• Several cups of water
• One small can of Tomato Paste
• 3 Bay Leaves
• Salt and Pepper to Taste
• Several tomatoes cut in large or small chunkes, or pureed in a blender

Boil until tomatoes are soft.  You can then continue boiling the soup for hours, adding water as you go, for best results.  Or if you are in a hurry you can eat it sooner.

Garnishes:

• I like this soup with a spoonful of liquid yogurt on top
• Or add shredded or broken-up cheese.  Use something that melts well in liquid, such as Gouda or Cheddar.
• Croutons are another option.

Variations:

• Try adding other vegetables and herbs to the soup, such as a sliced onion, garlic, oregano, basil, etc.
• You can also add some mini noodles (put them in toward the end so they don’t overcook), rice, barley, or small meatballs.

1.  You might be craving something which contains certain nutrients which your body is deficient in.  A recent example for me was incessant cravings for canned ravioli.  I eventually realized that I was also craving Tomato Soup.  I began making tomato soup, using fresh tomatoes and herbs, and found that it fully handled by ravioli cravings!

What I assumed was that the tomatoes contained some nutrient(s) that I was definient in - perhaps Vitamin C or Iron - and that this was what was behind the craving for ravioli (with all its tomato sauce).  But instead of eating tons of unhealthy and fattening ravioli, I was able to pacify myself with fresh tomato soup - doing only good and no harm to my body.

2.  Your craving might be a side-effect of another deficiency.

My mother always told me that when I craved sugar, this was usually a sign of a lack of protein.  I have also read that when you continuously feel like you want to eat something but you don’t know what it is, that’s a need for Vitamin C.

Of course I’m no doctor.  But in my personal experience, whenever I did find the correct and healthful item to fulfill my craving, it sort of “felt right” in the end.

Keep this in mind the next time you have a funny craving and you may be able to use it as an indicator for better health, instead of an impetus to indulgence.

The survey was on food labels. To be more specific, on how many people actually still read them or used them. The survey was for the years 1995 to 2006. This report was a 33 page PDF report that I found very interesting. It went into the history of the label and how the survey was done and covered a lot of how to use it and why it is on our foods among other things about the label. It was very informative.

The results of the survey are what surprised me though. Less people are taking the time to read them or look at them. What they found was that it decreased for most label components. It declined approximately 3 percentage points for the Nutrition Facts panel, 11 percentage points for the ingredient list, and 10 percentage points for the panel’s information about calories, fat, cholesterol, and sodium. Only the information about fiber and sugars did not decline over the 10 year period. The use of fiber information increased by 2 percentage points and for sugar stayed the same.

It went on you break down the study by age and race. They believe the fiber increase was due to the people over 30. They said the increase in use may be the result of the increasing popularity of low-carb diets, the interest in identifying whole grain foods, or an aging population that is more aware of dietary fiber’s health benefits.

My thinking was that more people would be reading the labels. I thought people cared about their health more now. I guess I am wrong.

I find it funny, I guess it isn’t really funny, but if someone lights up a cigarette people get all upset about how that person is killing themselves and the second hand smoke will kill them too while they are eating a bacon cheese burger with fries and a coke. Which one is more deadly? You have tons of saturated fat in processed white bread. I think that the hamburger meal is more deadly.

I read another article the other day about a study on the kids meals served. 93 percent of the meals failed. The most calories a child 4 through 8 is supposed to have are 430 per meal. These meals were loaded with fat and sodium and some of them exceeded 1000 calories. This was done in 13 popular restaurants. I think people should start caring more about their kids. They are slowly killing them with the foods they feed them.

I am starting to think that most people don’t care about their health as much as they should. Sure, right now that processed food and those fast meals taste great, and are fine to eat every now and then, but it is killing us slowly. Sooner or later that is going to catch up with a lot of people, just like smoking cigarettes does. I am not saying that people can not sit and eat some pizza every now and then, I do, but not very often because it is not a good healthy food. I try to eat 90 percent good healthy food, and treat myself with the other 10 percent. I am not a saint and I don’t expect everyone else to be.

Our body needs a well balanced diet to work properly. It needs some fats, not the kind we get from the fast food chains, it needs protein, not the fatty kind, but the lean kind, and it needs carbohydrates. A lot of this information is right on the food products that we buy, on the nutritional label that less people are reading. People should be keeping up with the food news too. There are new studies they are doing all the time, and some of it is good news, and some of it is not so good news, but people need to know, and should be aware of the health risks and benefits of what we are eating.

For more information on this article and information on weight loss and good health including, news, tips, tools, guides and much more visit http://www.truellybetter.com

Tags:

survey, food labels, calories

What is amazing to me is that the rest of the world is starting to realize this. Not that nobody knew before. But you know what I mean.

Cars. Everybody uses them. GMC, Subaru, Honda, Ford. Everyday people use them to get to work and school, dates and dinners, parties and proms. They have to be constantly given fuel to keep them going, but gas prices are rising along with the demand for it. But gas prices are rising at a faster rate than what people think. As of today, the current national average for regular is $4.10; compare that to exactly a year ago when gas prices were $2.95. Exactly a month ago they were $3.98. Gas prices are rising at an average of half a cent a day. So what do we do about this ever increasing need/problem? Well…one thing among several things to do is switch fuel sources.

Many people think they can’t switch from their regular habits because it would be expensive or inconvenient. But little do they know; most things that are better for the environment are also better for their wallet, including alternative fuel sources. Some of the developing alternative fuel sources are electricity, fuel cell, and non-fossil natural gas. Hybrid is another option but not quite as good. I would not consider converting your car until more is known about the subjects of alternative fuels. The links provided would be a good thing to do research in, but as I said, don’t convert yet. Not enough is known.

GM understands the issues at hand with gas prices and the environment, so they are going to introduce a new electric sports car to compel people to buy it. Electric?! Sports car?! What?! Yes…it sounds bizarre but it is predicted to be a hit! The car is called the Volt. It comes out in 2010 so you will have a little bit of a wait. While you are waiting for the volt to come out you should do a little research on it, so here is a link. Another electric sports car that is already on the market it the Tesla Roadster. You may buy this for $109,000. It is a “SWEET” car by some peoples standards, and “The best car in existence because it costs less than 2 cents a mile!” by others’. The only downside about the Tesla Roadster is the fact that if you don’t live in Chicago, Seattle, New York, or Miami, you probably will have to pay a pretty penny to get it serviced.

I keep saying to be better to the environment but have not told you what is so bad that we are doing. Driving cars is part of what is causing global warming. Yeah, I know, it sounds crazy that something as simple as driving is causing a huge crisis. But it is. It is one of the many things that are causing it. You see cars burn gas to create energy to power the car. And we all know that fire burns oxygen as well, so the car emits carbon dioxide. This therefore rises into our atmosphere and stays there. Infrared beams travel from the sun and then hit our earth and the earth absorbs them. This heats the earth just enough to sustain life. The beams will eventually come off the earth again in the form of radiation. There are greenhouse gases in the atmosphere that let enough radiation escape, and capture enough radiation and send it back down to earth to make the earth’s atmosphere like a blanket. This keeps the earth at a constant average global temperature of 60° F. We have more carbon dioxide in the atmosphere than we need, so instead of acting like a blanket the carbon dioxide is acting like a winter coat in the Bahamas. And we are adding warm layers all the time.

There are more things you can do than wait to convert to be green and save money. Click here for tips on being greener and saving money in the process of helping the earth.

To sum all this up: being good to the environment hardly ever means being bad to your budget. It is quite the contrary actually. The best way to help stop global warming is to change fuel sources and do a few other things that you can learn about on my site. So here is an even briefer summary: if you are fed up with high gas prices, be clean, be green, save, and rejoice!

Thank You for letting me do this guest post,

Rubikubism

References I used in this post are my website, of course, and my own knowledge, of course again.

Water is the most simple element, and at the same time one of the more important elements, that we consume into our body. It is vital to everything our body does, it is fundamental to every function, and it is the most relevant element to life. One simple example of this is the fact that you can go without eating for some time, but you don’t last more than two or three days without water.

Water is fundamental to keeping your metabolism working well.  It’s an important medicine, and so simple. Water has the power to cure some infections and inflammations, such as those in our kidneys, and in our urinary tract. It helps to keep blood pressure regulated, and it lowers the blood pressure if it’s too high. When you drink a lot of water, your body will be in “flush mode” and excess sodium will be expelled from your body.  This gives your blood pressure low-to-normal values.

Water helps to stimulate your immune system, and it’s very important for increasing your body’s circulation. It gives your skin a good health and good looks.

Water is one of the most powerful and natural ways to detox the body.  It helps to remove very dangerous toxins - which we get from the environment, from food, from chemical products we use (especially in our hygiene products).  Our metabolism also produces toxic wastes due to biochemical functions and even breathing.  Those wastes stay in our body unless you drink enough water to expel those toxins from the body.  The toxins are expelled in sweat and in urine, and in both of these cases, water is fundamental.

Water has also healing properties.  The use of thermal waters, and other types of hydrotherapy, are very common and get very good results for many different problems; from breathing problems, to muscle injuries, and so many others. A good example is use of sea water.  If you have sinusitis problems, when you bathe yourself in the ocean, you feel very relieved.  That “junk” you got just goes out, you start breathing better, headaches go away, and you spend a summer with no problems if you go to the beach often.

As you can see, water is not only fundamental to life, but it is also very important in giving us good health and a good quality of life in almost every way. Water expels toxins, makes everything in our body function better, heals many different problems, and is also very pleasant.

I love to drink water, I love to relax on water, taking a nice bath. I Love the ocean in every way. The simple fact of looking at the ocean and smelling it makes me feel relaxed and energized.

Water is a fantastic thing.

Drink at least two to three litres of water every day. Just make sure the water is of good quality, and that you check often the test results of the water in your city. Don’t drink water from places that you’re not sure are safe and good quality. When in doubt, it’s best to drink bottled water from brands you can trust.

Be healthy.  Drink water!

Visit Helder’s website at Fitness Fat Burning

But there is a catch.  It’s not just any Ginger Tea.  I’ve tried Ginger Tea from normal health food or grocery stores and it’s been horrific in comparison.

The Ginger tea I drink comes from a very special farm in Oregon, Pacific Botanicals, which grows organic and medicinal quality herbs. It is basically dried up chopped pure ginger root which has not been harmfully treated, heated, or otherwise damaged in the ways that many herbs do get damaged while they are being processed.  Even though these herbs are not made specifically for use as tea (they are used for natural remedies and medicinal purposes) the tea that can be made from them is unlike any tea I have found elsewhere.

One of the health advantages of using loose-leaf tea is that you don’t have to use a teabag which has likely been bleached or otherwise chemically treated.

In any case, when you use real, pure, organically grown herbs to make your tea (which have not been heat dried or otherwise mistreated) you will not only see a big difference in health benefits, but in the taste of your tea.

My favorite mixture is ginger with peppermint, both mixed together with boiling water poured on top.

This drink can actually become addictive and it isn’t even toxic or unhealthy.  In fact, ginger is one of the healthiest substances on earth.

Here are just a few of the nutritional benefits of ginger:

• Increases circulation (wakes you up, makes you feel alert, and helps get needed vitamins to all parts of your body).  It is thus used against circulatory disorders.
• Helps to handle respiratory infections such as in colds and flues
• It is very good for all-nighters - i.e., when you have to stay up late and work without sleep.
• It can be very good for relieving nausea (as in pregnancy or motion sickness)Ginger has been said to help relieve menstrual cramps
• Ginger has natural anti-stress qualities
• Ginger is a good mouth freshener and can be used against bad breath
• Ginger assists in digestion and is often used to combat stomach trouble (it is very powerful when used in conjunction with peppermint and fennel)
• Ginger oil used in massage has anti-inflammatory properties and has thus been used to help relieve arthritis.
• Ginger relieves gas and bloating
• Ginger helps lower harmful cholesterol
• It relieves headaches
• It has been said to have ant-cancer properties and anti-plague properties

Again, organic high-quality ginger works much better than inferior varieties; it tastes better and has far better nutritional qualities.

Ginger can be used in a variety of ways.  One popular drink amongst the more robust of us is the “ginger shot” which is juice produced by putting ginger through a juicer along with some apple.  But watch out - this is a very strong drink.

Ginger is great when juiced along with other juices such as apply, carrot, etc.  You can experiment with it and see what you like the most.

If you have a cold or a flu, you can try boiling a bit of garlic with your ginger tea and then adding lemon and honey.

Ginger can also be added to other foods, such as in stir-fries, or salad dressings.

It is also a good coffee substitute.  It does not contain caffeine but contains invigoration qualities nonetheless.  The steam of boiling ginger or ginger tea also gives off a very pleasant fragrance which you can use to freshen your home.

For many centuries, ginger has been used for its therapeutic and stimulating properties.  It is widely available, inexpensive, and a pleasure to use.

Ginger tea can be made by shredding or cutting ginger and pouring hot water over it, or (even better) by simering the ginger to make the tea.  The tea can be prepared in the same way from dried shredded ginger.

There seems to be a large market for “air fresheners” these days. Most air fresheners even come with a “fresh fragrance”.

But do these air fresheners really refresh the air? Frankly, No.

First of all, lets look at the basics of what fresh air really is.

One could define fresh air as air that is uncontaminated by pollutants, toxins, germs, pollen or other additives. Just plain air, in other words. With nothing else added.

We can usually tell whether air is fresh or not, by our sense of smell. When we smell something other than fresh air (which is actually a smell of “nothing really”) we consider it “un-fresh” or bad.

Air gets polluted when tiny particles of some substance or material mix in with the air, and float along. They are usually as small as molecules, but sometimes bigger. These particles enter our nose, where they get picked up by olfactory nerves (nerves that sense smell). We then usually recognize what it is. In some cases such, as in the case of chocolates, we tend to react positively toward the smell. In other cases, such as bad feet, we tend to react negatively (well at least most people do) - in this case we would state that the air is definitely not fresh.

But in both cases, the chocolate or the bad feet, the same principle occurs. Minute particles of chocolate or bad feet float in the air and enter our nose. The same principle applies to any other odor or smell that we detect, it is simply small particles of whatever substance we are smelling or detecting.

Here is where the “air freshener” that releases a “pleasant” odor comes in.

This “Air Freshener” is not removing any of the unpleasant particles from the air. It is simply adding a stronger odor in order to overpower the “bad odor”. But the bad odor is still there, and your senses are simply being overwhelmed by the “fresh pine smell (made up of chemicals that have never been near a pine tree).”

In the above case, we now have doubled or tripled the amount of pollutants and toxins into our environment with our “air freshener.”

A few simple basics about fresh air:

An unwanted odor is always caused by something. Adding a heavier “pleasant odor” does not remove the unwanted odor from the environment. It simply makes the air even unhealthier.

To remove an unwanted odor, one needs to find the source and remove or address that. In the case of the bad feet smell, it might be time to remove all the old socks from under the bed (for example). It might also be as simple as ensuring there is adequate ventilation.

In the case of living quarters, kitchens or bathrooms, the “un-fresh” air is most often caused by dirt building up over time in hard-to-get places, or through lack of thorough regular cleaning. So, in most cases, a thorough cleaning job to remove the sources of the odors will do the trick.

Keep in mind that most cheap (and some expensive) cleaning chemicals contain a “perfume,” so that the area smells “fresh” once you are done, in order to add to the illusion that it really is clean. Unfortunately these “perfumes” are usually made out of cheap low grade chemicals that can be toxic to humans and pets in the long run.

There are, however, some good natural products that actually remove odors. One of the best (and incidentally also one of the cheapest) natural products that usually does a fantastic job in actually removing odors is plain old baking soda.

One can simply add a few tablespoons of baking soda to a bucket of water and then rinse surfaces with it, to completely remove the odors. This also works great with laundry. Add some baking soda to your wash and it will leave your clothes smelling of completely nothing - fresh, in other words.

Another way to use baking soda to remove odors from smaller spaces is by placing a bit of baking soda in a saucer and adding a slice of lemon on top. The backing soda will attract and absorb the foreign particles from the space and leave it smelling fresh.

If you own a pet and it has had an accident on the rug, first clean with water and soap or detergent, and then follow up by rinsing the area with a water and baking soda solution. This should remedy the situation.

The point really is that odors are caused by something. They are not fixed or handled by adding a stronger odor which is more acceptable. One finds the source of the smell and removes that.

After that, if you want a room smelling of roses, by all means, put a vase of roses in the room. They smell great and look fantastic.

Many of the common drinks that have become a part of life for people all over the world actually contain dangerous and damaging levels of toxins.

Here is one article which gives some information on the toxins that can be found in common soft drinks.

www.cseindia.org

Unhealthy foods and drinks can, admittedly, become addictive. Whether we are speaking about chips, or colas, or processed cheese, we can all agree that the unnatural can become the usual.

However I have found that there are many non-toxic (and healthy) cold and hot beverages which can become similarly addictive.

One of my favorite natural drinks is Yerba Mate tea. I fell in love with this about 10 years ago in Argentina and it never really wore off. This drink is  very popular and widespread in South American countries such as Argentina, Uruguay, and Brazil.

Yerba mate is prepared in a mate gourd, and there are no tea bags involved (by the way, tea bags themselves are often quite toxic, having been bleached or treated). The loose tea is simply poured into the gourd and topped with hot water (and milk and sugar if you want). It is very strong, and does contain caffeine, but it also contains nutrients which seem to even replace food to a degree. And it contains much less caffein than coffee while being a very good coffee substitute for many people. It is definitely an acquired taste. Yerba Mate also contains other ingredients which benefit health and help people wake up or stay alert.

Here is a very short video which will show you what Yerba Mate looks like:

As you can see in this video, there is a metal straw inside the Mate Gourd. This straw is called a “bombilla.” It has a filter at the end, which prevents the tea leaves from entering the straw while you drink.

The following video demonstrates one method of preparing Yerba Mate tea:

The following video gives some more background information on yerba mate and its health benefits:

There is a side-benefit to owning a Yerba Mate gourd and bombilla. While I don’t know if South Americans would approve, I use it to drink all kinds of loose leaf teas so that I don’t have to fuss with filters or other paraphanalia. Long ago I grew tired of constantly digging out tea filters from my cupboard and then having to wash and dry them afterwards (by the way, tea leaves are known for being the best drain-cloggers around). My Yerba Mate Gourd is beautiful, it sits on my shelf like an ornament, and when I want to drink some loose-leaf tea I simply pour it in and cover it with hot water.

If you are looking for yerba mate tea I suggest you check your local health-food store (the big kind). Or you can order it (along with a mate gourd and bombilla) online. Here are a couple of sources you can check for different options:

Yerba Mate on Shopzilla

Mate Gourd on Shopzilla

And, in case you’re still in the mood, here’s one more video about Yerba Mate preparation:

Tags:

Diet, Health, Yerba Mate, Tea

What are some of the effects of these toxins?  Well, they can be too numerous to count.  But they can lead to fatigue, illness, headaches, skin problems, overweight, stomach trouble, skin rashes, a lackluster wooden feeling in life, and even anxiety or depression.  (By the way, the “medications” which you can get for depression do not solve the problem but deepen it, and can even lead to violence or suicide.  They are simply additional toxins being introduced to your body!)

These toxins are not only harmful to your own physical or emotional wellbeing, but also the the planet and our atmosphere.

The point of this post is not so much to go into the numerous effects of living in a toxic and chemical environment, but to give some simple alternatives and solutions which you can use to reduce the amounts of harmful substances in your home or work environment, and live a cleaner life.

Here are some basic non-toxic cleaning tips:

1.  To Remove Smells

After thoroughly cleaning the area (thoroughly cleaning up anything that might be creating smells, such as rotton food, garbage, dirty, food cupboards, the cat litter, etc.) open windows/doors to air out the space well.

Place a small dish (or more than one dish) around the space with some pure baking soda and cut up lemon.  This should absorb the remaining smells.

See also point 2 below on freshening the air, as well as point 6 below on freshening carpets.

2.  To Freshen Air

Place several drops of lavender, rose, peppermint, or another essential oil in a pot of water and simmer on the stove for several hours.  You can also squeeze essential oil into the cardboard roll that holds your toilet paper in the bathroom.  (This is a much better idea than using toxic chemical air-fresheners!)  Repeat this each time you hang a new roll of toilet paper.

3.  To Clean Surfaces

Tea tree oil and lavender oil have anti-bacterial properties.  Mix a few drops with water and spray to clean counter-tops and surfaces in kitchen, bathroom, etc.  For tougher jobs, use about 50 drops per bucket of water.

4.  To Remove Mildew

Pure grain alcohol (like Everclear) is the best mildew killer.  Use it to scrub off the mildew, and/or let it sit and soak if needed.

5.  To Clean Floors

Try mixing 15 drops of orange essential oil, 8 drops of lemon essential oil, 1 gallon of hot water, and 2 tablespoons of non-toxic liquid soap.  This will leave the room smelling good and should also clean quite well.

6.  To Freshen Carpets

Try the following recipe:

4 cups of baking soda or cornstarch
25 drops essential rosewood oil
35 drops eucalyptus oil
30 drops lavender oil

Mix together in a bowl and stir until the clumps of soda or starch have broken apart.  Pour into a jar, close tightly, and shake.  Sprinkle this mixture on carpets about 15 minutes before you vacuum.

7.  For Laundry

You can make home-made dryer sheets by placing several drops of essential oil (such as rose, lavender, etc.) on a towel, and put the towel in the dryer with the rest of your clothes while drying.

8.  To Disinfect

Isopropyl alcohol and bleach are both extremely toxic.  They kill bacteria but they can kill people as well.  Isopropyl alcohol has been found by some studies to be a prime cause of cancer.  Bleach was used in Mustard Gas during Word War II (if you have heard of the deadly effect of mixing bleack with ammonia - that’s mustard gas).

A non-toxic alternative is pure grain alcohol.  This can be used in either a pure or a diluted form.  Use this to clean areas where ill people have been, to clean light switches and faucets that are often touched, etc.

A Note on Essential Oils:

Keep essential oils away from your eyes and be careful not to get them on your hands and then rub your eyes.  Also make sure to keep them out of reach of children or animals who might ingest them.  Small quantities of essential oils are sometimes ingested as part of natural home remedies, but too much can make a person quite ill. And you don’t want to get them in your eyes, no matter how non-toxic they are!