The Filthy Chicken Rule, What It Means to Our Food – and How To Protect Your Family
Just when you thought the USDA was protecting you from food borne illness (not), they have come up with a plan that will surely cause more cases of salmonella and other pathogenic diseases, from the most deadly source of food poisoning cases – poultry factory farms.
In this USDA proposal, there are two things that will exponentially increase the probability that chickens will become even more contaminated than they already are by:
1 – dramatically reducing the number of government inspectors and use company workers instead to inspect.
2 – increasing factory line speeds from 140 birds per minute to 175 birds per minute.
What?
Are Corporations Not Making Enough Money from Factory Farming?
I guess not.
I guess the USDA feels it is appropriate to err on the side of caution to make sure factory farms make huge profits – since that is whom they are apparently protecting.
Wait a minute…
Isn’t the USDA supposed to PROTECT THE CONSUMER?
Organic Consumers Association calls it the Dead Inspector Rule. This scheme ensures that inspectors will miss a lot of sick birds, and potentially injure workers by setting the line speed too fast.
Additionally, will company paid inspectors (shills) actually report and remove sick birds?
Prisoners of Modern Commerce
Factory farm chickens are prisoners of modern commerce. They are held prisoner in tiny cages and fed antibiotics in order to fatten them up and to keep them alive in horrible, disease producing conditions.
Consumer Reports tested conventional factory farm chickens and found that 97% had bacteria that could make you sick.
According to an analysis of outbreaks from 1998 through 2008 by the National Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC),
{There are}… more deaths attributed to poultry than to any other commodity.
If you are buying factory farm chickens, you need to be sure to cook the chicken to at least 165º F in order to kill bacteria.
When you eat out can you rely on restaurants to always do this?
More Troublesome
More troublesome is the fact that there are many different strains of salmonella and some of them are resistant to antibiotics. Antibiotic resistant bacteria are linked to at least 2 million illnesses and 23,000 deaths in the U.S. each year.
If antibiotic-resistant bacteria continue to spread, this could lead to deadly infections after routine surgery or even a seemingly harmless cut, because the current drugs that doctors prescribe will have lost their effectiveness completely.
We are already on that rough road with MSRA.
Worse than That
Even worse, once the chickens go to the meat processing plant, most are dipped in a chemical cocktail to keep bacteria and other pathogens under control.
Labeling isn’t required, so consumers have no idea that there are toxic chemicals on their meat. Chemicals such as chlorine, tri-sodium phosphate (normally used to clean cement) and hypobromous acid (used to clean swimming pools).
These chemicals are used to try to control salmonella and sterilize feces that might still be on carcasses because the production line speeds are too fast.
That’s now.
What happens when the line speeds up and there are fewer inspections?
Even more worrisome is the fact in spite of the above described processing, Consumer Reports tested 4 of the large factory farm chicken brands that supply over half of all the chickens in grocery stores and found:
1 – Worrisome amounts of bacteria, even the chicken breasts labeled “no antibiotics” or “organic.”
2 – Almost none of the brands were free of bacteria.
3 – More than half of the chicken was tainted with fecal contaminants (enterococcus and E. coli) which can cause blood and urinary tract infections as well as other problems.
4 – About half of the samples tested positive for at least one multi-drug resistant bacteria and 11.5 % tested positive for two or more multi-drug resistant bacteria.
At the moment, the only way to protect yourself from becoming sick is to remain vigilant about safe handling and cooking.
I beg to differ.
There is another way to protect yourself and your family.
Support local farmers that practice biodynamic farming. The chickens are raised in a humane and healthy way with access to pastures and sunshine on a daily basis.
This type of chicken has a better fatty acid profile than a chicken feed only grain, which is high in omega 6 fatty acids. Chickens feed on pasture will have more of the omega 3 fatty acids that are healthier.
These chickens are never feed antibiotics or growth hormones – they are living the life they are supposed to be living and will provide a much healthier product.
Where to Source truly Free Range Chickens
The best way to source humanely raised chickens is to join a buyer’s club and purchase chickens from a local biodynamic farm.
Alternatively, this company sells chickens from biodynamic farms.
When you order from your local farmer, be sure to get a package of chicken feet and make some of my chicken feet broth from the bones of your biodynamic chicken and chicken feet!
It is criminal of the USDA to support regulations that make matters worse! We need a grassroots action to get them to understand that we won’t stand for this!
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Original article and pictures take realfoodforager.com site
While clay and liver may be excellent for our children’s diets, processed wood pulp most certainly is not. Yet it’s found in everything from packaged hamburgers and shredded cheese to ice cream and breakfast cereal. (source)
This, of course, brings us to the point – there’s a lot of fake food out there these days, and I assume most of us would like to avoid it if at all possible.
So, when Stephanie asked the contributing writers this month to write about “tough topics” when it comes to food issues, I thought I’d take a closer look at ten of the most common fake food ingredients and additives and how we can avoid them. You can see the first five here and read the second five in the upcoming part two.
Yes, it’s important to know what’s in our food, to be educated and thoughtful consumers, and to be responsible parents who feed our children good, nourishing food.
But at the end of the day, if you’re stressing about the cookie your daughter brought home from a party because it was coated in artificial frosting or losing sleep over the fact that you bought frozen pizza in order to have quick backup meals on hand, then it’s just not worth it. Do as much as you can while maintaining deep joy – after all, that’s the healthiest way to live.
Want to avoid processed foods? Want to eat healthier? Grab a copy of my new book, The DIY Pantry, now at booksellers nationwide. You’ll find 150+ recipes for pantry staples that you used to buy but can now easily make at home, including crackers, cookies, condiments, cake mixes, beverages, breads, soups, and SO MUCH MORE. The book was just released this week, so find it on the “featured” table at your local bookseller or grab it at Amazon.
Common Fake Food Ingredients and How to Avoid Them
Basically, the best way to avoid fake foods is to eat real food! For the sake of this article, “real food” is merely food made from fresh ingredients that have been grown, caught or foraged rather than manufactured.
Also, you may recognize a few of these from our article last year when we published the list of 7 Foods to Avoid.
Artificial Growth Hormones / rGBH
What they are:
Artificial growth hormones are hormones that are given to bovines in order to help them grow bigger and produce more milk. They are synthetic versions of the natural growth hormones that naturally occur in cattle. The version used for dairy cattle – often referred to as rBGH or “recombinant bovine growth hormone” – are genetically modified.
Although the USDA and FDA claim these hormones are safe, there is growing concern that hormone residues in meat and milk are harmful to the health of both humans and animals, as well as there are unknown long-term environmental effects (such as the leaching of hormones from bovine manure into groundwater and soil that will be used in organic food production).
How they affect us:
If growth hormones are present in the meat we eat and the milk we drink, then those hormones are taken into our systems as well. The effects are purported to range from problems in physical development, reproductive issues including early puberty and lowered sperm count in boys, and possibly even the development of certain cancers, especially breast, ovarian, prostate and colon cancers.
There is also increased risk for exposure to antibiotics. Cows that are given rBGH have a greater incidence of mastitis and other related issues, which are typically treated with antibiotics. Milk that is produced during the treatment period thus can include antibiotics, which are then in the milk we drink.
Where you’ll find them:
You can find artificial growth hormones in beef and dairy products, although it can be difficult to know from brand to brand which products may have come from hormone-treated cattle, as some states do not allow products to be labeled as “Hormone-Free.”
Currently, growth hormones are not allowed in any meat in the European Union, and no rBGH is allowed in the EU, Japan, Australia, New Zealand or Canada. Also, a “certified organic” farm or dairy is not allowed to use growth hormones by most organic certification standards.
How to avoid artificial growth hormones:
Look for labels that state “no hormones” or “no rBST/rBGH.”
Purchase certified-organic or better-than-organic meat and dairy, including raw milk if you’re so inclined.
Genetically Modified Organisms (GMO’s)
What they are:
Genetically modified organisms, more often referred to as GMOs, are foods whose actual genetic structure has been altered in order to make the food last longer, resist pesticides or provide some other similar benefit.
How they affect us:
We have no idea how GMOs actually affect humans in the long-term – or animals or the environment, for that matter – as there has been almost NO testing done on the safety of GMOs.
And that is more or less at the heart of the matter: proponents of using GMOs claim there is no harm to humans, but skeptics say there haven’t been enough studies or long-term observations to actually accurately make that claim. In fact, most skeptics agree that there is the significant possibility that GMO foods will have serious detrimental long-term effects.
Where you’ll find them:
Genetically modified ingredients exist in more than 80 percent of processed foods today. In fresh foods, more than 90 percent of the crops growing canola, corn, cotton, papaya, soy, sugar beets, zucchini, yellow summer squash and alfalfa are genetically engineered. This also includes many animal products, as livestock feed commonly includes soy, corn, cottonseed and canola.
How to avoid them:
Eat as little processed food as possible
Look for “certified organic” – in the U.S. and Canada; anything labeled as “certified organic” is not allowed to have any genetically modified substances.
Look for a label that identifies the item as genetically modified or including GMO ingredients. Nearly every developed nation in the world – with the exception of the United States and Canada – requires GMO food to be labeled, so you’ll be able to decipher it as such. Obviously, if you’re in North America, this option isn’t available to you.
Use non-GMO versions of your favorite foods. For example, sugar beets are often genetically modified, but cane sugar is not, so use products and ingredients that specifically state “cane sugar” on the label.
Buy as much of your diet from the local farmer’s market as possible and ask the farmer if they used GMO seed or feed.
Keep this list of likely GMO foods in your back pocket when you go shopping.
High-Fructose Corn Syrup (HFCS)
What it is:
Corn syrup is a highly-processed syrup made from cornstarch and is the darling of the food industry because it is both cheap and versatile. It helps candies and sweets stay soft without weeping or turning grainy, it sweetens without adding a flavor of its own, it softens the texture of breads and other baked goods, and it extends the shelf life of multiple products. It is generally made from genetically modified corn.
How it affects us:
High fructose corn syrup helps you overeat, makes your liver pretend you’re a raging alcoholic, causes memory loss, interrupts your ability to process emotion, is possibly about as addictive as cocaine, and helps you gain fat, especially around the belly.
It is suspected by some researchers that the current obesity epidemic in the United States is directly linked to the effects of high fructose corn syrup and its ubiquitous nature.
And that ubiquity is a large part of the problem. If a person eats a product with HFCS only every once in a while, the toxicity load on the body is minimal. But because high fructose corn syrup is in nearly every processed food available, the amount of sugar the body has to deal with can actually reach toxic levels.
Where you’ll find it:
In pretty much everything. It can be found in breads, yogurts, salad dressings, candies, juices, cereals, condiments, sodas, hot dogs and much much more.
And as Dr. Mark Hyman says, it’s a ‘red flag ingredient’: “The main reason you should give up high fructose corn syrup is that it’s a big red flag for very poor quality food. If you see this ingredient on a label, I guarantee you the food is processed junk.”
“Trans-fats” is one of the biggest buzz-words in the health world today. Basically, any oil that should be liquid at room temperature but is chemically changed in order to be solid at room temperature is a trans-fat.
A hexane-expressed oil is any oil that is removed from its seed by being bathed in hexane, a petroleum-based solvent, rather than being pressed, such as olives, or placed in a centrifuge, such as avocados.
Hexane is used because typically these oils are very difficult to extract and the hexane method is used industry-wide because it is extremely effective, usually extracting at least 99% of the oil from the seeds.
This is the method used for most cooking oils, including canola, cottonseed, soybean, and corn, and for oils for the hydrogenation process – namely the trans-fats mentioned above.
From a health standpoint, the hexane method is questionable both because the oils are in the presence of a toxic solvent but also because the oil must then undergo exposure to extreme heat in order to remove the hexane. This denatures the oil and makes it severely rancid, so the oil is then bleached to improve the color and remove the rancid smell.
This results in a tasteless oil (which is why it is used so predominantly in cooking), but it also means it’s highly oxidized, which wreaks havoc on our cell membranes.
As an interesting side note, once the oils have been extracted from the seed, the remaining protein and hull of the seed are often sold to be used for animal feed, so if we later eat those animals, we can be exposed to hexane residues a second time.
How it affects us:
Trans-fats affect us because they confuse our body’s systems with how to process them.
In nature, fats exist in various forms.
There are fats that are naturally liquid at room temperature, such as olive oil, fats that are liquid or soft at room temperature, such as the fats in avocados and nuts, and fats that are naturally solid, such as coconut oil and lard.
The liquid and soft fats are typically called “monounsaturated” or “polyunsaturated” (polyunsaturated are also then divided into Omega-3 and Omega-6 oils) and the solid fats are “saturated” fats.
Now, our bodies need fats in order to function – everything from brain function to cell reproduction to hormone production and vitamin synthesis rely on fats.
Surprisingly, the fats in our bodies are about 97% saturated and monounsaturated fats, with the remaining 3% being polyunsaturated.
In order to function properly, our bodies need to be fed the fats they need in the ratio in which they naturally exist, but – our bodies being the miraculous machines they are – they will use whatever they’re given in order to provide for the body’s immediate needs to the detriment of our long-term health.
So, this is where trans-fats come in. Our bodies know what to do with each type of fat in its natural form. But when you take in a fat that naturally is in one form (liquid) and essentially usher it into the body in a Trojan horse of sorts (telling it that it’s a saturated fat), the body can’t process it properly and therefore causes a host of effects, most predominately obesity, inflammation and heart disease.
In the case of hexane-expressed oils, the effects can range from inflammation to skin cancer.
Vegetable oils that are derived from canola, soy and others are very high sources of Omega-6 fatty acids, which our bodies need only in small doses (and are better sourced from foods such as oily fish), and due to being exposed to excessive heat during extraction, are highly rancid, which is what causes inflammation and cell mutations that can lead to skin cancer.
Where you’ll find them:
Trans-fats are in most processed foods, including packaged cookies, breads, crackers, cereals, margarine, frozen foods, fried foods and many fast foods.
Hexane-expelled oils are in any food that includes canola oil, soybean oil, cottonseed oil, safflower oil, sunflower oil, corn oil, peanut oil, “vegetable” oil or grapeseed oil. Most infant formulas that include ARA and DHA include hexane-expelled DHA and ARA from algae or fungus.
Trans-fats can be tricky to spot because in the U.S., a company may label their products as having “0 grams of trans-fat” as long as it has less than 0.5 grams PER SERVING. (In Canada, it’s less than 0.2 grams.)
Thus, if a company can change its serving size to be small enough to fit that legal description, they can still label it as “0 grams,” but you’re still getting trans-fats.
How to avoid them:
Use fats that are naturally solid at room temperature, such as butter, coconut oil, and lard for cooking, baking, and spreading.
Use fats that are naturally liquid at room temperature, such as olive oil, for salad dressings and dips.
Avoid food that have “hydrogenated” or “partially hydrogenated” in the ingredients.
Read labels for seed oils, including canola, soybean, “vegetable” oil and the others listed above.
Monosodium glutamate is a flavor enhancer. It gives the sensation of the savory flavor, umami, and registers a pleasure sensation, which is why foods with MSG are commonly recognized as “addictive” or “craveable.”
Glutamates are amino acids that naturally occur in the body and their very important job is to transport messages. They’re sort of like switches: in their presence, various bodily functions in the brain, nervous system, eyes, and certain organs get the message to “switch on.”
However, by adding glutamates to our systems via our diet, the amount of glutamates in the body is far out of proportion. Turn them on all at once, and you’ve got more than what your body can deal with at one time.
This is why it’s classified as an excitotoxin, meaning that it can overexcite your cells, which can cause brain and nerve damage, irregular heartbeat, skin rashes, and potentially even triggering or worsening learning disabilities, Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, Lou Gehrig’s disease and more.
And because it sends pleasure sensations to the brain, it doesn’t really matter what food it’s in – whatever it is, our brains will be told it’s delicious and nutritious!
Thus, over the last few decades, food manufacturers have increasingly reduced the amount of real food in processed foods, opting for cheaper fillers such as wood pulp (cellulose) and TVP (textured vegetable protein).
How it affects us:
Many people don’t notice any immediate effects from MSG (the FDA categorizes it as “Generally Recognized as Safe”), but as described above, a number of others report headache, nausea, weakness, a burning sensation in the back of neck and forearms, wheezing, changes in heart rate and difficulty breathing.
MSG can also lead to overeating, as MSG stimulates appetite by inducing insulin release so that glucose is metabolized, whether or not you have consumed anything with carbohydrates (sugars). As a result of high insulin concentrations, your blood sugar drops and you end up being hungry again only hours later.
Where you’ll find it:
MSG lurks in the nearly every boxed, canned or fast food. Manufacturers are only required to list it on the label if they use the exact ingredient, “monosodium glutamate,” but there are more than 40 other commercially produced glutamates that function similarly.
How to avoid it:
Avoid eating processed or packaged food.
Buy fresh foods and foods that list “sea salt” as a flavor additive.
Look for and avoid any ingredient with the words “hydrolyzed,” “yeast extract,” “glutamic acid,” “isolated,” “protein,” or “natural flavors.” Also, if “Disodium 5’-guanylate (E 627),” “Disodium 5’-inosinate (E-631),” or “Disodium 5′-ribonucleotides (E 635)” appears on the label, MSG is present, as those ingredients only work in synergy with MSG and have no other function. See the full list of names at Truth in Labeling.
What food additive or “fake food” concerns you most? What is the most surprising ingredient you’ve ever encountered?
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By Ann, Contributing Writer Believe me, I know that getting your kids to eat real food is not always easy. For my husband and I, it's been…
Pear and Ginger Slow Cooker Oatmeal
Ann Timm considers herself blessed to be the wife of a Christ follower and mother to six amazingly cool kids. She strives to keep a happy, healthy home, although she openly admits to failing often. She loves to share her foibles and encourage other women on their journey to healthy living.
I continue to be shocked at how much busier life is now that three out of four of our boys are teenagers (and our youngest is a pre-teen). I didn’t know it was possible to actually get busier. After all – life was busy enough already.
Five minutes ago they were babies.
Here’s our family with my brother’s family about a month ago.
See all the tall blond boys men? Those are my babies.
There were a few years post baby stage and pre teenage stage when life was busy but not so overwhelming. Then about two years ago the just try and keep up stage hit when our third son turned teenager. (At that time our boys were senior, freshman, 7th grader, and 4th grader).
I tried to figure out what I was doing wrong as somehow, I was no longer getting as much done as I used to. Why – with the boys being more independent than ever – do they seem to need me more than they used to? Why do I seem to have more interruptions when I’m at my desk trying to write or work on other business responsibilities? Why I am so behind on everything all the time? Why can’t my house stay clean (or actually get clean in the first place)?
I mean, I haven’t had to take anyone potty for years. The boys get themselves up in the morning, get themselves ready for bed at night, and do a good portion of their school work on their own. They can all cook, do laundry, clean the kitchen, and do a dozens of chores around the house and yard.
I thought life would be much easier once we hit this stage. I remember looking at moms of teenagers back when my kids were all little and I would think, “Oh that will be so nice when the kids are older and can do things for themselves. She must have so much freedom now!”
And that very mom would look at me with all my littles and say, “Oh it was so nice when they were all little. I miss those calm days.”
What was she – crazy??? Yes, moms of teenagers must be crazy, I decided. They’ve forgotten what it’s like to have little ones and I will never, ever say that to a young mom when I grow older.
Now here I am. Older.
I understand what the older mom meant now. I still vow to never tell a young mom that “she has it easy” as she runs and chases and wipes and hugs and kisses and corrects and runs and chases and wipes…” What a young mom does all day is hard. It’s great and it’s amazing and it’s precious – but it’s hard. So there, young mom. You amaze me. You go, girl! You love those babies!! You are fantastic and if I could, I would take over all the wiping and holding for a few hours so you could all take a nap and go to the store by yourself.
But alas. I’m so busy with my big, independent children that I can’t possibly follow through with this offer. I know it sounds weird. Life got easier as the kids got older, but then it got harder again as I started raising teenagers. Let me break it all down.
The Easy Parts of Raising Teenagers
Loving them
If you think you love your kids when they are little, just wait until you see God at work in them when they are older. They get bigger and so does your love for them. This is for real. It is nothing short of amazing to watch their talents develop, to listen to them share their experiences, and to be a part of their victories. You know how you look at your child and feel such intense love that your breath catches mid-inhale? That happens more and more when they’re older. For some reason, my eyes tear up more often too. It’s a love thing and I can’t help it.
Our third son Elias, teen #3 at our house, playing soccer last fall
Enjoying their help
I rarely clean a toilet or run the vacuum. My kids are the full-time dishwasher loaders and unloaders. I haven’t folded or put away one clothing item for any of my sons for five years. To think – I used to do most of the household tasks by myself while I was nursing a baby and potty training a toddler and everything else. It’s exhausting to think about (so again I salute you young moms). I love that the boys are so capable of helping so much.
Going places without them
I can run to the store by myself and nobody even blinks. I get home from the store and don’t have to unload a single bag because I holler at the boys and they come do it. I can say, “I’m heading out for XYZ – have your Math and English finished by the time I get back and also load the dishwasher” – and they do (usually).
Our fourth son, Malachi (second from the right),
hanging out with buddies at a recent church event
Going places with them
My kids dress themselves, tie their own shoes, gather all their belongings, fill their own water bottles, climb into the car by themselves, and buckle their own seat-belts. Whatever needs to be loaded into the van: they load it. After more than a decade of diaper bags, diaper blow outs, car seats, and sippy cups – I don’t take for granted that we can all be out the door and in the van in one minute flat.
Hanging out with them.
My kids are FUN!!!!! We enjoy grown up conversation, grown up humor, grown up prayer time, grown up Bible discussions, grown up music, and grown up teamwork (serving together). My kids make me laugh all the time. Teenagers are incredibly fun.
The Hard Parts of Raising Teenagers
Keeping up with them
Our teens have chosen (with our blessing) to be very involved in many activities. They are leaders in our church youth group and therefore highly involved with activities several times each week. They participate in sports. They referee soccer (for pay). They attend several weeks of church camp during the summer either as a counselor or as a camper. They take part in home-school activities. Two of our kids take piano lessons and one of them takes guitar lessons.
There’s the ACT to prepare for, spending 50 hours with them behind the wheel so they can earn their driver’s license, and filling out high school transcripts. Their school work is intense and takes much longer than it used to. Our high-schoolers take college classes.
Justus, our second son, just before the Homeschool Prom 2016
Our kids have so many great opportunities they have to pick and choose and say “no” to some. In the meantime we are their biggest support, cheerleaders, taxi service, and consultants. They need a lot of consulting, “Mom, what do you think I should…” “Will it work if J and F come over and we…” “Can you come listen to my…” “I’m not sure how to word this email…”
They don’t need me to wipe their noses anymore. Instead they need me to help them fill out applications, meet deadlines, decide when to say “yes” and when to say “no,” proofread a paper, order something online, make major decisions. Their needs are weightier, their questions are bigger, and I’ve found that if one boy doesn’t need me another one does – all day long. I consider this a great honor, you can be sure. I love that they need me. I love being a part of all that they are a part of. But keeping up? Just whatever about that pile of clothes on my bedroom chair that never gets hung up. Maybe I’ll get to it after Malachi graduates.
Getting to bed at a decent time
These kids. They stay up late. Often their evening activities find us stumbling in the door at way pastmy brain dead time. Most nights I’m zonked and they’re still going strong. Gone are the days we’d put the boys to bed then have a little time to ourselves. Which leads me to…
Carving out time with Matt
It has become hard for Matt and me to find alone time together. We have to make this a priority or we will go for way too long without having an actual conversation. (“Can you drive him to guitar lessons or do you need me to?” doesn’t count.) This blindsided me as again, I assumed I’d have more time with Matt as the kids got older.
So we’re prayerful and intentional about making time for each other, asking God to provide since logistically we can’t seem to figure it out.
Helping them navigate relationships
Since all my kids are of the male variety, they tend to be a little quieter with the details of their relationships. Still, there’s no doubt that what our boys work through with their friends and with those of the female variety are by far different and in many ways much more difficult than the “Bobby won’t let me play with him” issues of their little boy years.
Our job as parents is challenged by questions like how much do we say? and should we step in and offer advice or let them work it out? Prayer plays a huge role here as we seek the Spirit’s leading on when to talk, when to keep quiet – and if we are to speak, what we are to say. As the Spirit leads, we offer guidance, share our own experiences, and continually pray for our boys to be open to God’s work and protection in their relationships.
Seeing them struggle
Not every experience our boys has is a ray of sunshine. There have been times where confidence was shattered, tests were failed, they do or say things that is more selfish than godly, the list goes on.
As delightful as it is to watch God grow them into talented, strong, incredibly amazing young men – we also see their weak spots. It was hard to deal with their weaknesses when they were little – but they only showed up in little ways then (not that I call a tantrum at the grocery store little – oy!). Now that they are big – so are their struggles – personally, spiritually, and emotionally. I always thought I could help them “grow out of” their weaknesses. (Yes, my plan was to raise perfect children.)
Indeed, they have grown and conquered in many areas. But just like I still struggle with sin and always will – our grown up boys struggle with sin and always will. We continue striving toward godliness in every area. But we’re not going to launch perfect robotic offspring who are completely prepared to conquer the world and who will never face trials or mess up. We’re raising children who need a Savior and must seek Him constantly.
It’s been important for me to remember God’s truths: He is victorious, He is protector, He is provider, He has plans prepared in advance for all of us, He is Lord.
Our oldest, Asa, back row, right side, 6’4″ blond – singing in the York College Concert Choir
Letting them go
While this is a challenge, this one is actually beautiful and rewarding. Our oldest son has almost completed his first year away from home and we are watching him thrive and struggle and love life and limp along and be amazing all at the same time. He is teenager turning adult and he’s showing us that letting go is not so sad but rather triumphant.
No Matter What Stage
Our strength comes from the Lord. Our wisdom comes from the Lord. Our words, our actions, our decisions – everything we do must be couched in prayer and offered in humility. God leads and provides everything we need for every stage of parenting.
Perhaps this is the best truth I’ve learned after being a mom for almost 19 years: I can’t do this without Jesus and I don’t have to. From baby to adult – He is Lord of our home.
What stage are you in currently? What do you find to be the easiest parts and hardest parts of parenting your kids right now?
Original article and pictures take heavenlyhomemakers.com site
After I finish detailing my favorite healthy side dishes to serve my family, you are going to be so unimpressed and bored that you will fall asleep on the spot. This post is like a lullaby, sung sweetly to you after you’ve had a warm bath and a mug of milk. Pin this post. You will want it to refer back to on the nights you’re anxious to relax and have a good night’s sleep.
See, the thing is that I’ve simplified my real food kitchen life so much during the past few years that I barely think about or plan ahead for side dishes anymore. Do I serve them? Absolutely! In fact, I serve at least 2 if not 4 side dish options at almost every lunch or dinner. But here’s my trick:
I set out a variety of fruits and vegetables based on what I have and what will offer healthy options for my family to choose from.
That’s it. I rarely mash a potato anymore. For me, side dishes are no longer something that require much work. There is no time!! The main dish gets my attention and the side dishes are a variety of fruits and veggies that make our plates pretty and offer oodles of nourishment.
Every once in a while I go all out and steam some broccoli and carrots. Phew. Big day. Otherwise, I do something like wash some berries, slice some pears, and throw some frozen peas in a pot to cook (which they do all by themselves in about 4 minutes).
More often than not, prepping the side dishes is the job I hand my boys. “Peel 6 clementines.” “Cook some green beans, please.” “Wash the raspberries.”
Do you see how easy this is? Side dishes at our house get pulled out of the fridge or freezer just a few minutes before the meal is served. They take very little prep, yet they are the most nourishing part of our meal. Side dishes are almost always served in the container they came in or the pot they were steamed in. In case you’re wondering why I ask a boy to peel clementines when we could all just peel our own (which we do sometimes) – it’s this.
Healthy, easy side dishes come down to these three rules at my house:
Buy fresh fruits and vegetables that are in season and affordable. (You can’t serve ’em if you don’t buy ’em.)
Keep frozen veggies in the freezer ready to steam quickly before a meal.
Be intentional about offering a variety of these goodies with every meal.
Every week, I buy big containers of mixed greens and fresh baby spinach. Boom. We have salad.
I buy whatever berries are on sale, which we wash and plop on the table. I buy grape tomatoes in season (or grow them when it isn’t -3°). I buy apples and pears, which can be washed and sliced in 30 seconds. I buy heads of broccoli, big bags of carrots, and lovely cucumbers – all of which can be prepared for cooking or served raw in just a few minutes. I always have jars of homemade applesauce or homemade pickles to pull out.
Below are some pictures I came across that show the variety of easy side dishes I serve. Notice how little prep these took:
And there you have it. Nothing terribly exciting – just simple side dishes that our family eats regularly. We get a variety, we get plenty of nourishment, we don’t wear ourselves out making the prep work tedious. That works for me!
So what works for you? What are your favorite side dishes?
Original article and pictures take heavenlyhomemakers.com site
Raise your hand if you never make lasagna because you think it’s too difficult. Come closer, my friends. Allow me to let you in on a few secrets so that you can learn the easiest way to make lasagna for your family and for guests!
Ten years ago when I first launched my website, this was a recipe I included in my first cute little eBook series. I’ve since taken these eBooks out of my shop and shared most of these recipes on my blog. But somehow, I failed to ever share this recipe for The Easiest Lasagna!!
Awww. Remember these? Precious memories.
Until now. In celebration of 10 years of blogging, it is a must that I finally tell you my secrets for making the easiest lasagna on the planet. Forgive me for waiting this long. Your life will be better now that you can make lasagna with so little effort. Your family will be so happy!
Trick #1: Do not cook the lasagna noodles ahead of time. Simply lay the dry noodles in the pan and layer them with the sauce and cheese. Drizzle about 1/2 cup of water over the lasagna before baking and cover with foil. The water will cook the noodles while it bakes. Easy!
Trick #2: Stir the cottage cheese into the sauce instead of working in vain to spread it onto the noodles as you create layers in the pan. This makes no difference in the taste, but it sure does alleviate a challenging step in the lasagna-making process!
Trick #3: When making one lasagna, for the love of all things simple, make two or three. It takes no extra effort to do this! Then you can put the extra lasagnas into your freezer to effortlessly bake another day!
The Easiest Way to Make Lasagna
I can think of no better time to make this Easy Lasagna recipe! This is a fabulous meal to have in your freezer during these busy holiday weeks. In addition, Lasagna is a wonderful meal to feed guests! Get your ingredients rounded up, and crank out some Lasagnas!!
If you’d like to watch a video of me making three lasagnas, here you go! See how easy this is!
Now, can anyone tell me why Lasagna is spelled with a “g” in there? I may have figured out ways to make this dish simple, but I have yet to learn why it is spelled so silly.
The Deep Nutrition in Organ Meats Deep Nutrition in Organ Meats
I used to think that organ meats are full of toxins and saturated fat. No. There is deep nutrition in organ meats.Whenever I suggest to my patients that they should be eating organ meats I get that look of disbelief that says – are you kidding?
This was exactly my reaction years ago until I found out the truth.
The truth is that organs do not store toxins. Yes, they filter toxins, especially the liver and kidneys, but the main purpose of these organs is to detoxify the potentially harmful byproducts of digestion and other metabolic reactions.
The toxins are neutralized in these organs and passed out of the body.
What they do store are the critically important fat soluble vitamins, A, D, E and K2.
In fact, liver in the most potent source of vitamin A. It’s no wonder that so many people are deficient in vitamin A – very few of us eat liver these days.
The words nutrient dense are thrown around and attributed to various “super foods” like kale and other green leafy vegetables. Yes, these green leafy vegetables have a lot of important minerals, but as far as fat soluble vitamins go, they are not nutrient dense at all.
Additionally, you need to eat fat along with the green leafys (and other vegetables) in order to extract the minerals. That’s why, traditionally, vegetables were served smothered in butter! Butter (and other fats) contains the important fat soluble vitamins A, D, E and K2 which are necessary for mineral absorption.
Vitamin A and Beta Carotene are Not the Same
There is a belief that beta carotene, the precursor to vitamin A, falls under the category of nutrient dense. However, a high intake of beta carotene does not ensure that you are getting enough vitamin A.
Vitamin A is actually a group of compounds called retinoids. Retinol is the most common form. This is stored in the liver.
Vitamin A is essential for strong bones, a strong immune system and good eyesight (as rhodopsin) and critical for other metabolic reactions.
Vitamin A is often measured in international units (iu), and the Institute of Medicine recommends a daily intake of 3,000 international units for men and 2,310 for women, with slightly more during pregnancy and about 4,000 during breast-feeding.
Beta carotene is also known as provitamin A because your body can convert it to vitamin A. Many people think that just having enough beta carotene available will provide vitamin A when needed.
Let me address that myth here.
In order to convert beta carotene to vitamin A you need to have the specific enzyme in your small intestine available to cleave it into two molecules of retinol. If you are deficient in that enzyme, or lacking some of the minerals or co-enzymes necessary, you will not convert beta carotene to vitamin A effectively.
Other factors influencing conversion of beta carotene to vitamin A include, intestinal health, available bile salts in the intestine and the amount of dietary fat in the intestines. Because retinol is a fat-soluble vitamin it needs some fat to be absorbed and stored in the body. Here again, eating good quality fat helps absorb nutrients.
Children and people who have any intestinal dysfunction may have trouble converting beta carotene to vitamin A.
Additionally, the conversion and absorption efficiency of retinol is relatively low — between 9 percent and 22 percent, or essentially a six to one ratio of beta carotene to retinol which further depends on the many factors stated above.
Furthermore, there are many other factors that influences your conversion rate such as, medications that may interfere, if you are eating processed and fast foods, if you drink excessive alcohol, the effects of pesticides and stress and if you follow a low fat diet.
Clearly, the vegetarians and vegans who are depending on beta carotene for their vitamin A are in for a sobering truth. It would take eating a ton of vegetables each day to make up for the poor conversion rate, the conventional guidelines that support using ketchup and canned tomato soup as sources not-with-standing.
Liver is the Best Food Source of Retinol (Vitamin A)
Liver from a clean, pasture raised animal is the very best food source of vitamin A. (Cod liver oil is also a powerful source of vitamin A and should be consumed every day as insurance.)
In addition to the highest food source of vitamin A, liver is full of just about every nutrient, including high amounts of vitamins B1, B2, B6, folic acid and importantly vitamin B12. Organ meats in general are also loaded with minerals like phosphorus, iron, copper, magnesium, iodine, calcium, potassium, sodium, selenium, zinc and manganese in forms that are easily absorbed.
Additionally, kidneys are full of vitamin B12, selenium, iron, copper, phosphorus and zinc. Although technically heart is a muscle, it is considered an organ and it is very high in Co-enzyme Q10, a critical molecule for heart health.
As noted, liver and other organs are loaded with the critically important fat-soluble vitamins A, D, E and K. Organ meats are known to have some of the highest concentrations of naturally occurring vitamin D of any food source.
Surprisingly, organ meats also contain high amounts of essential fatty acids, including arachidonic acid and the omega-3 fats EPA and DHA when it is from an animal raised on grass.
These nutrients are all sourced as a whole food, surrounded by all the co-factors necessary for proper digestion and assimilation. You just can’t get all this in a synthetic pill.
The studies that show vitamin A to be toxic were all performed with synthetic vitamin A. That simply doesn’t happen in nature.
My mother made liver once a week. It was not something I looked forward to as she was not a very good cook. Likely, it was overcooked and dry. There are a few tricks to make liver much more palatable and even a desired part of the meal or a meal unto its own.
Click here for my recipe for Chicken Liver Pate and a few tips and tricks that will have your family asking for more!
In the words of Sally Fallon Morrel and Dr. Enig,
Doctors of a generation or two ago understood that a diet rich in vitamin A from liver, eggs, butter, cream and cod liver oil was the best possible protection against birth defects. (source)
Are you convinced yet? Do you eat liver or organs? Leave a comment and let me know!
Inspire Your Real Food Healing Journey with my FREE Grain-Free Meals e-Cookbook and Getting Started email series!
Original article and pictures take realfoodforager.com site
I felt all kinds of blah about this, because cutting back didn’t seem possible and also I am trying very hard during this season in life not to…
Go crazy.
This time of life filled with a houseful of teenagers with all their friends and comings and goings and activities and growing experiences is very much like (except very different from) my years of raising a houseful of babies. Those were lean and busy years too, also a time in which I was trying to avoid going crazy (while the Blue’s Clues theme song played on repeat in my subconscious). All of life cost less then, seeing as we didn’t have a slew of teenage boys included on our car insurance policy and their shoes and appetites were much smaller.
But the busyness. And the needs. They were/are so great! (“Great” shall be used twofold in this context as the needs are great and the needs are also great. How great that they need me! How great are their needs! This is all so great.)
Through the busy seasons…
These are the years we might need to compromise a little on making all food from scratch and settle for the occasional pre-made tortillas and take-and-bake pizzas. I felt it in the baby-raising-years, had a bit of a reprieve as my kids got old enough to buckle and wipe themselves, but am back to feeling the pinch of time, money, and energy as I am in a season of “hold on for dear life” with my teenage and adult kids.
Add to that the fact that one by one my boys insist on graduating high school and moving out of my nest and I feel the need to use every minute with them for a greater purpose. As I watch these years with kids at home vanish before my eyes, I refuse to use any of this precious time with my back turned to them while I spend time on a task like making Mozzarella Cheese.
All this was going through my head one day recently as I made a grocery list.
“Save as much money as possible!” thought I.
“Nourish us well; this is so very important!” came my next thought.
“Take time to enjoy the family; save your energy; save yourself; buy the pizza!” – and with that I got angry.
Is it even possible to do all of this at the same time? To save money, to eat good food, and to not spend hours in the kitchen while making it all happen?
Yes, I know about the thing called “balance.” I’ve written about it, danced with it, poked and prodded at it, and as of today, I came to the conclusion that while balance is a great word and a great goal for which to strive, today I’m going to have to settle for…
Fine. Good enough. Okay, I guess.
The key word here is “today.” I believe in the long run everything actually will balance out because I truly am intentional about saving money, filling us with nourishment, and not spending all my time in the kitchen. Balance wins out in the long run. But that will no longer be my focus. Right now my focus has to be…
Today.
I can’t look beyond today. Today I might feed us all salads and veggies and grass fed meat and beautiful bowls of fresh berries. I might even do it while saving a bundle of money through price-matching and gardening and being resourceful and cooking from scratch. If that is what today looks like, then yay for today!! But tomorrow? Tomorrow…
I might buy pizza.
And sure, I’ll serve it with a salad and slices of pineapple, but I won’t have saved money and I will have filled us with some empty carbs.
This has to be okay, because okay is the best I can do.
The best I can do is actually something to be celebrated. The best I can do truly is the best. Whether it’s a frugal meal that only cost $1.00/plate or a super nourishing meal filled with fresh greens and veggies, or a corndog on a stick that came out of a box.
The best I can do is what offers my family the best of me.
And with that, I’m no longer angry with food and will head to the grocery store.
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This eBooklet is full of 30 Real Food Money Saving Tips. This resource is super practical and easy to read through. I bet you’ll find some ideas you hadn’t thought of before, some that you can work toward now, and some that might benefit you in a different season.
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Original article and pictures take heavenlyhomemakers.com site
Essential oils have hit the internet by storm–although they have been around for centuries! Check out the best way to learn about essential oils–and how to avoid misinformation!
I’ve personally been using essential oils for about five years. My doula introduced them to me during my second pregnancy and asked if I wanted to use them in labor.
I began with using lavender for relaxation, and I was hooked.
At the time, barely any of my friends were using essential oils or even knew what they were!
Fast forward half a decade, and now everywhere I turn people–women in particular–are not only using essential oils and touting their benefits, but they are also selling them and educating others on their many uses.
The brakes need to stop right there.
Although I see nothing wrong with sharing how essential oils have helped you, I do think it’s wise to exercise caution with essential oil use and advice giving.
I believe there are far too many self-proclaimed experts doling out advice when the real experts–the certified aromatherapists–go ignored.
No matter the topic, whether you hear me speak at an event or read a blog post I have published, I encourage you to do your own homework by going straight to the experts themselves.
I would encourage you to do this with anyone who gives out advice of any kind.
Let’s take a look at who not to rely on for proper essential oils education–and then dive into a few recommendations of where to get some expert advice and training in essential oils usage.
Where NOT To Learn about Essential Oils
1. Blogs
This might sound ironic, considering that I am a blogger, but you might notice that I very rarely make claims on absolutes when it comes to health.
My college degree is in journalism, so I most often take the route of telling you what has worked for me, and giving you sources of where I found that information, to start you on your own educational journey.
If a blogger has no certification of credentials in aromatherapy yet is claiming authority in giving advice on essential oils usage, be wary.
2. Natural Mom Forums/Facebook Groups
I’m part of a “Crunchy Christian Mamas” group for naturally-minded moms in my area.
Essential oils are often a topic that comes up, and, as the group moderator, there are times when I’ve had to play the devil’s advocate and be the unpopular one (i.e. make people mad at me!) when it’s come to giving out advice on essential oils.
These forums are great for making friends and discovering what other moms do, but always take the advice given as a starting point to…you guessed it, do your own research.
image by pixabay.com
3. Essential Oils Distributors/Direct Sales People
I’m probably going to step on a few toes with this one, but it needs to be said: Don’t take your advice on how to use a product from someone who is trying to sell you that product.
Does that mean that every essential oils salesperson is shady and just out there to rob you of your hard-earned money?
Absolutely not!
I have many personal friends–good friends–who sell essential oils. Most of them get into direct sales of oils because they are passionate about the product and have seen them change their lives.
But exercise caution when distributors “prescribe” certain oils for your ailments and tell you how to use them. Many of these are not trained aromatherapists.
Instead of taking their word as gospel truth, use their suggestions as, once again, a starting point.
Ask them where they get their educational materials, too. If they are only using materials written and published by the oils brand they are distributing, that can be a red flag as well.
Where to Learn About Essential Oils
Certified Aromatherapists
Yes, this is my only recommendation! Does that mean you have to go out and spend the big bucks on your own personal aromatherapist?
Absolutely not!
Thankfully, many aromatherapists have written books and have put together courses for regular, ‘ol mamas like you and me to learn the ropes of how to safely use essential oils in our homes.
Herbs and Essential Oils Super Bundle
Do you want to learn more (much more!) about using essential oils and herbs in your home? The Herbs and Essential Oils Super Bundle is available for 6 days only! It includes $400 worth of handpicked resources for a whopping 92% off! Learn all about the bundle and see what’s included HERE.
by Certified Aromatherapist Jessie Hawkins of Vintage Remedies
$135 value
Learn to use essential oils for your whole family in a manner that is both safe, effective and based on sound science!
How to Protect Your Family from Colds and Flu Using Essential Oils
by Certified Aromatherapist Andrea Butje of Aromahead Institute
$50 value
Learn which essential oils can help you prevent or recover from respiratory infections, why the oils work, and how to use them in this comprehensive, three-hour study.
The Truth about Using Essential Oil Safety
by Certified Aromatherapist Lea Harris, of Learning about EOs
$9.99 value
Sort through the fact and fiction of using essential oils safely and effectively with this guide from certified aromatherapist Lea Harris.
In addition to her book, one free aromatherapist site, that I recommend is LearningaboutEOs.com, run by certified aromatherapist Lea Harris.
Do you enjoy learning about essential oils? Where have you learned about essential oils?
Disclosure: I have included affiliate links in this post. Thank you for supporting my site!
Original article and pictures take thehumbledhomemaker.com site
The Best Way to Fuel Up Your Kids for a Busy School Day
I’m so excited to be joining you at the Humbled Homemaker today. When Erin asked for posts on back-to-school, I knew right away what I wanted to share with you: it’s my #1 tip to help kids through a busy school day. If you want your kids to have a great school day, make sure they fuel up with a protein-rich breakfast.
Why is protein so important for a great school day?
Protein gives kids energy for a busy day.
A breakfast high in protein gives kids steady fuel for the whole morning. Kids have more energy, more focus and won’t get antsy or sleepy before lunch.
What’s for breakfast?
For a lot of busy moms, cereal is the easy breakfast of choice. No cooking required and kids can serve themselves – it’s a no-brainer, right? Unfortunately most cereals (especially the ones targeted at kids) are loaded with sugar and have minimal protein.
The problem with sugar
If a child has a breakfast with a lot of sugar (and little or no protein), his blood sugar will spike upward and then crash mid-morning. He’ll be tired, uninterested, and have a hard time staying on task. This sounds like a recipe for problems in school, doesn’t it?
I wonder how many struggling learners would benefit from a more nutritious, protein-rich breakfast?
A protein-rich breakfast doesn’t have to mean a lot of extra time in the kitchen.
You might be thinking that getting protein into your kids at breakfast means you’ll have to dirty up a lot of dishes and spend a lot of time. But this isn’t necessarily the case.
I’m all about having a system in place to make the busy mornings go smoothly so you can get out of the house or start homeschooling on time. Here’s how to make that happen.
7 quick and easy protein-rich breakfast choices
1. Eggs (scrambled, fried, omelets, etc.)
Eggs are an easy, frugal and healthy choice for breakfast.
2. Baked oatmeal
I usually assemble one of my favorite oatmeal recipes (here and here) the night before. In the morning, I just pop the dish in the oven to bake. Recipes containing eggs or yogurt will have much more protein and less sugar than the instant microwave variety.
3. Greek yogurt
Kids can add their own toppings like nuts, fresh fruit, and coconut. (See my easy video tutorial on how to make yogurt.)
4. Homemade sausage
Make sausage for Saturday’s breakfast and save some for the weekdays. Your kids will love you for it!
Make sure you incorporate some protein to give your kids the energy they need for the whole morning. It’s an effort that will pay off for them all day long.
What is your favorite breakfast to fuel up your kids?
Want healthy, back-to-school lunch ideas? Kitchen Stewardship’s The Healthy Lunchbox has 45 real food recipes, plus 8 colorful printables, you’ll be ready to pack amazing lunches for your family this fall! Pick up your copy HERE!
Original article and pictures take thehumbledhomemaker.com site
