Friday, May 09, 2008

Breastfeeding and IQ

An article in the Los Angeles Times highlighted a study of around 14,000 children which showed that breastfeeding in the early months can raise verbal IQ by an average of 7.5 points.

The lead author in the study noted that more research needed to be done to determine whether the results were from the interaction between the mother and child or from the difference in the milk itself. I would definitely say it’s both.

Even little ones eat today to live tomorrow…

Out.

Monday, May 05, 2008

My Favorite Cake

I had a birthday recently and was fortunate enough to have my favorite cake. It is a french pastry cake with ricotta filling. I have the recipe around here somewhere and will have to post it sometime… just to share the wealth… AND, in case you want to surprise me with a nice treat sometime.

Remember, even when eating sweets it is important to use real food and high quality ingredients. No artificial sweeteners, colors, or preservatives. I typically only use raw honey, organic maple syrup, or rapadura (organic, unrefined, whole cane sugar). I have used stevia a little and think it can be very useful as well. Also, I have read many good things about xylitol and err with it over sorbitol or maltitol in any purchased products.

Regardless of which sweetener you use, remember, everything in moderation. Although, when it comes to sweets the amount should really be less than moderate.

Check out the photos:

Friday, May 02, 2008

Learn To Like It … You Will Be Glad You Did… Someday

Did your parents ever say “You’ll be glad you did someday” with regard to whatever they were making you do? I remember my parents saying this to me… I think it was with playing the piano or something. They were of course right. Well I have found the same thing applies to food and the whole idea of eating today to live tomorrow.

There are many foods which common sense would tell us are good for us… like vegetables for example. It is in our best interest to learn to like those foods which we know are excellent as they will promote health in our body. And another thing. Don’t get swayed by all the fad foods… all the rage foods. Everyone will tell you that they are good for you but most likely everyone has no clue. So why listen to me then? Don’t. Go read and find out for yourself.

While I am typing… I saw an interesting article on the tomato in the BBC news. It was talking about the anti-aging skin effects that tomatoes showed in a control group. The control group had 33% more protection against sunburn and higher levels of procollagen which helps keep the skin firm. They asserted that this was most likely due to lycopene a powerful antioxidant present in tomatoes.

So… if you don’t like tomatoes then it would be good for you to learn to like them. You’ll be glad you did someday.

Out.

Saturday, April 26, 2008

Food and Common Sense

Here it is. I said I was gonna write it and I finally have. Food and Common Sense.

In an earlier post I mentioned how I thought so much of eating well is just common sense. Unfortunately, I think many people today lack common sense. I really think that it is a gift from God. I know that I do not always have it in all things and sometimes more than others.

First, I would say that things God has blessed us with in nature are to be our sustenance. When we take something God made as good and twist it, corrupt it, adulterate it… then our minds, our conscience, dare I say, our common sense should instruct us that it will not promote the same life and fuel in the body that God’s untampered sustenance would.

Naturally then, one can see that if we, in addition to ruining good food, also presume to eat or ingest things that are man-made, artificial, and/or manufactured then our God-made bodies will not function appropriately on the artificial (read fake) food.

Since we all approach life and learning with different presuppositions, let me tell you where I am coming from. I am not a vegetarian, vegan, or all raw food advocate. I strive to eat the diet of the Bible while recognizing, as I mentioned in my ‘About Me’ section, that “man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.”

In Genesis 1:29 it says “See, I have given you every herb that yields seed which is on the face of all the earth, and every tree whose fruit yields seed; to you it shall be for food.” From the beginning God gave us good food from that which He created.

Later, after the fall of man, God instructed Noah saying “Every moving thing that lives shall be food for you. I have given you all things, even as the green herbs.” This was a change in that God gave man freedom to eat meat.

Later, when giving the law to Moses in Leviticus 11, God instructed the Israelites on foods they could eat by the cleanliness. While we are not under the law of Moses today the wisdom that God gave then still applies today. There are foods that are more excellent than others. There are meats that are better than others. There are clean and unclean things.

So common sense looks at what God has made. It looks at what God has revealed in creation and revealed to people throughout the ages. Wisdom with regard to food has been passed down such that we can know with common sense that cooking food is ok, eating meat is ok, and enjoying God’s creation is good.

There are new things to consider though. Governments and corporations try to tell us what is good when they have no clue. Don’t buy it. If you don’t know what something is on an ingredient list don’t just eat it thinking it will be ok. Go learn about it. So how does this play out in a practical way? Let’s say you pick up that can of diet soda and see ‘high fructose corn syrup’ and ‘aspartame’ on there. Do you know what that is? Really? Go look it up and read about them. After learning I hope that you will not drink that anymore.

In our day and age many great foods are not the same. Take the example of fish. So much fish is contaminated with mercury that one must be careful in choosing (and not to choose farmed fish either… ha). Also, the soil of many industrial farms is not the quality of a small private organic farm. Also, one farm may let their animals out on pasture eating greens as God intended while another farm may never let their animals outside of a barn. The quality in the food from these animals is drastically different.

Life gives life. Eat food that promotes life and you will be giving life to your body… you will be eating today to live tomorrow. Remember though, we are body, soul, and spirit. I believe our bodies are the weakest of the three. If you ask God, the Giver of Life, to give life to your spirit then He will and you will never die.

“For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.”

Food and Common Sense. 

Wednesday, April 23, 2008

The health benefits of raw milk… again

I am not going to list them now but I just saw another good article on Natural News.com so I am bringing your attention to it.

You can check it out here.

Nice.

Hmmm… oatmeal

I ate some pretty darn good oatmeal this morning. I don’t have a picture for you though… you know how I like to look at pictures of my food.

Oatmeal is an all around pretty decent food. I know, I know… so many people laud the praises of oatmeal. I think it is good, I just don’t think it is excellent. It has decent amounts of vitamins, minerals, and protein (when compared to other grains), but it is still a grain that many people can have a hard time digesting. Sprouting and/or soaking grains makes them easier to digest and therefore makes the nutrients more bioavailable as well. Having said that I don’t always soak my oats the night before… I should.

Some excellent grains that I would recommend you do some reading on are: buckwheat, amaranth, quinoa, and millet. My favorite of these is buckwheat. I always digest buckwheat really well and like using it for pizza crusts, pancakes, and cookies. Yes, I just said cookies. In the future I will have to highlight some food I make with buckwheat but in the meantime check out what you can find on it. I am sure I will talk about it more.

Anyway, just so you know… this is how I like my oatmeal: Organic rolled oats, butter, organic maple syrup, sliced banana, and some almond butter. Wow is that good. I need to get some Scottish oats though… make a note.

Out

Tuesday, April 22, 2008

Since I am on the subject…

Considering I just highlighted a company doing some scandalous things to the taste buds. Well… I shouldn’t say scandalous things… they can do it, we just should not buy it.

Anyway, I thought I would highlight another travesty with regard to the production of food. Ever heard of a company called Monsanto? Honestly, I would be surprised if you have. I think it was a year or two ago when I first heard of them.

Monsanto is so dangerous because they control so much of the production of food in the world. They are the world’s leader in genetically modified seeds. They also have farmers agree to buy new seed every year when they purchase from them. That is ridiculous. They have taken something as simple and wonderful as seed… that we can just grow and reuse from the plant (like God made it) and they have twisted it and patented it.

They have even recently developed a seed which resists their own herbicide (Roundup). Now to the point… in case it is not obvious to you. Companies like Monsanto, not only have shady practices (shady is an understatement), but they threaten to destroy the foundation of naturally grown, God-ordained food.

Also a great video on what I am talking about can be seen here.
For some more information check out www.healthfreedomusa.org. Take what you see and read here with balance and carefully… but lots of true and good info.
The link for the article is here.

Out.