Wellness Wednesday: Kombucha

I know, I know, I'm behind the times on this one. Kombucha has been around for a very long time. Here is the Wikipedia info on what it is, for what it's worth. In a nutshell, it is a fermented tea that has huge benefits, particularly for the digestive system.

It's been popularized by our culture, much the same way that pomegranates, acai berries, chia seeds, and Greek yogurt have been. It's definitely interesting to see what sorts of foreign foods suddenly make their way into pop culture and become selling points for products. But, let's move on from my critical nature...

After talking with my local health food store worker, I decided to give kombucha a try. I have my first batch of brew in the works, and today is the day when I get to sample to see if I like where it's at or want to let it brew longer. Let me share with you, it looks disgusting.

Basically, kombucha "brews" for a week or so. In the tea, you put what is called a SCOBY, which stands for Symbiotic Colony of Bacteria and Yeast. This SCOBY looks like a giant disc of animal fat. Not pleasant. But, somehow, this growing disc has some benefit to our system. Just like eating yogurt or taking a probiotic, this fermented tea helps the flora of the gut.

Based on some reading I have done, there is a large population of folks in our country that have leaky gut problems and issues with the digestive system. This plays a key role in our health. Everything from skin and hair to the emotional health of a person can be affected by digestive problems.

Lots of things affect our digestive health. Use of medications, food allergies, stress, overeating, and too much sugar or other foods can greatly contribute to digestive problems. Kombucha is just one way of getting your digestive system working for you instead of against you. For those who struggle with candida problems, here is an article (and there are many more) to help you decide if it's for you.

Before we get too carried away with the health benefits of this particular fad, let's take a look at what it is and is not. It is not a cure-all. It is not the most healthy thing on the planet to drink. It is not completely sugar or caffeine free. It is, however, healthy for you and contains a number of helpful properties. Here is a great article, which challenges the truths and myths of kombucha and explains things much better than I can, given my limited research into the matter. It is a blog, not a medical journal, so be sure to check the links at the end to verify her information and do your own research as well.

And just because I love him, here's an article from Dr. Mercola about gut health and ways to combat and heal digestive problems.

I'll keep you informed on how my own batch turns out. Right now, it looks questionable. Hopefully it turns out tasting fantastic. (I plan to try a Dr. Pepper flavor recipe.)

If you brew or drink kombucha or just have something to say about it, please leave a comment. I'd love to hear from you! Here's to your health!

When What You Have Isn't Enough: UPDATE

So, we made the potato flour according to this blog. Tomorrow we will proceed with the Citron Kake recipe. I will post another update on the taste of our product! 

Here is our step-by-step on 

HOW TO MAKE POTATO FLOUR:

STEP 1: Scrub and steam potatoes until cooked through.

STEP 2: Lay potatoes out on a cookie sheet and mash with a fork.

STEP 3:  Bake potatoes at lowest temp available or use a dehydrator to dry potatoes thoroughly.

STEP 4: Grind dried potato in a four mill, food processor, or coffee grinder.

STEP 5: Sift ground potato through cheese cloth or flour sifter to get rid of meal.

 

NOTES: Remember that a lot of potato only makes a little bit of flour. The amount of potato shown above made about 1/2 cup of flour. It took about 2-3 hours to dry the potatoes all the way through. A dehydrator would work best and would need about a night to dry completely. We double ground ours to make it as fine as possible. We used white potatoes instead of sweet. Reds would also work.

When What You Have Isn't Enough

We're trying to make a Norwegian recipe today that calls for potato flour. I would think that, living in ND, it would be more readily available, as this is the land of the Norskies. It's also a gluten-free option for those who are celiacs. However, we can't seem to find it anywhere. So, in an effort to be frugal and home-schooly, we are going to attempt to make our own! What got me going was this post leading us to study George Washington Carver and his accomplishments in agricultural products. Since it is African American History Month, I suppose it's an appropriate study subject.

I'll post an update on how we did it and how it tasted.

A Few Moments to Update...

It seems that with two small, nonindependent children in my home, it's much harder to get updates posted! I'll try to backdate a few things to get us back up and running...

The Kitty-Cat Soap Opera continues to run on schedule, starring our ever-exciting Oscar.

Our sweet foster boys are tugging continuously on our heart strings each day.

The world of home school is ever turning round and round.

 Wellness Wednesday keeps showing up on my doorstep for new and fun information to share.

AND

The Misadventures of Homesteading are on track just as we'd hoped.

Enjoy the updates as we try to keep up with our constantly changing lives! God is so good to us!

In Worship of the One,
Erin

Wellness Wednesday~OIL

Here a few quick links to some interesting articles on OIL. No, not crude oil or petroleum. Cooking oil!

From what I'm seeing throughout the articles I've read, Coconut Oil is incredibly good for you, and the best to cook with! The health benefits include the skin and nails, the heart, the metabolic system, the immune system, and digestion. Take a look...

This Cooking Oil is a Powerful Virus-Destroyer and Antibiotic...

Dr. Rudi Moerck on Cooking Oils

www.coconutoil.com/

Health Benefits of Coconut Oil

Up until now, I've been using olive oil for everything. I'm not quite brave enough yet to try to cook with coconut oil, but when I get there, I'll definitely let you know how it tastes. I'm slightly frightened by the thought that everything will taste like coconut! Not a taste I'm particularly fond of, by the way.

So, eat up!

Wellness Wednesday ~ WORLD'S HEALTHIEST FOODS

Got this website from a friend the other day and thought I would share it as a way to jump-start Wellness Wednesdays again!

WORLD'S HEALTHIEST FOODS

http://whfoods.org/recipestoc.php

Happy healthful eating!

Website Stealer

From time to time I like to check out who is reading my blog and what other blogs they're interested in. This one caught my attention today:

Cooking God's Way

Looks like a great website with lots of fantastic recipes and ideas for eating better. If you can't tell, I've become a huge fan of Dr. Mercola. Some friends and family have sporadically sent me his email updates, but until now I've sort of avoided all the hype. I guess I wasn't ready for the information overload and what it would do to my shopping!
I've since signed up for his emails and learned a lot about what we're putting into our bodies. It's been eye opening to say the least. I've also started investing in some other ways to be healthier and yet still maintain the "on the go" lifestyle we lead. Here are some other things I've found that you might be interested in:

Hand Blenders (faster and easier to clean than a traditional blender, make your morning shake in a lot less time with a lot less clean-up, very inexpensive)

Natural Remedies Encyclopedia (America's Master Book of Home Remedies)

Melaleuca (The Wellness Company; we buy LOTS of stuff from them; if you're interested, let me know)

Local Honey (find some in your area with an online directory like this from your State's Ag Dept.)

Real Milk

Summer Lovin'

Alright folks! Summer is officially here, with the beautiful sun finally gracing us. I've been out to my garden plots several times already, and I'm gearing up to plant outside after Memorial Day weekend.

To add to the fun, we've got some great field trips planned. We'll be taking a camping trip soon, and with that comes a visit to a nearby organic dairy farm. We're also hoping to get out and do some fishing while we're there. Along with a couple of other families, we're planning some studies about Lewis and Clark through the summer months. Since we live so close to their trail, we're going to head down to see one of the forts they visited and do some camping down there as well.

For our many car trips this summer, I bought a couple of "busy" books for the kids:

National Geographic Field Guide

to the Birds of North America

and

Hammond Children's World Atlas

We threw in a pair of binoculars for the bird watching. The kids have already located a couple of species and tried to name a few more based on some feathers they've found at the park.

The atlas has been instrumental for my oldest in his schoolwork lately. It has maps for each country and information on population and demographics for each country as well. It's a beautiful atlas. Get one.

My son also bought a wonderful bug book:

A Pocket Guide to Insects

And my daughter got herself a bug holder!

Melissa & Doug Sunny Patch Mombo Snake Bug House

This may come in handy for our gardening! One kid can catch the bugs, another can identify them.

 I also got the Freebie Friday Newsletter this morning and in it was a link for

10 Backyard Science Activities 

from Family Education.

Enjoy! I hope your summer is a blessed one.

For a bonus, check out Dr. Mercola's video and article about summer sun protection:

Summer Survival Kit

Wellness Wednesday~WARNING: GENETICALLY MODIFIED FOOD

WHAT IS GMO?

SAY NO TO GMO

Why?

• Warning: This Common Food Causes Devastating Offspring Defects in New Research Study  (article on Dr. Mercola's site)

  
  

• Genetically Modified Soy Linked to Sterility, Infant Mortality   (article from Institute for Responsible Technology)

• NON-GMO Shopping Guide (How to avoid this dangerous health hazard from Institute for Responsible Technology)

• GMO COMPASS (Information on genetically modified organisms around the world)

• READY TO GROW YOUR OWN FOOD? BUY NON-GMO SEEDS FROM A COMPANY LIKE THIS. (make sure they test)

Wellenss Wednesday~Better Snacking

A Compiled List of Great Snack Choices:

• almonds (great source of monounsaturated fat, magnesium, and Vit E)
• dried cranberries (antioxidants, urinary health)
• sunflower seeds (out of the shell, unsalted)
• assorted nuts
• fresh veggies (the darker the better! green peppers, broccoli, etc.)
• fresh fruit (the darker the better! kiwi, mango, red grapes, etc.) Fun Fruit Kabobs
• berries (blueberries, strawberries, raspberries, etc.)
• plain yogurt with granola and/or flax (sweeten with honey or fruit instead of sugar)
• sweetened yogurt as a dip for graham crackers
• hummus and pita bread
• cottage cheese with fresh fruit
• corn chips and salsa
• trail mix
• air popped or stove top popcorn (avoid microwave popcorn)
• olives
• pretzels
• pumpkin seeds
• banana or celery with peanut butter
• figs or fig cookies (hamentaschen are yummy!)
• raisins
• smoothies (use frozen yogurt and/or kefir, found in milk section of grocery store)
• pretzels
• sushi
• kiwi
• apples and caramel or honey
• sliced tomato baked with mozzarella cheese on top
• hard boiled egg
• fruit leathers  Stretch Island Fruit Co.  or  make your own!
• frozen yogurt
• applesauce (homemade is best)
• baked veggie crackers

What great snack ideas do you have? 

Share them in your comments!

Breakfast Video from Dr. Mercola

Wellness Wednesday~Best and Worst Breakfast Foods

In an effort to rid my home of some of the big health no-no's, I've turned to breakfast for a look-see. I've read a few things here and there about breakfast─how it's the most important meal of the day. But, I've never really had anyone show me what not to eat for breakfast.

Here are a few good articles:
America's Worst Breakfast Foods (Yahoo)
Best & Worst Breakfast Cereals (Yahoo)
Ten Worse Breakfast Cereals (Dr. Mercola)

One article I read talked about coffee. It's not so much the coffee that's the problem, but the things you put in your coffee. I'll agree with that. But, it suggested using sugar free or soy creamers instead. Beware of these two things. Sugar free usually means aspartame or other sugar substitutes that are worse for you than natural sugar. And soy is not as healthy as the industry would want us to believe.

What You Don't Know Can Hurt You (Dr. Mercola)
The Evidence Against Soy (Dr. Mercola)

These are of course a great controversy, as most things surrounding health and wellness are now.
I encourage you to do your own research on both of these items.

But, back to breakfast─what are some better options for breakfast?

Many professionals agree that protein is your best bet for breakfast food. Not grains!

Here's a list I've compiled after reading several articles on the matter:

• Juiced veggies (with pulp)
• Eggs (one person can eat up to 1 doz eggs in a week without any ill-effects)
• raw milk products (not pasteurized)
• grass fed beef/bison
• fresh fruits (with pulp)

What to avoid:

• breads/cereals (especially white breads and sugary cereals)
• doughnuts
• pancakes and waffles

sources:
http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2008/08/21/eggs-are-the-better-breakfast-choice.aspx
http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2001/11/07/breakfast-part-one.aspx
http://nutrition.about.com/od/nutrition101/a/breakfast.htm

I find it interesting that most of what I've read about juiced veggies indicate that they're better than a cup of caffeinated coffee in the morning. The energy lasts longer, the nutritional content is way better, and it prevents overeating later in the day. Anyone want to try it out for a week and see what happens?

Here's an awesome website about juicing veggies:
www.juicingbook.com/veggies

Vegetable Juice Recipes
More Vegetable Juice Recipes

Wellness Wednesday~FLAX

Growing up, I thought that flax was simply a decorative plant. My mother had it in several dried arrangements in our home. But, the benefits of flax go far beyond just ornamentation.
Flax is high in Omega-3 fatty acids, has tons of fiber, has properties that help fight against cancers such as breast and colon cancer, and is loaded with potassium, protein, vitamin B6, and other major health contributors.
The list goes on. It has been found to help women with menopause inconveniences and has shown some anti-inflammatory characteristics.
That said, it's not something that we find in a lot of our foods. How can we add it?
Flax must be consumed after it is ground up. Our bodies will not digest the seeds if they are whole. Ground flax seed can be found at many health food stores and some pharmacies. It can also be ordered online.
There are many ways to add flax to the diet (daily recommended dose is 2-4 Tbsp. of ground flax). Add it to cereal, bake it into your goodies, or add it to bread. You can even add it to yogurt, syrups, and berries!

Easy Ways to get Flax Into Your Diet

The below websites will help you find some other recipe books and hints for how to use, when to use, and why to use flax.

Happy Health!

www.flaxhealth.com
www.gvflax.com

Sources:  Flax for Your Good Health Pamphlet─
Flax Council of Canada; Ameriflax; Flax Institute of the U.S.; and Flax Your Way to Better Health by Jane Reinhardt-Martin, RD, LD

**Image used with permission from fineartamerica.com;  Field of Blue Flax Flowers by James Dunbar; Dunbar's Fine Art Wildflower Series

Wellness Wendesday~I MISSED IT!

To be honest, I didn't really miss it. I thought about it on Wednesday, but was so comfortable on the couch that I figured I'd get to it when I felt up to it.

I had surgery Monday and was feeling pretty run down by Wednesday. I'm sure there weren't lines of people waiting to read the blog anyway! :)

So, here's your new Wellness Wednesday topic for next week: FLAX!

Do some research of your own and be ready for my Wednesday blog. I'd love to see some comments!

In Worship,

Erin

Wellness Wednesday~BEANS!

Today is all about BEANS! That's right! Beans, beans, the magical fruit! (Except I'm fairly sure they're not considered a fruit...but, oh well.)  I'm finding that beans really are good for your heart and the more you eat...well...it's not true. The gas actually diminishes the more you eat. Why? Because the beans help get rid of the nasty junk in your system. They clean you out! The more you eat, the cleaner your body is and the less you have to get rid of!

Let me be frank. I have a daughter with some pretty serious bowel issues. She was born with a hernia and had to have surgery. They took out all her intestines during the surgery and rearranged them in her belly. I'm convinced that she has these problems because of it. We have had to be very vigilant about what she eats. I've stocked up on certain yogurts, made sure we always have fiber bars on hand, and even tried out the Miralax. They work, don't get me wrong. She's fairly regular. But, recently, after talking to a friend who's on a bean diet, I've discovered that there's nothing better than LOTS OF BEANS!

The medical reasons for eating beans are numerous. Read the following reports and see for yourself:
http://www.healthandgoodness.com/article/eating-beans.html
http://www.webmd.com/diet/features/beans-protein-rich-superfoods

Top of the list benefits are antioxidants, cancer fighting agents*, vitamins, help with cholesterol levels and heart diseases*, and loads of fiber!

People that have cancer should eat lots of beans. Cancers feed on meat*, sugar, and lots of food additives.

I was surprised at the value of beans. No wonder they give them to people in their WIC checks! My problem isn't so much why to eat them, but HOW? Like some of you, I'm not much of a bean lover. Never fear. I've got some cookbook options for you! I've even added them to my bookstore section so you can find them easily. Look under Wellness Wednesdays.

The Bean Book by Rose Elliot
The Bean Queen's Cookbook by Karen R. Hurd (my friend has this one...great recipes!)
The Bean Book: Over Seventy Incredible Recipes by Lyons Press

My last little tidbit of advice for today is to find great friends.

I have wonderful friends. It's so much easier to work toward a healthier future if you have good friends that are on that path with you. We send lots of emails back and forth with our latest finds. I hope that you find some good friends that are willing to take this journey as well. You'll find lots of encouragement and support if you surround yourself with a few health minded people.

*Studies have shown that eating a lot of red meat could be a contributor to heart diseases and cancers. Beans are an excellent meat alternative. ARTICLE LINK

Welcome to Wellness Wendesdays!

My newest endeavor in the home school blogging world is Wellness Wednesday. Every Wednesday (forgive me if I miss one or two), I'll pass on a small tidbit of information that will help you stay informed on how to live healthier and pass on that wellness to our growing generation.

I know this doesn't immediately sound like a home school blog topic, but if you'd like to somehow fit it into your school week, I'm sure there are ways! Think of it as "Health Class". I'll post some fun recipes and some other ways to get your family into a better groove. We're all in this journey together. The goal is to be constantly working in that direction.

So, here goes!

Ready to Dig In!

For all you GREEN THUMBS out there, I've found a few treasures to pass on...and decided I would share a bit of my photography with you as well.  ☺

I've been reading a bit here and there about GMO's (genetically modified organisims) and what they do to our bodies. I've also been doing some personal research on the use of pesticides and herbicides. The words toxic and unnecessary come to mind. I just finished a quick little read (took me less than 30 minutes) about organic gardening.

How To Become an Organic Gardener in Seven Easy Steps by Judy Barrett

She really makes it sound so easy. I hope it is. Here's a quick quote from her book:

"The ideal growing conditions exist naturally in wild areas where plants are constantly dropping their leaves attracting animals who drop their manure, and where all these things blend together to make a rich humus. Forest floors are the most beautiful topsoil in the world because the leaves drop to the ground, birds and small animals leave their droppings, water filters in slowly, and air moves freely. Most of us don't have these ideal conditions, and don't want to live in a forest anyway. But we can re-create the topsoil no matter where we live."

Doesn't that sound like a breath of fresh air!? She answers the question "Why Organic?" by saying that the chemicals we use to grow plants now, do nothing to build the soil. By building the soil, it will naturally keep pests away and grow better plants in the future, and it only takes a short time.

Last year, I bought the book Carrots Love Tomatoes by Louise Riotte. It was an invaluable resource in companion planting. I had an incredible yield from my tiny little postage stamp garden. I found natural ways of keeping pests away, building the soil through "buddy planting", and getting more yield from a smaller space.

This year, I borrowed a seed catalog from a friend. Check out their website:

www.RareSeeds.com

Non-GMO seeds, tested just to be sure. Heirloom seeds, some extremely rare. Seeds from all over the world. Committed to the best plants and gardening, everything from flowers to herbs and veggies. I bought a BUNCH!

"Science has tried to assume a monopoly─or, rather, a tyranny─over our understanding of the world around us...We are only now beginning to understand the disastrous results of this outlook."  ~Prince Charles

I think it's a beautiful thing how the world around us is continually trying to maintain balance. Look at the wind─blowing to bring high and low pressure systems into balance. People, trying to maintain balance in their lives through priorities. The soil, too, is trying to balance between acidity and alkalinity─the plants playing their roles in it all. And the bugs bring balance to the natural predator/prey world. It really is a wonderful thing, this world that God created.

I pray we find wonderful ways of enjoying it this spring and summer.

Natural Remedies Encyclopedia

I can't say enough about this new book I got. After joining two other girlfriends of mine on a trip to our state home school convention, I came home with this Natural Remedies Encyclopedia. What an incredible book!!

My advice to you─GET ONE! You'll love it. Here are two of my own personal stories on using this book (and I've only had it for four days!):

Before I bought this book, I used a remedy that's already in it without knowing it. My husband and I went to Bible study on the Wednesday night before the convention. After dinner, and halfway through the study, my daughter came up with tears in her eyes. She was holding her ear and shaking from pain. We didn't want to have to leave the study early, but she seemed in terrible discomfort. We tried using a wet paper towel to help with the pain, but it wasn't working, so my husband took her home. After talking with a friend, I called a lady in our church body who was said to have a "home remedy" for ear aches and infections. I asked her if I could come by and borrow it. She said, "No, no. You can make it yourself!" Wow. Okay. I took down the recipe over the phone, went home, made it up, and it worked! The next morning, she was as good as new. I left for the convention that morning telling my husband, "If you need to give it to her again, here's how you make it." He didn't need to. She was fine! No need for antibiotics and long Dr. visits.

Last night, this same daughter of ours was coughing incessantly after she went to bed. My husband and I were watching Chariots of Fire and could hear her over the loud music. (I'm deaf, and I could hear her!) She seems to have either some kind of cold bug or spring allergies. After listening for a few minutes, we finally decided to get up and see about her cough. My husband rummaged through the cupboard for the "normal" medicines and came out with some Vick's. Nah, let's try something different this time, I thought. He laughed as I pulled out the book. "I knew you were gonna do that", he said. I looked in the book and found the cough section. A whole list of options! I picked the one that seemed the easiest given the things we had in our house at the time─a warm wrap with cayenne pepper in it. Buy the book and check it out. It works. After replacing the wrap several times (which of course takes more time than just rubbing the Vick's on and going back to our movie) she stopped coughing. It had almost instant results. No meds involved. We also used our humidifier to do a Eucalyptus vapor. She slept through the whole thing and woke up looking so rested this morning. What a difference!

These are just two of the stories I could tell!

Like my friend, I'm not trying to sell you something. I'm trying to share something with you that may change the way you take care of your self and your family. I've used it about 10 times already and found it to be very thorough and indescribably effective. It's worth the money. Think of it as a down-payment on your insurance copay for visiting the Dr.─except you won't go as often anymore. If you do get this book, or you already own one, share your story in the comments. I'd love to know how it's helped you!! And it may help someone else, too.


I'll leave you with my friend's Amazon customer review, which can also be read on their website here:

I am so glad I bought this. It is a very complete, 900 page one-volume encyclopedia of 11,000 natural drugless remedies. It covers 730 diseases-helping your family for a lifetime for the cost of one doctor visit! A whole section talking about nutritional principles, the 8 laws of health,- vitamins, minerals, enzymes, special foods and other nutrients-126 most important herbs-poultices-essential oils-complete water therapy manual-special women's section-great indexes! I do not like my children being on medicine and I came home from the homeschool convention where I bought this to my daughter being sick. We treated her for the ear infection and fever naturally-the next morning her ear ache was gone and fever broke. Now we're flushing her system according to the common cold section! I've always wanted to do this, but didn't know how! After every sickness cause and remedy there is a great biblical encouragement section to encourage those that don't have that-God is our provider and our strength and gives us all we need to keep our bodies healthy! My two girlfriends also bought one and I'm recommending it to all I know for a great all in one resource!  ~K. C.~