Sunday, November 18, 2012

Secrets, Secrets....Secrets of the B's

It's hard to keep secrets, isn't it? Especially GOOD ones! They are hard to find, and even harder to keep! This is the kind of secret I can share, so let me introduce you to the 'new guy' in our house, or rather the 'revisited' new guy! Nutritional Yeast Flakes! It's nutty, cheesy, robust flavor adds a certain unique 'gusto' to any meal or juice. But I'm sure your real question isn't what or how...but WHY?

Nutritional Yeast flakes work as a food-grade sourced multi-vitamin; specifically with the B's. So what's so important about B vitamins? They help with digestion, nerve functioning, skin and hair health, our body's natural capability to detox, and general immune support! AND....it is truly difficult to get a proper balance of these vitamins in your system unless you are taking a 'super food source' of them, in a bountiful supply. Any offsets or imbalances of one B vitamin can be detrimental (they are water soluble and can be flushed out easily; but an overabundance of one creates a lack of another) which can definitely create uncomfortable symptoms and eventually lead to huge health problems. Since most people prefer their habitual food choices, it is quite easy actually to create a deficiency in just diet preferences alone! If one can keep a regular supply of all B vitamins being introduced, there is little chance that a deficiency can even get a foothold. Here are the top food sources of Balanced B vitamins:
  • Animal Liver is an excellent source (almost all animal liver store months to years supply of B vitamins) HOWEVER, the liver of each animal also flushes all viruses, Bactria and toxins out of the body. So with your abundant supply of B vitamins from eating liver, unfortunately, you are also receiving an abundant supply of 'less-than-desirables' from it as well.
  • Fermented foods provide a rich source of beneficial microbial cultures, which in turn, assist in producing B vitamins in your gut! Kombucha, Sauerkraut, Pickled vegetables, Sour Dough, Cultured milk products like keifer and yogurt, Wine (in modesty and naturally made), a varied daily dose would be a great source of B vitamins. Most industries do not 'grow cultures' in products anymore, so the best source is a homemade one. Unlike the other sources listed here of B vitmains, fermented foods provide an environment to produce B vitamins, but does not actually provide them.
  • Nutritional Yeast is the most simple way to get a balanced B vitamin Food source! It is a deactivated yeast (not like the yeast we're warned about in diet programs) grown on molasses and harvested to provide a balanced foundation for nerve, emotional, digestion and metabolic health! 
My personal story: when we first started living more naturally 7 years ago, my great aunt on the west coast not only introduced us to natural living, but started us out with one of her favorite supplements: KAL brand Nutritional Yeast Flakes. I didn't know much about them, but took them everyday in 4 ounces of 100% pure orange or concord grape juice, per her advice which I highly valued from her experiences. In ALSO being on a mostly natural/organic food diet, we started seeing former health problems melting away: painfully cracked heels, thin weakened hair, dry skin, stomach indigestion, sleeplessness, recurrent allergies, bowel weirdness, low energy, and the one that bothered me the most: black circles under the eyes. In addition to organic naturally made foods, we supplemented with an acidophilus source and a Spirulina source, as well as regular consultations with our naturopath. When we moved a few years back, I debated packing my (at the time) recently emptied can of Yeast Flakes. I opted to just try to remember to reorder once we moved. I forgot. That is...until recently in being put on a healing regimen with my kids for our livers. Our our symptoms seemed to degress back to similar ones from when we lived with our previous home.
I started doing more research a few weeks ago and kept coming across how the liver is healed, kept strong, detoxed and supported by balanced B vitamins (So I questioned myself: we started taking B vitamins again last summer after seeing a chiropractor who suggested them--both drops and capsules that were 'natural'! So what was the problem then? My guess-it wasn't a food source!) After that, I was searching a nutritional site for liver support and came across NUTRITIONAL YEAST FLAKES. Then it struck me, like "Oh yeeeeaaaa! We used to take this when we first began our natural living adventure!" At this point I was once again reminded that we are to be led by the Holy spirit in our quest for answers, not by frantically searching for answers at convenient worldly stops along the way. Not only this, but we get answers in His timing, when we best utilize and learn from the experience of being given the information! Sometimes information can be withheld, (with problems reverting back to original ones...) in order for us to gain knowledge in why we made changes in the first place! NOW, I actually LEARNED why nutritional flakes are important, and what happens to the human body without an ample, regular source. Having genetics of B vitamin deficiencies in my past, with my grandmother having been diagnosed and treated with multiple B vitamin deficiencies (monthly prescribed B12 shots, etc)...it is ESPECIALLY important to my genes and I!

With starting the flakes up again last week, I can see already the energy level has increased immensely (when my mudroom closet even gets cleaned, you know energy isn't in short supply!), stools improving and our overall happiness has left nothing to be desired! I am truly excited and have felt led by the Holy spirit...

SO the importance of balanced B vitamins in proper body functioning? They're CRITICAL! Each one has an array of  health benefits, and without them in balance with one another, one can have lifelong, degenerative symptoms! You may be supplementing PLENTY with food or capsule of one B vitamin, but then the other ones can get grossly offset. Keeping them in balance is key. B's include:

  • B6--used for nerves, protein digestion, antibody synthesis, red blood cell formation; DEFICIENCIES include morning sickness or weak stomach, anemia, impaired nerve functioning, hair loss
  • B12--converts carbs to glucose for energy, regulates the nervous system against stress and depression, protects against stroke, high cholesterol and high blood pressure. DEFICIENCIES are stomach upset with weight loss, light headedness (indication it has impacted adrenals), weakness and pale skin 
  • B2--Keeps skin, hair, nails and eyes in good health, used in treating Alzheimer’s, anxiety and nerve disorders; DEFICIENCIES include migraines, bloodshot/irritability in the eyes, chapped and/or sore tongue and lips
  • B9--otherwise known as FOLIC ACID--Prevents birth defects, helps produce healthy blood cells, strengthens nervous system and digestion system. DEFICIENCIES produce symptoms of stress related disorders, preterm labor, birth defects, cell mutation and tumor growth, leading to certain forms of cancer.
  • B5--labeled the 'anti stress vitamin', B5, aka pantothenic acid, is a booster for our adrenals. Friends that have taken it have made sure to give me feedback of their quickness in getting over illness compared to their other family members, as well as the energy they have felt an increase in. I have experienced this as well! It is found in blood plasma, helps those with autism, increases hair growth, cystitis and asthma. DEFICIENCES include: sleep difficulty, upset stomach, poor temperment, lasting illnesses, hair loss. 
  • B1, B3, B7 are all important to digestion, hair and skin health and nerve health

    Have you had your B's today? We make sure to get Gi-normous amounts of calcium, Vitamin A, Vitamin C...but what about the B's? Don't forget the B's...

    In Christ,
    Ms. Salubrious

Thursday, December 8, 2011

MERRY CHRISTMAS From a Child's Perspective

This is absolutely PRECIOUS! Merry Christmas, and may the spirit of Jesus be in your thoughts and celebrations this year... (remember to pause my Blog page music player--lower right column- before watching)-


Thursday, April 7, 2011

Dr. Oz and HOMEOPATHY, Part 1


Simple. Safe. Cheap. These alternative cures will soothe your aches and pains without a prescription. Dr. Oz discusses the benefits of homeopathic...

(BE SURE TO PAUSE MUSIC PLAYER BY SCROLLLING DOWN IN RIGHT COLUMN!)


Please also visit my "HOW TO" introductory guide to Homeopathy:
http://bodymindsoulfood.blogspot.com/2009/02/intro-to-homeopathy.html



IN CHRIST, MS. SALUBRIOUS

Dr. Oz and HOMEOPATHY, Part 2


Simple. Safe. Cheap. These alternative cures will soothe your aches and pains without a prescription. Dr. Oz discusses the benefits of homeopathic



(BE SURE TO PAUSE MUSIC PLAYER BY SCROLLLING DOWN IN RIGHT COLUMN!)

Please also visit my "HOW TO" introductory guide to Homeopathy: http://bodymindsoulfood.blogspot.com/2009/02/intro-to-homeopathy.html

IN CHRIST, MS. SALUBRIOUS


Wednesday, December 8, 2010

Organic Candy.....What's the point?

Someone would SeRiOuSlY search out a "healthy" version of candy? Isn't ALL CANDY UnHeAlThY for you?

IMHO, Candy doesn't HAVE to be "unhealthy"...it could just be "not healthy"! YES, there is a difference. Let me explain....

When you look at the ingredients on a 'typical' package of candy you might see as an ingredient any of the following: hydrogenated oil, artificial dyes/coloring, artificial flavoring, artificial sweetener, preservatives.

All of these ingredients can be considered 'unhealthy' or ANTI-NUTRIENTS (substances that, when consumed increase the body's need for more nutrients) These substances take so much extra energy for the digestive tract to process and eliminate, that the body is left with more nutrients burned up than are taken in. They also increase the appetite because the body is not getting the nutrients it needs. My advice is to steer clear of most anti nutrients if you want to maintain optimum health. Some commonly considered ANTI-NUTRIENTS : hydrogenated oils, white flour products, low-fat milk products (skim and 2%), processed meats (hot dogs, lunch meat), pastries, or anything that contains added sugar, fast food anything, chemical anything in foods.


  • HYDROGENATED OILS "are naturally healthy oils such as palm, kernel, soybean, corn oil or coconut oil and they heat it anywhere from 500-1,000 degrees under several atmospheres of pressure. They then inject a catalyst into the oil for several hours (nickel, platinum or even aluminum). The molecules in this new product are now closer to...plastic than to oil. In fact, hydrogenated oil is only one molecule away from being plastic. When you eat anything containing this material, just as the oil is now thicker...so too does your blood become thicker...right along with it. If un-hydrogenated oils are put into foods they would go bad very fast. This would increase the cost to the manufacturer. In fact the faster a food goes bad, the healthier they usually are. That's because the enzymatic activity which causes the foods to rot at room temperature also means that the enzymatic activity within your own body will be greater as well. Food is basically meant to digest itself so eating foods high in natural enzymes such as fresh vegetables, fruits and other raw foods means less stress on your own digestive system." Source: http://www.naturalnews.com/024694_food_hydrogenated_oils_health.html

  • ARTIFICIAL DYES are used in candy because they are CHEAP, plain and simple. Cheap isn't necessarily bad....until you examine closely the side effects of artificial dyes in children. Colorings in candy and foods used to be made out from natural resources: cherries-RED, blueberries-BLUE, tumeric-YELLOW and so on. "By the time the early 1900's hit, there were more than 80 types of dyes, none of them having been tested for short/long term affects. The dyes created were, and still are, derived from PETROLEUM ANILINE, and were first named coal-tar colors because the starting product was taken from bituminous coal. Laws were eventually made to attempt to control the extent and identify the colors, but nevertheless, very little research done on the safety of putting them in the human body." (http://www.fennogold.org/)

Check out my BLOG posting on chemical colorings and side effects.

  • ARTIFICIAL SWEETENERS: SPLENDA is a chlorinated sugar that is about 600 times as sweet as sugar. http://www.truthaboutsplenda.com/ (taken from my BLOG posting) "When the temperature of ASPARTAME exceeds 86 degrees F, the wood alcohol in ASPARTAME coverts to formaldehyde and then to formic acid, which in turn causes metabolic acidosis. (Formic acid is the poison found in the sting of fire ants). The methanol toxicity mimics multiple sclerosis. ASPARTAME changes the brain's chemistry (by) changing the dopamine level in the brain. Dr. Russell Blaylock, neurosurgeon, said, 'The ingredients stimulates the neurons of the brain to death, causing brain damage of varying degrees.'" http://www.earthclinic.com/CURES/aspartame.html


Candy containing naturally-based sugar and natural food coloring are not healthy by any means, but at least they are not as "unhealthy" as candy containing the "anti-nutrients" listed above! If there are occasionally times when you will want to celebrate something, and you don't want your child to take a hit on their immune system, I have found a couple of sites that we will occasionally be visiting for rare holiday treats. They use natural, food-derived colorings & flavors. The sugar sources in these treats/candies are not as processed as most candy (the more naturally-derived the ingredient; the easier it is on the immune system & digestive system!), contain no chemical dyes or preservatives and are made with natural flavorings. My daughters have chemical and processed food allergies, so I was absolutely ecstatic to find less "unhealthy" candy/treats!

This Christmas season we'll enjoy a healthy (quick mix) chocolate pudding made from REAL cocoa and natural sweeteners, this summer my daughters will enjoy roasting fruit juice based marshmallows over a fire, and we'll be bringing organic jello made from cherry juice and organic gelatin to potlucks through the year instead of just fresh fruit. (Organic Gelatin consists of up to 84% high-quality protein and is great for lubricating joints from the inside!) The natural candy store link actually has a candy breakdown list for children on special diets (no-soy, non-dairy, gluten-free, vegan, organic, or Feingold) more on Feingold for children with special needs: http://www.fennogold.org/


NATURAL CANDY/TREAT WEBSITES:

http://www.gobiofood.com/store.php?osCsid=7947f6e03189c839f17656dd40b7a417

http://www.naturalcandystore.com/category/organic-candy

Thanks for reading!

In Christ, Ms. Salubrious

******None of the above statements have been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. All of the information in this BLOG is strictly for educational purposes. This BLOG should not be used to treat, diagnose, or prescribe for a condition you feel you may have. If you have any health concerns, you should see a competent practitioner. ******

Thursday, November 18, 2010

Pumpkin Pudding (Variation) Dessert Sauce


2-3 cups of pureed pumpkin,
1/3 cup organic half & half
1/4-1/3 cup REAL maple syrup
a pinch-1/4 tsp Fresh ground Nutmeg
MIX TO TASTE! Warm on stove to set ingredients and serve either: cold w/whipped cream
or warm w/sprinkles of nutmeg on top
****ADD homemade granola for a pumpkin pie-ish treat at Thanksgiving!****

Friday, November 5, 2010

A NEW MOVEMENT

PLEASE PAUSE MUSIC PLAYER TO LISTEN, scroll down, right column. Thank You!


A Wake-Up Story from Healthy Child Healthy World on Vimeo.