Chocolate Giveaway

Who can resist a bite of rich, dark chocolate - especially when it can even be called healthy?

Go to here to enter your name in a giveaway of some Askinosie chocolate! The giveaway includes a 77% Davao Bar, Natural Cocoa Powder, and a 70% Del Tambo Dark Chocolate Bar.

MMM.... all this talk of chocolate has made me decide I want to go in the kitchen and make some healthy coconut oil fudge. (I'll share the recipe with you soon.) Then I'll clean up the kitchen and start a batch of cheese.

God's Mysterious Ways

Last week I received an amazing blessing from the Lord.

And yes, it's related to nutrition! ;-) After all, this IS a health blog!

In the spring of 2008, I completed a Nutritional Therapist training program, making me a Certified Nutritional Therapy Practitioner. In order to keep my certification up to date, however, I need to have "X" number of hours of continuing education each year. I've let the year slip by, I not given much thought to how I was going to get these credits.

There is a Nutritional Therapy Conference being held in Vancouver, WA later this month, and it would provide the credits that I need, but I didn't think it would be a wise use of my money right now and so I brushed that thought aside.

Last week my dad told me I needed to get on top of this... the next morning I was to get online and research how I can get those credits I needed. Well, the next morning came and what do you know but that I forgot! When I went to check my email though, I found a message from one of the ladies organizing the conference. She asked if I would be interested in volunteering for the conference and getting in at half-price. I was about to reply with a "yes", when Mom saw the email and said "Dad and I will cover half of that".

So peoples, for 4-hours of volunteering, I get to go to a three-day nutrition conference. And pay only 1/4th the cost of general admittance.

As I watched this all unfold, I realized this is a complete "God-thing". He had a plan and laid it all out before me so beautifully. And I am so thrilled to be able to go to this conference! Sally Fallon Morrell (Nourishing Traditions) and Natasha Campbell-McBride (GAPS diet) will be speaking, among others. I'm particularly interested in hearing Sally Fallon.

I'll try to remember to give you all a report when it's over! :-)

The link between Autism and Vaccinations

Take a few minutes of your time to watch this very informative, yet very disturbing, video exposing the link between autism and vaccinations - particularly the mercury used as a preservative in the serum.

It's frightening. And I believe it completely. I have heard enough evidence to prove it in my mind, and I even know a woman personally who watched her eight-year-old son become autistic before her eyes after receiving some immunizations.

Introducing the newest member of our farm!

Belle had a calf last night! It's a sweet little heifer. (That means a girl calf for you city-slickers!)

I'm back to twice a day milking now.... I kinda missed it! ;-)

Transitioning to a Healthier Lifestyle

I've been asked numerous times by people "where do I start?" When we're caught up in the normal SAD (Standard American Diet) way of eating, it can be overwhelming to think of changing our eating habits. Obviously it would be nearly impossible to make the switch overnight.

So my suggestion is to make a transition. Start with maybe only one or two things that you can do, and purpose to follow your plan for a set amount of time before moving on to the next step. You might be ready to move on after a week or two, or maybe it will take a month - or even six months, before you're established in the first changes and ready to add more.

If you're starting at ground zero, let me suggest to you that the two most important ingredients I think you should try to eliminate first are High Fructose Corn Syrup (HFCS) and Hydrogenated Oils. Be sure to check the ingredient labels of all the prepackaged food you purchase, to make sure it's clear of these items. Some unsuspecting things you might find these ingredients in are Non-Dairy Creamer and Cool Whip -- they both contain HFCS and Hydrogenated Oils. Margarine and Crisco are both purely Hydrogenated oils, so those go out the window never to return. Real butter and oils are much healthier for you, and taste better anyways.

Of course our ultimate goal is to severely limit our consumption of prepackaged foods, but during this transition process you can allow yourself some of them - just make sure it's clear of the aforementioned ingredients. Often looking at other, more natural brands, will be your solution.

For example most commercial flavored yogurts are very high in Corn Syrup, HFCS, Sugar, and Glucose Syrup. Talk about a sugar load! ;-) But the Brown Cow yogurt company sweetens their flavored yogurts with Honey and Pure Maple Syrup. Yes it costs more, but if you can find it on sale or use coupons, you can still have an occasional treat of yogurt without defiling your conscience because you've eaten things that were your contraband list. :-)

Take it easy.... one step at a time. Make a plan that is doable, then stick to your plan. Find a friend to keep you accountable! Tell each other that for the rest of the month you're going to avoid HFCS, and then follow up with each other. You'd be amazed at how easy it is to say "Oh, it's just one little bit... it doesn't really matter just this once!". But it's not easy to make excuses like that when you're accountable to someone. Try it! ;-)



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For more information on HFCS, check out this link , or search www.mercola.com or www.westonaprice.org

For more information on Hydrogenated Oils, see pages 14 & 15 of Nourishing Traditions, by Sally Fallon; search www.mercola.com; or www.westonaprice.org

Help Petition the FDA

 The American Association for Health Freedom (AAHF) is leading a campaign to reform the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). We ask you to join with us in signing the Reform FDA Petition presented below. This petition will be delivered to Congress.

Late last year, the US government released a 60 page report entitled: FDA Science and Mission at Risk. A more honest title would have been: FDA Science and Mission in Shambles.

Apart from its title, however, the report was forthright. Here are a few direct quotes from the table of contents:

• Major Finding: "The FDA cannot fulfill its mission because its scientific base... is weak...."
• Major Finding: "The FDA cannot fulfill its mission because its scientific workforce does not have sufficient capacity and capability."
• Finding: "FDA does not have the capacity to ensure the safety of food for the nation."
• Finding: "The development of medical products based on 'new science' cannot adequately be regulated by the FDA."

These failures affect the health of all Americans. Good drugs are not approved or approved after interminable delays. Even after new drugs are shown to be safe, doctors cannot use them with terminally ill patients whose cases are otherwise hopeless.  Bad drugs are approved -- often on the basis of a recommendation by panels whose members include drug company consultants.

The record with the food supply is almost as bad as with drugs. When fresh food turns out to be contaminated, the only solution the Agency can come up with is to "nuke" it with radiation. What does this do to food? The FDA certainly does not know. If irradiated salad is not unappetizing enough, how about cloned meat, also recently approved.

A veritable revolution is taking place in the science of food, food extracts, and food supplements. Food producers would like to tell the American public about it. Millions of lives could be saved as a result. But the FDA will not permit it. The Agency ignores first amendment protections and censors the communication of valid scientific information.

To persuade Congress to address the comprehensive failure of the FDA, a Petition to Reform the FDA has been drafted. Your signature is vital. We must collect such a large number of names on the Petition that it compels Congressional Action. We will hand deliver the petition to Congressional leaders and urge them to enact comprehensive FDA reform. Congress already knows that the FDA represents a serious problem. This petition will help move them to take the urgent action required.

Go HERE to sign the petition.

Lack of Posts

Sorry for the lack of posts, people. Between a bad cold, a broken memory card reader, and complete lack of inspiration, I haven't been blogging.

The weather around here is still a little too dreary and muddy to take many pictures of the livestock for our "Homestead Tour", but the sun looks like it's going to shine today so if I can find some green grass somewhere I might take a few pictures.