When using as a detox tea, I make a gallon of dandelion leaf tea, refrigerate, and sip on it throughout the day, sweetening it a bit with liquid stevia.

Precautions:

Dandelion tea may irritate the stomach lining in some individuals. It increases the amount of bile produced. People that have gallstones or gallbladder ailments should not drink dandelion tea. Occasionally, individuals who are allergic to plants in the daisy family may experience skin irritation when handling leaves or extract.

Individuals who are diabetic should carefully monitor their blood sugar  levels when drinking dandelion tea. The tea also counteracts the effects of antacids and drugs that reduce acid production in the stomach.

-Kathleen Roberts, LoveToKnow Herbs

For  more information on this wondeful herb please visit: Dandelion (Taraxacum officinale) ~ LuminEarth’s Guide to Wild Edible & Medicinal Plants

Anyhow, Thought you might like to know how I use up all of the dandelion greens in my yard.  I really like this method, because you use everything!

Here’s what I do:

• Get a large kettle, one that holds at least one gallon of water
• Gather enough dandelion greens to fill the kettle at least half full (click here to earn about how to identify and gather dandelion greens)
• Clean and rinse the dandelion leaves, returning them to the kettle
• Fill kettle with one gallon of water
• Bring to a rapid boil
• Boil for 10 minutes

At this point, you have dandelion tea!  (Technically, this is a “decoction” because you have boiled the leaves in the water.  A “tea” is made by bringing the water to a boil, turning off the heat source, and steeping the leaves.)

• Remove the dandelion leaves from the “tea”
• Save the tea, this can be consumed hot or cold.  (I like to place mine in a gallon jug and drink it as iced tea.)
• Sweeten to taste with honey, stevia, or your sweetener of choice.

Here’s how I prepare my dandelion greens:

• Get a large skillet
• Add 2 tablespoons of olive oil
• Add one chopped onion (plus any other yummy veggies you want!)
• Sautee onion until tender
• Add dandelion greens
• Sautee until greens are well heated
• Add freshly ground sea salt and pepper
• Add a couple dashes of Bragg’s Liquid Aminos
• Serve on top of brown rice

A few other ways to use the boiled greens:

• prepare as you would canned spinach
• add to a stir-fry after the other veggies have been cooked
• layer into lasagnae
• season the boiled greens with Bragg’s Liquid Aminos, sea salt, and fresh ground pepper, then top with a bit of shredded cheddar or parmesan cheese (another one of my favorites!!)

YUMMY!!

Click Here to Learn More About the Dandelion Plant

Click Here to Visit Our FREE Online Guide to Wild Edible & Medicinal Plants

Click Here to Visit Our FREE Online Herbal Materia Medica

References:

• Dandelion Loose Leaf Tea. (n.d.) LoveToKnow Herbs. Extracted October 10, 2011 from http://herbs.lovetoknow.com/Dandelion_Loose_Leaf_Tea

The Books We Use:

• A Field Guide to Edible Wild Plants: Eastern and central North America (Peterson Field Guide)
• Great Smoky Mountains Wildflowers: When and Where to Find Them by William Hutson
• Identifying and Harvesting Edible and Medicinal Plants in Wild (and Not So Wild) Places by “Wildman” Steve Brill
• Jude’s Herbal Home Remedies: Natural Health, Beauty & Home Care Secrets by Jude C. Williams, M.H.
• Ortho’s All About Herbs by Maggie Oster
• Rosemary Gladstar’s Herbal Recipes for Vibrant Health by Rosemary Gladstar
• Secrets of the Chinese Herbalists by Richard Lucas
• Sunset Herbs: An Illustrated Guide by The Editors of Sunset Magazine
• The Forager’s Harvest: A Guide to Identifying, Harvesting and Preparing Edible Wild Plants by Samuel Thayer
• The Herbal Drugstore by Linda B. White, M.D.
• The Natural Physicians’s Healing Therapies: Proven Remedies Medical Doctors Don’t Know by Mark Stengler, ND
• The Scientific Validation of Herbal Medicine by Daniel B. Mowrey, Ph.D.
• The Way of Herbs by Michael Tierra, L.Ac., O.M.D.
• Wildflowers of the Land Between the Lakes Region, Kentucky and Tennessee

Wheatgrass is a oxygen-filled super food

My dog just turned me on to one of nature’s most beneficial food sources for humans (and dogs and cats): wheatgrass. We’ve all heard of wheatgrass juice and yes, this is the same stuff. Now unpucker your face and read on!

It all started because my dog Katie loves to eat grass. At first this habit concerned me because I’d only heard that dogs eat grass when they’re sick. True, but then I did some research and it turns out that some dogs just enjoy grass and are often looking for something to replace the nutrients their diet is missing.  Oh, so grass has nutrients…duh, yeah like most things we are surrounded by; grass has been overlooked and at best relegated to the “ornamental” category. Most grass belongs there, but not wheatgrass. Wheatgrass is different. Anyway as providence would have it, my next issue of Dog Fancy magazine featured a one-pager on growing pet grass and suggested it was a good way to ensure that the grass my dog was eating was in fact nutrient-rich, organic and clean. So I went on line in search of organic hard red winter wheat berries to purchase and germinate for Katie.

I easily found the wheat berries I needed at a very reasonable price. I also found an enormous amount of information about wheatgrass and I soon began to understand that I would be growing this wheatgrass for my dog AND for me. In fact, I wondered why more people didn’t use wheatgrass in their diet as it seems to be one of the earth’s super foods – let me tell you a little bit of the info I found about wheatgrass:

Let’s start with chlorophyll

Chlorophyll is the “blood” of plants. Virtually identical to our own hemoglobin (both substances carry oxygen to cells), chlorophyll is oxygen and nutrient rich and is easily absorbed into our blood making nutrient delivery efficient. Chlorophyll is what makes plants green. It is critical for photosynthesis which allows the plant to literally absorb sunshine and turn it into energy.

Here are some great things I learned about the benefits of wheatgrass chlorophyll from the folks at WheatGrassKits.com:

• Wheatgrass Juice is one of the best sources of living chlorophyll available.

• Wheatgrass is high in oxygen like all green plants that contain chlorophyll.  The brain and all body tissues function at an optimal level in a highly-oxygenated environment.

• Chlorophyll is anti-bacterial and can be used inside and outside the body as a healer. (think wheatgrass pulp)

• Farmers in the Midwest who have sterile cows and bulls put them on wheatgrass to restore fertility.  (The high magnesium content in chlorophyll builds enzymes that restore the sex hormones.)

• Chlorophyll can be extracted from many plants, but wheatgrass is superior because it has been found to have over 100 elements needed by man. If grown in organic soil, it absorbs 92 of the known 102 minerals from the soil.

• Liquid chlorophyll washes drug deposits from the body.

• Chlorophyll neutralizes toxins in the body.

• Chlorophyll helps purify the liver.

• In the American Journal of Surgery (1940), Benjamin Gruskin, M.D. recommends chlorophyll for its antiseptic benefits. The article suggests the following clinical uses for chlorophyll: to clear up foul smelling odors, neutralize Strep infections, heal wounds, hasten skin grafting, cure chronic sinusitis, overcome chronic inner-ear inflammation and infection, reduce varicose veins and heal leg ulcers, eliminate impetigo and other scabby eruptions, heal rectal sores, successfully treat inflammation of the uterine cervix, get rid of parasitic vaginal infections, reduce typhoid fever, and cure advanced pyorrhea in many cases.

• Dr. Birscher, a research scientist, called chlorophyll “concentrated sun power.” He said, “chlorophyll increases the function of the heart, affects the vascular system, the intestines, the uterus, and the lungs.”

• According to Dr. Birscher, nature uses chlorophyll (wheatgrass) as a body cleanser, rebuilder, and neutralizer of toxins.

Hard to argue with the benefits of chlorophyll or that wheatgrass is a great way to get chlorophyll.

Wheatgrass as survival food

As stated above, wheatgrass has over 100 elements needed by man for bodily survival. Wheatgrass contains the entire range of necessary vitamins, minerals, enzymes, essential amino acids, and nutrients (including beta carotene, folic acid and vitamin C) that we need to survive.

Wheatgrass is a complete protein. So basically if all you had to eat was wheatgrass, you could make it for quite a while and be quite healthy too.

Wheatberries (wheatgrass seeds) can keep for years (like 50+) as long as you store them in a cool, dry space and in an airtight container.

Wheatgrass in daily diet

Taking into account what I’ve already shared re: benefits of wheatgrass chlorophyll, fresh, high quality wheatgrass juice has also been said to be useful in:

• Detoxing the organs

• Strengthening the immune system

• Boosting the body’s PH levels, reducing food cravings (weight loss/control)

• Improving eye sight and night vision

• Enhancing gum health

• Rejuvenating tissue

• Reversing the aging process, including eliminating gray hair (I know, right?!)

So what’s bad about wheatgrass?

While there’s nothing truly “bad” about wheatgrass and it is not toxic in any way even if you consume high quantities, there can be adverse effects to consuming too much wheatgrass juice. Keep in mind that wheatgrass is an excellent detoxifier, but detoxifying is never something you want to do too much or too fast.

If you’re new to wheatgrass you should limit your intake to 1 oz of wheatgrass juice per day, max. Keep to this for at least the first week. After that you can build to 2 oz per day, but even then the safest way is to take 1 oz in the morning and 1 oz in the evening. This stuff is potent!

Drink wheatgrass on an empty stomach or you may experience nausea. Wait at least half an hour before eating.

How to get wheatgrass into your diet

There are many ways to get wheatgrass into your daily diet, but keep in mind that fresh, organic wheatgrass juice is best. You can buy it flash-frozen and here are some links for you to consider in that regard:

For most of us, that means growing and juicing our own. So here are some tips on that:

Growing your own wheatgrass

Organic Hard Red Wheat Berries

You can certainly buy wheatgrass growing kits and for the beginner that may be the easiest route at first. But growing wheatgrass is really easy and if you want to go it alone, you’ll need:

• Organic hard red wheat berries
• Fine mesh strainer
• Cup or jar
• Plastic sprouting tray
• Organic potting soil
• Paper towels
• Plate or draining saucer

Instructions:

• Using the strainer, rinse berries well under pure running water
• Pour the berries into the cup or jar and fill with water, just covering the berries
• Soak the berries for 8 to 12 hours (shorter in the summer, longer in the winter)
• Fill your plastic tray with potting mix and place the tray on the plate or saucer
• Drain the berries using the strainer, rinsing gently and spread them evenly over the soil
• Layer 2-3 paper towels over the berries and water over the towels. Do this every day for 3 days, making sure the paper towels stay moist
• In 3 days time you should have grass shoots, so remove the paper towels and put the tray in a sunny location
• When the grass is 6-7 inches tall, it is ready for juicing and eating

Stuff to help you grow your own:

Organic Wheatgrass Growing Kit – Grow & Juice Wheat Grass: Trays, Seed, Soil, Instructions & More	Organic Wheatgrass Growing Kit w/ Hurricane Stainless Steel Wheat Grass Juicer- Everything to Grow & Juice Wheatgrass	Certified Organic Hard Red Wheat – 5 Lbs – For Growing Wheatgrass to Juice, Sprouting Seed, Grinding to Make Flour & Bread, Growing Ornamental Wheat Grass & More. Makes Excellent Food Storage. Outstanding Germination Rate.

Juicing your wheatgrass

You’ll definitely need a juicer for this process. Blenders don’t really work. Some find luck using a mortar and pestle. Either way, here are some tips:

• Cut the grass ½ “above the soil surface with scissors
• If using a juicer, follow instructions in the juicer manual
• If using mortal and pestle, first chop up the grass. Then, while adding a little water at a time, grind it into a fine paste. Use a clean muslin cloth to strain the juice into a cup. Repeat the process using the same leaves until the grass turns white (this means all the chlorophyll has been extracted)

Here are some additional links that may be of help to you:

Wheatgrass Juice 90 Caps	Wheatgrass Deep Cleansing Shampoo 12 Oz	Wheatgrass Sprouting Seed Cert. Organic (Agropyron elongatum; Tall Wheatgrass) 1 lb: C	Wheatgrass Nature’s Finest Medicine

Wheatgrass	The Wheatgrass Book	Starwest Botanicals Organic Wheatgrass Powder, 1 lbs	Healthy Juicer - Manual Hand Powered Wheatgrass Juicer - Wheat grass juicer

Resources:

Adamson, Eve (2011). “Grow Pet Grass”, Dog Fancy, August 2011

Stewart, Christopher. “Wheatgrass Exposed”, WheatgrassKits.com, 2009, http://www.wheatgrasskits.com/issue3.htm

“Benefits of Wheat Grass”, AmazingGrass.com, accessed August 2011,  http://www.amazinggrass.com/benefits-of-wheat-grass.html

“What Are Wheat Grass and Wheatgrass Juice?”, DynamicGreens.com, accessed August 2011, http://www.dynamicgreens.com/wheatgrass-benefits-of-wheatgrass.html

“Side Effects Of Wheatgrass”, WheatGrass.me, access August 2011, http://www.wheatgrass.me/side-effects-wheatgrass

“How much wheatgrass juice should I drink?”, HappyJuicer.com, access August 2011, http://www.happyjuicer.com/wheatgrass/how-much-wheatgrass.aspx

Note:  Only use leaves from the wild common violet plant that grows outdoors.  The houseplant, African Violet is poisonous.  If your are unsure how to identify the common violet, you should not attempt this recipe.

If you are not sure how to identify violet leaves, or the edible and medicinal uses of the plant, you can learn more here:

COMMON VIOLET (Viola odorata) ~ LuminEarth.com’s How to Identify Wild Edible & Medicinal Plants

VIOLET LEAF SWEET BREAD

1 ½ cups flour

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1 cup sugar

2 cups finely shredded violet leaves, packed tightly

1/4 cup olive oil

1 egg

1/4 cup water

1/4 teaspoon finely shredded lemon peel

1/2 cup chopped walnuts

Preheat oven to 350°F.

In a mixing bowl combine flour, cinnamon, baking soda, salt, baking powder, and nutmeg. In blender combine sugar, violet leaves, cooking oil, egg, and lemon peel; puree until violet leave are finely shredded. Add flour mixture; stir just till combined. Stir in chopped walnuts.

Pour batter into a greased 8 x 4 x 2 – inch loaf pan. Bake in a 350°F oven for 50 minutes or till a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. Cool for 10 minutes on a wire rack.

Remove bread from the pan; cool thoroughly on a wire rack. Wrap and store overnight before slicing. Makes 1 loaf. (16 servings)

Tainted?

Drug-resistant bacteria may be lurking in your grocery meat aisle. A study found that Staphylococcus aureus, the bacteria that causes most staph infections, was present in meat and poultry from U.S. grocery stores at “unexpectedly high rates.”

Researchers found nearly half of the meat and poultry samples were contaminated. What’s more, over half of those bacteria were resistant to at least three classes of antibiotics.

According to the New York Post:

“For the study, researchers looked at 136 samples involving 80 brands of beef, chicken, pork and turkey from 26 grocery stores … According to the findings … industrial farms, where food animals are steadily fed low doses of antibiotics, ‘are ideal breeding grounds for drug-resistant bacteria that move from animals to humans.’”

Sources:
• Clinical Infectious Disease May 2011; 52(10):1227-30
• New York Post April 15, 2011

Dr. Mercola’s Comments:

If you’re still buying meat from your local grocery store, you have a 50/50 chance of choosing meat that’s tainted with drug-resistant bacteria every time you shop. This staggering, and quite disgusting finding comes from a study by the Translational Genomics Research Institute, which revealed 47 percent of the meat and poultry samples they tested contained antibiotic-resistant Staphylococcus aureus bacteria.

These were samples from 80 brands of beef, chicken, pork and turkey from more than two dozen grocery stores scattered across the United States, in large cities from Los Angeles to Washington D.C. So it likely applies to a grocery store near you …

Read the rest of this article…

The innocent lemon?

Something to keep in mind when eating out is the potential for food poisoning. While ANY food could cause a problem, some items are more prone to disease-causing contamination than others. Did you know lemon wedges are a common culprit?

Yes, in one study published in the Journal of Environmental Health four years ago, two out of every three restaurant lemon wedges tested were covered in disease-causing bacteria — including fecal bacteria. A total of 25 different, and potentially dangerous, microorganisms were discovered on the wedges.

This is why it’s so important for restaurant workers to wash their hands!

Unfortunately, even the most well-run, health-minded restaurants probably have disease-causing bacteria crawling all over places it shouldn’t be. Does that mean you should boycott all restaurant lemon wedges, because sooner or later you will get one that will make you sick?

Probably not.

However, if you have a compromised immune system, are elderly, or are referring to a small child, then perhaps it would be prudent, as these are the people who are most likely to get seriously sickened.

If your immune system is strong however, you really shouldn’t have a problem. After all, you’re exposed to disease-causing bacteria everywhere—in fact, one of the MOST heavily contaminated places is the handle of your grocery cart!

Besides, considering that over 65 percent of colds, 50 percent of all cases of diarrhea and 50 percent to 80 percent of food-borne illnesses are caught not in restaurants but in your own home, it may be more important to keep your own kitchen clean. For example, studies have actually shown that there could be up to 200 times more fecal bacteria on your kitchen cutting board than on your toilet seat.

CLICK HERE TO LISTEN IF THE PLAYER IS NOT WORKING

Kimmi Jae and Jody are wonderful hosts, and the show is amazing!!

Their show topics range from the occult and hauntings to holistics–and everything in between.  No subject is off limits!  Be sure to check them out Tuesday nights at 8:00 pm EST at PARA X RADIO – THE REIGN!

This episode covered holistics and herbal healthcare, including some home remedies and supplements used to assist in healing certain ailments.

In the episode, Becki explained that you must be very careful while combining herbs and prescription medications because herbs could interact with the medication.  If you are on prescription medications, it is always best to check with your doctor before experimenting with herbs.  Another possible scenario while using herbs and prescription medications at the same time is that as you heal, you may not need as strong of a prescription.  It is very important to be supervised by your doctor in this situation!  For example, having too strong of a blood pressure or heart medication could have devastating effects!

Becki also promised to share some websites that will help with information on herbs, supplements and interactions with pharmaceuticals.  They are listed below.

• THE NATIONAL CENTER FOR COMPLEMENTARY AND ALTERNATIVE MEDICINE  is a great source for this (scroll down the sidebar on the left for the herbal index) and other information on alternative medicine.
• The LINUS PAULING INSITUTE has an extensive micronutrient information center that includes detailed information on vitamins, minerals, pytochemicals, foods, beverages and much more.
• NATURE’S SUNSHINE is an amazing source of herbals, supplements, essential oils, and holistic healthcare supplies.  The company has it’s own Health Sciences Department, which is constantly researching and updating information on the most current pharmaceuticals and can easily explain to you all possible interactions when you call their toll free number. They only supply information for their products, but are a wonderful resource if you are on prescription medicines and want to begin caring for yourself naturally.

Please check out our website LuminEarth.com for more details and remedies. Our extensive Herbal Materia Medica  will explain to you how all of the herbs work.

LuminEarth.com is all about Natural Healing, Energy Healing, Homopathy, Herbology, Permaculture, Phenomena. Dive into our natural world. Learn how to live harmonically with the earth and people around you. Discover that our world is much more than meets the eye!

Becki Baumgartner, along with Joyce Dierschke authors the website: LuminEarth.com. Becki is a Natural Health Consultant for Nature’s Sunshine and a Paranormal Investigator for Volunteer State Paranormal Research. She has a BS in Natural Health with a Minor in Herbology and is currently studying with AMORC.  She is also a member of the Nashville Psychics Meetup Group. Her main interests are Natural Health, Herbology, Permaculture, Energy Healing, Holistic Nutrition, Wild Edibles & Medicinals, Paranormal and Psychic Research, Metaphysics, and Mind/Body/Spirit Wellness.

Joyce Dierschke is a professional writer, graphic and web designer. Along with Becki, Joyce authors the web site: LuminEarth.com. Joyce also authors TheMarCompass.com, a marketing blog and BornToPaddle.com for kayakers, canoers and paddlers. You can see samples of Joyce’s work at JoyceDierschke.com. Joyce is also a Paranormal Investigator for Volunteer State Paranormal Research, and a member of Nashville Psychics Meetup Group.  Her main interests and accomplishments are Writer, Artist, Web Expert, Kayaker, Hiker, and Dog Lover.

Our interests include alchemy, aliens, altered states, alternative medicine, aromatherapy, astral travel, ayurveda, binaural beats, channeling, clairvoyance, conspiracy theories, cryptozoology, edible landscaping, electronic voice phenomena, energy healing, esp, ghost hunting, ghosts, healing, herbalism, herbology, holistic living, holistic nutrition, isochronic tones, meditation, mediumship, metaphysics, natural health, out of body experiences, paranormal research, permaculture, pets, phenomena, plant pharmacology, psychic ability, psychic research, reiki, self-hypnosis, spirit guides, spirit photography, spirits, spirituality, survival, sustainability, ufo’s, wild edible plants, wild edibles, wild medicinal plants, and wildcrafting.

[1] “It” is monosodium glutamate (MSG), a flavor enhancer that’s known widely as an addition to Chinese food, but that’s actually added to thousands of the foods you and your family regularly eat, especially if you are like most Americans and eat the majority of your food as processed foods or in restaurants.

MSG is one of the worst  food additives on the market and is used in canned soups, crackers, meats, salad dressings, frozen dinners and  much more. It’s found in your local supermarket and restaurants, in your child’s school cafeteria and, amazingly, even in baby food and infant formula.

MSG is more than just a seasoning like salt and pepper, it actually enhances the flavor of foods, making processed meats and frozen dinners taste fresher and smell better, salad dressings more tasty, and canned foods less tinny.

While MSG’s benefits to the food industry are quite clear, this food additive could be slowly and silently doing major damage to your health.

What Exactly is MSG?

You may remember when the MSG powder called “Accent” first hit the U.S. market. Well, it was many decades prior to this, in 1908, that monosodium glutamate was invented. The inventor was Kikunae Ikeda, a Japanese man who identified the natural flavor enhancing substance of seaweed.

Taking a hint from this substance, they were able to create the man-made additive MSG, and he and a partner went on to form Ajinomoto, which is now the world’s largest producer of MSG (and interestingly also a drug manufacturer).[2]

Chemically speaking, MSG is approximately 78 percent free glutamic acid, 21 percent sodium, and up to 1 percent contaminants.[3]

It’s a misconception that MSG is a flavor or “meat tenderizer.” In reality, MSG has very little taste at all, yet when you eat MSG, you think the food you’re eating has more protein and tastes better. It does this by tricking your tongue, using a little-known fifth basic taste: umami.

Umami is the taste of glutamate, which is a savory flavor found in many Japanese foods, bacon and also in the toxic food additive MSG. It is because of umami that foods with MSG taste heartier, more robust and generally better to a lot of people than foods without it.

The ingredient didn’t become widespread in the United States until after World War II, when the U.S. military realized Japanese rations were much tastier than the U.S. versions because of MSG.

In 1959, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration labeled MSG as “Generally Recognized as Safe” (GRAS), and it has remained that way ever since. Yet, it was a telling sign when just 10 years later a condition known as “Chinese Restaurant Syndrome” entered the medical literature, describing the numerous side effects, from numbness to heart palpitations, that people experienced after eating MSG.

Today that syndrome is more appropriately called “MSG Symptom Complex,” which the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) identifies as “short-term reactions” to MSG. More on those “reactions” to come.

Why MSG is so Dangerous

One of the best overviews of the very real dangers of MSG comes from Dr. Russell Blaylock, a board-certified neurosurgeon and author of “Excitotoxins: The Taste that Kills.” In it he explains that MSG is an excitotoxin, which means it overexcites your cells to the point of damage or death, causing brain damage to varying degrees — and potentially even triggering or worsening learning disabilities, Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, Lou Gehrig’s disease and more.

Part of the problem also is that free glutamic acid is the same neurotransmitter that your brain, nervous system, eyes, pancreas and other organs use to initiate certain processes in your body.[4] Even the FDA states:

“Studies have shown that the body uses glutamate, an amino acid, as a nerve impulse transmitter in the brain and that there are glutamate-responsive tissues in other parts of the body, as well.

Abnormal function of glutamate receptors has been linked with certain neurological diseases, such as Alzheimer’s disease and Huntington’s chorea. Injections of glutamate in laboratory animals have resulted in damage to nerve cells in the brain.”[5]

Although the FDA continues to claim that consuming MSG in food does not cause these ill effects, many other experts say otherwise.

According to Dr. Blaylock, numerous glutamate receptors have been found both within your heart’s electrical conduction system and the heart muscle itself. This can be damaging to your heart, and may even explain the sudden deaths sometimes seen among young athletes.

He says:

“When an excess of food-borne excitotoxins, such as MSG, hydrolyzed protein soy protein isolate and concentrate, natural flavoring, sodium caseinate and aspartate from aspartame, are consumed, these glutamate receptors are over-stimulated, producing cardiac arrhythmias.

When magnesium stores are low, as we see in athletes, the glutamate receptors are so sensitive that even low levels of these excitotoxins can result in cardiac arrhythmias and death.”[6]

Many other adverse effects have also been linked to regular consumption of MSG, including:

• Obesity
• Eye damage
• Headaches
• Fatigue and disorientation
• Depression

Further, even the FDA admits that “short-term reactions” known as MSG Symptom Complex can occur in certain groups of people, namely those who have eaten “large doses” of MSG or those who have asthma.[7]

According to the FDA, MSG Symptom Complex can involve symptoms such as:

• Numbness
• Burning sensation
• Tingling
• Facial pressure or tightness
• Chest pain or difficulty breathing
• Headache
• Nausea
• Rapid heartbeat
• Drowsiness
• Weakness

No one knows for sure just how many people may be “sensitive” to MSG, but studies from the 1970s suggested that 25 percent to 30 percent of the U.S. population was intolerant of MSG — at levels then found in food. Since the use of MSG has expanded dramatically since that time, it’s been estimated that up to 40 percent of the population may be impacted.[8]

How to Determine if MSG is in Your Food

Food manufacturers are not stupid, and they’ve caught on to the fact that people like you want to avoid eating this nasty food additive. As a result, do you think they responded by removing MSG from their products? Well, a few may have, but most of them just tried to “clean” their labels. In other words, they tried to hide the fact that MSG is an ingredient.

How do they do this? By using names that you would never associate with MSG.

You see, it’s required by the FDA that food manufacturers list the ingredient “monosodium glutamate” on food labels, but they do not have to label ingredients that contain free glutamic acid, even though it’s the main component of MSG.

There are over 40 labeled ingredients that contain glutamic acid,[9] but you’d never know it just from their names alone. Further, in some foods glutamic acid is formed during processing and, again, food labels give you no way of knowing for sure. 

Tips for Keeping MSG Out of Your Diet

In general, if a food is processed you can assume it contains MSG (or one of its pseudo-ingredients). So if you stick to a whole, fresh foods diet, you can pretty much guarantee that you’ll avoid this toxin.

The other place where you’ll need to watch out for MSG is in restaurants. You can ask your server which menu items are MSG-free, and request that no MSG be added to your meal, but of course the only place where you can be entirely sure of what’s added to your food is in your own kitchen.

To be on the safe side, you should also know what ingredients to watch out for on packaged foods. Here is a list of ingredients that ALWAYS contain MSG:

These ingredients OFTEN contain MSG or create MSG during processing:[10]

So if you do eat processed foods, please remember to be on the lookout for these many hidden names for MSG.

Choosing to be MSG-Free

Making a decision to avoid MSG in your diet as much as possible is a wise choice for nearly everyone. Admittedly, it does take a bit more planning and time in the kitchen to prepare food at home, using fresh, locally grown ingredients. But knowing that your food is pure and free of toxic additives like MSG will make it well worth it.

Plus, choosing whole foods will ultimately give you better flavor and more health value than any MSG-laden processed food you could buy at your supermarket.

Related Links

Unlock the Power – The Benefits of Carrots

1. Carrots need no description; they have been around for thousands of years and are a part of the diet in every culture of the world. Their texture and sweetness has also attracted our canine friends as well.
2. Many use carrots as a treat for their dogs but few understand all the benefits of carrots for both dogs and cats (while few use fresh carrots as a treat for cats, there are many benefits of using carrots in a balanced natural feline diet).
3. Carrots are an excellent source of antioxidants and phytonutrients, which are thought to help protect the heart and reduce the risk of cancer.
4. Our mothers encouraged us to eat carrots for good vision. They are the richest source of beta-carotene, a precursor to Vitamin A, which is essential for good vision, especially night vision. Adequate Vitamin A also helps protect humans from macular degeneration and could have the same benefit for our pets.
5. Foods high in carotenoids are thought to be beneficial for blood sugar regulation. They may be inversely associated with insulin resistance and high blood sugar levels.

The benefits of carrots are many, however, one must keep in mind that too much of a good thing is not always best. Carrots have calories and too many carrots in the diet as snacks can encourage weight gain. “Everything in moderation” is the key.

*source: Holistic Select Blog, http://www.holisticselect.com/blog/index.php/pet-nutrition/carrots/, 1/26/2010

 Looking for a quick, healthy soup to add to your dinner or have for a nutritious lunch? We’ve got a great carrot soup recipe that couldn’t be easier, healthier or more economical!

It doesn’t have to be cold outside to enjoy this thick, creamy carrot soup.

Ingredients needed:

• 1 lb carrots, peeled and cut into 2 inch pieces
• 1 Tblsp chopped fresh ginger
• 3 cloves garlic, chopped
• 2-2 1/2 cups of water or vegetable stock
• Salt and pepper

Method:

• Place cut carrots in a pot and fill with cold water, just enough to cover the carrots. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to a simmer. Simmer carrots for 15-20 minutes or until they are tender.
• Pour cooked carrots into a blender. Add ginger and garlic. Blend until smooth, adding water or vegetable stock to achieve your preferred soup consistency.
• Pour soup mixture back into pot, return to stove and bring to a boil. Once the soup has boiled, remove from heat. Add salt and pepper to taste. Serve hot or chilled.

MAKE IT CREAMY: Add 1/4 to 1/2 cup of silken tofu while the mixture is still in the blender. Blend until smooth.

Why make homemade soup? It’s so easy, why not? Plus it is more economical, more nutritious and you can control the amount of salt added. Canned soups notoriously have tons of sodium – even the so-called “low-salt” versions.

Have a favorite soup recipe? Click here to send it to us and we may add it to our soup recipe collection!

by Nature’s Sunshine Products

Vitamin D has long been known to support bone health. But new studies reveal that this vitamin plays many important roles beyond bone health. Recent scientific evidence suggests that vitamin D plays a vital role in maintaining innate immunity, protecting cardiovascular health, and protecting cells, among numerous other health benefits. Emerging data shows that vitamin D deficiency may contribute to the development of various chronic diseases, including cardiovascular disease, hypertension, diabetes mellitus, some inflammatory and autoimmune diseases, and certain cancers.

Dietary sources of vitamin D are generally limited to fortified foods and a few animal sources such as fish and eggs. Vitamin D is naturally produced in the body through exposure to direct sunlight; however, not everyone will manufacture the needed amounts with sun exposure. For example, people with darker skin tone, the elderly, and those living in northern latitudes may not produce an adequate supply of the sunshine vitamin.

The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) has recently doubled its recommendation for the minimum amount of vitamin D that children should get daily. The new guidelines recommend at least 400 international units (IU) daily.  That’s roughly equivalent to the amount of vitamin D found in four 8-ounce glasses of milk. But most children don’t drink enough milk to receive adequate levels of vitamin D. The AAP states that the best way to ensure that children receive adequate vitamin D is through supplementation.

Two recent studies have highlighted the need for vitamin D supplementation in children. A study published in the journal Pediatrics concluded that even children who live in sunny climates aren’t getting enough vitamin D. Researchers found that a low vitamin D status is prevalent among adolescents living in year-round sunny climates in the southeastern United States. The researchers also compared vitamin D status in African American and Caucasian adolescents and found that African American youths were particularly low in vitamin D. They also found that low levels of vitamin D in kids were linked to increased fat, decreased physical activity, and lower fitness levels.

Another recent study found that seven out of 10 U.S. children have low levels of vitamin D, raising their risk of bone and cardiovascular concerns. The researchers found that nine percent of the study sample, equivalent to 7.6 million children across the U.S., was vitamin D deficient, while another 61 percent, or 50.8 million, was vitamin D insufficient. “We expected the prevalence of vitamin D deficiency would be high, but the magnitude of the problem nationwide was shocking,” reported the study’s lead author.  ,
The study showed that low vitamin D levels were especially common in children who were older, female, African-American, Mexican-American, obese, drank milk less than once a week, or spent more than four hours a day watching TV, playing video games, or using computers. The researchers also found that vitamin D deficiency was associated with higher parathyroid hormone levels, a marker of bone health, higher systolic blood pressure, and lower serum calcium and HDL (good) cholesterol levels, which are key risk factors for heart disease.^4,5

In the study, children who took vitamin D supplements (at least 400 IU per day) were less likely to be deficient in the vitamin. However, only four percent of the children studied actually used supplements.⁴

VISIT THE NATURE’S SUNSHINE WEBSITE

SUNSHINE HEROES IS A GREAT TASTING CHEWABLE MULTIVITAMIN FOR KIDS AND CONTAINS 400 IU OF VITAMIN D3!

——————————————————————————————————————————————————-
 Cashman KD. (2007, April). Vitamin D in childhood and adolescence. Postgraduate Medical Journal, 83(978), 230-235.
  Wagner CL, Greer FR. (2008, November). Prevention of rickets and vitamin D deficiency in infants, children, and adolescents. Pediatrics, 122(5), 1142-1152.
  Dong Y, et. al. (2010, June). Low 25-hydroxyvitamin D levels in adolescents: race, season, adiposity, physical activity, and fitness. Pediatrics, 15-(6), 1104-1111.
  Kumar J, Muntner P, Kaskel FJ, Hailpern SM, Melamed ML. (2009, August). Prevalence and associations of 25-hydroxyvitamin D deficiency in US children: NHANES 2001-2004. Pediatrics electronic publication.
  Millions of U.S. children low in vitamin D [Internet]. (2009, August 3). Albert Einstein College of Medicine of Yeshiva University; [cited 2010 July 12]. Available from: http://www.einstein.yu.edu/Home/news.asp?id=392.

Source:  Nature’s Sunshine Products. Children Need Vitamin D. Extracted in entirety with permission on September 1, 2010 from http://www.naturessunshine.com/us/members/content1/VitaminD-Children/Children-Need-Vitamin-D.aspx

Related Links

• $5 VITAMIN SALE!! Plus get FREE SHIPPING on ANY ORDER!. Coupon Code FREE5
• Essential Wholesale:  Wholesale Prices on Essential Oils – No Membership Needed!
• Great Deals and FREE SHIPPING at Dr. Leonards – America’s Leading Online Health Care Catalog!
• Health Improvement:  Use Sound Therapy to Improve Your Health
• Herbal Remedy Cures eBook
• Marharishi Ayurveda: Herbal Remedies and Supplements Produced Through Vedic Tradition and Knowledge
• Shop at MotherNature.com for Great Deals on Thousands of Health & Wellness Products!
• Standardized Herbs: Nature’s Sunshine Utilizes over 600 Tests to Guarantee the Quality of Herbs, Supplements, Essential Oils and Other Natural Health Care Products!
• Self Sufficient Life Website
• Super Antioxidant Juice MonaVie for a daily dose of Acai – the highest rated antioxidant currently known on the planet!
• Ultimate Guide to Vitamins and Minerals Book Info