Looking To Fight The Flu?

If you are reading this you are probably quite aware of the current swine flu crisis happening in the GTA and around the world. People are going out and getting vaccinations that are killing them, and all sorts of big pharmaceutical remedies for their health.

Well if there is one thing that this real food experience has taught me; it is that as far away from nature as people stride for their remedies; the natural solution always seems to work better. We are a part of nature and trying to avoid that is pathetic. Now obviously modern medicine has worked miracles for the world and I would be the last to dispute that, however if you live a healthy lifestyle you might not need modern medicine at all.

If you have had hesitations about getting the swine flu vaccination or even a vaccine for the regular flu, well then you might be interested in keeping yourself healthy. Especially during these winter months when people tend to stay inside and eat quite a bit of prepared or imported foods. Vitamin D has become somewhat of a star over the past few months, with ties to reducing the risks of heart disease, osteoporosis and preventing and helping to fight cancer. Winter is a bad time for us Canadians because many of us will spend the next few months indoors. Vitamin D is essential to a healthy immune system, in fact it is recommended that you spend up to two hours a day, naked, in the sun to get a full dosage of vitamin D.

You may also resort to taking vitamin supplements or even natural substitutes for the vitamins(fortified milk has about 100 IU of vitamin D per glass, it is recommended you have a minimum of 200 IU a day). Vitamin D is now believed to be one of the most important nutrients used by the body to fight off the flu. It greatly boosts your immune system and often if your getting it from the sun, you are probably doing physical things as well; which obviously helps keep you fit. Unfortunately getting sun in the winter will usually result in a bad sunburn and serious frostbite.

Our family is taking this into consideration and we try our best to spend as much time soaking up the natural source as we can. Also as of recently we have started to follow a diet 'challenge' to help us eat more of the healthy foods, in an attempt to stay healthy this winter. This entails mainly removing foods that contain a lot of grease and sugars and replacing them with more fruits and vegetables. It also involves limiting the amount of meat you take in a week to a maximum of two pounds(this is probably what we would consume anyways). It has been about a week since I started and already the results are obvious. I used to have a small patches of acne on my cheeks and neck; ever since starting this challenge they have completely disappeared. I find that I have more energy during the day and the combination of the two has lead to me losing several pounds. The results have been similar with the rest of the family. Don't get me wrong, this is by no means one of those weight diets designed to make you look like Reese Witherspoon in a week. This was purely to see if it had an effect on our daily lives and so far we have found that it has. For a long time it has been said that you are what you eat, and I truly appreciate the relevance of that now.

I will keep you updated on our progress as well as anything interesting or any tips that I have. All in all, while the weather is still mild, get outdoors as often as you can. It's good for you, it can help you fight off disease and in the end a day spent outside generally makes you feel better then a day infront of your computer! It's a shorter one this week but I'll end it off with a recipe full of healthy vitamins and a great way to start off the morning. The following are two types of smoothies we have recently been eating. Just add the ingredients to the blender and mix them up!

Mango Smoothie

-mango

-plain yougurt

-frozen banana

-apple juice

-honey

Blueberry Smoothie

-blueberries

-almond milk

-yogurt

Add milk to these to make them less viscous, you will also be adding calcium and a variety of other important nutrients. Adding more fruits and a variety of them will change up the nutrients you consume and better affect your health. It is a good idea to eat as much fruit as you can; especially during the flu season when our bodies tend to be down on nutrients as it is. Smoothies are just one of the many ways you can do this. Remember everyone a healthy body starts with a healthy diet! I hope you have managed to stay healthy over this fall season, and I hope to get some more healthy recipes up here soon.

Until next time everyone,

Good Health and Good Eating!

Preparing for the Holidays

Well it's the time of year where ponds are beginning to freeze, all the plants have lost their leaves and things are becoming dormant. There are still a few things being done around the farm; the straw will be put on over the next two weeks, all the irrigation needs to be drained and we have to fill the barn full of straw and hay.

By now even the lastest crops are finished. Pumpkins are the last and ended around Halloween. The frost has killed off the remainder of the annual crops, and the last of the apples are finished. However if you happen to have a tree or two at home or in a garden, that still has apples on it; you may want to leave them. Many people will take what is left over in the garden after the year and green bag it. Well I have a few tips for you that may help put some 'spirit' into your holiday season.

Yes now is the time of year where our neighboring wineries begin to produce their world renowned ice wines and fancy liquors. Many of the things you have left in your garden can now be used to produce some home-made wines and tonics for the coming Winter seasons. One of the first is ice wine. Traditionally ice wine is made with grapes, however it can be made with other fruits as well. One of the better is apple icewine. For those of you who hate to see those apples left on the trees after it freezes, this might be a solution. Now you do not want any rotten apples of course(these will ruin the wine, or syrup), but you can use apples that have just frozen.

You must wait until the overnight temperature drops below -8' celcius. Pick off the frozen apples, but do not allow them to thaw. While they are still hard, press the fruit; to extract the juice and get rid of the ice. What you will have left is a high sugar concentration, not yet alcoholic. This can be used as an apple syrup, which is delicious on pancakes and desserts. Not only that but apple syrup can be used as a more natural substitute for refined sugar. The same is true for any fruit you have stored in your freezer, strawberries work exceptionally well in this case. They are easier to press and the syrup is delicious. If you wish to make a true icewine, you need to let the concentrated juice ferment. This process may take up to a couple months, and you must look up a recipe for the proper way to do it.

My only issue is that the techniques for pressing your own fruit can be difficult to master and will be messy, so there is another easier way to do it. It will not be identical to the pressed fruit version but will be very similar. Take the juice of any of these fruits and add it to a pale. Let the pale sit outside in weather below freezing(or in a freezer). When the juice freezes the water will crystalize, eventually separating itself from the high sugar syrup that flavours the fruit. Simply scoop out this syrup and you are done. Again you can ferment this to make ice wine, or keep it as a sweet side to your dessert. Either way I recommend trying it, it is worth it!

I have found the recipe for yet another spectacular drink. This one is from the article on black currants found in the previous post. This is a recipe for cassis, a flavourful and powerful liquor made from the berries(also noted for its strong medicinal qualities):

"Soak a kilo of very ripe black currants(or frozen ones) in three litres of brandy for a month. At the beginning you add two grams cinnamon and 12 grams cloves. Traditionally sugar (750 g) is added, but you can substitute maple syrup at the time of drinking, in which case it is not necessary to add any sugar at all. You should shake the airtight glass container holding your cassis each day."- http://www.vitalitymagazine.com/black_currant

There are many other recipes for fantastic drinks and products for the holiday season, many of which will be ready by Christmas if you start soon. I know a few people make their own vodka out of potatoes, unfortunately I have no idea how to do this! Give some of these things a try because often the tastes are incredible, and many of them can be beneficial to your health. If you intend to try them; ensure you have a reliable recipe and follow it! This can make sure you actually unlock the tastes and health qualities of the drinks. Of course if this is not for you there is an array of local icewines and liquors that are some of the finest in the world, and are worth trying this season!(for some info on Canada's icewine visit http://www.winesofcanada.com/icewine.html)

I hope this helps in your preparation for this holiday season. Our family is currently making a batch of cassis, that will be ready around the middle of December and already it is starting to gain in flavour(cassis is a fantastic drink when you are feeling run down, and helps fight off sore throats and infections). Also I recieved a comment a few weeks ago about the use of garlic, unfortunately there were some problems with the commenting but I have put it below!

Until next time everyone,

Good Health and Good Eating!

From Marina:

"We eat chopped garlic raw and it is excellent for your health. My children enjoy it - one clove everyday. The trick is to chop it and leave it for 10 minutes so that all the essential oils activate. If you don't like the taste, just put the chopped garlic in your mouth and wash it down with a glass of water. No chewing required! that way you will not have an after-taste, my 4 year old enjoys chewing it but my 6 year old prefers it without chewing with a glass of water. Enjoy!"