Do You Have Too Much Iron In Your Body?

I just read this very interesting book called the Survival of the Sickest by Dr Sharon Moalam. Apparently, there's this hereditary condition called hemochromatosis, which is a disorder that causes iron to built up in the body, so much so that it damages organs like the pancreas and the liver. Liver overload.

Women don't have it severe because they menstruate. Men can treat this problem though blood donations or in the ancient times, they blood let. Apparently, according to the book, more than 30% of European descendants have this genes. Most men are not aware of this problem, and they keep popping medicine to deal with their disease instead of getting to the root of the problem.

Thought it would be interesting to pass this info on. If you think you and your family have this iron overload, do get tested.

US wants to paint the world white to save energy

LONDON(AFP) (AFP) – US Energy Secretary Steven Chu said Tuesday the Obama administration wanted to paint roofs an energy-reflecting white, as he took part in a climate change symposium in London.

The Nobel laureate in physics called for a "new revolution" in energy generation to cut greenhouse gas emissions.

But he warned there was no silver bullet for tackling climate change, and said a range of measures should be introduced, including painting flat roofs white.

Making roads and roofs a paler colour could have the equivalent effect of taking every car in the world off the road for 11 years, Chu said.

It was a geo-engineering scheme that was "completely benign" and would keep buildings cooler and reduce energy use from air conditioning, as well as reflecting sunlight back away from the Earth.

For people who found white hard on the eye, scientists had also developed "cool colours" which looked to the human eye like normal ones, but reflect heat like pale colours even if they are darker shades.

And painting cars in cool or light colours could deliver considerable savings on energy use for air conditioning units, he said.

Speaking at the start of a symposium on climate change hosted by the Prince of Wales and attended by more than 20 Nobel laureates, Chu said fresh thinking was required to cut the amount of carbon created by power generation.

He said: "The industrial revolution was a revolution in the use of energy. It offloaded from human and animal power into using fossil fuels.

"We have to go to a different new revolution that can severely decrease the amount of carbon emissions in the generation of energy."

Yahoo News Tue May 26, 3:45 pm ET

NOT SOUR STRAWBERRIES

My son loves strawberries ever since he saw a Dora The Explorer cartoon. In that particular episode, Dora and her little monkey friend Boots went on an exciting adventure eating everything strawberries.

I myself don't really like strawberries. When I was in Pitt State, I bought a huge punnet of strawberries from Wal-Mart. It was cheap. And despite what my room mate said, it wasn't sweet. It was sour. But it was probably just the Asian little me who never really ate strawberries before this. I didn't want the strawberries I bought go to waste, so I actually blended the whole thing in a quart of milk with some sugar. I have to say, it does taste like those packaged strawberry milk we buy from the supermarket. But I still didn't like it.

Anyways, there's this guy who sells pretty cheap strawberries every Sunday at the flea market at The Curve. He says the strawberries come from cool hill station Cameron Highlands. And I continuously by them for Yang-Yang.

This week however, he refused to eat strawberries. I don't know why. Maybe because there's other yummy fruits in my kitchen. There's mangoes, mangoesteen, coconut, apples, pears. I could go on.

So what to do? I didn't want to throw it away, so I washed the little berries, and sprinkled some sugar on it. I left it on the countertop, and had forgotten about it. The starwberries had soaked up the sugar, and whoohooohooo, it tastes yummy.

I wish I did that years ago.

Jasmin

Come join my "Eat Raw Food Today" facebook group

USE TOOTH POWDER INSTEAD OF TOOTHPASTE

Malaysian Colgate Kayu Sugi Toothpaste
Kayu Sugi is a type of twig from a specific tree that is traditionally used by
Muslims to clean their teeth

Recently, I have been reading about how Sodium Lauryl Sulfate is bad for our health. And that there's plenty of that chemical on our tubes of toothpaste.

Darn!

One of the things I love to do when I travel is buy toothpaste from different countries. You'd be surprised to know there are ALL kinds of toothpastes, from organic, or sublime, to herbal. Some people might find it a weird hobby. I used to collect fridge magnets, but I found it a chore to keep cleaning the dust from the magnets, and my kids keep grabbing them, and pulling them off the fridge, thereby getting them lost. This hobby is so much better. Every time I use a toothpaste from a different country, it kinda reminds me of the time I was there.

The various types of toothpastes I have in my bathroom

bottle, tubes, pump action, baking soda

Anyways, back to toothpaste. Sodium Lauryl Sulfate, the chemical that causes cancer, is still used in many toothpastes because it creates a foaming action. And when a user sees foam, they think something is actually happening. However, researchers found out that no beneficial effects at all. In fact, they also think that this chemical may cause canker sore or mouth ulcers in some people.

In the old days, tooth cleaners did not contain Sodium Lauryl Sulfate. Americans are fond of using baking soda to clean their tooth. But did you know, baking soda toothpastes are not so popular in most parts of the world. It's practically unheard of here in South East Asia. I saw my Arm and Hammer baking soda toothpaste in Cambodia, of all places, and I bought it even though it was sooo expensive because it reminded me of the time I lived in Kansas. Those who may want to try baking soda should get aluminium free baking soda. Just dip the toothpaste into the baking soda and then, brush away. It'll taste kinda salty, and slippery. But it does it's job well.

An Ayurveda tooth powder I got from an Indian store

A lot of Indians use Ayurveda tooth powder. I bought two different brands to try. I have to admit, those need a little bit of getting used to. It's, after all, ground up twigs, herbs and leaves. And it tastes exactly like ground up twigs, herbs and leaves. But my tooth feels, oh so clean, right after. And those tooth powders are cheap too. The average about USD$1.50 per bottle.

Ah, those pearly whites.

The Chinese have long believe that chewing on rough things will help clean teeth, and get rid of that dreaded Dragon Breath! When I was a kid, my mum would chop up this huge trunk of sugar cane in small bite sized pieces, and me and my brothers will sit on the floor watching tv chewing on the sugary sticks for hours on end. Ok, maybe not hours hours. Just long enough for us to sit still and watch cartoons before we got bored and run off to another adventure, out in the garden. It double duties as a thing to strengthen our gums as well and give us fresh breath.

What both the Indians and Chinese also believe in is tongue cleaners. Those are nifty, U shaped contraption you'll find at the dental section at the pharmacy. Brushing the tongue with a toothbrush does not do the trick. In fact, I have gagged a few times when I accidentally pushed the toothbrush it too far!!!!

There's an interesting article about how the traditional Chinese medicine sees the relation between the health of your mouth and kidneys. I thought it was interesting, so to read about it, go to http://www.china.org.cn/health/2009-03/10/content_17412694.htm

Lastly, did you know that you can transmit germs by sharing toothpaste as well. This is one of the reasons why, families despite being careful, like not sharing toothbrush, washing hands and so on, keep reinfecting each other. To read about it, click here http://eatrawfoodtoday.blogspot.com/2009/01/ridiculously-easy-way-to-prevent-germs.html, or click on the photo.


Jasmin

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A Day In My Life

Bought tons of raw stuff the Tesco supermarket today. Lots of apples and pears (cheap), watermelon, onions, fresh chinese mushrooms, cabbages, a huge bag of cucumbers. Later, hubby bought grapes from Jusco Desa ParkCity right after his evening walk with 3 year old Yang-Yang because the small one wants to eat it NOW! He's really a cute little guy.

Meanwhile, my dad just could not stop laughing at me because I accidentally wrapped the Jambu Air flowers that looked like the budding fruit with newspaper! What I was trying to do was wrap the fruits so that the little critters won't get to eat before it even had a chance to ripen on the tree.

Dear God! I'm having a losing battle with the 2 resident squirrels. That and them wily birds. They keep chomping on my organic Jambu Air fruits and organic grapes.

Jasmin

Jicama / Yam Bean / Seng Kuang. All the same yummy thing!

Jicama / Yam Bean / Seng Kuang

Here's a picture of one of my favorite root vegetable, which we, here in Malaysia, call Seng Kuang. My mum was going to cook one of my all time childhood favorite dishes called Joo Hoo Char. But before she could cook it, I swiped some of the raw shredded root vege to, what else, eat it raw. Normally, I'd just cut chunks of Jicama, put it into the fridge to cool, and eat it cold with some sugar, soy sauce, fresh and raw finely cut chili mixture.

Here's the picture of the more "advanced" version of the sauce which by the way, though not raw, is extremely yummy.

Sweet, savoury fruit and vegetable dipping sauce

1 finely chopped chili (remove seed if you don't want it too spicy)
1 teaspoon of fine grade soy sauce (meaning, use the better quality, first pressed soy sauce)
1/4 onion, sliced thinly and fried in oil until it is caramelized
3 tablespoon raw sugar
1 teaspoon pounded dried shrimp (fry in the pan without any oil until fragrant and pound the shrimp with a pestle and mortar or if you don't have dried shrimp, add a dash of fish oil)

Mix it all together, and let the mixture sit for about an hour for the mixture to meld.

The Jicama is full of water, so the Chinese believe it is an excellent vegetable to eat during hot summer months as it will help to cool the body down. The Jicama is crunchy, like an apple so it's great to eat it to exercise the gums. I let my 3 year old chew on this while he watches his cartoons to exercise his gums and clean his teeth as well.

The Jicama has no distinct fragrance. It is sweet and mild tasting. Perfect for people who don't feel well, but need to eat something to keep their strength up. In fact, Yang-Yang, my 3 year old confuses it with apples. And just like an apple, it is high in dietary fiber and Vitamin C. By the way, it is also high in potassium. Potassium is great for people who want to reduce their blood pressure. If you know anyone who has high blood pressure, ask them to eat a slice a day as one of the enjoyable ways to keep the blood pressure in check.

It's been really hot for more than month now in Malaysia and Singapore, so, this is a great food to eat raw now.

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Tips to reduce blood pressure

• Cucumbers help reduce my mum's high blood pressure
• Lower blood pressure by keeping things in the right place!
  
• Cats love lemongrass, dogs hate it
  
• Yummy honey dew melon
  

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Mulukkhiya The King Of Vegetables

Mulukkhiya (A Favorite Egyptian Vegetable)

I just bought a HUGE bag of organic Mulukkhiya from the Just Life organic shop. I could not believe how cheap they were. Only RM2 (about USD0.60). I've never ate this vege before, so why not try it. The lady at the store suggested I add them into an omelet or add into a vege soup, but I decided to just eat it raw with my rice and curry, like an ulam. For those of you who are not Malaysians, ulam is just a side dish of raw vege that is normally served with rice and curry.

This vege did not have a bitter taste, kinda sweet for a vege and does not have any distinct fragrance. It will go well in a salad as well, I'm pretty sure. However, blending it with water to make a vege juice was just such a disaster. The whole thing came out like a goo, because, it had an amazingly curative but slimy property called Muchin. Muchin helps strengthen veins, lubricates and repairs injured mucus membranes. I hope some Egyptians reading my posts won't get a heart attack finding out how I'm eating their favorite vegetable. It's totally radical from how they eat it. It's just like when I read about how some people put Goji Berries into their smoothies or into a pie. My grandma would have turned in her grave. To her, Goji Berries or Kei Chi should only be used in soups or some medicinal dish.

The name Mulukhiya is derived mainly from the arabic word muluki which means royal. And what a right royal plant it is. The Japanese researches found out that this vegetable chock full of vitamin A, B1, B2, C, K, E, calcium, iron, potassium, protein, beta carotene and zinc. Some people have even started calling it the king of vegetables.

Check out your local organic store today to see if they stock this awesome summer vege.

Jasmin
Come join "Eat Raw Food Today" facebook group

THANK GOD FOR JUICE BARS!

My cup of guava juice on the left
and hubby's cup of star fruit juice
(also called Carambola) on the right

Weekends can be such a drag because I don't have the time to prepare fresh raw food or make raw food for my family.

Juicing the Star Fruit at the Mid Valley food court

Don't get me wrong. I'm not 100% raw, in case your wondering. My family and I are about, hmmm, 70% raw. You see, I'm Chinese, and I thoroughly believe in the healing powers of Chinese food, like the Chinese herbal soups and stuff like that. As I look at it, it has taken the Chinese a couple of thousands of years to document the effectiveness of the food they have access to. And there are documents and documents of why they are god, when they are good, how they are good, ways to consume them and so on.

All sorts of cut fruits for sale

Anyways, I digress.

So, today (Sunday) was like just one of those days when we had to stay out of the house for almost the entire day. Good thing there's juice bars everywhere in KL (we call Kuala Lumpur, my city KL). I counted at least 4 juice bars in Mid Valley Megamall and at The Gardens (building next to it). Lots of restaurants offer fresh raw fruit juice and smoothies as well.

Aren't I lucky?

Jasmin
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ps read below about the health and nutritional benefits of both Guava and Star Fruit. You'd be surprised that kidney patients can not eat Star Fruit. Some of you Malaysian and Singaporean readers may remember a story in the news in April 2008 about this Malaysian man who died in China after consuming Star Fruit. At that time, I though maybe it was because there were too much pesticides in the fruit or something. But no. Apparently, Star Fruits have a neurotoxin that can not be filtered out by people who have kidney disease. Read more about it here http://www.petertan.com/blog/2008/04/22/star-fruit-can-be-toxic-for-kidney-patients-the-star-april-22-2008/

Health & Nutrition Benefits of Eating Guava

• Guava is a very good source of vitamins, fibers as well as minerals.
• Being rich in Vitamin C; guava is effective in treating male infertility caused by sperm clumping, adhesion and other abnormalities.
• Guava has been associated with healing of wounds, when applied externally.
• Guava has general haemostatic properties and can be used for treating bleeding nose, gums and minor internal hemorrhaging.
• Guava helps cure dysentery, by inhibiting microbial growth and removing extra mucus from the intestines.
• Guava helps the body in combating free radicals produced during metabolism and aids in preventing age-related chronic diseases, such as Alzheimer’s, cataract and rheumatoid arthritis.
• Guava is one of the richest sources of dietary fiber and thus, is good for those suffering from constipation.
• Guava strengthens and tones up the digestive system and even disinfects the same.
• Guava, having high content of roughage, no cholesterol & less digestible carbohydrates, is good for those trying to lose weight.
• Guavas can improve the texture of skin and help avoid skin problems. For the purpose, you can either eat it raw or make wash your skin with a decoction of its immature fruits and leaves.
• Juice of raw and immature guavas or decoction of guava-leaves is known to bring relief in cough and cold.
• Researches have shown that guava is pretty effective in preventing cancer and even heart diseases in people.
• The presence of complex carbohydrates and dietary fibers in guava makes it effective in lowering cholesterol and blood sugar levels.
• The presence of Vitamin C and other phytonutrients, such as caretenoids, isoffavonoids and polyphenols, in guava has led to it being an effective antioxidant.

Guava has been found to be beneficial for people suffering from the following ailments:

• Acidosis
• Asthma
• Bacterial Infections
• Catarrh
• Congestion of the Lungs
• Convulsions
• Epilepsy
• High Blood Pressure
• Obesity
• Oral Ulcers
• Poor Circulation
• Prolonged Menstruation
• Scurvy
• Swollen Gums
• Toothache

Extracted from http://lifestyle.iloveindia.com/lounge/benefits-of-guava-1612.html

Health and nutritional benefits of eating Star Fruit:

Besides the known benefits of its vitamin and mineral composition such as skin health, nerve functions, healthy bones, digestion, blood oxygenation, cancer prevention, star fruits are also known to effective in hormone regulation, specifically in the thyroid gland as well as helping to regulate appetite and sleeping, making it becoming a growing member in the diets of families with small children. It is also a popular home remedy in treating fevers, headaches, and even curing hangovers.

Its "sweet and sour" flavor make it a tasty choice for natural juice enthusiasts, which surprisingly enough, can also be used to remove iron and paint stains, and also acts as an effective solution for cleaning metals. The star fruit's skin is rich in tannin, which regulates the intestine, and can be used to treat diarrhea and dysentery. The leaves and roots, if ground up in a mortar and pestle, boiled, and then extracted, can be used help alleviate symptoms of childhood diseases such as measles and chickenpox.

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Tips to reduce blood pressure

• Cucumbers help reduce my mum's high blood pressure
• Lower blood pressure by keeping things in the right place!
  
• Jicama reduces blood pressure
  
• Cats love lemongrass, dogs hate it
  
• Yummy honey dew melon
  

=============

Extracted from http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/1496109/health_benefits_of_star_fruit.html

BEASTFEEDING IS A GREAT DIET PROGRAM!

I had just finish replying a question about eating in one of the parent forums when I realized, hey, I. EAT. A. LOT!

Dinner was 2 plates of rice with vege and meat. Not to mention 1 biggg bowl of Chinese herbal watercress carrot pork soup. Plus raw coconut water. And I also ate up DS1's leftover rice, because he was full, and didn't want to eat anymore. Can't let that go to waste now can we?

And I just had 2 large cheese sandwiches topped with 1 large raw avocado at 10.54pm because I was HUNGRY! And I also had 3 large glasses of plain water.

While I was at it, I was debating if I should move my butt and make myself a tall glass of raw pegaga vege juice sweeten with some raw honey.

I'm now 42kg, down from pre pregnant 48kg weight. When I was a teen, my weight was 60kg! 15 month Ds2's still breastfeeding voraciously, and that, my friend, is better than any weight loss program you can find in the market.

During my first pregnancy, I had warned hubby I'd probably use up his retirement fund to pay for some chi-chi weight loss program. I bet he felt grateful when that didn't materialize.

Jasmin Who's Eating Up A Storm Now Because She Can't Do So When She Stops Breastfeeding!
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Today’s Tip: Drink tap water instead of unhealthy soft drinks and sports drinks.

Give your body and your wallet a rest and make it a point to drink only plain water today.

Skip all the drinks that have artificial flavorings, like soda and anything that has sugar in it, like coffee with sugar.

By doing this simple act of flushing your body with clean water, you will immediately reduce your carbon footprint because there's less plastic bottles to use and make, less sugar means less water, less electricity to produce this white gold and so on.

Your body deserves needs a break from processing all sorts of chemicals as well.

Jasmin
Come join "Eat Raw Food Today" facebook group

ps Try not to buy bottles of water or use paper or plastic cups at the office. Instead, try to use a reusable water bottle and carry fresh, clean water from a known source (like your kitchen). For every one less disposable you don't use, there's one less disposable item that goes into the garbage dump.

Jason Mraz's Travel Tip #3: Bring a Big Fucking Knife

Time zone hopping and the hyper robotic routine of touring require energy levels to be consistent and my schedule isn’t one that affords me any sick days. So I travel with a chopping knife and a cutting board. Rather than rely on room service and overpriced restaurant versions of vegetarian cuisine, I shop at local grocers and eat my own delicious homemade meals. The knife, a classic single layer stainless steel, in addition to raising concerns with airport security, is also good for shocking housekeeping staff. My DO NOT DISTURB sign is in constant use during any hotel stay, yet all maids seem to have this incredible urge to assist and clean. Thus, opening the door in bikini briefs gripping a 10-inch blade makes my point. I can make my own bed.



I also bring along a Vita-Mix blender, a powerhouse of a tool. I start each day with a crazy ass Superfood Smoothie that most people refer to as, the Green Sludge. It contains a lot of what you see in this mini-bar.


Super Greens, Hemp Protein, Goji Juice, Coconut Water, Flax Seed Oil, My own homemade cashew milk, Raw Cacao, Bee pollen, sometimes a banana, a little crushed ice, toad knuckles, agave nectar, Stevia, and/or Natural Vaginal Juices to sweeten to your liking.

All this stuff is checked at the airport in what I like to call my “Movable Feast,” a handy box that puts the kit in kitchen. I update the staples when I need to, about every two weeks. But the salad fixins are refreshed daily.


If it seems costly it’s not. I think about the cost my body pays for eating processed food and immediately I’m happy about the investment of time finding these natural alternatives. ALTERNATIVES? How did we let nature’s supply take a back seat and become so hard to reach?

You are what you eat. And since April 1st, this has been an experiment worthy of the effort. My trusty sidekick, Toca Rivera, has also been eating this way, relying only on raw and natural foods. We started this diet when Toca discovered he was Diabetic. But now, thanks to eating REAL food, his numbers are closer to normal and soon his blood tests will not reveal any sign of Diabetes.

Excerpt from Jason Mraz's blog
http://freshnessfactorfivethousand.blogspot.com


Jasmin says "Hmmmm, makes me wonder what he wore .... errr ... ate I mean, when he was touring in Kuala Lumpur on 4th March 2009?

Jasmin
Come join "Eat Raw Food Today" facebook group

WATERMELON FROST CURES ETHAN'S MOUTH ULCER

Watermelon Frost Mouth Ulcer Medicine

About two weeks ago, Baby Ethan had a nasty mouth ulcer, just below his tongue. At first, I had no clue as to why he was refusing food, but then someone pointed out he had this big white ulcer in his mouth! Duh! Really, there's nothing worse than a clueless mum!!!! *roll eyes*

The old standby mouth ulcer medicine in my fridge
Bonjela and Oral Aid

Anyways, I took him to his pediatrician and she gave him a bottle of Oral Aid to use. I like Oral Aid. I'd have to just squeeze a drop into the struggling kid's mouth to numb the mouth and presto, all done. However, after 3 days, the ulcer got worse. This time, I was really worried as he had not been eating. Keep it up kid, and you'll have to check into the kiddy ward for dehydration. I called the good doctor up, and this time, she asked me to switch to Kenalog. Most people in Malaysia, Australia and Singapore would be familiar with it. I wanted to snap a photo of the tube of Kenalog, but my 3 year old decided to flush it down the toilet before I could get to it. Apparently, it's hard to find in USA because the drug in itself is an immunosuppressant. It belongs to the category of drugs not as corticosteroids. These drugs suppress reactions by the immune system. I like Kenalog as well. I've used it before. It's like a wet sandy paste that covers the ulcer, so when I eat anything, I don't feel any major discomfort. I also have Bonjela in my fridge. Actually, the Bonjela tube you see in the picture belongs to my 31 year old baby brother. It tastes nasty as far as I'm concerned. And it kinda stings a bit before it numbs the ulcer temporarily.

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Note

We have moved to www.BuddingPlanet.com. Come visit us there!

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I knew anything in a tube that has to be squeezed out to put into Ethan's mouth would be a struggle, because as far as he's concerned, he's not eating anything that tastes bad. Besides, he's bitten my finger before and it's like a Piranha comping on it's prey. I really don't want to go there if I can help it. So, I started searching for a simpler alternative. Something that was herbal, something I could get easily at the drug store. My answer? Watermelon Frost! (see the first picture right at the top of the article)

It fits my criteria. It's herbal. It's a squeeze bottle, which delivers a puff of med into the kid's mouth without having my finger bitten off in the process, and it's cheap. It's only RM3.50 (only USD$1, can you believe it?) Perfect!

I squeezed the bottle of Watermelon Frost meds 3 times that day (after his meals, or lack of it) into Ethan's ulcer, and by the the next morning Ethan was eating and drinking like the ulcer never existed! Great stuff.

I was so excited, I could not wait to show this amazing medicine to my sister-in-law, who, get this, said she knew about it all along! Heck, my mother-in-law uses it too! Another duh! It goes to show how little I know about Chinese herbal medicine.

By the way, there's a doctor in Australia who wrote about this med, and his write up was the reason I decided to give this med a try. http://docfiles.blogspot.com/2005/12/oral-ulcers-winter-melon-frost.html

If you haven't tried it, and can get it near where you live, go out and try it. It may just be the thing for you.

Jasmin
Come join "Eat Raw Food Today" facebook group

INTERESTING WAY TO EXPLAIN A HEALTHY IMMUNE SYSTEM

One way to look at this is to imagine a jar filled with water. If you add a single grain of salt, you can still drink the water, it is healthy. But if you keep adding salt at some point the water is salt water and it is not healthy for you. Your job [if you choose to accept it] is to keep refreshing the best fresh water you can into your "jar" so that the grains of salt are never numerous enough to make salt water.

Your immune system is like that jar, it is either filled with good guys or bad guys. Which ever is in the majority determines your state of health. Basically the more good guys you have in your immune system the less room there is for bad guys. The good guys keep the bad guys in check.

It is not necessary to kill all the bad guys with drugs that over power the body. It is only necessary to have more good guys than bad guys to keep them in check.

By Reverend Alan (talking about eating good bacteria ie probiotics, yogurts and stuff)

CATS LOVE LEMONGRASS, DOGS HATE IT!

And Health Benefits of Lemon Grass

Studies have shown that the lemon grass has antibacterial and anti fungal properties. Mixed with pepper, it's a home therapy for menstrual troubles and nausea. Drank as tea, it is an effective diuretic. When it comes to pets, citronella is used to neutralize excessive barking of dogs. Since dogs hate citronella, it is sprayed to dogs to prevent them from barking or just to lessen the behavior.

The Lemon grass is a good cleanser that helps to detoxify the Liver, pancreas, kidney, bladder and the digestive tract. It cuts down uric acid, cholesterol, excess fats and other toxins in the body while stimulating digestion, blood circulation, and lactation; it also alleviates indigestion and gastroenteritis. It is said that lemongrass also helps improve the skin by reducing acne and pimples and acts as a muscle and tissue toner. Also, it can reduce blood pressure. Just make a concoction by boiling some lemon grass leaves, let it cool for a while and drink the liquid.

About the author: Manolito Montala is a webmaster and one of his interests is collecting local medicinal plants information which can be found in Filipino Herbs Healing Wonders.

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Jasmin Says:

Occasionally, I just take 1 organic lemongrass stalk which grows like wild in my yard. Blend it with 1-2 cups water, keep that in the fridge. It can keep up to 2 days in the fridge. Then, I just add a little bit of the blended juice to whatever drink my family is having (usually just plain water) to increase their intake of good phytochemicals, antioxidants and vitamins.

It really taste refreshing with some sweetener like raw sugar cane or honey and some ice on a hot day, like the heatwave I've been experiencing for the past one month.

But really, I mainly just drink it plain.

The trick to drinking it plain is to be able to barely taste the lemongrass in your drinking water. If you start to gag drinking it, then, you've really added in too much!

Try it today.

=============

Tips to reduce blood pressure

• Cucumbers help reduce my mum's high blood pressure
• Lower blood pressure by keeping things in the right place!
  
• Jicama reduces blood pressure
  
• Yummy honey dew melon
  

=============

Image taken from http://lemongrassworld.com/media/images/lemongrass.jpg

Mother's Day Tribute

Here's a lovely music video that talks about a love of a wife and mother that has since passed.

Though it's a rather old video, I love it. It's really touching. I get tears in my eyes every time I see it. You see, every time, I see this video, I think of my grandma (my mum's side). She was a really lovely lady, and when she passed away, it felt like something died in all of us that day.

Jasmin
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RECYCLING JAM JARS AS MUGS

I was just reading about this lady who used her old, unused jam jars (like peanut butter jelly jars or my old standby marmalade jam jars) as her coffee mug.

I though it was an excellent idea. If I were to leave any sweet drinks on the counter, ants would swarm around in an instant. So, if I were to use a jam jar as my mug, I could just shut the lid tight when I'm not drinking, and those nasty bugs can't get to it. It'll be great for the office too. By the way, I could juice some vegetable or fruit juice, fill it up to the brim (to prevent oxidation), put the lid on, and carry the drink with me cause it's spill proof if I put it in my handbag. Perfect!

Break one, and there will be another jar to replace. I'd save money cause I don't have to by a mug. I could also use the jar to keep cookies, safety pins, and stuff when I don't need a drink.

I'm too cheap, so when my kids go to college, I'm make them use jam jars as mugs in their dorm rooms. Heck, jam jars are multipurpose so they will have plenty of ways to use them. They are smart kids. They will figure it out.

Currently, I use recycled glass jam jars to store baby food in the fridge or on the go. I can't bear to use plastic for my baby. I get the jeebies thinking about how plastic will leech into foodstuff.

So, yeah, I'm putting on my thinking cap to come out with more ways to use this versatile product.

I just love the recycling!

Jasmin
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GMO Food Making Us Sick?

Excerpt from "Fruit and Vegetable Allergies Soaring" article by Dr Joseph Mercola

One thing we do know is that between 1994 and 2001 -- the same time that GMO’s flooded the market – food related illnesses DOUBLED.

GMO foods can be:

• Allergenic
• Toxic
• Carcinogenic
• Anti-nutritional

GMO’s may also create brand new diseases that we’ve never seen before, in addition to spurring on the disease rate of some we already have, such as cancer.

http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2009/05/02/Fruit-and-Vegetable-Allergies-Soaring.aspx

BUY RAW FOOD AND REDUCE YOUR CARBON FOOTPRINT

Highly-processed foods require a lot of energy and resources to produce. They’re also extremely wasteful in terms of nutrients. White processed sugar, for example, is missing as much as 98% of the original nutrients found in unprocessed cane juice. Taking those nutrients out required a tremendous amount of wasted energy, and that’s why white sugar has a much larger carbon footprint than evaporated cane juice.

The same is true of breads, cereals, canned soups and other processed foods. Anything that isn’t fresh requires energy for processing and cooking. Anything that’s pasteurized, for example, has a much larger carbon footprint than the same foods RAW. That’s because pasteurization requires the foods or beverages to be heated, burning up fossil fuel energy.

RAW living plants, in this way, are the most ecologically-sensitive foods you can buy, grow or consume. (They’re also the healthiest, but that’s a different article…)

Taken from the article You Are Not Green Unless Your Food Is Green
http://anilnetto.com/agrobusinessgm-food/you-are-not-green-unless-your-food-is-green/

DID YOU KNOW YOU CAN GET CHICKEN POX EVEN IF YOU WERE VACCINATED? (Part 2)

Singapore former Prime Minister Goh, 67, is down with chicken pox.

Hubby recovering from it.

Preschool called. Says, my 3 year old son, who had the vaccine is now down with chicken pox. Apparently, he caught it from another kid in school. Go figure!

I'm not worried about contagious flu (H1N1 Flu or previously known as Swine Flu)!

I think it's pox season! See my article, written last year on how to deal with it!

http://eatrawfoodtoday.blogspot.com/2008/10/did-you-know-you-can-get-chicken-pox.html


Jasmin
Come join "Eat Raw Food Today" facebook group

No butts: China orders officials to smoke

Men smoke along a street in Beijing in February. Officials in a county in central China have been told to smoke nearly a quarter million packs of locally made cigarettes annually or risk being fined, state media reported.(AFP/File/Liu Jin)

By AFP - Sun May 3, 11:06 PM PDT

BEIJING (AFP) - Officials in a county in central China have been told to smoke nearly a quarter million packs of locally made cigarettes annually or risk being fined, state media reported.

The Gong'an county government in Hubei province has ordered its staff to puff their way through 230,000 packs of Hubei-produced cigarette brands a year, the Global Times said.

Departments that fail to meet their targets will be fined, according to the report.

"The regulation will boost the local economy via the cigarette tax," said Chen Nianzu, a member of the Gong'an cigarette market supervision team, according to the paper.

The measure could also be a ploy to aid local cigarette brands such as Huanghelou, which are under severe pressure from competitors in neighbouring Hunan province, according to the paper.

China has 350 million smokers, of whom a million die of smoking-related diseases every year.

More than half of all male doctors in China smoke, but the government is now trying harder to get them to kick the habit in order to set an example for others, state media reported recently.

http://health.yahoo.com/news/afp/healthchinatobaccooffbeat_20090504060729.html