If  you’re reading this article, there’s a good chance that you or someone you know has been diagnosed with hypertension (also known as high blood pressure). It may be a worrying condition, but still, there are several things you can do about it: physical exercise, managing stress, quitting smoking, and of course dietary changes.

One of the most significant yet uncommonly practiced approach is cutting out salt. A small decrease in sodium intake can actually lower blood pressure by 2 to 8 mm Hg. You can flavor your food with organic salt alternatives that are readily available just around the corner! Not only are they beneficial in the reduction of sodium intake, they are also rich in many nutrients like magnesium and potassium, which are helpful in the management of hypertension. Plus, the taste is just great!

Let’s identify the best ones.

Sunflower Seeds

Sunflower seeds are a really good salt alternative that comes from a common wildflower in North America. The taste is nutty and vaguely sweet.

Other Blood Pressure Benefits

There is more to sunflower seeds than being a salt alternative. They carry a peptide that helps lower blood pressure and they contain fiber, protein, folic acid, magnesium, copper, magnesium, tryptophan, phosphorus, selenium, and vitamins E, B1, and B6, for healthy blood and blood flow.

Preparation/Usage

Eat sunflower seeds raw or roasted and unsalted. Always note that sunflower seeds make a good snack, but you can also add them to salads, oatmeal, or wild rice dishes to add some crunch.

Fresh Squeezed Lemon Juice

The lemon is believed to be a hybrid between citron and bitter orange. Based on historical research, the fruit is found to have hailed originally from Asia. Lemons contain a lot of acid, making the flavor of the juice, tart and bracing.

Other Blood Pressure Benefits

The juice of the lemon keeps blood vessels pliable and soft, easing and improving the blood flow. Blood pressure becomes reduced – thereby blood can flow easily away from and towards the heart. Also, lemon juice is packed with Vitamin C, which is an antioxidant. Antioxidants neutralize the damaging effects of free radicals.

Preparation/Usage

Lemon juice can be used in so many ways. You can squeeze it into green tea or plain water for a little kick, or use it as a topping on salads, on fish or chicken, on pasta, or in your morning green smoothie.

Onion Powder

Onion powder is a dehydrated and grounded spice out of an onion bulb. The powder is commonly used as a seasoning ingredient in many spice mixes. Be careful not to confuse “onion powder” with “onion salt”. Onion salt is an onion powder with added salt. Stick with its plain powder form. Onion powder tastes sweet, spicy, and earthy, and in some cases, strong.

Other Blood Pressure Benefits

Onions contain Vitamin C and chromium. Pure onion powder induces the production of good cholesterol (HDL), and in doing so, it keeps your heart healthy and helps keep blood pressure in control.

Preparation/Usage

Onion powder is great in soups and stews, sprinkled on baked sweet potato wedges, and just about any other dish that will complement its complex flavor. Since powder is stronger than a raw, fresh onion, you should add it later in the process of cooking or baking.

Black Pepper Powder

The black pepper powder is a salt alternative that is native to India. It comes from a flowering vine that’s cultivated and dried for use as a spice and seasoning for a variety of foods. It tastes a bit acrid.

Other Blood Pressure Benefits

The peppercorn, whether whole or ground, aids in the breakdown of fat cells. Since obesity can lead to hypertension, this is a great way to keep weight in check.

Preparation/Usage

Peppercorn is delicious on egg whites, in tomato drinks, as a sprinkle on chicken or fish, and in just about any other dish you currently spice with salt.

Garlic Powder

Garlic is a bulb that is native to central Asia, but it’s been long associated with Italian food. Garlic powder has been used for over 7,000 years in the human diet, and was utilized as a medicine by the ancient Egyptians. The taste is rich and complex, with a slightly oniony undertone.

Other Blood Pressure Benefits

Garlic inhibits the body’s production of angiotensin II, a blood vessel constrictor that is responsible for increasing the pressure in your veins.

Preparation/Usage

You can actually take garlic powder in pill form as a supplement — a 600mg dose contains 3.6 mg of allicin, which is said to lower the blood pressure by 10% — but you can’t deny how it can tastier as an added ingredient to food. You may sprinkle it on healthy whole grain toast to make garlic bread, or use it on vegetable pasta.

Bay Leaf

The Bay Leaf is native to the Mediterranean, a product out of the old time favorite Bay Laurel tree. The flavor comes from its very sharp aroma, and tastes bitter.

Other Blood Pressure Benefits

Studies have shown that adding bay leaves to one’s diet can reduce glucose and lipids – aka, sugar and fat – in the blood.

Preparation/Usage

Add bay leaves to soups and stews, spaghetti sauces, and just about any dish you simmer. If you have headaches (a common symptom of blood vessel constriction and increased blood pressure), a well-known effective herbal remedy is  hot tea using three dried or fresh bay leaves, and letting them steep for 10 minutes before drinking.

Cinnamon

Cinnamon is a savory spice that comes from the inner bark of trees of the genus Cinnamomum. There are two varieties of cinnamon, Chinese and Ceylon. The taste is sharp, sweet, and warm.

Other Blood Pressure Benefits

The mechanism of action is not well understood, but clinical studies have shown that even short-term use of ground cinnamon can significantly lower high blood pressure. It also reduces glucose levels, making it especially helpful for people with diabetes in addition to hypertension.

Preparation/Usage

The spice is sweet, and a bit fruity, so it’s best in breakfast preparations such as whole grain toast or cereal, a healthy morning smoothie, a low fat yogurt, or hot oatmeal. It’s also well-fitting to have with herbal tea in its stick form. It’s good in some soups, as well.

Conclusion

Hypertension can lead to heart attacks, strokes and even kidney failure. A blood pressure reading of 140/90 mm Hg or above is generally considered high. But fortunately, it’s a good thing to know that hypertension is a highly manageable condition. In fact, the DASH (Dietary Approaches To Stop Hypertension) was developed as a dietary plan to specifically deal with the condition. You may want to take a look at these DASH diet recipes.

Editor’s Note:

A limited diet of processed foods with refined salt leads to hypertension, but salt is not the bad guy here. The refined white table salt has beens stripped of its beneficial minerals so the companies can sell them back to you.  Make sure the salt you use is not refined and therefore not void of the nutritional benefits we need from it. Just like sugar, in its natural form salt is good for us and absolutely essential. On the other hand, cooking with herbs and seasonings is an easy way to improve your health and the taste of your food. If you want to lower your blood pressure quickly, try this protocol Detox Cheap and Easy Without Fasting – Recipes Included for a few days and then get your blood pressure checked. You’ll be amazed.

Recommended Reading:

• Hypertension – How To Lower Your Blood Pressure Quickly and Naturally
• Salt is Good For You
• Cayenne and Capsaicin, Natures Miracle Medicine
• Cinnamon – Ceylon Vs Cassia, Health Benefits, and Other Interesting Facts
• Things You Should Know About Garlic – DIY, Recipes, Other Tips

The appearance of miniature leafy vegetables is not the only reason they are increasing in popularity among gardening professionals, chefs, and consumers. It turns out that microgreens are a robust superfood filled with an enormous amount of energy, nutrients, and antioxidants.

The miniature veggies and herbs have the amazing ability to pack up a lot of flavour in a small amount and can be used to create texture or to give a final touch to a dish. With a plethora of nutritional benefits and distinctive taste, microgreens definitely deserve a place in your home garden and your diet.

What Are Microgreens?

Microgreens are the young seedlings of a variety edible vegetables or herbs, harvested less than two weeks after germination. During this period, also known as the cotyledon growth stage, the first set of leaves sprout, but the root system and the leaf structure are not fully developed. As the name suggests, they are pretty small in size – only one to three inches of height. Popular microgreens include kale, radish greens, onions, watercress, cabbage, broccoli, amaranth, and arugula and herbs such as basil, cilantro, parsley, chervil, and chives. What is unique about these tiny plants is that they have a stronger and more condensed taste than the mature plants.

Microgreens Vs. Sprouts

In the recent years microgreens have become a good alternative to sprouts for various reasons. Both microgreens and sprouts pack a powerful punch with an abundance of flavor and nutrients. The two differ in their planting method and therefore in their nutrient value. Unlike sprouts that are grown using only water, microgreens require soil. As they grow, microgreens absorb minerals from the soil and undergo more photosynthesis than sprouts, increasing their nutritional content. The young seedlings are more developed than sprouts and thus have slightly higher fiber content. Lastly, there have been fatal outbreaks of  antibiotic-resistant E-coli  traced back to sprouts. These factors give microgreens a considerable competitive advantage over sprouts.

Nutritional Content of Microgreens

Leafy vegetables are rich in beta-carotene as well as calcium and iron. Dark green leafy plants such as chard and kale are also high in lutein and zeaxanthin. Below, you can find the nutritional information for some of the most popular microgreens.

Red Cabbage Micros

• Highest levels of vitamin C – a 100-gram portion contains 147 mg of vitamin C or 245% of the daily value vs. 57 mg in an equal-sized serving of mature raw red cabbage
• Microgreen red cabbage contains 69 times more vitamin K than the mature plant
• The microgreen version has 40 times more vitamin E than the fully-grown red cabbage

Cilantro Microgreens

• Higher concentrations of carotenoids than the mature herb
• Higher levels of lutein, violaxanthin, and zeaxanthin
• The microgreen version contains 3 times more beta-carotene

Garnet Amaranth

• Contains the highest amount of vitamin K1 compared to other microgreens and its matured counterpart

Green Daikon Radish

• Has the highest levels of vitamin E compared to other microgreens and its fully-grown counterpart
• A small amount of daikon radishes can cover your daily need of vitamin C (the recommended allowance for adults is 15 mg)

Lettuce Seedlings

• Has the highest antioxidant capacity among the microgreens, especially seven days after germination
• Has the highest amounts of health-promoting phenolic compounds

Sunflower

• The microgreen consists of 24% to 30% protein

What Does This Mean for You?

Judging by the nutritional information of these selected microgreens, there are plenty of reasons to incorporate them into your diet. They are a good source of vitamin C – a powerful antioxidant that helps protect your body from the negative impact of the free radicals. Beta-carotene reduces the risk of eye diseases and cancer, while Vitamin K plays an important role for maintaining strong and healthy bones.

It’s hard to get the required amount of vitamins and minerals you need every single day, but eating microgreens can provide a quick and easy way to do it. If you are interested in adding more microgreens into your menu, you have two options – you can either purchase them or grow them yourself. Luckily you don’t need the service of expert gardeners for this project.

Growing Microgreens

These tiny plants take far less time to grow than regular greenery and are ready for harvest within 7 to 10 days. In comparison, their mature counterparts require 10 weeks.Keep in mind that once you cut them in their early stage, the tiny greens will not continue to grow and you will need to start all over again. Microgreens are pretty easy in terms of planting and gardening because they require minimal sunlight and space. You can grow these tender and tiny greens in your kitchen or in a windowsill.

Keep in mind that once you cut them in their early stage, the tiny greens will not continue to grow and you will need to start all over again, but microgreens are pretty easy in terms of planting and gardening because they require minimal sunlight and space. You can grow these tender and tiny greens in your kitchen or in a windowsill.

Another benefit of home-grown microgreens is that they are not exposed to as many pollutants as commercially offered varieties. Since it’s up to you to determine the gardening conditions, such as the type and quality of soil and the exposure to pesticides, you will have toxin-free and healthier microgreens.

Growing your own microgreens provides you with easy access to fresh and delicious mini vegetables ready for use. For more gardening ideas, be sure to read the City Garden Blog.

Further Reading:

• Detox Cheap and Easy Without Fasting – Recipes Included
• Five Reasons for Sprouting at Home
• Your Guide to Root Vegetables – Health Benefits, Recipes, and More
• Five Awesome Organic Foods that Pack More Punch than Supplements

Sources:

• European Disease Detectives Zero In On Fenugreek As E. Coli Source -National Public Radio – Public Health News
• Beta-Carotene -Wikipedia

How many of these nutrient dense foods have you incorporated into your diet?

Seaweed

Vegetables that are found in the sea contain essential omega 3 fatty acids, which can be great for your body. From combatting heart disease to strengthening your bones, the calcium, zinc and iron packed into seaweed will boost your day-to-day fitness – as well as keep your body healthy over longer periods of time. Seaweed is commonly used as an addition to sushi but, if you’re looking for other ways to get it into your diet, there are plenty of exciting recipes to try out – including some delicious snacks!

Recipe Idea: Seaweed Crisps

Ingredients

• 12 nori seaweed sheets
• ¼ cup of water
• 2 cloves of garlic
• 1 tbsp. sesame oil
• Salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 275°F/140°C. Place nori seaweed sheets on a baking tray and sprinkle with water, adding another layer of nori each time. Use scissors to cut the sheets into your preferred shapes and sizes. Mix the garlic and sesame oil together in a bowl – adding salt and pepper to taste. Gently rub the mixture across the seaweed crisps and bake for around 20 minutes for a delicious snack you can enjoy any time of the day.

Coconut Oil

Many people are put off from incorporating coconut oil into their diets because they’re concerned about the calories it contains, but not all calories are created equal. By restricting your intake, you could be depriving your body of essential nutrients found in more calorific foods. Coconut oil can be used for just about anything. From adding it to a stir-fry to give your noodles an extra kick to injecting some flavour into your chicken satay, the options are limitless.

Recipe Idea: Protein Pancakes

Ingredients

• 1/2 banana
• Handful of blueberries
• 30g oats
• 1 tbsp. coconut oil
• 2 tbsp. flaxseed
• 1 tsp peanut butter
• 1 tbsp of water

Instructions

Chop up the banana and add the flaxseeds, peanut butter, water and oats to a mixer and blend until creamy. Set your frying pan to medium heat and add the coconut oil. Pour in the mixture and cook for one minute on each side. Serve with blueberries for a quick, easy and protein-packed breakfast.

Chia Seeds

Noted as being one of the most healthy foods around, chia seeds are packed with fibre, fat, and protein – among many other healthy nutrients. Like blueberries, chia seeds contain antioxidants, which help to fight off diseases. If you’re looking for healthier after-dinner options, try baking some flapjacks and adding pumpkin and chia seeds for a delicious dessert alternative.

Recipe Idea: No Cook Peanut Butter Dip

Ingredients

• 1 pot Greek yoghurt
• 2-3 tbsps. peanut butter
• 2 tbsps. chia seeds
• 2-3 tbsps. honey

Instructions

Pour Greek yoghurt into a bowl and mix in peanut butter and honey, adding chia seeds as you go. Serve with fruit and use as a dip for a tasty after-dinner treat.

Açai Berries

When it comes to antioxidants, berries are among the best foods around. Açai berries are packed with fibre that’s proven to aid digestion. These berries also contain oleic acid, which is a healthy fat thought to combat heart disease. Açai berries are highly perishable – but you can mix them with other fruits to make tasty juices or shakes, which you can refrigerate.

Recipe Idea: No Cook Açai Berry Truffles

Ingredients

• ½ cup dried açai powder
• 1 tbsp. almond butter
• 2 tbsp. cacao powder
• 2 tbsp. palm sugar
• 1 ½ tbsp. coconut oil
• 8 dates
• 1 small plate of desiccated coconut

Instructions

Add all of the ingredients to a blender and mix until you’re left with a doughy texture. Roll individual balls to a size of your choice and refrigerate. Once chilled, roll in a plate of desiccated coconut to dust and serve as a decadent dessert.

Avocados

Loaded with nutritional values, the avocado has a number of proven health benefits. Avocados are packed with vitamins K, C, and E – among others – and are extremely low in saturated fat. Avocados are an acquired taste – but try mashing up a ripe avocado and mixing in lemon juice and black pepper to make a tasty dip for your snacks.

Recipe Idea: Avocado Baked Eggs

Ingredients

• 1 avocado
• 2 eggs
• 1 tbsp. chives
• Salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

Preheat the oven to.425°F/220°C. Half the avocado and remove the pit. Place both halves into oven-proof bowls and crack an egg into each half. Bake for around 15 minutes. Finely chop the chives and sprinkle on top, adding salt and pepper to taste, for a healthy, hearty breakfast.

Staying healthy doesn’t have to be about implementing strict diets or spending all of your time in the gym. By mixing some superfoods into your daily diet, you can put your body on the path to a healthier 2016.

Recommended Reading:

• 35 Things You Could Do With Coconut Oil – From Body Care toHousehold
• Detox Cheap and Easy Without Fasting – Recipes Included
• Gluten, Candida, Leaky Gut Syndrome, and Autoimmune Diseases
  
• Total Nutrition – Make your own Homemade Multivitamin and Mineral Formula

According to a study of the Harvard Medical School, eating more fresh vegetables, a simple improvement in your diet, can have a tangible effect on your health. Here are a few great vegetables to boost your immune system and a couple of food combos that will enhance their flavour:

Asparagus

Nutrition Facts

Asparagus has plenty of folate, dietary fibre, and iron. The greenery contains selenium, which decreases the risk of bladder, colon, breast, rectum, prostate, and lung cancer. A serving, 242 g of asparagus, provides 74% of the required daily intake of vitamin C and 25% of iron.

How To Cook It

To avoid losing flavour and the nourishing elements of the asparagus, you should not overcook it. Steam for 3 minutes or bake 10 to 15 minutes in the oven at 400 F (204 C). If you prefer, you can also cook asparagus on the barbeque and sprinkle with a few drops of balsamic vinegar.

What Works with Asparagus

The greenery goes well with steak or chicken, as well as with prosciutto, bacon, ham, mint, lemon, toasted almonds and Parmesan cheese. You can also add it to a quiche, risotto, or pasta to give the dish unique earthy undertones.

Almost Raw Asparagus Mango Salad Recipe

Spinach

Nutrition Facts

Spinach is low in saturated fat and cholesterol while it is rich in zinc. It is known for fostering the immune system and speeding up the healing processes in your body. Spinach is also a good source of protein, dietary fibre, folate, iron, and magnesium. In a single serving of 30 g, you get 56% of the required daily intake of vitamin A and 14% of vitamin C.

How To Cook It

You can use raw spinach in salads or steam it for a few minutes. You can also sauté the greenery for several minutes or roast it for 10 minutes. It is important to rinse it well before using it in your meals to remove dirt and grit.

What Works With Spinach

You can pair the leafy greenery with butter, cream, bacon, cheese, eggs, garlic, onions, mushrooms, red pepper flakes, anchovies, pine nuts, nutmeg, olive oil, sesame oil, salt, and soy sauce.

Raw Spinach Basil Soup Recipe

Rhubarb

Nutrition facts

Rhubarb is great for your bones and proper organ functioning because of its high vitamin C levels (10% of the daily value per 122g serving size). The vegetable is very low in saturated fat, cholesterol, and sodium. According to expert gardeners and herbalists, it can also relieve women’s hot flashes.

How To Cook It

Although you can eat it raw with a little sugar sprinkled on it, it is generally cooked with other ingredients, most often fruits to enhance their taste. Rhubarb is used for pie fillings, baked sauces, jellies, jams, muffins, cakes, and other desserts.

What Works With Rhubarb

To balance the sour flavour of this vegetable, combine it with sweet fruits such as strawberries. For savoury dishes, you can combine rhubarb with beets, garlic, olive oil, salt and pepper, or serve it as a sauce for meats and fish.

Beets

Nutrition facts

Beetroot contains a considerable amount of potassium, folate, and vitamin C can and have very few calories (around 50 per cup). However, large portion of the calories in the vegetable come from sugar.

How To Cook It

Baking and oven-roasting are wonderful ways to bring up the natural sweetness of the beets. You can use it raw in salads with some carrots, raisins and sweet dressing or add it in a stew or soup.

What Works With Beets

You can go with the classic combination of beets and goat cheese, especially if the vegetable is slightly older and flavourful. Orange or lemon juice will highlight its flavour. Other complementary herbs and foods are beef, bacon, smoked fish, apples, cheese, cream, chestnuts, honey, cinnamon, vinegar, and vinaigrette. Believe it or not, chocolate and beetroot are a match made in heaven.

Radishes

Nutrition facts

The crunchy, tasteful, and inexpensive superfood, which can be easily grown in your own garden, is full of vitamin C and almost zero calories. Ten radishes contain only 8 calories, and their sharpness will refresh your entire body in a minute.

How To Cook It

Radishes are usually included raw in meals, but they can be cooked just like other vegetables. You can toss them in the pan with some butter, chives, or other herbs that you use for your gardening project and season with pepper and salt. Radishes are great for braising, because they easily absorb the rich flavour of the braising liquid and get sweet and juicy.

What Works With Radishes

Radishes pair deliciously with creamy cheese, quinoa, faro, butter, onions, and citrus fruit. If you are looking for a lighter alternative to potatoes, try braised radishes with your meat or vegetable stew.

For more homesteading ideas and gardening techniques check the Skilful Gardeners Blog.

Editor’s Note: I eat every one of these vegetables raw in my daily salads. For my recipe, check out Detox Cheap and Easy Without Fasting – Recipes Included.

Further Reading:

• The Benefits of Root Vegetables – Recipes Included
• Almost Raw Asparagus Mango Salad Recipe
• 80% Raw Food Diet
• Spinach

Sources:

• University of Illinois
• All Recipes

Cacao growers are facing climate fluctuations along with a growing list of diseases and pests that attack their crops. While the Foundation for a Sustainable Cocoa Economy is on the case (breeding new varieties of cacao and looking for locations that will still be able to sustain cacao production, in say, twenty years), no one knows if they’ll be able to meet the world’s ever expanding demand. What’s going to happen when we run out of chocolate? Will we replace chocolate with carob?

Carob Is Sustainable

Humankind’s long, exciting history with chocolate makes carob seem like the quiet, reliable but less dangerous, less sexy option. It is, but it is also a sustainable one.

Carob is a hardy legume originating in the Mediterranean that can stand temperatures as low as 20°F. Unlike chocolate, carob doesn’t contain caffeine or theobromine. There are few pests that affect it, so it is not likely to be treated with pesticides. Though carob does need to be dried, unlike chocolate, it doesn’t need to be fermented, which further limits its contact with animals and insects.

Perhaps the most important feature of the carob plant is its drought-resistance. Cacao is a water-hungry plant that needs nearly eighty inches of rainfall a year. Regions close to the equator where cacao grows are experiencing drier conditions as climate change evolves, making cacao a less sustainable crop as water resources decline. In contrast, carob requires roughly 20 inches of rain a year, and that’s only to produce fruit. A mature tree can survive drought conditions for years. Multiple signs are pointing to water being the most precious resource in the near future. Shifting our dependence to crops that are less water-intensive is critical.

It Doesn’t Have All of Those Pesky Human Rights Issues

Carob also beats chocolate on human rights. Recent investigations into chocolate production on the Ivory Coast found evidence of continued human rights abuse with 12,000 children smuggled in and made victims of modern slavery. The average carob product is much less labor intensive and more frequently farmed in countries with better-regulated labor laws. It is always more likely to be fair-trade.

Nutrition

Sugar is energy, and we’re biologically wired to want it. But all forms of sugar are not equal, and too much of it and many of the modern forms of it combine to feed Candida and cause other damage. Carob pulp is about 50 percent sugars and while gorging yourself on it isn’t recommended, the naturally occurring sugars benefit greatly from carob’s fiber content, which slows down the absorption of said sugars. This sugar content also has the side benefit of lowering the amount of added sugar needed to make carob palatable.

Carob contains a rich array of nutrients. Like chocolate, carob has significant antioxidant activity, but carob has three times more calcium. It’s also a good source of B vitamins, vitamin A, potassium, magnesium, and trace minerals like iron and manganese. It also serves as a protein source.

In natural medicine, carob’s levels of pectin and tannin help stop serious cases of diarrhea. Its antioxidant profile has also been effective in helping lower cholesterol, and some studies suggest carob is capable of attacking cervical cancer cells.

So Why We Aren’t Clamoring for Carob?

Short Answer? It’s not chocolate.

Carob’s natural sweetness actually plays against it in the taste category, as the bitterness found in chocolate gives it a stronger and more varied flavor profile. Chocolate also contains more fat, another food stuff we find hard to resist.

While linking carob with chocolate does garner some positive press, it also creates carob’s biggest obstacle. Carob and chocolate are most often a sweet treat, they are combined with like ingredients, they are usually the same color, and they do have a similar taste.  However, anyone biting into carob expecting it to taste just like chocolate will be disappointed and forever think of it as an inadequate substitute. It doesn’t have to be that way.

Reframe the Situation

So, it’s not chocolate. If you’re able to separate carob from chocolate, carob can be a satisfying treat. It’s great in homemade energy bites, desserts, and even smoothies. Keep an open mind and try it. You just might have a new favorite sweet snack. Here’s a recipe to get you started.

Carob Coconut Rough Slice

Makes 16-20 single-serve squares

This recipe, Carob Coconut Rough Slice, from Be Good Organics, is used with permission. All of the items listed for the recipe can be purchased from their site.  Always use certified organic ingredients whenever possible.

Base Ingredients

• 1c almonds (soaked 8 hrs or overnight, rinsed and well drained)
• 1/2c raw carob powder
• 1c dates (soaked for a few hours then drained – save the water to use as sweetener in your hot drinks or in a smoothie)
• 2c desiccated coconut
• 3/4c virgin coconut oil, melted but cool
• pinch organic sea salt

Chewy Topping

• 1/2c cashews
• 1/3c raw carob powder
• 8 medjool dates, pitted
• 1/4c virgin coconut oil, melted but cool
• c = 250ml cup, tbsp = 15ml tablespoon, tsp = 5ml teaspoon

Instructions

1. Add almonds to a high-speed food processor or blender, and blend until fine.
2. Add the carob powder and salt and blend again.
3. Now add the dates one by one while the machine is running (through the hole in the top), until fully combined.
4. Remove from the processor into a bowl, then mix in the coconut.
5. Finally mix in the coconut oil until well combined.
6. Pour into a glass or metal tin lined with a square of baking paper and press down until really firmly packed – then place in the freezer to set.
7. Now for the topping, add the cashews to your food processor and blend until they become a fine powder. Add the carob powder until mixed, then one by one while the motor is running add your medjool dates.
8. Make sure your second measure of coconut oil is melted but well cooled (not warm, or it will separate). Add to the processor until the mixture becomes one big gooey ball.
9. Take the base out of the freezer, press the topping down on top of the base and smooth over. Place back in the freezer for about an hour until set, then remove, slice, and store in the freezer or fridge.

This will last a couple of weeks in the fridge. If you want it to last longer (or you have limited self-control), it will also keep in the freezer for up to 2 months.

Raw Vegan Carob Brownie

Recommended Reading:

• Cinnamon – Ceylon Vs Cassia, Health Benefits, and Other Interesting Facts
• Powerfully Healing Raspberry Cream Smoothie Recipe
• 80% Raw Food Diet

Sources:

• Carob: Better Than Chocolate – Gilead Institute
• Carob vs. Cacao – Live Strong
• Carob Health Medicine – Medical Health Guide

If I told you there was a plant that offered an amazing range of nutrients, eased allergy suffering, reduced inflammation, treated arthritis, healed rashes, cured anemia, and improved energy, you would want to know about it, right? Stinging nettles (Urtica dioica) are a superfood, super-medicine, and all around superstar of the plant world.

Nettles have a long history, appearing in the writings of the ancient Greeks, ancient Egyptians, and Roman armies. Their fibers were found in artifacts from the Bronze age and early indigenous American cultures. Nettles are found growing all over the world and in forests and fields near you. They are readily available as a bulk herb and supplement at health food stores. You can incorporate nettles in your diet by creating amazing culinary delights or by steeping them as a tea when you just feel like you need some super powers. There is a lot that you should know about nettles.

Nettles – the Super-Green Superfood!

Nettles pack a powerful punch of nutritional value, making them an excellent superfood and tonic. They contain high levels of iron, calcium, vitamin C, vitamin A, vitamin K, potassium, magnesium, and more chlorophyll than almost any other plant. They have been used throughout history to restore energy to the sick and stimulate sluggish metabolic and lymphatic systems in the spring.

When consumed as a broth, tea, or even a traditional beer, nettles are an age-old cure for scurvy, anemia, low energy, and general depletion from illness or fever. Nettle tea can be extremely useful as a mother’s helper to bolster prenatal nutrition and to increase milk production for breastfeeding. The high nutrient content, combined with all the other positive benefits, makes nettles a worthy daily health supplement. Whether this is in the form of a capsule, tincture, or fresh herb, it’s a good way to ensure you are taking care of yourself.

Nettles as All Around Medicine

Stinging nettle is one of those plants I like to call “Nature’s medicine chest.” It addresses such a wide variety of ailments both internally and topically, that it is always worth having on hand. Aside from the more prevalent treatments for arthritis and allergies, nettles act as an anti-inflammatory agent, addressing a variety of related conditions from sore muscles to gastrointestinal discomfort. The diuretic properties of nettles make them a useful treatment for urinary tract infections, issues with the bladder and kidneys, and enlarged prostate (BPH) for men. A reliable women’s health herb throughout the entire reproductive

Nettles alleviate a variety of issues encountered during menstruation, pregnancy, the postpartum period, and menopause making them a reliable women’s health herb for the entire reproductive cycle.

It is also thought that nettles aid in reducing blood pressure and lowering blood sugar. Externally, nettles treat eczema, burns, rashes, hives, and stimulate hair growth. As an astringent, it stops bleeding and can be applied in a powdered form to arrest nosebleeds. When it comes down to it, nettles belong in your medicine cabinet in some form, much like band-aids. Really.

Nettles as Arthritis Treatment

Although the sting of the stinging nettle is uncomfortable when you encounter it out on a walk, the prickly hairs on the stem and leaves actually reduce the pain and swelling of arthritis. If you pick  nettles with your bare hands, your fingertips may be numb for hours afterward. Urtification, or basically flogging the affected area with stinging nettles, is a practice documented over the last two thousand years. Research has shown that the “sting” of nettles both interferes with pain signals in the body and releases anti-inflammatory compounds to treat arthritic conditions. Taken internally, nettles have been found to support bone and joint health, deliver a healthy dose of boron, balance hormones that affect arthritic conditions, and flush uric acid buildup from the affected joint areas. With plenty of not-so-great-for-you pain relief available these days, it’s nice to have this natural, safe, herbal go-to available for daily management.

Nettles as Allergy Treatment

For a large number of the population suffering from allergies and hay fever, nettles can be a great ally. It is most commonly taken in the form of freeze-dried capsules during periods of seasonal allergies, to reduce inflammation of the affected tissues. Nettles are thought to reduce the histamine levels produced by the body as an allergy response, thus alleviating the allergy symptoms. Many people have reported that itchy eyes, sneezing, runny noses, and stuffy sinuses are treated as effectively, if not more so, by stinging nettle than over the counter allergy medications. They will also leave you feeling energized rather than drowsy. I have always thought it was a wonderful coincidence that nettles start growing in the spring just as pollens are coming out, and continue into the summer and height of pollen season.

Benefits and Use of Stinging Nettles for Other Ailments

Stinging nettles are a blood purifying, anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial, detoxifying antioxidant with more health benefits than we can list.

• May treat many skin problems from acne to eczema
• Stimulates lymph system
• Stimulates immune system
• Support adrenal glands
• Supports thyroid
• Supports prostate
• Supports the spleen
• Supports the pancreas
• Supports entire endocrine system (hormonal system, glands)
• Good for menstrual cramps, bloating, PMS
• Relieves menopausal symptoms
• Relieves arthritis symptoms
• Promotes release of uric acid from joints
• Supports the kidneys
• May break down kidney stones
• Helps with respiratory tract infections and respiratory inflammation
• Helps asthma sufferers
• Strengthens the fetus in pregnant women
• Promotes milk production for breastfeeding
• Improves blood clotting
• Relieves pain and symptoms from osteoarthritis
• Reduces inflammation
• Reduces likelihood of prostate cancer
• Eliminates allergic rhinitis
• Reduces hypertension
• May reduce nausea
• Alleviates diarrhea
• Helps with gastrointestinal disease, IBS, and constipation
• Reduces gingivitis (when used in mouth)
• Removes and helps prevents plaque buildup (when used in mouth)
• Has been shown to help treat Alzheimer’s disease
• Provides relief for neurological disorders like MS, ALS, and sciatica
• Destroys intestinal worms and other parasites
• It’s antifungal. Kills Candida along with other yeast and fungi

How to Find Nettles

Nettles can be found growing in moist soils at the edge of forests, in fields, along ditches and near streams or marshy areas. With a good plant ID guide and advice from local foragers, you can venture out and gather your own nettles all through the spring months. You can also purchase nettle seeds from heirloom seed companies and plant them in your garden. I have found that the rhizomes from wild nettle patches transplant nicely into my garden. They love my compost pile. With a little water, you can keep them going through the summer. Nettles are very easy to dry and use throughout the rest of the year when they aren’t found growing outside. If you do not have access to foraging areas or garden space, you can always purchase dried nettle leaf and a variety of nettle supplements. In the Spring, grocery stores will sometimes carry fresh, wildcrafted nettles.

Wellness Nettle Broth Recipe

I have found when I am feeling under the weather, or I am just in need of some solidly green food at the end of the winter, a nettle broth is perfect. It leaves me feeling healthy and energized.

Ingredients

• 2 cups of fresh stinging nettle tips (or 1 cup dried)
• 1 medium onion finely chopped
• 4-5 cloves fresh minced garlic
• 2 Tbs fresh grated ginger root
• 1 burdock root peeled and chopped fine (or 4 Tbs dried)
• 4 cups vegetable broth, miso broth, or bone broth
• 1 Tbs olive oil
• dash of tamari or Bragg’s Liquid Aminos
• salt and pepper to taste

In a large pot, sauté onions until translucent. Add burdock root, garlic, and ginger and sauté a few more minutes. Add broth and bring to a boil. Add nettles, turn down to a simmer, and stir occasionally until the nettles are soft and fully cooked. (This breaks down the prickly hairs, and your tongue will thank you.) Add tamari or Bragg’s and season to taste.

Stinging Nettle Homemade Toothpaste Recipe

The boron in stinging nettles is an essential element for bone health that helps bones and teeth retain calcium. Therefore, it is a great addition to homemade toothpaste.

Homemade toothpaste is easy. If you don’t have one of the ingredients, leave it out or substitute something similar. Mix it up, and experiment.

• 2 Tbsp nettle powder
• 1 tsp Irish moss powder
• 1 tsp bladderwrack powder
• 1 drops liquid stevia
• 5 drops peppermint essential oil
• 1 tsp unrefined sea salt
• 1 tsp baking soda

Add dry ingredients together and mix. Add wet ingredients and a little bit of distilled water to get your desired consistency.

Recommended Reading:

• Five Common Weeds to Cultivate for Health and Nutrition
• Fight Cavities and Gingivitis Naturally With Homemade DIY Oral Health
• Allergy Free in Five Days (foods, dander, dust, seasonal, etc.)
• What Causes Chronic Inflammation, and How To Stop It For Good
• Things You Should Know About Garlic – DIY, Recipes, Other Tips

Related Products:

• Gaia Herbs Nettle Leaf Capsules
• Gaia Herbs Nettle Leaf Liquid Extract
• Douglas Labs Nettle Capsules

Sources:

• Stinging Nettle – University of Maryland Medical Center
• Stinging Nettle – Dr. Christopher’s Herbal Legacy
• Use Natural Remedies for Arthritis Pain – Mother Earth News
• Nettle: Nutritious Allergy Ally – The Practical Herbalist
• Eat Your Wild Greens: The Delectable Nettle – A Mountain Hearth
• Nettles Bring Spring to the Kitchen – NPR

Glyphosate, the extra secret ingredient in the majority of our food supply, will now have a harder time going incognito. After the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) published a criticism of the FDA and the USDA’s current herbicide monitoring practices, the FDA, the highest food safety administration in the land, announced they have finally developed a “streamlined method” designed for testing foods like corn and soy for glyphosate, the active ingredient in the world’s most popular herbicide, Roundup.

Roundup use has been on the rise since its introduction in 1974, and the amount of glyphosate residue considered “safe” has ballooned by a factor of 17. The EPA allows fifty times more glyphosate to be sprayed on corn now than they allowed in 1995. Continued claims that Roundup is safe, though it was recently labeled a possible human carcinogen by the World Health Organization, and claims that residue levels are of no concern, though the FDA wasn’t even testing glyphosate residue levels on crops, has further tarnished the reputations of the EPA, the USDA, and the FDA. 

Reasons or Excuses?

It’s kind of crazy that the FDA, the organization tasked with monitoring herbicides, has not been testing for the world’s most used herbicide. It’s like getting an STD test at a clinic and not testing for syphilis. The FDA cites the cost of testing as the reason for excluding glyphosate from their testing. Adding glyphosate testing to six of the FDA’s facilities has an estimated cost of 5 million. Monsanto makes 5 billion dollars a year in revenue from glyphosate while also supplying the FDA with some of the highest ranking individuals working there. Is it too far of a stretch to wonder if neglecting to test for Roundup residue was really an issue of cost?  Or was it an excuse to allow one of the largest corporations to keep selling massive amounts of a substance increasingly recognized as detrimental to human health?

Living in the Now

The study by the WHO that identified glyphosate as “probably carcinogenic” has been a game changer. It’s possible we wouldn’t know about the lack of reliable glyphosate testing without that study, as the GAO report criticizing the FDA’s lax practices was actually released in 2014. While that timeline definitely fits, there are also other factors prompting this announcement from the FDA.

Independent testing companies like Abraxis and MIcrobe have seen an uptick in requests for glyphosate testing after the WHO study was published. Small companies, advocate groups, and doctors are among the customers asking for this information more than ever before. Test requests at some labs have increased from a few a year to a few a week, indicating that food transparency is a rising interest. Test results showed glyphosate residues in a variety of products from honey to soy sauce to infant formula.

Keep the Ball Rolling

Here’s the good news: public pressure can produce results. We still don’t know the extent to which herbicides like glyphosate can affect our health,  but we’ll never know without proper study of all available information. The push for food transparency is on its way to making a big difference in our health and our quality of life.

Related Articles:

• MIT Researcher Reveals the Correlation Between Monsanto’s Roundup and Autism
• Gluten, Candida, Leaky Gut Syndrome, and Autoimmune Diseases
• Understanding and Detoxifying Genetically Modified Foods
• Glyphosate Drenched Crops
• Scientists Against GMOs – Hear From Those Who Have Done the Research

Sources:

• FDA to Start Testing For Glyphosate in Food – Civil Eats
• Fears Over Roundup Residue Prompt Private Testing – Reuters
• The FDA Will Began Testing Food For Glyphosate, the Most Heavily Used Farm Chemical Ever – Newsweek