Archive for the ‘Health’ Category

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The Harm of GMO

Thursday, September 8th, 2011

by Catherine Haug, August 30, 2011

I am deeply dismayed that so many people are ignorant of the threat posed by GMO foods, not only to human health, but also to the health of our environment and planet. Typical misunderstandings:

  • GMO is just another type of Mendelian Breeding to favor a desired trait (See my post Health Hazards of GMO Foods & Crops for a discussion of this topic)
  • GMO foods are no different from non-GMO foods;
  • GMO foods are less expensive;
  • Only GMO can solve world hunger;
  • GMO food production does not harm the planet.

Even if the GMO-nature of the food did not pose problems for humans and the planet, the fact that most GMO foods are far more heavily treated with herbicides and pesticides should send up a red flag. While YOU may not eat roundup-ready corn or soy, that beef steak you had last night likely came from a steer that did, so the steak likely contains GMO product, and now you have it too. (more…)

Posted in Agriculture, Ecology, Energy, Food-Nutrition-Health, GMO, Health, Home & Ranch | Comments Closed

Milk War

Sunday, September 4th, 2011

by Catherine Haug, August 31, 2011

By now I’m sure most of you know that I’m an avid supporter of raw (unpasteurized) milk, despite the preponderance of public opinion that pasteurized milk keeps you safe. Do you wonder why?

Back in the early 1950s we had many dairies here in the Flathead, and most of them delivered their farm-fresh milk to your door in glass bottles with special paper caps. This milk was not pasteurized. As a growing toddler, I thrived on raw milk.

But as time progressed, dairies consolidated or closed; milk was pasteurized and sold in markets. Those who wanted it could still get raw milk, but we had to drive to the farm to get it. By the time I was on my own, raw milk was very hard to find, so I stopped drinking milk altogether, to avoid the mucous produced by pasteurized milk.

Why did public preference change? For the full story, go to RealMilk.com, but read on for the short version, and also a discussion on the healthfulness of raw milk. (more…)

Posted in Food-Nutrition-Health, Health | 2 Comments »

Rethink Calcium Supplementation

Thursday, August 18th, 2011

by Catherine Haug, August 15, 2011

Do you, like millions of others, regularly take supplemental calcium to build strong bones? If so, you may want to reconsider that decision.

The primary reason to rethink calcium and other mineral supplementation is that the mining of minerals such as calcium (primary source of most minerals in supplements) is an energy-intensive process, and as such is not sustainable.

And now there is a health reason, too:

Green Med Info: Calcium supplements with or without vitamin D increase the risk of cardiovascular events (2) reports that calcium supplementation significantly increases risk of heart attacks (from British Medical Journal research article by Bolland, et. al. (3)). Dr Mercola (1) reports that no more than 500 mg calcium per day should be taken supplementally.

How can this be? (more…)

Posted in Health | Comments Closed

Just Pop a Pill; You’ll Be Better in the Morning

Thursday, July 14th, 2011

by Catherine Haug, June 3 ,2011; updated Sept 4, 2011

We are a drug-addicted nation. I’m not just talking about illegal drugs. I’m talking about prescription drugs, over the counter (OTC) drugs, and supplements. Somewhere along the way, we stopped being a nation of people who rarely take an aspirin, to one that consumes at least $330 Billion in legal drugs annually.

What are the health consequences of this choice? (more…)

Posted in Ecology, Energy, Health | Comments Closed

All Natural First Aid Kit

Monday, June 27th, 2011

by Catherine Haug, May 4, 2011

As we all prepare for pending flood (or other) emergency, it behooves us to have a simple first aid kit in our Grab & Go pack. Things like bandaids, etc. that are in run-of-the-mill first aid kits are certainly important. But there are also all-natural, herbal items that might come in handy, both for the Emergency pack and for use at home.

It’s always best, of course, to use what is native to our area, that we can glean when in season, then dry or use to make a tincture for later use. But there are some other items that are not native that we may already be using, that are handy healers, too. (more…)

Posted in Emergency Preparedness, Health | Comments Closed

‘Sourdough’ Oatmeal Porridge

Monday, June 20th, 2011

Served with blueberries & cream

by Catherine Haug, June 16, 2011

(All photos by C. Haug)

See also printable pdf version of this photo-essay: ‘Sourdough’ Oatmeal Porridge.

Last month I wrote a photo-essay on ‘Sourdough’ Pie Crust. It uses yogurt rather than sourdough starter to ferment the flour, since the leavening ability of sourdough starter is not wanted in a pie crust.

This same method can be applied to other baked goodies such as cakes, cookies, coffee cakes, and quick breads. And it can also be applied to cooked porridges. But why would you do this? (more…)

Posted in Fermentation, Culturing & Curing, Food-Nutrition-Health, Health | 12 Comments »

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