(Natrual News) You may not think it a worthwhile endeavor to grow culinary herbs indoors, or outdoors for that matter. After all, a quick trip to most food stores will usually allow you to come back with the spices you need. But how fresh are they and have they been irradiated?

There are medicinal qualities to some culinary herbs that are best ensured by growing your own. And they don’t require much space. They can even be cultivated indoors if you lack outdoor earth space or if your area suffers severe winter weather.

All material sources for this article recommend using the kitchen or area near the kitchen where there is six hours of sufficient sunlight. But if your area gets a good deal of cold weather, don’t cultivate too close to windows. In lieu of sunshine, grow lamps can be used. Just be prepared for that SWAT team to bash your door down looking for weed (kidding, sort of).

One source advises bringing in herbal plants during cold weather that are perennial instead of annual. Perennials keep on going even outdoors when they go dormant during cold winters. Annuals have to be replanted.

If your dwelling requires heat throughout most of the winter, make sure that the area of potted herbal plants is humid. Without a humidifier, pebbles with water in a tray where your plant pot can be placed should work.

Culinary herbs with strong medicinal properties and health benefits

Cilantro (coriander) grows rapidly and is best started from seeds. Once harvested, cilantro does not continue growing. So it’s best to stagger three pots planted some time apart to get through winter months.

Cilantro offers remedies for many maladies that can be found here. Even more importantly, cilantro has been discovered to actually remove heavy metals from organ tissues. These heavy metals include three of the most harmful: lead, mercury and aluminum.

By using cilantro for pestos, soups and sauces or simply constantly garnishing many cooked foods, you would be undergoing constant heavy metal chelation. Not a bad idea in our heavily contaminated heavy metal environment.

Cilantro’s chelation properties were discovered intentionally and incidentally through several studies over the past few years. Combining chlorella with cilantro boosts heavy metal, especially mercury, chelation.

Rosemary is a perennial that does well in drier air, but the soil should never dry out. There are two basic types, upright and trailing. Obviously, uprights would be more appropriate for kitchen cultivating.

Rosemary has been proven by two separate studies in Spain to help ward off radiation damage from even ionizing radiation, which is the more dangerous type of radiation from atomic energy, radon and medical equipment such as mammograms, X-rays and CT scans. Airport scanners also emit ionizing radiation, which is capable of removing electrons from atoms, thus instantly damaging cells and DNA.

Other sources of radiation that are common to everyday life are Wi-Fi, cell phones and cell phone towers, all of which excite electrons in atoms enough to put them into different orbits. Not as quickly damaging short-term as ionizing radiation, but ultimately damaging with chronic exposure over time.

Using rosemary often can help reduce the effects of radiation from everyday living and even ionizing radiation.

Other herbs that can be easily grown indoors

Oregano, especially of the Greek variety, can keep growing for a couple of years. Harvesting leaves encourages that growth. Oregano is useful in a variety of foods, and oregano oils have powerful medicinal qualities.

Parsley has both a flat leaf and curly leaf variety. It thrives indoors. Harvesting the outer leaves encourages more plant growth. Parsley seems to be an underrated herb for health benefits. But it does have many health benefits.

Thyme, dill, mint and sage can also be grown indoors.

Further Reading:

• Planning Your Organic Garden
• DIY Solutions for the Garden
• How to Start a Vegetable Garden – How to Grow Vegetables
• 5 Natural Pest Remedies for Your Garden
• Ten Great Gardening Tips
• How to Make Your Own Compost Tea

Sources:

• http://www.pressherald.com
• http://www.ifis.org
• http://nourishedkitchen.com
• http://www.naturalnews.com
• http://www.naturalnews.com
• http://chemed.chem.purdue.edu
• http://science.naturalnews.com

(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.

Sources for this article include:
http://www.healthychildren.org
http://www.naturalnews.com
http://www.naturalnews.com/033375_cognitive_function_foods.html
http://www.naturalnews.com/032275_ADHD_natural_remedies.html

(NaturalNews – Dr. David Jockers) Poor sleep is a very serious threat to an individual’s health. Poor sleeping habits lead to altered hormone balances and circadian rhythms. This process accelerates the aging process and speeds up the development of degenerative diseases such as heart disease, cancer, Parkinson’s, Alzheimer’s and osteoarthritis among others.

Ten habits for highly effective sleep

1. Proper nutrition: Foods that are high in sugar and carbohydrates are going to cause blood sugar imbalances that can cause sleeping problems. Instead, build your meals around phytonutrient rich vegetables and healthy fat sources such as avocados, coconut products, nuts, organic and grass-fed animal products. Avoid stimulants such as caffeine, chocolate and raw cacao within six hours of bedtime.

2. Regular sleep-wake cycle: The body works best on routine rhythms. For optimal sleeping patterns go to sleep the same time each night and wake up the same time each morning. The most you should deviate if at all possible would be 30 minutes.

Research has shown that people need at least seven and up to nine hours of sleep for optimal health. Every hour of sleep between 9 p.m. and midnight is equivalent to two hours of quality sleep after midnight.

3. Only use your bed for sleeping: Many people do all sorts of activities in their bed. For optimal sleeping habits, attempt to train your body that when you get in your bed it is time to go to sleep. Get any other sort of distractions out of your bedroom.

4. Darkness: In the absence of light, the pineal gland produces melatonin. Melatonin is known as the regulator of the sleep/wake cycle in the body. It is produced in the pineal gland of the brain and monitors sleep cycles while playing an important role in healing and anti-oxidant protection.

Any sort of light can interfere with normal melatonin production and negatively affect sleeping patterns. Turn off all lights, turn your alarm clock away from you and close the blinds.

5. Hydration: There is a delicate hydration balance that should be achieved for optimal sleep. You want to ensure that your body is not dehydrated as this will increase stress hormones and disrupt sleep while too much hydration will fill the bladder and lead to bathroom breaks overnight. Be sure to drink eight ounces of water 90 minutes before bed and leave a glass of water near your bed in case you wake up thirsty. Go to the bathroom and empty your bladder before getting in bed.

6. Keep the room cool: When you fall asleep, your body temperature homeostasis (temperature your brain is trying to achieve) goes down. If the room temperature is too cold or too hot it can cause stress on the system and disrupt sleep. The typical range that works best is between 65-70 degrees F.

7. Relaxation tea: There are many organic teas on the market that are loaded with herbs like chamomile, passionflower and valerian root which naturally help relax the body and induce sleepiness.

8. Melatonin supplement: This supplement can enhance the body’s natural sleep/wake cycle. Many individuals have reported benefits using this with great success.

9. Gratitude: Many individuals allow fear, worry and anxiety to disrupt sleep cycles. Practicing gratefulness allows the body to relax more effectively. Keep a gratitude journal and write down three things you are genuinely grateful for that day.

10. Prioritize: Sleep is not a heavily valued commodity in our fast-paced world. However, prioritizing your sleep will allow you to function at a higher percentage of your potential. Good sleep habits allow you to be more productive and enjoy your life much more.

Sources for this article include:
http://www.naturalnews.com/032807_insomnia_solutions.html
http://www.naturalnews.com/033082_sleep_deprivation_stress.html
http://www.naturalnews.com

(NaturalNews – Lance Johnson) As the temperature rises in the body, thousands of sweat glands begin to bead up, preparing to cool the body down. The average person possesses about 2.6 millions sweat glands — a built in thermostat. This system is made up of eccrine glands and apocrine glands.

Eccrine glands are the most numerous, harbored in places like the forehead, hands, and feet. These glands are activated at birth and do not secrete proteins or fatty acids.

Apocrine glands, on the other hand, do secrete proteins and fatty acids and are found in the genital area and armpits. These become active during puberty and usually end in hair follicles.

The sweat coming from both types of glands does not have an odor. Body odor comes from bacteria living on the skin. The bacteria metabolize the proteins and fatty acids secreted from the eccrine glands, ultimately producing an odor. That odor can be influenced by the type of bacteria living on the skin and the kind of food a person eats.

This often unpleasant odor is the reason why deodorants and antiperspirants have become a popular body care product today. Many people have their favorite brand but are unaware that many antiperspirants are actually drugs that change the physiology of the body. These antiperspirants contain an active ingredient that is scientifically validated to accelerate brain aging and cause Alzheimer’s disease. This drug is often rubbed into the sweat glands and taken up into the body.

Deodorants versus antiperspirants

Deodorants work by killing the bacteria that live on the skin. They are often scented to provide consumers with a pleasant fragrance. Commercial deodorants often contain hormone-disrupting chemical fragrances that absorb into the skin and disrupt the endocrine system. Natural deodorants use plant-based essential oils as an alternative to the chemicals. Many of these essentials oils give the natural deodorant more power, because they possess antibacterial properties that help drive away the bacteria in the sweat glands that cause the actual stink.

Antiperspirants, on the other hand, work in a much different way. Antiperspirants work by blocking the sweat glands, stopping the secretion of proteins and fatty acids. Most antiperspirants are made with aluminum salts like aluminum chloride, aluminum chlorohydrate or aluminum zirconium compounds. Since antiperspirants change the physiology of the body, they are actually considered an over-the-counter drug in the US and are regulated by the Food and Drug Administration. Every antiperspirant sold in the US has a Drug Identification Number (DIN), denoted on the label.

Chronic aluminum exposure and neurotoxicity

In 1986, aluminum was first recognized as a neurotoxin in the USA. The US EPA has established a safe range for aluminum salts in public drinking water, which is 0.05 to 0.2 milligrams per liter.

In a 2010 publication of Neurotoxicology, researchers from the Department of Medicine at the University of California showed how extended exposure to aluminum salts causes neurotoxicity. In an animal model, aluminum was given at low levels to determine acceleration of brain aging. They found out that aluminum salts can increase levels of glial activation, inflammatory cytokines and amyloid precursor proteins within the brain. These increases are all indicative of accelerated brain aging. The aluminum salts effectively increased brain inflammation that is also present in Alzheimer’s patients.

Remarkably, aluminum salts like aluminum zirconium are marketed as the active ingredient in many commercial antiperspirants. Aluminum zirconium makes up 15 percent or more of most commercial antiperspirants! The label often warn consumers that the product can cause kidney damage too. Here’s an example antiperspirant label here.

Sources for this article include:
http://www.controlyourimpact.com
http://water.epa.gov
http://science.naturalnews.com

(Cornucopia – New York Times – by Andrew Pollack) A potato genetically engineered to reduce the amounts of a potentially harmful ingredient in French fries and potato chips has been approved for commercial planting, the Department of Agriculture announced on Friday.

The potato’s DNA has been altered so that less of a chemical called acrylamide, which is suspected of causing cancer in people, is produced when the potato is fried.

The new potato also resists bruising, a characteristic long sought by potato growers and processors for financial reasons. Potatoes bruised during harvesting, shipping or storage can lose value or become unusable.

The biotech tubers were developed by the J. R. Simplot Company, a privately held company based in Boise, Idaho, which was the initial supplier of frozen French fries to McDonald’s in the 1960s and is still a major supplier. The company’s founder, Mr. Simplot, who died in 2008, became a billionaire.

The potato is one of a new wave of genetically modified crops that aim to provide benefits to consumers, not just to farmers as the widely grown biotech crops like herbicide-tolerant soybeans and corn do. The nonbruising aspect of the potato is similar to that of genetically engineered nonbrowning apples, developed by Okanagan Specialty Fruits, which are awaiting regulatory approval.

But the approval comes as some consumers are questioning the safety of genetically engineered crops and demanding that the foods made from them be labeled. Ballot initiatives calling for labeling were rejected by voters in Oregon and Colorado this week, after food and seed companies poured millions of dollars into campaigns to defeat the measures.

The question now is whether the potatoes — which come in the Russet Burbank, Ranger Russet and Atlantic varieties — will be adopted by food companies and restaurant chains. At least one group opposed to such crops has already pressed McDonald’s to reject them.

Genetically modified potatoes failed once before. In the late 1990s, Monsanto began selling potatoes genetically engineered to resist the Colorado potato beetle. But the market collapsed after big potato users, fearing consumer resistance, told farmers not to grow them. Simplot itself, after hearing from its fast-food chain customers, instructed its farmers to stop growing the Monsanto potatoes.

This time around could be different, however, because the potato promises at least potential health benefits to consumers. And unlike Monsanto, Simplot is a long-established power in the potato business and presumably has been clearing the way for acceptance of the product from its customers.

Simplot hopes the way the potato was engineered will also help assuage consumer fears. The company calls its product the Innate potato because it does not contain genes from other species like bacteria, as do many biotech crops.

Rather, it contains fragments of potato DNA that act to silence four of the potatoes’ own genes involved in the production of certain enzymes. Future crops — the company has already applied for approval of a potato resistant to late blight, the cause of the Irish potato famine — will also have genes from wild potatoes.

“We are trying to use genes from the potato plant back in the potato plant,” said Haven Baker, who is in charge of the potato development at Simplot. “We believe there’s some more comfort in that.”

That is not likely to persuade groups opposed to such crops, who say altering levels of plant enzymes might have unexpected effects.

Doug Gurian-Sherman, a plant pathologist and senior scientist at the Center for Food Safety, an advocacy group, said that the technique used to silence the genes, called RNA interference, was still not well understood.

“We think this is a really premature approval of a technology that is not being adequately regulated,” he said, adding that his group might try to get a court to reverse the approval of the potato.

He said one of the substances being suppressed in the Innate potatoes appeared to be important for proper use of nitrogen by the plant and also for protection from pests.

The Agriculture Department, in its assessment, said the levels of various nutrients in the potatoes were in the normal range, except for the substances targeted by the genetic engineering. Simplot has submitted the potato for a voluntary food safety review by the Food and Drug Administration.

The company says that when the Innate potatoes are fried, the levels of acrylamide are 50 to 75 percent lower than for comparable nonengineered potatoes. It is unclear how much of a benefit that is.

The chemical causes cancer in rodents and is a suspected human carcinogen, though the National Cancer Institute says that scientists do not know with certainty if the levels of the chemical typically found in food are harmful to human health.

Still, Gregory Jaffe, biotechnology project director at the Center for Science in the Public Interest, a consumer group that deals with nutrition issues, welcomed the approval. “We support clearly trying to reduce consumers’ exposure to acrylamide and if this product helps do that, I think it’s a benefit,” he said.

Last year, the F.D.A. issued draft guidance advising the food industry how to reduce levels of acrylamide, which is also found in some baked goods, coffee and other foods. The agency listed numerous steps that could be taken in the growing, handling and cooking of potatoes. Many food companies no doubt have already taken steps to reduce acrylamide levels and might not need the genetically engineered potatoes.

Whether McDonald’s, which did not respond to requests for comment, adopts the potatoes is somewhat academic for at least another couple of years. Simplot anticipates that only a few thousand out of the nation’s more than one million acres of potatoes will be planted with Innate potatoes next year, far too little to serve fast-food chains.

Instead, the company will focus on sales of fresh potatoes and fresh-cut potatoes to supermarkets and food service companies and to potato chip manufacturers, said Doug Cole, a spokesman for Simplot.

The National Potato Council, which represents potato farmers, welcomed the approval, albeit with reservations.

John Keeling, chief executive of the trade group, said growers wanted new technology. But in comments to the Agriculture Department, the group has expressed concern that exports could be disrupted if genetically engineered varieties inadvertently end up in shipments bound for countries that have not approved the potatoes.

China, for instance, recently turned away shipments of corn containing small amounts of a genetically engineered variety developed by Syngenta that it had not approved for import. Some corn farmers and exporters have sued Syngenta for their losses.

Mr. Cole of Simplot said growers would have to keep the genetically engineered potatoes separate from others and out of exports at least for now. The company plans to apply for approval of the potatoes in the major markets, starting with Canada, Mexico, Japan and then other parts of Asia.

(NaturalNews – Zach C. Miller) Certain working professionals, such as carpenters and painters, might know what trisodium phosphate (TSP) is. They’d know that TSP is an industrial cleaning agent used for paint prep work, as a degreasing agent, as a mildew remover, siding cleaner and lead abating agent. However, what these working pros wouldn’t expect is for TSP to be in their breakfast, lunch, and toothpaste!

TSP used for industrial cleaning comes with first aid warnings on it due to the compound’s extreme alkalinity. Yet, breakfast cereal manufacturers are bold enough to put this product in their cereals and even list it right on the ingredient label! Go ahead right now and look in your cabinet, if you have a mainstream breakfast cereal in there you might see TSP listed on the label in plain sight.

TSP and the FDA’s hypocrisy

The FDA has approved TSP to be generally recognized as safe (GRAS). Because of its alkalinizing cleaning properties, TSP has been used in dishwashing and laundry products over the years. But government studies have found that TSP is bad for the environment and as such TSP was phased out of common household cleaning products in 2011. The hypocrisy of this is outstanding; TSP is bad for our ecology, but it’s okay to put it in food!?

Along with GMOs and gluten, TSP is another item you’ll probably want to add to your list of things to avoid in foods that you buy and support with your dollar. Luckily, TSP usually is easily visible on the ingredients list, so if you know where to look you can avoid buying it for your family.

What types of products contain trisodium phosphate?

Among the cereals that contain it are Wheaties, most types of Cheerios, Lucky Charms, Trader Joe’s brands, and others. It appears that most General Mills cereal brands contain TSP. However, there are many brands of cereals that potentially have TSP added as an ingredient so check your labels. Some other foods and products that contain TSP include:

– Processed meats
– Processed cheese
– Many canned soups
– Commercial cakes and baked goods (added as a leavening agent)
– Toothpastes
– Baby toothpastes
– Mouthwash
– Hair coloring and bleaching products

The FDA has stated that TSP is not a risk in food, but on the PAN Pesticides Database-Chemicals website it clearly states to avoid contact with TSP, either internally or topically (as in hair products). Some of the health problems that can arise from ingesting TSP are: irritation the gastric mucosa, reduction of lactic acid in muscles, a mineral imbalance leading to loss of calcium from bones, and calcification of the kidneys. The daily recommended value of TSP is 70mg. Western diets consisting of junk food sometimes reach upwards of 500mg of TSP, which leads to an increased risk of developing osteoporosis and other health problems.

Sources for this article include
http://www.onlineholistichealth.com/trisodium-phosphate-food/
http://www.nutrition.und.edu*1
http://www.foodfacts.com
http://www.activistpost.com

(NaturalNews – Jonathan Benson) Millions of prohibitionist-minded Americans have been exposed as complete hypocrites by research proving that refined sugar is more addictive than even hard drugs like cocaine. A compilation of scientific evaluations looking at both sugar and synthetic sweeteners reveals that these omnipresent substances often trigger the same or stronger responses in the brain as illegal drugs, and are sometimes much harder to break in terms of habitual consumption.

A paper published in the journal PLOS ONE back in 2007, for instance, explains how rats given the option to choose between drinking water sweetened with saccharin (Sweet’n Low) or intravenous cocaine almost always chose the water. A shocking 94 percent of rats, according to the researchers, actually preferred the high that they got from saccharin as opposed to the cocaine rush.

The same study found that sucrose, or common table sugar, was also preferred by the rats over cocaine. Based on this observance, the research team noted that regardless of caloric content, the sheer intensity and pleasure of sweetness seems to be more addictive than even the sensitization and intoxication brought about by cocaine, which mainstream society still recognizes as being much more harmful than sugar.

“Refined sugars (e.g., sucrose, fructose) were absent in the diet of most people until very recently in human history,” wrote the researchers from University of Bordeaux in France and James Cook University in Australia. “Today overconsumption of diets rich in sugars contributes together with other factors to drive the current obesity epidemic.”

Sugar addiction is biologically equivalent to drug addiction

But is it just that the taste of sweetness is enjoyable, or is there something more going on in the brain to indicate actual dependency and addiction? Nearly 40 years ago, William Dufty helped answer this question when he penned a book entitled Sugar Blues, which highlighted the addictive properties of sugar and how sweets are a major driver for declining public health.

Many of the ideas presented in this groundbreaking book have been affirmed and reaffirmed by science, which has repeatedly demonstrated that certain neuroendocrine pathways are activated in response to sugar. The infamous “sweet tooth” and frequent sugar cravings are indicative of how these pathways drive obsessive consumption and addiction.

“In most mammals, including rats and humans, sweet receptors evolved in ancestral environments poor in sugars and are thus not adapted to high concentrations of sweet tastants,” wrote the author of another study involving bees, which experienced cocaine-withdrawal-type symptoms when their sweet floral resources were taken away from them.

“The supranormal stimulation of these receptors by sugar-rich diets, such as those now widely available in modern societies, would generate a supranormal reward signal in the brain, with the potential to override self-control mechanisms and thus to lead to addiction.”

Wheat, cow’s milk contain opioid components similar to heroin

Wheat and processed milk are similarly addictive, according to GreenMedInfo, which documents how many processed foods made from these additives possess narcotic properties, acting in a similar way to heroin when consumed. Modern wheat actually contains psychoactive chemicals that bind to opioid receptors in the nervous system, literally acting as a drug inside the body.

Wheat contains a variety of opioid peptides known as gluten exorphins, while cow’s milk contains a variety of casomorphin peptides. Both of these component classes are highly addictive, and are part of the reason why foods made with them are often referred to as “comfort” foods.

“Fructose… is known to increase brain levels of endogenous morphine following ingestion, and may produce metabolic products in the brain very similar to those produced by morphine,” wrote Sayer Ji for GreenMedInfo about another highly addictive food additive prevalent in the American food supply.

Sources:
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
http://www.greenmedinfo.com
http://science.naturalnews.com