Community News
The Greatest Gain From Grain

Despite different views on the subject, bread has remained one of the most consumed carbohydrates by Canadians. How do you make the healthiest choice? You do have a few options: bake your own, buy fresh from a reputable bakery, or read nutrition labels and ingredient lists. One hundred percent whole and/or sprouted organic grains are absolutely key because both provide nutrients needed for the body in the most wholesome form. Preservative free is important and can be tough to locate since preservatives are common in pre-bagged grocery store loaves. Low sodium is important. Sodium is used to stabilize yeast and pump up the flavour, it can be especially high in ‘diet’ breads. Additionally, the absorption for re-introduced vitamins and minerals is not nearly as high as in their naturally occurring state, so stay away from ‘enriched’ breads. Regardless of how you choose to source your bread, always remember the most natural state provides the greatest gain from the grain.
Cakebread Artisan Bakery, www.cakebread.ca

Best Cold Sore Remedies

Cold sores are downright embarrassing. The more we try to hide them, the more obvious they become. Here are some good home remedies in case you find yourself with an unsightly cold sore. 1. Licorice – Try choosing a licorice whip. Studies show that glycyrrhizic acid, an ingredient in licorice, stops the cold sore virus cells dead in their tracks. Be sure it’s made from real licorice. 2 – Pure Vanilla Extract. Yes, the kind you use for baking. Many people swear by this! Soak a cotton pad and apply directly to a cold sore for a few minutes (3 times daily). 3. Hydrogen Peroxide – It disinfects and speeds up healing time. Soak a cotton ball and apply to the sore. Let it sit for about 5 minutes before rinsing off. 4. Peppermint oil – When applied directly to a cold sore, people have found that the sore healed faster than usual.

Clean Eating: Easy Healthy Borscht

Use fresh and organic ingredients. 4 cups of beef broth. 2 cups water. 2T Apple Cider Vinegar. Juice of 1 lemon. 2 cloves garlic. 3 carrots. 2T Coconut Oil. ½ head red cabbage. 1 cup green beans. 3 potatoes. 3 beets with stems and leaves. 1 onion. 4 fresh sprigs of dill. 2 bay leaves. 2 T Italian seasoning. Salt and pepper to taste. Chop ingredients in tiny pieces. 1 can kidney beans. Combine in a crockpot and cook on high for 4 hours. Alternately, cook on top of the stove until the vegetables are soft enough to eat. Enjoy!

4 Toxic Foods to Eliminate

Processed Meats: Can have up to 400 percent more sodium and 50 percent more preservatives than unprocessed meats. The worst part: Some contain nitrites and nitrates, chemical additives that have been linked to various cancers, but are still used to enhance color and promote taste. 2. Margarine: Is marketed as a cholesterol-free, healthy alternative to butter, but it’s the ultimate source of trans fats, which actually elevate cholesterol and damage blood vessel walls. Stick to real foods and eat real butter instead. 3. Artificial Sweeteners: Anything with the word “artificial” in it is chalked FULL of chemicals. These fake sweeteners cause symptoms that range from migraines to weight gain and even more serious conditions like cardiovascular disease. Unless you are diabetic, please stop using these sugar substitites immediately! 4. Microwave Popcorn: Bags, in particular, are often lined with a chemical called perfluorooctane sulfonic acid (PFOS), which has been shown to affect fertility, cancer risk, and kidney functioning.
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Clean Eating – Banana Lemon Pie

This is one of my favourite desserts. It’s also very quick (10 minutes!) and easy to prepare.

Quantity:

9” x 9” plate = 9 slices (3″ x 3″).

Ingredients:

3 cups pecans or walnuts (not soaked);
1 1/2 cups raisins;
zest from 1 lemon + 2 tablespoons lemon juice;
4 medium bananas;
poppy seeds, blueberries, raspberries, slices of colourful fruit, or sprigs of mint (optional).

Directions:

Process nuts in food processor until small bits. Add raisins to nuts in food processor and process until the mixture starts to clump together. Gently distribute mixture on a 9”x9” plate, then press firmly to form crust. Grate lemon zest on top of crust. Juice lemon into a bowl. Slice bananas 1/4″ – 1/2″ thick and put into lemon juice; stir gently to coat bananas with juice. Spread banana slices/lemon juice on crust. Optional: Decorate with poppy seeds, blueberries, raspberries, slices of colourful fruit, or sprigs of mint.

Uncooking with RawRose – rawrose.com. Your guide to Raw Foods, book available at Rawthentic Eatery.

Sign of Intelligence?

Take a moment and look down at your bare feet. Which is your longest toe? If you discover it is the 2nd toe, intelligence is not necessarily indicated, but a predisposition to certain foot ailments is. Up to 30% of the population has inherited this structure, labelled “Morton’s Foot”, and is actually the result of a shortened 1st metatarsal (the bone behind the big toe) and not a long 2nd toe. This foot structure makes one more prone to stress fractures, metatarsalgia (pain or discomfort of the ball of the foot), thick callusing on the front of your foot, over-pronation and bunions. All of these symptoms can be reduced or prevented with proper support from a custom foot orthotic, designed specifically for this foot structure. Discuss the treatment options with an orthotics specialist today and reduce your chances of future foot discomfort.

That’s Life!

Virginia Satir, one of the great pioneers of family therapy, has been quoted as saying, “Life is not what it’s supposed to be. It’s what it is. The way you cope with it is what makes the difference.” Acceptance of a situation does not mean that we have to agree with it; nor does it mean that we must sit idle and do nothing. What acceptance does accomplish is to give us the gift of noticing all of the components of this exact moment. By doing so, we can decipher between the things that we cannot change and thus be free to make adjustments to the current situation. In this way, we embody a more preferred posture for the next ensuing moment in time. Life is what it is!

4 Causes of Headaches

Almost everybody experiences headache pain at some point. For some people, headaches are a regular occurrence and for others headaches are rare. 1. Stress can cause tight muscles which lead to tension headaches. Learn to manage your stress with exercise, meditation and massage. 2. Trigger Points are hard knots found in the muscles that can refer pain into the head and mimic headaches. Massage therapy can help dramatically reduce trigger points. 3. Dehydration- At the first sign of a headache drink a glass of water and continue taking small sips throughout the day 4. Improper pillows- try changing your pillow and see if this helps reduce your headaches.

The Grain for Brawn & Brain

The ease of wheat flour production took it out of the lime light, but it’s making a comeback in a big way. Spelt, unchanged and unmodified for thousands of years is showing up all over the place – why? Because it’s an absolute powerhouse in the nutrition category – High protein (21 % of your RDD), all nine essential amino acids, high in fiber (30%) and, low in gluten. In addition to, due to its water solubility, it rates very high on the bioavailability scale. What does that mean for you? Your body is actually able to absorb a vast percentage of those nutrients, leading to significant health benefits with less of the unsavory irritants of other grains. Another fantastic feature? You can substitute it 1:1 for wheat flour in recipes! Give Spelt a try, it tastes great, and your body will thank you.

Essential Oils – A Natural Choice!

We know quality counts, and we’ve all experienced having what seemed like a good deal at the outset, turn into not such a good deal. Quality and purity are especially important when it comes to products that we use aromatically, on our person, or as dietary supplements. Sadly, essential oil quality and purity are not as carefully regulated as we might think. According to some experts, the majority of essential oils on the retail market are adulterated in some fashion. What qualifies an essential oil as being “pure therapeutic grade” is a recognized standard of independent third party testing that incorporates methods such as Gas Chromatography and Mass Spectrometry. Pure essential oils from particular plant species, grown in the optimum conditions, and provided through ethical processes are well worth the price. As with all purchase decisions, it pays to get educated first!

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