Probiotic rich foods can lower blood pressure

A good way of keeping healthy and keeping your blood pressure in check is to consume probiotic rich foods like yoghurt and kefir.

There has been lots of research over the years into this condition to see what solutions are available to you. In today’s world we are prescribed medicines to control high blood pressure but these medicines tend to have some side effects. Recent studies have shown that those who take a probiotic tablet or who eat probiotic foods had their diastolic pressure drop by 3.56 millimeters of mercury and systolic pressure drop by 2.38 millimeters of mercury. The best part of this is that you don’t get any side effects with probiotics.

Probiotics are a spectrum of functional food as they offer benefits beyond basic nourishment. They work in many ways to stop chronic illness and disease.

The credit goes to natural news for posting this information

Thank you to all my viewers and readers in 2013.

I know this is late but I just wanted to thank everybody that came to by blog and viewed my posts last year. I know that only 59 people have viewed my blog and I just wanted to thank you all.

Texas Police Can Serve Warrants Based On Future Crime

It appears to be the case in Parker County, Texas, that police have arrested a few people who have not committed a crime yet. Police in the state had been watching a home in summer 2010 for 1 month and received an anonymous tip that the residents were “going” to cook Methamphetamine. Some time later, they walked through the door, rounded up the people and placed them in handcuffs, keeping them for 1.5 hours despite not having a warrant. Although they got one later, the police had basically gone through the house uninvited.

The residents’ lawyers have argued that anything taken from the home in the raid had been taken illegally. The court, however, denied this and cited a legally questionable concept that allows illegally seized evidence mentioned to them beforehand. As a result the owner was landed a 5 year prison sentence. End of story? Not really. The Texas Court Of Criminals has the final word and they agreed with the trial.

Nevertheless, the actions of police in the case don’t pass the smell test. If their informant was so credible, why not go to the judge for a search warrant in the 3-4 hours before their illegal entry? The judge was available in the middle of the night, so there is no reason to believe that they couldn’t have gotten it earlier. And why conceal the fact that they have already swept the house and detained the suspects in the search warrant application if everything was on the up and up?

According to a judge, it was pretty obvious that the warrant obtained was purely based upon the officers’ unlawful entry onto the premises. Based on what has been reported, there was ample time for them to secure a search warrant before searching the premises, but it appears as though the cops deliberately chose not to obtain one in advance – as required by the Constitution’s Fourth Amendment. It was only after they entered and found suspicious materials – the thought of criminal activity – that the cops finally obtained a warrant.

In addition, Meyers argues that the confidential informant’s report that the owner was “fixing to” cook meth wasn’t independent evidence but a prediction of a future crime.

Source: http://www.naturalnews.com/043361_future_crime_search_warrants_Texas_cops.html

No bake cheesecake recipe

This recipe serves 6

Ingredients

150g digestive biscuits

250g PLAIN cream cheese

75g Butter/Margarine

300ml/small carton double cream

50g Sugar

Orange or Lemon zest

Method

1. Crush the biscuits using a food processor until they resemble breadcrumbs

2. Melt the butter on low heat until it turns to liquid.

3. Now take the butter off the heat an mix the digestives and the butter.

4. put the biscuit base into a cake tin and refrigerate to let it set for a few hours.

5. In the meantime, whisk the double cream until thick

6. Add the cream cheese, zest and sugar and whisk further until the consistency is just right

7. Remove the biscuit base and spoon the filling on top of it and smoothen it out.

8. Decorate your cheesecake with chopped fruit and put it back in the fridge to set for a few hours more.

9. Serve chilled.

Tip: you could put the base and the finished cheesecake in the freezer to make it set faster – it should set within 2.5 hours if in the freezer

Tip: You can make your cheesecake with anything you like such as chocolate, or certain fruits. You can also decorate your cheesecake with anything you like

5 things to consider when ordering seafood

Although there are still some good seafood options for you to choose, have you ever thought about where it comes from? A lot of seafood, as it turns out, is imported into the U.S. and less than 2 percent of those imports are inspected for contamination.

1. Local fish and seafood tends to be rather infrequent at appearing and there isn’t very much of it. Seafood at stores and restaurants is not local and due to high demand, the seafood may come from other countries instead. It’s recommended that we as consumers ask about about the seafood to be sure.

2. Atlantic salmon is farmed salmon, due to the fact that the population of these fish has been driven close to nil. This is associated with environmental and social issues.

3. Seafood with the organic label is not what it claims to be. There are no organic standards whatsoever in the US for seafood, so the seafood is normally imported. This type of seafood is also farmed, not wild caught.

4. Beware of imported shrimp – about 90 per cent of the shrimp consumed in the US nation is imported, despite the country having many healthy shrimp fisheries. A lot of the imported shrimp comes from farms associated with heavy chemical use, environmental destruction and negative impacts for local communities.

5. Bivalve shellfish are often good options. Mussels, oysters and clams are the most likely to be sustainably sourced at a market or restaurant. These fish may even improve the local environment by cleaning up the water.

Hopefully, with these tips, you will be able to make more informed choices about your food. If you found this helpful, please like or let me know through comments. Thank you very much.

Probiotics help pigs fight E.coli infections

Today, roughly 70 – 80 percent of the current pharmaceutical antibiotics go to farm feed for animals. This is to speed up their growth and eliminate infections as well as add market value. Antibiotics destroy the probiotic bacteria leading to an unhealthy and weak immune system. And that’s not all. These antibiotics cause so much damage it’s unbelievable that they are being called miracles. If you consume meat that is not organic, free range or grass fed, you are ingesting a portion of those antibiotics.

Also, as you may already know, the use of this antibiotics is a large factor in the development of superbugs like MRSA. This is encouraging terrible conditions in factory farms. However, a recent german study might lead to healthier animal livestock. This study showed that the disease causing E.coli strains were reduced with a probiotic called E. faecium which has been found to destroy these pathogenic E.coli strains. The European Union has banned antibiotics for use in livestock since 2006 which is good news. This meant that farmers turned to natural options for killing the pathogens and feed companies produced natural counterparts to the pharmaceutical drugs used in modern agriculture. 

Could this mean the beginning of a new trend of healthier farming? I certainly think so. A pair of dutch farmers tried out animal feed with dilute oregano oil and reported that the feed minimized bacterial infections effectively. I think this is great news that probiotics impact our lives in a major way and would like to see it happen in areas currently using pharmaceuticals in animal feed

Three natural treatment options for depression

Many people who have depression resort to antidepressant drugs to boost mood. Like all other pharmaceutical drugs, these antidepressants have harmful consequences and side effects. Here are three alternative options for treating this condition:

1. Cacao. This superfood is native to South America and has been hailed for it’s mood boosting properties. Cacao contains ingredients that trigger an increase in the production of feel good hormones and/or chemicals in the brain. According to research in Australia, the flavanols in cacao in improve mood and mental clarity. This product can be consumed raw, however, some prefer to eat it in powder form.

2. Maca. The consumption of maca, a nutritious superfood also found in South America, has been found to reduce the feeling of hoplessness which is associated with depression. It is believed that the phytoestrogens balance hormones in both men and women and improves brain function and memory. It is reccomended to be eaten in a gelatinized powder form.

3. Brahmi. This is a thick leafed herb native to Asia. It has been used for a long time to treat countless mind and mood conditions and requires regular consumption for some time as the effects are not felt that quickly. Some studies show this herb can improve learning by up to 50% and others suggest that it improves memory and recall abilities. It would be best to consume it in a vegetable capsule form or in a smoothie.

I think that these are great natural medicines that can prove to be very useful. When compared to the man made drugs, natural remedies always work and even come out on top as they are far superior to man made medications. I also think that this goes to show that natural medicine is far more effective as the use of antibiotics, whether they were underused or overused, both types of use has led to the rise of antibiotic resistant superbugs. However, the natural counterparts always work and are guaranteed to cure or help treat your condition

Recipe: Indian Pilau Rice – Vegetarian

This recipe serves 4 – 6 people

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups of white rice

1 1/2 cups of mixed frozen vegetables (peas, beans carrots and sweetcorn)

1 1/2 blocks of paneer (indian cheese)

1 1/2 medium onions

1 1/2 heaped teaspoons turmeric

some pepper

2 1/2 heaped teaspoons garlic

2 1/2 heaped teaspoons ginger

1 1/2 heaped teaspoon winter spices

some salt

Method:

 First you need to pour the rice into a pan and fill it with water. then drain that water and fill it up with water again. Put it on the stove and let it cook with the water until dry. Be careful to not let the rice stick to the bottom of the pan! You must chop the paneer into square blocks.

Now you need to start preparing the spice mix.Fry the onions in a frying pan and add the garlic, ginger, turmeric and winter spices. stir until you get a brown paste. Remove 75% of the paste and put it into another container. Add the mixed vegetables and paneer blocks and cook them in the remaining spices that are in the pan. Towards the end of cooking, re-add the rest of the spices you removed earlier and cook this further. Add some salt and pepper to taste. Once fully cooked, remove from heat.

Now that the rice has finished cooking and has dried up, add it to the vegetables and mix well. Serve and enjoy!

Tip: you could use a different kind of mixed frozen vegetable such as peas, beans, carrots and cauliflower.

Tip: Why not try serving this with some meat or meat curry such as lamb or chicken curry?

5 Beneficial bugs that can help your garden grow

The word bugs immediately conjures the thought of pests within our brain. This is because we see and deal with quite a few pests in a certain period of time – for example, summer. Not all bugs are pests, however and some keep nature working smoothly. Here is a list of 5 beneficial bugs that can help you and your garden

1. Tachinid Flies eat caterpillar, fly and beetle larvae that will eventually prey on your fruits and veg and their plant leaves. Planting lemon balm, parsley and chamomile will attract this fly.

2. Robber Flies dine on non beneficial flies as well as grasshoppers and wasps. The love mint so why not add it to your garden?

3. Pirate bugs are another beneficial bug. They control aphids, thrips, scales and whiteflies. They personally like daisies and sunflowers.

4. Ladybugs are more beneficial than you realize. They prey on aphids.

5. Lacewings are predators to scale, aphids, mites and other soft bodied insects. Planting medicinal plants such as dill, cosmos and tansy will bring them to your back garden.

Oranges containing pig genes are on the horizon

Oranges are the latest target for Genetic Engineering due to their susceptibility to a disease that leaves them sour and dry. As a result of the disease, called citrus greening, the orange producers have no option but to fund development of GM oranges which are being worked on right now. These GM oranges are likely to contain pig genes and while everything else has been tried, nothing has worked. Southern Garden Citrus, a major orange producer has already tried chopping hundreds of infected trees but this has not stopped the disease and therefore the company, as a last resort us funding the development of GM oranges.

Is creating a Genetically Modified orange, however, really the answer? Using pesticides to keep the C. Liberibacter asiaticus bacteria under control wont work and this has only lead to overuse of the pesticide chemicals. This in turn has lead to the rise of superbugs. As with all modified crops, the heavy application of chemicals will only add to the problem. This is only adding to the consequences for food production.

I, myself do not like the idea of having another genetically altered product. It only causes a variety of health problems and is not the solution for things like world hunger. The toxic chemicals used on the engineered plants not only cause superbugs but are also toxic to human life. Glyphosate, found in roundup for example, causes cancer even in the parts per trillion range. GMO’s are a contradiction. The developers claimed they would have many benefits and solve many problems but they don’t. The GMO’s are doing the exact opposite of what they were supposed to do. If you would like to let me know your thoughts on this topic, please comment. Thank you.