Destroy Annoying Pests with Food

The bitter rind of cucumbers chases ants away.  Much better option than those toxic sprays can linger for hours and leave a nauseating air.

You can add other ingredients to cucumber rind to make the chase of the critters even more hurried.  Here are a few amazing takeaways from the article linked in the previous sentence:

". . . keep crawling pests, such as ants, out. These include garlic – grind it up with water and apply – cayenne pepper, cinnamon, powdered charcoal, bone meal, talcum powder or chalk. Keep in mind that different pests have different aversions, so you’ll have to see what substance works best with the ones trying to sneak into your home."

"Boiling water is excellent for ant control or if you see where they are creeping into your house, squeeze some lemon into the hole or crack."

"If you don’t want to spread sugar around your house, boric acid, about as toxic to us as table salt, is naturally occurring and is another way to kill roaches dead."  I've had great success with boric acid to shoo roaches.

"Baking soda and powdered sugar mixed in equal parts is a good roach killer."

"Cloves smell better than moth balls and are a natural deterrent against winged pests."

"Grind rosemary leaves into a fine dust and sprinkle it onto your pet or its bedding to ward off fleas." And my guess is that their memory and temperament would improve as a result.

KALE HEALS KIDNEYS

Okay, I just figured out how to take care of the kidneys.  

Here's a story.  I eat a lot of meat, and I prefer meat with lots of fat.  It fortifies me.  The only problem is that in my case, I tend to put on weight.  I don't exercise like I should or like I did.  I used to play basketball three times week.  But a stress fracture in my foot caused that foot to swell into a football and it has been touch and go ever since.  So no more basketball.  I've always accepted that advice that plenty of protein will help you rebuild.  And it does. Cannot deny that.  Protein is also a great energy source.  I cannot and will not deny that.  But I tend to eat too much protein--cheese, steak, rotisserie chicken, spare ribs, bacon, eggs, raw milk--I love it all.  But my meals and my diet are not balanced.  And though I may only eat once or even twice a day, my diet is overloaded with protein.  And this make my kidneys tired and sluggish.  I don't eat vegetables with any regularity, or at least I didn't.  I do now.  And for the last week I've been eating raw kale, carrots, and Swiss chard.  I have been sluggish and overweight for a very long time.  For at least two years.  I've also been more sedentary during that same period because of a new kind of work.  It makes plenty of sense as I read it, process it, and learn it.  I have felt my kidneys laboring, pulsing in my lower back as though it were on its last pulse.  Blurp . . . blurp . . . blurp.  But in this past week from eating raw kale, carrots, and Swiss chard and drinking more water, I have for the first time in well over two years felt my kidneys working vigorously, pumping blood down to my feet and up into my head.  Over this period my feet have frequently felt numb.  I attributed it to getting older.  Same with my hands.  Numb at different times of the day and on certain parts of my hand.  Now I have greater sensation all across my body.  I love the incredible focus and energy and ease with which tasks and ideas come to me.  I am appreciative, but more than that is that I figured out how to solve a chronic condition.  At least for me!  The information below corroborates only what I've recently been doing with my diet.  It's worth a look.  A lot of people, including myself, are interested in the Paleo Diet.  But it doesn't mean eating all meat or mostly meat.  Oh, one other thing in my diet that I would consume regularly throughout the day is coffee.  I am giving that a break.

OTHER FOODS THAT HEAL KIDNEYS:

1.  Consumption of pure water is the delicacy of the kidney, as it helps remove harmful toxins and fats easily and without work. You should drink a day at least 2 liters of pure water, but if you eat high protein or salty foods, you must add two more glasses. If you don’t do this, your kidneys will be among the first to resent. If you want to keep your kidneys healthy, free of infections and diseases, drinking water is the base. People with more severe problems which can’t pee and are very swollen should avoid drinking water. If you have stones, drink bicarbonate water, which prevents the formation or enlargement of uric acid kidney stones, which cause cramps and other problems resulting from kidney failure.

2.  Watermelon: healing fruit and best ally of the kidney because of its high water content and its juice, which helps cleansing the tissues and blood. If you're going to eat watermelon, choose a cool and do not store more than two days as it often oxidize rapidly.

3.  Diuretic Foods: such as grapes, artichokes, apples, pineapple, etc. If you suffer from any condition of the liver, put on a diet one day eating only watermelon, grapes or apples and pure water. This diet helps fight stones.

4.  Carrot: an excellent vegetable cleansing, helps restore and nourish the kidney tissues.

PLANT THERAPY FOR THE KIDNEYS

5.  Dandelion is considered one of the best home remedies for the kidneys. 

6.  Parsley is an excellent remedy for the kidneys, strengthens and prevents the occurrence of stones. 

7.  Green nettle is also a very good remedy for the kidneys. Put a tablespoon of herb in a cup of pure water boiling and simmer for 15 minutes. Turn off and let stand another 5 minutes. Strain and drink one cup fasting three days a week, you will feel great. 

8.  St. Nicholas (Chrysactinia mexicana): use the stem and leaves, is an excellent diuretic. 

9.  Horsetail (Equisetum robustum): is a plant stimulant and a diuretic for the kidneys, recommended for treating kidney stones, gallstones, inflammation and urinary tract infections and in case of fluid retention. These are generally all the problems of kidney and urinary tract. 

10. Stonebreaker: it has diuretic and tonic for the urinary bladder, helps to dissolve all kinds of kidney stones. 

11. Guazima flower (Pithecellobiun): its flowers have applications for liver and kidney. 

12. Arnica: if you have suffered a severe blow in the kidney and only want to help you recover from the injury, it is best arnica, either in cream or taking arnica tea infusions.

Powerhouse Greens: Swiss Chard, Kale, Collards, & Spinach

When it comes to your health you have to take a more serious, committed approach to regaining strength, energy, equilibrium, and vigor.  Eating sugars over time may have a deleterious effect on your immunity, on your energy, and on muscle integrity.  Fruits are one form of sugar.  But the anti-oxidant benefits of fruit outweigh the intake of sugars, right?  It depends.  Each fruit and fruit company have done an excellent job at marketing their product. "An apple a day keeps the doctor away" so goes Washington state's apple industry.  We're told over and over again that you need and that you get your potassium from bananas.  Okay.  Why do we need potassium?  Energy?  To stave off radiation?  Not sure.  But I know we need it.  Because we were told that we need it.  And not only do you get Vitamin C from oranges but you also get sunshine, particularly from Florida oranges.  But perhaps the most powerhoused food would be dense green leafy vegetables.  We're told about Brussels sprouts, which are not a leafy vegetable but a cruciferous vegetable.  Vegetables like kale, swiss chard, collard greens, and spinach are powerhouse vegetables.  And you know this.  If you're looking to rebuild, then eat these powerhouse vegetables with fat and cholesterol and protein. 

Swiss Chard.  Consume this.

Kale.  Consume this.

Collard Greens.  Consume this.

Spinach.  Consume this.

Also note that that old stand-by, broccoli, is quite good at removing radiation from your body.  "In the 1950's and 1960's, experiments were done, particularly by the United States Army, showing that the consumption of broccoli and other dark green vegetables protects a body from radiation damage to a surprising degree. This led to further research into the most common factor of such vegetation: chlorophyll."

Annette Larkins, 70, who eats raw vegan is proof one of the benefits of eating raw vegetables. I have experienced and heard similar complaints about meats being unhealthy, yet I like my bacon, sausage, steak, fish, and chicken. But maybe there are times when cutting back or abstaining from meats periodically might actually be healthful and energetic. I know that when I eat a plate or bowlful of raw vegetables that my energy soars, my system gets cleaned out, and I am more alert. But you'll have to test and judge for yourself. But I definitely think that eating vegetables raw has benefits over eating them cooked. Eating raw vegetables means eating salads.

DR. MCGUFF: MOST OF WHAT PUTS PEOPLE IN THE HOSPITAL IN THE FIRST PLACE IS THE DIET RECOMMENDED BY THE USDA

Dr. McGuff

          

Interesting review of government protocols in healthcare. According to Dr. McGuff (his website is here), most of what puts people in the hospital in the first place is the diet recommended by the USDA. And when you're in the hospital, the food that they give you is set by USDA guidelines. One interesting point he made was that doctors are obligated to adhere to protocols. Come in with chest pains, you're going to be discharged on a statin. If you're not being discharged on a statin that is going to cause the physician to be flagged in the system as an outlier. Not even the Soviets had this kind of control.

McGuff did mention EMTALA, the federal mandate that forces all hospitals to receive patients in the Emergency Rooms regardless of ability to pay or whether the individual has insurance.  Their website states,"A resource for current information about the Federal Emergency Medical Treatment and Labor Act, also known as COBRA or the Patient Anti-Dumping Law. EMTALA requires most hospitals to provide an examination and needed stabilizing treatment, without consideration of insurance coverage or ability to pay, when a patient presents to an emergency room for attention to an emergency medical condition."  But apparently, with Obamacare, the rules have changed.  A friend observes that ". . . now with Obamacare, we all are supposed to have insurance so the theory teaches that no one will be without the ability to pay. At least here, all hospital systems are building newer, larger, more modern facilities. The building boom is unmistakable. Some of it [is] due to population shifts like a new medical center in the middle of a cow pasture or corn field. These areas are expected to be communities in the next decade or two and they want to have the facilities in place to accommodate the rise in population.  Mostly, I think, it is the profit motive, however. Like I stated, we are all supposed to now be in a position to pay our bills and very little if any charity work will be needed to cut into profits. Hospitals are becoming "resorts" and people are taking full advantage of this by becoming "frequent flyers" and for some of these people, a hospital stay is a vacation from the stresses of their . . . lives."

See Better With Orcam

Orcam is a wearable, programmable camera.

Grapefruit--Your Metabolic Stimulant

Grapefruit stimulates metabolism and initiates weight loss.  See here.

For Gut Health, Eat Fermented Foods

It turns out that if you're looking for a healthy gut and healthy gut muscle tissue, it's not enough just to eat good, leafy green vegetables.  To restore gut health, one needs fermented foods, like sauerkraut, dill pickles, etc.  Fermented foods seem to be particularly effective, more so at least than sweetened keifer drinks.  And the fermented foods don't just release digestive enzymes to break down protein found in meat, but it actually restores vital gut flora.  This is essential. What are fermented foods?  Not all fermented foods are created equal, nor do all fermented foods provide equal amounts of healthy bacteria.  For example, beer has fermented yeast as does bread.  Are these health foods good for you?  Will these foods get you out chronic conditions?  You know the answer to that.  Here's an additional list of fermented foods.

Eating meat becomes more enjoyable and healthful when you combine cabbages or sauerkraut with the meat.  Check out this dish:

Think of the foods that already come with sauerkraut, like a kraut dog or a dog and slaw:
 
(Though I've eaten hotdogs and have loved them when I did eat them, they do have lots of preservatives and sweeteners in them.  Want health?  Eat fewer hotdogs.)

A Reuben sandwich:
 
A lot of people love pasta because of the chewiness and taste and tradition.  It's a staple in their diet.  Their moms at it before them as did their grandparent.  But try sauerkraut as a substitute with meat and find some delightful surprises.  If you're seeking to maximize energy and vitality while enduring specific conditions or trying to increase your overall health, I strongly recommend eliminating breads, pastas, and other food grains.  Though it is true that there is fermented foods in bread, like fermentation of yeast, your gut, muscles, and nerves will really appreciate the fact that you abstained from wheat.  If you haven't seen it or read it, be sure to check out Dr. William Davis' reports on wheat and his indictment of it in a slew, not a slaw, of chronic health situations.  His lectures are excellent, too.

According to Dr. Natasha Campbell McBride, author of the Gut and Psychology Syndrome, your gut flora is determined, or given to you, by your mother.  She makes the claim that abnormal gut flora plays an important role in immune maturation.  Following vaccines, well the damage to the immune system is worse.  She connects an abnormal, pathogenic bacteria damage the gut lining, making the gut leak and unable to digest food properly.  She makes the claim that the pathogens from a toxic gut get absorbed into the central nervous system and cause autism.  Without checking the data, I think that she is correct.  Ms. Donna Gates, who speaks with McBride, says that children need several pounds of fermented foods.

Here is Dr. Natasha Campbell-McBride's website, and here is Donna Gates' site is here and her site Body Ecology.

This presentation is given over 6 videos. The rest of them are here: Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5, and Part 6.  Source of the above video is here.

This article read pretty well and pretty consistent about which foods are good for your gut.  The bacteria in keifer and yogurt survive passage through your digestive tract and into your colon where it does it good work.

Joel Salatin on Grassfed Beef and the Renaissance Farmer

(h/t Karen De Coster)

"Cholesterol found in butterfat is essential to children's brain and nervous system development"

I notice a significant energy difference when I eat raw butter.  I don't know about you, but the '80s with Ansel Keys and George McGovern's lipid hypothesis [great timeline here] and anti-cholesterol campaign scared people away from healthy, nutritious food and asked us to accept pasta and multi-grain breads as health food.  I bought that and I paid for that.  I used to consume large amounts of spaghetti for dinner, topped with butter, pesto or tomato sauce.  It was tasty.  I loved the chewiness of pasta, but it was filling.  

The 20 Health Benefits of REAL BUTTER:

1. Butter is rich in the most easily absorbable form of Vitamin A necessary for thyroid and adrenal health.
2. Contains lauric acid, important in treating fungal infections and candida.
3. Contains lecithin, essential for cholesterol metabolism.
4. Contains anti-oxidants that protect against free radical damage.
5. Has anti-oxidants that protect against weakening arteries.
6. Is a great source of Vitamins E and K.
7. Is a very rich source of the vital mineral Selenium.
8. Saturated fats in butter have strong Anti-Tumor and Anti-Cancer properties.
9. Butter contains conjugated linoleic acid, which is a potent anti-cancer agent, muscle builder, and immunity booster
10. Vitamin D found in butter is essential to absorption of calcium.
11. Protects against tooth decay.
12. Is your only source of an anti-stiffness factor, which protects against calcification of the joints.
13. Anti-stiffness factor in butter also prevents hardening of the arteries, cataracts, and calcification of the pineal gland.
14. Is a source of Activator X, which helps your body absorb minerals.
15. Is a source of iodine in highly absorbable form.
16. May promote fertility in women.
17. Is a source of quick energy, and is not stored in our bodies adipose tissue.
18. Cholesterol found in butterfat is essential to children's brain and nervous system development.
19. Contains Arachidonic Acid (AA) which plays a role in brain function and is a vital component of cell membranes.
20. Protects against gastrointestinal infections in the very young or the elderly.

Canadian Healthcare Coming to America

Wait time for sinus surgery in Canada? Five months.

Solid & Liquid Brain Boosters

Water & Blueberries Make You More Alert

According to Dr. Edward Group, blueberries are an excellent brain food.  He says that "Berries are rich in antioxidants which protect your brain cells from oxidation and free radical damage ^[1]. This means antioxidants may slow down brain aging and prevent disease, while promoting the growth of healthy brain cells."  So when you're looking for food to increase brain energy, reach for blueberries.  Think blueberry brain.

Spinach does the same things.  Create a spinach salad with blueberries and some goat cheese.

If you're abstaining from food for the time being for whatever reason, Dr. Group recommends water as brain stimulant.  He says water increases your alertness, "Did you know that water can actually increase your alertness? When you’re feeling sluggish in the afternoon, instead of grabbing a caffeinated, carbonated drink, pour yourself a tall glass of purified water." 

http://www.globalhealingcenter.com/natural-health/foods-that-boost-your-brain-power/

Protect Yourself Against Radiation

Anthony Gucciardi interviews Dr. Edward Group on radiation exposure. Be sure to check out Dr. Edward Group's YouTube video at his channel. His website is here.

Here area some of the products that Dr. Edward Group recommends:

1. Nascent Iodine.
2. Bentonite Clay.
3. Detoxadine.
4. Zeolite AV 90.
5. Iodine.
6. Activated Charcoal
7. Oregano Oil
8. Cilantro
9. Chlorella
10. Fulvic Acid
11. Humic Acid
12. Apple Cider Vinegar bath

Toxins enter through the intestinal system.

BPA was used as estrogen replacement in the 1930s.  Dr. Group's dad was a chief chemist for Exxon.

Activity & Essential Foods

I was in a Vons store out here in Southern California earlier this week and overheard a young mother's reply to her child's comment about a certain food being good for your mind.  And it struck me because there is so much press, propaganda, reports, all sorts of information that tell us which foods are good for us and which are not.  I do the same thing here.  But what is good for one person is not necessarily good for another person.  And what is good for us one week or month is not that important for us the next month or week.  

Though food is important for our health and well-being, so is activity; perhaps equally so, if not more so.  Activities like thinking, figuring things out, assembling things, and so forth--these are excellent activities for your brain.  Learning a new language is great.  A new sport or activity, like dancing.  Something that requires finesse and not brute strength or force.  Swimming requires some strength.  80% of the balance in swimming is taken care of by the water.  Okay, that's one thing I wanted to say.

Another is that there are certain foods that work as valuable staples in an economy where prices are making certain goods more scarce.  One food product that I really like and rely on is virgin olive oil.

I consume this California Estate Olive Oil from Trader Joe's.  The cost is $5.  But as you commit to some challenging and vigorous activity, the power of these foods is increased.  The health benefits of healthy food is maximized.  Anyway, on the olive oil, I really like the peppery bite in the good olive oils.  Mark Sisson made a great point that you should buy local whenever possible.  We tend to think of really great olive oil coming from Greece or Italy, but oil from locally-grown olives is best.

As the economy gets tighter, it is important to have healthy foods around.  Almost everyone I read says stay away from canned goods because of the BPA in the containers and other nefarious ingredients.  For the most part, I like this advice.  But there are times when I crave a canned food item.  But there are some products whose nutritional benefits outweigh the caveat.  Liver pate is one such food.  Liver pate is high in Vitamin A.  The Vitmain A in carrots and other vegetables is beta-carotene.  But the Vitamin A in animal meats is Retinol A, which is really good for immunity and differentiated cell growth. There are lots of pates on the market.  Some stores sell only one or two, so I get what is available from them.  Here is one:


The other food to consider is grapes.  Not everybody likes grapes because they are a diarrheatic.  Let that be a lesson to you--raisins and grapes are great constipation-fighters.  But grapes certainly do activate your gut.  That's a good thing in my opinion.




Finally, the last thing that I wanted to talk about was GMOs.  Below is an example of how the GMO industry and Monsanto are able to influence kid opinions in US schools, circumventing parental consent.  The sample below is a grammar and spelling worksheet or test.  Here I've retyped a few of the sentences:

#1: These foods come from organisms that have purposefully altered DNA fore a variety of reasons.  Sum plants have been made moor drought resistant, which means life or death in some parts of the world.

#2: Other plants are now more pest resistant sow that fewer chemical pesticide applications are necessary.

#3: Buy inserting an antifreeze gene from fish into potatoes, scientists have created potatoes that can withstand colder temperatures.

Based on the final question about reasons strengthening the paragraph, the task seems to focus on grammar only.  But why use reasons that advocate for GMOs?  It assumes the legitimacy of GMOs.  It assumes that scientists are clever tinkerers who work only to benefit mankind.  Ha!!

Here is the original.  The above page comes from an elementary textbook published by Evan-Moor Corporation. 

Check out the following:

Direct message posted yesterday by CEO of the textbook company.
https://www.facebook.com/evanmoorcorp/posts/10151842992454158
A message from the CEO of Evan-Moor:

It has been brought to my attention that one of the activities in our Daily Six Traits Writing books contains a biased article about GMO foods. After reading the article, I must agree completely. I want to thank the parents and educators who brought this to my attention.

It was an error in our authoring and editing processes. The article was intended to present both sides of the issue and did not. Normally this would have been caught by our fact checking processes. Please accept my apology for the error.

I have directed our editorial staff to replace the article when the book is reprinted and to make the new article available on-line free of charge. Those of you who have e-mailed us will receive personal notification when the article is available. We will also post the availability on FaceBook.

On a personal note, my wife and I have contributed to a number of organizations that are campaigning for labeling of GMO foods: Organic Consumers Association, Food Democracy Now and Yes on 522 in Washington State. We do not allow GMO foods in our home, and we would certainly never do anything to promote them in our publications.

Sincerely,
Bill

William E. Evans, CEO
Evan-Moor Educational Publishers