PLASTIC NATURAL fun for kids?

BPA or "BPA-FREE" plastic worse than previously thought

read an article by Sayer Ji

http://sltn.co.uk/2012/04/15/barr-bids-to-make-fruit-fun-for-kids/

Try alternatives

- hand-made well smoothed wooden spoons made to size
- thick glass cups and bowls
- wooden bowls
- glass baby-bottles or even better: breastfeeding
- child-safe round shaped stainless steel utensils
- not using plastic for hot/warm or acidic foods and drinks
- quality glass kettles
- stainless steel flasks

Wooden spoons by: g.hutchison@hotmail.com

Wooden spoons by: g.hutchison@hotmail.com

http://www.fefpeb.org/wood-food/properties-of-wood/antibacterial-effect

 

Tips to keep Haloween Healthy

READ AN ARTICLE ON     GREENMEDINFO

PLANT SOURCES OF PROTEIN and HOW MUCH PROTEIN DO I NEED?

Animal sources of protein are well known and the word "protein" is often meaning only meat, dairy or eggs. Most people eat too much of animal protein, which in some cases may not be the best choice for their health.

Therefore I made a list of some plant-based foods, which are not only good sources of protein but also contain good amounts of micronutrients such as minerals, vitamins, phytochemicals and antioxidants. It does not mean we should all suddenly become vegetarians or vegans - this is just to show that plants too can have good amounts of protein.


ADULT (with mostly sedentary lifestyle):
needs only 0.8 g of protein per 1 kilogram of HEALTHY body weight

This means 70 kg (11 stone) person should aim for 0.8 x 70 = 56 g of protein per day.


CHILDREN:
from 0.95 x healthy weight (KG) to 1.52 x healthy weight (KG) = protein daily in grams

This means 20 kg child should have  19 - 30.4 g of protein daily, depending i.e. on physical activity.


PREGNANT AND LACTATING MOTHERS:
about 1.10 x healthy weight (KG)  = protein daily in grams

This means 60 kg mother who breastfeeds her baby should have about 66 g of protein daily.

PROTEIN IN VEGETABLE


1 large avocado – 10g

1 cup of broccoli – 5g

1 cup of spinach – 5g

2 cups of cooked kale – 5g

1 cup of cooked green peas – 9g

1 cup of cooked sweet potato – 5g





PROTEIN IN LEGUMES



1 cup of soya beans – 28g (only properly fermented soya is considered safe for health - tempeh, miso, natto, tamari)

1 cup of lentils – 18g

1 cup of baked beans – 15.5g

1 cup of chickpea or hummus – 14.5g

1 cup pinto, kidney or black beans – 13 to 15g

1 cup od peanuts – 6.5g







PROTEIN IN NUTS and SEEDS



30g hemp seed or powder – 11g

1 TBSP almonds – 4g

2 TBSP nut butters (almond, peanut, cashew) –  around 8g

1/4 cup walnuts – 5g

30g cashew – 4.4g

30g pistachios – 5.8g

30g sesame seeds – 6.5g (as Tahini - 8g)

30g (3 TBSP) poppy seeds - 5g

PROTEIN IN GRAINS


1 cup corn - 15g

1 cup Quinoa – 9g

1 cup cooked buckwheat - 6g

1 cup oat flour – 6g

Sprouted grain bread – 7 až 10g

1 cup brown rice – 5g




Compare with some animal sources:

100g (half cup) full-fat milk - 3.2g

100g yoghurt - 3.5g

100g cheese EDAM or GOUDA (average 5 thick slices) - 25g

100g FETA cheese - 14.2g

100g parmesan ( 1 cup grated) - 38.5g

100g cottage cheese - 11g

1 medium egg - 6.3g

100g sausage – 14g

How easy it is to overeat on protein!

150g chicken breast - 45g

150g turkey breast - 33g

200g lean beef - 30g

150g salmon - 30g

130g tin of tuna - 36g






Sources


Rolfes et al 2006 (CNM lectures)
http://www.naturalnews.com/036270_vegan_protein_legumes.html
http://foodmatters.tv/articles-1/top-6-plant-based-proteins
http://nutritiondata.self.com/
Higher Nature Newsletter Sep 2012 page 5: Do you have perfect protein balance?

Make your own moisturizer - very simple!

Why to make your own?

• to avoid endocrine toxins in form of synthetic chemicals such as parabens, synthetic fragrance, sunscreens and their mixture
• to avoid endocrine toxins leaching from the plastic jars
• to make sure well known endocrine disruptors are not replaced with less-known chemicals in "paraben-free" products (read the labels - if its something you do not recognise, do not buy it)
• to save money (at least from time to time :-) on quality but expensive natural-brand products
• to keep the good advise: "Do not put anything on your skin you would not put in your mouth."
• to add own personal mix of essential oils
• there are also claims that avocado, cacao and coconut butters have natural sunscreens (tried and tested: we never got burned during 3 weeks in Croatia in August... but also: strictly avoided mid-day sun between 11am - 14pm, applied liters of oils twice daily, had high anti-oxidant diet many months before and during the holiday)

EXAMPLE OF INGREDIENTS:

Raw or virgin coconut oil (food quality)
Raw cacao butter (food quality)
Virgin olive oil (food)
Essential oils (pure - food quality)

 

I never use water and emulsifiers - this requires a more sophisticated way of preparation and needs to be done correctly - introduction of water brings the danger of mold and need of preserving the product. Good quality butters can last couple of years without going off.

PHOTO RECIPE:

Sterilize some glass jars using boiling water.

 

Estimate required amount of butters and oils. 

More olive oil will make the product softer and oily - probably better for dry skin.

More coconut oil will make it lighter and is more suitable for normal skin.

More cacao butter makes it more suitable for lips and hands but also as a whole body "lotion".

For oily skin try to use essential oils such as tea tree or grapefruit seed oil (avoid putting these near the eyes!).

Sterilize the heat-proof jar and put it into water-bath. If you want raw quality (more nutrients preserved), do not use water over 50C. Cover up with the lid or with plastic to keep the heat in.  It can take over an hour to melt, depending on amount, type and ratio of butters.

Melt the butters - stir occasionally to speed up the process.

When well melted, add olive oil and few drops of chosen essential oils.

Pour into prepared jars.

This time I have underestimated required amount and with the ingredients shown on the photos above I only filled up just over a half of the old jam jar :)

I forgot the jar out for too long- it solidified very slowly and formed the crystals.

Its probably better to place the jar with warm liquid to the fridge straight away, to achieve smooth consistency. I had to re-melt it again, I also used cappuccino mixer and added few  more drops of essential oil for stronger fragrance. My latest favourite essential oil mix is mellisa with citronella!

Before re-melting.

Second time it solidified into perfectly smooth consistency.

If you are using this type of moisturizer for the first time,  its good to know that it takes some time for butter to get into the skin layer - be patient - if you cannot wait, dry-off the excess oil with your palms, forearms (too good to waste!) or use some tissue paper.

If your experiment won't work as expected, you can always melt it again or use your home-made product on body rather than face.

GRAIN-FREE nutty-muffins recipe

Ingredients for about 10 muffins:

2-3 large eggs
4 handfuls of nuts {walnuts and pecans are best - other nuts, ideally, need to be soaked & dried & ground first}
1 handful of currants, raisins, sultanas or mixed fruit
1 handful of dates, adjust amount for sweetness
1/2 cup of melted fat {coconut or ordinary butter are ideal}

1 TSP bicarbonate soda
A pinch of salt
Some water/juice/liquid may be required


Optional: add cinnamon, vanilla, organic lemon grind or juice


Photo recipe:

Soaking nuts for several hours helps to get rid of anti-nutrients and activate nutrient release

Dry off soaked nuts

Blend the nuts

Add dates

Chop dates to required consistency

Mix the rest of ingredients

Add optional spices, seeds, vanilla or lemon grind

Mix together adding little water if too dry.

Fill the muffin cases and place into preheated oven to about 150C or gas mark 4.

Bake for about 15 minutes and check if ready.

LOW-grain or NO-grain cake and muffins

This cake can be made without flour

Ingredients per 1 person / 4 pieces:

1 large egg
2 handfuls of nuts {walnuts and pecans are best - other nuts, ideally, need to be soaked & dried & ground first
1 handful of currants, raisins, sultanas or other mixed, chopped dried fruit
4-5 TBSP melted fat {coconut butter or ordinary butter are ideal}

1/2 TSP bicarbonate soda
A pinch of salt
Some water/juice/liquid may be required if egg is too small or if flour is used

Optional:  3 TBS gluten-free flour
Optional: cinnamon, vanilla, organic lemon grind, nutmeg spice, seeds
For extra sweetness - try Xylitol, stevia, honey or just more dried fruit.

Walnuts/pecans are soft enough to be crushed by hand

Melt the butter and mix with egg to emulsify

 

Mix all the ingredients together

Adding flour is optional

Place into greased baking dish and bake in preheated oven at 150C for about 20 minutes.

You can use the same mixture for making muffins instead.

 

This cake had added poppy seeds