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Several years ago, a family in our church left for several weeks to visit distant relatives. The father of the home, however, could not leave his job for such a stretch and was alone for a week before joining his wife and children. Consequently, we had him join us for supper one evening.

We learned a great deal about our friend that evening. But the most fascinating thing was that he did not recognize the baked sweet potatoes on the table.

And what might these be? he asked. When I answered in surprise of his ignorance he was utterly embarrassed. I grew up on a Sweet Potato farm in Texas, he confessed, but Ive never seen them out from under their marshmallow topping.

To take one of the sweetest foods God created and mix it with brown sugar and marshmallows has always astounded me. I simply scrub the potato, bake for one hour at 350 degrees, and serve with butter. We love them that way; although steaming them, sliced, for just 7 minutes maximizes their nutritional value. Adding a little butter or olive oil assures that your body will assimilate the available beta carotene and convert it to vitamin A.

Why Eat Sweet Potatoes?

Depending on the varietyof which there are over 400a sweet potato may be white, pink, yellow, orange, or purple. The intensity of the sweet potatos color is directly related to its beta-carotene content. According to the Nutrition Almanac by Lavon J. Dunne, one sweet potato contains over 25,000 units of vitamin A in the form of beta-carotene. This is the same beta-carotene that protects us from cancer, infection, the common cold, and other diseases. It also has measurable amounts of folic acid, vitamin C, calcium, magnesium, phosphorus, potassium, and dietary fiber.

The anti-oxidant levels of sweet potatoes are phenomenal. Beta-carotene, antocyanin, cyanidin, and peonidin levels, especially in the purple variety, are many times higher than in blueberries. The anti-inflammatory properties of these color-related phytonutrients may help those with irritable bowel syndrome and ulcerative colitis.

Ironically, sweet potatoes are under investigation for regulating blood sugar levels. They have shown to have a glycemic index rating of about 50 if boiled or steamed. Also, in persons with type 2 diabetes, the sweet potato may modify insulin metabolism by increasing the blood levels of a certain protein hormone.

Where to Get Sweet Potatoes

The best place to get sweet potatoes is your own garden. They are fairly easy to grow; although they require a long stretch of hot weather (100-150 days) and sandy soil. If you are interested in growing them, you will want to plant the slips 2 to 3 inches apart with the base 2 to 3 inches deep in a hot bed 5 to 6 weeks before transplanting them to the garden. Transplant them 2 weeks after the last frost. You will need 80 plants for 100 feet of row and about 25 plants will give you about 30 pounds of potatoes.

If you do not have the space to plant sweet potatoes, you can purchase them in most grocery store produce departments. Of course, you will pay 79 cents a pound and up depending on where you shop. I rarely pay that, however, and we enjoy sweet potatoes all year round. If my garden does not produce enough for the family, I buy my sweet potatoes by the box full at Thanksgiving and Christmas time when they are 29 cents a pound.

How To Store Sweet Potatoes

Wrap each sweet potato in a sheet of newspaper and pack them in a cardboard box. Put the box down cellar, in the basement, or up against an outside wall in your utility room. Last winter I tried storing them in an out-building with quilts piled on top and they froze. However, in the house, in an unheated utility room (about 40-45 degrees), on a concrete floor against the exterior wall, they have always kept nicely at least until February. You must keep an eye on them, though. Whenever you get some to eat, unwrap more than you need and check on them. When they threaten to shrivel, eat them. The added benefit or storing your sweet potatoes is that the beta-carotene content increases the longer they are stored.

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A few weeks ago my husband’s co-worker dropped a box of tissues on his desk as she hustled past. When he looked up, puzzled, she shrugged and said, “It’s flu season.” Many choose to get aflu shot, but here is a much safer method.

A Healthy Alternative

Each year, in preparation for flu season, we make sure we have a plentiful supply of elderberries (Sambucus nigra) in the freezer. They grow wild around here, which is a good thing. My husband is the picker. He picks the umbels (flower heads) and totes them home in five-gallon buckets. Then he and the kids sit around the kitchen table carefully removing each tiny berry from the stems.

To freeze the berries, rinse them in cold water, drain, and dry on a terry-cloth towel. Then, spread them on a cookie sheet in a single layer and place them into the freezer. After an hour or so, scrape them off the cookie sheet into a zip-shut bag. Label and return to the freezer.
If you do not have wild elderberries in your area, dried ones will work just as well. You can order them from most bulk herb suppliers found online.

Elderberry Syrup

The phytochemicals in elderberry have antiviral properties, especially for the respiratory system. An Israeli study in 1993 proved that it fights the influenza virus. Some researchers believe that the extract binds to the flu virus and prevents it from invading cells in the body. You can buy elderberry syrup at your local pharmacy under the name of Sambucol. Sambucol is a great product that works, but it is quite costly. So…we make our own at home.

To make your own elderberry syrup you need the following ingredients:

• 1 cup of elderberries (fresh, frozen, or dried)
• 3 cups of water
• 1/2 cup raw honey

In a stainless steel or glass pan, bring water to a boil. Add the berries and reduce to a simmer. Simmer, covered, for 40 minutes. Strain out the berries and add the honey. Bottle and store in the refrigerator. This will last a couple weeks in the fridge. Some recipes call for more honey. The purpose of the honey is as a preservative, so if you intend to use it up you only need enough to sweeten the taste. Since we have a large family and a quart jar of syrup doesn’t last that long, I choose to cut the honey.

Other recipes I’ve seen include simmering a cinnamon stick and a tablespoon of grated ginger with the berries. We’ve used the above recipe for many years with great success. However, both the cinnamon and the ginger are warming to the system and, since the flu is a cold condition in the body, they are both beneficial.

The elderberry syrup is quite good by itself so you need not hide it in any other juice. In fact, since we do not keep fruit juice in the house, I use elderberry syrup to hide the taste of herbal tinctures that I give to the children. Whenever anyone says they feel like they are getting a sore throat, runny nose, or any other symptom, I give them a shot glass full (it holds about two tablespoons) every couple of hours on that day. Generally, that takes care of it. If not, I give it to them 3-4 times the following day.

If someone fails to mention anything until they are full-blown sick, I add a dropper full of echinacea tincture and about 10 drops of goldenseal tincture to each dose.

This is what works for us. Are there any reasons to abstain from elderberries? The fruit and flowers have no known side-effects. However, you want to only ingest the ripe, black berries. Unripe berries can cause an upset stomach or diarrhea if eaten in excess.

Photo by dorena-wm

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This article is written by James Schreiber. James is a former Candida sufferer who managed to reclaim a naturallyhealthy life. He writes on the topic of overcoming Candida infection while shatteringstigmas and embracing a holistic approach to recovery.

Candida infection is one of those illnesses thatcan compromise the quality of your life foryears without you even knowing it. It isusually caused by stress, taking broadspectrum antibiotics, hormonal imbalance, oran unhealthy diet high in processed foods andsugar.

However, even with proper diagnosis ofCandida overgrowth, the cleanse can be tough. The purpose of this article is to showyou five effective tips to help you win the Candida battle and lead a more energeticlife.

1. Talk to your doctor this is absolutely essential as self-help treatment isbeset with pitfalls. An active dialog with a health care provider who is familiarwith Candida is important to minimize your chances of having something gowrong.
2. Pick a high quality probiotic nowadays the market is flooded withall kinds of different probiotic supplements. Probiotics like Lactobacillusacidophilus are living microorganisms that aid digestion and directly competewith Candida albicans (the yeast causing Candida infection) for nutrients andtaking them in sufficient amounts is usually a central part of many holistictreatments for this condition. The easiest way to determine quality of anysupplement is to take your time and read some online customer reviews.Websites like Amazon are excellent for this purpose.
3. Consider taking antifungals your doctor may also suggest you to takesome kind of antifungal to directly eliminate the Candida yeast overgrowthpresent in your body. Aside from traditional prescription drugs like Diflucanand Nystatin there choose from for example oil of oregano, garlic or caprylic acid. As withany supplement, customer reviews are your best friend when deciding whichproduct to buy.
4. Follow a healthier diet plan many health care experts with familiarwith holistic medicine say that one of the leading causes of chronic Candidainfection may be a diet high in processed foods and sugar as this type of dietcreates the perfect environment for Candida albicans to proliferate. Goodnutrition is therefore something you may want to consider if youre looking forways to deal with Candida infection
5. Reduce stress in your life nowadays its common knowledge that stresscan sabotage your health in many different ways. Stress is also believed bymany to be one of the contributing factors to Candida infection. Exercise andmeditate regularly, breathe deeply and create a balance of work and playtimeto effectively minimize your stress levels.

These tips on how to deal with Candida yeast infection are just scratching the surfaceof the possible ways how you can improve your health and lead a happier life whensuffering from chronic yeast infection. For more tips and information on how otherpeople successfully cured their Candida infection permanently do some research onthe Internet or talk with your health care provider.

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Has your doctor told you or a loved one that you need to lower your blood pressure? Before you allow your physician to put you on a blood pressure medication, try to lower your blood pressure naturally. Usually through simple lifestyle changes, you can lower your own blood pressure without the need for pharmaceutical assistance.

Here are some of the basic factors that you can’t change which contribute to high blood pressure:

• Genetic susceptibility
• The aging process
• Kidney disorders
• Endocrine system disorders
• Lead poisoning

However, there are many causes of high blood pressure that can be controlled through lifestyle changes. These include:

• Obesity
• High salt intake
• Certain medications, including birth control pills, diet pills, antidepressants, and decongestants

(Source: eHealthMed.com)

Rather than focusing on what you can’t control, such as your genes, as an excuse for high blood pressure, focus on what you can control and start to rein in your blood pressure naturally. There are two places in particular you should start: diet and exercise.

Step One: Change Your Diet

Are you one of the 63.1% of Americans who are either overweight or obese? If you are, there’s a good chance that your high blood pressure is tied to your weight. If you’re overweight, there’s a good chance that your weight is tied to your diet.

Changing your diet does not have to be about crazy crash diets, calorie restriction, or complicated systems. Eating right takes mostly common sense and commitment.

There are many different theories in the natural health community about the best way to eat. Some advocate a vegetarian diet; others claim that vegetarian doesn’t go far enough you should go completely vegan, without even eggs or dairy products. Still others urge us to eat raw foods only, foods cooked under 114 degrees Fahrenheit. Some suggest your diet should be based on Chinese medicine; others prefer Aryuvedic diets; lately there’s been a movement towards Paleolithic era diets.

Eeek! Which should you choose?! No matter which type of diet you choose, here are some basic guidelines about diet that you should keep in mind:

Stop eating out, especially fast food: Remember that salt intake is one of the causes of high blood pressure? Well, fast food and other restaurant foods tend to be higher in sodium because processed foods utilize sodium as a preservative. Take ten minutes at night to make your lunch for the next day instead of going through the drive-through.

• Eat less more often: Instead of forgetting to eat all day and gorging on junk food at the end of the day, eat smaller meals frequently throughout the day. Three small meals plus three healthy snacks is a good rule of thumb that will keep you from getting hungry and then overeating.
• Eat lean meats: Meat eaters should only buy grass fed beef, which is far less fatty than mass-produced beef. Chicken and fish also tend to be better for you than red meat.
• Eat less meat: Most experts agree that our diet should ideally be mostly plant-based, because it’s better for the environment and our bodies. About 3 ounces of meat per day is all we should be eating.
• Avoid refined carbohydrates: Doughnuts, cookies, cakes, white breads throw them out. When eating carbs, focus on whole grains. The less processed and fewer preservatives, the better.
• Switch to egg whites: If you like a Sunday morning omelet, switch to an egg white omelet instead. Eggs are a great source of protein, but the fat and the cholesterol comes from the yolk.
• Limit alcohol intake: Beer in particular is very high calorie they don’t call it a beer gut for nothing!

By avoiding fast food, refined carbs, and junk food gorging, you’ll be consuming less sodium and changing the habits that led to your weight gain in the first place. Don’t be fooled by chain restaurant advertising; even if they say it’s healthy, it’s probably not. Case in point: McDonald’s Crispy Chicken contains a whopping 26 grams of fat!

Step Two: Get Serious About Exercise

If changing our diet is hard, changing exercise habits is probably even harder for most Americans. Between our daily commute to and from work and our mostly sedentary jobs, we spend a lot of our day sitting on our bottoms. When we finally drag ourselves home, we frequently find that we’re so tired all we really want to do is flop onto the couch and watch television for a few hours, leading us to sit on our bottoms some more.

Ironically, our lack of exercise contributes to our lack of energy. By tiring our body through a solid workout, we won’t have as tired a body later in the day.

Exercise, however, is another one of those topics where it seems like multiple experts are offering conflicting advice. Not that long ago, for example, the Institute of Medicine issued a report stating that we need an hour of exercise per day in order to be at our optimal health and weight. A few years before that report came out, however, there were other studies saying we only needed about 20 minutes of exercise per day to do the job. Who’s right? How much earlier should we set our alarm clock for?

Multiple studies show that 20 30 minutes of moderate, break-a-sweat exercise five times per week can reduce our cardiac risk by 30 50% (Source: HeartDisease.About.com). Although this amount of exercise may not be enough to really shed the pounds, it is enough to start to reduce blood pressure naturally. If you combine this recommendation with the dietary recommendations above, you can definitely start to lose weight and reduce your blood pressure.

It Depends Upon You

Ultimately, if you’re overweight or obese and it’s affecting your blood pressure, almost any change to your lifestyle will help. The main requirement is that you pick a lifestyle change and you stick with it. Whether you join Weight Watchers, enter the Body for Life contest, or pick up a book on the Mediterranean diet, the point is to find a lifestyle change that you can consistently maintain.

The hardest part is actually deciding to change. Once you make that decision, though, you’ll be so glad you did and so will your heart.

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The lovely, spiky Christmas Cactus is not actually a cactus in the true sense of the word. It is a forest plant whose origins lie in the mountains of Brazil at elevations well above sea level. Perhaps it is due to the deceptive use of the word cactus that so many Christmas Cactus owners find themselves lamenting their inability to keep their Christmas Cactus thriving.

The Christmas Cactus, as its name suggests, blooms with bright pink flowers around late December, just in time to add some holiday cheer to your household. These days, there are also hybrid varieties of the Christmas Cactus, including the Thanksgiving Cactus and the Easter Cactus, both bred to bloom around their own holidays.

Indoor Plant Care for the Christmas Cactus

As a tropical plant, you don’t want your cactus to get too cold. It does best indoors, where temperatures don’t drop much below 60 degrees Fahrenheit. Adhere to these additional precautions when caring for your Christmas Cactus:

• Light: Remember, the Christmas Cactus is a plant that originates in a tropical mountain forest. Therefore, it’s evolved to thrive on lots of sun, but that sun should be indirect. Direct sunlight will burn the leaves and stunt the growth of the plant. Likewise, keep your cactus away from hot air coming out of vents, fireplaces, or other heat sources. In the summertime, you can move your Christmas Cactus outside, but keep it in a relatively shady location.
• Moisture: Again, recall the tropical nature of this plant. It prefers an environment with 50-60% humidity, so if the inside of your house is dry, put out a little tray of water near the Christmas Cactus to keep it moist.
• Watering: The Christmas Cactus should be well-watered but not over-watered. As previously mentioned, the word cactus tricks some people into thinking they shouldn’t water their Christmas Cactus at all, or at least, not very much. However, if the soil is dry, it’s time to water. If you water the plant too much, you’ll see white spots starting to appear on the leaves. This is an indication your Christmas Cactus is being over-watered. Misting the plant leaves with a spray bottle is also a good idea for your Christmas Cactus. In general, while keeping your Christmas Cactus indoors during cool weather, water it about once per week. Promote blooming by keeping the plant a little drier during the winter months.
• Fertilizer: If you choose to use fertilizer on your Christmas Cactus, use it only 2 4 times per year. You should stop fertilizing by the end of October in order to grow healthy flowers.

Bring Out the Buds

To encourage those pretty pink flowers to grow on your Christmas Cactus right on time for the holiday season, you’ll need to closely control how much light the cactus receives.

A Christmas Cactus likes to bloom when the day length and the night length are equal in duration and the temperature has fallen. If you have your plant indoors, you’ll have to help the Christmas Cactus feel like the time is right to flower.

First, give your Christmas Cactus plenty of bright light during the daylight hours, but give it complete darkness at night. Even a weak, artificial overhead light can mess up the Christmas Cactus’ blooming cycle, so move it into a room that receives no nighttime light if you need to. These dark treatments should start around mid-October. For six to eight weeks, give your plant at least twelve full hours of darkness.

Second, cool your plant down by keeping it at about 50 degrees Fahrenheit during the two months of September and October. During these months, keep the plant a little drier than usual. You should only moisten the top couple inches of soil, because too much water will lead the buds and flowers to fall off.

After the Flowers

After the holidays, when all the flowering has stopped, prune your plant in preparation for next year’s blooms. You can prune about a month after the plant blooms, or you can wait until the early spring.

If you’d like to share your Christmas Cactus with others, you can make a cutting of at least two or three joined sections. Tell your friend to let the sections dry before potting them. It will take the cuttings four to six weeks to root in a new 3-inch pot.

Re-pot your Christmas Cactus every three years between February and April. Be careful not to give the Christmas Cactus too much space in its new home; this plant flowers best when it’s constrained a little bit.

Take good care of your Christmas Cactus and it will last for years. In some families, the Christmas Cactus is a plant that can be passed down from family member to family member for multiple generations. Your plant will serve as a reminder of the good times you have with your family during the holidays for many years to come.

Photo by spablab

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