My New Most Favorite Place: Mountain Town Olive Oil Co.

In the past 15 years of marriage, it has been the rarest of treats for my husband and I to have a getaway. If it wasn't lack of money, lack of overnight babysitters, or a reliant breastfeeding baby it was something else. Needless to say we've only had 3 one night over-nighters in 15 years.

Which is why I eek every ounce of entertainment and fun out of the events. My brain shifts over into multi sensory mode and everything I eat, smell and see is magnified...it's like being newly postpartum all over again and I love it!

We were staying right next to the Gateway Mall in downtown SLC, and so we had a nice meal at the Gateway and proceeded to walk towards the movie theaters to catch a movie. Luckily, we had a 25 minute window in which to make it in our seats.

We passed by this very classy, minimalist looking store. I stopped, took a step back and studied the signage:

Mountain Town Olive Oil Company

I brought my eyes down at which point I saw copper colored vats, lined up in 4 different rows and that was about it. I was intrigued. No flashing lights, no signs shouting 'sale', nothing that would really draw you in, except its simplicity and clean lines, not to mention it was dedicated to my favorite oil...Olive. I did, after all, name one of my children Athena, the Goddess that caused an olive tree to spring up on the citadel of Athens, thereby becoming the city's patron deity.

So, I gasped, looked at my husband and said, "We HAVE to go in...do you mind?"

I didn't wait for his answer, grabbed his hand and marched in.

I really didn't know what to expect out of this store. The young man behind the counter was clearly a Park City snowboarding transplant, and in fact led off the conversation with his year to date opinion of this year's snow fall in relation to his snowboarding success (not good, by the way).

When he saw that we had a true interest in olive oil, he said, "Well, if you really want to taste a good one, try this." He took a little plastic sample cup and proceeded to open the spigot to one of the copper vats. He started going on about how long it's been aged, where it was sourced and the season the olives were picked. Turns out this guy is an olive oil snob and genius. Loved him.

I Took a Small Sip...

and I was hooked. The olive oil was smooth, not too thick, very subtle undertones of something or rather and I could just imagine it going nicely over a coleslaw for sure. Never in my life have I had tasting an oil bring to mind any of these thoughts before.

I asked him if I could just start tasting all the different varieties? It seemed like there must have been about 100 vats in the store. He said, "Sure, man...that's why the vats are here!"

He then goes on to inform me that the balsamic vinegars are along the back wall and that the infused oils are on the opposite side of the store. There was some dipping bread there, but I decided that that might cloud the full effect of the oil and just went for it.

The Mormon Version of Wine Tasting

All of the sudden I turned in to some wanna be wine taster. The Natural Butter EVOO? Um, yeah...I will bathe in that one please. The Organic Phoenician....that is something no one who loves nuts should be without. The Australian olive oil?Not so much a fan - tasted too strong of grass and pepper. But all the infused oils - I loved every single one, I can't even tell you.

But the Leccino Olive Oil...that's the one we bought. Yum. I was blown away by how different and complex this one little olive could get. I don't know if I can ever ever buy olive oil off the shelf anymore.

But wait! There's more. The vinegars. Get out of town! They were awesome. Pomegranate, raspberry, strawberry, lavender, blackberry, chocolate, vanilla, coconut. No, I'm not joking. Drinking them straight was a pleasure.

My husband and I walked out of there $15 poorer but with this simple sensory experience we will never forget. I appreciated olive oil before, but will never look at it the same again.

Should you ever find yourself in Salt Lake (or Park City), this is one store not to miss. In fact, make a date night of it, you won't regret it. Mountain Town Olive Oil Co - go to there. One of the coolest places ever (and, I'm not even getting paid for saying it).

Forks Over Knives

Looks like another great film! I love all these opportunities to learn and share.  It's so easy now, no one has an excuse to be ignorant.  Forks Over Knives

Farmageddon

The Prophet said to plant a garden.....

and here is one reason why.  Our government is raping our food chain, this is an important movie that raises awareness of the illegal activities going on to control our most precious resource - our food.

<p>Farmageddon Trailer 1410 from Kristin Canty on Vimeo.</p>

Now Alcohol Cures Cancer?

Just to add fuel to KFC's 'Buckets for the Cure" fire, now you can purchase Mike's Hard Lemonade and Chambord Vodka to cure breast cancer. Thankfully, the "cure breast cancer by throwing money at more drugs and treatment instead of prevention" camp is finally saying enough is enough, and accusing the alcohol companies of pinkwashing - using their cause for marketing purposes only.

Honestly, this is all becoming a joke. A sad joke. ::Sigh::

See the full article here.

How I Achieve Flu Free Winters

Yes, you can get through the winter without one person throwing up from the flu....even babies.

Is it a new miracle drug, you ask? Nope. The new "triple protection" flu vaccine? Nope. Staying inside and not interacting with anyone? No (in fact, this may actually make you more susceptible).

I've gone through two winters in the past 5 years where none of us - that's my entire family - have not gotten sick. Not even the sniffles. Was it luck? Doubtful, since I worked really hard those two winters. The other winters, I was either pregnant and too tired to even do what little I needed to, or too poor to afford anything. Let me tell you, I wish I done what I needed to in order to avoid the flu those other 3 winters!

A Puke Free Winter

In this post I want to impart my tips and tricks to keeping your family puke free this winter.

My approach to keeping my family healthy has morphed and improved over my 14+ years of parenting, and my present protocol is a result of trial and error, experience, study, meditation and prayer. This is what has worked for my family, and I hope this can give you some hope and ideas.

First of all, you need to form and build the foundation for health which includes:
1. A clean diet. No soda, fast and junk food, artificial flavors, colors and sweeteners. Limited refined sugars and flours. Organic and fresh as possible, plenty of fruits and veggies and real whole grains. Limit and eliminate OTC medications, including tylenol, (and especially) antibiotics and vaccines. Eat little animal products.
2. Adhere to a low stress lifestyle and laugh as much as possible.
3. Massage doesn't hurt at all.
4. Address and balance any yeast overgrowth issues with Cand-e-cleanse or Yeast Beaters (or make your own - instructions to follow), probiotic and greens.

If you do not build the foundation, all the pills and potions in the world won't do hardly a bit of good - long term anyway.

The Protocol

Now here is my daily protocol from mid September to the end of February (keeping in mind that I have my days when I forget, but this happens 5 days a week at minimum):

1. Infection Fighter dose (or *make your own - instructions to follow)
2. Probiotic dose. (see past WOW article here)
3. Vitamin D. I do a dose of Barlean's Fish Oil (which tastes like candy) as well as **20 minutes of sun.
4. Thieves spray. One squirt in the mouth or on the bottom of the feet.

Yep, that's it. With my brood of 5, I end of spending about $165 to keep us all well. I do make my own herbal remedies, which saves me about $105 over the winter. If I made my own probiotic and blended my own essential oils, I'd save even more.

The Essential Vitamin

I do want to elaborate on vitamin D. This is a new one I added this year. The more I learn about it, the more I'm convinced that as a whole, this nation is vitamin D deficient.

A trial appeared in the March, 2010 issue of the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition (Am J Clin Nutr (March 10, 2010). doi:10.3945/ajcn.2009.29094) and the results from this randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled (meeting the gold standard) study were that 31 of 167 children in the placebo group contracted influenza over the four month duration of the study, only 18 of 168 children in the vitamin D group did.

This means vitamin D was responsible for an absolute reduction of nearly 8 percent. The study involved 334 children, half of which were given 1200 IUs per day of vitamin D3.

8% doesn't sound like a lot, until you put things into perspective:

Flu vaccines, according to the latest scientific evidence, achieve an only 1 percent reduction in influenza symptoms

This means vitamin D appears to be 800% more effective than vaccines at preventing influenza infections in children.

Mom's-to-Be, Let the Sun Shine In

Additionally, the sun's power seems to protect our most vulnerable: Mothers who took 4,000 IU of vitamin D daily cut their risk of premature delivery by half, in a study conducted by researchers from the Medical University of South Carolina and presented at the annual meeting of the Pediatric Academic Societies in Vancouver.

Getting the Most From the Rays

**You HAVE to get sunlight in order to have the full protective effects the sun provides. Here's how you get the most from your time in the sun:

1. Don't use typical Sunscreens, they block out the valuable effects of vitamin D. For example, if you wear sunblock SPF 8, you reduce your body's ability to make vitamin D by 90%. If you choose a sunblock with a SPF of 30, you reduce your body's ability to produce vitamin D by 99%
2. The healing rays of natural sunlight (that generate vitamin D in your skin) cannot penetrate glass. So you don't generate vitamin D when sitting in your car or home.
3. The further you live from the equator, the longer exposure you need to the sun in order to generate vitamin D. Canada, the UK and most U.S. states are far from the equator.
4. People with dark skin pigmentation may need 20 - 30 times as much exposure to sunlight as fair-skinned people to generate the same amount of vitamin D. That's why prostate cancer is epidemic among black men -- it's a simple, but widespread, sunlight deficiency.
5. Sufficient levels of vitamin D are crucial for calcium absorption in your intestines. Without sufficient vitamin D, your body cannot absorb calcium, rendering calcium supplements useless.
6. Chronic vitamin D deficiency cannot be reversed overnight: it takes months of vitamin D supplementation and sunlight exposure to rebuild the body's bones and nervous system.
7. It is impossible to generate too much vitamin D in your body from sunlight exposure: your body will self-regulate and only generate what it needs.
8. If it hurts to press firmly on your sternum, you may be suffering from chronic vitamin D deficiency right now.
9. Ideally 40% of the body surface (skin) needs to be exposed to the sun.
10. Ideally exposure should be to prime midday sun (10:00 AM to 2:00 PM) when the UVB rays are strongest; UVB are the kind of sun rays that produce vitamin D on the skin.
11. Don't shower after sun exposure. Natural skin oil is critical to the absorption process since vitamin D is only formed on skin that has enough natural oil formed on its surface and if it stays on the skin long enough after exposure to the sun.

Color Does Matter

Recommended time in the sun to produce about 10, 000 IU of vitamin D:

Light skin = 15-20 minutes daily
Medium Skin = 25-30 minutes daily
Dark Skin = 40-45 minutes daily

Some people may worry that if they are in the sun a lot they will overdose on Vitamin D. However this doesn't happen, and here's why. When you're exposed to the sun, the UVB rays creates vitamin D on your skin, while the UVA rays in the sunlight will tend to destroy excessive levels of vitamin D circulating in your body. That means that even "if" you are taking vitamin D and also getting it from the sun, the UVA rays in sunlight won't allow you to have too much vitamin D.
Source: Holick, MF. Vitamin D Deficiency. New England Journal of Medicine, July 2007

*Making Your Own

Like I said, I make my own herbal remedies. You can do the Infection Fighter blend in capsules or tincture (liquid). It is equal parts:

Echinacea Angustofolia
***Goldenseal Root
Licorice Root
Ginger Root

***If you are pregnant, be aware that very high doses of goldenseal can cause uterine contractions. An alternative formula to this would be equal parts:

Echinacea Angustofolia

Peppermint

myrrh

You can go here for instructions for tinctures. Here for instructions on capsules.

I buy all my bulk herbs from MountainRoseHerbs.com and my glycerin (which you can sub for the vodka) from EssentialWholesale.com and my other supplies from IndustrialContainer.com.

Inspiration: How to Find Truth

Spencer W. Kimball:
As a people, we Latter-day Saints have been encouraged by the Lord to
progress in the learning of God as well as in the sound learning of the
earth. Too many of us spend far too much time watching the television or in
habits and activities that do not enlarge ourselves or bless others. Would
that we might lift ourselves to higher visions of what we could do with our
lives! There should be no people who have a higher desire to obtain truth,
revealed and secular, than Latter-day Saints.

There should also be no people who are in a better position to obtain truth
and apply it in their lives. For we have the gift of the Holy Ghost, that
wondrous gift of our Heavenly Father given to all who take upon themselves
worthily the ordinances of salvation. Jesus taught, “The Spirit of truth …
will guide you into all truth.” (John 16:13.) And the prophet Moroni,
speaking to our day, advised us that “by the power of the Holy Ghost [we]
may know the truth of all things.” (Moro. 10:5.)

Having considered all this, let us finally remember that if we desire to
advance, as a people or individually, we must heed the counsel of the
prophets. “To be learned is good,” Nephi taught, “if [we] hearken unto the
counsels of God.” (2 Ne. 9:29.)

(“‘Seek Learning, Even by Study and Also by Faith’,” Ensign, Sep 1983, 3)

Should Children Be Exposed to Breastfeeding? Even at Church???!!!

Because breastfeeding can be such a fundamental part of lifelong good health, I don't know a single soul that disagrees that it should be promoted.

UNTIL..... the topic of nursing in public comes up.

Then all of the sudden the conversation turns to one of sex, pornography and young boys.

The author of this post I think puts it all into perspective, but I want to take it one step further.



When I went to church for the first time after the birth of my oldest daughter, she needed to nurse in the middle of Sunday School. Without covering up, but in a discreet tactful way I latched her on, looked at my husband, and I thought his eyes were going to detach from his sockets.

I looked at him, hurt. Right then I could tell he did not support me. Ouch. I mouthed to him, "What do you want me to do?!", with a bit of body language that said 'You better respond the 'right way' or else you might not sleep well tonight'.

He gave me a sheepish look and mouthed back, "Go to the mother's lounge?"
To which I replied, "I will go to the mother's lounge every time to nurse, if you come with me. I did not come to church to get stuck in a small room with dirty diapers half the time."

That was the last time he ever said anything to me about nursing in church, and in fact he quickly became a huge advocate of public church nursing. I nursed in sacrament meeting, sunday school, relief society, primary when we taught the CTR class (8 year old's), when I led the primary music (yes, I nursed in the sling while leading the music), young womens when I taught the beehives, the 14 year old sunday school class when my husband and I team taught them, ward dinners, one time I even said the closing prayer in sacrament meeting while nursing my baby in the sling. If my baby was hungry, I would nurse where I was, albeit - like I said - discreetly, most of the time in my baby sling because MY BABY COMES FIRST.

Fast forward 9 years and 3 more babies later, and we were moving out of that ward that I nursed in so frequently. Our old bishop (who was vocally supportive of my parenting practices) stopped us our last Sunday there to let us know that we would be missed. Then he casually said (as if I knew this information), "And to think we spent so many months in bishop's meeting with all the leaders discussing what to do about you nursing all the time, and now they are sad to see you leave!"

I played it off, pretending to know what he was talking about, because I didn't know how to react to that. I turned to my husband in amazement. 'What?! There were discussions about my boobs in the bishop's office?! My parenting choices were called in question?!' All these years, and I had no clue. At first I was hurt. After thinking about who had been in positions of leadership who would have a problem with my public nursing, I knew exactly who the people were that he was talking about. But then I was grateful. Grateful I had no clue about what was being said about me behind my back. Those people, who were primarily women, had since become my friends after that bishop had been released. I knew they loved and even liked me, and I them.

Knowing that they were so constipated about my choice to nurse unhindered would have set a very defensive tone from me towards them during my vulnerable, formative mothering years. And should I been asked to stop like so many other women on birth email groups I'm on? I am grateful to that bishop for doing the right thing, and standing up for me. Forgiveness wouldn't have come quickly during my 20's, I fear. He will forever have a special place in my heart.

One of them even gave me a very high compliment a year before we left,

"Amy, if I believed in reincarnation, I would want to come back as one of your babies."

To this day, this has been the most meaningful compliment anyone has ever given me, and healed any stare or negative look I ever received as a result of my public breastfeeding.

What started off as probably disgust and intolerance of me and my beliefs and practices, had turned into love and acceptance, for most. In that 9 years we were there, I was able to follow many of the kids in the ward from the primary class we taught, to being their activity days leader, then on to beehives, and eventually I even attended one of their births when they moved on into motherhood.

I can't help but think that for many of them, I might have been the only source that normalized what might have otherwise become a very embarrassing thing for them. Nourishing my babies through my breast. I pray that my example may have helped give some of them the courage to do the same.

Here is a very interesting dipiction of public breastfeeding, in sacrament meeting, in the early days of the church. I encourage you to read the post. I think we are doing our brothers and sisters a huge disservice when we run to the mother's lounge every time our babies need to nurse.


Ladies, it's okay to nurse in front of others - in church even. Come to think of it, ESPECIALLY in church!

You are not promoting any kind of sexual sin. You are fulfilling the divine duties the Lord has given you. You are encouraging other mothers around you, as well as the educating the young people for the future, to nurse and promote the physical and emotional health of their children!

My 5th baby, my 2 year old is still nursing, and now if he wants to nurse during church, I do go to the mother's lounge, because nursing a two year old is like nursing a monkey sometimes. He can unpredicatbly pull my shirt up, want to stand on my lap or sit to nurse...let's just say, it's no longer discreet to nurse him in public, it can become a side show pretty quickly. So, when I go in and there are other mothers in their nursing their babies, they are always shocked that a child "so old" is still nursing. Just to break the ice of awkawd judgment towards me, I reply that I nurse until my kids are in college. Most of the time it turns into a conversation about how I miss the days when I could just nurse through my meetings with a calm baby. I hope that then I've gotten those mothers thinking that not only is it great to nurse past 3, 6, 9, or 12 months, but there is no reason why they can't do it in the meetings.

I pray we can go back to the days of when it was common to nurse in church meetings, like the painting depicts. Imagine how much better off the world would be! Nurse!

THIS Asthma Solution Costs No Money…

http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2010/07/13/insufficient-vitamin-d-tied-to-severe-asthma-attacks.aspx

Asthmatic children with low blood vitamin D levels may have a greater risk of suffering severe asthma attacks.

A study followed more than 1,000 children with asthma for four years, and found those with vitamin-D insufficiency at the outset were more likely to have an asthma attack that required a trip to the hospital.

Reuters reports:

“When the researchers considered other factors -- including the severity of the children's asthma at the study's start, their weight and their family income -- vitamin D insufficiency itself was linked to a 50 percent increase in the risk of severe asthma attacks.”

Sources:

Reuters June 23, 2010

Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology June 8, 2010 [Epub ahead of print]

Eurekalert June 25, 2010

Eurekalert June 23, 2010

Phytotherapy Research June 14, 2010 [Epub ahead of print]

Would You Like Some Dimethylpolysiloxane With That?

Not that anyone is surprised, or that it is going to desuade parents from stuffing these things in their unsuspecting kids' mouths, but just thought you should know what is really in McDonald's Chicken Nuggets.

Apparently our dumb American palates are not as sophisticated as those in the UK. This is McDonald's excuse for including non food ingredients into their food. Additionally the article encourages us to avoid ingredients we cannot pronounce. So, if I learn to pronounce it, is it then okay? American's are not really this stupid, vote with your wallet and leave McDonald's once and for all!

Whole Foods Taking a Stand!

Hooray!

http://www.organicconsumers.org/articles/article_21052.cfm

Slow Death By Peppermint Spray

"MOM! They are all over in the pantry! Seriously, it's grossing me out."

This is what I heard at midnight tonight as my 11 year old came upstairs from getting a drink of water. Who are 'they'?

'They' are the ants. Ugh. I must admit I hate them.

We've lived in this house two years, and our previous Utah house for three, and every June, the ants have moved in with us. It drives me nuts.

I hate the ant poison, though, for what I hope are obvious reasons.

And then my aromatherapist friend Jonelle reminded me (while I was chatting with her on FB) about peppermint oil! I ran downstairs, grabbed one of my stray spray bottles (a 4 ouncer), filled it with water, dropped in about 15 drops of oil and got sprayin'.

Was it an 'on contact' death? Nope. I sat their and watched those suckers slow down, and then collapse in suffocation. I'm ashamed to admit I enjoyed it.

I cleaned the dead ones up, and then waited for more to come behind them. They didn't.

Then I sprayed everywhere. On my food in the pantry, on the refrigerator doors, the floor cracks. I caught a stray one trying to get inside my gamma sealed steel cut oats bucket. I screwed the lid off and sprayed the perimeter of the bucket. then I did it with the rest of my buckets. I created a nice barrier whever I could. Nothing like protectin the hood at midnight!

Now tell me, can you do that with the other toxic ant poisons? I say nay, of course not.

Then, as I came to bed I got the question, "Hey lady...what's that smell?" in a come hither tone, if you know what I mean. (This from my husband, mind you - lest you were wondering).

To which I responded, "Oh nothing, just a bit of ant killer." Again, I ask....can you get THAT with the other toxic ant poisons? Again, I say nay.

Essential oil brands I love and trust? Young Living, doTerra, Herbalogie.com, and Butterflyexpress.com. Tonight's brand? Eau de Butterfly Express.

E is for Eggwashing, Of Organics Even

Here is a great expose on egg washing, you will be shocked!

Honestly, can't a person catch a break around here?

It's frustrating, but not surprising, that even organic eggs are subject to adulteration. What's a health junkie to do?

Buy local if you can.

I am so grateful I have 3 local egg producers within 5-10 minutes of me, and I have seen the difference in my eggs!

Yes, that hard shell is porous and whatever you put on it, or soak the eggs in, gets into your egg.

I think our grandparents and great grandparents would be embarrassed to call what we eat today 'food'.

Granted, it's just the fulfilling of prophecy, but it is becoming exhausting to keep on top of it all. Now when our eggs aren't even just eggs, everything becomes suspect.

Great Quote

Theodore M. Burton:
When I was a young boy we used to sing a hymn in Sunday School entitled “In
Our Lovely Deseret.” We called it the Word of Wisdom song, but it was one of
our favorite hymns and we used to sing it with enthusiasm. One of the verses
reads:

*That the children may live long, And be beautiful and strong, *
*Tea and coffee and tobacco they despise, *
*Drink no liquor, and they eat but a very little meat; *
*They are seeking to be great and good and wise. *

(“In Our Lovely Deseret,” Deseret Sunday School Songs, no. 114.)

I was taught at home and in Church to keep the Word of Wisdom. So from my
early youth I learned an important lesson: to avoid those things which were
injurious to my body. . . .

When I read about “health in [the] navel and marrow in [the] bones,” I think
of the possibility of a devastating plague that could overtake the world as
a result of widespread pollution from radiation hazards in a future war.
Could this, then, be one way the Lord might use of separating the obedient
from the disobedient? Could there be some connection between these forbidden
substances and radioactive particles which could cause increased absorption
in the bone marrow, with resultant increased possibility of damage? I do not
know.

I do know that if we keep the Word of Wisdom, the destroying angel will
spare us.

(“The Word of Wisdom,” Ensign, May 1976, 28)

Follow Up on Previous Post...

It happened again this morning.....

Check out this report here. Really?! 25% of men experience postpartum depression? I find that hard to believe given that only 10% of US mothers report experiencing postpartum depression. Well, we have an epidemic now, don't we? I know! Medicate the dads, too!

You know, there's anew law, called The Mother's Act, that basically has Big Pharma down new mother's throats before they step foot out of the hospital with their Big Pharma sponsored booty of artificial feeds. Basically, you get screened and possibly prescribed psych drugs before you can even change your first diaper. And, new mama, if you don't take your magic pills like you should, well then maybe Big Brother can raise Little Johnny for you, until you become a compliant patient. In the old days, we took postpartum depression as a normal reaction to a mother not being supported and educated enough after the birth. But nowadays, you have a disease, you are marked for life. No, grandma's, grandpa's, friends and neighbors, don't step up and help out! Just take her to the corner druggist and pop some pills.

You mark my words, there's a Father's Act on it's way. Because Big Pharma doesn't miss an opportunity to inflate the facts, distort the reality, and medicate us to their liking.

The Doping of America: A Patients’ and Doctors’ Guide

It's not often I post on Big Pharma, because I see this blog serving more of a 'food based' WOW perspective, but if you really knew what was going on behind the scenes, that Big Pharma is also trying to control your food, you would see how Big Pharma needs to be addressed in a Word of Wisdom discussion as well.

Here is a great article http://www.ifnh.org/images/ihr3forreps.pdf I am referencing in this post. You know, I started witnessing what this article discribes years ago first hand. If you pay attention, you'll see it, too.

Because I've been teaching a vaccination class since 2000, I'm pretty up to date on what vaccines are being worked on. It takes (or should take anyway) years for a vaccine to be created, tested, approved by the FDA and then available to the public.

Throughout the many years of teaching this class, I'd inform the students of the vaccines 'in the works'. The ones where I got the biggest reactions and laughs from were what I called the 'lifestyle vaccines', ones where you didn't need a vaccine to prevent the illness at all, just some self discipline and knowledge. These included:

AIDS
Herpes
Chlamydia
Obesity
Cavities
Smoking
Cancers of ALL kinds
Drug Addiction
Contraceptive Vaccines

In fact, many delivery method are also being experimented with, including delivering the vaccine via a cigarette, a tattoo, and in our food supply. I know many people didn't believe me on some or all counts. It all sounded too ridiculous and far fetched.

Well, true to the AMA's and big pharma's marketing form, last week I started hearing one, then two, then three snippets:

"The bacteria that causes cavities may have been identified. Scientists are looking at developing a vaccine to fight it."

Looking at?!!! It's done, it's here. That vaccine is in the approval stages. And soon to be on your child's recommended vaccination schedule, alongside our newest lifestyle vaccine Gardisil. Who knows, one day it may be 'required' for your child to get a contraceptive vaccine before entering high school. Don't think it could happen? Well, a few short years ago people didn't think the cavity vaccine would happen, a few short years before that, they certainly didn't think an STD vaccine would be required for school entrance.

Wake up people, you are being played in the most deceiving way. When you read this article http://www.ifnh.org/images/ihr3forreps.pdf you will see just how carefully you are being played, and what a good player you've become.

The more in harmony you become with living the Word of Wisdom, the more clearly you will see what designs the conspiring men in the last days are using. It will be obvious to you. But unless you commit to live your life in accordance with the Lord's will, you will be blind to what is going on right under your nose.

The FDA vs Raw Milk and the Constitution | Tenth Amendment Center

The FDA vs Raw Milk and the Constitution | Tenth Amendment Center

Who runs the FDA? Could it be, I don't know.....(insert SNL Church Lady answer here)

A Solar Powered LDS Chapel!

Yes, that's right....check out this article on The Church's first solar powered chapel! Awesome!

Greasy MSG Fried Chicken Now Cures Cancer

What? You didn't hear the news? Why, yes, Kentucky Fried Chicken now cures breast cancer. Don't believe me? See for yourself

Susan G Komen Foundation

That's it.....THAT'S IT!!!!!

I'm doing it. For years I've suspected this organization was a fraud, but this is the last straw. Considering this is the ingredients for the fried chicken, I think we now have proof that the Susan G Komen foundation is either full of idiots or they are a scam, actually promoting cancer to make money:

• Partially hydrogenated soybean oil (contains trans fats)
• High-Fructose Corn Syrup (linked to diabetes)
• Monosodium Glutamate (MSG) (linked to cancer)
• Titanium Dioxide (used in sunscreen)
• Yellow #5 (chemical coloring)
• Propylene Glycol (used as antifreeze in RVs)
• Rendered Beef Fat (gross)
• Red #40 (another chemical coloring)
• Sodium nitrite (linked to pancreatic cancer)
• Soy Protein Concentrate (may be processed with hexane)
• Sugar (refined)
• Sodium Benzoate (chemical preservative)
• Hydrolyzed Corn, Soy and Wheat Protein (may contain hidden MSG)
• Beef Extract (eww)
• Corn Syrup Solids (more processed sugars)
• Liquid Margarine
• Sodium Caseinate
• Autolyzed Yeast Extract (another hidden source of MSG)

Don't support this organization people. They haven't found one cure since they've been in existence, yet there is a ton of proof out there that there is one through diet and natural therapies.

The rest of the world just must be laughing.

Monsanto, Your Number is Up

Again, can we all say in unison, "evils and designs of conspiring men in the last days?" Another reason to garden and/or go organic

Monsanto's GM Corn linked to Organ Failure

Your request is being processed...

Fasting reduces risk of coronary artery disease

Fasting reduces risk of coronary artery disease

UCLA study proves Mormons live longer

UCLA study proves Mormons live longer

90 Percent of Parents Want to Know More About Alternative Medicine, Survey Reveals

90 Percent of Parents Want to Know More About Alternative Medicine, Survey Reveals

Then come to the Holistic LDS Living Conference!
June 26, 2010
South Jordan, UT

Am I Nuts? I Love Soap Nuts

A while ago I heard from a few online friends about soap nuts. Seemed like a pretty wacky idea to me. How in the world could these things even compare to detergent? I mean really, even for me....it was out there.

Well, the company I order most of my bulk herbs from had them. I contemplated about it for about 30 minutes. Should I? Is it even worth the trouble.

But I thought, for $2.25, I was willing to take a gamble. They arrived and I just looked at them for quite a while, waiting for the perfect load to try them out on.

Just in case they were going to ruin a whole load or something, I thought I better wait for something I wasn't too in love with....a load of old towels.

So, I wrapped up 5 of them in a square of muslin and tossed it in with the towels. What do you know, they came out pretty good, and the soap nuts emerged intact and didn't ruin a thing. But, then again, the towels weren't that dirty to begin with.

Then I realized that there was a pail of dirty cloth diapers that my baby had out grown that I had forgotten about for over a month. I know, ew is right. But, this would surely be the deciding factor on of these things really worked.

I crossed my fingers and gave it a whirl. What do you know....the diapers came out better than with my regular detergent. AMAZING!

So, what are these things? Where can you get them? How do you use them? How long do they last? What do they cost?

According to my herb website:

Soap nuts contain saponin, a natural detergent. The soap nut shell absorbs water and releases the saponins which circulate as a natural surfactant in the wash water, freeing dirt, grime, and oils from clothing. Soap nuts are found in both the eastern and western hemispheres, but are native to India and Nepal. They have recently become a popular environmentally friendly alternative to chemical detergent, and are a gentle option for those with allergies to chemicals in regular detergents. They have traditionally been used as an expectorant, and in Ayurvedic medicine as a treatment for eczema and psoriasis.

Just a few nuts (4-6) in a cotton muslin bag should work for an entire load. There will be little or no bubbles during the wash cycle, and it will smell lightly similar to apple cider. They can be used several times and then composted afterwards. They will be slightly soft and grey when they need to be changed - I find I can do 5 heavy loads with 5 nuts. They can also be used in a powder form as a cleansing cream by adding a small amount of water.

20-25 nuts come in a 4 oz bag from Mountain Rose for $2.25. Believe me, though, I will be buying these in bulk for cheaper per ounce. So, give it a try! you'll like it.

Weight Watchers says eat at McDonald's to lose weight (opinion)

Weight Watchers says eat at McDonald's to lose weight

Honestly, are 'we' that stupid?!

Throwing a Party W.O.W. Style

My 8 year old (today!) is getting baptized this Saturday and we wanted to throw a nice shin dig for her after the event. It's been muy years since I've thrown an adult party, so I had to dig deep to figure out what to serve for the brunch. Baked potato bar? Seemed too heavy and a little boring for my Sage. Salad theme? We could do the fruity quinoa salad, a nice waldorf salad, the tuscan bread salad...sounded great to me. But not Sage, this was a party for a kid afterall. Then I got it!

A Crepe Spectacular!

I'm so excited for this party. I super love crepes (recipe below). Or in my house growing up, it was Swedish pancakes....don't you dare call them crepes! We Swedes are racist like that I suppose. First off all, you've got to do the crepe right. I made about 100 of probably the healthiest crepes ever today. Organic whole wheat flour, free range local eggs, raw grass fed milk, real salt.....just thinking about it makes me smile. Anyway, you could do it just like everyone else does, but if you have the good ingredients, use them. It makes for fuller bodied taste, not to mention healthier of course. Yum! The beauty of doing a crepe buffet is that you can make the crepes up days in advance and not sacrifice quality. The other beautiful thing about a crepe party is that the fillings are endless.

In my cookbook I have a recipe for spinach mushroom crepes. Oh, man...it's one of my favorite meals. And there is the standard dessert fruit crepe, but what else can you do with crepes? Here are the fillings we have planned, and I'm making them all up ahead of time :

Egg Salad

Brie

Cream cheese

Ricotta

Various fresh fruits ie strawberries, blueberries, peaches, pineapple, bananas

Apple-cinnamon-sucanat ('sauteed' in a pan)

Blueberry-lemon-ricotta-honey

Orange cream cheese blossom

Fresh mint

Peanut Butter

Lemon and lime wedges

And of course maple syrup, jams, and fresh whipped cream!

Basic crepe recipe:
1 c. whole wheat flour
1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1/2 c. milk
1/2 c. water
3 eggs

Heat a medium size skillet on med high and put a small pat of butter in and wait till it sizzles (this is how you know the heat is right). Pour in approx 1/4 C of batter and swirl around till you can't swirl anymore. Let cook until the edges brown and then flip with a narrow spatula. Brown other side and transfer to a plate. Repeat over and over again till batter is gone. Store covered in the fridge for days!

Sara Lee accused of greenwashing marketing hype with its 'EcoGrain' bread

Sara Lee accused of greenwashing marketing hype with its 'EcoGrain' bread

The evils and designs of conspiring men.....sad.

Serious birth defects linked to the agricultural chemical atrazine

I had a niece born with, and die of, this birth defect. gotta love those pesticides.

Serious birth defects linked to the agricultural chemical atrazine

Registration Open!

HolisticLDSliving.com Can it be?! Yes! You can now register for the conference. Please visit the website www.holisticLDSliving.com and click on 'register'.

Additionally, vendor and advertising applications are being accepted.

Spread the Word!

Aspartame has been renamed and is now being marketed as a natural sweetener

Aspartame has been renamed and is now being marketed as a natural sweetener

Sounds so natural, eh?

In the Salt Lake County Area?

You can now check the cookbook out from the library!

Here's the direct link

http://ipac.slco.lib.ut.us/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=12G4W40098126.16572&profile=dial&uri=link=3100018~!1022418~!3100001~!3100002&aspect=subtab13&menu=search&ri=3&source=~!horizon&term=Jones%2C+Amy+Cox&index=PAUTHOR

Thank you to whoever requested that my book be there! There are 4 copies in circulation.

How Old Do You Think This Woman Is?

A walking advertisement for clean living....

direct link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VdeC3OJJIzA

My New Love

It was on sale AND I had a coupon, making this a steal at $1.50.

What is Korma sauce? I didn't know until I tried it. Basically the best yellow curry sauce ever. Honestly, I normally don't like pre packaged sauces, but this one curled my toes.

Sauteed julienne'd carrots, some broccoli, onions, and whatever else floats your boat. Mix in the sauce, lay over a bed of rice. I wish I was getting some sort of commission for this free advertisement, but I'm not.

Follow Up on my Poll Post

Well, my poll went in a different direction than I thought. But, were I to vote, I would have voted both. Driving by this place sent off both red flags and hopefulness.

Fresh Market....sounds so, well fresh, doesn't it?

I drove by this place 2 weeks ago. The sign had replaced the Albertson's sign that used to be there. For a moment, my heart was a flutter. Could this be my new shopping haven? After all, my nearest 'natural grocery store' was a half hour away no matter whether it was Whole Foods, Good Earth or Sunflower. Everything was inconvenient and required me to plan a whole day of outings around going there. So I had some hopes of this being my solution.

When I was finally able to check it out, I went with the thought that I would be okay if this store was not what the logo was trying to make me believe it was. When I got out of my MAV (Mormon Attack Vehicle for all you late comer's) and started walking towards the door, I paused as I looked up.

"Pharmacy"

Okay, what health food grocery store has a pharmacy, eh? Big sigh. Immediately I shook my head, but proceeded forward on the off chance this was some sort of 'hybrid' store. Then I looked at the products being peddled by the front door. Snow shovels and chimney sweep logs. Not exactly evoking anything resembling a health food store. Just go in Amy, maybe SOMETHING is worth looking in to.

And then I stepped inside. It was Alberstons. Not in name, but it was the same layout, same signage for the sales, same brands, same everything.

What wasn't the same? My respect. Not towards Albertson's. See, some of their stores were bought out by Associated Food Stores, hence this location is now a Fresh Market. But my respect for the directions grocery stores were going. As I walked up and down the aisles (I was there anyway, might as well look around a bit, plus I needed OJ) my annoyance and disappointment grew. I kept on saying to the oldest, "Man, this makes me mad".

The deception had reached mass scale. No longer is it the subtle, minute deceptions of - I don't know - Tropicana trying to make it's 50/50 juice look healthy, or even domestic (I don't want my oranges from Brazil, thank you). It's not even the more laughable attempts like 7 Up marketing itself as "all natural" as if it were a superfood juice product that is good for you. It's now big, bold, loud and plain insulting.

These big food stores know what they are doing. They don't want to fail. They hire plenty of graphic artists, market specialists and they know what sells. The organics industry grows by leaps and bounds every year, even in the depressed economy, organics are capturing more and more of the market place. They know if they make themselves look more appealing in terms of health, they will get more customers. But they have no real commitment to health, only to their bottom line, and their lack of change shows it.

It's a slap in the face to all of us who are committed to this lifestyle and frankly it's deceptive marketing and a lie. While I'm not suggesting they change their name to "The Store That Will Sacrifice Your Health In Order To Make The Largest Profit We Can", I am saying, don't try to be something your not. The name 'Albertsons' told me exactly what I needed to know, thank you. You were likely founded by a man with the last name of Albertson, and you're probably a typical grocery store that I won't be able to find everything I need at. I can respect that. I don't like it, but I can respect it, and am even willing to buy a thing or two there without feeling insulted.

Hey Fresh Market, us granola types value honesty more than cute logos. We enjoy being looked at as more than a robotic consumer. You don't know it (yet), but we have brains. Do you?

Anti-Depressants: Stroke, death, increased suicide risk, now no better than sugar pill?!

Watch the Good Morning America Clip. Obviously America's been sold a bill of goods on these meds. I don't agree with everything the clip says, he's way too PC and CYB (cover your bum)for my liking, but I do agree you need to go off of antidepressants carefully.

Are Anti-Depressants Over-Prescribed?

Anti depressants have always been on my hit list with big pharma. I had two acquaintances in high school who comitted suicide while on them. The more I ponder on them, the more I think that these meds leave you more vulnerable to the adversary's influence. I'm not saying the meds are inherently evil, but I just think they are spiritually risky.

As someone who has dealt with depression to the point of thinking the world would be better off without me (and I was tempted to try anti depressants), I understand the angst and temptation that lies there. But as this person, I also want to give others hope that they can recover without these meds. I did it, and countless others have too, and so can you.

Poll!

If you drove by a store that looked like this, what kind of grocery store would you think it was?

A health food store

A regular ole store, like Smiths or Alberstons

ugg boots

New Study Confirms: Organic Food is Far Healthier Than Conventional

New Study Confirms: Organic Food is Far Healthier Than Conventional

Movie Review: Food, Inc

I know, I know. I am way behind on seeing this one. I wanted to go see it when it was in theaters for the half second it was there. But because it was only there for a half second, I didn't get to it. And because we don't have a netflix or a Hollywood/Blockbuster acct and only rent movies from the Redbox, again I didn't see it. But my oldest wanted to rent movies from Hollywood video for New Years Eve, so I went and I was so excited to see Food, Inc there.

So, I'm giving the movie a thumbs up...go see it. I'm putting it in the same category with Super Size Me and King Corn, but NOT in the same category as the Fast Food Nation movie, which stunk. Food, Inc was entertaining, well shot, well researched, and easy to understand. Of course, like Super Size Me, it was at times gross, but honestly.....it's a hard truth that needs to be dealt with. Where our food comes from. And that 'where' is sometimes the most abhorrent places on earth.

I wish everyone would go see these movies, but as one of my relatives put it....they don't want to know because frankly, they want to consume what the want to consume and have no investment in 'the system'. I get it, people don't want to take responsibility for themselves because they think it will require a major shift in lifestyle.

In fact, it doesn't take a major shift. Very small, insignificant changes can make a HUGE difference in multiple areas.

First and foremost, their health. Nothing tastes better than health freedom, as Julia said in one of my post comments.

Secondly their pocket book. My neighbor, Mia, told me about going to the store once and upon checkout the customer in front of her looked over her cart contents (which was all healthy stuff), and said something to the effect, "Isn't it expensive to eat that way?" To which she replied, "Well, you're going to pay someone for the way you eat, might as well be the food producers". True that. Cheap food isn't cheap at all. You pay for it with diabetes, cancer, what have you. In fact, in the movie, one woman was faced with a horrible choice....buy healthy food and cure her husbands diabetes, or buy his diabetes meds and buy crappy food. If she chose healthy food, she risked her husband dying in the process of trying to save him. Wouldn't it just be better to buy healthy food in the first place?

Thirdly, it changes the food industry, our government, better farming practices, immigration ....the list goes on

So, one little thing, like buying organic milk or eggs instead of conventional, CAN make a huge difference. It's $1-$2 more, but a health care and societal cost savings of way more than that.

This movie was great, and was a very easily digested . Anyone can understand and incorporate the advice in this movie, it's just a question of whether or not they want to.

So the question now becomes, do you want to be sick or healthy? Watching this movie is one simple step towards health. Oh, and plant a vegetable, will ya? I am grateful that these types of films are coming out and being supported. Heaven's knows we need them.