Raw Energy Snacks
A quick and easy healthy snack. Only takes 5 minutes if you like peanut butter and honey you have nothing to lose!
Slow Roasted Shoulder of Lamb w/ Coffee & Cumin
Chefs often use special ingredients to add depth and nuance to a dish, and coffee is one of them. But you don’t have to be a chef to prepare this delicious recipe. You probably already have most of these ingredients in your pantry. Try it at your next Holy Day feast celebration!
Getting to Know Ahayah in a Real Way
Would you like to get to know the Most High in deeper more vast ways? Do you want to know how you can grow closer in your Love for the Most High and build a solid foundation in the truth based on understanding and knowledge of the Most High, his Son and his Word? To love someone is to know them and in order to know them we must spend time with them, observe them and ask lots of questions. Well the same is true for knowing the Most High and growing in love for him.
The more one learns about the Most High, his Son, and his plans for the future the less caught up and concerned you will be about your current situation or issues. Your problems no matter how big will minimize in comparison when you really get to know the Most High, his Son and their sacrifices because you will understand how much bigger GOD’s Plans are than any one person’s argument, financial setback or illness. Understanding this on a deep level will help you put everything in your life in proper perspective.
So would you like to know the mysteries of the bible? Have you ever wanted to know answers to such questions as what is behind the powers of the wind, thunder, lightning and etc.? Or did you know the whole world history of mankind is inscribed on the heavenly tablets that were dictated to Moses (and Enoch before him) and in the End the heavens will depart as a scroll rolled up (literally) and a new heaven and new earth would come? (Jub 32:2, Rev 6:14)
Fascinating stuff right?! What does it all mean?
Well in order to find the answer to these questions and many more it will require careful attention along with good study habits. Anything you ever wanted to know about the Most High can be found in the scriptures but you must study to show yourselves approved: 2Ti 2:15 . So if you would like to learn about the Most High on deeper levels here are a few tips that can help improve your study habits.
First, talk to the Most High through prayer letting him know you really want to get to know him better and that you would like him to show you deeper things about himself. Open up to the Most High and he will reveal hidden treasures to you. Tell him everything you always wanted to know and why and he will show them to you through his Word the Bible, Creation and History.
Second, gather all your study materials in one place. We have a list of recommended books on our website in which you can purchase at book stores, online or to save money just go to our website and download / print the PDF booklets for free - there are over a dozen available for you to study from. We suggest you print the PDF’s and put them each in their own binder for at your fingertips study. Also make sure you have a few highlighters in various colors as well as pens, pencils and a subject notebook. Click here to access the recommended study materials.
Third, make sure you have a Hard copy of the King James Version Bible/Apocrypha as well as E-Sword on your computer/laptop (for easy word searches).
Before you begin here are a few tips:
- Tip 1: Good study habits cannot be rushed especially if you are looking to get a full understanding. Take your time and enjoy the journey and know that It could take weeks or even months to finish a study topic so be patient and do not rush your studies, let it take you where it leads you as in the end it will lead you back to your original questions.
- Tip 2: Do not jump to conclusions or try to impose your own thoughts or beliefs in your research – stay neutral and let the bible and recommended study materials have the final say in what is and is not.
- Tip 3: Look up every single word you are unsure of in Hebrew and in English even if you use the word all the time still look it up as it might be used differently and this tip alone could lead you to new deeper levels of understandings.
Once you gather all your study material you are ready to begin…
Let’s choose a topic from above - for instance the 'heavenly tablets'. First look up the word Stars and Heavenly Tablets in E-Sword or your hard copy of the King James Bible. Make sure you read every single scripture listed on your word search along with every precept and take notes of what you have learned on a pad. This gives you the “foundation” of your study topic and will help you fill in background details of how every single instance was used and why.
From there, look up all historical accounts that support the Bible verses in books such as Enoch, Jubilees and Josephus (and the others books on our website list). The most excellent way to do this is to have the online PDF’s open as well as each of your PDF hard copies. Then do a “word” searches in each of the online PDF’s and read ever mention of the Stars and heavenly tablets as you did in E-Sword. Then highlight each main point on your print outs so you keep your study points in one place and organized where you can find them later. Again, make sure you have the bible and all the study materials open and out in front of you so you can compare each account from each book (line by line). This will allow you to view and compare every single account mentioned of each report seeing as each scripture or PDF by itself might not have all the details but studied together wham the whole account is now clear.
Lastly, once you have read everything you could on the topic go back and study your notes and write down what you have learned and understand and you will see a story formulate in full detail and you will have learned on many levels the many intricate details of the Most High, his plans and his will and in doing so you will be overwhelmed with love for him one because he did all this for us and two because him showing this to you shows you are important to him and he wants you to know these things so you may draw closer to him, be loyal and endure to the end.
Enjoy your studies family and let us know if these tips have helped you!
Some Insight on Marriage, one Sisters story...
During a wedding shower a friend asked if I could share some insight on marriage and how to keep it together? I started to think of what advice or words of encouragement I may say as I took the question very serious. So I spent some time thinking of what to say and I asked the Most High how does he want me to answer this question? Through prayer I thought about this long and hard and the reflections from my past failures and lessons learned came to my mind…
See I was married before for many years and I thought I understood marriage and relationships because I had read every book known to man in search of answers and I spent a lot of those years really working on my spirit so that I could be a better person and work hard so my husband would love me the way I wanted to be loved. In doing all of that I still didn’t have the love I needed and I believed at that point my husband was the one who was not willing to grow or change so when I had the scriptural grounds for divorce I ended my marriage.
Several years later I found the Truth and got baptized. Thereafter I met my husband and at the exact moment I met him I knew he was the man the Most High told me I would marry years back. We married with me knowing deep within that he was the Man I would fulfill my destiny with until the ends of time. I followed my spirit and I dedicated myself to Ahayah and my husband and together we set out to serve him.
Over time something happened, things started to feel familiar again and I was really confused and blown away and I was like why am I feeling this way walking around with an attitude, being moody and having petty fights with my husband - for this is not suppose to be happening to ME this time! Remember I was the “one” who read all the self-help books, I learned to be a better person, I had grown and most of all I married my KING! We are supposed to be happy and in love... this makes absolutely no sense! Why, Why Ahayah why???
It took a lot of time for me to be given the answers and it is only recent that I received understanding. You see it was ME the whole time; the issues had always been ME!
One thing I knew true was that my relationship with my husband was only as good as my relationship with the Most High and if I didn’t have a solid one with GOD I could not expect a good relationship with my husband. So I had to turn back to GOD for the answers but this time I wanted to search out the Most High and discover him like I had never done before. I wanted to learn about him in new more vast and broad ways. I wanted to know what he really did and create and the actual reasons why; so I started to search for him in areas I never looked before, I began studying his Works of the heavens, earth, sea, thunders and lightening, fire and water, the sun and moon, the seasons and years, the days, and hours and I was absolutely astounded! I learned how the earth was made to represent us…our flesh from the clay of earth, our blood from the dew, our eyes from the sun, our bones from stone, our hair from the grass of the earth… and my love for the Most High overwhelmed me!
I started thinking how do I honor and glorify this amazing GOD? And something said start with the Holy Days because he said follow his Laws, Statues and Commandments …, and a desire grew for me to want to observe the Holy Days in the fullest sense and so I started studying everything I could on the Holy Days; when they are to be observed, the significance of why “each” one was established… like the First fruits/Feast of Weeks in (Leviticus 23:15) which was to represent each of the four seasons Noah experienced while in the ark and how they were to be a sign to let him know when to exit the Ark and this Holy Day is observed on the exact day Noah exited the ark with his family – wow I was fascinated. From there he led me to understand other discoveries of his Power in the earth and its elements and how if he told a mountain to move so one could pass how that mountain would obey because its governed by the laws “he” created in nature and how one day we to could learn how to use the earth to obey us! Wow!
Now what does all that have to do with marriage you might ask? A lot!
My reflections on my journey led me to comprehend what marriage IS and is Not … See we are suppose to “use” the challenges, joys, struggles and celebrations of marriage to draw closer to the Most High and STOP asking of marriage what GOD never designed it to be. The truth is we can’t look for another person to complete us because spiritually speaking that is idolatry. We are to find our fulfillment and purpose in GOD. . And if we expect our spouse to be 'GOD' to us, they will fail every day. No person can live up to such expectations."
Everyone has bad days, yells or is downright selfish. Despite these imperfections, GOD created the husband and wife to steer each other in His direction.
GOD did not create marriage just to give us a pleasant means of having babies and providing a nice home to raise them. He designed or should we say “created” marriage as “another” example of his existence like the examples I learned in his creation of the universe.
So today I understand that the closer I get to the Father, the more I learn of him, share with him who I am by prayer and telling him how I feel, what I need and want the “easier” it is for me to honor my husband and love him as a Man of the Most High and be a willing helper that the Most High sent me to be to him… so when my husband is tired I am his pillow, when he is weak I am made strong, and when he is worried the Most High is our comforter. So though at times I might get mad at him I be damned if I let anybody try and break his spirit.
I am his rock and soft place and the one to reinforce him to go back into the harsh elements of this world, I help lift him up. And if anyone tries to form a weapon against him I will be his Shield so that he can get away and be a King for our Nation - because that is what a Queen does.
For a wife is a relief to her husband when the winds are against him!
In closings we leave you with this quote…
"If happiness is our primary goal, we'll run or get a divorce as soon as happiness seems like it’s never going to be possible or we will want someone else as soon as our husbands seem less attentive… But if our marriage is to Honor the Most High and be a living example of his love in us and his creation we will be on our way to a healthier perspective of marriage and in that we can be happy!”
All praise to the Most High, Ahayah and his son Yashaya!
Are You Out of Sync?
Have you been feeling tired and run down lately? Are you easily distracted, irritated, and less attentive? Are you fatigued, have headaches can’t sleep or sleep too much? Are you trying to keep it all together so no one notices?
I can tell if I am in that place again by just looking around my house. The first sign is the chair in my bedroom where clothes have piled up, and then it moves into the bathroom where my products are all over the place and oh and the big indicator is my closet… once the clothes start to become a big heap and I can’t find anything I know I am in that place again. What place is this? The place where everything has gone to pot and everything in your life is upside down and where you are no longer in tune with your inner self. And you are OUT OF SYNC!
How does one get here?
To think this time I actually saw it coming… I sat there as if watching a movie on TV seeing my life slowly unravel. I watched shaking my head like, "Will she ever get it together and how in the world does she find anything in that closet. Wow if those bags under her eyes get any darker I will think she was in a fight. Wait a minute didn’t I see her here a few years ago dealing with this? No, it can’t be her she was doing so well and had it together, how could this happen to her…Again?"
How? Once again I stopped sticking to the basics… I stopped watching what I was eating, stopped taking my vitamins, and stayed up way to late, getting through the day on less than 4 hours sleep. I was rushing from one place to the next trying to do everything for everyone else with no thought to myself or my well-being.
I stopped considering the things that kept me fit, healthy and at my best and I replaced them with those bad old habits of “I can do it tomorrow” or “one more bite won’t make a difference” or “I can get some sleep once I’m done with this.” Yep excuse after excuse took over and before I knew it I was running away from my life, from me. I just got tired and didn’t care anymore about keeping it all together (though deep down inside I knew this was temporary and that the real me would prevail). However, this continued until days turn into weeks and very little got accomplish and I was just going through the motions knowing I would crash sooner or later.
And guess what? I did! I woke up one morning and I could barely get out of bed, it hurt to just walk. I had worn my body down to the ground and I struggled to the bathroom looked in the mirror at my puffy face, my back hurting, both knees ached and everything in my body felt broken! I was so disappointed to be in this place again knowing better.
But what can I do, should I beat myself up? Seek therapy? Pay for another gym membership or all 3?
NO! STOP! THINK!
I had to get a grip and realize that no matter what has happened I am still me, I am not this bad person my mind wants me to believe because I let things get out of sync nor have I failed myself. I had to accept where I was at this time and realize that setback happens to all of us. Sometimes when you don’t pay attention to where you are going you lose your focus and that’s exactly what happened to me. I had all the right tools understood the process and knew how to implement it but I was missing the key factor…I had lost my Focus. It was now time for me to re-group and get back to the basics but because I had let it go for months I knew it would not be easy.
First I had to talk it out with the Most High and tell him what I had done to myself and how much I needed his help and to please help me trust him and myself to do this. Then I had to get some serious rest and put myself back on a scheduled that allowed me at least 7 hours of sleep (it took weeks before I finally felt rested). I had to get back to drinking 10 cups of water a day, take multivitamins and drink lots of herbal teas. Once I started doing this I slowly had enough energy to tackle my pile of clothes in the chair and put the laundry away. Then the next week I tackled the bathroom and two days later I had energy to tackle my closet.
I was starting to feel charged again, not 100% but better. So I sat down and wrote out a weekly plan of things I needed to get done understanding that I could not do everything in one day but if I spread it out in the course of a week I could relax because I knew: on Sundays I evaluated my progress and set my schedule for the upcoming week, Mondays was the day to clean out the fridge and family day, Tuesdays was grocery and paying bills, Wednesday I could meet with the sisters, and Thursday I could set aside time for studying, early Friday I could give the house a total cleaning and prepare for the Sabbath. Once I gained momentum and trusted myself with sticking to a plan I then started changing my diet and incorporating 60 minutes of exercise a day (this is still a struggle but I am getting fit). Very basic stuff I know but when you’re out of sync you have to go back to the ABC’s.
So here I am today, I still have the same responsibilities but I am managing them – they are not managing me. I feel better and know I am on my way to the best version of me! I am healing everyday and paying more attention to my choices understanding that I don’t get to take a break from my life and that I must fully live in it each and every day!
My advice to anyone feeling out of sync is…
“Every morning begin your day with the Most High praying to him for his guidance and support, asking him questions like - Ahayah what do you think about this or Ahayah should I go here first or there. Share your inner thoughts, feelings and concerns with him and in doing so you will develop a relationship with him where he becomes your best friend and you take him everywhere you go throughout your day!
Next, meditate on your goals to give PURPOSE to your day and every night before you go to sleep, pray and think about your vision of the ultimate You—Strong, Spiritual, Healthy, and Happy. Reaffirm your belief in yourself and your goals, and stick to them! Make it happen! Be the REAL YOU and run the Race of Life to the fullest so you will no longer be out of sync!"
Secrets of Sugar
The truth about sugar and it's addictive and damaging properties.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xDaYa0AB8TQ
Sugar: The BitterTruth
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dBnniua6-oM
20 Ingredients To Memorize and Avoid In Any Food You Consume
Artificial flavors, colors, preservatives, emulsifiers,sweeteners have saturated the food supply for more than four decades. We are on the precipice of discovering what our toxic food industry has done to our bodies and our environment. There is a heightened awareness and a sense of caution on the minds of most grocery shoppers, so let’s make it easier for them. Here are 25 of the most common toxic ingredients you must avoid in foods. The discovery of even one of these ingredients on a food label means “stay away.”
This list is by no means all inclusive as there are dozens of other culprits, but these are the most commonly used by the food industry with little regard to consumer’s health.
1. Artificial Flavors
Artificial flavorings are derived from chemicals made in a laboratory and offer absolutely no nutritional valueand are a magnet for processed foods. They show up in almost everything today, including bread, cereals, flavored yogurt, soups mixes, and cocktail mixers, so they can be hard to avoid. Every single artificial flavor in the food industry has some kind of detrimental health effect. These include neurotoxicity, organ, developmental, reproductive toxicity and cancer.
2. Enriched Wheat
Wheat is already one of those grains that should be avoided, but the key word to watch out for is ‘enrichment’. That means niacin, thiamine, riboflavin, folic acid, and iron are added after these and other key nutrients are stripped out in the first place during the refining process. That applies to whether it’s wheat, rye, or other grains. Enriched flour is really just refined flour that has had a few nutrients re-added to it, but not enough to make any food made from this nutritionally worthy.
3. Hydrogentated or Fractionated Oils
Fractionating oil is a process most often used on palm and palm kernel oil that involves heating the oil, then cooling it quickly so that it breaks up into fractions (hence the name). The key thing is that the filtration process separates out most of the liquid part of the oil, leaving a high concentration of solid unhealthy fat behind which is terribly toxic for human consumption.
Hydrogenated oils are oils that are often healthy in their natural state, but are quickly turned into poisons through the manufacturing and processing they undergo. They take these naturally healthy oils such as palm, kernel, soybean, corn oil, canola oil or coconut oil and they heat it anywhere from five hundred to one thousand degrees. They then become fantastic preservatives because all the enzymatic activity in the oil has been neutralized during the hydrogenating process. Hydrogenated oils are the closest thing you can get to plastic sludge running through your body. If you see “hydrogenated” anywhere on an ingredient list, run like the wind.
4. Monosodium Glutamate (MSG)
The food additive “MSG” is a slow poison which hides behind dozens of names, such as natural flavoring, yeast extract, autolyzed yeast extract, disodium guanylate, disodium inosinate, caseinate, textured protein, hydrolyzed pea protein and many others. Currently, labeling standards do not require MSG to be listed in the ingredient list of thousands of foods.
MSG is not a nutrient, vitamin, or mineral and has no health benefits. The part of MSG that negatively affects the human body is the “glutamate”, not the sodium. The bound glutamic acid in certain foods (corn, molasses, wheat) is broken down or made “free” by various processes (hydrolyzed, autolyzed, modified or fermented with strong chemicals, bacteria, or enzymes) and refined to a white crystal that resembles sugar.
There are a growing number of Clinicians and Scientists who are convinced that excitotoxins play a critical role in the development of several neurological disorders, including migraines, seizures, infections, abnormal neural development, certain endocrine disorders, specific types of obesity, and especially the neurodegenerative diseases; a group of diseases which includes: ALS, Parkinson’s disease, Alzheimer’s disease, Huntington’s disease, and olivopontocerebellar degeneration.
5. Sugar
The single largest source of calories for Americans comes from sugar.Sugar is loaded into your soft drinks, fruit juices, sports drinks, and hidden in almost all processed foods–from bologna to pretzels to Worcestershire sauce to cheese spread. And now most infant formula has the sugar equivalent of one can of Coca-Cola, so babies are being metabolically poisoned from day one if taking formula. Sugar changes metabolism, raises blood pressure, critically alters the signaling of hormones and causes significant damage to the liver — the least understood of sugar’s damages. These health hazards largely mirror the effects of drinking too much alcohol, which they point out in their commentary is the distillation of sugar. If it’s not a natural sugar, it doesn’t belong in your food.
6. High Fructose Corn Syrup
A few years ago, the Corn Refiners Association petitioned the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to allow the term ‘corn sugar’ as an alternative label declaration for high fructose corn syrup (HFCS). The reason? Too many people were finding out how lethal HFCS was for the human body.
HFCS causes insulin resistance, diabetes, hypertension, increased weight gain, and not to mention manufactured from genetically modified corn.
7. Potassium Benzoate and Sodium Benzoate
Sodium Benzoate can convert into lethal carcinogenic poison when combined with absorbic acid. Professor Peter Piper, a professor of molecular biology and biotechnology, tested the impact of sodium benzoate on living yeast cells in his laboratory. What he found alarmed him: the benzoate was damaging an important area of DNA in the “power station” of cells known as the mitochondria. “These chemicals have the ability to cause severe damage to DNA in the mitochondria to the point that they totally inactivate it: they knock it out altogether.” he stated.
Potassium benzoate often shows up in seemingly innocuous foods such as apple cider, low-fat salad dressings, syrups, jams, olives, and pickles. It is just as hazardous as Sodium Benzoate so read your labels.
8. Artificial Coloring
Food colorings still on the market are linked with cancer. Blue 1 and 2, found in beverages, candy, baked goods and pet food, have been linked to cancer in mice. Red 3, used to dye cherries, fruit cocktail, candy, and baked goods, has been shown to cause thyroid tumors in rats. Green 3, added to candy and beverages, has been linked to bladder cancer. The widely used yellow 6, added to beverages, sausage, gelatin, baked goods, and candy, has been linked to tumors of the adrenal gland and kidney.
9. Acesulfame-K
Acesulfame-K, also known as acesulfame potassium, represents one of the food additives used for sweetening aliments and drinks. It is approved by the FDA, but there are several potential problems correlated with consumption of this food additive. Even though there are many studies that attest its safety, acesulfame potassium is still suspected of causing benign thyroid tumors. In rats, the development of such tumors took only 3 months, a period in which the concentration of this additive in the consumed food was between 1 and 5 percent. This is a very short period of time, so the substance is believed to have significant carcinogenic properties. Methylene chloride, a solvent used in the manufacture of acesulfame potassium, is the substance that may give the food additive its potential carcinogenic characteristics.
10. Sucralose
Splenda/sucralose is simply chlorinated sugar; a chlorocarbon. Common chlorocarbons include carbon tetrachloride, trichlorethelene and methylene chloride, all deadly. Chlorine is nature’s Doberman attack dog, a highly excitable, ferocious atomic element employed as a biocide in bleach, disinfectants, insecticide, WWI poison gas and hydrochloric acid. Chlorocarbons are never nutritionally compatible with our metabolic processes and are wholly incompatible with normal human metabolic functioning. Sucralose is a very common additive in protein mixes and drinks so beware all of you who love to add these into your smoothies.
11. Aspartame
The sale of aspartame, with only four calories per gram and 200 times sweeter than sugar, is sold under the trademarks NutraSweet and Equal. Results indicate that aspartame is a multi-potential carcinogen, even consumed daily at 20 milligrams per kilogram of body weight. That is a lower quantity than the maximum recommended by the FDA. It’s one reason you should never purchase major brands of chewing gums.
12. BHA and BHT
Butylated hydroxyanisole (BHA) and butylated hydrozyttoluene (BHT) are used to preserve common household foods. Any processed food that has a long shelf life is often filled with BHA. They are found in cereals, chewing gum, potato chips, and vegetable oils. They are oxidants, which form potentially cancer-causing reactive compounds in your body.
13. Propyl Gallate
Another preservative, often used in conjunction with BHA and BHT. It is sometimes found in meat products, chicken soup base, and chewing gum. Animals studies have suggested that it could be linked to cancer.
14. Sodium Chloride
A dash of sodium chloride, more commonly known as salt, is the culprit that the mainstream media and medical community claim we should stay away from. They’re right, but only because it’s not real salt. Common table salt (sodium chloride) has almost nothing in common with traditional rock or sea salt. If a food label lists salt, or sodium chloride as an ingredient, that’s the bad stuff and you need to avoid these foods wherever possible.
15. Soy
Although it’s often lauded as a healthy, cholesterol-free, cheap, low-fat protein alternative to meat, soy is NOT a health food. Any foods that list soy in any form as an ingredient should be avoided. Soy protein, soy isolate, and soy oil are present in about 60 percent of the foods on the market and have been shown to impair fertility and affect estrogen in women, lower sex drive, and trigger puberty early in children. Soy can also add to the imbalance between omega-6 and omega-3 fatty acids.
The only soy products fit for human consumption are fermented and organic and I can guarantee you will never find this type of soy in any processed foods. The majority of soy is GMO and you can’t get around this. Regardless of who I am speaking with, soy is one of those foods I use to gauge the nutritional IQ of others. You would not believe how many health practitioners and even Naturopathic Doctors still think soy is a health food. Please don’t touch this stuff.
16. Corn
We are at the point where all corn products, including fresh corn should be avoided. The percentage of genetically modified corn is just far too high. You will never know if you are actually consuming organic corn. Modified cornstarch, dextrose, maltodextrin, and corn oil should all be avoided. All are high in omega-6 fatty acids, which can promote inflammation, cancer, and heart disease. While your body needs both omega-6 and omega-3 fatty acids to perform at its full potential, most experts recommend an omega-6 to omega-3 ratio of 1:1–currently most Americans consume about 15-20 times more omega-6 acids than omega-3s.
17. Potassium Sorbate
As one of the most prolific preservatives in the food industry, it is difficult to find an ice cream without potassium sorbate. However, it is not only recommended to avoid this chemical, it’s a necessity to eliminate it from our foods. The food industry and its scientists will parrot endless myths that potassium sorbate is not a health threat because of its safety record and non-toxic profile. This could not be further from the truth.
Food and chemical toxicology reports have labeled potassium sorbate as a carcinogen, showing positive mutation results in the cells of mammals. Other studies have shown broad systemic and toxic effects on non-reproductive organs in animals. No long term studies have ever been initiated on either animals or humans, so there is simply not enough evidence to theorize what could happen after years of ingesting this preservative. However, based on short-term carcinogenic and toxic effects, is it worth the risk to find out?
18. Soy Lecithin
Soy Lecithin has been lingering around our food supply for over a century. It is an ingredient in literally hundreds of processed foods, and also sold as an over the counter health food supplement. However, most people don’t realize what soy lecithin actually is, and why the dangers of ingesting this additive far exceed its benefits.
Soybean lecithin comes from sludge left after crude soy oil goes through a “degumming” process. It is a waste product containing solvents and pesticides. The toxic hexane extraction process is what is commonly used in soybean oil manufacture today. Another big problem associated with soy lecithin comes from the origin of the soy itself. Look out for this emulsifier in ice creams, chocolate and many processed creams.
19. Polysorbate 80
Polysorbate 80 has been found to negatively affect the immune system and cause severe anaphylactic shock which can kill. Food and Chemical Toxicology has shown that Polysorbate 80 causes infertility. It accelerates maturing, causes changes to the vagina and womb lining, hormonal changes, ovary deformities and degenerative follicles. What is very suspicious about this ingredient is its addition to vaccines. Scientists are obviously aware of its ability to cause infertility yet it continues to appear in children’s vaccines. You will also commonly find this in a child’s favorite treat, ice cream.
20. Canola oil
Canola or rapeseed oil is poisonous to living things and is an excellent insect repellent. It is an industrial oil, not a food. It is a genetically modified plant designed through intensive breeding and genetic engineering techniques. The Canadian government and industry paid the FDA $50 million dollars to have canola oil placed on the (GRAS) List, “Generally Recognized As Safe”. It is becoming increasingly difficult to find products that do not contain Canola oil. Please do not buy any food product containing canola oil.
2 “Types” of Killer Corn You Should Avoid and 1 Type You Should Enjoy
Do you love corn? The sweet and crunchy taste of a fresh ear of corn dripping in butter and dappled with real salt is something that few people can resist. Perhaps you have been told that corn is bad for you – it raises your blood sugar or it is all genetically modified and should be avoided like the plague. While some things you hear about corn may be true, there is a lot of misinformation circulating about this ancient food.
Corn (Zea mays), also known as maize, has been an honored and food staple for over 7000 years. The Ancient Mayan, Aztec and Incan people used it for food, shelter, fuel and even decoration. Corn has and continues to play an integral role in Native American cultures and is, of course, a favorite summertime treat that many of us look forward to each year.
Classifying corn correctly
The botanical definition tells us that corn is a fruit along with tomatoes, green peppers, cucumbers and squash. However, corn seed is also referred to as a vegetable because it is harvested for eating as well as a grain because it is a dry seed of a species of grass. Some even refer to it as a vegetable grain.
When we unpack corn we see that it is a monocotyledon – containing only one seed leaf like a grass. Other grains such as wheat, oats and barley, are also monocots. Technically, a grain is defined as the harvested dry seeds of fruit or cereal grasses. Since field corn is harvested when the seeds are dry – it is known as a grain.
Because sweet corn is grown with the purpose of being eaten as a tender vegetable and is harvested before maturity, it is often thought of as a vegetable. Vegetables are defined as a plant that is grown for some edible part such as roots, stems, leaves, flowers or seeds/fruit. Although we could say that all cereal grains are vegetables – we separate them from other vegetables because they are dry.
Varieties of corn
The earliest varieties of corn were red, yellow, white and black. Today, we are basically limited to white and yellow. While white corn is super sweet, yellow has more nutrient value in the form of carotenoids.
Nutrient profile and health benefits
Corn is an excellent source of dietary fiber, loaded with vitamins B1, B5, vitamin C, folate, phosphorus and manganese. One ear of corn (½ cup) has about 75 calories and 2 grams of protein.
Recent research has found that yellow corn contains powerful phytonutrients. In fact, although the phytonutrients in corn are bound, not free like in other vegetables, when total antioxidant activity was measured in corn compared to other fruits and vegetables, corn kept pace. Researchers feel that this may explain why cultures that consume a fiber-rich diet containing a great deal of corn, have a low risk of colon cancer.
Lung Health: The carotenoid, beta-cryptoxanthin found in yellow corn may promote lung health. The results of seven studies showed that the more beta-cryptoxanthin in the diet, the less risk of developing lung cancer.
Heart Health: The folate and B vitamins in corn help lower levels of homocysteine, an amino acid in the blood that causes damage to blood vessels. The dietary fiber in corn also helps promote healthy blood cholesterol.
Energy Production: Yellow corn contains two B vitamins, thiamin and pantothenic acid which are essential to energy production. Thiamin helps convert sugar into energy and pantothenic acid is necessary for the metabolism of carbohydrates, protein and lipids. B vitamins help support the body in times of stress.
Other Benefits: Corn contains the carotenoids lutein and zeaxanthin that are known to lessen the risk of age-related vision loss due to oxidative damage to the retina. The phenolic compound ferulic acid is effective in killing tumors found in liver and breast cancer.
What about the sugar in corn?
A lot of people stay clear from corn because they are afraid that the natural sugars will wreak havoc on their blood sugar. The truth is that an ear of corn has about the same number of calories as an apple and about one-fourth the amount of sugar. If you are on a highly strict, no-sugar diet, corn may not be the ideal choice, however, when consumed in moderation, it can be a valuable source of nutrients and energy.
Not all corn is good corn or beneficial for the body. Here are 2 “types” of corn that you will definitely want to avoid.
Killer GMO corn
A lot of people mix up “sweet corn” with “field corn” – the latter being a very inedible commodity crop used to make livestock feed, ethanol and high-fructose corn syrup. Prior to 2012, consumers did not have to worry about sweet corn being genetically modified, however, Monsanto changed all of that.In the summer of 2012, they introduced huge quantities of GMO sweet corn in the grocery stores and it even appeared on roadside stands.
GMO sweet corn is resistant to herbicides and can produce its own insecticide. This killer corn is now found fresh at your grocery store and farmers markets all over the country – and is also used in frozen and canned corn products. Because manufacturers are not obligated to inform consumers of the genetically modified corn in products, it makes it very hard to choose wisely. The Non-GMO Project Verified sweet corn list is a useful tool to help you make the right choice. If you can’t find any of these verified products the best bet is to eat Certified Organic corn as Certified Organic farmers are not permitted to plant GMO seed.
Killer high fructose corn syrup
High fructose corn syrup was first invented in the 1960′s and began to be heavily produced in the 1970′s, shortly after the USDA ended controls on wheat, soy and corn production. This change in policy encouraged farmers to grow as much of these crops as possible. And to matters worse, the new policy came with hefty subsidies to farmers who would grow these crops.
Since 1995, over $19 billion in subsidies has gone to crops that are used to produce nutritionally void products such corn sweeteners, corn starch and soy oils. In comparison, no subsidies have been paid for fruit or vegetable farmers who are growing healthy and nutritious crops.
Over 40% of the non-calorie sweeteners used in the United States are made from high fructose corn syrup. Drinks containing high fructose corn syrup have decreased almost 25% in price since 1985 while the price of wholesome vegetables and fruits has gone up almost 40%. What kind of message is this sending to consumers?
Right along with the increase in high fructose corn syrup use, the average American consumes 600 more calories per day than they did in 1970. Calories derived from fruit and vegetables are 100% more expensive than those derived from products made with high fructose corn syrup. This, along with the fragile economy, does not make it any easier for families to make wise food choices.
High fructose corn syrup is used to sweeten most processed foods. In fact, high fructose corn syrup is present in foods that would not normally be thought of as sweet foods, such as salad dressing, mayonnaise, soup and numerous other products. High fructose corn syrup is also found in many drinks, such as soda, coffee drinks, high energy drinks and even some fruit drinks.
Consumption of high-fructose corn syrup causes body-wide inflammation and obesity. In high doses it can literally punch holes in the intestinal lining allowing nasty byproducts of toxic gut bacteria into your system resulting in obesity, diabetes, cancer, heart disease, dementia and accelerated aging. In addition, high fructose corn syrup contains contaminants, like mercury, that are not regulated by the FDA and are highly toxic.
Action Items: Choose your corn wisely; avoid GMO corn and high fructose corn syrup but don’t be afraid to enjoy a tasty ear or two of Certified Organic sweet corn this summer!
Homemade Chicken Tortillas With Creamy Salsa
We like this recipe for several reasons, its economical, it really stretches, it tastes so good and you make most of it from scratch including the spice mix and the tortillas wraps. Try it once and you wont go back to store bought shells, tortillas or mix. It might initially seem like it takes work but trust us it takes no more than an hour the first time around if you're organised. Make your tortilla dough first, then your salsa, then your chicken filling. Cooking each tortilla in a skillet only tastes 2 minutes once you have rolled out the dough.
Pitta Pizzas
We love making these because they are so quick and easy and versatile! Why buy frozen pizza's or takeaway when you can make your own at home and add your own toppings with no extra charge and at a cheaper cost with more flavor! Of course if you are good with dough you can make your own crust, but for those of us who are handicapped in that area pittas work really well and taste so much better than store boat crusty pizza.