Green Beans
By Cat, Aug 2019 (Image, right, from Wikimedia Commons)
This is the time of year when local fresh green beans are available in plenty. I was searching for something new and different for my beans and found this interesting recipe that has a Middle-Eastern flavor from sesame seeds and oil (1). It would be great served with kafta cooked on an outdoor grill.
See also: 1. Side Dishes Menu; 2. Middle-Eastern Menu Continue reading
By Cat, July 19, 2019 (image, right, from Global Healing Center (3); link below, left, is from Wikimedia Commons)
Raw Apple Cider Vinegar
These recipes are by Livvi Hess (1); I learned about them from a Dr. Pompa newsletter. They are simple to make, but you must use high-quality ingredients as specified in the recipes; anything of lower quality will use introduce new toxins.
“These health tonics work best if you keep at it — make sure you drink them as directed for at least a week to begin experiencing the myriad of health benefits they offer.” (1)
Lemons
I first discovered the health benefits of lemon water when I was making a batch of homemade lemonade using stevia extract powder as the sweetener. I took a small sip after mixing in the juice of a small lemon into a quart of cold water (before adding the stevia). It was so good, I drank a whole glass and I felt so incredibly good afterwards. Now I drink lemon water every day at the beginning of each meal. But after reading Livvi’s recipe, I will try adding ACV instead of taking powdered ACV in capsules every day.
I have been adding raw, local honey to my morning smoothie as an experiment, but now I’m going to try her “Super Syrup” recipe, which includes raw, local honey, instead.
By Cat, June 2019
I have what is called an “allergy to the sun,” which means that I break out in a rash, get a bad headache and digestive upset when I am in the mid-day sun too long. It was worse when I was a child, but it can still happen. It is the primary reason I wear a hat whenever I’m outdoors. I learned early-on that applying sunscreen doesn’t help me much.
Because I have avoided the sun for most of my life, I’ve had a vitamin D deficiency (it is made by the sun’s UVB radiation interacting with cholesterol in the skin), and supplement my daily diet with vitamin D3 oil. But now, after reading a great article by Dr. Mercola (1A), I’ve learned I can protect my skin from the sun’s damaging UV radiation, and still get vitamin D from the sun, by what I eat and what supplements I take. Read on for my summary of that article, plus additional info.
See also: 1. Diet & Health Menu; 2. The Vital Importance of Sunlight; The work of Dr. John Nash Ott
Continue reading
By Cat, Feb 2019 (June 2019: moved from original article: Detoxing from Toxic Heavy Metals and Other Toxins)
Some heavy metals are good for you (up to a point), such as copper, iron, selenium, zinc, and more. For these, it is best to take them in chelated form, such as bound to a protein, peptide or amino acid). Taking them in their ionized (salt) form, can be harmful. Others are quite toxic (no matter how you are exposed to them), such as aluminum, lead and mercury.
Detox (detoxification) is “the physiological or medicinal removal of toxic substances from a living organism, including the human body, which is mainly carried out by the liver.” (11) The methods for heavy metal detox are still being formulated, and I have tried several of them to detox mercury. Unfortunately, I’ve developed food sensitivities to the detox agent in each case.
By Cat, Christmas 2017
These are traditional warming beverages at Christmastime or winter in general, along with Eggnog or Tom & Jerry.
Speaking of the latter, my Mom used to make the Tom and Jerry batter using fresh eggs and sugar, for use in making Tom & Jerry drinks for sale in our bar during the Christmas season. My Dad made the rum and liqueur mix that was added to the Tom & Jerry drink. I wish I had those recipes, but they are long lost… I loved to help Mom, especially because I got to lick the beaters, and then when the mess was all cleaned up, Dad made me the drink, but with root beer added instead of the rum mix.
By Cat, June 2007; Updated June 2019
Dr Weston Price, a dentist who studied indigenous people around the world, found that primitive peoples all had a diet rich in fat soluble vitamins, whether they ate largely meat, fish, or vegetables. These vitamins were found to be A, D and E, plus an unidentified factor Price called “Activator-X” or “X-Factor.” (7K, 8)
Later, it was thought to be part of the Vitamin F category of essential fatty acids, because it was always present in fat. It is a fat-soluble vitamin, along with vitamins A, D and E, and has a special synergy with vitamins A and D. Eventually, it was given its own name of vitamin K because of its ability to coagulate blood (the Germanic word is “koagulate”).
We now know there are two natural main types of vitamin K, called K1 (phylloquinone), and K2 (menaquinone). Additionally 4 sub-types of K2 have been discovered: MK4, MK7, MK8, MK9 (the MK stands for menaquinone vitamin K). Price’s X-Factor is now known to be the MK7-form of K2. Who knows what will be discovered next, as this is a growing family!
By Cat, June 2019
Vitamin F is another name for essential fatty acids; see my post: Essential Fatty Acids: A Case of Balance for more about these essential fatty acids.
Early in the research of Dr. Weston A. Price, he discovered a substance he called the X-Factor in good quality butter and butter oil, that he found to be essential for good health. Later the X-Factor was believed to be a member of the Vitamin F family, but has since been identified as Vitamin K2. See my article on Vitamin K for more.
By Cat, June 2007; Updated June 2019
There are two main types in the fat-soluble vitamin E family: tocopherols and tocotrienols, each of which is divided into four sub-types: alpha, beta, gamma and delta, for a total of 8 sub-types in the family. All have some vitamin E activity; each has its own individual function. According to one manufacturer, only the natural D-alpha tocopherol is maintained in human blood circulation, and is the most potent (link lost). However, the other forms are believed to increase the vitamin E activity of D-alpha tocopherol; and they all have anti-oxidant power as free-radical scavengers. (8, 9)
Each sub-type can be esterified, either synthetically or in the body. Esterification of vitamin E involves adding a fatty acid to the alcohol group off the main ring; the most common is D-alpha tocopherol acetate (has acetic acid added), which is used in skin creams because it has a longer shelf-life than D-alpha tocopherol. (8, 9, 25)
By Cat, June 2007; Updated May 2019
It is difficult to talk about Vitamin D without also discussing Vitamin A, as they are so intricately linked, metabolically, and are both fat soluble. Unfortunately, combining them in one article made it too long, so Vitamin D now has its own article. Also the topics: Vitamin A:D Ratio for Optimum Intake, and the Cod Liver Oil Debate, are included in the Vitamin A article. Note that vitamins A and D work together, especially with the help of vitamin E.
Vitamin D was discovered as result of research on prevention of rickets (faulty mineralization of bones and teeth in children), and osteomalacia (progressive loss of calcium and phosphorus from the bones in adults). Although they knew that vitamin D is produced by the sun’s radiation on exposed skin, researchers tried to find food sources as well.
By Cat, June 2007; Updated May 2019
It is difficult to talk about Vitamin A without also discussing Vitamin D, as they are so intricately linked, metabolically, and are both fat soluble. Unfortunately, combining them in one article made it too long, so I have moved Vitamin D to a separate post.
Vitamin A was the first of the fat-soluble vitamins to be discovered. A dietary lack led to night blindness and other vision problems; if the deficiency is prolonged, it could lead to defective formation of bones and teeth. But even centuries before the discovery and isolation of the vitamin, ancient Egyptians discovered that eating certain foods (liver, etc.) could cure night blindness; and ancient Nordic and Scottish people understood that cod liver oil boosted their stamina in cold weather at sea. (8A)
Note that vitamins A and D work together, especially with the help of vitamin E.
