Whatever the season, there are always so many options when it comes to greens. Especially now, in summer, we have spinach, kale, cauliflowers, broccoli, Brussels sprouts that are all members of the cabbage family, and like the cabbage itself are proven to be the most nutritious of all vegetables.

 Let’s start with spinach, a healthy vegetable. Wheather eaten raw or cooked, it  is full of vitamins and minerals. Spinach with its green and lively leaves is

• an excellent source of vitamin C if eaten raw;
• full of vitamins A and B;
• provides calcium, potassium, and iron.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                   

As an amazingly versatile vegetable, spinach is popular worldwide with nearly every cuisine around the globe. The Italians make hundreds of dishes using spinach. If you see in any restaurant’s menu the words a la florentine, it means the dish contains spinach. The Italians created a huge range of recipes mixing spinach with with their favorite  ricotta or Parmesan cheese. The French invented delicious quiche with spinach.

Very often the Russians use baby spinach fresh and  include it in summer green salads with green onions, cucumbers, tomatoes and bell peppers. Spinach also makes the basic ingredient in the Russian famous and very nutritious green borscht. The British traditionaly make  a spinach souffle which includes eggs and Cheddar cheese. The Americans use spinach as a garnish or make Spinach in Filo with Ricotta Cheese and other cheeses or just sauteed it with garlic.

As you know, spinach is delicious on its own. Whole dark green leaves, chopped or pureed spinach can be mixed with other ingredients to deliver great taste and nutrition. It has been centuries old tradition in Greece and  the Middle Eastern countries to mix spinach with some dairy products like feta or helim cheese to make so-called boreks or other spinach pies.

Spinach is a very old vegetable. It was first cultivated in Persia several thousands years ago. It came to Europe via the Arab world. The Arabs from the Middle East took it to Greece. The Moors introduced it to Spain, and from Spain it apppeared in England in the fourteenth century. Spinach quickly became popular there because it is easy to grow and cook. It is mentioned in the first known English cookbook where it is referred to as spynoches, which sounds so similar with the Spanish word for spinach, espinacas.

Read my next post how you can make delicious meals with nutritious spinach and other dark green leafy vegetables.

Submitted by Svetlana Konnikova.

Source: Photo of Spinach from www.phoenixgardens.net; Five-a-Dat Fruit & Vegetable Cookbook by Kate Whiteman, Maggie Mathew, Cristine Ingram, Hermes House, London, 2008, p.350

I also make every other day a chamomile tea to drink in the evening or chamomile infusion to pour it into my bathtub. Chamonile bath helps to open the pores clogged by” the air dust” surrounding us during daily time. It is such a pleasure to take chamomile bath before you go to bed that will  clean your skin from impurities and will rejuvenate a Whole You. 

You can see how in summer this flower from “the island of stars” blossoms in full force everywhere you go. It is soothing and calming. It gives you joy to admire Nature’s simple creations,  and relaxation. It treats stress successfully. Chamomile tea/infusion can help to heal your itchy skin, stuffy nose or pink eye. There are so many great, time-tested remedies with chamomile that help us to treat many problems, including sleeplessness.

This video comes from Health Mentor. Watch it and see  how chamomile can become your’s and  your family’s savior.

References: Mama’s Home Remedies” Discover Time-Tested Secrets of Good Health and the Pleasures of Natural Living by Svetlana Konnikova, MA, AN, Aurora Publishers, 2008; Photo of “Daisies in grass” by Anna Cervova;  www.youtube.com; www.learningherbs.com

Submitted bt Svetlana Konnikova.

In other countries around the world is a different story. There is mandatory to write on the labels and  inform consumers that a  product is genetically modified. Consumers have a choice to choose. By other words, they can go after cheaper prices or their well-being.  Before you’ll watch this video, look at the previous post ” Organic or Conventional?”Part 1 published on July 19th and watch video included there. Than take a minute and get familiar with GMO and non-GMO foods in today’s video. After that you’ll be a much, much smarter healthy foods shopper!

Submitted by Svetlana Konnikova.

See what happened with Kellogg’s packaged cereals? Last month about 28 million boxes of Kellogg cereal, including Froot Loops and Corn Pops were recalled at once from the market. These “great products” contain a petrochemical that caused the foul smell and sickened a handful of people. This fact was reported by non-profit organization, Environmental Working Group.

The group said little is known about the health risks of the chemical, Methylnaphthalene. “What little we do know about this chemical is checkered at best,” said senior scientist Dave Andrews of Environmental Working Group.

Mr. Andrews continued in his statement, “Millions of pounds are produced every year, and this chemical is turning up in the packaging for popular cereals marketed towards children.” He also mentioned that  it’s important for federal public health agencies like the EPA and FDA to know everything there is to know about the possible risks this fossil fuel could pose to people’s health.

Unfortunately, FDA does not have mandatory recall authority. But so far, Environmental Working Group scientists learned of the source of the strange odor from Kellogg. In a statement sent to Consumer Ally, Kellogg said the presence of the chemical did not pose a serious health risk. Did not pose to whom? What a joke and disrespect to consumers. Would you like to eat any food product with bad smell and containing any chemical, especially petrochemical, even it was in the liner of a box? Leave it for our cars!

 However, Kellogg doesn’t see any danger in feeding our children products that include chemicals. From Kellogg’s statement to Consumer Ally:

Kellogg Company has concluded its investigation into the off smells in the package liners in some  of its cereals. Working with external experts in medicine, toxicology, public health, chemistry and food safety, we indentified elevated levels of hydrocarbons, including methyl naphthalene,  normally foiund in the paraffin wax and film in the liners. This specific wax is used as a protective coating for foods including cheese, raw fruits and vegetables, and is apporoved by the FDA. We have verified that the elevated levels of hydrocarbons are not present at harmful levels. We are working with our supplier to ensure that this situation does not happen again.” 

Since the FDA does not have mandatory recall authority, the recall process with food is driven by the co,panies themselves. So, what happens often? The public has limited access to the truthful information. At least, the Consumer Product Safety Commission has the authority to recall any bad product, and hopefully will continue to do it. Waiting for new food safety laws? A bill to toughen food safety laws has been stuck in Congress for months. So, be smart and do your own research before you buy one or another food product.

* In addition to Froot Loops and Corn Pops, Apple Jacks and Honey Smacks were recalled, too.

Submitted by Svetlana Konnikova.

‘Certified Organic’ is a different story. ‘Certified Organic’ product’s price is much higher than just ‘organic.’ But at least, we have some assurance that manufacturer conducts serious and responsible business. That gives us, consumers, a piece of mind. We need this piece of mind because we are all worried about our health. What is good in being sick? We try to avoid any possible chemicals in our food we eat every day. We read lots of articles. These articles very often oppose each other. It depends who sponsored it and what interests are represented.

There is so much information flying at us at the breakneck speed. Tons of this info creates confusion, and can really mislead and send us in a wrong direction. So, now watch this video and find out what is the difference between organic and conventional food, and make your conclusion. Knowledge is power, isn’t it?!

Today many of us want to eat in a healthy way and be well. We try to avoid processed foods and include in our daily diet more fresh vegetables, fruits and natural beverages. But sometimes we don’t deliver our promises to ourselves and find all possible excuses to go just one time for “real food” like hamburgers and sugary sodas. We see also very strange things happen with people who by their profession must be examples of healthy lifestyle and know more than others about nutrition and proper diet… I am talking about medical professionals.

Today it was astonishing to observe how one of the nurses in a medical office has been eating hot soup while standing in the reception area with lots of patients waiting for a doctor. Obviously, she did not have a chance to take ‘real’ time for break. She was very happy with her suppossedly ‘healthy’ meal containing low calories, and informed all waiting patients that she was eating the best soup anybody has ever tasted, and they, the patients, should try too, this amazing meal.

Do you think she was talking about homemade soup and a recipe? Not al all. She simply ate a canned soup that she picked up on the supermarket shelf. It is hard to imagine that this mass produced canned product can taste great! In any case it’ll not do any good to you health, but will load your body with sodium, fat, etc. Now watch this video and see why it is so.

Submitted by Svetlana Konnikova.

Submitted ny Svetlana Konnikova

Today millions of health-conscious people believe in the benefits of soyfoods as a newest panacea for better health and prevention of numerous diseases. In reality, soybeans, soy extract or soybean oil maybe add some taste to our foods. Maybe not, it depends what you like. However, you don’t have too much of a choice. Today this realtively cheap ingredient is included in the hundreds and hundreds of different food products. This little trick helps food manufacturers to bring down the cost of their products and increase their profits tenfold at the price of consumers health and money.

60% of the refined foods in U.S. supermarkets now contain soy. Soy is everywhere, and is getting worse because soy use may double in the next few years. Powerful FDA is considering to allow manufacturers of cereal, energy bars, fake yogurt, fake milk, etc. to claim that “soy prevents cancer.” It doesn’t.

New studies showed a serious connection between soy and cancer in adults, especially breast cancer. According to these studies, the governments of the UK, France, Israel and New Zealand are already cracking down hard on soy. Another scientific evidence tells that estrogen ingredients in soy products may be boosting the rapidly rising statistics of leukemia in children. In the latest, just one year, new cases in the U.S. increased by 27%. There’s also a serious connection between soy and the infertility epidemic, and the sudden growth in fertility clinics. Research in 2000 showed that a soy-based diet at any age lead to a weak thyroid, which commonly produces heart problems and …excess fat. Where do you think the dramatic increase in obesity today comes from?

Soy became a big business today. Is it always healthy for you, as you were told by numerous sales pitches and expensive advertising about nutritional benefits of this ‘magic’ product? Unfortunately, all this excitement is not always about our health, but about high profits. Do you want a proof, watch now how Dr. Mercola explains why soy is not good for you. Then look at the food labels and make up your mind.

Submitted by Svetlana Konnikova