam Chopped Salad
Yields 4 servings
Ingredients
4 medium kohlrabis, peeled and cut into 1/4-inch dice
1 1/2 cups (360 ml) chopped Napa cabbage
1/4 pound (115g) snow peas, chopped
1/2 to 1 fresh pasilla (poblano) pepper, diced or 1/8 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
1/2 red bell pepper, cut into fine julienne about 1 inch (2.5 cm) long
3 green onions, chopped
3 tablespoons organic canola oil
2 tablespoons toasted sesame seeds
1 or 2 cloves garlic, finely minced
1/2 inch (1 cm) piece ginger, peeled and grated
Juice of 1/2 lemon (about 1 tablespoon)
2 teaspoons sesame oil
Dash of rice vinegar
Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
Black sesame seeds
2 tablespoons minced green onions
Instructions
Combine all the ingredients, except the black sesame seeds and green onions, in a large bowl and toss well to distribute the seasonings evenly.
Transfer to an attractive serving bowl or platter and garnish the top with the black sesame seeds and minced green onions.
This salad is best if made several hours ahead to allow the dressing to penetrate the vegetables. Serve as a salad course or a side dish.
Cassava or Yuca
Cassava, also known as Yuca, maniac, Brazilian arrowroot, tapioca, and many other names, is an important staple throughout the world. Yuca has a high carbohydrate content and is high in vitamin C, phosphorus, and calcium. An amazing variety of traditional dishes are based on this root vegetable from alcoholic drinks to a vegetable used like potatoes or flour to make bread, cakes, and crackers. In the U.S. cassava is mostly sold as tapioca for pudding.
Cassava is a rot generally 2-4 inches in diameter at the top and approximately 6-12 inches long. The brown skin is rough; the inner flesh is white to yellow. Cassava is an excellent source of calcium, vitamin C. The leaves are edible as well and are a good source of protein.
Cassava root must be properly prepared or it will be toxic.
Tapioca Pudding
3 cups of goat milk or nut milk
2 eggs – whisked
½ cup tapioca
¼ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon vanilla
¼ to ½ cup (more or less to taste) of honey
Instructions
Soak tapioca in cold water overnight.
Drain tapioca and add to milk and salt in a saucepan. Bring to a boil while stirring.
Reduce heat and cook for 5 minutes. Continue to stir.
Remove from heat. Whisk a cup of mixture into beaten eggs, a little at a time. Once it is all blended, stir it back into the pot.
Simmer over medium-low heat for 2 or more minutes, until it thickens. Remove from heat and add honey and vanilla. Stir and taste. Add more honey if needed.
Serve hot or refrigerate and serve cold.
Jicama
Jicama, also called Mexican yam or Mexican turnip (among other names), is actually a relative of the bean family. Like regular potatoes, the vines and leaves of this plant are poisonous.
Jicama is a good source of fiber and an excellent source of vitamin C.
The flesh is white with a papery yellow/brown peel. The sweet, crunchy flesh is often cooked in soups and stir fries, but it usually eaten raw with a dip.
An easy dip is made by adding a bit of honey and lime juice to yogurt. But any dip you use for raw veggies is a good match for jicama from spinach and guacamole to the hummus and gourmet combinations. Many just squirt lime and sprinkle chili powder on jicama strips. Here is a great recipe that utilizes the dehydrator.
Combine tamari, agave, lime juice and cayenne pepper together in a small bowl.
Peel jicama and cut it in half. Slice into strips 1/8″-1/4″ thick. You can do this by hand or with a mandolin slicer.
Place jicama strips in a medium bowl and coat thoroughly with marinade. Make sure each piece of jicama is completely covered.
Place strips on dehydrator tray. Dehydrate at 110° for 4 hours, then flip jicama over, rotate trays and dehydrate for another 4-6 hours. Your chips are done when they are crispy on the outside but not shriveled. Enjoy with salsa, guacamole or your favorite dip!
Maca Root
Maca root is also known as Peruvian ginseng. It’s not surprising, considering the medicinal properties attributed to it and the fact that it is known to be an aphrodisiac. It is eaten as a food in the areas where it is grown and it made into flour. But most of its use in the U.S. is as a supplement.
Maca root is said to increase energy; boost brain power, endurance (both athletic and sexual), stamina, libido, fertility, and general health. It balances hormones (both male and female), reduces stress and anxiety. It stabilizes mood and mood swings, aiding in depression. It improves health of teeth and bones, strengthens hair and reduces hair loss. It alleviates symptoms of menopause and PMS. It is also said to clear acne and blemishes. Wounds heal faster.
Maca is rich in B vitamins, vitamin C, vitamin E, calcium, zinc, iron. Magnesium, phosphorus, and amino acids.
The hypocotyl, the bulb between the stem and actual roots, can be one of many colors: cream, gold, red, green, blue, purple, or black.
Maca Root Contraindications
Do not use if pregnant or lactating.
Do not use if you have hormone-related cancer or polycystic ovary syndrome.
Use with caution if you have thyroid problems. Lighter colored maca inhibits iodine uptake, while darker maca contains natural iodine.
There are also warnings to start slow, with no more than ½ to 1 teaspoon a day; 1 tablespoon is the average daily dose for a few days followed by a few days abstinence. Too much may disrupt your hormones.
These are most of the better-known root vegetables. There are more, of course, some familiar, many not, but all are worth discovery. If you have any favorite recipes, please share them.
Four Simple Steps Towards a More Sustainable Lifestyle
If you’d like to do something for the environment, but don’t really know where to start, don’t worry – you don’t have to change your entire lifestyle to make a change. It’s often the little things that add up and can make a real difference. If you’re scared of committing to a lifetime of organic and sustainable living, then why not start small and see what happens? We’ve compiled a few easy tips for beginners who want to work towards a more sustainable future and a healthier and happier lifestyle.
Eat Green(er)
You don’t have to become a vegan or vegetarian overnight, but why not skip meat once in a while and try and cut down on your chicken and beef intake? If you cut down on meat, you will also save quite a bit of money, which means that you could go to the butcher or farmers market more often to treat yourself to some grass-fed organic beef. After all, it’s quality over quantity. Plenty of people around the UK are doing meatless Mondays – and there’s no reason why you couldn’t be one of them. So look for some vegetarian recipes online and get cooking.
Choose Sustainable Cleaners
It’s easy to buy strong, harsh household cleaners from the supermarket, but did you know that you could simply use basic household items instead of harsh chemical cleaners and get the same effect? A mixture of vinegar and baking soda, with some lemon juice added in, makes for a great cleaner for household cleaning emergencies in the kitchen and bathroom. Cleaning has never been so simple and cheap – and sustainable.
Turn Off the Lights
We all know we shouldn’t waste energy, but how often do you actually find yourself leaving on the lights, simply because it’s easier? Try to make it a habit to turn off any lights and lamps that you don’t need, even if you’re just popping to the shop across the road. And remember to swap your light bulbs for energy-efficient ones to save energy and money. You won’t have to feel so bad if you do end up forgetting the lights once in a while.
Avoid Plastic
It’s generally a good rule of thumb to avoid plastic whenever possible. Take your own bag for shopping instead of getting a new plastic bag every time you buy something. Not only are tote bags sturdier than plastic, they will last you a long time, while being a lot better for the environment. What’s not to love? Try and avoid bottled water, too, as plastic generates massive amounts of container waste. Get yourself a reusable water bottle that you can refill, and save some money while you’re at it too.
How to Get the Right Nutrition While Pregnant and Reduce the Risk of Birth Defects
Birth defects are some of the most puzzling health conditions that plague our modern society. In fact, experts can’t pinpoint the cause of nearly 50% of these congenital disorders.
That might seem terrifying to an expectant mother, but we need to look at the silver lining. That stat could be looked at in a different way. We know—and can prevent—more than half of all birth defects.
What Causes Birth Defects?
There are various situations that can cause congenital disorders. One of the most common instigator is poor prenatal nutrition. Various birth defects have been linked to vitamin deficiencies.
Fortunately, by eating a vitamin-rich diet, an expectant mother can keep her baby safe and reduce the risk of birth defects.
Let’s look at some of the most dangerous prenatal vitamin and mineral deficiencies.
Several health reports have found a correlation between a pregnant mom’s vitamin B2 (riboflavin) deficiency and congenital heart disease. This is especially true if the mom combines the deficiency with an excess of saturated fats.
A riboflavin deficiency has also been linked to recurrent cleft lip and cleft palate among siblings.
To add more riboflavin to your diet, make sure you eat plenty of the following foods:
Vitamin B9 is more commonly known as folate (in supplement form, folic acid). A vitamin B9 deficiency can cause spina bifida and anencephaly (a fatal condition in which the brain and skull fail to develop).
Because these deficiencies usually develop within the first three to four weeks after conception, they are more difficult to prevent. In most cases, the damage has been done before the mom knows she is pregnant.
Another dangerous vitamin deficiency is a shortage of vitamin B12. Pregnant women who don’t consume enough vitamin B12 during pregnancy often deliver babies with neural tube defects (like spina bifida and anencephaly) or congenital diaphragmatic hernias (a tear in the infant’s diaphragm which allows part of the abdomen to enter the thoracic cavity).
Since vitamin B12 is only found in animal products, vegan and vegetarian moms need to be especially attentive to their nutrient levels.
Vitamin B12 can be found in any animal product, but it’s in abundance in these foods:
Magnesium is a nutrient we don’t hear about too often. But just because it isn’t one of the front-runners in the media doesn’t mean it isn’t important.
Studies show increasing the amount of magnesium can reduce the odds of cerebral palsy by 45%.
To boost your magnesium levels, try eating more:
Halibut
Spinach
Almonds
Cocoa
Cashews
Pumpkin seeds
Do It For Your Baby!
Being pregnant is a wonderful—but stressful–time. Closely monitoring our nutrient consumption can be exhausting. But, it is important to note what is at stake if our good eating habits start to slip.
If you are worried about a nutrient deficiency, talk to your doctor. Supplements (usually in the form of a multi-vitamin) might be necessary.
(NaturalNews – Dr. David Jockers) The food we eat provides the raw materials for healthy cells in our body. Children need high quality nutrition to function and perform at their peak. Our society trains children to devalue the importance of high quality food choices. Raising healthy children takes determination and great meal planning on the part of the parents.
Most government provided school lunches are packed full of toxic genetically modified, highly processed foods that offer no real nutritional content other than calories. Micronutrients and antioxidants are never considered in designing these meal plans. Additionally, our society has bought into the idea that it is acceptable for children to eat junk food at parties and events.
To raise a healthy family in the 21st century, you must be different. 90 percent of what we are sold as healthy food for kids is not good. Whole grains and pasteurized dairy are used in abundance as healthy parts of a daily diet. Unfortunately, gluten containing grains and pasteurized dairy are inflammatory foods that are linked with digestive problems, allergies, concentration challenges and much more.
Breakfast
Ideal breakfast foods for children include low-glycemic foods that have good fats and clean proteins to keep stable blood sugar. Berries are a great addition as they are loaded with anti-oxidants and are low-glycemic so they help maintain a healthy blood sugar level. Berries are thin skinned and sprayed heavily with pesticide in conventional practices so it is important to get these organic.
Great fats for kids include coconut products, avocados, and extra virgin olive oil. Nuts and seeds are great but ideally, they should be raw, soaked and sprouted. The best seeds include hemp, flax, pumpkin, sesame, black sesame and sunflower. All nuts are great except for peanuts which often contain fungal toxins and are highly allergenic and inflammatory.
Great protein foods include 100 percent grass-fed beef products, 100 percent grass-fed raw cheese products, organic eggs, organic poultry, wild fish from clean waters and wild game from cleaner parts of the country.
The best way to begin the day is high-quality liquid nutrition. Making a shake with frozen, organic blueberries, cinnamon, organic almond or coconut milk, extra virgin coconut oil for more good fats and a non-denatured grass-fed whey protein is fantastic. One could also substitute organic, raw eggs or a sprouted hemp, pea and brown rice based protein.
Lunch
Lunch should consist of soaked and sprouted nuts and seeds. Granola, crackers and cookies can be made out of soaked and sprouted nuts and seeds and flavored with low-glycemic sweeteners like stevia and coconut nectar. At home, a stevia sweetened chocolate avocado mousse is a great treat that contains no sugar and lots of good fats and anti-oxidants.
Snacks
Great snack foods include raw veggies like carrots, celery, cucumbers, red cabbage and bell peppers. Almond butter, guacamole and hummus can be used for dips for these veggies. Also, raw nuts, coconut flakes, dried berries and cacao nibs can be combined to make a great anti-oxidant trail mix.
Dinner
Dinners should be designed around high quality animal protein and double veggies. This could be grass-fed beef, lamb, bison, organic chicken, turkey, duck, eggs, wild game, wild fish, etc. Steamed or sauteed veggies along with a baby spinach salad is great. Make a dressing with fresh squeezed lemon, dried herbs and extra virgin olive oil.
Starches that are okay to use include brown rice, quinoa, sweet potatoes, yams and sprouted grain breads. Sweet potato fries can be made with sliced sweet potatoes grilled with coconut oil on a stainless steel pan. A mashed potato alternative can be made out of steamed cauliflower or sweet potato.
Surprise, Surprise: Soft Drinks Cause Behavioral Problems in Young Children, Research Proves
(NaturalNews – Jonathan Benson) It is safe to say that the link between soda consumption and health conditions like diabetes and weight gain has been clearly established by a plethora of scientific research published in recent years. But what has not necessarily been fully recognized or understood is how consuming soft drinks affects the behavioral normalcy of children, particularly young children — that is, until now.
A new study set to appear in the Journal of Pediatrics has found, perhaps not surprisingly, that soft drinks like soda pop and processed juice can make children hyper, irritable and unable to focus, especially compared to their non-soda-drinking peers. Sugar-filled beverages, it turns out, can also make children aggressive, violent and even suicidal, altering brain chemistry and disrupting normal physiological balance.
To come to these conclusions, Shakira Suglia, Sc.D., and her colleagues from Columbia University, the University of Vermont and the Harvard School of Public Health assessed roughly 3,000 five-year-old children enrolled in the Fragile Families and Child Wellbeing Study. The participating children came from 20 large U.S. cities, and their mothers reported information on their soft drink consumption patterns and behavioral profiles.
Upon analysis, it was found that a shocking 43 percent of children consumed at least one serving of soda or other soft drink per day, and four percent consumed four or more servings daily. But the really disturbing part is that, with each increase in soda consumption among all the children, aggression issues, withdrawal, attention disorders and other conditions became more pronounced.
In essence, after accounting for various outside influencing factors like socioeconomic status, parental stability (or lack thereof) and living situations, the study team verified that soda consumption is a direct cause of behavioral problems in young children. In fact, children who drank four or more soft drinks per day were found to be twice as likely as their peers to get in fights, destroy other people’s property and physically attack others.
“We found that the child’s aggressive behavior score increased with every increase in soft drinks servings per day,” says Dr. Suglia about the findings.
People of all ages damage their brains by drinking soft drinks, research shows
Earlier studies have found that older children, teenagers and even adults are behaviorally affected by soft drink consumption as well. A 2011 study published in the journal Injury Prevention, for instance, found that teenagers who drink at least five cans of soda per week, less than one per day, are more likely to have violent, aggressive tendencies.
Similarly, individuals of all ages were found in another study by the same authors to be more prone to mood-related behavioral problems, including feelings of belligerence, depression and suicide. All across the board, drinking soda and other sugar-dense beverages is a surefire way to mess up your brain and mental health, based on this collective research.
“Soft drinks are highly processed products containing carbonated water, high-fructose corn syrup, aspartame, sodium benzoate, phosphoric or citric acid, and often caffeine, any of which might affect behavior,” say the authors of the Journal of Pediatrics study.
The health benefits of radishes are truly impressive. They are said to be good for the liver and stomach, the kidneys and bladder, the lungs, the cardiovascular system and the immune system. They purify the blood and eliminate waste, detoxify and are an anti-congestive. They are used to treat cancer, jaundice, constipation, urinary tract and kidney infections, skin ailments, and more.
You know how tomatoes are actually fruits? Kohlrabi isn’t actually a root vegetable. The bulb is actually a part of the stem that grows above ground. It is probably considered a root vegetable due to both its name and its appearance, as it looks like a cross between a turnip and celeriac, and its name is a German word that is literally a combination of cabbage and turnip.