 This is 30+ pages printed |
BY THE GRACE OF GOD --
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NEW SECTION :: Body Armor, Ward Off Microwaves and House EMF Current
Chemtrails and HAARP cause the ambient level of EMF and ELF to rise to the level that causes muscle cramping, insomnia, tinnitis, heart irregularities (and "allergies"), panic attacks and profound digestive disturbances. Why do you think there are so many over-the-counter remedies for these disorders?
Okay, here are some steps you can take to minimize the effects of ambient electrical fields on your body's delicate electronic cell systems.
And that is my latest and best advice, if you want to keep going in this world run by madmen.
For the last couple of centuries--two different methods for "study" have predominated: scientific and empirical.
In the scientific method, control is kept over every factor involved in the scientist's observations, and the purpose of an experiment is to generalize about and duplicate the results.
In empirical science, however--practiced for thousands of years in India and China--cause/effect relationships have merely been observed, correlated and recorded in their natural settings, as they have arisen.
Neither is there a need to CONTROL the factors involved, nor is there need to DUPLICATE the results; merely are tendencies NOTED.
Of course, differentiating among metabolic types is preposterous to an allopathic physician, because s/he wants to focus on blood lipids, or some other SPECIFIC factor, not general tendencies.
I find general human tendencies useful, however. Most people seem to exhibit a combination of tendencies, which generally means they are omnivores (eat almost anything). But there are exceptions, and exceptions are important, because these are people who are discovering their physiological limits.
It's certainly very common that different people in the same family have very different metabolic needs. The household cook needs to keep some Universal Principles in mind. Here are simple cosmic principles that govern thriving human bodies with good food; just as there are simple cosmic principles which govern Justice.
If none of these feels “enough,” then a protein meal is called for, either
A. mixed vegetable proteins : potatoes, beans, cabbage with grains and dairy or
B. flesh food with beer or wine, with a dried fruit dessert (for elimination).
NOTES:
In addition to our sand filter's ability to filter out sediment (which you will find in the Appendices, you may wish to kill as many bacteria as possible in your drinking water, with sunlight. It's simple, easy, and reliable.
In areas where there is a lot of sunshine, the heat and light of the sun can be used to kill disease-causing organisms. This method is becoming very popular because it is cheap, simple and requires little work. Research has shown that if used correctly, treated water is as clean as boiled water. The process is called SODIS. This method does not change the taste of the water. Nothing needs be measured, and the water can be kept in the same bottle for drinking, so there is no danger of contamination after it has been treated by sunlight.
This method requires:
It is important not to use glass bottles, as they do not allow enough sunlight into the water. Plastic bottles have very thin walls which allow the sunlight to reach the water. Cloudy water should be left to settle before use and, first, filtered through cloth or a sand filter.
Fill a clean bottle about three quarters full, put the top on and shake it vigorously for the count of 30. This makes sure that there is plenty of air in the water, which reacts with sunlight to help purify the water. Then fill the bottle to the top and place on its side where it will receive direct sunshine for several hours (and where wind will not cool it). A roof is an ideal place if it is made of metal sheeting, tar shingles or adobe tiles. Thatch roof is not suitable.
Leave bottles in the sun for at least six hours (or a whole day), and they should become hot to the touch. Then take them inside to cool and be ready for use. If the weather is cool and cloudy, bottles should be left on the roof for up to three days.
In the Appendix at the end of this Monograph are two articles on wastewater reuse and water harvesting, for long-term security in obtaining sufficient water for drinking and keeping clean.
METABOLIC TYPE It's important when food is scarce is that human bodies get the food they need, and not the food they cannot tolerate or digest. Therefore, it's a good idea to know the metabolic TYPE of each individual in your household. This is easily accomplished.
I first ran into the following "test" in an enlarged, book version done by Dr. Richard Kelley (Kelley Institute, Chicago)
for use by patients in his cancer practice. Later, I discovered an Ayurvedic source that enlarged it. It's helpful to focus on the issues in the test by placing a ruler under each line as you consider whether or not any of the values on that line apply to you.
PLEASE CHECK ALL THOSE CONDITIONS WHICH APPLY TO YOU, BUT LEAVE BLANK ALL THOSE CONDITIONS WHICH DO NOT APPLY TO YOU.
___Overweight----------------*___Underweight-------------------___Moderate weight ___Gain weight easily------- ___Weight stable *___Can't lose weight---------*___Can't gain weight ___Easy-going------------------ ___Creative-------------------------___Wide awake ___Methodical------------------ ___Quick mind---------------------___Wily ___Relaxed---------------------- ___Enthusiastic-------------------___Indecisive *___Phlegmatic or Hyper----- ___Calm; Slow to anger----------___Dislikes athletics *___Eyes get puffy------------- ___Poor visual focus--------------___Tired often ___Usually feel ok------------ ___Malaise often; sensitive ------------------------------------ ___Enjoys exercise---------------___Oily hair/skin ___Dry hair/skin--------------- ___Blackheads *___Acne, skin itches--------- ___Skin cracks, peels-------------___Hives/heatrash *___exzema, cold sores------- ___Thin skin------------------------ ___Strong bodyodor ___Small easy dark BMs----*___Large hard light BMs------ ___Gets diarrhea easily ___Thin eyebrows-------------- ___Thick eyebrows meet-------___Prefer cooked food ___Forget to eat and then-- ___Nibble raw food-----------------___Eat anything ----------ravenous--------------____------------constantly----------___LARGE appetite *___Often hungry---------------*___Never hungry---------------- ___Normal hunger ___Sexually apathetic-------- ___Sexually hyped-------------- ___Normal passion ___Fall asleep easily--------- ___Insomnia a lot--------------- ___Sleep well ___Night person--------------- ___Morning person-------------- ___Adaptive ___Gets colds easily--------- ___Get infections easily ___Breath/pulse slow--------*___Fast pulse-------------------- ___Normal pulse ___Pink gums-------------------*___Pale gums-------------------- ___Normal color ___Crave meat-----------------*___Eating meat = groggy----- ___Eat anything *___Eating carbs = groggy--- ___Crave sweets---------------- ___Crave salt ___Low blood pressure------ ___Higher BPressure---------- ___Normal BP ___Sunken eyes--------------- ___Protruding eyes------------- ___Normal placemt *___Pessimistic------------------ ___Optimistic---------------------- ___Variable ___Pungent/bitter------------- ___Sweet/salty/sour----------- ___Sweet/bitter ---------foods are best--------------------foods are best---------------------foods are best ___Skip breakfast------------- ___Like large breakfast------- ___Light breakfast ___Ruddy complexion--------*___Pale complexion------------ ___Vibrant skin ___Large barrel chest-------- ___Small rib cage--------------- ___Medium build ___Great endurance----------*___Fragile Constitution------- ___Exercise occasionally *___Fingernails have-----------*___Fingernails have cross--- -------longitudinal lines----------------ridges, tend to split----- ___Strong nails ___Intense dreams------------ ___Little/no dream memory ___Insensitive to pain--------___pain very intense----------- ___Normal pain ___Pupils usually small------ ___Pupils usually dilated ___Vitamins make sleepy--- ___Vitamins help energy------ ___ Vitamins have No effect ___Sweat little, except------ ___Sweat profusely --------hands and feet *___Low fever when sick---- ___High fever when sick ___Sensitive to cold---------- ___Sensitive to heat----------- ___Adaptable ___High pitched voice------- ___Low pitched voice--------- ___Moderate range *___Irregular menstruation---- ___Regular menstruation ___Sparse body hair---------- ___Plentiful body hair--------- ___Moderate amount ___Get Hiccups easily-------*___Indigestion often----------- ___No upsets *___mucous in throat----------- ___Dry mouth-------------------- ___Normal saliva *___Calloused feet-------------- ___Very Smooth feet---------- ___Normal feet *___Muscle cramps------------- ___Goose bumps easily ___Frequently blink-----------*___Get Muscle Tremors *___Irregular Breathing--------*___Hayfever, asthma ___Big niacin flush------------ ___strong light hurts eyes ___Eyestrain > nausea-------------------------------------------------- ___noise irritates ---------or headaches---------- ___Love coffee ___Feel chest pressure------ ___Impulsive *___Wake up middle of------- ___Eating before sleep------ __Eating before ---------night and can't sleep-------causes discomfort--------------sleep is fine *___Vomit easily------------------*___Sleep a lot ___Get motion sickness ___Insect bites bother ____ Checks Column 1/56---____ Checks Column 2/53-- ___ Checks Col 3/42 --------KAPHA Carnivore----------------VATA Vegetarian--------------PITTA OmnivoreTotal *s checked _____. More astericks indicate more digestive problems.
THE EXPERIENCE OF GLUT Lifestyle is everything. Cumulative practices of All Humans on a planet mean the difference between Sustainability and Suffering. The Abiding with Favor Norm for individuals, to eat a simple diet permitting meat only one day per week, is The Way that Sustainability can be assured for a Whole Planet. This Doctrine promotes fair distribution of food, prevents suffering from disease, and preserves the lives of countless animals. Moreover, the practice of mostly-abstaining from meat teaches Every Individual the principle of Economy: that Every Good Thing consumed is Gone Forever. Thanks be to God.---Shechainah, 11/22/95
In the present context of Food Glut in the United States, Nutrition, like any other branch of economics, is seen both from micro and macro viewpoints.
That is to say, studies are done from two opposing points of view: How a single nutrient affects a single individual and How norms are created for all people eating all diets.
The way this conflict plays out is "Dietetics" versus "Holistic practitioners."
You hear it all the time. Someone claims: "Selenium prevents cancer." (You see, they did a study on a few individuals which may have led to that belief.)
Then the dietetic community retorts: "Let's see you PROVE that it works for EVERYBODY." And, of course, the first researchers can't prove that; so they sell out their discovery to the community which believes that individuals are chemically unique, and that if a nutrient works for anyone, then it has value: to the health food industry.
In this context it is not unusual for the allopathic & scientific communities--who believe all along that if a nutrient requirement isn't normative (that is, statistically applicable to 65% of the population), it's not "real"-- Outrage is invoked and the charge is made that the health food industry practices quackery and fraud, to prevent them from "cashing in" on research. And so it goes.
The scientific community sincerely believes that: if it doesn't work for everybody, it doesn't work. And the holistic community believes: "If it works for anybody, it has value."
To some extent each group is both right and both wrong.
This conflict puts all consumers of food in a bind. Here's these two legitimate branches of science screaming 'foul' at each other.
So, let us get past that problem. Just grow your own food.
OVERCOMING POOR EATING HABITS Life consists of cycles: work, play, sleep, eat, digest, think, feast, famine, haste, watch.
One purpose food needs to serve is to assist you to feel like doing what needs to be done at the moment.
Has it ever happened to you that you have attended an "important" party, and the foods you ate made you so groggy that all you wanted to do was sleep?
Have you ever awakened at 2 in the morning, and could not get back to sleep for love or money?
Do you ever get sleepy at 4 p.m. when your work deadlines need to be met?
The solution to these kinds of problem lies in planning for meals that have an Integrity of their own: Let's use our heads and nourish our bodies as if we matter to ourselves.
The human digestive system mobilizes enzymes and disperses nutrients via the blood and lymph circulatory systems.
Since a lymph system doesn't operate very well when a person is just sitting (since it only pumps when the leg muscles force lymph through its one-way valve system), the blood circulatory system is easily overloaded when a person eats a large meal and doesn't take a walk or move around.
The more breakdown products required for a meal, the more of the circulatory system has to be harnessed to the task. When a significant portion of the circulatory system is concentrating on a task in the stomach area, the brain gets short-changed, ergo, you get sleepy. Thus it makes sense to do everything you can to make digestive work EASY for your body, so you can get on with your other mental/emotional tasks, thoughts, problems, circumstances, without too much interruption.
Too Much Cooked Food In raw food, there are protein/enzymes which can actually accomplish a significant part of the nutrient breakdown into blood-circulating-sized pieces. That's why eating raw food results in getting satisfied quicker, with less food; because available enzymes can go to work on What's There without the body's assistance.
Enzymes also accomplish the breakdown of protein-encapsulated waste so it can be eliminated from the body, to keep the immunological system in good working order.
Incompatible FoodsIn order to digest proteins, you need strong hydrochloric acid, which is found in the stomach. However, in order to digest carbohydrates, sugards and starches, you need an alkaline solution called amylase which is found in saliva and is also secreted from the pancreas (a banana-shaped gland cuddled under your liver).
Remember Chemistry One A? What happens when you mix an acid and an alkali together?
Right. You get SALT PLUS WATER. And what does salt plus water digest? Right. NOTHING. It just sits there like a lump.
SO, NEVER eat protein and carbs together, because that combination provides a nearly insurmountable wad of indigestible stuff for the stomach to work on.
And then most of your blood goes, not to your brain; it goes to digest your food and you feel exhausted.
THE GLUTTED AMERICAN FOOD ECONOMYPeople are tempted to eat virtually every minute of their waking lives by advertisements, restaurants, food stores, the home refrigerator and our mother/mates. Moreover, due to advertising overkill, the gap between what science tells us about nutrition and what people practice is getting wider. Few of us lead scientifically analyzed lives.
In the matter of eating, most people opt for what they like and what they're used to. Moreover, foods that once were biological luxuries (sweets, salts and fats) are now plentiful enough and attractive enough to be really hazardous.
Modern society has altered the way people naturally eat, and there's too much rich food in the marketplace for those who have money.
People must persist and make some serious decisions about how much of what foods is safe to eat, because avoiding these decisions places every individual and family in peril.
Knowledge has given everyone some controls over nature. People no longer have to stalk prey or wait for edibles to sprout, blossom or fruit. Instead, food is always at hand, and plenty has its own problems.
The Four Food Groups, when eaten in equal portions, provides a diet with three times as much fat as the body is designed to carry and three times as much protein (which is acid-forming) as the body can comfortably buffer and process.
There are no quick and easy answers, because the human body is better adapted to fasting than it is to feasting.
Depleted Enzyme stores Enzymes are specially-shaped proteins (like keys) that wake up and unlock molecules in human cells unless they are heated. Naturally occurring, they cause more than 150,000 bodily biochemical reactions to occur; and therefore, they empower every organ, gland, tissue, and cell of the body to function.
Science once believed that, since we produce enzymes internally, that we could never run out of them. It is now known that is not true.
Eat as many enzyme-rich foods as you can, organic, unprocessed, uncooked; and you will notice right away the difference you feel in satiety; your food will fill you up faster, because your body will be able to wring more out of it.
Some simple foods to provide your enzymes are: raw pineapple [remove rind and core and blend, as is, into a frothy shake]; mango [remove rind, squeeze pulp off the stone, and blend into a fruit pudding]; avocado [guacamole is a wonderful butter-substitute]; fresh fruits in season; bee-pollen and honey; fresh squeezed orange juice [regardless of the price]; fresh or frozen berries; and all kinds of sprouted seeds.
Some people are more comfortable with lots of raw foods than others; but TRY to eat half your food raw.
Why not eat nothing but fruits and vegetables one day a week when they are plentiful and inexpensive?
Macrobiotics are based on Intelligent Combining of Foods: Stick to these rules because they work.
What are proteins made of? How are they used?
The cells of a living body are like water balloons filled with Jello. After you take out the 60% water, you're left with an outer membrane (the balloon), thousands and thousands of protein beads called ENZYMES, some dissolved fats, sugars and minerals, bony strands and structures. The outer protein membrane also has FATS imbedded in it.
The inner protein beads are used in the cell:
When there are surpluses of protein and other nutrients are inadequate, then the protein is burned for energy with a nitrogen-byproduct called UREA, which needs to be eliminated by the kidneys.
The more protein that is eaten, the more nitrogen must be eliminated. The body is able to store an excess of fatty foods or starches or sugars; people who overeat them just get fat. But the body has no capability at all to store excess protein.
Nitrogen that isn't utilized in cell-rebuilding MUST decompose into three toxic acids: indol, skatol and phenol, and these STINK.
While an excess of protein often gives the illusion of feeling better, it is because the protein overload forces the bodily machinery to work harder and faster; and the speed with which an organism utilizes and excretes substances in protein metabolism is the speed at which the body grows older [greater turnover results in faster aging].
If the nitrogen builds up, the body becomes toxic. That's why people whose kidneys don't work will die unless they get regularly hooked up to a dialysis machine, which acts as an artificial filter for nitrogen by-products.
And due to nitrogen by-products, it's definitely not a good idea to eat too much protein over a long period without flushing the kidneys with lots of (8 glasses per day) water.
Too much protein would amount to 70 grams for a sedentary person (two glasses of milk plus 6 oz. of meat) or twice that for a 26-miler.
There's a saying: If a little is good, more is better. THAT doesn't apply to protein.
Rebalancing your pH with diet alone
Eating lots of protein provides lots of new spaces to hold toxins, so one's immunity "improves" at the cost of increasing one's acid imbalance.
On the other hand, eating mostly fruits and vegetables (alkaline-forming foods) causes the body to start dumping those toxins, because now there's no where to put them.
Such a process is called De-toxifying. Those who adopt food-combining practices will naturally improve their protein status and also enjoy good food.
The medical profession acknowledges that the human body operates within a narrow pH range, and automatically and deliberately buffers the blood pH constantly; however, doctors also believe that the human body has an infinite supply of hydroxyl ions (oxygen) with which to buffer body acids. That belief--that hydroxyl ions can come from no where to keep the body buffered--is a belief in magic.
Increase cell oxygenation by several means:
Here is a list of foods which will provide you with about 10 grams each of protein with less than 10 grams of fat. Note that a person (growing child or adult) will require 30-70 grams of protein each day, that is, 3-7 of these low-fat portions, and no more.
----HIGH FIBER-----------------------------------LOW FIBER
8 oz split pea soup-------------------- 2 oz water-packed tuna
4 oz soybeans (spicy)---------------- 2 oz breast of roasted turkey
1 bean burrito--------------------------- 2 oz broiled salmon
1 cup rice + 1/2 c green------------ 1 poached/boiled egg
beans + 2oz tofu----------------------- 8 oz skim/1%/2% milk
1 cup broccoli with-------------------- 3 oz cottage cheese
2 oz cheese sauce-------------------- 1 cup rice pudding w/milk
2 ears corn-on-the-cob--------------- 1 cup spagetti w/marinara
1 cup oatmeal with------------------------sauce + 1 oz parmesan
10 crushed almonds------------------- 1 baked potato with
12 oz. sautéed spinach------------------2 oz cheese sauce
Optimizing Protein Utilization
People who don't want their food to put them to sleep or give them gas or run out of energy have ways of combining foods that are based on Cosmic Wisdom. The humans who follow this Way will NOT become diseased and die from what they eat. They will prosper, and their children will prosper.
CARNIVOROUS MEAL -- If it's a eggs/meat/fish/fowl meal, serve soy/lima/aduki beans, greens (cooked), and/or a dessert of dried fruit with it.
MEAT-------------SOY/LIMA---------SPINACH---------------DRIED
FISH---------------BEANS----------COLLARDS-------------FRUIT/
EGGS-------------SOYMILK----------BROCCOLI-----------BERRIES
VEGETARIAN MEAL -- If it's a cheese/nuts/lentils/grains meal, serve a starch like potatoes/yams and a salad (fruit or vegetable) or soup with it.
LENTILS----------POTATOES---------GREEN---------------FRUIT
--NUTS----------YAMS---CORN-------SALAD--------------DESSERT
-CHEESE---------BREAD RICE--------(raw)----------SOUP (with bones)
Food Stress [allergies]
Traditional dietetics has always assumed that most people are comfortable with most foods. Yet most people I know describe problems they have with SOME food, perhaps due to the way they were introduced as infants, perhaps due to other environmental factors such as stress.
Anyone who has a problem with Centering Their Presence can assume that their body is feeling under attack by something--possibly foods, water, or chemicals, perfumes, or colorings, if they are not already under psychological or electronic harassment.
There are at least two different kinds of stress reactions to foods. I'm referring to the pollens and other proteins to which people become sensitized and which become sources of mucus and digestive disturbances. Whether or not a person can de-program food sensitivities [using allergy shots, hypnotism or Neuro-Linguistic Programming], s/he has to LIVE with stress reactions to foreign proteins in the meantime. So one needs to be able to DETECT just which substances it is that are causing a problem.
For that purpose, I would like to direct you to "muscle-testing," a technique from Educational Kinesiology that gives a physiological sign from the body whether one is balanced or under stress [from when eating a sensitizing food].
There are many possible many muscle tests which indicate how well a person is functioning chemically that the medical profession overlooks in favor of invasive, expensive, toxic testing.
Due to the development of isolated strains of grains, many individuals react adversely to products made with wheat, corn, milk, soy, yeast, peanuts, oranges, eggs and beef.
How much protein is enough?
Newborns require about 2 grams per kilogram of body weight of protein per day to supply the amino acids and nitrogen they need for body building.
The amount and proportion of each amino acid needed has a constant profile, and that profile is present in human mother's milk and chicken egg yolk.
For growing children and teenagers, the requirement for protein will be about one gram per kilogram of body weight.
At maturity, the rate of use of amino acids to build new cells slows down, so that adults only use .7 grams of protein per kg of body weight.
If carbohydrates and fats are not present in the diet in sufficient quantity, protein can also be used for energy, as in the case of fasting, starvation or diabetes. In this instance, whenever a person is not eating enough food to cover his energy needs--enough to exercise and catch the bus or walk to school--then the body consumes ITSELF, not only the fat; but also the lean muscle mass, the heart muscle mass, and internal organs lose protein.
That explains why dieting and long-term fasting can be so hazardous. One doesn't burn fat; they burn up their internal organs.
What is the cumulative effect of an acid-forming diet (too much protein) ?
A diet which has a predominantly low pH--containing two to three times as much protein as the body requires--(the Standard American Diet) wreaks havoc on a body's ability to buffer (rebalance toward alkaline) itself, particularly its blood pH.
It is already well known that a high protein diet exacerbates osteoporosis because excess protein acts as a diuretic that flushes calcium out of the kidneys instead of allowing calcium to deposit in the bones and along nerve sheathes, where it belongs.
Eventually the body's buffering systems wear out, and the acidity accumulates in tissues: cystitis, gout, arthritis, cancer, swollen joints, aches, weak teeth, callused feet, tumors are the result.
Acid-Alkaline Balance of Common Foods
First, two observations: Mother's milk is slightly alkaline in nature, as are healthy tissues and blood serum. That is to say, their molecules have accumulated a supply of OH (oxygen) ions to themselves such that a piece of litmus paper would turn blue in their presence.
Secondly, cancer cells are highly ACID in nature. That is to say, their molecules have attracted H (hydrogen ions) to themselves, and a piece of litmus paper would turn red in their presence.
Moreover, we have already seen how the Standard American diet is 2-3 times as acid-forming as alkaline-forming. Good practice would dictate choosing one's foods so that a balance is achieved between acid and alkaline, slightly in favor of alkaline. This is done simply in this country by including one HIGHLY ALKALINE food (GREENS, wakame, molasses, figs, soy beans, etc.) each time one eats a very acid food (meat or eggs).
Try to choose a balance of grains and fresh produce for the daily diet which does not produce such wide SWINGS in pH. Drastically limiting meat and eggs to one or two meals per week works very well in this regard.
(In the following table, all foods are calculated in the raw state and are meant as a guide for estimating average portions or servings. To balance your diet, choose food items which add up to zero point five (0.5 neutral as mother's milk) from both lists of foods. [By noting how many milliliters of an acid solution of known strength it takes to neutralize an unknown alkaline solution, one can measure the strength of an unknown alkaline ash and thus the alkaline forming strength of the food from which the ash came.
* NOTE: Foods which produce ACID URINE cause the body to excrete acids, ultimately, causing the body to retain alkalinity.
**FROM: Acid & Alkaline, by Herman Aihara, George Ohsawa Macrobiotic Foundation, Oroville, California, 1986.
Fat is used for cell reproduction, for nerve cell transmissions, memory storage, manufacture and regulation of hormones, for insulation against excessive heat loss.
Fat-soluble vitamins A, D, E and K are stored in the liver's fat deposits. Current research indicates that a diet containing 8% calories from fat is sufficient to fill all these functions.
What happens to the extra?
It settles down in the blood vessels; and whether one is thin and svelte or grossly obese doesn't matter. What does matter is whether one has inherited the tendency to collect fat IN THE ARTERIES. So outward appearances don't always tell whether a person's fat deposits are life-limiting or not.
The normal, healthy artery is a flexible, hollow tube which allows blood to pulse freely. Some of the excess fat in the blood attaches itself to the walls of arteries; and over time builds up to a yellow, rubber/butter-like inner core which reduces the diameter and flexibility of the artery. In this way blood flow is reduced.
This process also affects the thickness of the arterial wall, restricting blood flow further. As the blood vessel becomes increasingly rigid, one's heart must pump harder to deliver oxygen and nutrients to the body cells; in turn, cells deprived of nutrients and oxygen wear out prematurely or function poorly (with symptoms or pain or mental confusion).
If fat consumption actually makes the blood sticky (after a heavy meal), then the blood cells can form clots which block their passage through arteries and capillaries. When this happens to an artery which feeds the heart, we call it a HEART ATTACK. When it happens to a brain artery, we call it a STROKE.
From one perspective we can say that the obese person has an advantage: Those extra pounds are an obvious reminder that the body is laboring to deal with extra fat. However, thin persons who have inherited a tendency to fat-clog their arteries won't have a clue until ANGINA sets in, until cholesterol deposits have closed off 90% of the blood-vessel capacity, or unless they wisely have their blood-lipids (fats) checked regularly.
How does fat affect the brain?
When laboratory researchers (in the days when this was ethically permissible) fed 14 angina sufferers a glass of heavy cream, during the five hours after their high-fat "cocktail," their blood streams became cloudy, they all showed abnormal ecg readings, and EVERY SINGLE ONE suffered an angina attack. In fact, their brain oxygen levels dropped 30%! and it took 3 days for their circulation to return to normal.
How much fat do Americans eat?
If men and women were still eating as Homo Sapiens have done from the dawn of history until three hundred years ago (with the exceptions of the very rich and the very poor), their diets would reflect the amount of fats found in the large variety of natural foods. Moreover, the "healthy and fit" individual, according to exercise physiologists, will carry from 10-25% bodyfat, a percentage which tracks with the percentage of fats in natural foods.
------------Plain cooked grains get---------------17%
------------Fresh fruits---------------------------9%
------------Salad vegetables-----------------------1/2%
------------Cooked vegetables get------------------7%
------------Beans and Legumes have--------------11%
------------Nuts get-----------------------------70% of their calories from fat.
The average percentage of calories from fats for natural vegetable foods (which are perfectly balanced for human nutrition) is 19.08 percent--just about the same value as the average ideal body fat composition for a healthy individual. Could that be a coincidence?
Although it is possible to "get fat" from eating too much natural vegetable foods, it's far more difficult to do so, due to the large proportion of fiber and water which make these so "filling."
But what about meat?
If humans were to eat a WHOLE animal--muscles, organs and all--then the percentage of fat consumed would equal its proportion of bodyfat, which in the wild state is quite low. But people don't eat whole animals.
Where a carnivorous animal will, upon killing for dinner, immediately devour that animal's intestines (for the food stored there), humans eat only the delicacies, which are tasty, and therefore, fatty. And meat having little fat is more difficult to prepare because it tends to be either tough, stringy or tasteless.
For those cultures that depend upon meat for survival, the individuals do the best they can to make lean, tough meat palatable by braising it for long periods of time over low heat. But they pay a high price, even then. Eskimos, for example: although omega-3 oils from fish prevent arteriosclerosis in their arteries, they suffer greatly from arthritis due to their high-protein (highly acid) diet.
For those who are privileged to eat whatever strikes their fancy and their pocketbook, the choice of good foods is not very clear. The bottom line is this: Too much food of any type becomes fat in the body, and too much fat burdens the circulatory system. The human body is well suited to deal with famine (particularly due to its weight set-point mechanism), but not to live with continuous feasting.
Whether fats are saturated or unsaturated does not seem to be important. If your diet is 40% fat, ANY type of fat overloads your circulatory system. If your diet is only 10% fat, pure lard won't hurt you. What's at stake is the total amount of fat in your daily food.
Fats are not carcinogens; rather they are cancer promoters. They provide a hospitable environment in which cancer can develop.
Can you become deficient in fat?
No. Fat is in everything--in grains, vegetables, even fresh apples!
Which fats are we talking about?
Oil: Cooking oils, Salad oils, Vegetable oils. Solid Fats: Butter, margarine, lard, suet, beef fat, bacon. Hydrogenated shortenings: all-purpose shortening. Drippings from meat or poultry. Cream: Heavy, light, whipping, sour cream, cream cheese.
How can I eliminate fat?
Eliminate added fats. Cultivate new tastes, like:
Avoid prepared foods which are fatty (eat only 1 fat portion out of 10 no-fat portions):
In the Story of our planet in the great Urantia Book, Mother Eve, like the Old Woman In The Shoe, had many, many children needing nourishment in their tender years. She did not take the milk from animals for her babies after weaning; rather, having access to the milk of a great variety of nuts and to the juices of many fruits, and knowing full well the chemistry and energy of these foods, she suitably combined them for the feeding of her children until the appearance of all their teeth [Urantia Book, p. 834].
Today, Mother Eve's Rice Drink provides pure water, balanced amino acids, vitamins, minerals and energy to grow on. Tastes wonderful as is, in cereals, sauces, soups and baked goods. Feels good in the tummy--at any age.
The amino acid profile proportionally DUPLICATES that of Mother's Milk, as calculated by food tables, although the nutrients in Rice Drink are only 2/3 as concentrated as those found in Mother's Milk or formula, and provide a refreshing drink rather than a thick milkshake.
This food CANNOT AND WILL NOT EVER be approved of by the FDA or sold in stores, because it is whole, natural food. There is no way to get it to 'keep.' Whole food is too fragile for the FDA to approve of, because it cannot withstand the kinds of shelf-life tests that the FDA deems appropriate for food. The fact that whole food is what is health-producing is not seen by the FDA as particularly important. Keeping chemical baby formula corporations in business is what is important to the FDA.
INGREDIENTS: Whey, rice cereal, ground raw cashews, ground dates, lactose, soy oil, soy powder, babyfood/carrots, ascorbic acid.
Feel free to copy this recipe and pass it on. It was developed to free women from dependence on commercial/chemical/artificial substitutes for human milk.
So spread the word. And if you wish to contribute to the research that produced this product, you are welcome to send a donation to http://www.abidemiracles.com.
If you have any comments about the drink or its application, email me at chaiyah@abidemiracles.com
Do this : Place 1-1/2 c clean spring water in blender and start on low speed
---------. Add 1 heaping T finely ground raw cashews and continue to blend
---------. Add 1/3 jar of baby carrots and continue to blend
---------. Add 1 heaping T finely ground date sugar and continue to blend
---------. Add 1 heaping T lactose powder (28 g) and continue to blend
---------. Add 1/2 cup water and speed up blender to medium speed
---------. Add 1 flat T soy powder and continue to blend
---------. Add 1/4 cup whey powder and continue to blend
---------. Add 1 cup Gerber's rice cereal and continue to blend
---------. Add 1 Tablespoon soy oil and continue
---------. Gradually add water to top and blend on high speed for 10 seconds.
The complete preparation time, once you have all your ingredients on hand, takes about 30-60 seconds for a quart of Rice Drink.
I always grind the raw cashews and date sugar very finely--in advance--and keep these in sealed containers in the freezer or refrigerator so I don't have to do this each time. When I have time I even mix up all the dry ingredients (except the rice cereal, which is quite bulky) ahead of time in 8-batch canisters; then, to make a batch, I simply use 5/8 cup of the MIX in 12 oz. water, then add 3/4 c rice cereal, 1 T oil, and the rest of the water, and I'm done. Sure saves measuring ALL those ingredients each time.
Note: this is a recipe, not a formula. The nutrient analysis beats all FDA requirements for formulas IF AND ONLY IF you do not add or subtract any ingredients, if your ingredients are all fresh (and always refrigerated or frozen between batches), if the water is CLEAN AND UN-CHLORINATED and UN-FLUORINATED, and if you have sanitized your equipment before-hand.
You will need an electric nut grinder to grind nuts and dates to fine powder and you will need a sanitized blender (dishwasher washed) free of all contamination or leftover flavors.
Once the "milk" is blended, pour it into a sterile container and use it within 24 hours. Always keep it refrigerated when travelling--I use an ice chest. If it starts turning sour, it will smell and taste bad just like cow's milk will. Our family uses this milk like 'regular' milk for drinking, on cereal, etc. It tastes just fine once you get used to it.
Like all milk analogs, it takes getting used to; so introduce it cautiously, as you would any new food.
Now none of us has problems with ear infections, diahrrea, mucus or gas, which we had before from cow's milk products.
Ingredients:
--Gerber's Rice Cereal (get large boxes) at Supermarket
--Babyfood jars of baby carrots will have to do because dehydrated ones are no longer available
--Schiff Whey Powder, 16 oz $6 @ health fd store
--Instant Soy powder (there are several brands) 32 oz $5 @ supermarket
--Ground raw cashew pcs, 16 oz $5 @ health food stores [raw almonds ok temporarily]
--Soy Oil (cold pressed) 16 oz $2 @ health food stores
--Lactose [a sugar] powder, 8 oz $5 @ health food stores, usually See-lect, by special order
--Date sugar, granulated 16 oz $5 @ health food stores
--WATER, clean spring water--NEVER NEVER use tap water. Trust that it is contaminated
--- Serving Size-8oz.----Carbohydrates----3.3g
----Protein----2.7g ----Fat----6.38g -----Vit A 288iu;----B1 .07mg
----B2/.2mg ------------Niacin .53mg ----Pant.Acid .53mg
----B6 .09mg ----------B12/.23mcg ------Fol 11.53mcg ----
----Vit C 8.7mg -------Vit E .42iu -------CA+ 65.4mg -------IRON----12.7mg
----MAG 15.1mg ----POT 260mg ------ZINC .41mg.
THE ROLE OF EXERCISE IN HUMAN HEALTH"Most people don't wear out; they rust out."
Investing in exercise will promote your health in many ways. The reasons to exercise are overwhelming:
through the whole range of motion of each joint.
should be strong and able to repeatedly push/pull/lift
their "normal" load without strain.
should be able to tolerate and breathe well enough
through strenuous exercise so
the exertion can continue for 20-60 minutes,
and the person could speak while doing it
[no gasping for air, no side aches, no shin-splints, no cramps].
Flexibility.
Many people suffer from back problems; and most of the time these are due to lack of muscle tone of the muscles along the spine.
When a sedentary person is called upon to exert a force in order to get work done, he often overstrains his back muscles, or works one harder than another.
Thus, physical inactivity--sitting for long periods [to drive a truck, to work at a computer terminal] is actually a risk factor for developing back problems.
On the other hand, muscle pain in the back and legs can be minimized when one has a regular habit of stretching such as yoga or calisthenics.
Daily stretching is best; although 3 days a week minimum year-round should help prevent problems for most people.
Stretching out takes about 15 minutes, and serves as an excellent warm-up routine for your aerobic exercises.
Muscular Strength.--Weak abdominal muscles also cause back problems, because they affect the ability to "tuck in" the buttocks to keep posture in a straight line.
Think about it this way : when you're doing sit-ups, or yoga or cross-country skiing, you're taking out insurance against a big belly AND backstrain.
Finally, it's upper body strength that enables a person to get things done--carry in the groceries, shovel snow, change a tire, pick up a child in harm's way, move furniture. And in an emergency, it could be your ability to apply force with your upper arms that could save your life.
For those who live by driving around in cars, rowing and weight training two days a week will give you the work-out you need to provide you with enough muscle to function well. Neither is an unpleasant activity in itself.
Huffing and Puffing
Nobody likes the old "ketch" in the side, along with straining and gasping for air like a fish out of water that characterizes new athletes.
To alleviate huffing and puffing, inhale easily but blow, blow, blow hard to exhale. While you are running, jogging, bicycling, race walking, or whatever, for each breath which you inhale to the count of ONE, blow out to the counts of TWO, THREE and FOUR. This means that you forcefully exhale three times as long as you inhale.
You may slow down or speed up breathing to match your exertion, so long as you keep the 3-to-1 forced exhale-to-inhale ratio. If you use this technique, you will learn to pace your breathing with the exertion you are performing, and you will never run out of "wind."
Overcoming Exercise Aversion
For many, exercise is not fun. Actually, in life there are a lot of things which are not fun.
Now one sees catalogues full of motivational tapes everywhere: how to get thin, feel good, get rich, be happy, and so forth. These CAN BE very useful for overcoming an aversion.
If you can get an all-purpose white-sound brain hemisphere-synchronizing tape, what it can do for you is electronically place your brain in an artificial Alpha state while you are doing what you have an aversion to--walking the dog, washing dishes, or reading a textbook.
In a short time, you will not need it anymore, and you can pass it along to your children.
THIS IS THE END OF PERSONAL NUTRITION AND HEALTH
QUOTE: i have lived off-the-grid for almost 20 years now and i have had to learn to think a little differently to do it well. i don't have running water, but we have a lovely spring on the farm that supplies the needs of ourselves and the horses. i live entirely with wood heat from the forest i live in and i have not had a power bill in many years due to solar power.
One of the first things that i found that 'had to go' was the refrigerator. although one can spend a small fortune to buy a very efficient refrigerator and propane is an option, i have found that just doing without was, by far, the most economical. much of what most people keep in the fridges doesn't need to be there. there are other refrigeration options that can be explored. The only recurring monthly bill i have is the phoneline with its abysmally slow dialup connection. all-in-all, my life is quite simple.
One low-tech way of keeping food fresh is a zeer pot (see bottom of Appendices list). I plan on making one this spring. It consists of two earthenware pots, one inside the other, separated by a couple inches of sand. The sand is kept wet, and the whole thing is covered with a lid or a damp cloth. Evaporation keeps food cool and fresh for some time, even in desert climates.
Science in Africa magazine states that a zeer can keep tomatoes edible for 20 days, as opposed to two, and meat two weeks, as opposed to a few hours.
A zeer pot is quite simple. It's basically two large earthen pots, one nested in the other. The space is filled with sand and water is added. A damp cloth covers the top. As the water evaporates, the inner pot containing the perishables is kept cool in the same manner that a mechanical refrigerator operates -- water evaporation draws heat from the inner vessel. Water is added twice a day.
BAKING SODA :: As far as the history part ... in 1861 Ernest Solvay developed a process to make sodium bicarbonate. His process involves heating calcium carbonate so it releases CO2. ...the CO2 vapors are bubbled through an aqueous solution (meaning dissolved in water) of ammonia and sodium chloride (table salt dissolved in water). ... Sodium bicarbonate will precipitate (come out of solution).
This process isn't really possible at home because strong ammonia isn't really available in a grocery store...nor would it be safe to work with at home by someone who doesn't really know what he/she is doing... Sodium bicarbonate occurs naturally in minerals found in dried up salt water lake beds ... which is how it could have been obtained from the "pre industrial age"
If you can't tell whether a substance you have is acid or alkaline, here's how you can check it. Cabbage serves as a simple "litmus paper," and so if get some cabbage and crush it up get all the juice out and then pour it in little tubes. Add what you want to find out about, if thy are acid or alkali. The colour will change, and then you are going to have to find out what colour is what, as I don't know! x]
COMPOSTCompost 101: :: How to Use Your Garbage to Make More Food.
No garden would be complete without its own natural recycling system, a compost pile. Without a way of dealing with compost, weeds and scraps are waste. But why create more trash when you can turn your garden and kitchen waste into valuable soil-building fertilizer?
One of the first steps to starting an organic garden should be to begin a compost pile. Composting will break down organic matter into nutrient-rich material that builds soil and nourishes plants. And just like anyone can garden, no matter their situation, there are composting possibilities for everyone! Read on to learn how to close the loop and start composting ...
Possible Composting Methods :: How to Use Your Garbage to Make More Food.
Once you have chosen the best composting method for your needs and lifestyle, you can learn how to build a composting set-up and start turning your veggie scraps and weeds into valuable garden fertilizer. But before you start, here are a few tips and reminders.
Composting Guidelines :: How to Use Your Garbage to Make More Food.
Compost is an artform that’s best learned through practice. Everyone has different methods, which you’ll learn as you experiment. Composting is simple, inexpensive, and very eco-friendly. It’s recycling you can do right at home! You may be amazed at how little ends up in the trash can once you start composting, and instead of filling the landfill, you can turn waste into delicious home-grown produce!
SOAPBaking soda is a mild alkali used for cleaning, which when mixed with vinegar, produces a foaming-reaction forming an active salt and water, also for cleaning. I usually add just a drop or two of liquid detergent, and the mixture foams up so it is useful for spotting a carpet or upholstery.
If baking soda is not available for cleaning, but you have vinegar to work with, combine soapy water (soap has lye in it, a strong alkali) with some vinegar for a similar effect: foam that truly cleans up a mess and its smell.
If you can't get LYE to make soap, use ashes, the original always-available ingredient for homemade soap, as in former generations.
SOAP : This is the basic method for making soap, to keep the kitchen and yourselves clean. Cleanliness is next to godliness.
Everything in soapmaking, except the ingredients that are added in tiny amounts such as essential oils for scent, is measured by weight. This includes the water or other liquid which is used to make the lye solution. This is why you need a good scale. I have a digital scale from Weight-Watchers that is perfectly adequate...the disadvantage of the scale I have is that it weighs in eighths of an ounce instead of tenths, but that's not a huge matter. It also converts to grams, which is very useful.
First you decide how much soap you're going to make. I work on a stovetop in a small apartment kitchen, so the max for me is about ten pounds, which works out to about 40 bars. This weight refers to the OILS only, so the amount of water is not included in the amount of soap although it must still be measured. The reason for this is that as the soap cures, the water evaporates back out. When I say ten pounds of soap I am referring to ten pounds of oils. The pot must be big enough to hold both the oils and the water.
I use the so-called Cold Process as I believe it to be the best, as well as the simplest. It also uses all the skills necessary for any other method except for Melt-and-Pour, which is not really soapmaking as you begin with premade soap from a craft store. This is a method used to produce pretty gift soaps that may or may not actually get used. The CP method can be used to formulate soaps that are not just great soaps, but can be used to address specific conditions such as dry or oily skin, eczema, etc.
My soap pot is just an old stainless-steel stock pot which is ideal. It holds more than ten pounds of oil, but once the mixture has traced and is ready to pour, a larger amount becomes difficult to handle. So ten pounds it is, at least for purposes of this demonstration. If you can make ten pounds, you can make any amount.
My basic formula, which I change in countless ways, is: 50% olive oil, 20% coconut oil, 20% palm oil, and 10% castor oil. Each oil requires a specific amount of lye for saponification. I generally use a 5% lye discount, which means that only 95% of the oils will be turned to soap while the remaining 5% will be intact and dispersed throughout the soap. There are several reasons for this. Soap that has too much lye is harsh and can irritate the skin. Soap that has too much oil will become rancid and can even "weep" oil droplets....nasty. Also there is the technique called superfatting, which I'll cover in another post.
You really must learn the math to figure this on your own...for instance, I can give you a recipe for ten pounds of soap, but what if you just want to make six pounds? My test batches for new formulas are usually just two pounds. Also, you should be able to check any recipe for errors. Many online formulas are not very accurate. I don't trust any recipe but my own. The math is as follows, easy with a calculator:
The SAP number for olive oil is 0.136, meaning that for every ounce of OO used, it takes 0.136 oz of lye to turn it into soap. However as mentioned, you want a lye discount, usually around 5%. Therefore, you multiply 0.136 by 0.95, resulting in 0.129. You must use the SAME discount for each oil in the soap, and you must calculate for each saponifiable substance in the soap including things like beeswax and stearic acid, if you use such things.
Therefore, using a 5% discount for ten pounds of soap, you would calculate as follows:
Olive oil: 5 lbs = 80 oz x 0.129 = 10.32
Coconut oil: 2 lbs = 32 oz x 0.175 = 5.6
Palm oil: 2 lbs = 32 oz x 0.135 = 4.32
Castor oil: 1 lb = 16 oz x 0.122 = 1.952
The numbers in BLUE are the SAP numbers for each oil multiplied by 0.95 to obtain a 5% lye discount. These are obtained by taking the SAP number from a chart and multiplying by 0.95. The numbers in RED tell you how much lye you need for each oil in this batch of soap. Add them together, and you get the sum of 11.872, which is how many ounces of lye you'll need for THIS batch using THESE ingredients. This isn't rocket science, so you can round it up to 11.9. Now you have your quantities established for this batch of soap. I always do the math twice to be sure I have not made a mistake.
The amount of water (or milk or tea) you will use is around 30% by weight, depending on several factors such as: if you use an ingredient such as pine tar which you know will hasten trace (thickening), use more water. With pine tar soap I use 33%. Too much water and the soap will take forever to cure. Too little, and you won't be able to mix and pour fast enough. I generally figure 28% which in this case would be 2.8 lbs of water.
The first thing to do is weigh your water in a heavy Pyrex bowl and place it in the freezer. You want the water to be nearly frozen. Then you weigh out your various oils and place them in the pot over low heat. The hard oils (coconut and palm) will melt slowly and as they do so, stir them gently to mix them. Making soap is a fairly leisurely process, with lots of time for taking breaks. You do not want the oils to get over 110°-120°. This method is called cold-process because no additional heat is needed...other methods involve baking the soap or making it in a crock pot. Later on I'll discuss why I don't do this.
When the oils are melted and the water is nearly frozen with a crust of ice, then and only then do you open your container of lye. One reason for this is safety, and another is that lye will absorb moisture from the air, which diminishes its strength. Measure the lye into a separate bowl. It's just like weighing table salt. Don't be scared of it. It won't jump out of the container and bite you. Just don't spill it.
Place the container of water in the sink, and slowly add the lye. Use a chef's or candy thermometer to check temperatures - I use one in the oil pot and another for the lye. As you add the lye to the water, it will go from 32° to about 180° in seconds. It will also release fumes which you don't want to breathe. They aren't deadly, just irritating. A good snootful might burn your mucus membranes though, so use adequate ventilation. Some people carry it outside for mixing, but I think the danger of spills is too great. I do it all in the kitchen. Now you must wait for the lye mixture to cool. You can fill the sink with cold water, even ice water, to hasten the process. Or you can just wait....making sure the oils don't get too hot on the stove. Or too cool, if you turn the heat off while waiting. 110° is what I shoot for although 120° is fine. With practice you can put your hand on the side of the pot and tell when it's about right.
One thing you must do is consider your logistics beforehand, because once your soap reaches trace, you must move quickly. Know ahead of time where you will put your empty bowls etc, and where to have the mold for pouring. Every kitchen is different so I can't lay this out for you. Just have a logical sequence thought out. You do NOT want to stumble around with a bowl of hot lye solution in your hands!
While waiting for the lye to cool, you can be mixing any additional ingredients in a separate bowl. I use only glass, enameled bowls, and stainless steel. No other metal is suitable for caustic substances, and many plastics are unsuitable as well. Don't use implements for making soap for cooking as well.
These additional ingredients will be the ONLY ones you do not have to weigh, although for extreme accuracy it's not a bad idea. Weighing out a gram of something is not necessary when half a teaspoon is just as good. They may include essential oils (about 1 Tbs per pound is about right), herbs, and exfoliants such as ground walnut shells or pumice. Premix these and have them ready. If you're using hard ingredients such as shea butter, warming them gently in the microwave is helpful.
When the lye is around 110° and the oils are the same (roughly), slowly and carefully pour the lye solution into the oils, stirring as you go. You will immediately see the mixture become cloudy and soapy looking. Keep stirring. Depending on the oils you've used, the temperature, and other ingredients, you will reach trace in anywhere from a few minutes to half an hour (sometimes longer). If you're using something like pine tar, it will trace in 30 seconds or less. Depending on the total quantity and the ingredients, I use either a stick blender or a paint stirrer (which is used for nothing but soap) attached to a cordless drill. You could use a wooden spoon, but you'll be there all afternoon. The stick blender turns MUCH faster than the drill and will hasten the process. Use the blender in 30-second bursts to avoid burning out the motor.
Eventually the mixture will thicken to a pudding consistency. When you lift the stirrer and drizzle the mixture on top, it will leave traces of the drops on the surface...this is why it's called trace. When you begin to get a light trace, this is the time to begin moving more quickly. Stir in additional ingredients you have premixed. As soon as the mixture is thick but still pourable, you can put it into the mold.
Set the filled mold aside for a day or two until it's solid. Remove from the mold and slice into bars. These must be set aside on a rack to cure for 2-6 weeks before the soap can be used, to allow the water to evaporate back out. The longer the cure, the harder the soap.
Anything can be used for a mold. Pringles cans are popular, although I don't like hockey-puck soap. Pizza boxes lined with plastic wrap or freezer paper are good, too. I like to use vinyl downspout molding from Home Depot, cut into 14" sections. Each section holds roughly two pounds or 8-10 bars. It's a little hard to get the soap log out of the mold. I can cover that later, too.
That's it...you have now made soap. The entire process takes roughly two hours. Now you have the cleanup. Your soap pot is an oily, caustic mess. Don't sweat it. Put it in the sink and wait a day...that oily mess is now SOAP which will clean up easily.
ALWAYS add lye to water! NEVER pour water onto dry lye! The reason is the heat released. If you pour water onto a pile of lye it will instantly flash into steam, resulting in a wet explosion that can leave you seriously burned. I learned this way: Do as you oughtta...add the lye to the watta. Someone with a more poetic mind came up with: Snow on the lake. Either way, this is a most important thing to remember. NO EXCEPTIONS! (By the way, the same rule applies to mixing acids with water in the lab).
Lye is a common catalyst used in many industrial processes. You used to be able to buy it at any hardware store or even the grocery store, as it's used as a drain cleaner (it saponifies the grease in the trap, turning it into crude soap which then rinses away with hot water). Recently the stores learned that it's used in meth labs, and began taking it off the shelves. Now you usually have to go to a chemical supply house or buy it online. I always take a soap sample with me and let them know what I'm using it for. If you're fortunate enough to find lye at the hardware store (Red Devil and Roebic are the common brands of lye used as drain cleaner), make sure it is 100% sodium hydroxide. Any other ingredients will spoil the soap. Be totally sure what you're using. I now get ten pounds at a time from a local chemical supply.
The last time I bought lye at a hardware store I picked up a dozen cans of Red Devil. The checkout clerk REALLY scrutinized me with an evil look. "What's up with that," I thought...shortly thereafter I learned it's also used to cook meth. That's when I began introducing myself and giving a soap sample. I don't want the cops breaking down my door because they think there's a meth lab in my apartment.
Make Your Own Vinegar
VinegarVinegar is easy to make, from a variety of products. And you can make your own mother of vinegar too, although you don't actually need it. All you have to do is add already-made vinegar to apple cider, in a proportion of 1:4. However, to make mother of vinegar, expose a mixture of one-half vinegar and one-half cider to a temperature of 80 degrees for a few days. The thin scum that forms on the surface is mother of vinegar.
Vinegar can be made from apples (cider vinegar), grapes (wine vinegar), berries, other fruits, or even from a 10 percent sugar solution. Most homesteaders who make vinegar make cider vinegar.
The strength of the finished product is in direct proportion to the amount of sugar in the original solution. For this reason sweet apples usually make stronger vinegar than tart ones. Not always, though: Some sour apples actually have a high proportion of sugar which is masked by a high fruit acid content.
Use only fresh uncooked cider or grape juice without any preservatives. Preservatives will prevent it from turning to vinegar. Fill a one gallon glass jug to the neck.
The jug will need an airlock. If you don't have one for winemaking or don't care to purchase one in a winemaking supply store, make a stopper from a dry corn cob. Insert a piece of grape vine, sumac, or some similar material with a large pith, lengthwise through a piece of the cob that will fit into the jug's neck. Punch or burn out the pith with a hot wire. Fit one end of a piece of rubber or plastic tubing over the grape or sumac, and put the other end in a jar of water.
With this setup, as the juice ferments the carbon dioxide passes through the tube and bubbles up through the water, but no oxygen can reach the juice. The first fermentation will take four to six weeks at room temperature. It's not necessary to add yeast to start this process, because the wild yeasts which are always present will do the job. The grey foam that forms on the top is excess yeast, which is harmless.
When the bubbling stops, the sugar has all changed to alcohol: you have made hard cider! To make vinegar, you need a second fermentation that will convert the alcohol into acetic acid.
Unlike the first fermentation, which occurs through the liquid, the second takes place only on the surface. It is caused by an entirely different organism. It requires oxygen, and the larger the surface area in relation to the volume, the faster the vinegar will be produced. To have more surface area, divide your brew between two jugs, so the liquid will be below the narrow neck portion.
This is when you add the mother.
Actually, wild spores floating in the air will act as a starter, so the only reason for using a mother is to get things going faster. Put a bit on a piece of dry corn cob and float it on the liquid.
Tie cloth over the openings of the jugs to admit oxygen but to keep out dust and bugs.
The time the second fermentation takes depends in part on the spores present. All strains work best at a temperature of 70-80 degrees. They become dormant at low temperatures, but high temperatures will kill them. The time required also depends on the surface-to-volume ratio, but ordinarily, you can figure on anywhere from three to nine months.
This homemade vinegar is much stronger than store-bought. Dilute it with water to taste before using it. But naturally there are many other ways of doing it. Here are a few of them.
Sweet apple cider
Use fully ripened apples, free of decay and bad spots. Wash thoroughly and grind or crush, then place in cider press or juice press and extract the juice.
Place juice in an open kettle (stainless steel or enamel) and boil until volume is reduced by one-half, skimming often.
Pour at once into bottles or stone jugs and cork.
Apple cider vinegar
Let sweet cider stand in an open jug 4-6 weeks and it will turn to vinegar.
Put cores and peelings (left over when apples are used for other purposes) into a stone crock or wide mouth jar. Parings of peaches or pears, grape skins and cherries can be used this way too. Cover with cold water and set in a warm place, adding fresh peelings now and then. Keep the jar covered. The scum (mother) that forms on top will gradually thicken.
When the vinegar tastes strong enough to suit you, strain it through several thicknesses of cheesecloth.
Wine Vinegar
Crush cut-up apples, parings of peaches or pears, grape skins, berries or cherries in a crock or tub, each type, a separate batch so everything ferments together. You can include windfalls and bruised fruit, raisins. Cover with warm water, then cover the top of the tub with several thicknesses of cheesecloth, tied into place. Keep this in a warm place 4-6 months. When it tastes strong enough, strain, bottle and cork. If the liquid refuses to ferment there is no use going on with it; throw it out.
You can speed up the process by adding a lump of unbaked bread dough, or two ounces of brown sugar or molasses, or one package or cake of yeast dissolved in warm water, to each gallon of liquid.
For canning, a too-weak vinegar can result in spoilage, and even botulism. It should be five percent (or five grain).
If you make wine, it's easy (sometimes all too easy!) to make vinegar. When the wine is made, just let it stand, covered but exposed to the air. Exposed to summer sun it will take about two weeks; in winter it will take a month or more.
Lack of clean drinking water is perhaps the greatest health risk in many parts of the world. Filtering water through a layer of sand is a simple method of removing many of the organic impurities present in the water. The water filter described here is a low-cost system to remove impurities and bacteria from water in order to make it safer for drinking. The following instructions explain exactly how to build a filter. However, the basic idea can easily be adapted to suit the materials that you find available in your area.
MATERIALS NEEDED
SET-UP
Pierce the lid of bucket #2 with holes in a similar pattern to the one shown below at the left.
Pierce the bottom of bucket #1 with approximately four to six holes (below, right). The holes
can be made with a hot 6-inch nail.
Cut the PVC pipe into three pieces: 9 inches, 9 inches, and 5 inches (23 cm, 23 cm, 13 cm). Pierce one side of a 9 inch piece of pipe with holes. Connect this piece with the other 9 inch piece using a 90 degree joint. Connect the five inch piece through the side of bucket #2 and onto the 9 inch pipe as shown in the diagram below. Now put a layer of stones in the bottom of bucket #2, which contains the pipe. Follow the stone layer with a layer of smaller pea gravel. Place sand on top of the gravel until the bucket is filled to eight inches (20 cm) from the top.
Finally, put the pierced lid onto bucket #2. Fit bucket #1 onto the lid (see the diagram on the next page). It is important for this fit to be tight so that water will not leak out. Now add the water to be filtered to the top bucket. Add only three liters at a time to prevent overflow from the area where the two buckets are connected. As this water empties, add three more liters. Continue to add water to the top bucket until water comes out of the 5 inch pipe.
If you want even greater filtration of the water, you may wish to add another bucket, partially filled with crushed charcoal. All of these media must be replaced whenever the water goes off-taste, to maintain effectiveness, perhaps as often as once a season.
As the water filters down through all the layers and fills the bottom bucket, it will begin to displace water out of the pipe. Thus, as dirty water is added, clean water that has already been filtered is displaced out. If you already have a way of clarifying water with a plant, you may want to use that technique to settle particulates before you add the water to the filter for purification. Please contact ECHO about any methods you may have to remove particulates from turbid water (e.g. what species of plant is used; how is it used).
One major point of caution that we would like to note:
The water is not safe for drinking until two days after the filter is built. Upon completion of the building process, fill the filter with water until a small amount is displaced from the spout. At this point you must wait 2 days before using the filter. This is because a bacteriological layer of algae must be given time to grow on top of the layer of sand. If the layer of algae is not given time to grow, only about 70% of impurities will be filtered out. Once the algae has grown, up to 99% of impurities will be filtered out.
After the two day waiting period, the filter can be used continuously since the bacteriological layer will remain once it has initially formed. However, never add another three liters of water to the top bucket until three liters of water has been discharged from the bottom bucket.
A man who promoted appropriate technology in Guatemala told me that he was having problems with this type of water filter because people were unwilling to wait the two days for the formation of the bacteriological layer. The problem is that the water looks cleaner right away and therefore it is difficult to get people to wait two days before using the water from the filter.
How to harvest rainwater growing vetiver hedges and save water by using drip irrigation The idea is to improve your crops by getting more rainwater to stay in the soil in stead of running off. This is done by growing vetiver hedges which at the same time reduce soil erosion.
Introduction
If you do not know anyone who has vetiver plants find suppliers at “The Vetiver Network” www.vetiver.org. Here is what vetiver TILLERS look like:
Many farmers are totally dependent on rainwater. Most areas have one rainy season where it is possible to grow crops, and a dry season where only the few with irrigation can produce anything. Vetiver hedges are a way of harvesting rainwater so you can grow vegetables/crops for a longer period. This works two ways: 1. rainwater running on the ground is stopped or slowed down and 2) the hedge-root system acts like an underground barrier and keeps the water in the ground. Vetiver hedges must be planted in contour (same level) with 10 meters between hedges. They will efficiently stop soil erosion.
Extra water SAVED in the soil will extend the growing season or make it possible to grow crops needing more water. The system can even be used in very dry areas by planting the same hedges in the dry river beds. After the short period of rains when water is running in the river, it will be possible to grow crops behind the hedges. Start making the system in a small area, so you find out the best ways of growing vetiver in your area. And so you can see that it works.
Start by getting vetiver plants. If you have to transport them, keep them out of the sun with their roots in water. Your hedge nursery can start on a small scale by growing vetiver in wastewater from your kitchen or bath. If you are in an area with very little water, you can grow the vetiver directly in a small stream or pond. Vetiver is very easy to grow and can grow under nearly all conditions.
If you have little water for watering, it is best to grow the plants first in plastic bags. If there is enough water for watering, bags are not needed and plants can be placed directly in the ground from the nursery.
When planting your hedge in a dry area:
Save water by using drip irrigation
Availability of water is often what determines the amount of vegetables grown in the gardens. You can make a simple drip irrigation system so the same amount of water can greatly increase the harvest.
Another advantage of drip irrigation is that nutrients can be added to the drum and applied directly to the soil around the plants. This can be made in another container by using manure (from animals or composted plants) in a bag to make a "tea." This should then be diluted so the plants are not burnt by alkalis in the tea. By giving nutrients directly at the root through irrigation, much less is wasted by leaching or bacterial transformation. Compared to normal modern applications, one third less fertilizer is required.
ZEER POTTERY
