We all get a thrill out of being scared sometimes, hence the popularity of ferris wheels, zip lines, and Halloween. Though this year may take the cake for ‘scariness” lets look at some of these things. Some you may have heard before and some you may not know. In no particular order, here are some things that are scary, wacky and weird…but always interesting.
We don’t always use good moral judgment. The goal of our society has become commerce—the god of greenback corporations—must make money or the shareholders abandon it. Now there’s a thought, next month, on how to vote with your dollars.
Did you know that wooden cutting boards and spoons are “less germy” than glass, or especially plastic? Wood “self heals” minor cuts, whereas plastic takes much longer to do so.
Whether you live in an area that went to level 3 during the fires or not, pay attention to your community. Any firefighter, policeman, or ER worker will tell you that in the event of any major disaster you will undoubtedly have to rely on neighbors for help, and not our heroes, as they will be overwhelmed with the big stuff.
Here are a few things that may seem counter-intuitive: tearing up your lettuce before you store it can double its anti-oxidant value. Just be sure to dry it before you store it so it doesn’t rot in the refrigerator. Dried apricots that have been sulfured actually have more antioxidants than the dark, unsulfured ones (unless you are allergic to sulfur).
You probably already know that purple carrots have far more antioxidants than orange ones, but did you know that carrots should always be cooked in oil or butter in order to have more beta-carotene than raw carrots. Cook carrots whole and slice them after cooking and they will have up to 8 x more beta-carotene. And don’t bother getting those little carrot nubbins. They have simply been whittled down and the nutrient-dense part thrown away, to the degree, where they have zero flavor.
Whether your kids are doing online school or taking the bus, in Chinese medicine we say that now is the time to “close the gates,” stay home. Perhaps you’ve noticed the “cold wind invasion.” When it’s windy cover your ears with hats, earmuffs, or stocking caps.
Remember that spiritual values will always out-trump monetary ones. If you need more food look in your own backyard.
Those weeds are quite edible and some are even tastier than spinach. Make them part of your diet if they haven’t been treated with poisons. The water you cook your green leafies has almost 3000 antioxidants. The greens themselves have considerably less. Drink the cooking water or at least cool it and use it to water your plants.
We live in a land of wastefulness. The “clean your plate” club began between WWI and WWII. Now, we throw almost half of the food we purchase out, while children are starving throughout the globe. This is shameful!
One of the reasons we need to maintain biodiversity is because if one crop fails, we have a chance that another crop will come through fine. If we are all eating the same few foods, and that crop fails, it won’t be pretty. The potato famine in Ireland happened because only one strain of potato was being grown. When that crop failed all of Ireland was in trouble, and mostly abandoned.
Buy your garden seeds from companies that sign the “safe seed pledge,” vowing to avoid genetically modified (GM) seeds. Local seeds may be better adapted to your local environment. Most of the rest of the world has refused to buy GM foods, but in the US it’s a growing concern. Aren’t we at least as smart as most of the rest of the world? Buy organic whenever you can.
Read up on Jeffrey Smith and his take on GM foods. It’s scary. I was once at a seminar of 300 physicians and numerous speakers from around the world. He was the only speaker who got a standing ovation! Hundreds of healthcare workers stood to applaud Jeffery Smith–and he has no letters behind his name.
It’s not that we don’t have hope. If we all start doing our part we will survive to leave a workable earth for generations to come. Right now we own a lot of stuff and make a lot of garbage. We are currently using 70% of the world’s resources while living in 20% of its area. But we can change. Are you up for the challenge?
No Comments
Leave a comment Cancel