Response to Diwakar in Mumbai India

Thank you Diwakar for your kind comments on the previous post.  India must be an interesting place to live, with, as you said, the contrast between very rich and very poor, as well as the great spiritual people who live there and witness this.  I am grateful there are people like you helping to heal the broken hearted in India.  Frequently I wonder about the principles that people live under in the USA, as well as in the world at large.  I feel many people are chronically ill due to a lack of spiritual fulfillment and principles in their lives here in my country, America.  I don't see spirituality showing its face very frequently here, mostly just ego and mind.  What principles are people living their lives from?  A world run by the ego/mind is harsh indeed, and many, many people suffer.  I have gained my health and my reason to live by loving God (not male or female in my belief) and seeking to understand these spiritual truths.  I am not Christian though I seek to bring the love of God into the world as much as I can through the truths of my spiritual path, MasterPath, and to shed light into the darkness of the world we face today.  Thank you again, Diwakar, for your invitation and your comments.  Speaking of and hearing of God is one of my greatest joys.    

New Post Finally 2015

This past year since my last post has been filled with trials and tribulations as well as much personal growth and many good times. I failed to really get my natural health business going and I am sad about that. My focus is chronically ill people and I am finding they don't have a lot of money so it is difficult to make a good living. Also many people find natural health tips easily for free these days and don't really want to pay for information they feel they can easily find on their own. I am passionate about natural health and will post when I can. I still sell my cookbook and love to hear from you all. Cleanse this spring if you can and still your mind with love as much as possible to connect within. All my blessings to you. ❤️

New Posts

Well I have spent the past year busy teaching dance and haven't had time for my blog.  But I have some time off from dance for awhile and want to focus on the blog and my nutrition business now.  Look for some fun new posts soon!

New Recipe - Sourdough Waffles with Apple Syrup

Sourdough Waffles – No Eggs!

These waffles taste and smell like sourdough bread but are without wheat or sourdough starter.  They do contain gluten, although there is some debate about whether oats actually contain gluten.  Soaking the grains makes them highly digestible.  Serve with Apple Syrup (see recipe below)!

Prepare Ahead:   Soak grains overnight

Prep:                     10 min. (plus soak time)                     

Cook:                    4 min. per waffle      

Total Time:          30 min. (plus soak time)

Yield:                    4, 7 inch waffles        

Ingredients:

·         ½ cup whole oat flakes

·         ¼ cup whole buckwheat groats

·         ½  cup millet flour

·         1 cup water to soak

·         2 tbsp. lemon juice, whey or yogurt

·         ½ cup water to cook

·         2 tbsp. ground flaxseed

·         1 tbsp. oil

·         ½ tsp. sea salt

Preparation:

·         Soak grains in first measure of water and whey or lemon juice in a warm place overnight.

·         In the morning, blend soaked grains with their soaking liquid in a blender for 2 minutes or until smooth.

·         Add second measure of water and all other ingredients and blend briefly.

·         Cook on medium in a traditional waffle iron until the steaming nearly stops.

·         Cook extra long for crispiness.

 Apple Syrup

Ingredients:

·         1 cup apple juice

·         1/16-1/8 tsp. stevia concentrate

·         1/3 cup cold water

·         1 heaping tbsp. arrowroot powder

·         1 tbsp. maple syrup or 1 tsp. alcohol-free maple flavoring (optional)

Preparation:

·         Heat apple juice in a small sauce pan.

·         Dissolve arrowroot in the cold water and gradually add it to the simmering juice, stirring with a wire whisk to prevent lumps.

·         Simmer briefly to thicken.

·         Add optional maple flavoring and fresh fruit if desired.

·         Absolutely tastes best served hot.

Copyright by Katie Whitmarsh, 2012

The Bee Well Cookbook at Amazon.com

Mercury and Other Heavy Metals

Mercury is one of the most poisonous naturally occurring substances on earth.  Many of us are being exposed to levels of mercury that over time can significantly damage the nervous and immune systems.  This exposure comes from vaccinations, medications, broken thermometers, contaminated fish, dental amalgams, antiseptics, and industrial usage.  Large fish such as sharks, swordfish, and large tuna have some of the highest mercury levels of any edible seafood (canned tuna is from smaller species and has considerably less mercury than larger tuna).  But we get almost seven times more mercury exposure from dental amalgams as from fish.  Multiple vaccinations in newborns and small children are a major source of childhood mercury exposure.  Flu vaccines are a frequent cause of mercury exposure in people of all ages, but are especially dangerous to young children and the elderly, and they offer little protection against yearly flu virus strains.  Mercury and other heavy metals like cadmium, aluminum, lead, copper and iron greatly increase free-radical production within the cell.  They also inhibit the function of antioxidant enzymes, which puts cells at great risk for injury and disease.  Mercury can also affect neurotransmitters in the brain and the brain tends to retain more mercury than other organs, putting the nervous system at risk and contributing to neurological problems. 

Nutrition is of fundamental importance in reducing the toxic impact of mercury and other heavy metals.  Healthy food and appropriate supplements can protect the body on many levels by strengthening cell membranes and protecting DNA, improving cellular energy production, protecting the detoxifying enzyme systems in the cells and liver, chelating mercury, and reducing inflammation.  Hair analysis is one way to discover heavy metal levels in the body.  Chelation of these metals can then be done through supplemented nutrients.  This should always be done with the help of a natural health professional.  Mercury amalgams should be removed from the mouth using the dental protocol by the International Academy for Oral Medicine and Toxicology (IAOMT).  Mercury containing thermometers should be properly disposed of as hazardous material and replaced with digital ones.  All vaccines containing the preservative thimerosal (which contains mercury) should be avoided. 

*Source: Health and Nutrition Secrets that can save your life by Russell L. Blaylock, M.D. (2006).

Cookbook Group - A Success!

The Bee Well Cookbook: Nourishing Foods for Sensitive People completed it's first cookbook group this week and it was a success!  We made recipes from the cookbook and brought them together potluck style to share dinner for four meetings.  Thank you to all who attended, and special thanks to my mom who stayed after to help clean up!  Here are the menus we used:
Meeting 1:
Roasted Cornish Hens w/Apples and Sage, p.  144
Chicken Apple Sausage, p. 47
Sautéed Greens and Garlic, p. 123
Soaked and Cooked Quinoa, p. 118
Mixed Salad Greens
Macaroons, p. 177

Meeting 2:
Turkey Cabbage Soup, p. 103
Turkey Jicama Salad w/Tahini Dressing, p. 154
Spiced Whole Beans, p. 120
Soaked and Cooked Buckwheat, p. 118
Grain-Free Banana Flatbread, p. 60

Meeting 3:
Slow-Cooked Beef for Two, p. 112
Winter Squash Soup, p. 99
Chai Spice Balls, p. 173
Mixed Salad Greens
Brown Rice Crispy Waffles, p. 58

Meeting 4:
Delicious Baked Fish, Coconut Curry, p.133
Shrimp Avocado Salad w/ Cucumber Dill Dressing, p. 155
Oven Roasted Vegetables, p. 125
Soaked and Cooked Quinoa, p.118
Banana Split, p. 171

Spiral Bound Cookbook at www.lulu.com

Carrageenan - Is it Safe?

Extracted from red seaweed, carrageenan has been used in food products for centuries and was patented as a food additive for use in the United States in the 1930s (SSI, 1996). Carrageenan has the unique ability to form a wide variety of gels at room temperature and is a stabilizer capable of modifying and controlling the texture of a variety of processed foods. It has also been used as a laxative, as treatment for peptic ulcer disease, and as a component of pharmaceuticals, toothpaste, aerosol sprays, and other products. 

In 1959, carrageenan was granted GRAS (Generally Regarded as Safe) status in the United States.  Then in 1982, the International Agency for Research on Cancer identified sufficient evidence for the carcinogenicity of degraded carrageenan in animals to regard it as posing a carcinogenic risk to humans (Rosenthal, 2001).  However, carrageenan is still used widely as a thickener, stabilizer, and texturizer in a variety of processed foods prevalent in the Western diet (Tobacman, 2001).

Carrageenan has been associated with the induction and promotion of intestinal neoplasms and ulcerations in numerous animal experiments and is a known carcinogen in animals.  The interaction between carrageenan and gastric acid in the human stomach may increase its carcinogenicity.  Also, food-grade carrageenan may be contaminated with degraded carrageenan that could arise during food processing (Tobacman, 2001).

I create this post to educate you, not to instill even more anxiety and hypersensitivity over natural health issues. This is about awareness, not about being extreme and stressed out about everything you eat. Carrageenan is in many products these days and is widely used in dairy products and milk substitutes. Check your labels and if you are eating a lot of it, then cut down on it and eat less, or eliminate it. The main goal is to reduce our toxic load, as this strains the immune system and digestion. You might find that cutting this product out reduces your intestinal gas.

Commercial nut milk contains carrageenan as a thickener but can easily be made from scratch without it.  Please see recent post on "Fiber Shake" for the recipe.

References

Snapshot Solutions, Inc. (1996). An Introduction to Carrageenan. Retrieved on November 2, 2005, from http://home.howstuffworks.com/framed.htm?parent=question315.htm&url=http://philexport.org/members/siap/intro

Tobacman, J.K. (2001). Review of Harmful Gastrointestinal Effects of Carrageenan in Animal Experiments [Electronic version]. Environmental Health Perspectives. Volume 109, Number 10, October 2001.

Rosenthal, M.S. (2001). Stopping Cancer at the Source. Your Health Press, Canada.