Posted on 03/23/2008 11:36:40 PM PDT by nw_arizona_granny
Americans finding soaring food prices hard to stomach can battle back by growing their own food. [Click image for a larger version] Dean Fosdick Dean Fosdick
Home vegetable gardens appear to be booming as a result of the twin movements to eat local and pinch pennies.
At the Southeastern Flower Show in Atlanta this winter, D. Landreth Seed Co. of New Freedom, Pa., sold three to four times more seed packets than last year, says Barb Melera, president. "This is the first time I've ever heard people say, 'I can grow this more cheaply than I can buy it in the supermarket.' That's a 180-degree turn from the norm."
Roger Doiron, a gardener and fresh-food advocate from Scarborough, Maine, said he turned $85 worth of seeds into more than six months of vegetables for his family of five.
A year later, he says, the family still had "several quarts of tomato sauce, bags of mixed vegetables and ice-cube trays of pesto in the freezer; 20 heads of garlic, a five-gallon crock of sauerkraut, more homegrown hot-pepper sauce than one family could comfortably eat in a year and three sorts of squash, which we make into soups, stews and bread."
[snipped]
She compares the current period of market uncertainty with that of the early- to mid-20th century when the concept of victory gardens became popular.
"A lot of companies during the world wars and the Great Depression era encouraged vegetable gardening as a way of addressing layoffs, reduced wages and such," she says. "Some companies, like U.S. Steel, made gardens available at the workplace. Railroads provided easements they'd rent to employees and others for gardening."
(Excerpt) Read more at dallasnews.com ...
Banana Bread
Recipe By :
Serving Size : 8
Categories : Breads and Muffins
Amount Measure Ingredient — Preparation Method
———— —————— ————————————————
1/4 cup butter
2/3 cup honey — or a little less
1 cup bananas — mashed (from about 3 small bananas)
1/3 cup water
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/3 cup dry milk
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 cups whole-wheat flour
Cream butter and honey (with electric mixer, if possible) until light,
beat
in eggs, banana pulp, water and vanilla.
Stir together dry ingredients, stir them into the liquids, blending
with
as few strokes as possible.
Stir in 1 cup walnuts and/or 1/2 to 1 cup raisins, if desired.
Bake in oiled loaf pan, at 325 F for about one hour, until well browned
and a tester comes out clean.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Per Serving (excluding unknown items): 294 Calories; 8g Fat (22.7%
calories from fat); 6g Protein; 54g Carbohydrate; 4g Dietary Fiber;
21mg
Cholesterol; 361mg Sodium. Exchanges: 1 1/2 Grain(Starch); 1/2 Fruit;
0
Non-Fat Milk; 1 1/2 Fat; 1 1/2 Other Carbohydrates.
And it gets even better. Besides being both healthy and
frugal, the four ‘dessert for breakfast’ recipes below
can all be made the night before. Three of them only take a
very few minutes to prepare, and the fourth — the muffins
— can be frozen and popped in the microwave when you’re
ready for warm, fresh muffins.
I use my food processor to make this nutritious and tasty
but light pie but if you don’t have a food processor, you
can use a blender. In that case, you’ll probably need to mix
the ingredients in a bowl first, then blend them in two or
three batches. A stick blender could also be used.
Ingredients
* 2 medium-sized ripe bananas
* 1 cup non-fat or low-fat cottage cheese
* 1 cup plain non-fat or low-fat yogurt
* 2 eggs
* Juice of ½ lemon (1 tablespoon of lemon juice)
* 3 tablespoons honey
* 1/4 cup flour
* 1 teaspoon vanilla
Directions
Preheat oven to 350 F. Spray a 9-inch pie pan lightly with
cooking spray or oil the pan.
Put all ingredients in a food processor and process until
very, very smooth, turning off the processor and scraping
down the sides occasionally.
Pour mixture into the pie pan and bake for about 25 to 30
minutes. Let cool, then refrigerate several hours, at least,
or overnight.
OLD-FASHIONED BREAD PUDDING
The ingredient list calls for bread cubes, but I just tear
the bread up into little pieces with my hands. This is
simple and fast. Wholewheat bread makes a more nutritious
pudding, but a mixture of white and wholewheat is good too.
Bread pudding is equally good warm or cold.
Ingredients
* 2 slightly beaten eggs
* 2 1/4 cups milk (lowfat milk is fine)
* 1 teaspoon vanilla
* ½ teaspoon cinnamon
* 2 cups bread cubes
* 1/3 cup brown sugar, packed
* ½ cup raisins
Preheat oven to 350 F. Spray a round glass casserole dish
lightly with cooking spray, or oil it.
Combine eggs, milk, vanilla, and cinnamon. Whisk until well
blended. Stir in bread cubes, brown sugar, and raisins.
Pour mixture into a round casserole dish. Place casserole in
a large shallow baking dish and pour hot water into the
baking dish to a depth of about one inch.
Bake about 45 minutes or until knife inserted in the middle
of the pudding comes out clean. Let cool, then refrigerate.
CUSTARD
Custard is the best little ‘forgotten dessert’ around. Our
grandmothers made custard often, we should too. It’s easy, fast,
healthy, inexpensive, and very good. As desserts go,
custard has an almost Zen—like simplicity. I use little
glass custard cups, but if you don’t have these, you can use
a larger casserole dish.
Ingredients
* 2 cups milk (lowfat milk is fine)
* 1/3 cup honey
* 3 eggs
* 1 teaspoon vanilla
* a sprinkle of nutmeg or cinnamon
Preheat oven to 325 F.
Mix all the ingredients (except the nutmeg or cinnamon) very
well with blender, stick blender, electric mixer, or whisk.
(I use my stick blender for this. It’s fast to grab, use,
and wash.)
Pour mixture into four custard cups or a casserole dish.
Sprinkle lightly with nutmeg or cinnamon. Place the dish or
cups in a baking pan of hot water. The water should be
approximately one inch deep.
Bake about 45 minutes (little custard cups) to one hour
(larger casserole) or until knife inserted in center comes
out clean. Let cool, then refrigerate.
BRAN MUFFINS
This recipe makes about 30 muffins. You can bake, cool,
then freeze them, and reheat in the microwave when you want
to serve fresh hot muffins. I microwave the frozen muffins
about 30 seconds for each muffin. They’re best eaten warm,
and spread with ricotta or cream cheese.
* 3 cups bran — (plain wheat bran, not a cereal)
* 1 cup boiling water
* 2 eggs
* 3/4 cup honey
* 2 1/4 cups buttermilk
* ½ cup oil
* 2 ½ cups whole-wheat flour
* 2 ½ teaspoons baking soda
* 1 cup raisins
Preheat oven to 375 F. Spray muffin tins with cooking spray,
or oil them.
In a large bowl, mix the bran and boiling water, and let it
stand.
In a medium bowl, beat together the eggs, honey, buttermilk,
and oil. Add this mixture to the bowl with the bran and
water.
Stir the flour and baking soda together, and stir this into
the bran mixture. Stir, then add the raisins, and stir
again.
Fill the muffin tins and bake for about 15 minutes. Let
stand in the muffin tins for a few minutes, then remove, and
let the muffins cool on a rack.
FINAL NOTES
You will have noticed, I hope, that the recipes I’ve shared
with you are all *very* lightly sweetened, fairly low in
fat, and have substantial amounts of healthy ingredients.
If you want to lower the fat contents even more, you can
substitute two egg whites for each whole egg called for in
the recipes — except the custard. The custard needs the
whole eggs.
If you look through your own dessert recipes with a critical
eye as to their nutritive value, you may find other ‘dessert
for breakfast’ recipes that your family will enjoy. And
don’t forget muffins and quick breads! I’ve found that
quick breads and muffins are the very best way to get ‘white
flour people’ to begin enjoying healthy whole grain foods.
http://sharonastyk.com/2008/04/22/we-regret-to-inform-you/
We Regret to Inform You…
Sharon April 22nd, 2008
When climate change and peak oil thinkers run out of other things to worry about, there’s always the endless, inevitable debates about whether we are facing a “fast crash” or a “slow grind.” And I admit, I’m worried about my fellow environmentalists - because I think they are about to lose their favorite distraction. When no one was looking, we got an answer. Fast crash wins. And we’re in it now.
Wait a minute, you argue - that’s not right. If we were in a fast crash we’d be well on our way to living in a Kunstler novel. But we’ve still got cars, we’ve got food, things are slowing down, but at worst this looks like a slow grind - but the crazy lady at the blog is saying fast crash?!?!?
Before you argue with me (and you are both welcome and encouraged to), I’d like to post something a bit out of my usual style - it is simply a description of what has happened with food and energy in the last year - that’s all it is. Then tell me what you think - because it wasn’t until I began to write this introduction to the present food situation that I suddenly was struck by the fact that even a fast crash doesn’t always look fast when you live it - new normals arise and it turns out we assimilate faster than we panic.
So here we are - the “We regret to inform you that what you have imagined to be “civilization” is now falling apart” post. See if it strikes you the way it struck me.
I would also note two things. The first is that the general political consensus is that neither the food nor energy crisis will do anything but grow more acute anytime soon - we’re really in the early stages. And that this only covers the first 4 months of 2008.
_______________________________________________________
In early 2008, the world’s food and energy train came off the rails. What was startling was that it didn’t happen either gradually or in a linear way - instead, things simply fell apart at an astounding rate, faster than anyone could have predicted without being accused of lunacy.
It started with biofuels and growing meat consumption rates. They drove the price of staple grains up at astounding rates. In 2007, overall inflation for food was at 18%, which created a new class of hungry, but that was just the tip of the iceberg. In 2008, the month to month inflation was higher than 2007’s annual inflation. At that rate, the price of food overall was set to double every other year. Rice, the staple of almost half the world’s population rose 147%, while wheat grew 25% in just one day. Price rises were inequitable (as was everything else) so while rice prices rose 30% in rich world nations like the US, Haitian rice prices rose 300%.
Haiti was an early canary in the hunger coal mine. Desperately poor, by early 2008, tens of thousands of impoverished Haitians were priced entirely out of the market for rice and other staples, and were reduced to eating “cookies” made of nutrient rich mud, vegetable shortening and salt to quiet their hunger pangs. Women stood on the street, offering their children to any reasonably well fed passerby, saying “Please, pick, take one and feed them.” Thousands of Haitians marched on Port Au Prince, yelling, “We’re hungry.” And indeed, the Haitian government was complicit, allowing food relief to rot on the wharves. But Haiti was just the start.
After riots over long bread lines threatened to destabilize Egypt, the Egyptian government set the army to baking bread for the hungry. Forty nations either stopped exporting grains or raised tariffs to make costs prohibitive. Food prices rose precipitiously as importing nations began to struggle to meet rising hunger. The UN warned that 33 nations were in danger of destabilizing, and the list included major powers including Pakistan, Mexico, North Korea India, Egypt and South Africa. Many of these hold nuclear weapons.
The crisis didn’t stop among the already-poor, however. An article in The Economist reported that the crisis extended well into the middle class - Joanna Sheeran, director of the World Food Project explained, “For the middle classes,…it means cutting out medical care. For those on $2 a day, it means cutting out meat and taking the children out of school. For those on $1 a day, it means cutting out meat and vegetables and eating only cereals. And for those on 50 cents a day, it means total disaster.”
Up to 100 million people who had managed to raise their incomes above $2 a day found themselves inexorably drawn back to the world poverty level, while millions of those who called themselves “middle class” began, slowly, to realize that they were no such thing. Reports noted that many of the supposed middle class in rich world nations were actually the working poor who had overextended their credit to keep up appearances. And the appearances - and credit access - were fraying
In 2007, a major American newspaper reported the growing problem of seasonal malnutrition affecting poor children in the Northern US - the rising price of heating oil meant that lower class families were struggling to put on the table. Hungry, low weight children were unable to maintain their body temperature in chilly houses, and a vicious circle of illness, hunger and desperation ensued. Malnutrition bellies began to be regularly seen by pediatricians treating the urban poor in cold climates.
Shortages were a chronic problem in the poor world, but by early spring of 2008, they began to arrive in the rich world - despite Japan’s deep pockets, a shortage of butter and wheat reminded the rich world of its dependence on food import. Many of the supply problems were due to climate change and energy issues, as Australian dairy farmers struggled with high grain prices and the extended drought that destroyed their pastures.
Following up on anecdotal reports of limits at bulk warehouse stores, in late April of 2008 rationing went official. Many Costco stores were limiting purchases of flour, rice, cooking oil and other staples to avoid shortages - and the stores tracked purchases electronically to prevent customers from visiting other Costco stores. This was the first example of food rationing, but probably not the last - at least one financial analyst was predicting corn shortages in the fall of 2008.
The energy train and the food train were inextricably linked, and indeed directly (as the costs of diesel rose rapidly) and indirectly (rising energy costs created the biofuels boom) drove the food crisis. They were linked in other, complex ways as well - the housing collapse that threatened to plunge Europe and the US into a major depression was in part due to the high costs of commuting from suburban infrastructure. Exurban housing collapsed hardest, while housing closer to cities remained desirable - for a while.
While the food crisis in the poor world made headlines, the energy crisis there went almost unnoticed. <ore and more poorer nations simply could not afford to import oil and other fossil fuels, and began to slowly but steadily lose the benefits of fossil fuels. Nations suffered shortages of gas, electricity and coal. Tajikistan, experiencing a record cold winter found itself with inadequate supplies of heating oil and a humanitarian crisis. South African coal supplies were so short that electricity generation dropped back to intermittency.
Industrial agriculture, described as “the process of turning oil into food” began to struggle to keep yields up to match growing demand. Yield increases fell back steadily, with more and more investment of energy (and higher costs for poor farmers trying to keep yields up). Yield increases, which had been at 6% annually from the 1960s through the 1990s fell to 1-2%, against rapidly rising demand. Climate change threatened to further reduce yields in already stressed poor nations - Bangladesh struggled with repeated climate change linked flooding, the Sahelian African countries with growing drought, China with desertification.
All future indications were that both food and energy supplies would fail to keep up with demand. Unchecked (the only kind we’ve got) climate change is expected to reduce rice yields by up to 30%, and food production in the already starving Sahel is expected to be reduced by half. GMOs, touted as a solution, have yet to produce even slightly higher yields. Arable land is disappearing under growth, while aquifers are heavily depleted - 30% of the world’s grain production comes from irrigated land that is expected to lose its water supply in the next decades.
Meanwhile the costs of fossil fueled agricultural skyrocketed, with Potash rising by 300% in less than a year. What should have been a boom for farmers was actually the beginning of an increasingly precarious spiral of high prices, high indebtedness and market volatility. Agricultural indebtedness rose dramatically.
Meanwhile, the ability of nations to transport food supplies began to be called into question. Early trucker protests were intermittent and largely ineffective, but real predictions of diesel shortages and a shortage of refining capacity made it a real possibility that food might not reach store shelves.
And so how does the story end? If you were reading this in a history book, what ending would you expect to see? Because just because the crash doesn’t quite read like a post apocalyptic novel doesn’t mean that we aren’t the new Po-Apoc (like Po-Mo, only darker) generation.
Sharon
* food , future , natural gas , oil
* Comments(97)
97 Responses to “We Regret to Inform You…”
[goes with my last post]
Read what Sharon Astyk has to say about it:
http://sharonastyk.com/2008/04/22/we-regret-to-inform-you/
Note that the things Sharon is listing in this post are things THAT
HAVE
ALREADY HAPPENED.
Given that, I’ll allow a brief discussion of food storage.
At present, having enough food stored for a few months looks to me like
a
totally good idea. Well, it always looks like a good idea to me, but
an
*especially* good idea right now, particularly in view of the
fast-rising
costs of food.
By storing some food, will you be taking food away from those who need
it
more? No, not actually - they *cannot afford to buy food*. There is
enough food in the world for all; the problem is one of distribution
and
economic injustice. See www.foodfirst.org for good information along
these
lines.
OK: I’ll say that my two favorite suppliers for long-term storage food
are
Emergency Essentials and Walton Feed.
www.beprepared.com - Emergency Essentials
www.waltonfeed.com - Walton Feed
Both sell high-quality food. Unless you have a very large family, I
recommend #10 cans rather than 5- or 6-gallon buckets.
Both the above suppliers also sell complete kits - food for two persons
for
a year, for example. These are, of course, expensive and they aren’t
any
use to you *unless you know how to prepare the food in them and will
actually eat those foods*. I
It’s expensive for anyone in the East to buy much long-term storage
food
because unfortunately the freight costs as much as the food! Sigh.
I buy my wheat from www.WheatMontana.com . I buy my soybeans from
Fairview
Farms: http://www.fairviewfarms.com/
I buy a lot of staples from BulkFoods.com - these are not packed for
long-term storage; if you want to keep them a long time, you have to
pack
them yourself. www.bulkfoods.com
For packing and storage info, see: http://waltonfeed.net/self/
But *at least* stock up on food you can buy locally that keeps - pasta,
canned fruit if you use it, canned veggies if you use them (I use
canned
tomatoes), canned beans if you use them, dry dog or cat food if
applicable,
canned dog or cat food if applicable. Dry skim milk is good to have on
hand too. Anything else that will keep that you normally use. The
prices
are only going one way....
Remember the primary rule of food storage: Use what you store; store
what
you use!
We’re all limited by money and available room; some have more freedom
within those parameters than others. Do what you can.
Pat
— Northern Pennsylvania
http://www.entire-of-itself.blogspot.com/
Placing the Terrorist Threat to the Food Supply in Perspective
April 22, 2008
By Fred Burton and Scott Stewart
stratfortir.jpgHigh food prices have sparked a great deal of unrest over the past few weeks. Indeed, the skyrocketing cost of food staples like grain has caused protests involving thousands of people in places such as South Africa, Egypt and Pakistan. These protests turned deadly in Haiti and even led to the ouster of Prime Minister Jacques-Edouard Alexis.
With global food supplies already tight, many people have begun once again to think (and perhaps even worry) about threats to the U.S. agricultural system and the impact such threats could have on the U.S. — and global — food supply. In light of this, it is instructive to examine some of these threats and attempt to place them in perspective.
A Breakdown of Potential Threats
Since the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks, there have been many reports issued by various government and civilian sources warning of the possibility that terrorists could target the U.S. food supply. At the most basic level, threats to a country’s food supply can come in two general forms: attacks designed to create famine and attacks designed to directly poison people.
Attacks designed to create famine would entail the use of some agent intended to kill crops or livestock. Such agents could include pathogens, insects or chemicals. The pathogens might include such livestock diseases as Bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE), commonly called mad cow disease, or hoof-and-mouth disease. Crop diseases such as Ug99 fungus or molds also pose a threat to supplies.
Attacks designed to poison people could also be further divided into two general forms: those intended to introduce toxins or pathogens prior to processing and those intended to attack finished food products. Attacks against foodstuffs during agricultural production could include placing an agent on crops in the field or while in transit to a mill or processing center. Attacks against finished foodstuffs would entail covertly placing the toxin or pathogen into the finished food product after processing.
It must be noted that an attack against people could also be conducted for the purposes of creating a mass disruption — such action would not be designed to cause mass casualties, but rather to create fear, unrest and mistrust of the government and food supply, or to promote hoarding. In fact, based on historical examples of incidents involving the contamination of food products, such an attack is far more likely to occur than a serious systematic attack on the food supply.
Attack Constraints
While attacks against the food supply may appear simple in theory, they have occurred infrequently and for good reason: When one considers the sheer size of the U.S. agricultural sector, conducting a productive assault proves difficult.
As seen by the coca and marijuana eradication efforts by the United States and its partners in Mexico, Central America and the Andes, the logistical effort needed to make any substantial dent in agricultural production is massive. Even the vast resources the United States has dedicated to drug eradication tasks in small countries –- overt plane flights spraying untold thousands of gallons of herbicides for decades — have failed to create more than a limited effect on marijuana and coca crops. Obviously, any sort of meaningful chemical attack on U.S. agriculture would have to be so massive that it is simply not logistically feasible.
This is where pathogens — agents that can, at least in theory, be introduced in limited amounts, reproduce and then rapidly spread to infect a far larger area — enter the picture. In order to be effective, however, a pathogen must be one that is easily spread and very deadly and has a long incubation period (in order to ensure it is passed along before the host dies). It is also very helpful to the propagation of a disease if it is difficult to detect and/or difficult to treat. While a pathogen that possesses all of the aforementioned traits could be devastating, finding such an agent is difficult. Few diseases have all the requisite characteristics. Some are very deadly, but act too quickly to be passed, while others are more readily passed but do not have a long incubation period or are not as virulent. Other pathogens, such as the Ug99 wheat fungus, are easy to detect and kill. There is also the problem of mutation, meaning that many pathogens tend to mutate into less virulent actors. It is also important to note that genetically engineering a super bug — one that possess all the characteristics to make it highly effective — is still much harder in real life than it is on television.
Even if such an effective pathogen is found, someone intending to use it in an attack must isolate the virulent strain, manufacture it in sufficient quantities to be effective, ship it to the place of the planned attack and then distribute it in a manner whereby it is effectively dispersed. The infrastructure required to undertake such an endeavor is both large and expensive. Even in past cases where groups possessed the vast monetary resources to fund biological weapons efforts and amassed the scientific expertise to attempt such a program — Aum Shinrikyo comes to mind — virulent pathogens have proven very difficult to produce and effectively disperse in large quantities.
Another factor making these sorts of attacks difficult to orchestrate is the very nature of farming. For thousands of years, farmers have been battling plant and animal diseases. Most of the pathogens that are mentioned in connection with attacks against agriculture include elements already existing in nature such as hoof-and-mouth disease, H5N1 bird flu or a fungus like Ug99. As a result, farmers and governmental organizations such as the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service have systems in place to monitor crops and animals for signs of pathogens. When these pathogens appear, action is taken and diseased crops are treated or eradicated. Animals are treated or culled. Even in past cases where massive eradication and culling efforts occurred — BSE in the United Kingdom, citrus canker in Florida or the many bird flu outbreaks over the past few years –- the measures have not crippled or affected the country’s agricultural sector or the larger economy.
Creating famine and poisoning the food supply are also difficult, given the sheer quantity of agricultural products grown. Applying some sort of toxin before the raw food is processed is difficult, given the volume produced. In fact, much grain is diverted to uses other than human consumption, as when corn is used to produce ethanol or feed livestock. Therefore, if a truckload of corn is poisoned, it might never funnel into the human food chain. Furthermore, even if a truck of contaminated grain were destined for the food chain, by the time it made its way through the process it would likely be too diluted to have any effect. During the production process, contaminated corn would first have to combine with other grain, sit in a silo, be moved and stored again, ground and finally made into a finished food product such as a loaf of cornbread — an unlikely source of poisoning for the end user. Processing, washing, cooking, pasteurizing and refining may all also serve to further dilute, cleanse or damage the pathogen in the targeted product. At this point, food is also inspected for naturally occurring pathogens and toxins. Such inspections could help spot an intentional contamination.
Besides, even contaminating one truckload of grain would require a large amount of toxin. Producing that much toxin would require a substantial infrastructure –- one that would require a great deal of time and money to build. Not to mention the difficulty inherent in transporting and delivering the toxin.
Past Attacks Prove Few and Far Between
Actual attacks against food are very rare. And due to the considerations enumerated above, nearly every food attack we are aware of was an attempt to directly poison people and not cause famine. Furthermore, almost all of these attacks involved processed foods or raw foods packaged for human consumption.
While people are frequently sickened by pathogens in food such as E. coli or salmonella bacteria, most incidents are not intentional. One of the few known successful attempts at using a biological agent to contaminate food in the United States occurred in 1984 in the small Oregon town of The Dalles. Followers of cult leader Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh, attempting to manipulate a local election, infected salad bars in 10 restaurants with Salmonella typhimurium, causing about 751 people to become ill.
A second contamination attempt occurred in October 1996, when 12 laboratory workers at a large medical center in Texas experienced severe gastrointestinal illness after eating muffins and doughnuts left in their break room. Laboratory tests revealed that the pastries had been intentionally infected with S. dysenteriae, a pathogen that rarely occurs in the United States. An investigation later determined that the pathogen came from a stock culture kept at the lab.
While many people recall the 1989 Chilean grape scare — when two grapes imported to the United States were injected with cyanide — few recall that the perpetrator in the case made several calls to the U.S. Embassy warning of the contamination and was therefore not seriously attempting to harm people, but rather attempting an action designed to draw attention to social injustice in Chile. The warning calls allowed agricultural inspectors to find the damaged and discolored grapes before they were eaten.
In a lesser-known case that took place in 1978, a dozen children in the Netherlands and West Germany were hospitalized after eating oranges imported from Israel. The Arab Revolutionary Council, a nom de guerre used by the Abu Nidal Organization, deliberately contaminated the fruit with mercury in an attempt to damage the Israeli economy.
Potential Players and the Public Impact
Such attacks could potentially be conducted by a wide array of actors, ranging from a single mentally disturbed individual on one end of the spectrum to sovereign nations on the other end. Cults and domestic or transnational terrorist groups fall somewhere in the middle. The motivation behind these diverse actors could range from monetary extortion or attempts to commit mass murder to acts of war designed to cripple the U.S. economy or the nation’s ability to project power.
Of these actors, however, there are very few who possess the ability to conduct attacks that could have a substantial impact on the U.S. food supply. In fact, most of the actors are only capable of contaminating finished food products. While they all have this rudimentary capability, there is also the question of intent.
Documents and manuals found in Afghanistan after the 2001 U.S.-led invasion revealed an al Qaeda interest in conducting chemical and biological attacks, although this interest was not a well-developed program. From a cost-benefit standpoint, it would be much cheaper and easier to use explosives to create disruption than it would be to execute a complicated plot against the food supply. Besides, such a target would not produce the type of spectacular imagery the group enjoys.
While we do not foresee any huge attempt by the Russians or Chinese, and food supply is not a part of al Qaeda’s preferred target set, it is possible that a lone wolf or a smaller extremist organization could attempt to conduct such an attack. While any such offensive will likely have limited success, it could have far wider societal repercussions. At the present time, the public has become somewhat accustomed to food scares and recalls over things such as contaminated spinach, ground beef and green onions. Even warnings over lead and other harmful chemicals in food imported from China have caused concern. However, if even a relatively unsuccessful attack on the food supply were conducted by a terrorist group, it could create significant hysteria — especially if the media sensationalized the event. In such a case, even an ineffective terror plot could result in a tremendous amount of panic and economic loss.
Perhaps the best recent example of this type of disruptive attack is the 2001 anthrax letter attacks. Although the attacks only claimed the lives of five victims, they caused a huge, disproportionate effect on the collective American and world psyche. The public fears that arose from the anthrax attacks were augmented by extensive media discussions about the use of the agent as a weapon. The public sense of unease was further heightened by the fact that the perpetrator was never identified or apprehended. As a result, countless instances surfaced in which irrational panic caused office buildings, apartment buildings, government offices and factories to be evacuated. Previously ignored piles of drywall dust and the powdered sugar residue left by someone who ate a donut at his desk led to suspicions about terrorists, who suddenly seemed to be lurking around every corner. It did not matter, in the midst of the fear, that the place where the “anthrax” was found could have absolutely no symbolic or strategic value to the Islamist militants that most Americans pictured in their minds. The sense of threat and personal vulnerability was pervasive.
In the years since 2001, thousands of hoax anthrax letters have been sent to companies, government offices, schools and politicians in the United States and abroad. Many of these hoaxes have caused psychosomatic responses, resulting in victims being hospitalized, and further economic losses in terms of lost production time, emergency hazmat response costs and laboratory tests.
In the end, the most probable attack against the food supply is unlikely to create a significant death toll, but the panic such an attack may evoke can cause repercussions that are far greater than the death toll itself.
Tell Stratfor What You Think
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Prevent and Heal Disease With Chilies
Scientists have proven that capsaicin, which is responsible for the
burning
sensation when we eat chilies, can kill cancer cells, indicating that
people
could at least prevent the onset of cancer by eating spicy food. This
is
because it is a natural antioxidant, meaning that it defends against
disease
causing toxins.
According to the World Health Organization, countries where diets are
traditionally high in capsaicin have significantly lower cancer death
rates for men
and women than in countries where little spicy food is consumed.
Prevents Dangerous Blood Clots
As well as preventing cancer, researchers have also noticed that
people who
consume large amounts of chili peppers experienced a lower incidence
of
thromboembolism, or potentially dangerous blood clots.
Scientists have studied the medical records of countries where spicy
foods
are regularly consumed, and found that people who eat a diet high in
chilies
experience a much lower incidence of blood clotting diseases. It has
now been
scientifically proven that capsicum is able to break down blood clots.
Other Benefits of Hot Super Foods Include:
* Chilies are anti-inflammatory, so they prevent and relieve arthritis.
* Lowers Blood Pressure Naturally – Going hot increases the
circulatory
system and maintains strong cell walls.
* Chilies are a fantastic remedy for Cluster Headaches and Migraines,
and
can be put on the temples to sooth the pain. Some researchers are even
investigating the effects of snorting it up the nose!
* A mood lifter, depression fighter, and powerful stress reliever.
Capsicum
increases endorphins and other mood elevating, “feel good” substances.
* Chilies can help protect us from common winter conditions. It may
reduce
flu symptoms, sinusitis, and respiratory problems. It opens everything
up,
makes you sweat, and boosts the immune system.
* A powerful remedy for Herpes Simplex flare–ups. You can rub a hot
chili
straight on the skin to watch it disappear! Now available in the form
of a
prescription drug, capsicum ointment is applied to the skin to aid in
controlling
the pain associated with herpes zoster, also known as shingles.
* A natural muscle relaxant and pain reliever. We all know that
putting
something hot and spicy on muscular pain offers relief. Again, a hot
chili pepper
straight on the skin will do the trick. There are also a number of
creams
that have capsicum in them to sooth and heal painful muscles.
* Chilies have been shown to have a positive effect on an overactive
bladder
and on people who have incontinence. It can block contractions that
cause
unpredictable loss of urine.
* Spicy foods can heal psoriasis and other skin conditions. Topical
capsaicin creams have been prescribed to dry up psoriasis patches.
* Studies have shown that ulcers respond well to chilies. Hot peppers
inhibit the growth of H. Pylori, the bacteria that causes certain
kinds of ulcers.
* Capsicum is good for the skin because it is anti-inflammatory and
improves
circulation.
* Spicy foods improve libido and sex drive.
So if you can handle your food hot, turn up the notch and enjoy the
amazing
healing benefits and added taste of spicy foods.
Welcome, join us any time and share your knowledge with us.
There is so much to learn.
She said her mom had a bad case of hemorrhoids and wondered if you had some simple cure.<<
First thank you for having enough faith in the thread to send your friends.
Yes, I know what works for many of us and has helped to avoid the surgery they offer for it.
If they are real bad and bleeding, etc, a hot bath, sitting on a folded bath towel will help. So would adding peppermint tea or even a tea made from lavender flowers. [Do I have to say that the tea must be strained into the bath??? LOL , I did not the first time I took one, and it was a mess........Use common garden peppermint or even spearmint and you have a bath you will not forget, cleans, heals and relaxes you.
Boil 1 cup of dry leaf for 15 minutes, let it set covered and you have a bath tea.]
After you are dry and clean, use Vicks, about a 1/4 spoon full or so, more if needed and use it to grease them and to push them back inside. It will feel good, will not burn, is more cool than hot.
Yes the same Vicks that you use on your kids chests at the first sign of a cold..........
After you have them under control, the real secret is to keep them pushed back after every shower, I prefer the Avon ‘Vita Moist body lotion” and used it for the past 40+ years.
Vita Moist is a lanolin based lotion, that is not highly perfumed and will work for men too.
If you do not keep them oiled, they will come right back.
Yes, I thought of making this a private answer, but I also know how many other people have the same problem, most of us on this thread I would guess..........as we had babies and we all do heavy lifting.
LOL, I never tried honey for them, but have used it on bad cuts and they say if you have allergy problems, be sure to eat a honey from your area and it will cure it.
Cinnamon is not on my list of favorites, I would rather eat cayenne pepper.
Welcome, come and join us.
You are going to see a run on grain mills, as folks are buying all they can of any kind.
Since I started this list, I have joined several Yahoo groups to lurk and borrow any good information.
I am seeing posts from all over the country, that say ‘sold out’ or some bragging about the days buys.
Did you check WaltonFeed.com for a grinder? they sell them there or I think they have one or two for sale, see also 2302 and 2300 for Walton posts.
I have been hitting some of the links in the groups and some of the places the folks are buying at, is $1.00 a pound for wheat,
everything seemed too high to me.
When I found Walton’s back in the late 90’s, I checked other companies, and found that there was a lot of price gouging going on.
The y2k sales sites in the east and Texas were 3 to 6 times more expensive, but they had the magic Y2K in their ads.
Walton’s and a couple other Mormon supply sites, did not play on the Y2K theme, or did so lightly, as they were there to sell to the Mormons and like minded people and did not need Y2K to keep them in business, LOL, only to add the big profits that came from Y2K.
That was how I settled on them for the first order, I checked all the Mormon groups and sites to see if they were on the list of supply places and they were on about 9 out of 10.
There is another place in Utah, the MAKER of the Moo milk products that is said to be as good as Walton’s.
The survival groups at Yahoo are showing 1 to 11 new members per day, which when there is a comment made on the thread, it is surprise and not surprise, as they understand fully what is happening.
I had caught the fact the military wives were shipping rice to the Philippines on one of the lists that I read today.
Maybe you had better learn how to make bread from scratch and not worry about the machines.
So much to learn.........like in your stored grains, put 3 or 4 bay leaves, it helps to keep the bugs out of it.
Be sure you check for some of the rice recipes here and stock up on herbs, as they do make food taste better, I put about all I have in every pot of beans.........
Thank you for calling it good work........never know what I will find next.
Uniform California Earthquake Rupture Forecast (UCERF)
The 2007 Working Group on California Earthquake Probabilities (WGCEP
2007), a multi-disciplinary collaboration of scientists and engineers,
has released [in April 2008] the ...UCERF — the first comprehensive
framework for comparing earthquake likelihoods throughout all of
California.” The report predicts “California has a 99.7% chance of having a
magnitude 6.7 or larger earthquake during the next 30 years.” Includes the
full report, a fact sheet, executive summary, a podcast, and related
material.
URL: http://www.scec.org/ucerf/
LII Item: http://lii.org/cs/lii/view/item/25942
Central United States Earthquake Consortium (CUSEC)
Website for this “partnership of the federal government and the eight
states most affected by earthquakes in the central United States. Those
states are: Alabama, Arkansas, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky,
Mississippi, Missouri, and Tennessee.” Includes descriptions of the New Madrid
Seismic Zone and the Wabash Valley Seismic Zone (site of an earthquake on
April 18, 2008), a link to current earthquake activity in the central
U.S., earthquake safety material, and related information.
URL: http://www.cusec.org/
LII Item: http://lii.org/cs/lii/view/item/25945
New Madrid Earthquakes 1811-1812
Background about the 1811-1812 New Madrid earthquakes in the Midwest.
“On the basis of the large area of damage ... the widespread area of
perceptibility ... and the complex physiographic changes that occurred,
the Mississippi River valley earthquakes of 1811-1812 rank as some of the
largest in the United States since its settlement by Europeans.”
Includes an earthquake summary, subsequent historical images, eyewitness
accounts, and maps. From the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS).
URL TRUNCATED, SEE LII ITEM
LII Item: http://lii.org/cs/lii/view/item/25944
American Community Gardening Association: Learn
Background about community gardens, “[a]ny piece of land gardened by a
group of people.” Features profiles of U.S. community gardens
(browsable by geographic location), a guide to starting a community garden,
audio of gardening teleconferences, a best practices series covering topics
such as children’s gardening and saving seeds, a FAQ, and other
related publications and links. From the American Community Gardening
Association.
URL: http://www.communitygarden.org/learn/
LII Item: http://lii.org/cs/lii/view/item/25921
A Natural Approach To Treating Seasonal Allergies
By Dr. Ben Kim on April 22, 2008
If you suffer with seasonal allergies, you are well aware of how a
sudden onset of scratchy and watery eyes, violent sneezing, and a
constant runny nose can hamper your activities of daily living.
Sometimes called hay fever or allergic rhinitis, seasonal allergies
affect tens of millions of people throughout North America every year.
What causes seasonal allergies? When an outdoor or indoor allergen
comes into contact with your body, your immune system may trigger the
production of an antibody called immunoglobin E, also called IgE. If
this happens, the next time that yo u are exposed to that allergen,
IgE antibodies in your body release a chemical called histamine,
which sets off a series of chemical reactions that can result in any
of the following eliminative reactions:
Sneezing
Swelling of the mucous membranes in your sinuses, nose, and eyes
A runny nose
Watery eyes
All of these eliminative reactions are in place to preserve your
health. You want these mechanisms to be sharp and fully functional at
all times, and ready to react to substances that are harmful to your
cells. What you don’t want is for these eliminative mechanisms to
swing into high gear in response to substances that don’t pose a real
physiological threat to your cells.
Toxins that are produced by mold - also called mycotoxins - are
examples of substances that you want to react to by sneezing and
having watery eyes and a runny nose. Regular exposure to mycotoxins
can contribute to the development of a wide variety of health
challenges, including cancer, nervous system dysfunction, immune
system dysfunction, diarrhea, and even rapid death.
Pollens from various types of grasses, weeds, and trees are examples
of substances that don’t pose the same physiological threats to your
cells that some mycotoxins do; there is no real need for your body to
activate a histamine-mediated response when exposed to pollens.
Beyond different types of pollen, there are many other common
allergens that are not directly harmful to your cells, and yet, if
you suffer with seasonal allergies, your body may react to these
allergens by producing the eliminative reactions listed above.
Why is this? Why does your body use up energy and sometimes exhaust
itself in responding to allergens that are not directly harmful to
your cells?
Conventional medicine and science do not have an answer for this
question. All we know for sure is that allergens induce an IgE and
histamine-mediated response. We don’t know with absolute certainty
why only a small percentage of the human population suffers with
seasonal allergies.
My personal and clinical experiences have led me to believe that
seasonal allergies come about because of a hypersensitive nervous
system and a dysfunctional immune system. All sub-optimal lifestyle
factors - poor stress management, lack of rest, poor food choices,
and regular exposure to toxins - can gradually create both a
hypersensitive nervous system and a dysfunctional immune system in
people who are genetically susceptible to developing these health
challenges.
What follows are dietary and lifestyle recommendations that I have
used to help many people successfully overcome seasonal allergies.
Apply deep massage to the following acupressure points for a few
minutes, two times a day:
Spleen 10 (SP-10): located in a tender region of the inner side of
the thigh, approximately three finger widths above the upper and
inner border/corner of the knee cap.
For Clinicians: this point corresponds with the anterior cutaneous
branches of the femoral nerve, the muscular branch of the femoral
nerve, a portion of the great saphenous vein, the muscular branch of
the femoral artery and companion vein, and the articular branch of
the descending genicular artery.
Spleen 6 (SP-6): located approximately three finger widths above the
inner ankle bone, in a tender region of the lower calf muscle.
For Clinicians: this point is found in between the medial margin of
the tibia and the soleus muscle. As you go deeper, this point
corresponds with the flexor digitorum longus and flexor hallucis
longus muscles. This point also corresponds with a cutaneous branch
of the saphenous nerve, motor branches of the tibial nerve, and the
deeper trunk of the tibial nerve. A superficial branch of the great
saphenous vein, the posterior tibial artery, and a companion vein to
the posterior tibial artery are also in this region.
Large Intestine 4 (LI-4): located in the soft, fleshy web that sits
between your thumb and forefinger.
For Clinicians: this point corresponds with a muscular branch of the
median nerve, the deep branch of the ulnar nerve, proper palmer
digitial nerves from the first common palmar digital nerve, and the
superficial branch of the radial nerve. Tributary branches of the
cephalic vein, the radial artery, and the first dorsal metacarpal
artery and companion veins can also be found in this region.
Liver 3 (LR-3): located in the soft flesh that sits between your big
and 2nd toes, the equivalent of LI-4 on your foot.
For Clinicians: this point corresponds with the medial dorsal
cutaneous nerve, the medial branch of the deep peroneal nerve, and a
muscular branch from the deep branch of the lateral plantar nerve.
The dorsal venous network of the foot , the first dorsal metatarsal
artery, and a companion vein are also found in this region.
Some Notes Regarding Acupressure: in general, you should feel around
for a tender spot in each of the regions described above. You should
apply enough pressure to feel a mild, dull, achy pain. If you have
varicose veins, do not massage any of your muscle groups without
first consulting with your family doctor. It is best to massage each
point on both sides of your body. If you are not sure about the
location of each of the points listed above, I highly recommend that
you take a look at the following book, the best of its kind:
Acupressure’s Potent Points: a Guide to Self-Care for Common
Ailments.
Avoid all sources of MSG and artificial sweeteners; both are known to
damage the cells that make up your nervous system.
Take a high quality probiotic on a daily basis; this is the easiest
step that you can take right away to improve the strength of your
immune system.
Consider doing a juice fast to help remove stored toxins from your
tissues, particularly from the insulating sheath that surrounds your
nervous system.
Ensure adequate vitamin D status. Vitamin D is essential for optimal
nervous system and immune system health.
Following the recommendations listed above as a means to addressing
seasonal allergies requires a lot more effort than taking an over-the-
counter drug like Claritin. Please keep in mind that in addition to
helping you overcome seasonal allergies, following these
recommendations can also help you improve your overall health without
a number of “side” effects like dizziness and drowsiness.
To visit group on the web, go to:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/howtosurvivalistclub/
Thanks for the info. This site is a real treasure!
April 23, 2008
Era of cheap food ends as prices surge
Steve Hawkes, Greg Hurst and Valerie Elliott
http://business.timesonline.co.uk/tol/business/industry_sectors/consumer_goods/article3799327.ece
Families have been warned that the prices of basic foods will rise
steeply again because of acute shortages in commodity markets.
Experts told /The Times/ yesterday that prices of rice, wheat and
vegetable oil would rise further. They also forecast that high prices
and shortages -— which have caused riots in developing countries
such
as Bangladesh and Haiti -— were here to stay, and that the days of
cheap produce would not return. Food-price inflation has already
pushed
up a typical family’s weekly shopping bill by 15 per cent in a year.
A further 15 per cent increase in the price of a standard Kingsmill
loaf
would push it up from £1.09 to to £1.24. Butter has gone up by 62 per
cent in the past year. A similar rise would bring the price of a 250g
pack to £1.52.
The price of rice, which has almost tripled in a year, rose 2 per
cent
on the Chicago Board of Trade yesterday as the United Nations food
agency gave warning that millions faced starvation because aid
agencies
were unable to meet the additional financial burden.
Gordon Brown responded to mounting concerns about the global rise in
food prices by signalling that he might scale back Britain’s
commitment
to biofuels, which critics say has exacerbated the food crisis
because
land has been given over to grow crops for energy rather than food.
John Bason, finance director of Associated British Foods, one of
Britain’s biggest food producers, said that wheat prices had doubled
in
a year and supermarkets would have to raise the price of bread again.
Vegetable oil was also likely to soar in price because the price of
corn
oil in the US had almost tripled, he said.
Poor harvests and fierce competition for food supplies has already
meant
the price of eggs, rice, bread and pasta in supermarkets has rocketed.
MySupermarket.co.uk
http://www.MySupermarket.co.uk
said that eggs
from
free-range poultry in Tesco, Asda and Sainsbury’s were 47 per cent
more
expensive than a year ago; basmati rice was up 61 per cent and
fusilli
pasta 81 per cent.
continues.
Thank you.
Keep reading, never know what we will learn here.
Your Digestive System - a Ticking Time Bomb
By Willie Jones
Before digestion actually occurs, the smell of food or the thoughts
about food when you are hungry is the signal to salivate. This
moistens the mouth and makes it possible to swallow food.
Digestion occurs in four stages beginning with the mouth, stomach,
small intestine and large intestine.
Mouth
There are two actions that take place when you put food in your
mouth. One is to start breaking down food by chewing. While you are
chewing saliva further breaks down food because of the enzyme
amylase. Not chewing your food enough causes strain on the stomach to
break down larger chunks.
Stomach
The stomach produces about 3 quarts of acid per day. This in combinat
ion with enzymes further breaks down the food. It is in the stomach
that proteins, fats, carbohydrates, vitamins and minerals are
processed for nutrient absorption. The hydrochloric acid also kills
off viruses and bacteria.
Small Intestine
The pancreas, which releases enzymes, and the gallbladder, which
releases bile salts, assist the small intestine in further breakdown.
It is in the small intestine that most of the nutrient absorption
takes place. Unfortunately, today’s poor diets from over processed
foods, pollutants in our agriculture and misinformation, has created
a nation susceptible to poor health and disease. Long term poor diet
results in the body literally starving for nutrients while we gain
unwanted weight, fatigue and immune system difficulties.
Large Intestine
The large intestine takes the remaining mass and absorbs water,
electrolytes and some left over nutrients. The indigestible mass
remains until it can be excreted.
What Can Go Wrong
Most everyone has experienced diarrhea or constipation in their lives
and someone who is in relatively good condition will find this to be
temporary. Diarrhea is when the muscles in the intestines move the
mass along too quickly and there is not enough time for the water to
be absorbed in the system. This is why doctors get concerned about
dehydration. The opposite is true for constipation where the waste
moves along very slowly so the water gets absorbed and the waste
hardens making it difficult to excrete.
There are several conditions that cause havoc in the intestines that
can cause poor health. Irritable Bowel Syndrome or IBS, is where the
muscles in the colon are not working properly. This can cause
constipation or diarrhea, bloating and cramping, a very uncomfortable
condition.
Colitis is a chronic inflammation of the intestines where the top
layer of lining of the intestinal wall can be damaged and ulcers
occur. This causes diarrhea, abdominal pain and possible bleeding.
Ulcerative Colitis can be difficult to diagnose because it is similar
to IBS and Crohns disease.
Crohns disease mainly affects the small intestine but can affect any
part of the digestive system including the mouth and stomach.
This
disease causes inflammation even deeper in the intestinal lining.
The stomach and esophagus are not immune to irritation. The esophagus
can get inflamed from acid reflux or GERD. The acid from the stomach
can move up to the esophagus and damage the lining. The stomach can
experience ulcers which can be quite painful.
There are other digestive disorders that can make one’s life
miserable, but, there is hope for any of these conditions.
Lifestyle
changes and eating habits can do much to ease or reduce symptoms. The
fuel you put in your body has everything to do with how efficiently
your body runs. It is a well known fact that if you put bad gas in
your car it will run poorly or not at all. The same holds true for a
body. If you have spent years abusing your body by giving it bad
fuel, it stands to reason that it will not function well. So what do
you do?
Start by evaluating what you eat on a daily basis and keep notes. Get
educated in health and nutrition. The grocery stores are full of
canned and packaged processed foods. Processed foods are truly an
enemy to good health. Some nutrition is taken out, preservatives put
in to ensure shelf life, great for the shareholders who are happy
with their profits but bad for proper health.
Next time you go to a grocery store try this little exercise. Avoid
all the center aisles for food items. This means no canned or
processed foods, only non food items such as toothpaste, paper towels
etc. Do go to the meat dept. for all natural meats, (but do keep
portions way down, you really don’t need much more than 3 oz). Then
go to the produce section for fresh fruits, vegetables and herbs,
preferably organic. This means actual cooking which may not be as
convenient as processed foods, but by far much healthier. If you
don’t have time to cook daily, take a Sunday afternoon and prepare
meals to place in the freezer.
Drink a lot of water! Just drink up all day long. You would be amazed
at what drinking water can do for your health. (Note, the more
dehydrated you are, the more pain you feel) Water is so important in
flushing your system of toxins and waste. Your toilet will not flush
without water and this is true for your body as well. Most Americans
are semi dehydrated and don’t know it. You can get some of your
liquids from fruits and vegetables, teas etc., but not drinking water
through out the day will make it tough on your entire body.
Some
times when you feel a bit hungry you may actually be thirsty.
Drink a
glass of water first. If your craving for food goes away then you
know it was thirst.
Your body relies on the digestive system for your very survival.
A
malfunctioning system impairs water and nutrient absorption. It can
go like this for a long time but at your own peril. *** Long term
neglect can result in conditions such as GERD, IBS which includes
chronic constipation, diarrhea, Crohn’s disease, ulcerative colitisor
Celiac disease or even cancer.*** While you may enjoy the cookies,
pies, cakes and fatty foods that you know are not good for you, you
will pay later! No matter the state your body is currently in with
regards to the digestive system, you can do something about it.
So DO
something about it! You’ll live longer, lose weight and feel so much
better.
Medicinal Uses of Dandelion
http://www.gardensablaze.com/HerbDandelionMed.htm
The humble little Dandelion has remarkable nutritional value, being
very high in vitamins A and C, with more beta carotine than carrots
and more potassium than broccoli or spinach, not to mention healthy
doses of iron and copper for good measure. Medicinally, Dandelions
are considered very safe and effective as a general tonic that helps
strengthen the liver, gallbladder, pancreas, spleen, stomach, and
intestines, improving bile flow and reducing inflammation in cases
of hepatitis and cirrhosis. Dandelions also help to dissipate
gallstones and are believed to improve kidney function, thereby
improving overall health and clearing skin problems.
Dandelion tea is the perfect choice for those with the above problems
or those who lead relatively sedentary lifestyles and who experience
discomfort associated with this, such as constipation, digestive
disorders, indigestion, and general sluggishness and fatigue. Just
one cup per day will yield noticeable results within the first few
months. Tea may also be of benefit for many of the problems
associated with diabetes and low blood sugar.
Externally, the white sap from the stems or roots can be applied
directly to ease the pain of sores and bee stings, and is useful in
the elimination of warts, acne, and calluses.
Dandelion coffee is made by grinding roasted roots, and makes a nice
substitute for regular coffee, but without the caffeine (see main
Dandelion page for instructions). People who can’t tolerate much
coffee can drink as much as they please and reap the health benefits
without any side-effects. For the sweets lover, ground root mixed
with warm milk and a little sweetener makes a very tasty and
nutritious creamy beverage with few calories.
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