Covenant Natural Health Care

Recipe: Dairy-free herbed mashed potatoes

A lot of people think that the only way to make creamy mashed potatoes is by adding dairy, like milk, sour cream, or yogurt. The truth is that you can get delicious results by using chicken broth, and almond or coconut milk—perfect for people who are sensitive to dairy products.

Shopping List:
• 6 White potatoes
• 2 Large cloves (minced) garlic, sauteed
• Chicken broth (or veggie or beef broth) at least 1/4 cup
• Almond milk or coconut milk (add until desired consistency of potatoes is reached)
• 4 Tablespoons butter (or more, to taste)
• Fresh thyme (or substitute rosemary), to taste
• Salt and pepper, to taste

Directions:
1. Boil potatoes in filtered water until soft (mine take about an 45 minutes-1 hour). I like to leave the peeling on, but feel free to peel the potatoes.
2. While the potatoes are cooking, saute garlic in a little butter until golden. Set aside.
3. When the potatoes are done cooking, pour out the water.
4. In a large bowl, combine the potatoes, garlic, thyme, butter and broth. Mix well with a hand-held blender. Add more broth and almond or coconut milk to reach the desired consistency.
5. Salt and pepper to taste.
6. Serve with roasted chicken, green beans, and a salad.

Health News Roundup

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• NC bill threatens to criminalize naturopaths, homeopaths, herbalists, midwives, aromatherapists as felons: Alternative health practitioners in North Carolina (NC) and their patients need your help to defeat a stealth bill that flew under the radar of most everyone in the natural health community. Senate Bill 31, which clarifies the penalties for the "unauthorized practice of medicine," essentially criminalizes the practice of unlicensed forms of medicine, which includes the work of many naturopaths, homeopaths, herbalists, aromatherapists, and even some midwives in the state. The bill was adopted by a judiciary committee in early March, and it recently passed the NC Senate. Now, the NC House is set to vote on the bill tonight, and unless NC governor Bev Perdue vetoes it, the practice of natural medicine for many in NC may soon become a more severe criminal offense.

• Boost Your Metabolism, Curb Cancer, and Slash Blood Sugar with this Easy Culinary Trick: Herbs are not only great in meals for spice and added flavor but are key to the nutritional density in the foods you eat. Herbs can protect you against diseases, clear toxins from your body, and provide you with vitamins and minerals.

• Tests reveal that some 'green' products still contain petrochemicals: The burgeoning natural and organic household product sectors are solid evidence that the public is becoming increasingly conscious of the importance of avoiding synthetic chemicals. But a new study presented at the 241st National Meeting & Exposition of the American Chemical Society (ACS) has revealed that some "green" cleaning products still contain ingredients derived from petroleum.

• Foods with Scary Surprises: The FDA has established guidelines  for a number of contaminants that it will allow in our food supply. Mainstreet.com has assembled a list of some of the most common products for which the FDA has set contamination thresholds. Here's just a taste of what they found ...

• Foul odors caused by chemical contaminants prompt sixth J&J drug recall: Johnson & Johnson (J&J) is back in the news again, this time for yet another drug recall. According to the McNeil Consumer Healthcare product recall website, J&J is recalling 34,000 bottles of Tylenol 8 Hour Extended Release because the medicines reportedly have a "musty or moldy odor" that the company believes was caused by chemical contamination.

• Grocery-Shopping Mistakes to Steer Clear of: USA Today highlights some common mistakes consumers make.

• FDA says you have no right to real food unless they give you permission first: In a response to a lawsuit filed by the Farm-to-Consumer Legal Defense Fund (FTCLDF), the FDA has articulated its belief that there is no such thing as a right to health or to purchase or consume any given food.

• Skip the Doctor - Use 'Grandma's Home Remedies' for These 7 Ailments: In fact, many of the ailments you experience can be addressed using very simple, natural means. Yahoo Health offers up seven different folklore remedies for common problems.

Health News Roundup

• Does topical fluoride really protect tooth enamel? Study suggests NO: A popular mantra in American dentistry claims that topical fluoride treatments help to protect teeth from cavities by forming a protective shield on the enamel of teeth. However, a new study published in the American Chemical Society (ACS) journal Langmuir has found that the "protective layer" created by fluoride is actually 100 times thinner than previously believed, which may render it practically useless as a cavity-preventing intervention.

• FDA to pull 500 unapproved drugs from market after allowing them to be sold for decades: For years, prescription cold and cough medicines like Cardec, Rondec, Organidin, Pediahist, and hundreds of other drugs have been available to patients, even though none of them have ever received approval from the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The FDA recently decided to crack down on the unapproved stray drugs, ordering 500 of them to be pulled from the market.

•  Are You or Your Family Eating Toxic Food Dyes?: Food dyes are one of the most widely used and dangerous additives. While the European Union has recently placed regulations on labeling food dyes to inform consumers of the health risks, the United States has no such requirement.

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•  What is the Most Dangerous Food Additive?: A new study concludes that there could be negative consequences associated with artificial sugar substitutes -- including a much higher risk of strokes.

• Cell phone use found to affect the glucose metabolism of the brain: Does using a cell phone have an effect on the brain? According to a 2011 study titled "Effects of Cell Phone Radiofrequency Signal Exposure on Brain Glucose Metabolism," the answer is absolutely. The study, headed by Nora D. Volkow, M.D. and conducted by the National Institutes of Health in Bethesda, Maryland, examined the effect of cell phone use on the brain by utilizing positron emission tomography (PET) on 47 participants.

• FDA Recall: Is There Salmonella in Your Skippy?: On Monday, Unilever announced a limited voluntary recall of Skippy Reduced Fat Creamy Peanut Butter Spread and Skippy Reduced Fat Super Chunk Peanut Butter Spread, after a routine sampling of products indicated possible contamination with salmonella.

•  The Spice that Helps Prevent Cancer - Now Being Used to Repair Stroke Damage: Curcumin -- the pigment that gives the curry spice turmeric its yellow-orange color -- is a natural compound that should be on your health radar for a number of reasons. Both the ancient Chinese and Indian systems of medicine have recognized curcumin's beneficial properties for thousands of years, and modern research suggests it may be one of nature's most powerful potential healers.

• What You Need to Know When Shopping for Organic Skincare: More and more of us are turning to natural and organic skincare products, but this segment of the beauty industry can be compared to the Wild West. There’s little regulation and oversight when it comes to this labeling, so it’s important to be educated when opting for these types of products.

• 43 Percent of Americans Not Sleeping Enough as Tech Use Before Bed Soars:  Computer and other technology use an hour before bedtime may be killing your sleep quality. That's the latest news from the National Sleep Foundation, which also reports a significant number of Americans aren't getting the sleep they need.

Spice it up with homemade spice blends

Do you ever have the type of week that's so busy, the refrigerator's practically empty, and there's not a creative bone left in your body? I think I can speak for everyone when I say we all have those weeks.

I've found that it's really important to get variety in our diets for lots of reasons, but I want to focus on one of them here today. When my husband and I first started making homemade meals and eating really healthy two and a half years ago, I was not very experienced at either of those things. I was used to quick & easy processed meals that required little effort and no creativity. So, for the first few months, we were eating the same things over and over. One day, I got to a point where I was sick of it all. I missed the variety and my taste buds were craving some never-made-before dish. To remedy this dilemma I did three things:

1. Started to created a weekly menu plan (which was also great for saving $$$)
2. Vowed to look for and try at least one new recipe a week (or every 2 weeks)
3. Try new spice blends to give similar dishes a different flavor

All three of these things were easy to do, gave us something to look forward to every week, and made our taste buds extremely happy, especially trying new spice blends. I don't buy a lot of pre-made spice blends because I'd prefer to make my own according to our taste.This not only saves a few dollars, but also allows me to see exactly what goes into my blend and to use high quality ingredients—some even coming from my own garden. Having several blends made up and stored in your cupboard makes for easy dinner prep.

 Here are a few resources for finding spice blend recipes:
• 41 Homemade Seasoning Blends Tips
• Frontier Homemade Spice Blends
• Budget 101 Seasoning Mix Recipes

Seasoning your dishes with homemade blends is a healthy way to add flavor without adding preservatives, MSG, and sugar. 

Buy organic spices in bulk to save money.

DIY lemon & rosemary bath salt

I found out, a couple of weeks ago, that I am sensitive to essential oils. Really? How could this be? They are natural, yes, but apparently some people, like me, just don't react well to essential oils. Needless to say, I was bummed. Quite a few of my favorite beauty products contain them. So, here I am, learning how to make more beauty products at home from whole ingredients and without essential oils.

Even if you aren't sensitive to essential oils, I think your skin and senses will love this combination of ingredients—most of which you probably have in your kitchen or bathroom cabinets. 

Shopping list:
• 2 Cups epsom salt
• 1 Cup course sea salt
• 1/2 Cup baking soda (aluminum free, if possible)
• 1 Fresh rosemary sprig, the leaves picked off and chopped into small pieces
• The rind of one lemon, grated

Directions: Combine the epsom salt, sea salt, and baking soda in a glass bowl. Mix well. Add in the chopped rosemary and grated lemon rind. Mix well. Store in glass jars until ready to use.

• Double or triple the batch, store in recycled, pretty glass jars and embellish with a pretty ribbon for a delightful Christmas gift (or other special occasion).

• Looking for other gift ideas? How about giving a bottle of homemade vanilla extract?