April in Paris Wrapup - From Blech to Bravo

Back in Paris after my short swing through eastern Brittany, still dodging raindrops, but some catching up to do.  Fine eating is an integral part of life, but life is not all about eating, and indeed my recent Parisian cultural highlights bear mentioning, even if they entailed only the liquid variety of ingestion.  First there was the Ballet De L'Opera's homage to Jerome Robbins and a return of Mats Ek's Appartement.  The JR set may have been way too ballet retro for my own tastes, but the modern Appartement really hit the spot, especially the dances La Television, Marche des Aspirateurs, and Grand Pas de Deux, with the dancers accompanied onstage by he Fleshquartet.  Here's an idea, although in the video Alice Renavand (who I saw) is replaced by Sylvie Guillem.

Next up, I caught the rising star Sharon Van Etten at Point Ephemere.  If you've got to do, then you've got to do it, as expected, a terrific performance.  If you missed her and her band this time, she'll be back in Paris at La Maroquinerie on 24 May.

And now, on to the food.  Regular readers of this blog know I am a big fan of La Gazzetta, so it won't surprise you to hear that Co. and I had another terrific meal there, benefiting from Petter Nilsson's menu for the week of 26 April to 6 May.

 

What I like about Monsieur Nilsson is that he doesn't stop experimenting and creating - his 7-course meals are always inventive.  That means his dishes may include some misses, but mostly they are hits, including the Bouillie d'orties...(1st photo below) and the ravioles de carottes (2nd photo below).  Bravo.

 

 

 

LA GAZZETTA

29, rue de Cotte

75012 Paris

tel: 01 43 47 47 05   web: lagazzetta.fr 

Edging into May, despite this entry's pithy title, a reunion of sorts with The Moose, fresh in town from his worldly travels.  After the obligatory pit stop at that little bar across from the Verlain Hotel on rue St. Maur, heavy with Johnny Cash on the evening in question, we took the metro over to Le Marais and the little tanqueria (Mexican cantine) Candaleria, a few minutes walk from the Filles de Calvaire stop and the Cirque d'Hiver.  If Lefooding.com's weekly preferred restaurants link for the hip and wonderful local celebs is to be believed, Candaleria must be the place.  It was a bad sign when I peered through the restaurant's window and wondered where the restaurant was, because all I saw was a spatially-challenged version of a kebab carry-out, packed to the gills with the three or four stools at the counter taken, the two or three tables in the front filled with small groups of cute 20-somethings with no apparent intention to budge for the rest of the evening.  The rest of the place was occupied by diners standing with taco in hand.  The Moose quickly turned pale, but I lingered long enough to check out the chicken scratch on what apparently served as the menu on the wall and noticed that the tacos and tostados on view looked like the real deal.  Alas, another time.  Unseen from the rue de Saintonge location(but visible once you round the corner) is Candaleria's hidden, funky little lounge that specializes in varieties of tequilla, meaning I will most definitely be back.  And no, you can't grab your tacos from the front to eat in the lounge.

 

CANDALERIA

52 rue de Saintonge

75003 Paris  

 tel.: +33 (0) 1 42 74 41 28   web: http://www.candelariaparis.com/

On Moose's recommendation, we hied over to a Candaleria alternative just around the corner, another bar & restaurant Latino-American themed spot, Bodega Bay.  In the near empty dining room, absolutely vast by Candaleria standards, I made my way through a perfectly square seafood chimichanga Pacifico (12.50€), with a side order of gambas Santa Cruz (6.50€).  It only occurred to me the following day that the chimichanga was supposed to contain seafood.  In a nutshell, I can sum up the meal at Bodega Bay thusly: blech.  Not that I had any expectations - this was an 'I need food' situation, not a gastronomic exploration, but I should have known better as soon as I saw the two apparently Pakistani cooks in the kitchen.

 

BODEGA BAY

116, rue Amelot

75011 Paris

tel: 01 43 55 83 77      web:   http://www.bodega-bay.fr/

No need to end on a sour note, I am happy to report.  Co. and I finally made a long-delayed return visit to Fabrique 4 where the really young couple Jade and Thibault hold court.  I've previously reviewed F4, so no need to rehash the details, just a couple quick observations.  The newly remodeled (at least since our last visit) restaurant is handsome and welcoming, once you get past the locals drinking, smoking, and chatting with Thibault.  Co. and I, aged codgers that we are, typically reserve during the early 8 pm hour.  By 9 pm the small bistro still was nearly empty and we rued another quality establishment falling on undeserved hard times.  Nonetheless, the bus must have pulled up at 9:30 pm, because couple after couple started entering for dinner.  The moral of this story is that F4 gets rocking late.  The food doesn't reach the quality standard set by La Gazzetta, but we couldn't complain about our dinner, which makes it a hat trick, this being our third straight satisfying visit.  And the dishes are copious.  You won't leave F4 hungry, I assure you.

 

 

What you see below, in order: the original maquereaux/maki, gaspacho (a highlight, with its healthy dollops of tourteau (crab), the ample bouillabaisse F4, vol au vent, and the homemade rhubarb/strawberry tartelette.  You'll have to check out the cheesecake on your own - you won't be disappointed.  With a Cahors '09 carafe and no menu deals, the bill for two three-course dinners, wine, and an espresso to finish up came to 122€.  F4 - a nice spot to add to your list.

 

FABRIQUE 4
17 rue Brochant
75017 Paris
tel: 01 58 59 06 47     web:  http://www.fabrique4.com/

Health Benefits of Organic Foods and Why is it Important to Buy Them

In the last 25 years I have been asked thousands and thousands of fitness related questions. Invariably the most prominent question is, with their hand patting their tummy, how do I lose this? My answer is the same every-time. Eat less (portion size in each setting), eat more often with protein and carbs combined together, and eat higher quality less processed foods.

Eating higher quality food on the surface seems easy. No junk food, right. That's not enough anymore we must have more information because the quality of the food we are eating is at an all time low. The big food companies have laced everything with chemicals and preservatives so it will last longer so they can make more money. God did not intend for all those altered substances to be in our body. Thus, we are seeing many new diseases that seem to have no cause. I will tell you what the cause is; it's the artificial sweeteners, artificial fats, chemicals and preservatives that we are putting in our mouth. We are what we eat.

When you understand that your body is in a constant state of regeneration, then the term "you are what you eat" takes on a whole different meaning.

Bear with me if this is old info, but it is very important. Every cell in your body will be dead and gone in approximately one year. Your skin, your bones, your muscles, your organs, and even the atoms and cells that make up your DNA are in a constant state of degeneration and regeneration. Common sense will tell you that when we put in a higher quality nutrients, the by product will be higher quality regenerating cells.

It has even been proven that the cells that make up a diseased part of the body like a tumor or a cancer are totally dead and gone within 14 months. So, if we can take in a very high quality nutrition, lower our stress levels, and visualize healing, there is a chance to regenerate healthy cells to replace diseased cells. This is a very touchy subject as I believe there is a time and a place for western medicine which tends to use pharmaceuticals as a band aid to cover up the symptoms of a sickness or disease. But I think that they should be used as a last resort only after more holistic approaches have been exhausted. If you are at these crossroads, I highly suggest that you consult with a specialist like Deepak Chopra in Toronto (1.800.333.4453)

Is expensive organic food worth it? On the surface, it does not seem that the extra cost and the inconvenience of purchasing more often (because quality organic food spoils faster) is worth it. But I ask you, how much does it costs to get cancer, or to have a heart attack.

It totally amazes me that we are so driven that we lose our health to make money and then we turn around and spend all our money trying to get our health back. It does not have to be this way.

Some of the latest groundbreaking medical information out from some of the leading holistic practitioners in the world are realizing that the traditional western medical professionals have totally missed the boat. And I firmly agree with this new info that has all kinds of proof showing us that 95% of all disease and illness is environmental. We bring it on ourselves by lowering our immune system with an unhealthy lifestyle.

Even the American Cancer Society (ACS) is finally conceding that cancer is 60% environmentally inflicted. Which means it is our lifestyle. This is important stuff because cancer has recently passed heart disease as the #1 killer in Americans under the age of 85.

This is amazing information considering that the ACS's ties to the pharmaceutical industry runs very deep. Obviously there is more money in treating cancer than preventing it. But even the ACS can not ignore the obvious.

Modern medicine is a platform for profit, not health. I know I could get myself into trouble on this topic (and I have in our local newspapers), but this is a topic close to my heart. I know that there are a lot of well intentioned MD's out there, but for the most part, their hands are tied. The corruption happens much higher up.

Example- Diabetes is such a profitable business that physicians will put pre-diabetic patients, with only marginally high blood sugar, onto diabetes drugs before even trying weight loss and exercise. As discussed in chapter 1, Type II Adult onset diabetes is one of the easiest cured diseases when the individual is given the correct information.

The American Institute of Cancer's most recent press release (Nov. of 2007) reports clear evidence that excess body-weight drastically increases the risk of most cancers.

The report also found that there are certain lifestyle changes that will reduce your risk of getting cancer. Some of the health benefits of organic foods is below:

o Be as lean as possible within the normal range of body weight

o Be physically active as part of everyday life

o Limit consumption of "energy-dense foods," foods that are high in calories, fat and sugar. Avoid sugary drinks

o Eat mostly foods of plant origin, including fruits, vegetables, whole grains and beans

o Limit intake of red meat and avoid ALL processed meat

o Aim to meet nutritional needs through diet alone, without dietary supplement

Please read the last line again.

YES, ORGANIC FOOD IS WORTH IT! LOOK AT IT AS AN INVESTMENT IN YOUR VITALITY.

When you eat food that is not organic, what you are eating is loaded with poisons and chemicals. Companies that produce food for the masses have one thing in mind, quantity not quality. They will do what ever they have to do to get as much food as they can from point A (the ground that is depleted of ) to point B (your mouth). They are trying to prolong the shelf life of the natural food so that you have a chance to purchase it.

The longer the shelf life of the food that you eat, the shorter your shelf life will be. If it came out of the ground and rots, it is good for you!

These companies are loading there foods with toxins and poisons, it has been sprayed with pesticides, insecticides, fungicides, and herbicides. Most of the foods on the shelves of a traditional grocery store have been injected with chemicals. The fertilizers that their farmers use are all poisons and chemicals. The fertilizers get into the roots of the plants and end up inside the fruit, and the fruit itself can't even bare fruit. Most of the fruit now days is made from hybrid seeds that produce fruit that can't even germinate and reproduce its own kind. It can't even sustain its own, how is it going to sustain you in the long run. Bottom line, when you eat the cheaper food that is produced for the masses, it is like eating an apple that has been sprayed with Raid. And no, washing it off doesn't help because it is inside the apple and in the skin. The chemicals and preservatives that the national food companies use are 100's of times more powerful than Raid.

IS ORGANIC FOOD REALLY BETTER?

Yes! I am not going to bore you with the details of the most recent tests that are coming in (but they are coming in) showing that genuinely grown organic food has 50% more vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants than foods produced for the masses. You should buy organic foods!

I realize that it may not be realistic to eat organic food 100% of the time. But at least now you have some food for thought (J). My experience is that it is something that you must grow into. What has worked for my family is a commitment to organic food 25% of the time. Once you can prove to yourself that you can feel the difference than you can grow into eating organic food more often.

The organic food industry is now a $14 Billion dollar a year business in the United States so big business is getting more involved. The quality and meaning of the organic label is undergoing a fast decline. Companies like Wal-Mart are pushing the limits on what can be called organic and are even trying to deceive people with organic signs and stickers in their stores.

BUY LOCAL! If you want the freshest, most nutrient rich foods available, buy close to home. Farmers markets, community supported agriculture programs, food coops are your best bet. I highly suggest that you Google search "high quality organic food/farmers market/your city and state" and go visit these farms or markets. Some of these farmers may not be able to afford or want to get certified to sell organic but just because they are not certified does not mean that their produce is not the highest quality. With a little bit of leg work, you will soon be able to find high quality organic food close to home. Like I have done you may be able to set up delivery points with a couple of farmers to add a little bit of convenience.

Finding high quality organic food close to your home is not as difficult as it sounds. The bottom line is look for farmers who are practicing sound organic farming principles and are producing small amounts of food.

Develop Your Successful Management Style

Each individual in any management position has developed a management style, a behavioral approach to managing others. There are basically 3 styles addressed in this article which are the Autocratic style, the Democratic style, and the Catalytic style. Let's define each and the most outstanding single characteristic of each style.

The Autocratic Style (natural style): Dictator, My Way OR the Highway approach, I'm in Charge here and you are to do as I detailed, don't think, just act and do it NOW, demands respect from everyone even if it has not yet been earned, call me MR or MRS or SIR/Madam.

The Democratic Style (natural style): Close friend, father figure, no one ever makes a mistake, any and all results are acceptable, take your time we'll get it done, accepts any and all suggestions from subordinates even if the suggestion may be wrong, does not discipline or control the staff, staff controls the manager, has a great need to be liked by everyone at every level, call me by my first name.

The Catalytic Style (Learned/developed blended style): Teacher style, trainer, developer of subordinates, coaching style, teach what they know and show as they go style, strives to achieve results above expectations, explains plans, details expectations, maintains control but expects input from all subordinates, is respected by subordinates and by all management because respect has been earned through performance.

At first glance you might believe that the only style that is best of the 3 styles is the Catalytic.

Each style has its appropriate time and place and each can be successful under specific circumstances. Management styles are developed by the individual and are natural tendencies. We are all influenced throughout our business career by those around us who have managed us as we ascend into management position ourselves. Our developed style can begin as early as grade school level and further develop in high school and college. When we enter the work force and begin to report to our first supervisor/manager our future management style begin to evolve even further.

When the time comes and we are promoted into our first management position many want to be like their first manager. This could be a positive evolution or perhaps a negative one. Let's assume, for this exercise, that our first manager was a really wonderful person, very friendly with the entire staff, and displayed a father figure management style. People who report to this manager, including you, may not have performed as well as you could have because your boss was such a nice person almost any type of performance was considered acceptable even less than expected results.

This management style, although comfortable to all of the direct reporters, may not be as effective as it could be and the results achieved may be found to be unacceptable to upper management.

You recognize that this is an example of a Democratic management style and although well-liked by all may not have an extended shelf life as a manager due to the lack of acceptable performance but the unit this manager is managing.

Let's address another example of a different management style, the Autocratic. This manager has very high almost unreasonable expectations which you are to live up to at all times and if you don't it becomes a watch-out environment. This manager usually raises his voice when speaking to any person on their staff, pounds his hand/fist on the table at meetings, criticizes in public and rarely shares any praise to any member on the staff. This style usually doesn't explain plans of action or details of expectations. Dictates duties and responsibilities, usually does not welcome input from the workers, rejects suggestions and uses verbal force at every turn. Remember under certain circumstances and conditions this may be the management style needed.

Example: Upper management has a department filled with very qualified, experienced and talented employees who, under their present democratic manager are performing below acceptable results. Now it is time for a change. Consider someone who has a natural autocratic management style. Why? A drastic change in results are necessary and critical to the overall performance within the organization and a person who is going to go into this department with the sole mission of cracking the whip and get the job done and quickly turn results around. The downside danger is employee fallout. There may be some fallout because of the sudden change in management style but the best of the staff will rise to the demands of the new manager IF their goal is to stay with the organization and to move forward and upward.

We can readily recognize a severe change in the sports world. A football team has had the same coach for several years and in the last year or so the team has not had a winning record, has not qualified for any playoff games and ownership is now faced with a coaching change. You have witnessed a change from a long term democratic coach to a dictator autocratic style head coach and staff. The very next season the team is now a winning organization and goes to the playoffs. Keep in mind an autocratic style manager/coach usually has a short shelf life, perhaps 2-3 seasons and then another change will have to be made and now ownership is looking for the blended management style coach, the Catalytic coach.

The Catalytic manager/coach due to the fact that this is a blended style of both the Autocratic and the Democratic styles will now have a long shelf live with the department/team and will produce winning results on a consistent basis.

Can an autocratic and democratic management style change to become a catalytic manager?

Yes. The catalytic is not a natural style like the other two styles. The catalytic style is learned and developed style over a period of time. What is needed to develop the catalytic style is proper training and direction from a strong catalytic manager who is willing to take the other style individuals under their wing and spend time changing their approach to managing subordinates which is to include training and developing to cause a change in their behavior tendencies and approach to others.

Gaining Better Health Through A Raw Food Diet

Food combining is an easy way to help your digestive system so that it can absorb all the food minerals and vitamins to maximum capacity. Food combining offers the opportunity to rid us of cell deterioration by keeping it rejuvenated with the energy and minerals from well-digested foods. Combining certain foods during the same meal can cause the body to be unable to do justice to the food eaten.

It is a common belief that there is one digestive juice in the stomach, which will work on all kinds of foods at the same time. This is far from the truth. Food combining deals with exactly this issue. Digestion is a physiological procedure requiring certain rules. Just like a bulimia patient eats everything but throws it all up thus gaining no benefit of the food eaten, similarly a healthy person may eat very nutritious food but might eat it in the wrong combination thus getting no benefit from it due to lack of digestion. The basis of the food combining theory is that digestive juices are secreted at specific times in specific volumes. One must eat the right food at the right time so as to get maximum benefit from it. A protein-digesting enzyme will not digest carbohydrates and the carbohydrate-digesting enzyme will do nothing for the protein. What is more is that certain foods may actually render the digestive enzyme for another food invalid. So it is clear that combining foods that are not similar in their digestive ways will be useless eating.

If certain food combining rules are followed one is able to optimize the accumulation of energy and convert it for use by the body thus keeping illnesses at bay. These rules are simple enough. Carbohydrates should not be combined with acidic foods. So a tomato based pasta is not a good idea at all. Pasta's are carbohydrates while tomatoes are acidic in nature. All sour foods should not be combined with carbohydrates. In fact acidic fruits don't go well with proteins either. Combining proteins with carbohydrates is not a good idea too. So a beef burger should go straight into the bin instead of your mouth. Even having two high-density proteins as a combination would lead to indigestion. So that ham omelet is not very clever thinking. Fats and proteins are not good food combinations either. A deep fried mutton steak would send very wrong signals to your digestive juices.

Starches and sugars should not be on the same plate at the same time. Combining them leads to digestive problems. In fact no more that one starchy food should be eaten at one meal. Melons and milk are two foods that should be consumed separately from all other foods. Melons decompose very rapidly while milk was meant for the young mammalians so does not do too well to be mixed with other foods. Milk is digested in the duodenum so the stomach stops all digestion when milk is consumed. Milk can be combined with acidic foods though. These are the few basics of food combining.

Food combining allows us to mix and match our foods so as to gain optimum benefit as well as satiate our taste buds. Food is no longer consumed by man merely for survival but is also eaten for the taste. If the basic food combing rules are kept in mind one would be able to eat foods they desire yet keep a healthy body. The acid alkaline diet plan encourages one to consume a lot of vegetable and fruits, which are good combination foods. Vegetables and fruits can be eaten as a combination and yet the body absorbs the two well. The acidic foods are eaten in very small quantities so they do not interfere with the digestive juices absorbing the qualities of other foods. This is one of the main reasons why people on the alkaline diet feel energetic and charged as opposed to those on high protein high fat diets. Since the body is able to make full use of the food eaten it stays high on energy.

Best Bet Food Sources for Vitamins

I work a lot with natural foods and supplements in my practice. If I can be assured the client will eat the right foods, there is often no need to supplement. If the deficiency is mild, specific food supplementation works perfectly well. And it does often turn out that the client just loves the foods they need anyway!

Best Bet Vitamin food sources are listed in order of most often identified as the foods most beneficial for a specific vitamin. The Best Bet Foods are only the most common items I have found during testing in the last 12 years; there may be more foods that contain the particular vitamin that are listed on my website under the Diet/Nutrition section (see resource box for that link.)

Because each person is an individual with many different nationalities within their bloodlines, it is important to determine which food items are best suited for your body. And easy way to do this is to find out your blood type and eat foods that are beneficial for that blood type. You can find a list of those foods at http://www.dadamo.com. Overdosing with foods is almost impossible. I like that. It's very safe! So, here's the list:

Beta-Carotene: Best Bet Food Sources-- Dark Green vegetables, carrots and tomatoes. Note: Beta-Carotene natural form is comprised of two molecules. The synthetic form only has one molecule. Therefore, natural food sources are best.

Bioflavonoids: Best Bet Food Sources-- Citrus fruits (especially the white part of the peel), apples, soy hawthorn berries and green tea.

Biotin or Vitamin H: Best Bet Food Sources-- Eggs, raw fruits, mushrooms, poultry, soy or soy products, whole grains and oatmeal.

Choline: Best Bet Food Sources-- Choline tablets, beans, and eggs.

CoQ-10: Best Bet Food Sources-- Fish and spinach.

Fat Soluble Vitamins: See Vitamins A, D, E and K.

Folic Acid or Vitamin B-9: Best Bet Food Sources-- Wheat Germ (refrigerate after opening as it turns rancid easily), eggs, salmon, mushrooms, citrus fruits, and chicken.

Hesperidin: Best Bet Food Sources-- NutriBiotic's Grapefruit Seed Extract. Note: Hesperidin is in the bioflavonoid family and is thought to stimulate the immune system and fight yeast infections.

Inositol: Best Bet Food Sources-- Standard Process(TM) brand Inositol, blackstrap molasses, fresh fruits, nuts and seeds, wheat germ.

PABA or Para-aminobenzoic Acid: Best Bet Food Sources-- Spinach, blackstrap molasses, mushrooms, rice.

Riboflavin or Vitamin G: Best Bet Food Sources-- Sprouts, nutritional yeast, milk, meat, some forms of algae and Standard Process Labs(TM) Cataplex G®. Uses for Vitamin G: Night sweats, burning feet, red hands, paralysis, edema secondary to liver failure, eye syndromes, nervous indigestion, and liver disease. Riboflavin is the heat-stable factor of the Vitamin B complex.

Vitamin A: Best Bet Food Sources-- Parsley, sweet potatoes, watermelon, nettle leaf, broccoli, carrots, dark leafy greens, eggs, and mangos.

Vitamin B Complex: Best Bet Food Sources-- Any brand that you test energetically strong for. The wrong brand can be responsible for some annoying side effects. For me, that is urinary incontinence. To get the whole complex from foods you would want a wide variety of raw fruits, vegetables and whole grains.

Vitamin B-1 or Thiamine: Best Bet Food Sources-- Beans, broccoli, wheat germ, eggs, seafood, nuts, oatmeal, poultry, sunflower seeds, and brown rice.

Vitamin B-2 or Cyanocobalamine: Best Bet Food Sources-- Green leafy vegetables, parsley, blackstrap molasses, spinach, wheat germ, and yogurt.

Vitamin B-3 or Niacin or Niacinamide: Best Bet Food Sources-- Sesame seeds, eggs, sunflower seeds, and oat straw.

Vitamin B-5 or Pantothenic Acid or Pantethine: Best Bet Food Sources-- Blackstrap molasses, eggs, sweet potatoes, oatmeal, soybeans and soybean products.

Vitamin B-6 or Pyridoxine: Best Bet Food Sources-- Spinach, eggs, and seeds.

Vitamin B-9 (see Folic Acid above)

Vitamin B-12 or Cyanocobalamine: Best Bet Food Sources-- Tuna, eggs and salmon. Note: Vegetarians should take Twin Labs B-12 Dots--approximately 2/day.

Vitamin B-15 or DMG or Di Methyl Glycine or Pangamic Acid: Best Bet Food Sources-- Pumpkin seeds, sesame seeds, brown rice, meat.

Vitamin B-17 or Leatrile or Amygdalin: Best Bet Food Sources-- Bean sprouts, buckwheat, wheat grass (Barfy Green Stuff), brown rice, apricot pits and legumes. Uses for Vitamin B-17: I've noticed that bean sprouts can be helpful with morning sickness. It has also been used to treat some forms of cancer in the past.

Vitamin C: Best Bet Food Sources-- Broccoli, strawberries, citrus fruits, rose hips, fresh fruits and vegetables of all kinds, parsley, and nettles.

Vitamin D: Best Bet Food Sources-- Sunshine, parsley, dark leafy green vegetables, eggs, fish and fish oils, salmon, sweet potatoes, oatmeal, cod liver oil and yogurt.

Vitamin E: Best Bet Food Sources-- Wheat germ (oil or fresh), eggs, nuts, leafy green vegetables, soy products, vegetable oils, and berries (many people test strong for Tayberries which is a cross between a raspberry and a blackberry).

Vitamin F or Unsaturated Fatty Acids (including Arachidonic, Linolenic and Linoleic acids): Best Bet Food Sources-- Flax seed (cooked) and Standard Process Labs Cataplex F tablets or perles. Uses for Vitamin F: Hypothyroidism, scanty or absent menstruation, hot flashes, sun sensitivity, prostate problems, falling hair, increased cholesterol.

Vitamin H (see Biotin above)

Vitamin K: Best Bet Food Sources-- Green vegetables are the most concentrated source.

Vitamin P--Rutin (Blood vessels) Best Bet Food Sources-- The white part of citrus peel and buckwheat are two sources very high in rutin, but often I recommend it in tablet form because it's almost impossible to get the volume needed in natural foods when a patient is deficient. Uses for Rutin: Used for allergies and bruising, varicose veins, hemorrhoids, inflammation of the veins in the anus and rectum.

Organic Food - Myths Realities And Nonsense To Know About

When your college-age son reminds you that your supermarket foods are "dead" and that you're simply supporting government-subsidized monoculture farming practices, what do you do? Is the answer "natural and organic food"...but what does this mean, and what would you get if you convert to it?

When does a difference matter? Who hasn't been intrigued during a shopping visit when you read one packet where "free range chickens" have been "sustainably farmed", while the other packet simply shows the price and pound details for what must be the "alternative chicken" produced by industrial farming and mass distribution means? How do you choose? Is one more "chicken" than the other?

Does the carton showing happy cows grazing on verdant pasture settings along with the words " organic food" make you stop, think and buy? And what about the buyer's dilemma when one brand of organic milk differentiates itself from competitor organic milks because the milk is ultrapasteurized...and in the same food case another organic "raw" milk claims that it's better for you, fresher because it hasn't undergone any pasteurization?

What's Meant By Natural And Organic Food?

For one, natural and organic food certainly now means very big business, with producer networks extending from Argentina to Calgary to California and beyond, with tens of thousands of retail outlets, and a market value estimated at $11 billion. No other food segment grows sales as quickly as organic food.

* The Packaging Narrative.

The story-line depicted on organic food packaging conjures up childhood bed time stories, where peacefully bovine animals pass their lives away on idyllic farm pastoral settings. You think "hmmm these must be safe foods, communing with Mother Earth" and so you buy more in a mood of culture rejection of modernity and Big Agribusiness interests. But, is this view valid or simply naïve?

* The Reality.

The organic food reality? Think regular industrial business style operations. Big farms and 24/7 growing operations selling to big warehouses demanding consistent product features, reliable delivery, low prices, mechanization, just like the regular industrial food "house brands". The pressure for "product standardization" and financial survival rapidly morphs any small scale farming ideal into a business-as-usual operation. True, the "marketing spin" and the adroit use of the organic food labeling "narratives" seems to be passing along some tidbit of information about the food's origins to buyers. However, is this merely a distinction without a difference?

Benefit Of Organic Food- There's More Than What Meets The Eye.

If the benefit of organic food has to do somehow with how it's raised, or produced, then what explains the organic food benefit of ultrapasteurized milk which clearly has lost nutritional value due to the high heat processing? Answer emerges from the business reality that the product is sold over long distances, therefore requires big-time shelf life and stability. Transportation logistics converts to a "buyer's benefit" all with the stroke of a pen.

* Does The Critter's Organic Meal Mean The Steak You Eat Is Organic?

What about "organic beef"? Turns out that beef you buy that qualifies as "organic" merely reflects that the beast was confined to a fenced dry lot and ate certified organic food grains. Where's the grass and pasture? Apparently, the actual grass and pasture depicted on the package are not necessary to qualify as legitimately organic food, under FDA packaging regulations.

* True Organic - Complex Rather Than Simplified.

In the rare case when a small farm carries a mixed stock of animals such as chickens, pigs, turkeys and cattle and then truly raises these animals on sun-based pasture grasses utilizing an organized pasture rotation plan, then you're getting as close to organic as Mother Nature allows. No pesticides are necessary, no herbicides, virtually no antibiotics occur. Why? By exploiting the cow-ness of cows, the natural mob-and-grazing tendencies of bovines...adding the co-evolved relationship of scavenging fowl like turkeys and chickens which eat worms and waste matter...you get as close to a "free lunch" as is possible. Wastes from one species become breakfast for another. So, who picks up the energy tab, when petrochemicals are avoided? Where does the energy come from? The sun.

Pros And Cons Of Organic Food.

To the extent that the farm land producing your food did not use the raft of petrochemical fertilizers, herbicides and drugs, and that the workers did not inhale carcinogenic compounds, and that the land's fertility and complexity were not compromised, then the benefit of organic food remains indirect and frankly invisible.

* The Moral Feel Good Aspect.

When you buy into the perception and product reality of organic food you feel better about yourself, and somewhere some piece of land and its farmers are also a bit healthier. All good stuff.

* Pricing Pains For Consumers.

Feeling confused? The pros and cons of organic food do nothing to reconcile $4.00 plus prices per pound for tomatoes, or $18.00 per pound prices for beef, or $2.70 price for milk being sold next to $1.80 containers.

* Taste Superiority?

Will organic food necessarily taste better? No. Freshness and delivery timing have a far greater impact on taste, so the local end of the industrial food chain can still "whup" the organic boys, if the food is significantly fresher by the time you buy.

* Nutritionally Better?

The jury's out on the issue of nutritional completeness. Bottom line, there's no way to prove any particular superiority of organic food over regular store produce.

Organic Pet Food.

Organic dog food, its cousin organic cat food and organic bird food are only three classes of specially produced foodstuffs for family pets. If you're buying pet food from a major national retailer, then you're buying-in to the industrial food chain. You'll pay higher prices. Your pet's food might be better...you'll certainly feel better about serving it. But, is it really making a difference?

Food Allergies

Food Allergies

The foods that adults or children react to are those foods they eat often

A Food Allergy is defined as an individual's adverse reaction to food. Almost any food can trigger a reaction in a person who is susceptible. Other terms for Food Allergies are "Food Intolerances and Food Sensitivities."

For adults, the common foods that cause allergic reactions include: shellfish such as shrimp, crayfish, lobster, and crab. (Of note; if you are allergic to one of the shell fish, you are probably allergic to others or all of them.); peanuts, a legume ; tree nuts such as walnuts; fish; and eggs. Adults usually do not lose their allergies.

Children are somewhat different. The common food allergens that cause problems in children are eggs, milk, and peanuts. Children can sometimes outgrow them. Children are more likely to outgrow allergies to milk or soy than allergies to peanuts, fish, or shrimp.

These food allergies can cause catastrophic events to happen . Reactions range from rashes, pain, to anaphylactic shock.

When trying to figure out if and what food you have a problem with, it is very important to keep an accurate diary of your daily food and drink intake. You also need to write down in detail the symptoms that you are felling. Without doing this, there is no hope in finding what is ailing you. Keep detailed records!

Can drug allergies affect the way you eat? Absolutely!. For instance, Any of you who has an allergy to penicillin for instance must be careful when buying and eating penned animals such as chicken, turkey, pork, etc. These animals who are kept in tight quarters climb over each other constantly and scratch each other causing skin infections. These animals can not be sold with these infections. Their keepers are known to give these animals penicillin to clear up these infections so that they can be sold.

The quantity of the drug can remain high in some of these animals. Anaphylactic reactions and even death from penicillin allergies have occurred from people eating these animals. Just be careful. Buy the meat from penned animals that has no antibiotics and you will be fine.

I can't believe that I'm allergic to food! Could it be something else? Absolutely! Its a little thing called preservatives. Preservatives are placed in food so they last a longer time so that their financial value will be realized.

Currently, canned foods for instance have a shelf life of 7 years. What does that mean? It means that the can of food can be eaten and therefore sold for that period of time. Years ago, the shelf life for canned foods was 3 years. How did they prolong the time? Preservatives!.

Did you know for instance that a popular brand of peanut butter has over 120 preservatives in it. Doesn't that sound astounding? It does to me. Individuals like you can be allergic to any of these preservatives. Its very difficult to find the one preservative that you are allergic to.

Also, don't forget food colorings. Many individuals are allergic to the different food colorings. Most common is red dye #3

How do you find out if you have an allergy or sensitivity to a food, preservative or food coloring?

The first thing that you have to do is have a suspicion that you have a problem. There is a difference between an overt allergy and a sensitivity. The allergy will cause overt symptoms such as hives, rashes to in some cases anaphylaxis. (Hypersensitivity especially in animals to a substance, such as foreign protein or a drug, that is caused by exposure to a foreign substance after a preliminary exposure.). A food sensitivity will cause subtle discomforts such as a generalized uneasy felling. Maybe an increase in your heart rate, excessive belching or flatulence or stomach distension. You may also feel fatigued.

The next thing that you have to do and maybe its the most important is to read the labels of the foods that you buy. You must become a detective! Most food items use the same preservatives. If after reading the labels you identify a preservative that stands out, by that I mean a preservative that is only in one of the foods that you eat, that preservative may be the culprit. Simply eliminate that food. You will know after 4 days if that is the food and preservative that is causing your problem. Now to discern if you are sensitive to the food or the preservative, eat the food fresh and see if it causes you to have the same sensitivity reactions. If the answer is yes, then your sensitivity is to the food. If the answer is no, then the sensitivity is to the preservative. At that point, you need to then eliminate that preservative from your diet. The only way to do that successfully is to read all the labels.

Simple Test!

There is a simple and effective way to determine a food either alone or with a preservative may be causing you a problem. Its not 100% effective. However, it will give you an indication. Its the "Pulse Test." Its simple to perform. Prior to eating the food, take your pulse for a complete minute. Simply count the number of times that your heart beats in a 1 minute period. Now take a small potion of the food that you are planning to eat. Place it in your mouth. Don't chew it, simply place it in your mouth. Wait about 30 seconds and then start counting your heart beats again for another minute. If your heart rate increase 4-5 beats per minutes, then there is a good chance that the food you are about to eat will cause you to have a sensitivity reaction.

Not That Easy?

If what we described above doesn't help you identify your culprit food or preservative, then you need to resort to the Elimination Diet. The Elimination Diet is very effective. However, it takes time. As the diet's name states, you need to eliminate foods from your diet. You do this one food at a time.

We suggest that prior to making your first elimination that you write down exactly how you are feeling. Then eliminate that one food. This food needs to be eliminated for 4 straight days to determine if it is causing you any problems. Each day of the elimination, you need to journal how you are feeling. At the end of the forth day, compare your journal entries. If you are feeling the same at the end of day 4 as you did before the elimination, then that food is not the culprit. You need to keep trying different food one at a time for the 4 day period until you find the culprit. It could take a while.

Remember, your problems may be caused by more than one food. That is why the journal is so important. If say prior to the first food elimination you had 6 symptoms. Now after the elimination of this food, you have 3 symptoms. Then you need to eliminate that food from your diet. Don't stop there though! You now need to eliminate another food. If you feel the same after that food is eliminated for 4 days, then try another food. This process can take over a month to complete!

Raw Food Diet - Eat Yourself Healthy

Eating raw foods is natural. Our bodies thrive on all that is fresh and vital. A raw food diet (or increasing the amount of raw food that you eat) is bound to bring a feeling of increased wellbeing.

Raw food diets are based on unprocessed and uncooked plant foods, preferably organic, such as a variety of fresh fruits and vegies, nuts, seeds, grains, dried fruit, fresh juices and purified water.

Why Raw Foods?

Basically a vegetarian diet, the raw food diet promotes eating and drinking 'living' foods. Living foods and juices contain the maximum amount of fibre found in raw produce, fibre that can be lost in processing. Such foods are easily metabolised and tend to be lower in calories than the average diet.

Heating food above 116°F destroys enzymes in food that aid in digestion and in absorption of food, diminishing its nutritional value.

Benefits of a Raw Food Diet

A diet of at least 75% raw food offers numerous health benefits, such as increased energy, improved skin appearance, better digestion, weight loss and reduced risk of serious illnesses like heart disease, diabetes and cancer.

A raw food diet contains little or no saturated fats, is low in sodium, high in potassium, magnesium, folate and fibre.

Raw food diets are also excellent detox diets. Different combinations of raw, living foods and juices can be used for colon cleansing, liver cleansing, kidney cleansing and skin cleansing.

The Basics of a Raw Food Diet

Any fresh fruits, vegetables, grains, seeds, beans, nuts, legumes, young coconut milk - even seaweed - can be menu items of a raw food diet. Your choice of foods may depend on your reasons for dieting, for example:

- sprouted brown rice slows glucose absorption and improves the metabolism

- cabbage supports healthy cellular function; radish leaves act as an anti-oxidant, as does Shitake mushroom

-carrots are a great source of vitamin A as well as encouraging healthy vision and a healthy cardio-vascular system

You can use a sprouter such as the Easy Green automatic sprouter to sprout seeds, grains, beans - even wheatgrass. Sprouts could be called a 'super food' - organic sprouts contain enormous levels of proteins, vitamins, minerals, trace minerals, chlorophyll pigments and enzymes, and are the ideal natural supplement.

Sprouts can be used in salads and soups, or can be juiced. Fresh juices are a great ready energy supply and a good quality juicer, such as the Kempo Greenpower juicer, produces living juices that are full of essential nutrients.

A great juicing recipe to complement a raw food diet is carrot juice with potato, fennel and apple. Simply juice 4 medium carrots, 2 apples, 1 small potato and 1 small stalk of fennel.

Fennel has been shown to reduce and control inflammation of arthritis, it evens mood fluctuation and depressive states and has the rare nutrient called manganese, plus zinc and vitamin B complex.

The nutritional value of grains and seeds is impressive. They contain most of the vitamins - particularly A, B, and E. They're also fantastic natural sources of unsaturated fatty acids and lecithin, and an excellent source of proteins.

You can even use soy milk makers (such as SoyQuick) to make non-dairy drinks from different beans, rice, nuts, seeds and grains to have with breakfast. If you want something a little more substantial than soy milk you can make your tofu (or, of course, visit a good health food shop).

Essentially, the idea of a raw food diet is to eat unprocessed foods for at least 75% of the time. If the idea of raw food isn't very appetising to you, you can warm the food a little as long as the food isn't heated above 116°F.

Cautionary Note

As with any major change in diet, it's wise idea to consult your doctor before beginning a special diet. This is especially true for children, pregnant women, anyone with anemia and anyone with a pre-existing medical condition.

Even natural foods can conflict with certain medications, so please ask your doctor or pharmacist if you're taking any medication.

Because a raw food diet is detoxifying some people suffer a mild detox reaction including mild headaches, nausea and cravings. These symptoms may last for several days and you'll get more enjoyment out of your raw food diet if you cut down on things like meat, sugar and caffeine a week or so before commencing the diet.

Last But Not Least...

A raw food diet is certainly a good way to improve your overall health and wellbeing. Like anything worthwhile it takes time, energy and commitment. Because many of the foods for this particular type of diet are made from scratch there is some preparation time involved. There are many great products on the market that can help you prepare your own living food and save you some time as well.