When I go to a regular grocery store, I find myself wanting to beg people not to buy, or eat, most of the food they put into their baskets. Things loaded with sugar, white flour, bad fats and preservatives. They are often overweight and show visible signs of undernourishment, as do their children. Their bodies are starved for real food full of real nutrients.

Several years ago we were on a trip to Hawaii with our nutrition company. One thing that struck us, since we’d been to relatively few company meetings, was the number of octogenarians in our group. These folks looked and felt young for their age. They had sharp minds, and a love of life. You could find them out at midnight enjoying an evening stroll with a sparkle still in their eyes. It was inspiring! Many of these individuals had been sick, some seriously so, for many years. But, after applying good eating habits, and good nutritional supplements, they had regained their health, and in fact were out-living most of their contemporaries — and enjoying it!

I believe we can avoid the chronic health problems by learning how to eat healthfully, including exercise in our daily routine, and taking nutritional supplements for optimum health!

God is faithful. He provided us with a creation rich in good things for nutrition and healing. It’s encouraging to see research taking place in the areas of vitamins and herbs. While we can be thankful for some of the prescription drugs and what they can do to save lives, I’ve read that over 90% of diseases have no cures. And often times, the drug used to treat a malady has a list of side effects, which then require additional drugs. How much better to apply healthy eating and exercise habits, take high quality supplements, drink clean water, and be grateful in all things.

I’ve been thinking about my garden, because this is the first year in seven that I’ve felt great satisfaction in the tiered beds that I attempt to cultivate. I was thinking of the delight I’m finding in each plant. It’s an odd mixture. Some things I don’t even know the names of, I got them at a “distressed” sale for as little as 24 cents. And, they’re thriving. I made a choice to break with convention and mix roses in with the rest. I love roses, but I really don’t enjoy the sterile looking beds that they are typically placed into. Very boring. Instead, I have all sorts, and sizes, and shapes of plants jumbled together. (Not at all English, must be that messy French and Irish in me!) Some of the taller things are growing in front with wild orange somethings scattering from seed year after year. Unless I transplant them, they’re free to grow where their roots sprout. There are numerous herbs mixed into the flowers, so when I water there are lovely fragrances that make their way through the moist air. Several things that I nearly pulled out, or that I actually hoped would die, have grown into lush green additives, blooming beyond their season.

A thought occurred to me, that my garden is messier than I intended. I really planned to lay it out in a proper order, but it’s a jumble of odd combinations of color, texture and scent. And I realized that I love my messy garden, because it’s like real life. Life is a messier thing than I would like, or plan. It’s wilder than I expected. I love the line in The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, where the beaver says, “He’s not a tame Lion, you know…” Life is like that — not at all tame, but good.

As much as I try to control my garden, or my life, for tidiness, calmness, goodness, rightness, there are things that surprise me. Things that won’t go away, that I really want to go away. Like some of my plants that I really wanted to die, without me actually being responsible. There’s ugliness and deformity from bugs that look for their sustenance in my hard work, and the never-ending mosquito plague. I can count on getting 1-5 bites every time I go out the door. I don’t like to wear bug spray all day, so I take the bites. I take the attack. Attacks are never fun, but I have to put up with it if my garden is going to survive. Even that life-giving force, the sun, can feel destructive when I see my crop wilting at two in the afternoon from unrelenting beams.

So, I’ve collected an odd assortment of plants in my garden, and in my life. Things that I didn’t plan to be there. I was going to have a very tidy garden, and a very tidy life. But, God in His mercy had a different plan, and those plants I wanted to go away, were put in the ground, to grow and thrive, and bloom. And, that messy garden gives joy. As I’ve been writing this entry, thunderclouds have accumulated as I’ve been running (in between paragraphs) to move the water, and scoop more peat moss into the soil. Once again, my plans are caught in the wild, spontaneous messiness of life. What joy!

Headline: Skin Cancer On The Rise In Kids!

Summer is upon us, and so are the fear mongering news reports! Here are some realities you might want to consider:

• You die without sunshine!
• You need sunshine to create Vitamin D, which is essential to your skin, bones, immune system, and muscles.
• People are happier when they get sunshine. (Sing with me, “Sunshine on my shoulders makes me happy…” )
• A healthy tan is a nice change from winter white.
• Kids look great with freckles. :-)
• If you eat more fruits and veggies, your chances of skin cancer greatly diminish.

Seriously, Vitamin D is made in our skin - through exposure to the sun. Would God create a need; then make it kill us? The debate about global warming will continue for longer than we would hope. Granted we live in a fallen world, but we can unbalance things by not paying attention to his whole creation plan, i.e. fruits and vegetables. These are loaded with antioxidant protection from Vitamin C, Vitamin A, Flavonoids, and Carotenoids. All of these nutrients are important for the health of your skin - both inside and out. Whether or not we are witnessing real problems with our environment, there are ways to combat the elements we’re exposed to, without living in a darkened cave of fear. Sun blocks not only keep you from getting sunburn, they keep you from making Vitamin D on your skin also. There are numerous corporations that delight in paying for studies to prove you need sun block. Can you think of anyone out there making money off of defending the health giving benefits of our closest star?

Now, if you evaluate your children’s diet honestly, and they are eating fast food, junk food, soda pop, etc. on a regular basis, you have cause to worry. Every time those destructive, empty calories are consumned, the body has fewer tools to do its repair and immune building work. There is a cause and effect here, but I suspect it has a lot more to do with our children’s diets, than with playing in the sunshine.

It helps to be old enough to remember things like the egg scare! It’s sad to think how many people were (and are) undernourished because of foolish reports about cholesterol in eggs. People would choose to eat a synthetic “food” rather than the real thing in moderation. A food that, in fact, contains the very nutrient needed to emulsify cholesterol. Did you know you will die without cholesterol, and in fact, your body makes its own cholesterol?

So, here’s my advice for a healthy summer. If you use sun block, do it with moderation for longer stints in the sun. Let yourself, and your children get sunshine, preferably everyday, without any sunscreen. And please, take in, enjoy, find delight in, every fresh fruit and vegetable you can get your hands on — preferably organic. And do teach your kids to enjoy them as well. They’re our best defense against many illnesses and disease. We need 7-9 servings a day.

Of course, if you have trouble meeting your quota for yourself, or your family, please drop me a line, I’d be happy to help you with some products that can fill in the gaps. And, they’re even tasty!

Choose any number of fruits you enjoy, such as:

Peaches
Nectarines
Blackberries
Raspberries
Blueberries
Apples
Bananas
Figs
Plums

Drizzle with fresh orange juice, add a sprinkling of organic sugar if you like, and bake at 325 degrees for 30-45 minutes. Test the fruit along the way. Any juice in the pan will thicken some with cooling.

You can serve the fruit with half and half, Devonshire cream, whipped cream, ice cream, or a homemade yogurt cheese. Ruth said to do this you place plain yogurt in a cheesecloth, inside a colander, and let the liquid drain out. What you have left is a deliciously smooth creamy substance.

Hope you enjoy!

Makes 1 loaf

1 pkg active dry yeast
1 tbl organic sugar
1/2 cp very warm water
4 cp (appx.) white whole-wheat flour (Or, you might want to combine an unbleached bread flour with whole-wheat hard red flour.)
1 tbl salt
3 tbl melted butter
1 1/2 cp buttermilk

Proof yeast with water and sugar. Heat buttermilk to just warm. Mix proofed yeast, buttermilk, flour, salt, and melted butter to form a smooth dough. Add flour as needed to keep dough from sticking to sides of bowl, but don’t let the dough get dry. Knead approximately 10 minutes, or until you have a smooth, round ball. Place in a buttered bowl, smooth side down, turning up the buttered side of the dough. Cover with cloth or plastic wrap and place in a warm, draft-free spot to rise. Check the dough in about 45 minutes by poking it gently with two fingers. If the dough feels resistent, let it rise another 10 minutes and check again. If it feels like it is ready to exhale, punch it down and knead it about 10 times to release all the air bubbles. Let rest 5-10 minutes, then form into a loaf. Place the loaf smoth side down, in a well buttered 9 x 5 loaf pan, flipping the buttered side up for baking. Bake at 375 degrees for about 40 minutes.

This recipe makes great rolls also. Form and bake for 15-20 minutes, remove from the pan, and bake another 5-8 minutes for a nice crust all round.

The kefir and buttermilk are very easy and quick to do, and I love having the fresh milk to make those with. Both of these are fermented foods and are great for keeping the right kind of bacteria growing in the intestinal tract. It’s a very healthy habit to have some fermented foods on a daily basis. In fact, there is a school of thought that, the fermented foods are key to health and longevity. I know from experience that when I eat yogurt, or have kefir on a daily basis, I simply feel better.

The curds and whey were actually produced by accident, but turned into a yummy lunch. I ate the curds, which tasted and had the texture of fresh mozzarella, and today I’m looking for a way to use the whey. That should be fun!

Bread is one of my favorite things to make, as anyone reading this blog might have guessed. These loaves came out as exceptional beauties! My friend Ruth had told me you could bet hard white wheat flour by the King Arthur brand. This is flour made from hard white wheat, rather than, hard red wheat. It’s high in protein, and gluten like the hard red, but it is lighter in texture, and sweeter in flavor. Because it is high in gluten, it makes excellent bread flour. (The soft white wheat is better for cookies, muffins, scones, cakes, etc., because it is lower in gluten, which allows a tenderer crumb.) The result is an almost white looking loaf, but it still contains the germ, bran, and all the essential nutrients found in whole wheat. I had forgotten about this treasure for quite some time. In California, we used to get it from the co-op that my daughter ran. This bread is wonderful toasted, and we enjoyed some last night, after the asparagus stir-fry had left us with cavernous sounds coming from our stomachs. Moist, chewy, tangy, oh my, I need to exercise more so I can eat more bread!

Bring it all to a low simmer. You will get the richest broth if you put it on early in the day and simmer it very low overnight. This allows time for the minerals to be leached out of the bones. The broth will become a beautiful deep golden to amber color. This is a very nutritious base to use in many dishes besides soup.

Now, I like sweets, and I think we are called to celebrate God’s goodness to us - with sweets, and meats, and fats! So, what can we do to counter the negative impact the sweet things have on our health?

You need to realize that every time you eat sugar, or honey, or maple syrup, your immune system is lowered for three hours. Yep, three hours. So, if you give your family say, pancakes for breakfast, and you serve them with syrup, or jam, their immune system will be low for the next three hours. Next comes lunchtime, the reward for finishing might be a cookie. Or, maybe you include pop, or a sandwich made with peanut butter (the spreadable kind), or even lunchmeat, these can both contain sugar. Now, the immune system has been in a suppressed state for six hours. As the afternoon rolls on, the kids get cranky and need a pick-me-up before dinner rolls along. Even if you reach for a whole grain cracker, or a healthy brand of yogurt, it most likely has at least one source of sugar! You get the picture. There is not a single moment during the day that your family’s immune system is at peak performance. Yet, we are under constant bombardment from the microbial and oxidative world. Fortunately, there are foods and supplements that will boost your family’s immune system. And there are ways we can feed our families that help to cut back on the amount of sweets we serve them.

When you make pancakes, don’t feel like you need to add that tablespoon of sugar the recipe calls for. It’s completely unnecessary. Instead, to boost immunity, add chopped nuts. Nuts are a good source of essential fatty acids and protein, both of which are immune boosters. In all this, I’m assuming that you are using whole grain flours. Adding an additional scoop of protein powder will insure even more immune building power. White flour will lower your immune system in several ways; use it as seldom as possible! I prefer whole-wheat pastry flour, but there are a large variety of grains available and they all have something unique to offer for building health. To top off your pancakes, serve them with natural applesauce spiced with cinnamon, which is currently being highlighted as having many health-giving properties.

Lunch is my least favorite meal of the day, maybe because I feel interrupted! I found my kids really liked simple creamed soups that I could make quickly. If you keep stock on hand, this is especially easy. Serve it with a slice of cheese and some health-giving bagels, or crackers. If you serve the quick fix kids-love-it, macaroni and cheese, add some wheat germ, wheat or oat bran, and some grated cheese. Always try to serve fruit with lunch. The old saying, “An apple a day keeps the doctor away,” is as true today as when Ben Franklin penned it. Another idea is a simple peasants lunch consisting of cheese, bread, and fruit. Wholesome, satisfying, and soul-feeding.

Add beautiful color to the dinner plate with lots of vegetables. The most delicious organic winter squash was available this year. It had richer color than the conventionally grown, and the earthiest flavor I’d ever had in winter squash. I’m so excited to see more affordable organic produce becoming available! Think of your dinner plate as a painting palate, and use bright colors. Every fruit or vegetable that has bright, dark colors is packed with antioxidants that will boost the immune system. A helpful habit we kept was to only have dessert on Friday night, or with company.

I feel I need to talk about juicing since so many people ask me questions on the topic. Juicing is okay, but is not an all-encompassing health panacea. It is good for extracting live enzymes, which are vital to good health. It is not good for receiving the cell protecting benefits of the antioxidants found in the whole fruit or vegetable. For instance, I’ve read that only about 3% of the carotenoids from carrots can be extracted by juicing, or by chewing. The remainder is trapped in the pulp and cannot be released without cooking. (Which is why I have a huge problem with the raw food camp. You simply cannot get all the nutrients you need from raw food!) Juice is a concentrated form of sugar. If you are using supplements that are juice extracts, you may not be getting all the immune boosting benefits that you should. And please, if you give your children juice, keep two things in mind. You should not replace milk (natural goat, or cow) with juice. Your child will be losing valuable nutrients. Also, cut the juice with at least half water. Or, better yet, use whole fruits and let them experience all the incredible textures God made, while getting many additional benefits not contained in the juice!

Food is so much fun! What an amazing Creator we have. Every time I start writing about it I can hardly stop because I get so excited. Alongside the nourishment we get from good food, we can add even more immune boosting power with supplements. My company, GNLD, has been the leader in immune building, and antioxidant products for almost 50 years. In the past 15 years, only one of my children (now adults) has needed an antibiotic. Remembering how many we had used prior to taking the GNLD nutrients, that says something! Consider adding some of our antioxidants (Carotenoids, Flavonoids, Vita-Gard) and essential fatty acids (Formula IV, or Tre-en-en) to your family’s daily routine. You’ll spend a lot less on medicine, and have more time for all those important things - like writing for your blog!

Next article, I’ll talk about how much sugar Americans are consuming, and some of the devastating health effects it is having.

Let me take some time to introduce you to the delights of chocolate!

Native to South America, legend has it that Cortez was introduced to it during his explorations. In fact it was such a powerful elixer for stamina, that Cortez is said to have marched his troops for an entire day, without growing fatigued, on one cup of cocoa! And that drink did not contain any sugar, but probably had some corn meal added as a thickener. Reminds me of a Mole sauce!

In addition to stamina, chocolate is a powerful antioxidant. That is a nutrient that helps prevent, and/or repair oxidative damage. What is oxidative damage? That is what happens to a car when it is getting rusty, or when an apple is turning brown. It also happens every minute we breath, to all the cells in our bodies. Chocolate contains the antioxidant called catechins. These are also found in grapes, wine and tea. Catechins are powerful protectors of our cells.

Why do we get a cheerful lift from chocolate? Because, chocolate enhances mood and brain function. Women have known this for a long time. Now the scientific community is figuring it out!

Keep in mind that the darker the chocolate, the higher the benefits. Milk chocolate is a virtual loss in my book. I have also read that the lower the temperature the cocoa is processed at, the higher the retention of its antioxidant power. Since time is money, I would suspect the cheaper the chocolate, the fewer the health benefits. Your best bet is going to be organic, and more expensive. But, it is so worth it. Chocolate is not the only flavonoid containing food that we can enjoy and benefit from, just one very versatile and tasty one.

The highly requested Fudgey Brownie recipe can be found under the recipe file. I make these with Sucanat and whole wheat pastry flour, and I haven’t had a complaint yet!

• Hugs
• A warm scarf on a cold day
• Tangible goodness in the world
• Life to partakers
• Watching the church grow
• Sweet dustiness
• Fullness

I love baking bread — maybe even more than actually eating it. It is such a miracle. All real cooking is. There are books written about the chemistry of the cooking process. They’re very enlightened. Funny thing that my great-great-grandmother could mix up a batch of bread with a little yeast, or sourdough starter, completely ignorant of the chemistry involved, but, it worked just the same. Imagine! Perhaps it seemed miraculous, even magical to the ancients; all those unseen reactions that we can explain with scientific terms and precision. But, tradition prevaled, imagination prevaled, and we have hundreds of delicious bread recipes today that bare witness to their skill — in spite of their lack of knowledge.

When Mark and I were married I was already an avid bread baker. Since I didn’t have a wedding planner (not many did in those days) I was coming up with my own ideas. It was to be an evening wedding, and I decided to serve a buffet with homemade breads, cheeses, and sliced, smoked meats. There were also salads, fruits and veggies. For several weeks before the wedding, my sister-in-law-to-be and I made loaves and loaves of homemade breads, breathing in the dusty flour, kneading the bread by hand until our muscles burned with the exertion. All the recipes were from James Beard’s bread cookbook. There was Walnut Onion Bread, Portugese Sweet Bread, Saffron Bread, Pistachio Bread, Buttermilk White Bread, Rye Bread, Whole Wheat Bread, and more! It was a big task since we were expecing 300 or more people. After more time, and flour, than I can recall, the freezer was full, and the wedding was near.

I can’t tell you what anything tasted like. The only thing Mark and I had the entire evening was the one bite of cake we gave each other (photo op) and the one sip of punch (another photo op). We drove away and realized we were parched and starving! However, for weeks after, I was being asked for the recipes of the different breads that were served. A piece of life had been given and received.

Carrying on the wedding bread tradition, but in the mother-of-the-bride role; when my daughter Laura was married, I baked hundreds of whole wheat bread sticks covering them with honey colored sesame, deep brown flax, and blue-grey poppy seeds for the buffett. I also made sure she and Alan sat at a lovely table, lit by candles, and ate some before leaving!

Bread is symbolic in many ways, in many cultures, but it always seems to be connected to life. Those tiny kernels of grain do, indeed, contain life. Each one is full of nutrients needed for health, placed in their tiny containers to provide us with; essential fatty acids, B vitamins, protein, fiber, minerals, and complex carbohydrates. At least, the carbohydrates are complex until we mess with them, and strip the grain down to the naked startch. That’s where the trouble begins. By processing the grain for a longer shelf life, the life-giving nutrients have been removed or destroyed.

To put life back into our lives, choose whole grain breads, pastas, chips, etc. And add supplements like Vitamin E, Tre-En-En Concentrates, and B vitamins. We cannot deny that we live in a rushed culture, and there are the consequences of rushed meals and food preparation. I try to do my best in nourishing my family, but I also believe using high quality supplements is a great way to augment our modern lifestyle. And, let’s be honest, it has many positive aspects too! I really like central air conditioning — especially on bread baking days!

Here are a few things that I have witnessed when people started taking B vitamins: irrational behavior transformed to rational, women with severe, debilitating PMS become models of love and civility, memory improvement, ashtma improvement, geographic tongue disappears, chronic bad breath cured, people weaned off of anti-depressents (with doctors knowledge), insomnia improved, energy level raised, sensitivity to noise overcome, just to name a few things. These are all things realated to very real, physical things that are happening in the body, or not happening in the body, due to the role of B vitamins.

We cannot have a gnostic view of our bodies and our health. We are material beings, and our creator made us that way. He also made us with very real nutritional requirements in order for our bodies to be nourished and to function properly. To deny that, is to deny reality, the reality that God himself created. (Am I repeating myself?)

An article I read once claimed that because the author’s mother had made a peanut butter sandwich (Skippy, white bread and jelly made with sugar) with faith and love, and he received it in faith and love, it had everything in it that he needed for nourishment and health. Perhaps that peanut butter sandwich was miraculous. But, that would be the only explanation for what he claimed! Put to the test of what was actually contained in the sandwich, it would fall woefully short of nourishment for a living person.

I do not think God is responsible for miracles on the table three times a day. (Now, for some of us, it may seem a miracle to get any kind of food on the table three times a day!) But, I do think he gives us responsibilities that originated back in the garden that Adam and Eve were to faithfully tend. Our creator made it very clear that he had given us good things for our use and nourishment. Each different food, from meat to fruit, vegetables, dairy products, grains, etc. has a unique blend of elements that are designed to feed the cells that make up our bodies — about 73 trillion of them. If we limit our diet to processed, packaged foods, we can never get the amount of nutrients our cells require for health. In fact, even when we cook most things from scratch, it will still be a challenge due to farming methods that have lowered nutrient levels, transportation, storage, and the depressing fact that most of us do not have an active enough lifestyle to take in the amount of food that would be needed to provide the vital nutrients. The area of nutrition is full of wonderful lessons about our Creator, and also about the creature (us). We are ashes and water, amazingly arranged, and transformed dirt and water!

Nourishing our very organic bodies with good food, and good supplements is, I think, good stewardship. Why? Because, I am going to help myself and my family to be: more loving, more forgiving, more energetic, and more fruitful for the Lord. Especially, if I begin with B vitamins!

More on B’s soon!

Now, not all foods today have healthy fats — not even “natural” foods that we buy in their raw state. If the chicken has been cooped up in an artificial enviroment, the egg yolk will not be as healthy as the yolk of a free roaming fowl. The same is true of our meats, vegetables and grains. None of these reflect the healthier fat/nutrient profile that were present a half a century, or more, ago. When we are able, we need to buy organic, natural and unprocessed. And we need to add whole food supplements to our diets to insure we are taking in the nutrients our bodies need.

Fats keep our joints lubricated, our cell membranes healthy, our brains working, our skin smooth, and keep food in our stomachs longer, so we feel satisfied with what we’ve eaten. We need fats to absorb certain vitamins and minerals. (Can you explain the logic of drinking fat free milk to help prevent osteoporosis — since calcium is absorbed with fat?) And, there is even evidence of higher cancer rates among the low fat crowd. Some fats are antioxidants, some are antimicrobial and antiviral.

Children need fat for the healthy growth of body, a healthy immune system, and especially for healthy brain development! There are many articles published now about the hazards of vegetarian, and low fat diets for children.

Because fats are so important to the brain at all ages, this is an area scientists are looking at as a possible link in the cause of Alzheimer’s. Nearly all of the generation currently being affected by this disease were raised on food that had hydrogented fats in the ingredients. We all remember those margerine ads! You know, “Everything’s better with Blue Bonnet on it!” These hydrogenated, and partially hydrogenated, trans-fats are proven to cause damage at the cellular level! The increased consumption of hydrogenated fats correlates with the rise of heart disease, cancer, and Alzheimer’s!

Try adding some different fats to your diet such as wheat germ oil, walnut oil, coconut oil(great in cookies, cakes, and granola), safflower oil, and, don’t forget, plenty of olive oil. (Personally, I am such a fatoholic, I like to put some butter on my bread, and then dip it in the olive oil… mmmm.) Make sure these are cold pressed, or expeller pressed. Anything else will do more harm than good.

And for adding the most important essential fatty acids, talk to me about Tre-en-en Grain Concentrates, and our choice of three different omega III fatty acid products. They’re life-changing in terms of increased energy, and reduced inflammation!

2 cp mashed bananas
1/3 cp oil
1/3 cp cocoa
1 egg
3/4 cup sucanat
1/2 cup organic sugar
2 cp whole wheat pastry flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1/3 cp water

Mix together oil, cocoa, and bananas. Add all dry ingredients. Mix in, gently, the 1/3 cp water. Fill greased muffin tins 3/4 full. Bake at 350 degrees for 15-20 minutes. Enjoy!