LIVING Letter
An e-newsletter of THE LIVING WAY
Issue #24: "Discovering Your ROOTS (Vegetables, that is!)"
11-8-09
__________________________________________CONTENTS:
1. Scheduled meetings and events
2. Ministry update from Mary Louise;Town Jaqua, Hallelujah Acres Health Minister
3 Feature article: ''Discovering Your ROOTS (Vegetables, that is!)"
4. LIVING resources
5. Buying Tips and more
6. LIVING recipe: Rousing Root Juice
_________________________________________1. Schedule of meetings and upcoming events:
"Juicing for LIFE!"
Lecture and demonstration
HANDS-ON HEALTH
Thursday, November 12
5:30- 7:30PM
FMI: http://www.livway.org/meetings_healthOur monthly HANDS-ON HEALTH meetings are
taped for later broadcast on Channel 7, Public Access TV.
DVDs are available for a modest fee. For details
contact Laura at 207-453-9895 or
laura@centralmainecatv.comLiving Letter archives-
http://www.livway.org/livingletter.htm____________________________________
2. Ministry update
Dear Friends,
It is November, and spring is here! As I write this newsletter,
temperatures are approaching 60 degrees, and the sun is
bright! This is our idea of winter. These recent, balmy days
have been a boost to our spirits as we relish the warm by
sitting and lunching outdoors. Nevertheless, we did have our
first snowfall of the season a few days ago! Thankfully the
white fluff quickly melted away with the warmth of the sun.
Allowing that it is November, we are reminded that another
year is coming to a close. In retrospect, 2009 has been an
exceptionally productive and healthy year. For this we are
thankful. Though times are difficult and filled with assorted
challenges, good things are happening! A better world is
coming...a world that will be eternally healthy!
Pressing ever-onward toward this new world, we at The Living Way
continue with our healthy pursuits: sharing the health message
wherever we go, extending words of encouragement to those in
need, learning more about health-related issues plus gathering in
and processing an abundant harvest. Fall is an invigorating time of
year for us as we work diligently to preserve the many beautiful
foods of the garden season!
We are happy to report that last month's HANDS-ON HEALTH
meeting was a splendid success with eleven new attendees, some
of whom were newcomers. A good time was enjoyed by all as I talked
about the digestive system and the principles of proper food
combining. The meeting was topped off with a mini 'show-and-tell'
of root vegetables and winter squash varieties plus a green smoothie
demonstration. Samples were shared around and enjoyed! If you
missed the meeting, catch the rerun on Channel 7 TV or order a DVD.
The rerun, of course, does not come with a smoothie sample!
This month's HANDS-ON HEALTH meeting will focus on JUICING.
Since juicing is fundamental to a natural, wholesome lifestyle, many
who are new to the live food 'Hallelujah' Diet will benefit from this talk
and demonstration. Apart from sharing the health benefits associated
with juicing and the ins-and-outs of juicers, there will be a live juicing
demonstration. Samples will be served! We encourage you to attend
this meeting and learn how to improve your health by incorporating
live, nutrient-packed vegetable juices into your diet. For more
information visit http://www.livway.org/meetings_healthSpeaking of juicing, those of us at The Living Way are enjoying a
'juicing marathon.' We are gathering garden goodies from our
backyard as well as the fields of local organic gardeners and
capturing the abundant harvest by juicing it! Loaded with greens
and beauteous root vegetables, we are celebrating the season in
all good health. What we cannot drink fresh, we freeze for future
use. So it is that the garden lives on! On cold winter days, a glass
of juice is a welcomed treat!
In addition to juicing, we have our fleet of dehydrators running around
the clock. A few trips to a local apple orchard has yielded us nearly
five bushels of abeautiful, organic pples. Picking apples on bright, fall
days holds special delight for us. Also, I harvested over seventy
pounds of concord grapes from our backyard vines this year, equaling
last year's harvest. If the weather had been more cooperative, we
would have had over 100 pounds! Suffice to say, freshly juiced
concord grapes is awesome. Besides juicing these purple jewels, we
have turned them into luscious fruit leathers, teaming them up with
organic pears and apples for yet more tasty fruit leathers. So it is
that our kitchen is a veritable food factory at this time of year!
Apart from handling food, I am happy to report additions to our
website. Check out the following:
Photos-
George Malkmus' Maine seminar
Last month's HANDS-ON HEALTH meeting
http://www.livway.org/livingphotos.htm
New posts on our Swine Flu page:
http://www.livway.org/H1N1flu.htm
As of this writing, I am still working on our 2009 garden report.
I am sorry for the delay, but I am not only STILL gardening (!), but
am in the process of putting the garden and yard to bed (not to
mention handling the harvest as well!). Please bear with me through
this flurry of activity!
With an eye toward maintaining the live food lifestyle during the
winter, this month's feature article will educate on the health
benefits associated with root vegetables. Hopefully the
information shared will spark a new interest in root vegetables for
you...from a raw perspective. Surprise yourself as well as friends
and family by consuming your 'rooties' raw!
In closing, we encourage you, no matter what your circumstances,
to continue your pursuit of a healthier lifestyle. It is not only fun but
easy! Learn to relax into a healthier way of living. Enjoy life! Be
discriminatory in your dietary choices and make exercise a priority.
While others sit back and let the quality of their lives slip away, dare
to be different. Dare to be healthy! In the end, you are the ultimate
beneficiary of your life!________________________________________
3) Feature Article: Discovering Your ROOTS (Vegetables, that is!)
As the garden season winds down and colder days settle in,
thoughts about how to maintain a live food lifestyle naturally come
to mind. How to keep dietary preferences becomes a lesson in
creative managing. This issue being as important as it is, I
addressed "Winterizing Your Body" as my feature article in
LIVING Letter #11 (http://www.livway.org/livingletter11.htm).
Whereas the focus of this article was multifold, this month's
article will be singular in approach: exploring the merits of root
vegetables as a valuable food source, especially in the winter.
The noble roots of root vegetables
Stories of human survival often credit root vegetables as saviors
for staving off the ravages of hard winters, wars or famine. So it
is that lowly roots and tubers are, in fact, buried treasures.
Because of their priceless ability to sustain human life even under
the most adverse conditions, root vegetables have earned a place
of honor as being YHVH's natural solution to human ills, especially
when times are tough. Peoples, nations, and cultures throughout
the centuries have discovered the life-giving qualities of root
vegetables. In addition to their value as a food and medicinal source,
history reveals that over 4,000 years ago root vegetables were an
important currency for travelers along the Silk Road, a trade
route that connected Asia with the Mediterranean, the European
continent, and northeast Africa. Root vegetables were a precious,
critical commodity, especially where rice cultivation was
impossible.
Because they grow downward into the soil where mineral deposits
lie, roots enjoy the distinction of being power-packed 'storage bins'
for nutrients.Though varied in color, shape, and texture, root
vegetables are generally regarded as excellent sources for complex
carbohydrates, fiber, potassium, and antioxidants. In addition to their
nutrient-dense roots, their often-discarded greens are a valuable food
source as well. Root greens prove to have even more nutrients than
the root itself. Hence, root vegetables are a nutritious 'double dip'
for those who want to eat healthy!Tracing the roots and nature of root vegetables
BEETS have been cultivated since the third or fourth century B.C.
in the Mediterranean area and then spread to the Near East.
Originally used for medicinal purposes only, edible beets were
unknown before the Christian era. In the fourth century, beet
recipes appeared in England and in 1810 France began to
cultivate beets for sugar. The first known crop of beets in the
United States is recorded in 1806.
Nutritional value: high in vitamin A, B, and C, potassium and
trace minerals. Some studies report that beets have the highest
sugar content of all vegetables.
Therapeutic value: good source for minerals. They can be used
to eliminate pocket acid material in the bowel and for ailments
in the gall bladder and liver; and are good for the elimination,
digestive, and lymphatic systems. Beets are blood cleansers
and builders. Because of their high sugar content, beets should
be used in moderation for those with elevated blood sugar issues.
CARROTS have been native to Europe for thousands of years
and were introduced in the United States during colonial times.
Nutritional value: contain one of the highest levels of beta-carotene
(precursor to Vitamin A) of any single vegetable. They also are
rich in Vitamin C and potassium.
Therapeutic value: when juiced, are a general body builder. They
aid in constipation, since they contain a good amount of roughage.
They also aid eyesight.CELERIAC is a turnip-rooted vegetable that is commonly known
as celery root. Italian and Swiss botanists first described celeriac
about 1600. It became popular in Europe in the eighteenth century,
but has never been popular in England or the United States. Most
celeriac grown in the US comes from California and is available
from September to April.
Nutritional value: high in phosphorus and potassium.
Therapeutic value: beneficial to the lymphatic, nervous, and
urinary systems.PARSNIPS are believed to be native to the Mediterranean area
and northeastward, including the Caucasus Mountains. The
Romans felt that the parsnip had medicinal as well as food
value. Stories exist that the Emperor Tiberius imported them
from Germany where they grew profusely along the Rhine. It is
possible that the Celts brought the parsnip from the east many
hundreds of years prior. By the mid sixth century, parsnips were
a common vegetable and was one of the staples of the poorer
people of Europe. The American colonists enjoyed parsnips and
records indicate that the Indians also cultivated them.
Nutritional value: among the highest ranked vegetables for
folate, vitamin C, potassium, dietary fiber, and trace minerals.
Therapeutic value: excellent for improving bowel action and have a
beneficial affect on the liver. They are a slight diuretic and leave
an alkaline ash in the body. Parsnips compare with carrots in
food value. They also improve the quality of skin, hair, and nails.
RADISHES are a member of the mustard family, but related to
cabbage, cauliflower, kale, and turnip. In prehistoric times, they
were introduced into Middle Asia from China where many varieties
developed. Ancient Egyptian records indicate that radishes were a
common food in their diet. A Greek physician was so impressed
with radishes that he wrote a book about them. English records
show that radishes were eaten raw with bread or used as a meat
sauce. It is believed that Columbus introduced radishes to the
Americas. They were seen in Mexico around 1500 and in Haiti
in 1565 and were among the first vegetables grown by colonists
in this country.
Nutritional value: are high in calcium, vitamin C, folate, and minerals.
Therapeutic value: strong diuretic and stimulate the appetite and
digestion. Radish juice is helpful in eliminating congestion. The
mustard oil content of radish helps expell gallstones from the
bladder.SWEET POTATOES have been one of the most popular foods
of tropical and subtropical countries for centuries. The natives
of the West Indies fed sweet potatoes to Columbus and his men
who described their taste as 'not unlike chestnuts in flavor.' They
carried this new food back to Spain from where they were
introduced to other European countries. When DeSoto came to
North America, they found sweet potatoes growing in the gardens
of Louisianna. Civil War troops found that they could live on sweet
potatoes indefinitely. The Japanese held out as long as they did
at Okinawa, because they raided sweet potato patches at night.
Contrary to popular belief, sweet potatoes are true root vegetables
and not tubers as commonly believed.
Nutritional value: are rich in vitamins A and C, potassium,
manganese, niacin, and other essential trace minerals. Yams
are a sweet potato variety that are grown almost exclusively in
Florida.
Therapeutic value: are good for the elimination system
and are a healthier dietary choice over the common potato.
TURNIP has been used since ancient times and is thought to
originate in Russian, Siberia, and Scandinavia. In 42 A.D.
Columella wrote that two varieties were grown in the area now
known as France. Pliny refers to five varieties and stated that
they broadbottom, flat turnip and globe turnip were the most
popular. In the sixth century, gaint turnip garnered considerable
comment, some weighing over thirty pounds; however records
show that Californians were growing turnip that weighed over
100 pounds. Cartier sowed turnip seed in Canada as early as
1540 and were cultivated in the Pennsylavania, Virginia, and
Massachusetts colonies.
Nutritional value: are packed with vitamins A and C, sulfur,
potassium, and other minerals. They rank high on the food value
list for health-promoting phytochemicals.
Therapeutic value: juice is good for any mucous or congestion
problems.. They have been used successfully for bronchial
disturbances, including asthma. Turnip packs on the chest are
good for relieving bronchial disorders and packs over the throat are
good for sore throats. Turnip leave an alkaline ash in the body and
have a low calorie and carbohydrate content.
You will note that the all-popular potato is conspicuously absent
from the above root vegetable line-up. This is not an oversight. I
have purposely 'discluded' the potato as a healthy rootie, since
personal research proves otherwise. A member of the nightshade
family (a genus that some consider unhealthy, if not poisonous),
the potato is known to be a source of mold. For this reason, many
(including we) do not recommend eating potatoes, especially if one
is suffering yeast/candida problems. Also, when eaten raw, potatoes
are unappetizing and difficult to digest. Cooked, they become a 'bad'
starch that turns to a ''bad' sugar in the body. For these reasons, we
generally avoid potatoes.
Storing root vegetables
Roots like to be stored in a cool but not cold place. While placing
them in a root cellar is ideal, most people do not have this luxury.
A good alternative, therefore, is to place them in a large refrigerator
or a cool area in the house or garage. Roots can also store well in
an enclosed porch or back room. To ensure their goodness and
longevity, roots should be kept at an even temperature of about
40 degrees. Keep freshly-dug roots firm by hand-brushing them
of garden soil, laying them out to dry for a couple days, and then
burying them in plastic or metal buckets in clean, dry sand. Pre-
washed roots can be kept successfully in large, plastic bags.
Nevertheless, be mindful to keep the bags closed tightly (with
a twistie) after pulling out the roots for use. Root vegetables
that are not pre-washed can be successfully stored in plastic
bags, also. Storing pre-washed roots in sand or sawdust is not
recommended.Living with roots
For a number of years, root vegetables have been an integral
part of our live food lifestyle. Since adopting the Hallelujah Diet
in 1996, we have happily been turning our 'cooked' experience
into a 'raw' experience. Those foods which we used to steam,
bake, fry, and boil became raw. To this day, we rarely cook
anything. In many ways, it makes life easier and certainly more
nutritious. Therefore, in anticipation of the winter season, we
happily gather in a good supply of root vegetables for storage.
Purchasing from local, organic farmers is a healthy experience
in itself and usually saves considerable money, since we buy
in bulk. As much as possible, we encourage others to support
local agriculture. Foster contacts with farmers who grow quality
produce. We find that farmers reasonably price what they grow,
and more importantly, local organic food is safer to eat and
more nutritious. Thus, at this time of year, we Living Wayers
are busily tucking away precious root vegetables into our cold
storage area in the cellar. Our inventory includes a generous
supply of beets, carrots, daikon, turnip, parsnip, jerusalem
artichoke (a tuber not a root), and celeriac.
Roots in season for a reason
There is truth, if not wisdom, in the timing of YHVH's harvests.
In the case of root vegetables, cold weather sparks an appetite
for heat-producing foods. Roots, being a good source of complex
carbohydrates, fill the role as 'winter warmers' for body cells. They
are also denser foods that 'stick to your ribs' when body demands
increase. So it is that eating foods as they ripen in season is an
age-old practice that deserves attention. Healthy living involves
being in harmony with YHVH and His creation.
In closing, consider root vegetables as a new adventure in your life!
Juice them, blend them, grate them on salads, use them as colorful,
artistic garnishes on entrees. No matter how you prepare them,
eat 'em RAW! You will be surprised with the tender, juicy, sweet
taste of root vegetables. Gone will be the dead, cardboard taste
associated with cooked roots. Liven up your living menu by adding in
raw rooties... for color, if nothing else! Healthy eating sparks one's
sense of creativity. After all, who does not like something new for
dinner? Explore the many faces and personalities of root vegetables...
the adventurous 'underworld' of healthy eating!
Recommended reading:
Foods that Heal - Dr. Bernard Jensen
Silk Road Gourmet - Laura Kelley
'Buried Treasure'- by Patrick Dougherty, Energy Times
_____________________________________4) LIVING Resources
LIVING ART
While eating your live root vegetables, how about enjoying
some living art? As many of you may know, this Health Minister
is an artist by profession. Since adopting the now-famous
Hallelujah Diet, I have celebrated healthy eating by incorporating
fruit and vegetable themes into my portfolio. Original oil and
pastel paintings are available for purchase as are high quality
digital prints. Bless yourself and loved ones with art that feeds
the spirit and supports the live food lifestyle! Feast your eyes
on some Living Art at
http://www.livart.org/rawartHealthy news sources
There are many excellent health news sources that offer a wide
variety of information. We recommend that you consider subscribing
to some of these free e-newsletters. A couple trusted sources are:
http://www.thepowerhour.org/news.htm
http://www.organicconsumers.org
http://www.newstarget.com
http://standeyo.com/index1.html
http://www.cornucopia.org/
Hallelujah Acres Publications
Hallelujah Acres sends out a free bi- monthly magazine that is now
called, The Hallelujah Diet News. George Malkmus, founder of
Hallelujah Acres, also sends out a free, weekly e-newsletter,
Hallelujah Acres Health Tip. Both publications are excellent sources
of inspiring information. Subscribe by visiting
http://www.hacres.comNews worth noting:
SWAT raid on food storehouse heading to trial
http://www.wnd.com/index.php?fa=PAGE.printable&pageId=112110The ultimate health trip:
http://www.stevequayle.com/News.alert/09_Photo_of_Day/091022.photo.of.day.html
Death by chemotherapy ruled 'manslaughter'
http://www.naturalnews.com/027141_chemotherapy_pharmacist_doctors.html_____________________________________________
5) Buying tips and order info
Barley Max and more!
Add more nutrients to your diet by 'going green!' Powdered green
foods like BarleyMax are considered 'superfoods' by health
enthusiasts who want nothing but the best when it comes to
nutrition. BarleyMax is a nutrient-dense powdered barley that
provides fast, convenient food/energy to body cells. Taking
BarleyMax is like taking a quick meal! Every cell in your body will
benefit from just a couple teaspoons a day. BarleyMax is so
nutritent-rich that it can double as survival food. ON SALE NOW
10% OFF... at Hallelujah Acres!
Hallelujah Acres products
If you are interested in purchasing Hallelujah Acres products, we
encourage you to contact HA directly and order using our health
ministry PIN# 407. Since we do not stock their full product line, it is
easier and faster to purchase directly through HA. Kindly know that
we appreciate your support of our ministry through your purchases.
HA occasionally has specials on products and shipping. Quantity
pricing is available through our ministry. Contact us for details.
Equipment purchases
If you want to purchase a juicer, dehydrator, VitaMix, etc., please
order directly through us. Your order can be drop-shipped in a matter
of days. Other materials and products exclusive of HA can be
purchased from us by appointment. Call us to make arrangements.Life Enthusiast Co-Op
For maximum magnesium supplementation, we recommend
TransDerma Magnesium Oil, Precious Prills Beads. Order these
and other Twilight America products from Life Enthusiast Co-Op,
When purchasing, please use our Affilitate #10472. A portion
of your purchase will help support this ministry.
Call 1-866-543-3388 or visit Life Enthusiast on the web:
http://www.life-enthusiast.com/usa/?ref=10472
________________________________________6) LIVING Recipe: Rousing Root Juice
No matter what type of juicer you may have, root vegetables
are easy to juice. Here is a combination that promises to
please. Though adding the cinnamon may be a challenge,
this aromatic spice is a good choice for balancing the high
sugar content found in these root vegetables.2 large carrots
1 medium beet
1 small parsnip
couple stems parsley (optional)
couple dashes cinnamonWash, cut, and juice the roots, adding parsley intermittently.
Stir in cinnamon. Sit back, sip, and savor the roots!For optimum nutrition, go organic!
__________________________________________This LIVING Letter comes to you in Messiah's love to encourage you
toward achieving superior health. Healing of the whole man is the
promise of our Heavenly Father. Begin now to receive your new
life...naturally and spiritually. YHVH is able to do great and wondrous
works, if we will but trust and obey Him. YHVH bless you!
For your excellent health and His glory,
Mary
Build a healthier world..?
Eat your roots!
