Is the old fashioned way of farming better for organic produce?
May 27, 2010
Where I live they still plough the fields using oxen and other animals are used in the harvesting. It is just like a step back in time. These days organic food is grown using machinery, combine harvesters and tractors. Can it be truly called organic when we use fuel driven machinery.
Cyrus: this type of farming has nothing to do with Amish, it is just a way of life for certain farmers. There are no Amish in Andalucia.
If produce is to be called organic, it has to be certified as such by the USDA or another certification body. To do this, the whole farm must comply to organic standards- from the fertilizer, to the irrigation, to pesticides and equipment. They also have to use organic farming techniques for a few years (I want to say 4, but my memory is a little fuzzy).
The farms you see using oxen may or may not be organic farms, and farms using machines can certainly be organic. Whether the old fashioned way is better or not is purely a matter of opinion.
Does anyone have any good recipes for organic home made dog food? My Westie is allergic to Store bought food.?
May 27, 2010
A diet of lamb, rice and kelp often helps.
Cook the white or brown rice with 3 cups of water per cup of rice, and cook until all is absorbed. Grind or chop the lamb and feed it raw, mixed in the rice with a spoon of sea kelp..You can add vegetables in season, including yams and peeled potatoes. Avoid tomatoes, corn, onions, cabbage, grapes (or raisins) … You can add or exchange lentils for the rice.
Your grocer will have kelp in the health supplement section, or your drug store, or healthfood store.
Most store bought meats have growth hormones, and antibiotics, given during the growing or ‘finishing’ feeding. but lamb is not fed that stuff.
The kelp makes a big difference.
If your dog doesn’t like the rice, you can boil fresh fish (not farmed) and pour the broth over the rice.
Don’t cook the kelp, but stir it in before serving..about 1 teaspoon per feeding…twice per day.
the above recipe will last for several days, so you don’t have to cook daily, but most dog prefer it warmed..
If the lamb is too lean, this diet might cause hard stools..you can add 2 teaspoons of canned pumpkin, oat bran, or olive oil if there is constipation.
Gaining Better Health Through A Raw Food Diet
May 25, 2010
Chances are that you’ve probably heard people talk about a raw food diet and how healthy it is for you, but did you ever wonder exactly what it is they’re talking about? Perhaps you envisioned raw oysters and beef on your dinner table. That doesn’t sound too appealing doesn’t?
In fact, a raw food diet is simply eating food in its natural unprocessed state. You probably already are on part of a raw food diet. If you snack on fruits and vegetables without cooking them, then you’ve eaten raw food.
Raw food, or unprocessed food is much better for you because the act of processing the food strips it of a lot of its vital nutrients. You’ve probably heard that cooking vegetables can leach out a lot of the vitamins and it can also destroy the important food enzymes as well. Packaged foods, that you find in the grocery store like potato flakes to make mashed potatoes and other foods that have been processed in some way to make an easy package meal not only have little nutritional value, but your body simply isn’t made to process these foods.
If you think about raw foods as being the natural foods the way that they come from the earth, then it makes sense that these are easier for our bodies to process as these of the foods are great ancestors ate and there really hasn’t been that many generations since grocery stores, and therefore prepackaged foods, were invented.
Raw foods are packed full of vitamins, minerals and food enzymes. These food enzymes are important, although you don’t hear a lot about them. One of the things they do is help you digest your food and getting enough enzymes can help your body with the digestion process which takes a lot of energy, and if your body is spending less energy on digestion it will have more energy for you to do the things you like. Did you ever wonder why you feel so tired after you eat a big meal of cooked foods? One of the reasons is because food enzymes are destroyed by cooking, so there are no enzymes to help your body digests that big meal you just ate.
People in a raw food diet eat about 75% of their food as raw and whole foods. This includes fruits, vegetables, sprouts, raw nuts, seaweed and other foods in their natural form.
Raw foods can be prepared in a couple of ways. One of the most popular is juicing. Many people go on a juice fast where all they do is drink the juice of raw organic fruits and vegetables. Even just drinking fresh juice in the morning can give your health a boost.
Another way that people eat raw foods is to use a food dehydrator. This takes all the moisture out of the fruits and vegetables so they can be easily stored for long periods of time without going bad. A food dehydrator uses hot air to dehydrate the food but it keeps the temperature under 116°F so that the vital food enzymes are not destroyed.
Of course, you can simply eat your fruits and vegetables the way nature intended picked straight from the tree. Nuts can be a great raw food that you eat for snacks as well, but be careful because most of the nuts you find in the grocery store are cooked. You need to make sure you get raw nuts which you probably will have to buy either online or from a health food store.
You don’t have to all of a sudden start eating 75% of your foods as raw foods in order to enjoy the health benefits of the raw food diet. You can gradually increase the amount of raw foods you eat as time goes on and you will notice how much more energy you have and how healthy you feel. Remember, you are what you eat!
Lee Dobbins
http://www.articlesbase.com/health-articles/gaining-better-health-through-a-raw-food-diet-106764.html
An Overview to Fruits and Vegetables in Nutrition
May 25, 2010
Eating fruits and vegetables is one of the best ways to maintain good health. Fruits and vegetables are an important part of a healthy diet. They contain vitamins, phytochemicals, and minerals that can protect your body from diseases like diabetes, cancers, and heart diseases. Ideally, you should consume five kinds of vegetables and two kinds of fruits each day.
Presently, magazines, advertisements, and schools support and insist on eating more fruits and vegetables. This is to make us all more aware of the nutritional benefits of fruits and vegetables.
Among other claimed benefits, they are believed by some people to have some benefits in your body’s defense against common ailments of the heart and intestines, and even some types of cancer.
Some fruits and vegetables contain certain antioxidants which may help to keep away or reduce the effects of some ailments and diseases. Many health professionals attest to the importance of having fruit and vegetables in your daily diet.
Different fruits and vegetables have different essential nutrients and vitamins. Hence, it is not sufficient to just eat only a small range of vegetables and fruit that you particularly like.
A great e-book is focused on showing you the benefits which are claimed for adding more vegetables and fruit to your diet and broadening the choices which you know about. It will also give you a variety of tasty and nutritious recipes toward the end of the book.
It’s a good idea to include some different fruits and at least one serving of dark green leafy vegetables each day. Some fruits and vegetables are very low in calories or fat.
Many are packed with nutrients, antioxidant vitamins, complex carbohydrates, fiber, and/or phytochemicals. These ingredients are claimed to be very helpful for maintaining or even improving your health.
Among fruits, oranges, cantaloupe, grapefruit, guava, pineapple, kiwi, papaya, and grapes are very nutritious. Organic berries are claimed to provide excellent antioxidant protection, as they are a rich source of phytochemical carotenoids and flavonoids.
Many people like to eat bananas and apples regularly. These fruits are, apparently, low on antioxidants although they are very nutritious and can contribute to your heath.
Among vegetables, some varieties are rich in antioxidants.You should include dark green leafy vegetables like spinach, broccoli, romaine lettuce and kale in your daily diet.
Other healthy choices of vegetables include carrots, which are rich sources of vitamin A, beans, cauliflower, Brussels sprouts, cabbage, Swiss chard, tomatoes, garlic, sweet potatoes, onions, white potatoes, and the always popular corn.
Ideally, you should start the day with fruits on your breakfast cereal or as an additional item on your breakfast menu. Berries on sugar-free, whole grain cereal is a good breakfast choice. You could have homemade soup just before lunch. Combine it with fresh salad of vegetables like lettuce, cucumber, or a romaine lettuce salad. Have steamed vegetables for dinner with pasta or you might include little stir-fried vegetables for your dinner.
Make it a habit to have fresh fruits and raw vegetables for snacks between meals instead of less healthy choices. Consuming fruits and vegetables can help in some measure to increase your body’s defense you against some types of ailments.
Regular consumption may help with protecting against or reducing the effects of:
- Intestinal ailments such as diverticulitis, heart diseases and strokes
- some types of cancer
- problems with blood pressure and
- may help to guard against cataract and macular degeneration that normally are the principal causes for vision loss.
Most people are not aware of the amount of fruits and vegetables that might, eaten daily, be enough to get optimum results.
The best recommendations come from your medical practitioner, who can take into account your particular medical history and the current state of your health.
Always consult your doctor before making any changes to your diet or anything affecting your health which may be significant.
The dietary guidelines suggested in Fabulous Fruit and Vegetables are from 2½ to 6½ cups of fruits and vegetables per day, depending on your caloric intake. If you need a daily calorie intake of 2,000 calories to maintain weight and health, that is about nine servings or two cups of fruit and two and a half cups of vegetables.
To find out more fabulous information about how to incorporate a healthy lifestyle with more fruits and vegetables order your copy of Fabulous Fruit and Vegetables today.
Georgina Cundall
http://www.articlesbase.com/nutrition-articles/an-overview-to-fruits-and-vegetables-in-nutrition-701035.html
The Best Natural Appetite Suppressants for Weight Loss
May 25, 2010
Natural appetite suppressants can help you overcome one of the biggest challenges when trying to lose weight: controlling your appetite. If you can control your appetite, you can prevent overeating and you can lose weight easier.
When it comes to natural appetite suppressants, you have three options: supplements, whole foods, or a combination of both. Supplements can be more convenient but they can also be very expensive. Whole foods are excellent because they’re inexpensive and provide additional nutritional benefits you can’t get from a supplement. You need to decide which works best for you. Here is a list of some of the most effective natural appetite suppressants:
Supplements as Natural Appetite Suppressants
Hoodia Gordonii
Hoodia Gordonii is a cactus-like plant that is found in the Kalahari Desert of South Africa. It has been used by the Bushmen of South Africa for centuries as a powerful appetite suppressant. They eat a small piece of the hoodia plant before long hunting trips and their appetites are suppressed for hours.
You can’t find hoodia gordonii in its raw form, but you can find hoodia diet pills that contain it. You need to be careful when you buy hoodia supplements as most of them contain very little hoodia gordonii. Those that do contain authentic hoodia gordonii can be effective appetite suppressants. While they are convenient, they are very expensive. At the time of this writing, they cost around $60 for a one-month supply.
Whey Protein
Whey protein powder has been used for years by dieters as an effective natural appetite suppressant. Whey protein powder is also excellent for muscle growth, which is crucial because muscle burns fat. It is also very cheap, convenient, and comes in a variety of flavors. You can drink it as a delicious shake or add it to smoothies or any variety of food recipes.
Whole Foods as Natural Appetite Suppressants
Water
This is probably the least expensive option of all the natural appetite suppressants you can choose from. Drinking plenty of water throughout the day will do wonders to curb your appetite. Often times hunger is mistaken as thirst so simply drinking water at the first sign of hunger can quickly keep your appetite in check. Another technique is to drink an eight ounce glass of water before each meal. You’ll be surprised at how much less you eat.
Green Leafy Vegetables
Lettuce, spinach, cabbage, and bok choy are terrific natural appetite suppressants. They are remarkably low in calories and are a good source of fiber. And here’s a bonus – these are considered “negative calorie” foods because it can take more calories for your body to digest these foods than there are in these foods themselves!
Pickles
I know what you’re thinking, pickles? Yes, pickles – but not the popular commercial brands you’re used to. They often contain artificial colors and sugar. You want to look for the natural organic pickles found in health food stores or in the health food section of your favorite grocer. Natural pickles, which are essentially small cucumbers, only have a few calories each. An entire jar will have less than 100 calories! You can snack on these powerful appetite suppressants all day long without any guilt.
Apples
You know the saying, but now there’s another reason why you should eat apples – they’re great natural appetite suppressants. Apples contain only about 100 calories each, are a good source of fiber, and have very little carbs. Apples are perfect for a snack and make a great substitute for more calorie dense foods like candy bars and potato chips.
These are some of the most effective, “guilt-free” natural appetite suppressants you’ll find. You’ll be able to control your hunger and prevent overeating by including these in your weight loss program. More importantly, your weight loss efforts won’t be as challenging!
Allison Jacobs
http://www.articlesbase.com/nutrition-articles/the-best-natural-appetite-suppressants-for-weight-loss-110031.html
