Thursday, June 17, 2010

Quinoa Gives the Perfect Protein Source

Quinoa Gives the Perfect Protein Source to Vegetarians and Vegans

Tuesday, June 15, 2010 by: Danna Norek, citizen journalist
http://www.naturalnews.com/028989_quinoa_protein.html

(NaturalNews) Quinoa is perhaps one of the most perfect non-animal sources of protein on the planet. What makes quinoa (pronounce keen-wah) unique is that it is the only plant based source of complete protein. "Complete" means that it contains all 9 of the essential amino acids that are crucial to human function and health.

Quinoa is a favorite of vegans for this reason. The vegan diet often can fall short of protein, especially complete protein sources, and quinoa fills this void quite nicely. Not only is quinoa excellent for vegans, but it is also a wonderful option for those that follow a gluten free diet, since it is completely gluten free.

While quinoa is considered by most people to be a grain because it cooks up much like a grain would, it is actually a seed. When cooked, it has a wonderful nutty sort of flavor and is noted for the fine white string-like casing that is visible only when fully cooked.

How Do You Cook Quinoa?

You cook quinoa exactly as you would cook brown rice. The measurements are two parts water to one part quinoa. For instance, if you were cooking 1 cup of dry quinoa, you would cook it in 2 liquid cups of water. It usually takes about twenty minutes to fully cook once the water comes to a boil.

You want to be careful not to overcook it, as it can become soft and lose its shape if cooked for too long. The flavor also suffers if it is overcooked.

Quinoa is wonderful when paired with lightly steamed broccoli and some cubed avocado, and a bit of sea salt. You can also serve it cold with diced fresh organic tomatoes and some natural southwestern or Mexican-style seasoning for a south of the border taste.

What Are Some of the Other Health Benefits of Quinoa?

Aside from being an excellent non-animal source of protein, quinoa contains many essential vitamins, minerals and nutrients. It is rich in manganese, which is pivotal in activating enzymes vital to efficiently metabolizing carbohydrates, and cholesterol. It is also vital to bone development and maintenance.

Quinoa is also rich in lysine. Lysine is one of the essential amino acids of the nine, and it plays an important role in the absorption of calcium and the formation of collagen. It is also thought to be useful for the prevention of herpes breakouts and cold sores in some people.

Quinoa is considered to be an excellent alternative to other grain foods that contribute to the growth of candida. Candida is a "bad bacteria" that causes or contributes to a range of health problems, most notably digestion and elimination issues in the human body. Quinoa is thought to be a "good bacteria" for the gut, the intestines and the colon.

It is also a food that is on the low end of the glycemic index. This makes it a great choice for those with blood sugar issues, and if you're watching you're weight, it's a great addition to a balanced diet.

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Friday, June 4, 2010

Use Home Remedies to Quickly and Safely Eliminate Athlete's Foot

Friday, June 04, 2010 by: Tony Isaacs, citizen journalist
See all articles by this author
http://www.naturalnews.com/028925_Athletes_foot_home_remedies.html

(NaturalNews) Athlete's foot is an infection of the feet caused by a fungus. The affected area is usually red and itchy and the most common symptom is cracked, flaking, peeling skin between the toes. Left untreated, the condition may last for a short or long time and may return again and again. However, there are several effective home and natural remedies that can quickly clear up athlete's foot and prevent it from returning.

One sure-fire home remedy is to use a combination of apple cider vinegar, water, colloidal silver and moisturizer. Soak your feet in one part white vinegar and four parts water for 20-30 minutes. Dry your feet and apply colloidal silver over the entire foot, being sure to get in between the toes. Allow to air dry thoroughly and then apply a good moisturizer, such as the oil found in crushed garlic from the grocery store. Other good choices are tea tree oil, sesame oil and olive oil.

The combination of vinegar and colloidal silver kills the athlete's foot fungus and the moisturizer helps the skin heal. Repeat the procedure twice daily and your athlete's foot should be gone in a matter of days. To prevent future outbreaks of athlete's foot, repeat the above remedy once each week. Note: colloidal silver is optional, but it helps speed the remedy and makes it more effective.

Other common remedies are:

* Apply hydrogen peroxide with a cotton swab - especially just after a bath, shower or foot soak. Allow to dry. If you wish, you may follow with an application of apple cider vinegar and then, after your feet have dried, apply one of the moisturizers mentioned above. Repeat twice daily until all signs of athlete's foot are gone.

* Pour baking soda on the affected feet and between the toes after showers, bathing or foot soaks to help dry the area and eliminate dampness. Powder the area daily until the infection is gone and continue doing so for at least a month.

* After thoroughly washing the feet, dry the feet well with a hair dryer on the high heat setting. Be sure to dry the areas between the toes thoroughly and get as close to the feet as you can without burning. If you dress afterward, use clean dry socks (preferably cotton socks). Do this morning and evening. If you regularly blow dry your feet, you should never have athlete's foot again.

* A wonderful old time remedy is known as "Grandma's Gallberry Root Remedy" - Boil some gallberry roots and soak your feet in the solution after it has cooled enough to prevent scalding. Repeat every day for one week.

* Rub tea tree oil on feet twice a day. Tea tree oil kills the fungus that causes athlete's feet. Similarly, sesame oil rubbed over the infected area once or twice a day has been reported to eliminate athlete's foot within a few days.

* Regular tea has been used effectively against athlete's foot. Use a quart of boiling water, add six tea bags and soak your feet in it for 30 to 60 minutes. The tannic acid in tea kills the fungus and soothes the pain and itchy feeling on the skin.

Notes: Be sure to wash all your white socks in water containing bleach. Then wash your other socks and wash or clean your shoes regularly and allow them to dry thoroughly.

Avoid using anti-bacterial soap, which may actually increase the chance of getting athlete's foot by killing the good bacteria and by allowing bad bacteria to take over and to accumulate and grow in the shower.

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Wednesday, June 2, 2010

http://www.commondreams.org/headline/2010/06/02-7

UN Urges Global Move to Meat and Dairy-Free Diet

Lesser consumption of animal products is necessary to save the world from the worst impacts of climate change, UN report says

by Felicity Carus

Published on Wednesday, June 2, 2010 by The Guardian/UK

http://www.commondreams.org/headline/2010/06/02-7

A global shift towards a vegan diet is vital to save the world from hunger, fuel poverty and the worst impacts of climate change, a UN report said today.

An cattle ranch in Mato Grosso, Brazil. The UN says agriculture is on a par with fossil fuel consumption because both rise rapidly with increased economic growth. (Photograph: HO/Reuters)

As the global population surges towards a predicted 9.1 billion people by 2050, western tastes for diets rich in meat and dairy products are unsustainable, says the report from United Nations Environment Programme's (UNEP) international panel of sustainable resource management.

It says: "Impacts from agriculture are expected to increase substantially due to population growth increasing consumption of animal products. Unlike fossil fuels, it is difficult to look for alternatives: people have to eat. A substantial reduction of impacts would only be possible with a substantial worldwide diet change, away from animal products."

Professor Edgar Hertwich, the lead author of the report, said: "Animal products cause more damage than [producing] construction minerals such as sand or cement, plastics or metals. Biomass and crops for animals are as damaging as [burning] fossil fuels."

The recommendation follows advice last year that a vegetarian diet was better for the planet from Lord Nicholas Stern, former adviser to the Labour government on the economics of climate change. Dr Rajendra Pachauri, chair of the UN's Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), has also urged people to observe one meat-free day a week to curb carbon emissions.

The panel of experts ranked products, resources, economic activities and transport according to their environmental impacts. Agriculture was on a par with fossil fuel consumption because both rise rapidly with increased economic growth, they said.

Ernst von Weizsaecker, an environmental scientist who co-chaired the panel, said: "Rising affluence is triggering a shift in diets towards meat and dairy products - livestock now consumes much of the world's crops and by inference a great deal of freshwater, fertilisers and pesticides."

Both energy and agriculture need to be "decoupled" from economic growth because environmental impacts rise roughly 80% with a doubling of income, the report found.

Achim Steiner, the UN under-secretary general and executive director of the UNEP, said: "Decoupling growth from environmental degradation is the number one challenge facing governments in a world of rising numbers of people, rising incomes, rising consumption demands and the persistent challenge of poverty alleviation."

The panel, which drew on numerous studies including the Millennium ecosystem assessment, cites the following pressures on the environment as priorities for governments around the world: climate change, habitat change, wasteful use of nitrogen and phosphorus in fertilisers, over-exploitation of fisheries, forests and other resources, invasive species, unsafe drinking water and sanitation, lead exposure, urban air pollution and occupational exposure to particulate matter.

Agriculture, particularly meat and dairy products, accounts for 70% of global freshwater consumption, 38% of the total land use and 19% of the world's greenhouse gas emissions, says the report, which has been launched to coincide with UN World Environment day on Saturday.

Last year the UN's Food and Agriculture Organisation said that food production would have to increase globally by 70% by 2050 to feed the world's surging population. The panel says that efficiency gains in agriculture will be overwhelmed by the expected population growth.

Prof Hertwich, who is also the director of the industrial ecology programme at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology, said that developing countries – where much of this population growth will take place – must not follow the western world's pattern of increasing consumption: "Developing countries should not follow our model. But it's up to us to develop the technologies in, say, renewable energy or irrigation methods."

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Oregon's Special Programs at Farmers' Markets Focus on Nutrition

Oregon's 100 farmers' market are now open for business and they
offer produce to low income, nutritionally-needy families and elderly citizens as part of
the state's Farm Direct Nutrition Program.

$4 checks distributed to low-income, nutritionally at-risk pregnant women and young children enrolled in the Women, Infants and Children Program. The effort also covers low-income seniors.
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Oregon's Special Programs at Farmers' Markets Focus on Nutrition
http://mobile.westernfarmerstockman.com/main.aspx?ascxid=cmsNewsStory&rmid=0&rascxid=&args=&rargs=9&dt=634110865145637500&lid=a8yebu2d9qxnz7lo&adms=634110865144231250X8146f36c6a&cmsSid=38771&cmsScid=9

Nearly nine out of ten American consumers are concerned about the nutritional content of the food they eat while seven out of ten consider nutrition the most important consideration when shopping for edibles, new studies reveal.

"If you walk onto any farmers' market site, the whole marketplace is a big playground of nutrition," says Laura Barton, Oregon Department of Agriculture trade manager. "Farmers' markets offer fresh fruits and vegetables, just packed with nutrients."

A national survey of more than 1,000 consumers commissioned by the United Soybean Board found an overwhelming response in favor of purchasing nutritious foods while shopping. Another survey conducted by IBM also shows consumers place a premium on nutrition even though the tough U.S. economy has elevated the importance of value shopping.

ODA works with market vendors, mostly growers, to ensure their participation in the program, which brings more than $1 million into the hands of Oregon producers each year.

"Many farmers are delighted to participate in the program because it makes them feel really good that these consumers are able to buy their product and get much needed nutrition," says Barton.

The program, which began this month (cq for June), funds in the form of $4 checks distributed to low-income, nutritionally at-risk pregnant women and young children enrolled in the Women, Infants and Children Program. The effort also covers low-income seniors.

These checks can be used through Oct. 31 to purchase locally-produced fresh fruits and vegetables directly from authorized producers at farm stands and farmers' markets.

A new separate program now provides another opportunity for farmers and WIC families, says Barton. Women and children enrolled in the Oregon WIC project will receive additional vouchers on a monthly basis to purchase fresh and frozen foods and vegetables year-round at authorized farmers and farm stands as well as farmers' markets.

Called the Oregon WIC Fruit and Veggie Voucher program, it allows recipients to buy produce at WIC-authorized grocery stores. Because the program operates all year, vendors at early opening and late-season closing of farmers' markets will have a chance to sell even more produce items to WIC shoppers.

BWN - Health v4

ODA works with market vendors, mostly growers, to ensure their participation in the program, which brings more than $1 million into the hands of Oregon producers each year.

"Many farmers are delighted to participate in the program because it makes them feel really good that these consumers are able to buy their product and get much needed nutrition," says Barton.

These checks can be used through Oct. 31 to purchase locally-produced fresh fruits and vegetables directly from authorized producers at farm stands and farmers' markets.