And the winner is...

I am pleased to announce the winner of the Terra Firma Cosmetics Dream Kit giveaway is Jennifer (@helloveggie)!

Jennifer, please e-mail us at hhnnmail@gmail.com with your full name and address so the kind ladies at Terra Firma Cosmetics can mail you your great prize.

Thanks again to Terra Firma for working with us on this and I hope everyone who checked out their site and products will give them a try.

P.S. The drawing was unbiasly conducted by K and A, my 5-year-old girls. K folded all of the entries and mixed them up in the bowl, then A closed her eyes and drew the winning name.

Make Time to try Sprouting

I've been wanting to research sprouting and try it for myself and I recently found some time to do this. The kids and I tried our hand at sprouting some buckwheat I had in the pantry. I have to tell you that I was pleasantly surprised at how easy it was and the kids thought it was great to watch the seeds turn to sprouts almost right before their eyes.

Nutritional Value of Sprouts

Although it was relatively easy to sprout the buckwheat, I wanted to know what the nutritional value of sprouts is and why one should spend the time preparing sprouts (or purchasing them at the grocery store). I was actually astounded at the nutritional value in these little sprouts. Sprouts are one of the most complete and nutritional of all foods tested. Check out a few of these interesting facts.

• One sprouted Mung Bean has a carbohydrate content of a melon, vitamin A of a lemon, thiamine of an avocado, riboflavin of a dry apple, niacin of a banana, and ascorbic acid of a loganberry. Wow!


• The sprouting process creates chlorophyll and chlorophyll has been shown to be effective in overcoming protein deficiency anemia.


• Sprouts have a regenerating effect on the human body because of their high concentration of RNA, DNA, protein and essential nutrients which can be found only in living cells.


• The chemical changes that occur in the sprouting seed result in a powerful enzyme activation. Such an infusion of active enzymes can heighten enzyme activity in your metabolism and lead to regeneration of the bloodstream.


• Some vitamins increase during sprouting by 500%. For example, in wheat, vitamin B-12 quadruples, other B vitamins increase 3 to 12 times, vitamin E triples, and the fiber content increases 3-4 times that of whole wheat bread.


• Dry seeds, grains, and legumes contain no vitamin C. After sprouting, they contain around 20 milligrams per 3.5 ounces of sprouts. Keep in mind that sprouts are in a pre-digested, enzyme rich state which means that the 20 mg is much easier to absorb than 20 mg in a lifeless vitamin C tablet.

Steps to grow your own sprouts

You can make growing your own sprouts as simple as soaking a few seeds on a plate on the kitchen counter or as complicated a purchasing growing trays, bags, growing mediums, etc. It really depends on what you want to do and how much time you have. Here are a few tips to get you started.

1. Pick a seed, nut or whole grain to start with. I recommend organic, untreated seeds. Sort through the seeds and discard any dirty or damaged seeds.
2. Place the remainder in a large wide mouth glass jar, cover the top with mesh or thin cloth, seal with a heavy rubber band or ring lid and rinse until clean. Rinse the seeds well and cover with warm water.
3. After 8-12 hours, drain the water and then rinse the seeds well. Cover the jar loosely or set it in a dark, ventilated place such as a cupboard. Seeds must be rinsed and drained daily. Most seeds do well with once a day rinsing, but some like alfalfa must be rinsed twice a day. Soybeans need to be rinsed every three or four hours to prevent their spoiling.
4. After three to four days of germination, leafy sprouts like alfalfa require exposure to indirect sunlight for several hours a day. This greening process allows the chlorophyll to develop in the leaves and increases vitamin C and flavor. Others, when clean and dry and after hulling (when necessary) can be directly refrigerated in a covered jar. Once a seed has reached its nutritional peak, allowing it to mature further will ruin it. Harvest ripe sprouts and continue to sprout unripe ones. Keep your ripe sprouts in the refrigerator, rinse them daily, and use them in about 4 days.

In review, sprouts need 6 basic things to thrive and grow

• Air - keep them in a container that is covered with cloth or screen. Do not keep them in sealed containers.


• Water - after a good soaking, sprouts need water every 12 hours at least and more if its hot. In your efforts to keep them watered, don't drown them, they must be allowed to freely drain or they will rot.


• Warmth - sprouts need to be kept warm to germinate and grow. Optimum temperatures vary, but 70-75 degrees is a good start. Don't let them get too hot or they'll wilt, lose vitality and die. Colder temperatures will slow growth and are good for storage, but don't freeze them.


• Space - for best results, give your sprouts some room. Some sprouts can increase up to 3 times their size. Cramming them in a jar or overfilling a tray will force them to compete for light and air, with inevitable casualties. Spread only a thin layer of seeds in trays, keep them mobile in bags and jars and remember they get bigger.


• Light - Most sprouts can't use light in the first few days of growth, and many never need it. However, any that produce leaves will eventually need light to 'green up'. Direct sunlight should be avoided unless it's cold, as it can overheat your crop. Most sprouts will be fine if they get indirect natural light, there is no need to keep them dark.


• Nutrients - adding liquid plant nutrients to the soak water will give the sprouts an extra boost that you will later enjoy. It is not necessary, but will increase their health, longevity and nutritional value. You can also mist the sprouts with a dilute solution after rinsing. Use a few drops of liquid kelp in water, or another organic plant feed.
  

Different Containers to Grow Sprouts

• Jars - Use them for sprouts that don't need light, as sprouts in the middle rarely get enough. Avoid overfilling them and don't use a lid. Cover them with cloth and invert the jar to drain.


• Trays - arguably the best way to grow sprouts especially those that need light. They have a large surface area to soak up more light, can be stacked easily to save space and most importantly, allow the sprouts to grow naturally upwards.


• Bags - these are best for beans and grains which don't need light. They allow air to the sprouts, are impossible to break, take up less space than jars and are easier to rinse and drain. Just dip and hang. You can even make your own drawstring bag out of any material that allows water and air to move freely but holds the sprouts, the best are hemp or linen as they still breathe when wet and don't dry their contents too quickly. Put pre-soaked seeds into a moistened bag, dip in rinse water for a minute and hang to dry away from drafts. On each subsequent rinsing, move the sprouts around in the bag to stop them from rooting into the fabric. Grains and beans expand by about 3 times from dry, so don't overfill.

Lastly, Enjoy Your Sprouts!

• eat them right off the tray - that's what my son did :)
• throw a small handful in a green smoothie
• serve raw in fresh green salads
• lightly steamed or cooked in a stir-fry
• saute sprouts with onion, mushrooms and spices for a tasty side dish
• add sprouts whole or ground to breads, cereals, soups, casseroles, stuffings, dinner loaves, sandwiches or veggie burgers

Karla

Veggie of the Month - Celery

A while back, when I was first becoming interested in nutrition and raw eating, I began looking up the nutritional value of different vegetables. Celery was one that surprised me. I guess I have always thought of celery as sort of a kid's veggie - just something that you throw in soup for no apparent reason or put peanut butter or cream cheese on so that a kid will eat at least some kind of vegetable. Of course I was surprised once I learned the really story.

Vitamin C - Celery is actually an excellent source of vitamin C. As we all know, vitamin C helps support the immune system and may help reduce symptoms of the common cold or the severity of cold symptoms. Vitamin C is also known to reduce the severity of inflammatory conditions like asthma, osteoarthritis, and rheumatoid arthritis. Vitamin C is beneficial as it promotes cardiovascular health by fighting free radicals that can oxidize cholesterol and lead to plaques that may rupture causing heart attacks or stroke.

Potential blood pressure benefits - Celery's potential for reducing high blood pressure has long been recognized by Chinese medicine practitioners. Celery contains active compounds called phthalides, which can help relax the muscles around arteries and allow those vessels to dilate. With more space inside the arteries, the blood can flow at a lower pressure. Phthalides also reduce stress hormones, one of whose effects is to cause blood vessels to constrict.

Reduces cholesterol - In studies of animals specially bred to have high cholesterol, celery's cholesterol-lowering activity has been demonstrated. After only 8 weeks of consuming celery juice, these animals showed significantly lower total cholesterol by increasing bile acid secretion.

Good antiseptic - Celery seeds help in uric acid elimination. So, celery is good for people with bladder disorders, kidney problems, cystitis etc. Celery seeds also assist in avoiding urinary tract infection in women.

Healthy joints - Celery is good for people suffering from arthritis, rheumatism and gout. Its anti-inflammatory properties help reduce swelling and pain around the joints. Celery sticks contain a diuretic substance, which help to remove uric acid crystals that build around joints.

Prevents cancer - Celery contains phthalides and polyacetylenes. These anti-cancer components detoxify carcinogens. Celery also contains coumarins that enhance the activity of certain white blood cells.

Diuretic activity - Celery is rich in both sodium and potassium. These minerals help in regulating fluid balance.

Relief from migraine - Presence of coumarins gives relief from migraines.

Appetite suppressant - For those who are trying to reduce their weight, drink celery juice before meals. It will help to suppress the appetite.

Choose celery that looks crisp and snaps easily when pulled apart. It should be relatively tight and compact and not have stalks that splay out. The leaves should be pale to bright green in color and free from yellow or brown patches.

To store celery, place it in a sealed container or wrap it in a plastic bag or damp cloth and store it in the refrigerator. If you are storing cut or peeled celery, ensure that it is dry and free from water residue, as this can drain some of its nutrients. Freezing will make celery wilt and should be avoided unless you will be using it in a future cooked recipe.

I highly recommend adding celery to your favorite juice recipe. It's high water content makes it ideal and you can drink a lot more celery than you will probably ever eat!

Shannan

Sources: World's Healthiest Foods, Organic Facts

Don't forget about our great Terra Firma Cosmetic giveaway! You have until 11:59 pm EST today to enter.

Dulse (Palmaria palmata)

I'm trying out a new herb right now and am quite impressed with what I've learned about it. I also like that I can use this one as a seasoning for a lot of different foods.

Dulse belongs to the class of herbs known as sea vegetables. It is a red seaweed that is harvested in the cool waters along the Atlantic coast of Canada and along the shores of Ireland and Norway. It's fronds grown in tidal areas on rocks, shells, and on larger seaweeds.

Nutrients: Here's an astounding fact - sea vegetables including dulse contain all 56 minerals and trace elements in proportions greatly exceeding land plants. I'm not sure I've run into anything in nature that can make that claim.

• Dulse is high in iodine and one of the best natural forms of bio molecular dietary iodine. Just as a form of comparison, you would have to eat about 40 pounds of fresh land vegetables and/or fruits to get as much iodine as you get from one gram of most sea vegetables. Iodine is the main component of the hormone produced by the thyroid gland, which regulates our metabolism - thyroid hormone accelerates cellular reactions, increases oxygen consumption and basal metabolism, and influences growth and development, energy metabolism, differentiation and protein synthesis.



• Dulse is also high in B-vitamins. Some varieties will provide more than 100% of the RDA of vitamin B6 and about 66% of the RDA of vitamin B12.



• The protein content of dulse is around 16% to 28%. The amino acid composition of these sea veggie proteins is generally well balanced and contains all or most of the essential amino acids (the ones your body can't produce by itself). Thus the sea veggies provide higher quality protein than certain grains and beans that are lacking one or two essential amino acids, although the sea vegetables provide less quantity per serving. (Example: A serving of Dulse would yield about 1 1/2 g of high quality protein). One of the more important amino acids found in most sea vegetables is glutamic acid, the basis for synthetic MSG. This amino acid naturally enhances flavors and tenderizes high protein foods like beans while aiding in their digestion. Glutamic acid also improves mental and nervous system activity; provides energy, and is thought to help control alcoholism, schizophrenia and the craving for sugar.

Therapeutic Uses

• Awesome source of nutrition as mentioned above.



• In traditional European herbal medicine, dulse was used to remove parasites, to relieve constipation, and as a treatment for scurvy.



• Dulse is a superior source of phytochemicals the body needs to make thyroid hormones that affect weight and metabolic rate.



• Dulse is also affective as a gentle alternative to Psyllium or Senna for the treatment of constipation. It's very high in fiber.
  
  

How to Use

• There are several ways to purchase dulse including the whole plant or ground fine as flakes. I'm trying out the flakes right now.



• Use as a tea, decoction, or tincture: Warning - if very concentrated it will taste a little fishy. Adding some cinnamon and honey may help if this taste bothers you.



• Add to smoothies



• Sprinkle for a nice flavor over a salad. When added to a salad or dish - dulse adds a really naturally salty flavor. It's all those awesome organic minerals that our bodies need and can easily digest.



• Add to soups, chowders, sandwiches, or add to bread/pizza dough

Pick up a little of this herb, balance your thyroid, and feed your body with one of nature's most complete herbs.

Karla

P.S. Don't forget about our great Terra Firma Cosmetic giveaway! You have until Thursday to enter.

Terra Firma Cosmetics Giveaway

I am so excited to be able to bring you another great giveaway! You know how much we like natural skincare around here and thanks to Terra Firma Cosmetics we are able to offer our readers a chance to win a 6 Piece HydraSilk Dream Kit (Retail Value $64.95).

Terra Firma offers mineral cosmetics manufactured with a focus on safe, natural and healthy ingredients. You won't find any petrochemicals, synthetic fragrances, parabens, synthetic pigments or dyes in any of their products and the minerals used are uncoated (no silicones like Dimethicone or Cyclomethicone are used) and kept as close to nature as possible.

In addition, these cosmetics include sun protection (very important) which comes from a fine grade of Tytanium Dioxide and Zinc Oxide that is considered non-carcinogenic due to its inability to penetrate the healthy layers of your skin. The mineral make-up is also water resistant.

The 6 piece HydraSilk Dream Kit includes: HydraSilk" Foundation - 50g (vol), "Airbrush" Prime/Set Powder - 30g (vol), "Radiance" Blush - 20g (vol), "Enhance" Bronzer - 20g (vol) and "Eliminate" Concealer - 10g (vol).

Now how do you enter to win this great prize? There are several ways...

1. Visit the Terra Firma Cosmetics site and leave us a comment about a product you like, something interesting you learned or a product you would love to try.

- OR -

2. Leave a comment on why you would like to win this great prize.

- OR -

3. Tweet about this giveaway: "I just entered to win a Terra Firma Cosmetics Dream Kit at http://www.livingawholelife.blogspot.com/. You can too!"
(Then leave us a comment that you tweeted please.)

Entries will be accepted through Thursday, April 9th at 11:59 p.m. EST. The winner will be announced Saturday, April 10th.

Good luck!

Follow us on Twitter! wholemom, karlaheaman, momogirl

Help for Teething Babies

Recently, I have been approached by three different friends who are mothers of infants/toddlers who are teething. They want to know if there is a safe, effective natural remedy they can give their little one to ease the pain and help their little one sleep at night. Although it's been a couple of years since my two were teething, I can distinctly remember the nights and days of no sleep, crabby babies, and praying that the tooth would just come in already. Sadly, I have to admit that during that time I hadn't been exposed yet to naturopathy so we mostly suffered through it or gave a dose of Motrin as recommended by my pediatrician at the time. When you know better though, you do better and I've come to appreciate that there are other alternatives that are much safer. I've found that homeopathy has many herbal remedies that will help whatever ails you and in teething children homeopathy can usually help to ease the pain.

There are several different teething remedies and the important thing is to find the one that is just right for your child. Even if you have two children, the remedy you used on your first may not be the one that works for your second. Each child is different and needs different remedies. Here are a few that are recommended for teething and their definitions.

• Chamomilla: This baby is cross, whiny, obstinate, and difficult to satisfy. They cry when denied something that they want and throw themselves to the floor if it is proffered. When touched or even looked at, the child manifests its resentment by shrieks, whining, or angry cries. The child is quiet only when carried about.


• Belladonna: This baby will be irritable, delirious, and may strike out or bite. They are usually flushed, restless, and feverish.


• Calcarea carbonica for the baby who has delayed teething, and delayed closure of fontanelles. This baby may actually have difficulty assimilating calcium and calcarea carbonica will help with that, thus facilitating teeth coming in. This baby is often fair, plump, with a sweaty head.


• Calcarea phosphorica has similar symptoms with delayed teething, delayed closure of fontanels, but this baby is usually thin, with dark hair and eyes.


• Silica: this baby has fine-textured skin, fine sandy hair, sweats in the head and neck as well as feet and hands, and has an intolerance to milk. This baby is extremely bright but can be difficult.

I know the definitions above are fairly vague and you may find it difficult to see which one might benefit your teething baby. There are combination remedies that combine a few remedies to make it easier on sleepless parents. I like to order homeopathics from a company called 1-800-Homeopathy. They sell a product called Teething Tabs that contain calcarea phosphorica, Ferrum Phosphoricum, Belladonna, and Chamomilla all in one tab. They also carry Hyland's Teething Gel which contains no benzocaine, sugar, artificial flavoring, dyes, or coloring agents. It has Calcarea Phos, Chamomilla, Coffea Cruda, and Belladonna in it for homeopathics and can be applied right to the teething baby's sore gums.

Another option to relieve the pain of teething is to head to your health food store and pick up a bottle of clove oil. Clove oil is a natural anesthetic and a drop can be massaged into the baby's gums. A combination of homeopathics and clove oil may work really well together to help relieve teething pain and let everyone get some rest!

Best of luck and a little sleep to all of you wonderful mothers of teething babies. I can hear Darius Rucker in my head right now "It won't be like this for long". Trust me, that's a good thing and a bad thing! :)

Karla

LunchBots - stainless steel containers

Packing lunches for my little ones has always been a challenge. On top of figuring out what they will actually eat, I am not a big fan of the waste associated with plastic baggies. And, loading up a lunch bag with several small plastic containers can be inconvenient and perhaps even harmful considering the chemicals that can potentially leach from the plastic.

So, when I came across LunchBots, 100% stainless steel lunch and snack containers, I was anxious to give it a try. The creator of LunchBots came up with the idea because she felt the same way about the plastic containers and baggies that are so harmful to the environment and possible even us.

My first impression upon receiving the LunchBots was that they were really cute! The LunchBot Uno has a single compartment and is designed to hold a sandwich or other main dish. The LunchBot Duo is divided into two compartments and is great for fruits and veggies or other side dishes and snacks. The lids are brightly colored, one orange and one blue, using powder coating on the outside of the lid only. Insides are the stainless steel.

My only concern was whether my five-year-olds would be able to easily open and close them. So before washing and using them, I did my own kid test. No problem, they were able to open them themselves. (This saves the poor preschool teacher a little work.) The next day I proceeded to pack lunches and wait for their reviews. When they got home I asked them how they liked the Lunchbots...they both said they were good, but expressed the need to trade lids because one prefers blue over orange. Good enough for me.

Lunchbots can be purchased separately or in a set of one Uno and one Duo. They do recommend hand washing and are best for solid foods. They are not water tight.

Another thing that I noticed on the LunchBots website is that they have a school fundraiser program. This is great for a couple of reasons: Lunchbots are a lot healthier for all of us than the typical candy bar or cookie dough fundraisers and it promotes environmentally friendly practices for families and children. This is in addition of course to the money raised for your school.

One last note, LunchBots has been kind enough to offer all of our readers free shipping should you choose to order. Just enter coupon code FREESHIP09 at checkout.

You can also follow LunchBots on Twitter @LunchBot, that's how we met!

- Shannan