The Christian Life & Women's Issues

The Christian Life & Women's Issues

As an effect of sin, humans are deeply driven toward autonomy, preferring to live independent of God's authority instead of within the shelter of his divine sovereignty. This is the temptation to which Eve would surrender. Instead of a life dependent on God, she evaluated on the basis of her self-appointed authority that the fruit of the forbidden tree was beautiful and an acceptable source for knowledge and sustenance. God was no longer necessary in her new view of the world because she chose instead to believe the twisted words of the serpent, that she could "be like God" (Gen 3:5). She quickly dismissed the distinction between herself, the created, and the Creator.

The Christian Life & Women's Issues

When faced with difficult life circumstances, we are called to submit to God's wisdom and authority and recognize our own insufficiency. It is true that scripture does not provide explicit answers for each and every situation, so while God's normative method of self-disclosure is not through audible voice, studying God's word is necessary to develop a biblical worldview that will enable godly reflection in the absence of obvious solutions. Trusting God in the midst of any degree of crisis is probably one of the the greatest challenges to living the Christian life.

Twisted Fruit

The Christian Life & Women's Issues

Popular culture argues, on the other hand, that God, if he even exists, is irrelevant to just about everything. Religion, and specifically evangelical Christianity, is regarded as bigoted and narrow-minded, outside the scope of logic and reason. Christian truth claims are viewed as merely private values, but the "promise" of scientific progress and "hope" through human reason-with little room for ethical reflection-are believed to be neutral sources of information, and therefore, the source of truth for everyone. This way of thinking is dominant in the area of women's issues and is wielding great influence on the lives of women inside and outside of the church.

The Christian Life & Women's Issues

The Christian Life & Women's Issues

When biblical and theological reflection on women's issues is tolerated, it is usually through a theology of liberation known as feminist theology. This theology seeks primarily to free women from the oppression of what they describe as patriarchalism, referring to male headship or authority that demands unquestioned female submission. In this context, feminist theology argues that women are not really free due to an imbalance of power. This experience then becomes the interpretive grid to understand revelation, rather than revelation interpreting experience

Locating the meaning of scripture in one's own experience is the equivalent of dethroning God, taking his seat, and wearing his crown. It is an approach that fails to recognize God's authority over his entire creation, the exact problem Eve encountered as she replaced the revealed word of God with her own rationalizations. Our experiences can only describe how we live, they certainly do not prescribe how to live. Yet, this is not a matter of cold hard facts about the nature of God. God is the source of all that is true, he transcends all that is in the earth, yet he cares deeply about it and is closer than it may seem. Scripture reveals that our experiences do matter to God, he cares deeply about the problems we face and solutions we find.

At the core of "women's issues" is a long list of topics that matter to women. The list includes access to abortion, conception and contraception, careers, gender equity in the workplace, end-of-life health care, domestic violence and human trafficking. All issues of great significance to the every day lives of women, yet for the most part, not a part of the evangelical discussion within the walls of the church. Of course, there is a strong Christian voice in defense of the unborn and for the moral status of the embryo-and this voice needs to continue its bold proclamation. As well, there is an appropriate voice reacting against the ideology of secular feminism, a voice that rightly shows how this worldview fails women spiritually and in all other practical ways. What has been lacking, however, is a proactive voice intentionally educating women on these and related issues, a voice that teaches women to think through complicated life issues from a Christian worldview. Organizations like the National Organization for Women, the Feminist Majority, and NARAL have been declared by the dominant culture to be the source for addressing women's issues and equipping women to live triumphantly in this "patriarchal" society. The Christian community is quick to provide a response to these organizations and issues, but little education has been directed to the women in the pew, women of all ages, ethnicities and economic levels who have been or are potentially swayed by the seductive gospel of unfettered "women's rights."

It is erroneous to believe that with the assurance of salvation comes the instant ability to effectively reason through issues and achieve resolutions that are pleasing to God. The status of "born again" is not a guarantee that a young woman won't consider an abortion, because the dominant culture may have convinced her that the embryo is not really her child or that this is not actually a spiritual issue. A financially-strapped college student may have little knowledge of what is involved in selling her eggs, as an act of good-will to an infertile couple or for research purposes. She may not understand that this egg, when fertilized, is her biological child. What she has been told by the college "women's center" is that the egg is nothing more than tissue and a fertilized egg (an embryo) is nothing more than a "clump of cells." To top all that off, she probably has not been fully informed about the health risks in undergoing such a procedure.

A young married couple in the congregation may struggle with infertility and is willing to pursue the use of reproductive technologies to solve their heart-wrenching crisis. After three years of treatment, they may have 2 children, but four more children are in cryopreservation at the fertility clinic because the most economical route for their family was to have many embryos fertilized at one time. Still, there are other women who are entering into the Christian community, ashamed to talk to anyone about the abusive relationship they are in, fearing judgment, blame, and ridicule.

Right or wrong, women in the church are no less immune to the ideas of culture than are women outside of the church. When they hear "women's issues" or "women's rights," their attention is easily drawn toward these prominent voices as their message has completely saturated the culture we live in. There is no natural inclination toward a voice in the church, because that voice is difficult to locate. The fact is, women's issues are, indeed, women's issues, and the church is in a strategic and unique position to address them.

A Barna research study has recently reported that 60% of all who attend church are women, and around 25% of those attend church without their husbands. One reaction to this study was to point out the obvious, that few men are coming to church. Why? The church has been "feminized." The music, the paint, the activities-they simply aren't masculine enough, so men are staying home. As a result, some have decided that the solution is to de-feminize the church. Plan manly hunting trips, sports activities, and offer more of the older hymns that are obviously more masculine than the praise songs.

The motivation to have more men as members of the body of Christ is right and good, yet strangely, misguided. Please allow me to explain. God is pleased by the fact that so many women are attending church, giving freely of themselves financially, engaged in ministry activity, and so on. Women are present and eager to hear what the Lord has to teach them and how to apply it to their lives.

Young women, who are the next generation of mothers and leaders of all types, are there too, but often not very comfortable with the women's ministry of their mothers and grandmothers. Granted, few women's ministries are addressing "women's issues" proactively, but the young women are entering into youth group and college groups with little contextual opportunity to inquire or learn about these issues that will play a significant role in their lives far into the future. The church has a real opportunity to challenges the ideas of a culture fixated on being a god unto themselves by reaching the women the culture seeks to influence. That 60% of the church is comprised of women should be regarded as a call to a particular ministry; we can see positively that the glass is half full!

As women continue to be the primary caregivers of children and parents while also being a witness to great technological advancement, time must be invested in developing women to reflect on all of life through the lenses of faith. Grandmothers who believe that their grandchildren would have been better off aborted rather than going through the foster care system before arriving at her doorstep is not representative of a consistently applied Christian ethic, and yet this is the reality of a real woman who has professed faith in Christ for many years.

The desire for love, companionship, or children can drive any woman to solutions that do not necessarily cohere with godly wisdom, especially when the voices that he been assisting her in thinking about these issues have primarily belonged to secular feminism. The feminist movement in the early 20th century began with the noble pursuit to obtain for women the right to vote and to gain a substantive voice in society. Little of this noble effort remains in secular feminism, known today chiefly for its fight for unfettered reproductive freedoms. Secular feminism has been a lone voice for women in academics and in popular culture for the better part of the last 100 years. In a real sense, they have been women mentoring other women. For women in the church, now is the time to speak godly wisdom into issues that all women face. As a matter of discipleship and evangelism, we have an opportunity to show how dependence on God is not only the path to true wisdom, but also to righteousness.

The Christian Life & Women's Issues

The Margarine Myth - Is Butter Really Bad For You?

There's a battle going on in Wikipedia (isn't there always?)  This one is on the margarine versus butter debate, and the Wikipedia editors have flagged the ever-changing article 'margarine' as possibly biased. It's a vital topic, because the answer hinges on one of the most important health misunderstandings of the last three decades. 

The Margarine Myth - Is Butter Really Bad For You?

The Margarine Myth - Is Butter Really Bad For You?

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The Margarine Myth - Is Butter Really Bad For You?

The Margarine Myth - Is Butter Really Bad For You?

A typical Wikipedia battle of opinions. Looking at its history, it seems to be going the usual way of such debates: one side 'corrects' the other's changes, it's recorrected back, and so on until the editors put up a bar and open a debate to settle it. (Maybe I should have a go? Nah, wait till the dust dies down.)

[Do note that with the term 'margarine', I'm including low-fat spreads. The general definition today is that margarine is 70%-80% fat (like butter) and low-fat spreads are less. Otherwise they're similar. It's just that you can eat a little more low-fat spread to get the same damage to your health.]

Before I explain why there's Bad Health in the Margarine-Butter wars, I'll sketch in a bit of the history. Skip this if you're bored by history, but don't blame me if you're missing a point later.

History of Margarine

Beginnings

All the sources say that margarine began as a competition run by Emperor Napoleon III of France in the mid-19th century to find a cheap butter substitute for the French army and the poor. The winner's product, oleomargarine, was an emulsion of beef fat with skim milk, and while it was clearly not butter, it was edible -- and cheap.

For six decades, this and similar spreads became a commercial success all over Europe and North America, though their sales never rivalled butter. In the UK it was first called 'butterine', but after it was found being sold as an adulterant in butter, a public enquiry resulted in the name 'margarine' being required. 

Recipes varied, but they were all essentially flavoured water or milk emulsions of a hard fat, intended to resemble butter enough to get a sale. Mostly animal fats were used: soft beef fat usually, blended with anything cheap: mutton fat and whale blubber, for example. High-saturate tropical fats like coconut oil or palm oil were occasionally used, too. Margarine was universally disliked, but universally bought as the poor man's butter.

Hydrogenation

In the 1930s, a radical change came with the developMent of hydrogenation. This is when fat or oil is heated with hydrogen, to convert lighter oils into saturated fats. The resulting very hard fat could be blended with lighter oils and emulsified with water, skim milk or whey to a butter-like consistency -- and with a much better flavour and more controllable consistency than previously.

It was found, though, that the hydrogenation process could be stopped short, and the resulting partially hydrogenated oil was butter-like with no blending of light oils needed. This saved on costs. This became the method of choice from the 1950s on. Traditional margarine today is a mix of partially hydrogenated oils (corn, cottonseed, peanut, rape and sunflower being cheap, depending on region and season), emulsified with water and with added flavourings. Whey powder and vitamins are usually added to costlier blends.

The situation today

Margarines and spreads now well outsell butter, probably because margarine today is tastier than ever and often half the price of butter, and because of the butter health scare a few decades ago (also known as the margarine myth -- see below). Partial hydrogenation is still the method used to make most margarines, where it's allowed and accepted by the public -- it's the cheapest method.

In the last couple of decades, more expensive, butter-like margarines and lower-fat spreads have got popular, getting their taste from extra whey and artificial flavourings. They have names not unlike 'I Can Believe This Isn't Butter'. All these, together with cheaper spreads, are the margarine of our title.

And, at last, margarines and spreads are being made from unhydrogenated oils, even with traces of Fish oil for Omega-3, and heavily advertised as the best thing for health since sliced... er... butter. I'll come to these last.

End of history

(bored ones - you can look back, now).

The Butter-Margarine Wars

On with the main theme of this article.

The three-decade-long fight between the butter and margarine lobbies hasn't died yet. It wouldn't, would it, with so many millions of Dollars in profits hinging on the outcome? The arguMent seems to turn on which will kill you next week and which will help you live to be 120 -- if you believe either of them!

The butter lobby would have you believe that margarine is an adulterated chemical mess that will see you off in a jiffy with a seized-up heart or stroke - but butter is natural, and good for you. And it tastes like, well, butter. Margarine fans want you to know that butter is full of killer saturated fats, whereas margarine is made with poly-unsaturated goodness and precious vitamins to preserve you for decades. And it tastes like butter, anyway. 

Who's right?

Well, when it comes to the character assassination part, they both are. As you will have heard, eating saturated fats in quantity is said to be the surest way to get hardened, fatty arteries and pop off with a heart attack or stroke: it gets most of us in the end. If you eat a typical Western diet, this is true, and what the margarine lobby major on in their advertising.

However -- and this is the Margarine Myth -- they also claim that margarine is chock full of polyunsaturated oils like sunflower oil, which are very good for you. Oh-oh! Not true. Made from polyunsaturates, yes. Analysed to contain poly-unsaturates, yes. But healthy -- NO!  Not always anyway, and depending where you live, maybe not often...

Killer Fats

You see, it wasn't much known till the 1980s that there were two types of poly-unsaturated fatty acid. One was normal (the cis- type), by far the commonest in nature, the other twisted from normal (trans- type), giving it the characteristics of a saturated fat. 

Now, much margarine since the 1930s (and the most common margarine from the 1950s until maybe recently) has been made from partially hydrogenated vegetable oils. Partial hydrogenation's main aim is to convert some of the oils into fats giving the whole mess a 'harder' consistency and making it suitable for margarine. Partial hydrogenation's other effect, though,  is to twist cis- into trans-fats. In other words, much of the healthy poly-unsaturated oil in these margarines is converted into trans-fats, sometimes over a quarter of the oil content, as a by-product of making some fats from the oil. But traditional fat analyses still show them as poly-unsaturates, and so trans-fats can sneak into that poly-unsaturates count on the tub.

You may have heard about the nasty trans-fat. You heard right. Like a saturated fat, it gets turned by your body straight into energy, and, as people generally eat more energy than they can use, it goes 'straight to my hips', as I hear a lot of ladies say. It gets stored -- in the cellulite, the love handles, the artery walls. Yeah, just like butter fat.  

But there's worse. 

Trans-Fats - the Healthy Oil Blockers

Your body needs poly-unsaturated fatty acids for body building, repAir and a lot of other Jobs, particularly the essential Omega 3 fatty acid ALA and Omega 6 fatty acid LA. It can recognise these, cut them out from the rest using clever enzymes and send them to where they're needed for your health.

Because a trans-fat is still poly-unsaturated, your internal chemical factory almost recognises it as the real thing. It tries to do the cut-out bit and fails - but in trying, it misses a lot of the real cis-fats your body needs, which simply get burnt for energy. 

So, trans-fats block your reserving of a lot of the cis-fats you need to stay healthy. You then need to eat more cis-fats than you'd otherwise need, to be fit. Trouble is, the vital ALA cis-fat is pretty scarce in today's refined Food, Fast Food, junk food diet. If you're seriously short of it, your body has to go into emergency measures to keep you alive - and the most common results are atherosclerosis and arthritis.

The Margarine Myth

Let's put all this together. There is a very strong argument (i.e., it's dead certain, unless you make margarine) for claiming that 'traditional' margarine, made from partially hydrogenated oils, is worse for health than butter because of its trans-fat content. That's what explodes the myth of margarine's health benefits. 

The scares about butter have a lot of truth in them -- but it's even more true for the trans-fat margarine they said was safer than butter. OK, 30 years ago, no-one knew about the trans-fat dangers. 'Taint their fault. But by 20 years ago, the science was solid -- and oil chemists knew it. So, why didn't they tell us, or change the margarine formulas once they knew its effects? Even if it would cost more.   Might be something to do with who they worked for!

Some Hope Dawning

As the information I've laid out briefly  in this article became prominent in the last few years, margarine makers have quietly developed and publicly trumpeted new margarines with new health claims (and at a higher price, of course). Some add 'wonder' ingredients to hopefully make an unhealthy product (margarine is, after all, a fat) more healthy. Some of them have quietly replaced the partially-hydrogenated oils with regular oils. If you're in the US, the pack will have to tell you the trans-fat content, so it's easy to tell.

If you're not in the US, you still need to look on your supermarket shelves to see whether the margarine revolution has got to you yet. Does the label mention trans-fats? If not, it's probably got 'em!

But now, two kinds of margarine have arrived which make new claims to be healthy. One of them's a winner, the other a dud.

The Cholesterol-Killer Margarine?

Type one contains additives known to reduce blood cholesterol levels in trials - especially plant sterol or stanol esters. They are 3 to 5 times the price of regular margarines. Sounds great if it works!

Just remember that, to get any useful benefits, you'll need to eat a quarter pound or more of this fat a day. It'll be a fine margarine  if there are no trans- fats in it, but there are much healthier and cheaper ways to get the cholesterol-lowering results than eating your sterols as extracts in margarine. And the easiest is to eat plenty of vegetables and fruit, where the additional benefits go far beyond a dose of plant sterol. 

(Tip: it's worth repeating how to tell whether there are trans fats in a margarine or oil. Just look on the pack. If the margarine is free of this junk, they'll usually be proud to tell you. If they don't -- it's likely in there!)

The Truly Healthy Margarine?

Type two appeared quite recently and is still gaining market share. It's a low-fat spread around the price of butter, and as it gains in popularity, the price should drop. They use refined polyunsaturated oils without hydrogenation and they clearly say how much trans fat is in the tub (there's always a little, even in natural oils). Good. Such margarines definitely give advanTAGes over butter - as long as you don't eat a lot. It is a fat, after all! This is so far the healthy way to go.

What is the best oil and fat balance?

One of the nutritional problems in today's West is the predominance of Omega-6 poly-unsaturates in our food, along with a lot of saturates, of course. It was discovered long ago, but not much publicized, that Omega-6 and Omega-3 must be eaten in a naturally balanced ratio with each other, if our body's extraction and reservation of both is to be successful. So the high level of Omega-6 is a bad, not a good thing, unless we eat at least a third of that amount of Omega-3, too. And we don't. It's processed out of our food in the factory, and in fact, most Westerners are significantly short of it. This has been flagged up in so many trials as a likely major factor in atherosclerosis and arthritis that you can take it as so. 

What you need to become healthy then, is to cut right down on Omega 6, then find a good source of Omega 3 with not much else in it.  There are two big sources of Omega 3: Fish oils and flax seed and its oil. Fish oils have almost none of the vital ALA in them -- fish don't store it. If you're healthy, you can make the fish oil fatty acids from ALA yourself, so you really need a good source of ALA. Flax is the only oil with over 30% ALA; it's usually about 55%. That's why flax was a traditional winter food.

For most people, then, I recommend at least 15ml of flax oil a day, and wild-caught, sub-arctic oily fish twice a week. Your complementary Omega 6 oils should be not over 30ml a day Omega 6 content to keep the balance, and on a typical Western diet that's impossible. So you need some diet modification to stay healthy. But you guessed that, didn't you?

Which Margarine Oils Are Healthiest?

Some recent margarines and spreads trumpet their headline oil on the pack as especially healthy. How true are the claims?  Many are based on old, discredited ideas about good nutrition -- even doctors can get behind on what's proven healthy!  This is particularly true for sunflower oil, soya oil and olive oil.  Remember, too, that this advice goes for the oils as well as spreads made from them.

So here are my suggestions for which margarines are best for you:
Sunflower Spread. If you eat plenty of fish and flax seed, this is fine. Spreads made mainly or wholly from sunflower oil will be rich in Omega-6, and you'll get a poly-unsaturate balance. If you are deficient in Omega-3 -- like most people -- this is not the one for you. Your Omega-3 take up will be compromised, and you're not getting enough as it is! Soya Spreads. Same thing goes as for Sunflower oil. Soya products are popular among the health-aware, especially vegetarians, because soya beans are richer in protein than carbohydrate -- the only bean to be a great protein source. But the oil is similar in nutrition to sunflower oil, and all I've said above applies. The soya magic doesn't work here. Olive Oil Spreads. For most Western people, mono-unsaturate spreads are the best to use. Olive oil is a good one, particularly if it's virgin oil. But read the pack! I haven't yet seen a widely-available spread whose headline olive oil is more than a small part of the total. The spread may well be mostly poly-unsaturates -- see above for the problem. There's no point paying a premium price for too little of mono-unsaturates to be useful. Spreads made wholly with rapeseed oil -- my recommendation.  Rapeseed is one of the cheapest oils, and has characteristics very similar to the famous olive oil. It's just as good for you, but not famous because it wasn't available in ancient times. In Europe, it's the cheapest and may well be the whole of the oil content. The problem is that it often won't be declared -- it will appear as 'vegetable oil'. Look at the analysis table for the fat content to be mostly mono-unsaturates.  That's the signal for a major rapeseed oil presence.In the US and Canada, Canola oil is the equivalent of rapeseed. It's actually a rapeseed variant with very little erucic acid, developed when this fatty acid was thought to be harmful. We know now that rapeseed oil is good, but so is Canola (Canada-Oil -- get it?). Go for it!

Margarines and Healthy Additives

Last point. They are even beginning to add a little Omega-3 fish oil and flax oil to some brands of margarine. Good idea: the more of these we get the better. Just remember, it's mostly NOT these good oils; there isn't enough in there to be really useful, so it's not worth any premium price. Good oils with Omega 3 are better bought direct and used direct. 

Summary -- my advice is: Don't use a spread that doesn't state on the tub that it's free or almost free of trans-fats. Don't use much of the new good stuff - it's fat, isn't it? Pick your oil blend in the spread to match your total oil and fat intake. And you can use butter if you like -- but just a very little as a luxury: it's half saturated fat.

The Margarine Myth - Is Butter Really Bad For You?

The Strawberry Tree and Other Great Slow Growing Plants

One of the great things about being a gardener is that you never stop learning. Walking round a local park recently, (I live and work in central Israel) I came across a splendid old Strawberry tree, Arbutus unedo, and immediately wondered why I had neglected even to consider it for the private gardens I build.

The Strawberry Tree and Other Great Slow Growing Plants

The Strawberry Tree and Other Great Slow Growing Plants

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The Strawberry Tree and Other Great Slow Growing Plants

The Strawberry Tree and Other Great Slow Growing Plants

The principle reason can probably be traced to a reluctance, exacerbated no doubt by commercial pressures, to include some slow growing plants in the garden design. This bowing to the demand for quick results at any cost, leads us, professional and home gardener alike, to frequently prefer unsuitable but Fast growing species, to slow growing ones that would be the best choice for a given situation. What after all is more important - how the garden looks 3 months after being built, or how it looks and feels five years later?

The Strawberry tree from Southern Europe is an ideal speciMen for a Mediterranean and mild winter garden. It is evergreen, growing slowly to about 8-9 Meters. It has an interesting sculptural form, becoming twisted and gnarled in maturity, and a uniquely beautiful peeling bark, revealing a reddish-brown trunk. Arbutus is one of those rare plants where the fruit and flowers appear simultaneously. Both are decorative, although the fruit while edible is not to everyone's taste!

There are in fact a number of advanTAGes in growing slow growing trees over Fast ones. The primary one being that they are much easier to shape and train in the early years than many rampantly growing trees. Slow growing plants are typical to dry climates, while fast growing ones typically grow in tropical and sub-tropical regions. Clearly as the scarcity or abundance of water is a major factor determining the rate of growth of a particular species, it follows that slow growing plants are generally more suited to a water conserving regime than fast growing plants.

The pine is another example to take note of. In Israel the rapidly growing Aleppo pine, Pinus halepensis, was the preferred choice in both parks and forestation projects. Unfortunately, its susceptibility to pests and disease has made it a rather regrettable choice. Nowadays the slow growing Stone pine, P. pinea is being used to far better long term effect. Let's not forget also the importance to a Mediterranean garden of the Olive tree and slow growing species of oak, as here one can see the correlation between slow growth and longevity.

With regards to landscape hedges, slow growing bushes like Carissa and Privet, are easier to keep in shape than those that grow rampantly like Bougainvillea or Clerodendron. Slower growth means less trimming, shearing and general maintenance. As for bushes and shrubs for use as informal hedges and screens, it can be a shame to give up on plants like Pittosporum, Myrtle, Pistacia and Nandina, just because they take a few years to fill in.

The Strawberry Tree and Other Great Slow Growing Plants

A Pirates Party Menu for Adults and the Kids Too!

This Pirate Party will delight your guests old and young. There are some ideas that can be great for a more adult pirate Party such as Warm Buttered Rum. Yum! Or ideas that are better for a kids pirate Party such as those gold foil chocolate coins. A great Party Menu can really make your outstanding and memorable party for your friends and family. After all there's nothing as yummy as being able to chow down on someone else's Foodstuffs.

A Pirates Party Menu for Adults and the Kids Too!

A Pirates Party Menu for Adults and the Kids Too!

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A Pirates Party Menu for Adults and the Kids Too!

A Pirates Party Menu for Adults and the Kids Too!

Your pirate guests are probably too small to drink grog but there's plenty of buttered rum flavored cake, cookie and candy recipes to make an authentic Caribbean party. Purchased rum flavoring can be substituted for the vanilla flavoring in any favorite recipe. It is especially effective as a flavoring in icing so that a traditionalbirthday cake with rum flavoring is probably the best option. Decorated with a plastic cake topper treasure chest and use gold foil wrapped chocolate coins in a candy dish or party favor sized nut cups. What do pirates eat? Well they probably ate a lot of Fish while laying low on deserted islands. Fish sticks and French fries are simple but appropriate options Menu. Tropical fruits either served raw or in the form of fruit punch will also create the desired island atmosphere. A watermelon boat might be a fun and healthy way to further the pirate theme. Use three wooden skewers to create masts on the half watermelon that is scooped out with a melon ball maker. Make sails for the masts from cheeseCloth or paper. Refill with the melon balled fruit pieces and small chunks ofyour other favorite fruits. A small skull and crossbones flag should be made on paper or Cloth with magic marker and flown proudly over the other deserts at your party.

Once you have your Pirate party Menu down pat you'll be looking for some activities to keep your guests occupied. Arrgh! A costume party is lots of fun for this event and guests can come Dressed as their favorite buccaneers. Have plenty of pirate themed games on hand to start up the minute your party starts to get a little run down and nothings more fun than a treasure hunt. Did someone say gold?

A Pirates Party Menu for Adults and the Kids Too!

The Top 10 Ways to Improve Your Diet, Your Health & Your Life!

The Top 10 Ways to Improve Your Diet, Your Health & Your Life!

Because I believe diet and exercise are so important, I'm often frustrated with the recomMendations I receive. Nutrition and natural health ideas are often so negative (don't eat this, Watch out for that) or so rigorous (be sure to eat some raw, natural, organically grown vegetable I've never heard of) or so complicated, I end up ignoring them. And yet, I know diet is critical to my health and well-being, so I made up my own rules. My objective was simplicity, so all of you with greater will-power and more disciplines, cut me some slack, OK? For the rest of us, I hope you find them useful.

The Top 10 Ways to Improve Your Diet, Your Health & Your Life!

The Top 10 Ways to Improve Your Diet, Your Health & Your Life!

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The Top 10 Ways to Improve Your Diet, Your Health & Your Life!

The Top 10 Ways to Improve Your Diet, Your Health & Your Life!

1. Eat less. I used to eat until I was full, and then snack as a hobby. And, sometimes I still do. But, more and more, I decided when I've eaten enough, leave room for a treat later, andsimply choose to eat a little less. I think it helps.

2. Drink more water. I used to try to drink 8 glasses a day, but I usually ended up either losing count ... or just going to the bathroom a lot. Now, on my way to the table I stop by the sink and grab a glass of water. I figure that's more water than most people drink, it probably helps me eat less (see Rule # 1), and sometimes it reminds me to drink even more. Close enough.

3. Eat more fruit. Benjamin Franklin said, "An apple a day keeps the doctor away." I just know apples, banana, some grapes or something "exotic" like a mango or a kiwi tastes good, and it's the Fastest, most portable and convenient Food I've found. A handful of those little baby carrots beats a sandwich by a good 90 seconds!

4. Eatyour vegetables. Yeah, still listening to my mother. But on the positive side, they're so easy! No sauces, no mixing or blending or nothing! Raw, steamed or microwaved Food, they're great for adding color to a meal (greens, yellows, and beans in all sorts of colors). I know fresh and organically grown is best, and sometimes I buy them that way ....

5. Eat more rice and baked potatoes. The score points with my doctor, my "significant other" and again, it's about the easiest Cooking I've figured out.

6. Stretch when you feel like it. I used to follow a routine that recomMended stretching and yoga for about 30 minutes every morning. Wonderful stuff! Very healthy. And someday I'm going to give it another try! For now, every morning, and several times during the day, I stand up andtry to reach the ceiling. The bend, twist, shake my shoulders, deep breath, whatever seems to feel good at the moMent. Then I get back to work.

7. Avoid exercise and elevators. OK, I believe jogging and "sweating and lifting Weights are good for me. And I do some of it. But I also find it useful to walk around the block to get the mail (the box is across the street) or take the stAirs instead of the elevator. I walk the dog, push the lawnmower and play tennis and golf with my friends. That way I figure I'm exercising and leaving the gyms open for the rest of you.

8. Spend time with friends. Talking, sharing dreams, giving and receiving support, solving life's great mysteries and debating politics or religion with a friend does wonders for the soul. And, hugs are good.And if you have a life-partner, I find talking regularly seems to avoid a number of other problems, as well!

9. Laugh every day. Tell a joke, wrestle with your dog or play with the kids next door, but have some fun! Life's short.

10. Plan for dessert! At the end of the day, I really like something special to top it all off. So, the plan for a bite of chocolate or a cup of low-fat yogurt or pudding or a handful of fresh grapes. It sure seems to beat restlessly searching the cupboards and refrigerator for "something" and ending up with a big bowl of ice cream!

The Top 10 Ways to Improve Your Diet, Your Health & Your Life!

Bittersweet Floral Arrangement

Bittersweet are usually used as floral arrangeMents for Thanksgiving, autumn wedding ornaMents and bouquet. The things needed are bittersweet vine, fleece, ice water, scissors, floral wire, wire cutters, rubber band, vase, and yellow or orange roses.

Bittersweet Floral Arrangement

Bittersweet Floral Arrangement

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Bittersweet Floral Arrangement

Bittersweet Floral Arrangement

First is to trim the stems of the flowers and bittersweet place them in a vase containing ice water. Allow them to stay there within half an hour to allow rehydration. The taller branches should be placed at the center or at the highest point in the arrangeMent. This creates an interesting view. Put together the shorter ones all over the arrangeMent. This gives it a fuller appearance. You may put in a short stem of berries on the vase to add a little uniqueness. Then twine the branch with the floral wire for every inch. As you> twist the wire, do not cut it. If you cut the wire on every twine, it may not allow the branch to bend. The wire lets you easily change the form of the arrangement. It helps maintain the curved branch. Use several bended branches to stoop down from the vase to the top of the table. You can also create a wreath of bittersweet branches. Simply cut the long branches and just twine them around themselves. Then place them around the vase containing the floral arrangement of bittersweet. Finally, you can insert the yellow and orange roses in and among the bittersweet branches. The taller roses should be placed on the back portion of the arrangement, while the shorter ones should be placed toward the front. Aside from roses, you can also put other flowers like yellow lilies, grow Cosmos flowers, orchrysanthemums.

Bittersweet is no bitter flower. Its decorative foliage, stems with brightly-colored berries and vibrant yellow leaves make it a fun and interesting flower to arrange.

Bittersweet Floral Arrangement

Healthy Skin-How Chinese Herbs Benefit Your Skin

Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM)

Healthy Skin-How Chinese Herbs Benefit Your Skin

Healthy Skin-How Chinese Herbs Benefit Your Skin

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Healthy Skin-How Chinese Herbs Benefit Your Skin

Healthy Skin-How Chinese Herbs Benefit Your Skin

Chinese herbs are an excellent source of modern drugs and treatMent cosmetics, provided one knows where and how to look. To those who are not familiar with it, traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) is mysterious and full of "mumbo jumbo," as its theory and practice are steeped in esoteric terminology. Terms such as qu feng (wind dispelling), qing re (heat removing or dispersing), xie (evil), and yi qi (vital energy replenishing) are certainly difficult to comprehend, though others such as jie du (removing toxins), sheng ji (growing muscles/flesh), ming mu (brightening vision), and shen (calming the spirit) are more obvious. The terminology may seem archaic and sometimes downright superstitious, but the TCM system hasevolved over many centuries in a logical way. One just view it hasto you have form another perspective. Then it will make sense.

Although I never had formal training in TCM, my research over the past 20 years has enabled me to figure out a few things, especially in the correlation between traditional properties and modern scientific findings, as well as in predicting an herb's Ph Meter and about 0.5 cm thick), and not the shanzha candy that comes in thin wafers stacked 3-4 cm high and wrapped in paper. If the raw shanzha is not dry enough for grinding, you can dry it in the oven at low heatuntil it is brittle.

(Panax notoginseng) Sanqi powder for treating severely chapped skin [Jiangxi Zhongyiyao, 23 (1): 35 (1992)]. In addition to other effects (immunomodulating, anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, etc), sanqi is well known for its hemostatic and wound-healing properties. In this report, results of treating 68 patients with chapped skin are presented. Thirty-six patients were complicated with ringworm of the feet and 41 experienced different degrees of pain or bleeding. Duration of illness ranged form 6 months to 15 years. Method: Mix 30 g of sanqi powder well with an adequate amount of sesame oil to form a uniform paste, place it in a sealed container, clean and reserve for later use. Soak the afflicted areas with hot but tolerable water for 10-20 minutes beforeapplying the oily paste. Do this 3-4 times daily for 30 days. Results: After treatMent, 45 patients were healed, with no recurrence after more than 1 year; and 23 showed improveMents, with longer periods between recurrences, which again responded to the same treatment. The Fastest response was 3 weeks and the longest 7 weeks, with an average of 3.7 months. It is recommended that the pastries be also used as a preventive action by applying it to affected areas once every 1 to 2 days.

Tienchi ginseng Sanqi or is readily available in any Chinese herb shop. It comes in spindle-shaped whole roots, 2-4 cm long and 1-3 cm in diaMeter, and is very hard. Unless you have a mortar and pestle Chinese bronze with a lid, it is not easy to powder this herb. You may have to break it up with ACON hammerfirst and then grind it in a sturdy coffee mill.

copyright 2005

Healthy Skin-How Chinese Herbs Benefit Your Skin

The Many Health Benefits of Nopal Cactus Juice

The nopal cactus, also known as Opuntia ficus-indica or prickly pear, cactus variety readily is to found in the Sonoran Desert of Mexico and southwestern US. A staple in the diets of many natives of the area, the nopal cactus has been shown to have some amazing health benefits which are just now beginning to gain traction in the nutritional community, particularly when it comes to the health benefits of nopal cactus juice.

The Many Health Benefits of Nopal Cactus Juice

The Many Health Benefits of Nopal Cactus Juice

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The Many Health Benefits of Nopal Cactus Juice

The Many Health Benefits of Nopal Cactus Juice

A unique source of antioxidants

Nopal cactus juice, made from the fruit of the prickly pear, is a great source of a rare form of antioxidants called Betalains. Betalains are naturally found in just a handful of fruits and vegetables, such as beets, swiss chard, rainbow and the nopal cactus fruit and are responsible forgiving those items their rosy, pinkish-red pigMentation.

In humans, these rare antioxidants serves a very specific purpose within the cells — they capture and "spread" free radicals (unstable molecules) before they have a chance to destroy or damage anything. Free radical damage to the cells is what causes the aging process, which is why nopal cactus juice is said to have anti-aging properties.

Inflammation fighting capabilities

Chronic inflammation is the result of the body's inability to control its own immune response. What starts out as a normal call for help to your white blood cells because you bumped your knee or twisted your ankle, causes a cascade effect which results in your body not being able to "flick the switch off" on the call forhelp.

A number of ethanol extract studies on the nopal fruit have shown that ingestion of it can inhibit leukocyte (white blood cell) migration, which is the catalyst in the developMent of inflammatory disease. In addition, the studies showed suppression of edema, or fluid retention.

Lowering Bad Cholesterol

The Nopal fruit is a rich source of pectin, a soluble fiber, which is found to reduce LDL cholesterol levels. It does so by decreasing the absorption of sugar into the stomach and intestines. In fact, a study done by Dr. Maria L Fernandez as published in the "Journal of Nutrition" showed that consumption of prickly pear cactus lead to a 28 percent drop in total cholesterol levels in the animals tested which is prettysubstantial.

Decrease of Blood Sugar Values

There have been several studies on the effect of nopal cactus extract on blood glucose values. One, done in 1995 and published in the "Journal of Ethnopharmacology", revealed an 18 percent decrease among particiPants while another, done by a group in California showed that adding nopal to a high carbohydrate diet Mexican among patients with Type 2 diabetes actually reduced the concentration of glucose in the body immediately after the meal.

The reason for this, again, stems back to the amount of pectin within the fruit. By reducing the absorption of sugar into the stomach and intestines, the overall blood glucose values of the body are reduced.

The Many Health Benefits of Nopal Cactus Juice

Varicose Veins-Facts, Causes & Remedies

Varicose Veins-Facts, Causes & Remedies

Facts
Varicose (derived from the Latin root "varix" which means "twisted) simply means swollen. Veins, like arteries are blood vessels. Arteries carry blood from the heart to the rest of the body while veins carry blood back to the heart. Did you know there are more than 60.000 miles of blood vessels within the body? Deep veins are veins found deep in the leg muscles and when these muscles contract (e.g. when walking or jogging), they force blood flow upstream along the deep veins. This is how blood is delivered from the legs to the heart. There are small 1-way valves along the walls of the veins that prevent blood from flowing in the reverse direction. There are 3 types of such valved veins in the legs: deep veins, superficial veins found under the• perforated veins whose skin and allow blood to flow valves from the superficial veins to the deep veins. • Perforated veins means they pass through the thick leg muscles to the deep veins. Varicose veins result when the 1-way valves become faulty causing blood build-up in the veins. This enlarges and stretches, widens the veins. Varicose veins are visible near the surface of the skin and they appear as bluish-colored bulging twisted knots and even the skin feels bumpy. They can show up anywhere though mostly on the thighs and calfs, affecting both Men and woMen alike. Varicose veins can cause aching, burning, heaviness, Tiredness, cramps and itching in the legs or they may not cause any pain at all. Varicose veins deeper Though are not visible, the skinabove them, darkened and swell. In severe cases, can burst or varicose veins develop open sores (migraine head) on the skin around the ankles and heels (e.g. stasis dermatitis). Varicose veins occurring within the anal area are called piles (hemorrhoids). Spider veins are also known as thread veins, broken capillaries, spider angiomas or hemangiomas. They are the dilation of a small group of blood vessels located near to the skin's surface which leads to red, blue or purple discolorations on the veins.

Causes

Varicose Veins-Facts, Causes & Remedies

Varicose Veins-Facts, Causes & Remedies

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Varicose Veins-Facts, Causes & Remedies

Varicose Veins-Facts, Causes & Remedies

Family history. An inherited weakness of the valves in the veins. With age, the elasticity of the walls along the veins are the veins weakened which stretches. Hormonal changes within the body during pregNancy and Menopause relaxes the walls of theveins. In addition, during pregNancy the veins may receive extra pressure from the expanding uterus (womb) causing dilation. Also, the use of birth control pills or estrogen replaceMent therapy alters the female hormone levels which might lead to varicose veins. Deep vein thrombosis (economy-class syndrome), a blood clot in the deep vein. Obesity and lifting heavy objects are also contributing factors. Varicose veins can show up as a result of liver disease.

Treatment

Varicose veins are usually harmless. They can be treated with ligation surgery or sclerotherapy (injected medication to close the affected vein so that blood moves to another vein). Spider veins can be treated with sclerotherapy and laser. Though newer and supposedly effective removal methods willsurely be developed in time to come, it is always important to make sure you gather lots of information about these procedures and seek professional and sound advice before deciding what is good for you. Seek a physician if you cut a varicose vein, experience pain, swelling or skin develop migraine head near a varicose vein.

How to reduce varicose veins

Do regular exercise. Walking, running, cycling and swimming keep blood vessels healthy. Stick to a high-fiber and low-salt diet. Kick off the high heels. Avoid tight-fitting or Clothings that restrict blood flow Oxford at the waist, groin and legs (e.g. girdles, stockings and socks). If elastic stockings are recommended, wear them before getting out of bed in the morning. Do not leave legscrossed or bent for a long period. If work requires prolonged standing or sitting, move and stretch those legs, ankles and rotate the wiggle toes once in a while. Do leg stretching exercises daily. Raising legs above the level of the heart whenever possible. Rest those legs on pillows while sleeping. Stop smoking (http://www.tipsofallsorts.com/stopsmoking.html). Horse chestnut (Latin name: Aesculus hippocastanum) is a herb known to reduce pain and swelling. Gotu kola (Latin name: Centella asiatica), another herb has been found to improve blood circulation. Butcher's broom (Ruscus aculeatus: Latin name) herb that has been used to improve blood circulation in the legs and treat hemorrhoids. Vitamin E helps improve blood circulation and protects bloodvessels from damage. According to Dr. John Heinerman in his book ' Heinerman's Encyclopedia of Healing Juices ' (Prentice Hall, 1994), rubbing with persimmon juice once the bulging has started can prevent the condition from worsening. Nutrients found in a persimmon fruit include calcium, iron, sodium, potassium, vitamin A, C and K. Frankincense may also offer relief. Dilute 2-3 drops of frankincense essential oil with almond oil and then Massage.

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Varicose Veins-Facts, Causes & Remedies

Why Green Tea Has More Antioxidants Than Black Tea

Processing green tea differs from the way black tea is processed. Antioxidants in the tea leaves are nearly exhausted after black tea is processed whereas in green tea, almost all of its antioxidants are left in the leaves after processing.

Why Green Tea Has More Antioxidants Than Black Tea

Why Green Tea Has More Antioxidants Than Black Tea

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Why Green Tea Has More Antioxidants Than Black Tea

Why Green Tea Has More Antioxidants Than Black Tea

Antioxidants in an apple

Antioxidants are active when an apple is sliced. You must have noticed that after slicing an apple, its flesh slowly turns into brown. That is because the apple's flesh is reacting to oxygen when it is exposed to Air. This reaction produces free radicals and could create a chain reaction.

All fruits have antioxidants. Different types of fruits have different types of antioxidants. This is nature's defense for the fruit from oxidizing.

Let's get back to the apple. When free radicals are formed in the exposed flesh, the antioxidants in the apple quenches these free radicals to prevent a chain reaction. All of the exposed area of the flesh reacts to oxygen and therefore all these areas forms free radicals which are then quenched by the apple's antioxidants. Chain reaction cannot continue to the inside flesh as antioxidants quench these free radicals.

The discoloration you see in the exposed flesh are the result of molecules which reacted to oxygen. Scrape off that layer and you will see what the antioxidants in the apple has accomplished. It stopped the oxidation from going further inside the flesh.

Black Tea Processing

The following are the basic processing of black tea.

1. Harvesting

2. Withering - the leaves are spread and left to dry.

3. Rolling - the leaves are twisted and rolled either by hand or machinery. This process breaks or cracks the surface of the leaves exposing it to oxygen.

4. Oxidation or ferMentation - the leaves are left to dry for several hours until it is about 80% dry.

5. Drying - the leaves further dried by applying heat without burning the leaves. This stops the oxidation process.

Just like the apple when the membranes of the leaves cracked in the rolling process, it exposed the insides of the leaves to oxygen. The free radicals produced are quenched by the antioxidants inside the tea leaves. Therefore those antioxidants that quenched the free radicals are already spent and will not be available in the finished product.

Green Tea Processing

This process differs a little bit from the way black tea is processed.

1. Harvesting

2. Withering

3. Drying

As you can see, the steps that can oxidize the leaves, rolling and oxidation, are omitted leaving the antioxidant content of the leaves almost intact.

Which do you prefer?

Now that you have seen the difference in processing and the final outcome of antioxidant content, what do you prefer? Tea with more antioxidant content? Others prefer the stronger taste of black tea against the milder taste of green tea. Others prefer green tea because of its healthful benefits.

How to get more antioxidants from tea

Our body can absorb only a small percenTAGe of the antioxidants in tea. By combining it with citrus juices or vitamin c, our body's absorption of the antioxidants in tea can multiply more than 5 times.

Why Green Tea Has More Antioxidants Than Black Tea