Ok, so this is about the United States, but it’s not too different over here in the UK. I love Annie Leonard.
If you are touched by this and want to do something about it, please visit The Story of Stuff Project
Foraging on the seashore… December 30, 2011
Over the last few days we’ve made some shortish trips to a couple of nearby beaches to help blow away the winter blues and to find free food!
The best times for foraging on the beach is at low tide. Neap low tide especially, which is every quarter cycle (half moon). You also want to pick a beach where there are no dodgy looking streams/sewage running into the water, although I think most beaches down here in cornwall are fairly clean. As with fishing, and anything else, we don’t harvest little creatures, and we don’t harvest greedily…just take what we need and treat the beach and it’s creatures with respect.
What we are really looking for is razor clams. They (apparently) live on sandy beaches and can be found by the shoreline on very low tide. They have lots of meat and are commonly eaten in other countries. You look for a keyhole shaped hole in the sand, sprinkle some salt on it and up pops one of these creatures.
A great free source of protein and it is tasty. I think you can cook it similarly to a mussel and it has MUCH more meat on it. However, on our 3 hunts so far we have not found one. Wrong beaches maybe? We’ll try another beach tomorrow!
I took this rather rubbish video clip on my phone yesterday. The wind was blowing so hard and it was bloody freezing, but so worth it as we got a wonderful harvest of mussels and seaweed.
http://www.facebook.com/v/10151085699165462
So in the bits you probably couldn’t hear/understand, I was pointing out all the mussels on Porthmeor Beach at low tide. We made a risotto/paella type thing for supper with mussels and they were yum!! We steamed our mussels until their shells open – about 5 minutes (if their shells do not open, you should not eat them). Lovely with just a garlic butter trickled over them too.
The other thing I’ve also just started collecting is Irish Moss (aka carrageen) and sea lettuce. They are seaweeds found clinging to rocks and in rockpools on low tide, very common.
Irish moss is now thought to contain 15 of the 18 essential elements that make up the human body. This includes great amounts calcium, iodine, sulphur, and potassium as well as Vitamins A, D, E, F and K.
Learn more:http://www.naturalnews.com/026661_Irish_moss_food_health.html#ixzz1i374WUyt
Sea lettuce is very high in iron; high in protein.. Also high in iodine, manganese, and nickel. Considerable dietary fiber like most of our sea veggies. It is bright green, small and kind of slimy. You need to rinse it well to get rid of any sand.
All seaweed also contains iodine which is great to combat our frequent exposure in this day and age to radiation from xrays, scans, radiation leaks, etc.
If you have a dehydrator, this would be perfect for drying seaweed. I, however, just put it on the lowest possible heat in our oven for a few hours, occasionally turning it so that the moist bits at the bottom dried too.
This is how it looks now and is all crisp and ready to be sprinkled in soups and on salads or stirfries, or in anything really.
During one of our foraging trips, we decided to try limpets. You have to sneak up on them and give them a quick knock with a rock or something before they realise you’re there, otherwise you won’t get them off the rock. I carried a few of these in my hands and their feelers/eyes came out as if they were looking for an escape route. A serious feeling of disgust in myself for thinking I have the right to take the life of another being swept over me, accentuated by the guilt of knowing what I know having been vegan for over a year – that I don’t actually NEED to eat them to survive. Still, I brought them home. But with the knowledge that I (probably) won’t ever eat proper big meat again. If I struggled facing a limpet, I couldn’t possibly kill my own lamb, cow or pig. And I do believe that if we’re going to eat things, we should at least be able to kill them ourselves.
Anyhow, I digress, the clams (which you have to soak overnight in salty water) were then put into the pot by Steven. Alive. I couldn’t do it. (I can with mussels..as you don’t actually see them moving, do you?! I guess I’ve conned myself into thinking they’re not alive) We cooked them until they came out their shells and then we had the lovely job of twisting their head and guts off the main meat part, and then – to my utter disappointment, and kind of relief, they were really tough and flavourless. So we tried cutting them up and frying them in a little garlic butter…but by then they were inedibly tough. Apparently they are a bit like calamari and it is possible to cook them to be tender. If there’s a next time, which I doubt, we will try them in a stew or something! Another recommended way is making a fire on the beach and putting them straight onto a hot rock or spade and eating them straight out the shell once they start bubbling. You can eat them raw too, but I couldn’t…it’d be too much like eating a raw snail. 
So, I hope none of this has put you off and you are at least inspired to collect some fantastic seaweed! The girls just love looking for crabs and gobi’s and things in the rock pools too! Obviously we don’t eat them, but we probably would if they were big enough!!!
Spare a thought for Miss Oestrogen Positive December 21, 2011
While you’re enjoying your festivities, spare a thought for those with nothing and those who are suffering.
If you feel like supporting a good cause this Christmas I have a beautiful friend who is fighting cancer and is in a lot of pain. Here’s her bloghttp://missoestrogenpositive.blogspot.com/
Donations are greatly appreciated so that she can have a go at some other treatments which could save her life – these treatments, unfortunately, cost a LOT of money! (you can read more about them on her blog)
Happy solstice, merry christmas and a blessed new year to all! xxx
If you would like to donate, here is how you can do it:
Bank Transfer:
Account name: Malina on a Mission
sort code 30-96-68
account number 25881568
BIC: LOYDGB21082
IBAN: GB52LOYD30966825881568
I think this is enough information whether you are sending money from the UK or abroad.
PayPal:
You can send money through PayPal to malinabob@tiscali.co.uk
The perfect gift for baby this Christmas! December 17, 2011
Looking for something special for a baby or child for xmas? How about an amber teething necklace?!
They are £12.99 each and are made from genuine Baltic amber. They come in several different shades varying from ‘black’ to ‘sunshine’. There are matching ones for mums & dads too! Postage is FREE if you are in the UK!
To find out how amber works, to have a look at the various gorgeous designs, or to go to my online shop, please visit http://www.naturesmother.co.uk/baby_amber_teething_necklaces.html
You can also find me on facebook under ‘Nature’s Mother’
Merry Christmas and a Happy new year to you all!
Blessings,
sharon
Quick, easy & healthy biscuits to make with the kids! November 7, 2011
Here’s a lovely easy oat biscuit recipe I made with my girls recently.
75g spelt flour
1tsp baking powder
75g porridge oats
75g unrefined sugar (demerera)
75g butter
1 tbsp honey
1 tbsp milk (I used oatmilk)
1 handful raisins (or chopped apricots, seeds or anything else yummy you have in the house)
Oven at 180 degrees C. Line a baking tray.
Mix flour, oats, baking powder and sugar in a bowl
Melt butter, syrup & milk in a saucepan and add to dry ingredients
Mix raisins in
Spoon onto baking tray and shape into rounds
Bake for 10 – 15 minutes or until golden brown.
Leave to cool for 5 minutes before taking off tray (or else they may crumble)
Enjoy!!!
The Story of Stuff October 26, 2011
This film has inspired me and changed my perceptions greatly! I no longer shop unnecessarily, and I buy the vast majority of my clothes from jumble sales and charity shops. Take 22 minutes out of your life to watch this, and let me know what you think?!
If you are touched by this like I was please visit http://storyofstuff.com/
Are childhood infections a good thing? October 10, 2011
Here is another article written by Dr Jayne Donegan and posted with her permission. See her website for more interesting articles on childhood illness and vaccinations.
“My interest in vaccination stems from my concern for child – and adult – health safety issues. It is important that every parent has sufficient information to make an informed choice about vaccination that is right for them and their family.” ~ Dr Jayne Donegan
ARE CHILDHOOD INFECTIONS A GOOD THING?
GP & Homeopath DR JAYNE LM DONEGAN MBBS DRCOG DCH DFFP MRCGP MFHomWe vaccinate against lots of childhood diseases now because we are told that having the diseases is a bad thing and leads to thousands of deaths. However, when we look at the figures from the Office for National Statistics, we see that 95% of the people who used to die from measles stopped dying before the vaccine was introduced in 1968 and similarly 99% of the people who used to die of whooping cough. The mortality rate for tuberculosis fell no differently in countries that did and did not use the BCG vaccine.
Scarlet fever, rheumatic fever and typhus were deadly killers. They all disappeared without a vaccine. Why?
Because the good old Victorians realised that if they did not take steps to clean up the cities after the massive move from the country to towns in the eighteenth century, everyone – rich people included – was going to die in epidemics. They cleared slums, introduced new minimum standards for sanitation, they built railways to bring fresh fruit and vegetables into the cities, they built sewers and piped water supplies (the ones that we still rely on now) and they arranged for the dead to be buried outside of towns.
Why did vaccination catch on in such a powerful way?
It was all to do with Pasteur and his ‘Germ Theory of Disease’. He said ‘The germs are present in the disease, therefore the germs cause the disease’. However, meeting a germ is no guarantee of catching the disease, that is why all the people on a bus where one person has ‘flu don’t get the ‘flu. It all depends on their susceptibility.
What is susceptibility?
It is the state of your immune system. If you are healthy and happy, you live in well ventilated housing, drink clean water and food which is not full of artificial sweeteners, additives and hormones, you spend enough time outside and somebody loves you, then you will expel completely or have mild forms of most infectious diseases.
Pasteur himself said on his death bed ‘The soil is everything; the germ is nothing’, but no-one seems to remember this as we all rush helter-skelter towards protecting ourselves from the monster who lurks without rather that strengthening our immune system from within.
A well known saying in the science of immunology is that ‘autoimmunity is the price one pays for the eradication of infectious diseases’1
This is because our immune system has evolved through the challenge of infectious diseases. Yes, they were scourges when they first arrived but they have been our travelling companions for a long time – it is not in their interest to wipe us out – who else would they have to infect? It’s a two way street. We let them infect us and they make us strong.
The way children learn what to do with their immune system is by being exposed to lots of viruses and bacteria and learning how to deal with them (as in ‘You have to eat a peck of dirt before you die!’). They learn what is ‘me’ and what is ‘not me’ so that their immune system is able to protect rather than attack them.
We see all too commonly now the effect of denying children natural exposure to these diseases in the rise in the incidence of asthma, eczema and autoimmune diseases such as diabetes.
A study by Ronne in the Lancet (1985;1:1-5) showed that adults who had had natural measles with a rash had a lower incidence of various cancers, including cervical cancer. West (Cancer 1996;7:1001-1007) showed that girls who had had clinical mumps as children had less cancer of the ovaries.
Scientists nowadays are talking about trying to make a vaccine of ‘dirt’, to simulate the effect of having childhood illnesses because they see how weak everyone’s immune system is becoming – city children are being told not to visit farms in case they die of E. coli. For goodness sake, a child comes in contact with E. coli every time it wipes its bottom!!!
Doesn’t vaccination have the same effect as natural infections?
No? Why not? Because when we vaccinate we give a different form of the organism, in a different dose, at a different age and by a different route to natural infection. This tends to sensitise rather than immunise.
We are all told not to give babies below the age of six months citrus fruits, nuts, wheat or unmodified dairy products by mouth to avoid allergies; yet at the age of eight weeks (or, in the case of Hepatits B vaccination, one day) we inject them, not only with the unnatural organism, but also with mercury (thiomersal), aluminium and formaldehyde – all quite poisonous.
● Vaccination stops children having their childhood illnesses at a beneficial age (3-4years).
● Children are now susceptible to rubella and mumps at just the age when girls can conceive and boys can be made sterile.
● Antibodies from vaccination are of poor quality compared to those from natural disease.
● They do not cross the placenta to make young babies immune with the effect that children less than one year are more susceptible.
This is when babies are most likely to suffer neurological damage from whooping cough and is precisely what is happening today. Because of the plethora of deaths in young babies from whooping cough, the Department of Health added a whooping cough ‘booster’ to the pre- school vaccination program and in the USA they have already added another shot to the school leaver program – when will it stop?
Are childhood diseases nice to have?
No.
Are they hard work for the parents?
Yes.
Do you have to know how to support your child through these illnesses rather than suppress them with paracetamol or ibuprofen and non indicated antibiotics so that they come out of them stronger rather than weaker?
Yes.
Is it worth it in the long term?I believe so.
We cannot escape these illnesses. They have been with us too long. They are part of why we are who we are. We can run but we can’t hide. The more we try to fight them with vaccines and antibiotics instead of living with them and strengthening ourselves the more we weaken our immune system and become susceptible to a whole host of pathogens – listeria, legionella, Lyme’s disease, cyclospora, not to mention the AIDS virus that no-one had heard of a few decades ago.
© Dr Jayne LM Donegan 2002, revised 2010
MBBS DRCOG DCH DFFPRHC MRCGP MFHom
1 Wilson AG, Duff GW, Genetic traits in common diseases, BMJ 1995; 310:1482-3
To book a telephone or in person consultation to discuss health or vaccination issues, or if you would be interested in hosting a lecture or workshop in your area, please call: T/F 0044 (0)20 8632 1634 leaving your details clearly or email: jaynelmdonegan@yahoo.com
This article first appeared in The Informed Parent 2009
{
Lectures Offered:
‘Vaccination – the Question’
‘Vaccination – the Science’ (for practitioners and very interested parents)
‘Vaccination and Travel Medicine’
‘What do you do if you don’t Vaccinate (and also if you do)? Supportive treatment of Childhood Illnesses’
* ‘Mumps, Measles, Rubella – Which is better: The Disease or the Vaccine?’
‘Tetanus and Treatment of Cuts and Grazes’ ***** Focus on Meningitis – How Can You Avoid It
‘How to Raise a Healthy Child (and Parent!)’ *** ‘Homeopathy for Children – An Introduction’
‘Oh Happy Days! Food Refusal, Bed Times and other ‘Parental Learning Opportunities’
© Dr Jayne L.M. Donegan MBBS DRCOG DFFP DCH MRCGP MFHom
Telephone/Fax 0044 (0)20 8632 1634
Email: jaynelmdonegan@yahoo.com Website: www.jayne-donegan.co.uk
My brave friend September 5, 2011
I have a totally inspirational and beautiful friend called Malina. Her gorgeous son Aaron is at Zelda School with Erin & she lives in Helston with her son and husband, Bob. In 2010 she overcame breast cancer, but a few months ago she found another lump in her breast and was found to have malignant tumours in her breast & liver. She is having chemotherapy…she currently has 3 left (1 per week) until her next assessment. The NHS covers the chemotherapy.
She is also on the Budwig Plan, which is a diet where she eats mainly raw foods, drinks fresh organic homemade juices(which involve LOTS of fresh organic veg & fruit), and has loads of flax seed oil. She goes to Germany for Dendritic Cell vaccinations and hypothermia treatments. She has also had Vitamin C injections, and other alternative treatments. Basically, she is doing everything in her power to beat this thing! You can read more about all of this on her blog http://missoestrogenpositive.blogspot.com/
The diet and treatments are not covered by the NHS, and all cost lots of money (nevermind the travelling to have some of the treatments). If you would like to get involved in fundraising for Malina, join the facebook group Fighting for Miss Oestrogen Positive or you can send money to her on paypal(malinabob@tiscali.co.uk). I also have bank details for anyone interested. Please help my lovely friend get better!
Malina with her juicer! (photo nicked from her blog!)
Make your own milk! September 1, 2011
No not mothers milk…that happens naturally when you have a baby! The wonders of nature!
A couple of years ago we did lots of experimenting with making our own milk replacement for on cereal, etc as we no longer drink cows milk. This is why.
It is really easy, and doesn’t take up too much time. All you need is a liquidizer (and the ingredients, of course!). It works out much cheaper than buying it already made (and much cheaper than cows milk) and we can choose organic ingredients and know that the ‘milk’ has no funny additives or preservatives, and has no weird dioxins perhaps leaked from packaging.
Almond Milk (My FAVOURITE…especially nice fresh!)
1 cup of Almonds (soak overnight)
3 cups water
Optional: 1 tspn vanilla essence
Brown unrefined sugar/honey/dates or agave syrup to taste (we normally use about 2 teaspoons raw honey)
Whizz up in liquidizer for a couple of minutes and then pour through cheesecloth, muslin or similar. Bottle, put in fridge and use within 4 or 5 days – it’s that easy!
Almond milk is full of potassium, magnesium, Vitamin E, and has less calories than a glass of cows milk. You can use the leftover pulp for baking too!
Rice Milk
We’ve experimented with Rice milk quite a bit and it never turns out quite like the Rice Dream that you buy (possibly because they use white rice and we prefer to use untampered with brown rice), but it’s still pretty good.
1 cup COOKED brown rice
3 cups water
Optional: 1 tspn vanilla essence
Brown unrefined sugar/honey/dates or agave syrup to taste (we normally use about 2 teaspoons raw honey)
Whizz up in liquidizer for a couple of minutes and then pour through cheesecloth, muslin or similar. Bottle, put in fridge and use within 4 or 5 days – it’s that easy!
Oat Milk
1 cup oats
4 cups water
Optional: 1 tspn vanilla essence
Brown unrefined sugar/honey/dates or agave syrup to taste
Whizz up in liquidizer for a couple of minutes, leave to stand for about 8 hours and then pour through cheesecloth, muslin or similar
The remaining bits from all these can be mixed with flour, raisins, oil, seeds, sugar and whatever else you fancy, and made into biscuits!
Yay! My amber teething necklaces are now available at health food shops!!!! August 18, 2011
My gorgeous amber teething necklaces and amber necklaces for adults are now available in the Natural Stores in Helston & Falmouth, as well as Archie Browns in Truro. Watch this space, they will soon be easily available all over (I hope)!
There are many reports of amber helping to relieve many conditions in adults, including arthritis, headaches, injuries, muscular aches and pains, stress and much more. Succinic acid, which is absorbed into warm skin, is a powerful antioxidant and anti-inflammatory and reduces teething pain and other symptoms associated with teething in babies.
I have had some such exciting feedback on the teething necklaces, of babies who’s eczema has cleared up, asthma reduced and have reduced crying and discomfort noticeably! It’s no wonder really that resin from ancient forests should be healing! Nature is amazing!
Buy them here
