Tuesday, March 24, 2009

Green Spring Cleaning: Save the Paper Towels

Green Spring Cleaning: Save the Paper Towels

Sponge, scrub brush, and cloth raghttp://sierraclub.typepad.com/greenlife/

With winter behind us, it's time to embrace the season of rejuvenation by reducing clutter and attacking grime. This week we're providing tips to green your spring cleaning and give your home a fresh beginning.

Tip #2: Clean With Reusable Wipes and Scrubbers

Spring cleaning doesn't have to result in a trash can full of used paper towels. Instead, try reusable scrub brushes or homemade cloth cleaning rags. Synthetic sponges are petroleum-derived and can contain triclosan. Greener options for natural sponges include those made of wood-pulp cellulose. Your best bet? Cultivate luffa (a.k.a. "loofah") in your garden and grow your own "sponge gourds."



It’s not like I came up with the idea to make clothes into rags: people have been using damaged clothing and other textiles as rags forever. This post is just a reminder. Have you been buying your cleaning rags? If so, why? I ask because cotton cloth rags work great and are easy to make.

I made nice cleaning cloths out of a pair of worn out flannel pajama pants. Old towels, worn flannel sheets, damaged blankets, cloth diapers ready to be passed on, stained or torn linens, old t-shirts and socks all make good cleaning rags!

Pick flannel or other cotton fiber clothing because it is soft and absorbent and usually lint free. Use it to wash your windows or clean your kitchen floor whatever…. It’s also great at polishing the chrome in the bathroom or dusting your bookshelf.

How to: Cut or tear the piece of clothing in manageable sized pieces (18 x 18 inches more or less). If you want to tear the fabric, sometimes it is easier to use a pair of scissors to cut the first half inch than tear. If you have never tried this before, the fabric will tear in a straight line following the weave. Quickly cut out any buttons, zippers, waistbands, hem, or anything else that might scratch whatever you are cleaning.

Save any buttons for future projects or give them to someone who can use them.

Made-made material like polyester, spandex, and nylon aren’t my favorite for cleaning because they are not as absorbent. I use worn out clothing made out of this stuff for rags that I don’t plan to wash and use again. They would be good for paint rags or auto maintenance.

Keep a pile(s) of rags on hand. I have a stack of cleaning rags with my cleaning supplies and another stack of “disposable” rags in the work shop.




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Monday, March 23, 2009

USA has Two Options to Save its Economy: Declare Default or Trigger a War

USA has Two Options to Save its Economy: Declare Default or Trigger a War

by Ekaterina Yevstigneyeva

Global Research, March 22, 2009
Pravda - 2009-03-19
http://www.globalresearch.ca/index.php?context=va&aid=12844

The United States is the largest borrower in the world. The US national debt has already exceeded the level of 11 trillion dollars as of the beginning of 2009 and continues to grow like an avalanche. Experts say that the USA has only two ways to solve the problem: to either declare default or trigger off a war.

According to experts’ estimates, the probability of default on US treasury bonds is very high at the moment. The rumors are not new at all. Moreover, experts say that the USA has already started to work on an opportunity to refuse from the dollar in order to avoid debt payments.

Dmitry Abzalov, an expert with the Center for Russia ’s Political Conjuncture, said that governments currently take on the debts of corporations. “The corporate debts crisis thus becomes the crisis of governmental debts. The US debt in the beginning of 2009 amounted to $10.6 trillion. Taking into consideration the current deficit budget of the United States, as well as the prospects for the deficit of the budget during the current year, it becomes clear that the US Treasury bond market is based on no alternative whatsoever. There is no other way for investors to invest their funds with treasury bonds being the only option,” the expert told Bigness.ru.

When the world economy recovers, investors will realize that there are plenty of other opportunities for investments, the European bonds, for example (if the European economy recovers from the crisis too, of course), or the bonds of developing countries.

“The pyramid of US bonds will collapse in this case. The debt percentage grows every day, which makes the USA borrow more and more on a daily basis. America will have no chances to pay off the debt,” the expert said.

Inga Foksha, an analyst with Aton Investment Company, agrees that the US default is quite possible, although she is certain that it will not happen unless the world finds an alternative to the US dollar. The dollar will collapse immediately in case of default, which is absolutely unacceptable, because 63 percent of world reserves are saved in dollars. Their collapse will trigger the global economic collapse.

“Technically, the default of the United States may occur during three or five years, although it is too early to say that it could be possible. The USA can print new dollars to pay their debts with them,” she said.

Nevertheless, the US government bonds still enjoy investors’ support and are still considered a risk-free investment.

Dmitry Abzalov believes that the current situation with the US national debt may end with a new war. The war will destroy excessive liquidity and the current debt.

“The war in Iraq began to delay the US crisis, which started brewing in the US economy at the end of 2000,” he said.

The Americans have been trying to raise their economy with the help of military actions for decades, since the Great Depression of the 1930s. A war boosts the nation’s industry, even if a recovery is based on defense orders.


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Wednesday, March 18, 2009

Oppose HR 875 Legislation For Monsanto To Harm Small Organic Farms

Monsanto is involved in legislation to destroy all small
and family farming! OPPOSE BILL HR 875

http://www.gnhealth.com/calltoaction.html

!! CALL TO ACTION !!

"Food safety" bills now in Congress were written by Anne Venemann, former Monsanto counsel, and by the WTO (composed of Monsanto, Cargill, Tysons, the biotech companies, the big pharmaceuticals, etc.).  They were introduced by Rosa DeLauro, whose husband works for Monsanto, and Food Democracy Now says that Michael Taylor, former Monsanto lawyer who approved rBGH, may get a job inside the White House running "food safety."  The bills would industrialize all farms, eliminate most of our farmers (as similar legislation is doing in the EU now), and threatens biodiverstity and organic seeds - our means to avoid GMOs.  The bills are immense in reach (gardens and homes are not excluded), vague in detail, draconian in penalties (applied by "the Administrator," with no judicial review.) 

Let your legislators and local paper know what you think and want:  http://www.peaceteam.net/action/pnum942.php

 

Capitol Switchboard: (202) 224-3121
Capital switchboard toll free numbers: 800-965-4701 800-828-0498.

Speaker:  nancy.pelosi@mail.house.gov,   Introduced the bill:  rosa.delauro@mail.house.gov,

Co-signers: jerrold.nadler@mail.house.gov, eleanor.norton@mail.house.gov, linda.sanchez@mail.house.gov, diana.degette@mail.house.gov, peter.defazio@mail.house.gov, shelley.berkley@mail.house.gov, sanford.bishop@mail.house.gov, timothy.bishop@mail.house.gov, andre.carson@mail.house.gov, eliot.engel@mail.house.gov, anna.eshoo@mail.house.gov, sam.farr@mail.house.gov, bob.filner@mail.house.gov, gabrielle.giffords@mail.house.gov, raul.grijalva@mail.house.gov, john.hall@mail.house.gov, maurice.hinchey@mail.house.gov, mazie.hirono@mail.house.gov, eddie.johnson@mail.house.gov, marcy.kaptur@mail.house.gov, barbara.lee@mail.house.gov, nita.lowey@mail.house.gov, betty.mccollum@mail.house.gov, james.mcdermott@mail.house.gov, james.mcgovern@mail.house.gov, gwen.moore@mail.house.gov, christopher.murphy@mail.house.gov, chellie.pingree@mail.house.gov, timothy.ryan@mail.house.gov, janice.schakowsky@mail.house.gov, mark.schauer@mail.house.gov, louise.slaughter@mail.house.gov, fortney.stark@mail.house.gov, betty.sutton@mail.house.gov, debbie.wasserman.schultz@mail.house.gov

 

MORE DETAILS...

Some cannot believe that the HR 875 in Congress for a vote will criminalize seed banking.   This bill will allow for Monsanto to take control of all seeds in the US.

Here's the bill, broken down:  http://www.opednews.com/articles/A-solemn-walk-through-HR-8-by-Linn-Cohen-Cole-090314-67.html

Another article about the ways Monsanto is putting seeds out of reach.
http://www.opednews.com/articles/The-multiple-ways-Monsanto-by-Linn-Cohen-Cole-090203-854.html

 

http://www.govtrack.us/congress/bill.xpd?bill=h111-759
http://www.opencongress.org/bill/111-h759/show

H.R. 759 (FDA overhaul), 111th Congress
Food and Drug Administration Globalization Act of 2009

* HR 759 overhauls the entire structure of the FDA.
* It's more likely to move through congress than HR 875.
* It contains provisions that could cause problems for small farms and food processors.

 

H.R. 814 ("NAIS on steroids"), 111th Congress Tracing and Recalling Agricultural Contamination Everywhere Act of 2009

* a mandatory animal identification system

H.R. 875 (creation of FSA), 111th Congress Food Safety Modernization Act of 2009

To establish the Food Safety Administration within the Department of Health and Human Services.

http://www.foodandwaterwatch.org/

Food & Water Watch's Statement on H.R. 875 and other food safety bills (like H.R. 759)

The dilemma of how to regulate food safety in a way that prevents problems caused by industrialized agriculture but doesn't wipe out small diversified farms is not new and is not easily solved.  And as almost constant food safety problems reveal the dirty truth about the way much of our food is produced, processed and distributed, it's a dilemma we need to have serious discussion about.

Most consumers never thought they had to worry about peanut butter and this latest food safety scandal has captured public attention for good reason - a CEO who knowingly shipped contaminated food, a plant with holes in the roof and serious pest problems, and years of state and federal regulators failing to intervene.

It's no surprise that Congress is under pressure to act and multiple food safety bills have been introduced.

Two of the bills are about traceability for food (S.425 and H.R. 814).
These present real issues for small producers who could be forced to bear the cost of expensive tracking technology and recordkeeping.

The other bills address what FDA can do to regulate food.

A lot of attention has been focused on a bill introduced by Rep. Rosa DeLauro (H.R. 875), the Food Safety Modernization Act.  And a lot of what is being said about the bill is misleading.

Here are a few things that H.R. 875 DOES do:

-It addresses the most critical flaw in the structure of FDA by splitting it into 2 new agencies -one devoted to food safety and the other devoted to drugs and medical devices.

-It increases inspection of food processing plants, basing the frequency of inspection on the risk of the product being produced - but it does NOT make plants pay any registration fees or user fees.

-It does extend food safety agency authority to food production on farms, requiring farms to write a food safety plan and consider the critical points on that farm where food safety problems are likely to occur.

-It requires imported food to meet the same standards as food produced in the U.S.

And just as importantly, here are a few things that H.R. 875 does NOT do:

-It does not cover foods regulated by the USDA (beef, pork, poultry, lamb,
catfish.)

-It does not establish a mandatory animal identification system.

-It does not regulate backyard gardens.

-It does not regulate seed.

-It does not call for new regulations for farmers markets or direct marketing arrangements.

-It does not apply to food that does not enter interstate commerce (food that is sold across state lines).

-It does not mandate any specific type of traceability for FDA-regulated foods (the bill does instruct a new food safety agency to improve traceability of foods, but specifically says that recordkeeping can be done electronically or on paper.)

Several of the things not found in the DeLauro can be found in other bills - like H.R. 814, the Tracing and Recalling Agricultural Contamination Everywhere Act, which calls for a mandatory animal identification system, or H.R. 759, the Food And Drug Administration Globalization Act, which overhauls the entire structure of FDA.  H.R. 759 is more likely to move
through Congress than H.R. 875.  

And H.R. 759 contains several provisions
that could cause problems for small farms and food processors:

-It extends traceability recordkeeping requirements that currently apply only to food processors to farms and restaurants - and requires that recordkeeping be done electronically.

-It calls for standard lot numbers to be used in food production.

-It requires food processing plants to pay a registration fee to FDA to fund the agency's inspection efforts.

-It instructs FDA to establish production standards for fruits and vegetables and to establish Good Agricultural Practices for produce.

There is plenty of evidence that one-size-fits-all regulation only tends to work for one size of agriculture - the largest industrialized operations.

That's why it is important to let members of Congress know how food safety proposals will impact the conservation, organic, and sustainable practices that make diversified, organic, and direct market producers different from agribusiness.  And the work doesn't stop there - if Congress passes any of these bills, the FDA will have to develop rules and regulations to implement the law, a process that we can't afford to ignore.

But simply shooting down any attempt to fix our broken food safety system is not an approach that works for consumers, who are faced with a food supply that is putting them at risk and regulators who lack the authority to do much about it.

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Description Of How Federal Reserve & Bankers Are Wrecking World Economy Wake-Up Call with Richard Martin]

Description Of How Federal Reserve & Bankers Are Wrecking World Economy

1 hour audio with history and current agenda of Federal Reserve in looting the USA and world by their policies built for and designed by the banksters.

===

Wake-Up Call with Richard Martin published a new entry entitled "Wake-Up Call - 03/16/09" on 3/18/2009 10:07:47 AM, written by Progressive Radio Network.


Wake-Up Call - 03/16/09

Media

Permalink: martin.progressiveradionetwork.org/2009/03/16/wakeup-call--031609.aspx

New Comment on Wake-Up Call - 03/16/09 at Wake-Up Call with Richard Martin



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Saturday, February 28, 2009

For Digestive Bliss Eat Foods that Don't Fight

[Wrong and harmful] belief that any number of different foods can be digested at the same time ... half the population suffers from some sort of digestive distress for which there seems to be no remedy.

rediscover the art of food combining.

Food combining reflects the principles governing digestion

scientifically based system of selecting foods that are compatible from all that are available.
When foods are correctly combined, nutrients from them can be used to their fullest extent to promote good health.

Carbohydrate foods stimulate the secretion of enzymes made specifically to break down carbohydrates
while protein foods require the secretion of enzymes made specifically to break down protein.
Fats too have specific enzymes needs to facilitate their breakdown.

Good digestive outcome requires meals comprised of similar food types

When foods are improperly combined, fermentation in the digestive tract and digestive distress is the likely outcome.
When foods eaten at a meal are of the same type, there is no fermentation and proper digestion is allowed to take place.


What works well:

Meals that contain the smallest number of courses will produce better digestive results.
A one course meal is ideal.

simple meals are more conducive to good health than are more elaborate meals

carbohydrates eaten without proteins remain in the stomach for about one hour or even less.
A fruit meal remains in the stomach for an even shorter period of time.

ideal meal
- fruit meal or a
- green veggies and starch - a starch meal with a vegetable salad or non-starchy vegetables
- green veggies and protein - a protein meal with a salad and non-starch vegetables for dinner.


Starches, fats, and green vegetables may be eaten together as they require either an alkaline or neutral medium for their digestion.

protein foods, green vegetables, sugars and acid fruits may be eaten together as they require an acid or neutral medium for their digestion.

carbohydrates are always the last to be digested. If another meal is eaten before the first one has completely digested, the protein is again digested first, leaving the carbohydrates to be stored as fat. This is why weight loss is a secondary benefit to food combining.

When foods are properly combined, they are not stored in a line waiting to be digested.

most protein foods are best digested when accompanied by a fresh green salad.

Other concentrated protein foods like nuts and seeds combine well with acid fruits such as oranges, pineapples blackberries, or strawberries. They also work fairly well with sub-acid fruits such as apples, cherries, mangos, or peaches. The vitamin C in these fruits aids digestion of the mixture.

Oranges, tomatoes, lemons, pineapples and other acid fruits can be easily digested and produce no distress when eaten away from starchy and protein foods.

Watermelon, cantaloupe, honeydew, and the more exotic melons should always be eaten away from mealtime and alone. Melons are meant to decompose quickly in the digestive system, which is what they will do if there is no interfering with the process.



Combinations to avoid
the typical American meal consisting of protein, carbohydrates and fats

Starches and proteins,
fats and proteins,
proteins and acid fruits,
starch and acid fruits, and
starch and sugars should not be eaten together for those people looking to attain optimal digestion and gastric comfort.

Protein and carbohydrate concentrated foods
avoid mixing high protein foods with high carbohydrate foods.

Eating two concentrated proteins together
Nuts, meat, eggs, cheese, or other protein foods should not be eaten together. And no two types of animal protein should be eaten together, a rule that may be hard to swallow by the surf and turf crowd.

Protein and fats
Although some high protein foods also contain high amounts of fat, these fats will be held in suspension awaiting breakdown without impeding gastric action.

free fats such as oil, butter and milk fat will coat the gastric mucosa, inhibiting gastric juice. This is why fried chicken is so hard to digest.

Acid fruits with carbohydrates
Thus acid fruits should not be eaten at the same meal as sweet fruits or other starches.
This combination is what makes spaghetti and other dishes combining tomatoes with starch so bloating.

Number five: Acid fruits with protein

However, when included in a meal that contains a protein concentrated food, the acid fruits seriously hamper protein digestion. This is in part what makes the typical American breakfast of orange juice, bacon, eggs and toast such a digestive nightmare

Number six: Starch and sugar

Eating starches that have been disguised as sweets is not a good way to eat starch.
This is why such items as fruit filled Danish settle on the digestive tract like a sack of bricks. The carbohydrates are fermenting in the body, producing noxious gases.

Number seven: Consuming melons
Melons should not be consumed with any other foods.

Number eight: Consuming milk
Milk is best left to babies who traditionally consume it alone, away from other foods. Milk does not digest in the stomach, but in the duodenum, so the presence of milk in the stomach does not promote secretion of gastric juice.
===



For Digestive Bliss Eat Foods that Don't Fight

Tuesday, February 17, 2009 by: Barbara Minton, Natural Health Editor
http://www.naturalnews.com/025651.html


NaturalNews) How we eat may be just as important as what we eat. The diets eaten by most Americans are based on the belief that any number of different foods can be digested at the same time. This belief may be why more than half the population suffers from some sort of digestive distress for which there seems to be no remedy. As sales of antacids soar off the charts, maybe it's time to rediscover the art of food combining.

Indigestion and irritable bowel syndrome are modern phenomena

Our ancestors did not eat the way we do. Their diets were composted of one or two foods at a time as they came across them, with many meals consisting of nothing but animal protein. With the advent of agriculture, a more varied diet became available, but it was still based mainly on the consumption of meat, and dairy products. Vegetables and fruits were available only in their season, with the exception of a few root vegetables that could be stored. The food processing so taken for granted today had not yet been invented, and processed carbohydrates were not a part of the diet. Rolaids hadn't been invented either, and it appears that our ancestors did not suffer from the digestive problems so prevalent in modern times.

Dr. Hay used theory of food combining to regain his own health

The art of food combining is the brain child of Dr. William Hay who after several years of medical practice found his own health in shambles. Suffering from high blood pressure, heart disease and weight gain, he decided to take a close look not only at what he was eating but how he was eating it.

His discoveries and dietary changes brought him remission of symptoms and reduction of weight by 50 pounds in just a few months. And like most theorists who have come up with an idea that really benefits people, Dr. Hay was ridiculed by his peers. Today, the scientific community is finding evidence that Dr. Hay was onto something. Research is showing a connection between carbohydrates and allergies, diabetes, skin problems, migraines, depression, chronic fatigue, and psychiatric disorders.

Food combining reflects the principles governing digestion

The theory of food combining is based on the idea that good health results from a body that is slightly alkaline and attuned to the basic principles of digestion. It is a scientifically based system of selecting foods that are compatible from all that are available. By grouping the right foods together people can be assured of effortless digestion and more complete assimilation and use of nutrients by the body. When foods are correctly combined, nutrients from them can be used to their fullest extent to promote good health.

Digestion is facilitated by juices and enzymes produced in response to a cue from the food that has been eaten. The juices can be alkaline or acid depending on the requirement of the enzymes they contain. These enzymes are active only in a suitable media with well defined acid-alkaline ranges. They are destroyed by variation in those ranges. Carbohydrate foods stimulate the secretion of enzymes made specifically to break down carbohydrates, while protein foods require the secretion of enzymes made specifically to break down protein. Fats too have specific enzymes needs to facilitate their breakdown.

For example, the salivary enzyme, amylase, is produced in response to eating carbohydrates, and its job is to break down carbohydrates for digestion. Amylase is only active in an alkaline medium and is destroyed by a mildly acidic environment. The gastric enzyme, pepsin, is produced in response to eating protein, and its job is to break down protein for digestion. Pepsin is only active in an acid medium and is destroyed in an alkaline environment. While the body will produce juices and enzymes specific to any type of food that has been eaten, it is unable to do so when a variety of foods are eaten together. According to Dr. Hay, it is the combining at the same time of foods requiring both acid and alkaline medium for digestion that is responsible for 90 percent of digestive problems.

Good digestive outcome requires meals comprised of similar food types

When foods are improperly combined, fermentation in the digestive tract and digestive distress is the likely outcome. When foods eaten at a meal are of the same type, there is no fermentation and proper digestion is allowed to take place. The best way to avoid fermentation is to avoid mixing high protein foods with high carbohydrate foods. While almost every food contains some amount of protein, those with high concentration of protein remain in the stomach for several hours while the gastric juices and enzymes do their work. Depending on the complexity of the protein eaten, this time can be up to six hours.

Here are the basic rules of food combining:

Number one: Protein and carbohydrate concentrated foods

Breakdown of protein requires an acid medium, and digestion of protein dense animal products requires high levels of hydrochloric acid. Since digestion of carbohydrate dense foods requires an alkaline medium in order to be broken down, high carbohydrate foods that have been mixed with high protein foods will not digest but will sit there fermenting, producing indigestion, bloating and gas. And since this fermentation of carbohydrates will inhibit the digestion of the protein, more gas, bloating and discomfort will be produced. This makes the typical American meal, composed of a large hunk of meat along with potatoes and bread, a recipe for digestive disaster.

Dr. Hay's research found that most protein foods are best digested when accompanied by a fresh green salad. Other concentrated protein foods like nuts and seeds combine well with acid fruits such as oranges, pineapples blackberries, or strawberries. They also work fairly well with sub-acid fruits such as apples, cherries, mangos, or peaches. The vitamin C in these fruits aids digestion of the mixture.

Number two: Eating two concentrated proteins together

Each type of protein requires a specific character, strength and timing of digestive juice secretions. This means that no two types of concentrated protein should be consumed together at a meal. Nuts, meat, eggs, cheese, or other protein foods should not be eaten together. And no two types of animal protein should be eaten together, a rule that may be hard to swallow by the surf and turf crowd.

Number three: Protein and fats

Fats inhibit the secretion of gastric juices needed to digest meat, fish, dairy products, nuts, and eggs by as much as fifty percent. When fat concentrated foods are eaten with protein concentrated foods, the digestive breakdown of the fats is delayed until gastric juices complete their work on the complex proteins. This means fats will remain undigested in the stomach for a long period of time. Although some high protein foods also contain high amounts of fat, these fats will be held in suspension awaiting breakdown without impeding gastric action. However, free fats such as oil, butter and milk fat will coat the gastric mucosa, inhibiting gastric juice. This is why fried chicken is so hard to digest.

Number four: Acid fruits with carbohydrates

The enzyme in saliva that begins the breakdown of starch concentrated foods in the mouth does the important job of converting complex starch molecules into more simple sugars. In order to work, the enzyme requires a neutral or slightly alkaline medium, the natural condition found in the mouth. When acid foods are eaten, the action of the enzyme needed to break down starch is halted because the medium needed has been altered. Thus acid fruits should not be eaten at the same meal as sweet fruits or other starches. This combination is what makes spaghetti and other dishes combining tomatoes with starch so bloating.

Number five: Acid fruits with protein

Oranges, tomatoes, lemons, pineapples and other acid fruits can be easily digested and produce no distress when eaten away from starchy and protein foods. However, when included in a meal that contains a protein concentrated food, the acid fruits seriously hamper protein digestion. This is in part what makes the typical American breakfast of orange juice, bacon, eggs and toast such a digestive nightmare

Number six: Starch and sugar

Eating starches that have been disguised as sweets is not a good way to eat starch. Although the "treat" produces an abundance of saliva, the saliva contains none of the enzyme needed to digest the starch because the sugar has turned the environment acidic. This is why such items as fruit filled Danish settle on the digestive tract like a sack of bricks. The carbohydrates are fermenting in the body, producing noxious gases.

Number seven: Consuming melons

Melons should not be consumed with any other foods. Watermelon, cantaloupe, honeydew, and the more exotic melons should always be eaten away from mealtime and alone. Melons are meant to decompose quickly in the digestive system, which is what they will do if there is no interfering with the process.

Number eight: Consuming milk

Milk is best left to babies who traditionally consume it alone, away from other foods. Milk does not digest in the stomach, but in the duodenum, so the presence of milk in the stomach does not promote secretion of gastric juice. The use of acid fruits with milk does not cause any digestive difficulty, although the benefits of the antioxidant potential of the fruits may be lost due to the affinity they have for the protein in milk.

The goal of food combining is digestive bliss

If all this seems overwhelming, especially at first, here is the bottom line. Starches, fats, and green vegetables may be eaten together as they require either an alkaline or neutral medium for their digestion. Similarly, protein foods, green vegetables, sugars and acid fruits may be eaten together as they require an acid or neutral medium for their digestion. Starches and proteins, fats and proteins, proteins and acid fruits, starch and acid fruits, and starch and sugars should not be eaten together for those people looking to attain optimal digestion and gastric comfort.

Meals that contain the smallest number of courses will produce better digestive results. A one course meal is ideal. As a general rule, simple meals are more conducive to good health than are more elaborate meals, no matter how much attention the person planning the meal has devoted to food combining.

As the typical American meal consisting of protein, carbohydrates and fats may remain in the stomach for up to six hours, the potential is there for several hours of digestive misery. And remember, carbohydrates are always the last to be digested. If another meal is eaten before the first one has completely digested, the protein is again digested first, leaving the carbohydrates to be stored as fat. This is why weight loss is a secondary benefit to food combining. When foods are properly combined, they are not stored in a line waiting to be digested.

On the other hand, carbohydrates eaten without proteins remain in the stomach for about one hour or even less. A fruit meal remains in the stomach for an even shorter period of time. The ideal regimen of food combining would be a fruit meal for breakfast, a starch meal with a vegetable salad or non-starchy vegetables for lunch, and a protein meal with a salad and non-starch vegetables for dinner.

References:

Grant, Doris, Joice, Jean, Food Combining for Health.

Food Combining, The Internet Health Library 2000.

Food Combining Diet for Weight Loss, healthylifestyle.com.

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NaturalNews) How we eat may be just as important as what we eat. The diets eaten by most Americans are based on the belief that any number of different foods can be digested at the same time. This belief may be why more than half the population suffers from some sort of digestive distress for which there seems to be no remedy. As sales of antacids soar off the charts, maybe it's time to rediscover the art of food combining.

Indigestion and irritable bowel syndrome are modern phenomena

Our ancestors did not eat the way we do. Their diets were composted of one or two foods at a time as they came across them, with many meals consisting of nothing but animal protein. With the advent of agriculture, a more varied diet became available, but it was still based mainly on the consumption of meat, and dairy products. Vegetables and fruits were available only in their season, with the exception of a few root vegetables that could be stored. The food processing so taken for granted today had not yet been invented, and processed carbohydrates were not a part of the diet. Rolaids hadn't been invented either, and it appears that our ancestors did not suffer from the digestive problems so prevalent in modern times.

Dr. Hay used theory of food combining to regain his own health

The art of food combining is the brain child of Dr. William Hay who after several years of medical practice found his own health in shambles. Suffering from high blood pressure, heart disease and weight gain, he decided to take a close look not only at what he was eating but how he was eating it.

His discoveries and dietary changes brought him remission of symptoms and reduction of weight by 50 pounds in just a few months. And like most theorists who have come up with an idea that really benefits people, Dr. Hay was ridiculed by his peers. Today, the scientific community is finding evidence that Dr. Hay was onto something. Research is showing a connection between carbohydrates and allergies, diabetes, skin problems, migraines, depression, chronic fatigue, and psychiatric disorders.

Food combining reflects the principles governing digestion

The theory of food combining is based on the idea that good health results from a body that is slightly alkaline and attuned to the basic principles of digestion. It is a scientifically based system of selecting foods that are compatible from all that are available. By grouping the right foods together people can be assured of effortless digestion and more complete assimilation and use of nutrients by the body. When foods are correctly combined, nutrients from them can be used to their fullest extent to promote good health.

Digestion is facilitated by juices and enzymes produced in response to a cue from the food that has been eaten. The juices can be alkaline or acid depending on the requirement of the enzymes they contain. These enzymes are active only in a suitable media with well defined acid-alkaline ranges. They are destroyed by variation in those ranges. Carbohydrate foods stimulate the secretion of enzymes made specifically to break down carbohydrates, while protein foods require the secretion of enzymes made specifically to break down protein. Fats too have specific enzymes needs to facilitate their breakdown.

For example, the salivary enzyme, amylase, is produced in response to eating carbohydrates, and its job is to break down carbohydrates for digestion. Amylase is only active in an alkaline medium and is destroyed by a mildly acidic environment. The gastric enzyme, pepsin, is produced in response to eating protein, and its job is to break down protein for digestion. Pepsin is only active in an acid medium and is destroyed in an alkaline environment. While the body will produce juices and enzymes specific to any type of food that has been eaten, it is unable to do so when a variety of foods are eaten together. According to Dr. Hay, it is the combining at the same time of foods requiring both acid and alkaline medium for digestion that is responsible for 90 percent of digestive problems.

Good digestive outcome requires meals comprised of similar food types

When foods are improperly combined, fermentation in the digestive tract and digestive distress is the likely outcome. When foods eaten at a meal are of the same type, there is no fermentation and proper digestion is allowed to take place. The best way to avoid fermentation is to avoid mixing high protein foods with high carbohydrate foods. While almost every food contains some amount of protein, those with high concentration of protein remain in the stomach for several hours while the gastric juices and enzymes do their work. Depending on the complexity of the protein eaten, this time can be up to six hours.

Here are the basic rules of food combining:

Number one: Protein and carbohydrate concentrated foods

Breakdown of protein requires an acid medium, and digestion of protein dense animal products requires high levels of hydrochloric acid. Since digestion of carbohydrate dense foods requires an alkaline medium in order to be broken down, high carbohydrate foods that have been mixed with high protein foods will not digest but will sit there fermenting, producing indigestion, bloating and gas. And since this fermentation of carbohydrates will inhibit the digestion of the protein, more gas, bloating and discomfort will be produced. This makes the typical American meal, composed of a large hunk of meat along with potatoes and bread, a recipe for digestive disaster.

Dr. Hay's research found that most protein foods are best digested when accompanied by a fresh green salad. Other concentrated protein foods like nuts and seeds combine well with acid fruits such as oranges, pineapples blackberries, or strawberries. They also work fairly well with sub-acid fruits such as apples, cherries, mangos, or peaches. The vitamin C in these fruits aids digestion of the mixture.

Number two: Eating two concentrated proteins together

Each type of protein requires a specific character, strength and timing of digestive juice secretions. This means that no two types of concentrated protein should be consumed together at a meal. Nuts, meat, eggs, cheese, or other protein foods should not be eaten together. And no two types of animal protein should be eaten together, a rule that may be hard to swallow by the surf and turf crowd.

Number three: Protein and fats

Fats inhibit the secretion of gastric juices needed to digest meat, fish, dairy products, nuts, and eggs by as much as fifty percent. When fat concentrated foods are eaten with protein concentrated foods, the digestive breakdown of the fats is delayed until gastric juices complete their work on the complex proteins. This means fats will remain undigested in the stomach for a long period of time. Although some high protein foods also contain high amounts of fat, these fats will be held in suspension awaiting breakdown without impeding gastric action. However, free fats such as oil, butter and milk fat will coat the gastric mucosa, inhibiting gastric juice. This is why fried chicken is so hard to digest.

Number four: Acid fruits with carbohydrates

The enzyme in saliva that begins the breakdown of starch concentrated foods in the mouth does the important job of converting complex starch molecules into more simple sugars. In order to work, the enzyme requires a neutral or slightly alkaline medium, the natural condition found in the mouth. When acid foods are eaten, the action of the enzyme needed to break down starch is halted because the medium needed has been altered. Thus acid fruits should not be eaten at the same meal as sweet fruits or other starches. This combination is what makes spaghetti and other dishes combining tomatoes with starch so bloating.

Number five: Acid fruits with protein

Oranges, tomatoes, lemons, pineapples and other acid fruits can be easily digested and produce no distress when eaten away from starchy and protein foods. However, when included in a meal that contains a protein concentrated food, the acid fruits seriously hamper protein digestion. This is in part what makes the typical American breakfast of orange juice, bacon, eggs and toast such a digestive nightmare

Number six: Starch and sugar

Eating starches that have been disguised as sweets is not a good way to eat starch. Although the "treat" produces an abundance of saliva, the saliva contains none of the enzyme needed to digest the starch because the sugar has turned the environment acidic. This is why such items as fruit filled Danish settle on the digestive tract like a sack of bricks. The carbohydrates are fermenting in the body, producing noxious gases.

Number seven: Consuming melons

Melons should not be consumed with any other foods. Watermelon, cantaloupe, honeydew, and the more exotic melons should always be eaten away from mealtime and alone. Melons are meant to decompose quickly in the digestive system, which is what they will do if there is no interfering with the process.

Number eight: Consuming milk

Milk is best left to babies who traditionally consume it alone, away from other foods. Milk does not digest in the stomach, but in the duodenum, so the presence of milk in the stomach does not promote secretion of gastric juice. The use of acid fruits with milk does not cause any digestive difficulty, although the benefits of the antioxidant potential of the fruits may be lost due to the affinity they have for the protein in milk.

The goal of food combining is digestive bliss

If all this seems overwhelming, especially at first, here is the bottom line. Starches, fats, and green vegetables may be eaten together as they require either an alkaline or neutral medium for their digestion. Similarly, protein foods, green vegetables, sugars and acid fruits may be eaten together as they require an acid or neutral medium for their digestion. Starches and proteins, fats and proteins, proteins and acid fruits, starch and acid fruits, and starch and sugars should not be eaten together for those people looking to attain optimal digestion and gastric comfort.

Meals that contain the smallest number of courses will produce better digestive results. A one course meal is ideal. As a general rule, simple meals are more conducive to good health than are more elaborate meals, no matter how much attention the person planning the meal has devoted to food combining.

As the typical American meal consisting of protein, carbohydrates and fats may remain in the stomach for up to six hours, the potential is there for several hours of digestive misery. And remember, carbohydrates are always the last to be digested. If another meal is eaten before the first one has completely digested, the protein is again digested first, leaving the carbohydrates to be stored as fat. This is why weight loss is a secondary benefit to food combining. When foods are properly combined, they are not stored in a line waiting to be digested.

On the other hand, carbohydrates eaten without proteins remain in the stomach for about one hour or even less. A fruit meal remains in the stomach for an even shorter period of time. The ideal regimen of food combining would be a fruit meal for breakfast, a starch meal with a vegetable salad or non-starchy vegetables for lunch, and a protein meal with a salad and non-starch vegetables for dinner.

References:

Grant, Doris, Joice, Jean, Food Combining for Health.

Food Combining, The Internet Health Library 2000.

Food Combining Diet for Weight Loss, healthylifestyle.com.

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Thursday, February 26, 2009

Local Food For Everyone On Earth

Yes! magazine's new issue is all about food for everyone - local food and local better ways are explored.

The table of contents is listed below. There are some links to articles that are on line, the rest is in the magazine.

Yes! Spring 2009 Table Of Contents

New Visions

Solving today’s big problems will take more than a quick fix. These authors offer clarity about the roots of our problems and visions of a better way.
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The Good Food Revolution
The lush landscape of Hawai‘i once offered abundant food. What can these islands teach us about food and sufficiency?
By Sarah van Gelder and Doug Pibel

:: WHAT YOU SAID: Readers tell us How They Are Changing Their Food Habits

spacer Erika Allen. Photo by Scott Strazzante for YES! MagazineOasis in an Urban Food Desert
Will Allen’s farm offers fresh fruits and vegetables, fish, and a taste of the delicious possibilities of farming the urban food deserts.
By Roger Bybee
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YES! Poster: Everybody Eats - How a Community Food System WorksEverybody Eats
How a community food system works.

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YES! mouse iconPoster available for free download
Also available to buy: just $2

spacer New (and Old) Ideas for a Better Food System Just the Facts
From Soil and Seeds, to Processing and Distribution.

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:: JUST THE FACTS:
What happens when corporations rule our food

World & Community
New models that foster justice, real prosperity, and sustain the Earth’s living systems. How can we bring these models to life and put them to work?
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The City that Ended Hunger
A city in Brazil recruited local farmers to help do something U.S. cities have yet to do: end hunger.
By Frances Moore Lappé
spacer Food Rebellions
Resistance to the trade and “aid” policies that displace farmers and increase hunger.
By Eric Holt-Gimenez
spacer Iraq Veterans Against the War protest. Photo by Joseph O. HolmesFresh from the City
Citizens and local policymakers join up to get fresh foods to schools and neighborhoods.
By Mark Winne

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:: 4 Ways to Fix the Farm Bill

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YES! Audio iconMichael Pollan talks about the implications of the Farm Bill
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YES! mouse iconGet involved in Food Policy Councils

The Power of One
Stories of people who find their courage, open their hearts, and discover what it means to be human in today’s world.
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8 Ways to Join the Local Food Movement
How to turn a lawn into lunch, swap preserves, glean, boost your food security, live the good life.
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:: From Lawn to Lunch
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:: Eat Your Vegetables
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:: Party with Your Preserves
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:: Glean Those Fields Clean
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:: Shop Outside of Supermarkets
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:: Start a Community Garden
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:: Plant a Row for the Hungry
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:: Share Your Table

YES! video iconTransFarming the White House lawn
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YES! audio iconInviting the world to dinner
spacer New Crop of Farmers
The young farmers we spoke to are passionate about life on the land and committed to protect it and the people who depend on it.
Interviews by Anna Stern and Kim Nochi

Friends and fellow farmers of Peter Rasmussen, in his field of hardneck garlic. Photo by Team Galacticaspacer
YES! photo iconPhoto essay: Meet more of the young farmers who are planting seeds for the next gneration
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YES! film iconTrailer for The Greenhorns
spacer The Mortenson Ranch, a landscape brought back to life by sustainable grazing. Photo by Carter Johnson
Restoring the Range
A South Dakota ranch family restored a prairie, wildlife habitat, and a creek—here's how.
By Madeline Ostrander

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:: A Farmer Rounds Up Monsanto

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YES! Photo iconInterview with Percy Schmeiser

 

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Breaking Open
Humor, story-telling, and the arts—taking you into unexpected spaces where business-as-usual breaks open into new possibilities.
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Illustration by Nikki McClureA World of Grace
Artist Nikki McClure adds her touch to our collection of mealtime prayers from around the world.
Research by Anna Stern


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YES! mouse iconPoster available for free download
Also available to buy: just $2

spacer Madhu Suri Prakash. Photo by Doug PibelLessons from My Mother’s Village Kitchen
Schools, fresh foods, and memories from India.
By Madhu Suri Prakash
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YES! audio iconMaddhu shares more of her mother's kitchen secrets

Features
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Van Jones. Photo by Betty Udesen for YES! MagazineVan Jones: I'll Stay Independent in the Obama Era
While others are flocking to join the Obama administration, Van Jones is set on building an independent movement.
Interview by Sarah van Gelder

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YES! video iconWatch clips from this interview and read an excerpt and review of Van's new book
spacer Photo by Johnny BarberIraqi Families on the Borders
Some 4.5 million Iraqi refugees are trying to make their way far from the violence of home.
A Photo Essay by Johnny Barber


Departments
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LETTER FROM THE EDITOR

COMMENTARY
:: Don't Fix Wall Street, Replace It
By David Korten

SIGNS OF LIFE
:: U.S. and Israeli peace activists on Gaza
:: Halting foreclosures
:: Stimulus for clean water?
:: Brazil protects rainforests
:: Climate activists turn to civil disobedience

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YES! video iconVoices for Change: video reactions from the inauguration
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YES! video iconIsrael's conscientious objectors speak out
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YES! mouse iconMcKibben launches mass civil disobedience campaign

PEOPLE WE LOVE
:: Tom Steinberg
:: Isabel Latorre
:: America Bracho
:: Tim DeChristopher
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YES! video iconTim DeChristopher tells his story
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YES! video iconHow to improve your democracy through the internet

UPDATE :: YES! STORIES REVISITED
:: Americans Really Mean It: We Want Universal Health Care

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QUOTE PAGE:
Wendell Berry
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READERS FORUM

FROM THE PUBLISHER
A thousand thanks…
By Fran Korten

THE PAGE THAT COUNTS

YES! BUT HOW?

CARTOON CAPTION

NETWORK NEWS

MASTHEAD

ABOUT THE COVER:
Photo by Peter DiAntoni

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mouseONLINE ONLY
DISCUSSION GUIDE
RESOURCE GUIDE

IN REVIEW
BOOKS
:: Bill Cleveland’s Art & Upheaval
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YES! video iconPhoto essay
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:: The Road to Sustainability
:: How to Rule the World

YES! MUSIC PICKS
:: Jackson Browne
:: Asa
:: Mary Gauthier
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YES! music iconMusic samples online

YES! FILM PICKS
:: War Child
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YES! film iconInterview with Emmanuel Jal


:: The End of Poverty?
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YES! film iconSee the trailer






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