Top 10 Reasons to Use Apple Cider Vinegar for Your Health

By: Hope Pope

Here are top 10 reasons to use Raw Apple Cider Vinegar for your health. (However, don't use anything but "Raw apple cider vinegar. Braggs is a great brand.)

1. Energy. Take 1 tablespoon, 2 times a day in 8 ounces to 16 ounces of water. This is especially helpful if you have a baby or little children... and you need the energy to keep up with them.

2. Bug bites. To take away the itching and the bites quickly, dab the bites with straight ACV or mix it with half water, half vinegar.

3. Slows down bleeding during menstrual cycle. To lessen the bleeding each period, take 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar in a glass of water... 2 times a day.

4. Cuts. Hippocrates used raw apple cider vinegar to treat cuts. It was helpful years ago and it is helpful now. It stops the bleeding rather quickly and heals cuts as well. Put a compress of straight ACV or mix it with half vinegar and half water. Does it sting? Yes, it typically does... just like any other treatment would. But it will only typically sting for a few seconds.

5. Shiny hair. Use apple cider vinegar after shampooing for a beautiful shine. Mix one half of a cup of ACV with one half of a cup of water... and then rinse the hair with this. Then rinse again to get it all out of the hair.

6. Fever. Put 1 cup of APPLE CIDER VINEGAR in the tub and soak in it for 10 to 20 minutes. If the fever is extra high, it is recommended to do this two times a day. This is the only thing that worked to bring my child's fever down... on more than a few occasions.

7. Cysts. Dab ACV on the cyst for a few minutes (if the cyst is really big, a longer time is suggested... such as 10 minutes). Putting ACV on a bandaid ... and applying a bandaid on the cyst all night ... is often helpful.

8. Earache. Using ACV in the ear has shown to help an earache. Make a mixture of ½ tsp ACV and ½ tsp distilled water... and put a few drops in the ear.

9. Toothache. Swish the Vinegar in the mouth... especially the area where it is affected. Keep it in the mouth as long as possible. ACV has a very strong smell ... so some people might not be able to do this... but if it is possible, it can be very helpful.

10. It's cheap! It costs less than $6 (in most health stores) and it cures so many things.

Hope Pope is the Owner of www.provennaturalcures.com ... a web site that includes natural cures for warts, yeast infections and more. To read another article on the benefits of apple cider vinegar, click here...ezinearticles.com/

Apple Cider Vinegar Has Hidden Beauty Secrets

More than just a cooking ingredient, apple cider vinegar has hidden beauty secrets.

Made from crushed apples, apple cider vinegar contains vitamins A and C, potassium and amino and acetic acids.

This powerful potion can help promote digestion, allowing nutrients to be absorbed more easily. It also improves kidney function and the bladder and liver.
Apple cider vinegar is thought to help break down fat and is often prescribed as part of a detox diet.

When cider vinegar diluted with water is drunk before a meat it seems to prevent digestive upsets.

Apple cider vinegar can be used as part of your beauty routine-for skin and hair. Apple cider vinegar contains anti-bacterial properties and is an alkaline, so soothing on the skin; apply as a tonic before bedtime and it will help diminish blemished. Apply a little to your hair after shampooing, and it will remove residue build-up, leaving hair soft and shiny and dandruff-free.

Tip for Tofu Recipies

For a quick and easy protein kick, try steaming tofu and topping it with a sauce of your choice and dried fish

Fried Momen Tofu
Slice Japanese Momen tofu and marinate in soy sauce, sake or mirin. Fry both sides until crispy. Eat as a snack or add to salad.

Spaghetti with yellow tofu sauce
Fry onion and yellow tofu in butter. Add chopped tomatoes, milk, salt, pepper and thym leaves. Stir frequently until thick. Place on top of cooked spaghetti.

Tofu Salad
Place tomatoes and egg tofu on a plate and top with fried garlic. Mix together soy sauce, vinegar, mirin and sesame oil. Pour over salad

Tofu - Terrific Food

Tofu is a terrific food because nutritionally speaking, it is an excellent source of protein and contains high levels of calcium, iron, magnesium and B vitamins, but is low in fat and sodium. Although it tastes bland on its own, the beauty of tofu is that it absorbs the flavours of the food it is cooked with and can be used in a multitude of interesting menus.

Japanese Tofu

There are several kinds of Japanese tofu, which vary in taste and firmness. Zaru is the softest followed by kinu, which has a very smooth texture and can be used for almost any recipe. Momen-tofu is made with less moisture and has a firm, custard-like texture. It’s suitable for frying and grilling and often appears in hot pot menus such as Sukiyaki and Shabu Shabu.

Regular Tofu

Regular tofu contains less water than other varieties and has a firmer consistency, with a shell-like skin. There are two types to choose from; white or yellow. Both are used in Chinese and Thai cuisine; they can be used in stir-fries and added to curries instead of meat. For something more adventurous, try spaghetti with a yellow tofu sauce.

Silken Tofu

Made of soya beans, silken tofu has the highest moisture content of all fresh tofus and is usually found in a tube or square pack. As well as plain tofu, it can be mixed with egg, which turns it a pale yellow colour. Silken tofu is delicious in clear, Chinese soups and can be added to hot pots or even salads.

Eating Cereals For Breakfast

By Jack Sands

Cereal is the name given to those seeds used as food (wheat, rye, oats, barley, corn, rice, etc.), which are produced by plants belonging to the vast order known as the grass family. They are used for food both in the unground state and in various forms of mill products.

The grains are pre-eminently nutritious, and when well prepared, easily digested foods. In composition they are all similar, but variations in their constituent elements and the relative amounts of these various elements, give them different degrees of alimentary value. They each contain one or more of the nitrogenous elements, gluten, albumen, caseine, and fibrin, together with starch, dextrine, sugar, and fatty matter, and also mineral elements and woody matter, or cellulose. The combined nutritive value of the grain foods is nearly three times that of beef, mutton, or poultry. As regards the proportion of the food elements necessary to meet the various requirements of the system, grains approach more nearly the proper standard than most other foods; indeed, wheat contains exactly the correct proportion of the food elements.

Being thus in themselves so nearly perfect foods, and when properly prepared, exceedingly palatable and easy of digestion, it is a matter of surprise that they are not more generally used; yet scarcely one family in fifty makes any use of the grains, save in the form of flour, or an occasional dish of rice or oatmeal. This use of grains is far too meager to adequately represent their value as an article of diet. Variety in the use of grains is as necessary as in the use of other food material, and the numerous grain preparations now to be found in market render it quite possible to make this class of foods a staple article of diet, if so desired, without their becoming at all monotonous.

In olden times the grains were largely depended upon as a staple food, and it is a fact well authenticated by history that the highest condition of man has always been associated with wheat-consuming nations. The ancient Spartans, whose powers of endurance are proverbial, were fed on a grain diet, and the Roman soldiers who under Caesar conquered the world, carried each a bag of parched grain in his pocket as his daily ration.

Other nationalities at the present time make extensive use of the various grains. Rice used in connection with some of the leguminous seeds, forms the staple article of diet for a large proportion of the human race. Rice, unlike the other grain foods, is deficient in the nitrogenous elements, and for this reason its use needs to be supplemented by other articles containing an excess of the nitrogenous material. It is for this reason, doubtless, that the Chinese eat peas and beans in connection with rice.

We frequently meet people who say they cannot use the grains, that they do not agree with them. With all deference to the opinion of such people, it may be stated that the difficulty often lies in the fact that the grain was either not properly cooked, not properly eaten, or not properly accompanied. A grain, simply because it is a grain, is by no means warranted to faithfully fulfil its mission unless properly treated. Like many another good thing excellent in itself, if found in bad company, it is prone to create mischief, and in many cases the root of the whole difficulty may be found in the excessive amount of sugar used with the grain.

Sugar is not needed with grains to increase their alimentary value. The starch which constitutes a large proportion of their food elements must itself be converted into sugar by the digestive processes before assimilation, hence the addition of cane sugar only increases the burden of the digestive organs, for the pleasure of the palate. The Asiatics, who subsist largely upon rice, use no sugar upon it, and why should it be considered requisite for the enjoyment of wheat, rye, oatmeal, barley, and other grains, any more than it is for our enjoyment of bread or other articles made from these same grains? Undoubtedly the use of grains would become more universal if they were served with less or no sugar. The continued use of sugar upon grains has a tendency to cloy the appetite, just as the constant use of cake or sweetened bread in the place of ordinary bread would do. Plenty of nice, sweet cream or fruit juice, is a sufficient dressing, and there are few persons who after a short trial would not come to enjoy the grains without sugar, and would then as soon think of dispensing with a meal altogether as to dispense with the grains. Even when served without sugar, the grains may not prove altogether healthful unless they are properly eaten. Because they are made soft by the process of cooking and on this account do not require masticating to break them up, the first process of digestion or insalivation is usually overlooked. But it must be remembered that grains are largely composed of starch, and that starch must be mixed with the saliva, or it will remain undigested in the stomach, since the gastric juice only digests the nitrogenous elements. For this reason it is desirable to eat the grains in connection with some hard food. Whole-wheat wafers, nicely toasted to make them crisp and tender, toasted rolls, and unfermented zwieback, are excellent for this purpose. Break two or three wafers into rather small pieces over each individual dish before pouring on the cream. In this way, a morsel of the hard food may be taken with each spoonful of the grains. The combination of foods thus secured, is most pleasing. This is a specially advantageous method of serving grains for children, who are so liable to swallow their food without proper mastication.

Want to find out about yeast allergy and corn allergy? Get tips from Common Food Allergies.

How To Cut Down On The Cost Of Qrganic Food

By Virginia Louise

If you are eating organically and enjoy it as much as I do then you will have probably noticed that it can be more expensive than conventional food. In fact it is one of the arguments put forward by people who think that organic food is just a fad or even a con. However, I feel that the advantages of organic food are well documented and to my mind it really comes down to one issue, do you and your children really want to eat pesticides with your food? I am guessing that your answer is no and that you want to continue eating organically grown and reared fruit, vegetables and meat. However, how do you go about keeping the cost down? I have five suggestions to help you:

Try growing your own fruit and vegetables
This method is not only very cost effective but is also a lot of fun. The great thing is that it doesn't require you to have much garden space, or even a garden at all!
Myself and my children grow tomatoes, peppers and strawberries in containers and because of this get total control over the growing conditions.
The best combination is to make use of organic compost together with organically produced seeds or plants. This ensures that you get the full flavor and health benefits possible.
If you are already a keen gardener you will know how versatile containers can be. Just put them in an area that receives a reasonable amount of daylight, and keep watered.

Small local suppliers can be cheaper than supermarkets
It is easy to get into the habit of buying everything all in one go at your regular supermarket. But do you ever compare their prices with that of the smaller retailers in your area? You really should, I have found many an unexpected bargain and I find it particularly satisfying because you get the freshest ingredients for your kitchen and also get to support local businesses.
Don't forget that these same businesses will be employing local staff so you are also helping the local economy, everybody wins in this scenario.

Look out for markets
We have found several large markets held at weekends in our area. Organic food is just one of the variety of items sold there but the prices are very, very good indeed. Most of the traders are local suppliers and with several of them in one place we benefit from healthy competition and get to sample a lot of fruit!

Join your local organic box scheme
Subscribing to an organic food box scheme is a great way to choose organic produce with ease. You will receive, delivered to your door, a weekly selection of fruit and vegetables that are in season. This naturally varies throughout the year and so does the contents of your box.

Organic farm shops
Finally, investigate whether any farms near you are operating an organic farm shop. Our local one is operated on an open farm and we regularly take the kids there who enjoy being close to the animals and seeing the fields where the crops are grown close at hand. It is possible to see the conditions where the animals are being kept and the quality of the crops.

If you investigate the options above you should be able to make considerable savings in your food budget. Allowing you and your family to economically sample the delights and advantages of organic food.
About the author

Virginia Louise makes it easy to sample the delights of organic food. Pick up 7 free recipes all made with organic ingredients by visiting: http://www.organicfoodinfo.net

12 Foods To Eat Organic

By Temp

To be and stay healthy, you must eat healthy foods. An important part of a food being healthy is for the food to be certified organic. To be organic, foods must meet certain standards set by their accredited organic certification organization. Among the standards required for organic foods, is that the foods have to be grown or raised without use of toxic pesticides. The following is a list of some of the most important foods that should be organic if you are going to consume them. They are organized in no particular order.

1. Milk: Non-organically raised cows are stuffed with antibiotics and growth hormones. Make sure your milk and other dairy products are from organically-fed cows that haven’t been pumped with extra antibiotics. If you are buying and drinking goat milk or goat products, know that scientists have now genetically mutated a goat to spin silk in her milk.

2. Rice: Domestic rice contains mega-doses of pesticides. Buy organic rice where you can find it and store it in an airtight container.

3. Potatoes: The non organic variety is laden with pesticides or has been genetically-modified. Genetically modified potatoes impair the immune system and can shrink the brain, liver and heart.

4. Baby Food: The younger a person, the most susceptible they are to pesticides. There are many organic baby food brands now.

5. Green Beans: At least 60 different pesticides are used on green beans. Even beans used in baby food have been found to be contaminated.

6. Strawberries: Eat organic ones while they are in season from local organic farms or buy frozen organic strawberries from your local whole foods market.

7. Green and Red Bell Peppers: These excellent sources of Vitamin C are contaminated with pesticides. Buy these organic. Or, you can buy organic seeds and grow your own.

8. Corn: Corn doesn’t really have that many pesticide residues. But 75 to 90 percent of all domestic corn has been genetically-modified, and the average American eats 11 pounds of it. Also, most cooking oils include corn oil, and so many foods are sweetened with corn syrup. Eat local organic corn in season and freeze some for later.

9. Bananas: This tropical favorite isn’t ripe for very long and has a very long distance to travel to market. These two factors combined, leads to a lot of heavy chemical dousing during the process.

10. Cherries: These rich pieces of fruit are heavily doused in poison. Make sure that the cherries you buy are organic and clean for the best and sweetest taste out there.

11. Cucumbers: By the time the cucumbers in your salad have traveled from the farm to the plate, they are intoxicated with pesticides. Buy organic cucumbers to avoid eating pesticide-filled cucumbers.

12. Celery: Very much laced with pesticides that have been sprayed onto them from their first conception, cucumbers are definitely one vegetable that you should buy organic.All of these foods that have been discussed should be bought organic. Eating organic foods will ensure that your body will be the healthiest it can be.

Amber Singleton is a writer for OrganicBabyWearhouse. OrganicBabyWearhouse.com is your first stop for organic baby products. No matter if you are looking for organic baby food or organic baby clothes, OrganicBabyWearhouse.com can fulfill all of your organic baby needs.

Organic Herbs And Spices - Time To Make The Switch?

By Stephen C. Sharp

Did you know? Organically grown plants sprouted and harvested using absolutely no unnatural chemicals which means your food has less harmful chemicals. This not only helps protects you from chemicals that can cause cancer, heart disease, and other illnesses but it also helps protect the environment from these chemicals as well. When harmful chemicals are put into our soil it interferes which natures balance. Also these harmful pollutants can get into our lakes and rivers causing even more harm as time passes.

Production of organic products also includes a pledge to help conserve valuable natural resources. These producers conserve water by using less irrigation; they conserve soil by taking measures to prevent runoff; they also conserve valuable energy sources by working the land less and selling their food locally. By not using dangerous chemicals and by keeping natural non-farmed areas, organic producers also help to maintain wildlife biodiversity. The main goal of an organic farmer is to grow their crop without taking from the local environment. That way, the land will be available for future generations to farm.

Most of the nations today are dealing with severe problems of soil depletion and have become dependent on artificial fertilizers. With fall in the nutrient content of the soil, there is reduced nutritional value and crop yield. Soil depletion is caused by the combined effects of growing population densities, large-scale industrial logging, slash and burn agriculture and ranching. Other causes of depletion are over-tillage and overuse of inputs such as synthetic fertilizers and herbicides, which leave residues and buildups that inhibit micro-organisms. Though it is a worldwide problem, soil erosion has received little attention in terms of research or discussion. In many respects, it appears that soil conservation has been a neglected subject in agricultural economics during the last two or three decades.

Believe it or not just a few people changing to organic foods will help our planet as well as supplement ones body with much needed nutrients that are lacking in so many of the processed foods found on our grocery shelves. By buying organic products, and encouraging others to do so as well, you are taking a small dent out of the problems traditional agriculture is causing. You are also helping to send a message direct to some conventional farmers and growers that some of their methods are unethical and unacceptable. This makes it beneficial for not only your family, but for our future family members and friends.

Born and raised in the outskirts of Boston, Ma. With a deep backround in herbal nutriton I offer advice and tips on many natural remedies using only natural herbs and spices. See our huge variety of ready to ship freshly packaged organic herbs and spices at www.SharpWeblabs.com and www.FloridaHerbHouse.com or visit our retail store in Port Orange, Florida!

Organic Rice And Vegetable For Better Life

By Andri R.

Healthy life is the most choice for modern people nowadays, because healthy life can bring them to another choices which give theme more happiness. With healthy life, someone can do a lot of activities they want to do, for examples he can come together with people he love, travelling to amazing places, sharing each other, or another hobby he can do, which can’t do when he isn’t healthy.

One factor which can influence human health is food. Technology expansion in modern life doesn’t always give positive impact in food industry. Basically, food we eat everyday is a natural substance. But in fact, the food precisely contains a lot of chemical substance which comes from pesticide and chemical fertilizer. Remember too about synthetic growth hormone for plants inside food. That’s all because some farmers want to produce faster with high amount and more profit they get.

Basically, human body doesn’t need this chemical substances, moreover in large amount can cause some deseases and toxic substance in our blood and body. Since we were a baby, we consume food with chemical substance as long as we live until now. Can you imagine how much this chemical substance are accumulate in our body? While we almost never clean it with cleansing method. The entering toxics are not balance with exhausted toxics. Finally, this causes a lot of deseases in our body.

Natural and organic products rapidly developed as human awareness and need in healthy life increase. This time, there are a lot of organic products has been produced by organic farmers such as organic rice and organic vegetable. This food product can be an alternative for modern life to change food pattern from chemical substance into organic one to decrease its negative impact caused by chemical substance.

What are organic rice and vegetable?

Organic rice and vegetable are food product which is produced naturally without chemical processing or with no synthetic substances like pesticide, herbicide, chemical fertilizer, and no hormone injection. The process is without ionization radiation or genetic modification. It use organic fertilizer to grow. Organic rice and vegetable contain better nutrient for human body and also can be an alternative for treatment.

Why people choose organic food?

There are 8 reasons why they eat organic food

1. Begin with what we eat

2. Stop consuming chemical substance

3. To protect children’s health

4. To protect water, land, and air quality.

Impact of organic rice and vegetable for ecosystem is very good. It can fertile the soil and the micro organism in the soil grow naturally which can give amazing mineral and vitamin substance. Nature balance and the habitat can be preserved naturally.

5. To protect the farmer’s health

6. To support micro industry of domestic farmer

7. To save money from treatment

8. Because organic food’s taste is delicious.

There are another different reason for modern people why they choose organic food. And your reason is inside you. Organic rice and vegetable can bring us into better life. No more money for illness treatment, no more chemical substance in our body, and no more complaint for bad condition of life. Be an organic consumer!

For further information, please visit Warung Organik provides Beras Organik And Sayur Organik

Can Eating These Organic Foods Assist in Re-growing Thinning Hair?

By Willie Jones

Hair loss for men and women can be devastating to your confidence and sociability. Women especially can experience much anguish over thinning hair.

However, there are options to slow, stop or reverse this condition.

1. Hair transplants. This is probably the most invasive, expensive but quickest method to getting back a full head of hair. For those who have the time and money this may be an option for you.

2. Medicinal topical treatments. These are liquids or shampoo type products that you use over time to re-grow hair.

3. Diet! The food you eat can have a tremendous impact on hair loss and hair re-growth.Nutrient rich blood flow to the scalp is essential for natural hair growth and luster. Dry brittle hair is a symptom of poor hair health. Excessive oil is also a symptom of poor hair health.

Hair needs good oils, monounsaturated fats and polyunsaturated fats. These are the good fats that help keep the LDL cholesterol down and are heart friendly as well as healthy for your hair such as; almonds, walnuts, pecans, hazelnuts, peanuts, pistachios, and good oils such as olive oil, flaxseed oil or hemp oil. Flaxseed oil is high in omega 3 but even better is hemp oil that has the correct balance of omega-3 and omega-6, which is very important for healthy hair.

Studies done about Japan pre World War II showed that Japanese men maintained a full head of hair and that it was not until the western diet where saturated fatty foods were introduced that there was a rise in baldness.

Healthy hair also needs B-vitamins. These vitamins assist in making red blood cells which carry oxygen to all the cells and this is important for hair health. Foods that contain B-vitamins are; whole grains such as wheat, oats, quinoa, wheat germ and brewers yeast, also chicken, turkey, sea foods, dairy products, eggs, leafy green vegetables and a variety of beans.

The importance of minerals is often under estimated. A lack of minerals such as iron, calcium, magnesium, copper, zinc and silica can contribute to hair thinning. Some mineral rich foods are dark leafy greens, sprouts, sea weed, fruits and vegetables.

Vegetables that are high in these minerals are; Squash,Sweet potato and regular potatoes, Lima beans, Peas, Spinach, Kale, Avocados, Cucumbers, Broccoli, Peas

Fruits high in these minerals; Kiwis, Blueberries, Citrus fruits, Blackberries, Bananas, Strawberries, Tomatoes

Nuts high in these minerals; Pecans, Brazil nuts, Pine nuts, Pumpkin seeds, Walnuts, Sun flower seeds

Vitamin C is also and important vitamin for hair health and absorption of minerals such as iron. Fruit, especially citrus fruits are high in this vitamin.

Hair is mostly made up of protein and a protein rich diet of sea foods, poultry, eggs and nuts helps to keep hair lustrous. If you are going to eat red meat, choose very lean cuts.

If you stick to eating a common sense diet of fresh fruits, vegetables, meats and nuts you should do well overall. Processed foods should not your first choice for food. Most of these foods contain preservatives, pesticides and MSG which are not necessarily the best choice if you are trying to resolve your hair issue.

Organic foods not only taste better but have a higher nutrient content which is what you want if you are trying to improve the condition of your hair. If you are entertaining the idea of a hair transplant, changing your diet before hand, during and after can enhance the overall experience. The same goes for topical treatments. Good luck!

Willie is co-owner of http://www.joneshaircare.com a site devoted to providing information in helping men and women with hair loss, and to assist with doctor developed products for hair re-growth and hair care.

Organic Food For Weight Loss

By: Robert Baird

At present the market is flooded with scores of weight loss supplements and with the percentage of obese individuals increasing in number with the passage of time, it is doubtless that these supplements make brisk business. However, it is necessary to make individuals aware of the fact that most of these weight loss supplements are not effective in causing weight loss and the usage of some of these are detrimental to the body and its organs as well. Under such circumstances, it is safest to follow the various guidelines that have been set down by the United States Food and Drugs Administration or FDA and buy only those products which have been sanctioned by the FDA. The latest fad to have reached the market is organic food and it is considered to be very effective in causing weight loss. it is primarily necessary to realize what is meant by the term organic food. Organic food simply refers to those food components which have been produced naturally without the use of synthetic supplements or pesticides or preservatives of any kind. While at present certified organic food are widely available, researchers have opined that not only are these organic food extremely nutritious and beneficial for health, but at the same time they are quite tasty as well. One of the major reasons due to which organic food are considered to have an edge over cooked food is that heat used at the time of cooking changes the composition of the proteins, fat and carbohydrate contents and it also leads to the loss of various important nutrient elements and enzymes which are of good use to the body. On the other hand, organic food aids considerably in weight loss and the consumption of organic food makes a person feel more energized and full and as a result of swift bowel movements, the absorption of nutrients is faster and it prevents the accumulation of excess fat. Organic food helps in the cleansing of the blood stream and facilitates swift removal of toxins form the body.

Natural organic food not only aids in losing weight but in course of this process it does not compromise with the nutritional value of the food substances consumed. All nutritional elements that benefit the body are retained. Organic foods are natural substances and hence they are valuable for maintaining a healthy lifestyle while aiding in excess weight reduction and shedding of excess calories.

Organic Herbs-Thing To Consider When Buying

By: Michael Manning

Organic herbs that are grown by large corporate farmers have and obvious pricing advantage in the market place against smaller local growers. There are hidden and unmentioned factors that may change ones decision as to whether pricing is most important in buying organic herbs and other organic foods. In a supply and demand marketplace the pendulum is swinging in favor of organic food growers. Now the battle is on with the large ones vs. the small local ones. If you factor in the cost to the environment from farming practices and potency reducing transportation times you may find the small local growers are very comparable in price over the long term.

The best choice for purchasing organic herbs is to buy from small scale local family farmers. The fact that small local organic herb growers have greater control over their growing practices (pesticide use) and have virtually no potency reducing transportation times (environmental pollution) ensures that the long term dangers to the nations health is reduced. He is likely growing his produce organically. The higher prices come from the supply and demand continuum. Slower and smaller production ensures higher prices. All commerce is a matter of economics when buying in bulk. Larger growers have discounted pricing but result in larger indirect costs of health problems as a result of the corporate farming practices. Large scale farmers tend to focus on one or two herbs and grow the same ones on the same soil over and over while never allowing the soil to replenish its nutrients through other crop growth and/or resting the soil. The fact of poor nutrition and environmental pollutants leading to disease give credence to the importance of what should be a very simple choice when purchasing organic foods. Additionally you must consider the time issue. Buying locally ensures that the product is properly dried and not sitting on railroad cars or trucks while in green state and going though the dying time in the presence of road pollutants and pest laden railroad cars.

If possible it is always cheaper in the long run to buy organic herbs in bulk than those that are not organic. Even though you pay a higher premium you still have to deal with the environmental damage done with pesticides and health issues stemming from their use. Due to that fact that large scale growers aren't able crop rotate their land the disease resistance factor in the plants is reduced over time, thereby requiring more petroleum based fertilizers and pesticides to deliver a crop. Because of these issues and the longer term financial impact on you, at the end of the day you will still pay a price comparable to bulk organic herbs.

8 Toxic Terrors In Your Daily Food

By: Valeri Mae

There will be a whole load of invitations to parties during the year-end festivities and most diets would be flushed down the drain.

Still, it’ll be sad when the Christmas tree finally has to come down but you soon realised you’re coming down with something yourself too.

The many hours of partying, feasting, and downing bottles of wine are likely to leave you with the post party-bloat which is quite unattractive and definitely, unhealthy. A good friend once joked, “If you are what you eat, then I am fat and sweet”. It sounded funny at the time, but the sentence may have more truth to it than I dared to think. But before you dismiss it thinking, “Nah, I don’t binge like that,” we urge you to reconsider the toxic terrors you might unconsciously be ingesting on a daily basis. And we all know the daily habits are the worst.

Your Daily Latte

The benefits of caffeine or lack of it is a constant debate. But while you sit sipping your late and wait for the scientists’ final verdict, be aware that you’re consuming more fats and sugar than you can afford. Your daily caramel latte has enough full fat milk and sugar that could average a medium sized chocolate bar.

Your Alcohol

A glass of red once in a while may have some health benefits. Problem is, in this day and age, we never stop at one glass especially when you find that buying a bottle is cheaper than going by glasses. Line up the men in a bar and they can easily perform a beer belly dance for you. That’s because just one pint could contain the same number of calories as a sugary doughnut - imagine the many doughnuts that fill the jug! A pint a night could tot up to a thousand calories a week or every year, up to 6kg ! Bad for your figure, heart and your liver!

Your Fizzy Drink

One can of fizzy drink contains 6-7 teaspoons of sugar. Add that up and it totals up to 24 bags of sugar a year. Fizzy drinks are laced with additives, some of which have ben linked to health problems, including bloating, headaches, asthma, allergies, and possible hyperactivity and poor concentration in kids.

Your Happy Meal

With fast food chains popping up at every corner, it won’t be long until we eat around two billion fast food meals in a year. A Burger King® meal has around 1800 calories. That is almost all of the calories you need for a whole day, which for most people is around 2000 calories. There is a lot of fat, including over 8 grams of unhealthy trans fat.The large order of fries contains 500 calories, half of which come form fat. There are 28 grams of total fat, 6 grams of saturated fat and 6 grams of trans fat. The french fries also have over 800 milligrams of sodium and 60 grams of total carbohydrates, no different from those pack of potato chips you’ve been trying to avoid. Also, avoid sodium and MSG intake often used in Chinese food takeaways. Try to cook at home whenever possible because only then can you monitor what goes into your mouth.

Your White Stuff

The nutritionist will tell you that to lose weight you need to cut out all the white stuff: white bread, white rice, and white pasta. Foods such as those become white after being bleached and stripped of all their nutrients. For instance, processed white bread is full of chemical improvers and double the amount of yeast that you really need, which can lead to vaginal infections and thrush.Your Processed MeatProcessed and ground meats from supermarkets are often derived from bone, fat, gristle and skins as fillers. On top of that, fat mixture is a whole lot of other health-damaging ingredients such as gelatine, natrium, starch, preservatives and additives. You slap the ham between slices of bread to make a sandwich and use the ground meat for cooking pasta - all the while thinking you’re consuming healthy, lean meat. You’re better off substituting grilled chicken for ham and chopping your own chicken breast to ensure you get only lean meat in your cooking.

Your Chocolate and Cookies

Take a walk down the supermarket aisle. You’d notice that the imported chocolates are getting bigger and we get plenty of high-fat cookies to choose from. If you comped a standard size bar every day of the year on top of your normal daily intake, you could gain anything up to 12kg! So chocoholics be warned - it would take about 1 hour on a bike to burn off a single bar!

Your Hidden Sugar

Sugar is found in almost every food and if you’re not careful, you might be consuming additional sugar. One can of baked beans can contain up to 4 teaspoons of sugar, a tub of fruit yogurt could contain as many as 7 teaspoons of sugar. You should also avoid high sugar fruits such as mangoes, pineapples and bananas. Have them only as a treat. Choose healthier fruits such as berries, kiwis, and apples which are high in fibres.

Valerie Mae is a natural and organic beauty and wellness practitioner. She is part of the Organic Passion team that are dedicated in educating people on the benefits of eliminating chemicals and adopting a natural and organic lifestyle. Read more about their organic findings at http://www.organicpassion.info

Eating Organic Food To Improve Your Health

By: Darrell Knox

Organic food is food that has been grown without the use of toxic chemicals, pesticides or fertilizers. The food is as natural as can be, safer for the environment and usually tastes better too. Most importantly though, eating this food is healthier for you and may provide many health benefits, which is what this article is all about.

Even though further research needs to be done to gain a better understanding of the benefits of organic food, there is still much valuable information to share with you.
Before we discuss the actual health benefits of eating whole food, lets take a look at the advantages it has over non-organic food.

It's a fact that this food is highly nutritious and contains higher levels of vitamins and minerals. Vitamin C and minerals like magnesium, calcium and iron are just some of the nutrients organic food contains higher amounts of.

Whole foods also contain higher amounts of antioxidants, which help reduce the risk of developing cancers.

You may be surprised to know, but the vegetables we eat today are nowhere near as nutritious as they were 50 or even 15 years ago. Farmers tend to take shortcuts when growing food, and the fastest way is generally not the best way to do something. This trend is expected to continue, so if eating highly nutritious food is important to you, looking into organic foods is something worth considering.

If you were wondering why organic food hasn't exactly taken the world by storm, it's mainly due to the extra cost associated with organic growing. Demand is greater than supply and as a result, you can expect to pay about 20% extra for this kind of food..

Numerous studies have been conducted to find out the benefits whole foods can provide us humans. Many results are still fairly inconclusive however there have been many reported cases of benefits when animals are fed organic food.

The reason for the vagueness in health benefits is due to many reasons such as: incorrect method of testing and the lengthy time it takes to determine results of this nature. However several studies have shown benefits such as:

Decline in colds and other conditions

Improves dental healthImproves flow of your overall system

Greater chance of sprains and fractures

Reduces chance of injuryBetter over health

As mentioned, the subject of organic food vs non organic food is very iffy and many researches believe that this food provides little to no health benefits.Thinking about it logically, surely food that has been grown as it was intended to and that contains no added toxic chemicals has to be considerably healthier for us.

Whether the extra cost associated with organic food is worth the money is entirely up to the person. There is insufficient evidence to say something like "eating whole foods will reduce the likelihood of getting heart disease".

Even though it's likely that eating organic food will produce significant healthier benefits long term, as of now it comes more down to ones opinion than solid fact.

Darrell Knox is a writer and entrepreneur with 15 years of home business and marketing experience.Website: http://myacenaturals.com/naturals.pl/chondroitin/pure.html/acne/vitamin.html

Organic Or Just Perticide Free?

'Organic' are not just 'pesticide free'. And actually, the two words are far from being the same.

Organic foods are produces that were grown without the use of conventional pesticides and artificial fertilizer or hormones. The results are foods that are more nutritious and safer than those produced by other methgods.

Preticide free foods are produces that were grown with the use of pesticides or artificial fertilizers but under controlled speculations. The crops must be harvested after a regulated period of time and are totally safe for consuming. But the tase and freshness are definitely inferior of those organic produced.

The Whole Truth

The word refined is a compliment when it comes to your sense of style, but for your diet it's another thing entirely. Studies show that eating whole, rather than refined, grains may help rduce your risk of heart disease, ward off diabetes, and control cholesterol. In fact, the U.S. government recommends at least three daily servings of whole grains, but most Americans get only one. That's partly because the grains in most packaged foods are refined, which strips away the bran (the outer layer, containing fiber, vitamins, and minerals) and the germ (the antioxident-and vitamin-rch core). What remains ia the endosoerm, which is mostly carbohydrates.

The good news: Whole grain breads and other prooducts--crackers, bagels, cookies--are now easier to find. But sorting out the healthy from the merely filling can be tricky. "When buying a loaf of bread or a box of cereal, consider the front of the package an advertisement, "says Denver based dietitian Maureen Callahan. "You can't tell what's in it, even if you see the words 'good source' and 'whole grains.' " Instead, when buying a whole-grains product, follow these steps:

- Check the ingredient list and make sure the first one listed is a whole grain. Some whole grains include whole wheat (it must contain the word whole-unbleached wheat flour and cracked wheat don't count), whole cornmeal, and even popcorn.

- Look at the fiber content. There should be at least three grams of fiber in a slice of bread and five or more per serving of cereal.

You Are Not What You Eat

Photo by: thechubbybunny

You may be familia with the UK television programme "You Are What You Eat", which adviser participants that their health problems directly reflect the food they consume.

The basic idea is simple: if the person readjusts their habits and starts eating different foods, their problems can be reduced. However, there's a problem -eating healthier foods, may not be enough, because the body isn't always able to absorb all the nutrients they contain. When this is the case, you are not what you eat.

So, what affects the body's ability to absorb nutrients? Eating stuff like burnt or deep fried food cause toxic debris to collect along the intestinal walls. Futher malfunction of the intestine is caused by alcohol.

When these problems build up, they result in a lower absorption of nutrient from food consumed. Accumulation of toxic substances also leads to irritation and inflammation of the large intestine, thus increasing the risks of cancer.

Over-consumption of healthy foods can also affect the large intestine. Dairy products, sugar and fermented food promote yeast growth in the bowel, too much of which increases the debris in the intestinal wall, futher affecting its ability to absorb nutrients. The result is an increase in the level of allergic reactions to today's urban lifestyle.

The key to a healthier lifestyle then is to moderate your consumption of yeast-producing food and cut out toxic substances from your diet.

The Truth About Junk Food And The Effect On Your Health

Author by: Joseph Then

Photo by: .anja

Let's face it, junk food is, as the name suggest, just pure junk. While it tastes great, it has very little nutrition content and it will cause some health issues in the near future.
First, let me say that I am not advocating a total abstain of junk food but a moderation of it.
There are many people out there that are not thinking of their general health all the time when they are thinking of something to eat all the time. With all the fast food restaurants out there many do not think about exactly what they are eating all the time.

There is nothing wrong with eating at fast food restaurants but you really need to watch what you are eating all the time. If you were to think about it what you eat really reflects your general health all the time.

If you are one that eats a lot of junk food then you could be run down all the time and gaining weight on a regular basis. You may not notice it right away but your friends and family will see that you are not doing as well as you used to and that is because of the junk food that you are eating all the time.

If you have been told that you are looking real ragged then you are going to want to stop and look at what you are eating and doing in your life that would make you look ragged. Once you have accomplished and narrowed down a list of what may be making you look ragged then you are going to want to change some or all of your habits. When you make an effort of changing your habits then you are going to see that you are going to end up in better general health than what you were in before.

When you are in good general health you will notice that you are going to have more energy and be more alert to what you are doing and what is going on around you in the end. Your family and friend will also notice that you are doing better and even looking better in the end as well. That is because when you are in good general health you are going to end up showing it with everything that you do so that everyone will notice what you have accomplished in the end.

In conclusion, you should not be eating too much junk food. It does nothing but causing some negative health issues for you.

5 Tips To Avoid Eating Junk Food & Stay Healthy And Slim

Photo by: mauricesvay

What do you mean by junk foods?
These are foods which are low in nutrition but high in calories. They contain a high amount of fat, oil, salt or sugar. Examples can include too much chocolate or candies, potato chips, over-fried items etc.

Needless to say they can be bad for your weight loss efforts and even bad for health if you eat too much of these junk foods. For better health, we need to stay away from eating junk food as much as possible because they come with so many bad effects.

While it may not be so easy to completely cut down on eating junk food, we can certainly lessen our consumption with a little bit of determination. By lessening consumption of junk food we can also curb over-eating to a certain extent thereby helping in proper weight management.
Instead of eating junk food we can then develop the habit of eating healthier foods and eating food in moderate quantities. Below are some tips to help you stay away from eating junk foods.

How to Avoid Eating Junk Food? 5 Tips to Help You:
1. Don't buy junk food: Avoid buying junk food while shopping for your monthly or weekly grocery at the store. If you don't buy junk food then it can be easier to stay away from them.
Try to keep your fridge free from tons of junk and unhealthy or fattening foods. So sometimes even if you feel like having some junk snacks or gulping down a coke, you will not be able to do so because its not available now. You have to go out and buy it which may prevent you from giving in to the temptation.

2. Developing healthy eating habits early: If we can teach our children to eat healthy foods right from childhood, then they may grow up to become healthy eaters. They may be less prone to eat junk food later on in life.

And it is all the more important to teach children healthy eating habits because they are more likely to be attracted to junk food. So we may need to pay more attention in teaching them healthy eating habits.

Also as adults we need to lead by example. So we too will have an added incentive to stay away from junk foods because we don't want to set a bad example for our kids.

3. Educating yourself about junk food: Many people do not fully realize the negative effects of junk food not just for weight loss but also for the health in general. By fully educating yourself and others about the negative and bad effects of junk food, it can become relatively easier for us to stay away from them.

4. Keeping a food journal: This tip can be very handy to curb eating junk food and to curb overeating. Write down in a journal what you eat everyday - whether its healthy eating or bad eating, note everything down.

At the end of the day if you look at your journal you may be shocked to see your very own eating habits. If you keep doing this for few days you may realize how bad your eating habits really are and may find a new inner determination to overcome this bad habit at all costs!

5. Substitute healthy foods for junk foods: Write down the common junk foods you frequently consume like soft drinks, sweets, chips, fried and oily items etc. Next make a list of healthy foods that you can eat instead of the junk items. This list can include carrots, cucumber, tomatoes, fruit and vegetable juices etc.

Most of the times, we do not eat either for taste or due to hunger. We just want to munch on something which can lead to eating junk food. In such cases, we can munch on healthier and low calorie items like carrots, cabbage etc instead of eating junk food.

Replacing your junk food snacks with healthier options can be one great way to avoid eating junk food and staying healthy, lean and fit! With the help of the above tips you can overcome this bad habit and finally be able to say a firm no to junk foods!

How To Buy Organic Without Spending A Lot

Author by Jake Samples

If you're interested in buying organic but are worried about the cost you will soon learn that not all organic food stores, online or off are created equal, and there are many places you can find affordable organic foods if you just take the time to look.

One important point that many don't take into consideration is the strict standards that are associated with the making and selling of organic foods. Companies claming to sell fully organic foods should do so with the backing of Quality Assurance International (QAI) or the USDA. When shopping, be sure to look for certified organic labels. All food that meets industry standards should be labeled properly. This is one of the best and easiest ways to make sure that you are buying organic food.

Another easy way that you can make sure that you are buying organic foods is by carefully choosing the stores that you shop at. If you have access to a organic or natural food store, you are urged to shop there. Locally owned and operated stores are often smaller in size; therefore you should be able to ask any question or speak with a manager if you have any concerns, which is a nice option for many to have. With that being said, you shouldn't have any problems, as most specialty stores go out of their way to ensure that they are only selling one hundred percent natural, organic foods.

The internet can also be used to shop for organic foods, but you will want to be cautious of online grocery stores that sell a wide range of foods. This can sometimes make it more difficult for you to find and buy organic foods. For that reason, you may want to stick with specialty online organic food stores. You can also examine many organic product manufacturers, as some, like Earth's Best Organic, have online stores where their products are sold. These online websites and stores can easily be found with a easy Google or Yahoo search.

As previously stated, a nice and safe way to shop for organic food locally is by visiting a specialty organic or natural food store. If you don't have access to one of those stores and if you don't want to shop online, you can examine your local supermarkets or grocery stores. Most do sell organic foods, but usually only a limited number. What you will want to do is look for an organic food section. This can help to make sure that you are buying organic foods. With that in mind, be cautious of your surroundings and be on the lookout for out of place foods, as they may not be organic, just dropped by a customer who no longer wanted the item in question.

The above mentioned steps are just a few of the many that you can take to make sure that you are buying one hundred percent organic foods. The good news is that these steps are all easy to implement. As previously stated, make sure that you are buying one hundred percent natural foods. For that reason, be on the lookout of foods that only claim to have some organic ingredients, as they may not be considered truly organic products.

Pick 'N' Mix

Dried fruit and nut mixes are delicious, healthy and can be beautifully presentd for gifts.

Mixed Fruit & Nuts
Dried fruitand nuts-not only as a taste sensation, but the fruit aids the body's absorption of nutrients from the nuts. It contains hair-nourishing walnuts and figs, which are a good source of calcium.
Mediterranean Dried Apricots
Dried apricots are full of beta carotene, which is good for the eyes and is thought to help reduce the bloating feeling often felt by women when menstruating.
California Pitted Prunes
Well-known for their high fibre content, prunes are also good anti-oxidants, which help prevent cell damage
Bit Mix
These mixed nuts from Australia contain cashews, which are full of iron and almonds, which are high in fibre and contain low fat.
Thompson California Raisins
Raisins are sweet, tasty snacks that make great alternatives to sweets, especially for kids. They're also known to be effective against tooth and gum disease.
Mixed Fruit & Nuts With Cranberries
Directly ordered from Australia. There are cranberry, almond, apricot, including the pineapple, containing a high fibre.
American Soft & Moist Cranberries
Dried cranberries are packed with vitamin C and work just as well as fresh ones in helping prevent and clear up urinary tract infections.
Crunchy Salad, Toppers
Brighten up a salad with delicious slithers of almonds, protein-packed pumpkin seeds, and pine nuts, which contain Vitamin D, known to be good for bones and teeth.

5 Reasons Why Organic Food Is Better

Photo by misscharo

East Wise, Eat Organic

Pesticides, chemical and hormone free, organic products also contain more health giving vitamins and minerals while encouraging a natural environment. As more and more shoppers discover the health and environmental benefits of organically grown foods.

5 Reason Why Organic Food Is Better

1. Organic farming is better for wildlife. Wildlife is sustantially richer and more varied on organic than on conventional farms.

2. Organic farming is better for the soil. Organic fields have deeper vegetation, and organic soils help plants absorb nutrients.

3. Organic food is better for animal reproduction. Animals fed on organic food have higher rate of egg production.

4. Organic food contains more nutrients. Organic crops had higher nutrient levels. Organic foods showed increased quantity of vitamins A, C, E and the B group, elements and minerals.

5. Organic food is safer. Organic food supports a biologically diverse, healthy environment and limits toxic and long-lasting chemicals in our environment.

A Bug's Life

Organic farming follows a procedure of ‘integrated pest management’ whereby the natural ecosystem is carefully maintained and allowed to flourish. At organic farms, insects such as ladybirds and black beetles are introduced as means of controlling parasites.

However, bugs alone don’t prevent crops being destroyed and natural, plant-based pesticides are also used. Examples include rotenone, which is derived from legumes and hot pepper wax, made from cayenne pepper, which is adept at repelling numerous pess while also deterring birds, rabbits and squirrels without causing any harm.

Organic farms have also enlisted the help of science by developing natural oil pesticides. Emulsified vegetable oils such as soybean and canola oil are proven to be effective deterrents against pests.

The organic expert said that “Like most organic farms we used bugs and plant based pesticides, but it’s most important to ensure the soil is fertile and well-balanced by not over farming it. I liken organic farming to merit making, in that we produce good food for consumers while giving back to the environment.”

Tips to Use Less Water in your Thriving Organic Food Garden

Author: Julie Williams

Water is arguably our most precious resource. All living things need water to survive. But we don’t just want our productive organic food gardens to survive, we want them to thrive! And a growing plant uses a lot more water than one that is just surviving. Every part of the plant growing process uses water.

When plants start to become dehydrated they stop photosynthesising, close their stomata, stop taking in nutrients and stop growing. It can take a few days for some plants to recover even if there has been no tissue damage. So it is vitally important not to let your plants become dehydrated (just like yourself).

Not enough water can kill or stunt your plants. Sometimes mild water stress can be a good thing, as it encourages plants to send their roots down deeper into the soil, making them more drought tolerant. The aim is to use as little water as possible without causing stress.

Ways to use less water
1. Create soils that are made up of humus and organic matter. These soils can hold lots of water and plants can easily draw it up. It has great water-holding capacity as well as having a high nutrient content.

2. Mulch the soil surface. This reduces evaporation, keeping the underlying soil moist for longer. Any mulch is better than no mulch, even if it’s underfelt (the older kinds are safer) or newspaper. This also prevents soil erosion.

3. Use drip irrigation – preferably under the mulch or soil surface. There are purpose made recycled hoses available now that are perfect for the job. You can save up to 90% by using drip irrigation rather than a sprinkler.

4. Only water when it is needed and as much as is needed. If you’re not sure, try the finger test. Yes – poke your finger into the soil to see if it is moist or dry. Make sure the water penetrates as deep as the roots, but it’s a waste to water any deeper than that.

5. If you live where summers are really hot, plant crops under partial shade. It could be shade from a pergola or tall plants such as sweet corn.

These are simple methods to reduce your water consumption. You could also consider collecting your own water. If we all had rain-water tanks attached to our houses it would not only give us clean, free water, but would reduce the amount of water that ends up in our storm water drains. It is also much better for food gardens as mains water is often high in salts, chlorine and fluoride. Re-use of “grey” water is also another way to reduce how much water we consume. It can be used on lawns and other plants in the garden that are not for food production.

About Author:
Julie is an avid organic gardener and recycler, living on a small country property in South Australia. Her mission is to encourage as many people as possible to garden organically. Please visit her website for great info Beginners Organic Gardening or Companion Planting Guide www.1stoporganicgardening.com

A Beginners Guide To Healthy Organic Gardening

My first attempt at Organic Gardening

Photo by courtneysue75

These tips are just a few of the things about your organic gardening soil which are important. It makes common sense that your body will benefit from less toxic weed killers and pesticides, and your soil and garden insects will help improve the entire environment around you.

Organic gardening is not as difficult as many beginning gardeners believe it is. Quite simply it means you are going to plant your garden without using synthetic fertilizers, for making the plants grow and chemical pesticides to control the bugs. It really falls back to the farming principles used centuries ago before all the toxic chemicals started to be spread and spayed on all our plants and the ground.

The best way to make sure you get the biggest returns from your labor, regardless if its going to be flowers, herbs, veggies or a mish mash of several plants it's best to have a detailed plan. And the best time to formulate your plan is in the fall or autumn, right after the fall growing season ends. This way you will have enough time to prepare the ground before the spring planting season begins.

Now is the time for you to actually determine what your selected ground is going to need, in the way of the proper nutrition to help your vegetation grow. Your plants will do well if they can receive about six hours of sunlight per day. In almost all cases positioning of your planting area in the south-east part of your ground will give more than adequate amounts of sunshine.

Once the proper location has been determined the next step is preparing the ground where you will be planting. To make the weed and grass removal successful you should perform the initial removal, then go back again a couple of weeks later and remove the weeds and grass which will have grown in the meantime. Turning the soil over two or three times with a rest of a couple of weeks in between helps to make sure you have weeded the roots out as well from the soil. Then mix in organic manure from chickens, cows or horses. Then laying a thick layer of wood chip or shredded newspaper on top will help to mulch the soil from drying out too much in summer, and protect the soil in winter.

You can also create an on-going compost cycle in your garden plot by simply digging in your fresh kitchen plant waste in spots that you rotate around the patch. This is a much simpler way to feed the soil than the compost bin, if you are unable to get that delicate balance right. Buying some worms for your soil is also a good idea if you don?t see them as you dig your soil. They are the best way to break down foods, aerate and fertilize the soil all year around.

Most people believe that chemical insecticides are essential to keep a garden under control. People think that without using chemical based pesticides, you just can?t control bug infestations. However, one of the best all natural ways to control the pest is to use their mortal enemy, birds.

It is very simple to attract birds to your garden every year, especially if you provide them with sheltered nesting areas. Not only do you furnish a nesting area for them but make water fully accessible to them. You can put something as simple as an attractive, large, water container or bird bath. Once the birds have been drawn to your garden and realize they can feast on your bug infestation your problem will be solved. And if you also provide some birdseed for the colder months the birds will know to always come back to your garden each season.

Also make sure you always plant plenty of flowering bushes that attract the bees and ladybird beetles. Learn the insects that help to pollinate your crops and that kill the destructive bugs. It is all about just helping Mother Nature to do what she does naturally.

It also makes sense to simply plant a bit more than you know you will need for your personal use. One special reason I will cover more later in this article. But the main reason is to make allowances for the fact that you will lose a percentage of your crop to insects and birds, so why not simply plan for that loss in the initial planning anyway. You should after all, help to feed the insects and birds that will help you fight off the rest of your predators.

It also just makes common sense that with an organic garden you will be healthier as you are not breathing in toxic sprays you use, or absorbing chemicals on your skin while you work in the garden. You will not need to spend so much time in your garden wearing breathing mask, eye goggles and gloves!

An hour a day of working in your garden will also improve your health and help in weight loss (burning calories), improve your blood pressure levels, strengthen the heart and lungs, build muscle, sharpen the mind. You will relieve stress and sleep much better.

You will receive such a sense of well being when you have a fruitful harvest, you just can?t beat it. Your family, friends, co-workers will also be grateful for any of your crop that you share. You will know you have done your part to help ? Mother Nature? return to her natural state and touched all the other human beings by doing so.

What other ways can you share the benefit of growing an organic garden?

Did you know that there are even bigger benefits in organic gardening besides having a more beautiful garden or eating healthier veggies and fruits? Actually there are more special benefits than most people and organic gardeners ever think about.

You can help improve the lives of people in your local community or around the world. It is true. Did you know you can feed children around the world with your organic garden? It's really quite simple and only takes a little more planning and work on your part.

When you begin to plan your own personal natural garden you simply plan to layout a larger garden and plan for a bigger crop to harvest than you would need for your personal use. It doesn't make any difference if it's for flowers, veggies, fruits or bushes to beautify your yard. That is right! Just make it BIGGER. Then when it is time to harvest your crops, you will have more flowers, plants and veggies than you can possibly use by yourself.

Then, instead of carting buckets of spare fruit & veges to your workplace to give away, instead take the bounty to the local Farmers Market or the Flea Market and sell it. You should not have any problem at all selling ORGANIC produce, whether it is fruit, vegetables, flowers, or potted plants you strike from cuttings. The fact that they are organic will be a huge advantage, and means you can ask for premium prices and you may end up with a pocket full of cash.

You should find that most shoppers are generous, especially if you put up a big sign telling the shoppers that 100% of all profits will be donated to XYZ Charity.

Then take the cash from your market sales that day and donate it to your favorite "Feed The Children" charity. When you do this a starving child will benefit from your garden, long after you harvested your crops for your personal use.

And this is only a few of the multiple benefits of organic gardening, as you will discover for yourself over the years ahead.

If you are a real garden enthusiast, or just starting out to learn all there is about gardening, you will want to check out all the valuable information and gardening tips that Rajul Kaushik has put online for you for free. You can see at http://www.squidoo.com/gardening-resources as well as his blog at http://www.gardeningforgoodhealth.com/

Growing Organic Vegetables - Useful Tips

Author: Liz Canham

The Organic Garden

Photo by Organic Rose0366

Are you fed up with vegetables grown out of season, from who knows where which may look bright and shiny but which taste of absolutely nothing? Are you frightened as to what all those pesticides and other chemicals are doing to your family's health?
Well the answer is simple; grow your own organic vegetables and fruit. You will need to be prepared to devote quite some time and effort but the end result will be well worth it. Just think of those wholesome, tasty fruits and vegetables which you'll be able to put on your table at all times of the year.

What is organic gardening and why should you go to all that effort?
It is the growing of produce, flowers, shrubs and so on without the use of chemical pesticides and fertilizers which, organic gardeners believe, will result in flavorful, healthy and nutritionally beneficial food. This is because the soil is fertilized naturally and insects are kept away using natural materials too so there's no risk of ingesting or inhaling toxic chemicals. An additional benefit is the fresh air and exercise which you get digging and maintaining your own vegetable plot.

Possibly, although you're keen on this idea of growing your own organic food, you don't know where to start, so here are a few tips.

Firstly, make a plan. You need to decide where your veg garden will be, how big and what you're going to grow. Remember if you want food for all seasons, you'll need much more space than if you just want a few salad leaves for summer.

Now measure and dig out the area that you want to grow vegetables in, to a depth of about twenty five centimeters, turning it well. Dig in compost or horse, cow or pig manure for bulk and some organic fertilizer and leave it to work into the soil for around three or four weeks.
By this time, you're ready to plant your seedlings which you will have grown from seed in organic compost and you'll need to water them. There are two schools of thought regarding the watering of seedlings. One is that a weekly soaking is more beneficial because it strengthens the roots as they reach down for water; another is that when seedlings are very small, they should be well watered daily or they are at risk of becoming too dry. You could try giving them a good soaking preferably early in the morning or late in the evening, inspect them daily and if they look in danger of wilting, water again.

On your daily inspection tour, keep an eye out for aphids and other damaging insects. Prevention is better than cure so ensure that crops are free of disease before you plant them and keep the garden free of weeds and other debris. If you do find evidence of infestation, either pick off insects by hand or spray them with a mixture of washing up liquid and water or commercial organic insecticide soaps.

Weed prevention is also important or the weeds will take all the goodness from your soil. Hoe between your rows of plants every few days or when you see weeds appearing. Applying a mulch around your plants or even laying black plastic or other material will help to keep the weeds at bay and will also help to retain moisture.
Finally, pick your produce and enjoy the fruits of your labors; the flavor and goodness will make all that effort worth while.

About the Author
Liz Canham Liz is a keen gardener who has exchanged the relative ease of gardening in Southern England for the trials of gardening on the Costa Blanca in Spain, where her garden is at a 45% angle on the side of a mountain. Gardening For All
Published At: www.Isnare.com

VitalClay - Multi - Cooker

With the use of computerized clay-heating technology, this fully programmable 6-cup multi-cooker works great for making 30-minute meals, pasta dishes, steam and whole-grain rice, hearty stew, and more. The appliance provides an all-natural clay cooking pot made of mineral-rich Zisha clay, which enhances the flavor and texture of food and preserves essential nutrients. Due to its slightly porous nature and low thermal conductivity, the clay pot absorbs heat while maintaining a steady temperature--perfect for making rice or slow cooking. The cooking pot also offers a naturally nonstick, unglazed design, which means no nonstick chemicals coming in contact with food. Choose from four pre-programmed settings--regular rice, brown rice, stew, or soup. The cooker quickly brings food to a boil--up to four times faster than conventional slow cookers--then reduces the heat to a simmer for the desired time. Other highlights include a cupped heating pad to promote uniform cooking, automatic keep warm for up to 12 hours, a large LCD and 24-hour clock display, and an easy-to-clean design. The cooker measures approximately 10-3/5 by 9-4/5 by 14-2/5 inches and carries a one-year limited warranty. Read more.