Friday, September 30, 2011

"Let Food Be Your Medicine", Hippocrates

Netflix is running several documentaries regarding eating and health, which I have watched with great interest. So much so that I am on a juice fast after seeing the results that Joe Cross had in his quest for improved health that he journals in "Fat, Sick and Nearly Dead". In two days I have lost 5 1/2 pounds and I feel great.

But I just finished watching Frontline's "The Medicated Child" (also on Netflix) and I could hardly believe what I saw! Well, actually, I can believe it, but it breaks my heart and makes me angry at this "system" that most of us have been taught to trustingly and innocently follow trying to take good care of ourselves and our families.
I don't profess to be any kind of an expert but as a thinking individual who has been reading alternative health care books for decades I am so very saddened by the fact that America's children are paying such a huge price.
It is my hope that anyone who reads this little piece will consider the insight of Hippocrates who said "Let food be your medicine", and may I add that in doing this we should also consider removing the non-foods, like chemicals, the over-processed and artificial substances from our diet at the same time... or sooner! In "The Medicated Child" not one word is ever mentioned about diet or eating more fruits and veggies. Instead children are filmed eating ice cream and corn dogs and they don't know why they're sick!!
Many thanks again to you Netflix and film producers and yes, some doctors too, :) who put forth time, money and effort to educate individuals and parents on this vital issue, through programs like "Food Matters", "Fat, Sick and Nearly Dead" and " Forks Over Knives". At some point we may hopefully come to realize that our medical profession is wonderful when we need help after we've been injured but most know very little about how to get and keep people truly healthy.
In my humble, albeit emphatic opinion, why not try cleaning up our diets and doing a bit of reading in order to know for ourselves how to cure what ails us. Better yet, how about preventing those ailments altogether.

Tuesday, September 20, 2011

The Curry Connection

I made curry sauce from scratch using S and B Curry Powder and it was good, but too spicy/hot for me.
One of the first things I learned about curry powder is that it is not a spice unto itself, but is a combination of spices. This is why getting the same exact flavor as Coco's will be a bit difficult.
BUT, thanks to justhungry.com I now have a place to start with my own curry making, and after going over the formula at "just hungry", this is what I came up with:

Mild Curry Powder
5 1/4 t. Turmeric
4 1/8 t. Coriander
1 1/2 t. Cumin
1 1/8 t. Cardamom
1/8 t. Fennel
1/8 t. Allspice
1/8 t. Fenugreek
1/8 t. Licorice

Hot spices can be added according to taste if desired.
Roast ground spices in a dry frying pan for about 2-3 minutes. Cool and let mature in a cool, dark place for about a month.

Well, I've gathered the needed spices but two of them aren't ground so I'll be buying a coffee grinder in the near future.