GENERAL HEALTH NEWSLETTER FEBRUARY 2008 

February is Heart Health Month and Valentine’s Day – so look after your heart (and the heart of the one you love!) with some heart-healthy raw cacao powder!  The benefits are unbelievable.  But it needs to be raw, unfumigated and pure.  (We have this now at Creeds – www.creeds.co.za) so give it a try, it’s utterly delicious.

Tea – Bone Builder Extraordinaire!
Tea is apparently the world’s most popular drink, and is certainly mine!  Not only has research linked this beverage with lowered risks of heart disease and cancer, new research shows that older women who drink tea have stronger bones that are better preserved over time. What a reason to start drinking tea early, for healthy bones in old age! 
As a woman ages, her bone mineral density does begin to decline, particularly after menopause if she is not eating sensibly.  Certainly weight bearing exercise together with getting enough calcium and vitamin D dramatically help to preserve bone mineral density. However, the new study, published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, is based on data from a previous trial that looked at the effect of calcium supplements on hip fracture risk. The 1,500 healthy women who participated in the original study were over 70 years old and were monitored for hip fracture for five years. Bone mineral density at the hip was measured after one and five years. (Am J Clin Nutr 2007;86:1243–7).  Read more

Coffee Substitute
If one of your new year’s resolutions was to give up coffee, it’s still not too late - try this, it works very well as a nice hot drink instead of coffee.  Pour about 2/3 cup of hot water into a mug, drop a pinch of Himalayan salt into it (salt gets rid of the watery taste), a teaspoon of raw cacao powder and just enough organic honey or xylitol to take the bitter edge off.  No milk, no other additives! This is marvelous for getting rid of the coffee craving in the morning, and tastes great. 

HELP SAVE OUR PLANET: Recycle

• One recycled aluminum can saves enough energy to power a TV or computer for 3 hours or a 100-watt light bulb for 20 hours). 6 recycled aluminum cans saves enough energy to drive a car 10km.
• Recycling a 50cm high stack of newspapers saves enough electricity to heat a home for 17 hours.
• Recycling one glass bottle saves enough energy to light a 100-watt light bulb for 4 hours.

Can someone please inform Eskom!!

The future, according to some scientists, will be exactly like the past, only far more expensive - John Sladek

RECIPE: Real Raw Tomato Ketchup

Because we eat loads of raw food we enjoy making this recipe – hope you like it!

Serves 12 – and you’ll need a good blender

 

What you need

A big handful or 1 mug of dried tomatoes (soak first if you don’t have a strong blender)

2 tablespoons lemon juice

2 tomatoes, chopped

1 pitted date

¾ teaspoon Himalayan pink rock salt

Dash white pepper

 

What to do with this:

Puree all ingredients in a blender or food processor. Store in the fridge for up to 1 week if it lasts that long – it’s particularly delicious on wraps or over pasta.  It’s nice to also add some pine nuts sometimes, see how you feel – anything else can be added for your individual taste. 

FUN THERAPY: BEST HEADLINES OF 2007

Following on from the ones in the E-Magazine this month:
Something Went Wrong in Jet Crash, Expert Says
Police Begin Campaign to Run Down Jaywalkers
Miners Refuse to Work after Death
Cold Wave Linked to Temperatures
Red Tape Holds Up New Bridges 

Success is the sum of small efforts - repeated day in and day out ~ Robert Collier

Wishing you a Happy Valentine’s Day on the 14^th – hope you have a romantic time with the one you love!  God bless you till next month